2020-09-01: News Headlines

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-09-01). 'Creation Is Groaning!': Pope Francis Denounces Endless Growth, Humanity's Assault on Nature. commondreams.org "Climate restoration is of utmost importance, since we are in the midst of a climate emergency." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pope-endless-growth-climate-emergency.jpg

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2020-09-01). The Two Parties Have Failed Us, But The People Can Succeed. dissidentvoice.org The Republican and Democratic Party conventions showed that both major parties are failing to control the pandemic and protect people, address the climate crisis and clean up the environment, support families and businesses during the economic collapse, prevent police violence or deal with any of the other major problems we face. These were two substance-less …

Mirinda Crissman (2020-09-01). Capitalist-fueled climate crisis 'Nightmare Reality'. workers.org Houston Hurricane Laura made landfall Aug. 26 in west Louisiana and east Texas as a Category 4 storm, with winds clocking in at 150 miles per hour. The Gulf Coast region in the southern U.S. is on the frontline of a capitalist-induced climate crisis. Most of the people residing there . . . |

Mirinda Crissman (2020-09-01). Capitalist-fueled climate crisis — 'Nightmare Reality'. workers.org Houston Hurricane Laura made landfall Aug. 26 in west Louisiana and east Texas as a Category 4 storm, with winds clocking in at 150 miles per hour. The Gulf Coast region in the southern U.S. is on the frontline of a capitalist-induced climate crisis. Most of the people residing there . . . |

news.un (2020-09-01). From farm to fork: How food systems can power climate action. news.un.org Taking specific steps to transform national food supply systems can help countries achieve climate goals and limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius, a new joint UN report on climate action has found.

news.un (2020-09-01). 'No hope' of reaching climate, development goals, without youth optimism and know-how. news.un.org Without harnessing the energy, tech savvy and optimism of young people, the world has no hope of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or the Paris Agreement on climate change, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday.

news.un (2020-09-01). Beirut facing acute environmental crisis, warns UN energy specialist. news.un.org Contamination from hazardous chemicals, landfill sites at capacity, and water pollution, are among the most urgent challenges faced by the Lebanese authorities and UN teams tackling the huge task of clearing up Beirut, following the massive explosion in the city's port on 4 August.

Voelker R. (2020-09-01). New FDA-EPA Protocol Covers Agricultural Water Safety. jamanetwork.com The FDA and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have developed a new protocol that may help farmers protect produce such as romaine lettuce and other leafy greens from contamination that can cause foodborne illnesses.

_____ (2020-09-01). Fairy Creek Blockade Expands To Protect Rare Old-Growth Forest. popularresistance.org In the midst of an ongoing climate emergency, logging of the ancient rainforests continues at an unfettered rate. The amount of old-growth forest logged each day on Vancouver Island is equivalent to 32 soccer pitches according to the Wilderness Committee. These forests are not only vital for carbon sequestration, but also fundamental for the integrity of complex, interconnected ecosystems that support keystone and culturally significant species, such as salmon. Alarmingly, less than one percent of largest stature forest was found to be remaining on the Island according to the scientific report BC's Old Growth For…

Staff (2020-08-31). European banks profiteering from environmental crimes in the Amazon. therealnews.com Top European banks are providing cash, liquidity and technical knowledge to international oil companies for extracting oil from the Amazon leaving trail of death and destruction in the wake of profiteering.

Joseph Scalia III (2020-08-31). Yellowstone, Environmental Collapse, and Compromised Thinking. counterpunch.org In this era in which climate change and global warming occupy ever more of the public discourse and awareness, it is striking that its brethren environmental concerns, all of no less consequence, remain starkly and fatefully off the public radar screen. These threats could be enumerated to include, among others, deforestation, ocean acidification, grasslands and

teleSUR (2020-08-31). Glacial Lakes Increased by 50% Because of Global Warming, Study. telesurenglish.net Glacial lakes increased by about 50% in the last two decades because of the rapid melting of glaciers, according to research from Exeter University. | RELATED: | "Our findings show how quickly Earth's surface systems are responding to climate change and the global nature of this. Our results help to fill a gap in the science because, until now, it was not known how much water was held in the world's glacial lakes," said professor and climate chan…

Orson Aguilar (2020-08-31). Latinos Want Action on Climate Change. progressive.org We look forward to the day when all climate advocates recognize the power of the Latino community.

_____ (2020-08-31). Ten Days Of Climate Extremes. popularresistance.org Pick almost any slice of time in the recent past and you can find clues to how climate change is jacking up dangerous weather extremes. In the 10 days after the potential global heat record in Death Valley, an unusual lightning storm blasted California with more than 11,000 lightning strikes that sparked hundreds of fires; more heat records were set in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres; unprecedented flooding in Asia washed away villages and threatened China's Three Gorges Dam; and twin hurricanes threatened the Gulf of Mexico, with Hurricane Laura generating a storm surge as high as 11 feet that pushed far i…

Lisa Newcomb, staff writer (2020-08-31). Despite Poll Showing Aggressive Climate Action a Winning Issue, Biden Boasts 'I Am Not Banning Fracking'. commondreams.org In response to Trump's claims Biden would ban fracking, the Democratic presidential nominee assured a crowd in Pennsylvania that he will not do away with the practice. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-bidenevent_climate_protest.jpg

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-08-31). In Wake of Laura's Devastation and Amid Pandemic and Heat Wave, Calls Emerge to 'End Climate Silence'. commondreams.org Hurricane has left residents without power during a deadly heat wave while lack of running water and offline air quality monitors intensify Covid-19 threat, yet climate change is not mentioned once by ABC, CBS, and NBC. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/laura_aftermath3_0.jpg

Sandipan Talukdar (2020-08-30). Half of the world's oceans are already affected by human-induced climate change. peoplesdispatch.org A recent study of ocean depths shows that 20-55% of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans have shown an emergent human-induced signal and it is likely to increase to 40-65% and up to 80% by 2080…

_____ (2020-08-30). Senate Democrats' New Climate Report Disappoints. popularresistance.org Senate Democrats released a climate action report earlier this week leaving green groups, environmental activists, and progressive campaigners disappointed. | Critics of the report are saying there is not nearly enough action involved to fight the threat of global heating that is caused by human activity. "The report fails to address the vital need to end the extraction, processing, and burning of fossil fuels, and instead sees a future for fossil fuels tied to the false promise of carbon capture."

_____ (2020-08-29). CIA's Addiction to Afghanistan War. strategic-culture.org It is America's longest overseas war and shows no clear sign of ending despite a shaky peace deal underway between the Trump administration and Taliban militants. A phased withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan over the next year could yet be derailed, resulting in continued American military operations in the South Asian country — nearly two decades after President GW Bush launched Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001. | US involvement in Afghanistan is the archetypal quagmire. Hundreds of thousands killed or maimed, trillions of dollars wasted, a failed state — despite American pretension…

Michael Welch (2020-08-29). Guy McPherson: Climate Change and the Debate on Near Term Extinction of Humans and all Life on Earth. globalresearch.ca "To put it simply, our fate as a species is sealed. We're headed for extinction in the very near term despite warnings dating more than 150 years. It's a tragic tale. And, as foretold by evolutionary biologist George C. Williams, …

J Nwando Olayiwola, Esther Choo (2020-08-29). [Perspectives] Seven more things organisations should be doing to combat racism. thelancet.com The previous The Penumbra column outlined seven steps that organisations can take to address racism. In this month's column, we offer additional actions likely to be helpful in creating an anti-racist climate. With these suggestions, we highlight actions that fill obvious gaps in thinking and practice in our health-care environments.

Dayton Martindale (2020-08-28). The Strategic Case for Animal Liberation. commondreams.org "It's not just domestic animals that are a point of contention within the climate movement," writes Martindale. (Photo: Michael Setboun/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/cropgettyimages-84533638.jpg