Australia's Vast Kelp Forests Devastated by Marine Heatwave, Study Reveals

theguardian

About 90% of forests off the western coast were wiped out between 2011 to 2013, posing a threat to biodiversity and the marine economy, say scientists. Story here.

Climate Change Claims a Bolivian Lake, and an Identity

The New York Times

The water receded and the fish died. They surfaced by the tens of thousands, belly-up, and the stench drifted in the air for weeks. Story here.

As Global Per-Capita Fish Consumption Hits All-Time High, UN Warns Of Overharvesting

UN News Centre

Fishing trawler - U.S. Navy photo.

A new report from the UN shows that, while growth in aquaculture has helped drive up global per capita fish consumption, almost a third of commercial fish stocks are now over-harvested. Story here.

Cattails Into Clean Energy: Where to From Here?

IISD

Cattails - PinP photo.

This past year has been a monumental success for IISD’s Cattail Harvesting for Nutrient Capture and Sustainable Energy project. Story here.

Canadian Environmental Groups Head to Court Over Pollinator-Killing Pesticides

Friends of the Earth

Honeybee photo by Joydeep

Neonicotinoid pesticides have been linked to mass bee die-offs and declining pollinator populations. Story here.

Glyphosate Sprayed on GMO Crops Linked to Lake Erie’s Toxic Algae Bloom

EcoWatch

Glyphosate, the controversial main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup and other herbicides, is being connected to Lake Erie’s troubling algae blooms, which has fouled drinking water and suffocated and killed marine life in recent years. Story here.

One of North America’s Biggest Peat Bogs Burns Near Vancouver

CBC News

The challenge is to extinguish fire before it moves underground. Story here.

RELATED: "These Fires Are Huge, Hidden and Harmful. What Can We Do?"

First Nations Were First Farmers in Manitoba

MANITOBA CO-Operator

U of M students search site for historical artifacts. Story here.

RELATED: "Is Modern Agriculture Threatening Traditional First Nations Food and Medicine?"(Story & Video)

Open Pit Coal Mine Planned For Britain's Northumberland Coast

TheGuardian

Plans to open a new mine have been criticised by local residents and NGOs for contradicting government commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and phase out coal. Story here.

An open pit coal mine in New Zealand. Photo credit - Kai Point Coal Mine

Court Rules Organic Farmers in Minnesota Can Sue Conventional GMO Farmers

GLOBAL

POSSIBILITIES

Court rules organic farmers can sue conventional, GMO farmers whose pesticides ‘trespass’ and contaminate their fields. Story here.

Can Organic Farming Feed the World?

EcoWatch

Forty five years have passed since Earl Butz, then U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, asserted, “Before we go back to organic agriculture in this country, somebody must decide which 50 million Americans we are going to let starve or go hungry.” Time has proven Butz very wrong. Story here.