We are so excited to tell you about a major victory that our supporters helped achieve. Yesterday at the UN Ocean Conference, the Colombian government announced it will create four new official marine reserves, including one expanding the fully protected Malpelo Sanctuary of Fauna and Flora. Colombia will now surpass the goal of protecting 30% of its waters eight years before the 2030 deadline! The initiative to protect 30% of the global ocean by the year 2030, referred to as 30x30, is a target that scientists have indicated is necessary in order to prevent irreversible loss of marine life. A huge thank you to everyone who made their voice heard on the petition to protect the Eastern Tropical Pacific marine corridor. And, of course, this win would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Colombia’s environmental, fishing, and maritime authorities, along with scientists, the private fishing sector, nonprofits, and the people of Colombia. With this remarkable action, Colombia will strengthen local fisheries, sustainable livelihoods, and the protection of marine biodiversity in its native waters and throughout the Eastern Tropical Pacific marine corridor. If you’d like to move another campaign to create sanctuaries close to victory, consider adding your name to the brand-new petition to expand the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument 🌎 ⛵️
Ohioans have the right to fish in clean rivers, to drink clean water, and to raise families without fear of pollution giving our kids asthma, cancer, and other life-altering diseases.
The cost of pollution
In 2020, corporations dumped more toxic pollution into the Ohio River — the source of drinking water for millions of people — than any other watershed in the United States. But instead of taking action to fix this problem, our state government wants to introduce thirty-one new or expanded toxic petrochemical projects in Ohio, infringing on our rights to clean natural resources and healthy conditions for our families. And the pollution is not just dangerous, it’s also expensive — for example, the cost of treating a child with asthma can average out to thousands of dollars each year. Plus, the plants are getting millions of dollars in tax breaks from the government, which means Ohio taxpayers are paying for their profits.
If Anne Vogel — the head of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency — lets companies build more toxic facilities in our communities, she will leave Ohio’s next generations trapped in a polluted future. Join us, and demand that Director Vogel use her powers of office to stop this reckless expansion in our state.
Toxic industry’s big lie: Chemical recycling
Many of the proposed plants would do something called chemical recycling — but this name is completely misleading. Chemical recycling is not recycling; instead, it uses chemicals or high heat to break down plastic and other waste products.
In Mahoning County, for example, a company called SOBE Thermal Energy Solutions wants to shred and melt millions of tires, electronic waste, and plastic, releasing cancer-causing chemicals and heavy metals directly into the air in a densely populated community just blocks away from local schools. This is extremely dangerous: Even low levels of exposure to these toxins can cause neurological damage in children, leading to cognitive dysfunction, lower IQ, and lifelong behavioral issues. Similar projects are moving forward in Summit, Licking, and Lawrence counties.
A disaster waiting to happen
Another proposed buildout — at the Nutrien Lima Nitrogen Plant — would produce thousands of tons of ammonia every day, and could pose an explosion risk to the residents of Lima, Ohio. As the second-largest producer of synthetic fertilizers in the United States, Nutrien's expansion would only increase the amount of pollution and runoff that contaminates the waterways residents depend on.
Your voice matters
We reject this dangerous industrial wave in our home state, where it threatens Ohioans’ health, and puts our priceless land, air and water at risk. Join us, and add your name to the petition calling on Director Vogel to stop the expansion of toxic plants that want to pollute Beautiful Ohio.
