In The News

More Pressure on Global Fish Stocks as Scientists Warn of Underreporting of Catches

Tim Radford July 17, 2008
Scientists have long known that global fish stocks were in trouble. Countries overfish and deplete stocks without thought to long-term consequences and population collapses. Researchers from the Sea Around Us, an international research group based at the University of British Columbia, visited 20 locations, talked to locals and estimated the amount of fish that were caught. They reached the...

Time to Cut the Knot

July 9, 2008
Ideally, the US would possess its own energy sources, thus ensuring energy independence and stability. Unfortunately, a dependence on fossil fuels leads to drilling around pristine beaches and using technologies that exacerbate global warming. During a presidential- election year, politicians are less willing to take a firm stance on environmental protection – and pursue any short-term measures...

UK Is Wasting Far Too Much Food - Brown

Patrick Wintour July 7, 2008
The United Kingdom wastes about 4 tons of food a year, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called upon the British to be more conservative on their food purchases and preparation. Even as people in some developing nations go without food and other countries hoard, demand remains high in the wealthiest nations. The high demand, combined with some grains being siphoned off for biofuels, contributes...

Food Prices Threatened by Silence of the Bees

Tom Leonard July 4, 2008
The United States is the world’s biggest food exporter, but declining bee populations could make farming more difficult. Bees are responsible for pollinating one third of the crops grown in the US, and reduced bee populations will shrink the variety and size of crops, thus adding to rising food prices. Food prices have already almost doubled during the past three years, reports the World Bank....

Weather Plays Larger Role in Global Fuel Prices

Jad Mouawad July 3, 2008
Developed nations expect biofuels to help end reliance on fossil fuels, but the agricultural products – and their prices – are subject to the whims of weather. Flooding throughout the region that produces much of US corn raised ethanol prices by more than 20 percent, reports Jad Mouawad for the International Herald Tribune. He notes that energy prices also jumped after hurricanes struck oil rigs...

No Ice at the North Pole

Steve Connor July 2, 2008
Researchers suggest that the North Pole could completely lose its ice this summer for the first time in human history. The rate of melting has increased in recent years and a greater proportion of the ice is from a single season, reports Steve Connor for the Independent. “The polar regions are experiencing the most dramatic increase in average temperatures due to global warming and scientists...

The Economics of Solar Power

Peter Lorenz June 26, 2008
The sun offers plenty of free energy for just about everyone on the planet. As oil prices rise, economists suggest that solar power, even unsubsidized, can pay for itself within a few years in the sunniest markets that already pay high prices for electricity. Unfortunately, because the world relied almost exclusively on fossil fuels in recent decades, the solar-power industry is in its infancy:...