Daily Archives: September 29, 2020

2020-09-29: News Headlines

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 …

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.

_____ (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…

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). 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…

_____ (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 …

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). 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.

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

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…

Taylor Griggs (2020-09-28). Can You Afford to Breathe in the Pacific Northwest? progressive.org As climate change worsens wildfires each year, unhoused people in Oregon and Washington experience the worst of the smoke.

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

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.

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

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…

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-09-26). Moderate Murder: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com Kill millions in concentration camps and they'll call you a monster. Kill millions with bombs and they'll call you a moderate. | ~ | A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change. | ~ | Claiming a country attacked America's democracy is like claiming they attacked America's leprechauns. | ~ | America has slaughtered millions of human beings since 9/11 to facilitate global domination and the people who live there are saying this election is unique because this president is actually bad. | ~ | The only way to believe Trump is uniquely evil as a president…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-09-26). 'Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Carbon Solution': New Paper Outlines Vision for Climate Action. commondreams.org "Data from farming and grazing studies show the power of exemplary regenerative systems that, if achieved globally, would drawdown more than 100% of current annual CO2 emissions," the new research says. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/farmer-ghent.jpg

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.

Staff (2020-09-26). Reports: Trump to name Judge Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court. 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.

Staff (2020-09-26). Trump nominates 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.

Rachel Zhang (2020-09-26). Democrats need to be pressured on climate, too. nationofchange.org "We are already facing the consequences of the climate crisis."

WSWS (2020-09-26). Western US wildfires point to worsening trends of global warming. wsws.org Since the beginning of 2020, California has seen approximately 3.6 million acres burn—a testament to the growing climate crisis.

William rivers Pitt (2020-09-26). Youth Action Gives Me Hope Amid Climate Crisis and Trump's Totalitarian Threat. zcomm.org My daughter does not deserve this future, nor do her peers, and many of them have begun to push back hard…

Matthew Cunningham-Cook (2020-09-26). Washington Congressional Race Lays Bare Democratic Divide on Climate Crisis. zcomm.org The outcome of the race will say much about what kind of Democratic Party will be confronting climate change in the years ahead…

Earth Day Initiative (2020-09-26). Friday 9/25: Climate Week 2020: Full Day of Climate Teach-ins w/ Earth Day Initiative. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

Staff (2020-09-26). Farmers Are Plagued by Debt and Climate Crisis. Trump Has Made Things Worse. truthout.org This story is part of At a

commondreams (2020-09-26). Climate Justice Alliance Deeply Disappointed with Passage of House Democrats Dirty Energy Bill. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-09-25). Masked, Socially Distanced, and Mad as Hell: Global Youth Take to the Streets for Over 3,200 #ClimateStrike Events. commondreams.org Fridays for Future founder Greta Thunberg said young people are striking, "in a safe way and following Covid-19 guidelines, to demand those in power treat this like the urgent crisis it is." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12287029421.jpg

news.un (2020-09-25). Conflict, climate crisis, threaten fragile gains to advance women and children's health. news.un.org Fragile gains made over the past decade to advance women and children's health are threatened by conflict, the climate crisis and COVID-19, according to a new report from Every Woman Every Child, released on Friday.

Leanna First-Arai (2020-09-25). Trump Is Losing Farmer Support in Climate Crisis. Will They Swing the Election? zcomm.org In a push to capture the rural vote, 62 percent of which went to Trump in 2016, both the Trump and Biden campaigns are ramping up efforts to appeal to farmers and ranchers.

Andrew McCormick (2020-09-25). Kentucky's Climate Is Suffering. Can the State Slip the Industry Ties That Prevent Change? thenation.com Kentucky's Climate Is Suffering. Can the State Slip the Industry Ties That Prevent Change?

Zoà´ Carpenter (2020-09-25). Climate Disasters Are Leaving Families With Nowhere to Go. thenation.com Climate Disasters Are Leaving Families With Nowhere to Go…