Retraction of glyphosate review raises new questions about landmark study

Manitoba Co-Operator

An influential review that helped support global claims of glyphosate safety has been formally retracted, raising questions about the future of the pesticide. Story here.

Please also read and watch story here.

A WORK OF FICTION (OBVIOUSLY), BUT WITH A MESSAGE.

 An axe-murderer boards a plane in New York City. He’s on a mission of pure evil. Under instructions from the head of his local crime syndicate, he is to hack to death all members of a rival family in Sicily. That family is rumoured to be “horning in” on the drug and sex-trade in New York. Such a threat cannot, of course, be allowed to stand. The wife and 3 children are to be dispensed with first, while the father, bound nearby, watches helplessly. Then, it’ll be his turn - a powerful message to ayone who dares to threaten the turf of its American rivals. The assassin’s weapon-of-choice is stowed securely in the belly of the plane (with the axe’s razor-sharp head made of stone, fiendishly designed to avoid metal-detectors). He’s on his way.

The next day, an elite athlete boards an identical aircraft, also in New York, headed for a crucial competition in Paris. The world renowned track-&-field star is internationally famous for her prowess and the millions of girls who look up to her as a role-model. She’s widely known and well-loved for her generosity, donating her considerable wealth to worthy charities. Coincidentally, she’ll travel an identical distance as the assassin, producing precisely the same amount of greenhouse gases as he in the process! The moral of the story? It’s not just bad, wicked people who are aggravating our climate crisis. We are all in this, together.

How thousands of fossil fuel lobbyists got access to UN climate talks – and then kept drilling

The Guardian

Research shows oil, gas and coal firms’ unprecedented access to Cop26-29, blocking urgent climate action - and then kept drilling. Story here.

What Are the Risks and Opportunities of a Changing Arctic?

UM The Magazine of the University of Manitoba

For Churchill, Manitoba, this shift brings both unprecedented opportunities and enormous challenges. Warming could open the door to development that makes the town a hub for regional connectivity and global trade, but that same development could also threaten Arctic ecosystems already under stress.  Story here.

CLIMATE TRAITORS - AN OPINION - by Larry Powell

(From bad to worst) 

1. Simon Watts, Minister of Environment - New Zealand. Before becoming Minister, Watts stated, "Climate change is already the single biggest threat to the peoples of the Pacific.” SINCE BECOMING MINISTER…his government blocked moves to reduce emissions, scrapped climate policies it inherited, and implemented new ones that will increase GHGs. At the behest of the auto industry, it also axed EV subsidies. Simon, the stench of your hypocrisy overwhelms!

2. The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; 

…anguishes publicly at the COP conference about the urgency of the climate crisis. At the same time, his government is embracing plans for massive oil exploration and development just offshore. da Silva…you’re a double-crosser, too!

3. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada. As a “special envoy on climate” for the UN scant years ago Carney warned of the dangers of climate change, calling it “an existential threat.” As PM, he’s now doubling down on “nation-building” projects which include massive LNG production and export, along with more major oil pipelines. Carney, you can shove your nation-building projects, because they ain't mine! And congrats for being ranked the worst on my list!!!

  

Drought leaves some Canadians struggling for water as wells run dry. CBC TV

 

Greenpeace Canada exposes a major fossil fuel project proposed by a foreign country in Quebec. It could threaten a vital ecosystem.

Larry,  One of the key roles that Greenpeace plays is acting as a watchdog, keeping an eye out for environmental threats and injustices, and sounding the alarm when we see them.   This is exactly what Greenpeace Canada’s Climate Campaigner, Louis Couillard, did earlier this year.   Using Freedom of Information requests, Louis discovered that a Norwegian fossil fuel company called Marinvest Energy, which specializes in liquified natural gas (LNG) distribution, has been secretly lobbying Canadian politicians and ministers. Its goal is to develop a massive floating gas terminal, supplied by hundreds of kilometers of new pipeline, in Baie-Comeau, a city in the Côte-Nord region of Québec.   When Greenpeace Canada caught wind of this, we immediately broke the story to the press. We called on the federal government and the Québec government — which has a moratorium on fossil fuel production projects — to close the door on new fossil fuel and export projects, and focus on renewable energy instead.   Because this news worried the communities involved, Louis was invited to Baie-Comeau this fall, so the local residents could learn more.

Louis Couillard (second from left) speaks on a panel in Baie-Comeau, QC to answer questions about a proposed LNG terminal.

Knowing the community would need answers, Louis brought along some friends — a lawyer, a climate expert, and an economist. While that sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, it was no laughing matter. Together, they fielded tough questions from over 50 residents, journalists, and local politicians at a packed town hall hosted by a local organization.   The goal was simple: get ahead of Marinvest Energy’s PR machine, and make sure the community hears the truth about the risks this project poses. And they did! Our message even reached Europe, the main market for East Coast LNG, through an interview Louis gave to a French news outlet.   Next, Louis visited Pessamit — an Innu community that would be directly affected if this project moves forward — and heard from local leaders and residents about their concerns. And finally, he visited the proposed site of the LNG terminal, which reinforced everything we’re fighting for.

Louis stands at the site of proposed LNG terminal, holding a sign saying "You will not pass!"

Louis witnessed whales, porpoises, seals, and countless seabirds feeding right where Marinvest wants to anchor its floating gas plant. It’s a breathtaking ecosystem — and the idea of transforming it into an industrial export hub is unthinkable.

This is where you come in, Larry. As a valued monthly donor, you allow us to raise awareness and support the communities and ecosystems that are threatened by fossil fuel projects.

We’ve stopped projects like this before, and we can do it again. We’ll continue working hard to make sure political leaders — and most importantly, the public — see it for what it is: a risky, unnecessary fossil fuel gamble.

We’ll keep you updated as we go along, but in the meantime check out the latest Greenpeace campaign updates below as a reminder of the incredible impact of people power!   With gratitude,   Steph Loyalty Officer, Greenpeace Canada