You should read this for 6/4/2017:
Bone fragment from ancient 1,500-pound ground sloth unearthed beneath Crenshaw Boulevard“For the third time in six months, crews working on a Los Angeles rail system expansion have unearthed fossils of beasts that roamed the Southland many millennia ago.”
Curiosity rover finds its crater was habitable for 700 million years “And there are indications that groundwater persisted for far longer.”
Paying Inmates Minimum Wages Helps the Working Class “Prisoners are farmed out for pennies an hour to private industry, undercutting compensation for everyone else. That should end.”
💩🔥💰 Trumpery: The Paris Accords Roundup 💩🔥💰
Lenore Taylor in The Guardian: It’s way past time to speak truth to climate arguments this stupid This the best article I’ve read in terms of explaining exactly why pulling out of the Paris climate agreement is criminally stupid. “To make the ridiculous case that abandoning Paris was good for the US economy, Trump didn’t just have to ignore science, but also the pleading of the US business community he was purporting to defend – the 630 business leaders who wrote to him in January demanding that he keep Barack Obama’s climate plan and stick with the Paris deal, and the long list of businesses and business leaders who have attacked his decision, including the chief executives of Tesla, Goldman Sachs and Disney and companies including Nike, BP, IBM, Apple, Google, Twitter, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Adobe, Morgan Stanley, Unilever and Mars.” Read the whole thing, and do check the links. This is a clear, easy to follow argument.
Michael Bloomberg Offers $15 Million to Make Up for Washington’s Share of the Paris Accord Costs
Mayor Eric Garcetti says LA will adhere to Paris agreement after #45 withdraws“LA will lead by committing to the goals of the accord”
Ben and Jerry on 6 Reasons Pulling Out of the Paris Climate Agreement Was Totally, Definitely the Right Move I’m particularly fond of reasons 3 “Being a Global Pariah Is Really Cool” wherein æPulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement is not going to make us popular with the rest of the world. Nope — 194 countries worked really hard to figure out how to reduce their emissions to a manageable level, so when we keep on puffing greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, they might get a little testy with us. But that’s okay, the cool countries are always loners anyway. And we probably don’t need other countries’ support in order to achieve our international goals . . . right?”
All over the world buildings were lit in green in support of the Paris Accords.
Via The Washington Post: Thirty states and scores of companies said Thursday that they would press ahead with their climate policies and pursue lower greenhouse gas emissions, breaking sharply with President Trump’s decision to exit the historic Paris climate accord.” These companies include Apple, Morgan Stanley and Royal Dutch Shell. Other companies supporting continuing the Paris Accords include Google, Intel, Microsoft, Mars, Schneider Electric, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. States including California, New York and Washington will continue to keep the agreements supported by the Paris Accords. California Governor Jerry Brown notes:
The California economy last year increased 40 percent faster than the rest of the country. In fact, following policies even tougher than what Paris is calling for, the California economy is boosted. Trump is wrong when he says Paris is bad for jobs. It’s good for jobs. The jobs of the future.
Washington state Governor Inslee, New York Governor Cuomo, and California Governor Brown announce formation of United States Climate Alliance “I am proud to stand with other governors as we make sure that the inaction in D.C. is met by an equal force of action from the states. Today’s announcement by the president leaves the full responsibility of climate action on states and cities throughout our nation. While the president’s actions are a shameful rebuke to the work needed to protect our planet for our children and grandchildren, states have been and will continue to step up.” — Governor Jay Inslee. “California, Washington and New York, which together account for a fifth of the country’s economy, say they’re committed to upholding the goals of Paris despite Trump’s pullout.”
Mayors of U. S. cities are pledging continued support for the Paris Climate Accords, including Pittsburgh’s Mayor Bill Peduto. ‘The United States joins Syria, Nicaragua & Russia in deciding not to participate with world’s Paris Agreement. It’s now up to cities to lead.” The United States Conference of Mayors “Strongly Oppose Withdrawal From Paris Climate Accord.”
Luke Kemp, a lecturer in International Relations and Environmental Policy, Australian National University, argues in a piece in Nature Climate Change and summarized in his article The world would be better off if Trump withdraws from the Paris climate deal for The COnversation that “US withdrawal would minimise risks and maximise opportunities for the climate community. Simply put: the US and the Trump administration can do more damage inside the agreement than outside it.” He may have a point, honestly, given the current idiocy of #45 and his cadre, given the possibility of vetos, and delaying tactics if the U.S. were part of the accords going forward.
Panicked White House goes into lockdown, refuses all Russia questions
