Agriculture
Supply of winter tomatoes drops, prices rise after "crippling" loss of Florida tomato crop to cold snap
By Keith Morelli
The Tampa Tribune 2010-02-25
India's agriculture decline, soil degradation from subsidized chemical fertilizer overuse undermines its ambitious positioning
By Geeta Anand
The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2010-02-23
Opinion: With destructive rider to federal jobs bill, California senator's attempt to divert water to farmers risks delicate compromise
The editors
Los Angeles Times 2010-02-17
Biodiversity
After advocates switch from animal welfare to invasive species argument, California decides to ban importing of non-native turtles, frogs for food
By Carla Hall
Los Angeles Times 2010-03-04
Fearing cross pollination, organic farmers file suit to halt planting, sugar production of genetically modified sugar beets
By Jeff Barnard
The Associated Press; The Washington Post 2010-03-01
Debate over genetically modified food, long settled in U.S. with GM corn, soybeans, begins in India with halt of Monsanto's GM eggplant
By Erika Kinetz
The Associated Press; Los Angeles Times 2010-02-15
Climate Change
Opinion: Ethically compromised big green groups offer placebos when they should be conducting and amplifying our anger at betrayal of our environmental safety
By Johann Hari
The Nation. 2010-03-04
Opinion: In biofuels computations, EPA wisely includes calculations of land-clearing for food crops elsewhere when fuel crops displace those for food in U.S.
The editors
The New York Times 2010-02-10
21-part package in Science probes obstacles to achieving global food security, causes and effects of hunger, and promising solutions
Science Magazine 2010-02-12
Conservation
Discovery that red grouper dig holes that become homes for coral, sea sponges forces scientists to recalibrate and heightens tension with those who fish
By Juliet Eilperin
The Washington Post 2010-03-08
Concerned for their child's future, California couple replaces water-guzzling grass with wood chips, drought-tolerant plants - and is sued by city
By Amina Khan
Los Angeles Times 2010-03-02
Hope rises for endangered bluefin tuna with Obama's support of ban on international trade, but Japan is against measure
By Bryan Walsh
Time magazine 2010-03-04
"Food-integrity and humane-handling whistleblowers should not have to rely on an undercover video investigation in order for USDA supervisors to take their disclosures seriously."
Energy
With practicality in mind, growing number of homeowners let sun provide cheap hot water
By Gwendolyn Bounds
The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2010-01-28
Analysis: Improving Energy Star ratings for appliance efficiency
Energy Star/Energy Guide program for rating energy efficiency of appliances is inaccurate, unreliable and oversimplified, with manufacturers' claims left unverified. More helpful is EU version. A dishwasher there, for example, is rated on total energy and water consumption, cleaning performance, drying performance, size and noise. At a glance, shopper gets sense of how this dishwasher stacks up against others. And: Energy Star loopholes create skewed ratings (click 'See also').
By Harry Sawyers
Popular Mechanics 2009-08-13
Mountaintop removal battle tests Obama's clean energy vow
Battle over mountaintop removal coal mining will test Barack Obama, who vowed clean energy economy but in May oversaw EPA's OK of 42 permits for mining method that devastates landscapes, uproots hundreds of communities. Peak shearing of up to 1,000 feet buries streams, damages water systems. It deposits selenium, which can cause reproductive ills in humans and is deforming fish, downstream from mine fill sites. Meanwhile, Senate takes up bill (click 'See also') to prohibit mining companies from dumping debris in streams. Almost half of America's electricity is coal-powered.
By Suzanne Goldenberg
The Guardian (UK) 2009-08-04
Farm/Food Bill
Analysis: Obama's USDA pick hails from top corn, hog, ethanol state
msnbc
If Tom Vilsack confirmed as USDA secretary, Iowa (No. 1 in corn, hogs, ethanol) will have one of its own heading agency that dispenses federal crop subsidies, controls nearly two million acres of Iowa land, regulates state's many slaughterhouses. He's sympathetic to agribusiness giants, supports biofuels, agricultural biotechnology. And: Former governor will oversee $95 billion budget, with bulk going to nutrition - food stamps, school lunches (click 'See also').
By Philip Brasher
The Des Moines Register 2008-12-16
Opinion: Making good
Bush vowed years ago to end expensive commodities subsidies but backed down. Now, his acting secretary of agriculture vows to recommend a veto of the Senate's version of the farm/food bill. Belated action is better than none for this bill and its billions in subsidies for corn, cotton, wheat, rice and sugar that U.S. agribusiness produces to excess.
The editors
The Cincinnati Post 2007-11-08
Opinion: Funding Twinkies
Existing farm/food bill fosters obesity and diabetes by subsidizing cheap junk food and fast food and encourages land, water and meat pollution by rewarding feedlot production of livestock and fence-row to fence-row cultivation of only a few crops. Then, its authors comfort critics with extra funds for nutrition programs and environmental cleanup.
By Michael Pollan
The New York Times 2007-11-04
Habitat
Deal to save Everglades more about benefits for U.S. Sugar after state officials make decisions against needs of Everglades, taxpayers
By Don Van Natta Jr. and Damien Cave
The New York Times 2010-03-07
Deep-sea trawling by fishing fleets devastating reefs untouched since Ice Age, endangering unknown species, researchers warn
By Ian Sample
The Guardian (UK) 2010-02-18
Imported goods bring rising number of invasive, destructive plants and insects
By Kris Maher
The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2010-01-15
Land Quality
India's agriculture decline, soil degradation from subsidized chemical fertilizer overuse undermines its ambitious positioning
By Geeta Anand
The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2010-02-23
Concern grows over farmland investments in poor countries
Concern for equitable resource allocation grows as rich countries and world's largest food, financial and car companies invest $20 billion to $30 billion annually on farmland in developing countries (click 'See also'). UN says investment has doubled to nearly 20 million hectares (50 million acres) since last year. Analyst predicts civil unrest, with investing countries leaving trail of food scarcity for local populations, as well as devastated soils, dry aquifers and ruined ecology from highly intensive, chemical-based farming.
By John Vidal
The Guardian (UK) 2009-07-03
Mapping soil as hedge against hunger, climate change
New African soil mapping plan to assess mineral, organic nutrients and guide farmers in using fertilizer or crop rotation aims to reduce poverty, feed growing populations and cope with impact of climate change on agriculture. African soils are among most depleted on earth. New York launch scheduled for Feb. 17 (click 'See also').
By Alistair Thomson
Reuters 2009-01-13
Pollution & Waste
As TVA coal ash spill cleanup drags on in Tennessee, other states find tainted water seeping from landfills holding dumped residue
By Bill Poovey
The Associated Press; The New York Times 2010-03-05
Industrial agriculture fights as rural Americans band together, use "local control" ordinances, historic designations to limit big pig farms
By Lauren Etter
The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2010-03-03
Study: Water tainted with common corn field weedkiller - but within EPA drinking water standards - can change frogs' sex traits
By David A. Fahrenthold
The Washington Post 2010-03-02
Water
Ambiguity hobbles Clean Water Act; drinking water of 117 million vulnerable to exclusion from enforcement
By Charles Duhigg and Janet Roberts
The New York Times 2010-03-01
Foul byproduct of fracking, a drilling technique for natural gas, pollutes water supplies
By Marc Levy and Vicki Smith
The Associated Press; Charleston Daily Mail (SC) 2010-02-02
Cities grow, sewers fill, rain falls and waste poisons waterways
By Charles Duhigg
The New York Times 2009-11-22
Weather
Supply of winter tomatoes drops, prices rise after "crippling" loss of Florida tomato crop to cold snap
By Keith Morelli
The Tampa Tribune 2010-02-25
Tomatoes, peppers hardest hit in Southern cold snap; effect on citrus unknown
By Damien Cave
The New York Times 2010-01-14
UK food supply worries grow as grocers report shortages and cold continues
By Jamie Doward
The Guardian (UK) 2010-01-09