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Umbra on deer hunting

Dear Umbra, My husband kills deer every fall for the “sport” of it. I’m completely disgusted with him and we have bitter arguments. His justification for killing deer is that they will starve over the cold winter and that he is thinning the population so more will survive. My argument is that nature will do […]

Food Chain Reaction

Mid-Century Whaling Caused Marine Ecosystem Collapse, Scientists Say For years, marine biologists in the North Pacific have been puzzled by the seemingly inexplicable decline of Alaskan seals, sea lions, and otters in the region. The problem wasn’t lack of food; in fact, these animals’ prey populations, such as sea urchins, are booming. Now, a group […]

As If British Food Weren’t Bad Enough

British Citizens Voice Overwhelming Opposition to GM Foods The British government is poised to support the planting of GM crops in Europe when a five-year ban on them expires next year — but British citizens could scarcely disapprove more of that plan. According to “GM Nation?,” a report on the results of 600 meetings held […]

I’ve Seen the Smokestack and the Damage Done

New Jersey Plays Hardball With Polluters In the most aggressive attack on polluters anywhere in the nation, New Jersey is demanding that more than 80 companies pay penalties for causing harm to the environment. The penalties are not simply the price tag of a cleanup; rather, they are natural-resource damage claims, under which companies must […]

Babes Up in Arms

Study Finds Troubling Levels of Flame Retardants in Breast Milk Fire-retardant chemicals used in household items from furniture to computers to coffee makers have been detected in American women’s breast milk at worrying levels, according to the first national study of the issue. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which have been linked to developmental difficulties and […]

Stephen Buchmann, The Bee Works

Stephen Buchmann is president and founder of The Bee Works and coauthor of The Forgotten Pollinators. Monday, 22 Sep 2003 TUSCON, Ariz. It’s Monday morning and I’ve arrived at my office a bit late, feeling rushed and knowing there are plenty of things to do before the day’s over. There will be dozens of emails […]

Turning the Vegetables

Moon Lighting

Moon-Driven Tidal Power Delivers Electricity to Norwegian Homes Turns out the sun isn’t the only celestial body that can provide eco-friendly power; the moon is now getting into the game. This weekend, a number of homes in the far north of Norway started getting energy from a sub-sea power station driven by the rise and […]

The Endesa Nigh

Indigenous Activists Give Up Fight Over Chilean Dam After a six-year protest, four elderly Pehuenche women have agreed to end their opposition to a $570 million hydroelectric dam to be built on their ancestral land in Southern Chile. After lengthy negotiations with the Chilean government and Endesa, the Spanish-owned power company building the dam, the […]

Sour Home Alabama

Budget Cuts Could Mean Lax Enforcement at Alabama’s Landfills Proposed budget cuts to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management could spell the end of virtually all landfill and medical-waste facility inspections, state officials say. The state plans to cut $1.3 million of the $5 million it normally contributes to the department’s budget; the remainder of […]