More than 200 people demonstrated in January 2017 against the appointment of former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state. Eman Mohammed / 350.org
By Jessica Corbett
New York state prosecutors last week accused ExxonMobil of trying to discourage witnesses from testifying against the company in a climate fraud case, leading the head of the environmental group 350.org to declare Thursday that "we won't be intimidated."
<p>In a statement, May Boeve, the avocacy group's executive director, also charged that "Exxon is polluting these proceedings just like it has polluted our communities."</p><p>Last October, following a three-year probe and amid growing demands that the dirty energy industry be held accountable for the impacts of its products, then-New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/24/wow-wow-wow-huge-news-new-york-sues-exxonmobil-defrauding-investors-hiding-climate" target="_blank">sued</a> ExxonMobil for defrauding investors about the financial threat of efforts to combat the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate</a> emergency.<br></p><p>Boeve's statement came in response to allegations from the current state attorney general's office Friday that the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> giant is attempting to intimidate third-party witnesses by demanding they disclose all contact they have had with various experts and environmental groups, including 350.org.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">ExxonMobil is after us again. <a href="https://twitter.com/NewYorkStateAG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NewYorkStateAG</a> is currently suing them for fraud.<br><br>Now, ExxonMobil is attempting to intimidate witnesses from testifying by making them disclose all contact they’ve had with 350. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/exxonknew?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#exxonknew</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MakeThemPay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MakeThemPay</a><a href="https://t.co/Artfvfev8z">https://t.co/Artfvfev8z</a></p>— 350 dot org (@350) <a href="https://twitter.com/350/status/1159477723909230593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>InsideClimate News<em> </em>— which exposed ExxonMobil's decades of climate deception with a damning investigative series in 2015 — <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06082019/exxon-climate-fraud-investigation-witness-pressure-investors-new-york-attorney-general?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social" target="_blank">reported</a> on the allegations Tuesday:</p><blockquote>New <a href="https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=weCXFZGO0IpZFl9K7eGbPw==&system=prod" target="_blank">court filings</a> reveal that Exxon sent letters to a group of investment advisers and shareholder activists who prosecutors want to put on the stand, informing them they will be subject to subpoenas from the company seeking documents relevant to the case if they choose to testify.<br>Because of their roles investing in and engaging with Exxon over climate change, these witnesses' testimony could prove critical to the state's case.<br>With opening statements scheduled to begin Oct. 23, a lawyer in New York Attorney General Letitia James's office <a href="https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=weCXFZGO0IpZFl9K7eGbPw==&system=prod" target="_blank">wrote</a> that the request would "impose disproportionate burdens on these witnesses in a transparent attempt to discourage them from testifying voluntarily, and threatening to upend the trial schedule."<br>The attorney general's office has asked Justice Barry Ostrager of New York Supreme Court to order Exxon to halt its requests for documents.<br></blockquote><p>Aaron Caplan, a law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and expert in legal ethics, told the outlet that Exxon's letter "tiptoes right up to the line of impropriety ... And whether it crosses that line is up to interpretation."</p><p>Climate Liability News, which also <a href="https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2019/08/06/exxon-climate-fraud-new-york-attorney-general/" target="_blank">reported</a> on the filings from James's office Tuesday, spoke to one expert who characterized Exxon's move as part of a broader legal strategy.</p><blockquote>Yale law professor Douglas A. Kysar, who is not involved in the suit, said the <a href="https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=nOHJZgKfTFEYoTuekGjozg==&system=prod" target="_blank">document request</a> feeds into Exxon's narrative of an "anti-carbon conspiracy" involving liberal academics, foundations, non-governmental organizations, and plaintiffs' lawyers. The request includes "all communications concerning ExxonMobil between you and Matthew Pawa, Peter Frumhoff, Naomi Oreskes, Geoffrey Supran, the Rockefeller Family Foundation, Sharon Eubanks, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, Richard Heede, Sher Edling, LLP, 350.org, or the Union of Concerned Scientists."<br>"The third party witnesses won't necessarily take this request literally as a threat by Exxon — but they will have to consider the vast expense and inconvenience that would follow from being dragged into the 'anti-carbon conspiracy' narrative," Kysar said.<br></blockquote><p>"The line between 'normal legal maneuvering' and 'intimidation-style tactics' is a fine one that is almost always pushed by litigants in high-stakes battles like this one," added Kysar. "Still, the timing and the breadth of the document request by Exxon's lawyers raises even my cynical eyebrows."</p><p>350.org's Boeve wrote in an email to supporters Thursday that it is "clear" that "ExxonMobil executives are scared of the power of our movement and the strength of our numbers."</p><p>"This could be the greatest case of corporate fraud in history," she noted. "This lawsuit is a huge opportunity to set a precedent around the world for holding fossil fuel executives accountable and making them pay for a just transition to a 100 percent <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" rel="noopener noreferrer">renewable energy</a> economy."</p><p>In her statement, Boeve thanked James "for her vigilance in standing up for our communities" and vowed that Exxon's legal maneuvers won't deter the movement to make polluters pay for fueling the global climate emergency.</p><p>"As communities bear the costs of Exxon's lies, millions of people led by youth, frontline communities, workers, and more are mobilizing towards the September 20 climate strikes to build a world that works for all of us," said Boeve. "Together, all of us will hold accountable fossil fuel executives most responsible for the climate crisis, and make them pay for their climate destruction."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"415 PPM: We Are All Part of Exxon’s Uncharted Climate Experiment Now" via <a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EcoWatch</a>: <a href="https://t.co/UtSZk1Iu81">https://t.co/UtSZk1Iu81</a></p>— Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelEMann/status/1129036771772252160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/08/we-wont-be-intimidated-declare-campaigners-after-exxonmobil-accused-pressuring" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>
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Calls for Radical Climate Action Grow Louder as NOAA Reports Last Month Was Hottest June Ever Recorded
19 July 2019
Climate
U.S. government scientists concluded in a new report that last month was the hottest June on record. Angelo Juan Ramos / Flickr
By Jessica Corbett
As meteorologists warned Thursday that temperatures above 100°F are expected to impact two-thirds of the country this weekend, U.S. government scientists revealed that last month was the hottest June ever recorded — bolstering calls for radical global action on the climate emergency.
<p>The revelation came in a new monthly climate <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201906" target="_blank">report</a> from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Scientists at the agency's National Centers for Environmental Information <a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-201906" target="_blank">found</a> that "the global land and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans">ocean</a> surface temperature departure from average for June 2019 was the highest for the month of June in the 140-year NOAA global temperature dataset record, which dates back to 1880."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JUST IN: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/June?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#June</a> 2019 was the warmest June on record for globe, says <a href="https://twitter.com/NOAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NOAA</a> National Centers for Environmental Information. Record dates to 1880. <a href="https://t.co/sEG5ZD9SnI">https://t.co/sEG5ZD9SnI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NOAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NOAA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StateOfClimate?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StateOfClimate</a> <a href="https://t.co/UI0NYQb4Qs">pic.twitter.com/UI0NYQb4Qs</a></p>— NOAA NCEI Climate (@NOAANCEIclimate) <a href="https://twitter.com/NOAANCEIclimate/status/1151869592786153472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>Meteorologist Jeff Masters, co-founder of Weather Underground, <a href="https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/June-2019-Earths-Hottest-June-Record" target="_blank">explained</a> that "the global heat in June is especially impressive and significant given that only a weak (and weakening) El Niño event was in place. As human-produced greenhouse gases continue to heat up our planet, most global heat records are set during El Niño periods, because the warm waters that spread upward and eastward across the surface of the tropical Pacific during El Niño transfer heat from the ocean to the atmosphere."</p><p>According to NOAA, "Regionally, South America, Europe, Africa, the Hawaiian region, and the Gulf of Mexico had their warmest June in the 110-year record." Central and Eastern Europe, North-Central Russia, northeastern Canada and southern parts of South America endured the most notable departures from average June temperatures.</p><p>And, as Masters noted, that high heat came with consequences:</p><blockquote>Three billion-dollar weather-related disasters hit the Earth last month, according to the June 2019 Catastrophe Report from insurance broker <a href="http://catastropheinsight.aonbenfield.com/Pages/Home.aspx" target="_blank">Aon</a>: a severe weather outbreak in Europe ($1.1 billion), flooding in China ($9+ billion, including losses up until July 16), and a drought in India ($1.75 billion). In addition, severe weather outbreaks in the U.S. in late May and mid-March accumulated more than $1 billion in losses by the end of June, bringing the 2019 tally of billion-dollar weather disasters to 14.</blockquote><p>Five of the disasters documented by Aon were in the United States. NOAA, in the climate anomalies and events section of its report, noted that higher than average rainfall across the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys and East Coast contributed to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/06/04/extreme-flooding-across-midwest-exactly-line-scientific-warnings-climate-crisis" target="_blank">destructive flooding</a> in those areas. Experts warn that as human behaviors continue to warm the planet, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/07/07/staggering-un-warning-climate-crisis-disasters-now-occur-weekly-provokes-calls" target="_blank">extreme weather events</a> will become more intense and common.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Read a summary of global climate conditions and events in June 2019: <a href="https://t.co/bDQR49npk1">https://t.co/bDQR49npk1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StateOfClimate?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StateOfClimate</a> <a href="https://t.co/rLhMbxBgyW">pic.twitter.com/rLhMbxBgyW</a></p>— NOAA NCEI Climate (@NOAANCEIclimate) <a href="https://twitter.com/NOAANCEIclimate/status/1151898693521563648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>NOAA scientists found that January through June tied with 2017 for the second-highest average temperature ever recorded in that six-month period over the past 140 years. Though 2016 still remains the hottest first six months of the year on record, last month beat 2016's June temperature average by 0.04°F, with an average global temperature 1.71°F above the 20th century average.</p><p>Jonathan Erdman, a senior meteorologist at The Weather Channel, <a href="https://weather.com/news/climate/news/2019-07-18-june-2019-earths-warmest" target="_blank">wrote</a> Thursday that although the increases may seem small, "ultimately, what's most important is not whether a given month is a fraction of a degree warmer or colder; rather, it's the overall trend, which continues its <a href="https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs_v4/graph_data/Global_Mean_Estimates_based_on_Land_and_Ocean_Data/graph.png" target="_blank">upward climb since the late 1970s</a>."</p><p>In response to NOAA's report, climate scientist Phil Duffy, president and executive director of Woods Hole Research Center, <a href="https://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL2N24I1FQ" target="_blank">told</a> Reuters that "action is urgently needed at the world, federal, state, and local levels to rapidly cut fossil fuel pollution and to protect and rebuild naturally stored carbon."</p><p>The NOAA report, as Erdman noted, echoes conclusions about June temperatures by researchers at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the Japan Meteorological Agency and Europe's <a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/surface-air-temperature-june-2019" target="_blank">Copernicus Climate Change Service</a> (C3S).</p><p>Reacting to the C3S report earlier this month, the environmental advocacy group 350.org <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/07/03/after-data-shows-last-month-was-hottest-june-record-sanders-says-maybe-now-time" target="_blank">declared</a>, "We need to act like this is the climate emergency it is."</p><p>The findings about June come on the heels of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/07/16/hotter-future-thats-hard-imagine-super-charged-climate-crisis-new-study-warns-killer" target="_blank">new research</a> from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) that shows without urgent global action to curb planet-heating human activities, "the number of days per year when the heat index — or 'feels like' temperature — exceeds 100°F would more than double from historical levels to an average of 36 across the country by midcentury and increase four-fold to an average of 54 by late century."</p><p>The USC report warned that the global community must pursue ambitious climate action "if we wish to spare people in the United States and around the world the mortal dangers of extreme and relentless heat."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Only one in eight of the world's most-polluting companies are on track to meet their <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/climate?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#climate</a> goals <a href="https://t.co/cvOXW2aMxI">https://t.co/cvOXW2aMxI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DeSmogBlog?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeSmogBlog</a></p>— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/1150510438335037441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/07/18/noaas-finding-last-month-was-hottest-june-ever-recorded-bolsters-calls-radical?cd-origin=rss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- We Just Experienced 400 Straight Months of Unusual Warmth ... ›
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One of the demonstrators at the Women's March in 2019 held a sign that read "Green New Deal" while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed the crowd in Manhattan, NYC on Jan. 19. Ira L. Black / Corbis News / Getty Images
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced on Thursday their highly anticipated joint resolutions on a Green New Deal.
The sweeping 10-year plan aims to "mobilize every aspect of American society ... to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and create economic prosperity for all," according to the resolution's FAQs section from Ocasio-Cortez's office posted by NPR.
<p>
The star freshman Congresswoman acknowledged that the ideas outlined in the non-binding resolution—such as providing "unprecedented levels of prosperity and economic security" for all citizens and "meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean,
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy" target="_self">renewable</a>, and zero-emission energy sources"—are incredibly grand but absolutely necessary.</p><p>As Ocasio-Cortez said on
<a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/692067268/npr-news-exclusive-with-rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-on-her-green-new-deal" target="_blank">NPR's Morning Edition</a>:<em> </em>"Even the solutions that we have considered big and bold are nowhere near the scale of the actual problem that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires" target="_self">climate change</a> presents to us, to our country, to the world."<br></p><p>
As the resolution points out, the United States has "historically been responsible for a disproportionate amount of greenhouse gas emissions" so it must take "a leading role" in reducing emissions through economic transformation.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="80457" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="WF98K71576683766"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1093495293063151616" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">This resolution outlines a plan to launch a WWII scale transformation of our economy, including a just transition f… https://t.co/CaT6lBz2ZU</div> — Sunrise Movement 🌅 (@Sunrise Movement 🌅)<a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/statuses/1093495293063151616">1549544568.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The overreaching goal of the Green New Deal is to entirely transition away from
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/nuclear" target="_self">nuclear energy</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a>. To do so, the proposal calls for a wide-ranging mobilization of the U.S. economy and creating jobs through infrastructure and industrial projects, such as zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing; installing smart grids; updating or creating buildings that are energy efficient; expanding clean energy jobs (like solar, wind turbine, battery and storage manufacturing); cleaning existing hazardous waste sites; and restoration of damaged and threatened ecosystems.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTE2MTkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0OTU0MzAwNX0.w2_iwySIkfONCDbEcx0Flbd8WjthdOYK3H7K5X_r06w/img.jpg?width=980" id="3c5ef" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1ba01e8a0b32cce1dd3a381f0087a4ed" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">The Green New Deal calls for a complete transition to clean, zero-emission and renewable energy sources by 2030. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."><a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/agriculture-alternative-alternative-energy-blade-414886/" target="_blank">Pexels</a></small></p><p>Along the same lines, the Green New Deal includes a significant social justice component because it aims to create millions of family-supporting and union jobs and will help protect disadvantaged communities on the frontlines of pollution and climate change.<br></p><p>
"This is really about providing justice for communities and just transitions for communities," Ocasio-Cortez explained on Morning Edition. "So really the heart of the Green New Deal is about social justice and it's about allowing and fighting for things like fully-funded pensions for coal miners in West Virginia, fighting for clean water in Flint, and fighting for the ability of indigenous peoples to take a leadership role in in where we're moving as a country."
<br>
</p><p>
So here's the big question—How do you pay for it? The FAQ section from Ocasio-Cortez's office puts it bluntly:
</p><blockquote>
"The same way we paid for the New Deal, the 2008 bank bailout and extended quantitative easing programs. The same way we paid for World War II and all our current wars. The Federal Reserve can extend credit to power these projects and investments and new public banks can be created to extend credit. There is also space for the government to take an equity stake in projects to get a return on investment. At the end of the day, this is an investment in our economy that should grow our wealth as a nation, so the question isn't how will we pay for it, but what will we do with our new shared prosperity."
</blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="0efca" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="UPI2VS1576683766"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1093517175699243008" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">It's amazing to hear @AOC explain and fight for how we're going to pay for the Green New Deal, when asked about mas… https://t.co/5S3C2KChZA</div> — Waleed Shahid (@Waleed Shahid)<a href="https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/statuses/1093517175699243008">1549549785.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>The sweeping progressive proposal, of course, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republicans-green-new-deal_us_5c5b37aee4b09293b20af474?aqu" target="_blank">has its naysayers</a>. As <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/02/07/691997301/rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-releases-green-new-deal-outline?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social" target="_blank">NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reported</a>:</p><blockquote>Among Republicans—even those worried about climate change—the package, with its liberal economic ideas, will also likely be a nonstarter. <br><br>"Someone's going to have to prove to me how that can be accomplished because it looks to me like for the foreseeable future we're gonna be using a substantial amount of fossil fuels," said Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., co-chair of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, speaking to NPR before the Green New Deal's text was released. </blockquote><p>As for the proposal's passage, "That looks unlikely," Kurtzleben wrote. </p><p>
But this part in Kurtzleben's report is key: "It's worth talking about because it already is a politically powerful idea among Democrats." </p><p><span></span>Nearly all of 2020 presidential candidates as well as potential contenders have already voiced support for the deal, including Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Jeff Merkeley, Julian Castro, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, Tulsi Gabbard and Jay Inslee, the FAQ noted. <br>
</p><p>
That's not to mention the 45 House Reps and 330+ groups that backed the original resolution for a select committee on the Green New Deal.
</p><p>
Momentum for the Green New Deal has been growing ever since its was popularized by Ocasio-Cortez as well as the young climate activists of the <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> who <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ocasio-cortez-pelosi-climate-change-2619674477.html">stormed then-presumed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office</a> not long after the midterm elections.
</p><p>
"In 2018, young people put the Green New Deal on the national agenda," Varshini Prakash, founder and executive director of Sunrise Movement, said in a statement received by EcoWatch. "The historic support for this resolution, especially among 2020 contenders, shows how far the movement has shifted the political conversation. The Green New Deal is now a litmus test for progressive leadership in 2019."
</p><p>
<span></span>So far, the resolution has already been cosponsored by nearly 70 members of Congress, according to the Sunrise Movement.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="62fb6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ZBBE7I1576683766"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1093514783431757824" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here's my statement on today's Green New Deal Resolution: https://t.co/s0TD90cRjd https://t.co/pemCfA8tRA</div> — Al Gore (@Al Gore)<a href="https://twitter.com/algore/statuses/1093514783431757824">1549549215.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/green-new-deal-voter-support-2623737355.html" target="_blank">Public opinion of the Green New Deal</a> is strong. A <a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/" target="_blank">Yale Program on Climate Change Communication</a> survey of 966 registered voters <a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/the-green-new-deal-has-strong-bipartisan-support/" target="_blank">showed</a> that 92 percent of Democrats supported it, 64 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of conservative Republicans also thought it was a good idea.<br></p><p>This week, more than 100,000 petition signatures were delivered to Congressional offices in more than 100 events around the country, <a href="https://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> executive director May Boeve said in a press release emailed to EcoWatch. <br></p><p>
"The Green New Deal is a critical opportunity to stand up to fossil fuel billionaires while kickstarting a just transition to renewable energy and creating millions of family-sustaining jobs," Boeve said in a statement. "With the window for action to prevent catastrophic climate change quickly closing, it's time for elected officials at all levels to support this visionary effort to secure a sustainable future."
</p>
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Trump Neglects Climate Change in State of the Union While Democrats Invite Scientists and Activists to Highlight the Threat
06 February 2019
Politics
Trump did not mention climate change while delivering the State of the Union address Tuesday night. Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call
President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday night, focusing on his signature issues like the economy and immigration and warning lawmakers that the ongoing investigation into his conduct posed a threat to national security, The New York Times reported. But there was one real major threat to the nation, and the world, that he declined to mention at all: climate change.
<p>This silence was not unexpected. As Ishaan Tharoor pointed out for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/02/06/glaring-hole-trumps-address-climate-change/?utm_term=.30aad3b7473a" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>, Trump is famously skeptical of climate science and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-tweet-global-warming-2627422039.html" target="_self">came under fire</a> in January for confusing weather and climate when he responded to a brutal cold snap by tweeting, "What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!" His failure to address the issue Tuesday night, however, still earned him criticism from environmental leaders.</p><p>"For the third year in a row, President Trump has addressed Congress and failed to mention one of the biggest threats facing us—climate change. It was another squandered opportunity to show American leadership for the clean energy future," <a href="https://www.edf.org/" target="_blank">Environmental Defense Fund</a> Senior Vice President Elizabeth Gore said in a <a href="https://www.edf.org/media/trump-squanders-opportunity-address-climate-change-state-union" target="_blank">statement</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="2ed1b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="OQSCTE1576661687"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1092993724290879488" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">For the third year in a row, President Trump addressed Congress and failed to mention one of the biggest threats fa… https://t.co/u65aJKTk8n</div> — EDF Action (@EDF Action)<a href="https://twitter.com/EDFaction/statuses/1092993724290879488">1549424985.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Gore pointed out that since the last State of the Union, the issue had only gotten more urgent. 2018 was a year of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather" target="_self">extreme weather</a> events and saw the release of two major reports on the extent of the threat posed by a changing climate: the <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/" target="_blank">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-ipcc-report-2610866229.html" target="_self">report</a> warning that we have 12 years to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and <a href="https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/" target="_blank">Volume II of the Fourth National Climate Assessment</a>, a dire warning from Trump's own government that he <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-rejects-us-climate-report-2621629346.html" target="_self">nevertheless dismissed</a>.<br></p><p>Several Democratic lawmakers chose to respond to this sense of urgency—and the president's expected silence on the issue—by inviting climate scientists and activists to join them for the speech, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2019/02/05/the-energy-202-democrats-spotlight-climate-change-with-their-state-of-the-union-guests/5c58687f1b326b66eb09860b/?utm_term=.8f219d54211f" target="_blank">The Washington Post's <em>The Energy 202</em></a> reported.</p><p>Washington Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal explained her decision to invite University of Washington professor Lisa Graumlich, who uses tree rings to study climate. </p><p>"Instead of tackling the problem head-on, President Trump is burying his head in the sand and handing out favors to his friends in the coal industry," Jayapal said, as The Washington Post reported. "In fact, it's unlikely that President Trump will mention climate change or the dire need to protect our environment in his State of the Union at all."</p><p>Her Democratic colleagues Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin and Massachusetts Senator Edward J. Markey also invited both seasoned and up-and-coming climate activists. Raskin invited <a href="https://t.co/PvZxwxYAYF" target="_blank">350.org</a> founder Bill McKibben, while Markey invited Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> that has led the push for a Green New Deal, an ambitious plan to transition the U.S. away from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a> while promoting green jobs and economic equality.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="9b32e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="POD92U1576661688"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1092540648601804800" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Thank you so much for inviting me to the State of the Union this Tuesday, @SenMarkey and for lifting up the efforts… https://t.co/JH9S7trvDn</div> — Varshini Prakash 🌅 (@Varshini Prakash 🌅)<a href="https://twitter.com/VarshPrakash/statuses/1092540648601804800">1549316963.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Markey is preparing to draft legislation for a specific Green New Deal proposal with newly elected New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.<br></p>Other environmental guests included <a href="https://www.lcv.org/" target="_blank">League of Conservation Voters</a> Executive Director Gene Karpinski, invited by New York Democratic Representative Paul Tonko and former <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/joel-clement-climate-change-2470623070.html" target="_self">Interior Department whistleblower Joel Clement</a>, invited by Maine Democratic Representative Chellie Pingree.<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="e28c9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ZM02NY1576661688"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1090599259911671808" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"These temperatures are actually caused by 'global waming,' sir." In my first @EcoWatch post today,… https://t.co/chYbMgGkKX</div> — Olivia Rosane (@Olivia Rosane)<a href="https://twitter.com/orosane/statuses/1090599259911671808">1548854100.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
From Your Site Articles
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Trending
ZeroHour Climate March in Pittsburgh. Mark Dixon / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
A sea of students are taking part in climate strikes around the world, and on March 15, young activists in the U.S. will add their voices to the escalating #FridaysForFuture movement.
Ever since 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg called for the first global climate strike last month, it has become a weekly routine for students to skip class on Fridays to march for their futures and those of future generations.
<p>
Now, kids, teens and young adults in the U.S. will take their own action with support from environmental groups such <a href="https://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a>, <a href="https://rebellion.earth/" target="_blank">Extinction Rebellion</a> and the <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a>, <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/students-are-preparing-for-the-first-major-u-s-climate-1832260725?fbclid=IwAR1j7gUbLbmp4qd2rgbaJFTVHr4kAuvD_5OuvkOzmmDV_Uf30neNIodUawQ" target="_blank">Earther</a> reported.
</p><p>
"If we're not going to have a future, then school won't matter any more," one of the organizers, 13-year-old New Yorker Alexandria Villasenor, told Earther about why American students should join the strike next month.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b1eee" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9UE1EB1576662564"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1087903286437523456" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">ANNOUNCING MY FIRST EVENT! @zerohournyc & I are organizing a massive #FridaysForFuture #SCHOOLSHUTDOWN… https://t.co/qIQlw3WNhG</div> — Alexandria Villaseñor (@Alexandria Villaseñor)<a href="https://twitter.com/AlexandriaV2005/statuses/1087903286437523456">1548211330.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Villasenor has been part of the youth-led strike for months and endured sit-in last weekend in New York City as a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/cold-weather-polar-vortex-meteorologists-2627512370.html">polar vortex</a> brought bone-chilling cold to the Big Apple.
</p><p>
"I prepared all week for this and realized <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change">climate change</a> will force us to live differently and deal with more <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather">extreme weather</a>. People are dying right now, and we need to #ActOnClimate!" she <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexandriaV2005/status/1091362643749814272" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="ce36e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="HRMTJT1576662565"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1091362643749814272" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">WEEK 8 of my @UN #ClimateStrike in the NYC polar vortex. I prepared all week for this and realized climate change w… https://t.co/IYLV5zelt5</div> — Alexandria Villaseñor (@Alexandria Villaseñor)<a href="https://twitter.com/AlexandriaV2005/statuses/1091362643749814272">1549036105.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Climate strikes have taken place in cities around Europe, Australia and elsewhere. The fourth straight rally in Brussels on Jan. 31 drew as many<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/01/31/climate-disaster-fourth-week-student-led-strike-tens-thousands-march-belgium" target="_blank"> as 35,000 student participants</a>. </p><p>The youngsters are demanding their leaders and older generations take immediate climate action.
</p><p>
Teen climate activist Jamie Margolin, the founder of <a href="http://thisiszerohour.org/" target="_blank">This is Zero Hour</a>, said on Twitter that youth across the U.S. will be taking to the streets on March 15 "to show our legislators that we need a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/green-new-deal" target="_blank">Green New Deal</a>," referring to the insurgent policy proposal to fight climate change and to move the U.S. to a sustainable future.
</p><p>
Margolin also praised strike co-leaders such as Isra Hirsi and Haven Coleman for their work in bringing the climate revolution to American shores.
</p><p>
"This <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClimateStrike?src=hash" target="_blank">#ClimateStrike</a> is being organized by amazing young women like <a href="https://twitter.com/israhirsi" target="_blank">@israhirsi</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/havenruthie" target="_blank">@havenruthie</a> + so many more! Young girls are leading the climate movement!" she wrote.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="eadd4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="DMQQID1576662565"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1092193972519284737" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Sign up to organize a @climatestrikeUS in your hometown!
This #ClimateStrike is being organized by amazing young… https://t.co/RXJZMGh75P</div> — Jamie Margolin (@Jamie Margolin)<a href="https://twitter.com/Jamie_Margolin/statuses/1092193972519284737">1549234309.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
According to Earther, strikers in Australia and Europe plan to join the U.S. contingent in solidarity, and action is also planned in Uganda and Thailand.
</p><p>
<span></span>For those of you who are interested in striking or if you'd like to lead your hometown in a strike, check out <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevR04Ye3G3OVZPyWPWdUCvF9VTK-jMdmHiRGq7Gc4-fSqHuA/viewform" target="_blank">this link</a>. <span></span>
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="4c706" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="MYR9EL1576662565"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1092447081820798980" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We have over 100 responses to our sign up form! We will be contacting everyone this coming week! Thank you for join… https://t.co/q0oT1Mp0lp</div> — US Youth Climate Strike 🌎 (@US Youth Climate Strike 🌎)<a href="https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/statuses/1092447081820798980">1549294655.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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'Victory': Supreme Court Rejects Exxon's Appeal, Time to Fork Over Climate Docs
07 January 2019
Energy
Activists representing more than 350 environmental, civic, and college student organizations in Downtown Manhattan in February 2017.
Pacific Press / Contributor / LightRocket / Getty Images
Massachusetts' Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey declared "victory" on Monday after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected ExxonMobil's attempt to derail her office's probe into whether the fossil fuel giant misled investors and the public about its knowledge of climate change.
The justices declined to hear Exxon's appeal of an April ruling by Massachusetts' highest court, Reuters reported.
<p>
The decision effectively affirmed Healy's authority to investigate Exxon and to order the company to hand over decades of internal records related to the company's understanding of global warming.
</p><p>
This victory "clears the way for our office to investigate Exxon's conduct toward consumers and investors," Healey
<a href="https://twitter.com/MassAGO/status/1082309405914353664" target="_blank">tweeted</a> after the ruling.
</p><p>
<span></span>"The public deserves answers from this company about what it knew about the impacts of burning fossil fuels, and when," she added.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="38ccd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="QCHOVG1576683776"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1082309405914353664" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today’s #SCOTUS victory clears the way for our office to investigate Exxon’s conduct toward consumers and investors… https://t.co/XMCd8EFLt9</div> — Maura Healey (@Maura Healey)<a href="https://twitter.com/MassAGO/statuses/1082309405914353664">1546877645.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Healey
<a href="https://www.mass.gov/lists/attorney-generals-office-exxon-investigation" target="_blank">first issued a civil investigative demand on Exxon</a> in April 2016 in order to seek "information regarding whether Exxon may have misled consumers and/or investors with respect to the impact of fossil fuels on climate change, and climate change-driven risks to Exxon's business."
</p><p>
The oil company repeatedly tried to block the AG's investigation in lower courts but never prevailed. Today's rejection from the nation's top court likely means that Exxon must comply with Healy's demands.
</p><p>
Environmentalists, including
<a href="https://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> U.S. communications manager Thanu Yakupitiyage, celebrated the news.
</p><p>
"This latest decision brings great momentum in the fight to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for causing the climate crisis," Yakupitiyage said in an issued statement. "We thank Attorney General Healey for her vigilant leadership in standing up for people over polluters."
</p><p>
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-york-sues-exxon-2614883066.html" target="_blank">In October</a>, New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood officially filed a <a href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/summons_and_complaint_0.pdf" target="_blank" title="">lawsuit</a> against Exxon alleging the company defrauded shareholders and downplayed the risk of climate change to its business.
</p><p>
Underwood's office said in a
<a href="https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-underwood-files-lawsuit-against-exxonmobil-defrauding-investors-regarding-financial" target="_blank">press release</a> that a years-long investigation uncovered an alleged fraudulent scheme to systematically and repeatedly deceive investors about the significant impact that future climate change regulations could have on the company's assets and value. The alleged fraud reached the highest levels of the company, including former chairman and CEO <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/rex-tillerson" target="_self">Rex Tillerson</a>.
</p><p>
<span></span>The probes from the Massachusetts and New York attorneys general were launched after groundbreaking investigations by <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/content/Exxon-The-Road-Not-Taken" target="_blank">InsideClimate News</a> and <a href="http://graphics.latimes.com/exxon-arctic/" target="_blank">The Los Angeles Times</a> in 2015, which reported that Exxon scientists and executives understood for decades that its products drive global warming.
</p><p>
"Today's decision is yet another defeat for Exxon in their fight to hide the fact that they have known for 50 years that their products cause climate change," Richard Wiles, executive director of the
<a href="http://www.igsd.org/initiatives/the-center-for-climate-integrity/" target="_blank"> Center for Climate Integrity</a>, said in an issued statement. "Deception and delay are Exxon's core climate strategies. Today the court dealt the company yet another defeat in their fight to hide the fact that they have known for 50 years that their products cause climate change."
</p><p>
<span></span>Exxon has dismissed these allegations as "meritless," <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-exxon-mobil/us-supreme-court-rejects-exxon-in-climate-change-document-fight-idUSKCN1P11ES" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="5f916" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="HODQFC1576683776"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1055185754140393478" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#BREAKING: New York Sues #Exxon For Climate Deception @newyorkstateag @sierraclub @billmckibben @desmogblog… https://t.co/WTJZ2o6aGY</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1055185754140393478">1540410862.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
From Your Site Articles
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Global Divestment Movement Celebrates Milestone: 1,000 Institutions With Nearly $8 Trillion in Assets Have Vowed to Ditch Fossil Fuels
13 December 2018
Business
The Overpass Light Brigade at Bascom Hall in Madison, Wisconsin on April 4, 2014. depthandtime / Flickr
By Jake Johnson
While the COP24 climate talks are at risk of ending without a concrete plan of action thanks in large part to the Trump administration's commitment to a dirty energy agenda, environmental groups on Thursday celebrated a major milestone in the global movement to take down the fossil fuel industry after the number of public and private institutions that have vowed to divest from oil, gas and coal companies surpassed 1,000.
<p>"When this movement started in 2012, we aimed to catalyze a truly global shift in public attitudes to the fossil fuel industry, and people's willingness to challenge the institutions that financially support it," May Boeve, executive director of <a href="https://350.org" target="_blank">350.org</a>, said in a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/12/13/landmark-fossil-fuel-divestment-reached" target="_blank">statement</a>. "While diplomats at the U.N. climate talks are having a hard time making progress, our movement has changed how society perceives the role of fossil fuel corporations and is actively keeping fossil fuels in the ground."</p><p>According to 350, the institutions that have committed to divesting from fossil fuels hold nearly $8 trillion USD in combined assets. The 1,000th institution to vow to divest was Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC), which manages France's public sector savings, pensions and investments.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2c7145ff03200fc2f7019e2e7b54afbf"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sWa-xjjUpX4?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Celebrate 1000 divestment commitments and counting!</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">
<a href="https://youtu.be/sWa-xjjUpX4" target="_blank">youtu.be</a>
</small>
</p>
<p>Coinciding with the new milestone, 350.org published a <a href="https://gofossilfree.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/1000divest-WEB-.pdf" target="_blank">new report</a> (detailing the rapid growth of the fossil fuel divestment movement over the past several years as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate</a> science has made clear the necessity of immediately and boldly slashing carbon emissions <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/08/un-experts-warn-climate-catastrophe-2040-without-rapid-and-unprecedented-global" target="_blank">to avoid global devastation</a>.<br></p><p>"Since 2012, the fossil fuels divestment campaign has grown faster than any previous divestment movement," the report notes. "From 181 institutions and $50 billion worth of assets committed to divestment at the end of 2013 to now more than 1,000 institutions with over $7.9 trillion in assets committed to divest from fossil fuels, we are slamming on the brakes of fossil fuel expansion."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="782e7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="G4N2711576661688"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1073236261241057288" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Investors worth $8 trillion are turning their backs on immoral and dangerous fossil fuel industry.
@gofossilfree m… https://t.co/s3xtarGRIs</div> — 350 dot org (@350 dot org)<a href="https://twitter.com/350/statuses/1073236261241057288">1544714439.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p>"Momentum for divestment has only accelerated: pledges span 37 countries with over 65 percent of commitments coming from outside the United States, and now include major capital cities, mainstream banks and insurance companies, massive pension funds, faith groups, cultural, health and educational institutions—the institutions serving billions of people," the report continues.<br></p><p>"This is a major milestone for the movement for a just transition to a zero carbon, sustainable future for everyone," <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2018/12/13/1000-organisations-end-investment-fossil-fuel-companies" target="_blank">added</a> Ric Lander, divestment campaigner for <a href="https://foe.org/" target="_blank">Friends of the Earth</a>. "Behind almost every one of these commitments is a group of committed people fighting for climate action and they should be proud of their achievements. They've persuaded, protested and brought the inarguable evidence of their case to decision makers and won them over."</p><p>With the 1,000 institution landmark reached, 350 said the global movement's next ambitious goal is 2,020 divestments totaling $12 trillion in combined assets by 2020.</p><p>"For those investors who persist in engaging with the fossil fuel industry, despite mounting evidence of its failure to achieve anything, we ask them to change tack as the science and justice demands in this moment," 350's report concluded. "If companies are not on track to keep their reserves in the ground or play their part in meeting the 1.5°C target, investors must walk away. The clock is ticking on multiple carbon bombs around the world as we approach 2020."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="3ec18" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8YL3LA1576661688"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="834517277777264640" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Carbon Bubble Is Bursting as #Divestment Takes Hold https://t.co/IwXdH5loeN @MarkRuffalo @LeoDiCaprio @billmckibben @350 @greenpeaceusa</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/834517277777264640">1487799398.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/12/13/global-divestment-movement-celebrates-vow-1000-institutions-nearly-8-trillion-assets?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br></p>
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Sen. Joe Manchin and United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts held a press conference on Oct. 3, 2017. Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call
After weeks of discord over the potential appointment, Sen. Joe Manchin, the pro-coal Democrat of West Virginia, was named the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Sen. Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday.
Many Democrats and environmental groups were adamantly opposed to Manchin serving as the top Democrat on the committee that oversees policies on climate change, public lands and fossil fuel production.
<p>
<span></span>Following the nod, Manchin said in an <a href="https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-announced-as-ranking-member-on-senate-energy-committee" target="_blank">online statement</a> he will work with "both sides of the aisle to find common sense solutions for long-term comprehensive energy policy that incorporates an all-of-the-above strategy and ensures our state and our nation are leaders in the energy future."
</p><p>
Manchin is a rare Democratic lawmaker in deep-red West Virginia, but he has consistently supported the state's coal miners. West Virginia is the nation's second-leading producer of coal. He slammed President Obama's "<a href="https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-slams-obamas-war-on-coal-and-economy" target="_blank">war on coal</a>" and <a href="https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-statement-on-presidents-decision-to-leave-the-paris-climate-agreement" target="_blank">supported</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump">President Trump</a>'s controversial decision to withdraw from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a>. The <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/joe-manchin-iii" target="_blank">League of Conservation Voters</a> gave him a paltry lifetime score of 45 percent for his environmental voting record.
</p><p>
"Appointing Senator Manchin as ranking member of the Energy Committee is completely at odds with any plan for real climate action," <a href="http://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> executive director May Boeve said in a provided statement. "Manchin has taken every opportunity to put Big Oil before the health and safety of communities and our climate."
</p><p>
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who is a champion of strong climate action and is a potential 2020 presidential candidate, <a href="https://twitter.com/JayInslee/status/1070083790020653056" target="_blank">tweeted</a> last week: "Our party must be wholly committed to ending America's dependence on fossil fuels. Manchin literally shot climate legislation in one of his campaign ads."
</p><p>
In a 2010 television commercial, Manchin bragged about suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and shot a copy of the Democrats' cap-and-trade bill.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5c35acd38d7138710e122480ba94d6b3"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xIJORBRpOPM?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Dead Aim - Joe Manchin for West Virginia TV Ad</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIJORBRpOPM" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p>
David Turnbull, the strategic communications director with <a href="http://oilchangeusa.org/" target="_blank">Oil Change USA</a>, said in an <a href="http://oilchangeusa.org/oil-change-usa-response-to-manchin-as-dem-ranking-member-on-senate-energy-committee/" target="_blank">online statement</a> that Manchin has "enjoyed nearly $1 million in campaign contributions from oil, gas and coal interests in his career."
</p><p>
"If Senator Manchin wants to be taken seriously as someone serious about taking the critical step to move our economy off of fossil fuels, and not someone beholden to the fossil fuel industry, he should take the <a href="http://nofossilfuelmoney.org/" target="_blank">No Fossil Fuel Money</a> pledge, today," Turnbull added. "It only makes sense that he promise to reject money from the industry being regulated by the committee he'll lead for the Democrats. Until he does, we'll know who he truly answers to."
</p><p>
<span></span>Tuesday's appointment was not a total surprise. The former West Virginia governor has been a member of the committee since he was elected to the Senate in 2010. He is also the ranking chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy.
</p><p>
<span></span>Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive upstart of New York who is leading efforts of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/green-new-deal" target="_self">Green New Deal</a>, expressed concerns about Manchin taking the position.
</p><p>"I have concerns over the senator's chairmanship just because I do not believe that we should be financed by the industries that we are supposed to be legislating and regulating and touching with our legislation," Ocasio-Cortez said at press conference held outside the Capitol last month, according to <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/11/30/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-leads-opposition-to-coal-puppet-joe-manchin-for-top-senate-energy-slot/" target="_blank">The Intercept</a>.<br></p><p>
But last week, Manchin surprisingly <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/mcnamee-climate-denier-ferc-2622689454.html" target="_self">voted against Bernard McNamee</a>, a fossil fuel lawyer that President Trump named to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Senator withdrew his support due to his concerns about McNamee's stance on climate change. McNamee was ultimately confirmed in a straight party-line vote.
</p><p>
"Climate change is real, humans have made a significant impact, and we have the responsibility and capability to address it urgently," Manchin said in a statement posted on <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/419952-senate-advances-trump-energy-pick-after-manchin-flips" target="_blank">The Hill</a> after changing his mind about McNamee.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="98d25" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4XWPHM1576683778"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1072642258573410312" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">1,000+ Youth Activists Storm Capitol to Demand #GreenNewDeal https://t.co/WrKxoEiG34 @350 @billmckibben @sunrisemvmt</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1072642258573410312">1544572817.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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Youth plaintiff Levi Draheim. Robin Loznak
Monday was set to be the first day of a landmark youth climate trial against the federal government over climate change, three years after the lawsuit was first filed.
But last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a temporary stay as it considers a last-ditch attempt by the Trump administration to throw out the case from proceeding to trial.
<p>
In response, the 21 youth plaintiffs of
<em><a href="https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/us/federal-lawsuit/" target="_blank">Juliana v. United States</a></em>, their attorneys and thousands of supporters <a href="https://www.youthvgov.org/trial" target="_blank">rallied around the nation</a> on Sunday and Monday to demand that the kids have their day in court.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="8cb7e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2D2KAZ1576662656"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1056929138920120320" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I stand in solidarity with @youthvgov today as they coordinate rallies across the nation to keep our government acc… https://t.co/8Nzxwk1ypy</div> — Leonardo DiCaprio (@Leonardo DiCaprio)<a href="https://twitter.com/LeoDiCaprio/statuses/1056929138920120320">1540826518.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>More than <a href="https://twitter.com/350/status/1056940442342907906" target="_blank">90 scheduled events</a> were organized across 41 states, with key rallies in San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Portland, Washington, DC, Seattle, Colorado Springs and St. Paul.<br></p><p>The central rally was held Monday on the steps of the Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon, where the trial was supposed to take place.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b69e8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2UDPVM1576662656"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1056942451376586752" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">There are 100 people rallying with @youthvgov in DC right now demanding that young people be heard! The US governme… https://t.co/h1LXSGRxL2</div> — Karina Gonzalez (@Karina Gonzalez)<a href="https://twitter.com/Karinabgonzalez/statuses/1056942451376586752">1540829692.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>A "huge spirited" crowd of 1,500 people—including 500 students who walked out of local high schools and the University of Oregon—braved occasional rains to attend the event, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/350/status/1056955688805634049" target="_blank">organizers</a>.<br></p><p>
<a href="http://world.350.org/eugene/" target="_blank">350 Eugene</a> director Patty Hine, Oregon State Senator James Manning, the youth plaintiffs and their attorneys gave speeches.
</p><p>
"The power of the people is more powerful than the people in power," 18-year-old plaintiff and hip-hop artist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez rapped in a stirring speech at the rally. "This is a movement founded in love."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="bf62b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="PEO0RN1576662657"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1056952850947825664" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Hundreds of students and community members attend #LetTheYouthBeHeard rally in Eugene, Ore. in support of the Julia… https://t.co/43P6K6NmzY</div> — Sarah Northrop (@Sarah Northrop)<a href="https://twitter.com/SARTAKESPICS/statuses/1056952850947825664">1540832171.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The historic lawsuit was initiated by a group of teenagers and young adults against the U.S. government. They claim the government violated their constitutional rights to life, liberty and property by enacting policies that encourage climate change. The lawsuit was filed during the Obama administration and has survived multiple attempts by both administrations to halt the case. That was until Brett Kavanaugh was appointed to the Supreme Court.
</p><p>
"Our constitutional democracy allows us to protect our liberty without declaring independence from our government, so long as those who govern assent to review by our courts and let the facts be told," Julia Olson, executive director and chief legal counsel of
<a href="https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/" target="_blank">Our Children's Trust</a> and co-counsel for the youth plaintiffs, said in a <a href="https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/press-releases/" target="_blank">press release</a>. "These young people deserve that chance to present their case against those who govern and let the light fall where it may."
</p><p>
Kiran Oommen, a 21-year-old plaintiff, added in the press release, "On Monday, we rally for our right as American citizens to a fair trial. No matter how much the federal government might try to deny us that right, we will have our day in court. "
</p><p>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/youthvgov/videos/185501559040585/" target="_blank">Watch here</a> for a Facebook Live of the Oregon rally.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="33bb2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="31WCGD1576662657"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1054409396149764096" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Supreme Court Puts Historic Youth Climate Lawsuit on Hold @youthvgov #youthclimatecase #julianavus… https://t.co/FZgME1aEg8</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1054409396149764096">1540225764.0</a></blockquote></div>
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350 .org / Flickr / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood filed a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil on Wednesday alleging the company defrauded shareholders and downplayed the risk of climate change to its business.
The suit, first reported by the New York Times, is the culmination of a years-long investigation—colloquially known as the #ExxonKnew probe—into the energy giant's business practices and whether it lied to investors and the public about the risks of climate change.
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><p>
In a
<a href="https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-underwood-files-lawsuit-against-exxonmobil-defrauding-investors-regarding-financial" target="_blank">press release</a>, Underwood's office said the investigation uncovered an alleged fraudulent scheme to systematically and repeatedly deceive investors about the significant impact that future climate change regulations could have on the company's assets and value. The alleged fraud reached the highest levels of the company, including former chairman and CEO <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/rex-tillerson">Rex Tillerson</a>.
</p><p>
"Investors put their money and their trust in Exxon—which assured them of the long-term value of their shares, as the company claimed to be factoring the risk of increasing climate change regulation into its business decisions. Yet as our investigation found, Exxon often did no such thing," Attorney General Underwood said in the press release. "Instead, Exxon built a facade to deceive investors into believing that the company was managing the risks of climate change regulation to its business when, in fact, it was intentionally and systematically underestimating or ignoring them, contrary to its public representations."
</p><p>
The suit, filed in New York Supreme Court, New York County, seeks an order prohibiting Exxon from continuing to misrepresent its practices in this area and requires it to tell investors the truth. It also asks the court to award damages, although no dollar amount was specified.
</p><p>The impact of the alleged fraud on the company's value could be massive. Underwood's office listed the following:
</p><ul class="ee-ul">
<li>For 14 of Exxon's oil sands projects in Alberta, Canada, Exxon's failure to apply its publicly represented proxy costs resulted in undercounting of projected greenhouse-gas related expenses by more than $25 billion over the projected lifetime of the projects.<br></li>
<li>Exxon undercounted projected greenhouse gas-related costs by as much as 94 percent—equal to about $11 billion—in an economic forecast for its Kearl oil sands asset in Alberta.<br></li>
<li>Exxon failed to apply the proxy costs it represented to the public in estimating company reserves at Cold Lake, a major oil sands asset in Alberta, resulting in an overestimation of its projected economic life by 28 years, and an overestimation of company reserves volumes by more than 300 million oil-equivalent barrels, representing billions of dollars of revenues.</li>
</ul><p>
The fossil fuel corporation
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/court-reject-exxon-2484751312.html" target="_self">has tried to block</a> the climate probe in courts in three states, the Times noted.
</p><p>
A company spokesman told
<a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/412979-new-york-ag-sues-exxon-for-downplaying-climate-change-risks" target="_blank">The Hill</a> that there "is no evidence to support these allegations."
</p><p>
"These baseless allegations are a product of closed-door lobbying by special interests, political opportunism and the attorney general's inability to admit that a three-year investigation has uncovered no wrongdoing," the spokesman said. "The company looks forward to refuting these claims as soon as possible and getting this meritless civil lawsuit dismissed."
</p><p>
In 2016,
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-uncovered-corporate-documents-show-exxonknew-much-earlier-than-pre-1891126183.html" target="_blank">DeSmog</a> uncovered Exxon corporate documents from the late 1970s stating unequivocally "there is no doubt" that carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels was a growing "problem" well understood within the company. Despite this knowledge and warnings from its own scientists, Exxon shelved these concerns and "launched a sophisticated, global campaign to sow doubt and create public distrust of climate science," DeSmog reported.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="18595" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1DI3S11576662662"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="725330456439185409" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">New Uncovered Corporate Documents Show #ExxonKnew Much Earlier Than Previously Reported https://t.co/0fH662I1Rs @350 https://t.co/XqIT2fS23r</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/725330456439185409">1461767231.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Environmental groups cheered the lawsuit.
</p><p>
"Climate change deception is central to Exxon's business model," Richard Wiles, the executive director of the
<a href="http://www.igsd.org/initiatives/the-center-for-climate-integrity/" target="_blank">Center for Climate Integrity</a>, said in an emailed statement. "This is the same company that bankrolled a 30-year, multimillion denial campaign, manufacturing doubt about climate science when it knew there was none."
</p><p>
<span></span>Bill McKibben, author and <a href="http://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> co-founder, also deemed the suit necessary.
</p><p>
"Big oil may finally face some consequences for its role in wrecking the climate," McKibben said in an emailed statement. "The New York Attorney General is standing up for investors who may have been swindled, and indirectly for the 7 billion of us who will suffer from Exxon's lies."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="7953a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="X96JF61576662662"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="844941824242450434" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Judge to Exxon: Explain Where Those Wayne Tracker Emails Went https://t.co/z9hKeJspaa (via @Ecowatch)</div> — Sierra Club (@Sierra Club)<a href="https://twitter.com/SierraClub/statuses/844941824242450434">1490284803.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Teen Climate Activist to Crowd of Thousands: 'We Can't Save the World by Playing by the Rules'
22 October 2018
Climate
Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old activist from Sweden, addressed a crowd at what campaigners say was Finland's largest ever climate demonstration on Saturday. Svante Thunberg / Twitter
By Jessica Corbett
Addressing some 10,000 people in Helsinki on Saturday at what some campaigners are calling Finland's largest ever climate demonstration, 15-year-old Greta Thunberg urged marchers to fight for the major systemic changes that experts have said are necessary to limit greenhouse gas emissions and avert a looming climate catastrophe.
<p>"Today we use 100 million barrels of oil every day. There are no politics to change that. There are no rules to keep that oil in the ground, so we can't save the world by playing by the rules because the rules have to change. Everything needs to change and it has to start today," declared the Swedish teenager, who traveled to the capital city of her nation's Nordic neighbor for Saturday's massive march.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="c0e72" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="GSR4CF1576661689"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1053666798854438912" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Over 10 000 people in Helsinki today for the #ilmastomarssi / climate march !
#nytonpakko #climatestrike https://t.co/NzriQrJlKI</div> — Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg)<a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/statuses/1053666798854438912">1540048715.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p>"A lot of people say that Sweden or Finland are just small countries and that it doesn't matter what we do," Thunberg added. "But I think that if a few children can get headlines all over the world just by not going to school for a few weeks, imagine what we could do together if we wanted to."<br></p><p>Thunberg garnered international media attention when, ahead of Sweden's September election, she <a href="https://www.thelocal.se/20180824/meet-the-15-year-old-swedish-girl-on-strike-from-school-for-the-climate" target="_blank">refused</a> to attend school and instead protested outside the Swedish parliament, handing out educational pamphlets to passersby. Now that the election has passed, the self-described "climate radical" and others who have joined the strike <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-fifteen-year-old-climate-activist-who-is-demanding-a-new-kind-of-politics" target="_blank">return</a> to school for four days each week but still protest on Fridays.</p><p>"We young people don't have the vote, but school is obligatory," she <a href="https://www.thelocal.se/20180824/meet-the-15-year-old-swedish-girl-on-strike-from-school-for-the-climate" target="_blank">told</a> The Local in August. "So this a way to get our voices heard."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="d58db" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="OLDWC41576661689"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1053354115256991744" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Skolstrejk, Stockholm 19 oktober. #klimatstrejk #FridaysForFuture #climatestrike https://t.co/IVqR1QB5fx</div> — Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg)<a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/statuses/1053354115256991744">1539974166.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p>At her "now-famous" protest spot and in interviews with the press, Thunberg has stuck to the same message she delivered Saturday about the necessity of a rapid global shift away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable energy sources.<br></p><p>"I think the election didn't matter," she <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-fifteen-year-old-climate-activist-who-is-demanding-a-new-kind-of-politics" style="" target="_blank">said</a> to The New Yorker about Sweden's latest batch of political races. "The climate is not going to collapse because some party got the most votes. The politics that's needed to prevent the climate catastrophe—it doesn't exist today. We need to change the system, as if we were in crisis, as if there were a war going on."</p><p>Thunberg's recent actions have been celebrated by climate activists including 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben, who highlighted the march and thanked the teen for her leadership in a tweet on Saturday:</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="24617" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="RXST2X1576661689"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1053621665513361409" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Big climate action march underway in Helsinki--(and thanks to @GretaThunberg for her leadership!) https://t.co/Y2kfYArqiG</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/1053621665513361409">1540037955.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p>The thousands of people who participated in Saturday's "<a href="https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/thousands_gather_in_helsinki_to_demand_swift_action_on_climate_change/10467382" target="_blank">The Time to Act is Now!</a>" demonstration are demanding that politicians from all of Finland's parties commit to cutting off subsidies for fossil fuels by 2020 and totally outlawing dirty energy by 2035, <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/finland/fi/Lauantain-ilmastomarssi-oli-kaikkien-aikojen-suurin-Suomessa/" target="_blank">according to</a> the local chapter of Greenpeace, which helped organize the event.<br></p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="adc4c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="LJ83K01576661690"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1053673664468656130" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Kiitos kaikille! Mahtavaa, että olitte ja olette mukana. Tästä se vasta alkaa, tehdään tästä kaikkien aikojen ilmas… https://t.co/2M1ZFq5MFO</div> — Greenpeace Suomi (@Greenpeace Suomi)<a href="https://twitter.com/GreenpeaceSuomi/statuses/1053673664468656130">1540050352.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p>Helsinki University researcher Tero Toivonen <a href="https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/thousands_gather_in_helsinki_to_demand_swift_action_on_climate_change/10467382" target="_blank">told</a> Yle News that the unexpectedly high turnout for demonstration—which featured a march from Helsinki's Senate Square to the parliament building—suggests that the public is starting to realize the urgency of the climate crisis.<br></p><p>"Everyone has joined in the demand that something needs to be done now. We are definitely seeing more <a href="https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_prime_minister_calls_all-party_summit_on_climate_policy/10446518" target="_blank">talk like this</a> from the politicians," he said.</p><p>The demonstration comes on the heels of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/08/un-experts-warn-climate-catastrophe-2040-without-rapid-and-unprecedented-global" target="_blank">a recent report</a> from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—the United Nations' leading body for climate science—detailing what the world could look like if the global temperature rises to 1.5°C and underscoring the need for "rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented" efforts worldwide to prevent "climate catastrophe."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="efb77" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="NZQ72U1576661690"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1053629762445500416" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#Ilmastomarssi tänään - huikea osanottajamäärä. https://t.co/7lZq4mRG6W</div> — Rauli Virtanen (@Rauli Virtanen)<a href="https://twitter.com/rauli_virtanen/statuses/1053629762445500416">1540039885.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/20/teen-climate-activist-crowd-thousands-we-cant-save-world-playing-rules-because-rules" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br></p>
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An art installation of a polar bear crossing a New York City street. Thomas Jackson / Getty Images
Monday marks the start of the 10th annual Climate Week NYC. From Sept. 24 to the 30, non-profit The Climate Group has invited businesses, governments, nonprofit organizations, universities and art and music organizations to host a wide variety of affiliated events devoted to raising awareness and prompting action around climate change.
<p>
"Climate Week NYC is the largest climate week in the world and as one of the key summits in the international calendar—which runs alongside the United Nations General Assembly—has been driving climate action forward since its launch in 2009," The Climate Group CEO Helen Clarkson said in a
<a href="https://business.nycgo.com/press-and-media/press-releases/articles/post/mayor-de-blasio-and-nyc-company-welcome-climate-week-to-new-york-city-for-10th-consecutive-year/" target="_blank">New York City mayor's office press release</a>. "We are thrilled to be hosting our 10th Climate Week NYC and to appear on the world's stage, to continue to advance climate action to the top of the global agenda."
</p><p>
It's a jam-packed week—last year's week hosted more than 140 affiliate events. So if you're lucky enough to be in New York, it's a great chance to learn more about climate change and what you can do about it. You can see the full
<a href="https://www.climateweeknyc.org/events-program" target="_blank">2018 events program here</a>, but if that's too overwhelming, below are seven events that demonstrate the full variety of what Climate Week NYC has to offer.
</p><p>
<strong>1. <a href="https://www.climateweeknyc.org/event/drawdown" target="_blank">Drawdown</a></strong>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drawdown-Comprehensive-Proposed-Reverse-Warming/dp/0141988436/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank"><em>Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming</em></a> is a best-selling book edited by Paul Hawken that outlines 100 existing climate solutions that, if applied globally and to scale over the next 30 years, could bring the earth to "drawdown," the point at which greenhouse gases in the atmosphere peak and then begin to decline. Even after the book's publication, <a href="https://www.drawdown.org/" target="_blank">Project Drawdown</a> continues to research and promote climate solutions. The event will feature a presentation by <em>Drawdown</em> senior writer Katharine Wilkinson followed by a panel discussion moderated by <a href="https://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> founder Bill McKibben.
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<strong>When</strong>: Monday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.<br><strong>Where</strong>: 2 West 64th Street, New York, NY<br><strong>Hosts</strong>: New York Society for Ethical Culture, Pachamama Alliance, and 350NYC<br><strong>Cost</strong>: $10</p><p>
<strong>2.</strong> <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/explorers-club-climate-change-politics-arts-and-innovation-tickets-50366970966" target="_blank"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong>Climate Change - Politics, Arts, and Innovation</strong></a></p><p>
This stimulating evening of panel discussions features the work of people using their artistic and technological skills to confront the problem of climate change. The first panel focuses on art with the
<a href="http://climatemuseum.org/home#home-landing" target="_blank">Climate Museum</a>, the first institution dedicated to cultural engagement with climate change, <a href="https://stormking.org/" target="_blank">Storm King Art Center</a>, which is currently showing an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hudson-valley-art-museum-2571450268.html" target="_self">innovative climate art exhibit</a>, and artist Justin Brice Guariglia, whose work is both part of the Storm King exhibit and the Climate Museum's <a href="http://climatemuseum.org/" target="_blank">Climate Signals</a> installation featuring 10 solar-powered road signs with text written by Guariglia on display around NYC until Nov. 6. Next, <a href="https://ixo.foundation/" target="_blank">The ixo Foundation</a>, which develops ixo Blockchain for Impact, and <a href="https://solarcoin.org/" target="_blank">SolarCoin</a>, which uses blockchain technology to create a digital currency promoting <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar" target="_blank">solar</a> energy, discuss innovation with <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sustainability" target="_blank">sustainability</a> financing company <a href="https://www.southpole.com/" target="_blank">South Pole</a> and SDG Futures, which is working on developing a 2019 TV program promoting the <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/" target="_blank">UN's Sustainable Development Goals</a>. Finally, Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the <a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/" target="_blank">Yale Program on Climate Change Communication</a>, speaks with fellow Yale professor Dan Esty, director of the <a href="https://envirocenter.yale.edu/" target="_blank">Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy</a>, about the "Politics, Policy and Communication" of climate change.
</p><p><strong>When</strong>: Tuesday, Sept. 25, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.<br><strong>Where</strong>: 46 East 70th Street, New York, NY<br><strong>Host</strong>: The Explorers Club<br><strong>Cost</strong>: $5 to $25</p><p><strong><span></span>3. </strong><a href="https://climateanalytics.org/events/2018/cool-tips-for-a-liveable-planet-the-whys-and-hows-of-1-5c/" target="_blank"><strong>Cool Tips for a Liveable Planet - The Whys and Hows of 1.5°C</strong></a>
</p><p>Climate Analytics is a non-profit based in Berlin dedicated to bringing together experts on both the science and policy of climate change. It makes sense, then, that it is hosting an event discussing the latest science on the benefits of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and what this means for the successful implementation of the
<a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris agreement</a>. The event will feature an update on the significance of the forthcoming <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/" target="_blank">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> report on the impact of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees, presented by Princeton scientist Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, as well as talks on the climate and policy implications of that goal by Climate Analytics members Dr. Tabea Lissner, Dr. Bill Hare & Jasmin Cantzle.<br></p><p><strong>When</strong>: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.<br><strong>Where</strong>: Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, New York, NY<br><strong>Host</strong>: Climate Analytics<br><span style="background-color: initial;"><strong>Cost</strong></span><strong>: </strong>Free, <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1IG9xqT7-_UTRuHPxLU5OS9T4xWQU7E0xP-YrHC5WANgDgA/viewform" target="_blank">register here</a></p><p><strong><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1IG9xqT7-_UTRuHPxLU5OS9T4xWQU7E0xP-YrHC5WANgDgA/viewform" target="_blank"></a>4. </strong><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-solutions-for-affordable-housing-in-nyc-climate-week-nyc-tickets-48714720039" target="_blank"><strong>Climate Solutions for Affordable Housing in NYC</strong></a>
</p><p>Buildings are responsible for 70 percent of New York City's greenhouse gas emissions. This event will focus on how to reduce those emissions, especially in buildings housing low-income communities, in a way that preserves affordable housing. The panel will feature speakers from the mayor's office and environmental justice organizations like
<a href="https://www.weact.org/" target="_blank">WeACT</a> and <a href="http://www.nyc-eja.org/" target="_blank">NYC Environmental Justice Alliance</a>.<br></p><p><strong>When</strong>: Thursday, Sept. 27, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.<br><strong>Where</strong>: McNally Amphitheatre, Fordham University Lincoln Center, 140 West 62nd Street, New York, NY<br><strong>Host</strong>: NYC Climate Action Alliance<br><span style="background-color: initial;"><strong>Cost</strong></span>: Free</p><p><strong><span></span>5. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-point-elements-of-change-a-theatrical-climate-week-nyc-event-tickets-50244961031" target="_blank">THE POINT: Elements of Change</a></strong>
</p><p>Come to the closing night of
<em>Elements of Change</em>, a play by Divya Mangwani based on the UNICEF Climate Comic Contest winner "Tré: The Adventures of Brother Earth" by Sona Sridhar. The theatrical event is part of a larger collaboration coordinated by Greenpoint Innovations (GPI) under the banner of <a href="http://www.greenpointinnovations.com/cwnyc2018" target="_blank">THE POINT</a> that seeks to leverage the arts for climate action. Also part of the collaboration: a mural by South African street artist <a href="http://sonnyonline.com/" target="_blank">Sonny</a> and Brooklyn art duo <a href="https://www.asvp.nyc/" target="_blank">ASVP</a> on the walls of Intermediate School 318 in north Brooklyn. You can track the mural's progress on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/greenpointinnovations/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. This is the third year in a row that GPI, a purpose-based company founded by <a href="https://twitter.com/stephendonofrio?lang=en" target="_blank">Stephen Donofrio</a> to use data, media and the arts to promote sustainability, has coordinated an NYC Climate Week event, according to <a href="https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/THE-POINT-Comes-to-NYC-For-Climate-Week-2018-20180917" target="_blank">Broadway World</a>.<br></p><p><strong>When</strong>: Friday, Sept. 28, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.<br><strong>Where</strong>: Castillo Theatre, 543 West 42nd Street, New York, NY<br><strong>Hosts</strong>: UNICEF, Comics Uniting Nations, Greenpoint Innovations, Hypokrit Theater Company and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater<br><span style="background-color: initial;"><strong>Cost</strong></span>: Free, but tickets are limited, register <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-point-elements-of-change-a-theatrical-climate-week-nyc-event-tickets-50244961031#tickets" target="_blank">here</a></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-point-elements-of-change-a-theatrical-climate-week-nyc-event-tickets-50244961031#tickets" target="_blank"></a>6. </strong><a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/festival/newyork/2018/" target="_blank"><strong>Global Citizen Festival</strong></a>
</p><p>Global Citizen is dedicated to ending extreme poverty by 2030 by encouraging people around the world to pressure governments to take action on gender equality, the environment, food security, education, global health and sanitation. By downloading the
<a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/festival/newyork/2018/?_branch_match_id=515507903574618099" target="_blank">Global Citizen app</a>, you can take recommended actions to enter a lottery and earn tickets to the 2018 concert. 48,000 tickets will be given away in total. Headliners include Janet Jackson, The Weekend, Shawn Mendes, Cardi B and Janelle Monáe, with special guest John Legend.<br></p><p><strong>When</strong>: Saturday, Sept. 29, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Doors open 2 p.m.<br><strong>Where</strong>: Great Lawn, Central Park, New York, NY<br><strong>Host</strong>: Global Citizen<br><strong>Cost</strong>: Free</p><p><strong><span></span>7. <a href="http://climatemuseum.org/event-cal/2018/9/30/bay-to-beach-climate-walk-and-arts-workshop" target="_blank">Bay to Beach Climate Walk and Arts Workshop</a></strong>
</p><p>This event is not officially affiliated with Climate Week NYC, but it matches up in spirit. The Climate Museum is inviting the public on a guided tour of Rockaway Park.
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricane-sandy" target="_self">Hurricane Sandy</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-refugees-in-america-1881662348.html" target="_self">devastated</a> the Rockaways more than five years ago, and the walk bears witness to that devastation, as well as the steps the community has taken to rebuild and prepare for the future. The event closes on the boardwalk with a workshop by local artists on processing climate-based emotions through visual art.</p><p><span></span><span style="background-color: initial;"><strong>When</strong></span>: Sunday, Sept. 30, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.<br><strong>Where</strong>: Rockaway Park, Queens, NY<br><strong>Host</strong>: The Climate Museum and the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy<br><strong>Cost</strong>: Free<em></em></p><p><em>This post was reformatted for clarity.</em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="ea8d8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="EXQ6NW1576661690"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="951982306700427270" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Empire State Building Shines Green After NYC's Decision to Take on Fossil Fuel Industry https://t.co/dIrFKQphDd… https://t.co/bSpAKYVNaz</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/951982306700427270">1515805243.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Musicians, artists and activists lended their unique voices to the issue of climate change at the Pathway To Paris concerts at The Masonic in San Francisco and the ACE Theatre in Los Angeles over the weekend, a closing act of the Global Climate Action Summit in California.
This year's concerts, a collaboration with 350.org and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), featured legendary punk rocker Patti Smith, Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, skateboarding icon Tony Hawk, hip-hop artist Talib Kweli, artists Olafur Eliasson and Steven Sebring, 350.org founder Bill McKibben and many other high-profile guests and environmental activists.
<p style="">
"Happy in my heart I had the opportunity to play for for Pathways To Paris this weekend. I love trees, water, air, bluebirds with those little crowns on their heads," Flea
<a href="https://twitter.com/flea333/status/1041727667710513152" target="_blank">tweeted</a> Monday.</p>
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<p style=""><a href="http://pathwaytoparis.com/about/" target="_blank">Founded</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/325482731530684/" target="_blank">Jesse Paris Smith</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/317133262369686/" target="_blank">Rebecca Foon</a>, the first Pathway to Paris concerts took place in New York following the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/peoples-climate-march-largest-climate-march-in-world-history-launched--1881940270.html" target="_blank">People's Climate March</a> in 2014 and in Paris, France following the adoption of the landmark <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris climate agreement</a> in 2015. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pathway-to-paris-carnegie-hall-2507429912.html" target="_blank">Last year's concert</a> in New York's renowned Carnegie Hall launched the <a href="http://pathwaytoparis.com/1000-cities/" target="_blank">1000 Cities</a> campaign that aims to get at least 1,000 cities around the world to commit to using 100 percent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy">renewable energy</a> by 2040.<br></p><p style="">
This year's event focused on "the potential for cities to push for, achieve and go beyond the climate targets highlighted in the Paris agreement," according to a
<a href="http://pathwaytoparis.com/san-francisco/" target="_blank">press release</a>.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="ce4b5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="GE1RIR1576661663"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1041767401195548677" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Truly filled with a new energy coming out of #PathwayToParis over the weekend. I’m both grateful and inspired to ha… https://t.co/CsOqj0j5N6</div> — Bob Weir (@Bob Weir)<a href="https://twitter.com/BobWeir/statuses/1041767401195548677">1537211678.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p style="">"Cities play a critical role in transforming our world out of the era of fossil fuels and into a renewable world," Foon said in the press release. "This is our time to make this shift and transform our cities to become sustainable, resilient cities for us all and future generations. This is our chance as our window of time is narrowing."<br></p><p>
The organizers also called on the international community to ramp up climate action, which reflected the theme of the Global Climate Action Summit to take
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/global-climate-action-summit-2018-2603749123.html" target="_blank">"Take Ambition to the Next Level."</a>
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"In the world of music, the best way to improve is through collaboration. This is the same with the critical issue of climate change," Smith said in the release. "We must join together to make this the most ambitious collaboration of our century. We will not be able to implement crucial and challenging solutions to climate change, plastic pollution, and all urgent environmental problems as long as we stand divided. Inseparable from the issue of climate change is the need for world peace, global communication, and an international collaboration unmatched by any event in human history."
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Ice cream maker and Pathway to Paris partner
<a href="https://www.benjerry.com/" target="_blank">Ben & Jerry</a>'s live-streamed the San Francisco concert. Watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVCS6uo5ndE&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">here</a>:
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