Fracking, "safe" setback distances around drilling sites and health risks in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania – SkyTruth

Fracking, "safe" setback distances around drilling sites and health risks
Mapping potential “drill out” scenarios in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania – SkyTruth

Mapping potential “drill out” scenarios in Allegheny County, Pennsylvani

Mapping potential “drill out” scenarios in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania – SkyTruth

10 Reasons to Feel Hopeful About Climate Change in 2019 | Sierra Club

In 2018, hurricanes, floods, fires, and droughts wreaked a level of destruction on the planet that, according to scientists, is just a taste of what is to come. In October, the International Panel on Climate Change issued a report stating that we have about 12 years to avoid catastrophic climate change. Meanwhile, global greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high in 2018. So is it still reasonable to hope that we can wean ourselves off fossil fuels in time to avert global calamity?

SUNRISE MOVEMENT PROTEST INSIDE THE OFFICE OF REPRESENTATIVE NANCY PELOSI | PHOTO BY MICHAEL BROCHSTEIN/SIPA USA (SIPA VIA AP IMAGES)

10 Reasons to Feel Hopeful About Climate Change in 2019 | Sierra Club

One Earth Climate Model | The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

A state-of-the-art climate model, funded by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and released by the prestigious scientific publisher Springer Nature, offers a roadmap for meeting -- and surpassing -- the targets set by the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement, proving that we can solve the global climate crisis with currently available technologies. The book, entitled Achieving the Paris Climate Agreement, was the culmination of a two-year scientific collaboration with 17 leading scientists at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), two institutes at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the University of Melbourne’s Climate & Energy College.

One Earth Climate Model | The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

Exclusive: Trump EPA won't limit 2 toxic chemicals in drinking water - POLITICO

The Trump administration will not set a drinking water limit for two toxic chemicals that are contaminating millions of Americans' tap water, two sources familiar with the forthcoming decision told POLITICO.

While EPA has decided against a drinking water limit, the draft chemical plan does include a decision to list those two chemicals as hazardous under the Superfund law.

Exclusive: Trump EPA won't limit 2 toxic chemicals in drinking water - POLITICO

World's 26 richest people own as much as poorest 50%, says Oxfam | Business | The Guardian

Not sustainable - lots of environmental, justice and equity problems due to this absurd, immoral and unethical accumulation of wealth and resources...

 The Oxfam report says that between 2017 and 2018 a new billionaire was created every two days. Photograph: Bloomberg via Getty Images

World's 26 richest people own as much as poorest 50%, says Oxfam | Business | The Guardian

Accelerating changes in ice mass within Greenland, and the ice sheet’s sensitivity to atmospheric forcing

'The only thing we can do is adapt': Greenland ice melt reaching 'tipping point,' study finds







Accelerating changes in ice mass within Greenland, and the ice sheet’s sensitivity to atmospheric forcing

Reverse Osmosis Confirmed as Safe, Effective and Affordable Method to Filter out Cyanobacteria and the Microcystin Toxin

University of Toledo Professor and Chair of Chemical Engineering and Water Purification Expert G. Glenn Lipscomb confirms in an email to me sent today that good multi-stage Reverse Osmosis (RO) filter systems costing around $200 to install (often even less) and $60 per year for replacement filters are the method of choice to reliably clear Cyanobacteria and the microcystin toxin from your drinking water - and that the expensive NSF certified filters are NOT necessary. There is no excuse to resort to bottled water and contribute to the dangerous plastic pollution of our planet. Below is Prof. Lipscomb's email that I share with his permission.

Tom,

I am sorry to hear you are experiencing water quality problems. I know how frustrating and infuriating it can be.

I cannot guarantee the quality and efficacy of all RO systems that are available for point-of-use treatment at home. However, the ones we tested provided excellent removal of microcystin – to non-detectable levels.

We still are preparing the papers from the work. The thesis of the graduate student who performed the work, Neelam Jagani, is available here: https://etd.ohiolink.edu/pg_10?0::NO:10:P10_ACCESSION_NUM:toledo1524844338053604. I also attached a PDF copy.

Hope things improve soon,
Glenn

G. Glenn Lipscomb
Professor and Chair

Chemical Engineering
University of Toledo
3048 Nitschke Hall (MS 305)
1610 N Westwood Ave
Toledo, OH 43607

Tom Wassmer: I am more than happy to help Adrian residents and businesses with locating the right RO system free of charge.

Update, Good system at just $176:
https://www.abt.com/product/130329/APEC-Water-Essence-5-Stage-50-GPD-Reverse-Osmosis-Drinking-Water-System-ROES50.html

Toxic Secrets: The town that 3M built - where kids are dying of cancer

Katie Jurek was 19 years old when she was told the osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer, had returned. She could amputate her leg or die within three months.




'Bombarded with it': Katelyn O'Connell is one of at least 21 Tartan High School students diagnosed with cancer during their primary, middle or high school years or within 10 years of graduating.CREDIT:DAVID BOWMAN



Toxic Secrets: The town that 3M built - where kids are dying of cancer

Certain Dental Flosses Raise Body Levels of Toxic Chemicals

Flossing teeth could increase the body's levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) — widely used chemicals linked to a number of diseases and certain cancers — warn US researchers.

Changing daily behaviors could reduce exposure, they say.

Certain Dental Flosses Raise Body Levels of Toxic Chemicals

The battle on the frontline of climate change in Mali - BBC News

Everything about Mami exudes exhaustion. Her round brown eyes are pools of sadness, and her bulbous body throbs with pain.



"First, armed groups attacked nearby," she explains in a tired voice as we sit on plastic matting, five young children nestled close to their mother in Mali's fabled city in the sand Timbuktu.



"Then the rains came, and did the rest."



The worst rains in 50 years in northern Mali washed away their entire crop.



Those rains poured through the cracks in her mud home caused by an explosion an armed group set off.





Mali is lurching between drought and flood



The battle on the frontline of climate change in Mali - BBC News

Reverse Osmosis - Affordable Solution for Adrian's Water Issues

The current water situation should be another reason for restaurants, bars, coffee shops and other food related businesses and affluent residents to invest in an under the sink Revers Osmosis System. It also provides peace of mind about hexavalent chromium, lead, chlorine and chlorine organics products in chlorinated water, and many other pollutants that could occur.
RO systems can be purchased from many places at bargain rates of $100 to everyday rates of $250. Filters need to be replaced every year for about $60. Compare this to the price for 1 year of unregulated bottle water producing plastic waste polluting the environment.. No brainier and no excuses!

The link below supports RO as a solution during the Toledo water crisis:

https://www.toledoblade.com/local/2016/08/29/Reverse-osmosis-seen-as-solution-for-toxin.html

A good source for an RO system is:

https://www.uswatersystems.com/

Immediate fossil fuel phaseout could arrest climate change – study | Environment | The Guardian

Scientists say it may still technically be possible to limit warming to 1.5C if drastic action is taken now



|
 The study found there is a 66% chance of staying below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels if immediate action is taken. Photograph: Alamy



Immediate fossil fuel phaseout could arrest climate change – study | Environment | The Guardian

BBC News: Australia swelters through record-breaking heatwave

The country has just experienced five of its 10 warmest days on record, meteorologists say

Insect collapse: ‘We are destroying our life support systems’ | Environment | The Guardian

Scientist Brad Lister returned to Puerto Rican rainforest after 35 years to find 98% of ground insects had vanished

 El Yunque national forest in Sierra de Luquillo, Puerto Rico. Photograph: Stuart Westmorland/Corbis/Getty Images

Insect collapse: ‘We are destroying our life support systems’ | Environment | The Guardian

The Lancet: Diet and food production must radically change to improve health and avoid potentially catastrophic damage to the planet | EurekAlert! Science News

Feeding a growing population of 10 billion people by 2050 with a healthy and sustainable diet will be impossible without transforming eating habits, improving food production, and reducing food waste.

THESE ARE DIETARY TARGETS BASED ON A 2,500 KCAL/DAY DIET. view more 

CREDIT: THE LANCET

The Lancet: Diet and food production must radically change to improve health and avoid potentially catastrophic damage to the planet | EurekAlert! Science News

7th Environmental Documentary Series: What Lies Upstream - Water Pollution

The 7th Environmental Documentary Series starts this Wednesday, January 16, 7 pm, at Siena Heights University’s Adrian Campus, Science Building, Room 131. The timely feature given the water situation in Adrian is: What Lies Upstream, running time: 84 minutes, topics: water, pollution, toxic chemicals.

More details about the film can be found on the Documentary Series’ website:

http://sustainability.sienaheights.edu/environmental-documentaries.html

#YouthvGov Webinar: Juliana v. United States of America - A lawsuit being brought by 21 youth plaintiffs against the United States

From Wikipedia:
Juliana, et al. v. United States of America, et al. is a lawsuit filed in 2015 that is being brought by 21 youth plaintiffs against the United States and several of its executive branch positions and officers, also formerly including President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama. The plaintiffs, represented by the non-profit organization Our Children's Trust, include Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, the members of Martinez's organization Earth Guardians, and on behalf of future generations represented by climatologist James Hansen. Some fossil fuel and industry groups were also initially named as defendants but were later dropped by a judge at their request.

The lawsuit asserts that the government violated the youths' rights by allowing activities that harmed the climate and sought the government to adopt methods for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The lawsuit is at the leading edge of an area of environmental law referred to as "atmospheric trust litigation", a concept based on the public trust doctrine and international responsibility related to the government's control over natural resources in the interest of public benefit. While previous lawsuits in a similar vein have been dismissed by U.S. courts, Juliana v. United States gained attention in 2016 when U.S. District Court of Oregon Judge Ann Aiken upheld the idea that access to a clean environment was a fundamental right, allowing the case to proceed. Since then, the government has sought to dismiss the case for various concerns, which has delayed the case's hearing at the district court level. The trial is currently on hold pending disposition of the government's interlocutory appeals of certain pre-trial rulings by Judge Aiken.

Webinar details below


YouthvGov

Just a reminder that on January 9th and 10th our organizing team will host a short webinar for those interested in becoming Volunteer State Organizers. The webinar will provide updates on the Juliana case, specify how exactly volunteer organizers can further the #youthvgov campaign goals, and talk through next steps. Please join us on Wednesday, January 9th at 5pm (PST) or Thursday, January 10th at 12pm (PST) to learn more about Juliana v. United States and how you can get more involved in our efforts for meaningful climate action.*

Please take the time to read over our Organizing Toolkit before the webinar for important background information.

* Note: these webinars will be the same – attend whichever works better for your schedule.

January 9th Webinar:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/263616495

Phone: +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 263 616 495
International: find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/armGurtB7

January 10th Webinar:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/852337224

Phone: +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 852 337 224
International: find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aojf9VcA

Your hard work and support up to this point has been invaluable. We look forward to working with all of you more closely in 2019!

Best,
The OCT Organizing Team

--
From the Organizers at Our Children's Trust
ourchildrenstrust.org
360-389-0460

Our mailing address is:
Our Children's Trust
P.O. Box 5181
Eugene, OREGON 97405