American Authorities Work to Ensure There is no "Lac-Mégantic Disaster" on Their Doorstep

Bloomberg News - U.S. rail-safety regulators began a “Bakken blitz” of inspections of crude oil tank cars this week as they seek to prevent a railroad disaster in the U.S. similar to July’s fatal inferno in Quebec. Full story here.

Canada Becomes an Environmental Pariah on the International Stage Once Again!

Winnipeg Free Press - by Gwynne Dyer

In 2007, oil drillers found a reservoir of an estimated 846 million barrels of heavy crude in Yasuni National Park, in Ecuador's part of the Amazon. But the park is home to two indigenous tribes that have so far succeeded in living in voluntary isolation -- and it is listed by UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve. A single hectare of Yasuni contains more species of trees than all of North America. Details here.

Climate Name Change (Video)

Rising Ocean Acidity Will Only Worsen Global Warming

Nature News

The slow and inexorable increase in the oceans’ acidity as they soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere could itself have an effect on climate and amplify global warming, according to a new study. Details here.

A Mexican beach. PLT photo.

Canada's Voluntary Census Already Damaging Reliability of Statistics, Harm is ‘Cumulative’

the HillTimes

There’s less reliable information for small towns, rural Canada. Details here.

Yosemite Fire Swallows Everything in its Path

B.C. Worries Oil Spill Would "Overwhelm" Resources

Canadian Press

Officials in British Columbia have privately warned that the province lacks the ability to manage oil spills from existing and future oil traffic, and even a moderate spill would overwhelm their ability to respond, documents show. Full story here.

Nestlé's Extraction of Groundwater Near Hope Riles First Nations

Vancouver Sun

Chiefs want compensation for removal of water from their traditional territories. Details here.

Rising Temperatures, Rising Food Prices

by Lester Brown

A wheatfield in Manitoba, Canada. PLT photo

Agriculture as it exists today developed over 11,000 years of rather remarkable climate  stability. It has evolved to maximize production within that climate system. Now,  suddenly, the climate is changing. Details here.

These are Dark Days for Bearers of Truth

"It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong." -Voltaire Common Dreams Bradley Manning: 35 years in military prison. Edward Snowden: Political refugee in Russia. Looks like Voltaire is more timely than ever. Whistleblowers and journalists are being hunted down in all corners of the globe for exposing grave and illegal government activities—the targeting of innocent civilians on the battlefield, massive surveillance operations, torture. They are being pursued for bringing you the truth.

Allow the Light of Public Scrutiny to Shine on the Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada Oil Spill Disaster! PLEASE SIGN!

action alert!

A brave whistleblower released news that a Tar Sands spill in Alberta, Canada is "unstoppable," leaking into pristine lands around Cold Lake. The public must know about this!

Allow the Media into Tar Sands Spill Sites

please share it helps!

Advocates Take Harper to Court Over 'Pattern of Muzzling' Energy Critics

The Tyee

One of Canada's top constitutional lawyers is taking the Conservative government to court over increasing restrictions on who can speak at energy board hearings -- and what they are allowed to say. Details here.

Why living in Shannon, Quebec, is Bad For Your Health

The Independent

Water quality was once a source of pride for a town in the shadow of an arms factory. Now, 500 cancers have been diagnosed. Details here.

KEYSTONE XL: TransCanada Acknowledges Oil Sands Crude Could Sink if Spilled

E&E Publishing

In comments released yesterday by the State Department, TransCanada Corp. acknowledged a possibility that opponents of Keystone XL have long used against the project: The heavy oil sands crude that would run through the controversial pipeline, if spilled in water, could sink below the surface. Details here.

Glacier National Park, Melting Before Our Eyes

Seattle Times.

Once home to about 150 glaciers, Glacier National Park now has 25. A trip through the park feels like being witnesses to an execution, writes editorial columnist Jonathan Martin. Details here.

Save British Columbia's Fish Lake From an Open-Pit Mine!

Dear Larry, There is only a week left to have your say on Taseko’s proposed open-pit mine at pristine  Fish Lake, a sacred place of ceremony and gathering for the Tsilqhot’in people and the  heart of a watershed that supports unique rainbow trout, at-risk grizzly bears, and  sustainable  local economies that respect the ecosystem. Take action.

Keep Arsenic out of the Water at Virden, Manitoba, Canada! An Open Letter to Manitoba's Minister of Environment

by John Fefchak

Dear Minister Mackintosh. 

Your department staff says it's OK to get rid of arsenic into a surface water source. However, this only leads to more questions that need answers.

(Photo, l. courtesy of Food & Water Watch)

Why This Year's Gulf Dead Zone Is Twice As Big As Last Year's

Mother Jones

First, the good news: The annual "dead zone" that smothers much of the northern Gulf of Mexico—caused by an oxygen-sucking algae bloom mostly fed by Midwestern farm runoff—is smaller this year than…Now, for the bad news...Details here.

Manitoba's Minister of Conservation Grants License For The Bipole III Transmission Project

Winnipeg Free Press.The government has issued an Environment Act for Manitoba Hydro’s Bipole III transmission line. Full story here.

Government of Manitoba. "Unprecedented Licence Conditions Exceed Clean Environment Commission Report, Address Aboriginal Concerns: Mackintosh" Details here.

We’re Just Beginning to Understand the Wider Impacts of Neonicotinoids.

By George Monbiot, the Guardian

It’s the new DDT:  a class of poisons licensed for widespread use before they had been properly tested, which are now ripping the natural world apart. And it’s another demonstration of the old truth that those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.

Manitoba honeybees. PLT photo

Silence of the Hives

The Pacific Northwest Inlander

America’s honey bees are dying in droves, and colony collapse disorder is the least of our worries. Details here.

Canadian Girl Takes on Media "Heavyweight" Over GMOs (Video)

37 Million Dead Bees Bring Strong Warnings

Alternatives Journal

PLT photo

Which path will we take to protect pollinators from our current agricultural practices? Full story here.

Canadian Technology Could Help Save Civilization!

PEOPLE IN ACTION  Reah Janise Kauffman and Julianne Simpson www.earth-policy.org/action_center/C27	Earth Policy Release August 13, 2013
We love hearing about how our publications inspire others to take action and share their stories  on our website. From the classroom to the political arena, people are spreading the word about  Plan B and EPI’s work to create a roadmap to sustainability.  In 2007, Dr. Bonnie Winslow-Garvin, a school psychologist and  long-time fan of Lester’s work, gave her husband Michael Garvin a  copy of Plan B 2.0. Garvin was so inspired by Lester’s call to action  that he left his national security consulting work to focus on moving  the world to a carbon-free energy economy. In 2009 they founded  RENAIS, a renewable energy technology and financing consultancy  specializing in wind power, in their home state of Iowa. Garvin also wanted to act internationally. He decided to begin with  the Caribbean, a region heavily dependent upon fossil fuel imports,  where highly-polluting diesel generators dominate the electricity  sector. With contacts in Curacao’s utilities and government,  including former Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte, Garvin is encouraging  retrofits of the country’s diesel-fueled vehicles and power stations to  boost efficiency and cut pollution, using “hydrogen hybrid” technology  from Canadian firm dynaCERT. Garvin, focusing his longer-term  efforts on alternative energy production combined with battery  storage, envisions Curacao becoming the first zero-carbon energy  economy. More broadly, he plans to play a consulting role as the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) implements its recently-agreed Regional Energy Policy, which emphasizes conservation,  efficiency, and renewables as key for long-term energy security.

ForestEthics Advocacy Stands up For The Environment - But it Needs Your Help & Money!

	Dear Larry, Democracy and the environment are the cornerstones of a prosperous future. But our federal government doesn’t see it that way. How many of us have watched, astonished and sick at heart, as Prime Minister Harper’s cabinet gutted our environmental laws, muzzled our scientists, and violated our free speech rights? Moments ago, ForestEthics Advocacy (FEA), represented by my friend Clay Ruby, launched a lawsuit in the Federal Court of Canada against the Harper Government. Clay believes the Harper government overstepped its authority when it established rules that dictate who can speak at National Energy Board (NEB) hearings AND what exactly they can say. Your partnership and support in getting us this far has been incredible. It takes courage to stand up to a powerful adversary.  Now we must all step up again.  The start-up fees for this lawsuit will cost $150,000. ForestEthics Advocacy is currently raising funds to cover these expenses and two generous donors have offered to help by throwing out a $25,000 challenge match. Will you support Clay and ForestEthics Advocacy in this incredible act?

MIDWAY - a Film by Chris Jordan

This video is about an island in the ocean about 2000 km from any other coast line.Nobody lives there, only birds... and yet...you will not believe your eyes! This film should be seen by the entire world, please don't throw anything into the sea. Unbelievable, just look at the consequences! Please watch here.

Cormorants & barbed wire in Manitoba, CA. 
PLT photo 

"Neonics" May Not be the Only Pesticides Killing Bees

MotherJones

A pair of widely-used fungicides are showing up prominently in bee pollen—and appear to be making bees significantly more likely to succumb to a fungal pathogen. Details here.