WTO Swats Down India’s Massive Solar Initiative

Grist

The World Trade Organization delivered a blow to India’s ambitious solar power program on Wednesday at the behest of the United States. So much for all that nice chatter about international climate cooperation back in December. Story here.

NAFTA Wind Energy Dispute With Canada Ramps Up

bilaterals.org

Wind farm in Saskatchewan. PinP photo.

The three-year dispute between the US-based Windstream Energy company and the Canadian government ramped up this week, as representatives from both sides gathered in Toronto to make their case before an investor-state arbitration tribunal under NAFTA. Story here.

Ottawa Says Some Form of Carbon Pricing is Coming

CBC News

The federal Liberal government remains determined to set a national price on carbon emissions, despite the vocal opposition of Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall. Story here.

Indigenous Peoples of Northern Russia in the Fight Against Big Oil

Greenpeace

For generations, the Nenets and the Khanty people have bred reindeer, fished, picked berries and gathered. They travel hundreds of kilometers to come together and conduct sacred rituals at Lake Numto.  It's threatened by an oil company; oil operations would wreck local communities and spell disaster for its wildlife and ecosystems. Story here.

At The Arctic Ice Edge

Greenpeace

People power vs. destructive fishing. Please sign petition!

Ottawa Calls For Public Input on Plastic Microbead Ban

thestar.com

Consumers have until March 10 to make their views known, as Environment Canada works out a timetable for eliminating the environmental pollutant. Story here.

Seas Are Rising at Fastest Rate in Last 28 Centuries

The New York Times

The worsening of tidal flooding in American coastal communities is largely a consequence of greenhouse gases from human activity, and the problem will grow far worse in coming decades, scientists reported Monday. Details here.

Get Ready For More ‘Weather Whiplash’

Manitoba Co-Operator

Unlike other regions, Manitoba may be able to benefit from climate change. Story here.

These were the soggy fields we drove by on Victoria Day last year, on the Trans Canada Highway west of Portage La Prairie (smack-dab in the middle of planting season): torrential rains most likely made worse by climate change. Does this look like the kind of weather that will "benefit" farmers? PinP video.

Quit Stalling on Organic Waste Pickup, Winnipeg!

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Most major Canadian cities have organic waste pick up, including: Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Hamilton and Toronto. Calgary will start in 2017. If Winnipeg does not move soon on this issue, we will be one of the few large cities in the country not doing our part. Story here.

El Niño Prolongs Longest Global Coral Bleaching Event

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

A coral in August 2015 at the start of the worst bleaching event the main Hawaiian Islands have ever experienced. (Credit: XL Catlin Seaview Survey team)Global warming and the current intense El Niño are prolonging the longest global coral die-off on record. Story here.

El Niño and Climate Change—Contributing Factors in the Dispersal of Zika Virus in the Americas?

THE LANCET

In their letter, Isaac I Bogoch and colleagues (Jan 23, p 335)1 anticipated the international spread of Zika virus from Brazil through air traffic. Story here.