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Rationale for Site C ‘Utter Nonsense,’ Says Former Hydro CEO

The Tyee Province had ability to cancel project without cutting services, argues Eliesen. Story here.

Houses built too close to bush spread huge California fires on 'front line of climate change'

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CBC news California wildfires from the International Space Station.  NASA/Randy Bresnik State's 'new normal' is a fire season 70 days longer than just 15 years ago. Story here.

While America Focuses on Tax Bill, Congress Quietly Tries to Open Arctic Refuge to Oil Drilling

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EcoWatch The U.S. Senate has passed a Republican tax-reform package that contains a provision to authorize oil drilling on the coastal plain of Alaska's  Arctic  National Wildlife Refuge, placing the biological heart of one of our last pristine, untouched places in severe peril. Story here. Barrenground caribou, Nunavut.  Ansgar Walk photo. RELATED: Proposed oil development threatens yet another caribou herd.

In 10 years, the world may not be able to feed itself

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The World Economic Forum Combines in a wheat field in Manitoba, Canada. PinP photo. By 2027 the world could be facing a 214 trillion calorie deficit, says Sara Menker, founder of an agricultural data technology company. In other words, in just a decade, we won’t have enough food to feed the planet. More here.

Fracking linked to low birth weight in Pennsylvania babies

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ScienceNews Study of birth records finds association between infant health and mom’s proximity to production sites . Story here. Photo by Pexels.

Expert reaction to research on Hurricane Harvey and links to climate change

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Science Media Centre A new study, published in Environmental Research Letters , reported that human-caused climate change made the record rainfall that fell over Houston during Hurricane Harvey roughly three times more likely and 15% more intense. Story here. Hurricane Harvey.   Photo by  urban.houstonian

How a Wayward Arctic Current Could Cool the Climate in Europe

YaleEnvironment360 The Beaufort Gyre, a key Arctic Ocean current, is acting strangely. Scientists say it may be on the verge of discharging a huge amount of ice and cold freshwater that could kick off a period of lower temperatures in northern Europe. Story here.

In Hogs WeTrust - a Radio Interview

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Alon at CKUW Radio (95.9 fm) at the University of Winnipeg, interviews journalist/blogger/activist Larry Powell (L.)  about the recent decision by the Government of Manitoba to expand the hog industry in the province. Are the rewards worth the risk? You be the judge. Runs 38'30". Interview proper starts at the 1'45" mark. This is a podcast (no picture). COMMENTS WELCOME. Thanks to CKUW for the opportunity to get the word out about these important issues. L.P.

World Bank and World Health Organization: Half the world lacks access to essential health services, 100 million still pushed into extreme poverty because of health expenses

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TOKYO, December 13, 2017 —At least half of the world’s population cannot obtain essential health services, according to a new report from the World Bank and the World Health Organization.  Photo by Oxfam And each year, large numbers of households are being pushed into poverty because they must pay for health care out of their own pockets. Currently, 800 million people spend at least 10 percent of their household budgets on health expenses for themselves, a sick child or other family member. For almost 100 million people these expenses are high enough to push them into extreme poverty, forcing them to survive on just $1.90 or less a day. The findings, released today in  Tracking Universal Health Coverage: 2017 Global Monitoring Report,  have been simultaneously published in  Lancet Global Health. “It is completely unacceptable that half the world still lacks coverage for the most essential health services,” said  Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World H

Taxes on Meat Could Join Carbon, Sugar and Tobacco to Help Curb Emissions

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EcoWatch Driven by a global consensus around meat's negative contributions to climate change  and global health epidemics such as obesity, cancer & antibiotic resistance,  a new British report  concludes that a meat tax should be considered "inevitable" for any government serious about addressing the climate crisis & other health concerns that stem from livestock production. Story here. Dairy cows. USDA photo. Related:  "In Hogs We Trust."   Part #1   How the Manitoba government’s return to a deregulated hog industry could actually aggravate a world health crisis. "In Hogs We Trust." Part #2   The Price We Pay For Corporate Hog$

As 'Epic Winds' Drive California Fires, Climate Change Fuels the Risk

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Inside Climate News Santa Ana winds are whipping up wildfires in Southern California after a devastating season in wine country. Rising temps can make the West dangerously combustible. Story here. USDA photo