Latest Articles

Mississippi Senate race goes negative as Dems attack incumbent over Big Oil

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is targeting Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) for supporting Big Oil. A new ad highlights the fact that he voted to give oil companies tax breaks and voted against legislation to curb speculation in the oil market. “While oil companies make record profits, Roger Wicker votes to give them $28 billion […]

One in three schools too close to highways for clean air, study says

One third of American public schools are in an “air pollution danger zone,” researchers at the University of Cincinnati found in a new study to be published in the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. They defined danger zones as areas within a quarter-mile of heavily trafficked highways. Diesel particles and other pollutants from highways […]

The good, the bad, and the ugly of the ‘Gang of 10’ drilling deal, part 2

Major legislative compromises are unsatisfying by design. They invariably have good, bad, and ugly parts. I have previously argued that the Democrats would be smart to compromise on offshore drilling. The rest of this series will examine whether the so-called Gang-of-10 deal is in fact a smart compromise. That question can be rephrased as, does […]

Climate whiplash

In a recent article in The New York Times, Andy Revkin talks about the whiplash effect: When science is testing new ideas, the result is often a two-papers-forward-one-paper-back intellectual tussle among competing research teams. When the work touches on issues that worry the public, affect the economy or polarize politics, the news media and advocates […]

NOAA says July 08 was fifth warmest on record

I know we’re supposed to be going into a period of cooling, at least according to people who don’t believe in the scientific method. For those who do however, NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center reports in its “Climate of 2008 July in Historical Perspective”: Based on preliminary data, the globally averaged combined land and sea […]

A video for World Water Week

It’s World Water Week, so I have an almost-legit excuse for posting this quirky, quotable video. It’s part of the Look Around You series, a British spoof of ’70s and ’80s educational videos that takes on other scientific topics like Maths and Ghosts. Make sure you have your copybook at hand:

Snippets from the news

• One-third of U.S. schools are in “air pollution danger zone.” • Forever 21 to be built on site of L.A. community garden. • Beehives harbor 70 different pesticides. • Chinese media guidelines: don’t mention carcinogenic water. • Happy World Water Week!

Dean’s Beans founder on the good effects of trade

On my pet topic of how business is creating grassroots good in the world, here’s a great interview [mp3] from Corporate Watchdog Radio with the founder of Dean’s Beans, a fair trade coffee company. Dean Cycon travels to the coffee-lands and meets directly with the communities he buys from. He’s building (global) community and raising […]

Virginia governor falsely claims Obama shares his support for new coal

Virginia governor Tim Kaine (D) held a Northern Virginia town hall meeting in Prince William County in the Washington, D.C. exurbs as part of his campaign for Barack Obama. The subtext of the town hall (one of a series) is that Kaine is trying to prove his value to Obama so he can get the […]

T. Boone Pickens gets face time with both prez candidates

T. Boone Pickens, the former Texas oilman who has turned his focus — and substantial funding — to renewable energy, breakfasted with both of the presidential candidates in past days. (But is he still a slim Pickens?) The billionaire met with John McCain on Friday; Pickens has said that he supports the Republican candidate, but […]