Keerti Gopal
@keertigopal.bsky.social
reporting on health and climate justice @insideclimatenews.org | signal @ keerti.33
We spent months digging into why it's so expensive to replace toxic lead pipes in Chicago, where swapping a single pipe can run $31,000 average. That's more --- a lot more --- than every other city we heard from, and we reached out to a lot. From @keertigopal.bsky.social and I.
New from @juanpab.bsky.social, @keertigopal.bsky.social, and me: Chicago has the most lead pipes of any U.S. city... and pays wildly more than anyone else to replace them: ~$31,000 per line, more than 6x the EPA's nat'l est. of $4,700. Officials can't fully explain why. grist.org/accountabili... 1/n
Why is it so unusually expensive to replace lead pipes in Chicago?
The city with the most lead pipes in the nation is paying way above average to fix them. Officials can't fully explain why.
grist.org
Excess pressure underground is causing old wells in Texas’ Permian Basin to blow. The latest emergency was at a Baptist church.
An Old Well Gushed Waste, Not Oil, in a Small West Texas Town - Inside Climate News
The Railroad Commission of Texas shut down injection wells to control a leak in a church parking lot. But 1.5 million gallons of toxic wastewater still spilled to the surface.
insideclimatenews.org
In rural Alabama, some people can’t flush their toilets. Developers want to build a hyperscale data center next door.
On the Historic Route From Selma to Montgomery, an AI Cloud Looms - Inside Climate News
In this rural Alabama community, some residents can’t flush their toilets. Developers want to build a state-of-the-art data center next door.
insideclimatenews.org
Spoke with @keertigopal.bsky.social for @insideclimatenews.org about the latest at-risk archival collection: Forest Service records. Very cool to see this story get picked up by @motherjones.com via @climatedesk.org
National Security Archive@nsarchive.bsky.social · 3mo ago"Eliminating swaths of Forest Service documents would fall in line with the administration’s axing of data and historical records, said Rachel Santarsiero, director of the National Security Archive’s Climate Change Transparency Project." www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I’ve got a new story out today about Illinois transportation officials speeding past species protections
Wildfires and extreme heat are driving pollution across the country. Kids and communities of color are getting the worst of it. Read about the state of the air @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/2204202...
Almost Half of America’s Kids Are Breathing Toxic Air - Inside Climate News
The American Lung Association’s annual report finds that climate change is making dirty air worse, especially for communities of color. The Trump administration keeps targeting rules meant to help.
insideclimatenews.org
After decades of opposition, activists are escalating their fight against the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center. Learn about why they’re going on hunger strike @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/1004202...
Minneapolis Activists Launch Hunger Strike to Protest Polluting Trash Incinerator - Inside Climate News
County officials have said they will eventually close the incinerator, located in a predominantly Black community. Advocates want a concrete plan.
insideclimatenews.org
A new study out of Sweden found a strong link between high levels of PFAS exposure and childhood asthma — adding to a growing area of study. Learn more @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/0904202...
Severe Exposure to ‘Forever Chemicals’ During Pregnancy Could Lead to Childhood Asthma - Inside Climate News
Exposure to “forever chemicals” during pregnancy could increase the risk of childhood asthma, according to new research from Sweden. Researchers from Lund University found that prenatal exposure to very high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in drinking water corresponded with a higher incidence of childhood asthma in a community dealing with […]
insideclimatenews.org
My latest looks at #PFAS #pesticides, which @ewgofficial.bsky.social found on conventional produce grown in CA. EWG advises consumers to wash their produce. Whether rinsing produce laced with chemicals designed to resist water would have any effect is unclear. insideclimatenews.org/news/0804202...
California Bill Aims to Keep Toxic PFAS off Its Crops - Inside Climate News
The nation’s top agricultural producer could ban pesticides with PFAS after researchers found the “forever chemicals” on 40 percent of the conventional produce grown in the state.
insideclimatenews.org
Mental health providers are a crucial part of disaster recovery. But they can’t do their jobs without support. insideclimatenews.org/news/0304202...
Maui Mental Health Providers Face Stress and Uncertainty About State Jobs - Inside Climate News
Staff at a state-run clinic serving wildfire survivors in Hawaii have waited months for permanent jobs. Instead, they got another temporary contract.
insideclimatenews.org
With my colleague @keertigopal.bsky.social, I wrote about a new report on global air pollution--that shows how climate change is making it worse. insideclimatenews.org/news/2403202...
Climate-Fueled Wildfires and Dust Storms Drove Up Air Pollution Around the World Last Year - Inside Climate News
A new report shows air pollution threatens the majority of the world’s population, while information gaps increase the risks.
insideclimatenews.org
The federal government plans to install 536 miles of massive, cylindrical buoys in the Rio Grande to prevent unauthorized crossings. The buoys could cost upwards of $3 billion, at a moment when crossings are at record lows. (photo by Michael Gonzalez)
As the Iran war disrupts global energy markets, experts are emphasizing the security and stability benefits of renewable energy insideclimatenews.org/news/1603202...
Iran War Shows That Doubling Down on Fossil Fuels Is ‘Delusional,’ UN Climate Chief Says - Inside Climate News
Price spikes from the war highlight the necessity of the renewable energy transition for stability and national security, the U.N. official says.
insideclimatenews.org
Wildfire survivors throughout Maui are still facing severe mental health burdens, two and a half years after the devastating fires. Read about how the crisis intersects with housing, job loss, and struggling healthcare infrastructure here: insideclimatenews.org/news/1103202...
Maui’s Mental Health Crisis Goes Far Beyond the Wildfire Burn Zone - Inside Climate News
On the day of one of the deadliest natural disasters in Hawaii’s history, Blake Kekoa Ramelb watched his hometown go up in flames. It was Aug. 8, 2023, and Maui was burning. Ramelb, born and raised i...
insideclimatenews.org
A new bill in Illinois is trying to curb the climate, health and affordability impacts of data centers, as residents face rising utility bills insideclimatenews.org/news/1902202...
Could a New Illinois Bill Be a Blueprint for Curbing Data Centers’ Climate Impacts? - Inside Climate News
As data centers drive up energy demand, water usage and utility bills, advocates seek to make companies mitigate their climate and economic impacts.
insideclimatenews.org
Days after this winter storm, thousands are still without power, digging out, and 60+ people have died. This storm was supercharged by climate change: warmer air holds more moisture, driving heavier snow, ice, + damage. ❄️🔥 insideclimatenews.org/news/2601202...
A Winter Storm Fueled by Global Warming Tests U.S. Disaster Response - Inside Climate News
A sprawling winter storm that left hundreds of thousands without power, grounded thousands of flights and disrupted travel across the eastern half of the U.S. could be the first real test of the secon...
insideclimatenews.org
A climate change superfund bill in Illinois joins a national movement to force fossil fuel companies to pay for the rising costs of climate change. Read about why communities are calling to "make polluters pay" @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/2801202...
Amid National Call to ‘Make Polluters Pay,’ Illinois Lawmakers Are Prepping a Climate Change Superfund Bill - Inside Climate News
Illinois lawmakers plan to introduce a climate change superfund bill in the state legislature this session, the latest in a growing number of states seeking to make fossil fuel companies pay up for th...
insideclimatenews.org
"A Winter Storm Fueled by Global Warming Tests U.S. Disaster Response" by @kiley.bsky.social, @bberwyn.bsky.social, @keertigopal.bsky.social, Lee Hedgepeth & Lisa Sorg for @insideclimatenews.org: insideclimatenews.org/news/2601202...
A Winter Storm Fueled by Global Warming Tests U.S. Disaster Response - Inside Climate News
A sprawling winter storm that left hundreds of thousands without power, grounded thousands of flights and disrupted travel across the eastern half of the U.S. could be the first real test of the secon...
insideclimatenews.org
A team effort today on the winter storm's wide reaching impacts, climate change, FEMA cuts and the health hazards of extreme cold. Stay warm and check on your elderly and unhoused neighbors! insideclimatenews.org/news/2601202...
A Winter Storm Fueled by Global Warming Tests U.S. Disaster Response - Inside Climate News
A sprawling winter storm that left hundreds of thousands without power, grounded thousands of flights and disrupted travel across the eastern half of the U.S. could be the first real test of the secon...
insideclimatenews.org
States across the country need federal support to replace toxic lead pipes. But Congress may cut $125M from funding meant to remove them, raising concerns about slowing progress to protect people from lead in their drinking water. @keertigopal.bsky.social for @grist.org: grist.org/politics/sta...
States say they need more help replacing lead pipes. Congress may cut the funding instead.
The U.S. House voted to cut millions promised for the work this year. The Senate will vote this week, as advocates and some lawmakers push back.
grist.org
Even as climate change worsens suffering for people with chronic pain, "getting funding from Washington for research at the intersection of global warming and pain is virtually impossible." Uprooter @smallthoughts.bsky.social for @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/0401202...
The Real Pain of Climate Change Is Easy to Feel, but Increasingly Difficult to Study - Inside Climate News
Many chronic pain patients cite the weather as a driver of their suffering, and climate change is making the torment more likely and harder to deal with. But research on the relationship is uncertain,...
insideclimatenews.org
My hat is off to Farah Waseem, a 26 year old physician in Pakistan, who "sees advocacy (for human & planetary health) as a moral and civic duty." Every health professional, me included, should stand with Dr. Waseem. @docsforclimate.bsky.social @gchalliance.bsky.social @keertigopal.bsky.social
In Lahore’s Smog Season, This Gen Z Doctor Is Centering Climate Change - Inside Climate News
Dr. Farah Waseem has advocated for climate awareness since childhood. Now, it’s a matter of life and death for her patients in Pakistan.
insideclimatenews.org
Storm Byron is making already catastrophic conditions for displaced families in Gaza even more deadly. Aid workers face staggering need, as Israel continues to restrict lifesaving aid. insideclimatenews.org/news/1212202...
Gaza Faces Another Catastrophic Winter as Environmental and Humanitarian Devastation Mount - Inside Climate News
While Israel restricts lifesaving aid and multiple reports show it violating the ceasefire, Gazans suffer flooded tents, starvation, pollution and disease.
insideclimatenews.org
Texas has no regulations to protect workers from the state’s blistering heat and overturned city ordinances that required rest breaks. What does that mean for workers in one of the hottest parts of the country? @keertigopal.bsky.social and I spent months investigating for @insideclimatenews.org (1)
Eighteen-year-old Danny Nolasco died last summer working construction in the scorching Texas heat. He wasn’t the only one. As Texas continues to block heat safety labor protections, advocates call for a national standard.
Texas Workers Keep Dying in the Heat - Inside Climate News
Despite its blazing temperatures, Texas has no labor protections for heat. That leaves workers, especially immigrants, vulnerable on the job.
insideclimatenews.org
Danny Nolasco was just 18 when he collapsed and died working construction in the Texas heat. We wrote about him, and 5 other workers whose heat-related deaths OSHA investigated last summer. From me and @psskow.bsky.social @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/2411202...
Texas Workers Keep Dying in the Heat - Inside Climate News
Despite its blazing temperatures, Texas has no labor protections for heat. That leaves workers, especially immigrants, vulnerable on the job.
insideclimatenews.org
Trump doubles down on fossil fuels but Republicans make it one in a row! Trump’s Plans to Expand Offshore Drilling Meet Bipartisan Opposition. California and Florida lawmakers oppose the plan. It's a rare example of Republican pushback. @keertigopal.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/2111202...
Trump’s Plans to Expand Offshore Drilling Meet Bipartisan Opposition - Inside Climate News
It’s not often that the governors of California and Florida are on the same page, but this week they’re aligned in opposition to the White House’s latest plan to expand offshore oil drilling near both...
insideclimatenews.org
We are starting week two of COP30. Want a recap? Watch @insideclimatenews.org's Sunday Morning for journalist @bberwyn.bsky.social's thoughts live from Belém. insideclimatenews.org/news/1611202...
What’s Happening at COP30 - Inside Climate News
Go behind the scenes with executive editor Vernon Loeb and climate science reporter Bob Berwyn as they explain the key issues setting the agenda at this year’s U.N. climate change conference.
insideclimatenews.org
Climate Desk@climatedesk.org · 9mo ago🚨 COP 30 Thread 🚨 The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21th. This will be our thread to keep up with what is going on ⬇️
A timeline cleanser: My recent newsletter is about rise of "repair cafes" around the world, where communities come together to fix each other's beloved things. The goal: reduce consumer waste, and maybe make some buddies in the process 🔧👭 insideclimatenews.org/news/1111202...
A Growing Number of ‘Repair Cafes’ Are Popping Up Around the World to Curb Consumer Waste - Inside Climate News
Local communities are hosting events where people can bring in their broken goods for repairs—free of charge.
insideclimatenews.org