Cowardly Climate Report Urges Business as Usual

- by Shannon Wilson, Eco Advocates Northwest
 
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"214","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"272","style":"width: 222px; height: 126px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left;","title":"Photo: Bellona.org","width":"480"}}]]The National Climate Assessment Report released by the Obama administration in May revealed some harsh truths about the climate chaos our species is facing. However, a studious reading of the report will show that it merely provides cover for business as usual, greenwashes the Democratic Party, and promotes destructive solutions such as turning our remaining natural forests on public lands into bioenergy feed lots for industry.
 
The Obama Climate Assessment asserts that current worldwide emissions of 34 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year can be allowed to peak at 44 billion tons by 2045. This is counterintuitive — and many scientists might say it’s outright insane, based on the information that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other scientists reveal in peer-reviewed research from around the world.

To Win Ohio and Pennsylvania, Obama Must Oppose Fracking

by Alex Lotorto

This morning, I was sipping coffee and watching Sunday morning talk shows with my parents. We talked about the presidential election when my dad muted the commercial breaks that consistently included fossil fuel industry commercials.

My mom put it simply, "I made phone calls, put up posters, and worked at the [Obama] campaign office in 2008. I won't do that again if he supports fracking. He needs to protect our clean water, public health, and well-being."