Strong Support Shown for Bees! More Needed!

Wow! In just a week, enough of us chipped in to fund the world's first people-powered study on what's killing our bees. Let's build on this and create a massive global offensive to take on the chemical companies -- pledge below:

Dear friends, 

Billions of bees are dying, and it's causing an environmental holocaust that threatens all of us. Most scientists agree pesticides are to blame, but pesticide companies are funding junk science that gives politicians an excuse to delay taking action. If enough of us pledge, we could launch a people-powered, totally independent study that finally challenges big pharma. Click to pledge what you can:  $3    $5    $10    $20    $40Pledge another amount.

Right now, billions of bees are dying. Already, there are nowhere near enough honeybees in Europe to pollinate the crops, and in California -- the biggest food producer in the US -- beekeepers are losing 40% of their bees each year. 

We're in the middle of an environmental holocaust that threatens all of us, because without pollination by bees, most plants and ⅓ of our food supply are gone. 

Scientists are sounding the alarm about pesticides that are toxic to bees, and say we’re using way, way more pesticides on our crops than we need. But as with oil companies and climate change, big drug companies that sell pesticides are fighting back with corporate-funded junk science that questions the evidence, and gives politicians an excuse to delay.

Manitoba’s First Glyphosate-Resistant Weed Confirmed

Manitoba Co-Operator

The good news is, the weed was found at only two sites out of 283 surveyed last fall. Details here.

Artist; Paul Hoppe

Is Fear a Useful Tool in Communicating Climate Change Issues?

Lk. Manitoba - 2011 - PLT photo.

Listen to this excellent debate on CBC Radio's, The Current, here.

Canadians Turn Up The Heat Against The Northern Gateway Tar Sands Pipeline

Climate Progress

Residents of Kitimat, B.C. — the last stop of the proposed pipeline’s route —voted no to the pipeline’s construction…Full story here.

Rex Does it Again!

In the wake of the latest, earth-shattering reports from the IPCC about the grave implications of climate change and the need for drastic and immediate, remedial action to prevent further disaster, (see 2 recent blogposts, below) Rex Murphy chooses the passing of Canada's previous Finance Minister as the topic for today's "Cross-Country Checkup" on CBC Radio. As if that topic, as sad, tragic and newsworthy as it was, had not been exhaustively covered already. 

As many of us will know by now, Rex gets paid to speak to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), to tell them what they want to hear.

Rex Murphy caricature courtesy 

of By the Bay Art Studio

If Rex's climate-denying bias is the reason behind this blatant oversight, perhaps it is time for him to step down and make way for someone more objective and capable of better news judgement. 

PLT

Climate Panel Stunner: Avoiding Climate Catastrophe Is Super Cheap — But Only If We Act Now

Climate Progress

Sunset over Manitoba. PLT photo.

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just issued its third of four planned reports. This one is on “mitigation” — “human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases.” Details here.

A Prayer for Earth Day

Logging our dwindling forests. PLT photo.

Forgive us, oh Lord, for the profound harm we mortals are inflicting on Thy sacred creation, Mother Earth. Our reckless burning of fossil fuels is contributing to catastrophic climate change which, as we speak, is attacking many parts of Thy planet, upon which Thou hast so graciously permitted us to dwell. 

Bestow upon us all, oh Lord, the eco-wisdom we will need to radically change our behaviour, so that we no longer threaten just our own kind, but the lowly wild creatures with which we also share the humble home you have so graciously provided for us all. Help us to avert and lessen the dangers we have so thoughtlessly created,  which now threaten the very safety, security and survival of future human generations - our children and our grandchildren. 

Forgive us, oh Lord, for we know not what we do. 

In Jesus name. Amen.

PLT

Get involved with Earth Day, (April 22nd) here!