Environment
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Sea Shepherd Founder Paul Watson Fights Extradition to Costa Rica for 2002 Shark Defense
Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has been released on bail in Germany following his arrest for possible extradition to Costa Rica on decade-old charges stemming from a confrontation between a Sea Shepherd vessel with shark fin poachers off the coast of Guatemala. Sea Shepherd is known for...May 22, 2012 | Story -
Part 2: "Magic Soap" Maker David Bronner on Organic Labeling, Fair Trade, Hemp and Not Selling Out
In an extended interview, David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, discusses the history of the company, why they put sustainability and social justice ahead of profits, the organic and GMO labeling movements, the U.S. war on hemp, and why they refuse to sell out. [includes rush transcript]May 16, 2012 | Blog Post -
Part 1: "Magic Soap" Maker David Bronner on Labeling Genetically Modified Food, Fair Trade, the War on Hemp
Critics of genetically modified foods have won a victory in California by securing enough signatures to place a referendum on the November ballot that could force food manufacturers to label food products containing genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Numerous items are already sold in grocery stores containing genetically...May 15, 2012 | Story -
From Coal to Foreclosures, Bank of America Faces Protest at Shareholders’ Meeting in Charlotte
Occupy Wall Street protesters, environmental activists, and struggling homeowners are converging in Charlotte today for a protest outside Bank of America’s annual shareholder meeting. The protesters are calling attention to the bank’s involvement in the financial crisis, its support for the coal industry, and its...May 09, 2012 | Story -
Gulf Oil Spill: BP Execs Escape Punishment as Fallout from Disaster Continues to Impact Sea Life
Two years since the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, we look at its impact on the Gulf of Mexico’s residents and wildlife even as no BP officials have faced criminal prosecution for the disaster. Eleven workers died when the Deepwater Horizon well exploded, and almost five million barrels of crude oil leaked into...April 23, 2012 | Story -
"Rebuild the Dream": Ex-Obama Adviser Van Jones on Life Inside White House, Right-Wing Smear Attack
Forced out of his job as White House special adviser on green jobs by a right-wing smear campaign, Jones has just become the first former Obama official to release a book. It’s called "Rebuild the Dream," and its release comes on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. Obama appointed...April 03, 2012 | Story -
"The Fight Is Never Over": Van Jones on Keystone XL Pipeline, Green Jobs and MLK’s Legacy
Van Jones, former green jobs adviser to the White House, responds to Obama’s recent support for TransCanada to build the southern leg of its Keystone XL oil pipeline from Oklahoma to Texas, despite his earlier rejection of the project after large civil disobedience protests by environmental groups. "The lesson here...April 03, 2012 | Story -
Part 3: Ousted Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed Says He Plans to Run for Office Again After Coup
We continue our interview with ousted Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and ask him if he plans to seek office again. "I will contest the coming elections," Nasheed says, noting that, "if the coup was so popular, we would have seen people coming out, rejoicing with the military." [includes rush transcript]March 29, 2012 | Blog Post -
Ousted Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed on the Coup that Ousted Him & His Climate Activism
Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, ousted in a coup last month, joins us in studio along with Jon Shenk, director of "The Island President," a new documentary about Nasheed’s rise to power and his climate activism. The tiny Indian Ocean state of Maldives remains in a state of political turmoil seven weeks after...March 29, 2012 | Story -
Part 2: New Film Examines FBI Link to 1990 Bombing of Earth First! Activist Judi Bari
We continue our conversation with Darryl Cherney, the Earth First! activist who was in Judi Bari’s car when a pipe bomb blew up under her seat in 1990. The two were organizing a national campaign to stop the clearcutting of old-growth redwood forests. Now Cherney has produced a film about the lack of a proper investigation...March 27, 2012 | Blog Post -
Judi Bari Revisited: New Film Exposes FBI Coverup of 1990 Car Bombing of California Environmentalist
In 1990, a pipe bomb went off under the seat of legendary Earth First! activist Judi Bari as she drove to a demonstration to stop timber companies from clearcutting old-growth redwood trees. Bari was almost killed. After the incident, the FBI arrested Bari and her passenger, Darryl Cherney, for building the bombs themselves,...March 27, 2012 | Story -
Michael Klare: GOP Promises of Lower Gas Costs Belied by Dwindling Supply of World’s Oil
We look at rising fuel costs, one of the major issues raised by the Republican contenders in the 2012 presidential campaign. Since the beginning of the year, the average of price of a gallon of regular gasoline has jumped 16 percent to more than $3.80. Earlier this week, President Obama partially blamed his Republican rivals,...March 14, 2012 | Story -
BP to Pay $7.8B to Settle Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Lawsuit. Is it a Bad Deal for Gulf Residents?
Investigative journalists Greg Palast and Antonia Juhasz examine who wins and who loses in BP’s settlement. "[BP is] basically being told, if you’re like a bank robber, you put the money back in the vault, and everything’s forgiven," says Palast, who also investigated the Exxon Valdez settlement. Meanwhile,...March 05, 2012 | Story -
Chicago Residents Win Closure of Toxic Coal-Fired Power Plants After Health Ailments Spark Campaign
Chicago has announced an agreement to close two of the nation’s oldest and dirtiest coal plants. For more than a decade, residents near the Fisk and Crawford coal-fired power plants have complained of the pollution, saying the mercury and carcinogenic particulate matter aggravates asthma and potentially other illnesses....March 01, 2012 | Story
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"Gasland" Director Josh Fox Arrested at Congressional Hearing on Natural Gas Fracking
The Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox was handcuffed and arrested Wednesday as he attempted to film a congressional hearing on the controversial natural gas drilling technique known as fracking, which the Environmental Protection Agency recently reported caused water contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming. Fox directed...February 02, 2012 | Story -
Obama’s Support for Natural Gas Drilling "A Painful Moment" for Communities Exposed to Fracking
Last week, President Obama called the United States "the Saudi Arabia of natural gas" in a speech about boosting domestic energy production. That concerns Wyoming farmer John Fenton, who already has more than two dozen gas wells on his property. The Environmental Protection Agency ruled in December that water contamination...February 02, 2012 | Story -
2011 Oscar Nominees Include Docs on Iraq Veteran, Earth Liberation Front and West Memphis 3
Click to watch Democracy Now!’s interviews with directors and people featured in three documentaries just nominated for the 84nd annual Academy Awards.January 24, 2012 | Blog Post -
Obama Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline under GOP Deadline, But Opponents Prepare for Long-Term Fight
The Obama administration has rejected the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline that would stretch from the Alberta tar sands to the Gulf Coast. On Wednesday, President Obama said he was turning down TransCanada’s application for the pipeline because there was not enough time to review an alternate route that would avoid the...January 19, 2012 | Story -
Oil Slick from Massive Spill in Nigeria Threatens Coastline, May Be Largest Spill in a Decade
Communities along Nigeria’s Niger Delta have been put on alert following a major oil spill from the oil giant, Shell. The massive oil slick is making its way to the Nigerian coast, threatening local wildlife and massive pollution along the shore. Much of the available information about the spill comes from the company responsible...December 27, 2011 | Story -
Climate Activists: Durban Deal is "Very Weak" Agreement, Lacks "Ambition, Equity, Justice"
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, has ended with an agreement to start negotiations for a new legally binding climate treaty to be decided by 2015 — and to come into force by 2020. Negotiators also agreed to a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol and the initial design of a Green...December 12, 2011 | Story
By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan
Gen. John Allen, commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, spoke Wednesday at the Pentagon, four stars on each shoulder, his chest bedecked with medals. Unlike Allen, many decorated U.S. military veterans left the streets of Chicago after the NATO summit without their medals.
In an extended interview, David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, discusses the history of the company, why they put sustainability and social justice ahead of profits, the organic and GMO labeling movements, the U.S. war on hemp, and why they refuse to sell out. [includes rush transcript]
Human Rights Watch’s Kenneth Roth examines why the U.S. has not pressured Bahrain to release pro-democracy activists. He also discusses Syria and the conditions in Israeli jails and courts that prompted 1,550 Palestinian prisoners to go on a hunger strike. [includes rush transcript]




