Articles by Grist staff

U.S. agrees to forgive $26 million debt in Costa Rica debt-for-nature swap

The U.S. federal government has agreed to a debt-for-nature swap with Costa Rica that will see $26 million of the Central American country’s debt owed to the U.S. go instead toward conservation of its rainforests. The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International each donated about $1.2 million to the effort while the U.S. is financing $12.6 […]

Barack Obama unveils agriculture plan

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama unveiled his agriculture plan yesterday on the campaign trail in Iowa. The plan includes all kinds of proposals that the Obama camp hopes will excite rural Americans — particularly those who reside in early-primary states. Obama’s ag plans include increasing funding to help farmers transition to organic, reforming the USDA’s […]

A look at Ron Paul’s environmental platform and record

Update: Ron Paul dropped out of the presidential race on June 12, 2008. Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul doesn’t spend much time talking about the environment; when he does address the issue, it’s usually to say that our land, air, and water would be in better shape if the government butted out and let the […]

Report says EPA not doing enough to protect Mississippi River

The longest river in the United States has been abandoned by the very agency that should be protecting it, says a new report from the National Research Council. A 13-member panel assessed the Mississippi River’s health and evaluated efforts to implement the federal Clean Water Act along the waterway’s 2,300 miles. Conclusion? The U.S. EPA […]