PLANET IN PERIL

THE TYEE The noted hydrologist projects a harsh shift in the region’s climate and water supply.

Manitoba Co-Operator  In a 700-plus word article appearing in several rural papers recently, Cam Dahl, the industry group’s general manager, makes the preposterous claim that “ it’s hard to be green while in the red .” LETTER HERE.

MOTHER CORP NEWS. A PinP photo. Research by the Climate Change Institute shows, the carbon tax has resulted in lower emissions! Story here.

PNAS Fueled by invasive grasses and climate change, desert fires are growing larger and more dangerous.  Story  here. Native ecosystems are losing the race against invasives, with potentially dangerous consequences for desert cities like Tucson. The city’s outskirts are shown here in the midst of the 2020 Bighorn Fire, which came alarmingly close to foothill homes. Image credit: Unsplash/Frankie Lopez.

CANADA'S National Observer By John Woodside | News, Energy, Politics | February 29th 2024 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announces new measures for renewable energy development. Alberta’s seven-month pause on renewable energy development is coming to an end, but new rules promise to restrict the sector even further, experts say. Among the new rules Premier Danielle Smith announced Wednesday is a ban on new wind projects within a 35-kilometre buffer zone of protected areas and other “pristine viewscapes” chosen by the province. Other projects in the buffer zone could be subjected to a “visual impact assessment” before securing approval. Smith also said the Alberta Utilities Commission, which regulates energy projects, will take an “agriculture first” approach, meaning crops and livestock will take priority over renewable energy proposals unless it can be demonstrated that the project can coexist with agricultural uses. Renewable energy developers will also be required to put money a

 

euronews.green A lithium leach-field in South America. Demand for lithium-ion batteries is unprecedented - but is  mining the chemical harmful to the environment?  Story here.

  Here's a dandy quote from the most faithful political puppet the Alberta tar sands mega-corps could have hoped for in their wettest dreams (who also side-hustles as Premier), Danielle Smith; "I cannot build an electricity grid off wind & solar. When the sun goes down at 5 o’clock I can’t just tell people to just suck it up until the sun comes back up at 9 am the next morning." PSST! NEWS FLASH, DANNY! Wind turbines don't shut down at 5! They run on wind, not sun! And, oh by the way, guess you didn't know solar panels power storage batteries which can then be called upon when the sun ain't out! And as Premier, you must have known, one of your own natural gas generators was out of service, another operating at reduced capacity during your brutal cold snap in January. Whatcha gonna do when they come for you, bad girl, bad girl?????? <W ildfires, droughts, heat domes, polar vortexes and atmospheric rivers, that is!>

- - - Serious Environmental Concerns Outweigh Uncertain  Economic Benefit: Kinew The Manitoba government has decided to not issue an environmental licence for the Vivian sand extraction project in the Rural Municipality of Springfield, Premier Wab Kinew and Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt announced today. “Our government will always put the health and safety of Manitobans first, and this includes ensuring communities have safe, clean drinking water,” said Kinew. “After taking the time and doing our due diligence, our government has come to the decision that the risks of this proposal outweigh any potential benefits.” The decision made by Schmidt was based on the information and data provided by experts including the report done by the Clean Environment Commission (CEC) as well as consultation with impacted communities and First Nations, noted Kinew. The CEC report identified a number of serious environmental concerns about this project, which would have extracted

THE ENERGY MIX A jury on Thursday awarded US$1 million to climate scientist Michael Mann who sued a pair of conservative writers 12 years ago after they compared his depictions of global warming to a convicted sex offender. Story here.

REUTERS  A supplier to brands including Nestle, Kellogg's and Colgate has been farming palm oil on deforested land in one of the best-preserved areas of Peru's Amazon rainforest, an environmental group said in an investigative report, opens new tab released on Wednesday. STORY HERE.

The Energy Mix Alberta’s oilsands are releasing potentially hazardous compounds into the atmosphere at rates dozens of times higher than official estimates, newly published research suggests. Story here.

Canada's National Observer. The Seal River is pristine and untouched by development with waters clean enough to drink. Now, the remote watershed is one step closer to becoming one of Canada’s first Indigenous-led conservation areas. Story here.

City news interviewed me for this story a few years back. I thought it is worth repeating. And please STAY VIGILANT! L.P. ========

Since the individual Minister at the heart of this story is back in his job after an absence of a dozen-or-so years, I feel it appropriate to re-post my blog story from 2014. After all it's now been well over a decade, not just a couple of years, since he made me the promise he never kept.  by Larry Powell   Manitoba's Minister of Agriculture, Ron Kostyshyn, (below), lies . Way back in September of 2012  (now more than 1 1 years ago) , Kostyshyn  promised he would read a peer-reviewed article I had co-authored.  Entitled   "Field of Nightmares,"  i t appeared in the well-respected Canadian journal "Alternatives - Canada's Environmental Voice." It documented much of the research which has been done, linking the popular herbicide "Roundup" to adverse effects on the health of livestock, wildlife, crops and even humans. It also placed the official position of the Government of Canada on the record, which was ,  it was "aware of the research, b