The disproportionate effect that industrial practices have on minority communities is under major scrutiny following the start of an NAACP investigation, which is looking into how fracking and coal ash pollution have impacted the health of these communities, starting with Stokes County, North Carolina. Ameera David speaks with Jacqui Patterson, director of the NAACP Environmental & Climate Justice Program, about the organization’s goals and how it plans to accomplish them.
Ol-Pejeta conservancy in Kenya is home to the last male northern white rhino on the planet. And, in a bid to raise awareness of the species plight, it’s started an online campaign that has attracted several celebrities. They’ll be visiting the 42-year-old rhino called Sudan, at the conservancy in the next few months. Clementine Logan has more
This panel discusses the importance of fisheries to Pacific Island nations. Panelists include Transform Aqorau, CEO of the Parties of the Nauru Agreement Office (PNAO); Kate Barclay, Associate professor, University of Technology Sydney and; John Virdin, Director, Ocean & Coastal Policy; Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University.
The global fish market is big business – worth a staggering USD 137.7 billion annually.
The management of the world’s fisheries, like many of our precious natural resources, is a challenging and complex system, driven by factors of territory, politics, culture and revenue.
In the Pacific, one the biggest challenges ensuring the long-term sustainability and viability of coastal and ocean fisheries – both as a source of food and a source of significant income.
A recent increase in foreign fishing vessels in Pacific waters is pushing Pacific Island governments to consider policies which will ensure a greater share of fishing revenue is captured, while protecting the region’s environment.
Throughout the discussion, the panelists consider many issues, including how Pacific Island countries can capture a greater share of the revenue earned from fish captured in their waters; and whether regional cooperation between nations can effectively drive reform.
Paul Gunter, Beyond Nuclear, joins Thom Hartmann. Another day, another ominous development in Fukushima. According to new numbers from the Tokyo Electric Power Company – or Tepco – the plant’s Operator – as many as 10 percent of the nuclear facility’s containers may be leaking radioactive waste. And while the release of toxic chemicals into the environment is bad enough – this new problems comes with an added risk: it could cause a violent explosion. As one nuclear official told the Telegraph – since the leak was thought to be caused by a hydrogen build-up “If the concentration level is high, a spark caused by static electricity could cause a container to explode.”
In recent years there’s been a growing interest in African art – with prices adjusting to meet demand. While most buyers come from Africa, there’s been a growing global interest, since the market is considered a rising one. Natalie Powell reports.
http://democracynow.org – Over the past 25 years, Cuba has built a largely organic farming system out of necessity. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Cuba lost its main supplier of fertilizers and pesticides. What will the changing U.S.-Cuban relationship mean for Cuban farmers? We air a video report from a farm outside Havana produced by Democracy Now!’s Karen Ranucci and Monica Melamid. We also speak to filmmaker Catherine Murphy, who has studied Cuba’s agricultural system.
http://democracynow.org – Despite the Senate vote approving a measure to give President Obama fast-track authority to negotiate the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, opposition to the deal continues to mount ahead of this month’s House vote. Critics, including a number of Democratic lawmakers, oppose the TPP, saying it will fuel inequality, kill jobs, and undermine health, environmental and financial regulations. The negotiations have been secret, and the public has never seen most of the deal’s text. Well, this morning the whistleblowing group WikiLeaks launched a campaign to change that. The group is seeking to raise $100,000 to offer what they describe as a bounty for the leaking of the unseen chapters of the TPP. We speak to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
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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