Articles by Grist staff

Belugas listed as endangered over Sarah Palin’s objections

Despite opposition from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, beluga whales in the Cook Inlet have been declared endangered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency estimates that only 375 belugas currently frolic in the inlet, down from some 1,300 in the 1980s. Restricting subsistence hunting by Native Alaskans has not helped the problem, says […]

Bush signs railroad-safety law, giving $13 billion to Amtrak

President Bush on Thursday signed a measure into law that provides some $13 billion to Amtrak and other passenger rail. The funding, which Bush originally opposed, is a companion piece to a railroad-safety bill; the legislation was pushed quickly through Congress after a Sept. 12 train collision in Los Angeles that killed 25 people and […]

Gas-efficient and diesel ‘city’ cars are creating a buzz

This Guardian story was written by reporter Bibi van der Zee. Grist is a member of the Guardian’s Environment Network. —– The Paris Motor Show is so dazzling, so enormous and so festooned with models, champagne bars and plasma screens that it almost convinces you that everything is marvelous. The car salesmen are all smiles […]

Squabbling threatens E.U.’s climate goals

The European Union’s climate goals emerged intact but shaky from a squabble-y summit held this week. The bloc is still aiming for a December deadline to finalize a specific action plan to reduce emissions 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. But under pressure from seven Eastern European nations and Italy, which fear the cost […]