Monthly Archives: December 2020

2020-12-21: News Headlines

Staff (2020-12-21). Biden Taps Climate Team Focused on Environmental Racism & Science to Take Over from Industry Lobbyists. democracynow.org Under pressure from progressives and communities of color, President-elect Joe Biden vowed Saturday to make environmental justice and science top concerns as he selects his climate team, which he formally introduced Saturday. If confirmed, many will represent historic firsts, including Michael Regan, who will be the first Black man to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Regan's selection comes after weeks of speculation Biden would instead tap Mary Nichols, head of the California Air Resources Board, but faced opposition for what critics called her "bleak track record in addressing environmental racism." Bi…

D. Raghunandan (2020-12-21). The climate cloud and a thin silver lining. peoplesdispatch.org As many as 45 countries, among them 24 high-emission nations, announced additional cuts than those in their PA commitments by 2030, either at the summit, or over the past few months, despite the sharp economic downturn precipitated by COVID-19.

Tina Gerhardt (2020-12-21). COVID-19, the Climate Crisis, and Mutual Aid. commondreams.org Mutual aid is not only about addressing the crisis at hand but also about undoing the injustices of colonialism and imperialism. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/disasterrelief.jpeg

Alliance Earth (2020-12-21). Fracking The Okavango: Big Oil Comes For Africa's Greatest Park. globalresearch.ca Canadian oil and gas company Recon Africa said in an August 2020 The …

_____ (2020-12-21). Trans Mountain Pipeline Protester Creates New Treetop Camp After Destruction. popularresistance.org The fight over a $12.6-billion federal government pipeline project continues. | This weekend, environmental activist Timothee Govare has moved into a tent 20 metres up in the air. It's among three maple trees near Lost Creek in Burnaby. | "I am here in the canopy of the trees of Lost Creek to prevent their imminent logging preceding the installation of the Trans Mountain pipeline," Govare said in a news release. "I see the urgency of acting on the climate crisis." | This action comes just over a week after CN police cleared out the Holmes Creek Protection Camp. Govare was one of those who were previously occupyin…

news.un (2020-12-21). Fruits and vegetables crucial for healthy lives, sustainable world: Guterres. news.un.org The United Nations is marking 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, spotlighting their vital role in human nutrition and food security, as well as urging efforts to improve sustainable production and reduce waste.

commondreams (2020-12-21). TCI: A Cap and Trade for Cars Scheme Would Be Ineffective Climate Policy. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Nicholas Loubere (2020-12-19). There is no vaccine for climate catastrophe. zcomm.org Humanity's failure to collectively respond to the pandemic presents us with a fast motion view of our inability to combat the ongoing climate crisis…

The Canary (2020-12-19). David Attenborough commends the US move to rejoin Paris Agreement. thecanary.co David Attenborough has said he cheered when he found out US President-elect Joe Biden plans to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change.The broadcaster, 94, said the world is facing a "real crisis" that could see the majority of the planet's major cities plunged beneath the oceans.He was speaking ahead of the launch of A Perfect Planet, a natural history series he has presented for the BBC. | Discussing the moment when it became clear Biden was to win the presidency and rejoin the Paris Agreement, Attenborough said: "I can't remember actually getting out of my seat and cheering all by myself until that moment…

RT (2020-12-19). If only they'd listened to Greta: World Economic Forum mocked for comparing CLIMATE CHANGE ON VENUS with that on Earth. rt.com When it comes to the fight against climate change, the boffins at the World Economic Forum think we can learn from the planet Venus, which had its oceans and milder climate wrecked. All that, and nobody on Venus ever drove a car.

John Feffer (2020-12-18). America's Destructive Denialisms. commondreams.org The refusal of tens of millions of Americans to recognize the election results is part of a much larger denialism—of Covid-19, of climate change, and U.S. decline. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/stopthesteal_0.jpg

imperial.ac.uk (2020-12-18). Ice sheet uncertainties could mean sea level will rise more than predicted. imperial.ac.uk Sea level could rise higher than current estimates by 2100 if climate change is unchallenged, according to a new assessment.

2020-12-20: News Headlines

Staff (2020-12-20). The US's "Best" University Fuels the Climate Crisis. Princeton Must Divest. truthout.org

Nicholas Loubere (2020-12-19). There is no vaccine for climate catastrophe. zcomm.org Humanity's failure to collectively respond to the pandemic presents us with a fast motion view of our inability to combat the ongoing climate crisis…

_____ (2020-12-19). There Is No Vaccine For Climate Catastrophe. popularresistance.org The destruction wrought by COVID-19 represents an unprecedented crisis in recent history, yet it somehow feels eerily familiar. This is because the pandemic has mirrored many of the dynamics of the climate crisis, but on an extremely compressed time frame. An imminent global threat presented itself — the full extent of the danger being largely unknown — which required swift, coordinated and collective action. Instead, it was met with divergent national responses, finger pointing, appeals to individual responsibility and extreme resistance to any fundamental change to the status quo. | A number of left…

Tina Gerhardt (2020-12-19). COVID-19, the Climate Crisis, and Mutual Aid. progressive.org Mutual aid is not only about addressing the crisis at hand but also about undoing the injustices of colonialism and imperialism.

The Canary (2020-12-19). David Attenborough commends the US move to rejoin Paris Agreement. thecanary.co David Attenborough has said he cheered when he found out US President-elect Joe Biden plans to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change.The broadcaster, 94, said the world is facing a "real crisis" that could see the majority of the planet's major cities plunged beneath the oceans.He was speaking ahead of the launch of A Perfect Planet, a natural history series he has presented for the BBC. | Discussing the moment when it became clear Biden was to win the presidency and rejoin the Paris Agreement, Attenborough said: "I can't remember actually getting out of my seat and cheering all by myself until that moment…

RT (2020-12-19). If only they'd listened to Greta: World Economic Forum mocked for comparing CLIMATE CHANGE ON VENUS with that on Earth. rt.com When it comes to the fight against climate change, the boffins at the World Economic Forum think we can learn from the planet Venus, which had its oceans and milder climate wrecked. All that, and nobody on Venus ever drove a car.

Conn Hallinan (2020-12-18). The High Price of the New High Ground. counterpunch.org When President-elect Joe Biden takes office Jan 21 he will be faced with some very expensive problems, from bailing out the Covid-19 economy to getting a handle on climate change. Vaccinating over 300 million people will not be cheap, and wrestling the US hydrocarbon-based economy in the direction of renewable energies will come with a

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-12-18). Universal Soldiers of Resistance to Fascist Thinking: Chomsky on Extinction. counterpunch.org "Earth abides." — Toilet stall graffiti, West Bank I reckon, after all is said and said about the man, he'll end up being considered the closest we modern political movement types have had to a real life Socrates. In more recent photos, Noam Chomsky, with his glasses off, even resembles the ancient dialectician. Check it

commondreams (2020-12-18). $52 Trillion Investor Report Highlights Gaps in Corporate Climate Action. commondreams.org ______________________________…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-12-18). Ice sheet uncertainties could mean sea level will rise more than predicted. imperial.ac.uk Sea level could rise higher than current estimates by 2100 if climate change is unchallenged, according to a new assessment.

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-12-17). 'A Perfect Choice': Progressives Applaud Biden Pick of Deb Haaland for Interior Secretary. commondreams.org "We can make real progress on stopping climate change and ensure sovereignty and dignity for all native people and justice for all." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/haaland.jpg

Mekdela Maskal (2020-12-17). Young People in Georgia Fight for Climate Ahead of Runoff Elections. commondreams.org "I think if people realized that a lot of the social justice issues in Georgia are tied to environmental issues, they would be more interested in fighting for the environment." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/youth_climate_0_0.jpg

Mark Hertsgaard (2020-12-17). As 2020 Ends, It's Time for News Outlets to Declare a 'Climate Emergency'. thenation.com As 2020 Ends, It's Time for News Outlets to Declare a 'Climate Emergency'