Articles by Grist staff

Lead Astray

Lead contamination in municipal water systems systematically underreported If you live in the U.S., the water you drink may contain unsafe levels of lead, thanks to a water-safety enforcement system rife with manipulation and negligence. Water utilities across the U.S. are discarding unfavorable test results and ignoring safety regulations. State regulators rarely enforce standards and […]

Re-Orient-ing

China pressing forward with renewable energy Faced with energy shortages and endemic air pollution, China is moving aggressively to develop renewable-energy technologies. Last summer, it announced it would seek to get 12 percent of its energy from renewables by 2020. As it strives to meet this goal, the government is eschewing central planning and instead […]

Enfant, Terrible

Most-polluted places in California see highest infant mortality rates The results of a San Francisco Chronicle analysis of infant morality rates in California zip codes are, while depressing as hell, not surprising: In short, pollution kills babies. Agricultural waste, toxic chemicals, smog — while these sources of pollution are difficult to link to any single […]

Ford Focus

Ford develops ambitious, private plan to reduce emissions Top executives at Ford Motor Co. have set an aggressive goal to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions — a goal that would require a roughly 80 percent improvement in the fuel economy of the company’s cars and trucks by 2030. The motives behind the goal, which the company has […]