PLANET IN PERIL

The Washington Post More than 9 billion tons of plastic has been produced since 1950, and the vast majority of it is still around. Story here. Plastic waste on a beach in India. Photo by  Hajj0 ms

Nature Human activity has been a major source of mercury pollution in  the Arctic, and a new  study   has identified the form most often  taken by the pollutant: gaseous elemental  mercury  (GEM). The  present  News & Views  article discusses how the Arctic tundra  acts as a major sink for mercury, as the local plants uptake GEM  from  the atmosphere; and  what this means for the global mercury  cycle as  global temperatures warm. Isotopic data  collected in the  original study  by Obrist  et al.  reveal that GEM accounts for 90% of  the  mercury in plants,  and the uptake of GEM by plants is  especially  high in the summer. Since  plant matter decomposes  into the soil,  the Arctic soil may soon become  a substantial  mercury sink. ======== Editor's summary Anthropogenic activities have led to large-scale mercury pollution in the Arctic, but it remains uncertain whether wet deposition of oxidized mercury via precipitation and sea-salt-induced ch

EcoWatch Green Sea Turtles in Australia's Great Barrier Reef are some of the world's most majestic creatures. They have a lifespan of up to 50 years, but after recent results from blood tests on the marine animals, their health might be in jeopardy. Story here.   Photo by Nize @ English Wikipedi

Environmental Defence New research shows that methane emissions from Canadian oil and gas operations are much higher than previously thought.  Demand action on methane now! 

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.

Associated Press When researchers traveled to a tiny, uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, they were astonished to find an estimated 38 million pieces of trash washed up on the beaches. Story here. What's left of an albatross chick (found on another remote island) after  ingesting bottle caps & other plastic debris.  

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!

iPOLITICS Ottawa won’t revisit delaying cuts to a troublesome greenhouse gas despite a report published today that claimed its emissions could be much worse than previously thought. Story here.

Nation of Change Plains All American Pipeline has been behind at least 25 pipeline incidents in the state of Oklahoma since 2004, with more than half of them due to corrosion. Story here.

THE TYEE Highland Valley Copper Mine, Logan Lake, BC Not enough, say critics, who call for a judicial inquiry into the state of mining regulation in BC. Story here. 

+SumOfUs The company responsible for the worst  mining disaster in Canadian history wants to build a new open-pit copper mine   in the heart of the pristine rainforests of Clayoquot Sound. PLEASE SIGN! Clayoquot Sound - Vancouver Island. Photo by  Adam Jones, Ph.D.

theguardian A survey of five of the six biggest soft drinks firms found just 7% of throwaway plastic bottles are made from recycled materials. Story here. Story here. A mute swan makes the best of a polluted world.  Photo Credit - Wikimedia Commons.

Interprets Agency Service News Agency The available data is enough for the United Nations to literally declare war on oceans plastic: more than 8 million tonnes of it leaks into their waters each year – equal to dumping a garbage truck of plastic every minute, wreaking havoc on marine wildlife, fisheries and tourism, and costing at least 8 billion dollars in damage to marine ecosystems. Story here.

thestar.com Reporters with the Toronton Star and volunteers from Earthroots took soil samples from behind an old paper mill, 100 kilometres upstream from Grassy Narrows, which revealed significantly elevated levels of mercury. Story here.

CommonDreams Advocates hope new investigation will spur action from community leaders, as aid and attention have been slim. Story here.

CBCnews Country's 1st pollution alert of winter lasts until Wednesday. Story here.

NATIONAL OBSERVER The reality of the disastrous Husky oil spill in Saskatchewan is finally starting to sink in — quite literally. Story here.

Waterkeeper Alliance The record-breaking flood of the Neuse River inundated three inactive coal ash ponds   for five days last week from the Duke Energy H.F. Lee facility, 10 miles upstream of Goldsboro, North Carolina. The flooded ponds are unlined and uncovered, containing more than 1 million tons of coal ash spread over more than 170 acres in a layer 4 to 10 feet deep. Story here.