Climate change: How a Warming World is a Threat to our Food Supplies

The Guardian

Global warming is exacerbating political instability as tensions brought on by food insecurity rise. With research suggesting the issue can only get worse we examine the risks around the world. Details here.

Manitoba corn following a freak frost; Aug.'07 PLT photo

PLT: As a Canadian, I'm getting quite tired of coverage such as this, concentrating on the US as centre of the universe, then radiating outward in any direction except Canada! The only reference I can find in this entire article to my country is this: "Canada will be a winner, as crops move north." Say what?  
I've lived most of my 70+ years on the Canadian prairies & the only crop "moving north" that I'm aware of is a rare disease of canola, purportedly carried north on the wind and thriving due to drought. (Kuz we had drought here, too, last summer!) 
As I look out my window this mid-April day, I see mounds of snow with more forecast. And I hear on the radio of highways turned into skating rinks, cars in ditches and schools closed, yet again. Much more snow is falling on Winnipeg and North Dakota as we speak, where serious flooding is again a virtual certainty. When North Dakota floods, we flood, thanks to the Red River which flows from them to us. Floods of epic proportions already ravaged my province (Manitoba) in '97, '09, '11 & '12 (plus slightly less serious ones in between). Cabins on lakeshores, millions of dollars worth of municipal infrastructure such as roads and bridges were destroyed. People were displaced with many still waiting to return, two years after the event. Millions of hectares of cropland either went unseeded then, or seeded crops were drowned. As of now; we don't really know when farmers will be getting on the land this spring, or whether they'll be able to get a crop in, at all! 
Blizzards are an everyday occurrence somewhere in this vast region of Canada, it now seems. Record cold has been the "norm" all winter, with temperatures (both maxes & mins), frequently running 10 to 15 degrees Celsius below normal. 
I'm still a staunch supporter of the science of climate change. Still, I'm growing increasingly puzzled as to how this record cold winter fits into the scenario of global warming. Meanwhile, I'm still watching and waiting for more detailed, scientific analysis of what is happening in the US, Africa and Asia, for sure, but also in my neck-of-the woods, too, if you please! Having read the above article, I guess I'll just have to keep looking!

Experimental Lakes Area Closure a Financial Blunder, Say Greens

Grandview:  The Green Party of Canada calls on the  federal government to keep the  Experimental Lakes  Area (ELA) research station open. Closure of ELA will  cost Canadian tax payers $50 million to decommission  the site while keeping it open would only be $2 million  a year.  “Do the math,” says Kate Storey, of the Dauphin  Swan River Marquette Green Party. “This attack on  science is a financial blunder.” Giving no reasons, the Harper government terminated  funding to the facility, forcing it to close this March.  Concerned citizens have suggested that the closure is  a vendetta against environmentalists. Research coming  out of the experimental lakes could be inconvenient to  those wishing to ignore the effects of toxins on the water  and on the health of Canadians. The Experimental Lakes station has operated as a unique,  world-renowned centre for freshwater research in  northwestern Ontario for about half-a-century. Studies  done there have resulted in strategies to combat acid rain,  climate change, algae blooms, mercury poisoning and  nutrient buildup in lakes such as Erie and Winnipeg.   The science could be used to move industry to become  more environmentally responsible. The ELA cost relatively little to maintain. Scientists could  bring in specific funding for their experiments and be  asked for rent, potentially making it self-funding. The  scientific activity is also an economic boon to the local economy.  However, even scientists with funding to offer  are no longer being allowed to work there.  Thousands  of people have signed petitions to keep it open and various  groups have offered to buy the facility, but the Harper  government is deaf to common sense.    Storey is particularly appalled at the actions of the local  Dauphin MP.  “Mr Sopuck ran a campaign on his "green credentials" and commitment to science. Yet, on March 20th, he voted with his Conservative  colleagues to defeat an Opposition motion calling for  continued funding to keep the ELA open until another  operator could be found. "Why would anyone with even  a small bit of environmental or economic common sense  agree to close such a valuable scientific facility?"  Storey asks. The ELA was a help to ordinary Canadians because it  provided the science needed to keep our drinking  water clean. Canada’s pre-eminent water scientist  David Schindler recently called the government’s  action “sheer stupidity.”  CONTACT:   Kate Storey  204-546-2099 or  kate.storey@greenparty.ca ===== Green Party Demands Action On GE foods Dear Larry,  Are you eating untested genetically engineered foods? If you buy anything from a typical grocery store, the answer is yes. Unfortunately, avoiding them is almost impossible since the labeling of GE ingredients is not required by law and is entirely voluntary. Health Canada has never conducted independent research into the safety of GE foods, relying solely on information provided by the companies making the products. In fact, despite being on shelves since 1996, genetically engineered foods have never been subjected to any long-term testing to review potential health hazards, including antibiotic resistance, toxicity, or allergic reactions. Genetically engineered crops also pose serious threats to the health of natural ecosystems and organic agriculture. Elizabeth May has been fighting for transparency in food labeling, and to stop GE foods being sold in Canada. The Green Party will continue to speak out to demand: Mandatory labeling for all GE ingredients Local, provincial and territorial GE-free food zones Independent research of GE foods and GE crops and their long term effects on people and the environment A ban on the introduction of new GE products like salmon and alfalfa in Canada We can win this fight with your help. Please help us continue to speak out publicly in Parliament and in the media about this important issue now by donating $15, or any amount you can afford. With your support, we will have the resources needed to call attention to the Conservatives’ attempt to relax Canada's food standards, and ensure an open and transparent food system that is safe for all Canadians. Sincerely, Kate Storey Shadow Cabinet Critic for Agriculture Green Party of Canada

Green Party Leader Gob-Smacks the Media Darling of the CBC and National Post

Greens do politics differently (But not in the way that Rex Murphy thinks)

By Elizabeth May

In his Saturday National Post column, Rex Murphy claimed that Canada’s Green party has no goal other than to get me elected as an MP — and that this has been the case for “two or three general elections.”  Full story here.

Rex Murphy caricature courtesy 

of By the Bay Art Studio

Alberta’s Bold Plan To Cut Emissions Stuns Ottawa And Oil Industry

The Globe & Mail

The Alberta government has quietly presented a proposal to sharply increase levies on carbon production and force large oil-industry producers to slash greenhouse gas....Details here.

Harperites Undermine Democracy - Columnist

Winnipeg Free Press

Canadian democracy is under threat from its own government. Details here.

This Is What Democracy Could Look Like

Murray Dobbin's Blog

One of the many things that Hugo Chavez, the charismatic and revolutionary president of Venezuela contributed to the world was his demonstration for people everywhere the difference between democracy and liberal democracy. Details here.