Articles by Grist staff

Ichi, Ni, Son!

Japanese town to pay cash to women who bear third child Even as world population balloons (6,424,599,962 and counting), some countries that have been experiencing declining birthrates, such as Italy and Japan, are worried — and not just about loneliness. The elderly worry new generations will be too small to support them, and the business […]

Cap and Betrayed

Bush administration releases weak mercury rules The U.S. EPA is releasing its plan to reduce mercury emissions today, and even jaded environmentalists are appalled. “This is … the most dangerous, dishonest, and illegal air-pollution rule I have ever seen come out of the agency,” said ex-EPA official and Natural Resources Defense Council attorney John Walke. […]

Gum control …

... has become a sticky issue for many big cities, Time magazine reports in its latest issue. And no, that's not a typo -- we're talking gum pollution, as in those blobs of gooey stickiness attached to city sidewalks and the shoes of unfortunate city dwellers -- and it's a bigger issue than you might think. Reps from several British cities met in London last month for a summit on the stuff, and they say cleanup costs are costing the U.K. some $290 million a year. If they have their way, a new bill may fine bubble-gum litterBrits $145.

Toronto officials counted gobs of the stuff for a 2004 litter audit and found that for every piece of other litter, there were 10 pieces of gum littering one stretch of sidewalk. Contrary to popular belief, the gooey bits won't biodegrade, but U.S. researchers say they may be able to change that with a new biodegradable variety of chewy goodness made with a corn derivative. The stuff is expensive to produce, but won't stick to surfaces. Chew on that!

Post No Bills

Eco-activists arrested for protesting near bank chief’s home Three activists with the Rainforest Action Network were arrested and fined earlier this month after posting signs on telephone poles and trees near the home of J.P. Morgan Chase CEO William Harrison. Designed to look like Old West “wanted” posters, the fliers read “Wanted — William ‘Billy […]