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Articles in: Politics
Green living, Politics, Science & Technology, May 17th, 2013,
This week we saw a classic David vs. Goliath court case in the United States. An Indiana Farmer, who planted soybean seeds he got from a grain elevator, played the role of David. The role of Goliath was played by the seed-selling corporation Monsanto, that recently came in the news when The United States passed a bill that is now known as ‘the Monsanto Protection Act’. Monsanto didn’t like it one bit that the Indiana farmer used seeds that he didn’t buy from them. So they sued him. Unfortunately for ‘David’ this is the real world and so the small…
Politics, Apr 22nd, 2013,
Today is the 43rd Earth Day and the 23rd since it became an international thing. The biggest Earth Day-related news item today is how Google made a doodle in honor of the pseudo holiday. Or is this perhaps because I used Google to search for Earth Day news and they just rank anything that has to do with them higher than anything that doesn’t? Maybe I’m being a paranoid conspiracy theorist, or maybe just a cynical guy who has seen too many Earth Days come and go (40, though I admittedly didn’t pay attention to most of them), but a…
Tags: earth day 2013, earth day google doodle
Politics, Pollution, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 16th, 2013,
Acute and far-reaching effects are still being felt some three years after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Here are some updates on the fallout from the United States’ worst ever environmental disaster: Poisoned wildlife From the Independent: Scientists believe that the 1.8 million gallons of dispersant, sprayed as part of the clean-up, have cemented the disaster’s toxic effect on ocean life and human health. The dispersant, called Corexit, caused what some scientists have described as “a giant black snowstorm” of tiny oil globules, which has been carried around…
Tags: deepwater horizon spill, gulf of mexico pollution, offshore drilling
Conservation, Politics, Pollution, Apr 12th, 2013,
Last month concerns over the Canadian controlled Skouries gold mining project on northern Greece’s Chalkidiki peninsula were brought to the World Social Forum in Tunisia. Though the Hellas Gold/Eldorado Gold Corporation mine promises to bring 5,000 jobs to the region, local opposition has been strong. Previous protests have included the trashing of portacabins and equipment plus several local demonstrations as well as large shows of support in Thessaloniki and Athens. Local residents of believe that their natural riches will be ruined in order for foreign companies and the Greek state to exact a quick profit, leaving their fishing and tourism…
Tags: gold mine greece, Skouries
Politics, Pollution, Apr 4th, 2013,
As the Deepwater Horizon trial progresses in Louisiana, with US District Judge Carl Barbier pruning down the defendants to three (Halliburton, Transocean and BP), another little-known, but related story is resurfacing. Investigative journalist Greg Palast writes on his website about an almost identical blowout on another BP oil platform in the Caspian Sea. The Caspian rig blowout occurred 17 months before the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, which resulted in the deaths of 11 crewmembers. Both rigs had the same cement plug malfunction – a nitrogen gas explosion. To prevent blow-outs, drilled wells must be capped with…
Tags: BP, Deepwater Horizon, Greg Palast, Keystone XL
Nature, Politics, Pollution, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 28th, 2013,
A provider of sanctuary to WikiLeaks founder and champion of transparency Julian Assange and staunch ally of the recently bereaved Venezuela, Ecuador has been punching above its weight of late. In terms of international relations, that is. Ecologically speaking, Ecuador is a bonafide heavyweight. According to Conservation International, it is one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries, with the highest density of biodiversity per km on Earth. The Galápagos Islands alone should cement the nation’s global environmental value, but even without them Ecuador’s natural wealth is invaluable. Half the area of the country is covered by the Amazon rainforest and…
Tags: Ecuador Amazon, oil in Ecuador
Politics, Pollution, Mar 7th, 2013,
A couple of weeks ago I posted about the ongoing battle to save a local environment and community in Chalkidiki, northern Greece from the ravages of a Canadian-owned gold mining project. This morning (Thursday) police responded violently at a demonstration against the arrest of 5 people suspected of participating in an arson attack at the Hellas Gold site in Skouries village last month. Police used tear gas against demonstrators, reportedly even firing a cannister directly into the head of a 15 year-old high school student. From ekathimerini.com: […] police spokesman Christos Manouras denied allegations police had fired tear gas in…
Tags: anti gold mine protest in Greece, Hellas Gold, police brutality greece, Skouries gold mine
Politics, Pollution, Feb 21st, 2013,
Earlier this week masked activists vandalized a mining site in northern Greece. As many as 50 people raided the Skouries gold mining project in the Chalkidiki peninsula (Halkidiki) region, burning portacabin offices and damaging equipment. The activist allegedly carried guns and doused two guards with flammable liquid, though they did not set anyone alight. From ekathermini.com: A total of 33 people were detained on Sunday, prompting residents of the nearby village of Ierissos to hold a public rally to protest what the saw as being random detentions by the police. Many locals, environmental groups and Greece’s main opposition political party…
Tags: Greek politics, Halkidiki gold mine
Conservation, Politics, Feb 18th, 2013,
Environmental activist group Sea Shepherd is once again confronting Japanese whaling efforts in the Southern Ocean. A few days ago the Japanese whaling vessel the Nisshin Maru harpooned a mink whale in what Sea Shepherd claims are Australian Antarctic waters. It was the first time the Japanese whaling fleet killed a whale in the presence of the activists since 2009. Sea Shepherd attempted to prevent the Nisshin Maru crew from hauling their catch onboard, but claim the Japanese ship lunged at the much smaller Sea Shepherd vessel, the Bob Barker, which took evasive action, enabling the the whalers to hoist…
Tags: Japanese Whaling, Nisshin Maru, paul watson, Sea Shepherd
Climate Change, Green living, Politics, Feb 14th, 2013,
As hoards are rushing out for flowers and chocolate, a perhaps smaller, more conscientious number are heeding the call to rise up, strike and… er, dance. Oh, what the hell, why not? One Billion Rising, falling on Valentine’s Day, is the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the movement to end violence against women and girls. According to the official website, One Billion Rising is: A global strike An invitation to dance A call to men and women to refuse to participate in the status quo until rape and rape culture ends An act of solidarity, demonstrating to women the commonality of…
Tags: environmental impact of Valentine's Day, One Billion Rising
Politics, Pollution, Videos & Documentaries, Jul 30th, 2012,
In response to public safety concerns and a general anti-nuclear sentiment in the wake of last year’s Fukushima power plant disaster, Japan was nuke-free for a couple of months. That ended earlier this month with the controversial restart of two nuclear power plants. On Sunday anti-nuke demonstrators were out in full force, forming a human chain around the parliament complex in Tokyo. Some witnesses expressed that they haven’t seen protests on this scale in Japan since the 1960s. From the Associated Press: Similar demonstrations have been held outside the prime minister’s residence every Friday evening. The crowds have not dwindled,…
Tags: anti-nuclear, protest, rally, Tokyo
Climate Change, Politics, Jul 24th, 2012,
In 2008 rising costs of staple foods like rice and wheat sparked riots in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean and stockpiling in other parts of the world. Some 37 countries faced food crises. High fuel prices were blamed, as was an outbreak of disease and pests affecting rice crops in Vietnam. This article convincingly blames monoculture farming and the Green Revolution for creating a ‘perfect storm’ for a global food crisis. Now a persistent drought in the United States, the world’s largest producer of corn, is driving prices of corn and soy to record levels, which can also raise the price…
Tags: corn, food crisis, globalization, prices
Health, Politics, Jul 23rd, 2012,
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is urging Venezuelans to stop buying foreign sugary sodas like Coke and Pepsi and switch to locally produced fruit juice. According to the Associated Press, Venezuela currently imports most of its food and drinks, so Chávez’s advice is at the same time economic and health-related with an obvious political element. Besides advocating the state-produced grape juice Uvita, he has also promoted Venezuelan wine. Though Chávez’s words are sure to anger some, especially Coke and Pepsi’s shareholders, every leader throughout the world should be discouraging the consumption of sugary sodas and promoting local, healthy drinks. Say what…
Tags: Chavez, Coke, juice, Pepsi, soda, sugary drinks, Venezuela
Politics, Videos & Documentaries, Jul 22nd, 2012,
Members of Colombia’s Nasa tribe are demanding that both government troops and leftist rebels leave their lands. Nasa territory has been the battle ground for a bloody offensive by the Colombian military against FARC rebels, claiming mainly civilian lives. Tribal protesters wielding wooden clubs and spears forced members of the military from their lands (the Nasa shun the use of firearms). They have also conducted trials against FARC rebels who could face banishment, flogging or being kept in stocks as punishment. From the Associated Press: The conflict claims hundreds if not thousands of lives a year, mostly civilians killed in…
Tags: Colombia, FARC, indigenous, Military, NASA
Politics, Pollution, Jul 15th, 2012,
Recent protests against a giant copper plant planned for the town of Shifang in Sichuan Province, China yielded a victory for the local people against what was seen as a ramming through of a major industrial project by the local and national governments. This was just the latest in a series of victories for local communities in China standing up against what they see as industrial projects that put economic concerns above those of the environment and human health. In recent years similar people power protests have been successful in Dalian, Shanghai and Guangzhou. What characterized the success of the…
Tags: Health, Pollution, protests, Shifang
Natural disasters, Politics, Videos & Documentaries, Jul 9th, 2012,
The latest death toll of the floods that have ravaged Russia’s southern Krasnodar region is at least 171, with over 25,000 having lost some or all of their possessions. Flash floods caused a 5 meter (16ft) wave to sweep through the town of Krymsk late Friday night leaving a path of muddy wreckage in its wake. Residents of the Krasnodar region say they were given no warning of the coming floods. Though both local and national governments claim they had no knowledge of any imminent danger, public and media opinion (both for and against the Putin regime) has been…
Tags: death, floods, Krasnodar, Krymsk, Putin
Politics, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Jun 22nd, 2012,
I posted here on Wednesday about how the Rio+20 Earth Summit in Brazil turned out to be – at least partially – a bit of a greenwash. Last week I posted over on Asia Correspondent about how Australia’s new marine park nature reserve (the largest in the world) is sparking controversy in both fishing and environmentalist circles. These stories, plus the development of a low-emissions diesel fuel in the Netherlands, are briefly covered on a France24 environment video report. Check it out below. Now for another video report on the Rio+20 Earth Summit host country’s dubious environmental practices. Brazil’s hydroelectric…
Tags: Brazil, Earth Summit, Rio+20
Climate Change, Politics, Pollution, Jun 20th, 2012,
The UN women’s group doesn’t like it. The UN children’s group doesn’t like it. Greenpeace hates it. So do Oxfam and a coalition of NGO’s known as the High Seas Alliance. I’m talking about the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, aka Rio+20, taking place 20 years after the seminal Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The agreement draft is not legally binding (it was never planned to be) and apparently has no clearly defined goals or timetables to tackle pressing issues like food security, water and energy. The leaders of many major countries are of course heralding its…
Tags: Rio+20, summit, UN
Politics, Pollution, Jun 18th, 2012,
In the ‘Great White North’ money and jobs are worth the price of regular oil spills, fires and pollution. At least that seems to be the opinion of the Canadian government, the Alberta government, the fossil fuel industry and others, including many who work for the oil business. Otherwise plans for mega pipelines to the US and Pacific coast might be deterred by the many oil leaks like the one that recently occurred in a tributary of the Red Deer River, resulting in the closure of Gleniffer Lake, a reservoir and recreation center northwest of Calgary. The spill is estimated…
Tags: Alberta, oil spill, pipeline
Conservation, Politics, Jun 13th, 2012,
Fisheries ministers from around the European Union have agreed to ban the practice of throwing unprofitable, but edible, catches back in the sea. This extremely wasteful custom has been legal in Europe for the past 40, threatening fish stocks and the survival of some species. Delays and exceptions in implementing the ban are viewed by experts as extremely dangerous, perhaps a case of too little too late for some of the EU’s fish stocks. Currently, European fishermen can reach their quota for a certain species, but continue fishing for others, as long as they don’t bring more than their quota…
Tags: discards, EU, Europe, fisheries
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