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#GolfCourses Use More Land Globally Than #Solar or #WindEnergy

Story by Mihai Andrei, February 25, 2025

"The land use of #RenewableEnergy is often criticized in public and political debates. However, a new study shows that something as frivolous as golf courses use up more land globally than solar or wind energy. Golf courses, which often serve a small number of #AffluentPeople, are also terrible for the #environment and use up a lot of #water and resources.

Competition for space

"The lush greenery you see on golf courses is a well-maintained lie. Golf courses use enormous amounts of water — sometimes in regions already facing shortages. Maintaining that flawless grass also means heavy reliance on #fertilizers and #pesticides, which seep into local waterways, harming# wildlife and #polluting #ecosystems. To make it even worse, golf courses are apparently competing with renewable energy for space.

"Every acre we allocate to one use is an acre less for another. Currently, more than 38,400 golf courses span the globe, occupying vast stretches of valuable land. Surprisingly, researchers from Germany’s Forschungszentrum Jülich found that countries (especially richer countries like the US, the UK, and Canada) dedicate far more land to golf courses than to #SolarFarms or #WindTurbines.

"Let’s put this into perspective. If you take the golf courses in just the top ten golfing countries and convert them into renewable energy, you’d get an extra 842 gigawatts (GW) of solar or 659 GW of wind capacity. And to put that into perspective, that’s more than the entire quantity of renewable energy these countries produce and are forecast to have for a few years.

Replacing golf courses with something more useful isn’t a new idea, it’s already happening in some areas. In Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture, an entire golf course now hosts 260,000 solar panels, generating 125 gigawatt-hours annually. Meanwhile, in South Korea, 'screen golf,' indoor simulated golfing experiences, provide a popular, space-efficient alternative to traditional courses."

Read more:
msn.com/en-us/politics/general
#Renewables #RenewablesNow #GolfCourses #WaterIsLife #Rewilding #WindTurbines

www.msn.comMSN

'#InsatiableGreed': Richest 1% Have Already Burned Through Their #CarbonLimit for 2025

"The #SuperRich continue to squander humanity's chances with their lavish lifestyles, polluting stock portfolios and pernicious political influence. This is theft—pure and simple."

Jake Johnson, Jan 10, 2025

"An #Oxfam analysis published Friday shows that the richest 1% of the global population has already blown through its global carbon budget for 2025—just 10 days into the New Year. The figures, which arrive amid catastrophic fires in Los Angeles that may turn out to be the costliest in U.S. history, highlight the disproportionate role of the #UltraWealthy in fueling a #ClimateEmergency that is causing devastation around the world.

"Oxfam calculates that in order to keep critical climate goals in reach, each person on Earth must have a CO2 footprint of roughly 2.1 tons per year or less. On average, each person in the global 1% is burning through 76 tons of planet-warning carbon dioxide annually—or 0.209 per day—meaning it took them just over a week to reach their CO2 limit for the year.

"By contrast, the average person in the poorest 50% of humanity has an annual carbon footprint of 0.7 tons per year—well within the 2.1-ton budget compatible with a livable future.

"'The future of our planet is hanging by a thread,' Nafkote Dabi, Oxfam International's climate change policy lead, said in a statement Friday. 'The margin for action is razor-thin, yet the super-rich continue to squander humanity's chances with their lavish lifestyles, polluting stock portfolios and pernicious political influence.'

"'This is theft—pure and simple―a tiny few robbing billions of people of their future to feed their insatiable greed,' Dabi added.

"'Rich polluters must be made to pay for the havoc they're wreaking on our planet.'

"Oxfam's new analysis came as the @CopernicusEU Climate Change Service confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record and 'the first calendar year that the average global temperature exceeded 1.5°C above its #PreIndustrial level.'

"'All of the internationally produced global temperature datasets show that 2024 was the hottest year since records began in 1850,' Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo said in a statement. 'Humanity is in charge of its own destiny, but how we respond to the climate challenge should be based on evidence. The future is in our hands—swift and decisive action can still alter the trajectory of our future climate.'

"Oxfam called on governments to move urgently to curb the emissions of the rich, including by implementing #WealthTaxes, banning #PrivateJets and #Superyachts, and imposing strict new regulations on #polluting companies.

"'Governments need to stop pandering to the richest,' Dabi said Friday. 'Rich polluters must be made to pay for the havoc they're wreaking on our planet. Tax them, curb their emissions, and ban their excessive indulgences—private jets, superyachts, and the like. Leaders who fail to act are effectively choosing complicity in a crisis that threatens the lives of billions.'"

commondreams.org/news/rich-car
#EatTheRich #YeetTheRich #Oligarchy #CorporateColonialism #CorporateGreed #TechBros #CEOSeason

Common Dreams · 'Insatiable Greed': Richest 1% Have Already Burned Through Their Carbon Limit for 2025 | Common Dreams"The super-rich continue to squander humanity's chances with their lavish lifestyles, polluting stock portfolios and pernicious political influence. This is theft—pure and simple."

As a native of #NYC—not a transplant—whose family has lived in NYC for over a century, I have a thing to say about this.

The reason we treat our #sidewalks like highways is because we treat our streets like highways.

Get rid of the fucking cars. There would be plenty of room for strolling, if not for the fucking noisy #idiotboxes taking up too much space and #polluting the air.

#BanCars #WarOnCars #PedestriansFirst #Urbanism #DisabilityAccess #PublicTransit

gothamist.com/news/how-to-walk

Gothamist · How to walk like a New Yorker: A holiday guide for both tourists and locals.While city sidewalks aren’t as heavily regulated as multi-lane freeways, several practiced pedestrians told Gothamist that some of the same general rules should apply.

#Polluting #Shipwrecks Are the Ticking #TimeBomb at the Bottom of Our #Oceans

As their structures break down, the wrecks could release toxic substances into the #environment.

December 11, 2024

"At the bottom of the oceans and seas lie more than 8,500 shipwrecks from two world wars. These wrecks have been estimated to contain as much as 6 billion gallons of oil, as well as munitions, toxic heavy metals and even chemical weapons [and NUCLEAR weapons and materials!].

"For decades, these wrecks have largely lain out of sight and out of mind. But all this time, their structures have been degrading, inexorably increasing the chances of sudden releases of toxic substances into the marine environment.

"In parts of the globe, climate change is exacerbating this risk. Rising ocean temperatures, #acidification and increasing #storminess accelerate the breakdown of these wrecks.

"Of course, wrecks from the world wars are far from the only ones to be found at the bottom of the sea, with many others adding to the problem. The cost of addressing this global issue has been estimated at US$340 billion (£261 billion).

"How many of these wrecks pose a threat to people’s safety, to coastal communities and to the environment? What can be done – and why haven’t we done it sooner?"

Read more:
getpocket.com/explore/item/pol

PocketPolluting Shipwrecks Are the Ticking Time-Bomb at the Bottom of Our OceansAs their structures break down, the wrecks could release toxic substances into the environment.

Well then, I found a story about "ink jet solar panels -- put them anywhere! Will solve energy crunch!", and had to dig past the hype (but of course). It turns out that the spray-on solar panels are made from perovskite, which degrades quickly, and is lead-based and is toxic! Bzzzzzt! Try again, #Greenwashng corporations. Whenever some new miraculous technology appears, I always ask these questions... How long will it last? What is involved in its manufacture? What kind of pollution will it leave behind? We need to come up with technology that doesn't pollute when manufactured or after its usefulness is over, and that is long-lasting! Otherwise, we're just creating more problems and not real solutions.

Razor-thin solar panels could be ‘ink-jetted’ onto your backpack or phone for cheap clean energy

msn.com/en-us/news/other/razor

Biological impact of lead from halide perovskites reveals the risk of introducing a safe threshold

nature.com/articles/s41467-019

www.msn.comMSN

It’s no surprise that big #polluting companies are not happy about annual #CarbonTax increases. But it is #unfair that #BritishColumbians must pay the full carbon tax when the #OilAndGas industry, whose production is responsible for more than one-quarter of #BritishColumbia #CarbonEmissions, gets a carbon #TaxBreak.

The new system will also have a negative impact on B.C.’s carbon #TaxRevenues. In 2024-25, carbon tax revenues will be about $500 million lower than they would have been under the old system. This #RevenueLoss means fewer dollars to pay for #ClimateAction.

These changes point to a #BCgovernment that is far too cosy with the oil and gas #industry. And they make no sense given the urgency of acting on #ClimateChange. #Disasters in 2021 alone caused between $11 billion and $16 billion in damage to the #BCeconomy.

If B.C. really wants to be a #climate leader, the government must stop pandering to lobbying by the oil and gas industry that is causing climate change and act in the interests of all British Columbians

thetyee.ca/Opinion/2024/08/09/

@thetyee

The Tyee · How BC Is Letting Big Industry Evade the Carbon Tax | The TyeeBy Marc Lee

Violence and Repression: #Indigenous from #Russia, #Algeria and #Nicaragua Appeal to the #UnitedNations

#CulturalSurvival: "#LatinAmerica is one of the most dangerous regions to be an #IndigenousRights and #environmental defender. Three out of four assassinations of environmental defenders take place in Latin America. Indigenous defenders face a double threat: defending rights and being Indigenous."

By #BrendaNorrell, #CensoredNews
July 17, 2024

GENEVA -- "The #coal and #GoldMining in Russia has driven #IndigenousPeoples from their homes and poisoned their rivers. In Nicaragua, the assassinations and imprisonment of #LandDefenders has fractured families and communities, presenters told the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

"In Algeria, the people have barely survived 3,000 years of violent #colonization and #genocide.
'Other people should not undergo what we have experienced – which is the case now in #Palestine,' said the representative from the Algeria Association, Learned Society of scientific research, religious and mystical bodies. Describing the genocide in Algeria, he said France has thousands of bones and craniums of the people in French museums.

"An Indigenous woman from #Khakassia Republic in Siberia described the coal and gold mining: 'Coal is mined, despite mass protests, the government used land, private property for this, and citizens were driven out of their homes.' Now, she said, the conditions are no longer good for livestock breeding, which is their way of life.

"'The government is only interested in the presence of natural resources -- but we are a resource ourselves,' she told the #UnitedNations.

"'Our language is disappearing, and we only have one school in the republic where the language is taught. We are #Khakas but we do not govern #Khakassia.'

"'Nothing has been done to protect our land. The main priority is the mining for materials.'

"'I also note the #Shors are suffering from gold mining, they have territory for traditional nature management created by the Republic of Khakassia, traditionally they are fishers and hunters and so on.'

"'However, companies are #polluting rivers, and this water should be used for vital needs. This water flows through villages, however it is polluted, but companies do not put an end to their activities."

Read more:
bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/07

#WaterIsLife #Indigenous #FirstPeoples #NativeRights
#HumanRights #Deforestation #GreedKills #StopEcocide
#StopIndigenousGenocide
#Environmental #ClimateCrisis
#StopKillingForests #IndigenousLand #NativeLand #EcoJustice #InformedConsent
#FirstNations #Colonialism
#CorporateColonialism
#Mining #CulturalGenocide
#IndigenousSovereignty
#LandBack #WaterIsLife
#Canada #LandDefenders
#sovereignty

bsnorrell.blogspot.comViolence and Repression: Indigenous from Russia, Algeria and Nicaragua Appeal to United NationsCensored News is a service to grassroots Indigenous Peoples engaged in resistance and upholding human rights.

#LandBack at #Barnhart:
Contextualizing the Re-occupation of #BarnhartIsland in Shared Legacies of Struggle

From #TurtleIsland to #Palestine, the struggle at #Akwesasne is rooted in the shared struggle of all #OppressedPeoples of the world who are opposing the illogic of #SettlerCapitalism and the endless violation of the #lands and #waters that our current economic system necessitates.

By Jennifer Lee
June 25, 2024

"On May 21, 2024, a group of eight Kanien’kehá:ka (#Mohawk) community members from Akwesasne were arrested at Niionenhiasekowa:ne (Barnhart Island). Certain individuals among the '#Akwesasne8' had originally gone to Barnhart to exercise their right to build a hunting and gathering shelter on their own territory, in part to protest an ongoing land claim settlement that threatens to hand over Kanien’kehá:ka title to this island, among other traditionally held territories, to New York State. The settlement is being negotiated between New York entities and three Akwesasne government councils.

"Presently, the settlement negotiations would require the extinguishment of Mohawk title to Barnhart Island, which would be effectuated through an act of Congress. By asserting their right to the land, the #Akwesasne8 have sent a clear message to both negotiating parties. Barnhart Island, like all other territories illegally stolen and swindled from their community, is not for sale—particularly not by collaborationist band and tribal council entities that purport to represent the full community but that were in fact historically imposed upon it at gunpoint.

"The fact that a group of eight community members was surrounded within just a few hours by approximately 35 police agents (including both border patrol agents and state troopers) is a clear indication of the strategic significance of this island to the interests of settler-capital. As Taiewennahawi (Marina Johnson-Zafiris), one of the eight arrestees, explains in her article 'Akwesasne and the History of #Hydropower,' the Moses-Saunders #hydrodam, located at the east end of Barnhart Island, is one of the many dams along the St. Lawrence Seaway that has supplied 'cheap' electricity to an unending procession of heavily #polluting factories since the 1950s.

"For decades, dirty plants like #Alcoa, #GeneralMotors, and #ReynoldsMetals harnessed the immense power of the #Kaniatarowanenneh (#SaintLawrenceRiver) at the Moses-Saunders dam to manufacture aluminum, a cheap, abundant, and malleable building material that requires vast amounts of power to extract and process. Not only was hydropower-fueled aluminum production critical to New York’s economic development, it was central to the national pride and independence of so-called #Québec. Eager to assert its autonomy from Anglophone capital in the 1960s, the province began damming rivers on #Indigenous land in a frenzy of hydropower nationalism.

"Upstream on the St. Lawrence, the aluminum plants at Akwesasne used a #toxic #sludge containing polychlorinated biphenyls (#PCBs) as a hydraulic fluid during the production process. These PCBs were manufactured by the infamously litigious #corporation #Monsanto, which continues to evade public #accountability for discharging this known #carcinogen into the St. Lawrence River and onto Kanien’kehá:ka soil. The #carcinogenic soup was left exposed on the very grounds where the children of Akwesasne played and where families grew their vegetables. Today, Akwesasne sits downstream and downwind of three heavily #polluted #superfund sites, and residents of Akwesasne report that almost everyone they know has a friend or family member suffering from a rare #cancer, #MetabolicSyndrome, or #autoimmune disorder. Rare, life-threatening illnesses exist at Akwesasne at rates that the public would never consider normal or acceptable in any non-Indigenous community.

"Dana-Leigh Thompson, one of the Akwesasne 8, lived about 3,000 feet from the PCB #dumpsite of the #GeneralMotors (#GM) factory for a decade. She calls what is happening to the community nothing short of an '#environmental #genocide.'"

Read more:

magazine.scienceforthepeople.o

Science for the People Magazine · Land Back at Barnhart • SftP MagazineThe “Akwesasne 8,” arrested exercising their rights to the land, brings to fore the interconnectedness of the world's anticolonial struggles.

#Nestlé is without a doubt one of the most #evil #corps in the #world:
✔ Killing Babies with #melamine & more
✔ Making packaged products & sending them to regions without #waste management
✔ Increasing #food prices around the 🌎
✔ Giving people E. coli infections
✔ Poisoning their "food" with #lead
✔ Buying up #water & selling it for a crazy price to the poor
✔ #Polluting the #environment
✔...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestlé#C

A merry #FCKnestlé by the Madeindex.org Team!

No Toxic Rockets for Maine

Who We Are

"#NatureLovers opposed to building #polluting #RocketLaunch sites in #Maine. We monitored & resisted the rush to pass 'emergency' legislation to create a public-private partnership for rocket launch sites in our state. In April, 2022, #LD1923 was signed into law by Gov. #JanetMills after passing the House 'under the gavel' i.e. without a voice vote.

Military Use

"LD 1923's sponsor Rep. Daughtry insists that no military uses are planned for rocket launch sites in Maine. But in every location we've studied, the same promises were made and not kept.

"In# Kodiak, #Alaska 20 years ago one launch site was built with developers claiming it was only for civilian purposes. There are now multiple sites there being used by the #Pentagon and the #IsraeliMilitary. Meanwhile, the jobs that were promised for the project never developed. Sites are staffed when launches happen by outsiders who leave after the event. Only custodial and security staff jobs are available to the local community.

"Recently a #SpaceX launch of satellites saw 40 of them fall out of the atmosphere due to a #SolarStorm. In their statement about their response to the incident, SpaceX stressed their close cooperation with the Pentagon:

"The #Starlink team commanded the satellites into a safe-mode where they would fly edge-on (like a sheet of paper) to minimize drag — to effectively 'take cover from the storm' — the #SpaceForce’s 18th Space Control Squadron and LeoLabs to provide updates on the satellites based on ground radars.

#Toxic Fallout

"When rocket launches go wrong -- as they frequently do -- #chemicals rain down on land and sea as highly toxic materials burn up.

"In case of fires at the rocket launch site, large scale storage of #PFAS foam is to be expected. Maine already has a severe #PFASContamination problem on #Agricultural land across the state."

Learn more about their mission:
notoxicrockets4me.org/

www.notoxicrockets4me.orgNO TOXIC ROCKETS FOR MEAround Town segment Nov 9 WERU Community Radio with Lisa Savage & Amy Browne

#MaineTribes and Leading #Environmental Organizations Join Forces To Oppose Proposed #Mine in Shadow of #Katahdin

Proposed #ZincMine at #PickettMountain being pursued by virtually unknown Canadian company

June 28, 2023

"Two Tribes in Maine today joined forces with leading environmental groups and a national public interest environmental law organization to oppose a proposed mine that would be located in the shadow of #BaxterStatePark and the #KatahdinWoods & Waters National Monument.

"The proposed zinc mine at Pickett Mountain is being pursued by a virtually unknown Canadian company, #WolfdenResources, that has never operated a mine before. A previous version of Wolfden’s request was widely opposed because the region holds enormous cultural and natural significance to #Wabanaki Tribes, outdoor recreation businesses, and Maine people.

"The #HoultonBandOfMaliseets, the #PenobscotNation, and the #NaturalResourcesCouncilOfMaine [#NRCM], represented by #Earthjustice and #Brann&Isaacson, joined the #ConservationLawFoundation in petitioning to intervene in the review of Wolfden’s permit application to the Land Use Planning Commission (#LUPC) to rezone the area for #industrial uses.

"'The Penobscot Nation strongly opposes the rezoning of this #ecologically important area. We share significant concerns over impacts to the #water quality and f#isheries of the area, which our members rely upon,' said #ChiefKirkFrancis of the Penobscot Nation. 'The West Branch of the #MattawamkeagRiver contains abundant, high-quality, cold-water fish habitat and Designated #CriticalHabitat for #endangered #AtlanticSalmon, identified as necessary for the recovery of Atlantic salmon in the Penobscot River. This mine would impact our traditional territories and forever alter our ability to maintain our relationship to this place.'

"The area Wolfden wants to mine is next to three State Heritage Fish Waters and is a centerpiece of the region’s growing outdoor economy. It contains the headwaters of the West Branch of the Mattawamkeag River, which is sacred to the Penobscot Nation and provides key, federally designated critical habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon.

"'The Katahdin region’s wild beauty and clean water are extraordinary. One look at this landscape demonstrates that this is no place to put a mine,' said Nick Bennett, staff scientist at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. 'Wolfden’s claims that it will treat #wastewater more effectively than any mining company on earth are not credible. This is too big a risk for #Maine.'

"'The legacy of metallic mineral #mining in Maine is one of empty promises of economic development, acid mine drainage #polluting waters and killing fish, and multi-million dollar c#leanups funded by taxpayers and not the fly-by-night mining companies like Wolfden,' said #SeanMahoney, vice-president and senior counsel at the Conservation Law Foundation. 'Rezoning this area to allow mining would fail to recognize the cultural and spiritual importance of the land to the #WabanakiTribes and threaten the natural resources and experiences valued by generations of Maine citizens.'

"After withdrawing its initial request because it was riddled with errors, Wolfden submitted a second rezoning petition in January that sparked another review by the LUPC. Comments by Wolfden’s CEO disrespecting Maine tribes and #MininLlaws have prompted outrage from the Penobscot Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, and #conservationists. The company has lost tens of millions of dollars over the past decade.

"'This is one of the absolute worst areas to rezone for a mine,' said Aaron Bloom, a senior attorney with Earthjustice. 'The region is known for its vast contiguous forest, pristine streams, high-quality lakes, and aquatic species like wild brook trout and landlocked salmon. Why would we risk that, along with the outdoor economy that depends on it, on a half-baked proposal from an unproven mining company? The Commission must put Maine’s unique natural resources, and the well-being of the people of Maine and Maine’s Wabanaki Tribes, before short-term industry profits.'

"More than 700 hundred Mainers and local businesses, including Bradford Camps, Chandler Lakes Camps and Lodge, and the #MaineWildernessGuidesOrganization, have spoken out against Wolfden’s plans. In May 2022, residents of #Pembroke voted overwhelmingly to ban industrial-scale metallic mineral mining in their town in response to Wolfden’s plans to develop a mine there."

Source:
earthjustice.org/press/2023/ma

EarthjusticeMaine Tribes and Leading Environmental Organizations Join Forces To Oppose Proposed Mine in Shadow of KatahdinProposed zinc mine at Pickett Mountain being pursued by virtually unknown Canadian company

Opinion: #GorhamConnector plan threatens river #Ecosystem, #HeritageTrout

Building a new road along the banks of #RedBrook will render barren a unique stretch of riparian #shoreline – with all the adverse consequences you might expect.

by C. Ian Stevenson
February 27, 2024

"While proponents tout the toll-road Gorham Connector as promising to shorten commutes and relieve traffic pressure in #GreaterPortlandMaine, there has already been substantial pushback to the concept. Regardless of how much (or for how long) travel-based advantage the new roadway might bring, as proposed it will have pronounced, unambiguously negative effects to the area.

"Maine is known for its sense of place. Many components contribute to what makes the state unique and desirable. Among these is the built environment, such as the 13th-generation Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook, which the proposed route threatens to erode, if not entirely extinguish, as an economically viable vestige of Maine’s once robust agricultural heritage. Others have amply sounded the alarm about this issue.

"But the route introduces other threats to the more naturalistic landscape. Starting at #SmilingHillFarm and running south-southeasterly to I-295 is a five-mile section of Red Brook that mostly nestles in #DenseForest. Between County Road and Running Hill Road, in particular, Red Brook occupies one of the few contiguous #undeveloped #Riverine stretches in #SouthernMaine. While unassuming in scale, Red Brook is nevertheless remarkable for supporting one of the last remaining native populations of #BrookTrout in this part of the state.

"The proposed road will immediately abut the river, sitting nearly on its banks, for as much as a mile south of the County Road Interchange. This will degrade habitat, destroying the trees whose overhanging foliage provides shade and cooling effects for these temperature-sensitive fish and creates shelter from predators. It will make barren riparian shoreline that supports the aquatic and terrestrial insects that provide the primary trout food sources. The road itself will also contribute oil, salt and other #runoff to the river, #polluting the water. As a result of these factors, this connector will likely #exterminate this population of brook trout.

"Why should we care about a small river and its brook trout? Although this is not the official state fish, the fishing community widely considers it the prize species to catch, with so-called wild populations assuming even more cherished status. Brook trout provide a link across generations and cultural traditions and belong to everyone. Human inhabitants of Maine – from the original #Wabanaki to European colonists to modern Americans – have been catching these 'native' fish for millennia. Other parts of Maine, especially further north and west, have healthy native brook trout fisheries, making Maine highly regarded nationally as a destination to catch them.

"The fact that Red Brook, in the heart of #GreaterPortland, belongs to this orbit is no small feat. Most of the area’s waterways have already succumbed to habitat loss, development, predatory introduced species, warming temperatures and increased flooding due to #ClimateChange. Red Brook provides an opportunity for future #Mainers who might not have access to brook trout streams further afield to enjoy this natural amenity. Even if you do not care about fishing, this road promises to annihilate a population of one of our state’s heritage species, as well as its scenic habitat that also contributes to #Maine’s sense of place.

"#PeterMills, the executive director of the #MaineTurnpikeAuthority, claims his organization has 'gone to great lengths to minimize impacts to Red Brook,' but clearly it hasn’t gone far enough under the current proposal. There are yet solutions.

"Citizens can express concerns at a hearing planned for March or via the Maine Turnpike Authority’s online portal. If the connector is to be built, planners need to re-route to establish a buffer zone between the connector and river – even a few hundred feet would have a positive impact. While less ideal than a complete reworking of the route, this would at least retain the primary shoreline flora and fauna and allow for run-off infrastructure. And we could re-route the road to save Smiling Hill Farm at the same time. Or better yet, we could re-consider the whole project’s merit entirely."

Source:
pressherald.com/2024/02/27/opi

MTA website (make your opinion known!):
maineturnpike.com/Projects/Pla

#WorkingFarms #Sprawl
#GorhamSpur #InducedDemand #GorhamConnector
#Wetlands #Meadows
#EnvironmentalImpact #Extinction #Ecosystem
#SaveSmilingHillFarm
#SaveTheWoods #SaveTheFarms #Maine #Wetlands #Woods #LessCars #MoreLightRail

Press Herald · Opinion: Gorham Connector plan threatens river ecosystem, heritage troutBuilding a new road along the banks of Red Brook will render barren a unique stretch of riparian shoreline – with all the adverse consequences you might expect.

How #corporate #SLAPP lawsuits endanger our rights and the #planet

by Chris Greenberg
25 April 2023

"Hope creates the conditions for #ClimateAction. And climate action nurtures hope. Just as hope and action have a reinforcing relationship, so do fear and silence.

"The #polluting #corporations who put #profits over people and the planet know this and they use their resources to intimidate, to instill fear, and ultimately to silence the people directly impacted by their short-sighted, extractive greed.

"#SLAPPs, a type of abusive lawsuit, are a key tool used by corporate power to suppress #FreeSpeech and people power. These cynical lawsuits can force non-profit organizations like #Greenpeace International to divert precious resources away from campaigning for a more just and sustainable society. Perhaps even worse, SLAPPs can intimidate targets from challenging powerful corporations in the future.

"Every SLAPP, regardless of the defendant, is an attack on everyone who believes in the power of free speech and the right to #PeacefulProtest. No one should be bullied for speaking up on behalf of people and the planet.

"But CorporateBullies beware!

"In a massive win for free speech, a US federal court recently dismissed a seven-year lawsuit brought by #ResoluteForestryProducts against a number of Greenpeace staff members and entities, including #GreenpeaceInternational and #GreenpeaceUSA. The #Canadian #logging company sued the Greenpeace defendants for CA $100 million in an attempt to silence and bankrupt them, after criticism of its #unsustainable #forestry practices.

"Let’s take a closer look at SLAPPs so you can recognize them when you see them:

"What does #SLAPP stand for? SLAPP stands for '#StrategicLawsuitAgainstPublicParticipation '. These lawsuits are used by #corporations attempting to diminish or even stop public participation in civil society. SLAPPs often lack any kind of merit, and don’t need to result in a legal victory to achieve the outcome desired by corporate bullies.

"SLAPPs waste time and cause financial and sometimes #PsychologicalHarm to targeted individuals and organisations who have to hire #lawyers and engage in costly #LegalBattles, sometimes to the point of facing bankruptcy. These lawsuits attempt to silence free speech and limit peaceful #dissent by using litigation as a tool for deterring non-violent protest and even documenting and bearing witness."

Read more:
greenpeace.org/international/s

Greenpeace InternationalHow corporate SLAPP lawsuits endanger our rights and the planet - Greenpeace InternationalHope creates the conditions for climate action. And climate action nurtures hope. Just as hope and action have a reinforcing relationship, so do fear and silence.

So, apparently, this #Lithium project didn't pan out because the brine was so corrosive, it destroyed the equipment used to process it. YIKES! #Exxon is planning on using a similar process (closed loop extraction) in #Arkansas.

General Motors looks to California for its next lithium supply

The US automaker is investing in closed-loop extraction from the Salton Sea.

Jonathan M. Gitlin - 7/2/2021,

"CTR's Hell's Kitchen project will extract lithium salts from geothermal brine in the Salton Sea. By using heat from the brine to power the processing, it hopes to produce 15,000 tons of lithium carbonate and 49.9 MW of energy in 2023."

arstechnica.com/cars/2021/07/g

#LithiumExtraction #LithiumMining #Corrosive #Polluting
#EVs #Green or #Greenwashing?

Ars Technica · General Motors looks to California for its next lithium supplyThe US automaker is investing in closed-loop extraction from the Salton Sea.
Continued thread

"...there's no one-size-fits-all solution."

Every little bit of improvement helps in an Everything, Everywhere, All at Once #ClimateChange mitigation strategy.

One very positive aspect of #Hygroelectric #power is that the parts of the #world already most negatively affected by #climate change are also the most #humid parts of the #planet, and significant parts of the high-#polluting #nations are also humid.

If it can scale, this could work in most places.

youtu.be/ZyY1PLTlmT0?si=-EqviF

#Chemical companies’ #PFAS payouts are huge – but the problem is even bigger

#3M, #DuPont, #Chemours and #Corteva have agreed settlement in the billions for #polluting drinking #water with ‘forever chemicals’

by Tom Perkins, Aug 3, 2023

"“When the chemical giant 3M agreed in early June to pay up to $12.5bn to settle a lawsuit over PFAS contamination in water systems across the nation, it was hailed by attorneys as 'the largest drinking water settlement in American history', and viewed as a significant win for the public in the battle against toxic 'forever chemicals'.

“A second June settlement with the PFAS manufacturers DuPont, Chemours and Corteva tallied a hefty $1.1bn. But while the sums are impressive on their face, they represent just a fraction of the estimated $400bn some estimate will be needed to clean and protect the nation’s drinking water. Orange county, California, alone put the cost of cleaning its system at $1bn.

“‘While over a billion dollars is real money, it is a virtual drop in the bucket of potential utility costs to monitor, remove and dispose of these contaminants in accordance with anticipated federal regulations,' the American Municipal Water Association trade group said in a statement.

“Moreover, the two settlements include just over 6,000 water systems nationwide. Utilities that were not part of the suits but have PFAS in their systems can claim some of the settlement money, or they can sue the chemical manufacturers on their own.

“That means the settlements only represent the first wave of utility lawsuits to hit #ChemicalManufacturers, legal observers say. Because PFAS are so widely used and the scale of their harm is so great, chemical makers will get hit from a range of legal angles, and some suspect the industry’s final bill could exceed the $200bn paid by #BigTobacco in the 1990s.

“The number will be 'very large', said Kevin McKie, an attorney with the Environmental Litigation Group who represented a water management company in the 3M case. Though the 3M settlement does not cover all the nation’s costs, it is a strong start, he added.

“‘A good settlement is one where both sides walk away a bit frustrated’ is the old saying,' McKie said. 'Of course I would have liked a bit more money but I do believe they got as much as they could at this time, and there’s a lot more to go.'

“PFAS are a class of about 15,000 compounds used to make products across dozens of industries resistant to water, stains and heat. They are called 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down, and are linked to #cancer, #KidneyDisease, #liver conditions, #immune disorders, #BirthDefects and other health problems.

“The chemicals are thought to be contaminating drinking water for over 200 million Americans. Tens of thousands of contaminated #PrivateWells are not included in the settlement. The chemicals are also widely used in thousands of consumer products from #DentalFloss to #cookware to #clothing, and have been found to #contaminate #food, #soil and #air.

“PFAS constantly cycle and accumulate throughout the environment, and removing them from water is costly. The highly mobile chemicals can slip through most utilities’ filtration systems. Granular activated carbon and reverse osmosis are considered the best options.

“Leaders in Stuart, Florida, which was the bellwether case in the 3M settlement, chose to take what they could get without further litigation. Bellwethers are cases that represent all the other plaintiffs in a multi-district lawsuit. Stuart estimated damages at up to $120m, and the city acknowledged the settlement would fall short.

“‘I don’t think we’ll ever get close to that much net to the city, so I think there is no making us whole,' Stuart’s city manager told the New York Times.

“Among those utilities going at it alone is the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) near Wilmington, North Carolina, which sits on the #CapeFear River about 75 miles downstream from a Chemours PFAS manufacturing plant. It cost the utility about $46m to develop a granular activated carbon system to remove PFAS, and officials estimate an additional $5m in annual operational costs.

“The utility declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation, but in a late June op-ed, the CFPUA director Kenneth Waldrop explained the motivation for not joining the settlements: 'The information currently available suggests that the proposed settlement, when divided among thousands of other utilities with similar needs, would be insufficient to meet the needs of our community.'

“The utility has a 'strong case' against Chemours which has the reserves to cover the full cost, Waldrop added. There is generally support for that approach among Wilmington-area residents, said Emily Donovan, a public health advocate who lives in the region.

“‘This is not our fault, but it has been made our problem, and the community mostly understands what’s going on,' she said.

“The settlements also drew unlikely opponents in 22 state attorneys general who urged the judge to reject the 3M settlement because it 'does not adequately account for the pernicious damage that 3M has done in so many of our communities', said the California attorney general, Rob Bonta.

“Beyond water utility settlements, chemical makers face personal injury suits. Most US states will also probably sue over #contamination of #lakes, #rivers and other #NaturalResources #Minnesota alone found eliminating PFAS contamination from its wastewater could run to $28bn.

“Local water systems that are not made whole will need help from the federal government, which 'basically abandoned public water infrastructure a long time ago', said Oday Salim, director of the Environmental Law and Sustainability Clinic at the University of Michigan.

“‘Any amount of money that gets shifted to the victims is helpful,' he added.
“The government could implement an excise tax on PFAS to help cover costs, McKie said, and he noted the chemical manufacturers are taking a significant hit. By some estimates, 3M’s PFAS liabilities may soar to as much as $30bn as claims roll in.
“‘That’s a pretty big chunk of the total size of their corporation,' McKie said."

theguardian.com/environment/20

The GuardianChemical companies’ PFAS payouts are huge – but the problem is even biggerBy Tom Perkins
#EPA#EPAFail#PFOS