Reduce plastics! PLEASE SIGN!

Coal power stations disrupt rainfall, global study finds

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.

Private research funders court controversy with billions in secretive investments

Science Magazine

Cruise ships often burn bunker fuel, the very kind warned about in this story.
A Wikimedia image.

A few years ago, scientists funded by the Wellcome Trust, one of the world's wealthiest private philanthropies, published sobering findings about the deadly effects of air pollution. In a long-term study of elderly residents of Hong Kong, China, those exposed to higher levels of smog—especially tiny particles of soot produced by burning fossil fuels—were more likely to die of cancer than people who breathed cleaner air. Details here.

RELATED: Please read my blog-story, 

"How Ethical Are Ethical Funds?

Conscientious investments and the tar sands connection" 
l.p.

by Larry Powell

Newfoundland record oil spill shows risks of offshore drilling, regulatory board says

 Details here

Canada, U.S. governments watching, but not intervening, in coal mine pollution controversy

The Narwhal

U.S. officials accused Canada of omitting information on selenium pollution flowing from B.C.’s Elk Valley into Montana waters. Story here.

For Marine Life, New Threats from a Fast-Tracked Canadian Pipeline

Yale Environment 360

A new Canadian government-backed pipeline that will triple the amount of thick Alberta tar sands oil flowing to a British Columbia port poses significant risks for a threatened population of killer whales and other coastal marine life. Story here.

Mercury linked to dramatic decline of migratory songbirds: study

RCI Radio Canada International

The Cape May warbler, while not named in this story, also migrates from the 

West Indies to the Boreal forests of Canada. A PinP photo.

Examination of tail feathers suggests that mercury is one of the determining factors for the steep declines of many songbird populations that migrate long distances to and from North America. More here.

Deepwater Horizon disaster altered building blocks of ocean life

The Guardian

Oil spill disaster reduced biodiversity in sites closest to spill, report finds, as White House rolls back conservation measures. More here.

BP Canada spews thousands of litres of toxic mud during offshore drilling incident near Halifax

NATIONAL

OBSERVER

BP Canada has spewed out 136,000 litres of a toxic mud into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Halifax during deepwater offshore exploratory oil drilling, a federal regulator says. More here.

The Natural Gas Industry Has a Leak Problem

The New York Times

Fracking in the Bakken formation of North Dakota. Photo by Joshua Doubek

The American oil and gas industry is leaking more methane than the government thinks — much more, a new study says. Since methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, that is bad news for climate change. More here.

Toxic legacy of Giant Mine found in snowshoe hares

TheNarwhal

Researchers find arsenic levels in animals living near mine 20 to 50 times greater than those living away from it. More here.

Greenpeace Film (on ocean pollution) to be shown at special Winnipeg Screening

Larry,

Never has our blue planet been more under threat. 

And never before have we had a better sense of what's at stake. Come watch the latest film that will captivate and motivate you to join a global movement working to save our oceans.

Greenpeace Canada is sponsoring a special Winnipeg screening of BLUE — the critically-acclaimed and award-winning documentary film which takes you deep into our planet’s threatened oceans and seas. 

This one-night-only screening is an on-demand event. It only takes place if 50 tickets are sold. Reserve your spot now — and portion of ticket sales will go towards supporting Greenpeace's vital work to protect our oceans and the planet. 

WHAT: Special screening of BLUE — an award-winning documentary film

WHEN: Monday 25th June, 7pm

WHERE: Cineplex Odeon McGillivray Cinemas (2190 McGillivray Blvd, Winnipeg, MB, R3Y 1S6)

HOW: Tickets are $14.50 and you can order yours here

This is Giant Mine

TheNarwhal 

Giant Mine - 2008. Photo by WinterCity296 WinterforceMedia

This gold mine was once so dangerous that it killed a toddler who ate snow two kilometres away. Canada’s second-largest environmental liability is inside Yellowknife city limits — and intrinsically tied to the city’s history and future. The federal government has now inherited the billion-dollar cleanup effort that could span a century. More here.

One-Third of Protected Areas 'Highly Degraded' By Humans, Study Finds

EcoWatch

A traffic jam on the road to the famed Lake Louise in Jasper National Park, Canada. PinP photo.

A study published in Science Friday presents what authors call a sobering "reality check" on global efforts to protect biodiversity—one third of all conservation areas set aside as wildlife sanctuaries or national parks are "highly degraded" by human activities. More here.

Pollution from Canadian refineries an ‘embarrassment’ compared to U.S.

NATIONAL

OBSERVER

The Irving Oil Refinery in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. Photo by Cusack5239

Sarnia’s Imperial Oil refinery emitted 10 times more fine particulate matter, seven times more carbon monoxide and 49 times more sulphur dioxide than the Detroit plant. More here.

'Nowhere Is Immune': Researchers Find Record Levels of Microplastics in Arctic Sea Ice

EcoWatch 

North Polar flight with Air Berlin: Pole overflight (Photographer: Basti, Editor: Hedwig)

Scientists found record levels of microplastics in Arctic sea ice, a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications revealed. More here.

Climate change is wreaking havoc on delicate relationship between orchids and bees

ScienceDaily

The first definitive demonstration of climate change upsetting the vital interdependent relationships between species has been revealed. More here.

Photo by Björn S.

Thawing permafrost causing the 'browning' of northern lakes

Science Daily

As the ice melts, the organic carbon found in permafrost is being released once again after ages of confinement in the soil. It is making its way into Arctic and subarctic lakes and ponds, and modifying their composition. More here.

Arctic Lake. A US Fish & Wildlife photo.

High levels of microplastics found in Northwest Atlantic fish

ScienceDaily

An Atlantic sturgeon. US Fish & Wildlife Service.

New study finds microplastics in the stomachs of 73 percent of mesopelagic (medium-depth) fish caught in the Northwest Atlantic -- one of the highest levels globally. More here.

'Plastic in All Sizes' Found Everywhere in Once Pristine European Arctic

EcoWatch

A disturbing amount of plastic is building up in the once-pristine European Arctic.  More here.