Latest Articles

Surly, With Infringe on Top

A federal judge in Canada ruled yesterday that a Canadian farmer had infringed on Monsanto’s patent rights because plants from the company’s genetically engineered canola seed had been found on his property, apparently after pollen from modified plants on farms nearby had drifted onto his land. The farmer, Percy Schmeiser, was ordered to pay thousands […]

The Bush Withdrawal Method

Loud international criticism of President Bush’s decision to withdraw from the Kyoto treaty on climate change continued yesterday, and a broad coalition of U.S. religious groups urged Bush to revisit the decision. At a meeting in Montreal, environmental ministers from North and South America canceled a long-planned statement on how to proceed with implementing Kyoto […]

I'm a Loser, Baby, So Why Don't You Drill Me

President Bush acknowledged for the first time yesterday that he may lose the fight to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to drilling. In a press conference, the president said he will push to exploit oil and gas resources elsewhere in the nation if Congress doesn’t sanction drilling in the refuge. Bush also […]

Hogwash!

In a blow to environmentalists’ efforts to stop pollution from large hog farms, a North Carolina judge has thrown out two lawsuits against Smithfield Foods, the nation’s biggest pork producer. The superior court judge ruled that the plaintiffs — environmental groups and river users — lacked standing in the case and had not shown that […]

It's Marine Buoy

A $32 million project to restore marine resources in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand was launched yesterday by the U.N. Environment Programme. Seven Southeast Asian nations and donors from developed countries finalized an agreement last November to fund the five-year plan, which is intended to help some 270 million people whose livelihoods […]

Whose Land Is It Anyway?

U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton took steps yesterday that could lead to commercial development in some of the national monuments designated by former President Clinton. She sent letters to state and local officials to get their feedback on how the lands should be managed and whether the boundaries of the monuments should be adjusted. Norton […]

Cod Is Dead

Once upon a time, Atlantic cod ran so thick in the icy waters off the coast of Newfoundland that explorer John Cabot was able to catch the fish by hanging wicker baskets over the side of his ship. More than 400 years after Cabot first visited the remote northeastern corner of North America, Newfoundland’s waters […]

Kyo-toad

European and Japanese governments reacted angrily yesterday to the Bush administration’s decision to abandon the Kyoto treaty on climate change. Japan’s ambassador for global environmental affairs, Kazuo Asakai, said that “Japan will be dismayed and deeply disappointed” if the U.S. rejects the agreement. Today, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is expected to appeal to Bush on […]

Shell Game

More than 15,000 green sea turtles are slaughtered in Bali each year, even though they are considered endangered in most of the world and a law in Indonesia prohibits catching, possessing, or eating the animal. Environmentalists say more sea turtles are killed in Bali than any other place in the world. Eating turtle meat is […]

Fear and Loathing in D.C.

Christie Todd Whitman. When it comes to listing body blows inflicted on the environmental movement by the Bush administration in recent days, it’s hard to know where to start. Pick up the paper any day of the week and you’ll likely find a fresh slap in the face of U.S. EPA “Administrator” Christie Todd Whitman. […]