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I Can't Believe We Made the Hole Thing
For the first time, the hole in the ozone layer has opened up over a populated city, New Zealand scientists say. The hole opened up for two days in early September over the Chilean city of Punta Arenas, exposing its 120,000 residents to very high levels of ultraviolet radiation and increasing their risk of skin […]
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Sunny Day, Sweeping the Clouds Away
Though acting more slowly than enviros would like, BP Amoco and some other oil companies are developing alternative energy technologies at a faster pace than at any time since the energy crisis of the 1970s. As concern about climate change mounts, the companies realize that fossil fuels aren’t the wave of the future and see […]
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The Tragedy of the Commoner
Just 35 municipal waste incinerators, cement kilns, and steel plants in the eastern and central U.S. accounted for one-third of the dioxin reaching the Canadian Arctic in one year, according to a study released yesterday by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation. The study represented the first time that dioxin pollution in the Arctic […]
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Storm Troopers
Climate change seems already to be causing weather-related disasters, and the problem is likely to get worse, according to a recent report conducted by scientists at Vrije University in Amsterdam and released by the World Wildlife Fund. Like others before it, the report predicts more droughts and violent storms. It also anticipates that much of […]
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Utah residents fight back against toxic contamination
With its red rock canyons, snow covered peaks, alkali plains, slickrock, and Great Salt Lake, the varied terrain of Utah forms strikingly beautiful landscapes. This arresting scenery drew Chip Ward and family to the state in the 1970s, and persuaded them to settle in the seemingly placid town of Grantsville on the edge of Utah's West Desert.
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Debated Breath
At the first presidential debate of the season, held last night in Boston, Al Gore stressed his commitment to protect Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and other “environmental treasures” from oil drilling. He said he would help ease the energy crunch by supporting conservation and development of clean, efficient technologies through tax breaks and […]
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These Are the Toxics in Your Neighborhood
Almost 46 percent of the nation’s public housing units for the poor are located within one mile of factories that emit toxic pollution, according to a study conducted by the Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas-Dallas. “It is an American tragedy. But we sweep it under the rug and forget about it,” said […]
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Bye, Cycles
The bicycle, long emblematic of transportation in China, is gradually fading in popularity as people opt to take taxis and buses around town and dream of cars of their own. Even as its human population expands beyond 1.3 billion, China is experiencing a decline in its bicycle population, from a high of 545.3 million in […]
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iSpy
Sony Corp., upset over efforts by enviros to hold electronics manufacturers responsible for the final disposal of their products, may soon be hiring an Internet investigation agency to keep track of activists’ plans and actions. In a leaked Sony paper, the company lists five specific groups that it believes pose a public relations threat: Greenpeace, […]
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The Cars Are Stacked Against Us
While a few small cars being sold in U.S. showrooms get 40 or more miles to the gallon, the vast majority of 2001 model year vehicles get about 20 mpg, according to annual fuel economy statistics released yesterday by the U.S. EPA. The popularity of SUVs, pickup trucks, and minivans drove down the mileage figures. […]
