Latest Articles
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Power Play
Several weeks ago in this magazine, Sara Patton of the NW Energy Coalition uncorked an acidic rant against the aluminum industry (and its lackeys in Congress) for strong-arming the Bonneville Power Administration into providing the industry with below-market electricity rates. Aluminum plant on the Columbia River, Wash. There is still no agreement on paper, but […]
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It's a Drought, It's a Flood … It's Superdisaster
The rising number of natural disasters brought on by climate change is seriously threatening developing countries, and more “superdisasters” are in the works as the world’s poor concentrate in ever more vulnerable places, according to a report released yesterday by the Red Cross. In the past six years, the number of people who needed aid […]
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A Lung Time Coming
Nine Latin American cities, which together are home to some 68 million people, yesterday called for a regional alliance to fight smog. The cities’ senior environmental officials signed a declaration acknowledging that half the health problems in their urban areas are attributable to environmental degradation. The declaration also called on local authorities to take serious […]
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Whodunnit? Wedunnit
Humans produced most of the gases that have eroded the Earth’s ozone layer, according to a study published in today’s issue of the journal Nature. A team of scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration took measurements of air trapped in polar snowpack in Greenland and Antarctica, showing for the first time that major […]
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Clouding, the Issue
High-altitude clouds of ice crystals were spotted on Tuesday by scientists in Colorado and Utah, the farthest south such clouds have ever been seen in the Northern Hemisphere, suggesting that the same greenhouse gases that are warming Earth’s lower atmosphere are also chilling and adding water to the upper atmosphere. In other climate news, jet […]
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Don't Let Them Eat This Cake
France yesterday called for the sales of all new genetically modified foods to be suspended in the European Union until they are clearly labeled, but EU officials said it’s unlikely the proposal would be accepted. EU environmental ministers are meeting today to settle differences on policies for genetically modified foods. Meanwhile, biotechnology companies are engaging […]
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Pilot Crashes into Senate
Republican Senate leaders yesterday accused the Clinton administration of violating a congressional ban against carrying out the Kyoto climate change treaty by planning a pilot program with Russia to jointly cut greenhouse-gas emissions. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) said GOP leaders plan to insert language barring the program into a bill funding the EPA. The project […]
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The grass can be greener on your side of the fence
As summer approaches, we spend more time outside, and our annual commune — or battle — with nature begins. Whether it’s keeping your lawn from turning into a meadow, or protecting your home and garden from insects, be aware that some techniques are easier on the environment than others. Lawns have become the hallmark of […]
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Removing Heavy Metal from the Radio
The European Union is weighing a proposal that would require electronics makers to take responsibility for their products once their useful lives are over, with the intent of encouraging companies to design products that are more recyclable. Computers, cell phones, medical equipment, and household appliances would all be affected. The proposed legislation would also require […]
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Virginia Slim on Pollution Controls
Environmentalists have won a court order forcing the federal government to act more aggressively to protect Virginia waterways from pollution. A federal judge ruled that Virginia officials have been lax in setting maximum pollution levels and that the EPA is responsible under the 1972 Clean Water Act to make sure the state sets the levels […]
