Latest Articles

Climate change is making plants and insects shrink

Here's a novel weight loss tip: Live on a planet whose global warming trend is so severe that you need to shrink in order to adapt. Oh, and it helps to be an insect, spider, plant, or marine creature. (Or a sheep. Evidently we already knew sheep were shrinking.) If you can manage that, you could be on your way to losing up to 22 percent of your body size, just from climate change!

Revolution in the air

“Those Who Take the Meat from the TableTeach contentment.Those for whom the taxes are destinedDemand sacrifice.Those who eat their fill speak to the hungryOf wonderful times to come.Those who lead the country into the abyssCall ruling too difficultFor ordinary men and women.”-Bertolt Brecht I first heard about the “people’s microphone” technique during the November, 1999 […]

Target is switching to sustainable seafood

Target is the latest chain to pledge to phase unsustainable seafood out of its stores. The company has already rid its shelves of orange roughy, farmed salmon, and Chilean sea bass, and plans to switch entirely to sustainable fresh and frozen fish by 2015.

What happens when a whale dies?

What happens when a whale dies? Little ocean beasties get a feast, as illustrated in this video, the most beautiful and least icky illustration of decomposition you may ever see.

Queer as farm folk: Can the LGBT community save sustainable farming?

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community has a history of organizing collectively and revitalizing urban spaces. Can they do the same for small-scale farming?

Critical List: Climate change is shrinking animals; Mexico could export water to the U.S.

Climate change is shrinking animals, like sheep and salamanders, and fruits too.

Mexico could start exporting water into the United States.

One partner in the Macondo well is ponying up $4 billion to settle with BP over last year's oil spill.

Ask Umbra: Is banning clotheslines legal?

A reader wonders if neighborhoods can legally hang clothesline users out to dry. Umbra pins down the answer.

Why the insurance industry won’t save us from climate change

Could pricey premiums deter people from living in high-risk areas and prompt action on climate change? The evidence so far suggests not.

Remember when Americans used to care about population? [VIDEO]

These days, when people go out of their way to avoid mention of the P word, it's almost hard to believe that population used to be a mainstream issue.

God's country: Farming for spiritual reasons [VIDEO]

Perennial Plate follows a family in central Ohio that farms for spiritual reasons.