Articles by Grist staff

Moderately Bueno!

Mexico City air is a little better than it used to be Two decades ago, Mexico City’s air was widely deemed the worst on the planet. Today, while the city of 20 million is still one of the world’s most polluted, it’s no longer top dog. (Several cities in China now dominate the charts.) A […]

They Put the “Dies” In “Subsidies”

Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” traced back to farm subsidies You know that massive “dead zone” that shows up every year in the Gulf of Mexico? The oxygen-starved, life-free patch of water about the size of, oh, Connecticut? That’s your tax dollars at work. The zone is caused largely by nitrogen-based fertilizers, which flow downriver […]

The Kittens Are Next …

Global warming is bad news for baby walruses It seems global warming is now separating babies from their mothers. Heartless bastard. The cute and bristly walrus makes its home on Arctic ice shelves, which are melting rapidly as unusually warm water flows in from the Bering Sea. As their happy walrus home melts and collapses, […]

Two new exhibits explore the science of climate change

I am a museum geek. And proud of it. I love museums. Especially when they're free and as awesome as the Smithsonian. I have many a fond memory of field trips to D.C., wandering the National Mall and exploring such intriguing pieces as this hugemongous man at the Hirshhorn, Dorothy's ruby slippers at the Museum of American History, and the Hope Diamond at the Museum of Natural History.

So it was with great interest (and nerdy glee) that I read about the Smithsonian opening a pair of exhibits on climate change. Part of the Natural History Museum's "Forces of Change" series, the two exhibitions -- "Arctic: A Friend Acting Strangely" and "Atmosphere: Change is in the Air" -- focus on the science of climate change using graphics, film shorts, interactive computer displays, and, uh, not-so-interactive stuffed caribou.