Latest Articles
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What's Good for G.M. Foods Is Bad for the Country
The U.S. government isn’t likely to require labels on genetically modified foods, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said Monday. “I, at this stage, do not see any of what I call mandatory or regulatory activities taking place from the government which will order anybody to do anything with respect to these issues, whether it’s labeling […]
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Clinton Paper Moons Enviros
The Clinton administration announced yesterday that it has appealed a federal judge’s order that enviros be named to two panels advising the U.S. trade representative on wood and paper products. In November, Pres. Clinton gave lip service to making the trade process more open to environmentalists’ input. Can you say “two-faced”? The federal judge ruled […]
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Timber Tantrumzania
Rampant illegal logging is threatening ecological disaster in Tanzania’s pristine forests, according to a recent report by the International Development Research Center in Canada. Police have begun to set up patrols on major roads in an effort to halt the movement of illegal logs, and authorities are trying to get local communities living near forests […]
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Prez Models His Teddy
Pres. Clinton designated more than a million acres of land in Arizona and California as national monuments yesterday, doubling the size of the protected areas around the Grand Canyon. Under the 1906 Antiquities Act, Clinton was able to create three new monuments and expand an existing one without getting congressional approval. Standing against the photo-op-ready […]
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Forty
• percentage by which energy consumption in developing nations is expected to grow by 2010 • percentage of written prescriptions that are either based on or synthesized from natural compounds found in plants and animals • percentage of total paper used in Germany that goes toward packaging • percentage by which one can reduce pollution […]
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The Meter Is Cunning
Puget Sound Energy in Washington will soon begin testing a web-based system for controlling home energy use that could help eliminate the need for new power stations in the region. Some 200 homes in the Kent area will be outfitted with devices that allow residents to control their furnaces and water heaters while they are […]
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A Republican berates his party for abandoning the environment
Republicans are handing Democrats a green Y2K. So far, GOP presidential contenders have all but conceded the environmental issue to Al Gore and Bill Bradley. Rather than fight for the conservation mantle that was once the GOP’s, they seem content to not ask and not tell when it comes to the nation’s land, air, water, […]
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Zed, last of his species, in "Wakey Wakey!"
What’s two-feet-tall, yellow, funny, and desperately looking for a date? Introducing Zed, a critter who’s the last of his species, thanks to global warming. He’s now the star of a weekly Grist Magazine comic strip.
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This Plastic, It's Fantastic
Cargill and Dow Chemical are teaming up to make a biodegradable plastic from renewable resources such as corn or wheat instead of from petroleum. The companies say their joint venture, branded NatureWorks, is ready to go into full-scale commercial production, putting the companies at the front of a race among agriculture and chemical firms to […]
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Past Their Primates
No primate species have gone extinct within the last century, but now 25 species of apes, monkeys, lemurs, and other primates are in danger of disappearing soon, according to a new report issued by Conservation International. The two main causes of primate decline are the destruction of tropical habitat and hunting by locals; other threats […]