Articles by Grist staff

Our Gorge Is Rising

China yesterday blocked the flow of the Yangtze River by closing gates at the massive Three Gorges Dam and began to fill up what will be the world’s largest reservoir. It’s a joyous occasion for government engineers and Communist Party faithful who have long touted the coming benefits of hydroelectric power and flood control, and […]

Don’t Fear the Reefer

The Australian government today announced plans to put nearly one-third of the Great Barrier Reef off limits to fishing and trawling. “This will provide the largest network of protected marine areas in the world,” said Minister for the Environment David Kemp. Environmental advocates praised the move but pointed out that the government needs to do […]

Stock Options

Pressure is mounting in the U.S. for major reform of fisheries policies, with the aim of rebuilding fish stocks that have been decimated by decades of overfishing and ecosystem degradation. “What’s going on out there is the last buffalo hunt with regard to our fisheries,” said Leon Panetta, former chief of staff under President Clinton […]

Coal Comfort

A four-and-a-half-year study by the federal government has confirmed what most residents of Appalachia figured was obvious: Mountaintop removal coal mining is destroying the region’s forests and streams. Yet despite the findings, which were released yesterday, the Bush administration does not intend to impose concrete limits on the practice. Instead, it has proposed a plan […]