Activism

A firebrand organizer has convinced conservative Nebraska farmers to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline because they will bear the brunt of Canada's energy expansion. It's about local environmental impacts rather than climate change.

"Seeking to close what a lawyer called 'serious gaps' in regulation, 64 environmental and community groups on Tuesday petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to clamp down on toxic air emissions from oil and gas operations."

"The survey by Dutch research agency Motivaction said in China, where public anger has mounted over hazardous levels of pollution in towns and cities, environmentalists had a greater sense of urgency about action needed to tackle the problem than Western counterparts, where the financial crisis has knocked environmental policy down the political agenda."

"Greenpeace USA announced new leadership on Tuesday, tapping filmmaker, author and environmental activist Annie Leonard to serve as its next executive director."

"Stanford University announced Tuesday that it would divest its $18.7 billion endowment of stock in coal-mining companies, becoming the first major university to lend support to a nationwide campaign to purge endowments and pension funds of fossil fuel investments."

"ROTTERDAM --  Dutch police stormed a Greenpeace ship on Thursday to prevent environmental activists blocking delivery of the first oil from Russia's new Arctic drilling platform reaching port in Rotterdam."

"Six environmental advocates from India, Peru, Russia and three other nations have won this year's Goldman Prize, which is awarded annually for grass-roots activism."

"The Cowboy and Indian Alliance met Tuesday morning in front of the Capital to kick off a five-day protest against the proposed expansion of the Keystone XL Pipeline."

"BANGKOK — As head of his village, Prajob Naowa-opas battled to save his community in central Thailand from the illegal dumping of toxic waste by filing petitions and leading villagers to block trucks carrying the stuff — until a gunman in broad daylight fired four shots into him."