Category: Environment,

4 Environmental Activists Are Killed Every Week

On By peanutgallerynhIn Environment,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, The Americas,Leave a comment

Latin America is by far the world’s most dangerous place to be an environmental defender. Almost 60 percent of the environmental killings recorded in 2017 took place in the region.

Mexico’s tropical forests, for example, have been ravaged by everything from illegal cattle ranching to avocado farming. In January 2017, Isidro Baldenegro López, a prominent indigenous activist who won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for his work protecting the forests of the Sierra Tarahumara mountain range in northern Mexico from logging, was shot dead.

…The Global Witness report records several massacres in countries such as Brazil and the Philippines ― in the latter country, the military reportedly killed at least eight indigenous people in December as they tried to protect their land from a coffee plantation.

Brazil remains the most deadly country for environmental activists, with 57 murders last year ― the highest ever recorded by any country. Twenty-two members of one tribe ― the Gamela ― were assaulted in one land-grabbing incident. Some had their hands cut off.

4 Environmental Activists Are Killed Every Week So We Can Have Snacks, Meat And Coffee | HuffPost

Sigh….

The country that brought a sea back to life, and its neighbor who chose to let the sea disappear

On By peanutgallerynhIn Central Northern Asia and The Caucasus,, Environment,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

At more than 67,000 sq km (26,000 sq miles), the Aral Sea was once the fourth-largest freshwater lake in the world. But the Soviet Union’s uncompromising agricultural policies in the 1950s led to water from two rivers – the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya – being diverted away from the sea to irrigate Central Asia’s desert steppes to boost cotton production. Water levels dropped and the once abundant populations of bream, carp and other freshwater fish dwindled with them.

Today, the sea is a 10th of its original size and has almost split in two. Mimicking the shape of a splintered number eight, the North Aral Sea – the top half of the body of water – lies in Kazakhstan. The South Aral Sea, which consist of a strip of water in the west and a dried-out basin in the east, sits in Uzbekistan.

In the 1990s, both bodies of water seemed headed for similar outcomes. But that changed when the World Bank stepped in with an $87m (£66m) rescue project in Kazakhstan.

This included constructing a 12km-long (7.5 mile) dyke across the narrow channel that connects the North Aral Sea to its neighbour to the south, with the aim of reducing the amount of water spilling out into the South Aral Sea. Improvements to existing channels of the Syr Darya river, which snakes northwards from Kazakhstan’s Tian Shan Mountains, also helped to boost the flow of water into the North Aral Sea.

…Raising the dyke walls by another four metres would help to keep an additional 15 billion cubic metres of water in the North Aral Sea, he adds. This would extend the area covered by the sea from 800sq km (300 sq miles) to 400sq km (150 sq miles).

….Plans to do this were put forward as part of a second phase of the World Bank project, but it has recently stalled. According to the World Bank the project is currently awaiting approval from the Kazakh government to move forward.

…Across the border in Uzbekistan, the story is very different. While the World Bank has worked on some projects to restore the existing lakes around the South Aral Sea, such as Lake Sudoche, it has had less success. The main obstacle appears to be the demand that Uzbeks have for it, as the Amu Darya river flows are used upstream for agricultural purposes and does not have enough water flow to fill up the South Aral Sea.

Greater reliance on cotton production for income has also hindered attempts to restore the South Aral Sea to its former glory. From 1930 to 1990, Uzbekistan provided more than two-thirds of the cotton produced in the Soviet Union. It ranked fifth out of 90 cotton-producing countries, and it was the second-largest exporter of cotton fibre to the US. Today, Uzbekistan is still the fifth-biggest cotton exporter in the world after the US, India, Brazil, and Australia.

…In 2015, the eastern basin of the South Aral Sea completely dried up and the water never returned.

BBC – Future – The country that brought a sea back to life

hmmmm

Australian governments concede Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘collapse’

On By peanutgallerynhIn Environment,, Pacific Basin,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

The world’s climate change path means the Great Barrier Reef is headed for “collapse” according to a plan endorsed by state and federal governments that critics say turns a blind eye to Australia’s inadequate effort to cut carbon emissions.

…The comments depart starkly from previous official efforts to downplay damage wrought on the reef for fear of denting the tourism industry.

…It concedes that consecutive coral bleaching events and other stressors “have fundamentally changed the character of the reef”, which is one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet.

“Coral bleaching is projected to increase in frequency … those coral reefs that survive are expected to be less biodiverse than in the past,” the plan says.

Australian governments concede Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘collapse’

aggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Endangered Species Act: Trump administration seeks to limit protections

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

The short of it is this: There’s greater leniency in setting rules for threatened species on a case-by-case basis, there’s greater permission to include economic impacts in conservation decisions, and the services that enforce the ESA can use discretion in deciding what’s meant by the term “foreseeable future.”

These changes are part of a broad suite of policies advanced by the Trump administration to favor industries like mining and fossil fuels by eliminating or limiting the environmental protection rules they have to follow.

Endangered Species Act: Trump administration seeks to limit protections – Vox

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Internal Watchdog Blasts EPA’s Response To Flint Water Crisis In Blistering Report

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Local Interest,, Race,Leave a comment

The 69-page inspector general’s report said that those with responsibility for the crisis at EPA’s regional office did not sufficiently invoke their oversight authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act and, in their reluctance to act, let the crisis worsen. 

As is well known by now, the crisis began in 2014 when the city of Flint changed its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Michigan officials repeatedly overlooked complaints from residents—the majority of whom are black—that the water was discolored and had a foul stench.

Behind the scenes, the EPA spent six months arguing with DEQ over whether Michigan was required to add chemicals to the water that would prevent contamination from lead in pipes and plumbing connections.

“We found that the EPA’s internal communications, and communications between the Michigan department and the EPA, did not convey key information about human health risks from lead contamination in Flint.”

Internal Watchdog Blasts EPA’s Response To Flint Water Crisis In Blistering Report | HuffPost

sigh….

Hawaii Passes Bill Banning Sunscreen That Can Harm Coral Reefs – The New York Times

On By peanutgallerynhIn Environment,, Hawaii,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

An estimated 14,000 tons of sunscreen is believed to be deposited in oceans annually with the greatest damage found in popular reef areas in Hawaii and the Caribbean. In 2015, the nonprofit Haereticus Environmental Laboratory surveyed Trunk Bay beach on St. John, wherevisitors ranged from 2,000 to 5,000 swimmers daily, and estimated over 6,000 pounds of sunscreen was deposited on the reef annually. The same year, it found an average of 412 pounds of sunscreen was deposited daily on the reef at Hanauma Bay, a popular snorkeling destination in Oahu that draws an average of 2,600 swimmers each day.

Sunscreen alternatives …[with] mineral sunblocks with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide ..must be “non-nano” in size to be considered reef-safe. If they are below 100 nanometers, the creams can be ingested by corals.

Hawaii Passes Bill Banning Sunscreen That Can Harm Coral Reefs – The New York Times

hmmmm

Don’t pack sunscreen on your next trip to Hawaii. These hotels will make sure you’re covered

On By peanutgallerynhIn Environment,, Hawaii,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Before you pack for your next trip to Hawaii, be prepared to leave your favorite sunscreen at home. And don’t worry, your skin won’t fry.

Scientific research shows that oxybenzone – also known as BP-3, contained in many sunscreen lotions, cremes and sprays — is extremely harmful to the state’s fragile coral reefs

Check-in desks and towel supply stations at the company’s nearly 50 properties throughout the state will allow guests to swap their oxybenzone-containing sunscreen for a free bottle of Raw Elements, a reef-safe sunscreen.

Don’t pack sunscreen on your next trip to Hawaii. These hotels will make sure you’re covered

hmmm

Hawaii may ban sunscreen that kills coral reefs. What kind is safe?

On By peanutgallerynhIn Environment,, Hawaii,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

State lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday banning sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, chemicals believed to cause harm to marine life and coral reefs.

..The bill …prohibit[s] the sale and distribution of sunscreen with those chemicals on the island “without prescription from a licensed healthcare provider.”

“Amazingly, this is a first-in-the-world law,” Gabbard, who introduced the bill, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “When you think about it, our island paradise, surrounded by coral reefs, is the perfect place to set the gold standard for the world to follow. This will make a huge difference in protecting our coral reefs, marine life, and human health.”

Hawaii may ban sunscreen that kills coral reefs. What kind is safe?

hmmm

Scott Pruitt’s Replacement Is Even Worse

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

Just one year ago, Andrew Wheeler worked as one of the coal industry’s most powerful lobbyists, serving as coal baron Bob Murray’s Capitol Hill muscle, challenging environmental regulations and casting doubt on the science behind climate change.

…Pruitt left behind a considerable legacy of halting critical regulations, reshaping the EPA’s science advisory boards and provoking an exodus of talent from the agency that could take decades to reverse. Yet roughly one-third of the regulatory rollbacks Pruitt attempted were halted by legal challenges ― setbacks widely attributed to his brash style and overeagerness to antagonize environmentalists. Still, he proposed some of the most drastic changes to the agency in his final months.

In April he proposed gutting auto emissions standards, which would essentially eliminate the only remaining major federal rule to curb greenhouse gases. Weeks later, he put forward a “transparency” rule that would dramatically limit the public health studies the EPA may use when writing regulations. By June, Pruitt kicked the effort up a notch, issuing a formal notice to solicit ideas on how the agency performs regulatory cost-benefit analyses, in a move widely seen as a giveaway to industry polluters, and proposed a regulation to replace a landmark Obama-era rule protecting drinking water for 117 million Americans

Last year, Wheeler served as a lobbyist for Energy Fuels Resources, a uranium mining company with operations just outside Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Last July, Wheeler and a top executive from the firm met with top Interior Department officials to discuss Bears Ears the same week Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recommended that President Donald Trump dramatically shrink the monument, according to agency calendars. Pruitt’s flashy efforts to bolster the coal industry came after repeated meetings with Murray, the outspoken mining magnate who runs Murray Energy. Wheeler, by contrast, worked for him until mid-2017, helping deliver the Trump administration a so-called action plan that included a federal bailout of coal-fired plants, the repeal of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan and a challenge to the 2009 EPA endangerment finding that determined carbon dioxide pollution poses a risk to public health.

Scott Pruitt’s Replacement Is Even Worse

sigh…

McDonald’s and Starbucks have been caught in a crackdown on plastics in India.

On By peanutgallerynhIn Environment,, Modern Parenting,, Southern Central Asia,Leave a comment

The restaurant chains were among dozens of companies hit with fines in Maharashtra state — India’s second-largest with a population of more than 100 million — at the weekend, a government official said.

The ban on single-use plastic items including shopping bags, food containers and cutlery, was announced in late March but went into force on Saturday.

…[The Indian] government has pledged to eliminate single-use plastic in India by 2022, joining a global campaign that has been given added urgency by research showing there will be more plastic by weight than fish in the oceans by 2050.

At least 25 of India’s 29 states have full or partial bans on single-use plastics, but they’re often not strictly enforced.

Maharashtra is cracking down immediately, forcing companies to change their ways.

…Hardcastle Restaurants, the franchisee which runs McDonald’s (MCD) outlets in Maharashtra, said it has begun using wooden cutlery, paper cups and straws made of corn starch.

But the chain was fined because it has not yet found similar alternatives for delivery items such as plastic lids for drinks, a spokesperson for McDonald’s India told CNNMoney. McDonald’s has joined restaurant associations in the region in asking for exemptions from the ban for delivery and takeaway orders, the spokesperson added.

…So far the government of Maharashtra has only exempted plastic containers used to package medicines, milk and solid waste, as well as plastic items for export.

…Neemit Punamiya, secretary of the Plastic Bags Manufacturers Association of India, estimates that India’s plastic industry could lose over $2.2 billion and 300,000 jobs as a result of the ban, local media reported. 

McDonald’s and Starbucks hit by plastic ban in India’s Maharashtra state

hmmm

NOAA’s Research Just Shifted from Climate Change to “Empowering the Economy” and “National Security” –

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

One of the country’s major federal science agencies seems to have been forced to abandon climate change research as a key organizational focus, the New York Times revealed this week. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization is responsible for managing the National Weather Service and using its network of satellites to forecast the effects of climate change. Rather than concentrate on resiliency efforts, NOAA is now charged with prioritizing “a safe, secure and growing economy.”

…The presentation also included a new emphasis: “To protect lives and property, empower the economy, and support homeland and national security.”

NOAA, whose mandate includes forecasting for hurricanes and cyclical storms like El Niño, had remained relatively immune so far from the influence of climate change skeptics within the Trump administration. Just last month, NOAA researchers recorded the highest-ever levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a historic result that an agency scientist called “a whole lot of bad news.”

….Previous government interventions into NOAA affairs suggest the White House would be unlikely not to intervene with an agency under its watch that continues to publicly discuss the potentially devastating effects of climate change.

NOAA’s Research Just Shifted from Climate Change to “Empowering the Economy” and “National Security” – Mother Jones

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Emails Raise Questions About Interior Secretary Zinke’s Link With Oil Executive

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

A few years ago, the Zinke family foundation announced plans to build a public veterans park along with a public sledding hill and a skating pond on land it owned in Whitefish. The park has not been built, but in the meantime, the surrounding area has become a hot spot for wealthy tourists and second-home buyers.

…According to reporting by Politico, the Zinke foundation and 95 Karrow have made a deal that would allow the real estate project to build a shared parking lot on the land owned by Zinke’s family foundation.

But 95 Karrow is backed by an investment group that includes the chairman and former CEO of Halliburton.

…Halliburton is one of the world’s largest oil field service companies. The Department of the Interior regulates oil and gas drilling on hundreds of millions of acres of public land in the U.S.

Newly surfaced emails are raising questions about that timing.

They show Zinke was still in touch with 95 Karrow’s chief project developer, Casey Malmquist, six months after becoming interior secretary and six months after he resigned from the foundation.

In those emails to Zinke from Malmquist, the developer told Zinke, “our development project and your park plan are an absolute grand slam.”

…”What this email suggests is that Ryan Zinke was not removed from negotiations of the project,” he says. “Instead we are seeing the 95 Karrow project developers negotiating directly with Ryan Zinke.”

Emails Raise Questions About Interior Secretary Zinke’s Link With Oil Executive : NPR

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Zinke’s Halliburton mess deepens

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke met at department headquarters in August with Halliburton Chairman David Lesar and other developers involved in a Montana real estate deal that relied on help from a foundation Zinke established, according to a participant in the meeting and records cited by House Democrats late Thursday.

…The new details raise further questions about Zinke’s involvement in the project, and whether his conversations with the developers — especially in Interior’s office — violated federal conflict of interest laws given Halliburton’s extensive business before this department.

…Ethics analysts have said Zinke, with his wife serving as the nonprofit’s head, may not be removed enough from its actions to ward off an appearance of conflict of interest.

Zinke’s Halliburton mess deepens – POLITICO

hmmm

Trump rescinds Obama policy protecting oceans | TheHill

On By peanutgallerynhIn Environment,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Trump is repealing [an] …executive order drafted by former President Obama that was meant to protect the Great Lakes and the oceans bordering the United States.

…Trump put a new emphasis on industries that use the oceans, particularly oil and natural gas drilling.

…“Ocean industries employ millions of Americans and support a strong national economy,” the new order states, mentioning energy production, the military, freight transportation and other industries.

…The order encourages more drilling and other industrial uses of the oceans and Great Lakes.

The order stands in contrast to Obama’s policy, which focused heavily on conservation and climate change. His policy was written in 2010, shortly after the deadly BP Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling explosion and 87-day oil spill.

“America’s stewardship of the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes is intrinsically linked to environmental sustainability, human health and well-being, national prosperity, adaptation to climate and other environmental changes, social justice, international diplomacy, and national and homeland security,” Obama’s order stated.

It established a federal council with the responsibility to oversee various programs and decisions that could impact the oceans or Great Lakes.

Trump rescinds Obama policy protecting oceans | TheHill

Aggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggh