In The News

The Last Days of Paradise

Jon Henley November 11, 2008
Rising seas threaten to overwhelm the Maldives, and the first democratically elected president plans to put together a sovereign wealth fund directed at finding a new, environmentally secure home for a population of more than 350,000. President Mohamed Nasheed is looking at Sri Lanka, India, Australia and other nations with climates similar to that of the Maldives, known for its beautiful...

The World Looks to Obama – Part III

Shada Islam November 10, 2008
Enthusiastic and relieved, Europe joins the impromptu global celebration of Barack Obama’s election as US president, but problems lurk. This YaleGlobal series examines reactions from around the world, and in the third and final article of the series, journalist Shada Islam reports on how Europe anticipates a stronger transatlantic alliance with greater openness, multilateralism and respect. But...

Evicted from Coastal Homes

Dave Bull November 10, 2008
Spain’s 1988 "Ley de la costa," forbids homes within 550 yards of the coast, and the government is taking action to enforce the law. Owners may get leases, up to 60 years, to use the property, but can’t resell. Some analysts suggest the government is less forceful with developers and owners of commercial properties. Up to 500,000 homes are threatened, and complicating matters is many...

A Spanish Blowout: The Iberian Giants of US Wind Energy

Mark Scott November 4, 2008
Because they enacted strict emissions limits early and their business models adapted, two countries have a head start in developing alternative energy from wind – Portugal and Spain. As a result of that head start and a global credit crisis, major wind-energy companies from Spain and Portugal are aggressively pursuing wind projects overseas, including the US. Small wind-farm firms in the US find...

Calling for a Green Revolution: An Interview with Tom Friedman

October 31, 2008
Developing alternatives to fossil fuels – solar, wind or other energy technologies yet undiscovered – is the most pressing task confronting the globe, presenting a new frontier of opportunity. Tom Friedman, best-selling author and columnist with the New York Times, decries a planet being destroyed by climate change in his latest book, “Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How...

Green Energy Is Not a Middle-Class Conceit, More the Only Way Forward

Geoffrey Lean October 22, 2008
Despite a global credit crisis, environmental protection and development of alternative energy sources by no means should be pushed to the back burner, argues Geoffrey Lean for the Independent. The current financial crisis could be quite mild compared with future crises, as supplies of natural energy decline and climate change causes raging storms, rising seas and fluctuating temperatures. The...

Gulf to the US: Thanks, But No Thanks

Dilip Hiro October 22, 2008
Some financial analysts anticipated the cash-rich sovereign wealth funds of the Middle East to swoop down on giants in the financial and industrial world struggling with a global credit crisis – a notion arousing both fear and hope throughout Europe and the US. But such rescue investments have not materialized, explains author and Middle East analyst Dilip Hiro. Hiro reports that operations of...