Articles by Grist staff

More than a quarter of U.S. bird species are endangered

It’s not a good time to be a bird in the U.S. The Watch List 2007, published by the National Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy, finds that 178 bird species in the continental U.S. and 39 in Hawaii are vulnerable to extinction. That’s almost all of Hawaii’s non-migratory native birds and more than a […]

U.S. could slash emissions at little cost through boosted efficiency, says report

The U.S. could significantly slash its greenhouse-gas emissions “at manageable costs to the economy,” says a new study from consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Assuming no significant change in consumer lifestyle, researchers did an in-depth cost-benefit analysis of various options for reducing GHG emissions. Their conclusions: “clean coal” is expensive and unproven, increasing renewable energy […]

Kansas Supreme Court to hear case against landmark coal-plant permit denial

In October, Kansas made an important first by denying a construction permit to a coal-fired power plant due to its carbon dioxide emissions, saying such emissions could harm human health and the environment. The companies behind the $3.6 billion project, as well as other business groups, were outraged by the decision. (Enviros rejoiced.) Attack ads […]

Gray wolves in Southwest aren’t faring well

Mexican gray wolves are running into all kinds of trouble in the American Southwest. The wolves were hunted to the brink of extinction in the early 1900s; reintroduction began in 1998, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service originally predicted that by now there would be a self-sustaining population of 100 wolves and 18 breeding […]