In The News

Problems Will Be Global – And Solutions Will Be, Too

Anne-Marie Slaughter October 13, 2011
A politically integrated world; the United Nations Security Council hosting expanded and regional organizations, like the African Union; and new applications of economic integration – this could be the face of global diplomacy 15 years from now, predicts Anne-Marie Slaughter in an article for Foreign Policy. The strongest states in 2025 will be those that have maintained “vibrant economies...

Chinese Tycoon Seeks to Buy Tract of Iceland

Andrew Ward and Leslie Hook September 2, 2011
Big land purchases attract public scrutiny, especially if the buyer is a foreign national. A Chinese real estate investor has set out to buy 300 square kilometers of Icelandic wilderness for an eco-tourism project. The tract, partly under public ownership, represents about 0.3 percent of the island and government approval is required, reports the Financial Times. Investor Huang Nubo is a former...

An Amazonian Battle

Joe Leahy August 31, 2011
After slowing of deforestation in recent years, conflict has returned to the Amazon rainforest with increasing fights between conservations and farmers. Farmers are pushing for a law granting amnesty for illegal logging before 2008 and claim that the host of environmental laws that reduced deforestation created uncertainty for investors. Environmentalists are worried about undermining...

How to Accommodate 9 Billion and Save the Environment – Part I

Yvo De Boer August 25, 2011
Crises anticipated from climate change won’t wait for political action. This YaleGlobal series examines the challenges awaiting political leaders seeking solutions to a global problem that requires tough decisions on new energy policies, investments and consumption. In the first of two articles, Yvo De Boer, former executive secretary for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and...

Huge Arctic Fire Hints at New Climate Cue

Richard Black August 2, 2011
Dry conditions stemming from climate change could lead to more wildfires even in the cool Arctic; in turn, the fires could hasten the pace of global warming. A 2007 fire in Alaska put as much carbon into the air as the entire Arctic tundra can absorb in one year, suggests ecology research released by Nature magazine and reported by the BBC News. “Fires in the tundra are uncommon because the...

Emissions in the EU: US Vilifies Carbon-Trading Scheme for Airlines

July 29, 2011
In its desire to reduce carbon emissions, the European Union has come up with a plan that has run into strong headwind. An EU regulation, in effect as of January 2012, requires carbon-trade certificates from airlines taking off or landing at EU airports. Europe’s airline industry has operated under the regulation since 2005. The US government, the US airline industry and China protest the...

The Decline of Agriculture?

Dahr Jamail July 18, 2011
Farmers who depend on reliable seasonal patterns are troubled by climate change, whether gradual or volatile disruption. Farmers and climate researchers increasingly question agriculture’s ability to feed fast-growing populations. Early sprouting, dry spells, torrential rains, virulent pests and need for replanting are no longer rare occurrences. The weather extremes of 2011 are unprecedented,...