Combining Electric Cars With Smart Grid Technology Can Cut Charging Costs In Half

Combining Electric Cars With Smart Grid Technology Can Cut Charging Costs In Half: Electric cars are one of the key pieces of the renewable energy economy of the future, but they do come with a few challenges: charging them currently takes a while (30 minutes to a few hours), charging can add considerably to a home’s overall electricity use, and — when scaled up to thousands or millions [...]/p

First County In The U.S. Bans Fracking To Save Its Water

First County In The U.S. Bans Fracking To Save Its Water: As oil and gas executives look to New Mexico as the next major area to develop natural gas, one county is taking preventative measures to protect its water. The Los Angeles Times reported this week that Mora County in New Mexico became the first county in the U.S. to ban oil drilling and the controversial [...]/p

Ecocide and the Soul of a Nation

www.consortiumnews.com/2013/05/31/ecocide-and-the-soul-of-a-nation/
"At the front of the political madness enveloping the United States are anti-government, anti-science extremists who reject evidence of global warming and block any response to this existential threat. But the disconnect between environmental destruction and today’s humanity goes deeper"

Chinese Meat Firm With Terrible Food Safety Record Buys The Largest Pork Producer In The U.S.

Chinese Meat Firm With Terrible Food Safety Record Buys The Largest Pork Producer In The U.S.: Two global meat giants with shady food safety histories are planning to merge in hopes of becoming the most powerful meat producer in the world. Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the U.S., has been bought by China’s Shuanghui International Holdings Limited for $4.7 billion. If deal is cleared by Smithfield shareholders and the [...]/p

Monsanto's 'Genetic Pollution' Threatens US Wheat Industry | Common Dreams

Monsanto's 'Genetic Pollution' Threatens US Wheat Industry | Common Dreams
"The U.S. wheat industry is reaping the swift global repercussions of the genetic pollutioncaused by Monsanto's rogue glyphosate-resistant wheat on an Oregon farm."

How Tesla's Success Is Rewriting The Future For Electric Cars

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Google Will Post Detailed Nutritional Information For More Than 1,000 Foods Starting Today

Google Will Post Detailed Nutritional Information For More Than 1,000 Foods Starting Today: Wondering how much that fat is in that burrito? Google wants to make it a little easier to find out. The search giant announced that beginning Thursday, consumers will have easier access to “extensive nutrition information” for more than 1,000 common foods. The list includes basics such as meats and vegetables, and even not-so-basics like [...]/p

Meet America's First Climate Refugees

www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/05/americas-first-climate-refugees-newtok-alaska
"If Newtok can not move its people to the new site in time, the village will disappear. A community of 350 people, nearly all related to some degree and all intimately connected to the land, will cease to exist, its inhabitants scattered to the villages and towns of western Alaska, Anchorage, and beyond.

It's a choice confronting more than 180 native communities in Alaska, which are flooding and losing land because of the ice melt that is part of the changing climate."

The Danger in Our Water Supply

The Danger in Our Water Supply
"A dairy farm with 2,500 cows produces as much waste as Miami. FairWarning investigates how that puts our water supply in danger."

NPR Airs Story On Melting Glaciers Without Explaining Why They Are Melting

NPR Airs Story On Melting Glaciers Without Explaining Why They Are Melting: NPR aired a story Wednesday about a “plant in the Canadian Arctic that started growing again after being buried under a glacier for 400 years.” NPR explains why the research team led by Catherine La Farge found this ancient bryophite at all: She and her colleagues had been looking at what the Teardrop Glacier was leaving behind [...]/p

Illegal Monsanto Wheat Contamination Found On Oregon Farm

Illegal Monsanto Wheat Contamination Found On Oregon Farm: Genetically modified wheat that was never approved for sale has inexplicably turned up in a field in Oregon. A farmer found the crop when it survived a dousing of Roundup weedkiller. When he took it to a lab to be tested, the wheat was revealed to be an illegal strain, genetically modified to resist pesticides [...]/p

Hundreds Protest Genetically Engineered Eucalyptus Trees in North Carolina

Hundreds Protest Genetically Engineered Eucalyptus Trees in North Carolina
"Protests are raging outside of a biotechnology conference in Asheville, North Carolina, where demonstrators are voicing opposition to proposals to grow genetically engineered eucalyptus trees across the southeastern United States."

Exxon CEO: ‘What Good Is It To Save The Planet If Humanity Suffers?’

Exxon CEO: ‘What Good Is It To Save The Planet If Humanity Suffers?’: At Wednesday’s meeting for ExxonMobil shareholders in Dallas, CEO Rex Tillerson told those assembled that an economy that runs on oil is here to stay, and cutting carbon emissions would do no good. He asked, “What good is it to save the planet if humanity suffers?” One good would be that humanity has a habitable [...]/p

Coal 101: What's Wrong with Coal?

May 30 News: Mt. Everest Glaciers Retreated Uphill 580 Feet

May 30 News: Mt. Everest Glaciers Retreated Uphill 580 Feet: Mt. Everest’s glaciers have retreated uphil nearly 580 feet, which is something you can see online courtesy of Microsoft and the nonprofit GlacierWorks. [Capital Weather Gang, EarthTechling] A recent study led by a graduate student at the University of Milan in Italy reveals declining snow amounts and retreating glaciers in the Mount Everest region, reaffirming [...]/p

Top US Brand of Children's Vitamins Contains Aspartame, GMOs, & Other Hazardous Chemicals

Top US Brand of Children's Vitamins Contains Aspartame, GMOs, & Other Hazardous Chemicals
"Kids vitamins are supposed to be healthy, right? Well then, what's going on with Flintstones Vitamins, which proudly claims to be "Pediatricians' #1 Choice"?  Produced by the global pharmaceutical corporation Bayer, this wildly success brand features a shocking list of unhealthy ingredients"

How To Find Out Where Your Food Comes From Without Waiting For GMO Labeling Laws

How To Find Out Where Your Food Comes From Without Waiting For GMO Labeling Laws: Over the weekend, protesters marched in 436 cities in 52 countries to protest the biotech giant Monsanto Company’s tightening grip on the global seed market. As hundreds of thousands of people rallied against a range of issues, including Monsanto’s treatment of farmers, the much-publicized Monsanto Protection Act, and the ubiquity of genetically modified ingredients, one [...]/p

Why We Should Be Very Worried About the Arctic Oil Rush | Alternet

Why We Should Be Very Worried About the Arctic Oil Rush | Alternet
"Big oil companies like Shell have a proven record of negligence and a legacy of pollution in Alaska."

Shell Admits Real Reason Coast Guard Had To Rescue Its Arctic Drilling Rig: Failed Tax Avoidance Scheme

Shell Admits Real Reason Coast Guard Had To Rescue Its Arctic Drilling Rig: Failed Tax Avoidance Scheme: The main reason an offshore oil rig ran aground off the coast of Alaska late last year was because oil company Royal Dutch Shell was trying to depart state waters to avoid paying millions in taxes. Sean Churchfield, operations manager for Royal Dutch Shell in Alaska, testified to the Coast Guard over the weekend that [...]/p

Christie Embraces Climate Denialism

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Shell Admits Tax Avoidance Played Role In Rig Accident

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Think Fracking Is Bad? Wait Until You Hear About 'Acid Jobs' | Common Dreams

Think Fracking Is Bad? Wait Until You Hear About 'Acid Jobs' | Common Dreams
"'Acid jobs,' a highly toxic method of fossil fuel extraction, have gone vastly unregulated by lawmakers, particularly in California where the method is commonly used.

An 'acid job' is a process whereby companies pump chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid into an already built gas and oil well to "melt rocks" and objects that are obstructing oil flow."

March Against Monsanto Over 2M Strong. Blackwater Ops Watching?

March Against Monsanto Over 2M Strong. Blackwater Ops Watching?
"Most corn, soybean and cotton crops grown in the United States today have been genetically modified. But critics say genetically modified organisms can lead to serious health conditions and harm the environment."

U.S. Groundwater Consumption Accelerating | Alternet

U.S. Groundwater Consumption Accelerating | Alternet
"Aquifers across the United States are being drawn down at an increasing pace, finds a new study released today by the U.S. Geological Survey."

DC Protest Denounces "Monsanto Protection Act"

Global Voices Reject Genetically Modified Seed Giant in March Against Monsanto | Common Dreams

Global Voices Reject Genetically Modified Seed Giant in March Against Monsanto | Common Dreams
"People are hitting the streets in hundreds of cities on Saturday in a global March Against Monsanto to reject the genetically modified seed giant."

Offshore Drilling In Virginia Would Threaten Coastal Economy, Environment, And Naval Operations

Offshore Drilling In Virginia Would Threaten Coastal Economy, Environment, And Naval Operations: Yesterday Terry McAuliffe, Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, revealed newfound support for oil and gas exploration off the Commonwealth’s coast. The Washington Post reported that he now backs legislation sponsored by Virginia’s Democratic U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine that would open offshore areas to oil and gas exploration. Offshore oil drilling is viewed by [...]/p

Evacuation Ordered as Melting Ice Cracks Beneath Arctic Research Station | Common Dreams

Evacuation Ordered as Melting Ice Cracks Beneath Arctic Research Station | Common Dreams
"A Russian Arctic research station has been forced to evacuate following the discovery that the ice was melting beneath it."

How The Electric Car Saves Human Lives

Tesla Motors Pays Back Energy Department Loan 9 Years Early

Tesla Motors Pays Back Energy Department Loan 9 Years Early: Electric automaker Tesla Motors just announced that it has paid back the nearly half a billion dollars the Department of Energy lent it in 2010. According to a company press release, today’s wire transfer of $451.8 million dollars follows two other payments in the last year and a half. U.S. taxpayers could see a $12 [...]/p

Radioactive Cesium Recorded at 10 Spots in Pacific Ocean | Common Dreams

Radioactive Cesium Recorded at 10 Spots in Pacific Ocean | Common Dreams
"Radioactive cesium from the Fukushima plant was found at 10 points in the Pacific Ocean, including a location as far as 1300 miles from the plant, less than a year after Fukushima nuclear disaster began, scientists revealed on Tuesday."

Global Protest in 300 Cities Will Take Aim on Monsanto

Poll Finds Strong Support For Clean Energy, 68% Of Independents Want To Regulate CO2 As A Pollutant

Poll Finds Strong Support For Clean Energy, 68% Of Independents Want To Regulate CO2 As A Pollutant: The Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and George Mason University released their most recent survey this week: The Yale survey, “Public Support for Climate and Energy Policies in April 2013,” dates back to 2008 and is an important barometer for public opinion on clean energy and climate issues. In general, the year’s survey finds [...]/p

Why Champions Of Climate Legislation Must Also Be Champions Of Job Creation

Why Champions Of Climate Legislation Must Also Be Champions Of Job Creation: It’s probably fair, if crude, to talk about national societies as having “moods,” or going through particular psychological states — especially in economic depressions, when they become more fearful and less willing to take risks. The United States has spent the last few years mired in the worst economic slump since the Great Depression, and [...]/p

5 Most Horrifying Things About Monsanto -- Why You Should Join the Global Movement and Protest on Saturday | Alternet

5 Most Horrifying Things About Monsanto -- Why You Should Join the Global Movement and Protest on Saturday | Alternet
"What started as one mother’s call to action on a Facebook page has become a movement with more than 400 demonstrations scheduled in 50 countries and 250 cities around the globe. The events are organized online via an  open Google Document, where people can find the protest nearest them. The March Against Monsanto Facebook page has received more than 105,000 “likes.” It has reached more than 10,000,000 people in the last week according to its website, which averages over 40,000 visitors per day."

The Biggest Criminal Enterprise in History | Common Dreams

The Biggest Criminal Enterprise in History | Common Dreams
"In the case of the terrarists -- and here I’m referring in particular to the men who run what may be the most profitable corporations on the planet, giant energy companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP, and Shell -- you’re the one who’s going to pay, especially your children and grandchildren. You can take one thing for granted: not a single terrarist will ever go to jail, and yet they certainly knew what they were doing."

Former NY Army Corps Commander On Post-Sandy Reality: ‘Climate Change Is Real,’ ‘We’ve Got To Stop Ignoring It’

Former NY Army Corps Commander On Post-Sandy Reality: ‘Climate Change Is Real,’ ‘We’ve Got To Stop Ignoring It’: At a May 16 televised forum on the recovery from Superstorm Sandy, a former top military infrastructure official called on Americans to “stop ignoring” climate change and “realize it’s the new reality.” At the Sandy town hall organized by public television stations NJTV and WNET, John Boulé, the former commander of the New York District, [...]/p

Study: Alarming Loss of Amphibian Populations Across US | Common Dreams

Study: Alarming Loss of Amphibian Populations Across US | Common Dreams
"In their study, Trends in Amphibian Occupancy in the United States in the journal PLOS ONE, the team of scientists looked at looked at 34 sites and 48 species to see how fast clusters of amphibians disappeared from ponds, lakes and other amphibian habitats from 2002 - 2011.
What they found, said Brian Gratwicke, an amphibian conservation biologist with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, "is very bad news for amphibians"."

Rallying Cry: Citizens Worldwide to Unite in 'March Against Monsanto' | Common Dreams

Rallying Cry: Citizens Worldwide to Unite in 'March Against Monsanto' | Common Dreams
"Tens of thousands of activists are uniting in a global day of action to "take back the food supply," in a worldwide March Against Monsanto Saturday."

Documents Show Exxon Lied in Aftermath of Tar Sands Pipeline Rupture | Common Dreams

Documents Show Exxon Lied in Aftermath of Tar Sands Pipeline Rupture | Common Dreams
"Internal ExxonMobil documents obtained through an Freedom of Information Act request by Greenpeace shows that the oil giant misled the public about the degree to which the spill of more than 200,000 galllons of tar sands oil in Arkansas had contaminated local waterways."

UN Warns of World Without Water | Common Dreams

UN Warns of World Without Water | Common Dreams
"Although seemingly abundant, only a tiny amount of the water on our planet is easily available as freshwater.  We live in an increasingly water insecure world where demand often outstrips supply and where water quality often fails to meet minimum standards.  Under current trends, future demands for water will not be met,"

We Must Reclaim Our Farmland From the Rural Oligarchy

We Must Reclaim Our Farmland From the Rural Oligarchy
"The countryside, however, is more than the domain of America's rural oligarchy. The countryside of America and of all other countries is absolutely essential for the survival of the natural world. The health of people depends on the health of the natural world. Foul nature as industrialized agriculture has been doing for decades and you threaten the Earth."

Canadian Government Pursuing Aggressive Lobbying Push On Keystone XL

Canadian Government Pursuing Aggressive Lobbying Push On Keystone XL: The Canadian government has nearly doubled its spending to promote the Keystone XL pipeline to $16.5 million, up from $9 million a year ago. This dramatic spending increase is a result of an increased lobbying effort the government is planning, which includes high-profile ad buys and dispatching a series of officials to reiterate talking points [...]/p

Minnesota State Rep Calls Climate Change ‘Complete United Nations Fraud And Lie’

Minnesota State Rep Calls Climate Change ‘Complete United Nations Fraud And Lie’: On Wednesday night, Minnesota State Representative Glenn Gruenhagen (R-Glencoe) took to the House floor to talk about climate change and renewable energy. Using sources such as the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Gruenhagen told his colleagues that climate change is a “complete United Nations fraud and lie…. The latest facts from CPAC show that in [...]/p

San Onofre at the No Nukes Brink | Common Dreams

San Onofre at the No Nukes Brink | Common Dreams
"Edison billed southern California ratepayers roughly $1 billion for San Onofre in 2012 even though it generated no juice. The CPUC would probably let them do it again, but public awareness and anger levels have soared. Major media throughout the region have been pummeling Edison, largely over economic issues.

Should San Onofre stay dead, its power void will fast be filled by cheaper, cleaner, safer green technologies destined to make southern California a major focal point in the global march to Solartopia."

Industry Groups Urge Supreme Court To Ban EPA From Regulating CO2

Industry Groups Urge Supreme Court To Ban EPA From Regulating CO2: Conservative states, business groups, fossil fuel companies, and politicians who deny the science of climate change are petitioning the Supreme Court to reverse Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on greenhouse gases and to weaken the Clean Air Act. This would involve the Court either limiting or reversing its own 2007 decision, Massachusetts v. EPA, which [...]/p

Over 100 ‘Clean Air Ambassadors’ Call On Congress To Clean Up Its Act

Over 100 ‘Clean Air Ambassadors’ Call On Congress To Clean Up Its Act: A coalition of over 100 “clean air ambassadors” — including nurses, physicians, clergy members, labor leaders, tribal leaders, and social justice activists — descended on Capitol Hill Wednesday to call on Congress to protect children, the elderly, the poor, and other vulnerable Americans from the health threats of air pollution, smog, and rising carbon emissions. [...]/p

'Canary in the Ocean': Massive Fish Flight Shows Climate Change is Here | Common Dreams

'Canary in the Ocean': Massive Fish Flight Shows Climate Change is Here | Common Dreams
"As ocean waters continue to heat up along with the rest of the planet, fish and other aquatic life forms are fleeing from their habitual regions to find the lower temperatures they have depended on for centuries, according to a new study released Wednesday."

Canada Vows Plunder in the Arctic | Common Dreams

Canada Vows Plunder in the Arctic | Common Dreams
"Shifting global temperatures and unprecedented melting in the polar region have "boosted international interest," AFP reports, "as melting ice opens up shipping routes and makes hitherto inaccessible mineral resources easier to exploit"."

How Monsanto Is Using Cronies in Congress to Take Away States' Rights to Label Genetically Modified Foods | Alternet

How Monsanto Is Using Cronies in Congress to Take Away States' Rights to Label Genetically Modified Foods | Alternet
"Sources report that Monsanto has begun secretly lobbying its Congressional allies to attach amendments to the Farm Bill that would preempt or prohibit states from requiring labels on GE foods."

Vermont May Be First State to Require Labeling of Genetically Modified Food

Vermont May Be First State to Require Labeling of Genetically Modified Food
"Monsanto and the other GMO giants are rightfully fearful that people will avoid genetically engineered food in large numbers and hurt their profits.  But health and personal choice come before hiding the truth, stock prices, share holder dividends and executive compensation."

May 16 News: Fish Are Fleeing Climate-Warmed Waters And Heading For The Earth’s Poles

May 16 News: Fish Are Fleeing Climate-Warmed Waters And Heading For The Earth’s Poles: For more than 30 years, ocean fish and mammals have migrated away from warming equatorial waters and toward the poles, providing more evidence climate change has already had broad global consequences. [Washington Post] Fish and other sea life have been heading toward the Earth’s poles for more than three decades, a mass migration to cooler [...]/p

Rising Temperatures Ground Ducks - Truthdig

Rising Temperatures Ground Ducks - Truthdig
"A study looking at the migration patterns of three species of duck – the goldeneye, goosander and tufted duck – has found there has been a sharp decrease in the number of birds migrating south."

States Brace for Monsanto's 'Big Stick' in GMO Labeling Fight | Common Dreams

States Brace for Monsanto's 'Big Stick' in GMO Labeling Fight | Common Dreams
"Grassroots groups across the United States are mobilizing against the nation's powerful biotech firms as a new round of labeling laws for foods made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) make their way through state legislatures. 
The front lines in this battle have shifted to two New England states where legislators are preparing to vote on GMO labeling laws while backers prepare for a legal assault by large industry firms like Monsanto."

How New York Times, NPR And Wall Street Journal Print Fossil Fuel Talking Points Without Full Disclosure

How New York Times, NPR And Wall Street Journal Print Fossil Fuel Talking Points Without Full Disclosure: Major news outlets often mislead readers by failing to report the fossil fuel funding of the conservative think tanks they cite and quote, according to a new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Journalists commonly cited eight groups with known oil, gas, and coal funding: The American Enterprise Institute, Americans for Prosperity, Cato Institute, [...]/p

May 15 News: Insurance Industry ‘Heavily Dependent On Scientific Thought,’ See Rising Climate Costs

May 15 News: Insurance Industry ‘Heavily Dependent On Scientific Thought,’ See Rising Climate Costs: The insurance industry believes climate change is a serious threat to people and property, yet only some companies advocate climate solutions. [New York Times] If there were one American industry that would be particularly worried about climate change it would have to be insurance, right? From Hurricane Sandy’s devastating blow to the Northeast to the [...]/p

What Will It Take for Us to Recognize That the Way We Live Could Be Destroying Life as We Know It? | Alternet

What Will It Take for Us to Recognize That the Way We Live Could Be Destroying Life as We Know It? | Alternet
"CO2 is at a level not seen in millions of years—if this happened in science fiction, the planet would pay attention."

Organic Farmers on Alert Following Monsanto Ruling | Common Dreams

Organic Farmers on Alert Following Monsanto Ruling | Common Dreams
"Monday's unanimous Supreme Court ruling against Indiana soybean farmer Vernon Hugh Bowman in favor of agriculture giant Monsanto has organic farmers on alert."

Tobacco Front-Group Chairman And Climate Science Denier Named President Of New Mexico State University

Tobacco Front-Group Chairman And Climate Science Denier Named President Of New Mexico State University: by Brad Johnson, campaign manager for Forecast the Facts By a 3-2 vote on Monday, May 6, the New Mexico State University Board of Regents selected Garrey Carruthers, who questions the science of climate change, to be the next president of the land-grant institution in drought-plagued Las Cruces, despite widespread concern from faculty, students, alumni, [...]/p

Wrong Way Forward: Growth in Fracking, Tar Sands Sending 'Shockwaves' | Common Dreams

Wrong Way Forward: Growth in Fracking, Tar Sands Sending 'Shockwaves' | Common Dreams
"Signs abound that fossil fuels have brought us to the brink of climate calamity, and the need for renewable energy couldn't be clearer."

Food, Farms, Forests, and Fracking: Connecting the Dots | Common Dreams

Food, Farms, Forests, and Fracking: Connecting the Dots | Common Dreams
"If ever there was a time for activist networks and the body politic to cooperate and unite forces, it's now. Global warming, driven in large part by the reckless business-as-usual practices of multi-billion-dollar fossil fuel and agribusiness corporations, has brought us to the brink of a global calamity."

Help Crowdfund The Dark Snow Project Research Trip To Greenland, As McKibben And Sinclair Join Jason Box

Help Crowdfund The Dark Snow Project Research Trip To Greenland, As McKibben And Sinclair Join Jason Box: You can help crowd-fund an important scientific research trip — along with a videographer and journalist to cover it. Climate De-Crocker Peter Sinclair explains: On April 21, 2013, the Dark Snow Project brought a bit of Greenland to Manhattan, to illustrate the importance of this summer’s planned expedition to sample Greenland ice. It kicked off [...]/p

Greenland: A Ring of Mountains

400 PPM: We’ve Never Been Here Before | Common Dreams

400 PPM: We’ve Never Been Here Before | Common Dreams
"The last time the atmosphere had 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide was most likely between 3 and 5 million years ago, long before humans like us inhabited the earth. It was a geological epoch known as the Pliocene. The planet was many degrees warmer and scientists estimate sea level was about 80 feet higher.
Reaching 400 parts per million for the first time in human history is a wake up call for all of us. The science is clear."

Former Director Of NASA's Goddard Institute James Hansen: We Are Only Beginning to Feel Climate Change's Impact

GOP Senate Nominee Gomez Says Most Efforts To Combat Climate Change Are ‘Not Rational’, Invests In Fossil Fuel

GOP Senate Nominee Gomez Says Most Efforts To Combat Climate Change Are ‘Not Rational’, Invests In Fossil Fuel: Gabriel Gomez acknowledges that ”science says climate change is real.” But the Republican nominee to fill John Kerry’s open Senate seat in Massachusetts says he is unwilling to take serious steps to combat it, lest it hurt the economy in the short term. His support for a “serious energy agenda,” including the risky Keystone XL tar [...]/p

Not The Onion: Wall Street Journal Hits ‘Rock Bottom’ With Inane Op-Ed Urging ‘More Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide’

Not The Onion: Wall Street Journal Hits ‘Rock Bottom’ With Inane Op-Ed Urging ‘More Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide’: “Nowadays, in an age of rising population and scarcities of food and water in some regions, it’s a wonder that humanitarians aren’t clamoring for more atmospheric carbon dioxide.” No, it’s not The Onion. It’s The Wall Street Journal editorial page, which nowadays is much the same thing. Once again, the country’s leading financial newspaper is recycling long-debunked myths [...]/p

Corporate Win: Supreme Court Says Monsanto Has 'Control Over Product of Life' | Common Dreams

Corporate Win: Supreme Court Says Monsanto Has 'Control Over Product of Life' | Common Dreams
"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of biotech giant Monsanto, ordering Indiana farmer Vernon Hugh Bowman, 75, to pay Monsanto more than $84,000 for patent infringement for using second generation Monsanto seeds purchased second hand—a ruling which will have broad implications for the ownership of 'life' and farmers' rights in the future."

A Handful of Giant Food Companies Are Winning the Fight to Control Your Dinner Plate | Alternet

A Handful of Giant Food Companies Are Winning the Fight to Control Your Dinner Plate | Alternet
"The top 10 fast-food companies control 47 percent of all fast food sales. Together, these industries have commandeered local economies, and now it is clear that the era of family farmers and mom and pop stores has ended. What’s not as clear is the effect this has on our political system."

With Record Sales, Tesla Turns A Profit As Consumer Reports Says It ‘Comes Close’ To Being ‘The Best Car Ever’!

With Record Sales, Tesla Turns A Profit As Consumer Reports Says It ‘Comes Close’ To Being ‘The Best Car Ever’!: Tesla Motors Company is coming off a very good week. On Wednesday, the company reported that it had sold more electric vehicles than any other automaker during the first quarter of the year, and turned a profit for the first time in its 10 year history. On Thursday, Consumer Reports — the famously austere purveyors [...]/p

Koalas: The Canary in Australia's Coal Mine? | Common Dreams

Koalas: The Canary in Australia's Coal Mine? | Common Dreams
"The news of late out of Australia has not been the most encouraging."

Climate Sensitivity Stunner: Last Time CO2 Levels Hit 400 Parts Per Million The Arctic Was 14°F Warmer!

Climate Sensitivity Stunner: Last Time CO2 Levels Hit 400 Parts Per Million The Arctic Was 14°F Warmer!: We have pushed atmospheric CO2 levels to 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in human existence. At the same time, a truly remarkably set of paleoclimate data shows the climate is much more sensitive to CO2 than we thought. And that means returning as quickly as possible back to 350 ppm is a [...]/p

Climate Landmark Is a Grave Warning Sign - Truthdig

Climate Landmark Is a Grave Warning Sign - Truthdig
"Humanity on Friday passed a milestone on the way to planetary destruction when monitoring stations registered 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide spread throughout the atmosphere."

Carbon Dioxide Hits Record Mark: 400 PPM

Carbon Dioxide Hits Record Mark: 400 PPM
"Our civilization developed and flourished in an era that never saw CO2 concentrations above 300 ppm. We are in new territory once again, and we have yet to show signs of slowing down, let alone stopping practices that are harmful to our world -- our Earth."

Best Hope For Climate Change Action Rests With Obama

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Earth in time lapse shows human wear and tear

Earth in time lapse shows human wear and tear
"Coincidental to the news today that the Earth has hit a record level of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, Google and collaborations from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NASA and TIME, have released a project called Timelapse in which satellite images from the USGS/NASA Landsat program, spanning in some cases up to 41 years, were culled and crunched into time lapse animations to show the effects of human development on the planet as seen from space."

400 Parts Per Million: Climate Milestone is a Moment of Symbolic Significance on Road of Idiocy | Common Dreams

400 Parts Per Million: Climate Milestone is a Moment of Symbolic Significance on Road of Idiocy | Common Dreams
"The data go back 800,000 years: that's the age of the oldest fossil air bubbles extracted from Dome C, an ice-bound summit in the high Antarctic. And throughout that time there has been nothing like this. At no point in the preindustrial record have concentrations of carbon dioxide in the air risen above 300 parts per million (ppm). 400ppm is a figure that belongs to a different era.
The difference between 399ppm and 400ppm is small, in terms of its impacts on the world's living systems. But this is a moment of symbolic significance, a station on the Via Dolorosa of environmental destruction. It is symbolic of our failure to put the long-term prospects of the natural world and the people it supports above immediate self-interest."

GOP Boycotted EPA Head Vote For Lunch With Energy Lobbyists!

GOP Boycotted EPA Head Vote For Lunch With Energy Lobbyists!
"Pathetic dereliction of constitutional duty. That sums it up nicely. Unfortunately, it isn't just limited to the EPA. Republicans are now refusing to approve nominees to the Independent Payment Advisory Board required by the Affordable Care Act. Because doing their duty would be tantamount to - gasp! - approving of Obamacare. Or something."

Deeper Than Deepwater: Shell Plans World's Riskiest Offshore Well | Common Dreams

Deeper Than Deepwater: Shell Plans World's Riskiest Offshore Well | Common Dreams
"Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell announced Wednesday that it will soon begin development of the world's deepest off-shore oil well, in the body of water that is home to the world's largest oil spill—BP's Deepwater Horizon oil disaster of 2010—the Gulf of Mexico."

Dishonesty Of GOP Stall Tactic Exposed In Numbers

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Alarming Ineptitude Revealed In Care Of US Nuclear Arsenal

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7 Dangerous Food Practices Banned in Europe But Just Fine in America | Alternet

7 Dangerous Food Practices Banned in Europe But Just Fine in America | Alternet
"All of which got me thinking about other food-related substances and practices that are banned in Europe but green-lighted here. Turns out there are lots. Aren't you glad you don't live under the Old World regulatory jackboot, where the authorities deny people's freedom to quaff  atrazine-laced drinking water, etc., etc.?"

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's Climate Change Senate Smack Down

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Doubling Wind Power Could Save Mid-Atlantic Consumers $6.9 Billion A Year

Doubling Wind Power Could Save Mid-Atlantic Consumers $6.9 Billion A Year: Wind power had a banner year in 2012, accounting for more new generating capacity than any other resource. Despite the boom in cheap natural gas, 42 percent of all new capacity last year was actually from wind, which clocked in at 13,131 MW in new installations for the year. The economics for wind power have [...]/p

Ignoring Bee Crisis, EPA Greenlights New 'Highly Toxic' Pesticide | Common Dreams

Ignoring Bee Crisis, EPA Greenlights New 'Highly Toxic' Pesticide | Common Dreams
"Despite new findings that prove a heightened crisis in US bee populations and a recent ban in Europe on similar chemical applications, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hasdecided to further endanger the population Monday by approving a "highly toxic" new pesticide."

Patent Filing Claims Solar Energy ‘Breakthrough’ | Common Dreams

Patent Filing Claims Solar Energy ‘Breakthrough’ | Common Dreams
"In a U.S. patent application, a little-known Maryland inventor claims a stunning solar energy breakthrough that promises to end the planet’s reliance on fossil fuels at a fraction of the current cost – a transformation that also could blunt global warming."

Arctic Ocean Acidification (2013)

Arctic Ocean Acidification (2013) - Full (12 minute) version from AMAP on Vimeo.

Starved of Democracy and the Fight Against Corporate 'Foodopoly' | Common Dreams

Starved of Democracy and the Fight Against Corporate 'Foodopoly' | Common Dreams
"We, the people, must reclaim our democracy. We must reestablish strong antitrust laws to begin the work of fixing our broken, corporate-controlled food system. Our food system should work for consumers and farmers, not big agricultural, processing, retail, and chemical conglomerates."

Hollow Bee Hives May Threaten Our Lives Too | Common Dreams

Hollow Bee Hives May Threaten Our Lives Too | Common Dreams
"You may think that your most significant interaction with bees is trying not to get stung. But, in fact, you have bees to thank for nearly one-third of all food crops: almonds, apples, peaches, honey, and watermelons, to name a few. If our bees are in trouble, then we’re in trouble too."

Hollow Bee Hives May Threaten Our Lives Too | Common Dreams

Hollow Bee Hives May Threaten Our Lives Too | Common Dreams
"You may think that your most significant interaction with bees is trying not to get stung. But, in fact, you have bees to thank for nearly one-third of all food crops: almonds, apples, peaches, honey, and watermelons, to name a few. If our bees are in trouble, then we’re in trouble too."

On Top Of Sea Ice Death Spiral, Ocean Acidification Poised To Radically Alter Arctic

On Top Of Sea Ice Death Spiral, Ocean Acidification Poised To Radically Alter Arctic: The Arctic is the fastest changing place on earth. The most obvious and important change is the staggering loss of sea ice (see “CryoSat-2 Confirms Sea Ice Volume Has Collapsed“). In addition, “the Arctic marine waters are experiencing widespread and rapid ocean acidification,” a new study finds. This first-ever Arctic Ocean Acidification Assessment, commissioned by the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment [...]/p

If The Oceans Die - We Die

It’s Official: $1 Invested In EPA Yields $10 In Benefits

It’s Official: $1 Invested In EPA Yields $10 In Benefits: By Gernot Wagner via EDF The Office of Management and Budget is nerd heaven: a bunch of people getting their professional kicks from analyzing federal regulation. This bean counting may sound painfully lacking in glamour, but it’s incredibly important. OMB’s annual report to Congress on the benefits and costs of all major rules adopted by [...]/p

Parity Time: Large-Scale Solar Power Plants Now Cost Effective in Oregon

Parity Time: Large-Scale Solar Power Plants Now Cost Effective in Oregon: By Chris Robertson The Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association has just published a major new peer-reviewed study, Vision to Integrate Solar in Oregon (VISOR). Bonneville Environmental Foundation was the principal sponsor of this work by Chris Robertson & Associates. The VISOR report can be found here. The key findings are that: Large scale PV power plants [...]/p

Buzz! Buzz! Silence | Common Dreams

Buzz! Buzz! Silence | Common Dreams
"Results of a new survey released Tuesday paint another dire picture of the population of bees in the United States.
Nearly a third of managed honey bee colonies were lost this past winter, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Bee Informed Partnership and the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) found, a 42% increase in loss over the previous winter."