Articles by Grist staff

Turning Over a Nuke Leak

Within three years, dangerous tritium contamination from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state could leach into the Columbia River, Hanford officials say. Last year, surveys found tritium, known to cause birth defects, at concentrations 90 times above the federal drinking water standard in a nearby well that lies 3.5 miles from the Columbia. By […]

This Idea Should Be Banished to Siberia

Russian enviros are alarmed by a government proposal to import 20,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel from European and Asian countries for storage and eventual reprocessing in Siberia. The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry hopes that the scheme will earn it $21 billion over the next 10 years, as countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and […]

They Couldn't Car Less

A community of residents Freiburg, Germany, has launched the nation’s biggest experiment in car-free living. The Vauban development — which includes 280 new homes on 94 acres — bans cars within its limits, so people happily get around by bike and on foot. About half of the residents have given up their cars completely, while […]

Rain Drops Stopped Falling on My Head

Pollution from coal-burning power plants and other sources may prevent snow and rainfall in downwind areas, according to a new study published in the journal Science. Daniel Rosenfeld of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem studied satellite data and found that pollution particles cause water in clouds to spread out thinly, preventing it from forming into […]