June, 07 2016, 04:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Rafael Ordóñez, Communications, Greenpeace Spain +34 651 99 52 50
Paul Johnston, David Santillo and Stephanie Tunmore from Greenpeace Research Laboratories, Exeter Tel +44 1392 247920
Increased Extreme Weather Events Predicted Due to Effect of Climate Change on the Arctic
The effects of climate change on the Arctic -- including melting ice and sea level rise -- may possibly alter weather patterns in the northern hemisphere. These effects could include hotter, drier summers in some areas, wetter summers in other areas, and cold, stormy winters in others, according to studies compiled by the Greenpeace Research Laboratories in the report, "What happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic" which is published today.
MADRID
The effects of climate change on the Arctic -- including melting ice and sea level rise -- may possibly alter weather patterns in the northern hemisphere. These effects could include hotter, drier summers in some areas, wetter summers in other areas, and cold, stormy winters in others, according to studies compiled by the Greenpeace Research Laboratories in the report, "What happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic" which is published today.
Greenpeace Spain Arctic campaigner Sara del Rio, said:
"There seems no doubt that warming of the Arctic region is a major contributory factor to mid-latitude weather patterns. Although scientists are trying now to understand better the influence of the complex atmospheric processes of the poles, under a precautionary approach, it is extremely urgent to take action to combat climate change and to protect the Arctic."
The Arctic ecosystem is warming more than twice as fast as any other region in the world, the total area of summer sea ice in the Arctic has decreased substantially over the last 30 years while sea ice volume has reduced even more substantially. This means that more heat is being exchanged between the Arctic ocean and the surrounding atmosphere and the reflective ability of the ice (surface albedo) is reduced. Furthermore, the release of harmful greenhouse gases from their long-term storage in the Arctic permafrost will further add to global climate change.
As the Arctic environment is integral to global climate systems, there have been notable alterations in storm tracks, the jet-stream, as well as northern oceanic circulations. Blocked atmospheric planetary waves are leading to 'stuck' weather patterns that cause more persistent weather at a given location. These changes appear to be influencing the weather across mid-latitudes, with profound effects on our daily lives.
"A series of unprecedented weather extremes have been recorded throughout the last decade - 'Super-storms', droughts, heat waves, floods and record breaking snowy winters. Climate modelling suggests that these extreme weather events will become even more common in the future, causing heavy human and economic losses," added del Rio.
As the sea ice recedes in the Arctic Ocean, fishing, maritime transport and hydrocarbon exploration will encroach further on the northern waters, including those beyond national controls, increasing the threats that this currently still relatively pristine region is already facing.
Despite these threats and likely increasing pressures in the future, this fragile and critically important ocean is still the least protected worldwide. Greenpeace advocates the establishment of an Arctic Sanctuary (a highly protected area prohibiting all extractive industries in the international waters around the North Pole). The designation of the "Arctic Ice High Seas Marine Protected Area" by the OSPAR Commission would be a step towards this goal and would provide some protection for the Arctic's vulnerable species and habitats during a time of global change. It will also allow a precautionary and adaptive management of any future human activities across the region.
Voices for the Arctic
Along with the report, Greenpeace has produced a pack of Photoshopped artistic images that illustrate the impacts of climate change around the world. Greenpeace is asking people around the word to send their reasons to save the Arctic using the site www.voicesforthearctic.org . Greenpeace, has already gathered almost 8 million signatures demanding Arctic protection and will deliver people's statements for Arctic protection during a grand piano performance played by Ludovico Einaudi.
Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
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Agency Trump and Musk Want to 'Delete' Set to Deliver $1.8 Billion to Scammed US Consumers
"When the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is allowed to fully do its job, Americans only stand to benefit."
Dec 06, 2024
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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced Thursday that it will soon begin distributing a historic $1.8 billion to millions of people who were charged illegal junk fees or defrauded by credit repair companies including Lexington Law and CreditRepair.com.
The money will be distributed from the CFPB's victim relief fund, which was created by Congress and is financed entirely by civil penalties paid by companies and individuals who violate consumer financial protection laws.
The fund has distributed $3.3 billion to consumers since its inception, and the CFPB said the forthcoming payment will be its largest ever.
"Lexington Law and CreditRepair.com exploited vulnerable consumers who were trying to rebuild their credit, charging them illegal junk fees for results they hadn't delivered," said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. "This historic distribution of $1.8 billion demonstrates the CFPB's commitment to making consumers whole."
A district court ruled in August 2023 that the two companies had violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule's prohibition on advance fees, which bars credit repair firms from collecting fees from consumers until they prove they have achieved the results they promise to their customers.
If the CFPB payments are divided equally among those who were wrongly charged fees by the two companies, each consumer would receive about $419.
The payments are being sent days after the CFPB proposed a rule aimed at reining in data brokers who sell people's personal information.
As Common Dreamsreported, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has expressed concern about the practices of data brokers—but as Trump's nominee to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a yet-to-be-created commission that would cut regulations and government spending, Musk has pledged to "delete" the CFPB.
Filmmaker and media activist Danny Ledonne said Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, another businessman nominated to lead DOGE, likely want to do away with the CFPB because the agency acts "in the interest of regular people."
Liz Zelnick, director of the Economic Security and Corporate Power Program at government watchdog Accountable.US, said the upcoming $1.8 billion payout shows why the CFPB should remain in operation.
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Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said supporters of consumer protections in Congress will "fight any attempts to dismantle [CFPB], whether from Trump, Musk, or their billionaire buddies."
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Federal filings released Thursday revealed that Elon Musk spent significantly more than previously known to help secure a second White House term for Donald Trump and boost GOP congressional candidates, making the world's richest man the nation's largest political donor and perhaps the most influential figure involved with the incoming administration.
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The filings also exposed Musk as the mysterious funding source behind RBG PAC, a Republican organization named after the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Musk pumped more than $20.5 million into the super PAC, which aimed to paint Trump as more moderate on abortion than other Republicans and falsely claimed Trump shared Ginsburg's views on reproductive rights.
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Musk's ability to convert his extreme wealth into political influence underscored the need for far higher taxes on the nation's economic elites, progressives said in response to the FEC disclosures. In 2018, Musk paid nothing in federal income taxes even as his wealth soared, largely due to Tesla stock appreciation.
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Melanie D'Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, noted that "if your income was $274 million per year, you'd make more than 99.9% of Americans."
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Musk's spending on the 2024 elections outpaced that of Timothy Mellon, the secretive heir to a Gilded Age fortune who pumped $197 million into races in support of Republican candidates, Bloombergreported.
Musk, whose wealth jumped substantially following Trump's victory, is one of more than a dozen billionaires set to be either a member or close adviser to the incoming administration. The president-elect has tasked Musk and fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy with leading a commission whose goal is to gut federal regulations and slash spending.
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Republican lawmakers on Thursday signaled a willingness to target Social Security and other mandatory programs after meeting with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the billionaire pair President-elect Donald Trump chose to lead a new commission tasked with slashing federal spending and regulations.
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On Thursday, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) emerged from a meeting with Musk and Ramaswamy with the message that "nothing is sacrosanct."
"They're going to put everything on the table," said Norman, one of the wealthiest members of Congress.
After airing Norman's remarks, Fox Business reported that Musk and Ramaswamy told lawmakers that no federal program is safe from cuts, "and that includes Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid."
Fox Business reports that cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid is "on the table" for Republicans pic.twitter.com/ETUjJHbt3h
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 5, 2024
NBC News congressional correspondent Julie Tsirkin said Thursday that after meeting with Musk, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)—who was recently elected Senate majority leader for the upcoming Congress—told her that "perhaps mandatory programs are areas that they're looking to make cuts in, like Social Security, for example."
"But again, no specifics were laid out there," Tsirkin added.
Thune has previously voiced support for raising Social Security's retirement age, a change that would cut benefits across the board.
🚨🚨🚨
BREAKING: After meeting with Elon Musk, Republican leader Sen. John Thune announces plans to cut Social Security
HANDS OFF OUR EARNED BENEFITS! pic.twitter.com/eTX8wpHuwr
— Social Security Works (@SSWorks) December 5, 2024
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