Latest Articles

Land-rights crusader Elouise Cobell dies

Elouise Cobell sued the federal government for losing Indian land royalties -- and won $3.4 billion.

Conservatives want to end support for America's fastest growing industry

In these grim economic times, one U.S. industry has defied gravity. It employs 100,000 Americans at 5,000 mostly small businesses in all 50 states. And it's wildly popular with the American public -- but not with Republicans in Congress.

Is the company behind GMO salmon the next Solyndra?

With the FDA only weeks away from announcing official approval of GMO salmon, parent company AquaBounty is struggling to stay afloat.

On its 39th anniversary, the Clean Water Act needs defenders

This post originally appeared on Treehugger. In 1969, a river caught fire. People of a certain age probably remember when it happened. The Cuyahoga, which runs through northeastern Ohio and outlets into Lake Erie in Cleveland, was heavily contaminated — so much so that stretches of the waterway contained no life at all. It was […]

How billions without electricity will benefit from clean energy

In the developing world, "alternative" energy means dangerous, inefficient cooking fires and kerosene. Cheap, clean energy sources could change that.

Huge, polluting container ships that carry all our stuff clean up their act

Everyone knows that our iPads, clothes, kitchen appliances, furniture—our entire lives, basically—are made in China. But everyone might not know the container ships that bring that stuff over to the U.S. are climate-destroying juggernauts. According to OnEarth, just one container ship emits as much sulfur oxide (the stuff that makes smog) per year as 50 million cars. Plus, shipping accounts for 3.5 percent of all GHG emissions, twice as much as aviation.

The good news is that air pollution rules are pushing container shipping companies to clean up their act.

Watch a dust cloud engulf Texas

Holy moly. Lubbock, Texas, is really seeing the effects of its record-breaking drought. Is this another indicator of the Southwest becoming a new Dust Bowl? At any rate, it's super amazing/weird/pants-wettingly scary to watch.

Ecologists and loggers join forces to examine rainforest destruction

A group of ecologists from Imperial College London is taking a rather unusual stance towards logging: "This is going to happen whether we like it or not, so we might as well understand the impacts a little bit better." The group is working with a logging company on the island of Borneo to study how habitat fragmentation plays out when companies cut down rainforest.

At the researchers’ request, the loggers are leaving some patches of rainforest standing, of various sizes and at different distances from each other. 

Ten years of car commuting could cost you $125,000

A lot of home buyers are pushing out into the exurbs because the houses are cheaper there -- but long commutes come with hidden costs that could seriously dent any money you might save on a mortgage. A personal finance blogger with the trust-inspiring nom de plume of Mr. Money Mustache (okay, so he's a mustache, but it's a MONEY mustache!) has calculated that a two-car commute of 19 miles each way would cost a couple $125,000 over 10 years. That makes a $250,000 home into a $375,000 home, but all you get for your extra money is a tension headache.

How to translate climate science into Average Joe-ese

Communicating science can be a challenge — not everybody wants to be communicated to, for one thing, and also a lot of words with specialized Science Meanings also have regular meanings that are completely different. (If you don't believe me, try using the phrase "quantum leap" to a particle physicist.) In the wake of the […]