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."