Latest Articles
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McCain in the Bush Leagues
GOP presidential contender George W. Bush (R) is getting plenty of flak for his weak environmental record, but Sen. John McCain seems to be getting a free ride on green issues, writes author T. H. Watkins in a New York Times op-ed. McCain has a poor voting record on the environment, particularly on public land […]
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Trade Mandarins Want to Trade With Mandarins
U.S. corporations say they are raising environmental and labor standards in China, an attempt to head off criticism from unions, enviros, and human rights groups that want to keep China out of the World Trade Organization. A report by the Business Roundtable, a group of 200 corporate executives, highlights Eastman Chemical for having model safety […]
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The Darning of the Age of Aquariums
Seahorses are in serious decline, with some populations thought to have been cut in half in just five years and one species in South Africa now officially listed as endangered, according to researchers at the London Zoo. Pollution and development of coastal areas have taken their toll on the critters, but the biggest threat is […]
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That Sinking Feeling
Brazil may be facing an environmental disaster in the Amazon jungle after a barge containing nearly 500,000 gallons of oil sank on Friday to the bottom of the Rio Para, part of the world’s largest river network, in the remote state of Para. Teams of divers have begun work to remove tanks from the barge, […]
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Bear Necessities
Biologists at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming are worried that climate change might set off a series of changes that could threaten the park’s grizzly bear population. As temperatures rise, the atmosphere can hold more moisture, and in Yellowstone this could spur more cases of blister rust, a disease that attacks whitebark pines. These trees, […]
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Answering to a Higher Power
With the backing of religious leaders and enviros, a group of lawmakers in Connecticut said yesterday that they have the votes to force the state’s five oldest, dirtiest power plants to clean up. For the past two years, legislators have tried and failed to impose tighter air pollution limits on the plants, which are exempted […]
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A Kick in the Carcass
The decline of salmon runs in the Northwest is hurting a number of other fauna and flora, including insects, bears, plants, and trees that depend on rotting salmon carcasses as a source of nutrients from the ocean, according to a study published in the latest issue of the journal Fisheries. Just 5 percent to 7 […]
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Off the Marc
Montana Gov. Marc Racicot (R) joined the state of Idaho yesterday to try to throw a wrench into a Clinton administration plan to protect 40 million acres of roadless national forest land. Idaho and Racicot have asked a federal judge for a preliminary injunction that would block the U.S. Forest Service from beginning a study […]
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Louise Wagenknecht, sheep farmer
Louise Wagenknecht writes from Leadore, Idaho, where she juggles words, sheep, and a part-time job with the U.S. Forest Service. Her essays have appeared in High Country News, the American Nature Writing anthologies, and The River Reader. Monday, 7 Feb 2000 LEADORE, Idaho This morning, just as the sun came up over Powderhorn Ridge across […]
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The Roamin' Empire
Rome and about 150 other Italian cities banned cars from their centers yesterday, launching a campaign that will impose such bans on the first Sunday of each month through May in an effort to cut down on air pollution. People came out on foot, skates, and bikes to enjoy the unusually quiet and clean streets. […]
