Ecology and Environment

Co-Written by Meena Miriam Yust and Arshad M. Khan The emaciated polar bear, a sorry remnant of magnificence, raiding garbage cans in an iconic, even infamous photo, is one consequence of global warming.  As the September (2019) National Geographic cover story displays depressingly, Arctic ice collected over winter is sparser, thinner, and… »

From October 16 to 18, 2019 the Transformation 2019 meeting “Learning from Transformative Action and Thought” will take place, a biannual world meeting whose fourth version will be held for the first time in the southern hemisphere. Chaired by University of Chile academic Paulina Aldunce, the activity will bring together… »

By Ugo Bardi A little more than one year ago, I wrote a post titled “Why, in a Few Years, Nobody Will be Talking About Climate Change Anymore.” It turned out that I was completely wrong: Greta Thunberg changed everything. My mistake was the typical one we all make… »

More than 700 people have been arrested in civil disobedience actions as the group Extinction Rebellion kicked off two weeks of protests in 60 cities worldwide, demanding urgent government action on the climate crisis. Its members have superglued themselves to government buildings, occupied public landmarks, shut down roads and taken… »

“The Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded on 11 October. Why I support the nomination of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.” Felicity Ruby for openDemocracy The Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded on 11 October. Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have been nominated for the prize again this year, as… »

By Fluxus Foto After the official announcement of the new economic measures, mainly the liberation of the subsidy to the prices of the extra gasoline and diesel, the union of transporters at national level decided to call a paralysis of its activities, leaving without public transport most of the national… »

European and North American countries will take a major stride in cleaning up the atmosphere next Monday, 7 October, through the implementation of an amended legally binding treaty to limit the amount of emissions polluting the air. With 18 countries and the European Union now having ratified the amended treaty, from a total of… »

California is in a legal battle with the Trump administration over tailpipe emissions, air quality and climate change. California recently joined nearly two dozen other states to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after it revoked the state’s air pollution standards for cars and light trucks, in its latest… »

It has been satisfying to note the significant response to two recent climate campaigns: the actions, including the recent Global Climate Strike, initiated by school students inspired by Greta Thunberg and the climate actions organized by Extinction Rebellion. While delighted that these campaigns have finally managed to mobilize significant numbers… »

By Anandi Sharan What Greta Thunberg did is to mobilise the children who live in the Empire, the most powerful, the only, international Empire. The leaders of the Empire sit in Washington, in control of the most powerful military in the world, that controls its area of influence through its… »