Articles by Grist staff

Diet Ops for Diet

Following in the footsteps of the European Union, Japan ratified the Kyoto Protocol on climate change today, becoming the 73rd country to commit to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Japan had previously waffled on ratification, especially after the Bush administration backed out of the treaty, but public pressure won out and the country’s upper house of […]

Give It Up

Check your calendars: There’s one month left until the Fourth of July, 17 days until the summer solstice, 12 days until Father’s Day … and just four days left to help keep your favorite online environmental magazine alive and kicking. That’s right; after Friday, you won’t receive any more such pleas asking for your support […]

Taylor-made Destruction

Charles Taylor, the president of Liberia, has spread instability within his nation’s borders and helped foment a brutal civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone. To fund the fighting, he has exploited his country’s natural resources. At first, it was diamonds — but as international scrutiny on the dirty diamond trade has increased, Taylor has been […]

Whale Killers

The killer whale population has declined 20 percent since 1995, and scientists think they’ve found one of the reasons why: whale watchers. The motorized boats that serve whale-watchers disrupt the orcas’ sonar, reducing its efficiency by as much as 99 percent. That means whales have to swim harder and longer to find food; in so […]