Friday, September 29, 2017

Rare chicks rescued in Manitoba catch flight to Ontario before heading south


CBCnews


4 chimney swift chicks were rehabilitated after falling from building at Lower Fort Garry. Story here.

Other Swifts seen here in a chimney. 
Photo by Greg Schechter
from San Francisco, USA

Thursday, September 28, 2017

2.9 million American children are threatened by toxic air pollution from oil & gas development

Nation of Change

Living within a 1/2 mile of these production facilities is clearly correlated with negative health impacts. Story here.

PinP photo.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Fort McMurray fires cause air pollution spike on other side of continent


CBCnews
Smoke from Alberta fire was so massive the plumes created their own environmental system. Story here.

Near "Fort Mac" spring '16. Photo by DarrenRD

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

DEEP TROUBLE - 7 right whales entangled this summer, new data shows


CBCnews
Fishing lines killed at least 2 whales, and 2 others were freed by rescuers. Story here.














We destroy our kindred creatures in ways that are varied and wondrous. This northern right whale was run over by a ship. Photo by NOAA.

Monday, September 25, 2017

Higher orange juice prices on the way in wake of Irma's damage to Florida groves

CBCnews

Canadians drink a lot of Florida juice, but hurricane has destroyed this year's crop. Story here.

A familiar breakfast - with a familiar beverage. Photo by Kklerks

Friday, September 22, 2017

Group calls for the government of Manitoba not to ease hog rules

The Winnipeg SUN

A group that fears relaxed hog rules will heighten water pollution has united to fight against the proposed changes. Story here.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

The list of diseases linked to air pollution is growing

ScienceNews

As governments decide what to do about air quality, studies connect an array of health problems to dirty air. Story here.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

A million tons of feces and an unbearable stench: life near industrial pig farms

the guardian

North Carolina’s hog industry has been the subject of litigation, investigation, legislation and regulation. But are its health and environmental risks finally getting too much? Story here.

Monday, September 18, 2017

Is Trump softening his position on climate change? Maybe yes! Maybe no!

|NATIONAL OBSERVER

The White House has issued a denial after a Montreal meeting heard some unexpected comments suggesting the U.S. administration was softening its stance on climate change. Story here.

Help the World Wildlife Fund help save our vanishing wildlife


RELATED: PinP reviews the book - "The Sixth Extinction - an unnatural history."

Sunday, September 17, 2017

European glyphosate safety report copy-pasted Monsanto study

Nation of Change





"Whether this is a question of negligence or intent, it is completely unacceptable for
government bodies to pass off industry analysis as their own." Story here.

A crop-duster sprays pesticides 
on a crop in Manitoba.  PinP photo.

‘Software disease’ — The hazards of plastic, net wrap and twines


    Canadian Cattlemen
Animal Health: Ingestion of plastics has become a common killer. Story here.

U.S. Air Force Is Spraying 6 Million Acres With Chemicals in Response to Harvey

EcoWatch
The Air Force has dispatched big spray planes to control pests which they claim pose a health risk to rescue workers around Houston. Sadly, those "pests" include the good ones, like bees. Story here.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Living Planet Report Canada - Our Vanishing Wildlife

World Wildlife Fund













                   Burrowing owl.                                  
















Great Blue Herron.












Bobolink. (PinP photos.)


The fate of wildlife in Canada is in our hands. WWF -Canada’s Living Planet Report Canada shows that wildlife is on a troubling decline. It’s time to come together and turn things around. Story here.


Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Unraveling a major cause of sea ice retreat in the Arctic Ocean

ScienceDaily
Quantitative analysis has evidenced the acceleration system of melting ice: dark water surfaces absorb more heat than white ice surfaces, thus melting ice and making more water surfaces in the Arctic Ocean. Details here.

Global fingerprints of sea-level rise revealed by satellites

NATURE|NEWS

Geological processes send more meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets to Earth's mid-latitudes. Story here.

Greenland. Photo by Uffe Wilken


Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Fire damages ranches in southwestern Alberta

The Western Producer
Damage has been reported to farms and ranches on the perimeter of Waterton Lakes National Park as a wildfire continues to burn in southwestern Alberta. Details here.



On The Road To Extinction, Maybe It's Not All About Us

CommonDreams

The devastating consequences of human superiority over nature. Story here.


The remains of a rare northern right whale run over by a ship. NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries photo.

Related: The Sixth Extinction - an Unnatural History - a Book Review

Monday, September 11, 2017

What We Know about the Climate Change–Hurricane Connection

SCIENTIFIC 
AMERICAN
The Island of St. Maartin during hurricane Irma. Ministry of Defense, Netherlands.
Some links are indisputable; others are more subtle, but the science is improving all the time. Story here.


Sunday, September 10, 2017

Waterton National Park, Canada remains under evacuation as wildfire grows to 8,500 hectares

CBCnews

Weather forecast calls for high winds on Saturday and Sunday, which is a concern for firefighters. Story here.

Battle Begins to Restore Protections for Greater Yellowstone Grizzly Bears

ECOWATCH
A conservation group is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, challenging the agency's rule stripping grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of Endangered Species protections. Story here.

Saturday, September 9, 2017

As Planet Rages With Fires and Storms, Ire Aimed at Murderous Climate Denialism

CommonDreams

"It is past time to call out Trump and all climate deniers for this crime against humanity. No more treating climate denial like an honest difference of opinion." Story here.

Want to save the bees? Dig up your lawn!

POPULAR
 SCIENCE
Plus some bee-utiful photography. STORY HERE.

RELATED: 



Bumble bees forage on chives in a 
Manitoba garden. PinP photo.



Does God Love Storm Victims? (Letter)

Below is a letter I submitted to the weekly newspaper, the Neepawa Banner today.
===============
Dear Editor,

I am puzzled by a recent column in the weekly newspaper, the Neepawa Banner by Rev. Neil Strohschein, entitled “A Christian response to natural disasters.”

I find your conclusion that God loves the victims of such storms, cries out for further explanation. 

Who or what is making these storms in the first place, then? Is it not God? Because the faithful believe God is all-powerful, do they not? 

If it is not Him, who/what is it, then? Does He not have the power to prevent such calamities? If He does not, does that not make Him less than all-powerful? 

And if it is Him, please explain to me how raining down such massive misery and destruction on his flock can possibly be an act of love? 

While you do not address this following point in your column, it is one which, IMHO, also cries out for a response from the religious.

It is customary in the face of tragedy to hold prayer vigils. The most recent, sanctioned by the Governor of Texas and the President himself (in response to Harvey), happened just a couple of Sundays ago. A few days later, a storm of even greater ferocity was bearing down on another State. Could you please help me understand, Reverend, what this tells us about the power of prayer?

You rightly conclude that monster storms are becoming more frequent. Yet you ignore any reference to manmade climate change - long proven by scientists to be a major contributing factor here. 

Other religious leaders like the Pope accept this science - that our addiction to fossil fuels is heating up the planet and providing even more fuel for monsters like Harvey and Irma. 

The United Church recognizes the science, too. It even calls upon its followers to “be part of a just transition to a renewable energy economy.” 

Where do you stand on this?

Obviously, a lot of people believe they need religion to give them comfort in hard times. But surely, we also need “all hands on deck,” to apply practical, on the ground, scientific solutions to at least keep these tragedies to a minimum in the future. 

Is your faith community, Rev. Strohschein, part of such a united effort, or are you separate and apart?

Perhaps you could find it in your heart to write a follow-up column, addressing my concerns? 

Thank you.

Larry Powell
Neepawa, MB

Thursday, September 7, 2017

The unprecedented drought that's crippling Montana and North Dakota

theguardian

It came without warning, and without equivalent. Now a flash drought is fuelling fires and hurting the lives of those who work the land. Story here.

Attention, Manitobans! (And beyond.) Important meeting! PLEASE ATTEND!



















































Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Liberals struggling to reverse Harper's cuts to climate science

NATIONAL OBSERVER

Are Harper-style funding cuts to science beginning to be felt again, even under the Liberals’ watch? Story here.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

More all-time heat records broken as California broils


Los Angeles Times
Wildfire in California, July, 2017. Photo by BLM.

California’s history-making heat wave set new all-time records for the second day in a row. Story here.

Human attitudes toward climate change. Smart? Or just plain dumb! (Editorial)

by Larry Powell
Despite historic weather calamities descending upon Earth with breathtaking frequency and ferocity, the root-causes of our planetary crisis continue to be avoided like sacred cows. An analyst interviewed on TV yesterday did make some good (albeit now-familiar) points. 
He pointed out how ordinary people have "stepped up" by helping their neighbours, after the fact. These are true heroes, he pointed out, correctly. 
Then he went on to say, (altho they are rarely recognized as such.), so are policy-makers who come up with practical ways of lessening impacts, like smarter development which uses less concrete, further away from flood plains. He even mentioned "climate change," words rarely uttered in polite society. 
So far, so good. 
But he gave not a word of recognition to the most important part of all - the need to wean ourselves off fossil fuels and make a very rapid transition to a low-carbon society! 
The world's climatologists who've been toiling in labs and in often hostile places, are heroes, too. They've been warning for decades, based on copious evidence they've gathered, we simply cannot carry on with "business-as-usual," burning coal, oil and natural gas without regard to the consequences. 
Yet, even as another climate catastrophe looms - a Category Five hurricane bearing down on Florida, these heroes and their advice (which offers the best hope for future generations), are virtually ignored or are, themselves brushed off as crackpots. 
This flirtation with stupidity rather than wisdom is dooming future (and present) generations to a greatly degraded planet. 
Smarten up, Sheeple!

Monday, September 4, 2017

Harvey is part of a pattern of extreme weather scientists saw coming. They're still shocked.

EcoWatch

“We still get overwhelmed because extreme weather is by its nature peculiar.” Story here.


Port Arthur, Texas as a result of Harvey. SC National Guard





Look Around: The Costs of Not Acting on Climate Are Adding Up Fast


Common Dreams

From major hurricanes and flooding to droughts and fires, the refusal to accept the science of global warming is getting very expensive. Story here.
Ashcroft Reserve wildfire in BC, Canada,
seen across Loon Lake. Shawn Cahill

Sunday, September 3, 2017

National day of prayer declared because of Hurricane Harvey

Dallas News

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared a national day of prayer on Sunday as the Gulf Coast reels from Hurricane Harvey, following the lead of Texas, where on Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott declared Sunday a day of prayer. Story here.

RELATED: Texas official declines aid offer from Quebec, asks for prayers instead.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Harvey Won’t Be The Last Thousand-Year Storm


Common Dreams

All our eyes have been glued to the devastation that is Hurricane Harvey. Here in New Jersey, we are still waiting on the help we were promised to fully recover from Superstorm Sandy, so we know the road home will be long and full of challenges. Story here.

Pearland, Texas. Hurricane Harvey. Brant Kelly photo.

Are CBC’s science reporters violating Mother Corp’s own Journalistic Standards and Practices? (Opinion)

According to the JSP, “We do not promote any particular point of view.” Yet if you heard our Senior Science Reporter talk about the first pr...