Articles by Grist staff

Post-Mitch Hitch

In the wake of Hurricane Mitch, new interest is growing in Central America in environmentally sound land-management practices. Some farmers took note of the fact that communities with protected forest areas held up much better during the hurricane than communities where most trees had been felled. Still, development workers say it’s a tough challenge to […]

NAFTA-Shock

The U.S.-Mexico border remains heavily polluted, despite claims that NAFTA’s environmental side accord would alleviate many problems in the area. Some progress has been made: the Tijuana River has been cleaned up noticeably, thanks to new sewage treatment plants, though much work still needs to be done. The North American Development Bank, an environmental fund […]

Rain, Rain, Come and Stay

TreePeople, a Los Angeles nonprofit organization that has planted more than 1.5 million trees over the last 26 years, is now aiming to create a “sustainable watershed” in the city, dramatically reducing flooding, drought, and pollution. TreePeople founder Andy Lipkis has built a demonstration house in South Central L.A. that has a lowered lawn and […]

Six Billion Served

World population may hit 6 billion today, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, meaning human numbers have doubled in less than 40 years. The United Nations predicts the 6 billion mark will be hit on October 12. Either way, humanity is increasing by 78 million people a year, despite a decelerating growth rate, and scientists […]