Articles by Grist staff

Dim Summary

China’s environment remains in sad shape, marked by severe air and water pollution and a number of other problems, according to an annual assessment released today by the Chinese State Environmental Protection Agency. The air in 137 cities exceeds government targets, and two-thirds of the Yellow River, China’s second longest waterway, are polluted, the report […]

Dis-heart-ening News

Moderate air pollution may trigger sudden death in people with existing heart problems, according to a number of new scientific studies. The finding suggests that heart attacks, not lung disease, may be the most serious health threat posed by dirty air. Experts have estimated that particulate pollution, or tiny pieces of soot in the air, […]

What's the Rush?

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant, site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986, will be permanently closed on Dec. 15, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma announced today. President Clinton, who is currently visiting Ukraine, said the U.S. will provide $78 million to help contain radiation at the Chernobyl site as well as $2 million for […]

Kerr-bing Population Growth

Andy Kerr, a well-known environmental activist who spent much of the 1980s and 1990s fighting a bitter war against logging in the Northwest, is turning his attention to another issue: population growth in Oregon. Kerr’s new organization, Alternatives to Growth Oregon, is still developing its agenda. But Kerr has already proposed some controversial ideas, including […]