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A Disappearing Act

  137 species are estimated to go extinct each day 50,000 species are estimated to go extinct each year 78 species were on the original U.S. endangered species list 1,201 species were on the U.S. endangered species list as of October 1999 43 percent of endangered and threatened animals in the U.S. depend on wetlands […]

We Got the Fever

A new analysis by government scientists indicates that the planet’s climate is warming at an unprecedented rate, suggesting that the future impact of global warming may be more sudden and severe than previously predicted. The study, which will be published in the March 1 issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters, found that the very […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]