Democrats cover up extent of hexavalent chromium poisoning at public meeting in Detroit suburb
wsws.org | 2020-02-06
At an informational meeting Monday evening in the Detroit suburb of Madison Heights officials sought to contain growing public anger over chemical contamination by a local industrial operator.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/06/hexa-f06.html

Cocktails, on the house: Kitchen taps in Indian town flow with BOOZE after well contamination mishap
rt.com | 2020-02-06
Residents in one Indian town are abuzz after their kitchen taps began gushing with the hard stuff, with an ill-fated attempt by local officials to dispose of confiscated liquor turning one neighborhood into a speakeasy. | Apartment complex owner Joshy Maliyekkal was among the first to notice the strange brown liquid oozing from the taps at his flat in Chalakudy, which he first believed was caused by a rusting pipe. | "I had barely switched on my water pump to fill the overhead tank on Sunday afternoon when the sight of the water got me really scared," Maliyekkal said, adding that the smell was "unmistakable,"
rt.com/news/480189-india-water-taps-alcohol/

Major Cuadrilla investor backs out amid controversy over fracking in the UK
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-06
Private equity firm Riverstone has sold its stake in Cuadrilla, the UK's only fracking firm.The US firm has lost its patience with the nascent UK fracking industry, selling its 45% stake to Australian mining firm AJ Lucas, which was already Cuadrilla's largest shareholder.The value of the deal, which has seen AJ Lucas increase its stake to approximately 93%, has not been disclosed.Cuadrilla said the remaining stake in the company is primarily owned by current and former employees.Riverstone hired advisers from the Royal Bank of Canada to assess the potential for a sale in September, according to reports.It is und…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/02/06/major-cuadrilla-investor-backs-out-amid-controversy-over-fracking-in-the-uk/

'Water terrorism': New Delhi accuses Pakistan of wasting TWICE what India gets under river sharing treaty
rt.com | 2020-02-06
India has dismissed Pakistani media reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government seeks to breach a decades-old water sharing treaty between the two countries, accusing Islamabad of covering up its own immense waste. | Prompted by press reports claiming India had drafted proposals to construct dams in the disputed Kashmir region in alleged violation of the Indus Waters Agreement, PK Saxena, New Delhi's Indus Waters commissioner, said the allegation…
rt.com/news/480190-india-pakistan-water-terrorism/

Tribal Members and Youth Ask for North State Hearings and River Protection` at Sacramento
Save California Salmon | indybay.org | 2020-02-06
Sacramento, California Today Northern California Tribal members, supporters, and members of the Hoopa High School water protector club traveled to Sacramento to ask the state of California to protect the Trinity and Sacramento Rivers, and to schedule meetings in Northern California on the Governor's proposed Delta Conveyance Project. The group said the fact that the Delta Tunnel hearings are only occurring in the Southern part of the state and started even before the comment period ended on the water portfolio demonstrates that the governor needs to take more public feedback before moving forward on large, enviro…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/03/18830346.php

Staaanley! Bojo's father accidentally reveals China's 'concern' at PM Johnson's lack of support over coronavirus
rt.com | 2020-02-06
PM Boris Johnson's father

NSW-federal energy deal a con job
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-06
Climate Margaret GleesonIssue 1252 AustraliaFebruary 6, 2020Prime Minister Scott Morrison's energy deal with the New South Wales government seeks to benefit fossil fuel company Santos

Despite her climate-protest conviction, an Anglican priest vows to keep offending
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-05
An Anglican priest has said she will continue to offend to try to tackle the climate emergency, despite being convicted of refusing to obey a police banning order during Extinction Rebellion protests. | Reverend Sue Parfitt had denied breaching the order preventing protesters from demonstrating at Oxford Circus and Waterloo Bridge in London in April last year. The 77-year-old from Bristol had said she should not be found guilty because not demonstrating would have caused further deaths and destruction to the planet. | But deputy district judge Br…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/02/05/despite-her-climate-protest-conviction-an-anglican-priest-vows-to-keep-offending/

Despite her climate-protest conviction, an Anglican priest vows to keep offending
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-05
An Anglican priest has said she will continue to offend to try to tackle the climate emergency, despite being convicted of refusing to obey a police banning order during Extinction Rebellion protests. | Reverend Sue Parfitt had denied breaching the order preventing protesters from demonstrating at Oxford Circus and Waterloo Bridge in London in April last year. The 77-year-old from Bristol had said she should not be found guilty because not demonstrating would have caused further deaths and destruction to the planet. | But deputy district judge Br…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/02/05/despite-her-climate-protest-conviction-an-anglican-priest-vows-to-keep-offending/

Waste and Failure in Cyber Charter Schools
Shawgi Tell | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-05
While waste, corruption, and failure have plagued the segregated and nontransparent charter school sector for decades, privately-operated-owned cyber charter schools, even by the admission of the most dogmatic supporters of charter schools, are the worst of the worst. The academic performance of cyber charter schools is consistently abysmal; they have a very high failure rate. …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/waste-and-failure-in-cyber-charter-schools/

David Cameron explains why he turned down climate change role
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-05
Former prime minister David Cameron has rejected an offer from Boris Johnson to return to international politics in a role leading the UK's preparations for this year's UN climate summit.The current PM asked Cameron to be the president of the COP26 summit being held in Glasgow later this year.But Cameron said the position should be filled by a government minister and also said he was focused on other commitments, including a major charity role.According to the Times, former Tory leader William Hague was also sounded out for the presidency but turned it down.Cameron said: "It was an honour to be asked to do that j…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/02/05/david-cameron-explains-why-he-turned-down-climate-change-role/

David Cameron explains why he turned down climate change role
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-05
Former prime minister David Cameron has rejected an offer from Boris Johnson to return to international politics in a role leading the UK's preparations for this year's UN climate summit.The current PM asked Cameron to be the president of the COP26 summit being held in Glasgow later this year.But Cameron said the position should be filled by a government minister and also said he was focused on other commitments, including a major charity role.According to the Times, former Tory leader William Hague was also sounded out for the presidency but turned it down.Cameron said: "It was an honour to be asked to do that j…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/02/05/david-cameron-explains-why-he-turned-down-climate-change-role/

It's Farmer v. Monsanto in Court Fight Over Dicamba Herbicide
Carey Gillam | commondreams.org | 2020-02-05
Among the evidence introduced at the Bader Farms trial are internal Monsanto documents showing that the company predicted thousands of drift complaints would occur after its new seed product launch. (Photo: Bacsica/iStock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/sierra-istock-1096454420-wb.jpeg …
commondreams.org/views/2020/02/05/its-farmer-v-monsanto-court-fight-over-dicamba-herbicide?cd-origin=rss

Climate Crisis: Join the February 22 National Day of Action
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-05
ClimateIssue 1252 AustraliaFebruary 5, 2020The following statement was released by various organisations calling for a national day of action to demand climate action on February 22. | *** | 2019 was the year the climate crisis became impossible to ignore for millions. School strikers mobilised in their hundreds of thousands in Australia and inspired workers and other adults to rise up against the Morrison governmen…
greenleft.org.au/content/climate-crisis-join-february-22-national-day-action

Greenpeace Greets New BP CEO by Shutting Down London Headquarters With Oil Barrels and 500 Solar Panels
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-02-05
About 100 Greenpeace U.K. campaigners temporarily shut down BP's London headquarters Wednesday by delivering 500 solar panels to the office and locking themselves to oil barrels in an effort to pressure the fossil fuel giant's new chief executive to take the climate crisis seriously and support a global transition to renewable energy. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gp0stuix7_medium_res1.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/02/05/greenpeace-greets-new-bp-ceo-shutting-down-london-headquarters-oil-barrels-and-500?cd-origin=rss

Raab mix-up as he says PM launched climate summit alongside Richard Attenborough
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-04
Dominic Raab hailed Boris Johnson's launch of a key climate summit alongside Richard Attenborough

Ban on new petrol and diesel cars brought forward to 2035 as UN talks launched
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-04
A ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles will be brought forward to 2035, under plans outlined as the prime minister launches key UN climate talks in the UK.Boris Johnson is launching the COP26 talks, to take place in November in the UK, with a speech setting out Britain's stall as a leader on tackling climate change.He will urge other countries to follow the UK's lead in setting targets to cut their emissions to net zero

What will banning sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035 involve?
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-04
As part of plans announced during the launch of the COP26 climate conference, Boris Johnson has said a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK will be brought forward to 2035.– How many cars are on the road?Approximately 97% of cars licensed in Great Britain as of 2018 are powered by either petrol or diesel, Department for Transport figures show.There were 31.5 million cars licensed as of the end of 2018, with nearly 18.5 million of these cars petrol-fuelled and 12.3 million using diesel.527,200 of the total were hybrid cars or plug-in hybrid cars (1.7%) and 64,900 (0.2%) were electric only.&…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/02/04/what-will-banning-sales-of-new-petrol-and-diesel-cars-by-2035-involve/

Climate action 'both a priority and a driver of the decade': Guterres
news.un.org | 2020-02-03
Climate action will be both a priority and a driver of world affairs through the coming decade, United Nations Secretary-General chief António Guterres announced on Monday, during a speech at UN Headquarters in New York, in which he declared that the next ten years will be "crucial for achieving a fair globalization, boosting economic growth and building peaceful societies".
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1056622

Plastic Meets the Road and Capitalism's Role in Climate Change
Paul Haeder | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-03
Earth Day & Capitalism Like Vinegar and Oil? Continuously, discussions focusing on degraded ecosystems and tipping points forcing climate change to ramp up to chaos many times center around the "C" word. Not "c" as in "cancer." "Capitalism is destroying the planet," said Pat DeLaquil, an energy policy expert working with various governments, NGO's and …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/plastic-meets-the-road-and-capitalisms-role-in-climate-change/

What Will it Take to Prevent Climate Collapse?
Brian Tokar | zcomm.org | 2020-02-02
Perhaps we can even begin to realize the dream of a liberated and truly interdependent global community of communities. The future of life on earth may depend on our ability to do just that…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/what-will-it-take-to-prevent-climate-collapse/

Climate emergency: Indonesia faces catastrophic floods, disappearing islands
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-02
Climate change Peter Boyle Yuyun HarmonoIssue 1252 Indonesia floodsFebruary 2, 2020While the stark reality of the global climate emergency struck home in Australia with its worst bushfire season, its…
greenleft.org.au/content/climate-emergency-indonesia-faces-catastrophic-floods-disappearing-islands

Media on Climate Crisis: Don't Organize, Mourn
Neil deMause | fair.org | 2020-01-31
While US media have indeed ramped up their coverage of the climate crisis, they continue to give short shrift to what are arguably the most important factors for determining our future: what specific human practices are responsible for the changing climate, why carbon emissions continue to rise, and what we can and should be doing about it.
fair.org/home/media-on-climate-crisis-dont-organize-mourn/

Media on Climate Crisis: Don't Organize, Mourn
Neil deMause | fair.org | 2020-01-31
While US media have indeed ramped up their coverage of the climate crisis, they continue to give short shrift to what are arguably the most important factors for determining our future: what specific human practices are responsible for the changing climate, why carbon emissions continue to rise, and what we can and should be doing about it.
fair.org/home/media-on-climate-crisis-dont-organize-mourn/

Union motion: Support real action on the climate
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-31
Climate workers' rights & unionsIssue 1251 AustraliaJanuary 31, 2020Unionists active in the climate change movement have drafted the following model motion to help break the silence on the fact that the catastrophic bushfires are connected to climate change. | It also seeks to build support for the February 22 national day of action…
greenleft.org.au/content/union-motion-support-real-action-climate

Building a climate movement that can win
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-31
Climate Sue BoltonIssue 1251 AustraliaJanuary 31, 2020Australia is burning and unless we all step up, it will continue to burn. While firefighters and emergency personnel and thousands upon thousands of ordinary people have stepped in to fill the breach, in the cities we too can play our part. | I am one of the initiators of a broad-based clim…
greenleft.org.au/content/building-climate-movement-can-win

Answering the Coalition's climate trickery
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-31
Climate Andrea BuntingIssue 1251 AustraliaJanuary 31, 2020Following the recent bushfire crisis and the upsurge in climate concern, the federal Coalition wants to give the impression that it is acting on climate change. Andrea Bunting debunks 14 claims made by the Coalition government in an email sent to a constituent. | Claim 1: "We will be…
greenleft.org.au/content/answering-coalition-climate-trickery

How Australia could have already transitioned to 100% renewable energy
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-30
Climate Zane AlcornIssue 1251 Australia 100% renewable energyJanuary 30, 2020Released in 2010, The Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Stationary Energy Plan (ZCA2020)

Could the Climate Crisis Be "The Good News of Damnation"?
Lawrence Wittner | zcomm.org | 2020-01-26
On August 12, 1945, six days after the U.S. government obliterated the city of Hiroshima with a single atomic bomb, Robert Hutchins, the president of the University of Chicago, delivered a remarkable public address. Speaking on his weekly radio program, the Chicago Roundtable, Hutchins observed that Leon Bloy, a French philosopher, had referred to…
zcomm.org/zblogs/could-the-climate-crisis-be-the-good-news-of-damnation/