People & Population

"Around the world, an estimated 20 million people make a living by collecting discarded plastic, aluminum, and other refuse from dumpsites and landfills and selling it to recyclers. They’re called “waste pickers,” and though their work is essential — they round up nearly 60 percent of all the postconsumer plastic waste that gets collected for recycling — it is often unacknowledged, unremunerated, and underappreciated."

"California health officials are urging people who attended the Kern County music festival Lightning in a Bottle to seek medical care if they are experiencing respiratory symptoms or a fever."

"The U.S. Department of the Interior released its final investigative report Tuesday on the ugly history of federal Indian boarding schools, calling for a formal apology from the U.S. government and ongoing support to help Native people recover from the generational trauma that endures."

"This southern Mississippi town’s expansive wood pellet plant was so close to Shelia Mae Dobbins’ home that she sometimes heard company loudspeakers. She says industrial residues coated her truck and she no longer enjoys spending time in the air outdoors."

"After NextEra proposed a wind farm in Greeley County, Nebraska two years ago, Robert Bernt, a dairy farm owner in the area, helped to mobilize community members against the idea."

"The United Houma Nation, the largest Indigenous tribe in Louisiana, has secured a $56.5 million grant to enact a massive plan to deal with growing climate risks that tribal leaders hope will serve as a model, ranging from infrastructure improvements to potential relocations."

"The sun looked orange as it shined through a thick blanket of wildfire smoke on Tuesday across a large area of North America, including in Denver, and the smoke could spread even farther in the coming days."

"The sun appeared orange and red through a layer of haze on Tuesday morning as a large blanket of wildfire smoke covered part of the central United States and Canada.

"Vice President Kamala Harris’ longtime climate adviser is a 37-year-old Colorado native who has a Ph.D. in marine science, a penchant for electric buses and a miniature poodle named Newton who’s a member of the KHive."

"The poliovirus has been found in sewage samples from Gaza putting thousands of people living in crowded displaced persons’ camps at risk of contracting the highly infectious disease that can cause deformities and paralysis."