Articles by Grist staff

Vehicular Homicide

Air pollution accounts for about 6 percent of deaths each year in Austria, France, and Switzerland, according to a study published today in the Lancet medical journal. The study found that half of those deaths can be attributed to pollution from vehicles. The researchers also calculated that the health cost of vehicle pollution in the […]

Beet Nix

A study published today in Science found that the planting of genetically engineered sugar beets could cause a dramatic decline in England’s already waning skylark population. The British researchers argue that sugar beets engineered to be resistant to herbicides will allow farmers to use more powerful sprays to wipe out weeds, possibly leading to a […]

Ooh, Burned!

Reduced logging on national forests does not seem to be a cause for wildfires in the West, says the bipartisan Congressional Research Service. In a study requested by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the service found that if anything, heavy logging in the past may be partially to blame for creating forests more prone to catching […]

Dump and Dumber

In a ruling that could have serious implications for the environment, an independent NAFTA tribunal decided on Wednesday that Mexico must pay a California company $16.7 million in damages because municipal authorities prevented the company from opening a hazardous waste treatment plant in the state of San Luis Potosi. Mexico is appealing the decision, arguing […]