PLANET IN PERIL

PHYS ORG A lake in northwestern Ontario. Photo by PinP. Warmer temperatures are having a ripple effect on food webs in Ontario lakes, according to a new University of Guelph study. Story here.

Canadian Science Publishing After PEI, Manitoba is Canada's largest potato-producing province.  Over 1200 million pounds are processed here each year on about 80 thousand acres.  A PinP photo. Desiccating summer heat, brought on by climate change, could have adverse effects on Canada's potato industry. In a recent study, researchers examined the heat stress response of 55 potato varieties to estimate how they might fare under changing climate conditions. The news is not good.    Details here.

PHYS ORG A coal-fired power plant in Poland. Photo by Petr Stefek . Modern coal-fired power stations produce more ultrafine dust particles than road traffic and can even modify and redistribute rainfall patterns, a new 15-year international study shows. Story here.

PHYS ORG A tiny sea creature at the California Academy of Sciences. Photo by Brian Skipworth Marine microorganisms in the Southern Ocean may find themselves in a deadly vise grip by century's end as ocean acidification creates a shallower horizon for life, new University of Colorado Boulder research finds.  More here.

The  Guardian An ocean under human siege. A Pexels photo. Receding kelp forests, jellyfish blooms and disruption to fisheries are just some of climate change’s impacts on the ocean.  Story here.

Science News A Wikimedia photo. Some areas have seen up to a 35 percent decline in how many fish can be harvested sustainably.   Story here.

2degreesC Humans are facing an unprecedented global emergency. Governments and world leaders are failing to protect us. The time for gradual, incremental and non-disruptive climate action has come and gone. To survive, it will take everything we’ve got. It will take rebellion. ~ Below2°C Editor. Story here.

PHYS ORG Drought in Quensland, 2014.  Btcpg Australia suffered its hottest summer on record from December through February and forecasts show the southern autumn will continue to be drier and warmer than average, the government said Thursday. Story here. FOOTNOTE:  Australia's annual emissions continue to rise, driven by LNG production.  Emissions for the year to September 2018 up 0.9% as Morrison government attempts a policy pivot on climate. The Guardian.

The Guardian Houses burn in the monster "Fort Mac" fire in Alberta, CA. IMAGE CREDITS:  TWITTER, INDIATODAY . I was wilfully deluded until I began covering global warming, says David Wallace-Wells. But extreme heat could transform the planet by 2100.  Story here.

Photo by Laval U, Canada.

PEMBINA institute Pollution isn’t free. There is a real cost to the environment and our health when someone — an individual or a business — pollutes, leaving the air, water, or land less clean for everyone.  More here.

The Guardian A coal plant in Wisconsin. US Geological Survey. Last year’s 3.4% jump in emissions is the largest since 2010 recession and second largest gain in more than two decades. More here.

2 degrees C In this post, Silver Don Cameron of  The Green Interview  highlights the emergence of a worldwide youth climate movement. The rise of youth is being spearheaded by Greta Thunberg, Sweden’s 15-year old climate activist. Greta claims that children are emerging as leaders while world leaders continue to play childish climate games that are compromising their future. More here.

The Guardian Chickens hang in a market. Photo by Tomás Castelazo Eating meat has a hefty impact on the environment from fueling climate change to polluting landscapes and waterways. Story here.

Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy A confined animal feeding operation in the U.S. Photo by the E.P.A. How big meat and dairy are heating up the planet. Story here. RELATED: "In Hogs We Trust -  Part 1V - The health and environmental costs of an expanded hog industry in Manitoba, Canada."

Yale Environment 360 An almost ice-free Northwest Passage, Aug. 2016. Photo by NASA. With sea ice reduced, polar bears in the Arctic are spending more time on land, leading to increased attacks on people. Concerned Inuit communities want to increase hunting quotas, but researchers are testing new technologies they hope will reduce these often deadly confrontations. Details here.

PHY ORG An aerial shot of mountains in Greenland. 2006. Photo by  Túrelio . Surface melting across Greenland's mile-thick ice sheet began increasing in the mid-19th century and then ramped up dramatically during the 20th and early 21st centuries, showing no signs of abating, according to… More here.

ScienceNews Hoar frost coats trees of the boreal forest in Manitoba, Canada.  A PinP photo. Researchers conducting a 5-year-long study examining snow cover in a northern hardwood forest region found that projected changes in climate could lead to a 95 percent reduction of deep-insulating snowpack in forest areas across the northeastern United States by the end of the 21st century. The loss of snowpack would likely result in a steep reduction of forests' ability to store climate-changing carbon dioxide and filter pollutants from the air and water. Story here.