Articles by Grist staff

Making Assess of Themselves

To recognize World Environment Day today, the U.N. is launching a $21 million, four-year assessment of the planet’s ecosystems. The study will be coordinated by the U.N. Environment Programme and involve 1,500 scientists, who will have the tough task of balancing the needs of people (food and resources) with the needs of animals and plants. […]

To Market, to Market, to Buy a Fat Pig

Groups that promote “free-market” solutions to environmental problems were once thought of as loonies, even by some officials in the Reagan administration. No more. Ideas developed by groups such as the Political Economy Research Center in Bozeman, Mont., and the Reason Center in Los Angeles are now held dear by the Bush administration. The groups […]

The Return of the Swamp Thing

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to weaken rules meant to protect thousands of streams and wetlands, making it easier for developers to move ahead with building projects. The corps, for example, has proposed scrapping a rule requiring developers to obtain case-by-case permits for projects that disturb more than 300 feet of streams. It […]

Just Tread-full

The scrap tire industry sure is happy about Ford’s plans to replace 13 million Firestone tires from SUVs and pickup trucks. Ford’s Jason Vines said the company is “finding the most efficient and environmentally friendly way to dispose” of the tires. Tires are used for highway surfaces in California, Arizona, and Texas, and playground equipment […]