Glaciers still melting at alarming rates

Last week, the IPCC issued a press release admitting a mistake over the melting of Himalayan glaciers. The 2007 report mentioned that it was very likely that these glaciers would disappear completely by 2035. That conclusion was wrong and unsupported by scientific data (Guardian). Along came the usual denialist hysteria. Global warming denialists, the experts [...]

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Mass murder in Iraq: not only bombs kill people

The constant war on Iraq has left its trace of environmental degradation. Radiation from depleted uranium and dioxins from bombs combine with the degradation of sewage and health systems to create a scenario of high rates of cancer and birth defects (Common Dreams). These are the findings of an Iraqi government report, another piece of [...]

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The REDD mafia

The logic is simple: let’s give a monetary value to forest conservation, by giving carbon credits to forest owners who don’t cut down trees, and we’ll stop deforestation. But anyone who knows or cares a bit about land grabbing realizes that it will rise when forests are commodified. That’s what’s happening right now all over [...]

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Carbon trading fraud is worth billions

In the past 18 months, a huge carousel fraud resulted in the loss of 5 billion euros in the EU. The fraud consists on buying allowances from the Emissions Trading System from a country that doesn’t charge VAT, selling them to a unregulated broker, charging VAT for the sale and disappearing with the money before [...]

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Protests in NY against carbon trading

This wednesday, climate justice activists and scientists gathered to oppose the 2nd Annual IGlobalForum Carbon Trading Summit, where bankers and lobbyists discussed how to make a profit from trading permits to pollute (Act for climate justice). Some nonviolent direct actions followed: the revolving doors were blockaded and a meeting in a hotel was interrupted. As [...]

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Runaway climate change is on the way

One of the main problems we face is that climate change isn’t a linear process. When the planet heats up, natural mechanisms function as positive feedbacks, releasing more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and thus reinforcing climate change. One of the major feedback mechanisms is the release of methane trapped in the permafrost as it [...]

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Two major victories against fossil fuel industries

In Ireland, Shell was forced to re-route a gas pipeline, after years of struggle from the community of Rossport. A group of citizens, known as the Rossport five, led a series of direct actions against Shell, being incarcerated for three months. Ten years later, victory came (Goldman Prize blog). From the US comes anther story [...]

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An alternative climate meeting in Bolivia

Evo Morales’ government is organizing a meeting of social movements for climate justice in Bolivia. The meeting will take place in Cochabamba, in April 20-22. More details here.

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Global Warming isn’t a media hype

Despite all the news we see everyday on global warming, the fact is that the media still pays little attention to environmental issues. According to the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism (link), in 2009 the coverage devoted to the environment by the media was 1.5%, even less than the 1.7% registered in [...]

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EU ETS gave away millions to UK big polluters

Yet another finding that shows how carbon trading reversed the “polluter pays principle” to the “polluter gets paid principle”. Open Europe has estimated that oil and gas companies’ operations in the UK were awarded a surplus of carbon permits worth €28.6m in 2008 (link). And this is nothing compared to the €47m given to heavy [...]

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