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California senator introduces 'balcony solar' bill to lower energy bills for millions of households Anthony Lacey January 7, 2026

SACRAMENTO – A bill introduced Monday in the California Senate offers a practical, affordable and clean path to relief from historically high electricity prices that hurt middle- and working-class households. 

Senate Bill 868 would eliminate red tape and set statewide safety standards for portable solar photovoltaic energy devices, often called “balcony solar” or “plug-in PV.” 

Reducing these barriers would enable budget-conscious households to generate their own clean power and cut electricity costs with simple plug-and-play solar technologies that work for all households, including those with limited access to a roof.

The bill, also known as the Plug Into the Sun Act, is authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). Once assigned, the bill will be considered by the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee later this spring. 

California electricity rates have nearly doubled over the past decade, leaving the state with the nation’s second-highest energy prices. By expanding access to balcony solar, SB 868 offers yet another way for consumers to seek their own remedy. People at home can plug in devices that use the sun to power electric appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators, lights and computers. At the same time, greater use of clean power through balcony solar will help California to meet its climate and clean energy goals.   

“Balcony solar is so straightforward – it’s as simple as plugging in a toaster oven, and it can put immediate savings in people’s pockets,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, senior vice president for California at the Environmental Working Group, which is sponsoring the legislation. 

“SB 868 prohibits unnecessary red tape so more Californians can plug into the sun today,” she said.

Greater access to balcony solar

Balcony solar systems can attach to a railing or be propped up on a backyard patio and then can plug directly into a standard 120-volt outlet using an integrated microinverter. Some also include a battery. 

The systems are small, typically between 400 and 1,200 watts. They’re portable, so they don’t require contractors or lengthy utility and government permits. Balcony solar is especially well suited for apartment dwellers and the 44% of California households who are renters.

The electricity they produce is used instantly inside a home, powering everyday essential appliances. This reduces consumers’ reliance on utilities like PG&E, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric. 

With prices starting around $500 to $1,200, these systems can cover up to 20% of a household’s average electricity use, making them one of the most accessible clean energy options available. 

If SB 868 becomes law, a new market for these solar technologies will emerge, creating economies of scale that will lead to further price reductions. 

Balcony solar is a particularly powerful tool during hot summer months, when air conditioning demand pushes bills and grid stress to their highest levels. Many cash-strapped consumers face an increasingly dangerous decision: cool their home or afford other essentials, like food. 

By generating electricity where and when demand peaks, balcony solar can lower household costs, reduce strain on the grid, and help prevent outages.

Less red tape, more safety

Balcony solar is already common in Europe, where millions of systems are installed. Germany alone has an estimated four million of them. 

The U.S., including California, lags behind. 

One key reason is outdated state rules that treat even the smallest plug-in systems like large power plants, triggering costly permits and complex interconnection requirements with the state’s monopoly utilities.

SB 868 addresses these barriers directly. The bill classifies qualifying portable solar devices as simple household appliances – like toaster ovens – rather than full-scale electricity generators. The bill also establishes clear, uniform safety standards. 

Strong support from clean energy and consumer advocates

In addition to EWG, groups backing SB 868 include Bright Saver, the California Solar & Storage Association, Environment California, Solar Rights Alliance, the Climate Center and many others.

“Californians deserve affordable, clean energy options that operate where they live,” Del Chiaro said. “SB 868 would expand options for Californians who want to go solar, bringing more choice to consumers and more clean energy to the state.”

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The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.

Areas of Focus Energy Renewable Energy California Press Contact Alex Formuzis alex@ewg.org (202) 667-6982 January 7, 2026

[English below]

Enero, 2026.

GAIA, como alianza internacional por la justicia ambiental y climática, manifiesta su profunda preocupación y su rechazo categórico a la política de intervención, bloqueo y asedio contra Venezuela, expresada a través de acciones militares unilaterales, uso de la fuerza y diversas formas de injerencia externa por parte de Estados Unidos. Estas acciones impositivas violan el derecho internacional, la Constitución de los Estados Unidos, y vulneran la autonomía de la población venezolana para enfrentar y resolver sus desafíos políticos, económicos y sociales, sin ocupación, tutelajes ni imposiciones extranjeras.

América Latina y el Caribe es una región con vocación de paz, y rechazamos cualquier intento de convertir la región en un escenario de disputas geopolíticas o de reimponer lógicas de dominación orientadas a la apropiación de tierras, recursos y decisiones soberanas en beneficio de corporaciones transnacionales estadounidenses. La soberanía no es negociable: emana de los pueblos, y el derecho a la libre determinación es un pilar irrenunciable.

Desde una perspectiva de justicia ambiental y climática, sostenemos que la defensa de la vida, los territorios y la democracia está profundamente ligada a la forma en que producimos, consumimos y gestionamos los bienes comunes. En este marco, GAIA impulsa un cambio sistémico que transforme economías extractivas y coloniales en modelos regenerativos. Estas luchas están inseparablemente unidas a la defensa de los derechos humanos y de la naturaleza, y a la urgencia de enfrentar un modelo de desarrollo que profundiza el consumo, contamina ecosistemas y agrava la crisis climática para sostener intereses corporativos y la expansión de los combustibles fósiles. La expansión de los combustibles fósiles es precisamente lo que pretende el presidente Trump con la invasión a Venezuela.

Por todo lo anterior, exigimos respeto irrestricto a la soberanía y a la autodeterminación de los pueblos y el fin inmediato de la intervención militar contra Venezuela. El Norte Global debe responder defendiendo los derechos humanos y tomando acciones conjuntas para impedir que continúe la usurpación de la soberanía de un país por parte de otro. La aceptación de la intervención estadounidense a través del silencio y la inacción, sería una amenaza para la soberanía de todos los países y pueblos.

Continuaremos nuestra tarea irrestricta de acción por la justicia climática y por un cambio sistémico que ponga los derechos humanos y los derechos de la naturaleza por encima del lucro corporativo y la lógica colonial.

Statement rejecting US military intervention against Venezuela

January, 2026.

GAIA, as an international alliance for environmental and climate justice, expresses its deep concern and categorical rejection of the policy of intervention, blockade and siege against Venezuela, expressed through unilateral military actions, use of force and various forms of external interference by the United States. These impositions violate international law and the U.S. Constitution, and undermine the autonomy of the Venezuelan people to face and resolve their political, economic and social challenges without foreign occupation, tutelage or impositions.

Latin America and the Caribbean is a region committed to peace, and we reject any attempt to turn the region into a stage for geopolitical disputes or to reimpose a logic of domination aimed at appropriating land, resources and sovereign decisions for the benefit of US transnational corporations. Sovereignty is non-negotiable: it emanates from the people, and the right to self-determination is an inalienable pillar.

From a perspective of environmental and climate justice, we maintain that the defence of life, territories and democracy is deeply linked to the way we produce, consume and manage common goods. In this context, GAIA promotes systemic change that transforms extractive and colonial economies into regenerative models. These struggles are inseparably linked to the defence of human rights and nature, and to the urgent need to confront a development model that increases consumption, pollutes ecosystems and exacerbates the climate crisis in order to sustain corporate interests and the expansion of fossil fuels. Fossil fuel expansion is precisely what President Trump intends with the invasion of Venezuela.

For all the above reasons, we demand unrestricted respect for the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples and an immediate end to military intervention against Venezuela. The Global North must respond by defending human rights and taking joint action to prevent the continued usurpation of one country’s sovereignty by another. Accepting US intervention through silence and inaction would be a threat to the sovereignty of all countries and peoples.

We will continue our unconditional work for climate justice and for systemic change that puts human rights and the rights of nature above corporate profit and colonial logic.

The post Pronunciamiento en rechazo a la intervención militar de Estados Unidos contra Venezuela first appeared on GAIA.

Gold has surpassed US Treasuries as the world’s largest reserve asset globally for the first time in 30 years amid rising prices and aggressive buying by central banks.

According to new data from the World Gold Council, the value of gold held by foreign central banks is now approaching the $4 trillion mark, more than their approximate $3.9 trillion holding in US Treasuries. The last time that foreign institutions held more gold than US bonds was 1996.

The shift coincides with rising gold prices, which recently crossed over the $4,500-an-ounce milestone during an end-of-year rally. The precious metal ended 2025 with a gain of nearly 70%, as geopolitical tensions and concerns over fiscal sustainability boosted its safe-haven appeal.

On Wednesday, gold prices briefly touched $4,500 an ounce again before paring gains to near the $4,500 level. In the first week of 2026, the yellow metal rose by 3.6%, extending last year’s scorching rally.

Gold price: Most popular stories of 2025 De-dollarization movement

Central banks, undeterred by high gold prices, have been accumulating bullion, with the WGC forecasting another 1,000 tonnes in net purchases for 2025. To analysts, this marked a structural shift in global reserve holdings, as foreign governments pivot away from dollar-denominated assets and into gold.

This shift — what they call de-dollarization — stems from the United States’ overall standing as the world’s leading economic, political and military power, said JP Morgan in a note last year. “Increased polarization in the US could jeopardize its governance, which underpins its role as a global safe haven,” it wrote.

Meanwhile, gold — traditionally seen as a much safer alternative to fiat currencies with no counterparty risk — has risen up the ranks. Over the last four years, foreign central banks have been buying the metal at a fast pace to safeguard themselves from any US geopolitical fallout.

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EWG statement on new Indiana bill to ban 13 harmful chemicals from school food Iris Myers January 7, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS – On Jan. 5, Indiana Rep. Julie McGuire (R-District 93) introduced a bill to protect school children in the state from harmful food chemicals. 

If enacted, HB 1137 would ban Indiana public schools from serving food containing 13 additives: azodicarbonamide, butylated hydroxytoluene, potassium bromate, propyl paraben, tert-butylhydroquinone, titanium dioxide, Blue Dye No. 1, Blue 2, Green Dye No. 3, Red Dye No. 3, Red 40, Yellow Dye No. 5 and Yellow 6.

All 13 chemicals listed in the bill are linked to health harms, such as neurobehavioral problems in some children, harm to the reproductive and hormone system and even cancer.

The Environmental Working Group is supporting HB 1137. The bill also has backing from Moms Across America, End Chronic Disease, Unleaded Kids, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Consumer Reports, Consumer Federation of America, Center for Environmental Health, Eat Real, Chef Ann Foundation and Food Fight USA. 

The following is a statement from Scott Faber, EWG’s senior vice president for government affairs:

Chemicals that can harm children’s health or make it harder for them to learn have no place in food. 

For decades, the Food and Drug Administration has failed to keep us safe from toxic food chemicals. In the absence of federal leadership, it’s up to states like Indiana to keep us safe from dangerous chemicals, especially in foods offered in schools. 

Nearly all school foods are already free of these chemicals, and food companies have repeatedly shown they can reformulate quickly when required. HB 1137 is a commonsense step to make school meals safer for children.

Faber testified on Jan. 7 in support of HB 1137 before the Indiana House Committee on Education.

The bill is the most recent in a series of state-led efforts to regulate harmful food chemicals. In 2025, eight states passed laws banning or restricting use of various food chemicals in public schools, or statewide, including Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
 

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The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.

Areas of Focus Food Ultra-Processed Foods Food Chemicals Press Contact Iris Myers iris@ewg.org (202) 939-9126 January 7, 2026

EWG statement on new federal dietary guidelines Iris Myers January 7, 2026

WASHINGTON – Today the federal government published new dietary guidelines that urge Americans to pump the brakes on eating highly processed foods – often called ultra-processed food, or UPF.

Research continues to show that diets high in UPF are linked to increased risk of developing chronic illnesses like Type 2 diabetes, depression, and heart, kidney and gastrointestinal diseases.

The following is a statement from Sarah Reinhardt, Environmental Working Group dietitian and senior strategic campaign director for food systems: 

When it comes to ultra-processed food, the guidelines point us in the right direction. We don’t have to know everything to know some things, and we already know that ultra-processed foods high in refined grains and added sugar are contributing to chronic disease.

This is an urgent public health problem. America leads the world in the consumption of UPF. Kids now get more than 60% of their calories from UPF and for adults, it’s more than 50%.

We need to start somewhere to tackle this problem. Cutting back on refined grains and sugar-sweetened foods and drinks alone would go a long way toward improving public health. 

States lead the charge in addressing the risks of UPF. Last year, California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a historic law, authored by state Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), to legally define UPF and phase out the most harmful of them from public school meals. Lawmakers in dozens of other states have introduced or passed laws targeting a range of harmful chemicals and additives in the food supply.

By contrast, the Food and Drug Administration has yet to define UPF or require front of package disclosures, making it difficult for consumers to even identify these foods. The FDA has also failed to narrow a loophole allowing new chemicals into food without thorough review or to initiate a “post-market” review of the chemicals Americans are already eating. 

For consumers looking to avoid UPF, EWG recommends reading ingredient lists and avoiding those that contain artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners. EWG’s Food Scores can help to identify healthier choices based on nutrition, ingredients and processing.

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The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.

Areas of Focus Food Ultra-Processed Foods Press Contact Iris Myers iris@ewg.org (202) 939-9126 January 7, 2026

Rare earth developer Critical Metals’ (Nasdaq: CRML) stock surged on Wednesday as it approved the construction of a multi-use storage and pilot facility in Qaqortoq, Greenland, to support its Tanbreez project.

In a statement, the company said the works will be executed under a full turnkey contract that covers everything from engineering, permitting and logistics to its construction and commissioning. The facility will be engineered for Arctic climate conditions and be ready for use no later than May 2026, it said.

Alongside the construction approval, Critical Metals said it also completed the purchase of a residential property in the area, which will be converted into a local office and operational base.

“This turnkey contract provides us with a clear, structured pathway to deliver critical pilot plant infrastructure in a challenging Arctic environment,” Critical Metals CEO Tony Sage said in a news release. “Establishing a permanent office in Qaqortoq further demonstrates our commitment to operating locally, responsibly, and efficiently as we advance Tanbreez toward development.”

Following the announcement, Critical Metals soared as much as 16% to $13.73 in New York, its highest in over two months. Intensified threats by the US to take over Greenland also lifted the stock in recent days. As of morning trading, its market capitalization stood at around $1.5 billion.

Large rare earth project

Critical Metals views the new facility as a “major step forward” for its flagship Tanbreez project. The site is host to one of the biggest rare earth deposits on Earth, containing at least 45 million tonnes in resources within a massive kakortokite unit that has largely been underexplored to date.

Earlier this year, the company released a preliminary economic assessment for the project based on the estimated resource, showing a net present value (NPV) of approximately $3 billion (approximately $2.8 billion to $3.6 billion at discount rates of 15% and 12.5%, respectively, before tax), with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 180%.

The report outlines a phased growth strategy for the Tanbreez project, with initial production of around 85,000 tonnes of rare earth oxides per annum, beginning as early as next year, then scaled to 425,000 tonnes after modular expansion.

Critical Metals, Ucore ink 10-year offtake deal to supply rare earths to US plant

To date, Critical Metals has signed multiple offtake agreements for three-quarters of the rare earth concentrates that would be produced from the Tanbreez project. Recently, it told Reuters that the company expects to secure offtakes for the remaining output this quarter.

Revival Gold (TSXV: RVG) said recent drilling at its past-producing Mercur project in Utah shows the presence of near-surface gold in an area targeted for potential heap leach development. The stock rose.

Hole RM25-144 cut 25.9 metres grading 1.8 grams gold per tonne from 6.1 metres downhole, Revival Gold said late Tuesday in a statement. Another hole, RMC25-019, cut 21.9 metres of 1.3 grams gold from 16.8 metres depth.

“Our primary operational objective is to restart gold production at Mercur,” CEO Hugh Agro said in the statement. “With the gold price comfortably above $4,000 per ounce, bringing a new 100,000 oz. per annum domestic gold mine into production will create significant value for our owners.”

The 2025 drilling program, which included 115 holes, furthers a push by Revival to expand resources at one of the few large undeveloped western US gold projects ahead of a pre-feasibility study planned for this year. The study represents a “major milestone” on the path to restarting gold production at Mercur, according to the company.

Revival shares rose 5.6% on Wednesday morning in Toronto, boosting the company’s market value to about C$207 million ($150 million).

Exploration upside

Results so far “continue to confirm the expected tenor and leachability of mineralization and demonstrate exploration upside opportunities” in Mercur’s main zone, Revival said.

Located 57 km from Salt Lake City, the Mercur property covers about 66 sq. km. A preliminary economic assessment released last year envisioned a $208 million investment to build a mine with a 10-year life that would produce 95,000 oz. gold each year. Including its other projects, Revival aims to surpass 160,000 oz. in annual gold output over time.

Development activity at Mercur is accelerating, Revival said. Consultants have completed detailed field plans for environmental baseline studies, with work set to begin early this year and take about one year. Discussions are underway with Utah regulators regarding the mitigation of historic mining-related archaeological sites, a necessary step before project permitting can advance.

Mine manager hired

Revival is also preparing metallurgical test programs designed to support future process design work while crews mobilize to rehabilitate historical water supply wells. Timothy Barnett, a three-decade industry veteran with engineering, operations and construction management experience, has been hired as Mercur’s general manager, the company said.

Other drill results include hole RM25-131, which cut 29 metres at 0.7 gram gold from 21 metres depth. Hole RMC25-124, meanwhile, intersected 18 metres of 0.77 gram gold from about 24 metres depth.

Mercur previously produced 2.6 million oz. gold, including 900,000 oz. at about 7 grams per tonne.

Announcing the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a raid by US military forces at the weekend, Donald Trump made no secret of his ambitions to revive the South American nation’s ailing oil industry. 

“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure … and start making money for the country,” the US president told a press conference on Saturday, saying the US would “run” Venezuela.

Venezuela has the largest proven crude oil reserves of any country in the world, but production in the largely state-controlled industry has fallen sharply over the past decade amid rampant corruption, mismanagement and crippling sanctions. 

What are the climate risks of an oil production boost?

A significant production boost would unleash vast amounts of planet-heating greenhouse gases, particularly because Venezuela’s tar-like heavy oil requires energy-intensive extraction and processing techniques.

The Venezuelan oil industry’s methane emissions are also among the highest in the world per unit of oil produced, as excess gas is routinely burned rather than captured. Additionally, the country’s abandoned oil wells released at least 3 million metric tons of methane last year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

“If oil production goes up, climate change will get worse sooner, and everybody loses, including the people of Venezuela,” John Sterman, an expert in climate and economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told Climate Home News.

“The climate damages suffered by Venezuela, along with other countries, will almost certainly outweigh any short-term economic benefit of selling a bit more oil,” Sterman said.

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How likely is a new Venezuelan oil boom?

Venezuela’s distinctive dense and sticky oil, coupled with wider energy market dynamics, mean experts do not expect a surge in output in the short, or even longer, term. 

Getting the oil out of the ground would require eye-watering levels of investment to bring in the necessary technology and expertise. Restoring Venezuela’s oil production to its late-1990s peak of 3 million barrels a day would require $20 billion more in capital investment than the top five US oil majors combined spent globally in 2024, according to consultancy Rystad Energy. 

What’s on the climate calendar for 2026?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists “we are pretty certain that there will be dramatic interest from Western companies”, without naming any specific firms. By Tuesday, the three biggest US oil companies, ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips, had not yet held any discussions with the Trump administration about Maduro’s removal, Reuters reported, but a meeting was expected by the end of the week. 

According to a BloombergNEF analysis, the three US companies have cheaper and more stable investment options in Guyana, which borders Venezuela, along with Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. It said the companies would need “stronger incentives” to lift production in Venezuela.

Does the world need more oil from Venezuela?

Oil majors might need a lot of convincing to pour cash into projects that could take years to yield results, especially when the world is in the midst of an oil glut. In 2025, crude oil production significantly outpaced demand, pushing prices down to the lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a US federal agency. 

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, December 2025 Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, December 2025

With oil demand expected to peak around 2030 under a scenario based on governments’ stated climate policies, as outlined by the IEA, any increase in Venezuelan oil output risks entering a market that may be smaller and more competitive by the time new supplies come online.

In China, currently the biggest importer of Venezuelan crude, oil demand for fuel production has already flatlined due to the strong adoption of electric vehicles.

Does the US have other reasons to control Venezuela’s oil?

Geopolitics, rather than economics, might have played a bigger role in the US intervention.

Rubio said that while the US did not need Venezuela’s oil, it would not let the country’s oil industry be controlled by US adversaries, such as China, Russia and Iran.

“This is where we live, and we’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States,” Rubio said. “It’s as simple as that”.

“New era of climate extremes” as global warming fuels devastating impacts in 2025

In response, Colombia’s environment minister Irene Vélez said on X that the US “attack” on Venezuela paved the way for “a new fossil colonialism and the end of peaceful multilateralism”.

A group of Latin American countries including Brazil, Mexico and Chile issued a statement expressing concern over “any attempt at governmental control, administration, or external appropriation of natural or strategic resources, which would be incompatible with international law”.

How can the world protect itself from militarism over fossil fuels?

Climate advocates say the lesson that countries reliant on fossil fuel imports should draw from Trump’s actions in Venezuela is to shift away from oil and gas as fast as possible.

Mads Christensen, executive director at Greenpeace International, said “the only safe path forward is a just transition away from fossil fuels, one that protects health, safeguards ecosystems, and supports communities rather than sacrificing them for short-term profit”.

At COP30, more than 80 countries publicly endorsed the creation of a fossil fuel transition roadmap. The initiative will take its first steps this year under the Brazilian presidency, in partnership with the Colombian government, which will host the first global conference dedicated to the issue.

“This weekend’s events should be a nudge to them all to get to work this January and start drafting emergency plans to implement this,” said Mike Davis, chief executive of the Global Witness campaign group. “The longer they delay – and the fossil fuel lobbying machine will try and delay – the weaker their strategic positions will be.”

The post What would Trump’s Venezuela oil plans mean for climate change? appeared first on Climate Home News.

Indian police have raided the homes and offices of high-profile Indian climate activists, on the orders of the government’s Enforcement Directorate, accusing them of jeopardising India’s energy security by campaigning against fossil fuels.

The Delhi home and offices of Harjeet Singh and his partner Jyoti Awasthi, who are co-founders of Satat Sampada Private Limited (SSPL) and Satat Sampada Climate Foundation, were searched on Monday in an operation that led to Singh’s arrest, according to a press release by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

A statement issued on Wednesday by Satat Sampada, which promotes organic farming, sustainable development, climate action and environment-friendly solutions, said Singh had been granted bail on Tuesday by the District Court of Ghaziabad “on the merits of the case”.

The Hindustan Times reported, based on conversations with anonymous officials, that the ED had also searched the home of Sanjay Vashisht, director of Climate Action Network South Asia.

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While the ED has not publicly announced its raid on Vashisht’s residence, it said that Satat Sampada was investigated on suspicion of illegally using around $667,000 in funding from outside India “to promote the agenda of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FF-NPT) within India”.

Singh’s social media profiles state that he is a strategic advisor to the FFNPT Initiative. It is a non-governmental campaign that advocates for a “concrete, binding plan to end the expansion of new coal, oil and gas projects and manage a global transition away from fossil fuels”. Eighteen countries – 15 small island nations, Pakistan, Colombia and Cambodia – have so far backed the idea, along with 145 cities and subnational governments including India’s Kolkata.

India’s ED said on the FFNPT that while “presented as a climate initiative, its adoption could expose India to legal challenges in international forums like the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and severely compromise the nation’s energy security and economic development”.

Tzeporah Berman, founder and chair of the FFNPT Initiative, said in a statement that the proposed concept of the treaty “clearly articulates the principle of common but differentiated historical responsibilities for the climate crisis”.

”The proposal intends to support developing countries – including India – through international cooperation, economic diversification, access to finance and technology transfer,” she added.

The FFNPT Initiative did not comment on Singh’s case, saying it is “awaiting the outcome of the investigation”.

In the statement issued by Satat Sampada on their behalf, Singh and Awasthi, who serves as its CEO, highlighted media reports about the raid and arrest, saying: “We categorically state that the allegations being reported are baseless, biased, and misleading.”

Warning of further crackdown

The Hindustan Times cited an anonymous ED official saying: “We received intelligence around the COP30 [climate summit] that some climate activists were campaigning against fossil fuels at the behest of some foreign organizations…This is when we decided to look at [Singh’s] foreign funding”. Another officer added that “similar activists or organisations whose climate campaigns may be inimical to India’s energy security are under the scanner”.

The ED said it suspected that Satat Sampada had received money from campaign groups like Climate Action Network and Stand.Earth, which in turn had received funds from “prior reference category” NGOs like Rockefeller Philanthrophy Advisors. Indian individuals and organisations are supposed to obtain permission from India’s Ministry of Home Affairs to receive funds from foreign donor agencies that are included in this “prior reference category”.

In a statement posted on social media, Tasneem Essop, Executive Director of Climate Action Network International (CAN), said it is “disheartening” to read CAN’s characterisation as a “foreign entity” that promoted an agenda against the interest of India. She said that CAN’s advocacy has centered on issues that India has consistently raised at global climate talks, including holding rich nations accountable and securing finance for adaptation.

“Leadership from the Global South, including Harjeet Singh, has been central to these efforts. CAN’s work is about strengthening the voice of developing countries and vulnerable communities in global climate negotiations, not undermining national interests,” Essop said.

The ED’s statement did not mention finding any evidence in the search that Satat Sampada breached this requirements. But it said that bottles of liquor were discovered at Singh’s home which were “beyond the permissible limits”.

Singh was arrested on suspicion of breaching excise laws for the state of Uttar Pradesh. The ED’s statement and the Hindustan Times do not state that Awasthi or Vashisht were arrested.

Singh and Awasthi said in their statement that, during the ED search, “we fully cooperated and provided all relevant information and documentary evidence. We remain willing to extend complete cooperation and furnish any further information required by the competent authorities.”

“We urge media organisations to report responsibly and avoid speculation. We reiterate our faith in due process and the rule of law,” they added.

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Climate justice advocate

Singh is a veteran international climate campaigner who has been particularly vocal on the responsibility of rich countries with historically high emissions to provide finance to help developing nations like India cut their emissions, adapt to climate change and deal with the loss and damage caused by global warming.

At COP30, Singh praised the Indian government for turning the “pressure back on wealthy nations, making it clear that the path to 1.5C requires the Global North to reach net zero far earlier than current target dates and finally deliver the trillions in finance owed”.

In 2020, India passed the Indian Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill which restricted foreign funding for Indian civil society groups. A December 2025 research paper in environmental politics pointed to this as an example of a growing trend among governments to repress climate activists by restricting funding.

In 2021, the Indian government arrested young climate activist Disha Ravi on suspicion of sedition for supporting protests by farmers against government policies. Nearly five years later, she remains on bail with conditions preventing her from travelling abroad.

India has yet to publish its latest national climate action plan, which it was due to submit to the United Nations climate body in 2025 along with other countries, around 70 of which have yet to do so.

This story was updated to include reactions from FFNPT Initiative and Climate Action Network, which were issued after the piece was first published.

The post Indian law enforcement targets climate activists accused of opposing fossil fuels appeared first on Climate Home News.

The Trump administration’s military intervention in Venezuela has jolted global markets, fuelling safe-haven demand for gold while doing little to improve the long-term outlook for the country’s battered mining sector, according to new analysis from BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions.

Gold prices jumped 2.2% to $4,430/oz on January 5, following the US military raid over the January 3–4 weekend that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. The move extended a powerful rally seen throughout 2025, when gold repeatedly hit record highs, peaking at  $4,547/oz on December 26. 

Prices averaged $3,450/oz last year, up 44% year-on-year, driven by heightened geopolitical risks, a more dovish Federal Reserve outlook and a weaker US dollar.

BMI says the removal of Maduro is likely to prolong geopolitical uncertainty, reinforcing the bullish case for gold into 2026. 

The consultancy has already revised its 2026 gold price forecast to an annual average of $3,700/oz and highlights upside risks that could warrant further upgrades if global tensions persist.

Unlikely improvement

While markets have reacted swiftly, BMI sees little reason to expect a meaningful turnaround in Venezuela’s metals and mining sector, even under a post-Maduro government. 

Over its 2026–2035 forecast period, BMI expects the industry to remain among the smallest and least attractive in Latin America.

“Like its much larger oil and gas sector, Venezuela’s mining industry has suffered a steep decline over recent decades,” BMI said, pointing to widespread nationalization and chronic underinvestment. 

Courtesy of BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions.

Twenty years ago, the country ranked as the world’s 12th-largest iron ore producer and eighth-largest producer of bauxite. Since then, output has collapsed.

Between 2004 and 2024, BMI estimates iron ore production fell from 20 million tonnes to 2 million tonnes, bauxite from 5 million tonnes to 0.3 million tonnes, and coal from about 6 million tonnes to less than 0.5 million tonnes. The consultancy does not expect these trends to reverse, citing degraded infrastructure and years of missed capital spending.

Courtesy of BNEF.

Gold mining is also severely underdeveloped, with operations in Bolívar and Amazonas often controlled by guerrilla groups and criminal gangs, deterring legitimate investment.

Long odds

BMI argues that strategic and critical minerals represent the only plausible long-term opportunity for Venezuela’s mining sector. Government data suggests the Arco Minero del Orinoco hosts copper, nickel, coltan, titanium and tungsten — all minerals deemed critical to US national security. 

A Washington-friendly government could pursue a Ukraine-style minerals agreement with the US, but BMI cautions that reliable geological data are virtually non-existent. Extensive exploration would be required before miners could commit capital, and Venezuela’s high-risk profile means only exceptional deposits would attract investment.

Courtesy of BNEF.

“Given the opaque nature of Venezuela’s official and black-market economy, we cannot say for sure what the real prospects are for critical mineral development,” Michael Cembalest, chairman of market and investment strategy for J.P. Morgan Asset & Wealth Management, said in a note this week. “But it’s notable that China, which controls the vast majority of critical mineral mining and processing activities around the world, is active in Venezuela.”

BloombergNEF echoes this scepticism, noting that metal production has declined by more than 90% over the past two decades. According to BNEF, reviving the sector would require a new transparent mining code, improved security and rule of law, major investment in infrastructure and at least a decade of sustained reform.

“The US government’s intervention has put Venezuela’s resources in the spotlight,” said Sung Choi, BNEF’s specialist in metals and mining. “But the country is crippled by poor geological data, low-skilled labour, organized crime, lack of investment and a volatile policy environment.”

Courtesy of BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions.

Constraints for Venezuela’s mining sector “today are not geological,” Natixis analysts led by Benito Berber, said in a separate research note this week. “They are political risk, sanctions exposure, insecurity in mining regions, weak rule of law, and the absence of enforceable contracts. Until those fundamentals change, serious Western capital will likely remain on the sidelines.”

Ironically, Venezuela’s vast oil reserves may be the biggest barrier to mining investment. Oil projects are faster and cheaper to develop than mines, making them a higher priority for both companies and governments. As a result, experts say Venezuela is unlikely to become a meaningful player in global critical minerals markets anytime soon.

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Anthony Mitchell Sr. was a resident of the Altadena neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was a 67-year old dedicated father of two sons, a salesman and known master of the grill. Anthony Sr. was also an amputee who relied on his wheelchair along with one of his sons, Justin, who had cerebral palsy. 

On January 7th 2025, as the Eaton fire reached the backyard of his home and with no emergency services able to reach them, Anthony and Justin had mere minutes to make a decision. Anthony Sr. had more mobility with his wheelchair but would not in any circumstances leave without his son who needed assistance to evacuate. Although Anthony Sr.’s decision showed the ultimate devotion to his son, it also proved deadly as both Anthony and Justin perished in the blaze, unable to get any other timely assistance. 

Eaton wildfire victim Anthony Mitchell Sr. and his two sons. Photo credit: Los Angeles Times

 

This story has haunted me since I first heard it along with similar tragic events during the LA Fires with a majority of the victims being vulnerable due to circumstances related to age, disability or houselessness. In total, 29 people were killed in the Eaton and Palisades fires according to the medical examiner.

In addition to the death toll, the severity of the impact of the Eaton and Palisades fires is still difficult to grasp. Over 100,000 LA residents were displaced and 155 square kilometers burned. An estimated 10,000 homes were destroyed including some entire neighborhoods. Anthony’s neighborhood of Altadena was amongst one of the hardest hit neighborhoods where the Eaton fire destroyed more than 6,000 homes, causing 40 billion dollars in damage. 

Broken systems worsen the crisis

As extreme weather events continue to accelerate both in voracity and scope in the US, some of our already faulty institutions that we once considered safety nets and resources are barely applicable. FEMA recently denied requests to match 100% of North Carolina state funding to support recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene and were criticized for delays in giving critical resources in the aftermath of the flood in Central Texas that claimed more than 120 lives. The EPA has eroded its foundational principles with the repeal of the landmark endangerment finding. And in what is most alarming, we are bearing witness to a militarized global pursuit of oil led by the US government as the planet continues to burn. 

Extreme weather has also brought on an unprecedented housing insurance crisis with exorbitant rate hikes with impacts in places like New Orleans where 25,000 residents have left their homes due to abusive rates that are often double or triple the cost of their mortgage. At least 36 insurers in seven states have announced they will either pause writing new policy or completely exiting the state markets.

Associate Pastor Rev. Grace Park in front of the destroyed Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church. Photo credit: Gideon Mendel for National Geographic

Strong communities save lives

In these uncertain times, it is paramount that we work on resourcing and fortification in our own communities. Mutual aid frameworks have long stood as testaments of methods to not only sustain communities but fortify them in movements throughout history from the Civil Right Movement and the height of the AIDS crisis in the 80’s and 90’s. What does it look like to know our neighbors a bit better and have an understanding of who is most vulnerable? What  does it look like to train citizens on disaster relief protocols so they are better prepared? What does it look like to share survival skills with each other?

We have seen examples throughout the U.S. of everyday citizens stepping up to support each other during and after extreme weather events. We have the ability and learned history to create the frameworks that work for us and can sustain and in some cases, save lives. Existing mutual aid groups like BeLoved Asheville in Asheville, NC readily answered the call providing supplies, food and temporary shelter to those displaced by Hurricane Helene. During the Texas floods at Camp Mystic, Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan utilized his training to pull 165 people from floodwaters that went up to 23ft. College senior Emma Folz ensured 14 campers reached safety ahead of the flood surge at Camp Mystic. 

Eaton fire survivor Felicia Ford, a mother of 5 who lost her home in the blaze said it best and succinctly to Prism Reports:

“Community is the best infrastructure we could have. Without community, we have nothing.” 

The post From the Ashes: Lessons from the LA Fires about the importance of community appeared first on 350.

'Venezuela has oil' Channel Comment brendan 7th January 2026 Teaser Media

BlueScope (ASX: BSL) has rejected an $8.8 billion takeover bid by US steelmaker Steel Dynamics (NASDAQ: STLD) and Australian conglomerate SGH (ASX: SGH), accusing the bidders of trying to buy the company “on the cheap”.

The company’s board said on Wednesday the proposal failed to properly reflect the value of BlueScope’s assets and came during a period of weaker steel spreads in Asia, conditions it argued masked the company’s longer-term earnings power. It was the fourth approach from Steel Dynamics since late 2024.

“Let me be clear – this proposal was an attempt to take BlueScope from its shareholders on the cheap,” BlueScope Chair Jane McAloon said, adding the board’s position had not changed across multiple approaches.

The board also cited a period of lower steel spreads in Asia as one of the reasons for refusing the offer.

Steel Dynamics and SGH, which is controlled by billionaire Kerry Stokes, offered A$30 ($20.2) a share for the Australian steelmaker. Steel Dynamics would have acquired BlueScope’s North American operations, while SGH would have retained the rest of the business.

BlueScope plays down $8.8B bid from Stokes, Steel Dynamics

Shares in Australia’s largest steelmaker closed up 1.12% at A$29.90 on Wednesday, before the board announced its decision, after jumping nearly 21% a day earlier following news of the bid.

Target

BlueScope has long been viewed as a potential takeover target because of its sizeable North American footprint, which includes five businesses and contributed about 45% of revenue in the 2025 financial year. Its assets include a steel mill in Ohio, about 130 km from a Steel Dynamics-owned facility, as well as a building products division.

The rejection comes as the global steel sector adjusts to a 50% US tariff on steel imports imposed by President Donald Trump on national security grounds. BlueScope operates close to 100 sites across Australia, with its domestic business generating A$6.95 billion in sales last financial year.

Rio Tinto, BHP, and BlueScope to build ‘green iron’ plant

The company is also working with Asian steelmakers, including Japan’s Nippon Steel and Korea’s Posco, to explore a potential acquisition of the Whyalla steelworks in South Australia, previously owned by British businessman Sanjeev Gupta.

Let’s establish some baselines. 

Texas is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than Saudi Arabia or the global maritime industry. Its oil, gas, and petrochemical operations discharge tens of millions of pounds of toxic pollutants into the air each year, comprising almost one-fifth of such releases in the United States. It is the nation’s top emitter of the carcinogens benzene, ethylene oxide, and 1,3-butadiene. 

It accounts for 75 percent of the petrochemicals made in the U.S. It is an engine of the world’s plastics industry, whose products clog oceans and landfills and, upon breaking down, infuse human bodies with potentially dangerous microplastics.

Despite all of this, the state’s commitment to fossil fuel infrastructure is unwavering, driven by economics. Oil and gas extraction, transportation, and processing contributed $249 billion to the state’s gross domestic product and supported 661,000 jobs in 2021, according to the most recent reports from the Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office. An industrial construction spurt is well into its second decade, with little sign of slowing.

Since 2013, 57 petrochemical facilities have been built or expanded in the state, according to the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project’s Oil & Gas Watch, which tracks these activities.  Over half are in majority-minority neighborhoods, the group’s data show.

Over the next five years, 18 new plants and 23 expansions are planned or are already under  construction. Twelve of these projects collectively will be allowed to release the same amount of greenhouse gases as 41 natural gas-fired power plants, according to the companies’ filings with the state. Emissions estimates for the other projects were not available. 

All 41 petrochemical projects will also be permitted to release 38.6 million pounds of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s highest-priority pollutants, including carcinogens and respiratory irritants, according to company filings. Places like Jefferson County, in far southeastern Texas, and Harris County, which includes Houston, could see their air quality deteriorate, putting the public at increased risk of cancer, respiratory illness, reproductive effects, and other life-altering conditions. Five projects are to be sited within a 5-mile radius of Channelview, an unincorporated part of Harris County plagued by extremely high levels of cancer-causing benzene and a surge in barge traffic — an underappreciated cause of air pollution — on the San Jacinto River.

Companies have announced dozens more projects, including seven near Channelview, but haven’t begun the process of obtaining permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ, which will allow them to construct facilities that release pollutants into the air.

The odds are in their favor: In the past quarter-century, the TCEQ has denied less than 0.5 percent of new air permits and amendments, often required for plant expansions.

For six months, Public Health Watch has been reviewing TCEQ permits, analyzing air quality and census data and talking to scientific experts, advocates, elected officials, industry representatives, and residents of Harris and Jefferson counties to try to capture the scope and potential health consequences of the petrochemical buildout. 

Here are 3 out of 13 scenes from that buildout. View the full interactive feature at publichealthwatch.org.

Andy Morris-Ruiz Home of Spindletop booms again: Jefferson County

Jefferson County has a quarter-million residents and stretches from Beaumont in the northeast to McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf of Mexico. Its Spindletop field birthed Texas’ first full-scale oil boom in 1901; today, it is once again an axis of industry zeal.

Just off Twin City Highway, where Nederland meets Beaumont, cranes are assembling a plant that will produce anhydrous ammonia and other chemicals used to make fertilizer and alternative fuels. According to state permits issued to owner Woodside Energy, the facility is authorized to annually add almost 80,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides, which can cause acute and chronic respiratory distress, to Nederland’s air. Nitrogen oxides also contribute to ground-level ozone pollution, the primary component in smog. Uncontained, ammonia can sear the lungs and kill in sufficient concentrations.

Four people formally objected to the facility’s expansion last summer but were unable to stop it. Officials in Jefferson County embraced the plant, granting Woodside a 10-year property-tax exemption and a $209 million tax abatement from the Beaumont Independent School District.

About 2 miles to the southeast of Woodside, Energy Transfer wants to erect a large ethane cracker on the Neches River. The hulking plant will heat ethane, a component of natural gas, to extremely high temperatures, “cracking” the molecules to make ethylene, a building block for plastics. According to Energy Transfer’s permit application, the cracker would be allowed to release nearly 10 million of pounds of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which contribute to ozone and can cause effects ranging from throat and eye irritation to cancer, along with nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, another smog-forming chemical that interferes with the body’s oxygen supply. 

The TCEQ told Public Health Watch in an email that the project “is protective of human health and the environment and no adverse effects are expected to occur.” 

There were seven formal objectors to the ethane cracker, among them Reanna Panelo, a lifelong Nederland resident who was 23 when she wrote to the TCEQ two years ago. “It is not fair nor is it morally right to build such a monstrous and horrendous plant designed to kill the surrounding area, residents, and environment, for company gain,” wrote Panelo, who said generations of her family had been tormented by cancer. The TCEQ executive director is processing Energy Transfer’s permit application, despite comments submitted in October by the Environmental Integrity Project alleging the project could violate ambient air quality standards for particulate matter — fine particles that can exacerbate asthma, cause heart disease, and contribute to cognitive decline. The Nederland Independent School District authorized a $121 million tax break for Energy Transfer.

Nine miles south of Nederland, in Port Arthur, two ethane crackers are poised for expansion and three new petrochemical facilities are planned, according to Oil & Gas Watch.

Read Next How a Koch-owned chemical plant in Texas gamed the Clean Air Act Naveena Sadasivam & Clayton Aldern

“It’s the worst possible situation you can imagine,” said John Beard, a Port Arthur native and founder of Port Arthur Community Action Network, an environmental advocacy group. “You’re living in a toxic atmosphere that with every breath is potentially killing you.”

Air quality in Jefferson County has improved over the years — mostly a product of stricter regulation — but is still far from pristine. The American Lung Association gave the county an “F” for ozone pollution in its 2025 State of the Air Report Card.

A pungent haze occasionally envelops the county, portions of which have some of the highest cancer risks from air toxics in the nation, according to the Environmental Defense Fund’s Petrochemical Air Pollution Map. Indorama Ventures in Port Neches is one of the main drivers of risk — it makes the potent carcinogen ethylene oxide and releases more of the gas into the air than any other facility in the U.S., federal data show. Peter DeCarlo, an atmospheric chemist and a professor at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, and a team of fellow scientists recently drove an air monitoring van through neighborhoods bordering Indorama. They measured levels of ethylene oxide “greatly exceeding what is acceptable for long-term exposure,” DeCarlo told Public Health Watch.

The county’s level of particulate matter already exceeds national air quality standards. Jefferson County spent 18 years in violation of the standard for ground-level ozone, but improved after 2009. Now, the county’s ozone levels are creeping upward again. DeCarlo said that the new sources of pollution slated for the region could push the county over the limit again — subjecting it to tougher oversight — and worsen its fine-particle problem. 

In a statement to Public Health Watch, Woodside said its ammonia plant is 97 percent complete and represents “a $2.35 billion investment in American energy, supporting approximately 2,000 construction jobs and hundreds of permanent ongoing jobs. … Once operational [it] is expected to increase U.S. ammonia production by more than 7 percent, strengthening domestic agriculture, food production, and manufacturing, while potentially doubling U.S. ammonia exports.” 

The company said it met with four residents who filed comments with the TCEQ and appreciated “the strong community support for the project.”

Energy Transfer and Indorama Ventures did not respond to requests for comment.

Andy Morris-Ruiz Historic Black neighborhood threatened with extinction: Beaumont, Jefferson County

The Charlton-Pollard neighborhood, on Beaumont’s south side, was established in 1869 by freed slave and school founder Charles Pole Charlton. In the mid-20th century it was a cultural hub — home to Beaumont’s “Black Main Street” and some of the oldest Black churches and schools in the city. It was part of the Chitlin’ Circuit, a group of performance venues during the Jim Crow era that hosted James Brown, Ray Charles, and other luminaries.

Segregation, disinvestment, and expanding industrial operations — railways, an international seaport, and a petrochemical complex — gradually eroded Charlton-Pollard’s rich culture and institutions. Stores, schools, and a hospital have closed, and now the buffer between the north end of the neighborhood and advancing industrial development is thinning.  

The Port of Beaumont has acquired 78 parcels in Charlton-Pollard’s sparsely populated northeastern corner since 2016, property records show. This year it paved a lot the size of 18 football fields in their place, where it plans to store cargo, including building materials for new and expanding petrochemical plants. The lot lies across the street from the 97-year-old Starlight Missionary Baptist Church and two blocks from Charlton-Pollard Elementary School. 

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“The port recognizes the deep history of Charlton-Pollard and remains committed to operating responsibly and respectfully within that framework,” said Chris Fisher, the port’s director and CEO. He said he and his team have been transparent with the Charlton-Pollard Neighborhood Association, only developing in a specially zoned “transitional area” in the northeastern corner. In the 1990s and early 2000s, some residents asked the port to buy their properties, Fisher said. Later, after plans for the paved lot were solidified, the port began offering property owners 50 percent to 100 percent above appraised value and, in some cases, $15,000 relocation allowances, he said.

“We kind of made sure that everybody that we dealt with was better off than before we did anything,” Fisher said. The port condemned properties when owners couldn’t be located or had unpaid taxes, he said.

The neighborhood association’s president, Chris Jones, a 45-year-old former Beaumont mayoral candidate, said the port’s acquisitions are “the continuation of a long pattern: One where Black neighborhoods were first under-documented, then underinvested, and ultimately treated as expendable in the path of industry.”

When residents sold their properties, they “were navigating declining property values, loss of services, and the clear signal that the area was being prioritized for industrial use,” Jones said. “In that context, selling is often less about choice and more about survival.”

He worries that the removal of trees and the addition of pavement will intensify heat and worsen noise pollution for those left in the neighborhood. Rail traffic supporting local industry has already increased, he said, and his status as an Army veteran makes him “vexed at the sound of a horn.” Jones and some allies hope to win historical designations for several churches in Charlton-Pollard to stave off further industrial encroachment.

Environmental hazards are not new to Charlton-Pollard. A refinery now owned by Exxon Mobil was built less than a mile away in 1903. Almost a century later, residents filed a complaint with the EPA’s Office of Civil Rights, accusing the TCEQ of allowing the company to pollute above safe levels, increase emissions without public input, and exceed permitted limits without penalty. The case was settled in 2017 after the TCEQ agreed to install an air monitor near the site and hold two public meetings. Charlton-Pollard still lies within the 99th percentile nationwide for cancer risk from air pollution, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. 

In addition to the refinery, Exxon Mobil now operates a chemical plant, a polyethylene plant, and a lubricant plant within the complex; last year the company said it plans to build a chemical-recycling facility there as well. Six more petrochemical projects are planned by other companies within 5 miles of Charlton-Pollard.

In short, anyone who hasn’t been bought out by the port may breathe increasingly dirty air. Jefferson County is already violating the EPA’s standard for particulate matter, and diesel-burning trains and maritime vessels accommodating the industry expansion are large emitters of fine particles, as well as smog-forming nitrogen oxides. 

Most infuriating, Jones said, is the idea that industrial development in Jefferson County is being underwritten in part by tax breaks even as Beaumont’s basic infrastructure — roads, sewage treatment — crumbles. Not long ago, he said, he saw “fecal waste” collecting in the Irving Avenue underpass. “The shit just rolled onto the street.” (Voters approved a $264 million bond package in November to improve streets and drainage.)

Andy Morris-Ruiz Fine particles, ozone, and the body

In addition to spewing carcinogens like benzene and 1,3-butadiene, petrochemical plants release large amounts of “criteria pollutants” — the six common airborne substances the EPA regulates most closely. Regions across the country struggle to meet federal air quality standards for two of these in particular: ground-level ozone and particulate matter.

Dr. John Balmes, a professor emeritus at the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, is a physician advisor to both the EPA and the California Air Resources Board, which regulates air quality in a state that’s had serious ozone and particulate-matter problems for years. He’s researched the effects of both pollutants on the body and helped craft EPA standards for them. Balmes said plant emissions will represent only a portion of particulate and ozone pollution from the petrochemical expansion in Texas. Transportation — diesel trucks, trains, and ships — will add to the burden, he said. (Rail yards and ports are often located in low-income and minority neighborhoods, like Charlton-Pollard.)

Particulate matter and ozone can wreak havoc on the body, Balmes said.

Fine particles, known as PM2.5, are about 20 times smaller than a human hair. When they’re inhaled, they don’t break down, and the body’s immune cells remain in a heightened state of response. Their ability to fight off infection is weakened.

Fine particles often make their way into the bloodstream and trigger cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and congestive heart failure. They can also accumulate in the brain, contributing to cognitive decline and strokes.

A 2023 analysis conducted for Public Health Watch by two researchers estimated that 8,405 Texans died from fine-particle pollution in 2016. Exposure to the particles also led to thousands of new cases of Alzheimer’s, asthma, and strokes, the researchers found.

In 2024, an EPA advisory board, on which Balmes served, recommended tightening the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for PM2.5. The EPA said the new standard would prevent 4,500 premature deaths and yield $46 billion in net health benefits over more than a decade. According to federal data, 16 Texas counties, including Jefferson, violate the new standard, which the Trump administration has vowed to abandon.

Environmental groups and regulators have been fighting ozone pollution for more than 70 years.

Ozone gas is formed when two pollutants — VOCs and nitrogen oxides — are released from stacks and tailpipes and react in the presence of sunlight. When ozone enters the body, it chemically burns the respiratory system, leading to inflammation. It’s so caustic that it can break down synthetic rubber. Acute exposure can worsen asthma; chronic, high-level exposure can cause permanent lung damage.

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The eight-county Houston-Galveston-Brazoria area, with roughly 7.2 million people, has been under continual threat from ozone for two decades. It spent over half of that time classified as being in “serious” or “severe” violation of the EPA’s eight-hour standards. Still, 35 petrochemical projects in the region have been announced or permitted by the TCEQ.  

“Adding 35 petrochemical plants to a region that is already in serious ozone [violation] is the wrong way to go in terms of public health,” Balmes said.

Explore all 13 scenes from Texas’ petrochemical expansion at publichealthwatch.org.

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This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Texas clears the way for petrochemical expansion as experts warn of health risks on Jan 7, 2026.

A common kitchen appliance plays an outsized role in exposure to nitrogen dioxide, a toxic air pollutant.

Read more on E360 →

06 January 2026 –  #RefuseSingleUseDay shines a light on a simple idea that feels almost old-fashioned: stop treating things as throwaways in the first place. From plastic sachets to paper cups to misleading bio-based packaging, single-use items continue to strain ecosystems and local budgets. The campaign demands a systemic shift away from the “take-make-waste” economy that has led us into the throes of a triple planetary crisis of pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change.  

Reuse offers a far more grounded approach, and many communities are proving that it works. Reuse systems rely on durable products and toxic-free packaging designed for repeated cycles of use. This cuts waste at the source, reduces reliance on costly disposal systems, preserves natural resources, and supports the local economy with green jobs. Around the world, local initiatives show how reuse can work in practice. In Asia, the Kuha sa Tingi (take by small amounts) refill system in the Philippines, crockery rental banks in India, reusable tableware services in Hong Kong, and Vietnam’s Refillables Dong Day demonstrate that reuse can fit many cultural and economic contexts.

In much of the Global South, reuse and refill are hardly radical ideas. Not long before companies brought single-use to our homes, people topped up their containers at neighborhood shops, borrowed shared items for gatherings, and passed along used objects for generations. These long-standing habits prove that reuse is practical, shaped by local knowledge, and protects cultural identity. The recent influx of investment and policy support is simply helping scale models that have worked for generations.

While these practices never disappeared in many parts of the world, Europe is now showing how policy and investment can bring reuse to a city-wide scale: municipal policies, shared infrastructure, and programs like the Elevating Reuse in Cities (ERIC) and the RSVP Reuse Blueprint are turning pilots into city-wide solutions with deposit-and-return schemes and public procurement strategies that create local green jobs.

Reports such as The Economics of Reuse Systems and Unpacking Reuse in Asia outline the social and economic case for reuse. Citing business initiatives, the reports recommend stronger policies that include Extended Producer Responsibility fees that help fund reuse infrastructure and place clear responsibility on producers and public authorities.

” Reuse cannot be treated merely as a pilot—it must become the new norm within production and consumption systems. Moreover, several Southeast Asian countries have already established national roadmaps, which can serve as a strong foundation aligned with the waste-reduction ambitions of the Global Plastic Treaty,” stresses Rahyang Nusantara of Dietplastik Indonesia, a co-convenor of the Asia Reuse Consortium – a collaborative network of CSOs, businesses, and government officials dedicated to promoting reuse as a sustainable alternative to single-use packaging.

This January 6 marks Refuse Single-Use Day, a global initiative launched in 2023 to push back against our throwaway culture. The campaign unites businesses, governments, civil society organizations, and young people to challenge the norms of disposability. Rather than swapping one waste stream for another, it calls for reducing reliance on all single-use materials, whether plastic, paper, or bio-based alternatives. By championing real, scalable reuse systems, the movement advocates for a shift from the ‘take-make-waste’ economy to a future built on genuine reuse and zero waste. This year also marks a milestone: the second anniversary of the Asia Reuse Consortium, a key force in driving reuse collaboration across the region.

A cleaner path forward starts with funding reuse infrastructure, aligning on shared standards, and scaling local solutions that are already proving their worth. Done well, reuse doesn’t just trim waste; it protects ecosystems and creates green jobs with actual staying power. A healthier future isn’t wishful thinking; it’s practical, it’s doable, and it’s sitting in a tote bag near you. Remember—always #ChooseReuse.

Media Contacts:

Dan Abril, Communications Officer for Programs,  GAIA Asia Pacific | dan@no-burn.org | +639174194426

Robi Kate Miranda, Communications Officer for Campaigns, GAIA Asia Pacific | robi@no-burn.org | +63927 585 4157⁩

The post On Refuse Single-Use Day, Communities Break Away from the Throwaway Culture first appeared on GAIA.

As these events become more common at midlatitudes, a phenomenon called an atmospheric inversion will determine how long they last.

Stanford Medicine scientists and their colleagues created the first artificial intelligence model that can predict more than 100 health conditions from one night’s sleep.

Hundreds of Norwegian hydropower plants threaten fish and bottom-dwelling animals by exposing them to water that is oversaturated with air.