This week's Fool-on-the-Hill concerns the return of Ted Cruz, one of the biggest fools ever to haunt the U.S. House of Reps. This one almost got away from us 'cuz it happened months ago. Ted says the Barbie movie is brainwashing young girls with Chinese propaganda. OK, let's look into that HERE. Vanity Fair reports: "Cruz is siding with the Vietnamese government, which has banned the release of Barbie thanks to the map, shown briefly in the film, that they say depicts a disputed dash-line used by China to claim the South China Sea. Cruz calls it “Chinese communist propaganda,” which he seems gravely concerned will brainwash the young girls who go see Barbie this weekend. The film’s distributor Warner Bros. has emphasized that the line was intended to “depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the real world." Maybe Ted should checkout the map again. It shows the way to the real world!
Let's stick with the bad players once again. This time "Those Whose Brains Were Small and They Died" reminds us where fossil fuels originated and who is at the top of the corporate food chain foisting those fuels on us. Darren Woods, the CEO of Exxon Mobil would have you believe that YOU are the cause of climate chaos. “The people who are generating the emissions need to be aware of and pay the price for generating those emissions,” he told Fortune’s Leadership Next podcast. “That’s ultimately how you solve the problem.” We guess he said that with a straight face?
Perhaps Darren knows "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" but just thinks it's your fault?? Here's a headline that caught us unawares: "Scientists at Tufts University state that soil, which contains 80 percent of the Earth’s carbon, emits more greenhouse gases as droughts cause soils to crack due to drying." The photo above that header is a simple close-up of cracked open soil you've probably seen countless times. We guess if CO2 were visible it would be rising out of those cracks. It's as simple as that. The piece goes on to state: "In a study published in Environmental Research Letters, notes that...with increasing cycles and severity of droughts in several regions, that crucial reservoir is cracking and breaking down, releasing even more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In fact, it may be creating an amplified feedback loop that could accelerate climate change well beyond current predictions." We wish Darren and his fellow CEOs read this in the New York Times: "Oil and gas producers in major oil fields across the United States may be emitting three times as much planet-warming methane gas as official estimates, according to new research published Wednesday, the latest study to suggest that emissions from the fossil fuel sector may be grossly undercounted." And finally this from Inside Climate News: "While the forest biomass industry maneuvers to try to take advantage of new federal climate policy, environmental advocates are pushing back and trying to protect trees." Like we always say: Biomass is a BIOMESS!
We are glad to report some Abidin' with Biden this week beyond reports of being caught on a hot mic saying that he needed to have a “come to Jesus” meeting with the leader of the Jewish state. It's an interesting comment from a Catholic concerning a Jewish guy around Easter. Far more interesting is this: "The Biden administration announced $6 billion in funding Monday for projects that will slash emissions from the industrial sector — the largest-ever U.S. investment to decarbonize domestic industry to fight climate change." Then there's this: “Unlike previous administrations, I don’t think the federal government should give handouts to big oil,” Mr. Biden said after his inauguration. His new budget proposal calls for the elimination of $35 billion in tax breaks that would otherwise be provided to the industry over the next decade." Also, the Biden State Department appears to be taking a serious look into AI: "A report released on Monday that was commissioned by the U.S. State Department warns that artificial intelligence could pose an "extinction-level threat." And, The Prez's EPA made a bit of history: "EPA unveiled significant protections against worst-case hazardous chemical discharges, following years of advocacy and litigation by environmental justice groups and frontline communities. This regulation, which is more than thirty years overdue, fills critical gaps in the nation's environmental safety net, requiring facilities to develop comprehensive plans to prepare for and respond to worst-case chemical discharges near waterways" reports Clean Water Action. Finally check it out: "The Biden administration greenlit the seventh largest offshore wind project in the United States Tuesday. Danish wind energy developer Ørsted and the utility Eversource plan to build a 924-megawatt project, Sunrise Wind, 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Montauk, New York. They say the wind farm will power about 600,000 New York homes when it opens in 2026."
In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber the BBC reports, "While the world's attention has been focused on the total solar eclipse that will occur later this spring, the distant Corona Borealis binary system – which contains one dead white dwarf star and one ageing red giant star – has been busy gearing up for its own moment of glory: a spectacular nova explosion." While located 3,000 light years from Earth, the Corona Borealis is home to a white dwarf star named T Coronae Borealis that is reportedly ready to put on a show we haven't seen since 1946. Here on Earth most of the attention then was the defeat of fascism, which in itself was its own moment of glory. Let's do THAT again!
Time for an Enviro Show Quote of the Week which is spot on for this show:
“But I’ll tell you what hermits realize. If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you’ll come to understand that you’re connected with everything.”
- Alan Watts
After our conversation with Zack it's off to the Bus Stop Billboard:
Saturday, April 13 (rain date April 14): 10 am-12 noon. Thanks to Bill Czerwonka, we’ll walk from the Montague Rd side of Carver Road on his land that abuts the proposed Montague-Carver 140-acre Industrial Solar Power Plant. Come see the forest that is threatened by this project. Email Elizabeth Fernanob@gmail.com by April 10th to register and if you want to bring your dog. Possibly, a couple of dogs can be accommodated. Park on one side only on Carver and onto Montague if needed. We will also have a quiet time to appreciate the living forest for about an hour for those who wish to participate.
Thursday April 18, 7pm. Utility companies are complicit in the climate crisis by making us reliant on fossil fuels to heat and cool our homes, and they are actively trying to stop a just transition. This is why we are going hard on utility companies this year. And we need your help. WWe are hosting a webinar to share how we can take back our power from utility companies. Will you join us?
Saturday April 20 All Day (Rain Date April 21) Solar Rollers Earth Day River Ride. Bicycle ride from Greenfield, MA to Northfield, MA with stops along the way and a Rally at the Riverview Picnic area in Northfield to Shutdown Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Station. 9-10 am—rally & cyclists depart from Greenfield Common;11 am-12 noon—rally & cyclists arrive/depart from Unity Park, Montague; 12 noon—1.7 mile walk begins from Cabot Camp (186 Mineral Rd., Millers Falls); 1 pm— rally at Riverview Picnic Area, NorthfieldContact: ctriverdefenders@gmail.com
Saturday April 20, 10am to 2pm. Join us at the Unitarian Society of Northampton, MA and Surrounding Areas for an Earth Day Arts and Climate Fair as we name the changes we see in the world around us and celebrate the solutions at hand in our community if we are able to act together. The Fair will include an Art Pulse for the Rights of Nature Parade, a Mothers* Rebellion Circle, a Climate Chorus Sing-a-Long, the 3.5% art installation, and the chance to talk to many local climate groups about action and solutions! More details to come. Sponsored by Extinction Rebellion Western Massachusetts, the Enviro Show, Western Massachusetts Rights of Nature, and the Trees as a Public Good Network.Want to table, sponsor, cover this event in the press, or get involved in some other way? Email xr_western_mass@protonmail.com
Saturday April 20, 2pm. The Boston Red Rebel chapter will be participating in the Red Rebel
International Day of Action on Saturday April 20. We invite you to meet
us at the Park Street MBTA station at 2pm on Saturday April 20. Together
we will process throughout downtown Boston, MA as a funeral procession with
die-ins. The Red Rebel International Day of Action is focusing on the death of life on earth. Go HERE.
Sunday April 21, 7:00 pm – 8:30pm. Trees as a Public Good Network (founded by ORMA and its allies) will host a forum on this timely and critically important topic. The webinar (via Zoom) will discuss how to make development truly climate friendly and “green” by preserving the crucial climate services provided by trees in urban areas and in wild forests. To ensure a livable future for all of us, we need trees and the watersheds they sustain alongside development of solar energy, denser and more affordable housing, and other necessary infrastructure. Register here to be kept informed and receive the Zoom link.
Monday April 22, 4pm. This Earth Day, join XR Boston’s Rebels and others to throw a party in honor of our planet in downtown Boston. This is an event for everyone, and will be celebratory in nature, featuring art, music, chanting, and a short walk through the district to share our love of the planet — and the need for greater action to protect it — with fellow Bostonians. We will gather on the Greenway (exact location TBA) at 4pm on Monday, April 22. Join us in celebration, love, and rage for the planet! RSVP Here
THURSDAY APRIL 25, 6 pm. Amherst Zoning Board of Appeals meets partly to discuss deforestation for solar. The PureSky Shutesbury Road Solar Project [in Amherst,MA], which
would clear cut 41 acres of forested land (equivalent to 31 football
fields) is scheduled to come before the Conservation Commission (ConCom)
and the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) this month. No virtual link yet. Since
the application was accepted by the Zoning Board of Appeals
last August, it has been a waiting game for PURESKY to receive a new
ORAD (Order of Resource Area Delineation) from the
Conservation Commission. Go HERE.
Monday April 29, Noon to 4pm. The People’s Science Fair, at The UMass Amherst Fine Arts Plaza is organized by Western Mass Science for the People, will showcase diverse efforts by Western Massachusetts residents to harness STEM for social, economic, racial, environmental, climate, and cultural justice. Participants will include campus-based researchers with justice-oriented projects, grassroots organizers whose work involves STEM knowledge, and student activists committed to building a just future. Go HERE.
Tuesday April 30 , All Day. Join us at Massachusetts’ annual Lobby Day for Animals. During this event, you can expect to: learn about current animal protection bills and skills for effective advocacy; participate in meetings in your legislators’ offices to discuss animal protection; and meet legislators, make friends, and make a difference for animals. Massachusetts State House, Great Hall 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133 Registration will close April 22 — be sure to register today!
April 30, 7:30pm-8:30pm. Worried about toxic PFAS pollution? So are we. But we can turn that worry into action! Join us for a screening of the documentary “The Poison In Us All” and stay for a brief discussion on what YOU can do to support a ban on toxic PFAS in Massachusetts! Go HERE.
That's all, folks......except to remember to listen to your Mother!
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