Latest Articles

A purely local approach would double or triple costs

This is one more attempt to kill a zombie myth: the notion that local generation of renewable electricity can substitute for long-distance transmission. I can see where this comes from — the sun shines almost everywhere, and the wind blows strong within a few hundred miles of most places where it doesn’t, right? If we […]

Physicists group urges U.S. to embrace energy efficiency

A group of some 46,000 physicists urged the United States on Tuesday to dramatically improve its energy efficiency in the interest of becoming more energy independent, saving money, and staving off climate change. The group, the American Physical Society, said of such a program, “the opportunities are huge and the costs are small.” Smart folks. […]

The automotive revolution: how fast?

Wall Street Journal senior editor Joseph B. White attempts to dump some cold water on the "automotive revolution" everyone’s all giddy about: This revolution will take years to pull off — and that’s assuming it isn’t derailed by a return to cheap oil. Anyone who goes to sleep today and wakes up in five years […]

Umbra on wine bottle stoppers

Dear Umbra, Here’s a question I couldn’t find an answer to in the Grist archives: What kind of plastic is being used for the corks in wine bottles? If I decide to put a bottle in the cellar for several years, will the plastic leach into the wine? Thanks for your help! Holli B. Portland, […]

2008 Arctic sea-ice melt second-meltiest ever

Sea-ice melt in the Arctic this year was the second-largest on record, falling just short of 2007’s all-time record melt, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The slightly larger ice cover this year is hardly cause for celebration, though; sea ice may have covered more of the ocean’s surface overall, […]

Renewable energy promotion policies: transparent

The previously discussed finance mechanisms tend to hide the costs of building renewable generators by concealing the actual cost per unit of electricity and costs for the ratepayers or taxpayers as a whole. In an era when so much is hanging on energy policy, it makes more sense to consider policies that do not pull […]

House energy bill includes oil-shale provisions that alarm conservation groups

The energy bill that passed in the House last night also permits forward movement on commercial oil-shale development, a provision added to the legislation on Monday. The provision repeals the current moratorium on finalizing regulations regarding oil-shale production, and would allow states to decide whether or not to permit oil-shale development on federal lands within […]

EPA, U.S. lax on e-waste regulation, GAO says

A new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office paints a bleak picture of electronic-waste practices in the United States and condemns the U.S. EPA for its lax enforcement of a new national e-waste law. E-waste often contains toxics like cadmium, lead, and mercury, which can leach out of computers, TVs, and other electronics once […]

Tesla Motors to build electric-car plant in San Jose, Calif.

Tesla Motors, maker of the ultra-sleek, ultra-expensive, all-electric Tesla Roadster sports car, has announced it will build a manufacturing plant in San Jose, Calif., to churn out within two years its newest all-electric offering: a five-seater sedan. Priced at a still-spendy-but-slightly-saner $60,000, Tesla’s “Model S” sedan is expected to roll off the production line in […]

Gray wolves in northern Rockies to remain on endangered list for now

Gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains will remain on the endangered species list for the foreseeable future, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife spokesperson. FWS’ Ed Bangs said Tuesday that the agency will withdraw its rule (released in March) that had declared the gray wolf population in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming recovered and […]