Arizona educators, progressives confront ALEC summit and Betsy DeVos
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-12-09
Tucson, AZ – On December 4, a coalition of union educators, immigrant rights, police crimes, and climate change activists confronted the agenda of corporations like UPS and energy industry giants and billionaires like Charles Koch and Sheldon Achelson. At its height the crowd numbered around 200 with signs reading: "ALEC: Oligarchy in progress" and "Privatization, criminalization, incarceration, climate change, imperialism: #ALECisBehindIt." | The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a notorious organization of hardcore conservatives, was holding its States and Nation Policy Summit in Arizona. ALEC hoste…
fightbacknews.org/2019/12/8/arizona-educators-progressives-confront-alec-summit-and-betsy-devos

Police Halt Activist-Led "Toxic Tour" of Corporate Polluters Sponsoring COP25
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-09
In Spain, the country's biggest fossil fuel polluters are also some of the most generous sponsors for this year's U.N. climate talks. On Saturday, we joined activists on a "toxic tour" of Madrid from the Madrid stock exchange to Santander Bank. Activists explained that when Spanish President Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain would host COP25, he went to IBEX 35 — the 35 biggest listed companies in the Spanish stock exchange — offering them a 90% tax break on a $2 million sponsorship.
truthout.org/video/police-halt-activist-led-toxic-tour-of-corporate-polluters-sponsoring-cop25/

Palo Alto Youth Lead Local Protest during U.N. Climate Conference
Text: RR Photos: Leo Leung, Pro Bono Photo | indybay.org | 2019-12-09
This year is the 25th meeting of the conference under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP25. The conference is being held December 2 through the 13th in Madrid. In Palo Alto, California on December 6th, youth activists led a Climate Strike, part of a coordinated international action timed to coincide with the U.N. Conference.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/08/18828732.php

Indigenous and Youth Activists Slam Global Leaders for Climate Inaction
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-09
We broadcast from Madrid, Spain, where the 25th United Nations climate conference is in its second week and representatives from almost 200 countries have gathered for the final days of negotiations. The summit — known as COP25, or conference of parties — has so far focused on meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to "well below 2 degrees Celsius," or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. But climate scientists say the talks are failing to produce the drastic measures nec…
truthout.org/video/indigenous-and-youth-activists-slam-global-leaders-for-climate-inaction/

Youth demonstrating in Australia speak out against climate change and war
wsws.org | 2019-12-09
Students attended climate change protests in major cities in solidarity with rallies organised globally on November 29.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/09/clim-d09.html

SF Climate Strike at BlackRock and March to Senator Feinstein's Office
Leon Kunstenaar | indybay.org | 2019-12-09
Photos: Leon Kunstenaar, Pro Bono Photo | Message of climate urgency delivered where most needed in day of world wide protests…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/07/18828694.php

Savoring What Remains in an Age of Climate PTSD
Dahr Jamail | commondreams.org | 2019-12-09
Symphony Lake, near Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo: mcav0y/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/alaskalake.jpeg …
commondreams.org/views/2019/12/09/savoring-what-remains-age-climate-ptsd?cd-origin=rss

Dealing with climate PTSD
Dahr Jamail | nationofchange.org | 2019-12-09
Alaska, in other words, is suffering climate death by a thousand cuts, while I struggle daily to accept the new reality: that the state is already irreparably changed.
nationofchange.org/2019/12/09/dealing-with-climate-ptsd/

Savoring What Remains: Dealing With Climate PTSD
Dahr Jamail | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-09
Recently, I was in Homer, Alaska, to talk about my book The End of Ice. Seconds after I had thanked those who brought me to the small University of Alaska campus there, overwhelmed with some mix of sadness, love, and grief about my adopted state — and the planet generally — I wept. I tried…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/09/savoring-what-remains-dealing-with-climate-ptsd/

COP25: Global investors urge countries to meet climate action goals
news.un.org | 2019-12-09
More than 630 investors who collectively manage over $37 trillion in assets are calling on governments across the world to step up action to address climate change and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1053081

Changing Climate: Aligning Tech, Policy, Activism, & Equity
Sunrise Movement Bay Area | indybay.org | 2019-12-09
DXLabs, 690 18th St, Oakland, CA 94612-1339…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/07/18828718.php

Here's more proof that Johnson doesn't give a s*** about the climate emergency
Fréa Lockley | thecanary.co | 2019-12-09
On 9 December, Boris Johnson showed once again that he really doesn't care about the climate emergency. | Jet set: | In a last-minute effort to woo voters, Johnson visited Labour strongholds in the north of England. But following a trip to a fish market in Grimsby, he took a private jet from Doncaster to Teeside. This is an 84-mile t…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2019/12/09/heres-more-proof-that-johnson-doesnt-give-a-s-about-the-climate-emergency/

Monday's Daily Brief: increasing inequality, human rights and climate, civil war crimes, Ethiopia reforms
news.un.org | 2019-12-09
New UN development report warns global inequality breeding a "new generation of inequalities"; human rights linked to climate change by senior UN official; intentional starvation in civil wars classified as a war crime, UN rights expert calls for Ethiopia reform support.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1053091

Grief Over Climate Hits More of Us Each Day
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-12-09
It's no secret that many scientists are mourning for the planet's future, with some calling their symptoms a climate-change version of PTSD.
truthdig.com/articles/climate-grief-is-hitting-more-of-us-each-day/

500 Groups Call for Next President to Declare National Climate Emergency
commondreams.org | 2019-12-09
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/12/09/500-groups-call-next-president-declare-national-climate-emergency?cd-origin=rss

Scottish Greens outline importance of 'climate election'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-12-09
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has said the UK "can't afford" for the general election not to be climate focused.Harvie, speaking to the PA news agency ahead of polling day on 12 December, said the world had been given about a decade to take radical action.And he outlined the importance of having strong Green voices in the room at Westminster, to push the other parties beyond their "comfort zone" on taking climate action.Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie speaking at a climate strike in Glasgow's George Square (Lewis McKenzie/PA)"People on pretty much every doorstep that I've knocked on have been…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2019/12/09/scottish-greens-outline-importance-of-climate-election/

Alaska Is Already Irreparably Changed by Climate Disruption
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-09
Recently, I was in Homer, Alaska, to talk about my book The End of Ice. Seconds after I had thanked those who brought me to the small University of Alaska campus there, overwhelmed with some mix of sadness, love and grief about my adopted state — and the planet generally — I wept. | I tried to speak but could only apologize and take a few moments to collect myself. It's challenging for me, ev…
truthout.org/articles/alaska-is-already-irreparably-changed-by-climate-disruption/

Dark Waters: American capitalism poisons its population
wsws.org | 2019-12-09
Todd Haynes' Dark Waters is a retelling of the nearly 20-year legal battle against the massive toxic chemical contamination of Parkersburg, West Virginia by the DuPont chemical company.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/09/dark-d09.html

Police Halt Activist-Led "Toxic Tour" of Spain's "Dirtiest" Corporate Polluters Sponsoring COP25
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-09
In Spain, the country's biggest fossil fuel polluters are also some of the most generous sponsors for this year's U.N. climate talks. On Saturday, we joined activists on a "toxic tour" of Madrid from the Madrid stock exchange to Santander Bank. Activists explained that when Spanish President Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain would host COP25, he went to IBEX 35 — the 35 biggest listed companies in the Spanish stock exchange — offering them a 90% tax break on a $2 million sponsorship. Advocates say that these same companies "have deep and dirty links to the fossil fuel industry." But midway through, t…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/9/toxic_tour_of_spains_dirtiest_corporate

Greta Thunberg, Rose Whipple & Eriel Deranger on Listening to Indigenous People Amid Climate Crisis
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-09
At the end of Friday's major climate rally in Madrid, a group of indigenous activists took the stage to sing and give speeches, but after some speeches their microphone was cut and the lights on stage were shut off as they spoke. Democracy Now! spoke to Eriel Deranger of Indigenous Climate Action and later asked Greta Thunberg and Rose Whipple about the importance of listening to indigenous voices.
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/9/greta_thunberg_rose_whipple_on_listening

At Major March in Madrid, Indigenous & Youth Activists Slam Global Leaders for Climate Inaction
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-09
We broadcast from Madrid, Spain, where the 25th United Nations climate conference is in its second week and representatives from almost 200 countries have gathered for the final days of negotiations. The summit — known as COP25, or conference of parties — has so far focused on meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to "well below 2 degrees Celsius," or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. But climate scientists say the talks are failing to produce the drastic measures necessary to address the climate crisis. Since the Paris Agreement four years ago, greenhouse gas emissions have risen by…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/9/madrid_climate_march_cop25

Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron & BP Could Be Legally & Morally Liable for Climate Crisis in Philippines
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-09
The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines has just determined that 47 major companies, including Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP and Total, could be found legally and morally liable for human rights harms to Filipinos resulting from climate change. The commission found the companies could be held accountable under civil and criminal laws. Climate activists have hailed the decision as a landmark victory for climate justice. According to Greenpeace, this marks the first time big polluting companies have been found responsible for human rights harms resulting from the climate crisis. We speak to Yeb Saño, exe…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/9/shell_exxonmobil_chevron_bp_could_be

Greta Thunberg at Madrid March: Hope in the Streets, Not the U.N. Climate Summit
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-09
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg also addressed Friday's climate march in Madrid. "The hope is not within the walls of COP25; the hope is out here with you," said Thunberg, who inspired the global youth strike movement.
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/9/greta_thunberg_at_madrid_march_cop25

Meet the Climbing Kids: 8- & 11-Year-Old Siblings Who Rappel from Bridge Demanding Climate Action
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-09
As hundreds of thousands marched to the main stage during Friday's climate march in Madrid, two young children — a brother and sister aged 8 and 11 — staged an act of civil disobedience from a bridge overlooking the protest. While demonstrators marched beneath them, the two children rappelled from an overpass, dangling from ropes in mid-air to hang a banner calling for climate action. Democracy Now! briefly spoke to them after their action.
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/9/meet_the_climbing_kids_8_11

Spanish Actor Javier Bardem: We Need Urgency, Ambition & Reduction to Confront Climate Crisis
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-09
Speakers at Friday's massive climate march in Madrid included the actor Javier Bardem. In 2007, he became the first Spanish actor to win an Academy Award for acting for his supporting role in "No Country for Old Men." He addressed the crowd in Spanish.
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/9/spanish_actor_javier_bardem_at_cop25

Indigenous Leader Sà¥nia Guajajara: The Amazon Is Burning & Its Defenders Are Being Assassinated
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-09
Speakers at Friday's climate march in Madrid included Brazilian indigenous leader Sà¥nia Guajajara. A day after she spoke, two indigenous chiefs — Firmino Prexede Guajajara and Raimundo Guajajara — were gunned down in a drive-by shooting Saturday in Brazil.
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/9/indigenous_leader_sonia_guajajara_at_cop25

Calling for 'Climate President,' 500+ Groups Demand Next Administration Take Immediate Action
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-12-09
"Swift action to confront the climate emergency has to start the moment the next president enters the Oval Office." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/climate-president.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/12/09/calling-climate-president-500-groups-demand-next-administration-take-immediate?cd-origin=rss

8- and 11-Year-Old Siblings Rappel From Bridge Demanding Climate Action
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-09
As hundreds of thousands marched to the main stage during Friday's climate march in Madrid, two young children — a brother and sister aged 8 and 11 — staged an act of civil disobedience from a bridge overlooking the protest. While demonstrators marched beneath them, the two children rappelled from an overpass, dangling from ropes in mid-air to hang a banner calling for climate action. Democracy Now! briefly spoke to them after their action. | TRANSCRIPT: | AMY GOODMAN: As hundreds…
truthout.org/video/8-and-11-year-old-siblings-rappel-from-bridge-demanding-climate-action/

'People are flushing toilets 10 times': Trump mulls pouring conservation rules down the drain & Twitter cannot hold it
rt.com | 2019-12-07
President Donald Trump is taking aim at water efficiency laws, arguing that they paradoxically encourage waste due to weak water pressure. He vowed to seek "commonsense" solutions to America's toilet troubles. | Despite ongoing Democratic impeachment efforts in Washington, a trade row with Beijing and another war of words heating up with Iran, the president took time on Friday to address a problem much closer to home — perhaps lurking in your very own bathroom. | "We have a situation where we're looking very strongly at sinks and showers, and other elements of bathrooms," the president said. "You turn on…
rt.com/usa/475256-trump-toilet-flushing-regulations/

Why Do We Punish the Peacemakers?
Linda Pentz Gunter | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-06
You're liable to run into trouble if you try to suggest there is a greater threat to planetary survival than climate change. But there is. It's called nuclear war. Granted — and thank goodness — climate change is finally all the rage now. Rage has taken over, and rightly so, especially among the young whose…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/06/why-do-we-punish-the-peacemakers/

Conviction and Removal Aren't the Issue; It's Impeachment of Trump That is Essential
Dave Lindorff | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-06
A lot of pundit verbiage and Democratic Party internal debate as well is being wasted on the question of whether Trump could be convicted successfully in a Senate currently run by a lickspittle Republican majority afraid of their shadows and devoid of any concern for the fate of Constitutional government. Let's accept that the 20-plus…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/06/conviction-and-removal-arent-the-issue-its-impeachment-of-trump-that-is-essential/

goodman climate refugees teaser
James Goodman | progressive.org | 2019-12-06
Climate change, pollution, and violence drive people to the U.S. border, even with no promise of a path to citizenship.
progressive.org/dispatches/fleeing-not-migrating-goodman-191206/

Rise in Caribbean children displaced by storms shows climate crisis is a child rights issue: UNICEF
news.un.org | 2019-12-06
The number of Caribbean children displaced by storms has risen approximately six-fold in the past five years, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reveals in a new report released on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1052901

COP25: Alternative Climate Summit Honors Those "Suffering the Crimes of Transnational Corporations"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-06
We broadcast from Madrid, Spain, where the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP25, began Monday and will continue through next week, as environmental leaders from around the world gather to negotiate global solutions to the climate crisis. Activists have converged on Madrid for the conference and are hosting an alternative summit of their own: Cumbre Social por el Clima — the Social Summit for the Climate. The alternative summit has been organized by social justice and environmental groups to draw attention to the ongoing political repression in Chile, corporate influence on the climate su…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/6/cop25_alternative_climate_summit_honors_those

"It's Our Future": Meet the Youth Activists Behind Fridays for Future Movements in Uganda and Chile
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-06
In Spain, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in Madrid to take part in today's strike as well as a major march set for 6 p.m. local time. Greta began the climate strike movement last year when she started skipping school every Friday to stand in front of the Swedish parliament, demanding action to prevent catastrophic climate change. Her protest spread, quickly going global. We speak with two youth climate strikers: Hilda Flavia Nakabuye is the founder of Fridays for Future Uganda and Angela Valenzuela is a coordinator with Fridays for Future in Chile, where this year's U.N. clima…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/6/fridays_for_future_movements_uganda_chile

Why Are Some of Spain's Biggest Polluters Sponsoring U.N. Climate Summit?
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-06
A group of climate activists walked out of a panel at the U.N. climate summit in Madrid on Thursday to protest the presence of Shell, BP and Chevron. Representatives from the oil companies were taking part in an event organized by the International Emissions Trading Association. This comes as the Spanish government is facing criticism for reaching out to Endesa, Spain's biggest corporate greenhouse gas polluter, to sponsor the U.N. climate talks. We speak with Pascoe Sabido, a researcher and campaigner for the Corporate Europe Observatory, who has been organizing toxic tours of Madrid to expose the corporations a…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/6/big_polluters_sponsoring_cop25_climate_summit

It's a Race Against Time for Labour in Next Week's Momentous UK Elections
Rachel Shabi | thenation.com | 2019-12-05
It's a Race Against Time for Labour in Next Week's Momentous UK Elections…
thenation.com/article/climate-brexit-labour-uk/

Edward Snowden: If I Came Back to the U.S., I Would Likely Die in Prison for Telling the Truth
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-05
The Right Livelihood Awards celebrated their 40th anniversary Wednesday at the historic Cirkus Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, where more than a thousand people gathered to celebrate this year's four laureates: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg; Chinese women's rights lawyer Guo Jianmei, Brazilian indigenous leader Davi Kopenawa and the organization he co-founded, the Yanomami Hutukara Association; and Sahrawi human rights leader Aminatou Haidar, who has challenged the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara for decades. The Right Livelihood Award is known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." Over the past four deca…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/5/edward_snowden_amy_goodman_interview_sweden

Activists decry Minnesota investments in border militarization, climate destruction
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-12-04
St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) held its quarterly meeting at the State Capitol December 2 and got sharp criticism from immigrant rights and anti-war activists, as new documents revealed a nearly $1 million increase in investment in a controversial military technology company. Youth climate strikers also highlighted the SBI's inaction over state ties to environmental destruction. Both groups were met with vacillation and excuses from the board which is tasked with the responsible investment of public pensions and related funds. | At issue was Elbit Systems, an Israel-based manufacture…
fightbacknews.org/2019/12/3/activists-decry-minnesota-investments-border-militarization-climate-destruction

Greener tourism: Greater collaboration needed to tackle rising emissions
news.un.org | 2019-12-04
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is calling for enhanced cooperation between the transport and tourism sectors to combat climate change.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1052791

"Alternative Nobel Prize:" Right Livelihood Award Celebrates 40 Years Honoring Grassroots Activists
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-04
The Right Livelihood Award is marking its 40th anniversary. The award was established in 1980 to honor and support those "offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us." It has since become known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." Over the past four decades, the award has been given to activists and grassroots leaders around the globe. A number of them have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This year's winners are: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg; Sahrawi human rights leader Aminatou Haidar, who has challenged the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara for decades; Chi…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/4/right_livelihood_award_fortieth_anniversary

My Generation Needs to Say "Enough": A Swedish Climate Striker Speaks Out About Fridays For Future
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-03
From Stockholm, Sweden, we're covering the 40th Anniversary of the Right Livelihood Awards, widely known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." This year's recipients include 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, whose school strike for climate started in Stockholm when she began standing outside the Parliament building every school day to demand bold climate action more than a year ago. Her act of resistance soon became a global movement, with millions of youth around the world leaving school and taking to the streets to demand swift action to halt the climate crisis. Greta has just arrived in Lisbon,…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/3/fridays_for_future

"We Are Facing a Global Emergency": Greta Thunberg Arrives Back in Europe to Attend Climate Talks
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-03
From Stockholm, Sweden, we're covering the 40th Anniversary of the Right Livelihood Awards, widely known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." This year's recipients include 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who arrived Tuesday in Lisbon, Portugal, after traveling for three weeks across the Atlantic in the 48-foot catamaran La Vagabonde, refusing to fly because of the high carbon footprint of air travel. Thunberg was on her way to attend COP25 in Santiago, Chile, when the conference was abruptly relocated due to mass demonstrations against a proposed subway fare hike. She sounded a rallying cry to…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/3/greta

The answer to the climate crisis is obvious: ban climate protests
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-29
environment Carlo SandsIssue 1247 Australia Carlo's CornerNovember 29, 2019As Australia burns amid record-breaking temperatures and ongoing drought, and report a…
greenleft.org.au/content/answer-climate-crisis-obvious-ban-climate-protests

School climate strikers sit down outside Liberal HQ
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-29
Climate Zebedee ParkesIssue 1247 Australia School Strike 4 Climate SydneyNovember 29, 2019School climate strikers sat down in front of the Liberal Party's Sydney headquarters on November 29, as par…
greenleft.org.au/content/school-climate-strikers-sit-down-outside-liberal-hq

China's contribution to climate change
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-28
Climate change Chris SleeIssue 1247 China greenhouse gas emissionsNovember 28, 2019China is the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2). It surpassed the Un…
greenleft.org.au/content/china-road-climate-change

We're Still Waiting for 'Early and Often' Climate Debate Questions
Julie Hollar | fair.org | 2019-11-27
As the Democratic Party prepared for its first presidential primary debates in June, climate activists pushed the DNC to schedule a single-issue debate on the climate crisis, given the urgency of the problem and the lack of attention given to it in previous debates. DNC chair Tom Perez refused, saying he had "the utmost confidence" that climate disruption would be discussed in the debates "early and often" (FAIR.org, 6/18/19). | Now that seven nights of debates have passed, and multiple…
fair.org/home/were-still-waiting-for-early-and-often-climate-debate-questions/

We're Grateful for the Constitution
David Cole | aclu.org | 2019-11-26
Thanksgiving is here: that time of year when we pause to take stock of all we're grateful for. At the ACLU, we're saying thanks for all the crucial wins from our legal teams — and for the Constitution. | In just the last few months, we've racked up many essential victories in the ongoing battle to protect civil liberties and civil rights. The scope of these victories is breathtaking: they span criminal justice, privacy, religious freedom, reproductive rights, due process for immigrants, racial justice, LGBTQ rights, and the right to protest the Keystone pipeline, among others. We've won crucial victories…
aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/were-grateful-for-the-constitution