Impending extinction crisis of the world’s primates: Why primates matter

ScienceAdvances

The endangered yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Oreonax flavicauda) Photo by Platyrrhinus

Nonhuman primates, our closest biological relatives, play important roles and offer unique insights into many human societies. Story here.

Trumps Despicable War on Mother Earth has Begun.

Dear Larry, Trump's attacks on our environment have already started. Donate now and help fight back! Donald Trump has been President for only a few hours. But he’s already started attacking our environment. One of his first acts was to take down the White House’s website on climate change and replace it with an “energy plan.” The plan says Trump “is committed to eliminating” the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the US rule. Rumors are flowing that approval of Keystone XL and Dakota Access could be next.  This is just the beginning. Trump has announced his intentions. If we let him get away with it, what’s next? Gutting the EPA? Drilling for oil on our public lands in the Arctic? We need to join together NOW and send a message to Trump: every action he takes to destroy our planet will be met with fierce resistance. Donate now and help fight Trump’s attacks on our environment. Standing with you, Ben Schreiber, Senior political strategist, Friends of the Earth Action

The Guardian view on Trump and global warming: the right fight - Editorial

Historic flood - Red River Valley, Manitoba., 1997. Gov't. of MB photo.

The president-elect should understand that America needs to shoulder global responsibilities, and that in doing so America will benefit by owning the technologies of the future. Story here.

Ontario Stops Nestlé in its Tracks

+SumOfUs Larry, Huge news -- the government in Ontario, Canada just issued a moratorium to block Nestlé  from sucking up water from a small community experiencing drought conditions! Thanks  to tireless work from grassroots groups and with support from over 168,000 SumOfUs members  who spoke out, submitted public comments and donated to blanket the airwaves with radio ads,  corporate giant Nestlé has been stopped in its tracks.  But the fight to stop Nestlé from bullying local communities isn’t over. The state of Michigan is weeks away from deciding on a plan to charge Nestlé just $200  for a permit to double the amount of groundwater it can take to bottle and sell at a  massive profit. Residents in Evart, Michigan need your help to stand up to Nestlé once again. Tell the State of Michigan to say no to this massive corporate giveaway. Stop Nestlé now. Our original email from last month: Nestlé's at it again. This time, it  wants to suck up 100M gallons of  groundwater in a tiny U.S. town  for just $200. How can the government hand  over its water for pennies so a giant corporation can profit? Tell  the state of Michigan to reject  this ridiculous deal. SIGN THE PETITION Larry, Nestlé's about to lock down another massive corporate giveaway of precious fresh water -- unless we can pressure the U.S. state of Michigan to stand up to the water bottling behemoth. Only miles away from Flint, Michigan -- where the local government switched the water supply and poisoned the community's water to save a few bucks -- the Michigan water authority is considering letting Nestlé double the amount of groundwater it takes to bottle and sell for profit. The cost to Nestlé? $200 a year. Tell Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality to cancel this ridiculous plan.

A Foundation Controlled by a Wealthy Religious Leader Gets Millions of Taxpayer Dollars From Canadians.

by Larry Powell

Am I missing something? Or is it not just as scandalous that the Aga Khan Foundation gets our tax money, as it is that Trudeau has no ethics? (Justin is a politician. That's what politicians do.) But why in the world should a rich, religious leader born in Switzerland and who lives, God-knows-where, get welfare from we ordinary Canadians? The policy of separating affairs of state from affairs of religion is a sensible, time-honoured tradition which seems to have been thrown out the window here. Does anyone know just what Nizari Ismailism is anyway? The Foundation bills itself as a non-profit group which helps the poor. Fair enough.

His Highness, Aga Kahn 1V

But why does His Highness need a foundation (more importantly, why do we) when he could be turning over his personal riches directly to the less fortunate himself? I would personally feel more comfortable if we were to help our own poor, without filtering our tax money through a third party as non-transparent as this one, thanks very much.

Are the billionaire American Koch brothers playing climate politics in Alberta?

NATIONAL

OBSERVER

It’s a well-known fact that Charles and David Koch — owners of the second-largest private company in America — have been funding climate change denial in the U.S. for decades. Story here.

World’s Last Intact Forests Are Becoming Increasingly Fragmented

WORLD

RESOURCES

INSTITUTE

Clearing in the boreal forest, Canada. PinP photo.

Intact forest landscapes (IFLs), or vast stretches of unbroken forest wilderness, are some of the most important ecosystems in the world. And they are under threat. Story here.