Climate Technology
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Koh Chang: Ka-ching!
One by one, Thailand’s tropical islands have been overrun by the tourism industry and all but gutted by unbridled, profit-driven development. Now the nation’s impoverished government has its eye on the last large piece of unspoiled land: idyllic Koh Chang Island. This time, though, the government promises it will use proper zoning, strict regulations on […]
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Fee: “Fie,” Foes Fume
Is it a tax or is it not a tax? That’s the question in London, where diplomats are up in arms over a proposed daily fee on cars driving into the city center, in order to discourage congestion and clean up the city’s air. They say the fee most certainly is a tax, and that […]
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In the Drink
In other news from the Golden State, regulators in California are reviving a campaign to clean up perchlorate, a Cold War-era pollutant that has been showing up in drinking water supplies across the country. Since the 1950s, the substance has been used as an oxidizer in rockets, munitions, and fireworks. It was not considered particularly […]
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Paper Tiger
Confusion over the definition of old growth is spurring a new campaign by ForestEthics against major paper retailers. In the past, the environmental organization has taken on lumber retailers such as Home Depot; now, it’s turning its attention to Staples, accusing the company of misleading customers into thinking it doesn’t sell paper products made from […]
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It’s My Way or No Highway?
The head of the U.S. EPA’s New England office has accused New Hampshire of failing to prepare for the environmental impact of the rapid population boom that is expected to follow the widening of Interstate 93, the main commuter highway connecting the state to Boston, Mass. New Hampshire plans to spend $18 million to ease […]
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Hurricane Hugo
If Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has his way, some developing nations will create an OPEC-like cartel to protect plants and animals from exploitation by the industrialized world. Speaking earlier this week at the close of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Chavez said, “If these [developed] countries carry off a medical formula from some jungle […]
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Think Tanks
In another sign of the struggling automotive industry, Ford has abandoned a $123 million electric car venture known as Think. The company said it would instead invest in other alternative technologies, such as hybrid-electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells. Ford is cutting the initiative despite a California mandate that auto manufacturers offer up to 100,000 […]
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To Market, to Market
Can capitalism and environmentalism go hand in hand? A new breed of financiers thinks so, and is making money by treating air pollution as a commodity. Here’s how it works: Companies are required to cut their emissions to a certain level; if they do better than those targets, they can sell pollution credits to other […]
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The Oriente Express
Native residents of the rainforests of Ecuador and Peru were dealt a blow late last week when the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied their petition to reopen litigation against the oil giant ChevronTexaco for devastating their environment and exposing them to carcinogenic pollutants. The court upheld an earlier ruling, which found that two […]
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Shell Game?
In addition to the environmentalists, politicians, and scientists who will gather next week in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, another constituency will be amply represented — business interests. Many high-profile companies plan to use the summit to burnish their environmental images and make the case that principles and profits can […]
