Tuesday, 26 Jul 2005

Remember how Snow White used to moon around singing, "Some Day My Prince Will Come"? That's kind of how the world is about global warming, only not so rosy-cheeked and excited. Some day, they figure, global warming will come. Maybe. Or whatever. But up in the Arctic, that day is here -- the ice is melting and life is changing, fast. The native Inuit who call the area home are fighting back by filing a human-rights claim against the chief climate-change offender, the U.S., Emily Gertz reports. Find out if their dreams will come true.

A Little Dab'll Do Ya In

Micro-exposure to common chemicals may cause big health problems

Will wonders never cease? The Wall Street Journal, not typically known for its sympathy to green issues, had a blockbuster piece of environmental reporting plastered on page A1 yesterday. In the first part of an ongoing series, it describes new research on low-level exposure to common industrial chemicals. Turns out assumptions that have guided decades of public policy may be wrong: Micro-doses of some chemicals -- minute exposures most people receive just by being alive in modern times, long considered physically insignificant -- may cause serious health problems. Researchers think low-dose exposures may help explain increasing rates of autism, breast cancer, and other diseases. The implications for health and safety regulations are profound, but not all governments are reacting with equal force. Japan and the European Union have already put some notable restrictions in place, while the Bush administration is downplaying low-dose data, saying there's no solid proof of a problem.

On the Gutting-Room Floor

Clean-energy measures dropped as Congress reaches energy-bill compromise

Working into the wee hours Tuesday morning, House and Senate negotiators finished crafting a compromise federal energy bill, in the process killing two provisions intended to curb America's fossil-fuel addiction. A Senate measure that would have required the president to find ways to reduce oil use by 1 million barrels a day by 2015 was dropped, along with another that would have required utilities to generate 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Negotiators also rebuffed efforts by lawmakers from some coastal states to remove a proposed offshore oil and gas inventory from the legislation. The tax-related elements of the bill are still being hammered out, but billions of dollars in tax breaks and other subsidies for oil and gas companies are expected to make it through. Meanwhile, farm-state politicians pushed through a plan to roughly double current ethanol production by 2012. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) said the energy bill may get a House vote on Wednesday, and hit the Senate floor on Thursday -- all part of the mad rush to get President Bush his domestic policy coup before Congress' August recess.

The Right-Whale Stuff

Emergency steps needed to save right whale from extinction, experts say

The North Atlantic right whale could face extinction within the next century, according to marine scientists writing in the journal Science. Only about 350 right whales are alive today, and the researchers estimate that their deaths may be underreported by up to 83 percent yearly. The scientists say at least eight right whales have died in the past 16 months, almost three times the average yearly rate observed over the past quarter-century. At least half of right-whale deaths are caused by humans, as the animals are struck by ships or entangled in fishing gear. The scientists are calling on the National Marine Fisheries Service to impose emergency restrictions on ship speeds and floating fishing lines. "We can't wait to deal with a bureaucratic maze," said Amy Knowlton of the New England Aquarium, one of the article's 18 coauthors. But NMFS is resistant to calls for emergency action, saying new rules to protect the whales are in the works.

I'll Take Menhaden

Tiny fish being wiped out to make health-food supplements

Omega Protein Corp. is overharvesting a little Chesapeake Bay fish called menhaden in order to make omega-3 fatty-acid food supplements for its health-crazed customers, leading to a decline in the striped bass that eat them (the menhaden, not the supplements or the health-crazed customers). This according to Greenpeace, which protested at Omega's Reedville, Va., plant on Saturday. Omega uses 66 ships and 30 spotter planes to hoover up whole shoals of menhaden from the bay. Omega's offered to cap annual take at about 149,000 tons for the next four years while the stock is assessed, but critics contend this exceeds the current catch. The U.S. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has rejected Omega's proposal, and will be meeting to consider menhaden management. Some locals express support for Omega, which provides hundreds of jobs during fishing season, but folks did come check out the protest. "We've had a few people come up and say, 'We just wanted to see what you guys looked like,'" said one Greenpeacer.

'Toon In, Turn On, Drop Out

Do you draw funny stuff? Get in touch!

Calling all doodlers, calling all doodlers. Grist is now accepting submissions for our soon-to-be-revamped cartoon section. We're looking for political cartoons with environmental themes. To get filled in on the technical details -- file formats, dpi, etc. -- write . But the very most important detail is this: Make sure it's funny!