(2019-07-13). California's Biggest Secret? How Big Oil Has Expanded Drilling Under Brown & Newsom. indybay.org Consumer Watchdog and the FracTracker Alliance today released data showing a major increase in permits for new oil and gas wells this year under Governor Newsom. From January 1 to June 3, DOGGR approved 2,365 new oil and gas well permits and 191 fracking permits. | The data reveals that this year regulators have considerably increased the number of permits granted for drilling new wells (by 35.3%), well reworks (by 28.3%), and hydraulic fracturing (by 103.2%) as compared to the permitting rate during the final year of the Brown administration in 2018. Of the 2,365 well permits issued, 1064 or 45% of them benefitt…
(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
(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…
(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
(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…
(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
(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…
(2019-07-12). 'Failing' energy efficiency policy must be improved to meet net zero goals say MPs. thecanary.co The Government is presiding over a "failing policy" when it comes to making sure homes and offices are well insulated and energy efficient, MPs have warned. | Delivering energy efficiency in new and existing buildings needs to be addressed now if the UK is to have "any chance" of achieving its new legal target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, they said. | A report from the Business, Energy and Industrial Committee said the need to save energy in buildings to tackle climate change, end fuel poverty and reduce people's bills was well known. | But public investment in energy efficiency has shrunk, the rate a…
(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.
(2019-07-12). The Climate Crisis Has Made Breathing Smoke Normal in Pacific Northwest. truthout.org You can't accuse Grace Stahre of not working to turn climate change around. She's fought the fossil fuel industry in court, on the streets, in kayaks and on social media. She has rallied to stop new coal terminals and helped pass a moratorium on new gas pipeline infrastructure. And she has lobbied for investment in renewable energy in Seattle, Washington, the city she calls home. | Stahre knew an increase in wildfires for the Pacific Northwest was predicted as a major consequence of climate change 20 years ago. What she didn't know is how quickly wildfires would bring catastrophic climate change to her doorste…
(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…
(2019-07-12). The Case for Declaring a National Climate Emergency. commondreams.org The United Nations recently warned that climate disasters—such as the freak storm in late June that buried Guadalajara, Mexico, in hail—are happening at the rate of one per week. (Photo: Ulises Ruiz / AFP / Getty) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/kormann-climateemergency.jpeg …
(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…
(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…
(2019-07-12). To Bolster Grassroots Groups' Demands for Climate Action, Philanthropists Raise $600 Million for Extinction Rebellion and School Strikers. commondreams.org Heeding the call of grassroots campaigners while many powerful world leaders continue to delay action to solve the climate crisis—or deny that it exists altogether—several wealthy philanthropists announced Friday a new fund that will raise money for climate action groups around the world. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-07-12_at_10.57.37_am.jpg …
(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
(2019-07-11). America's Colonial Climate Crisis. thenation.com America's Colonial Climate Crisis…
(2019-07-11). Brazil: Greenwald Accuses Moro of Threatening Press Freedoms. telesurenglish.net Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro is a threat to press freedom, Intercept journalist Glenn Greenwald said Thursday before the nation's Senate Justice Commission. | RELATED: | First Audio of Brazilian Prosecutor Published in Lava Jato Case | "The climate that the minister is trying to create is a threat to the free press," Greenwald told Brazilian…
(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.
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(2019-07-10). The Limited Mind: Why Fear is Driving Humanity to Extinction. dissidentvoice.org I have previously written many articles describing one or more aspects of the dysfunctional nature of the typical human mind, together with an explanation of how this came about and what we can do about it. I have also explained that it is this dysfunctional psychological foundation that generated the behaviors, as well as the …
(2019-07-09). Alberta Government Declares War On Environmentalists. therealnews.com 
Environmentalist Tzeporah Berman says Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is a "climate change denier"
(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.
(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.
(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…