AltWeeklies Wire
'Global Warring': The Geopolitics of Climate Changenew

The Earth is warming. Fact. Weather patterns are changing. Undeniable. We’re all in a heap of trouble. Uh-huh. And we’re all doing our best to deal with it. Nope. According to Montrealer Cleo Paskal, the world governments are snoozing while the world boils.
NOW Magazine |
Patrick Lejtenyi |
01-29-2010 |
Nonfiction
Joe Lieberman, Connecticut's Surprising Occasional Liberal in Washingtonnew

There's a Connecticut guy in Congress who's taking the lead on extending benefits to same-sex partners of 30,000 federal employees, gets a 100-percent rating from abortion rights groups and has an environmental record that's a tree-hugger's dream. He's Joe Liebrman.
New Haven Advocate |
Gregory B. Hladky |
01-05-2010 |
Commentary
Doing it Green: A Bat Mitzvah Fished from the Recycling Binnew
Two days before Sadie Rapp was set to lead the Chapel Hill Kehillah’s congregation and celebrate her bat mitzvah, her transition to Jewish adulthood, the Rapp’s house was full of repurposed garbage.
The High-rise Haul: Improving Recycling in Philadelphianew
In the civic sport of recycling, pretty soon there will be those who can keep score and those who can't. That's unacceptable. Whether the burden falls on building managers, haulers or both, there's got to be a way for everyone to get into this game.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Bruce Schimmel |
12-29-2009 |
Housing & Development
Plants Along the Houston Ship Channel Loose Tons of Toxic Gases and Face Little Penaltynew

Out of seven toxic leaks, only the smallest received an enforcement citation from the state's regulatory agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. It penalized the plant $20,900 but then reduced the fine to $8,000.
Houston Press |
Chris Vogel |
12-22-2009 |
Environment
Biodiesel Blows Up, but Not in a Good Waynew
Interest in biofuels has sank, a drag for one Seattle start-up called Imperium Renewables, which built a gigantic biofuel-production plant in Grays Harbor County. Earlier this year, the company laid off most of its staff at the plant... and on Wed., Dec. 2, there was a massive explosion there.
Seattle Weekly |
Mark D. Fefer |
12-14-2009 |
Environment
Brentwood's Toxic Grave: Historic Dumping Grounds Finally Get Testednew
After years of promises to complete tests and determine what is really buried there, indications show that the historic Veteran's Administration property has not been well monitored. A disturbing collection of abandoned soldiers’ tombstones have sat for months.
L.A. Weekly |
Michael Collins |
12-11-2009 |
Environment
The World Rightly Sees Canada as the Villain at the Copenhagen Climate Change Talksnew
as the Canadian government tries to block climate change agreements to protect tar sands development, we're seen as the bad guy. Or, as British journalist George Monbiot writes, an "immediate threat to the global effort to sustain a peaceful and stable world."
The Coast, Halifax's Weekly |
Bruce Wark |
12-11-2009 |
Environment
Water Rights: An Activist Faces Prison after Refusing his Sentence for 'Littering'new
On Dec. 4, a year after he was cited for littering on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, activist Walt Staton was back in federal court, because he refused to pick up garbage.
Tucson Weekly |
Tim Vanderpool |
12-10-2009 |
Immigration
Money, Environmental and Political Worries Halt Big Bridgenew
AFTER YEARS OF steamrolling steadily in the same direction, the controversial Columbia River Crossing (CRC) plan has hit gridlock as leaders of the I-5 bridge replacement project clearly split last Friday.
The Portland Mercury |
Sarah Mirk |
12-10-2009 |
Transportation
Local Rainwater Guru Makes Home Water Harvesting Easynew
Roger Manley wants to help locals tap the precious liquid running off our roofs. Manley gave a broad overview of the water limitations facing the Monterey Peninsula, but he showed workshop participants how to make their own rainwater harvesting barrels for about $30 each.
Monterey County Weekly |
Kera Abraham |
12-10-2009 |
Environment
El Mensaje de Mérida: Restoring Wilderness is Vital to Saving the Planetnew

Slash-and-burn agriculture and deforestation had unintended consequences on the early Maya. But these weren’t the only people doomed by unsustainable environmental practices or rapid shifts in the climate.
San Antonio Current |
Greg Harman |
12-09-2009 |
Environment
Copenhagen: Nice Show, But We're Doomed No Matter What
It is almost certainly too late to save ourselves. Like recycling and not littering, reducing CO2 output amounts to mere politeness. It's a nice gesture. But it won't make any difference.
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
12-07-2009 |
Environment
Only a 'Human Movement' Can Save Civilization from the Climate Crisisnew
Copenhagen will fail because the great publics of the world have not been involved in the great human questions underlying the technical issues the scientists discuss. It is not only that the conference will fail to protect our young, but that the rest of us will barely notice.
Sacramento News & Review |
Fred Branfman |
12-04-2009 |
Environment
As Honeywell Closes a Kansas City Plant, Workers are Dealing with the Fatal Aftereffectsnew
The U.S. Department of Labor maintains a list of 785 toxic substances verified as having been used at the site, which will soon be abandoned. But people have been abandoned, too: former workers who live with chronic pain, who struggle to breathe or who have died.
The Pitch |
Nadia Pflaum |
11-24-2009 |
Business & Labor