Ramped up efforts needed to protect the world's inland waters

ScienceDaily

The Birdtail River meanders past a big gravel-mine in western Manitoba,
Canada. A PinP photo.

Surface water protection is well below global targets in over half of the world's countries, according to a new study. Story here. 

‘The devastation of human life is in view’: what a burning world tells us about climate change

The Guardian

Houses burn in the monster "Fort Mac" fire in Alberta, CA.
IMAGE CREDITS: TWITTER, INDIATODAY.

I was wilfully deluded until I began covering global warming, says David Wallace-Wells. But extreme heat could transform the planet by 2100. Story here.

Doug Ford appoints his new Chief Climate Advisor.

Photo by Laval U, Canada.

Out of the mouths of babes. A teenager delivers a powerful message to the world's richest. (Video)

Factory Farms Pollute the Environment and Poison Drinking Water

TRUTHOUT

The polar opposite of a factory farm.
A pig herder in Romania.
Photo by PetrS.

Hog waste can contain potentially dangerous pathogens, pharmaceuticals and chemicals. 
Story here.

RELATED: 

                                                   "In Hogs We Trust."  

A critique of Manitoba’s “runaway” hog industry.

By Larry Powell.

Part 1 - Antibiotic Overuse.

Part 11 - The price we pay for corporate pig$. 

Part 111 - From Malaysia to Manitoba - the global magnitude of livestock diseases.

Part 1V - The health and environmental costs of an expanded hog industry.

Part V - What’s behind Manitoba’s drive to expand? 

Buckle Up Folks - Getting to the East Side of Lake Winnipeg is Going to be a Lot More Dangerous by Road.

by Don Sullivan

Story here.

Jack Pine

I would encourage you all to take a few minutes out of your day today and email the Manitoba Minister of Sustainable Development at; minsdev@leg.gov.mb.ca and send a similar email that I have sent below. If necessary copy and paste the one that I sent below and add your name.

Dear Minister of Sustainable Development,

I am writing to address an urgent matter and seek clarification from you on this matter regarding File: 5991.00 - Canadian Premium Sand Inc. - Wanipigow Sand Extraction Project.

In its Environmental Act Proposal Submission, Canadian Premium Sand (The Company), indicates that they will, prior to receiving a Class 2 Licence for the entire project, undertake site clearing and infrastructure construction sometime in February/March 2019. ( EAP submission Part 1 Executive Summary)

The Company will need to receive works permits issued under the Crown Lands Act under Section 7(1)(c).

For the record I am strongly opposed to any such permit being issued to the Company for any such activity prior to an issuance of a Class 2 Licence under the Manitoba Environment Act.

We therefore seek clarification and a guarantee from you, as soon as possible, that no such permits will be issued by the government of Manitoba under any circumstance until the Company has obtained its Class 2 Licence under the Manitoba Environment Act.

Respectfully,

Consultation or Coercion – You Tell Me

Is a controversial “frac sand mine”about to go ahead on the east side of Manitoba's Lake Winnipeg without proper consent?

by Don Sullivan

Whenever there is an activity or development, such as the frac sand mine and processing facility being proposed adjacent to Hollow Water First Nation (“HWFN”), that may have an impact on Treaty Rights, the Crown not only has a duty but a legal obligation to consult with the affected First Nation community. Story here.

Don Sullivan has worked on, and written about issues affecting the East Side of Lake Winnipeg for almost 27 years.

The sand mine referred to here would supply fracking operations with a product needed for them to thrive and survive. Is this what the world needs? Please also read:

The Natural Gas Industry has a Leak Problem.

Please also read: The World is Running Out of Sand - the Smithsonian.

Man's demands on Earth's resources are nothing new. This painting depicts
sand miners in Poland - circa 1867. Courtesy the National Museum in Warsaw.

How a price on carbon reduces emissions.

PEMBINA

institute

Pollution isn’t free. There is a real cost to the environment and our health when someone — an individual or a business — pollutes, leaving the air, water, or land less clean for everyone. More here.

Carbon emissions up as Trump rolls back climate change work

The Guardian

A coal plant in Wisconsin. US Geological Survey.

Last year’s 3.4% jump in emissions is the largest since 2010 recession and second largest gain in more than two decades. More here.

Could genetic modification be about to give a boost to the war on hunger?

by Larry Powell

A vegetable garden in Manitoba. A PinP photo.

American researchers believe they've found a way to genetically-engineer a dramatic increase in crop production. They've conducted field experiments with tobacco, using a new method which makes the critical process of photosynthesis much more efficient. (Tobacco was chosen because it's easy to modify and test. The same methods are now being tested on other crops including soybean, potato and tomato.) 

Photosynthesis allows plants to convert sunlight into energy and help them grow, increasing crop yield.

To do this, most plants use the world's most plentiful enzyme, Rubisco, to capture carbon dioxide from the air and expel oxygen. But in a strange twist of nature, Rubisco captures more oxygen than it should. This produces a toxic compound in the plant which requires a lot of energy to get rid of.

It could take more than a decade before this new technology can be put into widespread use. But, by fiddling with the internal pathways in the plants' cells, the researchers believe they can increase crop production by a whopping 40 percent! They liken the benefits of their discovery to food production to what the Panama Canal did for international trade many years ago!

The research team was made up of experts from the University of Illinois and the US Department of Agriculture. Their findings were published in the journal, Science.

Among those funding the research were the UK government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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A World Where Leaders Are Childish and Children Are Leaders

2 degrees C

In this post, Silver Don Cameron of The Green Interview highlights the emergence of a worldwide youth climate movement. The rise of youth is being spearheaded by Greta Thunberg, Sweden’s 15-year old climate activist. Greta claims that children are emerging as leaders while world leaders continue to play childish climate games that are compromising their future. More here.