EARTH ACTION IN THE NEWS - July 26, 2018
Emerald
EARTH ACTION IN THE NEWS
Welcome
to the people who have joined recently. This is a simple weekly
newsletter. Your participation is encouraged. Please share
information and actions about climate change, climate justice, GMOs, toxic
chemicals, and Earth-related topics.
If you wish to reduce email volume switch your membership to the digest or abridged version.
Please refrain from posting
petitions or donation requests without OSC approval. Thank you for
joining us.
Go to our Facebook and Twitter pages to share these articles
already posted there.
If you are uncomfortable clicking on links in an email you can cut and paste
the link into your browser.
1)
Most Popular Energy Source? Everyone Loves Solar
https://www.ecowatch.com/most-popular-energy-source-everyone-loves-solar-2588422381.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=8a05cad47b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-8a05cad47b-86095421
Union of Concerned Scientists: "9
out of 10 adults in this country agree that more solar farms would be a good
thing. And 8.5 out of 10 feel the same way about wind farms."
2) Tell Whole Foods to Label for GMO Ingredients in Products, as It Had Planned
https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2018/07/tell-whole-foods-label-gmo-ingredients-products-planned/
Beyond Pesticides: "Whole Foods
Quietly Put Its Comprehensive GMO Labeling Policy on Hold. As USDA’s proposal
to use smiley face labels for genetically engineered (GE) foods or genetically
engineered organisms (GMOs) nears implementation, it is more essential than
ever that retailers step up to identify genetically engineered foods in their
stores."
3) Japan's Record-Breaking Heatwave Declared Natural Disaster, 80 Dead
https://www.ecowatch.com/japans-heatwave-declared-natural-disaster-2589581607.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=15d614f6ab-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-15d614f6ab-86095421
AND
Typhoons, Floods, Heat Waves Batter Asia
https://www.ecowatch.com/asia-extreme-weather-2589192001.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=8a05cad47b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-8a05cad47b-86095421
AND
‘Powerful Evidence’ of Global Warming’s Effect on Seasons Found in Troposphere
https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-troposphere-seasons-2588396309.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=8a05cad47b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-8a05cad47b-86095421
Carbon Brief: "The new study is the
first to assess how climate change could be influencing seasonal temperature
changes in the troposphere—a layer that covers roughly the first 17 kilometers
(approximately 10.6 miles) of the atmosphere above the earth."
4) Green
Groups Worry New Coal Ash Rule Could Harm Human Health
https://www.ecowatch.com/new-coal-ash-rule-2589214229.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=8a05cad47b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-8a05cad47b-86095421
5) Protect Workers From Extreme Heat,
Advocates Urge OSHA
https://www.ecowatch.com/extreme-heat-osha-workers-rights-2587897320.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=250e01a0a8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-250e01a0a8-86095421
Climate
Nexus: "More than 130 groups led by Farmworker Justice, United Farm
Workers and Public Citizen signed a petition sent to OSHA noting that two in
every 1,000 American workers are now subject to heat stress, and calling on the
agency to mandate that employers provide adequate hydration and shade, medical
attention and rest breaks during high heat events."
6) How Coca-Cola and Climate Change
Created a Public Health Crisis in a Mexican Town
https://www.ecowatch.com/coca-cola-water-mexico-2587884496.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=250e01a0a8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-250e01a0a8-86095421
"A
lack of drinking water and a surplus of Coca-Cola are causing a public health
crisis in the Mexican town of San Cristóbal de las Casas, The New York Times
reported Saturday. Some neighborhoods in the town only get running water a few
times a week, so residents turn to soda, drinking more than half a gallon a day
on average."
7) More Than a Third of Schools Tested
Have ‘Elevated Levels’ of Lead in Drinking Water
https://www.ecowatch.com/lead-testing-of-school-drinking-water-2587872426.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=250e01a0a8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-250e01a0a8-86095421
Environmental
Working Group: "In the richest country on Earth, none of our children
should be attending schools where the drinking water is contaminated with a
heavy metal that causes brain damage."
8) Denver to Go 100 Percent Renewable by 2030
https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy-denver-2588164913.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=13ac5fa8d0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-13ac5fa8d0-86095421
"Denver
became the 73rd city in the U.S. to commit to 100 percent renewable energy when
Mayor Michael Hancock announced the goal in his State of the City speech
Monday, The Denver Post reported. "
9) Air Pollution in National Parks as Bad as 20 Largest U.S. Cities
https://www.ecowatch.com/air-pollution-national-parks-2588091971.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=13ac5fa8d0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-13ac5fa8d0-86095421
"Of
the parks studied, the air at Sequoia National Park is among the worst for
national parks because it is downwind of pollution sources like farms, highways
and urban pollution from as far away as San Francisco, CNN reported... On the
other side of the country, Acadia National Park has some of the highest air
pollution levels in the Northeast as polluted air from cities south and west
gets stuck between the park's mountains. Another park that struggles with
unsafe air was Joshua Tree National Park."
10) You Need to Be Paying Attention to GMO Grass
https://www.ecowatch.com/gmo-grass-2587855044.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=e89a427b37-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-e89a427b37-86095421
Modern
Farmer: "Scotts Miracle-Gro, one of the biggest companies in lawn care,
developed a strain of creeping bentgrass that is genetically modified to be
resistant to Roundup, a popular pesticide sold by the same company."
11) Fossil Fuel Industry Outspent Environmentalists and Renewables by 10:1 on
Climate Lobbying, New Study Finds
https://www.ecowatch.com/fossil-fuel-lobbying-2588126755.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=e89a427b37-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-e89a427b37-86095421
DeSmogBlog:
"In a study published Wednesday in the journal Climatic Change, Drexel
University sociologist Robert Brulle shows that between 2000 and 2016,
lobbyists spent more than $2 billion trying to influence climate legislation in
the U.S. Congress."
12) The Big Apple Loses to Big Oil as Judge Dismisses Climate Liability Suit
https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-liability-lawsuit-new-york-2588447153.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=e89a427b37-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-e89a427b37-86095421
"A
federal judge ruled on Thursday in favor of a motion by five big oil companies
to dismiss a lawsuit brought against them by New York City, which demanded they
pay the costs of adapting the city's infrastructure to climate change, The New
York Times reported."
13) As Heat Wave Sweeps the Globe, New Study Warns of Deadly Link Between
Rising Temps and Suicide (video)
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/7/25/as_heat_wave_sweeps_the_globe?utm_source=Democracy+Now%21&utm_campaign=025768cb0f-Daily_Digest_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fa2346a853-025768cb0f-191276697
AND
Higher Temperatures Linked to Increase in Suicides https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-suicides-mental-health-2589509041.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=15d614f6ab-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-15d614f6ab-86095421
14) UN Pact Acknowledges Climate
Migration for the First Time
https://www.ecowatch.com/un-compact-on-migration-2589285335.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=040d434786-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-040d434786-86095421
"Weather
disasters displaced an average of 26.4 million people a year between 2008 and
2015, according the UN. And in March the World Bank warned that more than 140
million people in Africa, South Asia and Latin America could be forced to
migrate due to climate change unless the world acts quickly to lower emissions,
according to Reuters."
15) 'Giant Wind-and-Wave-Powered Pac
Man' to Gobble Up Great Pacific Garbage Patch
https://www.ecowatch.com/ocean-cleanup-pacific-garbage-patch-2589549124.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=15d614f6ab-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-15d614f6ab-86095421
AND
Shocking Wave of Plastics Washes Ashore in Dominican Republic
https://www.ecowatch.com/plastic-waste-dominican-republic-ocean-2589240813.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=040d434786-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-040d434786-86095421
"The
footage was captured by the environmental nonprofit Parley for the Oceans,
which described the plastic flow as a "dense garbage carpet." ...Parley said it
is working with the local navy, the army, public workers and the Santo Domingo
government to clear the plastic tide. More than 500 public workers were recruited
for the operation. After three days of work, the teams collected 30 tons of
plastic, the group said."
16) Man Dying of Cancer Testifies in
Landmark Case Against Monsanto
https://www.ecowatch.com/monsanto-roundup-cancer-lawsuit-2589521100.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=15d614f6ab-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-15d614f6ab-86095421
"Dewayne
Johnson v. Monsanto Company is considered a "bellwether" case. If
Johnson is successful, it could open the door for roughly 4,000 other similar
lawsuits against Monsanto. Conversely, if he loses, it could discourage the
other cases."
17) Wildfire Closes Yosemite Valley for
First Time in More Than a Decade
https://www.ecowatch.com/wildfire-closes-yosemite-valley-2589788781.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=15d614f6ab-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-15d614f6ab-86095421
AND
Wildfires Erupt in Greece, Killing Scores and Injuring More Than 100
https://www.ecowatch.com/wildfires-erupt-in-greece-2589562645.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=15d614f6ab-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-15d614f6ab-86095421
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%!
Take Action - Get Involved!
July 1-31
Occupy Sonoma County is participating in Plastic Free July
Even if you are already doing all you can to reduce your plastic consumption please sign up at http://PlasticFreeJuly.org
to be counted in this international campaign. We are hoping to get 2 million participants signed up this year.
Go to our website
to join our campaign. Write letters to sympathetic companies to
discuss their role in reducing plastic. What more can you do about this
problem?
Monday, July 30
Sonoma County Climate Activist Network (SoCoCAN!), 7-9 PM
Peace and Justice Center, 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa
Climate activist groups and individuals working together to address and reverse
climate change. We meet on months with a 5th Monday. 2018 Next Meetings: July
30, Oct. 29.
Please submit campaign proposals in
advance to the SoCoCAN listserv.
For more info: (707) 595-0320 or SonomaC...@gmail.com
(email preferred). Join us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SonomaCountyCAN/.
Saturday, August 11, 1-5 PM
Sonoma Solidarity with Standing Rock Meeting
Peace & Justice Center - 467 Sebastopol Ave.,
Santa Rosa
For more info: www.facebook.com/SonomaNoDAPL/,
Email sonoma.solidarity@gmail.com
Monday, August 20, 7-9 PM
Attend our next Earth Action Campaign
meeting
Peace & Justice Center, 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa
This campaign meets monthly on the 3rd Mondays. Meet in person or call
in from home.
For more information go to http://OccupySonomaCounty.org
or call 707-877-6650.
Wednesday, August 23, 7pm
350 Sonoma
For more info go to Facebook350 Sonoma or
webpage 350sonoma.org. Email 350Sono...@gmail.com
December 6, 5-8 PM
Holiday Networking Party & Awards for Leadership in Post-fire Ecosystem Regeneration
Sebastopol
Grange
Sonoma County Conservation Council: sc...@sonic.net
Volunteer Opportunities
• We need a list of Mexican restaurants and taquerias for a mailing about GMOs in corn products.
What Earth Actions are you taking?
707-877-6650
http://OccupySonomaCounty.org
http://OccupySonomaCounty.org/es (en español)
http://www.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.