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

World Oceans Day, Climate Change, Environment and Politics; Dinosaurs, Days Past, Discoveries, Destruction

World Oceans Day

• Together, We Have the Power to Protect the Ocean
• World's Most Polluted Seas Revealed
• The Ocean Cleanup—A project to remove plastic pollution.
• The end of fish—"The ones we like to eat are rapidly vanishing from the ocean." WaPo
• US coastguard releases Chinese boat accused of illegal fishing in North Pacific—"Vessel caught with half a tonne of salmon and high-seas net widely condemned as highly destructive to marine life."

Climate Change

• Between the Lines: It's not censorship by ignoring those denying climate change—"Does denying a seat at the journalistic table to climate change deniers amount to censorship and political correctness, in the sense that unpopular opinions are being silenced? As I am wont to tell
• Obama Says He 'Absolutely' Wants To Go Off On Climate Deniers In Congress
some letter writers, you are entitled to your opinions, but not your facts."
• 7 reasons America will fail on climate change
• Seas Rise, Florida GOP Leaders Balk At Climate Change
• Billionaire seeks to help climate-change victims
• John Podesta Says White House Is Ready To Spar Over Power Plant Rules
• Climate change helps seas disturb Japanese war dead—"Rising sea levels have disturbed the skeletons of soldiers killed on the Marshall Islands during World War Two."

Environment and Politics

• Jindal Signs Bill Blocking Lawsuits Against Oil and Gas Companies—"The Louisiana governor might have also effectively undercut ongoing claims against BP for the 2010 Gulf oil spill."
• Safety Gaps In Chemical Storage—"Millions of pounds of chemicals and oil are stored and shipped along the river and we've found there are gaps in laws meant to keep you safe."
• States balk at keeping oil-train info from public—"U.S. railroads forced to turn over details of their volatile crude oil shipments are asking states to sign agreements not to disclose the information. But some states are refusing, saying Thursday that the information shouldn't be kept from the public."
• Alaska Village Sues Feds to Open Road in Refuge
• How A 'Bunch Of Commies' Are Forcing The Fortune 500 To Stop Destroying Rain Forests, Overfishing, And Burning Fossil Fuels

Dinosaurs

• Dinosaur discovery: "Pinocchio Rex," the weird cousin of the T-Rex—"Qianzhousaurus -- who was smaller and more agile than T-Rex -- walked the earth 66 million years ago." Salon
• These Bones Might Be the Biggest Creature That Ever Walked the Earth
• Early Life in Death Valley—"Evidence from Southwestern deserts suggests that oxygen-breathing organisms arose on land rather than in the seas."
• Direct evidence of cooling after the dinosaur-killing asteroid impact
• Dinosaur smuggler sentenced to three months in prison in New York—"Eric Prokopi, the 'one-man black market in fossils', given lenient sentence on felony counts for his cooperation with attorneys."

Days Past

• 8 Surprising Historical Facts That Will Change Your Concept Of Time Forever
• On Ice: 100-year-old negatives discovered in Antarctic
• Ancient Egyptians transported pyramid stones over wet sand

Discoveries

• Girl's skeleton found in cave sheds light on origins of first Americans—"DNA recovered from 12,000-year-old skeleton help to dispel claims that first Americans came from Australia, Asia or Europe."
• Ancient hunting camp found beneath Lake Huron
• Over 1,000 Mayan Codices Discovered in Yucatan Ruins
• Siberian fisherman accidentally nets 4,000-year-old pagan god—"Nikolay Tarasov was about to throw the tiny figure back into the river, when he decided to take it to a local museum on a hunch. Experts say the pagan god was carved in the Bronze Age by the Okunev or Samus cultures of ancient Tisul."
• Found after 500 years, the wreck of Christopher Columbus's flagship the Santa Maria
• Dunragit road works unearth ancient treasure trove

Destruction

• Aboriginal art, 60,000 years old, vandalized in Australia—"The art is in the Burrup Peninsula of Western Australia, a national park containing examples of ancient carved rock."
• Vandals desecrate ancient standing stone at Hill of Tara in Co Meath
• Vandals destroy prehistoric rock art in Libya's lawless Sahara
• ISIS Destroys 3000 Year-old Assyrian Artifacts in Syria
• Ballymaglaff Stone Age site 'lost because of planning error'
• Illegal projects damage Effigy Mounds—"National Park Service officials approved $3 million in illegal construction projects over a decade that damaged one of the nation’s most sacred American Indian burial sites, but few have been punished for the bureaucratic failure, records show."
• Treasure hunters destroy tomb

Earth Day, Pollution, Ecology, Climate Change, Denialists, Unclean Energy, Trashing Renewables, Keystone XL, Fracking; Fat Tuesday; Obamacare, GOP Obstructionism; Big Pharma, Medical Malpractice, Vax Populi

Earth Day

• The Latest "Cosmos" Explains How Corporations Fund Science Denial—"Neil Tyson explores the surprising connection between the age of the Earth and the dangers of lead."
• Killing of environmental activists rises globally
• Documents reveal extent of Shell and Rio Tinto lobbying in human rights case—"Multinationals sought legal support from UK government to fight allegations of rights abuses in Nigeria and Papua New Guinea."

Pollution

• Why Are 20 Far-Away States Trying To Block The Cleanup Of The Chesapeake Bay?—"EPA overreach."
• Plane Search Shows World's Oceans Are Full of Trash—"Search for missing Malaysian plane shines spotlight on giant ocean garbage patches."
• James Dyson Is Designing A Giant Vacuum-On-A-Boat To Clean Ocean Trash
• China just revealed a major state secret: nearly 20% of its farmland is polluted
• China's new environment law submitted to parliament

Ecology

• Arab royal hunts down 2,100 houbara bustards in three week safari
• Japan Plans to Resume Whaling Program, With Changes to Address Court Concerns NYT
• BP refuses to fund Gulf oil spill studies—"BP is refusing to pay a large bill for US government-led studies into its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including research into its impact on dolphins, whales and oysters." FT

Climate Change

• IPCC finally weighs in on how to avoid further climate change—"Third and final section of latest IPCC report gives policymakers a roadmap."
• Apple: climate change is real and it's a real problem—"Technology company claims 94% of its corporate facilities are now powered by renewable energy."
• Climate change to 'cost €2bn a year as droughts hit crops'
• Climate change increasing massive wildfires in West
• Climate changes visible by ZIP code with new online tools

Denialists

• Va. Supreme Court rules for U-Va. in global warming FOIA case—"The high court decision rejects an argument by global warming skeptics who wanted to see the work of a climate researcher." WaPo
• Congressman Denies Manmade Climate Change, Calls It 'An Agenda-Driven Science'—"Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) readily admits he’s 'not smart enough' to determine the roots of climate change. He is, however, able to rule out one possible cause: humans."
• Who is mucking up science education?—Wyoming Department of Education Chairman Ron Micheli: "I don’t accept, personally, that [climate change] is a fact. [The standards are] very prejudiced in my opinion against fossil-fuel development." WaPo
• States of Denial: States with the Most Federal Disaster Aid Sent Climate-Science Deniers to Congress
• Why climate deniers are winning: The twisted psychology that overwhelms scientific consensus Salon

Unclean Energy

• Triumph of the Drill: How Big Oil Clings to Billions in Government Giveaways—"Deficit hawks slam them. Execs say they don't need them. So why does petroleum still get big tax breaks?"
• Louisiana's traumatic bond with Big Oil—"What is it about the oil and gas industry that engenders such steadfast devotion from our political leaders? In case you hadn't noticed, Louisiana's government has long functioned as a wholly owned subsidiary of Big Oil."
• EPA drastically underestimates methane released at drilling sites
• World must end 'dirty' fuel use - UN
• Canadian town says 'no' to Enbridge pipeline in vote
• It's Final -- Corn Ethanol Is Of No Use—"Can we stop pretending biofuel from corn is helping the planet and the environment?"

Trashing Renewables

• ALEC Defeated Again In Attacks On Solar, Net Metering Preserved In Kansas
• Op-Ed: ALEC and the Koch brothers fight solar energy with surcharges
• Oklahoma electric utilities want higher rate for solar, wind energy producers

Keystone XL

• Jimmy Carter comes out against Keystone XL pipeline WaPo
• Keystone XL pipeline decision postponed by Obama administration WaPo
• Keystone XL delay pounds TransCanada stock

Fracking

• Ohio geologists link local earthquakes directly to fracking—"For the first time, a state study links Ohio's recent seismic events to hydraulic fracturing, not just water disposal."
• Series of small earthquakes rock Oklahoma in record seismic activity
• North Dakota Finds Itself Unprepared To Handle The Radioactive Burden Of Its Fracking Boom

Fat Tuesday

• Junk food makes you lazy, not just fat, study suggests
• Hello fruits and vegetables! "Junk food" banned from schools July 1
• Thinking 'obesity is a disease' makes you more likely to eat high-calorie foods, study finds
• Yale student , 92 lbs., stuffed her face with Cheetos, ice cream to pacify school officials
• Oscar Nominated Actor Kicked Off Plane—"He says he usually buys two seats, but only one was available."

Obamacare

• Obamacare Signups Hit 8 Million—"And both young and old are on board."
• Very Bad News For Obamacare Opponents In The Government's Latest Report
• States embracing Obamacare are doing a better job of covering the uninsured, surveys show WaPo
• Nobody believes there is any GOP alternative to Obamacare WaPo
• Poll: Republicans Admit Obamacare Might Not Be The End Of The World

GOP Obstructionism

• How the GOP Bet on Failure And Lost
• Making the GOP pay for Medicaid obstruction Salon
• Democrats Need to Start Blaming the GOP for the Death of Charlene Dill—"How liberals should talk about the Medicaid expansion."
• GOP, Insurers Bully Dems Into Retreat On Medicare Cuts
• Florida Voter Confronts GOP Representative On His Repeated Efforts To Repeal Obamacare
• For Republicans, Obama's Obamacare news changes nothing WaPo
• The Right's New Scam: Feigning Anger on Behalf of People They Encouraged to Skip Obamacare
• Cruz Still Pledging To 'Repeal Every Single Word Of Obamacare'

Big Pharma

• Drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline bribed doctors to boost sales, says whistleblower
• US: A mecca for overpriced medicine
• What the Tamiflu saga tells us about drug trials and big pharma
• Big pharma struggles to balance transparency and profits

Medical Malpractice

• Grandmother 'was put in morgue freezer while still alive'
• Medical Malpractice Caps Voided in Florida
• Nursing Home Hired Strippers For Patients: Suit
• Australia: NHMRC rule homeopathic remedies useless for human health

Vax Populi

• Jenny McCarthy: I am not "anti-vaccine." This is not a change in my stance nor is it a new position that I have recently adopted.—Is she being disingenuous? Sure sounds like it. This is her legacy.
• Ontario Health Minister slams Jenny McCarthy for 'outrageously irresponsible' anti-vaccine campaign
• Mom Whose Child Died After Catching Chicken Pox Advocates for Vaccines
• Dear parents: you are being lied to about vaccines
• Measles Outbreak Traced to Fully Vaccinated Patient for First Time—This is where herd immunity can come in.
• Fear of polio virus: India, Georgia place curbs on Pakistanis—There's a danger of fake vaccination certificates.

Environment, Keystone, West Virginia, Pollution, Energy; Ecology, Shark Weak, Climate Change; Food Insecurity; NSA Spying

Environment

• 'Neil Young Lies' Is Pro-Oil Propaganda at Its Worst
• The anti-fracking activist barred from 312.5 sq miles of Pennsylvania
• David Cameron pledges to rip up green regulations—"Prime minister says plans to scrap or amend more than 3,000 regulations will save businesses £850m a year."
• Australia Permits Dredge Dumping Near Great Barrier Reef for Major Coal Port NYT
• Yukon Government Opens Vast Wilderness to Mining—"Indigenous leaders, conservation groups vow legal challenge."

Keystone

• Approving Keystone XL could be the biggest mistake of Obama's presidency
• State Department Says Keystone Pipeline Will Create Just 50 Jobs
• Obama's still not ready to approve Keystone—"Obama's top aide says more input is needed before the president makes a final decision on the pipeline." Salon

West Virginia

• WV Senate Committee Votes To Weaken Water Quality Standards
• West Virginians say they don't fault coal industry for water crisis
• War of words arises on MCHM flushing—As it "might not have effectively eliminated Crude MCHM and other toxic chemicals from plumbing systems in homes and businesses...."
• After Chemical Spill, West Virginia Couple Says Their Chickens Laid Blue-Tinted Eggs That Smell Like Licorice
• This Modern World: States of Emergency—"If the water for 300,000 people were poisoned by terrorists, it would be a national emergency."

Pollution

• Pipeline rupture report raises questions about TransCanada inspections—"A CBC News investigation has unearthed a critical report that the federal regulator effectively buried for several years about a rupture on a trouble-prone TransCanada natural gas pipeline."
• TransCanada natural gas pipeline explodes near Winnipeg—"No injuries reported; comes as pipeline safety is under scrutiny ahead of Keystone XL decision."
• Train carrying fuel oil derails, spills in Mississippi
• Duke Pipe Break Causes Ash Release Into North Carolina River
• Mining Tar Sands Produces Much More Air Pollution Than We Thought

Energy

• How the Feds Are Ripping You Off To Benefit Big Coal
• Renewable Energy Is 'Stalinist' Mandate, Says Ohio Legislator
• Facebook Saved Over A Billion Dollars By Building Open Sourced Servers

Ecology

• Right-wing Republicans Launch Assault on Endangered Species Act
• A record 1,004 rhinos were killed in South Africa in 2013
• Hong Kong to Incinerate Huge Ivory Stockpile
• Pesticides halve bees' pollen gathering ability, research shows
• Monarch butterflies drop, migration may disappear
• Black bear accidentally mulched by oil and gas company—"An Apache contractor ran over a hibernating bear den while clearing land near Fort Nelson, B.C."
• Dead dolphins: Peru's beaches littered with hundreds of dead dolphins – again—"More than 400 dead dolphins were found in northern Peru in January. In 2012, more than 870 dead dolphins were found in the same area, and the cause of death was never determined."
• Albania's hunting ban to protect species—"Albania says it will ban all hunting for two years to protect animals threatened with extinction."

Shark Weak

• Zhejiang firm the world's largest shark abattoir, says WildLifeRisk—"Zhejiang plant 'processing hundreds of endangered specimens a year.'"
• America's health craze for fish oil is wiping out the world's rarest shark
• Mexico is Saving Sharks While Australia Kills Them

Climate Change

• Prince Charles finds climate-change denial most unbecoming—"Doubters of man-made global warming a 'headless chicken brigade,' Charles says."
• 24 House Republicans Just Voted To Deny The Reality Of Climate Change
• xkcd on the Cold Truth About Warming
• A Win for the Climate Scientist Skeptics Compared to Jerry Sandusky
• Dirty tactics: The story behind the Drax 29—"A group of climate activists have had their convictions for hijacking a coal train quashed after revelations about the extraordinary role of undercover police."
• The Changing Climate Is Killing Baby Penguins
• Drought-hit California unable to supply state water

Food Insecurity

• Report: FDA Documents Show Decade of Unsuccessful Attempts to Control Farm Antibiotics
• Congress: Keep Chinese-processed chicken out of the U.S.—"The USDA is entrusting our poultry to the country with one of the worst track records for food safety." Salon
• Feds suspend NJ slaughterhouse; cruelty alleged
• China-Japan poisoned dumplings: Chinese man jailed
• Japan food pesticide scare: Factory worker arrested

NSA Spying

• Feds: NSA 'Probably' Spies on Members of Congress—"The admission is hardly surprising, but expect lawmakers to feign outrage anyway."
• The first congressman to battle the NSA is dead. No-one noticed, no-one cares.
• Patriot Act author: Absent reform, we'll halt bulk metadata program renewal—"Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner has said vast data dragnet is 'unbounded in its scope.'"
• The New Snowden Revelation Is Dangerous for Anonymous — And for All of Us—"Whether you agree with the activities of Anonymous or not -- there are many shades of gray around using DDoS attacks as a protest tactic -- the salient point is that some governments now seem to be using their very tactics against them. The key difference, however, is that those involved in Anonymous can and have faced their day in court for those tactics while governments remain unchecked. And that power differential makes all the difference."
• US ambassador: Merkel phone tap was stupid
• Digital Independence: NSA Scandal Boosts German Tech Industry—"The German IT sector is hoping to profit from trust lost in American technology firms in the aftermath of the NSA spying scandal. But critics warn that plans to create a European routing system could affect the openness of the Internet."
• Guardian reveals threats of imprisonment and closure over Snowden leaks

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

Big Energy, Fracking, Pollution; Climate Change; Oceans, Ecology; NSA Spying, Tech Tracking

Big Energy

• Koch Brothers Could Make $100 Billion if Keystone XL Pipeline Approved
• British Gas rakes in £20m profit from overestimated bills, says whistleblower
• Oil Spill in North Dakota Raises Detection Concerns—"A Tesoro Logistics pipeline that ruptured in North Dakota spilled more than 865,000 gallons of oil, one of the largest inland oil pipeline accidents in the United States." Not only that, North Dakota recorded 300 oil spills in two years without notifying the public. NYT
• Oil Companies Are Sued for Waste of Natural Gas—"Owners of mineral rights filed 10 suits to obtain royalties lost when the natural gas produced in oil drilling in North Dakota is burned." Also preventing natural gas from flooding the market and reducing prices. NYT
• Former Judge Testifies to Taking Bribes to Write Rulings Ordering Chevron to Pay Villagers $19 Billion
• Canada: New environmental review rules anger oilsands critics—"Many oilsands projects will not have their potential environmental impacts reviewed by the federal government under updated rules announced today, environmentalists warn."
• Koch Brother Wages 12-Year Fight Over Wind Farm—"The billionaire industrialist William I. Koch has donated about $5 million fighting Cape Wind, a vast wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound." Clean energy? Hah. NYT

Fracking

• 'Gasland' director: Obama is AWOL on fracking Politico
• Wyo. high court to hear fracking disclosure suit—Can companies hide the shit they're shooting underground?
• Terminology used by fracking advocates purposely misleading
• Scotland to block fracking on environmental grounds
• Mi'kmaq Warrior risks losing leg after being shot by RCMP rubber slug in Thursday's cop attack.

Pollution

• Air pollution a leading cause of cancer - U.N. agency
• Taking out the rivers' trash, one piece at a time
• Material Remains: The Perpetual Challenge of Garbage

Climate Change

• Why We Don't Care About Saving Our Grandchildren From Climate Change—"A new study shows that human beings are too selfish to endure present pain to avert future climate change. That's why we need win-win solutions now."
• Gambling with Civilization by Paul Krugman—"The future is uncertain, a reality acknowledged in the title of William Nordhaus's new book, The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, and Economics for a Warming World. Yet decisions must be made taking the future—and sometimes the very long-term future—into account."
• Fox News defends global warming false balance by denying the 97% consensus
• Gore Says U.S. Likely to Beat 'Inadequate' Carbon Target
• Iowa scientists: Climate change affecting farming
• Climate change is 'absolutely' linked to wildfires, says UN chief
• Climate Change Aids Toxic Slime's Advance
• IPCC's New Estimates for Increased Sea-Level Rise

Oceans

• The ocean is broken—"A Newcastle sailor's trip across the Pacific Ocean after the Japan tsunami was frighteningly similar to a nightmare."
• Lionfish infestation in Atlantic Ocean a growing epidemic
• In China, victory for wildlife conservation as citizens persuaded to give up shark fin soup WaPo
• 13 Vietnamese arrested in Philippines over sea turtles
• Dolphin Slaughter Fueled by Illegal Shark Trade

Ecology

• Over 100 rhinos poached in South Africa in past month
• Texas hunters pledge to save endangered black rhinos by killing one
• Poachers kill 300 Zimbabwe elephants with cyanide
• Another jumbo poisoner jailed for 15 years
• Bob Barker pays nearly $1 million to rescue 3 elephants

NSA Spying

• Anti-NSA rally attracts thousands to march in Washington
• NSA surveillance: Merkel's phone may have been monitored 'for over 10 years'—"As German officials prepare to travel to the US, Der Spiegel cites a previously secret NSA document."
• NSA asked Japan to tap regionwide fiber-optic cables in 2011
• Sweden signs up to UN plan to curb US spying
• U.S. tapping Stephen Harper's phone? Unlikely, says intelligence expert

Tech Tracking

• ACLU: Lavabit 'fatally undermined' by US request for encryption keys—"Rights group files briefing in defence of founder Ladar Levison and says government's demands 'unreasonably burdensome.'"
• 7 alternative search sites that respect your privacy
• Aaron's agrees to stop spying on computer renters
• Mozilla's Lightbeam tool will expose who is looking over your shoulder on the web
• Researchers Flag Security Flaws In New LinkedIn Offering—"LinkedIn's new 'Intro' tool could be a security nightmare waiting to happen, researchers warn."

World Oceans Day, Water Security, BP, Animal Kingdom, Man vs. Wild

World Oceans Day

• Great Barrier Reef In Australia Under Clear Threat Says UN
• Protect Antarctic waters before it's too late, says environment coalition
• Research ship finds the world's oceans are 'plasticized'
• Fukushima Radiation Found in Pacific Ocean Tuna
• Japanese whalers set out to kill 260 whales for 'scientific research'
• Fishing observers 'intimidated and bribed by EU crews'
• Scottish trawlerman has £1m seized for role in fisheries scandal--"Ian Buchan, of Peterhead, pleaded guilty to illegally landing and selling £4.5m worth of mackerel in 'black landing' scam."

Water Security

• Green decline 'may bring irreversible change'--"With forests and fish stocks declining, water demand rising and lack of action on climate change, humanity's path is anything but sustainable, the UN warns."
• Which Nations Consume the Most Water?--"Much of the life-sustaining resource is traded across national borders."
• Mongolia's Dilemma: Who Gets The Water?
• Improved but Not Always Safe: Despite Global Efforts, More Than 1 Billion People Likely at Risk for Lack of Clean Water
• Germany's careful toilet-flushing is a drop in the water-conservation ocean--"Germans are way ahead of Brits when it comes to saving water domestically. But politicians avoid the big issue: agricultural use."

BP

• The Big Fix: Documentary Exposes BP, US Government on Gulf Disaster
• Two Years After The Deepwater Horizon Disaster, BP Uses Quarterly Profits For Millions In Lobbying Dollars
• BP accused of attack on academic freedoms after scientists subpoenaed
• 2 Years Later, Grim Photos From the BP Disaster
• BP Coverup, Coverup

Animal Kingdom

• Peru examines deaths of more than 500 pelicans
• Tons of dead sardines wash up on Chiba shore
• 2,300 birds found dead along Chilean beaches
• Bayer CropScience and Bee Deaths
• Jaguar v. sea turtle: when land and marine conservation icons collide

Man vs. Wild

• Tens of thousands of elephants likely killed last year, experts say
• Indian state to let forest guards shoot poachers on sight--"Maharashtra government says killing poachers will no longer be considered a crime after eight tiger deaths in the state this year."
• Orangutan rescued from poaching, returned to wild, then shot 62 times, for fun, by thrill-seeking villagers