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#environmental

7 posts6 participants0 posts today

From #DogwoodBC ->

The #BCgovernment doesn’t think people care about #ClimateChange any more. But the next drought or heat dome is coming, and they’ll see just how much we care then. The time to solve a disaster is before it starts, not when you’re in the middle of it.

As of right now, B.C. has no climate plan. They’ve dismantled #CleanBC - an already meek attempt to protect British Columbians from the worst possible outcomes, with nothing to replace it. And what’s worse, they’re charging ahead with plans to approve another fracked gas pipeline: the #PrinceRupert Gas Transmission pipeline.

#FrackedGas is methane, a greenhouse gas that accelerates global heating. #PRGT would not only add to the carbon emissions responsible for more wildfires, it would also increase fracking operations in northern B.C. which doctors and scientists alike have shown make people in surrounding communities sick.

Approving PRGT is reckless. Dangerous. And completely out of step with what this moment demands. We don’t need more #FossilFuels — we need real climate action. Right now.

Send a letter to #Climate Minister Tamara Davidson. Demand a stop to the PRGT pipeline.

dogwoodbc.ca/petitions/prgt-ca

What does Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government have in common with the reigning New Democratic Party all the way across the country in B.C.?

In recent weeks, both have introduced legislation that could give extraordinary powers to sidestep environmental rules to allow for development. With these laws, both governments are writing themselves “blank cheques” — that’s according to critics who independently chose the exact same words in recent interviews with The Narwhal. @thenarwhal

thenarwhal.ca/bc-bill-15-contr

thenarwhal.ca/ontario-bill-5-e

Premier David Eby and Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma stand outside the BC legislature. Eby is at a lectern featuring a "Standing Strong for BC sign" with a microphone and a white hard hat on top of it. Ma stands behind him
The Narwhal · B.C.’s controversial Bill 15, explained | The NarwhalBill 15 would give the B.C. government sweeping powers to fast-track major projects, from mines to highways
Continued thread

The ArcticCouncil in the Shadow of Geopolitics. “1…#Indigenouspeoples as permanent participants in the council is unique in an international context... 2…Over 3 decades, scientists & officials have accumulated knowledge…of…#climatic & #environmental challenges that are extraordinarily noticeable in the Arctic.. ‘3…the Arctic states & the other actors of the Council face…#transboundary challenges…best solved jointly...” | Arctic Institute thearcticinstitute.org/arctic-

The Arctic Institute - Center for Circumpolar Security Studies · The Arctic Council in the Shadow of GeopoliticsThe Arctic Council is under cross-pressure between the consequences of the Ukraine war and Trump's views on Greenland and climate change.

It's baaaack...! #HR9495

via @fightforthefuture.org‬
WE NEED CALLS NOW! HR 9495, now known as #Section112209, if passed, would give the #Trump administration unprecedented power in suppressing nonprofits, by allowing the administration the power to strip organizations of their tax exempt status! Call 319-313-7674

'We Need Calls Now!' Republicans Slip #Nonprofit Killer Bill Into #TaxPackage

"If Democrats capitulate to the wanton destruction of crucial civil society institutions, they had better expect civil society to burn them to the ground for that betrayal."

Jake Johnson
May 13, 2025

Excerpt: "House Republicans on Monday quietly revived a proposal that would grant the Trump administration broad authority to crush nonprofits it views as part of the political opposition, from environmental justice organizations to news outlets.

"#FightForTheFuture and other advocacy groups called attention to the measure, which was buried in the final pages of the House Ways and Means Committee's draft reconciliation bill, starting on page 380.

"A markup hearing for the legislation is scheduled to take place on Tuesday [5/13] at 2:30 pm ET.

"The proposal would empower the U.S. #TreasuryDepartment to revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofits deemed material supporters of #terrorism, with only a hollow simulacrum of due process for the accused organizations. It is already illegal for #nonprofits to provide material support for terrorism.

" 'The House is about to hand the Trump administration the ability to strip nonprofits of their 501(c)3 status without any reason or recourse. This is a five-alarm fire for nonprofits nationwide,' said Lia Holland, campaigns and communications director at Fight for the Future. 'If the text of last autumn's H.R. 9495 is passed in the budget, any organization with goals that do not line up with #MAGA can be destroyed with a wink from Trump to the Treasury.'

"The measure passed the Republican-controlled House late last year with the support of more than a dozen Democrats, but it never received a vote in the Senate.

" 'This terribly thought-out legislation means that under the current administration, every #environmental, racial justice, #LGBTQ+, #gender #justice, #immigration justice, and—particularly—any anti-#genocide organization throughout the country may be on the chopping block,' said Holland. 'If Democrats capitulate to the wanton destruction of crucial civil society institutions, they had better expect civil society to burn them to the ground for that betrayal.' "

commondreams.org/news/nonprofi

Common Dreams · 'We Need Calls Now!' Republicans Slip Nonprofit Killer Bill Into Tax Package | Common DreamsHouse Republicans on Monday quietly revived a proposal that would grant the Trump administration broad authority to crush nonprofits it views as part of the political opposition.

Defendants in Georgia ‘Cop City’ case say they are in limbo as trial delays continue

By R.J. RICO
Updated 12:26 AM EDT, May 12, 2025

ATLANTA (AP) — "Single mother Priscilla Grim lost her job. Aspiring writer Julia Dupuis frequently stares at the bedroom ceiling, numb. Geography and environmental studies researcher Hannah Kass is worried about her career prospects after she graduates from her Ph.D. program.

"The three are among 61 defendants accused by Republican Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr of participating in a yearslong racketeering conspiracy to halt the construction of a police and firefighter training facility just outside Atlanta that critics pejoratively call 'Cop City.'

"Their cases are at a standstill, 20 months after being indicted under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law, or RICO, which is likely the largest criminal racketeering case ever filed against protesters in U.S. history, experts say.

"Trial for five of the defendants was supposed to start last year but got bogged down in procedural issues. The judge overseeing the case then moved to another court. A new judge has set a status hearing for Wednesday.

"The delays have left people in limbo, facing charges carrying up to 20 years behind bars for what they maintain was #LegitimateProtest, not #DomesticTerrorism. The case also has suppressed a movement that brought together hundreds of #activists to protect a wooded patch of land that ultimately was razed for the recently completed $118 million, 85-acre (34-hectare) project.

"Officials say the project is sorely needed to replace outdated facilities and boost officers’ morale. Opponents say it will be a training ground for a #MilitarizedPolice force and its construction has worsened #environmental damage in a poor, majority-Black area.

"Protests escalated after the fatal 2023 shooting of Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, known as #Tortuguita, who was camping near the site when authorities launched a clearing operation. Officials said they killed Tortuguita, 26, after the activist shot and wounded a trooper from inside a tent.

"A family-commissioned autopsy concluded Tortuguita was killed with their hands in the air, but a prosecutor found the officers’ use of force was 'objectively reasonable.' "

Read more:
apnews.com/article/cop-city-ri

Former #Greens leaders have urged the party to stand firm against #Labor#arrogance” in the new parliament, particularly on #climate & #environmental issues.

#BobBrown has urged the party to “never again” #preference Labor over the #Liberals & instead run an open ticket, as he and fellow former leader #ChristineMilne said the Greens should push back strongly against “lies” about the party. #auspol

theguardian.com/australia-news

The Guardian · Former Greens leaders urge party to stand up to Labor ‘arrogance’ as jockeying begins to replace BandtBy Adam Morton

CA #wildfires: a warning to #NRC on #ClimateChange

January 16, 2025

"The NRC’s actions to address the risks from natural hazards do not fully consider potential climate change effects on severe nuclear accident risks. 'For example, NRC primarily uses historical data in its licensing and oversight processes rather than climate projections data,' the GAO report said.

"Beyond Nuclear has uncovered similar findings during our challenges to the NRC’s extreme relicensing process for extending reactor operating licenses, now out to the extreme of 60 to 80 years and talk of 100 years. We found that the agency’s staff believes and stubbornly insists that an #environmental review for climate change impacts (#SeaLevelRise, increasingly severe #hurricanes, extreme #flooding, etc.) on reactor safety and reliability is 'out of scope' for the license extensions hearing process.

"The GAO report points out to the NRC that wildfires, specifically, can dangerously impact US nuclear power stations operations and public safety with potential consequences that extend far beyond the initiating natural disaster. These consequences can include loss of life, large scale and indefinite population dislocation and uninsurable economic damage from the radiological
consequences:

" 'Wildfire. According to the NCA (National Climate Assessment), increased heat and drought contribute to increases in wildfire frequency, and climate change has contributed to unprecedented wildfire events in the Southwest. The NCA projects increased heatwaves, drought risk, and more frequent and larger wildfires. Wildfires pose several risks to nuclear power plants, including increasing the potential for onsite fires that could damage plant infrastructure, damaging transmission lines that deliver electricity to plants, and causing a loss of power that could require plants to shut down. Wildfires and the smoke they produce could also hinder or prevent nuclear power plant personnel and supplies from getting to a plant.'

"Loss of offsite electrical power (#LOOP) to nuclear power stations is a leading contributor to increasing the risk of a severe nuclear power accident. The availability of alternating current (AC) power is essential for safe operation and accident recovery at commercial nuclear power plants. Offsite fires destroying electrical power transmission lines to commercial reactors therefore increase the probability and severity of nuclear accidents.

"For US nuclear power plants, 100% of the electrical power supply to all reactor safety systems is initially provided through the offsite power grid. If the offsite electrical grid is disturbed or destroyed, the reactors are designed to automatically shut down or 'SCRAM'. Onsite emergency backup power generators are then expected to automatically or manually start up to provide power to designated high priority reactor safety systems needed to safely shut the reactors down and provide continuous reactor cooling, pressure monitoring, but to a diminished number of the reactors’ credited safety systems. Reliable offsite power is therefore a key factor to minimizing the probability of severe nuclear accidents.

"The GAO identifies a number of US nuclear power plant sites that are vulnerable to the possible outbreak of wildfires where they are located. 'According to our analysis of U.S. Forest Service and NRC data, about 20 percent of nuclear power plants (16 of 75) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire,' the GAO report states. 'More specifically, more than
one-third of nuclear power plants in the South (nine of 25) and West (three of eight) are located in areas with a high or very high potential for wildfire.' The GAO goes on to identify 'Of the 16 plants with high or very high potential for wildfire, 12 are operating and four are shutdown.'

"To analyze exposure to the wildfire hazard potential, the GAO used 2023 data from the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Hazard Potential Map. 'High/very high' refers to plants in areas with high or very high wildfire hazard potential. Those #NuclearPower stations described by GAO as 'high / very high' exposure to wildfires and their locations are excerpted from GAO Appendix III: Nuclear Power Plant Exposure to Selected Natural Hazards.

Table 1: Potential High Exposure to “Wildfires” at Operating Nuclear Power Plants

–AZ / #SAFER, one of two mobile nuclear emergency equipment supply units in the nation, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–CA / #DiabloCanyon Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–FL / #TurkeyPoint Units 3 & 4 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–GA / #EdwinI. Hatch Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–GA / $Vogtle Units Units 1, 2, 3 & 4, nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #BrunswickNPP Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #McGuire Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–NC / #ShearonHarris Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH /VERY HIGH”
–NB / #Cooper nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–SC / #Catawba Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–SC / #HBRobinson Units 1 & 2 nuclear power station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”
–WA / #ColumbiaNuclearPower station, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

Table 2: Potential High Exposure to “Wildfires” at Shutdown Nuclear Power Plants

–CA / #SanOnofre Units 1 & 2, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

–FL / #CrystalRiver, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

–NJ / #OysterCreek, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

–NY / #IndianPoint Units 1, 2 & 3, “HIGH / VERY HIGH”

"Wildfires can transport radioactive contamination from nuclear facilities

"A historical review of wildfires that occur around nuclear facilities (research, military and commercial power) identifies that these events are also a very effective transport mechanism of radioactivity previously generated at these sites and subsequently released into the environment by accident, spills and leaks, and careless dumping. The radioactivity is resuspended by wildfires that occur years, even decades later. The fires carry the radioactivity on smoke particles downwind, thus expanding the zone of contamination further and further with each succeeding fire. The dispersed radionuclides can have very long half-lives meaning they remain biologically hazardous in the environment for decades, centuries and longer."

cc: @Cyclist @stfn @collectifission

Read more:
beyondnuclear.org/ca-wildfires

CA wildfires: a warning to NRC on climate change
Beyond Nuclear · CA wildfires: a warning to NRC on climate change - Beyond Nuclear US Government Accountability Office warnings to Nuclear Regulatory Commission go unheeded

#Kerala fishermen up in arms against #DeepSeaMining proposal off #Kollam coast

March 22, 2025

"The fishermen in Kerala have already launched several protests against the proposed plan to open up the sea to private mining companies as part of the Union Government’s ‘Blue Economy’ initiative.

"All the fishermen’s associations stand united in their protests against this proposal, alleging that it would bring an end to the fisheries sector in the country, not only in the #ArabianSea but also in the #BayOfBengal.

“ 'The mining, according to the scientific report we have, can disturb the seabed and completely destroy fish spawning habitats. It can also release poisonous gases trapped on the #DeepSeaFloor, causing severe #environmental issues,' Kerala Minister for Fisheries, Saji Cherian, told PTI.

"He said that deep-sea mining requires huge investments and heavy machinery, meaning only #multinational #corporations will be involved, making these areas completely inaccessible to poor fishermen.

"The Kerala government, which is strongly opposing this project, passed a resolution in the Assembly urging the Centre to withdraw it.

"The Minister said the proposed site, off the Kollam shore in Kerala in the Arabian Sea, is very rich in marine resources and serves as a lifeline for fishermen from Kerala and other states.

“ 'We have a highly diverse and extensive fish population in this area. The mining will completely wipe out this habitat, severely affecting the livelihood of fishermen in our region,' Saji Cherian said."

Read more:
msn.com/en-in/money/economy/ke

#NoJobsOnADeadPlanet #OceansAreLife #MarineLife #DeepSeaMining #NoDeepSeaMining #DarkOxygen #LifeOnEarth #Extinction #Nodules #Greenwashing #CorporateColonialism #CorporatePolluters
#BatteryAlternatives #NoCobaltMining #RecycleCopper #RecycleCobalt #RecycleZinc #Recycle! #Ecocide #PlanetDestroyers #HumanGreed

www.msn.comMSN

Hi! I'm a new #SciComm member.

I'm currently finishing my MSc in #Environmental #Economics at UCPH. My #research focuses on incorporating learning-by-doing and site-scarcity effects into #renewableenergy #policy design. Broadly, my interests lie in quantitative research around #sustainability.

On my profile, you'll mostly find content related to my #scientific interests and policy discussions in these areas. My own posts will likely share insights from my #academic journey.

Replied in thread

@ProPublica This is the point in the AP #environmental science curriculum when we cover global change including the greenhouse effect and #climatechange - We analyze the Keeling data and generate the Keeling Curve which is the change in atmospheric #CO2 over time. This is data that the #fossilfuel industry does not want collected. I'm wondering where the $$ comes from for this effort. What's happening with data collection is so short-sighted and funked up. #politics

"Well-crafted #environmental policy has not only reduced planet-heating #climate #emissions, but has cut down on asthma episodes, hospital visits, chronic disease and premature deaths for people across Canada. Check out the report to understand why good environmental policy is good #health policy, and how much #Canada gains from tackling deadly pollution." cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/202

Continued thread

#Interior ofcls are poring over geological maps to analyze the monuments’ potential for #mining & #oil production & assess whether to *revise* their boundaries…

#Trump’s policies…aim to boost American #energy & critical #minerals production, which he says is vital to economic growth & powering #AI. Trump declared a “national energy emergency” [there isn’t one], established an energy council to fast-track resource development projects & sought to dismantle dozens of #environmental #protections.