(2020-08-21). "Light Is More Powerful Than Dark": Biden Vows to Fight COVID, Climate, Racism & Economic Meltdown. democracynow.org 
We air highlights from Joe Biden's highly anticipated speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, in which he formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, focused on the dangers of President Trump's reelection and pledged to address the four simultaneous crises of systemic racism, the pandemic, the economic downturn and the climate crisis. "United, we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America," Biden said. The 25-minute speech was delivered from his home state of Delaware.
(2020-08-21). Scheer Intelligence: Something's Rotten In The Corporate States Of America. popularresistance.org Beginning with the slave trade and leading all the way up to the climate crisis, author Barbara Freese's "Industrial Strength Denial" examines eight of private industries' most egregious crimes against humanity. On this week's installment of "Scheer Intelligence," the author and former assistant attorney general of Minnesota joins Robert Scheer to discuss what the host calls "heinous behavior" on the part of the corporations involved in each case, and, most importantly, how the corporatization of the United States has allowed unfettered greed to cause irreversible harm and an astounding loss of life.
(2020-08-21). The Burden of the Debt: Lessons for Biden Adviser Ted Kaufman. zcomm.org he idea that we would not address pressing needs, like climate change, child care, and health care because we are concerned about the debt burden is close to crazy. As long as the economy is not near its capacity, there is zero reason not to spend to address these priorities…
(2020-08-21). Dems Must Address Climate Crisis. zcomm.org DNC Drops Pledge to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies…
(2020-08-20). On Vacation. No Internet. No News. counterpunch.org 
Last time I went on vacation without access to news, I was in Greece, on Ithaca, and Chernobyl happened. I found out about it a week later when I got to Athens to catch my flight back to Hamburg. There was an English language newspaper there — Daily American perhaps, or that was the paper
(2020-08-20). Cyclists protest climate destruction. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-08-20). Vickery coal mine: serial climate vandal given go-ahead to expand. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-08-20). 'Trump is destroying our country!' Billie Eilish targets young voters with pro-Biden rant & new song performance at Dem convention. rt.com 
American pop star Billie Eilish tore into US President Donald Trump before performing a new song at the Democratic convention, in an apparent attempt to attract young voters to the party's 77-year-old nominee, Joe Biden. | "Donald Trump is destroying our country and everything we care about… We need leaders who will solve our problems like climate change and Covid, not deny them… It starts with voting against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden," Eilish said before performing her new track, 'My Future,' at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night. | You don't need me to tell you things are a mess.
(2020-08-20). California wildfires: A climate crisis embedded in the COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org The heat wave and numerous wildfires were all predictable, so why wasn't California prepared?
(2020-08-20). Covid-19 lockdown demonstrates how economy-wide transformation can halt climate change. nationofchange.org The blip in emissions will not have a longterm impact unless we invest in sustainable solutions on a grand scale.
(2020-08-20). After a big win against coal, NY climate activists are closer than ever to ending all fossil fuel investments. zcomm.org A recent surge in youth-led climate activism has revived a near decade-long effort to divest New York from the companies most responsible for causing the climate crisis…
(2020-08-20). How Dairy Monopolies Keep Milk Off the Shelves. cepr.net Institute for New Economic Thinking See article on original site Consolidation in the dairy industry has created separate, inflexible supply chains for consumers and commercial markets. When COVID killed commercial demand, perfectly good milk and cheese was wasted. People rarely think about where the milk on supermarket shelves or the cheese on their pizzas comes …
(2020-08-20). 2019 saw record levels of annual loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet, study finds. thecanary.co The annual ice mass loss from Greenland in 2019 broke the previous record melt in 2012 by 15%, a new study suggests. | The Greenland Ice Sheet is one of the largest contributors to sea level rise, and is associated with about 0.76mm per year, out of the total of about 3.5mm per year rise in global mean sea level from 2005 to 2017, researchers say. | Using the satellite missions Grace (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) and its follow-on mission Grace-FO, experts have been able to quantify ice mass loss by tracking changes in gravity. | Ingo Sasgen from the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar…
(2020-08-19). Sunrise Movement: Dems Must Address Climate Crisis as DNC Drops Pledge to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies. democracynow.org 
The Democratic National Committee has dropped a pledge to eliminate tax breaks and subsidies for the fossil fuel industry from its party platform, after a DNC spokesperson said the amendment was originally included in "error," despite both Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris supporting it on the campaign trail. Varshini Prakash, co-founder and executive director of the Sunrise Movement, says it is "disappointing to see" Democrats back away from the pledge, but adds that as long as social movements sustain pressure, "it will be a priority for the Biden administration, shoul…
(2020-08-19). Will Biden do enough to fight the climate crisis? therealnews.com 
Biden has a climate plan. It's good—but does it go far enough?
(2020-08-19). Climate Activists Are Closer Than Ever To Ending All Fossil Fuel Investments. popularresistance.org When New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced last month that the state would divest its over $200 billion Common Retirement Fund from more than 20 coal companies, it marked an important milestone for a grassroots campaign that has seen a recent burst of new momentum. In an op-ed published on July 12, DiNapoli stated, "After a thorough assessment, the fund has divested from 22 thermal coal mining companies that are not prepared to thrive, or even survive, in the low-carbon economy." | This victory is thanks to a near decade-long effort by activists who have been pressuring New York to divest from the…
(2020-08-19). Trump Dropped Into Iowa — and Didn't Even Try to Understand the Devastation. truthout.org IOWA CITY, Iowa — Amid the rubble of uprooted trees and fallen power lines, my teenage son set up his climate strike protest last Friday for the 79th consecutive week, holding up a wobbly handmade sign: "Wake up, Iowa. Climate action plan now." | We were still without electricity or internet on Friday morning, four days into riding out the aftermath of the hurricane-level
(2020-08-19). DNC Drops Support for Ending Fossil Fuel Handouts From Platform. truthout.org Environmentalists reacted with outrage late Tuesday to news that the Democratic National Committee this week quietly removed from the final party platform an amendment calling for an end to federal subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, a longstanding demand of climate activists that both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris supported during the primary. | HuffPost's Alexander Kaufman
(2020-08-19). Greta Thunberg and Fellow Activists Decry 'Political Inaction' on Climate Crisis After Two Years of School Strikes. commondreams.org "We still have the future in our own hands. But time is rapidly slipping through our fingers." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/greta_thunberg_5_0.jpg …
(2020-08-19). Greenpeace Gives Democratic Party Climate Platform a 'C+' on Climate. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-08-19). Greenpeace Gives Democratic Platform C+ on Climate, Calling for 'Action at the Scale That Science and Justice Demand'. commondreams.org Greenpeace USA announced Wednesday that the platform which Democrats are set to adopt this week earns only a C+ rating based on the scorecard process the group previously used to rank the climate policies of what was once a large field of the party's 2020 presidential primary candidates. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-06-12_at_10.47.01_am.png …
(2020-08-19). During the Conventions, the Media Needs to Be Treating Climate Like the Emergency It Is. thenation.com During the Conventions, the Media Needs to Be Treating Climate Like the Emergency It Is…
(2020-08-18). A Child of Drought: On Climate Resilience, Community, and Love. counterpunch.org 
It feels strange to say it, but I am a child of drought. Not drought in any kind of metaphorical sense. Drought in the literal description, as defined by Merriam-Webster: a period of dryness, especially when prolonged. Perhaps this is the price of reveling in the beauty of the desert southwest. We are gifted daily
(2020-08-18). Can California's Prison Firefighter Program Be Reformed? therealnews.com 
California's Conservation Camps put prisoners to work fighting climate change-fueled fires for pennies on the dollar.
(2020-08-18). Oil spill threatens disaster for Mauritius. mronline.org 
The Japanese-owned (Mitsui-operated) MV Wakashio was en route to Brazil from China to fetch iron ore from a port owned by the notorious mining company Vale. Here the ship is seen having run aground near Blue Bay, one of the area's most pristine sites for coral, already threatened by bleaching due to the climate crisis. …
(2020-08-18). The Danger of War With China is Real and Insane. zcomm.org China and the U.S. must work together to solve the climate crisis, but the power of the militaries and national security states on both sides is making that impossible…
(2020-08-18). How Software Companies Might Lead Us Out of Our E-Waste Dilemma. counterpunch.org I first came across the subscription model when, immediately following a software update, my Adobe Acrobat system failed to work and I was forced to reinstall it. But when I got to the step for entering the serial number I was instead deferred to an Adobe website where I was told to sign up for
(2020-08-18). Estimates of plastic in Atlantic 'massively underestimated'. thecanary.co Estimates of how much plastic has been dumped in the Atlantic Ocean have been "massively underestimated", experts say. | The mass of so-called invisible microplastics found in the upper waters of the Atlantic is around 12-21m tonnes, new research suggests. | But the figure only represents three types of the most common types of plastic litter in a limited size range. | According to a study published in Nature Communications, it is comparable in magnitude to estimates of all plastic waste that has entered the Atlantic over the past 65 years — 17m tonnes. | This suggests the supply of plastic to the ocean has…
(2020-08-18). In Denial: Australia, Human Rights and Climate Change. counterpunch.org When the complaint was lodged in May 2019, there was a sense of the audacious about it. Eight Torres Strait Islanders had taken the trouble to petition the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Committee, citing climate change and Australian violations as their main concern. Australia, they claimed, had violated their fundamental rights under the International Covenant
(2020-08-18). Trump's Attacks on Science Will Hasten Climate Catastrophe. thenation.com Trump's Attacks on Science Will Hasten Climate Catastrophe…