Latest Articles

Bad News for Dr. Atkins

A draft of a much-delayed report from the U.S. EPA concludes for the first time that at least one form of dioxin is a “human carcinogen,” while other dioxins are “likely” carcinogens. The chance of developing cancer for those who eat large amounts of fatty foods and dairy products, which are relatively high in dioxins, […]

This Leaves a Lott to Be Desired

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and nine other GOP senators introduced a bill yesterday that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil drilling. The measure, which is aimed at decreasing American dependency on foreign oil, would also establish tax incentives for some low-producing oil wells, lower royalties for some oil exploration, […]

Chasing Tailpipe

The Clinton administration today will propose regulations that would force big cuts in emissions from new diesel trucks and buses and require that diesel fuel be almost free of sulfur, which can foul up anti-pollution equipment. The EPA estimated that the rules, which would begin going into effect in 2006 and 2007, would cut tailpipe […]

And other words from readers

Re: Lean and Green Dear Editor: I read with interest your story on the family in Colorado that made the choice to live more simply and consume less in an effort to improve their quality of life and lessen their impact on the environment. I fully endorse the idea of simplifying one’s life, spending less, […]

Soylent Bean

Brazil is in the process of deciding whether to allow the planting of genetically modified (GM) crops, and many observers believe that its decision could play a big role in determining the future of GM technology worldwide. The U.S., Brazil, and Argentina together grow 80 percent of the world’s soybeans, a crop used in countless […]

U'wa Ta Shame

A court in Colombia gave the go-ahead yesterday to Occidental Petroleum to drill for oil on rainforest land claimed by the U’wa indigenous tribe, overturning an earlier court decision that had suspended drilling in response to a petition from the U’wa. Work on construction of an exploratory drilling site is expected to resume immediately. The […]

Keeping Pollution at Bei-jing

A small but increasing number of Chinese citizens are filing lawsuits seeking compensation for the effects of pollution, some of them with help from a recently opened legal-aid center in Beijing, the first such center in the nation to focus on pollution. Many of these cases involve severe river pollution, which kills fish and farm […]

Man Oh Manatee

Manatees in Florida’s waters are dying at a record rate, causing concern that the state’s small population of the marine mammals may be in trouble. One hundred manatees died in the first three months of this year, including 32 killed by powerboats, compared with 80 total deaths during the same period in 1999. In other […]

Juvenile Delinquents Eat Lead

Millions more children than earlier thought might have mental impairments linked to lead poisoning, a finding that suggests that the federal government’s current recommendation for acceptable blood-lead levels is much too high, according to a study presented yesterday in Boston at a joint conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Pediatric Academic Societies. In […]

Grazing Cain

In a sweeping decision that affects more than 150 million acres in the western and central U.S., the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the Clinton administration did not violate the law in 1995 when it imposed stricter environmental regulations on the grazing of cattle and sheep on federal land. The unanimous ruling, a big victory […]