2020-12-14: News Headlines

Staff (2020-12-14). Greta Thunberg: 5 Years After Paris Agreement, World Is "Speeding in the Wrong Direction" on Climate. democracynow.org Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who launched the global Fridays for Future youth climate movement, issued a stark warning on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement that the world is not doing enough to keep global heating below 2 degrees Celsius — the target set in the landmark 2015 deal. "The gap between what we need to do and what is actually being done is widening by the minute. We are still speeding in the wrong direction," Thunberg said in a video message posted on social media.

_____ (2020-12-14). Resisting Amazon Is Not Futile. popularresistance.org It seems eons ago, the youth-led climate strike of September 20, 2019 that brought four million people onto the streets worldwide. I was on the sidewalk outside Seattle City Hall, watching thousands of school-skippers march by. And then behind the teens came waves of exuberant people, no more than a decade or two older, their homemade signs held aloft: tech workers, including hundreds of Amazon workers who had stepped out of their comfortable cubicles and palatial glass towers to join the global walkout. | They had every right to step lightly. Just a day earlier, the budding Amazon Employees for Climate Justice h…

Eds. (2020-12-14). UN climate report calls out global elite as cause of the crisis. mronline.org The UN Emissions Gap Report released on Dec. 9, shows how far off the mark we are for averting complete climate catastrophe. Current global emissions reduction policies have us on track for 3.5 C warming by 2100, which would be catastrophic for life on Earth.

John Pilger (2020-12-14). John Pilger: The Most Lethal Virus Is Not COVID. It Is War. mintpressnews.com In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Britain has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defense spending.

Anna Pha (2020-12-14). In Australia, like rest of world, the 'gig' economy is killing workers. peoplesworld.org SYDNEY—Five young food delivery workers lost their lives in Australia in the space of just two months. No one has been held accountable or is likely to be. Their work is unregulated, underpaid, unsafe, and precarious in a climate where between one and two million unemployed are denied the federal government's JobKeeper wage subsidy program …

Paul Buchheit (2020-12-14). How conservatives have laid waste to America for 50 years. nationofchange.org Conservatism has made 'social' a dirty word. Here are some of the details of fifty years of damage inflicted on America…

Zach Conti (2020-12-14). Climate Change Can be Addressed in Coronavirus Relief, Study Says Development Group Urges. indybay.org As countries address their debt crises, policy responses can reduce climate change, asserts a new study. "Linking Debt Relief and Sustainable Development: Lessons from Experience," examines previous debt relief processes to learn how debt and climate responses can work in tandem.

Jessica Corbett (2020-12-14). 'Can Anybody Still Deny That We Are Facing a Dramatic Emergency?'. zcomm.org UN Chief at Climate Summit: "If we don't change course, we may be headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3 degrees this century."

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-14). FAO supports Iranian experts in developing green projects. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — FAO provides another training opportunity for Iranian experts to scale up climate investment for the agricultural and rural development sectors.

Ben Lilliston (2020-12-13). A Roadmap for the Biden-Harris Administration: Redesigning Farm Systems for the Climate Crisis. commondreams.org A just transition for farming must not only consider reforms to farm policy, but also aligned reforms in financial, trade, environmental, and competition policy. | www.flickr.com/photos/suziesfarm/11438035863

news.un (2020-12-13). The Handmaid's Tale: making a drama out of a crisis. news.un.org The Handmaid's Tale, a critically acclaimed television series which has won 38 Emmy awards, may be about a fictional "alternative reality", but the show's creators have gone to great lengths to ensure that references to themes such as climate change, human rights abuses, and refugees, are as real and accurate as possible, by collaborating closely with UN experts.

The Canary (2020-12-12). Climate Ambition Summit: What is it and can it achieve where other summits have failed? thecanary.co Countries are coming together this weekend to ramp up plans to cut their carbon emissions, following recent revelations that the world is still on course for a catastrophic 3C of global warming.Five years after the Paris Agreement, a virtual summit co-hosted by the UK, France, and the United Nations will see decision-makers outline new efforts to try to limit warming to between 1.5C and 2C.But what's at stake and have we left it too late? Here are some of the key questions answered. | #ClimatePromise into climate action. Our leadership explains how we're raising the ambition:

Ralph Nader (2020-12-12). Go Vote Yourself a Raise, Georgia—You've Long Earned It. commondreams.org Candidates should be pushed to say if they stand with the super-rich profiteering, callous Big Business tycoons or with the people who work for pitiful wages, on the rugged frontlines, and keep our society running. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/georgia_primary.jpg

March for Science (2020-12-12). Saturday 12/12: SC1.5NCE Not SILENCE: Five-year Anniversary of Paris Agreement Climate Emergency Forum. indybay.org Online via livestream or Zoom…

Extinction Rebellion (2020-12-12). Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. zcomm.org Governments are pledging to avert a climate crisis while their economies bankroll and intensify it.