October 24, 2025
Urban & Development
Urban & Development
In northeast Houston, residents are creating solar-powered “hub homes” to serve as community refuges during power outages, filling the gap left by the lack of formal resilience...
Mid-Atlantic States Prepare for More Billion-Dollar Disasters as Trump Considers Cutting Emergency Funding
Summary
Experts from government, academia, and activism gathered in Philadelphia to discuss climate disaster preparedness as the Trump administration considers cutting FEMA funding. Pennsylvania experienced 12 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2024—equal to the total for the entire 1980s—due to severe storms, flooding, and heat waves worsened by climate change. FEMA grants play a crucial role in emergency preparedness and recovery, but funding cuts could shift the burden to state and local governments. Public health experts highlighted extreme heat as a major but overlooked threat, especially for vulnerable populations. Advocates warned that immigration policies could deter undocumented residents from seeking aid during disasters. Participants emphasized the need for better planning, early warning systems, and multilingual communication to mitigate climate risks. With federal leadership in question, local and state officials are strategizing on how to fill the gaps left by potential funding cuts.
October 2, 2025
Environmental
Environmental
Houston’s air pollution, especially PM2.5, is rising again, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities near industry...
September 22, 2025
Urban & Development
Urban & Development
Internal documents and whistleblower accounts reveal that Trump appointees at HUD have gutted enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, slashing staff, blocking cases,
September 12, 2025
Human Health
Human Health
Houston leads major U.S. cities in poverty, with 21.2% of residents—over 500,000 people—living below the federal threshold...
September 2, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice
After 26 years at EPA, environmental justice pioneer Charles Lee retires and joins Howard University’s Environmental and Climate Justice Center, arguing that despite Trump...
August 29, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice
Two decades after Hurricane Katrina, overlooked survivors are reclaiming their narratives through TikTok, challenging long-standing portrayals from 2005.
August 11, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice
The Sierra Club fired Executive Director Ben Jealous after no-confidence votes, budget cuts, layoffs, and misconduct concerns. Union leaders welcomed his departure...
August 11, 2025
Environmental
Environmental
U.S. clean hydrogen projects are collapsing amid shortened tax credit deadlines, rising energy costs, and policy shifts, leaving most proposals ineligible and investors...
August 5, 2025
Climate Justice
Climate Justice
A coalition of nonprofits, tribes, and local governments filed a class-action lawsuit against the EPA, demanding reinstatement of a $3bn climate justice grant program halted...
August 3, 2025
Climate
Climate
The Trump administration’s move to revoke the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases marks a major policy reversal, undermining decades of climate protections...
July 25, 2025
Climate
Climate
Ben Jealous was placed on leave by the Sierra Club amid widespread internal dissent over his leadership, with staff citing failed vision, contentious layoffs...
July 24, 2025
Climate Justice
Climate Justice
The UN's International Court of Justice declared climate change a human rights issue, advising that nations must act or risk reparations, influencing global litigation...
July 23, 2025
Education
Education
The Trump administration has targeted over 4,000 federal grants worth up to $8.2 billion for termination across 600+ U.S. colleges, disproportionately affecting public...
July 23, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice
The USDA under the Trump administration has eliminated the term “socially disadvantaged” from its policies, ending race- and gender-based support programs for minority farmers...
July 17, 2025
Legal & Legislation
Legal & Legislation
President Trump's elimination of federal DEI programs has halted essential USDA funding to East Texas Black farmers, further endangering their livelihoods amid decades...