Articles by Grist staff

Quench Warners

Desalination won’t solve world’s water woes, report says Another high-tech environmental solution may be going out the window: a new report from the World Wildlife Fund says desalinating water could hurt more than it helps. Estimating that there are more than 10,000 desalination plants around the world, WWF says the energy-intensive practice of filtering salt […]

Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Gameboys

New U.S. coalition hopes to get vid-kids back outside More than 50 business leaders, politicians, and activists have formed a national partnership to get America’s kids the hell outside. Inspired by recent concerns that too much fun with video games, computers, and TV can lead to obesity and depression, the National Forum on Children and […]

Burgers With a Conscience?

New scorecard rates corporations on their actions to fight climate change Which fast-food joint has the most cred on climate change — McDonald’s, Wendy’s, or Burger King? A new scorecard from the nonprofit group Climate Counts has the answer; it ranks these and 53 other major corporations on their commitment to reducing their contributions to […]

And They’re Off

China overtakes United States as world’s biggest polluter, agency says The United States is no longer the world’s biggest polluter. That honor goes to China, which emitted some 8 percent more carbon dioxide in 2006 than Bushland, according to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. But on a per-person basis, Americans pollute roughly four to five […]