Posts

Soil communities threatened by destruction, instability of Amazon forests

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Science Daily  In this image, intact forest is deep green, while cleared areas are tan (bare ground) or light green (crops, pasture, or occasionally, second-growth forest). The fish-bone pattern of small clearings along new roads is the beginning of one of the common deforestation trajectories in the Amazon.  A NASA photo. The clearing and subsequent instability of Amazonian forests are among the greatest threats to tropical biodiversity conservation today.  Story here.

Will the rich escape climate apocalypse?

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New Internationalist The dirty grey is smoke from Alberta wildfires this year. Photo by NASA. The billionaire class is preparing for doomsday. Only problem is, the rest of us aren't invited.  Story here.

Albertans lose more than they gain with carbon tax repeal

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PEMBINA  INSTITUTE Slave Lake, Alberta, June 2011. The aftermath of the wildfire  that  destroyed one third of the town. Photo by Mrsramsey. Pembina Institute reacts to repeal of Alberta’s Climate Leadership Act. Story here.

Manitoba's "Protein Advantage"

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A few months ago, the Government of Manitoba invited input from the public on a proposal to expand production of protein-rich food, whether plant or animal-based, in this province. It claims, meeting this fast-growing global demand offers much bigger opportunities than those which have existed before, for both farmers and investors. The province has embarked on a massive expansion of its industrial pork industry by relaxing both health and environmental regulations and obviously hopes through this new initiative,  to make it even bigger. In this in-depth article, long-time farm activist and livestock producer, Ruth Pryzer, offers many valuable insights into why this all needs to be taken with several grains of salt. PinP

Reckless farming is harming the planet. This could save it

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CNN Business   A common site on the Canadian prairies at seeding time. Two big tractors with air seeders and chemical tanks attached, ready to roll. A PinP photo. The United Nations released a dire warning   recently: Climate change is here and it's a clear and present danger to our entire planet. Of course, we didn't need another report to tell us that — we see it in extreme and unusual weather, disappearing wildlife and falling farm yields. But there is one major cause of this global catastrophe that doesn't get the attention it deserves: industrial-scale chemical agriculture. Story here.

Plastic Proliferation Threatens the Climate on a Global Scale

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CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW. A crab trapped in a plastic cup. The plastic pollution crisis that overwhelms our oceans is also a significant and growing threat to the Earth’s climate. At current levels, greenhouse gas emissions from the plastic lifecycle threaten the ability of the global community to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C. With the petrochemical and plastic industries planning a massive expansion in production, the problem is on track to get much worse. Story here. 

‘Extraordinary thinning’ of ice sheets revealed deep inside Antarctica

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The Guardian Antarctica. Wikimedia public domain.  New research shows affected areas are losing ice five times faster than in the 1990s, with more than 100m of thickness gone in some places. Story here.

Two-thirds of world's longest rivers throttled by mankind: study

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PHYS ORG The design of the "site c" dam in B.C. Almost two in three of Earth's longest rivers have been severed by dams, reservoirs or other manmade constructions, severely damaging some of the most important ecosystems on the planet, researchers said Wednesday.  Story here.

Microplastics in freshwaters

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PHYS ORG Microplastics  in sediments from the rivers Elbe (A), Mosel (B),  Neckar (C), and Rhine (D). Note the diverse shapes (filaments,  fragments, and spheres) and that not all items are microplastics  (e.g., aluminum foil (C) and glass spheres and sand (D),  white arrowheads). The white bars represent 1 mm.  PhotoS by Martin Wagner  et al. As small as a grain of dust—but of great global significance. The word microplastics is familiar to many, but the dangers are virtually unexplored. In recent years, plastic pollution has become an ever-increasing burden on the environment. Countless videos and media reports draw attention to this problem. While the dangers of large plastic pieces for animals are impossible to overlook, there is practically nothing about the dangers posed by microplastics. But what are microplastics anyway?  Get the answer here.

Jury rules Roundup gave a California couple cancer - orders the manufacturer, Bayer, to pay $2B.

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by Larry Powell (Opinion) A pesticide collection depot in Manitoba. A PinP photo. It’s a record settlement in a Roundup case, so far. In Canada, there are no signs of similar court actions, even though   Roundup is generously applied here, too.   Sadly, our Canadian regulators seem far from vigilant in protecting the public against harmful chemicals. For example, less than a year ago, the PMRA re-registered a fungicide so its main uses can continue . That same product has just been banned in the EU as a possible carcinogen! And the same corporation, Bayer, is busily registering (or trying to register) its latest insecticide for use, worldwide, including Canada. Never mind that scientists are questioning Bayer’s claim that it is not harmful to pollinators.  The PMRA has been stone-silent on my own requests to justify this apparent inaction in either of these cases. I call it governance by neglect.  It is to be hoped that punishing fines like this will

Nunavut's ill-advised hunting proposal

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Science A polar bear and her two cubs. Photo by Alastair Rae. The government of one of Canada’s northern territories may soon adopt a recommendation which may well threaten the ability of the polar bear to reproduce. Story here.