In The News

China Tightens Grip on Rare Minerals

Keith Bradsher September 2, 2009
While one might not have heard of dysprosium and terbium – these elements are rare – they are critical ingredients in green technology and military hardware, and China, the country with some of the largest deposits, wants to limit their export. Though not as precious as gold or platinum, rare earth elements can fetch hefty prices. Some of their primary uses include components for the electric...

A New Path for Japan

Yukio Hatoyama August 27, 2009
Yukio Hatoyama, the leader of Japan’s Democratic Party and potential prime minister if his party wins the election, holds a skeptical view of the benefits of globalization. Human and environmental costs are discounted in favor of economic value. “People are simply personnel expenses,” with the global economy destroying “traditional economic activities” – e.g., agriculture – and communities. Such...

China Racing Ahead of U.S. in the Drive to Go Solar

Keith Bradsher August 25, 2009
China is striving to become the world’s leader in production of solar panels not unlike Japan’s drive for dominance in automobiles in the last century. And just like Japan, China plans to build factories in the US in the hopes of circumventing protectionist legislation. Beijing can afford to foster such an industry not only because it is a quasi-command economy, but also because of the size of...

China’s Incinerators Loom as a Global Hazard

Keith Bradsher August 13, 2009
China’s garbage-burning incinerators have become a contentious issue not just for local residents in an uproar over the smoke, but also for communities and lakes halfway across the world. China’s gigantic economic growth has spawned a monumental garbage problem. And with China’s landfills nearing capacity, the alternative has been to employ incinerators. But the incinerators across China and even...

Driving Out of Germany, to Pollute Another Day

Carter Dougherty August 12, 2009
Old polluting German cars meant to be destroyed are being smuggled into the developing world, particularly Eastern Europe. Started in January 2009, Germany’s “cash for clunkers” program pays people up to $3,500 to give up an old car for a more environmentally-friendly one. Unlike the US program, which stipulates that engines be destroyed, the German program only requires clunkers to be left at...

‘Slaughter’ Fear Over Poaching Rise

Andrew Luck-Baker August 11, 2009
Rising demand for ivory products is wreaking havoc on Africa’s elephant population. According to scientists, poachers kill about 38,000 elephants in Africa annually, a rate that could lead to these animals’ extinction in sub-Saharan Africa in fifteen years. Helped by higher ivory prices, poaching activity has increased significantly in Central Africa, with culling in the eastern and southern...

Developing Responsibility

Nayan Chanda August 7, 2009
The two-pronged solution to climate change proposed by the G-8 at the summit in L’Aquila has left much to be desired. First, it calls for an 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050. While the proposed reduction seems encouraging at first glance, the reality is that it lacks a concrete plan to get to the target. Second, the G-8 agrees on a two-degree warming target for the planet. Yet, if...