Articles by Grist staff

No Laughing Matter

With jokes about President Bush’s anti-environmental policies getting center-stage attention on late-night talk shows, the White House has gone into spin mode, trying to put a green lustre on its moves. U.S. EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman on Friday said that critics had been too quick to denounce decisions on global warming and arsenic in […]

In a confidential memo, President Bush tells EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman what's on his

Christie — Heard they hammered you in Montreal about the Kyoto thing. Don’t let it get you down, Whitman! They’re foreigners, these people, and foreigners feed on confrontation. It’s cultural. Did you see that recent French or German movie, in black and white? Cultural. Good of you to leave the conference early. I take it […]

Hook, Line, and Stinker

Despite the brouhaha over the potential health and environmental risks of genetically engineered crops, several biotech companies are moving forward with plans to bring genetically modified fish and meat to your nearest supermarket. Aqua Bounty Farms has already applied to the feds for approval to market salmon eggs laced with DNA from ocean pout that […]

Surprise and Demand

Someday, maybe in two years, maybe in 2020, the demand for oil will outstrip the supply of it. How long after we reach that point will we go on denying it? Petroleum is at the base of much of what we modern-day folks take for granted — gasoline, jet fuel, plastics, pesticides, fertilizers. What to […]