DAILY GRIST WEEKLY COMPILATION / 5-7-2005
1.
Can't See the Forest for the Roads
Bush administration replaces Clinton roadless rule with more roadful one
The Bush administration yesterday gave the heave-ho to the sweeping Clinton administration roadless rule, which put some 58.5 million acres of national forests off-limits to development. In its place, a new rule will put 34.3 million acres of that land back into play, at the discretion of governors, who will have 18 months to petition the feds either to open national-forest land in their states to development or keep it protected. Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey claimed that "the way [the Clinton rule] was done developed a substantial amount of ill will." As more than 90 percent of the public comments on the Clinton rule were positive, while more than 95 percent (nearly 1.8 million) on the Bush rule were negative, said "ill will" likely came primarily from the oil, gas, logging, mining, and road-building industries. Said a spokesflack for the Independent Petroleum Association of America, "We have to find ways and work with local communities to evaluate these lands and see if they are best for oil and gas activities, recreation, whatever." Whatever, please.
straight to the source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, Seth Borenstein, 06 May 2005
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Bettina Boxall, 06 May 2005
2.
The Battle of All Mothers
Mothers could be a potent force for environmental change
When Angela Park had her first child, she realized that -- along with everything else in her life -- her environmentalism had changed, becoming at once deeper and more quotidian. As she looks ahead to Mother's Day this weekend, she wonders why the environmental movement isn't doing more to reach out to moms. If they focused America's attention on drunk driving, imagine what they could do about mercury!
new in Soapbox: The Battle of All Mothers
3.
Got to Admit, It's Getting Brighter, It's Getting Brighter All the Time
Global dimming reversed in past decade; now brightening again
So, remember that big hubbub about "global dimming" a while back, whereby particulates (e.g., smog) in the earth's atmosphere were reflecting light and taking the edge off global warming? Yeah, well, funny story: That's not happening anymore. Two new papers in the journal Science show that the dimming trend -- 2 to 3 percent less sunlight reaching the earth's surface each decade between 1960 and 1990 -- more or less reversed around 1990. Now, some parts of the globe have regained their pre-mid-century brightness, and others are brighter than ever. No one is entirely sure why it's happening, but most fingers are pointing to decreased smog and soot pollution. Ironically -- and by that we mean horrifically -- those pollution victories may well mean that global warming will accelerate, what with more sunlight reaching the planet's surface. Friggin' atmosphere. Just leave us alone already!
straight to the source: The New York Times, Kenneth Chang, 06 May 2005
straight to the source: BBC News, Richard Black, 06 May 2005
get the backstory: Dim Sun, by Kip Keen. Global dimming? Global warming? What's with the globe, anyway?
4.
Land of Millikin Honey
Green-car blogger Mike Millikin answers readers' questions
As Mike Millikin sees it, we're in for a rough ride over the next decade or two as fuel prices rise, natural resources grow scarcer, and chaos looms. But fear not (well, not too much anyhow): In answering reader questions, Millikin, sustainable-mobility expert and publisher of the blog Green Car Congress, points to lots of positive transport trends and offers a number of suggestions to empower you -- yes, you! -- to help jumpstart change.
new in InterActivist: Land of Millikin Honey
5.
Sunny Size Up
World's largest solar power plant planned for Portugal
The world's largest solar power station, which would cover over 600 acres and could produce up to 116 megawatts of electricity, is planned for an economically depressed yet sun-drenched corner of Portugal. The almost $550 million project, if approved by the Portuguese government, would effectively reclaim an abandoned fool's-gold (aka pyrite) mine in the country's southern Alentejo region, and include a solar panel factory on site. But the mostly German investors financing the project are no fools: The bright, barren region gets some 175 kilowatt-hours of sunlight per square foot each year. Says the managing director of the company that owns the site, "This is definitely one of the sunniest spots in Europe." Once completed -- construction would take four to five years -- the vast array would be visible from space and supplant the current world-record-holding solar facility, which produces a measly five megawatts of electricity on about 50 acres near Leipzig, Germany.
straight to the source: The Guardian, Giles Tremlett, 06 May 2005
6.
Jagged Little Drill
Cornerstone environmental law, NEPA, under fire in energy bill
Think you've heard about all the controversial provisions in the corpulent energy bill, which the Republican leadership is once again trying to push through Congress? Think again. The latest House-passed version has new language that would let energy companies skirt many key requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, a cornerstone of environmental law, Muckraker finds.
new in Muckraker: Jagged Little Drill
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7.
Oil Really Is a Lubricant
Diverse groups, unlikely allies join fight for energy independence
Military officials, environmental activists, and others from across the political spectrum are speaking up about the need for radical change in American energy policy. Over the last year, a number of labor groups and think tanks have joined the chorus, releasing detailed plans for reducing oil imports. Just last month, national-security "energy hawks," military leaders, and industry officials formed the Energy Future Coalition and released a plan to use tax credits to promote hybrid and ethanol-production technology. The bipartisan National Commission on Energy Policy and the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, a Washington energy think tank, have unveiled plans of their own. "It's one of the great failures of American politics and policy that we are so dependent on oil from one of the most corrupt and unstable areas of the world," says former U.S. Sen. Timothy Wirth. "The world's in crisis, and the U.S. is doing nothing to limit our dependence and extraordinary vulnerability."
straight to the source: The Christian Science Monitor, Mark Clayton, 05 May 2005
8.
Breaking a Bad Habitat
More problems uncovered with habitat conservation plans
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has published parts two and three of its special series on habitat conservation plans (HCPs) and, suffice to say, the story didn't get any cheerier after part one. A proposed 9.1 million-acre HCP in Washington -- which would cover the bulk of the state's private forestland -- promises big timber companies 50 years of immunity from Endangered Species Act lawsuits in exchange for a promise to keep salmon safe, but scientific reviews have called the plan "ill-informed." Political and development pressures have slowly whittled away at an urban HCP in Austin, Texas. In Southern California, land set aside as habitat by several small HCPs has gone almost entirely unmanaged and is now covered with trash and invasive species. The litany goes on, prompting a growing number of conservationists to call for sweeping overhaul of the HCP program, including a requirement that the plans actually help recover, rather than just observe the decline of, the species they are meant to protect.
straight to the source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 05 May 2005
9.
Knock on Wood
Researchers suggest wood as source for ethanol production
Wood could one day join corn as a major source of ethanol, with the production process feeding off a by-product of paper mills. Researchers from the State University of New York estimate that bio-refineries built in already existing paper mills could produce some 2.4 billion gallons of ethanol a year from wood -- roughly 80 percent of the country's projected demand this year. The sugar xylan from trees, when captured and fermented, can be made into ethanol and blended with gasoline; currently, xylan at mills is dissolved and left unused. Bio-refineries could also extract other useful substances from mills' waste products, potentially doubling the paper industry's profits.
straight to the source: The Christian Science Monitor, John K. Borchardt, 05 May 2005
10.
Doom and Bloom
Most Mother's Day flowers are far from green
Oodles of Americans will buy flowers for their moms for Mother's Day (that's this Sunday, you slackers), but not many will consider the environmental impacts. Conventionally grown flowers "are such a high-value crop that it takes a huge amount of pesticides to make them perfect," said Pesticide Action Network's Martha Olson Jarocki. And nearly 70 percent of cut flowers sold in the U.S. are imported from countries like Ecuador and Colombia, where labor is cheap and pesticide regulations less stringent. Still, if you're not ready to think outside the bouquet, try buying organic or locally grown blooms, or plan ahead for next year and grow them yourself. Ma will appreciate it -- and even if she doesn't, well, Mother Earth will.
straight to the source: USA Today, Elizabeth Weise, 04 May 2005
11.
Gray Water's Anatomy
Umbra gushes about gray-water recycling
A water-conscious reader hopes to reuse her laundry rinse water to give sweet succor to her outdoor plants, but wonders how they'll take to the detergent. Grist's environmental adviser Umbra Fisk satisfies the reader's thirst for knowledge and in the process outs herself as a big fan of giving gently used household water a second life -- aka gray-water recycling.
new in Ask Umbra: Gray Water's Anatomy
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12.
Plus Ca (Climate) Change
...Ancient empires crushed by changing climate -- not that you should worry
Elizabeth Kolbert continues her exploration of climate change in the second of a three-part series in The New Yorker. She begins with a look at the world's first great empire, founded 4,300 years ago on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Around 25 years ago, archeologist Harvey Weiss uncovered one of that empire's great cities and -- through careful analysis of the layers of sedimentation -- discovered that, around 2200 B.C., all signs of life (even earthworms!) abruptly vanished. His theory, controversial at the time, was that "climate change," namely a vicious drought, had wiped the city out. Paleoclimatologist Peter deMenocal verified Weiss' theory by studying sediment cores from a nearby sea. Since then, the theory that cultures rise or fall based on the contingencies of climate has been applied to the disappearance of a number of civilizations around the world. Meanwhile, NASA scientists say present-day climate change is accelerating. Care to connect the dots?
straight to the source: The New Yorker, Elizabeth Kolbert, 02 May 2005
see also, in Grist: Don't Do as the Romans Do -- Jared Diamond's Collapse traces the fates of societies to their treatment of the environment
13.
Ford Imperfect
Ford, G.M. sales down as buyers spurn SUVs and look for fuel efficiency
Detroit automakers Ford and G.M. are cursing Prius drivers right about now. Sales figures and market share for both companies were down in April, as car buyers turned their fickle affections from gas-gulping SUVs to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles -- specifically those manufactured by Asian rivals Toyota and Nissan. In fact, Toyota reports that April was the most successful month in its history, with sales up 21.3 percent from April 2004, thanks in large part to booming demand for its hybrid Prius and other gas-sipping vehicles. A Ford sales analyst acknowledged the role of record gas prices in decreased SUV sales, but G.M. argued that gas prices weren't making much of a difference, pointing to an increase in large truck sales.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Jeremy W. Peters, 04 May 2005
14.
Play Economisty for Me
U.K.-based weekly Economist exhaustively analyzes global oil situation
Market-lovin' U.K. weekly The Economist has a cover package on oil this week. The major topic, of course, is the recent spike in oil prices. The grumpy Economist editors are bothered by what they consider some pervasive myths. First, "energy independence" is a chimera as long as we're burning oil; oil is fungible and price hikes hit all consumers equally. Second, while China is growing quickly, it still represents a small sliver of global oil demand and likely will for the foreseeable future. Third, the major private oil companies, despite their current health, will be in trouble in the long term, because the big remaining oil reserves are in the hands of state-owned oil firms, mostly in the Middle East. Fourth, they argue, the world is not running out of oil -- new technologies will enable increasingly efficient extraction for a long time to come. However, the mag advises policy makers and oil firms to move quickly to alternate energy sources, to cushion against oil shocks.
straight to the source: The Economist, 28 Apr 2005
15.
The World Less Traveled
Greens shun cheap air travel, point to impacts of industry
A small but growing number of eco-conscious Brits are turning away from cheap airfares and looking to other means of transport or forgoing planned vacations altogether in hopes of reducing their personal environmental footprints. Overall, aircraft-related carbon-dioxide emissions make up some 5 percent of Britain's total, according to Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research, and airline-industry emissions could double in the next 15 to 17 years as the industry grows. Says transport specialist Meyer Hillman, "We are going to have to face the fact that we cannot go to Australia or Prague or Florida every year. It's a luxury the planet cannot afford to sustain any longer if we are to have any hope in tackling our current climate-change crisis." But whatever to do with all those frequent flier miles?
straight to the source: The Guardian, Anushka Asthana and Robin McKie, 01 May 2005
16.
No Nukes Is Good Nukes
Anti-nuclear educator and activist Helen Caldicott chats with Grist
Helen Caldicott has been speaking out about the dangers of nuclear power and nuclear weapons for more than 30 years, ever since she gave up her medical career to be a full-time activist. In an interview with Gregory Dicum, Caldicott talks about nuclear's resurgence in popularity, the myth of carbon-free nuke power, the importance of unleashing women's nurturing instincts, and the psychosexual pathology of nuclear-weapons proponents.
new in Main Dish: No Nukes Is Good Nukes
17.
Tit for Habitat
Habitat conservation plans poorly monitored, sporadically effective
Today, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer kicks off a big three-day series on the increasingly ubiquitous but nonetheless poorly understood and poorly monitored phenomenon of habitat conservation plans (HCPs). Congress authorized the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to administer such plans in 1982, but it wasn't until the late '90s that they started catching on, as disgruntled landowners in Southern California threatened to sue the feds when the Endangered Species Act kept them from developing their property. HCPs, in exchange for some protection of species and habitat, offer landowners and developers permanent immunity from ESA lawsuits and authorization to off some endangered animals. There are now almost 400 HCPs in the U.S., covering some 37 million acres, and federal officials say current applications could raise that number to around 100 million acres. But the P-I's investigation found that while there's no evidence species have gone extinct under HCPs, no one knows if they're being protected, the process is being abused by local and state governments, there's little public input, and even land that is set aside as habitat is often poorly protected.
straight to the source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Robert McClure and Lisa Stiffler, 03 May 2005
18.
Reservoir Hogs
Norton won't reduce water releases from Lake Powell
Following a year's worth of unsuccessful negotiations between governors of seven parched Western states, Interior Secretary Gale Norton stepped in yesterday to make a decision on how to divvy up the much-coveted water of the Colorado River. A winter of heavy precipitation and subsequent spring thaws have made the debate over how much water to divert to the river's two largest reservoirs -- Lake Powell to the north and Lake Mead to the south -- even more heated. Upper-basin states Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico argued that water levels were finally high enough to decrease water flow out of Lake Powell, which is only one-third full after years of drought. But Arizona, Nevada, and California countered that such reductions would decrease their ability to draw water and power downstream. Norton's final decision? Leave things as is, a situation that benefits downstream states. To which Arizona, Nevada, and California replied: "Face!"
straight to the source: The Washington Post, T. R. Reid, 02 May 2005
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Ken Ritter, 02 May 2005
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Bettina Boxall, 03 May 2005
19.
Out of Tuna
Bluefin tuna, unable to swim inside the lines, at risk of extinction
Apparently western Atlantic bluefin tuna don't understand the concept of fisheries quotas, and may soon face extinction because of it, marine scientists report in the journal Nature. Bluefin tuna can grow up to 10 feet in length and weigh 1,500 lbs., and, due to high demand for sushi, they can fetch as much as $98,000 on the Tokyo fish market. Scientists have known there are two populations of bluefin tuna -- a western population whose numbers have declined by 80 percent in the last 30 years and an eastern population thought to be larger -- but weren't sure if the different enforced catch quotas on these populations were really working. Electronic tagging of hundreds of tuna allowed marine biologists such as Stanford's Barbara Block to see that using separate quotas for the two populations may not be effective, what with the fish seeing no boundaries and often voyaging into each others' territories.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Andrew C. Revkin, 03 May 2005
20.
Pedi Cure
Pedicabs catching on in Germany
Bicycle taxis, or pedicabs, have been thriving in Germany recently thanks to changes in national law, concerns about pollution and global warming, and a souped-up model dreamed up by former DaimlerChrysler project manager Ludger Matuszewski. The $9,000 German pedicabs -- rented to operators for about $8 a day -- are decked out with disc brakes, 21 gears, and an auxiliary rechargeable electric engine for use when operators need that extra boost. Because the posh modern pedicabs are relatively small and principally human-powered, they can transport their fares not only on city streets but on bike paths and in pedestrian zones as well. Popular, but unfortunately not replacing conventional taxis just yet, pedicabs are billed as a useful contribution to the overall transportation mix. "They've increased people's awareness about other forms of transport," said Christoph Rau of the European Academy of the Urban Environment.
straight to the source: The Christian Science Monitor, Isabelle de Pommereau, 03 May 2005
21.
They Did It Norway
Norway's high gas and auto taxes lead to lower gas consumption
Americans, who view cheap oil as a divine birthright and throw a tantrum when gas prices exceed $2, would surely view Norway as a strange and alien land if they, ahem, knew anything about it. Despite the Scandinavian country's huge oil reserves -- it is the world's third-largest exporter of black gold -- gas prices hover around $6.66 (Satan's price!), roughly two-thirds of which is gas tax. Benighted Norwegians also pay up to $395 a year per vehicle in auto taxes, and import duties substantially jack up the prices of SUVs and large trucks. As a result, per capita oil consumption hovers around 1.9 gallons a day, compared to America's three gallons. Surely revolt is imminent? Um, no. "There is no political will to change the system," says radio announcer Torgald Sorli. Perhaps the country's average income, among the world's highest, eases the burden a bit. Or maybe it's the 37.5-hour work week, or the five weeks of vacation. Or the plentiful public transportation. Or maybe they just hate freedom.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Simon Romero, 30 Apr 2005
22.
This Mortal Soil
Umbra ponders the environmental impact of mulching
Ah, spring is in the air. Or is that smog? Whatever the aroma, it causes one reader to wonder about the environmental impacts of mulching one's garden. Green advice guru Umbra Fisk is a veritable horn of plenty on the topic.
new in Ask Umbra: This Mortal Soil
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23.
The Nukes of Hazzard
Utilities not as hot for new nuke plants as Bush is
Not everyone is as cuckoo for new nuke plants as President Bush, not even the nation's electric utilities. Though some power companies have shown some interest in planning for future nuclear power plants in the U.S., experts concede the stars are not aligned just yet to make nuke power palatable to energy companies. The cost of building a new nuke plant starts at around $1 billion; add to that the well-known risks and you have enough to deter most investors unless there's substantial federal assistance. "The abiding lesson that Three Mile Island taught Wall Street," said former Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Peter Bradford, "was that a group of NRC-licensed reactor operators, as good as any others, could turn a $2 billion asset into a $1 billion cleanup job in about 90 minutes." But with the rising costs of natural gas and the growing likelihood of a carbon tax in the next decade, NRC chair Nils Diaz expects five or six applications to be submitted for new U.S. nuke plants by 2008.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Matthew L. Wald, 02 May 2005
24.
Talkin' Bout Microgeneration
Microgeneration may energize future
With an energy crisis looming and national governments slow to adopt clean, renewable sources, some small communities are creating their own solutions -- and their own energy. Case in point: Beddington Zero Energy Development in South London (BedZED for short), a carbon-neutral sustainable-housing estate employing "microgeneration," or small-scale, local, renewable power production. BedZED's eco-village uses green roofs and well-insulated walls and windows; all the lighting is low-energy, and water-saving washing machines and low-flush toilets reduce the need for H2O. Energy needs are met by solar panels and the community's 130-kilowatt generator, which is fueled by landscaping waste. BioRegional Development Group, the independent organization responsible for BedZED, is working on plans for an eco-tourism project based on the same principles in Portugal, and the group may tackle growing energy sink China next.
straight to the source: Time Magazine, Maryann Bird, 01 May 2005
Can't See the Forest for the Roads
Bush administration replaces Clinton roadless rule with more roadful one
The Bush administration yesterday gave the heave-ho to the sweeping Clinton administration roadless rule, which put some 58.5 million acres of national forests off-limits to development. In its place, a new rule will put 34.3 million acres of that land back into play, at the discretion of governors, who will have 18 months to petition the feds either to open national-forest land in their states to development or keep it protected. Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey claimed that "the way [the Clinton rule] was done developed a substantial amount of ill will." As more than 90 percent of the public comments on the Clinton rule were positive, while more than 95 percent (nearly 1.8 million) on the Bush rule were negative, said "ill will" likely came primarily from the oil, gas, logging, mining, and road-building industries. Said a spokesflack for the Independent Petroleum Association of America, "We have to find ways and work with local communities to evaluate these lands and see if they are best for oil and gas activities, recreation, whatever." Whatever, please.
straight to the source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, Seth Borenstein, 06 May 2005
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Bettina Boxall, 06 May 2005
2.
The Battle of All Mothers
Mothers could be a potent force for environmental change
When Angela Park had her first child, she realized that -- along with everything else in her life -- her environmentalism had changed, becoming at once deeper and more quotidian. As she looks ahead to Mother's Day this weekend, she wonders why the environmental movement isn't doing more to reach out to moms. If they focused America's attention on drunk driving, imagine what they could do about mercury!
new in Soapbox: The Battle of All Mothers
3.
Got to Admit, It's Getting Brighter, It's Getting Brighter All the Time
Global dimming reversed in past decade; now brightening again
So, remember that big hubbub about "global dimming" a while back, whereby particulates (e.g., smog) in the earth's atmosphere were reflecting light and taking the edge off global warming? Yeah, well, funny story: That's not happening anymore. Two new papers in the journal Science show that the dimming trend -- 2 to 3 percent less sunlight reaching the earth's surface each decade between 1960 and 1990 -- more or less reversed around 1990. Now, some parts of the globe have regained their pre-mid-century brightness, and others are brighter than ever. No one is entirely sure why it's happening, but most fingers are pointing to decreased smog and soot pollution. Ironically -- and by that we mean horrifically -- those pollution victories may well mean that global warming will accelerate, what with more sunlight reaching the planet's surface. Friggin' atmosphere. Just leave us alone already!
straight to the source: The New York Times, Kenneth Chang, 06 May 2005
straight to the source: BBC News, Richard Black, 06 May 2005
get the backstory: Dim Sun, by Kip Keen. Global dimming? Global warming? What's with the globe, anyway?
4.
Land of Millikin Honey
Green-car blogger Mike Millikin answers readers' questions
As Mike Millikin sees it, we're in for a rough ride over the next decade or two as fuel prices rise, natural resources grow scarcer, and chaos looms. But fear not (well, not too much anyhow): In answering reader questions, Millikin, sustainable-mobility expert and publisher of the blog Green Car Congress, points to lots of positive transport trends and offers a number of suggestions to empower you -- yes, you! -- to help jumpstart change.
new in InterActivist: Land of Millikin Honey
5.
Sunny Size Up
World's largest solar power plant planned for Portugal
The world's largest solar power station, which would cover over 600 acres and could produce up to 116 megawatts of electricity, is planned for an economically depressed yet sun-drenched corner of Portugal. The almost $550 million project, if approved by the Portuguese government, would effectively reclaim an abandoned fool's-gold (aka pyrite) mine in the country's southern Alentejo region, and include a solar panel factory on site. But the mostly German investors financing the project are no fools: The bright, barren region gets some 175 kilowatt-hours of sunlight per square foot each year. Says the managing director of the company that owns the site, "This is definitely one of the sunniest spots in Europe." Once completed -- construction would take four to five years -- the vast array would be visible from space and supplant the current world-record-holding solar facility, which produces a measly five megawatts of electricity on about 50 acres near Leipzig, Germany.
straight to the source: The Guardian, Giles Tremlett, 06 May 2005
6.
Jagged Little Drill
Cornerstone environmental law, NEPA, under fire in energy bill
Think you've heard about all the controversial provisions in the corpulent energy bill, which the Republican leadership is once again trying to push through Congress? Think again. The latest House-passed version has new language that would let energy companies skirt many key requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, a cornerstone of environmental law, Muckraker finds.
new in Muckraker: Jagged Little Drill
sign up: Receive word by email each time a new Muckraker column hits the scene
7.
Oil Really Is a Lubricant
Diverse groups, unlikely allies join fight for energy independence
Military officials, environmental activists, and others from across the political spectrum are speaking up about the need for radical change in American energy policy. Over the last year, a number of labor groups and think tanks have joined the chorus, releasing detailed plans for reducing oil imports. Just last month, national-security "energy hawks," military leaders, and industry officials formed the Energy Future Coalition and released a plan to use tax credits to promote hybrid and ethanol-production technology. The bipartisan National Commission on Energy Policy and the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, a Washington energy think tank, have unveiled plans of their own. "It's one of the great failures of American politics and policy that we are so dependent on oil from one of the most corrupt and unstable areas of the world," says former U.S. Sen. Timothy Wirth. "The world's in crisis, and the U.S. is doing nothing to limit our dependence and extraordinary vulnerability."
straight to the source: The Christian Science Monitor, Mark Clayton, 05 May 2005
8.
Breaking a Bad Habitat
More problems uncovered with habitat conservation plans
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has published parts two and three of its special series on habitat conservation plans (HCPs) and, suffice to say, the story didn't get any cheerier after part one. A proposed 9.1 million-acre HCP in Washington -- which would cover the bulk of the state's private forestland -- promises big timber companies 50 years of immunity from Endangered Species Act lawsuits in exchange for a promise to keep salmon safe, but scientific reviews have called the plan "ill-informed." Political and development pressures have slowly whittled away at an urban HCP in Austin, Texas. In Southern California, land set aside as habitat by several small HCPs has gone almost entirely unmanaged and is now covered with trash and invasive species. The litany goes on, prompting a growing number of conservationists to call for sweeping overhaul of the HCP program, including a requirement that the plans actually help recover, rather than just observe the decline of, the species they are meant to protect.
straight to the source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 05 May 2005
9.
Knock on Wood
Researchers suggest wood as source for ethanol production
Wood could one day join corn as a major source of ethanol, with the production process feeding off a by-product of paper mills. Researchers from the State University of New York estimate that bio-refineries built in already existing paper mills could produce some 2.4 billion gallons of ethanol a year from wood -- roughly 80 percent of the country's projected demand this year. The sugar xylan from trees, when captured and fermented, can be made into ethanol and blended with gasoline; currently, xylan at mills is dissolved and left unused. Bio-refineries could also extract other useful substances from mills' waste products, potentially doubling the paper industry's profits.
straight to the source: The Christian Science Monitor, John K. Borchardt, 05 May 2005
10.
Doom and Bloom
Most Mother's Day flowers are far from green
Oodles of Americans will buy flowers for their moms for Mother's Day (that's this Sunday, you slackers), but not many will consider the environmental impacts. Conventionally grown flowers "are such a high-value crop that it takes a huge amount of pesticides to make them perfect," said Pesticide Action Network's Martha Olson Jarocki. And nearly 70 percent of cut flowers sold in the U.S. are imported from countries like Ecuador and Colombia, where labor is cheap and pesticide regulations less stringent. Still, if you're not ready to think outside the bouquet, try buying organic or locally grown blooms, or plan ahead for next year and grow them yourself. Ma will appreciate it -- and even if she doesn't, well, Mother Earth will.
straight to the source: USA Today, Elizabeth Weise, 04 May 2005
11.
Gray Water's Anatomy
Umbra gushes about gray-water recycling
A water-conscious reader hopes to reuse her laundry rinse water to give sweet succor to her outdoor plants, but wonders how they'll take to the detergent. Grist's environmental adviser Umbra Fisk satisfies the reader's thirst for knowledge and in the process outs herself as a big fan of giving gently used household water a second life -- aka gray-water recycling.
new in Ask Umbra: Gray Water's Anatomy
sign up: Receive word by email when new Ask Umbra columns hit the scene
12.
Plus Ca (Climate) Change
...Ancient empires crushed by changing climate -- not that you should worry
Elizabeth Kolbert continues her exploration of climate change in the second of a three-part series in The New Yorker. She begins with a look at the world's first great empire, founded 4,300 years ago on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Around 25 years ago, archeologist Harvey Weiss uncovered one of that empire's great cities and -- through careful analysis of the layers of sedimentation -- discovered that, around 2200 B.C., all signs of life (even earthworms!) abruptly vanished. His theory, controversial at the time, was that "climate change," namely a vicious drought, had wiped the city out. Paleoclimatologist Peter deMenocal verified Weiss' theory by studying sediment cores from a nearby sea. Since then, the theory that cultures rise or fall based on the contingencies of climate has been applied to the disappearance of a number of civilizations around the world. Meanwhile, NASA scientists say present-day climate change is accelerating. Care to connect the dots?
straight to the source: The New Yorker, Elizabeth Kolbert, 02 May 2005
see also, in Grist: Don't Do as the Romans Do -- Jared Diamond's Collapse traces the fates of societies to their treatment of the environment
13.
Ford Imperfect
Ford, G.M. sales down as buyers spurn SUVs and look for fuel efficiency
Detroit automakers Ford and G.M. are cursing Prius drivers right about now. Sales figures and market share for both companies were down in April, as car buyers turned their fickle affections from gas-gulping SUVs to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles -- specifically those manufactured by Asian rivals Toyota and Nissan. In fact, Toyota reports that April was the most successful month in its history, with sales up 21.3 percent from April 2004, thanks in large part to booming demand for its hybrid Prius and other gas-sipping vehicles. A Ford sales analyst acknowledged the role of record gas prices in decreased SUV sales, but G.M. argued that gas prices weren't making much of a difference, pointing to an increase in large truck sales.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Jeremy W. Peters, 04 May 2005
14.
Play Economisty for Me
U.K.-based weekly Economist exhaustively analyzes global oil situation
Market-lovin' U.K. weekly The Economist has a cover package on oil this week. The major topic, of course, is the recent spike in oil prices. The grumpy Economist editors are bothered by what they consider some pervasive myths. First, "energy independence" is a chimera as long as we're burning oil; oil is fungible and price hikes hit all consumers equally. Second, while China is growing quickly, it still represents a small sliver of global oil demand and likely will for the foreseeable future. Third, the major private oil companies, despite their current health, will be in trouble in the long term, because the big remaining oil reserves are in the hands of state-owned oil firms, mostly in the Middle East. Fourth, they argue, the world is not running out of oil -- new technologies will enable increasingly efficient extraction for a long time to come. However, the mag advises policy makers and oil firms to move quickly to alternate energy sources, to cushion against oil shocks.
straight to the source: The Economist, 28 Apr 2005
15.
The World Less Traveled
Greens shun cheap air travel, point to impacts of industry
A small but growing number of eco-conscious Brits are turning away from cheap airfares and looking to other means of transport or forgoing planned vacations altogether in hopes of reducing their personal environmental footprints. Overall, aircraft-related carbon-dioxide emissions make up some 5 percent of Britain's total, according to Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research, and airline-industry emissions could double in the next 15 to 17 years as the industry grows. Says transport specialist Meyer Hillman, "We are going to have to face the fact that we cannot go to Australia or Prague or Florida every year. It's a luxury the planet cannot afford to sustain any longer if we are to have any hope in tackling our current climate-change crisis." But whatever to do with all those frequent flier miles?
straight to the source: The Guardian, Anushka Asthana and Robin McKie, 01 May 2005
16.
No Nukes Is Good Nukes
Anti-nuclear educator and activist Helen Caldicott chats with Grist
Helen Caldicott has been speaking out about the dangers of nuclear power and nuclear weapons for more than 30 years, ever since she gave up her medical career to be a full-time activist. In an interview with Gregory Dicum, Caldicott talks about nuclear's resurgence in popularity, the myth of carbon-free nuke power, the importance of unleashing women's nurturing instincts, and the psychosexual pathology of nuclear-weapons proponents.
new in Main Dish: No Nukes Is Good Nukes
17.
Tit for Habitat
Habitat conservation plans poorly monitored, sporadically effective
Today, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer kicks off a big three-day series on the increasingly ubiquitous but nonetheless poorly understood and poorly monitored phenomenon of habitat conservation plans (HCPs). Congress authorized the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to administer such plans in 1982, but it wasn't until the late '90s that they started catching on, as disgruntled landowners in Southern California threatened to sue the feds when the Endangered Species Act kept them from developing their property. HCPs, in exchange for some protection of species and habitat, offer landowners and developers permanent immunity from ESA lawsuits and authorization to off some endangered animals. There are now almost 400 HCPs in the U.S., covering some 37 million acres, and federal officials say current applications could raise that number to around 100 million acres. But the P-I's investigation found that while there's no evidence species have gone extinct under HCPs, no one knows if they're being protected, the process is being abused by local and state governments, there's little public input, and even land that is set aside as habitat is often poorly protected.
straight to the source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Robert McClure and Lisa Stiffler, 03 May 2005
18.
Reservoir Hogs
Norton won't reduce water releases from Lake Powell
Following a year's worth of unsuccessful negotiations between governors of seven parched Western states, Interior Secretary Gale Norton stepped in yesterday to make a decision on how to divvy up the much-coveted water of the Colorado River. A winter of heavy precipitation and subsequent spring thaws have made the debate over how much water to divert to the river's two largest reservoirs -- Lake Powell to the north and Lake Mead to the south -- even more heated. Upper-basin states Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico argued that water levels were finally high enough to decrease water flow out of Lake Powell, which is only one-third full after years of drought. But Arizona, Nevada, and California countered that such reductions would decrease their ability to draw water and power downstream. Norton's final decision? Leave things as is, a situation that benefits downstream states. To which Arizona, Nevada, and California replied: "Face!"
straight to the source: The Washington Post, T. R. Reid, 02 May 2005
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Ken Ritter, 02 May 2005
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Bettina Boxall, 03 May 2005
19.
Out of Tuna
Bluefin tuna, unable to swim inside the lines, at risk of extinction
Apparently western Atlantic bluefin tuna don't understand the concept of fisheries quotas, and may soon face extinction because of it, marine scientists report in the journal Nature. Bluefin tuna can grow up to 10 feet in length and weigh 1,500 lbs., and, due to high demand for sushi, they can fetch as much as $98,000 on the Tokyo fish market. Scientists have known there are two populations of bluefin tuna -- a western population whose numbers have declined by 80 percent in the last 30 years and an eastern population thought to be larger -- but weren't sure if the different enforced catch quotas on these populations were really working. Electronic tagging of hundreds of tuna allowed marine biologists such as Stanford's Barbara Block to see that using separate quotas for the two populations may not be effective, what with the fish seeing no boundaries and often voyaging into each others' territories.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Andrew C. Revkin, 03 May 2005
20.
Pedi Cure
Pedicabs catching on in Germany
Bicycle taxis, or pedicabs, have been thriving in Germany recently thanks to changes in national law, concerns about pollution and global warming, and a souped-up model dreamed up by former DaimlerChrysler project manager Ludger Matuszewski. The $9,000 German pedicabs -- rented to operators for about $8 a day -- are decked out with disc brakes, 21 gears, and an auxiliary rechargeable electric engine for use when operators need that extra boost. Because the posh modern pedicabs are relatively small and principally human-powered, they can transport their fares not only on city streets but on bike paths and in pedestrian zones as well. Popular, but unfortunately not replacing conventional taxis just yet, pedicabs are billed as a useful contribution to the overall transportation mix. "They've increased people's awareness about other forms of transport," said Christoph Rau of the European Academy of the Urban Environment.
straight to the source: The Christian Science Monitor, Isabelle de Pommereau, 03 May 2005
21.
They Did It Norway
Norway's high gas and auto taxes lead to lower gas consumption
Americans, who view cheap oil as a divine birthright and throw a tantrum when gas prices exceed $2, would surely view Norway as a strange and alien land if they, ahem, knew anything about it. Despite the Scandinavian country's huge oil reserves -- it is the world's third-largest exporter of black gold -- gas prices hover around $6.66 (Satan's price!), roughly two-thirds of which is gas tax. Benighted Norwegians also pay up to $395 a year per vehicle in auto taxes, and import duties substantially jack up the prices of SUVs and large trucks. As a result, per capita oil consumption hovers around 1.9 gallons a day, compared to America's three gallons. Surely revolt is imminent? Um, no. "There is no political will to change the system," says radio announcer Torgald Sorli. Perhaps the country's average income, among the world's highest, eases the burden a bit. Or maybe it's the 37.5-hour work week, or the five weeks of vacation. Or the plentiful public transportation. Or maybe they just hate freedom.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Simon Romero, 30 Apr 2005
22.
This Mortal Soil
Umbra ponders the environmental impact of mulching
Ah, spring is in the air. Or is that smog? Whatever the aroma, it causes one reader to wonder about the environmental impacts of mulching one's garden. Green advice guru Umbra Fisk is a veritable horn of plenty on the topic.
new in Ask Umbra: This Mortal Soil
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23.
The Nukes of Hazzard
Utilities not as hot for new nuke plants as Bush is
Not everyone is as cuckoo for new nuke plants as President Bush, not even the nation's electric utilities. Though some power companies have shown some interest in planning for future nuclear power plants in the U.S., experts concede the stars are not aligned just yet to make nuke power palatable to energy companies. The cost of building a new nuke plant starts at around $1 billion; add to that the well-known risks and you have enough to deter most investors unless there's substantial federal assistance. "The abiding lesson that Three Mile Island taught Wall Street," said former Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Peter Bradford, "was that a group of NRC-licensed reactor operators, as good as any others, could turn a $2 billion asset into a $1 billion cleanup job in about 90 minutes." But with the rising costs of natural gas and the growing likelihood of a carbon tax in the next decade, NRC chair Nils Diaz expects five or six applications to be submitted for new U.S. nuke plants by 2008.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Matthew L. Wald, 02 May 2005
24.
Talkin' Bout Microgeneration
Microgeneration may energize future
With an energy crisis looming and national governments slow to adopt clean, renewable sources, some small communities are creating their own solutions -- and their own energy. Case in point: Beddington Zero Energy Development in South London (BedZED for short), a carbon-neutral sustainable-housing estate employing "microgeneration," or small-scale, local, renewable power production. BedZED's eco-village uses green roofs and well-insulated walls and windows; all the lighting is low-energy, and water-saving washing machines and low-flush toilets reduce the need for H2O. Energy needs are met by solar panels and the community's 130-kilowatt generator, which is fueled by landscaping waste. BioRegional Development Group, the independent organization responsible for BedZED, is working on plans for an eco-tourism project based on the same principles in Portugal, and the group may tackle growing energy sink China next.
straight to the source: Time Magazine, Maryann Bird, 01 May 2005
posted by T. Scott Brineman at 10:56 AM
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