Friday, 01 Jun 2007

Hey, At Least He Pronounced It Right

Bush announces climate plan, world squirms uncomfortably

The world gave George W. Bush lemons, and he made some dee-licious lemonade. Yesterday, Bush said the U.S. would take the lead on the climate issue, convening a series of meetings of the world's top 10 to 15 polluting nations and setting long-term goals for cutting emissions. Coming amid criticism that the U.S. is blocking potential climate progress at next week's G8 summit in Germany, the news seemed sweet. But those who sipped his lemony concoction got all puckery. "The declaration by President Bush basically restates the U.S. classic line on climate change: no mandatory reductions, no carbon trading, and vaguely expressed objectives," said E.U. Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. Tony Juniper, head of Friends of the Earth U.K., called it a "delaying tactic" that would push the climate issue onto Bush's successor. Making her own lemonade, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "What is positive is that we can see from the speech ... that nobody can ignore the question of climate change."

Got to Get Ourselves Back to the Pesticide-Free Garden

Pesticide exposure increases risk of Parkinson's disease, study says

A new study from researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland concludes that pesticide exposure increases the risk of getting Parkinson's disease, a degenerative condition affecting the nervous system. Patients from five European countries participated in the study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, which found that people who had been exposed to low levels of pesticides were 13 percent more likely to develop Parkinson's than those who had not, and those exposed to high levels of pesticides, such as farmers or pesticide-factory workers, faced a 41 percent higher risk. Last year, a comprehensive Harvard study also found a connection between elevated risk and regular exposure to pesticides. The Aberdeen study noted that Parkinson's risk could also increase due to head trauma. Getting knocked out once increased risk some 35 percent and getting knocked out twice or more increased it by more than two times. See, it never pays to leave the padded cell.


Grist readers aren't afraid to ask the tough questions, and Rabbi Warren G. Stone isn't afraid to offer his opinions. What is the line between church and state? Is destruction of nature OK if it drives progress? Shouldn't religious leaders support veganism? In answering these and other queries as InterActivist this week, Stone speaks out about the meaning of "dominion," the plurality of truth, seeds of change -- and when religious voices become irrelevant.

Can Hemp Dashboards Be Far Behind?

Union leader, Ford call for green progress in Detroit

Could Big Auto be shifting gears? Speaking at a business conference on Michigan's (car-free) Mackinac Island yesterday, Ford Motor Company Chair Bill Ford Jr. and United Automobile Workers President Ron Gettelfinger both addressed the need for Detroit to get with the green program. "Unfortunately, there is an impression among the car-buying public that the Big Three build nothing but gas guzzlers, while Toyota is a division of Greenpeace," Gettelfinger said. "If the auto industry continues to be seen as dragging its feet on environmental issues, it's going to hurt our brands and vehicles in the marketplace." Ford said his company will push to fight that perception, and got in a little told-you-so moment: "When I talked about the environment 20 years ago -- or frankly even five years -- many people thought I was eccentric at best or perhaps incredibly naive." With a key Senate debate on fuel economy standards set to begin June 11, Ford and other automakers are hoping to find a workable solution.

Check Baby Check Baby One Two ... 300

Wachovia, fourth-largest U.S. bank, plans to build 300 green branches

The fourth-largest bank in the U.S. will build only green branches by the end of 2008, aiming for 300 eco-friendly offices by 2010. Wachovia, based in Charlotte, N.C., is expanding into California and will begin its green experiment there. It is also seeking LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for a financial center built in Texas last year, and a 1.2-million-square-foot office tower under construction in Charlotte. The move -- expected to save each branch $80,000 in construction costs and 20 percent in operating costs -- "makes sense on several fronts," says Patrick Mumford, the bank's head of environmental affairs. "It's an extension of our commitment to communities. Our customers and employees are also interested in how Wachovia responds to environmental change." Wachovia is also interested in keeping up with the big(ger) guys: Citibank and Bank of America, the country's two largest banks, have both recently pledged billions of dollars to environmental projects.