From this week’s news on: the climate crisis, environmental issues, and nuclear threats

[Note: Content Warning - links to reports on climate crisis and environmental problems. Reader discretion is advised]  

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

From this week’s news on the climate crisis, environmental issues, and nuclear threats (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published): 

• “The great carbon divide”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/series/the-great-carbon-divide   and   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2023/nov/20/the-great-carbon-divide-climate-chasm-rich-poor   and   “Richest 1% account for more carbon emissions than poorest 66%, report says”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/20/richest-1-account-for-more-carbon-emissions-than-poorest-66-report-says   and   “Twelve billionaires’ climate emissions out pollute 2.1m homes, analysis finds”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/20/twelve-billionaires-climate-emissions-jeff-bezos-bill-gates-elon-musk-carbon-divide   

• “If we do it right, we can replant trees and shrubs to store carbon – and restore biodiversity”   https://theconversation.com/if-we-do-it-right-we-can-replant-trees-and-shrubs-to-store-carbon-and-restore-biodiversity-216734   
  

• “Australia has ‘one of the weakest 2030 pledges in the world’ ahead of COP28: Report”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/science/environment/2023/11/22/cop28-pledge    and   “Conservation groups challenge Labor over ‘lack of urgency’ on environment laws”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/24/conservation-groups-challenge-labor-over-lack-of-urgency-on-environment-laws   but   “Albanese government to rapidly expand investment scheme for clean energy projects”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/23/albanese-government-to-rapidly-expand-investment-scheme-for-clean-energy-projects   &   “The government will underwrite risky investments in renewables – here’s why that’s a good idea”   https://theconversation.com/the-government-will-underwrite-risky-investments-in-renewables-heres-why-thats-a-good-idea-218427  
  

• “Record-breaking heat set to hit southern hemisphere as summer begins”   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03547-9   

• “Wildfires are thawing the tundra — High Country News – Know the West”   https://www.hcn.org/articles/wildfire-wildfires-are-thawing-the-tundra   
  

• “Eco-Camouflage and the Fossil Fuel Lobby: The War against Wind Farms - The Australian Independent Media Network”   https://theaimn.com/eco-camouflage-and-the-fossil-fuel-lobby-the-war-against-wind-farms/    

• “Newcastle port blockade: paddling activists take part in one of the biggest climate protests in Australia’s history”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/25/newcastle-harbour-blockade-activists-planning-the-biggest-civil-disobedience-action-in-australias-history  
  

 

• “UAE: Migrant Worker Abuses Linked to Broader Climate Harms”   https://youtu.be/Id-rDplMn2g?si=pOHEXINZ5E3bwMky   

 

• “We rarely hear about the disasters that were avoided – but there’s a lot we can learn from them”   https://theconversation.com/we-rarely-hear-about-the-disasters-that-were-avoided-but-theres-a-lot-we-can-learn-from-them-217850   “Disasters are avoided when everyone cares for everyone”   

 

• “Polio could be eradicated within 3 years — what happens then?”   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03682-3   (eradication is not extinction, so problems such as how to make vaccines without live virus have to be considered)   

• “Plants are likely to absorb more CO₂ in a changing climate than we thought”   https://theconversation.com/plants-are-likely-to-absorb-more-co-in-a-changing-climate-than-we-thought-heres-why-217786   “We found climate modelling that best accounted for the processes that sustain plant life consistently predicted the strongest CO₂ uptake ... up to 20% more than the simplest version.   Our findings highlight the resilience of plants, and the importance of planting trees and preserving existing vegetation to slow climate change [but] it doesn’t let us off the hook in the fight against climate change. The rapid increase in atmospheric CO₂ means we must still cut emissions”    

• “Shell to face human rights claims in UK over chronic oil pollution in Niger delta”   https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/23/shell-to-face-human-rights-claims-uk-over-chronic-oil-spills-niger-delta  
  

• “Progress on plastic pollution treaty too slow, scientists say”   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03579-1  
  

• “Fighting for Banaba Part 2”   Earth Matters   https://www.3cr.org.au/earthmatters   “Professor Katerina Teaiwa and Itinterunga Rae Banteiti join Priya to discuss the colonial history of phosphate mining on Banaba and the fight by Banabans for reparations and an end to extraction. This conversation, recorded in September 2023, occurs in the context of a recent push by Australian mining company Centrex, which has sought to conduct phosphate prospecting activities on the island under the greenwashing premise of “rehabilitation.” This week, you will hear the second part of Priya's two-part conversation with Katerina and Rae”   Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/earth-matters/id262049140?i=1000635293942   or at   https://www.3cr.org.au/earthmatters/episode/fighting-banaba-part-2  
  

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk.