Category: climate change/deniers

urgent if not too late campaign..stop rightist and corporate climate criminals

Giant toxic Garbage dump Found in Mediterranean Sea

A huge dump on the bottom of the Mediterranean

It looks like a sequence of a post-apocalyptic film, but in reality it is the bottom of the Mediterranean. The images obtained by an underwater exploration robot have revealed an underwater landfill where you can find almost everything.

There are kitchen furniture, boats, toilet bowls, mattresses, tables, Christmas trees, clothes, wheels, bricks, dolls, boots, car mats, even a complete car, overturned and half-buried more than 500 meters deep. The sea urchins and fish use the garbage as a refuge and the crabs walk along the bottom dragging shreds of plastic.

Garbage found at the bottom of the Strait of Messina, in Italy.

It is the largest concentration of garbage ever recorded in deep waters anywhere in the world, according to the authors of a study published in Scientific Reports. The dump is at the bottom of the Strait of Messina, which separates the island of Sicily from the region of Calabria, in mainland Italy.

Continue reading “Giant toxic Garbage dump Found in Mediterranean Sea”

Climate protectors block Rotterdam Coal Station

Climate protectors block supply of coal to Engie power station in #Rotterdam

Netherlands, April 25, 2019: 45 people from We Stop Coal occupied the conveyer belts at the Engie coalfired power station this morning at 06.15, bringing operations there to a standstill.

Originally published by Indymedia NL.

#Wijstoppensteenkool has arrived at the Engie coal power terminal in #Rotterdam to shut down the Engie coal fire power station. #planetburningmachine. #STOPCOAL #stopcoal010 #climatestrike #ClimateJustice #studentsforclimate pic.twitter.com/rhQOdyUZyc

— WijStoppenSteenkool (@StopSteenkool) 25. April 2019

The group demands urgently prioritised closure of all coalfired power stations in the Netherlands by 2020, and that all subsidies and tax breaks currently handed out to fossil fuel corporations (€7.6 billion per annum in NL) be transferred to the renewables sector.

Wim Vos, a group founding member gave the following statement ‘Climate change is no longer a problem of the future, people are already being hit hard across the globe – with floods, fires, droughts and extreme weather events, from Saint Martin to Mozambique. We consider it both necessary and legitimate to take this next step, from public protest to civil disobedience. That means we put our bodies in the way, where the change is most urgently needed.’

The CO2 emissions of the Netherlands have risen every year since the signing of the Paris Climate Accord. The Dutch government has ignored its international obligations, and the ruling of its own highest court on the Urgenda Climate case, mandating that it significantly scale up its ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the same period, new tax breaks and subsidies have been authorized for the biggest polluters. The government’s current proposals for emission reduction are wholly inadequate to the task.

Ende Galende Coal Blockade

The Engie facility currently in lock down has been promoting itself as ‘going green’ by incorporating biomass into its production mix. We Stop Coal points out that the burning of wood pellets only leads to further deforestation and emits even more CO2 than does coal, the dirtiest of all fossil fuels.

‘We are well organized and extremely determined’ said Marianna Peters, ‘but many more people need to step up, wherever they are, and take bold action. There is no time left for little steps.’

We Stop Coal, April 25, 2019

 

Victory: HSBC Climate Criminals vow to Ditch Fossil Fuels

 Published on Friday, April 20, 2018 by Common Dreams

‘Incredible’ News as Banking Giant HSBC ‘vows’ to Ditch New Coal, Tar Sands, and Offshore Arctic Drilling Projects

The development is “yet another signal to Donald Trump and the rest of the world that, despite their worst laid plans, the era of fossil fuels is coming to a close.”
by  Andrea Germanos, staff writer    8 Comments

Climate groups applauded HSBC's announcement that it is moving away from fossil fuels. (Photo: ItzaFineDay/flickr/cc)Climate groups applauded HSBC’s announcement that it is moving away from fossil fuels. (Photo: ItzaFineDay/flickr/cc)

In another signal that “the era of fossil fuels is coming to a close,” Europe’s biggest bank, HSBC, announced Friday that it will no longer fund oil or gas projects in the Arctic, tar sands projects, or most coal projects.

The move was cheered by climate campaigners on social media, who said, “This is huge,” and called it “incredible news.”

According to Daniel Klier, group head of strategy and global head of sustainable finance at the financial giant, the bank recognizes “the need to reduce emissions rapidly to achieve the target set in the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperatures rises to well below 2°C and our responsibility to support the communities in which we operate.”The changes are laid out in HSBC’s updated energy policy, which says it will no longer provide financial services for

  • a) New coal-fired power plant projects, subject to very targeted exceptions of Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam in order to appropriately balance local humanitarian needs with the need to transition to a low carbon economy. Consideration of any such exception is subject to: (i) independent analysis confirming the country has no reasonable alternative to coal; (ii) the plant’s carbon intensity being lower than 810g CO2/kWh; and (iii) financial close on the project being achieved by 31 December 2023

(HSBC finances new coal-fired power plants inBangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia. All three countries are on the front line of climate change and have significant renewable energy potential, a crucial tool to sustainable poverty eradication.)

  • b) New offshore oil or gas projects in the Arctic
  • c) New greenfield oil sands projects
  • d) New large dams for hydro-electric projects inconsistent with the World Commission on Dams Framework
  • e) New nuclear projects inconsistent with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards

The announcement, said Kelly Martin, director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign, “is an important step forward for Europe’s largest bank, and yet another signal to Donald Trump and the rest of the world that, despite their worst laid plans, the era of fossil fuels is coming to a close. There is no future in Arctic fossil fuel operations. There is no future in tar sands. And there is no future in coal.” Continue reading “Victory: HSBC Climate Criminals vow to Ditch Fossil Fuels”

Extinction Rebellion: Rolling Protests go Worldwide

International Rebellion

when        From:

15 April 2019
11:00 (UTC +01:00)

Until:
29 April 2019
00:00 (UTC +01:00)     where        Worldwide

hosted by       Extinction Rebellion

Our leaders have failed us. This twisted system is killing us. It has us headed for extinction.
It’s time to rebel.

From April 15th we are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse.
Join us as we engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world. This is not a one-off march – we will keep going for as long as we have to, shutting down cities day after day until our demands are met.

Independent XR groups, allies and protestors will take to the streets. A small number of brave Conscientious Protectors, activists from XR affinity groups prepared to lose their liberty for this cause, will commit acts of peaceful civil disobedience to disrupt the business-as-usual which is sending our species on a one-way track to extinction.

Learn more about our demands and values here:  https://rebellion.earth/

## Sorry BBC, this is far too important to be privatized ..67,368 views

Under our current system, we are headed for disaster. Catastrophic climate change will kill millions, cause food collapse, and render many more homeless. Mass extinction of wild species will lead to ecological collapse. Destruction of natural habitats will lead to genocide of indigenous peoples and the loss of our planet’s life support systems. Continue reading “Extinction Rebellion: Rolling Protests go Worldwide”

Stop Offshore Climate Criminals Conference.. MCEDD London 2-4 April 2019

Last time they held their obscene junket, in France in 2016, brave climate activists blockaded and closed down the conference despite violence and tear gassing from police and security heavies. see photos below.This time around it seems our climate heroes may have been caught off guard, (at least we can’t find any public planned actions), but there’s still time to act and close down this immoral profiteering .

The event’s main sponsor is BP.. What a cheek!  Still trying to convince us they are GREEN, when their climate initiatives amount to less than 0.5% of their murderous business. Still trying to make us forget the Deepwater Horizon and the destruction of the gulf of Mexico.. Still ….

Also taking part will be Exxon.. well… #EXXON KNEW

And Total, now covertly fracking in Algeria while ”supporting” anti fracking in France.

And Repsol..  oof.  Repsol still looting Libya and the Amazon

etc etc

Continue reading “Stop Offshore Climate Criminals Conference.. MCEDD London 2-4 April 2019”

Bolsonaro and Sons in Brazilian Death Squads 

”Extensive, direct, multilayered, and deeply personal ties to the paramilitary gangs and militias responsible for Brazil’s most horrific violence”.

This 18 March 2019 video speaks for itself:

Investigations now point to President Bolsonaro as a Death Squad promoter and paymaster. The evidence so far is enough to convict in many countries, but the corrupt Brazilian judges support him.

Jair Bolsonaro’s Close Family Ties to Paramilitary Gangs Drew Scrutiny Ahead of White House Visit

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro is in Washington and met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday. While the trip officially is focused on the joint efforts of the U.S. and Brazil to change the government of Venezuela, it is being billed by the Bolsonaro government as a “restart” of his presidency and image after multiple, serious scandals crippled the first three months of his presidency.

But when it comes to recreating his image, the timing of this trip could hardly be worse. Key news events of the last several weeks — including the arrests of two former Rio de Janeiro police officers for the March 2018 assassination of Rio City Council Councilor Marielle Franco — have highlighted the most damaging and, to many, most terrifying revelations  ..about Bolsonaro and his three politician sons –

 – Their extensive, direct, multilayered, and deeply personal ties to the paramilitary gangs and militias responsible for Brazil’s most horrific violence. Continue reading “Bolsonaro and Sons in Brazilian Death Squads “

Open Letter to the Climate Strikers: Direct Action/ No Leaders

An Open Letter to the Climate Strikers
By   Northshore Counter Info
The following text was produced by anarchists in so-called Canada with the intention of being distributed to young people taking part in Friday’s climate strike actions on March 15th. It was originally published on North Shore Counter-Info.

First of all, thank you. Thank you for giving a shit. For deciding that there are futures worth fighting for, even when the future being imposed on us looks increasingly bleak.

The good news is that you are here, with your body, along with so many others around the world.

Today we have a chance to acknowledge that we are connected to each other and to the living and non-living beings on this planet, in ways that are far more complex and beautiful than any #hashtag could express.

Every few days, another horror story, or another prediction, reminds us that we’re facing an existential threat.

Experts no longer study how to prevent climate change, instead they discuss how we might mitigateits effects.

We already know that everything is going to change. The question for 2019, for this generation, is: change towards what?

The vultures are already circling.

Corporations ask, “How can we profit?” Whether it’s tapping new oil reserves under the melting glaciers or marketing a ‘green’ product to make us feel comforted, their goal is always profit.Governments ask, “How do we stay in control?” Whether it’s expanding surveillance programs, or encouraging ‘democratic dialogue’ so long as nothing gets out of hand, their goal is always to consolidate power.

The most advanced governments today will do this in the name of combatting climate change. Here in Canada, the government isn’t quite so sophisticated, and still pushes for massive expansions of fossil fuel infrastructure and mining projects, forcing them on indigenous people at the barrel of a gun if they can’t be bought.

 

Politicians, including some aspiring ones who call themselves ‘activists,’ ask how the growing fear and discontent might be exploited for personal gain.

History clearly demonstrates that if we allow these people to lead our movements, they will pull the plug at precisely the moment that we become a real threat to the existing order.

Those in power rely on funneling our rage towards dead ends. Let’s get organized, but not behind politicians trying to sell us the latest Hope™.

We don’t know exactly what a ‘better world’ could look like. But like you, we feel that we have to try. We don’t want to just feel like we’re on “the right side of history,” a narcissistic trap.

We want to be effective, within an ethical framework that values freedom, autonomy and solidarity. Let’s start taking seriously the idea we might actually have an impact.

To that end, we propose a joyful, strategic, and fierce resistance that might include these ingredients:

Transformation, not reform.Capitalism is killing the planet. It is a system based on endless growth, and only serves the rich and powerful.

Hamburg Stop G20 Demos

No lifestyle change or government reform is going to touch that. It’s gotta go.

Those in power will not simply be persuaded to change their ways and give up the wealth and power they have accumulated through centuries of patriarchy, colonial plunder, and mass exploitation.

The police stand in our way. Maybe you already hold your breath when a cop drives by. If not, remember that even the friendliest cops have to follow orders or get fired. Police are the violent defenders of this rotten system.

To even make a dent, many people will have to break a lot of laws, and not just in the “arrest me for the cameras” kind of way.

Let’s build lives worth living. We’re cynical, but we are not hopeless. When we refuse to resign and instead build lives worth living now, we see glimpses of a different future, and start to feel compelled to defend ourselves.

We want collective lives rife with empathy, creativity, and openness.

Thank you, again, for showing up. This is the beginning of a long road, or maybe a tightrope. Let’s walk it together, trying to avoid the traps that lay ahead.

– some anarchists

Related Posts

Save Biological Treasures in Last Native Vegetation

ALERT – New Research: Save the Last Tiny Scraps of Native Vegetation   …  #ClimateStrike #ExtinctionRebellion #StopAdani

Scientific thinking changes as new evidence comes to light.  One vital new insight is the importance of saving even tiny, isolated remnants of native vegetation.

Decades of research on fragmented habitats has shown that small, isolated patches of habitat are often ecologically depauperate — lacking top predators and large species, and suffering from a wide variety of ecological woes.This research correctly shows the vital importance of protecting Earth’s vanishing wilderness areas.

But such studies have also convinced some people that very small, isolated patches of native vegetation are nearly worthless.  In many places, these tiny remnants are being bulldozed and razed to the ground.

That, it turns out, is dead wrong. Continue reading “Save Biological Treasures in Last Native Vegetation”

Nth America, news roundup/Podcast #63: Like a House of Cards

By   It’s Going Down  

Podcast: Play in new window | Download             Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.    Subscribe: Android | RSS

Welcome, to This Is America, March 9th, 2019.

We have an amazing show/transcript for you this week. First, we talk with someone from PopMob about a recent event in Portland that brought together close to 600 people in response to a series of anti-queer and anti-trans attacks.

Police Rapists Go Free .

In New York, the DA has decided to drop charges against several police officers that raped and attacked Anna Chambers. Anarchists have been a continuous part of the struggle and shown solidarity for months.

In a statement Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council wrote:

Community Safety

We then talk with two people involved in the newspaper project, Salvo, out of Los Angeles, who is currently fundraising to expand their project. We talk about the importance of having counter-information projects, the recent LA teacher’s strike, and more.

But first, let’s get to the news!

Living and Fighting

The Oakland teacher’s strike is over, with many reporting that the teacher’s union gave in to major concessions. Many are now mobilizing to fight a series of proposed school closures. Check out a series of critical articles on the strike on LibCom and Commune Magazine. 

Meanwhile, the teacher’s rebellion continues, with:

A week after Kentucky teachers conducted a job action to protest legislation attacking pensions and public schools, teachers in the state’s largest school district in the Louisville area have staged two days of sickouts in defiance of the unions. On Thursday, Jefferson County Public School teachers were joined by school workers in Meade, Oldham, and Bullitt counties, resulting in the closure of hundreds of schools.

In Louisville, the teacher actions are organized by a group completely autonomous of the teacher’s unions.

 

Chelsea jailed

Supporters of Chelsea Manning rallied in DC recently in support of the whistle-blower who “provided archives of secret military documents to WikiLeaks in 2010, [and] was taken into custody on Friday after a federal judge found her in contempt for refusing to testify before a grand jury that is investigating the anti-secrecy group.” A support fund has been set up here. In a statement Chelsea said:

“In solidarity with many activists facing the odds, I will stand by my principles. I will exhaust every legal remedy available. My legal team continues to challenge the secrecy of these proceedings, and I am prepared to face the consequences of my refusal.”

School Strike… 

Demonstrations continue in Sacramento, California, with students taking a lead, launching school walkouts and strikes, which have marched across the city building as more students walk out of school and join in them.

Anti Racist Victory 

In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, two Silent Sam protesters had their charges dropped, while another one still faces some charges. Check out a statement from Take Action Chapel Hill here.

In major anti-pipeline news, the tail end of the Dakota Access Pipeline, known as the Bayou Bridge pipeline, which for the last two years has been resisted by the L’eau Est La Vie Camp, is now being delayed in construction “indefinitely.” According to Last Real Indians:

Energy Transfer Partners may have lied to its shareholders when it told investors the Bayou Bridge pipeline will be fully functional this month.

According to reports from Louisiana residents who frequent the Atchafalaya Basin, work on the project – which was first projected to be complete in 2017 – has been halted indefinitely due to high water levels.

Included in this program is a recent update from the Bayou Bridge resistance camp, which will also give an update. Not to be outdone, two other massive energy projects, the Mountain Valley Pipeline and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, two projects have have written about and covered on this podcast, are also in jeopardy and are far behind schedule.

Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipeline Resistance

As Forbes wrote:

Two proposed long-haul natural gas transportation projects—the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP)—are now in peril. That’s the result of a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia in late February.

The future of both projects remains up in the air, while resistance in the forms of tree-sits and continued resistance on the ground shows no signs of stopping.

Keystone XL pipeline> Criminalising Protests

In some not so good news however, in South Dakota in preparation for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline:

Republican Gov. Kristi Noem’s [introduced a bill] to curb violent pipeline protests [and it] has flown through both chambers of the Legislature. Noem dropped Senate Bills 189 and 190 on Monday. On Wednesday, a joint hearing was held on the bills. By Thursday, the Legislature suspended rules in order to pass both bills out of both chambers on the same day. SB 189 establishes civil penalties for “riot boosting,” or contributing money to or encouraging protesters who engage in violence.

Of the bill, journalist Will Parish wrote on Twitter:

If you “encourage” someone to protest (“riot”) against the KXL pipeline, SD now wants to fine you. “The governor’s office coordinated with representatives of TransCanada, law enforcement, local governments and state agencies to draft the bills.”

Alt Right Leaks Victory

Finally, the Alt-Right white nationalist group, Identity Evropa is having a bad week. Media collective Unicorn Riot released a series of Discord chat lots giving antifascists across the country access to a treasure trove of information, which kicked off a new round of doxxing, job firings, and more. The leaks show many connections between local GOP and College Republican circles and show a desire by members of IE to infiltrate the political establishment as much as possible.Image result for Identity Evropa

This weekend is Identity Evropa’s yearly conference, which is supposed to be held in secret, yet the information was also released. The group is currently meeting at a lake resort in Kentucky, and then is supposed to hold some sort of action later in the weekend.

Soon after, the leader of Identity Evropa, Patrick “McLovin” Casey announced that the group would reform under the banner of American Identity Movement, or AIM, which of course is the same initials as the American Indian Movement, which still exists to this day. Whether this rebranding will result in a split within the organization or just a reboot, remains unclear.

Upcoming Events:

  • Saturday, March 9th: Little Rock, Arkansas, State Capitol. Anti-racist mobilization against militia, neo-Nazi, and KKK rally. More info here.
  • Friday, March 15th: Vancouver, British Columbia. Mobilize against Alt-Right trolls Stefan Molyneux and Lauren Southern. More info here.
  • Saturday, March 16th: March Against Racism and Fascism with UARF. New York. More info here.
  • March 16th – 20th: Mattole Forest Skillshare Camp in Northern California.
  • April 19th-21st: In Prescott, Arizona there is a three-day antifascist gathering called the Cliffrose Convergence at the Frantz Fanon Community Strategy Center being organized.
  • Thursday, March 14th at the Social Justice Action Center at 400 SE 12th Ave. PDX Rad Movie is back for our first installment of 2019, one year and one day after our first showing last March.
  • March 30th, East Portland Housing Assembly. More info here.
  • August 16th – 18th: Indigenous anarchist convergence, so-called Flagstaff, Arizona. More info here.
%d bloggers like this: