Environment – Winnipeg Free Press

FILE - A person gets gas at a station March 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

When gas prices go up, changing the way you drive can stretch your fuel just a bit farther

Alexa St. John And Kiki Sideris, The Associated Press 5 minute read Sunday, Mar. 15, 2026

DETROIT (AP) — When gas prices spike, filling up gets more painful. But consumers can do something to stretch their fuel just a little farther: Change the way they drive.

“It’s a hard one to swallow, right? You gotta put gas in to go about your day and get to work and pick the kids up from school,” said Michael Crossen, Consumer Reports’ manager of auto testing.

Here are seven tips from experts for drivers looking to use less gas:

Drive slower, or use cruise control

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A law meant to clean Michigan’s air now costs the state billions with little oversight

Jena Brooker/bridgedetroit, The Associated Press 10 minute read Preview

A law meant to clean Michigan’s air now costs the state billions with little oversight

Jena Brooker/bridgedetroit, The Associated Press 10 minute read Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

Over the last decade, Michigan municipalities have given more than a billion dollars in local tax breaks to industrial companies to keep the air clean.

But the reductions often haven’t fully materialized: The companies receiving the tax breaks have been cited by state and federal authorities dozens of times for environmental offenses. And a state oversight agency told BridgeDetroit it does not have the capacity to monitor compliance.

How does this happen?

It stems from the 1960s-era Air Pollution Control Exemption, which was adopted alongside the state’s landmark efforts to clean up the air in the Air Pollution Act of 1965. It uses taxpayer money to incentivize companies to reduce emissions that could threaten public health. If automotive manufacturers, coal plants or other industries add features like incinerators or scrubbers to their facilities, the law says they can stop paying millions in property taxes to local governments.

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Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

FILE - Consumer Energy's J.H. Campbell Generating Complex in Ottawa County, Mich., Sept. 21, 2024. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP, File)

Michigan cities lose millions to pollution tax breaks with no oversight, little say

Jena Brooker/bridgedetroit, The Associated Press 9 minute read Preview

Michigan cities lose millions to pollution tax breaks with no oversight, little say

Jena Brooker/bridgedetroit, The Associated Press 9 minute read Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

Michigan companies receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks each year meant to incentivize pollution control.

But the cities footing the bill often don’t know how much money they’re losing to these equipment tax breaks, they aren’t required to report it to taxpayers and they have little say in whether the exemptions are granted. They also don’t know how much pollution is being controlled.

Sterling Heights ranks sixth among Michigan municipalities for property taxes lost to the Air Pollution Control Exemption law in the last decade, according to a BridgeDetroit review of records. All of the exemptions went to automaker Stellantis to control its pollution at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant.

Sterling Heights representatives said they didn’t know how much the exemption was costing the city in lost taxes, but that it was probably less than half a percent of the city’s overall operating budget, explaining it would take a while to calculate the cost of the exemptions, something they had never done before. City officials also didn’t know how much pollution was being controlled as a result of the law.

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Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

FILE - In this March 14, 2014, file photo, an assembly line worker builds a 2015 Chrysler 200 automobile at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Sterling Heights, Mich. Fiat (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Records shattered as summer heat hits Southwest in March; ‘This is what climate change looks like’

Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Records shattered as summer heat hits Southwest in March; ‘This is what climate change looks like’

Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:04 PM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The dangerous heat wave shattering March records all over the U.S. Southwest is more than just another extreme weather blip. It’s the latest next-level weather wildness that is occurring ever more frequently as Earth’s warming builds.

Experts said unprecedented and deadly weather extremes that sometimes strike at abnormal times and in unusual places are putting more people in danger. For example, the Southwest is used to coping with deadly heat, but not months ahead of schedule, including a 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 degrees Celsius) reading in two Arizona communities on Friday that smashed the highest March temperature recorded in the U.S. Two places in Southern California also hit that same temperature. All four spots are clustered within about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) of each other.

“This is what climate change looks like in real time: extremes pushing beyond the bounds we once thought possible,” said University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver. “What used to be unprecedented events are now recurring features of a warming world.”

March's heat would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, according to a report Friday by World Weather Attribution, an international group of scientists who study the causes of extreme weather events.

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Updated: Yesterday at 8:04 PM CDT

FILE - Embers are blown off a burning tree as the Eaton Fire burns in Altadena, Calif., Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury, File)

And now there are two: Calgary Zoo welcomes new polar bear after tragic death in 2024

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

And now there are two: Calgary Zoo welcomes new polar bear after tragic death in 2024

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

CALGARY - The polar bear in residence at Calgary’s zoo has a new playmate.

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo says a 20-year-old bear named Yelle has arrived from a zoo in Quebec.

Yelle is in quarantine and will be gradually introduced to the zoo’s other male polar bear Siku based on the bears’ behaviour and comfort level.

The move comes almost two years after the zoo’s polar bear Baffin died.

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Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

YelleÂ aÂ 20-year-oldÂ male Polar Bear seen in this undated photo, arrived at the Calgary Zoo on Tuesday from QuebecâsÂ Zoo Sauvage de Saint-FÃ©licien.Â THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Zoo sauvage de Saint-FÃ©licien. (Mandatory Credit)

Thousands in the Maritimes without power amid strong winds and heavy rain

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Thousands in the Maritimes without power amid strong winds and heavy rain

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

HALIFAX - Thousands of people across the Maritimes were without power this morning as strong winds and heavy rain buffeted the region.

Nova Scotia's electrical utility said there were almost 23,000 customers without power as of 10:30 a.m., most of them in the Halifax area.

There were more than 8,000 without power in New Brunswick, mostly in the Saint John and Fredericton areas.

Maritime Electric says there were about 1,000 customers in the dark in Prince Edward Island.

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Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

A pedestrian shields themselves from rain and wind during a rainfall warning in Halifax on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Vancouver Island First Nations gain control of three Clayoquot Sound forestry areas

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Vancouver Island First Nations gain control of three Clayoquot Sound forestry areas

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

Tyson Atleo, a hereditary leader of the Ahousaht First Nation, says the creation of three new forestry areas to be managed by his community and two others on the west coast of Vancouver Island marks the realization of a long-standing promise.

Atleo recalls assuring the community more than 15 years ago that "we would find a pathway forward to regaining control over some of our forest resources."

The vision is to manage the forests of Clayoquot Sound, a globally recognized biosphere that includes Tofino, B.C., in a way that reflects the nation's interest in ecological integrity and balance it with access to economic opportunity, he said.

The total combined area of the three new tree farm licenses is about 52,000 hectares, with Ahousaht set to manage about 33,000 hectares, Atleo said.

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Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

Redd Fish Restoration crew planting trees in the hiłsyaqƛis (Tranquil Creek) watershed within the ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht) Nation haḥuułii (territory) is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Graeme Owsianski, Redd Fish Restoration (Mandatory Credit)

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Vatican launches campaign to encourage divestment from mining industries

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Vatican launches campaign to encourage divestment from mining industries

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

ROME (AP) — The Vatican on Friday launched a campaign to encourage divestment from mining industries, saying the Catholic Church should invest its money in ways that are consistent with its ecological teachings.

The effort, which also involves other Christian organizations, takes as its inspiration Pope Francis’ 2015 environmental encyclical “Praised Be.” The document, and the ecological movement it inspired, railed against the multinational corporations that pillage Earth’s natural resources, often at the expense of poor and Indigenous peoples.

The initiative is the brainchild of an existing ecumenical network of Catholic and other Christian denominations, the Churches and Mining Network, that is active in particular in Latin America.

The campaign aims to encourage local churches to review their investment strategies and divest where needed, and to share information especially with Indigenous groups about the types of extraction occurring on their lands.

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Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

Yolanda Flores, leader of the Aymara people in Peru, speaks during a press conference for the launch of a Mining Divestment Platform, at the Vatican, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

California community ties all-time March temperature record in the US

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

California community ties all-time March temperature record in the US

The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

NORTH SHORE, Calif. (AP) — A tiny desert community in Southern California reached 108 degrees on Wednesday, tying the highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S.

It came amid a record-breaking winter heat wave in the Southwest that will stretch into the weekend and could produce even higher temperatures.

The record — first reached by Rio Grande City, Texas in 1954 and now shared by North Shore, California — could be broken in a number of cities and towns by week's end. The aptly named Thermal, California, was forecast to hit 110 degrees on Friday.

Triple-digit temperatures also came earlier than ever before in Phoenix when the Arizona capital hit 101 degrees Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record was set almost 40 years ago, on March 26, 1988, the only other time Phoenix temperatures have climbed into the hundreds during the month of March, according to the NWS.

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Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

A baseball fan tries to shield from the sun during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Athletics, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Thousands of Moldovans cut off from water after Russian strike on Ukrainian hydropower plant

Stephen Mcgrath And Aurel Obreja, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Thousands of Moldovans cut off from water after Russian strike on Ukrainian hydropower plant

Stephen Mcgrath And Aurel Obreja, The Associated Press 5 minute read Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

BALTI, Moldova (AP) — Tens of thousands of Moldovans have been left without water after a Russian strike on a hydroelectric plant in neighboring Ukraine resulted in oil polluting a major river that flows through both countries.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has blamed Russia for the pollution on the Dniester River following an attack on Ukraine’s Novodnistrovsk hydropower plant on March 7, saying it’s “threatening Moldova’s water supply” in the European Union candidate country.

The Ukrainian plant is situated about 15 kilometers (9 miles) upstream from Moldova’s northern border with Ukraine and supplies water to about 80% of Moldova’s population of about 2.5 million. Moscow has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, such as dams and river ports, since it fully invaded the country in 2022.

“Russia bears full responsibility,” Sandu said on Sunday in a post on X.

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Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

Valentin Belischii, 73 years-old, pauses on a bench before climbing the stairs to his fourth floor apartment with a container of water he bought in Balti, Moldova, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja)

What to know about Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant after report of projectile hitting its complex

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

What to know about Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant after report of projectile hitting its complex

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press 6 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and Russia both allege that a projectile struck the grounds of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in the Islamic Republic, raising the specter of a radiological incident as Tehran's war with Israel and the United States rages.

And though no release of nuclear material was reported following the incident on Tuesday evening, it again underlines a longtime worry of Iran's neighbors — that the power plant on the shores of the Persian Gulf could be hit by either an attack or a natural disaster such as an earthquake.

Here's what to know about the incident, the plant itself and Iran's wider nuclear program — which U.S. President Donald Trump points to as one of the reasons for starting the war alongside Israel against Iran on Feb. 28.

Reports of a projectile hitting the area

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Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Bushehr, Iran, Dec. 7, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

A new US trade deal with Indonesia secures fossil fuels and access to critical minerals

Aniruddha Ghosal And Anton L. Delgado, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

A new US trade deal with Indonesia secures fossil fuels and access to critical minerals

Aniruddha Ghosal And Anton L. Delgado, The Associated Press 6 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A new trade pact between Indonesia and the United States has recast their economic ties, binding Jakarta’s resource wealth and energy future more closely to Washington’s strategic needs.

Indonesia agreed to widen access for U.S. investors in critical minerals, boost its purchases of U.S. crude and liquefied petroleum gas, back the development of an American coal export corridor and cooperate on small modular nuclear reactors.

In turn, the U.S. trimmed a threatened 32% tariff on Indonesian goods to 19% and granted broader access to the American market, including a zero-tariff entry policy for major products such as palm oil, coffee, cocoa, spices and rubber.

Though the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs may impact how it is implemented. The deal fits with longer term U.S. efforts to secure critical mineral supply chains, beef up its oil and gas exports and reduce dependence on China.

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Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

FILE- Barges fully loaded with coal are anchored on Mahakam river in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, on Dec. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)

Apache women seek court intervention as federal land is turned over for copper mining

Susan Montoya Bryan, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Apache women seek court intervention as federal land is turned over for copper mining

Susan Montoya Bryan, The Associated Press 3 minute read Monday, Mar. 16, 2026

The transfer of federal forest land in Arizona to a pair of international companies that plan to mine one of the largest copper deposits in North America is complete, but a group of Apache women is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene as a last-ditch effort to stop the project.

The title to the land was conveyed by the federal government to Resolution Copper on Friday after an appeals court denied requests by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmentalists seeking to block the move.

The appeals court determined that the plaintiffs' legal claims likely would not succeed and lifted an emergency injunction that was put in place last summer.

The land includes Oak Flat — an area used for centuries for religious ceremonies, prayer and gathering of medicinal plants by the San Carlos Apache people and other Native American tribes. The tribe, the activist group Apache Stronghold and other plaintiffs have been fighting for years to save what tribal members call Chi’chil Bildagoteel.

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Monday, Mar. 16, 2026

FILE - Mine shafts 10, left, and 9, right, tower over the Resolution Copper Mining Company facility, June 9, 2023, in Miami, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

Canada’s population edged lower in fourth quarter as non-permanent residents drop

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Canada’s population edged lower in fourth quarter as non-permanent residents drop

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

OTTAWA - Statistics Canada says the country's population edged down in the fourth quarter, dipping 0.2 per cent.

The agency says preliminary estimates indicate the population fell by 103,504 people from Oct. 1, 2025 to Jan. 1, 2026 to bring the number of people in Canada to 41,472,081.

National Bank of Canada says in a note that the population decrease was the first back-to-back drop ever recorded.

Regionally, populations in B.C., Ontario and Quebec all contracted, while Alberta had the fastest growth rate of any province or territory, mainly driven by interprovincial inflows.

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Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

Statistics Canada says the country's population continued to edge down in the fourth quarter, dropping by 0.2 per cent. A Statistics Canada sign is pictured in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 3, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Iran war pushes countries into energy triage as they conserve power and curb soaring prices

Anton L. Delgado And Aniruddha Ghosal, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Iran war pushes countries into energy triage as they conserve power and curb soaring prices

Anton L. Delgado And Aniruddha Ghosal, The Associated Press 7 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

BANGKOK (AP) — The escalating war with Iran is pushing parts of the world into energy triage, forcing governments to choose where to cut demand or absorb costs, while prioritizing dwindling supplies.

Asia is the most exposed since it relies heavily on imported fuel, much of it shipped through the now-blocked Strait of Hormuz. The narrow passage offshore from Iran is the main route for shipping a fifth of global trade in crude oil and liquified natural gas.

Governments in the region are scrambling to adjust — tallying oil reserves, conserving energy, competing for supplies and trying to blunt prices. That brings difficult trade-offs: saving power may slow business activity. Prioritizing cooking gas for households can hurt restaurants and other businesses.

“Even relatively modest constraints on energy use can create a drag on industrial activity,” said Linh Nguyen, with the consultancy Control Risks. She pointed to Vietnam’s energy-intensive export industries and warned that higher fuel costs or conservation measures could quickly raise production costs or slow factory output.

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Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

FILE - Liberia-flagged tanker Shenlong Suezmax, carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia, that arrived clearing the Strait of Hormuz, is seen at the Mumbai Port in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)

How to save money on garden gear with some creative recycling

Jessica Damiano, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

How to save money on garden gear with some creative recycling

Jessica Damiano, The Associated Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

With prices for many things creeping up this year, gardeners shopping for supplies might be looking to tighten their tool belts.

Before heading to the garden center, take a look around your home, garage, shed and recycling bin. There might be some perfectly good gardening gear hiding in plain sight.

From food containers to lamp shades

Plastic yogurt containers with holes poked in their bottoms make wonderful seed-starting pots. So do plastic clamshell lettuce and berry containers.

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Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

March 22, 2026

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