In The News

VW's Emissions Cheating Found by Curious Clean-Air Group

Jeff Plungis and Dana Hull September 25, 2015
A university lab in West Virginia, a state known for coal-mining and rejecting clean-air regulations, conducted exhaust tests that have rattled Volkswagen and a marketing strategy on “clean” diesel. Volkswagen is based in Germany, a country that promotes policies to protect the environment and stem climate change. The International Council on Clean Transportation had wanted to show European...

World Wildlife Federation: Fish Numbers on “Brink of Collapse”

Alister Doyle September 17, 2015
A study by the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London suggests that ocean fish stocks have decreased by half since 1970. The decline is linked to over-fishing, mismanagement and climate change. “Damage to coral reefs and mangroves, which are nurseries for many fish, add to problems led by over-fishing,” reports Alistair Doyle for Reuters. “The study said the world's fishing...

“Loss and Damage”: Climate Change’s Latest Byword

Renee Juliene Karunungan September 7, 2015
Less developed countries use just a fraction of the world’s fossil fuels and advocates are making plans to be “compensated for loss and damage from extreme events by rich [countries] mostly responsible for greenhouse gas-caused climate change,” writes Renee Juliene Karunungan for the Asia Sentinel. The world’s largest emitters are China, the United States, Brazil and India. The issue was raised...

Obama on Climate Change: Act Now or Condemn World to a Nightmare

Halimah Abdullah and M. Alex Johnson September 2, 2015
The effects of climate change – rising seas, depleted water supplies, burned landscapes and volatile weather patterns that contribute to mass migration, refugees and conflict – won’t be easy for future generations to repair. Foreign ministers of key Arctic and non-Arctic nations with an interest met in Alaska for a three-day conference intended to drive political will and momentum to stem...

Diplomacy at the Top of the World

James F. Collins, Ross A. Virginia and Kenneth S. Yalowitz August 31, 2015
Foreign ministers will convene to discuss the Arctic region August 31. James Collins, Ross A. Virginia and Kenneth S. Yalowitz, writing for Project Syndicate, point out the common interests for Russia and the United States. While at odds over the former’s interventions in Ukraine, the two cooperated on negotiating a deal on Iran’s nuclear program. Russia, the United States along with Canada,...

Is Climate Change Now Its Own Industry?

August 7, 2015
The climate-change industry – especially consulting on preventing, avoiding and preparing for extreme-weather events – is fast growing, explains a $995 report by Climate Change Business Journal, as covered by Insurance Journal. Corporations are conducting risk assessments that cover the next decade or two. Climate-change consulting extends deep into supply chains to avoid disruptions. “The report...

Barack Obama’s Climate Plan Makes for Canny Politics

Nick Butler August 5, 2015
President Barack Obama announced a Clean Power Plan for the United States – reducing carbon emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 and increasing reliance on renewable energy; solar power is expected to expand by 700 percent with reduced costs. “Coal-fired power plants will be closed and, with export potential limited, dozens of US coal mines will close as well,” writes Nick Butler for...