2020-01-04: News Headlines

RT (2020-01-04). The $20 TRILLION threat that could trigger the next financial meltdown. rt.com A number of recent reports suggest that the financial risk from climate change could be much greater than previously anticipated, and that entire asset classes could come under fire as temperatures continue to rise. | Trillions of dollars of market value could go up in smoke due to climate change. | The damage hits the global economy in multiple ways. The first is the most obvious. Physical damage from more powerful natural disasters is on the rise. 2017 and 2018 were the costliest back-to-back years for economic losses related to natural disasters, according to risk and reinsurance firm Aon. | Also on rt.com

WSWS (2020-01-04). Ruling class bereft of answers while catastrophic fires escalate across Australia. wsws.org The criminal indifference of the Australian ruling elite to the threat of climate change has its parallels around the world.

Climate One (2020-01-04). Is California's Climate Progress Going Up in Smoke? indybay.org The Commonwealth Club, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco 94105…

Citizens Climate Lobby and others (2020-01-04). CA District 13 Senate Race: Candidates Forum on Climate & Environment. indybay.org Menlo-Atherton High School Theatre, 555 Middlefield Road, Atherton, CA 94027…

WSWS (2020-01-04). Australia: Climate change and the bushfire crisis. wsws.org "Long-term climate change in Australia is an undeniable reality."

Staff (2020-01-04). Members of Congress Own Up to $93 Million in Fossil Fuel Stocks. truthout.org This article was produced by Sludge, an independent, ad-free investigative news site covering money in politics. Click here to support Sludge. | Climate scientists predict climate change will have catastrophic effects in the coming decades if drastic action to reverse it is not taken immediately. Some members of Congress, including Green New Deal re…

Staff (2020-01-04). To Survive Climate Catastrophe, Look to Queer and Disabled Folks. truthout.org This piece comes from a rich conversation between Patty Berne and Vanessa Raditz for the Fire & Flood Film. In a practice of mixed-ability organizing, Raditz has typed and crafted this piece from Berne's own words, ideas, and frameworks. | Communities around the world are grappling with the growing number and intensity of climate-related disasters because of climate change. Immediately after one of these disasters in the U.S., federal, state, and nonprofit agencies frequently pour financial resources into…

yenisafak (2020-01-04). Past decade UK's second hottest in last century. yenisafak.com The past decade saw the second warmest temperatures in the last century in the U.K., as the country's climate is getting warmer, the U.K.'s Met Office announced Friday."The 2010s have been the second warmest and second wettest of the 'cardinal' decades (those spanning years ending 0-9) over the last 100 years of UK weather records," the agency said in a statement.The last decade currently holds eight high temperature records, it said."Witnessing the highest U.K. temperature for the months of February, July, and provisionally December, 2019 was a year of multiple records, concluding a record-breaking decade," it a…

Dean Baker (2020-01-04). Fossil Fuel Industry Has Enough Political Power to Destroy the Planet. zcomm.org Charles Lane used his Washington Post column to brag about the fact that the fossil fuel industry and climate denialists have had enough political power to prevent more widespread use of electrical cars…

Staff (2020-01-03). "This Country Is a Tinderbox": Australia Braces for More Devastation as Gov't Denies Climate Crisis. democracynow.org Australia is bracing for what is expected to be the worst weekend yet in an already devastating climate-fueled wildfire season that has ravaged the southeastern part of the country, killed at least 18 people and nearly half a billion animals, and destroyed 14.5 million acres of land. As thousands of evacuees fled to the beaches, conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing growing outrage for his inaction on climate and close ties with the coal industry. As fires blazed in December, the prime minister went on a holiday to Hawaii. He told reporters this week that fighting the fires — not climate chan…

RT (2020-01-03). Russian pranksters strike again: Fake Greta Thunberg convinces eager US politician that she has dirt on Trump. rt.com US Congresswoman Maxine Waters has allegedly fallen for a prank call in which she thought activist Greta Thunberg was offering her a tape of Donald Trump confessing to pressuring Ukraine into investigating his political rivals. | YouTube pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, who go by the names Vovan and Lexus, are claiming they tricked Waters (Dem-Calif.) into thinking she was speaking to teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg. | Vovan and Lexus made names for themselves by previously pranking Congressman Adam Schiff (Dem-Calif.) into thinking there were nude photos of US President Donald T…

WSWS (2020-01-03). As Australia burns, anger turns on climate change-denying Prime Minister Morrison. wsws.org Morrison's reception in the town of Cobargo was only one indication of the outrage that exists toward federal and state governments.

Ashley Curtin (2020-01-03). Raging bushfires wipe out indigenous fauna, leave thousands of Australians homeless. nationofchange.org "Climate change is influencing the frequency and severity of dangerous bushfire conditions in Australia and other regions of the world."

Staff (2020-01-03). Australia Braces for More Devastation as Government Denies Climate Crisis. truthout.org Australia is bracing for what is expected to be the worst weekend yet in an already devastating climate-fueled wildfire season that has ravaged the southeastern part of the country, killed at least 18 people and nearly half a billion animals, and destroyed 14.5 million acres of land. As thousands of evacuees fled to the beaches, conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing growing outrage for his inaction on climate and close ties with the coal industry. As fires blazed in December, the pri…

Marlee Kokotovic (2020-01-03). Amazon employees threatened to be fired if they speak out on climate crisis. nationofchange.org AECJ says they will continue to take climate action despite the HR threats and Bezos' promises to conduct a cleaner business.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-01-03). Birthday Cheers for Greta Thunberg as 2020's First #FridaysForFuture Strikes Take Place Across Globe. commondreams.org The first #FridaysForFuture protests of the new year and decade coincided with the 17th birthday of Greta Thunberg, who joined fellow young climate action leaders at a demonstration outside Swedish Parliament. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-11913623921.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-01-03). Groundbreaking Study Finds 'Fingerprint' of Human-Caused Climate Change in Global Daily Weather. commondreams.org Scientists can now detect the "fingerprint" of human-caused climate change in global daily weather patterns, according to a groundbreaking analysis published Thursday in the journal Nature Climate Change. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/hurricane_maria_puerto_rico_0.jpg

Neil deMause (2020-01-03). Australia Wildfire Coverage Is Long on Koalas, Short on Causes. fair.org by Neil deMause Fires making their own weather are interesting (The Hill, 12/30/19)—but not as important as humans making their own climate. | If you've only been following the bushfires ravaging Australia through the headlines popping up on your social media feeds — which, let's face it, is more popular than reading newspapers these days [md…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-01-03). "Don't Shoot the Messengers": Amazon Accused of Threatening to Fire Climate Activists. commondreams.org "Hey @JeffBezos, which side are you on? Climate denial and delay or humanity's?" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/amazon-bezos-employees-threatened-climate.png

Béatrice Coron (2020-01-02). Greta Thunberg, Eco-Warrior. thenation.com We have our work cut out for us.

teleSUR (2020-01-02). Water-Related Violence Increased More Than 50% in 2010s: Report. telesurenglish.net Violence associated with the essential resource has soared over the past ten years, as shortages and extreme weather conditions contribute to a climate of mounting tensions in several parts of the world, with the Middle East and India as the most affected, according to the Pacific Institute's database of conflicts linked to water. | RELATED: | Major Water Shortage Hits Panama Canal Hindering Proper Functioning | Population…

Staff (2019-12-31). Fossil Fuel Industry Shifts from Climate Denial to "Youthwashing" therealnews.com For decades, the fossil fuel industry funded climate change denial campaigns aimed toward young people to sow seeds of doubt on climate science. As the climate crisis has worsened, it has made a subtle shift to what critics call "youthwashing.".

news.un (2019-12-31). 2019: The UN News year in photos. news.un.org From sustainable development to economic development, and human rights to humanitarian aid, UN News provides daily coverage across all of the Organization's key issues — health, migration, climate change and so much more.

pip.hinman (2019-12-28). Farewell to Australian hero Bill Ryan 1922-2019. greenleft.org.au obituary David LoweIssue 1248 Australia coal seam gas Environment climate emergencyDecember 28, 2019One of Australia's foremost env…

David Kupfer (2019-12-27). Climate Conference Was a Great Success—for the Fossil-Fuel Industry. progressive.org Despite growing evidence of global climate disruption, little was accomplished beyond a watered-down text that kicks most of the big issues down the road.

Staff (2019-12-26). Year in Climate Crisis: Fossil Fuels Expansion, Scary Science and Global Activism. therealnews.com The Real News Network's Steve Horn and Dimitri Lascaris talk about the 2019's biggest climate stories.

Staff (2019-12-26). After Democrats Push Bill to Send Fracked Gas to EU, Trump Includes in Budget. therealnews.com The European Energy Security and Diversification Act, legislation offering $1B to promote sending U.S. fracked gas to EU countries, was inserted into the federal budget bill signed into law by President Donald Trump. Democrats invoked "Russiagate" in their PR push for the bill.

Staff (2019-12-24). Jane Fonda Arrested: We Are in a Climate Emergency. I Have No Choice But to Put My Body on the Line. democracynow.org A new round of protests, Fire Drill Fridays, led by actress Jane Fonda are calling for action to address the climate crisis, as bushfires fueled by a historic heat wave threaten Australia, high tides threaten to flood Venice, and the Philippines prepares for a Christmas typhoon. Last Friday, a day before Jane Fonda's 82nd birthday, the longtime political activist, feminist and two-time Academy Award winner was arrested for the fifth time, as she has been nearly every Friday in Washington since she started Fire Drill Fridays, inspired in part by the Swedish youth climate activist Greta Thunberg. She was arrested a…

The Canary (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…

Jeff Bryant (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."

Jeff Bryant (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.

Naomi Klein (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…

pip.hinman (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…

Fred_F (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…

Jon Rainwater (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, …