Articles by Grist staff

The Dry Wall of China

Desertification is spreading across northern China, caused by rampant logging, overgrazing, and the cultivation of marginal lands for farming, and exacerbated by drought. About a dozen severe sandstorms hit Beijing this spring. The village of Longbaoshan outside Beijing is threatened by a mountain of sand that’s advancing at a rate of about 30 feet a […]

Goofus and Gallons

Rising gas prices are becoming a hot issue in the U.S. presidential campaign, as the cost of a gallon reaches as high as $2.39 in parts of the Midwest. George W. Bush and other Republicans blame the Clinton administration, saying the increases are being caused in part by clean air standards that require the sale […]

Don't Take Me to the River, Don't Drop Me in the Water

More than a dozen former members of an elite Israeli naval unit are filing suit against the government for endangering their health by requiring them to swim and dive in the horrendously polluted Kishon River, and occasionally even drink the river’s putrid water as punishment. More than 30 of the naval commandos have been struck […]

Sing Out Loud, Sing Out Long

Some male humpback whales lengthened their songs while others ceased to sing altogether when exposed to low-frequency sonar tests off the coast of Hawaii in 1998, suggesting that sonar transmissions by the U.S. Navy could disrupt whale breeding and cause other behavioral changes, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. On average, […]