Uncategorized

Wow, As Clean As New York City!

Facing severe air pollution that is threatening the health of both people and the economy, the Hong Kong government yesterday announced a broad plan aimed at cutting automobile emissions by at least a third within two years. The package of regulations will, among other things, impose higher taxes on dirty diesel fuel and give grants […]

(For Those About to Rock) We Cellucci You

Massachusetts’s six oldest and dirtiest power plants must halve their emissions and become as clean and efficient as new plants within three years, Gov. Paul Cellucci (R) announced yesterday. The federal Clean Air Act exempts plants built before 1977 from meeting current pollution limits, but Massachusetts will now become the first state to require its […]

And We'll Have Fund, Fund, Fund …

Socially responsible mutual funds, which screen the environmental and social records of companies in which they invest, have outperformed many traditional mutual funds in recent years and are still performing decently despite recent sharp losses in the technology sector. The 54 socially responsible funds tracked by the Morningstar financial information firm were up more than […]

Before They Hit the Road, They're Hitting the Roads

The Clinton-Gore administration today will release a draft proposal that would ban road-building on 43 million acres of roadless national forest land while letting local forest officials decide whether to prohibit activities such as logging, mining, and off-road vehicle use. Enviros who had praised President Clinton when he broadly outlined the roadless plan in October […]

Tour de France — Please!

Increased tourism could help save Europe’s wolves, lynx, and other endangered large carnivores, the World Wildlife Fund argues in a report released yesterday. WWF found that a tourism project in Romania, in an area where a pulp mill recently closed, was successful in providing an alternative source of income for locals and in giving people […]

Billions and Billions Swerved

Cleanup of the most dangerous nuclear waste at the Hanford reservation in Washington state, the most contaminated site in the U.S., will likely be delayed again after the U.S. Department of Energy’s announcement yesterday that it plans to cancel its cleanup contract with BNFL. The move comes two weeks after the company said that the […]

Under Lock and Kiwi

New Zealand’s system to protect against the invasion of non-native species is the most advanced in the world, but globalization is making it increasingly likely that the system will be breached and the country’s environment and agriculture disrupted. Over time, the country’s geographic isolation led it to develop a unique ecosystem and helped protect its […]

This Gives Me the Shakes

The use of pesticides in homes and gardens may lead to increased risk of contracting Parkinson’s disease, according to a study presented on Friday at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. Lorene Nelson of the Stanford University School of Medicine and colleagues found that people who had been exposed to pesticides in the […]

The Smoky Gun

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the biggest wholesale power producer in the U.S., filed suit last week to stop the EPA from requiring more pollution controls on its coal-fired power plants. The EPA says that TVA improperly upgraded seven old coal-fired plants without bringing them into compliance with current Clean Air Act standards. Even as […]

Hail the Cabs!

Nearly 300 taxi, bus, and truck drivers clogged traffic by driving slowly through downtown Hong Kong yesterday to demand government action to combat air pollution, then marched to government headquarters carrying signs that read, “The industry wants to protect the environment.” The protesters are calling for the government to help them convert their vehicles from […]