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The Magnificently Clean Mile?

Chicago officials say that within five years, at least 20 percent of electricity used by the city to power everything from public buildings to elevated trains will come from renewable sources like wind and solar power. City Environment Commissioner Bill Abolt said, “The competition Chicago is involved in is an international one to establish itself […]

The Ancient Mariner Started It

Seven countries signed a plan yesterday meant to save the albatross, those big seabirds with wingspans of up to 11-and-a-half feet. Australian Environment Minister Robert Hill said all 20 albatross species in the Southern Hemisphere would become extinct if steps weren’t taken to protect them. Australia, Brazil, Britain, Chile, France, New Zealand, and Peru have […]

Wet 'n' Wild

The Ocean Conservancy, a group with a (not-insignificant) budget of $15 million a year, announced a campaign yesterday to get wilderness protection for 5 percent of the U.S.’s marine territory. Fishing would be prohibited in the wilderness areas, and access would be limited to kayaking, scuba diving, and other “low-impact” activities. Its wish list of […]

From the Folks Who Sold You the Brooklyn Bridge

ExxonMobil is planning a public-relations offensive to counter an international boycott campaign that is calling attention to the company’s opposition to the Kyoto treaty on climate change. The campaign, which began in the U.K. and has spread to Germany, Norway, and New Zealand, has gained momentum as U.S. President Bush, a former oilman himself, has […]

Hitting It Out of the Park

To clean up the air in national parks and wilderness areas, U.S. EPA Administration Christie Todd Whitman this week may release for public comment a plan to require polluters to control emissions affecting parks. The proposal is based on one written by the Clinton administration, covering facilities ranging form power plants to smelters to pulp […]

Low-calorie Desert

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said last weekend that drought and devastation were threatening the livelihoods of more than a billion people in 110 countries. On Sunday (World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, to those in the know), the U.N. Environment Programme blamed humans as the main cause of desertification. It cited agriculture, grazing, and […]

Getting Off Scotts Free?

Scotts Co., the U.S.’s biggest supplier of lawn and garden products, has damaged the environment and endangered public health near its plant in Marysville, Ohio, reports the Columbus Dispatch in a two-day series. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency documents show that dangerous levels of pesticides and herbicides, including DDT, have seeped from company landfills and waste […]

Trash Can-ada

Canada has become a trash can for North America’s hazardous waste, according to a report by the Texas Center for Policy Studies tracking such waste in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. It found that American companies were sending waste to Canada to avoid the cost of complying with the U.S.’s more rigorous environmental regulations. Mexico […]

What's Good for G.M. Is Terrible for the Country

General Motors says it will oppose any efforts to increase fuel-economy standards for cars, SUVs, and light trucks in the U.S. G.M. CEO Rick Wagoner said on Friday that Americans do not want fuel-efficient vehicles as long as gasoline doesn’t cost much at the pump, at least compared to prices abroad. Vice President Dick Cheney, […]

A Pain in the Asia

In its first-ever comprehensive report on the state of Asia’s environment, the Asian Development Bank found that environmental destruction is pervasive and growing in the region and that Asia’s governments must act quickly to stop it. S. Tahir Qadri, a senior environmental specialist at the bank, said, “The situation is as bad as it can […]