By Nina Thompson for Next City.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration Each time a fire breaks out in Northern California, local activist Quinn Redwoods and their collaborators spring into action. Walking through Oakland, Redwoods distributes masks to as many people as they can. They hand out masks in places where no one else is paying attention, like crowded underpasses where unhoused people have no options to escape the smoke. .
The 14th annual Clear the Air Challenge in Utah begins July 1. The month-long challenge is designed to encourage Utahns to reduce their vehicle emissions by choosing alternatives to driving alone. The challenge is to use other modes of transportation. .
With air quality in the news of late, a new report found transitioning to electric vehicles would bring major public health benefits. The American Lung Association report showed moving the nation to 100% emission-free new passenger vehicles, along with non-combustion energy generation by 2035, could bring with it nearly a trillion dollars in public health benefits. The report estimated by 2050 there would be more than 89,000 fewer premature deaths, along with 10.7 million fewer lost workdays. .
Environmental and community health advocates in Massachusetts are backing new legislation they say will close loopholes in the state s clean energy laws and end renewable energy subsidies for burning woody biomass. Lawmakers ensured wood-burning power plants were no longer eligible for credits through the state s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard last session but loopholes in the state s clean energy laws still subsidize burning wood for heat and energy. Laura Haight, U.S. .
Snowmelt from this winter s heavy storms threatens significant flooding - and conservation groups are calling for large-scale restoration of wetlands to help absorb excess water. In April, the Biden administration recommended more than $60-million go to projects in Northern California. Janelle Kellman, founder of the nonprofit Center for Sea Rise Solutions, said the escalating climate crisis with its weather whiplash poses a serious threat. .