Behind the U.S.-backed coup that ousted the democratically elected president of Ukraine are the economic interests of giant corporations – from Cargill to Chevron – which see the country as a potential “gold mine” of profits from agricultural and energy exploitation, reports JP Sottile.
A screen shot of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland speaking to U.S. and Ukrainian business leaders on Dec. 13, 2013, at an event sponsored by Chevron, with its logo to Nuland’s left..
Despite the turmoil within Ukrainian politics after Yanukovych rejected a major trade deal with the European Union just seven weeks earlier, Cargill was confident enough about the future to fork over $200 million to buy a stake in Ukraine’s UkrLandFarming. According to Financial Times, UkrLandFarming is the world’s eighth-largest land cultivator and second biggest egg producer. And those aren’t the only eggs in Cargill’s increasingly-ample basket.
On Dec. 13, Cargill announced the purchase of a stake in a Black Sea port. Cargill’s port at Novorossiysk — to the east of Russia’s strategically significant and historically important Crimean naval base — gives them a major entry-point to Russian markets and adds them to the list of Big Ag companies investing in ports around the Black Sea, both in Russia and Ukraine.
(Image: Radioactive sign via Shutterstock)A nuclear weapons convention, a treaty to achieve Nuclear Zero by means of the phased, verifiable, irreversible and transparent elimination of nuclear weapons, is the only way to counter the obvious insanity of nuclear weapons in any form.
There are many reasons why nukes are nuts. Here are my top ten:
They are insanely powerful. A single nuclear weapon can destroy a city. A few nuclear weapons can destroy a country. A relatively small regional nuclear war can cause a nuclear famine, taking 2 billion lives globally. An all-out nuclear war could end civilization and cause the extinction of most complex life on the planet.
My testimony to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, including the four charts that I used, is also available on my web site. Discussion at the hearing revealed that most politicians have hardened positions. Hopefully Kerry and Obama recognize that Keystone would signify the full-body dive into unconventional fossil fuels that assures game-over for climate, i.e., assures disastrous climate effects for young people and future generations. Rejection of KXL would provide a brief respite that may allow implementation of a simple flat rising carbon fee-and-dividend approach, which has the potential to go near-global.
Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Keystone XL Oil Pipeline, 13 March 2014
Created by EcoJustice.TV researcher on March 16, 2014
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) on Wednesday explained that Al Gore and the United Nations get most of the blame for what he called a global warming “hoax,” but filmmaker Michael Moore and billionaire George Soros deserved some credit too.
At a Environment and Public Works Committe on President Barack Obama’s nomination of Gina McCarthy to be the next head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said that he wanted the agency to listen to scientists instead of climate change deniers like Inhofe and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY).
“What Sen. Inhofe has written and talked about is his belief that global warming is one of the major hoaxes ever perpetrated on the American people, that it’s a hoax pushed by people like Al Gore, the United Nations and the Hollywood elite,” Sanders told the committee.
“I think that is a fair quote from Sen. Inhofe. Is that roughly right, Sen. Inhofe?” Sanders asked the Oklahoma Republican.
“Yes,” Inhofe agreed. “I’d add to that list MoveOn.org, George Soros, Michael Moore and a few others.”
“That’s exactly the issue,” Sanders said, turning back to the committee. “Do we agree with Sen. Inhofe that global warming is a hoax and that we do not want the federal government, the EPA, the Department of Energy to address that issue? Because it is a — quote — unquote — hoax, according to Sen. Inhofe and others? Or do we believe and agree with the overwhelming majority of scientists who tell us that global warming is the most serious planetary crisis that we face, and that we must act boldly and aggressively to protect the future of this planet? That is what the issue is.”
Welcome to Transition Studies. To prosper for very much longer on the changing Earth humankind will need to move beyond its current fossil-fueled civilization toward one that is sustained on recycled materials and renewable energy. This is not a trivial shift. It will require a major transition in all aspects of our lives.
This weblog explores the transition to a sustainable future on our finite planet. It provides links to current news, key documents from government sources and non-governmental organizations, as well as video documentaries about climate change, environmental ethics and environmental justice concerns.
The links are listed here to be used in whatever manner they may be helpful in public information campaigns, course preparation, teaching, letter-writing, lectures, class presentations, policy discussions, article writing, civic or Congressional hearings and citizen action campaigns, etc. For further information on this blog see: About this weblog. and How to use this weblog.
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and a recent Chomsky interview starting at: 19m 7s
See also a 2005 paper by Greer entitled: How Civilizations Fall: A Theory of Catabolic Collapse
Transition Studies 