Latest Articles

Cut Down in Their Prime

Using helicopters, forged permits, and police scanners, forestry thieves are illegally cutting tens of millions of dollars worth of old-growth trees a year in British Columbia. A big part of the problem is that some mills are knowingly supporting a black market in wood. One forestry official described the environmental degradation caused by the increasing […]

The Bureau of Land Management is due for a shake-up

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) controls more land than any other agency in the world. Its 265 million acres in the American West cover an area greater in size than the entire National Forest system plus the state of Wyoming. You too should care about the […]

Back-to-School Special

Vehicular Homicide

Air pollution accounts for about 6 percent of deaths each year in Austria, France, and Switzerland, according to a study published today in the Lancet medical journal. The study found that half of those deaths can be attributed to pollution from vehicles. The researchers also calculated that the health cost of vehicle pollution in the […]

Beet Nix

A study published today in Science found that the planting of genetically engineered sugar beets could cause a dramatic decline in England’s already waning skylark population. The British researchers argue that sugar beets engineered to be resistant to herbicides will allow farmers to use more powerful sprays to wipe out weeds, possibly leading to a […]

Ooh, Burned!

Reduced logging on national forests does not seem to be a cause for wildfires in the West, says the bipartisan Congressional Research Service. In a study requested by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the service found that if anything, heavy logging in the past may be partially to blame for creating forests more prone to catching […]

Dump and Dumber

In a ruling that could have serious implications for the environment, an independent NAFTA tribunal decided on Wednesday that Mexico must pay a California company $16.7 million in damages because municipal authorities prevented the company from opening a hazardous waste treatment plant in the state of San Luis Potosi. Mexico is appealing the decision, arguing […]

Let Bycatch Be Bygones

In a long-awaited decision, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved regulations yesterday banning shrimping from Dec. 1 to July 15 in areas off the state’s southern coast, with the aim of restoring beleaguered shrimp populations and the likely side effect of helping endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. The rules will also restrict offshore fishing […]

I Scream the General Electric

Campaigning yesterday in New York City, Ralph Nader, the Green Party presidential candidate, criticized General Electric for polluting the Hudson River and called on the major parties’ candidates, Al Gore and George W. Bush, to return campaign contributions from the company. Nader, speaking about PCB pollution in the river, said, “It is time for General […]

Chiru Proctors

An international crackdown is underway to stop trade in shahtoosh shawls and scarves — expensive, high-fashion items made from the fine wool of the endangered Tibetan antelope, or chiru. Last month saw the first U.S. criminal prosecution for illegal trading in the shawls, a case against dealers in New Jersey. Officials in England, Hong Kong, […]