Articles by Grist staff

It's Bloomin' 'ot!

Scientists in England say 1999 will almost certainly be the warmest year ever recorded in the U.K., topping the previous high recorded in 1990 by about a tenth of a degree Celsius. Worldwide, 1999 is on track to be one of the 10 hottest years ever, but not nearly as warm as the blistering years […]

Chew on This

Mattel, the world’s largest toymaker (think hourglass Barbies and those fun-to-chew-on Fisher-Price figures), has announced that it will begin a major push to make its plastic toys from more environmentally friendly, organically based materials such as oils and starches. The new materials would replace polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and a controversial group of chemicals called phthalates […]

Kiwis Greener

Victories this week by the New Zealand Green Party, which has won seats in Parliament for the first time, have temporarily thrown the country’s fledgling center-left coalition into flux. The coalition had expected to win a majority of seats, but now has to count on Green support to exert control. The six victorious Greens toasted […]

OK Coral

The controversial oil drilling platform Brent Spar has become home to large quantities of healthy coral, according to a study published today in the journal Nature. The colonies are a long way from forming coral reefs, but the findings indicate that dismantling rigs after they are decommissioned may not be the most environmentally sound solution, […]