In The News

Global Climate Change: Taking the Battle to the Campus

Richard Levin February 26, 2007
Climate change is a global problem that demands immediate leadership. Governments debate various capping and taxation measures to reduce fossil-energy use, but ordinary citizens can also take steps to conserve in their own daily lives. As a hub of scientists and future leaders, universities are a natural place for devising innovative strategies for emission reduction and can serve as a powerful...

A Denuclearization Deal in Beijing: The Prospect of Ending the 20th Century in East Asia

Gavan McCormack February 23, 2007
The February agreement to begin the denuclearization process of North Korea could usher in a new era of peace and cooperation for a once volatile region. The agreement required diplomacy – the US willing to back away from its stance of refusing to talk with North Korea before the nuclear program was dismantled. In this paper for “Japan Focus,” Gavan McCormack points that North Korea had long “...

The New Math of Alternative Energy

Rebecca Smith February 23, 2007
Criticized for years as costly and unsustainable, alternative energy attracting renewed interest amidst a wave of technological developments and rising oil prices. While the US depends heavily on fossil fuels, renewable energy sources such as biomass, wind, geothermal and solar are likely to account for a larger share of the electricity supply in future years. With growing concerns over global...

A Battle Over the Costs of Global Warming

David Leonhardt February 21, 2007
Now that environmentalists and scientists are unanimous that human activities cause global warming, the debate has shifted to the cost and pace of slowing it down. Two sides have emerged among economists: those who support immediate action versus those who support gradual steps. Sir Nicholas Stern of the UK released a 700-page report in late 2006 that suggests global warming could rival World...

Climate Change: Scientists Warn It May Be Too Late to Save the Ice Caps

David Adam February 20, 2007
New studies of ice in Greenland and Antarctica show that ice is melting faster than scientists had expected. Melting ice would raise sea levels by 6 meters and sharply reduce the world’s supply of fresh-water. Low-lying areas – from Bangladesh to London and New York – can expect major flooding. Scientists estimate a 50 percent chance that the planet’s ice caps will melt, regardless of what...

Conservatives Assail North Korea Accord

Glenn Kessler February 16, 2007
Conservatives in the US do not trust the Kim Jong Il regime in North Korea and expect proof that the country has “stopped sponsoring terrorism” before removing it from a US terror list. Conservatives who promote a tough stance toward terrorists and nations that sponsor terror resent what they view as a new pragmatic approach emerging from the Bush administration, reports Glenn Kessler in “The...

The New Cyprus Controversy: Oil

George Gilson February 15, 2007
Cyprus has at least several billion barrels of oil in offshore fields, although the exact amount is uncertain. The island has been divided into two parts since 1974, when Turkey intervened in a coup and Turkey protests attempts by Cyprus to make oil deals with neighboring nations such as Egypt or Lebanon or international oil firms. The United Nations maintains a buffer zone across Cyprus – one-...