Equilibrium/Sustainability — Scientists spot the farthest galaxy ever

An international team of scientists has spotted the most distant astronomical object known to earthlings: a galaxy located some 13.5 billion light-years away. 

The galaxy, called HD1, is extremely bright in ultraviolet light and is producing stars at what astronomers described as “an incredible rate” of about 100 stars every year, according to their study, published in the Astrophysical Journal on Thursday. 

Astronomers are evaluating whether HD1 could be home to the first stars in the universe, or if it contains a supermassive black hole about 100 million times the mass of the sun. 

“Answering questions about the nature of a source so far away can be challenging,” said lead author Fabio Pacucci, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. 

“It’s like guessing the nationality of a ship from the flag it flies, while being faraway ashore, with the vessel in the middle of a gale and dense fog,” he added. “One can maybe see some colors and shapes of the flag, but not in their entirety.”

Welcome to Equilibrium, a newsletter that tracks the growing global battle over the future of sustainability. We’re Saul Elbein and Sharon Udasin. Send us tips and feedback. A friend forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here.

Back in this galaxy, we’ll explore Congress voting to strip Russia of its special trade status and banning its oil. Then we’ll examine produce lists and look at whether beef deemed “antibiotic-free” really meets these standards.

Congress passes Russia trade, oil import ban bills

Congress approved measures on Thursday to sever normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, as well as codify a Russian oil ban, our colleague Jordain Carney reported for The Hill. 

The first bill ends permanent, normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, while also reauthorizing sanctions that target human rights violations and corruption, with penalties like visa bans and asset freezes. 

The second bill codifies the Biden administration’s ban on Russian oil imports. 

What’s next? Both bills will now head to President Biden’s desk. 

Nixing free-trade status: “No nation whose military is committing war crimes deserves free-trade status with the United States,” Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said ahead of the votes. 

“No vile thug like Putin deserves to stand as an equal with the leaders of the free world,” Schumer added. 

To read the full story, please click here. 

🎧 TUNE-IN TO RISING, now available as a podcast. It’s politics — without the screaming.

Is washing and peeling produce enough?

More than 70 percent of non-organic fresh fruits and vegetables sold in the U.S. contain traces of potentially harmful pesticides, according to a new report from an advocacy group.  

The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 2022 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce highlights a variety of potentially unsafe produce based on residue tests conducted by federal agencies.  

  
Dirty Dozen: Strawberries, spinach, kale, collard greens and mustard greens again topped the group’s “Dirty Dozen” list of non-organic produce to avoid based on its research. That list is largely unchanged from last year, though bell peppers and hot peppers moved up several spots.  

  
Clean Fifteen: The group’s “Clean Fifteen” list of conventional fruits and vegetables that present minimal risk underwent more significant changes, with broccoli, cauliflower and eggplant dropped from the list due to lagging testing while mangoes, watermelon and sweet potatoes were added.  

A push to reconsider habits: EWG urged shoppers who eat non-organic foods to reconsider their buying habits, noting many pesticides are found on fruits and vegetables even after they are washed, peeled and scrubbed.  
   

“When you switch from a conventional to an organic diet really rapidly, you will actually see decreases in the measurable concentrations of pesticides in the body,” Alexis Temkin, an EWG toxicologist, told Equilibrium.

FARMING PUSHBACK

In response to the report, Teresa Thorne, executive director for the Alliance for Food and Farming — an organization that represents both organic and conventional farmers of fruits and vegetables — criticized the Shopper’s Guide lists, stressing that they “may be negatively impacting consumers.” 
 

Low-income consumers who are exposed to the “Dirty Dozen” list are less likely to purchase any produce — organic or conventional, Thorne said, citing a 2016 peer-reviewed report form the Illinois Institute of Technology’s (IIT) Center for Nutrition Research. 

 
Potential to exacerbate hunger: “We’re in an era now where 13 million American children live in food insecure households,” Elizabeth Shaw, an at-large member of the Alliance’s management board, said in a statement.  

 
“With more families struggling to feed their families nourishing meals, it seems counterproductive that lists like the Dirty Dozen continue to surface,” she added. “This list, and those like it, cause more confusion for a family already struggling to put ANY food on the table.” 

But EWG maintains there are affordable choices: Temkin acknowledged many families cannot afford to buy organic produce and emphasized the Shopper’s Guide is not meant to dissuade people from eating fruits and vegetables. In these circumstances, the clean foods list offers affordable, conventional produce options with “really low pesticide residues,” she said.  

Temkin said activists are continuing to work on policy and with the EPA to eliminate some of the most harmful pesticides in the U.S. while making sure organic options become increasingly available.  

Priority: eat your fruits and vegetables: “The priority of the Shopper’s Guide is to make sure that people are consuming fruits and vegetables and not simply avoiding fruits and vegetables for fear of pesticide residues,” she said.  

To read the full story, please click here. 

VIRTUAL EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

The Hill’s The Future of Jobs Summit—Tuesday, April 12 at 1:00 PM ET

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a revolution in work. Two years later, workers and employers are still looking for answers to questions surrounding the future of jobs. How can companies remain ahead of the curve and what does that mean for upskilling and transitioning workers into new, in-demand jobs? Join us for The Hill’s Future of Jobs summit as we discuss the evolving, long-term inclusive American workforce of tomorrow. RSVP today.

Cattle bred ‘without antibiotics’ may have antibiotics

Many Americans who choose to buy higher-priced beef products with reassuring labels like “Raised without Antibiotics” may actually be consuming steaks and burgers that do, in fact, contain antibiotics, a new study has found. 

A substantial portion of cattle destined for this portion of the market have actually been given antibiotics — suggesting that such labels lack integrity, according to the study, published in Science Magazine on Thursday. 

Certified does not ensure certainty: Researchers at George Washington University obtained urine samples from beef cattle that were being slaughtered for the “Raised without Antibiotics” marketplace, the study explained. 

After testing nearly 700 cattle from 312 lots and 33 different “Raised without Antibiotics” certified feed yards, they found that 42 percent of the yards had at least one animal test positive. 

Broken promises: “For years, I’ve been telling them to buy products labeled ‘Raised without Antibiotics’. I’m disappointed to see that these promises aren’t always true,” co-author Lance Price, founder and co-director of the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center at George Washington University, said in a statement. 

“The good news is that the majority of producers appear to be doing it right,” he added. 

Incentives to cheat: The researchers determined that there are strong incentives for companies to cheat on a set of claims that are relatively easy to confirm. 

They attributed this contradiction to the credibility and value such labels obtain in the marketplace after receiving approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture— while accusing the agency of failing to require empirical testing to validate the labels. 

Getting what you pay for: “The USDA, retailers and restaurants have the tools to ensure the integrity of these important labels,” co-author Kevin Lo, CEO of Food In-Depth, said in a statement. 

“Consumers are paying real money for these claims, they should get what they pay for,” he added. 

What does the USDA have to say? In response to the findings, a spokesperson for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said that the agency would be reviewing the study more closely to determine next steps as appropriate, but that “there is no indication within the study that meat tested is unsafe to consume.”

“Certain labels bearing special clams about how an animal is raised must be approved by FSIS prior to their use in commerce,” the spokesperson said in a statement, noting that FSIS verifies documentation provided with label applications. 

“Labels may be rescinded if there is evidence that the statement is not truthful,” the spokesperson added. 

To read the full story, please click here. 

Methane emissions break record for second year

Methane emissions worldwide surged in 2021 and broke the record set the previous year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed on Thursday, our colleague Zack Budryk reported for The Hill. 

An initial analysis from NOAA showed that measured atmospheric methane rose by 17 parts per billion (ppb) last year, surpassing the 15.3 ppb increase in 2020. 

Moving in the ‘wrong direction’: NOAA scientists estimated, based on 2021 data, that global methane levels are now around 15 percent higher than they were between 1984 and 2006. 

“Our data show that global emissions continue to move in the wrong direction at a rapid pace,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. 

Significant contributor to climate change: Methane is the second-largest contributor to climate change, following only carbon dioxide, but it is around 25 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere, Budryk reported. 

The gas is released both during fossil fuel production as well as by decaying organic matter and livestock digestion. 

Cause for concern: “The evidence is consistent, alarming, and undeniable,” Spinrad said. 

“We can no longer afford to delay urgent and effective action needed to address the cause of the problem — greenhouse gas pollution,” he added. 

To read the full story, please click here.

Thursday Threats

Uranium in water, record heat amid drought and misleading stocks.  

Uranium detectable in two-thirds of U.S. community water systems: study 

• Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health have observed detectable uranium concentrations in two-thirds of U.S. community water system records — with the highest concentrations in Hispanic communities. Their study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, showed that these populations had elevated metal levels regardless of location, highlighting environmental justice concerns.     

Record heat to hit California amid 70-year low snowpack levels 

• A heat wave is seering through large swaths of California on Thursday and Friday — the result of a high pressure system blanketing the western U.S., The Washington Post reported. The hot weather is arriving just as the Sierra Nevada’s snowpack plummeted to one of its lowest levels in seven decades, following minimal precipitation in January, February and March, according to the Post.    

Popular stock group may be misleading eco-conscious investors 

• A popular group of stocks called Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) may be misleading investors about their environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments, according to CNBC. ESG funds — which include stocks from green energy to waste management — attract big money, but their lack of standardization may result in insufficient transparency about what a fund is purporting to do, CNBC reported.

Please visit The Hill’s Sustainability section online for the web version of this newsletter and more stories. We’ll see you on Friday.