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A rare look at the potentially harmful effects of climate change on terrestrial species in Antarctica

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Nature Much research has been dedicated to studying the effects of climate   change and global warming on the Antarctic ice sheet and sea levels; but  t he same can't be said about the ice-free parts of the region, which cover  l ess than 1% of the continent.  Australian researchers modelled the potential effect of climate change   under two Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change climate-forcing   scenarios. Their findings suggest that under the more radical of the two   scenarios, the ice-free areas in the Antarctic can expand by as much as   25% by the end of the 21st century.  Such a drastic increase in surface area   can bring about a homogenization of the biome, the extinction of less- competitive species and the spread of invasive species. Though the   expansion of habitat space can be viewed as a positive outcome,  r esearchers say that sticking to the protocol that aims to reduce global   temperature increases will help maintain the current biodiversity

Make Suncor Clean up Half-a-Billion Litres of Poisonous Tailings Sludge. PLEASE SIGN PETITION!

There are  1.2 TRILLION litres of toxic tailings pond sludge  in Alberta. And one tar sands corporation  is trying to postpone its share of the clean-up until 2085. We are going to stop this.   Tell Suncor its tailings mess can't wait 70 more years. Clean it up now. SIGN THE PETITION Larry, Right now, the biggest company in the Alberta tar sands is trying to  rewrite the rules of how big oil is going to have to deal with toxic tailings waste. Suncor is trying to get the Alberta government to allow it to wait to clean up its tailings until 2085. But it gets worse.  Suncor's strategy to "clean up" literally 525 billion litres of poisonous tailings sludge involves dumping it into a hole and capping it with water. That's it. This half-baked plan is nothing more than Suncor’s thinly veiled excuse to avoid cleaning up the after-party of a 50-year fossil fuel extraction binge fest. We have zero guarantees that corporations like Suncor will

The Uninhabitable Earth

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New York Magazine Famine, economic collapse, a sun that cooks us: What climate change could wreak — sooner than you think. Story here. PinP photo

Study warns about the impact of the carp in shallow lakes with high ecological value for the preservation of waterbirds

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ScienceDaily The presence of the carp, a freshwater invasive species spread worldwide, is alarmingly reducing the populations of diving ducks and waterbirds, according to a study. Story here. One of the carps' victims, the white-Headed Duck. Photo by Ken Billington.

Manitoba getting a carbon tax, amount uncertain

Manitoba Co-Operator Manitobans will pay a carbon tax, but how much may depend on the courts. Details here.

Global Warming Poses Pros and Cons for the Port of Churchill, Manitoba.

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CBC news Warming climate opens up opportunities for  the port but could pose problems  for the railway.  Details here. One of many washed out sections of the  rail line to Churchill. (Omnitrax)

'Talk Is Cheap': G20 Told to End Public Subsidy of All Dirty Fuels by 2020

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Common Dreams New report reveals that public financing by wealthiest governments belies stated commitments to Paris climate goals. Story here. Canada Geese fly over the Suncor Millennium Mine,  Alberta tar sands. Photo credit - Beautiful Destruction.

Prep school teens were accused of massacring protected birds. Did they get off too easy?

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The Washington Post Albatross. Photo by JJ Harrison KAPA‘A, Hawaii — The first of the bodies was discovered by a hiker who snapped a photo of the suspicious scene with his cellphone. Buried in a nest on the westernmost spit of the Hawaiian island of Oahu was a dead bird the size of a human child. On the ground next to it was a large stick. More Here.

Will New Research From Europe Nudge Canada Toward a "Neonic" Ban?

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by Larry Powell Most Canadian fields  of canola ("oilseed rape"  in  Europe)  grow from seed treated with neonics . PinP photo. Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), which tests and registers pesticides in this country, says it will take recent European research into account in deciding the future of neonicotinoids. They're the world's most widely used, and controversial family of insecticides.  A major field study, published in the journal Nature last week,  found that  neonics  did not seem to harm  honey bees and two wild bee species scientists studied in Germany.  However, it was a different story in Hungary and the U.K. There, the same species located near oil rapeseed (canola) crops treated with the neonic, clothianidin, produced 24% fewer workers the following spring!  While the European Union clamped a moratorium on neonics in 2013, Canada chose a different path. The PMRA has continued to approve their use, even tho it

If you want to save a whale, first save its food

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|NATIONAL                            |OBSERVER - David Suzuki Orcas breaching - photo credit - Robert Pittman - NOAA Two of British Columbia’s most iconic species, chinook salmon and southern resident killer whales, are in trouble. The whale depends on the salmon for survival. Is it time to manage chinook fisheries with killer whales in mind? Story here.

Stephen Hawking's Message for Donald Trump

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