Greetings
Earthlings. Once rivers caught on fire or were so toxic no one went near them
here in the U.S. Do you think those days are over? Shaina Kasper from
Toxics Action joins us to answer that question and to delve into the growing
concern over PFAS
(sometimes called "forever chemicals") not just in our rivers but......well, everywhere! As always we'll also
drag you along to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to gawk at The Mad King
and his henchmen, as well as remind those who haven't been paying attention
that It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid! But first it's time for......Revenge of
the Critters! Turkeys
without manners? During Thanksgiving??
This
week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Alaska Repugnican Senator Dan Sullivan who In July
2018, acknowledged some effects of climate change in Alaska, including erosion
and acidification of the water seen in fisheries, but also said there were
increased "opportunities in the Arctic." We guess he means
"Drill baby, drill!" so that we can have even more of the above
mentioned and more?
His
Malignancy The Mad King (also a climate crisis denier though he didn't use to
be) was exposed last summer in Rolling
Stone where this eye-opening comment was published: “With Trump, we’ve had
a corporate takeover of government with no parallel in American history,”
[said] Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen. And, the conclusion was: "At
a time when the climate crisis threatens the future of humanity, Trump and his
corporate backers have taken the country in the opposite direction. Meanwhile His Malignancy is called a fanatic at the opening of the COP 25 climate talks by Spain's socialist leader. 'This
administration’s agenda was set well before Trump was elected,' says
[Michael]Brune of the Sierra Club. 'Just about any safeguard to protect the
country’s air, water and climate is up for sale'." OK, it's been
reported two
thirds of real Republicans now are concerned about the climate, so why are
their reps in congress still clinging to His Malignancy's sinking ship?? Impeach
the bastard already! Make your holidays happier. It's hard to find
good news these days, so here on The Enviro Show we always fall back on
schadenfreude to make our day more bearable; you know, stories like "White
House Staffers Say Impeachment is Driving [Him] Crazy" to which we
say.....it's not a long drive!
In
case you just got back from decades of being away, It's the Climate Crisis,
Stupid! and “The summary findings are bleak.” So said the annual
assessment produced by the United Nations Environment Program formally
known as the Emissions Gap Report. "Countries have failed to halt the rise
of greenhouse gas emissions despite repeated warnings from scientists, with China
and the United
States, the two biggest polluters, further increasing their emissions last
year." Great work, big guys. If your Uncle George or Aunt Harriet is
Catholic and happens also to be a climate denier you might want to mention what
The
Poe has in mind! Do they want to go to Hell or to Heaven? Cement
production has a mighty large carbon footprint but how about cement literally
sucks carbon from the air? Grist tells us: "Today, most cement powders
are hardened, or “cured,” by adding water, but several companies, most notably
New Jersey-based Solidia,
are creating cements that need to absorb CO2 in order to harden. Solidia claims
that every metric ton of cement it makes can absorb 240
kilograms of the climate-warming gases. And because the CO2 is being packed
into artificial rock, the storage is effectively permanent." Sure
beats turning our forests into cross-laminated timber.
Our
Enviro Show Quote of the Weekis about this week's featured topic:
"Recent
studies have shown that PFAS can mimic human hormones including thyroid,
estrogen and testosterone, resulting in low function. One study looking at
young men exposed to high levels of PFAS over long periods of time found lower
testosterone activity resulting in smaller genitalia and lower sperm
counts." - The Ecologycenter
That's all for now. Please remember to
listen to your Mother, OK?
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