Thursday, May 15, 2014

Industrial Agriculture: Too Big to Succeed

IPS
An estimated one billion small farmers scratching out a living growing diverse crops and raising animals in developing countries represent the key to maintaining food production in the face of hotter temperatures and drought, especially in the tropical regions, says Sarah Elton, author of the book, “Consumed: Food for a Finite Planet.” Full story here.

Backyard chickens on a small, 

organic farm in Manitoba. PLT photo.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Fracking's Effect on Water Not Properly Monitored, Canadian Report Finds

The Downfall of the Plastic Bag: A Global Picture

Earth Policy Institute


Worldwide, a trillion single-use plastic bags are used each year, nearly 2 million each minute. Usage varies widely among countries, from over 400 a year for many East Europeans, to just four a year for people in Denmark and Finland. Plastic bags, made of depletable natural gas or petroleum resources, are often used only for a matter of minutes. Yet they last in the environment for hundreds of years, shredding into ever-smaller pieces but never fully breaking down. Full story here.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Antimicrobial Resistance: Global Report on Surveillance 2014

WHO
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Details here.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Climate Change: Don't Wait Until You Can Feel it

ScienceDaily
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence for the impending dangers of human-made climate change, policy decisions leading to substantial emissions reduction have been slow. New research shows that even as extreme weather events influence those who experience them to support policy to address climate change, waiting for the majority of people to live through such conditions firsthand could delay meaningful action by decades. Full story here.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Does El Niño Plus Global Warming Equal Global Temperature Records This Year and Next?

ClimateProgress
An El Niño appears increasingly likely this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). If it starts relatively quickly, then 2014 could well be the hottest year on record. But if it is a strong El Niño, then 2015 would likely break all previous global records. Details here.
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In January of 2011, I wrote the following here on PLT in a post I entitled:


Both La Niñas (cooling trends) and El Niños (warming ones), have been scientifically shown to be behaving strangely in recent years, with the onset of global warming.

In the early ‘90s, several El Niños were recorded, but with no La Niñas in between! The IPCC describes this occurrence as"highly unusual and very unlikely to be accounted for solely by natural variability.”


Then, in the spring of 1997 until the summer of '98, perhaps the most devastating and prolonged El Niños of all time slammed into Ecuador, in South America. It caused a staggering $2.6 billion in damage to that country's infrastructure, farms, fisheries, homes and businesses.

Events like this have prompted the IPCC itself to observe"Whether global warming is affecting El Niños is now a key question."
l.p.

Biologist Tyrone Hayes Battles One of the Biggest Agribusinesses in the World (Podcast)

CBC Radio - The Current.

Hayes has spent his career studying the effects of one particular herbicide - Atrazine - on frogs. When he presented the maker Syngenta with results that he said showed sexual abnormalities in frogs, Dr. Hayes says the company tried to launch a campaign to discredit his work. Listen here.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Government of Manitoba, Canada to Introduce Legislation That Would Protect Children From Synthetic Chemical Lawn Pesticides

Gov't of Manitoba
First-of-its-kind Legislation in Canada would offer Synthetic Chemical Pesticide-free Zones 
On School, Daycare, Hospital Grounds:  Minister Mackintosh

To mark Earth Day, Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh outlined proposals today that would protect children and reduce their exposure to potentially harmful synthetic chemical pesticides.


Earth Week: Bark Beetles Change Rocky Mountain Stream Flows, Affect Water Quality

ScienceDaily

If you guessed that trees are all that's being affected by the recent infestation of the pine bark beetle, guess again. Full story here.


PLEASE READ LARRY'S BOOK - THE MERCHANTS OF MENACE.

  Read Larry's book   here.