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Time magazine
Senior editor for Time magazine and a veteran environmental reporter, he continues to write on environmental issues
PROFILE
Bryan Walsh
Guest
FROM Bryan Walsh
To the Point
The Mysteriously Disappearing Honeybees Honeybees the tiny farm workers responsible for dozens of crops, from almonds to cherries have been dying off at alarming rates for more than two decades. Recently honeybee deaths have spiked beekeepers report they lost more than 40 percent of their hives in the past year. Scientists point to a number of possible explanations. Whatever the cause, honeybee services are worth about $10 to $15 billion a year to the agriculture industry. A White House task force has proposed planting wildflowers along pollination routes to help the ailing bees. But many environmentalists are more concerned about pesticide use. We explore the worrisome trend with honeybees and the multi-billion-dollar agriculture industry that depends on them.
To the Point
Taking Stock of Superstorm Sandy Millions of Americans are feeling the brunt of one of the worst storms ever to strike the East Coast. Sandy is making its way across Pennsylvania toward Canada, after leaving a trail of destruction and death along the East Coast. We survey the damage, especially in lower Manhattan, where high winds and flooding have taken a serious toll. How long will power out for millions of people? Has Sandy demonstrated the vulnerability of the Grid? What about transportation — from flooded subways to international air travel?
Which Way, L.A.?
WHO Says Cell Phones Could Be Carcinogenic Last year, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC, spent $24 million to study cell phone use. Its conclusion was that there was no increased risk of brain cancer. But yesterday, that same organization said review of other available evidence suggests there might be a link after all. Scientists are sharply divided. We look for a common sense path through contradictory findings.
To the Point
Cell Phones and Cancer: Is there a Connection? The International Agency for Research on Cancer, an agency of the World Health Organization, produced scary headlines yesterday by warning that cell phone radiation might cause brain cancer. Tentative as it is, that suggestion contradicts the IARC's own $24 million study of a year ago, as well as the FDA and scientists who claim it's physically impossible. Everybody agrees more research is needed, but five billion people have taken to cell phones in less time than it takes many cancers to develop and grow. Will the WHO issue new guidelines? Should users take precautions on their own? We hear some conflicting opinions.
To the Point
Negotiators Argue Under Hot Cancun Sun on Global Warming Europe is gripped by bitter cold at the moment, but 2010 has been one of the hottest years in recorded history and carbon emissions may hit an all-time high. Against that background, another UN Climate Change Summit is under way in Cancun, with delegates eager to improve on last year's performance in Copenhagen. The summit has been going on for a week, but negotiations really don't get going until the end, says Bryan Walsh, who reported from Copenhagen last week and who's on his way to Cancun for Time magazine.
To the Point
BP Calls ‘Static Kill’ a Success/Government Says Most Oil Has Dispersed More than 100 days after the Deepwater Horizon exploded, BP says the so-called "static kill" finally has been successful . At the same time, federal officials say three quarters of the oil that's been spilled is now dispersed or removed from the water. Bryan Walsh has been following oil-spill developments for Time magazine.
Which Way, L.A.?
New Coast Guard Rules Hampering Coverage in the Gulf It was a story the news media largely overlooked last week, just before the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The US Coast Guard announced that a 65-square foot " safety zone " would be put in place against unauthorized persons to protect clean-up efforts in the Gulf. Photographers and reporters are among the first critics of the rule, because it bars them from getting close enough to effectively report on the spill. Why did BP put a safety zone in place now? Is it becoming harder for journalists to report on the impact of one of the biggest environmental disasters in US history? Is the government doing enough to protect the public's right to know?
To the Point
New Coast Guard Rules Hampering Coverage in the Gulf It was a story the news media largely overlooked last week, just before the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The US Coast Guard announced that a 65-square foot " safety zone " would be put in place against unauthorized persons to protect clean-up efforts in the Gulf. Photographers and reporters are among the first critics of the rule, because it bars them from getting close enough to effectively report on the spill. Why did BP put a safety zone in place now? Is it becoming harder for journalists to report on the impact of one of the biggest environmental disasters in US history? Is the government doing enough to protect the public's right to know?
Which Way, L.A.?
Climategate Scientists Cleared, but Skepticism Remains Last year, just before the UN climate change meeting in Copenhagen, a hacker got into one of the world's leading climate change research centers and released a thousand emails. A scandal followed over the content of the emails – researchers speaking scathingly about their critics and about how to keep opponents out of peer-reviewed studies. The center's integrity was challenged and an independent inquiry was launched. The results of that review have just been released. Bryan Walsh is a staff writer at Time magazine, where he focuses on the environment.
To the Point
Climategate Scientists Cleared, but Skepticism Remains Last year, just before the UN climate change meeting in Copenhagen, a hacker got into one of the world's leading climate change research centers and released a thousand emails. A scandal followed over the content of the emails – researchers speaking scathingly about their critics and about how to keep opponents out of peer-reviewed studies. The center's integrity was challenged and an independent inquiry was launched. The results of that review have just been released. Bryan Walsh is a staff writer at Time magazine, where he focuses on the environment.
To the Point
BP Cuts Leaking Pipe as Oil Slick Heads Eastward After six weeks of continuous failures in the Gulf of Mexico, technicians today successfully cut what's called the "riser pipe" that is spewing oil into the ocean. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who's commanding the federal response, called it "a significant step forward" on the part of BP. Bryan Walsh has been covering the ongoing disaster for Time magazine.
Which Way, L.A.?
Climate Change, Immigration Reform and California Today was the day that Democrat John Kerry, Republican Lindsay Graham and Independent Joe Lieberman were set to introduce a new climate change bill in the Senate. But over the weekend, Senate leader Harry Reid said immigration reform would come first. Graham called that a " cynical ploy " that would leave climate change with "no chance of success."
To the Point
Senate Republican Goes Cold on Climate Bill Fallout from Arizona's new immigration law has already reached the US Senate, where Harry Reid now say it's time to deal with what is, after all, a federal issue. Republican Lindsay Graham calls that a “ cynical ploy ” to appeal to Hispanic voters, and he's backing away from a bipartisan compromise on climate change. Cut to California, where Texas oil companies are spending big money to repeal what's now the toughest climate-change law in the country. If voters agree in November, will the effort to curb global warming suffer a double whammy?
To the Point
US Ready to Join $100 Billion Climate Aid Fund Hillary Clinton arrived in Copenhagen today, hoping to put new life into the climate talks. She said the US will join other countries in raising $100 billion a year by the year 2020 to help poor nations adjust to global warming. Bryan Walsh is in Copenhagen for Time magazine.
Which Way, L.A.?
The High Price of Cheap Food Horror stories about America's food industry go back to Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle , published in 1906. The current issue of Time magazine concludes that some things have improved a lot in the past 103 years…but that others have gotten worse.
To the Point
Is the Ag Industry Making Us Fat and Damaging the Environment? Horror stories about America's food industry go back to Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle , published in 1906. The current issue of Time magazine concludes that some things have improved a lot in the past 103 years, but that others have gotten worse.
Recommended
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.