PLANET IN PERIL

CBCnews Heat from fires so intense, crews having trouble approaching flames. Details here.

High Country News New research finds illegal campfires, cigarette butts and other accidental ignitions have nearly tripled the (US) wildfire season. Story here. Coconino National Forest, Arizona.  Jonathan Horn photo.

EcoWatch Records tumble in infernos in Chile. Details here.

 inside   climate  news Huge, destructive fires are more common with climate change, and the loss of regeneration threatens to exacerbate global warming. Story here.

Chicago Tribune A ferocious wildfire had swallowed up many homes as it spread across 40 square miles of mountain and desert east of Los Angeles. Exactly how many, however, and to whom they belonged, remained uncertain. Story here.

CBC News The health toll of the wildfire remains unknown. Story here.

CBC News The challenge is to extinguish fire before it moves underground. Story here. RELATED: "These Fires Are Huge, Hidden and Harmful. What Can We Do?"

ensia Smouldering peat gives off massive quantities of carbon dioxide and other pollutants, but the search for solutions is on. Story here. RELATED: "One of North America' Biggest Peat Bogs Burns Near Vancouver." "Only Heroic Efforts Will Spare Earth's Mighty Boreal Forest From the Worst Ravages of Climate Change."

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment Forest fires are not an unusual thing in the Northwest Territories, but the summer of 2014 went beyond anything Yellowknife residents had seen before. The air quality index was at 10 or worse – the worst it can be – for much of the summer because of all the smoke. Story here. RELATED: " B.C. remains quiet over polluted Hullcar aquifer"

CBC news 'Megafires' result from severe drying, says McMaster researcher. Story here. RELATED: "Only Heroic Efforts Will Spare Earth's Mighty Boreal Forest From the Worst Ravages of Climate Change."

MotherJones 2016 is shaping up to be another epic fire season. Story here.

CBC News ‘I’ve been waiting for this for 12 years,’ says 18-year-old Rikki Houle.  'This is how we're going to remember our grad.'  Story here . RELATED: Easterville, Chemawawin Cree Nation in Manitoba Evacuated Due to Forest Fire

Common Dreams "If we continue with business-as-usual burning of fossil fuels, by mid-century what we think of as extreme summer heat today will become a typical summer day." Story here.

CBC News First wave of evacuees expected to arrive in Winnipeg tonight. Story here. RELATED:   Climate Change and Life on Earth. When Will the Treadmill Stop?

Alberta's Premier, Rachel Notley, has responded to my proposal to replace all buildings destroyed in the Fort McMurray wildfire with the most energy-efficient ones possible (see letter, below). While her answer to my specific suggestion seems to be a polite "no," she outlines other steps her province is taking to achieve a carbon-free future. Larry  For the background to this story, click here.

NATIONAL OBSERVER Canada’s well-above-average wildfire activity of the past few years can be linked to manmade climate change.  Story here.

It all started when I wrote the letter, immediately below right after the Manitoba election in April. It was published in the Neepawa Banner and Roblin Review. It prompted an angry response in "The Review" from Brian Burtnack, which appears right after that. Then, my own response to Mr. Burtnack.  I've numbered the letters 1,2,3 & 4, putting them in chronological order. Happy reading! Larry ========= -1- Is Manitoba's New Government Already Failing the Environment? (Editorial) Dear Editor, 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.  Except for the cranks, the pseudo-scientists pimping for Big Oil, those living on the moon or the stupid, the science is now accepted. It’s settled. Our e

NATIONAL OBSERVER The forests around Fort McMurray and the tar sands, the epicentre of Canada’s contribution to fossil fuel extraction and global greenhouse gas production, have been ablaze for many weeks, with a heat and ferocity not seen in living memory. Story here.

WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE Fires are a natural part of many boreal forest ecosystems, but…. Story here.