PLANET IN PERIL

NATIONAL OBSERVER The economy will be weaker than expected in the second quarter due to the Alberta wildfires , the Bank of Canada said Wednesday as it kept its key interest rate steady at 0.5 per cent. Story here.

NATIONAL OBSERVER The forests around Fort McMurray and the tar sands, the epicentre of Canada’s contribution to fossil fuel extraction and global greenhouse gas production, have been ablaze for many weeks, with a heat and ferocity not seen in living memory. Story here.

theguardian Arctic would warm by as much as 20C by 2300 with disastrous impacts if action is not taken on climate change, warns new study. Story here.

UN News Centre A clearcut in Canada. Wickimedia Commons. The environment is deteriorating faster than previously thought, making it imperative that governments act now to reverse the worst trends, says the most authoritative study the United Nations has ever published on the state of the planet’s health.  Story here.

+SumOfUs The De Beers diamond mine 90 km from Attawapiskat paid just $226 in royalties two years ago -- after extracting $2.5 billion in gems since 2007.    Story here.

EcoWatch When sea ice melts, the ocean loses its reflective surface and the dark water absorbs more heat. Story here.