Articles by Grist staff

Who Cares, We've Got More Cable TV Channels Than Ever

Widespread loss of plant species and crop varieties could undermine agricultural productivity, according to a new report by the Worldwatch Institute, which found that more than 80 percent of seed varieties sold in the U.S. a century ago are no longer available. The report says that 29 percent of plant species in the U.S. are […]

We-O-U

Because of the environmental damage they’ve caused, developed countries owe far more to developing nations than the amount of debt that developing nations have accrued by borrowing from richer governments and banks, according to a new report released by three British groups. The developed world is overwhelmingly responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions that are […]

Ba Ha, Ahab!

Bowing to international outrage, Russia last week agreed to stop commercial whaling. A few days previously, a Russian ship carrying the meat of 36 beluga whales had arrived in Japan, the first time in 13 years that international trade in whales had been conducted. But when word of the sale leaked out, the U.S. government […]

I've Seen Floyd and I've Seen Rain

Hurricane Floyd brought serious environmental damage to a number of areas along the East Coast, officials are warning. In North Carolina, wastewater treatment plants have been flooded, and industrial facilities and warehouses are leaking chemicals and contaminants that could get into water supplies. In the Chesapeake Bay area, a great deal of pollution-laden sediment, much […]