Fossil fuel companies received $110 billion in direct and indirect financial assistance during the coronavirus pandemic, including up to $15.2 billion in direct federal relief. Andrew Hart /
By Bret Wilkins
In a year in which the United States has already suffered 16 climate-driven extreme weather events causing more than $1 billion in economic damages, and as millions of American workers face loss of essential unemployment benefits due to congressional inaction, a report published Monday reveals the Trump administration has given fossil fuel companies as much as $15.2 billion in direct relief — and tens of billions more indirectly — through federal COVID-19 recovery programs since March.
<p>The report by BailoutWatch, Public Citizen, and Friends of the Earth — titled <em><a href="https://www.citizen.org/article/bailed-out-and-propped-up/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=94926f68-3c0f-462d-87c9-ae6d05950810" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bailed Out and Propped Up</a> —</em>tracks taxpayer funds flowing to fossil fuel companies since pandemic-related bailouts began. It found a total of $110 billion in direct and indirect benefits went to 66 companies, including between $10.4 and $15.2 billion in direct disbursements to coal, oil, and gas companies that are largely responsible for the worsening climate emergency. </p>
<p>Here's a breakdown, according to the report:</p><ul><li>At least $5.5 billion went to 70 money-losing polluters via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.</li><li>$582 million in direct, subsidized loans were approved for 37 mid-sized fossil fuel and related companies through the Federal Reserve's Main Street Lending Program.</li><li>$4.3 to $9.1 billion in forgivable loans went to at least 25,931 companies through the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program.</li><li>At least 229 oil and gas companies received waivers for fees normally paid to drill on public land — giveaways that cost the government a minimum of $4.5 million in lost revenue, and likely far more.</li></ul><p>The report found that five fossil fuel companies — Diamondback Energy, EOG Resources, Marathon Petroleum, Phillips 66, and Valero — received more than 10% of the $110 billion in direct benefits, including tax refunds, and indirect support through the issuance of bonds, even if they were losing money. Reassured by the Fed's actions, private investors purchased more fossil fuel bonds, generating some $100 billion in additional indirect benefits.</p>
<div id="dbef0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2841b587ecc5cf0041553e90425d4397"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330888073228427264" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: The fossil fuel industry has received up to $15,000,000,000 in direct COVID relief since bailout programs… https://t.co/znbkDW2f0M</div> — Public Citizen (@Public Citizen)<a href="https://twitter.com/Public_Citizen/statuses/1330888073228427264">1606143418.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"When the pandemic hit last spring, Trump's corporate cronies made sure the fossil fuel industry was able to squeeze whatever favors they could out of the resulting economic rescues," wrote Alan Zibel, research director of Public Citizen's Corporate Presidency Project and a co-author of the report. "The Biden administration and the next Congress will have a golden opportunity to ensure our efforts to rescue the economy no longer benefit the very companies most responsible for the devastation caused by climate change."</p><p>Christopher Kuveke, a BailoutWatch analyst and a co-author of the report, added that "the fossil fuel industry took advantage of the pandemic to put their hands out for help escaping a financial mess of their own making, and their allies in the federal government rode to the rescue."</p><p>"By artificially delaying the industry's inevitable decline at taxpayers' expense, the government has made it that much harder to make the necessary transition to clean energy sources," he added.</p>
<p>The report comes just after members of Congress <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/11/23/21575394/stimulus-covid-relief-bill-congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">headed home</a> on vacation without having passed a new coronavirus relief bill, and as millions of Americans <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/18/about-be-catapulted-cliff-study-shows-12-million-set-lose-jobless-benefits-after" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">face the grim prospect</a> of losing essential unemployment benefits as the CARES Act is set to expire at the end of the year.</p><p>Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) <a href="https://the-beam.com/finance/how-to-finance-a-global-green-new-deal-and-stop-climate-change-at-1-5c/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">excoriated</a> Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on the floor of the House of Representatives, accusing him of "abandoning our people."</p><p>"While... thousands of people in Texas lined up for food lines... hospitals no longer have beds to house the sick... [and] 30 million Americans are on the brink of eviction, [McConnell] dismissed the Senate," said Ocasio-Cortez. "Every single day, when we go back to our communities, people are asking us, 'Where is there going to be help? Is there going to be a second stimulus check? Are we going to get the resources that we need?"</p>
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<p>Climate activists and many economists argue that giving money to those most culpable for carbon emissions is the exact opposite of what governments should be doing. One economist says that instead of selling fossil fuel bonds, governments should be promoting "Green Climate Bonds."</p><p>"With a mere fraction of the Covid-19 recovery funds, central banks could support climate protection," <a href="https://the-beam.com/finance/how-to-finance-a-global-green-new-deal-and-stop-climate-change-at-1-5c/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> World Future Council chief economist Matthias Kroll last week. He continued:</p><blockquote>The price for coping with the systemically relevant climate crisis... appears almost to be a bargain: with a fraction of the funds used to overcome the Covid-19 crisis (or the banking crisis of 2008), the central banks could trigger investments in climate protection of a magnitude that would make the 1.5°C target [under the Paris agreement] achievable. The central banks would not even need to create additional money for this. It would be sufficient to replace expiring assets from previous purchase programs with new types of "Green Climate Bonds."</blockquote><p>A May 2020 <a href="https://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/press-release-study-pandemic-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study</a> by the World Future Council estimated the cost of a global "climate bailout" at a relatively modest $175 million per year, resulting in a one-third reduction in worldwide carbon emissions by the end of the decade.</p><p>"We need to start thinking about how to practically finance a Green New Deal and a swift transition to 100% <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a>, and central banks should start playing a proactive role," wrote Kroll. "Let's treat the climate emergency as what it is, and let's bail out the climate, too!"</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/23/time-cut-dirty-energys-lifeline-report-details-how-fossil-fuel-industry-feasted" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Fridays for Future climate activists demonstrate in Bonn, Germany on Sept. 25, 2020. Roberto Pfeil / picture alliance via Getty Images
Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere hit a new record in 2019 and have continued climbing this year, despite lockdowns and other measures to curb the pandemic, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday, citing preliminary data.
<p>Levels of carbon dioxide, a product of burning fossil fuels that <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/are-international-pledges-bold-enough-to-stop-global-warming/a-41343653" target="_blank">contribute to global warming</a>, peaked at 410.5 parts per million in 2019, according to the WMO. The annual increase is larger than the previous year and surpasses the average over the last decade.</p><p>"Such a rate of increase has never been seen in the history of our records," WMO Secretary-General professor Petteri Taalas said, referring to increases since 2015 and urging for a "sustained flattening of the (emissions) curve."</p>
<h2>Lockdown Drops Just a 'Blip'</h2><p>The Geneva-based UN agency noted that shutdowns, border closures, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/to-fly-or-not-to-fly-the-environmental-cost-of-air-travel/a-42090155" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">flight groundings</a> and other restrictions had cut emissions of many pollutants and <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/our-addiction-to-growth-is-harming-the-climate/a-41429203" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.</a></p><p>As pandemic measures peaked earlier this year, daily CO2 output dropped 17% below last year's mean level, preliminary results of the WMO's main annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin found.</p><p>But the WMO warned against complacency and said the global plunge in industrial activities due to the pandemic had <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/will-it-soon-be-too-late-to-save-the-climate/a-49889771" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">not restricted record concentrations of the greenhouse gases</a> that are trapping heat in the atmosphere, increasing temperatures, triggering sea levels to rise and prompting extreme weather.</p><p>"The lockdown-related fall in emissions is just a tiny blip on the long-term graph," WMO chief Petteri Taalas said.</p>
<p>The annual impact was expected to be a drop of between 4.2% and 7.5%. But according to the WMO, this will not cause concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere to decrease and warned the impact on concentrations was "no bigger than the normal year to year fluctuations."</p><p>Worldwide data is not yet available for 2020 but the trend of surging concentrations appears to be intact, the group said, citing initial readings from its Tasmania and Hawaii stations.</p>
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<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/un-greenhouse-gas-levels-hit-record-high-despite-lockdowns/a-55698828" target="_blank">DW</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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Climate Action Nonprofit Launches Campaign Pressuring PR and Ad Firms to Drop Fossil Fuel Clients
23 November
Climate
An aerial view shows pumpjacks in the South Belridge Oil Field on April 24, 2020 near McKittrick, California. David McNew / Getty Images
By Julia Conley
A new campaign unveiled this weekend by the nonprofit organization Fossil Free Media aims to expand on the goals of the fossil fuel divestment movement, cutting into oil and gas companies' profit margins through their public relations and ad campaigns.
<p>Along with the support fossil fuel giants get from Wall Street, the industry has been propped up for decades by PR and advertising agencies that aren't always transparent about their relationships with companies including Shell, Exxon, and BP.</p><p>"PR and ad agencies pollute the airwaves so that fossil fuel companies can pollute the atmosphere," <a href="https://www.cleancreatives.org/news/clean-creatives-campaign-calls-on-pr-and-ad-agencies-to-stop-working-with-fossil-fuel-clients" target="_blank">said</a> Duncan Meisel, campaign manager for Fossil Free Media's project, titled Clean Creatives. "The spread of climate misinformation can be directly traced back to firms with names like WPP, Omnicom, and Edelman. As long as they continue to engage in polluter relations, these firms will be one of our greatest barriers to climate progress. It's time for PR and ad agencies to come clean."</p><p>Fossil fuel companies have spent more than <a href="https://grist.org/energy/big-oil-spent-3-6-billion-on-climate-ads-and-its-working/" target="_blank">$3.6 billion</a> on advertising since the 1990s, increasingly focusing their efforts on convincing the public that they're concerned about the climate crisis and committed to "sustainability" even as they continue extracting planet-heating oil and gas. </p><p>Tens of millions of dollars also go into advertising by industry groups like the American Petroleum Institute (API), which paid PR firm Edelman<a href="https://www.cleancreatives.org/news/clean-creatives-campaign-calls-on-pr-and-ad-agencies-to-stop-working-with-fossil-fuel-clients" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> $327.4 million</a> between 2008 and 2017.</p><p>Clean Creatives' campaign will be a multi-pronged one, engaging directly with PR and ad firms as well as the creative artists who work for them—often helping to prop up the reputations of companies whose work is <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/2167/energy.aspx" target="_blank">increasingly unpopular </a>with the public—non-fossil fuel clients, and lawmakers.</p><p>The campaign "will be reaching out to creatives directly, including high profile directors and artists...who likely feel conflicted making propaganda for oil and gas companies," Clean Creatives said.</p>
<div id="1dcf1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d5e39a5a3812bc2589ba8aa0563756e0"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330177734799208465" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">PR and ad companies' work for the fossil fuel industry is pushing the planet past the breaking point.… https://t.co/wOuDBM26ne</div> — Clean Creatives (@Clean Creatives)<a href="https://twitter.com/cleancreatives/statuses/1330177734799208465">1605974060.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>At its website, Clean Creatives urged creative artists in the PR and ad industries to <a href="https://www.cleancreatives.org/creatives" target="_blank">take a pledge</a> stating, "We are the heart of our industry, and our best brands want creatives that will help them find their purpose and make a difference—not take their money and then sit down with the biggest polluters on the planet."</p><p>"Sign the pledge if you are committed to using your power for good, not fossil fuels," the website reads.</p><p>The campaign will run targeted ads on LinkedIn and other social media to find employees who are willing to sign the pledge. </p><p>Clean Creatives will also expose the fossil fuel companies that major ad and PR agencies work with—information that often isn't made public by the agencies.</p><p>"Despite their sustainability goals and past pledges to stop working with climate deniers, nearly all of the world's largest PR and ad firms continue to work with fossil fuel industry clients," said Jamie Henn, founder of Fossil Free Media and producer of the Clean Creatives campaign. "WPP does business with Shell and Chevron, Omnicom's BBDO does much of ExxonMobil's advertising, Ogilvy runs branding exercises for BP. Our campaign will expose the depth and breadth of these relationships." </p>
<p>As the relationships are made public, Clean Creatives will engage with other clients who work with the agencies, calling on them to withhold their business unless they stop "spinning fossil fuel industry propaganda."</p><p>"Clean Creatives will be circulating a business sign-on letter via networks like the American Sustainable Business Council and the Ceres BICEP Network (Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy) in the coming days," the group said.</p><p>Fossil Free Media was encouraged recently by global PR firm Porter Novelli, which announced it would cut ties with the American Public Gas Association (APGA) at the end of the year after 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/when-creatives-turn-destructive-image-makers-and-the-climate-crisis" target="_blank">wrote </a>about the relationship in <em>The New Yorker</em> in an article published Saturday. </p><p>Starting in 2017, the firm helped the APGA develop a campaign called "Natural Gas Genius," the message of which "was 'I choose natural gas to live better,' and the firm found a mid-tier Instagram influencer to help disseminate it."</p><blockquote>According to the APGA, the campaign's "target audience is homeowners who are looking to buy or renovate a home in the next five years. We are confident in the ability of this new type of message that speaks to the emotional aspect of natural gas, to help us achieve our goal of increasing consumer consideration of natural gas direct use in their homes."<br></blockquote><blockquote>That is, they were trying to do the opposite of what climate science suggests. If you're buying a new home or renovating an old one, you can install an electric air-source heat pump instead of a gas boiler. It will heat (and also cool) your home effectively and cheaply, and produce far fewer greenhouse gases in the process. You can also install, instead of a gas stove, an induction cooktop—an appliance whose use is growing rapidly in Asia and Europe.<br></blockquote><p>Responding to McKibben's inquiries, Porter Novelli announced it had "determined our work with the American Public Gas Association is incongruous with our increased focus and priority on addressing climate justice."</p><p>Fossil Free Media applauded the move, and the climate action movement's role in pushing the agency, on social media.</p>
<div id="21b90" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bdc23e69ff18075b4fb5df6d4939b9f5"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330205383848288257" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Porter Novelli isn't some small shop: they've got offices and clients in 60 countries and are part of @Omnicom, the… https://t.co/iw0BCmrdzx</div> — Jamie Henn (@Jamie Henn)<a href="https://twitter.com/jamieclimate/statuses/1330205383848288257">1605980652.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"It's a BIG deal that they're dropping fossil fuel clients—let's make sure it's the drop that starts a flood," wrote Henn. </p>
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A new study finds that glass bottles, particularly ones for carbonated drinks, are worse than plastic for the environment.
bhofack2 / Getty Images
bhofack2 / Getty Images
Glass bottles could have an even bigger impact on the environment than plastic ones, a new study has found.
<p>Researchers at the University of Southampton in England set out to determine which common beverage containers cause the most and least harm to the environment. They found that glass is actually more detrimental than plastic because it is mined from rare materials and requires more <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a> to produce and ship.</p><p>"It might come as a surprise, but glass bottles actually ranked last in our analysis," study coauthors Alice Brock and Ian Williams wrote in <a href="https://theconversation.com/ranked-the-environmental-impact-of-five-different-soft-drink-containers-149642" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. "You might instinctively reach for a glass bottle to avoid buying a plastic alternative, but glass takes more resources and energy to produce."</p><p>In a study published in <a href="https://digital.detritusjournal.com/articles/in-press/life-cycle-assessment-of-beverage-packaging/368" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Detritus</a>, Brock and Williams investigated the most and least impactful container options for three beverage types: milk, fruit juice and pressurized fizzy drinks. In order to determine each container's impact, Brock and Williams conducted life cycle assessments and compared the containers based on several indicators of environmental harm, including their contribution to global warming, depletion of resources and impact on human health and terrestrial and marine environments.</p>
<p>For each type of beverage, Brock and Williams were then able to rank the containers from most to least harmful.</p><ol><li>Fizzy Drinks: Glass bottles were the most harmful and 100 percent recycled aluminum cans were the least. In between, from most to least impactful, came recycled glass bottles, plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and non-recycled aluminum cans.</li><li>Fruit Juice: Glass bottles were again the most harmful and <a href="https://www.tetrapak.com/solutions/packaging" target="_blank">Tetra Paks</a> were the least. In between came recycled glass bottles and PET bottles.</li><li>Milk: Glass was the most impactful and cartons were the least. In between were recycled glass bottles and high-density polythene (HDPE) plastic bottles.</li></ol><p>While each beverage category had a least impactful option, the researchers noted that even the minimally impactful choices still caused harm. Non-recycled aluminum cans, for example, ranked high for having toxic impacts on marine environments despite being the second-least impactful fizzy drink container type overall.</p>
<p><br>"All beverage packaging that we assessed showed some form of environmental impacts and both the milk carton and Tetra Pak, despite being less impactful than the plastic bottles, still contain plastic elements," Brock said in a University of Southampton press release emailed to EcoWatch. "Based on the evidence, society needs to move away from single-use beverage packaging in order to reduce environmental harm and embrace the regular everyday use of reusable containers as standard practice."</p><p>That said, there is a difference between the most and least impactful options. Glass bottles contributed about 95 percent more to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> than aluminum cans, the study authors noted in The Conversation. Still, Brock and Williams said the message of their research went beyond individual consumer choice.</p><p>"We hope our study will help inform public and commercial debate over the suitability of some types of packaging that we all use in our daily lives and lead to swift and decisive changes in the drinks industry to find more environmentally friendly alternatives as a matter of some urgency," Williams said in the press release.</p>
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Activists Are Alarmed as Biden Picks White House Official Who Took Fossil Fuel Money
18 November
Politics
President-elect Joe Biden is greeted by U.S. Congressman Cedric Richmond, D-LA, as he arrives in Columbus, Georgia, on October 27, 2020. Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images
President-elect Joe Biden is starting to assemble his White House team, and one of his picks has already alarmed climate activists.
<p>Biden has chosen Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond as a senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/us/politics/cedric-richmond-biden.html" target="_blank">The New York Times reported Tuesday</a>. As part of his role, Richmond will reportedly serve as a liaison between climate activists and business interests, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/16/louisiana-congressman-to-join-biden-administration-436903" target="_blank">POLITICO</a>. However, <a href="https://www.dailyposter.com/p/news-bidens-first-climate-appointment" target="_blank">The Daily Poster</a> noted that Richmond has received $341,000 in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> money during his 10 years in Congress.</p><p>"[T]oday feels like a betrayal, because one of President-elect Biden's very first hires for his new administration has taken more donations from the fossil fuel industry during his congressional career than nearly any other Democrat, cozied up to Big Oil and Gas, and stayed silent and ignored meeting with organizations in his own community while they suffered from toxic pollution and sea-level rise," <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/?ms=SunriseMovement" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> Executive Director Varshini Prakash said in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/17/today-feels-betrayal-sunrise-movement-blasts-biden-pick-big-oil-backed-cedric" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Common Dreams</a>. "That's a mistake, and it's an affront to young people who made President-elect Biden's victory possible."</p><p>The Sunrise Movement made contact with 3.5 million young voters in swing states, and now wants to leverage its get-out-the-vote efforts to hold Biden accountable to his promise to act on the climate crisis, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/16/joe-biden-climate-crisis-ennvironment-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian reported Monday</a>. Biden has called climate an "existential threat" and promised a $2 trillion plan to create millions of jobs while transitioning to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a>. Since winning the election, Biden has also made climate change a priority on his <a href="https://buildbackbetter.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">transition website</a>.</p>
<p>However, Richmond's appointment concerned activists who are worried it signals that fossil fuel interests will have an outsized say in Biden's administration.</p><p>"If Joe Biden continues making corporate-friendly appointments to his White House, he will risk quickly fracturing the hard-earned goodwill his team built with progressives to defeat Donald Trump," Justice Democrats executive director Alexandra Rojas said in a statement, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-16/cedric-richmond-to-leave-congress-join-biden-white-house?sref=PqmVp1JY" target="_blank">Bloomberg News</a> reported.</p><p>Richmond, who represents much of New Orleans, has received the fifth highest amount of money from the oil and gas industry of all House Democrats, according to The Daily Poster. That includes $40,000 from ExxonMobil and $10,000 each from Chevron, Phillips 66 and Valero Energy.</p>
<p>Richmond has also broken with the Democratic Party to support increased fossil fuel exports and oppose pollution restrictions on fracking. Further, he voted in favor of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/526405-progressive-group-slams-biden-white-house-pick-over-fossil-fuels" target="_blank">The Hill reported</a>.</p><p>Rep. A. <a href="https://thehill.com/people/aston-donale-mceachin" target="_blank">Donald McEachin</a> (D-Va.) defended Richmond's actions, arguing that he had been trying to preserve jobs for his constituents.</p><p>"That's the tragedy that Americans up to now have been faced with, that it's either fossil fuel jobs or bad-paying jobs. His district has been dependent on fossil fuels," McEachin told The Hill.</p><p>However, New Orleans and Louisiana have also disproportionately suffered from the impacts of the fossil fuel industry. Richmond represents seven of the 10 U.S. census tracts with the worst <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" target="_self">air pollution</a>, The Daily Poster reported. And <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricanes" target="_self">hurricanes</a> like Katrina have <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-hurricanes-wetter-2619851055.html" target="_self">become more extreme</a> because of climate change.</p><p>In response to activist criticism, the Biden-Harris transition team reaffirmed its commitment to climate action.</p><p>"The incoming White House staff members are committed to building an administration that will tackle the climate crisis and fight for environmental justice," an official told The Hill.</p>
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47 faith institutions from 21 countries have announced they would divest from fossil fuels. acilo / Getty Images
By Julia Conley
Climate action campaigners applauded Monday after 47 faith institutions from 21 countries announced they would divest from fossil fuels, marking the largest-ever joint divestment by religious leaders in history.
<p>Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, gave credit to campaigners in the fossil fuel divestment movement, who in recent years have pressured banks, universities, and other entities to cut financial ties with the fossil fuel sector in an effort to help mitigate the planetary emergency.</p>
<div id="9fc4f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="01a8829cd51fcdca1a5618e4a8da75bd"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1328331527726501889" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Huge news: 47 major faith institutions from 21 countries divest from fossil fuels!! This wave keeps building! Thank… https://t.co/iZ83l2Tjlt</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/1328331527726501889">1605533890.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"While government leaders cling to the economic models of yesterday, faith leaders are looking ahead to the energy future we share," said 350.org, noting that the G20 summit is set to begin this coming weekend under Saudi Arabia's leadership, two months after G20 energy ministers<a href="https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/09/29/saudi-led-g20-energy-statement-backs-fossil-fuel-bailouts/" target="_blank"> released a statement </a>rubber-stamping fossil fuel bailouts amid the coronavirus pandemic.</p><p>"With renewables now growing at a faster pace than fossil fuels," the group noted, "institutional investors are increasingly moving toward sustainable investments in the clean energy economy. Faith investors help lead this movement, constituting the single-largest source of divestment in the world, making up one-third of all commitments. To date, nearly 400 religious institutions have committed to divest."</p><p>The institutions which <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/11/16/faith-institutions-announce-largest-ever-joint-divestment-fossil-fuels?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">announced </a>their divestment <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TQe-U42Y6yftFWCJJLihVHqfJ-nK3Ov1M5IRrPxi4EE/edit#gid=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">include</a> the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union, Irish religious order the Sisters of Our Lady Apostles, the American Jewish World Service, and the Claretian Missionaries in Sri Lanka. Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish organizations joined the coalition. </p>
<div id="65fa5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="87e1e1f1aeaf53fe7349a848b7370c50"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1328246546580852737" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Catholics, Protestants, and Jewish people unite for a better future. Today, 47 faith institutions from 21 countries… https://t.co/ITVio1uKpK</div> — 350 dot org (@350 dot org)<a href="https://twitter.com/350/statuses/1328246546580852737">1605513628.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"Today's announcement demonstrates that people of many faith traditions are committed to a better future in clean energy," 350.org said in a<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/11/16/faith-institutions-announce-largest-ever-joint-divestment-fossil-fuels?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank"> statement, </a>noting that under Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has gone to new lengths to end its own participation in the polluting of the Earth.</p><p>The Pope is convening an "Economy of Francesco" conference <a href="https://francescoeconomy.org/" target="_blank">beginning</a> on Thursday, at which leaders and young climate action campaigners will discuss ways for the Church to help develop a sustainable world economy. </p><p>"The economic power of faiths, turned to responsible investments and the green economy, can be a major driver of positive change, and an inspiration to others, as we rebuild better," said Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program and under secretary-general of the United Nations.</p>
<p>The American Jewish World Service said it had decided to divest from fossil fuels earlier this year.</p><p>The decision allows the organization, CEO Robert Bank said, to "align fully how we invest our funds with our global grantmaking to combat climate change and secure climate justice for the most vulnerable people in the world, ensuring that we live our Jewish values and take up our enduring commitment to repair our broken world."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/16/huge-news-nearly-four-dozen-faith-institutions-announce-divestment-fossil-fuels?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Michigan Governor Moves to Prevent Great Lakes Oil Spill by Shutting Down Aging Pipeline
16 November
Energy
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer Celebrates Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week, on Aug. 14, 2020. Michigan EGLE / YouTube
Enbridge's aging Line 5 pipeline may finally be forced into retirement.
<p>Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Eichinger informed Enbridge Friday that they were revoking the Canadian company's easement to run twin <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pipelines" target="_self">pipelines</a> under the Straits of Mackinac, which divide Lakes Michigan and Huron, the <a href="https://eu.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/11/13/whitmer-revoke-enbridge-line-5-oil-pipeline-easement/6277027002/" target="_blank">Detroit Free Press reported</a>.</p><p>"Here in Michigan, the Great Lakes define our borders, but they also define who we are as people," Whitmer said in a statement reported by the Detroit Free Press. "Enbridge has routinely refused to take action to protect our Great Lakes and the millions of Americans who depend on them for clean <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drinking-water" target="_self">drinking water</a> and good jobs."</p><p>The Line 5 pipeline has carried <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a> beneath the Straits since 1953, when it was granted an easement to do so by the state of Michigan. It currently carries 23 million gallons of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-and-gas" target="_self">oil and gas</a> each day through Michigan's Upper Peninsula, splits in two to transport it beneath the lakes and then carries it in another single pipeline through the Lower Peninsula into Ontario.</p>
<p>Whitmer argued that Enbridge had violated the terms of the easement by ignoring structural problems that increased the risk of a devastating <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-spill" target="_self">oil spill</a> in the Lakes. For example, Enbridge was aware that a section of the underwater coating on the twin pipelines was damaged in 2014 but did not inform the state for three years. Whitmer is giving the company until May of 2021 to cease operations in the Straits.</p><p>At the same time, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a complaint in Ingham County Circuit Court asking the judge to uphold the governor's action, <a href="https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/11/enbridge-line-5-ordered-shut-down-by-michigan-gov-whitmer.html" target="_blank">Michigan Live reported</a>.</p><p>Whitmer contends that the pipelines violate the "public trust" doctrine, which entrusts Michigan with protecting the bottom of the Great Lakes for its residents.</p>
<p>"Transporting millions of gallons of petroleum products each day through two 67-year old pipelines that lie exposed in the Straits below uniquely vulnerable and busy shipping lanes presents an extraordinary, unreasonable threat to public rights because of the very real risk of further anchor strikes and other external impacts to the Pipelines, the inherent risks of pipeline operations, and the foreseeable, catastrophic effects if an oil spill occurs at the Straits," the notice she sent to the company read.<br></p><p>Enbridge, however, countered that the pipelines remained safe.</p><p>"This notice and the report from Michigan Department of Natural Resources are a distraction from the fundamental facts," Enbridge Liquids Pipelines Executive Vice President and President Vern Yu said in a statement reported by Michigan Live.</p><p>Alberta Premier Jason Kenney also opposed the move.</p><p>"The impact of this would be devastating," Kenney said, as <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7464389/enbridge-line-5-pipeline-michigan/" target="_blank">Global News reported</a>. "It is the single largest supply of gasoline ultimately in southern Ontario, for aviation fuel out of the Detroit airport, for heating fuel in northern Michigan, for the refineries in northern Ohio that fuel much of the midwest U.S. economy, so this is a very very big deal."</p>
<p>However, environmental groups, who have long raised alarms about the pipeline, praised Whitmer's decision.</p><p>"Line 5 should have never been built in the first place," Mike Shriberg, regional executive director of the <a href="https://www.nwf.org/great-lakes" target="_blank">National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes Regional Center</a>, told the Detroit Free Press. "Gov. Whitmer is now bravely, and correctly, standing up for the Great Lakes. This is a legacy-defining action by the governor. She is standing on the side not only of clean water, but clean energy and the jobs that go along with the transition to a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/renewable-energy" target="_self">renewable energy</a> economy."</p><p>The National Wildlife Federation <a href="https://blog.nwf.org/2020/11/a-win-a-decade-in-the-making-governor-whitmer-moves-to-shut-down-line-5/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">noted</a> that another Enbridge pipeline was responsible in 2010 for one of the worst inland oil spills in U.S. history, when its Line 6b spilled more than one million gallons of tar sands into 40 miles of the Kalamazoo River.</p>
<p>Whitmer's action will not immediately affect <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/enbridge-line-5-replacement-2609955963.html" target="_self">plans to replace</a> Line 5 with a new pipeline to be installed in a tunnel drilled into the bedrock beneath the Straits, according to Global News. The deal to build the replacement was struck between Enbridge and Whitmer's predecessor Republican Rick Snyder. However, Enbridge is still in the process of seeking state and federal permits for the project.</p><p>Environmental groups oppose the replacement as well, arguing that the Great Lakes would be vulnerable to spills during the seven to 10 year construction process and that there are better ways to meet Michigan's energy needs. Now, Shriberg argued that Whitmer's shutdown of the existing pipelines would bolster the case of those who oppose their replacement.</p><p>"Enbridge could still go ahead with their current tunnel proposal, but it's going to be much harder to prove to regulators there's a need if Line 5 is already shut down," he told the Detroit Free Press.</p>
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A member of the Tsitts Gitanee clan of the Haida Nation on Haida Gwaii, Haana Edenshaw, 16, is one of 15 Canadian youth suing the Canadian government for its contributions to climate change. Brower Youth Awards / YouTube
By Martin Kuebler
More than 700 climate lawsuits have been filed around the world since 2015, according to the Climate Change Litigation Databases. That's a huge increase, considering there have only been about 1,700 of these types of cases since the late 1980s, most of them in the U.S.
<p>In a recent long-running case, the Dutch Supreme Court — citing the European Convention on Human Rights — <a href="https://www.urgenda.nl/wp-content/uploads/ENG-Dutch-Supreme-Court-Urgenda-v-Netherlands-20-12-2019.pdf" target="_blank">ruled in favor of environmental group the Urgenda Foundation</a> and 900 citizens and ordered the Dutch government to reduce its greenhouse emissions by at least 25% by the end of 2020. A few months later, the government announced €3 billion ($3.5 billion) in measures to drastically cut coal use and fund renewable energy projects.</p><p>Urgenda director Marjan Minnesma called it "an enormous win," telling The Guardian that the move would show "it is possible to use the law as a strategic instrument for change."<br></p><p>Here's an overview of this tactic, and others, that environmentalists are using to force climate action.</p>
<h2>1. Defending Human Rights</h2><p>UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet believes the Urgenda case will set a precedent. "This landmark ruling provides a clear path forward for concerned individuals in Europe — and around the world — to undertake climate litigation in order to protect human rights," she said after the decision. The International Bar Association even released <a href="https://www.ibanet.org/Climate-Change-Model-Statute.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a model statute for such cases</a> challenging government failure to act on climate change in early 2020.</p><p>Citizen groups have filed similar human rights cases in several EU countries over the past five years, including in <a href="https://notreaffaireatous.org/press-release-two-million-signatures-in-support-of-french-climate-litigation-case-of-the-century/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">France</a>, <a href="https://www.klimaatzaak.eu/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Belgium</a> and <a href="https://www.climatecaseireland.ie/amidst-a-climate-and-biodiversity-crisis-hope-emerges-friends-of-the-irish-environment-win-historic-climate-case-ireland-in-the-irish-supreme-court/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ireland</a> — the latter decided in the activists' favor in July 2020.</p><p>In February 2020, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/activists-head-to-germanys-top-court-to-protect-the-climate/a-52008252" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a group of nine young Germans led by Fridays for Future activist Luisa Neubauer</a> filed a human rights challenge to Germany's Federal Climate Protection Act (KSG). They're arguing that these targets — which aim to reduce emissions by 55% over the next decade — don't go far enough.</p><p>And in September 2020, six young Portuguese activists between the ages of 8 and 21 <a href="https://youth4climatejustice.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">launched an unprecedented climate case</a> at the European Court of Human Rights against the 27 EU member states, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/portugal-youthprotest-legal-humanrights-emissions-strasbourg-climatechange/a-54799620" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Backed by the Global Legal Action Network</a>, their aim is to force the nations to respect the 2015 Paris climate agreement and cut their emissions at home and abroad, where their multinational companies operate.</p><p>With many of the cases still ongoing, it's too soon for activists to know whether their strategy will prove successful in the long run. But they say wins in Ireland and the Netherlands have given them hope.</p>
<h2>2. Standing up for Indigenous Rights</h2><p>Another strategy focuses on the violation of Indigenous rights and racial discrimination, arguing that climate change exacerbates these contentious issues.</p><p>In November 2020, a group of political parties backed by NGOs <a href="http://climatecasechart.com/non-us-case/brazilian-socialist-party-and-others-v-brazil/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">filed a complaint against the Brazilian government</a> for alleged failures to curb deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, a major contributor to climate change. They argue that government inaction has "violated the fundamental rights of Indigenous peoples" present and future. The case was in part inspired by a <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/colombias-top-court-orders-government-to-protect-amazon-for-future-generations/a-43288343" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2018 ruling by Colombia's highest court</a>, which found that the Colombian rainforest was entitled to "protection, conservation, maintenance and restoration."</p><p>Earlier in 2020, <a href="http://climatecasechart.com/non-us-case/gagnon-et-al-v-her-majesty-the-queen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">representatives of the Wet'suwet'en Indigenous group in British Columbia</a> filed a legal challenge against the Canadian government for failing to meet its commitments under several climate accords since the late 1980s.<br></p><p>"None of Canada's international commitments […] even if met, would have or will enable it to make its equitable contribution to reducing global warming to non-catastrophic levels," they said, arguing that this failure had breached their constitutional and human rights.</p><p>Legal challenges by Indigenous groups have met with less success over the years, especially in North America. But as the effects of climate change become more apparent, that could change.</p>
<h2>3. Holding Major Polluters to Account</h2><p>Activists and municipalities, especially in the U.S., are increasingly targeting major oil and gas companies directly, aiming in some cases to use awarded fines to fund climate mitigation plans.</p><p>In early 2018, New York City took five of the world's largest oil companies — BP, Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC — to court for billions of dollars in compensation for the effects of climate change. Referencing devastation caused by <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/power-outages-fuel-scarcity-slow-sandy-recovery/a-16351569" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hurricane Sandy in 2012</a>, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city was seeking damages to fund climate-resilient infrastructure and heat mitigation measures.</p><p>"The city is standing up and saying we will take our own action to protect our people," he told reporters. A federal judge threw out the lawsuit later that year, though the city has launched an appeal.</p><p>Local cases like these have also gone international. In 2015, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/peruvian-farmer-takes-on-german-energy-giant-rwe/a-51546216" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Peruvian farmer Saul Luciano Lliuya</a> filed a claim against German electricity producer RWE, alleging it had "willingly and knowingly" contributed to climate change and was responsible for increased flooding caused by glacial melt near his mountain home. He has asked the court to order RWE to reimburse him for 0.47% of the costs he is expected to incur for flood protection — RWE's estimated share in global total emissions from 1751 to 2010.</p><p>"Fossil fuel companies, like tobacco companies before them, have allowed governments to pay for the harms caused by their products," Korey Silverman-Roati, a climate law fellow at the Sabin Center, told Bloomberg in a recent interview. "As climate harms and costs continue to rise, more jurisdictions are likely to attempt to recoup their costs in court, and the pressure on courts to apportion those costs in a just way will only grow."</p>
<h2>4. Protecting Livelihoods</h2><p>Chevron, Exxon Mobil and other fossil fuel companies are tied up in another climate case on the U.S. West Coast, where a fishing industry trade group took them to court in late 2018 for damaging their "productive livelihood and way of life."</p><p>The fishers <a href="http://climatecasechart.com/case/pacific-coast-federation-of-fishermens-associations-inc-v-chevron-corp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">allege the oil giants have contributed to increased ocean temperatures</a> which have led to prolonged closures of the Dungeness crab fisheries, "the most lucrative and reliable fisheries on the West Coast."</p><p>Also in 2018, a group of families from across the EU, Kenya and Fiji <a href="https://peoplesclimatecase.caneurope.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">filed a lawsuit against the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union</a> for failing to protect citizens from the impacts of climate change and the threat to their livelihood.</p><p>Among the plaintiffs are lavender farmers from France, beekeepers in Portugal, an Italian family who works in the Alpine winter tourism industry and a group of Indigenous Sami youth from Sweden, who fear their reindeer herding culture is at risk. The group claims the EU's existing climate targets don't protect fundamental "rights to life, health, occupation and property."</p><p>The goal of court cases like this isn't always to win — in fact, the plaintiffs in the EU case aren't seeking compensation. Stefan Küper, press spokesperson for the NGO Germanwatch, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/families-hit-by-climate-change-sue-the-eu/a-43933608" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told DW</a> that such cases "draw attention to the issue and show other people suffering from the negative impacts of climate change that they are not alone."</p>
<h2>5. Influencing Climate Investments</h2><p>But financial incentives are still a proven path to success, as seen most recently in <a href="https://rest.com.au/why-rest/about-rest/news/rest-reaches-settlement-with-mark-mcveigh" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a landmark case in Australia</a> where a $41 billion pension fund was sued by a fund member for investing in fossil fuels, an increasingly risky venture. The case was settled in early November 2020, with the pension fund pledging to achieve a "net zero carbon footprint for the fund by 2050."</p><p>Analysts expect the case to spur similar litigation around the world. "If investors are legally required to apply a climate risk lens to their portfolios, this could, for example, result in a significant reduction in investments in fossil fuels, many of which are already being viewed as stranded assets in a low-carbon future," said David Barnden, of the law firm that argued the case.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/5-legal-tactics-environmentalists-are-using-to-fight-climate-change/a-55593003?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank">DW</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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'Finally': In Potential Nod To Biden Win, Federal Reserve Applies To Join Climate Network for Central Banks
12 November
Climate
Jerome Powell (R) takes the oath of office as he is sworn-in as the new chairman of the Federal Reserve (FED) by Randal Quarles (L) vice chair for supervision, at the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, DC on Feb. 5, 2018. SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
In a decision seen by some as a subtle acknowledgement of President-elect Joe Biden's victory even as President Donald Trump still refuses to concede, the Federal Reserve has applied to join what Bloomberg called "the climate change club for central banks," a group that requires participation in the Paris climate agreement.
<p>"We have requested membership. I expect that it will be granted," Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Randal Quarles said during a Senate Banking Committee hearing Tuesday, Bloomberg reported. Quarles added that the Fed may become a member of the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) before its annual meeting in April.</p><p>Launched in late 2017, the NGFS sets out to bolster the world's efforts to meet the goals of the Paris agreement and "to enhance the role of the financial system to manage risks and to mobilize capital for green and low-carbon investments in the broader context of environmentally sustainable development," <a href="https://www.ngfs.net/en/about-us/governance/origin-and-purpose" target="_blank">according to</a> its website.</p>
<p>The primary <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement" target="_blank">goal</a> of the Paris deal, which took effect in 2016, is to "strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius."</p><p>Just over a year ago, the Trump administration began the one-year process of withdrawing the United States from the agreement; the U.S. exit <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/04/us-officially-quits-paris-accord-amid-election-uncertainty-progressives-say-make" target="_blank">became official</a> last week, the day after the general election. While Biden has vowed to rejoin the deal, progressives around the world are urging him to go far beyond that and serve as a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/09/biden-urged-be-climatepresident-taking-these-10-game-changing-steps-first-10-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">#ClimatePresident</a>.</p><p>Bloomberg's Akshat Rathi suggested on Twitter Wednesday that by seeking NGFS membership, "the Fed tacitly accepts that Biden has won the presidency."<br></p>
<div id="3e95e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="661730efd6d56c7910fb7cbd0e3b7a48"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1326502869382651905" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Um... the Fed tacitly accepts that Biden has won the presidency.
Fed has requested membership of the NGFS, which… https://t.co/lO1Z0l6gQU</div> — Akshat Rathi (@Akshat Rathi)<a href="https://twitter.com/AkshatRathi/statuses/1326502869382651905">1605097903.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Although Biden's win may be a factor, earlier this year, before the U.S. officially ditched the Paris agreement, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell suggested the country could join the NGFS, Newsweek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/federal-reserve-acknowledge-joe-biden-election-win-1546678" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">noted</a> Wednesday.</p><p>"We have been looking at joining in one form or another and talking to them about that," Powell said in late January. "We probably will do that at some point."</p><p>According to Newsweek:</p><blockquote>Powell's remarks led to some speculation the Trump administration might alter its approach to climate change, with the <em>Financial Times</em> reporting on January 31 that some at the Fed had been privately pushing for membership of the banking group.<br>"The Fed's interest is another sign of the importance of the work of the NGFS," Bank of France governor François Villeroy de Galhau told the <em>FT</em> at the time. "It's a coalition of the willing. Climate risk is clearly a part of financial risk."</blockquote><p>Quarles' comments about NGFS membership came a day after the Fed formally acknowledged for the first time that climate change potentially threatens the stability of the financial system and urged banks "to have systems in place that appropriately identify, measure, control, and monitor all of their material risks, which for many banks are likely to extend to climate risks."</p><p>"The Federal Reserve is evaluating and investing in ways to deepen its understanding of the full scope of implications of climate change for markets, financial exposures, and interconnections between markets and financial institutions," the central bank said in its semiannual <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/financial-stability-report.htm" target="_blank">report</a> on financial stability.</p>
<p>Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/10/fed-climate-change-risk-435685" target="_blank">pointed out</a> that the report followed related comments by Powell and was welcomed by another key leader at the Fed:</p><blockquote>Powell said last week that the "science and art" of incorporating climate change into financial regulation is new but that the Fed is "very actively in the early stages" of getting up to speed and working with officials around the world.<br>"I welcome the introduction of climate" into the semiannual report, Fed Governor Lael Brainard, who heads the central bank's financial stability committee, said in a statement. "A lack of clarity about true exposures to specific climate risks for real and financial assets, coupled with differing assessments about the sizes and timing of these risks, can create vulnerabilities to abrupt repricing events."</blockquote><p>Alan Zibel, research director of Public Citizen's Corporate Presidency Project, which focuses on corporate influence and conflicts of interest in the Trump administration, also praised the Fed's inclusion of climate risk in the analysis but noted that it "is a latecomer to this party and is still propping up the oil industry (and other giant corps) through huge purchases of debt."</p>
<p>Public Citizen, Friends of the Earth, and BailoutWatch <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/01/100-billion-lifeline-while-most-americans-are-being-left-behind-report-details" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">released</a> a report in late September titled Big Oil's $100 Billion Bender that showed "how the U.S. government provided a safety net for the flagging fossil fuel industry." The report said the Fed's emergency financing during the Covid-19 pandemic is "forestalling the demise of an industry that has always relied on government largesse."</p><p>Last month, as Common Dreams <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/21/merkley-unveils-pioneering-bills-make-financial-institutions-stop-bankrolling" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation to prevent banks and international financial institutions from financing fossil fuels. David Arkush, director of Public Citizen's Climate Program, declared that he "is showing real leadership by introducing the first-ever bills to cut the money pipeline fueling the climate crisis."</p><p>When unveiling the pair of bills, the senator referenced a September <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/09/while-trump-commission-warns-climate-risk-financial-system-recommendations-fall" target="_blank">report</a> from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission warning that the climate emergency endangers the U.S. financial system. In response to the report, Arkush said that "U.S. financial regulators have the authority to help mitigate the climate crisis, and they need to use it. The best way to protect anything from climate change, whether people in wildfire or flood zones or giant banks, is to stop climate change."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/11/finally-potential-nod-biden-win-federal-reserve-applies-join-climate-network-central" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Trending
The proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline threatens water sources, species habitat, and scenery along the Appalachian Trail. Thomas Cizauskas / Flickr
Opponents of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline won a reprieve Monday when a federal court issued a stay on key permits that the pipeline needs to cross streams and rivers.
<p>The project, which would carry <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/fracking/" target="_self">fracked</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/natural-gas" target="_self">natural gas</a> through around 300 miles of Virginia and West Virginia, was <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/mountain-valley-pipeline-ferc-2648192229.html" target="_self">given a go-ahead</a> in October by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to restart construction along most of its route following years of legal challenges. The pipeline has already racked up at least 350 environmental regulations and $2.26 million in fines. The environmental groups behind the suit noted that the pipeline operators had told investors they wanted to blast through "critical" streams "as quickly as possible before anything is challenged," the <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Center for Biological Diversity</a> (CBD) reported in a press release emailed to EcoWatch.</p>
<p>"Communities along the pipeline route have been on edge these past several weeks as the company has moved in heavy equipment and started doing work, so we're very glad the court pressed pause on this permit while the water-crossing issues are reviewed further," Peter Anderson, Virginia program manager at <a href="https://appvoices.org/" target="_blank">Appalachian Voices</a>, said in the press release.</p><p>CBD and Appalachian Voices are two of the groups behind the lawsuit, along with <a href="https://chesapeakeclimate.org/" target="_blank">Chesapeake Climate Action Network</a>, <a href="http://indiancreekwatershedassociation.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Indian Creek Watershed Association</a>, <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a>, <a href="https://wvhighlands.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">West Virginia Highlands Conservancy</a>, <a href="https://wvrivers.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">West Virginia Rivers Coalition</a> and <a href="https://wildvirginia.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wild Virginia</a>. The coalition was represented by <a href="http://www.appalmad.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Appalachian Mountain Advocates</a>.</p>
<p>The stay is part of a larger challenge brought by the groups to permits issued by the Army Corps of Engineers in September that would allow the pipeline to cross around 1,000 streams, rivers, wetlands and other waterways. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the first two Army Corps permits in 2018, and pipeline opponents hope it will reject the second pair as well.</p><p>The court issued an emergency stay of the permits Oct. 16. Monday's stay will last until the court can make a definitive ruling on the new permits. The environmental groups argue that the new permits violate the Army Corps' responsibility to protect <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species" target="_self">endangered species</a>, <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/mountain-valley-pipeline-construction-blocked-by-fourth-circuit" target="_blank">Bloomberg Law reported</a>.</p>
<p>"This decision will help ensure the pipeline doesn't keep posing catastrophic threats to waterways that people and imperiled species depend on to survive," CBD senior attorney Jared Margolis said in the press release. "Despite the project's clear failure to comply with the law, Mountain Valley keeps pushing this <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate</a>-killing menace. We'll continue working to ensure this destructive pipeline doesn't poison waters and threaten communities along its route."</p><p>The pipeline is being built by Equitrans, NextEra Energy, Consolidated Edison Inc, AltaGas Ltd and RGC Resources Inc, according to <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-usa-energy-pipeline/u-s-court-suspends-key-permits-for-equitrans-mountain-valley-pipeline-idUKKBN27Q0B9" target="_blank">Reuters</a>. Equitrans spokeswoman Natalie Cox said that the stay was disappointing, but that construction would continue along other parts of the route.</p><p>"We are hopeful and expect that once the case is reviewed on the merits of the arguments there will be a different conclusion," Cox told Reuters.</p><p>However, Wild Virginia Conservation Director David Sligh said the stay was a good sign for the pipeline's opponents.</p>
<p>"Convincing a court to stay an agency decision requires plaintiffs to convince the judges that they have a good chance to prove their case after full review," Sligh noted in the press release. "Now, we look forward to doing just that — to show conclusively that the Corps of Engineers abdicated its duty to protect us and our resources."</p><p>Reuters noted that the Mountain Valley Pipeline is one of several <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> pipelines that has been granted approval by the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump-administration" target="_self">Trump administration</a> only to run into delays as environmental and community groups bring legal challenges. When construction on the pipeline began in Feb. 2018, Equitrans estimated it would cost around $3.5 billion and be completed by the end of the year. The price tag has now nearly doubled to as much as $6 billion.</p><p>Another pipeline in the same region, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, was <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/atlantic-coast-pipeline-canceled-2646347475.html" target="_self">canceled</a> by its owners in July following similar opposition and delays.</p><p>"The MVP has already doubled its timeline and budget, and it's not even close to being finished," Joan Walker, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club's Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign, said in the press release. "If they were smart, they would quit throwing good money after bad and walk away from this fracked gas disaster like Duke Energy and Dominion Energy did with the Atlantic Coast Pipeline."</p>
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Phil Roeder / CC BY 2.0
By John R. Platt
Well, that was interesting … and hair-raising. At press time the harrowing presidential race of 2020 remains too close to call, as do a few key congressional and Senate seats. The Senate may not even settle out until January, when Georgia will hold runoff elections and we'll find out which party controls that house of government.
But while we wait — patiently or otherwise — for those votes to be tallied, let's take a moment to step back and look at several big-picture environmental takeaways from the election season.
<h3>1. Climate Change Came Calling</h3><p>Despite the lack of real policy debate — let's face it, this was less an election of ideas and more a contest of ideologies — <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate</a> change played an unexpected and thankful role. That started most noticeably in the unannounced climate question during the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/30/presidential-debate-climate-crisis-question-trump-biden-analysis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first presidential debate</a>. After that several <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/us/elections/biden-leans-into-climate-change-with-two-new-ads.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">political ads</a> made climate an issue, and some Democrats stumped on it. We didn't see any speeches <em>solely </em>about climate, but Biden and Harris brought it up strongly several times during the last days of the campaign.</p><p>And yes, the very real risks of climate change played a role in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/01/climate/polls-what-voters-think-climate-global-warming.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">driving people to the polls</a>. A survey conducted last month found that 58% of Americans were either "very concerned" or "somewhat concerned" about the threats of climate change. That included 90% of voters who favored Biden at the time. Biden and Harris spoke to that, and voters listened. Life lesson: When you talk about and take seriously issues that affect peoples' lives, they lend you their ears.</p><p>This growing support for climate action means that if Trump ultimately wins reelection, and then continues to ignore climate (as he obviously would), there will be prices to pay on the international stage starting in January and again at the polls in 2022.</p>
<h3>2. The Forgotten Crisis</h3><p>But the extinction crisis did not get any real play in this election, even from <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2020/02/21/not-on-the-candidates-radar-the-sixth-great-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">progressive Democrats</a>. Considering the oversized role of wildlife trafficking in the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, preserving <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity">biodiversity</a> will need to become a major policy initiative moving forward.</p><p>Luckily many environmental organizations made this a key call during the campaign, so we can expect to see some progress on this if Biden is confirmed as the next president. (If not, expect more Trump attacks on the Endangered Species Act and other wildlife policies.)</p>
<h3>3. Equality</h3><p>Racial inequality was one of the main themes of the election, but the candidates did little to address income inequality, the <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/political-violence-inequality-us-election?bftwnews&utm_term=4ldqpgc#4ldqpgc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">greatest driver of political and social unrest</a> in this country. If we don't take dramatic action about that soon, it will give further strength to the Proud Boys, QAnon conspiracy junkies and their extremist ilk — and that will spill out into environmental issues like livestock ranching, public lands protection and environmental justice.</p><p>Fortunately the presidential and vice-presidential debates, and Democratic candidates themselves, made a big deal out of other issues related to inequality, such as racism, LGBTQA+ rights and women's rights. Unfortunately, the fact that nearly half the country voted to reelect a racist misogynist — and many other candidates who rode on his coattails — does not bode well for the future. These are all issues that have <a href="https://therevelator.org/racial-environmental-justice/" target="_blank">deep environmental implications</a>, so we as a people and as a country need to do a lot better.</p>
<h3>4. Suppression</h3><p>People like to vote. And record numbers turned out this year, even amidst the pandemic. But who knows how many more votes would have been counted — and how many races would have had different outcomes — if not for the <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/10/29-ways-trump-and-the-gop-are-making-it-harder-to-vote/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">29 Republican techniques for voter suppression</a> used during this election?</p><p>So come on, Republicans, stop trying to prevent our citizens from doing their democratic duty. If you can't play fair, get out of the game. (And while you're at it, stop suppressing science related to pandemics and climate change, 'K?)</p><p>Everyone else: Watch your back. The same Republican-appointed, Federalist Society loyalist judges who have ruled (and may yet rule) on so many of this year's voting lawsuits will soon find cases about climate change and other environmental threats on their dockets.</p>
<h3>5. Fossils</h3><p>The Democratic Party needs to refine its messaging on oil and gas. It's got some decent policies — such as ending subsidies and stopping development on federal land — but that doesn't ease the fears of people terrified by a forced transition in their lives and careers. The evidence is clear that these industries not only harm the planet and peoples' health, they're also failing financially. The faster we transition those jobs, the less pain we'll all feel when oil, gas and coal collapse like a house of cards.</p>
<h3>6. Faux News</h3><p>Speaking more broadly, the media landscape remains hopelessly bifurcated, and that seeds division within the country, reaching from politics to basic information such as COVID-19 safety measures and crises like climate change. That needs to change. To address this issue, education standards should include teaching media literacy — and all adults should be encouraged to learn how to spot disinformation and bias. (It's telling that <a href="https://medialiteracyweek.us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Media Literacy Week 2020</a> was held the week before the election.)</p><p>It's all a bit bigger than this, obviously. Most people self-identify as belonging to — or diverging from — one political party first, then pick the media outlet that supports that worldview. But the right-wing media notoriously spreads more disinformation about environmental issues, so finding a way to break that chokehold will go a long way toward bridging that divide.</p>
<h3>7. Money, Money, Money</h3><p>An obscene amount of money was collected and spent on this election — a record <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/10/cost-of-2020-election-14billion-update/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$14 billion</a>, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks political spending.</p><p>On the one hand, we saw an amazing increase in small, individual donations. That's great.</p><p>But corporations and PACs poured cash into candidates' coffers (either directly or in support of their campaigns), and it felt like most of that went to fund blatantly dishonest campaign ads.</p><p>And what's the ultimate cost of those donations? Will special interests return with their hands out? We'll never know for sure, since most of those dollars (on both sides of the political aisle) are hidden from the public record, although it's certainly happened before. That needs to change if we ever hope to transform this economy and save the planet.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/environmental-takeaways-2020-election/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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The new battery will be double the size of the South Australian one that had been the largest in the world when it was built in 2017 (pictured). Tesla
The Australian state of Victoria will build the largest battery in the Southern Hemisphere to assist in its planned transition to renewable energy.
<p>Victoria has committed to sourcing 50 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-to-build-one-of-the-world-s-biggest-batteries-near-geelong-20201105-p56brg.html?fbclid=IwAR0riiqA0xahw8--E5RXJXhn7nHmyiiBX-nO_T4aOs8CaAWuFxhTGM0KxMQ" target="_blank">The Age reported</a>. The new lithium-ion battery will have a capacity of 300 megawatts and provide 85 jobs.</p><p>"The big battery will help protect our network in summer, create jobs and drive down energy prices, as well as supporting our recovery from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic," Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said Thursday, The Age reported. "Victoria is embracing new technologies that will unlock more renewable energy projects than ever before."</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="66e96cfe30fcf28f0f7e431798a2b9db"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/greenpeaceaustraliapacific/posts/10159290307392971"></div></div>Like your style Victoria! 🎉💪😎
<p>The battery was first floated in April and originally set to be 600 megawatts and cost $300 million, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/05/victoria-plans-300mw-tesla-battery-to-help-stabilise-grid-as-renewables-increase" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>. Energy company Neoen has since won a contract to build a 300-megawatt version with Tesla equipment. It will be double the size of the South Australian battery that had been the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tesla-worlds-largest-battery-2512145319.html" target="_self">largest in the world</a> when it was built in 2017. However, projects planned in California and New York will be larger than both.</p><p>The battery will have the capacity to power half a million homes for one hour, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-05/new-tesla-battery-for-moorabool-victoria/12851698" target="_blank">Australia's ABC News reported</a>, but its main purpose will be to provide backup energy to the grid to prevent blackouts. It is therefore an example of technology designed both to combat the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> and adapt to it.</p><p>"We know in the time of climate change, our summers are getting far hotter and much longer, so that means there is increased strain on our thermal generators," D'Ambrosio said.</p>
<p>Victoria has signed an $84 million contract with Neoen, while the company will pay for the installation itself. However, an independent analysis found that customers would see a return of $2 for every dollar invested in the project. It is expected to be completed by November 2021.</p><p><a href="https://environmentvictoria.org.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Environment Victoria</a> welcomed the news.</p><p>"This is a game-changer for Victoria's transition from old <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal" target="_self">coal</a>-burning power stations to clean energy," Environment Victoria CEO Jono La Nauze said in a <a href="https://environmentvictoria.org.au/2020/11/05/big-battery/?fbclid=IwAR1xj5Nhz-2-SzmsVjyRA7ua_XxH17-bsGbIFWRvU2u4J_dKY2TEOxmzoXo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">press release</a>.</p><p>La Nauze said the project would help the state move toward shuttering the coal-fired Yallourn power station.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://greens.org.au/vic" target="_blank">Victorian Greens</a> also applauded the new battery, but said the state needed to do more.</p><p>"Now the government needs to go one step further and actually admit we need to get off coal in Victoria," acting party leader Ellen Sandell told The Guardian.</p><p>Australia is <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ipcc-report-2018-australia-2611176911.html" target="_self">one of the leading exporters of coal</a>, despite the fact that it is especially vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis, as the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/australia-wildfires-climate-models-2645279035.html" target="_self">devastating wildfires</a> that burned from late 2019 to early 2020 attested.</p><p>However, a new analysis reported by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/05/renewables-cut-australias-emissions-more-than-covid-energy-analysis-finds" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> found that Australia's emissions from electricity, transport and gas fell by 4.6 percent for the 12 months ending in July 2020 when compared to the 12 months prior. What's more, the drop was driven less by the coronavirus pandemic than by the shift to renewable energy sources like <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wind" target="_self">wind</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar" target="_self">solar</a>.</p><p>"Renewables in Australia are now cheaper and more popular than <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a>, and we expect a lot more renewables coming on line soon," Australia Institute climate and energy program director Richie Merzian told The Guardian.</p>
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