USA

Hawaii's Big Island hit by drought and record wildfires

04/08/21

Author:

Caleb Jones

Link:

Traffic was backed up for miles on Waikoloa Road and Queen Kaahumanu Highway after a mandatory evacuation was ordered as a wildfire approached the Waikoloa Village area in Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2021. Photo by Associated Press/ Chelsea Jensen/West Hawaii Today

August 3rd 2021

Firefighters have gotten more control over a wildfire in Hawaii that forced thousands of people to evacuate over the weekend and destroyed at least two homes on the Big Island, but officials warned strong winds Monday could raise the danger again.

Authorities have lifted evacuation orders but warned they could be reinstated at any time and that people should be ready to go.

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Omar's Guaranteed Income Bill Aims to Meet Basic Needs for All

02/08/21

Author:

Kenny Stancil

Link:

Common Dreams

"For too long we have prioritized endless growth while millions are homeless, hungry, or without healthcare," Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said on July 29, 2021. (Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

July 30, 2021

With New Guaranteed Income Bill, Omar Proposes Sending Most People in US $1,200 Per Month - "We as a nation have the ability to make sure everyone has their basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare met," said the Minnesota Democrat.

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Social

USA

California Insurers Abandon Farmers in Face of Wildfire Risk

30/07/21

Author:

The Energy Mix

Link:

The Energy Mix

fields on fire - Daria Devyatkina/Flickr

July 29, 2021

In yet another sign that our current systems are poorly equipped for the demands of climate change, California farmers are being left unprotected as insurance companies raise premiums and drop renewals to compensate for the increasing risk of wildfires.

“Nobody knows for sure how many farm owners have lost coverage, but what’s clear is that the trend has sent shock waves through California’s agricultural regions,” writes Grist.

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Weak Regulation Drives Down Wages in U.S. Renewables Sector

30/07/21

Author:

The Energy Mix

Link:

The Energy Mix

Members of Louis Bull Tribe and Iron & Earth collaborate on a solar installation project - Green Energy Futures/DSF

July 29, 2021

Wages for U.S. renewable energy workers stack up poorly against their coal and gas counterparts, casting doubts on President Joe Biden’s vision for a green sector that rebuilds the middle class.

“On its current trajectory, the green economy is shaping up to look less like the industrial workplace that lifted workers into the middle class in the 20th century than something more akin to an Amazon warehouse or a fleet of Uber drivers,” writes the New York Times.

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'Alternative' energy and less energy

We Need a Big Cross-Union National Strike Fund

30/07/21

Author:

Hamilton Nolan

Link:

In These Times

St. Vincent nurses on strike in Massachusetts, February 2021. (PHOTO BY JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

JULY 27, 2021

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Washington state county is first in US to ban new fossil fuel infrastructure

30/07/21

Author:

Oliver Milman

Link:

The Guardian

The Tesoro oil refinery in Washington state. Photograph: Kevin Schafer/Getty Images

July 28, 2021

Whatcom county’s council passed measure that bans new refineries, coal-fired power plants and other related infrastructure

A county in Washington state has become the first such jurisdiction in the US to ban new fossil fuel infrastructure, following a lengthy battle over the impact of oil refineries on the local community.

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Category:

'Alternative' energy and less energy

The July 11 Protests in Cuba

29/07/21

Author:

Ailynn Torres Santana

Link:

The Bullet

July 27, 2021

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Category:

Global

Social

USA

Video shows salmon injured by unlivable water temperatures after heatwave

29/07/21

Author:

Hallie Golden

Link:

The Guardian

Red lesions and white fungus on the salmons’ bodies are the result of high water temperatures and stress. Photograph: Conrad Gowell/Courtesy of Columbia Riverkeeper

July 27, 2021

A conservation group recorded the video after a heatwave in the Pacific north-west on a day when water temperatures breached 70F

Salmon in the Columbia River were exposed to unlivable water temperatures that caused them to break out in angry red lesions and white fungus in the wake of the Pacific north-west’s record-shattering heatwave, according to a conservation group that has documented the disturbing sight.

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