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  • Give Greenpeace a Chance

    By now the trials and tribulations that have befallen Greenpeace USA in recent years are well-known. In the biggest blowup, the entire board resigned after bickering with Greenpeace International-backed Executive Director Kristen Engberg over the direction and organization of the redoubtable environmental group. Current and former staffers ranted about Engberg’s leadership style, which they described […]

  • No Kenya Do

    Community leaders in Kwale, Kenya, are deeply troubled by a Canadian mining company’s plans to turn thousands of acres of forest and farmland on Kenya’s eastern coast into a $150 million titanium strip mine. Opponents of the massive mining project charge that it is fraught with corruption and would devastate a fragile ecosystem, as well […]

  • Thaw Shucks

    Adding weight to arguments that global warming is upon us, a study appearing today in the journal Science concludes that 26 bodies of water in the Northern Hemisphere are freezing an average of 8.7 days later and thawing out 9.8 days earlier than they did 150 years ago. The study was a based on direct […]

  • Piping Hot

    The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill yesterday to require tougher safety measures for oil and natural-gas pipelines, hoping to prevent spills and leaks that pollute the environment and sometimes prove deadly. The bill would increase inspections and fines for hazardous accidents and require pipeline operators to disclose more info to government regulators. Still, some […]

  • We Kid You Not

    Louisiana and Texas are the states that emit the most chemicals dangerous to children, according to a report released yesterday by activist groups. It found that about half of all toxic chemical emissions reported to the federal government are suspected to affect the way children’s bodies and brains develop, and drew attention to a finding […]

  • Fishing for Votes

    Commercial salmon fishing should be shut down in Washington state to save endangered salmon runs, says former radio talk show host John Carlson, the favorite to win the Republican primary for governor in the state. As governor, Carlson says he would ban nets used by almost all commercial and tribal fisheries. Carlson: “It makes no […]

  • Hot Diggity Smog

    The buzz a couple of weeks ago was that Los Angeles was set to regain the title of smoggiest city in the U.S. from Houston — but, hark, the race isn’t yet over. As of yesterday, Houston had rebounded and surpassed L.A. with 37 days above the national standard for ozone pollution compared to L.A.’s […]

  • My Gorge Is Rising

    A combination of population growth, drought, desertification, water waste, and global warming is causing a serious water shortage in China that experts say could induce environmental and political crises. Officials are blaming drought for a 9.3 percent drop in the summer grain yield, and water rationing has been imposed on residents and industries in nearly […]