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IN TODAY'S AUDIO REPORT: Obama on Mt. Rushmore; Monsanto lobbyist moves to FDA; Bald eagles move to D.C.... PLUS: Today In Arizona Wingnuttery!...All that and more in today's Green News Report!
Got comments, tips, love letters, hate mail, evidence the world is only 6,000 years old? Drop us a line at GreenNews@BradBlog.com or right here at the comments link below. All GNRs are always archived at GreenNews.BradBlog.com.
IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (links below): Wind energy myths debunked by two new reports, while T. Boone Pickens drops plans for world's largest wind farm; Bad news for Arctic ice from NASA ... PLUS: 7 Surprising Sources of Indoor Air Pollution and How to Eliminate Them --- Do you know what's affecting your indoor air quality?
Info/links on those stories and all the ones we talked about on today's episode follow below...
- Greenpeace members charged in Mount Rushmore G-8 protest
(CNN) - Group of 8 Agrees On a Ceiling for Temperature Rise; Broader Carbon Proposal Is Rejected (Washington Post) [emphasis added]:
Leaders meeting here for the Group of Eight summit said they would pledge to keep temperatures from rising more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above average levels of more than a century ago, before large-scale industrial pollution occurred.Temperatures have already risen by nearly half that amount, leaving little wiggle room. It was unclear what mechanisms, if any, would be adopted to enforce the target.
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"The failure to make any progress towards resolving the deep split among the G-8 countries on the emissions-cuts need by 2020 is troubling," said Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists. ". . . In short, the G-8 summit reflects a tremendous missed opportunity." - UN Secretary General Rebukes G8 Nations for Weak Climate Change Commitments (Treehugger.com)
- UK PM Brown in G8 crunch talks on climate (UK Press Association) [emphasis added]:
But the G8 group of major industrialised powers now faces a tough challenge to secure agreement from emerging economies to accept caps on their own fast-increasing carbon use if the world is to reach the overall 50% cut in emissions believed necessary by the middle of the century to hit the 2C target.China and India believe that the lion's share of any self-restraint must be shown by the western nations which have contributed most to global warming by their use of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution.
- Monsanto’s man Taylor returns to FDA in food-czar role (Grist.org) [emphasis added]:
As for Taylor, here’s my take: Despite massive marketing budgets, the food industry has become widely distrusted over the last several years, with high-profile outbreaks a major reason.
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The industry knows it needs an improved safety system; technocrats like Taylor can deliver a marginally improved food safety system while preserving profit margins and market share.
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But what we really need is a food safety system that takes the shit out of industrial meat and the salmonella out of peanut butter, without dumping on small producers. And I don’t think Taylor will deliver that—or even try. - Mr. Monsanto In Charge of Food Safety? Seriously, Obama? (La Vida Locavore.org, 3/19/2009)
- A List of Corporate Lobbying by Jill Richardson (First quarter 2009) (Organic Consumers Association.org) [emphasis added]:
I know everyone's aware of the problems lobbying poses to our country, but good lord, if people saw the sheer magnitude of it (and the comparatively paltry amounts spent in the people's interest) they would be outraged. So here goes. Here's the list of the top 100 (ranked by amount spent on lobbying in Q109). Enjoy.
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Biotech
36. Monsanto: $2,094,000 - Consumer confidence in food manufacturers plunges, says survey (Food Navigator.com): New research from the United States suggests that consumer confidence in food companies has plummeted after less than one in five said they trusted firms to develop and sell healthy products.
- BE HEARD: CONTACT the Obama Administration:
Office of Public Engagement: email or call 202-456-1111;
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 - Arizona is 6000 years old? (Discover Magazine.com):
'GREEN NEWS EXTRA': More green news not covered in today's audio report... See below!
- New reports debunk wind energy myths: Two new studies show the grid can cope with wind variability and micro-wind turbines can deliver significant carbon savings (BusinessGreen.com)
- Pickens Calls Off Plans For Vast Texas Wind Farm (Washington Post):
[Jay Rosser, a spokesman for Pickens's BP Capital Management:] "The timing is not as aggressive as he originally outlined because of the collapse of the capital markets and because of the steep downturn of natural gas prices." (Many utilities are choosing natural gas to generate electricity.)Rosser said Mesa Power was also unable to borrow $2 billion for transmission lines to link the wind farm to the Texas grid. "Now we're going to wait for the state to put the transmission [lines] in, which will invariably be slower than what we were planning," Rosser said.
- Arctic ice thinned dramatically since 2004: NASA (Reuters)
- Surprising Sources of Indoor Air Pollution and How to Eliminate Them --- Do you know what's affecting your indoor air quality? (Planet Green)