News: Archive for November, 2011
‘Governments of the world’s richest countries have given up on forging a new treaty on climate change to take effect this decade, with potentially disastrous consequences for the environment through global warming.’
via Rich nations ‘give up’ on new climate treaty until 2020 | Environment | The Guardian.
‘(Reuters) – Africa is leading the push for clean energy policy-making as climate change turns millions of its people into “food refugees,” the head of the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) Achim Steiner said.’
via Africa leads climate push as its people go hungry | Reuters.
‘(Reuters) – Greenhouse gases that cause climate change have reached record levels in the atmosphere and show no sign of receding, despite global awareness of the need to switch to alternative energy sources, the United Nations weather agency said on Monday.’
via Greenhouse gases levels at record, accelerating | Reuters.
‘At least some of the weather extremes being seen around the world are consequences of human-induced climate change and can be expected to worsen in coming decades, a United Nations panel reported on Friday.’
via U.N. Panel Finds Climate Change Behind Some Extreme Weather Events – NYTimes.com.
‘(Reuters) – An increase in heat waves is almost certain, while heavier rainfall, more floods, stronger cyclones, landslides and more intense droughts are likely across the globe this century as the Earth’s climate warms, U.N. scientists said on Friday.’
via Extreme weather to worsen with climate change: IPCC | Reuters.
‘WASHINGTON AP — Top international climate scientists and disaster experts meeting in Africa had a sharp message Friday for the world’s political leaders: Get ready for more dangerous and “unprecedented extreme weather” caused by global warming.’
via Science panel: Get ready for extreme weather – Yahoo! News.
Nov 15, Berkeley, California
Professor Robert Reich spoke to approximately 5000 people in Sproul Plaza at the University of California Berkeley culminating a General Strike & Day of Action. The general assembly of ‘Occupy Cal’ voted earlier that evening to resume the tent occupation that had been torn down by the university police Wednesday night last week amidst videos of police brutality against students who had locked arms to defend the initial occupation. This video includes real time views of the plaza packed with demonstrators.
Partial excerpt:
“Fortyseven years ago as you know we were graced with the elequence and the power of Mario Savio’s words from these steps. And they were words that echoed and richocheted across America, Words about the importance and centrality of freedom of speech and assembly and freedom of expression and social justice. And those words continue to live on. In fact, the sentiments and words that Mario Savio expressed fortyseven years ago, are as relevant if not more relevant today than they were then. Because today unlike then we have a few Supreme Court decisions, such as ‘Citizens United’ against the Federal Election Commission.” [crowd boos]
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| The general assembly’s vote and decision to occupy is announced and a tent is carried up the Mario Savio steps while the crowd awaits Robert Reich |
Excerpt Continued:
“Did you just boo the Supreme Court of the United States? There are a few Supreme Court decisions that have said that essentially that money is speech and corporations are people. Now when you think that money is speech and corporations are people then it becomes extraordinarily important to protect the first amendment rights of ordinary Americans of regular citizens of students of everybody else who doesn’t have the money and who is not a corporation.”
See also:
Video: UC Berkeley Nov. 15 Day of Action – March through Berkeley
Voices from Occupy Cal at the University of California, Berkeley
Video: Vice Chancellor LeGrande To Occupy UC Berkeley: We’re fighting for the same cause, but no encampment will be allowed
Video: Occupy Oakland’s General Strike
KQED Reich video
CalTV Reich video
Report by James George
Nov 15, Berkeley, California
Students, faculty and staff at the University of California staged a Nov 15 General Strike and Day of Action against tuition fee hikes and recent policy brutality against student activists. After a large noon rally, thousands marched through the city of Berkeley.
Upon returning from the march to Sproul Plaza on the University of California Berkeley campus, the demonstrators were joined by a large contingent – and a tent – from the recently dismantled encampment of Occupy Oakland in Oscar Grant Plaza (Frank Ogawa Plaza).
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| The marchers return to Sproul Plaza after a march through Berkeley |
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| Sproul Plaza filled with demonstrators |
See also:
Video: Robert Reich at UC Berkeley’s General Strike & Day of Action
Voices from Occupy Cal at the University of California, Berkeley
Video: Vice Chancellor LeGrande To Occupy UC Berkeley: We’re fighting for the same cause, but no encampment will be allowed
Video: Occupy Oakland’s General Strike
Report by James George
‘(Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed on Sunday to keep pressure on the United States to approve the $7 billion Keystone pipeline project to ship crude oil from Alberta to Texas.’
via Canada will not give up on U.S. to approve Keystone | Reuters.
‘No wild black rhinos remain in West Africa, according to the latest global assessment of threatened species.’