Women's History Month: Celebrating Climate Crusading Women

Hello eco warriors! Welcome back to Beyond Neutral. March is Women's History Month, and in addition our good and bad climate news, we'll be celebrating 4 climate crusading women who have shaped the environmental movement! Read on to learn about them.

The Good Stuff

Windy City Causing Turbulence for Oil Companies: The City of Chicago has initiated a lawsuit against 5 of the world's largest oil and gas companies. The legal action seeks to hold the companies accountable for the costs associated with climate change, including damage to property and necessary infrastructure adjustments. Read on via Happy Eco News.

A Pivotal Transition to Clean Energy: Vineyard Wind, the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S., has begun supplying power to the Massachusetts grid, marking a significant step in renewable energy. The project's initial five turbines are now providing 68 megawatts of power and, when complete, the project will power more than 400,000 homes and businesses, significantly reducing carbon emissions. Read on via Daily Climate.

Will Emissions Disclosures See Investors Eyeing Greener Opportunities? The SEC voted to approve new climate risk disclosure rules which will require many U.S. companies to disclose information about their emissions and how the climate crisis may impact their businesses. While not as robust a policy as climate advocates would have hoped, it will hopefully see investors second guessing funding major polluting corporations. Read on via NBC News.

The Bad Stuff

Ocean Temperatures off the Charts: Ocean temps reached record highs in February, with average sea surface temperature surpassing the previous record of set in August 2023. Marine scientists warned this week that a mass global coral bleaching event is likely unfolding in the Southern Hemisphere, driven by warming waters, and could be the worst in the planet's history. Read more via Reuters.

Some Records Just Shouldn't Be Broken: February was yet another temperature-record breaking month, extending the run of monthly records to nine in a row. Atmospheric carbon concentration is largely to blame, with CO2 levels at their highest in at least 2 million years. Read on via BBC.

Florida Homeowners Feeling the Heat: Sticker shock in Florida and other climate-vulnerable states have seen home insurance policies dropping at never before seen rates. And when flood insurance premiums are increasing 200% and more in some states... who can blame the policyholders. Research shows the soaring costs hint at widespread, unpriced risk as the climate crisis rages on. Read on via Inside Climate News.

Women's History Month: Celebrating Climate Crusading Women

During Women's History Month and beyond, we honor these women, along with so many others who made invaluable political, scientific, and social contributions to inspire and advance the environmental justice movement.

Hazel M. Johnson (1935-2011)- Johnson was born in the area of New Orleans now dubbed "Cancer Alley" and moved to a Southside Chicago housing project surrounded by landfills and sewage plants in 1962. Following her husband's untimely death due to lung cancer, and her seven children's skin and respiratory conditions, Johnson began investigating and documenting the health impacts of the neighborhood's environmental conditions. Her findings led her to dub the neighborhood "The Toxic Donut." Johnson continued her work, founding the not-for-profit organization People for Community Recovery, which focused on fighting environmental racism. Hazel's work led her to be known as the Mother of Environmental Justice.

Rachel Carson (1907-1964)- Rachel Carson was an American biologist, talented writer, and conservationist who broke barriers by writing about environmental pollution and the natural history of the sea. Her groundbreaking book, Silent Spring (1962), sparked a firestorm of controversy and advanced the modern environmental movement. Her publications and testimonies provided the impetus for tighter control of pesticides in the U.S., including DDT. Carson's "scientific knowledge and poetic writing" gained her a large platform to discuss important environmental concerns.

Wangar? Maathai (1940-2011)- Wangar? Maathai was a Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist, who was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. While working with the National Council of Women of Kenya, Maathai planted trees with groups of women to conserve the environment, provide a fuel source, and improve their quality of life. Maathai is internationally recognized for her persistent struggle for democracy, human rights, and environmental conservation. Wangar? was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

JoAnn Tall (Active from 1970s-Present)- JoAnn Tall belongs to the Oglala Lakota tribe in the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota, located in one of the nation’s poorest counties. Tall led successful protests against uranium mining and nuclear weapons testing on her tribe's sacred lands. In 1989, Tall co-founded the Native Resource Coalition to help educate Lakota People about health and environmental issues. She continues to provide spiritual guidance to youth and inspire native and non-native people around the world to protect the environment. JoAnn is the 1993 recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize.

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