News
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Critical List: Japan marks Fukushima anniversary; politicians agree fracking causes earthquakes
Japan marked the one-year anniversary of the Fukushima disaster this weekend. The Americans who are paying the highest gas prices live in blue states, so everyone else quit yer bitchin’. Meet ten families who live right next a nuclear plant — and love it.
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Critical List: Senate voted against Keystone XL; CSA delivery by sailboat
The Senate voted against approving Keystone XL. Japan has almost shut down its nuclear industry; next month only one out of 54 reactors will be working. Those affected by the BP oil spill could get 60 percent of the settlement money they’re owed as soon as a new program to pay out claims is set […]
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Critical List: Solar storm to hit today; the U.S. is a net exporter of petroleum products
Solar storm a-comin’! Batten down the planet! Seriously, it’s today and it’s supposed to be the strongest in six years, which is confusing because the one two months ago was supposed to be the strongest in seven years and how does THAT work? Anyway, it could “disrupt power grids, satellites, oil pipelines, and high-accuracy GPS […]
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Critical List: Too many tornadoes; scientists help plant seeds reach Antarctica
Super Tuesday results: The rich guy who would be terrible for the environment won primaries in six states, the scary evangelist who would be terrible for the environment won three, and the sad nerd who should know better but would probably be terrible for the environment just to fit in won one. March has already […]
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Climate change could kill ice hockey in Canada
New study shows that climate change could leave Canada without any outdoor ice rinks by mid-century.
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Critical List: More people have safe drinking water; Asia’s pollution is hitting the U.S.
The U.N. met its Millennium Development Goal to halve the number of people without safe drinking water. President Obama is giving a press conference this afternoon — the first in months. It’s supposed to be about mortgage relief, but odds are someone will ask him about gas prices, too. Twenty percent of ground pollution in […]
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Critical List: Lorax tops box office; climate change worsened Texas drought
Grist is not so keen on the movie version of The Lorax, but the rest of the country is, apparently: The movie topped box offices this weekends. In Illinois, two cars crashed into a major oil pipeline, shutting it down. BP’s going to pay $7.8 billion to settle Deepwater Horizon claims, according to a settlement […]
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Critical List: The gas boom scam; Bieber’s electric car
In Rolling Stone, Jeff Goodell looks at “the scam behind the gas boom.” What really makes money for a natural gas company? “Buying and flipping the land that contains the gas,” Goodell reports. A team of scientists has discovered how to use wastewater’s bacteria to create electricity. For his 18th birthday Justin Bieber received (among […]
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Critical List: Olympia Snow retires; more people believe in global warming
Olympia Snowe, a moderate Republican who believed in global warming and even tried to do something about it, is retiring from the Senate. Since it’s getting warmer, more Americans believe in global warming, because of “personal observations of the weather.” Sigh. That’s not the correct reason to believe global warming is happening, but we’ll take […]