Lowballin' in Cali: California's cap-and-trade program kicked off last week, as the Golden State auctioned off over 23 million permits that allow their bearers to emit one metric ton of CO2. The good news: there was clearly high demand for the allowances, signaling that businesses are willing to engage with the concept of a carbon market. The bad news: the permits sold cheap, at an average price of $10.09 -- only nine cents above the minimum bid -- suggesting that companies are apprehensive about the program's long-term viability. Considering all the recent talk of a $20/ton carbon tax, California's emitters should be giddy they're paying just ten bucks a pop. New York Times
Denim deals: When people talk about the hazards of fracking, water contamination and methane leakage usually top the list. But let's not forget about the safety of fracking workers, who, thanks to lax regulations and their own inexperience, are eight times more likely to die on the job than the average American employee. To be fair, they do get some pretty sweet jean jackets for not filing their workers' comp claims ... almost makes the crushed vertebrae worth it. MotherJones
Pharmed fish: The European Commission has been pushing to regulate endocrine-disrupting pharmaceuticals in the continent's waterways, on the grounds that flushed contraceptives and anti-inflammatory pills are turning male fish into females (see "Drugging Our Waters"). But those common-sense laws are almost certain to be vetoed by the European Parliament on the grounds that they'll be too expensive to implement -- a claim that environmentalists say is totally bogus. For the feminized fish populations, our best advice is to hope that, in the immortal words of Jurassic Park's Professor Ian Malcom, "Life will find a way." Nature
Midlife crisis monkey-style: Craving a Corvette? Begging to bungee-jump? Take heart in the knowledge that, somewhere in Africa, a middle-aged chimpanzee is saying to his mate, "You know, if I have to eat one more banana, I think I'll kill myself." Los Angeles Times
King Corn conquers Brazil: Just in case massive soybean plantations and cattle ranches weren't enough to ensure the complete despoliation of the Amazon and the Cerrado, Brazil has recently begun to grow and export a certain infamous commodity crop. Have you no shame, corn? Be there no land 'pon which you dare not tread? Apparently not. The Guardian
A river re-runs through it: The US and Mexico agreed to a landmark deal Tuesday to share the waters of the Colorado River, which will help the countries adapt to droughts and restore the Colorado's broken ecology. For some crazy reason Mexico was unhappy with the terms of the previous agreement, which allowed the US to divert all the water for agriculture and hydropower, turning Mexico's stretch of the river into a muddy salt-flat that never even reached the sea. So greedy, that Mexico. New York Times
The turducken meets its match: Still trying to decide what to serve the pesky vegetarians who come to your Thanksgiving feast and refuse to eat the meat you so generously provide them? Satisfy your annoying guests with the VeggieDucken, a massive leeks-inside-squash-inside-yams concoction that is as delicious as it is terrifying. After all, why should the carnivores have all the fun? Grist
Image: Nick Young
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