Tuesday, 06 Aug 2002

Pick Your Poison

In the First World, debate over genetically modified (GM) foods is about differing ideologies; in southern Africa, where famine is deepening its grip, it is about life and death. The U.S. has offered to provide emergency food aid in the form of corn to seven stricken African countries, but some of that corn has been genetically modified. That leaves the governments of those nations facing the difficult choice of accepting an unproven and possibly unsafe technology or turning away food that could save lives. Advocates of genetic modification say the technology would not only feed those who are currently starving, but could also help solve world hunger in the long-term by making plants drought- and pest-resistant. Critics, however, say the human health effects are unknown and that GM crops could harm natural varieties, as well as disturb the environment in other ways. Complicating the issue in southern Africa are competing economic concerns: Some say GM crops are necessary to keep African countries competitive in the international market, while others contend that adoption of such crops could drive away European consumers, who are wary of GM foods.

To Russia, With Empty Tanks

As President Bush weighs the pros and cons of waging war on Iraq, the issue of U.S. oil energy security looms large. And although no one would have believed it 50 years ago, the U.S. is increasingly contemplating Russia as a stable and desirable alternative source of oil. The strategic partnership between the Cold War-era enemies would be built on mutual self-interest; the U.S. wants an oil source far from the strife of the Middle East, and Russia wants to rebuild its economy and enhance its importance in global politics. The Middle East, and particularly Saudi Arabia, still dominates the oil market, but Russia is already in second place. One hot spot of Russian energy development: Sakhalin, a verdant island in the far eastern Sea of Okhotsk. The region could yield 3.3 billion barrels of oil and lots of natural gas -- but environmentalists worry that energy exploitation on Sakhalin could harm the area's rare gray whales, one of just two populations left in the world.

Shelling Out

The first lawsuit in the U.S. over contamination stemming from the gasoline additive MTBE was settled in California yesterday, when Shell Oil agreed to pay the South Tahoe Public Utility District $28 million to help fund the cleanup of tainted drinking water wells. The district filed the lawsuit in 1998, after MTBE contamination forced the closure of one-third of South Lake Tahoe's drinking wells. In total, the district has received more than $69 million in settlements with oil companies, refineries, MTBE manufacturers, gas stations, and gasoline distributors, including Shell, Exxon, and Chevron. The settlements were prompted by a jury's finding, in April, that MTBE is a defective product, and that some companies were aware of the chemical's dangers but marketed it anyway. The case could set an important precedent for the 16 other states facing MTBE contamination problems. MTBE causes gasoline to burn more cleanly, but it is also a suspected carcinogen.

What's a Little Nerve Gas Among Wildlife?

It seems like a wilderness paradise, replete with mule deer, bald eagles, and foxes -- but Colorado's Rocky Mountain Arsenal is also a Cold War relic contaminated by years of chemical weapons production. The 27-square-mile patch of land just 10 miles outside of Denver bears the paradoxical dual designation of National Wildlife Refuge and Superfund site. Cleanup of the area, which once produced and stored mustard gas, sarin, and other deadly chemicals, is expected to cost $2.2 billion; the ultimate goal is the restoration, by 2011, of the high-plains wetland and the construction of an urban wildlife center. As recently as October 2000, crews discovered 10 nerve-gas "bomblets" on the site, each containing liquid sarin and an explosive charge. Public access to the area was immediately restricted, but could open again as early as late summer.