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Climate change is wreaking havoc on delicate relationship between orchids and bees

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ScienceDaily The first definitive demonstration of climate change upsetting the vital interdependent relationships between species has been revealed. More here. Photo by  Björn S.

Carbon taxes can be both fair and effective, study shows

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ScienceDaily Flooding in Iowa. Several different carbon-pricing approaches would help reduce emissions, and some would be fair as well, researchers report. More here.

Battle for the future of Parma ham - a tale of corporate spin & animal suffering.

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THE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM A PEXALS photo. How "Parma" ham became a battleground for the future of Italian food . Story here.

Vancouver Island rainforest stands are becoming as rare as white rhinos

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The Province Part of the remaining stand of rainforest on Vancouver Island. Photo by Jason Holinger. For millennia, Vancouver Island was mostly covered by spectacular, globally rare ancient rainforest. Many trees were 1,000 years old or older. Indigenous peoples co-existed with the rainforest using many of its plants and animals without destroying it. Shortly after the arrival of Europeans, logging began in earnest. In less than 100 years, the majority of the ancient trees have been logged. Story here.

Conflicts Force Up Global Hunger Levels

IPS Interpress Service UN-IPS: Largely driven by conflict, the number of hungry people has dramatically increased around the world, reversing decades of progress, according to a new report. Story here.

"In Hogs We Trust." Part IV The environmental costs of intensive livestock operations.

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Last October, just before the provincial government relaxed regulations to allow for many more hogs to be produced in this province, George Matheson, Chair of the industry group, “Manitoba Pork,”  testified  before a legislative committee.  In an astonishing display of corporate hype, Matheson seemed to think he could, with a single statement, obliterate years of solid scientific research, conducted in his own province. “Hog manure is not getting into our rivers and lakes,” he declared. “The vast majority…about 85 per cent, is injected into the soil of farmland or immediately incorporated into the soil. This method of application essentially stops manure from running off the land. I cannot overemphasize this point. This means manure does not get into rivers and lakes. In fact, it is illegal for manure to leave a field.”    In her long career with the University of Winnipeg’s biology department,  Dr. Eva Pip  (below) has come to a dramatically different conclusion. Af