Uncategorized

Think How Many Episodes of "Survivor" That Is

Raising fuel-efficiency standards for SUVs would be of more help in the fight against global warming than reducing power plant emissions or increasing energy efficiency in homes and offices, says the Sierra Club. The group launched a nationwide campaign over the weekend to draw attention to what it says are the evils of SUVs, such […]

God Forbid!

Enviros in India are calling for a change to a Hindu tradition that results in dramatic annual fish kills. Each year, at the end of a 10-day festival in Bombay for the Hindu god Ganesh, tens of thousands of painted statues of the elephant-headed deity are thrown into lakes, waterways, and the Arabian Sea. “Within […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]