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Advances With Wolves

Bush Administration to Remove Gray Wolf Protections Today the Interior Department announced a proposal to lift endangered-species protections from gray wolves across some two-thirds of the U.S., citing what Interior Secretary Gale Norton called a “dramatic” recovery. The gray wolf was almost extinct in the lower 48 states in the 1950s; two years ago, everywhere […]

‘N Sink

Oceans Absorbing Half of CO2 Emissions; Effects Uncertain According to studies published today in the journal Science, the world’s oceans have absorbed almost half of all the carbon dioxide emissions created by humankind since the beginning of the industrial era — some 118 billion metric tons. Yowza! The good news is that by serving as […]

In the Navy, You Can Wail the Seven Seas

Enviro Groups Claim Navy Sonar Harms Whales Speaking of oceans: Four enviro groups sent a letter to the U.S. Navy this week urging it to change the way it uses sonar so as to avoid harming charismatic sea-dwelling megafauna (that’s our pet name for whales around here). According to the groups, the Navy’s failure to […]

Hey, You, Get Off of My Cloud

Chinese Provinces Fight Over Cloud Seeding Hey, speaking of water debates, how’s this one for weirditude? In China — large sections of which are parched by persistent drought — the practice of cloud “seeding” is causing some truly 21st century water disputes. Cloud seeding involves using planes, special guns, and rockets (!) to spur the […]

D’oh Canada!

British Columbia to Sell Land North of Glacier National Park for Mining Despite strong reservations expressed by Montana state officials and citizens, British Columbia announced yesterday that it will proceed with the sale of land just north of Glacier National Park for exploratory drilling for coal-bed methane. Coal-bed methane is a kind of natural gas; […]

Mongo the Magnificent

Mongo Hunting Is the New Freecycling Here at Grist we’re big fans of freecycling, the goods-exchange system sweeping the U.S. (or, well, at least some rarified pockets therein). Author Ted Botha, however, is taking it to a whole ‘nother level, as the kids say. He set out to furnish his New York City apartment using […]

Tender Lovin’ Corps

Kerry Proposes Forest-Restoration Corps Speaking of forests: John Kerry today unveiled his own forest plan, which among other things would trim $100 million in timber-industry subsidies to fund the creation of a Forest Restoration Corps that would tend to the long-term health of America’s national forests. The corps, with its echoes of Roosevelt’s Depression-era Civilian […]

Ah, to Dell With It

Dell and HP Announce Computer Recycling Programs After years of pressure by enviro groups and shareholders, the world’s two biggest PC manufacturers Tuesday announced dueling free computer recycling programs. From July 18 to Sept. 6, Hewlett-Packard will recycle, free of charge, any computer, monitor, digital camera, fax machine, cell phone, or other gadget dropped off […]

Yucc’d Up Beyond All Recognition

Yucca Mountain Provokes Yet More Controversy The perpetually beleaguered Yucca Mountain federal nuclear-waste storage facility has become even more beleaguered. Try to stay with us: First, last week a federal appeals court ruled that the government had erred by failing to follow a National Academy of Sciences recommendation to plan for safety from radiation leaks […]

Comity Central

Fish Restoration Deal Model of Cooperation In a process marked by an eerie lack of lawsuits or public invective, a broad collection of divergent stakeholders — including state and federal agencies, local governments, more than 20 conservation groups, Portland General Electric, and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation (whew!) — have come to […]