PLANET IN PERIL

by Danny Dimwit Wow! Sekkund place! That’s awfl! I just herd on the raydeeo that the people poppalation in Australia is growin kwikker there than here in Kanada! We need to hang our heds, folks! Shoor, we still have at least a millyun more fokes now than we had five yeers ago. But that’s not good enuff! All the big shots runnin Kanada keep tellin us (and they should no), that we need more peeple so we can have more, what do they call it, eekonomik growth?  Heck, I can still look out my window here in town and see trees, grass, open spaces and sometimes even a heard of dear. Why in the heck aren’t they puttin up more billdings out there? Gets kinda tiresum lookin at nothin but…nacher. And I even herd some kinds of animals are akshully breedin as fast as we are. Kant have that! We need to get crackin! Sounds like there is still some habbatat out there that needs plowin down.

Dear Editor, It’s like a train wreck in slow-motion. Just when you think Trump has made the worst possible choice for his cabinet, he announces another who’s even worse.  Rick Perry, the wacka-doodle ex-Governor of Texas, is a sad example. Perry couldn’t remember the name of one of the government departments he pledged to eliminate when he tried to run for President four years ago. Now,  Trump has named Perry to head it!   (It’s the department of Energy. You know, the “trivial” one responsible for the U.S. nuclear program!) 

Chris Hedges Donald Trump's regime is rapidly reconfiguring the United States into an authoritarian state. All forms of dissent will soon be criminalized. Civil liberties will no longer exist. Corporate exploitation, through the abolition of regulations and laws, will be unimpeded. Global warming will accelerate. A repugnant nationalism, amplified by government propaganda, will promote bigotry and racism. Hate crimes will explode. New wars will be launched or expanded. Story here.

The Washington Post A gigantic, powerhouse winter storm is charging through the North Atlantic and promises to flood the high Arctic with abnormally mild air. Arctic temperatures have blown past previous record highs in recent months, and this surge of (relative) warmth is just the latest in a long series that has amazed scientists. Story here.

CLIMATE CODE RED The Queensland town of Moree has recorded 41 days in a row of temperatures above 35C, absolutely smashing the previous record from 1981-82 of  17 days. Details here.

CBCnews Nova Scotia coastal archipelago now 85 per cent protected. Details here.

Dear Larry, Support our work without spending a dime: Click here to vote for Friends of the Earth Action! Donald Trump is trying to gut the EPA. He advanced the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. And he’s threatened to “cancel” the Paris Climate Agreement. At Friends of the Earth Action, we’re building the movement to stop Trump. We’re working to expose and defeat his climate-denying cabinet. We’re pushing Congress to stand up to his extreme anti-environmental agenda. And we’re taking the fight outside Washington -- building power at the state and local level.

Winnipeg Free Press A researcher says the agency that monitors Alberta's energy industry has underestimated the impact of tens of thousands of spills going back decades. Story here.

nature Researchers caution that stem rust may have returned to world’s largest wheat-producing region. Details here. A healthy wheat field in Manitoba.  PinP  photo.   Related: The Fusarium-Glyphosate Connection (Video)

François Veillerette, Director of Générations Futures says thank you to SumOfUs members Larry, You made something amazing happen.   The EU refused to give Monsanto’s cancer-causing ingredient - glyphosate - the green light.  It’s delayed the decision 18 months while glyphosate is re-evaluated. That’s a big win.

CBC news Manitobans are no strangers to floods. Here, campers make the most of soggy  conditions in Neepawa, 2014. PinP photo. The City of Brandon is already preparing for potential spring flooding. Story here.