Friday, August 30, 2002

"Landmark Lawsuit Against Global Warming" QUOTE OF THE DAY "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the life of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and those ripples, crossing each other from a million different centers of energy, build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. - - Robert F. Kennedy RHINO HERE: On Wednesday, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and the city of Boulder, Colorado filed suit against two U.S. government agencies for illegally funding international fossil fuel projects that are causing global warming. The suit claims the agencies, the Export Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im) and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), funded $32 billion worth of fossil fuel projects while failing to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires them to assess impacts to the U.S. environment of all funded projects. This is a landmark case which the plaintiffs hope might shove Shrub into some kind of action to counter the growing problems associated with global warming. For more information, read the blurb below, or visit the following web addresses: http://www.climatelawsuit.org http://www.seen.org 8:59:55 AM    comment

"How Will Global Warming Affect You?" Across the United States, the effects of global warming are harming people, property and other important aspects of nature and our society. Temperature rise has resulted in coral bleaching deaths in the Florida Keys and permafrost thaw in Alaska, destroying livelihoods and lifestyles. Worsening heat waves from Chicago to St Louis kill more people annually. Storms from Texas to North Carolina submerge homes and smother businesses. And all of this is only a small taste of what is to come from climate change. Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth-USA have filed suit against the US Federal government for contributing to the chain of destruction created by carbon dioxide and climate change. The financing of fossil fuel extraction and transportation in developing countries by the US Federal Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, for the US' profligate energy consumption, has added to the changes in the atmosphere that cause global warming. We contend that it also constitutes a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, because it does not account for these impacts. Some of the impacts scientists predict are likely to occur are: Increased incidence of severe weather events Water contamination Proliferation of invasive species Loss of wetlands Beach erosion Destruction of natural habitats Increase in frequency and intensity of winter storms Sea level rise Increased flooding Higher temperatures Warmer winters Increased heat mortalities Increased incidence of air pollution and high ground-level ozone days The 2002 United States Climate Action Report projected that total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will increase by 43% between 2000 and 2020. FOR MORE INFO ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING AND THE NEW LAWSUIT, GO TO: http://www.climatelawsuit.org Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law ( http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html ). All copyrights belong to original publisher. "RHINO'S NEWS BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. Feedback is encouraged and can be emailed to him at: rhino@kifaru.com RHINO'S WEB SITES: http://radio.weblogs.com/0103207 (RHINO'S NEWS WEBLOG - PRESENT & PAST) http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Tell a friend about this weblog, or if you know someone who'd like to join the Rhino's News Blog mailing list, drop a line to rhino@kifaru.com. 8:55:45 AM    comment

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