Climate Change Driving Weather off the Charts

Earth Policy Institute

The world is literally moving off the charts. With the global average temperature up over half a degree Celsius since the 1970s and with more warming in store, we are starting to witness weather anomalies so severe we need to update our metrics and extend our graphs. Details here.

UN Court Orders Russia To Release Greenpeace Crew and Ship

Huffington Post

BERLIN (AP) — A U.N.-mandated tribunal has ordered Russia to immediately release a Greenpeace ship and its crew in return for a 3.6 million euro ($5 million) bond. Details here.

Green Party of Manitoba Searches for a New Leader

by Larry Powell - GPM member

James Beddome, leader of the Green Party of Manitoba for the past five years, (above, centre) has resigned. Beddome told the Party's recent Annual General Meeting in Winnipeg, he was leaving with regret, but that it would be unfair to carry on due to the increasing duties required by his law career. As he put it, "The interests of my (law) clients must come first." 

He did make it clear, however, it was not his intention to break his ties with the party. On the contrary, he added, it was "quite likely" he would continue to serve one way or another, even as a candidate. 

I met this dedicated young man with a ready sense of humour, at a public event in Brandon a few years ago. It was both educational and fun as we tried to convince a sometimes reluctant media to carry our message that the provincial government needed to ban harmful pesticides used on lawns just to make them look good.  

Now, a scant few years later, the NDP provincial government is on the verge of doing just that. 

During his time as leader, Beddome got used to seeing the government adopt Green policies in this way while claiming them as their own.

For example, in 2012, he spoke out strongly against the idiocy of the provincial government licensing the operation of peat-mines in provincial parks. The following year, the province banned the practise.

In a statement, the Party President, Pam Sanford said, "James has left some big shoes to fill. We accept his resignation with regret and wish him well as he completes his law degree."

The party executive is expected to choose an interim leader "in the near future" and set a date for a leadership contest.

l.p.
Green Party of Manitoba

A Talisman Frackwater Pit in British Columbia Leaked for Months, Kept From Public

the COMMONSENSECANADIAN

A pit storing contaminated fracking water in northeast BC was leaking into the surrounding soil and groundwater for up to six months before owner Talisman formally notified..Details here.

Feeding the Flame of Revolt

OpEd News - by Chris Hedges

New York - I was in federal court here Friday for the sentencing of Jeremy Hammond to 10 years in prison for hacking into the computers of a private security firm that works on behalf of the government, including the Department of Homeland Security, and corporations such as Dow Chemical. Details here.

Arctic 30 Day 59: Global solidarity protests

Greenpeace

Hi Larry,

263 cities, 43 countries. Today, thousands of people took their outrage over the ongoing detention of the Arctic 30 straight to the doorsteps of Russian embassies and oil giants Shell and Gazprom. In a massive global day of action people all over the world demanded the release of the Arctic 30 and showed the oil companies that we will not let them get away with the silencing of peaceful protest.

Stop the Bee-Killing Lawsuit Against the EU! - Please Donate!

Some

+Us

In just 3 weeks, Bayer could succeed in defeating the bees' best chance of survival -- by overturning Europe's landmark ban on the pesticides that are killing them. Details here.

Bees on sunflower. PLT photo.

Blame Canada’s Carbon Complacency for the Philippine Typhoon

CommonSenseCanadian

Anyone who thinks that this typhoon is not due to the atmospheric disruption and rising sea levels resulting from our changing climate has their head firmly planted in the comfortable soil of ignorance, ideology or both. Details here.

US Backs Away From Years of Commitment to Producing Ethanol Fuel Additive

Huffington Post

The Obama administration wants to reduce the amount of ethanol in the nation's fuel supply, acknowledging the biofuel law championed by both parties in 2007 is not working as well as expected. Full story here.

Related: Bursting the ethanol bubble.

Harper and Enbridge Join Forces on Lawsuit

Dear Larry, Big Oil and the Harper government have officially tied the knot.  It’s now ForestEthics Advocacy and Co-Plaintiff Donna Sinclair vs.  the Federal Government, the National Energy Board (NEB) and  Enbridge Pipelines Inc. A Federal Appeals Court Judge recently ordered that Enbridge  could join our lawsuit as a Co-Respondent. In its Motion to  intervene, Enbridge argued that any delay in its plans to transport  tar sands crude through its Line 9b pipeline—running from Sarnia  to Montreal and through Toronto—would hurt its bottom line. In fact,  they said their economic rights were at stake in describing their  legal interest in the outcome of this lawsuit. Enbridge's position couldn't be clearer: Profits trump YOUR  DEMOCRATIC RIGHT to speak freely about tar sands pipeline  projects at hearings conducted by the NEB. Well, we have a message for Enbridge that they can't bury under the  weight of their hefty financial coffers. And we need your help to  deliver it.  Spread the word by sharing this photo of an Enbridge Energy bill  on Facebook, Twitter, and with your address book contacts. Better yet,  if Enbridge is your energy service provider, please get out your monthly  bill and write your own message! You can add it to our Facebook album  or email it to us and we'll add it for you. We will then send all the pictures  we receive to Enbridge’s headquarters in Calgary. The fact that Enbridge has gone to the trouble of joining our lawsuit  means they're worried. And justifiably so. If we win in the Federal Court  of Appeal, two things happen: The new rules that make it so difficult for Canadians to apply to  participate in NEB public hearings on pipeline projects—not just  Enbridge Line 9b but all pipeline projects across Canada—get axed. The NEB hearings process on Line 9b will be re-opened and the  agency will be required to give everyone the chance to voice his or  her concerns about this project. We may be the underdog in this fight but that makes us no less likely to  succeed, as the legendary story of David and Goliath proves. Canada’s  best-known constitutional lawyer Clayton Ruby is representing us and  thanks to your generosity, we’ve now raised $150,000 to offset a number  of costs related to this suit. Please take action today! Either share our photo or post your own now  and let Enbridge know that you will not be silenced!   Thank you, Tzeporah Berman Board Member, ForestEthics Advocacy

Hydro's Nelson River Sturgeon Plan Problematic: Expert

Winnipeg Free Press 

A Canadian expert on lake sturgeon poured cold water Wednesday on Manitoba Hydro’s plans to re-stock the Nelson River with the prehistoric fish after the Keeyask generating station is built. Full story here.