Daily Archives: April 8, 2021

2021-04-08: News Headlines

Tina Landis (2021-04-08). CO2 levels continue to rise as Biden's climate action falls far short. liberationnews.org On April 3, the Mauna Loa research station recorded atmospheric CO2 levels of 421.21 ppm — the highest ever recorded, far above the 1950s levels of 315 ppm and pre-industrial levels of 278 ppm. CO2 remains in the atmosphere and will continue to cause warming for 100 to 150 years — why without comprehensive action, …

Climate Nexus (2021-04-08). Scientists alarmed over surging atmospheric methane, CO2. peoplesworld.org Atmospheric methane levels surged in 2020, a new report from NOAA shows, accelerating an increasing trend, alarming scientists, and possibly auguring a vicious cycle of global heating. NOAA also announced global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are higher than at any point in the last 3.6 million years. "It is very scary indeed," Euan Nisbet, professor of earth sciences at Royal Holloway University of …

Carey Gillam (2021-04-08). New Roundup Cancer Trials Loom Despite Bayer Settlement Efforts. globalresearch.ca Ken Moll is girding for battle. | Moll, a Chicago-based personal injury …

Jessica Corbett (2021-04-08). 'Wall Street is a primary villain' in climate crisis, analysis shows. nationofchange.org DeSmog's investigation found that at least 65% of directors from 39 global banks had 940 connections to "climate-conflicted" industries.

Andy Kroll (2021-04-08). Back to the Future at the Pentagon. tomdispatch.com The future isn't what it used to be. As a teenager in the 1970s, I watched a lot of TV science fiction shows, notably Space: 1999 and UFO, that imagined a near future of major moon bases and alien attacks on Earth. Movies of that era like Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey envisioned colossal spaceships and space stations featuring international crews on mind-blowing missions to Jupiter and beyond. Who'd have thought that, 20 years after Kubrick's alternate reality of 2001, we humans would effectively be marooned on a warming "sixth extinction" planet with no moon bases and, to the best of my knowledge, no a…

Oliver Morton, Amy Westervelt (2021-04-08). Should Governments Consider Engineering the Atmosphere? thenation.com Should Governments Consider Engineering the Atmosphere?

Pip Hinman (2021-04-08). Labor's policy conference fails to put Morrison under pressure. greenleft.org.au Alex Bainbridge argues that the Labor party's stage-managed policy conference demonstrated that Anthony Albanese plans to continue its "small target" strategy, offering working people very little in a pandemic recession and climate emergency.

Zachary Conti (2021-04-08). 260 Faith, Labor and Development Groups Press IMF, G20 and White House on COVID Response. indybay.org Ahead of Spring IMF and World Bank Meetings, World's Largest Unions, Human Rights Groups, Environmental and Religious Institutions Call for Aid, Debt Relief, Access to Emergency Reserves and Climate Protections…

Reiner Brown (2021-04-08). Lockdown for the Military. indybay.org Life can only be saved with a consistent policy of social justice, of cooperation instead of capitalist competition for profit and supremacy. Peace is the basis of sustainable politics. The world is too small, too vulnerable, nature too endangered for wars and military. Climate justice requires no to war and yes to disarmament.

Emperor Norton the Ninth (2021-04-08). Berkeley Anti-Homeless & Anti-Food… indybay.org Anti-Homeless architecture in Berkeley, and covering up food waste, with the illusion and propagation of false environmental narratives…

Sharon Zhang (2021-04-08). Amazon Illegally Fired Activist Employees, Labor Board Finds. zcomm.org The National Labor Relations Board has found that Amazon illegally fired two employees who spoke out about the company's climate impact and labor practices during the pandemic.

Daniel Ellsberg (2021-04-08). Daniel Ellsberg at 90 — "It's Still Possible to Save Humanity" zcomm.org It will take a miracle to avoid catastrophic climate change and nuclear war, but it's still possible we can create such a miracle…

Nick Cunningham (2021-04-07). Indigenous youth rally calls on Biden to cancel Line 3 and Dakota Access Pipelines. nationofchange.org The White House remains silent on both of the pipeline projects, which Indigenous communities say are blatant cases of racism and injustice.

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2021-04-07). The Climate Elephant in the Atmosphere (and in the Room). counterpunch.org Climate is a complex biological and chemical interaction between the Earth and the Sun. The Earth is the only star, which is the only live planet in the known universe. It keeps a safe distance from the fiery Sun, so that life is its distinguishing characteristic. The Sun bathes the Earth with life-giving light and energy.

Eurasia Review (2021-04-07). New Study Ties Solar Variability To Onset Of Decadal La Nina Events. eurasiareview.com A new study shows a correlation between the end of solar cycles and a switch from El Nino to La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean, suggesting that solar variability can drive seasonal weather variability on Earth. | If the connection outlined in the journal Earth and Space Science holds up, it could significantly improve the predictability of the largest El Nino and La Nina events, which have a number of seasonal climate effects over land. For example, the southern United States tends to be warmer and drier during a La Nina, while the northern U.S. tends to be colder and wetter. | "Energy from the Sun is th…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-07). Alien Raindrops Surprisingly Like Rain On Earth. eurasiareview.com Raindrops on other planets and moons are close to the size of raindrops on Earth despite having different chemical compositions and falling through vastly different atmospheres, a new study finds. The results suggest raindrops falling from clouds are surprisingly similar across a wide range of planetary conditions, which could help scientists better understand the climates and precipitation cycles of other worlds, according to the researchers. | Raindrops on Earth are made of water, but other worlds in our solar system have precipitation made of more unusual stuff. On Venus, it rains sulfuric acid; on Jupiter,…

Arab News (2021-04-07). The Greenhouse Gases We Ignore At Our Peril — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Ranvir S. Nayar* | Over recent decades, as awareness of global warming and climate change has spread across the globe, the focus has fallen on carbon dioxide, which has been identified as the villain of the piece. There is no denying that carbon dioxide is extremely harmful to the global climate and is responsible, in large part, for the warming of the planet since the start of the Industrial Revolution three centuries ago. | But carbon dioxide has become an easy target for both climate activists and businesses for several reasons. First is that it is a high-visibility gas, as it is released as a result of…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-07). Human Activities Sound An Alarm For Sea Life. eurasiareview.com Humans have altered the ocean soundscape by drowning out natural noises relied upon by many marine animals, from shrimp to sharks. | Sound travels fast and far in water, and sea creatures use sound to communicate, navigate, hunt, hide and mate. Since the industrial revolution, humans have introduced their own underwater cacophony from shipping vessels, seismic surveys searching for oil and gas, sonar mapping of the ocean floor, coastal construction and wind farms. Global warming could further alter the ocean soundscape as the melting Arctic opens up more shipping routes and wind and rainfall patterns change.

Eurasia Review (2021-04-07). Houston Flooding Polluted Reefs More Than 100 Miles Offshore. eurasiareview.com Runoff from Houston's 2016 Tax Day flood and 2017's Hurricane Harvey flood carried human waste onto coral reefs more than 100 miles offshore in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, according to a Rice University study. | "We were pretty shocked," said marine biologist Adrienne Correa, co-author of the study in Frontiers in Marine Science. "One thing we always thought the Flower Garden Banks were safe from was terrestrial runoff and nutrient pollution. It's a jolt to realize that in these extreme events, it's not just the salt marsh or the seagrass that we need to worry about. Offshore ecosystems…

Paul Jay (2021-04-07). Daniel Ellsberg at 90 — "It's Still Possible to Save Humanity" theanalysis.news It will take a miracle to avoid catastrophic climate change and nuclear war, but it's still possible we can create such a miracle. Daniel Ellsberg on theAnalysis.news with Paul Jay.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-04-07). Slovenian Left intensifies campaign against changes to Water Act. peoplesdispatch.org Slovenian left party Levica and other progressive environmental groups in the country, such as the Eco Circle Society, Civil Initiative TODAY, Young people for climate justice and the Balkan River Defence, have intensified their campaign against recent amendments to the Water Act. Several campaign points were opened in capital Ljubljana till Monday, April 5 to collect signatures for a referendum against dilution of the Water Act. The Slovenian parliament had passed the amendments on March 31 with 44 votes in favor and 38 against. | According to reports, the amendments dilute restrictions on constructing buildings…

teleSUR (2021-04-07). India and the US Collaborate On Climate Change. telesurenglish.net India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy on Climate John Kerry highlighted their commitment to the 2015 Paris climate change agreement. | RELATED: | Kerry, who started an official visit to India on Wednesday, said via Twitter that the U.S. representatives are "learning more about how India is making progress toward its Paris Agreement targets — and discussing how we can partner to drive down…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-04-07). Coalition Calls for 'Building a Fairer, Healthier World' Through Climate Action. commondreams.org "The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us that health must be part and parcel of every government policy—and as recovery plans are drawn up this must apply to climate policy." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-06-12_at_10.47.01_am_0_0.png

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-04-07). Greenpeace Says Biden Tax Plan for Fossil Fuel Subsidies 'Simply Not Good Enough'. commondreams.org "Not a dime of our tax dollars should go towards corporations that poison our communities and wreck our climate." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/1.sen-oil-bailouts-refinery-coronavirus-1024x614_0.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-04-07). 'Wall Street Is a Primary Villain' in Climate Crisis, Analysis Shows. commondreams.org DeSmog's investigation found that at least 65% of directors from 39 global banks had 940 connections to "climate-conflicted" industries. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1183681881_0_0.png

Elana Sulakshana (2021-04-07). 5 Ways Liberty Mutual is Threatening Communities and Our Climate. commondreams.org We're ramping up the campaign demanding this insurance giant cut ties with destructive fossil fuel companies. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/liberty_mutual_climate.jpg

Ted Glick (2021-04-07). A Winning Climate and Political Approach. zcomm.org If the Biden proposal is the best that can be passed this year, then it should be supported and passed, but with a clear understanding that it is a beginning, not an end…

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