See OceanDiver's
post, which includes more photos like this prize-worthy example..
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
21,780 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.
Dominion Virginia Power buys the Virginia General Assembly, Repubs and Dems—by
Old Redneck: "Dominion Virginia Power, the biggest energy company in Virginia, is on the verge of completing their deal to buy almost the entire Virginia General Assembly—and that includes a lot of Democrats. One of Dominion's lackeys in the Virginia State Senate is Senator Frank Warner (R, Virginia Beach). He introduced SB1349:
Electric utility regulation; suspension of reviews of earnings. Bars the State Corporation Commission (SCC) from conducting a biennial review of the rates, terms, and conditions for any service of Dominion Virginia Power for the eight test periods beginning January 1, 2013, and ending December 31, 2020. Translated into English, this bill means Dominion will be allowed to avoid state regulation for eight years while having the ability to increase consumers' electric bills. Dominion would maintain its base rate for eight years but would retain authority to increase fuel surcharges and other "riders" that are added to customers' utility bills."
Climate Action Hub: March for Climate Leadership—by
Glen the Plumber: "Climate activists from across California are heading to Gov. Brown’s longtime home of Oakland to encourage him to be a Climate Leader. With the state heading into its fourth year of drought over 100 groups are joining forces to remind Gov. Brown, who has a mixed record on Climate Change, he must stand up to the fossil-fuel industries if the CO2 induced global warming is to be stopped. Although fracking (hydraulic fracturing) and other oil retrieval methods have slowed in the state due to the recent drop in oil prices, refineries across the state are expanding and increasing the import of cheaper crude oil from other states and Canada. As traffic in the oil fields of California slows, traffic on the rails is picking up to meet an ever-increasing demand with mile-long oil trains traveling through towns up and down the state. Not only was 2014 the warmest year ever recorded on the planet, it was the year with the most oil train spills."
You can find more rescued green diaries below the orange garden layout.
Climate Chaos
Climate Change: The Elevator Pitch—by greenman3610: "When we interviewed scientists in San Francisco in December, John Cook had the brilliant idea to ask each of them one last question—'Ok, you're getting on an elevator with someone, and they say, "So you're a climate scientist—what's all this about climate change and global warming?" You've got 10 floors. Go.' We got a range of answers from some of the best known minds in the world, as well as a number of 'not the usual suspects.' I've pulled together two of these so far, and have posted Katharine Hayhoe's first, here."
This century starts as hottest on record, and UN says its almost certain to continue that way—by Lefty Coaster: "With 14 of the 15 hottest years occurring in the 21st Century the United Nations World Meteorological Organization expects that this will be the hottest century on record.[…] 2 February 2015—Devastating weather patterns and increasing temperatures will last into the foreseeable future as global warming is expected to continue, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed today as it explained that 2014’s ranking as the “hottest year on record” is part of a larger climate trend. 'The overall warming trend is more important than the ranking of an individual year,' WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud clarified today in a press release. 'Analysis of the datasets indicates that 2014 was nominally the warmest on record, although there is very little difference between the three hottest years.'"
Obama issues order mandating that sea level rise be included in planning new federal buildings—by Meteor Blades : "President Obama issued an executive order Friday that requires scientific assessment of the sea level rise caused by global warming to be taken into account when building new or rebuilding existing federal buildings and for local government projects that receive federal funding. This is a major change from the previous approach. Until now, the government made siting decisions based on historical flooding data. But sea levels along the Atlantic Coast have risen eight inches since the 1880s and are projected to rise as much as another three feet by 2050 and as much as 10 feet by 2100. Moreover, coastal flooding associated with major storms is already reaching further inland than previously. This so-called 'nuisance flooding' will get worse as the years go by."
Delingpole says to "Forget Climategate"—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Always eager to repeat his faux-controversy success in bringing Climategate into the mainstream, James Delingpole at Breitbart UK is still trying to get press for Tony Heller's (aka 'Steven Goddard') counter-narrative that climate scientists 'cook the books" to indicate global warming. This time, Delingpole is trying to hype up the narrative by titling a post 'Forget Climategate: This "Global Warming" scandal is much bigger.' In this manufactured scandal, he looks at raw temperature data and claims it is more reliable than corrected data, which brings him to the conclusion that scientists have tampered with the data in order to support their global warming arguments. In reality, the corrections are necessary because scientists must adjust for the different ways that temperature has historically been measured. For example, measurements used to be taken in the afternoon, but now we know it's more accurate to take them in the morning. (NOAA has an FAQ about it for the curious.) Interestingly, Heller's claims are so far-fetched that even delayer Judith Curry gave space to Zeke Hausfather to explain why the adjustments are necessary back in July. Delingpole links to this but writes it off as, 'a case of 'move along. Nothing to see here.' Delingpole asks why the mainstream media hasn't picked up on the scandal, saying it's because alarmists provide, 'seemingly plausible scientific answers.' Or maybe it's because the media hasn't forgotten Climategate and in fact learned its lesson about taking the side of ideologically driven bloggers against real science."
Study outlines identity politics of "skeptics" vs "believers"—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "A new study in Nature Climate Change explores the division between those who accept the science of climate change (termed 'believers' in the study) and those who deny it ('skeptics'). The authors find that climate change arguments have become interwoven with socio-political identities and that simply explaining the facts is unlikely to convince the 'skeptics' of anything (which is why they're more accurately called deniers). Oddly, the authors don't seem to mention the campaigns of fossil fuel-funded front groups intended to introduce doubt and polarize their core constituents against the so-called corrupt science. The authors describe their work at The Conversation, mentioning that the conflict between skeptics and believers is similar to other social movements, like civil rights. They're also quoted in The Washington Post comparing the situation to things like gender and marriage equality campaigns. But these comparisons appear rather odd when you consider the lead author's later comment that 'believers' shouldn't ridicule 'skeptics.' Is the implication that "believers" of racial equality should have been nicer to segregationists?"
Lomborg's newest nonsense in the WSJ—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "After what seems like an uncharacteristic lull in recycled opeds, Bjorn Lomborg is back with a piece in The Wall Street Journal where he advocates, yet again, for inaction on climate. (Unsurprisingly, Daily Caller was quick to publish a story about the oped.) Why anyone takes Lomborg seriously after being so thoroughly debunked by a full length book and formally criticized by the Danish government for his 'perversion of the scientific method' would be a good question, if it weren't for the fact that everyone knows the answer—people take him seriously because he serves their purpose of stalling action. So in this most recent piece, he trots out the usual distortions saying the past 15 years haven't warmed as much as expected; sea level rise isn't so bad; and of course the distortion where he expresses faux concern for the poor, arguing we need to worry about pulling people out of poverty instead of cutting carbon emissions (which, of course, wrongly assumes the two are mutually exclusive). For a full rebuttal of Bjorn's blunders,see DeSmogand Greg Laden."
Delingpole says to "Forget Climategate"—by ClimateDenierRoundup : "Always eager to repeat his faux-controversy success in bringing Climategate into the mainstream, James Delingpole at Breitbart UK is still trying to get press for Tony Heller's (aka "Steven Goddard") counter-narrative that climate scientists "cook the books" to indicate global warming. This time, Delingpole is trying to hype up the narrative by titling a post 'Forget Climategate: This "Global Warming" scandal is much bigger.' In this manufactured scandal, he looks at raw temperature data and claims it is more reliable than corrected data, which brings him to the conclusion that scientists have tampered with the data in order to support their global warming arguments. In reality, the corrections are necessary because scientists must adjust for the different ways that temperature has historically been measured. For example, measurements used to be taken in the afternoon, but now we know it's more accurate to take them in the morning. (NOAA has an FAQ about it for the curious.) Interestingly, Heller's claims are so far-fetched that even delayer Judith Curry gave space to Zeke Hausfather to explain why the adjustments are necessary back in July. Delingpole links to this but writes it off as, 'a case of "move along. Nothing to see here".' Delingpole asks why the mainstream media hasn't picked up on the scandal, saying it's because alarmists provide, "seemingly plausible scientific answers." Or maybe it's because the media hasn't forgotten Climategate and in fact learned its lesson about taking the side of ideologically driven bloggers against real science."
John Oliver demonstrates the Absurdity of "Debating" Climate Change—by jamess: "If you haven't seen it yet, then it's 'News' to you. If you have -- Quick, what were its main points? ... And what did Bill Nye say? Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Climate Change Debate (HBO)."
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
Mapping that Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly—by Jamess: "Have you ever driven through a pouring down 'soupy rain' one evening, parked your car. And then rush out the next morning—late for work—only to find all your vehicle's windows 'foggy and drippy' from the overnight Cold Front, that just passed through. I have. Now were starting to see the same 'contrasting' dynamics on a planetary scale. And if those differences in temperature get deep enough—the foggy glass can even turn to doubly frosted, inside and out … Another epic blizzard is bearing down on New England. There is a 'big part' played by 'human-induced climate change,' especially warming-fueled ocean temperatures, according to Dr. Kevin Trenberth, former head of the Climate Analysis Section at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. I asked Dr. Trenberth to comment on the role climate change has on this latest storm, which is forecast to set records. He explained: The number 1 cause of this is that it is winter. In winter it is cold over the continent. But it is warm over the oceans and the contrast between the cold continent and the warm Gulf Stream and surrounding waters is increasing. At present sea surface temperatures are more the 2F above normal over huge expanses (1000 miles) off the east coast and water vapor in the atmosphere is about 10% higher as a result. About half of this can be attributed to climate change."
Bárðarbunga is still erupting…—by Wee Mama: "The eruptions are less dramatic now, but the earth is still on the move. A forecast based on extrapolating the current developments of the Bárðarbunga subsidence shows that if the caldera keeps subsiding along a similar trajectory, then the subsidence will go on for another 5 to 16 months. With the same method, the volcanic eruption in Holuhraun could evolve with similar pace and the eruption might last another 4 to 15 months. Information on the volume of the lava field in Holuhraun is, however, not as accurate as the information on the subsidence of Bárðarbunga."
Critters & the Great Outdoors
The Daily Bucket - more otters!—by OceanDiver: "By popular request, here's a Bucket of otters to perk up your winter's day. It's a flotilla of photos (most under the fold) but on the otter hand, can you see too many rambunctious River Otters? I found this group out at Harlequin Rock a few weeks ago. The Rock is a great foraging spot for animals, the highest point of a rocky shoal with brisk fertile currents around it. On this occasion I had paddled my kayak around to the far side, hearing a lot of loud splashing and quiet chattering. Four young (based on their size) otters were making a rumpus, chasing each other, diving and swimming, slapping their tails on the water."
The Daily Bucket Winter Rainforest part 1—by
Wood Gas: "Just a walk in the woods on Prince of Wales Island in S.E, Alaska. A nice little path through a swamp, or muskeg as it is locally known. The Forest Service had this board walk built it to improve access to a falls that Sockeye salmon migrate past. This is a temperate rainforest, the requirements are: Not in the tropics, not in the Arctic(or Antarctic) and 100+ inches of rain annually, that last one is easy. The soil is still fairly acid and the trees are having a hard time of it, but drainage has improved and a few hardy trees are making a go. the mosses, they're doing just fine. […] This falls is what this trails was improved for, the falls were improved for the salmon migration at the same time. Easier access for the fishermen, easier access for the salmon. The Salmon seem to be losing."
The Daily Bucket: Wild Florida-The Black Skimmer—by Lenny Flank: "The Black Skimmer is a conspicuous bird in Florida, which is often found in large flocks standing along sand spits at the shore, usually all facing the same direction. They are easily recognized by their long red and black bills, which give them a clownish sort of look. And these bills are the key to the Skimmer's unique method of feeding. […] The Black Skimmer is a strikingly handsome bird. About the size of a Crow, they are boldly patterned with black on top and white underneath, with a long conspicuous bill that is red or orange at the base and black at the tip. During the breeding season the back of the neck is solid black; it is whitish for the rest of the year. The wings are very long, and are black above and white below with a narrow white band running along the rear edge. The legs are red in color, and look absurdly short for such a large bird. Males are a bit bigger than the females. In Florida, Skimmers are most often seen in saltwater bays and estuaries, though they sometimes venture inland and are occasionally seen at rivers and lakes. They are gregarious birds and hang around in large flocks, spending most of their day lounging on the sand, often in the company of terns and gulls."
Black Skimmer
Dawn Chorus - Olympic Peninsula coastline—by
OceanDiver: "Every winter we go out to the Olympic Peninsula on the extreme northwest corner of the lower 48 for a week of walking the wild coastline. Even though we stay in a cabin, we take all our raingear because the weather is usually wet and stormy (with an occasional lucky sunny day)...we like that storminess for the giant rough surf, a feature absent from the quiet inland waters of the Salish Sea where we live. This year I decided to pay particular attention to birds. We stay in a cabin where the road ends at the mouth of the Quillayute River, in the tiny Quileute Indian Reservation. The economy of the Quileutes is based on fishing and tourism, so gulls and crows are abundant in the driftwood along the beach in front of the cabins. The tsunami evacuation sign below the crows is one of many along this coast."
Energy
Unpublished Canadian gov't report says far too little known about impacts of tar sands petroleum—by Meteor Blades: "The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans has produced several versions of a draft report on the environmental hazards of oil and bitumen pipelines. But none of them has been published. That's ticked off some political leaders and environmental advocates. “We are being sold a bill of goods by this government,” New Democrat environment critic Megan Leslie said Monday. […] The unpublished 61-page draft report focuses most of its attention on what's not known about bitumen's properties. There's quite a lot that's not: no peer-reviewed reports on possible toxic biological effects; little on how bitumen or dilbut behaves in water; no studies on how the different concentrations of metals in bitumen behave compared with those in conventional oil; little known on how condensate used to dilute bitumen for transport behaves in a body of water; no studies on the specific ways bitumen interact with living organisms; not enough research on airborne toxicity associated with the tar sands; few studies about the impacts of hydrocarbon spills into the Great Lakes; not enough research on the interaction of bitumen, the environment and dispersants (chemicals that break up oil spills); and little known about behavior of bitumen in the icy, dark waters of the Canadian Arctic."
record drop in US rig count, fracking related news from several states, et al—by rjsigmund: "The major news coming out of the oil patch this week was that of the largest weekly drop in the number of oil rigs operating since national rig records were first kept in 1987; Baker Hughes reported that there were 1543 rigs operating on January 30th, the lowest rig count since June 2010, down 90 rigs from the 1633 rigs that were operating on January 23rd....the count of offshore rigs was down by 5 to 49, while land based rigs fell by 86 to 1,482 and one rig was added to the 11 that were drilling in inland waters last week."
Understanding "power" vs. "energy"—by RobLewis: "If you're interested in the energy that powers civilization, whether it's clean, dirty, or something else, you really need to understand the distinction between "power" and 'energy.' They're not the same thing! Reporters who should know better often confuse these terms. I can't count how many times I've read that a new wind farm will generate '250 megawatts per year,' when this is actually a meaningless statement. Seriously—even press releases from power companies don't always get it right! In an attempt to bring light to a benighted world, I've teamed up with the publisher of the CleanTechnica website to offer a short article clarifying the meanings of these terms. (CleanTechnica, BTW, is a great source of news about wind and solar energy)."
Emissions Control
Pollution billows off a gas plant in California.
The Ugly Truth about Methane Pollution from Fracking—by
EARTHWORKS : "Recently, the Obama administration came out with its plans to regulate methane from oil and gas wells. These rules will be the first of their kind, and underscore two of the most important problems with fracking-enabled oil and gas production—its impact on the climate and its impact on human health. Oil and gas operations across the country are a major source of air pollution of all types. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), coupled with nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide (together known as NOx) and sunlight, produce ozone, which is hazardous to human health and can cause premature death. Exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas, found in many shale oil and gas formations, can cause difficulty in breathing and eye and throat irritation. High levels of exposure can be fatal. Families living with oil and gas development nearby experience these health impacts when the wind blows these toxic chemicals near homes and schools. Earthworks has documented this VOC pollution using our FLIR Gasfinder camera—you can hear the stories of people living with this type of development and see the invisible pollution we've captured using infrared technology."
Renewables & Conservation
Dirty oil is running down your street—by Vet63: "Our nation needs to pour millions into clean energy. I'll be gone but Nature is unforgiving. I want people a hundred years from now to know some folks did all they could to keep our land as clean and pure as possible."
Fracking
Anti-fracking coalition calls for shutdown of toxic injection wells—by Dan Bacher: "A coalition of environmental activists opposed to fracking and the Center for Biological Diversity today urged the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to immediately shut down hundreds of injection wells that are illegally dumping toxic oil industry wastewater into scores of California aquifers during the midst of a record drought. In the midst of one of the worst droughts on record, ongoing investigations have found that state regulators allowed the oil and gas industry to illegally inject wastewater into aquifers containing water suitable for drinking and irrigation, according to Californians Against Fracking. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that oil and gas companies over decades used more than 170 waste disposal wells to inject oil and gas wastewater into dozens of aquifers containing potable water, in violation of state and federal law. The majority of these violations are located in California’s Central Valley, while others are near San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria."
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
EPA review of Keystone XL 'national interest' ought to be enough for Obama to say 'No' to pipeline—by Meteor Blades : "The State Department is nearing the end of the process of determining whether or not the Keystone XL pipeline is in the 'national interest.' […] The Final SEIS also finds that the incremental greenhouse gas emissions from the extraction, transport, refining and use of the 830,000 barrels per day of oils sands crude that could be transported by the proposed Project at full capacity would result in an additional 1.3 to 27.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MMTC02-e) per year compared to the reference crudes. To put that in perspective, 27.4 MMTC0 2-e per year is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 5.7 million passenger vehicles or 7.8 coal fired power plants.3 Over the 50-year lifetime of the pipeline, this could translate into releasing as much as 1.37 billion more tons ofgreenhouse gases into the atmosphere."
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
USDA pork inspectors speak out: "People are going to eat sh*t"—by VL Baker: "The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is trying out a new method of pork inspection; faster speed inspection lines and fewer inspectors. If this sounds familiar to you, it should. It's the same method of inspection they tried, and are now partially using, to inspect chicken. How's that worked out? Well, as long as people don't seem to mind eating crap (literally) and all kinds of pathogens, including antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria, all is good.
Since people seem to be okay with the consequences of the looser inspection methods, the USDA seems to think they should expand the method to include pork inspection; because what the inspectors can't see, can't hurt you, right? […] The Government Accountability Project released affidavits Friday from three USDA inspectors working in plants running the pilot program, known as HIMP, as well as from a fourth, Joe Ferguson, who retired last year after 23 years with the agency. All voice concerns about the public health implications of increasing line speeds, which adhere closely to the criticisms from outside parties. The gist, in the words of one anonymous inspector: "There aren’t enough eyes on the line to monitor carcasses coming by at such high speed.'"
NYT - NY AG Schneiderman Demands Major Chains Pull Supplements Off Shelves—by Mogolori: "Big story from The New York Times late this evening that will ripple across political and health care landscapes... New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office has issued cease-and-desist letters to four huge retailers demanding they pull numerous herbal supplements from their New York shelves for falsely claiming their ingredients and benefits. New York Attorney General Targets Supplements at Major Retailers The four retailers are volume giants in the sale of herbal supplements (and just about everything else) - Walmart, Walgreens, Target and GNC. In some cases, the supplements advertised ingredients they did not contain at all, and in most other cases, they were comprised mostly of fillers of powdered vegetables including house plants, according to the Times."
Do You Take Dietary Supplements? Well, Enjoy The Powdered Rice!—by KantV420: "Today on the Headline of the New York Times Website, the New York Attorney Generals Office sent cease and desist letters to four major retailers, accusing them of selling fraudulent Dietary Supplements! The four retailers; Target, Walmart, Walgreens and GNC, all of which sell supposedly health improving Dietary Supplements were found to be falsely advertising the benefits of their products. Supplements such as ginkgo biloba, St. Johns Wart, and Valerian root were found to contain fillers such as powdered rice, turnips and vegetable matter. In some cases the products contained NOTHING of what it advertised! Even worse, some of the products which claimed to be gluten free where found to contain wheat as well as allergens such as crushed peanuts and legumes which are related to soybeans even though there was no mention of allergens on the product or its packaging."
Transportation & Infrastructure
Controversial New Ad In NC Aimed At Repairing Infrastructure—by Kalisiin: "A new ad pulls no punches. 'North Carolina drivers drive on over 2,200 structurally deficient bridges every day,' the announcer with the grave voice reads. 'We never think of the imminent danger we put our children in, until this happens.' The screen goes to black and fades up with flashing lights and someone posing as an emergency operator says: 'We have a bridge collapse with a school bus full of children.' Now, the surprising thing about this ad … is that it is put out by the North Carolina Chamber Of Commerce! […] "We have many more needs out there than we have dollars to address them," said DOT Communications Chief Mike Charbonneau. The Department of Transportation confirms more than a third of the state's bridges and overpasses need some sort of work [repair or replacement]. Charbonneau says of the 13,500 bridges maintained by the DOT, about 5,300 are considered either 'structurally deficient' (2,100 bridges) or 'functionally obsolete' (3,200 bridges)."
Koch-funded groups coalesce around axing all federal funding for walking, biking and transit—by Meteor Blades : "The Kochs, et al., pretend to care about low-income Americans in their attack on a proposal to raise the gasoline tax.
Angie Schmitt at StreetsBlog USA writes: [Wednesday], a coalition of 50 groups, several funded by the Koch brothers, sent a letter to Congress arguing that the way to fix federal transportation funding is to cut the small portion that goes to walking, biking, and transit [PDF]. The signatories do not want Congress to even think about raising the gas tax, which has been steadily eaten away by inflation since 1993. The coalition membership includes many stalwarts of the Koch network, including Americans for Prosperity, Freedom Partners, and the Club for Growth. The Koch brothers recently went public with plans to spend nearly $900 million on the 2016 elections."
DC, State & Local Eco-Politics
Petroleum Association topped lobby list with $8.9 million spent in 2014—by Dan Bacher: "The oil industry continued its long reign as the top spender on lobbying in California in 2014, according to data just released by the California Secretary of State. The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) topped the list with $8.9 million spent on lobbying in 2014, nearly double what it spent in the previous year."
Sustainability & Extinction
The Daily Bucket - Passenger Pigeon Redux?—by enhydra lutris: "The closest relative of the now extinct passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) is the band tailed pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata), which is also the largest pigeon in North America. The coastal subspecies is a bit larger than the inland species. They can most easily be distinguished from the old world rock pigeon by their yellow bill and feet. […] The California contingent prefer to live in redwood and pine forests at higher elevations along the Central Coast and in the Sierra Nevadas, but they winter in oak and conifer forests between the Bay Area, Santa Barbara County and the San Bernardino Mountains. They then migrate in late winter or early spring to far northern California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Over 1,000 of them have died since December, raising serious concerns for their overall wellbeing since they have a low reproductive rate."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Monsters of Our Own Creation: How Nigerian Corruption & Climate Change Gave Rise To Boko Haram—by Virally Suppressed: "40 years ago, the town of Baga was bustling with an industry and a commerce born of the body of water that had given its residents life for as long as anyone could remember. Nestled in the most northeasterly corner of Nigeria along the shoreline of Lake Chad, Baga served as the piscine midwife for tens of thousands of fishmongers all across the country, providing roughly 135,000 tons of smoked and dried fish a year. Today, thanks to the construction of dams on the lake's feeder rivers, excessive irrigation and the effects climate change, Lake Chad has shrunk to less than one-fifth of its original size. The massive body of water that locals used to refer to as “an ocean” is now a shriveled imitation of its former self and Baga, which used to sit right on the water, is now twelve and a half miles away from its shores. The fish, which used to be so plentiful and served as the lifeblood of the community, have all but vanished from the Nigerian side of the lake, leading many locals to give up fishing and try their hand at farming or finding work in the city of Maiduguri, more than 120 miles away. Left in dire straits, the people of Baga hoped that the Nigerian government would come to their aide and try to replenish the lake by pumping water up from the nearby Congo River, enforcing more water-efficient irrigation methods and rebuilding wasteful dams. Put simply, Baga needed water. It would get only fire. On January 3rd, members of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram attacked Baga, which in addition to being the fishing hub of Northeastern Nigeria is ostensibly the home to a multinational task force of soldiers from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger. Disorganized, demoralized and short on supplies, the multinational task force fell underneath the weight of Boko Haram's advances in only a few hours."
Let's Build A Pipeline, Let's Burn Some Oil—by Hermenutic : "Let’s build a pipeline, let’s burn some oil, let’s foul the air and water, we’ll be rich. Keystone XL pipeline advocates tell us damage to the soil, clean air and water have been over-hyped. According to George W. Dumschitz, current president of the Keystone Pipeline For Prosperity Information Clearing House and Propaganda Center, fresh air, potable water and unpolluted farm land are not necessary."
To the Cheerleader of Science—by Gwen07 : "The non-fiction writer said *art will not fix the global crisis and the vengeance
Neglect is reining down upon our dirty greasy planet.
I beg to differ
I want to dip Mr. Bryson in the waters of
Huxley, Orwell, Atwood, Carson, and the words of
Colette that tell the world of the corresponding
Smells of the betrayed, jealous and lovesick.
Science has a fix but a 'fix'
Denied its beauty – resolution
Because there is no profit
Ensuring the earth remains
Healthy for everyone.
Right here,
Right now,
Money’s to be made
Fat capitalists sucking the earth
Dry of its natural resources
Sadly, ironically
With the help science.
In revolutions over time
Knowledge and passion is
Ignited by art
And the time is neigh
When art reveals the capitalists deniers
Who catch the money flung at solutions
Hiding it away in the pockets of those
'Rapture ready'
With no need of a future world.
Art
IN freedom
Will save us
Science
IN chains
Will not."
Oceans, Water & Drought
California is in a bad, bad way—by Jen Hayden: "The severe drought isn't exclusive to San Francisco. The state as a whole is in trouble: Statewide, the water trapped in the form of snow is just a quarter of the amount usually found at this time of year, California's Department of Water Resources reported shortly after teams returned from measuring snow levels at Echo Summit in the Sierra Nevada mountains, southwest of Lake Tahoe. (Watch a video about new technology California is using to measure its mountain snowpack.) Mountain snows provide, on average, nearly a third of California's water, with January typically the state's wettest month. The snowpack runoff is critical to California's water supply and those reservoirs are exceptionally low."
Bridge over Lake Oroville, now not so much a lake.
Trash, Pollution & Hazardous Waste
California family has black water, water company says it's good to drink—by Walter Einenkel: "This past summer, California State officials suddenly closed 11 waste-injection wells. This was the result of a few years investigation into the complete and utter criminal negligence on the part of both oil companies and state regulators. Oil companies in drought-ravaged California have, for years, pumped wastewater from their operations into aquifers that had been clean enough for people to drink. […] Instead, the state allowed companies to drill more than 170 waste-disposal wells into aquifers suitable for drinking or irrigation, according to data reviewed by The Chronicle. Hundreds more inject a blend of briny water, hydrocarbons and trace chemicals into lower-quality aquifers that could be used with more intense treatment."
EXCLUSIVE - Koch Brothers, Rick Scott And Jeb Bush Exposed In Florida Pipeline Scandal—by Leslie Salzillo: "To investigate these circumstances would be to investigate the highly questionable actions of yet another state agency, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. These actions in turn reach back into the Jeb Bush administration (1999-2007), when then Governor Bush and the Florida Cabinet, over the objection of then Attorney General Charlie Crist, gave preliminary approval for a Georgia-Pacific pipeline from its Palatka paper mill to the St. Johns River. Tons of toxic waste travel through the pipe to the heart of the St. Johns River every day. The approval was “finalized” through what Florida citizens and environmental groups are calling a grossly misleading newspaper public notice that aimed to cut-off public challenges to the pipeline easement, which the Trustees’ agent, the FDEP, eventually granted. Ironically, or maybe not, the benefactors of the spewing are Charles G. and David Koch, the foremost, or at least two of the richest, purveyors of 'freedom' according to Ayn Rand. Since late 2005, Koch Industries has owned Georgia-Pacific."
Miscellany
Americans say they favor policies to address climate change. But do they want them enough?—by Meteor Blades : "Last week The New York Times and its partners released a poll that on the surface seemed surprising and encouraging. The poll found 83 percent of Americans, including 86 percent of independents and 61 percent of Republicans saying that if action isn't taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions, climate change is going to cause a very serious or somewhat serious outcome in the future. It also found that 91 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of independents and 51 percent of Republicans saying they think the government should take action to fight global warming. […] Saying in the abstract that one wants to see the government more involved in doing something about climate change is a lot different than supporting specific policies and specific candidates. When Republicans get into the voting booth, the reality is that climate change—environmental issues in general—aren't high on their list of priorities. Thus do we end up with majority of the Republican congressional caucus rejecting the science behind human-caused climate change."