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Unprecedented Glacier Melt in British Columbia, Canada Seeps Into Climate Change Concerns

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CBC News Some B.C. glaciers losing 22 billion cubic metres of water. Full story here. Further east, the massive  Columbia Icefield in Alberta,  (r.) is receding, too. PLT photo.

Alberta Health Warns of High Levels of Mercury -a Potent Neurotoxin - in Northern Alberta Birds' Eggs

CBC News Alberta Health has issued a health warning about eggs from two northern lakes downstream from the oilsands after they were found to contain dangerous levels of mercury.  Details here. Related:   Manitoba's Declining Wild Berries and Medicinal Plants Found To Be In Sickly Condition; Farm chemicals remain the prime suspect.   First Nations Researchers.  

Quebec Farmers Oppose Release of Genetically-Modified Alfalfa

Montreal Gazette Sale of controversial seed delayed after protests across Canada. Details here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Reports Honeybee Death Rate There "Too High for Long-Term Survival!"

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EcoWatch:  Over the past winter—a season when honeybee hives are most vulnerable—the U.S. lost 23.2 percent of its hive honeybee population. That is lower than the previous winter’s 30.5 percent death rate, but the cumulative impact on honeybee populations over the past eight years poses a major threat to their long-term survival, as well as the country’s agricultural productivity, the USDA said. Details here. PLT photo.

Manitoba's Declining Wild Berries and Medicinal Plants Found To Be In Sickly Condition. Farm Chemicals the Main Suspects - First Nations Researchers.

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By Larry Powell A tale that is all too tragic. And familiar  For centuries, the aboriginal people of North America’s great plains have gathered wild berries and plants for food and medicine. Now, members of two First Nations in Central Manitoba have not only observed declines in the abundance of such crops, they have documented unhealthy foliage and severe deformities in many of them. These include chokecherries, raspberries, Indian breadroot, saskatoons, cranberries and hawthorns. Deformed chokecherry in study area. Unhealthy saskatoons. After obtaining federal funding for a detailed study, several band members gathered hundreds of samples in and around Swan Lake, southwest of Portage La Prairie, and Rolling River, southeast of Riding Mountain National Park. The study was done almost three years ago but not made public until now. For years, elders have watched as harvest areas shrink and overall quality declines. Where sage and sweet grass once

Industrial Agriculture: Too Big to Succeed

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IPS An estimated one billion small farmers scratching out a living growing diverse crops and raising animals in developing countries represent the key to maintaining food production in the face of hotter temperatures and drought, especially in the tropical regions, says Sarah Elton, author of the book, “Consumed: Food for a Finite Planet.” Full story here. Backyard chickens on a small,  organic farm in Manitoba. PLT photo.

Fracking's Effect on Water Not Properly Monitored, Canadian Report Finds

CBC News Environment Canada commissioned report by international experts. Details here. Related:  Have Our Servants Become Our Masters? Why Fossil Fuels Are No Longer Our Friends. Don't Believe the Harperites! There are Downsides to Free Trade!

The Downfall of the Plastic Bag: A Global Picture

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Earth Policy Institute Worldwide, a trillion single-use plastic bags are used each year, nearly 2 million each minute. Usage varies widely among countries, from over 400 a year for many East Europeans, to just four a year for people in Denmark and Finland. Plastic bags, made of depletable natural gas or petroleum resources, are often used only for a matter of minutes. Yet they last in the environment for hundreds of years, shredding into ever-smaller pieces but never fully breaking down. Full story here.

Antimicrobial Resistance: Global Report on Surveillance 2014

WHO Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Details here.

Climate Change: Don't Wait Until You Can Feel it

ScienceDaily Despite overwhelming scientific evidence for the impending dangers of human-made climate change, policy decisions leading to substantial emissions reduction have been slow. New research shows that even as extreme weather events influence those who experience them to support policy to address climate change, waiting for the majority of people to live through such conditions firsthand could delay meaningful action by decades. Full story here.

Only With Political Will Can we Avoid the Worst of Climate Change

David Suzuki  It's fitting that the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report was released during Earth Month . Details here.