While many of us are worrying about how the melting polar ice caps are a
warning of climate catastrophes ahead, for others melting ice is turning
historical dreams of a navigable Arctic into reality and reshaping rivalries
at the top of the world.
On this episode of Lo...
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In 1980 Oregon voters overwhelmingly passed an initiative that bans any new
nuclear reactors until the there is a permanent national nuclear waste
repository. Since 1992 when the Trojan Nuclear power plant in Rainier,
OR closed, the state has been nuclear-free. But over ...
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For seven years Portlanders have been trying to stop Zenith Energy's oil
trains from threatening the health and safety of our community. After nearly
three years of community protests and public meetings, the City of
Portland denied Zenith’s application for a Land Use Co...
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As we confront the existential crisis of climate chaos there are two paths we
can take. We can make dramatic changes that meaningfully reduce carbon
emissions. Or we can accept the fossil fuel industry’s self-serving climate
solutions—renewable diesel, hydrogen, renew...
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Where once cows roamed on pastures and fields grew a variety of crops, now
the principal crop is data centers. These massive industrial eyesores are
becoming a fixture across Oregon’s rural and suburban landscapes.
On this episode of Locus Focus we talk with Fred Huette, ...
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Portland Urban Naturalist Mike Houck proclaimed the last time he was on Locus
Focus: "We are living in a climate emergencty. It's time for Portland to act
like it!"
On this episode of Locus Focus Mike is joined by Dawn Uchiyama, former
director of Portland's Bureau of E...
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Concentrated Animal Feed Operations have been around for a few decades.
Basically concentration camps for cattle, pigs and chickens, these factory
farms not only torture animals but also are major polluters and a principal
emitter of greenhouse gases. But in recent years...
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Northwest Natural Gas's Smart Energy program advertises itself as a way for
customers to “offset” their natural gas emissions by funding projects
that the company says “reduce, or prevent the release of, greenhouse
gases.” But in fact, as customers found out, Smart Energ...
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More than three decades ago Urban Naturalist Mike Houck coined the term
Greenfrastructure to describe the important role that urban green spaces play
in providing climate resilience. Green infrastructure emphasizes the
importance of viewing our parks, forests, wetlands a...
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When voters overwhelmingly passed a new city charter in 2022, optimism
abounded that the new form of government would more truly represent all of
Portland, not just the business elite who had been running things pretty much
for over 150 years. The city was supposed to be...
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