Posts

Re-thinking extinction

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New research  suggests that pollution may be playing a bigger and more ominous role in pushing many of Canada's plants and animals to the brink than earlier thought. by Larry Powell                                               One of the species at risk, the small white lady's slipper,  Cypripedium candidum.  Photo by Mason Brock . Habitat loss, climate change and invasive species are often referred to as significant players in Earth's calamitous descent into a sixth Great Extinction. While those factors obviously play a part, this new study better recognizes the magnitude of the role played by yet another culprit in the piece - pollution. The authors of the research label contamination of our air, soil and water as a "pervasive, often invisible threat to biodiversity in Canada."  And, up until now, the threat it poses, especially to vascular plants (ones that flower, bear fruit and seed), they suggest, has been underestimated by experts in the

Wexit and climate pollution: a tale of two Canadas

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National Observer This PinP photo was taken along a highway construction project in SK. There are already two Canadas when it comes to climate pollution, and they've been heading in opposite directions for years. A successful "Wexit" would split them into two separate countries: One would become the world's most climate polluting country per person, with an economy twice as dirty as China's. Story here.

Earth set to warm 3.2 C by 2100 unless efforts to cut emissions are tripled, new UN report finds

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CBC News Syrian & Iraqi refugees. Photo by Ggia. One expert calls findings of 3.2 C warming 'terrifying.’ Story here.

Greenhouse gas levels at an all-time high - again. A WMO video.

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Greenhouse gas concentrations in atmosphere reach yet another high

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WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION Sunset over Manitoba. A PinP photo. Levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached another new record high, according to the World Meteorological Organization.  Story here.

The loss of ‘eternal ice’ threatens Mongolian reindeer herders’ way of life

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ScienceNews Map: Distribution of Rangifer tarandus (Caribou/Reindeer) TBjornstad Newly-recorded oral histories of the Tsaatan people help researchers document climate change.  Story here.  

Nearly all (North) America's endangered species will struggle to adapt to climate crisis

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The Guardian An emaciated moose in Riding Mtn. National Park, Canada. A PinP photo. All but one of 459 species have traits making them vulnerable to rising temperatures, study finds. Story here. To quote from the initial study in Nature, Climate Change:  "Climate change is a threat to ecosystems and biodiversity globally and has emerged as a driver of observed and potential species decline and extinction. Government laws and policies should play a vital role in supporting climate change adaptation for imperilled species, yet imperilled species protections have been critiqued as insufficient in Australia, Canada and Europe."   PinP -->

Australian blazes will ‘reframe our understanding of bushfire’

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Science Magazine Fire on Cape Barren Is. Australia, 2016. Photo by Planet Labs, Inc. Summary Australia is on fire like never before—and this year's "bushfire" season, which typically peaks in January or February, has barely begun. Driven in part by a severe drought, fires have burned 1.65 million hectares in the state of New South Wales, more than the state's total in the previous 3 years combined. Six people have died and more than 500 homes have been destroyed. As  Science  went to press, some 70 uncontrolled fires were burning in adjacent Queensland, and South Australia was bracing for potentially "catastrophic" burns. David Bowman, a fire geographer and director of the Fire Centre Research Hub at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, spoke with  Science  about the unprecedented crisis. The flames have charred even wet ecosystems once thought safe, he says. And the fires have become "white-hot politically," with Prime Minister Sco

End the criminalization of land rights defenders. (Video)

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Juul spreads over the world as home market collapses in scandal

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BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM E-cigarettes. Photo by Ecig Click The embattled American vape company Juul is pushing foreign governments to ditch strict e-cigarette regulations as it aggressively expands across the globe in an attempt to offset lost profits in the US. Story here.

Fueling Concerns of Approaching Catastrophic 'Tipping Point,' Deforestation of Brazilian Amazon Hit Highest Level in Decade

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Common Dreams Another denizen of the Amazon. Photo by Tom MacKenzie -  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "These figures confirm what we feared, namely that 2019 has been a dark year for the rainforest in Brazil."    Story here.