From the Editor

Victory is sweet. In January, the Obama administration rejected the proposed 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline that would have moved Canadian tar sands oil across the United States. A year ago, the pipeline was a backburner issue even among environmental groups. By the start of 2011 it had catapulted to the top of the national agenda and had even gotten wrapped up in the wrangling over whether tens of millions of Americans would get a payroll tax break. The White House’s decision against the pipeline marked a major victory for greens.

Of course, as David Brower once said, no environmental victory is ever final. Republicans keep angling to find a way to push …more

An Underwater Serengeti

Scientists and Recreational Scuba Divers Are Working to Protect the Spectacular Marine Life in the Waters Around Costa Rica’s Cocos Island

by Todd Steiner. Photos by George Duffield and Nonie Silver

Reaping the Whirlwind

Rising Temperatures, Unseasonal Rains, and New Pests are Changing Farming as We Know It

by Jason Mark, Neelima Mahajan, Maureen Nandini Mitra, and Betwa Sharma

Natural Law

From Rural Pennsylvania to South America, a Global Alliance is Promoting the Idea that Ecosystems Have Intrinsic Rights

by Jason Mark