Latest Articles

Umbra on turning down the thermostat

Dear Umbra, My housemates and I are engaged in an ongoing argument about the heat (gas) in our somewhat old house. I argue that for the minimum eight hours that we are out of the house during the day, we should turn our heat down to at least 62 degrees. They argue that we should […]

Umbra on home heating

Dear Umbra, Can you shed some light (or some warmth) on the most environmentally sound ways to heat one’s home this winter? Natural gas over coal and oil for its lower carbon (and particulate) content? What about fireplaces: good or bad? Would burning gas logs be a good alternative to burning real wood? Thanks for […]

Willy Wonks

Judge Orders Feds to Reconsider Protections for Puget Sound Orcas The Bush administration’s environmental policies are taking a beating from the judicial branch this week. Not only did a federal court yesterday reject a plan to allow snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Glacier national parks; today, a different federal judge struck down the administration’s decision not […]

Salt Water Daffy

Climate Change Alters Salt Levels in Atlantic Ocean, to Europe’s Dismay The Atlantic Ocean seems so vast that it’s almost impossible to imagine fundamentally altering it — and yet, its salt levels have changed so drastically over the last 40 years because of global warming that the whole flow of ocean water is being disrupted, […]

Bank Warms Chile

Bank Protects Land in Tierra del Fuego Environmentalists in Chile have reason to be muy feliz of late. First, the government agreed to turn a vast tract of land owned by U.S. multimillionaire Doug Tompkins into a public nature reserve. Now, investment bank Goldman Sachs has announced that it will create another such reserve in […]

A Smog-and-Pony Show

Bush Team Unveils Plan to Cut Smog-Forming Pollution A new rule proposed yesterday by the Bush administration would cut emissions of smog- and soot-causing pollutants from power plants in the Midwest and East — but not deeply or quickly enough, say enviros. The plan would reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide pollution by implementing a […]

Oh, You Meant Clean

Bush Administration Scraps Proposed Changes to Clean Water Act In another policy turnaround, the U.S. EPA and Army Corps of Engineers jointly announced yesterday that they will not move forward with proposed changes to the Clean Water Act that would have sharply reduced the number of waterways and wetlands protected from development. The proposed rules, […]

We Love to Fly and It Shows

Britain Mulls Ways to Limit Impact of Aviation Industry With the holidays looming, the airports and skies are fuller than ever — unfortunately for the environment. Air travel is the most environmentally damaging way to get around, with planes using vast quantities of fossil fuels and emitting toxic byproducts and greenhouse gases. The issue is […]

Judge to Bush: Are You Yellowstoned?

Federal Judge Reinstates Clinton Snowmobile Ban in Yellowstone In a sharply worded ruling issued just hours before the start of the winter snowmobiling season in Yellowstone National Park, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan nixed the Bush administration’s plans to allow nearly 1,000 snowmobiles in the park every day. The 49-page ruling pointed out that a […]

May the Enforcement Be With You

EPA Enforcement Officials Removed From Homeland Security Duty But wait, there’s more! The Bush administration abruptly changed tack on yet another issue this week, when it announced that it will stop diverting federal environmental enforcement officials from pollution investigations to homeland security matters. The U.S. EPA will also stop using enforcement officials as bodyguards, chauffeurs, […]