Friday, 16 Dec 2005

Enviros don't want coal in their stockings any more than anyone else does, and yet a growing number are softening to the notion of cleaner, high-tech coal power plants combined with carbon-sequestration technology. That doesn't mean, though, that they're impressed by President Bush's slow-moving plan for a big cleaner-coal demonstration project, which administration reps tried to tout at the Montreal climate summit last week. Muckraker mines deep for the story.

Drill Sergeant

Stevens moves to hook Arctic Refuge drilling to military spending

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is getting downright desperate; it seems he'll go to any lengths to get oil drills into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. His latest plan has him attaching an Arctic-drilling provision to a popular military spending bill, hoping that lawmakers won't risk the stigma of appearing to vote against the troops. Indeed, drilling opponents like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) are expressing uncertainty about what they would do under such a scenario. "I think it's disgraceful I have to be put in that position," he said. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the minority leader, calls the tactic an "egregious abuse of power on behalf of the oil and gas industry to violate the Senate's rules and attach a special-interest provision to this bill." Senate Democrats say they'll challenge the Arctic-drilling measure as outside the scope of a Pentagon bill if it makes it to the floor, but they're stopping short of threatening a filibuster.

Is It Hot in Here, Or Is It Just Me?

2005 to be one of the hottest years recorded

This year will go down as one of the hottest on record. NASA's Goddard Institute says 2005 will beat 1998, the current record-holder, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.K. Meteorological Office -- using the same land and ocean data as NASA, but crunching it in slightly different ways -- say 1998 will still be the champ by fractions of a degree. The three agencies stress that although they reached minutely different conclusions, it's definitely getting warmer on planet Earth, and human activity is part of what's rapidly unbalancing the climate. The World Meteorological Organization, meanwhile, is waiting for the year to end before it makes the call. But all four groups agree that 2005 was the steamiest year on record for the Northern Hemisphere. "It's certainly something the administration is taking seriously," says NOAA climate chief Jay Lawrimore. We wonder what data set he used to reach that conclusion.


Last year in Israel, more people died from air-pollution-related illnesses than from terror attacks -- but you wouldn't know it looking at the news or listening to people talk, Eilon Schwartz says. As head of The Heschel Center, Schwartz aims to make environmental issues relevant and newsworthy in Israel. In answering reader questions, he chats about the impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on environmental efforts, learning from religious perspectives, and convincing Israeli journalists that green issues are worth air time.

Polar Distress

Enviro groups sue to get species-act protection for polar bears

This week's news about drowning polar bears got you all riled up? You're not the only one. Yesterday, three green groups sued in federal court to force the Bush administration to consider listing the bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Greenpeace, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Natural Resources Defense Council charge that U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions are major contributors to the global-warming induced melting of sea ice, a critical part of the polar bear's habitat. An ESA listing could force the feds to take action to reduce this pollution. In February, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to consider the bear for listing. The agency was supposed to respond within 90 days, but didn't, it says, because of a budget shortfall. Warns Melanie Duchin of Greenpeace, "Polar bears could disappear in our lifetime if we don't take action."

Kids in the Holiday

Grist takes a winter break

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, we're telling you why: Grist ain't gonna be in your inbox for the next two weeks. Yes, even environmental journalists like to kick back with a cup of eggnog once in a while, and that once in a while has arrived. Still, as we're workaholics, we'll be posting some news bits to our blog in the meantime. Now go play in the snow -- we'll see you back here on Jan. 3.