9,000+ scientists defend Endangered Species Act in letter to Trump administration

by Olivia Rosane

People’s World | September 25, 2018

A young Florida Panther, one of the many endangered species in the U.S. according to the Center for Biological Diversity. | Florida Fish and Wildlife

Thousands of scientists have signed two letters opposing changes to the Endangered Species Act proposed by the Trump administration that critics say would weaken protections in favor of developers, Reuters reported Monday.

The proposed changes were announced by the Interior and Commerce Departments in July, and include axing the “blanket rule’ granting threatened species the same protections as endangered species and removing language telling officials not to consider economic impacts when listing a species.

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To Find a Story Under Every Old, Big Tree – Even in Delhi

by Neha Sinha

A myna nests atop a chimney. Credit: Neha Sinha

New Delhi: Thorny shrubs, peripheral trees.

That’s the light cost of the redevelopment of Sarojini Nagar, best known for a thriving export-surplus market and government flats in various states of disrepair. According to form 1 and form 1A, required under the Environment Impact Assessment notification, 2006, and submitted by the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) for redevelopment – breaking down buildings to build new flats and malls would sacrifice very little, just a few “thorny shrubs”, some trees on the “periphery” of the project site and “no ecologically important flora or fauna species”.

India: Watch | In ‘Kodaikanal Still Won’t’, Artists Call Out Unilever’s ‘Environmental Racism’

The music video features Sofia Ashraf, T.M. Krishna and Amrit Rao.

The Wire | June 29, 2018

New Delhi: The team that produced the video ‘Kodaikanal Won’t‘, featuring Chennai-based rapper Sofia Ashraf, has come together to produce another video, ‘Kodaikanal Still Won’t’. Through the video, activists are hoping the garner support and signatures for their campaign against Hindustan Unilever’s “environmental racism”.

All That Is Green Is Not Forest

by Anupam Sisodia

The Wire | June 18, 2018

Gomarda in Raigad district, Chhattisgarh. Credit: Anupam Sisodia

India hosted World Environment Day this year with active participation from government, civil society, private organisations and citizens in large numbers. This reflects an evolved awareness and concern towards environment – or did it?

Like every year, the dominant activity on this occasion was a mass drive towards ‘greening’ through distribution of saplings and plantation. Before we rejoice in having contributed “our bit” towards saving the environment, it’s pertinent to understand how much and where the trees were planted, using Chhattisgarh as a case study.

Ecosocialism and the recovery of Marx’s ecological legacy

[Editors Note: In commemoration of the World Environment Day, June 05, Journal of People editorial board has decided to reproduce this essential essay on ecosocialism and Marx’s thought on ecology in the hope that it would help our readers understand the current ecological crisis and its political economic aspects] 

by Michael Löwy

While mainstream ecological theory has been dismissive of Karl Marx, serious research in recent decades has recovered some of his very important insights on ecological issues. The pioneers have been James O’Connor and the journal Capitalism, Nature and Socialism — a tradition continued by Joel Kovel — but the most systematic and thorough investigations on Marx’s ecological views are those of John Bellamy Foster and his friends from Monthly Review.

Eco-Marxism and deforestation

by Muzomuhle Ntuli

Pambazuka News | May 24, 2018

Mongabay.com

The article uses the Eco Marxist perspective to look at deforestation and the impact it has on Earth in terms of soil erosion, air pollution and the threat it places on plant and animal life.

1. Introduction

The world is changing. Many countries are modernising and adapting to new ways of living in the 21th century. Population growth is on the rise and there is a constant need for industrialisation and urbanisation in order to meet all the social and economic needs that come with modernity. Rapid demographic and technological changes have placed a lot of strain on the environment as a lot of plants and animal species are on the brink of extinction. All these changes, driven mostly by those who seek profit at all cost, have degraded nature’s ecosystems.

One third of protected areas highly degraded by humans, study finds

by Olivia Rosane

EcoWatch| May 18, 2018

White-banded swallows in Yasuni National Park, one of the places that has largely escaped human pressures. | Geoff Gallice/Flickr (CC)

A study published in Science Friday presents what authors call a sobering “reality check” on global efforts to protect biodiversity—one third of all conservation areas set aside as wildlife sanctuaries or national parks are “highly degraded” by human activities.