Articles by Grist staff

Whose ‘Cide Are They On?

California regulating pesticide air pollution and fish farming California is trailblazing again: It aims to be the first state in the U.S. to tackle air pollution from pesticide use. State officials hope to eliminate tons (literally) of smog-forming gases that waft from pesticide-treated agricultural regions. California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation — long accused of doing […]

Thames the Breaks

England declares emergency drought, mandates conservation Thanks to 18 months of below-average rainfall, English officials have declared the country to be in an emergency drought. Homes and businesses in southeastern England face criminal prosecution and $9,000 or more in fines for nonessential water use like filling swimming pools or watering golf courses. Ironically, golf courses […]

Soon We Can Just Call It the Styx

Yangtze River so polluted it’s on the verge of death The Yangtze River is “cancerous” with pollution — mainly industrial waste and agricultural runoff — according to reports in China’s state media. Experts estimate that within five years, up to 70 percent of its water may be unusable, particularly as drinking water for the 186 […]

It’s the End of the World as We Blow It

Ecosystems don’t like hurricanes any more than we do With hurricane season approaching, scientists are voicing worries about the ability of coastal ecosystems to recover from repeated storms. Some 118 square miles of coastal wetlands were lost to Hurricane Katrina, and the Gulf Coast is vulnerable to more loss, as many islands that had acted […]