Five years ago, Chinese American rainforest defender Brandon Lee was shot in the Cordillera region of the Philippines. The indigenous defenders in the area were targeted by the military. For a decade, Lee worked with the Ifugao Peasant Movement defending ancestral lands against corporations stripping the area of its natural resources.
(“The Death Squads Hunting Environmental Defenders,” In These Times, July 28, 2024)
The climate crisis has had far reaching impacts across the U.S. as a growing number of extreme weather events have affected the lives of millions of Americans. One such impact is the rising cost of insurance premiums in states that are experiencing a record number of destructive storms. An increasing number of middle-class homeowners are now feeling the effects of climate change in their wallets.
(“Democrats Must Start to Distinguish Themselves on Insurance Policy,” American Prospect, April 16, 2024)
Earlier this summer, 13 Republican governors opted out of a summer food program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The federal program makes low-income households eligible to receive $120 per child during the hot summer months, when school-based lunches aren’t available. Up to 21 million kids across 37 states benefit from the program. The Republicans governors cite their opposition to what they deride as “welfare,” and their unwillingness to cover administrative costs.
(“13 States with Republican Governors Opt Out of Summer Food Program for Kids,” Stateline, June 27, 2024)
