by Larry Powell UPDATE...The Rivers dam mentioned in this story has now been declared by government engineers to be safe. I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard one of my fellow "prairie dogs" remark, how "lucky" or how "blessed" we are to be spared the kind of brutal weather that may be pummelling another part of the country or the world at the time. Occasionally, I'll try to remind them, we've already experienced disastrous conditions in our own "neck of the woods" (the eastern prairies) in recent years. They seem either unaware of what I say, or believe they're nothing worse than we've ever had.  So are they or aren't they?  The examples I list below (starting last fall up to the present) are extreme weather events which have broken records or are unprecedented in the human record.  They'e not born of this writer's imagination, but from Environment Canada, the body of record on such matters. (E

by Larry Powell K enney was out inspecting the town of Fort MacMurray and region  (above)  this morning, where major flooding has resulted in a mandatory evacuation order going out for the entire downtown area. Big trucks and low-lying buildings are reportedly submerged.  This is the same Premier who "dissed" a reporter recently for daring to ask if this might be the time to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable, sustainable energy. Kenney was especially shocked that the journalist was a member of the Calgary press core, who are apparently all supposed to be cozy little members of the same club, parroting Kenny's anti-science lies about the consequences of continuing to exploit the tar sands.  Fort Mac - 2016. A Creative Commons photo. This is also the same Premier who is spending millions of tax dollars from his own citizens, including desperate, unemployed oil workers, to fund a "war room," spreading mis-information about the consequences of a c

Tim Flannery  for the Guardian Bushfires spire from Yuraygir National Park, Australia. Photo by European Space Agency. In the face of the climate disaster it helped create, the Australian government has given us only lies and denial.   Story here.

, It’s on.  Jason Kenney launched his anti-environmentalist “War Room” this week because he thinks 2020 is going to be the year Alberta starts doubling its oilsands emissions. He’s going to spend $30 million in taxpayer dollars this year to fill the airwaves with  ads to promote the oil industry. We got a taste of what his spin doctors have prescribed with a two-minute video launched on YouTube. It’s ugly — within 20 seconds, it implies babies depend on bitumen sales to live happy lives. You can count on Dogwood  to be a strong voice standing up against Kenney’s propaganda machine, but we need every penny to fight back.  Donate $5, $50, or even $500 today — your gift will make a difference . Jason Kenney is putting the full weight of his government behind this smear campaign. His War Room team wants to  erode the work we’ve done together  building organized opposition to oil tankers for a decade now — and they have $30 million to do it. Don’t let Jason Kenney foo

Clean Energy Canada A new form of denial has risen from the ashes of the old: denying the solutions that empower us to minimize climate change. Details here.

The Washington Post Hurricane Florence. A NASA photo. With depressingly ironic timing, the Trump administration has recently announced a plan to roll back federal rules on methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is the main component in natural gas. When it comes to extreme weather, Mr. Trump is complicit.   More here.

CBC news The governor general speaks up for science over certain beliefs. Story here.

CommonDreams "It is past time to call out Trump and all climate deniers for this crime against humanity. No more treating climate denial like an honest difference of opinion." Story here.

by Larry Powell Despite historic weather calamities descending upon Earth with breathtaking frequency and ferocity, the root-causes of our planetary crisis continue to be avoided like sacred cows. An analyst interviewed on TV yesterday did make some good (albeit now-familiar) points.   He pointed out how ordinary people have "stepped up" by helping their neighbours, after the fact. These are true heroes, he pointed out, correctly.   Then he went on to say, (altho they are rarely recogni zed as such.), so are policy-makers who come up with practical ways of lessening impacts, like smarter development which uses less concrete, further away from flood plains. He even mentioned "climate change," words rarely uttered in polite society.   So far, so good.   But he gave not a word of recognition to the most important part of all - the need to wean ourselves off fossil fuels and make a very rapid transition to a low-carbon society!   The world's clima

CommonDreams The best response to a disaster is to learn lessons to prevent the next one. Story here.

Nation of Change - Chris Hedges The inability to see what is in front of our eyes replicates the blindness of all past civilizations that celebrated their eternal glory at moments of precipitous decline. Details here. Recent wildfires in Portugal have incinerated more than 60 people in their homes and cars.  Nsandre  photo.

A/J Alternatives Journal by Bob Paehlke The election of Donald Trump is unlike any change in American history. It will transform America’s role in world politics. It is my view that Canadians should not pretend otherwise (however polite our government might choose to be in the diplomatic realm). Story here. Air pollutants from Texas used to be found in the Canadian Arctic. Will history now repeat itself?

i nside  climate  news Countering the new EPA head's contention that carbon dioxide does not drive global warming, scientists' letter says, 'Human beings are changing the Earth's climate.' Details here.

Friends of the Earth. Dear Larry, Don’t let Trump, Pruitt and Congress destroy the EPA. Give $15 or more today! If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Express Donate: $15 Express Donate: $25 Express Donate: $50 Or, donate another amount

Huffington Post Leaders are now acknowledging climate change. But you’d never know it by their actions! Story here.

THE WESTERN PRODUCER Carbon taxes are not popular with many producers, and the Western Canadian Wheat Growers group is setting out to capture those signatures. Story here.

Moyers & company Climate denial is having a real impact on the lives of those living in the Arctic.  Story here.

NATIONAL OBSERVER A Canadian climate change denial group has popped up in a U.S. coal giant's  bankruptcy proceedings that have lifted the curtain on the funding of a sophisticated continent-wide marketing campaign designed to fool the public about how human activity is contributing to global warming. Story here.

by Larry Powell Well, another Manitoba election has come and gone. And we got the change we wanted.  Or did we? To me, it still seems like the goal of “evidence-based” policy-making, often promised by politicians of every stripe, remains as elusive as ever. Take climate change, for example.