In The News

Poor Nations to Bear Brunt as World Warms

Andrew C. Revkin April 2, 2007
Global warming is a form of aggression imposed by rich countries on the poor, according to the president of Uganda. Africa accounts for less than 3 percent of the carbon emissions that trap greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to a steady increase in global temperatures, a rise in sea levels and a shift in precipitation from the equator toward the poles. Developing nations contributed more...

Kenya's Water Troubles More Than Just Leaky Pipes

Joyce Mulama March 28, 2007
Water is a limited resource – and cities in short supply are not acting quickly enough to conserve supplies and prepare for the future. Nairobi, the name of which refers to “place of cool waters,” is one example. Currently, water supply meets only about 70 percent of demand, and yet the government confronts many challenges in achieving reform: Poverty prevents many residents from paying the high...

Global Warming Can't Buy Happiness

Bill McKibben March 23, 2007
In a draft report for the United Nations, the US admits that its carbon emissions will continue to rise over the next decade, not drop. In sum, the US and others find it difficult to sacrifice – and blithely contribute to crisis by expending energy in wasteful ways. “For the last century, our society's basic drive has been toward more — toward a bigger national economy, toward more stuff for...

Freak Waves Swamp Mozambican Coastal Areas

March 22, 2007
People converge to coastal communities for economic purposes, including trade and tourism, but coastal living has become more hazardous along the eastern shores of Africa. Unusual high tides from the Indian Ocean have displaced thousands in the impoverished nation of Mozambique, prompting other governments to issue warnings to tourists. The reports coincide with testimony from former US Vice...

Debating the Price of Global Warming

Ernesto Zedillo March 19, 2007
World opinion has targeted climate change as a priority – and citizens increasingly pressure their governments and businesses to take action, notes Ernesto Zedillo, director for the Yale Center of Globalization. A study commissioned by the UK, known as the Stern Review, “claims that lack of such action will commit the world to overall costs – due to natural disasters of increasing ferocity,...

Southeast Asia Could Have Power to Spare

March 16, 2007
Often linked with disasters, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions could offer some hidden energy benefits. Geothermal energy is clean, with no emissions, and yet such sources have hardly been tapped. Researchers warn that drilling could cause dangerous seismic activity, particularly in the earthquake-prone region of Southeast Asia. Other potential problems in developing nations include organizing...

Wal-Mart Unveils Plans to Score Electronics on Environmental Sustainability

March 16, 2007
The world’s largest retailer has a reputation for slashing prices and giving consumers a bargain – so much so that Wal-Mart’s tactics with labor and suppliers often become controversial. Although adding environmental protections to any product often raises prices or decreases visibility in terms of packaging, Wal-Mart has set out to promote environmental sustainability. Starting in 2008, the...