Articles by Grist staff

Coral reefs not doing so well

We’re in the midst of the International Year of the Reef, but there’s little to celebrate: Nearly half of coral reefs in U.S. waters are in “poor” or “fair” condition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported at this week’s 11th International Coral Reef Symposium. Human activity messes with reefs in all sorts of ways, […]

G8 nations agree to cut emissions 50 percent by 2050 (sort of)

At this year’s Group of Eight meeting in Japan, the world’s richest nations more or less agreed to cut greenhouse-gas emissions 50 percent by 2050. While the agreement is notable since it means President Bush has budged ever-so-slightly on the climate issue, the group’s statement on the cuts is little more than a carefully worded […]

Snippets from the news

• The Big Apple will spend $2.3 billion on greenhouse-gas reduction. • Officials urge merger of federal earth-science agencies. • States slacking on clearing park air. • Toxic sludge lingers in Bhopal. • Federal officials propose euthanizing elk and horses. • Coral reefs are in trouble.

Orangutans heading toward extinction

Orangutans are on their way toward extinction, says a new study that points out worrying declines in fuzzy-orange-ape populations. Orangutans only live in the wild on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo; the Sumatra orangutan population has dropped nearly 14 percent since 2004, while the Borneo population has fallen 10 percent. “Unless extraordinary efforts are […]