"A fungus under control for 50 years is back and ravaging wheat crops in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Once it gets in a field, it corrodes the stalks, turning them shades of brown and red that gives the disease, wheat stem rust, its name. Farmers can do little but harvest what's left, sometimes losing 60% of their crop."
"It’s clear that Agent Orange was 'very widely used' in Ontario for more than three decades and may have been used in other provinces and territories, the Ontario government said Monday."
"A plan by almost 200 countries to step up efforts to fight climate change is set to miss a March deadline for starting work on a green fund to help developing nations, delegates said on Wednesday."
"This winter's heavy snowfalls and other extreme storms could well be related to increased moisture in the air due to global climate change, a panel of scientists said on Tuesday."
"Seven decades after the last reported sighting of the eastern cougar, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service declared it extinct Wednesday and recommended that it be removed from the nation's endangered species list."
"The Supreme Court of the United States ruled Tuesday that AT&T and other corporations do not have personal privacy rights under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)."
The sprawling Philadelphia metro area got Forbes' "most toxic" rating, mostly because of its 50-plus Superfund sites in 4 states. But California claimed four of the top 10 slots, mostly because of smog. Not all of the cities rushed to accept the distinction.
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ability to protect citizens from premature death and other health problems would be gutted if Congress slashes funding as threatened by Republican lawmakers, its chief said on Wednesday."
In addition to our regular pub night, SEJ members in the Toronto area are hosting a get-together with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers and his new book Here On Earth: A Natural History of the Planet. All journalists with an interest in the environment beat are welcome to join us for Sunday afternoon pints in the upstairs bar of the Harbord House Pub in Toronto from 3-5 p.m. Event is free, but space is limited so RSVP to SEJpubnight@saunderseditor.com
USDA's atlas provides data, at the county level, on scores of agricultural, demographic, and economic topics. Or on the national map, pick any given category and get an initial feel for national patterns, then click on individual counties for more detail. All data can be downloaded so you can work with it any way you want, and maps can be downloaded for your use.
