Three “Garbage Crusaders”� in Modern Cosmopolitan Beijing

November 2, 2007 08:08 AM - , Worldwatch Institute

Every city needs someone to take care of the garbage. The most resource-efficient way to dispose of urban trash is to recycle and reuse it. But recycling and reuse are more difficult than they sound, especially in cities where residents mix up all kinds of solid wastes.

Pollutants Implicated in Births of More Girls Than Boys

October 29, 2007 10:38 AM - , Worldwatch Institute

A recent study found that residents of Canadian communities who were exposed to emissions from polluting industries such as oil refineries, metal smelters, and pulp mills gave birth to more females than males, a reversal of the normal sex ratio. This is likely due to high levels of common air pollutants called dioxins and is not a surprising finding, according to James Argo, a medical geographer with the IntrAmericas Centre for Environment and Health, who conducted the study. “There is a very strong association [in the scientific literature] between chronic exposure to dioxins and an inverted sex ratio,” he said.

More Cars or More Transportation Alternatives: What Will the World Choose?

October 26, 2007 09:18 AM - , Worldwatch Institute

As Tata Motors, one of Asia’s leading automakers, prepares to tap into India’s middle-class market by releasing the “world’s cheapest car” in 2008, other countries with a long history of car dependence are grappling with ways to limit the social, health, and environmental costs of motorized transport. One alternative is so-called bus rapid transit (BRT), which operates like rail transport but offers more flexibility in routes. The systems are gaining popularity in cities in the automobile-loving United States as well as in rapidly developing nations in Asia and Latin America.

Is Beijing’s Air Quality Ready for the 2008 Olympics?

October 24, 2007 08:19 AM - Alana Herro, Worldwatch Institute

The upcoming Summer Olympic Games have galvanized the host city of Beijing into a frenzy of efforts to beautify its image. With the clock ticking down to August 8, 2008, Beijing has expedited the revitalization of buildings along the city’s major roads, painting worn gray exteriors with more vibrant colors. Flat rooftops have been converted to more-attractive sloped ones, and shoddy and chaotic one-story houses are now hidden behind newly erected ancient-style walls decorated with beautiful imagery.

Increase in Grain Prices Affects U.S. Food Donations

October 22, 2007 09:22 AM - Jessica Hanson , Worldwatch Institute

From Illinois corn to Kansas wheat, U.S. grain crops are experiencing their fastest price hike since 1990. The rise in prices is being felt not only at the grocery store, but also in international food policy, as the costs of corn, cooking oil, and other items commonly purchased for U.S. food aid programs have increased sharply. The United States is the largest single donor of food worldwide, but the volume of aid provided through its leading assistance program, Food for Peace, dropped by more than half between 2000 and 2007, to 2.4 million metric tons, in response to a 35-percent increase in the cost of agricultural commodities in the last two years.

Why I care about pregnancy and fish

October 18, 2007 12:22 PM - Brian Halweil, Worldwatch Institute

I took particular interest in the recent U.S. scandal involving a seafood industry front group recommending that pregnant women eat more fish, despite existing concerns about high mercury levels in some species. Why? First, because I’ve been writing about seafood for Worldwatch for many years. Second, because my wife is just a few short weeks from giving birth to our first child.

In India, Chronic Diseases Grow With Consumption

October 15, 2007 07:59 AM - , Worldwatch Institute

Over the next decade, India’s burgeoning consumer class is likely headed for an onslaught of chronic diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and HIV/AIDS. A new report from the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts that the proportion of deaths nationwide from long-term maladies will skyrocket from 53 percent in 2005 to nearly 67 percent by 2020.

Planet Wins Nobel Prize

October 14, 2007 09:18 AM - , Worldwatch Institute

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore and the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a triumph for the planet and its inhabitants, who will increasingly struggle to adjust as the world warms.

It is with extreme satisfaction that we receive the news that Gore and the IPCC have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,” said Oystein Dahle, Chairman of the Board of Worldwatch Institute and a leading Norwegian environmentalist.

Worldwatch Perspective: Can Biofuels Make or Break Iowa’s Future?

October 12, 2007 08:32 AM - , Worldwatch Institute

A report profiling the impact of the current biofuels boom in the U.S. state of Iowa and painting a more sustainable path forward for the biofuels industry was released Tuesday in the state capital, Des Moines. The report, Destination Iowa: Getting to a Sustainable Biofuels Future, is a joint project of the Worldwatch Institute and the Sierra Club. It examines the implications of biofuel development for Iowa’s economy and environment as well as for climate change.

“Zero”� Amazon Deforestation Possible by 2015, Brazilian NGOs say

October 10, 2007 09:38 AM - Alana Herro, Worldwatch Institute

Halting deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is the objective of nine Brazilian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have drafted an ambitious plan to stop clearcutting in the region within seven years. The groups, which include national affiliates of Greenpeace, WWF, and The Nature Conservancy, presented the proposal at an event in Brasilia on Friday attended by environment minister Marina Silva, state governors, and other authorities.