Robinson Meyer: “The party doesn’t even seem to realize that it’s blowing a once-in-a-decade chance to pass meaningful climate legislation.”

“The rate of plastic waste recycling in the United States fell to between 5%-6% in 2021 as some countries stopped accepting U.S. waste exports and as plastic waste generation surged to new highs,” Reuters reports.

Sara Goddard: Is plastic recycling a red herring to our waste problem?

The Financial Times has released The Climate Game.

Whether you’re celebrating Earth Day 2022 on your own or with others, there are a ton of ways to get involved and show your love for Mother Earth. Try out these Earth Day tips and learn about virtual ways to celebrate.

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Washington Post: “Some advocates are increasingly frustrated over the discordant approach, arguing that Biden is sacrificing some of his long-term goal of combating climate change — and a presidential legacy of helping steer the nation away from fossil fuels — in exchange for the short-term aim of lowering prices at the pump.”

“Beyond that, some contend the moves will barely affect gas prices.”

“The White House on Tuesday announced it has restored key protections to a landmark environmental law governing the construction of pipelines, highways and other projects that President Donald Trump had swept away as part of an effort to cut red tape,” the Washington Post reports.

“The new rule will require federal agencies to scrutinize the climate impacts of major infrastructure projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, a 1970 law that required the government to assess the environmental consequences of federal actions, such as approving the construction of oil and gas pipelines.”

“Gina McCarthy, the White House national climate adviser, is preparing to leave her post coordinating the Biden administration’s domestic climate agenda,“ the Washington Post reports.

An update from McCarthy on Twitter: “Reports that I have resigned from my position as President Biden’s National Climate Advisor are simply inaccurate. We’ve made great progress these past 14 months, but we have much more work to do — and I remain excited about the opportunities ahead.”

“There appears to be real momentum moving toward ratification of the biggest climate change-related treaty in Senate history,” Politico reports.

“Known as the Kigali amendment, it would see the global phaseout of a hyper potent type of greenhouse gas, known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).”

Also, Earth Day is coming up.

Gallup: “Americans widely favor each of six proposals designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Support ranges from 59% in favor of spending federal money for building more electric vehicle charging stations in the U.S. up to 89% for providing tax credits to Americans who install clean energy systems in their homes.”

Gizmodo: “Bad news for everyone who loved watching Bill Nye the Science Guy during middle school science class: your fave is problematic. This week, Coca-Cola, one of the world’s biggest plastic polluters, teamed up with TV’s favorite scientist for a campaign to create a ‘world without waste,’ a joke of a corporate greenwashing campaign.”

“In a video innocuously titled The Coca-Cola Company and Bill Nye Demystify Recycling, an animated version of Nye—with a head made out of a plastic bottle and his signature bow tie fashioned from a Coke label—walks viewers through the ways ‘the good people at the Coca-Cola company are dedicating themselves to addressing our global plastic waste problem.’ Coke, Nye explains, wants to use predominantly recycled materials to create bottles for its beverages; he then describes the process of recycling a plastic bottle, from a user throwing it into a recycling bin to being sorted and shredded into new material.”

“The video is, on the surface, an accurate depiction of the process of recycling a beverage bottle. The problem lies in what recycling can actually do. Nye paints a rosy picture in the video of plastic Coke bottles being recycled ‘again and again’—but if everything worked like he’s said, we wouldn’t be facing plastic pollution that has grown fourfold over the past few decades.”

Related from Sara Goddard: Does Recycling Work? and 5 Common Recycling Myths

“Starbucks earlier this month announced its first commitment to eliminate harmful PFAS chemicals in its food packaging in both the U.S. and abroad, joining other large companies in banning the toxics,” Environmental Health News reports.

Sara Goddard: What you should know about PFAS chemicals.

“An ice shelf the size of New York City has collapsed in East Antarctica, an area long thought to be stable and not hit much by climate change,” the AP reports.

“Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested,” The Guardian reports.

“The discovery shows the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs. The impact on health is as yet unknown. But researchers are concerned as microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory and air pollution particles are already known to enter the body and cause millions of early deaths a year.”

Sara Goddard: Six Myths About Plastic Debunked

“Amid pushback from industry groups and lawmakers in both parties, federal energy regulators on Thursday scaled back plans to consider how natural gas projects affect climate change and environmental justice,” the AP reports.

“President Biden sold last year’s $550 billion plan for new infrastructure spending by promising it will spur transformative climate and equity programs nationwide,” Politico reports.

“The problem: states control most of the cash and may not share his goals of tackling climate change or reversing the effects of institutionalized racism.”

“The lack of federal control over how these dollars are spent is raising doubts about whether Biden can meet his pledges, disappointing his supporters.”

The head of the United Nations warned that the world is “sleepwalking to climate catastrophe,” as the ongoing pandemic, the war in Ukraine and a lack of political willpower undermine humanity’s efforts to slow the warming of the planet, the Washington Post reports.

Said U.N. Secretary General António Guterres: “There is no kind way to put it. The 1.5-degree goal is on life support. It is in intensive care.”

“The coldest location on the planet has experienced an episode of warm weather this week unlike any ever observed, with temperatures over the eastern Antarctic ice sheet soaring 50 to 90 degrees above normal. The warmth has smashed records and shocked scientists,” the Washington Post reports.