To the Point
Volcanic Disruptions: Past, Present and Future
This week's volcanic eruption is a wake-up call for the airline industry and regulators unprepared to deal with the consequences. It's also a lesson in humanity's inability to control nature. How likely is a much bigger eruption? Is there any way to get ready? Also, President Obama is in New York pushing financial reform. On Reporter's Notebook, is Earth Day a great time to go shopping?
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenThis week's volcanic eruption is a wake-up call for the airline industry and regulators unprepared to deal with the consequences. It's also a lesson in humanity's inability to control nature. How likely is a much bigger eruption? Is there any way to get ready? Also, President Obama is in New York pushing financial reform, and on this 40th Earth Day, 76% of Americans are shopping green for the good of the planet, but are they making a difference? What does it really take to improve the environment?
Banner image: An aircraft with its engines covered with plastic protection is parked in front of the control tower at Cointrin Geneva's International Airport, on April 18, 2010 as planes are grounded following the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
In this episode
3 storiesPresident Obama Goes to New York to Push Financial Reform
President Obama today went to Cooper Union, in the shadow of Wall Street, to push for finance reform . But he focused attack less on bankers and traders themselves than their representatives in Washington, who buckle under the influence of "battalions of financial industry lobbyists." Craig Gordon is White House correspondent for Politico.com .
Read the story8 minAre We Prepared for Volcanic Disruption?
Airports in Europe are back in business, although shifting winds have sent plumes of volcanic ash over Scotland and Scandinavia, forcing some airports to close again. Even as Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano calms down, the total damages from this week's eruption continue to mount, as do complaints about the way it's been handled.
Read the story37 minGreen Products as Modern Indulgences
"On the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, Let's…Go shopping!" reads a headline from Newsweek magazine which argues that "buying green and changing personal behavior won't save the planet." The Gallup Poll has found that 76% of Americans have bought products specifically because they thought they were better for the environment.
Read the story6 min
