PLANET IN PERIL

Organic Consumers Association  More than 36 years ago the U.S. Food & Drug Administration acknowledged there was a problem with the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms. In March 2012, the courts forced the FDA's hand. Finally, last week, the  FDA announced a plan to curb the routine use of sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics to treat and fatten up livestock on factory farms. But the mostly voluntary, loophole-riddled “plan” falls far short of what scientists say is needed to stop the spread of antibiotic-resistant superbugs that now pose a real and widespread danger to public health. Details here.  Related: "Food and Drug Administration in the US Moves To Phase Out Widespread Use Of Antibiotics In Meat "

Huffington Post Hormone-disrupting chemicals linked to cancer, infertility and a slew of other health problems have been found in water samples collected at and near hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," sites in Colorado, according to a new study published in the journal Endocrinology this week. Details here.

Make your voice heard Photo  Marco Guada  via Flickr Many people are upset by the Joint Review Panel’s recommendation to go ahead with the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline . However, don’t despair over the holidays -- this is far from over. This recommendation does not mean the pipeline will be built. Right now it’s time to take action. Send a message of support to the 130 First Nations that still oppose the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline .  

Greenpeace Hi Larry, Big news! The Arctic 30 have been granted amnesty. Earlier today the Russian government agreed to amend an amnesty bill to include the Arctic 30, and just now the bill was officially adopted by their parliament. This means legal proceedings against them will be halted and they should be home soon. I can almost hear the collective sigh of relief, but the Arctic 30 have said they’re not celebrating. They’ve all spent two months in jail for a crime they didn’t commit, and faced criminal charges that were absurd. As Pete Willcox, captain of the Arctic Sunrise, said: “There’s no amnesty for the Arctic.”

Winnipeg Free Press A study to see how well Canadian jurisdictions are responding to Ottawa's’s National Recovery Strategy for Caribou gives Manitoba a medium grade.  Details here.

PLT: Arctic ice has increased, for now. But global warming  is not over, scientists warn.

by Larry Powell Prime Minister Harper's attendance at the funeral of Nelson Mandela has conjured up some fascinating scenarios for me. While South Africa's repression of its black people will live on in infamy, Canada's treatment of our own indigenous people has hardly been exemplary, either.  So, if Mandela, who so famously led his people out of bondage, were Prime Minister of Canada, what would he do here?  Would he be;  slashing grants to native organizations?  refusing to hold a public inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women?  passing legislation (using closure) which leaves traditional native territories vulnerable to disruptive and polluting projects? rubber-stamping expansion of the tar sands which has, for years, been sickening the people of the Fort Chipewyan First Nation, downstream with rare cancers and other diseases?  cheerleading massive pipeline projects that cross pristine wilderness and fragile marine ecosystems on the door

The Independent The bad news is: it's still half the level is was in the 1980s.   Details  here.

The Independent A parliamentary vote in Romania has rejected revisions to a new mining law that would have allowed Gabriel Resources, a Canadian mining company, to create Europe’s largest open cast gold mine in a Transylvanian village. Full story here . Related: " Another Canadian Mining Company Faces Criminal Allegations"

        Dear Larry, Thank you for being part of our campaign to help save the bees! I didn’t need to tell you how important the bees and other pollinators were to our ecosystem and food supply--you understood the situation was dire, took action and made a difference. So here are the numbers: Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) comment period on neonicotinoid pesticides closed this past Thursday, December 12th having received  10,241  comments from YOU (via the Sierra Club Canada website). Pat yourself on the back – you deserve it. Obviously we cannot rest on our laurels as there’s much more to be done, but it’s important to take a moment and be proud of our accomplishments to date .

Dec 11 at 3:08  PM Infinito Gold is threatening a $1 billion lawsuit against Costa Rica for rejecting a toxic, open-pit gold mine after massive protests from local citizens. Tell Infinito Gold to drop its lawsuit against Costa Rica. Dear Larry, Infinito Gold, a Canadian mining company, just  slapped Costa Rica with a $1 billion lawsuit because the nation decided to protect its rainforests rather than host an open-pit gold mine. Costa Rica’s  rainforest is lauded as one of the most beautiful in the world , and is home to many endangered species, including the green macaw. Officials considered approving the gold mine, but the use of toxic chemicals such as cyanide -- which often leaks into and pollutes nearby lakes and rivers -- was  far too great a risk to allow the project to move forward. A subsidiary of  Infinito Gold has announced that a massive lawsuit against Costa Rica is “imminent”, so we need to act now.  If thousands of us stand together against thi