(2019-02-11). Mexican Loggers Poach Protected Woods in Guatemalan Nat'l Parks. telesurenglish.net The Guatemalan environmental group Foundation for Ecodevelopment and Conservation (FundaEco) is denouncing illegal Mexican loggers for extracting hardwood trees that take decades to mature from two national parks. | RELATED: | Tens of Thousands in Europe Protest Against Climate Change | Illegal loggers have been removing hectares from the Mirador Rio Azul National Park and Dos Lagunas national parks, located in the bi…
(2019-02-11). A Green New Deal is the first step toward an eco-revolution. mronline.org 
In this interview, Foster discusses why a Green New Deal is just an entry point to an ecological revolution, and why any economic-social system that hopes to address the climate crisis must transcend capitalism. | Source
(2019-02-11). Reactionaries Call the Green New Deal 'Radical,' Like That's a Bad Thing. thenation.com Reactionaries Call the Green New Deal 'Radical,' Like That's a Bad Thing…
(2019-02-11). Scientists Issue Dire Warning About Collapsing Insect Populations. truthdig.com 
Presented in exclusive reporting by the Guardian's environment editor Damian Carrington, the findings of the new analysis, published in the journal Biological Conservation, found that industrial agricultural techniques—"particularly the heavy use of pesticides"—as well as climate change and urbanization are the key drivers behind the extinction-level decline of insect populations that could herald…
(2019-02-11). The Problem of International Law. consortiumnews.com Modern institutions that hold back the rise of barbarism are being weakened, writes Lawrence Davidson. By Lawrence Davidson To the Point Analysis.com Several recent events suggest that global warming is not the only thing threatening our future. As if they are… Read more →
(2019-02-11). Rep. Huffman Introduces Bill to Restore Protections to the Arctic Refuge. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-02-11). Statement: The Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act Is the Strong Step We Need to Protect the Crown Jewel of Our Wildlife Refuge System. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-02-11). Gutting Payday Loan Rules Will Harm Vulnerable Families. hrw.org 
| | Gutting payday loan rules will harm vulnerable families | © Seth Anderson/Flickr | Proposed plans to get rid of rules designed to protect largely low-income consumers from abusive high-interest loans risk the well-being of some of America's most vulnerable households. | The United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently announced the proposal to rescind rules that would have meant payday and auto-title lenders had to make sure that customers could repay loans under the terms of the contract. Loans not…
(2019-02-11). When Politicians Say "Free Trade," They Mean Upward Redistribution. truthout.org In Washington policy circles, being a supporter of free trade is pretty much comparable to saying you believe in evolution. All reasonable people say they accept the doctrine and agree that tariffs and other forms of protectionism are evil and dirty. | While there are good arguments for free trade as an economic policy, in the real world what passes for "free trade" is pretty much any policy that redistributes income upward, even if it is directly at odds with free trade. I have long harped on patent and copyright protection, both because I think that these government-granted monopolies are bad policy (at leas…
(2019-02-11). Lebanon: No Justification for LGBT Crackdown. hrw.org (Beirut) — Lebanese security forces have repeatedly interfered with human rights events related to gender and sexuality in violation of international human rights protections, Human Rights Watch said today in a complaint to United Nations (UN) human rights officials. | The complaint follows unsuccessful attempts by Human Rights Watch to meet with Lebanon's General Security officials about recent security force actions that have undermined the rights o…
(2019-02-11). Global Poll Reveals Surging Fear of Climate Crisis and US Power Under Trump. commondreams.org While a rapidly rising number of people across the globe are worried about the climate crisis—prompting warnings from scientists, demands for robust action, and sweeping legislative proposals such as the Green New Deal—there are also mounting concerns about the United States in the era of President Donald Trump, according to new polling from the Pew Research Center. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/california_0.png…
(2019-02-11). 'Mass Invasion': Russian Islands in State of Emergency as Hotter Planet Drives Polar Bears to Hunger. commondreams.org As human activity continues to drive the climate crisis that is causing rapid ice loss at both poles and in other cold regions, destroying the habitats of animals who live there, Russian islands in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago have declared a state of emergency in response to a "mass invasion" of dozens of starving polar bears who have been "chasing people and entering residential buildings." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/polar_bears_0.jpg…
(2019-02-11). North Dakota Seeks to Restrict Access to Public Records After Standing Rock Reporting Exposed Law Enforcement Abuses. theintercept.com 
A new bill would prevent the release of records related to security operations involving "critical infrastructure," which includes fossil fuel pipelines.
(2019-02-11). Where Is Elizabeth Warren's Fire in the Realm of Foreign Policy? truthout.org As Americans spend the next two years debating who should be the next president of the United States, domestic issues are likely to take the forefront of media discussion. Should we establish a single-payer health care system? How should we address climate change? What should the US's immigration policy look like? | But in each of these areas, the composition of Congress is likely to be more decisive in terms of the actual policy the next president enacts. However, there is one role the next president will play where the individual sitting in the Oval Office will make almost all of the important decisions: tha…
(2019-02-10). Sen. Chris Murphy to Doubters: Green New Deal 'Absolutely Realistic' and the Kind of Plan Needed to Avert Climate Disaster. commondreams.org "Global warming is an existential threat to the planet, so if we don't command this country to think big about saving our nation and our world from destruction, then I don't think we're gonna get close to meeting the mark." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/murphy_green_new_deal.jpg…
(2019-02-10). Feds sue Lockheed Martin for kickbacks & fraud in Hanford nuclear site clean-up contracts. rt.com 
Contractors involved in a multibillion decontamination effort at the notorious Hanford nuclear site have been accused of defrauding US taxpayers, according to a lawsuit against Mission Support Alliance and Lockheed Martin.
(2019-02-10). Australia Court Rules it is the 'Wrong Time' for Coal. hrw.org 
| | A coal mine near Gunnedah, Australia, September 11, 2012. | © AP Photo/Rob Griffith | An Australia court has rejected an appeal to grant permission to develop a new coal mine because it will contribute to global warming, the latest in a series of court rulings grounded in concerns over climate change. | It is the "wrong time" for coal, the Environmental and Land Court of New South Wales concluded, "because the GHG [Greenhouse Gas] emissi…
(2019-02-10). Twitter erupts after 'snowflakes' force Rob Lowe to delete Warren 'chief' tweet. rt.com 
Actor Rob Lowe's tweet mocking Elizabeth Warren's controversial claims to Native American ancestry was deleted following a wave of outrage, which in turn prompted a heated backlash about "snowflakes" and Hollywood hypocrisy.
(2019-02-09). A conversation about Climate Change with Dharna Noor and Steve Horn — The Baltimore Podcast Show. therealnews.com 
Eze Jackson and Tracey Beale talk with Dharna Noor and Steve Horn about their work reporting on climate change and the urgency for us to act now
(2019-02-09). Elizabeth Warren officially launches her 2020 presidential bid. rt.com 
The fight to be the Democrats' candidate in 2020 is heating up, with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren officially launching her campaign, days after apologizing afresh for having previously claimed Native American heritage.
(2019-02-08). Greenwashing the Climate Catastrophe. counterpunch.org "With "capitalism in danger of falling apart" (a rare, cryptically honest quote from Al Gore), and years of stagnant global economic growth now in a free fall, the Greta campaign must be understood for what it is. An elaborate distraction that has nothing to do with protecting the natural world, and everything to do with More
(2019-02-08). Climate Justice and Economic Justice Are Not in Conflict. thenation.com Climate Justice and Economic Justice Are Not in Conflict…
(2019-02-08). Ocasio-Cortez & Markey Unveil Sweeping "Green New Deal" to Radically Shift U.S. Off Fossil Fuels. democracynow.org 
After months of anticipation, Democratic New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey introduced a resolution for the Green New Deal Thursday, presenting a sweeping plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 10 years, make major investments in public transit and federal jobs, fully transition the U.S. electricity off fossil fuels and codify indigenous peoples' rights to prior consent and approval for decisions that affect them. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seemed to mock the proposal on Wednesday, referring to it as a "green dream, or whatever they call i…
(2019-02-08). SPLC statement on removal of provisions that protect consumers from predatory lenders. splcenter.org We are deeply disappointed in a decision this week by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to rescind rules that would have protected consumers from predatory lenders.
(2019-02-08). The Green New Deal Must Take on the Fossil Fuel Industry. therealnews.com 
Greenpeace's Janet Redman says the Green New Deal proposal from Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Markey is a step towards unprecedented climate action, but that it must mandate a phase-out of oil, gas, and coal
(2019-02-08). The UN climate conference: where ambition goes to die. greenleft.org.au 
This is an eyewitness account of the UN Climate Conference COP24, held in Katowice, Poland, in December last year from the perspective of one of the 30,000 participants. All attempts will be taken to avoid acronyms of climate terms, or at least explain them, and I will outline the 'insider information' that I got from my first COP. | As a political advisor in the European Parliament, I am used to working on EU-level climate and energy legislation, but now I found myself with an access badge to a global conference on the even messier stage of climate politics, the international level. A cup of tea with a curious f…
(2019-02-08). Five new books for ecosocialists — February edition. greenleft.org.au 
Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus takes a look at five new releases for an ecosocialist bookshelf. Inclusion doesn't necessarily imply agreement with a book's contents. | *** | End Of The Megafauna: The Fate of the World's Hugest, Fiercest and Strangest Animals
| Written by Ross DE MacPhee & illustrated by Peter Schouten
| WW Norton, 2019 | Until a few thousand years ago, gorilla-sized lemurs, 500-pound birds, and 2000-pound crocodiles lived on every habitable continent and on many islands. Many scientists blame human overhunting…
(2019-02-07). Anti-LGBT Groups Launch Movement Against Federal Equality Act. splcenter.org Anti-LGBT hate group leaders and activists recently launched a new project, the #Gone2Far movement (GTFM), to oppose H.R. 2282, the federal Equality Act, which seeks to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections for the categories of a person's sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.
(2019-02-07). Okinawa and the US Military Link to PFAS Toxins. consortiumnews.com The Japanese island hosting U.S. military bases and training sites is a forerunner in exposing the contamination, writes Pat Elder. Fire-Fighting Exercises Spread 'Forever Chemicals' By Pat Elder World BEYOND War Contaminants are being detected in water samplings in communities… Read more →
(2019-02-07). Student climate strike: 'It's our future'. greenleft.org.au 
After the successful School Strike 4 Climate Action last November 30, where more than 15,000 students walked out of school, organisers have called another strike for March 15 as part of a Global Day of Action — and they are asking others to join in. | Richard Lane and Maureen Murphy spoke to Year 9 student Lilly Murphy, who has been involved in the School Strike 4 Climate Action, about the climate strike movement. | *** | How did you get involved with the Student Strike 4 Climate Action? | A few of my school friends knew about it due to social media. There were also a few signs around school. | One of them…
(2019-02-07). Climate Justice Advocates Testify At House Committee Hearing. therealnews.com 
In their first hearing since Democrats claimed Congress, the House Natural Resources Committee heard from climate advocates. We sat down with one witness, Climate Justice Alliance's Elizabeth Yeampierre
(2019-02-05). Birds of Passage Depicts the Devastation of Drug Trafficking for South America's Indigenous People. progressive.org Blame it on the Peace Corps.
(2019-02-01). Climate Jobs for All. zcomm.org Building Block for the Green New Deal…
(2018-12-24). A "Massive Outlaw" zcomm.org Interview on Single Payer, Climate Devastation, Impeachment…