In 2016, then-U.S. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in the city of Flint, Michigan. For years, city residents had been drinking water with dangerously elevated levels of lead, which is hazardous to all and can cause serious neurological damage to children. In order to save money, Flint switched its water source from the nearby city of Detroit to a local river. Agents of each responsible institution failed to investigate subsequent clear signals of trouble with local water quality.

Carnival parades, fetes, competitions and other parties are important to the economic growth of many islands in the Caribbean. Carnival is a cultural event that attracts hundreds of thousands of Caribbean natives and tourists from different countries each year. However, despite the positive economic and social benefits derived from Carnival, Caribbean islands that host such events are most at risk due to the unsustainable effects that Carnival production can have on a country.

Denise Antolini, IUCN WCEL Deputy Chair
Professor/Former Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (2011-2019), William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa

Scott Fulton, President, Environmental Law Institute