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Proto-cool

Russian Industries Back Kyoto Protocol Here’s an unlikely ally in the battle to combat global climate change: industrial polluters. A number of Russia’s largest gas and electric companies, steel mills, and metal smelters have begun lobbying their government to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty on climate change. The companies are so interested in […]

Turf Wars

Missouri, California Clash Over Air-Quality Plan A proposal to reduce air pollution from lawn mowers and other gas-powered outdoor equipment has set the stage for a battle between the staid Midwestern state of Missouri and the kooky Californians. To help deal with the Golden State’s chronic air-quality problem, the California Air Resources Board plans to […]

To Summit All Up

South Africa Assesses World Summit Outcomes, One Year Later The first World Summit on Sustainable Development was held one year ago this week in Johannesburg, South Africa. Now, on the anniversary of that event, the South African government is assessing how much progress has been made in the interim. With respect to one of the […]

Keeping tabs on the Bush administration’s environmental record

Just after George W. Bush took office, two memos circulated among his top administrators that set the stage for what the president, during his campaign, promoted as a new era of environmental policy. On Bush’s first day in office, January 20, 2001, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card sent a memo to all cabinet […]

Wood You Look at That?

Boise Cascade Praised for Eco-friendly Policies It’s not often that an environmental organization takes out a full-page ad in the New York Times to praise a forest-products company, so it’s safe to say that Boise Cascade Corp. has done something extraordinary. This week, the company reconfirmed its commitment to phasing out old-growth harvesting in the […]

You Get What You Pay For

Two EPA Officials Accept Jobs with Utility Industry Two high-ranking officials at the U.S. EPA are defecting to industry lobbying posts, causing an outcry among environmentalists. John Pemberton, chief of staff to the EPA assistant administrator for air and radiation, plans to work for Southern Company, an electrical utility conglomerate, while Edward Krenik, EPA associate […]

Meet the New Mobile, Worse than the Old Mobile

New Snowmobiles to Be Permitted in Yellowstone Are Dirtier Than Old Models A new generation of ostensibly cleaner and quieter snowmobiles turns out to be more polluting than older models, according to tests by the U.S. EPA. In a controversial Bush administration decision, the new snowmobiles were approved for use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton […]

Sand Witches

Artificial and Restored Beaches Threaten Marine Ecosystems Beautiful sand beaches are one of Ma Nature’s most splendid creations — except sometimes they’re actually the handiwork of humans. Every year, millions of dollars go to creating sand beaches on previously rocky coasts and rebuilding beaches at key tourist destinations that have been eroded by storms, changing […]

Community-based forestry takes root in the U.S.

Can a “forest economy” be good for the forest? A new movement known as community-based forestry says yes. Also referred to as community forestry, CBF is dramatically different from most forest management practiced in the U.S., and increasing numbers of environmentalists are championing the cause. Land of the trees, and home of the brave. Photo: […]

Deserters

Conference on Desertification Gains Little Ground The sixth international conference on desertification ended yesterday in Cuba with few results, save for a decision on how to finance efforts to slow the encroachment of arid regions and the loss of fertile lands. Leaders of 10 African and Caribbean nations attending the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification […]