What Will It Take to Stop Trump From Bulldozing Most Diverse Butterfly Center for Border Wall Section Already Funded?
21 December 2018
Facebook Videos
Bulldozers are expected to arrive at the National Butterfly Center in February or early March. A planned 5.5 mile section of concrete and steel border wall that is already funded will cut straight through the most diverse butterfly sanctuary in the U.S.
Marianna Wright, executive director of the National Butterfly Center believes most Americans are unaware that 33 new miles were funded in the 2018 Omnibus spending bill in March. The National Butterfly Center is on a segment of those 33 new miles, costing roughly $30 million per mile according to Wright.
<p>
EcoWatch <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/345706262651120/" target="_blank">teamed up</a> with passionate individuals working on the border with the Center for Biological Diversity and the National Butterfly center on Wednesday to educate Facebook Live viewers on what is happening on the grounds. Viewers asked thought-provoking questions and left encouraging comments such as, "Calling my Senators right now."
</p><p>
"Nature knows no borders," said Laiken Jordahl, Center for Biological Diversity borderlands campaigner. "Animals have evolved to migrate freely for millennia and now we are proposing quite literally to slice the continent in two with the border wall. To think that we could do something like that free of consequence is delusional."<br>
</p><p>
Wright states that the morale on the ground right now is "pretty bad." To date, 28 laws have been <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/border-wall-mexico-2540848560.html" target="_blank">waived for border wall construction</a> including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act.
</p><div id="4c7ea" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="NPZE7R1576662594"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqocw_MAUgx/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">National Butterfly Center on Instagram: “Some important information for those concerned with the future border wall.”</a></p>
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"The potential impacts are devastating," said Wright. "Especially for animals like the ocelot where we have fewer than 80 known in existence."<br>
</p><p>
Not only will migration routes be divided for hundreds of species, including those endangered such as the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-mexico-wall-jaguars-2216942406.html" target="_blank">jaguar</a> and Mexican gray <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/mexico-border-wall-2468270508.html">wolf</a>, but the border wall will divide tribal nations and interfere with the flow of water in certain sections.
</p><p><em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-border-wall-endangered-species-2410320620.html" target="_blank">[Read to find out 93 endangered species threatened by Trump's wall.]</a></em></p><p>
"Border walls are horrifically damaging for the environment," said Jordahl. "If these plans do move forward they will certainly be met with vociferous opposition," said Jordahl.
</p><p>
As one viewer asked, "Can we stop the construction of what has already been funded?" Jordahl answered with a hopeful response, urging viewers to continue to weigh in to Congress and to show up on the ground and fight when the time comes. He states that we must continue to <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/contact" target="_blank">put pressure on U.S. Customs and Border Protection</a> and make them question the morality of their actions.
</p><p>
"No, we cannot stop this," said Wright in a comment sent to EcoWatch. "Nothing Trumps eminent domain, so they will seize the property."
</p><p>
Whether or not we can stop the already funded destruction of the National Butterfly Center is up in the air and resistance plans are pending. However, Jordahl remains hopeful about maintaining #NoBorderWall advocacy.
</p><p>
"I do believe that people can change and I do believe that if we make <a href="http://www.nowall.org" target="_blank">this project</a> so toxic and so unpalatable, they might reconsider."
</p><p>
The interview ends on a positive note as Jordahl urges viewers to remember to call their senators, regardless of who they are and to change the narrative whenever speaking about the borders. The borderlands are incredibly biodiverse filled with breathtaking flora and fauna—a true national treasure—and should not be viewed as a dangerous and out of control place.
</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Judge Allows Trump to Waive Environmental Laws to Build Border ... ›
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Guanabara Bay observed on Dec 9. Mario Moscatelli 1 / Projeto Olho Verde / Moscatelli - Instituto Manguezal / Facebook
About 60,000 liters (15,850 gallons) of oil spilled from a pipeline into the Estrela River and spread to Rio de Janeiro's famed Guanabara Bay over the weekend, according to Reuters and local reports.
The pipeline is owned by Transpetro, the largest oil and gas transportation company in Brazil, and a subsidiary of Petroleo Brasileiro (commonly known as Petrobras). Transpetro claims the leak resulted from an attempted robbery.
<p>
"It was a leak of significant proportions, with an impact on the mangroves," said Maurício Muniz, an analyst at the Instituto Chico Mendes, which is associated with the Brazilian environment ministry, according to Reuters.
</p><p>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/mario.moscatelli.98/videos/309405903008847/" target="_blank">Aerial footage</a> of the accident shows large slicks of oil contaminating the waters.
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Guanabara Bay was also the site of a major spill in January 2000, when a pipeline released 1,300,000 liters (340,000 gallons) of oil into the waters. The leak stemmed from an oil refinery operated by Petrobras.
</p><p>
Muniz said Saturday's spill was the worst he has seen in the decade at his job, as quoted by the news website
<a href="https://projetocolabora.com.br/cidades/em-tragedia-anunciada-baia-de-guanabara-sofre-grave-derramamento-de-oleo/" target="_blank">Project Colabora</a>. He added that the bay has not fully recovered since the 2000 spill.
</p><p>
<span></span>"The scene I witnessed was devastating: oil concentrated with garbage mainly at the mouth of the Rio Estrela," he explained (via Google translate). "The oil stain is almost reaching Paquetá [an island in Guanabara Bay].
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Muniz said he is not sure if diesel or crude oil was released from the pipe.
</p><p>
Transpetro said that authorities have been alerted and its clean-up teams have already cleared 75 percent of the oil as of Monday morning, Reuters reported.
</p><p>
Latin America's largest nation is enduring the worst recession on record. In recent years, Transpetro and Petrobras have become frequent targets of theft in which gangs steal the fuel to resell on the black market, Reuters noted.
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<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="916583ff923a76a30129a85bb9da0775"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zD2MYNH1A6w?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Derramamento de óleo na Baía de Guanabara</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD2MYNH1A6w" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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A critically endangered Javan rhino in Indonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park. Robin Moore / Global Wildlife Conservation
With only 68 individuals left on the planet, the Javan rhino is the world's most threatened rhino species.
So you can image the surprise when a team from Global Wildlife Conservation and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) saw one of these incredible creatures wallowing in the mud in Indonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park, the only place on Earth where these critically endangered species are found.
<p>
"We heard a crashing sound, and suddenly this rhino just appeared to the right of us," said Robin Moore, the team member from Global Wildlife Conservation who took the photos, in a press release emailed to EcoWatch. "It was a surreal, once-in-a-lifetime moment, like time had stopped, and it was all we could do not to scare the animal away in our excitement."
</p><p>
<span></span>The rhino is known for its dusky grey color and a single horn that can be as long as 10 inches, according to <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/javan-rhino" target="_blank">WWF</a>. Its skin has loose folds, making it look like armored plating.
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">"By sharing these photos, we hope to give people an emotional connection to this rare species—an animal that even rhino biologists only dream of getting a glimpse of in the wild," said photographer Robin Moore. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."> Robin Moore/Global Wildlife Conservation</small>
</p><p>
Unlike white and black rhinos that live in Africa's open grasslands and savannas, Javan rhinos live in thick forests, making them difficult to find and study—much less capture on camera.
</p><p>
These rhinos once roamed parts of India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Southern China. But the species has been hunted to near extinction for its horn that's used in traditional medicine. Loss of its lowland habitat has also endangered the animals.
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Due to poaching and habitat loss, only 20 of the animals were left in Ujung Kulon in the 1960s.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."> Robin Moore/Global Wildlife Conservation</small>
</p><p>
"This amazing footage of one of the world's rarest animals is a reminder of how hard we must work to bend the curve on the decline of rare and iconic species like the Javan rhino," Margaret Kinnaird, leader of WWF's Wildlife Practice, said in the press release. "Last month, we released the Living Planet report showing a
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/earths-wildlife-wiped-out-since-1970-2616534688.html" target="_self">60 percent decline in wildlife populations</a> over the last generation, with poaching and habitat destruction among the greatest threats."
</p><p>
Although the number 68 sounds small, it's actually a considerable jump from the 1960s, when there were only 20 Javan rhinos left.
</p><p>
<span></span>Still, since the remaining population has such a limited range, the Javan rhino is vulnerable to disease outbreak or natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.
</p><p>
<span></span>"Collaborative conservation efforts have resulted in rising Javan rhino numbers, underscoring the need to work together for common conservation goals. Javan rhinos are still far from secure and require continued efforts by the Indonesian government and its partners," Kinnaird continued.
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">A Javan rhino in Indonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park. Video by David Hermanjaya/WWF-Indonesia.</small>
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The Indonesian government works in partnership with WWF, Global Wildlife Conservation, the International Rhino Foundation and the Indonesian Rhino Foundation (YABI) to protect the animals.
</p><p>
Current conservation efforts include the establishment of Rhino Protection Units to prevent poaching and intensive population monitoring. In the future, conservationists hope to translocate individual rhinos to a new location to establish a second population elsewhere in Indonesia. They also intend to control the invasive Arenga palm, which shades out the forest floor and inhibits the growth of plants that the rhinos eat.
</p><p>
"We give thanks to the community surrounding the park in helping us to protect Javan Rhino," Rahmat U Mamat, head of Ujung Kulon National Park, said in the press release. "The Javan rhino is a pride of Indonesia, so we should protect it from extinction."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b3dd9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="RZZUPX1576662282"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1063809137723756544" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">China Restores Rhino and Tiger Parts Ban After International Fury https://t.co/D8Wk8zbOSh</div> — Oceanic Preservation Society / OPS (@Oceanic Preservation Society / OPS)<a href="https://twitter.com/OP_Society/statuses/1063809137723756544">1542466837.0</a></blockquote></div>
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International Energy Agency
By Greg Muttitt
The release of the World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2018 on Monday marked another missed opportunity for the International Energy Agency (IEA) to provide a roadmap to Paris success.
Governments and investors alike have been calling on the IEA to help guide them towards achievement of the Paris goals. Two years ago, the IEA itself proposed updating its climate scenario to match the ambition of the Paris goals, and also gave its updated scenarios a cameo in the WEO 2017.
<p>The IEA has backtracked, however, removing any reference to the higher-ambition scenarios, or to the 1.5 degree Celsius (°C) goal. This comes just a month after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a <a href="http://report.ipcc.ch/sr15/pdf/sr15_spm_final.pdf" target="_blank">powerful report</a> showing both the critical importance of limiting warming to 1.5°C, and pathways for doing so.</p><p>Following a summer of particularly devastating <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate</a> impacts, with unprecedented heat waves across much of the world, the IEA has opted for promoting the energy status quo. And 11 months after the <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2017/12/12/world-bank-group-announcements-at-one-planet-summit" target="_blank">World Bank Group</a> decided to end financing for oil and gas extraction, the WEO 2018<em> </em>instead calls for expanded investment in oil, gas and even <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal">coal</a>.</p><p><strong>Memories of Leadership</strong></p><p>The IEA has proven that it can be a leader in steering energy decisions towards achievement of climate goals. When it first published its "450 Scenario" (450S) in 2008, the IEA was ahead of the curve. That scenario—designed to give a 50 percent chance of keeping warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels—reflected the goals of the more progressive governments at the time. </p><p>But climate science has since indicated that even 2°C is <a href="http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/sb/eng/inf01.pdf" target="_blank">dangerous</a>—reiterated in last month's IPCC <a href="http://report.ipcc.ch/sr15/pdf/sr15_spm_final.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>. It was for this reason that governments decided in 2015 to increase their ambition, committing in Paris to pursue efforts to keep warming to 1.5°C, and in any case to hold warming well below 2°C.</p><p>At first, the IEA seemed to take this on board, as we explained in a recent <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2018/10/31/explainer-iea-scenarios-and-the-paris-goals/" target="_blank">blog</a>. In the 2016 edition of the WEO, the IEA recognized that the 450S was not in line with the new Paris goals. It proposed developing two new scenarios, one aiming for "well below 2°C" (WB2), and one for 1.5°C.</p><p>The German government commissioned and funded a full exposition of the WB2 Scenario, published in a <a href="https://webstore.iea.org/insights-series-2018-perspectives-for-the-energy-transition-investment-needs-for-a-low-carbon-energy-system" target="_blank">stand-alone report</a> in March 2017. Many hoped then that the 2017 WEO, published in November of that year, would use this work to update its ambition to reflect the Paris goals. It was <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2017/11/14/international-energy-agency-undermining-governments-climate-goals/" target="_blank">not to be</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p>In WEO 2017, the IEA replaced the 450S with a new "<a href="https://www.iea.org/weo/weomodel/sds/" target="_blank">Sustainable Development Scenario</a>" (SDS), with the welcome addition of goals on energy access and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution">air pollution</a>. But on climate change, the SDS maintained the pre-Copenhagen ambition level of the 450S. As the graph shows, the emissions pathways of the scenarios were identical. WEO 2017 only briefly mentioned the WB2 Scenario, and did not mention the 1.5°C Scenario at all.<br></p><p>Now, the new 2018 edition of the WEO omits reference to the WB2 Scenario as well, and fails to address 1.5°C at all.</p><p><strong>Missed Goals</strong></p><p>The WEO 2018 states that the SDS "is fully aligned with the Paris Agreement's goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C." That statement omits the other half of the <a href="https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf" target="_blank">Paris</a> goals, which are in full:</p><p>Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C.</p><p>As for the "well below 2°C" part of the goals, the IEA claims that the SDS will lead to 1.7 to 1.8°C of warming. But how can a different result arise from the same emissions pathway that led to a 2°C outcome in the 450S? The answer is that the IEA has changed its assumption about what happens after 2040, beyond the scope of its own scenarios.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p>The IEA makes the 1.7 to 1.8°C claim by <a href="https://www.iea.org/weo/weomodel/sds/" target="_blank">comparing</a> the SDS with scenarios that lead to that amount of warming. As the IEA's graph shows, those scenarios depend on large-scale use of negative emissions technologies later in the century—including technologies that have been considered in theory but never tried in practice. If achieving the Paris goals is predicated on the later availability of these technologies and they do not work out, emissions to that point will be irreversible and climate limits broken.</p><p>Previous editions of the WEO have warned that negative emissions are likely not feasible at this level: WEO 2016 stated, "Such a situation is vastly removed from the realities of the current energy system, and the prospect is remote from today's perspective." WEO 2017 also cautioned that "all such technologies face severe technical, economic and resource constraints." And climate scientists have expressed growing concerns about reliance on negative emissions, as discussed in our recent <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2018/10/31/explainer-iea-scenarios-and-the-paris-goals/" target="_blank">blog</a>.</p><p>In contrast, the new WEO 2018 describes negative emissions technologies as one of the "important sectors for innovation," and gives no warning about the dangers of reliance on them.</p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">World Energy Outlook 2018</small>
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<p><strong>Misguided</strong><br></p><p>All of this matters because, as the new WEO puts it, "Robust data and well-grounded projections about the future are essential foundations for today's policy choices." Scenario data and projections serve as a guide to the future, ideally to enable good decisions.</p><p>Without information about how to do it, it will be hard for governments to "pursue efforts" to keep warming to 1.5°C.</p><p>Investors too are increasingly using climate scenarios to test the robustness of their portfolios. They are vital tools for delivering the <a href="https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/publications/final-recommendations-report/" target="_blank">Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures</a>' recommendations and for the <a href="http://www.climateaction100.org/" target="_blank">Climate Action 100+</a> initiative.</p><p>The new WEO states that:</p><p>Continued investment in oil and gas supply, however, remains essential even in the Sustainable Development Scenario to 2040, as decline rates at existing fields leave a substantial gap that needs to be filled with new upstream projects.</p><p>As Oil Change International's <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2016/09/22/the-skys-limit-report/" target="_blank">research</a> has shown, investment in new oil and gas fields—beyond those that are already in operation—is not consistent with the Paris goals. The IEA is able to make the contrary claim for the SDS only because the SDS falls short of the Paris goals.</p><p>This is a crucial omission. Based on such projections, governments may continue licensing new oil and gas, locking in their future emissions, while failing to plan for an orderly just transition for workers. Investors may understate the risks associated with the energy transition, leading to future economic disruption.</p><p><strong>More Fossil Fuels</strong></p><p>The vast majority of WEO 2018, like in previous editions, is focused on the "New Policies Scenario" (NPS), which would lead to around 3°C of warming. By comparison, the SDS gets only one paragraph in the six-page summary.</p><p>The IEA has said before (in WEO 2017), if the future turns out like the NPS, "this will not be a sign of success," adding that, "Success for the WEO is about helping countries to achieve the long-term energy and related goals that they have chosen."</p><p>But since the NPS is so centrally promoted, it is the NPS that decision makers use as the default guide. As we showed in our <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2018/04/04/off-track-the-iea-and-climate-change/" target="_blank">Off Track</a> report, the NPS' demand projections have been used by governments and investors to support damaging projects from Australian coal mines to Arctic oil drilling. This is why Oil Change International calls for the goals-based scenario—which the IEA says is the one it wants—to be made the central one in the WEO.</p><p>Furthermore, in the new WEO, the IEA repeatedly advocates for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuel</a> investment in line with the NPS. This investment will help create that very future that the IEA says it does not want. On oil:</p><p>Today's flow of new upstream projects appears to be geared to the possibility of an imminent slowdown in fossil fuel demand, but in the New Policies Scenario this could well lead to a shortfall in supply.</p><p>We estimate that around 16 billion barrels of new conventional crude oil resources would need to be approved each year between now and 2025 to avoid any potential "mismatch" between supply and demand. However, the average annual level of new resources approved in the three years since the oil price fall in 2014 was around 8 billion barrels. … The level of conventional crude oil approvals therefore needs to double if there is to be a smooth matching between supply and demand.</p><p>Much of today's media coverage can be expected to focus on the IEA's projection that (in the NPS) oil demand will not peak until after 2040. This narrative of ongoing future demand will also drive ongoing investment in more oil.</p><p>The same is true of gas: The WEO states that "building up infrastructure … requires conscious choices in favour of natural gas." It urges governments and companies "to ensure that adequate and cost-effective investment in new supply keeps gas as competitive as possible with other fuels," in other words reinforcing gas against competition from <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewables</a>.</p><p>Oil Change International research has <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2017/11/09/burning-the-gas-bridge-fuel-myth/" target="_blank">found</a> that there is no room for new gas development while achieving the Paris goals: Gas cannot be considered a "bridge fuel," as some claim.</p><p>Remarkably, the WEO also calls for increased investment in coal mining, especially in China and India, with $1 trillion of investment in new mining capacity over the period to 2040, as worldwide coal demand increases in the NPS until at least 2040: "Capital expenditures are needed along the value chain to sustain existing and to establish new mining operations, as well as to build railway and port infrastructure to connect new or expanding mining regions to coal importers."</p><p><strong>Time to Change</strong></p><p>Oil Change International believes the IEA has a significant opportunity for leadership, an opportunity that it regrettably missed in WEO 2018. It would in fact be easy for the IEA to become a climate champion by updating the SDS to match the Paris goals and by making that the central scenario in the WEO.</p><p>Decision makers—political and financial alike—are demanding the tools to implement their policy commitments and plan for success in a rapidly changing energy landscape. It is an opportunity that can't be ignored and, as the IEA faces increasing public pressure in 2019, calls for this increased ambition will only grow.</p><p>With time to spare to incorporate the IPCC Special Report, the mounting political and investor concerns, and the moral imperative of action on the heels of a year of devastating climate impacts, the 2019 WEO must step up high-profile ambition or risk becoming irrelevant in a world urgently demanding pathways to success.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="6f1db" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="T1GZQZ1576661971"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="976975594259873792" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Global Carbon Emissions Rise for First Time Since 2014 https://t.co/Oi1UefIhFr @Connect4Climate @350</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/976975594259873792">1521764107.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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Trending
Banksy, who infamously shredded his "Girl With Balloon" painting at an auction on Friday, has inspired people to whip up their own versions of the artwork.
The images are centered around a timely and poignant theme: climate change.
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><p style="">
On Sunday, the United Nations' scientific panel issued a
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-ipcc-report-2610866229.html" target="_self">dire report</a> that the world is barreling towards catastrophic global warming if we do not slash carbon emissions.
</p><p>
We must limit warming below 1.5°C, or the planet will experience increasing wildfires, extreme drought, greater sea level rise and devastating flooding, the climate experts warned.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="5e1d4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="Z6XAIA1576662678"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1049988263224717314" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Since everyone is surfing on this #banksy wave, thought we'd also make one about #climatechange #globalwarming https://t.co/GFgZ521NLW</div> — saman musacchio (@saman musacchio)<a href="https://twitter.com/musacchios/statuses/1049988263224717314">1539171684.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p style="">
The long-awaited study, issued by the
<a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/" target="_blank">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (IPCC), is a urgent call on governments to move towards greener policies and sustainable technologies.
</p><p style="">
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal">Coal</a>, the most polluting
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a>, must be phased out by 2050, the scientists said.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="f927a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="O3TMER1576662678"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1049624381767454721" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Corporations and the future of our planet ... #Banksy #Banksyauction #banksysothebys #GlobalWarming #climatechange… https://t.co/AgNsXCQVl5</div> — stephff cartoonist (@stephff cartoonist)<a href="https://twitter.com/stephffart/statuses/1049624381767454721">1539084928.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p style="">
Meanwhile, some politicians dismissed the landmark report, which was authored by 91 researchers from 40 countries and cited more than 6,000 scientific resources.
</p><p style="">
Australia's deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said the nation will "absolutely" <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ipcc-report-2018-australia-2611176911.html" target="_blank">continue</a> to use and exploit its coal reserves regardless of what the IPCC report says.
</p><p style="">
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump" target="_self">President Donald Trump</a>, who intends to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement, was skeptical of the report.
</p><p style="">
"It was given to me. And I want to look at who drew it. You know, which group drew it. I can give you reports that are fabulous and I can give you reports that aren't so good," Trump told reporters on Tuesday from the South Lawn at the White House.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="53a87" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="A5LDUF1576662678"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1049414569565642752" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">OK. I don't know who to credit for this, but it's brilliant. #climate #climatechange #IPCCReport #IPCC
(If someone… https://t.co/AFHsmC2yfJ</div> — Peter Gleick (@Peter Gleick)<a href="https://twitter.com/PeterGleick/statuses/1049414569565642752">1539034905.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Banksy himself has created climate-related art. In 2009, the famous street artist spray-painted the words "I DON'T BELIEVE IN GLOBAL WARMING" on a wall beside a canal in London.
</p><p>
His message came after the United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen that was widely considered a failure for not producing a binding agreement to tackle climate change, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/dec/21/banksy-copenhagen-regents-canal" target="_blank">Guardian</a> reported then.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODcwODQ0NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTE1OTI1MX0._6wJrtI0ufYVips5-tEffxEWeKSyuCdUdHkmIbJjbvA/img.jpg?width=980" id="a3fe1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3daa0b5ad7a0a455e72b98b5374f6145" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dullhunk/" target="_blank" title="Go to Duncan Hull 🐝's photostream">Duncan Hull</a> / Flickr / CC BY 2.0</small>
</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Artists and Activists Rise to Fight Climate Change ›
- Scientists and Art Historians Are Studying Art for Climate Change Clues - EcoWatch ›
- Scientists and Art Historians Are Studying Art for Climate Change Clues ›
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The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economics to a duo for their work on how the world can achieve sustainable growth.
The prize was divided equally to William D. Nordhaus of Yale University and to Paul M. Romer of New York University's Stern School of Business, both Americans, who have "designed methods for addressing some of our time's most basic and pressing questions about how we create long-term sustained and sustainable economic growth," the academy said Monday in a press release.
<p>
Nordhaus is known for his pioneering model describing how economic activities drive <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate</a>-warming emissions. He is a major advocate of using carbon taxes to reduce <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/greenhouse-gases" target="_self">greenhouse gas</a> emissions.
</p><p>
<span></span>He has worked on this topic since the 1970s, when scientists became increasingly worried about <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a> contributing to a warming world, the academy said.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="17044" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="UJ8KZY1576662682"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1049236609420484608" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Laureate William Nordhaus’ research shows that the most efficient remedy for problems caused by greenhouse gas emis… https://t.co/OgA8fVjS9i</div> — The Nobel Prize (@The Nobel Prize)<a href="https://twitter.com/NobelPrize/statuses/1049236609420484608">1538992476.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Coincidentally, the academy's announcement was issued the same day that a United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-ipcc-report-2610866229.html" target="_self">issued a report</a> about the catastrophic effects of unmitigated <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate change</a> and advised rapid government action. The report builds on and cites Nordhaus' work, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/08/business/economic-science-nobel-prize.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported.
</p><p>
When it comes to averting climate change, "the policies are lagging very, very far—miles, miles, miles—behind the science and what needs to be done," Nordhaus
<a href="https://twitter.com/NobelPrize/status/1049296390776659969" target="_blank">said</a> in an interview after his win.
</p><p>
He added that the United States has fallen behind in mitigating global warming due to the "disastrous policies" of the
<a href="https://ecowatch.com/tag/trump">Trump</a> administration. President Trump has pushed for fossil fuel usage and infamously pulled the U.S. out of global <a href="https://ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a> to limit warming.
</p><p>
Romer, whose work focuses on how economic forces govern the willingness of firms to produce new ideas and innovations, laid the foundation of what is now called "endogenous growth theory," the academy said. The theory explains how ideas require specific conditions to thrive in a market.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="0341b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="CFH7WP1576662682"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1049271341252321281" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"My work teaches us that what happens with technology is under our control."
This year's Economic Sciences laureat… https://t.co/mDly9RAMM0</div> — The Nobel Prize (@The Nobel Prize)<a href="https://twitter.com/NobelPrize/statuses/1049271341252321281">1539000756.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Romer is less pessimistic about the future of the planet in light of the IPCC's dire report, but said work needs to be done to slash carbon emissions.<br></p><p>
<span></span>"It is entirely possible for humans to produce less carbon," he <a href="https://twitter.com/NobelPrize/status/1049248005210165248" target="_blank">said</a> at the press conference announcing his prize. "Once we start to try to reduce carbon emissions, we'll be surprised that it wasn't as hard as we anticipated."
</p><p>
<span></span>Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Nobel prize in economics.
</p><p>
"The contributions of Paul Romer and William Nordhaus are methodological, providing us with fundamental insights into the causes and consequences of technological innovation and climate change," the academy said. "This year's Laureates do not deliver conclusive answers, but their findings have brought us considerably closer to answering the question of how we can achieve sustained and sustainable global economic growth."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="c7f05" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8VMDJG1576662682"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="904090342508646402" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Nobel Prize Winners Name Trump and His 'Ignorance' as Top Threats to World Population https://t.co/PqsTwXDBJ7 @Greenpeace @World_Wildlife</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/904090342508646402">1504386909.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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A Lake Worth lifeguard wearing a protective mask asks a surfer to exit the ocean as Palm Beach County officials announced that all county beaches are closed due to red tide affecting coastal areas on October 4, 2018 in Lake Worth, Florida. Joe Raedle / Getty Images
The same red tide choking Florida's Gulf coast has spread to waters off Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, forcing the closure of many popular beaches on Thursday and leaving hundreds of dead fish in its wake, according to local reports.
This is the first time in decades the toxic algae has affected both of Florida's coasts at the same time, the Associated Press reported.
<p style="">
"Florida's environment is now enduring a full-peninsula assault," Eve Samples wrote for
<a href="https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/florida-voices/2018/10/04/florida-voters-sick-environment-literally/1498039002/" target="_blank">Treasure Coast Newspapers</a>, noting that it's only the eighth time since the 1950s that red tide has been documented on the East Coast of Florida.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="acbffdf8aa81bbbcd3ea1cb52aa887b6"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FsYuU-4qRBM?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
</p>
<p style="">Several South Florida beaches reopened on Friday, the
<a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-ne-red-tide-thursday-20181004-story.html" target="_blank">The Sun Sentinel</a> reported, but noted that a new forecast said "moderate" red tide conditions can be expected in the area at least through Tuesday.<br></p><p>
The outbreak of the
<em>Karenia brevis</em> organism first appeared last fall and has become one of the state's longest-lasting red tides on record. It has devastated Florida's marine life all summer, killing countless crabs, eels, fish, dozens of <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/red-tide-algae-killing-florida-wildlife_us_5b61cb2be4b0b15aba9ee150" target="_blank">manatees</a> and hundreds of endangered <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/red-tide-sea-turtles-dead-2590387089.html" target="_self">sea turtles</a>. The bloom has also been costly for the state's tourism industry and become a public health issue because it can irritate skin and cause respiratory problems.
</p><p style="">
The bloom now stretches roughly 135 miles along Florida's southwest coast.
</p><p style="">
In August, Gov. Rick Scott issued an
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/florida-emergency-order-red-tide-2595877043.html">executive order</a> declaring a state of emergency in seven southwestern counties and offered $1.5 million in aid. On Thursday, Gov. Scott announced $3 million in grants to St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties to help mitigate the effects of red tide.
</p><p style="">
"In Florida, when presented with problems, we work together and face them head on—red tide is no different," he said in a
<a href="https://www.flgov.com/2018/10/04/gov-scott-dep-to-provide-3-million-for-red-tide-on-floridas-east-coast/" target="_blank">press release</a>. "So far, the state has provided more than $16 million to help minimize the impacts of harmful algal blooms and expand our research and understanding of red tide, including funding to help scientists test innovative solutions for this phenomenon. We will continue to work with our local partners to ensure that their needs are fully met until this year's red tide subsides."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="4d202" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="DIGBQC1576662119"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1048251564887040001" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">NOAA now posting respiratory illness forecast for east coast of #Florida in response to new red tide bloom. See lat… https://t.co/JZ662ssV3y</div> — NOAA's Ocean Service (@NOAA's Ocean Service)<a href="https://twitter.com/noaaocean/statuses/1048251564887040001">1538757623.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p style="">
Red tides can appear naturally, however some blame the phenomenon from increased nutrient pollution from human activities.
</p><p style="">
At the same time, as
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-causing-floridas-algae-crisis-5-questions-answered-101305" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> reported, a concurrent outbreak of blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, has plagued downstream estuaries on both coasts. The bloom comes from discharges of polluted fresh water from Lake Okeechobee and polluted local runoff water from the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee watersheds.
</p><p style="">
<span></span>Gov. Scott, who has served for eight years, has faced a share of the blame for the state's red tide and blue-green algae outbreaks.
</p><p>
<span></span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/energy-environment/2018/08/09/florida-an-environmental-crisis-takes-center-stage-tight-senate-race/?utm_term=.a62182654114" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> reported in August:
</p><blockquote style="margin-left: 20px;">
During Scott's tenure, budgets for environmental agencies have been sharply reduced. The budget of the South Florida Water Management District, which oversees water issues from Orlando to Key West, was cut. Many of the more than 400 workers who lost their jobs in the $700 million cut were scientists and engineers whose jobs were to monitor pollution levels and algal blooms. Scott also abolished the Department of Community Affairs, which oversaw development in the state.
</blockquote><p style="">
Sen. Bill Nelson, who is battling Scott to keep his Senate seat, tweeted Friday: "The people of Florida know how Rick Scott's disastrous environmental policies have harmed our waters and devastated communities. Their voices are being heard loud and clear."
</p><p style="">
Pointing the finger back, Scott has accused Nelson of failing to secure federal funds to fix the aging Lake Okeechobee dyke.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="7d131" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="PR5VKL1576662119"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1048223681045045254" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The people of Florida know how Rick Scott's disastrous environmental policies have harmed our waters and devastated… https://t.co/GGvX8tfiOB</div> — Bill Nelson (@Bill Nelson)<a href="https://twitter.com/NelsonForSenate/statuses/1048223681045045254">1538750975.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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Indonesia's devastating earthquake-tsunami combo last week has left 70,000 people homeless in the city of Palu, CBS News reported Thursday.
The death toll has climbed to more than 1,420 people since Friday, when the 7.5 magnitude earthquake and the 18-foot tsunami it triggered struck the island of Sulawesi.
<p>
Amid the widespread ruin, survivors are struggling with no power, as well as dwindling food and drinking water supplies. But the Indonesian military arrived Thursday with supplies and to aid with recovery efforts, CBS News said.
</p><p>
Search and rescue efforts to recover dead bodies and survivors are ongoing. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies <a href="https://www.efe.com/efe/english/portada/red-cross-needs-22-37-million-to-help-quake-hit-indonesia/50000260-3767168" target="_blank">said Monday</a> it is appealing for $22 million to help Indonesia.
</p><p>
<span></span>Roughly 20 countries have offered help, with aid from the UK and Australia arriving Thursday, according to <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/indonesia-earthquake-tsunami-latest-updates-181003060041729.html" target="_blank">Al Jazeera</a>.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="d73c9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="LEP4GE1576663058"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1047857933009211392" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today the joint search and rescue continues in #Sulawesi. @palangmerah teams are recovering dead bodies - here a nu… https://t.co/iVfL13CNZB</div> — IFRC Intl. Federation #RedCross #RedCrescent (@IFRC Intl. Federation #RedCross #RedCrescent)<a href="https://twitter.com/ifrc/statuses/1047857933009211392">1538663774.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The disasters were particularly dangerous due "a combination of plate tectonic in the region, the shape of the coastline, vulnerable communities and a less-than-robust early warning system," geologist Anja Scheffers of Southern Cross University explained in <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-indonesias-tsunamis-are-so-deadly-104158" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
</p><p>
In Petobo, a village of roughly 500 people, the massive earthquake "turned the ground to quicksand and literally swallowed the village," NBC's Janis Mackey Frayer <a href="https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/1047820439827992578" target="_blank">reported</a>.
</p><p>
This phenomenon, called "liquefaction," is when soil loses strength and stiffness in response to an earthquake, thus losing its ability to support homes and other structures.
</p><p>
The sheer force of the temblor literally shifted the landscape.
</p><p>
"I was swept away, holding onto a palm tree. When it finally stopped, I found myself 3 kilometers away in the next village," a survivor told <a href="https://twitter.com/GMA/status/1047808243223805954" target="_blank">ABC</a>.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="45b46" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="GD98JS1576663058"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1047820439827992578" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">.@janisfrayer reports from Indonesia, where the death toll is approaching 1,500 after a devastating earthquake https://t.co/3crqgflOfp</div> — TODAY (@TODAY)<a href="https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/statuses/1047820439827992578">1538654835.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The island was hit by another natural disaster on Wednesday, when Mount Soputan erupted and spewed ash 19,700 feet in the sky and prompted evacuation orders for those living nearby the volcano, the
<a href="https://apnews.com/a277ea8d5aef4b058ea7a582f7982b89" target="_blank">Associated Press</a> reported.
</p><p>
A government volcanologist said the eruption might have been triggered by Friday's earthquake but the link is not conclusive.
</p><p>
"It could be that this earthquake triggered the eruption, but the direct correlation has yet to be seen," Kasbani, the head of Indonesia's Vulcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation agency, told online news portal Tempo (via the
<a href="https://apnews.com/a277ea8d5aef4b058ea7a582f7982b89" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>).
</p><p>
Indonesia is located on the so-called "Ring of Fire" region of the Pacific and regularly experiences seismic and volcanic activity.
</p>
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An eastern box turtle rolling around in his LEGO wheelchair. The Maryland Zoo
An injured wild turtle is rolling through recovery at the Maryland Zoo with the aid of a LEGO wheelchair.
The grapefruit-sized, approximately 18-year-old eastern box turtle was found by a zoo employee at Druid Hill Park in July. The reptile had multiple fractures on the bottom part of his shell and was taken to the zoo's hospital for treatment.
<p>
Veterinarians performed surgery on the turtle and used metal bone plates, sewing clasps and surgical wire to hold the shell fragments together.
</p><p>
The vets then came up with a clever idea to keep the bottom of the shell elevated off the ground so it could properly heal.
</p><p style="">
<span></span>"They don't make turtle-sized wheelchairs," veterinary extern Garrett Fraess explained in a press release received by EcoWatch. "So, we drew some sketches of a customized wheelchair and I sent them to a friend who is a LEGO enthusiast."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
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</p><p>
A few weeks after surgery, the turtle received his very own multi-colored wheelchair, featuring a frame and wheels made with LEGO bricks. The device was attached to the turtle's upper shell with plumbers putty.
</p><p>
<span></span>"He took off and has been doing great," Fraess said. "Turtles are really good at healing as long as the shell remains stable."
</p><p style="">
Ellen Bronson, senior director of animal health, conservation and research at the zoo, said that the turtle will likely use his LEGO wheelchair through the winter and into the spring until all of the fragments have fused together and the shell has completely healed.
</p><p>
"We are very happy that he is recovering well from his injuries and we plan to return him to the wild once he is fully healed," she added.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODY3MjIzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzk4MDQwMn0.p069gKfxsSpvCsfYGys-i_ZRlZ5BTDWAjBP0qBnqk40/img.jpg?width=980" id="e3d0d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f8c8a8b0b2855f6cbea9663d52033235" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">The turtle's plastron (the bottom part of his shell) is healing.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">The Maryland Zoo</small>
</p>
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Barack Obama speaking on Earth day during his presidency at the Everglades National Park, April 22, 2015, Homestead, Florida. Joe Raedle / Getty Images
During a recent interview in Norway, former president Barack Obama answered an interesting question: What would you do if you had one more day as president?
<p style="">In response, Obama said there was "a lot of unfinished business" when he left office, but if he had more time, he would urge a higher global focus on preserving the environment and would build on some of the progress made during his presidency.<br></p><p style="">The "single highest priority that I see globally" are the issues of environmental sustainability and
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a>, he said at the Oslo Business Forum on Wednesday.
</p><p style="">
Obama noted that the
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris climate agreement</a> was an "important step in the right direction, but it was only a first step, and so much more work needs to be done."</p>
<div id="c65b7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9AU9AL1576662550"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);
display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BKREjJHBf31/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Barack Obama on Instagram: “"We embrace conservation because healthy and diverse lands and waters help us build resilience to climate change." —President Obama Taking…”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div>
<p style="">"Unfortunately, we have currently a U.S. administration that feels differently around these issues," Obama said, drawing laughter from the audience of business leaders.<br></p><p style="">
Although Obama did not name his successor directly, the comment was a clear ding at President
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a>, who <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/global-warming-trump-tweets-2520671170.html">rejects climate science</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trumps-withdraws-paris-climate-agreement-2429436831.html" target="_blank">decided to withdraw</a> the U.S. from the Paris deal last year. Trump and his administration have <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-power-plant-plan-co2-2597454144.html">rolled back</a> a slew of environmental and climate regulations in favor of fossil fuel interests and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-administration-chlorpyrifos-2607820657.html">other polluting industries</a>.
</p><p style="">
The <a href="https://www.apnews.com/4fb33486c23e449984ab29ea0c6b685c" target="_blank">Associated Press</a> even called Obama's remark a "swipe at Trump's attitude on environment."
</p><p style="">
On the plus side, Obama said that existing technologies and technological advancements can help the world achieve sustainability goals.
</p><p style="">
However, as he pointed out, "that requires a level of political and social commitment on the part of all of us—businesses, the non-profit sector, each of us as individuals."
</p>
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Sierra Club Alerts Voters to Top 10 'Fossil Fools' to Oust in Midterm Elections
26 September 2018
Politics
With the U.S. midterm elections just six weeks away, the Sierra Club launched a campaign Tuesday to boot ten leading "Fossil Fools" from office and replace them with more environmentally friendly alternatives.
The "Fossil Fools 2018" campaign, spearheaded by the group's Political Committee, targets Congressional Republicans running for reelection in November who have consistently voted in favor of fossil fuel interests and against taking action on climate change and protecting air and water.
<p>"The Fossil Fools in Congress vote day in and day out with corporate polluters instead of their constituents, allowing polluters to defile clean air and water with impunity while ignoring the climate crisis," Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said in a <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2018/09/midterms-18-who-are-fossil-fools-congress-aggressive-sierra-club-political" target="_blank">press release</a>. "Fortunately, voters have an opportunity to vote out the Fossil Fools in November and elect leaders who will boldly rewrite the rules of the economy so it works for our families, the middle class and our kids again."</p><p>The Sierra Club said the top offenders were Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Nevada Senator Dean Heller and Florida Governor Rick Scott, who is running to represent Florida in the Senate against Democrat Bill Nelson.</p><p>Cruz has a three percent environmental voting record and has taken $2,901,632 from oil and gas companies, according to the <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2018/09/ted-cruz-named-top-fossil-fool-2018-election-sierra-club-political-committee" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a>. <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2018/09/dean-heller-named-top-fossil-fool-2018-election-sierra-club-political" target="_blank">Heller</a> has a voting record of 11 percent on the environment and has taken $577,300 from oil and gas interests and $518,926 from <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal" target="_self">coal</a> mining interests.</p><p>Cruz and Scott are also infamous <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-denier">climate change deniers</a>. Cruz has called climate science a "religion," <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/fossil-fools-sierra-club-midterms_us_5ba9c509e4b0375f8f9ff19f" target="_blank">The Huffington Post said</a>, and Florida's Department of Environmental Protection <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/florida-officials-banned-from-using-the-terms-climate-change-and-susta-1882018265.html" target="_self">was banned</a> from using the terms "climate change" and "global warming" during Scott's tenure as governor.</p><p>In the House of Representatives, the Sierra Club is targeting Barbara Comstock (VA-10), Dana Rohrabacher (CA-48), Tom McClintock (CA-04), Steve Knight (CA-25), David Brat (VA-07), Mike Coffman (CO-06) and Peter Roskam (IL-06).</p><p>"Each of our Fossil Fools has earned that title," Brune told The Huffington Post. </p><p>Brune explained the stakes of the campaign to The Huffington Post: the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> administration is hostile to environmental action and is actively working to roll back Obama-era protections, and the Republican-controlled legislature merely enables this behavior.</p><p>"Everything we've worked [for] for decades is under assault by this administration, there is no check and no accountability coming from Congress," Brune said.</p><p>The campaign has started out with three video ads and will announce additional targeted ad campaigns as November approaches. </p><p>The campaign will be pushed on social media and via the purchase of digital ads in the "Fossil Fool's" districts. </p><p>"Our aggressive national ad campaign will let voters in key states and districts know that their members of Congress are Fossil Fools who will do anything to help polluters instead of their constituents" Sierra Club National Political Director Ariel Hayes said in the press release. "There's more to come, so stay tuned as the 2018 midterms approach."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="3cc8b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="XCUM331576663348"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="968912554251685888" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Republicans in Congress Flunk Environment and Public Health Report Card With Average Grade of 1%… https://t.co/DOaMpytW9a</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/968912554251685888">1519841729.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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Giannis Giannakopoulos / YouTube
Arachnophobes beware. A shoreline by the Greek town of Aitoliko has been swamped by a mass of mating spiders and 1,000 feet of their cobwebs.
Earlier this week, a local named Giannis Giannakopoulos uploaded a YouTube video and posted several pictures of the spectacle on his Facebook page, showing shrubs, palm fronds and other greenery completely veiled by spider webs.
<p>
The webs were likely made by spiders of the Tetragnatha genus, which are sometimes called "stretch spiders" for their elongated bodies.
</p><p style="">
These insects tend to live by water and are excellent web builders, <a href="https://www.livescience.com/63628-massive-spider-web-greece.html" target="_blank">LiveScience</a> reported, noting that their webs are used for nesting and to capture prey such as mosquitoes.
</p><p>
How did all those webs get there? Turns out, a bout of hot, humid weather as well as an increase in the mosquito population this year created favorable conditions for the spiders to reproduce and for their population to explode, an expert explained.
</p><p style="">
<span></span>"The spiders are taking advantage of these conditions, and are having a kind of a party. They mate, they reproduce and provide a whole new generation," Maria Chatzaki, professor of molecular biology and genetics at Democritus University of Thrace, told the local publication <a href="https://www.newsit.gr/ellada/ayti-einai-i-eksigisi-gia-to-fainomeno-me-tis-araxnes-sto-aitoliko/2618523/" target="_blank">Newsit</a> (translated from Greek).
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
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</p><p>
Chatzaki noted that massive cobwebs have been seen before in 2003.
</p><p>
<span></span>"The phenomenon we observed in Aitoliko is not unprecedented," she said. "It is a seasonal phenomenon that occurs mainly at the end of the summer and early autumn."
</p><p>
<span></span>The spiders do not harm humans and will not cause any damage to the environment. Eventually, the bugs will die off and their web will naturally degrade.
</p><p>
<span></span>"The spiders will have their party and will soon die," she said.
</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5b0344186e4cfeae814c83fcd738555d"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1968375889875995&set=a.1968335733213344&type=3&theater"></div></div>
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The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) internal watchdog organization announced plans to leave for a job outside the federal government Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.
Arthur A. Elkins Jr., who has held the position of Inspector General since he was appointed by former president Barack Obama in 2010, will spend his last day at the agency Oct. 12, The Hill reported.
<p style="">"It has been my great honor and privilege to serve the American people in this role for more than eight years," Elkins said in a statement reported by The Hill.</p><p style="">His departure comes in a particularly busy time for the Office of Inspector General (OIG), as it continues to investigate the actions of former EPA-head <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scott-pruitt">Scott Pruitt</a>, who resigned amid several scandals in July.</p><p style="">In one <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/epa-watchdog-scott-pruitt-security-2601964564.html" target="_self">report released</a> Sept. 4, Elkins found that Pruitt had failed to justify the need for his 24-hour security detail.</p><p style="">"Failure to properly justify the level of protective services provided to the Administrator has allowed costs to increase from $1.6 million to $3.5 million in just 11 months," the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/office-inspector-general/report-epa-asserts-statutory-law-enforcement-authority-protect-its" target="_blank">report found</a>. </p><p style="">OIG spokesperson Jeffrey Lagda told The Associated Press that Elkins' departure was not a response to any aspect of the Pruitt investigation. </p><p style="">He further affirmed Elkins' decision "will definitely not impact any of the ongoing OIG reviews related to allegations regarding former EPA Administrator Pruitt and his staff," Lagda told The Associated Press in an email. </p><p style="">The OIG is conducting four more audits related to Pruitt, three of which are due to be released this fall, Lagda told <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-usa-epa-inspectorgeneral/environmental-agencys-top-watchdog-retiring-after-pruitt-probes-idUKKCN1LY2WH" target="_blank">Reuters</a>.</p><p style="">Other high-profile cases Elkins investigated included that of ex-EPA adviser John C. Beale, who cheated the federal government out of $900,000 by pretending to be a CIA agent, the EPA's handling of the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flint" target="_self">Flint</a>, Michigan water crisis and the Colorado Gold King Mine spill, which was the EPA's fault, according to The Hill. </p><p style="">Acting Administrator <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/andrew-wheeler" target="_self">Andrew Wheeler</a>, a former coal lobbyist, praised Elkins, saying in a statement that he fulfilled his duties "honorably and professionally," The Associated Press reported.</p><p style="">Elkins will be replaced temporarily by deputy Charles Sheehan, who has served at the OIG since 2012.</p><p style="">Before being appointed to head the OIG, Elkins filled legal roles in various federal agencies including the EPA, National Science Foundation, Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency and Department of Defense, Reuters reported. </p><p style="">The OIG is an independently funded office in charge of overseeing the actions of the EPA, according to The Associated Press. </p><p style="">Its head is appointed by the president pending Senate confirmation, Reuters said.</p><p style="">Elkins' departure means President <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a> will be able to appoint his successor, The Hill said.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="48e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="H1F0V01576662198"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1037046305196072960" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">EPA Watchdog Blasts Former Agency Chief Scott Pruitt Over Spending on Security
https://t.co/ikmTcoBhxm #EPA</div> — Enviro Voter Project (@Enviro Voter Project)<a href="https://twitter.com/Enviro_Voter/statuses/1037046305196072960">1536086081.0</a></blockquote></div>
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