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"Aren't poverty and need the biggest polluters?," asked Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at the 1972 Stockholm Conference on Human Environment. Half a century later, environmentalists, journalists, politicians, and academics interpret the speech to their liking. We contextualize and juxtapose this historical speech vis-à-vis environmental policies, programs, and campaigns enacted under Gandhi's leadership. A reassessment of these debates opens possibilities beyond the polarized arguments that pit "the environment" against "development" within contemporary global environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy vehicles such as the 2001 Data Quality Act and the Trump Administration "Transparency" rule inappropriately conflate this simplistic model of science with the integrated multi-disciplinary assessments (see Figure 2) that are necessary to inform real-life environmental policy interventions.(Adapted from Helmenstine 2021, note 28.) PHOTO (COLOR): Figure 2. The Scientific Method: It is common to hear admonitions that policy must be informed by science; that policy actions must be "grounded" by an "adequate foundation" of objective science. The Role of Judgment in the Application of Science to Environmental Policy Questions: The EPA Weight of Evidence process provides a good, if somewhat generalized, depiction of how scientific methods and information are deployed in the context of environmental policy. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on the threats to an indigenous tribe of Amazon from an hydropower infrastructure plan proposed by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). Topics discussed include decline in the Amazonian deforestation rates due to Brazil's environmental policies; conduction of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the Tapajós Hydroelectric Complex (THC); and mentions that the former President Dilma Rousseff redrew the boundaries of Amazon National Park (ANP).

The article discusses green finance preparedness and environmental policies of Germany. Topics explored include the capability of the German financial sector to address green finance-related challenges, the climate goals of the country particularly in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and utilizing renewable energies, and the adoption of energy efficient technologies by small and medium-sized enterprises in the country.

The article explores the possibility that the precautionary principle may be scrapped from the European Union's (EU) free trade agreements. Topics covered included the legal and regulatory approaches to environmental policymaking which helped the formation of the precautionary principle as a guideline in environmental decision making and the reasons the Innovation Principle is much favored in the U.S. and why it is under intense scrutiny in the EU.

The author discusses aspects of the risk awareness and safety culture for environmental health in the U.S. He highlights the effort of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries to prevent of minimize climate change through environmental protection. The author examines the contribution of several factors to environmental protection including technological advances, healthy and balanced diet and hygiene.

The author comments on the emergence of a new ocean uncovered by melting ice surrounding the Arctic environment in 2014. Topics discussed include the development by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of rules in global waters, the establishment by IMO of a Polar Code, and oil and gas activities as domestic concerns. Also mentioned are commitment to cultural and environmental protection, limitations on commercial fishery, and the conservation of the ocean's environmental well-being.

China's energy transition will benefit environment and human health in China. DeBoom discusses their dire environmental and health implications in Namibia, where China is investing in uranium mining. Such knowledge can build resistance and nurture motivation, courage, and creativity to identify alternative development options, both in China and in Namibia. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on the need of commitment to better understanding the multifaceted links between the environment, social justice, and policy. It mentions of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen and his songs that offered powerful antidote to cynicism. It discuss the need to oppose cynical politics focused on autonomy and power and need to think and discuss about social and environmental issues.