EARTH ACTION IN THE NEWS - February 18, 2021

[Emerald]

EARTH ACTION IN THE NEWS  

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BREAKTHROUGH!
Public backs climate change action across the globe, massive U.N. poll finds
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/public-backs-climate-change-action-across-globe-massive-u-n-n1255811

LOCAL REPORTS

'Unacceptable': Chevron Oil Spill Leaks 600 Gallons of Petroleum Into San Francisco Bay

https://www.newsweek.com/unacceptable-chevron-oil-spill-leaks-600-gallons-petroleum-san-francisco-bay-1568197

'I'm really scared': Neighbors sound off after 600-gallon oil spill near Richmond's Chevron refinery

https://abc7news.com/10324620/?ex_cid=TA_KGO_TW&taid=602326b718ff86000158c82a&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

"A pipeline was leaking approximately five gallons a minute until the leak was stopped."

Aggressive Cancer in Sea Lions Linked to Ocean Pollution and Herpesvirus Precursor, Implications for Human Health

https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2021/02/aggressive-cancer-in-sea-lion-linked-to-ocean-pollution-and-herpesvirus-precursor-implications-for-human-health/
"Cancer rates in sea lions are highest of all mammals, including humans, with urogenital carcinoma emerging in 18-23% of California sea lions. Cancer is rare in wild animals so it's essential to recognize drivers of disease progression and fruition."

Mendocino County old-growth redwood forest protected in $24.7 million conservation deal
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/24-7-million-conservation-deal-saves-mendocino-county-old-growth-redwood-f/?trk_msg=J94B53SH3PCK7DVQ0K21DOVJJC&trk_contact=QQQLPEJ4NTMGK1AJ6O84IQKD2K&trk_module=new&trk_sid=J9HU0H8LP204F2QLPRJ894HOE8&utm_email=94D5D43DA4752562A4E1D47CED&g2i_eui=ltCmFhHaOJlhoc2NDLU8wbswC8RaJYm4G89Z5lDLgjE%3d&g2i_source=newsletter&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.pressdemocrat.com%2farticle%2fnews%2f24-7-million-conservation-deal-saves-mendocino-county-old-growth-redwood-f%2f&utm_campaign=pd_daily

Cost of Santa Rosa’s new fire station continues to rise as next budget gets first look
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/cost-of-santa-rosas-new-fire-station-continues-to-rise-as-next-budget-gets/?trk_msg=8U4MQL4V6BN4BEE7MHOBNF6ER0&trk_contact=QQQLPEJ4NTMGK1AJ6O84IQKD2K&trk_module=new&trk_sid=83IBF4E23CDKOTB3BSVS073BN0&utm_email=94D5D43DA4752562A4E1D47CED&g2i_eui=ltCmFhHaOJlhoc2NDLU8wbswC8RaJYm4G89Z5lDLgjE%3d&g2i_source=newsletter&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.pressdemocrat.com%2farticle%2fnews%2fcost-of-santa-rosas-new-fire-station-continues-to-rise-as-next-budget-gets%2f&utm_campaign=pd_daily
"Santa Rosa’s projected cost to replace its Fountaingrove fire station that the Tubbs fire destroyed has risen to $21 million, a sum more than five times the price of the ruined station and one that fire officials are looking to PG&E settlement funds or federal disaster aid to help cover."

California requires landline operators to have 72 hours of backup power for disasters
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/california-requires-landline-operators-to-have-72-hours-of-back-up-power-fo/?trk_msg=T0MH53V53EIKP3QJUG4IQ0I79C&trk_contact=QQQLPEJ4NTMGK1AJ6O84IQKD2K&trk_module=new&trk_sid=LFGUHDAUT6T57L2BP9FVP8CJFK&utm_email=94D5D43DA4752562A4E1D47CED&g2i_eui=ltCmFhHaOJlhoc2NDLU8wbswC8RaJYm4G89Z5lDLgjE%3d&g2i_source=newsletter&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.pressdemocrat.com%2farticle%2fnews%2fcalifornia-requires-landline-operators-to-have-72-hours-of-back-up-power-fo%2f&utm_campaign=pd_daily

Value of North Coast’s 2020 grape harvest cut in half by wildfires, pandemic

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/value-of-north-coasts-2020-grape-harvest-cut-in-half-by-wildfires-pandemi/?trk_msg=8U4MQL4V6BN4BEE7MHOBNF6ER0&trk_contact=QQQLPEJ4NTMGK1AJ6O84IQKD2K&trk_module=new&trk_sid=83IBF4E23CDKOTB3BSVS073BN0&utm_email=94D5D43DA4752562A4E1D47CED&g2i_eui=ltCmFhHaOJlhoc2NDLU8wbswC8RaJYm4G89Z5lDLgjE%3d&g2i_source=newsletter&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.pressdemocrat.com%2farticle%2fbusiness%2fvalue-of-north-coasts-2020-grape-harvest-cut-in-half-by-wildfires-pandemi%2f&utm_campaign=pd_daily

Newsom seeks higher fees on pesticides
https://capitolweekly.net/newsom-seeks-higher-fees-on-pesticides/

New Statewide Winery Rules
https://russianriverkeeper.org/first-ever-winery-rules-protect-ca-waters/?mc_cid=377dabb61e&mc_eid=f2dea150de
"These new rules help fill existing regulatory gaps and protect California’s waters, though California Waterkeeper organizations remain concerned that these rules do not go far enough."

Salmonella killing songbirds in California as experts urge removal of bird feeders to stem disease

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/salmonella-killing-songbirds-in-california-as-experts-urge-removal-of-bird/?trk_msg=J94B53SH3PCK7DVQ0K21DOVJJC&trk_contact=QQQLPEJ4NTMGK1AJ6O84IQKD2K&trk_module=new&trk_sid=J9HU0H8LP204F2QLPRJ894HOE8&utm_email=94D5D43DA4752562A4E1D47CED&g2i_eui=ltCmFhHaOJlhoc2NDLU8wbswC8RaJYm4G89Z5lDLgjE%3d&g2i_source=newsletter&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.pressdemocrat.com%2farticle%2fnews%2fsalmonella-killing-songbirds-in-california-as-experts-urge-removal-of-bird%2f&utm_campaign=pd_daily

SMART delays completion of $65 million Windsor extension to 2022
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/smart-delays-completion-of-65-million-windsor-extension-to-2022/?trk_msg=BBOTE1Q13S04BA3I5Q562NLE4C&trk_contact=QQQLPEJ4NTMGK1AJ6O84IQKD2K&trk_module=new&trk_sid=S4SSF7BC78CM05T06OE9ARC7EO&utm_email=94D5D43DA4752562A4E1D47CED&g2i_eui=ltCmFhHaOJlhoc2NDLU8wbswC8RaJYm4G89Z5lDLgjE%3d&g2i_source=newsletter&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.pressdemocrat.com%2farticle%2fnews%2fsmart-delays-completion-of-65-million-windsor-extension-to-2022%2f&utm_campaign=pd_daily

Groups Call Last Summer’s Blackouts Unnecessary, Urge Deeper Probe

https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2021-02-10/energy-policy/groups-call-last-summers-blackouts-unnecessary-urge-deeper-probe/a73104-1

GMOs, GLYPHOSATE & TOXINS

Millions of People Poisoned by Pesticides Each Year, Underscoring Need for Organic Transition

https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2021/02/pesticides-unintentionally-poison-hundreds-of-millions-of-people-each-year-underlining-need-for-organic-transition/

FOSSIL FUELS

Shell’s 'Delusional' Net Zero Strategy Commits $8 Billion to Fossil Fuels

https://www.desmogblog.com/2021/02/11/shell-net-zero-oil-fossil-fuels

How the Fossil Fuel Industry Convinced Americans to Love Gas Stoves
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2021/02/how-the-fossil-fuel-industry-convinced-americans-to-love-gas-stoves/

Legal bid to stop UK building Europe's biggest gas power plant fails
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/21/climate-crisis-uk-legal-bid-stop-biggest-gas-power-station-europe-fails

Fossil Fuel Air Pollution Linked to 1 in 5 Deaths Globally, New Study Reveals

https://www.desmogblog.com/2021/02/09/fossil-fuel-air-pollution-linked-to-global-deaths-study

The emissions from use of fossil fuels was responsible for one in five premature deaths around the world in 2018

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/09/fossil-fuel-emissions-cause-1-in-5-deaths-globally-report.html

Appalachian Fracking Boom Was a Jobs Bust, Finds New Report 

https://www.desmogblog.com/2021/02/11/appalachian-fracking-boom-was-jobs-bust-finds-new-report?_hsmi=110788051&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--cOUKK9vhSJLAZB9OMb7TZ31iBWQFnEowsJHwzEP0l9phfCjN9rK0nw4nDI-9AnxC88fees6Fa5ppAA3M3rO33Nd2QDjPNb64yRWfCHhsRH_nNmo4

PIPELINES

The Keystone XL pipeline is dead. Now what?
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2021/02/keystone-xl-pipeline-dead-now-what/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=Science_20210210&rid=2A83A1679DA3D00B06D379678BB5845B

Tribes, faith leaders petition Biden to end Enbridge Line 3 pipeline
https://www.ncronline.org/news/earthbeat/tribes-faith-leaders-petition-biden-end-enbridge-line-3-pipeline

Minnesota Police Want a Pipeline Company to Pay for Weapons Claimed as PPE

https://theintercept.com/2021/02/10/police-minnesota-enbridge-pipeline-ppe/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The%20Intercept%20Newsletter
"Police monitoring Enbridge Line 3 pipeline opponents submitted invoices for tear gas, batons, flash-bang grenades, and other riot gear."

Leonardo DiCaprio, Ava DuVernay and More Stars Call on Biden to Shut Down Dakota Access Pipeline

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/leonardo-dicaprio-ava-duvernay-and-more-stars-call-on-biden-to-shut-down-dakota-access-pipeline
"More than 200 celebrities, artists, climate activists and indigenous leaders have sent a letter to the current administration asking it to shut down the pipeline for good."

PLASTIC & POLLUTION

Air pollution will lead to mass migration, say experts after landmark ruling

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/15/air-pollution-will-lead-to-mass-migration-say-experts-after-landmark-ruling

GREEN NEW DEAL
It's a Myth That Presidents Welcome Movement Pressure—and Biden Is No Different
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/02/13/its-myth-presidents-welcome-movement-pressure-and-biden-no-different?cd-origin=rss&utm_term=AO&utm_campaign=Weekly%20Newsletter&utm_content=email&utm_source=Weekly%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Email
"Even when the policies these leaders promote are relatively good ones, the insider “I’ll take it from here” attitude promotes a dangerous demobilization. It reinforces the popularly accepted view of power that sees authority as resting solely in the hands of presidents, senators and CEOs. This sets up the perpetual return of a self-defeating cycle in which, between elections, activated constituencies are encouraged to become mere spectators in the political process."

Warning: some adult and offensive language.

WAKE UP CALL

500+ scientists tell EU to end tree burning for energy

https://www.wwf.eu/?uNewsID=2128466
“In recent years there has been a misguided move to cut down whole trees or to divert large portions of stem wood for bioenergy”. This is a problem because for each kilowatt hour of heat or electricity produced it “will likely add two to three times as much carbon to the air as using fossil fuels”. “Regrowing trees...may eventually pay off this carbon debt, but regrowth takes time the world does not have to solve climate change”.

Pentagon declares climate change a 'national security issue'
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/536188-pentagon-declares-climate-changes-a-national-security-issue

Water Warning: The Looming Threat of the World’s Aging Dams
https://e360.yale.edu/features/water-warning-the-looming-threat-of-the-worlds-aging-dams

Greentech Media news group to be closed by oil, gas, energy research firm Wood Mackenzie

https://energytransitionnow.com/greentech-media-news-group-to-be-closed-by-oil-gas-energy-research-firm-wood-mackenzie/

"Why is Wood Mackenzie shuttering a renewable energy news business when the world is in the midst of a high-growth energy transition? GTM’s coverage areas of wind, solar, storage and grid are critical in confronting climate change and decarbonizing energy usage."

As the oceans become more acidic, threat to sealife and industry grows, new study finds

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02/09/science/oceans-become-more-acidic-threat-sealife-industry-grows-new-study-finds/?event=event25

Corporations should stop funding climate science deniers in Congress

https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/537804-corporations-should-stop-funding-climate-science-deniers-in#.YCWHJARQsks.twitter

"The GOP, which has the distinction of being the world’s only major climate-denialist party, is wildly out of step with its base. According to a poll conducted last October by the Conservation Coalition and the Conservative Energy Network, three-quarters of Republican voters want the government to take steps to reduce carbon emissions, while 84 percent between the ages of 18 and 54 say they would like their state to become a national leader in promoting the growth of renewable energy."

THINK TANK & STRATEGY

It’s Time to Talk About Climate Reparations

https://futurehuman.medium.com/its-time-to-talk-about-climate-reparations-26a7ff5f120b

“Climate reparations” translates the understanding of climate change as a monumental injustice that needs to be addressed into law and policy."

Climate action could save 'millions of lives' through clean air, diet and exercise

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/10/climate-action-could-save-millions-of-lives-through-clean-air-diet-and-exercise

Avoiding a ‘Ghastly Future’: Hard Truths on the State of the Planet

https://e360.yale.edu/features/avoiding-a-ghastly-future-hard-truths-on-the-state-of-the-planet
"A group of the world’s top ecologists have issued a stark warning about the snowballing crisis caused by climate change, population growth, and unchecked development. Their assessment is grim, but big-picture societal changes on a global scale can still avert a disastrous future."

The Great Green Wall could save Africa. But can the massive forestry effort learn from past mistakes?

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/02/great-green-wall-could-save-africa-can-massive-forestry-effort-learn-past-mistakes

"Since the African Union first launched the Great Green Wall in 2007, the initiative has struggled to make headway. Made up of local efforts across 11 countries, it has reached just 16% of its overall goal to vegetate 150 million hectares. But last month, the project—which analysts estimate will cost at least $30 billion—got a major boost: a pledge of $14 billion in funding over the next 5 years from a coalition of international development banks and governments."

DIRECT ACTIONS
“You Guys Are Not Immune”: Modi Government Cracks Down on Independent Media Amid Farmer Protests (video)

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/2/11/india_farmworker_protests_media_crackdown_sainath?utm_source=Democracy+Now%21&utm_campaign=174ff39e5d-Daily_Digest_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fa2346a853-174ff39e5d-191276697

Nine Years After Filing a Lawsuit, Climate Scientist Michael Mann Wants a Court to Affirm the Truth of His Science

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07022021/michael-mann-defamation-lawsuit-competitive-enterprise-institute-national-review/

SUSTAINABLE LIVING

Accelerating the Transition to Electric School Buses

https://reglobal.co/accelerating-the-transition-to-electric-school-buses/
"The technology is here, and electric school buses are ready to roll, but the question remains: how do schools pay for them?"

ENDING ON A POSITIVE

Oil is dead, renewables are the future’: why I'm training to become a wind turbine technician

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/feb/09/oil-is-dead-renewables-are-the-future-why-im-training-to-became-a-wind-turbine-technician

"I’m happy I decided to work in the renewable energy sector in general and wind in particular. It’s certainly increased my awareness about the fact that we all have a role to play in making the future a sustainable one."

Call To Action! 
We urge all groups including schools, neighborhood associations, organizations, clubs and groups of any kind to adopt a Climate Declaration.  Adopt ours or write your own.  Share your Climate Declaration with local governments, the media, write articles, and share information. 
Occupy Sonoma County Climate Declaration

Occupy Sonoma County, along with concerned, forward thinking people all over the world, declares that climate change has reached catastrophic proportions as evidenced by the current level of CO2 in the atmosphere, the melting of polar ice caps, and the continual rising of global temperatures.  This is a global emergency, and we must act immediately.  We invite all forces of life to join together for our survival.  We stand up for life.

We recognize that the root of climate change is a capitalist system run by money greedy corporations and the governments that they control.  We actively oppose greenhouse gas producers, nuclear power investors, and fossil fuel companies by boycotting their products, developing alternatives, divesting from corporations that endorse them and insisting that governments at all levels take action.  We call on all governments and corporations to adopt life-sustaining practices immediately.

The people must act now to stop this destruction from continuing and reverse the damage this has caused.  The future is in our hands.  We are the 99%!

What Earth Actions are you taking?

707-877-6650
https://OccupySonomaCounty.org

https://OccupySonomaCounty.org/es

(en español)

http://facebook.com/OccupySonomaCounty

https://twitter.com/OcSoCo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmJoCP-ePUTPWNgHZwtBelg

Occupy Sonoma County embraces the egalitarian, deep democracy principles of the Occupy Movement with a regional strategy for effectively organizing countywide social justice campaigns that are globally relevant.