National Butterfly Center to file restraining order to stop Trump border wall construction

By Beatriz Alvarado 6 February 2019 MISSION, Texas (Corpus Christi Caller Times) – Amid a legal battle to stop the federal government from erecting a 36-foot “wall system” topped with steel bollards through its property, the National Butterfly Center is conducting business as usual. On a Wednesday morning, the parking lot at the 100-acre wildlife […]

The retreat of global democracy stopped in 2018 – Or has it just paused?

8 January 2019 (The Economist) – Democracy stopped declining in 2018, according to the latest edition of The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index. The index rates 167 countries by 60 indicators across five broad categories: electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, democratic political culture and civil liberties. It is stricter than […]

U.S. prepares to build part of Trump border wall through National Butterfly Center and Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge

By Nomaan Merchant 4 February 2019 HOUSTON (AP) – The U.S. government is preparing to begin construction of more border walls and fencing in South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, likely on federally owned land set aside as wildlife refuge property.Heavy construction equipment was expected to arrive starting Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. A […]

Worldwide round-up of deadly attacks and abuses against journalists in 2018 – “Violence against journalists has reached unprecedented levels this year, and the situation is now critical”

14 December 2018 (RSF) – A total of 80 journalists were killed this year, 348 are currently in prison, and 60 are being held hostage, according to the annual worldwide round-up of deadly violence and abusive treatment of journalists released today by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which shows an unprecedented level of hostility towards media […]

An economist’s take on the Poland climate conference: The glass is more than half full

By Robert Stavins 18 December 2018 (The Conversation) – The global climate change conference in Katowice, Poland, that wrapped up on Dec. 15 had a challenging mission. Three years ago in Paris, 196 countries and regions agreed to curb global greenhouse gas emissions Now they had to agree on rules and guidelines for how to […]

Why the rise of populist nationalist leaders rewrites global climate talks

By Arjuna Dibley 5 December 2018 (The Conversation) – The election of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil not only marks the rise of another populist nationalist leader on the world stage. It’s also a turning point for the global politics of climate change. When the new president takes office in January 2019, by my estimate at […]

The unseen driver behind the Central American migrant caravan: global warming – “We are seeing tremendous climate instability that is radically changing food security in the region”

By Oliver Milman, Emily Holden, and David Agren 30 October 2018 (The Guardian) – Thousands of Central American migrants trudging through Mexico towards the US have regularly been described as either fleeing gang violence or extreme poverty. But another crucial driving factor behind the migrant caravan has been harder to grasp: climate change.Most members of […]

Mexicans shower the migrant caravan with kindness, tarps, tortillas, and medicine – “Today it’s them. Tomorrow it could be us.”

By Joshua Partlow 26 October 2018 PIJIJIAPAN, Mexico – Everything Pedro Osmin Ulloa was wearing, from the black felt shoes with the gold buckles to the shimmery blue button-down, was as new to him as he was to Mexico.The 30-year-old Honduran corn farmer and dogged sojourner in the migrant caravan was dressed head-to-toe in donated […]

Hurricane Willa strengthens to a Category 5 in Eastern Pacific, threatens Mexico – Willa is only the fourth eastern Pacific hurricane to reach Category 5 strength in October since 1971

22 October 2018 (The Weather Channel) – Hurricane Willa has intensified to a Category 5 storm in the eastern Pacific Ocean and will threaten Mexico with destructive winds, life-threatening storm surge, and flooding rainfall as it makes landfall on Tuesday.A hurricane warning has been posted from San Blas to Mazatlán, including Las Islas Marias. A […]

Here’s where the post-apocalyptic water wars will be fought

By George Dvorsky 17 October 2018 (Gizmodo) – A United Nations report published last week said we have about a decade to get climate change under control, which—let’s be honest—isn’t likely to happen. So break out your goalie masks and harpoon guns, a Mad Max future awaits! Now, as new research points out, we even […]

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