President Barack Obama meets Sir David Attenborough – BBC Earth

BBC Earth

Published on Jun 25, 2015
In an extraordinary meeting of minds, President Barack Obama has interviewed Sir David Attenborough at the White House.

For more information please clip here http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/201506…

During the meeting, the two men discussed the future of the planet, their passion for nature and what can be done to protect it.

Recorded in May on Sir David’s 89th Birthday, the full interview will be broadcast as a special programme on BBC One this Sunday 28th June, at 10.30pm.

In the US the special will air on BBC AMERICA, the home of the BBC’s biggest natural history landmarks on American television, this Sunday at 5:30pm ET followed by an extended version at 8:00pm ET.

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The Dark Money Funding Climate Change Denial

Farron Cousins | June 20, 2015

The network of corporate-funded right wing think tanks in America is massive. The money that flows to these organizations is even more massive than the networks themselves, and it flows in almost total secrecy thanks to Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund.

These think tanks and astroturf groups are the leaders in climate change denial, spreading misinformation and corrupt data to the masses in order to downplay — and in many cases flat out deny — the reality of anthropogenic climate change.

And though we may not have the names of individual donors, a new report from The Guardian does a great job of laying out how much money is flowing to these climate change denial groups.

According to the report, a staggering sum of $125 million has been given to these organizations that deny climate change over the last three years. This money is used to fund industry-friendly groups who create and disseminate talking points, and support other public relations efforts and the right wing media echo chamber to promote climate change denial.

Another goal of this money is to undermine federal regulations aimed at curtailing emissions and other environmental health and safety standards. For example, The Guardian says that portions of this $125 million have been used to fight the Obama administration’s recent rules for coal-fired power plants that would put limits on the amount of greenhouses gases these plants are allowed to release into the atmosphere.

Of course, since these groups all participate in other areas of politics, it is difficult to conclude whether or not all of this money went directly to climate change denial, but The Guardian does confirm that all groups involved are actively engaged in climate change denial.

…(read more).

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Who’s Behind the Attack on the Pope’s Climate Encyclical?

Kevin Grandia | June 17, 2015

It is an open secret now that Pope Francis will deliver a papal encyclical on June 18 focusing heavily on the issue of energy consumption, climate change and “the unprecedented destruction of the ecosystem.”

And of course with any major public event on climate change, the same small and very vocal group of climate change science deniers and conspiracy theorists are trying to distort the message, and (of all things) discredit Pope Francis and his concern about climate change.

For those who regulalry read DeSmog and follow climate issues, this attack on the credibility of the Pope is not surprising, as it is the same people, rehashing the same tired talking points on behalf of the same organizations we have been outing for close to a decade for their lack of credentials in climate science and connections to fossil fuel companies looking to delay action on climate change.

What follows are the bios, connections and quotes of some of the key denier operatives behind the attack on the credibility of Pope Francis and the climate encyclical:

…(read more).

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FACT SHEET: Building community resilience by strengthening America’s natural res ources and supporting green infrastructure | The White House

FACT SHEET: Building community resilience by strengthening America’s natural resources and supporting green infrastructure

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: press
October 8, 2014

FACT SHEET: Building community resilience by strengthening America’s natural resources and supporting green infrastructure

President Obama has made it clear that we have a moral obligation to our children and future generations to leave behind a planet that is not polluted and damaged. That is why, as part of his effort to combat climate change, the President launched a Climate Action Plan last year to cut carbon pollution, prepare communities for the impacts of climate change, and lead international efforts to address this global challenge.

The Climate Action Plan recognizes that even as we act to curb the carbon pollution that is driving climate change, we must also improve our ability to prepare for the climate impacts we are already seeing across the country. States, cities, and communities depend on America’s bountiful natural resources, and climate change is putting many of these vital resources at risk. By investing in smart strategies for conserving and restoring our lands and waters, we can help make communities more resilient to climate impacts while slowing the harmful effects of carbon pollution. Similarly, investments in green infrastructure can help communities better prepare for the impacts of climate change while also improving water quality and community health.

That’s why today, the Administration is announcing new executive actions and a series of private and public sector commitments that will improve the management of our natural resources in the context of a changing climate and support investment in green infrastructure.

* * *

June 24, 2015

DOI, USDA, EPA, NOAA and USACE announce additional Resilient Lands and Waters Initiative sites to prepare natural resources for climate change

Sites in northern and central California and Montana selected to showcase climate resilience approach

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) today recognized three new collaborative landscape partnerships across the country. Federal agencies will focus there on efforts with partners to conserve and restore important lands and waters and make them more resilient to a changing climate. These include the California Headwaters, California’s North-Central Coast and Russian River Watershed and Crown of the Continent.

Building on existing collaborations, these Resilient Lands and Waters partnerships – located in California and Montana/British Columbia – will help build the resilience of valuable natural resources and the people, businesses and communities that depend on them in regions vulnerable to climate change and related challenges. They will also showcase the benefits of landscape-scale management approaches and help enhance the carbon storage capacity of these natural areas.

The selected lands and waters face a wide range of climate impacts and other ecological stressors related to climate change, including drought, wildfire, sea level rise, species migration, and invasive species. At each location, Federal agencies will work closely with state, tribal, and local partners to prepare for and prevent these and other threats and ensure long-term conservation efforts take climate change into account.

These new Resilient Lands and Waters sites follow President Obama’s announcement of the first set of Resilient Landscape partnerships (southwest Florida, Hawaii, Washington and the Great Lakes region) at the 2015 Earth Day event in the Everglades.

Efforts in all Resilient Lands and Waters regions are relying on an approach that addresses the needs of the entire landscape. Over the next 18 months, Federal, state, local and tribal partners will work together in these landscapes to develop more explicit strategies and maps in their programs of work. Developing these strategies will benefit wildfire management, mitigation investments, restoration efforts, water and air quality, carbon storage, and the communities that depend upon natural systems for their own resilience. By tracking successes and sharing lessons learned, the initiative will encourage the development of similar resilience efforts in other areas across the country.

For example, in the California Headwaters, an area that contributes greatly to state’s water supply, the partnership will build upon and unify existing collaborative efforts to identify areas for restoration that will help improve water quality and quantity, promote healthy forests, and reduce wildfire risk. In California’s North-Central Coast and Russian River Watershed, partners will explore methods to improve flood risk reduction and water supply reliability, restore habitats, and inform coastal and ocean resource management efforts. In Montana, extending into British Columbia, the Crown of the Continent partnership will focus on identifying critical areas for building habitat connectivity and ecosystem resilience to help ensure the long-term health and integrity of this landscape.

“From the Redwoods to the Rockies to the Great Lakes and the Everglades, climate change threatens many of our treasured landscapes, which impacts our natural and cultural heritage, public health and economic activity,” said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. “The key to making these areas more resilient is collaboration through sound science and partnerships that take a landscape-level approach to preparing for and adapting to climate change.

“As several years of historic drought continue to plague the West Coast, there is an enormous opportunity and responsibility across federal, state and private lands to protect and improve the landscapes that generate our most critical water supplies,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “Healthy forest and meadows play a key role in ensuring water quality, yield and reliability throughout the year. The partnerships announced today will help us add resiliency to natural resource systems to cope with changing climate patterns.”

“Landscape-scale conservation can help protect communities from climate impacts like floods, drought, and fire by keeping watersheds healthy and making natural resources more resilient,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “EPA is proud to take part in the Resilient Lands and Waters Initiative.

“Around the nation, our natural resources and the communities that depend on them are becoming more vulnerable to natural disasters and long-term environmental change,” said Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator. “The lands and waters initiative will provide actionable information that resource managers and decision makers need to build more resilient landscapes, communities and economies.”

“The Army Corps of Engineers is bringing our best scientific minds together to participate in this effort. We are working to ensure that critical watersheds are resilient to changing climate,” said Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. “The Army Corps’ participation in this effort along with our local, state and federal partners demonstrates our commitment to implement President Obama’s Climate Action Plan in all of our missions.”

The Resilient Lands and Waters initiative is a key part of the Administration’s Climate and Natural Resources Priority Agenda, a first of its kind, comprehensive commitment across the Federal Government to support resilience of America’s vital natural resources. It also directly addresses Goal 1 of the National Fish Wildlife and Plant Climate Adaptation Strategy to conserve habitat that supports healthy fish, wildlife, and plant populations and ecosystem functions in a changing climate.

When President Obama launched his Climate Action Plan in 2013, he directed Federal agencies to identify and evaluate approaches to improve our natural defenses against extreme weather, protect biodiversity and conserve natural resources in the face of a changing climate. The Climate Action Plan also directs agencies to manage our public lands and natural systems to store more carbon.

For more on the Administration’s community resilience initiative, please visit:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/Press_Releases/October_8_2014

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Hague climate change judgement could inspire a global civil movement

Urgenda’s legal team celebrate on Wednesday after court ruling in the Hague that ordered the Dutch government to cut emissions by 25% within five years. Photograph: Chantal Bekker/Urgenda Emma Howard
Dutch ruling could trigger similar cases worldwide with citizens taking their governments to courts to make them act on climate promises

Wednesday 24 June 2015 18.17 BST

“You have been negotiating all my life”, cried out 21-year-old Anjali Appadurai from the lectern of a UN climate change conference four years ago. The activist, speaking on behalf of her nation’s youth, could have speaking for anyone who has taken a mild interest in more than two decades of international negotiations on climate change and stood aghast as world leaders have failed to protect the most basic of human rights – to exist.

But today, thanks to 886 Dutch citizens who decided to sue their government, all of that may change. We may not have to wait for the politicians to save us – the lawyers may step in instead. In the first successful case of its kind, a judge in the Hague has ruled that the Dutch government’s stance on climate change is illegal and has ordered them to take action to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a hefty 25% within five years.

Lawyers say the precedent it sets could trigger similar cases all around the world. Already, in Belgium, 8, 000 citizens are preparing for a similar court case, with others pointing to another possible lawsuit in Norway. Although the case is only binding within the Netherlands, lawyers say that it will inspire lawyers and judges considering similar cases in many other countries.

…(read more).

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The Center for Process Studies

The Center for Process Studies (CPS) is a faculty center of Claremont School of Theology in association with Department of Religion at Claremont Graduate University. CPS seeks to promote the common good by means of the relational approach found in process thought. Process thought is based on the work of philosophers Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne, two contemporary examples of a longstanding philosophical tradition that emphasizes becoming and change over static being. Process thought helps to harmonize moral, aesthetic, and religious intuitions with scientific insights. It also grounds discussion between Eastern and Western religious and cultural traditions. Process thought offers an approach to the social, political, and economic order that brings issues of human justice together with a concern for ecology. Our wide range of interests includes multicultural, feminist, ecological, inter-religious, political, and economic concerns.

…(read more).

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