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CURATED ECOLOGICAL NEWS Chocoholics shocked by price-rise due to crop failures
“The global cocoa market is buckling under the strain of unprecedented shortages, with prices that have more than doubled in just three months. Cocoa futures have surged as poor harvests in West Africa, where most of the world’s beans are grown, sparked a third year of shortages. A heavy rainy season caused disease to hit last year’s crops in West Africa. Warm, dry temperatures and El Niño winds damaged this year’s harvest. “The crunch could be long-lasting, with climate change and crop disease ravaging trees, and concerns mounting that production in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana has entered a period of structural decline. Barry Callebaut expects a deficit of about 500,000 tons this season, equal to about a 10th of the global market. The streak of poor crop seasons has driven up the price for chocolate and confectionery manufacturing from cocoa by 45% from January through September.” More at – Cocoa market ‘broken’ as crop failure drives third year of shortages | The Japan Times, and Why you’re seeing scary-high chocolate candy prices this Halloween | Ideastream Public Media, and Why Cocoa and Chocolate Prices are Rising | The New York Times. Rules of Capitalism vs laws of nature: any bets?
“Plenty of mainstream analysts think that on our current emissions trajectory, we are headed for even more than 4 degrees of warming. The various projections are the equivalent of every alarm in your house going off simultaneously. Yet rather than responding with alarm, large parts of humanity are too self-centered, too addicted to gratification, to live without the full freedom to satisfy our every whim. “And yet the truth is that we continue to make collective sacrifices in the name of an abstract greater good all the time. We sacrifice our pensions, our arts, our after-school programs, transit fare increases while service degenerates, and college debt that will take half a lifetime to pay off. This is all defended in the name of balanced budgets, increased efficiency, fostering economic growth. “It seems that if humans are capable of sacrificing this much in the name of stabilizing an economic system that makes daily life more expensive, then surely humans should be capable of lifestyle changes to stabilize the physical systems upon which all life depends. So my mind keeps coming back to the question: what is wrong with us? “We have not done the things necessary to lower emissions because they fundamentally conflict with deregulated capitalism, and are extremely threatening to an elite minority that has a stranglehold over our economy. That problem might not have been insurmountable had it presented itself at another point in our history. “But it is our great misfortune that the decisive diagnosis of the climate threat came at the precise moment, the exact year, that marked the dawning of what came to be called ‘globalization’ — the North American Free Trade Agreement — followed by the World Trade Organization, the mass privatization of the former Soviet economies, and the transformation of large parts of Asia into sprawling free-trade zones. “The entire project was never really about trading goods across borders. It was always about using these sweeping deals to lock in a global policy framework of maximum freedom to multinational corporations to produce their goods as cheaply as possible, and sell them with as few regulations as possible. We were told that economic growth would trickle down to the rest of us. “The three policy pillars of this new era are — privatization of the public sphere, deregulation of the corporate sector, and lower corporate taxation — paid for with cuts to public spending. “Very little has been written about how market fundamentalism has sabotaged our collective response to climate change. Instead of showing how unfettered corporate power posed a grave threat to the habitability of the planet, large parts of the climate movement wasted precious decades touting ways for the problem to be solved by the market itself. “Our economic system is at war with many forms of life on Earth, including human life. What the climate needs to avoid collapse is a contraction in humanity’s use of resources. What our economic model demands to avoid collapse is unfettered expansion. Only one of these sets of rules can be changed, and it’s not the laws of nature.” More at – Naomi Klein’s “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs The Climate” | Resilience, and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein | Goodreads. Community solar for local choice of local energy
“Energy is the lifeblood of opportunity, but our conventional energy choices are destroying the places we come from and love. But we can be better. Community solar projects are unique in their ability to help neighbors within the same utility service territory share power from a solar project. Rural electric cooperatives, in particular, have long been leaders in community solar. “Because energy policies, natural and built infrastructures, community priorities, and market factors like energy price structures vary from place to place, there’s no one way to incorporate community solar into your local clean energy future. But there are many great examples to look to for inspiration and guidance. “In Wisconsin’s Vernon Electric Cooperative, local member-owners purchase shares of the 1,001-panel array. In Georgia’s Walton Electric Membership Corporation, member-owners can purchase up to two blocks of community solar at $25 per block, the production from which is credited to the their utility bill. In California’s Anza Electric Cooperative, their solar projects demonstrated how solar could help reduce peak electricity costs for the utility and its members. And in North Carolina’s EnerWealth Solutions, small and minority landowners established a unique profit-sharing model that channels some of the revenue into a local community development nonprofit controlled by member-owners. “As you’re building your solar strategy, keep in mind why rural cooperatives and public power utilities were created in the first place: to enable rural and small-town communities to come together to own their power generation. It will be hard. Sometimes, the people and companies that benefit from conventional power generation methods might resist you and fight for the status quo. Take deep breaths, roll up your sleeves, and get ready for the joyful work.” More at – How Community Solar Can Liberate You From Fossil Fuels | Resilience. Indigenous wisdom episode #3: with Aslak Holmberg
“This podcast is about bringing forward the perspectives of Indigenous communities as we reckon with the consequences of a global industrial society built on growth, extraction, and colonialism. “Indigenous peoples from around the world have been warning us that the extractivist mindset would end in collapse if it was not confronted and changed. But by acknowledging this reality, we are able to orient ourselves and respond accordingly to the crises. “Aslak Holmberg is an Indigenous Saami who lives on the Deatnu River, on the border of Norway and Finland. He is serving as the President of the Saami Council and works on various processes dealing with Indigenous knowledge, rights, and biodiversity conservation. “Our conversation covered impactful lawsuits the Saami people have won against a national government, Aslak’s stark assessment of the dominant global paradigm of constant growth, and, in the end, offers an inspirational message of standing firm in our work for the planet, no matter what.” Listen at – Holding the Fire: Episode 3. Fighting Ecosystem Collapse with Aslak Holmberg | Resilience. A lawyer beat the pants off Chevron; they had him jailed
“The Constitutional Court of Ecuador had ruled in June 2018 that transnational oil company Chevron, which operated through its subsidiary Texaco in Ecuador between 1964 and 1990, had to pay $9.5 billion for the repair and remediation of social and environmental damage. “The court found that Chevron deliberately dumped billions of gallons of toxic oil waste in the Amazon rainforest on indigenous lands. The Court rejected Chevron’s allegations that it was victimized by fraud, and the court threw out the company’s claim that Ecuadorian courts had no jurisdiction over the matter. “Steven Donziger famously obtained the $9.5bn judgment against the oil company in an Ecuadorian court, in 2011 — only to have to turn around and begin defending himself from what would become a decade+ of legal counterattacks. The oil company alleged Donziger had obtained the result through bribery and fraud. The center of their claims was the allegation that plaintiffs had bribed Alberto Guerra, the Ecuadorian judge in the case. “Donziger’s efforts ended with him being sued by Chevron and spending time in jail and hundreds of days under house arrest. This made Donziger ‘the only lawyer in US history to be subject to any period of detention on a misdemeanor contempt of court charge’, according to a letter to Biden signed by 34 members of Congress urging Biden to pardon him before leaving office. Another outcome of the case: the federal government confiscated his passport, and Donziger also lost his license to practice law – at the urging of Chevron and without a hearing. “‘I haven’t seen my clients [in Ecuador] for five years’, Donziger told the Guardian. Donziger noted that other lawyers continue to work on the case – but, decades after oil was spilled, a complete clean-up hasn’t happened.” More at – Lawyer for Ecuadorian tribes fighting oil industry seeks Biden pardon | The Guardian UK, and Chevron Suffers Major 8-0 Defeat in Ecuador’s Constitutional Court Over Landmark Pollution Judgment | Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, and Chevron must pay for environmental damage in Ecuador, court rules | Mongabay. Desertification enlargement may become permanent
“As Earth grows warmer, its ground is becoming drier and saltier, with profound consequences for the planet’s 8 billion inhabitants — nearly a third of whom already live in places where water is increasingly scarce and the ability to raise crops and livestock is increasingly difficult. “An area of land nearly a third larger than India has turned from humid conditions to dryland — arid areas where agriculture is difficult. Three-quarters of the world’s land suffered drier conditions in the past 30 years, which is likely to be permanent. Drylands are defined as an area where 90% of rainfall evaporates before reaching the ground. “Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UN convention to combat desertification (UNCCD), said: ‘When an area’s climate becomes drier, the ability to return to previous conditions is lost, and this change is redefining life on Earth. If the world continues to warm at its current rate, more than 50% of the world’s cropland would be similarly impacted by 2050, exacerbating declining yields. “These interwoven trends threaten agricultural productivity, biodiversity, and ecosystem health while exacerbating food and water insecurity. These changes are not limited to regions already considered dry. The researchers found similar changes could occur in the Midwest, central Mexico, and the Mediterranean, to name three examples.” More at – Three-quarters of the world’s land is drying out, ‘redefining life on Earth’ | Grist, and Drylands now make up 40% of land on Earth, excluding Antarctica, study says | The Guardian UK. Montana youth win climate lawsuit at Montana Supreme Court
“In March 2020, 16 young people from across the state of Montana filed a constitutional climate lawsuit against their own state government. They sued because their government has been promoting and supporting the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, worsening the climate crisis, and harming the youth. In August 2023, District Court Judge Kathy Seeley ruled wholly in favor of the youth, enshrining into law science-based protections for children’s fundamental rights. “On July 10, 2024, counsel for the youth plaintiffs argued before a panel of judges at the Montana Supreme Court to uphold Judge Seeley’s landmark ruling. And on December 18, 2024, the Montana Supreme Court upheld Judge Seeley’s decision. Rikki Held, named plaintiff in the case, expressed her deep gratitude for the high court’s decision: ‘This ruling is a victory not just for us, but for every young person whose future is threatened by climate change’. “The ruling requires the state to ensure it considers the environmental and public health consequences, and significantly the harm to children, of each proposed fossil fuel project. Specifically, Montana’s regulatory agencies must now evaluate the potential harm to the environment and the health and safety of the state’s children from any new fossil fuel projects, and determine whether the project can be justified in light of the ongoing unconstitutional degradation of Montana’s environment, natural resources, and climate.” More at – Held v Montana – Supreme Court Decision | Our Children’s Trust, and Montana Supreme Court backs youth plaintiffs in groundbreaking climate trial | Montana Public Radio. California’s 80% EV goal upheld by the EPA “EPA Administrator Michael Regan granted a waiver under the Clean Air Act to California to implement its plan — first announced in 2020 — to require that by 2035 at least 80% of new cars sold be electric and up to 20% plug-in hybrid models. California’s rules have been adopted by 11 other states, including New York, Massachusetts and Oregon.
“California’s rules require 35% of vehicles in the 2026 model year to be a zero-emission model, rising to 68% by 2030. The state says the rule is crucial to meeting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and cutting smog-forming pollutants. Newsom said last month that if Trump eliminates a $7,500 federal EV tax credit, he will propose creating a new version of the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program.“On Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a bid by fuel producers to challenge the waiver California received in 2022 for vehicle emissions rules. The EPA in March 2022 reinstated a waiver for California to set its own tailpipe emissions limits and zero-emission vehicle rules through 2025, reversing a 2019 decision under Trump’s first administration.” More at – US EPA approves California plan to ban sale of gas-only cars starting in 2035 | Reuters. Pathway To 2025 chair, Lee Zeldin, to be EPA head “The fossil fuel industry is surely celebrating that Trump has chosen Lee Zeldin to lead the EPA. Zeldin isn’t a household name, but as a member of Congress, Zeldin was awarded something called the ‘Oil Slick Award’ by a nonprofit environmental group. He had a lifetime environmental voting record of 14 percent with the League of Conservation Voters. Zeldin is currently chair of the Pathway to 2025 program at the America First Policy Institute, a conservative, pro-Trump think tank. “Basil Smikle, a political strategist and policy advisor, says he expects the Trump administration to engage in ‘rampant deregulation’, including in the environmental sphere. ‘If it’s good for corporate interests, I think that’s ultimately what’s going to drive a lot of the policy’, Smikle says.” More at – Trump EPA Pick Lee Zeldin Is Fossil Fuel’s Inside Man | Rolling Stone. | 
