Articles by Grist staff

Surly, With Infringe on Top

A federal judge in Canada ruled yesterday that a Canadian farmer had infringed on Monsanto’s patent rights because plants from the company’s genetically engineered canola seed had been found on his property, apparently after pollen from modified plants on farms nearby had drifted onto his land. The farmer, Percy Schmeiser, was ordered to pay thousands […]

The Bush Withdrawal Method

Loud international criticism of President Bush’s decision to withdraw from the Kyoto treaty on climate change continued yesterday, and a broad coalition of U.S. religious groups urged Bush to revisit the decision. At a meeting in Montreal, environmental ministers from North and South America canceled a long-planned statement on how to proceed with implementing Kyoto […]

I'm a Loser, Baby, So Why Don't You Drill Me

President Bush acknowledged for the first time yesterday that he may lose the fight to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to drilling. In a press conference, the president said he will push to exploit oil and gas resources elsewhere in the nation if Congress doesn’t sanction drilling in the refuge. Bush also […]

Hogwash!

In a blow to environmentalists’ efforts to stop pollution from large hog farms, a North Carolina judge has thrown out two lawsuits against Smithfield Foods, the nation’s biggest pork producer. The superior court judge ruled that the plaintiffs — environmental groups and river users — lacked standing in the case and had not shown that […]