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Foes No More
Friends of the Earth (FoE), which endorsed Bill Bradley in the Democratic primary and had hinted that it might support Green candidate Ralph Nader in the general election, is officially endorsing Al Gore today. FoE President Brent Blackwelder said the group agonized over the decision because it has been disappointed in the Clinton-Gore administration and […]
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Cut Down in Their Prime
Using helicopters, forged permits, and police scanners, forestry thieves are illegally cutting tens of millions of dollars worth of old-growth trees a year in British Columbia. A big part of the problem is that some mills are knowingly supporting a black market in wood. One forestry official described the environmental degradation caused by the increasing […]
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Vehicular Homicide
Air pollution accounts for about 6 percent of deaths each year in Austria, France, and Switzerland, according to a study published today in the Lancet medical journal. The study found that half of those deaths can be attributed to pollution from vehicles. The researchers also calculated that the health cost of vehicle pollution in the […]
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Beet Nix
A study published today in Science found that the planting of genetically engineered sugar beets could cause a dramatic decline in England’s already waning skylark population. The British researchers argue that sugar beets engineered to be resistant to herbicides will allow farmers to use more powerful sprays to wipe out weeds, possibly leading to a […]
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Ooh, Burned!
Reduced logging on national forests does not seem to be a cause for wildfires in the West, says the bipartisan Congressional Research Service. In a study requested by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the service found that if anything, heavy logging in the past may be partially to blame for creating forests more prone to catching […]
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Dump and Dumber
In a ruling that could have serious implications for the environment, an independent NAFTA tribunal decided on Wednesday that Mexico must pay a California company $16.7 million in damages because municipal authorities prevented the company from opening a hazardous waste treatment plant in the state of San Luis Potosi. Mexico is appealing the decision, arguing […]
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Let Bycatch Be Bygones
In a long-awaited decision, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved regulations yesterday banning shrimping from Dec. 1 to July 15 in areas off the state’s southern coast, with the aim of restoring beleaguered shrimp populations and the likely side effect of helping endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. The rules will also restrict offshore fishing […]
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I Scream the General Electric
Campaigning yesterday in New York City, Ralph Nader, the Green Party presidential candidate, criticized General Electric for polluting the Hudson River and called on the major parties’ candidates, Al Gore and George W. Bush, to return campaign contributions from the company. Nader, speaking about PCB pollution in the river, said, “It is time for General […]
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Chiru Proctors
An international crackdown is underway to stop trade in shahtoosh shawls and scarves — expensive, high-fashion items made from the fine wool of the endangered Tibetan antelope, or chiru. Last month saw the first U.S. criminal prosecution for illegal trading in the shawls, a case against dealers in New Jersey. Officials in England, Hong Kong, […]
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Breach of Decorum
To highlight its unhappiness with Japan’s decision to expand whale hunting in the North Pacific, the U.S. said yesterday that it will boycott two international environmental meetings being hosted over the next two weeks in Japan, cancel a meeting between U.S. and Japanese fisheries officials, and oppose the choice of Japan as the location for […]
