A Prayer for Earth Day

Logging our dwindling forests. PLT photo.

Forgive us, oh Lord, for the profound harm we mortals are inflicting on Thy sacred creation, Mother Earth. Our reckless burning of fossil fuels is contributing to catastrophic climate change which, as we speak, is attacking many parts of Thy planet, upon which Thou hast so graciously permitted us to dwell. 

Bestow upon us all, oh Lord, the eco-wisdom we will need to radically change our behaviour, so that we no longer threaten just our own kind, but the lowly wild creatures with which we also share the humble home you have so graciously provided for us all. Help us to avert and lessen the dangers we have so thoughtlessly created,  which now threaten the very safety, security and survival of future human generations - our children and our grandchildren. 

Forgive us, oh Lord, for we know not what we do. 

In Jesus name. Amen.

PLT

Get involved with Earth Day, (April 22nd) here!

Greener Consumers Part of the Big Plan For Manitoba Hydro

Winnipeg Free Press

Utility set to ratchet up domestic conservation. Details here.

PLT photo

Q Essay: We Need Another Dose of Inconvenient Truth

Check out Jian's message here. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr: Canada Used to Be Our Moral Paradigm

COMMONSENSECANADIAN

“I wished [Americans] were more like Canadians…until you elected Stephen Harper,” quipped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a recent Vancouver event. Full story here.

Council of Canadians.

The Council of Canadians is applauding the transfer of the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) to the International Institute of Sustainable Development but continues to decry the Harper government’s abdication of its responsibility for fresh water protection. Details here.

Health Professionals Worldwide Demand Urgent Climate Action Following IPCC Report

EcoWatch

TRANSFORMING GREEN

Health and medical organizations from around the world are calling on governments to respond to the major health risks described in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s recent Second Working Group reporting, ‘Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation,’ which was released on Monday. Details here.

Sharp rise in FAO Food Price Index

Food & Agriculture Organization

Weather and Black Sea tensions push prices to ten-month highs. Details here.

Blight, spawned by torrential rain, destroyed 
this & many other "backyard" 
tomato crops in western Canada 
a few years ago. PLT photo.

Tar Sands Emissions Linked to Serious Health Problems in Alberta

RSN reader supported news

In a landmark report to Alberta’s energy regulator, a panel of experts has concluded that odors from a controversial tar sands processing plant are linked to human health impacts. Full story here.

Experimental Lakes Area Research Station Officially Saved

CBC News
Deal launches 'fresh new chapter' in life of research station near Kenora in northwestern Ontario. Details here.

 

Dear Larry, I’m delighted to share some good news with you! It was announced yesterday that a final agreement  was made to transfer operation of the Experimental  Lakes Area (ELA) to the International Institute for  Sustainable Development (IISD). We applaud the  IISD and the Governments of Ontario and Manitoba  for creating a new home for the ELA.

Conservative Climate Panel Warns World Faces ‘Breakdown Of Food Systems’ And More Violent Conflict

CLIMATEPROGRESS

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued its second of four planned reports examining the state of climate science. This one summarizes what the scientific literature says about “Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability” (big PDF here). As with every recent IPCC report, it is super-cautious to a fault and yet still incredibly alarming. Details here.

Climate Change Already Felt 'On All Continents And Across The Oceans,' IPCC Finds

Huffington Post

Climate change has already left its mark "on all continents and across the oceans", damaging food crops, spreading disease, and melting glaciers, according to the leaked text of a blockbuster UN climate science report due out on Monday. Details here. Full report here.

PLT photo.