Articles by Grist staff

Deal reached to halt deforestation on Sumatra

Indonesian authorities have agreed to halt deforestation on the island of Sumatra, which has lost about half of its forest cover to logging since 1985. Conservationists joined Sumatran tigers, orangutans, rhinos, and elephants in applauding the deal, launched at the World Conservation Congress being held this week. Deforestation has increased the impact of flooding and […]

No cash yet offered to save Ecuador rainforest as deadline looms

In June 2007, Ecuador offered to avoid oil development in a tract of biodiverse rainforest if other nations and green groups were able to pony up $350 million a year for a decade. Reaction to the pay-to-protect idea was positive, but a twice-bumped-back deadline is coming up in Dec. 2008, and still no funding is […]

Pay-to-protect plan for Ecuadorian rainforest on the brink

This Guardian story was written by reporter Haroon Siddique. Grist is a member of the Guardian’s Environment Network. —– A unique proposal to protect one of the world’s most biodiverse places from oil drilling is facing a looming deadline without any funding in place. The Ecuadorian government has said it is prepared to keep hundreds […]

Bisphenol A may reduce effectiveness of chemotherapy

Oh, bisphenol A, what can’t you do? The ubiquitous chemical, present in polycarbonate plastic and most can linings, may reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy, says new research published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Researchers subjected human breast cancer cells to low levels of BPA. “It’s actually acting by protecting existing cancer cells from dying in response […]