Category: RT Newswire

Published on Tuesday, July 29, 2008 by The Guardian/UK
EPA Silences Employees On Climate Change by Elana Schor

WASHINGTON – Amid intensifying scrutiny of its failure to act on climate change, the US environmental protection agency (EPA) has ordered employees not to talk to internal auditors, Congress or the media, according to a leaked email released yesterday by green campaigners.

The EPA has refused repeated requests from Congress to explain its December denial of California’s request to regulate greenhouse gas emissions – a move that overruled the agency’s own career scientists.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2008  5:59 PM

 CONTACT: The Wilderness Society
Christopher Lancette, TWS communications director
(202) 429-2692;
chris_lancette@tws.org
 
Bush Does Texas Two-Step to trample Colorado’s Roadless Forests
Two public meetings in D.C. part of dance to ruin pristine lands
 
WASHINGTON – July 28 – The Bush administration is spearheading two separate meetings here this week that will examine plans for the proposed changes to the way roadless forests are managed in Colorado. The meetings are in response to the administration’s newly proposed rule change (published July 25 in the federal register) that would open the land to logging and ski resort expansions. The change could also allow 97 new oil and gas leases on 87,000 acres to be developed on national forests in Colorado that are currently protected from drilling by federal rule.

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News release
George Mason University

STUDY SHOWS MOST HEALTH DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS SEE
CLIMATE CHANGE AS LOOMING HEALTH THREAT
http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/display.php?rid=696&keywords=

FAIRFAX, Va. – A new study from George Mason
University reveals that while a majority of U.S.
health department directors believe their city or
county will have serious public health problems
as a result of climate change within the next 20
years, very few of them have planned or
implemented activities to detect, prevent or
adapt to these health threats.

Edward Maibach, professor and director of the
Center for Climate Change Communication and lead
author of the study, wanted to understand how
directors of local public health departments
view, and are responding to, climate change as a
public health issue.

“Relatively few Americans, businesses and
policymakers are aware of the consequences that
climate change is likely to have on the health of
our communities, families and children,” says
Maibach. “Our research shows that most, if not
all, local health departments are going to
require assistance in making climate change
adaptation and prevention a priority and must
take action now to ensure climate change does not
become an increasing global threat.”

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July 25, 2008

 Please read the following urgent appeal for support for the victims
 of heavy rains in eastern Guatemala, particularly La Union Zacapa, a
 Chorti Maya region near the border with Honduras. Over the past couple
 days, dozens of people have been killed by mudslides, immense damage
 has been done to crops and homes. Thousands have fled their houses,
 and are without food or homes. The rains continue with no sign of
 stopping.

 After several years straight of unusual rains, scientist have
 confirmed what Guatemalans suspected, this is not ‘normal’ weather,
 it is the result of global warming. This morning the first truck full
 of food for the shelters, sent by Rights Action through the
 Coordinator of Chorti Organizations, COMUNDICH, is reaching La Union.
 But when the rains finally stop, there will be a long hard road to
 recovery.

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