Due to Global Warming, End Is Virtually Certain for New York City, Boston, Miami, Holland

Huffington Post

A new article in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(PNAS) reports that, because of carbon emissions that are virtually certain, sea levels are now set to rise anywhere from around 8 inches to 7 feet within 100 years, and around 5 yards to 10 yards within 2,000 years. Details here.

Are we on the Right Course in Combatting Insect-Borne Disease? - an editorial

PLT

My heart goes out to the Brandon man struggling to get his life back after contracting debilitating West Nile virus from an infected mosquito. Public comments by his sister, including the inference that we should be more diligent in spraying for the West Nile mosquito, are understandable. 

However, they do raise some questions for me. 

The first is, does the City of Brandon not spray for the such mosquitoes now? (There is no mention of this in the news stories I have seen.) If it does, this begs the question, is malathion as effective as it is cracked up to be for this purpose? (Malathion, by the way is an organophosphate - a member of the same family of insecticides which killed some 20 children at a school in India recently.) 

The National Round Table on Environment and Economy (a valuable think-tank now defunct thanks to the Harper wrecking crew) warned a couple of years ago about the increase in "vector-borne" diseases (ones carried by insects) due to climate change. Sadly, this warning and others similar to it have gone unheeded by government, industry and members of the public themselves. 

We do nothing to counter the ravages of climate change (like curbing our consumption of fossil fuels), yet we cling to band-aid solutions like spray programs which may be worse than questionable. They may actually be counter-productive. How do we know, for example, whether they are not actually reducing the numbers of dragon-flies, a natural enemy of the mosquitoes?  As long as we cling to "quick-fixes" like mosquito-spray programs, the further we push back effective, long-term solutions into the dim-&-distant future.

It's Just "Nature"

PLT: Just watching the news tonight. According to CTV, the latest, terrible storms, this time in Ontario & Quebec, are due to "nature." All the damage from high winds - trees crushing cars, damaging houses, knocking out power for up to a million people and killing a woman in Quebec, was just because of "nature." So is the heat wave now plaguing the maritimes, apparently. The only mention of global warming came in a promo for some stupid movie involving sharks flying through the air. With this kind of negligence, deceit and ignorance rampant in our mass media concerning the most serious environmental problem facing our planet today, God help us all. 

It's not nature, media! It's climate change! This is what it looks like! And we are to blame! 

Get used to it! Step up! Tell it like it is, you bozos!!!

P.S. CTV is not alone in its malfeasance. While most media are now mentioning the term "climate change" more than they used to, they might as well not. Without the added, necessary explanation that the reason much of this is happening is our excessive burning of fossil fuels which emits greenhouse gases which causes global warming which spawns much of these extreme weather events, it's useless. 

"Nobody Understands" Spills at Alberta Oil Sands Operation

TheStar

Oil spills at a major oil sands operation in Alberta have been ongoing for at least six weeks and have cast doubts on the safety of underground extraction methods, according to documents obtained by the Star and a government scientist who has been on site. Full story here.

Organophosphates: A Common But Deadly Pesticide

National Geographic

The pesticides blamed for killing at least 25 children in India are widely used around the world, including North America, and health experts have raised safety concerns about this class of chemicals in the past. Full story here.

Related: Are Canada's Pesticide Regulators on the Take?

Chilean Court Sides With Indians, Blocks Mine Until Barrick Gold Keeps Environmental Promises

WashingtonPost

A Chilean appeals court ruled against the world’s largest gold mining company on Monday, favouring Chilean Indians who accuse Barrick Gold Corp. of contaminating their water downstream and creating more doubts about the future of the world’s highest gold mine. Full story here.

One Step Forward, Two Back for Canada’s Parks: CPAWS’ 2013 State of Canada’s Parks Report.

Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society (CPAWS)

In the run-up to Canada's Parks Day on the 3rd Saturday in July, the CPAWS is releasing is 5th annual report on how Canada's parks are faring. Full story here.

A magnificent vista in Jasper National Park, 

Alberta, Canada. PLT photo.

Confirmed: Fracking Triggers Quakes and Seismic Chaos

Mother Jones

Major earthquakes thousands of miles away can trigger reflex quakes in areas where fluids have been injected into the ground from fracking and other industrial operations, according to a study published in the journal Science on Thursday. Details here.

Don't Give Up Yet! The Bees Still Need Us!

Larry, 

Last month, 50,000 dead bees were discovered littering a parking lot in Oregon.

PinP photo  
Then last week, a shocking 37 million bees were reported dead across a single farm in Ontario.

After years of research, scientists have finally figured out what’s causing the massive bee die-offs all around the world, from China to the UK: It’s a class of dangerous pesticides called neonics. And here’s the wildest thing -- even though we know they’re killing the bees, in most parts of the world, neonics are still in widespread use.

Manitoba Rolls Out Red Carpet For Noisy "Quad" Machines! - an editorial

PLT: So…I see the Government of Manitoba is going to "improve amenities" in Duck Mountain Provincial Park. That's nice. It's a great place. Apparently those improvements will make the park "more environmentally friendly to lakes and rivers." Sounds good, so far, right? 

But hold on a moment. 

One of those amenities, reads the government press release, will include "trail upgrades" for ATVs (all terrain vehicles)! ATVs?  Aren't those the same noisy, dangerous and polluting machines that too many irresponsible people use to invade quiet wildness, rip up the back country and harass wildlife with? Sounds like the same, to me. I don't even understand why these offensive inventions are allowed in the parks in the first place. That we should actually pamper and roll out the red carpet for them to boot, makes about as much sense as allowing logging there. 

Oh, I forgot. Logging is still allowed in "The Ducks," too, isn't it? 

Ahhh…wilderness. Wasn't it wonderful?

But this isn't just me saying this. A few years ago, a working group made up of people from a wide range of interests; cottagers, tourism and First Nations, found that skyrocketing use of ATVs in the park was "negatively affecting" many trails there through rutting, rendering many impassible!

You tell me how these latest government "amenities" will do anything but increase the kind of abuses documented by that group! ATVers already have thousands of kilometres of trails in other places. Why do they need more in the park? Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and go elsewhere, guys! Leave the park for those of us who want a bit of peace and quiet that's in such short supply in this modern age. Either that or get off your duffs and try hiking, backpacking or cross-country skiing, instead. It just may do wonders for your heart and your soul. You could be pleasantly surprised!

Trees: Our Life-Savers Are Dying

theguardian

For centuries we've treated forests poorly. Yet we're only just learning how crucial trees are to our survival. Details here.

Making way for more farmland in Manitoba, CA. PLT photo.