capital blight

By Greg Muttitt and David Whyte - Red Pepper, August 2016

The anti-war demonstration in London on 15 February 2003 was the biggest protest in British history. And probably the most popular slogan on the placards and banners that day was ‘No blood for oil’. It was a connection that seemed obvious to many on the march but was repeatedly ridiculed by supporters of the invasion of Iraq. Tony Blair said that ‘the oil conspiracy theory is honestly one of the most absurd when you analyse it.’

Why is it so easy to dismiss the idea that access to oil and the interests of those who profit from it may be part of the motive for war? Why, given our experience of wars though the ages, is this not the first question we ask? After all, as the celebrated General Smedley Butler famously observed after completing numerous military campaigns on behalf of the nascent US empire: ‘War is a racket. It always has been.’

By the standards of an official inquiry, Chilcot’s was utterly damning of a government that took the country to war without justification. But compared to the evidence Chilcot had, his conclusions were mild, because the questions he asked were limited. In particular, while noting that there was no convincing case for WMD, even at the time, Chilcot failed to ask how other political and economic motivations affected decisions.

Was it a war for oil?

A year after the February 2003 demonstration, an international opinion poll conducted by US think tank, the Pew Research Centre, asked sample populations from nine countries (the US, Britain, Russia, France, Germany, Pakistan, Turkey, Morocco and Jordan) about the ‘war on terrorism’. The majority in all but two countries (the US and Britain) thought it was ‘to control Mideast oil’. It is worth underlining that the question was not just asking about the invasion of Iraq, but about the motive for a war on terrorism full stop.

When it comes to the Iraq war, they were right. Evidence released with the report shows unequivocally that using Iraqi oil to boost British energy supplies was a central pre-war aim. A February 2002 Cabinet Office paper described the UK’s objectives as ‘preserving peace and stability in the Gulf and ensuring energy security‘. Right up to the withdrawal of British troops in 2009, successive British strategy documents, also released by Chilcot, maintain two consistent objectives: transfer the oil sector from public ownership to multinationals, and ensure that BP and Shell get a large share. Sometimes a third oil objective appears: to make Iraq an advocate of low oil prices within OPEC.

By staff - Amnesty International, August 16, 2016

Since 2012 Amnesty International has commented and campaigned on the serious policing failures that led to the deaths at Marikana, calling for full accountability and reparations for the victims and their families. That work continues.

This report examines abuses of the right to adequate housing of mine workers at Lonmin’s Marikana mine operation. Its primary focus is an examination of Lonmin’s response to the findings of the Farlam Commission.

In this regard it looks both at what Lonmin has done and what the company has said about the situation.

Read the text (PDF).

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, August 17, 2016

A supplement to Eco Unionist News:

Lead Stories:

• US Court Rules in Favor of Chevron in Ecuador Pollution Case - By Reuters, Telesur, August 8, 2016; [related]: Amazon Watch Response to Decision to Uphold Flawed Chevron Retaliatory Lawsuit - By Paul Paz y Miño, Amazon Watch, August 8, 2016 | Chevron won’t have to pay for its own version of Chernobyl - By Katie Herzog, Grist, August 8, 2016
• Brazil’s sewage woes reflect the growing global water quality crisis - By Joan Rose, The Conversation, August 7, 2016
• Why Say No to the TPP? Corporations Already Have Too Much Power - By Sarah van Gelder, Yes! Magazine, August 3, 2016
• Alaskans Witness Collapsing Mountains, Shattered Lives - By Dahr Jamail, Truthout, August 1, 2016

The Man Behind the Curtain:

• New Koch-Funded Group ‘Fueling US Forward’ Aims to Promote the "Positives" of Fossil Fuels - By Sharon Kelly, DeSmog Blog, August 14, 2016
• Republican Politicians Love Oil & Coal Money, Destroy Human Health & Life - By Zachary Shahan, Clean Technica, August 12, 2016
• The Slow Poisoning of Health and the Environment - By Colin Todhunter, CounterPunch, August 12, 2016
• Enron and the power boys played Ralph Klein's government as suckers - By David Climenhaga, Rabble.Ca, August 10, 2016
• The Galileo gambit and other stories: the three main tactics of climate denial - By Stephan Lewandowsky, The Conversation, August 10, 2016
• Colorado Readies for 'All Out War' as Anti-Fracking Measures Advance to Ballot - By Lauren McCauley, Common Dreams, August 9, 2016
• Exclusive: Documents Show FERC-hired Contractor Did Not Disclose Work on Related Spectra Pipeline in Atlantic Bridge Project - By Itai Vardi, DeSmog Blog, August 9, 2016
• Exxon’s climate fight with ‘green’ states heats up in court - By Bloomberg, FuelFix, August 9, 2016
• Thousands of Pages of Confidential Think Tank Documents Detail Corporate Ties, New York Times Reports - By Sharon Kelly, DeSmog Blog, August 9, 2016; [related]: NYT Reveals Think Tank It’s Cited for Years to Be Corrupt Arms Booster - By Adam Johnson, FAIR, August 12, 2016 | How Think Tanks Amplify Corporate America’s Influence - By Eric Lipton and Brooke Williams, New York Times, August 7, 2016

Green is the New Red:

• FOIA Request Probes Extent of Government Spying on Climate Protesters - By Deirdre Fulton, Common Dreams, August 11, 2016; [related]: Public Records Sought Over Federal Surveillance of Climate Protesters - By Taylor McKinnon, Center for Biological Diversity, August 11, 2016 | Right-Wing Group Continues to Diligently Stalk Environmental Leaders - By Climate Denier Roundup, EcoWatch, August 9, 2016 | Embarrassing Photos of Me, Thanks to My Right-Wing Stalkers - By Bill McKibben, New York Times, August 5, 2016
• A Deadly Shade of Green: The Dangerous Situation Facing Environmental Defenders in Latin America - By staff, Global Justice Ecology Project, August 10, 2016
• State AGs and Groups Defy Lamar Smith's Subpoena Over Exxon Climate Probes - By David Hasemyer, Inside Climate News, July 27, 2016; [related]: Exxon Sues a Second Attorney General To Fight Off Climate Fraud Probe - By David Hasemyer, Inside Climate News, June 16, 2016

Greenwashers:

• California Regulators Sued Over Plan To Turn Aquifer Into Permanent Oil Waste Dump - By Mike Gaworecki, DeSmog Blog, August 10, 2016
• Exxon’s Latest Campaign to Stymie Climate Action - By Elliott Negin, EcoWatch, August 10, 2016
• Fact-Checking The Biomass Lobby’s New Website - By Mike Gaworecki, DeSmog Blog, August 10, 2016
• What's Fishy About the Feds' Salmon Promises? - By Judith Lavoie, DeSmog.Ca, August 10, 2016
• BP Greenwashes the Olympics … Again - By Andy Rowell, Oil Change International, August 8, 2016
• New Subsidy Loophole Will Boost Profits for Unsustainable Corn Biofuel Industry - By Almuth Ernsting, Independent Science News, August 8, 2016
• Wake Up: These Unneeded Instruments Can Wreck Mass Destruction - By Ralph Nader, CounterPunch, August 8, 2016
• Why the UK government’s fracking payout claim is just not true - By Damian Kahya, Greenpeace, August 8, 2016; [related]: Opposition Grows to UK Government’s Fracking “Bribe” - By Andy Rowell, Oil Change International, August 8, 2016

Disaster Capitalism:

• Louisiana Floods: A “classic signal of climate change” - By Andy Rowell, Oil Change International, August 15, 2016
• Flint’s lead-poisoned water cost the city nearly 100 times as much as it was supposed to save - By Katie Herzog, Grist, August 9, 2016

Other News:

• “Why don’t people demand action on climate change?” - By Andy Rowell, Oil Change International, August 11, 2016
• Insane Trump Energy Policy Would Put Entire World At Risk - By Steve Hanley, Gas2, August 10, 2016
• Hundreds of oil and gas-related spills affected water sources in 2015 - By Jesse Prentice-Dunn, Center for Western Priorities, August 8, 2016

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC; Hashtags: #greenunionism #greensyndicalism #IWW. Please send suggested news items to include in this series to euc [at] iww.org.

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, August 10, 2016

A supplement to Eco Unionist News:

Lead Stories:

• Cities Need More Public Transit, Not More Uber and Self-Driving Cars - By Kevin Cashman, Truthout, August 2, 2016
• On Trade, Our Choices Aren’t Only Xenophobic Nationalism Or Neoliberal Globalization - By Leon Fink, In These Times, August 2, 2016
• Post-Paris Climate Talks: implementation at any price - By Simon Fischer, New Internationalist, August 2, 2016
• "You Can't Handle the Truth!" - By Richard Heinberg, Post Carbon Institute, August 1, 2016

The Man Behind the Curtain:

• In California Clean Air Fight, Environmental Justice Takes a Leading Role - By David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News, August 5, 2016
• Will Happer Drills For Support With Lamar Smith, Ted Cruz And Texas Public Policy Foundation - By John Mashey, DeSmog Blog, August 5, 2016
• The right now wants a “Clexit,” because Brexit went so well - By Katie Herzog, Grist, August 4, 2016 [related]: After Brexit, Climate Science Denialists Form New Group to Call for a Clexit - By Graham Readfearn, DeSmog Blog, August 3, 2016
• Koch Bros’ Summer Reading List for Donors Promotes Freedom, Fossil Fuels, and Matt Ridley - By Kyla Mandel, DeSmog UK, August 3, 2016
• The Kochs, Big Oil Are Taking Their War With The EPA To The Ballot Box - By Josh Israel and Samantha Page, Think Progress, August 3, 2016
• Behold, the death of memes at the hand of the fracking lobby - By Cody Permenter, Grist, August 2, 2016
• Climate Denier Jim Inhofe Goes Full Conspiracy Theorist In Unhinged Rant About Global Warming - By Farron Cousins, DeSmog Blog, August 2, 2016
• Fastest-Growing Source Of Electricity ‘Not Working So Good,’ Trump Claims - By Samantha Page, Think Progress, August 2, 2016

Green is the New Red:

• How America Rising Ties the GOP Establishment to the Stalkers Harassing Bill McKibben and Tom Steyer - By Ben Jervey, DeSmog Blog, August 6, 2016

Greenwashers:

• Bavaria Suing Volkswagen Over Diesel Emissions Cheating Scandal - By James Ayre, Clean Technica, August 3, 2016

Disaster Capitalism:

• Louisiana Parish Hit by Third Oil Spill in Ten Days As Pressure Grows To Hold Oil and Gas Industry Accountable for Coastal Damage - By Julie Dermansky, DeSmog Blog, August 3, 2016
• "When You Dial 911 and Wall Street Answers": How Private Equity Profits off Our Daily Lives - Danielle Ivory interviewed by Juan Gonzáles and Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, August 3, 2016
• Utility Won’t Clean Up Toxic Coal Ash Pits Because It’s Too Expensive - By Alejandro Dávila Fragoso, Think Progress, August 1, 2016

Other News:

• Leaked Government Report Reveals Failed Coal Mine Rehabilitation Costing Taxpayers $3.2 Billion - By staff, Lock the Gate Alliance, August 5, 2016
• We Were Promised The Greenest Olympics Ever. We Got An Ecological Disaster - By Natasha Geiling, Think Progress, August 2, 2016; [related]: Dave Zirin: Protests by Athletes and Displaced Rio Residents Accompany Opening of 2016 Olympic Games - By Dave Zirin interviewed by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, August 5, 2016 | Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony Reminds World That Climate Change Is Very Real - By Esther Yu Hsi Lee, Think Progress, August 2, 2016 | Athletes Forced To Live With Disgusting Conditions And Poor Security In Rio Olympic Village - By Lindsay Gibbs, Think Progress, August 1, 2016
• End the Stink in Endicott! - By Joan McKiernan, The People's Press, July 24, 2016

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC; Hashtags: #greenunionism #greensyndicalism #IWW. Please send suggested news items to include in this series to euc [at] iww.org.

By various - Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Bold Louisiana, August 2016

As this report was going to press, a massive storm caused unprecedented flooding in Louisiana, destroying tens of thousands of homes and killing at least 11 people. Thousands of others were forced to evacuate. This is exactly the kind of extreme weather projected to become more severe on the Gulf Coast as the climate crisis intensifies.

And that’s what this report is about: the necessity of a rapid and just transition to clean energy to reduce this terrifying threat to the Gulf Coast. We must begin by stopping new fossil fuel leasing in the Gulf of Mexico to prevent offshore drilling and fracking that could ultimately contribute nearly 33 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent to global warming.

“Climate change is never going to announce itself by name. But this is what we should expect it to look like,” was the first line of a New York Times story about the flood. Indeed climate scientists and meteorologists are linking the Louisiana deluge to a series of extreme floods caused by climate change in the United States over the past two years.

The link between burning fossil fuels and heavy rains is clear and direct. Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases, which warms our atmosphere. “As the atmosphere warms, so does the ocean,” climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe explained in a recent Facebook post about the Louisiana flooding. “Evaporation speeds up, making more water available for a storm to pick up and dump as it sweeps through.”

The National Weather Service in New Orleans measured record levels of moisture in the air during this storm. More than two feet of rain fell on Baton Rouge and southern Louisiana in under 48 hours, sending most of the region’s rivers over their banks on Aug. 17 and flooding thousands of homes. That deluge was the result of a low-pressure storm system that stalled off the coast and kept sucking more moisture from the unusually warm Gulf waters, which will only grow warmer over time.

It’s high time the communities of the Gulf Coast cease to be treated as sacrifice zones. They deserve environmental justice and a clean energy future. Turning away from fossil fuel extraction in the Gulf will allow them to weather future storms, help end our dangerous collective reliance on fossil fuels, and dramatically reduce hazards for future generations.

Read the report (PDF).

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, August 2, 2016

A supplement to Eco Unionist News:

Lead Stories:

• They Killed Keystone. Now What? - By Samantha Page, Think Progress, July 29, 2016
• An Inside Look At How Rio Fell So Far, So Fast - By Lindsay Gibbs, Think Progress, July 28, 2016
• The Color of Pollution: How Environmental Contamination Targets People of Color - By Larry Buhl, DeSmog Blog, July 28, 2016
• TTIP: The most dangerous weapon in the hands of the fossil fuel industry - By Andreas Sieber and Pavlos Georgiadis, The Ecologist, July 27, 2016
• ALEC 2016 Agenda Boosts Charters, Coal, and Other Corporate Funders - By Jessica Mason, PRWatch, July 26, 2016
• Moving Gulf Fossil Fuel Lease Sales Online Won't Halt Public's Growing Opposition to Offshore Drilling - By Blake Kopcho, et. al., Center for Biological Diversity, et. al, July 25, 2016

The Man Behind the Curtain:

• ALEC in Indianapolis: ExxonMobil and the #WebOfDenial - By Connor Gibson, Greenpeace, July 30, 2016
• At Oil Industry Funded DNC Event, Surprising Turn: Protests, Ex-Governor Admits "Mistake" Over Fracking - By Sharon Kelly, DeSmog Blog, July 29, 2016
• Fracking Colorado: This Is What (Buying a) Democracy Looks Like - By Jesse Coleman, Greenpeace, July 29, 2016
• Oil and gas industry events 'polluting' Democratic convention, say activists - By Oliver Milman, The Guardian, July 28, 2016
• Revealed: AARP Is Funding ALEC - By Nick Surgey and Calvin Sloan, Exposed, July 28, 2016
• At Federal Energy Conference, Forecasts Predict Bright Future for Fossil Fuels - By Justin Mikulka, DeSmog Blog, July 27, 2016
• Sinking Tarballs, Whale Collisions: Potential Impacts of Energy East on the U.S. Coast Detailed in New Report - By James Wilt, DeSmog Canada, July 27, 2016
• Donald Trump's Top Energy Aide Could Profit From GOP-Promised Keystone XL Permit - By Steve Horn, DeSmog Blog, July 26, 2016
• Jim Inhofe’s Granddaughter Asked Him Why He Didn’t Understand Global Warming - By Ryan Koronowski, Think Progress, July 26, 2016
• Oil Lobby Paid Washington Post and Atlantic to Host Climate-Change Deniers at RNC - By Alex Emmons, The Intercept, July 22, 2016
• Mike Pence Is a Loyal Friend to Polluters - By Sarah Anderson and Janet Redman, Alternet, July 18, 2016

Green is the New Red:

• 3 reasons we’re opposing a Congressional move to protect Exxon - By May Boeve and Annie Leonard, 350.org and Greenpeace, July 27, 2016; [related]: Exxon allies cry foul over law firm in climate probe - By Timothy Cama, The Hill, July 23, 2016
• Fossil Fuel Industry Continues Wrath on Renowned Climate Scientist Michael Mann - By Sierra Rayne, EcoWatch, July 26, 2016

Greenwashers:

• BP deal renewed. We vow to overturn it - By staff, BP or Not BP, July 28, 2016
• Delta Tunnels: Restoring An Estuary by Diverting Its Water? - By Dan Bacher, Daily Kos, July 27, 2016; [related]: Crowd chants “Ban fracking now” to Governor Brown at DNC - By EmilyJ, 350.org, July 28, 2016 | The Hired Gun: Jerry Brown Snags Bruce Babbitt as New Point Man For Delta Tunnels - By Dan Bacher, CounterPunch, July 27, 2016
• Promoting Cutting Trees to Store Carbon? It’s 1984 All Over Again - By staff, Global Justice Ecology Project, July 26, 2016

Disaster Capitalism:

• Michigan AG Bill Schuette: State employees ignored warning flags in Flint - By John Wisely, Detroit Free Press, July 29, 2016
• Back to tragedy: more news of the BHP Billiton/Vale tailings dam collapse in Brazil - By Richard, London Mining Network, July 28, 2016

Other News:

• The Struggle Deep in the Forests of the Philippines - By Zeph Repollo, 350.org, July 29, 2016
• Over 130 Organizations Challenge EPA to Consider Prisoners in Environmental Justice Plan - By Panagioti Tsolkas, Prison Ecology Project, July 28, 2016
• Ecuador Refuses to Pay Chevron Nearly $100 Million in Damages - By staff, Telesur, July 9, 2016

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC; Hashtags: #greenunionism #greensyndicalism #IWW. Please send suggested news items to include in this series to euc [at] iww.org.

By Rachel Morello-Frosch, Manuel Pastor, James Sadd, Lara Cushing, Madeline Wander, and Allen Zhu - NextGen Climate and Demos, August 2016

This report quantifies the cost of climate change to millennials and their children, compared to a world without climate change. The climate change costs are compared to other significant economic burdens millennials will face over the course of their lifetime, including student debt, child care, stagnant wages, and the lack of good jobs. The key findings of this analysis include:

• Without action on climate change, a 21-year-old in the class of 2015 earning a median income will lose $126,000 in lifetime income, and $187,000 in wealth.
• Without action on climate change, a 21-year-old earning a median income will lose $100,000 in lifetime income, and $142,000 in wealth.
• For the children of millennials, the losses from climate change will be drastically greater.
• Without action on climate change, the millennial generation as a whole will lose nearly $8.8 trillion in lifetime income.
• The economic losses caused by climate change are substantially greater than the damages of other economic challenges.
• Student debt costs the median-earning college-educated individual approximately $113,000 in lost wealth over a lifetime, due to reduced savings for retirement and home ownership.
• Losses from the Great Recession cost the median-earning college-educated household $112,000.

We must act quickly to address climate change because the impacts are occurring now faster and stronger than predicted:

• July 2016 was the 15th straight month of record-breaking heat.
• The 21st century has seen 15 of the 16 hottest years on record.
• For the eighth consecutive year, extreme weather has cost U.S. taxpayers over $10 billion.
• Sea levels are rising and in Miami, Norfolk, and other coastal cities, tidal flooding is becoming the norm – even on days without storms.
• Drier and longer droughts are threatening our public health and crops.

We must transition to a 100 percent clean energy economy in order to avoid the devastating economic impacts of climate change detailed in this report.

Read the report (PDF).

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, July 27, 2016

A supplement to Eco Unionist News:

Lead Stories:

• Did Industry Ties Lead Democratic Party Platform Committee to Nix Fracking Ban? - By Steve Horn, DeSmog Blog, July 23, 2016
• Planned Gas Pipeline Construction on East Coast Puts Climate at Risk: Report - By Sharon Kelly, DeSmog Blog, July 22, 2016; [related]: Report: Gas pipeline proposals could threaten US carbon pledge - By Robert Walton, Utility Dive, July 25, 2016 | As Major Parties Embrace Fracking, Report Shows Natural Gas 'Bridge to Climate Disaster' - By Deirdre Fulton, Common Dreams, July 22, 2016 | 19 Proposed Fracking Pipelines Would Push Us Past Point of No Return, Report Finds - By Lorraine Chow, EcoWatch, July 22, 2016
• Koch Brothers' Fingerprints Can Be Found All Over GOP Convention - By Mary Bottari, PRWatch, July 21, 2016
• The End of the Extraction Economy - By Cliff Moser, Strong Towns, July 18, 2016

The Man Behind the Curtain:

• Heartland Institute Tries To Reshape Its 'Unabomber Billboard' Image With Hyper Patriotism - By Farron Cousins, DeSmog Blog, July 24, 2016
• EIA AEO is DOA - By Steve Kretzmann, Oil Change International, July 21, 2016
• Rail Industry Requests Massive Loophole in Oil-by-Rail Safety To Extend Bomb Trains Well Beyond 2025 - By Justin Mikulka, DeSmog Blog, July 21, 2016
• Escalating Battle Over Exxon Investigation Subpoenas Could End Up in Court - By David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News, July 20, 2016
• Murdoch media gets it hopelessly wrong on wind energy. Again. - By Giles Parkinson, REnew Economy, July 20, 2016
• Sen. Capito’s $15,000 worth of regulations - By Ken Ward Jr, Charleston Gazette-Mail, July 20, 2016
• Smoke and Fumes: Six Decades of Oil-Tobacco Nexus of Deception and Attacks on Science - By Brendan DeMelle, DeSmog Blog, July 20, 2016; [related]: Big Oil, Not Big Tobacco, Wrote the Public Skepticism Playbook: Report - By Nadia Prupis, Common Dreams, July 20, 2016 | Way back when, Big Oil taught tobacco companies a few tricks - By Katie Herzog, Grist, July 20, 2016
• The Koch and Exxon Funded Think Tanks Supporting, and Being Courted by, Britain’s Brexit Campaigners - By Kyla Mandel, DeSmog Blog, July 19, 2016
• The slippery slope just turned into a slippery cliff - By Mike Spille, The Cost of the Pipeline, July 19, 2016
• Three U.S. states sue Volkswagen, say executives covered up diesel cheating - By David Shepardson, Reuters, July 19, 2016 [related]: The 4 most scandalous charges against Volkswagen - By Heather Smith, Grist, July 22, 2016  | Volkswagen Emissions Scandal Just Got Worse - By Samantha Page, Think Progress, July 19, 2016 | VW execs covered up diesel cheating, state lawsuits allege - By David Shepardson, Automotive News, July 19, 2016
• While Reviewing Spectra Energy Gas Pipeline Project, FERC Contractor Did Not Disclose Its Hiring by Spectra for Five Other Projects - By Itai Vardi, DeSmog Blog, July 19, 2016
• Australia Appoints “Mr Coal” As New Climate Change Minister - By Graham Readfearn, DeSmog Blog, July 18, 2016
• Exxon Increases Funding to Energy Think-Tank Run By Former Top Obama Energy Aide - By Steve Horn, DeSmog Blog, July 18, 2016
• Golden Rice and Scientific Consensus - By Carmelo Ruiz, Food First, July 15, 2016
• Monsanto Tries to Build a Society of GMO and Pesticide Devotees, One Child at a Time - By Lorraine Chow,  AlterNet, July 4, 2016

Green is the New Red:

• 'The Dam Builders Could Not Stop My Mother' So They Killed Her - By Salvador Edgardo Zuniga Cáceres, EcoWatch, July 19, 2016
• Federal Agents Went Undercover To Spy on Anti-Fracking Movement, Emails Reveal - By Lee Fang and Steve Horn, The Intercept, July 19, 2016
• Free Kara Wild! - By Free Kara Wild!, Earth First! Journal, July 19, 2016

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, July 19, 2016

A supplement to Eco Unionist News:

Lead Stories:

• The corporate scramble for Africa's minerals: Britain's new colonialism - By Colin Todhunter, The Ecologist, July 14, 2016
• Taxpayer Groups, Environmentalists, Students Call on Congress to End $4 Billion Annual Oil Industry Subsidies - By Sharon Kelly, DeSmog Blog, July 14, 2016; [related]: Open Letter to Congress, various, July 14, 2016 [PDF]
• Being Present in this Moment: Climate Justice and Collective Dignity - By Everette R. H. Thompson, 350.org, July 13, 2016
• The Fight Against TTIP: a Green Pyrrhic Victory?  - By Georg Maisser, Green European Journal, July 11, 2016
• How Globalization Divides Us: Perspectives on Brexit from a Dual Citizen - By Kristen Steele, Local Futures, July 9, 2016

The Man Behind the Curtain:

• How the Right Wing Denial Machine Distorts the Climate Change Discourse - By Michael Mann, EcoWatch, July 15, 2016
• New Utah Lands Bill Includes Massive Gifts To The Cliven Bundy Land Seizure Movement - By Nicole Gentile and Matt Lee-Ashley, Think Progress, July 15, 2016
• New Rules Could Help Big Oil Escape Scrutiny at Fossil Fuel Auctions - By Nadia Prupis, Common Dreams, July 15, 2016; [related]: Legislation Would Marginalize Public Input on Offshore Fossil Fuel Leases - By Marissa Knodel, et. al., Friends of the Earth, et. al., July 13, 2016
• Lamar “McCarthy 2.0” Smith Subpoenas #ExxonKnew Investigators - By ClimateDenierRoundup, DeSmog Blog, July 14, 2016; [related]: Front Groups Attacking #WebofDenial Senate Action Took Over $92M in Dark, Dirty Money - By Cindy Baxter, Climate Investigations Center, July 14, 2016 | Republicans “Acting at Behest of Big Oil” Trying to Block Investigation of Exxon “Fraud” - By Andy Rowell, Oil Change International, July 14, 2016 | Republicans Escalate War on Attorneys General Over Exxon Climate Change Probe - By Climate Nexus, EcoWatch, July 14, 2016 | ExxonMobil Is Still Funding Climate Science Denier Groups - By Elliott Negin, EcoWatch, July 13, 2016 | The New Attack On Climate Scientists: Drain Their Funds With Frivolous Lawsuits - By Farron Cousins, DeSmog Blog, July 13, 2016 | How US Senators’ #WebofDenial Helped Spawn and Sustain Climate Science Denial in the UK - By Graham Readfearn, DeSmog UK, July 13, 2016 | State Attorneys General Subpoenaed by Rep. Lamar Smith for Exxon Fraud Probe - By David Hasemyer, Inside Climate News, July 13, 2016 | #TimetoCallOut the Impressive McCarthy-Hypocrisy of the #WebofDenial Response - By ClimateDenierRoundup, DeSmog Blog, July 13, 2016
• Can A Once-Respected Science Group Give Up Exxon Funding? It Will Soon Have One More Chance - By Joe Romm, Think Progress, July 13, 2016

Green is the New Red:

• Cloc-Via Campesina Honduras statement on assassination of Lesbia Yaneth Urquía - By Cloc-Via Campesina, La Via Campesina, July 18, 2016 [related]: Murders of Activists Defending Safe Water and Environment Rise Sharply - By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue, July 13, 2016 | This Is Why You Could Lose Your Life Protecting Honduras’ Environment - By Alejandro Davila Fragoso, Think Progress, July 12, 2016
• Fear and uncertainty after Filipina anti-coal activist murder - By Megan Darby, Climate Change News, July 13, 2016; [related]: Murder of Filipina activist symptom of attempt to quash rising tide of anti-coal activism - By Bob Burton, CoalWire, July 13, 2016

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, July 12, 2016

A supplement to Eco Unionist News:

Lead Stories:

• Exxon Is Still Helping Fund The Spread Of Climate Denial - By Natasha Geiling, Think Progress, July 11, 2016; [related]: How Far Will Elected Officials Go to Protect One of World’s Biggest Carbon Polluters? - By Elliott Negin, EcoWatch, July 5, 2016
• Let's not mix xenophobia with legitimate resistance to corporate trade deals - By Linda McQuaig, Rabble.Ca, July 7, 2016
• There is a crisis erupting along Nicaragua's Northern Coast. Here's 5 ways you can help - By Carlos Enrique Maibeth-Mortimer, Intercontinental Cry, July 7, 2016
• Fate of Keystone XL Pipeline Could Be Decided in a Texas Courtroom Before NAFTA Tribunal Considers TransCanada’s Suit - By Julie Dermansky, DeSmog Blog, July 5, 2016

The Man Behind the Curtain:

• ExxonMobil: New Disclosures Show Oil Giant Still Funding Climate Science Denial Groups - By Graham Readfearn, DeSmog Blog, July 8, 2016
• How The Arizona Corporation Commission Turned Anti-Solar In Just A Few Years - By Alex Kotch, DeSmog Blog, July 8, 2016
• Going to Extremes: The Anti-Government Extremism Behind the Growing Movement to Seize America’s Public Lands - By Aaron Weiss, Center for Western Priorities, July 7, 2016; [related]: Utah Representative Rob Bishop Once Again Taking Marching Orders from Oil and Gas Industry - By Jesse Prentice-Dunn, Center for Western Priorities, July 7, 2016 | Busted: Right-wing “environmental research” group uses falsified data to justify state land grab - By Aaron Weiss, Center for Western Priorities, July 5, 2016
• Mysterious EV Company Atieva Hires Climate Change Denying Lobbyist Ben Quayle - By Tina Casey, Clean Technica, July 7, 2016
• Bankrupt Coal Miner Peabody Energy Paid Climate Denialist Craig Idso To Write Greenhouse Gas Reports - By Graham Readfearn, DeSmog Blog, July 6, 2016
• The Top 10 Garbage Climate Stories From The Koch Brothers’ Favorite Right-Wing Website - By Dee Robbs, Buzzfeed, June 29, 2016

Green is the New Red:

• North Carolina Congressman Wants To Ban EPA Employees From Flying For Work - By Natasha Geiling, Think Progress, July 11, 2016; [related]: Meaningless, Mean-Spirited McCarthyism: Lamar Smith’s Ironic Investigations - By ClimateDenierRoundup, DeSmog Blog, July 10, 2016 | Climate scientists are under attack from frivolous lawsuits - By Lauren Kurtz, Skeptical Science, July 7, 2016
• Jail sentences for 11 in France’s carbon scam of the century - By Chris Lang, REDD Monitor, July 8, 2016
• Another environmental activist killed in Honduras - By Freddy Cuevas, Washington Post, July 7, 2016; [related]: Violence against environmentalists is now at an all-time high - By Will Potter, Green is the New Red, July 8, 2016 | 'Horrific Human Rights Crime': Another Environmental Activist Slain in Honduras - By Nika Knight, Common Dreams, July 7, 2016
• Six Months After Malheur, Militants and Extremist Lawmakers Renew Land Seizure Efforts - By Aaron Weiss, Center for Western Priorities, July 7, 2016
• What to Do When Russian Commandos Seize Your Ship - By Peter Wilcox, Climate Desk, July 7, 2016
• The Alabama Landfill That Brought Noise, Health Woes, and a Lawsuit - By Kendra Pierre-Louis, Inside Climate News, July 5, 2016

Greenwashers:

• Inside Shell’s PR Strategy To Position Itself As A ‘Net-Zero Emissions’ Leader - By Mike Gaworecki, DeSmog Blog, July 10, 2016
• Green grabs are not the solution to land grabs - By Chris Lang, REDD Monitor, July 7, 2016
• Back to the Future with Laverne and Shirley: The Trivialisation of the GMO Debate - By Colin Todhunter, CounterPunch, July 6, 2016
• Lochwood Capital: “Your site has comments sections which defame one of my employees” - By Chris Lang, REDD Monitor, July 6, 2016
• Wisconsin Said Frac Sand Mining Is Safe In A Report That Groups Say Used Industry Data - By Alejandro Davila Fragoso, Think Progress, July 6, 2016
• American Petroleum Institute Forming Climate Change Task Force? - By Justin Mikulka, DeSmog Blog, July 5, 2016
• Rebutting the Latest “Fast Facts” from Delta Tunnels Backers - By staff, Restore the Delta, July 5, 2016
• Open Letter: E.On’s Ambitious Wood Power Station Plans in France Pose Threat to Forests - By Biofuelwatch, Denkhaus Bremen and SOS Forêt du Sud, Global Justice Ecology Project, July 1, 2016