To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

×
    LATEST NEWSOPINIONCLIMATEECONOMY POLITICS RIGHTS & JUSTICEWAR & PEACE
    LATEST NEWS
    OPINION

    agriculture

    Culled minks are seen on November 14, 2020 in Jyllinge, Denmark.

    Spread of Bird Flu to Mammals Could Put Humans in Danger, Scientists Warn

    "This is an infection that has epidemic and pandemic potential," said one doctor. "I don't know if people recognize how big a deal this is."

    Kenny Stancil
    Feb 03, 2023

    As a deadly strain of avian influenza continues to decimate bird populations around the world and spread among other animals, some scientists are warning that mammal-to-mammal transmission has emerged as a real possibility with potentially catastrophic consequences for humans.

    Over the past year, officials in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada have detected cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu in a variety of species, including bears, foxes, otters, raccoons, and skunks. Last month, a cat suffered serious neurological symptoms from a late 2022 infection, according to French officials who said that the virus showed genetic characteristics consistent with adaptation to mammals.

    Keep Reading Show Less
    News
    bird flu
    Farmworker Adrian Gonzalez irrigates a field of newly planted alfalfa on December 29, 2022 in Calipatria, California.

    Tackle 'Abuse of Water' by Big Ag and Big Oil, Advocates Say Amid Colorado River Fight

    One campaigner implored governors and the Biden administration to "muster the political will to stop the expansion of water-intensive crops like tree nuts and alfalfa, factory farms, fracking, and fossil fuel extraction."

    Kenny Stancil
    Feb 03, 2023

    Since the seven Colorado River Basin states failed again this week to reach a consensus on a plan to conserve the region's dwindling water resources, environmental justice campaigners have implored officials to prioritize combating the "overuse and abuse" of water by agribusiness and fossil fuel corporations.

    Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming agreed Monday on a proposed framework to collectively slash water use by roughly 15%. But California refused to approve the plan and submitted its own on Tuesday, causing the states to miss a federal deadline to finalize an interstate water conservation pact for the second time in six months. This sets the stage for what CNN describes as a "high-stakes legal battle" and increases the likelihood that the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Reclamation will impose its own solution later this year.

    Keep Reading Show Less
    News
    colorado river
    For the third straight year, the U.K. announced on January 23, 2023 that it will permit the use of sugar beet seeds coated with a banned neonicotinoid pesticide lethal to bees.

    'Shameful': UK Approves 'Emergency' Use of Banned Bee-Killing Pesticide

    "The real 'emergency' here is our declining biodiversity," said one campaigner. "It's time farmers got support for alternatives, not a green light for using toxic chemicals."

    Kenny Stancil
    Jan 24, 2023

    Biodiversity defenders have sounded the alarm about the United Kingdom government's Monday decision to provide another so-called "emergency" exception for the use of an outlawed neonicotinoid pesticide lethal to bees.

    "Bad news again for bees as the U.K. government allows banned neonicotinoids in our fields against the advice of its own experts," Friends of the Earth campaigner Sandra Bell tweeted. "The real 'emergency' here is our declining biodiversity—it's time farmers got support for alternatives, not a green light for using toxic chemicals."

    Keep Reading Show Less
    News
    Pesticides
    SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
    Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.
    Follow Us
    Most Popular

    White House Says GOP Bill Would Force 'One of the Biggest Medicare Benefit Cuts' in US History

    Calling a Fascist a Fascist Is Descriptive—Not a Slur

    Progressives Warn House Anti-Socialism Resolution Backed by 109 Dems Is Step Toward Slashing Safety Net

    'Republicans Keep Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud': Pence Calls for Privatizing Social Security

    Ron DeSantis' Attack on African American Studies Is Part of His Larger Goal: To Destroy Public Education

    In New York Times Op-Ed, US Physician Blasts 'Lucrative System of For-Profit Medicine'

    Republicans Are Coming With Knives to Gut FDR's New Deal

    So You Wanna Reduce the Debt? Tax the Wealthy Like We Used To

    Once Again, DNC Panel Blocks Vote on Dark Money Ban in Democratic Primaries

    Khanna Warns House GOP Wants to 'Hijack the Entire US Economy' to Cut Social Security

    SUPPORT OUR WORK.
    We are independent, non-profit, advertising-free and 100%
    reader supported.