Articles by Grist staff

Uptown Girl, Downbeat News

The rate of infant deaths near five nuclear power plants dropped substantially after the nuclear reactors were closed, according to a new study published in the spring edition of the Journal of Environmental Epidemiology and Toxicology. The study suggests that the health of people who live within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant may […]

Brand-Name Genes

A coalition of enviro groups yesterday petitioned the Agriculture Department to tighten its regulation of genetically engineered crops, accusing the department of approving new biotech plants without requiring adequate tests to assure that they won’t harm the environment. Plants that are artificially engineered to be resistant to pests could pass along resistance genes to weeds […]

This Makes Us Yak

China has plundered Tibet’s natural resources and severely polluted the region’s environment, according to a report by the exiled Tibetan government based in India. The report, to be presented today to the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development, accuses China of uncontrolled deforestation, mining, and dumping of nuclear waste. Forty-six percent of Tibet’s forest cover has […]

Making Radio Waves

Hoping to give a boost to environmental issues in the upcoming elections, the Sierra Club yesterday launched an $8 million TV and radio ad campaign aimed at influencing 17 congressional races. The ads, most of which favor Democrats, will be accompanied by voter guides and fliers to be distributed at community events. Politicians targeted in […]