Pesticide Firms Use Tobacco Playbook to Spin Bee Crisis

Pesticide Firms Use Tobacco Playbook to Spin Bee Crisis

"One out of every three bites of food we eat requires pollination by bees, but America's bee population is taking a pounding, with initial reports indicating greater losses of hives this winter than the last."

The ‘virtuous cycle’ of sustainable living

The Collapse of the Bees... And How To Save Them | Common Dreams

The Collapse of the Bees... And How To Save Them | Common Dreams

"Two new reports this week provide key evidence that back a growing call that the destructive use of large-scale chemical agriculture must be halted in order to give the global bee population a fighting chance to regain their strength as the world's most prolific and effective pollinating species."

Ocean Acidification, Wildfires Are Taking Their Toll On The Pacific Northwest

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/09/3436080/national-climate-assessment-northwest/
"ocean waters in the bay have become so acidic that the company can’t grow oyster larvae off the coast of Washington anymore."

This Weekend Watch Schwarzenegger Fight Wildfires, Or GOP Pol Make On-Air Climate Science Conversion

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/09/3436061/schwarzenegger-wildfires-climate-science/
"The good news is that this weekend — May 9-11 — Showtime is making all its programming, including “Years of Living Dangerously,” available for free to 74 million homes that get cable, which is to say most of the country."

Big Oil Wants to Keep Its Tax Breaks Despite Very Profitable Winter

www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2014/05/05/89012/big-oil-wants-to-keep-its-tax-breaks-despite-very-profitable-winter/
"The big five oil companies made a combined profit of $23 billion in the first quarter of 2014, and had cash reserves of $68 billion. They do not need the $2.4 billion in annual special tax breaks that could otherwise pay for approximately 658,000 Pell Grants for college students or 42,000 additional public school teachers; that amount of money could also increase federal funding for the National Cancer Institute by 50 percent. Any of these investments would benefit Americans far more than the handouts to oil companies, particularly when those companies use one-third of their profits to buy back their own stocks, and their five CEOs have a combined salary of $89 million annually."

Missouri May Be the Next State to Ban Tesla Motors

www.alternet.org/environment/missouri-may-be-next-state-ban-tesla-motors
"Missouri is the latest state to try to slip in anti-Tesla legislation without anyone noticing. The "Show Me State" legislature is trying to obscure their actions by slipping through legislation as it current session comes to an end this Spring."

Green energy opposition traced to Kochs

Food Industry Giants to Wage Legal Battle to Defeat Vermont's Landmark GMO Labeling Law | Common Dreams

Food Industry Giants to Wage Legal Battle to Defeat Vermont's Landmark GMO Labeling Law | Common Dreams

"As pro-labeling advocates were cheering Vermont's passage of a GMO labeling bill on Thursday, a powerful food industry lobbing group announced its plans to file a federal lawsuit to overturn the law."

Fox News devolves from climate denial to rejecting all science

Fox News devolves from climate denial to rejecting all science

"To watch Will and Krauthammer grasp for rationales to cast doubt on an established scientific field merely because its findings pose a challenge to their ideological priors is a depressing, and even harrowing, study in the poisonous effects of dogma upon a once-healthy brain."

GOP fail to pass symbolic Keystone vote

Victory! Vermont Passes Landmark GMO Labeling Law | Common Dreams

Victory! Vermont Passes Landmark GMO Labeling Law | Common Dreams

"Vermont made history on Thursday by becoming the first state to require the labeling of foods with genetically modified ingredients following passage of a no "trigger clause" bill."

Why Walmart Is a Threat to Organic Food

www.alternet.org/food/why-wal-mart-threat-organic-food
"Walmart will turn organic food into another low-cost input that shortchanges consumers, workers and the environment for a fast buck."

Great Barrier Reef Facing 'Unprecedented' Threat from Coal Expansion | Common Dreams

Great Barrier Reef Facing 'Unprecedented' Threat from Coal Expansion | Common Dreams

"The Great Barrier Reef is facing "unprecedented industrial development," and the damage wrought by seabed dredging as a result coal industry expansion has been significantly downplayed by the state government and mining industry, a conservation watchdog charged in a new report issued Wednesday."

Student-led Climate Victory as Stanford Divests from Coal | Common Dreams

Student-led Climate Victory as Stanford Divests from Coal | Common Dreams

"Student climate activists at Stanford University declared a sizeable, though not ultimate, victory on Tuesday after the prominent university's board of trustees announced it would wholly divest the school's holdings in the coal industry."

'We're Screwed': US Climate Report says Era of 'Normal' Over | Common Dreams

'We're Screwed': US Climate Report says Era of 'Normal' Over | Common Dreams

"That was how 350.org co-founder Jamie Henn responded to Tuesday's release of the federal government's National Climate Assessment, the national scientific community's definitive statement on the current and future impacts of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States."

Humanity's Destruction of Earth's Climate in Ninety Seconds | Common Dreams

Humanity's Destruction of Earth's Climate in Ninety Seconds | Common Dreams

"Over the course of April, according to the world's premiere atmospheric monitoring station  Mauna Loa, Hawaii, which is run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the concentration of carbon averaged more than 400 parts per million for the entire month for the first time in human history."

East Antarctic Melting Could Raise Sea Levels By 10 To 13 Feet, Study Finds

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/05/3433981/antarctic-melting-sea-levels/
"The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, looked at the 600-mile Wilkes Basin in East Antarctica, which, if it melted, has enough ice to raise sea levels by 10 to 13 feet."

Tesla Wants A Gigafactory Or Two Ready By 2017

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/05/3434367/tesla-gigafactory-three-years/
"Late last week, Bloomberg reported that Musk — the founder and CEO of electric-car-maker Tesla Motors — is close to naming two sites for the project. Tesla has been looking at multiple possible locations in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas, and wants to time the gigafactory’s start-up with the release of a new car model aimed more at the average consumer."

Stronger ‘Frackquakes’ Are On The Way, Scientists Warn

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/02/3433793/stronger-frackquakes-on-the-way/
"The man-made earthquakes that have been shaking up the southern United States only stand to get stronger and more dangerous as the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, increases, scientists warned at a Thursday conference."

Pipe Explosion at Hanford Plutonium Finishing Plant Site

www.nbcrightnow.com/story/25408984/pipe-explosion-at-hanford-plutonium-finishing-plant-site
"NEAR RICHLAND, WA - Hanford union workers tell NBC Right Now there was an explosion at the plutonium finishing plant cleanup site weeks ago, but the event wasn't shared with the public."

ALEC Has A New Tactic It’s Using To Take Down The EPA

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/02/3433615/alec-campaign-push/
"ALEC, an influential right-wing lobbying group funded in part by petrochemical billionaires Charles and David Koch, has been working to undermine anti-pollution and pro-clean energy policies for years."

Ocean Acidification Dissolving Shells of Key Marine Creature | Common Dreams

Ocean Acidification Dissolving Shells of Key Marine Creature | Common Dreams

"Scientists have documented how ocean acidification, sometimes referred to as climate change's "evil twin," is already taking a toll on an essential part of the marine food chain in an area off the U.S. northwest coast, and with runaway greenhouse gas emissions continuing, it looks like the problem is only set to worsen."

GREENPEACE CONFIRMS: SIX UTILITIES QUIETLY DUMPED ALEC

www.greenpeaceblogs.org/2014/05/01/greenpeace-confirms-six-utilities-quietly-dumped-alec/
"After writing letters to nine utility companies that have supported the anti-science environmental attack campaign waged by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Greenpeace has directly confirmed at least six large U.S. utility companies have ceased supporting the secretive lobbying group in recent years"

How Scientists, Car Companies, And The Military Are Creating The Smartest Energy Solution On The Market

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/01/3429627/batteries-smartest-energy-solution/
"we need to be able to store renewable electricity when it’s made, and then release it when we need it."

Washington State Announces Effort To Take Climate Fight Into Its Own Hands

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/30/3432504/washington-climate-change-fight/
"Even as a climate change stalemate persists in Washington, D.C., the other Washington is embarking on a broad-based effort to reduce carbon pollution and expand the use of clean energy."

How Organized Mothers Are Making an Impact | Common Dreams

How Organized Mothers Are Making an Impact | Common Dreams

"A phenomenon in environmental activism in recent years has been the emergence of grassroots organizations “powered by the voices of mothers, dedicated to protecting children in global communities,” as one group, The Mothers Project, describes itself."

“Fox & Friends” attacks “scientific coward” who exposed climate censorship

“Fox & Friends” attacks “scientific coward” who exposed climate censorship

"The hosts of Fox & Friends were really, truly hurt to discover that their new friend, Scientific American editor Michael Moyer, left his segment Wednesday morning only to tweet about his disgust over the program’s “anti-Obama agitprop” — as well as their refusal to let him talk about climate change."

Black Smoke, Flames Spew From Train Derailment | Common Dreams

Black Smoke, Flames Spew From Train Derailment | Common Dreams

"A train carrying crude oil derailed in Lynchburg, Virginia Wednesday afternoon, city officials said, the latest in a series of fiery accidents involving the transportation of the dirty fuel by rail."

Crude Oil Train Derails, Catches Fire, Spills Into Virginia’s James River

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/30/3432820/train-derailment-lynchburg/
"A CSX freight train carrying crude oil derailed in Lynchburg, Virginia Wednesday afternoon around 2 p.m. according to local authorities, “causing extensive flames and dense black smoke” to reach into the air."

Koch Brothers To Face Lawsuit Over ‘Swirling’ Chicago Petcoke Pollution

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/30/3432796/koch-getting-sued/
"Two environmental groups on Monday sent a letter to billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, saying they intend to file a lawsuit against them for polluting a primarily low-income area of Chicago with thick, black, oily dust."

Half The Country Lives With Unsafe Air Pollution, American Lung Association Report Finds

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/30/3432601/147-million-air-pollution-ala/
"Almost half the country — 147 million Americans, to be precise — live in counties with unhealthy air, according to a new report."

Why We Are Blocking the Office of Harvard's President | Common Dreams

Why We Are Blocking the Office of Harvard's President | Common Dreams

"On Wednesday morning we began blocking the main entrance to Massachusetts Hall, which houses the office of Harvard University President Drew Faust and other top administrators. We are here to demand an open and transparent dialogue with the Harvard Corporation--Harvard's main governing body--on fossil fuel divestment."

The Looming Threat To Modern Medicine That’s Alarming The World Health Organization

www.thinkprogress.org/health/2014/04/30/3432710/antibiotic-resistance-world-health-organization/
"Drug resistance, which is typically driven by the misuse of antibiotics and bacteria’s ability to mutate into new forms, has been on the rise for years."

Photos: Final Day Of Keystone XL ‘Reject And Protect’ Rally Draws Thousands

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/29/3431942/photos-keystone-rally/
"On a weekend where some were expecting rain, the final day of the week-long ‘Reject and Protect‘ rally against the Keystone XL pipeline brought clear skies, warm sun and thousands of people to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The protest was organized by the Sierra Club, 350.org, Bold Nebraska and the Cowboy and Indian Alliance, an organization of cowboys, ranchers, farmers, land owners, and Native Americans from the regions that will be affected by the construction of the pipeline."

Photo Essay: "Cowboys and Indians" Against Keystone XL Bring Newfound Unity to DC

Photo Essay: "Cowboys and Indians" Against Keystone XL Bring Newfound Unity to DC

"Last week, members of the Cowboy Indian Alliance—a coalition of tribal members, ranchers, and landowners from the Great Plains—camped out on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., united in one cause: opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline."

What The Supreme Court’s Latest Air Pollution Ruling Means

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/29/3432048/scotus-epa-decision-cross-state-air-pollution/
"On Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court issued a strong 6-2 ruling that upheld how the Environmental Protection Agency decided to regulate air pollution that crosses state boundaries under the Clean Air Act. This decision has major consequences for millions across the country who suffer from breathing air pollution."

Drought Causes Chipotle To Increase Its Steak Prices

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/29/3432278/chipotle-ups-beef-prices/
"One of the forces behind Chipotle’s choice to raise its beef prices is drought: dry weather in much of cattle-heavy U.S."

Notorious oil field up for sale (for real)

Ready or not, oil industry heads to Arctic

Is Oil Money Turning the NRA Against Hunters?

www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/04/nra-wilderness-clayton-williams-energy-oil
"Two new reports examine how America's "number-one hunter's organization" takes oil money and lobbies for anti-conservationist policies most hunters oppose."

Why Is The Oil Industry Giving Millions To The NRA?

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/29/3431955/oil-money-nra-sportsmen/
"The interests of rank-and-file members of prominent U.S. sportsmen’s groups are being steadily undercut by the increasing influence over those organizations by the oil and gas industry as it seeks to push development into protected wildlife habitat and privatize public lands."

Michael Grimm’s blasé approach to climate debate

Daryl Hannah on the Keystone XL debate

Cowboys and Indians unite to reject Keystone XL

Victory for Millions as High Court Rules Against Cross-State Pollution | Common Dreams

Victory for Millions as High Court Rules Against Cross-State Pollution | Common Dreams

"In what is being hailed as a major victory for public health, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate cross-state air emissions from polluting factories and power plants."

Greenpeace Readies to Confront First Arctic Oil Shipment | Common Dreams

Greenpeace Readies to Confront First Arctic Oil Shipment | Common Dreams

"The first Arctic oil is making its way towards Europe, and environmental campaign group Greenpeace International announced that it is preparing to confront that shipment as part of its ongoing fight to save the Arctic."

Dirty Money, Dirty Fuels: Why Money in Politics Matters to the Environment | Common Dreams

Dirty Money, Dirty Fuels: Why Money in Politics Matters to the Environment | Common Dreams

"From the perspective of the fossil fuel industry, political contributions are just another form of investment. The only difference is that, for the millions polluters spend on elections, they see billions in bonus profits."

Now That Solar Capacity Is Soaring—Koch Brothers Demand Tax on the Sun

www.alternet.org/environment/now-solar-capacity-soaring-koch-brothers-demand-tax-sun?page=0%2C0
"The Kochs have been pushing, through AFP ads, the dishonest meme that rooftop solar owners aren't carrying their fare share of utility system costs. The dishonesty lies in the failure to mention how rooftop solar and distributed power helps reduce the demand for peak power in mid-summer allowing power producers to avoid costs for building new power plants to meet peak demand. Moreover, power distributors not in the generation business are able to avoid paying for the most expensive peak power. But that's not what the utilities are telling the politicians and public. They are lobbying that solar power generators are freeloaders."

Youth Are Taking the Government to Court Over Its Failure to Address Climate Change | The Nation

Youth Are Taking the Government to Court Over Its Failure to Address Climate Change | The Nation

"In an unprecedented federal court case that has made it to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, young people from California are suing the EPA and Departments of Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Energy and Defense under the historic public trust doctrine for failing to devise a climate change recovery plan. In their legal brief, they argue, “Failure to rapidly reduce CO2 emissions and protect and restore the balance of the atmosphere is a violation of Youth’s constitutionally protected rights and is redressable by the Courts"."

Safety Failures Pervasive at Site of Mysterious Nuclear Leak | Common Dreams

Safety Failures Pervasive at Site of Mysterious Nuclear Leak | Common Dreams

"The airborne radiation leak at a federally-owned New Mexico nuclear waste dump that "was never supposed to leak" was caused by poor management, a dismal safety culture, and structural failures, according to the U.S. government's own investigation released Thursday."

Vermont to pass country’s strictest anti-GMO law

Vermont to pass country’s strictest anti-GMO law

"Gov. Shumlin says he will sign the bill, making Vermont the first state to require the labeling of GM foods"

Which U.S. Universities Are The Greenest?

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/23/3429622/universities-green-princeton-review/
"In a recently released free book by the Princeton Review, three-hundred and thirty universities in the United States and two in Canada are profiled as green four-year higher education institutions."

All Four NC GOP Senate hopefuls don’t believe in climate change

Baby Lobsters Are Disappearing, And Warming Oceans May Be To Blame

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/24/3430134/bye-bye-baby-lobsters/
"Lobsters may be tough to come by in the coming years, according to a Tuesday report from the Associated Press. That report cited a University of Maine study showing that the number of baby lobsters settling off the state’s coast has declined by more than half from their 2007 levels."

Six Major Cities Add Their Support To Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Plan

www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/24/3430261/six-cities-add-their-support-to-the-chesapeake-bay-cleanup-plan/
"Six major U.S. cities — New York, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco — filed an amicus brief this week in support of the EPA-led Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan, which imposes limits on the level of nutrients that can enter the bay each day."

The shocking truth about oil - and our planet