Daily Archives: May 21, 2015

Environment

Mountains hold climate change surprise, scientists find

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
by Pete Spotts, Staff writer

Mountains are shaped differently than scientists thought they were, and that could be good news for mountain-dwelling species adapting to climate change

A bird flies over a blossoming poppy field against the backdrop of a city and the Tien Shan mountains at outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan, May 14. (Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)
A bird flies over a blossoming poppy field against the backdrop of a city and the Tien Shan mountains at outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan, May 14. (Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

Global warming is expected to leave many plants and animals living on the world’s mountains with nowhere to go but up – increasing their risk of extinction as they chase climatological comfort zones through landscapes that relentlessly shrink as they approach a summit.

At least that’s the concept that has held sway for the past 30 years. But this simple picture is wrong for many of the world’s major mountain ranges, a new study finds.

Instead, in many cases these migrants may wind up reaching altitudes where the landscape is relatively flat and extensive, giving them more room to spread out than they had at their original locations and perhaps enhancing their chances of surviving. More…

Economic Justice, Economy

The homeless man who works in the Senate

WASHINGTON POST
by Catherine Rampell

Charles Gladden, who is homeless, works in the Dirksen Senate Office Building kitchen. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
Charles Gladden, who is homeless, works in the Dirksen Senate Office Building kitchen. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

In the basement of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, 63-year-old Charles Gladden works alongside some of the nation’s most powerful people. For eight years, he has greeted senators, staffers and lobbyists in the hallways and the cafeteria, at exclusive banquets and special functions. He reflects fondly on some of the warmer colleagues who he says got the boot too soon.

But unbeknown to any of these bigwigs, or even to his employer, Gladden is homeless. He works in the Senate cafeteria, and he has not had a fixed address for the past five years. More…

Action, Biodiversity, Environment, Extractive Industries

Stopping the mine – Xeni Gwet’in leader wins Environmental Prize

NEW INTERNATIONALIST EASIER ENGLISH WIKI
newint.org

Marilyn Baptiste, leader of the Xeni Gwet’in. © Goldman Environmental Prize
Marilyn Baptiste, leader of the Xeni Gwet’in. © Goldman Environmental Prize

Marilyn Baptiste of British Columbia, Canada has won the Goldman Environmental Prize. She stopped the Taseko Mines gold mining project.

We are very happy that Marilyn Baptiste, leader of the Xeni Gwet’in has won the Goldman Environmental Prize. This is the biggest prize in the world for environmental activism. She stopped Taseko Mines’ Prosperity gold and copper mine.

Marilyn led the successful campaign to protect her community from the Prosperity mine. The mining project would be the worst kind of mining. It would destroy the beautiful First Nations’ lands and Fish Lake (Teztan Biny), full of fish.

If this plan had succeeded, many other similar mines would have been planned. The Canadian government has a history of giving more importance to mining than indigenous rights and environmental protection.

Industry, governments and local municipalities all supported the Prosperity plan. So it was a surprise to many people that it was not allowed. This shows the power of community protest.

Marilyn Baptiste led the fight. She had just been chosen as Chief of the Xeni Gwet’in. She led the environmental, cultural and economic studies to take to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s review group. More…

Action, Education, Environment, Globalization

US Bishops warn ‘without nuclear disarmament, world is in great danger’

ICN

Nagasaki Bomb
Nagasaki Bomb

The US Bishops’ International Justice and Peace Committee has urged Secretary of State, John Kerry, to step up efforts to advance nuclear disarmament and ensure the success of a multilateral conference being held in New York. The comments were made in a May 12 letter issued as the Ninth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) meeting continues at the United Nations.

“For most Americans, there is an assumption that the nuclear threat receded with the end of the Cold War. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth,” said Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, New Mexico, chairman of the Committee. “In a multi-polar world where there are risks of nuclear proliferation and even nuclear terrorism, it is imperative that the world move systematically and relentlessly toward nuclear disarmament and the securing of nuclear materials. Preserving the NPT is a cornerstone of this effort.”

The International Justice and Peace Committee also urged bold and concrete commitments to “accelerate verifiable nuclear disarmament, including taking weapons off ‘launch on warning’ status to prevent a catastrophic accident, deeper cuts in nuclear arsenals, ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and serious negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty and other prudent measures.” Read full text of the letter…

Action, Africa

Kenya hires lobbyists to push aid, travel agenda in US

DAILY NATION
By KEVIN J. KELLEY
NEW YORK

SEX TRAFFICKING

Kenya has hired two leading lobbying firms based in Washington, DC to push for the country's agenda in the United States...
Kenya has hired two leading lobbying firms based in Washington, DC to push for the country’s agenda in the United States…

The letter, signed by Squire Patton Boggs partner David Dunn and addressed to Foreign Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, notes that Kenya is facing “a cut-off of all non-humanitarian and other forms of assistance from the US government.”

The threat arises from the State Department’s designation of Kenya as a “Tier 2” country in annual reports assessing governments’ efforts to prevent human trafficking.

Countries assigned to that group are deemed to be failing to comply fully with minimal standards for eliminating trafficking and include North Korea, Iran, Russia, Syria, Zimbabwe and Eritrea.