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Hog Watch Manitoba Warns Current Hog Industry Expansion Could Further Harm Lake Winnipeg

(Winnipeg –August 19, 2019) Hog Watch Manitoba(HWM) is warning the public that further increase in the number of pigs raised in Manitoba could bring even greater blue-green algae blooms to Lake Winnipeg and other Manitoba lakes. This summer the extent of the algae blooms in the south basin of Lake Winnipeg is devastating to many cottage communities, including Victoria Beach, Grand Beach and Lester Beach. The current Conservative government in Manitoba has introduced several measures to try to encourage the development of more industrial size hog barns. They ended the moratorium on hog barn development which had been instituted by the former provincial government. They brought in the Red Tape Reduction Bill, removing the prohibition on winter spreading of manure from legislation. Subsequently they brought in Bill 19 which aims to limit local control over new hog barn development. HWM has requested that the government collect data to determine how much phosphorus is running off fie

Fracking Boom in U.S. and Canada Largely to Blame for Global Methane Spike, Study Finds

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EcoWatch Image by Pixabay. New research by a scientist at Cornell University warns that the fracking  boom in the U.S. and Canada over the past decade is largely to blame for a large rise in methane  in the earth's atmosphere — and that reducing emissions of the extremely potent greenhouse gas is crucial to help stem the international climate  crisis.  Story here.

'Disgusting and Disturbing': Trump Guts Endangered Species Act in Gift to Big Business

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Common Dreams "This administration seems set on damaging fragile ecosystems by prioritizing industry interests over science."  Story here. The embattled burrowing owl. A PinP photo.

Black carbon lofts wildfire smoke high into the stratosphere to form a persistent plume

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Science Magazine. In 2017, western Canadian wildfires injected smoke into the stratosphere that was detectable by satellites for more than 8 months. The smoke plume rose from 12 to 23 kilometers within 2 months owing to solar heating of black carbon, extending the lifetime and latitudinal spread. Comparisons of model simulations to the rate of observed lofting indicate that 2% of the smoke mass was black carbon. The observed smoke lifetime in the stratosphere was 40% shorter than calculated with a standard model that does not consider photochemical loss of organic carbon. Photochemistry is represented by using an empirical ozone-organics reaction probability that matches the observed smoke decay. The observed rapid plume rise, latitudinal spread, and photochemical reactions provide new insights into potential global climate impacts from nuclear war.   More here. Smoke-filled skies over San Diego - fall 2007. Photo by Eric Pettigrew.

'Act before it's too late': The prairie province of Saskatchewan, Canada at high risk of water shortages, says global study

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CBC News Climate change, resource extraction, agriculture among causes of potential water shortage, says author.  Story here. Echo Lake, SK. Photo by Joe Mabel from Seattle.

Rachel was right

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PAN Yet another  scientific study , released today, shows just how deadly our chemical-intensive farming system has become to pollinators and other insects.  Story here, Bumblebees forage on chives in an organic garden in Manitoba. A PinP photo. RELATED: Recent research contradicts a claim by the chemical giant, Bayer, that its newest bug-killer is safe for bees.