New report exposes horror of working conditions for millions of sanitation workers in the developing world

World Health Organization

A community sanitation worker adds water purifying tablets to the
 jerry cans of water just filled by the children at the Pagak Reception Centre. 
UNICEF/Ethiopia/2014/Thompson

Millions of sanitation workers in the developing world are forced to work in conditions that endanger their health and lives, and violate their dignity and human rights, according to a report released today.

Microplastics found in oysters, clams on Oregon coast, study finds. (Last year, Canadian scientists discovered high levels of microplastics in B.C.’s oyster beds). Is our clothing to blame?

EurekAlert

Pacific oysters, farmed in the U.S.
Photo by NOAA.

Tiny threads of plastics are showing up in Pacific oysters and razor clams along the Oregon coast -- and the yoga pants, fleece jackets, and sweat-wicking clothing that Pacific Northwesterners love to wear are a source of that pollution, according to a new Portland State University study. Story here.

RELATED:

More bad news for the world’s oceans - out of Canada!

Drug resistance likely to kill 400,000 Canadians by 2050, report predicts

CBC News

Superbugs are likely to kill nearly 400,000 Canadians and cost the economy about $400 billion in gross domestic product over the next 30 years, warns a landmark report.  Story here.

A Canstock photo image.

PinP: As is too often the case, a big piece of the information puzzle is left out of stories such as this. Antibiotics have been overused almost everywhere in the world for a long time, often to raise animals for food. Among other things, it makes them grow faster and fattens them up to fetch a better price at market time. Yet governments forge ahead, like Manitoba's is doing, to expand the very style of livestock production that spawns such problems. 

Please read:

"In Hogs We Trust." Part 1.

Could the Manitoba government’s return to a deregulated hog industry actually contribute to a world health crisIs?

Hurricanes have become bigger and more destructive for the U.S. and Canada, study finds

Phys Org

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A new study at the University of Copenhagen shows that hurricanes have become more destructive since 1900, and the worst of them are more than three times as frequent now than 100 years ago. A new way of calculating the destruction, compensating for the societal change in wealth, unequivocally shows a climatic increase in the frequency of the most destructive hurricanes that routinely raise havoc on the North American southern and east coasts. Story here.

After its ravages through the Bahamas, Dorian proceeded along the coasts
of the Southeastern United States and Atlantic Canada, (above) leaving
behind considerable damage and economic losses in those regions. 
Photo by Coastal EliteHalifax, Canada

Brazil’s Atlantic forest: putting the pieces back together

BirdLife

INTERNATIONAL

Surrounded by a sea of cattle ranches and sugarcane plantations, a few ‘islands’ of Atlantic Forest remain. By establishing a private reserve and working with local people to connect forest fragments, SAVE Brasil is showing that it is possible to turn the tide on extinction. Story here.

World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency (Condensed Version)

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Alliance of World Scientists

Photo - public domain.

We scientists have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat. In this paper, we present a suite of graphical vital signs of climate change over the last 40 years. Results show greenhouse gas emissions are still rising, with increasingly damaging effects. With few exceptions, we are largely failing to address this predicament. Story here.
RELATED:

Warning of 'Untold Human Suffering,' Over 11,000 Scientists From Around the World Declare Climate Emergency

Carbon bomb: Study says climate impact from loss of intact tropical forests grossly underreported

Science News - Wildlife Conservation Society

A tropical forest in Guatemala.
Photo by Chixoy.

A new study says that carbon impacts from the loss of intact tropical forests has been grossly underreported. Story here.

'Landmark New Research' Links Neonics With Collapse of Fisheries

Common Dreams

"Marine Life" by Andrey Narchuk is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

"Just awful, what gruesome harm we are inflicting on the environment." Story here.

RELATED: Two stories by Larry Powell.

• New Studies Show Farm Chemicals Are Affecting More Than Bees. Bird Populations are Declining, Too. Is modern agriculture’s hold on nature becoming a death grip?
• Will New Research From Europe Nudge Canada into a "Neonic" Ban?

The Amazon River: A Major Source of Organic Plastic Additives to the Tropical North Atlantic?

Environmental Science & Technology

The Amazon empties into the Atlantic.
"Flick" Coordenação-Geral de Observação da Terra/INPE

Dissolved surface water concentrations of two important families of plastic additives were found in remarkably high concentrations in the Amazon river plume. Story here.

Why fish ARE getting smaller (Video)

Vid

Agricultural impacts of our climate crisis are becoming more apparent

PhysOrg

Photo credit - IPCC.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change presents a sobering analyses addressing the substantial contributions of agriculture to climate change and the ways the climate crisis is projected to jeopardize global food security if urgent action isn't taken. Story here.