Posts

Showing posts from September, 2011

Study Debunks Myths on Organic Farms

Image
By Paul Hanley, Special to The StarPhoenix September 27, 2011 The results are in from a 30-year side-by-side trial of conventional and organic... Read more here.

Paying the Price: The Economic Impacts of Climate Change for Canada

Image
National Round Table on Environment and Economy Global emissions will have a price tag for Canada. Details here.                                   The campground at Manipogo Provincial Park, still flooded after months of high water on Lk. Manitoba. PLT photo.   ===== Please also read: Are Business Interests Giving Bad Advice to the Canadian Government on Climate Change?

"Pipe Dreams" - Why the Keystone XL Pipeline Will Be a Job Killer

Image
Tara Lohan - Alternet Se 29-'11 Dirty energy can't hide under the false cover of jobs anymore. Details here. Courtesy of the Globe & Maill

Journalism Lives! - Dan Rather on Pesticides & Bees (Video)

Ground Truth - Se 22'11 Bee Aware from Greg Stanley on Vimeo . Help start a national conversation on pesticides and bees by spreading the word about this hard-hitting, in-depth investigative report. Details here. Please read "Are Pesticide Regulators on the Take?" and "Pesticide Ban a Big Win for Italian Honey Bees."

Bayer Agrees to Pull Worst Pesticides — Finally!

Image
Medha Chandra - Ground Truth Se 27'11 I want to share some good news that brightened my day. Details here. Pesticide container disposal site. PLT photo

Moving Together - A Successful "Moving Planet" Event

Image

Americans' Divide Over Global Warming Getting Deeper

Image
By CHARLES J. HANLEY - 9/24/2011 Associated Press Despite onslaught of science, resistance to the idea seems to be hardening . Details here.

More Than 100 Arrests in Tar Sands Protest on Parliament Hill

Ottawa - Council of Canadians. Details here.

A Climate Chuckle

Image
Courtesy of Planetsave

Is Rex Murphy About to Damage the CBC's Reputation?

Image
by Larry Rex Murphy, that pompous darling of the CBC's flagship TV newscast, "The National" and CBC Radio's "Cross-Country Checkup," seems about to jump into the murky waters of climate denial. Rex Murphy caricature courtesy  of By the Bay Art Studio "Friends of Science" is announcing  Murphy will speak to the student body at the University of Calgary on September 29th at an event called "Climate Change 101."  The dishonestly named "Friends....." is actually dedicated to sowing doubt and discrediting peer-reviewed science surrounding global warming.  According to the painstakingly-researched book, "Climate Cover-up," "Friends of Science" had its origins in the Calgary oil patch, among geologists and oil industry PR types determined to discredit the Kyoto Protocol. The main sponsor of the event on the 29th is the "Frontier Centre for Public Policy," a conservative &qu

Winnnipeg Free Press Gives Green Party Leader Top Marks in Political Leaders' Debate

Image
Free Press Online - Sept 24 - '11 (Emphasis by PLT) James Beddome  - What he needed to do: When you’re largely an unknown, it’s good to make a good first impression. Most Winnipeggers are probably wondering what the Green Party of Manitoba stands for other than an obvious desire to protect the environment. James Beddome, Leader, Green  Party of Manitoba photo by PLT What he accomplished: Beddome played the perfect foil to the other three leaders and was the best performer of the night . He also got more one-liners in than the others — some were stinging. Plus, getting equal time with the three other party leaders on provincewide television was in itself a victory. Best sound bite: "The reason why our (hydro) rates are being driven up is because of new developments. I’ll point out to Mr. McFadyen it’s not just Bipole III," Beddome said to Selinger. "Gary Filmon was smart enough to say no to Conawapa because he knew it would drive up our energy rates. Are you?&

Governments and the Climate Challenge - Leadership Failure Bordering on Madness

Image
I wrote this story almost three years ago. I am re-posting it because, with the return of a "300 year-flood" like we had in 2011 - THREE YEARS AGO in Manitoba - I continue to be struck by how little things change. So-called rational leaders (and ordinary people) remain in a stupor - an unexplained state of mass delusion and denial - approaching our climate crisis from every direction but the right one.  ============ by Larry Powell If a shrink were to examine the brains of North America's political leaders, what do you suppose she would find? What parts of what lobes would be addressing the cataclysmic changes our planet's climate is undergoing? Are the neurons of these leaders' brains actually transmitting, making them aware that Earth is going through a monumental crisis that needs their immediate attention? Or are they somehow "shorting out," as if each leader was sticking a hairpin in a light socket? Here are just a

Game Changer: Tzeporah Berman (Radio Podcast - The Current)

Image
Sept.19'11 As a leader in the fight to save BC's Clayoquot Sound, environmentalists rallied around her while government and corporate officials called her an eco-terrorist.  Christina Craft Photography    And then Tzeporah Berman did the unthinkable. She negotiated with the very companies she once vilified, securing groundbreaking deals to save Old Growth Forests. Now some environmentalists consider her a sellout. Today we talk to the woman credited with changing Environmental Politics in Canada. Listen to Podcast here.

Talisman Energy Donated Big Money to a University of Calgary Climate Skeptic Fund

Image
By Mike De Souza, Postmedia News Sept 13, 2011 OTTAWA — A major Alberta-based oil and gas company helped to kick-start an elaborate public relations project designed to cast doubt on scientific evidence linking human activity to global warming... .Details here. PLT; Below is an email I sent to Barry Cooper, an individual mentioned in the story, followed by his angry response & my own rebuttle.  === Dear Dr. Cooper, How could an institute of higher learning, devoted to truth and justice, have become involved in such a scheme? I'd very much like to hear back from you, so I can report your response on my blog. Thank you Larry Powell === Hi Larry, Who are you? Does your reference to truth and justice mean you are you an ironist? Do you know nothing at all about universities? Have you never heard of the so-called Climategate scandal? Do you know anything about the reporter who provided the story? Or are you just another boring  greenie religious fanatic? You

Tar Sands Civil Disobedience Action on Parliament Hill, Sept. 26

By Brent Patterson , Council of Canadians - Se 15th, 2011 On Monday September 26, people from across Canada will be gathering on Parliament Hill in a large demonstration and non-violent civil disobedience action calling for an end to the destruction caused by the tar sands.

Victory! Canada's Minister of the Environment, Peter Kent says, Maxim Coal Won't be Allowed to Skirt the Rules

Climate Action Network Canada -  Sept. 15'11   Environment Minister Peter Kent  gave an interview  last week in which he pointedly stated that he is going to close the loophole in new federal coal regulations that would allow Maxim Power to build a new, unregulated coal plant. This is wonderful news for everyone who sent messages to Kent voicing their outrage over the coal plant! We made ourselves heard, but  the fight isn't over yet . Canada still needs to eliminate all coal-fired electricity if we want to stop catastrophic climate change. Stay tuned for more action alerts so we can make sure Minister Kent stays true to his word.  Related story here.

Canada's Agriculture Minister Ignores Farmers

By Simon Enoch, The Leader-Post September 14, 2011 With the results of the Canadian Wheat Board's plebiscite now in, farmers have given the single-desk for wheat a rousing endorsement... Details here.

Texas Drought and Wildfire Losses Continue to Mount

Image
Manitoba Co-Operator Sept 14'11 About 5,500 miles of fence and 2.6 million acres of pasture have been lost . Details here. PLT: So how are the prayer vigils going, Gov. Perry? Let's face it, Sir. You've got nothin'! Photo courtesy of PortableFarm

Climate Change Deniers Can't Refute "24 Hours of Reality"

Image
David Suzuki - Huffington Post Most reality TV has little to do with the real world. But here's an online show that will reflect what is happening in and to our world: Details here.

Give Farmers the Vote

Bruce Johnstone, Regina Leader-Post 910/11 Regardless of the results of the Canadian Wheat Board's plebiscite, which are expected Monday, the federal government says it will ignore them and…. Details here.

"The House" Apologizes Over an Interview on the Keystone Pipeline

Image
by Larry Powell This morning,"The House" apologized over an interview done on that CBC Radio program on July 23rd. In the interview, Derek Burney, once Canada's ambassador to the US, sung the praises of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline and attacked critics in the environmental movement as "emotional" and even "violent." In the process of responding to that interview, I discovered Burney is a Director of TransCanadaPipelines, the company building the project. He did not disclose this in the course of the interview. After complaining twice to the CBC ombudsman, I received an apology from "The House," yesterday, saying it was unaware of Burney's vested interest at the time. It ran this clarification on its program this morning (Sept 10th) . "On July 23rd we aired a conversation with former ambassadors Derek Burney & Gordon Giffin about Canada-US relations. Part of the discussion was about the Keystone XL pipeline project. We

Extreme Wildfires & Drought Strike Texas, a Stronghold of Climate-Deniers

Image
Zachary Shahan - Planetsave - Sept. - '11 If you haven’t heard, Texas has been fighting massive wildfires this week . Details here. A Texas National Guard helicopter flies  through smoke this week near Bastrop.  Photo by Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon http://wildfiretoday.com/

EU Court Puts Limits on Modified Honey

Image
ABC News Honey that contains traces of pollen from genetically modified crops needs special authorization before it can be sold, the European Union's top court said Tuesday, Details here. PLT honeybee photo

Al Gore: Obama Isn't "Relying on Science"

Image
CBS News Al Gore has posted a note entitled "confronting disappointment" in which he takes President Obama to task for "[bowing] to pressure from polluters" in ordering the Environmental Protection Agency not to seek a tightening of air-quality standards. Details here. A Canadian pulp mill PLT photo

Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Urge Obama: Reject Keystone XL Tar Sands Oil Pipeline

Image
Nobel Women's Initiative Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama call on President to build clean energy legacy. Details here. Courtesy; Climate Action News

Manitobans Urged to Vote "Green"

Image
Winnipeg Free Press - 09/7/2011 The Green Party of Manitoba wants you to hear what they have to say. Details here. James Beddome, Leader, Green Party of Manitoba (PLT photo)

Tar Sands Pipelines: Our Moment of Truth Featured

Image
Rafe Mair - The Common Sense Canadian I reflect. We are, I think, at the moment of truth. Either we stop these pipelines or the environmental movement becomes…. Details here. 350.org

Drought Intensifies in U.S. South, No End in Sight

Image
Manitoba Co-Operator - Kansas City | Reuters Triple-digit heat breaks records, prolongs misery... Details here. Low water in the Big Blue River, Nebraska

Rupture in Planned US Pipeline Could Release 7m Gallons of Oil (Tar?), Study Warns

Environmental engineers say pipeline operators TransCanada Corp have significantly underestimated the chances of a Keystone XL spill. Details here. guardian.co.uk PLT: Apparently we are to believe spills  like that of another company, into the Yellowstone R. recently,  simply won't happen quite as much with Keystone!  yeah, right!

Stop the Monster Belo Monte Dam in the Amazon. Watch the Video! Sign the Petition!

Image

Why I Joined the Tar Sands Action - Maude Barlow - Council of Canadians (Video)

Image

Help the World Stand up to the Climate Crook, Rupert Murdoch! Please Sign the Petition!

Image
Australia is about to pass a law that would slash carbon emissions and get polluters to pay. This is the front line in the fight for our planet's future -- if we win, it could spur bold global action. But Rupert Murdoch and big polluters are fighting hard to kill the bill, spreading messages of fear across the country. We can help drown out Murdoch's mantra with messages of hope from across the world and help pass the law -- join in now:  

Swollen Lake Winnipeg Slowly Killing Wetland

Image
Bartley Kives - Winnipeg Free Press - 08/31/2011 People and vegetation disappearing, too. Details here. Courtesy of  Greenpeace