Companies Fight to Keep Global Warming Data Secret. By Dina Cappiello, AP, 10/28/10. “Some of the country's largest emitters of heat-trapping gases, including businesses that publicly support efforts to curb global warming, don't want the public knowing exactly how much they pollute. Oil producers and refiners, along with manufacturers of steel, aluminum and even home appliances, are fighting a proposal by EPA that would make the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that companies release -- and the underlying data businesses use to calculate the amounts -- available online.

“While gross estimates exist for such emissions from transportation and electricity production and manufacturing as a whole, the EPA is requiring companies for the first time to submit information for each individual facility. The companies say that disclosing details beyond a facility's total emissions to the public would reveal company secrets by letting competitors know what happens inside their factories. More importantly, they argue, when it comes to understanding global warming, the public doesn't need to know anything more than what goes into the air.”

Documentary Questions New Levees in New Orleans. By John Schwartz, NYTimes, August 24, 2010. "What caused the levee failures and whether the corps is doing the job right this time are the questions asked in The Big Uneasy, a new documentary by Harry Shearer, the humorist, actor and passionate advocate for New Orleans... While Mr. Shearer recognizes that the corps is being more careful in its language, he argues that it is still overstating what its works can do... 'Building a big and static thing, it seems to me, would be a fine idea if we lived in a static environment,' he said, but the environment is changing. Wetlands that protect the coast are disappearing, and sea levels are rising. The delta lands are subsiding, and climate change is expected to make storms more violent. With the fifth anniversary of Katrina, Mr. Shearer said, 'This is a moment to ask, are we going about this the right way?'"

Cows on Drugs Endanger Human Health. Commentary by Donald Kennedy, NY Times, April 18, 2010. "More than 30 years ago, when I was commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration, we proposed eliminating the use of penicillin and two other antibiotics to promote growth in animals raised for food. When agribusiness interests persuaded Congress not to approve that regulation, we saw firsthand how strong politics can trump wise policy and good science. Even back then, this nontherapeutic use of antibiotics was being linked to the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria that infect humans. To the leading microbiologists on the F.D.A.'s advisory committee, it was clearly a very bad idea to fatten animals with the same antibiotics used to treat people. But the American Meat Institute and its lobbyists in Washington blocked the F.D.A. proposal... In Denmark since the late 1990s, when that country banned the use of antibiotics in farm animals except for therapeutic purposes. The reservoir of resistant bacteria in Danish livestock shrank considerably.

"90,000 Americans die each year from bacterial infections they acquire in hospitals. About 70% of those infections are caused by bacteria that are resistant to at least one powerful antibiotic. That's why the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Pharmacists Association, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Public Health Association and the National Association of County and City Health Officials are urging Congress to phase out the nontherapeutic use in livestock of antibiotics that are important to humans. Antibiotic resistance is an expensive problem. A person who cannot be treated with ordinary antibiotics is at risk of having a large number of bacterial infections, and of needing to be treated in the hospital for weeks or even months. The extra costs to the American health care system are as much as $26 billion a year...

"It's 30 years late, but Congress should now pass the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, which would ban industrial farms from using seven classes of antibiotics that are important to human health unless animals or herds are ill, or pharmaceutical companies can prove the drugs' use in livestock does not harm human health. The pharmaceutical industry and agribusiness face the difficult challenge of developing antimicrobials that work specifically against animal infections without undermining the fight against bacteria that cause disease in humans. But we don't have the luxury of waiting any longer to protect those at risk of increasing antibiotic resistance." Donald Kennedy, a former commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration, is a professor emeritus of environmental science at Stanford.

Climate Change Compounds Ethiopia's Food Crisis. By Aaron Maasho, AFP, November 14, 2009. "Twenty-five years after a scathing famine killed a million people in the Horn of Africa nation, Ethiopia announced last month that more than six million required food relief out of a population of about 80 million. The government appealed for 159,000 tons of food aid worth 121 million dollars to feed its hungry population. Official figures also indicate that nearly 80,000 children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition and that nine million dollars is required for moderately malnourished children and women. Although none of Ethiopia's six national droughts since 1984 have been as devastating, aid groups say the grim prospects of food shortages will linger for years to come due to climate change. Average temperatures in Ethiopia are predicted to rise by 3.9 degrees celsius by 2080, Oxfam said, making drought the norm, hitting the region in up to three in every four years in the next 25 years.'"

More Oversight Sought for Hydraulic Fracturing. By Kate Howell, Greenwire, November 4, 2009. "Environmentalists are beefing up efforts to increase regulation of a controversial oil and gas drilling technique as interest grows in tapping vast natural gas fields across the country. Environment America today released a report [How Natural Gas Drilling Threatens Drinking Water [PDF, 17 pp] calling for increased protection of drinking water as natural gas production grows. And earlier this week, environmental groups appealed a Pennsylvania decision that would allow a new wastewater treatment plant to dump hundreds of thousands of gallons of treated gas drilling wastewater into the Monongahela River each day. At issue is the hydraulic fracturing drilling process, a decades-old technique that blasts a mix of water, chemicals and sand or plastic beads into compressed rock to open cracks and release trapped oil or gas. Hydraulic fracturing has been used for decades to improve production at aging wells and has recently been used to tap unconventional shale reservoirs like the Barnett in Texas, Marcellus in Appalachia and Haynesville in Louisiana."

Rapid Change Threatens Foundations of Human Health - Report. By Douglas Fischer, The Daily Planet, November 5, 2009. "Rapid changes already underway to the Earth's climate, ecosystems and land cover threaten the health of billions, undermining key human life-support systems and threatening the core foundations of healthy communities worldwide, according to a new report [The Threat to Human Health] released Wednesday. The disruption represents the greatest public health challenge of the 21st century and leaves poor populations mostly in developing nations most vulnerable - even though they contribute the least to many of the problems. The report was published jointly by the Worldwatch Institute and the United Nations Foundation, two nonprofit organizations working on global policy... The report outlines a series of public health threats - food and water scarcity, altered distribution of infectious diseases, increased air pollution, natural disasters, and population displacement - that collectively threaten large segments of the human population. But most of the death and disability from these threats is fundamentally preventable, Myers said, if the political will can be mobilized to take strong, concerted action. The report was released the same day developing countries said they risked 'total destruction' unless the rich stepped up the fight against climate change to a level that even the United Nations says is out of reach. The comments came from Barcelona, where the final preparatory talks are taking place before next month's climate meeting in Copenhagen."

Falling Global Fertility. Commentary, The Economist, October 29, 2009. "Fertility is falling and families are shrinking in places -- such as Brazil, Indonesia, and even parts of India -- that people think of as teeming with children. As our briefing shows, the fertility rate of half the world is now 2.1 or less -- the magic number that is consistent with a stable population and is usually called 'the replacement rate of fertility'. Sometime between 2020 and 2050 the world's fertility rate will fall below the global replacement rate... Today's fall in fertility is both very large and very fast. Poor countries are racing through the same demographic transition as rich ones... In some countries the speed of decline in the fertility rate has been astonishing. In Iran, it dropped from seven in 1984 to 1.9 in 2006 -- and to just 1.5 in Tehran. That is about as fast as social change can happen... The Malthusians are right that the world's population is still increasing and can do a lot more environmental damage before it peaks at just over 9 billion in 2050. That will certainly be the case if poor, fast-growing countries follow the economic trajectories of those in the rich world... Easier access to family planning, especially in Africa, could probably lower its expected peak from around 9 billion to perhaps 8.5 billion. Only Chinese-style coercion would bring it down much below that... If population policy can do little more to alleviate environmental damage, then the human race will have to rely on technology and governance to shift the world's economy towards cleaner growth... Falling fertility may be making poor people's lives better, but it cannot save the Earth. That lies in our own hands."

UN. Reports 1 Billion People Hungry. AP, October 14, 2009. "A record 1 billion people worldwide are hungry and a new report says the number will increase if governments do not spend more on agriculture. According to the U.N. food agency, which issued the report, 30 countries now require emergency aid, including 20 in Africa. The trend continues despite a goal set by world leaders nine years ago to cut the number of hungry people in half by 2015. 'It's actually a world emergency that calls for action from both developing and developed countries,' said Otive Igbuzor, the head of international campaigns for Action Aid International. 'We know a child dies every six seconds of malnutrition,' he said. Spiraling food prices have added to hardships, especially in the world's most desperate countries where the poor could barely afford a single daily meal to begin with."

The Great Drought: Disaster Looms in East Africa. By Daniel Howden, The Independent UK, October 3, 2009. "Rotting carcasses testify to the scale of the disaster looming in East Africa. No rainfall for three years has left the Kenyan landscape strewn with animal carcasses...Carcasses of cattle and camels are strewn about the burnt red dirt in every direction. Siridwa Baseli walks out of the haze along a path of the dead and dying. He passes a skeletal cow that has given up and collapsed under a thorn tree. A nomad from the Rendille people, he is driving his herd in search of water. He marks time in seasons but knows that it has not rained for three years: 'Since it is not raining there is no pasture,' he says. Only 40 of his herd of sheep and goats that once numbered 200 have survived. Those that remain are dying at a rate of 10 every day...Across East Africa an extraordinary drought is drying up rivers, and grasslands, scorching crops and threatening millions of people with starvation. In Kenya, the biggest and most robust economy in the region, the rivers that feed its great game reserves have run dry and since the country relies on hydropower, electricity is now rationed in the cities."

The World's Growing Population Poses a Malthusian Dilemma. By David Biello, Scientific American, October 2, 2009. "By 2050, the world will host nine billion people... and that's if population growth slows in much of the developing world. Today, at least one billion people are chronically malnourished or starving. Simply to maintain that sad state of affairs would require the clearing (read: deforestation) of 900 million additional hectares of land, according to Pedro Sanchez, director of the Tropical Agriculture and Rural Environment Program at The Earth Institute at Columbia University. The bad news beyond the impacts on people, plants and animals of that kind of deforestation: There isn't that much land available. At most, we might be able to add 100 million hectares to the 4.3 billion already under cultivation worldwide."

Agents of Change in New York City. Greenpeace International, September 20, 2009. "Four courageous, inspirational women from around the world are in New York right now to urge President Obama and heads of state from over 100 countries to take action against climate change. These women have either lost their homes, jobs or food supply to flooding, droughts and other disasters. But they are taking action to rebuild their lives and they are now speaking out for their communities -- their family. They are from Mississippi, Uganda, Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands in the Pacific. In facing incredibly desperate situations -- all of them have developed a strong voice for action climate change... Meet Sharon [Katrina survivor, video, 2:54 min], Constance [from Uganda, 1:42 min], and Ula [from Cook Islands, 1:52 min] who explain why they have come to New York this week as world leaders gather to discuss climate change."

Why I Still Oppose Genetically Modified Crops. Commentary by Verlyn Klinkenborg, YaleEnviro360, September 17, 2009. "This is a deeply troubling time for agriculture, as even a quick scan of the headlines reveals. Soaring food prices in the poorest parts of the world, soaring profits in the richest, ongoing -- and wholly unnecessary -- subsidies, growing competition between food and non-food crops, the list goes on and on. To Americans, the continued resistance to genetically modified crops in other parts of the world may look Quixotic, a refusal to accept a done deal. But it is more than resistance to a type of seed. It is also resistance to a model of agriculture whose failings are all too plain." Verlyn Klinkenborg is a member of the editorial board at the New York Times, where he regularly writes editorial opinions about rural life.

New Federal Food Safety Regs Threaten Community Agriculture. By Lynn Byczynski, Yes!, September 20, 2009. "When the spinach contamination epidemic was happening in the fall of 2006, and supermarkets were pulling spinach from their shelves under order from the FDA, many local produce growers experienced a sharp increase in sales. Customers didn't stop eating spinach and other leafy greens --instead, many went to their farmers' market to buy local... As the local food trend has gained momentum in recent years, it has become apparent that consumers want local food not just because it's fresher and tastes better, but because they believe it's safer and more wholesome than industrial food. And so it is ironic and disturbing to know that the federal government's current push to improve food safety could threaten the viability of America's small farms. Farmers are in danger of being overwhelmed by recordkeeping, fees, inspections, and infrastructure requirements -- unless Congress, the USDA, and the FDA pay attention to the least powerful (though most popular) members of our agriculture community: local farmers."

Oxfam: Poor Countries Could Face Dire Consequences If Aid Funding is Diverted to Climate Change Adaptation. Oxfam,September 16, 2009. "A new Oxfam report has today warned that at least 4.5 million children could die unless world leaders deliver additional funds to help poor countries fight the growing impact of climate change, rather than diverting it from existing aid promises. The warning comes as world leaders prepare to join President Obama at his first United Nations address on climate change, at next week's Climate Summit in New York on 22nd September. The meeting will be followed by the G20 Summit [in Pittsburgh] on the 24th September, where climate finance will be high on the agenda. With only Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK in support of additional funds, Oxfam is concerned that December's climate negotiations in Copenhagen could fail, unless action is taken now by Heads of State. The report, Beyond Aid [PDF, 32 pp], also warns that at least 75 million fewer children are likely to attend school and 8.6 million fewer people could have access to HIV/AIDS treatment if aid is diverted to help poor countries tackle climate change. Without at least $50 billion a year in addition to the 0.7% of national income rich countries have already pledged as aid, recent progress toward the Millennium Development Goals could stall and then go into reverse… 'Funds must be increased -- not diverted -- to help poor countries adapt to climate change and this cannot be seen as a two for one deal by politicians.' [according to] Jeremy Hobbs Executive Director, Oxfam International."

Mexico Experiences the Worst Drought in Six Decades. By Elizabeth Malkin, NY Times, September 13, 2009. "As the end of the four-month rainy season approaches Mexico City, it has finally begun to rain. But the daily downpours, which have overwhelmed the city's drainage network and flooded subway stations, arrived too late. Mexico is enduring its worst drought in six decades. Crops are drying up in the fields and water is being rationed in the capital. Residents of poor neighborhoods have hijacked water trucks, and there are other signs of social tensions building. El Niño, a weather pattern that warms water in the Pacific Ocean and leads to changing weather around the Pacific Basin, is causing the drought, Mexican officials say. [Climate-change is widely considered to be a factor in this drought and others around the world]. Some of Mexico's neighbors have been grappling with similar problems. Guatemala declared 'a state of calamity' last week, because the drought has caused shortages of staples like corn and beans... About 70% of Mexico City's water is now pumped out of the [underlying] aquifer at a rate more than twice as fast as rainfall is able to replenish it."

Paul Ehrlich Announces New Initiative: Seeking 'Rapid Change' in Human Behavior. By Douglas Fischer, Daily Planet, September 5, 2009. "Frustrated and disappointed by society's inability to tackle pressing environmental dilemmas, Stanford ecologist Paul Ehrlich on Friday announced a new endeavor aimed at rapidly turning human behavior toward a more sustainable future. Called the Millennium Assessment of Human Behavior, or MAHB (pronounced 'mob'), the venture seeks to link a broad array of seemingly unrelated human activities that endanger humanity's future -- from racism to climate change, loss of biological diversity, water shortages, declining food security, economic justice and pollution. The hope, Ehrlich said, is that by making these larger connections, more effective solutions can be found... The problem, Ehrlich said, is clearly not a need for more natural science. Rather, it is the need for a better understanding of 'human behaviors and how they can be altered to direct humanity toward a sustainable society before it is too late.' Organizers envision the MAHB as a global conference, involving scholars, politicians and a diverse spectrum of stakeholders - from media and industry to religious communities and foundations. Organizers also hope to encourage a 'global discussion' about human goals and to explore ways to steer cultural change toward creation of a more sustainable society."

Achieving 'Food Democracy'. The Nation, September 8, 2009 issue."'Food democracy' has become the rallying cry of an emerging grassroots movement. It certainly sounds good -- but what exactly does it mean? 'Eating local,' as more and more people strive to do, is part of it. At the most basic level, though, food democracy requires a transformation of the food industry, so that workers and consumers can exercise control over what they produce and eat. As the Small Planet Institute defines it, 'Food democracy means the right of all to an essential of life -- safe, nutritious food. It also suggests fair access to land to grow food and a fair return for those who labor to produce it. Food democracy concerns itself with the future as well: It implies economic rules that encourage communities to safeguard the soil, water, and wildlife on which all our lives and futures depend.' The vision is compelling, but how can it be made concrete? What are the obstacles to democratizing the food system, and how can they be overcome? For this forum, we asked five leading figures of this country's food movement to reflect on how food democracy can be achieved, here and now. Their responses follow... Dave Murphy: An American Right to Food... Alice Waters: A Healthy Constitution... Dan Barber: Why Cooking Matters... Grace Lee Boggs: Detroit's 'Green Revolution'... LaDonna Redmond: Food is Freedom."

Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food. By Bryan Walsh, Time, August 26, 2009. "With the exhaustion of the soil, the impact of global warming and the inevitably rising price of oil -- which will affect everything from fertilizer to supermarket electricity bills -- our industrial style of food production will end sooner or later. As the developing world grows richer, hundreds of millions of people will want to shift to the same calorie-heavy, protein-rich diet that has made Americans so unhealthy -- demand for meat and poultry worldwide is set to rise 25% by 2015 -- but the earth can no longer deliver. Unless Americans radically rethink the way they grow and consume food, they face a future of eroded farmland, hollowed-out countryside, scarier germs, higher health costs -- and bland taste. Sustainable food has an élitist reputation, but each of us depends on the soil, animals and plants -- and as every farmer knows, if you don't take care of your land, it can't take care of you." Check the article's many links.

World Water Week Conference Addresses Climate Issues. By Malin Rising, AP, August 21, 2009. "Thousands of scientists and experts urged world leaders Friday to include strategies for global water management in the planned Copenhagen climate agreement. Participants at the World Water Week conference said climate change will severely affect water supplies and poorer countries need support to help them adapt. Scientists at the weeklong conference also demanded more effective use of water across borders and called for better cooperation between officials involved in land and forest management, climate questions and water issues. Friday's appeal ended a weeklong conference of more than 2,500 scientists, politicians and officials in the Swedish capital."

Air Pollution Reduces Rain in China. LiveScience.com, August 17, 2009. "Air pollution in China has cut the amount of light rainfall by 23% over the past 50 years, a new study finds. The cause: Particles in air pollution cause smaller drops of water to form, and smaller raindrops have a harder time making rain clouds. The result: Bad air could hamper the country's ability to grow food. It is the first such study to link pollution to altered climate that can directly affect agriculture."