Thursday, 14 Jul 2005

Recently, while the U.S. Congress debated vital constitutional amendments like banning gay marriage, banning flag burning, and banning those little doggy sweaters, the French government up and passed its own constitutional amendment guaranteeing a healthy environment for its citizens. A healthy environment? Zut alors! Why do they hate freedom?

Bad for the Fish, Good for the Grist Swim Team

Warmer waters put wildlife under deadly stress along Pacific Coast

Freaky environmental anomalies along the Pacific Coast from central California to British Columbia may devastate the region's wildlife, scientists say. Ocean temperatures in the area are 2 to 5 degrees higher than usual this summer; no one's sure why, but scientists suspect a lack of northerly winds during the spring stalled the usual seasonal upwelling of cold water, which brings important nutrients to the ocean's surface. Without them, the marine food chain may be breaking down. "In 50 years, this has never happened," said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration oceanographer Bill Peterson. Death rates for Brandt's cormorants on the Washington state coast are disturbingly high, and juvenile salmon numbers on the Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia coasts have been 20 to 30 percent lower than expected in June and July. Scientists are largely baffled, but Peterson says many suspect global warming may be involved.


Robert Redford helped to convert a few dozen U.S. mayors to the cause of climate activism this week at his Sundance resort in Utah. The green-leaning star cohosted a three-day summit that brought together municipal leaders from small towns and big cities across the country -- some more skeptical about climate change than others -- to chat about global warming and local actions they can take to fight it. Muckraker was there to take the conference's temperature.

The Toxic Avoider

EPA failing to get health data on scads of potentially harmful chemicals

The U.S. EPA hasn't collected data on the potential risks of tens of thousands of toxic substances, putting the public at risk, says a new report from the Government Accountability Office. Under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, which regulates industrial chemicals, the EPA can't force companies to provide health data unless there is overwhelming evidence that a chemical might be harmful. Thus the agency has health data on only about 15 percent of the compounds introduced to the U.S. market over the past 30 years; there are roughly 80,000 chemicals in use today. Studies are finding that humans carry hundreds of these chemicals in their bodies, including some that may cause cancer, birth defects, altered sex hormones, and other health problems. Today, Sens. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) are expected to introduce an overhaul of the TSCA that would strengthen requirements to test chemicals for impacts on human health.

Lend Me Your Gears

Car sharing slowly but surely taking off in cities worldwide

Car sharing is gradually gaining ground around the globe, and the future looks bright for a concept once derided as a green fever dream. About 300,000 people worldwide now participate in car sharing; it's taken off especially well in European nations like Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, where the largest company has 2,400 cars and 60,000 members (compared to a total of roughly 1,000 shared cars in the U.S.). New technologies like online car booking are making it easier for companies to manage larger numbers of vehicles and for customers to sign up to use them. Even big-biz players like Hertz and Shell have begun dipping their toes in the water, suggesting potential for future growth and profitability. Studies indicate that car-sharing services reduce overall traffic and pollution: One shared car can replace 4 to 10 cars as folks retire older vehicles, with a net 30 to 45 percent decrease in miles driven per customer.