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TOP STORY

Those Who Repeat the Past Are Doomed to Know It
Study of fossil record predicts climate change could fuel mass extinction

Climate change may fuel a mass extinction in which half of all plant and animal species could -- how to put this delicately? -- exit stage left, according to a new study. If the past 520 million years of fossil records are any predictor of the future, a globally warmed world will not bode well for biodiversity, researchers found. "We found that over the fossil record as a whole, the higher the temperatures have been, the higher the extinctions have been," said University of York ecologist Peter Mayhew. The study also found that four of five of the world's mass extinctions occurred when the Earth was significantly warmer, and that in cooler times, biodiversity tends to be higher. Researchers warned that the Earth is on track to hit temperatures similar to the higher, extinction-correlated ones in about 100 years or so.

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sources: Associated Press, The Guardian, The Guardian


TODAY'S NEWS

Char for the Course
California wildfires continue to rage

In case you haven't heard, there are some crazy fires going down in Southern California. As of this morning, some 420,000 acres have burned, igniting more than 1,500 structures, including some 1,150 homes. An estimated 700,000 people have been evacuated; six deaths have been linked to the blazes. About 15 different fires are still burning. The White House has declared a state of emergency, and health officials are urging children, the elderly, and the sick to stay indoors to avoid breathing in soot particles. Guess we'll get an answer to the question we posed last year: "Could a Western wildfire be the country's next Katrina?" But, really, we meant it rhetorically.

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sources: Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times map of the fires
see also, in Grist: Climate change making wildfires worse, study finds, Wildfires are raging -- why isn't concern about climate change?


Your Place, or Mine?
Mining-law reform bill could change rules for mines on public land

Just 135 years after its enactment, environmentalists and fiscal conservatives may finally have a shot at reforming an antiquated U.S. law that lets mining companies dig up minerals and precious metals on public lands without paying royalties nor being responsible for post-dig cleanups. A bill to change the 1872 General Mining Law passed the House Natural Resources Committee this week and could soon go up for a vote in the House. The legislation would force companies with existing claims on federal land to pay a 4 percent royalty on minerals extracted; new mines would have to pay 8 percent. Collected fees would go toward mine cleanup -- two-thirds of the total is slated for clean up of already-existing environmental damage, and one-third would go to local communities affected by mining operations. However, even if the bill passes the House relatively intact, it faces a tough battle in the Senate where majority leader Harry Reid (D), from mine-lovin' Nevada, opposes meaningful reform of the 1872 law.

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sources: Time, Associated Press
straight to the bill: Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007
see also, in Grist: Legislation introduced to overhaul ancient mining law
see also, in Gristmill: Reid gears up to defend stupid mining law


Kit Farcin'
Home lead-testing kits unreliable, says study

If you rushed out to buy a home lead-testing kit when all of Junior's toys were recalled, hope you saved the receipt: a new study says that over-the-counter kits, usually used to test paint, aren't reliable for playthings. The Consumer Product Safety Commission put 104 kits to the test and found that 56 failed to detect lead in toys, while two overachievers warned of the heavy metal where it didn't exist. Concludes the CPSC, "Based on the study, consumers should not use lead test kits to evaluate consumer products for potential lead hazards."

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sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, CBC News, The News-Times


Assuming There Will Be a Future, Of Course
New report makes suggestions for sustainable energy future

Coal is the enemy of the human race, but don't take our word for it: 15 national science academies pooh-pooh the evil black rock in their new report "Lighting the Way: Toward a Sustainable Energy Future." The report also rah-rahs solar and wind power and energy efficiency, and is warily supportive of nuclear energy and cellulosic biofuels.

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sources: The New York Times, Agence France-Presse
straight to the report: Lighting the Way: Toward a Sustainable Energy Future


Doing the Hunt Work
Fewer hunters mean less funding for conservation, states find

Many states are lamenting the declining population of a valuable species: the American hunter. Funds from hunting licenses and fees are generally directed to wildlife conservation; while the need to maintain habitat for wild critters isn't going to go away anytime soon, the number of sportsfolk in the U.S. has declined by some 35 percent since 1975. States are taking measures to boost hunter populations, including allowing novice adults to try hunting without a license, shortening safety courses, and, in Oregon, instituting a Mentored Youth Hunter Program. We hear Dick Cheney's application to be a mentor was, sadly, denied.

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source: USA Today


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GRIST COLUMNS AND FEATURES

Stories from the Forgotten Coast
With the Katrina-anniversary media gone, the hard work continues

It's been two years since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, and two months since the press descended on the area in a breathless storm-anniversary frenzy. But what goes on when the cameras go off? Today we talk with four people who are patiently working to rebuild their communities, finding out what they've lost -- and what they still hope to gain.

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new in Grist: With the Katrina-anniversary media gone, the hard work continues


Wash and Dry
On dishwashing and droughts

Q. Dear Umbra,

I recently had a wedding shower for a dear niece and invited many women relatives. I decided to forgo convenience and served everything on beautiful plates, no paper plates, no plastic silverware, no plastic cups. It was lovely, and it felt more environmentally correct than usual family gatherings which create a mountain of garbage ... Then as we washed and dishwashed everything, I thought about the water restrictions in Georgia. We are experiencing a drought of historic proportions -- so is it better to contribute to the landfill or use the water for washing dishes?

Perplexed in Georgia

A. Dearest Perplexed,

Sadly, because of the drought, there is a clear answer to guide your immediate future ...

Read the rest of Umbra's answer.

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new in Grist: On dishwashing and droughts