Fw: Daily Grist: Parkinson's disease linked to pesticide use, and more

June 27, 2006

-----Forwarded Message----- Grist Magazine Jun 27, 2006 3:27 PM daily-grist Daily Grist: Parkinson's disease linked to pesticide use, and more

Tuesday, 27 Jun 2006

Right Said EdSend a question to Ed Wilson, CEO of Earthwatch Institute and this week's InterActivist.

Are We There Yet?Grist thanks donors, pleads for support from the rest of youAs Grist gears up to bring you edgier reporting, more green-living advice, and increasingly interactive content, we're asking for a little help from our friends. We're two-thirds of the way toward our fundraising goal, thanks to those of you who've generously donated already. The rest of you (and you know who you are): Can you spare a few bucks to help us reach our target? A tax-deductible donation of $50 or more makes you eligible to win fabulous eco-prizes, and a donation of any size wins you a piece of our collective heart. We might even name a pun after you.

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NEW IN GRIST All About EV Grist talks with the makers of Who Killed the Electric Car? In the 1990s, California required automakers to introduce zero-emission cars. GM put out the electric EV-1, a sporty coupe that inspired head-over-heels devotion among the few people who got their hands on one. Then California backed down, the car leases ran out, and GM took the EVs back and squashed them. Who's to blame? Today, Hannah Eaves interviews the makers of Who Killed the Electric Car?, a documentary film debuting this week that explores the question. In Gristmill, David Roberts continues that conversation, digging into questions of peak oil, public transportation, and why the U.S. is starting to look an awful lot like the Soviet Union.

new in Arts and Minds: All About EV

new in Gristmill: Another interview with makers of Who Killed the Electric Car? At Least the Bugs Are DeadPesticide use increases risk of Parkinson's disease, new study findsExposure to pesticides can increase the risk of Parkinson's disease, concludes a broad, long-term study. Researchers followed the health of 143,325 people since 1982 and found that those regularly exposed to pesticides had a 70 percent higher incidence of Parkinson's. The research, published in the Annals of Neurology, found that the amount of exposure seemed not to matter: occupational farmers, hobby gardeners, and determined home bug-sprayers all had the same increased risk. (Exposure to other harmful substances like asbestos and formaldehyde brought no increased risk of Parkinson's.) No specific pesticides were pegged as culprits, though past studies have suggested a link between the disease and the class of 'cides called organophosphates. Parkinson's disease affects about 6.3 million people worldwide and over a million in the U.S.; the disease debilitates muscle control and can severely reduce a person's ability to walk, talk, and maintain a pest-free lawn.

straight to the source: New Scientist, Roxanne Khamsi, 26 Jun 2006

straight to the source: Reuters, 26 Jun 2006

straight to the source: The Times, Jonathan Leake, 25 Jun 2006 Sudden ImpactGlacier expert warns that climate is warming abruptlyA renowned glacier expert says the earth's climate has passed a tipping point and entered a period of rapid warming that may threaten human civilization. Other than that, he's a barrel of laughs. Lonnie Thompson, who has taken core samples from glaciers for 23 years, suggests that the cool period humans had been enjoying until recently began with an abrupt change 5,200 years ago, which coincided with the rise of cities. About 50 years ago, conclude Thompson and eight other researchers in an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, our current abrupt warming spell began. The outlook isn't pretty: Summarizing data from ice-core samples in the Andes and Himalayas, Thompson predicts that warming in the high mountains of the tropics "is unprecedented for at least two millennia" and that tropical-zone glaciers will melt completely "in the near future." That means sea-level rises, more floods and droughts, and less reliable sources of freshwater -- but maybe getting a tan will be a snap.

straight to the source: The Washington Post, Doug Struck, 27 Jun 2006

see also, in Grist: An interview with Lonnie Thompson Olive Twist"Climate-change farmer" plants England's first olive groveBritain's first olive grove has been planted in Devon in southwestern England -- made possible by global warming. Traditionally an iconic crop of Mediterranean regions, the olive may soon be able to flourish in more northerly climes, some specialists believe, thanks to rising temperatures. Olive entrepreneur Mark Diacono hopes that his "climate-change farm" will produce Britain's first homegrown olive oil in five to seven years. Diacono, who plans to grow his crops organically, has also planted warm-weather-loving apricots and almonds. The only question, he says, is "have I done this 10 years too early or 20 years too early? But I don't think so." Emilio Ciacci, who provided Diacono with trees from Tuscany, doesn't think so either. Ciacci has cofounded a business that aims to promote olive groves across southern England.

straight to the source: The Independent, Michael McCarthy, 26 Jun 2006 Blurb 6UPS will test new hydraulic hybrid trucksIf you thought the muscled deliveryfolk in tight brown shorts were hot, wait 'til you get a load of their trucks. UPS drivers in Detroit will be testing new hybrid delivery trucks developed by the U.S. EPA, which the agency claims will boost fuel efficiency up to 70 percent in stop-and-go traffic. The "hydraulic hybrid" trucks -- also intriguing to the Army and FedEx -- sport low-emission diesel engines and store braking energy not in a battery, but in a hydraulic system. A hydraulic hybrid will save about 1,000 gallons of fuel a year compared to a typical UPS truck. If the trucks are mass-produced, the new hybrid technology will add $7,000 to their cost, but could save companies as much as $50,000 over a delivery truck's 10- to 20-year lifetime, says EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. He declared, "With this new system, I guess you can say brown is the new green." But wait -- we thought green was the new black? We're so confused.

straight to the source: The New York Times, Matthew L. Wald, 25 Jun 2006

straight to the source: Daily Breeze, Associated Press, David Hammer, 22 Jun 2006

straight to the source: The Wall Street Journal, John J. Fialka, 22 Jun 2006 (access ain't free)

NOW IN GRIST Your Finest Shower. Umbra advises on shower curtains. C'est Bonn, by Sarah van Schagen. Legendary music festival Bonnaroo draws a crowd and urges them to go green. When Push Comes to Guv, by Amanda Griscom Little in Muckraker. Environment is center stage in California governor's race.

GRISTMILL BLOG Lindzen: dishonest; News anchors: stupid. Climate skeptic's op-ed gets spewed all over network news. Kerry energy speech. Ex- and future presidental candidate proposes major climate-change legislation. The Blue Man Group on global warming. Thank you for choosing Earth as your planetary vehicle ...

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Defending this corruption on which you are sat

You tell me what to think, you tell me this and that

`Freedom is O.K. you scum` but make sure it`s never used

In your defence of liberty I always stand accused