Thursday, 29 May 2003

Green Giant?

Last month, a group of New York's leading architects, developers, politicians, and environmentalists gathered to discuss the future of sustainable building in the Big Apple, and particularly at the World Trade Center redevelopment site. Although the group focused on the importance of a broad range of sustainable elements (from site selection and use of recycled material to water efficiency and access to public transit), journalist Amanda Griscom argues in this month's Powers that Be column that the rebuilt lower Manhattan should be a showcase for renewable energy. So far, energy issues are scarcely on the table, because renewable and alternative energy are far more expensive propositions than many other green-building innovations. Nonetheless, the jump-start to the renewables movement, the long-term payoff, and the importance of demonstrating a vision of energy independence would make such a project worthwhile, Griscom says. Read about the latest developments in the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, only on the Grist Magazine website.

The Endangered Endangered Species Act

The federal Endangered Species Act is so cash-strapped that it is effectively "broken," the Interior Department announced yesterday. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service blamed the financial trouble on the act's "critical habitat" provision, which requires federal agencies to consult with the USFWS before embarking on any activity in areas set aside for wildlife recovery. The agency claims critical habitat designations are redundant, unnecessary, and lead to expensive lawsuits (often by environmentalists) that siphon money away from more important aspects of species protection. According to USFWS Assistant Secretary Craig Manson, critical habitat funds will run dry in July, but the problem "cannot be satisfied simply by more money"; rather, he claimed, the ESA should be revised. Environmentalists disagree, saying underfunding is precisely the problem. "It doesn't take rocket science. It takes a little bit of money," said Center for Biological Diversity Executive Director Kieran Suckling.

We've Got Mail

Put a Republican on the pages of Grist, and the letters pour in -- letters of support, that is. In the latest Grist mail bag, readers (well, most of them) sing the praises of Martha Marks's efforts to promote conservation among Republican politicians; others note that both parties will continue to trample nature with impunity if the American people don't take a stronger stance on the environment; and still others question how trustworthy the Republican agenda really is. Meanwhile, other readers write in about our interview with Howard Dean, the relationship between smoking and depression, the false promise of some "recyclable" products, and more. Find out what your fellow readers have to say, only on the Grist Magazine website.

Hunger Strike

The backlash has begun against President Bush's comment last week that a European Union ban on genetically modified (GM) foods is contributing to world hunger. The reality, critics say, is that the dispute over GM crops is an international agricultural battle with billion-dollar stakes, and that concern about famine in the developing world is a sideshow at best and a smokescreen at worst. They point out that of all industrialized nations, the U.S. gives one of the smallest proportions of its gross domestic product to global development; that the real problem with food production in Africa is soil fertility, which will not be improved by GM seeds; and that biotechnology companies do not have a reliable track record of helping poor nations. In fact, according to a report released yesterday by the anti-GM British development agency ActionAid, GM crops would drive poor farmers deeper into debt by forcing them to buy expensive seeds and chemicals and preventing them from saving seeds from one harvest to the next.

Take This Job and SUV It

Golden State senators will no longer be allowed to use SUVs to tool around their districts, if the president pro tem of the California senate gets his way. Most lawmakers in California lease their vehicles at the state's expense; now, Sen. John Burton (D) wants to ban the lease of SUVs to protect the environment and save the state money on fuel. The rule would apply only to senators, and only to those about to acquire a vehicle, not to those who are already driving SUVs. Since December, when the new legislature took office, more than half of the 95 state lawmakers who requested vehicles chose SUVs. Unsurprisingly, given those numbers, not all lawmakers approve of Burton's plan: Sen. Dick Ackerman (R), who drives a Ford Explorer paid for by the state, said, "You are not going to balance the state budget on having everyone not buy SUVs and save a few dollars on gasoline."