TOP STORY
In video series, Grist tries to stump the candidates with tough climate questions
When watching the presidential and vice presidential debates, ever get the feeling the candidates aren't really answering the questions? Especially when it comes to, ahem, climate and energy issues? Grist took to the streets to find everyday citizens (if you consider Grist employees everyday citizens) willing to ask the tough follow-up questions on issues from gas prices to green jobs. Check out what soundbites, er, thoughtful responses the candidates gave -- and look for more videos tomorrow.
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new in Grist: Debated Breath
TODAY'S NEWS
Investigators see more SUV arsons as economy sinks
Gas prices are high and the economy's low -- when the car loan payments are hard to meet, what's an SUV driver to do? In too many cases, the answer seems to be: torch it. Investigators suspect that hundreds of vehicles have been burned in such a fashion in the Washington, D.C., area alone over the last two years, with perpetrators blaming thieves (or perhaps "eco-terrorists") and trying to collect insurance. "With what's just happened to the economy in the last week," says one insurance-fraud investigator, "I see the trend will get worse." The number of delinquent loans to car dealerships, a statistic that tends to correlate with the number of such arsons, is currently at levels not seen since at least 1990.
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source: The Washington Post
A Dam Shame
Huge new hydroelectric dam under construction in Brazilian Amazon
A new $5 billion hydroelectric dam now under construction on a tributary of the Amazon River in Brazil will seriously mess with the area's unique environment and wildlife and displace thousands of indigenous residents, critics say. Up to 3,000 families will be displaced when the dam's reservoir floods, and the project will also likely affect over 450 species of fish, many of which are important to the area's fishing industry. "It's extremely depressing to think that they're going to be able to build this dam," said Glenn Switkes of International Rivers. "This is an area that is one of the world's hotbeds of biodiversity." Nevertheless, the Santo Antonio dam is just one of some 70 dam projects planned for Brazil's Amazon basin region through 2030, including one that would be the world's third-largest dam. Despite heavy criticism, Brazilian officials say the country's planned hydroelectric frenzy is fueled in part by concerns about carbon emissions from power plants. "[I]f you don't do hydroelectric plants, you'll have to do thermo-electric plants with carbon and oil," said Environment Minister Carlos Minc.
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source: The Washington Post
see also, in Gristmill: Turns out hydropower may not be as low-carbon as we thought
Life's a Bleach, and Then You Vie
Clorox's Green Works line now top-selling green cleaners in U.S.
Clorox's Green Works products, launched earlier this year, have already become the best-selling line of green cleaning products in America, poised for first-year sales of more than $40 million. They've surpassed well-known green cleaning companies Seventh Generation and Method. But Clorox hasn't shrunk the other companies' market shares; instead, Green Works appears to be attracting buyers who otherwise would have reached for conventional cleaners. Wal-Mart gets some of the credit for the brand's strong sales -- a partnership with the retailer promotes the products in-store and gives them prominent shelf space. Another Green Works sales boost came from a controversial partnership with the Sierra Club, which allows the company to use the green group's logo on Green Works packaging in exchange for an undisclosed sum of money.
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source: San Francisco Chronicle
Unwimp My Ride
Toyota may develop a separate Prius line, including a 'Prius on steroids'
Thanks to the persistent popularity of the Prius among American drivers, who buy 65 to 70 percent of all Toyota hybrids sold worldwide, the company is considering developing a bigger, badder version of the gas-sipper. James E. Lentz III, the head of Toyota Motor Sales USA, says he has proposed creating a separate Prius brand akin to the auto giant's Scion spin-off. The new line, which would be sold in regular Toyota dealerships and available only in the U.S., could include various sizes -- including, said Lentz, "one on steroids." Sa-weet! Company officials, who recently announced the long-term possibility of converting their entire high-end Lexus line to hybrid models, are said to be mulling over the idea. "We're catching the wind on this," Lentz said. Or is that the breeze from a thousand F150 owners laughing?
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sources: The New York Times, Reuters
In Brief
Snippets from the news
• California prison system introduces conservation measures.
• Three states appeal directly to companies to avoid BPA in products.
• Environmental crimes rampant and under-investigated, report says.
• Report envisions various scenarios for global economy in 2030.
• Oceangoing ships face strict new pollution rules.
GRIST COLUMNS AND FEATURES
Watch Umbra's video advice on green cleaning
Going green doesn't mean giving up on being clean. In our latest GristTV episode, advice maven Umbra Fisk offers up alternatives to chemical-laden cleaning products.
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new in Grist: Green Up Your Act
How to green your Halloween
The economy may have gone to pot and the country's future leadership may be wildly unclear, but there's one thing you can always count on: Halloween. Still, the delights of All Hallow's Eve -- sweet treats, tiny goblins, and plump pumpkins -- have a spooky flip side. How to avoid these holiday eco-horrors? We offer tips today for a greener fright night.
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new in Grist: Sustaina-Boo!
Colo. Democrat Mark Udall talks to Grist about energy issues and his tough Senate race
One of the most lively debates over energy and environmental policy is taking place in Colorado's Senate race this year, where Rep. Mark Udall (D) and former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) are duking it out in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard (R). Grist caught up with Udall recently to get his take on a range of green issues, including climate change, oil-shale development, and more
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new in Gristmill: Firing on Udall cylinders
At the Arctic frontlines of climate change, politics not seen as answer
Climate change has been a top issue in the Canadian federal election (which takes place today) and it's also been a top concern in the communities of Canada's far north that are seeing the changes first hand. To get a sense of how environmental issues are playing out way up north, Grist spoke with Donald Mearns, a resident of Pangnirtung in the territory of Nunavut, 30 miles from the Arctic Circle. Mearns reports on climate change's already-visible impacts in the Canadian Arctic and which way the political winds are blowing in his community.
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new in Grist: "There Were Elders in Tears"
Coming Wednesday: Advice columnist Umbra Fisk on Halloween costumes
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