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Many environmentally related posts appearing at Daily Kos each week don't attract the attention they deserve. To help get more eyeballs, Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The most recent Saturday Spotlight can be seen here. So far, more than 19,325 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this weekly collection since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
Bautista, Crisp-Sauray, and McKibben: A Future to March For—by
Eddie Bautista, La Tonya Crisp-Sauray, and Bill McKibben via TomDispatch: "On Sunday, September 21st, a huge crowd will march through the middle of Manhattan. It will almost certainly be the largest rally about climate change in human history, and one of the largest political protests in many years in New York. More than 1,000 groups are coordinating the march—environmental justice groups, faith groups, labor groups—which means there’s no one policy ask. Instead, it’s designed to serve as a loud and pointed reminder to our leaders, gathering that week at the United Nations to discuss global warming, that the next great movement of the planet’s citizens centers on our survival and their pathetic inaction. As a few of the march’s organizers, though, we can give some sense of why we, at least, are marching, words we think represent many of those who will gather at Columbus Circle for the walk through midtown Manhattan. We march because the world has left the Holocene behind: scientists tell us that we’ve already raised the planet’s temperature almost one degree Celsius, and are on track for four or five by century’s end. We march because Hurricane Sandy filled the New York City subway system with salt water, reminding us that even one of the most powerful cities in the world is already vulnerable to slowly rising ocean levels."
Texas proposing climate denier revisions to school text books—by
weinenkel: "The National Center for Science and Education conducted a study of the newly proposed textbooks the Texas Board of Education plans to adopt for the start of the 2015 public school year. There are some problems with the new textbooks. For example:
McGraw(Hill Education, World Cultures & Geography [Teacher Version] (Grade 6). Overall Description: This book has a deeply concerning section comparing the Heartland Institute with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in relation to climate change. This misleads students as to good sources of information, pitting an ideologically driven advocacy group (Heartland Institute) that receives funding from Big Tobacco and polluters against a Nobel Peace Prize Winning scientific body (IPCC). The IPCC reports utilize hundreds of scientific experts and reviewers, as well as thousands of peer reviewed articles. The Heartland Institute has no such expertise nor do they utilize the depth of research available in this area. Independent of the content area, this is a completely inappropriate presentation of the information or comparison of sources. Classic Tobacco. Get them while they're young."
Changing Tide Ahead!!! DA Drops Criminal Charges against Anti-Coal Activists and Joins Climate March—by
citisven: "
Two climate activists were set to go on trial in Massachusetts on Monday for blocking the shipment of 40,000 tons of coal to the Brayton Point power plant, a 51-year-old facility that is one of the region’s largest contributors to greenhouse gases. But in a surprise move, a local prosecutor dropped the criminal charges and reduced three other charges to civil offenses, calling climate change one of the gravest crises our planet has ever faced. To be sure, the DA didn't renege on his duty to enforce the law, but rather than—excuse the pun—going overboard with conspiracy charges that would have sent Jay O'Hara and Ken Ward to prison for months, he struck a deal with the defense and reduced the remaining charges to civil infraction fines of $2,000 each, to be used to pay for the police response to their action. What's remarkable here (but shouldn't be) is that the DA used his moral compass as an educated citizen and caring human being to determine that O'Hara and Ward's action of blocking a planet-destroying load of coal from getting burned (and raising awareness about climate change) was of far greater benefit to his district (and humanity) in the grand scheme of things than the inconvenience that was caused the coal company and Brayton Point Power Station. [...] The great thing is that O'Hara, Ward, and District Attorney Sutter plan to march together in the upcoming People’s Climate March in New York City."
You can find more rescued green diaries below the sustainable squiggle.
Climate Chaos
Macca's Meatless Monday heads to the UN climate summit—by VL Baker: "Next Tuesday, September 23rd, global leaders—from business, government, finance, and civil society—will be meeting at the UN headquarters in New York to discuss climate change. This will be the first time they have met since 2009 in Copenhagen and we want the leaders to know that NOW is the time to agree on an ambitious climate treaty at the COP 21 Conference in Paris next year. The world will be watching. To help build momentum for the summit Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, is looking for 'bold commitments and actions that will catalyse transformative change.' Macca's Meatless Monday is joining forces with Meatless Monday and with Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney at Meat Free Monday who are working with Rt Hon Gregory Barker MP, former Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change and now Climate Advisor to David Cameron, UK PM, to send our voice and commitment to the United Nations climate summit in NYC."
I'll be marching because I must—by VL Baker: "I hadn't planned to head to NYC this coming weekend for The People's Climate March because I didn't think I would have enough time to be back at work on Monday without flying. But looks like I'll be able to hitch a ride up with some friends who are renting a van and since we all have to be back Monday and will be sharing the driving looks like it's a go. I'll be with a group from the University of South Florida (USF) and they are making all arrangements (which I don't think involve sleep!) and I don't know the details."
March Madness: Over 100,000 Expected in NYC—by boatsie: "I'm exhausted already, folks. And I haven't even arrived yet. Take for example this: Just two weeks ago, the PCM Calendar of Events was a mere shadow of what has been scheduled to date. [...] Today's climate movement is different from the one of decades past, and we want to make sure the People's Climate March tells the story of today's climate movement. To make that happen, we're trying something new and arranging the contingents of the march in a way that helps us thread our many messages together."
One Of The Most Important Reports Of Our Times: The New Climate Economy Report—by LaFeminista: "I am being absolutely serious, it proposes real solutions and benefits. The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate was set up to examine whether it is possible to achieve lasting economic growth while also tackling the risks of climate change. Its report seeks to inform economic decision-makers in both public and private sectors, many of whom recognise the serious risks caused by climate change, but also need to tackle more immediate concerns such as jobs, competitiveness and poverty. The report brings together evidence and analysis, learning from the practical experience of countries, cities and businesses across the world."
Why We March: We Will No Longer Be Invisible—by James Wells: "The biggest injury dealt by the climate deniers may not be the snowstorm of deceit on specific issues, or even the Machiavellian maneuvers to confound effective government action on climate. On reflection, we may find that the most catastrophic success of the industrial-denial complex has been their ability to banish climate awareness from normal daily discussion. To make everyone who is concerned about our climate and eroding natural resources, in effect, invisible in the public square and community conversation. The Peoples Climate March, this Saturday September 21st, is about taking some big steps to change that."
Be in NYC This Weekend—by politicjock: "As you may have heard, this Sunday will be the last day of summer. You may also have heard that next week, on September 23, world leaders will be gathered in NYC for a landmark U.N. Climate Summit. "This summit represents yet another step towards the corporate takeover of the UN climate negotiations and the privatization of land, water, and air resources under the guise of a global climate compact. The climate crisis is a symptom of a deeper problem: an economy based on extraction and exploitation of resources and people. This economy benefits a few at the expense of communities and the planet.' It is to counter this event that an unprecedented number of organizations and celebrities, authors, and athletes have decided to gather in NYC before and during the summit in order to send a loud and clear message to the masters of the universe that the time for dithering on catastrophic climate change has passed."
Earth just had its hottest August on record—by HoundDog: "Nick Visser reports The Planet Just Had Its Warmest August On Record. The database goes back to 1881. [...] The long-term trend is consistent with the other warnings we've been receiving about global warming. May was also the hottest on record and the other recent months have all been close to their record hottest. Evidence is clear that we must take more significant action to limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions "sooner than seems possible" by our way of thinking so far. Please consider attending or supporting the People's Climate March, which is New York City, Sunday, September 21."
Panhandling for support for fossil fuels—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Let's say the North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission holds a meeting, and you want to make sure the overwhelming public opposition towards the fossil fuel industry seems a little less overwhelming; what might you do to give the appearance that it has broad public support? One option is to go to Craigslist and offer $50 to anyone willing to show up at the meeting in pro-coal t-shirts. Apparently, one pro-coal group has already employed this tactic. It worked, but left incriminating online evidence of the deed. What, then, can you do if you don't want an e-trail (or $50 per Craigslist response is too expensive)? Here's what fossil fuel industry advocates with the N.C. Energy Coalition did for the Mining and Energy Commission meeting, according to one report. They bused in homeless men and threatened to leave them stranded if they revealed the charade! (If you see a problem with putting shirts that say 'Energy Creates Jobs' on men without homes, much less jobs, then you may not be cut out for fossil fuel PR)."
Warming-Driven Antarctic Sea Ice Breaks Record—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Sea ice in Antarctica has grown to record-breaking size, causing an outbreak of smugness in the deniersphere. The Daily Mail is the biggest outlet featuring the news, and it shockingly is correct in attributing the growth in part to global warming! It appears even the tabloids are more accurate than Watts et al. these days! The Daily Mail links to an interview with Dr. Guy Williams, who explains how winds are shifting in response to climate change and are driving sea ice to new regions. Williams also explains how the ice and glaciers on the continent are melting, making the surrounding ocean less salty. Since fresher water freezes more easily, this is increasing sea ice growth. Meanwhile, NASA data shows that globally this was the warmest August on record (since 1881)."
Polar vortex: global warming doesn't mean we are not going to freeze our butts off in winters—by HoundDog: "Bad news for climate deniers who cite unusually cold winters as counter-evidence for global warming and those who figured a silver lining of global warming might be lower winter heating bills. The latest research published in Nature Communications and reported by Eric Holthaus Slate entitled, New Study Links Polar Vortex to Climate Change, shows how we can have both at the same time and that the freezing winters caused by the polar vortex phenomena may be caused by global warming. Holthaus publishes this article after speaking with Seong-Joong Kim, a climate scientist at the Korea Polar Research Institute, who co-authored this study just published in Nature Communications."
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
Hurricane Odile, Most Intense One on Record, Strikes Baja California. Just Extreme Weather as Usual—by citisven: "Odile really did a number on Cabo, but I'm wondering if it's simply because our minds don't (yet) allow for a hurricane of that caliber to occur just down the coast from LA that we don't see more images like these all over the American mainstream media's front pages. [...] “It’s very rare to get a major hurricane [ category 3 or higher] to reach the Baja Peninsula,” said Brian McNoldy, Capital Weather Gang’s tropical weather expert. 'I found just two previous storms in the records to make landfall as major hurricanes: Kiko (1989) and Olivia (1967).' Okay, so I know single events don't prove or disprove the existence of climate change, but you know something is seriously whacked when Alta California is suffering from the worst drought in over 100 years and Baja California gets slammed with something that's just not supposed to happen."
Hurricane Odile worst case hit: Cabo heavily damaged—by patbahn: "1) Hurricane ODile (Oh-Deal) dogged east and slammed Cabo San Lucas as a Cat 3 storm. Luis Felipe Puente, national coordinator for Civil Protection, said most of the area's power poles were blown over, leaving 239,000 people in the state of Baja California Sur without electricity. Many were also without drinkable water. Ports were closed. 'It's the entire corridor' between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, said Deneb Poli, a medical worker at the Hotel Melia Cabo Real. She said the resort's guests and employees were fine, but electricity and phone lines were down and cellphone coverage was spotty. 'There are parts of hotels that are completely collapsed. The damage is pretty extensive.'"
Bárðarbunga: Not Parrying Any Questions - An Interview With Þorbjörg Ágústsdóttir—by Rei: "Today's edition of Eldfjallavakt is going to be a bit different. We're still going to be covering all of the latest news and analysis on the volcano, no change there. But first, an interview with "the most dangerous woman in Iceland with a sword", manyfold Icelandic fencing champion Þorbjörg Ágústsdóttir. We'll be asking her what she thinks of the eruption on Holuhraun and the prospects of an eruption in Bárðarbunga. Huh? Okay, that's not exactly the reason why I interviewed her... it just so happened that she's a geophysicist doing her doctoral research on Bárðarbunga and the eruption on Holuhraun, and has been involved in the investigation to the extent that one of the leading candidates for naming the new flow is Þorbjargarhraun."
Bárðarbunga: On Hot Tubs and Ice (updated x1)—by Rei: "Yesterday, Sigmundur Davíð, head of one our conservative parties and current Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, flew over the eruption on Holuhraun. As a professional courtesy, the volcano did not cause any mishaps for his flight. Rather, the trip was uneventful and was used as an opportunity to update him on the status of the eruption and preparations that the Coast Guard and public protection services have been taking. Onto Holuhraun, fresh lava poured continuously, nearly 200 cubic meters per second running across 25 square kilometers toward a pinch in the Jökulsár á Fjöllum. The volumetric flow of the lava is faster that of the river itself—a literal river of fire across the surface. But while that's where the activity near the surface has been, what's going on under the surface to the south-southwest is what has people even more concerned. And some of the more careful observers the other day might have gotten an extra worry ... that of sudden rapid motion on the part of Grímsfjall."
A View of Bárðarbunga From Space, Plus a Look Back in Time—by Xaxnar: "I'm not intending to poach on the great job Rei is doing keeping us updated on Bárðarbunga, but I just ran across an article by Jared Keller at World.Mic with some NASA imaging from space (and some ground shots) that are worth a look. (Vox has a write up as well.) The NASA Earth Observatory page has more, including links to quite a few more images towards the bottom of the page. And for a literal 'Blast from the Past,' NASA has a recap of Landsat's imaging of Mount St. Helens. Here's a montage over time showing the changes."
Hawaiian Kilauea Lava Flow May Threaten Homes Near Pahoa—by pollwatcher: "Iceland isn't the only place that gives hard to pronounce names to volcanoes. Kilauea is an active shield volcano on the big Island of Hawaii. Shield volcanoes tend not to be so explosive and are somewhat less dramatic than the composite volcanoes. None the less, the lava flows can be destructive as civilization creeps closer to active volcanoes, while at the same time, the Hawaiian Islands themselves owe their existence to the shield volcanoes that are above the hot spot in the Pacific ocean. Well, it looks like the goddess Pele has awaken from her rather short slumber and is reaching out to touch some of that encroaching civilization. I say a rather short slumber because Kīlauea is a rather active volcano."
Energy & Conservation
Jindal calls Obama administration 'science deniers' as he rolls out fossil fuel-choked energy plan—by Meteor Blades: "A key objective of Jindal's plan is obvious. "Radical" appears 23 times in the document: 'left-wing radical environmentalists,' 'radical environmental ideology,' 'radical leftist ideology,' 'radical EPA,' 'radical policy changes,' 'radical NGOs,' 'radical policy agenda,' etc. Somebody read the book on how repetition makes propaganda work. Other than that, Jindal's plan is pretty much the standard right-wing blueprint: a minor manifesto filled with the same ideas that the string-pullers in the fossil-fuel industry have been promoting for decades: support for more drilling (including fracking) of oil and gas, more digging of coal, chopping of environmental regulations, opening up more federal land to drillers and diggers, building more nuclear power plants, finishing the Keystone XL pipeline and ending the ban on exporting crude oil. There's also a complaint about the 'activist' Supreme Court majority, which ruled 5-4 in 2007 that the Environmental Protection Agency is obligated to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act."
Renewables
NYT: renewable energy creating revolution in energy creation—by fladem: "This morning there is a must read piece in the New York Times about renewable energy. The lead in: Germany’s relentless push into renewable energy has implications far beyond its shores. By creating huge demand for wind turbines and especially for solar panels, it has helped lure big Chinese manufacturers into the market, and that combination is driving down costs faster than almost anyone thought possible just a few years ago. Electric utility executives all over the world are watching nervously as technologies they once dismissed as irrelevant begin to threaten their long-established business plans. Fights are erupting across the United States over the future rules for renewable power. Many poor countries, once intent on building coal-fired power plants to bring electricity to their people, are discussing whether they might leapfrog the fossil age and build clean grids from the outset. ALEC has already started to fight solar and wind power. But the article notes Lennar is installing solar power on roofs in California and guaranteeing to sell it to the owner for 20% less than the utility."
Rooftop solar energy will reach or exceed grid parity in more than half of states by 2017, says UCS—by HoundDog: "Mike Jacobs, senior energy analyst of the Union of Concerned Scientist's Climate and Energy Program, alerts us to the good news of solar energy grid parity in his article How Much Does Rooftop Solar Power Cost? Grid Parity Here or Coming in More Than Half of U.S. States. Even without considering state incentives, UCS estimates that with federal tax credits and financing, rooftop solar energy generation has already reached grid parity in 11 states, including many in the northeast, due to higher-than-average electricity rates. UCS estimates that with rapid declines in the cost of panels and installations, homes in 11 states plus the District of Columbia can use a federal tax credit and financing to make electricity cheaper than they buy it. Seventeen more states are within three years of this tipping point. NREL’s analysis (and therefore ours) is conservative in some important ways: • No state or local incentives are used. Including existing state tax incentives available in 45 states, or other local support for solar generation would lower the break-even cost for a residential PV system (net present value). • Some utilities have an optional time-of-use rate structure that also would improve the economics of residential solar. The benefits of this can be seen in this analysis. • Also not included in our take on the NREL numbers is a price on carbon, which would recognize a value of avoiding emissions."
Vermont's largest city now using 100% renewable energy sources—by Jen Hayden: "This is awesome: Vermont’s largest city has a new success to add to its list of socially conscious achievements: 100 percent of its electricity now comes from renewable sources such as wind, water and biomass. With little fanfare, the Burlington Electric Department crossed the threshold this month with the purchase of the 7.4-megawatt Winooski 1 hydroelectric project on the Winooski River at the city’s edge. The system isn't without a few hitches, like occasionally buying power from other areas, but they often generate more than they need and sell to other areas, so the two offset each other."
Wisconsin energy company trying to make solar less affordable—by weinenkel: "We Energies (the name technically means 'My energy and not yours') is proposing a plan that would implement: a) Changes to Net Metering: We Energies proposes to change how and when solar production is valued on a customer’s energy bill. Net metering of clean energy systems would change from annual netting to monthly netting, while also reducing the price credited for solar retail rate to ‘avoided cost’ rate (roughly 14 cents/kwh to 3 cents/kwh). This change would limit customer optimization of solar system sizing and lengthen subsequent return on investment. b) New Demand Charge: We Energies is proposing a new charge for any and all clean energy system owners. All customers that have invested in a renewable energy system on their own property will be required to pay We Energies $3.80 per kW per month (based on the size of the system). For example, a homeowner who installed a 4 kW solar system (average system size in We Energies’’ territory) will be required to pay $192 annually to We Energies. c) Restricting Third-Party Ownership (Leasing) of Solar: We Energies seeks to ban any solar or wind project from interconnecting and net metering with the grid if it is not owned by the customer."
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
Hawai'i Campaign Commission goes along with cover-up—by Karen from Maui: "In a typically cozy Hawai'i fashion, the Hawai'i Campaign Commission has given the Hawaii Carpenters Market Recovery Program Fund a pass on disclosing where its contributions come from. According to state law noncandidate committees are required to disclose the source of their contributions and are not allowed any anonymous contributions [...] This organization is the sole funding for the superPAC, Forward Progress, which has been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in local Hawaii county-level races trying to knock off certain candidates. What do all these candidates have in common? They are outspoken proponents of disclosing what pesticides corporations are spraying and of more tightly regulating pesticides and GMO experimentation by the large chemical corporations such as Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow, Pioneer etc. These corporations have pulled 138 experimental GE permit requests for Hawai'i this year alone. As the candidates being targeted by the Fund say, 'We're ground zero for GMO and pesticide experimentation.'"
Group sues to prevent vote on Maui GMO moratorium—by Karen from Maui: "Kaua'i gets sued. Kaua'i passed an ordinance requiring the chemical companies to disclose the pesticides they were spraying and keep spraying a certain distance from schools, hospitals and homes. Billion dollar chemical companies, Syngenta, DuPont Pioneer, Agrigenetics (doing business as Dow AgroSciences), and BASF retaliated by suing the small island county and initiating a $50,000 lobbying operation to over-ride the ordinance in the state legislature. Big Island gets sued. In Hawai'i county (Big Island) citizens passed an initiative to ban all GMOs except papayas and disclose the location of GMOs. Attorneys from Washington, D.C.-based Arent Fox LLP and an attorney representing the Biotechnology Industry Organization among others are suing Hawai'i county to overturn the ordinance. (GMO Papayas have already contaminated most of the Big Island papayas and Hawai'i is trying to prevent other GMO crops from ruining their organic and conventional crops.)"
Transportation & Infrastructure
Boston Globe reveals Obama's 'War on Coal' is illusory given his administration's promotion of coal—by Lefty Coaster: "A new 18-year long study of 18,000 commuters as subjects finds that driving to work is detrimental to our individual well-being as wall as detrimental to our collective well being. Switching from driving a car to walking or cycling to work improves our wellbeing, a study suggests. Active commuters felt better able to concentrate and under less strain than when travelling by car, University of East Anglia (UEA) researchers said. Even going by public transport was preferable to driving, data from 18,000 UK commuters over 10 years suggested."
Sunday Train: Reflections on a visit to the East Coast—by Bruce McF: "Your intrepid sustainable energy and transport reporter was recently required to engage in some official business with an overseas consulate located in New York city, and in order to be able to afford to sit and wait as the wheels of bureaucracy as long as might have been required, obtained lodgings in a relatively cheap motel in New Brunswick and took the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor train back and forth. This week's Sunday Train is a collection of scattered observations made along the way. [...] There has been a kerfuffle in July/August about streetcars being bad, bad, BAD!!! among a number of transport-bros such as the neoliberal self-identified 'libertarian' Matty Yglesias. Based on bus timetables, planned streetcar schedules, and an ability to ignore the actual real world service intervals resulting from bunching of buses, Matty was able to conclude that the DC Streetcar would be worse than the bus that it replaced."
Eco-Related Candidacies, DC & State Politics
Climate Hawks Vote's new endorsements: Big Oil and Michigan waters don't mix.—by RLMiller: "Climate Hawks Vote announces endorsements of two Michigan Democrats: Paul Clements for Congress in Michigan’s Sixth District, and Gary Peters for Senate, because the Koch brothers and Big Oil need to stop using Michigan’s shores as a dumping ground for their pollution and Michigan’s politicians for their agenda. Paul Clements is challenging none other than Fred Upton, chair of the House Energy & Commerce Committee—these days, the House Big Oil Lackey Committee. As the face of Big Oil, Upton has been named the number one enemy of the earth. It’s into his pockets that Big Oil money goes—he’s among the top recipients of money from the oil, gas, and coal-fired electric utility industry. And when Big Oil spilled into the Kalamazoo River, Upton demanded answers for about a week, then went back to business as usual, pushing bills to gut the EPA. Voting out Fred Upton piqued our interest … but Climate Hawks Vote won’t get involved in a race between a horrible Republican and a mediocre Democrat (we won’t name names, but our scorecard will). Luckily for the voters of southwestern Michigan, Paul Clements is a true climate champion. 'Climate change is the greatest threat to Michigan and to the world in the 21st century,' he says. We wouldn’t be endorsing if we didn’t think Clements has a chance; he’s considered to be Upton’s toughest challenger in years, and anything can happen to entrenched incumbents in a year in which Eric Cantor lost."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Haitian Tourism Project Leads to Environmental Damage and Community Repression—by Bev Bell: "'Destination Île-à-Vache' is a government-driven tourist project planned for a small island off the northern coast of Haiti, Île-à-Vache. Plans include an international airport, golf courses,1,500 hotel bungalows, agri-tourism, and “tourist villages” which will include boutiques, restaurants and even a night club. Groundbreaking on the project occurred in August, 2013, without the inclusion or participation of the community. Once the construction on the road began in late 2013, the community began to peacefully protest and formed a local group in December, 2013 called KOPI (Collective for Île-à-Vache). In response, the government has coerced, repressed, and intimidated the population. A leader of the resistance movement has been a political prisoner - imprisoned without charge or trial—since February 24."
Why I March- Fouling the Nest, and Piping the Plovers...—by The Poet Deploreate: "Fouling the nest isn't what it used to be. We live in an era when denial, often paired with self-interest and corporate dollars, encourages us to ignore the mess we have created. Or to find someone else to blame. If you never acknowledge a problem, you can avoid accountability for a long time. But not forever. I know. Because. Mother Nature told me so. And if Mother Nature ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. Join me below for an object lesson about the wages of willful ignorance, and the failure to allocate accountability in direct proportion to the damage done..."
Oceans, Water & Drought
Winnemem Wintu War Dancers: Shasta Dam A “Weapon of Mass Destruction”—by Dan Bacher: "'Shasta Dam, dwarfed only by Hoover and Grand Coulee dams when it was completed on the Sacramento River in 1945, is breathtaking not only for its great size, but for its majestic setting in the southern range of the Cascades,' according to the National Park Service. However, the Winnemem Wintu Tribe has a much different view of the dam and the reservoir it created. Tribal Leaders view the massive curved concrete dam—and a federal plan to raise the dam 18-1/2 feet—as a 'Weapon of Mass Destruction.' This dam expansion plan would flood many of the remaining sacred sites of the Tribe that weren’t inundated by the construction of Shasta Dam in the 1940s. 'In 2004, we held a War Dance on Shasta Dam, because that's the Weapon of Mass Destruction,' said Caleen Sisk, Chief of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe before the four-day War Dance that ended Sunday, September 14. 'That's the weapon that took our lands, flooded our sacred places, covered up our burials—everything. And left us with nothing.' 'We gave up a lot of our homeland for the sake of the California people, and got nothing in return. Now the government wants to take our sacred places, and again we get nothing in return. How is this fair, over and over again?' she asked."
Bureau makes emergency water release to avert Klamath fish kill—by Dan Bacher: "The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will make an emergency release of 3400 cfs from Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River in order to double flows in the Lower Klamath River to 'abate poor fish health conditions' including an outbreak of the fish disease 'Ich.' Starting at 10 am today, Trinity River releases will begin increasing from 450 cfs at a rate of 250 cfs per every 2 hours until the total release from The Trinity reaches 3400 cfs, according to Vivienna Orcutt of the Hoopa Valley Tribe. [...] 'The increased flows are expected to continue for several days,' according to a news release from the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP)."
Please, Somebody, Make It Rain—by loggersbrat: "I don't suppose it's news to a lot of people that this year, fire season has been a bad one. I feel sorry for people locally who have asthma or other breathing problems - three days of smoke from the fire near Estacada have been playing merry hell with my sinuses, and I DON'T have any pulmonary problems. One of my neighbors is from Estacada, and he says a large part of the problem is the fire started in very rough territory. He told me that the actual town doesn't seem to be in any danger, but some of his friends who live in the outlying areas are preparing to evacuate, or already have done so. And that the estimate for getting the fire entirely out is sometime next month. That's what my neighbor told me—the link is to the most recent news I could find. [...] And then there's what happened to Weed, California, which I only heard about this morning. Apparently, half the town burned—though it does appear that everybody got enough warning to avoid any deaths, or even injuries. The article I linked also mentions other towns in that area that have had fires this year."
Critters & the Great Outdoors
The Truth About Rhinos—by Franette Armstrong via JrCrone: "Rhinos. What do most people know about one of Africa's "Big Five?" Here's a short quiz to test your rhino-savvy and maybe make you a bit of an expert in the process. Ready? True or False? Rhinos have horns. False! We call them horns and they look sort of like horns, but really they aren't. A true horn is bone covered with a sheath of keratin. Rhino "horns" have no bone-y core and are only made of keratin which is basically dead protein cells like those that make up your callouses, nails and hair. [...] Rhino Horns Have Magical or Healing Properties. False! There are no magical properties in keratin! If you want keratin, you can just go to any hair salon and sweep the floor. Yet, rhino horns are more valuable than gold in Vietnam, the largest market today for poached rhino horns."
Daily Bucket - Berkshire Adventures Part 2 (photo heavy)—by
Attack Gardener: "In our last episode, we took a little tour through Naumkeag, a lovely historic site in western Massachusetts. Today, I'd like to show you the more nature oriented leg of our trip. [...] Our last stop was to another Mass Audubon preserve, this one just north of Lenox, off Route 7. The Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is a place we've been several times and it never disappoints. Lastly, we were treated to an amazing encounter that made the entire lack of critters for 4 days worthwhile. We had taken some trails that were new to us and discovered, far too late, that some were quite steep. I found myself staring at my feet more that at the sights around me. The wood were quite dark as it was overcast and raining on and off. As we crested a steep section of the path, something made me look up to see a great blob on a branch not 15 feet away from me. As soon as I lifted my head, it spread huge wings and soared off to settle in another tree. [...] A barred owl! Not even 30 feet away giving me the stink eye! What a treat!"
Glacier Park: Red Rock Falls—by
Ojibwa: "There used to be an almost imperceptible pull-off on the Going-to-the-Sun Road as it wound along McDonald Creek after passing through Avalanche. Locals and hardcore Glacier Park fans would pull off, following the narrow trails through the trees and quickly arrive at a beautiful waterfall. Unfortunately, the National Park Service discovered this hidden wonder, put in an expanded paved parking area, made the trail handicapped accessible, and put in an overlook. While it makes it easier to get the falls, it also means more tourists."
Daily Bucket: An Afternoon at Sunken Gardens—by Lenny Flank: "A little while ago I spent an afternoon walking around Sunken Gardens, a tourist spot in St Pete. [...] Koi, hanging out in the shade":
Dawn Chorus: Moby Chick—by
lineatus: "For some reason, we have have had a small population of chickadees near our cabin that are leucistic to varying degrees. I've been seeing them for a number of years. Here is a normally colored Chestnut-backed Chickadee. Chestnut back, black wing, crown, chin and tail, kind of grey below. And of course cute because it's a chickadee. Some of the birds have only a little bit of leucism (feathers that are paler than normal) ... "
Twitter fail from Sea World—by DisNoir36: "So what happens when a corporation which is synonymous with dolphin and whale captivity goes to Twitter to speak out against dolphin hunts happening in Taiji, Japan? Well, the results are not what Sea World probably expected. [...] For those not familiar with the Taiji dolphin drives, they're annual drives by local fishermen in Taiji, Japan. The fishermen drive dolphins into a cove where they select several dolphins out of the pod and capture them so they can sell them to the aquarium industry. A few years ago there was a documentary on this called The Cove. The remaining dolphins are either slaughtered or released. Several of the Taiji dolphins over the years have been sold off to various aquariums and parks around the world, including to Sea World. Each dolphin costs several hundred thousands of dollars depending on how trainable they are and how rare. This cost is added to the cost of transport, training, feeding and care. Yet despite the high price, Sea World and others continue to buy captured dolphins. If there was no market for these captured dolphins, there would be no hunts, as the money made off the sale of dolphin meat does not make enough of a profit to justify the cost of the hunts. Especially considering the health concerns associated with consumption of dolphin meat. So it was a bit ironic to see the corporation so associated with dolphin captivity, tweeting to speak out against the dolphin drives in Taiji, Japan."
The Daily Bucket - Fierce Defender and Friend—by FOYI: "All day she stood guard. Hour after hour, from sunrise to sunset, never moving more than a few yards away from her post and only then to chase away intruders. She fought them off from all directions. She postured and puffed attempting to appear larger than tiny. Alas when the giants moved in her fierce defenses proved lacking and the battle was lost. She was forced to retreat to a nearby branch and watch as they pillaged her supplies."
Forests, Wilderness & Public Lands
Expanding the National Parks System #21- Massachusetts—by MorrellWI1983: "This is the twenty-first Diary in my Expanding the National Parks series. [...] Massachusetts is a small state, covering 7800 sq miles in land area. 1.9% of the state is federally owned, putting it in a tie for 39th nationally, along with Texas, which is about 27 times bigger. Massachusetts has 11 wildlife refuges and 16 historic sites and other NPS Units. I will Be proposing giving Massachusetts its first national monuments. Massachusetts: Total Area 10554 sq miles, Land Area-7 800 sq miles. Water Area 2 754 sq miles, Coastline 192 miles, Additional Monuments-3.
Mining
Miscellany
Koch Oligarchs Reach Into American Museum Of Natural History And Smithsonian.—by pollwatcher: "The Lords of Darkness (Kochs) that threaten Dick Cheney's claim of master of American evil, have stretched their slimy tentacles into a couple of Americas greatest scientific educational institutions. It isn't enough that they feed the Right Wing propaganda machine with their fake think tanks and their oil company sponsored "studies" of global warming, they are now reaching into the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and the Smithsonian to warp reality to their twisted view. [...] So this is how the game works. First the Kochs buy elections from state Assemblies to congressional puppets, then they order their minions to fight for budget cuts and sequesters (which hit science very hard), then they buy into the boards of museums that are supposed to be presenting the reality of science. Now don't think the museums will simply put the same Bull Shit in their museums that the Kochs push in their fake think tanks and fake "science" reports, of course not. But the pressure will be there to not talk about the greatest threat to civilization ever (Global Warming) and through the sin of omission, the people visiting those museums will be misinformed and will ignore this pending disaster."
Trash, Pollution & Hazardous Waste
Fukushima Radiation and Fish—by Duckmg: "The derived intervention levels instituted by the FDA for food are outrageous, 160 BQ per KILO for strontium and 1200 BQ per KILO for Cesium. I personally do not want any detectable levels of cesium in my food. And I certainly would not want detectable levels of strontium in my food. Perhaps by tweaking logic a bit one can compare cesium laced food to a banana. With strontium one can make no such comparisons. The strontium goes to one's bones and hangs around. The biological half life for strontium is much longer than the half life for Cesium. MILES O’BRIEN: In New York, at Stony Brook University, Nicholas Fisher is focused on radioactivity in fish. He studies the ultimate sushi delicacy, bluefin tuna. These amazing creatures spawn near Japan, migrate to California, then return to Japan. He measured tuna caught in San Diego four months after the meltdowns. NICHOLAS FISHER: We were quite surprised to see that every single fish we analyzed had clear evidence of Fukushima-derived radionuclides in their tissue."