Planet in Peril (PinP) where science gets respect!

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim  - the Guardian The trees are a scientific wonder, once capable of living for thousands of years, but now becoming endangered species. Story here. Boab trees. photo by ChatDaniels

Nature Research Press Antarctic ice. Photo by Greenpeace The Antarctic Ice Sheet lost about 3 trillion tonnes of ice between 1992 and 2017. This figure corresponds to a mean sea-level rise of about 8 millimetres. While it could take a thousand years for a total "meltdown," all of Antarctica’s ice sheets, contain enough water to raise global sea level by 58 metres. So they're a key indicator of climate change and driver of sea-level rise. See video, below. RELATED: Antarctic ice melting faster than thought, studies show.

The Science Writers and Communicators of Canada is pleased to announce the winners of this year's book awards for books published in 2017.   The winner in the general audience category  is  Firestorm: How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future by Edward Struzik . A summary. For two months in the spring of 2016, the world watched as wildfire ravaged the Canadian town of Fort McMurray. Firefighters named the fire “the Beast.” It acted like a mythical animal, alive with destructive energy, and they hoped never to see anything like it again. Yet it’s not a stretch to imagine we will all soon live in a world in which fires like the Beast are commonplace. A glance at international headlines shows a remarkable increase in higher temperatures, stronger winds, and drier lands– a trifecta for igniting wildfires like we’ve rarely seen before. This change is particularly noticeable in the northern forests of the United States and Canada. These forests require fire to maintain healthy