In The News

Another New World Order

Kevin Lynch September 17, 2010
This century’s diverse series of threats – from the Y2K computer glitch to terrorist attacks, war, financial meltdowns and environmental degradation – have both raised expectations and eroded faith in government leadership, observes Kevin Lynch for the Globe & Mail. He lists four structural trends driving a new world order: globalization, demographics, the information revolution and climate...

Food Production: Agriculture Wars

Javier Blas, Leslie Hook September 13, 2010
A hostile bid for the world’s largest listed fertilizer company highlights the role of food production in a world experiencing population growth. For decades, an illusion of overabundance prevailed. But the global fertilizer sector has been a focus of merger-and-acquisition activity this year, as alarms over food scarcity, punctuated by short-term price hikes, renew interest in food production....

The Food Crisis

Martin Walker September 10, 2010
The world’s food supply is based on limited natural resources. Any disruptions in water supplies or weather patterns – exacerbated by growing populations and increased development of land – can quickly lead to food shortages, high prices and unrest. Martin Walker, writing for UPI.com, predicts “pressure on food supplies for decades to come.” Climate change and a fast-mutating fungus Ug99 that...

20 Years Left: Mammals Plunge Into Extinction

Ben Cubby September 9, 2010
Animals like the bettong, small marsupials known as rat kangaroos, survived ice ages and hunters for million years. But increasing fires, predation and invasive species are now threatening extinction for bettongs and other species, reports Ben Cubby for the Sydney Morning Herald. Wildlife surveys across the region, commissioned by the Nature Conservancy, show an average 75 percent drop in mammal...

Germany Leads With Its Goal of 100 Percent Renewable Energy

Daniel Boese September 7, 2010
Germany is demonstrating steady progress in unshackling itself from fossil fuel dependence by converting to renewable energy sources. Polls show that more than 80 percent of the nation favors development of homegrown wind, sun and geothermal energy alternatives and escape from importing the bulk of oil, gas or uranium from foreign sources. In economic terms, Germany is an early adopter. The large...

China Overtakes US as World's Biggest Energy Consumer

Jonathan Watts August 12, 2010
China has surpassed the US in energy usage, making it the world’s biggest energy consumer. The International Energy Agency, based in France, reported that the nation’s use of coal, oil, wind and other sources of energy reached the equivalent of 2.26 billion tons of oil in 2009, nearly double its usage a decade ago. This surge has implications for the global market, including stress on the...

In Crackdown on Energy Use, China to Shut 2,000 Factories

Keith Bradsher August 12, 2010
Analysts predict that the countries that pursue energy efficiency and green technology – ending their dependence on fossil fuels – will emerge economic winners in the years ahead. Intent on not wasting energy, China applies strict targets on aging factories by ending bank loans, export credits, licenses, land acquisition, even shutting off electricity, reports Keith Bradsher for the New York...