Environment Archives - Page 35 of 46

Why Food Inc. Fails: Documentary Bites Off More Than It Can Chew

Frank Joseph Smecker August 5, 2009 Frank Joseph Smecker

After six years in the making, Robert Kenner's Food Inc. made it onto the silver screen just in time for this summer's harvest. Directed and produced by Kenner himself, and co-produced by the author who brought us Fast Food Nation, investigative journalist, Eric Schlosser, Food Inc. explores the modern diet alongside the agriculture-industrial-complex responsible for the sugary/salty/fatty provender manufactured to mollify modern dieters.

Public Overwhelmingly Rejects Genetically Engineered Trees

Anne Peterman and Orin Langelle July 16, 2009 Anne Peterman and Orin Langelle

Nearly 17,500 public comments were sent to the US Department of Agriculture opposing their recommendation for approval of an ArborGen proposal to plant over a quarter of a million genetically engineered (GE) eucalyptus trees. Only 39 favorable comments were received by the USDA. If allowed, the plantings would take place on 330 acres of land across seven states in the Southern U.S., to supposedly feed future cellulosic ethanol production.

Why Carbon Trading Won’t Save Us From Catastrophic Climate Change

Alexis Lathem July 14, 2009 Alexis Lathem

Sugar Plant in Florida

One of the hopes attached to a regime change in Washington was that a new administration would at last take action on climate change. The refusal of the nation responsible for the largest share of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, and with the world's largest economy, to participate in the international treaty on climate change, has isolated the

United States

from the international community and has stymied the world's ability to address the problem.

Politics-as-Usual While the Planet Burns

Brian Tokar July 6, 2009 Brian Tokar

A palpable sense of triumph accompanied the passage last week of a first-of-its-kind global warming bill in the US House of Representatives. Rep. Henry Waxman of California, one of the bill's two main sponsors, called it a "decisive and historic action," and President Obama described the bill as "a bold and necessary step."

Genetic Eucalyptus Trees Threaten Southern U.S.

Anne Peterman and Orin Langelle June 25, 2009 Anne Peterman and Orin Langelle

Photo: Orin Langelle

The U.S. government is set to approve a request from ArborGen, the genetically engineered (GE) tree research and development giant, for permission to plant 260,000 GE cold tolerant eucalyptus trees in 29 "field trials" across seven southern U.S. states. Approval of such a large-scale planting of these dangerous flowering GE forest trees in the U.S. is completely unprecedented.

‘No Good News’ On Climate Change Front

Al Huebner June 18, 2009 Al Huebner

An article recently appeared in the journal Science that bore the title "Projections of Climate Change Go From Bad to Worse, Scientists Report." The details in the article confirm that this title is, if anything, an understatement. As University of Copenhagen biological oceanographer Katherine Richardson warned "there's no good news."