Clearing the Air for Our Kids

Air pollution is often accepted as part of life in urban areas. But new studies have shown that our complacency could come at the expense of our health. And we need to do more if we want to avoid an increasingly smoggy future. >> Read the Full Article

EPA Hopes to Have New Radiation Standard for Waste Site Early Next Year

Trying to overcome a possibly crippling court decision, the Environmental Protection Agency hopes to have a proposal by early next year on new radiation exposure limits at a proposed nuclear waste site in Nevada. >> Read the Full Article

Thai Scientists Begin Probe in Big Orangutan Case

Thai scientists began an investigation this week into what some conservationists believe could be the world's biggest case of ape smuggling: nearly 100 orangutans found in a Bangkok amusement park. >> Read the Full Article

Chilean Sea Bass Smugglers Are Flooding Markets with Illegal Catch

Federal authorities along the West Coast have seized more than 600,000 pounds of suspected illegal Chilean sea bass in recent weeks, a US$10 million haul that environmentalists say reflects a thriving black market trade in the delicate, tasty fish. >> Read the Full Article

Know Your Food

Fast food is such an integral part of our culture that rarely do we take a step back and remember (let alone insist) that there are alternatives. >> Read the Full Article

Washington Scientists Study Whether Whale Watching Poses Threat to Orcas

Killer whales get the superstar treatment every summer off the Washington coast, where tourists fill up whale-watching boats to catch a glimpse of the majestic animals. Now, researchers are studying whether all the attention could be a bad thing. >> Read the Full Article

Canada Blocks Asbestos Type from Global Toxic List

Canada has blocked the addition of a carcinogenic type of asbestos to a global list of toxic chemicals, a move that environmentalists said could undermine efforts to protect people and the environment. >> Read the Full Article

Governors Worry Proposed Ocean Trust Fund Might Spur More Offshore Drilling

A presidential commission has modified its proposal for a trust fund that would use up to $4 billion in annual offshore oil and gas royalties to safeguard oceans and coastal areas. The change was to answer governors' fears the idea might spur more drilling off their coasts. >> Read the Full Article

Slowly but Surely Asia Switches on to Green Power

Rising oil prices and pollution are fueling interest in green power in Asia, but experts see no prospect of a rapid switch from the region's growing dependence on oil, coal, and gas. The problem is the high cost of renewable energy projects such as solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels; a lack of government incentives; and vested interests who believe green power is not viable or a threat to their wallets. >> Read the Full Article

U.N. Warns of Malnutrition in Flood-Hit Bangladesh

Bangladeshi children and women face acute malnutrition after the worst floods in 15 years swept the impoverished country, the United Nations has warned. >> Read the Full Article