In The News

A Radical Step to Preserve a Species: Assisted Migration

Carl Zimmer February 14, 2007
Species of life already threatened by human overdevelopment and disappearing habitats face a new danger, and traditional conservation techniques may not be enough to save them. Global warming is already altering ecosystems and threatening some species, like the Bay checkerspot butterfly, with extinction. In response, conservation biologists try a radical technique that has never been used for...

China Says Rich Countries Should Take Lead on Global Warming

Jim Yardley February 9, 2007
China is taking steps to fight global warming, but demands that developed countries take primary responsibility. Currently the world’s second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, China is set to bypass the US by 2009, but points out that Chinese per-capita emission rates are lower than those of many rich countries. Chinese officials argue that long-term industrial development in the West caused...

Once a Dream Fuel, Palm Oil May Be an Eco-Nightmare

Elisabeth Rosenthal February 5, 2007
In the race to find alternatives to traditional fossil fuels, an eager public often hails any new find as the solution to world energy shortages. Initial enthusiasm often fades as the reports of harmful complications emerge – and such is the case with biofuels derived from palm oil. Palm oil decreased carbon-dioxide emissions in the Netherlands, but environmental groups suggest that the emissions...

China’s Poison for the Planet

Andreas Lorenz February 2, 2007
Researchers around the globe are monitoring weather patterns that push the billowing smoke from China’s factories around the globe. The factories that lack state-of-the-art environmental protections produce huge clouds of pollution that know no borders. “Just as trade is global these days, so too is the threat against nature,” write Andreas Lorenz and Wieland Wagner in “Der Spiegel.” Japan,...

Climate Panel Issues Urgent Warning to Curb Gases

Elisabeth Rosenthal February 2, 2007
Human activities are almost certainly the main cause of global warming since 1950 and immediate action will only blunt some of the damage, reports the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Humans must strive for conservation and slow use of carbon-based fuels, such as oil and gas. Severe weather patterns, deteriorating habitats and species decline are accelerating as a result of climbing...

Beyond Oil: Reappraising the Gulf States

Kito de Boer January 31, 2007
Nations without oil must conserve and seek energy alternatives. Likewise, nations with oil must create jobs that do not rely on the petroleum industry. Rapid population growth in the Gulf nations means less oil revenue spreading throughout the economy for citizens. The wealthy Gulf Cooperation Council nations have high rates of unemployment that could lead to unrest. Inconsistent education...

China's Missile Message

Elizabeth Economy January 26, 2007
China’s success in destroying one of its own satellites demonstrates rising power – but has left many analysts puzzled. Chinese leaders insist their goal is to use such power for peaceful purposes. Yet in truth, the challenges posed by a massive population – intent on devouring natural resources, desperate for clean water, well disposed for a pandemic – presents an unsettling vision for the rest...