They only need a few thousand more signatures for this to go to Obama. Any help welcome, thanks. If you are unfamiliar with the impacts of such things take a look at Vieques in Puerto Rico. Michael
https://www.change.org/p/united-states-department-of-defense-do-not-use-the-inhabited-us-islands-of-tinian-pagan-as-a-high-impact-bombing-range
This pernicious issue is so devious, underhand, and anti-democratic. The article is a very thought provoking read, but still raises more questions than answers. Of note in Europe is that yesterday the EU postponed a vote on the TTIP: part of the reason is that over 2 million people signed a petition to their MEPs telling them not to support this US hegemonic deal. I urge everyone to keep the pressure on the parliamentarians. This story tells us why 🙂
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/10/obscure-legal-system-lets-corportations-sue-states-ttip-icsid
This short article touches on why we cannot achieve much in our world. The two most vocal powers are determined to do as little as possible. But why? Simple! It interferes with their abillity to make a profit. At the heart of the matter it has only ever been about money: but it is clear that capitalism ~ and the deliberate destruction of our planet to fuel that paradigm ~ has failed. The climate meeting in Paris this December is likely to achieve very little indeed 🙁
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/uk-and-us-main-barriers-to-addressing-climate-change-survey-finds-10303279.html
As California succumbs to its 4th year of drought ~ state legislators decreed citizens must reduce water consumption by 30% on 2013 levels; this came into force on 1st June 2015. Some of you will be aware that California’s reservoirs usually get topped up during the springtime melting of snow & ice on the mountains ~ there wasn’t any!
The Guardian story speaks for itself: the only thing that surprised me was paying someone else to dig up your lawn. Bizarre! Grab a shovel and go outside yourself.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/04/california-lawns-drought-tolerant-succulents
A useful article on China’s wetlands. I liked the fact that they report the impacts of human activities, such as Three Gorges dam, whereas western media tries to pretend we have no impact. Another article says that China has 10% of world’s wetlands.
http://english.cntv.cn/2015/05/19/VIDE1432040282288536.shtml
Another disturbing happening. Not good news for those us familiar with these processes, especially Rio Tinto and Abbott. Business first. Does anyone have direct knowledge of the place?
This will no doubt raise passions on both sides of the fence as it always does. Anyway I’d like us to think about it, and to provide underpinning evidence to support each argument. Please think deeply about it. Thanks, Mike 🙂
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/19/zambia-to-lift-ban-hunting-lions-leopards-big-cats
: White Beach, Philippines – Alamy
Some useful information here. Also take a look at the other paper on extreme weather linked from the article below.
Good paper by Julia Gillard, also links off it to some others. How different this is from those terribly weak Millennium Development Goals. We now need something as strong for Biodiversity 🙂 Mike
Two interesting articles here. China has always been capable of long-term planning, and more recently with creating rapid change (e.g. building a new city a month). So if these stories are correct, then well done to China. That also begs another question: why is Tony Abbott’s government in Australia stiil so keen on massive new coal mines?
