The Hudson Bay peatlands are a haven for biodiversity and a powerful carbon sink. | The Water Brothers & Wildlands League The largest herds of caribou in the world make their homes here. Polar bears give birth to cubs in dens dug into this soil, some of them more than 200 years old. And birds…
Read moreHow soybeans took over America — and the world
Vegan heaven (just kidding — these soybeans will mostly be processed into farm animal feed). | Ben Brewer/Bloomberg Americans have a weird relationship with soy, one of the most important and widely cultivated crops in the world. Most of us associate the protein-packed, butter-yellow orbs known as soybeans with niche vegetarian products like tofu, soy…
Read moreThe pros and cons of Prop. 310 banning flavored nicotine products in Denver (Letters)
No on 310: Protect small businesses in Denver Re: “Bloomberg gives $1.5M to help save flavored-tobacco ban,” Oct. 9 news story As ballots begin arriving in mailboxes, small business owners like me are standing up to a New York billionaire who has poured $1.6 million into keeping Denver’s flavored tobacco ban in place. This brings…
Read moreCU’s decision to shut down Palestinian film conflicts with spirit of Sundance (Letters)
Campus action against film screening seems to conflict with spirit of Sundance Re: “Police shut down students’ film screening,” Sept. 27 news story The relocation of the Sundance Film Festival to Boulder is certainly a good thing for the Colorado film community. Much good will come from it, including a partnership with the University of…
Read moreDon’t overlook Hamas’ role in the destruction of Gaza (Letters)
Don’t overlook Hamas’ role in the destruction of Gaza Re: “The genocide has lasted for 2 years, Americans must speak for Palestinians,” Oct. 5 commentary This is in response to the editorial essay written by Rep. Iman Jodeh. In the essay, there is one sentence devoted to the Oct. 7, 2023, atrocity that occurred in…
Read moreRelease immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra from ICE detention (Letters)
Release Vizguerra Re: “Detained activist says that she feels ‘vulnerable’ six months after arrest,” Sept. 30 news story Jeanette Vizguerra, an activist detained by ICE for 6 months, should be released immediately. She is a working mother who paid taxes supporting the government at the time of her detention. Being held, she is costing the…
Read moreAbusive sports fans make for ugly weekend in Boulder (Letters)
BYU game: CU needs a Civility 101 course I took my two BYU-bound teenagers, ages 13 and 16, to the Colorado/BYU game on Saturday night, and I was shocked by the lack of civility of CU fans. Fans shouted directly at us “(expletive) BYU” dozens of times, women on the streets of Boulder flashed my…
Read moreThe climate movement’s biggest weakness
Here’s a sobering fact: Even if the entire world transitions away from fossil fuels, the way we farm and eat will cause global temperatures to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — the critical threshold set in the Paris Climate Agreement. The further we go above that limit, the more intense the effects of…
Read moreThe surging price tag of wildfires, in one chart
The wildfires in Los Angeles earlier this year were likely the costliest blazes on record. The modern age of burning has been ignited by human hands. Though wildfires are natural and necessary in many ecosystems, their expanding path of destruction in recent years has been worsened by all the different ways humanity has reshaped the…
Read moreTrump’s call for military to fight “enemy within” is grounds for impeachment (Letters)
Trump’s address to military — not the American way Re: “Trump’s military speech: Cities as training grounds,” Oct. 1 news story Donald Trump summoned our military leaders to tell them to prepare to do battle with the “enemy within” U.S. cities with Democratic mayors. We should not be talking about the government shutdown or the…
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