Latest Articles

The responsibility era

The editors of The New Republic make a simple point that can’t be made often enough: The conservative notion that reducing GHG emissions in the U.S. is pointless unless China and India do the same is a moral grotesquery. We created the problem. Ethically and geopolitically, we are responsible for leading the way to a […]

On the latest eco-conscious denim trends and events

"Who are the big, fat, tall people that buy the jeans we make?"

That's the question that Jasmine, 16, innocently asks in Micha Peled's documentary China Blue, a clandestine view of three girls' lives in a Chinese sweatshop. I felt pretty embarrassed watching Jasmine cut the threads off our blue jeans during her 20-hour workday. It's the same Catholic schoolgirl guilt you get when the burly, bearded dude walks in on you because the gas station's bathroom lock is broken, or when your parents or roommate come home when they just weren't supposed to. Once again, we've been caught with our pants down.

But this time, we're participating in one of the largest human-rights abuses of all time. Which makes denim a damn good product around which to strike up a conversation about social issues.

Sorry, trusty Blue Jeans. You know I love you. You've been there for me through all occasions -- my birthdays, my late-night outings, my first kiss, my first break-up ... When I don't know what to wear, you're there for me ... but now, it's time to hang you out to dry ... if only to make a point.

AEI brings us the good news on climate

How about that fascinating ad in Gristmill today for the new video courtesy of the American Enterprise Institute! An Inconvenient Truth ... or Convenient Fiction? aims to present us with an alternative to the "climate extremism" that is "popular with Hollywood and other pessimistic enclaves" and seeks to assure us everything is A-OK. They're even doing screenings around the U.S. In, uh, three locations. Anyone else give this AEI spin project a spin yet?

[editor's note, by David Roberts] This seems like a good time to draw attention to Grist's advertising policy, to wit: we don't screen ads for political or ideological content. If we did that, every ad that did appear on our site would carry an implied endorsement, and we don't want to get into that briar patch. The main thing to note is: advertising is advertising, editorial is editorial, and never the twain shall mess with each other.

From Betting to Böögg

We’ll see your catastrophe and raise you an apocalypse Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets: An online gambling service is offering a whole new way to get screwed by climate change. Looking for better payoff? Put some greenbacks on the leatherbacks; we’re all-in on Colburtle. Photo: iStockphoto Every day is Earth Day — especially Sunday […]

Readers write in about April Fools’ stories, ungreen magazines, seal clubbing, and more

  Re: Cover Story Dear Editor: To my astonishment, the story about the proliferation of “green” issues of magazines like Glamour, Sports Illustrated, and Town & Country made no mention of the paper these magazines use. Where is the cynicism, irony, and humor in the face of outrageous hypocrisy? With only the exception of Outside, […]

Our second annual Earth Day list of the year’s goodies, oddities, and inanities

In honor of the 38th Earth Day, we hereby present the Second Ever List of Grist Superlatives — our take on the good, the bad, and the weird of the past year. What did we miss? Add your own superlatives in comments below. Most thoroughly debunked premise: “The Death of Environmentalism” Amusingest photo op: President […]

Megadroughts projected for southwest: bears

To be "environmental," in simplest terms, is to be aware of the existence of "our fellow mortals," as John Muir liked to put it. In the Southwest, where a new study for Science -- based on the results of nineteen climate model runs -- projects "megadroughts" that will be at least as devastating as the Dust Bowl, some of these mortals, such as black bears and oak trees, have already noticed changes in the climate and begun to change their behavior.

A bullet train, that is

According to this article, Brazil's transport ministry is considering whether to tender bids for a high-speed train linking São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Once (OK, if) the bullet train goes into operation, travel time would be just under an hour and a half, compared with the five hours it currently takes to drive between the two cities.

Faint Christopher

Presidential contender Christopher Dodd endorses carbon tax The good news: Presidential contender Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) has unveiled a bold energy plan that includes a tax on corporate polluters. The bad news: Christopher who-now? Is running for what? Putting aside Dodd’s snowball-in-hell odds, let’s admire his goals: a per-ton fee on corporate carbon emissions that […]

Well … A for Effort?

Reports say Chesapeake Bay is still hurting Two new reports show that, despite 22 years of clean-up efforts, the Chesapeake Bay is still in miserable shape. Pollution and population growth are on the rise, sullying the bay and its tributaries. A report issued by the Chesapeake Bay Program — a partnership between the U.S. EPA […]