Latest Articles

Can the Durban climate negotiations succeed?

Photo: DG EMPL Cross-posted from An Economic View of the Environment. Two weeks of international climate negotiations begin today in Durban, South Africa. These are the Seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP 17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) [PDF]. The key challenge at this point is to maintain the process […]

Ask Umbra: Are cosmetics companies lying to my face?

Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, I just heard an ad for hair-care products that are allegedly “certified hypoallergenic.” There’s no such thing, is there? And is it illegal to make that claim? Shirley C. Wynnewood, Penn. A. Dearest Shirley, Hark! The holidays are here, and many of us might soon find ourselves […]

Julian Rodriguez-Drix: An organizer whose lectures ruffle feathers

Grist is proud to present the Change Gang — profiles of people who are leading change on the ground toward a more sustainable society and a greener planet. Some we’ve written about before; some are new to our pages. Some you’ll have heard of; most you probably won’t. Know someone we should add to the […]

Signs of the times [SLIDESHOW]

How many ways are there to say, “It’s time for change”? The protesters in New York City over the past few months have found a seemingly endless variety. This is a movement that refuses to be boxed in and it doesn’t look like it’s going away soon.

Feed-in tariffs responsible for most renewable energy

Cross-posted from CleanTechnica. Feed-in tariffs are a comprehensive renewable energy policy responsible for 64 percent of the world’s wind power and almost 90 percent of the world’s solar power (see charts below). With simplified grid connections, long-term contracts, and attractive prices for development, that’s policy that works. Image: David Jacobs Image: David Jacobs The basic […]

After-school EV club is so much cooler than yearbook

In Kansas City, Mo., high school students enrolled in the after-school program Minddrive are building an electric car. They meet three times every two weeks. They started with a decade-old Reynard Champ Car, and have turned it into an electric vehicle that will drive from Jacksonville, Fla., to San Diego, Calif., over their spring break. […]

Prizewinning research: How to fight elephants with bees

British scientist Lucy King has won a prestigious environmental award for her research, but she should also maybe get a movie deal. The substance of her research is using bees to scare off elephants, which could make an excellent blockbuster, with the addition of a few explosions and maybe a robotic bee carapace. Also, as […]

Great Lakes fish triumph over invaders

The story of invasive species usually goes something like a particularly dark zombie movie — the invasive species kills everything else and thrives, changing the planet forever. But in the Great Lakes, a different story is playing out, one in which the natives win. In addition to evil zebra mussels, transatlantic shipping has brought a […]

The faces of the occupation [SLIDESHOW]

Scraggly protesters camped out in public parks. Young people pepper sprayed and bloodied in clashes with the police. These are the images that have come to represent the Occupy movement. But as these portraits show, the reality is far richer. The occupiers deserve to be heard.

Eat leftovers, save the world

Photo: Patrick Gage KelleyAs if turkey pot pie and turkey a la king aren’t enticing enough on their own, here’s another reason to eat leftovers this holiday season: About 1 million tons of CO2, 95 billion gallons of water, and $275 million will be thrown away this Thanksgiving in the form of leftover turkey. The USDA […]