In The News

Power Game in Asia Trips Nuclear Non-Proliferation

Harsh V. Pant August 12, 2010
The aim of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, in force since 1970, was to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and eventually eliminate them altogether – even among the original five nuclear nations. The goal has been elusive as other nations seek and succeed in acquiring the technology. While the treaty allows for civilian use of nuclear technology, special deals signed for national...

China Overtakes US as World's Biggest Energy Consumer

Jonathan Watts August 12, 2010
China has surpassed the US in energy usage, making it the world’s biggest energy consumer. The International Energy Agency, based in France, reported that the nation’s use of coal, oil, wind and other sources of energy reached the equivalent of 2.26 billion tons of oil in 2009, nearly double its usage a decade ago. This surge has implications for the global market, including stress on the...

The Gulf's Invisible Villain: Natural Gas

Kate Sheppard August 9, 2010
Methane accompanies oil and gas deposits; potentially explosive with machinery, bright light, sparks or pressure, the gas poses a danger to drillers and miners. The odorless and colorless gas can also displace oxygen and catch living creatures unaware. After the oil-rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, government and media attention focused on highly visible oil rather than invisible methane. Oil...

New Killer: Climate Change

Sasha Chavkin July 22, 2010
Changes in weather patterns and the landscape, once gradual, have become more abrupt and noticeable with this century. Deserts expand, seas rise, rains pound – etching away land, jobs and homes. Hardest hit are the poorest nations, and families forced to move are left to their own devices by their governments as well as the wealthier nations that continue to emit carbon that fuel extreme weather...

Population Explosion Scrutinized

Steve Connor July 14, 2010
Researchers increasingly link population with global problems like climate change and declining resources as basic as fresh water, and the UK national academy of science will launch a study on what others regard as an overused term and needless concern. Fertility rates in most nations are falling, but the planet’s population is estimated to grow from 6.8 billion to more than 9 billion by 2050 –...

Seizing the Moment for Clean Energy

Ann Florini July 1, 2010
Government and corporate helplessness to stop oil gushing from a broken pipe in the Gulf of Mexico is a depressing reminder of the world’s utter dependence on a limited supply of fossil fuel that poses so many environmental threats. US President Barack Obama suggested that the accident could transform the nation’s energy policy, much as the 9/11 attacks altered US approach to security. But the...

Growing Challenges of Energy and Environment – Part II

Olivier Cattaneo June 24, 2010
Reliance on carbon fuels varies wildly among developed and undeveloped countries. Nations that have yet to take action on limiting carbon emissions are not necessarily the globe’s major polluters. This two-part series examines government responses to transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and the second article describes US and European proposals to impose tariffs on nations that...