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Standing Up for Science: 5 Facts About Our Food and Water on Earth Day
Don’t let “alternative facts” cloud the debate. Here’s some research with real facts about our environment.
Apr 22, 2017
This Saturday, Earth Day, The March for Science convenes on Washington, DC. Hundreds of satellite marches have also been organized around the world to take to the streets in the name of science.
The Trump administration's distrust and outright disregard for research and evidence is no secret: shortly after Trump was sworn in, the EPA and USDA were ordered not to speak to the public, prompting a National Park Service twitter account to protest by tweeting objective facts. And Trump's EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, is a notorious climate change denier, despite the fact that the vast majority of climate scientists agree that climate change is real, man-made, and a huge threat to our health and safety. So sending Trump and his administration a message that science, research and evidence is vital to making decisions--not their corporate supporters and money pipelines--is more important than ever.
Food & Water Watch is proud to stand in solidarity with everyone marching. To commemorate the march and the celebration of unbiased, rigorous research, here are five facts about our food and water on Earth Day:
Fracking Causes Earthquakes. Period.
"From 1975 to 2008, Oklahoma averaged only one to three 3.0 magnitude (or greater) earthquakes annually. In 2009 the state had 20 of these 3.0 magnitude or greater earthquakes (the magnitude that is generally needed to be felt). In 2015, that number exploded 45-fold to 902."
Monsanto Manipulates Science to Make Roundup Appear Safe
"This is not how science is supposed to work; you don't begin with a conclusion and twist the science to defend it. But the EPA's system for assessing the public health risk posed by pesticides like Roundup relies heavily on industry-funded science, which makes the process vulnerable to this kind of predetermined conclusion driven approach."
Maryland Communities are in the Dark About CAFO Pollution
"Research shows that CAFOs release huge amounts of air pollution, including ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane and particulate matter, all of which can cause troubling human and environmental health impacts. Other studies have tracked the increased incidence of childhood asthma in people that live close to CAFOs, while up to 50% of poultry workers suffer from ammonia-related upper respiratory illness. Yet despite these documented impacts, the people of the Eastern Shore are left in the dark about the air that they and their children breathe every day."
Water Privatization Facts and Figures
"Food & Water Watch examined how water prices changed under private ownership following the 10 largest known sales of municipal water or sewer system to for-profit companies between 1990 and 2010. As of 2011, after an average of 11 years of private control, residential water rates had nearly tripled on average, increasing a typical household's annual bill by more than $300."
The Social Costs of Fracking
"Much of the national discussion about fracking has focused on the obvious environmental risks, while the social costs of fracking have been largely ignored. This study is the first detailed, long-term analysis of the social costs of fracking borne by rural Pennsylvania communities."
We need science and research to make sure we keep our country safe, healthy and moving in the right direction. And Food & Water Watch will keep up the fight to make sure that our legislators follow the facts - not corporate influence.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2021 Food & Water Watch
Christian Detisch
Christian Detisch is the Digital Content Coordinator for Food & Water Watch. Previously to his time with FWW, he worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA in northwestern Pennsylvania running a computer literacy program and summer lunch program for children living in public housing. He also served as an associate editor for the online literary journal Blackbird while receiving an MFA in creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University.
This Saturday, Earth Day, The March for Science convenes on Washington, DC. Hundreds of satellite marches have also been organized around the world to take to the streets in the name of science.
The Trump administration's distrust and outright disregard for research and evidence is no secret: shortly after Trump was sworn in, the EPA and USDA were ordered not to speak to the public, prompting a National Park Service twitter account to protest by tweeting objective facts. And Trump's EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, is a notorious climate change denier, despite the fact that the vast majority of climate scientists agree that climate change is real, man-made, and a huge threat to our health and safety. So sending Trump and his administration a message that science, research and evidence is vital to making decisions--not their corporate supporters and money pipelines--is more important than ever.
Food & Water Watch is proud to stand in solidarity with everyone marching. To commemorate the march and the celebration of unbiased, rigorous research, here are five facts about our food and water on Earth Day:
Fracking Causes Earthquakes. Period.
"From 1975 to 2008, Oklahoma averaged only one to three 3.0 magnitude (or greater) earthquakes annually. In 2009 the state had 20 of these 3.0 magnitude or greater earthquakes (the magnitude that is generally needed to be felt). In 2015, that number exploded 45-fold to 902."
Monsanto Manipulates Science to Make Roundup Appear Safe
"This is not how science is supposed to work; you don't begin with a conclusion and twist the science to defend it. But the EPA's system for assessing the public health risk posed by pesticides like Roundup relies heavily on industry-funded science, which makes the process vulnerable to this kind of predetermined conclusion driven approach."
Maryland Communities are in the Dark About CAFO Pollution
"Research shows that CAFOs release huge amounts of air pollution, including ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane and particulate matter, all of which can cause troubling human and environmental health impacts. Other studies have tracked the increased incidence of childhood asthma in people that live close to CAFOs, while up to 50% of poultry workers suffer from ammonia-related upper respiratory illness. Yet despite these documented impacts, the people of the Eastern Shore are left in the dark about the air that they and their children breathe every day."
Water Privatization Facts and Figures
"Food & Water Watch examined how water prices changed under private ownership following the 10 largest known sales of municipal water or sewer system to for-profit companies between 1990 and 2010. As of 2011, after an average of 11 years of private control, residential water rates had nearly tripled on average, increasing a typical household's annual bill by more than $300."
The Social Costs of Fracking
"Much of the national discussion about fracking has focused on the obvious environmental risks, while the social costs of fracking have been largely ignored. This study is the first detailed, long-term analysis of the social costs of fracking borne by rural Pennsylvania communities."
We need science and research to make sure we keep our country safe, healthy and moving in the right direction. And Food & Water Watch will keep up the fight to make sure that our legislators follow the facts - not corporate influence.
Christian Detisch
Christian Detisch is the Digital Content Coordinator for Food & Water Watch. Previously to his time with FWW, he worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA in northwestern Pennsylvania running a computer literacy program and summer lunch program for children living in public housing. He also served as an associate editor for the online literary journal Blackbird while receiving an MFA in creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University.
This Saturday, Earth Day, The March for Science convenes on Washington, DC. Hundreds of satellite marches have also been organized around the world to take to the streets in the name of science.
The Trump administration's distrust and outright disregard for research and evidence is no secret: shortly after Trump was sworn in, the EPA and USDA were ordered not to speak to the public, prompting a National Park Service twitter account to protest by tweeting objective facts. And Trump's EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, is a notorious climate change denier, despite the fact that the vast majority of climate scientists agree that climate change is real, man-made, and a huge threat to our health and safety. So sending Trump and his administration a message that science, research and evidence is vital to making decisions--not their corporate supporters and money pipelines--is more important than ever.
Food & Water Watch is proud to stand in solidarity with everyone marching. To commemorate the march and the celebration of unbiased, rigorous research, here are five facts about our food and water on Earth Day:
Fracking Causes Earthquakes. Period.
"From 1975 to 2008, Oklahoma averaged only one to three 3.0 magnitude (or greater) earthquakes annually. In 2009 the state had 20 of these 3.0 magnitude or greater earthquakes (the magnitude that is generally needed to be felt). In 2015, that number exploded 45-fold to 902."
Monsanto Manipulates Science to Make Roundup Appear Safe
"This is not how science is supposed to work; you don't begin with a conclusion and twist the science to defend it. But the EPA's system for assessing the public health risk posed by pesticides like Roundup relies heavily on industry-funded science, which makes the process vulnerable to this kind of predetermined conclusion driven approach."
Maryland Communities are in the Dark About CAFO Pollution
"Research shows that CAFOs release huge amounts of air pollution, including ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane and particulate matter, all of which can cause troubling human and environmental health impacts. Other studies have tracked the increased incidence of childhood asthma in people that live close to CAFOs, while up to 50% of poultry workers suffer from ammonia-related upper respiratory illness. Yet despite these documented impacts, the people of the Eastern Shore are left in the dark about the air that they and their children breathe every day."
Water Privatization Facts and Figures
"Food & Water Watch examined how water prices changed under private ownership following the 10 largest known sales of municipal water or sewer system to for-profit companies between 1990 and 2010. As of 2011, after an average of 11 years of private control, residential water rates had nearly tripled on average, increasing a typical household's annual bill by more than $300."
The Social Costs of Fracking
"Much of the national discussion about fracking has focused on the obvious environmental risks, while the social costs of fracking have been largely ignored. This study is the first detailed, long-term analysis of the social costs of fracking borne by rural Pennsylvania communities."
We need science and research to make sure we keep our country safe, healthy and moving in the right direction. And Food & Water Watch will keep up the fight to make sure that our legislators follow the facts - not corporate influence.
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