In The News

Italian Waste Hits New Snag

Judy Fahys March 11, 2008
Utah is more remote than Italy, with about 30 people per square mile to Italy’s 5000. That doesn’t mean Utahns want 20,000 tons of radioactive waste from Italy buried in their deserts. “We believe that any country that has the technological capability of producing nuclear power within its borders should not seek to dispose of its waste outside them,” reads a letter from a state advisory board...

Carbon Prices, Not Quotas

Ernesto Zedillo March 11, 2008
For now, while oil and coal are still relatively plentiful, burning fossil fuels is the least expensive method in harnessing energy for transportation, heating, electricity and industrial development. Controlling emissions carries extra costs, and few countries want to take that step on their own – even though the global strategy of procrastination means putting the burden on future generations....

Myanmar Wildlife Pays the Price for Chinese Demand

March 3, 2008
A country with a repressive government and dire poverty can attract the wrong kind of tourists. Such tourists arrive in Myanmar, not to admire lush forests, open grasslands or wildlife, but rather take advantage of a black market for rare species. Mong La, along the Chinese border, has branched out from offering opium and prostitutes to marketing exotic species for visitors. Gangs offer rare...

Insect Explosion “A Threat to Food Crops”

Steve Connor February 15, 2008
After studying a warming trend in the Earth’s fossil record from 55.8 million years ago, scientists with Pennsylvania State University predict rising carbon-dioxide levels and insect populations. An increase in carbon dioxide will decrease nutrients available in plants and thus lead to insects eating more leaves. Researchers have not pinpointed the cause behind the ancient warming period, but the...

Time to Move to a Second Generation of Biofuels

Christopher Flavin February 15, 2008
The indirect costs of growing biofuels outweigh any benefits, report two studies in the journal Science. A new political and economic response is required on biofuels, suggests Christopher Flavin, president of the Worldwatch Institute, in response. The US government now provides tax incentives to farmers for growing crops that can be turned into energy, which has increased prices of biofuel crops...

Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat

Elisabeth Rosenthal February 8, 2008
Studies suggest that, when all costs are considered, biofuels cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels, according to The New York Times. As the US and other nations search for energy alternatives to fossil fuels, special interests in must-win states for the presidential election have promoted biofuel products. Besides adding to greenhouse gas emissions, development of biofuels...

Scientists Identify “Tipping Points” of Climate Change

Steve Connor February 7, 2008
The globe’s weather is not a constant. Oceans store heat, forests absorb carbon dioxide and ice fields reflect light. Seemingly small changes in temperature, light or forest cover, increasingly caused by human activity, can contribute to permanent changes in global weather patterns. An international investigation reveals nine areas enduring visible and rapid changes that could irrevocably adjust...