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Snippets from the news

• The Big Apple will spend $2.3 billion on greenhouse-gas reduction. • Officials urge merger of federal earth-science agencies. • States slacking on clearing park air. • Toxic sludge lingers in Bhopal. • Federal officials propose euthanizing elk and horses. • Coral reefs are in trouble.

Orangutans heading toward extinction

Orangutans are on their way toward extinction, says a new study that points out worrying declines in fuzzy-orange-ape populations. Orangutans only live in the wild on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo; the Sumatra orangutan population has dropped nearly 14 percent since 2004, while the Borneo population has fallen 10 percent. “Unless extraordinary efforts are […]

Don’t be afraid to claim the term ‘environmentalist’

A number of Grist contributors have grumpily said things along the lines of, "I'm not an environmentalist," or "I'm not sure I'm an environmentalist."

Environmentalism comes in all flavors. Wanting to protect natural environments because they benefit humans is a perfectly valid form of environmentalism -- in fact, I'd argue more valid than the "humans are evil, tapeworms are virtuous" variety. If you want to protect our world against the worst consequences of global warming, if you want clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and yes, some wilderness and wild left for the sake of your sanity, then you are an environmentalist.

Every now and then I will run into someone who says, "yes, I think women are fully human and should be treated as such. I believe in equal pay for equal work, anti-discrimination laws, anti-harassment laws. I think there are important ways in which women are not treated as fully human that have to be changed. But I'm not a feminist." If you believe those things, you are a feminist. You are just buying into an anti-feminist stereotype. And not calling yourself a feminist won't stop all mini-Limbaughs who dominate talk radio from calling you whatever the latest version of "feminazi" is. Similarly, if want to protect the environment, even for the most anthropocentric reasons in the world, claiming not to be environmentalist won't protect you against being called names by those who think the ideal breakfast is fried spotted owl cooked over an open flame fueled by old-growth timber. So own the term "environmentalist." Claim it proudly. Don't let hate-mongers define it, or purity trolls monopolize it.

[Updated title to take out the damn 60s reference the editor put in.]

Greening the city

They’re making green videos over at The New Republic — here’s the first one, from Dayo Olopade:

A locust swarm worries Chinese officials ahead of Olympics

Officials in the Northern Chinese province of Inner Mongolia have mobilized 33,000 people to stop a swarm of locusts 267 miles outside of Beijing. Concerned that the locust swarm may descend on Beijing during the Olympic Games, the regional government has set aside 4 million yuan for pesticides and large-scale spraying machinery. As of July 2, the swarm had infested 5,000 square miles.

"The larvae are in the hatching stage in the counties and cities near Beijing, Gao Wenyuan, of the Inner Mongolia's grassland office, told the Xinhua news agency, as reported by Bloomberg. "The plague is becoming more apparent."

Landmark court ruling halts Georgia coal plant, Pentagon scuffling with EPA over pollution cleanup,

Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: A Coal New World White-Out House To Clean Up or Not to Clean Up … We’re Still on Defense Moby Next Year Whale, You Were Out! Dry Run Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: The Saga of Fume A Tip of […]

War and stagflation — surprisingly cute!

“As you all probably know, in Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana and Texas, they think oil rigs are pretty.” — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), self-styled “Godfather of Green“

BLM reverses stance on solar-project moratorium

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has reversed its recent moratorium on new applications for solar-energy projects on public land, allowing companies to keep submitting proposals for new solar projects. The solar-project freeze had been instituted in late May while the BLM began conducting a two-year study on the potential environmental impacts of solar projects […]

Olympic sailing venue battles with massive algae bloom

With a mere 37 days until the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Qingdao, the port city where Olympic sailing events will be held, has sailed into troubled waters. Since June 12, municipal and Olympic officials have been wrestling with an algae bloom in Fushan Bay that has produced over 20,000 metric tons of weeds and green muck. Approximately 10,000 troops and Qingdao residents and 1,000 boats have been dispatched to dredge the bay.

According to a Reuters report, algae blooms are regular occurrences in Qingdao, but this one stands out:

Snippets from the news

• Some endangered species may be at 100 times greater risk of extinction than thought. • Some skeptical about efficacy of Florida’s Everglades buyout. • Erosion could starve 1.5 billion people. • Pressed wood is source of trailer formaldehyde. • Navajo Nation cleanup plan finalized.