Texas state bill would make protesting pipelines a felony on par with attempted murder – “It’s an anti-protest bill, favoring the fossil fuel industry, favoring corporations over people”

By Eoin Higgins 17 May 2019 (Common Dreams) – A bill making its way through the Texas legislature would make protesting pipelines a third-degree felony, the same as attempted murder. H.B. 3557, which is under consideration in the state Senate after passing the state House earlier this month, ups penalties for interfering in energy infrastructure […]

Power companies have a plan to save the earth, but it probably won’t work – “In the absence of some kind of national program or policy, we shouldn’t expect to see some dramatic decline in emissions”

Power companies have a plan to save the earth, but it probably won’t work – “In the absence of some kind of national program or policy, we shouldn’t expect to see some dramatic decline in emissions”

By Neil Katz and Joe McCarthy 9 May 2019 (The Weather Channel) – Last month, a thousand well-heeled bankers, scrappy startups and energy CEOs sat down at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance conference in a swanky New York hotel to discuss the billions they would spend over the next 20 years to build cleaner energy […]

Occurrence of back-to-back heat waves likely to accelerate with global warming – “Compound heat waves are projected to grow more rapidly than simple heat waves”

Occurrence of back-to-back heat waves likely to accelerate with global warming – “Compound heat waves are projected to grow more rapidly than simple heat waves”

By Joseph Albanese 8 May 2019 (Princeton Environmental Institute) – As the planet continues to warm, multi-day heat waves are projected to increase in frequency, length and intensity. The additive effects of these extreme heat events overwhelm emergency service providers and hospital staff with heat-related maladies, disrupt the electrical grid and can even cause delays […]

Trump border wall to go up in national monument, wildlife refuge – Department of Homeland Security waives dozens of environmental and other laws

By Astrid Galvan and Nomaan Merchant 14 May 2019 PHOENIX (AP) – The U.S. government plans on replacing barriers through 100 miles (161 kilometers) of the southern border in California and Arizona, including through a national monument and a wildlife refuge, according to documents and environmental advocates. The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday again […]

Trump Interior chief indifferent to record carbon dioxide levels – “I haven’t lost any sleep over it”

By Nichola Groom; Editing by Lisa Shumaker 15 May 2019 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt told a panel of U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday that he has not lost sleep over record amounts of carbon dioxide recorded in the Earth’s atmosphere, which scientists warn are altering the global climate. “I haven’t lost […]

Global fossil fuel subsidies hit record $5.2 trillion – Efficient pricing would lower global carbon emissions by 28 percent and fossil fuel air pollution deaths by 46 percent

By Nick Cunningham 12 May 2019 (OilPrice.com) – The world spent a staggering $4.7 trillion and $5.2 trillion on fossil fuel subsidies in 2015 and 2017, respectively, according to a new report [pdf] from the International Monetary Fund. That means that in 2017 the world spent a whopping 6.5 percent of global GDP just to subsidize the […]

A decade after the recession, 40 percent of U.S. families still struggling – No improvement in first years of Trump administration

A decade after the recession, 40 percent of U.S. families still struggling – No improvement in first years of Trump administration

By Aimee Picchi 13 May 2019 (CBS News) – Four in 10 Americans sometimes face what economists call “material hardship,” struggling to pay for basic needs such as food and housing, according to a new study from the Urban Institute. Even middle-class families routinely struggle financially and are occasionally unable to pay their bills.  The finding is […]

Only one-third of the world’s longest rivers remain free-flowing – Nearly 60,000 large dams exist worldwide, with more than 3,700 planned

Only one-third of the world’s longest rivers remain free-flowing – Nearly 60,000 large dams exist worldwide, with more than 3,700 planned

8 May 2019 (McGill University) – Just over one-third (37%) of the world’s 246 longest rivers remain free-flowing, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Nature. Dams and reservoirs are drastically reducing the diverse benefits that healthy rivers provide to people and nature across the globe. A team of 34 international researchers from McGill University, […]

Cuba launches widespread rationing in face of crisis

By Michael Weissenstein and Andrea Rodriguez 10 May 2019 HAVANA (AP) – The Cuban government announced Friday that it is launching widespread rationing of chicken, eggs, rice, beans, soap and other basic products in the face of a grave economic crisis. Commerce Minister Betsy Díaz Velázquez told the state-run Cuban News Agency that various forms […]

Wettest 12 months in U.S. history in April 2019 – “Tremendous rainfall” in southern Texas 300-600 percent of normal May

By Bob Henson 8 May 2019 (Weather Underground) – The 12 months ending in April 2019 were the wettest year-long period in U.S. records going back to 1895, according to the monthly U.S. climate summary issued Wednesday by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Averaged across the contiguous U.S., the total of 36.20” made the period from May […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial