Articles by Grist staff

Roll Out the Barrels

Did anyone expect such early international criticism of President Bush’s energy plan? Yesterday, Jan Pronk, the head of U.N. talks on climate change and the Dutch environment minister, described the plan as a “disastrous development” that would “undoubtedly” lead to more greenhouse gas emissions. A press release issued by Friends of the Earth in the […]

Putting It in Reverse

The average fuel economy of new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. last year dropped to the lowest levels since 1980, according to a new report by the U.S. Transportation Department. President Bush’s energy plan released yesterday calls for a review of fuel-economy standards once the National Academy of Sciences completes a study of […]

Tina Turnaround

In what appears to be a big victory for environmentalists, the White House says it will retain the air-quality standards for ozone and particulate pollution that were set by the Clinton administration several years ago. In February, the U.S. Supreme rejected arguments by industry groups and affirmed the U.S. EPA’s right to establish the standards. […]

The Strategy of the Commons

Enough about endangered species — Massachusetts next month is beginning the country’s most ambitious effort to save common plants and animals. More than 20,000 people, including school kids, are expected to take part in a three-day “bioblitz” to create a town-by-town inventory of every species living in the state that is bigger than a one-millimeter […]