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Food Fight

Britain’s top medical association yesterday made a strong call for genetically modified foods to be labeled as such, allowing consumers to choose to avoid them until they are proven more safe for consumption. The British Medical Association, which represents 80 percent of Britain’s doctors, also called for gene-modified crops to be processed separately from conventional […]

Lake Woe, Be Gone

Officials are trying to preserve a lake in southwest China that serves as a wintering ground for dozens of species of waterfowl, but pressure from the 30,000 destitute people living around the lake is making the task difficult. The local residents want to convert the lake’s rich marshes into farmland, and they regularly try to […]

Fording Ahead

Ford took a big step forward yesterday in the race to build more environmentally friendly vehicles, announcing that it will reduce smog-causing tailpipe emissions from its light trucks an average of 33% beginning in the 2000 model year. It will cost Ford about $100 per truck to use improved catalytic converters and engine controls, but […]

Higher Occurrence of Currents

Rather than producing new atmospheric circulation patterns, climate change may alter the frequency of existing patterns, with huge implications for weather around the world, a number of researchers say. One recent study suggests that climate change may cause more frequent occurrences of El Nino. Another study recently reported in the journal Nature found a warmer […]

Emitting Less NOx-ious Gas

The owner of two of New England’s most polluting power plants yesterday announced a three-year, $17 million plan to reduce emissions that cause smog and acid rain. U.S. Generating Co., which acquired the plants last year, said it would cut nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 23 percent and work toward reductions in sulfur-dioxide (SO2) emissions. […]

Log On

Whale Meets Its Makah

Makah Indians this morning successfully harpooned and killed a whale off the coast of Washington state, the first whale kill by the tribe in more than 70 years. No protestors were in the area when the whale was hit. Protestors have dogged the whalers since their hunt began last week; four of their vessels have […]

Does the W. Stand for Waffle?

Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the leading GOP presidential hopeful, has seen the light on climate change. “I believe there is global warming,” he said at a news conference on Thursday. Just a few weeks ago, Bush had said that the “science is still out” on the issue, but since then he’s had some briefings […]

Unappealing Ruling

A federal appeals court on Friday threw a wrench into the Clinton administration’s plans to tighten air quality regulations, ruling that the EPA overstepped its authority by adopting new standards for ozone and particulates in 1997. The judges found that the EPA’s actions were unconstitutional and that the agency had failed to show that the […]

Blame It on IMF, Not Rio?

Brazil’s recession is taking a toll on its rainforest. The nation, in an effort to show the world that it can control its spending and to comply with conditions for a $41.5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, has made deep cuts in its budget, including slashing funding by half for the Environment Ministry. […]