Sustainability, Economics, & Law

urbanfoodproduction: if you’re interested in having your...

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 08:16:45 -0500

if you’re interested in having your school, bank, church or any other institution divest from the fossil fuel industry (a crime syndicate of global terrorists who funded the war in iraq among other genocides in our lifetime) go to gofossilfree.org

goabroadd: can you imagine

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 15:02:08 -0500

goabroadd:

can you imagine

Climate change refugees lack legal protection

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 14:52:35 -0500

Climate change refugees lack legal protection:

climateadaptation:

Currently, climate change refugees have few rights. While international law provides protection for political refugees, climate and environmental refugees are inadequately covered. If they are taken in by a neighboring country, the support that they are supposed to receive is unclear.

Developing adaptation strategies

Still, the international community has been able to agree that countries, especially in the southern hemisphere, have to adapt to climate change and protect themselves against natural disasters. In 2011, a Green Climate Fund was set up at the UN Climate Conference in Durban, South Africa, to help countries adapt to climate change. The fund was provided with 30 billion euros ($40 billion) of initial capital, which is now set to be increased to 100 billion euros ($134 billion) by 2020.

Via DW

mothernaturenetwork: Celebrating wetlands across the worldFeb....

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 14:52:05 -0500

mothernaturenetwork:

Celebrating wetlands across the world
Feb. 2 marks World Wetlands Day, which commemorates an agreement to conserve the Earth’s marshes, swamps and bogs. To mark the occasion, take a tour of some of the world’s most remarkable wetlands.
See more wonderful wetlands photos.

nrdc: Join us in D.C. for the largest climate rally in U.S....

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 14:51:22 -0500

nrdc:

Join us in D.C. for the largest climate rally in U.S. history!

On February 17, 2013, NRDC, Sierra Club, 350.org and partners will be leading the “Forward on Climate” rally in DC to call on President Obama to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and set carbon standards for dirty power plants!

Watch this video on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and march with us on February 17 – sign-up today!

climateadaptation: A polar bear struggles on thin ice. BBC

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:48:37 -0500

climateadaptation:

A polar bear struggles on thin ice. BBC

Photo

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:20:48 -0500

climateadaptation: govtoversight: What BP’s Suspension Means

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 09:36:46 -0500

climateadaptation:

govtoversight:

What BP’s Suspension Means

"We cannot win this battle to save species and environments without forging an emotional bond between..."

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:54:31 -0500

“We cannot win this battle to save species and environments without forging an emotional bond between ourselves and nature as well - for we will not fight to save what we do not love.”

-
Stephen Jay Gould (via jngaio)

Nicely dovetails my previous rant on tech gurus corrupting environmental science.

(via climateadaptation)

NY TIMES: BP to pay $4.5 billion in fines, plead guilty to 14 criminal counts in 2010 Gulf oil spill; two BP employees to be charged with manslaughter.

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:29:18 -0500

NY TIMES: BP to pay $4.5 billion in fines, plead guilty to 14 criminal counts in 2010 Gulf oil spill; two BP employees to be charged with manslaughter.

fuckyeahenvironmentaljustice: sinidentidades: lati-negros: pea...

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 09:46:50 -0500

fuckyeahenvironmentaljustice:

sinidentidades:

lati-negros:

peaceblaster:

Sign!

Please share! :)

Help us stop the Belo Monte Dam by signing the petition here

I have posted multiple times about what is happening to the indigenous people in Brazil. Not only are they being brutalized because of mass projects like the Belo Monte Dam, but foreign companies seeking resources like lumber have killed whole villages and displaced people in an obvious imperialist campaign for the sake of capital gain.

Here is a list of relevant articles:

Unrest growing over Brazil’s native lands: report

Loggers threaten Brazil Amazon residents: Amnesty

‘They’re killing us’: world’s most endangered tribe cries for help

Vale plays down fears Amazon rail project will harm tribe

Image of an Indigenous woman holding her child while trying to fend off riot police as they evict her tribe from their ancestral lands in Brazil

Sadly, it isn’t just Brazil involved in the continued exploitation of indigenous people:

Bolivian government to consult with Amazon natives on controversial highway

Police oust indigenous group in Colombia standoff

New Amazon highway ‘would put Peru’s last lost tribes at risk’

Cannot stress this issue enough.

mohandasgandhi: Insurance Companies Rethink Business After...

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 19:32:19 -0500

mohandasgandhi:

Insurance Companies Rethink Business After Sandy

Superstorm Sandy capped what’s been a pretty impressive couple of years for U.S. natural disasters. There have been wildfires, tornadoes, floods and derechos. And insurance companies are on the hook to pay billions in related claims.

“We’re seeing more of everything, and what we’re doing is trying to factor that in going forward as we work with others to have a better sense of what the future holds,” says State Farm spokesman David Beigie.

Here is one thing the industry agrees is true: The cost from hurricane damages is increasing. That’s largely because population density and the cost of coastal property increases every year.

Do insurers expect to see more frequent and more intense weather events in coming years? Opinions diverge.

Peter Hoppe heads the Geo Risks Research center for Munich Re, a global company that insures other insurers. His company put out a report just before Sandy warning that North America will face a rising number of natural catastrophes due in part to greenhouse gas emissions.

“We believe that climate change is a big problem and will drive losses in the future,” Hoppe says.

He says there is no evidence climate change caused Hurricane Sandy. But, he says, it doesn’t matter whether insurers believe in man-made climate change. His report says the number of weather-related events nearly quintupled in North America over the past three decades. And that means premiumswill increase in the long run if exposure continues to increase.

“On the long term, definitely we have an interest in what will be happening in 50 years, or even in 100 years because this concerns our business model in general. It may be that in the long term, things become uninsurable,” Hoppe says.

But this is not a view embraced by the whole industry.
(Continue Reading…)

What will really get people to start talking seriously about climate change? When more insurance companies/financial industries start talking about the severity of the problem it poses. However, the discussion is only meaningful in terms of searching for effective solutions in mitigating climate change if it’s not met with anti-science rhetoric.

If insurance companies believe the increase in severe weather events is merely a coincidence or the result of poor weather prediction, we’re going to have financial problems because insurance rates will continue to go up. On the other hand, if insurance providers are properly informed about climate science, they’ll have a market incentive not to insure those who participate in poor environmental practices and do what they do best in our political system, lobby our politicians to enact climate legislation.

I cannot stress this post and article enough. Only until climate change is widely accepted AND acted upon can we ensure that our cities and towns are better protected in the future. What we need is plenary climate adaptation, not just some quick fixers.

sirmitchell: One of the best political ads I’ve seen this...

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 17:23:21 -0500

sirmitchell:

One of the best political ads I’ve seen this year.

The anti-science mentality of the right is disgusting. People so dumb, they lack the brain power required to recognize their own stupidity. As an American, I am embarrassed. As a human, I am pissed off.

I’ve heard too many people say they aren’t voting because Obama and Romney are the same. I’m sorry, but that’s cynical bullshit.

mothernaturenetwork: People in poor, non-white neighborhoods...

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 21:22:00 -0400

mothernaturenetwork:

People in poor, non-white neighborhoods breathe more hazardous particles
Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Fresno are among the metropolitan areas with unhealthful levels of fine particles.

THIS IS BRAND NEW NEWS!….not.

Photo

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:30:16 -0400

"I spoke to the president three times yesterday… I said, if you can expedite designating New Jersey..."

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:09:12 -0400

“I spoke to the president three times yesterday… I said, if you can expedite designating New Jersey as a major disaster area that that would help us to get federal money and resources in here as quickly as possible to help clean up the damage here. The president was great last night. He said he would get it done. At 2 a.m. I got a call from FEMA to answer a couple of final questions and then he signed the declaration this morning. So I have to give the president great credit. He’s been on the phone with me three times in the last 24 hours. He’s been very attentive, and anything that I’ve asked for, he’s gotten to me. So, I thank the president publicly for that. He’s done — as far as I’m concerned — a great job for New Jersey.”

-
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie • Lauding President Obama’s attentiveness in the face of Hurricane Sandy, in an interview on Fox and Friends this morning. Christie’s rhetoric on the President’s leadership abilities hasn’t always been so glowing — back in May, he excoriated Obama as “walking around in a dark room trying to find the light switch of leadership.” But now, faced with a climactic disaster in his state, Christie and Obama have made nice, to the vast betterment of the citizens of his state. Obviously, holding off on political rivalries during such a chaotic and traumatic event is the right thing to do, but Christie deserves a major measure of credit for recognizing Obama’s efforts for his state. When asked whether Mitt Romney would tour some storm sites, he went much further than he needed to, showing a sincerity unbound by partisan priority: “…I have no idea, nor am I the least bit concerned or interested. I’ve got a job to do here in New Jersey that’s much bigger than presidential politics and I could care less about any of that stuff.” source (via shortformblog)

Meanwhile, meanwhile, meanwhile, meanwhile, meanwhile (wtf, republicans!).

(via climateadaptation)

People do understand that hurricanes/natural disasters/climate change are comparable to bomb threats in terms of national security problems, right? And I simply don’t trust Mitt with this kind of pressure.

heykyle: Beekeepers near the French town of Ribeauville have...

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 20:15:31 -0400

heykyle:

Beekeepers near the French town of Ribeauville have noticed their bees turning out honey in unnatural shades — green, blue and dark brown among them. The beekeepers believe the bees are consuming residue from containers of M&M’s candy processed at a nearby biogas plant.

climateadaptation: Happening now! PBS Frontline’s “Climate of...

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 22:13:32 -0400

climateadaptation:

Happening now! PBS Frontline’s “Climate of Doubt” streaming online.

FRONTLINE explores the massive shift in public opinion on climate change

Four years ago, climate change was a hot issue and politicians from both sides seemed poised to act. Today public opinion on the climate issue has cooled considerably. Politicians either ignore it or proclaim their skepticism. What’s behind this massive reversal? On Oct 23, FRONTLINE goes inside the organizations that fought the scientific establishment to shift the direction of the climate debate.

Click here to watch

Also, PBS NewsHour folks run a fantastic tumblr. And they have solid climate change coverage: Check ‘em out.

10 Places to See Before They’re Gone

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:17:20 -0400

10 Places to See Before They’re Gone

climateadaptation: Energy independence is a tough pill to...

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:18:46 -0400

climateadaptation:

Energy independence is a tough pill to swallow for America’s environmentalists (and many of my lovely readers). But, it is more closely regulated here than practically any other country on the planet. It’s not perfect (and I’m well aware of the consequences, thank you), but drilling and fracking in North America is comparatively cleaner and safer. Drilling at home does provide jobs (not as many as politicians claim), contributes to the economy, is an Obama campaign promise, and (generally) helps prevent oil money from going to nefarious groups in the middle east, Russia, and Africa.

This project shines a bright light onto an issue that nearly all Americans don’t normally experience. It also serves to force environmentalists to make better arguments.

futurejournalismproject:

Photographing the Invisible

Marcellus Shale Documentary Project is a collaborative effort by photographers to document the effects of fracking throughout Pennsylvania. Its director considers it a modern-day equivalent to the 1935-1944 Farm Security Administration mission that sent photographers across the United States to document the challenges of rural poverty.

A profile by the New York Times though gets to a singular difficulty: “The problem facing [the] photographers… is that what they wish to describe cannot be seen — an invisible gas buried deep underground.”

Solution? Focus on people, places and processes. Via the Times:

The group’s photographs depict a heavy industrial process scattered across a rural landscape: amid miles of lush green forest or farmland, suddenly there is a shaved patch. Atop the clearing is a battery of drilling equipment: a tall derrick, bright klieg lights and lined troughs full of chemical wastewater. In some photographs, a long, steel pipeline snakes through the frame. In others, the flare from a drill rig lights the night sky. There are pictures of people, too: farmers who leased their land for drilling, homeowners with enough methane in their groundwater to light a tap on fire; and here and there, an industry employee.

Image: A natural gas pipeline under construction in Franklin Township, by Noah Addis, via the New York Times.