Monday, January 22, 2018

Richest 1% bagged 82% of global wealth created last year, poorest half of humanity got nothing:

 Oxfam
"Alphonse." A dumpster-diver in Vancouver, Canada.
A Wikimedia photo. Author unknown.
(Ottawa) Eighty two per cent of global wealth generated last year went to the richest one per cent, while the 3.7 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity saw no increase, according to a new Oxfam report. Story here.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Human Activity Fouls Continental Waterways - study

U.S. National Academy Sciences
A Wikimedia photo.

Across North America, streams and rivers are becoming saltier, and freshwater bodies, more alkaline, all thanks to human activity. According to a new study, salty compounds like road de-icers and fertilizers, which make their way into rivers, are significantly changing the salinity levels of the waters in the United States and southern Canada. Researchers analyzed the data recorded at 232 U.S. Geological Survey monitoring sites across the country over the past 50 years. It's the first study to simultaneously account for multiple salt ions — such as sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium — in freshwater across the United States and southern Canada. The results suggest that salt ions, damaging in their own right, are driving up the pH of freshwater as well, making it more alkaline.

Friday, January 19, 2018

2017 One of Hottest Years on Record, and Without El Niño

 inside
climate
 news

Nine of the 10 warmest years on modern record have been since 2005. This was the warmest without El Niño's influence, and it was marked by climate-related disasters. Story here.

340 Billion Gallons of Sludge Spur Environmental Fears in Canada


Bloomberg
"Rainbow Lake" - Alberta tar sands. Photo credit - "Beautiful Destruction."
Amid the bogs and forests of northern Alberta, in the heart of the Canadian oil patch, lie some of the largest waste dumps of the global energy business. Story here.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

To Save Oceans and Planet, Greenpeace Backs Plan to Create Largest Protected Area on Earth

Common Dreams

Mt. Herschel, Antarctica. Photo by Andrew Mandemaker.

"We are in desperate need for governments to come together and do what is best for these amazing ecosystems." More here.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

The Snowy Owl is Placed on the "Vulnerable" List.


by Larry Powell
A "Snowy" swoops down on its prey (probably a lemming).
Photo credit - Government of Quebec.
The beautiful Snowy Owl, like so many other wild creatures on Earth, faces an uncertain future. The “Red List,” a British agency, has just put the graceful, white bird of prey on the “vulnerable” list for the first time. It has drastically downgraded earlier estimates of 200 thousand individuals, worldwide, to as low as 10 thousand. 

Snowy Owl numbers have proven hard to judge since they fluctuate so widely, depending on the availability of food. Factors in their decline may include illegal hunting, collisions with vehicles and power lines and climate change, which can affect the availability of prey. So the agency’s prognosis is a somber one. “This species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future.” 

Snowy Owls nest in the Arctic, but have a range that spans the northern hemisphere.” 

A conservation specialist, Andy Symes of Birdlife International urges, Snowy Owls must now be considered "a high priority for further research and conservation action."

"Red List" has been assessing the status of wildlife species for 50 years.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Warming ocean water is turning 99 percent of these sea turtles female


ScienceNews

Rising temperatures are skewing population ratios toward extreme imbalance. Story here.

Photo by Karla

Friday, January 12, 2018

The (US) Centers for Disease Control gets list of forbidden words: Fetus, transgender, diversity

The Washington Post

The Trump administration is prohibiting officials at the nation’s top public health agency from using a list of seven words or phrases — including “fetus” and “transgender” — in official documents being prepared for next year’s budget. More here.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

New York City sues five oil giants for causing climate 'tragedy'

NATIONAL
OBSERVER

Five years ago, Superstorm Sandy ripped through the most populous city in the United States, spreading destruction fueled by climate change. Today, New York City's mayor said it was time to "break the cycle" by suing the culprits — fossil fuel companies. Story here.

Monday, January 8, 2018

As Climate Crisis Intensifies, $300+ Billion in Damages Makes 2017 Costliest Year Ever

Common
Dreams

Experts say this "historic and unprecedented year of disastrous extremes" reinforces "the fact that climate change is a threat to our health, and also a threat to our economy." More here.

Scientists warn of vanishing oxygen in oceans, including Canadian waters

NATIONAL
OBSERVER
A Mexican beach. PinP photo.
Almost two dozen marine scientists from around the world have issued a warning about an often-overlooked side effect of climate change and pollution. Story here.

Health Canada probes claim that government officials helped pesticide company overturn a ban

CANADA'S                                                                                                                                ...