PLANET IN PERIL

CLIMATE PROGRESS The leaders of several Pacific Northwest Native American tribes are asking Canadian regulators not to approve a huge expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain tar sands pipeline, saying approval would result in a huge increase of oil tankers coming through tribal waters every day, increasing the risk of a devastating spill. Story here.  

The Washington Post Earlier this year, when a study came out suggesting global warming will increase the rates of violent crimes in the United States -- producing "an additional 22,ooo murders, 180,000 cases of rape," and many other crime increases by the year 2099 -- it drew widespread criticism. Story here.

Huffington Post Canada does well at many things.  Earlier this year, Canadian cities were listed among the world's top places to live . The country ranks high with the best when it comes to wealth and it's been praised for emerging from the financial crisis in decent shape.  But there's one category in which Canada ranks dead last among industrialized nations: its efforts to combat climate change. Story here.

CBC News Open letter warns about effects of Canadian science policy on international collaboration. Story here.

Manitoba Co-Operator. Trade agreements may offer negative outcomes for Canadians. Story here. Related: " Free Trade: Path to Prosperity - or Back Road to Corporatism?"  

New Republic Meet earth's worst climate villains; Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Story here.

The Co-Operator The government has introduced amendments to its Agricultural Growth Act to make the language around seed saving clearer. Story here.   Larry Powell P in P photo.

Council of Canadians More than 100 people from the Cross Lake First Nation (Pimicikamak Cree Nation), located north of Lake Winnipeg, occupied the grounds of the Jenpeg hydro-dam last week. Chief Catherine Merrick said the First Nation is taking control of its traditional territory and evicting Manitoba Hydro. Story here.

Union of Concerned Scientists In a troubling sign, data from the Energy Information A gency released today show that U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose 2.5% in 2013. This increase comes after two years of declining emissions. Story here. Larry Powell P in P photo.

Climate Progress One year ago, when more than 20,000 barrels (3,528,000 Litre) of crude oil spilled from a pipeline and soaked a wheat field in Tioga, North Dakota, the public almost never knew about it. After the spill was discovered by a lone farmer, it was not reported for nearly two weeks, and only after reporters from the The Associated Press asked about it specifically. Details here.

Institute of Science in Society Researchers have created conventionally bred varieties tolerant to drought and low nitrogen soils that can reduce poverty in 13 African countries by up to 9 %, far outperforming anything that genetic modification has achieved  Prof Peter Saunders Please circulate widely and repost, but you must give the URL of the original and preserve all the links back to articles on our website. If you find this report useful, please support ISIS by subscribing to our magazine  Science in Society , and encourage your friends to do so. Or have a look at the  ISIS bookstore  for other publications. A  fully referenced version  of this article is posted on ISIS members website and is otherwise available for download  here