The Nuke Next Door
Are cancer clusters more likely in populations that live near nuclear power plants? Researchers are starting to think so….
Currents
All That Glitters
The discovery of gold in the spiritually important Little Rocky Mountains in northern Montana is a curse that the Native-American community of Fort Belknap has lived with for more than 100 years. During the 19th century, the mountains were removed from the tribe’s reservation so prospectors could dig for gold. The community is still suffering, this time from the side effects of industrial-scale mining.
On Top of the World
Cleaning Up a Legacy of High-Altitude Trash Each year thousands of climbers answer the call of jagged snow-capped peaks and begin an arduous climb, pushing their bodies to the very limits of what is physically possible. Unfortunately, these challenge-seekers place the same stress on the pristine environment that lures them. Historically, the sport of mountain […]
World War Tree
A tree grows in Brooklyn, New York, and federal inspectors were swarming all over it looking for the Asian longhorned beetle—a sort of vampire cockroach that punctures the arteries of hardwood trees. The beetle reportedly arrived in Brooklyn from China in 1996 aboard a wooden shipping palette and was transferred to a showroom in Amityville, […]
England Swings … Against Genetically Engineered Foods
Grandmothers, schoolteachers, scientists and environmentalists have taken to the streets in London. Through massive letter-writing campaigns and the destruction of field test sites, British citizens have shown their displeasure at the prospect of eating genetically engineered (GE) foods. Though opposition to GE foods is growing all over Europe, it is especially acute in Great Britain. […]
A Clear Connection
In and around the Kiunga National Marine Reserve on Kenya’s northern coast, basic services such as running water, electricity and health care are hard to come by. Post-primary education, especially for girls, is scarce. Pushed by poverty and the decline of marine ecosystems further down the coast, local residents and migrants are intensifying their use of resources. Fish, crustaceans, ocean-dwelling coral and turtles are showing signs of stress.
Fast Track
A Rail Renaissance Moves Ahead, Despite Conservative Opposition On a late summer weekend last year, more than 260,000 people celebrated the opening of the 18-mile Westside Line in Portland, Oregon. They got out of their cars, partied at the station stops, and waited for a chance to squeeze aboard the jam-packed train cars. Trains are […]
Easy Riders
Attempting to Push an Anti-Environmental Agenda, Congress Goes Into Stealth Mode.
Major Insurer Issues Global Warming Warning
Insurance giant Swiss Re warned on Wednesday that the costs of natural disasters, aggravated by global warming, threaten to spiral out of control, forcing the human race into a catastrophe of its own making.
Kitty the Killer? The Raging Debate Over Feral Cats
Revered and reviled, pampered and persecuted, the domestic cat (Felis catus) has stirred up passionate sentiment since it first came to live among human beings 4,000 years ago. Though it may no longer be worshipped as a god or burned as a demon, the cat continues to evoke feelings ranging from adoration to hatred. The hunting prowess that made it so valuable to farmers and sailors has landed it on the most-wanted list of some wildlife advocates who blame the world’s most widespread predator for accelerating the demise of imperiled species from tiny beach mice to the majestic Florida panther.