APOLITICAL 02/07/25 By Dr. Michael Shank With newly elected President Donald Trump declaring a national energy emergency last month to boost fossil fuels, while planning to gut environmental policies of the previous administration, there is one clean energy that’ll stay in the mix — and that’s solar power. Trump’s recently […]
Author: Michael Shank
Despite Assault on Clean Energy, the Future Remains Bright for Solar
RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH 02/07/2025 By Michael Shank With newly elected President Donald Trump declaring a national energy emergency last month to boost fossil fuels, while planning to gut environmental policies of the previous administration, there is one clean energy that’ll stay in the mix — and that’s solar power. Trump’s […]
RFK Jr.’s Approach to Toxics Could Unite Republicans and Democrats
THE HILL 01/28/25 By Michael Shank With Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Senate confirmation hearing now scheduled for this week, there’s a lot of discussion about what Kennedy will or won’t do as secretary of Health and Human Services in President Donald Trump’s administration. Estimates are wide-ranging, but there’s one lens […]
Why the Built Environment Needs to Decarbonize and Detoxify
APOLITICAL 01/22/25 By Dr. Michael Shank There’s wide consensus that single-use plastics are bad for environmental and human health, which is why eight in 10 Americans support a national policy reducing their use. The fossil fuel industry, in response, is finding new homes for its products—less visible than the more […]
Buildings Contain Tons of Toxic Plastic—and Big Oil Wants to Add More
FAST COMPANY 01/21/2025 By Michael Shank Here’s what we should be using instead. There’s wide consensus that single-use plastics are bad for environmental and human health, which is why eight in 10 Americans support a national policy reducing their use. The fossil fuel industry, in response, is finding new homes […]
Trump’s Embrace of Fossil Fuels Threatens National Security
NEWSWEEK 01/21/25 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Raul Grijalva With 2024 going down as the globe’s hottest year on record, and with devastating fires in California signaling a new climate-changing normal, President Donald Trump and his administration are doing exactly the thing a warming planet doesn’t need. Trump is […]
Three Ways to Restore the Public’s Trust in Government
APOLITICAL 01/10/25 LINKEDIN 01/10/25 By Michael Shank New Research Identifies Three Trust-Building Pathways for Political Candidates and Campaigns A new poll published this month shows a surge in Republican trust in the accuracy of the national vote count for the U.S. presidential election. Roughly 6 in 10 Republicans reported “a great deal” […]
How U.S. State AGs Can Hold Polluting Industries Accountable
APOLITICAL 12/03/24 By Michael Shank Americans are being peddled misinformation about what happens to the plastic they buy and use in their daily lives, and taxpayers across the United States have an opportunity to fight back. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sued ExxonMobil for the fossil fuel company’s pollution […]
Why Governments Should Double Down on the Paris Climate Deal
APOLITICAL 12/02/24 By Dr. Michael Shank and US Congressman Steve Cohen As President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team prepares executive orders to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, scientists confirm that 2024 is not only the hottest year on record but the first year to exceed the Paris agreement threshold, a […]
To President-Elect Donald Trump: The Paris Climate Deal Is Good for Business
NEWSWEEK 11/21/24 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Steve Cohen As President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team prepares executive orders to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, scientists confirm that 2024 is not only the hottest year on record but the first year to exceed the Paris agreement threshold, a global […]