Latest Articles

Why tens of thousands are trekking to the Emerald City

SEATTLE, Wash. For twenty years, the fight to globalize the world’s economy has been a rout. The largest transnational corporations expanded their power in every direction — Japanese conglomerates cut down forests across the tropics; American grain companies dictated the price of food; Baywatch found a billion viewers a week. But that rout has suddenly […]

The Pen Is Mightier Than the Swordfish

In a move applauded by enviros, a U.S. federal judge yesterday banned swordfish boats from a 1 million square-mile area of the Pacific Ocean while the government determines whether the vessels are pushing sea turtles to extinction. The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed in February by the Center for Marine Conservation and the Turtle […]

Desert — Rats!

Nearly 58,000 square miles of land, an area larger than Greece, are turned to desert each year, affecting more than 1 billion people and forcing many of them to flee their homes in search of food and work. Officials from more than 150 nations will try to address the problem this week at the U.N. […]

VOCs Unpopuli

Industrial solvents and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have infiltrated groundwater that quenches the thirst of some 35 to 50 million Americans, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which will soon release its first national report card on the presence of these chemicals. The USGS studied groundwater from wells, evaluating data collected from 1985 to […]

Rad Plan, Governor Dude!

South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges (D) is running up against residents and leaders of Barnwell County as he tries to ditch the state’s image as the nation’s nuclear dumping ground. Chem-Nuclear Systems operates a repository in the county that takes low-level radioactive waste from 38 states, and locals see the company as a good neighbor […]

Cough Like an Egyptian

Dense, acrid smog choked Cairo for the second day in a row yesterday, causing respiratory problems, sore throats, acute headaches, and flu-like symptoms for many of the city’s 16 million residents. Severe smog problems have plagued the city for several weeks in October and November. The problems are blamed on vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, and […]

The Answer Is Blowin' in the Wind

The U.S. wind power industry got a boost last week from news that congressional negotiators agreed to extend a tax credit for electricity produced from wind and some other renewable sources. The credit, which had expired on June 30, is estimated to reduce the cost of wind power by 1.3 to 2.0 cents per kilowatt […]

The Dude's a Hazard

Officials at the Republican governors association have been talking a lot lately about Montana Gov. Marc Racicot (pronounced Roscoe, as in Rosco P. Coltrane of Dukes of Hazzard fame), touting him as a hot candidate for media interviews. Racicot is not exactly a household name and generally doesn’t stir much excitement in the bellies of […]

Old McDonald Had an Image Makeover

Sales of organic food in Britain rose 40 percent in the last year, driven by consumer concern about genetically modified food and mad cow disease, according to a report by market research firm Mintel. More than 70 percent of Britons have purchased organic products, reflecting the fact that the organic industry has shed its “beard […]

God Love 'Em

Ministers, rabbis, and other religious leaders in Oregon are kicking off a campaign to combat global warming, the first of 17 statewide efforts across the nation that aim to wed religion and environmental protection. The campaign urges churches to install more energy-efficient lighting and heating systems and encourages congregations to lobby politicians to support efforts […]