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Catching Air
Passengers flying out of Lutin Airport in London are being asked to pay a voluntary fee of up to four bucks to offset the environmental impact of their flights. Mark McClennan, the airport’s top environmental official, said money from the passengers would be used to plant trees to absorb carbon dioxide emissions. But Jeff Gazzard […]
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A Real Turn-off
A month after he said “conservation does not mean doing without,” U.S. President Bush said he would cut electricity use at the White House, ordering employees to turn off lights when leaving their offices and switch off computers when they would be gone for two days or more. With these and other steps, the complex […]
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On the Waterfront
In a win for property-rights advocates, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 yesterday that governments can be required to compensate property owners for interfering with their ability to develop their land. The court said that new owners can sue for compensation if their development plans are denied, even if long-standing rules forbid development. However, the […]
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Flood, Sweat, and Tears
Climate change and globalization are increasing the threat of flood and famine to the world’s poor, according to a report released today by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. From the annual World Disasters Report: “Recurrent disasters from floods in Asia to drought in the Horn of Africa to windstorms in […]
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Smells Like Pew Spirit
Unlike many philanthropies that fund already-existing green groups, the Pew Charitable Trusts, one of the country’s largest environmental grant makers, has launched major new campaigns and even begun its own organizations, like the National Environmental Trust and the Heritage Forest Campaign. Pew focuses on three issues — global warming, marine conservation, and forest protection. It […]
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Rio Not So Grande
Thanks to drought, fast-growing weeds, and overuse of water by agriculture and cities, the Rio Grande River is running so low that it doesn’t even reach the Gulf of Mexico anymore. Enviros are concerned about the loss of the estuary, where saltwater mixes with freshwater to create ideal conditions for young shrimp and other marine […]
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That's Big, Apple
To help with potential electricity shortages this summer in New York City, businesses and building owners controlling more than 300 million square feet of office space in the city said yesterday they’d take voluntary steps to reduce their energy use. The participants in the program, which covers about 75 percent of the office space in […]
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Caught in the Jaws of Death
Marine scientists weren’t successful yesterday in freeing an endangered northern right whale off Cape Cod from a fishing line caught in its jaw. The jaw has become infected and the 50-ton whale also seems to be malnourished, probably because the line is interfering with its feeding. The scientists didn’t know if they’d be able to […]
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Mitigation Blank
A program allowing developers in the U.S. to destroy some wetlands if they create new ones or restore old ones is failing, according to a panel convened by the National Academy of Sciences. The panel found that federal agencies weren’t even tracking the country’s wetlands accurately to see if the losses to development were being […]
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The Children's Crusade
In an unusual move, ABC News yesterday said it would remove correspondent John Stossel’s interview with California children about global warming from an environmental special airing Friday night. A group of Los Angeles parents teamed up with the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group and revoked their permission for the interviews on Monday. They said that […]
