PLANET IN PERIL

PRESSPROGRESS It sounds like Brian Jean is  flip flopping once again. The leader of Alberta's Wildrose Party has been  making hay over Bill 6 lately, new legislation that seeks to correct Alberta's potentially unconstitutional labour laws by  extending Workers' Compensation Board coverage to paid farm workers and bringing workplace safety up to par with other Canadian provinces . "What goes around comes around," Jean recently told one rally  opposing these changes. Funny thing about that, mind you – Jean didn't seem to think the proposed WCB changes he's currently opposing were such a bad idea eight months ago. MORE HERE.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC The scavengers do the dirty work of cleaning up after death. With their numbers plummeting, we’re learning how much we need to keep them alive. More here.

bilaterals.org Many such treaties give foreign investors a free hand to sue sovereign governments for pretty much any amount they choose, if those regulations interfere with a company’s business plan. Read about Ontario’s experience here.  RELATED: " Free Trade: Path to Prosperity - or Back Road to Corporatism?"

THE NATION In Paris this week, policy-makers are considering an ambitious new plan to cover 50 million acres of South American land with trees. That might not be a good idea. More here.

Hi Larry, As you read this email, vast swathes of the UK are underwater. Buckling from the strain of torrential rains, rivers have overflowed and flood defences have been breached. Hundreds of families have been forced to evacuate their homes [1]. David Cameron has pledged to help people suffering in the wake of the destruction. That’s a start. But in the aftermath of such ferocious storms,  we need to make sure he joins the dots to climate change .

NATIONAL OBSERVER Canada has surprised a world of nations and negotiators in closed-door climate talks in Paris by endorsing a bolder, more ambitious target for cutting greenhouse gases than the UN climate change summit is officially aiming for. More here.

CommonDreams The U.S. is poised to repeat all the same mistakes in Syria that it made in Iraq after 9/11, says former head of Defense Intelligence Agency. Story here.

George Monbiot  - The Guardian The real issue – global warming caused by aircraft emissions – calls on us to act. But focusing on ‘chemtrails’ absolves people of the responsibility to do so. More here.

Dear Larry, The fires in Indonesia have been called “a crime against humanity” – and our investigators are on the ground now gathering evidence to expose the companies responsible and hold them to account.  Can you take your support to the next step and help us by donating £5 per month?

AgroNews Dow AgroSciences is moving ahead with plans for Enlist corn in Canada, despite a significant regulatory setback in the United States. More here.

bilaterals.org  The deal fails to even mention the words “climate change”—a clear sign it is not “a 21st-century trade agreement,” as some have claimed. More here.