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Fields of Bad Dreams

Young children exposed to electromagnetic fields from power lines and other sources are nearly five times more likely to develop leukemia, according to a study released today by Canadian and U.S. scientists. However, the scientists have no biological explanation for what is causing the disease. A separate report released yesterday by the U.S. National Institutes […]

Chinese Hot and Sour over Pollution

China’s top environmental official said today that the nation is still plagued by serious environmental degradation, though continuing efforts are being made to keep it in check. China, which is home to nine of the world’s 10 most polluted cities, is instituting a plan that requires 49 cities to reduce their air pollution to 1995 […]

A Beacon in the Smog

The EPA, blocked by two recent court orders from implementing new clean air standards and rules, unveiled a scaled-back approach yesterday for cracking down on polluting power plants and industrial facilities. The approach relies on petitions filed by four states — Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania — that said they could not meet even […]

No Crocodile Tears

The endangered American crocodile seems to have made a strong comeback in the last 20 years, researchers say. When it was listed as an endangered species in 1975, there were only 20 nesting females living within a 20-square-mile area in Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys. Now there are an estimated 500 crocodiles in south […]

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Wilderness

Before July 4, the Clinton administration plans to ask Congress to set aside as wilderness 5 million acres of land that now lie within 17 national parks, prohibiting new development and roads. The biggest single change under the plan would give wilderness protection to more than 90 percent Yellowstone National Park’s 2.2 million acres, as […]

Clean Up Your Womb

Pesticides and industrial chemicals have been detected for the first time in the amniotic fluids of pregnant women, raising fears about how chemical exposure affects human development both before and after birth. A team of American and Canadian researchers, who presented their preliminary findings at a conference in San Diego yesterday, said about 30 percent […]

Another Species of Smuggler

Some 7 million animals are smuggled out of Colombia each year, stripping the nation of its rich biodiversity, according to a new report by Colombia’s Environment Ministry and state security police. About 80 percent of the smuggled animals die en route to Asia, Europe, or the U.S. because of mistreatment and bad conditions. The black […]

Giving Sprawl the Business

A number of business leaders are joining the fight against sprawl, worried that traffic jams, air pollution, and a lack of open space will drive away the best workers. A study released today by the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals highlights 19 “smart growth” initiatives undertaken by businesses. For example, DaimlerChrysler is building […]

Stall's Well that Ends Well

The Clinton administration is trying to delay until 2001 an international conference to finalize the Kyoto climate change treaty, a shift that would give the next administration the final word on the treaty. The international conference is currently scheduled for October 2000, a month before the presidential election. The postponement is intended to give negotiators […]

Internet Boom Not Heating Up?

U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide declined slightly in 1998, the first drop since 1991, when the nation was in a recession, according to preliminary data from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Forthcoming numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration also show a very flat level of change rather than the 2 percent annual […]