600,000+ Join Yeb Sano Signing #WeStandWithYou Petition Urging Action at UN Climate Talks

Last week, Filipino climate negotiator , Yeb Sa?o authored a petition on Avaaz calling for ?major steps forward? on the issues of carbon pollution reduction and working towards a new system to help countries manage the risks and deal with the losses to climate disasters. Sa?o’s call, which is in response to the devastation created by Typhoon Haiyan, was supported by similar petitions from 350.org, MoveOn, Friends of the Earth, CREDO Action, Forecast the Facts, SustainUS, 18 Million Rising, and other organizations. In total, more than 600,000 people have signed on to these calls for immediate action. Many organizations, including those listed above, are also fundraising for immediate relief in the Philippines. Tuphoon Haiyan, along with the many recent storms, droughts, wildfires, and flooding around the world, solidify the connection between extreme weather and climate. Click here to add your voice to this urgent appeal for action.

New Label Tells Consumers if Meat is Free of Growth-Enhancing Drugs

A new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)?certification program?will allow livestock producers to market their products with a special label saying the meat contains no drugs called beta agonists?which some estimates say are fed to up to nearly 80 percent of U.S.-raised livestock. Beta agonists are feed additives used to increase muscle mass and promote weight gain in livestock animals. Meat producers who would like to use the ?Never Fed Beta Agonists? label?would be required to document to USDA?s Agricultural Marketing Service that they haven?t given growth enhancers to their animals and that the meat contains no residues of the controversial drugs.?Trademarked beta agonists include Zilmax and Optaflexx, with one of the two being administered? to 70 percent to 80 percent of the U.S. cattle herd in 2012,?according to some estimates.? The use of beta agonists has been know to adverse side effects on animals. Tyson Foods stopped buying?Zilmax-fed cattle in September because cattle had been delivered to its plants having trouble walking or being unable to move.

Eight More U.S. Coal Generators Bite the Dust

Last week, Tennessee Valley Authority announced plans to shut down eight of its coal-burning generating stations in Alabama and Kentucky. Board members of the federally owned utility agreed to the plan due to changing market conditions and federal environmental rules. The move will reduce coal generation by 3,300 megawatts in the two states. According to the Clean Air Task Force, the Colbert coal plant in Alabama alone contributed to 940 asthma attacks, 83 heart attacks, and 57 deaths per year.? When the TVA is done with its announced coal-plant retirements, only 33 of its 59 coal units will remain in service. While any reduction in coal burning is an improvement, the TVA’s proposed replacement energy sources are natural gas and nuclear power, which as we know are not sustainable. The push for renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, is clearly still very much needed, but this news highlights the necessary shift to alternative energy sources.