(2019-12-12). Environmental Activists Target Exxon's Lead Attorney in Climate Liability Case, a Prominent Democratic Donor. theintercept.com 
Ted Wells Jr., who defended Exxon against a lawsuit by New York's attorney general, has given half a million dollars to Democrats in recent decades.
(2019-12-12). Trump attacks climate activist Thunberg after Time honor. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump lashed out at 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg on Thursday, a day after she was named by Time as its Person of the Year, calling her selection "ridiculous." The Swedish teenager has become a symbol of a growing movement of young climate activists after leading weekly school strikes in her country …
(2019-12-12). Greta Thunberg Slams Response to Climate Crisis at COP25 as "Creative PR" truthout.org At the U.N. climate summit in Madrid, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg addressed world leaders Wednesday, hours after she was named Time magazine's Person of the Year. Thunberg came to the talks after a trip to meet with climate leaders across North America in anticipation of the scheduled climate conference in Santiago, Chile, before the talks were abruptly moved to the Spanish capital. In her address, Thunberg warned that the planet's carbon budget is down to just eight years, an…
(2019-12-12). Polluting Companies Are Sponsoring COP25 Talks in Exchange for Tax Breaks. truthout.org Big polluters are to blame for slow progress in the annual UN climate negotiations in Madrid, Spain, according to activists — with several companies sponsoring the talks in exchange for tax breaks. | Sponsors of the talks, known as COP25, include the electrical utilities company Iberdrola, which produced 24.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 20…
(2019-12-12). Uganda's First Fridays for Future Climate Striker Joins COP25 Protests in Madrid. truthout.org As we broadcast from the U.N. climate summit in Madrid, Spain, we speak with climate activist Vanessa Nakate, who was Uganda's first Fridays for Future climate striker. "I wanted to do something that would cause change to the lives of the people in my community and my country," she says. "My country heavily depends on agriculture, therefore most of the people depend on agriculture. If our farms are destroyed by floods, if the farms are destroyed by droughts and crop production is less, that m…
(2019-12-12). From London to Beirut, From Santiago to New Delhi: Protesters Need to Build Solidarity Networks. counterpunch.org On Friday, December 1, two protest marches met in central London in what felt like a magical moment. A few thousand striking university lecturers had just reached the British Parliament at Westminster after marching from the Bloomsbury neighbourhood, when close to a thousand Extinction Rebellion teenagers came pouring down a parallel street and the two protests united. The More
(2019-12-12). Small steps against climate change. nationofchange.org Let's start thinking about ways such as this to stop necessary waste.
(2019-12-12). A New Report Finds Massive Waste and Abuse in Federally Funded Charter Schools. progressive.org During the eight years that these federal grants were available, $504,517,391—28 percent of the total amount given out—went to charter schools that never opened or that have already closed.
(2019-12-12). Bolsonaro Says He's Open To Meeting Argentina's Fernandez. telesurenglish.net Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has changed his aggressive tone towards Argentina's new left-leaning government on Wednesday and said he was open to a visit from incoming President Alberto Fernandez, who he previously branded a "red bandit." | RELATED: | Brazil: Bolsonaro's Hate Speech Attacks Greta Thunberg Again | Bolsonaro said he hoped neighboring Argentina will do well under its new administration because it is Brazil's largest trade partner in Latin America. "We w…
(2019-12-12). 'Embrace the transformation' to a carbon-neutral world by 2050, UN chief tells COP25. news.un.org With millions of workers increasingly affected by the climate crisis the route to securing livelihoods in the future lies in a wholesale transformation of how we power the planet and manage our resources, the UN chief said on Thursday, at a COP25 climate action event focused on greener jobs.
(2019-12-12). Most Americans Support Phasing-Out Fossil Fuels…Isn't That Worth a Headline? counterpunch.org Last month, The Washington Post reported on the results of a poll it conducted with the Kaiser Family Foundation earlier this year. The poll had remarkable finding: nearly half — 46 percent — of American adults believe the U.S. needs to "drastically reduce" fossil fuel use in the near future to address the climate crisis, while another 41 More
(2019-12-12). Author Talk: Peter Kalmus on "Being the Change: Live Well & Spark a Climate Revolution" indybay.org Book Passage Bookstore & Cafe in the Ferry Building, 1 Ferry Building Ste 42, San Francisco, California 94111…
(2019-12-12). We Can't Do It Ourselves. counterpunch.org How to live a more sustainable life? This question generates a lot of debate that is focused on what individuals can do in order to address problems like climate change. For example, people are encouraged to shop locally, to buy organic food, to install home insulation, or to cycle more often. But how effective is individual More
(2019-12-12). Decrying EU Proposal to Address Climate Crisis by 2050 as 'Too Little Too Late,' Greenpeace Activists Stage #HouseOnFire Demonstration. commondreams.org "The world is on fire and our governments are letting it burn." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/greenpeace_building_on_fire.jpg …
(2019-12-12). Move Over, Peak Oil. Scientists Say 'Peak Livestock' Must Arrive This Decade to Limit Global Heating. commondreams.org In an open letter to The Lancet Planetary Health journal Wednesday, a group of scientists called for reaching "peak livestock" production and pursuing dramatic efforts to restore vegetation in the next decade to curb planet-heating emissions, increase natural carbon sequestration, and avert climate catastrophe. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-11698248141.jpg …
(2019-12-12). "We Want People Power Solutions": Activists Ousted from COP25 for Protesting Corporations at Summit. democracynow.org 
Inside the halls of the U.N. climate summit, hundreds of activists gathered Wednesday to demand rich countries step up their efforts to finance climate action. The protest began just as Democracy Now! was finishing our live broadcast, and we spoke to some of the people there from around the world, including Rita Iyke-Uwaka of Friends of the Earth Nigeria; Angela Valenzuela of Fridays for Future in Santiago, Chile; Sandra Tukup of CONFENIAE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon); Amalen Sathananthar of Artivist Network; Brandon Wu of ActionAid USA; and Nina Gualinga, an indigenous lea…
(2019-12-12). The Kids Know Another World Is Possible. truthdig.com MADRID—This year's United Nations climate summit, dubbed "COP 25" for the 25th annual "conference of the parties" to the climate negotiations, heated up Wednesday as grassroots activists, youth and indigenous leaders protested en masse outside the main plenary hall. As the "Democracy Now!" news hour broadcast live from the convention center, chants rang out: "Shame! Shame!" and "The people, united, will never be defeated," in Spanish and English, and "What do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? Now!" The protest was one of many here in Madrid, challenging the lack of progress in finalizing rules f…
(2019-12-12). Greta Thunberg Slams COP25, Says Response to Climate Crisis Is "Clever Accounting and Creative PR" democracynow.org 
At the U.N. climate summit in Madrid, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg addressed world leaders Wednesday, hours after she was named Time magazine's Person of the Year. Thunberg came to the talks after a trip to meet with climate leaders across North America in anticipation of the scheduled climate conference in Santiago, Chile, before the talks were abruptly moved to the Spanish capital. In her address, Thunberg warned that the planet's carbon budget is down to just eight years, and urged bold action. "I still believe that the biggest danger is not inaction. The real danger is when politicians…
(2019-12-12). Marshall Islands Climate Activist Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner Shares a Poem for Survival as Sea Levels Rise. democracynow.org 
Located in the central Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and the Philippines, the Marshall Islands are one of the world's lowest-lying island nations and declared a national climate crisis emergency in October. "We're looking at changing the entire physical landscape of our island so we can stay above water," says Marshall Islands poet and climate activist Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner. She joins us to describe the impact on her country and read her newest poem.
(2019-12-12). Uganda's First Fridays for Future Climate Striker, Vanessa Nakate, Joins COP25 Protests in Madrid. democracynow.org 
As we broadcast from the U.N. climate summit in Madrid, Spain, we speak with climate activist Vanessa Nakate, who was Uganda's first Fridays for Future climate striker. "I wanted to do something that would cause change to the lives of the people in my community and my country," she says. "My country heavily depends on agriculture, therefore most of the people depend on agriculture. If our farms are destroyed by floods, if the farms are destroyed by droughts and crop production is less, that means that the price of food is going to go high. So it will only be the most privileged who will be able to buy food."
(2019-12-12). Greta Thunberg responds to Trump's advice to 'chill out' with Twitter bio change again. rt.com 
Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has hit back and sarcastically changed her Twitter bio after US President Donald Trump told her to "chill out" and work on her "anger management problem." | Trump offered the unsolicited advice to Thunberg on Twitter after she was named TIME magazine's Person of the Year — a decision which he slammed as "ridiculous." In the tweet, Trump said the teen activist "must work on her Anger Management problem" and "then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend!" | "Chill Greta, Chill!" he added. | The Swedish teen acknowledged Trump's tweet indirectly by changing her…
(2019-12-12). 'Chill Greta, Chill!' Trump blasts Thunberg on Twitter after she's named TIME Person of the Year. rt.com US President Donald Trump suggested that famed 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg has anger issues and advised her to chill out after TIME magazine named her Person of the Year. | "So ridiculous," Trump tweeted on Thursday while commenting on a tweet by actress and producer Roma Downey, in which she congratulated Thunberg on topping the TIME list of most influential people for 2019. | "Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!" | So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashion…
(2019-12-12). Eastern European states demand funds for new EU climate push. rt.com 
Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic set out demands on Thursday that could block agreement on the EU's new push for climate neutrality by 2050, saying the poor should not have to bear the cost. | At a summit in Brussels, the majority of 27 EU leaders are expected to offer financial incentives to the eastern member states to win their support for the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, Reuters reports. | "We cannot allow Brussels bureaucrats to have poor people and poor countries to pay the costs of the fight against climate change," Hungarian PM Viktor Orban said ahead of the meeting.
(2019-12-12). Outrage as UN Climate Talks Kick Out Civil Society, Not the Polluters. commondreams.org The statement highlighted that this had never happened before in 25 years of negotiations, but yet, there "could be no better symbol of this crisis we face. People around the world are crying out for justice, and fighting oppression, while those in power attempt to shut us out." (Photo: Theo C. Mouze via Twitter) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-12-12_at_10.21.59_am.png …
(2019-12-12). After TIME Selects Greta Thunberg as Person of the Year Over Him, Trump Lashes Out in Tantrum Against 16-Year-Old Activist. commondreams.org Thunberg did not reply directly to the President of the United States, but nonetheless made her feelings known on social media. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/greta_0_0.png …
(2019-12-11). Greta Thunberg Named Time's "Person of the Year" telesurenglish.net Time magazine named 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg "Person of the Year" Tuesday, as the Swedish student inspired a global movement to fight climate change. | RELATED: | Brazil: Bolsonaro's Hate Speech Attacks Greta Thunberg Again | Editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal, regarding Greta's history, wrote her story resembles "a storyline familiar to every parent of every generation in every corner of the globe: an indignant teenager and a sudden burst of rebellion." With this…
(2019-12-11). COP25: Support business efforts to tackle climate change, urges Guterres. news.un.org The UN Secretary-General has called on business and civil society leaders to press Governments into articulating policies that support private sector efforts to address climate change.
(2019-12-11). When the Climate Replaces Our Forever Wars. thenation.com When the Climate Replaces Our Forever Wars…
(2019-12-11). How Africa Could Power a Green Revolution. counterpunch.org Just before this year's global climate summit opened in Madrid recently, researchers announced that emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels will hit a record high in 2019. Although the 0.6 percent rate of growth is less than last year's 2.1 percent, the total which must be cut to prevent the most catastrophic and irreversible More
(2019-12-11). Billionaire Presidential Hopeful Mike Bloomberg Addresses Press at COP25 But Won't Take Questions. democracynow.org 
Former New York mayor and 2020 presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg spoke at the U.N. climate summit Tuesday, saying he came to the climate talks because "no one from the White House" was there. The event was billed as a media opportunity, but Bloomberg refused to answer questions from the press. Bloomberg entered the presidential race in November and has since spent tens of millions of dollars of his own money on the race. Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman followed Bloomberg through the conference venue, asking how he would address issues of inequality and whether his strategy to win the presidency was to outs…
(2019-12-11). "The Most Extreme Fires We've Ever Seen": Record Climate-Fueled Wildfires Engulf Australia in Smoke. democracynow.org 
As world leaders gather to address the climate crisis in Madrid, massive wildfires have engulfed Australia in flames and smoke. More than 100 climate-fueled blazes have killed at least six people and pushed air quality levels in Sydney to 12 times hazardous levels. Thousands braved extreme air pollution Wednesday to protest the government's climate inaction outside Sydney Town Hall. As Democracy Now! broadcasts live from inside the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain, we speak with Australian environmental scientist Bill Hare, director of Climate Analytics and a coordinator of the Climate Ac…
(2019-12-11). "Shame!" Indigenous Leaders & Delegates from Global South Stage Dramatic Protest at COP25 in Madrid. democracynow.org 
Democracy Now! was broadcasting live from the United Nations climate summit in Madrid, Spain, when hundreds of climate advocates and people's movements at the U.N. climate action summit staged a protest inside the conference venue. As the demonstration unfolds, we speak with Tom Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network; Karin Nansen, chair of Friends of the Earth International; Nigerian climate activist Nnimmo Bassey with Health of Mother Earth Foundation; and indigenous climate activist Daiara Tukano from Brazil.
(2019-12-10). Welcome to the Era of Climate Change-Induced PTSD. thenation.com Welcome to the Era of Climate Change-Induced PTSD…
(2019-12-10). Deliver 'significant results now', UN General Assembly President tells COP25 climate conference. news.un.org It is "imperative" that the COP25 climate conference underway in Spain delivers "significant results now", Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the UN General Assembly (PGA), said on Tuesday.
(2019-12-10). Milwaukee: People's Climate Coalition marches on Wells Fargo, Chase Bank. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI — Several hundred people gathered on the morning of December 6 in downtown Milwaukee at Zeidler Park to demand that the big banks like Wells Fargo, Chase and other corporations divest from the fossil fuel industry. | Several classrooms worth of children from local public schools attended the event in support of a safe and livable planet for their futures. The People's Climate Coalition, consisting of local climate justice groups, put out the call and organized the event. | All representatives from the coalition and its allies were given an opportunity to speak. Each highlighted in different wa…
(2019-12-10). Take Action Now: Stand Up for Our Climate. thenation.com Take Action Now: Stand Up for Our Climate…
(2019-12-10). The U.S. Has Almost No Official Presence at COP25 But Is Still "Obstructing Any Progress" democracynow.org 
This week, Democracy Now! is broadcasting from inside the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain, where representatives from almost 200 countries have gathered to negotiate solutions to the climate crisis. Known as COP25 for "conference of parties," the summit offers a rare opportunity for all countries, especially those on the frontlines of the climate crisis, to have an equal say in negotiations. It comes four years after the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to "well below 2 degrees Celsius," or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. But as the summit heads into its final days, represen…
(2019-12-10). Real climate action requires cutting coal exports. greenleft.org.au 
climate emergency Zane AlcornIssue 1248 Australia coal exports Adani Carmichael coal mineDecember 10, 2019On December 9, Labor leader Anthony Albanese reaffirmed his party's support f…
(2019-12-10). "Listen to Mother Earth": Indigenous Youth Leaders at COP25 in Madrid Protest Fossil Fuel Extraction. democracynow.org 
"Our movements must be bigger than recycling and braver than holding signs," said Rose Whipple, a member of the Santee Dakota and Ho-Chunk, and youth delegate with SustainUS, who joined a panel of youth climate activists at the United Nations climate summit in Madrid, Spain. Indigenous peoples from Canada and the United States are at the summit, speaking out against extraction, new pipeline projects and the environmental devastation of their territories, and calling for movements to center the rights of indigenous peoples.
(2019-12-10). Asad Rehman on the U.K.'s "Climate Election" & Explosive Afghanistan Papers Revelations. democracynow.org 
We get response from London-based Asad Rehman, executive director of War on Want, on two major news developments: The United Kingdom — which will head the COP next year — is set to vote Thursday in what some are calling "the climate election," and the Washington Post has published a confidential trove of documents that reveal how senior U.S. officials have lied throughout the 18-year war in Afghanistan, the longest war in U.S. history, while hiding evidence the war had become unwinnable.
(2019-12-10). Headlines for December 10, 2019. democracynow.org House Democrats to Unveil Articles of Impeachment Today, WaPo: Secret Afghanistan Papers Reveal How U.S. Officials Lied About War, Sanders & Khanna Urge Lawmakers to Vote Against National Defense Authorization Act, Russia and Ukraine Agree to Ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine, India's Lower House Passes "Anti-Muslim" Citizenship Bill, Protests Continue in Madrid, Spain, Amid COP25, Denmark Passes Climate Act to Reduce Emissions by 70% by 2030, More Than 100 Blazes Rage Across Australia Amid Worst Fire Season in History, Iraq: One Journalist Killed and a Second Disappeared After Covering Protests, Aung San Suu Kyi Arri…
(2019-12-09). Arizona educators, progressives confront ALEC summit and Betsy DeVos. fightbacknews.org Tucson, AZ – On December 4, a coalition of union educators, immigrant rights, police crimes, and climate change activists confronted the agenda of corporations like UPS and energy industry giants and billionaires like Charles Koch and Sheldon Achelson. At its height the crowd numbered around 200 with signs reading: "ALEC: Oligarchy in progress" and "Privatization, criminalization, incarceration, climate change, imperialism: #ALECisBehindIt." | The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a notorious organization of hardcore conservatives, was holding its States and Nation Policy Summit in Arizona. ALEC hoste…
(2019-12-09). COP25: Global investors urge countries to meet climate action goals. news.un.org More than 630 investors who collectively manage over $37 trillion in assets are calling on governments across the world to step up action to address climate change and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
(2019-12-09). Monday's Daily Brief: increasing inequality, human rights and climate, civil war crimes, Ethiopia reforms. news.un.org New UN development report warns global inequality breeding a "new generation of inequalities"; human rights linked to climate change by senior UN official; intentional starvation in civil wars classified as a war crime, UN rights expert calls for Ethiopia reform support.
(2019-12-09). Greta Thunberg, Rose Whipple & Eriel Deranger on Listening to Indigenous People Amid Climate Crisis. democracynow.org 
At the end of Friday's major climate rally in Madrid, a group of indigenous activists took the stage to sing and give speeches, but after some speeches their microphone was cut and the lights on stage were shut off as they spoke. Democracy Now! spoke to Eriel Deranger of Indigenous Climate Action and later asked Greta Thunberg and Rose Whipple about the importance of listening to indigenous voices.
(2019-12-09). Meet the Climbing Kids: 8- & 11-Year-Old Siblings Who Rappel from Bridge Demanding Climate Action. democracynow.org 
As hundreds of thousands marched to the main stage during Friday's climate march in Madrid, two young children — a brother and sister aged 8 and 11 — staged an act of civil disobedience from a bridge overlooking the protest. While demonstrators marched beneath them, the two children rappelled from an overpass, dangling from ropes in mid-air to hang a banner calling for climate action. Democracy Now! briefly spoke to them after their action.
(2019-12-09). Greta Thunberg at Madrid March: Hope in the Streets, Not the U.N. Climate Summit. democracynow.org 
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg also addressed Friday's climate march in Madrid. "The hope is not within the walls of COP25; the hope is out here with you," said Thunberg, who inspired the global youth strike movement.
(2019-12-09). Spanish Actor Javier Bardem: We Need Urgency, Ambition & Reduction to Confront Climate Crisis. democracynow.org 
Speakers at Friday's massive climate march in Madrid included the actor Javier Bardem. In 2007, he became the first Spanish actor to win an Academy Award for acting for his supporting role in "No Country for Old Men." He addressed the crowd in Spanish.
(2019-12-09). Indigenous Leader Sà¥nia Guajajara: The Amazon Is Burning & Its Defenders Are Being Assassinated. democracynow.org 
Speakers at Friday's climate march in Madrid included Brazilian indigenous leader Sà¥nia Guajajara. A day after she spoke, two indigenous chiefs — Firmino Prexede Guajajara and Raimundo Guajajara — were gunned down in a drive-by shooting Saturday in Brazil.
(2019-12-09). At Major March in Madrid, Indigenous & Youth Activists Slam Global Leaders for Climate Inaction. democracynow.org 
We broadcast from Madrid, Spain, where the 25th United Nations climate conference is in its second week and representatives from almost 200 countries have gathered for the final days of negotiations. The summit — known as COP25, or conference of parties — has so far focused on meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to "well below 2 degrees Celsius," or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. But climate scientists say the talks are failing to produce the drastic measures necessary to address the climate crisis. Since the Paris Agreement four years ago, greenhouse gas emissions have risen by…