Articles by: Andrea Germanos

Pope Francis Urges Pharma Giants to Release Covid-19 Vaccine Patents

Pope Francis Urges Pharma Giants to Release Covid-19 Vaccine Patents

Amid ongoing outrage over global vaccine inequity, Pope Francis on Saturday urged pharmaceutical companies to “make a gesture of humanity” by lifting intellectual property protections and sharing Covid-19 vaccine technology with the world. The pope’s remarks came during a video address to the World Meeting of Popular Movements, a collection of grassroots groups, in which he expressed his belief “that we are not condemned[Read More…]

by — 17/10/2021 — 2 comments — World
New Report on Ocean Oxygen Loss Gives ‘Ultimate Wake-Up Call’ to Act on Climate

New Report on Ocean Oxygen Loss Gives ‘Ultimate Wake-Up Call’ to Act on Climate

A new report on ocean oxygen loss released Saturday should serve as the “ultimate wake-up call” to take bold action to rein in planet-warming emissions and save the world’s “suffocating seas,” researchers said. The publication from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) shows how the problem known as ocean deoxygenation, driven by global warming and human-caused nutrient pollution, is expanding, with[Read More…]

by — 08/12/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Climate Change
Julian Assange’s Life Is at Risk, Says United Nations Expert

Julian Assange’s Life Is at Risk, Says United Nations Expert

The United Nations special rapporteur on torture reiterated Friday a warning that Julian Assange’s life is at risk and said the WikiLeaks founder must not be extradited to the United States as a consequence of  “exposing serious governmental misconduct.” “While the U.S. government prosecutes Mr. Assange for publishing information about serious human rights violations, including torture and murder, the officials[Read More…]

by — 03/11/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World
As New Fires Rage in Amazon, Global Calls for Urgent Action to Avert ‘Astronomical’ Impacts to ‘Life on Earth’

As New Fires Rage in Amazon, Global Calls for Urgent Action to Avert ‘Astronomical’ Impacts to ‘Life on Earth’

Pope Francis urges protection of “that lung of forests” and French President Macron says G7 nations pledged help at summit Brazil’s army on Sunday deployed aircraft to battle the raging fires in the Amazon as global concern and outrage over the potential consequences—and the destructive causes—of the disaster grow. The military operations involving C-130 aircraft to put out fires came after Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro triggered global[Read More…]

by — 26/08/2019 — 1 comment — Environmental Protection
People hold signs during the March for Science in Melbourne, Australia on April 22, 2017. (Photo: Takver/flickr/ccc)

CO2 Levels Hit Record, April Temp Hits Record

Weather experts at the United Nations just said that the highest April temperature ever may have just been recorded—an ominous sign that comes on the heels of the monthly average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hitting the highest level on the books. Speaking to press at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Clare Nullis from the World Meteorological Organization[Read More…]

by — 06/05/2018 — 2 comments — Climate Change
Israeli Forces Open Fire on Gaza Protesters Again

Israeli Forces Open Fire on Gaza Protesters Again

Israel is shooting at protesters in Gaza again on Saturday, a day after Israeli forces shot dead at least 15 Palestinians. Over 1,400 were also injured Friday by Israeli forces in Gaza, roughly half of whom were hit by live fire, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.  Thousands of protesters are attending funerals on Saturday. “Medical facilities in Gaza, which have already been overstrained by the[Read More…]

by — 01/04/2018 — 2 comments — Palestine
Net neutrality supporters hold signs in front of the White House. (Photo: Joseph Gruber/flickr/cc)

FCC Commissioner Begs Nation To Stop GOP Colleagues From Killing Net Neutrality

After one commissioner called the FCC’s newly-released plan to roll back net neutrality “worse than one could imagine,” a second commissioner is now calling voters to make sure the proposal by Republican Chairman Ajit Pai does not go through. In a Los Angeles Times op-ed published Thursday—entitled “I’m on the FCC. Please stop us from killing net neutrality“—Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel points to the overwhelming public support[Read More…]

by — 24/11/2017 — 2 comments — World
Over 15,000 Scientists Just Issued a ‘Second Notice’ To Humanity. Can We Listen Now?

Over 15,000 Scientists Just Issued a ‘Second Notice’ To Humanity. Can We Listen Now?

Yikes. Over 15,000 scientists hailing from more than 180 countries just issued a dire warning to humanity: “Time is running out” to stop business as usual, as threats from rising greenhouse gases to biodiversity loss are pushing the biosphere to the brink. The new warning was published Monday in the international journal BioScience, and marks an update to the “World Scientists’ Warning to[Read More…]

by — 15/11/2017 — 1 comment — Climate Change
2014 Was Hottest Year Ever Recorded. Then It Was 2015. Now It’s 2016.

2014 Was Hottest Year Ever Recorded. Then It Was 2015. Now It’s 2016.

For the third year in a row, the world experienced its warmest year on the books, global scientists have determined. The new assessments come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the UK’s Met Office, as well as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which relies in part on data from those[Read More…]

by — 19/01/2017 — 1 comment — Climate Change
2016 Goes Down As Hottest Year On Record

2016 Goes Down As Hottest Year On Record

Earth is “on the edge.” So declared the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Thursday, announcing that 2016 was the warmest year on record. The first global assessment of last year’s temperatures finds that 2016 broke the record set in 2015 by close to 0.2°C , with last year’s record having broken the record set in 2014. According to meteorologist[Read More…]

by — 07/01/2017 — 1 comment — Climate Change
Arctic Tundra. (Photo: USFWS)

New Study ‘Sounds Alarm’ On Another Climate Feedback Loop

The loss of Arctic sea ice has already been shown to be part of a positive feedback loopdriving climate change, and a recent study published in the journal Nature puts the spotlight on what appears to be another of these feedback loops. It has to do with soil, currently one of Earth’s carbon sinks. But warming may lead to soils[Read More…]

by — 27/12/2016 — 1 comment — Climate Change
Up To 28 Civilians Reportedly Killed In US-Led Strike in Syria

Up To 28 Civilians Reportedly Killed In US-Led Strike in Syria

The U.S.-led coalition has been accused of killing as many as 28 civilians, including a woman and seven children, near the northern Syrian city of Manbij on Thursday—the same area where U.S.-led airstrikes last week may have killed scores of civilians. “The Manbij area,” as the Associated Press describes, “has seen extensive battles between IS [Islamic State or ISIS] extremists[Read More…]

by — 30/07/2016 — 1 comment — Imperialism