In The News

Report: GM Corn No Big Danger

Will Weissert November 9, 2004
Genetically modified (GM) corn is not a threat to Mexican ecosystems, according to a report by a NAFTA environmental watchdog group. Most American GM corn has been engineered to repel pests, and critics warned that original Mexican corn species would be rapidly eliminated by natural selection. However, the new report points out that the American corn has not been modified to survive Mexican pests...

India's Pharma Ache

Yogi Aggarwal November 4, 2004
By mastering the process of reverse engineering, the Indian pharmaceutical industry has successfully produced generic drugs at low prices – crucial for providing affordable treatment to those in need. The government's impending adoption of Trips (Trade Related Intellectual Property in Services), a WTO measure, may significantly hamper the industry's success. If the Indian parliament...

Report Sounds Alarm on Pace of Arctic Climate Change

Juliet Eilperin October 31, 2004
One of the key issues separating the candidates in the upcoming US election is environmental policy. John Kerry has pledged to bring the United States back in sync with international initiatives to protect the environment; an arena he claims has been neglected by his opponent. This position may win greater legitimacy, considering the findings of a recent report on Arctic climate change. Compiled...

Greenpeace Releases GM Corn Study

Michael O. Boyle October 19, 2004
A recent study on genetically modified (GM) corn was originally a project commissioned by the US, Mexican, and Canadian governments. On Monday, however, environmental activist group Greenpeace leaked the results, which included a recommendation for Mexico to enact strict controls over GM corn. Environmentalists say that an unchecked use of GM agriculture could be detrimental to local ecosystems...

Scientists Herald Malaria Breakthrough

Sarah Boseley October 15, 2004
Each year, according to estimates from the World Health Organization, 300 to 500 million cases of malaria occur, and more than one million people die of the disease. Recent clinical trials in Mozambique indicate that a vaccine for malaria may be on the horizon. Human trials have shown that the vaccine protected some infants from the disease altogether and reduced the severity of malaria in...

Everyone Wants A Bomb

George Monbiot September 21, 2004
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was founded with noble intentions, but today this same agency is badly misguided, says author George Monbiot. The initial hope was that nuclear fission would solve the world's problems by creating alternative energy sources. According to IAEA statutes, non-nuclear countries were supplied the essentials for creating nuclear power, to be used...

US Report, in Shift, Turns Focus to Greenhouse Gases

Andrew C. Revkin August 26, 2004
After rejecting the Kyoto Protocol on climate change in 2001 and questioning the scientific validity of reports issued by a UN climate panel, the Bush administration issued a report indicating that emissions of heat-trapping gases were the only likely explanation for global warming. The White House report to Congress is said to reflect "the best possible scientific information" on...