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Mileage, Shmileage — What About the Cup Holders?
DaimlerChrysler has unveiled a new 72-mpg diesel-electric hybrid sedan with a lightweight plastic body, but it has no plans to sell the car. The concept vehicle, the Dodge ESX3, would be priced at $28,500 — $7,500 more than a comparable, conventional Dodge Intrepid sedan — were it ever to hit the showrooms. DaimlerChrysler argues that […]
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This Takes Our Breath Away
Emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants have made the air in the Ohio River Valley dirtier than the air in the Northeast, according to a new scientific study commissioned by a coalition of Ohio environmental groups. The Northeastern states have long argued that pollution from Midwestern power plants drifts into their air; this study […]
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Old Man Sewer
Most of the nitrogen pollution that is killing marine life in the Gulf of Mexico, creating the infamous “dead zone,” originates in Midwestern states such as Ohio and Minnesota, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey, published in the journal Nature. Areas near rivers in the Midwest deliver more deadly nitrogen to […]
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Hot Georgia Brown
New satellite data from NASA paint an unpleasant picture of the planet, with sprawl creating more mega-cities that are getting hotter and hotter. NASA found that the temperature in Atlanta, Ga., sometimes rose to 12 degrees Fahrenheit more than the surrounding countryside, an effect attributed to more pavement and fewer trees. Between 1973 and 1992, […]
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Bill of Righteousness
Bill Bradley is trying to cast himself as the true environmentalist in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, criticizing Al Gore on what has in past years been his signature issue. Speaking in Seattle on Friday, Bradley lambasted Gore for supporting dams, going along with environmentally damaging subsidies for sugar, and allowing high levels […]
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India Ick
Pollution in India is likely to rise to alarming levels by the middle of the century unless drastic steps are taken, according to a new study by the Tata Energy Research Institute. If current conditions continue, suspended particulate air pollution is likely to rise to 52 million tons by 2047 from 17 million tons in […]
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You Scumbag! (And We Mean That As a Compliment)
Scientists say they have found a way to make pond scum power your car, though it may take another couple decades to perfect. Two teams of researchers have discovered how to alter the process of photosynthesis in common green algae to produce hydrogen, a clean-burning fuel that many experts believe will be the power source […]
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Go Tell Aunt Road-y, the Old Lawsuit Is Dead
A federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit by Idaho that sought to derail the Clinton administration’s plan to protect some 50 million acres of roadless national forest land from logging or development. The judge ruled that the process of public review has not gone far enough yet for Idaho to challenge the plan in […]
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We'll Cross That Elevated Bridge When We Come to It
Americans may have to make serious changes to cope with global warming, including altering the way water is managed in the West, beefing up public health programs, and building higher bridges, according to preliminary findings from the federal U.S. Global Change Research Program. The researchers will issue a final report this summer on the affects […]
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Men at Work
Australia is chopping down its forests faster than any other industrialized nation and has cleared about 2.5 million acres of trees in three years, the Australian Conservation Foundation said yesterday. Australia is now ranked as the world’s fifth-biggest land-clearing nation, behind only Brazil, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Bolivia. For its part, […]
