Monday's Daily Brief: UN chief talks climate action at G7, WFP official visits camp in Central African Republic, Deadly violence at Lesvos migrant centre, Security Council meets on AU-UN Darfur mission
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-26
A recap of Monday's stories: UN chief urges more action from G7 leaders to tackle 'climate emergency'; WFP official visits camp for displaced in Central African Republic, UN refugee agency calls on Greece to keep young migrants safe after deadly incident at Lesvos reception centre; and Security Council considers work of AU-UN Mission in Sudan's Darfur region.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044971
Global Climate Movement: Darkest Before the Dawn
Roy Morrison | commondreams.org | 2019-08-26
A cimate change activist in a hammock occupying Oxford Circus in the busy shopping district of central London on April 18, 2019 wakes on the fourth day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group earlier this year in the United Kingdom. (Photo: Isabel Infantes/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/climate_emergency.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/26/global-climate-movement-darkest-dawn?cd-origin=rss
The Amazon Fires Have Upended the Climate Fight as We Know It
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-26
Activists have long warned that offsets are too risky to count on to offset corporate pollution. Now the world is learning the hard way.
truthdig.com/articles/the-amazon-fires-upend-the-climate-fight-as-we-know-it/
No Coal, No Gas: Climate activists remove coal from Merrimack generating station
JOCDC | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-26
"…it is now a necessity to take matters into our own hands…"
liberationnews.org/no-coal-no-gas-climate-activists-remove-coal-from-merrimack-generating-station/
Protests Against G7 Summit Finish with Citizen Manifesto
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-26
With a symbolic act and a citizen manifesto, protests against the G7 summit end here rejecting the group held responsible for wars, climate change and inequalities. | RELATED: | Rifts Emerge Between Trump and Western Allies at G7 Summit | The G7 EZ platforms and Alternatives to G7, which have coordinated actions of more than a hundred organizations, announced that the City of the Ocean, Biarritz, will be the scene of activities, which in addition to the protests and the political d…
telesurenglish.net/news/Protests-Against-G7-Summit-Finish-with-Citizen-Manifesto-20190826-0001.html
Mysterious Russian Nuclear Missile Accident Sparks Fears of "Chernobyl Redux"
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-26
| Questions are swirling over a mysterious nuclear accident in northern Russia on August 8. Seven people, including five nuclear scientists, died in an explosion, which caused a radiation spike in the surrounding area — and possibly as far as Scandinavia. U.S. experts suspect the explosion was caused during a test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile. Russia initially denied a radiation leak, but earlier today its state weather agency confirmed radioactive isotopes have been found in te…
truthout.org/video/mysterious-russian-nuclear-missile-accident-sparks-fears-of-chernobyl-redux/
How the women of Standing Rock are building sovereign economies
Tracy L. Barnett | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-26
Sources reviewed this article for accuracy. | For Sicangu Lakota water protector Cheryl Angel, Standing Rock helped her define what she stands against: an economy rooted in extraction of resources and exploitation of people and planet. It wasn't until she'd had some distance that the vision of what she stands for came into focus. | "Now I understand that sustainable sovereign economies are needed to replace the system we support with our purchasing power," she said. "Our ancient teachings have all of those economies passed down in traditional families." | Cheryl Angel leads a group on pilgrimage at Black El…
nationofchange.org/2019/08/26/how-the-women-of-standing-rock-are-building-sovereign-economies/
Progressives Shouldn't Be Interested in John Hickenlooper for Senate
Alexander Sammon | commondreams.org | 2019-08-26
While governor, Hickenlooper famously ushered in the fracking revolution in Colorado, earning the nickname "Frackenlooper" while fossil fuel production in the state soared. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1167270997.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/26/progressives-shouldnt-be-interested-john-hickenlooper-senate?cd-origin=rss
California regulators continue to allow oil field wastewater injection into aquifers
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2019-08-26
The continued injection of oil wastewater into aquifers is no surprise to environmental justice advocates, since the capture of California regulators by the Western States Petroleum Association and oil and gas companies continues under the Gavin Newsom administration.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/26/18825718.php
Bernie Sander's climate plan is more radical than his opponents' — and more likely to succeed
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-08-26
IF YOU TRIED to design a program with the aim of offending the top brass of the world's most powerful corporations and the politicians whose careers they bankroll, you'd get something like what Bernie Sanders unveiled today in his $16.3 trillion Green New Deal platform. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/08/26/bernie-sanders-climate-plan-is-more-radical-than-his-opponents-and-more-likely-to-succeed/
Norvergence: Climate change fueled Syria's civil war
George Stacey | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-26
"Until now the main cause of civil war is a wealth of the nation in few men hands but Syria showed us another reason; Climate Change" With this blog post, environmentalists at Norvergence have taken their research and study to a whole new level. The purpose of this content is to make people aware of …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/26/norvergence-climate-change-fueled-syrias-civil-war/
The Media's Response to Bernie Sanders' "Climate Plan"
Eric Zuesse | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-26
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, a U.S. Presidential candidate in the Democratic Party primaries, presented on August 22nd the most-detailed climate-plan that has ever been presented by any U.S. Presidential candidate — 14,000 words, or the equivalent of a normal …
globalresearch.ca/media-responses-bernie-sanders-climate-plan/5687129
FROM THE FIELD: Malawi farmers diversify to fight climate change
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-26
Farmers in Malawi are diversifying their crops and adopting sustainable technologies as they look at ways to adapt to a changing climate.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044941
With Less than One Month to NYC Youth Climate Strikes, Youth Leaders Announce Top Demands for Action
commondreams.org | 2019-08-26
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/26/less-one-month-nyc-youth-climate-strikes-youth-leaders-announce-top-demands?cd-origin=rss
Strike for Climate Justice!
Climate Justice SF | indybay.org | 2019-08-26
Montgomery & Market in downtown San Francisco.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/24/18825667.php
David Koch's Most Significant Legacy Is the Election of Donald Trump
Lee Fang | theintercept.com | 2019-08-26
David Koch, the fossil fuel industry billionaire who passed away on August 23 at the age of 79, spent the second half of his life building a political power structure alongside his brother Charles that radically reshaped society and set the conditions for the rise of President Donald Trump. | Many obituaries published in recent days examine Koch's history of polluting the environment and political system, how the donor network he helped lead mobilized opposition to addressing climate change, transformed our election laws to allow unlimited secret spending by the very rich, and systematically fought any regulation…
theintercept.com/2019/08/26/david-koch-donald-trump/
Climate Equity, Hope & Action Forum: Climate Action Commission (Petaluma)
NBOP Petaluma | indybay.org | 2019-08-26
Petaluma Regional Library, 100 Fairgrounds Dr, Petaluma 94952…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/24/18825664.php
Pres. Trump More Concerned With Helping Election-Meddling Russia Than Acting on Climate Crisis
commondreams.org | 2019-08-26
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/26/pres-trump-more-concerned-helping-election-meddling-russia-acting-climate-crisis?cd-origin=rss
Oil Pipelines and a Climate Crisis Warning from the Haida
Jerome Irwin | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-26
This is a tale of a nefarious oil pipeline settlement, a Haida warning against any oil pipeline that violates an indigenous or non-indigenous neighbour's inherent rights and fallacy of the modern world's urban expansion philosophy and home construction practices, with far-less direct participation in government by the citizenry, that all play into and exacerbate the…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/26/oil-pipelines-and-a-climate-crisis-warning-from-the-haida/
Trump and the Climate Crisis–a Crime Against Humanity
Mel Gurtov | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-26
The President of the United States is a criminal. I'm not referring to the twenty-odd investigations of him currently underway for violations of the Constitution, obstruction of justice, and collaboration with the Russian election attack, among other misdeeds. No, I'm referring to his and his administration's intentional and reckless pursuit of national policies that condemn…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/26/trump-and-the-climate-crisis-a-crime-against-humanity/
UN chief appeals to G7 leaders for 'strong commitment' and political will to tackle climate emergency
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-26
People all over the world are calling for a shift towards a greener, cleaner future, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, stressing that…
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044921
Unreported Deaths, Child Cancer & Radioactive Meat: The Untold Story of Chernobyl
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-26
Following a mysterious nuclear accident in Russia that left seven dead, we look back at the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl. It sent a cloud of radioactive fallout into Russia, Belarus and over a large portion of Europe, but the death toll from Chernobyl remains unknown. Chernobyl is considered the worst nuclear accident in history, but Kate Brown, an MIT professor of science, technology and society, says much of what we understand about the disaster is inaccurate. Her new book, "Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future," chronicles the devastating and underreported impact of radiation on tens of t…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/26/kate_brown_chernobyl_manual_for_survival
Mysterious Russian Nuclear Missile Accident Sparks Fears of Cover-Up & "Chernobyl Redux"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-26
Questions are swirling over a mysterious nuclear accident in northern Russia on August 8. Seven people, including five nuclear scientists, died in an explosion, which caused a radiation spike in the surrounding area — and possibly as far as Scandinavia. U.S. experts suspect the explosion was caused during a test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile. Russia initially denied a radiation leak, but earlier today its state weather agency confirmed radioactive isotopes have been found in test samples in the city of Severodvinsk near the military test range. Norway's nuclear test ban monitor now believes two explos…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/26/aug_8_russia_nuclear_accident
As White House Dismisses Planetary Emergency as 'Niche' Issue, Trump Skips G7 Climate Meeting
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-26
At the meeting the U.S. president didn't attend, world leaders agreed to a $20 million package to fight the fires currently ravaging the Amazon rainforest | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_g7_climate.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/26/white-house-dismisses-planetary-emergency-niche-issue-trump-skips-g7-climate-meeting?cd-origin=rss
La Via Campesina: Burning the Amazon is a crime against humanity
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-25
Amazon rainforest La Via CampesinaIssue 1235 Brazil climate emergencyAugust 26, 2019La Via Campesina is a global social movement that unites 148 groups representing small farmers, peasants, rural workers and indigenous communities around the world. | It fights for…
greenleft.org.au/content/la-via-campesina-burning-amazon-crime-against-humanity
"Child Actorvism" and the Extinction Agenda of Neoliberal Racists
Mathew Maavak | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-24
There is no shortage of social justice causes trumpeted by the West‚Ä with a revolving medley of "child actorvists" at the forefront. The logical observer may question whether these endless multi-billion dollar campaigns have had any tangible effect at all, except in serving as a stalking horse for mass-mediated interferences in the affairs of other …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/child-actorvism-and-the-extinction-agenda-of-neoliberal-racists/
National Democrats Endorse John Hickenlooper, a Proponent of Fracking, in Competitive Colorado Primary
Aída Chávez | theintercept.com | 2019-08-24
In Colorado, nearly a dozen Democrats are vying for the opportunity to take on Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020 — a race widely seen as the party's most promising pick-up in the Senate. One of the leading contenders, former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, is running on a platform that includes Medicare for All and an aggressive plan to combat the climate crisis — and his campaign has already topped $1 million in fundraising. | But the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has thrown its weight behind former Gov. John Hickenlooper, a pro-fracking moderate. After months of rejecting calls…
theintercept.com/2019/08/24/dscc-john-hickenlooper-andrew-romanoff-colorado-senate/
Rift widens between Australia and Pacific Island states
wsws.org | 2019-08-24
The Pacific Islands Forum has opened up a bitter dispute over the Australian government's refusal to agree to urgent measures to address climate change.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/24/paci-a24.html
On Day One, the Next President Should Declare A Climate Emergency
Howie Hawkins | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-24
The next president should declare a Climate Emergency, which will give the president powers to act rapidly and decisively to confront the climate crisis. The president should also create a cabinet-level Office of Climate Mobilization for the coordination of all federal agencies in mobilizing the nation's resources to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/on-day-one-the-next-president-should-declare-a-climate-emergency/
GateHouse's Takeover of Gannett: Bad News for Journalism and the Planet
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2019-08-23
USA Today's "Just the FAQs" video ( 8/20/19) on the Amazon fires–which promises to explain, "How does this affect our planet?"–manages to avoid ever using the words "climate" or "global warming." (There is one reference to "carbon and greenhouse gases," not further explained.) | by Janine Jackson | USA Today ran a piece ( 8/20/19) on the Amazon fires in which "anthr…
fair.org/home/gatehouses-takeover-of-gannett-bad-news-for-journalism-and-the-planet/
The Realism and Unrealism of the Green New Deals
Pete Dolack | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-23
A problem facing advocates of serious action to deter global warming is that the costs of not acting aren't quantifiable and remain somewhat abstract. In contrast, calling for a phase-out of fossil fuels understandably leads to fears of job losses, especially since capitalism isn't going to offer new employment for those displaced. There will be…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/23/the-realism-and-unrealism-of-the-green-new-deals/
Earth 4C Hotter
Robert Hunziker | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-23
A decade ago several prominent climate scientists discussed the prospects of a 4C Earth. Their concern was qualified "… if greenhouse gases do not slow down, then expect a 4C Earth by 2055." Of course, that would be catastrophic, and one can only assume those scientists must have recognized real risks. Otherwise, why address the…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/23/earth-4c-hotter/
In 2020, Millennials and Generation Z Could Force Politicians to Deal With Climate Change
Madeline Ostrander | thenation.com | 2019-08-23
In 2020, Millennials and Generation Z Could Force Politicians to Deal With Climate Change…
thenation.com/article/climate-change-youth-public-opinion-election-2020/
"Our House Is On Fire": Brazil Faces Global Outrage as Massive Fires Spread in Amazon Rainforest
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-23
The United Nations is calling for the protection of the Amazon amid fears that thousands of fires raging across Brazil and some parts of Bolivia are rapidly destroying the world's largest rainforest and paving the way for a climate catastrophe. The fires have spread a vast plume of smoke across South America and the Atlantic Ocean that's visible from space. They're unprecedented in recorded history, and environmentalists say most of the fires were deliberately set by illegal miners and cattle ranchers. Indigenous people in Brazil have accused far-right President Jair Bolsonaro of encouraging the destruction. Bols…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/23/jeff_merkley_us_nuclear_policy_green
Climate rebellion continues
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-23
climate emergency Zebedee ParkesIssue 1234 Australia Extinction Rebellion Moreland City CouncilAugust 23, 2019Extinction Rebellion activists continue to hold disruptive actions ar…
greenleft.org.au/content/climate-rebellion-continues
Break the hold of the fossil fuel media mafia
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-23
climate emergency Sam WainwrightIssue 1234 Australia Extinction Rebellion fossil fuel mafia The West Australian…
greenleft.org.au/content/break-hold-fossil-fuel-media-mafia
Relentless sequence of disasters in Asia-Pacific 'sign of things to come', cautions UN regional body
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-22
Changing patterns and worsening impacts of natural disasters in Asia and the Pacific, coupled with environmental degradation and climate change, are not only making efforts to predict such catastrophes more difficult, but are also a "sign of things to come", the United Nations development arm in the region has warned.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044721
Bernie Sanders's Climate Plan Is More Radical Than His Opponents' — And More Likely to Succeed
Kate Aronoff | theintercept.com | 2019-08-22
The $16.3 trillion plan would not only transition American society away from fossil fuels but renegotiate decades-old nostrums about the government's role in the economy.
theintercept.com/2019/08/22/bernie-sanders-climate-policy/
DNC Rejects Call for a Climate Debate
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-22
Democratic National Committee (DNC) officials reversed the previous ban on candidates participating in non-sanctioned climate forums, but Carmen Bouquin of the Sunrise Movement says that's not enough…
therealnews.com/stories/dnc-rejects-call-for-a-climate-debate
Tales from the Extinction Rebellion Chill Zone
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-22
climate emergency Amy WarneIssue 1234 Australia Extinction Rebellion arrests Declaration DayAugust 22, 2019Community activist A…
greenleft.org.au/content/tales-extinction-rebellion-chill-zone
Bruce Shillingsworth: 'We are the last generation who can fix climate change'
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-22
river crisis Peter BoyleIssue 1234 Australia drought Murray Darling River systemAugust 22, 2019″I believe the numbers will change the game," said First Nations activist and artist Uncle Bruce…
greenleft.org.au/content/bruce-shillingsworth-we-are-last-generation-who-can-fix-climate-change
Rivers in crisis: Killing rivers for mines and irrigators
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-22
climate emergency Elena GarciaIssue 1234 Australia Menindee Lakes Broken Hill water pipeline Rivers in crisisAugu…
greenleft.org.au/content/rivers-crisis-killing-rivers-mines-and-irrigators
The climate struggle is a struggle for social power
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-21
climate justice Asbjà∏rn WahlIssue 1234 Scotland trade unions just transitions climate changeAugust 21, 2019Humanity…
greenleft.org.au/content/climate-struggle-struggle-social-power
Negotiating legally-binding agreement to provide future generations with a 'healthy, resilient and productive ocean'
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-20
While the world's oceans contain some 200,000 identified living species, the actual numbers could reach the millions ≠ ≠– all exposed to the dangers of climate change, pollution and over-exploitation. To stem these threats, the United Nations is meeting to negotiate a treaty that would protect three-quarters of the earth's surface by 2030.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044571
Pope Francis Confronts the "Idolatry of Money" — RAI with Matthew Fox (7/8)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-20
With his criticism of excessive capitalism and of climate change, Pope Francis has become the target of the far-right, and especially of the secretive Opus Dei sect within the Catholic Church, explains former priest Matthew Fox…
therealnews.com/stories/pope-francis-confronts-the-idolatry-of-money-rai-with-matthew-fox-7-8
'Monsanto Has Worked Very Hard to Discredit Me and My Work' – CounterSpin interview with Carey Gillam on Monsanto's attack on journalism
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2019-08-20
Janine Jackson interviewed US Right to Know's Carey Gillam for the August 16, 2019, episode of CounterSpin, about being targeted by Monsanto. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
fair.org/home/monsanto-has-worked-very-hard-to-discredit-me-and-my-work/
Ernest Coverson on Guns & Human Rights, Carey Gillam Under Attack From Monsanto
CounterSpin | fair.org | 2019-08-16
Media…
fair.org/home/ernest-coverson-on-guns-human-rights-carey-gillam-under-attack-from-monsanto/
How Climate Activists Can Benefit from Solidarity with Kentucky Coal Miners
Ryan Driskell Tate | progressive.org | 2019-08-12
As fossil-fuel workers lose their jobs today, the urgency of what climate activists call the "just transition" becomes all the more apparent.
progressive.org/dispatches/climate-activists-benefit-from-solidarity-with-coal-miners-tate-190812/