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The truth about ethanol

Harvard environmental science professor Michael B. McElroy takes a sober look at ethanol:

The balance in terms of emission of greenhouse gases is close to a wash for the United States: the reduction in net emissions of carbon dioxide obtained by using corn rather than petroleum as a "feedstock" for motor fuel is largely offset by additional emissions of the several hundredfold more potent greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, formed as a byproduct of the nitrogen fertilizer used to grow the corn.

I don't know anything about McElroy's potential biases, but he certainly comes off as a serious-minded critic rather than a hit man. So if you're interested in a hype-free view of ethanol production in the U.S., this seems like a good place to start.

Standing on Protocol

U.S. requests exemption from ban on ozone-depleting pesticide, again At a meeting in New Delhi this week, thumb firmly attached to nose, the U.S. is seeking to convince fellow signers of an international ozone-layer treaty that it should be allowed to continue to use and produce a pesticide it had agreed to ban by 2005. […]

Teach a Man to Fish, and … Oh, Never Mind

Populations of edible marine species may collapse entirely by mid-century, says study Thank god it’s Friday, but thank god even more it’s not 2048, when all edible ocean life may be sunk. According to a study in Science, 29 percent of commercially edible fish and shellfish populations have collapsed already, thanks to overfishing, development, pollution, […]

A melange of tasty treats

The week's almost over, and you know what that means: time to clear out the Firefox tabs.

Thanks, Al Gore!

According to a recent MIT survey, Americans now rank climate change as the country's most pressing environmental problem--a dramatic shift from three years ago, when they ranked climate change sixth out of 10 environmental concerns.

Almost three-quarters of the respondents felt the government should do more to deal with global warming, and individuals were willing to spend their own money to help.

In other news, stay tuned for a global collapse of all species currently fished, possibly by mid-century.

The Great Warming aims to (re-)build bridges

Imagine a documentary featuring wild storms and dire predictions about pollution and rising seas. Sound familiar? Now add insight from Peruvian fishermen and Louisiana historians, mix in middle-school students, inventors, and religious leaders ... and invite a global-warming skeptic to the movie.

The film, hosted by Alanis Morissette and Keanu Reeves, is called The Great Warming, and even before its Nov. 3 launch, it has helped spawn an alliance between Democrats and evangelicals trying to shake the administration out of its inertia on climate change. It is also the anchor for a broad, pro-active coalition ranging from Friends of the Earth to Union of Concerned Scientists to Churches of Christ.

Theater giant Regal Cinemas is releasing the film in its top 50 markets this weekend, making the launch three times larger than for any other film of its kind, and highlighting the growing currency of the climate change issues in the mainstream.

It’s not driven by demand

Whaling nations have amassed a blubber mountain, despite desperate measures like mixing the stuff into dog food. It is the principle, apparently, that counts.

Bottom line: it's not demand for whale meat driving whaling, but politics, stubbornness, and claims of cultural rights.

New report cites impacts of biodiversity loss

For those of you that would rather get a root canal the read "Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services," consider this your Cliff's Notes.

This new report in Science shows that marine biodiversity loss is increasingly impairing the ocean's ability to provide food, maintain water quality, and recover from perturbations. If these trends continue, pretty much all the fish will be gone by 2048. In fact, according to the report, a whopping 30% of the world's commercial fisheries are already collapsed.

Food retailer boosts salaries of top executives

Success breeds imitation breeds competition, and Whole Foods is feeling the heat: its stock dropped more than 20 percent on news of slowing sales.

Said CEO John Mackey on his blog:

There has been an explosion in interest from our supermarket competitors in virtually everything we are doing, from copying many aspects in the design of our stores to selling more organic foods of all types, other supermarkets are studying and emulating us in dozens of different ways in their attempt to compete more aggressively against us.

Second annual climate-action day tomorrow, Nov. 4

Tomorrow: international day of action on climate change!

Following up on last year's event, building on the growing restlessness of the populace, and looking toward next week's meetings in Nairobi, ClimateUSA wants you to get out on the streets and make some noise. Way more fun than cleaning the bathroom, don't you think?

Readers talk back about property rights, extraneous vehicles, toxic schools, and more

  Re: Give and Takings Dear Editor: I’m glad you took up the story of the extreme private-property initiatives put on Western states’ ballots, but was taken aback by the tenor of the story. I rely on Grist for news that understands the environmental impact of policies, but this story seemed to swallow almost whole […]