Amazon
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Critical List: Spilt oil tars New Zealand shores; climate change is a top issue for Europeans
Oil has reached New Zealand beaches, after an oil tanker ran into a reef last week. The tanker was carrying 1,700 tons of oil and 200 tons of diesel.
All these attacks on obscure regulations about boilers and concrete might seem boring, but in reality, they're part of a campaign that could destroy decades of environmental progress.
Europeans think that climate change is one of the top two issues facing the globe. (Although the No. 1 concern was a sort of Voltronesque mega-problem: poverty, hunger, and lack of drinking water.)
Rick Perry used to be against ethanol, but now he's in Iowa, so … he's not sure what he thinks.
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Ranchers are clearing the Amazon rainforest with Agent Orange
In Brazil, ranchers are opting to use Agent Orange -- one of the most toxic herbicides ever concocted, infamous for its use as a defoliant and de facto weapon during the Vietnam War -- to clear acres of rainforest. It's illegal to clear the forest, but by spraying swaths of trees with Agent Orange, deployed by helicopter, ranchers stand less chance of detection than if they cleared the land by bulldozing or cutting down trees.
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Critical List: New York could approve fracking; animals get stoned
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to open up private land in the state to hydrofracking.
Children living near Fukushima tested positively for radiation exposure.
Want to get all riled up before the weekend? Get your fix of climate skepticism here. -
Dying to save the rainforest
At the end of May, José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva and his wife, Mario do Espírito Santo, were killed. Both lived in Brazil's Amazon rainforest and had fought back against loggers illegally harvesting wood. Da Silva had expected death for a long time, but said he wouldn’t let that stop him: “[M]y fear does not silence me. As long as I have the strength to walk I will denounce all of those who damage the forest."
That same week, another activist, Adelino Ramos, was shot and killed. The week after that, an activist identified only as Marcos was shot. When witnesses tried to take him to the hospital, gunmen stopped them on the way and killed the wounded man. -
Critical List: Bike to work today; Amazon deforestation rate rose this year
It's Bike to Work day. Now all you bike commuters know how secretaries feel on Administrative Professionals Day: “One DAY? I’ve been doing this day in and day out all year!” The rate of Amazon deforestation has been declining in recent years; this year, it climbed again. The Brazilian government is — rightly — freaking […]
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Chevron, under pressure for destruction of Amazon, was top oil lobbyist last quarter
Chevron, responsible for a multi-billion-dollar environmental disaster in Ecuador, is instead spending millions to shore up Senate political support.
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The Climate Post: Pre-election maneuvering marked by fits of climate skepticism
Accepting the scientific consensus on climate change continues to be a liability for Republican candidates. One representative, Bob Inglis, blames his loss in the GOP primary to his public assertions that climate change is real. Plus, Jimmy Carter strikes back and a conservative whines about a cap without trade.
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The Gulf Coast joins an oil-soiled planet
More oil is spilled in the Niger Delta every year than has been spilled in the Gulf so far.Photo courtesy Amnesty International Italia via FlickrThis essay was originally published on TomDispatch and is republished here with Tom’s kind permission. If you live on the Gulf Coast, welcome to the real world of oil — and […]
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Ten green stories you probably missed this week
The big story of the week, of course, is that BP, after almost three miserable months, may have finally stopped its Gulf gusher. (Emphasis on “may.”) But chances are you missed these greener tales — from the beauty of pond scum to the bendable bike to the regenerative power of beer. Flasks of algae waiting […]