Articles by Grist staff

Spirited Away

In a move that could set a precedent for a new kind of conservation effort, communal landowners in Mexico turned over an unspoiled island to the federal government. The $3.3 million deal was designed to protect the island, Espiritu Santo, from tourist development. The Manhattan-sized island, which is located 20 miles off the coast of […]

Tony Tony Tony!

In a speech that compared the danger of environmental degradation to the threat of terrorism, British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday outlined a sweeping plan to combat global warming. Blair called on his country, the European Union, and would-be E.U. members in Eastern Europe to cut carbon dioxide emissions 60 percent by 2050. That figure, […]

9021-woe

Remember that episode of 90210 where Brenda and Dylan fell ill from toxic gases leaking out of oil wells and into Beverly Hills High School? Actually, that never happened on the show — but according to famed environmental legal crusader Erin Brockovich, it happened in real life. Brockovich and her partner, Ed Masry, are preparing […]

In the Doghouse

The U.S. Supreme Court announced yesterday that it would review a clean air case that could determine when the federal government can overrule state environmental decisions. The case concerns the Red Dog mine in Alaska, which produces zinc and lead. Two years ago, when the mine sought to build a new diesel generator, the state […]