Articles by Grist staff

Green Eyeshades

A panel of the National Research Council is urging the federal government to resume development of a “green” accounting system that would calculate, in addition to standard economic measurements, the costs of such things as resource depletion and environmental and health damage from pollution. The Commerce Department had been working on just such a system, […]

Reefer Madness

Between 70 and 90 percent of coral reefs in the Indian Ocean have been destroyed by human activity, marine biologists say, and unless action is taken the remaining reefs will likely be destroyed as well. Sewage dumping, soil erosion, and dynamiting by fishers are all taking their toll, but the most serious problem facing the […]

Building Owners Painted into a Corner

The feds announced yesterday that they are launching a big crackdown on building owners who fail to notify tenants that their homes may contain lead paint. Attorney General Janet Reno, Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo, and EPA Administrator Carol Browner said the government had fined four District of Columbia property owners $87,000 and ordered them to […]

It's Sick, Itzik

Israel’s environment is in deplorable condition, according to a year-long study released yesterday by the Israel Economic Forum for the Environment. The nation’s aquifer systems suffer from serious salination problems, construction is encroaching on open space, and air quality has deteriorated to the point that one in 10 Israeli children has asthma, according to the […]