MicroHawk's NewsScan

Eco-Economy Indicators - Grain Harvest - Bumper 2011 Grain Harvest Fails to Rebuild Global Stocks | EPI

The world’s farmers produced more grain in 2011 than ever before. Estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show the global grain harvest coming in at 2,295 million tons, up 53 million tons from the previous record in 2009. Consumption grew by 90 million tons over the same period to 2,280 million tons. Yet with global grain production actually falling short of consumption in 7 of the past 12 years, stocks remain worryingly low, leaving the world vulnerable to food price shocks.

via www.earth-policy.org

Forest health versus global warming: Fuel reduction likely to increase carbon emissions

There may be valid reasons to thin forests -- such as restoration of forest structure or health, wildlife enhancement or public safety -- but increased carbon sequestration is not one of them, scientists say.

via www.sciencedaily.com

CLIMATE CHANGE-BRAZIL: Contradictory Goals in Agriculture - IPS ipsnews.net

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 13, 2011 (IPS) - Brazil aims to meet its climate change targets in agriculture by stimulating techniques that have been proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – but which may increase the use of toxic agrochemicals, activists say.

via ipsnews.net

Southern States Targeted for Genetically Engineered Tree Plantations « Climate Connections

The USDA recently approved a request by ArborGen to plant over a quarter of a million genetically engineered eucalyptus trees across the southern United States in many of the same ecosystems damaged by Katrina and the Gulf oil spill. GE eucalyptus plantations will threaten recovery of the natural ecosystems:

Like kudzu, eucalyptus trees are wildly invasive, and spread into native ecosystems, displacing wildlife. Additionally, the oil in these eucalyptus trees is extremely flammable. California spends millions each year to eradicate invasive eucalyptus because of the threat of wildfires.  In 2009 over 200 people were killed in Australia in a firestorm fuelled by eucalyptus.  It was the worst fire in the country’s history.

Read the whole story and watch a short video at Climate Connections.

ENERGY: Brazilian Biofuels Run into EU Obstacles - IPS ipsnews.net

In the view of environmentalist Marcel Gomes, it is reasonable to criticise the different consequences that biofuels have for small and large farmers alike.

"When sugarcane is extended to an auspicious region, those who once produced various types of crops are obligated to grow sugarcane or soybeans, the raw materials for biofuels," said Gomes, coordinator of Repórter Brasil, a social journalism organisation that tracks issues related to slave labour and biofuels.

That change "does not affect the country's food security, but it does affect the small farmer who made a living from those fruits and their sales."

Rogério Rocco, a legislative candidate from the Green Party in October's elections and former superintendent of the governmental Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Resources, believes the country should remember its past negative experiences with monoculture.

"The crop monoculture of coffee and sugarcane devastated the Atlantic Forest (along the Brazilian coast). Today only eight percent of that original vegetation remains," Rocco told Tierramérica.

via ipsnews.net

Why Has the FDA Allowed a Drug Marked 'Not Safe for Use in Humans' to Be Fed to Livestock Right Before Slaughter? | | AlterNet

Though banned in Europe, Taiwan and China--more than 1,700 people were "poisoned" from eating Paylean-fed pigs since 1998 says the Sichuan Pork Trade Chamber of Commerce-- ractopamine is used in 45 percent of US pigs and 30 percent of ration-fed cattle says Elanco Animal Health which manufactures all three products.

How does a drug marked, "Not for use in humans. Individuals with cardiovascular disease should exercise special caution to avoid exposure. Use protective clothing, impervious gloves, protective eye wear, and a NIOSH-approved dust mask" become "safe" in human food? With no washout period?

via www.alternet.org

Cathie's notes: Yet another chemical pollution story for today -- this one speaks to Pharma's huge lack of corporate accountability with respect to livestock drugs in our food supply.

In that these drugs also cause suffering of animals for corporate profit, I think we can also call this out as exploitation of people and nature, thus making it a social and environmental justice issue as well.

Scott Dodd: More Evidence of Link Between Parkinson's and Pesticides

"Taken together," Henig writes, "30-plus years of research add up to an increasingly persuasive conclusion: exposure to pesticides and other toxins increases the risk of Parkinson's disease, and we are only now beginning to wrestle with the true scope of the damage."

Now the Washington University School of Medicine study can be added to that pile of evidence. According to Willis, its lead author, genetic factors explain only a small percent of Parkinson's cases. Environmental factors -- including prolonged exposure to herbicides and insecticides used in farming, as well as metals such as copper, manganese, and lead -- appear to be more common contributors to developing the disease.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Cathie's notes: This is but one example of what I was talking about in a previous post regarding preventive health care. The negative impacts of chemical pollution of air, water and soil continues to be implicated in all kinds of human and environmental health problems. Also see a post about impacts of agricultural herbicides on the health of a farming family here.

The full article has more info, a map, and links to further evidence of a link between Parkinson's and pesticides. Use the link above or click here.