Blog Spotlight: Oscar Lee - Go Green Northbrook

Hi, I’m Oscar Lee. I am a student at the Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy (IMSA) and have lived in Northbrook all my life. This month, I have shared a post from my personal blog with the GGN community. Please feel free to read more of my blog at oscargreenlens.blogspot.com and reach out to me with any questions.

For this post, I want to share some news on a variety of geographical levels (city, state, country, and global) to give you a glimpse of environmental policy news from different snapshots.

In Illinois, especially rural parts, pesticide drift has become a significant issue. According to Investigate Midwest (2022), “Tens of millions of pounds of pesticides [are] sprayed in [Illinois] each year.” Pesticides are being sprayed several times a year on most farms, and natural wind drifts these chemicals over to schools and communities. These pesticides also find their way into our waters, hurting aquatic life and even contaminating drinking water (Capitol News Illinois, 2025). According to an analysis from the Environmental Working Group (2025), across Illinois, 740, or about 20% of elementary schools, are within a quarter mile of a crop field, putting children at constant risk of inhaling pesticides. Inhaling these chemicals affects children’s respiratory systems and has been associated with an increased risk of leukemia (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2012). The Illinois House Bill 1596, introduced by Representative Laura Faver Dias in January 2024, would require pesticide applicators to notify all schools, day cares, and parks 24-72 hours before spraying. As of the latest legislative session, the bill has been placed on the calendar for further consideration, but it still has not advanced to a final vote. However, there are strong hopes that it will receive further consideration in the next legislative session in the coming year.

At the national level, the Trump administration has ordered a pause on five major offshore wind energy projects, all under construction off the U.S. East Coast (AP News, 2026). This pause will last at least 90 days, but it is unclear when it will be lifted. The reason given by officials referenced a recent classified Pentagon assessment, stating that the location of turbines near populated areas and the evolving technologies of the enemy could present a security vulnerability. Given the administration’s shift away from sustainable causes as this year has progressed, it is natural to wonder about the validity of these threats, which remain unproven. These “security vulnerabilities” have not been publicly detailed or specifically released, which is why their validity remains unproven. Critics, including national security experts and Democratic governors, are questioning the justification, claiming the pause will harm energy reliability and the economy.

On the global stage, the Seventh United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) occurred, taking place from December 8-12 in Nairobi, Kenya. The UNEA is an assembly where countries meet once every two years. The assembly diplomatically tackles environmental problems such as plastic pollution, climate change, and protecting coral reefs. This year, they focused on a theme of “advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet.” Delegates from all 193 UN member states gathered, along with scientists, youth delegates, and local leaders. The key policy outcomes include:

A Wildfire Management Resolution: India’s proposal on strengthening global wildfire prevention and early warning protection systems was adopted, as we saw rising climate-driven fire risks over the past few years.
Coral Reef Climate Resilience Action: Delegates agreed on a resolution to increase global action on protecting our coral reefs from warming and ocean stressors, which is very exciting. The resolution promises funding commitments through GFCR and Coral Reef Breakthrough, inclusion of coral reef resilience in national strategies, and policy actions on land‑based threats and protection measures.
Sustainable AI for Environment Resolution: A never-before-seen UN resolution led by Kenya on the environmental sustainability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications was adopted, hoping to link technological governance with existing environmental policy.
There were 10+ more resolutions passed at the historical UNEA-7, so if you’d like to learn more, I’d highly recommend reading the official United Nations reports on the outcomes linked in the supplemental resources at the end!

Additionally, on the global scale, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) has announced a one-day resumed session (INC 5.3) that will occur on February 7, 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland. The INC was formed after UNEA-5.2 in 2022, when a historical resolution was signed to form the INC with one goal in mind: to end plastic pollution. Since then, the INC has met 6 times, with delegates from all across the globe meeting to negotiate. The original resolution was only planned for 6 meetings, but the delegates are still far from finishing the treaty. They left Geneva with progress temporarily stumped in August 2025, so it is massive news that the negotiations are starting back up again. This plastics treaty would be a historical, one-of-a-kind mark of human cooperation and negotiation. I tried my best to summarize the progress they have made, but fitting 3 years of negotiations in a couple of sentences is tricky.

If you’re interested in learning more about what issues are being discussed in the negotiations, which countries are laggards/leaders in the negotiations, or if you are just fascinated by the idea of such a revolutionary treaty, please read more in the supplemental readings, or reach out (oscargreenlens.blogspot.com)! I’m currently researching these negotiations with Professor Dr. Kuehl at NIU, and I’d be more than happy to share my longer report of all that has occurred during these negotiations.

Today’s Environmental Fun Fact: Honeybees pollinate crops that make up about 1/3rd of all the food people eat! (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2018)

Thank you so much for reading, and cheers to a wonderful 2026! If you liked this article, visit my blog at oscargreenlens.blogspot.com to read more about other news!

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