Latest Articles

The Butterfly Effect

Illegal Logging Gangs Threaten Monarch Butterfly Reserve in Mexico A guerilla war is underway in Mexico’s idyllic Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, where millions of black-and-orange monarch butterflies alight every year at the end of a migratory journey that begins in Canada and the Great Lakes states. On one side lie conservation groups, government agencies, and […]

Beyond a Shadow of a Drought

Report Warns Businesses to Heed Water Shortages A new report warns that businesses should start preparing for severe water shortages, and warning their shareholders of the risk such shortages pose to their operations. The report — from independent California-based think tank Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security — focused on businesses that […]

Good for the Goose, Good for the Pander

Kerry Trumpets the Benefits of Coal In 2000, Al Gore narrowly lost the swing state of West Virginia, which (like so many other things) cost him the election. Many observers speculated that the loss resulted from Gore’s reputation as a “radical” environmentalist, particularly his opposition to coal, which many state residents depend on for their […]

Umbra on Energy Star labels

Dear Umbra, When I see the Energy Star rating on an appliance, can I trust that some government or consumer group is monitoring the ratings, or is that just a commercial ploy? Who profits from the Energy Star thing? Not Starry-EyedBridgewater, N.J. Dearest Not Starry-Eyed, A green screen. Photo: EnergyStar.gov. Energy Star is a project […]

Tree Amigos

Bush Roadless-Rule Rollback Opposed by Tree Farmers The Bush administration’s proposal to revamp (critics say gut) the Clinton-Era Roadless Rule, which prohibits road construction on some 60 Million acres of federal forestland, is finding opposition in some odd places. Owners of tree farms, not typically considered a natural ally of greens, are backing the Sierra […]

Oil Over Again

Analysts Warn That Natural Gas Could Pose Same Problems as Oil As the inevitable oil crisis draws closer, with demand continuing to rise and production capacity rapidly approaching its peak, natural gas is set to be the next big thing in the U.S. energy sector. But some analysts warn that natural gas will push the […]

The Problem, My Friend, Is Blowin’ in the Wind

Blowing Desert Dust Is Growing Environmental Problem Dust blowing up from the Sahara Desert has increased tenfold in the last 50 years and represents a growing environmental threat, warned Oxford geography professor Andrew Goudie today. And SUVs are at least partly to blame. The replacement of camels with four-wheel-drive vehicles such as Toyota Land Cruisers […]

Coolin’ the Gang

Toronto Cools Itself with Cold Water Starting this week, near-freezing water from the depths of Lake Ontario will bring relief to heat-stricken residents of Toronto, Ontario. A multi-million-dollar project will pump water from the lake through three intake pipes, where it will be used to cool down other water, which will subsequently be used to […]

Bush campaign tries to trash Kerry’s environmental record

The wrestler in chief. Photo: White House. Over the past few weeks of Presidential WrestleMania MMIV, the Bush campaign has fired off more than a dozen press releases about John Kerry‘s policies on energy, nuclear-waste storage, forest and water protections, and other environmental issues — a hodgepodge of smears, exaggerations, and obfuscations intended to besmirch […]

Errorism

New Report Charges Bush Administration with Neglecting 9/11 Air Safety The Bush administration showed “reckless disregard” for public safety after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 by failing to warn New Yorkers about the dangers of breathing the polluted air around the Twin Towers site, says a new Sierra Club report. According to the report: The […]