Daily Archives: August 30, 2019

2019-08-30: News Headlines

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2019-08-30). The Amazon Inferno. counterpunch.org One of the lasting highlights of my teaching at the University of New Orleans in 1991-1992 was my travel to Brazil in January 1992 for a conference on climate change. This was a rehearsal for the June 1992 Earth Summit on Climate Change in Rio. My conference took place in Fortaleza, a beautiful town in More

Climate Justice SF (2019-08-30). Strike for Climate Justice! San Francisco Direct Action, Sept 25. indybay.org Montgomery & Market in downtown San Francisco…

susan_p (2019-08-30). Britain: Extinction Rebellion protesters convicted. greenleft.org.au protestIssue 1235 Britain Extinction Rebellion climate crisisAugust 30, 2019Three activists from climate change direct action group Extinction Rebellion (XR) have been convicted after being arrested at protests earlier this year. | They are the first activists to stand trial…

pip.hinman (2019-08-30). Climate activists set to blockade mining conference. greenleft.org.au IMARC 2019 blockade Jack StickneyIssue 1235 Australia climate emergency MelbourneAugust 30, 2019Climate justice activists are organising a mass blockade of a major mining conference in Melb…

pip.hinman (2019-08-30). Save the Amazon. greenleft.org.au climate emergency Zebedee ParkesIssue 1235 Australia Amazon forest firesAugust 30, 2019Environmental activists rallied in Melbourne and Sydney on August 25 in response to fires destroying the Amazon rainforest. | They demanded an end to the deforestation po…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-08-30). United Electrical Becomes First US Industrial Union to Endorse Green New Deal and Global Climate Strike. commondreams.org The 35,000-member union called the transformative proposal "our best hope to meet the challenge of climate change while creating millions of good union jobs." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ue_green_new_deal.jpg

CP Editor (2019-08-30). DNC Kills Climate Debate Compromise. counterpunch.org

Martha Grevatt (2019-08-29). Belfast workers fight layoffs, climate change. workers.org Workers have occupied the Harland and Wolff shipyard in the north of Ireland since July 29. They are fighting to save the last 132 jobs at the 166-year-old Belfast company, which at its peak during World War I employed 35,000 and is most famous for building the Titanic. The workers . . . | Continue reading Belfast workers fight layoffs, climate change at Workers.org

Mark Bergfeld (2019-08-29). German unions are waking up to the climate disaster. mronline.org The call to stop the production of coal and cars often sounds like a threat to jobs. But German trade unions have realized that the green transition needs to happen—and they're fighting to make sure it's bosses, not workers, who pay for climate justice. | Source

teleSUR (2019-08-29). UN Welcomes Teen Climate Activist with 17 Sailing Ships. telesurenglish.net Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg sailed into New York Harbor Wednesday in a zero-carbon emissions vessel, completing her nearly 14-day journey from England to take part in a United Nations climate summit. | RELATED: | US Defends Brazil's Sovereign Right To (Not) Fight Amazon Fires | The 16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl, who set sail from Plymouth, England, on Aug. 14, was greeted by cheers, chants and singing as her silver sailboat, the Malitzia II, cruised past the Statue of…

Staff (2019-08-29). Greta Thunberg Arrives in NYC to Fight "Biggest Crisis Humanity Has Ever Faced" truthout.org | | Following weeks of anticipation, Swedish climate justice activist Greta Thunberg arrived on the shores of Lower Manhattan Wednesday afternoon after a 15-day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in an emissions-free yacht. She was welcomed on land by hundreds of supporters at the North Cove Marina. As Thunberg's yacht sailed over the horizon and past the Statue of Liberty, youth climate activists chanted "The sea levels are rising, and so are we!" and "We are unstoppable! Another world is pos…

The Canary (2019-08-29). Antibiotic resistance 'could kill humanity before climate breakdown does'. thecanary.co Antimicrobial resistance could soon kill at least 10 million people per year and wipe out humanity "before climate change does", England's chief medical officer has warned. | Professor Dame Sally Davies also cautioned…

Tara Lohan (2019-08-29). California tribe hopes to conquer climate woes — With fire. nationofchange.org More and more land in California is going up in flames. The area in the state burned by wildfires has increased by a factor of five since 1972, according to a recent study, which identified human-caused warming the likely culprit. So what's to be done? The Karuk Tribe wants to fight fire with fire. This summer …

Ronnie Cummins (2019-08-29). Bernie Sanders' Green New Deal is a Game-Changer for Food & Farming. commondreams.org Bernie will lead our country to enact the Green New Deal and bring the world together to defeat the existential threat of climate change. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/sunflower_sunset_landscape_1200x630_0.jpeg

commondreams (2019-08-29). Trump Administration Proposal to Gut Methane Rules Would Accelerate Climate Change. commondreams.org ______________________________…

United Nations (2019-08-29). Decades of progress 'can be wiped out overnight,' UN chief laments at climate session in Yokohama. un.org "Little undermines development like disaster," UN Secretary-General António Guterres told attendees at a thematic session on Africa and climate change, on day two of the Tokyo international Conference on African Development (TICAD), now in its seventh year.

Amy Goodman (2019-08-29). How Bolsonaro's climate change denial & anti-indigenous policies led to massive fires in the Amazon. nationofchange.org In Brazil, fires continue to rage in the Amazon, and new drone footage shows the smoke and flames gathering strength. A vast plume of smoke has spread across South America and the Atlantic Ocean and is visible from space. The fires are also destroying large swaths of land in Bolivia. The fires are unprecedented in …

Amy Goodman (2019-08-29). "Kochland": How David Koch helped build an empire to shape U.S. politics & thwart climate action. nationofchange.org Billionaire conservative donor David Koch died Friday at the age of 79 from prostate cancer. David Koch — who was worth some $42 billion — and his brother Charles poured massive amounts of money into funding climate change denial through conservative think tanks and politicians. The Koch brothers founded the political advocacy group Americans for …

Staff (2019-08-29). Trump Guts Methane Restrictions in Latest Assault on Climate. truthdig.com Amid dire scientific warnings that the international community must act immediately to slash greenhouse gas emissions, President Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency is reportedly set to take another step in the opposite direction Thursday by unveiling a rule that would gut restrictions on the fossil fuel industry's methane pollution. | According to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the proposed rule change Thursday, the EPA's plan would scrap regulations requiring the oil and gas in…

Francesc Badia i Dalmases (2019-08-29). The Open Amazon and Its Enemies: A Call for Action and Optimism. globalresearch.ca The Amazon, now on fire, has become the central political and geopolitical hot spot for humanity's right to its own future. Optimism is the gasoline that must feed the fight. | *** | June and July have been the hottest months on

commondreams (2019-08-29). Trump Administration's Roll Back of Methane Regulations Shows 'Profound Ignorance of Climate Change and State of Methane Monitoring Technology'. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Rebecca Solnit (2019-08-29). Welcome to the US, Greta. With Your Help We Can Save the Planet and Ourselves. commondreams.org Greta Thunberg arrives in New York after a 15-day journey crossing the Atlantic. (Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/greta_1.jpeg

pip.hinman (2019-08-29). 21 ideas for a just transition to a coal-free future (and how to pay for it). greenleft.org.au climate emergency Zane AlcornIssue 1235 Australia Divest from fossil fuels just transitions coalAugust 29, 2019Australia's polit…

Staff (2019-08-29). Headlines for August 29, 2019. democracynow.org EPA to Roll Back Methane Regulations in Blow to Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Trump Moves to Allow Logging in World's Largest Intact Temperate Rainforest, Hurricane Dorian Gains Strength, Threatens Bahamas & Florida, Swedish Youth Climate Justice Activist Greta Thunberg Arrives in NYC After 15-Day Boat Trip, Gillibrand Drops Out of 2020 Race as Just 10 Dems Qualify for Sept. Debate, Thousands Protest "Coup" in U.K. as Boris Johnson Suspends Parliament Ahead of Brexit, New Coalition Government May Be Formed in Italy, Italian Humanitarian Ship Rescues 100 Migrants Off Coast of Libya, Separatists & Government-B…

Staff (2019-08-29). Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Arrives in NYC to Fight "Biggest Crisis Humanity Has Ever Faced" democracynow.org Following weeks of anticipation, Swedish climate justice activist Greta Thunberg arrived on the shores of Lower Manhattan Wednesday afternoon after a 15-day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in an emissions-free yacht. She was welcomed on land by hundreds of supporters at the North Cove Marina. As Thunberg's yacht sailed over the horizon and past the Statue of Liberty, youth climate activists chanted "The sea levels are rising, and so are we!" and "We are unstoppable! Another world is possible!" The 16-year-old climate activist is kickstarting a months-long tour of the Americas. For her first action, she will be j…

Fidel Castro Ruz (2019-08-28). Fidel Castro's prescient warning on climate change. liberationnews.org Fidel Castro Ruz, historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, warned almost 30 years ago that collective and urgent action was needed to combat the destruction of the Earth's environment.

United Nations (2019-08-28). Wednesday's Daily Brief: Guterres talks technology for Africa's development, 'extinction crisis' prompts stronger wildlife protection, Greta Thunberg reaches New York, funding shortfalls in Iraq, a positive step for Indigenous women. un.org A recap of Wednesday's stories: Secretary-General António Guterres says 'winds of hope are blowing ever stronger' for Africa's development; Swedish climate youth activist Greta Thunberg reaches New York by boat; Chief of UN Mission for Iraq warns on funding shortfalls; and in Canada, a new bill recognizes the rights of indigenous women.

United Nations (2019-08-28). Teen activist Greta Thunberg arrives in New York by boat, putting 'climate crisis' in spotlight. un.org After a two-week sail across the Atlantic, youth climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in the Big Apple on Wednesday to take part in two major climate summits to be held at UN Headquarters next month.

United Nations (2019-08-28). Partnerships with civil society and youth 'essential' for a future that leaves no one behind: General Assembly President. un.org Partnerships with civil society and youth are essential to achieving the goals of key UN-backed international agreements, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Paris Agreement on climate change, María Fernanda Espinosa, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, told delegates at the UN Civil Society Conference on Wednesday.

United Nations (2019-08-28). 'Extinction crisis' pushes countries to agree stronger protection for global wildlife. un.org At-risk wildlife that is facing a "growing extinction crisis" received a boost on Wednesday, as countries wrapped up a marathon meeting in Geneva, by agreeing to increased protection measures and more sustainable trade in animals and plants across the globe.

Staff (2019-08-28). How Bolsonaro's Climate Change Denial & Anti-Indigenous Policies Led to Massive Fires in the Amazon. democracynow.org In Brazil, fires continue to rage in the Amazon, and new drone footage shows the smoke and flames gathering strength. A vast plume of smoke has spread across South America and the Atlantic Ocean and is visible from space. The fires are also destroying large swaths of land in Bolivia. The fires are unprecedented in recorded history, and environmentalists say most of the fires were deliberately set by illegal miners and cattle ranchers. So far this year, there have been nearly 73,000 fires in Brazil, with over half of them in the Amazon region — an 83% increase from the same period last year. Far-right Brazil…

Staff (2019-08-27). DNC Kills Climate Debate Compromise. therealnews.com Days after rejecting the proposal to sanction debate focused on the climate crisis, the DNC voted 222-137 against allowing candidates to participate in even a non-sanctioned one…

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2019-08-27). What Will It Take To Declare A Climate Emergency? dissidentvoice.org Students march in Melbourne, Australia. Source AAP. The Embassy Protectors Defense Committee is calling on the US State Department to drop the federal charges against us. On May 16, federal forces invaded the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC in violation of the Vienna Convention and arrested four Embassy Protectors even though we were there with …

Staff (2019-08-27). David Koch Is Dead, But His Legacy of Climate Denial Lives On. therealnews.com Seminal climate scientist Michael Mann, who was the target of a Koch-funded smear, explains how the Koch Brothers "almost single-handedly stymied climate action for decades."

RT (2019-08-27). Seattle courthouse drowning in waste, but cleaning it up would be… racist? rt.com When two Seattle, Washington judges asked the local authorities to clean up garbage and human waste from the homeless camp outside their courthouse, one council member worried that power-washing the sidewalks might be racist. | The King County courthouse in downtown Seattle is located near the social service centers and several homeless shelters. A tent city has sprung up in the little park outside. There have been several assaults on courthouse employees, and even two attacks on jurors In May and June, leading to citizens summoned for jury duty to voice concerns about their safety. | Judges Laura Inveen and J…

Staff (2019-08-27). "Kochland": How David Koch Helped Build an Empire to Shape U.S. Politics & Thwart Climate Action. democracynow.org Billionaire conservative donor David Koch died Friday at the age of 79 from prostate cancer. David Koch — who was worth some $42 billion — and his brother Charles poured massive amounts of money into funding climate change denial through conservative think tanks and politicians. The Koch brothers founded the political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity in 2004, which is credited with turning the "tea party" into a full-fledged political movement. They also backed "right-to-work" efforts, which aim to weaken labor rights and quash union membership. The brothers made their fortune running Koch Indu…

JOCDC (2019-08-26). No Coal, No Gas: Climate activists remove coal from Merrimack generating station. liberationnews.org "…it is now a necessity to take matters into our own hands…"

United Nations (2019-08-26). Monday's Daily Brief: UN chief talks climate action at G7, WFP official visits camp in Central African Republic, Deadly violence at Lesvos migrant centre, Security Council meets on AU-UN Darfur mission. un.org A recap of Monday's stories: UN chief urges more action from G7 leaders to tackle 'climate emergency'; WFP official visits camp for displaced in Central African Republic, UN refugee agency calls on Greece to keep young migrants safe after deadly incident at Lesvos reception centre; and Security Council considers work of AU-UN Mission in Sudan's Darfur region.

United Nations (2019-08-26). FROM THE FIELD: Malawi farmers diversify to fight climate change. un.org Farmers in Malawi are diversifying their crops and adopting sustainable technologies as they look at ways to adapt to a changing climate.

Lee Fang (2019-08-26). David Koch's Most Significant Legacy Is the Election of Donald Trump. theintercept.com David Koch, the fossil fuel industry billionaire who passed away on August 23 at the age of 79, spent the second half of his life building a political power structure alongside his brother Charles that radically reshaped society and set the conditions for the rise of President Donald Trump. | Many obituaries published in recent days examine Koch's history of polluting the environment and political system, how the donor network he helped lead mobilized opposition to addressing climate change, transformed our election laws to allow unlimited secret spending by the very rich, and systematically fought any regulation…

Staff (2019-08-26). Unreported Deaths, Child Cancer & Radioactive Meat: The Untold Story of Chernobyl. democracynow.org Following a mysterious nuclear accident in Russia that left seven dead, we look back at the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl. It sent a cloud of radioactive fallout into Russia, Belarus and over a large portion of Europe, but the death toll from Chernobyl remains unknown. Chernobyl is considered the worst nuclear accident in history, but Kate Brown, an MIT professor of science, technology and society, says much of what we understand about the disaster is inaccurate. Her new book, "Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future," chronicles the devastating and underreported impact of radiation on tens of t…

Staff (2019-08-26). Mysterious Russian Nuclear Missile Accident Sparks Fears of Cover-Up & "Chernobyl Redux" democracynow.org Questions are swirling over a mysterious nuclear accident in northern Russia on August 8. Seven people, including five nuclear scientists, died in an explosion, which caused a radiation spike in the surrounding area — and possibly as far as Scandinavia. U.S. experts suspect the explosion was caused during a test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile. Russia initially denied a radiation leak, but earlier today its state weather agency confirmed radioactive isotopes have been found in test samples in the city of Severodvinsk near the military test range. Norway's nuclear test ban monitor now believes two explos…

Staff (2019-08-26). Headlines for August 26, 2019. democracynow.org World Leaders Pledge Amazon Help as Trump Sends Mixed Signals About China at G7 Summit, Iran's Foreign Minister Zarif Makes Surprise Appearance at G7 to Hold Talks with European Officials, Protesters Call Out G7 Leaders over Corporate Ties, Climate Inaction and Inequality, Wildfires Continue to Consume Amazon as Public Outrage Grows, Police Deploy Water Cannons, Fire a Live Warning Shot at Hong Kong Protesters, Attacks in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq Add to Mounting Tensions in Middle East, EU Countries Say They Will Relocate Migrants Stranded on Ship After 2-Week Standoff, 200,000 Rohingya Refugees March for "Genocid…

Aída Chávez (2019-08-24). National Democrats Endorse John Hickenlooper, a Proponent of Fracking, in Competitive Colorado Primary. theintercept.com In Colorado, nearly a dozen Democrats are vying for the opportunity to take on Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020 — a race widely seen as the party's most promising pick-up in the Senate. One of the leading contenders, former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, is running on a platform that includes Medicare for All and an aggressive plan to combat the climate crisis — and his campaign has already topped $1 million in fundraising. | But the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has thrown its weight behind former Gov. John Hickenlooper, a pro-fracking moderate. After months of rejecting calls…

Staff (2019-08-23). "Our House Is On Fire": Brazil Faces Global Outrage as Massive Fires Spread in Amazon Rainforest. democracynow.org The United Nations is calling for the protection of the Amazon amid fears that thousands of fires raging across Brazil and some parts of Bolivia are rapidly destroying the world's largest rainforest and paving the way for a climate catastrophe. The fires have spread a vast plume of smoke across South America and the Atlantic Ocean that's visible from space. They're unprecedented in recorded history, and environmentalists say most of the fires were deliberately set by illegal miners and cattle ranchers. Indigenous people in Brazil have accused far-right President Jair Bolsonaro of encouraging the destruction. Bols…

Staff (2019-08-23). Headlines for August 23, 2019. democracynow.org U.N. Calls for Protection of the Amazon as Rainforest Burns at Record Pace, Indigenous Communities Say Brazil's President Is Encouraging Destruction of Forests, Bernie Sanders Unveils Ambitious Green New Deal to Avert Climate Catastrophe, Democratic Leaders Reject Resolution Calling for Candidate Climate Debate, French Authorities to Crack Down on Protest as 13,000 Police Mobilize for G7 Summit, Syrian Forces Encircle Last Major Rebel-Held Stronghold in Hama Province, U.N.: Burmese Troops Had "Genocidal Intent" in Targeting Rohingya for Sexual Violence, Indonesia Deploys Troops to Quell Independence Protests in W…

Janine Jackson (2019-08-23). GateHouse's Takeover of Gannett: Bad News for Journalism and the Planet. fair.org USA Today's "Just the FAQs" video ( 8/20/19) on the Amazon fires—which promises to explain, "How does this affect our planet?"—manages to avoid ever using the words "climate" or "global warming." (There is one reference to "carbon and greenhouse gases," not further explained.) | | USA Today ran a piece ( 8/20/19) on the Amazon fires in which "anthropogenic climate…

Kate Aronoff (2019-08-22). Bernie Sanders's Climate Plan Is More Radical Than His Opponents' — And More Likely to Succeed. theintercept.com The $16.3 trillion plan would not only transition American society away from fossil fuels but renegotiate decades-old nostrums about the government's role in the economy.

Staff (2019-08-22). Headlines for August 22, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Administration Proposes Jailing Migrant Families Indefinitely, Federal Budget Deficit to Top $1 Trillion in 2020, Satellite Data Show Brazilian Amazon Burning at Record Pace, Brazilian President Bolsonaro Blames Environmentalists for Amazon Fires, Wildfires Rage in Alaska, Canary Islands, Siberia and Greenland, Gov. Jay Inslee, Champion of Climate Fight, Drops 2020 Presidential Bid, Activists Disrupt Event Honoring House Speaker Pelosi to Demand Trump's Impeachment, Abdalla Hamdok Sworn In as Sudan's Prime Minister, Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Mark Anniversary of Subway Attack, Mexico's Zapatistas Exp…

Naomi Klein (2019-08-21). Why the Democratic National Committee Must Change the Rules and Hold a Climate Debate. theintercept.com A girl holds a sign that reads "pull the emergency brake" at a ceremony to commemorate the Okjà∂kull glacier in Iceland, on Aug. 18, 2019. | recorded in human history. You are meeting on the same week that smoke from a record number of wildfires in the Amazon rainforest turned day into night in the Brazilian megapolis of Sà£o Paulo. And you are meeting just days after Iceland's prime minister led her country in its first Last Process: 50 Citations: 2019-08-30 19:19 GMT (15:20 EST)