News Feeds | ecology.iww.org (2024)

Spring Magazine - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 09:29

Two states suffering the most from military inflictions of death, displacement and starvation are Sudan and Palestine. Solidarity with the Palestinian people has grown throughout...

The post Building Sudan and Black-Palestinian solidarity first appeared on Spring.

Categories: B3. EcoSocialism

DRILL OR DROP? - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 08:58

Potential gas production from two sites in East Yorkshire would have a significantly lower carbon footprint than the UK average, according to new estimates.

West Newton B wellsite in East Yorkshire, June 2021. Photo: Used with owner’s permission

A report, by the petroleum consultancy GaffneyCline, gave potential production from the West Newton field the best available AA rating for carbon intensity.

The authors estimated West Newton gas production would emit 2.87 grams of CO2 per megajoule of energy developed (gCO2eq./MJ). They also said there was potential to improve the carbon intensity to 2.66 gCO2eq./MJ.

The report said the field had been compared with a “selection of UK onshore and offshore field analogues” and imported LNG (liquified natural gas).

It said the carbon intensity of average UK onshore production was more than 7gcO2eq/MJ. But this figure included oil, as well as gas, production.

The average UK offshore carbon intensity was more than 10gCO2eq/MJ and average imported LNG was just over 12gCO2eq/MJ, the report said.

GaffneyCline estimated than almost 2gCO2eq/MJ at West Newton would come from venting, flaring and fugitive emissions. Other carbon sources included production operations, processing, transport and offsite emissions.

Union Jack, one of the West Newton partners, said in a statement the project would seek to reduce the project’s carbon intensity through “the utilisation of the best available techniques, including Gas-to-Grid technologies and stringent engineering specifications to minimise any venting, flaring or fugitive emissions”.

Union Jack’s executive chairman, David Bramhill, said:

“The AA rating achieved indicates the efforts made by the Operator, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited, to ensure that projects under its stewardship comply with best practice.”

Sachin Oza, co-chief executive of the other partner, Reabold Resources, said in a statement:

“The AA rating demonstrates the low carbon credentials of the West Newton project and is an example of the opportunities available in the UK to power the country through lower carbon, home grown energy, rather than relying on expensive and more carbon intensive imports.”

In 2021, Union Jack said a report on the carbon intensity of oil production at Biscathorpe in the Lincolnshire Wolds would also be below the UK onshore average. This report, also by GaffneyCline, rated Biscathorpe AA for carbon intensity. It estimated a carbon intensity of 3.06 gCO2eq./MJ, with the potential to reduce it to 1.49gCO2eq.MJ.

Most UK production measures carbon intensity by kg of CO2 per barrel of oil equivalent (kgCO2/boe). The industry regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority, said average carbon intensity for all UK gas production, at 21 kgCO2/boe, was lower than all sources imported into the country, except that piped from Norway. Norwegian piped gas has a carbon intensity of 8kgCO2/boe

Union Jack financial results

Union Jack reported falling profits and revenues for 2023 but said “the future remains bright”.

The recent annual accounts showed net profits dropped to £859,089, down 76% on 2022 (£3,606,624). Oil revenues, mainly from the Wressle field in North Lincolnshire, were 40% down at £5,065,679, compared with £8,507,050, in 2022.

Union Jack said the company was in “sound financial health” and continued to be debt free.

David Bramhill said the Union Jack remained focussed in the UK on the Wressle “flagship”. The field would “support the company with revenues for at least another decade”, he said.

The undeveloped West Newton field (see above) had the “potential to become an important transition fuel in helping the UK achieve its 2050 Net Zero target”, Mr Bramhill added.

Site updates

Wressle: Union Jack said initial extraction rates at the UK’s newest onshore oil producer had exceeded expectations. It has generated revenues for Union Jack of more than $19m before tax and allowed the company to be self-sustaining for almost three years without the need to borrow.

West Newton: Union Jack said: “we are expecting West Newton … to see activity during the remainder of 2024 and beyond.” Reports had confirmed that previous drilling with water-based mud had caused near well-bore damage in the Kirkham Abbey formation, he said. This had affected the natural porosity and permeability of the formation and reduced the ability of oil to flow.

Keddington: A review confirmed an undrained oil resource on the eastern side of the field, Union Jack said. There was planning permission for further drilling and production could increase with a sidetrack to one of the existing wells, the company added. There were also plans to upgrade production equipment during 2024.

Biscathorpe: Union Jack did not refer to a two-day hearing at the High Court in June 2024, at which r SOS Biscathorpe will challenge the decision of a planning inspectorate to allow permission for a sidetrack well and long-term production.

North Kelsey: Union Jack also did not refer to the withdrawal of Egdon Resources in June 2023 from its appeal against refusal of planning permission.

Licence relinquishments

Union Jack said licence relinquishments were being prepared for Kirklington (PEDL203),Widmerpool Gulf (PEDL201) and Laughton (PEDL209). It said there was potential for geothermal energy at Fiskerton Airfield and Dukes Wood.

Key figures

Gross profit: £3,298,844 (2022: £5,100,479)

Net profit: £859,089 (2022: £3,606,624)

Impairments to property, plant and equipment: £56,829 on PEDLs 118, 203, EXL294

Basic earnings per share: 0.79 pence (2022: 3.20 pence)

Oil revenues: £5,065,679 (2022: £8,507,050)

Administrative expenses, excluding impairment costs: £2,057,506 (2022: £1,665,174)

Cash and cash equivalents at year end: £5,198,303 (2022: £7,155,100)

Total assets at year end: £24,176,606 (2022: £26,361,337)

Non-current assets at year end: £17,431,036 (2022: £17,157,286)

Intangible assets: £10,905,630 (2022: £9,134,006)

Tangible assets: £5,888,456 (2022: £5,666,212)

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Categories: G2. Local Greens

Pittsburgh Green New Deal - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 08:14

สล็อตออนไลน์ รวมเกมได้เงินง่าย จ่ายโบนัสสุดคุ้ม

สล็อตออนไลน์ รวมเกมได้เงินง่าย จ่ายโบนัสสุดคุ้ม เข้าใช้งาน ลงเดิมพัน รับเงินรางวัลในการเล่นเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ได้ไม่อั้น กับเว็บไซต์ผู้ให้บริการเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ ที่มีฐานการเงินมั่นคงสูง สำรองเงิน เพื่อจ่ายรางวัล ให้กับผู้เล่น สมาชิก นักเดิมพันทุกท่านอย่างเต็มที่ มีใบเซอร์การันตีรับรองความน่าเชื่อถือ ไม่ผ่านคนกลาง ไม่ผ่านเอเย่นต์ 1688upx เว็บตรง รายใหญ่ ผู้ให้บริการเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ที่ครบวงจร เปิดให้บริการมาอย่างยาวนาน

ได้รับความไว้วางใจ จากผู้ใช้งานจริงทั่วโลก ปลอดภัย เชื่อถือได้ ร่วมสนุก เข้าใช้งานเล่นเกมได้อย่างมั่นใจ มีการรักษาข้อมูลของผู้เล่นไว้เป็นอย่างดี ร่วมสนุก ลงเดิมพัน รับเงินรางวัลในการเล่นเกมได้อย่างต่อเนื่อง ไม่มีประวัติในการโกง ไม่มีการล็อคยูสเซอร์ ไม่มีการล็อคผลรางวัล ลงเดิมพัน ถอนเงินไปใช้ได้จริง เล่นเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ ผ่านช่องทางคอมพิวเตอร์ และโทรศัพท์มือถือ สร้างรายได้ ทำกำไรในการเล่นเกมได้อย่างเต็มที่

เปิดให้บริการ ร่วมสนุก ลงเดิมพันเล่นเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ได้ทุกวัน ตลอด 24 ชั่วโมง พัฒนาระบบการเข้าใช้งาน ลงเดิมพันเล่นเกม ให้ดียิ่งขึ้นอย่างต่อเนื่อง ให้อิสระในการร่วมสนุก เข้าใช้งานเล่นเกม ของผู้เล่นได้อย่างเต็มที่ และยังมีการบริการ มีการดูแล ผ่านเจ้าหน้าที่แอดมิน ของเว็บไซต์ อย่างครอบคลุม และใส่ใจ ตลอดในการเข้าใช้งานอีกด้วย

เกมสนุก เล่นได้ไม่มีสะดุด สล็อตออนไลน์ รวมเกมได้เงินง่าย จ่ายโบนัสสุดคุ้ม

เว็บตรง รายใหญ่ ถูกกฎหมาย ไม่ผ่านเอเย่นต์ 1688upx เว็บไซต์ผู้ให้บริการเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ที่ดีที่สุดในเอเชีย มาพร้อมการบริการความสนุก ความบันเทิง ของเกมสล็อตออนไลน์แบบครบวงจร เข้าใช้งาน ลงเดิมพันเล่นเกมได้อย่างมั่นใจ ไม่มีประวัติในการโกง ให้อิสระในการร่วมสนุก เข้าใช้งาน ลงเดิมพันเล่นเกมได้อย่างเต็มที่ ไม่มีการล็อคยูสเซอร์ ไม่มีการล็อคผลรางวัล ทำกำไร สร้างกำไร ถอนเงินไปใช้ได้จริง

รองรับการเข้าใช้งานเล่นเกมทุกแพลตฟอร์ม เพลิดเพลินไปพร้อมกับความสนุกของเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ได้อย่างเต็มที่ การันตีเกมสนุก คุณภาพดี ลิขสิทธิ์แท้ ระบบเกมมาตรฐานสากล ไหลลื่น ไม่มีสะดุด ไม่มีปัญหากวนใจ เล่นเกมไม่มีเบื่อ จัดเต็มทั้งระบบเสียง ธีมเกมที่สวยงามอลังการ พร้อมอัตราการจ่ายรางวัลที่คุ่มค่า ชนะรางวัลได้อย่างง่ายดาย โบนัสแตกบ่อย โอกาสในการชนะรางวัลสูงยิ่งขึ้น ยิ่งเล่น ยิ่งได้ ไม่ล็อคยูส

โดยในปัจจุบัน เว็บตรง 1688upx ของเรา มีการบริการเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ ให้ผู้เล่นทุกท่าน ได้เข้ามาร่วมสนุก ร่วมลงเดิมพัน รับเงินรางวัลสุดคุ้มได้อย่างจุใจ ได้มากกว่า 1000+ เกมเลยทีเดียว อัพเดทความสนุกของเกมใหม่ๆ ทุกวัน ร่วมสนุก ลงเดิมพัน รับเงินรางวัลจากเกมใหม่ๆได้ก่อนใครอย่างสม่ำเสมอ ที่นี่ กับเว็บตรง 1688upx เท่านั้น

ไม่ต้องกังวล เรื่องทุนในการลงเดิมพัน จะมีทุนน้อย หรือมีทุนหนา ก็สามารถเข้าใช้งาน ร่วมสนุก ลงเดิมพันเล่นเกม ชนะรางวัล รับเงินรางวัลได้อย่างเต็มที่ ด้วยเบทเดิมพันในการเล่นเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ขั้นต่ำ ที่เริ่มต้นเพียงแค่ 1 บาทเท่านั้น โดยการลงเดิมพัน ผู้เล่นทุกท่าน จะสามารถปรับเพิ่มลดเบทเดิมพันในการเล่นเกม ร่วมสนุก ลงเดิมพันเล่นเกมได้ตามต้องการ

ให้อิสระในการเลือกเบทเดิมพันเล่นเกม ของผู้เล่นได้ตามต้องการ ท่านใดที่มีทุนหนา ต้องการชนะรางวัลในการเล่นเกม ที่คุ้มค่ามากยิ่งขึ้น ก็สามารถปรับเพิ่มเบทเดิมพันในการเล่นเกม ให้สูงยิ่งขึ้นได้ตามลำดับสูงสุดถึงหลักพันเลยทีเดียว เข้าใช้งาน ลงเดิมพันได้อย่างสะดวก เลือกเบทเดิมพันที่ต้องการได้อย่างอิสระ เข้าใช้งานง่าย เล่นเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ได้เงินไม่อั้น เลือกเว็บไซต์ผู้ให้บริการเกมที่ดีที่สุด การเงินมั่นคง 1688upx

แนะนำเกมดังสุดฮิตแห่งปี 2024

เข้าใช้งาน ลงเดิมพันเล่นเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ ชนะรางวัลได้ไม่อั้น ไม่มีการล็อคยูสเซอร์ ล็อคผลรางวัล กับเว็บไซต์ผู้ให้บริการเกมรายใหญ่ ถูกกฎหมาย และมีใบเซอร์รับรอง การเงินมั่นคง เข้าใช้งานเล่นเกมได้อย่างมั่นใจ ปลอดภัย เชื่อถือได้ 1688upx บริการเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ลิขสิทธิ์แท้ ได้เงินง่าย เลือกลงเดิมพันได้อย่างเพลิดเพลิน มากกว่า 1000+ เกมเลยทีเดียว

สำหรับท่านใด ที่กำลังมองหาเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ ทำกำไรง่าย เล่นได้ไม่มีเบื่อ รูปแบบเกมทันสมัย ตอบโจทย์ผู้เล่นยุคใหม่ ต้องห้ามพลาด 5 เกมสล็อตออนไลน์ จากค่ายเกมยอดนิยม PG SLOT ค่ายเกมที่นักเดิมพันออนไลน์ ยกให้เป็นอันดับ 1 ของค่ายเกมที่ดีที่สุด มีเกมให้เลือกเล่นหลากหลายรูปแบบ แต่เกมที่นักเดิมพันชอบที่สุด เข้าใช้งานเล่นเกมกันอย่างต่อเนื่องได้แก่

1.สล็อต Mahjong Ways 2

2.สล็อต Wild Ape #3258

3.สล็อต Dragon Hatch 2

4.สล็อต Cash Mania

5.สล็อต Wild Heist Cashout

Credit สล็อตเว็บตรง

อ่านบทความน่าสนใจเพิ่มเติม

The post สล็อตออนไลน์ รวมเกมได้เงินง่าย จ่ายโบนัสสุดคุ้ม appeared first on climateworkers.org.

Categories: B3. EcoSocialism

Bargaining for the Common Good - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 08:00

A “Bargaining for the Common Good” teach-in and speak-out hosted by the Africana Studies Department on Monday, April 29 sought to demonstrate how unions across the country—not just faculty or teacher unions, but all worker unions—can utilize their bargaining power to fight for broader community changes. The event was the last session of the Sankofa series, which was funded by the Faculty Staff Union Anti-Racism Grant.

In addition to his comments on union bargaining, Van Der Meer called for UMass Boston to educate its students about “all the histories of wealth accumulation among the economic elites, racism, white supremacy, endless war, islamophobia, anti-Asian violence, queer and trans violence, attacks on women’s reproductive rights, anti-immigrant violence and an ongoing white settler colonial violence against native peoples everywhere and on every continent.” In his eyes, these struggles are connected to the common struggle of exploited workers across the globe.

Read more on UMassmedia.com

The post UMass – Boston Africana Studies Dept Hosts Bargaining for the Common Good Teach in & Speak Out first appeared on Bargaining for the Common Good.

Categories: A2. Green Unionism

Climate and Capitalism - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 07:09

Did big government, monopoly power, and easy money end competitive capitalism's golden age?

Source

Categories: B3. EcoSocialism

Civil Society Mechanism for relations to the UN Committee on World Food Security. - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 06:11

The Brazilian government, currently holding the G20 presidency (a group of countries with the largest economies in the world), announced a Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty initiative, which is expected to be launched in November 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, in the context of the G20 Summit.This Alliance will not be limited to the G20 members and will be open to other interested countries, in particular countries of the South and the G-77.

On 25 April, the Brazilian government hosted a webinar to present the initiative to civil society and Indigenous Peoples. After the webinar, the Latin American Alliance for Food Sovereignty and the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSIPM) drafted the following document which compiles key messages aimed at informing the next meeting of the working group that will discuss the design of the Alliance.

Read and download the written contribution provided by the Latin American Alliance for Food Sovereignty and the CSIPM.EN_consulta-G20-alianza-global_version-final-1Download

The post Inputs from the Latin American Alliance for Food Sovereigntyand the CSIPM to the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty initiative appeared first on CSIPM.

Categories: A3. Agroecology

Can metals that naturally occur in seawater be mined, and can they be mined sustainably? A company in Oakland, California, says yes. And not only is it extracting magnesium from ocean water — and from waste brine generated by industry — it is doing it in a carbon-neutral way. Magrathea Metals has produced small amounts of magnesium in pilot projects, and with financial support from the U.S. Defense Department, it is building a larger-scale facility to produce hundreds of tons of the metal over two to four years. By 2028, it says it plans to be operating a facility that will annually produce more than 10,000 tons.

Magnesium is far lighter and stronger than steel, and it’s critical to the aircraft, automobile, steel, and defense industries, which is why the government has bankrolled the venture. Right now, China produces about 85 percent of the world’s magnesium in a dirty, carbon-intensive process. Finding a way to produce magnesium domestically using renewable energy, then, is not only an economic and environmental issue, it’s a strategic one. “With a flick of a finger, China could shut down steelmaking in the U.S. by ending the export of magnesium,” said Alex Grant, Magrathea’s CEO and an expert in the field of decarbonizing the production of metals.

“China uses a lot of coal and a lot of labor,” Grant continued. “We don’t use any coal and [use] a much lower quantity of labor.” The method is low cost in part because the company can use wind and solar energy during off-peak hours, when it is cheapest. As a result, Grant estimates their metal will cost about half that of traditional producers working with ore.

Magrathea — named after a planet in the hit novelThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy— buys waste brines, often from desalination plants, and allows the water to evaporate, leaving behind magnesium chloride salts. Next, it passes an electrical current through the salts to separate them from the molten magnesium, which is then cast into ingots or machine components.

While humans have long coaxed minerals and chemicals from seawater — sea salt has been extracted from ocean water for millennia — researchers around the world are nowbroadening their scopeas the demand for lithium, cobalt, and other metals used in battery technology has ramped up. Companies are scrambling to find new deposits in unlikely places, both to avoid orebody mining and to reduce pollution. The next frontier for critical minerals and chemicals appears to be salty water, or brine.

A technician pours a magnesium ingot at the Magrathea Metals facility in Oakland, California. Alex Grant

Brines come from a number of sources: much newresearchfocuses on the potential for extracting metals from briny wastes generated by industry, including coal-fired power plants that discharge waste into tailings ponds; wastewater pumped out of oil and gas wells — called produced water; wastewater from hard-rock mining; and desalination plants.

Large-scale brine mining could have negative environmental impacts — some waste will need to be disposed of, for example. But because no large-scale operations currently exist, potential impacts are unknown. Still, the process is expected to have numerous positive effects, chief among them that it will produce valuable metals without the massive land disturbance and creation of acid-mine drainage and other pollution associated with hard-rock mining.

According to the Brine Miners, a research center at Oregon State University, there are roughly 18,000 desalination plants, globally, taking in 23 trillion gallons of ocean water a year and either forcing it through semipermeable membranes — in a process called reverse osmosis — or using other methods to separate water molecules from impurities. Every day, the plants produce more than 37 billion gallons of brine — enough to fill 50,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. That solution containslargeamountsof copper, zinc, magnesium, and other valuable metals.

Disposing of brine from desalination plants has always been a challenge. In coastal areas, desal plants shunt that waste back into the ocean, where it settles to the sea floor and can damage marine ecosystems. Because the brine is so highly concentrated, it is toxic to plants and animals; inland desalination plants either bury their waste or inject it into wells. These processes further raise the cost of an already expensive process, and the problem is only growing as desal plantsproliferateglobally.

Finding a lucrative and safe use for brine will help solve plants’ waste problems and, by using their brine to feed another process, nudge them toward a circular economy, in which residue from one industrial activity becomes source material for a new activity. According to OSU estimates, brine from desalination plants contains$2.2 trillionworth of materials, including more than 17,400 tons of lithium, which is crucial for making batteries for electric vehicles, appliances, and electrical energy storage systems. In some cases, mining brine for lithium and other metals and minerals could make the remaining waste stream less toxic.

Ingots comprised of magnesium drawn from seawater by Magrathea Metals. Magrathea Metals

For many decades manufacturers have extracted magnesium and lithium from naturally occurring brines. In California’s Salton Sea, which contains enough lithium to meet the nation’s needs for decades, according to a 2023 federalanalysis, companies have drilled geothermal wells to generate the energy required for separating the metal from brines.

And in rural Arkansas, ExxonMobil recently announced that it is building one of the largest lithium processing facilities in the world — a state-of-the-art facility that willsiphon lithiumfrom brine deep within the Smackover geological formation. By 2030, the company says it will produce 15 percent of the world’s lithium.

Miners have largely ignored the minerals found in desalination brine because concentrating them has not been economical. Butnew technologiesand other innovations have created more effective separation methods and enabled companies to focus on this vast resource.

“Three vectors are converging,” said Peter Fiske, director of the National Alliance for Water Innovation at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley. “The value of some of these critical materials is going up. The cost of conventional [open pit] mining and extraction is going up. And the security of international suppliers, especially Russia and China, is going down.“

Read Next Staggering quantities of energy transition metals are winding up in the garbage bin Maddie Stone

There is also an emphasis on — and grant money from the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and elsewhere for — projects and businesses that release extremely low, zero, or negative greenhouse gas emissions and that can be part of a circular economy. Researchers who study brine mining believe the holy grail of desalination — finding more than enough value in its waste brine to pay for the expensive process of creating fresh water — is attainable.

Improved filtering technologies can now remove far more, and far smaller, materials suspended in briny water. “We have membranes now that are selective to an individual ion,” said Fiske. “The technology [allows us] to pick through the garbage piles of wastewater and pick out the high-value items.” One of the fundamental concepts driving this research, he says, “is that there is no such thing as wastewater.”

NEOM, the controversial and hugely expensive futuristic city under construction in the Saudi Arabian desert, has assembled a highly regarded international team to build a desalination plant and a facility to both mine its waste for minerals and chemicals and minimize the amount of material it must dispose of. ENOWA, the water and energy division of NEOM,claimsthat its selective membranes — which include reverse and forward osmosis — will target specific minerals and extract 99.5 percent of the waste brine’s potassium chloride, an important fertilizer with high market value. The system uses half the energy and requires half the capital costs of traditional methods of potassium chloride production. ENOWA says it is developing other selective membranes to process other minerals, such as lithium and rubidium salts, from waste brine.

The Brine Miner project in Oregon has created an experimental system to desalinate saltwater and extract lithium, rare earth, and other metals. The whole process will be powered by green hydrogen, which researchers will create by splitting apart water’s hydrogen and oxygen molecules using renewable energy. “We are trying for a circular process,” said Zhenxing Feng, who leads the project at OSU. “We are not wasting any parts.”

Read Next Can carbon capture solve desalination’s waste problem? Jake Bittle

The concept of mining desalination brine and other wastewater is being explored and implemented all over the world. At Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands, researchers have extracted a bio-based material they callKaumerafrom sludge granules formed during the treatment of municipal wastewater. Combined with other raw materials, Kaumera — which is both a binder and an adhesive, and both repels and retains water — can be used in agriculture and the textile and construction industries.

Another large-scale European project calledSea4Value, which has partners in eight countries, will use a combination of technologies to concentrate, extract, purify, and crystallize 10 target elements from brines. Publicly funded labs in the U.S., including the Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, at Iowa State University, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in Tennessee, are also researching new methods for extracting lithium and other materials important for the energy transition from natural and industrial brines.

At the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant in El Paso, Texas, which provides more than 27 million gallons of fresh water a day from brackish aquifers, waste brine is trucked to and pumped into an injection well 22 miles away. But first, a company calledUpwell Water, which has a facility near the desalination plant, wrings more potable water from the brine and uses the remaining waste to produce gypsum and hydrochloric acid for industrial customers.

There are hurdles to successful brine mining projects. Christos Charisiadis, the brine innovation manager for the NEOM portfolio, identified several potential bottlenecks: high initial investment for processing facilities; a lack of transparency in innovation by the water industry, which might obscure problems with their technologies; poor understanding of possible environmental problems due to a lack of comprehensive lifecycle assessments; complex and inconsistent regulatory frameworks; and fluctuations in commodity prices.

Still, Nathanial Cooper, an assistant professor at Cambridge University who has studiedmetal recovery from a variety of industrial and natural brines, considers its prospects promising as environmental regulations for a wide range of industries become ever more stringent.

“Companies that produce wastewater are going to be required to do more and more to ensure the wastewater they dispose of is clean of pollutants and hazardous material,” he said. “Many companies will be forced to find ways to recover these materials. There is strong potential to recover many valuable materials from wastewater and contribute to a circular economy.”

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Researchers explore mining seawater for critical metals on May 27, 2024.

Categories: H. Green News

Campaign against Climate Change - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 04:29

In the narrow window of time remaining to avert dangerous climate tipping points, the next UK government must bring real solutions to move our economy off fossil fuels. It must invest to transform the economy for a cleaner, fairer future, and address the interlocking social crises this country faces.

The election announcement on 22 May was certainly memorable. As Rishi Sunak spoke in the rain, Things Can Only Get Better was played loudly in the background by protesters.

But - 'better' is not enough in a time of climate breakdown. We have had a year of unprecedented global temperatures, with climate disasters around the world, and climate scientists aghast by the world's failure, even now, to step away from fossil fuels.

Time to make your voice heard

It's always worth lobbying MPs - even if they may seem unresponsive, it gives them a sense of what their constituents care about. But it's actuallymuch easier to get them to listen before they've even secured their seat in Parliament. The next government is expected to have a lot of first-time MPs. Before they get in, they need to hear that voters want action on the climate emergency.

Restore Nature Now march, London, 22 June

Before the election was called, over 150 campaign groups and NGOs had already signed up to support this national demonstration to Restore Nature Now. Demands including no new fossil fuels and investment in climate action. This will be a great opportunity to create a visual statement of the general public demanding a safe future and liveable planet where people and nature can not just survive but thrive.

We'll be marching together with our friends on the climate justice bloc. If you're outside London, somecoacheshave been organised.

Writing to candidates

You can find out how to contact your election candidates on the Who Can I Vote For website (the full list of candidates will be available from 7 June onwards.

Speaking out on the climate emergency, in whatever way, helps break the silence and raise awareness. Remember your ultimate aim is to convince someone who may be your MP for the next five years, not just to vent (totally understandable) frustration and anger at inaction!

You might like to read this guidance from Hope for the Future about writing a letter that's more likely to be read. You can choose an angle that's personal to you, or that you think will resonate with the candidate you're writing to, whether that's climate jobs; fuel poverty and the need for home insulation, the impact of climate change and floods on UK farmers, the failure of our planning system which encourages mass expansion of roads and airports - or even just one of the recent news stories about the impacts of climate breakdown around the world or concerns for your children.

The bottom line is that the next government must stop new fossil fuel extraction and damaging infrastructure like airport expansion and mass road-building. And massive investment in the infrastructure we do need - insulating homes, public transport, renewable energy, creating a workforce for the climate emergency. For example, Friends of the Earth estimates £50 billion a year or 2% of GDP - slightly less than is currently spent on defence to deliver lasting benefits. The UK also needs to pay its fair share of climate finance to countries facing the worst climate impacts to help them adapt and fund their own emissions reductions.

If you're in a local group or network, you could invite candidates to a community climate-related event for more informal discussion, and to build a relationship, or join with others to organise a hustings.

Find out more

Training on engaging candidates with Hope for the Future / Climate Coalition: Fri 7th June, 12.30-1.30pm and Wed 19th, 6.30-7.30pm -sign up here

Organising a local climate hustingsA hustings is a panel discussion in the run-up to an election where all candidates are invited to debate policies and answer questions from the audience. They are a traditional feature of elections, and we now have the option of organising them online as well as person!

Check out these useful guides by Tipping Point and Friends of the Earth.

Find out more - training sessions on organising a hustings

Hope for the Future / Climate Coalition: Mon 3rd June, 6.30-7.30pm and Wed 5th, 12.30-1.30pm - sign up here

Tipping Point:Wed 5th June, 6-7.30pm-sign up here

More resources coming soon

Watch this space for other resources, for example maps of hustings and other events.

Categories: G1. Progressive Green

Global Forest Coalition - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 02:22

GFC is pleased to announce the appointment of Mary Louise Malig as the coalition’s new policy director.

Mary Louise brings with her over 20 years of experience in forestry policy and advocacy, free trade, climate change, food and agriculture, forests, unsustainable livestock farming, the underlying causes of deforestation, the digital economy and systemic alternatives. She is taking up the baton from Wolfgang Kuhlmann, who is moving on this year to take up a new challenge.

We extend our sincere and deep gratitude to Wolfgang Kuhlmann for his tremendous contributions and unwavering dedication to GFC and its member organizations. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors. Looking ahead, we warmly welcome Mary Louise to her pivotal new role as policy director.

In solidarity, our collective struggle continues.

A message from GFC Policy Director Mary Louise

“I am honored to have been selected, after a lengthy process, as the new Policy Director of GFC. I believe in the great potential that GFC has, working as a team with its 133 member organizations and campaigns to prevent the point of no return of the remaining forests that are vital to address climate change and biodiversity.

I believe that with unity, organization, and mobilization, there is hope for the future of our forests and humanity.

In 2023, global deforestation reached more than six million hectares, with primary tropical forest loss of more than four million hectares.

The main driver to address this current ecocide is to promote respect for the rights, territories, and traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and women; to build territories free of deforestation and extractivism; to deepen our alliances with other organizations, movements, and networks; and to change current national, regional, and global policies around forests, biodiversity, and climate change.

I believe that with unity, organization, and mobilization, there is hope for the future of our forests and humanity.”

About Mary Louise Malig

Mary Louise Malig has more than 20 years of experience working as a researcher, policy analyst, campaigner, organizer, and communicator. She has done in-depth research and written policy papers and publications on the issues of free trade, climate change, food and agriculture, forests, unsustainable livestock farming, the underlying causes of deforestation, the digital economy, and systemic alternatives. She also has outstanding organizational, communication, analytical, and strategy planning skills, as well as capacity for leading and being a team player, coordination, and coalition-building.

Mary Louise worked as Trade Campaign Coordinator of Focus on the Global South which also included being part of the coordination of the global coalition ‘Our World is Not for Sale’; and as staff in Asia for ‘La Via Campesina’, where she did both analytical and campaign work with the social movements in Asia.

She then joined the Global Forest Coalition as Campaigns and Communications Coordinator from 2015 to 2019. Afterwards, she worked as a freelance researcher, analyst, and writer, covering issues such as trade, systemic alternatives, climate change, and agriculture.

Her more recent publications include “Decoding the Digital Economy” and “The Amazing AI: At the Cost of Ethics, Theft, Racist Algorithms, Invasion of Privacy, and Violation of Rights. Systemic Reflections Series”, and an upcoming publication on Bioeconomy and the Amazon. She hails from the Philippines but currently resides in La Paz, Bolivia with her partner.

A message from outgoing director Wolfgang Kuhlmann

“Having been GFC’s Policy Director for an interim period of one year gave me a chance to meet a dedicated and highly professional team that puts a lot of effort into making international political agreements work for Indigenous Peoples and local communities worldwide. There is an increasing need to translate the nitty-gritty of climate and biodiversity negotiations into an easy-to-understand language that also makes sense on the grassroot level.

This is the basis for a truly informed consent and for the participation that is hailed in documents related to carbon credits, biodiversity offsets or the ‘taxonomy’ of green finance – to name but a few of the instruments of corporate greenwashing that put an additional burden on local communities.

Over the last year, Operations Director Janet Bastian and I put a lot of effort into consolidating GFC’s financial situation and building a sound basis for future work. We’re sure that all of the staff will do their best to support members and allies in making this world a better – and more just – place.”

The post Welcoming GFC’s new Policy Director appeared first on Global Forest Coalition.

Categories: G1. Progressive Green

Global Forest Coalition - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 02:21

GFC рада объявить о назначении Мэри Луизы Малиг новым директором по политике коалиции.

Мэри Луиза обладает более чем 20-летним опытом работы в области лесной политики и адвокации, свободной торговли, изменения климата, продовольствия и сельского хозяйства, лесов, неустойчивого животноводства, глубинных причин обезлесения, цифровой экономики и системных альтернатив. Она принимает эстафету от Вольфганга Кульманна, который в этом году переходит на новую работу.

Мы выражаем Вольфгангу Кульманну нашу искреннюю и глубокую благодарность за его огромный вклад и неизменную преданность GFC и ее организациям-членам. Мы желаем ему всего самого лучшего в его дальнейших начинаниях. Заглядывая в будущее, мы тепло приветствуем Мэри Луизу в ее новой важной роли директора по политике.

В знак солидарности: наша коллективная борьба продолжается.

Послание директора по политике GFC Мэри Луизы

«Для меня большая честь, что после длительного процесса я была выбрана на должность нового директора по политике GFC. Я верю в огромный потенциал, которым обладает GFC, работая в команде со своими 133 организациями-членами и кампаниями, чтобы предотвратить точку невозврата оставшихся лесов, которые жизненно важны для решения проблем изменения климата и биоразнообразия. В 2023 году глобальное обезлесение достигнет более шести миллионов гектаров, при этом потери первичных тропических лесов составят более четырех миллионов гектаров. Основной движущей силой для решения проблемы нынешнего экоцида является содействие уважению прав, территорий и традиционных знаний коренных народов, местных общин и женщин; создание территорий, свободных от обезлесения и добывающей промышленности; углубление наших союзов с другими организациями, движениями и сетями; и изменение текущей национальной, региональной и глобальной политики в отношении лесов, биоразнообразия и изменения климата. Я верю, что благодаря единству, организации и мобилизации есть надежда на будущее наших лесов и человечества».

О Мэри Луизе Малиг

Мэри Луиза Малиг имеет более чем 20-летний опыт работы в качестве исследователя, политического аналитика, участника кампаний, организатора и коммуникатора. Она провела глубокие исследования и написала политические документы и публикации по вопросам свободной торговли, изменения климата, продовольствия и сельского хозяйства, лесов, неустойчивого животноводства, глубинных причин обезлесения, цифровой экономики и системных альтернатив. Она также обладает выдающимися организационными, коммуникативными, аналитическими навыками и навыками стратегического планирования, а также способностью руководить и быть командным игроком, координировать и создавать коалиции.

Мэри Луиза работала координатором торговой кампании в организации Focus on the Global South, в том числе участвовала в координации глобальной коалиции «Наш мир не продается», а также работала в Азии в организации La Via Campesina, где занималась как аналитической работой, так и кампаниями с общественными движениями в Азии. Затем она присоединилась к Глобальной лесной коалиции в качестве координатора кампаний и коммуникаций с 2015 по 2019 год. После этого она работала в качестве внештатного исследователя, аналитика и писателя, освещая такие вопросы, как торговля, системные альтернативы, изменение климата и сельское хозяйство. Среди ее последних публикаций – «Расшифровка цифровой экономики» и «Удивительный ИИ: цена этики, воровства, расистских алгоритмов, вторжения в частную жизнь и нарушения прав. Серия системные размышления», а также готовящаяся публикация о биоэкономике и Амазонке. Она родом с Филиппин, но в настоящее время вместе со своим партнером проживает в Ла-Пасе, Боливия.

Сообщение от бывшего директора Вольфганга Кульманна

«Будучи директором по политике GFC в течение одного года, я имел возможность познакомиться с преданной и высокопрофессиональной командой, которая прилагает много усилий для того, чтобы международные политические соглашения работали для коренных народов и местных общин по всему миру. Растет потребность в переводе тонкостей переговоров по климату и биоразнообразию на простой для понимания язык, который также имеет смысл на низовом уровне.

Это основа для подлинно информированного согласия и участия, которое приветствуется в документах, связанных с углеродными кредитами, компенсацией биоразнообразия или «таксономией» зеленого финансирования – вот лишь некоторые из инструментов корпоративного «зеленого промывания», которые ложатся дополнительным бременем на местные сообщества.

За последний год мы с операционным директором Джанет Бастиан приложили немало усилий, чтобы упрочить финансовое положение GFC и создать прочную основу для дальнейшей работы. Мы уверены, что все сотрудники компании сделают все возможное, чтобы поддержать членов и союзников в стремлении сделать этот мир лучше и справедливее».

The post Приветствуя нового директора по политике GFC appeared first on Global Forest Coalition.

Categories: G1. Progressive Green

Rocky Mountain Institute - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 01:00

The sun is shining bright on India’s distributed solar sector. The national government has recently enhanced the central financial assistance for residential rooftop solar (RTS) consumers under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PM Surya Ghar scheme). The program aims to solarize 10 million households and covers nearly 60 percent of the total cost of the system. This comes in the wake of several measures that reaffirm the government’s commitment to the decentralized renewable energy (DRE) sector.

The Ministry of Power mandates the procurement of almost 5 percent of India’s electricity from DRE sources by 2030, equivalent to 63 GW, as per the latest renewable energy purchase obligations (RPO). Furthermore, the Pradhan Mantri Kisaan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM scheme) provides financial support for 1 million grid-connected solar pumps and for adding solar power to agricultural feeders. States such as Uttar Pradesh and Delhi offer additional capital subsidies and generation-based incentives to residential consumers to incentivize the uptake of rooftop solar.

With over 10 million applications received, the response to the latest PM Surya Ghar scheme in just a month of its launch is remarkable. The long-term success of this, however, will hinge on the ability of India’s electric distribution companies (Discoms) to integrate rooftop solar systems on the grid and provide net-metering benefits to households in a timely manner.

Discoms may perceive this integration as a challenge as it can lead to shrinking revenues from consumers switching to rooftop solar systems to meet their demand. At the same time, the migration of domestic and agricultural consumers toward DRE is an opportunity for Discoms to mitigate their financial distress and lay the foundation for a clean and modernized grid.

Distributed Solar Can Bring Financial Relief to Discoms

Subsidized consumers (mostly domestic and agricultural) across India pay tariffs that are lower than Discoms’ supply costs. Recent data indicates the average revenue accrued by Discoms covers only about 85 percent of the average cost of supply of electricity, with states filling the remaining gap with tariff subsidies.

With rising power procurement costs, Discoms are at risk of under-recovering their costs from subsidized consumers leading to a heavy cross-subsidy burden that commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers support with higher electricity tariffs. However, with renewable energy (RE) costs continuing to plummet and new RE procurement pathways (such as green energy open access) being operationalized, C&I consumers are migrating to low-cost RE pathways to meet their demand. This can lead to significant revenue losses for Discoms. Hence, the solarization of subsidized consumers can play a critical role in shrinking the gap between Discom’s revenue and costs and relieve the cross-subsidy burden supported by C&I consumers. The benefits can trickle further down and potentially shrink the tariff subsidy burden of state governments.

In addition, the recent announcement that all central government buildings will be solarized by 2025 coupled with several state governments announcing similar targets for state government buildings can help Discoms mitigate the challenges of under-recovery of bills from government buildings. Hence, prioritizing the solarization of government buildings can help governments reduce their electricity bills and outstanding Discom dues.

Moreover, solarization of agricultural consumers can help Discoms reduce power procurement costs and reduce transmission losses as well. This is demonstrated by India’s largest distributed solar project announced in Maharashtra, which aims to roll out 9 GW of distributed RE capacity to supply daytime electricity for agriculture across the state. The aggregated solar capacity will minimize power purchase costs in the state by 45 percent, and lead to INR 1 trillion (US$15.38 billion) in power purchase costs over 25 years while reducing the subsidy burden and transmission losses.

Distributed Solar Can Accelerate India’s Pursuit of RE Targets

Accelerating deployment under the PM Surya Ghar Scheme could lead to a cumulative deployment of 30 GW. This makes up over 10 percent of the 2030 solar target of 280 GW and nearly 50 percent of the 2030 DRE RPO target of 63 GW. With India needing to add about 50 GW of new RE generation capacity annually to meet its 2030 targets, rapid deployment of DRE capacity can provide the momentum needed to achieve this target.

Distributed solar can play a catalytic role for states to catch up with their RPO targets. This is because only four states have more than 60 percent RPO compliance, while 25 states had less than 30 percent compliance as of 2023. Notably, over half of India’s RE capacity comes from just five states due to the higher RE resource availability. However, Discoms in states with limited land or RE resources can now leverage DRE and distributed solar to meet their RPO targets that require 4.5 percent of electricity consumption to be met via DRE by 2030.

With India’s electricity demand projected to rise by over 6.5 percent annually until 2026, compared with the global growth forecast of 3.4 percent, Discoms can proactively develop future power procurement plans with low-cost solar power. The sunset on the waiver of the interstate transmission system charges for interstate procurement of RE set in June 2025 could lead to a level playing field for the development of in-state deployment of distributed solar for many states, given the significant benefits it offers to Discoms, governments, and consumers.

Envisioning a Clean and Modernized Grid with Distributed Solar

Distributed solar, as part of a growing number of distributed energy assets, can support the development of local electricity networks or virtual power plants (VPPs). Distributed solar coupled with batteries can support Discoms by shaving demand during peak periods. As a result, VPPs can help Discoms avoid expensive peak power procurement from marginal and often less efficient generators or power exchanges.

International examples showcase the benefits of VPP models. For instance, various utility programs running across the United States, such as in Massachusetts and Hawaii, give cash incentives to consumers to adopt batteries with existing or new rooftop solar systems and share stored energy with utilities in certain hours. In fact, VPPs could reduce US peak demand by 60 GW by 2030. Utilization of distributed assets as part of VPPs can also support the continued provision of critical services during emergencies involving power cuts.

Discoms Are Critical to the Growth of Distributed Solar

Discoms will play a central role in advancing the future of the DRE landscape in India. For instance, Kerala, which turned to rooftop solar to meet its RPO with resources available within the state, demonstrates the success of Discom-led rooftop solar deployment models. In a state with a little over 1 percent of India’s total land area and where the residential segment forms the majority of consumers, 66 percent of Kerala’s total solar capacity comes via rooftop solar. The state Discom has financed rooftop solar systems combined with different electricity sharing and compensation mechanisms with consumers. Another example of Discom-driven success in rooftop solar can be seen in Gujarat, which boasts of nearly 30 percent of India’s total rooftop solar deployment. Discoms played a central role in expanding the vendor pool, digitalizing the rooftop solar adoption process, and addressing information asymmetry with consumer awareness programs.

RE integration is inevitable in the pursuit of India’s 2030 nationally determined contributions which requires imagining new ways of addressing demand. Discoms are intrinsic to this process and embracing distributed solar as strategic assets can bring financial relief, help achieve national RE targets, and foster a clean and modernized energy ecosystem in India.

The post How Distributed Solar Can Reinvigorate India’s Electricity Distribution Companies appeared first on RMI.

Categories:

It's Going Down - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 00:32

Call to support the family of Indigenous political prisoner Oso Blanco, whose home was recently damaged in a fire. To support, go here.

In the early morning hours of April 5th, the family of Indigenous activist and political prisoner Oso Blanco (AKA Byron Shane Chubbuck) lost their home in so-called Oklahoma, occupied Cherokee territory, due to an explosion resulting from an electrical fire traveling to the propane tank.

On behalf of our incarcerated comrade and his family, we are asking folks who have capacity to share, boost, and/or donate to this campaign to help Oso Blanco’s family rebuild their lives and replace what was lost. Any support is sincerely appreciated. Please share and donate if you have capacity!

Who is Oso Blanco?

Indigenous radical activist and organizer Oso Blanco (AKA Byron Shane Chubbuck) was arrested and summarily sentenced to 55 years in prison for expropriating funds from US banks to support the revolutionary project of the Zapatistas in the Chiapas region of Mexico and for allegedly defending himself against federal agents who failed to identify themselves before attempting his arrest through use of force.

Although Oso Blanco self-liberated and immediately resumed expropriating funds to support the Zapatista comrades, he was apprehended again and is currently serving his time at USP Victorville. To find out more about Oso Blanco’s case and how to support him, check out the info available at https://freeosoblanco.org/

Categories: D1. Anarchism

Green Energy Times - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 00:21

We are less than two weeks away from our 2024 Spring Summit at Vermont Law and Graduate School in South Royalton. There are still some spots available to attend the Summit, so please register TODAY! The Summit is all about lifting up the amazing work you are all doing and finding new ways to connect and collaborate. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from our Keynote Speaker Ellen Kahler, Executive Director of Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, who will talk about the power of networks and new and needed frameworks for well being in the 21st century. We have also put together a panel centered on how different Vermont communities are collaborating and adding essential capacity to advance climate solutions. We’ll close the ½ day with small-group guided conversations on a variety of topics including disaster resilience, thermal energy networks, community outreach strategies, environmental justice and farmore. There will also be lots of time for networking – and we’re happy to feed you too. We will have coffee, tea and light snacks in the morning and a yummy lunch too. Please join us for an engaging ½ day full of discussion and learning. You don’t want to miss it!

Register to attend the June 1 VECAN Summit here! To advance just and bold climate action we need you – all of us! – so let’s connect on June 1st to take our collective efforts one step further!

Also, VNRC is hiring! Want to join our team to help protect and enhance Vermont’s natural environment and vibrant communities? Or, know someone who might? VNRC is hiring a Climate Action Organizer. Please share with your networks! We are eager to bring on a new and needed ally in this important work.

Categories:

It's Going Down - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 00:17

Announcing a new zine from 1312 Press on the first days of the George Floyd Uprising in so-called Seattle, WA.

As we approach the 4th anniversary of the beginning of the George Floyd Uprising, we wanted to mark the occasion by uploading online a zine we published for the 2023 Seattle Anarchist Bookfair. Nearly 100 copies were given out for free, and publishing digitally was de-prioritized. This zine is simply the print version of an online article published on Puget Sound Anarchists in October, 2020. The Afterword follows:

This collection of reflections was meant to have been put into zine format years ago when it was originally published online, but it seems more fitting that it finally emerges in material, real world print for the 2023 Seattle Anarchist Bookfair, the first since Covid-19 began attacking our communities. It feels strange now to re-read these reflections and remember what it was like to be in the streets, surrounded by liberals and militants alike, and having running street battles with the police. It’s easy to recall those days as if they were glorious, because we had some kind of purpose right in front of us. There was a way to cut through the alienation and isolation of capitalist society by simply leaving our houses and heading into the streets of Capitol Hill. But for many of us, these interactions were also incredibly frustrating. I particularly recall watching a white person yell at a Black man for attempting to break a window. When they were confronted by two people in black bloc for peace-policing, their response was, “I’m working with black leadership!”

The year-and-a-half that followed the days recounted in this zine were incredibly tumultuous. From June 9th to July 1st, the CHAZ/CHOP dominated Seattle news, culture, politics, and society at large. After the city cleared out the semi-autonomous zone on July 1st, several nationalists and Proud Boys attempted to march through the Capitol Hill neighborhood on July 4th, but were successfully pushed out by militant anti-fascists. Following the dissolution of the CHAZ/CHOP was perhaps the most exciting moments in militant anti-police street action Seattle has seen since the aftermath of the police murder of Native woodcarver John T. Williams in 2010. The “guest-house” in the center of Cal Anderson Park was successfully squatted and repurposed to provide shelter and electricity for Seattle’s houseless population, and served as an organizing hub for months of militant street demonstrations and direct action. A series of “Anti-ICE” demonstrations rocked the city streets for months on end, making sure businesses with financial ties to Amazon and the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild were physically attacked. It is without exaggeration to say that there were no open Starbucks storefronts in Seattle for the majority of 2020-2021 due to these demonstrations and their propensity to break windows, loot, and set fire. On July 25th, a mass protest snaked its way through Capitol Hill, downtown Seattle, the Central District, and back to Capitol Hill for the national day of solidarity with Portland, OR that had been called. The construction offices for the new youth jail in the Central District were utterly destroyed, and a fiercely violent street clash with Seattle Police occurred on the lawns of Seattle Central College.

There were so many dynamics at play in all of these events, and many of them have yet to be acknowledged and revealed. Several individuals have been sent to prison for their role in the uprising. Some of them have finished their sentences, while others have years left in high-security federal prison. Between the street battles to create the CHAZ, the CHAZ itself, and the months of militant street action that followed, there were glimpses into what a thoughtful, strategic and serious anti-police street movement in Seattle could really look like. The period of exception seems to have passed however, as storefronts are opened up and the streets are full of cars and people commuting to and from work. Questions abound. How do racism and authority function in our daily lives, not just as impositions from systems of power, but in our interpersonal relationships? There are many mechanisms at work that successfully rewinded the snap of reality that brought so many of us into the streets week in and week out. One day, we collectively defied the dirge of everyday life by coming together in attacking the police, ritualistically at times. One by one, we ended up going back home and attempting to return to what our lives looked like before the uprising. Many of us had emotional and physical wounds to heal, many of us are locked up in prison, some of us are trying to support them. Perhaps next time the lid blows off, we will rethink going home for the night.

Download and print PDF zine here.

photo: Screenshot, King 5 Seattle

Categories: D1. Anarchism

Green Energy Times - Mon, 05/27/2024 - 00:15

Kirkwood Gardens (courtesy photo)

Annual Breeding Bird Census

Wednesday, June 5

Session 1 – 5:30 to 8:00 a.m.

Session 2 – 8:00 to 9:30 a.m.

Holderness, NH – Squam Lakes Natural Science Center holds a birding census for teens and adults. For over three decades, the Science Center has conducted a census in early June of bird species that nest on the Science Center campus. Executive Director Iain MacLeod will lead this census which is done primarily by ear listening for territorial songs of male birds, indicating probable nesting. This is a great opportunity to hone bird song identification skills. The early session (5:30 a.m.) involves canvassing two forested zones, including Mt. Fayal. The later session (8:30 a.m.) covers fields, exhibit areas, and Kirkwood Gardens. Binoculars are available or participants may bring their own. Youth must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: No charge but reservations are required.

Advance registration required. To register for this event, and learn about upcoming programs, and membership go to www.nhnature.org or call 603-968-7194.

Kirkwood Gardens Guided Tour

Wednesday, June 19, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Holderness, NH – Squam Lakes Natural Science Center Lead Horticulturalist Emma Erler leads a guided tour of beautiful Kirkwood Gardens for teens and adults. This is a great opportunity to learn about the incredible history of Kirkwood Gardens, identify what is in bloom, and ask any gardening questions on this personalized tour. Youth must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $9/member; $11/non-member.

Advance registration required. To register for this event, and learn about upcoming programs, and membership go to www.nhnature.org or call 603-968-7194.

Invasive Plant Species Identification and Management Series

Tuesday, June 25, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. – Part 1: Invasive Plant Identification

Tuesday, July 9, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. – Part 2: Invasive Plant Management

Holderness, NH – Squam Lakes Natural Science Center Lead Horticulturalist Emma Erler leads a program to support healthy gardens and landscapes while tackling invasive plant issues. Learn valuable skills to manage invasive plants in this two-part workshop. In the first session (June 25) participants will become familiar with and learn to identify many of the most commonly encountered invasive plants in New Hampshire. In the second session (July 9) participants will learn about successful management strategies through hands-on demonstrations of techniques. Seasonal considerations, prioritizing project areas, and native plant revegetation strategies will be covered. Register for one or both sessions. Youth must be accompanied by a registered adult.

Cost per session: $25/members; $30/non-members

Advance registration required. To register for this event, and learn about upcoming programs, and membership go to www.nhnature.org or call 603-968-7194.

StoryWalkTM Kick Off Reception

Friday, June 28, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Location: Curry Place, Holderness

Holderness, NH – Squam Lakes Natural Science Center kicks of StoryWalk with a fun opening reception. This program is for all ages.

Stroll along the channel as you read The Voyage of Turtle Rex by Kurt Cyrus, a story about the dramatic journey of a small creature in the oceanic world of the dinosaurs. The story is posted one page at a time along the trail. Children can participate in a craft and enjoy a snack connected to the story at the Kick Off Reception.

StoryWalk surrounds the Holderness Town Gazebo behind the Post Office at Curry Place. It is presented in partnership with Holderness Library, Squam Lakes Association, and Holderness Recreation Department. StoryWalk is open daily from June 28-September 2.

Generously Sponsored by: Meredith Village Savings Bank

Cost: No charge and no reservations required.

Advance registration required. To register for this event, and learn about upcoming programs, and membership go to www.nhnature.org or call 603-968-7194.

SQUAM LAKE CRUISES

Discover Squam Cruise

Daily 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.

Holderness, NH – This unforgettable guided tour has something new to delight everyone.

Learn about the natural history of Squam Lake, look for majestic Bald Eagles, and listen for the haunting call of Common Loons. Hear about the people who have lived on its rocky shores surrounded by scenic mountains for over 5,000 years. Cruise on this pristine lake where nature reigns.

All Squam Lake Cruises are 90 minutes in length on canopied pontoon boats. Binoculars are available for viewing or bring your own. Cruises depart on Route 113 across from the Science Center. Squam Lake Cruises are not recommended for children under age 5. Advance reservations required by purchasing tickets at nhnature.org.

Cost: $32/adult; $30 senior (age 65+); $28 youth (ages up to 15); members receive a $4 per person discount

To purchase cruise tickets and see the full cruise schedule visit nhnature.org.

Loon Cruise

Monday, June 24, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Friday, June 28, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Holderness, NH – Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) are offering cruises that focus on the latest news about Common Loon conservation, biology, and monitoring. A Science Center naturalist joins an LPC biologist who guides the tour and discusses the work LPC does across the state and on Squam to protect these unique migratory birds, the only loon that breeds as far south as New Hampshire. The cruise route maximizes the likelihood of loon observations and changes weekly. Part of the proceeds from Loon Cruises support the work of the Loon Preservation Committee.

All Squam Lake Cruises are 90 minutes in length on canopied pontoon boats. Binoculars are available for viewing or bring your own. Cruises depart on Route 113 across from the Science Center. Squam Lake Cruises are not recommended for children under age 5. Advance reservations required by purchasing tickets at nhnature.org.

Cost: $32/adult; $30 senior (age 65+); $28 youth (ages up to 15); members receive a $4 per person discount

To purchase cruise tickets and see the full cruise schedule visit nhnature.org.

Categories:

Green Energy Times - Sun, 05/26/2024 - 21:46

Headline News:

• “Australia’s Low Cost Solar PV Goal Could Change Everything About The Grid” • The CSIRO GenCost report published last week has sparked a new polemic about the cost of generating technologies, with the critics in the nuclear camp not liking the country’s main scientific research agency stating that nuclear is really expensive. [RenewEconomy]

Solar parking shade (Flicker02, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

• “44% Plugin Vehicle Market Share In China – April 2024 Sales Report” • Plugin vehicles are all the rage in the Chinese auto market, with plugins scoring 703,000 sales in a 1.6-million-unit overall market. That’s up 27% year over year. Plugin vehicles hit 44% market share! Full electrics battery EVs alone accounted for 26% of the country’s auto sales. [CleanTechnica]
• “Twelve People Injured When Plane Hits Turbulence” • Twelve people were injured when a Qatar Airways plane flying from Doha to Dublin hit turbulence, airport authorities said. Some meteorologists note that reports of turbulence encounters have been increasing and point to the potential impacts that climate change may have on flying conditions. [ABC News]
• “Government Aims For 40% Of Primary Energy Mix To Come From Re Sources By 2035” • Malaysia aims to ensure that 40% of the country’s primary energy mix comes from renewable energy sources by 2035, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. This would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10 million tonnes annually. [The Edge Malaysia]
• “Queensland Government Passes Renewable Energy Laws” • The Clean Economy Jobs Act 2024 and the Energy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Act 2024 put Queensland at the center of a global energy transition. They set a target of 80% renewable energy generation in the state by 2035 and are expected to create over 100,000 jobs. [Energy Magazine]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Categories:

La Via Campesina : International Peasant Movement - Sun, 05/26/2024 - 20:36

Full text of the appeal from Palestinian Civil Society is reproduced here:

We the undersigned Civil Society Organizations and Coalitions, considering the ongoing genocide in Gaza for more than seven months, the people of Gaza are suffering from severe food shortages, a continuous decline in nutrition levels, widespread malnutrition among children, and increased mortality rates due to diseases caused by hunger and malnutrition, along with the difficulty of accessing medical and healthcare services. Additionally, the environmental pollution resulting from the destruction of sewage systems, the inability of municipalities to remove waste, the presence of thousands of bodies under the rubble, and the weak humanitarian response and provision of necessary aid to those in need.

The destruction of infrastructure and the fuel shortage have led to a significant halt in sanitation and waste disposal services, resulting in the spread of waste and sewage without proper disposal methods. With rising temperatures, the spread of diseases and epidemics has become a reality among Palestinians in the sector. Furthermore, the Civil Defense in Gaza suffers from a severe lack of resources, equipment, and personnel, preventing them from clearing rubble and retrieving bodies.

According to international humanitarian law and international human rights law, causing famine as a military tactic against civilians is prohibited. Article 54 of the First Additional Protocol to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1977 affirms the protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, prohibiting the attack, destruction, removal, or rendering useless of such objects, including foodstuffs, agricultural areas, crops, livestock, drinking water installations, and irrigation works if the purpose is to starve civilians or to force them to move or for any other motive.

Similarly, Article 14 of the Second Additional Protocol to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1977 prohibits the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and prohibits attacks on, destruction of, removal of, or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.

Article 6 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court states that any act committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group as such, constitutes genocide. Furthermore, Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food, and obliges states to take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right.

The act of causing famine and destroying life-sustaining resources in Gaza also violates the interim measures ordered by the International Court of Justice, thus opening the possibility for prosecuting those responsible or delaying the delivery of aid before the International Criminal Court. The actions and policies imposed by the Israeli occupation on the people of Gaza place it in a position of criminal responsibility due to its actions that have created conditions such as direct attacks on vital installations or imposing a blockade to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching the population.

The Famine Review Committee in its March 2024 report concluded that famine is likely unless there is an immediate cessation of hostilities, unrestricted access to food, water, and medicines, protection of civilians, and restoration of health services, clean water, sanitation, energy, and electricity for the population. Since March, hostilities against civilians have continued, and despite the arrival of some relief aid to northern provinces, it remains insufficient to deal with ongoing hunger.

We, the undersigned, call on the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority to immediately declare Gaza a famine-stricken area due to famine, environmental pollution, and the spread of diseases. The United Nations and the Palestinian Authority must adopt this declaration and coordinate global and local efforts in partnership with Palestinian civil society to develop an immediate plan to address these impacts, elevate emergency relief levels for citizens in the sector, and push toward accountability and prosecution of the occupation for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

We call on all organizations, movements, human rights defenders, and supporters to sign this petition to urge the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority to declare Gaza a famine-stricken area and take the necessary measures to protect its inhabitants.

Long live the struggles of the Palestinian people! Long live a free and proud Gaza!

Ramallah, May 23, 2024

SIGN THE PETITION

Signatory Organizations and Movements:

Palestinian Non Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO)

Bisan Center for Research and Development

Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC)

Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS)

Center for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights (Hurryyat)

Teacher Creativity Center Association

Health Work Committees (HWC)

AFKAR for Educational and Cultural Development

Addameer prisoner support and human rights association

Land research center (LRC)

The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH

Popular Resistance

Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development- PWWSD

Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid

Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign

The post UAWC and Allies issue Appeal to declare Gaza a famine-stricken area appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Categories: A1. Favorites, A3. Agroecology

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The post Protected: Our Pawa: Why Australia’s energy transition matters to the Pacific appeared first on 350.

Categories: G1. Progressive Green

Fossil Free - Sun, 05/26/2024 - 19:01

This month saw 40 Pacific Islanders take to Australian parliament lawns in Canberra, with a specific set of demands that could determine the future of their communities.

But what do Australia’s climate decisions have to do with Pacific Islanders?

Whether they live in the islands or reside in Australia, the energy transition of the world’s third largest export of fossil fuels will inevitably impact the lives of Pacific Islanders.

This is why, when the Pacific Climate Warriors gathered in Canberra for the Our Pawa Gathering, their demands of the Australian government were clear.

• Stop approving new coal and gas exploration.
• Power up safe and renewable energy that involves communities at all levels of decision-making.
• Commit finance to a fossil fuel free Pacific.

Just a day before the Pacific Climate Warriors descended on the Australian parliament, the Albanese government announced their Future Gas Strategy, a dangerous ploy to prolong the gas industry and lock us into years more of climate chaos. This strategy was in direct contradiction to many of the climate promises that the Labour government was elected on. It was also in contradiction to the “family ties” that Australia claims to have with the Pacific.

In response, the Pacific Climate Warriors showed the world what Australia should ACTUALLY build their future on – safe, clean and fair renewable energy for all. But just scaling up renewable energy is not enough, and could falll prey to the destructive habits of the fossil fuel industry themselves.

In the days afterwards, the Australian government released their Federal Budget which appears to include a decisive turn towards Australia’s renewable energy future. By 2030, renewable energy like wind and solar can meet almost all Australia’s electricity needs, with storage like batteries keeping power reliable and available around the clock.

However, this renewable transition needs to operationalise with the wellbeing of people and communities at its core. First and foremost, Australia’s climate solutions must have a direct impact on reducing greenhouse gasses, not relying on dangerous distractions like fossil gas, hydrogen and carbon capture to prolong the life of the fossil fuel industry. The Government committed to reducing carbon emissions to 43% below 2005 levels by 2030, but their strategy to continue approving new coal and gas projects means they are failing that commitment. The Pacific cannot afford for the target of 1.5 degrees of heating to be surpassed, and the only way to maintain that is to phase out all fossil fuels.

Next, the renewable energy transition must support energy justice, enable energy access to all and increase social equity, at domestic and international levels. The Australian Government has committed funding to implement consumer energy resources reforms that boost the supply of renewable electricity to the grid from rooftop solar, home batteries and other consumer energy resources, to help consumers get a better deal in the energy market. This must be applied with equity and justice in mind, with Pacific and First Nations communities within Australia empowered through energy access.

On an international level, Australia has a responsibility to assist in enabling the Just Energy Transition for its Pacific neighbors. As the world’s third largest exporter of fossil fuels, Australia has a historical responsibility to ensure that the Pacific is not simply saddled with old and obsolete renewable energy technology, nor locked into decades of debt just to provide clean energy to climate-vulnerable communities.

And thirdly, Australia’s renewable energy deployment must not further threaten not threaten the land of Indigenous Peoples and the livelihoods of frontline communities. The Future Made in Australia initiative looks to propel Australia to the forefront of green industry, with large reserves of critical minerals poised to make this a possibility. It is important to acknowledge the hesitancy communities may have to this possibility, as the extraction of materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt have already threatened indigenous land. Any and all critical mineral industry in Australia must be done with the priorities of Indigenous People’s at the forefront. Companies like Santos and Whitehaven have all stripped indigenous land bare of water, life and spirit to build their fossil fuel empires, and if we are to truly have a Just Transition, the critical mining industry cannot perpetuate that.

All of these principles involve the interest and futures of Pacific peoples because, as a large demographic of the Australian population and some of its nearest neighbors, the social and environmental injustices of our “big brother” will spill out onto our people. Pacific diaspora within Australia have contributed a great amount to their new home and now deserve to have a government that prioritizes their communities as well as their island homes.

The Pacific is ready for the renewable energy revolution, and we know that Australia is as well. Pacific communities are ready for a seat at the table as we build this revolution and adamant that the principles we hold, also possess many of the answers to determining that no Australian or Pacific Islander is left behind when we build a world beyond fossil fuels.

The post Our Pawa: Why Australia’s energy transition matters to the Pacific appeared first on 350.

Categories: J2. Fossil Fuel Industry

It's Going Down - Sun, 05/26/2024 - 17:18

On this episode of the It’s Going Down podcast, we speak with Andrew Lee, an organizer and author of the new book out from AK Press, Defying Displacement: Urban Recomposition and Social War.

During our discussion, we speak with Lee about how elites, capitalists, and city bureaucrats are banking on gentrification and how people are pushing back against displacement. We also discuss the crisis of rising rents, how gentrification is tied to a push to better police the poor and communities of color, growing attacks on the houseless, and the tenant union movement.

From the AK Press website:

Cities around the world are in the midst of a profound transformation as the wealthy price out the remnants of the urban working class, especially people of color. Displacement is neither accidental or inevitable. It happens because a whole range of people and institutions profit handsomely. Defying Displacement, focused on the US but informed by global examples, investigates gentrification from the perspective of the people fighting it, members of communities whose survival is threatened by some of the most powerful institutions on the planet. Andrew Lee names the names and identifies the actual state and corporate forces that work together to enrich a very specific group of people: property developers and real estate investors who make a killing, politicians who watch their tax bases grow, banks that write profitable loans for new businesses and mortgages for new homeowners. Meanwhile, business districts are planned, tax abatements unveiled, redevelopment schemes dreamed up, corporate and university campuses expanded, and ordinary people are driven from their homes.

The city has long served as the stage for political life and popular revolt. As mass displacement alters the composition of gentrifying cities, the avenues available for social change become unsettled as well, forcing us to reimagine our strategies for building a better world. Around the world communities are pushing the struggle against forced displacement in new directions, shutting down developments and evictions and bringing cities to a halt, fighting militarized police and the most powerful companies in the world. Activists and residents in struggle—dozens of whom are interviewed by Lee to inform his work—are charting the way forward to affordable and sustainable cities run by the people who inhabit them.

For more writings from Lee, go here. Music from The Last Gang.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Categories: D1. Anarchism