By Amal Ahmed, Grist A bill in the legislature would increase the state’s hotel and lodging taxes by 1.25 percent. Kathy Munsel / Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife When Oregon’s short legislative session convenes in early February, conservation advocates will once again try to convince lawmakers to pass a …
Europe gets ‘green energy’. These Southern towns get dirty air.
By Tristan Baurick, Grist In Louisiana and Mississippi, people living near wood-pellet mills say they’re getting sick. Stacks of wood are organized at the Drax biomass facility in Urania, Louisiana. Eric Shelton / Mississippi Today It almost felt like old times for the friends and family gathered at Robert Weatherspoon’s house. …
Why almost none of the homes burned in LA have been rebuilt since last year’s fires
By Umair Irfan, Grist The wildfires destroyed 13,000 homes. In Los Angeles County, just seven have been rebuilt. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The Associated Press this week reported a stunning fact: Of the 13,000 homes destroyed a year ago in the extraordinary wildfires in …
Texas clears the way for petrochemical expansion as experts warn of health risks
By Shelby Jouppi, Jim Morris, & Savanna Strott, Grist Public Health Watch chronicles a fossil-fuel infrastructure boom that could worsen air pollution in some areas and exacerbate climate change. Andy Morris-Ruiz Let’s establish some baselines. Texas is responsible for more greenhouse-gas emissions than Saudi Arabia or the global maritime industry. Its oil, …
Coral reef fish recovery could boost sustainable seafood servings by up to 50 percent
Phys.Org School of Surgeonfish fish at Coiba Island in Panama. Credit: Sean Mattson With a human population of 8.3 billion people worldwide and millions facing malnutrition, food security is something to think about. But imagine if the ocean could help with that. Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) …
‘Cities need nature to be happy’: David Attenborough seeks out London’s hidden wildlife
By Patrick Barkham, The Guardian Attenborough, 99, enthuses about tube-riding pigeons, foxes, parakeets and others in Wild London for the BBC. David Attenborough shows he has lost none of his rapport with wild animals in an unusually personal and intimate documentary. Photograph: Gavin Thurston/BBC/Passion Planet Ltd. Filming the wildlife of London requires …
How a species of bamboo could help protect the South from future floods
By Emily Cataneo, Grist In the face of mounting climate disasters, tribes, scientists, and Southern communities are rallying around a nearly forgotten native plant. EBCI Cooperative Extension In early 2024, Michael Fedoroff trekked out to Tuckabum Creek in York County, Alabama. The environmental anthropologist was there to help plant 300 …
These basketball courts double as a hidden flood defense
By Adele Peters, Fast Company On an typical day, it’s a place to play. But in extreme rain, this new infrastructure captures rain like a pool. \ [Photo: courtesy Grain Collective] They look like ordinary basketball courts. But two new courts built next to public housing in New York City …
The wealthy profit from public lands, and taxpayers pick up the tab
Mark Olalde, ProPublica & Jimmy Tobias, High Country News, For Grist Roughly two-thirds of grazing on Bureau of Land Management land is controlled by just 10 percent of permit holders. Roberto ‘Bear’ Guerra / High Country News Stan Kroenke doesn’t need federal help to make a business flourish. He is worth an …
The Trump administration’s data center push could open the door for new forever chemicals
By Molly Taft, Grist The EPA is prioritizing review of new chemicals to be used in data centers. Experts say this could lead to the fast approval of new types of forever chemicals — with limited oversight. A sign on a rural Michigan road opposes a planned $7 billion data …