In The News

The Climate May Be Right for a Warming Bill

February 6, 2008
The American public supports government action on climate change – but balks at any steps that will increase costs or change a comfortable way of life. This ambivalence has stalled legislation in US Congress. In the US, environmental legislation is often tied to other issues. For example, one bill with a chance of passage is America’s Climate Security Act. With the US is suffering an economic...

The Stay-At-Home Vacation

Hannah Karp January 28, 2008
With the public increasingly aware about the dangers of global warming, some consumers swear off travel. For most Americans, annual commuting to work produces more carbon emissions than limited air travel. But air travel is rapid and relatively inexpensive, and a passenger’s share of carbon emitted during a couple of long-distance flights quickly exceeds the typical annual commute by car. So...

Stern Report Attacked for “Advocacy”

Adam Morton January 26, 2008
In analyzing any issue, economists must work to control bias. Researchers with the Productivity Commission in Australia have labeled the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change “as much an exercise in advocacy as an economic analysis.” The researchers agree with the Stern Review that climate change will have economic consequences, but suggest that the likelihood of catastrophic events,...

World Food Stocks Dwindling Rapidly, UN Warns

Elisabeth Rosenthal January 10, 2008
Extreme weather events, a growing population, increasing affluence adding more meat to diets and diversion of grain crops for subsidized biofuels have led to depleted food reserves and soaring prices reserves. High oil prices add to the complications of transferring food aid to the most vulnerable developing nations. Wealthy nations can compensate by reducing tariffs and importing more grain,...

Modern Globalization

Nayan Chanda January 5, 2008
This column for Businessworld in India explores the many facets of globalization manifested in all aspects of life. By exploring the interconnections of the globalization forces, columnist and YaleGlobal's editor Nayan Chanda hopes to build better understanding, pointing to the dangers and opportunities. Like it or not, humanity is bound together by invisible threads of connections born of...

Oil Hits $100, Jolting Markets

Neil King Jr. January 4, 2008
The global economy depends on oil – and most of the world’s major economies are in short supply. Western oil companies now control about 10 percent of proven reserves, and with increasing demand from emerging economies, governments and industries belatedly scramble to improve efficiency and find energy alternatives. High demand for oil and the increasing price is shifting priorities and shaping...

What’s Your Consumption Factor?

Jared Diamond January 3, 2008
The average citizen of a wealthy nation consumes at a rate 32 times that of the average citizen of a poor nation, and a rising human population will present major problems if people consume at levels on display in the wealthiest nations. High consumption levels exacerbate environmental devastation, resource shortages, waste and other social problems. Citizens of the poorest countries are fully...