Please Help Defeat Big Oil Republican in Wisconsin

The League of Conservation Voters has an urgent appeal out. They make their point better than me so...

''Last night, Wisconsin GOP primary voters went to the polls and elected former Wisconsin governor -- and former Bush administration official -- Tommy Thompson to be the Republican nominee for the Wisconsin Senate seat.

While many Americans have struggled over the past few years with a feeble economy and rising energy prices, Thompson has profited from hundreds of thousands of dollars from his investments in the oil and gas industry. He also supports Paul Ryan's extreme budget plan which would protect billions in Big Oil subsidies. If he wins the Wisconsin Senate seat in November, you can bet he’ll be one of Big Oil and Dirty Coal’s best friends in Washington.

We don’t need another crony of Big Oil and Dirty Coal in Washington. We need a leader who will fight to protect the air we breathe and the water we drink. That’s why it’s critical we show Tammy Baldwin that LCV supporters are committed to her campaign. Will you chip in with a donation today?'

 

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Truecostofchevron.com

The True Cost of Chevron Campaign today launched a new website as a hub of information on Chevron’s global toxic operations. The website highlights Chevron’s human and environmental consequences around the world while illustrating the unprecedented coalition against Chevron.

“ We are excited to launch this comprehensive site illustrating the breadth of Chevron’s destructive operations globally,” said Nick Magel, True Cost of Chevron media coordinator.

The website launch was to be coupled with an ad campaign, intended to highlight communities affected by Chevrons operations. The ads, designed as parodies of Chevron’s “Will You Join Us” advertisement blitz were immediately rejected by CBS Outdoor.

"Chevron is running a campaign that's merely window-dressing their dismal environmental and human rights record. It's hypocritical for CBS to reject our billboards. It's a shame that we can't help our client tell their story with a billboard or two." said Charlie Cardillo, President and Creative Director of Underground Advertising, the agency that developed the campaign.

On May 26th the True Cost of Chevron Campaign releases it's alternative annual report for the consideration of Chevron shareholders at the May 27th AGM

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California uses more oil that China; a LOT more!

Here is an interesting fact that should supprise you if you read mainstream media coverage of China.

"According to the California Energy Commission, the state with its 37 million people uses more gasoline and diesel than any other country on Earth except the US as a whole. That's more than India with its 1.1 billion people. More than China with its 1.3 billion (California is 2.8% of China's pop.). So while demand has been increasing in China and everybody's talking about that, they forget to look at absolute numbers: 20 billion gallon of gasoline and diesel are used each year in California, 6.7 billion gallons more than in 1988."

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Paddling in deep waters.

Here is a an excellent article by Johann Hari in the Grauniad.

Meanwhile- China's neaveau riche are perplexed at the high price of filling up their new cars, American farmers are angry that their grain fed, BSE riddled cattle are not welcome once they've travelled half way 'round the world to South Korea, Israel practices bombing runs for Gearge's farewell bash and the Big Oil Giants return to Iraq after 35 years lusting on the sidelines.



But on the other hand - Good news for a future on two wheels as history's third-best-ever invention gets some much needed support.

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Environmental justice, oil shale, solar, wind, ccs, oil subsidies, independent media.

Just to fill a void in the number of posts recently i thought i`d share a few of the stories that have caught my eye.

Firstly, as i`ve been reading Laura Westra's book about environmental justice and human rights I was interested to read in De Smog Blog that the tiny Arctic village of Kivalina has joined up with some litigators who previously worked on Tabacco and it's link to cancer. The parralles are facinating, and hopeful:

From a legal point of view, it is not enough to prove that burning fossil
fuels is damaging to the environment. They must also demonstrate that Big Oil
conspired to lie about their product to the public. They have a lot to work
with.

For instance, ExxonMobil was specifically implicated by the Union
of Concerned Scientists of funding a Big Tobacco-style PR campaign to
misinform the public on climate science.


While the fossil fuel lobby has been highly successful at delaying meaningful regulation around climate change, they may have over-played their hand. By investing so heavily in distorting public debate around climate change, they have given lawyers like Susman and Berman plenty of potential evidence to drag into the light of day.

In a not unconnected development, Alberta is expecting a rapid ramping up of its oil shale extraction. Many of the effected lands are of disputed soverignty, indigenous groups are not seeing the benefits of these hugely distructive schemes.

In better news, solar is expected to achive grid-connected price parity by 2015! In other words, solar power from pv will cost the same per KWh as electricity from the grid. This isn't the same as having producing power for the same cost as fossil fuels, but it dosent have to be, solar can work without a complex transmission system and such small scale on site uses will make the economics work. Things aren't exactly bleak for the wind industry either; the only real question is how quickly new manufacturing capacity can be brought online. Meanwhile the fossil fuel industry is doing its best to talk up carbon capture and storage.

But weather it's a new renewable energy paradigme that you are after, or an altered version of fossil fuel power sans carbon emissions, one thing that we can surely agree on is the stupidity of the world bank (world development bank?) subsidising old coal power technology.

Fortunately for our fight against climate change, and for broader struggles against corporate power and state complicity there is a growing base of indipendent media. Notably The Real News Network has just teamed up with Celsias to improve coverage of climate change and related issues. That is exciting as i`m a big fan of both these organisations.

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Fool supply.

Widespread flooding in the US midwest leaves the harvest rotting in sodden fields; flooding in the uk threatens the survival of ground nesting birds; the EU complains that the US is dumping its subsidised Biofuels on European markets (subsidised agricultural dumping, moi?) and the absolute king of Saudi lands opts to crank the tap up a notch even though it's a financial (rather than supply) problem. Funny how we believe him when he claims limitless oil reserves, but not when he grasses the world's financial markets up on their profiteering.

So we can all get back to "normal" now, can we? Is there anybody anywhere who still thinks it's that simple?

Oh - and Solar power begins a break through to "grid parity".

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Dear Prudence

Gordon (sort of) comes clean about what we've all known about for years. But he's not ready to risk frightening the horses yet. But at least the conversation can begin...

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Naomi Klien: Two Ways to Deal With Climate Change

On Monday 19th of May Naomi Klein launched the paperback version of The Shock Doctrine in the UK. Rather than a traditional book launch she opted to launch the book at a fundraiser for Hands Off Iraqi Oil.

A facinating talk was given with many topics covored ranging from why concervatives are happier than lefties and liberals to the importance of the concept of ecological debt, the leftward trends in south america and--in this clip--a discussion of the way in which corporations are adjusting to and drawing profits from the results of climate change.

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Chevron's Amazon Abu Ghuraib

Chevron have been waging a (farsical) PR war against environmental heroes who recently won the Goldman Prize for protecting the environment. Fight back!

Chevron Corp (CVX.N: Quote, Profile, Research)

Video Description:

The largest oil-related environmental disaster in the world - Chevron dumped over 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Now they are trying to hide their disaster and launching public relations campaigns about "human energy". The truth is Chevron's actions cause death, cancer, birth defects, miscarriages and the worst oil related destruction of the Amazon. They damage is estimate at up to $16billion. Chevron can't hide its actions any longer and should pay up. Visit www.chevrontoxico.com to learn more and take action!

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Fossil Foolie award to Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM)

Members of Billionaires for Big Oil attempt to award VP of Exxon Mobil with a fossil follie award for his outstanding achievents in proffiting of the poor, funding the wealthy, destroying the planet, and generally being a superb billionaire!



ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) are one company that is heavily invested in the past and blind to the future. What complete fossil fools!

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tWP75: The Carbon Taxman

The latest episode of TheWatt Podcast is out now. (30MB, MP3)

Panel discussion podcast with Mark Seall, Rod Adams, Robb Worthington and Ben. Topics include carbon taxes vs cap-and-trade policies, OECD Environmental Outlook, nuclear power in the UK, carbon limits on cars in the EU, $106/bbl oil.

Panelists:

Mark Seall - Talk Climate Change and Green Options

Rod Adams - The Atomic Show Podcast and Atomic Insights

Robb Worthington - Sustainable Living

Ben Kenney - theWatt

Topics/Show Notes:

A good carbon tax/cap-and-trade discussion

2008 OECD Environmental
Outlook - How much will it cost to address today's key environmental problems?

Showdown between France and Germany: Carbon emission limits on cars in
the EU

UK 'to seek more nuclear power',

Nobel winner: Nuke power
must be part of the equation

Oil prices/OPEC giving Bush some tough love

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