A vote for the Gas & Oil Party is a signal that you don't care about the biosphere

Jack Gerard, Top Oil Lobbyist, Positioned To Be Key Player In A Romney Administration: "The oil industry is used to pulling the levers of power. For decades, the industry has fought off efforts to combat climate change, first by funding public relations campaigns denying it was happening at all and second by pumping money into the political system to block legislation. The Obama administration has sometimes disappointed environmentalists with its support of "clean" coal and natural gas and its failure to pass climate legislation when Democrats controlled Congress. But the Obama administration has given the fossil fuel industry even more conniptions, by imposing new regulations on emissions and other climate change measures, while giving new financial support to alternative fuels. The White House regularly attacks oil and gas tax breaks worth billions a year and has put new curbs on oil and gas development on federal lands."

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Megastorm vs #climatesilence

Article: ThinkProgress   Photo: Adam Welz

Approaching Megastorm Threatens East Coast - ABC News: "Tropical Storm Sandy was expected to make landfall early Tuesday near the Delaware coast, then hit two winter weather systems as it moves inland, creating a hybrid monster storm that could bring nearly a foot of rain, high winds and up to 2 feet of snow."

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People of Brazil march for free public transit

Dissatisfied with transportation? Come to the March! | MPL Floripa: "But let's not fall for electoral promises nor passively accept anything. Florianópolis has shown several times on the streets, we no longer accept the fare increases and exploitation of transport users. We want a bus system quality and without charge, open to all residents, which guarantees the right to mobility and participation in the city."

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Demand, not supply, drives capitalism

No serious business will expand based on having money to invest. The extra capacity would increase costs. Only when there is demand for that extra capacity will business expand. It seems obvious, but we still hear lots of supply-side talk about giving the "job-creators" more money.

The fossil-fuel industry is responding to very strong demand. Billions of people want to live the sprawl lifestyle. Attacking the fossil-fuel industry is not a solution. We must create an alternative.

If we make cities car-free, clean, and safe, people will choose them over sprawl. The first step is to make buses fare-free.

Saudi Arabia reveals plans to be powered entirely by renewable energy | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Saudi Arabia reveals plans to be powered entirely by renewable energy | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil producer, has plans to become 100% powered by renewable and low-carbon forms of energy, according to an influential member of the royal family."

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Humans are flirting with anoxia and mass extinction

The Great Warming Extinction was Even More Deadly Than Believed « Climate Denial Crock of the Week: "Life about 250 million years ago was hard to come by. In fact, it was nearly non-existent. Scientists, studying why this period, known as the end-Permian event, lasted so long and have found a key ingredient: heat."

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American Newspapers Give Far More Coverage To Climate Deniers And Skeptics Than Other Countries | ThinkProgress

American Newspapers Give Far More Coverage To Climate Deniers And Skeptics Than Other Countries | ThinkProgress: "America is unique when it comes to giving a platform to climate deniers and skeptics.
According to a new analysis of data released last year, American newspapers are far more likely to publish uncontested claims from climate deniers, many of whom challenge whether the planet is warming at all and are “almost exclusively found” in the U.S. media. The study was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters."

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Major China cities seriously considering fare-free buses

Fare-Free New Zealand: "A free bus fare policy has been implemented in Chengdu, capital city of Southwestern China’s Sichuan Province, on the 10th October, which has triggered a heated discussion in Xiamen. "

If China goes to fare-free public transit, it will jump ahead of the world in energy savings and carbon emissions reductions. What a great example for the rest of the world.

Don't owe. Won't Pay. #globalnoise #13o

#October 13 against Debt | paris.reelledemocratie.net | Indignés de Paris: "We from the Occupy / Real Democracy Now / 15M  / AntiDebt movement call for public and private debt resistance and repudiation. Debt resistance includes: fighting for free public education, free healthcare, defending foreclosed homes, demanding higher wages and providing mutual aid. But also a first step to build a new economy, based in the principles of equality, solidarity and cooperation, and not greed, acumulation and competition."

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Chengdu, China, buses are now free. Other China cities want the same thing.

China makes bus travel free to encourage public transport - Indian Express: "The company will continue to improve public transport services by adding bus shuttles and opening more bus routes, among other measures, to cope with increasing demand for public transport, the spokesman for the public transport company said.

Despite the complaints, netizens in other Chinese cities such as Nanjing, Ningbo and Shenzhen called for other cities to usher in such incentives."

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Capitalism walking tightrope of debt and oil-price, but global warming inexorable

Those who are managing the world capitalist system desperately want to de-leverage, but too much too soon causes massive unemployment and revolution. On the other hand, they cannot grow their way out, because energy has become too expensive. Meanwhile carbon emissions and climate disruption just keep rising.

Why we can't bank on recessions to keep global warming in check | Duncan Clark | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "Greenhouse gas emissions rise when economies expand but don't fall as quickly when recession strikes, according to new research that emphasises the risks of relying on economic downturns to keep future emissions in check."

BBC News - Electric cars 'pose environmental threat'

BBC News - Electric cars 'pose environmental threat': "Electric cars might pollute much more than petrol or diesel-powered cars, according to new research."

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Michael T. Klare calls unconventional oil, "tough oil"

The New “Golden Age Of Oil” That Wasn’t By Michael T. Klare: "Shale oil, for instance, is oil trapped in shale rock. It can only be liberated through the application of concentrated force in a process known as hydraulic fracturing that requires millions of gallons of chemically laced water per “frack,” plus the subsequent disposal of vast quantities of toxic wastewater once the fracking has been completed. Oil shale, or kerogen, is a primitive form of petroleum that must be melted to be useful, a process that itself consumes vast amounts of energy. Tar sands (or “oil sands,” as the industry prefers to call them) must be gouged from the earth using open-pit mining technology or pumped up after first being melted in place by underground steam jets, then treated with various chemicals. Only then can the material be transported to refineries via, for example, the highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Similarly, deepwater and Arctic drilling requires the deployment of specialized multimillion-dollar rigs along with enormously costly backup safety systems under the most dangerous of conditions."

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Saudis looking to build more public transit, does that tell you anything?

Alarm bells on the longevity of oil wells in Saudi Arabia | GulfNews.com: "However, Al Sabban considered these reports as a warning bell and urged that Saudi Arabia reconsiders its domestic pricing policy as a key to conserve energy and reduce consumption. He also advocated a programme for public transport within and between cities."

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