PLANET IN PERIL

The Western Producer Farmers in certain areas of southern Manitoba need four to five weeks of ideal weather or they won’t be planting a crop this spring. Story here. Flooded farm fields near Portage La Prairie,   Manitoba. PinP photo.

SumOfUs Message body Larry, Today,  Rodrigo Tot and five other brave people from around the world were awarded the most prestigious environmental award in the world, the Goldman Environmental Prize (aka. the 'Green Nobel').  The award recognizes ordinary people like you who do extraordinary things to stand up to corporate power, often risking everything to keep their local communities and ecosystems safe from harm. In 2016, Peruvian farmer Máxima Acuña won the Goldman Prize for her tireless work stopping extractive giant Newmont Mining from building a gold mine in her backyard. Over 160,000 SumOfUs members have asked Newmont to leave Máxima alone after repeated harassment over the last two years. Together, we raised resources for her support and legal fund. And finally,  we all cheered and stood by Máxima as she won the award last year. Given SumOfUs’ mission is to fight for people over profits, we want to be the first to introduce you this year’s w

"Look at this, our food is laced with poison - exactly what we had been saying. Our industrial world is killing us. No wonder people are dying. The cost of doing mass production is our souls and health of our nations." This is Dave Daniels, Elder on Long Plain First Nation, Manitoba and specialist in wild plants and herbal medicines.  He was reacting to a recently-released finding  by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. In studies conducted in '15 & '16, the federal food watchdog discovered traces of glyphosate, "a probable carcinogen," (World Health Organization) in almost 30% of food samples tested. To better understand Mr. Daniel's story and his anger, please watch the video, below.

Common Dreams Pair of new studies show how American climate refugees will 'reshape' population landscape of the nation. Story here.

Meet the Yellow-banded Bumble Bee. It is one of six wild bee species determined to be “critically at risk” in Canada. Continent-wide, as many as one-third of bumble bee species are in decline.These are important pollinators whose disappearance would not only be a blow to natural biodiversity of species, but to the production of food for us and other living creatures, as well. Want to be part of the solution? Help Friends of the Earth by taking part in “The Great Canadian Bumble Bee Count.” Just click here to find out how. 

Common Dreams "Exxon applied for waiver from sanctions on Russia. Among departments who must approve: State Department, run by company's ex-CEO" Story here.

cbcnews Glacier retreated so much that its meltwater switched course, in an event not documented in modern times. Story here. The Kaskawulsh glacier from which the river in question used to flow - in a different direction. 2014 Photo by  Gstest

Winnipeg Free Press The Pallister government plans to amend regulations governing the safe disposal of hog manure in Manitoba. It released a discussion paper Thursday, kicking off a 45-day public consultation period. Story here.

THE TYEE Highland Valley Copper Mine, Logan Lake, BC Not enough, say critics, who call for a judicial inquiry into the state of mining regulation in BC. Story here. 

+SumOfUs The company responsible for the worst  mining disaster in Canadian history wants to build a new open-pit copper mine   in the heart of the pristine rainforests of Clayoquot Sound. PLEASE SIGN! Clayoquot Sound - Vancouver Island. Photo by  Adam Jones, Ph.D.

climate news network Eastern Greenland. Photo by  Algkalv   Coastal glaciers in terminal decline as Greenland ice runs into the ocean and threatens to raise sea levels by the end of the century. Story here.