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We Wouldn’t Kid About This

Environmental problems kill some 4 million kids a year, WHO says Gloom and doom alert: About 4 million kids younger than age 5 die every year due to environmental problems including air pollution, water pollution, and chemical exposure, according to a new report from the World Health Organization. In fact, more than 30 percent of […]

Will Santa Be Evicted?

Russia stakes claim to North Pole waters and deep-sea oil and gas In the next few days, Russia plans to launch tiny submarines some 14,000 feet under the North Pole’s sea ice to take geological samples and gather data — the first such journey to carry people to the North Pole’s sea bed. And while […]

Friday music blogging: Explosions in the Sky

You thought I forgot! This week’s song is from a fantastic band out of Austin, Texas called Explosions in the Sky. They play in a style that has somewhat unfortunately been dubbed “post rock,” though the band, like most bands stuck with the label, hates it. The prefer plain old “rock.” What sets the genre […]

Lovins

Hey, did y’all notice that my interview with Amory Lovins is up? Go read it, if it so pleaseth you to do so.

Sighted in a Saudia Arabian zoo

I interrupt my reporting from Iowa to pass on this curio I found on the blog of my old friend Angelo Young, who works in Saudi Arabia and writes bemused, funny missives from the global crude-oil capital. In this one, he reports a strange sight in a Jeddah zoo: “This Lebanese guy handed the monkey […]

Who Needs Enforcement When Things Are Going So Well?

U.S. EPA doesn’t employ enough eco-cops, memo says The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reportedly violating a law that requires it to employ at least 200 criminal investigators. The agency has 174 eco-cops on board — some of whom are pulled off duty to guard EPA head Stephen Johnson when he travels. Because … eco-crimes […]

Driver Education

Ground-level ozone could be important factor in climate change If you’ve spent time proudly mastering the difference between ground-level ozone and climate change, prepare to be flummoxed: the two issues appear to be linked. According to a study in Nature, ground-level ozone damages plants, affecting their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, which allows more CO2 […]

Now That’s Density

British government plans new eco-towns, flood-plain development The British government announced plans this week to build 2 million new homes by 2016, including five carbon-neutral “eco-towns” of at least 5,000 homes each. Each green town will have public transportation to existing cities, favor green space and walkability, include 30 to 50 percent affordable housing, and […]

Court upholds ban on kangaroo-hide sneaks

A California Supreme Court decision Monday upheld a 36-year-old ban on the import and sale of products made from various wildlife species — specifically soccer, rugby, and baseball shoes made by defendant Adidas. The decision was hailed by animal rights groups for setting a precedent allowing states to protect species that the federal government no […]

A big train wreck leaves it all over the place

Gristmill reader Grevangelical was in Ukraine when this happened, and he says people there are nervous about it. Wonder why? Deputy Prime Minister Olexander Kuzmuk, who on Tuesday compared the spill to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, has since insisted there is no health risk to surrounding villages … By the way, the highly toxic […]