Health Leaders Must Focus on the Threats From Factory Farms (Opinion)

The New York Times.

This week, the World Health Organization — which works globally to improve human health — will meet in Geneva to select a new director general. We have a mission for that leader: take on factory farms, a major threat to health and the environment. Story here.

Stand up for Greenpeace, our great forests and free speech

SumOfUs

Greenpeace and Stand.Earth (formerly Forest Ethics) are getting sued for $300 million by Canada’s largest logging company to make them shut up. Details here.

Coral bleaching on Great Barrier Reef worse than expected, surveys show

The Guardian

Surveys taken throughout 2016 show escalating impact from north to south, with 70% of shallow water corals dead north of Port Douglas. Story here.

Blue Starfish in the Great Barrier Reef 2004. Photo by Richard Ling

As world faces unprecedented famine threat, G7 should pay up and push for peace

OXFAM

Deadly famine is already affecting 100,000 people in parts of South Sudan and threatens to extend to Yemen, Somalia and northeast Nigeria. Widespread famine across all four countries is not yet inevitable, but G7 leaders need to act now with a massive injection of aid, backed with a forceful diplomatic push to bring an end to the long-standing conflicts that are driving this hunger crisis. Details here.

Africa is no stranger to famine. Except now, the crisis is even worse and more widespread than it was in 2011. 

That's when this image, depicting famine refugees in the Horn of Africa, was taken. Andy Hall/Oxfam

Alaska's Sea Ice Is Melting Unusually Early, 'Another Sign Arctic Is Unraveling'

 inside

climate

 news

The meltdown, following an extra warm Arctic winter, will have an impact on coastal communities and permafrost. Details here.

Exxon Loses Appeal to Keep Auditor Records Secret in Climate Fraud Investigation

 inside

climate

 news

The documents, held by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, could provide a glimpse into the oil giant's calculations of the business risks posed by climate change. Story here.

Data suggesting hog population explosion misleading, pork industry says

The Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba's hog population rose by 18.7 per cent between 2011 and 2016, the highest increase in the country, according to Statistics Canada's agricultural census. Details here.

Tell the Canadian government to regulate oil and gas companies so they stop leaking methane

Environmental Defence

New research shows that methane emissions from Canadian oil and gas operations are much higher than previously thought. Demand action on methane now! 

A Wildlife Reserve in Gambia, Africa seems poisoned

Green Wall Warriors

Villagers of Gunjur in the Gambia, thought they already had experienced the worst as they found out today that their wildlife reserve Bolong Fenyo seems to be poisoned by the Chinese Golden Lead Factory….Story here.

Making the Switch: From fossil fuel subsidies to sustainable energy

IISD - International Institute for Sustainable Development

This report estimates fossil fuel subsidies to be around USD 425 billion. Such subsidies represent large lost opportunities for governments to invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable development. Story here.

Is "The Machine" Destroying Everything? (Video)

Compassion in World Farming.

RELATED: Calls to reform food system. "Factory farming belongs in a museum." 

Beaten with chains, hung by the neck: Canadian cows left behind by the law

NATIONAL

OBSERVER

For the first time in Canadian history, three former dairy workers have been sentenced to jail time for malicious animal abuse as a result of hidden-camera footage by an animal protection group. Details here.

A close call. Turns out the Svalbard seed vault is probably fine

POPULAR

 SCIENCE

Recently, media reports emerged of water leaking into the entryway of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The facility is designed to be a backup for other seed banks all over the world. In an e-mail, the Norwegian Government, confirmed that the leaks happened last fall, during a time of high temperatures and unusual rainfall in the area. Story here.

$10,000 Reward Offered to Find Killer of Famous Yellowstone White Wolf

Care 2 petition

For years, the wolf known as “White Lady” delighted visitors who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her when they visited Yellowstone National Park. Story here.

Greenpeace asks Alberta regulator to halt Kinder Morgan Canada IPO

REUTERS

Pipe loaded on train. PinP photo.

Environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday asked the Alberta securities regulator to halt Kinder Morgan's initial public offering (IPO) of its Canadian business until the company disclosed climate-related risks to potential investors. Story here.

Sea level rise will double coastal flood risk worldwide

theguardian

Waves crash against the wall at the end of Nauru International Airport's runway. 

Rising sea levels pose a serious risk coastal erosion for small Pacific island countries, Photo: Matt Robertson / DFAT

Small but unstoppable increases will double frequency of extreme water levels with dire consequences, say scientists. Story here.

Trees in eastern US head west as climate changes

nature

Trees like the magnolia will likely be affected. Photo credit - Wikipedia.

Breaking from the general poleward movement of many species, flowering trees take an unexpected turn. Story here.

Related:  Canada’s forests in a changing climate

Experts fear ‘quiet springs’ as songbirds can’t keep up with climate change

The Washington Post

A rose-breasted grosbeak, one of the species-at-risk due to global warming. PinP photo.

In 1962, Rachel Carson warned that pesticides, particularly DDT, would lead to springs without birdsong, as she wrote in her book “Silent Spring.” Carson's forecast kick-started an environmental movement and was instrumental in the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to ban the pesticides 10 years later, so her descriptions of deathly quiet did not come to pass. Story here.

Hog Watch Reps Caution Government Ministers to Treat Industry Expansion With Caution - Lake Winnipeg Health at Risk

Hog Watch Manitoba

(Winnipeg May 17) - A citizens group which monitors the hog industry in Manitoba, has cautioned the provincial government, if it goes ahead with its apparent plans to expand production, not to repeat the mistakes of the past. In a recent meeting with three cabinet ministers, Hog Watch Manitoba  (HWM) reminded them how “technical review committees,” which used to “oversee” the construction of both hog barns and lagoons designed to hold the waste, overlooked errors in the planning. These errors were so serious, they eroded both the public’s trust of the industry and in government policies relating to it.

HWM is deeply concerned about the Consultation paper recently released about proposed changes to the Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation. Fred Tait, member of the HWM Steering Committee, says “We fear that if implemented, it will simply enhance the mistakes of the previous administration.”

HWM urges the government to implement the recommendations made by the Clean Environment Commission(CEC) in their 2007 report on Environmental Sustainability and Hog Production in Manitoba. “The CEC recommended reviews of the phosphorus application provisions in manure and further research into phosphorus in soils which has not been done” says Vicki Burns of HWM.  “Why are we using taxpayers’ money to fund the Clean Environment Commission if we’re not going to pay attention to their recommendations?” she asks. "The health of our lakes, including Lake Winnipeg, is at risk."

The cabinet ministers at the meeting were, The Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Sustainable Development and Minister of Indigenous and Municipal Affairs.

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For further information contact:

Fred Tait – 204-252-2153

Janine Gibson – 204-434-6018  creativehealthconsulting@gmail.com

Vicki Burns - 204-489-3852 or   vickiburns@mts.net

Welcome to Ingrid's Site

My New Book-"Artemis Flies to the Rescue"

by Ingrid Alesych. Read more here.

How private airports could warm the climate

The National Observer

Cambridge Bay - Nunavut.  Photo - CambridgeBayWeather

The federal government's research on privatizing Canada's major airports appears to be missing something important. Story here.

Scientists find 38 million pieces of trash on Pacific island

Associated Press

When researchers traveled to a tiny, uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, they were astonished to find an estimated 38 million pieces of trash washed up on the beaches. Story here.













What's left of an albatross chick (found on another remote island) after 
ingesting bottle caps & other plastic debris. 

U.S. blocks major pipeline after leaks and spills

The Washington Post

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has curtailed work on a natural-gas pipeline in Ohio after the owner, Energy Transfer Partners, reported 18 leaks and spilled more than 2 million gallons of drilling materials. Story here.

Yemen , Where Agents of Good Work Amid Bigots, Disease and Relentless Climate Change. (Opinion)

by Larry Powell

Is the potent "trio" of war,  climate change and religion taking a toll on the world’s most vulnerable? Famine, drought and food insecurity have plagued Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, even before the outbreak of open warfare there in 2015. Since then, thousands have died in the conflict. Millions more face famine and imminent death from drought and starvation.

Saudi Arabia has been bombing its little neighbour for some time now, in a conflict fed by sectarian hatred. Some of it has to do with which of the warring factions within the country believe in which branch of Islam, Sunni or Shi'ite. (Or which subdivision of which branch.) 

As in much of the rest of the world, religion and war are paramount - at the pinnacle of what it apparently means to be "human." This photo depicts a Yemeni fighter praying (in the 1960s.) Photo by Dr. Ulrich Middendrop

But the World Health Organization (a branch of the UN) says the war, as bad as it is, is not the only culprit on the scene. Serious disease is now thrown into the mix, too.

Almost three thousand people are sick and 51 have died of cholera. It’s an acute form of diarrhea caused when people ingest food or water contaminated by the cholera bacteria. If left untreated, the disease can kill within hours. These pathogens are “more likely to spread” in a world made warmer by manmade climate change. And recent heavy rains (said by experts to often be a product of a changing climate), have washed filth from uncollected waste into rivers and streams. Climate change is often named by UN and aid officials as a factor in the widespread droughts in Yemen and Africa which have lead to crop failure, malnutrition and death.

None of this has kept medical workers with the WHO from their heroic rounds. They've been distributing cholera kits, oral rehydration solutions, intravenous fluids and other medical needs to where they're needed. They're also setting up ten oral “rehydration therapy corners” in Sana’a, Yemen’s capitol. 

It is reassuring to know there are people like this who, instead of going into the world to deny climate science, thwart efforts to combat it, or to "smite" enemies and bow down to imaginary beings in the sky, actually help victims of those who do.

l.p.

Political History is Written in British Columbia, Canada

Dear Larry -

We just witnessed history.

Yesterday’s BC election was a MAJOR breakthrough for Greens. The BC Green Party have re-elected their leader, Andrew Weaver, as well as two new MLAs. Sonia Furstenau has won in Cowichan Valley, and Adam Olsen has won in Saanich North and the Islands.

How Quebec Floods are Linked to Climate Change

NATIONAL

OBSERVER

Tri Vo, a resident of Gatineau, Quebec, peered out at the flooded landscape from a back porch door,  barricaded by sandbags and water pumps. Story here.

The Montreal suburb of Cartierville. Photo by "Exile on Ontario St."

REPSA: Do right by the victims of destructive palm oil policies in Guatemala. PLEASE SIGN PETITION!

SumOfUs

It has been two years since a deadly spill contaminated La Pasión River and destroyed the livelihoods of communities in Guatemala. The corporation responsible, REPSA, has yet to take real steps to address the environmental and social damages it has caused. PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION!

"Justin's Disaster." Blog attaches a name to Canada's flooding tragedy.

Bill Would Set Manitoba's Animal Protections Back by a Decade

Huffington Post

There's a sick feeling of déjà vu for those of us in Manitoba these days. Here's why. Story here.

Climate Change - Global Warming Warning - 1981 (Video)

The dam at the heart of Canada's flooding emergency

NATIONAL

OBSERVER

The Moses-Saunders dam which regulates flows from Lake Ontario 

into the St. Lawrence River. 

High water levels threatening flood damage to hundreds of homes in Ontario and Quebec will continue to rise, warns the federal environmental engineer in charge of reporting this data to international authorities. Story here.

Drought predicted for Alberta this summer

The Western Producer

Farmers in central and northern Alberta should brace for drought this summer, according to AccuWeather. Story here.

Malaysian energy company accused of building unauthorized dams in B.C.

VANCOUVER

SUN

Progress Energy, owned by Malaysian state-controlled Petronas, has built a number of earth dams without regulatory approval in northeast B.C. to capture water for fracking operations, says a report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. STORY HERE.

Have crop shelter belts outlived their usefulness? Modern agriculture has spoken - they have.

Are trees now passé in our modern agricultural landscape? Please check out my brief video, below on the era of crop "shelter belts," now disappearing from the scene.

As always, you are urged to add your own two-bits worth in the comments section, below.

It’s the end of the world and we know it: Many scientists see apocalypse, soon

SALON

Stephen Hawking is one of many scientists who see the possible near-term demise of our species. STORY HERE.