Tuesday, 01 Feb 2005

Distort Reform

The literary, political, and scientific distortions in State of Fear

We tried to ignore it, really we did. But Michael Crichton's new techno-thriller novel, State of Fear, is climbing the best-seller charts, titillating the talk shows, and being brandished by climate flat-earthers as support for their skepticism. The book features a global cabal of ruthless environmentalists trying to engineer hurricanes, floods, and tidal waves, all in order to convince a skeptical public that global warming is a threat. On "The Today Show," a credulous Matt Lauer asked Crichton whether enviros can really control the weather, so we thought we'd step in and answer: No, they can't. Nor is much of anything else in the book plausible. Read two reviews of the book, one on its literary merits and one on its scientific merits -- today on the Grist Magazine website.

The Shallow End of the Secretarial Pool

Senate confirms Bodman to head Energy Department

Sam Bodman's nomination to serve as energy secretary sailed through the Senate yesterday, despite his having little to no experience working on energy issues. Now he can get to work pushing Bush's big energy bill through Congress, fighting for the opening of the proposed nuclear-waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., and pressing for oil and gas drilling within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A public fight over the refuge may flare up (again) as soon as next week, as the House Resources Committee is scheduled to vote on Feb. 9 on whether to open the area to resource extraction. Still no word on Bush's pick to fill another key environment-related role in his administration, head of the U.S. EPA.

Meet the Parents

"Natural family living" is a growing trend

Parents of today's youngest generation are increasingly choosing to raise their kids in more natural, even old-fashioned, ways, say supporters of a lifestyle called "natural family living." This parenting approach involves trusting instincts over published experts and using more natural means to feed, medicate, and nurture children, which can translate into gentler effects on the environment as well. Organic and locally grown food choices often play an important part. "We're willing to pay a little more not to have pesticides in our bodies and our kids' bodies," says Amy Williams-Derry, a Seattle mom. This type of thinking isn't just for hippies anymore; mainstream doctors say they are more frequently being asked about natural approaches to child-rearing. Says family-practice physician Fernando Vega, "The natural family movement is much bigger than the dominant culture realizes."

The Brick of Disaster

Autism may be linked to environmental factors, research says

A new study looking into possible environmental causes of autism, a neurological disorder that affects communication and social-interaction abilities, demonstrates that a suite of pollutants working in combination can critically affect a developing embryo. The research focused on several chemicals found more than a decade ago in Brick, N.J., an area with an unusually high rate of the disorder. A federal study done in 2001 dismissed any connection between the pollutants and the autism found in one in 150 children in Brick, but residents pressed for more study, and their story reached a team of scientists who decided to look at the effects of the contaminants in combination. Said Carol L. Reinisch of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass., who led the research in the community, "What this study showed is it's the mixture of these chemicals that cause the uptick in an enzyme that's very important to neural development."

Paying Flip Service

California puts John Muir on its official quarter

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and state first lady Maria Shriver yesterday introduced the new California quarter, bearing the likeness of venerable conservationist John Muir and the once-almost-extinct California condor he did so much to preserve. "Muir lit the torch of conservation in our state," said the governor, whose environmental record, while not perfect, shines in comparison to many of his fellow party members in Washington, D.C., where the torch of conservation is, shall we say, sputtering. Muir, a Scottish transplant, traveled over and wrote extensively about the Western U.S., laying the groundwork for the national park system and national green groups like the Sierra Club. "John Muir literally coined conservation as we know it," said the club's executive director, Carl Pope. Hey Carl, leave the bad puns to the professionals, OK?