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Showing posts from March, 2019

Let's get serious about controlling carbon emissions. (Video)

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The European Union will soon ban a suspected carcinogenic fungicide which remains in use in Canada today. Ottawa remains silent.

by Larry Powell The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), a branch of the European Union,  has declared that  chlorothalonil  "may cause cancer in humans." Several of the agency's findings were based on tests with lab rats. But it obviously believes their metabolisms are sufficiently similar to ours to place  chlorothalonil   in  "carcinogenicity category  1B - may cause cancer in humans."                                                     Chlorothalonil  is the active ingredient in  several agricultural fungicides used  to treat mildew, blight and mold in many  crops.  According to  the newspaper, The Guardian,  it is the most widely-used  pesticide  in all of the UK and the the most popular  fungicide in  the U.S. It's been used, worldwide, since the '60s. A project based at Simon Fraser University,   CAREX,   reports that 581  tonnes  of  chlorothalonil  were sold in BC alone in 2010 and 1,121 ton

The destruction of the Earth is a crime. It should be prosecuted. Opinion.

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George Monbiot   - The Guardian. Ashcroft Reserve wildfire - Look Lake, BC, 2017. Photo by  Shawn Cahill Businesses should be liable for the harm they do. Polly Higgins is pushing to make that happen. Story here.

"People are Dying." A must-see video about the importance of addressing the climate crisis.

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A Professor at the University of Saskatchewan (Canada) is calling for the killing of Canada's entire population of wild pigs - by Larry Powell

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Dr. Ryan Brook, Associate Professor in the College Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan . Dr. Ryan Brook says such a drastic and aggressive move would be justified because the animals can carry deadly disease such as African Swine Fever. ASF entered China, the world's largest hog producer, some time ago, forcing major culls of domestic animals there. It is feared the disease could spread to North America and that wild pigs could prove to be carriers and infect commercial swine herds in the US and Canada. It is believed such an eventuality would devastate the pork industry on this continent. Dr. Brook suggests the wild animals could be captured in nets dropped from helicopters, then killed with bolt guns. He claims big ground traps and human ground crews could effectively catch and kill entire groups. Wild pigs in winter. A Pexels photo. He adds, while he respects sports hunters, their methods are not effective at controlling wild hog numbers.

Frack sand mine in Manitoba, Canada endangers climate and First Nation (Video)

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Cyclone Idai shows the deadly reality of climate change in Africa

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The Guardian - opinion. Volunteers distribute donated goods to those in need. Photo by Columbus Mayhunga/VOA Vain promises and empty slogans have got us nowhere. Fossil-fuel extraction must end before more lives are lost.  Details here.

Climate change affecting fish in Ontario lakes, study reveals

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PHYS ORG A lake in northwestern Ontario. Photo by PinP. Warmer temperatures are having a ripple effect on food webs in Ontario lakes, according to a new University of Guelph study. Story here.

When development and conservation clash in the Serengeti

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University of Copenhagen - SCIENCE NEWS A proposed new road could disrupt the migration of animals like this in the Serengeti. Photo by eismcsquare. New or upgraded roads in the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem around Serengeti National Park will not reduce growing pressure on the ecosystem, a study shows. Story here.

Beat the Heat: Canada's French-fry potatoes in climate change trouble

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Canadian Science Publishing After PEI, Manitoba is Canada's largest potato-producing province.  Over 1200 million pounds are processed here each year on about 80 thousand acres.  A PinP photo. Desiccating summer heat, brought on by climate change, could have adverse effects on Canada's potato industry. In a recent study, researchers examined the heat stress response of 55 potato varieties to estimate how they might fare under changing climate conditions. The news is not good.    Details here.

It’s Time to Start Calling Evangelicals What They Are: The American Taliban

Church & State -  By J.C. Weatherby  I have said for years, the Christian Right is really seeking to establish a theocracy in the US - at least throughout the deep south.    Story here.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria widespread in Ontario waterways

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Canadian Science Publishing It turns out antibiotic-resistant bacteria are far more ubiquitous than previously thought. A new study published in the  Canadian Journal of Microbiology  tested the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in four aquatic environments in southern Ontario—and found them everywhere. Story here. RELATED:  " In Hogs We Trust" -   Part 1 - Antibiotic Overuse.

Enormous Painted Lady Migration in California

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Daily Kos A painted lady. Things are shaping up for 2019 to be another massive migration year for Painted Lady butterflies.  Story here.

Sharp rise in Arctic temperatures now inevitable – UN

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The Guardian Icebergs in the high Arctic. Photo by Brocken Inaglory. Temperatures likely to rise by 3-5C above pre-industrial levels even if Paris goals met. Story here. RELATED:  Only “Heroic Efforts” Will Spare Earth’s Mighty Boreal Forest From the Worst Ravages of Climate Change - Experts.

Reduce plastics! PLEASE SIGN!

Coal power stations disrupt rainfall, global study finds

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PHYS ORG A coal-fired power plant in Poland. Photo by Petr Stefek . Modern coal-fired power stations produce more ultrafine dust particles than road traffic and can even modify and redistribute rainfall patterns, a new 15-year international study shows. Story here.

Fatal horizon, driven by acidification, closes in on marine organisms in Southern Ocean

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PHYS ORG A tiny sea creature at the California Academy of Sciences. Photo by Brian Skipworth Marine microorganisms in the Southern Ocean may find themselves in a deadly vise grip by century's end as ocean acidification creates a shallower horizon for life, new University of Colorado Boulder research finds.  More here.

The Roundup row: is the world’s most popular weedkiller carcinogenic?

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The Guardian Producer Monsanto is facing thousands of lawsuits from customers who now have cancer. But not all experts are convinced of a link… Story here. --> But not all suspicions about Roundup are confined to its effects on humans.  What about food crops and livestock?  Watch my video, below and decide for yourself! RELATED:  " Field of Nightmares: Ottawa promotes the use of Roundup by Canadian Farmers, Letting Corporate Seduction Trump Scientific Evidence. "

Green Party of Manitoba opposes "frack" sand operation

Green Party of Manitoba. A Green Party of Manitoba Environment Advocate Dave Nickarz has sent a letter to Minister squire in opposition to the proposed Wanipigow Sand Extraction Project. For a copy of that letter, click here. RELATED: " Peace camp set up in Manitoba's Hollow Water First Nation to oppose sand mine project."

Australia's marine heatwaves provide a glimpse of the new ecological order

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The  Guardian An ocean under human siege. A Pexels photo. Receding kelp forests, jellyfish blooms and disruption to fisheries are just some of climate change’s impacts on the ocean.  Story here.

The last great tree: a majestic relic of Canada's vanishing rainforest

The Guardian Spared by the loggers’ chainsaws, a Douglas fir perhaps 1,000 years old stands in splendid isolation on Vancouver Island . Story here.

Oceans that are warming due to climate change yield fewer fish

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Science News A Wikimedia photo. Some areas have seen up to a 35 percent decline in how many fish can be harvested sustainably.   Story here.

Extinction Rebellion Rising Up In Canada

2degreesC Humans are facing an unprecedented global emergency. Governments and world leaders are failing to protect us. The time for gradual, incremental and non-disruptive climate action has come and gone. To survive, it will take everything we’ve got. It will take rebellion. ~ Below2°C Editor. Story here.

Peace camp set up in Manitoba's Hollow Water First Nation to oppose sand mine project

APTN national news. A proposed silica sand mine project on Lake Winnipeg has one First Nations community divided. Story here. Related: Frack sand mining coming to Manitoba. And soon.

Insecticide Linked to Increased Breast Cancer Risk — 40 Years After Exposure

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truthout A Wikimedia photo. “Environmental exposures that occur during important periods of breast development can play a role in later-life breast cancer risk,” states one cancer specialist. Story here. RELATED:  Research Suggests Our Past, Prolific Use of the Insecticide DDT May Still Be Contributing To A Scourge Of Modern-Day Diseases Related To Obesity.