In The News

Global Sludge Ends in Tragedy for Ivory Coast

Lydia Polgreen October 10, 2006
When a tanker leased by Trafigura, a multinational oil and metal trading company, docked in Amsterdam and hired the Amsterdam Port Services (APS) to process the waste it was carrying, the toxic sludge was found to be hazardous. Refusing to pay the high price asked by the APS to dispose of the material, the tanker took the waste back on board. Several weeks later, the tanker arrived at Abidjan,...

Coal Makes a Comeback

Sebastian Ramspeck October 9, 2006
Not so long ago, Western industrialists and politicians dismissed coal as a viable fuel, rejecting its tendency to pollute cities and cause serious respiratory problems. The world has no shortage of coal and so its prices are stable, but burning it releases far more carbon into the atmosphere than using either oil or natural gas, thus accelerating the pace of global warming. Even so, the West is...

In Teeming India, Water Crisis Means Dry Pipes and Foul Sludge

Somini Sengupta October 3, 2006
Some middle-class neighborhoods in India’s wealthiest cities have ample plumbing and the infrastructure for supplying water, but not the actual liquid itself. India’s major cities fail to provide reliable tap water throughout the day, and this article from “The New York Times” describes how some women devote entire days planning to secure extra water. In terms of industry and technology,...

Is Russia Ready for a Shipping Boom?

Sarah J. Wachter October 2, 2006
The trans-Siberian pipeline is Russia’s largest infrastructure investment at $17 billion. When completed, it will stretch from Lake Baikal to the Sea of Japan, more than 4,000 kilometers and allow Russia to ship oil to China, Japan and even the US. Yet the pipeline has become the focus of debate for Russia, neighboring countries, international oil companies and conservationists who worry that...

Man and His Endangered Home

Bo Ekman September 28, 2006
In their single-minded pursuit of economic growth and wealth, human beings could be collectively working themselves out of a home. Human activities systematically degrade the water, air and other surroundings that sustain life. The problem is not with pending shortages of resources, argues systems analyst and philanthropist Bo Ekman, but a rapidly growing population and new generations that...

The Great Squanderer: China’s Scramble for Energy

Wieland Wagner September 18, 2006
Known as the “great factory of the world,” China is on a global hunt for energy, minerals and other natural resources. China accounts for about 10 percent of the world’s energy consumption, and with the world’s larges population, per-capita consumption is expected to increase steadily. Despite the fast growth of its economy, more than 9 percent annually, China does not use energy efficiently,...

We Should Be Wary of a Nuclear Reaction

Andrew Davies September 6, 2006
The only viable alternative to oil and gas for energy purposes is nuclear power at this point in time. But analyst Andrew Davies cautions against resolving the threat of diminishing fossil fuels that contribute to global warming with another energy source that poses a separate set of dangers. Australia is a major exporter of yellow-cake uranium and, as the world searches for new sources of fuel,...