Scientists shouldn’t have to face pressure or harassment from political figures or institutions—but too often they do. Our experts expose attacks on science across the country.
August 25, 2020 3:07 PM EDT
A few weeks ago, my colleague chronicled a milestone for our organization and the country: We had just recorded the federal government’s 150th attack on science, carried out by the officials and agencies tasked with defending science. Today, we mark another milestone: The release of our recommendations, for 2021 and beyond, to undo the damage from these attacks and bolster protections for government science.
August 19, 2020 2:22 PM EDT
Last month, UCS—along with Earthjustice, Environmental Defense Fund, International Society for Children’s Health and the Environment, Natural Resources Defense Council, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Protect Democracy—requested that EPA reopen nominations for positions on its advisory committees with openings and reinstate advisors to committees from which they were removed after its illegal directive was implemented in 2017. Read more >
August 14, 2020 9:00 AM EDT
Today the nation enjoys far cleaner air than it did 50 years ago when the Clean Air Act was signed into law. But it isn’t clean everywhere. In fact, the quality of the air you breathe depends on where you live, and there are huge discrepancies in air quality across states, within cities, and between neighborhoods. Why is this? How can such differences exist when the law is the same across the country? The reasons are many, but one thing is clear: the laws are not enough, and the Trump administration’s new draft rule on ozone provides a telling example of how the Clean Air Act can fail to protect those who need it most. Read more >
August 7, 2020 3:15 PM EDT
Last week, I biked from my family’s rural house to nearby Sister Bay, a picturesque town in eastern Wisconsin. Laughter spilled out from the windows of restaurants. Couples wandered in and out of stores. At the lake nearby, kids wrestled on the docks, and people crowded into public restrooms to change into swimsuits.
Some had masks. Most did not.
In another time, this would be an idyllic place. But today, it is an eerie reminder of the unreality in which so many people in the US exist. Read more >
July 31, 2020 9:18 AM EDT
We will eventually recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, but our democracy may never recover from a major electoral disaster. Read more >
