2019-07-14: News Headlines

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2019-07-14). As Cost Of Climate Crisis Grows, Climate Movement Escalates. dissidentvoice.org Activists run towards the Garzweiler open-cast mine (David Young/picture alliance via Getty Images) The warnings of climate chaos are coming so fast they are difficult to keep up with. Storms, heatwaves and climate-related weather disasters are increasing at a rapid pace. The leadership of the two corporate-dominated political parties are trying to keep the climate …

Dan Bacher (2019-07-14). Governor Newsom orders firing of top oil regulator after fracking increases by 103%. indybay.org The announcement of Ken Harris' firing came several hours after two watchdog groups, Consumer Watchdog and the FracTracker Allliance, released a report revealing that eight DOGGR officials own stock in corporations they are responsible for regulating. | It also came after the many scores of articles I wrote and radio interviews I did documenting the expansion of oil and gas drilling and fracking and numerous conflicts of interests by oil and gas regulators in California under Governor Jerry Brown and now Gavin Newsom.

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-07-14). September Candidates Climate Forum to Go On Despite Dropping Sponsor. commondreams.org "The voters deserve to know where all of the Democratic candidates stand on this issue, and how exactly they would address the climate crisis if elected." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/mayor_pete_buttigieg_0.jpg

Staff (2019-07-14). No War, No Warming with Rev. Lennox Yearwood. therealnews.com The president of Hip Hop Caucus speaks with Dharna Noor at Netroots Nation 2019 on fighting for climate justice and a Green New Deal—and fighting against militarization…

LaborFest 2019 (2019-07-14). The Fight Against Monsanto's Roundup: The Politics of Pesticides. indybay.org The Green Arcade | 1680 Market Street | San Francisco, CA 94102 | 415-431-6800…

Alexandra Jacobo (2019-07-13). Philanthropists raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for groundbreaking Climate Emergency Fund. nationofchange.org Some of the wealthy are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to climate activism. A group of US philanthropists has created a Climate Emergency Fund (CEF) to help fund climate activists groups that are working hard for climate justice. | So far Trevor Neilson, an investor and philanthropist, Rory Kennedy, daughter of Robert Kennedy, and Aileen Getty, whose family is in the oil industry, have raised over $600,000. The group plans to raise at least 100 times that over the next several months. | The philanthropists have a wide range of wealthy contacts across the globe that they plan to appeal to for…

Staff (2019-07-13). Environmental Activists Claim Victory After Detroit Incinerator Closes. truthout.org The recent shutdown of the largest municipal trash incinerator in the U.S. marks the end of a long-fought battle for a majority Black neighborhood that has for decades fought a constant stream of pollutants and pungent odors of trash. | Activists have spent decades fighting the incinerator, known as Detroit Renewable Power, which burned one million tons of solid waste from 13 counties in southeastern Michigan each year to create steam and electricity, according to Breathe Free Detroit. | "Most of the waste [came]…

Skeena Rathor (2019-07-13). Rebelling From a Nonviolent Heart. commondreams.org Extinction Rebellion activists temporarily block the A23 at Lewisham Station on June, 14 2019 in London, England. (Photo: Ollie Millington/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/xr_0.jpg

Andy Rowell (2019-07-13). Sleep-walking into "mass extinction" nationofchange.org Next year, the British Government will host the UN Climate talks in London, known as COP26, which are the most important climate talks since Paris in 2015. | So for the next year, the UK will be a critical leader in the global fight against climate change. | For the UK to ask other nations to act, it also has to step up to the plate. And yet it is failing. Badly. | Today, the UK Government's own experts, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) outlined in its annual report to Parliament, how "Our credibilit…

Olivia Rosane (2019-07-13). 550,000 acres on fire in Alaska in latest sign of the climate crisis. nationofchange.org Two small communities near Anderson, Alaska were ordered to evacuate late Thursday due to a wildfire, as the state's summer of heat and smoke continues. | The Kobe Fire was reported at 6: 45 p.m. Thursday and by 10: 50 p.m. had grown to 600 acres, The Alaska Division of Forestry reported. There are no reports that anyone was burned, but multiple buildings were threatened, prompting the evacuation of the Kobe and And…

Patti Lynn (2019-07-13). Current investigation of ExxonMobil could spur broader climate action. nationofchange.org On January 7, 2019, after two years of struggle in the lower courts, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey received some good news: The U.S. Supreme Court had cleared the way for her to investigate one of the largest fossil fuel corporations in the world—ExxonMobil—regarding what it knew, and when, about climate change. | The rapid heating of our planet poses an existential threat to all of us. Over the next decade, we must make significant cha…

Mat Hope (2019-07-13). The 'historical jigsaw of climate deception': Private notes show how Big Oil spread climate science denial. nationofchange.org "These documents are another stain on the fossil fuel industry's track-record as a disingenuous rogue agent in climate science and politics."

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-07-13). Heavy Rainfall Barry's Real Danger—and Climate Crisis is to Blame. commondreams.org "When the air is warmer, it can hold more water vapor. So that when a storm moves through an area that has warmer, wetter air, there's more of a source for the precipitation." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/barry.png

Kathleen Wallace (2019-07-12). Too Horrible to Understand, Too Horrible to Ignore. counterpunch.org The Lolita Express……"I'm not for impeachment. The green dream or whatever."…… "maybe toilet water is a step up….." As if it wasn't obvious before, surely now the commingling interests of the wealthy should be evident to anyone with even rudimentary brain stem function. Like our worsening climate situation, the fact that the wealthy are simply More

P. Sainath (2019-07-12). It's Raining Sand in Rayalaseema. counterpunch.org It's a classic Indian cinema fight-in-the-desert scene. Against the background of dunes and depressions with a tiny sprinkling of scrub vegetation, the hero rises from the burning sands of a barren wasteland to beat the bad guys to a pulp. Adding plenty of heat and dust to that already bestowed by nature, he brings the More

Eds. (2019-07-12). Breaching a "carbon threshold" could lead to mass extinction. mronline.org Carbon dioxide emissions may trigger a reflex in the carbon cycle, with devastating consequences, study finds. | Source

The Canary (2019-07-12). First group of Extinction Rebellion protesters appear in court. thecanary.co More than 20 climate change protesters have appeared in court charged with a public order offence after Extinction Rebellion demonstrations in central London.The defendants were asked to enter guilty or not guilty pleas during hearings at City of London Magistrates' Court on Friday.The protesters, who range in age from 20 to 76, are accused of failing to comply with an order to stick to an allocated area near Marble Arch in central London.The hearings, which are continuing into the afternoon in two court rooms simultaneously, have recorded a mixture of pleas, resulting in a number of trials scheduled for Septembe…

John McEvoy (2019-07-12). Noam Chomsky says 'there is not much time' to avert global catastrophe. thecanary.co In an interview published on 12 July, Noam Chomsky told Jacobin that "there is not much time" to avert global catastrophe. He also talked about Iran, Venezuela, and antisemitism allegations aimed at the UK Labour Party. | Climate crisis and the Green New Deal: | Most importantly, he attended to the issue of global climate crisis. On the subject of rising sea levels, he said: the ca…

Glen Black (2019-07-12). While climate breakdown destroys one of the ocean's most important ecosystems, a new study shows there may be some hope. thecanary.co Back-to-back heatwaves in the central Indian Ocean killed more than two-thirds of corals in two years, a study has shown. But research by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) suggests some corals were more resilient to the high sea temperatures, which could provide hope for the important habitat as the planet warms. | Heatwave statistics: | Scientists studied reefs in the remote Chagos Archipelago of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT…

Jamie Margolin (2019-07-12). We Were Already Over 350 ppm When I Was Born. thenation.com We Were Already Over 350 ppm When I Was Born…

United Nations (2019-07-12). Developing countries should not be liable for emissions 'accumulated throughout history', key UN development forum hears. un.org Citing climate change as being caused by "emissions accumulated throughout history", the head of China's Xiamen Airlines told the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York on Friday that heavy carbon dioxide emitters should "take on greater responsibility" to ameliorate the problem.

Staff (2019-07-12). Amazon in Danger of Total Destruction Under Brazil's Right-Wing President Bolsonaro. therealnews.com If another 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest is destroyed, it could start a vicious cycle of self-destruction, unleashing enormous amounts of CO2 and massively impacting regional and global climate, says Alexander Zaitchik…

pip.hinman (2019-07-12). Bring down the global fences. greenleft.org.au As the Titanic sank in 1912, the wealthy were given safety on lifeboats while the poor were left to die, locked in the sinking ship. | Today, the countries of the Global North are taking a similar approach to the climate crisis. | Going full steam ahead, countries such as Australia continue to burn fossil fuels, ignore the warnings of scientists and, when crises hit, turn people away from safety. | There were more than 70 million displaced people around the world last year according to conservative United Nations figures — the highest this figure has ever been. | Many were displaced as a direct or indirec…

David Swanson (2019-07-12). Earth Over the Brink. counterpunch.org Glacier National Park is drip, drip, dripping into a puddle. People and companies and governments are cutting down trees to burn them to save the planet from global warming, mixing the sacrificial trees with oh-so-clean coal, and in Detroit with tires, and in North Carolina with chicken shit. Others are hacking down old forests to More

Chris Gelardi (2019-07-11). America's Colonial Climate Crisis. thenation.com America's Colonial Climate Crisis…

United Nations (2019-07-11). In Mozambique, it's 'a matter of the heart' says Guterres, lauding the cyclone-struck nation's 'undeniable moral authority'. un.org Arriving in Mozambique to express solidarity and see for himself the damage wrought by two back-to-back cyclones earlier this year, UN chief António Guterres on Thursday said "undeniable moral authority" lay with its people, who had borne the brunt of a disaster linked inexorably to climate change, and a warming world.

pip.hinman (2019-07-11). We're invited to support student strikers. greenleft.org.au The Socialist Alliance National Council voted on June 30 to encourage its members and supporters to support of the September 20 climate strike and put motions along the following lines to their trade unions and other community-based organisations. | * * * | The School Strike 4 Climate has asked adults worldwide to come out onto the streets alongside them and make our voices heard. | To do that we too must strike for climate action. We must break with business as usual, leave our workplaces and rally with the students. | Yes, we will then cross a line. The rules do not let us strike when we want, for what we need…

susan_p (2019-07-11). Mexico: The devious ways one water company is profiting from the poor. greenleft.org.au Water is becoming a coveted currency. As a basic need that is increasingly scarce in some regions due to climate disruption and abusive industrial and agricultural practices, it is the new gold that the wealthy want to get their hands on. | Companies like Nestlé and even drug gangs in Mexico are harnessing the profit and power potential of water, with trails of violence and corruption left in their wake. | In Puebla, two hours to the south of Mexico City, a private water company has plans to break up the streets…

Staff (2019-07-11). Why Did the California Assembly Table Oil Setbacks Bill? therealnews.com Frontline communities in California have clamored for 2500 feet between oil drilling and homes and schools. California oil drilling impacts working-class Latino communities most directly, but Assembly Latino Caucus Chairwoman Lorena Gonzalez tabled AB 345 after taking thousands in industry campaign dollars…

pip.hinman (2019-07-11). We need everyone to strike on September 20. greenleft.org.au School Strike 4 Climate released the following statement on July 3. | * * * | On Friday September 20, three days before world leaders meet in New York for the United Nations Emergency Climate Summit, school strikers, together with our friends, communities and families, are holding our biggest Global Climate Strike yet. | Everyone is invited and everyone is needed as we build the biggest social movement the world has ever seen to tackle the climate crisis. | We often get asked by adults if it's OK f…

susan_p (2019-07-11). Five new books for ecosocialists. greenleft.org.au Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus looks at five new books of interest to ecosocialists. | Vanishing Fish: Shifting Baselines & the Future of Global Fisheries | By Daniel Pauly
| Greystone Books, 2019 | Award-winning biologist Daniel Pauly examines the parlous state of today's global fisheries. Starting with the rapid expansion that followed World War II, he traces the arc of the fishing industry's ensuing demise, offering insights into how and why it has failed. His practical recommendations for a way forward incorporate a vision of a vib…

pip.hinman (2019-07-11). Maritime union backs student-led climate strike. greenleft.org.au The following motion was passed unanimously at the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) Sydney Branch monthly member's meeting on June 25. | * * * | The MUA Sydney Branch welcomes the call from the School Strike 4 Climate movement for workers to join their next global strike. We will build for the widest possible stoppage of work to join demonstrations on September 20. We call on our national union to support this action and campaign for stoppages across the global union movement. | We note with anger that the climate crisis is already affecting millions in Australia and around the world. We reaffirm MUA policy that…

Staff (2019-07-10). How the Climate Crisis Is Pushing Central Americans Out of Their Homes Toward the U.S. democracynow.org As the U.S. continues to crack down on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, we look at one of the underreported driving factors leading people to flee their home countries: the climate crisis. John Carlos Frey, author of "Sand and Blood: America's Stealth War on the Mexico Border," spent time with Central American climate refugees traveling in a caravan toward the United States. He says, "If this drought continues, we're looking at all-out famine from Central America. …That's one of the major reasons why they're coming. … The government doesn't even acknowledge the fact that there is a climate c…

Staff (2019-07-09). Alberta Government Declares War On Environmentalists. therealnews.com Environmentalist Tzeporah Berman says Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is a "climate change denier"

Staff (2019-07-05). An Hour with Noam Chomsky on Fascism, Nuclear Weapons, Climate Change, Julian Assange & More. democracynow.org In April, hundreds of people packed into the Old South Church in Boston to hear the world-renowned dissident and linguist Noam Chomsky speak. In this hour-long special, we air an excerpt of Chomsky's speech and his on-stage interview with Amy Goodman.

PSL Albuquerque (2019-07-03). Eco-Socialism Conference to be held in Albuquerque: For the Earth to Live, Capitalism Must End! liberationnews.org Climate change and ecological devastation must be reversed as a matter of survival.

Harrison Malkin (2019-07-02). NBC News Whitewashes Colombia's Right-Wing President. fair.org Colombian President Iván Duque gave a talk on June 21 at the "Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity" on his book Orange Economy: An Infinite Opportunity. Duque wasn't alone—Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, singer John Legend and former NBA star Dwyane Wade also made appearances at the French Riviera event. | Claire Atkinson, the senior media editor at NBC News ( 6/27/19), i…