Laura Knoy

Are Chemical Plants Ready for Y2K?

If a chemical plant is hit by the Y2K problem at midnight on December 31st, toxic chemicals could escape. Host Laura Knoy talks with Jerry Pogy, a member of the federal Chemical Safety Board, who says that large corporations are getting prepared for the new year but he’s worried that many small and medium companies […]

Decline in the World’s Languages

The Gulf of Main Cod Stocks are Down

The World

Just How Cold is it In Alaska

1999 State of the World Report

Norway Bans Big Malls

In an effort to revitalize city centers, reduce sprawl and encourage use of public transportation, Norway’s government has banned construction outside city centers of any new shopping mall larger than 3,000 square meters. Host Laura Knoy talks with the country’s Deputy Minister for the Environment, Jasper Simonsen.

Sparing Yellowstone Bison: An Update

In winter, the migratory bison herds which reside in Yellowstone Park often follow snowmobile trails out of park boundaries foraging for grass away from the snowy plateaus. In recent years, bison that wander off park grounds have been shot by Montana State rangers, fearing the animals might spread the disease brucellosis (broo-cell-LOW-sis) to cattle. After […]

Hurricane Mitch’s Central America Disaster: The Human Contributions

The devastation to Honduras and Nicaragua from hurricane Mitch is being called the worst of its kind in two hundred years, taking thousands of lives and leaving the region’s food supply, landscape, and economy in ruins. Laura Knoy talks with Jim Barberack about what land use decisions and practices may have contributed to the extent […]

The Tigers of India, and the Man who’s Filmed Them

A new six-part documentary series on the tigers of India will soon be broadcasting on PBS’ program, ‘Nature.’ Laura Knoy spoke with filmmaker Valmick Thapar who is one of the world’s leading authorities on tigers. He gained most of his knowledge first-hand, spending twenty years among these increasingly endangered striped felines.

New Ruling in Flint, Michigan

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency ruled that a proposed steel mill could locate in the economically depressed City of Flint, Michigan, rejecting charges brought by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and residents of Flint who claimed pollution from the plant would primarily affect minority residents. Laura Knoy spoke with reporter Emilia Askari who […]