Latest Articles

Da!

Russian government approves Kyoto; treaty now likely to go into effect After years of mixed messages, coy feints, and internal drama, the Russian government at last approved the Kyoto Protocol today, virtually ensuring that the treaty will go into force worldwide by the end of the year. After the U.S. (responsible for 25 percent of […]

Umbra on our “throw it away” culture

Dear Umbra, I hope I am not the only person who is disgusted with and frustrated by the current “throw it away” philosophy that so many large companies are pushing. Everything from window cleaner to facial wipes is being sold in single-use packages. Why? Don’t these companies and consumers realize that, for one thing, landfill […]

Reagan enviro official still running afoul of the law

Rita Lavelle, who ran the Superfund program during the Reagan years and was locked up for lying to Congress about it, may be headed to the slammer once again. On Monday, a federal jury convicted her of scheming to defraud a client who hired her consulting firm to clean up a toxic work site in Los Angeles, the L.A. Times reports. She faces 15-24 months in the clink. Old habits die hard, it seems.  

(Feeling nostalgic? Check out a fun recap of enviro doings during the Gipper's reign.)

Living for the City

San Francisco unveils plan to fight global warming Saying that global warming “is a real and looming threat to our economy, our public health, and our environment” to which the Bush administration “is not paying attention,” San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) this week unveiled a plan to reduce the city’s greenhouse-gas emissions to 20 […]

Formaldehyde and Seek

Enviro groups appeal lax EPA regs on formaldehyde In an era of serial outrages, even the most battle-hardened enviros were astonished by a U.S. EPA rule issued last spring: The rule exempted so-called low-risk wood-product factories from strict pollution controls, ignoring federal and independent health data on the dangers of formaldehyde — emitted during manufacture […]

Parky Pig

National park funding determined by political clout rather than need At a time when three-quarters of national parks are having their base budgets cut and park advocates are crying out about the desperate need for more funding, it may gall many enviros to find out how capricious and politically motivated park funding really is. Consider […]

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love Ya, Tomorrow

Bush administration postpones action on enviro issues until after election The Bush administration is pushing off a number of controversial environment-related moves until after the election. For example: Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham had requested a report from the National Petroleum Council on how to boost U.S. oil-refining capacity, to be released tomorrow. The U.S. EPA […]

A new resort complex threatens a Japanese paradise

The elusive and endangered yamaneko. Photo: Makoto Yokotsuka. The Iriomote cat is a survivor. For centuries, it employed the surest survival technique of all — avoiding humans — before being scientifically described for the first time in 1967 by Dr. Yoshimori Imaizumi of Tokyo’s National Science Museum. Its home, Iriomote Island, is one of the […]

Creature Comforts

A new push for protecting sharks and lions Despite the relative infrequency of its attacks on humans, the great white shark has achieved a fearsome reputation, thanks largely to the 1975 film “Jaws.” Viewed with trepidation and fascination, it is now a prized catch for trophy hunters, who sell its jaws and teeth at great […]

When Geeks Attack

Another group of scientists to campaign against Bush Scientists and Engineers for Change, a 527 advocacy group unveiled yesterday, plans to send scientists on speaking gigs in swing states to argue that the Bush administration disregards and distorts science — in many cases, science relating to serious environmental problems. “We must begin to address climate […]