Latest Articles

Bad news from down south

Scientific and observational data from Antarctica are driving home the message that we have entered a period of consequences.

Most recently, scientists have discovered ice streams hiding bigger reservoirs of water in West Antarctica. The evidence has "major implications for glacial melt rates and associated sea-level rises" and the rate of warming.

Poll results!

The NYT has a bucketload of important poll results. Here’s the full poll; here’s the summary: Americans in large bipartisan numbers say the heating of the earth’s atmosphere is having serious effects on the environment now or will soon and think that it is necessary to take immediate steps to reduce its effects, the latest […]

Senators demand Congressional participation in Endangered Species Act changes

On Wednesday, several key Senators sent a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne expressing concern about an Interior Department proposal they say will weaken the Endangered Species Act. The letter states that draft revisions to the act have suggested a major overhaul of the act is under consideration and demands that the Bush administration include […]

From Flushing to Flooding

As a matter of fact, no, she can’t spare a square This turn of events was made for Grist Listin’: A suggestion to tear with care made Sheryl Crow the butt of many, many jokes this week. But did you hear how she wiped the smile off rapmaster Rove, tellin’ him climate change won’t do […]

The new NYT piece does not disappoint

I can’t believe no Gristian has yet commented on the latest Michael Pollan piece in the NYT. What, is saying “Pollan has a new piece and it’s awesome” getting tedious? This one focuses on the farm bill and how it makes us fat: A public-health researcher from Mars might legitimately wonder why a nation faced […]

And their PM is still in denial

Australian Prime Minister John Howard is in a sticky, yet dry, situation.

Even though a drought has caused Australia's agricultural production to fall 25 percent in the last year, Howard may have to ban irrigation so that urban centers can have drinking water.

The targeted river basin, the Murray-Darling, is known as Australia's "food bowl" because it houses 72 percent of Australia's farm and pasture land. If insufficient rain continues through the next few weeks, this year's harvest will be devastated and cities will need to implement water usage restrictions.

Prime Minister Howard doesn't accept the connection to global warming, but scientists and farmers disagree, saying "this drought has the fingerprints of climate change all over it." In climate models, Australia is predicted to be one of the first areas seriously impacted.

Yeah, In My Back Yard

Americans digging eco-friendly home improvements If your weekend plans involve puttering in the yard, you’ll dig these eco-trends. Interest in sustainable landscaping is up, with some professionals in the field seeing a 15 to 25 percent increase in business over last year. With native plants, rain barrels, recycled decking, and solar lighting catching on, DIY […]

America is Dragon

China’s carbon-cutting more ambitious than many assume Used to be, the U.S. couldn’t do anything about climate change because climate change wasn’t real. Now the U.S. can’t do anything about climate change because … China’s not doing anything about climate change. But surprise! Turns out China, despite being the huge energy-sucker that slipped through the […]

How Much Wood Could a Wood Check Chuck?

California restricts formaldehyde in wood products It may be a land of earthquakes, smog, and drought, but California’s doing something right. In the latest in a string of forward-thinking green policies, state air regulators passed restrictions on formaldehyde in wood products that are the restrictiest in the world. “There is no safe threshold for this […]

Nevada Mined

Newmont Mining Co. will undergo social-responsibility review It wasn’t enough to be acquitted of pollutey wrongdoing in Indonesia; the world’s largest gold-mining firm is begging for more green cred. This week, 91.6 percent of Newmont Mining Co.’s shareholders approved an independent review of the company’s environmental and social impacts worldwide. Along with the high-profile trial […]