Yessenia Funes

Earther

Reminder: The U.S. Virgin Islands Are Still in Crisis

Remember the U.S. Virgin Islands? Y’know, those little islands that sit in the Caribbean Sea not far at all from Puerto Rico? National attention has largely ignored these islands and their American citizens since Hurricanes Irma and Maria. So, we thought you might need a reminder that they’re still in crisis. Hurricane Irma passed through … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

Puerto Rico Turns to Call Center, Rescue Searches, and Helicopters to Bring Patients to Hospital Ship

A month has passed since Hurricane Maria left Puerto Rico in ruins. Now, the island is facing a multi-pronged health crisis. And people need hospitals. Enter the the Navy’s East Coast Hospital Ship. The U.S. Department of Defense recently dispatched the ship to care for patients while Puerto Rico’s hospitals get back on their feet. … Continued

Earther

Everything to Know About the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Federal Regulators Just Approved

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the Atlantic Coast pipeline on Friday. The natural gas project has largely flown under the radar, but it’s one hell of a pipeline: 600 miles long and set to run through three states. Activists have been busy on the ground challenging it since at least 2013—and not far from … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

Global Homelessness Is on the Rise Due to Disasters

Around the world, 24.2 million more people became homeless last year—and disasters like floods, droughts, earthquakes, and tsunamis are to primarily blame. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, an international group that’s been monitoring the issue since 1998, released a report Friday that shows natural disasters—many of which are driven in part by climate change—are leading … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

Renamed ‘Negro Bill’ Canyon Spotlights U.S. Legacy of Fucked Up Geographic Names

When it comes to race, the United States is still a long way from figuring it all out—and, apparently, that includes names for famous geographic landmarks. On Thursday, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names decided to change the name of Negro Bill Canyon in Utah to Grandstaff Canyon. Both names are monikers to William Grandstaff, … Continued

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Dangerous Drinking Water Is Nothing New for Puerto Ricans

The drinking water situation has gotten so desperate in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria that the Environmental Protection Agency reported Wednesday some people are turning to wells on hazardous waste sites to find water. Despite this latest update, President Donald Trump has insinuated on Twitter that the United States can’t keep federal agencies on the island … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

Dakota Access Pipeline Will Keep Pumping Oil Without Environmental Review

Opponents to the Dakota Access pipeline were dealt yet another a blow on Wednesday, when a U.S. District Court judge decided that the 1,172-mile long crude oil pipeline should continue operating until the Army Corps of Engineers concludes its environmental impact statement. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe first filed a lawsuit against the Army Corps … Continued

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Do Queer People Suffer Disproportionately From Pollution?

Wednesday is National Coming Out Day, which celebrates the anniversary of the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights where 200,000 people marched through Washington, D.C. demanding equal rights. Coming out can be scary, especially when surrounded by an unsupportive community, and in response to such hostile surroundings many queer people have historically … Continued

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Repealing the Clean Power Plan Sacrifices the Health of Communities of Color

The Clean Power Plan set a new standard for the U.S. response to climate change. It was supposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-burning power plants and help the U.S. meet its Paris Agreement targets. But it never had much chance under the climate change-denying Trump administration, and on Tuesday, Environmental Protection Agency … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

Another Manslaughter Charge Related to Flint’s Water Crisis Shows It Isn’t Over

More than three years ago, residents in the small city of Flint, Michigan, began to ask: Why? Why was their water was brown? Why was it making them sick? And, most importantly, why wasn’t the city doing anything about it? This became nationally known as the Flint water crisis, which left the predominantly black city … Continued