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Updated: July 12, 2019

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Memorable Presidential Environmental Quotes
Six Memorable Presidential
Environmental Quotes

Earth Matters NewsFeb.9, 2017 -Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson and Barack Obama had something to say.

Click now to read their quotes.
Some might surprise you.

Climateworthy

The 2020 Candidates on Climate Quiz Where the Candidates Stand on Climate- Answers Might Surprise You. GreenPeace, - Take the quiz to learn what you know or don’t know about the Presidential hopefuls wih regard to Climate Change. Interested? Click now for to proceed. The Green New Deal Explained What Is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal, Explained NY Times Climate Forward, Feb. 21, 2019 - The Green New Deal is a congressional resolution that lays out a grand plan for tackling climate change. Introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, both Democrats, the proposal calls on the federal government to wean the United States from fossil fuels and curb planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions across the economy. It also aims to guarantee new high-paying jobs in clean energy industries. Interested? Click now for whole story. How the Border Wall Affect Wildlife Near the Border ‘This Is Not Like a Fence in a Backyard’ — Trump’s Border Wall vs. Wildlife The Revelator Podcasts, Apr. 11, 2019 - As was discussed recently on the Sciencentric podcast, the wall’s true impact becomes more evident when you envision all of the things that accompany it: Roads, vehicles, lights, and acres upon acres of cleared habitat. That’s bad news for jaguars, bears, birds, bees and hundreds, if not thousands, of other species. Check out the video interview, where host Eric R. Olson and John Platt also discuss The Revelator, my work on “Extinction Countdown,” and what technologies might work instead of a wall. Click now to watch the interview. President Wants to Tell the Polar Bears Where to Get Off Help Protect the Arctic Refuge Before It’s Too Late! NRDC -The Trump administration is closer than ever to tearing open the heart of Alaska’s pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for dangerous oil and gas drilling — and if they succeed, it will have devastating, irreversible consequences for our waters, wildlife, climate, and the region’s Gwich’in people. NRDC is fighting back in and out of the courtroom in an unprecedented battle to protect the Arctic Refuge and its fragile Arctic coastline. Trump is Not the 1st to Assault Env. Protection History of US Presidential Assaults on Environmental Health Protection Apr. 26, 2018 American Public Health Association - The Trump administration has undertaken an assault on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an agency critical to environmental health. This assault has precedents in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. The early Reagan administration (1981–1983) launched an overt attack on the EPA, combining deregulation with budget and staff cuts, whereas the George W. Bush administration (2001–2008) adopted a subtler approach, undermining science-based policy. Wait, there’s more… Some Republicans Support Carbon Fee/Dividend Exceeding Paris Contain Forewords by: Ted Halstead, George P. Schultz, Lawrence Summers, Rob Walton, Christine Todd Whitman and Janet Yellen. The Baker-Shultz plan would achieve approximately 32% in greenhouse gas reductions by 2025, thereby exceeding our Paris commitment by a wide margin The Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends Plan is not only the most environmentally ambitious plan, but also the most politically-viable. Why? Because it addresses the legitimate concerns of all key stakeholders in the climate debate and enables each to realize an important victory. Click to read the PDF from the Climate Leadership Council. Attention Humanists: You Have a Role to Play Ask What You Can Do for Your Climate(1) Apr. 18, 2017 -While the federal government is becoming a follower rather than a leader on climate change, humanists can fight on the state, local, and personal levels IF THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL, then climate change is personal, too. As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump campaigned against the Paris Agreement negotiated in December 2015 at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. With President Trump signing an executive order to roll back federal efforts to reduce global warming, humanists must do more at the state and local levels to fight climate change. If you’re up for it, there are many things you can do to help. Click now if you’re ready to learn more. We Can Take Active Role in the Climate Crisis Ask What You Can Do for Your Climate<2> Join a Climate Reality Chapter,and be part of a sustainable future. You’ve heard about “the future.” It’s not that far away, and your children and grandchildren will be living in it, long after you’re gone. Chapters give you the opportunity to draw on Climate Reality’s support and expertise, while creating and executing plans for climate action that make the most sense for your community. Already, Climate Reality chapters have become a vital force for progress, helping expand clean energy alternatives, tackling the legacy of fossil fuels in low-income communities, and pushing for carbon pricing policies, to name just a few of the many campaigns underway across the US. Click now if you’re ready to take action too. Dems to Fossil Fuel Contributions: No Thanks DNC Votes to Ban Fossil Fuel Company Donations June 12, 2018 -The move is a step toward purging oil, gas and coal industry influence on the Democratic Party’s climate policies. The Democratic National Committee voted over the weekend to ban donations from fossil fuel companies, HuffPost has learned. The resolution — proposed by Christine Pelosi, a party activist and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s daughter — bars the organization from accepting contributions from corporate political action committees tied to the oil, gas and coal industries. The executive committee voted unanimously to approve the motion. Click now for more from the Huffington Post. Clean Energy Research Not a Priority White House Seeks 72% Cut to Clean Energy Research,Underscoring Its Preference for Fossil Fuels Feb. 1, 2018 -The Trump administration is poised to ask Congress for deep budget cuts to the Energy Department’s renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, slashing them by 72 percent overall in fiscal 2019, according to draft budget documents obtained by The Washington Post. Many of the sharp cuts would probably be restored by Congress, but President Trump’s budget, due out in February, will mark a starting point for negotiations and offer a statement of intent and policy priorities. Click now for the story from the Washington Post. No Lessons Learned From Deepwater Horizon Trump Plan Would Open Nearly All the Gulf of Mexico to Oil Drilling Jan. 4, 2018 - The Trump administration on Thursday (Jan. 4) announced plans for the largest expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling in U.S. history, putting up for lease federal waters in the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans and millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico, including protected areas in the eastern Gulf. Click now for article from azCentral. Clean Energy and Electric Cars Hit By GOP Tax Overhaul Hammers Clean Energy and Electric Cars Dec. 8, 2017 - Legislators from both chambers are now hashing out their differences in the reconciliation committee in hopes of delivering a final bill to the White House before the end of the year. Clean-energy lobbyists are scrambling to push back on provisions they and others fear could stunt development or deployment of technologies needed to lower the nation’s greenhouse-gas emissions. Click now to read the M.I.T. Technology Review story.	The Top Ten Toxic Threats The E.P.A.’s Top 10 Toxic Threats, and Industry’s Pushback Oct. 21, 2017 - The E.P.A.has published a list of 10 toxic threats it will evaluate first under a law passed last year intended to crack down on hazardous chemicals. They are among 90 chemicals identified by the agency that may harm children, damage nerve tissue, cause cancer, contaminate the environment, accumulate in the bloodstream or show up in consumer products. As the review begins, industry and other interest groups are urging the E.P.A. to limit any restrictions. Click for the list that should not be on your top ten. Climate Change Collapsing Australia’s Ecosystems Ecosystems Across Australia Are Undergo Climate Change The Converstion Research, recently published in Nature Climate Change, describes a series of sudden and catastrophic ecosystem shifts that have occurred recently across Australia. CC Advisory Committee Dropped Administration Disbands Climate Change Advisory Committee Aug 20, 2017 - The Trumpv administration of has decided to disband a federal advisory panel on climate change - in a further sign of the White House's view on environmental policy. The panel is part of the National Climate Assessment, a group aimed at helping officials and policy makers integrate the US Government's climate change analysis into their long-term planning. Climate Skeptic Heads Top Science Post New USDA Research Head Thinks Climate Science Is 'Junk' July 20, 2017 - President Trump has nominated a well-known climate change doubter to the top science job at the Department of Agriculture. The nomination, which had been expected, was announced in a statement by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Sam Clovis, an early campaign adviser to Trump, will serve as undersecretary for research, education and economics. The Great Lakes a State Problem? Trump Says 'Yes' - Congress Says 'No' July 14, 2017 - Together, the five lakes hold nearly one-fifth of the earth’s surface freshwater. They’re home to 3500 species of plants and animals, including 170 species of fish. Not to mention the drinking water for about 35 million people, in eight states plus Canada. They have been a major highway for transportation, trade and migration. And more than 1.5 million jobs are directly connected to the lakes. But the Trump administration views the health of the Great Lakes as a local issue. Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow and budget director Mick Mulvaney squared off at a budget hearing a couple months ago on the topic. You can watch the exchange here: Shades of White House Climate Denial 5 Shades of Climate Denial, All on Display in the White House June 9.2017 - - From ‘it’s not real’ to ‘it’s not urgent,’ take a tour through the many shades of climate change denial wielded by Donald Trump's administration. LCV Scorecard (Keeping Track of Congress) How Congress Voted on Environmental Issues The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) keeps track of how our elected officials are (or not) protecting us. Click now to catch up. Bi-Parisan Climate Solutions Caucus Republicans Who Care About climate change: 'They are done with the denial' Apr. 27, 2017 - The failure of American politics to deal with, or even coherently discuss, climate change was perhaps best illustrated when James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, took to the floor of the US Senate in February 2015 with a Ziploc bag and a mischievous grin. Make Your Voice Heard in Washington 5 Ways to Make Your Voice Heard, and 2 That Are Not Worth Your Time Jan. 30, 2017- As a new era in American politics begins, citizens across the political spectrum may find themselves engaging in some collective hand-wringing. No matter your political leanings, times are changing, and many people are clamoring to make their voices heard. Mr. Trump - Are You Listening? Trade Group Outlines Benefits of Geothermal in Paper for Trump Administration Jan. 23, 2017 - In the paper, “Geothermal is Good for America,” GEA said that there are 104 operating geothermal plants in the U.S. with a capacity of 3.7 GW, and there are more than 80 new projects in development. ”Geothermal delivers a triple bottom line to our energy system: It is an abundant domestic energy source, it brings economic benefits in the form of taxes and long-term, high-paying jobs, and it has one of the lowest Levelized Costs of Energy of all power sources in the United States,” the paper said. Sen. Inhofe, Big Oil and Big Problems Only a Slight Conflict? Senator James Inhofe is Chair of the Energy Committee. We should question how he can serve the best interests of the people he is supposed to be protecting, while his camaigns have been mostly funded by the fossil fuel industry. Click now to see what we mean.

Environmental (or Anti-Environmental)
Politics News Stories in the Past 90 Days
Trump’s False Boasts of Environmental Progress Donald Trump Claims Environmental Progress; Environmentalists Disagree July 8, 2019 USA TODAY -WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump spotlighted his environmental record Monday, even as environmental groups ripped his administration for promoting the kinds of pollution generated by oil drilling, natural gas extraction and coal mining. "We want the cleanest air, we want crystal clean water – and that's what we're doing," Trump said during a speech at the White House. As Trump rolled out his presentation, a long list of environmental groups issued indictments of the president's record, from promotion of oil and gas drilling on public lands to deregulation of energy companies. Click for the story (if you can stand it). 24 Governors Speak Out On Trump’s Clean Car Rollback 24 Governors Call on Trump to Halt Rollback on Rules for Clean Cars July 9, 2019 NY Times Climate Forward -The opposition to one of President Trump’s most consequential regulatory rollbacks — a plan to weaken pollution standards for automobiles nationwide — widened on Tuesday when 24 governors, including three Republicans, urged the president to abandon his plan. The governors’ plea adds to a chorus of criticism from an unlikely mix of voices, including not only environmentalists and labor unions but also some of the biggest automakers in the world. The two dozen governors include the leaders of four states — North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Montana — that voted for Trump in 2016, helping propel him into the White House. Interested? Click for the whole story. Hey, Sunshine State. Isn’t It Time You Acted Like It! Florida’s Utilities Keep Homeowners From Making the Most of Solar Power July 7, 2019 NY Times - ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida calls itself the Sunshine State. But when it comes to the use of solar power, it trails 19 states, including not-so-sunny Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Maryland. Solar experts and environmentalists blame the state’s utilities. The utilities have hindered potential rivals seeking to offer residential solar power. They have spent tens of millions of dollars on lobbying, ad campaigns and political contributions. And when homeowners purchase solar equipment, the utilities have delayed connecting the systems for months. Upset? Click now to read more. Another One Bites the Dust (Coal Dust, That Is) Bill Wehrum, an Author of Trump's ’s Pro-Coal Rules, to Leave E.P.A. June 26, 2019 NY Times Climate Forward - WASHINGTON — William L. Wehrum, who played a central role in Trump administration efforts to weaken climate change protections and roll back regulations on the fossil fuel industry, will resign as head of the Environmental Protection Agency air quality office at the end of this month, the agency announced Wednesday. Last week the E.P.A. moved to replace an Obama-era regulation that aimed to shutter coal-fired power plants with a new regulation that could help more coal plants open. Mr. Wehrum was the main architect of the new measure, the Affordable Clean Energy rule. Click now to read all about it. Trump Family Ties to Chilean $$$: Environmental Concern A Plan to Mine the Minnesota Wilderness Hit a Dead End, But…. June 25, 2019 NY Times Climate Forward - In the waning months of the Obama administration, a Chilean conglomerate was losing a fight with the United States government over a copper mine that it wanted to build near a pristine wilderness area in Minnesota. The election of President Trump, with his business-friendly bent, turned out to be a game-changer for the project. Beginning in the early weeks of Mr. Trump’s presidency, the administration worked at a high level to remove roadblocks to the proposed mine, government emails and calendars show, overruling concerns that it could harm the Boundary Waters, a vast landscape of federally protected lakes and forests along the border with Canada. Click now to read all about it. Oregon GOP Disregards Threat From Climate Change Why Oregon Republicans Vanished Over a Climate Change Vote June 24, 2019 NY Times Climate Forward - A partisan legislative standoff in Oregon persisted on Monday, as Republican state lawmakers stayed clear of the state Capitol for the fifth day in a row in an effort to block a climate change bill that Democrats are pressing to approve. Democrats, who control the Oregon Senate as well as the House of Representatives, were preparing to vote on the measure last week when all 11 Republican senators disappeared. Without the votes to reject the bill, which would require businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Republicans denied the Democrats a needed quorum, blocking a vote from taking place in the Senate. Click now to read the article. The Everglades Are on Fire, and Dems Should Be, Too The Everglades Are on Fire, and Dems Should Be, Too June 25, 2019 Earther Gizmodo - The Democratic National Committee refuses to hold a climate change-focused debate despite calls for one from activists and candidates. And now, it would seem the Everglades are also helping to make their case. Ahead of the first presidential debate in Miami on Wednesday, part of the Everglades about 30 miles northwest of downtown caught fire. Lightning sparked the brush fire on Sunday, and it’s since been burning largely out of control with fire managers saying they’ll need to wait for rain to put the thing out. Now, fires are a part of life the Everglades. But there are also signs that climate change will make those fires worse, and talking about addressing those risks seems like a pretty good idea with this blaze as a backdrop. Click now to get while it’s hot. Will Florida Get to Vote on Energy Choices Utility Ballot Measure Sparks Battle In Florida June 25, 2019 CB Miami -State leaders and powerful business groups are trying to kill a proposed constitutional amendment that would lead to major changes in the way Floridians get electricity. Opponents, including Attorney General Ashley Moody, legislative leaders, business groups and utilities, filed 13 briefs late last week at the Florida Supreme Court arguing that the proposal should be blocked from going on the November 2020 ballot. Click now to for more information. Red States Vs. Blue : Pro-environment Vs. Anti Blue States Roll Out Aggressive Climate Strategies. Red States Not So Much June 21, 2019 NY Times Climate Forward - At a time when the country is already deeply fractured along partisan lines, individual states are starting to pursue vastly different policies on climate change with the potential to cement an economic and social divide for years to come. A growing number of blue states are adopting sweeping new climate laws — such as New York’s bill, passed this week, to zero out net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 — that aim to reorient their entire economies around clean energy, transforming the way people get their electricity, heat their homes and commute to work. Click now to read all about it. E.P.A. Rule Changes: MAGA? E.P.A. Finalizes Its Plan to Replace Obama-Era Climate Rules June 19, 2019 NY Times Climate Forward -The Trump administration on Wednesday replaced former President Barack Obama’s effort to reduce planet-warming pollution from coal plants with a new rule that would allow plants to stay open longer and slow progress on cutting carbon emissions. While the Obama plan would have set national emissions limits and mandated the reconstruction of power grids to move utilities away from coal, the new measure gives states broad authority to decide how far, if at all, to scale back emissions. Concerned? Click to read all about it. Canada Pipeline Could Cost Trudeau the Election Canada Set to Approves Hotly -Debated Pipeline Expansion, Trudeau Unlikely to Benefit June 16, 2019 Reuters -Canada looks set to approve a hotly-debated plan to expand an oil pipeline this week, people familiar with the process told Reuters, but the move is unlikely to help Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rebuild flagging support ahead of an October election. The Liberal government last year took the unprecedented step of buying the Trans Mountain pipeline from Kinder Morgan Canada for $3.4 billion, U.S.) to ensure the expansion went ahead to help solve crude transportation bottlenecks. If completed, the expansion would nearly triple capacity on the pipeline that runs from the western crude-rich province of Alberta to British Columbia’s Pacific coast. But it has faced increasing protests from environmental activists and aboriginal groups. Click to read the whole story. Trump Officia: Climate Change May Cause a Financial Crisis Trump Official Goes Rogue, Says Climate Change May Cause Next Financial Crisis June 12, 2019 Vanity Fair - The HIVE -Since taking the oath of office in 2017, Donald Trump has made it clear that he cares about the environment about as much as freedom of the press and sounding lucid on Twitter. In the past 29 months, he’s ditched the Paris climate agreement; gutted regulations designed to prevent another Deepwater Horizon spill; unveiled a proposal to freeze rules on planet-warming pollution from cars and trucks; and put in motion a plan to bury evidence that his replacement for Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan could kill 1,400 Americans a year. Trump has muzzled science that contradicts its official stance that climate change is nothing to worry about—or is even a thing that exists—and, to that end, hired a guy who has said carbon dioxide is being demonized “just like the demonization of the poor Jews under Hitler,” whose primary job is to discredit the conclusions of last year’s National Climate Assessment… Interested? Click now to learn more if you can stand it. Why Is the DNC Rejecting a Climate Change Debate Why Won’t the Democrats Hold a Climate Change Debate? Rolling Stone, June 10, 2019 - The Democratic National Committee is facing a growing backlash in the wake of its refusal to host a 2020 presidential debate focused solely on solving the climate crisis. Last week, the DNC not only dismissed the idea of hosting a debate on the existential threat of our time but vowed to bar any 2020 candidate who participates in a non-DNC climate debate from participating in future official debates, according to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who was the 2020 Democratic candidate to call for a climate-only debate. Inslee called the DNC’s decision “extremely disappointing” and the blacklist “totally unacceptable.” Interested? Click now for the story. Two Democratic Hopefuls Discuss Climate Change Plans Climate Change Takes Center Stage as Biden and Warren Release Plans NY Times Climate Forward, June 4, 2019 - When Joseph R. Biden Jr. was Barack Obama’s vice president, their administration brokered the landmark Paris climate accord and imposed the nation’s first federal regulations for cutting carbon dioxide emissions. Now, as Mr. Biden runs for president, he has laid out an ambitious climate plan of his own that goes well beyond what Mr. Obama achieved, proposing $1.7 trillion in spending and a tax or fee on planet-warming pollution with the aim of eliminating the nation’s net carbon emissions by 2050. Interested? Click now to learn more. Could Trump’s Attack On Federal Climate Science Backfire? Trump’s Latest Attack On Federal Climate Science May Backfire Wired, May 31, 2019 - As planet-warming gases reach levels not previously seen in human history, the Trump administration’s bid to restrict how federal scientists conduct the next National Climate Assessment risks delaying urgent action required to curb emissions and climate change. But the administration effort could also backfire, becoming yet another loss for a president whose deregulatory efforts struggle to meet basic legal standards while hardening the resolve of career government researchers trying to uphold the scientific method. Interested? Click now for the story. California Congressman Discusses Bipartisan Climate Action Congressman Discusses Bipartisan Climate Action Citizen’s Climate Lobby, May 31, 2019 - At a California chapter’s April CCL meeting, Congressman, Harley Rouda (D-CA-48), spent an hour discussing his commitment to climate action, including his decision to become a cosponsor of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 763). For many chapter members who have worked for years to get a carbon fee and dividend bill in Congress, it was a day of immense satisfaction and jubilation. Interested? Click now to read the story. Don’t Like Accurate Reporting? Attack Scientists. Trump Administration Hardens Its Attack on Climate Science NY Times, May 27, 2019 - President Trump has rolled back environmental regulations, pulled the United States out of the Paris climate accord, brushed aside dire predictions about the effects of climate change, and turned the term “global warming” into a punch line rather than a prognosis. Now, after two years spent unraveling the policies of his predecessors, Mr. Trump and his political appointees are launching a new assault. Click now if, you can stand the pain.	Scientists Strongly Object to a Former EPA Chief's Decision E.P.A. Experts Objected to ‘Misleading’ Agency Smog Decision, Emails Show NY Times Climate Forward, May 24, 2019 - Newly released emails show that Environmental Protection Agency scientists raised strong objections to a 2018 decision by Scott Pruitt, who was head of the agency at the time, to exempt most of southeastern Wisconsin from federal limits on smog. Newly released emails show that Environmental Protection Agency scientists raised strong objections to a 2018 decision by Scott Pruitt, who was head of the agency at the time, to exempt most of southeastern Wisconsin from federal limits on smog. Interested? Click now for the full story. E.P.A. on Pollution Deaths: Ignorance Is Bliss E.P.A. Plans to Get Thousands of Pollution Deaths Off the Books by Changing Its Math NY Times Climate Forward, May 20, 2019 - The Environmental Protection Agency plans to change the way it calculates the health risks of air pollution, a shift that would make it easier to roll back a key climate change rule because it would result in far fewer predicted deaths from pollution, according to five people with knowledge of the agency’s plans. The E.P.A. had originally forecast that eliminating the Obama-era rule, the Clean Power Plan, and replacing it with a new measure would have resulted in an additional 1,400 premature deaths per year. The new analytical model would significantly reduce that number and would most likely be used by the Trump administration to defend further rollbacks of air pollution rules if it is formally adopted. Interested? Click now to learn more. The Australia Polls Were Wrong on Climate Change Results It Was Supposed to Be Australia’s Climate Change Election. What Happened? NY Times Climate Forward, May 19, 2019 - The polls said this would be Australia’s climate change election, when voters confronted harsh reality and elected leaders who would tackle the problem. Over all, Australians shrugged off the warming seas killing the Great Barrier Reef and the extreme drought punishing farmers. On Saturday, in a result that stunned most analysts, they re-elected the conservative coalition that has long resisted plans to sharply cut down on carbon emissions and coal. Interested? Click now for the painful information. Some Mayors Are Afraid to Talk About Climate Change In Flood-Hit Midwest, Mayors See Climate Change as a Subject Best Avoided NY Times Climate Forward, May 15, 2019 -DAVENPORT, Iowa — The Mississippi River, which gushed into downtown Davenport at record levels two weeks ago, has finally retreated toward its banks. Left behind: A truck-size hole in the temporary flood barrier, dead fish on mud-caked Pershing Avenue, and an urgent conversation about how to shield the city from the next flood. As Mayor Frank Klipsch of Davenport starts that conversation — a wide-ranging discussion of upstream levee heights, riverfront development and whether the city should install permanent flood protection — there is one topic he sees little benefit in raising: human-caused climate change. Interested? Read the entire story. Some ‘Bear’ Facts About Climate Change These Days, It’s Not About the Polar Bears NY Times Climate Forward, May 12, 2019 -Climate science has struggled mightily with a messaging problem. The well-worn tactic of hitting people over the head with scary climate change facts has proved inadequate at changing behavior or policies in ways big enough to alter the course of global warming. While Europe has made some headway, the largest obstacles to change remain in the United States, which has historically been responsible for more emissions than any other country. And perhaps most important, climate change denial has secured a perch in the Trump administration and across the Republican Party. Interested? Read all about it. Climate Change Could Influence Australia’s Politics Australia’s Politics May Be Changing With Its Climate NY Times Climate Forward, May 7, 2019 -HARDEN, Australia — It’s been a year of extremes for this country. The hottest summer ever. Torrential rains in the north. A crippling drought in its southeastern farm belt. Now, with national elections scheduled for May 18, a vital question looms: To what degree will climate change sway the way Australians vote? The answer could provide important lessons for other democracies in the age of climate change. Interested? Click now for whole story. Trump Administration: To Hell With Offshore Drilling Safety Trump Administration Moves To Roll Back Offshore Drilling Safety Regulations NPR News, May 3, 2019 - The Trump Administration is rolling back some of the Obama-era safety regulations for offshore drilling that were meant to prevent a repeat of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The change pertains to rules aimed at keeping offshore oil and gas wells from "blowing out" – a sudden and uncontrollable release of crude oil. Interested? Click now for whole story. Which 2020 Candidates Support Carbon Pricing? Which 2020 Candidates Support Carbon Pricing? Citizens’ Climate Lobby, May 2, 2019 -In past years, presidential campaigns have rarely mentioned global warming, let alone offered major policy proposals. 2020 will be different for many reasons. Dire reports from the world’s scientific community make it clear that we must act now. Extreme weather has increased markedly in recent years, from wildfires to hurricanes, and has alarmed the public. Meanwhile, CCL’s years of advocacy for a carbon fee and dividend approach has begun to penetrate public understanding and has also provided politicians with a bipartisan climate change policy option to consider. And over the past few months, young activists and new legislators have pushed the topic of climate change to more prominence in the national discussion, through protests at the Capitol and through the Green New Deal resolution (GND). Interested? Click now for whole story. Climate Action Now' Act Passed By House: Just Symbolic? Climate Action Now' Act Is Not Enough to Answer Climate Emergency, Warm Critics EcoWatch, May 2, 2019 - Progressives are urging federal lawmakers to pursue a "real solution" to the climate crisis while House Democrats gear up for a vote this week on a bill to block President Donald Trump from ditching the Paris agreement. "This action from the House is better than no action at all, but not much better," Food & Water Watch executive director Wenonah Hauter said in a statement Wednesday. "Given all that's known about the severity of the climate crisis we face, and the urgent, aggressive action required to stem it, this legislation is merely symbolic." Interested? Click now for whole story. What the Sunrise Movement Has Planned for 2020 Sunrise Movement, the Force Behind the Green New Deal, Ramps Up Plans for 2020 Rolling Stone, May 1, 2019 - Two days after Doug LaMalfa, a climate-denying Republican, was re-elected to his fourth term in Congress, the Camp fire — the deadliest fire in a century and the most destructive in California’s history — broke out in his district. It raged for over two weeks, displacing 52,000 people and killing 67. On Saturday, Audrey Denney — an environmentalist and professor who lost to LaMalfa by six points in 2018 — became the first 2020 candidate endorsed by the Sunrise Movement when she announced her intention to challenge him again. “We are rising from the ashes to demand climate action on the local, in the state, and on the national level,” Denney said from a stage in Chico, California, this past weekend. “The time to act is now.” Some Republicans Recognize Climate Changee Dangers In a Switch, Some Republicans Start Citing Climate Change as Driving Their Policies NY Times Climate Forward, Apr. 30, 2019 - When John Barrasso, a Republican from oil and uranium-rich Wyoming who has spent years blocking climate change legislation, introduced a bill this year to promote nuclear energy, he added a twist: a desire to tackle global warming. Mr. Barrasso’s remarks — “If we are serious about climate change, we must be serious about expanding our use of nuclear energy” — were hardly a clarion call to action. Still they were highly unusual for the lawmaker who, despite decades of support for nuclear power and other policies that would reduce planet-warming emissions, has until recently avoided talking about them in the context of climate change. Interested? Click now for whole story. Beto O’Rourke's Major Campaign Policy Proposal Beto O’Rourke Releases $5 Trillion Climate Change Proposal NY Times Climate Forward, Apr. 30, 2019 - Beto O’Rourke released the first major policy proposal of his presidential campaign on Monday, outlining a $5 trillion plan to combat climate change through measures including executive action. The plan calls for net-zero emissions by 2050; would recommit the United States to the Paris Agreement; and restore Obama-era power plant regulations and fuel standards; two points that every Democratic presidential candidate supports. Farmers Are the Victims of Political Bickering Partisan Bickering Over Puerto Rico Aid Strands Farmers Devastated by Extreme Weather NY Times Climate Forward, Apr. 27, 2019 - If Rob Cohen knew that aid was on its way from Washington, circumstances would be different on his devastated pecan farms, which once spanned five counties and 1,400 acres. He and his brother would not have purchased an excavator and a bulldozer, expensive equipment they most likely will not need again to harvest pecans. Instead of laboring for six months on their own to clear away the thousands of trees knocked over by hurricane winds, they would have hired contractors to do it in three weeks. Interested? Click now for whole story. The 2020 Democrats and Climate Change What the 2020 Democrats Are Saying About Climate Change NY Times Climate Forward, Apr. 18, 2019 -For Democrats vying to unseat President Trump, acknowledging climate change is easy. Deciding what to do about it is the hard part. Among the 18 declared candidates, there is no broad consensus on taxing polluters on their carbon emissions — a measure most experts say is needed to slow global warming. And when it comes to building new nuclear power plants or adding federal regulations, there is even less agreement. Click now to read what they had to say. Trump Admin.Won't Update Endangered Species List Lawsuit Says Trump Additions to Endangered-Species List Are Lowest Since Reagan Bloomberg News, Apr. 17, 2019 -The Trump administration has failed to tackle a backlog of hundreds of requests to add species to the federal endangered or threatened list, approving the fewest since Ronald Reagan was president, an environmental conservation group alleged in a lawsuit. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have added 16 plants and animals to the list under the landmark Endangered Species Act - the lowest figure since 1982, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Washington by the Center for Biological Diversity. Secretary of Interior Is Under Investigation Interior Dept. Opens Ethics Investigation of Its New Chief, David Bernhardt NY Times Climate Forward, Apr.15, 2019 -The Interior Department’s internal watchdog has opened an investigation into ethics complaints against the agency’s newly installed secretary, David Bernhardt. Mr. Bernhardt, a former lobbyist for the oil and agribusiness industries, was confirmed by the Senate last week to head the agency, which oversees the nation’s 500 million acres of public land and vast coastal waters. He has played a central role in writing policies designed to advance President Trump’s policy of “energy dominance” and expanding fossil fuel exploration. He has been dogged by allegations of ethics violations since joining the Trump administration as the Interior Department’s deputy secretary in 2017.