Canada May Move to Protect Declining Monarch Butterfly as Endangered Species

Centre for Food Safety

PinP photo.

 The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada released a report today recommending that the monarch butterfly be protected as an endangered species due to population decline and ongoing threats to the butterfly’s epic migration. Previously, in Canada, the monarch was classified as a species of special concern; now the minister of the Environment and the Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council have nine months to decide whether to add the butterfly to the endangered species list. Story here.

In historic move, China announces ban on ivory trade by end of 2017

Nation of Change

More than 20,000 elephants were killed for their ivory last year, leaving only about 415,000 remaining. Story here.

Global Cheetah Population 'Crashing,' Raising Risk of Species Extinction

CommonDreams

Just 7,100 cheetahs remain around the world. Story here.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife photo.

Growing mega-cities will displace vast tracts of farmland by 2030, study says

theguardian

Cropland losses will have consequences especially for Asia and Africa, which will experience growing food insecurity as cities expand. Story here.

Scientists are trying to save the climate from toxic cow burps

The Washington Post

Earth has a cow problem. Story here.

USDA photo

El Niño on a warming planet may have sparked the Zika epidemic, scientists report

The Washington Post

In a world characterized by rising temperatures, deforestation and other human influences on the environment, the spread of infectious disease is a hot topic. Many recent studies suggest that environmental changes can affect the transmission of everything from malaria to the Zika virus — and it’s increasingly important to understand these links, scientists say. Story here.

Nearly 3,000 US Communities Have Lead Levels Higher Than Flint: Reuters

CommonDreams

Advocates hope new investigation will spur action from community leaders, as aid and attention have been slim. Story here.

UN: Huge emissions cuts needed to meet Paris climate goals

CTV News

The world is nowhere near on track to achieve the ambitious temperature goals adopted in the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, the UN said Thursday in a sobering report that warned of a human tragedy unless governments stepped up efforts to fight global warming. Story here.

Arctic drilling ban reveals crucial difference between Obama and Trudeau on climate

Nation of Change

Prime Minister Trudeau continues to cling to an ideological and dangerous assertion that his government has no responsibility to restrict fossil fuel supply in the middle of a global climate crisis. Story here.

My Latest Letter. Will it Make You Angry? I Hope So! (But Not at Me!)

by Larry Powell

It’s like a nightmare in slow-motion.

Just when you think Trump has made the worst possible choice for his cabinet, he announces another who’s even worse. 

'It's their backyard': Inuit voice essential in Arctic climate studies, scientists say

CBCnews

Residents' knowledge of the fastest warming place on Earth fills gaps in scientific data. Story here.

California Forests Failing to Regrow After Intense Wildfires

 inside 

climate

 news

Huge, destructive fires are more common with climate change, and the loss of regeneration threatens to exacerbate global warming. Story here.

A Drive to Save Saharan Oases As Climate Change Takes a Toll

environment360

From Morocco to Libya, the desert oases of the Sahara's Maghreb region are disappearing as temperatures rise and rainfall decreases. Facing daunting odds, local residents are employing traditional water conservation techniques to try to save these ancient ecosystems. Story here.

Shameless: Public lands handed over to the coal industry

EarthJustice

This attack on wild forest land is just one example of the kind of threats  we will face in the next four years. Our public lands are under attack. Help us fight back! Help us fight back using the most powerful tool available—the law—and your tax-deductible gift will be matched $1-for-$1. Dear Larry, Christmas came early for Arch Coal this year. On Monday, the Obama  administration opened up 20,000 acres of wild Colorado forest to  bulldozing for coal mining. This was a shameful giveaway of our public lands, but we stand prepared to fight back.

A Changing Climate Hits Coffee Harvest on The Slopes of Kilimanjaro.

environment360

Rising temperatures and changing precipitation are taking a toll on coffee farms worldwide, including the plantations around Mount Kilimanjaro. If the world hopes to sustain its two billion cup-a-day habit, scientists say, new climate-resilient species of coffee must be developed. Story here.

Snow in the Sahara? Desert hit with snowfall for the first time in 37 years

comonews.com

It's not the first place that comes to mind when you think of having a white Christmas. Story here.

North Pole to warm to near melting point this week: 50 degrees above normal

Mashable

It's happening again: The temperature at the North Pole is projected to spike to around the melting point, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit, on Wednesday into Thursday, despite the complete lack of sunshine that far north in December. Story here.

Killer Whales Pose Newest Threat to Kinder Morgan Oil Pipeline

Bloomberg

Kinder Morgan Inc. will have to address the fate of one more group before completing its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion: killer whales. Story here.

A pod of killer whales off Vancouver Island. Photo by Winky.

U.S., Canada ban offshore drilling in Arctic waters

CBCnews

U.S. President Barack Obama uses 1950s-era law called the Outer Continental Shelf Act. Story here.

More than 700 factories temporarily shut as Beijing grapples with smog

CBCnews

Country's 1st pollution alert of winter lasts until Wednesday. Story here.

NOAA Issues 'Jaw-Dropping' Assessment on 'Unprecedented' Arctic Warming

Common Dreams

Latest Arctic Report Card finds that region's temperatures continue upward climb twice as fast as global temperature increase. Story here.

Antibiotic resistance will hit a terrible tipping point in 2017

NewScientist

A major menace looms over us. In 2017, many more people could begin dying from common bacterial infections. Story here.

A "confined animal feeding operation." 
Wikimedia Commons photo.

THE 3RD GLOBAL CORAL BLEACHING EVENT – 2014/2016

SEAVIEW

NOW PREDICTED TO LAST UNTIL AT LEAST THE END OF 2016 – BY FAR THE LONGEST EVENT IN RECORDED HISTORY. Story here.

Humans have now carved up the Earth’s wilderness into 600,000 little pieces

The Washington Post

Scientists Thursday provided a global quantification of one of the most pervasive, but least recognized, ways that humans are marring the coherence of the natural world — by building endless numbers of roads. Story here.

A logging road in the UK. Richard Webb

Aimed at Refugees, Fences Are Threatening European Wildlife

environment360

A flood of migrants from the Middle East and Africa has prompted governments in the Balkans to erect hundreds of miles of border fences. Scientists say the expanding network of barriers poses a serious threat to wildlife, especially wide-ranging animals such as bears and wolves. Story here.

First Nations chief at heart of oilsands resistance says he's no environmentalist

NATIONAL               

OBSERVER
First Nations chief at heart of oilsands resistance says he's no environmentalist. Story here.

Rare Arabian leopards forced out by frankincense harvesters

New

Scientist

The habitat of one of the world’s rarest and most elusive big cats is shrinking fast, with the latest pressure coming from frankincense collectors. Story here.

Mounting Evidence Shows Eating Less Meat = Healthy People, Healthy Planet

EcoWatch

A new systematic review of dietary patterns and sustainability published in the latest edition of Advances in Nutrition provides additional evidence that diets lower in animal-based foods and higher in plant-based foods are better for the health of people and the planet. STORY HERE.

Australia's epically stupid plan

AVAAZ

They're trying to put a toxic coal complex next to the magical Great Barrier Reef! It’s a crazy plan, but we’ve got a chance to stop it. PLEASE SIGN PETITION!

Corals tie stronger El Niños to climate change

Science

Over the last 7000 years, El Niños waxed and waned. Then, during the 20th century, with global warming taking hold, their intensity began to climb. The trend is likely to continue, boding ever more destructive El Niños. Story here.

Don't let Scott Pruitt rip up our environmental protections!

Friends of

the Earth

Pruitt's record on the environment is terrible. And as head of the EPA, he'll be able to roll back our protections for the planet -- from the Clean Power Plan to rules on pollutants like methane. Please Donate!

Thousands of snow geese die in Montana after landing on contaminated water

theguardian

Huge flock of migratory birds landed on acidic waters of an open pit mine where employees attempted to scare them off. Story here.

Conservationists declare victory for wildlife as EU saves nature directives

theguardian

EU president abandons plan to overhaul flagship birds and habitats directives following a huge public campaign. Story here.

Extreme tornado outbreaks are getting worse, but why?

SCIENCE:

The number of tornadoes pounding the United States during the most extreme outbreaks has roughly doubled over the past 50 years, a new analysis shows. But the study also yields a big surprise: The increased severity of such tornado outbreaks, at least at first glance, doesn’t seem to be related to climate change. STORY HERE.

Health Canada Will Take Dangerous Bee-Killing Pesticide Off The Market

Friends of the Earth

Health Canada’s PMRA has announced imidacloprid, one of the oldest and most widely used neonicotinoid pesticides, is being taken off the market. 



A Manitoba honeybee colony. PinP photo. 
It’s been found in just about every water body and it’s considered harmful to aquatic species and to creatures such as birds dependent on the aquatic species. Unfortunately, the PMRA is proposing a long 3-year phase-out. With your help, we want to accelerate this phase-out.

PinP: Oddly enough,  Health Canada did not even consider risks to pollinators in this re-evaluation. That will happen in a separate "risk assessment."  

Health Canada Release

The environmental assessment showed that, in aquatic environments in Canada, imidacloprid is being measured at levels that are harmful to aquatic insects. These insects are an important part of the ecosystem, including as a food source for fish, birds and other animals. Based on currently available information, the continued high volume use of imidacloprid in agricultural areas is not sustainable.

The environmental assessment also found that there is a potential risk to birds and small mammals from feeding on seeds that are treated with imidacloprid, however, it is expected that good agricultural practices and equipment could reduce this type of exposure.
The health assessment did not identify human health concerns from any exposure route when used according to current label standards.

RELATED: New Studies Show Farm Chemicals Are Affecting More Than Bees. Bird Populations are Declining, Too. Is modern agriculture’s toxic hold on nature becoming a death grip?

Over 2,000 scientists urge Trump to respect ‘scientific integrity and independence’

The Washington Post

Call it the opening shot in a brewing war over scientific integrity in the future Trump administration. Story here.