Latest Articles
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Goodness Glacious!
If climate change proceeds, the melting of Greenland’s glaciers could pose a serious threat, say scientists. In a study published in today’s issue of the journal Nature, researchers found that the glaciers of Greenland are more susceptible to melting than the West Antarctic ice sheet, which scientists have been watching for years for signs of […]
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NAS-ty Boys
Genetically modified (GM) crops have the potential to pose food safety risks and harm the environment so the U.S. government should do a better job of regulating the industry, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) said yesterday in a high-profile report. Still, the report, prepared by a panel of 12 scientists, was seen by many […]
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Fool's Gold
125,000 metric tons — estimated amount of gold mined worldwide since historical times 2,500 metric tons — amount of gold mined worldwide in 1998 360 cubic feet — amount of waste rock removed in order to produce enough gold to make an average pair of gold wedding bands 31 — number of fatalities in gold […]
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A Bunch of Spoil Ports
A ship carrying toxic waste from U.S. military bases in Japan is likely to meet with controversy when it docks later today in Seattle. The 90 tons of PCBs had been en route to Vancouver, Canada, but the Canadian government abruptly rescinded a permit for the waste to be unloaded, a U.S. EPA spokesperson said […]
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Free the Condor 8
Nearly 14 years after she was captured and placed in a breeding program to help save her species from extinction, a California condor known as Adult Condor No. 8 was set free yesterday in a wilderness area northwest of Los Angeles. The old-timer was joined by two 10-month-old condors born and raised in the Los […]
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The Man With the Goldman Touch
Rodolfo Montiel, a Mexican environmentalist who is now in prison as a result of his activism, today will be awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, perhaps the most prestigious award given to environmentalists. In 1995, Montiel began fighting against logging of virgin forests near his village in the mountains north of Acapulco, some of which was […]
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Maybe It's on Jenny Craig
The ozone layer over the Arctic has thinned dramatically this winter, say European and American scientists working on the world’s biggest ozone-monitoring experiment. More than 60 percent of the ozone layer has been lost at certain altitudes over the North Pole, a deterioration from 1997, which had previously been the worst year for the ozone […]
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Algae Hiss
Fish and marine life in more than a third of the coastal areas in the U.S. are being killed by algae blooms caused by agricultural fertilizer runoff, according to a study released yesterday by a research arm of the National Academy of Sciences. Almost all of the nation’s estuaries have been environmentally damaged to some […]
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The Daley Planet
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) last week made an unusual deal with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to create new habitats in the city for migratory birds. In exchange for a $100,000 grant, Chicago will restore marshes south of the city, develop wildlife gardens along the shore of Lake Michigan, and take such simple […]
