Ice Loss and the Polar Vortex: How a Warming Arctic Fuels Cold Snaps

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The loss of sea ice may be weakening the polar vortex, allowing cold blasts to dip south from the Arctic, across North America, Europe and Russia, a new study says. Story here.

A country road in Manitoba. PinP photo.

Alarming link between fungicides and bee declines revealed

the guardian

Fungicides are found to be the strongest factor linked to steep bumblebee declines, surprising scientists and adding to the threats to vital pollinators. Story here.

Bumble bees forage on chives in 

an organic garden in Manitoba, CA.

PinP photo.

RELATED: Tainted honey spells more trouble for bees. Are we losing the battle to save them?

Friends of the Earth Fights for Bees. PLEASE DONATE!.

Friends of the Earth 

Donald Trump’s EPA could soon allow bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides to be sprayed on 165 million acres of farmland.

A honeybee hive in Manitoba, Canada. PinP photo.  

Chemical giant Syngenta requested permission to douse our crops with these toxic chemicals. If the EPA grants Syngenta’s wish, the impact on bees and other pollinators could be devastating.

From your backyard to garden retailers to supermarkets, we’re cutting off the demand for bee-killing pesticides. And we’re pushing states and the federal government to ban them. But we need your help to keep this important work going in 2018.

Bees are dying at alarming rates. Monarch butterflies are declining. And a new study found that 75 percent of insects in German nature preserves have disappeared over the past three decades.

Scientists say this indicates that we are in the midst of an “Insect Apocalypse.” One of the key culprits is the massive increase in the use of pesticides.

And science continues to mount that these same pesticides are harming children’s brains, disrupting our hormones, contributing to cancers and more. That’s why we need a rapid shift to organic agriculture -- which is better for people and pollinators.

These pesticides are harming our health and our food system. But they’re generating millions in profits for Syngenta, Bayer, Monsanto, Dow and other pesticide companies. They spend millions every year on lobbying -- in part to block the EPA, state agencies and lawmakers from taking action on their bee-killing products!

We need your help to stop the pesticide industry: Will you give $27 -- or more -- to Friends of the Earth?

Research finds flies carry bacteria — some harmful to people and animals

The Western Producer

They come every summer without fail, but flies are more than an aesthetic problem. Story here.

Sarcophaga (Flesh Fly).
Family.... Sarcohagidae.Larvae 
feed on dead animal flesh. 
A Wickimedia photo by "Prog"

Scientists Put Trump in his Place Over his Claptrap About "Global Warming" (Video)

ENCORE | 'This is not going to end well': Author Barbara Kingsolver on climate change

The Current - CBC Radio"Because climate change is really, really terrible, let's face it. This is not going to end well." Listen here. 

$180 B investment in plastic factories feeds global packaging binge

theguardian

Colossal funding in manufacturing plants by fossil fuel companies will increase plastic production by 40%, risking permanent pollution of the earth. Story here.

RELATED: Big oil invests $180B in plastics, merging two planet-killing industries

Fungus threatens Brazilian farms

AgroNews

Asian rust in soybeans. USDA.

Brazil has become the world’s largest market for fungicides. Story here.

A deadly fungus is infecting snake species seemingly at random, new study shows.

ScienceNews

Any species in the eastern or midwestern United States could potentially be at risk. Story here.

A mating ball of garter snakes.
Oregon State University. Will
they be next?

It will be months before Canada can restore a critical pollution monitoring site

|NATIONAL

|OBSERVER

Canada has chosen an alternate site for a critical air pollution research station that was shuttered in June, but almost a year will have passed before it's operational again. Story here.

Carbon Loophole: Why Is Wood Burning Counted as Green Energy?

YaleEnvironment360
A loophole in carbon-accounting rules is spurring a boom in burning wood pellets in European power plants. The result has been a surge in logging, particularly in the U.S. South, and new doubts about whether Europe can meet its commitments under the Paris accord. Story here.

PinP photo

 PinP photo.