PLANET IN PERIL

National Geographic The pesticides blamed for killing at least 25 children in India are widely used around the world, including North America, and health experts have raised safety concerns about this class of chemicals in the past. Full story here. Related:  Are Canada's Pesticide Regulators on the Take?

WashingtonPost A Chilean appeals court ruled against the world’s largest gold mining company on Monday, favouring Chilean Indians who accuse Barrick Gold Corp. of contaminating their water downstream and creating more doubts about the future of the world’s highest gold mine. Full story here.

Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society (CPAWS) In the run-up to Canada's Parks Day on the 3rd Saturday in July, the CPAWS is releasing is 5th annual report on how Canada's parks are faring. Full story here. A magnificent vista in Jasper National Park,  Alberta, Canada.  PLT photo.

Mother Jones Major earthquakes thousands of miles away can trigger reflex quakes in areas where fluids have been injected into the ground from fracking and other industrial operations, according to a study published in the journal  Science on Thursday. Details here.

Larry,  Last month, 50,000 dead bees were discovered littering a parking lot in Oregon. PinP  photo    Then last week, a shocking 37 million bees were reported dead across a single farm in Ontario. After years of research, scientists have finally figured out what’s causing the massive bee die-offs all around the world, from China to the UK: It’s a class of dangerous pesticides called neonics. And here’s the wildest thing -- even though we know  they’re killing the bees, in most parts of the world, neonics are still in  widespread use.

PLT: So…I see the Government of Manitoba is going to "improve amenities" in Duck Mountain Provincial Park. That's nice. It's a great place. Apparently those improvements will make the park "more environmentally friendly to lakes and rivers." Sounds good, so far, right?  But hold on a moment.  One of those amenities, reads the government press release, will include "trail upgrades" for ATVs (all terrain vehicles)! ATVs?  Aren't those the same noisy, dangerous and polluting machines that too many irresponsible people use to invade quiet wildness, rip up the back country and harass wildlife with? Sounds like the same, to me. I don't even understand why these offensive inventions are allowed in the parks in the first place. That we should actually pamper and roll out the red carpet for them to boot, makes about as much sense as allowing logging there.  Oh, I forgot. Logging is  still allowed in "The Ducks," too, isn'