Climate Emergency

Sunrise Protesters Arrested at VP’s House Demanding Biden Declare a Climate Emergency

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Original article by JESSICA CORBETT republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Six Sunrise Movement activists were arrested while protesting outside of Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in Los Angeles, California on April 15, 2024.
 (Photo: Sunrise Movement/X)

“We deserve an administration who will fight for us, but instead of declaring a climate emergency, we are seeing Biden and Harris expand oil and gas production to record levels.”

Six young activists were arrested outside Vice President Kamala Harris’ Los Angeles home on Monday while calling on the White House to declare a climate emergency, according to the youth-led Sunrise Movement.

Harris and President Joe Biden–Democrats who are seeking reelection in November—campaigned as climate champions in the 2020 cycle but have had a mixed record on the topic since entering office.

“My generation is spending our teenage years organizing for climate action because people like Kamala Harris have failed us,” said Adah Crandall, one of the activists arrested after blockading the street outside her California residence overnight.

“We’re ready to do whatever it takes to win a climate emergency declaration—we will camp out overnight, we will get arrested, we will mobilize our peers by the thousands to win the world we deserve,” the 18-year-old continued. “The Biden administration are cowards for not standing with young people.”

“The Biden administration are cowards for not standing with young people.”

The White House has been praised for climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act as well was a recent pause on liquefied natural gas exports. However, the president has also faced criticism for continuing fossil fuel lease sales, backing the Mountain Valley Pipeline and Willow oil project, and skipping last year’s United Nations summit.

Just last week, the Biden administration approved a license for a pipeline company to build the nation’s largest offshore oil terminal off of Texas’ Gulf Coast—despite surging fossil fuel pollution that is pushing up global temperatures.

Sunrise last week condemned the approval as “very disappointing” and also joined with Campus Climate Network and Fridays for Future USA to announce Earth Day demonstrations intended to pressure Biden to declare a climate emergency.

Biden claimed last year that “practically speaking,” he had already declared a national climate emergency; however, as campaigners and experts have stressed, actually doing so would unlock various federal powers to tackle the fossil fuel-driving crisis.

“Our communities in California breathe toxic air from fossil fuels and face fires that destroy our homes,” noted 18-year-old Ariela Lara, who was arrested at Harris’ home.

“I’m on the frontlines raising my voice for my Black and Latine families and friends,” Lara added, “because I know that we deserve to have affordable housing and healthcare, we deserve an administration who will fight for us, but instead of declaring a climate emergency, we are seeing Biden and Harris expand oil and gas production to record levels.”

The action targeting Harris came after a February protest at Biden’s campaign headquarters in Delaware that also led to arrests.

Original article by JESSICA CORBETT republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

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Continue ReadingSunrise Protesters Arrested at VP’s House Demanding Biden Declare a Climate Emergency

GP who could be struck off over Just Stop Oil protests says it is her ‘fundamental duty to protect health and life’

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https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/gp-struck-off-part-just-stop-oil-protests-protect

Dr Sarah Brown is fighting to keep her medical practice licence after she was jailed for 31 days. Picture: Just Stop Oil/Alamy

A GP who was jailed for taking part in a Just Stop Oil protest has defended her actions by claiming they were part of a doctor’s ‘fundamental duty is to protect health and life’.

Dr Sarah Brown is now fighting to keep her medical practice licence after she was jailed for 31 days for contempt of court and breaching an injunction to not demonstrate outside Kingsbury oil terminal, Warwickshire, in 2022.

The doctor from Birmingham could now be struck off from the medical register following a tribunal today.

Dr Brown defended her actions in a statement published by Just Stop Oil: “As a doctor, my fundamental duty is to protect health and life.

“This includes proactive efforts to prevent disease and death. The climate crisis is the most significant existential threat to global health we have ever faced.”

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https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/gp-struck-off-part-just-stop-oil-protests-protect

Continue ReadingGP who could be struck off over Just Stop Oil protests says it is her ‘fundamental duty to protect health and life’

Great Barrier Reef Suffering Record Coral Bleaching With Damage 59 Feet Below the Surface

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https://www.ecowatch.com/great-barrier-deep-coral-bleaching.html

New video footage released on April 11, 2024 shows that bleached corals on the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef extend to greater depths than has been reported during the current mass bleaching event. Australian Marine Conservation Society / Facebook screenshot

The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has released video footage showing that the southern portion of the Great Barrier Reef is suffering from deep-sea coral bleaching, reported The Guardian.

The footage shows that the bleaching extends at least as far down as 59.1 feet — the deepest reported during this mass bleaching event, a press release from AMCS said. Some of the corals have begun to die in the face of record marine heat waves.

“I feel devastated. This bleaching event is the worst I have seen. It’s a severe bleaching event,” said Dr. Selina Ward, University of Queensland’s former academic director of the Heron Island Research Station, in the press release.

Ward reported extensive coral bleaching at all 16 southern Great Barrier Reef sites she had visited, saying it was the worst she had seen in three decades.

“I’ve been working on the Reef since 1992 but this [mass coral bleaching event], I’m really struggling with. The diversity of species involved has been hard to deal with. Look at bleached areas, there are many different species that are bleached – many of which are pretty resistant to bleaching so it’s not a pleasant one,” Ward added.

Last week, aerial survey data showed that 75 percent of the reef had experienced bleaching during the current bleaching event, with much of it classed as “high to extreme bleaching.”

During climate change-driven marine heat waves, extended periods of warmer ocean temperatures cause corals to become stressed, which leads them to expel the algae that live in a symbiotic relationship with them. These algae not only give corals their colorful appearance, but they are also their main source of energy, so long periods without them can lead to starvation.

“This new footage shows extensive coral bleaching in southern reefs, but there are images from the central and northern parts that show bleaching is extensive and severe in some of those areas too. Although in-water surveys will take months, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has completed the aerial surveys but only released the data. The authority must urgently release the maps to show to the public the extent and severity of this bleaching event,” said Dr. Lissa Schindler, campaign manager with AMCS, in the press release.

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https://www.ecowatch.com/great-barrier-deep-coral-bleaching.html

Continue ReadingGreat Barrier Reef Suffering Record Coral Bleaching With Damage 59 Feet Below the Surface

Just Stop Oil protester who scaled M25 gantry sparking Heathrow disruption says she’d do it again

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https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/just-stop-oil-protest-m25-heathrow-cressida-gethin-b1151683.html

Nearly 4,000 British Airways customers were affected by the protest

Just Stop Oil activist Cressida Gethin pictured with naturalist Chris Packham.
Just Stop Oil activist Cressida Gethin pictured with naturalist Chris Packham.

A Just Stop Oil protester who disrupted thousands of journeys at Heathrow by scaling a gantry above the M25 has said she would repeat the stunt.

Cressida Gethin, 22, climbed the gantry in July 2022 to protest the UK reaching its hottest temperature on record, 40C (104F), the day before.

As a result of the protest by the climate activist group, 3,923 British Airways customers were affected by cancellations and delays, a court heard in February.

The protester faces being sent to prison when she is sentenced next month.

In an interview with environmentalist Chris Packham, Gethin said she would like to speak to some of the people affected by the protest as she said that she would have no hesitation protesting in the same way again.

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Gethin added that she faced a “very real moral dilemma of knowing that people would be stuck in their cars and missing important events”. 

She continued: “I heard one person missed their parent’s funeral, which I would never want. It doesn’t sit easy with me.”

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https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/just-stop-oil-protest-m25-heathrow-cressida-gethin-b1151683.html

Continue ReadingJust Stop Oil protester who scaled M25 gantry sparking Heathrow disruption says she’d do it again

Left Foot Forward on Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, climate activists and Liz Truss

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Tory Party members deliver scathing verdict on Rishi Sunak’s cabinet, with record negative rating

Tory Party members have delivered a scathing verdict on Rishi Sunak and his cabinet, with a record number of ministers given a negative approval rating, according to the Conservative Home website.

It’s a further sign of just how unpopular Sunak and his government are, ahead of the May 2nd local elections, as pressure continues to mount on the Prime Minister.

The latest survey of Tory members conducted in March, shows that 12 ministers have negative ratings, that is up from 11 the month before.

At the bottom of the table is Michael Tomlinson, illegal immigration minister, with a negative rating of 43.1, with Rishi Sunak next at -27.7.

The Prime Minister is then followed by chancellor Jeremy Hunt on minus 22.7, with Michael Gove on -14.3 and Oliver Dowden on -12.0. Lord Cameron is on -7.8.

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Tories plot shock political comeback for Boris Johnson

The plot shows just how out of touch and deranged the Tory party is.

A group of Tory MPs is plotting to bring Boris Johnson back in to a senior role with the Conservative Party and also want to replace Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with Suella Braverman.

The plot, which the Sun is reporting has been hatched by the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO) – a powerful Tory members group, comes as Sunak continues to face mounting pressure with the Tories trailing the Labour Party in the polls by around 20 points.

With local elections taking place on May 2nd, it’s expected that there will be another push by Tory rebels to oust Sunak should the party perform badly. Some analysts have predicted that the Tories could be set to lose 500 council seats in the upcoming local elections on May 2nd. That’s half of the party’s councillors facing election.

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Climate activists drop giant banner on Westminster Bridge in pre-election warning to MPs

Campaigners are demanding an end to the ‘toxic influence’ of oil money in UK politics

Activists dropped a massive banner over Westminster Bridge this morning to launch a new campaign vowing to challenge MPs who accept oil money in the run-up to a general election. 

As MPs return to parliament after the Easter recess, climate campaigners have issued a warning that they will be holding politicians to account to end the “toxic influence” of fossil fuel lobbyists in Westminster. 

Campaigners for the Stop Polluting Politics movement said they will challenge current and prospective MPs to reject donations from high-polluting industries as they argue the influence from Big Oil is leading to the rollback of key climate policies. 

It comes as the UK Government came under huge criticism for announcing over 100 new oil and gas licences, while it was revealed the Tory Party received £3.5m from polluters and climate deniers in 2022. 

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Shameless Liz Truss refuses to rule out running for Tory leader again saying she has ‘unfinished business’

Labour said the prospect of her returning as leader “will send shivers down the spine of working people”.

Shameless Liz Truss who became Britain’s shortest-serving Prime Minister after her disastrous economic policies resulted in her being booted out of office after just 49 days, has refused to rule out running again for leader of the Tory party.

Truss, who has shown no humility after wrecking the economy with her mini-budget, which saw mortgage rates spiralling and resulted in the pound plummeting in value, believes she has ‘unfinished business’.

The former Tory party leader made the comments during an interview with LBC, while promoting her new book, ’10 years to save the West’, which is out today.

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Top 5 utterly bizarre comments Liz Truss made during her book promotion

Liz Truss was all over the airwaves today while promoting her new book ‘Ten Years To Save the West’ making a whole number of bizarre and eyebrow-raising claims. 

The Tories are trying to be ‘fashionable’ 

When asked about the government’s climate policies (forget the numerous recent climate policy rollbacks) Truss believed the government had a “ruthless Net Zero agenda” which she claimed was “ruining the economy”. She went on to say it was all down to the Conservatives wanting to “appear fashionable, rather than basing what they’re doing on their principles”. Not sure that’s going very well for them.

The ‘Left smear’ against her

The former-PM made the claim that the backlash against her mini-budget wasn’t due to its disastrous impact on the UK economy and millions of UK households, but in fact down to a ‘smear’ campaign by the Left.

The former PM who seems to lack any sense of self-awareness claimed on LBC the Left were “smearing” her by blaming everything wrong with the economy on her mini-budget. 

“What they are saying is not born by the facts, It’s a smear,” Truss said. “I’m countering it and a lot of economists are countering it. 

“In the same way they say the government was trying to abolish the forests, they are trying to smear me with economic results that I’m clearly not responsible for.”

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Continue ReadingLeft Foot Forward on Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, climate activists and Liz Truss