I know, it’s not November any more. I’m dropping links here for November stories I never got around to sharing or writing about but really wanted to. I figured it would be better to do so at the end of the week than on Tuesday. So, here are some more stories from November you might be interested in:
Indigenous and Farmers to Lead Mexican Caravans and Alternative Forum For Life and Justice in Cancun
“The battle between People and the Market in the struggle for climate, environmental, and social justice continues. The next round of negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP16) is coming up in Cancun, Mexico from November 29 to December 10. Meanwhile, a series of caravans consisting of indigenous people, farmers, and social movements will be traveling from all around Mexico en route to Cancun, where they will host an Alternative Global Forum for Life and Environmental and Social Justice from December 5-8.”
Carmakers’ next problem: Generation Y
“People in their teens and twenties are more interested in gadgets than cars.”
Ban These Deadly Poisons!
“Poisoning is a horrific way to die. The last moments of life are cursed with dizziness, convulsions or excruciating pain. For the lucky few, death comes within minutes — but far too often, it’s a slow and agonizing spiral that can take hours.
“Each year, the Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services kills more than 10,000 wild animals with highly toxic sodium cyanide and sodium monofluoroacetate (known as Compound 1080) — and many of these poisonings occur on federal land.”
Kansas Top Environmental Official Out
“… the governor of Kansas apparently fired his secretary of Health and Environment for refusing to fast-track a permit to build a new coal fired power plant. Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby first refused to permit the plant back in 2007 because of the harm the plant’s millions of tons of global warming pollution would cause. This made him the first state regulator to reject an air quality permit for a coal plant because of the health and environmental risks posed by carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide is the predominant greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. The plant would also release significant quantities of other harmful air pollutants including mercury and fine soot.”
UN report warns of threat to human progress from climate change
“Human development report says inaction on climate change puts at risk decades of progress on education and health.”
World Energy Outlook joins the dots on climate action and energy security
“London: Today’s World Energy Outlook, keynote annual publication of the international Energy Agency, shows the continuing mainstreaming of the view that effective climate action is clearly linked to future sustainable energy security WWF commented today.”
Greenpeace responds to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook
“Greenpeace welcomes IEA´s call to cut the $312 billion in global fossil fuel subsidies, which would reduce fossil fuel demand and result in a fall of 2 gigatonnes CO2 or 5.8% of global energy related CO2 emission, according to the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2010 report launched today.”
Royal Society: “There are very strong indications that the current rate of species extinctions far exceeds anything in the fossil record.”
“Never before has a single species driven such profound changes to the habitats, composition and climate of the planet.”
Richard Somerville editorial: How much should the public know about climate science?
“Unfortunately, the world needs to take firm action about the threat of manmade climate change within the next decade…. Realistically, there may be no chance to educate the general public in depth about the science so quickly. Meanwhile, a well-funded and effective professional disinformation campaign has been successful in sowing confusion, and many people mistakenly think climate change science is unreliable or is controversial within the expert community. Thus, the more urgent task for us scientists may well be to give the public guidelines for recognizing and rejecting junk science and disinformation. If students today, who will be adults tomorrow, can understand and apply these guidelines, they may not need a detailed knowledge of climate change science. To that end, I offer the following six principles.”
New Hurdle for California Condors May Be DDT From Years Ago
“‘The eggshell fragments we found appeared abnormally thin,’ Mr. Burnett said. ‘They were so thin that we had to run tests to confirm that it was a condor egg.’ The fragments reminded him of the thin-shelled eggs from birds like brown pelicans and peregrine falcons, which had been devastated by DDT but are now on the rebound.
“The discovery raised a disturbing question: could DDT — the deadly pesticide that has been banned in the United States since 1972 — produce condor reproductive problems nearly four decades later?”
Top chefs back law for planet-friendly farming
“Top UK restaurants are backing the Sustainable Livestock Bill for planet-friendly farming being debated in Parliament this week.
“The 6 restaurants are in the top 10 of the Good Food Guide 2011.”
The New Path Forward on Climate Change
“Every major reform in our nation’s history has suffered defeats on the path to victory. From free trade to civil rights, setbacks have been a part of progress. But ultimate victory comes to those who learn from their defeats and press forward with new determination and perseverance.
“The failure of the United States Senate to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation this year was a serious setback for America, and for the world. The continuing cascade of scientific evidence shows that we are dangerously changing our climate, and the urgent need to act remains. So what do we do?”
How to Save $9,515 a Year
“[The American Public Transportation Association has] found that the average transit rider in the U.S. saves $9,515 annually from riding transit….
“In New York City, the average savings are almost up to $14,000!
“Want to save some money this holiday season (or all year long)? Ride transit.”
Pedal-Powered Food Processor
“Wouldn’t all of that Thanksgiving dinner prep be awesome if you could get a workout while doing it? That’s exactly what the pedal-powered food processor concept, by student designer Christoph Thetard, intends to do.
“The concept, awesomely dubbed the R2B2, is a multi-use kitchen appliance that is capable of generating 350 watts per minute, while pedaling 450rpm.”
E-cycle with eBay… and Maybe Even Get Paid
“A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from eBay’s Green Team (something I undoubtedly signed up for during one of my online shopping marathons). For once, I was pleasantly surprised by something that seemed like spam. The email blast was advertising eBay’s electronic recycling services, so I decided to check it out. Hey it was National Recycling Week, so I thought, why not?”
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Photo Credit: R.Duran via flickr (CC license)
