Latest Articles

Christie Toad Whitman

The Bush administration has put on its green hat leading up to Earth Day. President Bush has said he would sign a treaty phasing out a series of nasty chemicals and not roll back a couple of environmental rules approved by former President Clinton. U.S. EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman has been making the rounds […]

Addled Ababa

Ethiopia said yesterday that about 3,000 tons of obsolete pesticides stored at almost 1,000 sites around the country are contaminating the environment and threatening public health. For example, at one location in Addis Ababa, overturned metal drums leaking toxic waste are just 500 yards from a grain silo. A strong smell of chemicals pervades the […]

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

Taiwan President Chen Shui-ban biked to work today to mark Earth Day on Sunday. Top officials from Taiwain’s environment and transportation agencies, among others, pedaled with the president in the morning drizzle in Taipei. Chen said, “After this, I hope I can ride to work one day each month.” Meanwhile, environment ministers from six countries […]

Zed, last of his species, in "Earth Day, My Foot!"

The state of the planet is grim. Should we give up hope?

Note: Donella Meadows died on 20 Feb. 2001. The following is excerpted from her story about writing The Limits to Growth in 1972. Limits was translated into 26 languages and sold more than 9 million copies.   COMPUTER PREDICTS WORLD COLLAPSE   I was one of the team of people at MIT who wrote a […]

Coming Out of Their Shells

More than a million Olive Ridley turtles came ashore to nest and lay eggs last month on India’s eastern coast and hatchlings are now filling the beaches, providing some hope that the turtles may be back from the brink of extinction. (Sobering stat: Generally, only one out of every 1,000 hatchlings reaches adulthood.) Last year, […]

He Blinded Me With "Sound Science"

Provoking jeers from environmentalists, the U.S. EPA said yesterday that it would delay until next February a decision on how much arsenic should be allowed in drinking water. A rule approved by former President Clinton would have changed the current standard of 50 parts per billion of arsenic in water, first set in 1942, to […]

"POP" Goes the Weasel

With Earth Day on Sunday and his environmental record under attack, President Bush this morning announced that he will sign and ask the Senate to ratify a treaty to ban or reduce the use of 12 persistent organic pollutants (POPs), chemicals like PCBs and pesticides that have been linked to cancer, birth defects, and genetic […]

Quebicker

Thirty-four heads of state are gathering tomorrow in Quebec for the Third Summit of the Americans to help write a free trade pact for the Western Hemisphere. Hoards of protesters are on hand, too, concerned that the proposed pact — the Free Trade Area of the Americas — will jeopardize workers’ rights and environmental protections. […]

The Apples of Our Eye

Not only are organically grown apples better for the environment than conventionally grown apples, but they also taste yummier and can lead to more profits for farmers, according to a study published today in the journal Nature. The six-year study by researchers at Washington State University is one of the first to give scientific backing […]