Food, Water, Health, Life: United Nations Experts Warn of Threats Posed by Secret 'Trade' Deals

CommonDreams

'All draft treaty texts should be published so that Parliamentarians and civil society have sufficient time to review them and to weigh the pros and cons in a democratic manner,' say officials. Story here.

Related: Free Trade: Pathway to Prosperity - or Back Road to Corporatism?

Warmer Oceans Will Make Typhoons More Intense

ClimateCentral

While the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be relatively quiet, thanks to the influence of a healthy El Niño, the typhoon season in the northwest Pacific has been jam-packed so far, even for an area that normally sees the highest tropical cyclone activity and a large proportion of the strongest storms. Story here.

World's First Ocean System Targeting Plastic Pollution to Launch in 2016

ALJAZEERA AMERICA

The world's first system designed to rid the oceans of plastic pollution will be deployed near Japan in 2016, with the aim of eventually capturing half of the plastic found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — a large concentration of marine debris located between Hawaii and California. Story here.

The Abuses of Enchantment

George Monbiot

The cruelties of factory farming shelter behind a fairytale image, promoted by advertisers and children’s authors. Story here.

PinP photo

Related: "Stock Answer"

The US Government Just Released a Plan To Protect The Greater Sage Grouse. Here’s Why You Should Care.

climateprogress

The Department of the Interior Thursday released a long-awaited plan to protect the greater sage grouse, a ground-dwelling bird that was once ubiquitous across the American West but that has seen its numbers plummet as the region’s open sagebrush lands have been lost to energy development, grazing, and catastrophic wildfires. Story here.

In Face of Rising Climate Movement, Tar Sands on Life Support: Report

Common Dreams

Evidence of struggling tar sands sector suggests opportunity to slow the rate of growth 'significantly.’ Story here.

The Tar Sands Sell-Out

theguardian

The Canadian town that sold itself to tar sands. Story here.