Federal grant cuts are significantly impacting environmental justice and public health efforts in Houston, with tens of millions of dollars eliminated from local programs...
America’s Hidden Crisis: Rising Water Poverty in Urban Centers
Summary
A new study in *Nature Cities* highlights a worsening water crisis in U.S. urban centers, where over 500,000 households lack running water due to "plumbing poverty." Factors include rising housing costs, poor infrastructure, and unpaid utility bills, disproportionately affecting communities of color. Cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are among the hardest hit, with racial disparities evident—82% of those impacted in Los Angeles are people of color. The issue has shifted from rural to urban areas since the 1990s, with 71% of affected households now in cities. Researchers urge improved water access monitoring, housing reforms, and better assistance programs to combat this growing inequity.
Representative Christian Menefee is working to elevate environmental justice as a key priority within the Democratic Party, emphasizing the need to address pollution and climate..
America’s rapidly expanding data center industry is carrying a steep hidden environmental and public health cost, estimated at nearly $25 billion annually...
A recent Newsweek analysis highlights how accelerating sea level rise, driven in part by the potential collapse of Antarctica’s Thwaites “doomsday” glacier, could reshape U.S...
May 15, 2026
Human Health
Human Health
A new study found that "forever chemicals" (PFAS) are present in 98.8% of over 10,000 human blood samples tested. Most individuals carry a complex mixture of at least five...
May 8, 2026
Climate Change
Climate Change
A new study warns that Louisiana’s rapidly disappearing coastline may have crossed a tipping point, with land loss accelerating beyond the reach of traditional restoration...
May 4, 2026
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice
A unanimous Supreme Court ruled that multiple oil and gas companies can pursue lawsuits brought by Louisiana parishes over coastal land loss in federal court, overturning...
April 23, 2026
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice
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Judge rules federal operator caused excessive damage to downstream homeowners after Hurricane Harvey
A federal judge has ruled that the government is liable for the damage inflicted on downstream homeowners during Hurricane Harvey, marking a significant shift in the long-standing
April 10, 2026
Climate Change
Climate Change
New federal weather data shows that March was the hottest and most abnormally warm month ever recorded in the continental United States, shattering records that date back more...
A new global analysis shows that large AI data centers are creating significant “heat islands,” raising surrounding land temperatures by an average of 3.6°F...
March 27, 2026
Civil Rights & Human Rights
Civil Rights & Human Rights
United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the "gravest crime against humanity" and calling for reparatory...
March 13, 2026
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice
Skyrocketing premiums and climate-driven risks are disproportionately affecting Black homeowners, who often reside in vulnerable areas due to the lasting effects of historical...
March 6, 2026
Climate Change
Climate Change
A new study published in Nature reveals that current sea levels are an average of 20 to 30 centimeters higher than previously assumed in over 90% of coastal hazard assessments...
February 25, 2026
Climate Change
Climate Change
According to a study published in Communications Earth & Environment, climate change is making access to drinkable water more difficult and less reliable in the United States.
February 20, 2026
Climate Justice
Climate Justice
Growing evidence shows that poor and Black, Latino and other racial and ethnic groups are typically more vulnerable than white people to pollution and climate-driven floods...