In The News

A Camellia Grows in Boston

Peter Del Tredici November 26, 2002
According to many scientists, the Industrial Revolution and the explosion in the use of fossil fuels have led to a worldwide rise in air and sea temperatures. Although some skeptical politicians and scientists argue against the evidence for global warming, the personal experience of Harvard's arboretum director indicates otherwise. This seasoned horticulturalist finds a degree of joy in...

Spotlight Falls on a Heavily Globalised Industry

Daniel Dombey November 20, 2002
After the oil tanker, the Prestige, broke in half off the Spanish coast and began gushing forth its slick contents, thousands of fishing families and businesses who depend on the ocean and pristine beaches began asking who should be held liable. As this Financial Times article notes, "the Prestige, registered in the Bahamas, owned by a Liberian company, managed by a Greek company and...

Coral Reefs off the Florida Keys Get Protection from Large Ships

November 14, 2002
The advent of globalization has increased international trade and the volume of shipping which supports that trade. More than 40 percent of the world’s commerce passes through the Florida Straights, damaging its fragile coral reef ecosystem. This area has already been weakened through pollution, over fishing, and coastal development. To combat these negative effects, the Bush administration has...

North Sea Cod Crisis Brings Call for Nations to Act

Craig S. Smith November 7, 2002
For the fisheries in ports and towns that depend on the North Sea cod, even more restrictions—or even a ban altogether—will soon follow the release of a scientific report outlining the perilous number of North Sea cod. The seemingly interminable discussions of the European Union’s fishing ministries on the matter have only let the cod stock dwindle. Other leaders, like the European Commissioner...

Scorched Earth: Environmental Legacy of Tropical Peat Fires

November 7, 2002
Researchers say that events such as wildfires, occurring on a tiny area of the globe, can have a huge impact on the global carbon cycle. They cite the example of fire in Indonesia in 1997 started to clear forest for agriculture. – YaleGlobal

Why Should We Do More to Cut Greenhouse Gases?

P. Sunderarajan October 31, 2002
At the start of a UN conference on climate change in New Delhi, the Indian government is taking offense at the suggestion that India and other so-called developing nations should further decrease their greenhouse gases emissions. Developed nations have called for an increase in developing nations' commitment to gas reduction. Prime Minister Vajpayee calls this proposed standard “...

Bhopal Seethes, Pained and Poor 18 Years Later

Amy Waldman September 21, 2002
When a gas cloud leaked out of the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal 18 years ago, the health threat was the immediate concern. Although health complications continue to loom over the residents – 30,000 people have been diagnosed as suffering from long-term harm – new worries plague the community. The desire for accountability, retribution, and compensation play out on a local stage that seeks global...