Industrial Agriculture: Too Big to Succeed

IPS

An estimated one billion small farmers scratching out a living growing diverse crops and raising animals in developing countries represent the key to maintaining food production in the face of hotter temperatures and drought, especially in the tropical regions, says Sarah Elton, author of the book, “Consumed: Food for a Finite Planet.” Full story here.

Backyard chickens on a small, 

organic farm in Manitoba. PLT photo.

Fracking's Effect on Water Not Properly Monitored, Canadian Report Finds

CBC News

Environment Canada commissioned report by international experts. Details here.

Related: 

• Have Our Servants Become Our Masters? Why Fossil Fuels Are No Longer Our Friends.
• Don't Believe the Harperites! There are Downsides to Free Trade!

The Downfall of the Plastic Bag: A Global Picture

Earth Policy Institute

Worldwide, a trillion single-use plastic bags are used each year, nearly 2 million each minute. Usage varies widely among countries, from over 400 a year for many East Europeans, to just four a year for people in Denmark and Finland. Plastic bags, made of depletable natural gas or petroleum resources, are often used only for a matter of minutes. Yet they last in the environment for hundreds of years, shredding into ever-smaller pieces but never fully breaking down. Full story here.

Antimicrobial Resistance: Global Report on Surveillance 2014

WHO

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Details here.

Climate Change: Don't Wait Until You Can Feel it

ScienceDaily

Despite overwhelming scientific evidence for the impending dangers of human-made climate change, policy decisions leading to substantial emissions reduction have been slow. New research shows that even as extreme weather events influence those who experience them to support policy to address climate change, waiting for the majority of people to live through such conditions firsthand could delay meaningful action by decades. Full story here.

Only With Political Will Can we Avoid the Worst of Climate Change

David Suzuki

It's fitting that the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report was released during Earth Month. Details here.