Daily Archives: February 1, 2021

2021-02-01: News Headlines

J.D. ALT (2021-02-01). Shooting Down Deficit Hawks. realprogressives.org Deficit hawks, like dive-bombing kamikazes, are out now again, circling the battleship of our collective efforts to save ourselves. Can we pay ourselves to produce, distribute, and administer the Covid vaccine to every American in six months? No! say the dive-bombing Kamikazes—we cannot collect enough taxes to pay for that. It would require the government to borrow hundreds of billions more, increasing our "deficit" and the national "debt." Can we pay ourselves to design and build a low-carbon infrastructure that will help put a cap on global warming? No and No! say the circling deficit hawks—and h…

Jonas Ecke (2021-02-01). The Appointment of Samantha Power is Bad News for USAID. counterpunch.org For all its faults, USAID — the US Agency for International Development — will be one of the most vitally important agencies of the Biden administration. The confluence of Covid-19, global warming, famines in the Horn of Africa, forced migration and a series of unending proxy wars in the Middle East is a perfect storm that

Jonas Ecke (2021-02-01). The Appointment of Samantha Powers is Bad News for USAID. counterpunch.org For all its faults, USAID — the US Agency for International Development — will be one of the most vitally important agencies of the Biden administration. The confluence of Covid-19, global warming, famines in the Horn of Africa, forced migration and a series of unending proxy wars in the Middle East is a perfect storm that

Kenny Stancil (2021-02-01). 'We Should All Be Water Protectors'. zcomm.org "We owe it to future generations, to the Indigenous communities we've signed treaties with, and to every living being on this planet to stop building fossil fuel infrastructure."

Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light (2021-02-01). Wednesday 2/10: Protect Sacred Water: Digital Rally to #StopLine3 w/ Indigenous Frontline Water Protectors. indybay.org Virtual protest…

Brett Wilkins (2021-02-01). "Listen to the science" — new study details global warming emergency. peoplesworld.org Climate campaigners on Thursday pointed to a study showing that Earth is hotter than it's ever been during the entire epoch of human civilization as the latest proof of the need to treat human-caused global heating like the dire emergency that it is. On Wednesday, the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature published a report revealing that an analysis of ocean …

Patrick Bond (2021-02-01). Biden-Kerry International Climate Politricks. counterpunch.org Is U.S. President Joe Biden's January 27 Executive Order to address 'climate crisis' as good as many activists claim, enough to reverse earlier scepticism? To be sure, it's great that the word crisis is consistently deployed, not just 'climate change.' Applause is due Biden's commands to halt fossil fuel subsidies and new oil and gas

Brett Wilkins (2021-02-01). 'Listen to the science' — new study details global warming emergency. peoplesworld.org Climate campaigners on Thursday pointed to a study showing that Earth is hotter than it's ever been during the entire epoch of human civilization as the latest proof of the need to treat human-caused global heating like the dire emergency that it is. On Wednesday, the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature published a report revealing that an analysis of …

RT (2021-02-01). China rolls out carbon trading scheme in a bid to meet its ambitious 2060 neutrality goal. rt.com Beijing has officially rolled out its repeatedly delayed Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), aimed at reducing its greenhouse gas output. Beijing is expecting its emissions to peak before 2030 and become "carbon neutral" by 2060. | The scheme officially entered into force on Monday, covering some 2,260 power plants across the nation. Said plants contributed to around 40 percent of all the carbon dioxide emissions China produced last year. | At later stages, the ETS will also include other enterprises that produce a minimum of 24,000 tons of carbon equivalent a year. | The ETS scheme is founded on a market-based app…

The Canary (2021-02-01). Protest groups join forces to occupy Israeli arms company building. thecanary.co Demonstrators have blocked the entrance of a factory where they claim deadly arms are made. | Protesters from Palestine Action and Extinction Rebellion, armed with banners and red paint, said their early-morning raid on the Israeli-owned Elbit Ferranti factory in Oldham, Greater Manchester, is because they "will not accept an economy based on devastation, occupation and war". A press release from the two groups stated that: Activists from Palestine Action and Extinction Rebellion are occupying an Israeli-owned arms factory in Oldham, forcing the site to halt its production of deadly weapons. Several have blocked t…

Carl Pope (2021-02-01). Joe Biden and the climate crisis: What a difference two weeks makes. salon.com Biden's blitz on climate policy is impressive — but what it really reveals is a broad American consensus…

Matthew Rozsa (2021-02-01). Why Phoenix may be uninhabitable by the end of this century. salon.com Factors like climate change and the destruction of urban foliage are causing cities like Phoenix to overheat…

Josh Lappen (2021-02-01). Biden's First Climate Actions Are Missing Coal's Long Tail. thenation.com Biden's First Climate Actions Are Missing Coal's Long Tail…

Juan Cole (2021-01-31). Israeli Scientists make Strides toward Recyclable Perovskite Solar Panels. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Solar panels have plummeted 80% in price during the past decade, but they are still relatively expensive and depend on mined silicon. They are also a big waste challenge, since they aren't recyclable and they have toxic chemicals in them. Silicon panels last up to 30 years, but gradually lose …

Jack Delaney (2021-01-31). On The Green New Deal, Nationalization, & Class Politics. counterpunch.org Humanity has precious time to drastically and uniformly act to reduce carbon emissions and eliminate carbon-intensive economic activity before ecological collapse materializes. However, the struggle presented is not that simple. The challenge also requires providing economic relief for workers and recognizing contradictions in the prevailing economic model that created the climate crisis when undertaking a

The Conversation (2021-01-31). All Hands on Deck: Biden plans to fight climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before. juancole.com By Bill Ritter Jr. | — Joe Biden is preparing to deal with climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before — by mobilizing his entire administration to take on the challenge from every angle in a strategic, integrated way. The strategy is evident in the people Biden has chosen for his …

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2021-01-31). 'We Should All Be Water Protectors': Ilhan Omar Visits #StopLine3 Organizers Day After Activists Block Enbridge Worksites. commondreams.org "We owe it to future generations, to the Indigenous communities we've signed treaties with, and to every living being on this planet to stop building fossil fuel infrastructure." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/line_3_jan2021.jpg

Anand Naidoo (2021-01-30). The Heat: Leaders address climate and COVID-19 at Davos. america.cgtn.com Climate change, COVID-19 and the impact on the global economy topped this week's agenda at the World Economic Forum. We'll bring you the highlights…

Tina Gerhardt (2021-01-30). Stopping Keystone Pipeline Is First Step Toward Environmental Justice. zcomm.org Indigenous groups and environmental activists are also calling on President Biden to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline and Enbridge Line 3…

The Canary (2021-01-30). Plans for a new coal mine undermine the UK's commitment to net zero climate targets. thecanary.co Approved plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria will produce more emissions than any of the others currently open in the UK, a climate group has warned. | What priorities?: | The Climate Change Committee (CCC) made the claim in a letter to Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick. It came after Jenrick decided not to call in the plans for an inquiry earlier this month. The new mine, near Whitehaven, will be used to extract coking coal for steel production. It was granted planning permission by Cumbria County Council in October 2020. | CCC chair lord Deben said in a letter to Jenrick that the decision not to cal…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). Open toileting plagues cities in Zimbabwe. yenisafak.com With flies hovering all over the vicinity of the crowded slums of Epworth, an urban settlement approximately 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) east of the Zimbabwean capital Harare, laden plastic paper bags lie scattered on streets and sidewalks, with small children rummaging through garbage and vendors going about their normal business oblivious to the wafting stench of human waste.For 45-year-old Tambudzai Munondo, one of the residents in the slums of Epworth, strangely, they have become used to co-exist with human waste, saying they cannot do anything about it."Most of these homes you see here have no toilets and it'

Tina Landis (2021-01-29). Biden's climate orders: 9 things socialists should know. liberationnews.org The Biden administration's recent executive orders on climate action and environmental protections at first glance may inspire hope.

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2021-01-29). #TheWorldIsWatching: Youth Activists Direct Ire Over Climate Inaction at WEF Elite. commondreams.org "If only leaders were as good [at] taking real action as they were giving speeches," said Greta Thunberg. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/theworldiswatching-fridays-future-wef.jpg

Dara Herman Zierlein‚Ä® (2021-01-29). Taking Action on Climate Change. thenation.com Taking Action on Climate Change…