Exxon Sues a Second Attorney General To Fight Off Climate Fraud Probe | InsideClimate News

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“The First Amendment does not protect false and misleading statements in the marketplace,” the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey (pictured here) said in response to Exxon’s June 15 lawsuit. Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

David Hasemyer.–“ExxonMobil has sued to derail a second attorney general’s investigation of the oil giant’s climate record.

“The company filed a complaint in federal district court in Fort Worth on Wednesday against Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. Her office subpoenaed Exxon records going back 40 years in an investigation of whether the company committed consumer or securities fraud by misrepresenting its knowledge of climate change.

“In the same court, Exxon has a similar suit pending against Claude Walker, the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands, who has launched a similar probe. Healey and Walker are part of a coalition of Democratic attorneys general trying to hold fossil fuel companies legally accountable for their conduct on climate change. The group was organized by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, whose office initiated an Exxon inquiry last year.”  Continue reading:  Exxon Sues a Second Attorney General To Fight Off Climate Fraud Probe | InsideClimate News

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Mark Ruffalo Urges President Obama to Keep Fossil Fuels in the Ground in Gripping New Documentary | Alternet

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GR.–Mark Ruffalo led the successful effort to ban fracking in New York, proving that celebrities can achieve change.
By Reynard Loki / AlterNet
June 16, 2016.–“I recently attended a film screening of “Dear President Obama, The Clean Energy Revolution Is Now,” a new documentary narrated by actor and activist Mark Ruffalo about the impact of hydraulic fracturing across the United States. Commonly referred to as “fracking,” it is a controversial drilling process to access oil and natural gas—primarily methane—trapped in underground shale deposits. While the fracking boom has created jobs and stimulated the economy, numerous studies have linked it to numerous environmental and health impacts.
“A direct appeal to the president to ban fracking, the film urges Obama (and all elected officials) to join the growing “anti-drilling” movement across the U.S. and accept the reality that the only reasonable energy policy is to leave the majority of fossil fuels in the ground, a position held by many leading scientists.”  Continue reading: Mark Ruffalo Urges President Obama to Keep Fossil Fuels in the Ground in Gripping New Documentary | Alternet

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#WildforLife – Backed by Stars, UN Campaign Seeks to Mobilize Millions to End Illegal Trade in Wildlife

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GR.–Publicity campaigns work best when we design them to appeal to the correct audience.  Is the typical customer for poached animals and their body parts likely to respond to celebrity messages?  It seems unlikely that the poachers will.  Nevertheless, celebrities will draw attention to the issue, and though they might not evoke a response among the customers, they might create public attitudes that can indirectly influence customers.  And for the public, knowing a problem exists is a great step toward solution.

Ban Ki-moon, Gisele Bündchen, Yaya Touré and Ian Somerhalder among those aiming to spur action to protect endangered species

UN, Nairobi, Wednesday, 25 May 2016.–“The United Nations, backed by A-list celebrities from across the globe, today launched an unprecedented campaign against the illegal trade in wildlife, which is pushing species to the brink of extinction, robbing countries of their natural heritage and profiting international criminal networks.

“Each year, thousands of wild animals are illegally killed, often by organized criminal networks motivated by profit and greed,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “I call on all Governments and people everywhere to support the new United Nations campaign, Wild for Life, which aims to mobilize the world to end this destructive trade. Preserving wildlife is crucial for the well-being of people and planet alike.”

“#WildforLife, launched today at the second United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) in Nairobi in front of environment ministers from every corner of the planet, aims to mobilize millions of people to make commitments and take action to end the illegal trade.”  Continue reading:  Backed by Stars, Unprecedented UN Campaign Seeks to Mobilize Millions to End Illegal Trade in Wildlife

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Survey: Australians want climate action

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The public appetite for climate policy is bigger now than when Julia Gillard’s government passed the carbon tax in 2011. AAP Image/Lukas CochIn

GR.–The Australian public is well informed about the danger of climate change.  Politicians are avoiding the issue just as most are in the U. S.  One of the reasons for U. S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ popularity is his acknowledged concern for climate change.

Deborah Cotton.–“. . . not long after Julia Gillard was returned to power in the 2010 federal election, I asked a representative sample of Australians about their attitudes to climate policy.

“Climate was a water-cooler issue at the time. The carbon tax legislation had been introduced into Parliament in March, paving the way for a subsequent emissions trading scheme.

“That scheme bit the dust in 2014 after becoming a hotly debated issue during the rancorous 2013 election campaign, but carbon policy has not had the same high profile during the current campaign. My colleagues and I decided to repeat our survey and see whether attitudes really have cooled on global warming.

“Despite climate policy being something of a sleeper issue in this election, our results suggest that concern about the climate is more widespread now than it was five years ago.

“We found that 75% of people surveyed believe it to be an important global issue, and 74% see climate as an important issue for Australia.”  Continue reading:  Survey: more Australians want climate action now than before the carbon tax

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Climate Change Has Claimed Its First Mammal Extinction – Scientific American Blog Network

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The Bramble Cay melomys was wiped out by sea level rise, according to a new study

By John R. Platt on June 15, 2016.–“Climate change has claimed its first confirmed mammal extinction. The tiny Bramble Cay melomys (also known as the Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat, Melomys rubicola) has been declared extinct by the government of Queensland, Australia after an exhaustive search failed to turn up any evidence of its continued existence.

“The Bramble Cay melomys lived in just a single habitat, a small reef island at the northern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. The sandy cay—which only measures 340 meters by 150 meters—has been repeatedly buffeted by storm surges from extreme weather events over the past decade, wiping out about 97 percent of its vegetation. High tides now cover the majority of the entire island. With nothing to eat and few places left to escape the ocean, the melomys appears to have now disappeared.”  Continue reading:  Climate Change Has Claimed Its First Mammal Extinction – Scientific American Blog Network

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Antarctic CO2 Hit 400 PPM For First Time in 4 Million Years | Climate Central

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By Brian Kahn.–“We’re officially living in a new world.

“Carbon dioxide has been steadily rising since the start of the Industrial Revolution, setting a new high year after year. There’s a notable new entry to the record books. The last station on Earth without a 400 parts per million (ppm) reading has reached it.

“A little 400 ppm history. Three years ago, the world’s gold standard carbon dioxide observatory passed the symbolic threshold of 400 ppm. Other observing stations have steadily reached that threshold as carbon dioxide spreads across the planet’s atmosphere at various points since then. Collectively, the world passed the threshold for a month last year.

“In the remote reaches of Antarctica, the South Pole Observatory carbon dioxide observing station cleared 400 ppm on May 23, according to an announcement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday. That’s the first time it’s passed that level in 4 million years (no, that’s not a typo).  Continue reading:  Antarctic CO2 Hit 400 PPM For First Time in 4 Million Years | Climate Central

The animation showing how carbon dioxide moves around the planet is worth watching:  NASA/YouTube

 

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How much CO2 will melting permafrost release? | Summit County Citizens Voice

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Bob Berwyn.–“New study shows soil moisture is a big factor in global warming equation.

“Methane won’t be the only problem as Arctic permafrost thaws in the coming decades. A new study shows that, as frozen permafrost areas warm and dry out, they will also release more CO2. The study was led by Northern Arizona University assistant research professor Christina Schädel and published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

“The findings show that a 10 degree Celsius increase in soil temperature released twice as much carbon into the atmosphere, and drier, aerobic soil conditions released more than three times more carbon than wetter, anaerobic soil conditions.

“Our results show that increasing temperatures have a large effect on carbon release from permafrost but that changes in soil moisture conditions have an even greater effect,” said Schädel. “We conclude that the permafrost carbon feedback will be stronger when a larger percentage of the permafrost zone undergoes thaw in a dry and oxygen-rich environment.”

“The study was part of an ongoing effort to quantify greenhouse gas releases from thawing permafrost, a critical part of the global warming equation because so much carbon is currently locked up in frozen organic soils in the Arctic. Much of the data came from the international Permafrost Carbon Network that Schädel co-leads with Northern Arizona University professor of ecosystem ecology, Ted Schuur.”  Continue reading:  How much CO2 will melting permafrost release? | Summit County Citizens Voice

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Chile’s Salmon Industry Using Record Levels of Antibiotics to Combat Bacterial Outbreak

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GR.–The first superbug resistant to all our antibiotics was reported last month.  I haven’t heard if the thing has begun to spread.  Just as pesticide resistant weeds and insects require steady increases in pesticide applications, so antibiotic resistance requires more and more investment in antibiotic research.  Now, we are behind on antibiotic development.

The antibiotic issue is just one of the growing problems with the large factory farms needed to feed our growing population.  As with the “leave it in the ground” call for fossil fuels, we need a “leave it in the pants” call for population control.

Lorraine Chow.–“The Chilean salmon industry’s rampant use of antibiotics is once again under the microscope after a new report revealed that salmon producers are using record levels of the drugs to treat stocks suffering from salmonid rickettsial septicemia (SRS).

“Following a Chile Appeals Court order, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) revealed that the country’s salmon producers used 557 tonnes of antibiotics in 2015, with consumption rate per tonne of salmon reaching its highest point in the last nine years at 660 grams per tonne. The previous high was 640 grams per tonne in 2007. Usage was as low as 310 grams per tonne in 2010, Undercurrent News noted. The newest figures were compiled from 46 companies that operate in both freshwater and sea water.

“SRS, or piscirickettsiosis, causes lesions, hemorrhaging and swollen kidneys and spleens in the salmon, and can ultimately lead to death. Chilean farmers have used ever-increasing amounts of antibiotics to try and keep their stocks healthy.

“However, concerns over drug-resistant superbugs are driving away American consumers and retailers who seek antibiotic-free products. Last year, Costco spurned the South American country’s farmed salmon, opting instead for farmed salmon from Norway, whose farmers use far less antibiotics.”  Continue reading:  Chile’s Salmon Industry Using Record Levels of Antibiotics to Combat Bacterial Outbreak

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The Dalai Lama Offers Wisdom on Migration

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Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama is the most popular world leader, according to a Harris poll, with a 78 percent favorable opinion.

GR.–In the narrow context of the migration problem, the Dalai Lama doesn’t mention the need for climate and population control.  If global warming-caused drought continues in the Middle East, migrants cannot return, for there, Earth’s carrying capacity can no longer feed them.  The situation should send a tingle of fear up our spine as it is the harbinger of the collapse of the current human civilization and close of the Anthropocene.

By John Vinson.–“In a world where genuine moral wisdom is rare, the recent words of the Dalai Lama on migration are refreshing indeed. The spiritual leader of Tibet began by affirming the importance of compassion. “When we look at the face of each refugee,” he said, “we feel their suffering, and a human being who has a better situation in life has the responsibility to help them.” But then he thoughtfully added that other considerations must balance compassion to uphold the greatest moral good.

“Specifically, the Buddhist monk warned that the numbers of migrants moving into Europe are too many for the charity of European countries to sustain, and that those countries have the right to preserve themselves. He observed that “[T]here are too many [migrants] at the moment… Europe, Germany in particular, cannot become an Arab country. Germany is Germany.” He went on to say “[F]rom a moral point of view too, I think that the refugees should only to be admitted temporarily. The goal should be that they return and help rebuild their countries.”  Continue reading:  The Dalai Lama Offers Wisdom on Migration | Californians For Population Stabilization

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