Latest Articles
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Getting a Little Pokey in Her Old Age
Betty Krawczyk, a 72-year-old great-grandmother and romance writer, has become a hero to many Canadian environmental activists after being sentenced to a year in prison for peacefully protesting against the logging of ancient forests in the Elaho Valley in British Columbia. As she began serving her term yesterday, she said, “If I was out today, […]
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Baby Boom
Babies born today in the Chernobyl area of Ukraine face as big a risk of contracting radiation-related illnesses as children who lived there during the deadly 1986 nuclear explosion, according to research released yesterday by Israeli scientists. Thyroid, liver, and other diseases were more prevalent among children in the area than among unexposed children, the […]
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States of Grace
New York, Hawaii, and California have made the most progress in improving their energy efficiency over the last 20 years, while Alaska and North Dakota have made the least, according to a study released this week by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Overall, the U.S. cut its energy intensity — or energy used […]
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Research and Destroy
Japan’s whaling fleet has returned home with 88 carcasses — 40 minke whales, 43 Bryde’s, and five sperm. The Japanese government announced yesterday that it plans to continue its controversial hunt for the three species next year, maintaining that the nation has a right to conduct “scientific” whaling, though the meat from the whales is […]
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The world is running low on H2O
Droughts in the United States, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan have been big news this year — and even more serious water shortages are emerging as the demand for water in many areas of the world simply outruns the supply. Water tables are now falling on every continent. Literally scores of countries are facing water shortages. All […]
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A record pace of extinction threatens American flora and fauna
"The last quarter of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th has been called the most destructive period in the history of American wildlife," writes David Wilcove, senior ecologist with Environmental Defense, in his perspicacious book, The Condor's Shadow. But he makes the case that the fin de siècle era has a daunting rival in our current age, thanks to the booming economy and rising human population in the U.S. "At stake this time is a far greater number of species, facing a more diverse and powerful set of threats," Wilcove warns.
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Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rain in New England contains mercury levels four times higher than the feds consider safe for aquatic life, suggesting that the risk of eating freshwater fish in the region is growing, according to a report being released today by the National Wildlife Federation. For example, the average level of mercury measured in 71 rain samples […]
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Oliver Springs Eternal
The first major wind turbine project in the Southeast is now underway, with three turbines operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority expected to go online next month in Oliver Springs, Tenn. To mark Earth Day 2000, the TVA on April 22 began offering a pilot green energy package to customers of a dozen of its […]
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Not Just Fun and Games
As part of its bid to stage the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing is launching a $17.8 billion effort to tackle its notorious air pollution and traffic problems before the International Olympic Committee makes its decision on a host city next year. This year’s Olympics in Sydney have set a new eco-friendly standard, and the IOC […]
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Deep-Sea Doo-Doo
Fishing trawlers are causing serious damage to fragile deep-sea coral reefs, which scientists have only begun to study in earnest in the last 10 years. As fisheries in shallower waters are depleted, the massive trawlers drag their large nets along the seafloor in deeper areas, trapping fish and clearing everything in their paths. Surveys off […]
