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The Sherburne County (Sherco) Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant owned by Xcel Energy and located in Becker, Minnesota, shown in 2016. (Photo: Tony Webster/Flickr/cc)
Because the Climate Crisis 'Does Not Wait for Us,' Spain to Host COP25 in Place of Chile
Critics warned that changing the venue to Europe could imperil the participation of attendees from Asia, Africa, and South America.
Nov 01, 2019
The Spanish government on Thursday announced it would host the United Nations Climate Conference in December, days after Chilean President Sebastian Pinera announced his country could not be the venue due to continuing protests aginst the government in the Latin American country.
While the news was welcomed as an example of the international community working to continue the global conversation on the climate crisis and solutions to the issue alive, a number of critics noted that the sudden shift in venue could imperil the participation of attendees from Asia, Africa, and South America.
"Thank you #Spain for stepping up to host #COP25 and to all countries and partners committed to #ClimateAction," tweeted U.N. deputy secretary general Amina J. Mohammed. "This move to #Madrid from Chile, formulated in just days, is a tremendous demonstration of solidarity and urgent leadership needed for climate solutions."
Spain stepped up to host the conference in the city of Madrid after a protest movement aimed at the Pinera government erupted in October. The ongoing demonstrations have upset the country's politics and are aimed at overturning the country's corrupt economic order.
"Yesterday I spoke with the [Prime Minister] of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, who made the generous offer to organize the COP25 summit in Madrid, Spain, the same days it was planned to be carried out in Chile, meaning, from the 2nd to the 13th of December this year," Pinera said Thursday.
The decision is the second time the conference has been rescheduled--Brazilian Preswiden Jair Bolsonaro backed out of his country hosting the event in November 2018.
Spain has had its own struggles with protest; demonstrations for and against the Catalonia independence movement have roiled Barcelona for weeks. But the Madrid conference appears unlikely to be affected by the Catalan region unrest. Some European climate activists expressed skepticism to HuffPost's Alexander Kaufman over Sanchez's motivations for annoucning he would host the conference just before a November 10 election.
"It's hard not to read this through a cynical lens," said Green New Deal for Europe's David Adler. "A lot of it fits into this broader portrait of someone who plays politics for personal gain, which has many of us in the climate movement deeply skeptical and suspicious of the motives that would have brought the COP to Madrid in the first place."
A number of climate advocates welcomed the change in venue but cautioned that the suddenness of the transition could have negative effects on the attendance of those in the global south.
Climate Action Network policy coordinator Andreas Sieber said on Twitter that Spain's willingness to take up the mantle of host was a positive development because the climate crisis "does not wait for us." But, he added, there needs to be a process in place to help everyone attend the meeting.
"Also critical now to still fully include those most affected with lesser resources," tweeted Sieber, "this is not easy for small countries and NGOs."
The agreements that COP25 is expected to reach on funding for repairing damage of the climate crisis, Climate Change Advocacy consultant Julie-Anne Richards said, are too important for stakeholders to miss.
"It is imperative that vulnerable, least developed, African, and island nations are well represented" at the conference, said Richards. "Rushing to hold it in a new city imperils this."
Among those left adrift by the new plans was Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, who turned to her Twitter following for help in making the journey from the Americas to Europe.
"I need to find a way to cross the Atlantic in November," said Thunberg. "If anyone could help me find transport I would be so grateful."
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The Spanish government on Thursday announced it would host the United Nations Climate Conference in December, days after Chilean President Sebastian Pinera announced his country could not be the venue due to continuing protests aginst the government in the Latin American country.
While the news was welcomed as an example of the international community working to continue the global conversation on the climate crisis and solutions to the issue alive, a number of critics noted that the sudden shift in venue could imperil the participation of attendees from Asia, Africa, and South America.
"Thank you #Spain for stepping up to host #COP25 and to all countries and partners committed to #ClimateAction," tweeted U.N. deputy secretary general Amina J. Mohammed. "This move to #Madrid from Chile, formulated in just days, is a tremendous demonstration of solidarity and urgent leadership needed for climate solutions."
Spain stepped up to host the conference in the city of Madrid after a protest movement aimed at the Pinera government erupted in October. The ongoing demonstrations have upset the country's politics and are aimed at overturning the country's corrupt economic order.
"Yesterday I spoke with the [Prime Minister] of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, who made the generous offer to organize the COP25 summit in Madrid, Spain, the same days it was planned to be carried out in Chile, meaning, from the 2nd to the 13th of December this year," Pinera said Thursday.
The decision is the second time the conference has been rescheduled--Brazilian Preswiden Jair Bolsonaro backed out of his country hosting the event in November 2018.
Spain has had its own struggles with protest; demonstrations for and against the Catalonia independence movement have roiled Barcelona for weeks. But the Madrid conference appears unlikely to be affected by the Catalan region unrest. Some European climate activists expressed skepticism to HuffPost's Alexander Kaufman over Sanchez's motivations for annoucning he would host the conference just before a November 10 election.
"It's hard not to read this through a cynical lens," said Green New Deal for Europe's David Adler. "A lot of it fits into this broader portrait of someone who plays politics for personal gain, which has many of us in the climate movement deeply skeptical and suspicious of the motives that would have brought the COP to Madrid in the first place."
A number of climate advocates welcomed the change in venue but cautioned that the suddenness of the transition could have negative effects on the attendance of those in the global south.
Climate Action Network policy coordinator Andreas Sieber said on Twitter that Spain's willingness to take up the mantle of host was a positive development because the climate crisis "does not wait for us." But, he added, there needs to be a process in place to help everyone attend the meeting.
"Also critical now to still fully include those most affected with lesser resources," tweeted Sieber, "this is not easy for small countries and NGOs."
The agreements that COP25 is expected to reach on funding for repairing damage of the climate crisis, Climate Change Advocacy consultant Julie-Anne Richards said, are too important for stakeholders to miss.
"It is imperative that vulnerable, least developed, African, and island nations are well represented" at the conference, said Richards. "Rushing to hold it in a new city imperils this."
Among those left adrift by the new plans was Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, who turned to her Twitter following for help in making the journey from the Americas to Europe.
"I need to find a way to cross the Atlantic in November," said Thunberg. "If anyone could help me find transport I would be so grateful."
The Spanish government on Thursday announced it would host the United Nations Climate Conference in December, days after Chilean President Sebastian Pinera announced his country could not be the venue due to continuing protests aginst the government in the Latin American country.
While the news was welcomed as an example of the international community working to continue the global conversation on the climate crisis and solutions to the issue alive, a number of critics noted that the sudden shift in venue could imperil the participation of attendees from Asia, Africa, and South America.
"Thank you #Spain for stepping up to host #COP25 and to all countries and partners committed to #ClimateAction," tweeted U.N. deputy secretary general Amina J. Mohammed. "This move to #Madrid from Chile, formulated in just days, is a tremendous demonstration of solidarity and urgent leadership needed for climate solutions."
Spain stepped up to host the conference in the city of Madrid after a protest movement aimed at the Pinera government erupted in October. The ongoing demonstrations have upset the country's politics and are aimed at overturning the country's corrupt economic order.
"Yesterday I spoke with the [Prime Minister] of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, who made the generous offer to organize the COP25 summit in Madrid, Spain, the same days it was planned to be carried out in Chile, meaning, from the 2nd to the 13th of December this year," Pinera said Thursday.
The decision is the second time the conference has been rescheduled--Brazilian Preswiden Jair Bolsonaro backed out of his country hosting the event in November 2018.
Spain has had its own struggles with protest; demonstrations for and against the Catalonia independence movement have roiled Barcelona for weeks. But the Madrid conference appears unlikely to be affected by the Catalan region unrest. Some European climate activists expressed skepticism to HuffPost's Alexander Kaufman over Sanchez's motivations for annoucning he would host the conference just before a November 10 election.
"It's hard not to read this through a cynical lens," said Green New Deal for Europe's David Adler. "A lot of it fits into this broader portrait of someone who plays politics for personal gain, which has many of us in the climate movement deeply skeptical and suspicious of the motives that would have brought the COP to Madrid in the first place."
A number of climate advocates welcomed the change in venue but cautioned that the suddenness of the transition could have negative effects on the attendance of those in the global south.
Climate Action Network policy coordinator Andreas Sieber said on Twitter that Spain's willingness to take up the mantle of host was a positive development because the climate crisis "does not wait for us." But, he added, there needs to be a process in place to help everyone attend the meeting.
"Also critical now to still fully include those most affected with lesser resources," tweeted Sieber, "this is not easy for small countries and NGOs."
The agreements that COP25 is expected to reach on funding for repairing damage of the climate crisis, Climate Change Advocacy consultant Julie-Anne Richards said, are too important for stakeholders to miss.
"It is imperative that vulnerable, least developed, African, and island nations are well represented" at the conference, said Richards. "Rushing to hold it in a new city imperils this."
Among those left adrift by the new plans was Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, who turned to her Twitter following for help in making the journey from the Americas to Europe.
"I need to find a way to cross the Atlantic in November," said Thunberg. "If anyone could help me find transport I would be so grateful."
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LATEST NEWS
'National Disgrace': Sanders and Senate Dems Call Out Trump Attack on Education Dept
"Our nation's public schools, colleges, and universities are preparing the next generation of America's leaders—we must take steps to strengthen education in this country, not take a wrecking ball to the agency that exists to do so."
Mar 17, 2025
In a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday, Sen. Bernie Sanders led more than three dozen of his Democratic colleagues in dismissing the Trump administration's "false claims of financial savings" from slashing more than 1,000 jobs at the Education Department, emphasizing that the wealthy people leading federal policy "will not be harmed by these egregious attacks" on public schools.
"Wealthy families sending their children to elite, private schools will still be able to get a quality education even if every public school disappears in this country," reads the letter spearheaded by Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. "But for working-class families, high-quality public education is an opportunity they rely on for their children to have a path to do well in life."
The decision by President Donald Trump and his unelected billionaire ally, Elon Musk of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency( DOGE), to slash the Department of Education (DOE) workforce by 50%—or 1,300 people—and take steps to illegally close the agency has already had an impact on students, noted the senators, pointing to a glitch in the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) that preventing families from accessing the applications "not even 24 hours after the staff reductions were announced."
"The staff normally responsible for fixing those errors had reportedly been cut," reads the letter, which was also signed by lawmakers including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
"Without the Department of Education, there is no guarantee that states would uphold students' civil and educational rights."
The letter was sent as The Associated Press reported that cuts within the DOE's Office of Civil Rights have placed new barriers in front of families with children who have disabilities. Families who can't afford to take legal action against schools or districts that are not providing accommodations or services for students with disabilities have long been able to rely on on the office to open an investigation into their cases, but the AP reported that "more than 20,000 pending cases—including those related to kids with disabilities, historically the largest share of the office's work—largely sat idle for weeks after Trump took office."
"A freeze on processing the cases was lifted early this month, but advocates question whether the department can make progress on them with a smaller staff," reported the outlet.
The reduction in force has been compounded by the fact that the remaining staff has been directed to prioritize antisemitism cases, as the Trump administration places significant attention on allegations that pro-Palestinian organizers, particularly on college campuses, have endangered Jewish students by speaking out in favor of Palestinian rights and against Israel's U.S.-backed assault on Gaza and the West Bank.
An analysis of more than 550 campus protests found that 97% of the demonstrations last year remained non-violent, contrary to repeated claims by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers that they placed Jewish students in danger. Meanwhile, the Trump administration, pro-Israel advocates, and Republicans have dismissed outcry over Musk's display of a Nazi salute at an inaugural event in January.
"Special needs kids [are] now suffering because of a manufactured hysteria aimed [at] silencing dissent against genocide," said writer and political analyst Yousef Munayyer. "Utter depravity."
In their letter, Sanders and his Democratic colleagues noted that "several regional offices responsible for investigating potential violations of students' civil rights in local schools" have also been shuttered, expressing alarm that many cases will likely "go uninvestigated and that students will be left in unsafe learning environments as a result."
They noted that at a time of "massive income and wealth inequality, when 60% of people live paycheck to paycheck," the federal government's defunding of public education "would result in either higher property taxes or decreased funding for public schools, including in rural areas."
"It is a national disgrace that the Trump administration is attempting to illegally abolish the Department of Education and thus, undermine a high-quality education for our students," wrote the lawmakers. "These reductions will have devastating impacts on our nation's students and we are deeply concerned that without staff, the department will be unable to fulfill critical functions, such as ensuring students can access federal financial aid, upholding students' civil rights, and guaranteeing that federal funding reaches communities promptly and is well-spent."
Trump, they noted, has expressed a desire "to return education back to the states" despite the fact that state governments and local school boards already make education policy, with just 11% of public education funding coming from the DOE.
However, "the Department of Education has a necessary and irreplaceable responsibility to implement federal laws that ensure equal opportunity for all children in this country," they wrote. "These laws guarantee fundamental protections, such as ensuring that children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment, that students from low-income backgrounds and students of color will not be disproportionately taught by less experienced and qualified teachers, and that parents will receive information about their child's academic achievement."
"Without the Department of Education, there is no guarantee that states would uphold students' civil and educational rights," said the lawmakers. "We will not stand by as you attempt to turn back the clock on education in this country through gutting the Department of Education. Our nation's public schools, colleges, and universities are preparing the next generation of America's leaders—we must take steps to strengthen education in this country, not take a wrecking ball to the agency that exists to do so."
Democrats Demand Hearing on 'Backroom Agreement' Between DOGE and DeJoy
"Any potential deal that would give Elon Musk and his DOGE associates unilateral authority to manipulate the most critical, expansive national mail network on the planet is deeply troubling," wrote a group of House Democrats.
Mar 17, 2025
A group of House Democrats is demanding that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform conduct a public hearing on the Trump administration and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency's plans for the U.S. Postal Service, in light of recent reporting that U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says he signed an agreement with DOGE to assist the nation's mail service "in identifying and achieving further efficiencies."
The news follows Washington Post coverage from February, when the outlet reported that U.S. President Donald Trump is considering putting the Postal Service under the control of the Commerce Department. In December, the Post also reported that Trump was eyeing privatizing the Postal Service. Elon Musk, a GOP megadonor who is playing a core role in Trump's efforts to slash federal spending and personnel, has also said the Postal Service should be privatized.
Postal workers unions are fiercely opposed to any effort to privatize the Postal Service.
"The Trump administration... is now subjecting the USPS, America's most trusted federal institution, to the chainsaw approach of Elon Musk and DOGE. This broad assault on the independence of the USPS demands congressional oversight, especially from the committee with jurisdiction over the USPS," according to the letter, which was signed by 20 House Democrats.
In a March 13 letter to congressional leaders, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told Congress he signed an agreement with representatives from Elon Musk's DOGE and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) so that DOGE could help the U.S. Postal Service, which has experienced billions in financial losses in recent years, work to address "big problems."
The Postal Service plans to cut 10,000 employees in the next 30 days through a voluntary early retirement program, according to DeJoy's letter.
DeJoy cited challenges facing the Postal Service, such as "mismanagement of our self-funded retirement assets," "burdensome regulatory requirements restricting normal business practice," and "unfunded mandates imposed on us by legislation."
The letter demanding a public hearing, which was addressed to House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), was spearheaded by Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), and Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.)
"This backroom agreement between the billionaire-led DOGE and Postmaster DeJoy sets off alarm bells about this administration's plans for the Postal Service's role as a cornerstone public institution," according to the letter. "The Postal Service facilitates the delivery of more than 115 billion pieces of mail each year, a significant portion of which is delivered to rural, low-income, and hard-to-reach areas that would not otherwise receive service if not for the universal service obligation, which has received bipartisan support in Congress and is integral to the mission of Postal Service."
"We agree that there are steps Congress could take to strengthen the financial sustainability of the Postal Service, but any potential deal that would give Elon Musk and his DOGE associates unilateral authority to manipulate the most critical, expansive national mail network on the planet is deeply troubling," they continued.
The group is urging that the committee hold a hearing and wrote that they have prepared a letter to send to DeJoy asking that he furnish any signed agreements he made with the GSA and DOGE. The group is urging that Comer also sign on to that letter.
Influenced by the Architects of Project 2025, Utah Poised to Phase Out Automatic By-Mail Voting
"We already have a good voting system and it's not broken, so it doesn't need to be fixed," said the Utah advocacy director for Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
Mar 17, 2025
Utah has the unusual distinction of being a deep-red state where voters enjoy automatic by-mail voting, but that will likely change in the next few years, in part thanks to the influence of conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation.
The state is poised to codify legislation that would get rid of the practice of automatically mailing ballots to all active, registered voters. The GOP-controlled legislature recently passed a bill that will phase out the state's current automatic by-mail voting system by 2029 and also requires voters to list the last four digits of their state identification number with their return envelope beginning in 2026, according to the Utah News Dispatch. Those who opt in to voting by mail and include their state ID information will still be able to vote by mail.
The bill is a scaled back version of an earlier proposal that would have "drastically restricted voting by mail and required most Utahns to return their ballots in person at either a polling place or a drop box manned by at least two poll workers while showing their government-issued ID," per the Utah News Dispatch.
Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox is expected to sign the legislation, The Washington Post reported Monday.
"We already have a good voting system and it's not broken, so it doesn't need to be fixed," Melarie Wheat, the Utah advocacy director for Mormon Women for Ethical Government, told the Post. "There are going to be people who are expecting their vote-by-mail ballot and are not going to get it, who are going to say, 'Well, it's just not worth it and I don't have time to go in at this point and vote in person.'"
Chris Diaz, director of legislative tracking for the Voting Rights Lab, told the outlet that "there's never been a state that did this, in taking that step backwards after adopting universal mail voting."
In 2012, Utah began allowing counties to run elections entirely by mail if they chose to do so, according to the outlet Bolts. Eventually, by 2018, about 90% of Utah voters cast ballots by mail, and in 2020 the state changed the default voting method for registered voters to vote by mail by automatically mailing a ballot to them (while still providing in-person voting options).
Researchers at Brigham Young University found that the shift to vote by mail led to a dramatic increase in voter participation in municipal elections.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that mail-in voting leads to fraud—despite having used the system himself in Florida. Research has found that incidences of fraud with mail-in ballots are exceedingly rare—and a recent legislative audit of Utah's election system failed to find "significant fraud."
State Rep. Jefferson Burton (R-64), the lawmaker who championed the bill, conceded to Bolts that the audit had not found widespread fraud in the state and that vote-by-mail has had a positive impact on turnout.
According to the outlet, when speaking about the bill Burton cited a scorecard maintained by the Heritage Foundation, the right-wing think tank that published the far-right policy blueprint Project 2025. The Election Integrity Scorecard gives Utah a relatively poor ranking—53 out of 100. Utah gets poor marks for its "absentee ballot management" and for currently not requiring a photo ID or a unique identifier when participating in vote by mail, among other criteria.
"As [the] Utah House GOP championed a bill to effectively end vote by mail, I kept hearing one organization repeatedly cited: The Heritage Foundation," wrote Emily Anderson Stern, a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune, wrote on Bluesky.
"While pushing for an end to Utah's universal vote-by-mail election system, state lawmakers—including House Speaker Mike Schultz—have repeatedly relied on the Heritage Foundation's policy perspectives, referencing them in public debate, interviews, promotional materials, and social media posts," according to reporting published by Anderson Stern last week.
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