Latest Articles
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Elizabeth Grossman reviews High and Mighty by Keith Bradsher
You see them poised astride rocky crevasses, fording forest streams, or rising huge and solitary in the shadow of a mountain peak. No, we’re not talking about grizzly bears; we’re talking about sport utility vehicles. Spoiling the view. “Jawbone Chatters. Spine Shivers. Engine Roars. Everest at -11 degrees,” proclaims one ad for the Toyota 4Runner. […]
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The Hunger! The Hunger!
The world’s population is growing, yet world hunger is on the wane — a testament to the success of agriculture. But with the global population expected to increase 50 percent by mid-century, many doubt whether our current food system can continue to provide. The problem isn’t the ability to keep producing more food; the problem […]
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Stone Cold Killer
The massive storm that dumped feet of snow on the Northeast over the weekend was lovely to look at, fun to play in — and bad news for some river species. In an effort to unbury themselves, many cities in the region dumped plowed snow directly into nearby rivers, a practice some scientists warn could […]
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Gorging Themselves
China’s controversial Three Gorges dam looks like small potatoes next to the country’s latest proposed water project, a gargantuan network of dams and canals designed to divert water from the south to thirsty northern cities such as Beijing. The project would cost $60 billion over 50 years (twice as much as Three Gorges) and would […]
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No Kidding
Combating environmental hazards has helped improve children’s health, according to a new report by the White House and the U.S. EPA. The report, which is scheduled to be released shortly, found that childhood lead poisoning and children’s exposure to second-hand smoke have both declined, largely due to targeted campaigns. However, the remaining cases of lead […]
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And other words from readers
Re: Hydra-gen Dear Editor: If you truly would like to see a hydrogen-based economy in your lifetime, then you should embrace President Bush’s plan like your favorite teddy bear. Do not deride the plan because it focuses on using fossil fuels to produce the hydrogen, thereby creating pollution and greenhouse gases and negating the […]
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Crying Shaman
A new oil pipeline that will run from the Russian region of Buryatiya into China is being hailed by industry officials and government leaders as a major economic boon, but many local residents beg to differ. Construction of the pipeline will involve bulldozing land and felling trees — environmental problems anywhere and cultural travesties in […]
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Oakless Creek Canyon
Flagstaff, Ariz., is shaping up to be the testing grounds for the Bush administration’s Healthy Forests initiative, a highly controversial effort to ease environmental reviews of logging projects on many Western public lands and ban reviews entirely in areas where forest fires could threaten human developments. Some 2,000 suburban Flagstaff homes are located just seven […]
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Maple Syrup
Canada yesterday set aside $1.3 billion over five years to slash its greenhouse gas emissions and another $660 million for other environmental initiatives, as part of what Environment Minister David Anderson called “the greenest budget this country has ever seen.” The government also approved a tax break for cleaner diesel and agreed to prioritize infrastructure […]
