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Campaign group Organizing for Action says it is time to call out US politicians who deny the science behind climate change.

from The Guardian

"The campaign group formed to support Barack Obama's political agenda has launched an initiative to shame members of Congress who deny the science behind climate change.

"In an email to supporters on Thursday, Organizing for Action said it was time to call out members of Congress who deny the existence of climate change, saying they had blocked efforts to avoid its most catastrophic consequences. …"

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Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute concludes obstacles to change are political, not technological.

from the Vancouver Observer

"Last Monday, the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute launched their latest report in conjunction with the Centre for Policy Development called Post Carbon Pathways: Towards a Just and Resilient Post Carbon Future. 

"What the report aimed to do was to start the conversation about how we get to be a post carbon global economy. The report looked at large scale economic de-carbonization strategies across the globe from governments, think tanks, books published by climate experts, climate NGOs and also interviewed 20 policy makers, climate researchers and climate activists to get their thoughts on the issue. 

"From there, they drew three main messages about our post carbon future:

1. The probability of reaching 4^oC of global average warming is rapidly increasing as noted by several institutions, most recently the World Bank and Christine Lagarde from the IMF.
2. We know what needs to be done to decarbonize and how to do it.
3. The biggest barriers to a post carbon future are political, not technological. …"

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500 low-wage workers expected to stop working at a dozen chains.

from Salon

Agroecology approach mimics natural ecosystems.

from The Guardian

"Small-scale farmers produce food for 70 percent of the global population. Yet, they are some of the world's poorest and most food insecure people. Alternatives to conventional farming should be embraced to improve subsistence farmers' yields and to ensure adequate food production for the growing global population. The stark reality, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, is that the world needs to produce more food with fewer resources.

"Agroecology, a farming approach that mimics natural ecosystems, is an alternative method that can produce more food using fewer resources. Small-scale farmers in Africa have used agroecology to more than double crop yields within 3 to 10 years of implementation, according to the UN special rapporteur on the right to food. Farmers also use agroecology to improve soil fertility, adapt to climate change, and reduce farming input costs. …"

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Airline is suing union for $4 million.

from Toronto Media Coop

Porter Airlines is playing hardball. Rather than negotiate with their striking refueling workers, they are choosing to use any legal means available to avoid dealing with them. Yesterday, Porter and the Toronto Port Authority partially lost a court injunction which had sought to prohibit leafletting and noise even in a public park. That very afternoon, they announced with a civil lawsuit of $4 million against the union, whose bargaining unit at the Porter airport represents only 22 employees.

The Media Coop spoke with Glenn Wheeler of COPE (Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union), the union which represents the fuel workers. "Earlier we had two people charged with trespassing and actually handcuffed and arrested for leafletting in front of the terminal door, which is quite outrageous. That won't be happening any more because of the court order, as the judge said that you can leaflet in the building."

Wheeler was surprised Porter even tried to get such a restrictive injunction: "We were surprised they took the position that they did because we have a decision of the Supreme Court of Canada saying that an airport, for the purposes of union messages, is a public place." 

Wheeler said: that the temporary order "imposed some restrictions – but not the restrictions that the Toronto Port Authority and Porter were seeking and the union feels very good about the result because it means that our constitutional rights were preserved and we can carry on our lawful picketing activities." After the court decision, Porter went public yesterday afternoon about a $4 million dollar libel lawsuit against the union, specifically over twitter use from the union's @PorterStrike account.

Its no coincidence that the airline has targeted social media; Twitter, Facebook and phone campaigns against Porter have been widespread and effective, and have included parodies of Porter advertisements. 

Even city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam has been tweeting on the strike, writing yesterday "I'm a Porter client & always pay my own way. Not impressed with them lately: tax arrears, labour disputes, jets & now robo-polls. #smartenup". 

Carrie Sharpe, who has been helping coordinate support for the workers, spoke to the Media Coop about the attempted injunction. "What's scary is that it was even on the table. This is an attempt to shut down dissent. Porter is trying to discourage dissent at a time when they have an application to have jets fly out of the airport and to fill in some of the lake. This injunction process has already had a chilling effect on mobilization, there will be people afraid now to protest island expansion. The very ambiguity of the injunctions is in itself a weapon. They are doing all this in order to shut down protests over use of public assets for profit."

The highest paid fueler at Porter earns $16 an hour. Workers start off at $12/hr (or $14 with a DZ license). Health and safety, including the procurement of basic equipment like safety vests, has also been a key union demand.

For more background on the strike, read Not on the Radar: Porter Airline Refuelers Strike Hits 3rd month.