In U.N. Speech, Pope Francis Blasts "Selfish and Boundless Thirst for Power and Material Prosperity" | Democracy Now!

In U.N. Speech, Pope Francis Blasts "Selfish and Boundless Thirst for Power and Material Prosperity"

– Speaking at the United Nations today, Pope Francis called on world leaders to protect the Earth. He said, "In effect, a selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged ... The poorest are those who suffer most from such offenses, for three serious reasons: They are cast off by society, forced to live off what is discarded and suffer unjustly from the abuse of the environment. They are part of today’s widespread and quietly growing 'culture of waste.'"

more / full transcript:
In U.N. Speech, Pope Francis Blasts "Selfish and Boundless Thirst for Power and Material Prosperity" | Democracy Now!

see also:
Pope Francis demands UN respect rights of environment over 'thirst for power' | World news | The Guardian

The Leap Manifesto | A Call for a Canada Based on Caring for the Earth and One Another

We start from the premise that Canada is facing the deepest crisis in recent memory. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has acknowledged shocking details about the violence of Canada’s near past. Deepening poverty and inequality are a scar on the country’s present. And Canada’s record on climate change is a crime against humanity’s future. These facts are all the more jarring because they depart so dramatically from our stated values: respect for Indigenous rights, internationalism, human rights, diversity, and environmental stewardship...

more/sign:The Leap Manifesto | A Call for a Canada Based on Caring for the Earth and One Another

NRC drops cancer study. Does it matter? | GreenWorld

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) last week abruptly ended a study that it had commissioned from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) that was purportedly being set up to determine whether cancer rates near nuclear reactors are higher than elsewhere and thus, supposedly, whether there is reason to be concerned about routine reactor operation.

Well, we actually already know the answer to that question. Studies from Europe, as we’ve reported, show that cancer rates, especially among children, are definitely higher near nuclear power facilities. The biggest culprit appears to be refueling of reactors–an operation necessary every 12-18 months depending on the particular reactor’s cycle. When the top is taken off the reactor vessel to allow access to the core, and extraordinarily radioactive fuel rods are taken out of the core and moved to fuel pools, extremely high levels of radiation are freed from the reactor vessel. And some of that radiation does manage to get out into the environment.

Reactor containments are robust buildings, but they’re not as solid as perhaps they look. There are large numbers of penetrations–places where pipes and electrical wires come in and out of the building–that provide a much easier escape route for radiation than through several feet of concrete. That radiation is, of course, toxic. And the European studies show that it kills.

Reaction to the NRC’s announcement, even among clean energy groups, has been widely varied. Beyond Nuclear was outraged. The Radiation and Public Health Project said it was a good thing, since any study by the NRC would be set up to show nothing...

MORE: NRC drops cancer study. Does it matter? | GreenWorld

Tracking Trees: How An Amazon Indigenous Community Is Using Technology to Fight Illegal Logging - Greenpeace USA

For the Ka’apor people of Brazil, protecting the Amazon rainforest isn’t just about climate change or wildlife. It’s about survival.

READ: Tracking Trees: How An Amazon Indigenous Community Is Using Technology to Fight Illegal Logging - Greenpeace USA

What is the Scariest Object in the World?

the single scariest thing isn’t something caused by nature. This Hell on Earth was man made and it’s called the Elephant’s Foot

...According to readings taken at the time, exposure to the still-hot molten mass could cause certain death is minutes. The radiation level was measured at 10,000 roentgens per hour. It takes about 1/10th of that to kill a person. This meant that:

• * After 30 seconds of exposure, you would suffer dizziness and fatigue within a week.
• * After two minutes of exposure, your cells would begin to hemorrhage.
• * After four minutes, you would suffer vomiting, diarrhea and fever.
• * And after five minutes in its presence, you would only have two days to live.
• * An hour would expose you to radiation of the equivalent of over 500,000 chest x-rays...

read: Articles - What is the Scariest Object in the World? - Hit the News

see also:  

WHATS UP

 RC'S NUCLEAR BLOG • NO NUKES! | RE-TOOL NOW

Hijacking conservatism in the renewable energy wars | News & Observer

There is a war on energy, but the target is not coal, it is wind and solar energy

The attack dogs in this war are funded by Koch Industries and include Americans for Prosperity, American Energy Alliance and the American Legislative Exchange Council

Right-wing groups seek to bolster certain subsidies by attacking others, rig the market in the name of preserving it, stifle freedom while pretending to promote it and encourage waste and inefficiency – all the while pretending to support free market principles.

more: Hijacking conservatism in the renewable energy wars | News & Observer

Report: Extravagant CEO Pay Packages Are Fostering Planet's Destruction | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community

Report outlines how sky-high payouts and pervasive "short-termism" are promoting reckless climate behavior from fossil fuel executives

read: Report: Extravagant CEO Pay Packages Are Fostering Planet's Destruction | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community