Articles by Grist staff

Why's Youse Guys So Mad?

Violence and threats against federal employees who manage land in the West are on the rise, with nearly 100 incidents taking place in 1998, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Such attacks have increased since the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City, with much of the problem attributable to anti-government radicals and extreme “wise-use” proponents […]

Ebony Days for Ivory

Vietnam’s wild elephant population faces certain extinction unless action is taken to protect the animals, according to a study released yesterday by Fauna and Flora International, a British conservation group. Between 98 and 150 wild elephants now live in the nation’s fragmented forests, down from an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 in 1990. Though poaching for […]

Banging Heads Over Hard Rock

Environmental regulations governing hard-rock mining on federal lands are applied unevenly and without necessary expertise, the National Research Council said yesterday in a long-awaited report. A committee of the council identified “several gaps in existing regulations that need to be filled,” and said federal agencies need more staff, more authority, and better information. Still, the […]

Fish Don't Fry in the Kitchen, But Beans Do Burn in Brazil

Brazil’s southernmost state yesterday launched a big publicity push to keep farmers from illegally planting genetically modified soybean seeds smuggled in from neighboring Argentina. A black market is growing for the seeds, which save farmers money on herbicides and pesticides. Industry sources estimate that nearly 10 percent of Brazil’s soybean harvest could be genetically modified, […]