2020-09-30: News Headlines

Staff (2020-09-30). Kate Aronoff: The Climate Crisis Can't Take 4 More Years of Trump. We Must Push Biden from the Left. democracynow.org After massive outcry from activists and young voters, debate moderator Chris Wallace questioned President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden about the climate crisis at the first presidential debate. He did not include it in his initial list of debate topics. Kate Aronoff, author and staff writer at The New Republic, says she didn't expect climate change to come up, but was unsurprised by the responses. "We've known for years that Donald Trump denies the science of climate change," she says. "And we know that Joe Biden doesn't support a Green New Deal."

Leia Barnett (2020-09-30). Earth at the "Crossroads:" Finding our way in a time of extirpation. counterpunch.org Ten years ago, some humans came to the table. We sat down together and looked at the facts. We looked at each other. Looked at the world. And looked at the facts again. The scientific facts. The planet is warming, we said to each other. Species are dying. The Sixth Mass Extinction, we murmured under

Erik Molvar (2020-09-30). Trump Slaps California With Anti-Environmental Plan for Point Reyes National Seashore. counterpunch.org During its planning process for Point Reyes National Seashore, the National Park Service received overwhelming public input opposing commercial ranching on and supporting the recovery of the rare tule elk. The Trump administration, after sparring with the California state government on climate issues, has now unveiled a proposed plan that would expand ranch operations, and

Julie Brigham-Grette and Steve Petsch (2020-09-30). The Arctic hasn't been this warm for 3 million years — and that foreshadows big changes for the rest of the planet. nationofchange.org As geoscientists who study the evolution of Earth's climate and how it creates conditions for life, we see evolving conditions in the Arctic as an indicator of how climate change could transform the planet.

Generation180 & Sierra Club Climate Parents (2020-09-30). Thursday 10/1: Students Lead the Charge for Clean Energy Solar Power Teach-in. indybay.org Online via Zoom. FOR MORE INFO link / Web link to event: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aTi6NOa2Ri64LuhEFT_SQQ

Generation180 & Sierra Club Climate Parents (2020-09-30). Tuesday 9/29: Students Lead the Charge for Clean Energy Solar Power Teach-in. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-09-29). Attenborough's Online Climate Warning Shatters Guinness Record for Instagram Following. commondreams.org "As we all know, the world is in trouble," the 94-year-old conservationist says. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/attenborough-instagram-record.jpg

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2020-09-29). On the Precipice of Tyranny. counterpunch.org As if climate change, its consuming heat and fires, and the killer pandemic plague were not enough, the country is getting closer to tyranny — by the day. Trump refuses peaceful transfer of power President Trump keeps saying the only result of the November 3 elections he will accept is his own reelection. His refusal

Mark Gruenberg (2020-09-29). Unionists link growing usage of mass transit to combating global warming. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Increasing people's usage of mass transit will not only help combat global warming but could produce tens of thousands of good union jobs, in everything from retrofitting school buses to make them electronic to building more commuter rail lines in smaller metro and rural areas, a panel of unionists say. And since those jobs involve …

Staff (2020-09-29). Chevron capitalizes on militarized climate chaos in the Mediterranean. therealnews.com Chevron announces its plans for offshore drilling in the hotly contested Mediterranean Sea, creating military tension between competing regional powers.

_____ (2020-09-29). Selling Ourselves For Safety: A Look At the Migration Industrial Complex. popularresistance.org The climate crisis, wars, violent states and economic crashes are driving migration around the world and in this capitalist global environment, it is no surprise that a profiteering industrial complex has evolved. I speak with Siobhan McGuirk and Adrienne Pine, co-authors of "Asylum for Sale: Profit and protest in the migration industry," about the ways capitalism both drives migration and benefits from it. They discuss who has the resources to migrate, the problem with how asylum-seeking is framed in the public discourse and courts and the diverse international resistance that is forming to demand universal acce…

Anna Colivicchi (2020-09-29). How Personal Stories Can Combat Climate Denialism. progressive.org A new study shows that storytelling is an effective tool to engage people in conversations about climate change—even those who are skeptical.

news.un (2020-09-29). Climate change 'the defining challenge of our generation' says New Zealand Ambassador. news.un.org There is no vaccine against climate change, the Permanent Representative of New Zealand told the UN General Assembly debate on Tuesday, noting that now more than ever, the international community must "step up, collectively and in the common interest."

Jordan Davidson (2020-09-29). Plastic-eating super enzyme could help solve the plastic waste crisis. nationofchange.org "The faster we can make the enzymes, the quicker we can break down the plastic, and the more commercially viable it will be."

_____ (2020-09-29). Natural Gas Fracking Under Fire In Pennsylvania. popularresistance.org In a blistering report on Pennsylvania's 12-year experience with hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, a special statewide grand jury said public health and the environment have suffered and the state's environmental and health agencies, rather than acting as watchdogs, had a "culture of inadequate oversight." | "When it comes to fracking, Pennsylvania failed," said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who convened the Investigating Statewide Grand Jury that listened to scores of witnesses and reports of investigators over two years.

news.un (2020-09-29). Food loss and waste 'an ethical outrage', UN chief says on International Day. news.un.org New approaches and solutions are needed to address worsening food loss and waste, the UN Secretary-General has said, in a message marking the first ever International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Reduction.

_____ (2020-09-29). Many Superfund Sites Are Dangerously Threatened By Climate Change. popularresistance.org Barrett, Texas – Fred Barrett thought he'd wait out Hurricane Harvey at his home in this town outside Houston, founded by his great-grandfather in 1889. He prepared for heavy rain, wind and flooding. | But when the murky brown San Jacinto River jumped its banks, flooding Barrett's neighbors and an ominous cluster of four hazardous waste Superfund sites nearby, Barrett worried the catastrophic 2017 storm could fill his community with deadly toxins. | The most notorious of the sites, the San Jacinto Waste Pits, was smashed by 16 feet of water that undermined a concrete cap covering the site's toxic contents, washin…

Margaret Wadsworth (2020-09-29). Trump's Plan to Frack Chaco Canyon. counterpunch.org As communities across New Mexico deal with the deadly coronavirus pandemic, the federal government is attempting a massive land grab, offering millions of acres of public land near Chaco Canyon National Historic Park to oil and gas drillers for fracking. This plan has been slowed down before, but it needs to be stopped entirely. In

_____ (2020-09-29). UK imports Dutch sewage for use on farmland despite being banned in Holland. truepublica.org.uk The UK is importing thousands of tonnes of sewage sludge to be used on farmland despite serious health and environmental concerns over the controversial practice, Unearthed can reveal. Documents obtained using freedom of information rules show that the Environment Agency (EA) has approved shipments that would see the arrival of 27,500 tonnes of sewage waste …

commondreams (2020-09-29). More Than 160,000 Americans Demand That Climate Change Be Front And Center During Presidential Debates. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Mark Hertsgaard (2020-09-29). What Is Chris Wallace Thinking? thenation.com What Is Chris Wallace Thinking?

Climate Nexus (2020-09-28). California wildfires torch 10,000 acres in a single day. peoplesworld.org Just days after a new report detailed the "unequivocal and pervasive role" climate change plays in the increased frequency and intensity of wildfires, new fires burned 10,000 acres on Sunday as a "dome" of hot, dry air over Northern California created ideal fire conditions over the weekend. In Napa County, the Glass Fire burned more than 2,500 …

Alan MacLeod (2020-09-28). Media blame gender reveal parties, not climate change, for West Coast fires. mronline.org The West is on fire, quite literally. A record-breaking heatwave has sparked unprecedented wildfires up and down the coast, turning the sky an apocalyptic, terrifying shade of red.

Charles Ellison (2020-09-28). Black voters know climate justice is racial justice. nationofchange.org Research suggests that people of color may be more concerned than Whites about climate change.

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Honduras Requests Solutions for the Motagua River Contamination. telesurenglish.net The Honduran government asked the Guatemalan authorities for a definitive solution to the contamination of the Motagua River, a body of water on the border with severe environmental damage. | RELATED: | Liliam Rivera, who is the Honduras' presidential commissioner for the River Motagua, insisted on the closure of municipal dumps and the construction of self-sustaining landfills. | The Permanent Interinstitutional…

sputniknews (2020-09-28). Biden Campaign Wastes No Time Putting Trump's Reported Tax Records Into Ads, Merchandise. sputniknews.com A bombshell report from The New York Times on Donald Trump's income tax payments has alleged the real estate tycoon-turned-president paid no income taxes during at least 10 years since 2000, and has been at loggerheads with the IRS over his hefty tax refund claims.

Staff (2020-09-28). 1.8 Billion Tons More Greenhouse Gases Will Be Released, Thanks to Trump. truthout.org This story is part of When President Donald Trump visited California on September 14 and dismissed the state Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot's plea to recognize the role of climate change in the midst of the Golden…

yenisafak (2020-09-28). 'Planet is dying,' India's 8-year-old climate crusader warns. yenisafak.com When 8-year-old Indian climate change activist Licypriya Kangujam is older, she wants to launch a solo mission to the moon to research ways to save planet earth.One of the world's youngest climate change activists, Kangujam was inspired by the devastating scenes she witnessed in Nepal in 2015, where as a four-year-old she helped her father deliver aid to victims of huge earthquakes that killed some 9,000 people and destroyed one million homes.Now she is leading a youth movement calling for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian lawmakers to pass a new law aimed at capping carbon emissions in the world's third la…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-28). 'Trying to Have It Both Ways': Investigation Reveals BP and Shell Still Back Anti-Climate Lobby Groups, Despite Pledges. commondreams.org The Unearthed and HuffPost report reveals the companies failed to disclose membership in at least eight Big Oil lobbies in their transparency reports. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/oil_0.jpg

Henry Coleman (2020-09-28). What to Do When the World Is on Fire. commondreams.org We can believe in a future of expanding rainforests, flowing rivers, diverse species and a stable climate. We can believe in a world without famine or drought, without systemic violence or economic injustice. (Photo: jotily/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/sweaterweather.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-09-28). 'Very Bad News': Scientists Behind New Study Warn Warming Oceans 'Contributing to Climate Breakdown'. commondreams.org New findings on human-caused global heating and ocean stability have "profound and troubling implications," says co-author Michael Mann.

Newsclick (2020-09-27). Wildfires show that climate change will not impact just the global south. peoplesdispatch.org In today's Talking Science and Tech, Prabir Purkayastha talks about the wildfires in California and how it can no longer be denied that climate change is the underlying cause. He also talks about the Paris climate accord and where different countries stand in achieving its targets.

Franklin Frederick (2020-09-27). The Climate Strike Movement in Switzerland. globalresearch.ca In the early hours of Monday 21 September, a large number of young people from the Swiss Climate Strike movement occupied the Federal Square in Bern, opposite the Federal Palace — hence its name — seat of the Swiss Government …

Leon Kunstenaar (2020-09-27). High School Students March Against Chevron in Climate Strike. indybay.org Richmond High School Students in "March For Our Future" protest assail Chevron…

Staff (2020-09-26). Trump to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett so Supreme Court will hand him the election. therealnews.com Barrett, a hardline conservative, could be instrumental in deciding who wins the 2020 election, and could vote to end Roe v. Wade, the Affordable Care Act, protections for the LGBTQ community, unions, and legislation required to fight climate change.