Marine researchers just wrapped up the first of three ocean expeditions off the coast of Southern California to map the biodiversity and support efforts to safeguard ocean animals from harmful fishing practices.

The nonprofit Oceana recently teamed up with a company called Blancpain to map and photograph undersea life around the Channel Islands.

Geoff Shester, California campaign director and senior scientist for Oceana, said the area is threatened by fishing gear from huge set gillnets.

"This type of fishing is a series of nets that can be over 20 football fields long," Shester pointed out. "It catches everything from gray whales and humpback whales to sea lions, and a whole variety of sensitive fish and shark species."

The California Fish and Game Commission is considering rules which would reduce bycatch in the set gillnet fishery. Set gillnets are banned in state waters off the mainland but still allowed around the Channel Islands and in federal waters starting three miles offshore.

Today conservation groups celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity. Shester asserted the Channel Islands' biodiversity makes the area the Galapagos of North America.

"We've got these amazing kelp forests teeming with life; deep-sea coral and sponge gardens that are just as colorful as anything you might see in a tropical coral reef," Shester pointed out. "Once people realize what's at stake here, I hope that results in more of a drive to conserve these special areas."

He added the mission also collected water samples for DNA analysis, did scuba diving surveys of habitat and fish diversity, piloted a new underwater vehicle and collected samples to detect potential microplastics in the water column.

The City of Boston has been awarded nearly $10 million in federal funding to help build a Climate-Ready Workforce.

More than 1,000 people will receive job training in construction, wastewater management and more, to combat the growing threat of sea level rise.

Gina Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, said a 21st-century workforce must be climate literate.

"If we're going to ensure that American workers can take advantage of the jobs that we're creating, then we have to be proactive about training folks," Raimondo asserted. "So they have the skills they need to get the jobs that are available."

The program is one of nine climate-related job programs nationwide funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and focused on economically-disadvantaged communities, which often face disproportionate impacts from climate change.

More than half of Massachusetts residents live in coastal communities, and state officials are planning for an additional 2.5 feet of water by 2050 if global greenhouse gas emissions are not significantly reduced. Cities and towns will need a pipeline of skilled workers for flood mitigation efforts and infrastructure upgrades.

Frank Niepold, program manager, for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said providing workers with vital wraparound services, like child care and health care, will help ensure they complete their training.

"This program is designed to really build that connection between the training and the employment in a much more explicit way," Niepold explained. "While also helping historically underserved people to get access to those good jobs."

The funding will be distributed through Boston's Office of Workforce Development to employers, colleges and community groups. Officials said training projects could begin as soon as Aug. 1.


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As New York and New Jersey transition to electric vehicles, consumers have mixed feelings about it.

Polls show fewer than half of New York drivers would buy an EV as their next vehicle. The number increases for New Jersey drivers, who feel phasing out gas-powered cars can improve air quality.

W. Reed Gusciora, mayor of Trenton, said more electric vehicles on the road mean cleaner air and fewer health issues.

"Families are suffering from higher rates of asthma and heart disease, and other health issues directly linked to air pollution," Gusciora pointed out. "The transition to electric vehicles offer a lifeline significantly reducing the pollutants that compromise the air we breathe."

The city recently announced it has high levels of lead in the soil, which Gusciora attributes to air pollution. The American Lung Association ranks Mercer County, where Trenton is located, as one of the worst in the state for air quality.

Reports showed transitioning to EVs can reduce deaths in the state and create $36 billion in public health benefits.

New Jersey and New York are transitioning to renewable energy sources, predominantly offshore wind.

New Jersey Asm. Carol Murphy, D-Mount Laurel, said along with the jobs offshore wind creates, implementing it creates more sustainable transportation.

"Not only does offshore wind provide the jobs and the necessary health benefits that provide us to live not only on the shores," Murphy noted. "But in many of our communities once we see the impact of offshore wind being able to have on our vehicles, and be able to see the power that is going to generate."

Some studies showed electric vehicles can reduce pollution in environmental justice communities.

Kaleem Shabazz, a council member in Atlantic City, said the city is introducing measures to reduce the climate effects residents face.

"We are revamping our parking lots to have EV chargers," Shabazz outlined. "We purchased electric vehicles for our city fleet. We are working in conjunction with city government to do an audit on energy buildings in our city."


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State lawmakers are considering a bill which would require two public pension systems to pull about $15 billion in combined investments from the fossil-fuel industry by 2031.

Senate Bill 252 would affect the California Public Employee Retirement System, called CalPERS, and the California State Teachers' Retirement System, or CalSTRS.

Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, a co-sponsor of the bill, said divestment is a moral imperative.

"We cannot leave our kids with climate risks," Gonzalez emphasized. "I see the impacts every day. I see the pollution in my neighborhood, the asthma and respiratory illnesses, all of it."

CalPERS' governing board opposes the measure, arguing its first responsibility is to maximize returns and the companies would find other, less socially conscious investors. Last November, CalPERS released a summary of a plan to move the portfolio toward net-zero by 2050, where carbon emissions from investments are evenly balanced with carbon reductions.

The bill has passed the state Senate and is now before the Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement.

Gonzalez argued it is fiscally irresponsible to invest pension funds in companies such as Exxon, Chevron, BP and ConocoPhillips, calling them some of the state's largest polluters.

"It's a volatile commodity," Gonzalez pointed out. "We know that it's also on its way to being divested across the globe. We don't want to leave pensioners with these stranded assets and horrible risks financially down the road."

Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Vermont are among the states already moving to divest their pension funds or are considering legislation to do so.


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