Monday, 27 Aug 2007

The Invisible Hand Drops Its Harpoon

Iceland halts whale hunt due to low demand

After resuming commercial whaling just under a year ago, Iceland's fisheries minister said recently that his country will not issue new whale-hunting quotas until there's more demand for whale-derived products and until Iceland gets an export license to send whale meat to Japan. "There is no reason to continue commercial whaling if there is no demand for the product," fisheries minister Einar Guofinnsson said. "If there is no profitability there is no foundation for resuming with the killing of whales." This whaling season, Iceland's quota was 39 whales, but it harpooned just 14 due to low demand.

And Now for Something Completely Familiar

China's environment still terribly polluted, getting worse

Almost nowhere else on earth today is a source for so much environmental gloom and doom as China. To sum up: It's bad. In fact, for those prone to hopelessness ... read on, there's plenty to get depressed about. Nearly 500 million people in China lack access to safe drinking water. About 750,000 people die every year due to outdoor air pollution and water pollution. And only 1 percent of China's 560 million urbanites breathe air that's considered safe by the European Union. Relatively recent attempts by the central government to control pollution have met resistance from local leaders who are often in collusion with industry. Thousands of protests and riots break out each year in the country due to pollution and health concerns, and the government has banned the publication of pollution health statistics since it could incite further social unrest. "Typically, industrial countries deal with green problems when they are rich," said Ren Yong, of the Center for Environment and Economy in Beijing. "We have to deal with them while we are still poor. There is no model for us to follow."


Two years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still, slowly, rebuilding. But the people of the ravaged Lower Ninth Ward are determined to bring their neighborhood back -- and to develop it sustainably. In a piece from The Nation republished in Gristmill, Rebecca Solnit reports on the neighborhood's plans to couple wetland restoration with water filtration, add nature trails, take Brad Pitt up on his offer to design sustainable housing, and more.

Put It in Park

Donations roll in for national parks' centennial projects

The 100th anniversary of the National Park Service is a mere nine years away, and donations are rolling in to spruce up parks for the occasion. In a spending bill yet to be approved by Congress, Bush made funds available to match private giving; some $300 million has already been pledged by corporations, nonprofits, and visitors' groups. Last week, the National Park Service unveiled a list of 201 priority projects for the centennial bash, covering 116 parks in 40 states. Says NPS Deputy Superintendent Frank Mares, "The last big heady time for the park service like this was in the 1950s, when they built up the infrastructure to serve the growing population and the car culture." And look where that got us!


Last month, advice maven Umbra Fisk perched upon the pesky topic of whether it's worth putting out seed for wild birds. Today she takes on the more natural noggin-teaser of creating a wildlife haven of your own. Which plants attract feathered friends, and why even bother with them? Wing your way to Ask Umbra to find out.

Strung Out

Clotheslines growing more popular in U.S.

The clothesline, nemesis of backyard cyclists everywhere, is making a comeback thanks to green awareness and energy costs. Many communities and homeowner's associations have banned the misunderstood expanse of rope, assuming that neighbors aren't interested in each other's dirty -- or clean -- laundry. But as a burgeoning "right to dry" movement airs its concerns about energy-sucking dryers, some states are writing legislation to override clothesline prohibition. Why try line dry? Let us count the ways: you can save money and reduce your risk of dryer fires, and your threads will smell fresher, be free of static cling, and last longer. Plus, nothing entices a good-looking neighbor like a line full of sexy skivvies.