Four billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water, new study finds & more environmental news.

[View this email in your browser]( Wednesday, August 21, 2024 “We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it.”— Barack Obama [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [X]( 4 Billion People Worldwide Lack Access to Safe Drinking Water, Study Finds More than half of people on Earth — approximately 4 billion— lack access to [safe drinking water]( which is double the number estimated in 2020, a new [study]( by REACH global research program has found. [Read More]( Related: [EPA Announces First-Ever Rule Limiting PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water]( Solar Power and Battery Storage Lead New Utility-Scale Electricity in U.S. for First Half of 2024 According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, the country has installed [20.2 gigawatts]( utility-scale electric generating capacity from January through June 2024. Of the newly installed generating capacity, solar and battery storage have taken the lead. [Read More]( Related: [Wind and Solar Produced More Energy Than Coal in the U.S. From January Through July This Year, a First]( Urban Moss in Older Portland, Oregon, Neighborhoods Reveals Alarmingly High Lead Levels The United States has a legacy of lead contamination that could be affecting the environment around your home. A new [study]( found that moss in older neighborhoods in [Portland, Oregon]( had [lead levels]( that were much higher than in nearby rural areas due to lead-sheathed telecommunications cables and leaded gasoline. [Read More]( Related: [1 in 4 Yards in U.S. Exceeds New EPA Limits for Lead Levels in Soil, Study Finds]( U.S. Signals New Support for Global Plastics Reduction, Reports Say The U.S. has [shifted its policy position]( and is now in favor of supporting limitations on global plastics, Reuters confirmed. [Read More]( Related: [U.S. Federal Government Introduces Measures to Tackle Plastics Crisis, Including Phasing Out Single-Use Plastics by 2035]( Massachusetts to Phase out Toxic PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Firefighting Gear Governor of [Massachusetts]( Maura Healey has signed a new law to phase out [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances]( (PFAS) in the protective gear firefighters wear. [Read More]( Related: [U.S. Landfills Are Major Sources of Airborne PFAS Pollution, Study Finds]( Do you get this newsletter daily? If not, [sign up here]( or forward to a friend. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Website]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2024 EcoWatch, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for EcoWatch Top News of The Day Our mailing address is: EcoWatch 1122 Oberlin RoadRaleigh, NC 27605 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](