Canada's Tar Sands surrounded by ring of mercury-contaminated land and water

Endangered Species Act Turns 40 Facing Environmental And Political Dangers

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/12/28/3106221/endangered-species-act-turns-40/
"Since then the ESA has been credited with saving a number of species from the brink of extinction, including the bald eagle, the American alligator, the grizzly bear and the prairie dog. The act has prevented the extinction of 99 percent of the more than 2,140 species it currently protects."

Earthquakes Rattle Fukushima Region Once More | Common Dreams

Earthquakes Rattle Fukushima Region Once More | Common Dreams
"Once again revealing its perilous geographic location, a pair of earthquakes shook the ground near the damaged nuclear power plant at Fukushima on Tuesday."

Burning cows: Extreme weather and America’s perilous food supply

Burning cows: Extreme weather and America’s perilous food supply
"The United States leads the world in staples like corn, beef and soybeans. Because the vast majority of these US foodstuffs are produced in the heartland, changes to climate here can affect dinner tables around the world."

New Greenhouse Gas Proves More Powerful Than CO2

New Greenhouse Gas Proves More Powerful Than CO2
"The newly discovered gas, perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA), has been in use by the electrical industry since the mid-20th century."

What The Hell Is Happening At Fukushima Reactor 3?

What The Hell Is Happening At Fukushima Reactor 3?
"We know that TEPCO has lied all along, and I don't think our own government is going to tell us even if something is going on (under the law, they have the authority to lie to us in order to prevent panic that would affect the food supply). So it's not unreasonable to assume that whatever's going on, it's usually a lot worse than what the Powers That Be will admit.
Because when corporate interests have become synonymous with those of a nation's government, the safety of the citizens is way down on the priority list."

Neurotoxic "Bull's-Eye" Surrounds Canadian Tar Sands: Scientists | Common Dreams

Neurotoxic "Bull's-Eye" Surrounds Canadian Tar Sands: Scientists | Common Dreams
"Levels of mercury in a vast area surrounding the controversial Alberta tar sands oil fields are on the rise and have reached levels up to 16 times higher than 'background' levels—a toxic side effect of the extraction process—according to a group of Canadian governmental scientists."

Climate change by the numbers: The worst is yet to come

Climate change by the numbers: The worst is yet to come
"Only in the future, looking back, will we be able to recognize the true significance of many of this year’s big numbers"

Booming Solar Energy Halted by Hawaii Utility Because Sun Produces Too Much Power!

Booming Solar Energy Halted by Hawaii Utility Because Sun Produces Too Much Power!
"Now, a nation that cannot invest in fixing its electrical grid -- if you believe the utility company excuse for basically shutting down solar expansion in Hawaii -- is a nation that is not the greatest on earth, but one doomed to failure while its energy policy is dictated by the profiteering, environmentally toxic fossil fuel industry and utility companies."

Coal Trains Run into Stiff Resistance in U.S. | Common Dreams

Coal Trains Run into Stiff Resistance in U.S. | Common Dreams
"Citizens and activists in the U.S. Pacific Northwest are fighting three different proposed coal terminals, including one in Oregon and two in Washington."

The National Memo » America’s Greediest: The Koch Brothers, The ‘Libertarians’ Who Hate The Free Market

The National Memo » America’s Greediest: The Koch Brothers, The ‘Libertarians’ Who Hate The Free Market
"While the Kochs insist that their goal is freedom, their agenda seems entirely based on policies that increase economic inequality and make it easy for carbon polluters like Koch Industries to continue their unfettered domination of energy markets.
Perhaps the best example of the Kochs’ hypocrisy comes in their war on solar power.
While the Kochs spent millions to try to put politicians in office who have vowed to never raise taxes on the rich or anyone, the billionaires are aiding efforts to “tax the sun” in an effort to squash the nascent solar industry."

Record Radiation: Handling of Fukushima cleanup is 'comedy of errors'

Scientists Link Spike in Thyroid Disease to Fukushima Disaster

Millions in Dark Money Funding Climate Change Denial: Report | Common Dreams

Millions in Dark Money Funding Climate Change Denial: Report | Common Dreams
"The expansive misinformation campaign behind climate change denial is increasingly being funded in the dark, reveals a new report published Friday in the journal Climatic Change
According to the study titled "Institutionalizing Delay: foundation funding and the creation of U.S. climate change counter-movement organizations," while the largest and most consistent funders of climate change denial are a number of well-known conservative foundations and industry groups, the majority of donations come from "dark money," or concealed funding."

Harvey Wasserman Wants You to Know the Truth About Fukushima

Harvey Wasserman Wants You to Know the Truth About Fukushima
"At Fukushima Unit 4, the impending removal of hugely radioactive spent fuel rods from a pool 100 feet in the air presents unparalleled scientific and engineering challenges."

Study Shows Gulf Oil Spill Linked to Dolphin Disease and Death | Common Dreams

Study Shows Gulf Oil Spill Linked to Dolphin Disease and Death | Common Dreams
"In the year following the massive BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, dolphins in the area developed severe lung disease, hormonal abnormalities and other deadly health problems that are likely linked to the toxic oil contamination, according to a report published Wednesday."

Let the Sun Shine In: The Rightwing Attack on Our Solar Future | Common Dreams

Let the Sun Shine In: The Rightwing Attack on Our Solar Future | Common Dreams
"According to the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative network better known as ALEC, our solar panels make us “free riders.” What?
 Yes, according to ALEC, an organization that specializes in getting the right-wing agenda written into state laws, people like me who invest in energy-efficiency and shrinking our carbon footprints ought to be penalized.
 Why does ALEC want us punished? Since it’s bankrolled by, among others, the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, it’s hard not to surmise that they’re worried about a threat to fossil fuels businesses. Koch Industries’ operations include refineries, oil and natural gas pipelines, and petrochemicals"

'Face of Resistance in Northwest' Blockades Tar Sands 'Megaload' | Common Dreams

'Face of Resistance in Northwest' Blockades Tar Sands 'Megaload' | Common Dreams
""The face of tar sands resistance in the Northwest" appeared again on Monday when 16 people were arrested in Oregon after blockading a "megaload" of equipment on its way to the Athabasca oil fields in Alberta, Canada."

Study: Chemicals Linked to Cancer, Birth Defects in Water Near Fracking Hotspots | Common Dreams

Study: Chemicals Linked to Cancer, Birth Defects in Water Near Fracking Hotspots | Common Dreams
"The controversial oil and gas extraction process known as "fracking" employs dangerous chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, and infertility that then contaminate ground and surface water and may expose populations near sites to direct health risks."

U.S. Will Top Germany In Solar Installation For The First Time In 15 Years

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/12/10/3042001/us-solar-record-installation/
"By the end of the year, more than 400,000 solar projects will be operating across the U.S. and installations will have grown 27 percent over 2012, with a 52 percent growth rate in the residential sector alone, according to GTM’s forecast."

The Koch Brothers Are Still Trying to Break Wind | Common Dreams

The Koch Brothers Are Still Trying to Break Wind | Common Dreams
"The Koch network is fighting the wind industry on a number of fronts."

Secretive Right-Wing Group Continues Its War On Clean Energy

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/12/05/3022271/alec-solar-clean-energy-freeriders/
"The next day, the paper explained how ALEC “is mobilizing to penalize homeowners who install their own solar panels — casting them as “freeriders” — in a sweeping new offensive against renewable energy”."

Exposed: The Right Wing's National Plan To Crush Green Energy | Common Dreams

Exposed: The Right Wing's National Plan To Crush Green Energy | Common Dreams
"The American Legislative Exchange Council's war on green protections is poised to expand over the next year, taking aim at the Environmental Protection Agency, state regulations, and even solar panels installed in individual homes."

Humanity Wholly Unprepared for Abrupt Climate Impacts, Warns Report | Common Dreams

Humanity Wholly Unprepared for Abrupt Climate Impacts, Warns Report | Common Dreams
"Hang on. Get Ready.
Those are at least two of the takeaways from a new report released by scientists in the National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday which says the sudden impacts of climate change this century and beyond are inevitable but warn that far too little has been done to prepare for them."

Thanks for killing the planet, boomers!

Thanks for killing the planet, boomers!
"Unfortunately, the world as we know it is ending, and no one can reasonably hope to avoid the constellation of catastrophic, ecological and social disasters that are all but certain to manifest, exacerbating one another’s horrific, deadly consequences. And yet our politicians can’t be bothered to care, a substantial portion of Americans aren’t convinced that it’s even happening (despite overwhelming, unimpeachable evidence to the contrary), and the enormity of the issue is downplayed basically everywhere outside the bounds of the largely-ghettoized “environmental/green reporting,” uniformly marginalized and dismissed by the mainstream press."

TEPCO Downplays Huge Risks Involved in Removing Fukushima Fuel Rods

TEPCO Downplays Huge Risks Involved in Removing Fukushima Fuel Rods
"Arnie Gunderson: Agencies overseeing cleanup like the IAEA are biased towards defending and promoting nuclear power."

The Extraction Backlash — How Fossil Fuel Companies Are Aiding Their Own Demise | Common Dreams

The Extraction Backlash — How Fossil Fuel Companies Are Aiding Their Own Demise | Common Dreams
"Longview, which sits on the bank of the Columbia River, retains some of its original industrial feel. It might not be the first place you’d look for a thriving center of climate activism, but that’s just what it has become in recent years."

Where Are All the Butterflies? | Common Dreams

Where Are All the Butterflies? | Common Dreams
"The monarch butterfly is in trouble."

Report: Methane Emissions 50 Percent Higher Than EPA Estimates

Report: Methane Emissions 50 Percent Higher Than EPA Estimates
"Methane gas emission in the U.S. is millions of tons higher than the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) estimates, according to a new study conducted by scientists at Harvard University and seven other institutions, was published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science."

The 'Ticking Time Bomb' That Could Cause Such Rapid Global Warming We'd Be Unable to Prevent Extinction | Alternet

The 'Ticking Time Bomb' That Could Cause Such Rapid Global Warming We'd Be Unable to Prevent Extinction | Alternet
"Our planet has experienced five major extinctions over the past billion or so years -- do we really want to launch an irreversible 6th?"

Darwin's Frogs Are Dead or Dying | Common Dreams

Darwin's Frogs Are Dead or Dying | Common Dreams
"In sorrowful confirmation of his central tenet that "species are not immutable," a species of frog named after Charles Darwin is rapidly dying off, victims of a fungal disease and, yes, habitat destruction."

World's First Climate Refugee Rebuffed by New Zealand | Common Dreams

World's First Climate Refugee Rebuffed by New Zealand | Common Dreams
"A man from the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, 37-year-old Ioane Teitiota, has been refused his bid to attain legal asylum status as one of the world's first climate refugees after a judge in New Zealand on Tuesday rebuffed his appeal."

Naming Names: The 90 Companies Destroying Our Planet | Common Dreams

Naming Names: The 90 Companies Destroying Our Planet | Common Dreams
"Narrow it down to the real power-brokers and decision-makers—the CEO's of fossil fuel companies or the energy ministers from the largest petro-states—says climate researcher Richard Heede, and the actual individuals most responsible for the political world's continued refusal to address the planetary crisis of climate change "could all fit on a Greyhound bus or two"."

Dump It in the Ocean: TEPCO's Plan for Radioactive Fukushima Water | Common Dreams

Dump It in the Ocean: TEPCO's Plan for Radioactive Fukushima Water | Common Dreams
"A nuclear expert helping with the clean-up at the crisis-stricken Fukushima plant has joined a chorus of voices saying that all the accumulating radioactive waste water must eventually be dumped into the ocean.

Speaking with Australia's ABC, Dale Klein, former head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and current head of the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee hired by plant operator TEPCO, described the situation at the plant as "challenging"."

How Palm Oil in Everything From Food to Fuel Is Killing Orangutans and Exacerbating Climate Change | Alternet

How Palm Oil in Everything From Food to Fuel Is Killing Orangutans and Exacerbating Climate Change | Alternet
"Palm oil. It’s the ubiquitous additive in everything from soaps and lotions to cookies and diet foods. It’s found in junk food like Cheez-Its, Tootsie Rolls, and M&Ms, but it’s also found in the products of more ecologically conscious companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Nature’s Way, and Toms of Maine. According to Rainforest Action Network (RAN), palm oil can be found inalmost half of the products found in grocery stores. The US consumes most of its 1.2 million metric tons of palm oil per year through these products."

'This Is Nuts': Poland Announces 'Radical Acceleration' of Gas Fracking at UN Climate Summit | Common Dreams

'This Is Nuts': Poland Announces 'Radical Acceleration' of Gas Fracking at UN Climate Summit | Common Dreams
"Poland is turning out to be a host of ill-repute when it comes to seriously addressing the crisis of fossil fuel-driven global warming."

"Chernobyl Was Transparent Compared to Fukushima": Harvey Wasserman on Ongoing Crisis

"Chernobyl Was Transparent Compared to Fukushima": Harvey Wasserman on Ongoing Crisis
"The operators of Japan's devastated Fukushima nuclear plant have announced plans to remove 400 tons of highly irradiated spent fuel from the site, in an unprecedented operation that began Monday November 18. Nuclear researcher Harvey Wasserman believes that the highly risky procedure, in fact, the entire plant needs to be taken out of the hands of the operators- Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO)."

Women Lead the Way in Sustainable and Organic Agriculture

Women Lead the Way in Sustainable and Organic Agriculture
"According to the US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, the number of women-operated farms more than doubled in the 25 years between 1982 and 2007. In fact, female farmers now make up the fastest-growing sector of the country's changing agricultural landscape and nearly 1 million women - approximately one-third of total domestic farmers - list farming as their primary occupation. The National Women in Agriculture Association calls it "breaking the grass ceiling." It's that and more."

Prozac, Arsenic and Beer in Your Turkey? 9 Creepy Things To Know About Your Holiday Meal | Alternet

Prozac, Arsenic and Beer in Your Turkey? 9 Creepy Things To Know About Your Holiday Meal | Alternet
"The extreme production methods used to deliver plump turkeys in time for Thanksgiving are enough to make you lose your appetite."

Watch the World's Forests Disappear on Google Earth

www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2013/11/watch-mapping-deforestation-google-earth
"The result, published today in Science, is a stunning series of time-lapse maps, along with aninteractive mapping tool, that reveal the Earth lost about 888,000 square miles of forest between 2000 and 2012, roughly the area of the US east of the Mississippi River."

Climate deniers can’t deny new record storms

Fears Confirmed: Offshore Fracking a Toxic Mess | Common Dreams

Fears Confirmed: Offshore Fracking a Toxic Mess | Common Dreams
"Offshore hydraulic fracturing operations off the coast of California use highly toxic chemicals that are often released directly into water along the state's coast, the Center for Biological Diversity revealed today, calling on the state's Coastal Commission to halt fracking for oil and gas in state waters."

CO2 Emissions Causing 'Unprecedented' Ocean Acidification | Common Dreams

CO2 Emissions Causing 'Unprecedented' Ocean Acidification | Common Dreams
"The rate at which the world's oceans are acidifying is "unprecedented," scientists warn in anew report."

Fossil Fuel Corporations Dominating the UN Climate Change Conference

Seventy-Seven Percent Of The Republicans At Today’s Climate Hearing Are Climate Deniers

Seventy-Seven Percent Of The Republicans At Today’s Climate Hearing Are Climate Deniers: Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy will testify before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. 17 out of 22 Republican members of the committee are climate deniers and they plan on grilling McCarthy on the EPA's transparency and accountability.

Tesla Is Planning To Make An Electric Pickup Truck

Tesla Is Planning To Make An Electric Pickup Truck: CEO Elon Musk had tweeted about the idea of an electric pickup while on medication post-surgery.

Most People In Red States Are Not Climate Deniers, New Study Says

Most People In Red States Are Not Climate Deniers, New Study Says: Even Americans from the reddest of the red states overwhelmingly believe that climate change is happening, but sixteen states are doing absolutely nothing to prepare for it, according to two studies released this week.

The Climate Campaigner On The Senate Floor: Sheldon Whitehouse’s 50 Climate Speeches In 50 Weeks

The Climate Campaigner On The Senate Floor: Sheldon Whitehouse’s 50 Climate Speeches In 50 Weeks: Senator Whitehouse: "It’s one thing to be against science; it’s another to be the party against measurement. So the polluters and front groups don’t talk much about the oceans. But that doesn't change the fact. This is real. And it is past denying."

Following the Flow of Pollutants: Transport and Mixing in the Surf Zone

On Hotter Planet, Expect More Weather Extremes, say Reports | Common Dreams

On Hotter Planet, Expect More Weather Extremes, say Reports | Common Dreams
"While ice caps continue to melt and sea levels creep higher, low-lying coastal regions such as those devastated over the weekend by Super Typhoon Haiyan, are ever more susceptible to disaster"

World Scorns Australian Government For Abandoning Climate Agenda And Cutting Funds For Renewables

World Scorns Australian Government For Abandoning Climate Agenda And Cutting Funds For Renewables: The Conservative Australian Government has slashed renewable energy funding in its latest move to dismantle domestic climate change efforts. It also received negative international attention for lackluster action at the UN climate talks.

Climate Deniers Must Pay $90,000 For ‘Not Acting Reasonably,’ Court Rules

Climate Deniers Must Pay $90,000 For ‘Not Acting Reasonably,’ Court Rules: A New Zealand group dedicated to downplaying the existence of climate change has been ordered to pay $80,000 in costs for bringing a “faulty” lawsuit that had sought to invalidate data that proved the country’s temperatures were on the rise.

2013 On Track to Be One of the Hottest Years Ever | Alternet

2013 On Track to Be One of the Hottest Years Ever | Alternet
"This year is on track to be one of the hottest since record keeping began, according to a report released Wednesday by the World Meteorological Association (WMO)."

'Trust Us': World's Most Perilous Nuclear Operation Set To Begin | Common Dreams

'Trust Us': World's Most Perilous Nuclear Operation Set To Begin | Common Dreams
"the operation to remove the fuel rods from Reactor 4 has nuclear experts sounding every alarm bell they can find in order to draw attention to the potentially devastating results if something goes wrong with the effort."

Climate Change Is Messing With Rainfall Across The Entire Planet

Climate Change Is Messing With Rainfall Across The Entire Planet: A new study finds that climate change is pushing rainfall patterns towards the poles, making wet areas wetter and dry areas dryer, as predicted by climate models.

Pennsylvania Looks To Double Its Renewable Energy Standard, For Real This Time

Pennsylvania Looks To Double Its Renewable Energy Standard, For Real This Time: The state legislature will consider bills that would require electric companies to obtain 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2023. Currently, the standard requires just 8 percent by 2020.

Amidst Major Solar Battle, Arizona’s Largest Utility Quietly Renews ALEC Membership

Amidst Major Solar Battle, Arizona’s Largest Utility Quietly Renews ALEC Membership: As hearings begin to determine the fate of Arizona's booming solar industry, Arizona Public Service, the state's largest utility, quietly renewed its membership in the corporate anti-clean energy group.

Can Supertyphoons Convince the Kochs to Stop Opposing US Carbon Controls? | Alternet

Can Supertyphoons Convince the Kochs to Stop Opposing US Carbon Controls? | Alternet
"Extreme weather and the extremist billionaires who back it."

THE FUKUSHIMA CRISIS COMES TO THE STATES

www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/fukushima-radiation-arrives-in-alaska-111213
"The catastrophe at the Fukushima nuclear power plant -- aka Yesterday's Tragedy -- appears to be ongoing, and Alaska now has become part of the story."

Read more: Fukushima Radiation Arrives In Alaska - The Fukushima Crisis Comes To The States - Esquire 
Follow us: @Esquiremag on Twitter | Esquire on Facebook 
Visit us at Esquire.com

TransCanada Has Already Had To Fix 125 Dents And Sags In Southern Keystone Pipeline

TransCanada Has Already Had To Fix 125 Dents And Sags In Southern Keystone Pipeline: Synthetic crude oil hasn't yet entered the southern segment of the Keystone XL pipeline, but a report released Tuesday by non-profit consumer rights group Public Citizen says the pipes are already bending, sagging and peeling to the point of a possible spill or leakage of toxic tar sands.

Ex-Prime Minister: Creating Nuclear-Free Japan Would Be 'Magnificent, Fantastic' | Common Dreams

Ex-Prime Minister: Creating Nuclear-Free Japan Would Be 'Magnificent, Fantastic' | Common Dreams
"Sitting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should follow the lead of the Japanese people by immediately abandoning nuclear power in the country, closing the existing plants and switching to safer and cleaner renewable energy options, urged two of Japan's former prime ministers on Tuesday."

Just Eat It: Big Money Spends Millions to Convince Washington It's None of Our Business What We Put In Our Mouths | Common Dreams

Just Eat It: Big Money Spends Millions to Convince Washington It's None of Our Business What We Put In Our Mouths | Common Dreams
"food, biotech and agribusiness giants barraged voters with ads and mailers to convince them labelling would raise prices and overwhelm their wee brains with too much information about what it is they're putting in their and their children's bodies"

National Geographic Maps Our Coastline After We Melt All Earth’s Ice, Raising Seas Over 200 Feet

National Geographic Maps Our Coastline After We Melt All Earth’s Ice, Raising Seas Over 200 Feet: The best science suggests that on our current CO2 emissions path, by 2100 we could well pass the tipping point that would make 200+ feet of sea level rise all but unstoppable -- though it would certainly take a long time after 2100 for the full melt-out to actually occur.

Stop Being 'Reasonable' With These Global Warming Enablers

Stop Being 'Reasonable' With These Global Warming Enablers
"First of all, let's get the terms straight. They're not climate change "deniers". They're climate change enablers.And I don't care if they're sincerely misinformed Christianists, Teabaggers, plutocrats or just stupid. Stop treating them as if they might have a point. They don't."

Yes, Typhoon Haiyan Was Caused by Climate Change | The Nation

Yes, Typhoon Haiyan Was Caused by Climate Change | The Nation
"It seems these days that whenever Mother Nature wants to send an urgent message to humankind, it sends it via the Philippines. This year the messenger was Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Yolanda."

The Untold Story Of The Dangerous New Experiment Coal Companies Want To Bring To America

The Untold Story Of The Dangerous New Experiment Coal Companies Want To Bring To America: On Nov. 14, the Wyoming Environmental Quality Council will review Linc Energy’s application for a “state research and development” license to drill thousands of feet into Wyoming’s portion of the Powder River Basin.

California Headed For Driest Year On Record

California Headed For Driest Year On Record: San Francisco received no rain in October and only 3.95 inches of precipitation since January.

We Have the Renewable Energy We Need to Power the World—So What's Stopping Us? | Alternet

We Have the Renewable Energy We Need to Power the World—So What's Stopping Us? | Alternet
"The environment is one bad news story after another. The Pacific Ocean is warming at a rate faster than anything seen in the last 10,000 years and we may have the warmest Arctic in the last 120,000 years. We’re told to brace for more and worse droughts, floods, heat waves, and storms. Coastal communities may disappear from rising seas, entire island nations are going under. If that all weren’t bad enough, there is a global wine shortage.

The bright side is that we aren’t being blindsided by an unknown enemy: Our relentless burning of fossil fuels is the big thing pushing us toward the brink."

New Apple Plant Will Run Entirely On Clean Energy

New Apple Plant Will Run Entirely On Clean Energy: The tech giant's new facility in Arizona will bring a manufacturing boost to the state, creating 2,000 jobs, all without requiring additional energy from Mesa.

Expert: Typhoon Haiyan 'Off the Scale'

Expert: Typhoon Haiyan 'Off the Scale'
"Hugh Willoughby, professor of meteorology at Florida International University, says Typhoon Haiyan, which slammed the Philippines, is so powerful that instruments can't measure it's force. (Nov. 8)"

In Unprecedented Move, Spent Fuel Rods To Be Removed from Fukushima Reactors - Extended

The 10 Most Toxic Cities in the World | Alternet

The 10 Most Toxic Cities in the World | Alternet
"Toxic pollution can cause serious damage to human health. It’s a known cause of cancer, cognitive impairment, organ damage, and respiratory problems."

Tepco Strives for Milestone at Fukushima With Fuel Removal

www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-08/fukushima-chief-confident-spent-fuel-rods-can-be-removed-safely.html
"“The thing that keeps me up late at night is that they’re getting ready to unload the spent fuel in unit 4,” said Friedlander, who spent 13 years operating U.S. nuclear plants"

How A Modest, $12,000 Electric Car Could Be The Future Of The U.S. Urban Market

How A Modest, $12,000 Electric Car Could Be The Future Of The U.S. Urban Market: EcoV's new, cheap, low speed electric vehicles may not sound sexy, but they're well-suited to urban commutes and urban delivery fleets.

Fukushima: In-depth look at potential fallout

www.abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/world_news&id=9317789
"Nuclear Engineer Dr. Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, confirmed that ocean currents are carrying the radioactive water to the West Coast."

Exposed: Canadian Oil Industry's War Against Carbon Curbs | Common Dreams

Exposed: Canadian Oil Industry's War Against Carbon Curbs | Common Dreams
"Internal documents exposed publicly Friday have pulled back the curtain on the Canadian oil industry's war against carbon-curbing regulations in a bid to protect its profit margin over the planet."

Texas Homeowner Battles $3 Million Defamation Lawsuit For Exposing Fracking Company’s Pollution

Texas Homeowner Battles $3 Million Defamation Lawsuit For Exposing Fracking Company’s Pollution: Steve Lipsky, a Texas conservative homeowner, has found himself at the center of a $3 million lawsuit for defamation from an oil and gas company.

ALEC Forges New Bills for its Polluting Company Members

ALEC Forges New Bills for its Polluting Company Members
"Now, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is working on new model laws to protect its polluting member companies that participate in ALEC’s Energy, Environment and Agriculture task force (EEA)."

World Headed for a High-Speed Carbon Crash | Common Dreams

World Headed for a High-Speed Carbon Crash | Common Dreams
"If global carbon emissions continue to rise at their current rate, humanity will eventually be left with no other option than a costly, world war-like mobilisation, scientists warned this week."

Monsanto Calls Out the Dogs in St. Louis: New Anger, Old Crimes Point to Reparations

Monsanto Calls Out the Dogs in St. Louis: New Anger, Old Crimes Point to Reparations
"The struggle against Monsanto is intensifying as a new awareness emerges that it must make up for the harm it has done."

Mysterious disease turning starfish to 'slime' on U.S. West Coast

www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=76044
"Scientists are struggling to find the trigger for a disease that appears to be ravaging starfish in record numbers along the U.S. West Coast, causing the sea creatures to lose their limbs and turn to slime in a matter of days."

Philippines Braces for 'One of the Strongest Storms Ever' | Common Dreams

Philippines Braces for 'One of the Strongest Storms Ever' | Common Dreams
"Super Typhoon Haiyan, known as Yolanda in the Philippines, has sustained winds of 195 mph with gusts up to 235 mph, according to recently updated data from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center."

A New Investment Project Could Point The Way To Renewables For The Global Poor

A New Investment Project Could Point The Way To Renewables For The Global Poor: In taking advantage of renewables, the global poor face the individual equivalent of the initial financing hurdles that often dog larger power plants.

Major Palm Oil Companies Accused of Breaking Ethical Promises | Alternet

Major Palm Oil Companies Accused of Breaking Ethical Promises | Alternet
"Large plantations are destroying forests, damaging wildlife and causing social conflict in Asia and Africa, a new report finds."

Four Reasons why Drilling for Oil in Yasuni National Park Needs to be Prevented | Common Dreams

Four Reasons why Drilling for Oil in Yasuni National Park Needs to be Prevented | Common Dreams
"If you ever wondered where the world's most biodiverse piece of land is, you might have guessed somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest. Well, there is a particular piece of the ever- dwindling-Amazon that takes the trophy for being the worlds richest place for animal and plant diversity: Yasuní National Park, inland Ecuador. However, in this incredible place it is located the largest reserve of heavy oil of this country."

How Does Your State Score On Energy Efficiency?

How Does Your State Score On Energy Efficiency?: For the third year, Massachusetts has taken the crown for most energy efficient state in an annual scorecard released Wednesday.

Handouts For Frackers: The Pennsylvania Plan To Give Drillers $1 Billion

Handouts For Frackers: The Pennsylvania Plan To Give Drillers $1 Billion: Supporters of the fossil fuel industry like to portray expanded drilling as a free market triumph, but in Pennsylvania, taxpayers pick up the bill.

Super Typhoon Haiyan, Stongest Storm On Earth This Year, Heading For Philippines

Super Typhoon Haiyan, Stongest Storm On Earth This Year, Heading For Philippines: Thousands are being evacuated as a super typhoon approaches the Philippines.

Fossil Fuels Receive $500 Billion A Year In Government Subsidies Worldwide

Fossil Fuels Receive $500 Billion A Year In Government Subsidies Worldwide: “If their aim is to avoid dangerous climate change, governments are shooting themselves in both feet,” a report by the Overseas Development Institute said.

Monsanto May Have Won the Battle for I-522, But the Future of Food Is Not Lost | Common Dreams

Monsanto May Have Won the Battle for I-522, But the Future of Food Is Not Lost | Common Dreams
"As national media outlets announced the failure of Washington state’s Initiative 522—a measure that would require labeling of foods containing genetically engineered ingredients—those advocating for the measure paused. The race was still too early to call, they said, despite a nearly 10 percent difference in early results."

Corporate cash sways voters on GMO foods

Nuns Hold Anti-Pipeline Protest At The Kentucky State Capitol

Nuns Hold Anti-Pipeline Protest At The Kentucky State Capitol: “It matters how we treat the Earth, the land, the water and all inhabitants of the Earth,” one of the protesters said Tuesday.

Top Texas Republican Thinks Abortion Caused Global Warming

Top Texas Republican Thinks Abortion Caused Global Warming: David Barton: "A door has been opened and we have said, you know, we embrace a wicked policy. Okay, then I’ll take my hand of protection off your nation, and whap! Here comes storms like we’ve never seen before..."

Record-breaking Greenhouse Gas Levels in Atmosphere: 'Time is Not On Our Side' | Common Dreams

Record-breaking Greenhouse Gas Levels in Atmosphere: 'Time is Not On Our Side' | Common Dreams
"The amount of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in our atmosphere reached a record high in 2012, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), continuing an upward and accelerating trend which, according to report authors, spells "devastating consequences" for the future of the planet."

Massive Toxic Japanese Tsunami Island of Trash Headed Toward US

Massive Toxic Japanese Tsunami Island of Trash Headed Toward US
"This is the type of radiation whose long term impact is still unknown.  But one can safely say, it is not something that improves the health of Mother Earth or the people who will come into contact with it.  In this case, individuals on the West Coast of North America are potentially endangered by the breakdown of a nuclear power plant in Japan."

Fukushima Trial Run Begins Dangerous Reactor 4 Clean-Up | Common Dreams

Fukushima Trial Run Begins Dangerous Reactor 4 Clean-Up | Common Dreams
"Preparations to begin the potentially catastrophic decommissioning of the crippled Reactor 4 at the Fukushima nuclear power plant will begin this week with a test run."

Russia, Ukraine Again Block Antarctic Ocean Protections

Russia, Ukraine Again Block Antarctic Ocean Protections: Delegates from Russia and Ukraine effectively borrowed a page from the Ted Cruz playbook.

Hottest September On Record, Fastest Pacific Warming In 10,000 Years, Warmest Arctic In 120,000 Years

Hottest September On Record, Fastest Pacific Warming In 10,000 Years, Warmest Arctic In 120,000 Years: New data and analysis makes clear that greenhouse gases keep warming the planet to unprecedented levels with unprecedented speed. It is time we stopped.

Nations Fail to Save 'Last Ocean' From Exploitation | Common Dreams

Nations Fail to Save 'Last Ocean' From Exploitation | Common Dreams
"For the third time in a row, nations who had gathered to create a plan to protect two massive areas of the Antarctic have failed, leaving a pristine area known as the "Last Ocean" for its abundant and largely untouched ecosystem open to industrial wreckage."

Say Hello To The First-Ever All-Electric School Bus

Say Hello To The First-Ever All-Electric School Bus: 2014 will be the first time U.S. drivers see an electric engine outfitted in the familiar black and yellow of a school bus.

New Executive Order Will Help Communities Prepare for Extreme Weather | Alternet

New Executive Order Will Help Communities Prepare for Extreme Weather | Alternet
"The order will encourage local planners to take the future effects of climate change into account when spending federal money to build infrastructure."

Humankind's Most Dangerous Moment?

The Fight to Take Public Assets Back from Private Control May Be Winning in California | Alternet

The Fight to Take Public Assets Back from Private Control May Be Winning in California | Alternet
"No state has seen more "reverse" privatizations of water resources than California."

Climate deniers find pushback in Nebraska

Eyes of the Nation on Colorado Towns' Fracking Fight | Common Dreams

Eyes of the Nation on Colorado Towns' Fracking Fight | Common Dreams
"In what many are calling the new "ground zero" in the national fight against fracking, the toxic gas and oil extracting process is on the ballot in four Colorado towns where citizens are taking on the heavyweights of the fossil fuel industry."

Study: Arctic Sea Ice Loss Shifts Jet Stream, Driving Deluges In NW Europe, Drought In Mediterranean

Study: Arctic Sea Ice Loss Shifts Jet Stream, Driving Deluges In NW Europe, Drought In Mediterranean: Yet another study finds Arctic sea ice loss can shift the jet stream and alter the climate.

Japan Greenlights 'Perilous' Cleanup at Fukushima's Reactor 4 | Common Dreams

Japan Greenlights 'Perilous' Cleanup at Fukushima's Reactor 4 | Common Dreams
"Regulators with Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority gave the final OK Wednesday for the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to begin to remove the 1300 spent fuel rods from the badly damaged Unit 4 pool, thus initiating a decommissioning process which anti-nuclear activist Harvey Wasserman describes as "humankind’s most dangerous moment since the Cuban Missile Crisis"."

Say Goodbye to Your Antibiotics - Truthdig

Say Goodbye to Your Antibiotics - Truthdig
"We’ve reached the limits of medicine’s effectiveness. Thanks to overmedication and the abuse of antibiotics in the agriculture industry, there are infections that can no longer be treated with antibiotics. And there’s nothing left to do except maybe hope for the best."

Campaign To Defeat GMO Labeling In Washington Gets $21 Million From Industry, $550 From Actual People

Campaign To Defeat GMO Labeling In Washington Gets $21 Million From Industry, $550 From Actual People: Human beings who live in Washington have donated .0025 percent of the total funding blitz leveled against the upcoming GMO labeling initiative.

Peer Reviewed Study Shows 14,000 U.S. Deaths from Fukushima

Nearly 300 Oil Spills Went Unreported In North Dakota In Less Than Two Years

Nearly 300 Oil Spills Went Unreported In North Dakota In Less Than Two Years: Nearly 300 oil spills and 750 "oil field incidents" have occurred in North Dakota since January 2012 and none were reported to the public, according to a report released Friday by the Associated Press.

Fukushima’s Radiation Gusher: Could the Entire Pacific Fishery Be Tainted? | Alternet

Fukushima’s Radiation Gusher: Could the Entire Pacific Fishery Be Tainted? | Alternet
"The Seattle Times  reported last October that researchers found small amounts of Fukushima’s cesium in albacore tuna caught off the coasts of Washington and Oregon. The albacore warning followed the May 2012 and Feb. 2013 findings of cesium-contamination in Blue fin tuna caught off California."

Beyond Tipping Point: Global Warming Has Raised Arctic Temps to Hottest in 120,000 Years | Common Dreams

Beyond Tipping Point: Global Warming Has Raised Arctic Temps to Hottest in 120,000 Years | Common Dreams
"Scientists have long known that climate change is warming the arctic at an alarming rate. But new research shows that in some areas—where human-caused climate change has driven temperatures higher than they've been for tens of thousands of years—melting polar ice caps are now beyond any hope of saving."

Fuel Removal From Fukushima's Reactor 4 Threatens 'Apocalyptic' Scenario | Common Dreams

Fuel Removal From Fukushima's Reactor 4 Threatens 'Apocalyptic' Scenario | Common Dreams
"An operation with potentially "apocalyptic" consequences is expected to take place a little over two weeks from now at Fukushima's damaged and sinking Reactor 4, when plant operator TEPCO will attempt to remove over 1300 spent fuel rods holding the radiation equivalent of 14,000 Hiroshima bombs from a spent fuel storage tank perched on the reactor's upper floor."

Fukushima Water Radiation Doubles Overnight | Common Dreams

Fukushima Water Radiation Doubles Overnight | Common Dreams
"Water radiation levels at Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant more than doubled in the span of one night to levels 14,000 times the maximum level for safe drinking water, owner TEPCOadmitted Thursday, setting new records for drainage ditch contamination as toxic spills and heavy rains continue to ravage the crippled facility."

Five Cities That Are Taking Climate Preparation Seriously

Five Cities That Are Taking Climate Preparation Seriously: Cities are taking the lead in climate resiliency, but more must be done to prepare for another Superstorm Sandy-like event.

Pepsi, Nestle, Coca Cola Revealed as Big Money Behind GMO Labeling Fight | Common Dreams

Pepsi, Nestle, Coca Cola Revealed as Big Money Behind GMO Labeling Fight | Common Dreams
"Following ongoing legal pressure from campaign groups and the Washington State Attorney General's office, pro-GMO trade group the Grocery Manufacturers Association released a list of high rolling donors to their campaign aimed at blocking GMO labeling in the state."

Fukushima - A Global Threat That Requires a Global Response

Fukushima - A Global Threat That Requires a Global Response
"The story of Fukushima should be on the front pages of every newspaper. Instead, it is rarely mentioned. The problems at Fukushima are unprecedented in human experience and involve a high risk of radiation events larger than any that the global community has ever experienced. It is going to take the best engineering minds in the world to solve these problems and to diminish their global impact."

Huge GMO News | Common Dreams

Huge GMO News | Common Dreams
"Nobody knows what's going to happen in Washington between now and November 5. But from Mexico, to Hawaii and to the 64 nations that already have GMO labeling, this tide just might be turning."

The Government Shutdown's Incalculable Damage to Scientific Research | Alternet

The Government Shutdown's Incalculable Damage to Scientific Research | Alternet
"So Minnesota Republican Representative Michele Bachmann told the Washington Post, commenting on the shutdown that ground many critical government functions to a halt for over two weeks. "It's exactly what we wanted, and we got it." So, what exactly did Bachmann and her Republican colleagues get out of it? A lot more than they may have bargained for, according to scientists employed by the federal government. It is not just that government researchers were locked out of their labs and offices, but whole programs were wastefully delayed and, in some cases, endangered."

The Air We Breathe Definitively and Scientifically Linked to Cancer | Alternet

The Air We Breathe Definitively and Scientifically Linked to Cancer | Alternet
"And asthma rates have doubled in last 30 years."

After Sparking Outrage In Detroit, Koch Brothers’ Tar Sands Waste Now Piling Up In Chicago

After Sparking Outrage In Detroit, Koch Brothers’ Tar Sands Waste Now Piling Up In Chicago: Petroleum coke, a byproduct of tar sands refining, is building up along Chicago's Calumet River and alarming residents.

Nature CLOUD Study Author: ‘The Climate May Be More Sensitive Than Previously Thought’

Nature CLOUD Study Author: ‘The Climate May Be More Sensitive Than Previously Thought’: New research from the CERN laboratory in Switzerland suggests that the climate's sensitivity to carbon dioxide may be higher than expected.

World Action Now on Fukushima - Harvey Wasserman

Radiation Levels in Seawater Near Fukushima Spike to Two-Year High | Common Dreams

Radiation Levels in Seawater Near Fukushima Spike to Two-Year High | Common Dreams
"In another sign of the ongoing crisis at Fukushima, radiation levels in seawater next to the plant spiked to a two-year high, TEPCO admitted on Thursday."

Tipping Points & Extinction Events

Around The Arctic, Frozen Earth Is Thawing And Creating ‘Drunken Forests’

Around The Arctic, Frozen Earth Is Thawing And Creating ‘Drunken Forests’: While some skeptics say the Arctic is doing just fine, Alaska and the Hudson Bay Lowlands tell a different story.

How Most Life on Earth Can Die

The Last Hours of Humanity - Warming the World to Extinction

Are Utility Companies Out to Destroy Solar's 'Rooftop Revolution'? | Common Dreams

Are Utility Companies Out to Destroy Solar's 'Rooftop Revolution'? | Common Dreams
"n the nation's largest state, California, the major utility companies are trying to limit growth.

Of rooftop solar panels, that is."

Last Hours of Humanity: Warming the World to Extinction

Last Hours of Humanity: Warming the World to Extinction
"If you were standing outdoors looking at the distant and reddening sky 250 million years ago as the Permian Mass Extinction was beginning, unless you were in the region that is known as Siberia you would have no idea that a tipping point had just been passed and soon 95% of all life on earth would be dead.
It's almost impossible to identify tipping points, except in retrospect."