Latest Articles
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China’s central government faces a choice between democracy and eco-collapse
"Choking on Growth" is the apt title of the new New York Times series on the "human toll, global impact and political challenge of China's epic pollution crisis." Epic, indeed. The first installment shows how "As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes." The statistics are daunting:
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East Asian countries could save money shifting to renewables, but aren’t gonna
According to Greenpeace International, East Asian countries can save about $2 trillion in fuel costs over the next 23 years by shifting to renewable energy (abandoning plans for both coal and nuclear plants). Said dazzlingly monickered Greenpeace campaign coordinator Athena Ballasteros … … investment costs for new power plants in East Asia projected by the […]
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The Invisible Hand Drops Its Harpoon
Iceland halts whale hunt due to low demand After resuming commercial whaling just under a year ago, Iceland’s fisheries minister said recently that his country will not issue new whale-hunting quotas until there’s more demand for whale-derived products and until Iceland gets an export license to send whale meat to Japan. “There is no reason […]
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Fear of death leads to authoritarianism, not sustainability
It’s tempting to think that if you scare the shit out of people — really convince them, down to their bones, that hurricanes, diseases, and starving refugees are hiding just around the corner — that mass mobilization against global warming will at long last ensue. There’s good reason to doubt it. Fear causes fairly predictable […]
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Strung Out
Clotheslines growing more popular in U.S. The clothesline, nemesis of backyard cyclists everywhere, is making a comeback thanks to green awareness and energy costs. Many communities and homeowner’s associations have banned the misunderstood expanse of rope, assuming that neighbors aren’t interested in each other’s dirty — or clean — laundry. But as a burgeoning “right […]
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Put It in Park
Donations roll in for national parks’ centennial projects The 100th anniversary of the National Park Service is a mere nine years away, and donations are rolling in to spruce up parks for the occasion. In a spending bill yet to be approved by Congress, Bush made funds available to match private giving; some $300 million […]
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Green Goes the Lower Ninth
The Nation reports on sustainable revitalization of a New Orleans neighborhood Two years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still, slowly, rebuilding. But the people of the ravaged Lower Ninth Ward are determined to bring their neighborhood back — and to develop it sustainably. In a piece from The Nation republished in Gristmill, Rebecca Solnit […]
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And Now for Something Completely Familiar
China’s environment still terribly polluted, getting worse Almost nowhere else on earth today is a source for so much environmental gloom and doom as China. To sum up: It’s bad. In fact, for those prone to hopelessness … read on, there’s plenty to get depressed about. Nearly 500 million people in China lack access to […]
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Umbra on attracting wildlife
Hi Umbra, I agree with your analysis of bird feeders, and would like to share a win-win solution. I have a huge variety of birds that visit my yard year-round. Instead of bird feeders, I have planted an abundance of native plants, including trees, bushes, and groundcover plants that provide berries, seeds, nesting material, and […]
