Articles by Grist staff

European automakers in a snit over proposed EU emissions cuts

A European Union proposal to reduce average new-car CO2 emissions 20 percent by 2012 — and to fine automakers that don’t meet the target — has revved up observers on all sides. German Chancellor Angela Merkel — a climate Cassandra whose country is home to industry giants including Porsche, BMW, and DaimlerChrysler — took a […]

Al Gore named first runner-up for Time magazine’s Person of the Year

In what’s expected to be his final award of a very busy year, Al Gore was named first runner-up for Time magazine’s Person of the Year, followed by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. This year’s winner is Russian President Vladimir Putin who, the magazine says, “is not a boy scout. He is not a democrat […]

Bush signs diluted energy bill into law

President Bush today signed an energy bill into law that the House passed yesterday and the Senate passed last week. The bill increases fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, mandates the use of at least 36 billion gallons of biofuels a year by 2022, raises efficiency standards […]

Germany’s Social Democrats call for climate sanctions on U.S. goods

Angered by what it sees as America’s climate inaction and obstructionism, the Social Democratic Party in Germany has called for sanctions on imports of energy-intensive products from the U.S. “The U.S. is a major part of the problem. Levying special taxes or sanctions on energy-intensive U.S. products, such as steel and aluminum, which are exported […]