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Showing posts from September, 2017

Rare chicks rescued in Manitoba catch flight to Ontario before heading south

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CBCnews 4 chimney swift chicks were rehabilitated after falling from building at Lower Fort Garry. Story here. Other Swifts seen here in a chimney.  Photo by  Greg Schechter from San Francisco, USA

2.9 million American children are threatened by toxic air pollution from oil & gas development

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Nation of Change Living within a 1/2 mile of these production facilities is clearly correlated with negative health impacts. Story here. PinP photo.

Fort McMurray fires cause air pollution spike on other side of continent

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CBC news Smoke from Alberta fire was so massive the plumes created their own environmental system. Story here. Near "Fort Mac" spring '16. Photo by  DarrenRD

DEEP TROUBLE - 7 right whales entangled this summer, new data shows

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CBC news Fishing lines killed at least 2 whales, and 2 others were freed by rescuers.  Story here. We destroy our kindred creatures in ways that are varied and wondrous. This northern right whale was run over by a ship. Photo by NOAA.

Higher orange juice prices on the way in wake of Irma's damage to Florida groves

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CBC news Canadians drink a lot of Florida juice, but hurricane has destroyed this year's crop. Story here. A familiar breakfast - with a familiar beverage. Photo by  Kklerks

Group calls for the government of Manitoba not to ease hog rules

The Winnipeg SUN A group that fears relaxed hog rules will heighten water pollution has united to fight against the proposed changes. Story here.

The list of diseases linked to air pollution is growing

ScienceNews As governments decide what to do about air quality, studies connect an array of health problems to dirty air. Story here.

A million tons of feces and an unbearable stench: life near industrial pig farms

the guardian North Carolina’s hog industry has been the subject of litigation, investigation, legislation and regulation. But are its health and environmental risks finally getting too much? Story here.

Is Trump softening his position on climate change? Maybe yes! Maybe no!

|NATIONAL OBSERVER The White House has issued a denial after a Montreal meeting heard some unexpected comments suggesting the U.S. administration was softening its stance on climate change. Story here.

Help the World Wildlife Fund help save our vanishing wildlife

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RELATED: PinP reviews the book - "The Sixth Extinction - an unnatural history."

European glyphosate safety report copy-pasted Monsanto study

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Nation of Change "Whether this is a question of negligence or intent, it is completely unacceptable for government bodies to pass off industry analysis as their own." Story here. A crop-duster sprays pesticides  on a crop in Manitoba.   PinP photo.

‘Software disease’ — The hazards of plastic, net wrap and twines

    Canadian  Cattlemen Animal Health: Ingestion of plastics has become a common killer. Story here.

U.S. Air Force Is Spraying 6 Million Acres With Chemicals in Response to Harvey

EcoWatch The Air Force has dispatched big spray planes to control pests which they claim pose a health risk to rescue workers around Houston. Sadly, those "pests" include the good ones, like bees. Story here.

Living Planet Report Canada - Our Vanishing Wildlife

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World Wildlife Fund                    Burrowing owl.                                   Great Blue Herron. Bobolink. (PinP photos.) The fate of wildlife in Canada is in our hands. WWF -Canada’s Living Planet Report Canada shows that wildlife is on a troubling decline. It’s time to come together and turn things around. Story here.

Unraveling a major cause of sea ice retreat in the Arctic Ocean

ScienceDaily Quantitative analysis has evidenced the acceleration system of melting ice: dark water surfaces absorb more heat than white ice surfaces, thus melting ice and making more water surfaces in the Arctic Ocean. Details here.

Global fingerprints of sea-level rise revealed by satellites

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NATURE|NEWS Geological processes send more meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets to Earth's mid-latitudes. Story here. Greenland. Photo by Uffe Wilken

Fire damages ranches in southwestern Alberta

The Western Producer Damage has been reported to farms and ranches on the perimeter of Waterton Lakes National Park as a wildfire continues to burn in southwestern Alberta. Details here.

On The Road To Extinction, Maybe It's Not All About Us

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CommonDreams The devastating consequences of human superiority over nature. Story here. The remains of a rare northern right whale run over by a ship.  NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries photo. Related: The Sixth Extinction - an Unnatural History - a Book Review

What We Know about the Climate Change–Hurricane Connection

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SCIENTIFIC  AMERICAN The Island of St. Maartin during hurricane Irma. Ministry of Defense, Netherlands. Some links are indisputable; others are more subtle, but the science is improving all the time. Story here.

Waterton National Park, Canada remains under evacuation as wildfire grows to 8,500 hectares

CBC news Weather forecast calls for high winds on Saturday and Sunday, which is a concern for firefighters. Story here.

Battle Begins to Restore Protections for Greater Yellowstone Grizzly Bears

ECOWATCH A conservation group is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, challenging the  agency's rule stripping grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of Endangered Species protections. Story here.

As Planet Rages With Fires and Storms, Ire Aimed at Murderous Climate Denialism

CommonDreams "It is past time to call out Trump and all climate deniers for this crime against humanity. No more treating climate denial like an honest difference of opinion." Story here.

Want to save the bees? Dig up your lawn!

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POPULAR   SCIENCE Plus some bee-utiful photography. STORY HERE. RELATED:  Pesticide increases probability of bumblebee extinction. Will New Research From Europe Nudge Canada Toward a "Neonic" Ban? Bumble bees forage on chives in a  Manitoba garden.  PinP  photo.

Does God Love Storm Victims? (Letter)

Below is a letter I submitted to the weekly newspaper, the Neepawa Banner today. =============== Dear Editor, I am puzzled by a recent column in the weekly newspaper, the Neepawa Banner by Rev. Neil Strohschein, entitled “A Christian response to natural disasters.” I find your conclusion that God loves the victims of such storms, cries out for further explanation.  Who or what is making these storms in the first place, then? Is it not God? Because the faithful believe God is all-powerful, do they not?   If it is not Him, who/what is it, then? Does He not have the power to prevent such calamities? If He does not, does that not make Him less than all-powerful?   And if it is Him, please explain to me how raining down such massive misery and destruction on his flock can possibly be an act of love?   While you do not address this following point in your column, it is one which, IMHO, also cries out for a response from the religious. It is customary in the fa

The unprecedented drought that's crippling Montana and North Dakota

theguardian It came without warning, and without equivalent. Now a flash drought is fuelling fires and hurting the lives of those who work the land. Story here.

Attention, Manitobans! (And beyond.) Important meeting! PLEASE ATTEND!

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Liberals struggling to reverse Harper's cuts to climate science

NATIONAL OBSERVER Are Harper-style funding cuts to science beginning to be felt again, even under the Liberals’ watch? Story here.

More all-time heat records broken as California broils

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Los Angeles Times Wildfire in California, July, 2017. Photo by  BLM. California’s history-making heat wave set new all-time records for the second day in a row. Story here.

Human attitudes toward climate change. Smart? Or just plain dumb! (Editorial)

by Larry Powell Despite historic weather calamities descending upon Earth with breathtaking frequency and ferocity, the root-causes of our planetary crisis continue to be avoided like sacred cows. An analyst interviewed on TV yesterday did make some good (albeit now-familiar) points.   He pointed out how ordinary people have "stepped up" by helping their neighbours, after the fact. These are true heroes, he pointed out, correctly.   Then he went on to say, (altho they are rarely recogni zed as such.), so are policy-makers who come up with practical ways of lessening impacts, like smarter development which uses less concrete, further away from flood plains. He even mentioned "climate change," words rarely uttered in polite society.   So far, so good.   But he gave not a word of recognition to the most important part of all - the need to wean ourselves off fossil fuels and make a very rapid transition to a low-carbon society!   The world's clima

Harvey is part of a pattern of extreme weather scientists saw coming. They're still shocked.

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EcoWatch “We still get overwhelmed because extreme weather is by its nature peculiar.” Story here. Port Arthur, Texas as a result of Harvey.  SC National Guard

Look Around: The Costs of Not Acting on Climate Are Adding Up Fast

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Common Dreams From major hurricanes and flooding to droughts and fires, the refusal to accept the science of global warming is getting very expensive. Story here. Ashcroft Reserve wildfire in BC, Canada, seen across Loon Lake. Shawn Cahill

National day of prayer declared because of Hurricane Harvey

Dallas News WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared a national day of prayer on Sunday as the Gulf Coast reels from Hurricane Harvey, following the lead of Texas, where on Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott declared Sunday a day of prayer. Story here. RELATED: Texas official declines aid offer from Quebec, asks for prayers instead.

Harvey Won’t Be The Last Thousand-Year Storm

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Common Dreams All our eyes have been glued to the devastation that is Hurricane Harvey. Here in New Jersey, we are still waiting on the help we were promised to fully recover from Superstorm Sandy, so we know the road home will be long and full of challenges. Story here. Pearland, Texas. Hurricane Harvey. Brant Kelly photo.