2021-01-03: News Headlines

Dr. Vandana Shiva (2021-01-02). The Seeds Of Suicide: How Monsanto Destroys Farming. globalresearch.ca Control over seed is the first link in the food chain because seed is the source of life. When a corporation controls seed, it controls life, especially the life of farmers.

Paul Webster (2021-01-02). [World Report] Canada's municipalities push for health-based climate action. thelancet.com Canada's cities are leading the efforts to stem the harmful effects of the climate emergency on human health. Paul Webster reports from Toronto.

Staff (2021-01-02). Climate Justice Advisory Groups Are in Vogue. But Are State Agencies Listening? truthout.org As hurricanes In an a…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2021-01-01). Youth Activists Ring In 2021 With Renewed Demand That World 'Wake Up to the Climate Crisis'. commondreams.org "It must be the year we take real action instead of continuing to repeat meaningless words and empty promises." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/2021-first-fridaysforfuture.jpg

Erik Molvar (2021-01-01). The Times Call for a Bold Conservation Agenda, Will Biden Seize the Moment? counterpunch.org For four long years, Donald Trump and his industry cronies have waged war on lands, wildlife, climate, and science itself. They leave behind a legacy of shattered agencies, broken regulations, and demoralized public servants. At the same time, America's awareness of environmental justice disparities — and the moral imperative to alleviate the burdens of pollution

Olivia Lazard (2021-01-01). The power of soil: How our precarious climate shaped the Arab Spring. middleeasteye.net The power of soil: How our precarious climate shaped the Arab Spring | Fri, 01/01/2021 – 18: 40 | The history of the Middle East, and the recent teachings of the 2010-11 uprisings, highlight an important lesson: Ignore ecological integrity at your peril | In 149 BC, Marcus Porcius Cato – a politician, soldier and citizen dedicated to the study of agriculture – saw a major goal realised when Rome

Chloe Brimicombe, Elliott Sainsbury (2021-01-01). Overshadowed by COVID: The Deadly Extreme Weather of 2020. commondreams.org 2020 was alarming, unforgettable and traumatic—and not only because of COVID-19. Lethal natural hazards are increasing in frequency under our changing climate, and 2020 is a testament to that. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/file-20201209-18-1njg452.jpg

Patrick Bond (2021-01-01). As South African climate justice veterans fall, consciousness begins reviving, from below and across. mronline.org On three days last week—December 23-25—South Africa's east coast province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) lost three of its clearest voices for social justice and environmental sanity: rural women's leader Sizani Ngubane (74), trade unionist Patrick Mkhize (60) and progressive activist Faith ka-Manzi (52).

Liz Kimbrough (2021-01-01). Top Positive Environmental Stories From 2020. commondreams.org This year, species were brought back from the edge of extinction, interest in renewable energy surged, environmental monitoring technology improved, new protected areas were created, and a few Indigenous women leaders got some long-overdue credit and recognition. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/nemonte.jpg

Vijay Prashad (2021-01-01). You don't want to imagine an ocean without coral reefs — but you might have to. peoplesdispatch.org Coral reefs across the world may disappear by the 2040s, according to a new report. While it's tempting to blame 'humanity' for this crisis, the truth is that it is the social formation called capitalism that is central to global warming…

_____ (2021-01-01). Organizations Diverting Food Waste To Provide Meals For People In Need. popularresistance.org One-third of the world's food is wasted, according to the United Nations (UN). That number jumps to 40 percent in the United States—enough to feed 2 billion people. | Uneaten food has dire consequences for the planet: decomposing waste releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas. According to the UN, if food waste was its own country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gas in the world, after the United States and China. | And yet, a recent Census Bureau survey finds that 1 in 8 Americans is struggling to secure reliable, nutritious food. | "There's no shortage of food," Regina Anderson, Exec…

Staff (2020-12-31). The Year of COVID, Elections and Police Brutality Also Saw LGBTQ Activism. truthout.org For the past five years, Truthout has looked back at the queer and trans news you might've missed because corporate news outlets decided not to cover it. This year, almost all of us were tangled up with the biggest news stories — queer and trans people felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; the feuds between the rich and powerful in Washington; the anti-racist uprisings; and the global warming-fueled hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. | This year has reaffirmed what many of us have kn…

Greta Thunberg (2020-12-31). Greta Thunberg dismisses 'empty words' in new climate crisis appeal — video. zcomm.org There is hope … we are the hope — we, the people'.

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-31). You don't want to imagine an ocean without coral reefs—but you might have to. nationofchange.org Scientists call the coral reefs the "rainforests of the sea," because coral reefs—like rainforests—are highly diverse ecosystems; their destruction would lead to the extinction of a large number of species.

teleSUR (2020-12-31). President Duque Authorizes First Fracking Project in Colombia. telesurenglish.net The Association Against Fracking in Colombia rejected a US$ 76 million contract signed between the National Hydrocarbons Agency (NHA) and the Colombian oil company Ecopetrol to start fracking practices in the country. | RELATED: | Once the environmental licenses are obtained, Ecopetrol will launch the Kale project which will use the hydraulic fracking technique in Puerto Wilches, in the Santander department. | Drilling wil…

Amanda Mills (2020-12-31). Eco-advocacy group urges Biden to reverse Trump environmental rollbacks. nationofchange.org "By undoing the Trump administration's rollbacks of environmental protections, the Biden administration will be able to protect our natural landscapes and give Americans cleaner air, cleaner water and a more livable climate."

_____ (2020-12-30). 'We Demand Tomorrow': Marxist Documentary On The Climate Crisis. popularresistance.org Kudos to Patreon for this brilliant production, well worth seeing, with its deep analysis of capitalism though I have some reservations to be noted below. I particularly applaud the presentation of Cuba's socialist solutions in this current pandemic, in contrast to capitalist Britain, with Cuba being on the cutting edge of global ecosocialism. "We Demand Tomorrow" should trigger a lot of debate, and be a useful resource for wide-ranging discussion. I agree with the video's support for a two-stage path out of capitalism. I have long argued that socialism in our epoch must confront the climate/ecological crisis wit…

Mechthild Schrooten and Michael Klundt (2020-12-30). 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.

Ken Kimmell (2020-12-30). Bright Spots on Climate to End a Dark Year. commondreams.org In a year in which virtually every trendline was in the wrong direction, this change in direction was a welcomed gift. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/wind-turbines-snow-winter-sun.jpg

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-30). Lethal Levels of Radiation Found in Damaged Fukushima Reactor Will Have 'Huge Impact' on Shutdown, Regulators Warn. commondreams.org The radiation levels reported around shield plugs at two reactors are high enough to kill a worker exposed for even an hour. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/fukushima_7.jpg

_____ (2020-12-30). Climate Activists Mount Utility Strike. popularresistance.org Santa is not the only one giving out coal this year. Climate activists like Johnny Sanchez and Sonja Birthisel in Portland, Maine, recently sent their utility company an envelope of coal instead of payment towards their electric bill. This symbolic act of defiance, organized by the No Coal No Gas coalition, is part of a broad New England consumer strike against utility payments to protest the continued burning of coal. | The Strike Down Coal campaign launched on Sept. 1 and aims to continue until ISO New England — the system operator responsible for running New England's energy grid and power system —…