White House downplays U.S. climate report, repeats long-debunked arguments

4 November 2017 (BBC News) – The White House has sought to downplay a major climate change report, which was compiled by 13 US federal agencies.The study is at odds with assertions from President Donald Trump and several members of his administration.It says it is “extremely likely” human activity is the “dominant cause” of global […]

UN implores Australia to resume feeding “starving” refugees at remote camp – “It’s unbearable to watch this crisis unfold”

3 November 2017 (Thomson Reuters) – The United Nations human rights office called on Australia on Friday to restore food, water, and health services to about 600 interned refugees and asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea, which Canberra cut off three days ago. The detainees in the Manus Island Centre have defied attempts by the […]

Citing the Bible, EPA changes rules for science advisers – “Frankly, this directive is nuts”

By Zahra Hirji 31 October 2017 (BuzzFeed News) – The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Tuesday afternoon sweeping changes to who can advise the agency on its research and regulatory priorities, opening the door to more industry participation.Effective immediately, scientists who receive EPA funding cannot serve on the agency’s three major advisory groups. Some Republican […]

Awaiting Trump’s coal comeback, miners reject retraining – “I have a lot of faith in President Trump”

By Valerie Volcovici 1 November 2017 WAYNESBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) – When Mike Sylvester entered a career training center earlier this year in southwestern Pennsylvania, he found more than one hundred federally funded courses covering everything from computer programming to nursing.He settled instead on something familiar: a coal mining course.”I think there is a coal comeback,” […]

San Diego-area surfers and beachgoers sickened after Tijuana sewage spill, officials say – “Right now, we don’t seem to have any help in our U.S. government in combating these sewage flows and protecting public health”

By Joshua Emerson Smith 1 November 2017 (Los Angeles Times) – Officials in Imperial Beach said Wednesday that sewage flowing up the coast from Tijuana fouled miles of shoreline over the weekend, severely sickening surfers and other beachgoers.Mayor Serge Dedina, who also fell ill, said he received no advance notice from officials in Mexico about […]

California asks U.S. government for $7.4 billion for wildfire rebuilding

SAN FRANCISCO, 3 November 2017 (Associated Press) – California Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers asked the U.S. government Friday for $7.4 billion to help rebuild after a cluster of fires tore through the heart of wine country, killing more than 40 people and leaving thousands without housing.In a letter to the White House, Brown joined […]

Trump/Pruitt team’s strategic plan for EPA, and why it matters – “Woefully inadequate on all accounts”

  31 October 2017  (Save EPA) – The draft EPA strategic plan released by Trump/Pruitt earlier this month is woefully inadequate on all accounts. Save EPA’s Comments on the FY 2018-2022 EPA Strategic Plan Dear Administrator Pruitt:Save EPA is a volunteer organization made up of retired and former employees of the Environmental Protection Agency. We […]

The three-degree world: the cities that will be drowned by global warming – “We are not doing nearly enough to save hundreds of millions of people from a miserable future”

By Josh Holder, Niko Kommenda, and Jonathan Watts 3 November 2017(The Guardian) – When UN climate negotiators meet for summit talks this month, there will be a new figure on the table: 3C. Until now, global efforts such as the Paris climate agreement have tried to limit global warming to 2C above pre-industrial levels. However, […]

At least 19 dead as Typhoon Damrey sweeps into Vietnam – Damrey is strongest typhoon to make landfall in southern Vietnam in 16 years

By Mai Nguyen 4 November 2017 HANOI (Reuters) – Typhoon Damrey killed at least 19 people in central and southern Vietnam on Saturday, the government said, after the storm swept into the country just days ahead of the APEC summit of Asia-Pacific leaders. Damrey reached land at 4 a.m. local time (2100 GMT on Friday) […]

Puerto Rico leaders don’t know who has power, and CNN tried to find out – “It’s been an extreme challenge based on the devastation that Hurricane Maria brought”

By Leyla Santiago, Khushbu Shah, and Rachel Clarke 4 November 2017 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (CNN) – Towns and communities across Puerto Rico are entirely without power, more than six weeks after Hurricane Maria.The island’s leadership is touting restoration figures that show nearly 40% of electricity generation has resumed — but it doesn’t say how […]

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