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Climate Action 15: 2024's top global innovators powering green solutions

<ul><li>In recent years, Bhumi has stepped onto a bigger stage – one where the spotlight shines on environmental and climate awareness. </li><li>Acknowledging her efforts, the <keyword id="19984049" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNDP" source="keywords">UNDP</keyword> named her as India's first National Advocate for <keyword id="19950641" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainable-development-goals" source="keywords">Sustainable Development Goals</keyword> (SDGs).</li><li>In an exclusive interview with <keyword id="21390875" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Business Insider India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Business Insider India">Business Insider India</keyword>, <keyword id="19939209" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bhumi-Pednekar" source="keywords">Bhumi Pednekar</keyword> spoke about her struggles with eco-anxiety and her take on the <keyword id="20000756" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-action" source="keywords">climate action</keyword>.</li></ul> Lights, camera, Earth! When we first saw Bhumi Pednekar in Dum Laga Ke Haisha in 2015, we witnessed her impressive acting skills and her ability to connect with the audience. With time, she grew into a formidable presence on the Indian cinema landscape, paving the way for socially-aware, yet entertaining filmography. In recent years, this Bollywood superstar has stepped onto a bigger stage – one where the spotlight shines on environmental and climate awareness. In a world where the spotlight often blinds stars to the sufferings of the planet and its people, Bhumi reminds us that every person on this planet needs to keep that spark for eco-consciousness alive. In an exclusive interview with Business Insider India, Bhumi Pednekar spoke about her struggles with eco-anxiety during her early years, her efforts to strike a balance between her professional career and environmental responsibilities, her advice for the younger audience, and her take on the climate action across the globe. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDxplE0_Os4" data-type="tilCustomLink">Catch the full interview here!</a> <div type="image" title="Actress Bhumi Pednekar" agency="Business Insider India" msid="109502773" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Actress Bhumi Pednekar&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “When I started my climate journey, it was a very lonely path for me, Every time I spoke about it, people made fun of me. Eventually, through the years, I met like-minded people, and I realised that this is a real problem. Even today, I get really worried, I have bouts of anxiety and go into a spiral that you know, what will happen now and so on. In such times, what truly helps me is to actually do something towards dealing with the problem,” says Bhumi. Acknowledging her efforts to spread awareness on these critical topics, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) named her as India's first National Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Just last month, the World Economic Forum (WEF) recognised her as a Young Global Leader (YGL). On <keyword id="21293562" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Earth-Day" source="keywords">Earth Day</keyword> 2024, she also joined UNDP’s global initiative called the ‘The Weather Kids’ — a global campaign to raise awareness about climate change and drive the world towards taking meaningful climate action. Talking about the campaign Bhumi Pednekar stated, "I’m deeply disturbed by Climate Change and the impact that it is having the world over. I have dedicated my life to working on this and helping raise awareness… I have always been committed to using my platform to raise awareness about the urgency of climate action and to empower individuals and communities to adopt sustainable practices. Together, we can make a difference and create a more sustainable and resilient world for future generations.” Further, Bhumi’s role as a <keyword id="21390874" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-warrior" source="keywords">climate warrior</keyword> has also seen her collaborating with activists and institutions nationwide, amplifying their voices and supporting initiatives focused on environmental preservation and climate action. As an ardent advocate for environmental and climate action, she has effectively utilised her fame to champion causes like waste segregation, rainwater harvesting, recycling, and conscious fashion choices. <div type="image" title="Actress Bhumi Pednekar" agency="Business Insider India" msid="109503174" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Actress Bhumi Pednekar&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “Climate Warrior, which is our nonprofit, is an advocacy platform I started in 2019. The idea was to bring all the work of creating awareness under one umbrella. And then we started the Bhumi Foundation, through which we are again just trying to streamline everything that we do, we have not opened it up for others to come in and work,” said Bhumi, encouraging younger generations to also find their own tribe to influence and drive change. The theme for today’s World Earth Day 2024 is Planet Vs Plastic, and it is time for all of us to gauge our individual and collective impact on our environment and try to reduce it. “One big thing that we can do is to look for and support businesses that are trying to go green and create a positive impact on our planet. If investors support such businesses, and consumers pick such products, our carbon footprint can be lesser,” explains Bhumi. “Every day is Earth Day. This is our only home, there is no alternative, and there is no plan B! The way we show empathy and sympathy towards our loved ones, we should show empathy towards everybody else that we share this planet with. It really breaks my heart when you see on the news that a major city like Bangalore is still witnessing a water crisis and our capital city Delhi has winter days where schools are canceled because of the pollution. We are all in this together, we all are a part of the problem. And we all need to be a part of the solution as well,” concludes Bhumi. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of Business Insider India. The excerpts has been partly edited for length and clarity.

Earth Day 2024: Actress Bhumi talks about 'Pednekar ke ped', ostrich mentality, climate anxiety and more

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Scientists predicted how climate hazards will worsen in nearly 1,000 major cities by 2100.</li><li>Heat waves, energy demand, and mosquito-borne diseases will spike as global temperatures rise.</li></ul>Monthlong heat waves. Skyrocketing energy demand. Greater risks of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/west-nile-triple-e-mosquito-virus-diseases-us-2024-9">mosquito-borne diseases</a>.These are the climate hazards that people living in nearly 1,000 of the world's largest cities will continue to face as global average temperatures rise through the end of the century, a new analysis by the World Resources Institute, an environmental-research group, found. And the impacts won't be felt equally. People living in low-income cities in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Indonesia face the greatest threats.The findings come as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-summer-2024-hottest-record-globally-and-europe">2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record</a>, and billions of people are expected to move into urban areas in the coming decades. More than half the world's population, or 4.4 billion people, lives in cities. By 2050, city dwellers are forecast to make up two-thirds of humanity, with the vast majority of that growth in Africa and Asia. Some 2 billion people currently live in the cities that WRI studied, from Seattle and Rio de Janeiro to Johannesburg and Bengaluru, India."Most climate modeling looks at hazards, exposure, and risks at a national scale because that's where a lot of policymaking and international agreements are focused," Eric Mackres, the senior manager of data and tools at the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and a coauthor of the study, said. "But that's disconnected from where people live. We wanted to put more localized information in the hands of those decision-makers so they're informed about the risks that they are likely to experience."<h2 id="c108ac2f-66b9-4462-bb7a-b51785a2b482">Local climate hazards</h2>To make predictions at a city level, Mackres said WRI built on global climate modeling done by hundreds of other researchers. These models contain daily information — both historical data and projections through 2100 — on air temperature, humidity, and precipitation. WRI used that data to make its own projections about the length and frequency of heat waves, how often people will need to cool their homes and workplaces, and the number of days with optimal temperatures for mosquitoes in cities with at least half a million people. WRI compared how those local hazards are expected to change as global average temperatures rise from 1.5 degrees Celsius to 3 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — a threshold scientists say the world is likely to cross by 2100.The world has warmed by about 1.2 degrees so far compared with mid-1800s levels, and the consequences are playing out around the world.<div type="image" title="A graph shows how long heat waves will last in seven regions around the world under 1.5 degrees of global warming compared to preindustrial levels." height="1080" width="1080" msid="113493288" hostid="261" sizebytes="66672"></div>In Bengaluru, India's fifth-most-populous city, extreme heat has caused severe water shortages and surging energy demand. Under 1.5 degrees of warming, heat waves could last about 13 days on average and stretch to nearly 38 days as global temperatures rise, WRI found. Bengaluru last year <a target="_blank" href="https://wri-india.org/news/release-bengalurus-first-ever-climate-action-plan-launched">launched its first climate-action plan</a>, which includes planting trees and expanding green spaces to help cool down urban centers.An enormous outbreak of dengue fever is underway in Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, peak days for transmission of mosquito-borne illnesses could increase from 69 to 118 a year, WRI found. The city is investing in vaccines, and community health workers are hunting down places that help mosquitoes breed, including standing water, to reduce risks.Meanwhile, places that haven't had to consider cooling strategies are now being forced to, including the US Pacific Northwest. Seattle was once the least-air-conditioned city. Now it ranks second behind San Francisco after a series of deadly heat waves prompted residents to install AC. The trend is playing out in cities that are already hot, too, like Tehran, Iran, and Marrakech, Morocco, and spiking energy demand along the way. If that demand is met with fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal, it could exacerbate the climate crisis, WRI said.WRI noted that there are limitations to its research, in part because there are a lot of unknowns about the future. National governments and cities can slow the climate crisis and protect people from its impacts, including by shifting away from fossil fuels and investing in infrastructure that's more resilient to heat and storms."Our findings are not a foregone conclusion," Mackres said. "These are choices we have between 1.5 and 3 degrees of warming, and none are out of the realm of possibility. It's really important that national decision-makers understand the impacts on cities and the actions that cities can take to both reduce climate change and to adapt to what's coming."<a target="_blank" href="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/19141193/">You can explore the data for your city here.</a>

A new tool shows what the climate crisis could feel like in your city

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The climate crisis is affecting business across industries, and the art market is no exception.</li><li>Art investors, collectors, and curators can take steps to build more sustainable portfolios.</li></ul>In an era when the climate crisis is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/extreme-weather-biggest-concern-business-leaders-politicians-world-economic-forum-2024-1">redefining</a> business across industries worldwide, the art market is also faced with the need to adapt to the effects of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-largest-carbon-removal-plant-iceland-climeworks-2024-5">rising emissions</a>.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-migration-where-moved-escape-natural-disasters-extreme-weather">Extreme weather events</a>, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/more-expensive-cool-home-this-summer-extreme-heat-energy-bills-2024-6">temperature fluctuations</a>, and pollution are no longer abstract concerns but tangible threats to the longevity of art collections. Pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, produced from fossil fuel combustion, can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1506270">cause pigments to degrade more rapidly</a> than in controlled environments. This could reduce both the lifespan and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theeditgallery.com/blog/7-factors-that-determine-the-commercial-value-of-art/">value</a> of artworks.As a result, some investors, collectors, and gallery curators in the art market are placing emphasis on environmental responsibility when assembling their portfolios — part of a practice called "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-still-doing-esg-work-despite-politics-criticism-2023-11">impact investing</a>."Hauser &amp; Wirth, a gallery at the forefront of this movement, has set a new precedent for major galleries by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hauserwirth.com/sustainability/">committing to reduce at least 50%</a> of its greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030 by adopting <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-renewable-energy-transition-solar-electric-vehicles-hit-records-2024-2">renewable energy</a>, reducing freight travel, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hauserwirth.com/resources/36036-industry-collaboration/">collaborating</a> with climate-conscious artists who promote sustainable practices in the industry. The gallery's approach exemplifies how investors in the art world can adapt to and mitigate the effects of the climate crisis when curating their collections.From investing in artists who also prioritize environmental awareness to adopting renewable energy in art facilities, here are four green strategies for building a low-carbon art portfolio.<h2 id="eb55b99a-543e-4bfe-98c5-a5aa201f34dd">Invest in artists who promote environmental awareness</h2>Some artworks that tackle environmental themes have been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.christies.com/about-us/press-archive/details?PressReleaseID=10156">rising in market value</a>, as more collectors and galleries recognize the growing importance of backing artists whose work resonates with the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-climate-jobs-skills-gap-linkedin-2024-6">climate priorities</a> of younger generations.The value of art is often linked with its cultural relevance — aligning a portfolio with social-impact initiatives can elevate its worth by tackling current issues.For instance, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bohnettfoundation.org/david-bohnett-bio/">David Bohnett</a>, a philanthropist and tech entrepreneur, is known for his contemporary art collection focused on social justice and sustainable art. His collection features notable figures like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.haring.com">Keith Haring</a>, an artist who championed LGBTQ+ rights, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/robbieconal/?hl=en">Robbie Conal</a>, known for his street art critiquing societal and environmental injustices. Bohnett's portfolio, estimated to be worth <a target="_blank" href="https://labusinessjournal.com/news/weekly-news/former-internet-executive-social-causes-technology/">$300 million,</a> reflects a broader trend in which a growing demand for civic art, especially in niche markets, can drive value appreciation.<h2 id="c0c53a51-5816-44cd-a0ba-94f9de2cf87b">Reduce carbon emissions in transportation</h2>From public exhibits to private collections, the global transportation of art can significantly increase the carbon footprints of galleries, collectors, and investors — especially when air travel is involved.Our World in Data found that air travel is one of the <a target="_blank" href="https://ourworldindata.org/global-aviation-emissions">most carbon-intensive shipping methods.</a> Exploring transportation alternatives offers collectors an opportunity to make a substantial impact.The art collector <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=92e88559d49ece5eda2f8562277f4b94f913cc23f9e8a016a985b0ef95f48097&amp;postID=66e3163c78044123bec3af96&amp;postSlug=art-investors-collectors-gallery-curators-build-sustainable-climate-portfolio-2024-9&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sothebys.com%2Fen%2Farticles%2Feco-revolution">Sibylle Rochat</a> opts for consolidated land transport that combines multiple shipments into one vehicle and sea freights that use fuel-efficient ships for long distances, both of which can significantly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.freightos.com/freight-resources/air-sea-freight-co2-emissions-calculator/#:~:text=How%20Much%20CO%E2%82%82%20Does%20A,ton%20per%20kilometer%20of%20transportation.">reduce</a> carbon emissions.<h2 id="474b1606-7596-45e5-9875-3a6bdb4ce3e9">Transition to renewable energy for art facilities</h2>Art storage facilities are designed to maintain optimal conditions for artworks, ensuring appropriate temperature, humidity, and lighting to prevent deterioration or damage.These sites traditionally rely on energy-intensive climate-control systems powered by fossil fuels. By transitioning to renewable energy sources like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fastest-growing-career-wind-technicians-job-salary-us-2024-6">wind</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/solar-careers-in-demand-workforce-shortage-2024-7">solar</a>, upgrading climate-control systems for greater energy efficiency, and adopting LED lighting that can cut energy <a target="_blank" href="https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/led-lighting">consumption by up to 75%</a>, collectors and gallery curators can reduce the environmental impact of their art storage.The art collector <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2020/05/29/the-green-debate-how-can-the-international-art-market-recover-sustainably">Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo</a> is known for her philanthropic work in the arts and sustainability. She plans to transform the small Italian island of San Giacomo into an art center with galleries, performances, and educational programming. The island is set to open to the public in 2026 and will be <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=2076c8cb19f6cc35f23092635f451d8381d45772c637e5fbd05ed2e083ce1cfd&amp;postID=66e3163c78044123bec3af96&amp;postSlug=art-investors-collectors-gallery-curators-build-sustainable-climate-portfolio-2024-9&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sothebys.com%2Fen%2Farticles%2Fgulls-gunpowder-and-avant-garde-art-patrizia-sandretto-re-rebaudengos-venetian-dream">fully powered by green energy</a>, Sandretto Re Rebaudengo said.<div type="image" title="Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo standing in front of a red tree sculpture with ornaments hanging from the branches." height="683" width="1024" msid="113607066" hostid="261" sizebytes="42906"></div><h2 id="974da666-4871-4b46-9045-bbd114022b5f">Go digital</h2>The international art circuit consists of global <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/art-basel-unlimited-switzerland-curator-shares-how-exhibit-comes-together-2024-6">exhibitions</a>, events, and art auctions. It has long relied on extensive travel and foot traffic that can increase the industry's carbon footprint.As digital platforms gain widespread adoption, online exhibits present a cost-effective way to diversify investments while reducing transportation and storage needs.The COVID-19 pandemic prompted galleries like <a target="_blank" href="https://deitch.com/archive/deitch-projects">Deitch Projects</a> to adopt digital showcases and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/arts/design/los-angeles-galleries-coronavirus.html">online viewing rooms</a>, reducing international travel and reshaping art acquisition practices. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.stephenfriedman.com/viewing-room/">Stephen Friedman Gallery</a> is hosting five online viewing room showcases throughout 2024, bringing in-person exhibitions directly to screens at home.Collectors, gallery curators, and investors play a crucial role in shaping a sustainable future. The assembly of portfolios that prioritize environmental responsibility actively contributes to a greener legacy that will inspire future generations to take action and stand as a testament to art's power to shape a better world.From supporting artists who promote environmental awareness to reducing carbon footprints in operations and embracing digital platforms, collectors, gallery curators, and investors are preserving art and its legacy in their fight to curb the climate crisis.

I'm an artist calling for change in the climate-crisis fight. Here are 4 ways art investors can build greener portfolios.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Supreme Court will likely discard the Chevron doctrine, which empowers federal agencies.</li><li>The decision could make it easier for courts to block President Joe Biden's climate policies.</li></ul>Climate advocates and business groups are closely watching the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-cases-supreme-court-hasnt-decided-trump-immunity-2024-6">US Supreme Court</a> this week.The court could issue a ruling that sharply curtails the federal government's power to regulate the environment, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-vote-climate-issue-2024-election-biden-trump-guide">President Joe Biden's climate policies</a>.The case involves a group of commercial fishermen who opposed fees they had to pay to have federal observers aboard their vessels to prevent overfishing. But at the center is 40 decades of legal precedent known as the Chevron doctrine that has shaped the role of federal agencies.Business groups and conservatives argue that the doctrine allows federal bureaucrats to overstep their authority on issues related not only to the environment but to broad swaths of the economy. The lawyers representing the commercial fisherman are from the Cause of Action Institute, a nonprofit group in the libertarian network built by Charles Koch, the petrochemicals billionaire who has advocated for deregulation.Environmental groups are worried that overturning the Chevron doctrine will make it easier for courts to block regulations, especially those from the Biden administration designed to curb greenhouse-gas emissions that are warming the planet.Here's what to know:<h2 id="595da1ae-b802-4da6-8a2e-a41ff0dc70fc">What is the Chevron doctrine?</h2>Congress writes laws, and federal agencies write the rules to implement them. But Congress isn't always clear, and it doesn't regularly update old laws to reflect scientific or technological advancements.The Chevron doctrine holds that when the law is ambiguous, courts should defer to the federal agency's interpretation, as long as it's reasonable. These agencies are often staffed by people with technical and scientific expertise that judges don't have.That precedent stems from <a target="_blank" href="https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep467/usrep467837/usrep467837.pdf">a 1984 court case</a> over air-pollution rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency under President Ronald Reagan. The decision was actually a defeat for environmentalists; the Natural Resources Defense Council had sought a more expansive definition of pollutants at big industrial plants like Chevron's but lost."The doctrine was neutral," said David Doniger, a senior attorney at the NRDC who argued the original Chevron case on behalf of the group. "It originally came up in a Reagan administration effort to weaken the Clean Air Act."Doniger said that since then, the Chevron opinion has been cited more than 15,000 times by courts across the country. But he added that as the Obama and Biden administrations have pushed for stronger environmental policies, business groups and conservatives have come to see Chevron as "systematically enabling the government to do more."<h2 id="0419d5a5-8f7c-4e7c-8e07-d66aff2cd2bc">Where do the justices stand?</h2>Legal experts say the Supreme Court, with its conservative majority, is likely to overturn or significantly limit the Chevron doctrine.Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, said in oral arguments in January that Chevron was problematic for small businesses and individuals with little power to influence federal agencies.But Justice Elena Kagan, an Obama appointee, argued that health, safety, and environmental regulations protecting the public could be upended if Chevron were overturned.<h2 id="3c75ff4e-8b79-4bb9-b62f-824850c9c80a">What could be affected?</h2>Doniger said that while reining in Chevron could make it easier to win cases aimed at rolling back Biden's climate policies, it's hard to make predictions without knowing the scope of the Supreme Court's ruling.The EPA over the past year has set <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-ev-emissions-rule-labor-unions-auto-industry-2024-3">stricter limits on emissions from cars</a>, trucks, power plants, and oil and gas infrastructure, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/epa-hazardous-forever-chemicals-drinking-water-limits-2024-4">as well as on toxic chemicals in tap water</a> — all of which are the targets of lawsuits from Republican-led states, the fossil-fuel industry, or other businesses."Lawyers will try to characterize these rules as stretching EPA authority," Doniger said.Meanwhile, he added, administrative lawyers have been preparing for this very scenario at the Supreme Court. Biden's EPA hasn't relied on the Chevron doctrine to defend its climate rules.That's a departure from the Obama years, when the EPA cited the Chevron doctrine in its attempt to set the first limits on carbon emissions from power plants. Lengthy court battles ensued, and the Trump administration ultimately shelved the plan.

The Supreme Court is poised to unleash a weapon against Biden's climate policies

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The marquee Senate race between Colin Allred and Ted Cruz could reveal a lot about Texas' identity.</li><li>The Lone Star State has been a GOP bastion for decades, but voting shifts are changing that dynamic.</li></ul>For decades, Democrats have sought to reclaim their former glory in Texas, but they've repeatedly come up short.The party hasn't won a statewide race in the Lone Star State since 1994, which has largely deprived it of the sort of bench that Republicans have cultivated for years through their dominance of state government.So when Rep. Colin Allred — a three-term lawmaker who represents the Dallas-area 32nd Congressional District — entered this year's Senate contest against two-term Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, many Democrats felt that his <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://colinallred.com/news/in-houston-allred-earns-endorsement-of-congresswoman-fletcher-in-race-for-u-s-senate/">bipartisan credentials</a> would bolster his run.Allred, 41, believes that he can be a change agent for Texas. And with less than a week to go before the election, he remains locked in a competitive contest with the 53-year-old Cruz.A late October <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/10/28/us/elections/times-siena-texas-poll-crosstabs.html">New York Times/Siena College survey</a> showed Cruz with a four-point edge over Allred (50% to 46%) among likely voters, but in the same poll, former President Donald Trump led Vice President Kamala Harris by ten points (52% to 42%). And <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/senate/2024/texas/general/">other polls</a> of the race, including ones from Marist College, Morning Consult, and the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs, all showed Cruz with single-digit leads.The competitiveness of the race led the Senate Majority PAC — the Democratic political action committee tied to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York — to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-senate-allred-cruz-ad-campaign-abortion-69b5a7db65cd82d1bbe258d874ae6c6c#">pour $5 million into the contest</a> in recent days, as the Texas race is now widely viewed as the party's best opportunity to flip a red seat this year. In total, Allred has raised more than $80 million for the Senate race, according to his campaign.But one key fact remains: Allred will have to overcome the state's Republican lean in order to oust Cruz.<h2 id="d6679d62-bcb0-468d-971d-22ac5da907f8">Reproductive rights and the economy</h2>I sat down with Allred before a recent block walk kickoff event in Houston, where the former NFL player and civil rights attorney laid out his case against Cruz's reelection bid.But something significant stuck out during our conversation.In the past, red-state Democrats often shied away from speaking out too forcefully regarding reproductive rights. However, after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the US Supreme Court, along with the passage of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-abortion-maternal-health-desert-2024-6">Texas' strict abortion ban</a>, Allred lambasted "extremism" that he argued would seriously affect the economy.In the Times/Siena poll, likely voters in Texas ranked the economy as their top issue, with 27% of respondents expressing this opinion. (The second-and- third ranked issues were immigration and abortion, with 15% support for each issue.)"The individual stories of people denied miscarriage care or denied care when pregnancies weren't viable and having to leave the state are horrific," Allred told me after he spoke at a reproductive rights-focused rally headlined by Harris, which also featured <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harris-beyonce-abortion-reproductive-rights-trump-allred-2024-10">an appearance by Beyoncé</a>. "I know many of these women that have come forward. It's personal. It's also impacting every other aspect of Texas life, from our medical schools to our universities to our business climate."<h2 id="d605ce1a-811a-4765-b109-fcf121e7d70a">The electoral map</h2>In 2018, then-Rep. Beto O'Rourke traversed Texas during his Senate campaign and in the process visited all of the state's 254 counties.While Cruz eventually won, he bested O'Rourke by only <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-senate-race-results-ted-cruz-defeats-beto-orourke-2018-11">2.6 percentage points</a>, or by roughly 215,000 votes out of more than 8.3 million ballots cast.<div type="image" title="Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas speaks at a campaign rally." height="4579" width="6868" msid="114747150" hostid="261" sizebytes="825128"></div>O'Rourke's campaign that year worked to energize Democratic voters — with a focus on young and progressive voters — and his town hall events became a signature part of his campaign.Allred's campaign approach is a bit different than the one pursued by O'Rourke, who represented the El Paso area in Congress from 2013 until 2019. He's seeking to maximize Democratic turnout as well, but he's conducted serious outreach to independents and Republicans to be a part of his moderate-minded campaign."I have a record of being the most bipartisan Texan in Congress," he told me during our conversation.It's the sort of ethos that Allred takes with him on the campaign trail across Texas, a behemoth of a state that contains huge cities and scores of medium-sized and smaller cities and towns in between. It can take around thirteen hours to drive across Texas from the east to the west."This is a massive state, and what happens in one part of the state is not always known in the other part of the state," Allred told me, adding of his experience: "I don't come across any Texans who are looking for a handout, but I come across Texans who are looking for somebody who's going to be on their side."Democrats in Texas already perform strongly in cities like Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. But in the Trump era, Democrats have also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-haley-suburbs-gop-problem-north-carolina-virginia-2024-3">increasingly won over more suburban voters</a>, a phenomenon that has helped the party immensely in other Sun Belt states like Arizona and Georgia. And if Allred is to defeat Cruz, he'll have to put up extremely strong numbers with suburban voters across the board.Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University, told me in a interview that Cruz is in a tougher spot compared to other Texas Republicans because he lacks substantial "crossover" support. Republicans for decades have flexed their political muscle in the state based on their strong support from the party faithful and conservative-leaning independents.But Cruz, a onetime GOP presidential candidate, has cut a polarizing profile both in Texas and on the national stage."He doesn't have much appeal to the sort of soft Republicans, independents, and moderate-to-conservative Democrats in the same way that Gov. Greg Abbott or Sen. John Cornyn do," Jones said. "And it's not a large amount, but he starts off at a disadvantage in that he needs to pretty much win all of the Republican vote and make sure that Republicans turn out."<h2 id="cb1e4296-476c-4197-8a8c-71b3d735e2a4">Cruz 'too small' for Texas</h2>On the campaign trail, Allred has targeted Cruz's infamous 2021 trip to Cancún, Mexico, which occurred while <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ted-cruz-cancun-trip-houston-police-security-detail-winter-storm-2021-2">many Texans were without power</a> due to a severe winter storm.During our conversation, Allred depicted Cruz as someone who doesn't have a broader vision for one of the fastest-growing states in the country, which now boasts over 30 million residents.Business Insider has reached out to the Cruz campaign for comment."Texas is incredibly diverse and dynamic, but we have been governed by extremists who I think have put at risk all of the positives about our state," Allred told me. "Ted Cruz, in particular, is someone who I think is just too small for Texas. His vision is too small for us. And to me, it's kind of the opposite of the Texas that I know."Allred, who would be the first Black senator from Texas should he defeat Cruz, also spoke about the difficulties of change in a state where Republicans have long held a firm grip on power."When you have a one-party rule state for so long, you can get an impression that there's no changing it," Allred told me. "There's always a sense that we should have change. But can we break through?"

Colin Allred is in a tight race with Ted Cruz. Here's how he's planning to become Texas' first Democratic senator in decades.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Supreme Court overturns Chevron doctrine, curtailing federal regulatory power.</li><li>Chevron doctrine gave federal agencies leeway to interpret ambiguous laws like the Clean Air Act.</li></ul>The Supreme Court on Friday overturned a decades-long legal precedent that has empowered the federal government to regulate the environment and other issues, unleashing a potential threat to President Joe Biden's climate policies.The court <a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-451_7m58.pdf">overruled the Chevron doctrine</a>, one of the most important principles guiding federal regulation for the past 40 years. It held that when the laws that Congress writes are ambiguous, courts should defer to federal agencies' interpretation, as long as it's reasonable.Now, however, it could be harder for agencies to address a wide range of policy areas, including the environment, health, and labor and employment. Chief Justice John Roberts authored the decision, joined by five conservative justices. The three liberal justices dissented.The ruling comes as President Joe Biden has raced to finalize a flurry of rules to combat climate change. Over the last year, the Environmental Protection Agency has set <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-ev-emissions-rule-labor-unions-auto-industry-2024-3">stricter limits on greenhouse gas emissions from cars</a>, trucks, power plants, and oil and gas infrastructure. The agency for the first time put limits <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/epa-hazardous-forever-chemicals-drinking-water-limits-2024-4">on toxic "forever chemicals,"</a> also known as PFAS, in drinking water. All of those regulations are the targets of lawsuits from Republican-led states, the fossil-fuel industry, or other businesses.Legal analysts widely expected the Supreme Court's decision. The Chevron doctrine has long been a target of business groups and conservatives who argued it allows federal bureaucrats to overstep their authority on issues related not only to the environment but also to broad swaths of the economy, such as workplace safety, telecom, and finance.The Supreme Court's conservative supermajority is similarly skeptical of federal agencies' power, as past rulings have shown.On Thursday, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23a349_0813.pdf">the court put a temporary hold</a> on the EPA's plan to reduce air pollution from power plants and pipelines that blow across state lines while a lawsuit plays out in a lower court. Last year, the Supreme Court significantly narrowed how many wetlands EPA can regulate to keep them clean. In 2022, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-limits-greenhouse-gas-regulations-west-virginia-v-epa-2022-6">the court limited the EPA's ability to regulate carbon emissions</a> from power plants, leading the Biden administration to issue another plan under the Clean Air Act that it hopes can withstand legal challenges.<h2 id="8531e43d-b476-4020-9d67-26599c42e9a5">How did this case end up at the Supreme Court?</h2>The plea to overturn the Chevron doctrine came to the court in two cases — Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless Inc. v. Department of Commerce. These cases involved commercial fishermen who opposed fees they had to pay to have federal observers aboard their vessels to prevent overfishing.The lawyers representing the commercial fisherman are from the Cause of Action Institute, a nonprofit group in the libertarian network built by Charles Koch, the petrochemicals billionaire who has advocated for deregulation.They argued the Chevron doctrine injures small businesses and individuals who have little power to influence federal agencies."Today's restoration of the separation of powers is a victory for small, family-run businesses like ours, whether they're involved in fishing, farming, or retail," Bill Bright, the fisherman and plaintiff in the Loper Bright case, said in a statement.Defenders of Chevron argued that a broad swath of health, safety, and environmental regulations protecting the public could be upended if the doctrine were overturned, causing chaos. The doctrine is cited in more than 15,000 court decisions. Chevron also recognizes that agencies are often staffed by people with technical and scientific expertise that judges don't have.<h2 id="2f5434dc-7742-4115-875e-055829b5d1f7">What did the Supreme Court justices say?</h2>Roberts, in his opinion, said Chevron defies the Administrative Procedures Act, which requires courts to decide whether a federal agency acted within its legal authority."Perhaps most fundamentally, Chevron's presumption is misguided because agencies have no special competence in resolving statutory ambiguities. Courts do," Roberts said.He also argued that the decision to overturn Chevron doesn't call into question prior cases that relied on it. Courts that decided agency actions were lawful are still subject to "statutory stare decisis."In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan countered that abandoning Chevron will make it difficult for policymakers to issue regulations that keep air and water clean, food and drugs safe, and financial markets honest.Kagan added: "Congress knows that it does not — in fact cannot —write perfectly complete regulatory statutes. It knows that those statutes will inevitably contain ambiguities that some other actor will have to resolve, and gaps that some other actor will have to fill. And it would usually prefer that actor to be the responsible agency, not a court."Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recused herself from Loper Bright because she was involved in the case as a federal appeals court judge.<h2 id="8e1625cc-57cf-4b5d-8a05-6b593601c3d7">What could be the impact on climate policy?</h2>The reversal of Chevron doesn't change EPA's legal obligation under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, which was affirmed in a 2007 Supreme Court decision, legal experts say. Congress in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act also affirmed that power.But the Clean Air Act was written decades ago and left a lot of room for interpretation by EPA. The specific details of the agency's climate regulations may be more legally vulnerable now.At the same time, Biden's EPA hasn't relied on the Chevron doctrine to defend its climate rules because it's been preparing for this very decision from the Supreme Court, said David Doniger, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council who argued <a target="_blank" href="https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep467/usrep467837/usrep467837.pdf">the original Chevron case</a> on behalf of the group in 1984.Paul DeCamp, an attorney at the Washington, DC-based firm Epstein Becker Green, said the overturning of Chevron creates a lot of uncertainty."There is now a new path to challenging agency action because the heavy thumb on the scale toward agencies as a result of Chevron has been removed," he said.That doesn't mean that most regulations are invalid, he added. He predicted that most federal action would survive because agencies try to stay within their legal boundaries.

The Supreme Court discards Chevron doctrine, unleashing a threat to Biden's climate policies

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Only 1 in 20 Gen Z workers have "green" skills, according to a LinkedIn analysis.</li><li>Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z workers said the main barrier is a lack of job opportunities.</li></ul>Gen Z is considered the most climate-conscious generation, with nearly two-thirds saying they want a "green" job within the next five years.That's according to a LinkedIn analysis, which found only 1 in 20 Gen Z workers have "green" skills like measuring carbon emissions, building solar, wind, and electric vehicle projects, reducing waste, or protecting water quality.LinkedIn classified several hundred skills as "green" and analyzed data from more than one billion people and 65 million companies using the networking platform between January 2016 and March 2024. In May, LinkedIn also conducted an online survey of more than 7,000 global workers in the US, Europe, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates to capture a snapshot of Gen Z's perception of green jobs.The green skills gap could make it harder for governments and companies to meet their climate goals, LinkedIn warned, especially with Gen Z on track to account for 30% of the global workforce by 2030. Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks, buildings, the power grid, and the food system could <a target="_blank" href="https://action.deloitte.com/insight/3340/an-overview-of-green-job-growth">create hundreds of millions of jobs</a> around the world. And while the skills shortage is most acute among Gen Z, it is part <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sustainability-jobs-skills-gap-energy-transition-solar-carbon-emissions-2023-11">of a broader trend across the labor market</a>.Some 63% of Gen Z workers said the top barrier was a lack of available opportunities. That may be because employers are looking to hire people with prior experience or a certain technical skill, said Efrem Bycer, senior lead manager of public policy and economic graph at LinkedIn. But he also hears a lot of employers say they want workers who are hungry to learn and solve problems."The data tells us that Gen Z has that in spades," Bycer said, noting that two-thirds of Gen Z said they were interested in training programs.Bycer added that employers need to align their climate goals with a hiring plan and identify green skills they can teach people on the job. There are also job titles that might not sound "green" but do help a company reduce its environmental impact. Employers could explain the connection in job descriptions."If you think the universe of climate jobs have sustainability in the title or are at a climate tech company, that's a limited view," Bycer said. " There's a lot more jobs that contribute to climate action. So the problem is partly skills, partly signaling."President Joe Biden is trying to address the green skills gap with the American Climate Corps, which is modeled after <a target="_blank" href="https://www.roosevelthouse.hunter.cuny.edu/exhibits/new-deal-90-civilian-conservation-corps-march-31-1933/">a New Deal-era program</a> that hired millions of men to conserve public lands, forests, and parks.The administration said they expect thousands of young people to fill <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acc.gov/join/">American Climate Corps jobs this summer</a> that train them to reduce wildfire risks in national forests, respond to natural disasters, install solar panels, and provide environmental education.Do you work a job that's helping solve the climate crisis? Reach out to this reporter at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:cboudreau@insider.com">cboudreau@insider.com</a>.

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