Science

Two Communities, Two Hazards and the Two Award-Winners Reporting Them

Two outstanding features — one on air pollution from a local coke plant in Pennsylvania, another on deaths from a shellfish toxin in Alaska, and both focused on public health, neglected communities and environmental justice — are the subject of the new Inside Story Q&A. Society of Environmental Journalists’ award-winners Nancy Averett and Zoya Teirstein share their reporting insights and advice.

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Extinction of Indigenous Languages Harms Knowledge Of Medicinal Plants

"A study at the University of Zurich in Switzerland shows that a large proportion of existing medicinal plant knowledge is linked to threatened Indigenous languages. In a regional study on the Amazon, New Guinea and North America, researchers concluded that 75% of medicinal plant uses are known in only one language."

Source: Mongabay, 09/21/2021

"New Evidence of Corruption at EPA Chemicals Division"

"Scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency have provided The Intercept with new information showing that senior staff have made chemicals appear safer — sometimes dodging restrictions on their use — by minimizing the estimates of how much is released into the environment."

Source: The Intercept, 09/21/2021

Job Opening: Science Communications Professional, Hudson River Foundation

The Hudson River Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that supports scientific research, ecological enhancement, and educational programs for the Hudson River and its estuary, is seeking an experienced communications professional to assist us in building our outreach capacity. This is a part-time (20 hour/week) position. We are particularly interested in candidates with experience communicating science to non-expert audiences and the capacity to produce clear, concise, persuasive, and well-designed communications addressing complex issues and information.

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"House Panel Expands Inquiry Into Climate Disinformation by Oil Giants"

"The House Oversight Committee has widened its inquiry into the oil and gas industry’s role in spreading disinformation about the role of fossil fuels in causing global warming, calling on top executives from Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP and Royal Dutch Shell, as well as the lobby groups American Petroleum Institute and the United States Chamber of Commerce, to testify before Congress next month."

Source: NYTimes, 09/17/2021

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