Monthly Archives: April 2021

2021-04-19: News Headlines

Johanna Kichton (2021-04-19). Alongside Reps. Cori Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, People's Action Launches Local Green New Deal Campaign. peoplesaction.org Campaign Aims to Unleash Local Power by Winning $1T for Budget-Strapped Local Governments to Organize Environment Projects Contact: Johanna Kichton, press@peoplesaction.org, 240.206.1145 WASHINGTON, D.C.—People's Action today launched a new climate justice campaign, Local Green New Deal, with a joint petition, video, and new Green New Deal federal legislation alongside U.S. Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo. and …

Talanna (2021-04-19). Climate Crisis, Freighter Stuck in Suez Canal, & Species Wounding. indybay.org How Climate Crisis is overlooked when it's an important part of headline stories like a Stuck Freighter in Suez Canal & Covid-19 Virus news.

news.un (2021-04-19). World on the verge of climate 'abyss', as temperature rise continues: UN chief. news.un.org The Earth's temperature continues to rise unabated, with 2020 being one of the three warmest years on record, as extreme weather events combine with the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting millions.

South Asia Monitor (2021-04-19). Russia Holds The Key To India's Eurasian Policy — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Lt Gen (Dr) Yash Malhotra (retd)* | A recent op-ed piece in the Washington Post (13 March 2021), written jointly by the Quad leaders, President Joe Biden of the US, Prime Ministers Narendra Modi, Scott Morrison and Yashihide Suga of India, Australia and Japan respectively, morphs the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD or the Quad) to a "Quad Framework" hailed by Modi as a "force for global good". | It inter alia includes climate change, critical and new technologies, and handling of Covid-19 pandemic, while remaining committed to: "…. a shared vision for an Indo-Pacific Region that is free, open, resili…

news.un (2021-04-19). COVID-19: Greta Thunberg contributes 100,000 Euros to vaccine equity initiative. news.un.org The teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has donated 100,000 Euros to boost global efforts to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to anyone, anywhere, who needs them, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday.

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2021-04-19). UN Chief Warns World on 'Verge of the Abyss' as WMO Releases Climate Report. commondreams.org The warning came alongside the release of the World Meteorological Organization's State of the Global Climate in 2020, which said it was one of the three warmest years on record. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/verge-abyss-wmo-state-climate-2020.jpg

Juan Cole (2021-04-19). We Could Have Greened Half the US Electrical Grid With $2.26 Wasted on Afghan War. commondreams.org Much of the money spent in Afghanistan was wasted and disappeared into a fog of corruption. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/afghan_4_0.jpg

John Bachtell (2021-04-19). Cancel it: Biden pressured to eliminate $50,000 student debt per borrower. peoplesworld.org President Joe Biden is under mounting pressure to address the rapidly growing student debt crisis by canceling up to $50,000 in crushing individual student loans. A growing chorus of elected officials and advocates say Biden can cancel the debt through executive action. Also, 415 community, civil rights, climate, health, consumer, labor, food and farm, and …

Eds. (2021-04-19). What Bill Gates has wrong about "advanced" nuclear reactors. mronline.org If nuclear power needs to be part of the climate solution, why not continue to use what we have? I understand the reactors that we have are aging out. But why not either shore those up or use the same design that we currently have where we wouldn't have to go through the lengthy and […] | April 19, 2021 | Newswire…

Fight Back (2021-04-19). Climate justice rally marks Earth Day at MN State Capitol. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – Over 200 people gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol grounds, April 17, to demand climate justice from the Walz and Biden governments. The event was organized by the Climate Justice Committee of Minnesota. | The native dance group Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue opened the rally with a performance punctuated by a brief address from member Susana De León, expressing gratitude for us all being able to experience "a day with sun, a day with wind, a day with fire, a day with water," all essential elements of life, she remarked, that future generations may not live to enjoy if we don't care and fight t…

Shabbir H. Kazmi (2021-04-19). Is US Opposition To Rampal Coal Plant Due To Love For Sundarbans Or To Keep India Away? — OpEd. eurasiareview.com During his six-hour trip to Dhaka on April 9, 2021, US President Joe Biden's special envoy for climate change, John Kerry, bluntly raised the Rampal coal based plant issue during his official talks with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen. | However, Kerry didn't raise this issue in his talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He did say in a general way that coal-fired power plants are one of the main causes of environmental damage. He drew attention to the US opposition to coal-fired power plants. | John Kerry raised the Rampal issue again towards the end of the talks. "Can I ask an outrageous question? Can you…

ecns.cn (2021-04-19). China, U.S. issue joint statement on climate change. ecns.cn China and the United States have issued a joint statement on coping with climate change after talks in Shanghai.

ecns.cn (2021-04-19). NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter set for first flight. ecns.cn The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2021-04-19). 'Do What the Science Demands': Biden White House to Be Given 'Climate Clock' Ahead of Global Summit. commondreams.org "We're not only sending a message that we're running out of time, but that there is still time to act and save our planet!" said climate leader Alexandria Villeseñor. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/climate_clock_0.jpg

commondreams (2021-04-19). At NYC "Climate Clock" Youth and Climate Activists Send Global Message to Biden in Advance of Earth Day: #Actintime! commondreams.org ______________________________…

JILL (2021-04-19). Billionaires Cut: Autopilot to Extinction. indybay.org "A few ultra-wealthy individuals are making decisions about the future of the planet with little accountability or transparency," according to Matthew Nisbet, a professor of communication and public policy at Northeastern University in Boston.

Extinction Rebellion SF Bay Area (2021-04-19). Saturday 4/24: Earth Week Gathering Oakland. indybay.org Snow Park & Lake Merritt Amphitheater, Oakland…

Extinction Rebellion SF Bay Area (2021-04-19). Sunday 4/25: Earth Day Celebration & Mural Unveiling In Clarion Alley. indybay.org Clarion Alley, between Mission and Valencia Streets and 17th and 18th Streets in San Francisco.

Center for Bio Diversity & Thoreau Society (2021-04-19). Thursday 4/22: Resistance and Extinction: Earth Day Conversation about Naturalist Thoreau, Loss and Hope. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

ecns.cn (2021-04-19). Rare ibises spotted in south China. ecns.cn A pair of glossy ibises, rare birds once thought extinct in China, have recently been spotted on the shores of south China's Fujian Province.

Vladimir Odintsov (2021-04-19). Fukushima Daiichi Radioactive Dumping and the Summer Olympics in Japan in Question. asia-pacificresearch.com

ecns.cn (2021-04-19). Japan's decision to dump nuclear wastewater 'extremely irresponsible': experts. ecns.cn Chinese experts have condemned Japan's unilateral decision to discharge nuclear wastewater into the sea, calling it "extremely irresponsible."

C.J. Polychroniou (2021-04-18). Rescuing the Planet Is Still Possible: The Case for a Global Green New Deal. commondreams.org It is irrational to rely on capitalist solutions to global warming when it is capitalism itself that has led us towards the current path of a climate catastrophe. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/california_0.png

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-04-18). Youth Demand US Action on Climate-Induced Loss and Damage in Global South. commondreams.org "The climate crisis is already causing severe impacts, leading to the loss of lives and livelihoods, and damage to homes, schools, roads, and hospitals." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12321373181.jpg

RT (2021-04-18). Rancor rises at Champions League winners Bayern Munich as 'disapproving' bosses hit back at manager Flick announcing his exit plan. rt.com Bayern Munich have reacted furiously to manager Hansi Flick's announcement that he wants to leave the club at the end of the season, saying that they "disapprove" of his live television declaration in a tersely-worded statement. | Bayern rebounded from their midweek Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain with a 3-2 win against Bundesliga rivals Wolfsburg on Saturday, but the result was overshadowed by Flick's post-game comments in which he revealed to the media that he had told his players he wants to leave this summer. | "I want to terminate my contract this summer — that is a fact," F…

Staff (2021-04-18). Therapists Are Seeing More Patients Struggle With Climate Anxiety. truthout.org This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. | Andrew Bryant, a therapist based in Tacoma, Washington, felt helpless the first time climate change came up in his office. It was 2016, and a client was agonizing over whether to have a baby. His partner wanted one, but the young man couldn't stop envisioning this hypothetical child growing up in an apocalyptic, climate-changed world. | Bryant was used to guiding people through th…

teleSUR (2021-04-18). Haiti: Teachers to Go on Strike This Week. telesurenglish.net The Referans group called on all educational personnel to support the strike, which will run from Monday 19 to Friday 23 April, and to show their solidarity with the family of a teacher murdered in the suburb of Carrefour Feuilles (southeast of the capital, Port-au-Prince) on his way to work. | RELATED: | The collective demand that the government of President Jovenel MoàØse take measures to create a climate of security,…

NOW & Black Women's Blueprint (2021-04-18). Thursday 4/22: Katrina, Maria, & Sandy: Climate Justice is a Feminist Issue. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

news.un (2021-04-18). Green transformation will rival industrial revolution: US climate envoy. news.un.org The transition to a global economic model which will slow down climate change and create jobs will be the "biggest economic transformation since the industrial revolution" according to John Kerry, the US climate envoy.

Eurasia Review (2021-04-18). Scientists Call For Climate Projections As Part Of More Robust Biodiversity Conservation. eurasiareview.com Scientists have called for the use of climate projections in conservation planning, to ensure that areas most at risk from biodiversity loss and climate impacts are protected. Protected areas are often created in areas of low population density and remote locations, rather than because of their biodiversity conservation potential. Conservation planning in tropical forests especially tends to be less rigorous and climate rarely taken into account, they said. | But climate projections and science-based information are critical to actively seek out and safeguard areas where species are most at risk and ecosystems…

EurActiv (2021-04-18). EU To Table 'Climate Taxonomy', Leaving Gas And nuclear For Later. eurasiareview.com By Frédéric Simon | ( The EU executive is due to publish on 21 April the first section of its "sustainable finance taxonomy," a long list of economic activities plus the specific rules they must meet to be labelled as gre…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-04-18). Climate Activists Put 'All Eyes on BlackRock' With Protests Demanding Shareholder Action. commondreams.org "We're giving notice that we'll be watching to see if BlackRock will actually pour any water on the flames it has started. We're here because we can't fix our planet with promises, only action can do that." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/blkrk_sf_22.jpg

Rick Steiner (2021-04-18). Biden Must Urge Japan to Abandon Dangerous Fukushima Wastewater Plan. commondreams.org The era of intentionally dumping toxic waste in our one global ocean is, or should be, over. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/fukushima-embassy-officials-dump-water-ocean.jpg

Eurasia Review (2021-04-18). Long-Term Consequences Of CO2 Emissions. eurasiareview.com The life of almost all animals in the ocean depends on the availability of oxygen, which is dissolved as a gas in seawater. However, the ocean has been continuously losing oxygen for several decades. In the last 50 years, the loss of oxygen accumulates globally to about 2% of the total inventory (regionally sometimes significantly more). The main reason for this is global warming, which leads to a decrease in the solubility of gases and thus also of oxygen, as well as to a slowdown in the ocean circulation and vertical mixing. | A new study published in the scientific journal Nature Communications shows that t…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-18). Alpine Plants Are Losing Their White 'Protective Coat'. eurasiareview.com Snow cover in the Alps has been melting almost three days earlier per decade since the 1960s. This trend is temperature-related and cannot be compensated by heavier snowfall. By the end of the century, snow cover at 2,500 meters could disappear a month earlier than today, as simulations by environmental scientists at the University of Basel demonstrate. | Global warming demands huge adjustments in tourism, hydropower generation and agriculture in alpine areas. But the fauna and flora also have to adapt to rising temperatures. By the end of the century, continuous snow cover for 30 days below 1,600 meters is ex…

Updated: 2021-04-20 00:08 | 20:08 EST | 35 | 0 | 14 | 25 | 0

C.J. Polychroniou (2021-04-18). Rescuing the Planet Is Still Possible: The Case for a Global Green New Deal. commondreams.org It is irrational to rely on capitalist solutions to global warming when it is capitalism itself that has led us towards the current path of a climate catastrophe. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/california_0.png

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-04-18). Youth Demand US Action on Climate-Induced Loss and Damage in Global South. commondreams.org "The climate crisis is already causing severe impacts, leading to the loss of lives and livelihoods, and damage to homes, schools, roads, and hospitals." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12321373181.jpg

teleSUR (2021-04-18). Haiti: Teachers to Go on Strike This Week. telesurenglish.net The Referans group called on all educational personnel to support the strike, which will run from Monday 19 to Friday 23 April, and to show their solidarity with the family of a teacher murdered in the suburb of Carrefour Feuilles (southeast of the capital, Port-au-Prince) on his way to work. | RELATED: | The collective demand that the government of President Jovenel MoàØse take measures to create a climate of security,…

NOW & Black Women's Blueprint (2021-04-18). Thursday 4/22: Katrina, Maria, & Sandy: Climate Justice is a Feminist Issue. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-18). Scientists Call For Climate Projections As Part Of More Robust Biodiversity Conservation. eurasiareview.com Scientists have called for the use of climate projections in conservation planning, to ensure that areas most at risk from biodiversity loss and climate impacts are protected. Protected areas are often created in areas of low population density and remote locations, rather than because of their biodiversity conservation potential. Conservation planning in tropical forests especially tends to be less rigorous and climate rarely taken into account, they said. | But climate projections and science-based information are critical to actively seek out and safeguard areas where species are most at risk and ecosystems…

EurActiv (2021-04-18). EU To Table 'Climate Taxonomy', Leaving Gas And nuclear For Later. eurasiareview.com By Frédéric Simon | ( The EU executive is due to publish on 21 April the first section of its "sustainable finance taxonomy," a long list of economic activities plus the specific rules they must meet to be labelled as gre…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-04-18). Climate Activists Put 'All Eyes on BlackRock' With Protests Demanding Shareholder Action. commondreams.org "We're giving notice that we'll be watching to see if BlackRock will actually pour any water on the flames it has started. We're here because we can't fix our planet with promises, only action can do that." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/blkrk_sf_22.jpg

news.un (2021-04-18). Green transformation will rival industrial revolution: US climate envoy. news.un.org The transition to a global economic model which will slow down climate change and create jobs will be the "biggest economic transformation since the industrial revolution" according to John Kerry, the US climate envoy.

ecns.cn (2021-04-18). China, U.S. issue joint statement on climate change. ecns.cn China and the United States have issued a joint statement on coping with climate change after talks in Shanghai.

Center for Bio Diversity & Thoreau Society (2021-04-18). Thursday 4/22: Resistance and Extinction: Earth Day Conversation about Naturalist Thoreau, Loss and Hope. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

Rick Steiner (2021-04-18). Biden Must Urge Japan to Abandon Dangerous Fukushima Wastewater Plan. commondreams.org The era of intentionally dumping toxic waste in our one global ocean is, or should be, over. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/fukushima-embassy-officials-dump-water-ocean.jpg

Eurasia Review (2021-04-18). Alpine Plants Are Losing Their White 'Protective Coat'. eurasiareview.com Snow cover in the Alps has been melting almost three days earlier per decade since the 1960s. This trend is temperature-related and cannot be compensated by heavier snowfall. By the end of the century, snow cover at 2,500 meters could disappear a month earlier than today, as simulations by environmental scientists at the University of Basel demonstrate. | Global warming demands huge adjustments in tourism, hydropower generation and agriculture in alpine areas. But the fauna and flora also have to adapt to rising temperatures. By the end of the century, continuous snow cover for 30 days below 1,600 meters is ex…

Eds. (2021-04-17). For an ecosocialist transition that breaks from capitalism: Arguments and proposals. mronline.org The 149 proposals issued by the French Citizens' Convention on Climate last June, with the goal of achieving at least a 40% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 compared to 1990, manifestly belong to a thoroughly reformist approach. | April 17, 2021 | Newswire…

G. Dunkel (2021-04-17). Global warming: Myanmar, Greenland and green cars. workers.org Greenland is the largest island in the world which is not a continent. Only it and Antarctica are covered by ice sheets. With 58,000 people, 89% of whom are Inuit, it remains a "semiautonomous region" under Danish rule whose main exports are fishery products and whose budget is heavily subsidized . . . |

Mike Walter (2021-04-17). The Heat: U.S.-Asia issues. america.cgtn.com Talks on climate change take center stage, as China's President Xi Jinping pledges greater cooperation with France and Germany to tackle the effects of global warming. The leaders of China, Germany and France held a virtual meeting Friday with a commitment to work together on …

Staff (2021-04-17). The Southwest Offers Blueprints for the Future of Wastewater Reuse. truthout.org This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. | No country is immune from water scarcity issues — not even the world's wealthiest country, the United States. | The southwestern states, in particular, have faced frequent and ongoing

RT (2021-04-17). Hansi Flick confirms Bayern Munich exit amid reports of 'falling out' with German giants' sporting director. rt.com Hansi Flick, who has won more than 80% of his games in charge of Bayern Munich since succeeding Niko Kovac in 2019, has confirmed that he will leave the club and is expected to take over the German national team position.

Rick Rozoff (2021-04-17). Ukrainian President: Proposed Nord Stream 2 pipeline is war, "occupied territories" are worse than Chernobyl. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukrainian President: Proposed Nord Stream 2 pipeline is war, "occupied territories" are worse than ChernobylRick Rozoff "Only one thing to it: a strong stomach. The guts to gladhand a man you're going to stab in the back; pledge allegiance to principles you stomp on every day; righteously denounce some despot in the press and sell …

Rick Rozoff (2021-04-17). Ukrainian President: Proposed Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Is War, 'Occupied Territories' Are Worse Than Chernobyl. news.antiwar.com "Only one thing to it: a strong stomach. The guts to gladhand a man you're going to stab in the back; pledge allegiance to principles you stomp on every day; righteously denounce some despot in the press and sell him arms under the table. The talent to whip up the voters' worst passions while you …

Michael Schneider (2021-04-17). Mother Earth Gives an Inch, Corporations take a Mile, and Society Suffers the Consequence. indybay.org The Op-ed analyzes environmental policies in regard to the relationship between climate change and major corporations.

RFA (2021-04-17). China Under Pressure To Cancel Coal Projects — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Michael Lelyveld | As China awaits a reckoning over climate change targets, environmental groups are turning up the heat over the country's construction of coal-fired power plants. | China's continuing construction of coal plants has become a make-or-break issue for climate researchers and advocates as the government prepares plans to meet President Xi Jinping's goals for peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060. | "How China addresses the apparent contradiction between its massive coal-fired build-out plans and its net-zero emissions plan may become one of the bigges…

Extinction Rebellion (2021-04-17). The Scientists Have Had Enough. zcomm.org Scientist Rebellion believes that scientists and their institutions must act like the climate crisis is an emergency – and speaking about an emergency is not enough…

ecns.cn (2021-04-17). Leading with action: China in the fight for carbon-neutral future. ecns.cn Climate change is not taking a break from wreaking havoc in 2020, with the joint highest global temperatures on record, rampant bushfires, the faster rates of sea level rise and the extinction of some species.

ecns.cn (2021-04-17). Xi attends China-France-Germany climate summit. ecns.cn Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the Video Summit on Climate between China, France and Germany in Beijing on Friday.

_____ (2021-04-17). Addressing America's Homelessness And Squalor. popularresistance.org Washington, Ward 1 – "I wanna know where the $2.5 million is — that's my reaction." Muhsin Boe Luther Umar — or as we call him, Uncle Boe — throws his hands up and shakes his head. In his role as both Resident Council President at Garfield Terrace and D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B03 Member, he's had more than his fair share of dealings with D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA). So I had asked him what his reaction was upon hearing about the recent audit of three DCHA contracts, which found nearly $1.4 million in wasted funds. | "You're talking $1.4, I'm talking about $2.5 million spent…

The Canary (2021-04-17). An expert has laid into the government's 'beyond belief' testing programme'. thecanary.co The government's mass rollout of rapid result coronavirus tests is "dysfunctional" and "crazy", an expert has said. | Dr Angela Raffle is honorary senior lecturer in community medicine at the University of Bristol Medical School. She's argued the Test and Trace programme needs to be rebuilt to link with local health and social services. And she said that focus should be on where the risk is greatest. | Moreover, she warned that extensive use of lateral flow tests (which can return results in 30 minutes) when coronavirus prevalence was low was a waste of resources. And it could result in problems such as higher nu…

Mattias Soop (2021-04-17). [Comment] Extending infusion set replacement intervals to preserve resources and reduce waste. thelancet.com In an audit in 2015 of European intensive care units, central venous access was used in 70 ∑7 per 100 patient days,1 and is also widely used in other clinical settings. It remains associated with considerable risks, in particular systemic infection, which can be severe and even lethal. In clinical studies, the most widely reported metric of this complication among patients is the number of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) per 1000 catheter days. In prospective studies across a range of clinical settings, reported rates are typically in the range of 1 ∑0—2 ∑7 CRBSI per 1000 centra…

Karen Savage (2021-04-17). Private security firm accused of working illegally to protect oil and gas pipelines in five states. nationofchange.org Leighton, which is based in Texas, has also been accused of operating without a license in North Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio.

Eurasia Review (2021-04-17). Are Oil And Gas Pipelines Safe During An Earthquake? eurasiareview.com Underground pipelines that transport oil and gas are very important engineering communications worldwide. Some of these underground communications are built and operated in earthquake-prone areas. | Seismic safety or seismic stability of underground pipelines began to be intensively studied since the 1950s. | Since then, a number of methodologies were proposed for calculating stress received by an underground pipeline during an earthquake. The purpose of these methodologies was to make an accurate prediction on the structural stress received by a pipeline during an earthquake, and thus it would allow to decide…

Updated: 2021-04-19 01:23 | 21:23 EST | 29 | 2 | 17 | 13 | 0