EARTH ACTION IN THE NEWS - June 27, 2019

[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.
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BREAKTHROUGH!

UK citizens’ assembly on climate emergency announced

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/20/uk-citizens-assembly-on-climate-emergency-announced

Slovakia Welcomes Its First Female President — And She’s an Environmental Activist

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/first-female-president-slovakia-caputova/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=global&utm_campaign=general-content&linkId=69299809

It’s time we took a seat ‘at your table’: Guterres calls on world youth to keep leading climate emergency response

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/06/1041111

UN News: "Older generations have “failed to respond properly” to the climate emergency said the UN chief on Sunday, while the young are “stepping up to the challenge” and taking the lead to slow the destructive pace of global warming. "

General Electric to scrap California power plant 20 years early

https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN1TM2MV?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&__twitter_impression=true

GMOs, GLYPHOSATE & TOXINS

How banning dangerous chemicals could save the US billions

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/25/banning-dangerous-chemicals-could-save-the-us-billions-iq?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco

Study Finds Synergism between Neonicotinoids and Parasites Leads to 70% Declines in Honey Bee Survival

https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2019/06/study-finds-synergism-between-neonicotinoids-and-parasites-leads-to-70-declines-in-honey-bee-survival/

Restaurants could be 1st to get genetically modified salmon

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7166015/Restaurants-1st-genetically-modified-salmon.html

FOSSIL FUELS

How Mobil pushed its oil agenda through 'charitable giving'

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jun/12/mobil-foundation-donations-oil-company

PIPELINES

Trans Mountain: Canada approves $5.5bn oil pipeline project

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48641293

POLLUTION

New California Bill Could Revolutionize How the U.S. Tackles Plastic Pollution

https://therevelator.org/california-plastic-legislation/#disqus_thread

National academies call for immediate action on air pollution
https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/national-academies-call-immediate-action-air-pollution

GREEN NEW DEAL

It’s not the Green New Deal: It’s the Red Deal… and it’s in NM

https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2019/06/24/its-not-the-green-new-deal-its-the-red-deal-and-its-in-nm/

"Antonio, 25, has seen the impacts in her home Torreon, a small Navajo community surrounded by oil and gas development in northwest New Mexico... Antonio is a lead organizer with the coalition the Red Nation, whose mission calls for “the liberation of Native peoples from capitalism and colonialism” and to “center Native political agendas and struggles through direct action, advocacy, mobilization, and education.” The group is calling for a Red Deal, a new movement with a broad platform that includes treaty rights, land restoration, restoration of watersheds and waterways, and a moratorium on oil and gas extraction."

WAKE UP CALL

Chennai water crisis: City's reservoirs run dry

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-48672330

The sixth largest city in India is out of water!

We Have Five Years To Save Ourselves From Climate Change, Harvard Scientist Says
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2018/01/15/carbon-pollution-has-shoved-the-climate-backward-at-least-12-million-years-harvard-scientist-says/#48ab09a4963e

From those radical hippies at Forbes magazine.

‘Climate apartheid’: UN expert says human rights may not survive

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/25/climate-apartheid-united-nations-expert-says-human-rights-may-not-survive-crisis?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco

Four countries have declared climate emergencies, yet give billions to fossil fuels

https://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/06/24/four-countries-declared-climate-emergencies-give-billions-fossil-fuels/

Survival of natural world is in balance, says wildlife chief

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/24/survival-of-natural-world-is-in-balance-says-wildlife-chief?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco

There are diseases hidden in ice, and they are waking up

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170504-there-are-diseases-hidden-in-ice-and-they-are-waking-up?ocid=ww.social.link.twitter

Longest Oil Spill in U.S. History May Be 900 Times Larger Than Originally Estimated
https://earther.gizmodo.com/longest-oil-spill-in-u-s-history-may-be-900-times-larg-1835847992?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=earther_twitter&utm_campaign=top

Warning: contains some adult language

A Potentially Record Setting Heat Wave Is About to Scorch Europe

https://earther.gizmodo.com/a-potentially-record-setting-heat-wave-is-about-to-scor-1835809809

Rising Temperatures Ravage the Himalayas, Rapidly Shrinking Its Glaciers

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/climate/global-warming-himalayas-glaciers.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

THINK TANK & STRATEGY

Geoengineer the Planet? More Scientists Now Say It Must Be an Option

https://e360.yale.edu/features/geoengineer-the-planet-more-scientists-now-say-it-must-be-an-option

While 'you can't solve a problem with the same thinking that created it' there might be some interesting ideas in here. One thing in this article is definitely true: we are facing a global emergency that calls for drastic action within the next 10 years. But why not do the right thing starting immediately and harmonize with Mother Nature? These scientific solutions might be another way to kick the can down the road again. What do you think?

The new left economics: how a network of thinkers is transforming capitalism

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/jun/25/the-new-left-economics-how-a-network-of-thinkers-is-transforming-capitalism

Vancouver could join other B.C. municipalities asking energy sector to cover climate change costs

https://globalnews.ca/news/5423386/vancouver-climate-change-letters/

For My Future College, Fossil Fuel Divestment Is a Must-Have So the Climate Crisis Doesn't Make My Education Useless

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/college-fossil-fuel-divestment-climate-crisis-make-education-useless-op-ed

Tips from climate activists on how to change the world
https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/44962/1/climate-change-activism-united-nations-global-goals-togetherbands

Don't miss this one!

DIRECT ACTIONS

Crisis talks to be held in bid to end 'dangerous' rig stand-off between Greenpeace and BP

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/1776959/bp-greenpeace/

Climate protesters storm Garzweiler coalmine in Germany
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48734321?ocid=socialflow_twitter

"Germany has vowed to go carbon neutral by 2050 but activists say this is not soon enough."

Hundreds Rally at PA Capitol for Passage of Bipartisan, 100% Renewable Energy Legislation

https://mychesco.com/a/news/pennsylvania/hundreds-rally-at-pa-capitol-for-passage-of-bipartisan-100-renewable-energy-legislation/

SUSTAINABLE LIVING

A 100% renewable grid isn’t just feasible, it’s in the works in Europe

https://thinkprogress.org/europe-will-be-90-renewable-powered-in-two-decades-experts-say-8db3e7190bb7/

ENDING ON A POSITIVE

Minnesota will pay homeowners to make their lawns bee-friendly

https://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/minnesota-will-pay-homeowners-make-their-lawns-bee-friendly

How one man repopulated a rare butterfly species in his backyard

https://www.vox.com/2016/7/6/12098122/california-pipevine-swallowtail-butterfly-population

Take Action - Get Involved!

June 1-30
A Prize If You Took The May Meat Challenge
We have a prize from our co-sponsor at Community Market for everyone who participated.  Please fill out our survey to give us your feedback and claim your prize.  Thank you for participating in the May Meat Challenge to reduce greenhouse gas and the impact of animal agriculture on climate change.
Click this link to fill out the survey and claim your prize: http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SSPJKM2
http://OccupySonomaCounty.org/MayMeatChallenge

 

Saturday, June 29 (the last Saturday every month)
Community Seed Exchange
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 500 Robinson Rd., Sebastopol
9-10:30 Optional Work Party
11-12 Free Workshop

9-12:30 Seed Library
For more info: communitys...@gmail.com

 

July 1-31
Plastic Free July
OSC will be participating in this annual global campaign.  Please join millions of people worldwide and add your number to the count by signing up now at http://PlasticFreeJuly.org. 

 

Thursday, July 11, 6:00-7:30 PM, Free

Demystifying Electric Vehicles - All You Need to Know to Go EV!

Lucchesi Community Center: 320 N. McDowell Blvd. Petaluma

For more info go to https://dailyacts.org/events-1/?eid=11750 or call Daily Acts at (707) 789-9664

 

Monday, July 15, 7-9 PM
Occupy Sonoma County Earth Action Campaign Meeting
We will be discussing our plans for Plastic Free July - and other stuff.
Peace & Justice Center, 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa
For more information go to http://OccupySonomaCounty.org or call 707-877-6650 (website contact preferred)

 

Monday, July 22, 7-9 PM

Occupy Sonoma County Presents

Fight Climate Change with Zero Waste Strategies
Presented by Portia Sinnott, Zero Waste Action - Sonoma County & Zero Waste USA

Peace & Justice Center, 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa

For more information go to http://OccupySonomaCounty.org or call 707-877-6650 (website contact preferred)

Monday, July 29, 7-9 PM
Sonoma County Climate Activist Network (SoCoCAN!)
Peace & Justice Center, 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa 95401
Please submit campaign proposals in writing: SonomaC...@gmail.com or to the SoCoCAN listserv (preferred)
Facilitator for this meeting: June
Notetaker: Eve

Wednesday, July 31 8 AM - 5 PM

North Bay Zero Waste Symposium

Presentations on how to achieve waste diversion goals, the inner workings of the resource recovery industry, and more
Keynote speakers: Recology CEO Mike Sangiacomo and international zero waste lifestyle extraordinaire Bea Johnson
SOMO Village Events Center, Rohnert Park

Space is limited, register here: https://zerowastenorthbay.org/

Friday, September 20

Global Climate Strike
https://globalclimatestrike.net/

Volunteer

• OSC is putting on teach-ins on July 22 (zero waste), September 23 & 30 (democracy) and in November (effective organizing).  Please adopt the bulletin boards where you already shop.  Download flyers from our website or pick them up at the Peace & Justice Center Monday-Friday 1-4 PM.  Please let us know what bulletin boards you can cover.  Thank you.
• If you are an experienced builder who can help us build raised bed garden boxes please contact us.  We also need help delivering them if you have a truck.  This could be an occasional or ongoing project.

• Help is needed with editing our teach-in videos.  Even just one hour of help would be useful.

• We need an email list of bars and restaurants in Sonoma County for several of our educational campaigns, including one we are planning for Plastic Free July.

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
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.