In The News

Elizabeth Nash April 14, 2008
Spain’s second largest city must cope with a water shortage resulting from extreme drought. Now, the city must import water by ship and rail. Barcelona has a reputation for efficient infrastructure, reports Elizabeth Nash for the Independent, but climate change and water shortages disrupt city life. The city has turned off public fountains and pools and plans to conserve the imports by lowering...
April 11, 2008
Development and trade have lifted many from poverty, but have also widened inequality around the globe. Diverting grain crops from food products to biofuels depleted global food stocks causing spikes in prices. Climate change and a declining dollar also add to prices. Reports of food riots and families stretching meals by adding dirt as an ingredient reveal growing desperation in the world’s...
Chris Farrell April 9, 2008
The world is facing a surfeit of scarcity. The emergence of new economic heavyweights like China and India has increased global demand, even as many observers warn that past development has left the world’s resources dangerously depleted. These arguments, combined with alarming increases in food and energy prices, have led some to believe that Malthus was right after all: Economic growth is...
Margot Cohen April 7, 2008
The invention of a tiny stove in India demonstrates the link between reduced carbon emissions and improved health – and how technology can contribute to slowing climate change. Global energy giant BP is producing and marketing Oorja, which means energy in Hindi, a small pellet stove that produces substantially fewer emissions than the traditional wood-burning stoves so common throughout India. In...
Terry Macalister April 2, 2008
Traders have a knack for finding loopholes in subsidies and other policies to gain more profits. The European Biodiesel Board has uncovered a trading scheme that exploits US agricultural subsides, designed to encourage biofuel products made from corn and soy beans, reports Terry Macalister for the Guardian. The schemers ship biodiesel from Europe to the US, add a dash of US fuel to their mixture...
Monica Prasad April 1, 2008
The idea of a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute to global warming, is gaining attention worldwide, but there’s little agreement on the best design. Monica Prasad, sociology professor at Northwestern University, notes that for the past two decades, the countries of Scandinavia have had carbon taxes in place. Success in reducing emissions depends on how countries spend that revenue...
Michael Richardson March 28, 2008
As public pressure builds to curb climate change, every industry that relies heavily on fossil fuels can expect new regulations. This two-part series examines the challenges of regulating global waters and skies. So far, the shipping and aviation sectors of the transportation industry have kept a low profile, because they crisscross national borders and governments do not want to increase the...