Tuesday, 21 Mar 2006

It's been a long time since a politician has generated the kind of heat surrounding Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (D). Charisma, intellect, and a backstory most speechwriters can only dream about -- it all adds up to a massive burden of hope and expectation. Now Obama's turning some of that heat on the energy-independence issue, with a series of speeches and bills that would accelerate the development of oil alternatives -- mainly ethanol (he is from Illinois, after all). David Roberts sat down with the man of the hour to get his thoughts on energy, biofuels, and more.

Freeport Your Mine, and Unrest Will Follow

Mining companies dig up trouble in Indonesia

Two U.S.-based mining companies are digging up trouble in Indonesia. A protest last week demanding closure of a Freeport-McMoRan gold and copper mine in the Papua province led to the deaths of at least three police officers and one soldier, then to the military seizing control of the provincial capital, then to military officers pulling locals out of their cars and beating them. Freeport-McMoRan makes large payments to the Indonesian army and Papua police for security services at its mining operations. The protesters in Papua say the mine brings no benefits to the local community and contaminates the area with pollution; waste from the facility covers 90 square miles, and 700,000 new tons are generated every day. Meanwhile, Newmont Mining Corp. suspended exploration on Indonesia's Sumbawa Island after a camp for its workers was burned. Local protesters have said that Newmont's operation brings no benefits to the local community and contaminates the area with pollution. Wait, that sounds familiar.


The end of cheap oil is the topic du jour in environmental circles these days. Blogs devoted to peak oil are popping up like fungi; even mainstream outlets like CNN are devoting air time to it. But discussion seems to focus entirely on how we'll power our houses and cars; organic farmer and food writer Tom Philpott says it's high time enviros thought more about how we're going to feed ourselves once fossil-fuel prices soar sky high.

Maybe I'll Be There to Take Your Land

As private forests in U.S. go for sale, enviros are pit against developers

Privately owned forests make up nearly 20 percent of U.S. land, and they're changing hands at a blistering pace. A U.S. Forest Service study predicts that 44 million acres of private forestland will be sold over the next 25 years -- an area twice the size of the state of Maine -- and conservationists are scrambling to save some of the most ecologically sensitive areas, lest they be transformed into condos and trailer parks. Many timber companies tired of hassling with logging restrictions are finding they can make more money by selling their property off as real estate. Combined with the Bush administration's plans to auction off more than 300,000 acres of national forests and other federal lands, the unprecedented sell-off "has the potential to permanently and profoundly change the landscape of America," says Conservation Fund President Lawrence Selzer.


It's been more than 50 years since the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was illegal, yet we still live in a country that's chock-full of racially split neighborhoods (see: New Orleans). Why is integration failing, how does it affect land use, and what do high-tech mapping gadgets have to do with it all? Jon Christensen interviews Georgetown law professor Sheryll Cashin to find out.

I Can Feel It Cleaning in the Air Tonight

Clean up air and death rate drops, study finds

Ah, science. It never fails to dazzle and delight. Consider this wildly counterintuitive result: When air pollution falls in a city, fewer people in that city die. Jump back! In a new study, researchers tracked particulate pollution concentrations in six U.S. metropolitan areas from 1974 through 1998, along with the health of 8,096 residents. Each decrease of 1 microgram of soot per cubic meter of air lowered mortality rates from lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory illness by 3 percent -- meaning longer lives for 75,000 people a year. Lead author Francine Laden says the findings bolster scientific recommendations to toughen current air-quality standards: "the message here is that if you continue to decrease [pollution levels], you will save more lives."