This Week on Earth: May 3-10
This week on Earth…
Illinois: Green tax credits to promote sustainable film and TV productions
U.S.: Earth Day Miracle - a temporary stall to attacks on the Endangered Species Act
Austria: The Vienna Climate Biennale connects art and climate
United States
In a surprising move on Earth Day, the U.S. House of Representatives suddenly canceled a vote on a bill that would significantly weaken the Endangered Species Act, according to Inside Climate News.
Environmentalists are counting this as a win. The Endangered Species Act is a foundational U.S. wildlife law, signed in 1973 by President Nixon, to prevent the extinction and promote recovery of endangered species. In the current political climate, the Endangered Species Act is one of the top environmental laws set to be rolled back.
The newly introduced legislation, called the ESA Amendments Act, would involve limiting habitat protections, allowing oil and gas drilling in conserved bodies of water, fast-tracking the endangered or threatened species delisting process, and more. The bill faced pushback from Republican states dependent on tourism and the economic value of the natural environment and from conservationists concerned about the potential rollbacks’ impacts on wildlife and habitats.
Many organizations, citizens, businesspeople, environmentalists and scientists signed a letter to representatives declaring their opposition to the legislation. Opponents to the bill include high-profile celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, who made an Instagram post urging his followers to call members of the House and ask them to vote against this bill, according to Variety.
In the face of ongoing threats to environmental conservation on the national level, environmentalists hope that this win will have lasting effects in preserving a cornerstone wildlife law.
Austria
Vienna hosts its second Climate Biennale from April 9 to May 10 with aims at addressing the climate crisis. The theme for this year’s festival, which merges art, climate change and social justice is, “Unspeakable Worlds”.
During this time of global crisis and uncertainty around environmental issues, Vienna is using art as a tool for action and to create productive conversations. The Climate Biennale has proven itself to be one of the most important art festivals in Europe, centering the environment, as its first year drew over 225,000 visitors, according to SIMS Kultur.
The Climate Biennale invites visitors to engage with the movement and story of climate as it takes place throughout the city of Vienna. All places in the city participate in the art festival, including museums, universities, architectural spaces, and neighborhoods. The city becomes a space where people from various backgrounds and professions can connect about the environment, according to Tesori d’Europa. Vienna operates as a canvas, a place for art to be displayed and for solutions to be formed at the intersection of creativity, urban policy, and science.
This week’s newsletter was written by Gabrielle Walthour — gabriellewalthour2027@u.northwestern.edu
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