A Musing on Climate Change
Michael Doliner | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-19
Stefan-Boltzmann law, is the statement that the total radiant heat power emitted from a surface is proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature. As an equation this is written E = œÉT4, E is energy, œÉ is a constant and T is temperature. The amount of energy emitted increases with the fourth power of temperature. Such radiant…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/19/a-musing-on-climate-change/

Thursday's Daily Brief: tobacco burn-out, cholera cases down, 'shifting the needle' on climate
news.un.org | 2019-12-19
Among today's stories: more men are quitting nicotine than ever before, a big drop in cholera cases was recorded between 2017 and 2018, and the UN calls on developed countries to raise their climate ambitions, following the disappointment of COP25.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1054051

FERC Order Props Up Fossil Fuels, Dooms Climate Efforts
commondreams.org | 2019-12-19
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/12/19/ferc-order-props-fossil-fuels-dooms-climate-efforts?cd-origin=rss

Good COP Bad COP
Extinction Rebellion | zcomm.org | 2019-12-19
The results (or lack of them) during the COP in Madrid are proof enough that our leaders have abandoned their people…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/good-cop-bad-cop/

'Red Lights Flashing': Australia Smashes Heat Record Just a Day After Previous Record Hit
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-12-19
Calls for immediate and ambitious action to tackle the climate emergency piled up Thursday in response to preliminary analysis from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology that Wednesday smashed the nation's temperature record by a full 1 ∞C just one day after the previous all-time record. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/australia_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/12/19/red-lights-flashing-australia-smashes-heat-record-just-day-after-previous-record-hit?cd-origin=rss

Jury convicts environmental protesters over Canary Wharf train stunt
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-12-18
Three Extinction Rebellion protesters who glued themselves to a train have been found guilty "with regret" by a jury in the first crown court trial linked to the environmental demonstrations.Cathy Eastburn, 52, Mark Ovland, 36, and Luke Watson, 30, were convicted at Inner London Crown Court after halting Docklands Light Railway services at Canary Wharf station.The trio denied the charges of obstructing a railway on 17 April, saying the stunt was justified because of the threat of the climate crisis.The trio had claimed their actions were justified due to the threat posed by climate change (Kirsty O'Connor/PA)Wats…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2019/12/18/jury-convicts-environmental-protesters-over-canary-wharf-train-stunt/

This Is Why the World Is Facing Climate Catastrophe
Ben Ehrenreich | thenation.com | 2019-12-17
This Is Why the World Is Facing Climate Catastrophe…
thenation.com/article/madrid-climate-summit-cop25/

Melting Greenland Could Displace 400M People; UN Climate Deal Does Little to Help
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-12-17
A new study says that Greenland is melting at a pace far faster than previously estimated and could displace 400 million people due to global sea-level rise.
therealnews.com/stories/melting-greenland-could-displace-400m-people-un-climate-deal-does-little-help

Bolivia's New US-Backed Interim Gov't Wastes No Time Privatizing Economy
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2019-12-16
It has been barely one month since the administration of Jeanine Añez seized power in a military coup in Bolivia, but it has wasted no time in attempting to transform the economy and society. Its latest move is aimed at privatizing the country's economy. A government spokesperson confirmed the fears of many, claiming that "I believe the government should reduce its own size" and a protagonistic role should be given to private enterprises. In case that was not clear enough, he emphasized, "Yes, I'm talking a…
mintpressnews.com/bolivia-interim-government-privatizing-economy/263529/

Millions Wasted on Charter Schools
Jeff Bryant | progressive.org | 2019-12-16
The Network for Public Education calls the findings in its recent report "nothing short of a national scandal."
progressive.org/op-eds/millions-wasted-on-charter-schools-bryant-191216/

COP25 Was a Failure, But Activists' Collective Organizing at the Talks Was Unprecedented
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-16
The COP25 United Nations climate summit ended in failure Sunday, after negotiators failed to agree to a deal that would limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — a key goal of the Paris Agreement. Scores of civil society groups condemned governments in the European Union, Australia, Canada and the U.S. for a deal that requires far less action than needed to avert catastrophic climate change. Indigenous leaders and environmentalists blasted the United Nations for marginalizing civil society groups over two weeks of negotiations at the climate summit, while welcoming polluters.
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/16/cop25_failure_asad_rehman_tasneem_essop

COP25 Was Moved to Spain to Conceal Chilean Government's Human Rights Violations
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-12-13
The concept of "loss and damage" and carbon markets are a sticking point at the UN's climate summit, and protests are continuing in Chile, the original site of the talks. Oxfam's Nafkote Dabi and Gary Hughes of Biofuelwatch discuss the realities of COP25.
therealnews.com/stories/cop25-spain-chile-human-rights-violations

COP25: Developing Countries Charge Ahead with Bold Climate Plans as Rich Countries Drag Their Feet
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-13
As this year's United Nations climate summit wraps up in Madrid, Spain, many activists, scientists, indigenous and grassroots climate leaders say that rich countries most responsible for the climate emergency have spent the talks dialing back ambition and blocking progress. This comes as deadly droughts, flooding, cyclones and wildfires rage around the world. This week, more than 70 developing countries have announced they will accelerate their climate plans, and 72 countries have signed onto goals to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But major emitters Australia, China, India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia have…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/13/cop25_developing_countries_charge_ahead_with

Climate Refugees: Climate-Fueled Drought, Sea Level Rise, Storms & Fires Displace Millions Worldwide
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-13
A new report reveals how long-term disasters, including sea level rise and desertification, and short-term disasters, such as storms and fires, are especially threatening to people living in the Global South and island nations. We speak with the co-author of a new study that finds the climate crisis is already leading to a massive increase in the number of refugees being displaced around the world. Hossein Ayazi is a policy analyst with the Global Justice Program at the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. We're also joined at the U.N. Climate Summit in Madrid by Saleemul Huq,…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/13/climate_refugees_climate_fueled_drought_sea

Greta Thunberg at COP25: 'There Is no Sense of Urgency'
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-12-12
Climate activist Greta Thunberg, whom Time Magazine just named "Person of the Year," spoke to delegates at the COP25 climate conference in Madrid.
therealnews.com/stories/greta-thunberg-cop25-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency

A New Report Finds Massive Waste and Abuse in Federally Funded Charter Schools
Jeff Bryant | progressive.org | 2019-12-12
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.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/new-report-waste-abuse-charter-bryants-191212/

"We Want People Power Solutions": Activists Ousted from COP25 for Protesting Corporations at Summit
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-12
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/12/cop25_protesters_forced_out_of_summit

Greta Thunberg Slams COP25, Says Response to Climate Crisis Is "Clever Accounting and Creative PR"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-12
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/12/greta_thunberg_speech_cop_time_magazine

Uganda's First Fridays for Future Climate Striker, Vanessa Nakate, Joins COP25 Protests in Madrid
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-12
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."
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/12/cop25_vanessa_nakate_uganda

Marshall Islands Climate Activist Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner Shares a Poem for Survival as Sea Levels Rise
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-12
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.
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/12/marshall_islands_cop25_kathy_jetnil_kijiner

Chicago students take to the streets for the Climate Strike
Aviva Levine | liberationnews.org | 2019-12-11
"Planet over profits!"
liberationnews.org/chicago-students-take-to-the-streets-for-the-climate-strike/

New Climate Model Predicts Alarming Levels of Global Heating
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-12-10
Dr. Neil Swart of the Canadian Center for Climate Modelling & Analysis says a new model predicts nearly 8 ∞C of heating by 2100 in a high emissions scenario.
therealnews.com/stories/new-climate-model-predicts-alarming-level-of-global-heating

Milwaukee: People's Climate Coalition marches on Wells Fargo, Chase Bank
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-12-10
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…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/12/9/milwaukee-people-s-climate-coalition-marches-wells-fargo-chase-bank

Sarasota students join global climate strike
Bryan Ellis | liberationnews.org | 2019-12-10
On Friday, 50 students and community members gathered at the Unconditional Surrender statue by Sarasota's bayfront to urge action on the global climate crisis.
liberationnews.org/sarasota-students-join-global-climate-strike/

The Case for a Green New Deal
Naomi Klein | zcomm.org | 2019-12-10
Interview on the case for a Green New Deal that tackles the causes and impacts of climate change while confronting racial and economic inequality…
zcomm.org/zvideo/the-case-for-a-green-new-deal/

Real climate action requires cutting coal exports
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-12-10
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…
greenleft.org.au/content/real-climate-action-requires-cutting-coal-exports

Arizona educators, progressives confront ALEC summit and Betsy DeVos
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-12-09
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…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/12/8/arizona-educators-progressives-confront-alec-summit-and-betsy-devos

goodman climate refugees teaser
James Goodman | progressive.org | 2019-12-06
Climate change, pollution, and violence drive people to the U.S. border, even with no promise of a path to citizenship.
progressive.org/dispatches/fleeing-not-migrating-goodman-191206/

The answer to the climate crisis is obvious: ban climate protests
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-29
environment Carlo SandsIssue 1247 Australia Carlo's CornerNovember 29, 2019As Australia burns amid record-breaking temperatures and ongoing drought, and report a…
greenleft.org.au/content/answer-climate-crisis-obvious-ban-climate-protests

School climate strikers sit down outside Liberal HQ
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-29
Climate Zebedee ParkesIssue 1247 Australia School Strike 4 Climate SydneyNovember 29, 2019School climate strikers sat down in front of the Liberal Party's Sydney headquarters on November 29, as par…
greenleft.org.au/content/school-climate-strikers-sit-down-outside-liberal-hq