Environment

Three-quarters of our planet is covered with water—and it’s this water that sustains life. But our liquid planet, home to half of the world’s known creatures and plants, is facing multiple threats, such as overfishing and commercial development. That’s why leading scientists say that 30 percent of our oceans should be protected. Host Dan LeDuc explores why this 30 percent data point is important... Read More

Earlier this year, The Pew Charitable Trusts identified ways to engage companies in the seafood supply chain to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The goal of these efforts is to pinpoint how policy implementation and enforcement can help prevent illicit catch from entering the nearly $150 billion global seafood trade that takes place each year. Estimates show that up to... Read More

Red snapper’s road to recovery is getting a lot bumpier in the Gulf of Mexico. Last week’s decision by the federal government to disregard science-based quotas and allow more recreational fishing days—plus separate proposals by fishery managers and members of Congress to change who manages the species, and how—could undermine the progress of this once-depleted population. Read More

In 1965, many counties in Alabama still used literacy tests, intimidation, and other techniques to prevent African-Americans from registering to vote. In Dallas County, only 2 percent of African-Americans were on voter rolls, and in the county next to it—Lowndes—none were registered. Civil rights activists, seeking to call attention to this injustice, initiated nonviolent protests in... Read More

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the federal program that helps residents, business owners, and communities recover from flooding, may be getting some help from Congress. After months of discussion, the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee on Wednesday passed legislation to reauthorize and improve the NFIP, which is $25 billion in debt. And, while those deliberations... Read More

Earlier this year, The Pew Charitable Trusts identified ways to engage companies in the seafood supply chain to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The goal of these efforts is to pinpoint how policy implementation and enforcement can help prevent illicit catch from entering the nearly $150 billion global seafood trade that takes place each year. Estimates show that up to... Read More

Red snapper’s road to recovery is getting a lot bumpier in the Gulf of Mexico. Last week’s decision by the federal government to disregard science-based quotas and allow more recreational fishing days—plus separate proposals by fishery managers and members of Congress to change who manages the species, and how—could undermine the progress of this once-depleted population. Read More

In 1965, many counties in Alabama still used literacy tests, intimidation, and other techniques to prevent African-Americans from registering to vote. In Dallas County, only 2 percent of African-Americans were on voter rolls, and in the county next to it—Lowndes—none were registered. Civil rights activists, seeking to call attention to this injustice, initiated nonviolent protests in... Read More

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the federal program that helps residents, business owners, and communities recover from flooding, may be getting some help from Congress. After months of discussion, the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee on Wednesday passed legislation to reauthorize and improve the NFIP, which is $25 billion in debt. And, while those deliberations... Read More

Advocates led by small-business owners seeking to preserve an economic juggernaut brought the fight to save America’s national monuments to the front lines June 7. Some three dozen people from 15 states traveled to Washington to tell their elected representatives that the country’s monuments do much more than provide space for those seeking outdoor recreation and solitude: They also... Read More

The Pew Charitable Trusts hosted a May 23 discussion on the challenges facing our country’s infrastructure and approaches to safeguarding it from the effects of severe weather. It centered on ways the Trump administration and Congress can help the United States withstand natural disasters by modernizing infrastructure through smart policy, solid funding, and incorporation of nature-based... Read More

The Pew Charitable Trusts commends Representatives Will Hurd (R-TX), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI), and Dave Reichert (R-WA) for introducing the National Park Service Legacy Act in the House of Representatives today. The bill mirrors legislation in the Senate sponsored in March by Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH) and would establish a fund to dedicate federal... Read More

The Pew Charitable Trusts praised today’s announcement by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that Japan has ratified the Port State Measures Agreement, an international treaty designed to curb illegal fishing. Read More

On Wednesday, May 17, guests joined the Pew Trusts and a panel of leading experts to explore how the latest science, front-line technologies, and big data can reveal global trends and help protect our planet. Read More

The Pew Charitable Trusts called for "an open and transparent process" as President Donald Trump signed an executive order today directing the Department of the Interior to review national monuments designated since 1996 and to suggest changes or modifications to the monument proclamations. Read More

Three-quarters of our planet is covered with water—and it’s this water that sustains life. But our liquid planet, home to half of the world’s known creatures and plants, is facing multiple threats, such as overfishing and commercial development. That’s why leading scientists say that 30 percent of our oceans should be protected. Host Dan LeDuc explores why this 30 percent data point is important... Read More

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is a regional fisheries management organization that plays an important role in safeguarding the health of iconic Atlantic fish populations and the profitability of the fisheries that depend on them. Read More

Professor Emeritus Doug Butterworth of the University of Cape Town in South Africa is one of the world’s most influential fisheries scientists. In this video, he speaks about the value of harvest strategies in fisheries management and why it is critical for tuna regional fisheries management organizations to implement these science-based management tools. Read More

Innovative fishing gear minimizes injury and death for whales, sea turtles, and other ocean life. Read More

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston, South Carolina. The natural disaster claimed a dozen lives and caused more than $10 billion in recovery costs. At the time, it was the most destructive and expensive hurricane on record. The city was devastated, but then-Mayor Joseph Riley vowed not just to rebuild, but to rebuild better. His plan included a storm water management plan using underground... Read More