Latest Articles

Umbra on eco-friendly birth control

Dear Umbra, I am wondering about the most environmentally safe form of birth control. From what I understand, women’s birth control pills put terrible amounts of hormones into the world’s waters and cause genetic mutations in fish. On the other hand, constantly using and discarding plastic condoms, including the packaging these come in, does not […]

Knights Who Say “NEPA”

White House Task Force Proposes Alterations to NEPA One of the nation’s most important environmental laws could be fundamentally altered, if suggestions from a White House task force are implemented. A panel of the Council on Environmental Quality yesterday proposed dozens of changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, a 1970 law that requires all […]

Something Stinks

EPA, Livestock Farms Seek to Cut Deal on Air Pollution Large livestock farms could gain immunity from air-pollution lawsuits by agreeing to monitor their emissions, under a new plan proposed by the U.S. EPA. The agency says the plan would benefit environmental regulators by generating data on how much air pollution is emitted by pork, […]

Food Chain Reaction

Mid-Century Whaling Caused Marine Ecosystem Collapse, Scientists Say For years, marine biologists in the North Pacific have been puzzled by the seemingly inexplicable decline of Alaskan seals, sea lions, and otters in the region. The problem wasn’t lack of food; in fact, these animals’ prey populations, such as sea urchins, are booming. Now, a group […]

Wesley Clark has some good things to say about the environment — and some things to learn

The man of the hour. Photo: Clark for President. Days after entering the presidential race, Wesley Clark is dominating the public opinion polls — surpassing not only fellow Democratic candidates but also President Bush in approval ratings. Forty-nine percent of registered voters in the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday said they’d vote for Clark, compared […]

Return of the Smog Monster

Southern California Air Quality Takes a Turn for the Worse After years of gradual improvement, Southern California’s air quality took a tumble this summer, falling to its worst levels since 1997 due to the combined effects of hot weather and increasing emissions. Taken as a whole, the region’s air quality has dramatically improved in the […]

Judge Dread

After 15 Years, Judge Is Removed From Everglades Case A federal judge who presided over the legal ins and outs of the Florida Everglades restoration project was removed yesterday after 15 years on the case. U.S District Judge William Hoeveler was dismissed after he called Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s (R) Everglades bill “clearly defective” and […]

As If British Food Weren’t Bad Enough

British Citizens Voice Overwhelming Opposition to GM Foods The British government is poised to support the planting of GM crops in Europe when a five-year ban on them expires next year — but British citizens could scarcely disapprove more of that plan. According to “GM Nation?,” a report on the results of 600 meetings held […]

I’ve Seen the Smokestack and the Damage Done

New Jersey Plays Hardball With Polluters In the most aggressive attack on polluters anywhere in the nation, New Jersey is demanding that more than 80 companies pay penalties for causing harm to the environment. The penalties are not simply the price tag of a cleanup; rather, they are natural-resource damage claims, under which companies must […]

A Grist interview with Democratic presidential contender John Kerry

Kerry power. Photo: Kerry for President. He has the jaw and build of Paul Bunyan; he windsurfs, kite-boards, and snowboards; and he’s married to Teresa Heinz, one of the most powerful environmental philanthropists in the country. He has his finger on every hot-button environmental issue in D.C., from helping to lead the Senate campaign against […]