In The News

How to Allocate CO2 Emissions

Humberto Llavador, John Roemer, Joaquim Silvestre June 25, 2013
Delivering on his election pledge to tackle the climate change issue, President Barack Obama today instructed the US Environmental Protection Agency to establish carbon emission standards for both new and existing power plants. Important as this is, the unilateral move will have a limited impact as the world struggles over how to limit carbon emissions. Any global plan will lead to economic...

Cheap Food Seen as Bygone Era by FAO and OECD

Rudy Ruitenberg June 25, 2013
The outlook for agriculture through 2022, from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, indicates that a period of low prices for farm goods is over. High energy prices, falling growth in productivity and rising demand is already leading to higher prices. Even as population growth slows in the next decade, the world is predicted to...

Panamanians Reject UN Forest Plan

Alex Kirby June 11, 2013
The REDD program, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, was promoted by the United Nations to protect vulnerable forests and stem climate change. A group in Panama is suggesting that REDD reduces local indigenous control of forest resources. “Instead of safeguarding the forests for the indigenous people of Panama, the chief argues, the UN scheme is being used to wrest...

Syria Crisis: Russia “Sends Sophisticated Weapons”

May 20, 2013
Russia has delivered highly advanced anti-ship missiles to Syria, reports the New York Times. The BBC News points out that the news arrived the same day as a UN report said the number of refugees from Syria had passed 1.5 million mark. Following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon cautioned against a loss of momentum for holding a peace...

Crossing a Red Line

April 26, 2013
President Barack Obama has said that use of chemical weapons in Syria would be crossing a red line triggering intervention. Satellite images, eyewitness accounts and soil analysis suggest that sarin has been used in Syria. British officials concur with the US that evidence is limited and requires further investigation; British and French officials are requesting a UN investigation. Despite...

UN Passes Landmark Arms Treaty

Andre de Nesnera April 15, 2013
The United Nations has approved a landmark treaty that sets international standards for trade in conventional weapons, by a vote of 154 to 3, with 23 abstentions. Big traders in arms including the US, Russia, China and India participated in the seven years of negotiations, reports Andre de Nesnera for Voice of America. The treaty establishes international standards and annual reporting on weapons...

Winning Without a Fight in the South China Sea

Marvin Ott April 10, 2013
China has the largest military in Asia, and expenditures on Chinese navy, coast guard and air force are second only to that of the United States. Still, China is pressing new forces into protecting sweeping claims in the South China Sea – cruise ships and tourists. For decades Chinese maps have shown a U-shaped swathe with dotted lines suggesting maritime claims cutting into 200-mile offshore...