Thursday, 02 Mar 2006

It's impossible to forget the images of a hurricane-wrecked New Orleans and its victims that were beamed around the world in the immediate aftermath of the storm. But what did it look like when the TV crews left? Well, um, still bad. Seattle-area photographer Chris Jordan took his camera south this winter to see what the storm had wrought. The message he brings back with his photo essay: our choices matter more than we think.

Beetle Bailiwick

Warmer B.C. ravaged by beetles, haunted by dead birds

The flora and fauna of British Columbia, Canada, are having a rough go of global warming. B.C. forests are suffering through a massive insect infestation that's ravaging an area three times the size of Maryland. The mountain pine beetle can't survive severe cold, but milder winters (hmm, what the heck could be causing milder winters?) have contributed to its rapid propagation, and Canada's successful fights against wildfires have allowed the growth of a beetle buffet of lodgepole pines. To date, 411 million cubic feet worth of trees have died, twice the amount annually logged in all of Canada. Some fear the infestation could spread all the way to the eastern seaboard. Meanwhile, thousands of seabirds are washing up dead on the B.C. coast; scientists blame warmer weather (hmm, what the ...) for a trickle-down effect that may have reduced available food for birds. "People say climate change is something for our kids to worry about," says scientist Allan Carroll. "No. It's now."


Chances are, you couldn't do your job without furniture -- well, maybe you could, but you'd look kind of silly pecking at your computer on the floor. But have you ever given a thought to what your desk and chair are made of, and where they'll go when they retire? Today, business expert Joel Makower surveys the fast-growing green office-furniture scene. (Got a question about greening your office? Ask Joel!)

Benzene There, Might Do That

New EPA regs would slash benzene emissions from cars by 2030

The Bush administration delighted enviros yesterday (yes, we just wrote that) by unveiling long-awaited proposals to cut toxic tailpipe emissions. Of course, it took a lawsuit to get the plan released, but why look a gift regulation in the mouth? According to the U.S. EPA, the proposed rules would cut benzene emissions from passenger cars almost in half by 2030, as well as reduce tailpipe emissions of formaldehyde. A national trading system would be established to let refiners making gasoline with higher benzene levels buy pollution credits from cleaner producers. And automakers would be required to outfit new vehicles with benzene-reducing technology. The EPA estimates that the new standards would cost about $205 million a year, but with a return of as much as $6 billion in health benefits annually by 2030. The public will soon have 60 days to comment on the plan, and if it's adopted, the new rules will go into effect in 2011. Yay for the Bushies! There, we said it.

Interior Wreckorating

Interior official says big oil-royalty giveaway was likely a mistake

Remember that $7 billion to $9 billion in royalty payments that oil and gas companies won't be sending to American taxpayers for leases on public land? Turns out it's the result of an Interior Department mistake. Oopsie! According to testimony yesterday before a House subcommittee, in 1998 and 1999 Interior "inadvertently" dropped restrictions on royalty relief from leases for Gulf of Mexico drilling sites. There was no "affirmative policy decision" to that effect. Just a bit of a goof. A $9 billion goof. Can we say that again? A $9 billion goof. After a recent New York Times investigation uncovered the royalty shortfall, lawmakers, who were shocked -- shocked! -- to find taxpayers being defrauded, launched investigations. But what do you do when you find out that it was just a goof? A -- did we say this already? -- $9 billion goof. What's the sane response? We recommend that House subcommittee members go home, drink a six-pack of cheap beer, watch American Idol, and just try to forget the whole thing ever happened.