In The News

Erich Follath August 22, 2006
The modern world depends on oil and other natural resources for survival – and the most powerful countries travel the globe, searching for supplies. China, surpassed only by the US in oil-consumption levels, has blocked UN sanctions against Sudan to secure oil shipments and increasingly becomes friendly with Iran. When it come to oil, the US and China have policy differences, leading some...
Christa Case August 15, 2006
Some politicians view global heating as a major issue in upcoming elections – and are taking preemptive action. Europe, anticipating expiration of the Kyoto Treaty in 2012, created an emissions market: Companies buy and sell rights to emit greenhouse gases, and face fines for excess waste, in a market providing incentives to improve corporate practices. The system recognizes that the emissions...
Niall Ferguson August 14, 2006
Oceans provide food, transportation and beauty – and a place to hide trash. Yet the trash is more obvious, particularly plastic, which takes more than a century to degrade and piles up as small islands in some parts of the world. Ocean pollution exemplifies the “tragedy of the commons,” when a public resource gets abused by many and protected by none. The 1994 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea...
Peter Doran August 14, 2006
Upon analyzing one small ice-free area in Antarctica, Peter Doran and his fellow researchers found that between 1986 and 2000, it had actually cooled. In fact, during that same time period, it was noted that most of the continent underwent cooling rather then warming. This evidence, coupled with another study that showed Antarctic ice sheets are thickening, caused some to conclude incorrectly...
Keith Bradsher August 10, 2006
Winning over of a landlocked, poor and conflict-riddled African nation might not seem like a great victory, but any time a country switches allegiance from Taiwan to the People’s Republic, China regards it as a diplomatic coup. Chad once recognized Taiwan, calling China a “common enemy” because of that country’s alleged support of Sudanese militias and Chadian rebels destabilizing its eastern...
Andrew C. Revkin August 5, 2006
A recent change in NASA’s mission statement has consequences, because many staff refer to that statement when crafting research proposals and agendas. The mission statement used to read: “To understand and protect our home planet; to explore the universe and search for life; to inspire the next generation of explorers ... as only NASA can.” But earlier this year, NASA officials deleted reference...
Raquel Gutierrez July 29, 2006
Bolivia is nationalizing its energy resources by negotiating with government, corporate and individual interests – providing a test case for some of President Evo Morales’ loftiest campaign promises. The process is really a re-nationalization process, according to analysts Raquel Gutierrez and Dunia Mokrani, based on redrafting past agreements between the government and oil companies that unduly...