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Disunderstandism

A new poll from the Program on International Policy Attitudes indicates that, despite all the incumbent's vaunted straight talk and the "core principles" in his "heart of hearts," Bush supporters don't fully understand what they are supporting.  

Leftovers Again?

New environmental trend: eating other folks’ leftovers Here at Grist we love reporting on new environmental trends, especially when there are gimmicky new terms coined to describe them. Herewith, we […]

Utah, You’ve Been Norton’d!

Interior Department protecting Utah rivers from wrong threat Last month, Interior Secretary Gale Norton splashily announced the Three Rivers Withdrawal: Nearly 200 miles of prized territory along Utah’s Green, Colorado, […]

The environment and foreign policy

No presidential debate has ever provided much succor for environmentalists, but last night's was literally devoid of any mention of environmental issues, save one:  In a discussion of Bush's tendency to be "certain but wrong," Kerry wedged "global warming" into a list of subjects about which the president is ignoring facts.

What's significant is not just that green issues were passed over, but that they were passed over in a debate focused on foreign policy.  In the U.S., environmentalism is still considered a matter of domestic politics, a "special interest."  It is frequently portrayed as a lifestyle quirk, a preoccupation of the leisure class -- as when Dick Cheney notoriously dismissed energy conservation as a "sign of personal virtue."

But in years to come, environmental problems will likely manifest primarily as foreign policy issues.  Sir David King, Tony Blair's chief science advisor, got an avalanche of press recently for baldly asserting that climate change is a greater danger to the world than terrorism.  

It was an artless way of making a perfectly legitimate point.

Pop Goes the Diesel

Partnership formed to fight diesel fumes The U.S. EPA this week announced the formation of a partnership to undertake voluntary, cooperative measures to reduce the impact of diesel fumes on […]

Reagan enviro official still running afoul of the law

Rita Lavelle, who ran the Superfund program during the Reagan years and was locked up for lying to Congress about it, may be headed to the slammer once again. On Monday, a federal jury convicted her of scheming to defraud a client who hired her consulting firm to clean up a toxic work site in Los Angeles, the L.A. Times reports. She faces 15-24 months in the clink. Old habits die hard, it seems.  

(Feeling nostalgic? Check out a fun recap of enviro doings during the Gipper's reign.)

Living for the City

San Francisco unveils plan to fight global warming Saying that global warming “is a real and looming threat to our economy, our public health, and our environment” to which the […]

Formaldehyde and Seek

Enviro groups appeal lax EPA regs on formaldehyde In an era of serial outrages, even the most battle-hardened enviros were astonished by a U.S. EPA rule issued last spring: The […]

A new resort complex threatens a Japanese paradise

The elusive and endangered yamaneko. Photo: Makoto Yokotsuka. The Iriomote cat is a survivor. For centuries, it employed the surest survival technique of all — avoiding humans — before being […]

Creature Comforts

A new push for protecting sharks and lions Despite the relative infrequency of its attacks on humans, the great white shark has achieved a fearsome reputation, thanks largely to the […]