Daily Grist, 27 Jun 2006This is a scary but interesting site about pesticid=
e use. Thought you might be interested. I guess this means we should be c=
areful how we use them. If it is slug bait that does it I am a dead man, e=
r woman. Tex
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Tuesday, 27 Jun 2006
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Right Said Ed
Send a question to Ed Wilson, CEO of Earthwatch Institute and t=
his week's InterActivist.
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Are We There Yet?
Grist thanks donors, pleads for support from the rest of you
As Grist gears up to bring you edgier reporting, more green-liv=
ing advice, and increasingly interactive content, we're asking for a little=
help from our friends. We're two-thirds of the way toward our fundraising =
goal, thanks to those of you who've generously donated already. The rest of=
you (and you know who you are): Can you spare a few bucks to help us reach=
our target? A tax-deductible donation of $50 or more makes you eligible to=
win fabulous eco-prizes, and a donation of any size wins you a piece of ou=
r collective heart. We might even name a pun after you.
donate now: Help Grist get a move on
NEW IN GRIST
All About EV
Grist talks with the makers of Who Killed the Electric Ca=
r?
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In the 1990s, California required automakers to introduce zero=
-emission cars. GM put out the electric EV-1, a sporty coupe that inspired =
head-over-heels devotion among the few people who got their hands on one. T=
hen California backed down, the car leases ran out, and GM took the EVs bac=
k and squashed them. Who's to blame? Today, Hannah Eaves interviews the mak=
ers of Who Killed the Electric Car?, a documentary film debuting this week =
that explores the question. In Gristmill, David Roberts continues that conv=
ersation, digging into questions of peak oil, public transportation, and wh=
y the U.S. is starting to look an awful lot like the Soviet Union.
new in Arts and Minds: All About EV
new in Gristmill: Another interview with makers of Who Killed t=
he Electric Car?
At Least the Bugs Are Dead
Pesticide use increases risk of Parkinson's disease, new study =
finds
Exposure to pesticides can increase the risk of Parkinson's dis=
ease, concludes a broad, long-term study. Researchers followed the health o=
f 143,325 people since 1982 and found that those regularly exposed to pesti=
cides had a 70 percent higher incidence of Parkinson's. The research, publi=
shed in the Annals of Neurology, found that the amount of exposure seemed n=
ot to matter: occupational farmers, hobby gardeners, and determined home bu=
g-sprayers all had the same increased risk. (Exposure to other harmful subs=
tances like asbestos and formaldehyde brought no increased risk of Parkinso=
n's.) No specific pesticides were pegged as culprits, though past studies h=
ave suggested a link between the disease and the class of 'cides called org=
anophosphates. Parkinson's disease affects about 6.3 million people worldwi=
de and over a million in the U.S.; the disease debilitates muscle control a=
nd can severely reduce a person's ability to walk, talk, and maintain a pes=
t-free lawn.
straight to the source: New Scientist, Roxanne Khamsi, 26 Jun 2=
006
straight to the source: Reuters, 26 Jun 2006
straight to the source: The Times, Jonathan Leake, 25 Jun 2006=
Sudden Impact
Glacier expert warns that climate is warming abruptly
A renowned glacier expert says the earth's climate has passed a=
tipping point and entered a period of rapid warming that may threaten huma=
n civilization. Other than that, he's a barrel of laughs. Lonnie Thompson, =
who has taken core samples from glaciers for 23 years, suggests that the co=
ol period humans had been enjoying until recently began with an abrupt chan=
ge 5,200 years ago, which coincided with the rise of cities. About 50 years=
ago, conclude Thompson and eight other researchers in an article in the Pr=
oceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, our current abrupt warming s=
pell began. The outlook isn't pretty: Summarizing data from ice-core sample=
s in the Andes and Himalayas, Thompson predicts that warming in the high mo=
untains of the tropics "is unprecedented for at least two millennia" and th=
at tropical-zone glaciers will melt completely "in the near future." That m=
eans sea-level rises, more floods and droughts, and less reliable sources o=
f freshwater -- but maybe getting a tan will be a snap.
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Doug Struck, 27 Ju=
n 2006
see also, in Grist: An interview with Lonnie Thompson
Olive Twist
"Climate-change farmer" plants England's first olive grove
Britain's first olive grove has been planted in Devon in southw=
estern England -- made possible by global warming. Traditionally an iconic =
crop of Mediterranean regions, the olive may soon be able to flourish in mo=
re northerly climes, some specialists believe, thanks to rising temperature=
s. Olive entrepreneur Mark Diacono hopes that his "climate-change farm" wil=
l produce Britain's first homegrown olive oil in five to seven years. Diaco=
no, who plans to grow his crops organically, has also planted warm-weather-=
loving apricots and almonds. The only question, he says, is "have I done th=
is 10 years too early or 20 years too early? But I don't think so." Emilio =
Ciacci, who provided Diacono with trees from Tuscany, doesn't think so eith=
er. Ciacci has cofounded a business that aims to promote olive groves acros=
s southern England.
straight to the source: The Independent, Michael McCarthy, 26 J=
un 2006
Blurb 6
UPS will test new hydraulic hybrid trucks
If you thought the muscled deliveryfolk in tight brown shorts w=
ere hot, wait 'til you get a load of their trucks. UPS drivers in Detroit w=
ill be testing new hybrid delivery trucks developed by the U.S. EPA, which =
the agency claims will boost fuel efficiency up to 70 percent in stop-and-g=
o traffic. The "hydraulic hybrid" trucks -- also intriguing to the Army and=
FedEx -- sport low-emission diesel engines and store braking energy not in=
a battery, but in a hydraulic system. A hydraulic hybrid will save about 1=
,000 gallons of fuel a year compared to a typical UPS truck. If the trucks =
are mass-produced, the new hybrid technology will add $7,000 to their cost,=
but could save companies as much as $50,000 over a delivery truck's 10- to=
20-year lifetime, says EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. He declared, "Wi=
th this new system, I guess you can say brown is the new green." But wait -=
- we thought green was the new black? We're so confused.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Matthew L. Wald, 25=
Jun 2006
straight to the source: Daily Breeze, Associated Press, David H=
ammer, 22 Jun 2006
straight to the source: The Wall Street Journal, John J. Fialka=
, 22 Jun 2006 (access ain't free)
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NOW IN GRIST
Your Finest Shower. Umbra advises on shower curtains.
C'est Bonn, by Sarah van Schagen. Legendary music festiva=
l Bonnaroo draws a crowd and urges them to go green.
When Push Comes to Guv, by Amanda Griscom Little in Muckr=
aker. Environment is center stage in California governor's race.
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GRISTMILL BLOG
Lindzen: dishonest; News anchors: stupid. Climate skeptic=
's op-ed gets spewed all over network news.
Kerry energy speech. Ex- and future presidental candidate=
proposes major climate-change legislation.
The Blue Man Group on global warming. Thank you for choos=
ing Earth as your planetary vehicle ...
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