It’s not easy to keep your eye on the ball with an election, an economic collapse and a pandemic hanging over your head, but here’s the thing: Climate change is as much of an existential threat as it ever was.
The Trump administration has dismantled dozens of environmental regulations during the president’s first term. Of the 100 rules the White House targeted, 68 have been reversed. And while much of that effort predated the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration has used the crisis to justify some of its recent actions. In June, for instance, President Trump signed an executive order calling on government agencies to waive environmental requirements to fast-track infrastructure projects in a bid to revive the flailing economy.
It’s a lot. Here to help us get our heads on straight is Kendra Pierre-Louis. She was a reporter on The New York Times’ climate team and now works on Gimlet’s podcast “How to Save a Planet.” Pierre-Louis will help us put the recent rule changes in perspective and provide insight on how the pandemic plays into it all. Ultimately, she’s hopeful we can save our environment after all.
Later, we’ll hear from listeners and experts on voting concerns, the digital divide and what effect all those disposable face masks could have on the environment. Man, it’s a hot one.
When you’re done listening, tell your Echo device to “Make me smart” for our daily explainers — this week we’re talking about “ghost work,” the 2-liter soda bottle and more. Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter! Here’s the latest issue.
Here’s a list of everything we talked about today:
- “The Trump Administration Is Reversing 100 Environmental Rules. Here’s the Full List.” from The New York Times
- “Trump, Citing Pandemic, Moves to Weaken Two Key Environmental Protections” also from The Times
- “Trump Environmental Rollbacks Roll On Despite Pandemic. Opponents Cry Foul” from NPR
- “Walmart says consumer spending dropped as stimulus checks ran out” from CNBC
- More context about the situation at UNC from Indy Week
- Marketplace Tech’s new special: “Technology: The Pivot Point”
- “How face masks, gloves and other coronavirus waste is polluting our ocean” from the World Economic Forum
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