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Ice Capades
Global warming was top-of-the-hour news last week because of a report in the New York Times that open water had been spotted at the North Pole for the first time in perhaps 50 million years. Turns out the Times overstated the development; in a correction today and a follow-up article, the newspaper reports that some […]
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Burning Questions
As the U.S. endures its worst forest fire season in 50 years, some enviros and scientists are wondering whether climate change might be one of the catalysts. “It’s very difficult to say with a great degree of certainty, but what you can say is that this summer’s events are very typical of the kinds of […]
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Crash-Test Smarties
Automakers have long argued that to make fuel-efficient vehicles, they must compromise on safety, but a new report from the General Accounting Office contradicts that claim. The report, requested by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), found little research linking tougher government fuel-economy standards with decreased vehicle safety. If given six to 10 years advance notice of […]
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Money Does Grow on Trees
National forests are 10 times more valuable if used for recreation and to protect wildlife and water quality than they are if used for logging, mining, and grazing, according to a new report commissioned by the Sierra Club. Measured by these new standards, the forests are worth $234 billion and generate 2.9 million sustainable jobs, […]
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The Chemical Bothers
Phthalates, a family of chemicals used in everything from plastics to beauty products, have been detected in humans at levels that some scientists believe are worrisome. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested urine samples from people around the U.S. and were surprised to find phthalates at much higher levels than other […]
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For Whales, LaDuke's a Hazard
During a weekend campaign swing through the Northwest, Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader outlined his views on a number of environmental issues. He called for a total ban on logging in national forests, for an end to federal land swaps, which he says usually benefit private interests rather than the public, and for the […]
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Bangla-death?
About 25 million people in Bangladesh, nearly 20 percent of the country’s population, are at risk of injury or death from arsenic in their drinking water, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund. UNICEF is working to raise awareness of the problem and encourage water filtering and collection of rainwater for drinking. In the past, […]
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Editorial License
One good thing about the melting ice and open water found at the North Pole earlier this month — they spurred both the New York Times and Washington Post to run editorials today talking up environmental protection. The Times reminds us that the White House plays a “decisive” role in all matters environmental, and gives […]
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Steve Yanoviak, tropical biologist
Steve Yanoviak is a postdoctoral research associate at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and he currently resides in Costa Rica nine months of the year, researching rain forest canopy insect diversity in the Monteverde cloud forest. He has been studying the ecology of tropical insects for over seven years. Sunday, 27 Aug 2000 […]
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Sea turtle activists are pushing for protections in Texas
They may be swimming against the current, but sea turtle advocates say they want Gov. George W. Bush (R) to show a little of his fabled compassion for the endangered reptiles that frequent the Gulf of Mexico along the Texas coast. The New York Times ad. Image: STRP. As the GOP presidential hopeful prepared to […]
