Mass climate change rallies held amid Australian bushfire emergency
wsws.org | 2020-01-11
One protester, whose family has been hit by the fires, said: "The rich and those in power have their own houses, their own air conditioners. They can fly away to Hawaii. They're not impacted."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/11/prot-j11.html

South Australia's response to the death of over a billion of its animals is beyond disturbing
Tracy Keeling | thecanary.co | 2020-01-11
The price non-human animals pay for homo sapiens' recklessness is incredibly apparent in Australia right now. | Wildfires have ravaged the country since September 2019, due in no small part to the human-induced climate crisis. At least 26 people have died in the avoidable tragedy. But compare…
thecanary.co/opinion/2020/01/11/south-australias-response-to-the-death-of-over-a-billion-of-its-animals-is-beyond-disturbing/

Climate scientist: I witnessed Australia on fire. Climate change is already here
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-01-11
Prior to beginning my sabbatical stay in Sydney, I took the opportunity this holiday season to vacation in Australia with my family. We went to see the Great Barrier Reef–one of the great wonders of this planet–while we still can. Subject to the twin assaults of warming-caused bleaching and ocean acidification, it will be gone in a […] | Source…
mronline.org/2020/01/11/climate-scientist-i-witnessed-australia-on-fire-climate-change-is-already-here/

The Australian fire crisis and the necessity for socialism
wsws.org | 2020-01-11
That the Australian prime minister denied any link between the fires and global warming epitomises the organic incapacity of the ruling classes internationally to address, let alone resolve, the climate crisis.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/11/stat-j11.html

Thirty-Seven Groups Urge Newsom to Halt New Fossil Fuel Drilling, Close Aliso Canyon
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2020-01-11
"The combined effects of wildfires, mudslides, power shut-offs and droughts leave no doubt that California is in a climate emergency," said Food & Water Action State Director Alexandra Nagy in a statement. "The time for half-measures is long gone. Governor Newsom still has the opportunity to take courageous action before it's too late. This means banning fracking, shutting down Aliso Canyon and moving the state rapidly off fossil fuels and onto clean, renewable energy."
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/09/18829591.php

Nukes before bromance: Trump-Kim 'personal feelings' are not enough for restarting talks with US — N. Korea
rt.com | 2020-01-11
North Korea won't engage in negotiations with the US unless the latter makes real concessions, the country's foreign ministry said, adding that Washington "deceived" it and they were "caught in dialogue" that was a waste of time. | The statement, spelling doom for prospects of the already stalled US-N. Korea negotiations, was released by the country's state media on Saturday. While N. Korea's leader and US President Donald Trump might have good personal relations, it won't get the two countries anywhere. | "Although Chairman Kim Jong Un has good personal feelings about President Trump, they are, in the true se…
rt.com/news/478000-trump-kim-feelings-talks/

Incendiary Extinctions: Australian Fires and the Species Effect
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-01-11
Cocooned as it is from the world of science scepticism, the handling of the bush fire catastrophe unfolding in Australia is going to one of the more notable (non)achievements of the Morrison government. They were warned; they were chided; they were prodded. But the measures lagged and the flames came. To a certain extent, this …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/01/incendiary-extinctions-australian-fires-and-the-species-effect/

Mega Droughts Engulf Countries
Robert Hunziker | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-01-11
Throughout the world, mega droughts are hitting hard with a ferocity not seen in decades and in some cases not seen in centuries. It's not merely coincidental that as global warming accelerates droughts turn more vicious than ever before. All of which begs the logical question of when will world leaders wake up with a …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/01/mega-droughts-engulf-countries/

Australian Wildfires Prove Denying Climate Change Won't Save You From It
Michael Mann | zcomm.org | 2020-01-11
The reason that these wildfires are spreading so quickly are becoming so large are covering such a large area is because of the unprecedented heat and drought that Australia is experiencing right now…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/australian-wildfires-prove-denying-climate-change-wont-save-you-from-it/

'We are the woke': Joaquin Phoenix joins Jane Fonda at DC climate protest, to preach about meat & dairy and flight-shame himself
rt.com | 2020-01-10
The Friday climate change protest in Washington, DC included crowds marching on Capitol Hill and chanting things like, "the waters are rising and so are we" and "Australia is burning and so are we." Police were present. | Celebrities like Jane Fonda and Joaquin Phoenix headlined the protest, which was part of the Friday Fire Drills, originally inspired by teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg. | "Fire drill Fridays call for fast action on the Green New Deal and an end to all fossil fuel exploration, extraction and taxpayer subsidies to oil companies," a notice for the protest read. | 'Joker' star Phoenix…
rt.com/usa/477971-joaquin-phoenix-climate-protest/

25 People Occupy Chase Bank Branch in D.C. as Climate Activists Launch a Major New Campaign Targeting the Financial Industry
commondreams.org | 2020-01-10
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2020/01/10/25-people-occupy-chase-bank-branch-dc-climate-activists-launch-major-new?cd-origin=rss

The Current U.S. Approach to Nuclear Weapons Can Only Lead to Armageddon
Prabir Purkayastha | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
The decade ends with two major threats to humanity: global warming leading to a climate catastrophe and the threat of a nuclear war extinguishing our civilization. The U.S. has pulled out of the Paris Agreement and is wrecker-in-chief of the weak climate change agreement that all the countries had signed to limit the emission of…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/the-current-u-s-approach-to-nuclear-weapons-can-only-lead-to-armageddon/

Environmental groups outraged at Trump's proposed rollback of infrastructure review
Olivia Rosane | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-10
President Donald Trump proposed one of his most aggressive environmental rollbacks yet on Thursday, announcing a change that would exempt federal agencies from considering the climate impacts of pipelines and other infrastructure projects. The president's proposal would significantly limit enforcement of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which mandates that federal agencies consider how proposed construction projects like pipelines, highways and …
peoplesworld.org/article/environmental-groups-outraged-at-trumps-proposed-rollback-of-infrastructure-review/

Inaction over climate emergency 'not an option' says UN Assembly chief
news.un.org | 2020-01-10
Inaction when it comes to the fight back against damaging climate change is not an option, the President of the UN General Assembly told a major energy conference in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/01/1055171

Australia's Decade of Burning Environmental Apathy
Edward Cavanough | thenation.com | 2020-01-10
Australia's Decade of Burning Environmental Apathy…
thenation.com/article/australia-fires-climate-morrison/

China mourns native paddlefish after scientists declare it extinct
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-01-10
People in China have been lamenting the demise of the Chinese paddlefish after scientists declared it extinct in a research paper. | Chinese internet users and media outlets have been paying tribute to the hefty creature, whose sharp, protruding snout made it one of the largest freshwater species in the world. | "It's farewell at first sight," said China Youth Daily, noting that many were lamentably unfamiliar with the paddlefish before learning of its demise. | Users shared similar sentiments on the Twitter-like Weibo platform. | Named after its distinctive shape, the Chinese paddlefish, or Chinese swordfish, ha…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/01/10/china-mourns-native-paddlefish-after-scientists-declare-it-extinct/

Mega Droughts Engulf Countries
Robert Hunziker | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Throughout the world, mega droughts are hitting hard with a ferocity not seen in decades and in some cases not seen in centuries. It's not merely coincidental that as global warming accelerates droughts turn more vicious than ever before. All of which begs the logical question of when will world leaders wake up with a…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/mega-droughts-engulf-countries/

Fracking and the Metaphysics of Indian-Hating
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
John Sayles is an award-winning filmmaker known for his directorial style and the topics of his films. He is also an excellent writer of fiction. My first encounter with any of his work was the short story "I-80 Nebraska," published in The Atlantic in 1975. A year or two later, his second novel Union Dues…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/fracking-and-the-metaphysics-of-indian-hating/

Greta Thunberg and 20 Youth Climate Activists Call on Davos Attendees to 'Abandon the Fossil Fuel Economy'
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-01-10
As climate groups launched a new campaign targeting Wall Street's funding of the dirty energy industry and school strikers took part in weekly #FridaysForFuture protests across the globe, Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg and 20 fellow youth activists published an op-ed calling on world leaders to "abandon the fossil fuel economy." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/school_strike_italy.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/01/10/greta-thunberg-and-20-youth-climate-activists-call-davos-attendees-abandon-fossil?cd-origin=rss

Tens of Thousands Join 'Sack ScoMo' Protests Against Government Climate Inaction as Bushfires Rage Across Australia
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-01-10
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Australia Friday to protests their government's inaction on the global climate emergency as the country continues to battle catastrophic bushfires that have devoured millions of acres of land, destroyed hundreds of homes, and left over a billion animals and 27 people dead. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1198597440.png …
commondreams.org/news/2020/01/10/tens-thousands-join-sack-scomo-protests-against-government-climate-inaction?cd-origin=rss

National Trust plans massive woodland expansion to offset emissions
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-01-09
The National Trust is planning to create new woodland equivalent to 42 Sherwood Forests as part of efforts to achieve "net zero" emissions by 2030.The organisation, which cares for countryside, coasts, castles and stately homes, is aiming to plant and establish 20m trees over 10 years to tackle the climate crisis.It made the announcement, which it says will cost around £90-100m, to mark its 125th anniversary. | We must do everything we can to fight climate change. Today our Director-General set out our plans to go carbon net zero by 2030 and to plant and establish 20 million trees over the next ten years:
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/01/09/national-trust-plans-massive-woodland-expansion-to-offset-emissions/

Australian Wildfires Prove Denying Climate Change Won't Save You From It
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-01-09
Climate scientist Michael Mann is in Australia, where the bushfire crisis is unfolding in real time. He says voters there need to look for 'climate hawks' who can counteract the climate-denying policies of politicians like current prime minister Scott Morrison.
therealnews.com/stories/australia-fire-denying-climate-change-wont-save-you

What if Australia Were Its Own Planet?
Bill McKibben | thenation.com | 2020-01-09
What if Australia Were Its Own Planet?
thenation.com/article/australia-fire-climate-change/

John Kerry Did It
Ann Garrison | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-09
The Democratic National Committee's scapegoating began early in 2016, months before wall building, climate change denying, health care abolishing, tax dodging, spewing demagogue Donald Trump surprised everyone including himself by taking the White House. First Wikileaks elected Trump by releasing …
globalresearch.ca/john-kerry-did-it/5700068

Yangtze Spatula Fish: First Extinct Species of This Decade
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-09
The Yangtze spatula fish (Psephurus gladius) has been declared extinct, according to a study recently published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. | RELATED: | Number of Fires in Brazilian Amazon Increased 30% in 2019 | This species, often dubbed "the Yangtze River panda" because of its large size, which could reach 7 meters long, was the only one of the genus Psephurus and fed on other fish and crustaceans. | According to scientists at the Yangtze River Fisheries Rese…
telesurenglish.net/news/yangtze-spatula-fish-first-extinct-species-of-this-decade-20200109-0019.html

Shell-shocked pundits come crawling back to Hillary over Trump's Iran belligerence… forgetting she'd have started war sooner
rt.com | 2020-01-08
Social media sang praises of would-be US President Hillary Clinton as actual President Donald Trump seemed headed for all-out war with Iran — even though Clinton had been a much more enthusiastic participant in US wars. | After Iranian missiles struck several US bases Tuesday night, #Resistance twitter wasted no time disavowing the administration they blamed for the hostilities, running into the arms of his arch-rival with the #IVotedforHillaryClinton hashtag. | I'm proud to raise my hand and say that I voted for Intelligence. | I voted for Leadership. | I voted for Experience. | I voted for Maturity.
rt.com/usa/477754-hillary-voters-brag-war-trump/

Greta Thunberg's radical response to a strange world
Stuart Munckton | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-08
Climate change books Jay LarbalestierIssue 1248 Australia Greta ThunbergJanuary 8, 2020No One is Too Small to Make a Difference | By Greta Thunberg | Allen Lane/Penguin Books, 2019 | On August…
greenleft.org.au/content/greta-thunbergs-radical-response-strange-world

Seven new books for an ecosocialist bookshelf
Stuart Munckton | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-08
ecosocialism books Ian AngusIssue 1248 Australia ecosocialist bookshelfJanuary 8, 2020Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus takes a look at seven new titles for an ecosocialist bookshelf. | *** | …
greenleft.org.au/content/seven-new-books-ecosocialist-bookshelf

25 People and 1 Billion Animals Are Dead from Australia's Bushfires
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-01-07
Australia's climate-denying prime minister has already called in emergency responders to battle the wildfire crisis. But fire season hasn't peaked yet, and scientists are warning that the country's own policies are part of the feedback loop driving their unprecedented crisis.
therealnews.com/columns/25-people-and-1-billion-animals-are-dead-from-australias-bushfires

Australia, Your Country Is Burning — Dangerous Climate Change Is Here With You Now
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-01-07
This article originally appeared in The Guardian and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalistic collaboration to strengthen coverage of the climate story. | After years studying the climate, my work has brought me to Sydney where I'm studying the linkages between climate change and extreme weather events. | Prior to beginning my sabbatical stay in Sydney, I took the opportunity this holiday sea…
therealnews.com/columns/australia-your-country-is-burning-dangerous-climate-change-is-here-with-you-now

Vigil calls for action on fire emergency
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-07
climate emergency Jim McIlroyIssue 1248 Australia bushfires firefighters SydneyJanuary 7, 2020Around 100 people formed a circle at the Q…
greenleft.org.au/content/vigil-calls-action-fire-emergency

Eyewitness: East Gippsland burns
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-06
climate emergency Alan BroughtonIssue 1248 Australia bushfires East Gippsland East GippslandJanuary 7, 2020East Gippsland i…
greenleft.org.au/content/eyewitness-east-gippsland-burns

Firefighter: 'We are being kicked in the teeth by government'
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-06
climate emergencyIssue 1248 Australia bushfires climate changeJanuary 7, 2020As the catastrophic fires raged over several states from late December into early January, Green Left's Pip Hinman asked Shaun McDonald, a professional firefighter currently based in Tasmania about…
greenleft.org.au/content/firefighter-we-are-being-kicked-teeth-government

'We Have to Bust In and Insist That Power Be Shared in a Different Kind of Way' – Best of CounterSpin 2019
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2020-01-05
The December 27, 2019, episode of CounterSpin was the Best of CounterSpin 2019–featuring excerpts of Janine Jackson's interviews with Carey Gillam on Monsanto's manipulation of science, Arun Gupta on normalizing concentration camps, Sasha Abramsky on…
fair.org/home/we-have-to-bust-in-and-insist-that-power-be-shared-in-a-different-kind-of-way/

"This Country Is a Tinderbox": Australia Braces for More Devastation as Gov't Denies Climate Crisis
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-03
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…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/3/this_country_is_a_tinderbox_australia

Fossil Fuel Industry Shifts from Climate Denial to "Youthwashing"
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-12-31
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.".
therealnews.com/stories/fossil-fuel-industry-shifts-from-climate-denial-to-youthwashing

Farewell to Australian hero Bill Ryan 1922–2019
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-12-28
obituary David LoweIssue 1248 Australia coal seam gas Environment climate emergencyDecember 28, 2019One of Australia's foremost env…
greenleft.org.au/content/farewell-australian-hero-bill-ryan-1922%E2%80%932019

Climate Conference Was a Great Success–for the Fossil-Fuel Industry
David Kupfer | progressive.org | 2019-12-27
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.
progressive.org/dispatches/climate-conference-was-a-great-success-for-the-fossil-fuel-industry-kupfer-191227/