(2019-12-20). Capitalism and the Limits of Greening. counterpunch.org The idea of a Green New Deal, including the one proposed by a group of Democrats led by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is hardly novel on the world scene, though potentially consequential for American politics. European Green parties, for example, introduced far-reaching policies in support of an ecological (sustainable) model of development as early as 1980. A few other European leftist parties later arrived at their own "greening" initiatives to mitigate climate disruption. The much-smaller U.S. Greens followed suit. Even the authoritarian Chinese government has introduced its own program to curb green…
(2019-12-20). Blood Memory Rising, Book Review of Standing with Standing Rock. indybay.org 'Standing with Standing Rock,' is an encyclopedia of resistance, which chronicles the Water Protector movement from the first run to Washington, and on to the camps, and the surveillance by TigerSwan, to the ultimate international divestment campaign. In its 29 chapters are poetry, essays and discussions of Indigenous rights and Treaties.
(2019-12-20). Climate Crisis Rages in Australia, With 14 of 15 Hottest Places in World and Sydney Fire-Besieged. commondreams.org Residents defend a property from a bushfirein Taree, north of Sydney.(Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/australia.jpg …
(2019-12-20). Key Takeaways From Democratic Presidential Debate in L.A. truthdig.com LOS ANGELES — Democratic presidential candidates offered two very different debates during their final forum of 2019. In the first half, they spent much of their time making the case for their electability in a contest with President Donald Trump. The second half was filled with friction over money in politics, Afghanistan and experience. | MONEY TALKED | The candidates jousted cordially over the economy, climate change and foreign policy. But it was a wine cave that opened up the fault lines in the 2020 field. | That wine cave, highlighted in a recent …
(2019-12-20). Diversity Rules Environment, OK? counterpunch.org Could some of the most talked of solutions to climate chaos have the reverse effect and make things worse? Some critics think so, and they aren't "deniers" who think climate change isn't real. The concept of "net zero" carbon emissions, for example, might actually help industry pollute, because one of the commonest ways to reach for it is through "carbon offsets." This means that if a corporation is responsible for a ton of carbon dioxide emissions — which is bad — but at the same time it funds a project which "captures" (or "sequesters") a ton of carbon — which is good — then the "net emi…
(2019-12-20). Climate Strike: SF Bay Area Youth Strike in Oakland. indybay.org Plaza outside Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612…
(2019-12-20). Everything You Wanted to Know about Climate Change, but Were Afraid to Ask. indybay.org Half Moon Bay Library, 620 Correas Street, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019…
(2019-12-20). Climate Crisis Threatens a Third of Plant Species, Endangering Food Supply. truthout.org Botanists have made a new census of terrestrial plants — only to find that with nearly 40% of them rare, or extremely rare, this may put food at risk. | And a second team of researchers, in a separate study, has established that some of these rare or vanishing species could include the wild relatives of some of the planet's most popula…
(2019-12-20). In New Round of Tests, Monsanto's Weedkiller Still Contaminates Foods Marketed to Children. globalresearch.ca Major food companies like General Mills continue to sell popular children's breakfast cereals and other foods contaminated with troubling levels of glyphosate, the cancer-causing ingredient in the herbicide Roundup. | The weedkiller, produced by Bayer-Monsanto, was detected in all 21 oat-based …
(2019-12-20). 'A Win for the Planet!': Dutch Supreme Court Issues Landmark Ruling Mandating Climate Action. commondreams.org Advocates for climate action celebrated Friday after the Supreme Court of the Netherlands upheld a landmark ruling that found the Dutch government is obligated under international human rights law to more ambitiously reduce greenhouse gas emissions that drive global heating. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/win_for_planet.jpg …
(2019-12-20). After Telling Moderator Climate Question 'Misses the Mark,' Sanders Says Real Issue Is Will We 'Save the Planet for Our Children and Grandchildren'. commondreams.org "Instead of spending $1.8 trillion a year on war, globally, on weapons of destruction," said Sanders, "maybe we pool our resources and fight our common enemy which is climate change." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1189640437.jpg …
(2019-12-20). Rich Nations, After Driving Climate Disaster, Block All Progress at U.N. Talks. zcomm.org The open arms with which corporations are welcomed stands in stark contrast to the treatment of civil society this year, who, beyond being exiled en masse on Wednesday, had their daily newsletters banned from circulation at the start of the COP…
(2019-12-20). Climate Crisis Rages in Australia. zcomm.org 14 of 15 hottest Places in World and Sydney Fire-Besieged…
(2019-12-20). Stalinator will be back: Soviet dictator posing as iconic Schwarzenegger character winks at climate-saving plant. rt.com 
A leather-clad, shades-wearing Stalin promises 'I'll be back' from a large billboard in a small Russian town. It's not clear if the image is meant to terrorize the locals or inspire those who actually wish for a new dictatorship. | The billboard was spotted on a photo published by the website of Balakhna, a small city on the Volga River just northwest of Nizhny Novgorod. Rather than showcasing a local dispute about the role Stalin played in history, the report was actually about a new plant that opened near the…
(2019-12-20). All I want for Christmas is $23tn in debt: Rand Paul lays waste to reckless US spending in annual Festivus Report. rt.com 
Offering some relief from the impeachment spectacle grinding on in Washington, Senator Rand Paul has released his yearly Festivus Report, chronicling the outrageous — but sometimes comical — spending habits of the US government. | Whether it's funding costly studies on the mating calls of Panamanian frogs, spending millions to improve the quality of television in Moldova or bankrolling Peru's Green New Deal, Washington has found a number of creative ways to blow through tax dollars in 2019. In an epic "airing of grievances" inspired by the TV sitcom Seinfeld, Paul (R-KY) pulled no punches for the f…
(2019-12-20). Bernie Sanders' Climate Change Message Cheered in L.A. Debate. truthdig.com 
The Vermont senator receives widespread applause when he challenges what he considers a flimsy question on the issue of the climate crisis.
(2019-12-19). Headlines for December 19, 2019. democracynow.org President Trump Impeached for Abuse of Power & Obstruction of Congress, Trump Slams FBI, Democrats & Impeachment at Battle Creek Rally, McConnell Pushes Through 11 Federal Judge Nominations, DOJ Inspector General Testifies About FBI's Carter Page Surveillance, 7 Democratic Presidential Candidates to Take to Debate Stage in L.A. Tonight, Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Part of Affordable Care Act, Australia Protesters Pitch Tents Outside PM House over Climate Crisis, Report: U.N. Peacekeepers Fathered & Abandoned Hundreds of Children in Haiti, DRC: Families Sue Apple, Google, Microsoft over Children's Deaths in…
(2019-12-19). Thursday's Daily Brief: tobacco burn-out, cholera cases down, 'shifting the needle' on climate. news.un.org 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.
(2019-12-18). Jury convicts environmental protesters over Canary Wharf train stunt. thecanary.co 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…
(2019-12-17). Melting Greenland Could Displace 400M People; UN Climate Deal Does Little to Help. therealnews.com 
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.
(2019-12-16). COP25 Was a Failure, But Activists' Collective Organizing at the Talks Was Unprecedented. democracynow.org 
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.
(2019-12-16). Headlines for December 16, 2019. democracynow.org U.N. Climate Talks End with Few of the Commitments Needed to Avert Catastrophe, Top Republicans Coordinating with White House on Senate Impeachment Trial, Trump Set to Withdraw 4,000 Troops from Afghanistan Amid Revelations About Failing War Effort, At Least 6 Dead in India as Protests Rage Against Anti-Muslim Citizenship Law, Fire Kills 10 at Bangladesh Factory with "No Safety Measures", Police in Lebanon Break Up Protests Against Corruption & Inequality, Judge Orders 234,000 Names Purged from Voter Rolls in Wisconsin, Key Battleground State, New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew to Join Republican Party After Meeting w…
(2019-12-16). Millions Wasted on Charter Schools. progressive.org The Network for Public Education calls the findings in its recent report "nothing short of a national scandal."
(2019-12-13). COP25 Was Moved to Spain to Conceal Chilean Government's Human Rights Violations. therealnews.com 
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.
(2019-12-13). COP25: Developing Countries Charge Ahead with Bold Climate Plans as Rich Countries Drag Their Feet. democracynow.org 
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…
(2019-12-13). Climate Refugees: Climate-Fueled Drought, Sea Level Rise, Storms & Fires Displace Millions Worldwide. democracynow.org 
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,…
(2019-12-12). Greta Thunberg at COP25: 'There Is no Sense of Urgency'. therealnews.com 
Climate activist Greta Thunberg, whom Time Magazine just named "Person of the Year," spoke to delegates at the COP25 climate conference in Madrid.
(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.
(2019-12-11). Chicago students take to the streets for the Climate Strike. liberationnews.org 
"Planet over profits!"
(2019-12-10). Sarasota students join global climate strike. liberationnews.org 
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.
(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). The Case for a Green New Deal. zcomm.org Interview on the case for a Green New Deal that tackles the causes and impacts of climate change while confronting racial and economic inequality…
(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…
(2019-12-09). 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…
(2019-12-06). goodman climate refugees teaser. progressive.org Climate change, pollution, and violence drive people to the U.S. border, even with no promise of a path to citizenship.
(2019-11-29). The answer to the climate crisis is obvious: ban climate protests. greenleft.org.au 
environment Carlo SandsIssue 1247 Australia Carlo's CornerNovember 29, 2019As Australia burns amid record-breaking temperatures and ongoing drought, and report a…
(2019-11-29). School climate strikers sit down outside Liberal HQ. greenleft.org.au 
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…
(2019-11-07). Take Action — Some actual, SANE legislation. peaceaction.org Trump has plans to spend nearly $2 TRILLION over the next 30 years on unneeded and unnecessary nuclear weapons and delivery systems. This makes no sense. This is insane. That's nearly $100 million wasted every day for thirty years on weapons we are supposed to be getting rid of. To put that amount in perspective, …
(2019-10-15). We Will Make History. zcomm.org Sanders rededicates himself to the struggle to the struggle to guarantee health care for all, make public colleges and universities, tuition free cancel student debt, and deal with climate change, criminal justice reform and immigration reform…