In The News

Panama Votes to Expand its Canal

October 25, 2006
With expanding global trade, container ships have more than doubled in size. To accommodate the massive ships, Panamanians approved the addition of a third navigational channel and construction of larger locks for the canal that crosses their country. The extra channel might also ease congestion at the canal, where ships sometimes wait days to cross between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans....

The Planet in Peril – Part II

Jim Hansen October 24, 2006
People have some measure of control over how much the climate will change, explains Jim Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. In the second of a two-part series, he makes specific recommendations that do require some sacrifice: Humans must end their reliance on fossil fuels; governments can impose carbon taxes in a way that provides incentives to decrease fuel...

The Planet in Peril – Part I

Jim Hansen October 19, 2006
The evidence on global warming is overwhelming. Ongoing scientific research reveals that human-induced climate change will contribute to dangerous new weather patterns and rising sea levels that will gradually swamp many coastal cities, displacing millions of people over the next century. Jim Hansen, director of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, explores the implications of global...

The Globalization Index

Paul Laudicina October 19, 2006
The impacts of globalization and roads to integration are almost as varied as the number of countries in the world. “Foreign Policy” and the A.T. Kearney consulting firm have released the sixth annual ranking of 62 countries based on their degree of globalization. The analysis focuses on categories of economic integration, personal contact, technological connectivity and political engagement....

Golden Age Is Fast Wilting

Gwynne Dyer October 17, 2006
The world is gradually losing its ability to feed itself. While the “Green Revolution” revolutionized agricultural efficiency in the second half of the 20th century, that revolution is over with its legacy steadily eroded by inexorable population growth. For the sixth time in seven years, the world will not produce enough food to feed itself in 2006, according to journalist Gwynne Dyer....

North Korea’s Nuclear Gamble

Shim Jae Hoon October 10, 2006
A nuclear test by North Korea has plunged East Asia in a new crisis and brought worldwide condemnation, the strongest being from Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe supports drafting a resolution calling for tougher sanctions under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which authorizes the use of military force should North Korea disregard the UN. Although highly critical of North Korea, China,...

Global Sludge Ends in Tragedy for Ivory Coast

Lydia Polgreen October 10, 2006
When a tanker leased by Trafigura, a multinational oil and metal trading company, docked in Amsterdam and hired the Amsterdam Port Services (APS) to process the waste it was carrying, the toxic sludge was found to be hazardous. Refusing to pay the high price asked by the APS to dispose of the material, the tanker took the waste back on board. Several weeks later, the tanker arrived at Abidjan,...