(2018-12-16). Nations at Climate Talks Back Universal Emissions Rules. truthdig.com The deal agreed on at a U.N. conference in Poland enables countries to put into action the principles of the 2015 Paris climate accord.
(2018-12-16). India: 11 People Dead After Eating a Food Offering at a Temple. telesurenglish.net Eleven people died and 80 others fell ill after eating an offering at a Hindu temple in Karnataka, India, according to local media. | RELATED: | India: Indigenous Reporter Covering Tribal Movement Murdered | Other reports indicate as many as 12 people have died and over a hundred have been hospitalized. | "A child died at the Governmen…
(2018-12-16). 12 Reasons Labor Should Demand a Green New Deal. zcomm.org This program meets the needs of—and has the potential to unite—the labor movement, environmentalists, and all those who have been the victims of inequality, discrimination, racism and, now, climate change…
(2018-12-16). The Extinction Rebellion's Direct-Action Climate Activism Comes to New York. zcomm.org Incensed and terrified by the accelerating climate crisis, activists gathered in Manhattan to discuss how they might replicate some of the successes the direct-action group has had in the United Kingdom…
(2018-12-16). How US-Saudi War Turned Yemen into the Biggest Crisis on Earth. therealnews.com 
Medea Benjamin discusses the US-Saudi war on Yemen and attempts by peace activists and Congress to stop the conflict
(2018-12-16). State Water Board Approves Increased Flows for the Lower San Joaquin River. indybay.org Members of California Indian Tribes spoke in support of the San Joaquin water flow standard at the hearing. | "The destruction of the rivers is genocide on the fish and the genocide on fish is the genocide of the indigenous people of these rivers," Mahlija Florendo, Yurok/Karuk/Hupa, and organizer for Save California's Salmon, told the board before the vote. "So I am here today to tell you that these flows are critical to the land, the rivers, the fish and the people. No dams, no diversions, no pipelines!'
(2018-12-15). Climate of Fear: Global Warming Alarmists Intimidate Dissenting Scientists into Silence. globalresearch.ca To understand the misconceptions perpetuated about climate science and the climate of intimidation, one needs to grasp some of the complex underlying scientific issues.
(2018-12-15). Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to Step Down. truthdig.com After racking up 17 federal investigations into suspected ethics violations and facing likely questioning by a House panel over his conduct in office, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is set to resign from the Trump administration at the end of the year. | President Donald Trump announced Zinke's impending departure in a tweet Saturday morning, saying that a replacement would be announced next week. | Ethics watchdogs and climate action groups alike appl…
(2018-12-15). UN Climate Talks End in Agreement at COP24 in Katowice. telesurenglish.net After two weeks of tense negotiations at the COP24 Summit in Katowice, Poland there is finally an agreement with regards to a set of rules that will help curb the threat of global warming. | RELATED: | EU Court Rejects 'Excessively High' Diesel Emissions Limits | The 2015 Paris climate accord's goal is to keep the increase in global average temperature to below 2 ∞C above pre-industrial levels, and to limit the increase to 1.5 ∞C, in order to reduce the risks and effects o…
(2018-12-15). Scientists Will Begin Geo-engineering Experiment and Try to Block the Sun. globalresearch.ca Scientists have decided to publically attempt a geoengineering experiment. The researchers from Harvard University are going to attempt to us particles to block out the sun in an attempt to save humanity from global warming, and cool the planet. | According …
(2018-12-15). Can Adopting a Complementary Indigenous Perspective Save Us? truthout.org "The grim prognosis for life on this planet is the consequence of a few centuries of forgetting what traditional Indigenous societies knew and the surviving ones still recognize." — Noam ChomskyAs we move into mid-December and recognize the only month designated to honor Native American Heritage has passed, we must acknowledge that an Indigenous perspective needs to be considered not just every November, but every month of…
(2018-12-15). UN Climate Talks "Compromise" Our Future. therealnews.com 
As COP24 comes to a close, Greenpeace's Cassady Craighill says advocates are pushing world leaders to do more than Paris Climate Accord demands—and to listen to frontline communities
(2018-12-15). An Empire of Bases Poisons Water, Threatening Its Own Collapse. truthout.org Per-flouro octane-sulfo-nate or PFOS, and Per-flouro-octa-noic acid or PFOA, are the active ingredients in the foam routinely used to train soldiers to extinguish aircraft fires at US military bases around the world. The toxic chemicals are allowed to leach into surrounding soil to poison groundwater. The result is one of the greatest water contamination epidemics in human history. | Doubt that? Click on Google News and enter: "PFOS PFAO Military Base." Then, come back and read the rest of this article — and brace yourself. It's bad. | The water in thousands of wells in and around US military installation…
(2018-12-15). Facing 17 Ethics Investigations, Ryan Zinke Set to Resign. truthout.org After racking up 17 federal investigations into suspected ethics violations and facing likely questioning by a House panel over his conduct in office, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is set to resign from the Trump administration at the end of the year. | President Donald Trump announced Zinke's impending departure in a tweet Saturday morning, saying that a replacement would be announced next week. | Ethics watchdogs and climate action groups alike a…
(2018-12-14). Crimes Against the Earth. counterpunch.org 
Dear Caesar Keep Burning, raping, killing But please, please Spare us your obscene poetry And ugly music — From Seneca's last letter to Nero The excavation of more than 600 billion tons of toxic carbon and hydrocarbon geological remains of previous biospheres and their transfer to the atmosphere as carbon gases constitutes nothing less than More
(2018-12-14). Hundreds of Activists Stage Sit-in Against Big Polluters on Final Day of COP24 U.N. Climate Talks. democracynow.org 
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the U.N. climate summit in Katowice, Poland, on Friday, demanding bolder action from world leaders on climate change. The action was organized by the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice. Demonstrators filled the staircase inside the conference center holding banners reading "Which side are you on?" and "People Not Polluters" and "System change not climate change." As protesters marched out of U.N. climate talks, Democracy Now! spoke with Maya Menezes, Canadian climate activist and member of the Canadian Youth Delegation with the climate justice organization The Leap. Sh…
(2018-12-14). Trouble in Paradise: Climate change is war against the poor. peoplesworld.org 
On the 8th of November, Paradise went up in flames. This small town in Northern California held about 28,000 people, many retirees on a fixed budget. This was not a rich town. The median household income was $41,000, 94 percent of the residents were white, and a third of the town was occupied by people who rented their …
(2018-12-14). "We Are Not Prepared to Die": Ex-Maldives President Warns of Catastrophic Climate Change. democracynow.org 
"We are not prepared to die." Those are the words that Mohamed Nasheed, the former president of the low-lying island country of Maldives, delivered at the U.N. climate summit in Katowice, Poland, this week. In an impassioned plea for nations to overcome their differences, he urged world leaders to take decisive action to tackle climate change. Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed returned home to his island nation in November after two years in exile. Just a month later, Nasheed is now leading the Maldives delegation at the U.N. climate summit. We speak with him from the U.N. climate talks.
(2018-12-14). Climate Strike: Heeding Call of Greta Thunberg, Polish Students Walk Out of Class. democracynow.org 
Fifteen-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has called for a global climate strike today to protest inaction at the U.N. climate summit. Greta made international headlines after she refused to go to school in August and began a School Strike for Climate. Greta made the call for today's strike in a video posted on Twitter.
(2018-12-14). Bangladeshi Scientist: World Leaders Must Take Urgent Action to Prevent Climate Crisis Rise. democracynow.org 
At the U.N. Climate talks in Katowice, Poland, we speak with climate scientist Saleemul Huq, who is advising the bloc of least developed countries in the climate negotiations, about their demands. He is director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh.
(2018-12-14). Climate Change and the Limits of Reason. counterpunch.org 
Modern urban-industrial man is given to the raping of anything and everything natural on which he can fasten his talons. He rapes the sea; he rapes the soil; the natural resources of the earth. He rapes the atmosphere. He rapes the future of his own civilization. Instead of living off of nature's surplus, which he More
(2018-12-14). Crimes Against the Earth. globalresearch.ca "Dear Caesar | Keep Burning, raping, killing | But please, please | Spare us your obscene poetry | And ugly music " | (From Seneca's last letter to Nero) | The excavation of more than 600 billion tons of toxic carbon and hydrocarbon geological remains of …
(2018-12-14). Extinction Rebellion: UK Protesters Are Supergluing Themselves to Buildings to Fight Climate Crisis. democracynow.org 
As protests erupt at the U.N. climate summit in Katowice, Poland, we speak with Liam Geary Baulch, part of the new movement called Extinction Rebellion that began six months ago in the United Kingdom and has now spread to 35 countries. Members are taking extreme action to fight the climate crisis, including supergluing themselves to government buildings, shutting down London Bridge and taking to the streets to sound the alarm about the impending catastrophe of global warming. They are demanding governments commit to legally binding measures to slash consumption and reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025.
(2018-12-14). From Obama to Trump, Climate Negotiations Are Being Run by the Same Crew of American Technocrats. theintercept.com On Monday, the Trump administration hosted an event on behalf of the fossil fuel industry at the United Nations climate talks in Poland, known as COP24. It was almost identical to the one it hosted at last year's climate talks in Germany: trying to write coal, oil, and gas into the world's response to climate change, and bemoaning "alarmism" on climate. Both were disrupted by organizers from the United States voicing their opposition, and both received more media coverage than just about anything else happening at either talks, which this year are focused on arriving at a deeply technical rulebook to implement th…
(2018-12-14). Hundreds of Activists Stage Sit-In Against Big Polluters on Final Day of COP24. truthout.org Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland, on Friday, demanding bolder action from world leaders on climate change. The action was organized by the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice. Demonstrators filled the staircase inside the conference center holding banners reading "Which side are you on?" and "People Not Polluters" and "System change not climate change." As protesters marched out of UN climate talks, Democracy Now! spoke with Maya Menezes, Canadian climate activist and member of the Canadian Youth Delegation with the climate justice organization The Leap. She…
(2018-12-14). UK Protesters Are Supergluing Themselves to Buildings to Fight Climate Crisis. truthout.org As protests erupt at the UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland, we speak with Liam Geary Baulch, part of the new movement called Extinction Rebellion that began six months ago in the United Kingdom and has now spread to 35 countries. Members are taking extreme action to fight the climate crisis, including supergluing themselves to government buildings, shutting down London Bridge and taking to the streets to sound the alarm about the impending catastrophe of global warming. They are demanding governments commit to legally binding measures to slash consumption and reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025.
(2018-12-14). How School Districts Weaponize Child Protection Services Against Parents. theantimedia.com 
Parents are increasingly required to obey, to conform to a school's demands even if they believe such orders may not be appropriate for their child. (FEE) — Schooling is adept at rooting out individuality and enforcing compliance. In his book, Understanding Power, Noam Chomsky writes: "In fact, the whole educational and professional training system is a very …
(2018-12-13). You Are Stealing Our Future: Greta Thunberg, 15, Condemns the World's Inaction on Climate Change. democracynow.org 
Fifteen-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg addressed the U.N. plenary last night in Katowice, Poland, condemning global inaction in the face of catastrophic climate change.
(2018-12-13). EPA slams door to justice on historic Black community. peoplesworld.org 
TALLASSEE, Al. — On December 10, leaders of a historic Black community in Tallassee, Alabama, denounced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for closing a civil rights complaint filed in 2017 against the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) in the face of clear evidence, acknowledged by EPA, that the state's actions caused "adverse harms" to …
(2018-12-13). As U.N. Calls for Urgent Action on Climate Change, U.S. Seeks to Dilute Pact to Cut Carbon Emissions. democracynow.org 
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres issued a dire warning Wednesday that nations must act now to save humanity from devastating climate change. Despite this call to action, talks here in Katowice have been hindered by the United States and the world's other biggest polluters, who are promoting fossil fuels and focusing on reducing emissions in developing countries but not their own. Talks are supposed to conclude Friday, but negotiators have expressed little hope in meeting the deadline. "It's really hypocritical that the United States is here, negotiating in what I would characterize as bad faith," says Meen…
(2018-12-13). Green New Deal Advocates Shouldn't Overlook Militarism. mintpressnews.com In the spirit of a new year and a new Congress, 2019 may well be our best and last opportunity to steer our ship of state away from the twin planetary perils of environmental chaos and militarism, charting a course toward an earth-affirming 21st century. | The environmental crisis was laid bare by the sobering December report of the UN Climate panel: If the world fails to mobilize within the next 12 years on the level of a moon shot, and gear up to change our energy usage from toxic fossil, nuclear and industrial biomass fuels to the already known solutions for employing solar, wind, hydro, geothermal energy and…
(2018-12-13). A "Conference of Polluters": How Fossil Fuel Companies Are Shaping Policy at the U.N. Climate Summit. democracynow.org 
Officials from nearly 200 countries are in Katowice, Poland, to negotiate how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement. But so are representatives from many of the world's largest fossil fuel companies, including a lobby group that represents BP, Shell and ExxonMobil. Just last week, The Intercept reported that an executive from Shell Oil told participants at a COP side event that Shell helped draft a portion of the 2015 Paris climate agreement dealing with emissions mitigation. This week, activists protested outside an event hosted by Shell. Among them was Nnimmo Bassey, a Nigerian environmental activist and the di…
(2018-12-13). Fossil-Free Costa Rica: How One Country Is Pursuing Decarbonization Despite Global Inaction. democracynow.org 
As world leaders struggle to agree on a plan to curb global emissions at the U.N. climate talks in Katowice, Poland, we look at Costa Rica's plan to go fossil-free beginning next year. It will be the first country in the world to decarbonize its economy. Costa Rica generates more than 90 percent of its electricity using renewable energy. Costa Rican officials have announced they want to host U.N. climate talks in 2019, since Brazil rescinded its offer to host the summit following the election of right-wing climate change denier President-elect Jair Bolsonaro. We speak with Mónica Araya, a Costa Rican climate acti…
(2018-12-13). Elizabeth Warren Has a Track Record of Taking on the Rich and Powerful. Don't Write Her Off for 2020. theintercept.com 
Sen. Warren stumbled with a DNA test on her Native American ancestry. But she's harder on Wall Street than Kamala Harris and Cory Booker combined.
(2018-12-13). US Consumer Board Conceals how Wells Fargo Fleeces Students. therealnews.com 
The Consumer Financial Protection Board kept a detailed report about how Wells Fargo has long been involved in charging students up to three times more for financial services than other banks do. Why did the CFPB not reveal this? Bill Black explains
(2018-12-12). U.S. & Other Big Polluters Obstruct U.N. Climate Talks, Stalling Efforts to Reduce Carbon Emissions. democracynow.org 
The world's worst emitters are hindering negotiations at the U.N. climate summit in Katowice, Poland, even as countries from the Global South warn that they could face annihilation without drastic action to confront climate change. We speak with Harjeet Singh, who has been observing how the U.S. and other big polluters are hindering climate talks. He is the global lead on climate change for ActionAid. He's been working with climate migrants in several countries, and he is based in New Delhi, India.
(2018-12-12). Trump's Energy Adviser Runs Away When Questioned by Democracy Now! at U.N. Climate Talks. democracynow.org 
The Trump administration is promoting fossil fuels at the U.N. climate summit in Katowice, Poland, despite outcry from climate activists and world leaders concerned about the devastating threat of climate change. Chief among Trump's representatives at the climate summit is Wells Griffith, special assistant to the president for international energy and environment. He is a longtime Republican operative who served as deputy chief of staff to Reince Priebus when Priebus was chair of the Republican National Committee. Amy Goodman attempted to question Wells Griffith about the Trump administration's climate policy at…
(2018-12-12). "Ha, Ha, Ha": At U.N. Climate Talks, Protesters Laugh Out Trump Admin Official Pushing Fossil Fuels. democracynow.org 
Democracy Now! was in the room when indigenous and youth leaders disrupted an event Monday hosted by Trump administration officials promoting fossil fuels and nuclear interests at the U.N. climate talks in Katowice, Poland. Wells Griffith, special assistant to the president for international energy and environment, represented the U.S. at the event. Griffith said in his remarks, "We strongly believe that no country should have to sacrifice economic prosperity or energy security in pursuit of environmental sustainability." Moments later, nearly a hundred protesters began laughing, drowning out Griffith, calling th…
(2018-12-12). Typhoon Haiyan Survivor: Fossil Fuel Companies Killed My Family by Hastening Climate Change. democracynow.org 
As we broadcast from the U.N. climate summit in Katowice, Poland, world leaders and officials from nearly 200 countries are here to negotiate how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement. But three years after Paris, they appear no closer to curbing global emissions and halting catastrophic climate change. New studies show global carbon emissions may have risen as much as 3.7 percent in 2018, marking the second annual increase in a row. As the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that humanity has only a dozen years to mitigate climate change or face global catastrophe, we speak with Joanna Sustent…
(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). 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). 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). "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). 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…
(2018-12-11). 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
(2018-12-10). 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). Thousands Protest at U.N. Climate Summit in Coal-Heavy Poland, Facing Riot Police & Intimidation. democracynow.org 
This week Democracy Now! is broadcasting from the U.N. climate summit in Katowice, Poland, where the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait have blocked language "welcoming" October's landmark IPCC climate report that warned of the catastrophic effects of a global temperature increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius, beyond which global crises could unfold at a rapid pace. The four countries rejected using the word "welcome," insisting that members instead "note" the findings of the widely cited U.N. report. We begin our coverage with voices of some of the thousands of climate activists from around the world who marched in…
(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). As Uprising Spreads Across Globe, Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky Among Signers of Open Letter Backing Extinction Rebellion. commondreams.org After starting in the United Kingdom just months ago with a mere 10 members dedicated to pressuring their elected officials to urgently confront the climate crisis, the Extinction Rebellion has quickly ballooned into a global movement spanning an estimated 35 countries—a testament to the growing disaffection with the deadly climate status quo and hunger for transformative change among the world's population. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2018-12-10_at_2.01.17_pm_0.png…
