Daily Archives: August 23, 2020

2020-08-23: News Headlines

Benjamin Wehrmann (2020-08-23). Thunberg, other activists tell Merkel to 'abandon fossil industry contracts'. zcomm.org Thunberg said the activists were looking to find leaders who "prioritise the future over the past" and argued that the letter merely describes "the very minimum" of what needs to be done to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Greta Thunberg, Luisa Neubauer, Anuna De Wever and AdélaàØde Charlier (2020-08-22). After two years of school strikes, the world is still in a state of climate crisis denial. zcomm.org We can have as many meetings as we like, but the will to change is nowhere in sight. Society must start treating this as a crisis…

Linda McQuaig (2020-08-22). NDP Should Use Its Clout to Push Vulnerable Liberals to Take Urgent Climate Action. commondreams.org Climate campaigners in Canada and beyond and protested Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's ongoing support for the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project. (Photo: Greenpeace) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2018-03-23_at_3.33.16_pm_1_0_0_0.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-08-21). "We're Back": Greta Thunberg Kicks Off Third Year of Fridays for Future Protests in Germany After Meeting With Merkel. commondreams.org "We want leaders to step up, take responsibility, and treat the climate crisis like a crisis." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/greta_berlin.jpg

Staff (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.

Staff (2020-08-21). Biden, Harris Feel The Heat Over Fossil Fuel Subsidies. therealnews.com The DNC says the platform statement calling for an end to fossil fuel subsidies was an "error" and that's why it was removed. But climate activist circles smell a rat and are calling for clarification.

_____ (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.

Dean Baker (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…

Varshini Prakash (2020-08-21). Dems Must Address Climate Crisis. zcomm.org DNC Drops Pledge to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies…

Staff (2020-08-21). Biden Vows to Fight COVID, Climate, Racism and Economic Meltdown. truthout.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…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-08-21). Extinction Rebellion Activists Launch Ocean-Focused Offshoot With Direct Actions Targeting Luxury Cruise Liner. commondreams.org The group aims to "address cascading collapses in biodiversity due to overfishing, human-caused climate change, deep sea mining, and other marine emergencies." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/oceanrebellion-fal-launch-demo-461.jpg

commondreams (2020-08-21). Nation's First Public Database Launched Featuring Research on Links Between Human Population Growth, Extinction Crisis. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Tamara Toles O'Laughlin (2020-08-21). When It Comes to Climate Change, It's Joe Biden Versus the DNC. thenation.com When It Comes to Climate Change, It's Joe Biden Versus the DNC…

Danny Antonelli (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

RT (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.

pip.hinman (2020-08-20). Cyclists protest climate destruction. greenleft.org.au

pip.hinman (2020-08-20). Vickery coal mine: serial climate vandal given go-ahead to expand. greenleft.org.au

WSWS (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?

Nick Engelfried (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…

Damian Carrington (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.

Karen Conner (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 …

The Canary (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…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (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

Alan MacLeod (2020-08-19). Popular viral video firm sues Facebook over Russian propaganda label. mronline.org The company behind In The Now, Soapbox and Waste-Ed is taking on media giant Facebook, who it claims is falsely labeling it as Russian state-controlled propaganda.

Staff (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). 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…

Mark Hertsgaard (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…