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Canada needs to triple the amount of protected land and water to tackle 'nature emergency': report

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CBC News A Cape May warbler. So far, its populations are stable. Photo by PinP. Biodiversity is declining faster than at any other time in human history, study finds. Story here.

A popular farm fungicide, now banned in Europe as a suspected carcinogen, remains in widespread use in Canada today.

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 The European Union halted sales of all crop fungicides containing the active ingredient, chlorothalonil this spring. The move followed advice from its Food Safety Agency (EFSA) that  chlorothalonil   "may cause cancer in humans." Canada,  on the other hand, re-approved the same product just over  a  year ago. Hard numbers on amounts still being applied in this country  are hard to come by. But official government documents show  it continues to be approved for use in no less than 29  crop protection products.  by Larry Powell A ground sprayer in Manitoba. Stats Canada says farmers in that  province apply fungicides  "more frequently"  than their counterparts  in any other province, " possibly due to its large potato sector." A  PinP  photo. Chlorothalonil  is the active ingredient in  several agricultural fungicides used  to treat mildew, blight and mold in many food  crops.                                                     It's

Thirty years of unique data reveal what's really killing coral reefs

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Science News Study is world's longest record of reactive nutrients, alga concentrations for coral reefs.  Story here. Bleached coral. Photo by NOAA.

The Uninhabitable Earth

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New York Intelligencer.  Famine, economic collapse, a sun that cooks us:  What climate change could wreak — sooner than you think.   Story here. Photo by Oxfam.

The Guardian view on the climate emergency: a dangerous paralysis

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The Guardian The closer the prospect of disaster becomes, the less the government manages to do.    Story here. A PinP photo.

Don’t believe carbon pricing really works? Just ask B.C.

PEMBINA institute Carbon tax holds key to clean innovation. Story here.  

Seismic lines in Alberta's boreal forest boost methane emissions, according to UCalgary study

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                                                                        UToday Newly discovered emissions would increase Canada's national reporting of greenhouse gases.  Story here. Photo by Roland "Roly" Roesler. Photographer's Note This is an aerial view of the Northern Alberta landscape, somewhere between Athabasca and Swan Hills. It consists of numerous shallow lakes, muskeg, and the typical vegetation including spruce, willow and poplars. The typical patterns of the vegetation are determined by the consistence and composition of the semi-solid soil underneath.  The parallel lines that scar the landscape are seismic lines used for oil and gas exploration, and they cover good part of the province. Seismic exploration is somewhat similar in principle to radar, and even more similar to the ultrasound used in medical facilities. Straight, parallel stripes up to 10 m wide are cleared with bulldozers, and drilling equipment follows th

Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming

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Alternatives Journal Having an awareness of the worst possible climate change scenarios can be motivating rather than paralyzing, argues David Wallace-Wells. The climate crisis has the potential to bring people together in the massive efforts required to mitigate the disaster. Story here.

CO2 emissions are on track to take us beyond 1.5 degrees of global warming

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Science News A fertilizer plant in Brandon, Manitoba, Can. A PinP photo. Current and planned energy infrastructure could emit around 850 gigatons of the greenhouse gas.  Story here.

Could our changing lifestyles and a changing climate spell a return of deadly diseases like malaria to Canada? A recent scientific study warns - it's possible!

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by Larry Powell A malaria mosquito, Anopheles albimanus. Photo by CDC. Mosquito-born diseases (MBDs) like dengue fever and malaria aren't currently established in Canada, partly due to our harsh climate. But global warming combined with increasing international travel, could change all that.  New research by a Canadian team from the National Microbiology Lab, the Public Health Agency  of Canada (PHA) and two universities finds, given "an evolving situation" due to climate change, mosquitoes native to Canada "may become infected with new pathogens and move into new regions within Canada." But exotic species may move in, too, bringing diseases like malaria and dengue fever along with them, from afar, as well.  And, "With high levels of international travel, including to locations where the diseases are present," states the report, "there will be more travel-acquired cases of MBDs." As a result, the team stresses a nee

Due to extremely dry conditions, Manitoba livestock producers are being temporarily allowed to cut hay and graze animals on crown land.

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   Government of Manitoba Cattle graze on a Manitoba pasture. A  PinP  photo. Manitoba Agriculture advises that, due to dry conditions in parts of the province, livestock producers will temporarily be allowed to cut hay and allow animals to graze on Crown land not normally designated for agricultural use. Under certain circumstances, Crown land can be made available for agricultural use.  The Agricultural Crown Lands Leasing program will administer the use of available land and provide necessary permits.  Livestock must be removed when the naturally existing forage is exhausted or by Oct. 31.  Baled hay must be removed by Nov. 15. Producers with AgriInsurance contracts who intend to put their crop to alternate use are required to contact the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation office to arrange for a field appraisal prior to harvesting the crop.  Crop producers should also consider making crop residue available to livestock producers. For more informatio