Latest Articles

Feed your ears with new Victual Reality podcast

I now have a regular podcast about food politics called Victual Reality, part of the Edible Communities project Edible Radio. Look for me there every other Tuesday — and for other terrific podcasts. I’ll also be posting my ‘casts here on Grist.  In my latest one, which went live this morning, I talk to Richard […]

From above and below, Gulf oil leak looks bad on video

The Waterkeeper Alliance provides aerial footage of the Gulf oil leak, shot last week. And BP, after initially refusing, releases underwater footage of the leak. From above: From below: One more from last week: Writes Jed Lewison at DailyKos, “BP is trying to position itself as a responsible corporate citizen, but its [temporary] decision to […]

New report from Childhood Obesity Task Force has something for everyone

Kids exercise in an online video from LetsMove.gov, Michelle Obama’s campaign to fight childhood obesity. Michelle Obama’s Presidential Task Force on Childhood Obesity released its findings yesterday. It’s encyclopedic in scope and has something for everyone — from school lunch, to sugar taxes, to veggie subsidies, to dietary guidelines, to obesogenic chemicals. Even farm-to-school programs […]

A roundup of reax to the Kerry-Lieberman American Power Act

The American Power Act makes its grand debut today, sponsored by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) — and, quite conspicuously, not by Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).  Kerry dropped by Grist to give his take on the bill and kick-start a discussion — join in.  Here are other perspectives on the bill: The Washington […]

An examination of benefits to Americans in the American Power Act

Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) are releasing a discussion draft today of their long-awaited American Power Act. The bill is designed to appeal to a broad range of senators, including moderate Midwestern Democrats and coastal Republicans. Recent events are a reminder of the urgency to act. The BP oil disaster is a […]

Why I introduced the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act

The tragic oil spill in the Gulf has led me to look at the Oil Pollution Act, which Congress passed in 1990 in the wake of the Exxon Valdez spill. It’s apparent that the liability limit set in that legislation, $75 million, is laughably small. With estimates that the oil spill off the Gulf Coast […]

Thoughts on journalism in an age of ecological calamity

“…sitting on marble floors, waiting for somebody to come out and lie to me.” — Russell Baker, describing his early ’60s stint as a Washington political correspondent for The New York Times, in his memoir The Good Times. Journalists Mike Allen, Sy Hersh, and I.F. StoneThis post doesn’t touch directly on the environment, or even […]

Oil Disaster Doesn't Mean We Should Switch to Other Dirty Fuels

This post was co-written by Kate Colarulli of the Sierra Club Dirty Fuels Campaign. As we’ve watched the Gulf Coast clean up from the massive BP oil disaster, besides BP picking up its own PR mission to improve its image, we’ve also noticed another disturbing PR campaign: the coal industry and the tar sands industry […]

Now is the time to shift World Bank resources to clean energy

The World Bank has just announced its intent to seek $86 billion for a general capital increase (the GCI) from its donor countries (see World Bank press release). It is time for the World Bank to become a full part of the solution to global warming, not part of the problem and part of the […]

A first look at the details of the Kerry-Lieberman American Power Act

Cross-posted from the Wonk Room. Last night, the Wonk Room published a summary of the provisions of the American Power Act, the comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation being introduced today by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). This post delves deeper into the legislation’s specific provisions. The following table compares key […]