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Archive for June 12th, 2015
PBS Sacred Site Documentary to Detail Roadmap Mauna Kea Victory
Posted by Indian Country: None Given on June 12th, 2015
Indian Country: This April, Craig Neff was among 31 Native Hawaiians and supporters from around the world who were arrested for blockading the construction crews headed to the summit of the sacred mountain Mauna Kea, where an international coalition of scientists and universities had been authorized by the state of Hawaii to build the massive, $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).
The wave of social media and news reports that followed the arrests represented a crescendo for the burgeoning movement to protect...
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MLK Lessons for Hawaii: A Leader Who Can Unite Us
Posted by Civil Beat: Frank DeGiacomo on June 12th, 2015
Civil Beat: Hawaii has been blessed with a strong grassroots people’s movement of late. In no particular order, there has been a marriage equality movement, an anti-GMO movement, the Save Mauna Kea movement, and others.
Hawaii seems to be winning significant battles, yet losing the war against greed, corruption, and oppression overall.
Why is that?
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” -- George Santayana, 20th century American philosopher
In 1967, at Riverside Church in...
Oil bosses break long climate silence urgent initiative
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 12th, 2015
Reuters: For an industry used to cautious, long-term evolution, the speed at which leaders of Europe's biggest oil and gas companies moved to take a joint stand in the climate debate speaks volumes.
Discrete talks in the eyrie of Davos in January led to a spontaneous, light bulb moment on a stage in Oslo in February. The result: a joint statement two months later. The executives agreed they had to go public, and with alacrity.
Faced with growing pressure from shareholders, vocal divestment campaigns...
Climate change causing a headache for Assam tea growers in India
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 12th, 2015
New Scientist: The blistering afternoon sun beats down on my face. Normally by this time of day in May, dark clouds would be gathering, preparing for an almighty downpour. But there are no clouds in sight.
The lush-green, perfectly manicured tea plants extend as far as my eyes can see. Women wearing woven bamboo hats are dotted around the plantation, plucking leaves and putting them in baskets attached to their backs. The work looks gruelling in this heat.
And there's trouble brewing in the plantations of...
El Niño forecast brings California hope for drought relief
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 12th, 2015
Climate Central: El Niño is gaining steam in the Pacific Ocean and forecasters are now leaning towards it being a strong event, the first since the blockbuster El Niño of 1997-1998. That possibility is again raising the collective hopes of Californians that this winter may finally see some desperately needed precipitation to begin the slow climb out of a historic drought. “In California, all eyes are on the Pacific given the ongoing historic drought,” Daniel Swain, an atmospheric science Ph.D. student at Stanford...
In twist, Obama emissions plan satisfies industry, worries greens
Posted by Reuters: Valerie Volcovici on June 12th, 2015
Reuters: For two years, President Barack Obama has used his executive power to impose new rules to cut carbon emissions, targeting cars and power plants, buoying environmentalists and infuriating industry. His latest foray - regulating commercial aviation - had the opposite effect. On Wednesday, the administration took a first step toward cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's fleet of aircraft, releasing a scientific finding that said emissions from plane engines pose a risk to human health...
Ancient Ice Sheet Collapse Triggered Strong Climate Change
Posted by Nature World News: None Given on June 12th, 2015
Nature World News: With climate change already impacting various parts of the world, scientists have started looking into Earth's past in order to better predict how it will affect our future. To add to growing evidence, a new study has found that ice sheet collapse 135 million years ago triggered events of strong global climate change.
The Cretaceous period, 145 to 66 million years ago, was one of the warmest times in Earth's history - though some say it was interrupted with a significant cold snap. During this...
North Carolina High Court Vacates ‘Immediate Action’ Order on Coal Ash
Posted by Charlotte Observer: None Given on June 12th, 2015
Charlotte Observer: North Carolina’s Supreme Court vacated Thursday a lower-court ruling that said state regulators could force “immediate action” to clean up the sources of groundwater contaminated by coal ash.
Coal ash legislation adopted last year superseded that ruling, the court ruled in a victory for Duke Energy and state regulators.
“We think the court’s ruling is appropriate, and we are pleased to close this issue so we can continue moving ahead with safely and permanently closing ash basins,” spokeswoman...
Maori and Hawaiians Unite Stop Desecration Ancestral Lands of Hawaii
Posted by Waatea: None Given on June 12th, 2015
Waatea: Maori women's collective, Te Wharepora Hou, today affirm solidarity with their Hawaiian brothers and sister's efforts to protect ancestral lands. 'Protectors of Mauna a Wakea' have been occupying Mauna a Wakea, a sacred ancestral mountain on the island of Hawaii during recent weeks to prevent the construction of the world's largest telescope; the planned Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) project.
"The TMT project is a direct attack on the physical, spiritual and cultural integrity of Mauna a Wakea....
Underpinnings of drought tolerance in plants
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 12th, 2015
ScienceDaily: Regions all over the globe are suffering from severe drought, which threatens crop production worldwide. This is especially worrisome given the need to increase, not just maintain, crop yields to feed the increasing global population. Over the course of evolution, plants have developed mechanisms to adapt to periods of inadequate water, and as any gardener can tell you, some species are better able to handle drought than others. Accordingly, scientists have invested much effort to understand how...