News
Good News About the Environment
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/opinion/environment-climate-technology.html
Dangers of Nuclear Power
"In August 2020, a nuclear reactor near Cedar Rapids , Iowa, similar to the Fukashima reactors, was hit by a derecho wind blast of 130 mph. It came close to disaster. Nuclear power technology is subject to natural events (storms, floods, earthquakes, tides, rising seas, droughts diminishing access to cooling waters, etc....) , terrorism, being targets that would spread deadly radiation in a war , hubris, greed for the power of having the technology to build a nuclear bomb and having the ability to enrich uranium or plutonium for nuclear bombs, and the blinders of not seeing ones own prejudices and goals for power and pretending to be free of mistakes. It is inextricably linked to the design and production of nuclear bombs and the lust for the power of having nuclear bombs. It also is tied to the need for the status of being powerful. It is also a technology that centralizes authority, is secretive, protects its own hierarchy of experts, covers up its own errors, and opposes free speech and open discussion of reality. TEPCO, GE, the NRC, the DOD are all like the Maginot line, the British in WWI planning on cavalry attacking machine guns, the charging of cavalry against machine guns-top down certainty of ones own rightness." I am guiity of the same certainty.
Many leaders in science often speak up against the dangers they perceive after they discover something ( Pugwash (Atiyah, Rotblat), Linus Pauling, Leo Szilard, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Einstein,....
Climate Chaos and other Human- Caused Unintended Consequences
Under a White Sky:the Nature of the Future interview Elizabeth Kolbert in her new book visits cases where humans have "shot themselves in the foot" and examines whether attempts, such as geoengineering to block the sun and cool the planet, are crazy or better than not doing anything. She goes into the problems of rabbits and cane toads displacing many creatures in australia and of canals allowing invasive species such as zebra mussels to spread. -
Scientists now consider using genetically modified gene drives to wipe out introduced species such as mice, rats, cats, snails, or goats that are themselves killing off native rare species such as albatrosses, ducks, which have evolved on islands and have no adaptation to survive the introduced species. What could possible go wrong?
NPR's Science Friday 3-12-21.
Astounding Movie on Toxic Oil, Coal, and Utility Companies AND Citizens Winning Against them
"Power Trip" by Jonathan Scott shows how big energy companies dominate legislators, politicians, and courts to maintain their monopoly high prices. They shut down local independent energy, roof-top solar, net metering, and independent competitors. They harm people through their high prices, pollution, and corrupting influence. Coal miners get black lung disease, solar pv installers and companies are shut down, and poor people live next to coal and oil burning utilities, that dump heavy metals, toxic particles, and carcinogenic solvent into the air and water. But the people win when they organize. For example, first the utility in NV used lies to win a ballot to shut down local competition. But they pissed off people so much that the the citizens came back and forced the governor to change and to support local solar energy. Also, In FL citizens beat back the lies of the FL utility company and defeated a ballot that would have shut down the solar industry. The industry framed it all in lies, misstatements, and misdirection- with lots of TV ads posing as grassroots and minority citizens worried about "subsidizing solar" and costs, when in reality the utility companies harm low income people with high prices and pollution.
Covid Virus Cripples Medical Staff and Takes Advantage of Weaker and Lower Income people
Ed Yong on covid- inequality, bad health, poor access to healthcare, bad prison system, less jobs all contribute to severity of covid in lower income and people of color people.
Health care workers are exhausted and stressed
Also he tweeted that there is a 12 day lag time in hospitaliztion after testing positive- so the hospitalization rates go up 12 days after increases in positive tests
Ed Yong On How America's Inequality Made Us More Vulnerable to COVID-19 | Code Switch | NPR
•Sep 10, 2020
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