Field
Reports

News: Archive for August, 2019

Curbs on Methane, Potent Greenhouse Gas, to Be Relaxed in U.S. | The New York Times

Friday, August 30th, 2019
“…The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule aims to eliminate federal requirements that oil and gas companies install technology to detect and fix methane leaks from wells, pipelines and storage facilities. It would also reopen the question of whether the E.P.A. had the legal authority to regulate methane as a pollutant.”
 

78 Environmental Rules on the Way Out Under Trump | The New York Times

Thursday, August 29th, 2019

‘All told, the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks could lead to at least 80,000 extra deaths per decade and cause respiratory problems for more than one million people, according to a separate analysis conducted by researchers from Harvard. ‘

Source: 78 Environmental Rules on
the Way Out Under Trump | The New York Times

Study: U.S. Fossil Fuel Subsidies Exceed Pentagon Spending| Rolling Stone

Tuesday, August 27th, 2019

‘The United States has spent more subsidizing fossil fuels in recent years than it has on defense spending, according to a new report from the International Monetary Fund.’

Source:  Study: U.S. Fossil Fuel Subsidies Exceed Pentagon Spending| Rolling Stone

60% of world’s wildlife has been wiped out since 1970 | CBC.CA

Tuesday, August 27th, 2019

‘Well over half the world’s population of vertebrates, from fish to birds to mammals, have been wiped out in the past four decades, says a new report from the World Wildlife Fund.’

Source: 60% of world’s wildlife has been wiped out since 1970 | CBC.CA

Miners Kill Indigenous Leader in Brazil During Invasion of Protected Land | The New York Times

Monday, August 26th, 2019

‘RIO DE JANEIRO — Several dozen heavily armed miners dressed in military fatigues invaded an indigenous village in remote northern Brazil this week and fatally stabbed at least one of the community’s leaders, officials said Saturday.’

Source: Miners Kill Indigenous Leader in Brazil During Invasion of Protected Land | The New York Times

David Koch, billionaire conservative activist and philanthropist, dies at 79 | NBC news

Friday, August 23rd, 2019

‘…With the wealth from their business, David and Charles Koch helped to build a massive conservative network of donors for organizations that work to mobilize voters and sway elected officials in support of libertarian-leaning economic policies.’

Source: David Koch, billionaire conservative activist and philanthropist, dies at 79 | NBC news

In Bolsonaro’s burning Brazilian Amazon, all our futures are being consumed | The Nation

Friday, August 23rd, 2019

‘…Right now, in 2019, we are witnessing the beginning of a new, disastrous chapter. The area of trees being cleared has surged this year. In July, the deforestation rate was an area the size of Manhattan every day, a Greater London every three weeks. This month, fires are incinerating the Amazon at a record rate, almost certainly part of a scorched-earth strategy to clear territory. Why is this happening now? Because of a change in power.’

Source: In Bolsonaro’s burning Brazilian Amazon, all our futures are being consumed | The Nation

Huge wildfires in the Arctic and far North send a planetary warning | PBS

Thursday, August 22nd, 2019

‘The planet’s far North is burning. This summer, over 600 wildfires have consumed more than 2.4 million acres of forest across Alaska. Fires are also raging in northern Canada. In Siberia, choking smoke from 13 million acres – an area nearly the size of West Virginia – is blanketing towns and cities.’

Source: Huge wildfires in the Arctic and far North send a planetary warning | PBS

Jay Inslee, Dropping Out of 2020 Race, Will Run for Governor Again | The New York Times

Thursday, August 22nd, 2019

‘He ran on a message of fighting climate change, but failed to find much support in the polls. Now he intends to seek another term as governor of Washington.’

Source: Jay Inslee, Dropping Out of 2020 Race, Will Run for Governor Again | The New York Times

Scientists Have Been Underestimating the Pace of Climate Change | Scientific American

Thursday, August 22nd, 2019

‘Because the oceans cover three fifths of the globe, this correction implies that previous estimates of overall global warming have been too low. Moreover it was reported recently that in the one place where it was carefully measured, the underwater melting that is driving disintegration of ice sheets and glaciers is occurring far faster than predicted by theory—as much as two orders of magnitude faster—throwing current model projections of sea level rise further in doubt.’

Source: Scientists Have Been Underestimating the Pace of Climate Change | Scientific American