The Anthropocene Is Here: Humanity Has Pushed Earth Into a New Epoch

CommonDreams

UN photo

The epoch is thought to have begun in the 1950s, when human activity set global systems on a different trajectory. Story here.

Yet Another Transatlantic Trade Deal Threatening Food Safety, Groups Warn

CommonDreams

CETA will force European farmers to compete with Canadian imports with 'no animal welfare penalties and lower safety standards' Story here.

RELATED: "Free trade. Pathway to prosperity or back road to corporatism?"

Five Years Since Irene, Report Warns of Severe Weather Damage From Climate Change

CommonDreams

BURLINGTON, Vt. - As Vermonters mark the fifth anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pointed to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office that warns damage from severe weather in future decades is expected to become increasingly common in Vermont and throughout the United States because of climate change. Story here.

Dalai Lama and Jimmy Carter Help Noam Chomsky Uncover Major Risks Humanity Faces From Pesticides

EcoWatch

Brazilians demonstrate against aerial spraying of a pesticide. Marcello Casal Jr/ABr
Did you know that American companies are legally permitted to manufacture dangerous pesticides for export—even after the chemicals have been banned in the U.S.? There are policies that create a "circle of poison"; toxic chemicals traveling around the world, ironically imported back to the U.S. through foodstuffs we eat. Story here.

OVER 200 LEADING SCHOLARS CALL ON GOVERNMENT TO SUSPEND SITE C DAM

The Royal Society of Canada

                      

An engineer's "wet dream" of another, useless mega-project.  

A BC Hydro image.

A group of leading Canadian scholars has raised serious concerns regarding the process used to approve the mega dam called Site C. The Royal Society of Canada has taken the unusual step of issuing a separate supporting letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. To read the letter, please click here.

Durum Acres on the Canadian Prairies Fall Prey to Fusarium

THEWESTERN

PRODUCER

Fields that once grew profitable durum no longer do so because of fusarium, leaving some to speculate that prairie durum may go the way of the dinosaur. Story here.

Wind Generates 100% of Scotland's Electricity Needs for Entire Day

EcoWatch 

A Canadian wind turbine. PinP photo.
Wind energy had a banner day in Scotland. Thanks to an unseasonably windy Sunday, wind turbines generated more electricity than the country actually needed. Story here.

Seas aren’t just rising, scientists say — it’s worse than that. They’re speeding up.

The Washington Post

On a warming Earth, seas inevitably rise, as ice on land melts and makes its way to the ocean. And not only that — the ocean itself swells, because warm water expands. We already know this is happening — according to NASA, seas are currently rising at a rate of 3.5 millimeters per year, which converts to about 1.4 inches per decade. However…Story here.

Black Hole

George Monbiot

The fake grassroots campaign run by grouse shooters is just one instance of the way democracy is being bypassed. Story here.

A World at War

by Bill Mckibben

Flooding stranded many farm families like this in Saskatchewan, Canada. Circa 2010. PinP photo. 
We’re under attack from climate change—and our only hope is to mobilize like we did in WWII. Story here.

California wildfire brings destruction, uncertainty; 82,000 people in 34,000 homes threatened

Chicago Tribune

A ferocious wildfire had swallowed up many homes as it spread across 40 square miles of mountain and desert east of Los Angeles. Exactly how many, however, and to whom they belonged, remained uncertain. Story here.