Members of the Daily Kos community show the colors at the People's Climate March.
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 19,440 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.
Why I Marched - My Journey—by
BettytheBoop: "I participated to the March for many reasons. I was too young to participate in some of the most remarkable marches of the 60s and 70s. And I haven't taken part in marches in a very long time-though I try to contribute to the causes I feel strongly about. But this time--this felt like such a watershed moment that I felt I had to be part of this march. This march I could choose to go and I had to do it. For one, I had absolutely no excuse for not being there, no major personal event occurring on that day that I would be missing. I did not even have to miss work. And I wanted so much to contribute and be part of this tipping point event in history. I also wanted to be an example for my 31 year old daughter who has never participated in a march of any kind for any reason. Yet I waited to last week to make my reservation on one of the busses going from Buffalo. And as late as Saturday afternoon, I again nudged my daughter to go with me. At the last minute she decided to join me and both of us are so glad we went. I had to be there because no matter what other issues I care about--peace, justice, equality, feminism, education, children, gay rights, immigration, our water and food sources, health, animals, the land we share on this planet--everyone one of them demands that we face and deal with climate change. And so we must."
Why I Marched Sunday (And How Mayor de Blasio Made it Worth It)—by
Brian Pearson via New York Communities for Change: "I had two reasons for marching in the People's Climate March on Sunday. First, I wanted to send a message that low-income people and people of color care about climate change. Across the globe, from New York to Nigeria, it is always poor people, and people of color who suffer most from the impacts of climate change. If anyone in the black community here in the United States had not realized it before, Hurricane Katrina made it abundantly clear. And by the time Super Storm Sandy hit here in New York City, we were unsurprised when it was our communities left to survive without adequate resources. And unsurprised that when Bloomberg began the process of cleaning and rebuilding our communities, he did not consider ways to include us, neither in the planning process of how to rebuild, nor by actually training and employing us to do the work. The second reason I marched on Sunday was to unite our fight against climate change and global warming, with the fight to combat inequality and unemployment in our city. To combat climate change we need to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and do it in a way that is sustainable, with the smallest carbon footprint. Here in New York City, the best place to begin would be a massive 'retrofitting' project where we upgraded all of large buildings built in the last century to make them as efficient and resilient as possible. That means replacing outdated boilers, installing the most efficient utilities, replacing windows and doors, all of the many ways a large building wastes energy. This was both decrease our carbon footprint, and decrease our utility costs."
Update: Climate Summit Begins W/Poem, Pledge of Billions—by
boatsie: "Ban Ki-moon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore kicked off this morning’s UN Climate Leaders Summit with strong calls for climate action, but it was a mother’s poem to her six-month-old daughter that triggered a standing ovation from the United Nations General Assembly. The poet—Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner—left the opening ceremony after delivering an address where she said, 'We look at our children and wonder how they will know themselves, or their culture, should we lose our islands. Climate change affects not only us islanders. It threatens the entire world.' Jetnil-Kijiner is a poet, spoken word artist, journalist, professor, mother, and the co-founder of an environmental NGO in the Marshall Islands. Her emotional plea that “We deserve to do more than just survive; we deserve to thrive," set the tone for the day’s activities, which are expected to continue building momentum for the global climate deal expected in 2015. 'We need "all hands on deck",' said Secretary Ban during opening ceremonies beginning now at the UN. "I am asking you to lead. By the end of this century we must be carbon neutral.' Leaders from governments, the investment community and financial institutions announced at the Climate Summit today that they will mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars for financing low-carbon and climate resilient pathways. These commitments will impact more than $200 billion of financial assets—vastly expanding the opportunities for profitable investments that provide social benefits and strengthen climate resilience around the world, including in the least developed countries and Small Island Developing States."
Why Google Dropped The ALEC Liars: People Power—by ClimateBrad: "As the campaign manager for Forecast the Facts, I founded the "Don't Fund Evil" campaign in June 2013 challenging Google to stop funding climate-denial groups such as the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the American Legislative Exchange Council, and climate-denial politicians such as Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Here's the story of how we got Google to drop ALEC. On Monday, Google chairman Eric Schmidt announced that his company has ended its support for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) because of its persistent climate-change denial. The decision came after a Schmidt made the announcement in response to a listener question on the Diane Rehm radio show. 'I think the consensus within the company was that that was some sort of mistake,' Schmidt said of Google's support for ALEC, 'and so we're trying to not do that in the future.' Pressed to explain further, Schmidt harshly described the conservative lobbying organization's opposition to climate action as 'really hurting our children' and 'making the world a much worse place' by 'literally lying.'"
I Bet You Didn't Know That A Polar Bear Was Arrested Today—by
Mike Caccioppoli: "I didn’t know that a polar bear was arrested either. Until I went to one of the few places where real news can be found, Twitter. I was watching cable news of the non Fox variety and all I was hearing about was the NFL and ISIS. Not necessarily in that order. You would think the arrest of a polar bear would be big news, wouldn't you? Well OK it wasn’t an actual polar bear that was arrested, at least I don’t think so. There was something called Flood Wall Street going on in New York City. Better known as #floodwallstreet. There was little or no mention of this on the mainstream newscasts. Thousands of people stormed wall street in protest of rampant capitalism and the harrowing effects it has on our climate just as they did on Sunday around the world in the Global Climate March. There was about 15 seconds of coverage on that even though 400,000 people took to the streets in NYC alone. The Wall Street protest saw over 100 people arrested by the NYPD including someone dressed as a polar bear. The idea is that our capitalistic mentality leads to climate problems. That the big money that is brought in by companies who destroy the climate in order to make that money is far more important to our government than the damage it does to our planet. This is not just a U.S. problem which is why there were protests all over the world on Sunday. The U.S. is certainly the worst offender there is no doubt about that."
You can find more rescued green diaries below the sustainable squiggle. Scroll to the end to view diaries on the People's Climate March and related actions.
Energy & Conservation
Authors Lower Fukushima Cesium in North Pacific By Order of Magnitude—by MarineChemist: "The purpose of this diary to bring to the attention of readers a recently published correction to a prominent model that predicts the activity of Fukushima derived Cesium-137 (137-Cs, half life ~30 years) in seawater of the North Pacific. The diary is part of an ongoing series aimed at discussing research addressing the impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster on the health of the North Pacific Ocean and inhabitants of North America's west coast. Predictions of a model by Rossi and colleagues published in Deep-Sea Research in 2013 of the evolution of the plume of seawater contaminated by the Fukushima triple meltdowns are an order of magnitude too high. Rather than a range of ~1-30 Bq/m^3 reported previously maximum activities off the west coast of North America are likely to be ~3 Bq/m^3 or about more than 25 times lower than maximum activities measured in the Pacific in the mid-20th century resulting from atmospheric weapons tests. These activities are not likely to represent significant radiological health risks to the North Pacific ecosystem or residents of the North American west coast."
Renewables
The Koch-ALEC effort to stall Grid Parity runs into a Tea Party Wall—by jamess: "Well not a 'wall' exactly—more like a Tea Party 'speed-bump.' More on that in a minute, first the good news about solar-wind "Grid Parity" and its inevitable possible consequences, from a 'venture' article hot off the business presses this morning. Futurist Ray Kurzweil notes that solar power has been doubling every two years for the past 30 years, as costs have been dropping. He says solar energy is only six doublings, or less than 14 years, away from meeting 100 percent of today’s energy needs. Energy usage will keep increasing, so this is a moving target. But, by Kurzweil’s estimates, inexpensive renewable sources will provide more energy than the world needs in less than 20 years. Even then, we will be using only one part in 10,000 of the sunlight that falls on the Earth. In places such as Germany, Spain, Portugal, Australia, and the Southwest U.S., residential-scale solar production has already reached 'grid parity' with average residential electricity prices. In other words, it costs no more in the long term to install solar panels than to buy electricity from utility companies."
The Day Germany stopped using Nukes—by patbahn: "Sometime Last month, Germany stopped depending upon Nuclear Power. Some would Argue it happened when they shut down a bunch of [nukes] post Fukushima. Some would argue it will be the day they shut down the last nuke. but... Wind power and solar power together now produce as much electricity in Germany as nuclear power. In the first half of 2014, each of them produced 45 TWh of electricity."
A Greener, Cleaner Future for the Tropical Green of Puerto Rico—by newpioneer: "I’m very proud that my area on the South Coast of Puerto Rico—Guayama, Salinas and Santa Isabel—has started to answer this haunting call from Edison. Working together, with determined political leadership, we have become a pioneer of renewable energy production in the Caribbean. Opening on October 8, 2012, the first large-scale Green Energy project in Puerto Rico, the largest in the Caribbean – a 138 acre Solar Farm – began operation in Guayama, PR, and is now supplying enough power to operate 6,500 homes annually. And joining the Guayama project are those in Salinas (my current home town), Morovis (my mother’s, grandparent’s, ancestor’s small home town), Santa Isabel, Arecibo, Guayanilla, and Naguabo … Only the beginning! So far Green Energy and associated investments of $1.3 billion dollars, and the the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act played a significant part in kickstarting this Revolution."
Fox News' Groundbreaking Science: Fossil Fuels are Renewable—by Scientistocrat: "I'll leave the commentary on the low, because the quote does enough speaking by itself. Yesterday night, Fox was leading a panel discussion on the issue of climate change. Gregory Gutfeld said: 'Isn't fossil fuels the ultimate renewable energy? It's renewed once. It used to be a dinosaur. Now it's fuel. How is that not renewable?'"
Fracking
Is The Earth Fracked? Best & Brightest Fail; Hope Rises Up in a Humble Romanian Village—by FishOutofWater: "The system of world trade that has dominated the global economy since Nixon went to China has delivered millions of Chinese from dire poverty. The poor in India are still dirt poor but the middle class in India and the world's poorest nations has expanded. Because globalization has brought material benefits to hundreds of millions of people and made millionaires into billionaires, it has been an unstoppable force. It has made corporations more powerful than nations. It has been wildly efficient at extracting wealth from labor and nature. It is so efficient at extracting wealth from nature that is rapidly unraveling the web of life that sustains us. Let me be clear. Marxism, communism, socialism, fascism and capitalism have all fallen into the same trap of undervaluing natural resources. Today's globalized capitalism is the most efficient system man has invented at destroying the natural environment, but other systems do it too. They just aren't as good at it. Unconventional gas production, commonly known as fracking, has raised the rate of environmental destruction to a higher level. Because fracking requires far more wells to produce gas than conventional technology, the impacts on the land, water, air and people are far higher."
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
A note on useful GMOs—by nicteis: "Two pieces turned up in the British journal Nature this week that shed a little more light on the potential value of genetic engineering in addressing the dangers cimate change is going to impose on agriculture. (I've been pretty vigorous on this site proclaiming that potential value, despite the clearly pernicious effects of Roundup-ready crops, the likely pernicious effects of Bt maize, and Monsanto's ugly business models.) One is a news item that notes methods and advances in creating drought-resistance maize for Africa. Genetic engineering has helped a little, but so far conventional breeding has made a much more substantial contribution. The other—an online paper highlighted in one of this week's editorials—is more bullish, indicating a path forward for engineering into food crops the much more efficient photosynthesis carried out by cyanobacteria and by many weeds."
Better Safe Than Sorry—by Robocop: "It was a source of great satisfaction to me to be able to wander into any food market in Italy, knowing the government, or the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), is, according to its motto, “committed to ensuring that Europe’s food is safe.” Simply put, in Europe, any substance put in food must first be proven safe, while in the U.S., any substance can be put in food until someone can prove it is not safe. [...] Another example highlighting the differences between the EFSA and the USDA is the use of antibiotics on animal farms. In the U.S., 80% of all antibiotic use occurs on animal farms, which has raised significant concerns about antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The Union of Concerned Scientists, among many others, point out the salient dangers to our health should we not be able, in future, to fight bacterial infections. The EU has banned all antibiotics used in human medicine on farms, and no antibiotics can be used at all for growth promotion."
Sunday morning coming down: seeking sustainability at home—by OldJackPine: "Truth be told, the old river bed has been feeding us since long before the muck soil was first tilled. Many muck farmers can show you a coffee can or shoe box full of arrow-heads and spear points demonstrating that the ancient wetland was a productive hunting spot for the region’s native peoples. If there was a sense of continuity between the lives of the native peoples and the lives of my own community in this same place, it was the sense that our most basic dependence on the gifts of this good earth were optimally realized in the prehistoric coincidence of that old river bed. But it’s disappearing. I was alarmed at the degree to which newly constructed homes are consuming the old riverbed and the surrounding landscape. The muck farm where I worked is still there but the neighboring fields have disappeared under a network of bucolically named streets and cul de sacs, sidewalks, and fashionable homes. The blueberry farm where I picked blueberries with my mother is memorialized with a street named in its honor. One drives through these neighborhoods and the sense of prosperity is overwhelming. Shiny new vehicles sit in shiny new driveways surrounded by manicured lawns and tightly husbanded landscaping. Kids are playing and their parents are barbecuing."
Transportation & Infrastructure
Can We Prosper or Shall We Drown?—by wjhamilton29464 : "Monday is the 25th. anniversary of the morning I climbed over trees to go to the broken store and it beins a process of attempting to disenthrall ourselves from old dogmas. Better bus stops for Public Tranist are endorsed in today’s Sunday Edition of the Post and Courier, with a call for stops which are lighted and contain police call boxes. (Our proposal also calls for bus pullouts and bike racks at stops). Hungryneck Straphangers thanks everyone who has assisted in the month long effort to prepare our community for Tuesday’s 25-year planning meeting on Daniel Island with the SC Dpt. Of Transportation. Three upcoming events create a powerful opportunity to sieze the wheel from the snoozing drivers which are steering our region towards sprawl, gridlock and what for Charleston will be a disastrous carbon driven rise in sea level. It’s been 25 years since Hugo. We’re looking 25 years ahead."
Sustainability & Extinction
Is The Earth Fracked? Best & Brightest Fail; Hope Rises Up in a Humble Romanian Village—by FishOutofWater: "The system of world trade that has dominated the global economy since Nixon went to China has delivered millions of Chinese from dire poverty. The poor in India are still dirt poor but the middle class in India and the world's poorest nations has expanded. Because globalization has brought material benefits to hundreds of millions of people and made millionaires into billionaires, it has been an unstoppable force. It has made corporations more powerful than nations. It has been wildly efficient at extracting wealth from labor and nature. It is so efficient at extracting wealth from nature that is rapidly unraveling the web of life that sustains us. Let me be clear. Marxism, communism, socialism, fascism and capitalism have all fallen into the same trap of undervaluing natural resources. Today's globalized capitalism is the most efficient system man has invented at destroying the natural environment, but other systems do it too. They just aren't as good at it. Unconventional gas production, commonly known as fracking, has raised the rate of environmental destruction to a higher level. Because fracking requires far more wells to produce gas than conventional technology, the impacts on the land, water, air and people are far higher."
A climate change question from 44 years ago—by BOHICA: "I am not without sin in regards to some lifestyle choices but I never got into the materialistic world. Sure I wanted a decent vehicle, good shoes and a great guitar, but the idea of having it all just seemed indecent. Could be because of the grinding poverty I saw when I was stationed in Alabama, or the conditions the Vietnamese lived in while we poured untold billions into destroying their land. I know that drinking a certain brand of beer is not going to get me that girl. I know that a fast food meal is not going to make me really happy even if only cost a buck. I know a certain fragrance will not have the women swooning over me. And I know that don't need a 3,000 sq ft house or a 300 HP car. I probably kill myself with one of those. It seems a lot of people buy into those ideas, otherwise why do they keep selling us on those fantasies? 'Tastes great!' 'Less filling!' 'You've arrived in your new Cadillac.' Mad men indeed. We were warned."
We Must Be Nuts—by LeftOfYou: "Mrs. Left and I are contemplating acquiring a rundown 19th Century house in an urban historic preservation district and totally conserving the original exterior, fully gutting while redesigning a fully modern interior and building the whole thing as green as present technology will permit. We are working with a contractor who specializes in both green construction and historical preservation (and use of hemp building materials), while searching for a suitable property in one of the designated preservation districts of our new urban home. Several of these neighborhoods have seen a significant and sustained renaissance, interrupted, recently, only by the Great Recession, but now, seemingly, a recovery has begun. Our search focuses on neighborhoods developed between 1885 and 1905 that are registered and regulated historic preservation districts. We plan to live in the home after completion and during our retirement. We must be nuts. To explore just a few of the millions of reasons this is a bad idea, come out into the tall grass."
Eco-Related Candidacies, DC & State Politics
Tom Tillis Tollgate Deal to Make Millions for Donors to His NC Senate Campaign—by FishOutofWater: "North Carolina Senate candidate Tom Tillis, pushed through a deal, while Republcian leader of NC's House, to make lanes on I-77 near Charlotte into a toll road and use millions of state dollars added for this privatization project to reward campaign contributors. Developers of a large project had requested a new interchange to give interstate access to their development. Before this toll road deal went through they would have had to pay millions to the state to build the interchange. With the Tillis toll deal, the state will pay for the new interchange and the developers will save millions. The day after the deal went through Tillis' senate campaign received a large check from one of the developers. And then he got more through a developers front group. Christie had his bridegate, and Tillis has his tollgate."
Camp Lejeune Health Benefits, Regulations Published: Water Contamination—by jimstaro: "From the 1950s through the 1980s, people living or working at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were potentially exposed to drinking water contaminated with industrial solvents, benzene, and other chemicals. [...] The office of Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Kay Hagan today commented on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) publication of the final regulations implementing the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012. Hagan played a critical role in the passage of the legislation and has worked in the U.S. Senate to find answers and ensure justice for the veterans and their families affected by water contamination at Camp Lejeune. 'Since coming to the Senate, I have been proud to advocate on behalf of those affected by the water contamination at Camp Lejeune. My office has been pushing the VA to finalize these regulations since Congress passed the bipartisan bill to provide care for contamination victims, and I am relieved that action has finally occurred today,' Hagan said. 'Our veterans and their families exposed to toxic water contamination have waited too long for answers, and I am pleased they will now begin to receive the critical health care benefits they deserve. This is an important step, but much remains to be done to correct this wrong, and I will continue fighting in the Senate for the people who lived and worked at Camp Lejeune during this tragedy.'"
Mike Bost (IL-12) says fracking is safe but environmentalists want people to die—by Willinois: "Illinois Republican Congressional candidate Mike Bost has some unusual beliefs about environmentalists and fracking. In a recent radio interview, Bost said about environmentalists: '...if it was up to them, people should die and everything else should exist. Now, I know because I was in the negotiations with them.' Bost was referring to his role negotiating the law that will open Illinois to fracking. Several groups based in Chicago, including Faith-in-Place, NRDC, and the Environmental Law & Policy Center participated in negotiations and supported the law over the objection of environmentalists in areas that will be most impacted. Now, I wasn't present for negotiations but I've never heard staff for any of those groups suggest anything remotely similar to the opinion that people should die and everything else should exist. In fact, most climate change and anti-fracking activists are involved to save human life."
Top Scientist smashes Republican climate deniers—by weinenkel: "On Wednesday this past week (Sept. 17), White House Science Advisor John Holdren made his way to speak with the Committee on Science, Space and Technology–a Republican lead brain trust. He was there to answer questions about President Barack Obama's climate change initiative. Dr. Holdren brought his chalk, his number 2 pencil and probably a vat of Tums. [...] Next up is the Representative from Texas's 36th congressional district, Steve "I-don't-need-no-earth-science-teacher" Stockman and his baffling obsession and complete mystification with wobbling."
People's Climate March Blogathon: Govenor Jay Inslee (CERT)ainly Worth My Time—by John Crapper: "My Washington State Governor, Jay Inslee, is putting climate change at the top of his political agenda now. I intend to help him as best I can and thanks to Daily KOS I now have a chance. Governor Inslee was featured in episode five in the recently aired Showtime series entitled 'Years of Living Dangerously' and touted as being the 'greenest Governor in America.' He has formed A Carbon Emissions Reduction Taskforce (CERT) composed of 21 leaders from business, labor, health and public interest organizations, that will provide recommendations to him on design and implementation of a market-based carbon pollution program. Governor Jay Inslee recently said: 'We’re already seeing the impacts and bearing the costs of climate change in our state. I’ve met with shellfish growers in Shelton who are working hard to deal with increased ocean acidification and the resulting difficulty to grow shellfish. Because of reduced snowpack in our mountains and longer drought periods in central and eastern Washington, we’re seeing water resource challenges requiring significant investments in places like the Yakima River Basin. And I’m meeting with local officials who must rebuild water treatment facilities to anticipate more severe flooding, including recently in Anacortes and later today at Discovery Park in Seattle, with King County Executive Dow Constantine. [...]'"
Bobby Jindal Joins the Not-a-Scientist Club—by Crashing Vor: "In a too-cute-by-half attempt at the Republican standby play 'I'm rubber you're glue,' Bobby Jindal accused the 'liberals who populate the Obama administration' of being ... 'science deniers.' You see, by opposing the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, the 'leftists' in the administration (which include, apparently, Yoko Ono and Lady Gaga, according to the governor) are denying science. Myself, I have read no objection to the pipeline by anyone in the administration based on the idea that semi-solids will flow through a cylindrical vessel, nor claims that Bernoulli's Principle is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. But, apparently, the guv has obtained such documents, or so he gave his audience at the Heritage Foundation to understand. And, by god, he should know a thing or two about science deniers, being a scientist. Or not."
Fighting to end climate gridlock in Washington state—by Joe Fitzgibbon: "In Washington state, we're justifiably proud of the natural world we are so fortunately proximate to. We've worked over the years to protect the close relationship between Washingtonians and our natural heritage. [...] Despite legal requirements to reduce greenhouse gases to 50% under 1990 levels by 2050, the Legislature has failed to act. In 2012 voters elected Governor Jay Inslee, who has made the fight against climate change a cornerstone of his agenda. Unfortunately, two conservative state senators elected as Democrats switched sides to put Republicans in control of the Senate leaving Washington State the gridlocked mirror of Washington DC. As chair of the Environment Committee in the Washington State House of Representatives, I work to pass laws to move our state forward on climate change, and time and time again, see our efforts frustrated by the Republican Senate."
Eco-Justice & Eco-Action
Archbishop Desmond Tutu: Activists worldwide must use apartheid tactics to fight climate change—by Jen Hayden: "Archbishop Desmond Tutu, well-known South African civil rights activist and winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize, says the "destruction of the earth's environment is the human's rights challenge of our time.' In a powerful new video, Archbishop Tutu is calling for activists around the world to employ the tactics that brought an end to apartheid: We can boycott events, sports teams and media programming sponsored by fossil fuel companies; demand that their advertisements carry health warnings; organise car-free days and other platforms to build broader societal awareness; and ask our religious communities to speak out on the issue from their various pulpits. We can encourage energy companies to spend more of their resources on the development of sustainable energy products, and we can reward those companies that demonstrably do so by using their products to the exclusion of others. Just as we argued in the 1980s that those who conducted business with apartheid South Africa were aiding and abetting an immoral system, we can say that nobody should profit from the rising temperatures, seas and human suffering caused by the burning of fossil fuels."
Demanding action means taking action.—by don mikulecky: "Action will not be easy. We must stop feeding the system. We do it in so many ways every day. When I was on sabbatical in Germany in 1985 we generated as much trash in a week as we do in a day here. I rode a bicycle to work all my working life. I take "Navy" showers...wet yourself ... turn off the water and soap up. Rinse. Saves lots of water. Eating meat consumes more of what is vital to us than giving it up. Gardens and local farms based on the use of grass to feed animals if you must and then their manure for fertilizer. Wendell Berry will show us the way. Make things out of 'waste.' Manufacture things to last and be reparable. The list goes on. I can't profess to know the way. We have to do this together and show each other what we learn. All I know is that we must follow through on what we committed to today. Demand action from yourself and the rest will follow."
Let's Build On The Climate Change March—by mmmickey55: "There is an advantage in having a large demonstration in one venue, because it brings together a large number of people. But there is a disadvantage, too: it costs large sums of money collectively for people to travel from all over the country (or the world) to one place. Having demonstrations take place all over is more efficient financially and brings the world to a far greater number of people, so long as each demonstration is at least significant in size. For instance, supposed that instead of have 400,000 people in New York City, there were on average 20,000 demonstrators in 50 places throughout the U.S.—all marching together. That would be 1,000,000 people. And that would be enormous. Could it be done? Of course it could. There is a question whether the “Million Man March” really reached that number, http://en.wikipedia.org/.... but it was large by any standard, and a 20,000 person march (on average) in each of the 50 largest metropolitan areas of the US would be doable. (The 50th largest city, Arlington, Texas, has 375,000 people—so you could have 5,000 there and 35,000 in New York to balance it)."
Wall Street Flooded! #floodwallstreet—by divineorder: "Thousands of activists gathered in NYC for the People's Climate March flooded onto Wall Street today, blocking streets and taking other actions which coincided with NY Mayor ordering arrests. On the heels of the massive, largely peaceful People's Climate March, a smaller group of activists has gathered in Lower Manhattan this morning to participate in direct action civil disobedience. With the goal of 'stopping capitalism' and "ending the climate crisis," protesters are expected to 'Flood Wall Street' in the coming hours. 'The economy of the 1% is destroying the planet, flooding our homes, and wrecking our communities,' the protesters' website declares. This could get interesting, as police are prepared to quickly stifle any disruptions in the heavily fortified area around the Stock Exchange. One area worker says Wall Street is 'already under lockdown. I had to walk two blocks out of my way to get to work.' Protesters are currently massing in Battery Park. We'll update this post as the march gets underway; you can also follow along with Gothamist reporter Christopher Robbins on Twitter and the #FloodWallStreet Twitter hashtag."
National Review Online: Climate Activists Are Hysterical Losers—by BetteNoir: "Yesterday some 400,000 Americans took to the streets of New York City and paraded their concern over global warming. As a result, National Review Online's John Fund took to his escritoire to pronounce them hysterical followers of raving Liberals like Al Gore and Mayor DiBlasio "and various Hollywood actors" which we know is conserva-speak for high-profile raving Liberals. Fund would have us believe that he was 'our man in the street' running alongside environmental activists, as they marched, gauging the mood and motivation that brought them there. Whatever ... he claims to have spoken with 'many' and, lo and behold, these are his surprising findings: ... they certainly didn’t act like a movement that was winning. There was a tone of fatalism in the comments of many with whom I spoke; they despair that the kind of radical change they advocate probably won’t result from the normal democratic process. It’s no surprise then that the rhetoric of climate-change activists has become increasingly hysterical. He then goes on to tell us that he is in no way surprised by climate activists' devolution into hysteria because they're influenced by people like bestselling author Naomi Klein who recently released a book on climate change called This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. Fund trashes Klein's work in a short paragraph of cherry-picked excerpts, devoid of context, more befitting a college newsletter than the pages of National Review."
Building Bridges Radio - SOS, Save Our Planet: The Peoples Climate March and Beyond—by buildingbridgesradio: "The massive Peoples Climate March is a turning point in the demand for an economy that works for people and the planet; a world safe from the ravages of climate change; a world with good jobs, clean air and water, and healthy communities, we’ll dialogue with Christian Parenti and youth activist Mary Sweeters who has helped build support for the march and beyond to incorporate an environmental justice agenda in all of our endeavors. To change everything, we need everybody! To listen to this 28:25 minutes radio program go [here].
Overnight News Digest: The People's Climate March Edition—by maggiejean: "Hundreds of protesters marched through New York City's financial district on Monday and blocked streets near the stock exchange to denounce Wall Street's role in raising money for businesses that contribute to climate change. Protesters stopped traffic on Broadway south of the New York Stock Exchange. Three people were arrested. The demonstration, called Flood Wall Street, came on the heels of Sunday's international day of action that brought 310,000 people to the streets of New York City in what activists was said was the largest protest ever held on climate change. Sunday's turnout was about triple that of the previous biggest, a Copenhagen demonstration five years ago."
After Climate Sunday join with us and over 800,000 who are part of solution to climate change—by VL Baker: "800,000 is the number of people who have already signed the Meat Free Monday petition which will be presented at the UN Climate Summit meeting in NYC tomorrow (9/23) by Honorable Greg Barker MP, UK. You have one more day to join us by signing the Meat Free Monday pledge here! [...] The dangerously massive resource depletion and degradation of livestock production makes it an issue that must be targeted in restoring our planet to a safe and healthy home for our species."
The Greening of the Labor Movement—by Gregory Heires: "Thousands of union members participated in Sunday’s People’s Climate March, which is believed to be the largest demonstration by environmental activists ever to take place in the United States. National, statewide and local unions played a big role in organizing the New York City march, and unions contributed significant resources to guarantee its success. A New Movement? Green activists are hopeful that the march marks the beginning of a movement that will unite a broad alliance of labor, community and traditional environmental groups dedicated to protecting the environment. Unionists who marched say the demonstration shows that the decades-old division between environmentalists and labor over the issue of jobs is finally breaking down."
Service Employees International Union walk in People's Climate March in New York City.
Turning marching into action: Climate change—by
Mindful Nature: "Many have noted that marches alone do not create change. The challenge is now to convert this energy into action. As a follow up to the march I am sending letters to my representative, Senators, and of course the President. My letter is below. Go ahead and add yours in a comment! For me, the challenge is to choose concrete asks and concrete local, state, national and international actions I can take. Writing a letter is one. Changing to all renewable power and an electric car is another. Working on a white paper on how local governments can enact policies to get to zero carbon emissions is another. Eliminating and reducing high carbon footprint foods from my family shopping cart is another."
The Future of Standard Oil is Not Oil.—by aeou: "Convincing Standard to invest in solar, wind, and battery technology might work. If Standard thought of itself as an energy company rather than an oil company ..."
Walking into History—by cyclinger: "Why am I walking? The question is somewhat rhetorical, and those who know me don't need to ask. I am already that 'green' lady in Atherton, who carries on about climate change, carbon emissions, bicycling, recycling, energy efficiency, you name it. While I sometimes feel like this lady, most all of my friends don't actually doubt the seriousness of climate change or disagree that the U.S. needs to do something. However, what to do poses unique challenges. As someone who has read many of the IPCC's reports, I don't see how anyone who has actually read them can really sleep at night. Since people are sleeping, I must conclude that even highly intelligent, Internet-savvy people don't instantly seek out primary authoritative sources when endeavoring to decide about the merits of the political debates going on: oddly, they leave the details to others. Luckily, though, others do seem to have read these reports, as I hear I won't be the only one attending the People's Climate March."
The Inoculation Project 9/21/2014: Urban Birds!—by belinda ridgewood: "The Inoculation Project, founded in 2009 by hyperbolic pants explosion, is a group of Kossacks who gather weekly to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding to science and math projects in red state classrooms. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a fourteen-year-old organization rated highly by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. Here's a little introductory video about DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose.org allows you to make direct contributions to specific, vetted projects in public school classrooms, resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small dollar donations. Each week, we focus on funding a single small-dollar project at a time, in a traditionally red state classroom and preferably in a high-poverty district. [...] Project: The Seagulls Stole My Lunch! Urban Bird Awareness. Resources Needed: Field guides, spotting scopes, an audio recorder for birdsong, notebooks to record data, and digital cameras to study the birds in our urban area. School Poverty Level: Highest Location: South Junior High School, Anaheim, California. [The needed $1,125 was raised.]"
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Is climate change an "existential crisis"?—by Cassiodorus: "But in real life in the present day (and here I ask you, dear readers, to step aside from mid-20th-century philosophy for a moment), adults, thinking adults in a philosophic sense, are the ones who question the foundations of their lives, and it's generally those who are doing well who can see themselves as "free." And as for the world's leaders? The politicians will say anything to present a public-relations veneer, whereas what George Carlin called the "real owners" of our society are consumed by the narcissistic pursuit of capital accumulation. Present-day lives are, then, lived in a system so ironclad, so hemmed in by technology, by economic compulsion, and by the system's geographic domination of the Earth's surface, that they are for the most part lived beyond questioning. For climate change to be an "existential crisis," humanity would have to be doing a lot more in terms of questioning than it currently does."
Critters & the Great Outdoors
Gray Wolf Relisted in Wyoming—by ban nock: "A federal judge in Washington DC has decided to nix the delisting of wolves in Wyoming. It's not known how long the relisting will last but as of today Wyoming is refunding people who bought tags for the upcoming season and has stopped all culling in the predator zone. In United States District Court in Washington, Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that the wildlife service’s judgment that the wolf was no longer imperiled in much of its range was reasonable. She also deferred to the wildlife service’s judgment that the wolf was not unduly threatened by Wyoming’s decision to brand it a predator, noting that its numbers were small or nonexistent in much of the area covered by that designation. But she said that the state’s management plan was inadequate and unenforceable and that federal officials were 'arbitrary and capricious' in accepting it."
Alaskan Brown Bear adopts another's Abandoned Cub—by jamess: "In wildlife rarity, 'supermom' grizzly sow adopts yearling in Katmai [...] Abandoned by his mother and seemingly left for dead, a yearling grizzly bear cub at Katmai National Park and Preserve has been adopted by another female bear in a turn of events that seems more like it belongs in a Disney movie than in the wild. [...] Holly is officially known as brown bear 435. She is described as a sometimes "nervous mother'' known for taking her cubs into trees for protection and nursing a yearling with a broken leg back to health. But she topped that this year when she fed the male yearling along with her own 9-month-old biological cub, whose gender is as yet unknown. [...] The NPR report on this unusual animal adoption, said that Holly, in addition to teaching it how to fish, has start to nurse the xeno-cub too. As if it was one of her own ... Holly apparently sees the world differently, than your 'average bear'"
University Student in NJ Killed By Bear—by ban nock: "A University Student walking in a nature preserve Sunday was fatally attacked by a black bear. This was the first bear caused death of a human in Jersey in more than a century and a half. New Jersey has a couple thousand bears and a recent history of controversy over hunting as a means of population control. With any wildlife attack on humans the first thing I look for when reading is feeding and habituation. It doesn't sound like either is the case here."
Daily Bucket: Florida's Invaders--Cane Toad—by Lenny Flank: "Florida is the land of invasive species. Because of our status as a center for the importing of exotic pets and houseplants from overseas, and our neo-tropical climate, we have been invaded by everything from kudzu plants to Burmese pythons. The Cane Toad, from South America, is the largest toad species in the world. It also packs a wallop--the poison produced in the toad's paratoid glands are powerful enough to kill dogs. [...] Sugar cane does not grow naturally in Florida, and the climate is not really suited for it. As a result, the sugar plantations required massive amounts of fertilizers to keep the cane alive. The plantations were also infested with insect pests, and chief among these were the "white worms", the grub larvae of several species of scarab beetle. In 1932, the sugar industry in Hawaii had faced the same problem, and dealt with it by 'natural pest control'—they imported 150 Giant Toads from South America (then known as Bufo marinus, now known as Rhinella marina) and released them, hoping they would eat the beetles and control the larvae."
Daily Bucket - Year in Review: Bugs—by
Attack Gardener: "Well, summer is almost officially over. The leaves are starting to turn here in upstate NY, just a little, and the blackbirds have started flocking together for their southern trek. I spent some time looking over my bug photos from this year and thought you might like to see a few of my favorites. Join me over the squiggle for some bugginess! These are in no particular order but were all taken this year. [...] the
hummingbird moth. They really can be mistaken for a hummingbird if you only catch a glimpse of them!"
Dawn Chorus: Lookin' Sharp—by lineatus: "Another thing that you don't often see... sometimes you catch a photo of a bird's nictitating membrane (the third - translucent - eyelid) but it's pretty rare to be able to see the veins in it. A few years ago, I got a photo of a redtail that showed this, and now a Cooper's hawk."
Forests, Wilderness & Public Lands
Secrets of the Past in a Rugged Landscape—by Dan Chu: "'Greater Canyonlands holds some of the most scientifically important cultural resources to be found anywhere in North America,' says professional archaeologist and author Jerry D. Spangler. 'To venture into this landscape—as anyone willing to tread lightly and respectfully can do—is to walk through time with wonder and awe, marveling at the secrets of our collective past.' Secrets of the Past in a Rugged Land: The archaeological case for protecting Greater Canyonlands takes the reader through 12,000 years of human history embedded in that landscape, offering highlights of the remarkable artifacts left behind by ancient inhabitants. The publication also outlines the numerous threats to this extraordinary region - from encroaching development and resource extraction to poorly regulated off-road vehicle use—and calls for monument designation to protect the area’s cultural treasures. [...] Although Greater Canyonlands was largely abandoned by about 700 years ago, the region continues to hold deep spiritual significance to modern-day Native Americans. Archaeological evidence supports the claim that some modern day tribes are direct descendents of the ancient ones who lived in Greater Canyonlands centuries before."
Mining
Sonoran Toxic Mine Spill Poisons USA/Mexico waters—by manyamile: "Buenavista del Cobre mine in Cananea , Sonora, MX, is only thirty plus miles from US border. The Mine is owned by Grupo Mexico. The mine spilled fifteen million gallons of highly acidic and toxic waste into the Sonora River in August. The first spill was due to negligence and facility failure, not flooding as mine first claimed. Belated communications tell us that flooding last week caused additional toxic releases. Sonoran government is now attempting to enter mine facility with security forces, as mine has failed to respond and has been criminally negligent about reporting and responding to spills and releases. The Sonora River is lined with farms. No one now can use the water for 150 miles. Wildlife, livestock, dead. Farmers cannot sell their produce, people cannot drink milk. Water has to be hauled, they cannot irrigate."
Trash, Pollution & Hazardous Waste
Range Resources Gets $4.5 Million Fine, Clean-Up Order, for Wastewater Storage Failures & Discharges—by LakeSuperior: "Just a quick note of some news I've just seen from last Thursday. Natural gas exploration firm Range Resources Corporation will pay a $4.15 million penalty and conduct remediation to address inadequate wastewater storage and unlawful discharge from wastewater storage units in Pennsylvania. [...] More evidence that claims of the Gasland movie & Josh Fox saying that the oil and natural gas industry & hydrocarbon extraction industry wastewater are exempt from the Clean Water Act are completely false."
Fukushima: More Evidence of Biological Harm—by Joieau: "In May of this year I diaried about a published report by a group of researchers from Nagasaki University and the University of the Ryukyus documenting serious biological impacts on the larvae of the pale grass blue butterfly due to ingestion of radioactive contamination from the Fukushima Daiichi disaster on leaves that comprise their diet. In that study, the internal doses of the larvae was relatively high, using leaves gathered inside the evacuation zone and from selected places farther away but still in the plume pathways. In that Nature publication, the researchers documented an LD50 - the calculated level of internal exposure at which 50% of the exposed population dies - at just under 2 becquerels per individual, from cesium [134 and 137]. The same researchers have published a follow-up research article on BioMed Central [BMC Evolutionary Biology 2014, 14:193; September 23, 2014; open access] documenting damage to the same species from a cesium contaminated diet at lower levels of chronic exposure and over two generations: Ingestion of radioactively contaminated diets for two generations in the pale grass blue butterfly."
Climate Chaos
Fractured California Glacier Triggers Flood In Midst Of Drought—by Richard Lyon: "This is Yosemite Valley. It is the most famous of the many dramatic canyons and valleys that were carved out of California's mountains by the force of glaciers during previous ice ages. Small remnants of those glaciers remain on isolated peaks. They are fields of ice that persist from year to year. Winter snows are packed around them and at high elevations they do not melt in the summer. Now global warming and the protracted drought in California are posing a threat to their continued existence. Over the weekend an incident occurred on Mt. Shasta that provided a dramatic demonstration of the process that is underway. A small Mount Shasta community is on flood watch Monday after a chunk of the Konwakiton Glacier, high on the flank of the 14,179-foot volcano, broke off over the weekend and sent high, muddy flows careening down slope toward Highway 89 and into the renowned McCloud River. The glaciers on Mount Shasta have been put at risk by drought and warm temperatures. Snow acts as a mortar and a buffer to hold rock and glaciers intact. With no snow for months, hot summer temperatures have melted the surface layers of the glaciers. In my climbs this year, I have seen melting and slippage of the Whitney Glacier, Bolam Glacier, Wintun Glacier, Mud Creek Glacier and Konwakiton Glacier."
Standard Oil Heirs’ Rockefeller Bro’s Fund Joins Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement—by bobswern: "Icing on the cake of a historic day in activism! Symbolism? Certainly. Change? Definitely! Breaking news over at the NY Times, in the lead story position of the newspaper’s website … John D. Rockefeller built a vast fortune on oil. Now his heirs are abandoning fossil fuels. The family whose legendary wealth flowed from Standard Oil is planning to announce on Monday that its $860 million philanthropic organization, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, is joining the divestment movement that began a couple years ago on college campuses. The announcement, timed to precede Tuesday’s opening of the United Nations climate change summit meeting in New York City, is part of a broader and accelerating initiative …"
Want Some Climate Change Consequences Happening Right Now?—by xaxnar: "Climate Change is having a manifold impact across the face of the earth; 'normal' conditions anywhere are a moving target now. What's serious about the effects on disease organisms is this. Their life cycles are short, meaning they can adapt and evolve more quickly than more complex organisms. They'll have little trouble keeping up with climate change. As ecosystems are destabilized, we are going to see diseases we haven't encountered before, and we're going to see old ones turning up in new places. This may be a factor in the current outbreak of ebola in Africa, turning up as far as it has from previous outbreaks. The possibility will need to be examined. Climate Change will likely play a role in the spread of Chikungunya as the mosquitos that transmit it find their potential range expanding. The potential consequences are even larger when extended beyond mere human concerns. Diseases affect other organisms as well; domestic and wild animals, food crops and native vegetation."
Rockefeller family divesting $50 billion from fossil fuel investments—by Jen Hayden: "Representatives say they are certain it was what John D. Rockefeller would've wanted: Rockefeller Brothers Fund director Stephen Heintz said the move to divest from fossil fuels would be in line with oil tycoon John D Rockefeller's wishes, 'We are quite convinced that if he were alive today, as an astute businessman looking out to the future, he would be moving out of fossil fuels and investing in clean, renewable energy,' Mr Heintz said in a statement."
The Physics of Planting Trees—by Karen Hedwig Backman: "Nadine Unger is an assistant professor of atmospheric chemistry at Yale. Is she right when she says: Deforestation accounts for about 20 percent of global emissions of carbon dioxide. The assumption is that planting trees and avoiding further deforestation provides a convenient carbon capture and storage facility on the land. That is the conventional wisdom. But the conventional wisdom is wrong. In reality, the cycling of carbon, energy and water between the land and the atmosphere is much more complex. Considering all the interactions, large-scale increases in forest cover can actually make global warming worse. Professor Unger goes on to state: Climate scientists have calculated the effect of increasing forest cover on surface temperature. Their conclusion is that planting trees in the tropics would lead to cooling, but in colder regions, it would cause warming."
The Water's Edge/The crisis of rising sea levels—by smiley7: "This exclusive Reuters investigative series of articles and interactive information is a must read/see for everyone: politicians, regulators, school teachers and especially climate-change denialists. 'These findings, first reported July 10, aren’t derived from computer simulations like those used to model future climate patterns, which have been attacked as unreliable by skeptics of climate change research. The analysis is built on a time-tested measuring technology—tide gauges—that has been used for more than a century to help guide seafarers into port.' Please read an share this irrefutable evidence that the oceans are rising. 'Reuters analyzed millions of data entries and spent months reporting from affected communities to show that, while government at all levels remains largely unable or unwilling to address the issue, coastal flooding on much of the densely populated Eastern Seaboard has surged in recent years as sea levels have risen.'"
CFACT issues new "Report"—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "The free-market-focused climate denial group, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, has a new "report" out, titled Climate Hype Exposed. It's basically a compilation of all the regular denier talking points, so if you're looking for one document to read that will show you all their shenanigans, this is it. The executive summary reads just like the usual denial, and even bolds the phrase 'climate change scientist-government-industrialist complex' twice. The report frequently says 'studies show' without giving citations, and when there are citations they're rarely anything outside the deniersphere. Of course, the report focuses on the supposed pause, which is particularly dishonest given that it was just announced that June-August was the hottest summer on record. Among the various misrepresentations, straw men, Climategate references and logical fallacies is other bizarre content, such as a completely random reference to Sioux Indians, who apparently 'would describe climate science in their native Lakota language as tatonka chesli: big bull bison doodoo.' They also claim the National Climate Assessment, a program created by President Bush in 1990, was actually 'designed to distract voters' from ObamaCare, Benghazi and other 'scandals.'"
Study Questions Link Of West Coast Climate Change—by Richard Lyon: "There is an interesting study just published that questions how closely the warming trend that has occurred on the west coast is linked to the more general aspects of greenhouse gasses and global warming. It doesn't seem to fall under the heading of climate denial, but rather focuses on the relation of regional climates to global climate conditions. West Coast warming linked to naturally occurring changes: Naturally occurring changes in winds, not human-caused climate change, are responsible for most of the warming on land and in the sea along the West Coast of North America over the last century, a study has found. The analysis challenges assumptions that the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has been a significant driver of the increase in temperatures observed over many decades in the ocean and along the coastline from Alaska to California. [...] There is no claim being made that general global warming is not happening. There have been a number of climate scientists who have raised questions about how to accurately apply the projections of general global climate change to predicting change on a regional level."
WSJ continues calling for delay—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Former BP scientists and Department of Energy Undersecretary of Science, Steven Koonin, had an oped in The Wall Street Journal last Saturday. With the title 'Climate Science Is Not Settled,' you don't have to read it to know the conclusion is the same one the WSJ has pushed in response to every call for industry regulation since the 1960s: no action necessary. What is interesting, as pointed out in a Climate Science Watch post, is the degree to which Koonin actually DOES agree about the science. For example, Koonin says there's 'no hoax' and has 'little doubt' that humans are influencing the climate. While this is certainly a terrible piece (taken apart by Dana Nuccitelli here and by Joe Romm here), it is notable that the WSJ published someone who conceded on much of the science."
NASA Studies Climate Change Through Shifting Weather Patterns—by GregWright: "There is a misconception among many climate change skeptics that a localized cooling event can be used to disprove global warming trends. This is the result of a labeling error. Global warming is only one category of five under the climate change umbrella, all driven by increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere and oceans: 1) Reduction in ice, snow, and permafrost cover. 2) Rise in sea level. 3) Increase in the acidity of the oceans. 4) Influence on the patterns and amounts of precipitation. 5) Increase in Earth's average temperature. All these factors are brought on by greenhouse gas emissions, and each of these categories is interconnected. The buildup of greenhouse gases traps the sun’s rays so that the average temperature of Earth, including ocean temperature, increases. This temperature increase causes rapid glaciation, but rapid glaciation further increases the rate of global warming because areas that were once white with ice cover now absorb the Sun’s rays rather than reflect them."
Berkeley Earth Issues "A Skeptic's Guide to Climate Change"—by John Q: "Berkeley Earth was set up by Richard Muller to take a critical look at the science behind climate change. Initially a skeptic, his own analysis of the data has brought him round to the view that global warming is indeed happening as a result of human activity, although its current effects are often overstated. [...] Their latest publication, Know the Facts: A skeptic’s guide to climate change can be seen here. A useful link to send to your uncle who keeps forwarding you emails claiming that climate change is a liberal hoax!"
Climate Summit
Climate Summit Recap: A Poem, Pledges, Positive Signals—by boatsie: "Following record-breaking demonstrations where almost 700,000 people joined the People’s Climate Marches over the weekend, government leaders have been under increased pressure to make deeper cuts in carbon pollution faster. A small, but growing number of countries lived up to growing expectations, with Samoa, Tuvalu, Costa Rica and Denmark pledging to speed up the transition from fossil fuels to 100 per cent renewable energy. Additionally, Germany, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Ethiopia and Iceland pledged to go carbon neutral by 2050 while China, the world’s largest carbon polluter, signaled that it intends to peak emissions as soon as possible. US President Barack Obama, who leads the world’s second highest carbon emitting nation, used his platform at the summit to hint at more ambitious US action in the future, raising hopes for US-China collaboration and leadership towards a global agreement in Paris."
President Obama addresses the United Nations Climate Summit, where signs of progress remain mixed—by Hunter: "Today was the day of the one-day United Nations Climate Summit. Expectations were not high for this one. Officially, Tuesday's summit is not part of the formal negotiations taking place over the next year, as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Those negotiations will culminate with international climate talks in Paris, in the fall of 2015—and, if environmentalists get their way, some kind of binding global agreement that reduces greenhouse gases at a significant rate. Unofficially, Tuesday's summit is an indicator of how ready the world is to take action—five years after major polluters left Copenhagen without a binding treaty. And so far there are some worrisome signs. Those signs being a massive funding gap and less-than-urgent rhetoric from the world's top polluters. There have been, however, positive moments as well."
Beyond the Summit: Gorillas, Guerillas, Grit, and Green Energy—by rb137: "Dr. Emmanuel de Merode is Chief Warden of Virunga National Park in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has dedicated the past fifteen years of his career to protecting the National Parks systems of Eastern Congo through a series of brutal international and civil wars. He is regrettably unable to post today, but we'll look forward to hearing from him soon. In the meantime, I want to draw your attention to Virunga National Park. This epic saga is about a testing ground for the most difficult climate and development challenges we face today. The park directorship is charting a course to create sustainable development that will serve many for generations. DR Congo, Central Africa, and the people holding trump cards in the developed world are at the brink of making an irreversible choice. De Merode and his colleagues risk their lives for a sustainable future that creates a workable economy for the local people. Virunga National Park points the way to the future. As Virguna goes, so go we all..."
12:50 PM - President Obama's Remarks At Climate Summit—by LakeSuperior.
People's Climate March & Related Actions
Live Blog: President Obama, World Leaders, speaking at UN Climate Summit—by Onomastic: "The alarm bells keep ringing, our citizens keep marching. We cannot pretend we do not hear them."
President Obama 'pleased' with People's Climate March—by VL Baker: "Press Secretary Josh Earnest relates that the President is 'pleased' with the support for climate action demonstrated by the People's Climate March. Way to go! He now feels he has grassroots support for strong climate initiatives. Let's 'make him do it'!"
Update: Climate Summit Begins W/Poem, Pledge of Billions—by boatsie: "They waited all morning for President Obama, who arrived late following a presser at the WH regarding last night's strikes on ISIS in Syria. And even as UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon announced the President's arrival, Obama was delayed for yet another moment. God only knows what he was dealing with then. A few snippets from beginning of his talk: We have the means to begin repairing it right now. As I recently heard from a governor, 'We are the first to feel the impacts of climate change and the last who can do something about it.' We HAVE begun to do something about it. We are now using three times more energy from wind and sun than we did when I came into office. We are Helping Communities to build climate resilient infrastructure. We have reduced our total carbon pollution by more than any other nation on earth but we have to do more. We need to double down on our efforts, working with states and utilities to reduce amount of carbon which can be dumped into air."
Number 4 of 5 Climate Summit Factlets—by jamess: "4. THE U.S. HEADS TO THE SUMMIT IN A STRONG POSITION. President Barack Obama will speak at the climate summit armed with some of the most significant steps the U.S. has ever taken on global warming. With U.S. greenhouse gas emissions down 10 percent in 2012 from 2005 levels, the U.S. is on its way to meet the 17 percent reduction by 2020 from 2005 levels it pledged after Copenhagen. The administration is hoping to leverage its actions—from reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles to proposing to curb carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants for the first time—to get other countries to act."
People's Climate March & Related
For the Record - My Photos from the People's Climate March - Sept. 21 -—by mimi: "People here know by now that I am just a lurking photographer, who works with a dinosaur camera and doesn't know how to do anything fast enough. That means I am too late for anything new to say or post. But as I promised to share my photos I hereby do. I had no time to read all the diaries and news articles and therefore will say nothing to the march itself and how I feel about it. Enjoy. This one photo below I am most proud of. If you are not credentialed official press, you couldn't enter the whole area directly at the front line of the march. I sneaked in behind a credentialed photographer, who was let in late by a police officer. I presented myself in my mind as her assistant, if asked. It worked, pure luck. I got the so-called official beauty-shot of the front marchers unobstructed like the professionals got their chance. Thank God."
That Big Climate March Thing? Never Happened.—by
Steven D: "At least you wouldn't have heard about it on the Sunday morning shows devoted to politics and current events where ne'er a word was heard. From Media Matters:
Sunday news shows on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox failed to cover the People's Climate March, a massive protest against climate change being held September 21 in New York City in conjunction with events in more than 150 countries worldwide. Meet the Press, Face the Nation, State of the Union, and Fox News Sunday ignored the event, which is being touted by participants as 'the largest mobilization against climate change in the history of the planet.' The Nation editor and publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel briefly mentioned the march on ABC's This Week while arguing that national security concerns surrounding climate change are not receiving adequate attention. [...]
This momentous event, however, was of little interest to Sunday news shows, which devoted zero segments to the march. The event was mentioned just once on ABC's This Week ... Well, how significant was the fact that a few hundred thousand people walked in Manhattan yesterday demanding action to save the planet? Not very much to our media elites, apparently. How convenient for them."
People's Climate March: Breaking Free From the Stockholm Syndrome of the Silenced—by James Wells: "On the day after the largest climate march in history as well as thousands of marches world-wide, discussion swirls around the question of who noticed. What media channels carried it? Did they turn aside for even a moment from their endless stream of drivel and diversion to bring their readers and viewers any information at all about the marches and the reasons for them? For the arbiters of what matters, did we rate? It's kind of like waiting to see what shows up in our doggie bowl after the big people have finished their dinner. The media’s relative inattention to the marches, and to climate in general, is a disgrace. But we already knew that. The biggest effect of the world wide Peoples Climate Marches may turn out to have nothing to do with any measurement of whether the decaying institutions of mainstream media graced us with a brief moment of attention."
Conservative Press Trashes Climate March—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "With a historic march bringing 400,000 people to the streets of Manhattan demanding climate action, you'd expect some trashy coverage from the usual conservative media. But it seems their big story was literally trashy, focusing on the refuse left by protesters. Breitbart has a 'story' that basically shows neatly-piled trash, as though 400,000 people were expected to fast for the entire day. Then of course there are the stories about how everyone's a hypocrite for caring about climate change without abandoning modern society. This of course ignores the fact that most green groups are actually pushing development of a clean energy economy, enabling consumption and economic growth to continue without worsening climate change. But more eager to insult than to understand, deniers have put out a story about Leonardo DiCaprio's recreation, and another about how Gore left the march in an SUV, another about the fact that people used buses to get to the March, and a video of RFK Jr. artfully handling an attack 'interview' by PJ Media. Apparently exercising your First Amendment rights requires becoming a luddite. Though it's not all trashy pseudo-news. On Monday, the day after 400,000 marchers came to town, and the day before the UN Climate Summit, CFACT flew a hardly visible banner along the Hudson River with the 'no warming for 17 years' line."
I just sent this to NPR to protest their shameful non-coverage of Climate March—by Assaf: "If your experience with NPR coverage today (or tomorrow, Monday) was similar, use this link to contact them. Thank you. Dear Ombudsman, Today over 300,000 people marched in New York for climate action. Hundreds of thousands around the world joined in solidarity rallies, including myself. The pictures from New York were amazing. At 5 PM (Pacific) I turned on NPR news to see what they say about the rally. The lead item was about some US general who said the Ukraine cease-fire is not really there, quoting his analysis of the situation at length. To my knowledge nothing dramatic has happened over there in recent days. The second item was about 1500 firefighters fighting the huge California fires - a worthy item, no question. A slew of items followed, including a re-broadcast of what Rep. King (R-Iowa) had to say on Fox News about the guy who breached security at the White House (but caused no damage)."
Can 100,000+ be heard past the crickets? Climate March in NYC right now ...—by A Siegel: "Will the 100,000 plus in New York spark a shift in American politics? As we need it to, will Climate Change risks, mitigation, and adaptation become a true centerpiece of American political discourse, social dynamics, and investment—from individuals to communities to business to the general society? In New York, for me, one of the most appealing elements is not the mass mobilization numbers but the serious effort to provide space and structure for highlighting a range of reasons for concern and pathways forward. Not only is there organizing by groups (from States to LGBT to faith to clean energy to ...) but the march itself is structured to enable highlighting the diversity of issues/approaches with six major organizing elements."
I marched because I had no choice—by VL Baker: "I was one of the tiny dots of humanity in the video above. My reasons for being there were many but mainly if it was at all possible I couldn't help myself. Since I was a kid I believed that what I did mattered. How did I get this way? I don't know, but a ten year old who reads Dickens and Edna St Vincent Millay is bound to grow up with a feeling of connection to the rest of humanity and its only home. It helped to spend lots of time outdoors with unstructured time to make me realize that I was a part of it all; just a contributing part mind you, not the big lord enchilada. So my connection to nature and our environment has been strong my entire life. Some people call it 'common consciousness' and give it a spiritual connotation. I don't know about that. I just know that I feel no special elevated status or ego about my human condition. As I've gotten older my feelings have been confirmed; really what other species is actively involved in destroying its own nest?"
Photo Diary: International Rally over Climate Change and protection of the Salish Sea—by
Lefty Coaster: "Today I attended the rally over Climate Change and protection of the Salish Sea. It took place at the Peace Arch that straddles the US Canada border. It was organized by some Tribes on the US side working with some First Nations on the Canadian side, and some environmental groups on both sides. [...] Like this rally, Global Warming is international. It respects no borders. That's why its so imperative that the nations of the world will have to act to address it internationally. And we will respond internationally, I am quite certain of that. [...] Chief Bill James of the Lummi Nation spoke to the rally."
People's Climate March and People of Color—by NikkiSilvestri: "At Green For All, we’re always talking about the significance of placing those most impacted by a problem at the center of creating solutions. For climate change, that’s indigenous people, people of color, and low-income people all over the world. The People’s Climate March used this rhetoric from the very beginning, and emphasized the importance of having those hit first and worst by climate change as full owners, drivers, and participants. I’m happy to say that my experience of the March was exactly in line with those values. I began the morning in Central Park with the Indigenous People’s Contingent, co-organized by Amazon Watch and several other groups. We shared a meal and began our journey with song and prayer. Those who participated were reminded that all land in this country began as Native American land, and those tribes who continue to occupy sovereign territories within our borders are heavily impacted by the shifting temperatures, rising sea levels, and the gradual destruction of their traditional ways of life. We ended on a hopeful note: We know what the solutions are, and with the right kind of collective courage and action, we can ensure that our beautiful cultures are protected and given the opportunity to flourish far into the future."
Why I Marched Sunday (And How Mayor de Blasio Made it Worth It)—by Brian Pearson via New York Communities for Change: "I had two reasons for marching in the People's Climate March on Sunday. First, I wanted to send a message that low-income people and people of color care about climate change. Across the globe, from New York to Nigeria, it is always poor people, and people of color who suffer most from the impacts of climate change. If anyone in the black community here in the United States had not realized it before, Hurricane Katrina made it abundantly clear. And by the time Super Storm Sandy hit here in New York City, we were unsurprised when it was our communities left to survive without adequate resources. And unsurprised that when Bloomberg began the process of cleaning and rebuilding our communities, he did not consider ways to include us, neither in the planning process of how to rebuild, nor by actually training and employing us to do the work. The second reason I marched on Sunday was to unite our fight against climate change and global warming, with the fight to combat inequality and unemployment in our city. To combat climate change we need to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and do it in a way that is sustainable, with the smallest carbon footprint. Here in New York City, the best place to begin would be a massive 'retrofitting' project where we upgraded all of large buildings built in the last century to make them as efficient and resilient as possible. That means replacing outdated boilers, installing the most efficient utilities, replacing windows and doors, all of the many ways a large building wastes energy. This was both decrease our carbon footprint, and decrease our utility costs."
(Updated) People's Climate March (Photo Diary)—by Tool: "Today I had the opportunity to join a number of other Kossacks for the biggest march against climate change the world has yet seen. The point of the march was to get our elected leaders and those from around the world to pay attention. Our planet is burning. We have a limited time to act or in about one hundred years our grand children and their children will not be able to functionally step outside. The time to act is now before it is to late. [...] The march was filled with students, activists, young, old, and with people from all walks of life trying to make a difference for the future. One of the most poignant moments during the march was when there was a moment of silence for thirty seconds and then suddenly a rush of cascading sound from the back that turned into a deafening roar. You could feel the energy. [...] It was powerful that so many came together to denounce the path our planet is being forced down by greedy rich men. Inspiring as a word does the march an injustice. It was people politics in action and I sure hope our leaders are paying attention because this planet is almost out of time."
The People's Climate March: From Sea to Rising Sea Level. NorCal rally photo diary—by citisven: "Yes, there was the big climate march in New York, the one that everyone has been talking about, except the mainstream media. It was a fantastic success, with 400,000 people flocking to a place that is both the pulsing heart of the world's most wasteful nation as well as the nerve center of the world's governing body, to shout it from the rooftops that a critical mass of earthlings are tired of seeing their home planet trashed right in front of their eyes. But a good movement is like a human body or any other living organism: it can't function with just a heart or a brain. If it is going to survive and thrive, there need to be a lot of other functioning organs or parts that can provide the kind of immunity and resilience required to make it long-term through a diverse and complex ecosystem. So to me, going to a rally 3000 miles west of the main march was like putting my finger on the movement's wrist and checking its pulse. Should there be signs of vitality in such remote regions of this body, I knew that this uprising was meant for the long run. I knew right away that this would be a good day when—walking in along the lake's shore with my sweetie and an old friend—my buddy Bill from 350 Bay Area came paddling up beside us, giving us his personal assessment of the rally's health."
The People are Marching: Which Politicians Hear Our Climate Message?—by
remembrance: "We live in an uncertain time in history; a time when the silence of our leaders is louder than the call to confront what has become our greatest challenge facing humanity. While our leaders occupy the silence of avoidance, the sounds of children echo from the future. My daughter's generation, and the generations that follow, demand that we hold our leaders accountable. They demand that we protect them. Do you hear them? I do. They say that human existence transformed to accommodate harmful environmental impacts. They say that if we continue avoiding, polluting, and contaminating at the current pace, Global Warming will have tragic effects on their lives. Their pleas are resounding."
310,000 at the Climate March—by Demi Moaned: "Just got back from the Climate March. I was at the Climate March in NYC today. [...] One high point was razzing the Fox News building as we passed it on 6th Avenue. When we got to 42nd St. things really slowed down. One person in my contingent was getting updates from 350.org. They said the numbers far exceeded expectations. Their estimate was 310,000 people. The numbers far exceeded the capacity of the place where the march was ending, so they were urging us in the rearguard to disperse around 11th Ave. I was tired. All that standing around is hard on the lower back."
♥What I Did To Participate In, The People's Climate March Day♥—by rebel ga: "I would have loved to be able to actually attend a Climate March with everyone this weekend and especially Today. This was impossible for me to do. Then; I got the bright idea, hey, I could still cyber travel! The mode of transport I always use. "Have Computer Will Cyber Travel!' I'm from New Jersey so, First I posted this on a front page nj.com article, about Governor Christie as a comment. So I know he will see it."
"We are Stardust. We are Golden and We've got to get Ourselves back to the Garden"—by Onomastic: "Climate Change could not be a more clear cut moral issue. Climate Change is not something that just happens to "others." It is harming our entire world. That is why over 1,500 organizations are partnering the People's Climate March. It is our time to see all the connections that bind us to this earth and to one another. It is our time to save this beautiful blue world, ourselves, and the futures of our children and grandchildren. It is time for action, and people around the world are taking action to demand governments and businesses act on Climate Change. People by the thousands started marching yesterday in Sydney, Dhaka, Delhi, Jakarta, Melbourne and Katmandu. They started marching in small towns and large cities."
Why? Why Not? (Must See Video from The Climate Realty Project)—by Steven D:
Building Bridges Radio - SOS, Save Our Planet: The Peoples Climate March and Beyond—by buildingbridgesradio: "The massive Peoples Climate March is a turning point in the demand for an economy that works for people and the planet; a world safe from the ravages of climate change; a world with good jobs, clean air and water, and healthy communities, we’ll dialogue with Christian Parenti and youth activist Mary Sweeters who has helped build support for the march and beyond to incorporate an environmental justice agenda in all of our endeavors. To change everything, we need everybody! To listen to this 28:25 minutes radio program go [here].
"We marched for the cause everywhere ..."—by joriela: The March: Just found 6 pages with this title typed on now-yellowed paper in a file from my late father about joining the March in Selma March 7, 1965. Today my son joins People's Climate March in NYC. My dad flew to Selma from St. Louis (yeah, St. Louis). My son flew from Seattle where he is an organizer for environmental causes. Reading what I assume is my dad’s story gave me perspective on a legacy. He was 1st generation American who came of age in poverty during the Depression and in tragedies during WWII. Yet he believed in an ideal. He believed that we could achieve that ideal. Maybe if I’d found these yellowed papers sooner, I would have flown to NYC, even if that flight increased my personal carbon footprint."
Neil Young's song for the earth, released for march on climate change, "Who's gonna stand up?"—by ZhenRen: "This new acoustic version of his earlier song released just today (as I understand it) for the march on climate change. [...]
Who’s gonna stand up and save the earth?
Who’s gonna say that she’s had enough?
Who’s gonna take on the big machine?
Who’s gonna stand up and save the earth?
This all starts with you and me"
Updates - People's Climate March Live Stream!—by Onomastic: "Democracy Now's Amy Goodman was doing some amazing interviews live at the March. The live stream of that is through but you can watch a replay of her wonderful work at Democracy Now. [...] Just in from our own boatsie who is marching in NYC. Look at this! And that is just some of our fellow Kossacks marching for us all."
Some of the Daily Kos contingent at the People's Climate March carry one of our Connect! Unite! Act! banners.
Pitching in on the west coast (photos)—by
freewayblogger:
People's Climate March: The Wave—by
The Poet Deploreate: "I heard the news today. I was at the People’s Climate March, in New York City. I wasn’t alone when I heard it; I was with something like 300,000 other people, stretched out along Central Park West. It wasn’t a throng, or a mob—it wasn’t even a crowd. It was a movement. A successful movement, as diverse as any I have ever seen. Food servers, students, retirees, environmental scientists and medical doctors- journalists, twenty, thirty and forty-something’s, babies; there are babies in this movement. Friends I’d never met, and friends I’d known a long time were also in this movement. I even saw someone carrying a sign that said 'Another Republican Who Believes Climate Change is Real.'"
Why I Marched- And Why I Like eeff, A Moment on the March—by
The Poet Deploreate: "For the Climate March. I fell in with some Kossacks. Marching these days comes a bit more naturally to me than it had; I do Civil War Re-enacting. 22nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, out of the South Shore of MA. I walked with eeff, an ebullient, wise and good natured emigre to North Carolina. The kind of guy it would be fun to have a beer with, if I was able to drink beer without ending up in places I couldn't remember how I got to. Because of the sheer volume of people, the March stopped, for ten, twenty minutes several times during the afternoon. One such stop was in front of Fox News Headquarters, at Bullshit Central, Avenue of the Americas. There was a general grumbling in the crowd, which took up the chant 'Hey Hey, Ho, Ho, Fossil Fuels Have Got to Go,' on of the many chants of the day."
We stood for climate action: People's Climate March photo diary—by MizC: "Yesterday at the People's Climate March in New York City, there was a great turnout (310,000, we were told) and great energy. My group came from Oneonta, NY, getting on the bus (organized by Dr. Katherine O'Donnell of Hartwick College) at 6 a.m. I've been an armchair environmentalist for a long time (signing petitions and donating to causes), but this is the first time I've taken to the streets. However, a lot of the people I marched with are part of New York's anti-fracking movement, so we marched at the end of the fourth section (We Know Who Is Responsible), just ahead of the The Debate Is Over section. [...] So, what's next? We have to keep the momentum and keep up the pressure on our elected officials to act--before it's too late!"
Climate March Finds the 99% in a Mood for Revolution Against the Global Elites—by thirty three and a third: "When it was all over, this weekend felt like a slow-motion burn. By the time the massive Climate March ended and I got home to write this I was convinced that a distinct radicalism coursed through the core of this progressive silent majority. Not only that, but it was being absorbed subconsciously by many more in this country and around the globe. People are more than fed up. There’s a very serious, roiling anger at the unresponsiveness of our governing bodies, that is moving directly over their heads, and aimed accurately at the global ruling elites. There was an overflowing release of rage in the crowd’s reaction last night to superlative speeches by Naomi Klein, Chris Hedges and Seattle Socialist Alternative city council member Kshama Sawant, who stole the show, at a panel discussion called 'Talk Before the Walk.' All Souls church on the Upper East Side was filled to over capacity. Bill McKibben and Bernie Sanders also spoke, though the revered Senator, who brought his usual fire for the issues delivered in that unmistakable 1950's Brooklynese, come off as perfunctory and stale compared to Sawant’s carpe diem brand grassroots fire and unapologetic assailing of the decrepit two-party system beholden to the same Wall St and Big Business donors."
The World is Calling—by Onomastic: "I'm far too tired and struggling for coherency. The last thing I felt like doing was another diary. But some things are far more important than being tired. This would be one of them. Organizing a big march is like throwing a rock in a pond: the splash is exciting, but the real beauty is in the ripples. And the ripples of the People’s Climate Mobilization are already spreading. A people’s summit outlining the path to a just transition away from fossil fuels starts tomorrow, along with actions targeting corporate polluters in New York. With your help those ripples can spread further, and strengthen—and on Tuesday, hopefully help rock world leaders into action, where they have only offered words before. That quote is part of an email from 350.org, one of the founding organizations that put together this past weekend's history making People's Climate Marches around the world."
Coal & Oil Companies HATE this One Weird Trick to Win the Climate Battle!—by Doolittle: "Today is the big climate march worldwide and I wanted to go but could not. So instead I thought there might be another way to make my contribution on the day as I take a train (and not a plane!) to get from A to B. Forgive the parody click bait title but there actually IS a trick and it is probably one of the most effective things any individual can do to affect the outcome of the battle to change our economy from a fossil fuel based one to one based on renewable energy other than put solar panels on your home: Write your pension fund administrator. WHAT?! Yes, that’s right. Write to your pension fund administrator. We can collectively mobilize TRILLIONS of dollars in assets this way!"
September 21st NYC People's Climate March - Videos, Media Coverage, and Diaries—by JekyllnHyde: "By many reports, there were over 300,000 people demanding action to combat the menace of Climate Change today in New York City. Here are a few sights and sounds from this historic day along with a few media reports and diaries posted over the past three days."
Livestreaming The People's Climate March (With Updates)—by Desi: "I'll have updates and more video footage to share as the event progresses. Brad is also posting live updates on his twitter feed, David Sassoon of Inside Climate News has wonderful photo Tumblr from the event, and @billmckibben is also live tweeting."
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
Bárðarbunga: Lava Isn't The Only Thing That Cooks—by Rei: "We all show our appreciation in different ways. I don't think I ever mentioned the meaning of the name of my blog, Eldfjallavakt. It basically means '(A) Volcano Shift'—in that I'd come home from my regular work shift, then work a shift reading and writing about Bárðarbunga and her naughty children. But there is also the eruption shift—'Gosvaktin.' In the police station in the picturesque town of Húsavík (2300 people) in the far north. There, people work at all hours monitoring the situation—something that residents are unsurprisingly thankful for. And to show their thanks? A local group called the 'Icelandic Cutlet Association,' whose Facebook profile picture is of two sheep mating, showed up unexpectedly at the police station bearing a chef-made dinner of breaded cutlets, potatoes, green beans, red cabbage and jelly. Of course, they're just the latest in a line of local visitors bring them food. But let's take this back full circle: for people aren't the only ones who cook; so does blazing-hot lava."
Bárðarbunga: When The Mist Descends On You, So Does The Fog—by Rei: "The Mist. Don't get me wrong, sometimes a place just gets misty days; I've seen it before several times where mist or dust interferes with one's views of the mountains. But recently it's been different, and today it was really pronounced. And the Met Office confirmed: this was not just mist, this was the Mist, and could cause significant problems for people. And I was driving through it. But when the Mist descends, so does the fog of uncertainty. And at this point, here in the west at least, I'm not sure which is worse. As I mentioned yesterday, today my plan was to drive out with a couple of friends to Stykkishólmur, over two hours away, to attend a lecture on Bárðarbunga by Haraldur Sigurðsson, a retired vulcanologist. But come the morning, there was a blue mist visible everywhere in the distance. The radio quickly confirmed that it was from [the volcano] Holuhraun. I immediately checked the pollution monitors for Reykjavík with my phone. Low levels - whew. So is it not here? Or is it just in the air? What will happen when we go up in elevation? "
Bárðarbunga: Stop Me If You've Heard This One...—by Rei: "Hey—have you hear the one about the eruption on Holuhraun that's erupted 300 million cubic meters of lava over a couple dozen square kilometers at a rate of 100-200 cubic meters per second, then went on the decline, to the point that at least one scientist was saying a couple days ago that it would probably die off in a few days?Oh, you've already heard that one? Okay, I'll give you one of Bárðarbunga's new jokes, relayed in today's scientific report. Q: 'Why did Iceland's largest active volcano create a 50 kilometer dike to Holuhraun?' A: 'To erupt 400-600 million cubic meters in 24 days over 37 square kilometers at a rate 250-350 cubic meters per second with pressure still rising in the dike!' [...] Yeah, she's a real laugh riot. Let's do the breakdown on today's Eldfjallavakt."
Volcano measurers in Iceland
Volcano Art [ACTION]—by
Wee Mama: "Darling Rei, who has done such valiant work documenting the Icelandic volcanoes, is resting and we hope recovering. To stave off volcano withdrawal and keep the fund raiser going, here is some volcano art and links and, of course, the contact info for the Icelandic search and rescue. Though nothing compares to Rei's coverage, there are other blogs following Bárðarbunga. Jón Frímann is an Icelandic layman, now living in Denmark and hoping to return, who posts a variety of information at Iceland Geology. Volcano Café is a blog child of Iceland Geology, with several key posters (dragons) and archives of informational articles. (both make me profoundly grateful for the tools kos has given us for managing comments). The live webcams can be found here: Mila 1 and Mila 2. The Iceland Meteorological Office has a website, but I will not post a direct link to it to avoid swamping their limited resources. Happily several people have stepped up and post that information at secondary links. 3dBulge lets you visualize the recent earthquakes and vorklift reposts the sinking of the caldera at fifteen minute intervals, quite fast enough for addicts. It is striking to see the caldera sink after the big quakes."
Miscellany
The Green Beer Fest Celebrates Clean Water for Colorado Craft Brews—by wade norris: "The 2nd Annual Green Beer Fest is coming to the Boulder Bandshell Amphitheater on Saturday September 27,2014 from 2-10pm. This is not just any beer festival, this is an environmentally themed festival with an emphasis on Water conservation for the Beer industry. The designated beneficiary is the Colorado Ocean Coalition which was formed in 2011 to raise awareness about preserving the Ocean. I spoke to Vicki Nichols Goldstein who founded the Colorado Ocean Coalition (COCO)."