Archives

    Archives

    Methane leak in California a ‘major catastrophe’

    Dec 31, 2015 – CBC News

    About 42 kilometres from Los Angeles a plume of methane is shooting into the sky. The cloud is invisible but it stretches for kilometres. Sealing the leak could take up to four months.

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    Freak storm pushes North Pole 50F above normal to melting point

    Dec 30, 2015 – Washington Post

    A powerful winter cyclone — the same storm that lead to two tornado outbreaks in the United States and disastrous river flooding — has driven the North Pole to the freezing point this week, 50 degrees above average for this time of year.

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    UK floods: ‘Complete rethink needed’ on flood defences

    Dec 28, 2015 – BBC News

    A “complete rethink” of the UK’s flood defences is required following widespread flooding across northern England, the Environment Agency says.

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    Devastating storm system leaves 43 dead across central and southern US

    Dec 28, 2015 – The Guardian

    Extreme weather in the southern and eastern US, which included deadly tornadoes in Texas, flash floods in Oklahoma and blizzards in New Mexico, was blamed on el Niño, with national weather agencies saying the weather system could continue to wreak havoc into midweek.

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    Floods of biblical proportions leave cities, towns and villages under water

    Dec 26, 2015 – The Guardian

    From Greater Manchester in the north-west to parts of North Yorkshire some 50 miles to the east, Boxing Day 2015 will be remembered as the day the rains came.

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    The warmest Christmas Eve the East Coast has ever seen is shattering records

    Dec 24, 2015 – Mashable

    The world’s hottest year is ending in the most fitting manner possible: with one of the most significant North American heat waves on record for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

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    Paris climate pact sinks coal stocks, lifts renewable energy

    Dec 14, 2015 – Reuters

    A landmark deal to curb global warming dented shares of fossil fuel companies and lifted renewable energy stocks on Monday, although some price swings were muted by the non-binding nature of the pact.

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    How US negotiators ensured landmark Paris climate deal was Republican-proof

    Dec 13, 2015 – The Guardian

    White House officials at COP 21 helped craft a deal congressional Republicans would not be able to stop – and the effort required major political capital

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    ‘Historic’ Paris climate deal adopted

    Dec 12, 2015 – CBC News

    Nearly 200 nations adopted the first global pact to fight climate change on Saturday, calling on the world to collectively cut and then eliminate greenhouse gas pollution but imposing no sanctions on countries that don’t.

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    Cutting emissions is more than an act of faith

    Dec 4, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    EDITORIAL – Getting to much lower emissions is all about hard work. There is nothing yet in the premier’s plan compelling Manitobans to change their daily lives. That will produce predictable results.

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    Province will cut GHG emissions by one-third by 2030: Selinger

    Dec 3, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    Manitoba plans to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions by a third by 2030 on its way to becoming a carbon-neutral province in 2080, Premier Greg Selinger announced Thursday.

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    “Racing Extinction” Is Ready to Become the Most-Watched Documentary in History

    Dec 1, 2015 – Vanity Fair

    Racing Extinction debuts Wednesday on the The Discovery Channel. Discovery’s executive vice president for documentaries and specials, estimates a potential audience of 2.4 billion—and at least 500 million expected to watch.

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    Zuckerberg, Gates and other tech titans form clean energy investment coalition

    Nov 30, 2015 – The Guardian

    Billionaires Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson and other high-profile entrepreneurs have pledged to spark a “new economic revolution” based around clean energy after launching a new investment drive for renewables.

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    Climate change strategy proves challenging

    Nov 29, 2015 – Winnipeg Sun

    Environmentalists are calling for economy-wide carbon taxes as a way to force emissions to finally be reduced. But Premier Greg Selinger says that levy won’t be part of his new climate change strategy due out this Thursday.

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    Winnipeggers call for change at climate march

    Nov 29, 2015 – CBC News

    Hundreds of people marched in Winnipeg Sunday afternoon to raise awareness about climate change and to call on governments to do more to invest in clean energy.

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    Justin Trudeau promises ‘Canadian approach’ to climate change

    Nov 23, 2015 – CBC News

    Justin Trudeau says he’s heading into the much-anticipated climate change talks in Paris next week with a “Canadian approach” to climate change, one that recognizes the work the provinces have already done.

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    Alberta’s climate change strategy targets carbon, coal, emissions

    Nov 22, 2015 – CBC news

    Alberta’s climate change strategy includes a tax on carbon, a cap on oilsands emissions, a phasing out of coal-fired electricity and an emphasis on wind power.

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    Province puts $150,000 toward geothermal-heat program expansion

    Nov 15, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    The province is expanding geothermal heating to two more First Nations. That brings the number of First Nations in Manitoba converting to the earth-based heating and cooling system to six.

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    Trudeau orders oil tanker ban that could kill Northern Gateway

    Nov 13, 2015 – National Observer

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a set of directives to his cabinet ministers Friday that included instructions to end oil tankers transits on B.C.’s northern coast — a move that observers say could finally kill the long embattled Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline proposal.

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    Barack Obama rejects Keystone XL pipeline

    Nov 6, 2015 – CBC News

    The Obama administration rejected TransCanada’s application to build the Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, capping a seven-year saga that became an environmental flashpoint in both Canada and the U.S.

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    Keystone XL pipeline owner TransCanada asks for a delay

    Nov 2, 2015 – New York Times

    The company that hopes to build the Keystone XL pipeline to carry crude oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast asked the Obama administration Monday to delay its review of the proposal — a striking turn that adds further uncertainty to a project that has generated bitter debate since it was proposed seven years ago.

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    Extreme heatwaves could push Gulf climate beyond human endurance, study shows

    Oct 26, 2015 – The Guardian

    The Gulf in the Middle East, the heartland of the global oil industry, will suffer heatwaves beyond the limit of human survival if climate change is unchecked, according to a new scientific study.

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    Oslo aims to make city center car-free within four years

    Oct 19, 2015 – Reuters

    Cars will be banned from central Oslo by 2019 to help reduce pollution, local politicians said on Monday, in what they said would be the first comprehensive and permanent ban for a European capital.

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    New environmental legislation will be the ‘backdrop to everything you do:’ Selinger

    Oct 16, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    With noted Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki at his side Friday, Premier Greg Selinger says his government will introduce legislation that would “enshrine environmental rights” in all provincial decisions.

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    Airship made in Manitoba almost ready for test flight

    Oct 16, 2015 – CBC News

    A made-in-Manitoba ultralight airship, believed to be the first in western Canada, will soon take flight as part of an experiment that its creators hope will eventually lead to more cargo transportation options in remote communities.

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    Developers face ‘disheartening’ fight against an anti-pipeline lobby that’s growing more organized

    Oct 14, 2015 – Bloomberg News

    The battle to build natural gas pipelines in the post-Keystone XL world has moved from the hearing room into the streets.

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    Albertans support tougher climate-change policies, including carbon tax, poll says

    Sep 30, 2015 – CBC News

    More than half of Albertans want the province to adopt stronger climate change policies, even if that means oilsands producers are faced with higher costs, a new poll suggests.

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    Bank of England governor warns of risks from climate change ‘tragedy of the horizon’

    Sep 29, 2015 – The Guardian

    Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, has warned that climate change will lead to financial crises and falling living standards unless the world’s leading countries do more to ensure that their companies come clean about their current and future carbon emissions.

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    Climate change is so bad that the US and China agree on it

    Sep 28, 2015 – Wired

    President Xi Jinping announced his country’s commitment to cutting emissions from the White House on September 24, the same day Pope Francis lectured Congress on how climate change is affecting the world’s poor. None of this is accidental.

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    Pope Francis backs urgent action on climate change, lauds Obama’s climate plan

    Sep 23, 2015 – Mashable

    In his first public remarks since arriving in the U.S. for an historic visit, Pope Francis jumped immediately into the hot-button issue of climate change policy by praising President Obama’s plan to curb emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases.

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    California Wildfires: Thousands flee as blazes force evacuations

    Sep 14, 2015 – NBC News

    Hundreds of buildings have been lost to a fast-moving Northern California wildfire that had forced thousands to flee Sunday and hospitalized four firefighters with second-degree burns.

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    Bowman backs emission co-ordinator, public reports

    Sep 10, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    Mayor Brian Bowman said Winnipeg needs a climate change co-ordinator and committed to making reports about the city’s greenhouse gas emissions public.

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    TransCanada investigates pipeline blaze that sent fireball into sky south of Emerson

    Sep 7, 2015 – CBC News

    TransCanada says it’s looking into what may have caused a natural gas pipeline fire that sent a large fireball into the sky south of the Canada-U.S. border in Minnesota over the weekend.

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    City holds out on hiring a new climate change co-ordinator

    Sep 5, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    As U.S. President Barack Obama implores world leaders to do more to combat climate change, the City of Winnipeg is doing less. The city parted ways this week with climate change co-ordinator Sean Madden, whose two-year contract ended Thursday. There are no immediate plans to replace him.

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    Obama’s climate-change talk stands in stark contrast to Canadian party leaders

    Sep 1, 2015 – Canadian Press

    An international summit on Arctic issues that seems designed to burnish the green legacy of U.S. President Barack Obama is highlighting the absence of climate debate so far in Canada’s federal election.

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    Weekend storms show cracks in Manitoba infrastructure

    Aug 24, 2015 – CBC News

    Manitoba can expect more storms similar to what we had this weekend, but it’s ill-prepared for that, according to one expert.

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    July was likely Earth’s hottest month in what’s destined to be Earth’s hottest year

    Aug 18, 2015 – Washington Post

    For planet Earth, no other month was likely as hot as this past July in records that date back to the late 1800s. And the global is well on its way to having its hottest year on record.

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    Oilsands water restrictions a climate change ‘preview:’ study

    Aug 18, 2015 – Canadian Press

    EDMONTON – Researchers have found that by mid-century — well within the expected lifespan of most oilsands developments — low water levels leading to withdrawal disruptions will increase by up to 40 per cent.

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    Intensifying ‘El Nino’ has surprises in store for Canadian weather

    Aug 15, 2015 – Global News

    TORONTO – Climate scientists are keeping a close eye on what this year’s El Nino could mean for Canada’s upcoming winter. The phenomenon could bring another warm, dry winter for the Prairies. Quebec and Ontario may see some relief after last year’s frigid temperatures.

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    Major concerns over pipeline proposal

    Aug 13, 2015 – The Star

    A 96-page report from the Ontario Energy Board raises a host of concerns about TransCanada’s proposal to convert its natural gas pipeline to carry crude oil from Alberta, through Ontario to the East Coast.

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    Harley-Davidson plugs into the future with electric prototype

    Aug 13, 2015 – Globe & Mail

    Enter the Harley LiveWire – a prototype electric motorcycle, but unquestionably one that is headed to market (widely rumoured by 2020). It is the bike that could change everything you think about the largest mass-produced U.S. bike manufacturer.

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    Revealed: Canadian government spent millions on secret tar sands advocacy

    Aug 12, 2015 – The Guardian

    Canada’s Conservative government spent several million dollars on a tar sands advocacy fund as its push to export the oil faltered, documents reveal. The documents were revealed through a freedom of information (FOI) request.

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    Diet change cuts methane emissions in cow burps

    Aug 4, 2015 – Sydney Morning Herald

    A team of Victorian and international scientists has found that a new additive included in a dairy cow’s diet can cut the cow’s methane emissions when it belches by almost one third.

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    California wildfires torch 134,000 acres – and counting

    Aug 4, 2015 – CNN

    Firefighters in steep terrain and rugged conditions in California are fighting nearly two dozen wildfires that have torched more than 134,000 acres. That’s nearly three times the state’s 5-year wildfire average for this time of year,

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    Melting glaciers and drought in Alberta’s future

    Aug 4, 2015 – CBC News

    Receding glaciers and lack of rain are already having an impact on local waterways, but there’s more bad news to come.

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    Barack Obama sets stricter power plant emissions cuts

    Aug 3, 2015 – Associated Press

    U.S. President Barack Obama has announced even steeper greenhouse gas cuts from power plants than previously expected, a challenge to the rest of the world to take serious action as a global summit to finalize a landmark climate change treaty approaches at the end of this year.

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    Otterburne Pipeline explosion findings released

    Tue Jul 28, 2015 – Global News

    WINNIPEG — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has released its report into a large pipeline explosion near Otterburne, Manitoba, in January 2014.

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    B.C. Premier Clark fears raging wildfires new norm, blames climate change

    Jul 23, 2015 – Hamilton Spectator

    WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — Relentless forest fires burning across British Columbia may be the new normal, Premier Christy Clark warned as she stood not far from a raging fire that threatened homes in her own riding.

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    Massive Alberta oil spill bigger than Kalamazoo disaster

    Jul 17, 2015 – National Observer

    Oil sands giant Nexen has apologized for one of the largest petroleum spill disasters in Canadian history at its facility just south of Fort McMurray.

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    Seven more Alberta coun­ties con­sid­er de­clar­ing states of agri­cul­tur­al dis­as­ter

    Jul 16, 2015 – Edmonton Journal

    EDMONTON – Seven more Alberta coun­ties are con­sid­ering declaring states of agri­cul­tur­al dis­as­ter as persistent dry weather threatens the livelihoods of farmers across the province.

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    Crazy rain storm creates flash flood in St. Pierre-Jolys

    Jul 16, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    Vehicles were stalled on Highway 59 in St. Pierre-Jolys on Wednesday night, and even floating, after about 75 millimetres of rain fell in less than an hour.

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    Premiers set to fast-track oil pipelines

    Jul 13, 2015 – Globe & Mail

    The Canadian Energy Strategy will be finalized and unveiled at a premiers’ conference in St. John’s beginning Wednesday. But The Globe and Mail has obtained a draft of the plan that reveals the key points and stumbling blocks.

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    Al Gore on why he remains hopeful about climate change

    Jul 10, 2015 – The Star

    On the climate change front, there is rarely any good news. But former U.S. vice-president Al Gore — who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to build awareness of climate change — is optimistic about the future.

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    Climate Summit of the Americas begins in Toronto

    Jul 8, 2015 – Canadian Press

    Hundreds of invitation-only delegates are attending a two-day Climate Summit of the Americas in Toronto. The conference is hosted by Ontario and aims to bolster the fight against global warming.

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    Fires in Kootenays advance on homes, then retreat – but alerts still in place

    Jul 6, 2015 – Global News

    It’s been a harried 24 hours for several communities in the Kootenays. Last night several fires expanded in the region, causing an evacuation order south of Cranbrook and an evacuation alert just next to Nelson.

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    Jane Fonda attends Toronto rally for ‘Jobs, Justice, Climate’

    July 5, 2015 – Global News

    TORONTO — Screen icon Jane Fonda made an appearance Sunday at the kick-off for the Jobs, Justice and the Climate March.

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    Study: Polar bears could feel bite of climate change by 2025

    Jul 2, 2015 – Associated Press

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The U.S. Geological Survey says updated scientific models don’t bode well for polar bear populations across the world, especially in Alaska, the only U.S. state with the white bears.

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    Britain, Western Europe endure record heat wave

    Jul 1, 2015 – UPI

    LONDON – Britain just endured its hottest July day on record. The official temperature of 36.7 C broke a record set in 2006, and prompted a Level 3 “heatwave action” to be declared by the Meteorological Office.

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    Obama sets sizzling climate action pace in push to leave legacy

    Jun 26, 2015 – The Guardian:

    Two years after Barack Obama’s sweeping promise to fight climate change on 25 June 2013, the president has used his executive powers to spit out new climate events or announcements at a dizzying rate of one every 4.5 days this year.

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    For first time, a court orders a government to act on global warming

    Wed Jun 24 – Mashable

    In a landmark victory for climate activists, a court in the Netherlands ruled Wednesday that the government must take action to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming.

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    Ministers talk GHG, offer few specifics

    Jun 24, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    WINNIPEG – Canada’s environment ministers wrapped up a two-day meeting in Winnipeg on Tuesday devoted mainly to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction — the first time in about a decade the issue has taken centre stage at one of their annual gatherings.

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    Pope Francis urges ‘decisive’ climate change action

    Jun 18, 2015 – CBC News

    Pope Francis demanded swift action on Thursday to save the planet from environmental ruin, urging world leaders to hear “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” and plunging the Catholic Church into political controversy over climate change.

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    In North Dakota’s Bakken oil boom, there will be blood

    Jun 13, 2015 – Reveal News

    Across the Bakken, deeply entrenched corporate practices and weak federal oversight inoculate energy producers against responsibility when workers are killed or injured, while shifting the blame to others.

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    World’s tallest passive-house building breaks ground in NY

    Jun 12, 2015 – New York Times

    An apartment tower in New York will be the tallest passive-house high-rise in the world – and it will be affordable for university students.

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    In Stunning Reversal, ‘Big Oil’ Asks for Carbon Price

    Jun 1, 2015 – Climate Central

    In a stunning reversal of years of obstructionism to creating a global framework to deal with climate change, CEOs from global oil and gas behemoths Shell, BP, Total, Statoil, Eni and the BG Group have signaled that they’re ready for a price on carbon.

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    Dozens of Canada’s tar sands projects on hold as prices fall, analysis shows

    May 29, 2015 – The Guardian

    Some 39 projects containing 13bn barrels of oil are currently delayed or on hold, according to analysis published on Friday. The projects – a combination of open-cast mines and drilling – would pump 7.8bn tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere if they went ahead.

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    India doctors’ leave canceled as heat wave kills 1,100

    May 27, 2015 – Reuters

    A heat wave in India has killed more than 1,100 people this week as temperatures soar above 47 Celsius (116.6 Fahrenheit), and doctors’ leave has been canceled to help cope with the sick.

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    Across U.S., Heaviest Downpours On The Rise

    May 27, 2015 – Climate Central

    Record-breaking rain across Texas and Oklahoma this week caused widespread flooding, the likes of which the region has rarely, if ever, seen. For seven locations there, May 2015 has seen the most rain of any month ever recorded. The unprecedented amounts suggest a possible climate change signal.

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    Pedestrians and cyclists key to urban renewal

    May 25, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    Transforming downtown into a walkable city centre that focuses on the pedestrian and cyclist experience first is the most important investment Winnipeg can make to promote an urban lifestyle different from the suburbs.

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    Pipeline company responsible for California oil spill has history of disasters in Alberta

    May 25, 2015 – National Observer

    As oil tars up the marine life and beaches of California and makes its way up the B.C. coast, the company responsible for the spill — Plains All American L.P.— is quietly expanding oil pipeline operations in Canada.

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    Three in four Manitobans believe in climate change: poll

    Winnipeg Free Press – May 20, 2015

    Whether or not climate change was to blame for the 2.5 cm of snow that fell in Winnipeg Sunday night, a new Forum Research poll suggests almost three in four Manitobans believe climate change is very real.

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    Canada’s government plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030

    May 15, 2015 – CBC News

    Canada announced Friday it plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 amid international efforts to create a new framework for addressing climate change.

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    Sea level rise is accelerating

    CBC News – May 12, 2015

    Sea levels over the past two decades have risen faster than previously thought, suggests a new study that reassesses the accuracy of satellite data.

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    Show the Free Press the city’s worst spots for cycling

    Winnipeg Free Press – May 11, 2015

    THE Free Press is asking cyclists to submit their own photos of troublesome spots they encounter in their travels.

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    Study: Cutting carbon dioxide saves 3,500 US lives a year

    May 4, 2015

    The Obama Administration’s hotly debated plan to reduce heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the nation’s power plants will save about 3,500 lives a year by cutting back on other types of pollution as well, a new independent study concludes.

     

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    Active transportation gets a leg up from Winnipeg city council

    May 1, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    The City of Winnipeg plans to invest 330 million dollars in active transportation over 20-years to encourage walking and cycling in Winnipeg.

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    Analysis – Stephen Harper draws up election 2015 strategy on climate change

    April 30, 2015 – CBC News

    Stephen Harper surprised a lot of people when he said Canada’s soon-to-be-announced target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2020 will not be the same as the U.S.

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    Dakota Tipi installs hi-tech energy system

    Apr 30, 2015 – Portage OnLine

    Dakota Tipi First Nation near Portage la Prairie installed a hi-tech solar panel system on their administration building in early 2015. There are now plans to install a similar system on the school in 2016.

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    Audi just invented fuel made from CO₂ and water

    Apr 28, 2015 – Time

    An Audi research facility in Dresden, Germany, has managed to create the first batches of diesel fuel with a net-zero carbon footprint — made from carbon dioxide (CO2), water and renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power.

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    Extreme weather already on increase due to climate change, study finds

    Apr 27, 2015 – The Guardian

    Extreme heatwaves and heavy rain storms are already happening with increasing regularity worldwide because of manmade climate change, according to new research.

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    Harper suggests Canada likely won’t match U.S. emissions targets

    Apr 23, 2015 – CBC News

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper says it is unlikely that Canada will join the United States in a pledge to meet tough new targets for greenhouse-gas emissions over the coming decade.

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    Selinger wants Manitoba to set emissions targets for UN Climate Change Conference in November

    Apr 15, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    OTTAWA — Manitoba should have new emissions targets ready to announce in time for a worldwide conference on climate change scheduled for this fall, Premier Greg Selinger said Tuesday.

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    Get involved in climate change, premiers tell Ottawa

    Apr 14, 2015 – Canadian Press

    QUEBEC – Provincial leaders from across Canada reaffirmed their commitment to fight climate change on Tuesday even as a meeting revealed major differences among them on how to achieve the objective.

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    Energy East pipeline puts Winnipeg drinking water at risk, Barlow says

    Apr 12, 2015 – CBC News

    A Canadian social action organization opposing the Energy East pipeline says the project puts Winnipeg’s drinking water supply at risk.

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    Dramatic photos of Vancouver oil spill spark pipeline outrage on social media

    Apr 9, 2015 – CBC News

    As a toxic bunker fuel spill spread across Vancouver’s English Bay and washed ashore on the city’s many beaches, people took to social media to share worrying photos, along with fears for the province’s environmental future.

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    Canada meets climate change

    Apr 8, 2015 – Country Guide

    It’s time to stop unscientific denials, and to get on with the job of preparing our farms for the real changes that are coming.

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    Energy East to run across Manitoba, under Winnipeg aqueduct

    Apr 8, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    Premier Selinger will be in Quebec City next week to discuss climate change with the other premiers. He’ll face an important decision: Will he act on climate? Or will he support the Energy East pipeline? The pipeline’s cheerleaders would like him to believe he can do both. The facts suggest otherwise.

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    No debate on Manitoba’s secret love affair

    Apr 8, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    Despite assurances of equal time for panellists and respectful conversation, no one from the industry or from government seems to want to talk to the public about pipelines or fracking.

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    Energy East pipeline puts northern environment at risk: report

    Apr 8, 2015 – CBC News

    A provincial report says the Energy East oil pipeline comes with significant environmental risk and small economic reward for northern Ontario. The report comes out of a year-long review of the project by the Ontario Energy Board.

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    Boreal forest suffering ‘significant’ losses in Russia, Canada

    Apr 2, 2015 – CBC News

    Russia and Canada led the world in the loss of tree cover in 2013, according to analysis of new satellite images by researchers and Global Forest Watch.

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    Energy East scraps plans for a Quebec port: report

    Apr 1, 2015 – Montreal Gazette

    The Parti Québécois opposition welcomed news that TransCanada Corp. will not build an oil port in Quebec as part of its cross-country Energy East pipeline project.

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    Canada lags on greenhouse gas targets, critics charge

    Mar 30, 2015 – CBC News

    The UN set the end of March as an unofficial deadline for developed nations to submit their reduction targets. The European Union, Switzerland and Norway have all produced their plans. The United States is expected to submit its targets soon. Canada, however, says it won’t announce any targets until later this year.

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    Local businessman has a plan for a Winnipeg without rail lines

    Mar 28, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    Winnipeg businessman Art DeFehr says relocating the rail lines outside the Perimeter Highway would cost roughly $700 million but free up hundreds of acres of prime land for high-density housing and rapid transit and shrink the chances of a Lac-Mégantic-type disaster.

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    Valve malfunction causes 30,000-litre oil spill near Virden

    Mar 27, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    An oil spill on a three-well pad near Cromer leached out to the point where it affected adjacent farmland. The spill dropped 30,000 litres of crude on the ground Monday after an O-ring on a check valve near the separator malfunctioned, causing oil to leak out.

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    RRC to unveil new Level 3 electric-vehicle charging station

    Mar 25, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    Red River College is putting a charge in the local electric car market today. The college is unveiling a Level 3 (30KW DC) electric-vehicle quick charging station at 10 a.m. at the Notre Dame campus this morning.

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    Pine beetles moving into Boreal Forest

    Apr 2015 issue – National Geographic

    The Mountain Pine beetle has killed whole mountainsides of lodgepole pine across ten states and two Canadian provinces. Now it is in the jack pine of the Boreal Forest and is spreading easterly. The beetle has us to thank for warming the whole planet with our carbon dioxide emissions.

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    Norway’s sovereign wealth holds lessons for Canada

    Mar 20, 2015 – CBC News

    Twenty-five years ago, Norway chose to bank the returns from its oil resources, and it has paid off handsomely – to the tune of $1 trillion. Alberta can only look on with envy.

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    Crude oil, salt water contaminate Waskada area farmland after Tundra Oil spill

    Mar 18, 2015 – CBC News

    Winnipeg-based Tundra Oil and Gas is cleaning up a spill that contaminated farmland near the town of Waskada early last month.

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    Low-carbon economy within reach for Canada, say researchers

    Mar 18, 2015 – CBC News

    Dozens of Canada’s top scholars are urging a sweeping remake of how the country produces and uses its energy in a necessary effort to wean itself off fossil fuels. But don’t worry, they say. This will hardly hurt at all.

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    Global energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide stalled in 2014

    Mar 13, 2015 – Wired.com

    Global emissions of carbon dioxide from the energy sector stalled in 2014, marking the first time in 40 years in which there was a halt or reduction in emissions of the greenhouse gas that was not tied to an economic downturn.

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    Energy East pipeline too close for comfort for Manitoba farmer

    Mar 10, 2015 – Vancouver Observer

    The prospect of a giant pipeline pumping 1.1 million barrels of oil less than one kilometre past her southern Manitoba farm is alarming,  says organic farmer Louise May. The pipeline also runs beside Winnipeg’s methane-rich landfill, within eyeshot of her home.

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    New models yield clearer picture of emissions’ true costs

    Mar 4, 2015 – ScienceDaily

    When its environmental and human health toll is factored in, a litre of gasoline costs us about $1.00 more than the pump price, a new Duke University study finds.

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    U.S. Senate fails to override Obama’s Keystone XL veto

    Mar 4, 2015 – CBC News

    Republicans have failed to muster enough votes to overrule U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent veto of a bill that would have approved the Keystone XL pipeline.

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    Feds quietly canvass provinces for climate change measures ahead of Paris talks

    Mar 3, 2015 – Canadian Press

    OTTAWA – Canada’s contribution to a major United Nations climate change conference later this year will be heavily dependent on actions by provincial and territorial governments.

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    Even at $10/barrel, oil can’t match solar on cost

    Mar 2, 2015 – reNewEconomy.com

    One of the biggest banks in the Middle East and the oil-rich Gulf countries says that fossil fuels can no longer compete with solar technologies on price, and says the vast bulk of the $US48 trillion needed to meet global power demand over the next two decades will come from renewables.

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    Obama veto of Keystone XL bill not the final word in pipeline dispute

    Feb 24, 2015 – Canadian Press

    WASHINGTON – U.S. President Barack Obama made good Tuesday on a threat to veto a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, bringing the two sides in the long-running controversy to a rare point of agreement: their battle is far from over. The top Republican in the House of Representatives, John Boehner says: ”We are not going to give up in our efforts to get this pipeline built — not even close.”

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    Energy industry paid climate deniers’ star scientist

    Feb 24, 2015 – CBC Radio

    Willie Soon is one of the few bona fide scientists whose research has famously been used by climate change deniers in Washington to support their claims. But according to documents obtained by Greenpeace through a freedom of information request, nearly all of Soon’s climate research over the last 14 years was funded by the energy industry.

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    Pipeline lessons learned?

    Feb 20, 2015 – Vancouver Sun

    After a terrible year for safety in 2012, a zero-incident campaign was promised in Canada. Today, the number of incidents — spills, fires and the like — is down sharply, but parts of the picture are more murky.

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    TransCanada seeks approval for Upline Pipeline going north from N.D.

    Feb 19, 2015 – Associated Press

    BISMARCK, N.D. – The Canadian company behind the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline will seek U.S. government approval for another pipeline – this one going north.

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    ‘Anti-petroleum’ movement a growing security threat to Canada, RCMP say

    Feb 17, 2015 – Globe and Mail

    OTTAWA – The RCMP has labelled the “anti-petroleum” movement as a growing and violent threat to Canada’s security, raising fears among environmentalists that they face increased surveillance, and possibly worse, under the Harper government’s new terrorism legislation.

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    This new Tesla battery will power your home, and maybe the electric grid too

    Feb 12, 2015 – Washington Post

    Tesla is working on a battery that can power your home and even help large-scale utilities store energy more efficiently, according to company chief executive Elon Musk.

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    Apple deal, tax change could spark corporate solar stampede

    Feb 11, 2015 – Reuters

    Apple Inc’s deal to buy nearly $1 billion of power from a massive First Solar Inc plant could be the first of a stampede of contracts driven by the looming change in a solar tax incentive that makes such projects particularly attractive.

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    Rapid-transit funding outlined

    Feb 10, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    The announcement of the largest municipal infrastructure project in Winnipeg’s history – it’s also the first public-private partnership of its kind for transit in Canada – was made by representatives of all three levels of government at the downtown bus depot Monday afternoon.

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    Pineapple Express weather system prompts climate-change worries in B.C.

    Feb 8, 2015 – Globe and Mail

    Warm weather and rain linked to the Pineapple Express weather system is forcing Mount Washington Alpine Resort on Vancouver Island to shut down its winter operations as of Monday, a rare situation that comes as industry operators fear the impact of climate change.

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    Norway presents pledge for UN climate deal: cutting emissions by 40 per cent by 2030

    Feb 4, 2015 – Associated Press

    STOCKHOLM – Norway says it will cut its emissions of global warming gases by 40 per cent by 2030, aligning itself with the target set by the European Union.

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    EPA Keystone review links oil sands to carbon emission jump

    Feb 3, 2015 – Bloomberg News

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said developing Canadian oil sands would significantly increase greenhouse gases, a conclusion environmental groups said gives President Barack Obama reason to reject the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

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    Energy East meeting angers citizens over unanswered questions

    Jan 29, 2015 – Vancouver Observer

    An Ottawa public meeting about the Energy East project got heated last week when 350 citizens showed up with pointed questions about how the giant oil-sands pipeline might impact their waterways. Many were flummoxed they were not getting straight answers.

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    Climate change will make storms nastier but less frequent, study says

    Jan 29, 2015 – CBC News

    Large storms like the blizzard that battered New England this week may become more severe but less frequent as the Earth’s climate changes, scientists said on Thursday.

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    New infill condos going up

    Jan 26, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    A group of local developers is about to launch two new infill condominium projects in the city, one in the Wolseley area and the other in the Maples. They hope to complete the Wolseley complex by October or November of this year and the Maples project by the spring of 2016.

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    ‘Climate change is real and not a hoax,’ US Senate overwhelmingly decides

    Jan 22, 2014 – LA Times

    The U.S. Senate has made it official: Climate change is not a hoax. On Wednesday, the US Senate voted 98 to 1 in favour of the resolution: “It is the sense of the Senate that climate change is real and not a hoax.”

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    Chevy Bolt electric car could be ‘first mass-market EV success’

    Jan 13, 2015 – LA Times

    For years automakers have failed to make an electric car with the two qualities most drivers demand: a long driving range and a low sticker price. Now General Motors, in a dramatic model debut in Detroit, says it has unlocked the magic formula.

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    Water pollution worries to surface at Energy East pipeline meetings

    Jan 13, 2015 – CBC News

    KENORA – A meeting Tuesday night in Kenora signals the start of a new round of public consultations on the Energy East pipeline. Both supporters and opponents of the plan in northwestern Ontario have concerns.

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    NAFTA scrutiny of oilsands tailings ponds opposed by Canada

    Jan 12, 2015 – CBC News

    Canada is trying to stop NAFTA’s environmental watchdog from taking a closer look at the environmental effects of the huge tailings ponds produced by Alberta’s oilsands, and it appears Mexico and the U.S. will go along with efforts to stop a formal investigation.

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    Oil price slide: Alberta should look at carbon tax, economist says

    Jan 8, 2015 – CBC News

    The sooner Alberta decreases its economic dependence on the oilsands, the better off the province will be, says Jeff Rubin former chief economist at CIBC World Markets. Alberta Premier Jim Prentice says the plummeting price of oil means the province is facing a $500-million deficit this year instead of a budget surplus.

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    Leave fossil fuels buried to prevent climate change, study urges

    Jan 7, 2015 – The Guardian

    New research is first to identify which reserves must not be burned to keep global temperature rise under 2C, including over 90% of US and Australian coal and almost all Canadian tar sands.

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    LNG pipelines cannot be converted for oil: new BC law

    Jan 7, 2014 – Vancouver Observer

    B.C. will ban the future conversion of proposed Liquified Natural Gas pipelines for the transport of oil or bitumen, the provincial government said Tuesday. The move is being seen as an effort to quell suspicions that LNG pipelines are being proposed as a backdoor way to build oil sands pipelines in the future.

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    Climate change study says most of Canada’s oil reserves should be left underground

    Jan 7, 2015 – CBC News

    According to a new study published in the scientific journal Nature, Canada’s oil patch would have to be left mostly unexploited if the world is to avoid a rise in average temperature of two degrees or more, as almost every country in the world has committed to do.

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    White House: Obama would veto Keystone bill

    Jan 6, 2015 – Washington Post

    President Obama would veto a bill that would allow for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, the White House said Tuesday. “If this bill passes this Congress, the president wouldn’t sign it,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest.

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    Idling your car a waste of money

    Jan 2, 2015 – Winnipeg Free Press

    WINNIPEG – You may want to think twice before warming up your car for extended periods of time during this winter’s deep-freeze. “It adds to wear and tear on the vehicle, and it also can just be a waste of money,” said John Correia, mechanic at Super Lube on Regent Avenue.

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