Latest Articles
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There's Gold in Them There Geysers
In a ruling that could give a boost to “bioprospecting,” a federal judge this month upheld a precedent-setting agreement under which a biotechnology company will pay Yellowstone National Park for the right to search its geysers and hot springs for commercially valuable microbes. Some enviros and biotech critics had filed suit to stop the deal, […]
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Meeting Around the Bush?
Organizers may cancel a controversial meeting scheduled for Detroit this Thursday, at which a number of state environmental officials and industry representatives were set to discuss ways that federal environmental regulations could be loosened if George W. Bush wins the presidency. Since news of the gathering was leaked to the press last week, a number […]
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Babe in Harms
Many children in farming communities are exposed to higher levels of pesticides than federal regulators consider safe, according to a new study conducted by scientists at the University of Washington, to be published in the June issue of Environmental Health Perspectives. More than half of the preschool children tested showed signs of having been exposed […]
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Elvish Still Gyrating
Craig Rosebraugh, who periodically acts as a spokesperson for the radical Earth Liberation Front (ELF), has been called to appear before a federal grand jury on Wednesday. Activists who claim connection to ELF have committed a number of acts of eco-sabotage in recent years, including burning down a headquarters building of the Boise Cascade logging […]
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You Say It's Your Earth Day — It's My Earth Day Too, Yeah
Millions of people in 183 countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of Earth Day on Saturday, with rallies, marches, demonstrations, car-free days, and fairs, many of them focused on the theme of clean energy and global warming. At the flagship Earth Day event in Washington, D.C., hundreds of thousands came out to hear speeches from politicians, […]
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Business as Unusual
Student environmental activists are turning their attention anew to corporations, trying to cajole or shame them into changing their practices for the benefit of the planet. Last month, Yale student Glenn Hurowitz staged a demonstration at BP Amoco’s New York offices and delivered a stack of resumes from business and engineering students who had pledged […]
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We Doesn't Get It
Pollution and other environmental factors may be threatening the intelligence of millions of people around the world, according to a new research review conducted by Chris Williams of London University. Environmental problems that can lead to lower IQs include lead, PCBs, and radiation. Epidemiologists have detected an increase in the number of children born with […]
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It's All the Brady Bunch's Fault
In a move that is rattling the tourist industry in Hawaii and beyond, the Sierra Club filed suit in January against the Hawaii Tourist Authority, seeking to force the state agency to perform a statewide environmental assessment before launching an aggressive marketing plan aimed at luring more visitors to the islands. “Seven million tourists descend […]
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Set Phaseout on Stunning
Vice President Al Gore, speaking at the Earth Day fair in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, unveiled policy initiatives aimed at curbing emissions of greenhouse gases, including proposed tougher requirements for power plant emissions. Gore also reiterated his controversial claim that it is possible and necessary to phase out the internal combustion engine within the next […]
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Earth Day Turns 30
If, in the 30 Earth Day celebrations we have held since 1970, the human population and economy have become any more respectful of the Earth, the Earth hasn’t noticed. The planet is not impressed by fancy speeches. Leonardo DiCaprio interviewing Bill Clinton about global warming is not an Earth-shaking event. The Earth has no way […]
