Flashy tribunal on a rooftop. See lineatus'
diary.
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) normally appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The most recent Saturday Spotlight can be seen here. More than
20,260 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.
Lima: Climate FairShares Tool Debuts—by
boatsie: "Civil society groups yesterday launched a new online-tool providing the stark details of just how limited the space in the world's Carbon Budget remains and detailing what amount of space each country is allocated under UN Terms relative to "pollution targets and finance transfers" in the battle to combat climate change. The infographic is designed from a metric which includes not only each nation's historic use of of carbon space but also that nation's current day economic status and statistics relative to inequality in terms of climate justice. In an October 21 article for the Climate Hub The road to Paris, the Climate Equity Reference Calculator, and you, Tom Athanasiou, Executive Director of EcoEquitysaid, 'The real problem is that the remaining carbon budgets are so small, and the time so short, and the fossil-cartel so powerful, and the need for low-carbon investment so pressing, that market/technology dynamics will not alone drive the necessary progress, at anything like the necessary speed. Any sufficiently rapid climate transition will of course seek to leverage these dynamics, but it will also demand the concerted and coordinated efforts of a large number of countries, and these countries must somehow agree to focus their financial and technological resources on investment programs that are designed to further the common goal of extremely rapid emissions reductions.'"
WARNING: Graphic Humor May Cause Severe Climate Change Awareness—by
citisven: "So here I am, fresh off the proverbial boat to witness Week 2 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Lima, Peru, aka COP20, or the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties, which, frankly, feels like the 200th. To be sure, under normal circumstances I would have no business getting airlifted here at the expense of a monster carbon footprint, just to post some morbid humor and be another dog barking up the same tree. And besides, boatsie, Joshua Wiese, and the entire crew at our very own DK Climate Action Hub are already doing a bang-up job of bringing us all the climate and COP20 news one could possibly be thirsting for. However, I was asked to make the trip down here to be part of the Ecocity Builders team, presenting our participatory ecocitizen mapping project to various stakeholders, and to network with local organizations to get the help we'll need to set up neighborhood survey teams here in Lima, our newly announced 4th pilot city. Turning the traditional top-down approach to urban planning on its head, this new approach uses a framework known as Participatory Action Research (PAR) that challenges structural barriers to information and provides opportunities for communities to directly lead the research process, in an attempt to create community-generated solutions in urban planning and public policy."
Jalal Primarzabad, Iran
Yes there's Dirt in the Defense Bill---Wilderness, parks and wild rivers too—by
willyr: "The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed by the House last week, and is likely to pass the Senate this coming week, even if Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) follows through on his threat to filibuster it because of the inclusion of a package of land deals in the military bill. The land deals would be the first significant conservation and wilderness bill enacted by Congress since early 2009, when it passed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act. […]Among the worst of them are land swaps in Arizona and Nevada that open up land for mining and other development, some of it threatening land sacred to Native Americans; a deal to open up nearly 70,000 acres of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to clearcutting; expediting of oil and gas permits, and doubling the term of grazing permits on federal land from 5 to 10 years."
Do It Yourself Solar: Austrian Self-Build Coops—by
gmoke: "In 1983, a couple of years after the second of the 1970s oil shocks and at a time when petroleum prices were relatively low, in a village near Graz, Austria, in the province of Styria, a farmer and an engineer led a group of 32 people in building simple do it yourself solar heaters. They said, 'Our primary aim was to build a collector that was inexpensive and easy to build for every one of us. Having become aware of the finiteness of natural resources, we also aimed at avoiding all material waste in constructing the collector. Other important aspects were the saving of energy, environmental protection, and community building. Everybody was expected to build their own collector in order to be sufficiently familiar with its function.' By the end of 1984, two more self-building groups with more than 100 participants were needed to meet the local demand for such solar heaters. By 1986, the do it yourself groups were producing more collector surface area than all the commercial suppliers in Austria. In 1987, the first build-it-yourself guide was published and in 1988 the Association for Renewable Energy (AEE) was founded to institutionalize the group build, self build, do it yourself solar movement which now included about 50 groups and more than 1,000 participants."
You can find more rescued green diaries below the orange garden layout.
Climate Chaos
Deniers take to the skies—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "It seems we may have found what was supposed to be the big denier event in Lima! Marc Morano and CFACT flew Apollo astronaut Walt Cunningham to Lima and then proceeded to throw him off a cliff. Flapping behind the paragliding octogenarian was a banner that read, 'No New Treaty.' So far this publicity stunt, carried out on Sunday, has garnered all the media attention it deserves—none. Well, to be fair, there was one pick-up. But that was from CFACT itself, on their blog. If this sounds familiar, that's because it should! Back on September 22, CFACT hired a plane to tow the banner, 'No global warming for 17 years-CFACT.org' around Manhattan. Inexplicably, they chartered this flight on the Monday after NYC welcomed 400,000 marchers (and plenty of media) for the People's Climate March and the day before diplomats and business leaders from around the world showed up for the UN Climate Summit. As with their ploy in Lima, the only reporting was on CFACT's own blog, with even the likes of Breitbart and the Daily Caller overlooking CFACT's efforts."
No Climategate This Year (Yet)—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "In past years, deniers have done everything in their power to sabotage media coverage of UN climate negotiations by manufacturing a scandal directly before they start. This is what happened in 2009 when the Climategate emails were released the week before the Copenhagen Summit. As we all remember, this led to misleading mainstream coverage that simply repeated the myths, truncated quotes, and flat-out lies that were circulating in the denier sphere. In later years we've seen attempts to revive Climategate, as well as other stunts seeking to repeat its 'success,' but so far nothing has come close. This has held true so far in Lima, as the negotiations reach their halfway point. With the first week over, there doesn't seem to be the same level of coordinated attacks that have clouded past meetings. While there certainly have been negative stories in the blogosphere, a unifying news hook to skew mainstream coverage has yet to emerge. Instead we see various flavors of denial, with some denying 2014's record heat, some repeating tired claims that assistance to developing countries is 'a criminal enterprise,' and others sticking to the tried and true 'B-b-b-but China!' excuse (rebuttal to that WSJ piece available on DeSmog.) All this varied nonsense means that we expect to see a full blown denier media push any day now, complete with a compelling narrative, click-baiting titles and completely bogus claims. 'Tis the season, after all. However, if the media learned from last time and chooses to ignore them ... that may just be a Christmas miracle!"
COP-20 in Lima
Daily Tck: Day 6 of the UN climate talks in Lima—by Joshua Wiese: "For the first time in the UN climate talks history, a number of developed countries—including EU, Denmark, France and Italy—were formally put on the spot, taking questions from their counterparts around the world on their pre-2020 climate action plans as part of a new ‘multilateral assessment’ process. Another round of developed countries will take questions about their climate action plans Monday. The first round of negotiations over countries’ national contributions to the 2015 agreement and efforts to boost near-term climate action came to a close Saturday evening, while discussions focused on finance in the text elaborating on specific elements of the 2015 agreement continued. Governments were told to expect improved versions of both texts on Monday. Outside of the negotiations, focus turned to risks to public health from rising temperatures, changing weather patterns and extreme weather events like that currently being witnessed in the Philippines. At an eventorganised by the Global Climate and Health Alliance—and aimed at being a rally cry for the medical community to engage in the international climate process—speakers, researchers and advocates from across the globe, discussed a wide-range of issues from the impacts of air pollution, the role of cities in combating climate and health problems and how the medical community can reduce its emissions."
Daily Tck: Day 7 of the UN climate talks in Lima—by Joshua Wiese: "We've officially passed the halfway mark at the UN climate talks in Lima, leaving governments four more days to craft a clear path towards a fit-for-purpose global climate deal in Paris in 2015. After negotiators spent the first week clearing much of their technical work and feeding into the two main documents driving political negotiations, they received two ‘improved’ draft texts, kicking off a more intense phase in the process. Our partners dug in and shared their reaction. Efforts to elaborate on ‘elements’ of a 2015 deal are moving in the right direction. By the end of the Lima meeting, the elements text needs to fairly capture the range of countries’ views, laying the foundation for an actual draft negotiating text, which could ultimately become the new global climate agreement. It looks like the more challenging track of political negotiations will come in the ‘decision text,’ which sets out requirements and process for countries individual contributions to the 2015 deal, and defines the next steps toward increasing climate action prior to 2020, when the new global agreement is set to take effect. In the elements text, there are lots of good options our partners will spend the week defending, such as language on a long-term goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and removing fossil fuel subsidies and shifting investments to clean energy. Adaptation looks much stronger, but there’s room for improvement including efforts to get a global goal for adaptation. More should also be done on loss and damage."
Daily Tck: Day 8 of the UN climate talks in Lima—by
Joshua Wiese: "This Lima meeting is getting exciting! UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon helped kick off the High Level segment of the current round of UN climate talks Tuesday, laying out the key outcomes that Lima needs to deliver. In addition to getting a balanced ‘elements’ text, which will serve as the basis of a draft negotiating text for the 2015 Paris deal, and a common understanding of the scope and status of countries’ intended contributions to that deal—Ban echoed the call of many of our partners, urging governments to develop a roadmap that gets us from our current levels of climate finance to the pledged $100 billion in annual climate finance by 2020. He also scheduled a second climate leaders summit for late June to build momentum ahead of Paris. A number of Heads of State and Ministers followed the UN Secretary General, laying out their own priorities for Lima; many of which fed into the afternoon’s Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Finance. In a surprise move, Australia ceded to international pressure, pledging AUS 200 millionto the Green Climate Fund. Combined with a pledge by Belgium and (a tiny pledge by) Lichtenstein, Tuesday’s announcements pushed the Green Climate Fund beyond its minimum Lima goal of US $10 billion."
New Obama State Dept Top Energy Diplomat Amos Hochstein A Former Marathon Oil Lobbyist—by Steve Horn: "The U.S. State Department recently announced that Amos Hochstein, currently the special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs, will take over as the State Department’s top international energy diplomat. Hochstein will likely serve as a key point man for the U.S. in its negotiations to cut a climate change deal as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), both at the ongoing COP20 summit in Lima, Peru and next year’s summit in Paris, France. Some conclude the Lima and Paris negotiations are a 'last chance' to do something meaningful on climate change. But before getting a job at the State Department, where Hochstein has worked since 2011, he worked as a lobbyist for the firm Cassidy & Associates. Cassidy’s current lobbying client portfolio consists of several fossil fuel industry players, including Noble Energy, Powder River Energy and Transwest Express."
Climate action is needed today—by Mattias: "Pre-2020 talks have been characterized by UN-committing roundtables, workshops and dialogue which is good for sharing experiences, but less effective for reaching agreements which can deliver joint action. The idea of two work streams is important. Developing countries agreed to have a global agreement, where all countries commit, from 2020, if developed countries promised to take the lead up to 2020. The pre-2020 work stream should ensure this. An important element in the pre-2020 work is the existing climate agreement, the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto protocol focus on reduction of emissions, and only commit developed countries to take action. However, in the current commitment period (running to 2020), only EU and some fellow European countries have signed and ratified the agreement. Pre-2020 action is urgently needed."
On Climate Change, the American People are Already With Us—by HannahMiller: "Some of the assumptions that the climate movement should dispense with quickly are ideas that ‘most Americans’ don’t already know what climate change is, or don’t understand it, or don’t care. I have been in event after event where a climate activist raises a tentative hand and says, “how do we make people understand the science?' This characterization of climate-change activists as a misunderstood pariah class may have been true 20 years ago, but the truth is—and this is good news, so get ready—Americans in general are on the same page as the climate movement. We have won the educational war, to an extent we don’t even realize."
Energy & Conservation
Report Outlines Ways to Protect Appalachian Communities from Mountaintop-Removal Coal Mining—by Mary Anne Hitt: "An excellent new report out from the Alliance for Appalachia evaluates the Obama Administration's track record on mountaintop removal, and it does not give the Administration high marks for its efforts to date. The report finds that federal agencies have not followed through with initiatives intended to address mountaintop removal, and it outlines specific next steps the Obama Administration can take to tackle the worst harms to the region’s land, water, and communities."
World Nuclear Round Up #35—by davidwalters: "Been a LONG time since my last update on the state of new nuclear technology and deployment. As I've been busy protesting the recent spate of racist cop murders and protesting the tuition hikes, this sort of general leftist solidarity has force me to put nuclear energy on the back burner for awhile. So here goes: These will be fairly random items ... and thoughts ... on recent events in the nuclear world. Oh, and in no particular order. 1. The Chinese government is set to resume approvals for the construction of coastal nuclear power plants, having suspended approvals and licensing for all new reactor projects in 2011. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced plans on 4 December for the development of unspecified nuclear power plant projects along China's eastern coast. NDRC secretary general Li Pumin said that construction of the plants would be carried out under strict safety protocols. Note: China has a hugely ambitious energy policy centered on using nuclear energy to replace coal. Mainland China has 22 nuclear power reactors in operation, 26 under construction, and more about to start construction. Additional reactors are planned, including some of the world's most advanced, to give more than a three-fold increase in nuclear capacity to at least 58 GWe by 2020, then some 150 GWe by 2030, and much more by 2050."
Renewables
On - Waging Peace - Health & Prosperity through "clean" power technology.—by DKAtoday: "Consider: What is one of the worlds greatest concerns and source of strife (armed conflict for access to and control of)? It is the ability to create electricity (power) as well as fuel for transportation and industry (every industry from food to manufacturing to health care to water supply and purification etc etc etc - as well as for the individual needs of the population) for heating and cooling. Now consider: The toxic consequences of our current use of Fossil Fuel to meet all of our needs. Don't forget about Global warming/climate change (and the unpredictable weather and added energy to storms droughts floods etc) and our current practices feeding into it. Shouldn't we be doing something else than using fossil fuel if we had the ability to?"
Researchers top 40% efficiency with solar panels!—by Witgren: "Australia's solar researchers have converted over 40 percent of the sunlight hitting a solar system into electricity, the highest efficiency ever reported. A key part of the prototype's design is the use of a custom optical bandpass filter to capture sunlight that is normally wasted by commercial solar cells on towers and convert it to electricity at a higher efficiency than the solar cells themselves ever could. [...] We can hope that as solar continues to make strides in greater efficiency, dependence on fossil fuels will become less and less something that is a major aspect of our geopolitics."
Fracking
Will Philadelphia become overrun with fracking fields?—by Walter Einenkel: "There is a movement afoot in Philadelphia to turn it into an 'energy hub.' 'Philly has the best ports, the best workforce, the best transportation and roads, great educational institutions and two very healthy refineries,' said Michael Krancer, a former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, now a lawyer working with some of the energy companies involved in pushing for the city to become an energy center. 'To put it mildly, eastern Pennsylvania is where the opportunity is to valorize our shale industry,' he said. Well, that's that. Makes sense! This Krancer guy worked for the DEP for God's sake!"
Fracking 101: Two Steps Back—by Michael Brune: "It's incredible that, despite real progress in reducing climate-disrupting carbon emissions, the United States is still charging ahead with a 'boom' in dirty fuels and extraction methods. It's like swallowing aspirin as you beat your head against a wall. What gives? By now, it's clear that the dirty fuel industry is determined to continue business as usual, no matter the cost to our climate. Look no further than the last election to see how determined they really are. In California alone, fossil fuel industry groups spent $7.6 million to defeat one ballot measure that would have banned hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in Santa Barbara County. Across the country, billions of dollars are backing the polluter agenda. That big spending is in part a reaction to a growing recognition among Americans that fracking and other dirty fuel development is bad for public health, bad for the climate, and bad for the economy."
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
League of Conservation Voters silent on Hillary's silence on Keystone XL—by Kerry Eleveld: "Here's a lesson in how to have zero impact as an advocate for the environment. When a journalist asks you why Hillary Clinton hasn't yet taken a stand on one of your top issues—the Keystone XL pipeline—don't answer with this: 'We were thrilled to have Sec. Clinton speak at our dinner in New York City on Monday night.' That's Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior VP of government affairs for the League of Conservation Voters, and those were truly the first words out of her mouth last week during an MSNBC interview with Ed Schultz. For a little background, Hillary Clinton has attracted some negative headlines of late for failing to take a position on the Keystone XL pipeline and whether it should be approved or scrapped. MSNBC's Schultz was giving LCV a chance to weigh in on that silence. In fact, Schultz asked Sittenfeld three different times why Hillary's been so dodgy on the topic. All three times, Sittenfeld failed to pressure Clinton."
Former Virginia AG Andrew P. Miller Fought Voting Rights Act, Now Fighting for Keystone XL Pipeline—by lowkell: "Cross posted from Blue Virginia. I strongly recommend that everyone read The New York Times investigative report on what is, basically, the capture of our government by big corporations, in this case polluters. Believe it or not, the same Virginia Attorney General, Andrew P. Miller (D-ixiecrat), who filed suit agains the Voting Rights Act back in 1973, is still going strong (at 82 years old, no less). That is, if by 'strong' we mean 'slimy,' 'awful,' 'corrupt,' "working to destroy the environment,' 'selling whatever soul he has for money,' etc. (note: Miller also sprung into action last year in defense of Ken Cuccinelli regarding Star Scientific; and earlier this year to the defense of Bob McDonnell). For more details on this blatant attempt by the fossil fuel industry to purchase our government in order to free them up to continue trashing the environment with impunity, check out the blockbuster New York Times story, 'A Window Into a Secret Alliance: Attorneys General and the Energy Industry.' Here are a few highlights, focused on Virginia. As you read through this, also ask yourself WTF is the deal with George Mason University, which as the NY Times article points out is a 'state institution?' How can they get away with this crap? Are all our state legislators asleep at the switch or what?"
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues—by Pakalolo: "Our onward march to killing ourselves continues unabated. 3 centimeters of top soil can take 1000 years to be generated and according to one UN Official, all top soil could be gone within the next 60 years. [...] About a third of the world's soil has already been degraded, Maria-Helena Semedo of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) told a forum marking World Soil Day. The causes of soil destruction include chemical-heavy farming techniques, deforestation which increases erosion, and global warming. The earth under our feet is too often ignored by policymakers, experts said. 'Soils are the basis of life,' said Semedo, FAO's deputy director general of natural resources. 'Ninety five percent of our food comes from the soil.'."
'Antibiotic Apocalypse' may already be here
—by VL Baker: "Doctors and other health professionals have been issuing the dire warning about a possible post-antibiotic era. A new age that actually is a regression back to the middle ages when now commonly treated aliments such as strep throats, cuts and even minor surgeries would be death threatening. The New York Times is reporting events in India which may be the first indication that we are possibly already in an 'antibiotic apocalypse'. Tens of thousands of newborns in India are dying every year as a result of once-treatable infections. India sees nearly one-third of the world's newborn demises, [...]. Last year alone, 58,000 infants died from bacterial infections; although that number represents a mere fraction of the 800,000 newborns that die in India every year, doctors are predicting a rise in infant mortality."
Recount for the Oregon GMO Labeling Ballot Initiative—by NewtC: "Oregon is within 800 votes of winning GMO labeling at the ballot this year, and the measure is currently in a recount. Ballot measure 92 GMO labeling results as of Dec. 8 (95% of est. votes counted): Yes—752,720—49.97%; No—753,537—50.03%. Big food companies like Monsanto, Dow and others threw a fit over the costs of labeling produce and products in one state only, but clearly other states would jump in demanding labeling if it passes in Oregon. Eventually, it would be the companies' choice to label only for sale in public interest states rather than in every state."
Transportation & Infrastructure
Cycling is a bigger job creator in Europe than anything we are doing here in America—by Walter Einenkel: "I am a touch late to this information but it seems pretty important. The first large-scale study on cycling's economic benefits was published about a year ago. In it the researchers tried to quantify the economic benefits of cycling. They looked at health costs, fuel savings (oil), the reduction in infrastructural stress to cities (people biking versus using traditional vehicles), reductions in air and noise pollution as well as reduced CO2 emissions. On top of that they looked into cycling and the tourism industry as well as the retail and bike maintenance industry. They found out some interesting, pretty exciting things: On just two wheels, the industry is creating more jobs than Europe’s high-fashion footwear industry (388,000 jobs), its well-established steel sector (410,000), and the United States’ Big Three automobile companies (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) combined (510,000).
"
Trade & Eco-Related Foreign Policy
TPP Negotiators Hit With Protests, Media Doesn't Cover—by davej: "In spite of the lack of American media coverage of this tremendously important agreement representatives of labor, environmental, family farm, consumer, Internet freedom, public health, faith, human rights and community organizations held a rally Monday outside the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. These organizations represent 'stakeholders' from all countries that are denied a seat at the TPP negotiating table. At the rally, George Kohl, senior director of Communications Workers of America, said 'We believe in trade. We are fighting against old trade policy that literally guarantees corporate profits at the expense of working families in all nations. In the weeks ahead, we will mobilize like never before against Fast Track authorizing legislation and the TPP, and for 21st century trade that gives workers' rights, environmental issues and other concerns the same standing as corporate profits.'"
Sustainability & Extinction
Mich GOP doesn't do science, new law would reject biodiversity as criterion for managing state lands—by Eclectablog: "In a 2011 paper published in the journal Nature, Elsa Cleland studied the impact of biodiversity on ecosystems. Her study concluded with this summary: Evidence from multiple ecosystems at a variety of temporal and spatial scales, suggests that biological diversity acts to stabilize ecosystem functioning in the face of environmental fluctuation. Variation among species in their response to such fluctuation is an essential requirement for ecosystem stability, as is the presence of species that can compensate for the function of species that are lost. While much of the evidence presented here has focused on the consequences of changes in species diversity on primary production in natural ecosystems, recent research has found similar relationships between species diversity and ecosystem productivity in human-managed ecosystems. This is just one of countless scientific studies that have concluded that biodiversity is an essential component of healthy, sustainable ecosystems whether they are human-managed or not. This is what experts refer to as 'science.' Michigan Republicans, as part of a national trend, reject this 'science.' Clear evidence is on display in this year's painful lame duck session. A bill introduced by Senator Tom Casperson— S.B. 78—is speedily making its way through the legislature. It was passed by the Senate in March of 2013 and, yesterday, was passed by the House Committee on Natural Resources and is headed for a full House vote."
Eco-Related Candidacies, DC & State Politics
GOP House member intros bill admitting climate change—by Tuffie: "Rep. Chris Gibson (NY) ... I know nothing of him except this article; that said, props on the issue. He's begging to be primaried of course. Again ... he might be awful on everything else; don't know. He says: 'I hope that my party—that we will come to be comfortable with this, because we have to operate in the realm of knowledge and science, and I still think we can bring forward conservative solutions to this, absolutely, but we have to recognize the reality,' he continued. 'So I will be bringing forward a bill, a resolution that states as such, with really the intent of rallying us, to harken us to our best sense, our ability to overcome hard challenges.'"
Eco-Justice & Eco-Action
Cultivating Climate Justice through Compost: the Story of Hernani—by Bev Bell: "When the people of Hernani, Spain, began a residential compost system, they weren’t looking to become heroes of the movement for climate justice. Like thousands of other towns around the world, they were simply looking for an alternative to incineration and the pollution it brings. Hernani is located in Basque country, in the province of Gipuzkoa. In 2002, the Gipuzkoa landfill was nearly full, and the provincial government proposed building two new incinerators to burn the trash. The citizens of Hernani and other municipalities of the province immediately joined together in opposition. In a particularly impressive action, hundreds took the streets for what they called a 'zero waste flash mob dance.' Not only did Hernani fight the incinerator plans (and very creatively), they also began implementing zero waste strategies that would help eliminate the need to burn or bury waste at all. Within a few years, Hernani became a center of composting excellence."
Why the Sierra Club Cannot Be Silent—by Michael Brune: "During the past week, the Sierra Club has spoken out about Michael Brown in Ferguson, Eric Garner in New York City, and President Obama's executive action on immigration. Some have told us that they consider these to be 'non-environmental' issues. Here are some quick thoughts on why these issues are so important to address. I'll share more later this week. The Sierra Club believes that all people deserve a healthy planet with clean air and water and a stable climate. All people also deserve equal protection under the law and the right to live their lives free of discrimination and hatred. These issues are not separate. Indeed, we believe that working toward a just, equitable, and transparent society is not only morally necessary but also exactly what we need to confront the unprecedented environmental challenges we face."
The Inoculation Project 12/7/2014: NOLA Sustainable Gardening—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. […] 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: NOLA Solar Flares. Resources Needed: Two solar panels and associated hardware, as well as lights and seeds to operate a year-round, indoor edible garden. School Poverty Level: Highest Location: Edna Karr High School, New Orleans, Louisiana. Total Cost: $1,915.87 Still Needed: $166.21 Expires: Feb 26, 2015."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Framing: The Winter People of Minnesota—by
The Grace Kelly: "We know adversity because we know winter. Opening a conversation with weather is always acceptable in Minnesota. "Are you warm enough?" Climate change is really not an issue here, because we feel weather in our bones. We know weather is permanently changing. We feel it when extreme weather becomes our new normal weather. Even the bleeping insurance companies have figured it out. The difference is that we know that we have to get ready for new permanent bad weather. It is just like getting ready for winter. The humor is that Florida will get it worse, with storms, hurricanes and flooding until there is no Florida left. While Florida will be under water, Arizona will be without water. Suddenly Minnesota is looking like the place to stay safe in Winter and Summer. We will have water and we will have land to stand on. We have faced winter, we can face this. [...] Winter is also great beauty and camaraderie. Neighbors who shovel out each others vehicles and then have coffee and tea, now bonded by the winter experience. There is nothing more beautiful than the first snow covering everything in white, with icicles dripping from trees. Kids build snow tunnels, sculpt snow creatures and have snow fights. Under coats, scarves, hats and gloves is a warm person who is enjoying winter. When you are warm enough, winter is wonderful. When you live and work with good people, winter is wonderful. We are the people of winter."
Oceans, Water & Drought
The Cali Drought's Climate Link—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "NOAA's Richard Seager and Marty Hoerling released a new report on Monday that is sure to please the deniers who will, we're sure, have no qualms hyping this model-based study even as they otherwise continue to bash models as unreliable and worthless. The top line is simple enough, as captured by USA Today's headline 'Study: Causes of Calif. Drought are natural, not man-made.' Dr. Michael Mann was quick to respond with a Huffington Post piece that adds context by citing other studies on the California drought, while highlighting how the NOAA report has a narrow focus. Mann points out the obvious failing of the report, saying, '[T]he authors pay only the slightest lip service on the role of surface temperature in drought.' As anyone with an understanding of the water cycle knows, warmer temperatures means more evaporation. There have been a slew of new studies, as Mann points out, that investigate the link between record high temperatures in California and more severe drought (including one that finds the drought is exceptionally severe in the context of at least the last millennium, as The Guardian covers in some detail)."
Fish get blame as cover for water grab in H.R. 5781—by Dan Bacher: "Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Govern Jerry Brown’s rush to build Peripheral Tunnels under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDC), and researchers from California Water Research of Santa Cruz announced today that federal biologists’ findings demonstrate that Delta smelt and salmon protections had little impact on water pumping operations from the Delta in 2014. Federal biologists reported to the Delta Stewardship Council at the November 20, 2014 meeting that Delta exports were governed by the biological opinions for Delta smelt and salmon just 36% of the time that they were in effect in the first half of 2014, according to Restores the Delta. Through scattered periods from February to May, state and federal water export pumps were restricted in the South Delta for Delta smelt protections a total of 21 days, while salmon biological restrictions totaled 36 days."
Critters & the Great Outdoors
Yin-yang slugs
The Daily Bucket - Yin Yang—by
Milly Watt: "Given the Wikipedia definition of Yin Yang,
In Chinese philosophy, yin & yang are concepts used to describe how apparently opposite or contrary forces are actually complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another, these slugs seem to be epitomizing the concept with the interconnectedness in their natural world."
The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Snails, fish, insects, weather, meteorites, climate, birds and/or flowers. All are worthy additions to the bucket. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
Daily Bucket: Jellyfish—by
Lenny Flank: "A photo gallery of Jellyfish. Insubstantial things, but lovely."
2014 Backyard Science Yardbird Race Tally #8—by
bwren: "Welcome to the 2014 Daily Kos Backyard Science Yardbird Race! This is the 8th tally for 2014 and is the official place to post your sightings, ask for help, and brag some if you wish. All of the fine print can be found way below under the pile of squiggly orange bird poop. Here's what the race is all about: The Daily Kos Backyard Science Yardbird Race is a birding competition where, over the course of one year, participants strive to identify the most bird species - by sight and/or by sound - from the confines of their yards. There are a number of categories, so people who live in urban centers don't have to compete against others who have a lot of open space or waterfront views. Please let us know if you'd like to participate but find yourself not fitting into an established category - we'll work out one for you!"
The Daily Bucket - late vultures, or here for the winter?—by OceanDiver: "December 2014. Pacific Northwest. Turkey Vultures are migratory birds here in the Salish Sea. In summer we see them soaring overhead every day and often find them on the beach or in fields working carrion. They are stately birds, calm, patient and deliberate, even when several are feeding on the same carcass. Their perfect control of air currents is always an impressive sight, soaring in big circles without flapping, tipping slightly to change direction as they watch the ground from high above. Beautiful birds, and one of the treats of summer. Summer! ... which is why I've been surprised lately by how many I'm seeing these winter days. Usually they are gone by fall, off to California and further south, reappearing in early spring. Christmas Bird Counts often note one Turkey Vulture in the county—the same one?—so I could conclude that's who I'm seeing, but the numbers this year are unprecedented."
Dawn Chorus: Highway 113 Revisited—by
lineatus: "Earlier this year, we had a nice meetup of local Kossacks to welcome matching mole for a Bay Area visit. It turned into a dual welcome when bwren flew down to join us. Unfortunately, we were not visited by many of the birds we'd hoped to see, including several that would have been lifers for our visitors. The problem was the drought, and at this time last winter it was becoming obvious that we weren't just having a dry winter; no, we were well and truly fucked. This winter, the rains have come again. It's too early to tell if it will be enough to ease the drought, but the animals and plants are already soaking up the bounty. The grasslands of Solano are showing a wash of green, and the familiar birds are returning."
Mining
The Big Picture: Energy and Climate Change. All of our Decisions are Bad Decisions.—by matching mole: "The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed by the House last week, and is likely to pass the Senate this coming week, even if Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) follows through on his threat to filibuster it because of the inclusion of a package of land deals in the military bill. The land deals would be the first significant conservation and wilderness bill enacted by Congress since early 2009, when it passed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act. […] But the land provisions aren't all good. Among the worst of them are land swaps in Arizona and Nevada that open up land for mining and other development, some of it threatening land sacred to Native Americans; a deal to open up nearly 70,000 acres of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to clearcutting; expediting of oil and gas permits, and doubling the term of grazing permits on federal land from 5 to 10 years."
Action Alert: Call Senator Reid now! Public/Indian Lands giveaway.—by Persiflage: "A bunch of GOP scum bags (including McCain, Cruz, and Murkowsky) have attached a public lands rider to the soon-to-be-voted-on Defense Appropriations Bill. This rider gives away 70,000 acres of the Tongrass Nat'l Forest (including pristine waters and beaches and coves) to a private corporation, thousands of acres of Apache Tribal lands, and much more. Somewhere, I understand, in the neighborhood of 500,000 acres...all to the benefit of prople like Clive Bundy (so ranchers can graze more cattle on our land and destroy the wildlife habitat) and oil and mining companies. Please call Harry Reid's office 1-202-224-3542 and ask him to strip the public lands rider from the Defense Appropriations Bill. Then, call your own Senators."
John McCain and Congress helping mining company steal ancestral, ceremonial Apache land—by Carissa Miller: "Hidden in the defense bill was a package granting an illegal land swap near Superior, AZ, for the benefit of a foreign company Rio Tinto PLC who seek to mine copper. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) as part of the Senate Armed Services Committee was instrumental in pushing to get the provision language included. All 2,400 acres are part of Apache ancestral and ceremonial lands. So although Republican lawmakers have tried for years to secure the transfer of these lands, they have always run into strong opposition from the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Democratic lawmakers and conservation advocates."
Miscellany
March for 'Real Climate Leadership' set for Feb. 7, 2015—by Dan Bacher: "It's hard to believe, but the Obama administration has selected Chevron, the San Ramon-based corporate giant known for environmental destruction and the violation of human rights throughout the world, as a finalist for its "corporate excellence" award! According to a State Department news release, "The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs has announced the selection of nine finalists for the Secretary of State’s prestigious 2014 Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE).' The Secretary of State has awarded the ACE since 1999 to recognize American companies that are leaders in “socially responsible activities and contribute to the overall growth and sustainable development of the local economies in which they work.'"
Corporate, Community and Consumer Sustainability—by Earth Accounting: " In the US consumption makes up 70% of GDP and globally it averages about 60%. So consumption totals around $50 trillion per year worldwide. [...] We believe that when consumers can make purchasing decisions based on sustainability our Spaceship Earth will stand a much better chance of remaining viable. To get there, consumers must have easy access to sustainability information about the products they buy. This is where EarthTouch can play a pivotal role. When consumers can participate individually by voting with their wallets, they will also put additional pressure on corporations."