A new study provides detailed analysis of the specific ways Bay Area refineries are damaging our health. Air Pollution in the Bay Area’s Refinery Corridor, by the national research organization Fracktracker Alliance, reports that the petrochemical … [Read more...]
Resources
Background and research-driven articles on fossil fuel infrastructure, climate change and environmental justice topics.
Report: Resilient Midwestern Cities: Improving Equity
The Midwest has something important to teach the Bay Area. A new report from the Center for American Progress highlights projects in five Midwestern cities that promote equity and resilience as the key to thriving in a changing climate. The report … [Read more...]
Warning from my Future Self
In this 34-page comic book for both youth and adults, 16-year-old Gabe Sanchez of East Oakland tells the story of how he and his grandfather time-travel 50 years into the future. His 60-year-old self tells him the story of how climate change has … [Read more...]
Global Impact of Transportation
We all know it: transportation speed and convenience come at a high price. It’s a price paid out in billions of barrels of petroleum, and billions of metric tons of CO2. But really big numbers are hard to grasp. This web page gives a graphic and … [Read more...]
GHG Mapping Tool from the California Air Resources Board
The California Air Resources Board has unveiled an update of its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mapping Tool. The tool enables users to locate, view, and analyze emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from nearly 800 facilities in California that each emit … [Read more...]
What Does BAAQMD Do and Why We Should Care
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District regulates a wide range of air pollutants. This presentation lists them by type and describes their effects on human health. It also identifies their sources and links them to refinery processes. The key … [Read more...]
Legal Protections for Photographing at Refineries
This document outlines your 1st Amendment rights when photographing the exteriors of buildings from a public place, such as a public street, sidewalk, or park. The author, attorney Bill Simpich, recommends keeping the referenced documents in your … [Read more...]
Non-violent Direct Action: Why and How
“Those who profess to favor freedom yet deprecate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters.” —Frederick Douglass. This … [Read more...]
New Climate Metrics
The methods for measuring effects of climate change are critical to dialogues about climate change. These methods are at the heart of treaty negotiations and government policies. However, the currently used metrics date back to the Kyoto Protocol in … [Read more...]
Interactive Toxics Map of California
A new map from the state Environmental Protection Agency ranks all 8,000 census tracts in California, evaluating each neighborhood and the people who live there to determine their vulnerability to environmental risks. The map enables you to view … [Read more...]
Crude-by-Rail Reports and Presentations
From California Fuel Overview and Crude Oil Trends, California Energy Commission Oil by Rail Safety in California (PDF) Report prepared by the Interagency Rail Safety Working Group, June 10, 2014. The Report recommends 12 steps the state should … [Read more...]