In The News

Final Text of Environment Deal Hammered Out

John Mason September 3, 2002
With the understanding that environmental issues are not containable to any one region, representatives from all over the world have gathered at the World Summit on Sustainable Development to finalize a global agreement of cooperation. Issues on the table include universal access to clean water, globalization of trade and finance, new targets on renewable energy production, protection of fish...

Bid to Break Deadlock Over GM Food

John Mason August 28, 2002
The World Bank will launch an international biotechnology initiative aimed at opening up policy possibilities for the use of genetically modified (GM) foods. The global initiative sits against the backdrop of environmental, social, and economic concerns regarding the role of GMs. Economically, the biotechnology proposition has found European consumer opposition, creating rifts in trade with the U...

Chinese Will Move Waters to Quench Thirst of Cities

Erik Eckholm August 27, 2002
The Chinese have a history of monumental construction projects. Now the Beijing government is planning one of the largest industrial endeavors in history in which millions of gallons of water from the Yangtze River basin will be rechanneled over one thousand miles to parched northern cities. While the need for more water in the north is unquestioned, how Beijing will overcome the heavily...

Nor Any Drop to Drink

August 22, 2002
Despite India's relative abundance of water, the majority of Indians wonder from where and for how much longer their water is coming. With farmers seeking more for their crops and villages demanding more for drinking, the central government is deferring to the states to regulate the available supply. Andhra Pradesh, a southern state, has created local councils to determine appropriations...

To Fuel the Mideast’s Grills, Somalia Smolders

Marc Lacey July 25, 2002
When a bag of charcoal fetches US$10 in the Middle East, and a full ship’s worth is valued at US$1 million, there is no wonder that charcoal is called Somalia’s “black gold.” But what might be good for individual citizens living in a war-torn county is hardly good for the country and its environment. The U.N. estimates that forestation in Somalia has shrunk from 14% of the land to 4% in a decade...

Japanese Computer Is World’s Fastest, as U.S. Falls Back

John Markoff April 20, 2002
Japan recently unveiled a supercomputer so powerful that it would take the 20 fastest American supercomputers combined to rival it. The innovation has shocked U.S. computer scientists who have dominated the supercomputer-building scene for the last decade. Some believe the reason that the Japanese model was able to outstrip American models was the focus behind its production. The Japanese...

A Gas Pipeline to the World Outside

Wayne Arnold October 26, 2001
Villagers in Thailand’s Taling Chan district have organized in an attempt to stop the planned construction of a natural gas pipeline. They fear the pipeline and its attendant support operations will industrialize their village and threaten their lifestyle. The pipeline, which would carry gas from Thailand to Malaysia, is cited as another example of the intrusiveness of globalization and its...