PLANET IN PERIL

The New York Times  The largest  Antarctic   ozone hole  ever recorded on September 24, 2006. NASA. Last month, scientists disclosed a global pollution mystery:  a surprise rise in emissions of an outlawed industrial gas  that destroys the atmosphere’s protective ozone layer. More here.

The Guardian The deforestation it causes is decimating species such as orangutans and tigers - but the alternatives could be worse, finds authoritative report. More here.

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Photo by  Rémi Bigonneau UBC scientists say mammal threatened by climate change. More here.

NATIONAL OBSERVER BP Canada has spewed out 136,000 litres of a toxic mud into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Halifax during deepwater offshore exploratory oil drilling, a federal regulator says.  More here.

The New York Times Fracking in the Bakken formation of North Dakota.   Photo by  Joshua Doubek The American oil and gas industry is leaking more methane than the government thinks — much more, a new study says. Since methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, that is bad news for climate change. More here.

Science News. A pair of wild turkeys in Manitoba. A PinP photo. Researchers at the University of Guelph, Ontario have found residues of the insecticides in the livers of wild turkeys, providing evidence that this common agrochemical is being ingested by free-ranging animals. More here.

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO Researchers at the University of Waterloo may have discovered a new, pesticide-free way to limit mosquito populations in some area and reduce the spread of the West Nile virus. Story here. A more detailed version of this study can be found here.