(2018-12-12). Collaboration Failure: Trump Trashes Sage Grouse Protections. counterpunch.org 
Last week the Trump administration announced it was slashing the area dedicated to protecting imperiled sage grouse populations from 10.7 million acres to 1.8 million acres and opening the rest to drilling and mining. For the faux conservation collaborators who were crowing about their great victory in keeping sage grouse from being protected by the More
(2018-12-12). The Nobel Prize for climate catastrophe. mronline.org 
The economist William Nordhaus will receive his profession's highest honor for research on global warming that's been hugely influential—and entirely misguided. | Source
(2018-12-12). US accused of obstructing talks at UN climate change summit. zcomm.org Vanuatu's foreign minister says worst offenders on global warming are blocking progress…
(2018-12-12). Last Council Meeting of 2018 What's Missing? Freeze/Just Eviction Protection Extension! indybay.org In the last regular scheduled Council meeting of the year outgoing Mayor Terrazas won't put on the agenda an item to extend the Rent Freeze/Just Eviction Protection that the Council passed overwhelmingly in February. That measure expires on today December 11th once the election results are accepted by the Council. It leaves tenants vulnerable to exorbitant rental increases. I have written several letters demanding the "progressive" Council members (who constitute a majority in the middle of the evening session) act to raise awareness and muster public pressure to stop this.
(2018-12-12). Valentin Lopez Speaks on the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. indybay.org Valentin Lopez, Chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, spoke at an event in celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, hosted by the United Nations Association: USA Santa Cruz, CA Chapter on December 8 at the Resource Center for Nonviolence.
(2018-12-12). Climate Town Hall. indybay.org 275 Main St, Watsonville, CA…
(2018-12-12). 4.4 magnitude earthquake hits parts of Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas. rt.com 
A 4.4. magnitude earthquake has struck parts of Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas and seismographs have also recorded a secondary shock in the area.
(2018-12-12). World leaders converge on Poland for climate summit. wsws.org The Katowice conference takes place amid dire warnings that the world remains on track for climate catastrophe.
(2018-12-11). School Strike for Climate: Meet 15-Year-Old Activist Greta Thunberg, Who Inspired a Global Movement. democracynow.org 
As government ministers from around the globe gather in Katowice, Poland, for the final days of the 24th U.N. climate summit, we speak with 15-year-old activist Greta Thunberg, who denounced politicians here last week for their inaction on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. She has garnered global attention for carrying out a weekly school strike against climate change in her home country of Sweden. "We need to change ourselves now, because tomorrow it might be too late," says Thunberg. We are also joined by her father, Svante Thunberg, a Swedish actor.
(2018-12-11). "Sunrise" youth in DC demand quick Dem action to save planet. peoplesworld.org 
(2018-12-11). The Poland Climate Conference Is Awash in Corporate Meddling. thenation.com The Poland Climate Conference Is Awash in Corporate Meddling…
(2018-12-11). Teen Climate Activist Confronts World Leaders at UN Summit. truthout.org Democracy Now! is broadcasting from the UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland, this week, where world leaders gathered to negotiate climate solutions were confronted last week by a teenage climate activist who says they are not doing enough to turn back the clock and prevent catastrophic climate change. Fifteen-year-old Greta Thunberg stunned the world last week when she denounced world leaders for inaction and told them: "Change is coming whether they like it or not. The people will rise to the challenge. And since our leaders are behaving like children, we will have to take the responsibility they should hav…
(2018-12-11). Climate's last stand: why Extinction Rebellion protesters are breaking the law (commentary). mronline.org 
(2018-12-11). Another Mass Extinction Is Underway. thenation.com Another Mass Extinction Is Underway…
(2018-12-11). Climate Scientist: World's Richest Must Radically Change Lifestyles to Prevent Global Catastrophe. democracynow.org 
The 24th United Nations climate summit comes amid growing warnings about the catastrophic danger climate change poses to the world. In October, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that humanity has only a dozen years to mitigate climate change or face global catastrophe—with severe droughts, floods, sea level rise and extreme heat set to cause mass displacement and poverty. But on Saturday, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait blocked language "welcoming" the landmark IPCC climate report. New studies show global carbon emissions may have risen as much 3.7 percent in 2018,…
(2018-12-11). "Our Leaders Are Behaving Like Children": Teen Climate Activist Confronts World Leaders at U.N. Summit. democracynow.org 
Democracy Now! is broadcasting from the U.N. climate summit in Katowice, Poland, this week, where world leaders gathered to negotiate climate solutions were confronted last week by a teenage climate activist who says they are not doing enough to turn back the clock and prevent catastrophic climate change. Fifteen-year-old Greta Thunberg stunned the world last week when she denounced world leaders for inaction and told them: "change is coming whether they like it or not. The people will rise to the challenge. And since our leaders are behaving like children, we will have to take the responsibility they should have…
(2018-12-11). Young Climate Activists Storm Capitol Hill Demanding A Green New Deal. therealnews.com 
Over 140 were arrested in protests calling for Democratic leaders to create a plan to decarbonize the economy
(2018-12-11). Congress Must Take Action on Toxins. progressive.org Why is the Environmental Protection Agency refusing to study PFAS? The toxic chemicals are found in drinking water around the country.
(2018-12-11). World's Biggest Emitters Must Act Now to Stop Devastating Climate Change. truthout.org The 24th United Nations climate summit comes amid growing warnings about the catastrophic danger climate change poses to the world. In October, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that humanity has only a dozen years to mitigate climate change or face global catastrophe — with severe droughts, floods, sea level rise and extreme heat set to cause mass displacement and poverty. But on Saturday, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait blocked language "welcoming" the landmark IPCC climate report. New studies show global carbon emissions may have risen as much 3.7 percent in 20…
(2018-12-11). Headlines for December 11, 2018. democracynow.org U.K.: Prime Minister May to Hold Emergency Talks with EU over Brexit, France: President Macron Offers Concessions to Protesters in TV Address, EPA Proposes Rollback of Water Protection Laws, Youth Climate Activists Flood Congress, Demanding "Green New Deal", COP24: Activists Take Over Trump Administration's Pro-Fossil Fuels Event, The Intercept: Shell Oil Helped Draft Paris Agreement, U.S. Rejects U.N. Migration Deal Backed by 164 Countries, U.K.: "Stansted 15" Activists Convicted of Terrorism for Preventing Deportation, California: Faith Leaders Arrested at Gathering to Support Migrants, Yemen Peace Talks Take P…
(2018-12-10). 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. peoplesworld.org 
Statement by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 10 December 2018, Marrakesh, Morocco Seventy years ago today, the world's States recognized, for the first time, that all people have universal human rights and they promised to promote and protect those rights. The right to equal protection of the law. The right to life, …
(2018-12-10). 60,000 liters of oil spills from pipeline into Brazilian bay. peoplesworld.org 
About 60,000 liters (15,850 gallons) of oil spilled from a pipeline into the Estrela River and spread to Rio de Janeiro's famed Guanabara Bay over the weekend, according to Reuters and local reports. The pipeline is owned by Transpetro, the largest oil and gas transportation company in Brazil, and a subsidiary of Petroleo Brasileiro (commonly known as Petrobras). Transpetro claims the leak …
(2018-12-10). We Can't Separate Climate Justice from Opposing Militarism. therealnews.com 
At the conclusion of the Sanders Institute Gathering, RoseAnn De Moro, John Cusack and Bob Pollin discuss the key policy ideas coming out of the sessions, with host Paul Jay
(2018-12-10). As Polish Gov't Promotes Coal, Advocate Warns Coal Hastens Climate Change, Devastates Human Health. democracynow.org 
This year's U.N. climate summit is in Katowice, Poland, and the Polish government is using the summit to promote coal, with several state-owned Polish coal companies sponsoring parts of the talks. Democracy Now! visited the Guido coal mine near Katowice, which has been turned into a mining museum, to speak with Polish environmental lawyer Bartosz Kwiatkowski. He is the director of the Frank Bold Foundation, which is involved in numerous lawsuits challenging the expansion of coal mining in Poland.
(2018-12-10). "Shame on You!" Protesters Interrupt Trump Admin Promoting Coal & Fossil Fuels at U.N. Climate Talks. democracynow.org 
Just minutes before we began our Monday broadcast, Democracy Now! spoke to protesters at the U.N. climate summit in Katowice, Poland, as they interrupted a Trump administration event promoting coal and other fossil fuels. We speak with Diné climate activist Leona Morgan.
(2018-12-10). WATCH NOW: NAACP Represents Communities of Color at United Nations Climate Conference in Poland. naacp.org Katherine Egland, Member NAACP National Board of Directors and Chairwoman, NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Committee, was among an NAACP delegation at the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties #24.
(2018-12-10). Headlines for December 10, 2018. democracynow.org Sentencing Memo for Cohen Implicates Trump in Federal Crimes, Trump's Chief-of-Staff Kelly to Leave Post by End of Year, NYT: Kushner Helped Crown Prince "Weather the Storm" After Khashoggi Murder, Trump Nominates William Barr as Next Attorney General, Brexit Vote Halted as EU Court Says U.K. Has Power to Reverse Course, France: Fourth Week of Mass Protests as Movement Spills over Border, COP24: U.S., Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait Block Adoption of U.N. Climate Report, Protesters Take to the Streets as COP24 Heads into Second Week, Colombia: Indigenous Governor Killed Amid Mounting Violence, Charlottesville: Ju…
(2018-12-10). Human Rights are Key to Success at Climate Talks. hrw.org 
| | Woman holds sign during March for Climate at UN Climate Talks in Katowice, Poland. | © 2018 Cara Schulte/Human Rights Watch | Today, as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, governments at the climate summit COP24 in Poland are working around the clock to finalize the Paris "Rulebook" — the regulations that will guide the implementation of the Paris Agreement to…
(2018-12-10). Climate movement attracts new generation of activists. greenleft.org.au 
The latter part of 2018 will be remembered for the re-emergence of climate action on the national agenda. | Independent Kerryn Phelps' win in the Wentworth byelection promising "meaningful environmental action" and Labor's subsequent adoption of a 50% renewable energy policy by 2030 has come in the midst of researcher Rebecca Huntley's findings that "climate and environmental concerns" have increasingly become "a test of leadership" for voters. | These centrist platforms, however, have been rightly superseded by the newest base of the climate movement: high school students. | Tired of the "dinosaurs in parliament…
(2018-12-09). Trump's Attack on the Clean Water Act Will Fuel Destructive Pipeline Boom. theintercept.com 
A new water rule that will strip federal protections from an estimated 60-90 percent of U.S. waterways will dramatically ease restrictions on how polluting industries do business. | According to the rule, which is due out next week, streams that don't run year-round and many wetlands will no longer be subject to the Clean Water Act. As a result, a wide range of industries — including agriculture, mining, waste management, chemical companies, real estate development, and road construction — will be free…
(2018-12-08). Making Global Climate Change Local. therealnews.com 
At the Sanders Institute Gathering, Abdul El-Sayed, the runner-up in Michigan's Democratic 2018 governor's race primary, talks about how to bridge fights for environmental health and justice with the global fight to reduce carbon emissions
(2018-12-08). Reviving the Nuclear Disarmament Movement: A Practical Proposal. zcomm.org In late November 2018, Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned public intellectual, remarked that "humanity faces two imminent existential threats: environmental catastrophe and nuclear war." Curiously, although a widespread environmental movement has developed to save the planet from accelerating climate change, no counterpart has emerged to take on the rising danger of nuclear disaster. Indeed, this danger‚Äïexemplified Read more…
(2018-12-08). Global Carbon Emissions Set to Hit Record High in 2018. therealnews.com 
From COP24 in Poland, Greenpeace USA's Naomi Ages says that carbon emissions are set to rise by 2.7% in 2018 due to more coal use in Asia, and that to combat this trend nations need to do more than what they agreed to in the 2015 Paris Accord
(2018-12-08). Shell Oil Executive Boasts That His Company Influenced the Paris Agreement. theintercept.com Shell oil helped write the Paris climate agreement, according to a top Royal Dutch Shell executive. | They're also the world's ninth-largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions. | The executive, Shell's Chief Climate Change Adviser David Hone, made his comments at the international climate change conference COP 24 on Friday. Hone was candid about just how much of a hand his company — through their involvement with the Internation…
(2018-12-07). The Deadly Cost of Pipelines in Native Land: Winona LaDuke on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. democracynow.org 
As the oil and gas pipeline boom crosses the United States and Canada, indigenous activists say the influx of male workers in Native communities has corresponded with a spike in the kidnapping and murder of indigenous women. We speak with Winona LaDuke, Ojibwe environmental leader and executive director of the group Honor the Earth. She lives and works on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota.
(2018-12-07). Climate Crisis Critical Issue in 2020 Elections — Jane Sanders. therealnews.com 
Jane Sanders tells Paul Jay that voters shouldn't support candidates who claim to be progressive, but don't prioritize the fight against fossil fuel interests
(2018-12-07). Winona LaDuke Calls for Indigenous-Led "Green New Deal" as She Fights Minnesota Pipeline Expansion. democracynow.org 
While world leaders converge in Poland for the U.N. climate change summit, we look at the indigenous-led fight against destructive oil pipelines and the revolutionary potential of the Green New Deal with Winona LaDuke, Ojibwe environmental leader and executive director of the group Honor the Earth. She lives and works on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota.
(2018-12-07). EPA's New Water Rule Will Gut the Clean Water Act. theintercept.com A new water rule will greatly reduce federal water protections, imperiling drinking water, endangered species, and ecosystems across the country. According to the rule that the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release next week — some details of which were leaked Thursday — streams that are dependent on rainfall and wetlands not physically connected to year-round waterways will no longer be covered by the Clean Water Act. | As a result of the change, an estimated 60-90 percent of U.S. waterways could lose federal protections that cu…
(2018-12-07). Poland Denies Entry to Environmental Activists to Attend Climate Talks. hrw.org 
When I traveled to Poland to attend the United Nations climate conference yesterday, I passed through immigration without any problems. But not all representatives of civil society groups participating in the negotiations have been that lucky. | | | Women climate change activists demand respect for rights at Paris Agreement signing ceremony outside the United Nations in New York, April 2016. | © 2016 Katharina Rall/Human Rights Watch | Human Rights Watch is aware of at least 13 people whom Polish authorities, over the pas…
(2018-12-06). Don't Do Anything About Climate Disaster, USA Today Warns Dems. fair.org 
USA Today ( 11/27/18) warns Democrats that efforts to address climate change might "whisk them out of power" again. | "Democrats Will Push on Climate Change," declared the lead story on the front page of the November 27 USA Today. (The online version bore the more verbose headline, "Once Democrats Take Charge of the…
(2018-12-06). Climate Sanity—How We Get There from Here. progressive.org The path out of this nightmare is relatively clear—and communities on the frontlines are leading the way.
(2018-12-06). On the Line: A Bright REDD+ Line. progressive.org Indigenous peoples fight schemes to buy and sell their land in the name of a climate change 'solution.'
(2018-12-06). Headlines for December 6, 2018. democracynow.org Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions Rise to Record High in 2018, WHO Says Meeting Paris Climate Goal Would Save Millions of Lives, Quebec Youth Sue Canada, Citing Gross Negligence on Climate Change, Barclays Customers Demand Divestment from Tar Sands Pipelines, George H.W. Bush Remembered at Washington National Cathedral, Canada Arrests Huawei Executive for Extradition to U.S., Trump Praises Chinese Death Penalty for Drug Dealers, Wisconsin Republicans Complete Legislative Power Grab, Michigan Republicans Move to Limit Power of Incoming Democratic Leaders, NYT: Paul Manafort Discussed Deal to Seize Julian Assange, Sa…
(2018-12-06). The fightback against Adani and Aurizon steps up. greenleft.org.au 
Adani CEO Lucas Dow's November 29 declaration that work on a scaled-down coalmine in Queensland's Galilee Basin would begin before Christmas was met with one of the most powerful nationwide protests against it so far as primary and high school students walking out of class the next day for the Student Strike 4 Climate Action. | A reported 20,000 students, many of them with their parents and grandparents in tow, took to the streets with a powerful message to Adani and policymakers: ignore us at your peril. | This was followed by a sit-in at Parliament House in Canberra on December 5. | Another round of #StopA…
(2018-12-05). President Trump Is Accelerating the Militarization of the Southwest Border. aclu.org Under President Trump, the slide toward a fully militarized border between the U.S. and Mexico is happening rapidly to the detriment of civil rights. | For decades, the ACLU has fought back against the militarization of domestic law enforcement agencies and the use of the military in our communities. Nowhere is this militarization more pronounced than on the border between the U.S. and Mexico — and President Trump is only making it worse. | The creation of the Department of Homeland Security after 9/11 accelerated the government's operations on the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP…
(2018-12-05). What Response to Climate Change Gives You Hope? progressive.org Movement leaders tells us about communities making concrete change in the face of planetary crisis.
(2018-12-04). Sorry To Bother You offers rich lessons in seeking radical social change. greenleft.org.au 
Sorry to Bother You
| Written & directed by Boots Riley
| In cinemas now | This review includes mild spoilers. | As an Australian living abroad, incidents of Australians being racist and/or misogynistisic that attract attention from international media outlets are frequently forwarded to me in anticipation of a seething refrain. | My response is typically motivated by a mix of rage and embarrassment, as well as a deep concern for how racial capitalism has been almost completely normalised. I am deeply concerned by the fact that not only is our social and political climate ill-equipped to address racism, i…
(2018-12-03). NSW law will 'lead to a new stolen generation'. greenleft.org.au 
Another stolen generation appears certain to be created in NSW, after the Coalition government passed a new adoption law making it easier for a child to be adopted by a foster family without parental consent. | The new adoption law, Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Amendment Bill, passed on November 22 despite fierce opposition, imposes a two-year limit on fostering a child. The Children's Court now has the power to decide whether a birth parent should be rei…
(2018-12-02). Debunking the Times on Bush I:s foreign policy record. zcomm.org Below is a list of the most blatant pieces of deception concerning George H.W. Bush's foreign policy record, reported in Adam Nagourney's commemorative NYT piece. Nagourney writes that "Environmental groups praised Mr. Bush's record on climate change and the environment. As president, he signed the United States to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Read more…
(2018-12-01). Eight new books for ecosocialists. greenleft.org.au 
Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus offers up eight new books as recommended reading for ecosocialists. Inclusion does not imply agreement with a book's contents. | ***
1. The Biofuels Deception: Going Hungry on the Green Carbon Diet
| By Okbazghi Yohannes
| Monthly Review Press, 2018 | Eliminating fossil fuels is essential, but biofuels have far more to do with sating profit-hungry corporations than saving the Earth. Combining meticulous scientific narrative with devastating economic analy…