Climate Change, Denialists, Weather Control; Environment, Carbon Caps, Unclean Energy, Fracking; Law and Disorder, BP, Pollution, Water; Ecology, Poached, Oceans, Forests

Climate Change

• Krugman: Interests, Ideology And Climate—"The monetary stakes, it turns out, are not the biggest obstacle to rational action on global warming." NYT
• Republican EPA chiefs to Congress: Act on climate
• Hawaii: Gov. signs climate change bill—"Being the only island state in the country, we are especially vulnerable to climate change and are on the frontlines of impacts like sea level rise."
• How the insurance industry sees climate change—"Why, if climate change is a hoax, are we paying for it?" LA Times
• Brazil Has Done More To Stop Climate Change Than Any Other Country, Study Finds
• Fiji accuses global community of abandoning the Pacific on climate change, singles out 'selfish' Australia
• Apparent pause in global warming blamed on 'lousy' data—"European Space Agency scientist says annual sea level rises since 1993 indicate that warming has continued unabated."
• Climate change will 'cost world far more than estimated'

Denialists

• Obama: Denying Climate Change Is Like Saying the Moon Is "Made of Cheese"
• Florida Congressman: If Humans Cause Climate Change, Then 'Why Did The Dinosaurs Go Extinct'?
• Koch Brothers Unveil New Strategy at Big Donor Retreat—"The Koch brothers' financial network is planning on spending almost $300 million in the 2014 election, including a new anti-environment effort."
• Coal Company CEO Threatens To Sue EPA For 'Lying' About Climate Change
• Fox News slams local newspaper for refusing to entertain climate deniers Salon
• Whitehouse: GOP is 'shrinking' from climate change challenge
• Tony Abbott seeks alliance to thwart President Obama on climate change policy—UK and NZ say no.
• Australia: Labor, Greens challenge Tony Abbott to call double dissolution election after climate bill voted down again in Senate

Weather Control

• China creates 55 billion tons of artificial rain a year—and it plans to quintuple that
• The United States Is Experimenting With Drones To Control The Weather
• Air conditioning raising night-time temperatures in the US

Environment

• The Turning Point: New Hope for the Climate—Al Gore: "It's time to accelerate the shift toward a low-carbon future."
• Chile rejects Patagonia wilderness dam project—"The Chilean government has rejected a plan to build five hydroelectric dams on rivers in the south of the country. Its decision follows years of campaigning by environmentalists and local communities."
• Germany produces half of energy with solar
• U.K. Approves Plans For What Could Become The World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm
• Oil-rich United Arab Emirates aims to be a sustainable energy pioneer—"One of the world's richest oil-based economies is Fembracing sustainable technologies, and making a surprise bid to become a clean energy leader."

Carbon Caps

• In Some States, Emissions Cuts Defy Skeptics—"At least 10 states have already met President Obama's goal of a 30 percent reduction in power plant emissions by 2030, without the economic damage that critics have warned would occur." NYT
• Ohio rebels against Obama climate change agenda with energy bill—"Governor John Kasich puts a two-year freeze on measures promoting wind and solar power and energy efficiency."
• House Republicans Are So Mad at the EPA that They Might Force Another Shutdown

Unclean Energy

• Push To Impose Extra Fees On Customers Who Install Solar Panels Sparks Outrage In Utah
• America's Coal-Producing States Weigh Their Options
• Despite Protests, Canada Approves Northern Gateway Oil Pipeline—"The project, which would send oil from Alberta to Asia, faces stiff opposition from aboriginal groups, environmentalists and community advocates." NYT

Fracking

• Drug Gangs Attacking With Tanks Block Mexican Shale Boom
• Buru to gas frack without EPA assessment—"The West Australian government has decided to allow Buru Energy to frack for gas in the Kimberley region without an Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) assessment."
• German beermakers look like winning their battle to stop fracking
• Russia in secret plot against fracking, Nato chief says—"Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia was mounting a sophisticated 'disinformation campaign' aimed at undermining attempts to exploit alternative energy sources such as shale gas."

Law and Disorder

• Court rules against homeowners in toxic water case—"The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a group of homeowners in North Carolina can't sue a company that contaminated their drinking water decades ago because a state deadline has lapsed.... even if residents did not realize their water was polluted until years later."
• Iowa high court reinstates major pollution lawsuit—"In a major environmental case, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that residents can bring a nuisance lawsuit against a Muscatine manufacturer accused of routinely blanketing their properties with soot and chemicals."
• EPA fines Buffalo for mishandling waste

BP

• Did Jindal tell us his brother's law firm represents BP before signing SB 469? We didn't get the memo from press office—Protecting corporations, screwing real people.
• BP loses bid to freeze Gulf of Mexico spill payouts—"The US Supreme Court has refused to allow BP to stop paying compensation claims while it awaits a review of its settlement with businesses over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill."
• New trial ordered for ex-BP engineer—"A new trial was ordered Thursday for a former BP engineer convicted of deleting text messages related to the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico."
• Four Years After Deepwater Horizon Spill, Tar Balls Continue to Wash Up on Shore—"Researchers have analyzed oil-soaked sand patties near the Gulf of Mexico to track oil from the spill."

Pollution

• Australia drops planned Aborigine nuclear waste site
• NC AG Says Coal Ash Must Be Cleaned Up—"North Carolina's attorney general said Wednesday that Duke Energy's coal ash pits must be cleaned up to protect the state's waterways, but the costs shouldn't be passed along to consumers through higher utility rates."
• China pollution arrests rise as Beijing pushes green agenda
• Chinese official tries to blame industrial lead pollution on "pencil chewing" Salon
• Smog-busting roof tiles could clean tons of pollution, study says

Water

• Suit: Pure Life H2O complaint brought death threats—"A Philly who called Nestle's customer-service department to inquire about the fluoride content in her Nestle Pure Life water was "threatened with a bloody death" by the customer representative who took her call, according to a lawsuit filed last week in Common Pleas Court."
• Indian officials order Coca-Cola plant to close for using too much water—"Mehdiganj plant at centre of protests accused of extracting too much groundwater and releasing pollutants above limits."
• Venezuela Sacrifices Drinking Water to Pay Bondholders—"At a time when Venezuela's record $25 billion in arrears to importers has its citizens waiting hours in line to buy drinking water and crossing borders in search of medicine, President Nicolas Maduro is using the nation's dwindling supply of dollars to enrich bondholders."
• Detroit Plan to Profit on Water Looks Half Empty—"Cities and counties that have long bought their water from Detroit's vast, aging system are teaming up to bypass the bankrupt city." The cut-offs are coming. NYT
• Gwyneth Paltrow believes water has feelings: 'Negativity changes the structure of water'—Wait... what?

Ecology

• WildLeaks attracts major wildlife crime leads in first three months—"WikiLeaks-style website yields 24 tip-offs including elephant poaching, tiger killing, illegal fishery and forest destruction."
• First California condor spotted in San Mateo County since 1904
• Tufted puffin seen on Atlantic coast for 1st time since 1830s
• India: 200 crore trees to be planted along highways—1 crore is 10,000,000 so that makes it 2 billion trees. Project will employ jobless youth. Definitely a win-win.

Poached

• Alarm as 117 elephant carcasses found
• Poachers massacre 68 elephants in Congo park
• Kenya's biggest elephant killed by poachers
• Notorious poacher Bheema Bavaria arrested
• Huge haul of blood-stained ivory found in 32 suitcases at Hong Kong airport SCMP
• Orphaned baby rhino Gertjie refuses to sleep alone after witnessing his mother's death at the hands of poachers

Oceans

• Govt opens Maui's dolphin area for oil drilling
• Pacific Nation Bans Fishing in One of World's Largest Marine Parks
• Obama proposes vast expansion of Pacific Ocean sanctuaries for marine life
• Chinese fishermen held in Philippines defiant ahead of turtle-poaching trial SCMP
• Japan to press for resumption of annual whale hunt

Forests

• Saving Tasmania's forests—"The Australian government will attempt to delist part of Tasmania's forests from UNESCO's World Heritage List."
• Dying to save the Amazonian rainforest—"An environmental campaigner is killed every week in Brazil. Jonathan Watts and Karina Vieira travel to Lábrea in the heart of the Amazon to meet the people risking their lives."
• Brazil's recent fight against deforestation has been a huge success

Reset the Net; World Environment Day, Carbon Caps, Climate Change, Denialists, Fracking, Coal; Ecology; Water; GMO

Reset the Net

• Snowden sounds call to action for Reset the Net web protest
• Reset the Net protest kicks off with massive net support
• Google Joins 'Reset the Net' With Encryption Tool

World Environment Day

• Let the exploitation begin: Ecuador issues drilling permits for untouched corner of the Amazon—""'The world has failed us,' President Rafael Correa said of his abandoned conservation effort." Salon
• Congressmen Defend Repairing Oil Pipes With Trash Bags And Duct Tape
• Business Lobby Tries to Frighten America About Clean Energy, Fails Utterly
• Tony Abbott raises eyebrows after linking WWII D-Day memorial with policies on mining and carbon taxes
• Crowdscrounging pennies to support Canada's most important environmental research
• Hundreds of scientists to Canada PM: Pipeline report 'deeply flawed'
• Federal appeals court says British Petroleum must face fines for gulf oil spill
• France experiments with paying people to cycle to work

Carbon Caps

• Ahead of power plant push, Obama ties climate change to health hazards
• President Obama gets serious on climate change—"With new greenhouse gas emissions regulations, the U.S. is finally a world leader on this important topic."
• China plan to cap CO2 emissions seen turning point in climate talks
• Obama's 'War on Coal' Is Worth Fighting—"The proposed new E.P.A. regulations won’t stop climate change, but they could open the way to a truly meaningful international effort."
• Sorry Rand Paul, Not Only Is The EPA Carbon Rule Legal, It's Mandated By Law
• Get Ready For More False Claims By Big Polluters
• EPA administrator says rule critics 'crying wolf' to protect interests
• EPA policy reflects true cost of coal
• A huge majority of Americans support regulating carbon from power plants. And they're even willing to pay for it.

Climate Change

• 'Cosmos' recap: Climate change is explained in 'The World Set Free' LATimes
• Republican witness admits the expert consensus on human-caused global warming is real
• Prince Charles: reform capitalism to save the planet—"A 'fundamental transformation of global capitalism' is needed in order to tackle climate change, the Prince of Wales has said."

Denialists

• Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains How Republicans Blew It on Climate Change—"The host of Cosmos dishes on our warming planet, why science is 'trending' in our culture, and the meaning of a groundbreaking science TV experiment."
• Climate science is a hoax: Big Oil, GOP, God say so—"Commentary: 30 million Americans dismiss all warnings of deadly disaster."
• The House Science Committee Spent Today in a Climate Change Denial Echo Chamber
• Congress Tells Scientists IPCC Climate Report "Not Science"
• New Ad Looks At All The Ways GOPers Deny Climate Change Science
• John Boehner: 'I'm Not Qualified To Debate The Science Over Climate Change'
• GOP science deniers threaten U.S. national defense
• Canadian Weather Forecasters Forbidden From Discussing Climate Change

Fracking

• Former Energy in Depth Spokesman John Krohn Now at U.S. EIA Promoting Fracking
• Inside a Hollywood Hit Job: How Sting Artist James O'Keefe Tried to Set His Latest Trap – And Got Stung Himself—"Sting artist James O'Keefe says anti-fracking filmmaker Josh Fox is one of his latest victims. But Fox says his own secret tape reveals O'Keefe's true methods."
• North Carolina: House approves fast-track 'fracking' bill—And cops and firefighters could soon be charged for disclosing fracking chemicals.
• David Cameron's house 'fracked' by protesters
• Texas homeowner vents methane from water well, sets it on fire—You don't need no stinkin' regulations.

Coal

• A bogus claim that electricity prices will 'nearly double' because of clean coal technology WaPo
• Rural NC sites become dumping grounds for unwanted coal ash
• Deutsche Bank rules out funding for controversial Abbot Point coal terminal
• Idemitsu admits it hired contractors in coal spies operation

Ecology

• Study: Species disappearing far faster than before
• Monarch butterfly decline linked to spread of GM crops—"Milkweed essential to monarchs in decline because of herbicides used with genetically modified crops."
• Chinese man sentenced for smuggling rhino horns
• Zambian Park Ranger in Charge of Law Enforcement Shot Dead
• Rhino poacher killed in Kaziranga

Water

• World Bank wants water privatized, despite risks
• California Cuts Water to Some Farms and Cities
• A Bloody War for Water in Mexico
• Seven states running out of water

GMO

• West Australian organic farmer loses court fight against GM neighbour
• Monsanto Protection Act Signed By Obama, GMO Bill "Written By Monsanto" Signed Into Law
• N.Y. Assembly committee backs GMO labels
• Vermont governor signs GMO food labeling into law—Monsanto set to sue.

Big Oil, Environment; North Carolina, West Virginia, Pollution; All Dried Up, Food Insecurity; Ecology; Michael Sam, Marriage Equality, Russia, LGBT

Big Oil

• Bill McKibben to Obama: Say No to Big Oil
• With Only $93 Billion in Profits, the Big Five Oil Companies Demand to Keep Tax Breaks
• The Oil Industry's Fight to Kill Renewable Fuels—and Why It May Win—"For all its faults, the Renewable Fuels Standard is the only federal policy that is steadily eroding the oil industry's de facto monopoly on motor fuels."
• Ex-BP oil disaster and fracking executive to lead big government projects—"Government appoints John Manzoni as head of Major Projects Authority, which oversees HS2 and nuclear programme."
• Ex-Shell Oil president: 'I felt extorted'—"The former president of Shell Oil USA didn't candy-coat it: America's political fund-raising system, he said, amounts to legalized extortion." Tit-for-tat.

Environment

• The Sochi scandal no one's talking about: How Russia is silencing its environmentalists—"Olympic construction is destroying Sochi. And the government is cracking down on the people who dare to speak out." Salon
• This Land Was Your Land—"In Utah and other Western states, the country's most pristine wilderness faces new threats from Big Energy and its powerful allies."
• Muddying the waters far from home—"Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a brief — paid for with your taxes — attacking the legality of the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint."
• Oil Companies Are Planning to Drill in Florida Panther Habitat
• The Republican Party Now Wants States To Seize Public Lands For Drilling And Mining
• The Scientist Who Took on a Leading Herbicide Manufacturer—"After Tyrone Hayes said that a chemical was harmful, its maker pursued him."
• Donald Trump to appeal Aberdeen offshore wind farm defeat—"A legal challenge to a planned offshore wind farm which could be seen from Donald Trump's golf resort in Aberdeenshire has been rejected."

North Carolina

• NC river turns to gray sludge after coal ash spill
• NC authorities say river has elevated arsenic from coal ash spill—"Levels four times higher than what's considered safe for swimming; critics charge lax regulation."
• North Carolina Protected Duke Energy from Pollution Complaints Before the Company's Coal Ash Disaster

West Viriginia

• Despite Not Using Water, West Virginians Say Water Bills Have Spiked Since Chemical Spill
• Company Responsible For West Virginia Chemical Spill Skips Congressional Hearing
• West Virginia officials avoid calling state's water safe

Pollution

• Exxon oil spill town 'deserted land', residents still getting sick, forced to abandon homes
• Ethanol spill flows into sewage treatment plant
• 12,000 gallons of crude oil spilled between Winona and Red Wing
• 'Significant' slurry spill blackens Kanawha creek—"100,000 gallons escapes Patriot Coal facility."
• Clive Palmer's nickel refinery pumped toxic waste into Great Barrier Reef park—"Company discharged nitrogen into world heritage area on several occasions despite being forbidden from doing so."
• Three Oil Spills in Two Weeks Foul Singapore's Waters
• BP sued by Minnesota for fraud over $25 million in tank cleanups—"Minnesota's $25 million case alleges that the oil giant lied about having insurance coverage to clean up leaking underground tanks."
• Oil Companies Were Paid Twice to Clean Up Their Own Leaking Tanks—"Oil companies used state-allocated funds to clean up underground fuel leaks while also accepting payment from insurance companies for the same task, essentially defrauding state governments, according to a new report from Reuters."

All Dried Up

• California's Drought Could Be the Worst in 500 Years
• Fracking is depleting water supplies in America's driest areas, report shows—"From Texas to California, drilling for oil and gas is using billions of gallons of water in the country's most drought-prone areas."
• Sao Paulo Biggest Water-Supply System May Run Dry Within 45 Days

Food Insecurity

• Fake-food scandal revealed as tests show third of products mislabelled—"Consumers are being sold drinks with banned flame-retardant additives, pork in beef, and fake cheese, laboratory tests show."
• Recall of nearly 9 million pounds of meat not fully inspected
• Wal-Mart China to Step Up Vendor Checks After Donkey-Meat Recall
• Subway to remove 'dough conditioner' chemical from bread
• Chick-Fil-A to Use Chicken Without Antibiotics

Ecology

• UK's Prince William: We will fight illegal wildlife trade together
• Illegal hunting on the rise in Afghanistan
• US launches crack down on Africa's $10bn a year ivory poaching trade
• 400 arrested, tons of ivory seized in global trafficking crackdown
• Polish woman guilty of killing two million bees with anti-mosquito spray

Michael Sam

• N.F.L. Prospect Michael Sam Proudly Says What Teammates Knew: He's Gay NYT
• Michelle Obama: Michael Sam is an 'inspiration to all'
• Dale Hansen Unplugged: Celebrating our differences
• Michael Sam Coming out as Gay Hits His Father Hard
• Limbaugh: Straight People Are 'Under Assault By The 2-5 Percent That Are Homosexual'
• The Daily Show: Friday Night Rights—"University of Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam threatens his own NFL draft prospects by coming out as gay."

Marriage Equality

• Kentucky ban on gay marriages from other states struck down by federal judge
• Nevada attorney general seeks to withdraw gay marriage brief; Sandoval agrees
• Alabama, 9 States Join Utah Bid to Save Gay-Marriage Ban
• Gay Marriage Emerges As Issue In Colorado's Attorney General Race—"The Democrats' candidate for Colorado attorney general says the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage violates the constitutional rights of gay couples and that the law shouldn't be defended."
• Couples Sue to Force Ohio's Hand on Gay Marriage
• Texas ban on same-sex marriage challenged in federal court
• 'New Black' explores marriage equality in U.S.—Yoruba Richen's documentary honestly portrays a polarized public as it tries to reconcile points of view on race and LGBTQ issues."

Russia

• Meet Katya, the young Russian sadist who kidnaps gay youth for sport
• Video: Gays arrested in Moscow's Red Square, singing national anthem
• You can thank Putin for these 11 amazing new gay rights protest songs
• Lesbian Sochi athlete thinks fuss over anti-gay Russia is exaggerated—Easy for her to say. She doesn't have to live there when the Olympics are over.
• Despite anti-gay laws, it's business as usual in Sochi's Mayak bar

LGBT

• First Openly Gay Boy Scout Reaches Eagle Scout Milestone
• Oklahoma restaurant that won't serve 'f*ggots' gets Internet push as 'best gay bar'
• Fredo & Pid'jin: 90% Gay

Climate Change, Denialists; Pollution, BP, West Virginia, Energy, Fracking, Environment; Extinction, Ecology

Climate Change

• A new look at climate change
• Climate Change Worse Than We Thought, Likely To Be 'Catastrophic Rather Than Simply Dangerous'
• 2013 Australia's hottest year on record
• "Stuff it, Limbaugh": Al Roker proves that the polar vortex is real Salon
• Polar vortex over US brings abnormally mild weather to Scandinavia
• The sea froze so fast that it killed thousands of fish instantly
• Global warming is being caused by humans, not the sun, and is highly sensitive to carbon, new research shows

Denialists

• About that consensus on global warming: 9136 agree, one disagrees.
• PA's new environmental chief said he was unaware that there are "adverse impacts" of climate change—"Gov. Tom Corbett's pick later acknowledged that 'things like air pollution' can be harmful." Salon
• Conservative groups spend up to $1bn a year to fight action on climate change
• Billion-dollar climate denial network exposed—"A network of 91 think tanks and industry groups are primarily responsible."
• Republicans in Congress got the testimony they wanted to keep playing climate Russian roulette—"In a recent hearing on climate change and extreme weather, Republican witnesses downplayed climate risks."
• We've Reached The Point Where Climate Change Deniers Need To Be Reminded That It Snows Every Year
• Jon Stewart slams Fox News on climate change denial

Pollution

• 5 years after coal-ash spill, little has changed
• China Says Over 3 Million Hectares of Land Too Polluted to Farm NYT
• New Zealand: Warnings over unsafe beaches
• Scientists Find Tiny Exfoliating Beads In Great Lakes Fish Guts
• Neil Young takes on Tories for creating 'disaster' in oil sands

BP

• Judge rules against BP in spill-settlement dispute—However, BP wins an expedited appeal.
• BP appeal to stop 'fictitious' U.S. oil spill claims fails
• Appeals Court Blesses BP Spill Settlement but the Legal Battle Drags On

West Virginia

• West Virginia chemical spill triggers state of emergency, water ban—Also nausea and vomiting among residents.
• West Virginia Water Ban Lifted For Parts Of State After 5 Days
• Critics Say Spill Highlights Lax West Virginia Regulations—"The chemical spill in West Virginia has brought renewed focus on the state's troubled history of environmental disasters." NYT
• Boehner On W.Va. Chemical Spill: 'We Have Enough Regulations'
• Do you smell that? It's the smell of Freedom...Industries

Energy

• Canada regulator OKs oil pipeline to Pacific coast amid Native opposition
• BP wins first Greenland drilling concession despite chequered record
• Meet the Texas Farmer Challenging the Keystone Pipeline from the Courtroom to the Plains
• The Koch Brothers Are Still Trying to Break Wind
• TYT: Koch Bros Behind Solar Power Fines
• Utilities Feeling Rooftop Solar Heat Start Fighting Back
• Majority of Americans still in the dark about incandescent light bulb phase-out

Fracking

• 2013 In Review: Obama Talks Climate Change–But Pushes Fracking
• Fracking hell: what it's really like to live next to a shale gas well
• Chemicals used in 'fracking' can disrupt human hormone function, MU researchers say
• Colorado Ballot Measure Could Let Towns Ban Fracking
• States confirm water pollution from drilling
• Tests show Texas well water polluted by fracking, despite EPA assurances
• Duke Fracking Tests Reveal Dangers Driller’s Data Missed
• EPA to require S. Calif. offshore fracking reports
• Radio Disney's pro-fracking elementary school tour sparks outrage

Environment

• Terror charges faced by Oklahoma fossil fuel protesters 'outrageous'—"The terror charges facing two environmental protesters who unfurled a banner and dropped glitter at an oil and gas company's office in Oklahoma are 'outrageous' and 'egregious', according to the lawyer representing them."
• Environmentalists win a round in coal dust lawsuit vs. BNSF—"The lawsuit charged that BNSF coal trains were discharging coal dust into Washington waterways."
• L.A. starts 2014 with its new plastic-bag ban
• House Republicans Just Quietly Passed A Bill Gutting Hazardous Waste Legislation
• Victory for 'Avatar' tribe as India rejects miner's plans—"Remote tribe defeats bid by British resources giant Vedanta to mine in the hills they regard as sacred."
• Christie Fails to Muscle Gas Pipeline Through NJ's Protected Forests
• China's water squeeze worsens as wetlands shrink 9 pct

Extinction

• Wild Tigers: the Time to Act Is Now
• Lions Approach Extinction in West Africa
• African forest elephants are being massacred into extinction—"The brutal but lucrative ivory trade, fueled largely by U.S. demand, is wiping out elephants and funding terrorists." Salon
• China Destroys 6 Tons of Ivory in Landmark Move
• Debate over Dallas Safari Club auctioning black rhino hunting permit

Ecology

• A new suspect in bee deaths: the US government
• Dead sea creatures covered 98% of seafloor last year about 150 miles off California coast
• This could be the year we start to save, not slaughter, the shark
• Civil disobedience on steroids – Stopping Japan's whaling fleet
• Sea Shepherd Locates Whale Poachers

International Anti-Corruption Day; Stifling Speech; Environment and Energy, Fracking; Climate Change; China Pollution; Ecology, Animal Cruelty, Elephants, Fish Food

International Anti-Corruption Day

• The 18 Most Corrupt Countries In The World
• Grand corruption is 'crime against humanity' - lawmakers
• Anti-corruption crusader stuns Indian politics with election surge

Stifling Speech

• Polar Bear Researcher Gets $100,000 In Settlement With Feds—"A scientist whose observations of drowned polar bears raised alarms about climate change has received $100,000 to settle a whistle-blower complaint against an agency of the Department of the Interior. [...] Monnett believes this was an effort to silence scientific efforts that might interfere with oil and gas development in the Arctic."
• Police remove protesters from Chevron's fracking site in Romania—"Villagers complain of police brutality after being forced out of their camping site in fields targeted for shale gas drilling."
• The war on democracy—"How corporations and spy agencies use 'security' to defend profiteering and crush activism."
• US House approves $5,000 fee for official drilling protests, less federal authority over fracking
• New Zealand's government sides with Texas oil giant, Anadarko, bans protests around its oil rig
• Tas Opposition reveals plan for tougher illegal forestry protest penalties
• Wikileaks reveals failed plans to suppress anti-Keystone activists—"A 2010 presentation laid out strategies for dealing with environmentalists." Salon

Environment and Energy

• BP wins reprieve over Gulf of Mexico oil spill payouts
• Dredging set to swamp decades of Great Barrier Reef protection
• Louisiana failed to collect millions in oil and gas taxes
• ALEC calls for penalties on 'freerider' homeowners in assault on clean energy
• Worst-Case Scenario for Oil Sands Industry Has Come to Life, Leaked Document Shows

Fracking

• Harvard fracking study rings methane alarm bells in Australia
• Oil Company Caught Illegally Dumping Fracking Discharge In Central Valley
• Dixie, LA family finds their tap water is
• Anti-fracking protests in Canada turn violent
• Oil and gas industry sues Colorado cities over fracking bans

Climate Change

• Most climate change gases can be traced to just 90 companies
• Media failure on Iraq War repeated in climate change coverage—"The media failed to accurately report facts prior to the Iraq War; climate reporting is failing in similar fashion."
• GOP: No Climate Change because, Bible
• Climate change is increasing the intensity of extreme weather events—"Far from being isolated, the Philippines typhoon Haiyan followed other extraordinary meteorological events that are becoming more frequent and increasingly severe."
• Kiribati man denied climate change asylum in NZ

China Pollution

• Flights canceled as record air pollution chokes Shanghai—Runaway environmental deruglation at work Salon
• It's as clear as day - China needs its own Clean Air Act—"The new leadership has paid greater mind to pollution, but much more needs to be done to ease the country's worsening smog crisis."
• Japan, South Korea concerned that China's smog will affect them

Ecology

• Chris Hadfield: We Should Treat Earth as Kindly as We Treat Spacecraft
• Sea stars are wasting away in larger numbers on a wider scale in two oceans WaPo
• The Year the Monarch Didn't Appear—"The precipitous loss of native vegetation across the United States has led to a dramatic decline of insect populations." NYT

Animal Cruelty

• H&M stops making angora products after rabbit torture video
• Woman who took cattle abuse video charged with animal abuse
• Guess Which Company Won’t Drop Pork Supplier After Horrific Video Exposes Abuse

Elephants

• African elephant numbers 'could fall by one-fifth' due to poaching—"The scale of the elephant poaching epidemic could lead to local populations becoming extinct, an IUCN report says."
• IoS Charity Appeal: Slaughter of elephants on a huge scale
• Deal to halt illegal ivory trade signed—"African and Asian states, including China, yesterday struck a deal at the Elephant Summit being held in Gaborone, Botswana, on the tackling of the illegal ivory trade."
• The Silent Crisis: Vietnam's Elephants on the Verge of Extinction
• India: To protect elephants, stop night movement of trains

Fish Food

• Changes to Canada's fisheries law alarm biologists—"Revisions that take effect today remove protections for 80% of endangered freshwater species."
• Japan whaling ships leave for Antarctic hunt
• China bans shark fin dinners, suites for officials in latest crackdown

Climate Change, Denial; Pollution, Oil Spills; What the Frack, Water Security; Where's the Reef?; Ecology; NSA Spying

Climate Change

• The Complexities of Climate Change
• Violence will rise as climate changes, scientists predict
• Earth Scientists Pin Climate Change Squarely On 'Humanity'
• Worst heat wave in 140 years hits parts of China; dozens of deaths reported—"Chinese authorities for the first time have declared the heat a 'level 2' weather emergency — a label normally invoked for typhoons and flooding."
• North Pole udpate: It's Frozen Again

Denial

• Steve King: Belief In Climate Change Is A 'Religion,' 'Not Science'—He also claims we might not notice 'if sea levels go up 4 or 6 inches' and that global warming leads to more photosynthesis.
• Science Committee Congressman: Global Warming a 'Fraud' to 'Create Global Government'
• Sally Jewell: 'I Hope There Are No Climate Change Deniers In The Department Of Interior'
• Climate change denial organizations funded in secret by wealthy conservatives
• Fox News found to be a major driving force behind global warming denial
• We All Burn Because the GOP Wasted 30 Years
• Unicorns doled out for climate change deniers

Pollution

• EPA Wants To Allow Continued Wastewater Dumping In Wyoming
• Whistleblower, Landowners: TransCanada is Botching the Job on Keystone XL Pipeline
• Pollution in Lac-Mégantic at high levels, study says—"Potential carcinogen found at 394,444 times above normal limit."
• Japan government: Fukushima plant leaks 300 tpd of contaminated water into sea
• Woes of Weliweriya water war—"High-handed army action claims at least six lives; journalists warned not to take pictures and attacked."
• Well-done video of a protesting shutting down a tar sands project in Utah
• Huge China coal plant shelved over pollution concerns

Oil Spills

• BP sues to get new contracts after oil spill
• AR Spill Victims on 'Wrong' Side of Fence Left to Fend for Themselves—"People who live close to the ruptured Pegasus pipeline say they weren't told of health risks and have been ignored by Exxon and government officials."
• Amid Pipeline Debate, Two Costly Cleanups Forever Change Towns—"As the administration considers approval of the much-debated Keystone XL pipeline, cleanup efforts in two communities portend the potential hazards of transporting heavy Canadian crude." NYT
• Oil spill blackens coast of Thai island—"Oil slick reaches coastline of island south of Bangkok after 50,000 litres of crude oil leaked from pipeline."
• Indian Ship Accused of Oil Dumping, Gulf Countries on Alert

What the Frack

• Censored EPA PA Fracking Water Contamination Presentation Published for First Time
• California's Fracking Regulatory Bill: Less Than Zero
• 'Frack Gag' Bans Children From Talking About Fracking, Forever
• Britain must accept fracking for good of nation, says David Cameron—Get fracked.
• Fracking 'threatens God's glorious creation'—"The Church of England has told parishioners that fracking causes environmental problems and risks lasting harm to 'God's glorious creation.'"

Water Security

• A Texan tragedy: ample oil, no water—"Fracking boom sucks away precious water from beneath the ground, leaving cattle dead, farms bone-dry and people thirsty."
• The 'Wild West' of groundwater: Billion-dollar Nestlé extracting B.C.'s drinking water for free—"Nestlé Waters Canada takes 265 million litres a year of fresh water from a Fraser Valley well."
• China and India 'water grab' dams put ecology of Himalayas in danger
• 'The Era Of The Lawn In The West Is Over' As Drought-Weary Cities Urge Residents To Save Water
• Plasma-treated nano filters help purify world water supply

Where's the Reef?

• Caribbean has lost 80% of its coral reef cover in recent years—"Comprehensive survey of the Caribbean's reefs is expected to act as a warning of problems besetting the world's coral."
• An urgent threat to the Great Barrier Reef
• UAE leads way in reef conservation

Ecology

• Kenya rhino killed in Nairobi National Park
• Major repeat offender elephant poacher face just 1 year in jail
• The war on African poaching: is militarisation doomed to fail?—"African countries and private game reserves are engaging in an increasingly sophisticated arms race against poachers, yet the slaughter of elephants and rhinos continues. Some experts argue that the battle must be joined on a far wider front that targets demand in Asia and judicial dysfunction in Africa."
• Nepal sees tiger population go up by 63% since 2009
• Animal welfare board of India bats for shark finning ban

NSA Spying

• Wyden, Udall Statement on Reports of Compliance Violations Made Under NSA Collection Programs
• Hey, Washington Post: Print that forbidden NSA interview!—"The Post gets a huge story, but still allows the government to jerk its reporters around." Salon
• Lavabit.com owner: 'I could be arrested' for resisting surveillance order
• Snowden downloaded NSA secrets while working for Dell, sources say
• Right Before Snowden Leaks, President Obama Fired Nearly All Members On Key Intelligence Advisory Board

Happy Chemistry and Earth Day! Solar, Wind, Fracking; Global Warming, Climate Deniers; Ecology; Pollution, BP

Happy Chemistry Day!

• Periodic Table of Cupcakes
• The Periodic Table Table: all the elements, in carved wooden glory
• Chemical Warfare
• It's Elementary
• Chemical Party
• xkcd: Elements
• xkcd: The Universal Label

Earth Day

• From homemaker to hell-raiser in Love Canal—"The woman who helped free an entire community from a toxic dump, literally rewriting environmental laws in the process, was so shy at the start of the struggle she tried to hide behind a tree when neighbors called on her."
• Two convicted of Amazon activists' murders—"The court stirred up anger by acquitting the farm-owner who was accused of paying for the killings."
• Anti-Keystone billionaire rattles Democrats
• Canadian govt demands a 10-page questionnaire & CV in order to seek permission to comment on oil pipeline
• Kansas State Bill Would "Ban" Sustainable Development

Solar

• Solar panels could destroy U.S. utilities, according to U.S. utilities
• With Help From Nature, a Town Aims to Be a Solar Capital—Mayor Parrish: 'I may be a Republican. I'm not an idiot.' NYT
• IBM solar collector will concentrate the power of 2,000 suns, keep its cool

Wind

• America's First Offshore Wind Farm Closer To Reality After Receiving $2 Billion From Japanese Bank
• Researchers team up with architects to create bladeless wind electricity generator
• Scottish government approves windfarm opposed by Donald Trump—"Billionaire property magnate attacks decision to build experimental offshore windfarm near his golf course as 'purely political.'"
• BP to sell US wind assets, renew focus on petroleum
• Governor LePage: Maine Wind Turbine Runs On 'A Little Electric Motor That Turns The Blades'—Probably like the hamster that turns the wheel inside his skull.

Fracking

• Oklahoma earthquake linked to oil extraction wastewater
• Disputes over environmental impact of 'fracking' obscure its future
• You Have to See It to Believe It: What It's Like to Have Fracking in Your Backyard—"Residents in industry-friendly West Virginia share their experiences, photos and videos."

Global Warming

• Global warming predictions prove accurate—"Analysis of climate change modelling for past 15 years reveal accurate forecasts of rising global temperatures."
• 1,600 years of ice in Peru's Andes melts in 25 years
• Clean energy progress too slow to limit global warming - report
• Last 30 years were the warmest in the last 1,400 years
• Research supports global warming theory
• World Bank chief says global warming threatens the planet and the poorest
• Kiribati: A Nation Going Under—"Running out of options, and water, a nation's leader enters an end game against climate change. The President of Kiribati urges an orderly evacuation — 'migration with dignity.'"
• To See What Climate Change Feels Like, Go to Texas
• A sensitive matter—"The climate may be heating up less in response to greenhouse-gas emissions than was once thought. But that does not mean the problem is going away."
• Scientist says volcanic eruption behind 'perfect storm' that kicked off Dark Ages

Climate Deniers

• Rep. Joe Barton: Biblical 'Great Flood' shows climate change isn't man made—Bet he believe the flood also formed the Grand Canyon.
• Limbaugh rewards child climate skeptic with an iPad—"The radio host explains that science has become a 'branch of the Democrat Party.'" Salon
• Billionaire pledges to "destroy" climate skeptics—"Obscenely wealthy retired hedge fund manager will use strength of money in politics to environmental ends." Salon

Ecology

• Thailand: Smuggler Caught With 10 Percent of an Entire Species
• Boat filled with protected species hits coral reef—"A Chinese boat that ran into a coral reef in the southwestern Philippines held evidence of even more environmental destruction inside: more than 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) of meat from a protected species, the pangolin or scaly anteater."
• Gold and poaching bring murder and misery to Congolese wildlife reserve
• Detective work uncovers under-reported overfishing—"Excessive catches by Chinese vessels threaten livelihoods and ecosystems in West Africa."
• Japan whaling haul a 'record low', plans to keep whaling regardless

Pollution

• ExxonMobil Opening Wallet to Homeowners after Mayflower Oil Spill
• Choking on China: The Superpower That Is Poisoning the World
• Muddy Waters: Mining Legacy Pollutes East German Rivers
• Fish deformities linked to oil pollution in U.S. and Alberta
• Balloons Blow

BP

• Three years after BP oil spill, USF research finds massive die-off
• Florida becomes 4th state to sue BP over 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill
• US witness claims BP gas explosion cover-up—"Massive oil spill in Gulf of Mexico in 2010 caused one of world's worst environmental catastrophes."

Earth Hour, Keystone XL, BP, Energy; China; Climate Change; Ecology, Extinction; World Water Yesterday

Earth Hour

• Apple Says Data Centers Now Use 100% Renewable Energy
• Windfarm sickness spreads by word of mouth, Australian study finds—"Health complaints from people living around turbines shown to be psychological effect of anti-wind lobby making people worry."
• Fox News: Solar Power "Might Be Tanking Our Economy"

Keystone XL

• Keystone XL pipeline will create 35 permanent jobs, State Department says—Whee.
• Keystone XL pipeline not good for Canada, opposition leader suggests—"Thomas Mulcair criticises Canada's Conservative government and says pipeline is exacting heavy environmental cost."
• Dirty little secrets about the dirty tar sand oil—"It is time the press starts doing the hard work of investigative reporting and stop spewing a one-sided view of the Keystone XL."
• When to Say No—"The revised plan for the proposed oil pipeline is still a threat to the environment." NYT
• Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Measure Passes Senate

BP

• BP asks judge to halt 'fictitious' and 'absurd' Deepwater oil spill payouts—"Oil giant asks New Orleans judge to temporarily halt payouts and says it could be 'irreparably harmed' by billions in costs."
• Gulf Coast attorneys general say BP 'wrong' to challenge oil spill claims process
• BP accused of rewriting environmental record on Wikipedia—"A British Petroleum representative allegedly rewrote 44 percent of the oil giant's Wikipedia page, including the environmental sections. Some Wikipedia editors are crying foul."

Energy

• America's Most Obvious Tax Reform Idea: Kill the Oil and Gas Subsidies—"In a world where $100-a-barrel oil is here to stay, there's no need to pad the industry's bottom line."
• EPA reverses water pollution decision after lobbyist steps in—"A Texas mining project was approved despite contamination fears, exposing a troubling pattern of aquifer exemption." Salon
• Sewage Plants Struggle To Treat Wastewater Produced By Fracking Operations

China

• In China, public anger over secrecy on environment
• China: More Pigs Found in River—The number of dead pigs found dead in Shanghai, which already started at nearly 3,000 "rose to more than 13,000" and now the latest count is at 16,000. NYT
• Demand for chopsticks killing trees, Chinese lawmaker says

Climate Change

• Climate science-denying GOPer to head climate subcommittee Salon
• We're Screwed: 11,000 Years' Worth of Climate Data Prove It
• Texas Climatologist: Global surface temperatures likely to set a new record this year
• Research Reveals Almost All Climate Science Denial Books Linked to Conservative Think Tanks
• Obama Will Use Nixon-Era Law to Fight Climate Change
• Thousands sign school climate change petition started by 15-year-old—"Esha Marwaha from west London says she is outraged that climate change has been scaled back in national curriculum."
• German scientists quit oil sands research over public climate concerns

Ecology

• 86 elephants killed in Chad poaching massacre—"Armed ivory poachers are reported to have killed 86 elephants in less than a week, including pregnant females and calves."
• In Asia, tide slowly turning against shark fin soup
• Five shark species win protection against finning trade—"Cites summit votes for strictly controlled permits to export fins of oceanic whitetip, porbeagle and three species of hammerhead."
• Overfished and under-protected: Oceans on the brink of catastrophic collapse
• Deer cull would threaten thousands of jobs, say furious gamekeepers
• EU could impose pesticide ban to protect bees
• PETA Goes After Assassin's Creed For Its Depiction Of Whaling; Ubisoft Responds With A Heaping Dose Of Sarcasm

Extinction

• Re-re-re-thinking the rise of mammals and death of the dinosaurs
• Extinction that paved way for dinosaurs definitively linked to volcanism—"New dates also show life started recovering while eruptions were in progress."
• A Stealthy De-Extinction Startup—"Who wouldn't want to see a saber-toothed tiger?"

World Water Yesterday

• U.N. chief warns of growing water scarcity
• Wichita Falls, Texas, Could Go Dry by Year's End
• Pentagon weapons-maker finds method for cheap, clean water

BP; Energy Sector Censorship, Ag-Gag; Food Security; Corporate Misconduct; Environment; Pollution; Ecology

BP

• After Three Years, BP Is Finally Headed to Court
• Justice Department deal reduces BP's Deepwater Horizon fine by $3.4bn
• BP to Government: $21 Billion Fine is 'Excessive'—"Oil giant says it would rather go to court than continue negotiations."

Energy Sector Censorship

• Exxon, You Can't Silence Us: A Public Letter
• Hush, Doctors: Gas industry gags physicians
• Shale Gas Industry Brings PSYOPs and Spy Ops to Poland

Ag-Gag

• 'Ag-Gag' Bill Introduced in Illinois—"Criminal charges sought for false accusations of animal mistreatment."
• Ind. bill would make undercover video at farms illegal
• Five More States Consider 'Ag Gag' Laws To Silence Factory Farm Whistleblowers

Food Security

• Deutsche Bank Is Caught In A Spiral Of Lies—"The latest involves misleading parliament about the causes of food price inflation."
• Halve meat consumption, scientists urge rich world—"UN study says horsemeat scandal exposed dark side of cheap meat and shows how farming practices destroy natural world."
• Horsemeat scandal's origin lies in the heart of our economic model

Corporate Misconduct

• Prosecutors crack 'systematic egg fraud'—"Prosecutors are investigating around 200 German egg farmers suspected of falsely labelling their produce as organic or free-range, in what has been described as fraud on a massive scale."
• Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning in France
• Oxfam reveals global food firms' gaping ethical shortfalls—"The charity finds Nestlé, Mars and Coca-Cola fail to protect farmers, local communities and the environment."

Environment

• State lawmaker defends bike tax, says bicycling is not good for the environment—"You would be giving off more CO2 if you are riding a bike than driving in a car." Oy.
• Environment Canada hits alleged polluters with warnings instead of prosecutions
• Chinese environmentalist beaten after calling on official to swim in polluted creek
• Quote of the Day: Frying the Planet is OK as Long as We Protect it From Asteroids
• US scientists report big jump in heat-trapping CO2
• This Cheat Sheet Will Make You Win Every Climate Argument
• Australia: NT govt to fight recycling law challenge—"The Northern Territory government says it will pull no punches in fighting a lawsuit by drinks giants against its cash-for-containers scheme."

Pollution

• Japanese take action against Chinese smog—"Residents will be urged to stay indoors if the level of toxic smog from China gets too high."
• The most shocking photo of Beijing air pollution I've ever seen
• Where Is the Worst Air in the World?—"Beijing gets a lot of attention for its pollution, but it's nowhere near the top of the list."

Ecology

• African lions – the killer kings in mortal danger from man and sham medicine—"Lion populations have fallen by 68% in just 50 years – from 100,000 to 35,000 today. What can be done to protect them?"
• Notorious figure in animal smuggling beyond reach in Laos—Essentially beyond the law. NYT
• Google must drop ivory adverts say campaigners
• Japanese turn against whaling
• Indian man single-handedly plants a 1,360-acre forest—"Jadav Payeng turned a barren sandbar in northern India into a lush new forest ecosystem."