Not-so-great white north: More disturbing news from our northern neighbors: Canada is dismantling the nation's entire ocean pollution monitoring program as part of massive layoffs at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. One of the respected scientists losing his job is Peter Ross, among the world’s leading experts on how contaminants affect marine mammals. He writes: “It is with apprehension that I ponder a Canada without any research or monitoring capacity for pollution in our three oceans.” Have we mentioned lately that Canada’s environmental record is actually managing to make the U.S. look good? Environmental Health News
Heads in the sand: North Carolina, whose coast is heavy with low-lying barrier islands like the Outer Banks, is especially vulnerable to sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and hurricanes. A recent government report said the state needs to plan for 2,000 square miles to be threatened by rising water this century, due largely to climate change. Guess who doesn’t like that: coastal developers who want to build in those 2,000 square miles, and they’re trashing the report in an effort to make sure state regulators and lawmakers don’t actually act on its findings. So far, they’ve been remarkably successful. Charlotte Observer
Unwelcome record: Humanity pumped more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere last year than ever before -- a worrisome accomplishment fueled by rising emissions in China. Reuters
Encouraging word: On the other hand, at least the outrageous climate change deniers at the Heartland Institute are running out of money and won’t be able to put on their annual denialpalooza conference for the foreseeable future. Think Progress
Awesome animals: Want to see the “best” new species discovered in 2011? The list includes a prehistoric walking cactus, a monkey with no nose, and a fungus named after Spongebob Squarepants (for real). Grist
Burning desire: Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kickoff to summer travel season. What better time to look back at the conveyances, starting with early 19th-century steam carriages, that turned us into the fossil fuel-beholden gas guzzlers we are today? National Geographic
Killer heat: Climate change will more than triple the number of people killed by heat waves each year by the end of this century, according to a new report from NRDC (which publishes OnEarth). Many of the hardest-hit cities will be in the Midwest, including Detroit and Cleveland, where weather is more variable and populations aren't used to extreme heat. Mother Jones
Reborn: Students at the Illinois Institute of Technology have turned one tree knocked down during a Chicago storm last summer into more than 40 items, from tables to coat racks to iPhone holders, all going on display in an exhibit opening next month. TreeHugger
Tips: @OnEarthMag (tag it #greenreads)
Image: Spongiforma squarepantsii via Wikimedia
