One by one, Thailand's tropical islands have been overrun by the tourism industry and all but gutted by unbridled, profit-driven development. Now the nation's impoverished government has its eye on the last large piece of unspoiled land: idyllic Koh Chang Island. This time, though, the government promises it will use proper zoning, strict regulations on construction and transportation, and an emphasis on ecotourism to preserve the island's natural wonders while profiting off of its conversion into a playground for the rich. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions; as soon as the government announced plans to develop …

Negotiators for the U.S. House and Senate have reached an agreement on new fuel-economy rules that would expand rather than decrease the country's oil consumption. Under the agreement, automakers would continue to receive credits through the model year 2008 for manufacturing vehicles that can run on both ethanol and gasoline. These credits are used to offset the production of SUVs and other low-gas-mileage vehicles. Environmentalists criticize the credits as a giveaway, because those who drive the flexible-fuel vehicles seldom make use of the ethanol option. A recent government report found that extending the credit program through 2008 would increase petroleum …

Dearest Readers, In my last column, I received a plea from James "Captain Planet" Fitzpatrick of Florida, a firefighter looking to relocate to a small, friendly, environmentally conscious mountain community with good schools, reasonably clean air and water, and no polluting companies or toxic waste sites. As this was obviously a job for discerning Grist readers, I turned the question over to the multitudes, and letters have been pouring in like Californians fleeing an earthquake. In today's column, I am pleased to convey the results of this informal Grist survey. As with most polls, these results represent the views of …

Dear Umbra, I just moved into a house with a large backyard. I would like to xeriscape 90 percent of it, but I must first learn how to kill and remove the grass. I'm not a fan of chemicals and would like to find an alternate solution. Most of the yard is very, very brown these days due to the drought. Will a rototiller do the job? Frank Dearest Frank, For befuddled readers, a xeriscape is a water-saving garden, usually installed in a dry climate. Here are Three Fun Ways to Kill Your Lawn: Dig up the grass with a …

In most major metropolitan areas, you can count the stars visible in the night sky on your fingers. Now, the phenomenon is spreading; due to urban sprawl, bright artificial lights are drowning out the darkness in more and more of the world. That's bad news for astronomers, public energy budgets -- and many plant and animal species. Since the 1970s, scientists have been studying the effect of light on organisms' biological clocks and nocturnal behavior patterns. They have found that in urban areas, night migrating birds orbit bright lights until they drop with exhaustion or collide with buildings or other …

President Bush issued an executive order yesterday directing federal agencies to speed environmental reviews of important transportation projects, arguing that highways, airports, and other such projects are critical to the nation's economy and need to be freed of red tape. Environmentalists immediately denounced the move, calling it part of a systemic effort to restrict public debate and undermine environmental protections, including the 32-year-old National Environmental Policy Act. That act requires federal agencies to study and disclose the environmental impact of their actions and to involve the public in their decision-making processes. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta claims the permit system …

Is it a tax or is it not a tax? That's the question in London, where diplomats are up in arms over a proposed daily fee on cars driving into the city center, in order to discourage congestion and clean up the city's air. They say the fee most certainly is a tax, and that therefore embassies should be exempt from it under the 1961 Vienna Convention, which bars governments from levying taxes against such institutions. But Ken Livingstone, the famously contentious mayor of London, says it's not a tax -- a claim the U.S. is threatening to respond to …

Not too long ago, the Indian capital of New Delhi was one of the most polluted cities in the world; now, you still might not want to run a marathon there, but the city is making serious strides toward cleaning up its air. Dilip Biswas, chair of the city's Central Pollution Control Board, says pollution has dropped 25 percent since 1995, as levels of sulfur dioxide and particulates in the air have fallen sharply. "Now you can see the stars at night," he says. Vehicles account for about 70 percent of the city's pollution, while power plants kick in an …

The head of the U.S. EPA's New England office has accused New Hampshire of failing to prepare for the environmental impact of the rapid population boom that is expected to follow the widening of Interstate 93, the main commuter highway connecting the state to Boston, Mass. New Hampshire plans to spend $18 million to ease the environmental impacts of the highway project, but Robert Varney said that's far too little to address a likely population boom in more than 20 New Hampshire communities that would tax existing services and threaten open spaces, drinking water supplies, and wildlife. Varney called for …