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When I began Schwartzreport my purpose was to produce an entirely fact-based daily publication in favor of the earth, the inter-connectedness and interdependence of all life, democracy, equality for all, liberty, and things that are life-affirming. Also, to warn my readers about actions, events, and trends that threaten those values. Our country now stands at a crossroads, indeed, the world stands at a crossroads where those values are very much at risk and it is up to each of us who care about wellbeing to do what we can to defend those principles. I want to thank all of you who have contributed to SR, particularly those of you who have scheduled an ongoing monthly contribution. It makes a big difference and is much appreciated. It is one thing to put in the hours each day and to do the work for free, but another to have to cover the rising out-of-pocket costs. For those of you who haven’t done so, but read SR regularly, I ask that you consider supporting it.
Stephan: Here is at least the potential for a major restructuring the environmental protection, and I support it strongly. The earth must be seen as a metasystem, not the property of some tinpot psycho like Trump in the U.S. or Bolsonaro in Brazil. Bolsonaro permitting the destruction of the Amazonian forest in his country is having effects throughout the world, just as Trump's attempt to open Alaska to mining and forest cutting will affect people across the planet.
Deforestation in Brazil
An expert panel of top international and environmental lawyers have begun working this month on a legal definition of “ecocide” with the goal of making mass ecological damage an enforceable international crime on par with war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
“The time is right to harness the power of international criminal law to protect our global environment.” —Philippe Sands QC, University College London
Assembled by the Stop Ecocide Foundation at the request of several Swedish parliamentarians, the initiative to criminalize the destruction of ecosystems at the global level has already garnered support from European countries as well as small island nations highly vulnerable to rising sea levels.
The drafting panel is co-chaired by Philippe Sands QC, a professor at University College London, and Justice Florence Mumba, a former judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The November 20 launch date of the project coincided with the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders, where the terms “crimes against humanity” and “genocide” were coined.
“The time is right,” Sands said recently at an event commemorating the Nuremberg trials, “to harness […]
Stephan: I have been telling readers for years that water is destiny. As sea levels rise getting safe potable drinking water in coastal areas is going to become ever more complicated. Here is a report that explains one of the reasons I say this.
The Delaware River flows under the Delaware Memorial Bridge, near Wilmington. Credit: ALAMY
The Delaware River, a major source of drinking water for Philadelphia, is facing an emerging threat as rising seas push saltwater farther upstream. It’s a problem that other places, from Miami to Shanghai, will also confront, especially as increasing drought lowers river flows.
t the Delaware Memorial Bridge, about 35 miles southwest of Philadelphia, the tidal waters of the Delaware River estuary push upstream with every incoming tide but are opposed by the river’s downstream flow. For years, this balance has kept salty water well away from intakes that supply drinking water to millions of people in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey.
With the so-called salt front in its normal range, some 40 miles downstream from the intakes, any threat to the region’s water supply has seemed distant. But the combination of sea level rise and the expectation of reduced downstream flow as a result of climate change-related droughts have raised new fears that the region’s biggest source of drinking water could at some point […]
Steve Macek & Andy Lee Roth, , Professor of Communication and Media Studies at North Central College - truthout
Stephan: American corporate media has all sorts of problems, but none of them are what Trump and the Trumpers believe. This article presents the corporate media reality.
Close to 73 million people voted for President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, and millions of these voters believe his false claims that the election was stolen. The hashtag “#StoptheSteal” has been tweeted a couple million times, and several thousand Trump supporters recently gathered in Washington, D.C., for a “Million MAGA March.”
The event prompted White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany to tweet that a million people marched in support of the president, echoing claims of a previous Trump press secretary, Sean Spicer, who, back in January 2017, wildly exaggerated the size of the crowd at Trump’s inauguration. Former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway defended Spicer’s claim as a simple matter of “alternative facts.”
Why do so many Americans accept Trump’s claims of electoral fraud or his spokespersons’ blatantly false assertions as truth? Widespread distrust of the news media is at least part of the answer. Well before the 2020 election season began, Trump spent much of his presidency demonizing the press as “the enemy of the people” and dismissing any reporting, reporters or news outlets he disliked […]
Angelina Chapin, Senior Writer - The Cut/New York Magazine
Stephan: Trump, the Republican Party, FOX, and the rest of the alt-right media working together have brainwashed a large segment of the American population who literally cannot distinguish fantasy from reality. This has many implications for the country's future, but this is one of the saddest effects.
In the spring, Michelle Schultz had a particularly difficult COVID-19 patient. The man, who was in his 60s, had come to the emergency room short of breath a few days before. Even though his oxygen levels were pretty low, he refused medication and wanted to leave the Indiana hospital without a mask on. The nurse and some of her colleagues tried convincing him to stay, but the man insisted he felt fine. Besides, he said, COVID-19 is a fake virus hospitals are using to make money. As he put on his MAGA hat and walked out the door, she worried about what would happen next. Would he infect others? Would he go to bed and not wake up?
“We never have had people who thought we were lying to them,” said Schultz, who asked to be identified by her middle name to protect her privacy. “It feels like the public doesn’t trust us anymore.”
On November 14, a South Dakota nurse named Jodi Doering wrote a viral Twitter thread about her experience treating COVID patients in intensive […]
Stephan: I think John Kerry is a good choice to oversee America's response to climate change. He has a long history of integrity, an exemplary record of handling negotiations, and an established commitment to fostering wellbeing. I take his appointment as good news.
John Kerry, Biden’s pick to oversee America’s response to climate change. Credit: Kevin Lamarque /Reuters
In a flurry of new cabinet appointments on Monday, the Biden transition team announced that John Kerry — a former secretary of state and key player in crafting the Paris climate agreement — will take over the crucial role of presidential special envoy on climate change.
Kerry will get a seat on the National Security Council, the chief body responsible for planning foreign policy and military matters. It’s the first time anyone on the council will be focused solely on the climate, and the latest sign that President-elect Joe Biden intends to use the tools of foreign policy — and not just executive actions at home — to combat global warming.
“The big question has been, ‘How serious is the new administration about climate change?’” said Nathaniel Keohane, senior vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund. “This is a tremendously important signal. It says that the Biden administration is committed to making climate change front and center in terms of how we engage with the world.”
Adriana Brasileiro Miami Herald, - Bakersfield.com
Stephan: In a world where the economy has only one priority and that is profit, with little or no concern for the environmental impact of that worldview, who cares about plastic waste and what it does to the wellbeing of the earth? No one, because there is no profit in it. And this is what happens.
Sea turtle trapped in plastic waste Credit: World Animal Protection
In Florida, a critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was entangled in a plastic bag that had become filled with sand. The plastic bag had wrapped around the turtle’s neck, which likely led it to drown or suffocate.
In another Florida case, a recently hatched sea turtle was found with two plastic balloons in its gastrointestinal tract, causing a blockage that potentially led to the animal’s death.
Balloons, plastic bags, recreational fishing line and food wrappers are killing thousands of marine animals as they eat plastic items that later perforate internal organs, or become entangled and drown, Oceana said in a new report.
The conservation group surveyed dozens of government agencies, organizations and institutions to paint a grim picture of the impact of plastic on marine mammals and sea turtles in the United States. Oceana compiled data on plastic ingestion and entanglements, and called the growing plastic problem “an unfolding disaster” for marine animals in U.S. waters.
“Single-use plastics are simply everywhere, so this was an attempt to quantify the damage to marine […]
Stephan: In contrast to the previous story here is what one might do with plastic waste if fostering wellbeing were your first priority. And I think it is notable that the technology has begun in Norway, a country which has made fostering wellbeing its culture's first priority..
Artist’s impression of an Othalo community, imagined by architect Julien De Smedt. Credit: Othalo
One billion homes could be created from the world’s plastic waste.
The Othalo project will create demonstrator homes for Kenya, Cameroon and Senegal.
160 million affordable homes are needed in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
Since 1950, more than nine billion tonnes of plastic have been produced globally, of which only 9% is recycled, according to building tech company Othalo, while almost a billion people live in slums.
It has partnered with UN-Habitat – the United Nations program for human settlements and sustainable urban development – to create components to build three demonstration homes to help tackle Africa’s housing shortage.
“In sub-Saharan Africa alone, the immediate need for low-cost housing is 160 million units,” the company says.
This is expected to increase to 360 million by 2050 as a result of rapid urbanization. But with today’s plastic waste, Othalo believes […]
Stephan: Here is a first report on what I see as an emerging technology trend. Ford is taking a different path, and I see it as good news.
Yes, we’re talking about Ford the automaker, and a massive mixed-use, multimodal development project centered around a train station.
Many automakers have been dabbling in micromobility and autonomous vehicles as they try to prepare for the transport transformations of the 21st century rather than crumble underneath them. But a 30-acre walkable community centered around a train station is something else.
Naturally, Ford is working with others on this project, but it is the project lead. It puts the Michigan Central Station at its core. Renovation of Michigan Central Station is a years-long project, but one that must be exciting and breathing new life into people in the area, as the station has been closed since 1988! Michigan Central will also be a hub for innovation and a new economy. Around 5,000 people are expected to work in the district. “Ford will transform a set of abandoned elevated railroad tracks into a mobility platform – an open, versatile landscape where Ford and its innovation partners can test and showcase emerging technology, including autonomous vehicles and micro-mobility initiatives. It will also provide shared paths for pedestrians and cyclists and gathering spaces for the community, reconfigurable for a variety of […]
