 Paul or NothingPaul or Nothing Ron Paul talks to Grist about energy and the environment Ron Paul has said very little about environmental issues during his quixotic but surprisingly popular presidential campaign -- until now. In an eco-focused interview with Grist and Outside, Paul talks about why he thinks global warming isn't a big deal, why we shouldn't worry about where our oil comes from, and why the government should end all energy subsidies. He also declares the U.S. EPA unnecessary, explains how free markets and private-property rights will save the environment, and talks about his love of bicycling. Don't miss it -- and don't miss the interviews we've done with other presidential candidates. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] new in Grist: An interview with Ron Paul new in Grist: A fact sheet on Ron Paul in Grist: A special series on the presidential race and the environment |
All Hatz and No Prattle
Send a question to sustainable-food advocate Diane Hatz, whose group produced The Meatrix. We'll post her answers later this week.
Send a question to sustainable-food advocate Diane Hatz, whose group produced The Meatrix. We'll post her answers later this week.
TODAY'S NEWS
| Just Add Water Severe drought in U.S. Southeast leaves Atlanta water supply in question A nasty drought in the U.S. Southeast that began in early 2006 has local politicians sweating and meteorologists and climatologists predicting more of the same. The situation is particularly notable around Atlanta, Ga., where the water source for some 3 million people, Lake Lanier, could dry up completely in as little as 90 days if conditions don't improve. In North Carolina, where 86 of 100 counties are experiencing the two most severe categories of drought -- "extreme" and "exceptional" -- Gov. Mike Easley is still relying on voluntary measures to cut water use, but he's stepped up the rhetoric. "I need every single community and every single individual in North Carolina to do everything they can to save every drop of water they can," he said. "A bit of mud on the car or patches of brown on the lawn must be a badge of honor. It means you are doing the right thing for your community and our state." Overall, about 26 percent of the U.S. Southeast is experiencing the worst category of drought, according to the National Weather Service. If the extremely dry conditions persist, some areas may impose mandatory water restrictions on homes as well as businesses. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] |
| Look, Hu's Talking Chinese prez Hu Jintao promises eco-reforms in big speech Chinese President Hu Jintao, in a speech to the country's Communist Party Congress yesterday, promised environmental as well as economic reforms in the next five years. Shying away from specifics in his 2.5-hour speech, Hu said that China's "ecological and environmental quality will improve notably." He acknowledged that "[China's] economic growth is realized at an excessively high cost of resources and the environment," and spoke of increasing funds spent on energy issues and conservation, with an eye toward controlling pollution and improving environmental conditions for both rural and urban residents. He said the country will "promote a conservation culture by basically forming an energy and resource-efficient and environmentally friendly structure of industries, pattern of growth, and mode of consumption." Hu also said the government would reduce reliance on exports by encouraging its own citizens to spend more, and that the country aims to quadruple its economic output per capita from 2000 levels by 2020. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] |
| Move, Ditch! Get Out the Way China will relocate millions more people for Three Gorges Dam project In other China news, the government may force another 2 million to 4 million people out of their homes over the next 10 to 15 years to make room for the reservoir building up behind the Three Gorges Dam -- and that's in addition to the 1.4 million citizens who have already been relocated. The "world's biggest hydropower project" is quickly becoming a big pain in the neck, and not just for the poor rural folks being uprooted. Recently, top government officials have spoken publicly about the serious environmental problems associated with the dam, which include polluted waters and possible landslides. Even the official Chinese news agency reported last month on a conference where experts concluded, "If no preventive measures are taken, the project could lead to catastrophe." [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] |
| Hold the Phone Activists threaten to sue Apple over chemicals in iPhone Greenpeace claimed recently that Apple's much-hyped iPhone contains dangerous levels of phthalates, chlorine, and bromine, and now another environmental group, the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, Calif., has sent the company a formal warning claiming that Apple violated California's Proposition 65, which requires companies to warn consumers of the risk of toxic exposure. "There are chemicals in some of the parts that come with the iPhone that are well known in California to cause birth defects," said CEH's Michael Green. "We want those chemicals out." Apple has 60 days to clean up the phones or warn consumers about them; if the company doesn't act, CEH has threatened legal action. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] |
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GRIST COLUMNS AND FEATURES
 Prairie Chicken Why environmental groups have been slow to fight the border wall The bobcat turned, looked at me, and jumped into the mesquite brush. It was the first day of a three-day visit to South Texas, and I was exploring the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge along the Rio Grande River. Seeing the bobcat was a treat for me -- but the kind of treat that could become increasingly rare if the Bush administration and Congress go ahead with plans to build between 370 and 700 miles of double-layered concrete wall along the U.S.?Mexico border. The efficacy of this plan to keep out "unwanted" foreigners is dubious at best, and highly controversial. But one thing is sure: it is likely to be the last nail in the coffin of some of the most extraordinary, and extraordinarily vulnerable, wildlife of the American Southwest. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] |
 From Bad to Thirst How the nation's breadbasket is poisoning its own water supply In late September, the corn and soybean fields of the lower Missouri River floodplain are a lovely dull brown, nearly ready for harvest. The row crops sprawl as far as the eye can see, their regimental march broken only by levees, gravel roads, the occasional band of cottonwoods, and the endless tracks of the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe. The scenery is pastoral and soothing. But this abundance, and the security it evokes, has a darker underside. The nation's breadbasket, it turns out, is poisoning the water. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] new in Grist: How the nation's breadbasket is poisoning its own water supply see also, in Grist: An introduction to Sow What? A special series on food and farming |
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