To Beat Climate Change, Birmingham Needs a Green New Deal
I just returned home from Glasgow, Scotland, a couple of weeks ago. I was there to attend the United Nations’ 2021 Climate Change Conference of the Parties, better known as COP26. The message from environmentalists and climate scientists alike was clear: “We’ve been...
Alabama Power’s Miller Steam Plant Permit up for Renewal
Because this permit was posted during the holidays, we’re asking folks who live in the area to request an extension to ensure robust public participation.
COVID-19 Spread Has a Direct Correlation to Pollution Levels
Particulate matter, or PM for short, is a type of pollutant made of both liquid droplets and solid particles (hence the name, particulate). PM is one of the most common and harmful pollutants found in the air, mostly due to its tiny size. Although PM can include...
Bluestone Coke Threatens the Wellbeing of Fenceline Communities
Bluestone Coke must be shut down unless and until it can comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
Information is Power: Why Sunshine Laws Matter
People say knowledge is power, which is true. However, a critical step is missing from this phrase: one must have information to acquire knowledge. Everyone who knows me well knows that I dig deep. Whether it’s researching what’s the best sunscreen or just getting to...
In Utero Exposure to Ultrafine Particles Connected to Childhood Asthma
New research by the Mount Sinai Hospital School of Medicine has found a connection between women who are exposed to tiny air pollutants during pregnancy and childhood asthma. This new study is the first time a correlation has been confirmed between the two, as...
Guest Post: We Can’t Plant Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis
According to scientists, large-scale tree planting would not suffice as a substitute for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Update on Alabama Power’s Discriminatory ‘Sun Tax’
This week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) declined to initiate an enforcement action against the Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC) over Alabama Power's unjust anti-solar fees. The decision not to act clears the way for a lawsuit against the PSC...
Why I Want to be a Climate Scientist
I want to be a climate scientist when I grow up because if all else fails, I want the future generations to at least know that I tried to protect their future.
AEYC Promotes Sustainability Through Volunteerism, Education
The Alabama Environmental Youth Council is a group of high school ambassadors promoting environmental sustainability through volunteerism and education.
Meet Rosalyn Mwenja, Direct Service Intern
Rosalyn is looking forward to to learning what goes into running a market that provides food and other necessities and advocating for a healthier future in Birmingham.
Meet Riley Yager, Spring 2021 Community Science Intern
GASP: What is your major at and why did you choose it? Riley Yager: I am currently working on my PhD in physics and I received a bachelors in civil engineering and a bachelors in physics in May 2020. I chose these degrees because I wanted to go into a field where I...
Meet Jossy, Spring 2021 Climate Change Intern
GASP: Where do you go to high school? Jossy: I am a sophomore in the math/science department at The Alabama School of Fine Arts. GASP: What do you hope to do after you graduate? Jossy: After I graduate I hope to attend an HBCU, majoring in political science, Spanish,...
A Reflection on Climate Catastrophe
A generation brought up on fear of the inevitable feels like they have nothing to lose when fighting.
What is the Green New Deal anyway?
Modeled after FDR’s Depression-era New Deal, the Green New Deal is a bold and equitable vision to create millions of high-paying jobs while developing a new, clean energy economy.
Almost 9 Million Deaths Caused by Fossil Fuel Pollution
New research from Harvard University found that deaths from fossil fuel emissions are significantly higher than previous estimates. In 2018, more than 8 million people died from the pollution caused by coal, oil, gas, and other fossil fuels. That accounts for nearly 1-in-5 of all deaths worldwide. Prior research put the number at a little over 4 million deaths per year.
Air Pollution, Climate Change and COVID-19
We need to support every effort our president and government make to clean up our air, so as to reduce climate change, create jobs, improve our health, and last but not least, to lessen the impact of the next pandemic.
Dust from Demolition Projects is Air Pollution
No, all that dust everywhere isn’t just something you have to deal with when there’s a demolition project near you. Have you ever lived or worked near a large demolition project? Do you see the dust hovering in the air, maybe over your home or business or your car as...
Introducing a New Youth Education Initiative ‘Fresh Voices for Clean Air’
Unique STEAM opportunity for high school students in Allegheny County, Penn., and Jefferson County, Ala. Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP-Birmingham) is excited to announce an exciting new educational initiative, Fresh Voices for Clean Air. We are...
Reflections on 2020: Hope, Empathy, and Courage
“Hope is your superpower. Don’t let anybody or anything make you hopeless. Hope is the enemy of injustice. Hope is what will get you to stand up when people tell you to sit down.” —Bryan Stevenson “Had Harriet Tubman compared the 70 slaves she freed to 4 million...
The Importance of Telling the Whole Story
When I call my parents in Virginia or my college friends in Chicago, they always want to hear about my work with GASP. “How’s your internship going?” “Tell me about what you do!” I get really excited about the opportunity to talk to them about environmental social...
Meet Katie Mesa, Fall Intern (Wheaton College)
What is your major at and why did you choose it? I am majoring in environmental science with minors in math and Spanish at Wheaton College. I chose to major in environmental science because of its intersectionality with other fields and because of my passion for...
Meet Ugo Ejidoh, Fall MPH Intern (UAB)
What is your major at and why did you choose it? My major is in public health, and I have chosen it because of the growing concerns regarding global environmental issues and disease epidemics. Let me also add that I am a Nigerian trained pharmacist. I have realized...
Our Brains, Air Pollution and Hurricanes
After a morning of protesting Governor Ivey’s inaction on the contaminated 35th Ave Site in North Birmingham, we sped down I-65 towards home. As we drove, we talked about how well the protest had gone and wondered if our representatives would get it, how could they...
Meet Madison Cumby, Fall Legal Intern (Samford)
Madison got her B.S. degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Policy from Samford University in 2018. She’s now a third-year student at Cumberland School of Law.
Love Thy Neighbor: Building Grassroots Power the Old-Fashioned Way
In early 2019, I joined with about 15 other climate activists in a series of meetings to study nonviolent direct action and movement theories of change with the goal of building a new approach to climate change at the scale of the crisis. Our work culminated in a...
Meet Erin Rhodes, Fall Intern
Erin has moved to Birmingham for the semester to volunteer with Gasp as an Environmental Justice Intern through Wheaton College's Human Needs and Global Resources (HNGR) program. Welcome to Birmingham, Erin! What is your major and why did you choose it?I study...
Groups Ask PSC to Reconsider Alabama Power’s Unprecedented Fossil Fuel Expansion
Gasp and Energy Alabama have formally asked the Alabama Public Service Commission to reconsider its June decision to approve the single largest capacity increase ever proposed by Alabama Power, including including almost 1,900 MW of fracked gas generation. We...
Fine Particulate Matter and Cardiovascular Disease
While we are all understandably focused on deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), it is worth remembering that the number one cause of mortality in this country is cardiovascular disease. Those who suffer from cardiovascular disease are at a particularly...
BREAKING: PSC Grants Request to Refund $100M to Customers
On Wednesday, July 15, 2020, GASP and 12 other organizations, led by Daniel Tait at Energy Alabama, petitioned the Alabama Public Service Commission to provide some relief to Alabamians struggling with ongoing economic impacts of COVID-19. We sent a letter urging the...
