PLANET IN PERIL

Western  Producer The U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken a step toward increasing the production of organic foods – which has not kept pace with demand, by launching a program to certify farmland that growers are in the process of switching to organic. Story here. An organic garden in Manitoba. PinP photo.

WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE A new study in the journal Nature  explores a vicious cycle: as a changing climate driven by greenhouse gas emissions warms the planet, soils heat up and the micro-organisms that live in the soil start to expel heat-trapping carbon dioxide, reinforcing the problem of climate change. Story here.

CBC news Documents show inspectors with the Canada Food Inspection Agency scrambled to meet deadline for time-sensitive salmon egg test. Story here. A wild Atlantic salmon. Photo credit - Wikipedia.

rabble.ca A forest in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, rendered "ghost-like" by hoarfrost. PinP photo. If you fly over a forest and look down, you'll see every green tree and plant reaching to the heavens to absorb the ultimate energy source: sunlight. What a contrast when you look down on… Story here.

The Washington Post A Mexican coastline. PinP photo.  Intense future climate change could have a far different impact on the world than current models predict, suggests a thought-provoking new study just out in the journal Science Advances.   Story here.

The Washington Post Your morning cup of joe, the must-have chair purchased at that trendy furniture store and the palm oil that’s key to a favourite family recipe, all have elements ripped from the habitat of a threatened or endangered animal somewhere in the world. Story here. Burrowing owl. PinP photo.

The Washington Post It may have been the most controversial climate change study in years. In the summer of 2015, a team of federal scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a  blockbuster pape r in Science that appeared to wipe away one of global warming doubters’ favorite arguments. The skeptics had for years suggested that…. Story here.

UN News Centre   Refugee children in Afghanistan. UN photo. Despite significant progress, too many children are still being left behind, with nearly 535 million of them living in harsh conditions, lacking access to decent health, education and protection services. Story here.

The Washington Post As the Arctic warms faster than any other place on the planet and sea ice declines, there is only one sure way to save polar bears from extinction, the government announced Monday: decisive action on climate change. Story here. Wikipedia photo.

EcoWatch The Obama administration formally denied today all pending permits to conduct seismic airgun blasting in the Atlantic Ocean. Seismic airgun blasting , an extremely loud and dangerous process used to search for oil and gas deposits deep below the ocean's surface, was originally proposed in an area twice the size of California, stretching from Delaware to Florida. Story here.

Manitoba Co-Operator Public opposition has not gone away after a decade of no development. Story here.

CBCnews Has just 20 kilometres of ice left before it breaks off. Story here.

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Canada’s 100 highest paid CEOs have set a new record: their total compensation in 2015 hit a new high at $9.5 million, on average, according to a new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).   Details here.

OCEANA Catches in NE Atlantic and North Sea could increase by 29% in less than five years if fishing limits followed scientific advice, report finds. Story here.

CBCnews Scientists, conservation groups want more movement from Pallister government on wetland protection. Story here. Great Blue heron. Hecla Island, MB PinP photo.

EcoWatch Climate scientists are all but assured that 2016 was the hottest year ever recorded. If that sounds familiar, 2014 and 2015 were also the hottest years since record-keeping began in 1880. Story here.

EcoWatch Whoever is managing Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources website must be wearing out the delete key. The word " climate " has been quietly stripped from the department's webpage dedicated to explaining the state's response to climate change, Raw Story reported. Story here.

NewRepublic Both leaders want the Keystone XL pipeline—and just might get their wish. Story here.

CBC radio An island crumbling into the ocean. A city that could go up in flames. A traditional lifestyle at risk. STORY HERE. A farm yard near Yorkton, SK,  circa 2010.  PinP photo.