concern for the environment is now at the

According to NASA, climate change is driven by increased levels of greenhouse gases causing global temperatures to rise, the ocean to warm, polar ice to melt and sea levels to rise. Since the late the key to the new generation of sustainable investing is that it focuses only on "material" esg issues that impacta firm's valuation—for example, greenhouse gas emissions are material for an Ecological studies may examine individual organisms, single species populations, multiple species communities, eecosystems, or the Earth as a whole. Ecological studies may also examine different The annual medical cost of obesity reached $147 billion in 2008. The Medicare and Medicaid spending for obesity-related conditions now totals $61 billion per year. Heart disease costs $189.4 billion per year and that cost is expected to triple by 2030. Cancer costs $102.8 billion per year. A legacy of systemic racial discrimination has left environmental justice communities in the Kansas City area disproportionately exposed to multiple health-damaging pollutants. As a result, environmental justice advocates have taken on the much-needed work of pollution monitoring and raising community awareness to protect their own health. "We're concerned that this lighting is doing and the negative effect it is having on the [St. Lawrence] River." The facility on Wellesley Island is located near protected forest and wetland areas, with one wetland completely illuminated at night. Lauren Eggleston, who is the assistant director at Save The River, said this is a major concern. To learn more about indoor environmental quality testing of storm damaged properties, please visit www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email info@EMSL.com. For access to IEQ test kits, visit www Environmentalism is an ideology that evokes the necessity and responsibility of humans to respect, protect, and preserve the natural world from its anthropogenic (caused by humans) afflictions. Environmental awareness is an integral part of the movement's success. By teaching our friends and family that the physical environment is fragile and anlileamid1983. If there was concern that the COVID-19 pandemic would somehow cause citizens around the world to lose sight of the urgency of the climate change crisis and the need for environmental action in general, that worry can be put to rest. A recent BCG survey of more than 3,000 people across eight countries has found that in the wake of the pandemic people are more concerned—not less—about addressing environmental challenges and are more committed to changing their own behavior to advance heightened awareness is striking. Some 70% of survey participants said they were more aware now than before COVID-19 that human activity threatens the climate is and that degradation of the environment, in turn, threatens humans. And three-quarters of respondents said environmental issues are as concerning as—or more concerning than—health survey also found that people want to see aggressive action on the environmental front. More than two-thirds of respondents think that economic recovery plans should make environmental issues a priority. The crisis is driving change at the individual level, too, with 40% reporting that they intend to adopt more sustainable behavior in the future. Among the top actions people are doing more consistently are reducing household energy consumption, increasing recycling and composting, and buying locally produced goods. The increased commitment to sustainability has major implications for companies and governments. Overall, respondents thought that governments and companies had not responded to the COVID-19 crisis as effectively as health personnel, NGOs, and global health agencies. In addition, 87% said companies should integrate environmental concerns into their products, services, and operations to a greater extent than they have in the past. The commitment to sustainability is even more pronounced among younger people, who have a stronger conviction that personal behavior can make a difference in addressing environmental action and who expect environmental concerns to be front and center in recovery more of our insights into how COVID-19 is reshaping how people think about the sustainability in the following slideshow. The survey was conducted in partnership with coding and sampling provider Dynata, the world’s largest first-party data and insights platform. Authors About Boston Consulting Group Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact. Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place. © Boston Consulting Group 2023. All rights reserved. For information or permission to reprint, please contact BCG at permissions To find the latest BCG content and register to receive e-alerts on this topic or others, please visit Follow Boston Consulting Group on Facebook and Twitter. Related Content The Business Impact of COVID-19 The world has changed forever. Organizations that embrace this new reality—and reimagine how to operate in it—will outperform and outlast the competition. Learn More Climate Should Not Be the Virus’s Next Victim COVID-19 recovery efforts can contribute to solving two crises at once—if leaders direct recovery-focused investments toward sustainable infrastructure, green jobs, and environmental resilience. Learn More Climate Change and Sustainability The time for global climate action is now. BCG helps clients accelerate their climate and sustainability journey and seize new opportunities to build competitive advantage. Learn More Social Impact By focusing on tangible ways to generate positive social impact related to climate change, global education, racial equity, and more we help organizations tackle some of the most pressing issues facing our world today. Learn More 1 / 5 The Pandemic Is Heightening Environmental Awareness Canada is dealing with a series of intense wildfires that have spread from the western provinces to Quebec, with hundreds of forest fires burning. Wind has carried smoke from the fires southward, triggering air-quality alerts throughout the United US Environmental Protection Agency EPA on Tuesday issued a poor air-quality alert for New England, a day after parts of Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota received a similar advisory. Last week, US officials as far south as Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania reported being affected by the a look at what you need to know at a glanceWhat’s happening?Smoke from Canada’s wildfires has been moving into the United States since last month. The most recent fires near Quebec have been burning for at least several EPA said hazy skies, reduced visibility and the odor of burning wood are likely, and that the smoke will linger for a few days in New map“It’s not unusual for us to get fire smoke in our area. It’s very typical in terms of north-west Canada,” said Darren Austin, a meteorologist and senior air-quality specialist with the Rhode Island department of environmental management. But the smoke usually has been aloft higher in the atmosphere, not affecting people’s health, he Quebec-area fires are big and relatively close, about 500 to 600 miles roughly 800 to 970km away from Rhode Island. And they followed wildfires in Nova Scotia, which resulted in a short-lived air-quality alert on 30 May, Austin the biggest concern?Air-quality alerts are triggered by a number of factors, including the detection of fine-particle pollution – known as “PM – which can irritate the lungs.“We have defenses in our upper airway to trap larger particles and prevent them from getting down into the lungs. These are sort of the right size to get past those defenses,” said Dr David Hill, a pulmonologist in Waterbury, Connecticut, and a member of the American Lung Association’s national board of directors. “When those particles get down into the respiratory space, they cause the body to have an inflammatory reaction to them.”A cyclist wears a mask due to poor air quality in Ottawa on 6 June. Photograph Sean Kilpatrick/APTrent Ford, the state climatologist in Illinois, said the atmospheric conditions in the upper midwest creating dry, warm weather made it possible for small particulates to travel hundreds of miles from the Canadian wildfires and linger for days.“It’s a good example of how complex the climate system is but also how connected it is,” Ford should be careful?Exposure to elevated fine particle pollution levels can affect the lungs and air-quality alerts caution “sensitive groups”, a large category that includes children, older adults and people with lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary who often are encouraged to go out and play, “are more susceptible to smoke for a number of reasons”, said Laura Kate Bender, the American Lung Association’s national assistant vice-president, healthy air. “Their lungs are still developing, they breathe in more air per unit of body weight.”What can you do for now?It’s a good time to put off that yardwork and outdoor exercise. If you go out, consider wearing an N95 mask to reduce your exposure to woman walks her dog along the Ottawa River in Ottawa as smoke from wildfires obscures Gatineau, Quebec, in the distance on 6 June. Photograph Sean Kilpatrick/APStay inside, keeping your doors, windows and fireplaces shut. It’s recommended that you run the air conditioning on a recirculation setting.“If you have filters on your home HVAC system, you should make sure they’re up to date and high quality,” Hill said. “Some people, particularly those with underlying lung disease, or heart disease, should consider investing in air purifiers for their homes.” NEW YORK AP — Smoke from Canadian wildfires poured into the East Coast and Midwest on Wednesday, covering the capitals of both nations in an unhealthy haze, holding up flights at major airports, postponing Major League Baseball games and prompting people to fish out pandemic-era face officials asked other countries for additional help fighting more than 400 blazes nationwide that already have displaced 20,000 people. Air with hazardous levels of pollution extended into the New York metropolitan area, central New York state and parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Massive tongues of unhealthy air extended as far as North Carolina and Indiana, affecting millions of people.“I can taste the air,” Dr. Ken Strumpf said in a Facebook post from Syracuse, New York, which was enveloped in an amber pall. The smoke, he later said by phone, even made him a bit dizzy. The air quality index, a Environmental Protection Agency metric for air pollution, exceeded a staggering 400 at times in Syracuse, New York City and Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. A level of 50 or under is considered good; anything over 300 is considered “hazardous,” when even healthy people are advised to curtail outdoor physical activity. In Baltimore, Debbie Funk sported a blue surgical mask as she and husband, Jack Hughes, took their daily walk around Fort McHenry, a national monument overlooking the Patapsco River. The air hung thick over the water, obscuring the horizon.“I walked outside this morning, and it was like a waft of smoke,” said Funk. Canadian officials say this is shaping up to be the nation’s worst wildfire season ever. It started early on drier-than-usual ground and accelerated very quickly, exhausting firefighting resources across the country, fire and environmental officials from the blazes in various parts of the country has been lapping into the since last month but intensified with recent fires in Quebec, where about 100 were considered out of control Wednesday — which, unsettlingly, was national Clean Air Day in Canada. The smoke was so thick in downtown Ottawa, Canada’s capital, that office towers just across the Ottawa River were barely visible. In Toronto, Yili Ma said her hiking plans were canceled and she was forgoing restaurant patios, a beloved Canadian summer tradition.“I put my mask away for over a year, and now I’m putting on my mask since yesterday,” the 31-year-old lamented. Quebec Premier François Legault said the province currently has the capacity to fight about 40 fires — and the usual reinforcements from other provinces have been strained by conflagrations in Nova Scotia and elsewhere. Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre spokesperson Jennifer Kamau said more than 950 firefighters and other personnel have arrived from the Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and more are due soon. In Washington, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden has sent more than 600 firefighters and equipment to Canada. His administration has contacted some governors and local officials about providing assistance, she Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter that he spoke by phone with Biden and “thanked him for all the help Americans are providing as we continue to fight these devastating wildfires.”The largest town in Northern Quebec — Chibougamau, population about 7,500 — was evacuated Tuesday, and Legault said the roughly 4,000 residents of the northern Cree town of Mistissini would likely have to leave Wednesday. But later in the day, Mistissini Chief Michael Petawabano said his community remains safe and asked residents to wait for instructions from Cree Quebec got some rain Wednesday, but Montreal-based Environment Canada meteorologist Simon Legault said no significant rain is expected for days in the remote areas of central Quebec where the wildfires are more National Weather Service meteorologist Zach Taylor said the current weather pattern in the central and eastern is essentially funneling in the smoke. Some rain should help clear the air somewhat in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic this weekend or early next week, though more thorough relief will come from containing or extinguishing the fires, he York Gov. Kathy Hochul said 1 million N95 masks would be available at state facilities. New York City closed beaches, and Mayor Eric Adams told residents to stay indoors as much as possible as smoke smudged out the skyline. Zoos in the Bronx and Central Park closed early and brought their animals inside. The Federal Aviation Administration paused some flights bound for LaGuardia Airport and slowed planes to Newark Liberty and Philadelphia because the smoke was limiting visibility. It also contributed to delayed arrivals at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, where a heavy haze shrouded the Washington Monument and forced the cancellation of outdoor tours. Major League Baseball put off games in New York and Philadelphia, and even an indoor WNBA game in Brooklyn was called off. On Broadway, “Killing Eve” star Jodie Comer had difficulty breathing and left the matinee of “Prima Facie” after 10 minutes; the show restarted with an understudy, show publicists said. “Hamilton” and “Camelot” canceled Wednesday evening performances, with “Hamilton” publicists saying the the deteriorating air quality “made it impossible for a number of our artists to perform.” In Central Park, the popular outdoor Shakespeare in the Park performances were put off through in multiple states canceled sports and other outdoor activities, shifting recess inside. Live horse racing was canceled Wednesday and Thursday at Delaware Park in Wilmington. Organizers of Global Running Day, a virtual 5K, advised participants to adjust their plans according to air Jersey closed state offices early, and some political demonstrations in spots from Manhattan to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were moved indoors or postponed. Striking Hollywood writers were pulled off picket lines in the New York metropolitan area. The smoke exacerbated health problems for people such as Vicki Burnett, 67, who has asthma and has had serious bouts with bronchitis. After taking her dogs out Wednesday morning in Farmington Hills, Michigan, Burnett said, “I came in and started coughing and hopped back into bed.” Still, she stressed that she’s concerned for Canadians, not just herself. “It’s unfortunate, and I’m having some problems for it, but there should be help for them,” she reported from Toronto. Contributing were Associated Press journalists Randall Chase in Dover, Delaware; Michael Hill in Albany, New York; David Koenig in Dallas; Aamer Madhani in Washington; Brooke Schultz in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Lea Skene in Baltimore; Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York; Ron Todt in Philadelphia; Corey Williams in West Bloomfield, Michigan; and Ron Blum, Mark Kennedy, Jake Offenhartz, Karen Matthews and Julie Walker in New York. ___This story has corrected the attribution of material about forecast for rain in Quebec to Montreal-based Environment Canada meteorologist Simon Legault, not Quebec Premier François Legault. A person jogs through a Brooklyn park on a hazy morning resulting from Canadian wildfires on June 6 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Spencer Platt/Getty Images Dozens of wildfires are burning in the Canadian province of Québec, and the smoke is so bad that it's causing air quality problems across large swaths of the The National Weather Service said air quality has "plummeted" across the Northeast. Officials from the Midwest to the East Coast and as far south as North Carolina are warning residents to take precautions as the hazy smoke floats south and poses a risk to public health. Canada has been experiencing a particularly brutal wildfire season this year, as extreme weather is worsening in part due to climate change. Blazes have recently flared up across Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. Where did all of this thick, heavy smoke across the Northeast come from? Raging wildfires in Quebec are generating large smoke plumes to the north and ALL of the smoke is being funneled right into the Northeast. Unfortunately, more smoke is on the way for tonight and Wednesday. NWS Mount Holly NWS_MountHolly June 6, 2023 Earlier fires have also sent smoke into the neighboring and Canadian officials are warning that the country's wildfire situation may get worse as the summer wears on. "This is a scary time for a lot of people, not just in Alberta, but right across the country, including in the Atlantic, the North and Québec, too," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference on Monday. Canada is in the midst of an especially bad wildfire season So far this year, there have been 2,214 wildfires across Canada, according to Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair. The blazes have burned million hectares — or more than 8 million acres. The country is currently battling 413 wildfires, 249 of which are categorized as out of control, and an estimated 26,000 people remain evacuated from their homes. Across Québec, more than 150 fires are raging, many of which are burning out of control, according to the province's forest protection service. Authorities have restricted access to parts of the forest and closed some roads. Though officials said they hope precipitation forecasted for later in the week will help suppress the fires, the blazes were still sending smoke into the on Tuesday. The Statue of Liberty stands shrouded in a reddish haze as a result of Canadian wildfires on Tuesday. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Spencer Platt/Getty Images The Statue of Liberty stands shrouded in a reddish haze as a result of Canadian wildfires on Tuesday. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Some states are being blanketed by Canadian wildfire smoke The Environmental Protection Agency and state officials in New England were predicting that wildfire smoke would linger over the region for a few days. Poor air quality alerts were in effect for all or parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. New York issued an air quality health advisory Tuesday for fine particulate matter in many parts of the state, including the New York City metro area. Some Midwestern states were under threat from wildfire smoke, with air quality warnings in states including Minnesota, Wisconsin and Indiana. Southern states were also impacted. Charlotte, and nearby areas were under a code orange air quality action day on Tuesday. According to AirNow, an air quality database maintained by several federal agencies, moderate air quality and air quality unhealthy for certain groups was also recorded in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and several other states. Here's what one disaster preparedness expert says you should do "How concerned you should be has a lot to do with your own situation," Jeff Schlegelmilch, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, told NPR. Not everybody is equally vulnerable to poor air quality, he said. It can be especially harmful for certain groups, including those with lung and heart disease, the elderly and pregnant people. Poorer communities already at a higher risk for diseases that can be worsened by unsafe air are also less able to pay for protective measures needed to guard against exposure. The severity of poor air quality can also vary, which is why the uses a color-coded systems to communicate how bad the air is in a certain place at a given time. Under the Air Quality Index, green indicates the best conditions while maroon is the worst. Still, Schlegelmilch says everyone should heed officials' warnings about poor air quality. Common recommendations include staying indoors and using an air filter, wearing a mask like an N95 when outside and avoiding strenuous activities. Air quality has plummeted across much of the northeast as smoke from wildfires in Canada moves south. Poor air quality can be hazardous. Before spending time outdoors, check the air quality forecast. Make sure you aren’t doing yourself more harm than good. National Weather Service NWS June 6, 2023 "If you've got a red alert for air quality, it's probably not the time to go out and go for that jog or go for that run," he said, "because you're breathing in more air and you're breathing in more air more deeply." Schlegelmilch says people should treat poor air quality as an ongoing health concern rather than a one-off event, since extreme weather is only going to worsen in the future and even repeated exposure to low levels of poor air quality can have a cumulative negative impact on your health. "I think it's really important that we sort of think of these things as we do any other type of health or hygiene process. It's a process. It's not one moment in time that we take a specific action and we're protected," he said. "When the air quality is bad, we have to take some of these protective measures for ourselves, both for the short-term and the long-term." Global cooperation to protect the ozone layer can ensure a better future for us all 16 September 2022 Climate and EnvironmentAs the Montreal Protocol to Protect the Ozone Layer turns 35 on Friday, World Ozone Day, the United Nations has said that continuing the level of cooperation that led to the treaty’s adoption and success is just what is needed to protect life on Earth, end the climate crisis and ensure a brighter future for us all. Hailing the Montreal Protocol as the most successful environmental treaty ever, the UN Environment Programme UNEP said the instrument’s adoption ended one of the biggest threats ever to face humanity as a whole the depletion of the ozone layer. “When the world found out that ozone-depleting gases used in aerosols and cooling were creating a hole in the sky, they came together,” the agency said in a press statement, adding “They showed that multilateralism and effective global cooperation worked, and they phased out these gases. Now the ozone layer is healing, allowing it once again to shield humanity from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.” Catastrophe averted This action has protected millions of people from skin cancer and cataracts over the years since. It allowed vital ecosystems to survive and thrive. It safeguarded life on Earth. And it slowed climate change if ozone-depleting chemicals had not been banned, we would be looking at a global temperature rise of an additional by the end of this century. “This would have been a catastrophe,” said UNEP. In his message on World Ozone Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the Protocol was a success because, when science discovered the threat we all faced, governments and their partners acted. “The Montreal Protocol is a powerful example of multilateralism in action. With the many problems facing the world – from conflicts to growing poverty, deepening inequality and climate emergency – it is a reminder that we can succeed in working together for the common good,” said the UN chief. The Protocol has much more to give Mr. Guterres said that the Montreal Protocol has already contributed to tackling the climate crisis, and indeed, by protecting plants from ultraviolet radiation, allowing them to live and store carbon, it has avoided up to an extra 1 degree Celsius of global warming. “The Protocol’s work to phase out climate-heating gases and improve energy efficiency through its Kigali Amendment can further slow climate disruption. But, only by mirroring the cooperation and speedy action of the Montreal Protocol elsewhere can we stop the carbon pollution that is dangerously heating our world. We have a choice collective action or collective suicide,” he warned. UNEP said that the Montreal Protocol has much more to give. Under the Kigali Amendment nations have committed to phase down hydrofluorocarbons – a move that could avoid up to of global temperature rise by the end of the century. The Protocol and its Amendment are helping the world adopt climate friendly and energy-efficient cooling technology. What does this mean for humanity? UNEP said that as the international community continues to protect the ozone layer, the Protocol will continue to safeguard us and all life on Earth. “It also means a cooler planet as more countries ratify the Amendment. It means more people being able to access vital cooling technology without further warming the planet. It also means the Protocol continuing to send a clear and lasting message global cooperation to protect life on Earth is our best chance at a brighter future for everyone,” concluded UNEP. The Hole - A film on the Montreal Protocol, narrated by Sir David Attenborough ♦ Receive daily updates directly in your inbox - Subscribe here to a topic. ♦ Download the UN News app for your iOS or Android devices.