Latest Articles

Cutting the Cord

Fuel cells and hybrids are hot; electric vehicles are not. That’s the word from the California Air Resources Board, which yesterday axed groundbreaking 1990 rules requiring auto manufacturers to sell a fixed number of electric vehicles (EVs) in the state, including 10 percent of cars sold this year. Instead, the board approved more modest regulations […]

Logging Off

The Internet has made it far easier for citizens to bend the federal government’s ear — too easy, the U.S. Forest Service says. The agency wants to revise its policies so that it will be free to disregard opinions submitted in “form letters, check-off lists, pre-printed post cards, or similar duplicative materials” when accepting public […]

Cod Gonnit

The Canadian government this week banned all commercial and recreational cod fishing in an effort to stave off the absolute collapse of the species, putting an end to an industry and a tradition that have defined the country’s Atlantic coast for centuries. The radical decline of Eastern Canadian cod stocks is one of the greatest […]

No-motor Home

Two chemistry professors at the University of La Verne in California say they have created a propane-powered fuel cell that will change the face of the recreational-vehicle industry forever. The fuel cell converts propane to hydrogen and generates enough energy to power everything in an RV but the motor: electricity, heat, and water systems. The […]

Ignoble Chernobyl

It’s been 17 years since the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe — but a new disaster could be around the bend if the concrete shield encasing the old power station isn’t rapidly reinforced, according to Russia’s energy minister. “We can see a situation where the roof could fall in, or rather the supports that hold up the […]

Daewoozy

An automobile company lobbying for stricter emissions standards? It might sound like an unlikely tale, but not when the bottom line is at stake. General Motors is pressuring the South Korean government to impose tougher standards for diesel emissions than it is currently considering. Here’s why: The automaker is trying to increase the competitiveness of […]

War in the Time of Cholera

Iraq’s water, sewage, and waste systems need immediate attention to prevent drastic environmental and human health problems in the wake of war, the United Nation’s Environment Programme announced today. Earlier this week, doctors in Baghdad reported the first suspected incidents of cholera and typhoid, two potentially fatal diseases spread by poor water sanitation. Hundreds of […]

Monoxy, Oxy, Oxycuted

Lest you think environmental news is all gloom, all the time, here’s a little pick-me-up: Thanks to the Clean Air Act, the U.S. has all but eradicated carbon monoxide pollution, one of the most hazardous air emissions, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences reported yesterday. In 1971, when the act set federal standards for carbon […]

A Bunch of Pinkos

Angry consumers have taken three huge supermarket chains to court for failing to give customers the skinny on the salmon sold at the fish counter. Albertsons, Safeway, and Kroger (which owns QFC and Fred Meyer) are accused of deception, unfair business practices, breach of warranty, and negligent misrepresentation for failing to accurately label farm-raised salmon […]

Earth Day in the Balance?

Some critics say Earth Day, which celebrated its 33rd birthday yesterday, has morphed from a nationwide rally to a chance for corporations of questionable environmental repute to engage in greenwashing. In Houston, Tex., for example, Earth Day activities this year were paid for by Waste Management, which owns 293 landfills and has been held responsible […]