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Mineral Wrongs
Natural Resources Fuel Brutal War in Congo In the U.S., communities can be inconvenienced by the extraction of natural resources — increased air pollution, say, or loss of undeveloped land. But it’s worth remembering that in other parts of the world, the stakes are quite a bit higher. Case in point: the cruelly named Democratic […]
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Here a Nuke, There a Nuke, Everywhere a Nuke Nuke
Settlement Increases Pressure to Open Yucca; Kerry Opposes Facility Pressure is rising around the issue of what to do with nuclear waste in the U.S. In the 1980s, the feds signed agreements with several power companies, promising to take nuclear waste off their hands starting in 1998. The plan was to put it all in […]
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So Lawn, Farewell
The Earth Hates Your Lawn We’re sorry to keep harping on this, but: the lawns, people, the lawns. Quit with the lawns! There are 30 million acres of green lawn in the U.S. Some 54 million people mow their lawns each week in the summer, using 800 million gallons of gas a year. More than […]
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A spotlight on young enviro activists
David Brower, a pioneer of the U.S. environmental movement, once said that his generation depended on young people “to shape us up before it’s too late.” Though Brower — former executive director of the Sierra Club, founder of Friends of the Earth and the Earth Island Institute — passed away in 2000, his legacy lives […]
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Demerit Badge
Bush Admin. Facilitates Drilling Next to Boy Scout Camp It sounds like a modern adaptation of Dickens, but it’s all too true: A White House energy task force is clearing the way for El Paso Corp., a Houston-based energy company, to drill for natural gas near the nation’s largest Boy Scout camp. The Valle Vidal […]
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Nucular Mismanagery
Nuclear Industry Not Having a Great Week Yesterday — on the 59th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki, marked by the city mayor’s plea to the U.S. to abolish nuclear weapons — Japan experienced its most deadly nuclear accident to date, with four workers killed by scalding steam (ouch) spewing from a ruptured pipe at […]
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Pollution on the Orient Express
Asian Air Pollution Wafts Over Eastern U.S. Air pollution from Asia has been found hovering over the northeast U.S., calling into question the efficacy of domestic efforts to improve air quality. “At some point, it may be cheaper to sell pollution-control equipment to China,” said researcher Daniel J. Jacob. Researchers from six countries are involved […]
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Park ‘n’ Chide
Kerry Promises to Renew National Parks At a campaign stop in Arizona’s Grand Canyon — wait, isn’t Arizona a swing state? — John Kerry pledged to renew America’s national park system, which he said the Bush administration has left “under stress.” Noting that Bush’s budget for next fiscal year contains less money for national parks […]
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Paul Ehrlich, famed ecologist, answers questions
Paul Ehrlich. What work do you do? Very little — most of my time is involved in scientific research, which for me is fun. What’s your job title? I am Bing Professor of Population Studies, president of the Center for Conservation Biology, and professor of Biological Sciences at Stanford University. How does your work relate […]
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One-Track Mine
Bush Administration Packed with Coal-Friendly Bureaucrats In his 2000 campaign, George W. Bush promised to make coal central to his energy plan, and he was rewarded with millions of dollars in donations from the coal industry and the votes of coal miners in crucial swing states. Upon taking office, Bush appointed several coal executives and […]
