CSIU Weekly News Bulletin - December 16, 2024
CSIU Weekly News Bulletin
Our weekly summary of news on science and policy.
Our weekly bulletin collects and digests news of the past week. Contributions welcome.
This news bulletin was compiled by ASIU members Emma Broach and Elena Krueper. General questions or concerns about CSIU? Contact Michael Hamburger at hamburg@iu.edu.
NEWS ITEMS AND ARTICLES
New York Times: How the Climate Movement is Changing Tactics After Trump’s Win
Awaiting the institution of the Trump administration in January, many climate activists are planning to focus on encouraging change at the local level rather than the national level, promoting hope instead of fear.
Science: Leading scientists urge ban on developing ‘mirror-image’ bacteria
Scientists concerned about a synthetic bacteria with the ability to contaminate dust and soil and create an environmental disaster encourage governments to ban the further development of this recent innovation.
Wall Street Journal: Trump’s Energy Secretary Pick Preaches the Benefits of Climate Change
President-Elect Trump’s choice for energy secretary Chris Wright, while involved in companies that support renewable energy sources, believes that climate change is a mild issue and that poor countries need fossil fuels in order to survive and develop.
Mongabay: Foreign investor lawsuits impede Honduras human rights & environment protections
Foreign investors are suing Honduras for policy reforms that affect their investments. However, the money owed due to these lawsuits create new barriers to environmental and human rights laws for the Honduras government.
New York Times: Where Americans Have Been Moving Into Disaster-Prone Areas
Many Americans have recently been flocking to the most dangerous areas of the country, making disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts more dangerous and expensive.
Science: With venerable ship’s retirement, U.S.-led ocean-drilling program ends
The flagship of the International Ocean Discovery Program has been retired due to budget cut-backs, effectively making the program much smaller in scope and delaying historic climate change research.
Nature: ‘There will be nothing left’: researchers fear collapse of science in Argentina
In the past year under Argentinian President Javier Milei’s leadership, the nation’s economy has declined so steeply that there are no longer funds for its scientific community. Experts warn science in Argentina will fully collapse within six months.
Science: United States and China renew science pact despite rising tensions
The two opposite countries signed an updated version of a 45-year-old agreement to recognize the benefits of mutual scientific cooperation after the pact became fraught with difficulties throughout previous decades.
Washington Post: Polio survivor Mitch McConnell criticizes efforts to undermine vaccine
Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell shared a warning last week that anyone seeking Senate confirmation with doubts about the polio vaccine will go without support for their position.
Science: Trump’s pick for AI czar signals support for science advisory panel
Even though some leaders are wary of Trump’s pick of David Sacks as his advisor for AI and cryptocurrency, scientists say the good news is that Sacks has shown support for the perpetuation of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a crucial scientific advisory panel in the U.S. government.
REGIONAL NEWS
City of Bloomington: Bloomington Recognized for Environmental Stewardship as a Clean Community
Bloomington was recently recognized as a Clean Community by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, acknowledging the city’s efforts that are working to improve the sustainability and wellness of the area.
Indiana Public Media: Health study on Martinsville industrial pollution may help other Indiana communities
Water pollution in Martinsville from dry-cleaning and industrial processes is now being studied by multiple regional universities who hope to understand the long-term health effects of short bursts of exposure.
A study funded by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources through Purdue University is seeking to study the white-tailed deer population of Indiana in order to understand how quickly it can recover from disease, guiding future hunting regulations.
Post-Tribune: Northwest Indiana leaders reflect on possibility of Trump blocking U.S. steel deal
Both Biden and Trump have proposed declining a deal for the Japanese acquisition of U.S. Steel that would greatly enlarge the steel furnace Gary Works. Indiana leaders and steelworkers are torn on how the deal would affect the state.
OPINION AND ANALYSIS
New York Times: Trump Should Consider All the Good Congestion Pricing Could Do for His Hometown
Trump’s administration should stop opposing New York City’s plan to charge drivers entering Manhattan’s central business district as it would be able to decrease air pollution, vehicle crashes, and productivity losses in his hometown.
Science: Indigenous conservation science for a sustainable Amazon
Conservation scientists need to work with the indigenous peoples of the Amazon Rainforest in order to holistically respect the rights of all members of its ecosystem and knowledgeably protect the Amazon environment.
New York Times: For the Sake of 600,000 Children, Science Must Be Bold
As Malaria remains a global issue affecting millions of people per year, scientists must be willing to try bold new tactics such as a mosquito “gene drive” in order to truly eradicate the danger of the disease to humans.
Washington Post: Look to science, not law, for real answers on youth gender medicine
During this tumultuous time for youth gender affirming medicine and surgery, policymakers should turn to reliable scientific studies rather than public opinion when creating legislation.
TAKE ACTION AND RESOURCES FOR ACTIVISTS
Indiana Forest Alliance: Protect Indiana’s 13 Wild Areas
Sign this petition to encourage your lawmakers to decrease commercial logging in Indiana and establish new state forest tracts larger than 1,000 acres to be preserved from logging and infrastructure construction.
The CSIU Biweekly News Bulletin is now available on the web. To view this page online go to https://csiub.org/weekly-news-bulletins. To view archives of past bulletins, see https://csiub.org/bulletin-archives.
Our CSIU news bulletin is intended to provide a brief update on recent news, editorials, as well as action items related to science integrity and science policy. Note that editorial pieces and action items are assembled from a variety of sources and organizations; they do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy priorities of Concerned Scientists @ IU. This week’s news bulletin was compiled and edited by ASIU members Emma Broach and Elena Krueper. If you’d like to volunteer—or if you have additional links you’d like to share for future bulletins, send them to hamburg@iu.edu.
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