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Warner and Himes Gush Over Trump’s Epstein Hatchet Man Jay Clayton

Common Dreams - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 13:29

On Thursday, President Donald Trump nominated U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton to be Director of National Intelligence. Last year, former Attorney General Pam Bondi assigned Clayton to carry out Trump’s directive to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Democrats—an investigation that legal experts have warned could be a pretext to withhold some of the Epstein files. After the recent elections in California, Clayton also recently encouraged conspiracy theories about voter fraud saying “the American people are right to question it.”

After Trump’s announcement, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said he has “great respect” for Clayton and Rep. Jim Himes (D-NH) said Clayton’s record “will make him a terrific DNI.” Both Warner and Himes have worked with Republican leadership to hand Trump warrantless surveillance powers through Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The following is a statement from Demand Progress Executive Director Sean Vitka:

“No Democrat should find solace in the fact that Trump has once again named a partisan hatchet man to be the nation’s top spy. Just as Trump asked Bill Pulte to investigate Letitia James and Adam Schiff, he also has asked Jay Clayton to investigate Democrats’ ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The fact that Sen. Warner and Rep. Himes would gush so effusively over Clayton shows their clear desire to sabotage a deal on FISA privacy reforms and hand President Trump the unfettered surveillance powers that he is asking for. Both Pulte and Clayton have already shown that they will carry out Trump’s directive to weaponize the government against his political enemies. Putting either of them at ODNI at a time when Trump is asking for warrantless surveillance powers through FISA is too big of a risk.”

A robust set of resources on the need for privacy reforms for FISA are available here and here, and additional background, context, polling, reform demands, resources and other information is available here. A video on Pulte from Jessica Craven can be found here and a sample of the ways FISA has been used to wrongfully target protesters, journalists, politicians and others is available here. An explainer on why FISA won’t actually “go dark” on June 12 can be found here.

Categories: F. Left News

War Room: A Day in the Life of Shell’s PR Department

Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 13:22
A satirical look at Shell’s PR department Google AI Mode: Inside the War Room: A Day in the Life of Shell’s PR Department Deep within the steel and glass fortress of Shell’s headquarters lies a room where the laws of logic go to die. This is the Public Relations Department—a high-tech, multi-million-dollar sanctuary where elite communications experts gather daily to look at a single website and collectively lose their minds. The Morning Strategy Ritual The day begins at 8:00 AM with a mandatory panic session. The goal? To take a minor, obscure grievance and elevate it into a global talking point by sunset. The strategy board is a masterpiece of corporate crisis management, featuring three core pillars:
  • Acknowledge nothing publicly.
  • Litigate everything privately.
  • Accidentally validate the critic’s entire existence.
A junior executive suggests ignoring the latest blog post. The room falls dead silent. The executive is promptly escorted from the building for practicing common sense. “Ignore him?” the PR Director scoffs. “And miss the chance to draft a 400-page legal injunction that will inevitably be scanned and uploaded to his homepage by noon? Absolutely not.” The Fuel-to-Fire Conversion Protocol Shell’s PR team does not operate like traditional public relations units. They do not extinguish fires; they curate them. They are practitioners of the Reverse-Psychology Doctrine. When a critical article drops, the protocol is clear:
  1. Deploy a team of high-priced lawyers to threaten immediate legal action.
  2. Ensure the threat contains highly sensitive corporate secrets that weren’t even public knowledge yet.
  3. Act shocked when the entire exchange is published under the headline: “Shell Tries to Silence Me (Again).”
  4. High-five around the boardroom table because “the process was followed.”
Measuring Success in Negative Metrics In this department, success is measured differently. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) include:
  • The Streisand Multiplier: How many thousands of extra views did we drive to the critic’s site today by trying to ban it?
  • Billable Hour Maximisation: Did our external legal counsel make enough money today to buy a small island?
  • Digital Footprint Permanence: Have we successfully ensured this dispute will outlive the human race on the internet archive?
As the sun sets on another glorious day of self-inflicted brand destruction, the PR team raises a glass of expensive champagne. They have once again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, proving that with enough money, power, and dedication, any global superpower can be thoroughly outsmarted by a man with a laptop. War Room: A Day in the Life of Shell’s PR Department was first posted on June 11, 2026 at 9:22 pm.
©2018 "Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at john@shellnews.net

Brewing Connection: How Crane Migration Benefits a Nebraska Small Business

Audubon Society - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 11:43
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series exploring the various facets of the Sandhill Crane Migration in Central Nebraska, the $28 Million annual economic impact that the migration...
Categories: G3. Big Green

Contracting firm run by Trump donor is building the border wall through Big Bend

Western Priorities - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 11:28

A Montana-based engineering firm whose leadership donated more than $1 million to President Donald Trump’s campaigns has been awarded more than $7 billion in federal border wall contracts. That includes nearly $2 billion to build over a hundred miles of wall through the Big Bend region in Texas.

High Country News reported that Barnard Construction and its affiliates have received more than $5.6 billion in border construction contracts in Trump’s second term. Records show chairman Tim Barnard and his wife donated $1 million to a Trump campaign fundraising committee in 2024. Barnard’s largest single award, a $1.6 billion contract for 112.5 miles of wall in eastern New Mexico, was granted without competitive bidding, citing “urgency” as the justification. “What was so urgent that they couldn’t bid it to other contractors that are already on the pre-approved list?” said Scott Amey, a lawyer who investigates federal contracts for the Project On Government Oversight.

In May, a competing contractor sued the Trump administration after CBP sent roughly 73% of new Texas border wall contracts to just two firms, Barnard and North Dakota-based Fisher Sand & Gravel, arguing the process lacked competitive opportunities. Barnard did not respond to requests for comment from High Country News.

Border wall construction in the Big Bend region has drawn widespread, bipartisan opposition. The region accounts for just 1.6% of southern border apprehensions this fiscal year, and DHS has waived dozens of environmental and cultural regulations to fast-track construction there. In March, five Texas county sheriffs urged the federal government to reconsider, warning the infrastructure would “permanently alter one of the most remote and ecologically significant border landscapes in the United States.”

Report: The 119th Congress’ Anti-parks Caucus

new report from the Center for American Progress identifies 25 members of Congress as the driving force behind 65 of the 81 anti-conservation bills introduced in the 119th Congress. The Trump administration has already implemented several Antiparks Caucus proposals, including rescinding the BLM Public Lands Rule and revoking the Chaco withdrawal.

Quick hits What will change at Utah’s ‘Little Grand Canyon’ after state and BLM sign landmark management agreement

Salt Lake Tribune

Senators demand answers on Trump’s use of national park fees

The Hill | E&E News | Washington Post

2027 may be a disaster for public lands if this funding bill passes

GearJunkie

Lawsuit filed against USFWS over proposed wildlife refuge land swap with SpaceX

E&E News | Associated Press

Trump officials lay out aggressive timeline to build triumphal arch

Washington Post | Associated Press

Opinion: A land deal that is failing the people who live on the land

Anchorage Daily News

Federal parks program gets good news after an uncertain year

GearJunkie

Trump administration asks judge to reject bid to halt White House UFC event

The Hill | UPI

Quote of the day

The lack of transparency around awards for these beautification projects, as well as the loss in revenue meant for the maintenance and betterment of our national parks threatens the public’s trust and the long-term integrity of our nation’s most beloved public lands.”

Letter to Interior secretary Doug Burgum, signed by 11 U.S. senators

Picture This @whitesandsnps

What’s Bloomin’?

The pale evening primrose (Oenothera pallida ssp. Runcinata) is thriving along our Backcountry Loop Trail! This beautiful white flower, with its showy yellow pistils, provides both food and shelter to a variety of pollinators in the park.

As always, when viewing the flowers in the park, please be sure to take only pictures and leave the plants intact for others to enjoy!

Photo: NPS/Paige G.

 

Featured photo: Big Bend National Park, Texas. Ralf Kiepert/CC BY-SA 3.0

The post Contracting firm run by Trump donor is building the border wall through Big Bend appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

Categories: G2. Local Greens

ICYMI: Key testimony provides insight on how the Delta Tunnel would exacerbate Harmful Algal Blooms in the Delta

Restore The San Francisco Bay Area Delta - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 11:25

This week, experts provided witness testimony before the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB) Administrative Hearings Office, debunking arguments that the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) will not further degrade water quality in the Delta. 

Key testimony by Dr. David A. Caron, Professor at the University of Southern California, Associates Captain Allan Hancock Endowed Chair in Marine Science, and President and Chief Executive Officer of BlueWater Science, provided insights on how the construction of the DCP could stimulate and expand the geographical distribution and severity of Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (CHABs) in the Delta.

Dr. Caron highlights that testimony provided by Dr. Ellen Preece, Environmental Program Manager of the California Department of Water Resources, “inappropriately downplays the potential for the DCP to exacerbate the existing CHAB problems in the Delta or lead to new areas of CHAB occurrence.” The presence of CHABs in the Delta is not a linear question, but rather is impacted by the multitude of stressors that would be exacerbated by the DCP. Dr. Caron stresses that we are nearing a tipping point, and the DCP could be what sends our Delta ecosystems over the edge. 

Restore the Delta calls on the State Water Resources Control Board Administrative Hearing Officer (AHO) to prevent DWR from continuing to underplay the significant impacts the Delta Tunnel would have in exacerbating harmful algal blooms and to acknowledge the ongoing CHAB problems in the Delta that could lead to new areas of CHAB occurrence.

Watch the full direct testimony here

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Categories: G2. Local Greens

Fewer journalists register for Bonn talks, as cuts to climate reporting bite

Climate Change News - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 11:12

The number of journalists registered to attend the annual climate negotiations in Bonn has declined this year, as climate reporters have been let go and media coverage of climate issues falls around the world.

Data from UN Climate Change, which runs the two weeks of talks, shows that just 135 media representatives have signed up to attend. Climate Home News analysis of previous data shows this is the lowest figure since 2021, when COVID-19 restrictions limited travel and the Bonn talks were held in a hybrid format to enable online participation.

The number of journalists that actually attend the talks will not be known until later this month but is typically significantly less than are registered. Press conferences, held back-to-back each day by campaign groups, have been sparsely attended in the first few days and often filled mainly with climate campaigners and researchers rather than journalists.

Alexandra Endres, a reporter for German-language website Table Briefings, told Climate Home News in Bonn there are fewer German journalists covering the conference in-person. “I think it is important to have more journalists covering the negotiations because when the climate coverage increases, the interest of the public grows,” she said.

Media outlets that have registered fewer journalists than previous years, or no journalists, include global heavyweights like Reuters, Bloomberg and the BBC, as well as German outlets like Deutsche Welle and ZDF television, and specialist publications like business information service Argus and climate broadcaster We Don’t Have Time.

Activist Harjeet Singh, who is in Bonn advising the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, said that “the empty press seats here in Bonn are a warning signal. While the world’s gaze is often fixed on the annual COP summits, the real-world consequences of the climate crisis—from financing the fossil fuel transition to protecting vulnerable populations—are being shaped, or ignored, in these mid-year negotiations right now.”

“Journalists are the essential eyes and ears of the public,” he said. “We need them to shine a light on these rooms: hold negotiators accountable, defend the principles of equity and historical responsibility, and ensure that ‘technical’ negotiations do not become an excuse for delay.”

UN Climate Change said they could not comment on the situation at this point in the Bonn talks.

Climate coverage is falling

Outside of Bonn and the official UN climate negotiations, coverage of climate change is falling to lows not seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to analysis of newspapers and television reporting conducted by the Media and Climate Change Observatory (MECCO).

MECCO’s head Max Boykoff told Climate Home News that climate coverage in the first five months of 2025 was 35% down on the same period of 2025 and 41% less than in 2021. New analysis by the Yale Programme on Climate Change Communication found a similar fall in climate coverage in 2026.

Boykoff said  media attention has been drawn away from climate change to issues like the Iran war and now the World Cup getting underway in North America.

While both stories have climate implications, he said, the media have “failed to connect the dots” on the conflict in the Middle East, with coverage focusing on the politics, air strikes and violence of the war. “Reporters have been pulling up short,” he said.

He added that since 2025 there have been cuts to climate teams at US outlets like the Washington Post, CBS, National Public Radio and the Los Angeles Times. On top of this, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Context website has been shut down and Politico recently folded specialist environmental outlet E&E News into its broader energy coverage. 

Mark Hertsgaard, head of global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now, also said that fewer reporters at Bonn is “part of a larger pattern”. He said no US television network sent reporters to the recent Santa Marta conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels “and as a result they missed covering what turned out to be a landmark development in the climate story”.

    “No one can know if the Bonn talks will yield something similar until the [they] actually take place and conclude. But the fewer journalists that are on the scene, the less the world’s people and policymakers will know about that. And that’s a problem,” he said.

    Media may also have been put off from attending by a new registration system which is more complicated, especially for freelance journalists. In addition, the rise in jet fuel prices has made travelling by plane to Bonn much more expensive than last year and reporters from many developing countries continue to face hurdles getting visas to enter the Schengen area, of which Germany is part.

    Diego Arguedas Ortiz, who led the Oxford Climate Journalism Network from 2022 until it was shut down by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in 2025, said journalists can’t cover the talks so well remotely.

    While press conferences, plenaries and open negotiating sessions are broadcast for the public to watch on the UNFCCC’s website, Ortiz said relying solely on this means “you miss the interviews in the hall”. 

    “You can´t catch scientists and ministers as they leave the rooms. And the audience is back home suffering. Because audiences are relying on reporters and editors to explain how these seemingly abstract negotiations have daily implications for them,” he explained.

    The post Fewer journalists register for Bonn talks, as cuts to climate reporting bite appeared first on Climate Home News.

    Categories: H. Green News

    1M+ customers have connected solar to PG&E’s grid

    Utility Dive - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 11:11

    Pacific Gas & Electric said the milestone comes during an industry shift from “a one‑way grid to an interactive system where customer energy resources are increasingly part of the solution.”

    The World is a Garden of Edges

    The Nature of Cities - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 11:10
    One of my former political ecology teachers, Robert Biel, has had this incredible ability to use political theories to connect the deeply theoretical with the banal everyday, the micro with the macro, and the natural with the social sciences. He would use simple threads to link geopolitics with music and ecology with architecture. One day […]

    An Interview with Sterling Hollman, Crane Season Volunteer

    Audubon Society - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 11:08
    For many volunteers, a single opportunity can lead to a lifelong passion. That's certainly true for Sterling Hollman, whose search for community service hours led him to volunteering during crane...
    Categories: G3. Big Green

    This unfathomably huge fungal network keeps Earth cool and green

    Grist - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 11:00

    Even if you don’t like eating mushrooms, you’re in debt to fungi. One group of them, known as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, form vast subterranean networks of tubes called hyphae, hooking up with the roots of plants to exchange nutrients. Earth is so verdant in large part thanks to these partnerships, as this expansive infrastructure is associated with nearly three-quarters of all plant species. But because the network sprawls underground, it’s been difficult for scientists to determine just how much arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is out there. (Good luck digging everywhere on the planet and taking samples.)

    Scientists have developed a workaround, which has produced some astonishing numbers. Using machine learning models, they’ve estimated that worldwide, the arbuscular mycorrhizal network stretches for 110 quadrillion kilometers, almost a billion times the distance from Earth to the sun. (Scoop up just a teaspoon of soil and you might find 10 meters of fungal strands.) Every year, these fungi shuttle around 4 billion metric tons of carbon, equal to 11 percent of humanity’s CO2 emissions. 

    Because scientists have already taken thousands upon thousands of samples around the world, the researchers could train the models to build maps (you can play with them here) that predict where these fungi are more or less concentrated, even in the most remote environments. “We have started to have a clear picture of the full extent of these hidden living infrastructures that circulate carbon and nutrients in the soils beneath our feet,” said Toby Kiers, executive director of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks and coauthor of the new paper, which published today in the journal Science.

    In this map, brighter yellow spots indicate higher densities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
    Courtesy of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks


    There are two major classes of mycorrhizal species. The ectomycorrhizal fungi grow as sheaths around a plant’s roots, especially conifer trees, whereas the arbuscular ones in this new paper penetrate them. Either way, these fungi act as an extension of the roots, helping them absorb more water and nutrients. “Just as a circulatory system moves resources through a body, these sort of microscopic fungal pipes are connected to plants,” Kiers said. 

    In exchange, mycorrhizal species get energy in the form of carbon that the plants have drawn from the atmosphere. They help the plants grow to sequester still more carbon, a mutually beneficial partnership that benefits humans, too, as it keeps the planet from warming even further.

    However, the density of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi isn’t uniform across the planet’s biomes. You might assume that it would be highest in tropical rainforests, but in fact grasslands account for 40 percent of the predicted global arbuscular biomass, the study found. That might be because herbaceous plants like grasses tend to allocate more carbon to their symbiotic fungi than trees do. You can’t see it, but grasslands have vast root systems, meaning there’s loads of hidden biomass. “Even if grasslands get burned above ground, that carbon tends to remain underground, and they can come back again, which is different than forests,” Kiers said.

    Yet, Kiers added, just 5 percent of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal biodiversity hot spots lie in environmentally protected areas. The idea with these new maps is for scientists and policymakers to identify where fungi might be thriving, and protect them. That will simultaneously support plant life and biodiversity overall — all kinds of birds, insects, and herbivores depend on this vegetation, too — and capture still more carbon in the soil. (Some savannas, like Brazil’s cerrado, also store enormous amounts of carbon underground in peat, or dead plant material that resists decay and accumulates over centuries.)

    Toby Kiers and Merlin Sheldrake take soil samples in the mountains of Bhutan. Courtesy Tomás Munita

    At the other end of the spectrum, the study found that in areas with large-scale agriculture, fungal network densities are about 50 percent lower on average. That may be because synthetic fertilizers provide crops all the nutrients they need, easing their reliance on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Tillage also tears fungal networks apart at the end of a growing season. (Other research has found that tilling also disrupts soil’s ability to retain water.) “Maybe we can do better to have more fungal biomass in our agricultural systems, and in our terrestrial ecosystem as a whole, and capture more carbon dioxide,” said ecologist Smriti Pehim Limbu, who studies mycorrhizal fungi at Dartmouth College but wasn’t involved in the new paper.

    Humanity has to feed itself, of course. But with this new data in hand, it can also take steps to protect these critical species hidden underground. “This map is for mycorrhizal fungi what the first detailed maps were for, I don’t know, ocean currents or river systems,” Kiers said. “Where you go from knowing a system exists to knowing where it is, how dense it is, and where it’s threatened.”

    This story was originally published by Grist with the headline This unfathomably huge fungal network keeps Earth cool and green on Jun 11, 2026.

    Categories: H. Green News

    Corporate Tax Dodgers’ Lobbying and Political Spending Records Reveal ‘Self-Reinforcing Loop’

    Common Dreams - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 10:19

    Today, Public Citizen released a new report analyzing the lobbying and political spending of 88 corporations that paid zero in corporate income taxes in 2025. The corporations in question were identified in a recent report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), which found that at least 88 corporations paid no federal corporate income taxes last year, despite raking in millions — if not billions —in profits.

    The American tax code already enshrines massive giveaways to wealthy corporations, thanks to decades of Republican efforts on their behalf. This report finds that those same corporate tax dodgers then poured millions into lobbying and political campaigns that yielded further tax breaks, which in turn bankrolled even more political influence. The result is a self-reinforcing loop where corporate cash buys policy, and policy pays cash back.

    “The largest and richest corporations in the country are paying zero in federal income tax and that is a slap in the face to the American taxpayers who are struggling to afford necessities like groceries and health care,” said Eileen O’Grady, a researcher with Public Citizen and author of the report. “Meanwhile, these companies are spending money that could have gone to the public good on lobbying for even more special advantages and tax breaks. In this backwards, cash-fueled system, the deck is being stacked ever higher in favor of corporations, and against working people.”

    Key findings from the report include:

    • The 88 corporations that paid no federal corporate income tax in 2025 spent nearly $852 million on political spending over the last three election cycles. This total includes $712 million in lobbying and $140 million in campaign contributions.
    • Comparing the taxes the corporations saved against the cost of their political spending, they collectively made a 3,000% return on investment.
    • Coinbase Global spent the most of any company ($89 million) followed by CVS Health ($66 million), Honeywell International ($56 million), American Electric Power ($47 million), and Duke Energy ($35 million).
    • On average each year, these companies together have sent 1,119 lobbyists to influence the federal government, including on tax issues and legislation that changed the tax code in favor of corporate giveaways.
    • Since the beginning of 2025, these companies have collectively laid off at least 21,200 workers and announced plans to lay off thousands more.
    Categories: F. Left News

    Opportunities in Organic Waste Management

    By: Green Knowledge Foundation

    In Durban, South Africa the partnership between the Early Morning Market and the Warwick zero waste composting project stands as a practical model that should be replicated across Africa. This collaboration has not only transformed the market into a cleaner, tidier, healthier, and more attractive environment, but has also significantly reduced the burden on the municipal waste authority while creating value from organic waste through compost production.

    To many residents, organic waste is simply part of daily life, but in recent times, environmental organisations, and climate experts across the globe are beginning to see something different, an opportunity for climate action, income generation and community empowerment.

    Nigeria generates millions of tonnes of waste every year, and more than half of it is organic; food waste, agricultural residues, and biodegradable materials. When improperly managed, this waste decomposes in oxygen-deprived dumpsites and releases methane, a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than carbon dioxide over the short term. Yet effective organic waste management can transform this environmental challenge into social, economic, and climate solutions.

    Waste Pickers benefit significantly.

    For waste pickers and informal waste workers, improved organic waste management systems create opportunities for safer livelihoods, economic empowerment, and social inclusion. Across Nigeria, informal waste workers already play a critical role in material recovery, recycling, and waste diversion despite operating with limited recognition, inadequate protection, and unsafe working conditions. Their efforts help reduce the volume of waste reaching dumpsites and landfills, thereby contributing to methane reduction and broader environmental sustainability goals.

    Proper management of organic waste through composting, source segregation, decentralised collection systems, and Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) creates pathways for new green jobs and more stable income opportunities. Through the implementation of the Multi-Solving Action for Methane Reduction in Nigeria ( MAMRN) project, new opportunities are being created for waste workers to transition from hazardous collection practices into safer, more organized, and dignified work. These opportunities include the construction of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) within the project.

    This waste management system also creates opportunities for skills development, entrepreneurship, compost production, agriculture support, and climate smart business that benefit local economies. Beyond improving environmental conditions, inclusive organic waste management can help to reduce social stigma and protect informal workers while also improving their health and reducing pressure on landfills.

    Across Africa, similar models are already demonstrating the socio-economic potential of inclusive waste systems. E.g. In Accra, the work of the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) has shown how integrating waste pickers into organized recovery and recycling programs can improve livelihoods, strengthen community participation, and support sustainable environmental management. Such examples reinforce the idea that proper organic waste management is not only a climate solution but also a pathway toward economic resilience, social inclusion, and community development.

    Farmers also stand to benefit significantly.

    Composting initiatives have already demonstrated how organic waste can be converted into nutrient-rich compost that improves soil fertility while reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers. The MRF being constructed in the MAMRN project is designed to process a minimum of 10 tons of waste weekly, producing compost and Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae for Nigerian farms.

    For small farmers facing rising fish feed and fertiliser costs and declining soil quality, compost and BSF larvae offers a climate-smart alternative that supports healthier produce, crops and long-term soil restoration.

    Young people and entrepreneurs are finding opportunities as well. Across Africa, climate-focused enterprises are emerging around composting, Black Soldier Fly farming, waste collection, recycling, and methane monitoring systems. New jobs are being created in environmental education, circular economy innovation, climate data, and sustainable agriculture.

    As one Climate and Clean Air Coalition report noted, organic waste should be seen as “a viable resource.” 

    Communities themselves benefit through cleaner environments and improved public health. Poorly managed organic waste contributes to environmental stench, air pollution, blocked drainage systems, and disease outbreaks. Effective waste separation and composting, reduce the volume of waste entering dumpsites while lowering methane emissions and open burning.

    For NGOs and development organisations, this creates an important opportunity for high impact interventions. This also combines climate mitigation with livelihood creation, food security, gender inclusion, and youth empowerment. Organic waste management sits at the centre of all these priorities.

    The MAMRN project has revealed the urgent need for more initiatives focused on composting, circular economy systems, and methane reduction, as these approaches can simultaneously deliver environmental benefits, create green jobs, support sustainable agriculture, and strengthen community resilience. Such initiatives also align strongly with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

    Globally, the transition toward zero waste systems is accelerating because governments and development partners increasingly recognise that climate action must also create social and economic value.

    The environment and the economy are deeply interconnected, and effective organic waste management is increasingly demonstrating this reality. What was once viewed merely as waste is gradually emerging as a source of livelihoods, climate solutions, cleaner environment, healthier soils, and economic opportunity.

    The future of sustainable development may therefore depend not only on reducing waste, but on recognizing the social, environmental, and economic value embedded within it.

    This article is fourth in a series on the Methane Reduction in Nigeria (MAMRN) Project, implemented in collaboration with CfEW Jos, SraDev Lagos, Pave Lagos, CODAF Epe Lagos, and SEDI Benin City.

    The post Opportunities in Organic Waste Management first appeared on GAIA.

    ICE will be at the World Cup, but organizers are ready

    Waging Nonviolence - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 09:51

    This article ICE will be at the World Cup, but organizers are ready was originally published by Waging Nonviolence.

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    With the World Cup starting on June 11, workers, residents and activists in its 16 host cities across North America are mobilizing against the increased presence of police and of Immigration Customs and Enforcement, or ICE, in communities of color during the World Cup. 

    On May Day, thousands of people, led by the Unite HERE Local 11 union of hospitality workers walked from Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park to the FIFA building downtown, where they proceeded to drop more than a hundred soccer balls down the steps, chanting “kick ICE out.” 

    A few weeks later, community activists in LA held the first event of the People’s World Cup, a documentary screening about the increased policing and surveillance that comes with big sporting events like the World Cup.

    And activists in Seattle, another World Cup host city, held an art build to bring the community together to create anti-ICE paintings. They are part of “No ICE in the Cup,” a big tent coalition of artists and local groups brought together by two organizations, the Horizons Project and the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, and united under the demand for no ICE presence at or near the World Cup games. 

    “We know that that demand is going to have to be a collective resounding demand, and that this administration needs to hear from people from all walks of life,” said CJ Garcia, an immigrant justice organizer involved with No ICE in the Cup in Seattle. 

    Coalition partners in host cities such as Seattle, Boston, New York and Dallas — and non-host cities joining in solidarity like Yakima, Washington, and Oklahoma City — have held art campaigns, teach-ins and soccer tournaments to connect and educate their communities. 

    “We’re hosting those kind of events in order for people to come together to get to know who shares the value of making the World Cup a safe, joyful and inclusive and welcoming space, and that includes and centers immigrants, workers, working-class people, low-income folks who are often left out of those conversations,” Garcia said. 

    The Trump administration has not responded to the campaign, and in May the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that ICE would be present at the World Cup. 

    Art created for the No ICE in the Cup campaign. (From left to right: Hana Natsuhara, Chris Stewart, Angel Faz)

    As the event kicks off, Garcia is organizing worker-led spaces in Seattle where people can enjoy the games safely. “It will be inevitable that our communities get excited about this mass cultural moment, and we want to create spaces where people are able to both get information, get organized, get activated, but also enjoy the beautiful game,” Garcia said.

    The People’s World Cup is taking a different approach, with a call for a boycott of the World Cup to oppose the increased presence of law enforcement and ICE. 

    “We are emphasizing … boycotting the games, that people should not be legitimizing these games in the face of fascism,” said Carlos Sirah, an organizer with Black Alliance for Peace, which has helped pull together the People’s World Cup in LA. “So for that reason, we are asking people to organize, to counter-program to reclaim the sport, which belongs to the people.” 

    Resisting policing around mega events

    Historically, wherever mega sports events like the Olympics, Super Bowl and World Cup go, law enforcement and ICE tend to follow. The United States classifies them as National Special Security Events, or NSSE, which means that host cities and communities are subjected to even more surveillance and policing before, during and after the games.

    Sirah said it is important to educate people in the community about the impacts that mega events in Los Angeles have had in the past. When LA hosted the 1984 Olympics, the event budget was used to purchase machine guns, armored vehicles and surveillance, which were used by police long after the games ended, Sirah said. This contributed to the mass arrests of mostly Black youth and created the conditions for the 1992 uprisings. 

    Previous Coverage
  • Two visions of the US will compete at the World Cup
  • At the same time, Sirah said, these events often displace people who live in the community. In Cape Town, South Africa, 20,000 Black and mixed-race people were displaced to clear the way for the stadium for the 2010 World Cup. Thousands of Black people were forced to move when the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood — where the World Cup is being hosted — was unveiled in 2020 for NFL events and large concerts. 

    “We say that it’s unacceptable, this war on and the theft from working-class people,” Sirah said. “They give us crumbs, and we refuse the crumbs. We refuse a World Cup of displacement.”

    Eric Sheehan, founder of NOlympics LA, which started in 2017 to oppose the 2028 Olympics being held in the U.S., said it is unjust that most people in the community cannot afford or attend these mega events. At the same time, residents have to deal with intense surveillance and increased policing because their cities host these games.

    “Each one of these mega events is an excuse for the federal government to descend upon our city and terrorize our people,” Sheehan said. “We want people to understand that, regardless of the good vibes that come with it, these events always bring ICE to terrorize our neighborhoods and our neighbors, and that will never be good for us.”

    The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security will be sending “counterterrorism” task forces to the World Cup cities as part of the NSSE protocol, stirring fear that immigrant communities will be targeted by ICE.

    LA Sheriff Robert Luna said that federal officials told him that while ICE will be present, it will not be conducting “civil immigration enforcement.”

    “Any of that is subject to change,” Luna cautioned.

    The Los Angeles community feels the threat. On June 5, the UNITE HERE Local 11 union of hospitality workers which represents workers at the SoFi Stadium authorized a strike with 96 percent voting to demand protections from ICE at the workplace and better conditions. Cesar Zamora, a union worker at SoFi Stadium, said that the stadium should offer more incentives to workers when they work these large events that welcome thousands of people from all over the world, and not add ICE to the equation for workers to worry about. 

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    “When we heard that ICE was going to be involved around the games, it was concerning, because as we have seen, every time there’s ICE involved, there’s always chaos,” Zamora said. “They claim to be looking out for criminals, but everybody that works at SoFi is a hard worker.”

    Days after the strike was authorized, the SoFi Stadium conceded to a new contract for the workers, averting the strike. Under the tentative agreement, workers would get raises and be allowed to strike if ICE threatens staff or fans. Leading up to that victory, the workers held protests outside the FIFA building and at SoFi Stadium.

    To further educate, connect and protect Los Angeles residents, Black Alliance for Peace and NOlympics LA created the People’s World Cup program. The first event was a screening of “March of the White Elephants,” which is about stadiums that were built for previous World Cups in Brazil and South Africa at enormous expense with little or no input from — or benefits for — the working people who lived there. Sirah said the purpose of the screening was to ask community members what these games do to change the material conditions of their lives.

    Additionally, the campaign hosted a running event, soccer matches with up to 100 people, canvassing, solidarity protests with the Boycott Home Depot campaign, and talks with the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador about resistance against imperialism.

    Sheehan said that making connections across various groups and causes has been critical to organizing, as NOlympics LA has worked with local to international organizations. When Sheehan reached out to the Vancouver Anti-FIFA Coalition, he learned that the group had already heard about NOlympics LA and had been building on their work around mega events.

    Building a national coalition

    No ICE in the Cup is working with a broad range of communities and causes. Campaigns in some cities are including their own unique demands, such as Seattle calling for worker protections and Dallas calling to end ICE detention contracts. In Atlanta, the Play Fair ATL coalition is tracking the city’s adherence to a plan it submitted to FIFA to uphold human rights during the Cup (one of just four host cities to submit the required plan).

    Garcia sees the campaign as an effort to collectively demand that everyone be able to safely enjoy a game that brings people together without threatening their livelihood.

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    “There has been an increase of ICE presence in our communities already, so we know that the federal administration will try to equate ICE and federal agencies with mechanisms of safety,” Garcia said. “But we know that the reality is people on the ground and people who are visiting are trying to enjoy the game.”

    In response to the increased fear of ICE amid the games, No ICE in the Cup organizers in different host cities have held Know Your Rights trainings to plan for community safety and rolled out toolkits on how to host an ICE-free watch party. The Our Copa campaign, a joint initiative of Working Families Power and Mijente Support Committee, is doing the same, and offers a searchable list of safe watch parties nationwide.

    The No ICE in the Cup campaign is also planning ongoing national calls about how to keep ICE out of their cities and keep their communities safe. 

    “We are not just counting on the administration to concede,” Garcia said. “Our success metric is how many people can build together locally, statewide and at the national level.” And on that front, organizers have already built relationships that will long outlast the World Cup.

    This article ICE will be at the World Cup, but organizers are ready was originally published by Waging Nonviolence.

    Categories: B4. Radical Ecology

    Burgum doubles down on support for selling off public land, cuts partnerships to get Americans outdoors

    Western Priorities - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 09:22

    DENVER—Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Bureau of Land Management Director Steve Pearce were in Grand Junction on Wednesday for a “roundtable with community outdoor recreation and health figures in promotion of the departments’ collaboration on the intersection of public land access, physical activity and public health outcomes,” according to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. 

    According to the Sentinel, Burgum was asked about public land selloff and downplayed the significance of selling off 2-3 million acres of public land:

    Burgum was asked about his previous advocacy for selling off two to three million acres of BLM and Forest Service land and how this contrasts with current efforts to expand public land access. He responded that, in America, “you can do two things at the same time,” noting that the few million acres mentioned are a small portion of the approximately 525 million acres of Forest Service, BLM and National Park Service lands.

    The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Communications Director Kate Groetzinger: 

    “It’s shocking that Secretary Burgum is still defending Mike Lee’s failed public land sell-off attempt. The entire country—including hunters, anglers, and conservative lawmakers—adamantly rejected Lee’s attempt to sell off national public lands last year. We know that Burgum’s office helped Lee write talking points for his failed gambit to privatize public lands, and the fact that Burgum is still pushing it shows the fight is not over. Clearly Doug Burgum still wants to sell off our public lands.”

    Also at the roundtable Wednesday, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touted the power of nature to improve Americans’ health. The Sentinel wrote:

    “Burgum said in a press conference after the roundtable that some participating physicians suggested that the government adopt language that it’s ‘prescribing’ Americans with ‘vitamin N’ for ‘nature’ to get them active outside.

    “‘We need to get kids outdoors. Particularly, we need to connect them to the wilderness. The wilderness is a seminal experience for American kids and has been since our nation was founded,’ Kennedy said.”

    Despite this acknowledgement, the Interior department announced today via Fox News that it is cutting 43 partnerships with outside groups it says no longer align with the Trump administration’s priorities. These include internship programs, conservation initiatives, research projects, and cooperative partnerships to get Americans outside.

    The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Communications Director Kate Groetzinger: 

    “Cutting partnerships that help get Americans outdoors during Great Outdoors Month is shameful and cruel. The administration is saying one thing and doing another—touting the outdoors as crucial for physical and mental health while cutting programs that increase access to outdoor recreation. Doug Burgum should put his money where his mouth is and expand federal partnerships that help Americans get outside, not cut them.”

    Learn more:

    Featured image: @SecretaryBurgum

    The post Burgum doubles down on support for selling off public land, cuts partnerships to get Americans outdoors appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

    Categories: G2. Local Greens

    Talking Headways Podcast: Are Arterials Unsafe? Or Are We Making Them Unsafe?

    Streetsblog USA - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 09:17

    This week, we have a controversial episode featuring the ultimate roads scholar, Florida Atlantic University Professor Eric Dumbaugh, slaughtering some of the sacred cows of the livable streets movement. To Dumbaugh, the issue isn’t merely redesigning roads for safety, but making sure that planners don’t put all the big box stores on arterials.

    We at Streetsblog USA aren’t sure we’re convinced, but we always like to hear from important people in the traffic space.

    And, as always, let’s review all the ways you can enjoy this spirited content:

    • Click here for a full transcript, albeit with some AI typos.
    • Click the player below to listen.
    • Or check out the lightly edited excerpt below the player.

    Here’s the edited transcript:

    Jeff Wood: Well, you’ve got a new paper out, Land Use and Road Safety: Understanding the Persistence of Vulnerable Road User Deaths and Injuries in the United States. I’m wondering if you can give us a little bit of the basics of what you found and why you were looking in this specific direction.

    Eric Dumbaugh: So I’ve been examining street design issues now for 25 years, and there’s a uniquely U.S. view that street design is the solution to all things. But when it comes to arterials, European designs are indistinguishable from what we use in the United States. The lane widths, the design features are exactly the same. The difference is what we put along our streets, right?

    Everyone who goes to Western Europe on vacation comes back and says, “Oh, this is really rather lovely. We should have our streets designed like this.” But those are essentially pre-automobile streets, the streets that were built from the Renaissance through the early industrial era. After the Second World War, they didn’t build American-style, they did not build the stuff we built. They essentially rebuilt the urban fabric that they had, and they haven’t had a lot of population growth since then.

    So when we start looking at street design solutions from Europe, we need to understand that we’re looking at a built environment context where the automobile is adapted into a pre-automobile form.

    The United States is totally different. Nearly all of our growth has happened since the Second World War — and all of that growth was built on an entirely different design model that came of age in the 1910s and 1920s that was centered around integrating automobile into the urban fabric.

    So the safety problem on the streets happens because we have different sorts of users entering them. So is the issue really street design? Is it speed? Or is there something else going on here?

    And what I found is that after you control for land use, things like speed and geometric design don’t really matter that much. What’s going on is we’re putting these land uses on either side of the street and it’s activating different activities there.

    We’ve all seen the graphic where, you know, your chance of dying in a 40-mile-per-hour crash is like 90 percent. But to me, the question is, why is somebody walking there? They’re not walking there in Sweden because there’s nothing to walk to. All of those land uses are prohibited along their arterials. You can’t build that stuff there.

    In the United States, our development model is we build the residential community as a cell, and then we export all of the other uses outside, to the arterials.

    And that’s generating the hazard, because once you put them there, you start drawing the activities to them. You draw the pedestrians to them, you draw the cyclists to them, you draw the cars in and out of the driveways.

    Now, often here in the United States, we have debate: “cars versus vulnerable users.” The safety problem for these users is exactly the same, and it’s the confluence of activities at these points. So the question then becomes: Why are we putting these uses in these environments, right? And what do we do about that to retrofit it going forward?

    I have a graphic in the article that I think does a good job of illustrating this:

    The traffic engineer was never tasked with city design The traffic engineer was tasked with moving traffic. That was part of the configuration that came about in the 1920s and ’30s. They go out and they build perfectly fine roads, rural roads, ex-urban roads that are indistinguishable from the European counterparts. The difference is our planners, our local economic development people, they get real excited about bringing in growth, and they’re experiencing growth, and they channel it over these roads.

    So roads that are perfectly fine in an undeveloped context become developed. Think of them as a latent hazard, right? The speed is hazardous, but it’s only hazard if it’s activated. And when you put these land uses on there, when your local planner colors their land-use map red and says, “We’re gonna allow this development along here,” they’re activating that error.

    WHO issues new guidance on heat-health action plans, as El Niño sets in

    Climate Change News - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 08:52

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled new guidance for governments seeking to protect people from extreme heat, a growing priority as climate change pushes temperatures higher worldwide and intensifies heatwaves and related health risks.

    The launch came as the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Thursday that El Niño has developed in the tropical Pacific. The climate phenomenon – which occurs naturally every few years – is predicted to intensify to a moderate or strong level this autumn, the service said.

    Scientists have warned that a strong El Niño weather pattern could fuel “unprecedented” weather extremes in the coming months, including severe fires and droughts, and may make 2027 the next record-breaking hot year as it supercharges human-driven warming.  

    Scientists warn El Niño could intensify climate extremes in 2026

    Unveiling updated recommendations for “Heat-Health Action Plans”, which are tailored for Europe but can be adapted globally, Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, said that over the past four years, heat has claimed more than 200,000 lives across 32 European countries.

    He added that most of those deaths were “entirely preventable” and are “just the tip of the iceberg”, with millions more people being affected physically and mentally by the effects of extreme heat. Scientists have said Europe is the fastest-warming continent.

    “Individual action, such as keeping out of the heat, keeping our homes cool and keeping our bodies hydrated, can make a big difference in protecting us, but it is not enough to fight a systemic crisis,” Kluge said in a statement. “We need a coordinated, powerful and institutional response.”

    The new guidance focuses on the importance of providing early warning and alerts, targeting help for vulnerable groups and putting in place longer-term prevention measures across households and buildings, especially in cities, which are often hotter than rural areas. It also offers practical advice on how to do those things.

    Who’s most vulnerable to heat?

    Heat can trigger exhaustion and heat stroke, and exacerbate existing medical conditions, including diabetes and cardiovascular, respiratory and cerebrovascular diseases, as well as disrupting sleep and aggravating mental health conditions.

    In a fact-sheet, the WHO warned that rising global temperatures, more people living in cities and demographic aging are increasing exposure to heat and vulnerability to its impacts. Some of the most at-risk groups include older people, children, outdoor workers, athletes and sports players, those attending mass public gatherings and poorer social groups, it said.

    Employers need plans to protect workers from rising heat stress, UN says

    The WHO emphasised, however, that it does not just propose wider use of air-conditioning (AC) as the solution because it is not sustainable, is often unaffordable for those with low incomes and increases energy demand.

    “It contributes to both the urban heat island effect and climate change, thus worsening heat exposures in the medium and long term,” the fact-sheet said.

    Europe’s intense May heatwave

    On Wednesday, Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) announced that May 2026 was the second warmest May on record globally across land and sea.

    Across Europe, the month saw a rapid transition from much cooler-than-average conditions to one of the most intense heatwaves ever observed this early in the year in western Europe, C3S said. Numerous temperature records were broken for May with France, the UK, Ireland and Portugal enduring particularly severe conditions, it added.

    C3S noted that the quick flip to a period of extreme heat “likely increased impacts on populations, leaving little time for people – or crops and ecosystems during growing season – to acclimatise to much higher temperatures”.

    “Prepare for rougher times”

    In a foreword to the new WHO heat plan guidance, Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, wrote that extreme heat is responsible for some 95% of all climate-related deaths in Europe, undermines labour productivity and risks overwhelming hospitals.

    He noted that investing in emission reductions is far cheaper than paying for climate damage.

    “Yet, while we push for emission reductions, we must also prepare for rougher times. Strengthening Europe’s climate resilience, protecting both well-being and economies, is non-negotiable,” he added.

    By the end of this year, the European Union plans to adopt a new framework for climate resilience across all sectors, including health.

    A woman cools herself with an electric portable fan during a heatwave, in London, Britain, August 12, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Jack Taylor) A woman cools herself with an electric portable fan during a heatwave, in London, Britain, August 12, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Jack Taylor)

    In the UK, the independent Climate Change Committee warned last month that, in a projected scenario of 2C of global warming by 2050, recent record hot summers will become the “new normal” in the usually temperate country, putting regular stress on domestic agricultural production.

    Heatwaves lasting at least a week will be common and could regularly exceed 40C in the south, the committee’s report on adaptation said, posing challenges for keeping vulnerable people sufficiently cool.

    It recommended that cooling will be needed in hospitals, prisons, schools and care homes, while regulation should set maximum temperature limits for workplaces.

    Berlin’s Heat-Health Action Plan

    On Thursday, the WHO said that since the publication of the first edition of its heat and health guidance in 2008, far more scientific evidence and practical experience have been gained. Many countries have since established Heat-Health Action Plans, but their adoption and implementation have been uneven, it said.

    Comment: Early warnings for heatwaves can save lives – and we need them now

    In Germany, where local authorities are primarily responsible for heat protection, the Berlin Senate adopted a state-wide heat–health action plan in 2025. It contains 72 measures to improve heat protection for residents, including informing them every summer of the risks via traditional and digital media.

    A heat protection portal offers access to Berlin’s heat–health action plan, and a map of cool places in the city, as well as behavioural advice.

    Berlin Senator Ina Czyborra said the city is also working on the long-term maintenance and expansion of parks, green spaces and water bodies, which can all help alleviate the effects of heat.

    “One thing is clear: protection from heat is a cross-cutting task that can only be tackled through a joint effort by all administrative departments and levels, and with the involvement of civil society actors,” she added in a statement. 

    The post WHO issues new guidance on heat-health action plans, as El Niño sets in appeared first on Climate Home News.

    Categories: H. Green News

    Canada invests in first national geothermal energy roadmap; Cascade Institute to lead coalition

    Cascade Institute - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 08:45

    Canada is taking action to build a stronger, more secure and competitive economy by investing in a Cascade-led coalition of geothermal experts and innovators.

    On June 11, the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced approximately $468,000 in funding through Natural Resources Canada’s Energy Innovation Program to support the Canadian Deep Geothermal Roadmap project, led by the Canadian Deep Geothermal Coalition.

    This project will develop Canada’s first national roadmap for deep geothermal energy resources, which harness the Earth’s natural heat to provide reliable, clean energy. CDGC will lead the development of the roadmap, with Cascade Institute serving as the Secretariat to support co-ordination and delivery. CDGC will work with industry, researchers, Indigenous partners and governments to identify technology opportunities and research and development priorities to support next-generation geothermal development in Canada.

    “Canada’s clean energy future relies on the talent and innovation of Canadian researchers, businesses and industry leaders, and British Columbia is leading the way,” said Minister Hodgson. “Our government is committed to creating new jobs for Canadians while supporting technologies that will help meet future energy needs.”

    Thomas Homer-Dixon, founder and executive director of the Cascade Institute, applauded the announcement as an vital step toward addressing serious challenges: “Canada has a strong foundation for next-generation geothermal — from world-class geology to deep subsurface expertise and a highly skilled workforce. What’s been missing is a clear, shared path forward. This roadmap will bring together industry, researchers, Indigenous partners and governments to define that path, grounded in evidence and focused on practical opportunities. With federal support, the Coalition can develop a strategy that helps translate Canada’s strengths into real projects and long-term sector growth.”

    Conventional geothermal technologies can already provide clean and reliable heat and power. Next-generation geothermal systems have the potential to do this across more regions of Canada while leveraging Canadian expertise in areas such as drilling and subsurface engineering. The roadmap will help enable investment and support the growth of Canada’s geothermal sector.

    The Canadian Deep Geothermal Coalition, launched in 2025, is a growing alliance of organizations committed to accelerating deep geothermal development in Canada.

    The post Canada invests in first national geothermal energy roadmap; Cascade Institute to lead coalition appeared first on Cascade Institute.
    Categories: G1. Progressive Green

    Tell BLM to Keep the High Desert Trail Away from Wilderness and Critical Tortoise Habitat

    Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 08:34

    The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing to designate the High Desert Trail, a roughly 810-mile off-road vehicle (ORV) route running north to south across western Utah.

    The trail is meant to drive ORV users and groups to some of the most remote areas of western Utah. In Washington County, the proposed route would thread a narrow passage between the designated Cougar Canyon and Slaughter Creek Wilderness Areas, continue through the Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area (NCA), and terminate in “Zone 6” of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve near St. George—a world-class recreation area and important habitat for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise.

    The BLM’s 15-day comment window ends on Tuesday, June 16. Please tell the agency to reroute the High Desert Trail away from wilderness, tortoise habitat, and the Beaver Dam Wash NCA. 

    As currently proposed, the High Desert Trail would push a highly promoted ORV route through one of the most sensitive landscapes in southwestern Utah. Even though the trail does not technically enter wilderness (it follows a narrow “cherrystem” route between two wilderness areas), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the agency to take a hard look at real-world impacts to wilderness character, solitude, quiet, wildlife, and adjacent wilderness-quality lands.

    The BLM’s Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) also makes clear that designation of this trail is intended to increase use. In fact, the agency expects use to increase by about 30 to 40 percent in the first one to three years. More promotion, more traffic, and more organized use will mean more noise, dust, user conflict, and greater pressure on nearby wilderness, cultural resources, and tortoise habitat.

    Importantly, the BLM is considering two crucial reroutes—Colie Flat and Manganese Road—which would avoid bisecting wilderness areas, bypass most Mojave desert tortoise critical habitat, steer clear of the Beaver Dam Wash NCA, and mitigate user conflicts in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve by relocating the route’s terminus at Manganese Wash, near Gunlock Reservoir, instead of in Zone 6.

    Urge the BLM to reject any route that fails to protect wilderness, the Beaver Dam Wash NCA, and Mojave desert tortoise habitat.

    This proposal is not just about a line on a map. The High Desert Trail is being planned as a continuous, promoted, point-to-point ORV route across western Utah, complete with signage, maps, kiosks, and coordinated permitting designed to increase travel and visitation. The BLM should not route this trail through wilderness-adjacent lands and some of the most ecologically sensitive parts of Washington County when a less damaging alternative is already available.

    Click here to submit your comments by June 16

    The post Tell BLM to Keep the High Desert Trail Away from Wilderness and Critical Tortoise Habitat appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

    Categories: G2. Local Greens

    Some large Virginia customers face hurdles to using generators for demand response participation

    Utility Dive - Thu, 06/11/2026 - 08:25

    Virginia passed a law encouraging utilities to offer big power users the opportunity to participate in load-shedding programs, but for facilities, signing up is not an easy decision.

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