CDC Study on Superbugs Does Not Reflect Well on Factory Farming Methods

Centers for Disease Control - Threat Report 2013

This report, Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States, 2013, gives a first-ever snapshot of the burden and threats posed by the antibiotic-resistant germs having the most impact on human health. Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die each year...Details here.

Related: 

• CDC Reveals Scary Truth About Factory Farms and Superbugs
• Could Antibiotics Actually be Killing You?

World 'Not On Track' To Prevent Warming - UN Climate Official

Huffington Post

Appealing directly to the world's voters to pressure their politicians into taking tougher action against the buildup of greenhouse gases, a top climate official with the United Nations says, international leaders are failing to fight global warming. Details here.



A brooding skyline in Manitoba, CA. PLT photo.

Help Coming for the Greater sage-grouse

Larry,

It took nearly two years of legal wrangling, but it looks like the federal government is finally prepared to introduce emergency protections for Canada’s endangered Greater sage-grouse.

The announcement, made this morning, is a welcome breath of fresh air to a case that’s been mired in secrecy, delays and procedural roadblocks. In fact, our efforts may well have helped set another important legal precedent. To our knowledge, this is the first time Ottawa has explicitly stated its intention to introduce emergency protections for an endangered species.

Thank you. None of this would have been possible without you. 

Thanks to your support, we were able to bring forward a series of legal challenges that have forced the federal government to act. But as I told CBC’s The National (10 p.m. local), we know all too well that the devil will be in the details and that our work is far from done. 

We’re still waiting to learn when the emergency order will be implemented and what it will include.

Dangers Pesticides Pose To Workers Force Farmers To Look For Alternatives

Fox News Latino

California's $2.3 billion strawberry industry edging toward non-chemical alternatives to pesticides. Details here.

Organic strawberries in Manitoba. PLT photo

Wilderness Committee: Tanco Mine Disaster Risk in Manitoba, Canada

Manitoba Wilderness Committee

According to an engineering report filed with the Manitoba government on August 30,  an underground mine is on the verge of collapse under Bernic Lake in eastern Manitoba.  Details here.

Food Waste Harms Climate, Water, Land and Biodiversity – New FAO Report (Story & Video)

Food and Agriculture Organization - United Nations

Discarded cucumbers. PLT photo

Rome - The waste of a staggering 1.3 billion tonnes of food per year is not only causing major economic losses but also wreaking significant harm on the natural resources that humanity relies upon to feed itself, says a new FAO report. Full story here.

Environmentalist Can't Believe Government Response To His Campaign to Condemn Arsenic Releases Into a Creek Near His Home in Virden, Manitoba

Below is the response from the Government of Manitoba to a complaint by John Fefchak that arsenic was being released into the water supply of his hometown, Virden, Manitoba. 
(Please read) Keep Arsenic out of the Water at Virden, Manitoba, Canada! An Open Letter to Manitoba's Minister of Conservation (Environment)

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Dear Mr. Fefchak:

September 13, 2013

Thank you for your e-mail of August 15, 2013, to the
Honourable Gord Mackintosh, Minister of Conservation and Water Stewardship regarding the discharge of arsenic from the Town of Virden Water Treatment Plant. I have been asked to respond to your letter on his behalf.

It is not accurate that the practice of discharging minute amounts of arsenic constitutes a violation of provincial legislation. It is permitted by the Town of Virden's Environment Act licence. Your assertion that arsenic is a pollutant is incorrect in this context, as the discharge of arsenic does not affect the natural, physical, chemical or biological quality of the environment. It is not injurious to the health or safety of persons, or injurious or damaging to property or to plant or animal life, nor does it interfere with, or is it likely to interfere with the comfort, well being, livelihood or enjoyment of life by a person. Therefore, arsenic discharge in these minute amounts does not meet the definition of a pollutant under The Environment Act.

Small Islands Make Big Statement on Climate Change

The Vancouver Sun

Tiny Pacific nations have been battered by floods, cyclones and rising seas. Details here.

G20 Agreement to Reduce Greenhouse Gases Vital to Tackle Climate Change – United Nations

UN - New York

The United Nations environment agency today welcomed an agreement signed by world leaders at the recent Group of 20 (G20) Summit to reduce the emission of potent greenhouse gases, adding this is a vital contribution in efforts to combat climate change. Details  here.

Canadian PM Offers Obama Carbon Reductions for Keystone Approval

Inside Climate News

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has sent a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama formally proposing "joint action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas sector," Full story here.

Contamination Cases Renew Fears Over Globalized Food Supply

ALJAZEERA AMERICA

A recent spate of contamination outbreaks highlights safety challenges of transnational food distribution. Details here.

Organic veggies, grown and eaten safely in Manitoba, Canada. PLT photo.