carbon tax

Global warming? Ha -- throw another lump of coal on the barbie, Australians say

Aug. 17, 2009

Americans make up 5 percent of the world's population, and with that we manage to crank out 25 percent of the greenhouse gases that have us hurtling toward climate catastrophe.

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So, we're the worst offenders, you'd think. But no. That would be Australia, where the per capita greenhouse gas production rates are even higher than here in the U-S of A.

Writing for The Wall Street Journal from Canberra, Rachel Pannett offers an interesting look at what she bills as a possible preview of what's to happen here on the Waxman-Markey Cap'n Trade bill.

The report from Down Under definitely inspires a sense of deja vu:

Like the U.S.

Public Health | January 2012

The Prescription Epidemic

As Washington enacts the strongest prescription drug law in the country, InvestigateWest presents a six-month investigation into the origins of the prescription epidemic, the challenge it poses for communities, and what lessons other states might learn.

Check out the full list of news outlets publishing the story, and on Monday, Jan. 30 at 9 p.m., tune into Prescription for Abuse, a KCTS 9/InvestigateWest documentary and roundtable with prescription drug experts.

Environment | December 2011

Where There's Smoke, Sickness:
Wood smoke now a major polluter

The health risks of wood smoke pollution -- heart attacks, asthma, cancer -- vex poor and rural communities where wood is a cheap or even free source of heat. Our own Robert McClure teamed up with KCTS 9/Earthfix and Northwest News Network to find out what can be done.

Public Health

Lifesaving Drugs, Deadly Consequences

An InvestigateWest investigation has found that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration does not regulate exposure to chemotherapy in the workplace, despite multiple studies documenting ongoing contamination and exposures and their potentially deadly consequences for human health.

Public Health

Fresh Out of Foster Care and Homeless

InvestigateWest reporter Carol Smith looks at homelessness through the lens of young adults in Washington and the impact on schools around the state.