 Highlights from Fall 2008
Volume 7, Number 2
Running Out of Gas
Federal regulators are shortchanging U.S. drivers by making new fuel economy standards weaker than the law meant them to be. UCS is working to reverse this trend and give consumers the clean car choices they deserve.
The Untold Costs of CAFOs
Confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) impose costs on society much higher than the price we pay for meat and dairy products. A new UCS report outlines alternatives that are better for humans, animals, and the environment.
Two Decades of Improving Security
This past summer marked the twentieth anniversary of a unique UCS program to expand the international community of scientists working to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons and increase global security.
Politics Pollutes the EPA
UCS has published evidence of political interference in scientific research at the Environmental Protection Agency that puts our public health and wildlife at risk. We are making progress in stopping this and other abuses of federal science.
How It Works: Marker-Assisted Selection
Marker-assisted selection uses information about the genetic material in crops to breed for important traits such as resistance to drought and other environmental stresses without genetic engineering.
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 Highlights from Spring 2008
Volume 7, Number 1
Biofuels: An Important Part of a Low-Carbon Diet
by Patricia Monahan
Biofuels can significantly reduce global warming pollution from vehicles, but not all biofuels are created equal. We must expand our use of this resource carefully in order to avoid environmental damage.
Nuclear Power in a Warming World
by Lisbeth Gronlund
Expanded use of nuclear power could help reduce global warming emissions-but could also increase safety and security risks. To minimize these risks, the U.S. government and its nuclear power oversight agency must change their policies and practices.
Sharing a Love of Green Cuisine
by Karen Perry Stillerman
As local, seasonal, and organic foods earn top billing at more restaurants, UCS highlights chefs and farmers partnering to provide delicious dishes with less environmental impact.
How It Works: Wave Power Generation
by Emily Robinson and John Rogers
Solutions Offered: Climate Action in Your Hometown
by Heather Tuttle
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 Highlights from Fall 2007
Volume 6, Number2
Dangerous Climate Change
By Amy Lynd Luers
If global temperatures rise more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the risk of potentially catastrophic impacts increases greatly. A U.S. climate policy consistent with avoiding such temperatures would require a reduction in heat-trapping emissions of at least 80 percent by 2050.
Is the Tide Shifting Toward Cleaner Cars?
By Scott Nathanson
With gasoline prices hovering near the $3 mark, a new Congress in place, and sales of large, gas-guzzling vehicles slumping, UCS saw an opportunity to call for real change on cleaner cars and got the attention of consumers, lawmakers, and automakers alike.
The Space Age at 50
By Laura Grego
This fall, we celebrate the golden anniversary of the space age. But just as space has provided us with many opportunities to improve our lives, it is also a potential battlefield. Will efforts to weaponize space damage this valuable resource and make life more dangerous here on Earth?
How It Works: Heat-trapping Gases
by Brenda Ekwurzel
Solutions Offered: Putting Vehicles on a Low-Carbon Diet
by Karen Perry Stillerman
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 Highlights from Spring 2007
Volume 6, Number 1
Exxon Exposed
by Emily Robinson
While publicly expressing concern about global warming, oil giant ExxonMobil has quietly funded organizations that portray climate science as uncertain. This disinformation strategy parallels the tobacco industry's campaign to confuse the public about the dangers of smoking.
Will the Northeast Be the New Dixie?
by Erika Spanger-Siegfried
Without deep cuts in heat-trapping emissions, summers in New York near the end of the century may feel as hot as Georgia
summers do today. Fortunately, it's not too late to preserve the
traditional character of our northeastern states.
Leading the Way in Clean Vehicle Design
by Erin Rogers and Spencer Quong
UCS vehicle engineers have designed a minivan called the Vanguard that uses existing technology to offer drivers an unbeatable combination of performance, safety, affordability, and lower global warming emissions. Yet automakers show no willingness to build it.
How It Works: Thermonuclear Weapons
by Robert Nelson
Solutions Offered: Taking the Harm out of Pharma Crops
by Karen Perry Stillerman
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 Highlights from Fall 2006
Volume 5, Number 2
Winds of Change
by Jeff Deyette
Technological innovation and market growth have transformed wind energy into an efficient and reliable energy source. With further support, the near future holds even more promise.
Critical Condition: Science at the FDA
by Michael Halpern
One hundred years after vowing to protect its citizens from unsage food and drugs, the U.S. government is misusing the advice of its own scientists.
School Buses Fail to Make the Grade
by Patricia Monahan
Buses may be the safest form of transportation for our schoolchildren, but diesel pollution is a health hazard that tarnishes the image of the trusty yellow school bus.
The Gathering Storm
by Brenda Ekwurzel
By now, everyone has heard of the possible relationship between hurricanes and global warming. What does the science really tell us and what can we do about it?
How It Works: Ethanol
by Don MacKenzie
Solutions Offered: Cleaner Cars for All Consumers
by Dan Kalb and Erin Rogers
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 Highlights from Spring 2006
Volume 5, Number 1
Cleaning up Coal's Act
by Barbara Freese and Jeff Deyette
Coal power is America's biggest source of heat-trapping emissions, yet new investments in coal-fired power plants will keep us burning this fossil fuel for years to come.
Greener Pastures
by Kate Clancy
UCS investigates the role grass-fed beef and milk can play in healthy eating.
How to Help Terrorists Get The Bomb
by Edwin Lyman and Lisbeth Grolund
If the United States begins reprocessing nuclear reactor fuel, it will create an abundant new supply of plutonium that terrorists could use to build nuclear weapons.
How It Works: Fuel Economy Testing
by Don MacKenzie
Solutions Offered: Is Your Town up to the Challenge?
by Kate Abend
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 Highlights from Fall 2005
Volume 4, Number 2
Tipping the Scales
by Kathleen Campbell
What will it take to spur U.S. action on global warming?
The Trouble with Bunker Busters
by Rob Nelson
These nuclear weapons would cause widespread damage and fail to achieve their objectives.
Shopping for a Hybrid: Buyer Beware
by David Friedman, Jessica Biegelson, and Scott Nathanson
Some automakers are selling vehicles that don't deserve the "hybrid" label.
How It Works: Solar Electricity Generation
by Kristen Graf and Jeff Deyette
Solutions Offered: Eating for the Environment
by Jenn Palembas
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Highlights from Spring 2005Volume 4, Number 1
A Growing Concern
by Jane Rissler
Could we end up with drugs and industrial chemicals on our dinner plates? UCS suggests ways to keep our food supply safe.
Space: The Military's Final Frontier
by Laura Grego and David Wright
The U.S. military's push for space weapons could threaten commerce and international security.
Clean Energy, Clean Cars Are Patriotic
by Jeff Deyette and David Friedman
Renewable energy and fuel-efficient vehicles can benefit the environment and the economy.
How It Works: Cap-and-Trade Systems
by Jason Mathers and Michelle Manion
Solutions Offered: Turning HEMIs into Hybrids
by David Friedman
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Highlights from Fall 2004Volume 4, Number 2
The Risk of a Lifetime
by Eric Young
Do America's aging nuclear power plants
deserve a second chance?
In the Driver's Seat
by Jason Mark
California continues to be a national leader in environmental policy.
Stopping the Scientific Spin Doctors
by Alden Meyer and Michael Halpern
UCS presents an action plan to restore scientific integrity to federal policy making.
A Tale of Two Futures: California Feels the Heat
by Amy Lynd Luers
We can lower our emissions today or face a hotter, drier climate in the future.
How It Works: Forest Carbon Sequestration
by Michelle Manion
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Highlights from Spring 2004Volume 3, Number 1
Bringing Science Back to the People
by Alden Meyer
Science has suffered under the Bush administration, but UCS intends to restore its proper role in policy making.
Seeds of Doubt
by Margaret Mellon
Contamination of traditional seeds by genetically modified DNA threatens our food supply.
Diesel or Gasoline? Fuel for Thought
by Patricia Monahan and David Friedman
Diesel has improved, but still has a long way to go.
Mission: Impossible
by Lisbeth Gronlund and David Wright
The Bush administration intends to deploy a system that provides missile defense in name only.
How It Works: Hydrogen Fuel Cells
by Don Anair
Solutions Offered: Local Action on Global Warming
by Alden Meyer
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Highlights from Fall 2003Volume 2, Number 2
(Click on an article title to view the pdf file.)
Howard's End
After 22 years of success at UCS, President
Howard ("Bud") Ris, Jr. steps down but leaves a vital legacy.
A Vehicle for Change
by David Friedman
UCS creates a blueprint for a safer and cleaner SUV that also saves consumers money.
Easing the Natural Gas Crisis
by Jeff Deyette
Renewable energy and efficiency can stabilize natural gas prices.
How It Works: Anti-Satellite Weapons
by Laura Grego
Solutions Offered: Flip the Switch to Green Power
by Jeff Deyette
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Highlights from Spring 2003Volume 2, Number 1
(Click on an article title to view the pdf file.)
Trouble in The Heartland
by Susanne Moser
How climate change may alter the character
of the Great Lakes region.
Whose Cars Are Greenest?
by Jason Mark
UCS ranks the Big Six automakers by environmental performance and separates reality from rhetoric.
An Ounce of Prevention
by Stephen Young
How to keep nuclear weapons out of terrorists' hands.
Dirty Secrets of Astroturf Lobbying
by Paul Fain
How the auto industry mows down the facts.
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Highlights from Fall 2002Volume 1, Number 2
(Click on an article title to view the pdf file.)
Who's Minding The Pharm?
by Margaret Mellon
The promises and risks of a new generation of genetically engineered crops.
Turning Offshore Power On
by Deborah Donovan
Offshore wind power is a sustainable option for our energy system.
Alleviating Pain at the Pump
by David Friedman
A new study shows which cars and trucks will cost the most to fuel.
Penetrating the EPW Myth
by Stephen Young
Why nuclear bunker busters are a bad idea.
Connecting the Dots
by Phyllis Windle
Taking invasive species seriously.
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Highlights from Spring 2002Volume 1, Number 1
(Click on an article title to view the pdf file.)
Overcoming Energy Insecurity
by Jason Mark
Fuel efficiency and renewables promise a safer energy system.
If a Tree Falls
by Julia Petipas
Preventing forest logging means preserving species.
School Buses Don't Make the Grade
by Patricia Monahan
The Clean School Bus Program offers a healthy future to dirty polluters.
Southern Discomfort
by Melanie Fitzpatrick
A UCS report examines how climate change will interact with Gulf states' ecologies.
Common Sense on Climate Change
by Beverly Merz
UCS lays out practical solutions to global warming.
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Catalyst is the official magazine of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Published twice a year, it brings readers a better understanding of the science behind our issues and a behind-the-scenes look at the people and work of UCS. You get a free subscription when you join UCS.
BACK ISSUES
Back issues are available for $3 while supplies last. Call (617) 547-5552. Or, print and complete an order form and mail to UCS Publications, 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge, MA 02238-9105.
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