Articles by Grist staff

Island nations call for steep emission cuts to curb rising seas

At the United Nations climate conference in Poland this week, a coalition of over 40 island nations called for extremely ambitious reductions in world greenhouse-gas emissions, fearing the effects of rising seas. The nations proposed that industrialized countries slash their emissions more than 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and more than 95 percent […]

Roadless rule limited to 10 Western states, judge rules

A federal judge on Tuesday limited the scope of President Clinton’s popular “roadless rule” to federal lands in 10 Western states instead of the whole country, leaving some 13.6 million acres of roadless forests largely unprotected from road-building and other development. Tuesday’s ruling is a compromise between throwing the rule out and keeping protections in […]

EPA approves rule change making mountaintop-removal mining easier

The U.S. EPA on Tuesday approved a controversial rule change that the Bush administration has been trying to make for years which eases restrictions on burying streams under piles of mining waste, making mountaintop-removal mining easier. “By signing off on a rule to eliminate a critical safeguard for streams, the EPA has abdicated its responsibility […]

E.U. agrees on emission rules for cars

The European Union has reportedly struck a deal with the bloc’s automakers, agreeing to rules that would see car manufacturers cut their fleets’ emissions 18 percent by 2015 and 40 percent by 2020. The E.U. had proposed a tougher standard last year, but heavy lobbying from automakers successfully diluted the goals.