What’s up with Pat Sajak and climate change?
Listen to the latest Green Divas myEARTH360 Report with special in-studio guest Climate Mama (aka Harriet Shugarman)! Pat Sajak’s crazy tweet about climate change sparked a conversation about climate change denial. We also chat about tainted pet treats and I make a green diva confession that you won’t want to miss!
Read on for more about these and other environmental news stories!
WTF…
https://twitter.com/patsajak/statuses/468581395237842945
11 Responses to Pat Sajak’s Bizarre Climate Change Tweet
In 2014, climate change has become a debate for more than politicians, hopeful candidates and scientists. Game show hosts are getting involved, too, and things are getting strange.
Pat Sajak, the face of Wheel of Fortune for more than 30 years, took to Twitter late Monday night to not only deny science, but also to declare that you are likely a racist if you think the planet is warming.
The host essentially told his followers he was joking the next day, but the responses kept pouring in and they haven’t stopped. Check out 11 responses from environmental advocates, writers, comedians and former Wheel of Fortune viewers. Read more….
3 people sickened, 1,000 dogs die after eating jerky treats for pets
For the first time, three people who ate pet-jerky treats that have been linked to the deaths and illnesses of thousands of dogs — two toddlers who ingested them accidentally and an adult who may have been snacking on them — became ill, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported this week.
One of the children later was diagnosed with a salmonella infection, which can be spread by touching tainted products, says Juli Putnam, a spokeswoman for the FDA. The other child developed gastrointestinal illness and fever that were similar to the symptoms of dogs in the house that also ate the treats. The adult reported nausea and headache, she says. Read more…
April 2014 Global Temperature Ties For Warmest on Record
Many Americans and Canadians will likely find this startling, but the global temperature last month tied with 2010 as the warmest April on record since modern historical temperature record-keeping began back in 1880, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday.
Worldwide, the combined average temperature over land and ocean surfaces was 58.09°F, tying April 2014 with April 2010 as the highest on record and about 1.39°F above the 20th century average for the month.
Cooler weather prevailed across much of North America, however, as the lower 48 U.S. states experienced only their 46th warmest April and much of Canada saw near-average or cooler-than-average temperatures for the month.
“This contrast is an example of how a globally averaged temperature can differ from a single smaller region,” NOAA said in a news release announcing the April temperature record. Read more…
BP mounts last ditch effort to limit Gulf of Mexico oil spill settlement
BP last night mounted a last ditch attempt to limit the costs of its settlement for the victims of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill by lodging an appeal to the US supreme court to make a final ruling.
Earlier this week the British oil group lost an argument at the fifth circuit appeal court of New Orleans that compensation money was being spent on businesses not directly affected by the environmental damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon.
BP originally anticipated that it would have to pay $7.8bn (£4.6bn) under a court settlement only to find the financial awards vastly exceeding this figure, partly as a result of what it believes are inappropriate claims.
“No company would agree to pay for losses that it did not cause, and BP certainly did not when it entered into this settlement BP will continue to fight to return the settlement to its original, explicit, and lawful purpose – the compensation of claimants who suffered actual losses due to the spill,” it said in a statement. Read more…
100 million will die by 2030 if world fails to act on climate – report
More than 100 million people will die and global economic growth will be cut by 3.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030 if the world fails to tackle climate change, a report commissioned by 20 governments said on Wednesday.
As global average temperatures rise due to greenhouse gas emissions, the effects on the planet, such as melting ice caps, extreme weather, drought and rising sea levels, will threaten populations and livelihoods, said the report conducted by humanitarian organisation DARA.
It calculated that five million deaths occur each year from air pollution, hunger and disease as a result of climate change and carbon-intensive economies, and that toll would likely rise to six million a year by 2030 if current patterns of fossil fuel use continue. Read more…
Encouraging news…
Viral Video: Solar Freakin’ Roadways!
As the once far-fetched idea of “solar roadways” gains a huge convoy of supporters—from the U.S. Department of Transportation to Google to the Times of India to even Fox News—a new video aimed at the millennial generation is set to go viral again, according to clean energy advocates.
This just might be the inspiring, riveting and definitive roadmap for clean energy independence. Watch the video and read more…
Olive oil found to protect the heart against damage from air pollution and lower blood pressure
A drizzle of olive oil on your salad can protect your heart against the damage caused by air pollution and help to lower blood pressure, scientists have found.
Researchers have shown that eating the equivalent of two thirds of a teaspoon of olive oil every day can reduce the effect of air pollution on the heart.
A separate study has also shown that olive oil can lower blood pressure when eaten with certain vegetables. Read more…
Minnesota bans anti-bacterial chemical from soaps
It’s widely used nationwide as a germ-killing ingredient in soaps, deodorants and even toothpaste, but it’s being banned in Minnesota.
Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday signed a bill to make Minnesota the first state to prohibit the use of triclosan in most retail consumer hygiene products. The Minnesota House and Senate passed it earlier last week because of health and environmental concerns about the chemical. The ban isn’t due to take effect until Jan. 1, 2017, but one of its lead sponsors, state Sen. John Marty, predicted Monday that the odds are good that most manufacturers will phase out triclosan by then anyway.
“While this is an effort to ban triclosan from one of the 50 states, I think it will have a greater impact than that,” Marty said. Read more…
Reversing Climate Change with Organic Farming
Rodale Institute recently announced the launch of a global campaign to generate public awareness of soil’s ability to reverse climate change, but only when the health of the soil is maintained through organic regenerative agriculture.
The campaign calls for the restructuring of our global food system with the goal of reversing climate change through photosynthesis and biology.
The white paper, Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change: A Down-to-Earth Solution to Global Warming, is the central tool of the campaign. The paper was penned by Rodale Institute, the independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit agricultural research institute widely recognized as the birthplace of the organic movement in the U.S. Read more…
Take Action!
Click HERE to tell the Snack Food 20: Cut Conflict Palm Oil, Not Rainforests
Take action now to call on the Snack Food 20—companies that control some of the best-known snack food brands in the world—to remove Conflict Palm Oil tied to rainforest destruction and orangutan extinction from their products. These companies rely on our trust as consumers. If enough of us speak up, the Snack Food 20 will have to change the way they do business.
