(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 …
(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 …
(2021-01-01). Fingers point to U.S.-backed Gov't in Colombia's ninetieth massacre of the Year. mronline.org 
"The Trump administration waged a full scale campaign to undermine Colombia's peace accords. We must not waste our time hoping the Biden administration might reverse course, we must demand it." — James Jordan, Alliance for Global Justice…
(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 …
(2021-01-01). As South African Climate Justice Veterans Fall, Consciousness Begins Reviving, From Below and Across. counterpunch.org 
As South African climate justice veterans fall, consciousness begins reviving, from below and across Deaths of four frontline KwaZulu-Natal activists — and latest Durban oil refinery explosion — define 2021 battlegrounds 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
(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).
(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
(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
(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…
(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…
(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'.
(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.
(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."
(2020-12-31). 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…
(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.
(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…
(2020-12-30). Faced With Concurrent Crises, UNICEF Warns Millions of Children Threatened by 'Looming Famine'. commondreams.org "For countries reeling from the consequences of conflicts, disasters, and climate change, Covid-19 has turned a nutrition crisis into an imminent catastrophe." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/un0270028-21.jpg …
(2020-12-30). Fingers Point to US-Backed Gov't in Colombia's Ninetieth Massacre of the Year. mintpressnews.com 
"The Trump administration waged a full scale campaign to undermine Colombia's peace accords. We must not waste our time hoping the Biden administration might reverse course, we must demand it." — James Jordan, Alliance for Global Justice…
(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). 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 …
(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 —…
(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.
(2020-12-29). How the fracking revolution is killing the U.S. oil and gas industry. mronline.org 
After over a decade of the much-hyped U.S. fracking miracle, the U.S. oil and gas industry is having to deal with years of losses and falling asset values which has dealt the industry a serious financial blow. This is despite the fracking revolution delivering record oil and gas production for the past decade, peaking in 2019.
(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…