PLANET IN PERIL

EcoWatch Wildfires like this can send harmful air particles continent-wide. Wikimedia Commons. "For decades,  pollution  and its harmful effects on people's health, the environment, and the planet have been neglected both by Governments and the international development agenda. Yet, pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and death in the world today, responsible for an estimated 9 million premature deaths."  Story here. RELATED: Please watch my TV newscast, below, which aired some months ago. A segment contained within it references the severe cost of pollution on the world's population.

the guardian Three-quarters of flying insects in nature reserves across Germany have vanished in 25 years, with serious implications for all life on Earth, scientists say. Story here. A purple martin with a dragonfly.  PinP photo.

|NATIONAL OBSERVER Ron Plain will most likely be dead in 24 months. In November 2016, his doctors diagnosed him with a rare form of cancer… Story here.

NATIONAL  OBSERVER This investigation is the first chapter in an  unprecedented series   investigating the power and influence of the oil and gas industry, and its impacts on Canadian communities. Story here. A Trans Canada Pipeline facility in Nebraska. shannonpatrick17 Nebraska, U.S.A.

The Winnipeg SUN A group that fears relaxed hog rules will heighten water pollution has united to fight against the proposed changes. Story here.

ScienceNews As governments decide what to do about air quality, studies connect an array of health problems to dirty air. Story here.

ScienceDaily In-car air study of commuting cars finds dangers to human health. Story here. Traffic jam in Jasper Nat'l. Park CA. PinP photo.

World Health Organization Some 3 in 10 people worldwide, or 2.1 billion, lack access to safe, readily available water at home, and 6 in 10, or 4.5 billion, lack safely managed sanitation, according to a new report by WHO and UNICEF.  Story here.

ScienceDaily Industrial fishing fleets dump nearly 10 million tonnes of good fish back into the ocean every year, according to new research. Story here.

George Monbiot Another deadly tree disease threatens these islands, but the government will do nothing to keep it out. Details here.

(Brandon Sun,13 June) It's a funny thing how industries that are in trouble invariably take out full-page ads in the newspapers to proclaim their virtue in search of public approval. Such is the case with Saturday's ad by the Manitoba Pork Council featuring chairman George Mathison. Chairman Mathison, referring to the "red tape reductions" proposed by the province, emphatically proclaims that "None of the proposed changes will lower environmental standards." Come now, George - that really is a bit of a stretch.

WINNIPEG: HWM, a citizens’ group which monitors the industry in the province, calls the blaze “horrific.” Three thousand, five hundred pigs perished when two barns burned to the ground near New Bothwell last week. It’s just the latest in a series of similar incidents in the province that have left thousands more hogs dead over the past decade. The barns are not equipped with the same fire walls or alarm/sprinkler systems that most other buildings must have. And HWM fears that plans by the Pallister government  to remove what it calls “impractical and costly” fire prevention regulations in barn construction, will only make a bad situation even worse.How can these changes make the situation better?   “Although the thousands of pigs that have died in barn fires are not someone’s pet, they are all sentient beings that have the capacity to suffer fear and pain” says Vicki Burns of HWM. “If there were horrific fires like this in animal shelters like humane societies, the pub

AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Photo by Matt MacGillivray The Hermit Thrush is famous for its melodiously undulating song, but we know very little about whether its songs vary across the large swath of North America that it calls home in the summer. A new study from "The Auk" provides the first thorough overview of geographic variation in Hermit Thrush song structure and hints at how isolation and adaptation shape differences in the tunes of a learned song within a species. Details here.

SIERRA CLUB BC The results of the BC election are finally in, and the message is clear: Almost sixty per cent of voters called for a review or cancellation of the Site C dam. Their concerns must be honoured by the incumbent government. Details here.

Green Wall Warriors Villagers of Gunjur in the Gambia, thought they already had experienced the worst as they found out today that their wildlife reserve Bolong Fenyo seems to be poisoned by the Chinese Golden Lead Factory…. Story here.

Hog Watch Manitoba (Winnipeg May 17) - A citizens group which monitors the hog industry in Manitoba, has cautioned the provincial government,  if it goes ahead with its apparent plans to expand production,  not to repeat the mistakes of the past. In a recent meeting with three cabinet ministers, Hog Watch Manitoba    (HWM) reminded them how “technical review committees,” which used to “oversee” the construction of both hog barns and lagoons designed to hold the waste, overlooked errors in the planning. These errors were so serious, they eroded both the public’s trust of the industry and in government policies relating to it. HWM is deeply concerned about the Consultation paper recently released about proposed changes to the Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation. Fred Tait, member of the HWM Steering Committee, says “We fear that if implemented, it will simply enhance the mistakes of the previous administration.” HWM urges the government to implement the

My New Book-"Artemis Flies to the Rescue" by Ingrid Alesych. Read more here.

The Washington Post The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has curtailed work on a natural-gas pipeline in Ohio after the owner, Energy Transfer Partners, reported 18 leaks and spilled more than 2 million gallons of drilling materials.  Story here.

SumOfUs It has been two years since a deadly spill contaminated La Pasión River and destroyed the livelihoods of communities in Guatemala. The corporation responsible, REPSA, has yet to take real steps to address the environmental and social damages it has caused. PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION!

SumOfUs Message body Larry, Today,  Rodrigo Tot and five other brave people from around the world were awarded the most prestigious environmental award in the world, the Goldman Environmental Prize (aka. the 'Green Nobel').  The award recognizes ordinary people like you who do extraordinary things to stand up to corporate power, often risking everything to keep their local communities and ecosystems safe from harm. In 2016, Peruvian farmer Máxima Acuña won the Goldman Prize for her tireless work stopping extractive giant Newmont Mining from building a gold mine in her backyard. Over 160,000 SumOfUs members have asked Newmont to leave Máxima alone after repeated harassment over the last two years. Together, we raised resources for her support and legal fund. And finally,  we all cheered and stood by Máxima as she won the award last year. Given SumOfUs’ mission is to fight for people over profits, we want to be the first to introduce you this year’s w