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Showing posts from April, 2018

A British vessel leads £20m mission to melting Antarctic glacier

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The  Guardian British and US scientists are to examine the risk of the Thwaites glacier collapsing, which is already responsible for a 4% sea-level rise. More here. Thwaites Glacier. European Space Agency

Help Rural Manitobans Shut the Door on More Pig Factories: Stop Bill 19.

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Expectant Moms spend their pregnancies in heartless, confining steel crates. PLEASE SIGN!

In Huge Win for Pollinators, People & the Planet , EU Bans Bee-killing Pesticides. WHAT ABOUT CANADA? ASK YOUR LOCAL POLITICIAN!!!

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Common Dreams Bumble bees forage on chives in an organic garden in Manitoba, CA. PinP photo. "Authorizing neonicotinoids during a quarter of a century was a mistake and led to an environmental disaster. Today's vote is historic." More here.

What is Bill 19 - The Planning Amendment Act (Efficiency in Planning)?

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WHAT WILL BILL 19 MEAN FOR RURAL MANITOBA?  Photo - Mercy for Animals, Canada. It is a series of changes to allow two hog processing corporations Maple Leaf and HyLife Foods, to increase their shareholder profits at the expense of rural homeowners, taxpayers, family farms, degraded air, environment, water quality and pig welfare. Why Bill 19? The Manitoba Department of Agriculture advised the Pallister cabinet in a 2017 internal brief that 285 more new barns were needed to “ensure an adequate supply of hogs to the Maple Leaf and HyLife Food slaughter facilities.” And, that “public conflict,” “public pressure” and the locally controlled conditional use approval process are in the way of “growth of the industry.” How will Bill 19 help the hog industry expand? Bill 19 will silence the public. It will allow municipal leaders to get rid of conditional use hearings and Provincial Technical Reviews for factory hog barns. If local politicians take this route, the P

'Nowhere Is Immune': Researchers Find Record Levels of Microplastics in Arctic Sea Ice

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EcoWatch  North Polar flight with Air Berlin: Pole overflight (Photographer: Basti, Editor: Hedwig) Scientists found record levels of  microplastics  in  Arctic   sea ice , a study published Tuesday in  Nature Communications  revealed. More here.

Common pesticide can make migrating birds lose their way, research shows

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The Guardian A ring-necked pheasant on the Canadian Prairies. Will they be next? PinP photo. The experimental study is the first to directly show harm to songbirds, extending the known impacts of neonicotinoids beyond insects. More here. RELATED:  "New Studies Show Farm Chemicals Are Affecting More Than Bees. Bird Populations are Declining, Too.Is modern agriculture's hold on nature becoming a death grip?"

In worst case scenario, the trees in big parts of Canada's boreal forest 'will probably die,' says federal scientist

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National Observer A devastating wildfire near Fort MacMurray, Alberta, Photo by  DarrenRD Large portions of Canada’s vast boreal forest could be at risk of dying off by the end of the century, as climate change will dramatically aggravate the risk of wildfires, drought and insect infestations, say government scientists in a groundbreaking new study. More here. RELATED:  Only “Heroic Efforts” Will Spare Earth’s Mighty Boreal Forest From the Worst Ravages of Climate Change - Experts .

Early rains expose risks for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, but worst ‘yet to come,’ warns UN agency

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UN News Rohingya refugees in a camp in Bangladesh. Photo by  Zlatica Hoke ( VOA ) The arrival of pre-monsoon rains in southern Bangladesh has revealed an alarming level of risks for Rohingya refugees, United Nations humanitarian agencies said on Friday, warning that they do not  have the funds needed to protect hundreds of thousands of desperate people once the rainy season begins in earnest. More here.

Pipeline Spills 290,000 Litres of Crude Oil Emulsion in Northern Alberta

DeSmogCanada A pipeline owned by Paramount Resources Ltd. released an estimated 100,000 litres of crude oil and 190,000 litres of produced water near Zama City, in northwest Alberta, according to an April 11 incident report filed with the  Alberta Energy Regulator . Details here.

Exclusive: US official appeared to delay protections for endangered species at behest of oil group

TheGuardian The energy-friendlly agenda inside Trump's iinterior department is revealed in rccords obtained by the Guardian and the watchdog groups, Documented and the Western Values Project.    More here.

Twenty environmental defenders have been killed so far in 2018

the defenders while protecting their community’s land or natural resources...read about it here.

'Beyond Comprehension': In Just Two Years, Half of All Corals in 'Forever Damaged' Great Barrier Reef Have Died

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CommonDreams Bleached coral.  Global warming, researchers warn, "is rapidly emerging as a universal threat to ecological integrity and function." More here.

Salmon farms are in crisis – here in Canada & elsewhere. Here’s how scientists are trying to save them

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The Conversation Fish farming in Greece. Photo by  Jebulon Salmon farming is facing a huge challenge in the form of a tiny pest. The parasitic sea louse is infecting salmon stocks worldwide, causing devastating losses for salmon farmers and increased prices for shoppers. But scientists are working hard to tackle this global problem, with a combination of new ways to biologically and mechanically remove the lice and to make the salmon more resilient to infection. More here.

I’m an expat US scientist – and I’m returning to Trump’s America to stand up for science

The Conversation Donald Trump’s presidency has not been good for science or scientists. Since Trump took office 15 months ago, his administration has  proposed   to terminate many federally funded research programs and slash funding for others. Trump’s appointees are working to  roll back environmental regulations  and conservation policies. More here.

How to make global food systems more sustainable

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TheConversation Barley in western Canada. PinP photo. Last October, movie director James Cameron and his wife Suzy Amis Cameron  launched an organic pea protein operation in Saskatchewan . Once it is up and running, this facility will be  the top producer of organic pea protein  in North America. More here.

Avoid Gulf stream disruption at all costs, scientists warn

TheGuardian How close the world is to a catastrophic collapse of giant ocean currents is unknown, making halting global warming more critical than ever, scientists say. More here.

Gulf Stream current at its weakest in 1,600 years, studies show

TheGuardian Warm current that has historically caused dramatic changes in climate is experiencing an unprecedented slowdown and may be less stable than thought - with potentially severe consequences. More here.

California’s Dwindling Snowpack: Another Year of Drought, Floods, Wildfires and Mudslides?

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ECOWATCH The Sierra Nevada range near Reno. Ken Lund  from Reno, Nevada, USA California is likely facing another year of water woes. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which supplies up to a third of California's water, is exceptionally meager this year. Experts found around half as much snow on the mountains as they typically would in early April, when the snowpack is historically most voluminous. Story here.

Are we ready for the deadly heat waves of the future?

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ScienceNews When days and nights get too hot, city dwellers are the first to run into trouble. More here. Jeroen Moes from  Florence, Italy.

Climate change is wreaking havoc on delicate relationship between orchids and bees

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ScienceDaily The first definitive demonstration of climate change upsetting the vital interdependent relationships between species has been revealed. More here. Photo by  Björn S.

Carbon taxes can be both fair and effective, study shows

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ScienceDaily Flooding in Iowa. Several different carbon-pricing approaches would help reduce emissions, and some would be fair as well, researchers report. More here.

Battle for the future of Parma ham - a tale of corporate spin & animal suffering.

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THE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM A PEXALS photo. How "Parma" ham became a battleground for the future of Italian food . Story here.

Vancouver Island rainforest stands are becoming as rare as white rhinos

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The Province Part of the remaining stand of rainforest on Vancouver Island. Photo by Jason Holinger. For millennia, Vancouver Island was mostly covered by spectacular, globally rare ancient rainforest. Many trees were 1,000 years old or older. Indigenous peoples co-existed with the rainforest using many of its plants and animals without destroying it. Shortly after the arrival of Europeans, logging began in earnest. In less than 100 years, the majority of the ancient trees have been logged. Story here.

Conflicts Force Up Global Hunger Levels

IPS Interpress Service UN-IPS: Largely driven by conflict, the number of hungry people has dramatically increased around the world, reversing decades of progress, according to a new report. Story here.