By Abrahm Lustgarten 20 November 2018 (The New York Times) – The fields outside Kotawaringin village in Central Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo, looked as if they had just been cleared by armies. None of the old growth remained — only charred stumps poking up from murky, dark pools of water. In places, smoke […]
19 November 2018 (Desdemona Despair) – In August 2018, it was “environmental terrorist groups” causing California’s forest fires. Before that, it was water regulations. Now, California just needs to rake its forests and manage them like Finland.Anything to deny the obvious: global warming is causing California’s megafires.Throughout 2018, the Trump administration has undertaken a Stalinist […]
24 October 2018 (Silencing Science Tracker) – On 24 October 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a draft “Air and Energy Strategic Research Action Plan” (Action Plan) for the period from 2019 to 2022. The Action Plan identifies research needed to “address[] EPA priorities and mandates” with respect to air pollution. Unlike previous versions, […]
By Fred Barbash, Allyson Chiu, and Juliet Eilperin 9 November 2018 (The Washington Post) – A federal judge temporarily blocked construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, ruling late Thursday that the Trump administration had failed to justify its decision granting a permit for the 1,200-mile long project designed to connect Canada’s oil sands fields […]
31 October 2018 (UN News) – A group of independent, UN-appointed human rights experts have called on world leaders to stop inciting hatred and violence against the media, citing the hundreds of journalists killed or forcibly detained because of their work, and ensure that those responsible are held accountable. On Wednesday, the experts, including David […]
By Timothy Gardner and Grant Smith; editing by Richard Valdmanis and Steve Orlofsky 29 October 2018 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top U.S. coal miners union has put a larger share of its campaign donations behind Democrats ahead of the 6 November 2018 elections than in 2016, as dimming hopes for a coal industry revival led […]
30 October 2018 (Mongabay) – China has legalized the “controlled” use of rhino horn and tiger bone for medical use and cultural purposes in the country, the government announced on 29 October 2018.Rhino horn and tiger bone for medical purposes can only be obtained from farmed rhinos and tigers, the announcement said, while powdered forms […]
By Saphora Smith 28 October 2018 (NBC News) – Norbert Valley was surprised to see police show up at a Sunday morning service at the evangelical church in Switzerland where he is pastor. He was even more perplexed when the officers told him he had broken the law by allowing a migrant who did not […]
By Emma Court 21 October 2018 (MarketWatch) – To sell addictive opioids, sales representatives were encouraged to “own” doctors, keeping a close eye on how and how much they prescribe. Speaker programs that helped drive sales left out safety problems and, in one instance, didn’t say that Insys, the drug’s manufacturer, was sponsoring the event. […]
By Matthew Daly 23 October 2018 WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says he is nominating a former executive at agribusiness giant Monsanto to head the Fish and Wildlife Service. Aurelia Skipwith of Indiana is currently deputy assistant Interior secretary for fish, wildlife and parks. A biologist and lawyer, Skipwith spent more than six years […]