Pollution

By Bill McKibben | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | – – Here’s the story so far. We have the chief legal representatives of the eighth and 16th largest economies on Earth (California and New York) probing the biggest fossil fuel company on Earth (ExxonMobil), while both Democratic presidential candidates are demanding that the federal Department of […]

Pollution

Not just the Children of Flint: Has Industrial Society Poisoned Us?

contributors

By David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – “I know if I was a parent up there, I would be beside myself if my kids’ health could be at risk,” said President Obama on a recent trip to Michigan. “Up there” was Flint, a rusting industrial city in the grip of […]

Pollution

While Flint Was Being Poisoned, Gov.’s office sent State Workers Water Coolers

contributors

By Common Dreams staff | ( Commondreams.org) | – – Following release of new document and emails, Gov. Snyder told he must ‘explain to the people of Flint why his administration trucked water into a state building while allowing residents to drink unsafe water’ A newly obtained document and related emails released on Thursday show […]

Pollution

Why Flint’s Tainted Water is a Human Rights Disaster

contributors

By Amanda Klasing, Senior Researcher, Women’s Rights Division | (Human Rights Watch) | – – Nearly two years ago, the city of Flint, Michigan switched to a less expensive water source that turned out to be highly corrosive and led to lead poisoning of many children. Public outrage pushed the government to find a safer […]

Environment

Flint’s water crisis is a blatant example of environmental injustice

contributors

Robert D. Bullard | (The Conversation) | – – Many observers see race and class as factors in Flint, Michigan’s drinking water crisis. Earlier this week Flint’s mayor, Karen Weaver, said, “It’s a minority community. It’s a poor community. And our voices were not heard.” We asked Robert D. Bullard, Dean of the School of […]

Featured

No, Gov. Snyder, Flint’s water wasn’t poisoned by “Government”: It was by your Appointee

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Perhaps it is inevitable but it is a shame that some people are gaming out how to profit politically from the lead poisoning of the children of Flint, Michigan (pop. 99,000). In the state capital, the Establishment is trying to blame the crisis on “government” or […]

Plutocracy

Sanders: Michigan Governor Must Resign over Flint Lead-Poisoning Crisis

contributors

By Common Dreams staff | ( Commondreams.org) | – – Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday called on Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to resign for his administration’s failure to deal with a lead-poisoning crisis that has sickened thousands of children in Flint, Michigan. “There are no excuses. The governor long ago knew […]

Health

People in Lead-Poisoned Flint Still without clean Water

contributors

By Andrea Germanos, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | – – Important Reminder in the Flint Crisis: People Still Have No Safe Water Emergency declared by governor, but there is no city- or state-run distribution of water. “[P]eople knew from the beginning, as soon as the switch was made in April of ’14, that the water […]

Climate Change

Hope: World Economy Grew but CO2 Emissions Slowed in 2015 (Less Coal, more Wind & Solar)

contributors

Pep Canadell | (The Conversation) | – – Despite robust global economic growth over the past two years, worldwide carbon emissions from fossil fuels grew very little in 2014, and might even fall this year. A report released today by the Global Carbon Project has found that fossil fuel emissions of carbon dioxide grew by […]