Daily Archives: September 3, 2020

2020-09-03: News Headlines

news.un (2020-09-03). Make COVID recovery 'a true turning point' for people and planet, Guterres urges, calling for concerted action by G20. news.un.org UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on governments to incorporate "meaningful" climate action in all aspects of recovery from the global pandemic.

Extinction Rebellion (2020-09-03). Boats, Bills and and Boris the Bank Engine. zcomm.org As I get older, I fall more and more in love with all the facets of being alive here on Earth. I grieve for the hollowness of what we are told is a happy existence as human beings…

_____ (2020-09-03). Connecting Beyond The Height Of Emergency. popularresistance.org Three months ago, protests in Minneapolis gave way to a national uprising. Ushering in a new focus on racial justice, the uprisings have challenged the way people relate to one another and how some talk about community safety. Coupled with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, the uprisings have forced people to rethink how to protect their communities through strengthening their bonds with one another. | Mutual aid groups and block-level community defense are two ways people shifted beyond traditional American individualism. A climate organizer with TakeAction Minnesota, Magdalena Kaluza said that in the midst of…

Staff (2020-09-02). The End of Oil? Pandemic Adds to Fossil Fuel Glut, But COVID-19 Relief Money Flows to Oil Industry. democracynow.org As the coronavirus pandemic contributes to a glut of fossil fuels, groups like Greenpeace are calling on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to ban fossil fuel interests from his campaign and administration, if he wins, even as he recently declared at a campaign stop that he "will not ban fracking." We discuss the politics of fossil fuels with reporter Antonia Juhasz, who says the end of oil could be near, and look at how the industry has profited from the COVID bailout. "The pandemic has taken essentially every weakness that already existed in the oil industry and then made each of them much, much worse,…

Staff (2020-09-02). Green New Deal Champion Ed Markey Defeats Joe Kennedy III in Massachusetts. truthout.org Bolstered by an energized climate movement, small-dollar donors, and support from prominent progressive lawmakers like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Green New Deal champion Sen. Ed Markey on Tuesday fended off a Democratic primary challenge from Rep. Joe Kennedy III, whose name recognition and late

_____ (2020-09-02). The CIA's Addiction To The Afghanistan War. popularresistance.org US involvement in Afghanistan is the archetypal quagmire. Hundreds of thousands killed or maimed, trillions of dollars wasted, a failed state — despite American pretensions of nation-building, and a militant insurgency stronger than ever. Washington's declared strategic objectives in Afghanistan have never been coherent or convincing even among Pentagon top brass. The initial justification of "avenging terrorism of 9/11" sounds threadbare. | The irony is that Washington first got involved in Afghanistan back in the late 1970s to inflict a "Vietnam scenario" on Soviet troops who were defending an allied gove…

Staff (2020-09-02). Fracking Company Has Made It Rain Toxic Water Upon New Mexico Without Penalty. truthout.org Penny Aucoin, her husband Carl Dee George, their son Gideon and their daughter Skyler have had their lives devastated by the fracking industry. | There was no oil and gas infrastructure where they lived when they moved to Carlsbad, New Mexico. But six years ago, during a massive expansion of drilling across the Permian Basin that spans West Texas and southeastern New Mexico — one of the most prolific oil and gas basins in the United States — the drilling began. | It was so loud t…

John O'Kane (2020-09-02). Authoritarian Anarchism Meets Autocratic Soul Searching. counterpunch.org "A Letter on Justice and Open Debate," published by Harper's Magazine (7/7/20), lauds the recent climate of protest for spurring calls for police reform as well as greater inclusion and equality, but laments what came with it: a new set of "moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our social norms of open

Warren Alan Tidwell (2020-09-02). We Need More Than Disaster Recovery—We Need Green Jobs. commondreams.org The THRIVE Resolution "will help communities impacted by natural disasters and climate change rebuild with millions of green, sustainable jobs to replace our dependence on fossil fuels," writes Tidwell. (Photo: Linh Do/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/cleanenergyjobs-a_0.jpg

commondreams (2020-09-02). Hoboken Sues Oil Giants Over Climate Change Damages, Fraud. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-09-02). City of Hoboken Files Climate Suit Against Exxon—'The Most Ruthless, Deceitful, and Unapologetic Climate Polluters on the Planet'. commondreams.org "With climate costs surging everywhere and local budgets depleted, more and more communities are turning to the courts as their only recourse to make polluters pay." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/hoboken_0.jpg

commondreams (2020-09-02). Hoboken, N.J. Files Lawsuit to Hold API, ExxonMobil and Other Oil Cos. Accountable for Fraud, Climate Damages. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Andrew McCormick (2020-09-02). The Sitting President Has No Climate Plan. Why Isn't That Headline News? commondreams.org A view of the damage around the site aftermath of the Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States on August 30, 2020. (Photo: Dave Creaney/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/hurricanelaura.jpg

Andrew McCormick (2020-09-02). The Sitting President Has No Climate Plan. Why Isn't That Headline News? thenation.com The Sitting President Has No Climate Plan. Why Isn't That Headline News?

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). 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.

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.

_____ (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). From Amazon to the Auto Industry, Kenosha, WI Exemplifies Climate Justice Denied. therealnews.com In this week's Climate Crisis News Roundup, historical climate injustice serves as the backdrop of the Jacob Blake police shooting. And Hurricane Laura slams Louisiana and Texas as the RNC ignores climate altogether.

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

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