Thursday, 27 Apr 2006

When the Sierra Club endorsed Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) for reelection last week, the reaction from club members and progressive activists was fast and furious. "This may very well be the most moronic move by any organization this election cycle," wrote the influential liberal blog Daily Kos. Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope defended the group's move: "Linc Chafee has proven himself an environmental hero, and we are not going to dump our heroes overboard." Muckraker forayed into the Beltway and the blogosphere to survey the heated debate.

Let's Baikal the Whole Thing Off

Russian president changes route of Siberian pipeline to protect lake

Last month, we reported that a Siberia-to-Asia oil pipeline backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin was set to be built half a mile from the world's deepest lake, home to hundreds of unique species. Well, we've been Putin our place: yesterday, the Russian prez ordered the pipeline rerouted to avoid Lake Baikal by at least 25 miles. Widespread public protests and opposition from Russian scientists and green groups likely had, well, nothing to do with it -- this is Putin we're talking about. More likely the dramatic reversal was theater to impress the G8, which he's chairing this year. Nonetheless, enviros -- who had feared that an oil spill in the seismically unstable area around Baikal could, you know, damage the lake somehow -- celebrated the decision. Said a Greenpeace spokesperson, "We ... see it as a sign that the government does not only listen to those people who have political and business power." Mm-hmm.

You Darwin Some, You Lose Some

One coral species found able to adapt to warmer waters; others screwed

Last year, unusually warm Caribbean waters killed some 40 percent of the coral around the U.S. Virgin Islands and weakened much of the rest. This year, wouldn't you know it, the waters are warming again. "It's impossible to overstate how important this is," says biologist Caroline Rogers. High water temperatures lead coral to kick off the partner algae that give them color and sustenance, leaving them white and frail -- a problem that's hitting reefs around the globe. But one species of coral found in the waters of Hawaii seems to have gotten Darwin's memo about adapting: when bleached, instead of relying on energy reserves, Montipora capitata extends short stinging tentacles and gobbles tiny marine animals called zooplankton. "This suggests there are some corals out there that can survive," said lead researcher Andréa Grottoli, whose study appears in Nature this week. Those other corals were weenies anyway, right?


Don't get us wrong: Peru is a lush, gorgeous country, and you should certainly enter our sweepstakes to win an eco-trip there. (Seriously, what are you waiting for?) But like most countries, Peru has its environmental challenges. And today we bring word of one that's shaping up to be a doozy: a natural-gas pipeline in the Amazon that's ruptured five times in its first 18 months of operation. Yikes! That's almost worse than BP's record in Alaska. Kelly Hearn ventured up the Urubamba River to investigate, and reports from the scene.

The Fume, the Crowd, the Berries

EPA withdraws plan to approve toxic fumigant methyl iodide

After contriving to approve toxic fumigant methyl iodide for use in strawberry fields forever, the U.S. EPA has withdrawn the plan in the face of fierce opposition from California officials, labor unions, and enviros. The approval of methyl iodide was to be the culmination of a nearly 15-year search for a substitute for ozone-depleting methyl bromide, which is banned internationally and being phased out. Yet rational people objected to the idea of shooting up strawberry fields with a carcinogen (so labeled by the state of California) that tends to evaporate and drift; the EPA received about 13,000 letters criticizing its choice. The agency will reevaluate methyl iodide again next year. Because if they look at it more, it might stop causing cancer.