PSR Monitor

PSR Analyzes the Inflation Reduction Act

The Inflation Reduction Act is now law. Its $369 billion investment in climate action — the largest investment this nation has ever made — will reduce climate pollution, accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, incentivize building electrification, and safeguard public health. But despite positive steps forward, the legislation contains provisions supporting the fossil fuel industry and nuclear energy that undercut efforts to create a safe and healthy climate. Learn more about PSR's analysis of the Inflation Reduction Act here.

Public Health Community Invited to Sign onto Letter

PSR invites public health professionals, researchers, and academics to sign onto a letter thanking President Biden and Congress for passing the Inflation Reduction Act. Passing this bill took effort and resilience in the face of significant challenges. The letter highlights the public health positives of the Inflation Reduction Act while pushing for further action on climate justice and ending our dependence on fossil fuels.

PSR & Coalition Members Petition EPA to Regulate Pollution from Furnaces

PSR, along with 26 other organizations including Sierra Club and U.S. PIRG, petitioned the EPA to regulate air pollution from residential and commercial furnaces under the Clean Air Act. Making the front page of the Yahoo News Climate Change section, the petition cites both the climate benefits of zero-emission standards for home heating appliances and the health benefits of regulating nitrous oxides, which cause severe damage to our respiratory systems and are linked to cardiovascular effects, diabetes, adverse birth outcomes, cancer and total mortality.

Massachusetts Passes 'Landmark' Climate Legislation

With support from environmental groups including Greater Boston PSR, the Massachusetts state legislature passed, and the governor signed, a powerful new climate bill that has been called a "landmark."

Warn Your Patients About Gas Stoves

Gas stoves are a health risk. This is true especially for children and the elderly. People who live in homes with gas stoves have more asthma, lung disease, and perhaps even cancer. This month, PSR's My Green Doctor explains the data and offers advice in a short article that you can share with your patients.

New Nuclear Famine Report Outlines the Catastrophic Effects of Nuclear Weapons on Global Food Supply

On August 15, Nature Food journal published a new report discussing the immense catastrophic effects of nuclear weapons on global food supply. Led by Dr. Lili Xia of Rutgers University, with collaboration from Drs. Alan Robock and Brian Toon — who have published similar studies in the past — we learn that with even just three percent of the world’s nuclear weapons used, anywhere from 250 million to 2.5 billion people would die of mass starvation as a result of a nuclear exchange.

"Hiroshima, Nagasaki Never Again" echoes across 65 events in 24 states

On the 77th anniversary of the atomic attacks against Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9), people participated in at least 65 commemoration events spread across 23 states and DC, most of them local and in-person, in addition to several virtual events. In solidarity with other commemorations around the world, this wide variety of events was an impressive outpouring of concern over everything that is wrong about using — or threatening to use — nuclear weapons, including the injustice of it.

PSR's new #DemandAccess Campaign goes public!

As part of PSR's new, revamped website, there is now a page dedicated to PSR's intersectional #DemandAccess campaign. The #DemandAccess campaign seeks equitable access to health and justice for all people by demanding access everywhere it is currently being denied, starting with the gross mismanagement of national resources.

Upcoming Events

Vancouver Peace & Justice Fair
Sat. Sep. 10, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm PDT
Oregon PSR will be tabling. Stop by meet some of us, learn about our current work, and take action for a more healthy, just, and peaceful world.

Climate and Health Curriculum Training with Erica Frank, MD, MPH, FACPM
Wed. Sep. 14, 8:00 pm EDT
Join Erica Frank, founder of Next Gen U, as she discusses the ins and outs of creating and delivering effective climate and health curriculum. Join here. Please email rphillips@psr.org to receive a calendar invite & reminders

Climate Emergency Film Club: Atmosphere
Thu. Sep. 15, 6:00 - 7:00 pm EDT
Join PSR Pennsylvania for the second of five intriguing panel discussions as we delve into the film Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops. Register

WPSR's 2022 Health Justice Gala
Sat. Sep. 17, 6:30 pm PDT
Seattle Marriott Waterfront
Join Washington PSR for our 2022 Health Justice Gala on Saturday, September 17 at the in support of our mission to create a healthy, sustainable, just & peaceful world. Tickets

GBPSR September Monthly Meeting
Mon. Sep. 19, 5:00 - 7:00 pm EDT
Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill St, Mattapan, MA
Greater Boston PSR's September meeting will be held in person at the Boston Nature Center. Open to all, RSVP appreciated but not required. RSVP here.

SF Bay PSR 2022 Annual Virtual Gala
Wed. Sep. 21, 6:00 pm PT
You're invited to San Francisco Bay Area PSR's annual virtual gala, featuring Arsenio Mataka, Senior Advisor of Climate Change and Health Equity, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Tickets

Annual Global Health and Peace Concert
Sat. Oct. 1, 7:00 - 8:30 pm EDT
Greater Boston PSR (GBPSR) and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) are pleased to host a very special fifth annual peace and health concert to address the twin existential threats of nuclear war and climate change. Learn more & register

In the news

Activists petition EPA to restrict the use of home and commercial furnaces by 2030
Yahoo! News - Aug 23
Mentions PSR

Photos: Lanterns bring messages of peace and hope, honoring atomic bombing victims
International Examiner - Aug 22
Mentions Washington PSR

RevCon Revealed How Nuclear Powers Are Undermining the NPT
Jasmine Owens, Associate Director, PSR Nuclear Weapons Abolition Program, Inkstick - Aug 22

Disarmament is the only cure for nuclear weapons
Gwen DuBois, MD, MPH, PSR Board Member, The Washington Post - Aug 21

How even a limited nuclear war would destroy the planet
Jasmine Owens, Associate Director, PSR Nuclear Weapons Abolition Program, Responsible Statecraft - Aug 19

Coalition of 22 advocacy groups ask Oregon to regulate dairy air pollution
Statesman Journal - Aug 18
Mentions Oregon PSR

Kids Born Near Fracking Sites 2-3 Times More Likely to Develop Leukemia: Study
Alaska Native News - Aug 18
Cites PSR's fracking chemicals report

The U.S. Military Cannot Be Trusted On Climate Change
Jasmine Owens, Associate Director, PSR Nuclear Weapons Abolition Program, Outrider - Aug 16

Ukraine war and climate crisis set backdrop for atomic bomb commemoration
People's World - Aug 10
Quotes PSR Board Member Tova Fuller, MD, PhD

New PGW budget could include first step toward climate-friendly transformation
WHYY - Aug 9
Quotes Linnea Bond of PSR Pennsylvania

How Local Governments and Communities Are Taking Action to Get Fossil Fuels out of Buildings
Rocky Mountain Institute - Aug 9
Mentions Washington PSR

Lanterns for Peace honor victims 77 years after nuclear bombings in Japan
WKOW - Aug 7
Coverage of PSR Wisconsin event

Destroy all nuclear weapons before they destroy us all
Duluth News Tribune - Aug 6
Cites "Can We Prevent Nuclear War?" video by PSR Board Member Ira Helfand, MD

Here's how citywide composting could help Baltimore
Vennela Avula, PSR Next Gen Climate Ambassador, and Owen Silverman Andrews, Baltimore Sun - Aug 5
Vennela, a medical student at Johns Hopkins, has been working on a composting map to incentivize local businesses to compost.

'We'll take the win': Pa. advocates celebrate progress on Senate Democrats' climate bill
WHYY - Aug 5
Mentions PSR-Pennsylvania

Greenpeace Warns of Twin Nuclear Crises in Ukraine from Chernobyl to Russian Military Control of Zaporizhzhia Plant
Democracy Now! - Aug 4
Interview with PSR Board Member Ira Helfand, MD. Starts at 23:35.

Hiroshima and Ukraine—an Existential Teachable Moment
Robert Dodge, MD, PSR Board Member, Common Dreams - Aug 4

PFAS: The latest toxic concern for those near fracking
Environmental Health News - Aug 4
Coverage of PFAS research by PSR's Dusty Horwitt

How Colorado is preventing PFAS contamination from the oil and gas industry
Environmental Health News - Aug 4
Coverage of PFAS research by PSR's Dusty Horwitt

Warnings Grow over Nuclear Annihilation as Tensions Escalate Between U.S., Russia & China
Democracy Now! - Aug 4
Interview with PSR Board Member Ira Helfand, MD

Are Russia and NATO Trying to Wreck the NPT?
Ira Helfand, MD, PSR Board Member, The Hill - Aug 3

The Health Toll of L.A.'s Oil Rigs
Living on Earth - July 29
Mentions PSR-Los Angeles

Climate Justice Advocates Rally for Bold Action
Common Dreams - Jul 28
Quotes PSR Board Member Marjaneh Moini, MD

House Military Spending Vote Signals Epic Failure of Leadership
Martin Fleck, Director, Nuclear Weapons Abolition Program, Responsible Statecraft - Jul 28

School of Sustainability's leadership must reinvest in environmental justice and a fossil-free future
Co-authored by Jayson Toweh, PSR Next Gen Climate Ambassador, The Stanford Daily - Jun 22