Climate talks pause as battle over key science report looms – U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait call for upcoming IPCC study to be “noted” but not “welcomed”

By Frank Jordans 9 December 2018 KATOWICE, Poland (AP) – A diplomatic standoff over a single word could set the stage for a bigger showdown during the second half of this year’s U.N. climate summit. Negotiators took time out Sunday to rest after the first week of talks ended on a sour note the previous […]

Billionaire GOP donor gave Scott Pruitt $50,000 for legal expenses

By Brady Dennis and Juliet Eilperin 6 December 2018 (The Washington Post) – Scott Pruitt, who resigned this summer as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency amid a flurry of ethics inquiries, received $50,000 for his legal defense fund from a Wisconsin billionaire, according to a financial disclosure released Thursday.The contribution came this year […]

We are drowning in a devolved world: An open letter from Devo – “Is there any question that De-evolution is real?”

By Gerald V. Casale 6 December 2018 (Noisey) – In 2018, 15 years after becoming eligible, Devo was nominated for the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. The honorees will be announced a week from today. I was immediately struck by the timing of our sudden recognition: When Devo formed more than 40 years ago, […]

Sarah Sanders: U.S. climate change report “not based on facts”

By Brett Samuels 27 November 2018 (The Hill) – White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday dismissed the findings of a government report that warned of the impending consequences of climate change, claiming it’s “not based on facts.” “The president’s certainly leading on what matters most in this process, and that’s on having […]

California wildfires: Trump will say anything to deny the grim facts of global warming

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 […]

Climate change omitted from list of EPA research objectives

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, […]

Scientists: Wind and drought worsen fires, not bad management – “Instead the result of our baking of our forests, woodlands, and grasslands with ever-worsening climate change”

By Seth Borenstein 12 November 2018 WASHINGTON (AP) – Both nature and humans share blame for California’s devastating wildfires, but forest management did not play a major role, despite President Donald Trump’s claims, fire scientists say.Nature provides the dangerous winds that have whipped the fires, and human-caused climate change over the long haul is killing […]

“South Park” apologizes to Al Gore and admits it was wrong about global warming

By Matthew Rozsa 8 November 2018 (Salon) – In the new South Park episode “Time To Get Cereal,” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone do something particularly brave — they admit that the premise of one of their most famous previous episodes was plumb wrong.”Time To Get Cereal” is essentially a sequel to the 2006 […]

Human-rights experts: Political incitement to violence against journalists is “toxic” – One journalist is killed every four days, and most killers go unpunished

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 […]

Coal union boosts giving to Democrats as hopes dim for industry revival

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 […]

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