Thursday, 06 Jan 2005

You're a Shadowboxer, Baby

Right-wingers exploit tsunami by accusing enviros of exploiting tsunami

Was global warming behind the recent catastrophic tsunami in the Indian Ocean? Of course not. And no environmentalist has claimed otherwise. But right-wing global-warming deniers continue to publicly argue with the enviros in their heads, accusing these phantom activists of blaming the tsunami on climate change. Read about the attack on the straw greens in Muckraker -- today on the Grist Magazine website.

Turn on, Tune in, Drop Out

ConocoPhillips withdraws from Arctic Refuge lobbying group

ConocoPhillips, the third-largest energy company in the U.S., has withdrawn from Arctic Power, a lobbying group the sole purpose of which is to convince Congress to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The company is playing down what it calls "merely a business decision," saying its intent is to focus on getting more black gold out of its current holdings on Alaska's North Slope. However, enviros and socially responsible investors are playing up the role of a campaign they organized, culminating in a shareholder resolution, urging the company to drop out. A similar campaign prompted BP to bail on the organization in 2002, but thus far the group's other members, ChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil, remain immune to the greens' blandishments. Said Athan Manuel, director of U.S. PIRG's Arctic Wilderness Campaign, "It appears that ConocoPhillips and BP are more enlightened than the Bush administration when it comes to drilling in the Arctic Refuge."

Every Worm Is Sacred

Umbra on the food-composting system that will work for you

There are as many ways to compost food scraps as there are ... well, OK, there aren't really that many. But there are several, and the one that will work for you depends on your time, space, and level of tolerance for small, slimy creatures. Advice guru Umbra Fisk prefers aerobic, with a side of worms. Find out why in Ask Umbra -- today on the Grist Magazine website.

The Next Asbestos Thing

Specter pushing asbestos-claims bill that would create trust fund

Amid a continuing flood of lawsuits against the allegedly cancer-causing asbestos industry, the new chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), has drafted a bill to try to stem the flow. Specter's legislation would establish a trust fund into which asbestos companies would pay billions of dollars to compensate victims; victims would be allowed to return to the courts if their claims remained unpaid. Past attempts to establish an asbestos victim trust fund, most recently in 2003, have failed, as asbestos-victims advocates maintain that the roughly $140 billion proposed is much too low, while asbestos manufacturers and their insurers argue it's much too high. Industry also complains that a trust fund would likely not limit their liability, thus leaving them open to even more suits. The asbestos industry faced some 100,000 lawsuits in 2003 alone and, according to a study last year by the Rand Institute, has paid out approximately $70 billion for asbestos claims in the last 30 years.

Tsunamis Tsuck

Ecological damage from tsunami may be long-lasting

The tsunami that ravaged coastlines of Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, and India last week, causing some 150,000 human deaths and countless dollars in property damage, also wreaked havoc on the region's already-fragile environment. Researchers are just beginning to survey the toll on coastal forests, coral reefs, and wetlands, and experts say the news is not good. In addition to misplaced nesting sites, uprooted mangroves, and debris-laden reefs, the huge waves of saltwater have contaminated all of the groundwater supplies on some Indian Ocean islands, and it could be months or even years before those areas recover their freshwater reserves. Later this month, several international meetings will focus on the environmental damage from the tsunamis and what can be done about it. The light at the end of the (very long) tunnel? Says Lynne Hale of The Nature Conservancy, "We have an unprecedented opportunity to do reconstruction in a way which doesn't repeat our mistakes."