Manitoba communities brace for possible major spring flooding

CBCnews

Manitobans are no strangers to floods. Here, campers make the most of soggy 

conditions in Neepawa, 2014. PinP photo.

The City of Brandon is already preparing for potential spring flooding. Story here.

'Dante's Inferno' in Chile: Destructive Fires Rage in Record Heat

EcoWatch

Records tumble in infernos in Chile. Details here.

Mongolia: Lethal livestock plague now hitting endangered antelope, warns UN agency

UN News Centre

The international pledge to eradicate a devastating livestock disease affecting mostly sheep and goats has taken on new urgency in the wake of a mass die-off of a rare Mongolian antelope, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Story here.

Mongolian antelope. 

Image from Wikipedia.

Manitoba rewrites hog barn regulations

The Western Producer

Manitoba is removing “impractical and costly” regulations in an effort to revive its hog industry. Story here.

Trump administration backs off plan to scrub climate pages from EPA website

The Washington Post

The Trump administration on Wednesday backed away from plans to take down some climate-change information from the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, which employees said had been planned for this week. But political appointees are exerting more oversight over the agency’s scientific communications. Details here.

One of the last Obama-era climate reports had a troubling update about the rising seas

The Washington Post

A Mexican beach. PinP photo.

A new report, released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on the last day of Barack Obama’s presidency, presents a series of updated estimates for future sea-level rise, both in the United States and worldwide. It suggests that, under extreme future climate change, global sea levels could rise by more than eight feet by the end of the century — one of the highest estimates yet to be presented in a federal report.  Details here.

With the Rise of Trump, Is It Game Over for the Climate Fight?

YaleEnvironment360 - Bill McKibbon

PinP photo.

Donald Trump’s ascension to the presidency is a stunning blow to hopes for avoiding the worst impacts of global warming. But a broad-based, grassroots movement committed to cutting emissions and promoting clean energy must continue and intensify – the stakes are simply too high to give up. Details here.

PROTECTING CANADA’S NATIONAL PARKS. A CALL FOR RENEWED COMMITMENT TO NATURE CONSERVATION

CPAWS Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

Are human animals "loving our parks to death?" PinP photos.

For almost a decade CPAWS has observed a significant shift in Parks Canada’s approach to managing our national parks, away from their legislative first priority of protecting nature, towards a more tourism and marketing focused agenda which is putting wildlife and wilderness in our national parks at risk. Details here.

Climate change will hurt crops more than it helps them, study suggests

The Washington Post

A new study from institutes around the world, reaffirms the idea that high temperatures could seriously harm the production of some of the world’s most important food crops. Story here.

PinP photo.

On the climate change frontline: the disappearing fishing villages of Bangladesh

theguardian

Kutubdia’s islanders don’t have much of a carbon footprint – most don’t have regular electricity. But they are facing the reality of a changing climate, and soon tens of millions of their fellow Bangladeshis will be at risk. Story here.

A common scene in Bangladesh. Photo by Liftarn.

Dirty industries spend more on politics, keeping us in the fossil age.

by George Monbiot

Alberta tar sands - photo by "Beautiful Destruction."

Make America Wait Again. That’s what Donald Trump’s energy policy amounts to. Stop all the clocks, put the technological revolution on hold, ensure that the transition from fossil fuels to clean power is delayed for as long as possible. Story here.

Species On The Move

inside

climate 

news

As climate change impacts habitats around the world, species are on the move, trying to adapt — and survive. Story here.

Polar bear mother and cubs. photo by Alistair Rae.

New Tar Sands Pipelines Are Incompatible With Paris Climate Goals

EcoWatch

New research released Thursday reveals disturbing new evidence on how locking-into new long-lived tar sands production undermines global efforts to address the global climate crisis far beyond Canada's borders. "Trudeau's pipeline decisions will lead directly to suffering…Story here.

The Term "Climate Change" has Already Disappeared From the Whitehouse Website! HELP!

Larry - This is what we're up against. The minute Trump took office, he scrubbed every mention of Climate Change from whitehouse.gov. His new energy "plan" will make your blood boil: President Trump is committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan... We must take advantage of the estimated $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, especially those on federal lands... The Trump Administration is also committed to clean coal technology. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? We are mobilizing and launching an emergency grassroots campaign to stop Trump from derailing everything we've worked for. I need you to make a monthly donation before midnight tonight so we can fight back before it's too late. Will you help? Fight back every day for the next four years. Make a monthly donation to the Sierra Club this second. Thank you, Michael Brune Executive Director Sierra Club P.S. -- If you have recently become a monthly donor, THANK YOU. We have had an outpouring of support and are still processing donations.

Last year’s snow season in the Swiss Alps was 38 days shorter than in 1970

Science

Climate change is already thawing ski slopes from Utah to Bolivia; now, Europe may be the next to lose its powder. Story here.
The former ski resort, of Tunetschalp in Switzerland. Photo by Curran2

Impending extinction crisis of the world’s primates: Why primates matter

ScienceAdvances

The endangered yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Oreonax flavicauda) Photo by Platyrrhinus

Nonhuman primates, our closest biological relatives, play important roles and offer unique insights into many human societies. Story here.

Trumps Despicable War on Mother Earth has Begun.

Dear Larry, Trump's attacks on our environment have already started. Donate now and help fight back! Donald Trump has been President for only a few hours. But he’s already started attacking our environment. One of his first acts was to take down the White House’s website on climate change and replace it with an “energy plan.” The plan says Trump “is committed to eliminating” the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the US rule. Rumors are flowing that approval of Keystone XL and Dakota Access could be next.  This is just the beginning. Trump has announced his intentions. If we let him get away with it, what’s next? Gutting the EPA? Drilling for oil on our public lands in the Arctic? We need to join together NOW and send a message to Trump: every action he takes to destroy our planet will be met with fierce resistance. Donate now and help fight Trump’s attacks on our environment. Standing with you, Ben Schreiber, Senior political strategist, Friends of the Earth Action

The Guardian view on Trump and global warming: the right fight - Editorial

Historic flood - Red River Valley, Manitoba., 1997. Gov't. of MB photo.

The president-elect should understand that America needs to shoulder global responsibilities, and that in doing so America will benefit by owning the technologies of the future. Story here.

Ontario Stops Nestlé in its Tracks

+SumOfUs Larry, Huge news -- the government in Ontario, Canada just issued a moratorium to block Nestlé  from sucking up water from a small community experiencing drought conditions! Thanks  to tireless work from grassroots groups and with support from over 168,000 SumOfUs members  who spoke out, submitted public comments and donated to blanket the airwaves with radio ads,  corporate giant Nestlé has been stopped in its tracks.  But the fight to stop Nestlé from bullying local communities isn’t over. The state of Michigan is weeks away from deciding on a plan to charge Nestlé just $200  for a permit to double the amount of groundwater it can take to bottle and sell at a  massive profit. Residents in Evart, Michigan need your help to stand up to Nestlé once again. Tell the State of Michigan to say no to this massive corporate giveaway. Stop Nestlé now. Our original email from last month: Nestlé's at it again. This time, it  wants to suck up 100M gallons of  groundwater in a tiny U.S. town  for just $200. How can the government hand  over its water for pennies so a giant corporation can profit? Tell  the state of Michigan to reject  this ridiculous deal. SIGN THE PETITION Larry, Nestlé's about to lock down another massive corporate giveaway of precious fresh water -- unless we can pressure the U.S. state of Michigan to stand up to the water bottling behemoth. Only miles away from Flint, Michigan -- where the local government switched the water supply and poisoned the community's water to save a few bucks -- the Michigan water authority is considering letting Nestlé double the amount of groundwater it takes to bottle and sell for profit. The cost to Nestlé? $200 a year. Tell Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality to cancel this ridiculous plan.

A Foundation Controlled by a Wealthy Religious Leader Gets Millions of Taxpayer Dollars From Canadians.

by Larry Powell

Am I missing something? Or is it not just as scandalous that the Aga Khan Foundation gets our tax money, as it is that Trudeau has no ethics? (Justin is a politician. That's what politicians do.) But why in the world should a rich, religious leader born in Switzerland and who lives, God-knows-where, get welfare from we ordinary Canadians? The policy of separating affairs of state from affairs of religion is a sensible, time-honoured tradition which seems to have been thrown out the window here. Does anyone know just what Nizari Ismailism is anyway? The Foundation bills itself as a non-profit group which helps the poor. Fair enough.

His Highness, Aga Kahn 1V

But why does His Highness need a foundation (more importantly, why do we) when he could be turning over his personal riches directly to the less fortunate himself? I would personally feel more comfortable if we were to help our own poor, without filtering our tax money through a third party as non-transparent as this one, thanks very much.

Are the billionaire American Koch brothers playing climate politics in Alberta?

NATIONAL

OBSERVER

It’s a well-known fact that Charles and David Koch — owners of the second-largest private company in America — have been funding climate change denial in the U.S. for decades. Story here.

World’s Last Intact Forests Are Becoming Increasingly Fragmented

WORLD

RESOURCES

INSTITUTE

Clearing in the boreal forest, Canada. PinP photo.

Intact forest landscapes (IFLs), or vast stretches of unbroken forest wilderness, are some of the most important ecosystems in the world. And they are under threat. Story here.

Acclaimed Canadian author lays out dirty back story of fossil fuel industry and government

NATIONAL OBSERVER

Jessica Ernst, the biologist who on Friday, lost a split decision in the Supreme Court of Canada over suing the Alberta Energy Regulator, is no ordinary person. Story here.

Two richest Canadians have wealth equal to 11 million poorest

David Thomson (l.) and Galen Weston Sr. (r.) are as wealthy as the poorest 30 per cent of Canadians, combined, Oxfam calculates. Story here.

Mercury-tainted soil found upstream from Grassy Narrows First Nation

thestar.com

Reporters with the Toronton Star and volunteers from Earthroots took soil samples from behind an old paper mill, 100 kilometres upstream from Grassy Narrows, which revealed significantly elevated levels of mercury. Story here.

Climate change: The potential impacts of collective inaction

Nation of Change

Such irresponsible, reckless behaviour adds grist to the mill of those both inside America and throughout the world. Story here.

Another Blatant Conflict-of-Interest is Ignored on Our National Airwaves. Has CBC Radio's "The House" Let Us Down Again?

by Larry Powell

Will the CBC ever learn?

More than five years ago, the radio program "The House," interviewed their "go-to" guy on just about everything; corporate apologist and big-shot business tycoon Derek Burney (l.), a former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. and adviser to Brian Mulroney.  He sang the praises of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline (extremely controversial even then) and railed against the "violent emotion" being used by environmentalists to oppose it. He never gave, nor was he asked to give, examples of what he meant by violent. Neither did he nor the CBC ever mention that he (Burney) was then (and may still be, for all I know), a director of Trans Canada Pipelines, proponents of the project! It was only after I made a formal complaint to the CBC ombudsman that they apologized for the "oversight." 

Fast forward to this morning and, lo and behold, the same program interviewed the same Derek Burney! This time, in a spiel reminiscent of Nazi-appeaser Neville Chamberlain (the UK's PM at the start of the Second World War), Burney laid out his own blueprint for "getting along" with the incoming Trump administration. Once again, no mention of Burney's business interests! 

Do you suppose Burney just might have an ulterior motive here? Perhaps he doesn't want us to do anything that would rock the boat, or move Trump off his position of support for what is likely still one of Burney's pet projects, the Keystone XL pipeline?

In this age of fake news and rampant conflicts-of-interest, surely the CBC can do better. 

Ya think?

-30-

Europe should expand the ban on bee-harming pesticide, say campaigners

theguardian

The threat posed to bees by neonicotinoid pesticides is greater than perceived in 2013 when the EU adopted a partial ban, new report concludes. Story here.

PinP photo

Please also read how the EPA is disgracefully bowing to pressure from industry in the fight to protect bees, here.

TELL PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP: NO DANGEROUS MONSANTO-BAYER MEGAMERGER!

Add your name and tell President-elect Trump: NO dangerous Bayer-Monsanto merger!

Larry,

On Wednesday, President-elect Trump sat down with Bayer CEO Werner Baumann and Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant at Trump Tower and had a “productive meeting” on “the future of the agriculture industry”¹ and the pending merger between the two companies.²

Trump has heard from the CEOs. Now we need you to make your voice heard. Add your name and tell President-elect Trump: NO to the dangerous Bayer-Monsanto merger >>

Farmers hurt by Yancoal’s divide and conquer strategy

Trevor Herriot’s Grass Notes

Saskatchewan is already well known for its potash mining and now another massive, multi-billion dollar project could soon be developed north of Regina.  Story here.

Exxon's Potential Climate Fraud

Dear Reader, Help shine a light on Exxon's potential climate fraud: Give $15 or more to Friends of the Earth Action! It could be the biggest case of corporate fraud in history. Exxon knew about climate change as early as the 1970s. It’s been lying for decades about the greatest environmental crisis the planet has ever faced. It secretly funded a campaign of denial to discredit the work of climate scientists. And it may have committed fraud in the process. If that weren’t bad enough, Donald Trump has now nominated Exxon’s own CEO, Rex Tillerson, to Secretary of State -- one of the most powerful positions in his administration.

We can't let Rex Tillerson become the next US Secretary of State.

Credit: William Munoz/CC BY 2.0 We can't let Rex Tillerson become our next Secretary of State. STAND WITH US Dear Larry - It's on: ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, whose dubious credits include close ties to Vladimir Putin, sanction-defying business deals with Iran, and millions in donations to climate-change denial groups, is, after yesterday's Senate confirmation hearing, one step closer to becoming Secretary of State. Tillerson's countless conflicts of interest and relationships with dictators and oligarchs make him the most dangerous cabinet pick in recent memory. His record at ExxonMobil -- corruption schemes, human rights abuses, investor fraud -- paints a terrifying picture of America's diplomatic future.

Turbulent times ahead for air travel?

THE ROYAL SOCIETY

Scientists are now discovering that climate change and air travel could be having huge impacts on each other. Story here.

PinP photo.

U.S. takes step to boost organic food production

Western Producer

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken a step toward increasing the production of organic foods – which has not kept pace with demand, by launching a program to certify farmland that growers are in the process of switching to organic. Story here.

An organic garden in Manitoba. PinP photo.

Rising Carbon Emissions from Warming Soil Highlight Benefits of Land Restoration

WORLD

RESOURCES

INSTITUTE

A new study in the journal Nature explores a vicious cycle: as a changing climate driven by greenhouse gas emissions warms the planet, soils heat up and the micro-organisms that live in the soil start to expel heat-trapping carbon dioxide, reinforcing the problem of climate change. Story here.

CFIA fast-tracked tests on genetically modified salmon eggs for exports, documents suggest

CBCnews

Documents show inspectors with the Canada Food Inspection Agency scrambled to meet deadline for time-sensitive salmon egg test. Story here.



A wild Atlantic salmon. Photo credit - Wikipedia.