Cactus-inspired material cleans oily water

ORIGINAL: BBC
By Simon Redfern Reporter, BBC News
6 August 2013

Oil spills may be cleaned using a method inspired by cactus needles

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Arrays of tiny copper spikes can clean oil from water, mimicking the way cacti pull water out of desert air.

Chinese researchers had noticed that cone-shaped cactus spines harvest water from air pushing it to their base.

Copying Nature's design, they used conical copper needles to separate tiny oil drops from dirty water - a problem existing methods struggle with.

The scientists, who are based in Beijing, have reported their results in the journal Nature Communications.
 
“Nature has perfected methods over the years and this group has done a great job at figuring out how to put it all together” Stephen Michielsen Professor, North Carolina State University

The discovery points the way to a new method for addressing environmental problems like oil spill clean up, with the artificial spines capturing microscopic droplets of oil underwater, continuously transporting them to the base of the sheet of spikes.

Last year, researchers from Beijing reported the discovery that the conical needles of the "bunny ear" cactus, Optunia microdasys, can collect water from the air.

Droplets of water coalesce on its barbed spines and are then driven to the spine base by the interaction between the shape of the spine and the surface tension of the water droplet.

They now report that synthetic spines are capable of separating and collecting oil droplets out of water in just the same way, and have made a synthetic "cactus skin" of needles that do exactly that.

While oil and water don't mix, if very small droplets of oil co-mingle with water it becomes almost impossible to separate the droplets out of the water again - an example is homogenised milk, in which tiny fat droplets stay suspended in the milk forever.

Describing their method, Lei Jiang, leader of the research project, said: "We fabricated needle arrays. Each conical needle in the array is a little oil collection device. The arrays can collect micron-sized oil droplets from water continuously and effectively." Microscopic bed of nails

The synthetic needles are half a millimetre long, and will remove tiny micron-sized droplets of oil from water, which are very difficult to separate out by any other method. In tests they found that hexagonal arrays of these needles could separate around 99% of oil mixed with water.

Arrays of needles 0.5 mm tall can harvest oil from water

The researchers have constructed conical needles made of copper and of a silicone polymer and find that the affinity of the material surface for oil, together with the shape of the cone are crucial in the operation of the device, but that rougher cones are more efficient at harvesting oil from water.

"This excellent piece of work provides a perfect example of first describing an interesting biological system and then taking it one step further by solving an engineering problem." Professor Joanna Aizenberg of Harvard University told the BBC. "It shows not only how we can learn from Nature but also how to apply that knowledge in bio-inspired design.

"It is a beautiful experiment, and seems very effective showing almost complete separation of oil and water. Next, it will require scaling up and testing in field experiments."

The phenomenon relies on the fact that the radius of a cone surface is very small near the tip, and larger further from the tip towards the base. This causes a pressure difference for a droplet at the tip compared to near the base forcing the liquid to move to the wider part of the cone. As a droplet moves along it captures any others on the way, coalescing at the cone's base.

Different types of oil-water mixtures were tested, including vegetable oil, gasoline, and organic solvents mixed with water, and all were successfully separated in the same process.

Structured surfaces can separate mixtures (left) to near pure oil (centre) and water (right)

Copying designs from Nature, or biomimicry, is a growing area of materials technology, and such materials are termed biomimetic.

Professor Stephen Michielsen from North Carolina State University spoke to the BBC and said of the Beijing group: "Their main research area is trying to mimic Nature. In the past they have looked at spiders' webs and at cacti, and now they are using the same concepts to gather tiny tiny oil droplets from water.

"Their method should also work to remove really tiny oil drops from air, which occur when oil gets aerosolised in compressed air. This should be a more efficient method than filters.

"They are very good at observing what Nature does and mimicking it - Nature has perfected methods over the years and this group has done a great job at figuring out how to put it all together."

Previous examples of biomimetic inventions include Velcro fasteners (copying plant burrs that get stuck onto animal fur), the friction-reducing sharkskin swimsuits used at the Beijing Olympics, and artificial photosynthesis employed by some of the latest solar cells.

Payback time for Big Oil?

ORIGINAL: AVAAZ

by Avaaz Team 

11 October 2012 12:59

Maybe oil and justice do mix (George Esiri/EPA)

For decades, Big Oil has ruled supreme in the developing world. When western oil giants like Shell, Chevron and Texaco set up business in Africa, Asia and Latin America, they've throw their money around to get the cheap labour, lax environmental enforcement and legal immunity from local officials and courts.

But now, things may be changing. A pair of groundbreaking legal cases raises hope that the petro barons may at long last be held to account. Added to this: Nigeria's parliament may be about to approve a $5bn fine against serial polluter Shell for a disastrous spill that affected millions.

Game time for Shell

Last month, a court in the Hague heard a case against the oil giant Royal Dutch Shell. It was the first timea major Dutch corporation faced trial in a civil court in the Netherlands for damage caused in another country.

The case was brought by four Nigerian fisherman and farmers, with the support of Friends of the Earth. They are seeking damages for massive pollution caused by spills from Shell oil facilities in Nigeria, which devastated the land and waterways of the Niger Delta and ruined thousands of livelihoods.

Shell had tried to claim that its Nigerian subsidiary is responsible for any claims, so that a lawsuit could be filed only in Nigeria, where Shell's money and political clout could protect the company (although that may be about to change too). But Dutch courts ruled they had jurisdiction and allowed the case to be brought to the Netherlands.

The decision is long overdue. Last year, a damning report from the United Nations Environmental Programme found that over the course of 50 years, oil companies, including Shell, had caused deep environmental damage to the Niger Delta region.

The court isn't expected to rule on the case until next year, but if this case is successful, it could open the door to many others from exploited people all over the world.

Chevron smackdown

Good news, also, from Latin America: after decades of struggle, the people of the Lago Agrio region in Ecuador have just won a huge victory against Chevron, one of the largest oil companies in the world. The US supreme court has decided not to block a judgment from an Ecuadorean court that ordered Chevron to pay $19bn in damages. 

This is the culmination of a 20-year legal battle for justice by the indigenous people of Ecuador who say that from 1964 to 1992, Texaco (recently bought by Chevron) illegally dumped billions of gallons of toxic waste in the Ecuadorean rainforest. In what became known as the "Amazon Chernobyl", the pollution decimated over 1,500 sq miles, triggered a spike in cancer rates and destroyed locals' livelihoods and habitats.

After the group finally won their case in Ecuador, Chevron immediately asked a New York court for an injunction against the decision, which would let them avoid paying any damages. Although initially granted, the injunction was soon overturned by an appeals court.

Chevron, of course, tried to take the case all the way to the US supreme court, hoping that this body would act to protect a US corporation's profits. Turns out they were wrong, leaving Chevron on the hook for the $19bn awarded in damages, one of the most costly rulings against a US company by a foreign court.

Chevron has said it will continue to fight the case. Nonetheless, the supreme court's move is a major blow to Big Oil.

Hope across the world

Real action is also happening outside of the courts. The Nigerian parliament now has a historic opportunity to hold Shell accountable for a massive spill – one of many that happen yearly in the country's once pristine Niger delta. In just days parliament could approve a fine of $5bn for the oil giant.

These are small steps but they are major reasons for hope. Not only will they galvanise the struggle to bring other oil behemoths to account, they should inspire all those fighting against corporate crime around the world.

Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera, UNEP, Democracy Now!, Guardian, Bloomberg, Rainforest Action Network

Make Shell pay

In days, Nigeria's parliament could approve a $5bn fine against giant oil polluter Shell for a spill that devastated the lives of millions of people. This is a watershed moment – but unless we all speak out now, oil giants will crush it. Stand with the people of Nigeria and urge lawmakers to make Shell pay.

TAKE ACTION

How to clean up oil spills

ORIGINAL: MIT

Larry Hardesty, MIT News Office

September 12, 2012

MIT researchers devise a surprisingly simple but effective method for magnetically separating oil and water.

MIT researchers have developed a new technique for magnetically separating oil and water that could be used to clean up oil spills. They believe that, with their technique, the oil could be recovered for use, offsetting much of the cost of cleanup.

The researchers will present their work at the International Conference on Magnetic Fluids in January. Shahriar Khushrushahi, a postdoc in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, is lead author on the paper, joined by Markus Zahn, the Thomas and Gerd Perkins Professor of Electrical Engineering, and T. Alan Hatton, the Ralph Landau Professor of Chemical Engineering. The team has also filed two patents on its work.

In the MIT researchers’ scheme, water-repellent ferrous nanoparticles would be mixed with the oil, which could then be separated from the water using magnets. The researchers envision that the process would take place aboard an oil-recovery vessel, to prevent the nanoparticles from contaminating the environment. Afterward, the nanoparticles could be magnetically removed from the oil and reused.

According to Zahn, there’s a good deal of previous research on separating water and so-called ferrofluids — fluids with magnetic nanoparticles suspended in them. Typically, these involve pumping a water-and-ferrofluid mixture through a channel, while magnets outside the channel direct the flow of the ferrofluid, perhaps diverting it down a side channel or pulling it through a perforated wall.

This approach can work if the concentration of the ferrofluid is known in advance and remains constant. But in water contaminated by an oil spill, the concentration can vary widely. Suppose that the separation system consists of a branching channel with magnets along one side. If the oil concentration were zero, the water would naturally flow down both branches. By the same token, if the oil concentration is low, a lot of the water will end up flowing down the branch intended for the oil; if the oil concentration is high, a lot of the oil will end up flowing down the branch intended for the water.

Orthogonal thinking

The MIT researchers vary the conventional approach in two major ways: They orient their magnets perpendicularly to the flow of the stream, not parallel to it; and they immerse the magnets in the stream, rather than positioning them outside of it.

The magnets are permanent magnets, and they’re cylindrical. Because a magnet’s magnetic field is strongest at its edges, the tips of each cylinder attract the oil much more powerfully than its sides do. In experiments the MIT researchers conducted in the lab, the bottoms of the magnets were embedded in the base of a reservoir that contained a mixture of water and magnetic oil; consequently, oil couldn’t collect around them. The tops of the magnets were above water level, and the oil shot up the sides of the magnets, forming beaded spheres around the magnets’ ends.

The design is simple, but it provides excellent separation between oil and water. Moreover, Khushrushahi says, simplicity is an advantage in a system that needs to be manufactured on a large scale and deployed at sea for days or weeks, where electrical power is scarce and maintenance facilities limited. “The process may seem simple,” he says, “but it is, inherently, supposed to be simple.”

In their experiments, the MIT researchers used a special configuration of magnets, called a Halbach array, to extract the oil from the tops of the cylindrical magnets. When attached to the cylinders, the Halbach array looks kind of like a model-train boxcar mounted on pilings. The magnets in a Halbach array are arranged so that on one side of the array, the magnetic field is close to zero, but on the other side, it’s roughly doubled. In the researchers’ experiments, the oil in the reservoir wasn’t attracted to the bottom of the array, but the top of the array pulled the oil off of the cylindrical magnets.

Leaving the lab

Whether the Halbach array would be the most practical way to remove oil from the cylindrical magnets in an actual oil-recovery system remains to be seen. The researchers also need to determine how much water gets dissolved in the oil, and how it can best be removed. “To our eye, you don’t see much moisture in there, but I’m sure that there is some moisture that adheres to it,” Zahn says. “We might have to run it through multiple cycles.” On a commercial scale, it could make sense for an oil-recovery vessel to perform an initial separation of oil and water and then haul the oil ashore for further refinement.

“This oil-spill problem has not really been worked on intensively that I know of, and of course it’s a big problem,” says Ronald Rosensweig, a former Exxon researcher and a pioneer in the study of ferrofluids who wrote the field’s first textbook. “You could think of separating oil from water by centrifuging or something like that, but in a lot of cases, the fluids are pretty much equal in density: Some of the oil sinks, some of it floats, and a lot of it is in between. The magnetic hook could, hopefully, make separation faster and better.”

Adding nanoparticles to oil mixed with water to produce a ferrofluid aboard a ship should be “no problem,” Rosensweig says. And with a technique called high-gradient magnetic separation, “It’s known that the gradient can pull the particles out of suspension,” he says, so recovering both the nanoparticles and the oil is feasible. “It’s been done on a small scale,” Rosensweig says.

Las regalías, un 'tumbe' de fábula contado por Juan Gossaín

ORIGINAL: El Tiempo

Por: JUAN GOSSAÍN

02 de Agosto del 2012

En Casanare, 42.000 millones fueron a la construcción de 4.000 viviendas.Foto: Fotolia

Gossaín da a conocer un informe de la Contraloría General que detalla cómo ha sido el robo.

Las fantasías se están volviendo realidad: en el Cesar apareció la gallina de los huevos de oro y en las llanuras de Casanare ya se están construyendo las primeras casas en el aire, como lo profetizó Rafael Escalona. Se preguntarán qué pueden tener en común una vivienda imaginaria y un pollo dorado. Pues ambas quimeras se pagan con la plata de las regalías. Oro, petróleo, níquel, carbón, esmeraldas, gas, minas por aquí y yacimientos por allá. Pero ¿dónde está esa plata?

Chiriguaná (Cesar) es una población de 25.000 habitantes. El año pasado le correspondieron 28.000 millones de pesos por regalías del carbón, pero la Contraloría General de la República ya descubrió que hay 20.000 millones refundidos, entre ellos los de las gallinas, y sin contar lo que pagaron por un acueducto que quedó muy lindo, pero no echa agua.

El municipio contrató la instalación de un gallinero para que lo explotaran 20 familias. Pusieron una alambrada, compraron las primeras gallinas con sus respectivos gallos y armaron un galpón. Pagaron por ello 126 millones de pesos. Hagan cuentas, a ese precio, deben ser las gallinas que ponen huevos de oro.

Lo que pasa es que las regalías se han convertido en la auténtica vaca lechera, que no es una vaca cualquiera. Vean el caso de Casanare. Tierra petrolera, recibió en el año 2010 participaciones por valor de 455.000 millones de pesos. Casi medio billón.

De esa plata se destinaron 42.000 millones a la construcción de 4.000 viviendas nuevas y la reparación de otras 3.000. A los contratistas les adelantaron 23.000 millones -más de la mitad del total-, pero cuando llegaron los auditores de la Contraloría solo encontraron 115 casas nuevas y 63 reparadas. Las demás se habían esfumado. La plata también. El incumplimiento fue casi del 98 por ciento.

La historia se repite por donde uno meta el ojo. En Barranca de Upía, en el Meta, agarraron 15.400 millones de las regalías y firmaron catorce contratos distintos con el mismo proveedor, que era el acueducto del pueblo, pero sin haber convocado una sola licitación pública. A lo largo y ancho de Colombia las regalías son el botín favorito de estas aves rapaces.

Coveñas, en las costas de Sucre, es la estación terminal del oleoducto más largo de Colombia, que empieza en Caño Limón, Arauca. En tres años, del 2008 al 2010, Coveñas recibió 51.000 millones de pesos en regalías, pero no hay alumbrado público. Los auditores encontraron 64 irregularidades y se calcula que el daño a las arcas del pueblo llegaría a 35.000 millones de pesos. Se dará traslado de esa situación a Fiscalía y Procuraduría.

Pero ahora es posible saber qué ha pasado con las regalías porque los investigadores hicieron su trabajo en todo el país. Fueron dirigidos por la contralora general, Sandra Morelli, y coordinados por Leonardo Arbeláez, quien acaba de ser ascendido a contralor auxiliar del Sistema General de Regalías.

Descubrieron que el pillaje ha sido de tales proporciones que Coveñas tuvo siete alcaldes en tres años. Algo similar a lo sucedido en el Putumayo, cuyo anterior mandatario, que fue suspendido cuatro veces, decidió que los 50.400 millones de pesos que recibió por regalías en el 2008 no debían invertirse porque era "demasiado riesgo ante la cantidad de pirámides que hay en el departamento".

Picados por la curiosidad, averiguaron dónde fue a parar ese arrume de dinero. Aunque la Gobernación se negó a entregar a tiempo la documentación requerida, Ana María Silva, directora de Vigilancia Fiscal para Minas y Energía, se las ingenió para examinar 61 contratos del Putumayo por un costo de 38.000 millones de pesos. Detectaron varias obras que no fueron terminadas, aunque se pagó su costo; otras que no prestan servicio alguno y 26 casos que requieren investigaciones penales, fiscales, disciplinarias y administrativas.

La batalla de Boyacá

Yo había oído hablar de "obras inconclusas", pero jamás de "obras interminables". Según uno de los investigadores, "son aquellas que se contrataron, se pagaron, se inauguraron, pero no sirven para nada. Obras inútiles".

Boyacá recibe regalías por varios frentes: petróleo, esmeraldas, oro, acero. En un solo año, el 2010, le ingresaron 82.400 millones, de los cuales se refundieron (es un decir: alguien se quedó con ellos) 24.600 millones, que corresponden al 30 por ciento. Y hay casi 2.000 millones más cuyo paradero final se está investigando. En tierras boyacenses se encontraron trabajos que llevan hasta tres y cuatro años suspendidos mientras las obras se destruyen. Los ejemplos abundan. Uno es la carretera Maripí-Muzo, por la cual se le pagaron al contratista 33.000 millones de pesos. El contrato se liquidó hace cinco años, la vía nunca se ha terminado y no presta servicio alguno a la comunidad. Es la misma situación en que se encuentran las inversiones hechas en la planta de tratamiento de agua de Santa Rosa de Viterbo (la tierra del expresidente Rafael Reyes), el centro de salud de Buenavista y las aulas escolares para los estudiantes más pobres.

En la contabilidad departamental del 2008, los contralores descubrieron unos supuestos pagos de anticipos a contratistas que ya habían sido pagados en el 2005. No hay proyectos serios para la ejecución de trabajos ni diseños previos, y se conceden permisos para obras en zonas de riesgo. Las autoridades ni siquiera vigilan el avance de los contratos ni su terminación.

Pero si en Boyacá llueve, en Casanare está cayendo el diluvio universal. Los gobernantes no pudieron recuperar un montón de dinero ocioso que, para ganar intereses, habían invertido en fiducias y en entidades financieras. En vez de hacer hospitales y escuelas, metieron la plata en unos títulos llamados Bonos Yankees. Al final, los vendieron, con pérdida de 23.000 millones de pesos.

El departamento invirtió 8.000 millones de pesos en las bibliotecas públicas de Yopal y Paz de Ariporo. Nunca se concluyeron. A la construcción del nuevo Centro Administrativo Departamental se destinaron otros 17.000 millones. "La obra no cumple con la finalidad para la que fue construida", concluye el informe de la Contraloría General. Como si no fuera suficiente, se descubrieron también dobles pagos y gastos injustificados, todo lo cual ocasionó un menoscabo de 45.000 millones en las finanzas departamentales.

'Sin ánimo de lucro'

Fundado por los indígenas, que inicialmente lo llamaron Calabacito, Albania, un pueblo que tiene 24.000 habitantes, se levanta en el corazón carbonífero de La Guajira, al pie de la serranía de Perijá, cercana a la frontera con Venezuela.

En el 2010, Albania recibió 75.000 millones de pesos por regalías. De inmediato se firmaron 163 contratos por un costo cercano a los 67.000 millones. De esa plata, 21.000 millones les fueron adjudicados a entidades supuestamente sin ánimo de lucro. Según la Contraloría General, "eso les permitió eludir las licitaciones y pudieron hacer contrataciones directas", de manera que los contratistas elegidos fueron unos pocos. "Más que convenios de cooperación, eran auténticos contratos de obras que tenían hasta interventorías propias". Los contratistas recibieron como anticipo el 50 por ciento del valor de cada obra.

Los auditores encontraron en Albania 41 casos dignos de la intervención de autoridades penales y disciplinarias.

En tierras del Huila

En el otro extremo de Colombia, en las arcas departamentales del Huila, se encontró que, en el manejo de las regalías del 2010 hubo un detrimento de 2.500 millones de pesos. En el 2011, se descubrió otro por 7.800 millones.

En Neiva, se invirtieron 14.500 millones en títulos de ahorro, pero existen dudas de que esa operación se haya realizado, porque no aparecieron los documentos correspondientes. "Es probable que haya habido una desviación de los recursos de regalías", dicen los contralores.

Allí mismo, del 2006 al 2011 se invirtieron más de 40.000 millones de pesos en la adecuación del acueducto municipal, pero las obras no están en funcionamiento, no operan las plantas de tratamiento ni los tanques para almacenar el agua, la construcción de las bocatomas está suspendida y los trabajos, abandonados. Esa plata no aparece registrada entre los activos del municipio, que la giró, ni en los activos de las Empresas Públicas, que la recibieron.

Los funcionarios que ordenan el gasto de las regalías en Aipe, a 36 kilómetros de Neiva, son los mismos que lo auditan. Se vigilan a sí mismos. Repican y andan en la procesión. En las cuentas del 2010 fue descubierto un probable faltante por 5.200 millones de pesos en contra del patrimonio público.

Escribí esta nota con una sola mano: con la otra me tapaba la nariz. Con los años nos hemos convertido en lo que algún griego antiguo habría bautizado como una 'cleptocracia': el reino los ladrones. Nuestros muchachos crecen convencidos de que, como en el tango de Discépolo, da lo mismo ser honrado que no serlo. Ojalá, cuando reaccionemos, no sea demasiado tarde.

JUAN GOSSAÍN

Especial para EL TIEMPO

The Long Shadow of the BP Oil Spill Keeps Killing Baby Birds

ORIGINAL: The Atlantic

Julie Dermansky
JUL 12 2012

A Louisiana official says the state's barrier islands are vanishing "like sugar in coffee." That's bad news for the waterfowl whose newly hatched chicks are being washed away.

This common tern chick was washed away by the rising tides of Hurricane Debbie. Many baby birds died during the storm.   Photo: The Atlantic. Julie Dermansky 

Two years after the BP oil spill, Louisiana is still grappling with its aftermath. I saw this firsthand during a recent visit to Cat Island, a barrier island in Plaquemeins Parrish. The oil spill killed the much of the vegetation that serves as a nesting ground for pelicans and other migrating waterfowl. 

A waterlogged barrier island East of Cat Island.   Photo: The Atlantic . Julie Dermansky   

P.J. Hahn, coastal zone manager for Plaquemines Parish, prepares to take a sick egret to the Audubon Zoo to see if it can be saved.   Photo: The Atlantic . Julie Dermansky   

Cat Island's mangrove forests used to be impenetrably dense. You can walk through them with little effort now. Most of the island is underwater. Tree roots used to prevent waves from sweeping away the sand that holds the sediment in place, but with the death of many trees and marsh grasses, there's little habitat left for the nesting birds.

Brown pelicans nestle among the mangrove trees. Photo: The Atlantic . Julie Dermansky

According to P.J. Hahn, coastal zone manager for Plaquemines Parish, Cat Island is disappearing like sugar in coffee. The island rookery serves as a nesting ground to seagulls, spoonbills, and egrets, but it is primarily populated by brown pelicans, Louisiana's state bird. The bird was only recently taken off the endangered species list; now, tragically, its numbers will again dwindle. Hahn estimates that the island has shrunk from four acres to one since the 2010 oil spill.

A project to save Cat Island and Cat Island East will cost the parish at least $1.4 million. The plan is to fortify the island by adding landmass and mangrove trees and protect it with a new 40-acre circular barrier. Shell Oil will provide the bulk of the funding, and Hahn is still actively soliciting donations.

I joined Hahn as he took a geologist and a Manchac Consulting Group team out to survey the area before implementing their plans in September. After tropical storm Debbie blew over, Hahn found only one baby pelican on Cat Island East. The high waters had destroyed many of the nests, killing most of the newly hatched baby birds I had photographed the week before. If a hurricane hits the area this season, it is possible there will be nothing left to protect by the time the barrier is scheduled to be built.

On June 29, Congress passed the Restore Act, which earmarks 80 percent of BP's Clean Water Act fines for Gulf Coast restoration. The federal penalties BP faces range from $5 billion to $20 billion, according to the Times Picayune. Even though the president signed the bill quickly, the funds will come too late to save many birds. But perhaps they will jump-start the fight against coastal erosion elsewhere.

A nest is inundated by the rising waters. Photo: The Atlantic . Julie Dermansky

The brown pelican, Louisiana's state bird, was only recently taken off the endangered species list. Because of the erosion of these sanctuaries, it may soon end up there again. Photo: The Atlantic . Julie Dermansky

Reddish egrets find sanctuary among the thinning reeds.   Photo: The Atlantic . Julie Dermansky   

A great egret perches on a high branch. Photo: The Atlantic . Julie Dermansky

Baby great egrets huddle together in a nest. Cat Island has been named a bird sanctuary and is a nesting ground for many types of migrating water fowl.    Photo: The Atlantic . Julie Dermansky

Baby great egrets huddle together in a nest. Cat Island has been named a bird sanctuary and is a nesting ground for many types of migrating water fowl.

Megaproyectos. SOS emberás represa Urrá

ORIGINAL: SOSColombia

Documental que trata diferentes megaproyectos de multinacionales relacionados con la mineria, las represas y las petroleras. Los efectos sociales y medioambientales son incalculables, provocando desplazamientos y muertes de mucha poblacion indigena, campesina, sindicalistas y activistas de derechos humanos.

Aun hay tiempo de frenar estos megaproyectos que tienen muchas iregularidades y provocan violencia en la zona con la implantacion de paramilitares y del mismo ejercito colombiano que se instala cerca de los megaproyectos para defender a estas trasnacionales.

Si desaparece uno de los pulmones del mundo, que esta en Colombia, desapareceremos tod@s y las consecuencias para el cambio climatico seran ireversibles. 

1,000,000 Strong Against Offshore Drilling

ORIGINAL: Biological Diversity.org

 Photo & Quote http://spilltechnology.com/arctic.html

Shell is getting ready to Drill in the Arctic and assures us not to worry as it can capture 95 % of the oil when it Spills. How will an Oil Spill effect Arctic Wildlife? "The impact of even a small oil spill will be devastating." Click LIKE if u agree > 95% Shell? Really? NOT!

Join over 50,000 Sign PETITION to Stop SHELL 

http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/o/2167/t/5243/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9641

"The oil will accumulate between and under ice floes where sea mammals must pass in order to reach air. Even a very small patch of oil on the fur of a polar bear will poison it by destroying its liver when the oil is ingested while grooming fur. Oil will blind Arctic animals and kill by hypothermia even if only a small patch of fur or feathers are oiled. These are sentient creatures suffering agonizing deaths inflicted by industrial activity."

Article On Action Questioning Shell's safety Claims! 

http://summitcountyvoice.com/2012/05/13/environment-shells-readiness-on-arctic-drilling-challenged/

Shell in Nigeria: "I want to make an appeal to the World. We've no water no hospital no electricity, but Shell keep telling the world that they done so much. Tell the World We are suffering.." WATCH New Video 'Its WORSE Than Bad' http://worsethanbad.org/

'Shell is the vortex destroying the Delta. The vortex will continue until enough pressure is put on Shell to clean up its mess.' Click LIKE if you agree that SHELL should clean UP! But Most of all Sign the Petition to Put PRESSURE on Shell.

PETITION http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/shell-own-pay-clean

Article http://priceofoil.org/2012/05/09/shell-in-nigeria-its-worse-than-bad/

Though Nigeria’s agony dwarfs the Gulf oil spill; the US and Europe ignore it http://eternian.wordpress.com/tag/map-of-nigerias-oil-refineries/

Game over will be the end of the discussion. 

Says NASA Goddard Institute director James Hansen, "If Canada proceeds, and we do nothing, it will be game over for the climate. Canada’s tar sands, deposits of sand saturated with bitumen, contain twice the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by global oil use in our entire history. If we were to fully exploit this new oil source, and continue to burn our conventional oil, gas and coal supplies, concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere eventually would reach levels higher than in the Pliocene era, more than 2.5 million years ago, when sea level was at least 50 feet higher than it is now."

Click 'LIKE' if you and your family a) would rather not be 50 feet under water and b) will do your best to prevent it from happening.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/opinion/game-over-for-the-climate.html

“We know that pumping oil out of the ground does not create many jobs. It does not foster an entrepreneurial spirit, nor does it sharpen critical faculties.” -- Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi 

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is ambitiously planning to source 41,000 Megawatts of solar projects over the next two decades to support one third of its electricity production by 2032. Solar will be directly replacing the oil used by desalination plants and reduce domestic consumption of oil by 520,000 barrels per day.

The plan is part of a larger strategy to scale up various sources of renewable energy, build a new domestic industry, and reduce oil consumption. The $100 Billion program aims to “catapult Saudi Arabia into the group of global leaders in renewable-energy development.”

If the world's largest oil exporter Saudi Arabia can do it, why not the world's largest importer?

[M] 

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/11/482660/saudi-arabia-unveils-100-billion-plan-to-make-solar-a-driver-for-domestic-energy-for-years-to-come/

The Energy Revolution is not just coming, it's here: California alone currently has 524 solar projects over 1 megawatt (MW) — and an incredible 17,707 such solar projects will be on the grid by 2017 (3,373 now under construction, plus 14,334 in the approval process). The latest update from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) counts an extraordinary 17,298 MW of just solar projects on public lands. The growth rate is simply staggering. Let's keep it that way !

Read more here:

http://theenergycollective.com/namarchetti/84381/renewable-revolution-don-t-worry-it-s-coming?

[M] 

ALERT!> While the Energy revolution is coming there are some that would like to Stop it. Today ALEC Brings Lawmakers from 15 States & Big Oil Together To Undermine Clean Energy Initiatives in the US!

"Today, behind CLOSED doors in Charlotte NC, legislators from 15 states will meet with the oil & gas industry to discuss “model legislation” as part of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The result could be laws that handicap renewable energy targets — while creating Loopholes for fossil fuels, written directly by the oil and gas industry itself." Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP, are part of ALEC. (Never hear of ALEC? No surprise "ALEC has attracted a wide range of (corporate) supporters in part because it’s done its work behind closed doors. Membership lists were secret. The origins of the bills were secret." Bloomberg)

Brilliant--RFKJr On ALEC & Saving Our Democracy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsU1tODEOcA&feature=youtu.be

Click >>LIKE<< if you AGREE that there be a separation of OIL & State- Naysayers need to get out of the way- and Let the Energy (R)Evolution Happen!

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/11/482422/today-alec-brings-lawmakers-and-big-oil-together-to-undermine-clean-energy/?mobile=nc

Bloomberg article http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2012-04-24/clean-energy-requirements-targeted-by-alec-norquist.html

"Leave us in peace. We want to live free, breathe pure air. The Creator made this land here so we could live peacefully." -- Pitiur Unti Saant, Achuar elder and leader

Disrespecting local indigenous peoples two North American companies are drilling exploratory wells in the Peruvian Amazon, one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems and home to a number of indigenous tribes - who don't want any of the oil contaminating their lands and hence the companies to leave.

Wouldn't you want the same for your clean home?

Support the campaigns against drilling by

ConocoPhillips and Canada's Talisman Energy corporation:

http://bit.ly/IWCaA9

http://amazonwatch.org/work/achuar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY5xID2t2zQ

[M] 

Indep. Sen. Bernie Sanders has stayed true to his word and just Launched a bill to END FOSSIL FUEL Subsidies with a new legislation that would repeal $113 BILLION of tax-breaks, & handouts for the fossil fuel industry over the next 10 yrs..

The fossil fuel industry is the RICHEST corporate industry on planet Earth, and yet the US tax payer is handing them hefty checks each year...The fossil fuel industry is going to fight back hard using their big $$$. ALL hands on deck! Click LIKE and Share if you agree that Enough is Enough! AND JOIN IN with others to Voice your support:

watch video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3-d-0OSnoU

sign--via 350.org http://act.350.org/sign/

sign --via Bernie Sanders http://www.sanders.senate.gov/

Fracking? Nein, danke (No, thanks) !

Germany has put the brakes on plans to use hydraulic fracturing, a.k.a. fracking, to extract natural gas in places where it is difficult to access, such as shale or coal beds. Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen and Economy Minister Philipp Rösler have agreed to oppose the controversial process for the time being. Local environmental groups in the affected regions fear that the fracking chemicals will pollute the local groundwater and have already set up citizens' initiatives to collect signatures for petitions and organize protests in a bid to block the fracking plans.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-rejects-fracking-to-tap-natural-gas-a-831764.html

News- Another Ocean being open for Deep Sea Drilling. China Begins First Deep Sea Drilling in South China Sea. Philippines claims territorial rights to areas as well.

“The South China Sea has the potential to become the world’s fourth-largest deep-water drilling region, after the so-called ‘GOLDEN Triangle’ of the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil & West Africa,” said a member of Chinese Acad. of Engineering.'

Stay TUNED... Territorial Conflicts? Accidents? the fight for scarcer fossil fuel escalates while the dangers of deep sea drilling rise. Click LIKE if you agree that Drilling for Yet More OIL is NOT the Solution!

http://www.thechinatimes.com/online/2012/05/3404.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-09/cnooc-deploys-oil-rig-as-weapon-to-assert-south-china-sea-claims.html

At this very moment Shell's Fleet of Oil Rigs -Ships are on their way to the ARCTIC to begin drilling in July. Shell's Response plan? Calling in the Oil sniffing DOGS!

"This is an ex. of how we do not have adequate technology to drill in the icey Arctic Ocean - " says Heiman, US Arctic Programme "It is embarrassing that using dogs to sniff out oil is the best technology we have to track oil under ice. Industry needs to invest in research, as well as significantly improve spill response capability in ice, before allowed to drill in ice conditions."

Click LIKE if you agree -- that Big Oil should not EVEN be thinking about drilling in the Arctic while their answer is to call Upon Dogs & sniff tests! AND since-- it seems this is impossible --demand Big Oil forgo drilling in the Arctic all together!

Action- Please sign the petition to demand that legislature be passed by Congress that mandates enforceable regulation on response and safety plan to prevent the BP disaster from happening again in the Arctic!!

www.change.org/petitions/prevent-the-bp-oil-disaster

Action-- letter to Pres Obama-- Stop! http://www.audubonaction.org/

Arcticle- http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/

UK taking steps to meet its Renewable Energy Goal of producing 20 % of electricity via Renewables-by 2020 The government has approved plans for the largest onshore windfarm in England and Wales. With 76 turbines is expected to produce enough energy to power 206,000 homes a year.

What has the US done lately to meet its Renewable Energy Goals? The US has NO official Renewable Energy Goals.

Click>> LIKE<< if you agree that its high time the US join other developed countries in articulating a Renewable Energy Policy with Clearly Set Goals!

"The UK Energy Minister Hendry said "Onshore wind plays an important role in enhancing our energy security. It is the cheapest form of renewable energy and reduces our reliance on foreign fuel. This project will generate homegrown renewable electricity & provide a significant benefits package for the local community,"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/

UK Energy Policy-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_policy_UK

Call to Action: NEW YORKERS AGAINST FRACKING

Rally and All-Star Concert in Albany, NY on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 4:00pm until 7:00pm

Hosted by Oscar-winner Melissa Leo and "The Avengers" star Mark Ruffalo. Official Facebook event and RSVP:

www.facebook.com/events/410718712291328/

Rally at 4:30pm - West Capitol Lawn

Concert at 7pm- The Egg 

A stunning image from a multi-institutional study led by Eric Kort of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows methane, a greenhouse gas 20+ times more potent than CO2, seeping in between the melting Arctic ice cap. Three huge reservoirs of methane hide in the sea, in its marine sediments and in the Arctic tundra. As Earth’s climate warms, all this methane will increasingly be released into the atmosphere. No Wall Street investments, no drilling scheme, no gating of one's community will then be able to save us and future generations: the positive feedback loops triggered will make Earth's climate, biological systems and, way before that, financial markets, completely spin out of control.

The writing is on the wall. Click 'LIKE' if you'd rather see it and act towards its reversal by going for renewables, energy efficiency, and environmental restoration.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD

“Oregon and Washington leaders are faced with a choice between healthy communities with a clean energy future or becoming tied to trafficking coal, the most toxic fuel on earth.”-- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

According to Power Past Coal, Oregon and Washington could become the largest coal traffickers in North America with 150 million tons of coal per year passing through the Pacific Northwest for shipment to Asia. One proposal would send a dozen dirty coal trains through Portland neighborhoods each day. The Columbia River Gorge alone faces up to 30 dirty coal trains per day. Proposed coal export terminals include: Boardman, Clatskanie and Coos Bay in Oregon, and Longview, Grays Harbor and Bellingham in Washington, as well as Alaska.

Click 'LIKE' if you don't think that that 'clean' and 'coal' are compatible.

http://ecowatch.org/2012/hundreds-protest-coal-exporting

Exxon--A Kingdom & ‘PRIVATE Empire’ within the United States. A Biography of “A Corporate state within the American state"

'It's not an understatement to describe EXXON as an INDEPENDENT sovereign" ..It has to a large extent become a finance arm of the Republican Party.."When it wants something from the American govt, it asks, cajoles, bullies, and THREATENS."

But its A US Company right??-- CEO doesnt seem to think so--- CEO Raymond was once asked whether Exxon would build more domestic refineries to protect the U.S. from shortages. “Why would I want to do that?” he said. “I’m not a U.S. company and I don’t make decisions based on what’s good for the U.S.”

Great Video Interview Dem. Now
 http://www.democracynow.org/2012/5/7/exxonmobils_dirty_secrets_from_indonesia_to

Book Review http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/05/06/steve-coll-on-exxonmobil

The Fate of the BP OIL???A STAGGERING amount of BP Oil- SIXTY % --remains unaccounted for says M. Huettel,a benthic ecologist at FLA State Univ.

"It's still just a lot of arm-waving, unfortunately, at this point," Heuttel said "That oil is SOMEWHERE, but nobody knows where, and nobody knows how much has settled on the SEAFLOOR. We really only know the oil we have in hand, that 17 % captured at the wellhead....All the other categories—like oil burned, skimmed, chemically dispersed, or evaporated—are guesses that could change by a factor or two or even more in some cases."

news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/03/120322-gulf-oil-spill-tar-balls

It can be done! - The first trip around the world powered entirely by solar energy was completed on Saturday. No oil needed nor spilled (a.k.a. "operational discharge") . [M]

https://www.facebook.com/PlanetSolar

http://oils.gpa.unep.org/

Q: What is the biggest company pushing for more and unregulated fracking in the U.S. ???

A: ExxonMobil, which in 2010 bought XTO, the largest natural gas company engaged in fracking in the U.S. for $40 billion. Now the biggest player in the industry, EM is seeking to control the emerging regulatory regime for fracking.

Watch the interview with Steve Coll, Pulitzer prize winning journalist and author of "Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power". All you will hear from EM is "No Comment". [M]

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/5/7/exxonmobils_dirty_secrets

http://www.eany.org/images/Reports/outofsight_finalweb.pdf

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/

Breaking! Not pertaining to Off-shore drilling-- but rather In-land drilling----Fracking and Drilling for Gas. Vermont did Not just vote for a Moratorium-- it voted for a BAN! (pending approval of the Gov of Vermont) If Vermont can do it-- Can and Will other States follow? " Click LIKE if you agree that until proven SAFE - fracking should not be allowed.... or in other words >>Banned!

"Fracking has caused water and air pollution in other states, Lyons a Vermonter said. She says the Vermont ban could be lifted someday if studies show fracking is safe. "But right now the industry is not forthcoming with the process and the chemicals that are used. So until we have total knowledge, I think we ought to err on the side of caution," Sounds reasonable.

current.com/technology/93766544_vermont-to-ban-fracking.htm

ecowatch.org/2012/vermont-votes-in-favor-of-fracking-ban-while-blm-falters/

vtdigger.org/2012/05/04/vermont-to-ban-fracking-for-oil-and-gas/ local VT analysis.. 

BP & the Govt have been hiding the truth about the Deepwater Horizon Disaster in the Gulf. Unpublished BP Oil disaster Images Reveal Destruction- Come to Light--- BP needs to be held accountable for the ONGOING death of marine life in the Gulf---over 100 endangered turtles stranded since January 2012 in the state of Mississippi alone! Where the Media?

Click LIKE if you are tired of the Cover up -and SHARE to help continue to expose the truth of the BP oil Disaster in the Gulf.

Click on link 2 c PHOTOS-- www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/07/bp-oil-spill-photos

New rules on procedures of the fracking industry and oversight on public lands were proposed by the Obama administration. Environmental groups say that, unfortunately, outdated regulations have been replaced with 'out of touch' regulations, failing to protect communities and their water from toxic pollution.

For example, companies would get approval before fracking, and be required to reveal the chemicals they use, however, only AFTER they are done. Also, the rules only apply to public lands and would not affect drilling on private land, where the vast bulk of fracking occurs.

Click 'LIKE' if you think the Dept. of the Interior could do much better. [M]

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/04-6

"Connect the Dots" happened yesterday - and the pictures are in! The creativity of thousands of fellow human beings addressing the serious issue of climate change is truly amazing. Take a look at the image gallery for yourselves here: http://www.climatedots.org/.

"Connect the Dots" will keep going and photos be accepted continually:
http://connect.climatedots.org/. [M] 

Off Shore Drilling Cuba--100 miles south of the Florida KEYS 

'A giant floating rig hunting for OIL north of CUBA is now farther west to dig an exploratory well closer to the Gulf Stream that rushes along the S. Florida coast, which would carry an oil slick toward the Keys & Florida's beachfront raising alarms of a threat to Florida's delicate environment & $60-billion tourism industry.' 

But Don't Worry NOAA-and the Coast Guard know all about it and are "Getting Ready for Offshore Oil Drilling in Cuba and the Bahamas" (See NOAA link) Click>> LIKE<< if you are more than a little WORRIED!

response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/media/getting-ready-offshore-oil-drilling-cuba

Article articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-05-03/news/fl-cuba-oil-drilling-turns-west-

www.energydigital.com/oil_gas/tension-exploratory-drilling-in-cuban-waters

Japan says SAYONARA to Nuclear! Click>> LIKE <<if you wish Japan a Successful Journey Towards a SAFE Clean Renewable energy future!! 

May 5th.... "Thousands of Japanese marched to CELEBRATE the switching OFF of the last of Japan's FIFTY nuclear reactors, waving banners shaped as giant fish that have become a potent anti-nuclear symbol.... the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe shattered plans & forced the government to rethink its energy policy, now that the public has become well AWARE of the hazards of atomic power."

www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/hundreds-march-in-japan-against-nuclear-power

www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/world/asia/last-reactor-of-50-in-japan-is-shut-down

ECOCIDE--There is a growing Movement to Consider Destroying an Ecosystem a Crime. "The Earth Needs a Good Lawyer...the Earth Must have the right to Life --to Well being...." says Polly Higgins. a UK Lawyer who has devoted her life to Make Ecocide a Crime. "If Genocide is a Crime-- Why isn't Ecocide?" She asks. 

Watch Intriguing Ted Talk by Higgins where she proposes a new Legal framework to holdCorporations, Govts & those in Decision Making Positions Accountable...

Click >>LIKE<< if you agree that Wiping Out or Severely Damaging an Ecosystem (Ecocide) should have Potent Legal Consequences- Beyond a Fine!

POLLY HIGGINS-- TED TALK ON ECOCIDE. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EuxYzQ65H4

FaceBook page to like and follow>>> https://www.facebook.com/Ecocide

More info-- http://www.thisisecocide.com/

Jobs, jobs, jobs? It turns out that counties with high levels of land conservation create way more jobs than those without. In the last four decades Western non-metro counties with more than 30% of lands federally protected increased jobs by 344%, compared to 80% in counties without. This data contradicts the false assertion of many Western Republican lawmakers that protected public lands are “locked up” by the government and have no value - except for mining, fracking, and clearcutting.

Click 'LIKE' if you support protection of public lands for all of us and future generations to enjoy.

thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/04/476620/jobs-in-rural-western-counties-with-more-than-30-protected-public-lands-increased

“In the North Sea alone we have a potential to economically exploit the offshore resources to cover seven times Europe’s total energy consumption. We wouldn’t have to import fuel if we can tap into that.” No, this statement did not come from an oil 'n gas executive, but from Christian Kjaer, chief executive at European Wind Energy Association. Yes, we can do it - if we insist on change that's good for us, future generations, and the Planet's biosphere!! [M]

articles.marketwatch.com/2012-05-02/industries/31525657_1_offshore-wind-wind-industry-global-wind-energy-council

http://www.ewea.org/

Amory Lovins, energy pioneer and president of the Rocky Mountain Institute (rmi.org) wants us to "Reinvent Fire". The technology for a clean energy future already exists, but its implementation cannot be left to those benefitting from the old system. Listen to his fascinating TED talk and then join the conversation and action. [M]

www.ted.com/talks/amory_lovins_a_50_year_plan_for_energy.html

Fact- There WERE Tens of thousands of People marching down Broadway in NYC, on May Day! 

"Our best hope for real change is a movement created by a fusion of people concerned about environment, social justice, true democracy, and peace into one powerful progressive force. We have to recognize that we are all communities of a shared fate...In the end, the most meaningful changes will almost certainly require a large-scale rebirth of marches, protests, demonstrations, direct action, and nonviolent civil disobedience. Protests are important to dramatize issues, show the depth of concern, raise public consciousness, and put issues on the agenda"

From great article America the Possible: A manifesto by J. G. Speth...link to read more:

www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/6810

Chemicals from hydraulic fracturing a.k.a. “fracking” (some of them carcinogens and/or toxic) have contaminated groundwater in the U.S., 2 studies by the EPA and by an independent hydrology expert have shown. California Assembly Bill 591 would lay the groundwork for protecting Californians. As written, however, a huge loophole would allow the withholding of important information on the chemicals used arguing that such information constitutes a "trade secret."

Click 'LIKE' if you think your drinking water should not contain "trade secrets".

thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/01/474711/independent-analysis-confirms-that-hydraulic-fracturing-caused-drinking-water-contamination-in-wyoming/

www.gaslandthemovie.com/

action.biologicaldiversity.org/p/dia/action/public/

Big Profiteers Bribing Politicians and Bringing Pollution to Biosphere and People: Two years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, BP is reporting profits of $5.9 billion for the Q1 of 2012, 18.5% less than last year, however, a major reversal from 2010. BP has also returned to pre-disaster levels for campaign contributions, with $122,410 in political contributions so far this cycle, 65% of which has gone to Republicans. Its lobbying is much more expansive, with $8.1 million in 2011, and nearly $2.2 million so far this year.

Click 'LIKE' if you agree with Marcellus (in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet') that "something is rotten". [M]

Links:

thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/01/473172/bp-uses-quarterly-profits-for-lobbying

www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/apr/30/bp-new-gulf-mexico-oil-rigs

BREAKING NEWS: another spill in Louisiana, this time 80,000 gallons from one of ExxonMobile's crude oil pipelines. Meanwhile, Exxon posted first quarter profits of $9.45 billion. Any fine is going to be meaningless. [M]

www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/04/oil_pipeline_spills_80000_gall

"We will be known by the tracks we leave behind." 

-- Dakota proverb 

ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE! 

Mayday! Dancing in the Streets! 

"Hundreds of thousands of people across the globe have taken to the streets to mark May Day...In Athens, Jakarta, Madrid, Tunis and beyond...." In the US too-- see below 4 Occupy places--times--4 Stories- to share your own! Click LIKE if you agree that the time is NOW! 

www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/01-2

occupywallst.org/

occupiedstories.com/may-day.html

grist.org/politics/turn-up-the-heat-environmentalists-should-join-occupy-on-may-day/

Are right whales starving? and hence not reproducing? The many possible effects of Climate change... 'The right whales in Cape Cod Bay show signs of malnourishment ...Aerial survey teams have counted only 6 new calves, including one that likely died, apparently from malnutrition. According to scientists, the disappointing numbers could be linked to changes in the animals’ northern feeding groundsbrought on by water that is warmer but also less salty because of melting Arctic sea ice."

The only way to stop these effects is to stop the use of fossil fuels and sprint towards changing to alternative renewable energy...Please Click LIKE if you agree.

www.washingtonpost.com/scientist-worry-that-warming-seas-may-be-harming-the-endangered-right-whale

'If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own.' -- Bay Area news commentator Wes Nisker

Chances are slim for Occupy May Day events, oil spills, and fracking protests to make it into the 22 SECONDS of real news submerged in the average 30 min. "news" show on the "mainstream media" (see link to Bill Moyers interview below).

Thus, make your own news tomorrow and share your photos and videos. Think random acts of kindness and butterfly effects. [M]

billmoyers.com/segment/marty-kaplan-on-big-moneys-effect-on-big-media/

"Why aren’t you young people out protesting the mess that’s being made of the planet?" asks 82 year old conservationist Wilson ...

“Why are you not repeating what was done in the ‘60s? (maybe referring to the 20 Million ppl that showed up for the first Earth Day) Why aren’t you in the streets? And what in the world has happened to the green movement that used to be on our minds and accompanied by outrage and high hopes? What went wrong?”

....Are we really going to let greed destroy the planet? Click LIKE if your answer is NO! See below for Occupy enviro and other actions tomorrow May first!

grist.org/article/e-o-wilson-wants-to-know-why-youre-not-protesting-in-the-streets/

www.care2.com/causes/ows-sustainability-to-host-may-day-teach-ins.html....

occupywallst.org/article/may-day/... 

May First--tomorrow--Occupy Wall Street is calling for a General Strike--no shopping- no working- no banking--- but rather a Day of Learning- and Sharing! OWS is concerned about the environment. There are workshops being organized in Sustainable living. Click >>LIKE<< if you agree that together we must and can find Solutions!

New Orleans- www.occupynola.net

www.care2.com/causes/ows-sustainability-to-host-may-day-teach-ins.html

occupywallst.org/

www.nycga.net/groups/sustainability/

Parts of the Gulf have been found to have eyeless shrimp with blackened gills.......Are they safe to eat?

they dont call oil compounds and chemicals carcinogenic or mutagenic for nothing.. Click LIKE if you think maybe the chief concern should be to find out why they are deformed in the first place... and for testing to be done esp on dispersants-- their effect on marine life BEFORE using them on massive levels. 

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/melissa-harris-perry/47127252#47127252 Dean Blanchard seafood processor in Gulf is interviewed.. 

Two Worldwatch Institute researchers advising the World Bank claim that 51% of global emissions are caused by meat production. They say that past United Nation's studies have severely underestimated the greenhouse gases caused by tens of billions of farm animals in three main areas: methane, land use and respiration." In the meantime, the number of farm animals has doubled between 1970 and 2010, and keeps growing!

Click 'LIKE' if you'd rather reduce your meat consumption than suffer extreme weather and ocean acidification. [M]

More info: www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/study-claims-meat-creates-half-of-all-greenhouse-gases

www.cafothebook.org/

vitalsigns.worldwatch.org/vs-trend/farm-animal-populations-continue-grow

Assemblyman John F. McKeon (D-Essex) is the first state lawmaker to publicly urge President Obama to call off his Administration's plans, announced in March 2010, to open up the Atlantic Ocean to offshore drilling and oil exploration.

""The Jersey shore is the lifeblood of our state's more than $2.5 billion tourism and recreation industry that generates about 72,000 jobs. Seismic surveys and the resultant offshore drilling in the Atlantic seaboard would put our coastal economy in peril."

Clicl 'LIKE' if you agree with assemblyman McKeon. [M]

More here:

www.newjerseynewsroom.com/commentary/mckeon-to-obama-offshore-drilling-puts-jersey-shore-in-peril-oil-and-water-are-deadly-mixThe

P.S.: An extra 'brownie point' to everyone who can identify the two Atlantic shore inhabitants in the photo. 

Seismic Oil exploration to Start Off Atlantic Coast! Public hearing filled with protesters. The objectors said the use of undersea air guns would KILL marine mammals, chase away fish stocks, & threaten endangered Atlantic right whales. Some likened the testing procedures to undersea WARFARE. Offshore drilling sure to follow. Click LIKE-- if you are OPPOSED to Sonar Booming- & to Opening up the Entire East Coast from Delaware to Florida to Big OIL. It wont be Turbines blocking the View-- it will be OIL Rigs!

Report from New Jersey-- www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/blog/bs-gr-atlantic-offshore-testing

POLL to say NO to for Off shore drilling in NC www.wwaytv3.com/poll/do-you-support-off-shore-drilling-for-oil-off-our-coast

Report from Baltimore--www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/blog/bs-gr-atlantic-offshore-testing

The "Big Six Energy Bash" in London on May 3 will protest the Energy Summit of the U.K.'s biggest six energy companies that are monopolizing the market with dirty fossil fuels while leaving the poor in the cold. "The way the energy system is run in this country only works to line the pockets of the big corporations," says organizer Robert Davies of the the Climate Change Collective that seeks to highlight fuel poverty and promote energy democracy.

Click 'LIKE' if you support their protest. [M]

For more info see:

www.facebook.com/ClimateJusticeCollective

www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/27/climate-protest-return-uk

"If only dolphins could vote! So it is up to us to act on their behalf --and for the rest of the voiceless vote-less vital living world." Dr. Sylvia Earle

ACT FOR THE DOLPHINS! Help Restore Dolphin Habitat by sending a message to your members of Congress, urging them to pass legislation $$ 4 Gulf restoration! Let them know we CARE! If not us -who? Sign and Share!

online.nwf.org/site/Advocacy

www.heraldtribune.com/news?Title=Oil-spill-is-prime-suspect-in-hundreds-of-dolphin-deaths

www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/04/baby-dolphin-die-offs-continue-in-the-gulf

Trump is upset b/c Off Shore Wind turbines may block the View of his fancy new Golf Course. He told MP's "Scotland, if you pursue this policy of these monstrous turbines, Scotland will go broke...They are ugly, they are noisy and they are dangerous!" 

Protesters didn't agree- floating balloons saying: 'Wind power, NOT Wind Bags!" Click LIKE if you agree with the Scottish Protesters! Enough with the Wind bags! GO Wind Power! 

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/Donald-Trump-targeted-pro-turbine-protesters

www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/25/Scottish-Parliament-laughs-at-Donald-Trump

National Geographic has beautifully summarized 10 new scientific studies that document the ongoing ugly impact of the Gulf oil spill on its coastal communities, and its flora and fauna. The findings are ranging from outright disastrous (corals) to slightly less than feared decline (bluefin tuna). Marine biologist Carl Safina judges the situation to be getting worse. [M]

news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/04/pictures/120420-gulf-oil-spill-impact-studies/

carlsafina.org/2012/04/23/gulf-blowout-aftermath-two-years-and-worsening/

Alabama to Officially CLOSE Its Gulf Coast Waters to Shrimpers due to recent reports of deformities, eyeless shrimp-a drastic decrease in population and the 'small size of shrimp'... To be closed for scientific testing. Note-update--- officials are now saying due only to size of shrimp not b/c of lesions as they first reported.

"We're continuing to pull up oil in our nets. People who live here know better than to swim in or eat what comes out of our waters." says a Gulf Fisherman.

Click >>LIKE<<to applaud Alabama officials for putting safety and health of people and the fisheries first. 

www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/26/1086617/-Gulf-Coast-Waters-Closed-to-Shrimping

Unfortunately, U.S. leaders are not making the choices necessary for a non-polluting 21st century energy infrastructure. Earth scientist Richard Alley looked at the renewable options incl. the lower costs compared to the current fossil fuel regime. Meanwhile, Denmark, Brazil, China, and even U.S. regions like West Texas and Vermont are moving forward fast on the path of Thomas Edison. Go figure why. [M]

Earth Operator's Manual "Powering the Planet" with Dr. Richard Alley: http://bit.ly/IbsOfK
www.facebook.com/EarthTheOperatorsManual.Page
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"We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature's inexhaustible sources of energy — sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." -- Thomas A. Edison, 1931

This summer, exploratory drilling will begin in the Arctic Ocean unless we stop it. The Arctic must be off limits to oil drilling, for the simple reason that a spill would be impossible to clean up there. The Arctic is home to polar bears, walruses, bowhead whales and other endangered and highly sensitive wildlife; oil drilling in its remote, ice-choked waters would carry unacceptably high risks of environmental destruction and loss of life.

President Obama has given approval to Shell to drill for oil this summer in the vulnerable Arctic. In hopes of uncovering new sources of dirty fossil fuels, Arctic drilling could also unleash more than 11 billion tons of carbon pollution -- making it ever more difficult to stave off devastating climate change.

We have a powerful opportunity now to stop drilling before it spoils the Arctic and its wildlife. Take action now to help us send 1 million messages to Obama asking him to protect one of America's last, best wildernesses and stop Shell's reckless drilling plans. 

Dear President Obama,

Oil drilling in our oceans won't solve the climate crisis. Protect polar

bears, whales, and sea turtles from oil spills. Plan for our future:

-- Stop Shell from risky drilling this summer where oil spill response

is non-existent in the remote, frozen Arctic waters.

-- Cancel lease sales proposed for Alaska's Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.

Risky drilling is not the answer.

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