Articles by Grist staff

Logging Off

The Internet has made it far easier for citizens to bend the federal government’s ear — too easy, the U.S. Forest Service says. The agency wants to revise its policies so that it will be free to disregard opinions submitted in “form letters, check-off lists, pre-printed post cards, or similar duplicative materials” when accepting public […]

Cod Gonnit

The Canadian government this week banned all commercial and recreational cod fishing in an effort to stave off the absolute collapse of the species, putting an end to an industry and a tradition that have defined the country’s Atlantic coast for centuries. The radical decline of Eastern Canadian cod stocks is one of the greatest […]

No-motor Home

Two chemistry professors at the University of La Verne in California say they have created a propane-powered fuel cell that will change the face of the recreational-vehicle industry forever. The fuel cell converts propane to hydrogen and generates enough energy to power everything in an RV but the motor: electricity, heat, and water systems. The […]

Ignoble Chernobyl

It’s been 17 years since the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe — but a new disaster could be around the bend if the concrete shield encasing the old power station isn’t rapidly reinforced, according to Russia’s energy minister. “We can see a situation where the roof could fall in, or rather the supports that hold up the […]