[ Hear the entire podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/enviroshow/1751186/ ]
Greetings Earthlings. Is it "déjà vu all over again" like Yogi Berra once said? Or worse?? Strap-in, it's going to be a rough ride because! In terms of the Climate Crisis and the Sixth Great Extinction a LOT was riding on this election. Wait, did we forget to mention the future of our Nation? Speaking of, how about the lack of understanding and respect by far too many folks concerning our trees and forests. Michael Kellett, the co-founder and Executive Director of RESTORE: The North Woods returns to the show as we discuss what's wrong in this picture. As always we will also introduce you to our Fool-on-the-Hill and Those Whose Brains Were small and more but first it's time for.......Revenge of the Critters! Here's one for all you tough guys out there: "A 'Prophet' Who Challenged A Pride Of Lions To A Fistfight"
We have the perfect candidate this week for "Their Brains Were Small and They Died". She reminds us of dinosaurs from long ago 'cuz nowadays folks really shouldn't talk like this: "Michele Morrow, a conservative activist who last week upset the incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction in North Carolina’s Republican primary, expressed support in 2020 for the televised execution of former President Barack Obama and suggested killing then-President-elect Joe Biden." Whoa! Superintendent of Public Instruction ?? Maybe not.
This week's Fool-on-the-Hill could just as easily qualified for "Their Brains Were Small.." Rep. Clay Higgins, Repug of Louisiana is so much the classic hateful deep south redneck we wonder why we didn't nominate him long ago? Mother Jones notes, "His record includes allegedly putting a gun to the head of one of his ex-wives, voting for a neo-Nazi, and assaulting an unarmed Black man while working as a cop." If you click on the link you'll see Higgins even looks the part.
Bad players abound this week and even the hosts of the hopeless COP29 climate meeting, the government of Azerbaijan "...has locked up dozens of activists and journalists in what experts describe as the country’s most aggressive campaign of repression in years." Don't they know "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" ? Folks in Spain certainly know: "The flooding in eastern Spain, already the deadliest disaster in the country’s recent history, is a foretaste of the extreme storms that the region can expect to see more of as humans continue heating up the planet, scientists said this week." reports The New York Times. "In the town of Chiva, west of the city of Valencia, nearly 20 inches of rain fell in eight hours..., Spain’s meteorological agency said. That’s what the area normally receives in a year." Of course, the other side of the same coin is increasing drought in other areas. No word yet on how many toxins may have been released in the storm but that eventuality in this modern world of climate chaos is growing. Back to the bad players: "So far this year, the American Chemistry Council has spent almost $9.9 million lobbying on issues including the EPA’s attempt to further regulate toxic chemicals and protect communities from chemical accidents. The lobbying group also helped weaken bipartisan rail safety legislation following the East Palestine train derailment,.." Yes, bad players trying to game bad news like this from Counterpunch: "A casual reading of climate change literature reveals several mentions of ecosystem impairment or collapse of one sort or another occurring in various time frames this century. In that context, nothing quite compares to a Double Blue Ocean Event. This event, should it occur, changes everything. It has the potential to be the “holocaust of climate change” with uncontrollable self-propelled rapid global temperature rise damaging or completely destroying ecosystems supportive of life. Already, there’s palpable early-stage evidence this has started, for example, in the Amazon rainforest." Too many links to read?...then go out and do something! And don't forget direct action, OK?
Let's shift gears and go to something positive. What's your favorite animal? Send us your candidates (no, not your dog or cat). Which wildlife critter do you like best? Email us at enviroshow@valleyfreeradio.orgHorseshoe crabs have endured every single great mass extinction on this planet.
It is such a resilient species, and we can bring it back." We love survivors and as a kid, d.o. was fascinated with these critters. Nowadays Horseshoe Crabs need our help. They are victimized for bait, by stupid human mishandling, and for medical use. Please help this truly ancient species by going HERE.
In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we echo our friends' petition asking us to “support Preserve October Mountain Forest’s goal to stop the logging and other forest management activities of 447 acres of woodlands as proposed in the “Ant Lot” project by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)". We call them the Dept. of Cut & Run here on this show because....well....that's what they do! And speaking of agency failure how about this? "EPA said Wednesday it has given preliminary approval to a pilot project that would use phosphate mining waste in roads....The move followed state legislation that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law.. allowing phosphogypsum use in roads if approved by the federal agency." The waste can be radioactive, but more commonly, it contains high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, which contribute to red tide, toxic algae and fish kills. Think runoff. Protest HERE. We'll be doing an upcoming show focused solely on forest degradation but this new finding on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List requires mention now: "More than a third of the world’s tree species are threatened with extinction, according to the first comprehensive assessment of trees by the world’s leading scientific authority on the status of species....Around the world, the biggest threats to trees are agriculture and logging, followed by urbanization," Of course, climate chaos is another contributing factor but it's that direct human activity that seems to be the greatest threat of all.
On to our Doublespeak of the Week. This one comes from a report subtitled "Exposing the Fossil Fuel Industry's Deadly Spin" and given the real science on Climate it surely qualifies: "The American Petroleum Institute blusters that the United States is in “good shape” thanks to natural gas. “Let’s not get unreasonably concerned about [methane], because the industry has been addressing it,” reassures an API executive." We guess he means they packaged it up, addressed it to Life on Earth and sent it on its way?
And our Enviro Show Quote of the Week is:
"Trumpism triumphed, and the godhead of this cult has become both the first fascist and the first convicted felon to win an American presidential election."
After our conversation with Michael it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:
Stay strong folks, we'll get through this if you remember to listen to your Mother.
No comments:
Post a Comment