In The News

China, Pursuing Strategic Interests, Builds Presence in Antarctica

Jane Perlez May 7, 2015
China is extending its global reach under President Xi Jinping, and that includes Antarctica. “He signed a five-year accord with the Australian government that allows Chinese vessels and, in the future, aircraft to resupply for fuel and food before heading south,” reports Jane Perlez for the New York Times. “That will help secure easier access to a region that is believed to have vast oil and...

China Must Lift Trade Restrictions on Rare Earth Elements

August 18, 2014
Environmental protections do not justify China’s export duties and quotas on rare earth element, the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization has ruled, reports Environment News Service. China is responsible for 90 percent of the worlds’ supply of rare earth minerals, and the ruling is a boost for global auto, computer, television, battery, and other high-tech manufacturers in developed...

A Black Mark in the Waiting

Nayan Chanda May 21, 2014
Coal provides about a third of the globe’s primary energy needs, according to the World Coal Association, and India ranks third in coal production and consumption, after China and the United States. China produced six times as much coal than India in 2012, but is acting to reduce its reliance and develop alternatives. “It is ironic that while global public discussion is increasingly about ways to...

Agreement Reached on Deep Sea Mining

David Shukman April 28, 2014
A Canadian mining firm has finalized a deal for deep-sea mining with Papua New Guinea, despite environmentalists’ warnings of long-term damage. Environmentalists note that much of the sea floor has yet to be explored. “The mine will target an area of hydrothermal vents where superheated, highly acidic water emerges from the seabed, where it encounters far colder and more alkaline seawater,...

Treaty Curbing Mercury Emissions Becomes International

October 18, 2013
A new global treaty will limit products and processes that can release mercury – which attacks the nervous system – and require safe storage before the year 2020. This includes batteries, some fluorescent lamps, skin-whitening soaps, thermometers and blood pressure devices, and the convention will also control the biggest sources of mercury pollution including “emissions and releases from...

The Day the Earth Ran Out

Carter Roberts August 23, 2013
Earth’s natural resources, whether water or precious metals, are limited. Global Footprint Network calculates the day each year when demand for resources exceeds the ability to renew them in one year. “Earth Overshoot Day is an approximation, but it is yet one more sign that humanity is consuming the planet’s finite resources at an unsustainable rate,” reports Carter Roberts, World Wildlife Fund...

China Targets Greenland for Mining

Will Hickey April 18, 2013
Tight profit margins in the mining industry – along with consolidation among large multinationals, huge capital investments, high-tech automation and rigid equipment maintenance contracts – have reduced job creation for nations with natural resources. Greenland, with 57,000 citizens, mostly indigenous, has vast deposits of minerals. A logical move would be for Greenlanders to rely on Danish...