GreenWatch

B. McPherson Is this the future of our food? In an end around move, the Democratic representative, Senator Barbara Mikulski, has championed a clause buried in the US budget that would negate the powers of the judiciary when it comes to banning the planting of certain GM(genetically modified) crops. In the past, some judges have stopped or slowed the release into the environment of GM seeds. The new rider inserted into law will allow transgenic seeds to be planted before the US Department of Agriculture has assessed their environmental impact.  The rider pertains to transgenic crops that have been deregulated by the USDA but then had that approval overturned by a judge — a scenario that has occurred with genetically engineered alfalfa and sugar beets. In such a situation, the agency “shall” immediately issue permits or a partial deregulation order that would temporarily allow farmers to continue growing and selling the crop until USDA is done re-evaluating it...

B. McPherson These titans move tonnes of coal for shipment to Asia.   Open pit coal mines in the Elk River Valley of BC are slowly poisoning the river. Excessive amounts of selenium, nitrate and sulphate are leaching into the formerly pristine waters, poisoning the fauna. Teck Resources operates five open pit coal mines in the area. They admit they are having some difficulties with leachate and are working to improve the situation. In the meantime, these environmental toxins are accumulating in the river and in the bodies of animals there. Teck’s plan to reduce these pollutants will still have these unwanted chemicals exceed provincial water quality standards. An uptick in the frequency of spinal and eye deformities of the cutthroat trout has been observed by scientists. A study conducted by scientists at the University of Montana released troubling figures. “Dr. Hauer said the Elk River data is “pretty alarming,” because it points to a chronic pollution p...

B. McPherson Dried soybeans On the surface the financial turnaround in Argentina is nothing short of miraculous but dig a little deeper and the true costs become apparent. A decade ago Argentina was bankrupt and defaulted on its international debts. Today it is solvent. Gone are the gauchos and cattle on the pampas. Here is huge industrial production of soy beans. 95% of the crop is exported for animal feed and for humans, a cheap source of protein. 98% or more of the vast soy plantations are made up of Monsanto’s genetically modified plants. The juggernaut of soy conversion has grown since the first introduction of the GM seeds in 1996. The current Argentine government, led by President Cristina Kirchner, is in full support of the cultivation of the cash crop. Currently over half the arable land in the north of the country is devoted to growing soy. Argentina is now the number one exporter of soybeans in the world. For each tonne of soybeans sold, the government get...