2020-06-25: News Headlines

_____ (2020-06-25). Democratizing Energy To Counter The Climate Catastrophe. popularresistance.org Youth climate activists have been striking to demand immediate climate action from political powers. They conjoined the issues of climate and labor by calling for a global climate strike in September, 2019, in which a historic 7.6 million schoolkids, (grand)parents and workers from 185 countries participated. Over 70 trade unions around the world supported the strike and the number of climate groups that are demanding a just transition for fossil fuel workers are also steadily increasing. | The European landscape of climate activism is becoming densely populated. Numerous communities are defending nature together…

John Bellamy Foster (2020-06-25). ROAR Roundtable: COVID-19 and the climate crisis. mronline.org If "everything affects and is affected by every other thing," we must respond to the dangers to human existence in the 21st century by changing the system, creating a different form of social metabolic reproduction. There is no other way.

Staff (2020-06-25). Repair & Revive: Rev. William Barber on Fighting Racism, Poverty, Climate Change, War & Nationalism. democracynow.org The Poor People's Campaign offered a counterpoint to President Trump's sparsely attended Tulsa campaign rally with a mass digital gathering that unveiled a policy platform to spur "transformative action" on five key issues of systemic racism, systemic poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and the threat of religious nationalism. "We have to repair and revive," says Rev. Dr. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign. "That has to be a part of if we're truly going to ever be the democracy we claim to be on paper."

_____ (2020-06-25). USA: 'Qualified Immunity' Is How the Police State Stays in Power. truepublica.org.uk By Constitutional attorney John W Whitehead — Charlottesville, Virginia: The system is rigged, the government is corrupt, and "we the people" continue to waste our strength by fighting each other rather than standing against the tyrant in our midst. Because the system is rigged, because the government is corrupt, and because "we the people" remain polarized and divided, the police …

yenisafak (2020-06-25). Bayer to pay up to $10.9 bln to settle bulk of Roundup weedkiller cancer lawsuits. yenisafak.com The German drugs and pesticides maker has come to terms with about 75% of the 125,000 filed and unfiled claims overall, it said in a statement on Wednesday of the deal to end legal disputes it inherited with its $63 billion takeover of Monsanto in 2018.The settled cases over Roundup and other glyphosate-based weedkillers account for about 95% of those currently set for trial, it added."The Roundup settlement is the right action at the right time for Bayer to bring a long period of uncertainty to an end," Bayer Chief Executive Werner Baumann said. "Unfortunately, we have to pay an awful lot of money for a product…

Eds. (2020-06-24). 'Act with necessary force': Greta Thunberg says BLM protests & 'corona crisis' give blueprint for climate change fight. mronline.org The Black Lives Matter protests across the world show the 'necessary force' people need to use when fighting global warming, teen activist turned climate change icon Greta Thunberg believes.

Zero Hedge (2020-06-24). Bayer Pays $10 Billion to Settle Thousands of Monsanto Glyphosate Lawsuits. globalresearch.ca After decades of widespread use as company scientists played down research showing a definitive link between the product and growing rates of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Monsanto parent company Bayer has agreed to pay up to $10 billion to settle claims that …

Media Lens (2020-06-24). "Six Months To Avert Climate Crisis": Climate Breakdown And The Corporate Media. dissidentvoice.org In his classic science fiction novel, Foundation, Isaac Asimov posited a future in which 'psychohistorians' could predict outcomes based on past history and the large-scale behaviour of human populations by combining psychology and the mathematics of probability. Using 'psychohistory', the protagonist Hari Seldon discovers that the 12,000-year-old Galactic Empire will collapse in 500 years. He …

RT (2020-06-24). Temperatures climb to 38C in COLDEST city on Earth – records broken as Russian Arctic endures more ANOMALOUS hot weather. rt.com Scientists are already alarmed at the spike in temperatures in Russia this year. While the mercury is creeping up everywhere, in Siberia it has spiked dramatically, delivering unprecedented heat. | This summer is on course to be the hottest since record-keeping began, in the world's largest country. Towns usually still blanketed by snow at this time of year are experiencing a blazing heatwave, thanks to the escalating climate crisis. | The effects of global warming have arrived and are already causing problems, especially in Siberia. A massive oil spill in the far northern mining city of Norilsk earlier this y…

WSWS (2020-06-24). Siberian Arctic records temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. wsws.org Thawing permafrost in the Arctic is one of several "tipping points" that can trigger even greater climate-related catastrophes.

Steve Topple (2020-06-24). Here are the private companies with £million contracts for the failed NHSX tracing app. thecanary.co A storm has erupted over the failed government track and trace app for coronavirus (Covid-19). Because it's emerged that it wasted millions of pounds on the unsuccessful tech. So, people are wondering where this money has gone. But we already know part of that answer. | Corona chaos: | The Guardian

yenisafak (2020-06-24). Norway plans big expansion of Arctic oil exploration. yenisafak.com Norway is planning a major expansion of oil exploration in the Arctic, despite commitments to tackling global warming and opposition from environmental groups.Minister of petroleum and energy Tina Bru said on Wednesday the expansion was needed to protect jobs and generate wealth.The government will auction up to 136 new oil exploration blocks in a major licensing round, with 125 of those in the Arctic Barents Sea, a relatively unspoiled corner of the planet."We need new discoveries to uphold employment and value creation," Bru said in a statement.Norway is western Europe's biggest oil producer and has built the w…

sputniknews (2020-06-24). First COVID-19 Case Registered at Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. sputniknews.com In mid-March, Ukraine introduced a nationwide quarantine for a month and subsequently extended it several times. The Ukrainian government decided to relax coronavirus-related restrictions starting 11 May.

The Canary (2020-06-24). German cabinet agrees to ban sale of single-use plastic items. thecanary.co Germany is banning the sale of single-use plastic straws, cotton buds and food containers, bringing it in line with a European Union directive intended to reduce the amount of plastic waste that pollutes the environment. | The cabinet agreed on Wednesday to end the sale of plastics including single-use cutlery, plates, stirring sticks and balloon holders, as well as polystyrene cups and boxes by 3 July 2021. | Environment minister Svenja Schulze said the move was part of an effort to move away from "throw-away culture". | Up to 20% of rubbish collected in parks and other public places consists of single-use plast…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-06-23). DNC 'Snubs' Climate Movement Just as Greenpeace Endorses Democratic Panel's Visionary Plan. commondreams.org Despite mounting pressure on Democrats to craft a 2020 platform that includes ambitious climate policies, Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez on Monday announced a drafting committee that "snubs progressive climate activists again," in the words of journalist Emily Atkin. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/tom_perez_dnc_climate_debate_0.jpg

commondreams (2020-06-23). Greenpeace USA Endorses the DNC Climate Crisis Council 2020 Platform. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Marshall Auerback (2020-06-23). Let's Make Sure We Get the Green New Deal Right. counterpunch.org Advocates of the Green New Deal (GND) are looking to change the way we handle a range of problems facing society, especially in the wake of environmental challenges occasioned by climate change. In response, policymakers have suggested a variety of programs designed to deal with these challenges. Should any of these be reconsidered in the

Staff (2020-06-23). Stir Crazy! Episode #58: It's Just Getting Started. therealnews.com On today's show: TRNN climate reporter Aman Azhar and TRNN managing editor Marc Steiner. Hosted by Kim Brown. If you have questions/comments/suggestions for the show email us at stircrazy@therealnews.com

The Canary (2020-06-23). UK citizens' climate assembly backs green pandemic recovery and lifestyle shift. thecanary.co The UK's first national citizens' assembly on climate breakdown has backed changes to the economy and lifestyles that will drive down emissions in the wake of coronavirus.A report shows "striking" agreement within the citizens' assembly that steps taken by the government to help the economy recover should also cut greenhouse gases and that green changes to lifestyles should be encouraged.Climate Assembly UK was commissioned by six parliamentary select committees and asked to examine how the country meets its legal target to cut greenhouse gases to zero overall by mid-century.More than 100 people, who are represen…

Derrick Broze (2020-06-23). Another New Study Points to the Dangers of Geoengineering the Climate. thelastamericanvagabond.com A recently published study from MIT casts doubt on the safety of the science of geoengineering and outlines potential dangers of the controversial field. A new study from Massachusetts Institute of Technology is adding to the growing list of concerns around the controversial science of geoengineering. Researchers have found that geoengineering techniques could significantly change …

commondreams (2020-06-23). Arctic Climate Research Imperiled. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-06-23). Nadler Says 'Waste of Time,' But Progressives Say 'Impeach Barr'—and Do It Now. commondreams.org "Investigating and impeaching Barr ahead of the November election would be a powerful sign that the work of restoring the rule of law in America is well underway, even before the first presidential ballot is cast." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/nadler.gaveler_0_0.jpg

Steve Horn (2020-06-22). California Governor Hands Out Fracking Permits on Behalf of Big Oil. globalresearch.ca On June 1, in the midst of the turmoil created by the coronavirus pandemic and the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, California Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration quietly issued

_____ (2020-06-22). Gavin Newsom Hands Out Fracking Permits To Connected Driller. popularresistance.org On June 1, in the midst of the turmoil created by the coronavirus pandemic and the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, California Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration quietly issued 12 fracking permits to Aera Energy, a joint venture owned by ExxonMobil and Shell. The fracking permits are the latest example of California's oil industry benefiting from regulatory or deregulatory action during the COVID-19 pandemic and came just months after the Newsom administration said it supported taking actions to "manage the decline of oil production and consumption in the state." Aera, which also received 24 permits from the…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-06-22). Greta Thunberg Says Covid-19 Should Be Global Wake-Up Call to 'Act With Necessary Force' to Tackle Climate Emergency. commondreams.org In a new radio program, the Swedish teenager details and reflects on her travels around the world the past year as a youth climate leader.