Fertilizer Limits Sought Near Lake Erie to Fight Spread of Algae

New York Times

A United States-Canadian agency called on Wednesday for swift and sweeping limits on the use of fertilizer around Lake Erie to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering the water and creating a vast blanket of algae each summer, threatening fisheries, tourism and even drinking water. Details here. 

A duck family labours through an algae-clogged

river in Manitoba, CA. PLT photo.

Large Dams of Mining Waste Leaking Into Athabasca River: Study

The Tyee

Polluted water from large man-made lakes of oilsands mining waste is fouling the Athabasca River, says a new federal study. Details here.

Limits Sought in the States on Weed Killer Glyphosate (Roundup) to Help Monarch Butterflies

Los Angeles Times

With monarch butterfly populations rapidly dwindling, a conservation organization on Monday asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement tougher rules for the weed killer glyphosate — Details here.

Please also read: 

• "Field of Nightmares - Ottawa continues to embrace the widespread use of Roundup on Canadian farms by letting corporate seduction trump scientific evidence."
• "Dangerous Ditches - Manitoba’s “war on weeds” comes complete with powerful herbicides, questionable spraying practices and collateral damage."

China's Toxic Air Pollution Resembles Nuclear Winter, say Scientists

theguardian

Air pollution now impeding photosynthesis and potentially wreaking havoc on country's food supply, experts warn. Full story here.

Shenyang, China. Photograph: Sheng Li/Reuters

Climate Impacts ‘Are Very Evident, They’re Widespread’ And ‘We Are Not Prepared’

climateprogress

A vicious plow-wind tore through wide areas of central Manitoba and Saskatchewan in the summer of 2012. It knocked out power and caused widespread damage. PLT video.

The next big report from the world’s leading climate scientists is on impacts, it’s due the end of March, and it isn’t pretty. As the AP summarized the draft report on “Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability” from The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “starvation, poverty, flooding, heat waves, droughts, war and disease [are] likely to worsen as the world warms from man-made climate change.” Full story here.

Canada’s Whale Whisperer: Scientist - Fired by Prime Minister Harper - Will Keep Telling Tales of his Ocean “Colleagues”

Environmental Health News

Scientist Peter Ross has dedicated his life to understanding ocean inhabitants, or as he calls them, his “colleagues.” As one of the world’s leading ecotoxicologists, Ross examined how ocean pollution harms some of the world’s most compelling creatures, including killer whales, .... Full story here.

A dolphin park in Mexico. PLT photo.