Monthly Archives: December 2020

2020-12-29: News Headlines

Mechthild Schrooten and Michael Klundt (2020-12-29). Invitation to New Thinking. indybay.org One virus changed everything. Covid-19 has managed to do what all the discussions about climate change and justice in recent years have failed to do. Phenomena that threaten humanity are no longer a theory. The pandemic has made the risk of our extensive lifestyle tangible. For this global crisis is not an exogenous shock. Rather, crass, profit-oriented globalization has fueled its spread.

Eds. (2020-12-29). Engels' struggle for a dialectical concept of nature. mronline.org To prevent climate catastrophe, revolutionary decisions are needed based on a widespread understanding of the "dialectics of nature", which Friedrich Engels, on his joint mission with Karl Marx, sought to explain.

Ralph Nader (2020-12-29). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. counterpunch.org Serial lawbreaker Donald J. Trump is embarking on the most sordid presidential pardon spree in American history. He has already pardoned convicted crooks, thieves, and violent outlaws. Trump's pardon lawyers are frantically assembling more MAGA besotted individuals and groups to be pardoned wholesale. The number may climb into the hundreds. The queue is long. Trump

Robert Hunziker (2020-12-29). Religion Meets Climate Change. dissidentvoice.org Global warming is the biggest challenge of all time. It impacts every living species. However, the inherent dangers are very difficult to comprehend. As such, people brush it off as one more issue in life that will somehow be handled, fixed, no worries, human ingenuity will prevail. But, what if it's not that simple? Stuart …

Jonathan Cook (2020-12-29). I Am Greta isn't about climate change. It's about the elusiveness of sanity in an insane world. zcomm.org We are in an ideological bubble—and one that will burst as surely as the financial kind. Thunberg is that still, small voice of sanity outside the bubble…

_____ (2020-12-29). Biden Chooses Tom "Mr. Monsanto" Vilsack As Agriculture Secretary. popularresistance.org After weeks of rumors, President-elect Joe Biden confirmed last week that he has picked Tom Vilsack as his secretary of agriculture. Vilsack previously held the position under the Obama administration, from 2009 to 2017. This decision has disappointed many progressive Democrats who were hoping Biden's cabinet picks would include a more diverse coalition and signal a push to the left. Vilsack, on the contrary, is quite literally more of the same: a wealthy white man and establishment Democrat with countless corporate interests and an atrocious record on climate change and civil rights. | We should not be surprised…

RT (2020-12-28). Sacrificing freedom for the environment? German MP suggests restrictions 'similar' to Covid-19 lockdowns to fight climate change. rt.com Humanity should sacrifice "personal freedom" just as many nations did during the Covid-19 pandemic in order to successfully fight climate change, a German MP has said, adding that there will "never" be a vaccine against CO2. | Germany had barely started its coronavirus vaccination campaign when a Social Democratic MP, Karl Lauterbach, warned that his compatriots need to brace themselves for yet another challenge: global warming. | "We need measures to deal with climate change that are similar to the restrictions on personal freedom [imposed] to combat the pandemic," the professor of health economics and epidem…

Éric Toussaint (2020-12-28). Climate and environmental crisis: Sorcerer's apprentices at the World Bank and the IMF. mronline.org In December 2020, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the signature of the Paris Agreement on Climate, the UN General Secretary sounded the alarm because the situation has fundamentally worsened. In this article we analyze what the World Bank and the IMF have done in connection with the environmental crisis and climate change.

George Wuerthner (2020-12-28). The Mythology of Fire Suppression. counterpunch.org The recent piece published in the December 22 Guardian titled: Heat, wind, and a cruel twist of Nature: inside Oregon's nightmarish wildfire season was, on the whole, a very good overview of events. The article's general thrust was how climate/weather conspired to create the perfect conditions for large-scale wildfire in Oregon's Cascade Range. Despite making

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-12-28). Biden Already Facing Pressure to Tackle Backlog of 'Unfunded' Toxic Waste Sites Threatened by Climate Crisis. commondreams.org More broadly, campaigners are calling on the incoming president to deliver on the environmental justice promises he made as a candidate.

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-12-28). 'A Tangible Way to Fight for the World I Want to Live In': Water Protector Arrested After Blockading Line 3 Pipe Yard. commondreams.org "Profits for a few are being privileged over the well-being of all communities near and far, present and future." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/line_3_2.jpg

Sheila Bapat (2020-12-27). Local Candidates Embrace Bolder Climate Policies as Federal Policy Has Faltered. zcomm.org Hyperlocal activism is becoming a preeminent strategy to address climate change…

EcoEquity (2020-12-26). America's Climate Fair Share. zcomm.org One recent study tells us that, under the climate shadow, ninety-seven per cent of young Americans are worried about having children of their own. We're facing an emergency and we know it…

Staff (2020-12-26). Extinction Rate Is Doubling in One of the Most Biodiverse States in the Country. truthout.org When longtime environmental journalist Ben Raines started writing a book about the biodiversity in Alabama, the state had 354 fish species known to science. When he finished writing 10 years later, that number had jumped to 450 thanks to a bounty of new discoveries. Crawfish species leaped from 84 to 97 during the same time. | It's indicative of a larger trend: Alabama is one of the most biodiverse states in the country, but few people know it. And even scientists are still discovering the…

Barbara Peterson (2020-12-25). Climate activists mount utility strike to urge the shutdown of New England coal plant. nationofchange.org The Strike Down Coal campaign provides a COVID-safe form of disobedience, building on more than a year of direct actions to shut down Merrimack Station.

John Horning (2020-12-25). Oil and Gas is Costing New Mexico Dearly. counterpunch.org There's no denying the climate crisis is taking a terrible toll on New Mexico, putting the state's health, clean air and water, and its economic sustainability at risk. In spite of this, oil and gas industry lobbyists from Washington, D.C. would have us believe that anyone working to defend the climate and protect the state's

Amanda Mills (2020-12-25). EU bans plastic waste exports to poorer countries. nationofchange.org "This is an important milestone in fighting plastic pollution, transitioning shifting to a circular economy, and achieving the aims of the European Green Deal."

teleSUR (2020-12-25). Colombia: Duque Extends Peace Accord's Follow-up Until 2022. telesurenglish.net Colombia's government and militants of the Revolutionary Common Alternative Revolutionary Force (FARC) Thursday extended until January 2022 the Commission devoted to promoting the Peace Agreement's implementation. | RELATED: | The decision was taken during a meeting of the Commission for the Promotion, Follow-up, and Verification of Implementation (CSIVI) of the Peace Agreement signed with the extinct Colombian Armed…

Joseph Winters (2020-12-25). Climate change is giving "Christmastown, USA" an identity crisis. salon.com My Christmassy hometown is looking less and less like a winter wonderland.

Jen Moore (2020-12-25). No Holiday for Honduran Anti-Mining Activists Fighting for Freedom. commondreams.org A judge has refused to release eight water protectors detained for more than a year for protesting against a mining project that threatens local rivers. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/photo-demo-courthouse-3.jpg

Online News Editor (2020-12-24). El Salvador works to save endangered sea turtles that hatch along its coast. laprensalatina.com By Sara Acosta San Salvador, Dec 23 (efe-epa).- On the coasts of El Salvador at least four species of sea turtles, two of them in critical danger of extinction, lay their eggs and are protected by the residents of the areas together with environmental NGOs. In central ?La Libertad, specifically on San Diego beach, the …

2020-12-28: News Headlines

George Wuerthner (2020-12-28). The Mythology of Fire Suppression. counterpunch.org The recent piece published in the December 22 Guardian titled: Heat, wind, and a cruel twist of Nature: inside Oregon's nightmarish wildfire season was, on the whole, a very good overview of events. The article's general thrust was how climate/weather conspired to create the perfect conditions for large-scale wildfire in Oregon's Cascade Range. Despite making

Robert Hunziker (2020-12-28). Religion Meets Climate Change. counterpunch.org Global warming is the biggest challenge of all time. It impacts every living species. However, the inherent dangers are very difficult to comprehend, as such, people brush it off as one more issue in life that will somehow be handled, fixed, no worries, human ingenuity will prevail. But, what if it's not that simple?

Éric Toussaint (2020-12-28). Climate and environmental crisis: Sorcerer's apprentices at the World Bank and the IMF. mronline.org In December 2020, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the signature of the Paris Agreement on Climate, the UN General Secretary sounded the alarm because the situation has fundamentally worsened. In this article we analyze what the World Bank and the IMF have done in connection with the environmental crisis and climate change.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-12-28). Biden Already Facing Pressure to Tackle Backlog of 'Unfunded' Toxic Waste Sites Threatened by Climate Crisis. commondreams.org More broadly, campaigners are calling on the incoming president to deliver on the environmental justice promises he made as a candidate.

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-12-28). 'A Tangible Way to Fight for the World I Want to Live In': Water Protector Arrested After Blockading Line 3 Pipe Yard. commondreams.org "Profits for a few are being privileged over the well-being of all communities near and far, present and future." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/line_3_2.jpg

RT (2020-12-27). Vaccination suspended in Bavaria after glitch in cold chain prompts concerns over Pfizer vaccine batch going off. rt.com Covid-19 immunization had to be suspended in nine Bavarian districts on Sunday over concerns that strict cold chain conditions had not been maintained during deliveries of the Pfizer vaccine. | The complicated logistics of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine's distribution made for a bumpy start to the immunization campaign in Bavaria, Germany on Sunday. The vaccine has to be stored at extremely low temperatures to maintain the stability of proteins that trigger an immune response, and it needs to be used within days once it's unfrozen. Now, concerns over cold chain integrity have put the vaccination on hold, Bayerisc…

Sheila Bapat (2020-12-27). Local Candidates Embrace Bolder Climate Policies as Federal Policy Has Faltered. zcomm.org Hyperlocal activism is becoming a preeminent strategy to address climate change…

EcoEquity (2020-12-26). America's Climate Fair Share. zcomm.org One recent study tells us that, under the climate shadow, ninety-seven per cent of young Americans are worried about having children of their own. We're facing an emergency and we know it…

Staff (2020-12-26). Extinction Rate Is Doubling in One of the Most Biodiverse States in the Country. truthout.org When longtime environmental journalist Ben Raines started writing a book about the biodiversity in Alabama, the state had 354 fish species known to science. When he finished writing 10 years later, that number had jumped to 450 thanks to a bounty of new discoveries. Crawfish species leaped from 84 to 97 during the same time. | It's indicative of a larger trend: Alabama is one of the most biodiverse states in the country, but few people know it. And even scientists are still discovering the…

John Horning (2020-12-25). Oil and Gas is Costing New Mexico Dearly. counterpunch.org There's no denying the climate crisis is taking a terrible toll on New Mexico, putting the state's health, clean air and water, and its economic sustainability at risk. In spite of this, oil and gas industry lobbyists from Washington, D.C. would have us believe that anyone working to defend the climate and protect the state's

Barbara Peterson (2020-12-25). Climate activists mount utility strike to urge the shutdown of New England coal plant. nationofchange.org The Strike Down Coal campaign provides a COVID-safe form of disobedience, building on more than a year of direct actions to shut down Merrimack Station.

_____ (2020-12-25). COVID-19, The Climate Crisis, And Mutual Aid. popularresistance.org After COVID-19 struck in spring 2020, the absence of a concerted federal response prompted people across the country to begin self-organizing everything from food distribution to sewing squads to shelter. That work continues today, drawing on a long tradition. | "Mutual aid," a concept coined by the Russian naturalist and anarchist Peter Kropotkin in his 1902 Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution, refers to the principles of cooperation, and of people joining together to help each other. It ran counter to the then-hegemonic Darwinian theories emphasizing competition and survival of the fittest. Kropotkin did not deny…

teleSUR (2020-12-25). Colombia: Duque Extends Peace Accord's Follow-up Until 2022. telesurenglish.net Colombia's government and militants of the Revolutionary Common Alternative Revolutionary Force (FARC) Thursday extended until January 2022 the Commission devoted to promoting the Peace Agreement's implementation. | RELATED: | The decision was taken during a meeting of the Commission for the Promotion, Follow-up, and Verification of Implementation (CSIVI) of the Peace Agreement signed with the extinct Colombian Armed…

Amanda Mills (2020-12-25). EU bans plastic waste exports to poorer countries. nationofchange.org "This is an important milestone in fighting plastic pollution, transitioning shifting to a circular economy, and achieving the aims of the European Green Deal."

Joseph Winters (2020-12-25). Climate change is giving "Christmastown, USA" an identity crisis. salon.com My Christmassy hometown is looking less and less like a winter wonderland.

Jen Moore (2020-12-25). No Holiday for Honduran Anti-Mining Activists Fighting for Freedom. commondreams.org A judge has refused to release eight water protectors detained for more than a year for protesting against a mining project that threatens local rivers. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/photo-demo-courthouse-3.jpg

Anand Naidoo (2020-12-24). The Heat: Climate Change Challenges for 2021. america.cgtn.com In 2020, the world reeled from the worst public health crisis in a century and extreme weather events brought on by climate change. So, what challenges lie ahead in 2021?>

commondreams (2020-12-24). 'The Courts Are a Sham': New Hampshire Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Rights of Nature, Healthy Climate Arguments. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Online News Editor (2020-12-24). El Salvador works to save endangered sea turtles that hatch along its coast. laprensalatina.com By Sara Acosta San Salvador, Dec 23 (efe-epa).- On the coasts of El Salvador at least four species of sea turtles, two of them in critical danger of extinction, lay their eggs and are protected by the residents of the areas together with environmental NGOs. In central ?La Libertad, specifically on San Diego beach, the …