Articles by Grist staff

Writ from Ritt

The EU has threatened to withhold as much as $15.5 billion from a number of member states unless they comply with EU environmental laws by establishing nature reserves and other protected areas. France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Portugal have been given formal written warning from EU Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard. The crackdown follows a […]

Oh No, Mr. (Interior) Bill

A rider tacked onto the Interior Department spending bill, courtesy of Sens. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) and Larry Craig (R-Idaho), would stall a large federal land and wildlife management plan for 64 million acres in the Pacific Northwest. The Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project — covering federal lands in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, Idaho, and […]

An Aphrodisiac? Ah, Baloney

Police in South Africa are trying to crack down on heavily armed poachers of abalone, a shellfish prized in China, Taiwan, and Japan as an aphrodisiac. Some marine scientists warn that South Africa’s abalone population could be virtually wiped out within five years. Meanwhile, investigators in China have broken up a massive smuggling ring that […]

Snake in the Bush

Not winning any environmental plaudits, GOP presidential hopeful George W. Bush yesterday announced his opposition to breaching four dams on the Snake River to help save endangered salmon runs. As he kicked off a campaign swing through the Northwest, Bush said, “I think it’s very important for us to protect the fish, but I think […]