In The News

1 Million Species at Risk: National Geographic

Stephen Leahy May 6, 2019
Humans, their growing numbers and development, are overwhelming the world’s other 8.5 million species. “Without a global societal transformation that focuses on protecting nature, one million species may be pushed to extinction by human activities in the coming years – with serious consequences for human beings and the rest of life on Earth – according to a landmark United Nations report on the...

USA Today: Tsunami in Indonesia

Susan Miller October 2, 2018
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia followed by a tsunami that struck Palu, a city of more than 300,000. The disaster killed more than 1300 and displaced tens of thousands more with survivors desperate for food, water and supplies. The numbers are expected to rise. “Relief workers are mobilizing to help devastated areas and rescue teams are desperately hunting for survivors in the aftermath...

Are Foreign NGOs Rebuilding Haiti or Cashing In?

Nathalie Baptiste August 3, 2015
Since the 2010 earthquake, billions of dollars in aid have poured into Haiti. But most of this money has gone towards salaries for expatriate NGO workers, not towards rebuilding Haiti. The trend has created a class of well-compensated expats who take jobs that might have gone to Haitians and drives up the island’s cost of living, suggests Nathalie Baptiste for Foreign Policy. Projects like...

Oklahoma Earthquake Linked to Oil Extraction Wastewater

Jason Palmer April 1, 2013
Injecting millions of liters of water and chemicals into the ground for drilling oil and gas has been linked to seismic events, including a 5.7 earthquake in Oklahoma in 2011. A study in the journal Geology suggests that related seismic activity can occur years after wastewater injections begin. “The new study adds to an increasing body of evidence that the injection of wastewater is correlated...

Let's Not Learn to Love Disaster

Stan Cox February 1, 2013
Countries often focus on disasters within their borders, overlooking floods, fires and storms elsewhere. Scientist Stan Cox suggests that entire economies must be restructured in an opinion essay for Al Jazeera: “Governments and corporations worldwide … have built entire economies that depend on huge energy inputs and ever-expanding consumption, and they can't back out now.” Disasters are...

UN Report Ties Climate Change to Extreme Weather

Marlowe Hood November 4, 2011
The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change of the United Nations has released a draft report that anticipates a rise in record-setting storms, floods and temperatures. The report’s release is Nov 18, reports AFP, but “the overall picture that emerges is one of enhanced volatility and frequency of dangerous weather, leading in turn to a sharply increased risk for large swathes of humanity in...

Japan in a Post 3/11 World – Part II

John Berthelsen October 7, 2011
Disasters present new beginning and perspectives with the need to build anew. Whether vowing to rebuild and replicate or relocate, those reviving Japan will strive for security and improvements. This YaleGlobal series explores the transformative effects of spring’s earthquake-tsunami on Japanese politics, energy policy and business. The disaster has prompted Japanese manufacturers to scout Asia...