Mariama Sonko is a farmer and organizer in Casamance, Senegal.
See Simone Adler and Beverly Bell's post about her work
here.
Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The most recent Spotlight can be seen here. More than
23,805 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
Are Resource Wars Our Future? written by
Michael Klare via TomDispatch: "At the end of November, delegations from nearly 200 countries will convene in Paris for what is billed as the most important climate meeting ever held. Officially known as the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP-21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the 1992 treaty that designated that phenomenon a threat to planetary health and human survival), the Paris summit will be focused on the adoption of measures that would limit global warming to less than catastrophic levels. If it fails, world temperatures in the coming decades are likely to exceed 2 degrees Celsius (3.5 degrees Fahrenheit), the maximum amount most scientists believe the Earth can endure without experiencing irreversible climate shocks, including soaring temperatures and a substantial rise in global sea levels. A failure to cap carbon emissions guarantees another result as well, though one far less discussed. It will, in the long run, bring on not just climate shocks, but also worldwide instability, insurrection, and warfare. In this sense, COP-21 should be considered not just a climate summit but a peace conference—perhaps the most significant peace convocation in history."
The ultimate buzz kill: climate change drives down sex drive ... written by A Siegel: "We've known that climate change threatens agricultural productivity, infrastructure near oceans, human health, biodiversity (and huge numbers of species), sea turtle intercourse, national security, allergy sufferers, economic output, beer, chocolate, wine, whiskey, cherry blossoms, maple syrup, and, oh by the way, human civilization .... but sex ... now we're talking about something serious. [...] The National Bureau of Economic Research just published Maybe Next Month? Temperature Shocks, Climate Change, and Dynamic Adjustments in Birth Rates. In this study, economists Alan Barreca, Olivier Deschenes, and Melanie Guldi look at the impact of "temperature shocks" on U.S. birth rates between 1931 and 2010. In short: If the temperature is above 80 degrees, birth rates nine months later are lower. [With implication that 'sexual' intercourse goes down as well—although, well, it could be impacts on fertility from sexual activity.] There is a rebound in following (cooler) months, but only about 30%—leading to notable reduction in overall birth rates (projected 2.6% decline in US birth rate)."
••• •••
"This Changes Everything" Moves Focus to Communities on Fossil Fuel Frontlines written by willinois: "Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis visited Chicago to host a sold out premier showing of their new documentary film, This Changes Everything. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it. I know the issue well. I've seen plenty of climate change documentaries before. But the filmmakers won me over at the start by admitting they aren't excited by climate change movies either. And like me, they're sick of hearing about the polar bear. I was getting so many weekly mailings about saving the polar bear I started to hope we'd have just enough arctic flooding to drown them. Did you know they're the only bear that eats people? A grizzly may attack if it feels threatened but it won't eat you for dinner. Klein and Lewis take a different approach by focusing on people, particularly communities most impacted by the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. Indigenous leaders facing tar sands extraction, ranchers in the Powder River Basin, opposition to India's coal power plant rush and others profile how powerful movements grow from people protecting their own communities."
Below the orange spill you'll find more excerpts and links to green posts.
Climate Chaos
Antarctic Ice Loss Algebra written by ClimateDenierRoundup: "A new study was just released that attempts to quantify the amount of ice on Antarctica. It finds that up until 2008, the continent was gaining more ice than it was losing, a finding that contradicts the IPCC's estimate for Antarctica's contribution to the global sea level rise budget. The study has gotten some coverage in mainstream outlets and has, of course, led deniers to respond in predictable fashion. The title of the study's press release—'Mass Gains of Antarctic Ice Sheet Greater than Losses'—makes it easy to see why deniers have been quick to jump on the story, but the study's lead author, Jay Zwally, makes an important statement towards the end of the release that should have prevented the deniers' rejoicing. Zwally states, 'If the 0.27 millimeters per year of sea level rise attributed to Antarctica in the IPCC report is not really coming from Antarctica, there must be some other contribution to sea level rise that is not accounted for.' Here’s the generic algebraic formula for sea level rise: SLR = ice melt + expansion. The amount of sea level rise—which we know because we can observe it—is equal to the sum of glacier and ice sheet melt plus the increase in water volume due to warming, known as thermal expansion. Even at face value, the study’s findings don’t indicate that climate change-induced sea level rise is not a major concern, because either thermal expansion or the melting of another big body of ice may be happening faster than we think. (Speaking of which, be sure to check out this gorgeous, interactive story from the New York Times: 'Greenland is Melting Away.')"
Indonesia is on Fire written by RFK Lives: "While there are other relevant issues out there, no other issue poses nearly as great a threat to billions of people. Climate change will be an even graver threat to an incalculable # of species. W/ all due respect to the GOP liars who claim that dealing w/ climate change will harm the economy, not dealing w/ it will cause far greater economic harm. As the link notes, this ongoing environmental catastrophe is not a direct result of climate change. It is, however, exacerbating the problem. This story, however, isn't even on the radar screen. One would think that, if one party was advocating policies that will ultimately lead to the inhabitability of various coastal areas that are home for millions of 'muricans, the other party would jump on that issue w/ both feet.* ISIS at its most harmful doesn't pose nearly the potential risk to our national security as climate change poses at its least harmful. All of the Above is not getting the job done, and a new paradigm is desperately needed."
Why Climate Change Should be a Conservative Issue written by AndySchmookler: "All life on earth is adapted to the environment as it has been. Sudden environmental change can only be destructive. If we destabilize the earth’s climate, the havoc we create will adversely affect the lives of our children and grandchildren. As a wise conservative would know, one form of disorder fosters other kinds. Already, we can see – in the Syrian Civil War—how disorder in our climate system can generate disorder in the international political system. The whole Syrian crisis has its roots in a drought that struck Syria’s farmland – a drought that’s part of the growing pattern of extreme weather unleashed by the disruption of the earth’s climate. This drought drove hordes of people off the land and created chaos that led to war."
Rubio's GHG lie. The truth is, we're treading water now. When we drown, we are taking you with us. written by Pakalolo: "Despite his claims of economic disaster if we act on climate, the truth is that Florida's coastal assets total close to 800 billion dollars. And all of that property will be lost at some point due to sea level rise. The Miami Herald notes 'By 2030, $69 billion in coastal property in Florida could flood at high tide that is not at risk today, the report found. That amount is projected to climb to $152 billion by 2050.' Ouch! Rubio does not want people to think about those facts. Think Progress explains how Florida's denial about climate change will bring a catastrophic recession to the country. [...] The possibility of a Rubio Administration should cause any informed citizen to shudder in terror. His policies will be a disaster on so many levels. We must make sure that another clueless and greedy Republican presidency does not occur. Our lives depend on it."
Big Oil's Two-Faced Climate Contradictions written by ClimateDenierRoundup: "DeSmog Canada has a post covering InfluenceMap's new report, which demonstrates that even though some of the biggest oil and gas companies make public announcements about the need for climate action, they simultaneously fund groups that lobby against such policies. Companies like Shell and Total have publicly stated that they support efforts like a price on carbon while funding trade groups that lobby politicians to do the opposite. For example, Shell is a member of two business lobby groups, which advocate directly against the climate action that Shell claims to want. The connection between Shell and these lobby groups is based on more than just funding, however. Shell executives sit on the board of one group and chair a Green Taxation Working Group in the other. The report draws similar parallels for other companies, each with an executive-level connection to the anti-climate trade group: Total, BP, Chevron, and yes, Exxon."
Senator Snowball Slammed on Home Turf written by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Tulsa World is the second biggest paper in Oklahoma, the state represented by Senator Jim Inhofe, also known as Congress's biggest denier. It is unsurprising, therefore, to see that Inhofe published an op-ed in his state's paper. What is worth noting, however, is the fact that Tulsa World asked Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) for a piece as well. [...] Beyond the general scientific consensus of NASA and NOAA—which the US military and companies like Apple and Wal-Mart also accept—Whitehouse appeals to the authority of the University of Oklahoma's Dr. Berrien Moore III, Oklahoma's Climatological Survey, and professors from Oklahoma-based Oral Roberts, Southern Nazarene and Tulsa Universities, highlighting their support for the climate consensus. Whitehouse then explains the denial of Inhofe and others by referencing a study by Dr. Dunlap of Oklahoma State University that looks at deniers' fossil fuel funding. To conclude, Whitehouse quotes Oklahoma's state climatologist who said the science is in, and 'you can either ignore it, or you can use it.'"
What Will It Take: GOP Climate Change Deniers written by fabianaugustus: "Now that we know Exxon not only knew that Climate Change was being cause by mankind and that it threatened mankind, but also that they willingly suppressed and refuted evidence that supported humanity's role in destroying the climate with junk science, will the Republican party admit that we must do something? Heck, will they even apologize for the role in misleading the public or, at the very least admit that they were unwitting accomplices to these Big Oil lies?"
Paris COP21
What success at the Paris climate conference could look like written by Eric Nelson: "The most optimistic feature of Paris is that negotiations no longer exist in a vacuum. Indeed, the economic landscape has shifted since the 2009 Copenhagen conference, when the hope of addressing climate change appeared to be lost. Global investment in clean energy has jumped from $45 billion to $270 billion in the last ten years and will grow as more and more countries institute a price on carbon, as dozens already have. Clean energy still has a long way to go—the United States currently gets just 13 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, including hydropower—but the pace of change is startling, And solar is the brightest story. The price of solar energy has dropped 78 percent since Obama took office. Even without federal policies that offer generous tax breaks for clean energy, the United States is poised for a revolution "when solar becomes that technology of choice," explained Bloomberg New Energy Finance analyst William Nelson. The price of wind energy has also dropped 58 percent. The switch to renewables is having a significant impact. In 2014, the global economy grew by 3 percent, but world emissions remained flat—exactly the sort of trend that needs to continue if the world is to keep growing without spinning into a death spiral."
UN climate talks: Vital challenges for poor and vulnerable countries written by Mattias: "Would you sign on an agreement, which would lead to extinction of your country? Ministers from small islands and poor and vulnerable countries will arrive in Paris to attend the UN climate summit in a few weeks. They will face some harsh negotiations. Most likely, they will have to consider carefully if they should sign an agreement, because if implemented, it could have devastating effects on their own countries. [...] Climate change is a true challenge for us all, but the real effects differ a lot. Some communities or entire countries risk losing their land due to the exposure to climate change related effects, such as sea level rise. Other countries face conflicts, hunger and migration due to lack of a coping capacity when hurricanes, droughts and floods clash with livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people."
Northern California mobilizes for climate action as Paris talks near written by Steve Masover: "People across Northern California are determined to voice their demand that the U.S. government do the right thing at the COP21 talks beginning in Paris later this month. "COP21" is the 21st annual meeting of the 'Conference of Parties' under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Since early summer I've been working with a diverse coalition of labor, social justice, environmental, and faith groups under an umbrella we call the Northern California Climate Mobilization. We're organizing a march and rally in Oakland, California on Saturday November 21st, and we're expecting a tremendous crowd. Details on the web site if you're local to the Bay Area; RSVP on NCCM's Facebook event page."
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
Yemen Faces Unprecedented Catastrophic Flooding from Tropical Cyclone Chapala written by
FishOutofWater: "Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) forces quietly took over Mukalla, the ancient Yemen port city of 300,000 on the Gulf of Aden, in April, with the backing of Saudi Arabia. AQAP quietly ceded power to a coalition of local Sunni tribal and religious leaders, the Hadramout National Council (HNC). By ceding control to the HNC, AQAP kept the peace in the Hadramout region of this war torn nation, except for the occasional American drone strike on AQAP leadership. However, the peace is about to be broken by the most powerful force in the history of this region, the force of water, both the surging ocean, driven by an unprecedented category 3 cyclone with 120 mph winds in the Gulf of Aden, and the boulder crushing power of extreme flash floods from extraordinarily heavy rains in the mountains above."
A Large Lake Fills the Bottom of Death Valley; 1000 Year Flood Damages Scotty's Castle written by FishOutofWater: "Death Valley's roads, facilities, and power and water lines were heavily damaged by flash floods from a series of storms in October. Scotty's Castle, the former home of a wealthy eccentric settler to the cooler, higher northern end of Death Valley, suffered the heaviest damage. 2.72 inches of rain fell in just 5 hours on October 18 when a storm cell stalled over Scotty's Castle, a popular visitor attraction. The extreme rain caused a thousand year flood. The visitor center, which was once Scotty's garage, was filled with 2 feet of mud. The pool, which was never filled, finally has water in it more than a century after it was built. Fortunately, the main home is on higher ground and suffered less damage. However, water and power lines were destroyed and the park services that it will take a year to repair the damage and reopen the castle. The Park Service reported today that 70% of the park's roads are now open and it's the perfect time to see the rebirth of Lake Manly which filled the bottom of Death Valley in the ice ages. During the ice ages the Pacific storm track was pushed south of where it is today by cold Arctic air pushing off of continental glaciers. Heavy rains and snows fell in the mountains surrounding Death Valley. The bottom of Death Valley was much more temperate. It was so cool and wet that a large lake, named Lake Manly, formed. The 'bathtub rings' of Lake Manly can be seen on the rock faces of the slopes around the valley."
A large lake fills the bottom of Death Valley at Badwater.
Lake Manly reappears in Death Valley at Badwater. Lake Manly was a large Pleistocene (ice age) lake
at the bottom of Death Valley. A small lake occasionally reappears after heavy desert rains.
The size of the shallow lake is exceptional now.
2015 - The year extreme weather arrived written by Justin Mikulka: "Like many people I was a bit frightened by the reports of the record strength of Hurricane Patricia as it was approaching Mexico. It seems weather reports are starting to include records on a pretty regular basis. So, after decades of industry funded denial about the realities of climate change, now mother nature is making the case pretty well on her own. Last week I created a short video on some of the recent weather events. And the haboobs of Arizona. Forest fires, droughts, floods, hurricanes and haboobs. [...] When you start too look at how these events are impacting communities around the world the reality of what we are facing starts to sink in. And even so in the week since Patricia, there have been several more extreme weather events. Last week in Austin they set a new record for rainfall and it wasn't even close."
Critters & the Great Outdoors
The Daily Bucket: A Walk At Centennial Park written by Lenny Flank: "Just a few critters seen during an afternoon walk in Nashville's Centennial park."
Red Eared Sliders
Endangered Wildlife Win Washington Election written by
Besame: "Ten endangered animals facing extinction received protection in Washington State yesterday as voters passed Measure I-1401 (70.9 percent to 29.09 percent). Elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, lions, leopards, cheetahs, pangolins, marine turtles, sharks, and rays (and their parts or products) may not be imported, sold, traded or distributed within Washington except for certain exemptions. Violators face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $10,000 fine. Passage of I-1401 closes Tacoma and Seattle ports, which together are the third most trafficked container port in the U.S. Funding from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen earlier in 2015 supported the initiative and the collection of 246,372 signatures needed to place the I-1401 on the 3 November ballot. Conservation groups, wildlife organizations and the Seattle zoo and aquarium endorsed I-1401. A website, Save Animals Facing Extinction, described and promoted the effort."
The Daily Bucket - back roads, in rain and sun written by OceanDiver: "November 1 & 2, 2015. Pacific Northwest. Just back from a quick trip down to the mainland visiting family. We took back roads almost the whole way; we find them more interesting and restful than the freeway. It takes a little longer but not by much and we see more of what's going on in nature. Mr O was driving. I took some incidental pictures through the window as we traveled through the countryside (in motion, hence a certain amount of blurriness and reflection). It was pouring rain on the way down. However I could make out a flock of Snow Geese newly arrived for the winter on the Skagit River flats. These few hundred are the vanguard; in the next weeks many thousands more will settle in to glean in the fields."
Dawn Chorus: Backyard Hummingbirds written by
tgypsy: "Thought I'd share some photos of Anna's Hummingbirds taken in my backyard yesterday. We have a lot more hummers in the new yard than we did in the old one! All Anna's so far but I'm be curious to see who else shows up over the next years."
The Daily Bucket - Outer WA Coast Beaches written by
Milly Watt: "While OceanDiver was paddling the calm waters of the Salish Sea, we were experiencing the wilder ocean along the outer WA coast, on the beaches of the
Olympic National Park. October 20-22, 2015. I made a few discoveries by watching the behavior of birds. [...] I saw this flock of shorebirds hanging out on this rock. I started walking out toward them to get as close as I could for the photo. All of a sudden ... They all turn and run up the rockOdd behavior, I thought. The next thing I knew, I was up to my ankles in water. The birds knew that an especially large wave was coming and would break on the lower parts of the rock. It also came much farther up the beach than all the earlier ones that had convinced me where I was standing was OK. Of course, I was looking at the world through the lens and not seeing the bigger picture of the incoming big wave. Lesson learned: watch the Surfbirds when they run to higher ground!"
Arachnocampa written by
Lillie Garcia: "In the depths of limestone caves of New Zealand settled a colony of fireflies special. They emit a soft blue-green light, enough to illuminate the cave walls. These little creatures called
Arachnocampa luminosa. They kind of fungus gnats. Photographer Joseph Michael captures this breathtaking phenomenon. Gnats are found only in New Zealand and eastern Australia. Australian gnats shone less and are not going to such large-scale colony.
Arachnocampa means 'spider-worm.' Named so because foraging for weaving thin silk thread."
Yellowstone Park: Firehole River Canyon (Photo Diary) written by Ojibwa: "The Firehole River Canyon Drive in Yellowstone National Park starts just south of Madison. This is a beautiful one-way drive along the Firehole River."
Firehole River Canyon in Yellowstone National Park
Energy
Coal, Oil, Gas & Nuclear
Science Communication in the Internet Age: Fukushima's Impact on the Environment written by MarineChemist: "The purpose of this diary is to bring to the attention of readers a story published in a national newspaper in Canada about the response to my public outreach efforts aimed at reporting the results of scientific research into the impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster on the environment. Some of my first forays into public communication on the subject were here, on the DailyKos, motivated by my previous experiences reading fine, scientifically grounded diaries here on various topics (while exercising my guilty pleasure of keeping up on US politics). Much more work is clearly necessary to increase science literacy and better communication from scientists on the panoply of research being conducted is required so that the public understands why and how scientific research is being conducted at present. I'll continue to report the results of the Fukushima monitoring project with which I am involved and new results published in the peer reviewed literature that apply the scientific method to understand human impact on our natural environment."
Merkley and Sanders introduce bill to end new and non-producing oil and gas leases on public lands written by Meteor Blades: "Flanked by Sierra Club president Aaron Mair, tribal rights attorney Tara Zhaabowekwe Houska, and 350.org founder Bill McKibben, Sen. Jeff Merkley and Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced legislation Wednesday to stop issuing leases to extract fossil fuels from on- and off-shore federal lands. Titled the Keep It in the Ground Act, the bill would also terminate all existing federal leases that are not producing. Co-sponsors of the legislation are Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer, Ben Cardin, Kirsten Gillibrand, Patrick Leahy, and Elizabeth Warren. Behind the legislation is a simple message: When the common good depends on our adapting to and ameliorating the impacts of climate change, it makes no sense for public land meant for that common good to continue as a source of the fuels that are driving global warming."
3rd quarter reports from the fracking patch, et al written by rjsigmund: "[O]il prices rose this week while natural gas prices fell, but pricing for the later was complicated by the Wednesday expiration of the contract for November delivery of gas, meaning that as of Wednesday afternoon the quoted price for natural gas was for the higher priced contract for December delivery ... more on that in a second, but oil prices fell from $44.60 a barrel last week to a six week low of $43.20 a barrel by the Tuesday close on news that plans to sell at least 58 million barrels of crude oil from our strategic petroleum reserve, starting in 2018, were included in the budget and debt ceiling deal reached between the white house and congress early Monday. ... the stupidity of announcing an unnecessary oil sale at a loss after prices had fallen 60% notwithstanding, oil prices jumped back up on news of a modest inventory increase on Wednesday, then extended those gains when an industry group reported that oil stocks fell at the Cushing Oklahoma oil hub, and closed the week at $46.59 a barrel, up more than $2 on the week ..."
Renewables & Conservation
Scotland’s planned wind farm will blow away traditional wind farms written by Walter Einenkel: "Scotland will be building the world's largest offshore wind farm. Construction will begin next year. Oil and gas giant Statoil will build a 30MW pilot park consisting of five floating 6MW turbines. The project could eventually generate 135GWh of electricity a year, enough to power nearly 20,000 homes. This wind farm project is called Hywind Scotland. There are technological differences between the Hywind project and conventional offshore wind farms and the hope is that these differences will yield less expensive energy results in the long run. Until then, renewable energy projects such as Hywind will need lots of seed money."
Fracking
Legal challenge ties fracking companies in Oklahoma to state's meteoric increase in earthquakes written by Kerry Eleveld: "In a new approach to challenging fracking, the legal group Public Justice and the Sierra Club on Monday jointly filed a 'notice of intent to sue' four companies that engage in the practice of hydraulic fracturing in Oklahoma: Sandridge Exploration and Production, New Dominion, Chesapeake Operating and Devon Energy Production Company. The notice contends that the waste fluids the companies inject back into the ground is causing a dramatic increase in seismic activity and gives the companies 90 days to adjust their practices. As the chart below shows, prior to 2009, Oklahoma had experienced a record high 167 earthquakes in 1995; last year 5,000 earthquakes were reported, and an even higher rate is projected for 2015."
Denial and Destruction in the Heartland: Taking on Fracking in Oklahoma written by
Paul Bland for Public Justice: "When it comes to environmental problems, Oklahoma’s in denial. The state keeps sending Jim Inhofe—the man who calls climate change a 'fraud,' and says it can be disproven by the ongoing existence of snow – to the U.S. Senate. But the state is suffering through a new, extreme series of events that only the most blind or craven politicians, and their friends in the oil and gas companies, can claim is natural. Oklahoma has endured an enormous upswing in earthquakes of increasing intensity, because of the waste dumped into the ground from fracking and oil production. As the evidence has become more overwhelming, the oil companies have become more insistent that they play no role in this huge change that is taking the state’s historic culture of environmental denial to a whole new level. Until very recently, Oklahoma was a place with very little seismic activity. Prior to 2009, the maximum number of earthquakes in Oklahoma was 167 in a year, and nearly all of those were tiny and hardly noticeable. Once fracking and oil production came to Oklahoma, however, bringing with it the high pressure injection of enormous quantities of waste water into the ground, everything changed. In 2014, there were more than 5,000 earthquakes in Central and Northern Oklahoma. There will be more this year. And the new swarm of earthquakes includes quite a few that are dramatically more powerful than those of the past."
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
Call to suspend Keystone XL review shows pipeline moribund, but Obama should end it officially written by Meteor Blades: "Whatever the president decides, the fight against Keystone XL will be remembered as crucial in building a diverse coalition determined to keep fossil fuels—especially the dirtiest ones—in the ground and the greenhouse gases emitted by their extraction and burning out of the atmosphere. First Nations people of Canada and American Indians in the United States joined with environmental activists, ranchers and other property owners to create an aggressive grassroots eco-movement that will outlive the pipeline fight to push other actions regarding climate change issues."
Breaking - TransCanada blinks, wants to suspend Keystone XL permit written by RLMiller: "This just in, from the Wall Street Journal: "The company behind the Keystone XL pipeline on Monday asked to suspend its U.S. permit application, throwing the politically fraught project into an indefinite state of limbo, beyond the 2016 U.S. elections.' Earlier today at the White House press briefing, spokesperson Josh Earnest stated that a decision would be made on the project before President Obama leaves office, i.e., possibly a year away. Now it seems that TransCanada is blinking in the face of 'an expected rejection by the Obama administration and low oil prices.' A suspension of the permit would allow TransCanada to renew the permit process if a Republican wins the White House in 2017."
TransCanada requests a halt to Administration's review of Keystone XL written by Lefty Coaster: "TransCanada is hoping to find a way to let them avoid having to deal with Nebraska's current eminent domain laws. [...] TransCanada Corp., which until recently repeatedly pressured President Obama to take action on the permit after seven years of delay, cited Nebraska officials’ review of Keystone’s route in asking for the pause from the State Department Monday. The request is almost certain to push the timeline for Keystone’s review past January 2017, when Obama’s term will be over and a new a president will take office. The request follows TransCanada’s move in September to change its method for seeking approval in Nebraska for a process that does not involve using eminent domain and would avoid lengthy and expensive state court battles."
Lies, Damned Lies, and MSNBC written by sninky poo: "War is good on 'Morning Joe,; despite some infrequent tut-tuttings about Iraq. The 'deep thoughts' of the likes of slavering war-monger Tom Cotton are treated with deference. And all of this over-talking, hooting, obsessive political horse race speculation and occasional manly talk about 'NFL foo'-baw' is larded through and through with GOP talking points, misinformation, disinformation, and lies. This morning, it was the aforementioned Joe Manchin who arrived on set to front-load the discussion on the Keystone XL pipeline with the usual half-baked, un-fact-checked assertion that the pipeline will bring '40,000 jobs' to Americans, served up with a side of slack-jawed incredulity that anyone in their right mind would find anything to be of more importance than those HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS. Scarborough, of course, jumped right in, shouting '40,000 jobs! I mean, c’mon!' or words to that effect."
Candidates, DC, State & Local Eco-Politics
Maine Points the Way to Stronger Democracy written by Michael Brune: "Mainers set an example for the rest of the country by passing an accountable elections referendum. The new law does just what it sounds like -- holds politicians accountable to voters instead of wealthy special interests. It strengthens the state's Clean Elections Fund, increases fines and penalties for those who break election laws, and requires that political ads list the top funders who paid for them. Why are reforms like this so important to the Sierra Club? Because a healthy democracy is essential to a healthy environment. Otherwise, wealthy individuals and corporations rooted in polluting industries will continue to flood our political system with big money -- spending unprecedented amounts on campaign contributions to politicians with dismal records on votes for clean energy and climate action. The Sierra Club's Maine Chapter has been at the forefront of this fight for democracy since at least 1996, when Maine voters passed the nation's first clean elections law."
Ted Cruz Says Climate Change Is Not Science. It's Religion - TMFS Sketch Comedy written by Matthew Filipowicz: "In a TMFS Sketch, a spokesperson for Ted Cruz discusses the statement he made on Glenn Beck's show, that 'Climate Change is not science. It's religion.'"
Breaking News: Western States Petroleum Association Spent Record $6.75 Million In Third Quarter written by Dan Bacher: "The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), the largest and most powerful corporate lobbying group in Sacramento, set a new record for lobbying in one quarter when it spent an amazing $6,750,666.60 lobbying state officials in the third quarter of 2015. This spending contrasts with the second quarter of 2015, when the group spent $1,398,403.48 and the first quarter, when the organization spent $1,141,037.53. The money the group spent lobbying from July 1 to October 31, along with the millions spent by Chevron and other companies, enabled the oil industry to gut or defeat every bill in the Legislature that it opposed in the last legislative session."
Big Oil Celebrates Record-Breaking Round of Lavish Lobbying Expenditures to Fuel Dirty Energy written by Dan Bacher: "Oil industry executives clinked glasses and patted each other on the back today, congratulating themselves on the staggering $11 million spent on lobbying efforts in California during the third quarter of 2015. Several executives were overheard praising their own efforts to defeat climate change and clean energy legislation intended to improve public health, reduce dependency on oil, and ensure the preservation of a livable climate for future generations. The $11 million in lobbying expenditures were largely devoted to removing petroleum provisions from SB 350 (De León), and eclipsed the $10 million spent by the industry on the Yes on Prop 23 campaign in 2010, an unsuccessful effort to repeal AB32, California’s landmark climate legislation passed in 2006."
Eco-Action & Eco Justice
Yurok youth river activists travel to Malaysian Borneo to oppose Baram Dam written by Dan Bacher: "In a great example of solidarity between Indigenous Peoples, Klamath Basin delegates returned yesterday from traveling to Borneo, one of the most biologically diverse places left on the planet that is quickly being destroyed through corrupt resource extraction. 'They went to share their stories of the fight for justice, and solidarity along the Klamath River and their commitment to the preservation of indigenous culture,' according to a news release from the Klamath Basin delegation. 'Indigenous people from around the world convened last week in Sarawak a Malaysian State on the island of Borneo to prevent the construction of Baram Dam and assemble a declaration of global solidarity in opposition to dams all over the world including the Klamath River.' The group, comprised of seasoned Un-Dam the Klamath activists, who are mostly from the Yurok, Hoopa, and Karuk tribes, have called themselves 'River Relatives.'"
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
Love the Country? Move Here and Help Save It! written by dyna: "The sun just set over the Buffalo Ridge, and now it's brilliant hues of orange and red playing off the clouds are replaced with darkness, the ridgeline ten miles away marked by the twinkling lights of over a hundred wind turbines. Step outside and you'll likely startle a deer in the incredible quiet, punctuated by a handful of trains a day. I moved to this rural bliss five years ago, leaving behind the hassles and high costs of urban living. For less than the price of putting a basement under my 138 year old city house I found a 1500 square foot very energy efficient earth sheltered home, built in the 1980s so it's all up to code with no asbestos or lead paint to worry about. [...] But this and most rural nirvanas are threatened by giant Confined Animal Feeding Facilities whose size is measured in acres and 'output' is measured in millions of gallons. Between them, the 'get big or get out' mentality of big ag is pressuring farmers to plow under and bulldoze the windbreaks and shelterbelts that have prevented another dust bowl for decades. War is being waged on our wetlands too, as natural wetlands are drained so farmers can lose more money producing $3 a bushel corn so big ag can have a surplus to keep the price of feed for the CAFOs and feedlots down and profits up."
We Are the Solution: African Women Organize for Land and Seed Sovereignty written by Simone Adler and Beverly Bell: "Mariama Sonko is a farmer and organizer in Casamance, Senegal. She is the National Coordinator of We Are the Solution, a campaign for food sovereignty led by rural women in West Africa. From an interview: Traditional, small-holder peasant agriculture is done by women. Women are the ones who save the seeds – the soul of the peasant population. This is to honor what women have inherited from their ancestors: the conservation of seeds as part of their knowledge to care for the whole family and nourish their communities. The green revolution introduced GMOs in Africa. Technicians and researchers come to tell our producers about agriculture from the outside. They tell us that these modern varieties of [GMO] seeds are going to increase our yield. So we will produce a lot, fill up our stores – but soon we will be sick and in the cemeteries. Isn’t it better to grow less, eat well, have good health, live a long life, and pay attention to the generations to come? We reject agriculture that pollutes with chemicals, pesticides, GMOs."
Forbes: Amid Drought, Stewart And Lynda Resnick Are Richer Than Ever written by greendem: "Really amazing story today about how the Billionaire Class in the USA gets pretty much, whatever it wants. Even water, during a drought. For over four years a record-breaking drought has scorched central California with Old Testament cruelty. Drive west of Bakersfield into the heart of the San Joaquin Valley and soon you will be engulfed by sloping brown hills broken up by dusty, slate-colored fields. ... Yet there is an Eden. It’s a little to the west of Lost Hills, off Route 33. Here there are rows upon rows of green–some 70,000 lush acres of water-hungry pistachio and almond trees. Come at the right time of year and you’ll see the almond trees blossoming, covering the valley in a blanket of light pink petals. This land belongs to the billionaire Resnicks, Stewart, 77, and Lynda, 72. It’s the most valuable part of their $4.3 billion fortune. Those crops and the land are worth more than ever before, about $3 billion."
Former McDonald's chicken suppliers plead guilty to animal abuse, get fined $25 written by Walter Einenkel: "The McDonald's chicken farms got a lot of terrible press this year. The founder of Chipotle called the farms the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen in his life. Not good. Alongside that revelation has been the growing field of agricultural undercover videos being shot, exposing true animal cruelties. Conservative lawmakers have been trying to pass Ag-gag laws, laws that criminalize filming these abuses in our food supply chain. They have been relatively successful. The good news is some people have been busted, and sort of punished. After being caught on hidden camera beating chickens with spiked clubs, Thomas and Susan Blassingame pled guilty yesterday to one count each of animal cruelty in the Weakley County, Tennessee General Sessions Court. These convictions follow Mercy For Animals’ undercover investigation at the Blassingames’ T & S Farm in Dukedom, Tennessee. The investigative footage shows the Blassingames beating and stabbing chickens using a spiked club, standing on the birds’ heads and pulling their wings or bodies to break their necks, and throwing live birds into buckets to suffer and slowly die."
Transportation & Infrastructure
Which 3 Senate Democrats Just Voted for Dirty Water? written by Liberty Equality Fraternity and Trees: "Yesterday, the House began voting on amendments for a transportation funding bill, and the final vote is expected to come late tonight (after much more amendment voting). The bill, which the New York Times editorial board condemned earlier today, authorizes funding for transportation projects for six years but provides money for only the first three. And as Congress refuses to raise the gas tax (which has not been raised since 1993), they have resorted to various budgetary gimmicks [...] The bill also contains a number of provisions that would be harmful to transportation safety: it prevents the Department of Transportation from publishing safety ratings of trucking and bus companies, makes it more difficult to raise the minimum insurance requirements for trucks and buses, and lowers the age requirement for driving trucks across state lines from 21 to 19 ½. [...] Paul Gosar (AZ-04) offered an amendment to require the federal government to track the total number, cost, and time required for each environmental review of transportation projects when reporting the status of these projects to the public. This is basically just a way of trying to bog down the environmental review process and give Republicans numbers they can cite in attack ads."
Oceans, Water & Drought
Initiative Threatening Delta Tunnels Qualifies For Nov. 2016 Ballot written by Dan Bacher: "Governor Jerry Brown has done everything he can to prevent his environmentally destructive Delta Tunnels Plan from being approved by a vote by the public, but California voters in the November 2016 election will get a chance to stop the tunnels and other multi-billion dollar government projects from going forward without voter approval if they approve a Constitutional Amendment. The 'No Blank Checks Initiative,' now poised for qualification on the November 8, 2016 Ballot, would force voter approval for public infrastructure bonds amounting to more than $2 billion and requiring new or increased taxes or fees. If the initiative passes, it would prevent the multi-billion dollar 'California Water Fix' Delta Tunnels Plan from being financed without a vote by the public."
California got rain! written by Steven Payne: "The first four minutes of this sweet video tells the tale. Overnight and into this Monday has been magic for much of California. We weren't relieved tonight by anything having to do with El Niño. The storm that brought down this thunder and lightening was born far north of El Niño's reach. I suspect an ignored Sara Palin conjured it up and sent it to the belly of the beast. Those of you not experiencing this monumental drought in California may have forgotten the pure simple joy of watching needed water fall to our earth. Combine that with the even more rare experience of vigorous thunderstorms in the Bay Area and it gets the pulse racing. As the line of storms approached Vallejo, lightning arced across the sky, shaking an unaccustomed house with fury. My fur stood on end and I sat on the back porch watching it all unfold. First came a sustained wind that seriously worried me. I could hear things blowing down the alley. Small hail quickly followed with thunder and lightening shrieking overhead."
Trash, Pollution & Hazardous/Radioactive Waste
Duke Throws in the Tower Towel written by joieau: "After many years' worth of efforts to get Duke Energy to close its coal-belching power plant in Lake Julian, south of Asheville (and clean up its huge coal ash ponds above I-26 and the French Broad River), victory was finally achieved back in May of this year. Today—November 4, 2015—yet another victory for the environment of Western North Carolina was announced. The Lake Julian facility's ash ponds were rated as among the nation's most dangerous and have long been noted for contaminating local groundwater with arsenic, mercury and hexavalent chromium (66% above NC's groundwater standard). Some of the estimated 5-6 million tons of accumulated ash is to be transferred to lined pits as fill at the Asheville Regional Airport under current (portrayed in the press as 'vague') plans, but that will still leave tons of ash in the ponds. The work of environmentalists and groups to force a greater commitment and faster schedule on Duke via the legislature and the courts has been hampered by collusion between state regulators and the company, despite support from the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources."
Miscellany
Famine in America by 2050: 200 Million Will Die: Part Three written by bigjacbigjacbigjac.
Without REGULATION, this is what happens when a (energy) company bails! written by kellyb2: "I'm talking about abandoned wells, mines and other relics whose profitability was sucked dry, left behind and when 'stuff happens' (Don Rumsfeld) it's up to US to fork out the moolah to take care of the problems. And FIXING is never as cheap as PREVENTING. OUR waterways, beaches, lakes and ponds belong to US. It's a fact that we also need energy. Also wood products. Other resources. But when companies go into PUBLIC (or private lands adjoining PUBLIC areas, like waterways) the risk of contamination from business activities is always present. For that reason, we need strong REGULATIONS of those activities to ensure OUR property interests in OUR resources are PROTECTED. Because, until we fix it, we have to live with it! About a century ago, it was wide open, take all or laissez faire exploitation of those resources for individual business profit. You get it, you take, you walk. Examples of consequences of that behavior are literally EVERYWHERE in my state, California. You can't eat the fish in numerous mountain lakes because of mining wastes including mercury and other toxic contaminants. (Coal contributes as well) Our Central Valley is so polluted with exhausts, chemicals and effluents that you can't see more than a few miles on clear winter days. Yet, before all that industry and farming, visibility was HUNDREDS of miles year round. (I can attest to it.)"
If the media reported Sports like they do Climate Change written by CorpFlunky: "NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, said that he also did not watch the game and that more and more people watch basketball now than baseball. Mr Manfred countered that Mr Silver was simply interested in growing his fan base. In a heated argument with this reporter, Mr Manfred became quite animated in expressing his view that the game did in fact take place. You can't just deny that baseball is still very popular and that millions watched the game. That's a fact. People like Mr Silver make more money when people don't know the basic facts about our sport, so of course they're going to tell you they didn't see it. But just because everyone doesn't follow it carefully, doesn't mean that baseball isn't real. You're creating confusion and spreading false controversy about facts instead of doing your job and telling people about what happened at the game.' Mr Manfred's views aside, it's clear that it would require effort to describe what happened at this and other sporting events and that not everyone is interested. So we will continue to cover the controversy about whether or not the World Series or any other sporting events actually occur."