This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is overgrown fratboy Rep. Matt Gaetz (Repug- FLA), top low life in Congress who can't even find many friends among his fellow Repugnican scum, and given their seditious record that's saying something. Gaetz was under investigation for possible sex trafficking by the DOJ when that arch toady, AG Barr was in charge and now, with a real Attorney General at the helm, the investigation is expanding to include a rogues gallery of other odious fascists. As probes deepen into the morally repugnant behavior of Gaetz and his cohorts (Roger Stone and Rep. Jim Jordan among them) it appears these Repugs did little to cover their heinous acts, making them utter fools besides being disgusting low-life and seditious traitors. There. We said it and we're glad.
We are still Abbidin' with Biden this week as he introduces his historic Infrastructure Plan, officially titled The American Jobs Plan. Delving into the plan however, we find some curious items such as the creation of a "Civilian Climate Corps" which seems undefined in its mission. Will the Corps just plant or replant trees without protecting and preserving existing forests? What does this mean: "Every dollar spent on rebuilding our infrastructure during the Biden administration will be used to prevent, reduce, and withstand the impacts of the climate crisis." Does that include natural carbon capture? When it says "President Biden’s plan will protect and, where necessary, restore nature-based infrastructure – our lands, forests, wetlands, watersheds, and coastal and ocean resources." Does that mean our National Forests will become off limits to commercial logging so they can continue to capture and store CO2 emissions undisturbed? Here's a thought: How about WE ASK! (Chances are you'll just get a polite non-committal automated response. Think of that as an inducement to keep at it.
In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we find this headline and sub-head in The Guardian: "Disease outbreaks more likely in deforestation areas, study finds - Tree-planting can also increase health risks if it focuses too narrowly on small number of species, paper says". The fore we've been talking about on this show since COVID-19 first raised its spiky little head, the latter is....um...interesting? The piece goes on to point out: "Even tree-planting can increase health risks to local human populations
if it focuses too narrowly on a small number of species, as is often the
case in commercial forests, the research found." Here's the LINK to the study in question. And here's some good news from MassLive: The Zombie Dirty Biomass plant in Springfield had it's permit revoked by the MA State DEP!
Time to remind all those Spring Break party goers out there that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" Rather than dump all the usual doom and gloom on you today how about we reference this upbeat piece, also from The Guardian about "using our imagination" and turn the deserts green! This is intriguing: "Within a couple of decades, the Weather Makers believe, the Sinai could be transformed from a hot, dry, barren desert into a green haven teeming with life: forests, wetlands, farming land, wild flora and fauna. A regreened Sinai would alter local weather patterns and even change the direction of the winds, bringing more rain, the Weather Makers believe – hence their name." Sounds like a plan, yes? OK, enough feel good, let's get back to the grim: "Despite all the dire warnings, corporate pledges, and tree-planting promises, forests keep falling at an alarming pace. In a report out Wednesday morning, experts tallied up all the acres of the most important forests lost in 2020 and found that it amounts to an area the size of the Netherlands." That from Grist. Are we walking in balance now?
How about an Enviro Show Quote of the Week?
“Incrementalism and those little steps are not enough. Not right now. Not on climate change…We have a global crisis We have got to move urgently - urgently and boldly.” - Bernie Sanders
After our conversation with Heidi we move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:
Tuesday April 13, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm. Climate Emergency Declaration Meeting. MCAN will be hosting a meeting on Climate Emergency Declarations on April 13th at 5pm. Representatives from the Cape Cod Climate Emergency Initiative and Green Acton will talk about their successful attempts to pass climate emergency declarations in their towns and what other communities can learn about the process. If you would like to learn more, contactrose@massclimateaction.net
Tuesday April 13, 7 to 8:30pm. MICROORGANISMS: A Key Solution for Climate, Soil, Food, and Our Health. We routinely kill beneficial microorganisms, with disastrous consequences for human and environmental health. Instead, we can promote beneficial microorganisms to help change dangerous trends that threaten our future. Through regenerative agriculture, the interconnected microbiomes of soil, food, and humans can help stabilize the climate, rebuild degraded soils, secure our food supply, and reverse and prevent chronic disease. One of the most effective actions a person can take to help the climate is to eat healthier food. Register HERE.
Wednesday April 14,1:00 pm - 2:00 pm. Rethinking the utility-regulator relationship. If you could build the utility of the future from the ground up—unencumbered by current constraints or old ways of thinking—what would it look like? Would the utility and regulatory visions be radically different, or do the two parties have more in common than they realize? Utilities and regulators have been trained to view each other as adversaries, so we were curious to find out what would happen if we set the suspicion aside and engaged a utility executive and a regulator in an honest conversation about the future we want to build. The result is this provocative webinar. REGISTER NOW
Thursday April 15, 4pm. BlueWave Solar Meeting. The Northfield Planning Board will establish an agenda for the continuation of the public hearing, and is scheduled to meet again. The meeting can be accessed via Zoom at zoom.us/j/97532725214, with the Meeting ID: 975 3272 5214.
Saturday, April 24, 10:30 – 12:30pm. THE GREAT EARTH WEEK WALK FOR RIVER JUSTICE .Honor Earth Week on an “unnatural” history walk via the Franklin County Bikeway through the magnificent French King Gorge to the giant tunnels of the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Station. The Connecticut is sucked backward here daily, killing tens of millions of fish and aquatic animals annually. Northfield is a VT Yankee nuclear vestige that’s killed here for 49 years. Its Canadian owners want a new 50 year federal license. Join this river revival walk for future generations. Community leaders, energy experts and stakeholder/journalist Karl Meyer will speak along the way. Kids and bicycles welcome. Bring water, a snack, and your mask. Please leave pets at home. Directions: Meet for this 1-1/2 mile walk (3-mile round trip) at Dorsey Rd., Erving, beneath the French King Bridge. Via Rt. 2 E, go across the French King Bridge. Dorsey is 1/3 of a mile on the right. Traveling 2 W, continue past the bowling alley. Dorsey is the left turn immediately after the MA Highway Garage sign on the right. Head down Dorsey to the bridge.** NOTE: This walk is on level terrain, and turns around at Ferry Rd./Pine Meadow Rd. in Northfield. Route is both paved and dirt, and may not be suitably wheelchair accessible. For further information contact: anna.gyorgy@crocker.com Or phone: 413-773-0006
OK folks! Do remember to........LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!