Latest Articles

What, Exxon Unethical? You’re Kidding Me!

Academics Up in Arms Over Exxon-Funded Research When Exxon went to court in 1997 to appeal a $5.3 billion punitive damage verdict over the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, it cited articles from respected journals and law reviews that found that high punitive damages were bad for society or based on the unjust whims of […]

Climate talks are on the rocks, but not dead yet

The hippest catwalk in Milan this week. Photo: IISD. Milan is famous for opera and fashion, so perhaps it’s appropriate that the United Nations’ Kyoto Protocol conference, being held in the Italian city this week and next, has so far been characterized by high drama and public spectacle. Some 180 negotiators from around the world […]

From Russia, Without Love

Russia Rejects Kyoto Protocol, Likely Killing Climate Change Treaty The Kyoto Protocol on climate change received a presumably fatal blow today, when Russia announced that it will not ratify the agreement in its current form. Without Russia or the U.S. on board, the treaty will not have buy-in from at least 55 countries that account […]

Go Ahead, Makah My Day

Court Upholds Block on Makah Whale Hunt Whale advocates are celebrating in the wake of a federal appeals court ruling last week that will make it tougher for the Makah tribe of Washington state to resume hunting gray whales. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to overturn a ban on whaling and ordered […]

Starlink Trek: The Next Generation

Banned Biotech Corn Variety Still Showing Up in U.S. Food Supplies Genetically engineered StarLink corn is still contaminating U.S. food supplies, three years after it was pulled from the market. StarLink, which produces its own pesticide, was approved in 1998 — but only for use in animal feed or industrial processes because of concerns that […]

Whatever Floats Your Nuke

Russia Offers Floating Nuclear Plants to India How’s this for a bad idea: floating nuclear plants. Russia, which has plans to build 11 such plants in its far north in the next few years, is also hoping to export the technology. Last month, Russia pitched the idea to India, reportedly offering to moor Russian-operated nuke […]

Less Bark, More Bite

Logging in the Amazon Leads to Increase in Malaria Destruction of the Amazon rainforest is encouraging the spread of malaria, according to new research based on data from Peru. Every 1 percent boost in deforestation increases the number of malaria-bearing mosquitoes by 8 percent, seemingly because these mosquitoes thrive in ponds that are exposed to […]

The Kindest Cut

Companies Show that Cutting Emissions Can Improve Performance President Bush and many Republicans in Congress complain that restricting emissions of carbon dioxide would hobble the U.S. economy, but a growing number of companies are showing that cutting emissions can help the bottom line and they are pursuing reductions far greater than the voluntary ones proposed […]

The Great Green North

Massive Agreement Aims to Save Canada’s Boreal Forests A huge forest-protection initiative will get off the ground in Canada today, aiming to put half of the nation’s northern boreal forests — some 650 million acres — off-limits to logging and development, and to ensure that activity in the other half is carefully controlled and eco-friendly. […]

Blue-CFL-Light Special

Sales Boost Expected for Energy-Efficient Products What’s the perfect holiday gift for the loved one who has everything? Try five compact fluorescent light bulbs. With energy prices expected to balloon this winter, experts are predicting increased sales of energy-efficient consumer products in the U.S. over the coming months. Home Depot recently published a catalog showcasing […]