An Array of Utopian Flowers
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Defensible Space: My Wildfire-Appropriate Retrofit Journey – Part I
Posted on November 16, 2018 | No Comments -
KXL Blocked – How Indigenous People Will End Tar Sands Pipelines
Posted on November 12, 2018 | No Comments -
Mythological Journey to the Aztec Underworld
Posted on October 10, 2018 | 1 Comment -
Confronting Wildfire: Retrofit Communities, Not Forests
Posted on September 17, 2018 | 1 Comment -
San Onofre Nuclear Waste Dangers Compound
Posted on September 4, 2018 | No Comments
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WilderUtopia in 102 Languages
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greenhouse gases Archive
Post-Apocalyptic Destruction of the Tar Sands: Alberta from Above
Posted on November 26, 2014 | 3 CommentsWith the Keystone XL and Line 3 pipelines threatening to inundate the Earth with the dirtiest oil known to humanity, we survey a bird's-eye view of the post-apocalyptic tar sands oil sacrifice zones in Alberta, Canada, by photographer Alex MacLean.
Cowspiracy: Animal Agriculture Despoils Land, Water and Climate
Posted on October 19, 2014 | 4 CommentsA recent documentary, Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, advocates leading environmental organizations must address animal agriculture's massive impacts to forests, water sustainability, and climate change. Also watch Howard Lyman's documentary, Mad Cowboy.
Clean Energy: LA Councilman Pledges Serious Greenhouse Gas Cuts
Posted on June 30, 2014 | 3 CommentsL.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz wants the city to set new, higher goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, that would slash citywide emissions 80% from 1990 levels by 2050.
Political Science vs. Science Science – By Peter Nichols
Posted on January 10, 2014 | No CommentsPeter Nichols: My generation is being condemned to a planet beyond fixing because political science takes precedence over science science. If world governments don’t come together and act in concert to do something to stabilize the climate, and soon, we will make sure they are no longer governments.
Climate Disruption: Arctic Death Spiral Underway
Posted on November 18, 2013 | 1 CommentIce is melting in the Arctic at one of the fastest rates in human history. Researchers and climate scientists monitoring ice melt in the Arctic have started using the ominous term “death spiral” to describe what’s happening at the top of the world.
Valero Moves to Ship Tar Sands By Rail into LA Harbor
Posted on October 18, 2013 | 8 CommentsValero Energy seeks permits for large-scale shipments of low-quality tar sands oil via rail into their Port of Los Angeles refinery, without any public comment or environmental review. As part of a larger move to transport climate-disrupting unconventional crude to ports for refining and export to the world, it presents dangers given recent rail accidents, the corrosive nature of tar sands bitumen, and the significant pollution that surrounding communities already live with.
The Climate Movement: Direct Action Against Extreme Fossil Fuels
Posted on September 5, 2013 | 1 CommentDavid Osborn from Rising Tide asserts all new fossil fuel extraction must immediately stop if we want any chance of a habitable climate and a livable future. The climate movement needs more actions like Swamp Line 9 in Ontario, which shut down a pumping station to protest the Enbridge Line 9 Tar Sands Pipeline Reversal.
Regulating Fracking Will Not Protect California from Fracking
Posted on August 9, 2013 | 2 CommentsLauren Steiner writes on California's insufficient move to regulate fracking with SB 4, sponsored by State Representative Fran Pavley: "Worse than having no regulations, weak regulations provide political cover to legislators who could otherwise be pressured to vote for a moratorium on the practice." Tell Fran Pavley to withdraw her bad regulatory bill and fight for a fracking ban instead!
Sacramento March: Separation of Oil and State – July 11
Posted on June 30, 2013 | No CommentsPart of 350.org's Summer Heat campaign, "Separation of Oil & State: Follow the Money" is a July 11th march on the capitol in Sacramento that exposes the connections between government and oil lobbyists. Organizers from 350 Sacramento and Stop Fooling CA will create a human oil slick to raise awareness about the impact of the oil lobby on government.
Obama Proposes Measured Action on Climate Change
Posted on June 25, 2013 | 4 CommentsPresident Obama unveiled his Climate Action Plan that proposes to cut carbon pollution from coal burning power plants, coupled with supporting energy efficiency and clean, renewable sources of energy, but cannot seem to kick the addiction to some fossil fuels, especially fracked natural gas. He also promises to ramp up climate change adaptation and to lead international efforts to address global warming.
Media Resources: Forward on Climate Los Angeles
Posted on May 31, 2013 | 1 CommentThe Forward on Climate LA Solidarity March and Rally took place on February 17th, 2013, where more than 1,200 people supported by 101 Southern California organizations and businesses told Mr. Obama: "Solve the Climate Crisis, Take a stand, Mr. President!" Following is a media resource list from the event, including press, photography and videos. Let's keep it moving forward to heal the climate and our planet!
Robert Haw: Overcoming Climate Disaster with a Carbon Tax
Posted on May 3, 2013 | No CommentsEarth's climate is changing rapidly posing grave concerns for sustaining life on the planet. We must first drop the denial of scientific evidence and mounting climate disasters, and adopt a Carbon Fee and Dividend, which will spur a transition to clean, renewable energy.
Keystone XL Pipeline: 40 SoCal Groups Call for Environmental Rethink
Posted on April 16, 2013 | 6 CommentsThe State Department has issued a flawed environmental review of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that ignores its far-reaching impacts on climate and our environment. Tar Sands Action Southern California has prepared a commentary on behalf of 40 groups to be submitted to the State Department demanding a comprehensive reassessment of the significant and irreversible impacts on the environment not taken into account in the draft report released on March 1st. Make your comment by April 22nd!
Fees on Carbon in the Era of Trans-Pacific Partnership – By Peter Jefferson Nichols
Posted on April 4, 2013 | No CommentsThe revenue generated from a Carbon Tax, which should really be called a fee, would be returned to the citizenry, either through reductions in taxes or monthly dividends. That money would offset any increase in the cost of gas at the pump and would off-set already exorbitant financial stress caused by carbon release (i.e. medical bills and (un)natural disaster relief).
California: Big Oil AstroTurf Subverts Clean Air and Fuel Standards
Posted on March 8, 2013 | 2 CommentsWhile the public demands protections for air, land, and water, the California oil industry uses front groups and spends millions on lobbying the legislature, gaining disproportionate influence in subverting pollution and fuel standards. Keeping the economy addicted to climate-fouling fossil fuels and reaping billions in profits, Big Oil claims to be a "victim" of excessive regulation. Stop Fooling California!
Peter Jefferson Nichols: The NYT Misleads on How to Fix Climate Change
Posted on February 22, 2013 | 1 CommentThe Keystone XL is a great line in the sand. It requires an executive approval from President Obama because it crosses an international boundary, a rare “Yeah” or “Nay” for a head of state. Should the President reject the project based on its adverse climatic effects, he would become the first world leader to recognize the mutually beneficial relationship between ecology and economy.
Jan Freed: Mother Nature’s Climate Wrath Will Be Costly
Posted on December 28, 2012 | No CommentsThe US has been through hell with unprecedented drought, fires and floods, the most costly in history. Chance variation? The pattern of disasters and extreme weather evens beat the odds of your neighbor winning the lottery twice in a row.
Chasing Ice: The New “Inconvenient Truth” – Arctic Melting Before Our Eyes
Posted on December 10, 2012 | 5 CommentsDr. James Hansen: We can fix this. The answer is a price on carbon. We must make the price of fossil fuels honest, reflecting their cost to society including the economic devastation wrought by storms like Sandy, the toll on farmland and ecosystems, as well as priceless human lives.
Urban Ecology: Promoting Life in the Concrete Jungle
Posted on November 30, 2012 | 2 CommentsIn the growing field of urban ecology, scientists study cities as if they were ecosystems. With cities launching efforts to slash carbon emissions, reduce water use and improve habitats, scientists are beginning to evaluate how such policies affect the overall health of the urban environment.
Vision of Sustainable Mobility? High-Speed Rail Challenges California
Posted on September 17, 2012 | 4 CommentsDespite an eventual pricetag of $68 billion and numerous engineering, environmental and political challenges, the California bullet train offers a promising vision of sustainable mobility, posing less impacts and competitive costs than expanding airports and freeways.
Extreme Weather Disasters: Last Call at Club Fossil Fuel – By Mark Reynolds
Posted on July 13, 2012 | 4 CommentsExtreme weather events, drought, wildfire, torrential rains, tornadoes, hurricanes, attributable to human-caused global warming, are costing society and insurers bilions of dollars worldwide. Mark Reynolds from Citizens Climate Lobby argues it is time for a carbon fee and dividend to even the market for fossil fuels and encourage clean renewable energy alternatives.
Smart Growth: San Diego’s Approach to Sustainable Communities
Posted on March 10, 2012 | 4 CommentsWith "ambitious but achievable" transportation and land use proposals left off the table, California's first climate protection mandated Sustainable Communities Strategy aimed high but did not quite achieve setting the San Diego region on a long-term course toward sustainability.
Winona LaDuke – The Pipeline for the One Percent
Posted on November 14, 2011 | 1 CommentKeystone XL, touted to bring jobs and energy security, will do neither. Even if the pipeline never spilled, even if the tar sands weren’t an environmental atrocity, this would still be a bad deal for the US public.
Nature: Extreme Weather Linked to Greenhouse Gas Levels
Posted on February 17, 2011 | 4 CommentsTwo Studies in the Journal of Nature show that climate warming is responsible for extreme weather events, directly linked with rising greenhouse gas levels.
