Articles by Grist staff

From Russia With Sludge

Fifteen percent of Russia is facing disastrous environmental conditions, President Vladimir Putin said yesterday. Putin identified environmental devastation as one of the most serious problems facing the country and affecting the livelihood of its people, and said many areas of the country were in a “critical or near-critical state.” The most industrialized regions of the […]

Don’t Bank on It

A coalition of U.S. and European banks are adopting new principles to guide the financing of projects, especially in the developing world. But environmentalists say the “Equator Principles” will not prevent the banks (which include Citigroup, Holland’s ABN Amro Holding, Britain’s Barclays, and Germany’s WestLB) from backing projects that lead to the destruction of rainforests, […]

C02, Too?

Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts sued the federal government yesterday to force it to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. The lawsuit, which alleges that the emissions fuel global warming and should therefore be governed by the Clean Air Act, marks the first time a state has sued the government to force it to take action on climate […]

Come on Baby, Fire My Light

Compact fluorescent light bulbs, those money- and energy-saving improvements on the old-fashioned incandescent variety, are extraordinarily popular in Wisconsin. About 12 percent of all light bulbs sold in the state are CFLs, a figure that trounces the national average of roughly 1 percent. That’s thanks largely to Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program, which educates homebuilders […]