Latest Articles

A celebration of all things H2O

Ahoy, me hearties! Arrrr you excited about World Water Day? Well ... arrrr ye?

Begad, mateys! Do tell me ye know what the fuss is all about? Why, today is the one day a year wherein we celebrate the briny (and non-briny) deep as we should all year. I daresay, 'tis the best holiday of 'em all. (OK, perhaps the second best.) So sing a chantey, grab a noggin of rum, and let's yo-ho-ho, if ye know what I mean.

Recognized formally for the first time in 1993, the World Day for Water was designated by the United Nations as a yearly commitment by member nations to devote time to implementing U.N. recommendations and promoting concrete activities related to water issues. Last year's World Water Day marked the start of the second "U.N. International Decade for Action: Water for Life." (During the first U.N. decade on water in 1981-1990, it's estimated that more than a billion people gained access to safe drinking water.)

Wanting to get in on all the U.N. action, NGOs have used the holiday to push for clean water and sustainable aquatic habitats (that'd be where the "something fishy" comes in). There are events going on everywhere, but one of the major haps is the 4th World Water Forum that's been going on in Mexico City since March 16. Held every three years by the World Water Council, these forums are international arenas for open dialogue on water-related policy-making. And, as you may have noticed (as pirates of the über-informed variety), there's always much buzz in the media about water issues during one of these forums -- which is exactly the idea, I suppose.

Even the godly have gotten involved in the water wars. The Ninth Assembly of the World Council of Churches has called on their religious brethren to "work together to preserve and protect water resources against over-consumption and pollution." Which totally makes sense, because What else Would Jesus Drink?

Seriously, though, ye lads and lassies, why all the ruckus about H2O?

Green blogs meet mainstream media, exchange kisses

If you read green blogs, you will no doubt see this linked on every single one today. Gregory Dicum (who occasionally contributes to Grist) writes a column on environmental matters for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Today's column is about the green blogosphere. Check it out.

Update [2006-3-22 9:45:35 by David Roberts]: Obviously I should clarify one thing, as apparently every single one of my colleagues plans to razz me about it. In the piece, it says, "Roberts is technically an employee of [Grist], although he says he has complete editorial freedom."

I chatted with the author of the piece, Gregory, over IM, so obviously nuances are going to get lost. But just to clarify: I am not "technically" an employee of Grist, I am entirely and happily an employee, working every day in the office alongside all the other talented, intelligent, and beautiful/handsome employees, and I do several things outside the purview of the blog. My comment about editorial freedom was meant as praise for my employers: They have shown me a great deal of trust and have never asked or pressured me to alter the content of the blog. Hooray for them! I am proud to technically work for them.

Environment back in National Security Strategy

President Bush dropped any references to the environment from his 2002 National Security Strategy. Environment had first appeared in Poppy Bush's NSS in the early 1990s, and made continual appearances in the various Clinton administration iterations.

But just last week a new NSS was announced by the White House. In the last section, on the opportunities and challenges of globalization, environment appears along with pandemics, trafficking in drugs, people, and sex.

Environmental destruction, whether caused by human behavior or cataclysmic mega-disasters such as floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, or tsunamis. Problems of this scope may overwhelm the capacity of local authorities to respond, and may even overtax national militaries, requiring a larger international response.

These challenges are not traditional national security concerns, such as the conflict of arms or ideologies. But if left unaddressed they can threaten national security.

Obviously Katrina is a key frame of reference, rather than the contribution environmental degradation may be playing in causing instability in developing countries, the focus in previous NSS mentions.

The NSS is an important document in security circles -- remains to be seen whether this can translate into any new approaches.

New-age energy

Continuing on his energy kick, Tom Friedman devotes his Wednesday column in full to a perhaps shocking speech (pdf) given last week by Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

‘Eco-terrorism’: Cowards with ideals?

Three people indicted in connection with arsons in the Sacramento area were sentenced last Friday. Sisters Eva Holland and Lili Holland, portrayed by their lawyers as innocents caught up in a plot they didn't fully understand, were given two years apiece. The alleged ringleader, Ryan Lewis, was portrayed as a devoted follower of the ghostly Earth Liberation Front.

Ceres top 100 companies on climate change

Ceres has published a top-100 ranking of companies based on their climate-change strategies.

After years of inaction, a growing number of leading U.S. companies are confronting the business challenges from global warming, recognizing that greenhouse gas limits are inevitable and that they cannot risk falling behind their international competitors in developing climate-friendly technologies. Some U.S. companies, such as General Electric, are catching up and joining DuPont and Alcoa in leading their industries. But many others are still largely ignoring the climate issue with 'business as usual' strategies that may be putting their companies and shareholders at risk.

Here are the top "leaders and laggards":

(via Environmental Action)

Humans still winning on “Survivor”

Since the pilot episode of the most ambitious reality series ever -- "Survivor: Earth" -- roughly 65 million years ago, humans have been on a long winning streak. Each week, they've voted other species off the island at a surprising rate. 844 animals and plants are known to have been voted off in the last 500 years, according to a recent count. They've managed to dominate the show, winning every Challenge and conspiring against other species (such as their successful alliance with cows to vote off numerous rainforest species). Dolphins and chimps showed some promise at various points, but they've remained dark-horse contenders, along with cockroaches.

When viewers got bored with "Survivor: Dinosaurs," the show was yanked from the lineup, making way for the current "Survivor" series. But that earlier show was quite successful, running for 165 million years. Unfortunately, at the rate it's developing, the current series may not have the staying power.

Humans spur worst extinctions since dinosaurs (Reuters)

The Native Movement director chats on Flashpoints radio

Evon Peter of Native Movement (and InterActivist) fame appeared (was heard?) yesterday on Flashpoints radio. During the 17-minute interview, Peter chats about the Senate vote to allow drilling in his native lands (also known as the Arctic Refuge) and an upcoming March for Human Rights and Sacred Sites on Saturday in Flagstaff, Ariz.

You can download the entire hour-long Flashpoints show here or just download Peter's portion here.

Public Interest Watch sics IRS on Greenpeace

The sequence of events, as laid out in this Wall Street Journal story (sorry, sub. req.):

An interview with integration advocate Sheryll Cashin

It's been more than 50 years since the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was illegal, yet we still live in a country that's chock-full of racially split neighborhoods (see: New Orleans). Why is integration failing, how does it affect land use, and what do high-tech mapping gadgets have to do with it all? Jon Christensen interviews Georgetown law professor Sheryll Cashin to find out.