Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here is the most recent previous Green Spotlight. More than 25,470 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
radicalink writes—Arctic Thaw as Dystopian Treasure Box: “It started about a decade ago when I read a book on the 1918 Spanish Flu, during which the worst month in Oct 1918 almost 200,000 died in America. Thousands dead in every major American city and 30 to 50 million people across the globe died. . We have sort of expunged that epidemic from our collective memory. But it was a small section of the book that caught my attention in relation to the topic at hand… Arctic warming and melting permafrost. In 1951 a team of scientists went to the little village of Brevig Mission in Alaska and dug up the numerous bodies in a mass grave of Inuit people (85% of the village died from the Spanish flu) that has been buried a couple meters down in the permafrost. There was both military and scientific interest in this most deadly virus. They weren't successful in recovering a live virus and ended up throwing out the samples. Fifty years later in 2005 scientists returned and completed the project and were able to sequence the viral RNA. I won't go all CT and talk about weaponizing the H1N1 virus but point out that we need to know all we can about the various flu viruses. I mostly get my annual flu shots. So what is happening up there in the Arctic? Well reading the several diaries here at Daily Kos and elsewhere its pretty clear … it’s melting and dramatically so.”
Onomastic writes—DocDawg and the insightus team have done it again. Uranium hell breaking lose in North Carolina: “Then this morning, the latest insightus report was released. DocDawgs’ phone is ‘ringing off the hook’ and their server is ‘melting down.’ I expect that to continue. The insightus report is devastating to a Republican controlled North Carolina government that attempted to bury mounting evidence on the uranium poisoning of over 400,000 people’s water. Needless to say, it is also alarming to the hundreds of thousands who were denied crucial information about the safety of the water they use to drink, cook, and bathe in. Millions more could be affected. North Carolina's Next Hot Mess. For six years, North Carolina health officials have quietly documented toxic levels of radioactive uranium in well water across a wide swath of Wake County, the seat of state government. Yet throughout their investigation those officials failed to grasp the scope of this public health threat. Meanwhile, state legislators mauled the budget of the public health agency which should have been empowered to discover and address this crisis of which the public remains unaware. The number of North Carolinians at risk of uranium poisoning is at least 400,000 across the northeastern Piedmont. But because of the top-to-bottom failure of good government we detail in this exclusive Insightus investigation, it remains unknown how many more of the state’s 3.5 million residents who drink, cook and bathe with private well water may also be at risk….insight-us.org/...”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - Friendly Seal's pup gets a fishing lesson! “You may remember my excitement last month when I saw my old friend and neighbor, the Friendly Seal, appear with her pup on a foggy morning on July 16. It was confirmation Friendly Seal is a female and tells me she is fully adult after several years of growing up in my local bay. I’ve gotten to know her from many encounters kayaking in the bay and walking on the beach. [...] Last month she brought her new pup into what I think of as her “home bay” from a haul-out unknown to me (as a youngster she cruised this bay almost daily though for the past year her visits have been more occasional). [...] Hoping to see them again, I made daily visits to the bay. Seals prefer cruising this bay at high tide — I guess the fishing is better — but I didn’t see them, and began to get worried. [...] Then on July 31 — hallelujah! Friendly Seal and her pup spent a good long while in the bay and it seemed pretty clear that FS was showing her pup how to fish. Mr O and I floated in the bay in our kayaks for an hour watching the lesson, marveling at the life and skill of these wonderful creatures.”
etbnc writes—Dawn Chorus: Conversation about Birds and Birdwatching: “My chimney swifts have gone. Flown the proverbial coop, er, chimney. At least I hope they left voluntarily, under their own power. I was out of town for a couple of days last week. The chimney was noisy with chatter when I left. When I came home, all was silent. Although that's the default state of chimneys, in my experience, I had become used to hearing them in there. From what I had read about chimney swift migration, it seems a bit early for them to depart the area. There's an unfortunate history of bird-eating snakes around my house, so I hope that wasn't the reason for the sudden silence. For the most part I get along okay with snakes. I’m not sure I like the idea of snakes in my chimney, though. I mean, what's next? Samuel L. Jackson’s voice emanating from my fireplace, cursing the snakes in the #$@%*! chimney?”
owktree writes—The Daily Bucket: Insects Along the Schuylkill: “Walks along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia over the past few days have led to a number of photographs of insects collecting nectar and pollen from a number of different blooming plants. Some highlight photos — plus some dragonfly pictures since I like taking pictures of dragonflies! [...] I saw a brightly colored insect that I initially thought might be a beetle due to the long body shape. A closer look indicated that it was actually a moth. It’s ermine moth called the Ailanthus Webworm (Atteva aurea) and is native to south Florida and the American tropics where it feeds on a particular type of tree. Apparently the larva have adapted to feeding on the Chinese tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and thus now ranges widely in the northeastern United States.”
Dan Bacher writes—Save CA Striped Bass, Black Bass and Salmon! ”As you have probably heard, the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta representing the San Joaquin Valley water diverters has petitioned the Calif. Fish and Game Commission to adopt higher bag limits and lower size limits for black bass and stripers. These changes are aimed to essentially eradicate these species from the Delta, Bay and rivers of the Central Valley. The proposal increases the bag limit on stripers from 2 fish to 6 and decreases the size limit from 18 inches to 12. It increases the black bass bag limit from 5 to 10 and decreases the size limit from 12 inches to 8. It would be devastating to these species.This is a very serious threat to our fishing future and we must defeat it by protecting our fishing rights and fighting back with every action we can muster.”
Besame writes—Daily Bucket: Live music! Nude dancing! “Summer fiesta at my home features dancing butterflies, musical birds, and rhythmic acorns. Cabbage white couples air dance flirtatiously. Oak titmouses play birdie marimba. Black oak acorns keep the beat with help from an unseen woodpecker. Other butterflies, like Huge Speedy Yellow guy, make guest appearances along with hummingbirds. These aerial entertainers enjoy the deck flowers then race (yellow guy and hummers) or waft (everyone else) across the yard to the Albizia tree’s flowers. I’ve decided Big Yellow is a cloudless sulfur. A male, I think (they are larger than females), seeking a mate or seeking many mates (he doesn’t tell me his plans). He repeatedly rushes through the air looking as if he’s late for a date. The butterfly website says, ‘Males patrol with rapid flight, searching for receptive females.’ That guy has rapid flight mastered, but there’s either a shortage of receptive females or he is in high demand and is rushing to meet all commitments. (Perhaps he is many different guys, they don’t tell me that, either.)”
Lenny Flank writes—Florida's Invaders: The Rhesus Monkey: “In the early years of Florida tourism, many entrepreneurial showmen took advantage of the state’s tropical climate to set up staged ‘jungle’ attractions. And thanks to them, Florida has one of its most adaptable and intelligent invasive species. There are dozens of monkey species inhabiting South and Central America, but the US is (other than humans) completely primate-less. Or at least it was until the 1930's. That's when the Rhesus Monkey was introduced to Florida. According to local legend, the monkeys were brought here in 1939, when Hollywood came to Silver Springs, just north of Tampa Bay, to film one of its popular "Tarzan" movies with Johnny Weissmuller, titled Tarzan Finds a Son. As background, it is said, the filmmakers packed along some Rhesus Monkeys--which promptly ran off into the trees and were never found. Alas, that story is a myth. There were no monkeys of that species used in the filming. Instead, the most likely origin story for the Florida Rhesus troop is that, in 1938, a local promoter who called himself ‘Colonel’ Tooney set up a ‘jungle boat ride’ attraction, and imported three pairs of Rhesus Monkeys for the tourists to look at. Within days they had escaped their island and were running free,”
Photo Diary: Some Montana Birdies (And Other Wildlife): “Photos of some of the Montana wildlife encountered over the past week. I’m way out of my natural range here and don’t know any western birdies, so if anyone can give some IDs for these, that’d be great.”
owktree writes—The Daily Bucket: Why is the river green? ”I noticed the other week when driving down Kelly Drive next to the Schuylkill River that it appeared to have a wide green ‘edge’ on both sides above the dam at the old waterworks. This was also noticeable looking at the river from the office buildings in Center City. So I opted to take a walk up that way to document the phenomena. [...] The effect is mainly to be seen above the dam, but spots of floating green can also be seen below the dam as well, but not clumped together. An internet search indicates that this is not something entirely new. There have been previous occasions where duckweed has suddenly ‘bloomed’ in the river. So, what would cause the sudden proliferation of so much duckweed? As a aquatic plant with few if any roots the primary requirement would probably be nutrients in the water. Plus a lack of river flow to allow the plants to accumulate instead of simply being washed downstream.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
ban nock writes—Life without a Thermostat from a climate cynic: “I can’t imagine most Americans living without air conditioning or central heat all at a steady 70 degrees, and therein lies the problem, not that it’s too hot or cold out, but that for 99% of the time most people don’t even know if it’s hot or cold. [...] So ya, I’m cynical. I’ve no hope that us developed nations will do much to reduce our energy usage. We are too insulated from the world outside. Oh, we’ll buy groovy new cars with green writ large, but we won’t do any of the things that really matter. Big solar arrays sure, turn off the AC never, fewer highways, smaller houses, less flying, never, never, never.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Miss AG Supports Mass AG’s ExxonMobil Investigation: “Different courts have different reputations, with some regions seen as more friendly to industry than others. So when Exxon was hit with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s subpoena for documents, it filed objections in both Mass. and in a US District Court in Texas. Texas, of course, is generally thought to be pro-industry and pro-fossil fuel biased. In the pair of filings forming her response, Massachusettes AG Maura Healey argues that the Texas court should toss out ExxonMobil’s case, since it’s duplicative of their Mass. filing, and because the federal Texas District Court has no jurisdiction over another state’s investigation. And according to Healey, it’s a ‘transparent attempt at forum-shopping’ as Texas has zero relevance to the investigation. Healey also points out that ExxonMobil’s technical defenses are nullified by their cooperation with the NY AG’s investigation. Since it’s already provided over 700,000 pages of documents to New York, the company’s claims that turning over documents would be too costly and would cause irreparable harm are clearly false.”
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
xaxnar writes—Yet More Extreme Weather Events: “One of the things that goes with a warmer atmosphere is more water in that atmosphere, meaning more rain. Sometimes lots more rain. As per June 27: West Virginia flood was ‘one in a thousand year event,’ Weather Service says; more heavy rain forecast. According to The Washington Post, Reuters reported that the state received, in a single day, one-quarter of its yearly rainfall. In Greenbrier County, in excess of 10 inches fell and as much as seven inches fell in three hours. The flooding arose from a nasty complex of storms that originally developed near Chicago late Wednesday. It formed on the edge of a bulging heat dome centered over Texas, that had produced record heat in the Southern California desert.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
Road to1 Escondido writes—Making the most of a drought situation: “By this date last summer two thunderstorms had blessed the plants in my Southern California yard and filled my brand-new rain barrels to the brim. Making things even better, a third thunderstorm spawned by a tropical storm off the coast of Mexico was on the way. The unusual rain ameliorated a drought in California that has stretched on for seven dusty years. For several hot weeks I turned off the irrigation in my yard. I was proud then to have taken up the State of California’s rebate offer to homeowner who purchased and installed water barrels. It was such a good deal that I purchased four $100 barrels for $25 apiece – after the Metropolitan Water District’s rebate. Since then reality has set in. So far this summer, no rain. Since late April the four 65-gallon barrels have been as dry as bones in the Anza-Borrego Desert. That’s no surprise. But I am starting to wonder if I have been using those barrels all wrong.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Mary Anne Hitt writes—One Final Push on Clean Air Standards for Our National Parks: “Earlier this year, we celebrated when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put forth a new set of proposals that would control the polluting haze in our National Parks caused by sources like nearby coal plants, oil and gas operations, and vehicles. Now we’re marking the end of the comment period with one last request that you submit your comment calling for strong regional haze standards. So far, Sierra Club members, supporters, and allies have submitted nearly 90,000 comments asking the EPA to require that states enact clear, robust, and uniform haze control plans nationwide. This year, the U.S. national park system turns 100, and it’s essential that we protect these national treasures from the dangerous air pollution that results from weak clean air protections. Air pollution still threatens many of our national parks, the vitality of local economies that depend on them, and the health of visiting families and nearby communities. This is why we’re asking the EPA for the strongest regional haze standard possible.”
Dan Chu writes—A Journey Through Time In the Grand Canyon: “This past July, the Sierra Club sponsored a group of military veterans on a rafting trip into the Grand Canyon. Those veterans included men and women representing conflicts from Vietnam through to Iraq and Afghanistan and included our own Sierra Club Outdoors director, Stacy Bare. Over the next few days we learned much about the immense geologic history of the canyon as we traveled back through hundreds of millions of years of rock. We pushed off at Lees Ferry, Arizona, and floated under the Navajo Bridge. From there, our seasoned OARS trip leader, Andrea, told us that for the next five days we would be carried by the mighty Colorado River downstream as it cut through layers of rock and time, eventually down to the 1.8 billion years old, primeval Vishnu Schist layer. The largest and deepest canyon in the world, the Grand Canyon is truly a marvel of time, water, and rock. As we pulled up on a sandy beach the first night to camp, we were dwarfed by towering, 300 million-year-old orange cliffs illuminated by bright moonbeams. On day three of the trip we stopped at a narrow part of the river where man-made holes in the sheer rock walls remind travelers that there were once plans for a massive dam that would have transformed the upper part of the Grand Canyon into a large lake.”
BYPRODUCTS, TRASH, TOXIC & RADIOACTIVE WASTE
Dan Bacher writes—Activists deliver 300,000 petition signatures demanding protection of food from oil wastewater: “You can be sure that neither Governor Jerry Brown nor Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) and former Chair of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create faux ‘marine protected areas’ in Southern California, liked the event that took place at the State Capitol in Sacramento on August 9. At 11 am, members of the Courage Campaign, Californians Against Fracking and Food & Water Watch delivered 350 THOUSAND petition signatures demanding that state legislators and Governor Jerry Brown protect our food from toxic oil wastewater. The activists convened at the North Steps of the Capitol Building, 10th Street and L Street, in Sacramento. ‘Activists from across the state are joining together to voice a simple message: we're tired of being treated like lab rats in an oil and gas experiment,’ according to an action alert from the Courage Campaign. ‘Wastewater should NEVER be used to irrigate our precious fruits and vegetables, unless independent scientists have confirmed that this process is safe. We’re tired of the state’s inaction.’
Dan Bacher writes—Groups deliver 350,000 petition signatures calling for halt to irrigating crops with oil wastewater: “As evidentiary hearings continued before the State Water Resources Control Board in Sacramento over state and federal permits required to build Governor Jerry Brown’s Delta tunnels, activists on August 9 pushed a wheelbarrow stacked with boxes filled with 350,000 signatures up to Governor Brown’s office in the State Capitol. The signatures urged Governor Brown and the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to stop the ‘potentially dangerous’ practice of using wastewater from oil drilling to irrigate California’s crops. The group of over 30 people held a brief rally in front of the capitol before going into the building. The wastewater, sold by Chevron and California Resources Corporation, is now being used to irrigate over 90,000 acres in the Cawelo Irrigation District and the North Kern Water Management District. “It is slated to expand in the near future to other districts,” according to a news release from the Center for Biological Diversity.”
ENERGY
Nuclear & Fossil Fuels
Walter Einenkel writes—PG&E is convicted of obstructing investigation into their safety-lawbreaking San Bruno blast: “Six years ago, a neighborhood in San Bruno, California was rocked by an explosion. The cause was an unsafe natural gas pipeline. Eight people were killed. The ensuing litigation around what happened, and Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PGE) culpability, has been enlightening. Evidence that PG&E ‘shopped’ for judges, paid off officials, and completely impeded any meaningful probe into the blast has leaked out at a steady pace over the past few years. Another blow to PG&E’s claim of innocence in this event was levied today as a jury found that PG&E obstructed the federal probe and violated pipeline safety laws—before AND after the tragedy. The jury found PG&E guilty of five felony counts of knowingly failing to inspect and test its gas lines for potential dangers, in addition to the felony obstruction count. The panel also found that company officials had tried to derail the San Bruno investigation by denying a practice of pumping natural gas through aging pipelines at excessive pressures. Unfortunately, all those criminals who have names and faces don’t seem to be in any meaningful trouble.”
Leslie Salzillo writes—Jimmy Carter appeals to Bill Gates to stop the massive dumping of toxic coal ash: “Former President Jimmy Carter reached out to Microsoft founder, philanthropist, and billionaire Bill Gates asking him to join a coalition which aims to keep millions of tons of toxic coal ash out of a Georgia landfill. Gates controls 32 percent of the company,Republic Services, that is seeking a permit to make the dumps. The action has been led by Dink NeSmith, the owner of the Jesup Press-Sentinel and two dozen other newspapers. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Opponents of the Broadhurst Environmental Landfill near Jesup say the dump — which has already leached beryllium and other toxic byproducts of coal ash into the groundwater — would further endanger the water as well as creeks and rivers. Republic Services is seeking state and federal permission for a rail spur to handle up to 10,000 tons of coal ash daily.”
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
gmoke writes—Solar Microgrids in Tanzania: “Robert Lange has been doing work in Africa since the 1980s, first around teaching science, then solarizing villages. For the last few years, he has combined solar lighting with more efficient cookstoves designed with and built by Maasai women and men using local materials. Now he has progressed to solarizing whole family compounds, bomas, with microgrids with solar lights and chargers for cell phones, training local teams to do the work and the maintenance. His operation is very small but has a big impact for the Maasai people in Tanzania and beyond. You can find out more about his work at International Collaborative, Maasai Stoves & Solar Project 466 Putnam Avenue, Unit 1 Cambridge, MA 02139 USA 1-508-735-9176.”
ECO-ESSAYS & PROPOSALS
publicolalocke writes—Re-Greening the Sahara Desert: ”The Sahara Desert is the largest “hot” desert in the world. It stretches over 3.5 million square miles but is populated with only about 2.5 million people, the vast majority of whom are huddled around the oases that dot the expanse. However, the Sahara was not always a desert. Sometime around 9,000 years ago, due to a wobble in the earth’s gravitational axis, the Sahara was bathed in the rains of the West African Monsoon, resulting in a much greener Sahara, capable of supporting herds of animals now only found in the rock art left over from that time. Then, around 5,000 years ago, the wobble corrected itself and the Sahara again became the desert it is today. This proposal is based around an ambitious ecological geo-engineering scheme to “Re-Green” the Sahara as a means to open up new lands for human habitation, while actively using this project to alleviate the effects of climate change on the environment, and providing sustainable energy to the people taking advantage of these newly available lands.”
ECO-ACTION & ECO JUSTICE
Pakalolo writes—Eco-Justice: 'If they don't help us, we're going to die. And BP going to sit and watch us die': “In April of 2010, BP began aerial spraying of a deadly toxic mist that settled over the Gulf of Mexico and coastal communities from Louisiana all the way to the west coast of Florida. These communities were gassed after BP’s Deepwater Horizon’s oil well gushed more than 200 million gallons into the Gulf of Mexico. Cleanup teams sprayed 1.84 million gallons of a dispersant called Corexit 9500A onto the Gulf’s surface. [...] It has been estimated that nearly a million sea creatures have perished in the years since the explosion. It is documented that thousands of marine mammals, sea turtles, and other sea creatures have died as well as 800,000 seabirds and shorebirds. The well-kept secret is that humans are sick and dying from the poison as well. Rashes cover the entire bodies of residents, they have severe asthma attacks, children are losing their hair in clumps and frequent seizures are occurring today in coastal towns all across the Gulf states.”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
Craig234 writes—The ugly passing of the DARK bill on genetically modified food labelling: “I know there are arguments on both sides. The labelling side is about ‘right to know’, and there are arguments that science suggests it’s safe and labels are not justified. And if the votes prohibiting states from requiring labeling were based on those more legitimate arguments, I wouldn’t write this diary. But the ugliness is in how this bill and others like it get passed. The money in politics driving the votes, not the public and the rational reasons. Opponents of labeling have reasons not to like this bill, also. President Obama signs it by defending labeling, falsely claiming the bill ‘establishes national standards’ for labeling. The article mentions the problem about how the bill provides information — but only to Americans with access to things that over 100 million Americans don't have.”
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
BruceMcF writes—Sunday Train: Adventures on the Beijing Subway: “I have ridden the Beijing Subway and lived to tell the tale! Of course, the youtube clips you might be able to find about incredible overcrowding on the Beijing subway is just part of the story. Indeed, when riding on my "home" subway line, I often not only find plenty of standing room on the train ... I often get a seat. [...] To be clear, I'm not normally fighting the morning rush hour crowds, since my ‘commute’ to work is to walk about 15 minutes from my apartment at the north side of our campus to my office at the southeast side or a classroom on the southwest side. Even so, morning rush hour at my home station is nothing like this scene at Xi Erqi station on Line 13. [...] Using the Beijing bus system is much more challenging for someone who does not speak Chinese than using the subway system. Luckily the same metro card works for both, and can be loaded with money in Chinese/English machines in the subway. Variable fare buses work by tapping into the machine at entrance when getting on and tapping into the machine at the exit when getting off. But the bus stop information given at the bus stops requires an ability to read Chinese characters. Luckily, thanks to the magic of a VPN which allows access to Google Maps, it's possible to hover over bus stops near a subway station and over bus stops near the final destination and work out which buses go where.”
MISCELLANY
Walter Einenkel writes—The FDA has approved genetically modified mosquitos to fight Zika-infected mosquitos: “While Donald Trump dismisses public health issues like the Zika virus in Florida, the rest of the world works to find a solution to a very frightening problem. The FDA announced last week that it will allow field trials, in Florida, of a genetically modified organism (GMO) mosquito developed in England. This mosquito is engineered to kill potentially infected mosquitos and reduce the populations of the Zika-virus carrying insect. ‘We're really pleased to announce the FDA finished their review and has found no significant impact of the release of our mosquito on human health or the environment,’ Oxitec CEO Hadyn Parry said. ‘This is especially timely, given the recent finding of Zika transmission by local mosquitoes in a Miami neighborhood.’ OX513A is a male Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary species that carries the Zika virus. He is genetically engineered to pass along a lethal gene to wild females that makes the females' offspring die. The gene creates a protein that interferes with cell activity, killing the mosquito before it can reach adulthood. Oxitec believes they can reduce the population by 90 percent over 6 months, and then maintain a reduced mosquito population through small releases of the GMO mosquitos.”
AKALib writes—OX513A, the GM Mosquito, a Bio-Weapon against the Zika Virus: “Say hello to OX513A, the Genetically Modified (GM) mosquito, a new weapon against the mosquito that carries the Zika virus. While Republicans wring their hands and play the blame game, the FDA has approved a test trial of the GM mosquito in Key Haven in the Florida Keys. Full scale deployment will depend on local officials and will likely occur after November. OX513A will be used to control the population of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary carrier and transmitter of the Zika virus, which has made its appearance in Florida. Zika can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly, severe brain malformations, and other birth defects in newborns.”