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With More Ships in the Arctic, Fears of Disaster Rise

THE NEW YORK TIMES  When the Crystal Serenity, a 1000-passenger luxury liner, sails in August on a month-long Arctic cruise through the Northwest Passage, it will have a far more utilitarian escort; a British supply ship.     Story here.

A decades-long drought on the Canadian Prairies? It's possible, says author!

The Western Producer A 50-year-long drought may not be as crazy as some people think. According to a new book, it actually happened on the Prairies and not that long ago. Story here.

'The entire species could become extinct': Crowdfunding underway to save Manitoba butterfly

CBCnews The rapid decline of a tiny butterfly living in an equally small patch of Manitoba has prompted the Nature Conservancy of Canada to take action in hopes of saving the species from extinction.  Story here.

Satellite snafu masked true sea-level rise for decades

nature.com Revised tallies confirm that the rate of sea-level rise is accelerating as the Earth warms and ice sheets thaw. Story here. RELATED:  Angry Oceans. How Sea Level Rise is Impacting the World, including Atlantic Canada. (Story & Audio Podcast) Angry Oceans...the Second in a Series Looking at the Impact of Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise on Atlantic Canadians. (Video)

Rush hour pollution may be more dangerous than you think

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ScienceDaily In-car air study of commuting cars finds dangers to human health. Story here. Traffic jam in Jasper Nat'l. Park CA. PinP photo.

Oilsands insider wanted for questioning in Exxon probe

National Observer A Canadian oilpatch insider has suddenly become a key figure in a high-profile investigation of a possible climate change "fraudulent scheme" at fossil fuel giant Exxon Mobil. Story here.

Exxon Fined $2M for 'Reckless Disregard' of Sanctions During Tillerson Era

EcoWatch "It's time  Rex Tillerson  step down or be removed," said Gigi Kellett of  Corporate Accountability International , following an announcement on Thursday that  ExxonMobil  will pay $2 million for violating U.S. sanctions against Russian officials while the now-secretary of state was the company's CEO. Story here.

Ancient Italian fossils reveal risk of parasitic infections due to climate change

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ScienceDaily Rise in trematodes could occur much sooner than thought, according to new study. Story here. Yellow papillae flatworm or trematode  in Micronesia.  Photo by  Betty Wills .

Study Calls for Rapid "Negative Emissions" as Scientist Warns "Shit's Hitting the Fan"

Common Dreams New study, led by James Hansen, is meant to bolster climate kids' case against the federal government. Story here.

There’s literally a ton of plastic garbage for every person on Earth

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The Washington Post More than 9 billion tons of plastic has been produced since 1950, and the vast majority of it is still around. Story here. Plastic waste on a beach in India. Photo by  Hajj0 ms

Hog Barn Fires – Where’s the Humanity?

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By Vicki Burns About a month ago, three thousand, five hundred pigs died horrible deaths in a hog barn fire near New Bothwell, in southern Manitoba. Sadly, it was just the latest in what has become an all-too-familiar occurrence in this province. Trapped in a fiery inferno, the animals would have likely suffocated in the smoke before the flames actually took over. It’s hard to imagine the terror and panic that must have gripped them in those moments. Firefighters battling such disasters say they’re often haunted for a very long time by the sound of their screams. The animals that perished there, bring the total number of pigs to be burned alive over the past decade in Manitoba to 64,000. Surely you’d expect a rational, caring government to respond by immediately tightening fire safety regulations. Instead, it’s doing just the opposite. It’s moving to change building codes to allow for fewer fire alarms, fewer smoke detectors and cheaper fire walls! And surely you’