World Watch articles from September 1998

World Watch archives from September 1998

Looking past El Nino.(Editorial)
September 1, 1998... Children, one old aphorism had it, should be seen and not heard. Quaint as this view may seem today, it befits the mainstream media's treatment of one of the biggest babies to make headlines in recent years. To be sure, reporters witnessed - and...

The fastest mass extinction in earth's history.
September 1, 1998... Seven out of ten biologists believe the world is now in the midst of the fastest mass extinction of living things in the 4.5 billion-year history of the planet, according to a poll conducted by the American Museum of Natural History and the Louis...

Nations plan phase-out of deadly chemicals.
September 1, 1998... In response to growing scientific evidence of the health and environmental risks of chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), government representatives from 120 nations met in Montreal, Canada in June to plan the phaseout of some...

How mid-sized cities can avoid strangulation. (central planning of Curitiba, Brazil and Portland, Oregon)
September 1, 1998... Contrary to popular impressions, the urbanizing of the world means a proliferation not only of giant "megacities" but also of a larger, faster-growing class of middle-sized cities. In their struggles to overcome the pervasive problems of traffic,...

When cities take bicycle seriously. (Cover Story)
September 1, 1998... By making room for bikes - and putting their own employees on them - city officials are finding a simple, cheap, and effective remedy for the urban car disease. In late November 1997, President Jiang Zemin of China ducked into an art gallery...

Solar power markets boom.
September 1, 1998... The energy companies of the future are shouting the news of renewable energy from the rooftops. In June 1998, Oguz Capan, president of Turkey's ROC Oil Company, visited the Worldwatch Institute's offices in Washington. The purpose of his visit...

Green awakening in a poor country. (Honduras)
September 1, 1998... Despite its slash-and-burn farming, rapid population growth, and sluggish economy, Honduras may be forging a home-grown social contract to save its forests. Juan Carlos Carrasco expertly paddles his kayak between the intertwined prop roots of...