St. Boniface residents say metal shredder is polluting air, harming health

CBCnews

Province says neighbourhood is safe, but residents and environmental researcher disagree. Story here.

Welcome Them Home.

Sierra Club Canada Foundation.

Larry

I'm devastated to report that the licence for oil and gas drilling has been approved in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and there’s not one thing whales can do to stop it.

We're not giving up and neither are they.

At this very moment – mile by mile, heading north – they’re coming back.

Over the next few weeks, blue whales will be making their way back to Canadian waters.

It’s a brave and often perilous journey.  But they do it because their ancient DNA tells them to come north, as they have for millennia.

While some of these whales have been south this winter, you and I have been working to keep their northern waters safe.

"The Monarch Butterfly Must Be – and Can Be – Saved" - An elaborate bit of greenwashing ala Monsanto Corp.

Robb Fraley Chief Technology Officer at Monsanto

Recently, I had the opportunity to check a long-desired item off my bucket list; a visit to the winter home of millions of monarch butterflies in west central Mexico. Story here.

A Monarch visits a flower-garden in Manitoba. PinP photo.

Around 22 million children could soon starve without urgent aid, UNICEF warns (+ video)

UN News Centre

Millions of children are on the brink of starvation in the worst humanitarian crisis in decades, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned. Story here.

4 tactics used by Monsanto to undermine potential link between glyphosate and cancer

Nation of Change

The revelations from the unsealed Monsanto emails underscore the vital need for independent science and transparency. Story here.

Ground sprayer in Manitoba. PinP photo.

Trumping Canada’s Environment

A/J Alternatives Journal by Bob Paehlke

The election of Donald Trump is unlike any change in American history. It will transform America’s role in world politics. It is my view that Canadians should not pretend otherwise (however polite our government might choose to be in the diplomatic realm). Story here.

Air pollutants from Texas used to be found in the Canadian Arctic. Will history now repeat itself?

Bad News for Bees. Really Bad.

Wild bees are going extinct, and yet the pesticide industry is lobbying hard to stop Canada banning one of the most widely used bee-killing pesticides in the world. Will you chip in CA$1 to help save the bees? DONATE CA$1 NOW Dear Larry, Beekeepers have warned us for years about entire bee colonies dying off and disappearing. Now researchers are telling us more than 700 wild bee species in North America are headed toward extinction -- that's more than half of the bee species tested. Canada has announced plans to ban imidacloprid, one of the most widely used bee-killing pesticides in the world, but the pesticide industry is lobbying hard to stop the ban being introduced. With so many bee species headed to extinction we’re redoubling our efforts to convince Canada to ban this bee-killer without delay. If we raise enough money we’ll buy full page “Save the Bees” ads in the Ottawa Hill Times -- the paper that politicians read -- to make sure they know why banning bee-killing pesticide is essential. Will you chip in CA$1 today? Yes, I'll chip in CA$1 to demand that Canada ban the bee-killing pesticide imidacloprid with no unnecessary delays.

More than 700 North American bee species are headed for extinction. (Video)

Weather extremes: Humans likely influence giant airstreams

Potsdam Institute for

Climate Impact Research

The increase of devastating weather extremes in summer is likely linked to human-made climate change, mounting evidence shows. Details here.

The "Stampede Grounds" in Calgary - 2013. Photo by RAF-YYC

Europe poised for total ban on bee-harming pesticides

theguardian

Bumble bees forage on chives in Manitoba, CA. PinP photo.

Exclusive: Draft regulations seen by the Guardian reveal the European commission wants to prohibit the insecticides that cause ‘acute risks to bees.’ Details here.

Warming earth threatens to release huge amounts of carbon – UN agency

UN News Centre

Rising temperatures could release massive amounts of carbon trapped in the Earth's soil, the United Nations agricultural agency today reported. Details here.

World Meteorological Day celebrates importance of clouds for weather, climate and water

UN News Centre

A "thunderhead" in Manitoba, Canada. PinP photo.

Clouds inspire art and thought, but few natural phenomena are as important to weather, climate or water, the United Nations meteorological agency today said, launching a digital cloud atlas to celebrate World Meteorological Day. Details here.

Last Remnant Of North American Ice Sheet On Track To Vanish

News Network
Archaeology

State of the Warming Climate in 2016: 'Truly Uncharted Territory'

 Inside climate change

World Meteorological Organization reveals extent of global warming's impacts last year, including epic Arctic melting, drought and extreme weather. Story here.

Please watch this "Planet in Peril" videocast which puts these world changes into a Manitoba context!

Manitoba to axe limits on hog barns

Manitoba Co-Operator

Government tables 'red tape reduction' amendments. Story here.

Scientists Call Out Pruitt's False View of Climate Change

inside climate news

Countering the new EPA head's contention that carbon dioxide does not drive global warming, scientists' letter says, 'Human beings are changing the Earth's climate.' Details here.

Stop Trump's Massive Cuts to the EPA. Give to Friends of the Earth!

Dear Larry, Stop Trump's attacks on the EPA. Give $15 or more today! If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Express Donate: $15 Express Donate: $25 Express Donate: $50 Or, donate another amount Donald Trump is aiming to cut the EPA by more than 30%. He’d slash more than 3,000 staff. And he’d starve the agency of the resources it needs to protect our air, water, and climate. Attacking the EPA is one of Trump’s top priorities in his budget proposal. But his plan has to go through Congress. That means we can still stop these cuts to the EPA -- but we need your help! Help stop Trump’s massive cuts to the EPA: Give $15 to Friends of the Earth Action today! If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Express Donate: $15 Express Donate: $25 Express Donate: $50 Or, donate another amount

Carbon Dioxide Is Rising at Record Rates - or IS IT?

CLIMATE CENTRAL

The Koch Bros. fertilizer plant in Brandon, MB. PinP image.

The main driver of climate change is carbon dioxide. So the fact that it is rising at rates unseen in the instrumental record — and likely much longer than that — is cause for alarm. Yet here we are.
Yet the International Energy Agency is telling an apparently different story!

Water scarcity needs “urgent and massive response” in North Africa and Near East

Food and Agriculture Organization                

Sustainable water use for agriculture requires transforming food systems and diets. 

Story here.

Please also read: New Evidence Confirms Risk That Mideast May Become Uninhabitable

and watch my video, "Planet in Peril," here.

A young man poses before a parched crop in Ethiopia. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.

White House Budget Cuts UN Funding.

Larry – Today, the White House released a budget proposal that calls for crippling funding cuts that would undermine the United Nations’ ability to address the current refugee and humanitarian crises, help stabilize troubled regions through peacekeeping, and provide other forms of vital assistance. If passed by the U.S. Congress, the UN and its lifesaving agencies could see massive cuts that would put lives at risk. The proposed budget would jeopardize the UN’s most vital work to protect the world’s vulnerable during the worst refugee crisis in history and the worst humanitarian emergency in decades. Such reductions run counter to the views of the majority of Americans, undermine universal values, and make the world less stable and secure. Members of Congress will consider the President’s request over the next few weeks and release their own proposal. It’s ultimately up to Congress to determine how much they will allocate to the UN. Your voice is more important than ever before. Take a stand: share this graphic and tell the world that the UN matters to you. Thank you, Kathy Calvin President & CEO  United Nations Foundation P.S. You can learn more about the budget and how you can help here.

Sign Up | Donate | Take Action | Contact Us | View In Browser | Unsubscribe 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue NW - Suite 300 - Washington, D.C. 20006 © United Nations Foundation

Aerial photography of northern Ontario's Ring of Fire

     Canadian

Geographic

Photo credit - Garth Lenz, Canadian Geographic.

The James Bay Lowlands contain both environmentally crucial peatlands and one of the largest potential mineral reserves in Canada. Story here.

How Protecting Native Forests Cost a Southeast Asian Activist His Life

YaleEnvironment360

Logging in Malaysia. Photo credit: Stephen Codrigtonn

Malaysian activist Bill Kayong fought to save native forest lands from logging and oil palm development. Like a troubling number of environmental campaigners around the world, he paid for it with his life. Second in a series.

Millions of single-use plastic soft drink bottles sold every year, report shows

theguardian

A survey of five of the six biggest soft drinks firms found just 7% of throwaway plastic bottles are made from recycled materials. Story here. Story here.

A mute swan makes the best of a polluted world. 

Photo Credit - Wikimedia Commons.

Humans face a shocking, chemical-induced reproductive crisis

treehugger

Endocrine disrupting chemicals in our environment have damaged male sperm, most of which are now misshapen and unable to swim properly. Story here.

Plastics like this contribute to the problem. 

Alberta Wildfires Dubbed "Steve's Inferno," After Former Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.

The top 10 threats to the most biodiverse place on planet Earth

The Guardian

Manu national park in Peru threatened by roads, oil/gas operations, narco trade, gold-mining, logging and ‘human safaris’ Story here.

In North America, there are also species in decline, 
like this Bobolink on the Canadian prairies. PinP photo. 

Did an American pipeline company donate illegally to the Premier of British Columbia?

Dogwood

Oil line pipe loaded on rail cars in Manitoba. PinP photo.

Elections BC asked to investigate Texas pipeline money. Story here.

UNESCO issues warning about Wood Buffalo National Park due to dams, development

NEWS 1130

An United Nations agency has issued a warning about the environmental health of Canada’s largest national park. Story here.

Gros Beak Lake, Wood Buffalo Park.
photo by Ansgar Walk

Glyphosate presence in honey raises concerns

The Western Producer

A Manitoba honeybee hive. PinP photo.

For years, environmentalists have said insecticides must be banned to protect bees. Now, some of those same environmental groups are saying that glyphosate must be banned to protect consumers from tainted honey. Story here.

Please also read: 

• "Are Pesticide Regulators on the Take? Canadian Regulators Refuse to Protect Precious Pollinators From Known Toxins. Is Something Crooked Going on Here?"
• "Field of Nightmares. Ottawa continues to embrace the widespread use of Roundup on Canadian farms, by letting corporate seduction trump scientific evidence."

Scott Pruitt Went on TV to Deny Climate Change

Friends of the Earth. Dear Larry, Don’t let Trump, Pruitt and Congress destroy the EPA. Give $15 or more today! If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Express Donate: $15 Express Donate: $25 Express Donate: $50 Or, donate another amount

Trump's EPA Budget Details Announced

Trump's draft EPA budget: a love letter to Big Energy Become a monthly donor to help us fight back every day for wildlife, for your health, and for the health of our families. GIVE MONTHLY >> Dear Larry - Trump's draft EPA budget is in -- and it's one giant, water-poisoning, coal ash-spilling, asthma-inducing love letter to his Big Energy cronies. The truly draconian document puts wildlife and human health in serious jeopardy by (among other things): Halting the Clean Power Plan and its first-ever carbon emissions limits on dirty, coal-fired power plants. Decimating the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which protects the planet's largest freshwater source, by slashing its funding from $300 million to $10 million. Threatening the Chesapeake Bay, the country's largest estuary, by cutting funding for monitoring and compliance with environmental laws from $73 million to $5 million. Stripping funding for toxic cleanup in communities contaminated by industrial waste.