Superbug Resistant to Two Last-Resort Antibiotics Found in US For First Time

STAT 

A strain of E. coli resistant to two last-resort antibiotics has for the first time been reported in the United States. Story here.

Pea Growers in Manitoba Hit By Crop Disease And Bad Weather

Manitoba Co-Operator

A crop of field peas in the UK. Photo by David Lally.

Manitoba pea growers are getting a reminder of why they backed away from the crop in the first place. Story here

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Nasa: Earth is Warming At a Pace 'Unprecedented in 1,000 Years'

theguardian

Records of temperature that go back far further than 1800s suggest warming of recent decades is out of step with any period over the past millennium. Story here.

The Purse is Mightier Than the Pen

by George Monbiot

What is salient is not important. What is important is not salient. The media turns us away from the issues that will determine the course of our lives, and towards topics of brain-melting irrelevance. Story here.

Pesticides Ban Protects Health

Winnipeg Free Press

To the surprise of many, the recently elected provincial government has reopened the public debate on Manitoba’s regulations on cosmetic pesticides. Story here.

The Anthropocene Is Here: Humanity Has Pushed Earth Into a New Epoch

CommonDreams

UN photo

The epoch is thought to have begun in the 1950s, when human activity set global systems on a different trajectory. Story here.

Yet Another Transatlantic Trade Deal Threatening Food Safety, Groups Warn

CommonDreams

CETA will force European farmers to compete with Canadian imports with 'no animal welfare penalties and lower safety standards' Story here.

RELATED: "Free trade. Pathway to prosperity or back road to corporatism?"

Five Years Since Irene, Report Warns of Severe Weather Damage From Climate Change

CommonDreams

BURLINGTON, Vt. - As Vermonters mark the fifth anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pointed to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office that warns damage from severe weather in future decades is expected to become increasingly common in Vermont and throughout the United States because of climate change. Story here.

Dalai Lama and Jimmy Carter Help Noam Chomsky Uncover Major Risks Humanity Faces From Pesticides

EcoWatch

Brazilians demonstrate against aerial spraying of a pesticide. Marcello Casal Jr/ABr
Did you know that American companies are legally permitted to manufacture dangerous pesticides for export—even after the chemicals have been banned in the U.S.? There are policies that create a "circle of poison"; toxic chemicals traveling around the world, ironically imported back to the U.S. through foodstuffs we eat. Story here.

OVER 200 LEADING SCHOLARS CALL ON GOVERNMENT TO SUSPEND SITE C DAM

The Royal Society of Canada

An engineer's "wet dream" of another, useless mega-project.  BC Hydro

A group of leading Canadian scholars has raised serious concerns regarding the process used to approve the mega dam called Site C. The Royal Society of Canada has taken the unusual step of issuing a separate supporting letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. To read the letter, please click here.

Durum Acres on the Canadian Prairies Fall Prey to Fusarium

THEWESTERN

PRODUCER

Fields that once grew profitable durum no longer do so because of fusarium, leaving some to speculate that prairie durum may go the way of the dinosaur. Story here.

Wind Generates 100% of Scotland's Electricity Needs for Entire Day

EcoWatch 

A Canadian wind turbine. PinP photo.
Wind energy had a banner day in Scotland. Thanks to an unseasonably windy Sunday, wind turbines generated more electricity than the country actually needed. Story here.

Seas aren’t just rising, scientists say — it’s worse than that. They’re speeding up.

The Washington Post

On a warming Earth, seas inevitably rise, as ice on land melts and makes its way to the ocean. And not only that — the ocean itself swells, because warm water expands. We already know this is happening — according to NASA, seas are currently rising at a rate of 3.5 millimeters per year, which converts to about 1.4 inches per decade. However…Story here.

Black Hole

George Monbiot

The fake grassroots campaign run by grouse shooters is just one instance of the way democracy is being bypassed. Story here.

A World at War

by Bill Mckibben

Flooding stranded many farm families like this in Saskatchewan, Canada. Circa 2010. PinP photo. 
We’re under attack from climate change—and our only hope is to mobilize like we did in WWII. Story here.

California wildfire brings destruction, uncertainty; 82,000 people in 34,000 homes threatened

Chicago Tribune

A ferocious wildfire had swallowed up many homes as it spread across 40 square miles of mountain and desert east of Los Angeles. Exactly how many, however, and to whom they belonged, remained uncertain. Story here.

Dazzling blue lakes are forming in Antarctica — and they’ve got scientists worried

The Washington Post

In a new study, scientists who study the largest ice mass on Earth — East Antarctica — have found that it is showing a surprising feature reminiscent of the fastest melting one: Greenland. Story here.

NASA: July Was Earth’s Hottest Month in Recorded History

Nation of Change

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PinP photo.

Hello global warming: not only is 2016 shaping up to be the hottest year on record, but July 2016 is officially the warmest month of any in data record that can be extended back to the nineteenth century. STORY HERE.

18 Years of Data Link Neonics to Bee Decline

CommonDreams      

Bumblebees on chives. PinP photo.

The negative effects that have been reported before, scale up to long-term, large-scale, multi-species impacts that are harmful.  Story here.

Scientists Say Expect More 1,000-Year Events Like Louisiana Flood

CommonDreams

Louisiana's devastating rainfall was the state's second "1,000-year" flood this year. Story here.

Epic Middle East Heat Wave Is Being Compared to Weapon of Mass Destruction

EcoWatch

Recent extreme heat events in the Middle East have climate scientists worried about future climate-related catastrophes. Temperatures have climbed above 115 F across the region this summer and Kuwait and Iraq recently recorded most likely the hottest temperatures ever in the Eastern Hemisphere. Story here.
RELATED:  "Lake Powell: Going, Going, Gone?"

Rain Raises Early Concerns About Western Canadian Crop Quality

THE WESTERN

PRODUCER

Persistent rain is prompting concerns that prairie farmers will add to a glut of low quality milling wheat that is already weighing on world markets. Story here.

Ban Dangerous Neurotoxic Pesticides That Are Poisoning Workers And Damaging Children's Brains. PLEASE SIGN!

EARTHJUSTICE

Earthjustice and a broad coalition of partners have been fighting for years to convince the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban an entire class of poisonous neurotoxic pesticides. Every year, these pesticides, called organophosphates, poison farmworkers and others who come into contact with them in communities near agricultural fields. STORY HERE.

An Epic Middle East Heat Wave Could be Global Warming’s Hellish Curtain-Raiser

The Washington Post

Record-shattering temperatures this summer have scorched countries from Morocco to Saudi Arabia and beyond, as climate experts warn that the severe weather could be a harbinger of worse to come. Story here.

Manitoba Sunflowers Take Beating From Storms

Manitoba Co-Operator

PinP photo

Manitoba crops have suffered an array of problems due to unfavourable weather this year, and sunflowers are no exception. Story here.

Stock Answer

by George Monbiot 

 

 PinP photo                                           

Why I took the plunge at last and converted (almost) to veganism. Story here.

Grounded 17,000-Ton Oil Rig Leaking Diesel Near Rare North Sea Habitat (Story & Raw Video)

CommonDreams

"Lessons from this incident will need to be learnt, and quickly," warns environmentalist, "with further decommissioning of North Sea rigs expected and climate change expected to create more powerful storms and difficult seas." Story here.

Agriculture and Overuse Greater Threats to Wildlife Than Climate Change – Study

theguardian

Efforts to address climate change must not overshadow more immediate priorities for the survival of the world’s flora and fauna, say researchers. Story here.

Humans are Poisoning the Ocean—and It's Poisoning Us Back

CommonDreams 

Photo by Fabio Grasso

New study shows deadly bacteria levels spiking in North Atlantic as ocean temperatures rise. Story here.

Canadian Military Official Fears Pipeline Will Lead to "Disaster of Epic Proportions"

NATIONAL

OBSERVER

PinP photo
Canada's Department of National Defence (DND) has serious concerns that a major pipeline project proposed by Calgary-based energy company TransCanada Corp. will lead to a "disaster of epic proportions," reported Radio-Canada on Tuesday, based on a series of internal emails. Story here.

How Brazil, Panama and Costa Rica Breathed New Life Into Their Degraded Lands

WORLD

RESOURCES

INSTITUTE

This is the third instalment of our Restoration Global Tour blog series. The series examines restoration success stories in Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe and North America. Tune in over the coming months for additional installments, or check out our Restoration Diagnostic for more information. Story here.

Humanity Just Ate Through Planet's Annual Resource Budget Faster Than Ever

CommonDreams 

A clearcut forest in Canada.
...and it's only August. That's the fastest pace yet. Story here.

Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony Reminds World That Climate Change is Very Real

Nation of Change

The Opening Ceremony at the Rio 2016 Olympics Games may have opened up with a dance party, but it was a video on climate change watched by roughly 3.3 billion that made people stop what they were doing and focus on human-made pollution. Story here.

Honey Bee Population Drop by 12% Worldwide

Aussie Network News                                                                                                                        

 PinP photo.

Experts around the world have warned that bee population is declining. Now, a study reveals that the number of honey bee colonies dropped by almost 12 percent last winter. Story here.

The Town That Reveals How Russia Spills Two Deepwater Horizons of Oil Each Year

 theguardian

Oil spills caused by old pipelines are relatively small in Russia and rarely garner widespread attention - but added up they threaten fish stocks and pasture for cattle. Story here.

We Were Promised The Greenest Olympics Ever. We Got An Ecological Disaster.

climateprogress

On a cool December night in Paris, at an awards ceremony in the city’s 3rd arrondissement, Eduardo Paes, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, took the stage to thunderous applause from an audience full of his fellow mayors from around the world. Paes’ voiced boomed as he stressed the importance of cities leading the fight against climate change — Story here.

The Front Lines of Climate Disruption: Alaskans Witness Collapsing Mountains, Shattered Lives

Moyers & company

Climate denial is having a real impact on the lives of those living in the Arctic. Story here.

Winnipeg Home to New ‘Bacon Centre of Excellence’

Manitoba Co-Operator

More of the bacon people bring home will soon come from an expanded Maple Leaf plant in Winnipeg. Story here.

North Saskatchewan River Flunks Five Water Quality Tests After Husky Oil Spill

NATIONAL

PBSERVER

The early results are in and they confirm a catastrophic oil spill from a Husky Energy pipeline has contaminated the North Saskatchewan River, says a new report on the incident released by the Calgary-based company on Wednesday. Story here.

TTIP: The Most Dangerous Weapon in the Hands of the Fossil Fuel Industry

bilaterals.org

The TTIP would put in place a parallel judicial system that allows companies to bypass national courts altogether. Story here.

Saskatchewan Government "Unlikely" to Clean All of Husky Oil Spill

NATIONAL 

OBSERVER

The reality of the disastrous Husky oil spill in Saskatchewan is finally starting to sink in — quite literally. Story here.

Once-in-a-Millenium Rainfall Descends on Maryland, Killing 2

CommonDreams

'It looks like a war zone.’ Story here.

Stephen Harper Transforms Canada (and not in a good way). (Editorial)

(I wrote the following at least two years ago, while Stephen Harper was still Prime Minister of Canada. Due to technical limitations, I can't seem to keep it in its chronological place on the blog. So I'm leaving it where it is. Just know Harper is (mercifully) long gone from his post.)

by Larry Powell

Sad, isn’t it? 

Canada’s days as an honest broker and a respected, neutral middle power, are over. Prime Minister Harper has transformed my country from a kinder, gentler peacekeeping nation, which strives to mediate disputes and stay out of despicably unjust wars like Iraq, into a would-be petrostate that takes sides, “smites” our enemies, intimidates those whose views differ from his own and sows seeds of hatred based on culture, religion or gender. He actually declared jihadi terrorists (as brutal and evil as they clearly are) as “the most dangerous enemy our world has ever seen.” Has he already forgotten the millions of allied troops who died fighting far bigger enemies in the great wars of the 20th century?