Tuesday, 17 Oct 2006

Two's Company, 300 Million's a Crowd

U.S. population hits 300 million

This morning at 7:46 eastern daylight time, the 300 millionth American was either born or crossed the border. Person 300 Million is here just in time for bitter pre-election immigration debates: 40 percent of the U.S. population growth rate is attributed to immigration, and immigrants make up the largest proportion of the nation's population since the 1920s. Person 300 Million will also probably join his or her compatriots in sprawling outward: The 100 millionth American arrived in 1915 into a country with 2.5 million cars; the 200 millionth was born 52 years later, in 1967, when there were 98.9 million cars; now, 39 years later, the 300 millionth person will have the opportunity to breathe in tailpipe emissions from 237.2 million cars. The U.S., which has the dubious distinction of being the only industrialized nation with robust population growth, is third only to China and India in total population. And the U.S. Census Bureau population clock ominously ticks on, adding a new person every 11 seconds.


Few people alive today have a wider and deeper body of accomplishment than biologist E.O. Wilson, who's won two Pulitzers and a National Medal of Science, founded two distinct fields of scientific inquiry, discovered hundreds of species, and written popular works bridging science, art, and the humanities (including Biophilia and Consilience). But in his ultimate goal -- conservation of global biodiversity -- he has not succeeded, and so in his recent book he pleads for help from an unlikely source: a Southern Baptist pastor. David Roberts met with Wilson to chat about religion, spirituality, and the wonder of living nature.

Hormones and Groans

Endocrine disruptors in everyday products may trigger early puberty

Some doctors worry that children as young as preschool age are facing a higher risk of early-onset puberty -- including breast growth and pubic-hair development -- due to the increasing prevalence of certain cosmetics, prescription drugs, and environmental contaminants containing endocrine disruptors or hormones. In rare cases, clusters of young children have been found to be experiencing signs of puberty, and some of these outbreaks have been linked to accidental exposures to estrogen, testosterone, and other chemicals in pharmaceutical and personal-care products like shampoos and skin creams. Some flame retardants and phthalates have also been associated with early puberty. In 1996, Congress directed the U.S. EPA to develop a comprehensive screening program for endocrine disruptors within three years, but it has yet to get off the ground. Robert Cooper of EPA's reproductive toxicology division blames the delay on stonewalling by chemical industry reps on an advisory committee for the program.


Seems like everything is booming in China these days -- energy use, building construction, car sales, pollution. Fortunately, student environmental activism is booming too -- and none too soon. Dongli Zhang and Nathan Wyeth attended the first-ever national conference of China's student environmental movement in Xi'an, with activists from more than 60 universities around the country, and offer a glimpse of a passionate crowd that could change the world.

Did You Mean: Solar Power?

Google to install more than 9,000 photovoltaic panels at its HQ

Google Inc. is converting six buildings at its headquarters in the San Francisco Bay area to run on up to 30 percent solar power. The project, one of the largest solar endeavors undertaken by a U.S. company, will require installation of 9,212 solar panels, and should be operational by early 2007. "We hope corporate America is paying attention. We want to see a lot of copycats," says David Radcliffe, Google's vice president of real estate, who estimates that energy savings should allow the company to recoup costs within five to 10 years. This effort to mitigate the energy-sucking effects of Google's one-million-square-foot HQ complex isn't the company's only green endeavor: it also gives $5,000 to employees who buy hybrid cars, serves organic food in its cafeterias, and furnishes its offices with recycled materials.