In The News

The Planet in Peril – Part II

Jim Hansen October 24, 2006
People have some measure of control over how much the climate will change, explains Jim Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. In the second of a two-part series, he makes specific recommendations that do require some sacrifice: Humans must end their reliance on fossil fuels; governments can impose carbon taxes in a way that provides incentives to decrease fuel...

The Planet in Peril – Part I

Jim Hansen October 19, 2006
The evidence on global warming is overwhelming. Ongoing scientific research reveals that human-induced climate change will contribute to dangerous new weather patterns and rising sea levels that will gradually swamp many coastal cities, displacing millions of people over the next century. Jim Hansen, director of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, explores the implications of global...

Golden Age Is Fast Wilting

Gwynne Dyer October 17, 2006
The world is gradually losing its ability to feed itself. While the “Green Revolution” revolutionized agricultural efficiency in the second half of the 20th century, that revolution is over with its legacy steadily eroded by inexorable population growth. For the sixth time in seven years, the world will not produce enough food to feed itself in 2006, according to journalist Gwynne Dyer....

Sensible Ideas on Why to Engage Tehran

Rami G. Khouri October 17, 2006
Since the end of the Cold War, the US has led the international effort to encourage global security and nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. The US unabashedly has used regime change and an array of diplomacy to promote arms control and democracy. But the tools have failed when it comes to Iran and North Korea and their nuclear programs. Even the most hawkish voter in Texas understands the US...

China Returns to Africa

Paul Kennedy October 16, 2006
In the early 15th century, the Chinese Admiral Zheng He made a series of naval expeditions, traveling as far as East Africa, bringing back ivory, gold, and even a few giraffes. Shortly after the expeditions, the Ming Dynasty banned the masted, seagoing craft, initiating a period of voluntary isolation that lasted for almost 600 years. Yet recently, China’s economic policies have turned back...

OPEC President Scrambles for Output-Cut Consensus

Bhushan Bahree October 16, 2006
Consumers are unlikely to be sympathetic, but OPEC’s president is striving to get the cartel to reduce oil production to halt an ongoing fall in oil prices. While prices are still more than twice as high as they are three years ago, they have fallen considerably off their recent peaks. President Edmund Daukoru is determined to prevent any further drop as the world’s economy slows. Individual...

Technical Perspective on North Korea’s Nuclear Test

October 12, 2006
The news that North Korea had successfully tested a nuclear weapon on Monday morning shocked the world. Estimates about the size of the explosion ranged wildly, with some reporting a half-kiloton blast to others guessing that it was much larger. The key questions are: did the test go as planned, and is there likely to be another soon? Dr. Gi-Wook Hin of Stanford sat down with Dr. Siegfried Hecker...