Introduction
This platform is dedicated to building a research and teaching resource that investigates the complex dilemmas posed by air pollution and its profound impacts on human health and global climate. For instance, recent research by Giampiccolo et al. (2024) in Environment International highlights a compelling injury: increased breast cancer risk linked to exposure to multiple air pollutants like NO2, PM2.5, PM10, and PCB153 (DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108943). Such findings underscore the scientific uncertainty surrounding the long-term safety of these pervasive environmental contaminants. We propose harnessing this critical data as a foundational knowledge base for an epistemic community of high school students and teaching staff, empowering them to collaboratively develop strategies for pollution avoidance. This strategy-building process intrinsically supports hands-on learning across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, transforming complex environmental challenges into tangible educational opportunities. By applying the principles of modern science - from discerning biochemical pathways in biology, to analyzing chemical reactions in air, and measuring physical properties of particles - this collective will forge actionable knowledge, embodying how scientific inquiry lights the path toward a healthier, more sustainable future.
Beyond these direct health impacts, our investigations extend to Global Warming, an existential crisis demanding urgent action. Alarm bells ring clearly, as documented by the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service staff: ‘The global-average temperature for the 12 months (November 2023 - October 2024) was 0.74°C above the 1991-2020 average, and an estimated 1.62°C above the 1850 - 1900 pre-industrial average.’ Such escalating temperatures highlight the profound urgency of addressing human impact on Earth’s systems.
To foster this vital knowledge archive, we operate through dedicated hosting sites including EnvironmentalJusticeMatters.org (EJM) and UnThinkableIdeas.org. Our brand is built around a singular core issue: the inherent danger posed by air pollution exposure- a danger to Public Health, the well-being of Flora and Fauna, and the stability of the Climate itself. We formalized our commitment by trademarking ‘Climate Protection Fund’ and establishing it as a NYS not-for-profit corporation, Climate Protection Fund Inc. (Federal Unique Entity ID: YKQUK1UC1JQ3). We have also secured the domains CPFund.info and ClimateProtectionFund.eu. Previously, the development of these domains was restricted pending a future NSF Proposal; however, with the recent shifts in the 2025 political landscape, notably the ‘radical shake-up’ at NSF (Science, AAAS, 20250508: https://www.science.org/content/article/exclusive-nsf-faces-radical-shake-officials-abolish-its-37-divisions), we recognize the imperative to build and expand our presence now. Our choice of the ‘.eu’ domain reflects the European Union’s Precautionary Principle, a foundational concept for our interventions: prevention of injury. We encourage consideration of this principle (http://bit.ly/PrecautionaryP) in conjunction with critical health trends, such as the rising incidence of Breast Cancer. Our overarching focus is on developing preventive strategies for protecting health, driving our investigations and promoting discussions on avoiding pollution exposure.
Environmental Justice Matters (EJM) stands as a key project of the Climate Protection Fund Inc. Our inaugural public engagement is the Environmental Justice Matters Workshop, part of the ReImagining Education Conference hosted by The Gordon Institute for Advanced Study at Teachers College, Columbia University, on July 15, 2025. A drafting document for this Workshop is available via DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15064471. For this edition, the Workshop will explore Pollution in our neighborhoods, specifically by collecting Narrative Interviews on encounters with Pollution and Health Disparities.
20250628: The Anti-Science Moves: Recasting ACIP (The Vaccine Advisory Panel)
Why do we assert that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and his associates are not allies of Immunization Practices? The evidence is stark: in June 2025, RFK Jr. and his team dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), replacing them with 8 new appointees. The full listing of new members is available here: https://x.com/SecKennedy/status/1932899858920120692. A review reveals a significant departure from long-standing expertise in vaccine research. For more commentary on this abrupt change, see insights from CIDRAP and the HHS press room.
In their inaugural meeting, this reconfigured ACIP immediately pushed for a comprehensive review of the entire childhood vaccination schedule, a re-evaluation of Hepatitis B vaccinations, and notably, walked back previous recommendations for flu vaccinations containing thimerosal. It is deeply concerning that some of these new appointees have publicly voiced skepticism about vaccinations and appear ill-equipped to navigate evidence-based analysis. This move, we contend, is undermining a scientific process; RFK Jr. is a skeptic challenging the gatekeepers he should not be HHS. He is a vital sideline voice. If the line drawing is wrong he is a voice to call it out. The gatekeepers don’t do that. Us too, are skeptics on the role of the gatekeepers.
A striking example of this shift away from evidence based analysis was the RFK gang vote to remove thimerosal from flu vaccines, following a single presentation by an individual who introduced themselves as a “private citizen”. We wish we could have been there. A majority went for thimerosal-free single-dose formulations. Coupled with RFK Jr.’s documented stance on not recommending COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children, the pattern becomes undeniably clear. Is this an anti-vaccine explosion? We believe so. Vaccines have been incredibly beneficial for public health in the USA and worldwide, saving countless lives and preventing widespread disease. Hell Spells,
tags: vaccination anti-vaccination activism COVID humans
20250624: A Temperature Rise: 1.62°C reported by Copernicus
The escalating global temperature rise is not just news; it is an undeniable emergency that must be confronted with utmost urgency. The latest scientific data paints a stark picture: at least one of the next five years is projected to surpass 2024, a record-breaking year when the global average surface temperature climbed to 1.62°C above pre-industrial levels. As the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service staff detail: ‘The global-average temperature for the past 12 months (November 2023 - October 2024) was 0.74°C above the 1991-2020 average, and an estimated 1.62°C above the 1850 - 1900 pre-industrial average.’ (Source: https://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-2024-virtually-certain-be-warmest-year-and-first-year-above-15degc). This trend demands immediate and sustained focus.
tags: temprature temperaturerise activism GlobalWarming TemperatureRise CookingHumans TheShahel SahelianAcaciaSavanna