Climate Change – Page 26

Open Thread for December 1, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:32 am Politics

Dec 012021

Yesterday was Giving Tuesday, and also the last day of November, and had I not already known that, I would have deduced it from my email inbox, which was well over 200 by 3:00 pm, and may even have broken 300 by midnoght. Next Tuesday will be a little heavy too, but not like yesterday. It’s only “Colorado Gives” Day.

Cartoon –

Short Takes

Coooks amd Liars (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) – Editorial Calls For Investigation Of Cruz And Hawley
Quote – Hawley and Cruz were the only two senators to object to certification of Joe Biden’s clear victory in the 2020 election results, citing (with zero evidence) supposed concerns about the election’s integrity. That was the same baseless, toxic nonsense then-President Donald Trump had been spewing since before the election. Such talk whipped up the mob of Trump loyalists to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Click through for more. My only criticism of this is that we have really got to stop saying “Trump** loyalists” abd start saying “Trump** cultists.”

New Mexico Poliitical Report – Study: Emergency managers should plan for volcanic eruptions in the southwest
Quote – The type of volcanoes found in the southwest are also different from those of the Pacific Northwest. While scientists monitor Mount Saint Helens and other volcanoes for activity that could signal another eruption, Valentine said the future eruptions in the southwest are unlikely to come from the same spot, or vent, where past eruptions occurred. This makes monitoring for future eruptions a bit more challenging.
Click through for more science. Well, this is interesting. Though not – they say – anything to stress about.

The 19th – What you need to know about the Supreme Court case that could overturn Roe v. Wade
Quote – The court has heard cases on specific types of abortion laws, weighing in on whether different types of restrictions and regulations violate that “undue burden” standard. But this case poses a different kind of question. It’s an outright challenge to the core protections established in 1973. In its legal filings, the state of Mississippi has argued that the court should overturn Roe v. Wade entirely and allow states to individually determine whether abortion remains legal or not.
Click through for history, details, and probability estimates. I hope I don’t need to tell anyone here that this is not just a women’s issue but affects everyone. Many of us are old enough to remember what it was like before Roe.

Food for Thought –

Video Thread 11/26/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:34 am Open Thread, Politics

Nov 262021

Glenn Kirschner – Michael Cohen Tells CNN that New York and Federal Prosecutors are Working Toward Indictments

politicsrus – Insulin

Thom Hartmann – Why Won’t Social Media Stop “Tokyo Roses” From Destroying Our Democracy?

Vox – Why you don’t hear about the ozone layer anymore. How did we manage to not get this dismissed as a hoax? And how can we do it again?

MSNBC – There’s Still Work To Do’ Says Rev. Al Sharpton On Arbery Trial Guilty Verdict

Rocky Mountain Mike – Auto Con-Bot 3000 (not a song. But funny.

Beau – Let’s talk about hot takes, the Christmas parade, and intent….

Video Thread 11/23/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:56 am Open Thread, Politics

Nov 232021

Glenn Kirschner – NY Prosecutors Investigating Yet More Trump Financial Crimes; When Will the Indictments Come?

Courtesy of Politizoom, who refers to her as a “Karen in Training.” I don’t think she needs any training.

Video shows a #student hitting #teacher and throwing a phone towards her way, this happened at Castleberry High School in #FortWorth pic.twitter.com/De0MVKTgUJ

— SmashDaTopic (@SmashDaTopic) November 19, 2021

Now This News – It only took him TWO DAYS to collect all those bottles! That should scare people.

politicsrus – Beto 1 (I hope that means there will be more.)

Really American – Republicans Want National Holiday For RittenHouse

Smartest Stray Cat Follows Woman Home

Beau – Let’s talk about Birmingham, Biden, and deception….

Video Thread 11/13/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:51 am Open Thread, Politics

Nov 132021

Glenn Kirschner – Insurrection Defendant Gets 41 Months in Prison. But What of the Cases that are Set for Trial?

Thom Hartmann – Why Is The Judge Hiding Rittenhouse’s Ties To White Supremacy? (Shades of Zimmerman)

Rebel HQ – Crooked Judge In Kyle Rittenhouse Trial EXPOSED

PBS – Amanpour & Co – Chase and Takota Iron Eyes. Yes, this is almost 20 minutes.

RepresentUs – Limp Democracy

Cracked – If Dating Apps Were Honest

Beau – Let’s talk about a message from a small government conservative…. [This is the video which contains Beau’s method for predicting what Republicans will do.]

Open Thread for November 13, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:38 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 132021

Yesterday, I mostly got ready for today’s drive. I also tried to collect a little extra news and videos, so Saturday’s posts may be a trifle dated. Also yesterday, Steve Bannon was indicted by the DOJ on 2 counts of Contempt of Congress – one for not providing documents, and one for not providing testimony

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Mother Jones – The Furriest, Cleverest, and Hands-Down Cutest Way to Fight Climate Change
Quote – But it’s tricky to quantify exactly how much carbon a healthy kelp forest gobbles up. A redwood tree, for instance, grows to be massive over hundreds of years, locking away lots of carbon over long timescales. (Unless it catches on fire, in which case the carbon goes back into the atmosphere.) Things are more in flux underwater. All manner of critters, including sea urchins, are nibbling on kelp—and pooping out the carbon. Plus, the churning sea breaks off bits of the forest, which fall to the seafloor and decompose, releasing stored carbon. So a kelp forest constantly decays and grows back, sequestering and releasing carbon all the while.
Click through for story. So long I have been screaming into the wind that messing with nature when we don’t know what function everything serves is simply suicidal. This explains a lot. Just don’t get dizzy from all the twists and turns.

Kansas School District Bans Pulitzer Prize-winning Books
Quote – It’s not just Kansas. In Virginia, one school district is hard at work removing “sexual content” from their libraries. Two board members, Courtland representative Rabih Abuismail and Livingston representative Kirk Twigg, said they would like to see the removed books burned. “I think we should throw those books in a fire,” Abuismail said, and Twigg said he wants to “see the books before we burn them so we can identify within our community that we are eradicating this bad stuff.”
Click through for story, including a list to a list of 29 books from Kansas.

GOP leaders say little to condemn violent political rhetoric
Quote – The GOP’s reluctance to crack down on — or even mildly criticize — violent rhetoric in its own ranks is part of a broader pattern in which the party tries to minimize such behavior. Gosar removed the tweet aimed at Ocasio-Cortez, but the Arizona congressman and his digital director said those offended by his tweet should “relax.” Trump, meanwhile, has attempted to divert attention from the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol by saying that last year’s Election Day was the “real insurrection.” There was no insurrection on Election Day. There was a free and fair election won by Biden.
Click through for examples. GOP condoning violence? By GOPs? Surprise, surprise!

Food for Thought –

As Seen from Afar 11/12/2021

Posted by Lona Goudswaard at 5:53 pm Politics

Nov 122021

COP26 Day 12 | It’s finally crunch time

Euronews Green delivers a Special COP26 email to my mailbox every day during the two weeks it is running (01-12 November 2021). I’ll publish it in its entirety for those who are interested. This is the ninth in the series.

Today’s takeaway

COP26 was due to wrap at 7pm CET today but there is still no white smoke for a final agreement as this newsletter goes to publication. If the almost 200 countries involved in the talks are unable to strike a deal this evening, it is likely COP26 will go into overtime.

A new draft decision published early this morning appeared to water down the language from the previous text calling to end all use of coal and phase out fossil fuel subsidies completely. While the change has sparked criticism from climate activists, some conceded that the draft text at least had the merit of retaining a mention to fossil fuels for the first time in decades of UN climate talks.

The draft cover deal has also retained a core request for countries to set more ambitious climate targets next year. But this request appears to use weaker language than the previous draft, saying the upgraded pledges should take into account “different national circumstances.”

On the positive side, many observers find the new text stronger on climate finance. “We’ve moved from richer nations largely ignoring the pleas of developing countries for promised finance to tackle climate change, to the start of recognition that their calls should be met,” said Greenpeace chief Jennifer Morgan.

“A small number of key issues remain which require our urgent collective attention,” said COP26 chairman Alok Sharma this afternoon as he urged “a final injection of can-do spirit” to deliver on an ambitious climate deal.

Looking ahead, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates will host the next COPs in 2022 and 2023 respectively, following announcements in Glasgow yesterday. An Egyptian official said the North African country would hold the next climate talks “on behalf of Africa.”

In case you weren’t able to follow along on Thursday, here are five key takeaways from Day 11.

At a glance

Latest draft of COP26 deal ‘waters down’ language on ending coal use

The change in wording suggests a shift away from unconditional demands that some fossil fuel exporting nations have objected to.
Read more

What is ecocide and why is it so important that we enshrine it into law?

Ecocide can literally be translated as “home-kill,” making clear its violence and absurdity. It refers to the destruction humans knowingly do to the environment, from deforestation to ocean plastic pollution. So why is it legal?
Read more

Meet the filmmaker who swapped a London flat for an off-grid boat

In the third episode of Euronews Green’s new video series Low Impact Living, we speak with adventurer and filmmaker James Levelle about being a ‘river nomad’.
Read more

Social exclusive

As Seen from Afar 11/11/2021

Posted by Lona Goudswaard at 4:27 pm Politics

Nov 112021

COP26 Day 11 | ‘Not there yet’

Today’s takeaway

Waves of tentative optimism were sweeping through COP26 today after the US and China announced a bilateral deal to redouble their climate efforts.

The joint statement issued by Washington and Beijing called for “enhanced climate action in the 2020s”, including a new, stronger emission cuts target in 2025 and a pledge by China to follow the US lead in slashing methane emissions.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and others hailed it as “an important step in the right direction.” But some analysts thought the deal “lacked meat” on concrete commitments besides those on methane.

Whether or not this spirit of cooperation will be reflected in the final agreement of COP26 is another story. Difficult negotiations involving almost 200 countries continued in Glasgow after a draft cover deal was released yesterday.

“We’re not there yet. There is still much more work to be done,” said COP26 chairman Alok Sharma as he briefed delegates on the progress of the talks, urging another “gear shift” in the final hours of the summit.

The UK presidency said it planned on publishing the next draft of the cover deal overnight, with a new meeting of ministers planned for tomorrow morning.

COP26 is due to end on Friday evening, but an extension has not been ruled out.

In other news, Denmark and Costa Rica launched an ambitious alliance today to phase out coal and gas. Six full members, France, Greenland, Ireland, Quebec, Sweden and Wales also joined the group known as the ‘Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance‘.

Campaigners hailed the move as a “turning point” while urging more countries to join.

“The creation of this alliance puts to shame claims of climate leadership among countries like the United Kingdom, Norway, the United States, and Canada, all of which have yet to answer this simple question: Where is your plan to stop producing the fossil fuels that are driving the climate crisis?” asked Romain Ioualalen of Oil Change International.

In case you weren’t able to follow along on Wednesday, here are five takeaways from Day 10.

Some additional bad and good news

Deforestation in Australia: a wanton assault on wildlife – in pictures

More than 100 nations including Australia have signed up to stop or reverse deforestation by 2030. The pact, hailed as one of the main achievements of COP26, put the spotlight on an issue that combines carbon emissions and threatened species. These images reveal some of the shocking impacts of deforestation.

(From: The Canopy, Greenpeace Australia Pacific)

At a glance

Major European countries pledge to phase out oil and gas

A “first of its kind” alliance of governments has committed to phasing out the production of oil and gas. Led by Costa Rica and Denmark, the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) saw six members join.
Read more

Local councils trusted more than world leaders on climate, poll finds

British people trust local councils more than the government when it comes to taking action on climate change, a new survey has revealed.
Read more

Frustrated doctor diagnoses woman with ‘climate change’ in world first

A Canadian woman has become the first patient in the world to be diagnosed as suffering from ‘climate change’, after she developed breathing difficulties following a historic heatwave. But what are her symptoms?
Read more