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Showing posts from January, 2021

Science Media Centre of Canada (SMCC) condemns Alberta's efforts to discredit climate journalists.

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  S M C C Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. Runs a "war room" at taxpayers expense which spreads false information about environmental groups. Alberta Inquiry Paid $28K for a Report Smearing Hundreds of Climate Journalists The Science Media Centre of Canada (SMCC) condemns all attempts by governments and third-party agencies to discredit the work journalists undertake to cover climate change in Canada.  Numerous journalistic bodies — including the Society of Environmental Journalists — are smeared in a new Government of Alberta-bankrolled report. It's called,  "A New Global Paradigm: Understanding the Transnational Progressive Movement, the Energy Transition and the Great Transformation Strangling Alberta’s Petroleum Industry."  This report was produced as part of the provincial government’s $3.5 million inquiry into international opposition to Alberta’s oilsands. The report argues that journalists are part of a “disturbing” movement to “coordinate and effectively d

Despite long-standing and widespread warnings of the dangers, hog producers on the Canadian prairies were still feeding more antibiotics to their pigs in 2018 than they did the year before. (Latest figures available.)

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by Larry Powell (Updated - Mar. 5th, 2021) A Canadian Pork Council photo. In 2019, an elite panel of experts - The Council of Canadian Academies -  confirmed that thousands of Canadians were already dying each year of  "antimicrobial resistance (AMR)." And, with that resistance still growing, up to 400 thousand will likely die  of it  by mid-century. It calls the problem,   “a serious existential threat.”  And, if anyone needs more convincing, here's how Canada's own Chief Public Health Officer puts it.  " Left unchecked, there's risk of losing these medications as an essential life-saving treatment. It's estimated that antibiotic-resistant infections could cause 10 million deaths a year, globally by 2050. This is more than the current annual worldwide deaths from cancer." AMR happens when  too many antibiotics are given (when they're not needed), not only to people, but mostly to livestock (domestic animals raised for food), like cattle, pigs

Oceanic sharks and rays have declined by over 70%

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Nature "Great Hammerhead Shark Swimming" by Skylar L. Primm The number of oceanic sharks and rays worldwide has fallen by 71% since 1970. A study in Nature this week finds that more than three-quarters of these oceanic species are now threatened with extinction. The risk of extinction to marine species is primarily caused by overfishing, but it has been difficult to measure the decline of individual species. Although reductions in oceanic and coastal shark and ray populations in different regions of the world have previously been documented, a global analysis has not been available. The Whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus).Photo by Jan Derk The authors attribute this decline to an 18-fold increase in relative fishing pressure — a measure of the proportion of sharks and rays caught relative to their global population — over the period. They argue that immediate action is needed to prevent collapses in populations. Specifically, they call on governments to implement catch l

Greener northern landscapes under climate change no help to endangered caribou

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Proceedings of the Royal Society The Woodland Caribou. Photo by Steve Forrest.   Globally, climate change and habitat loss are increasing “global greening.” While these changes benefit some species, animals such as woodland caribou may suffer in a greener world. We studied links between habitat alteration (e.g. forest cutting), primary productivity, moose, wolves and caribou across part of the Canadian Boreal forest. By studying all these components simultaneously, we found that habitat alteration led to more productivity, which in turn produced more moose and wolves, and precipitated caribou declines. Species like caribou, which are adapted to low productivity environments, however, are not expected to do well in a greener world. Find the full study here.

Climate change will alter the position of the Earth's tropical rain belt. Researchers.

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PHYS ORG Pixabay Public Domain Future climate change will cause a regionally uneven shifting of the tropical rain belt—a narrow band of heavy precipitation near the equator. This development may threaten food security for billions of people.  Story here.

Part of the Solution? Or part of the Problem? The Government of Manitoba fails in its sacred duty to protect our precious waterways

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  by John Fefchak - PinP guest-writer.          Lake Winnipeg, clogged with toxic algae. Nutrients from human and animal waste (including large commercial hog operations) pollute the tenth largest freshwater lake in the world. More than twenty years ago, I, along with many others, became aware of how Lake Winnipeg and other Manitoba waters were becoming polluted. Our government was ignoring the dire situation; and pressing on with the expansion of Intensive livestock (hog) Operations (ILO's).  Our concerns over the massive amounts of manure being created, were ignored. Despite evidence being presented in the media, including a major TV documentary, "Choking Lake Winnipeg," we were called fear-mongers.  Still, we didn't give up. Eventually, there was a glimmer of hope. In 2007, Manitoba's Clean Environment Commission released a ground-breaking report, recognizing a problem with the environmental sustainability of hog production.   The Lake Winnipeg Act was establis

The number of people suffering extreme droughts will double. Study.

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Phys Org Drought leaves dead and dying livestock in northern Kenya. Photo by Oxfam Intl. By the late 21st century, global land area and population facing extreme droughts could more than double—increasing from 3% during 1976-2005 to 7%-8%.  Story here.

Is lightning striking the Arctic more than ever before?

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Nature A PublicDomainPictures.com photo Team detects a huge increase and says it could be due to climate change, but others can’t confirm the findings. Story here.

Ice arches holding back Arctic's ‘Last Ice Area’ might soon let go, research shows.

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University of Toronto  The vast Milne Ice Shelf, a small part of the Last Ice Area, broke up this summer. Photo credit: Joseph Mascaro, Planet Labs Inc. The Last Ice Area may be in more peril than people thought. In a recent paper published in the journal Nature Communications, a Canadian research team describes how this multi-year ice is at risk not just of melting in place, but of floating southward into warmer regions. This would create an “ice deficit” and hasten the disappearance of the Last Ice Area. Details here.

Alaska oil bid alarms scientists

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Science Magazine Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Canning River/ by Jan Reurink.  View map here. Mapping plan for Arctic refuge ignores risks, critics say. Story here.