Экологические проблемы и климатические вызовы: от последствий урагана Катрина до загрязнения океана

Diamond—In the Rough after Katrina The poor African-American community of Diamond, long in the shadow of a Shell chemical plant, is hit with a new challenge by Katrina. It’s business as usual in New Orleans, as cleanup contracts go to politically connected construction companies. Susan Cowsill, a singer-songwriter (and member of the famous 1960s singing family) says the culture of New Orleans is a big part of her music. But it was with some trepidation that she and her family recently returned home after a nomadic post-Katrina existence in Austin and Houston. "I want to believe what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is saying, that it is safe," she says. In the Ecuadorian rainforest, Chevron is charged as a major environmental polluter. The company denies responsibility, but big oil has left a significant legacy. Eugene Linden’s book, The Winds of Change: Climate, Weather and the Destruction of Civilizations (Simon and Schuster) has only been out for a month, but already it’s in its fourth printing. That is, one hopes, an indication that the public’s interest in global warming is accelerating, even as the planet itself is sending increasingly desperate signals. Senators from both sides of the political aisle are balking at an attempt by the White House to sell as much as 300,000 acres of national forest land to pay for extending what has been a successful program to fund schools in rural, economically distressed regions of 41 states. With the so-called "county payments" law expiring in September, the Bush administration is positioning the land sale as a viable way to keep the funding flowing to pay for rural schools. Shoppers at any of 19 rural Northern California Holiday Quality Foods supermarkets will be the first consumers in the nation to get a taste of certified low-mercury content seafood marketed there under the new Safe Harbor brand. In partnership with Pacific Seafood, one of the nation’s largest fishing and seafood distribution companies, the supermarket chain is testing whether or not their customers will buy more fish if they can be sure the mercury content is low. Seafood sales have been dwindling in recent years across the country due, at least in part, to consumer concerns that high levels of mercury in fish can compromise human health. The mass-market gasoline-electric hybrids made by Toyota, Honda and others make use of an electric engine right under the hood next to the gas engine. That electric motor creates fuel economy by kicking into use during idling, backing up, slow traffic, and to maintain speed after the gas engine has been employed for acceleration. Analysts estimate that more than 300 million inkjet printer cartridges find their way into American landfills every year. Each of those new cartridges requires about three quarts of oil and other raw materials to produce, and also contributes its fair share of greenhouse gases I never met actor Dennis Weaver, but I sure wish I did. Not only was he anyone’s idea of an environmental hero, he also sounded like a whole lot of fun. The brief obituaries of this well-known actor, who died of cancer at age 81, stressed the part of his life taken up with Gunsmoke and, later, McCloud. They often included only a single line about his activism. "Off-screen, Weaver served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and was a vegetarian and activist for environmental and charitable causes," said one.