[ad_1]
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
trueblu writes—Endangered Wildlife Refuges: “In case you missed it, the tRump administration, while the US is suffering through the COVID-19 crisis, is trying to open up 2.3 million acres of national wildlife refuges to allow more hunting and fishing. According to the Interior Department, it would be the single largest expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities by the federal government in history. The proposed “opportunities” would open acreage about the size of Delaware so more animals of all sorts can be killed for sport. Migratory birds, mountain lions, bobcats, alligators, coatimundis – the list of animals that can be hunted is quite long. Multiple National wildlife refuges would be affected, including ones in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and Oregon. The Fish and Wildlife Service will accept comments for 60 days. To comment, visit the Fish and Wildlife Service website here.”
RonK writes—The Daily Bucket: Spring Comes to my Walking Woods: “Whatcom County, Pacific Northwest. Spring has sprung in my favorite walking woods. On these ‘hunker-down days’ I have to move or go buggy so I head out to the woods for an hour of serenity to ‘commune’ with nature. This past month I have frequented four of our local city and county parks and a couple of nature preserves all of which I have written about previously here, here, here and here. These urban woods are well maintained with good trails and many alternative paths that allow one to stay to one’s self. Although these parks are generally well used, they are rarely crowded. But in these times, they are largely vacant. On a 50 to 60 minute walk, I see maybe a couple of trail runners and a couple of dog walkers – occasionally, someone on a mountain bike. Most days I see only about 4 people, all with masks or bandanas. They are universally courteous and ready to step off the trail as you come into sight. It is almost a contest to see who can get off trail first and let the other pass by. We all say ‘good morning’.”
funningforrest writes—Hey birders! Can you help i.d. this bird? “Went out for a short walk yesterday, to one of my favorite spots. As I got there I saw these two birds. When I got back home I tried to i.d. this bird species; no luck. Closest I can get is… ? A warbler of some species? Any help is greatly appreciated. Now this one I know. But this is the first time I’ve ever photographed it. A grand bird, I daresay. […] We get lots of Sandhill Cranes around here but they’re usually either flying high and out of sight and all you get is their unmistakable call, or they’re off out far away in a field or meadow and very difficult to photograph. Before I got this photo several other Sandhills had already flown off just as I was getting set to sit down and observe. These birds, I guess, have good eyesight and aren’t comfortable with people around, even from quite some distance away.”
funningforrest writes—The Daily Bucket: Along Spanish Creek, Quincy, CA: “This is my first Daily Bucket since returning to my home town of Quincy, California. (Previous Buckets of mine can be found under my past username of Sylvanus Prince, BTW.) Nestled tranquilly in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains, Quincy is where I grew up, moved away from, returned to, moved away again, returned and yet moved away again several more times, and finally in the early Spring of 2018 returned for what I sincerely believe is the final time. I’m 65 now and through a set of circumstances live with an old friend of mine, Rick, who has been a stalwart good buddy and who is also a stroke victim. I act as his caregiver. Rick and I have been friends for over fifteen years now. The gist of this is that my vagabond days are for the most part over. […] In the meantime I’m still getting out and doing some backpacking when I can (will my planned Pacific Crest Trail hike in September through Lassen Volcanic National Park come to fruition, or will a nasty virus bring all my plans to naught?”
CaptBLI writes—The Daily Bucket – Greener Daily: “I came across this shrub on my walk around the neighborhood. I missed observing the Spring colors (usually I see it in the summer when all its leaves turn green). This spring is different (we all know why) and I had more time to learn about Photinia (Red Tip)—Photinia x fraseri. […] The Red tip is an introduced plant that doesn’t survive well in many climates. The plant needs an environment that supplies a minimum of 35 inches of rain. We’ve got that in Mississippi. But, the soil types are often wrong, the elevation (above sea level) questionable and the degree of fungal diseases is massive. Though a lovely idea for a hedge plant, this plant can become a money (and time) trap.”
CaptBLI writes—The Daily Bucket – Once Was and will be Again: “Spring replenishes and renews the old with the new. Examples are everywhere. This fine flier was photographed near a puddle in Lafayette county, Mississippi (by hayseed, DKos member) earlier in the year. Notice there are new green shoots of grass growing through the dried dead sprigs (but don’t miss the dragonfly). […] Hayseed discovered (while photographing young frogs) that there were dragonfly nymphs in the water. Luck was on his side when one landed on his hand. […] He kept filming and found another Dragonfly that was at a different age and stage of life. Now, dragonflies fill the air. They are everywhere. These insects will go through this year feeding and breeding to complete their own circle of life.”
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket – birds not posing: “Sometimes identifying birds finds us looking at them at odd angles or moments that don’t necessarily correspond to how they look in ID books. But paying attention to those moments can teach us things about them. Ducks have very different shapes for example, which can show up most clearly as they fly. See how narrow the mergansers are in comparison! […] In action, like feeding for these Harlequins, we focus on what’s visible. If their heads are underwater, we have to go by other parts, or wait for those brief moments when they surface fully. ”
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket – wish I was in the Caribbee…with reef corals: “We’d planned to be in the Caribbee this month for our annual pilgrimage to the reef around Little Cayman Island. Everything reserved, paid for, dive gear serviced, pennies saved all year — and then the covid-19 pandemic hit. I’m well aware of the widespread hardship amongst world populations, and know also how privileged we are to be able to travel like this. Still, I’m sad to miss it, especially since our advancing years and disabilities mean we may never go again. Diving coral reefs is my happy place, where I’m immersed in natural wilderness, communing with wild animals, and I can forget about my physical frailties, drifting like a mermaid in sweet blue water. I thought today I’d share some images of past visits to the reefs there, which you may like too. It’s a peek into the past, in more ways than one.”
nookular writes—Dawn Chorus -Southeast Arizona- Birding in the Sky Islands- Part I: “Few places spur the imagination of North American birders the way that Southeastern Arizona does. There are a lot of great birding spots scattered across the country, but in that relatively small stretch from Phoenix south to the Mexican border, the mouth-watering array of birds available to the traveling birder is unrivaled. Over the past few years, my life circumstances have finally morphed to the point where I could plan some ‘birding travel’ trips. After a few decades of hearing about places like Ramsey Canyon, Patagonia and California Gulch, southeastern Arizona grabbed the number one spot as my top domestic target location. These places and others in the ‘Sky Islands’ provide unique birding experiences for American birders. The region is veined with mountain ranges and canyons that extend upward from Mexico, and these act as conduits for the flora and fauna from south of the border to range into Arizona. These mountain ranges are separated from each other by extensive grasslands, dry brushlands or deserts, and in that sense they are islands that reach up and touch the sky. Additionally, the mild winter climate and variety of habitats, are a lure to birds migrating down from the central and western regions of North America.”
lostintheozarks writes—The Daily Bucket: Snakes Alive! “When OceanDiver suggested a few days ago that a snake diary was in order, I went through my photos searching for the many different types of snakes that I have encountered here in Missouri. I searched all the way back as far as 2014 because I don’t see snakes very often, even though I know they are around. Whenever I encounter a snake sunning on the road I will either shoo it off the road (large or poisonous snakes) or pick it up and move it off the road (small non-poisonous snakes). Unfortunately, in recent years I have seen more dead snakes than alive. The people who live in this vicinity are mostly farmers with large acreage who view snakes as deadly, no matter how small or beneficial they are known to be. All the snake photos in this diary that do not have a location listed were taken either on my property or on the county road that I walk every day.”
Lenny Flank writes—Photo Diary: Some Florida Critters: “Various critters encountered during walks in St Pete FL.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
stonehenge writes—Climate Change in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic: “The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated international economies. When the pandemic ends, enormous economic resources will be needed for recovery. I doubt there will be a stomach for spending the resources needed to even mitigate the climate change consequences: rising sea levels, raging forest fires, thawing permafrost, flooding, drought and extreme weather. Like the pandemic, we will again be mostly reactive, rather than proactive. The cost of mitigation will end up being more costly than if we had acted sooner.”
Pakalolo writes—Enhanced solar absorption on Greenland is found to be a major driver of ice sheet calamity: “We have our hands full of worldwide contagion due to the incompetence of Donald Trump, Remember the same denial and sabotage of scientific facts that have led us to disaster with COVID is in overdrive at the White House when it come to dangers from climate change. What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the arctic and, summer is coming. Prepare yourselves. Worrisome news for all of us as yet another unprecedented driver of ice melt in Greenland was revealed in a study published in the journal The Cryosphere. The study found that last year’s extensive melting of Greenland’s massive ice streams was not just a result of record heat temperatures, but that unusual sunny skies were locked in over the island liquefying 93% of the surface of the ice sheet.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Apparently Climate Policies Are Worthless, Because COVID-19 Pandemic didn’t Reduce Pollution In 2015: “There’s been no shortage of deniers saying dumb things about the coronavirus pandemic. But there’s a new argument poised to gain traction as the lockdown reveals just how much, or how little, pollution is driven by driving. The argument, such as it is, goes something like this: If there’s still pollution but no cars on the road, then that proves cars aren’t responsible for the pollution. Therefore, there’s no reason to reduce emissions from cars. We came across this bold hypothesis in a blog post at NoTricksZone. The post is based on a far-right German blog that itself drew from a piece claiming that the lack of reduction in pollution levels in the city of Stuttgart proves that German regulations on diesel engines are pointless. After all, if diesel engines are responsible for 80% of the nitrous oxide pollution (NOx or NO2), and therefore potentially subject to being banned, then the coronavirus lockdown that has dramatically reduced traffic should also dramatically reduce that pollution.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Deniers Use Climate Model Playbook for Corona, Argue We Should Die For The Economy: “Because former TV Weather Personality, turned climate denial blogger, turned Heartland fellow Anthony Watts certainly earned his paycheck yesterday, when he took a great big step up from his own blog with an op-ed in the Shen Yun cult’s Trump-loving, Q-Anon conspiracy-theory-peddling Epoch Times. With a headline promising to explain ‘Why climate models are less accurate than you think,’ Watts overplayed the significance of a recent PNAS study about improving how climate models treat black carbon (soot). According to Watts, ‘flaws in existing climate models are equivalent to saying that every grain of sand on the beach is exactly the same size, shape, and composition, or that snowflakes aren’t unique.’ Apparently climate models won’t be precise enough for him until they capture the unique beauty of each individual snowflake. (This would fall into Dr. Cook’s ‘impossible expectations’ technique for denial, placing unreasonably high standards on what science can say or do.)”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Deniers Make Effort To Recruit Supposedly Expert Reviewers For IPCC: “While many deniers are spending this coronavirus lockdown time arguing that we should throw away our umbrella during this rainstorm because we’re not getting wet, at least some are trying to focus on climate science. For example, at WUWT, Dave Burton has a post asking readers to register with the IPCC to be an expert reviewer for the forthcoming 6th Assessment Report. Now, is Dave Burton an expert? Fortunately for him, the IPCC defines the term rather loosely (literally anyone can sign up as one) so Dave qualifies. But we were curious, so we went looking for his area of expertise. The end of Burton’s post has a link to his website, SeaLevel.info, which is basically a header image of people windsurfing followed by various lists of links to recent sea level rise-related denial blogs and research. For some reason his contact page lists his home address, which when googled shows that in addition to submitting local Republican party resolutions about how ‘lies are the devil’s language,’ Dave runs Geeks Alive! Computer Rescue and Burton Systems Software, both of which appear to be optimized for 56k dial-up modem internet access, and definitely inspire confidence in his technical abilities. (And if you feel nostalgic for the days when a hundred spammy toolbars cluttered up your Netscape Navigator web-browser, check out this page of his.)”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—As Heartland Dissolves Some Relationships, Is It Also Building a New One with CFACT? “It’s been a month since the Heartland Institute “reorganized” by firing a bunch of people and then replacing its president with longtime climate denier James Taylor, and an early picture of his leadership may be emerging. With spring in the air, let’s see what new growth may be in the works! […] Sure, the limited number of professional deniers keeps their circle small, so Heartland’s conferences have always relied on staff from similar groups to show up and present. But it’s traditionally been more rare for them to promote specific pieces of work done by one another, most likely because they are each competing for the same pot of Koch, Mercer, and fossil fuel industry funding for this sort of work. But Taylor might’ve found a group that won’t be repelled by Heartland’s reputation. And that’s because it’s the same as its own: CFACT, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, which is also little more than astroturf for conservative donors and polluting industries.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Epistemic Trespassing: Deniers Celebrate Their Ignorance As Its Own Expertise. But For How Long? “It’s the idea that we can choose our reality that applies to Trump’s supporters, one of whom told de Zengotita that she doesn’t ‘actually believe anything [Trump] says is true, but I trust him.’ They know that he lies, but they’re in on it. “They’re building the fabrication with him,” de Zengotita explains, ‘they know it’s not true… It’s like a pro wrestling match. They’re having fun… they’re participating in making the fabricated reality that we think they’re sort of mindlessly absorbing, or being duped.’ But the coronavirus pandemic, like climate change, forces us to deal with something that’s bigger than our collective ability to ignore or contain. There’s no volume control, no way to change the channel. To borrow Wilkinson’s framing, while the impacts will be felt differently, and unequally, by different people, everyone will feel something. There’s no way to ‘opt out’ of the pandemic.”
linkage writes—Earth Emotions | On Glenn A. Albrecht’s Creation Of New Words About Climate Change – 2 of 2. #007: “In part 1 of this series on Glenn A. Albrecht’s book Earth Emotions the word solastalgia was introduced. This word was Albrecht’s starting place in the naming a whole new area of human emotional experience. He gives us the words to describe our feelings while we are witnessing the extinction of complex life and ecosystems on this planet. In review, solastalgia is the unsettling negative feeling of loss of home or one’s familiar living surroundings. Solastalgia can be caused by very local and personal events or by very large and overwhelming changes on a regional or global scale. One of the challenges of reading Earth Emotions is the introduction of a lot new words to the reader. But, in all fairness Albrecht warned the reader in the sub-title, New Words for a New World. It is with this in mind I recommend reading this book over a week, a month, or longer. Take a little time to let the new words sink in. It takes a few good nights of sleep to move through the stages of learning that his collection of new words demand.”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
eddiemauro writes—Iowa Starting Line: Eddie Mauro Names Climate as Top Priority Issue in Senate: “Iowa Starting Line has emerged as Iowa’s “political website of record” in many respects — featuring great coverage during the Iowa Caucuses, the 2018 Governor’s race and more. They have a new profile up detailing some of the policy differences between the candidates. For Eddie Mauro — it’s climate change: “With the pandemic around us 24/7, it can be hard to think of anything else, but I still feel that the most important issue in this race is climate change,’ Mauro said. ‘If we do not act immediately to reduce our carbon footprint, even the most robust health care, education and social benefits policy will be doomed to fail.’ Climate change, Mauro said, ‘is inextricably intertwined with all of these issues’.”
JanelleAnthro writes—Orlando Florida is a hot-spot for environmental state legislators: “The Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida (DECF) endorsed four Florida State House legislators from the Orlando area due to their support for the environment. All seats are up for reeelection in 2020. 1. Joy Goff-Marcil, State House District 30. 2. Anna Eskamani, State House District 47. 3. Amy Mercado, State House District 48. 4. Carlos Guillermo Smith, State House District 49 Goff-Marcil is notable because she flipped Florida State House District 30 in 2018, displacing anti-environment Republican Bob Cortes. Her win came within a 3% margin, so it is important to defend her seat. To learn more about why these candidates recieved high environmental marks, check out the DECF Green Report Card at thinkgreenvoteblue.com. To see a video on how to best use the Green Report Card, go here.”
ENERGY
Nuclear
Pakalolo writes—Wildfires close in on Chernobyl’s waste storage facility spreading radioactive smoke over Ukraine: “While we experience dread over the pandemic and climate change, a new threat emerges in Ukraine. Wildfires have been burning near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exclusion zone since April 4, 2020. The fires have now closed in on the nuclear power plant and its radioactive storage facility. The 18.5 mile-long exclusion zone emptied the entire human population in the area after the meltdown of Chernobyl in 1986.
The fires are not a threat to the reactor and storage facility, but smoke from the burning of the forests and the grasslands in the exclusion zone released as radioactive particles. This smoke is spreading over large swaths of Ukraine.
Local farmers started the fires. And yes, the area is much warmer and drier than usual due to the slow death of the planet.”
Fossil Fuels & Emissions Controls
Jarvis Sheridan writes—Looking Out for Big Oil: “President Trump has been working with the Saudis and the Russians to get a deal together to stabilize oil prices. Over the weekend, OPEC+ has been able to put together a deal to cut oil production by 9.7 mb/d starting on May 1. The US has actually taken on production cuts in order to help make the OPEC+ deal. There will still be over production. Excess storage capacity is projected to run out in May. […] It seems that trump is really concerned about how the drop in oil prices will affect the oil producers and the oil patch economies. The reason for his concern is that the oil industry are major donors to trump and to the Republican party. Over $100 million in campaign contributions in the 2016 Presidential election. $9 million just from Koch Industries. Trump is not looking out for the regular people. He is looking out for the people that bought him.”
tjlord writes—Prorationing of oil – know what that means? Hypocrisy is running rampant again: “There are a number of parties raising the idea of Texas and other states reimposing ‘prorationing’ rules. Prorationing is when the state (in Texas, it is the Railroad Commission—don’t ask, it’s a long story) tells producers of oil and gas, either on a producing field by producing field or even well by well basis, what percentage of the potential production they are allowed to produce. In other words, it is the US method for imposing OPEC style production cuts on individual producers. The original basis actually was a more sound structure— Texas had limited natural gas pipeline facilities and processing capacity and so rather than having people flaring natural gas (burning it at the well so you could keep producing the oil), they imposed production limits to keep the production in balance with the off take capacity. There are also limited uses for when wells owned by two (or more different firms) are tapped into the same common reservoir—in that case, the prorationing rule is designed to constrain the competing parties from just going flat out to see if the can ‘induce’ the oil to go to their well. But the current call is should just be called what it is ‘centrally planned economy to set prices.’ If it was done by companies, it would be called price fixing. But no, the oil companies are really asking for Soviet style central planning to allocate production to keep prices up.”
Colorado Blue writes—The so-called EPA is weakening controls on mercury—of all things! “The article goes on to recap the many other attacks on the environment engendered by the G*dforsaken Trump regime, and explains they’re in a hurry to get this done during the pandemic because they fear losing power (ya think?) Apparently a Democratic congress and President under the Congressional Review Act could quite easily reverse any changes done after May or June so they want to shove this down our throats immediately. The mercury rollback is a particular victory for Robert E. Murray, the former chief executive of Murray Energy Corporation and a top fund-raiser for Mr. Trump. Mr. Murray personally requested the rollback in a written ‘wish list’ to top officials shortly after the president took office. The company has since declared bankruptcy and is undergoing a reorganization. There are no words. There are no words.”
| Renewables, Efficiency, Energy Storage & Conservation |
Mokurai writes—Renewable Monday: Huge Market Contraction, but NOT Peak Oil: “The old idea of Peak Oil was running out. The new theory is that renewables + EVs will cut demand permanently. Right now, however, we are in a massive market shrinkage from covid-19, and a production and price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. In a production war, the price is projected to fall as low as $20/bbl, but in fact a deal has been struck to cut production and keep prices much higher. Less oil produced, at higher prices; less oil bought and burned; less CO2. For now. I can live with that. Is it the end of the oil era? Volatility in the oil markets has played out in the news recently, driven by the Covid-driven collapse in demand and a war for market share between Saudi Arabia and Russia. A G20 meeting is to be held to try and find a way to cut production. As states and the oil majors look to shore up the price though, it’s possible that the coronavirus crisis might be what topples the fundamental driver of the current economic order.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Tuesday: The Next Terawatt of Renewable Electricity, and the Next, and the Next: “We are at 2.5 TW of renewables, hydro, solar, and wind. With 176 GW added in 2019, we are only three years away from 3 TW, nearly a fifth of our initial target for the entire world. Of course, there is more to Global Warming than electricity, as we have often seen in these Diaries. But we must take satisfaction at each such achievement. A year ago I wrote The First Green Terawatt Was the Hardest. BNEF thinks that it may have happened in June 2018, or very likely a bit sooner. That first TW of wind and solar, on top of a pre-existing base of about a terawatt of hydropower, took more than 40 years. We are in the midst of the next terawatt of development, expected to take five years. As to the second trillion. Bloomberg: World to Install Over One Trillion Watts of Clean Energy by 2023.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Wednesday: Ukraine: “Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine and occupied its Donbass region, where Ukraine’s main fossil fuel resources lie. Putin messes with Ukraine in all sorts of ways, and with EU energy supplies. Ukraine has turned to renewables for future growth. See Rachel Maddow’s Blowout for some of the gory [sic] details, including siccing Russian oligarchs and the Russian Mafia on Ukraine. Cisolar 2020: Ukraine may join the Top15 of the world’s most advanced countries in terms of solar power in 2020.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Thursday: Real Money in Grid Frequency Stabilization with Battery Storage: “Remember how the Denialists told us that intermittent renewables would destroy grid stability? Now we find that stabilizing the frequency with grid-scale batteries and DC-AC inverters is of at least equal importance. Grid operators pay real money for it. We have of course been talking about using grid-scale battery and other storage for load balancing and time shifting for years. One big battery installation in Australia has been worth AUD [Australian dollars] 40 million in its first year alone. And they are just getting started. Australia to host 600 MW battery — PV Magazine.”
Mokurai writes—Renewable Friday: The Fossil Foolishness Pandemic is Far Worse than Covid-19: “The Denialists deny it, and the MSM is too scared to bring it up. We have more than 5 million deaths from fossil fuel, 8.8 million from air pollution overall every year. Covid-19, with 119,000 confirmed deaths so far, is a blip, a rounding error in the deaths we inflict on ourselves from coal and oil and even natural gas, even though covid-19 is still growing nearly exponentially. We should be screaming from the rooftops. About both. I’m mad as Hell, and I’m not going to take this any more! That quotation from Network gets misused more than used properly, but stuff it, I say. Excelsior/ Upwards, as they say in New York. Along with Drop dead!, which has gained new meaning in these parlous times. Social Distance, and do your screaming online. Or en masse from your doorstep.”
lamina566 writes—Alternative Energy – A Complete Solution: “It is time that we start working on new sources of energy to support the human race. Using energy derived from nuclear fission is not a good idea because the radioactive by-products generated are very difficult to manage/handle and they will have to be stored for thousands of years. The answer could be using nuclear fusion as an energy source. Nuclear fusion doesn’t produce radioactive byproducts.. The energy to initiate nuclear fusion is substantial and containment of the reaction is problematic because the energy produced is massive. Developing the processes and technology for fusion based energy will take a long time and it doesn’t look they will be in place within the next 30 years. Using alternative energy sources (solar/wind) seems like a good idea since we have the technology and processes for generating energy, specifically electricity, using these sources. However, the sun doesn’t shine and wind doesn’t blow all of the time. Both represent intermittent sources of energy. If they are to be used to replace fossil fuels as a source of energy then, a way to store the energy generated is needed.”
NAT’L FORESTS, PARKS, MONUMENTS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Ojibwa writes—Public Lands: More Oregon Garden (photo diary): “The Oregon Garden in Silverton is an 80-acre botanical garden which features more than 20 specialty gardens.”
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Mokurai writes—EV Tuesday: Electric School Buses Take the Next Step: “The MSM tries to ignore the Electric Vehicle revolution, but the auto and truck magazines and other consumer magazines can’t. Meanwhile coverage is exploding on teh Intertoobz. The century-old wonders of the ICE Age are coming to an inevitable and ultimately inglorious end. As are car magazines themselves. The Last Days of the Print Car Magazine. TEN Publishing Is Shuttering 19 Car Magazines. Automobile, Lowrider and Truck Trend will be discontinued, among others, according to a memo to MotorTrend Group staffers. But while they last, we can look at how they are covering the transition to electric cars and other EVs, according to their estimations of the tastes and pocketbooks of their readers. And then, on other Tuesdays, we can look at the motorcycle and truck media, and the proliferating YouTube and other EV channels.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
Dan Bacher writes—Feinstein urges Newsom to negotiate with Trump over increasing water exports to agribusiness: “On April 15, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Representatives Jim Costa, TJ Cox, John Garamendi, and Josh Harder sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom imploring him to reach an agreement with federal agencies through negotiation, rather than judicial action, on increasing water deliveries from the Delta to San Joaquin Valley corporate agribusiness interests. A coalition of fishing groups, Tribes, environmental organizations, family farmers and elected officials opposing the reaching of this agreement between the state’s flawed incidental take permit and the federal government’s even more flawed federal biological opinion because maximized water deliveries to agribusiness will drive imperiled salmon, Delta smelt and other species even closer to extinction.”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
Pretiare writes—Planetary and Dietary Changes for a Covid 19 Ravaged Humanity: “Let’s start with the bigger picture. The Gaia theory or the Gaia principle, as proposed by James Lovelock in the 1970s, proposed that living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic and self-regulating, complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet. Conceptually, Gaia would thus include atoms, nuclei, cells, and complex organisms composed of such. It contains all the life forms and all the building blocks for those life forms and has proved to be a remarkable self-balancing system, which mankind is now threatening. Pope Francis is suggesting that this virus is Nature’s answer to the Climate Crisis. I am not implying that Nature or Gaia has its own will, beyond maintaining a balance. Please do not turn the discussion about this diary into a debate about the term ‘Gaia.’ For an excellent discussion of the controversial term ‘Gaia’ please refer to Angmar’s blog. But I do know I can be informed by the world around me and the best way to refer to the grand scale of that world is through the encompassing Gaia concept. This concept helps me connect the following two questions: Are most humans eating a diet that helps the planet? And, is a diet which helps the planet also the best diet for supporting health in the face of covid19?”
zebz monkey writes—Now is a good time to rethink eating meat: “Yes, I know steak and bacon and ham are yummy. I know that burgers and dogs on the backyard grill is part of the American experience. I also know that the meatpacking industry is brutal to animals and humans alike. Considering Trump’s rollback on inspections, turning over health inspections to meat processing plants many who are based outside of the US, the safety of the meat supply has never been more dangerous. Considering that we have mass virus outbreaks in meat packing plants because of the propensity of profit over safety, now is a really good time to switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet.”
Mimer writes—Saturday Morning Garden Blogging. Vol 16.16: A visit to a wild and natural garden? “Good morning gardeners! I know all of you are immensely grateful for your gardens at this terrible time, as am I. But there is not much happening in my garden yet, and we are staying home, as I am sure many of you are. In this terrifying and uncertain reality, it is good to remember other times and other places — happy places we can visit in our memories and in our photos, and even though the title of this diary is a stretch, I hope these photos from a semi-wilderness will entertain you for a while. Please forgive a detour away from my garden and flower photos as I invite you to come along with me to my other happy place: Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota. If you’d like to join me on my virtual vacation, the only vacation I’m likely to have this year, grab a cup of coffee or tea and get comfortable because this is going to be a LONG trip!”
MISCELLANY
lafosner writes—Lessons from Mother Nature: “Even before Covid-19 ravaged the planet, science has shown that our methods of animal food production are destroying the natural balance of the planet by contributing greatly to greenhouse gas emissions. Can we guess the lesson here? Why has our patriarchal leadership consistently chosen to dismiss the nurturing part of the human spirit while celebrating our lust for profit, domination, and the urge to satisfy our basest desires, with little or no regard for the consequences? I do not know. But the consequences are real. We can no longer deny them. It is time to rethink everything: how we eat, how we work, how we communicate, and how we govern. We have seen the world the white male conqueror has delivered, and it is grim and brutal. We are in grave need of a re-balancing. We are in need of a mother who is loving, kind, and generous. Thankfully, we have one. Unfortunately, our patriarchal leadership continually chooses to ignore her. No wonder she’s resorted to acting out. Perhaps it’s time we listened to HER.”
Alan Singer writes—Earth Day Goes Online: “Wednesday, April 22, 2020, is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. It was supposed to be the kick-off day for three-days of protests and international student climate strikes. Many of the planned activities are going online because of the global Corona virus pandemic. A number of environmental groups and climate activists are combining calls for a national and global COVID-19 recovery plan with demands for climate justice. Ten European countries, including Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, have called on the European Union to ensure that Green Deal programs are a major part of recovery proposals. On April 22, 1970, twenty million Americans attended rallies, teach-ins, and celebrations, protesting against environmental destruction, celebrating Mother Earth, and launching the modern environmental movement.”
Karen Rubin via NewsPhotosFeatures writes—As Earth Day Turns 50, COVID-19 Points the Way and the Need for Climate Action Now: “Tornadoes this week swept through the South with windspeeds as high as 200 mph. 100-year floods are coming every few years. Record-shattering hurricanes. Unprecedented wildfires. Droughts. Locusts have attacked East Africa consuming whole fields of crops. Truly a list of plagues that with the coronavirus pandemic, ends with ‘killing of the first born.’ This year, on April 22, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. It is as if Mother Earth is striking back. That first Earth Day, in 1970, 20 million Americans (one in 10) poured out onto streets, the forests and seashores to demand an end to wanton pollution—these days, we would call it ‘environmental justice.’ By 1972, Richard Nixon signed the Clean Water, Clean Air and Endangered Species acts and created the Environmental Protection Agency. The following decades have been a series of small progress or stagnation (under George W. Bush), until President Obama put climate action into high gear with incentives to boost renewable energy and policies to reduce carbon emissions while achieving the historic Paris Climate Agreement signed by 175 nations and the EU. All of that has been undermined in just three years by Trump…”
