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Hello and welcome to Eco Report.
Later, Max Jancich and Ashton Harper talk to Andrew King, the director of RecycleForce, an Indy-based non-profit which focuses on e-waste recycling.
And now for your environmental reports:
As the saga of climate reporting (and misreporting) continues, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine just released a study confirming, beyond scientific dispute, that human-created greenhouse gases poses current and future harm to our health and welfare. The National Academics undertook this report in response to the Environmental Protection Agency proposal to overturn the endangerment finding. These rules regulate climate pollution, including from coal and gas-fired power plants, cars and trucks, and methane from the oil and gas industry. Despite federal reports minimizing the negative effects of climate change, this research demonstrates that the opposite is the case. Major fossil fuel producers, also known as “carbon majors,” have been linked to the growing frequency and intensity of heatwaves in the past years, confirming their role in the progression of climate change.
Feeling concerned about the changes being made to pollution regulation? The EPA is currently taking feedback on www.regulations.gov regarding the Reconsideration of 2009 Endangerment Finding and Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards.
—Carrie Albright
Scientists may have the knowledge, but they don’t always have the effective communication skills to drive an impact. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame reveal that while the conservation field has grown to include more diverse voices, disconnects and even overlaps in communication are undermining biodiversity protection efforts.
The solution isn’t getting everyone to agree; in fact, the Notre Dame team developed five practical principles for more productive disagreement. This guidance includes engaging with plural perspectives and recognizing unequal power relationships. The key insight is that conservation conversations work best when they happen in specific places where people share a stake in the outcome, and when power imbalances are directly addressed.
This matters because conservation is fundamentally about people and their choices, not just science. The research shows that addressing these communication gaps and power disparities—especially between the Global North and South—is essential for lasting environmental protection. The principles offer a roadmap for more effective dialogue in an increasingly polarized world, with implications that extend well beyond environmental issues.
—Carrie Albright
The sandhill crane, a wading bird under protected status in Indiana, is treasured for its tall, elegant profile, red-orange cap, and memorable bugle call. Once extirpated from (no longer found in) Ohio, things are looking up for this impressive bird. The Ohio DNR has recorded their reappearance over the past three decades, including a 4% increase in the observed sandhill crane population in 2025 alone. These birds are often found migrating through northern Indiana up to the tens of thousands and can be spotted at Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area and southwest of Bloomington at Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area.
—Carrie Albright
New Map Shows $29 Billion in Climate and Environment Grants Canceled or Frozen by Trump.
Regarded as the culmination of decades of organizing for environmental justice, the Biden Administration’s sweeping community grant programs were quickly terminated by President Trump.
Human-Caused Warming Tripled the Death Toll of European Heat Waves This Summer, New Report Shows.
Public health researchers struggle to track the accelerating pace of global warming impact.
There have been few hurricanes this year due to factors like persistent wind shear, widespread sinking air in the atmosphere, and a larger-scale pattern of dry, stable air over the Atlantic. While sea surface temperatures remain warm enough, these conditions have thwarted the development and organization of tropical systems. However, with a upcoming cycle expected to shift and bring lower-pressure air back to the Atlantic, increased hurricane activity is forecast for late in the season.
—Norm Holy
International efforts to reach an agreement on reducing plastic pollution are disappointing. But we don’t need to wait for a treaty to make changes in our own lives.
Progress towards a legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution stalled and went into reverse this past week. The United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, ran overtime. It’s likely to conclude without an agreement.
This is an incredibly disappointing result. Members of the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, were hoping for action to genuinely curb plastic pollution. Their priorities included considering the whole life cycle rather than just disposal, setting targets to reduce plastic production, and regulating the use of harmful additives to reduce risks to human health.
Unfortunately, vested interests hijacked the negotiations. Countries with major petrochemical producers resisted caps on virgin plastic production. We’ve seen this before. Legitimate scientific concerns about harm have been downplayed by powerful interests time and time again — with tobacco, PFAS, asbestos, and climate change.
When it comes to plastics — especially the micro- and nanoplastics now invading our bodies — awareness and early action could make all the difference. But we can still take action into our own hands as consumers, to minimise exposure and reduce waste. It we act together, we can also send a powerful message to the plastics manufacturing industry.
—Cynthia Roberts
Feature Report:
And now, you will hear snippets of EcoReport’s interview with Andrew King of RecycleForce. Coming soon, you’ll hear more from Andrew and our team in a broader story piece about recycling and misconceptions surrounding it.
And now for some upcoming events:
- Take a Birding Trip to Riddle Point on Saturday, September 27th, from 8 to 10 am. Meet at Riddle Point on Lake Lemon to view fall migrants, including warblers and kinglets. Register at [email protected].
- You can take a Paw-Paw Hike at Spring Mill State Park on Saturday, September 27th, beginning at 10 am. Learn about the Paw-paw understory tree and it’s fruit. Hike on the Mountain Bike Trail to hopefully sample some of the fruit.
- Learn about Native Plants and Their Uses on Sunday, September 28th, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the Rogers Family Park. Explore the native flora of southern Indiana during a walk focused on identification of plants traditionally used for food, medicine and fiber. Register at bloomington.IN.gov/parks.
- Take the Northfork Habitat Hike at the Northfork Waterbowl Resting Area at Monroe Lake on Monday, September 29th, beginning at 5:30 pm. Learn more about wildlife management at Monroe Lake. Sign up at tinyurl.com/northfork2025.
- An Identitree class is scheduled at McCormick’s Creek State Park on Friday, October 3rd, from 11 to 11:30 am. Meet the Naturalist at the Centennial Shelter to hike to Echo Canyon and learn how to identify trees.
Credits:
This week’s headlines were written by Carrie Albright, Cynthia Roberts and Norm Holy.
Today’s news feature was produced by Max Jancich and Ashton Harper.
Julianna Dailey assembled the script which was edited by the EcoReport team and produced the upcoming events.
Rich Benak is our engineer.
Anchors are Julianna Dailey and Carrie Albright.
