Posts

Did Climate Change Intensify Hurricane Harvey?

The Atlantic “The human contribution can be up to 30 percent or so of the total rainfall coming out of the storm.” Story here.

“The Sixth Extinction - an Unnatural History” - a Book Review

Image
by Larry Powell If the rest of the living world were to take we homo sapiens to court for ecocide, this book provides copious evidence to find us “guilty as charged.” As a matter of fact, you’d be hard-pressed not to find clues of human culpability in just about every extinction which has occurred since modern man began walking Earth. And that, after all, in geologic time, was just moments ago.   As we speak, fungi incapable of being spread worldwide by any way other than human activity, are killing millions of bats and frogs. For example, where there once were millions, only a handful of Panamanian Golden Frogs now cling to life in a building which must be sanitized regularly with bleach to keep the fungus at bay. And amphibians as a whole are perhaps the most endangered class of animal on the planet today. Prolonged, relentless and cruel hunting methods by humans wiped out every last trace of the Great Auk, a bird born with the misfortune of being flightless, in th

7 reasons we face a global water crisis

Image
Nation of Change Lake Winnipeg, the world's 10th-largest freshwater lake. In serious trouble due to pollution. Greenpeace photo. Along with fresh water, political will and public pressure are critical resources in ensuring a sustainable future for all.  Story here.

Harvard Study Finds Exxon Misled Public about Climate Change

inside climate news An analysis of Exxon’s research and public statements shows a sharp contrast between what the oil giant knew about climate change and what it told the public.  Story here.

Big business and big oil lose climate battle in pipeline review

NATIONAL OBSERVER Canada's National Energy Board has rejected recommendations from big business and big oil, agreeing for the first time in its history to consider both upstream and downstream greenhouse gas emissions while reviewing a major pipeline project. Story here

Warmer waters from climate change will leave fish shrinking, gasping for air

Image
ScienceDaily Great White shark. Photo by Pterantula  (Terry Goss)  Fish are expected to shrink in size by 20 to 30 per cent if ocean temperatures continue to climb due to climate change. Story here.

Only Solution, Says McKibben, 100% Renewables 'As Fast as Humanly Possible'

Image
CommonDreams "No more half-measures," warns prominent climate author and activist. Story here. Solar panels on a roof top in Germany. Photo by R-E-AL

Pesticide increases probability of bumblebee extinction.

Image
Nature Ecology & Evolution A bumblebee forages on a sunflower.  PinP photo. Pollinators are in global decline and agricultural pesticides are a potential driver of this.  Story here. RELATED:  Will New Research From Europe Nudge Canada Toward a "Neonic" Ban?

How climate change has altered Kodiak bears' feeding habits

Image
PNAS Red elderberry and sockeye salmon make up a large portion of a Kodiak bear's diet; usually, the bears treat themselves to spawning salmon before the elderberry season begins. Recently, warmer springs have shifted the elderberry fruiting time to an earlier period, which coincides with the salmon spawn. Researchers observed how warmer springs affected the bears' diets, and found that bears left the streams to forage on berries on adjacent hillsides, disrupting an ecological link that typically fertilizes terrestrial ecosystems and generates high mortality rates for salmon. These findings contribute to the ongoing exploration of the effects of climate change on specific predator-prey relationships and ecosystems as a whole.

Lake Trout adjust their behaviour in the face of a changing climate, new Canadian study reveals.

UM TODAY                      News The scientists observed a reduction in the fish’s growth and condition, which can impact their reproductive success. Story here.

Dirty business: The livestock farms polluting the UK

THE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM A Bureau investigation has found pig, poultry and dairy farms are releasing harmful pollution once a week on average in England and Wales. STORY HERE.