This week:

• Bill Allison, University of Toronto scientist, speaks to science correspondant Sapna Sharma about the perils faced by coral reefs in the Maldives and worldwide.
• Urban planners Douglas Weber and David Sisam speak at the St. Lawrence Centre Forum, Building Toronto’s Green Future.

The headlines in brief:

• The County of Simcoe has voted 16 to 15 in favour of proceeding on preliminary works at the proposed Dump Site 41 in Tiny Township;
• Shell Canada will proceed with an environmental assessment of a new oil refinery proposed for construction near Sarnia;
• Ontario environment minister Laurel Broten announced two new renewable energy pilot projects for Ontario schools and a new drinking water report;
• Ontario Environment Minister Laurel Broten is facing heat over plans to build a two-storey garage at her private residence;
• Weather experts consider the current surge in tornadoes in Canada’s West to be highly unusual even for the current Canadian tornado season;
• The federal government announced new restrictions on California produce to prevent apple moths from entering the country;
• On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives passed legislation recognizing that climate change is a ‘reality’;
• The bald eagle has been officially removed from the American Endangered Species list;
• Europe is suffering from a severe heat wave;
• New research suggests that the East Antarctic ice sheet, the largest ice sheet in the world, is unlikely to melt catastrophically in the near future.

You can download the show here (right click, save as…), or listen in the player ** Note: player will close if you surf away from the page**