In The News

Food Miles Are Just a Form of Protectionism

Dominic Lawson April 2, 2008
Proposals to decertify organic crops grown in foreign nations amount to protectionism, argues Dominic Lawson in the Independent. Assumptions that local products require less energy and include fewer chemicals are not always valid. Despite the need for air transport, the vegetables grown in Kenya, without tractors or organic fertilizers, account for fewer carbon emissions than crops grown in the...

Rice Hoarding Pressures Supplies

James Hookway March 31, 2008
Rice is a staple food product for Asians, and its price has more than doubled in the last year. Anticipating higher prices, rice farmers are hoarding crops, which adds to price increases, reports the Wall Street Journal. Contributing to shortages are rising fuel prices; flooding due to climate change; development of farmland for homes and golf courses; reduced global stocks; rising affluence...

Regulating the Global Commons – Part I

Scott Barrett March 26, 2008
The tragedy of the commons was a term popularized by Garrett Hardin in 1968, to describe the abuse of public goods. Without regulations or the protection provided by ownership, the population rushes to use any common area – whether public lands, oceans or the skies overhead – and the subsequent pressure can destroy sites open to all. This two-part series examines the need for tighter...

The World's Rubbish Dump: A Garbage Tip That Stretches From Hawaii to Japan

Kathy Marks March 18, 2008
Humans discard massive quantities of plastic each day, and much ends up in the oceans. The non-biodegradable plastics remain intact, even after 50 years, and contribute to the ”Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” hundreds of miles of plastic floating in the Pacific. The fouled water, containing 100 million tons of debris, kills wildlife that ingests the plastic and destroys once-pristine beaches. The...

Dutch Incident Underscores Holes in EU Organics Legislation

Nils Klawitter March 17, 2008
Growing organic food is a booming industry in wealthy nations that care about every aspect of health. Pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals have been linked to health problems, but also give produce a more aesthetic appearance and longer shelf life. So some companies find it easy to slap an organic label on any produce – grown with pesticide or not. Growing organic crops requires tolerance...

Time to Move to a Second Generation of Biofuels

Christopher Flavin February 15, 2008
The indirect costs of growing biofuels outweigh any benefits, report two studies in the journal Science. A new political and economic response is required on biofuels, suggests Christopher Flavin, president of the Worldwatch Institute, in response. The US government now provides tax incentives to farmers for growing crops that can be turned into energy, which has increased prices of biofuel crops...

Insect Explosion “A Threat to Food Crops”

Steve Connor February 15, 2008
After studying a warming trend in the Earth’s fossil record from 55.8 million years ago, scientists with Pennsylvania State University predict rising carbon-dioxide levels and insect populations. An increase in carbon dioxide will decrease nutrients available in plants and thus lead to insects eating more leaves. Researchers have not pinpointed the cause behind the ancient warming period, but the...