In The News

Precious Wetlands Rapidly Disappearing

Hiroaki Sato August 30, 2006
Some deride wetlands as swamps, and others regard them as invaluable habitat providing a buffer during floods, a system that contributes to climate moderation and a habitat for diverse wildlife. The US Clean Water Act was supposed to prevent the discharge of pollutants into rivers, lakes and coastal waters of that nation – and later expanded to include wetlands. In 1988, US Congress devised a...

China Puts Price on Head of Rare Animals

Jonathan Watts August 24, 2006
The economic law of supply and demand makes no exception for endangered species: Price goes up as the population declines. The Chinese government is selling permits to foreign tourists, giving them the right to hunt yak, wolves and argali in five of the nation’s poorest provinces. Chinese are not eligible for the permits. The government suggests that the expensive hunts will aid conservation...

Water, Water Everywhere?

August 22, 2006
One third of the world’s population is already short of water, according to a UN report to be released in November 2006. A main culprit behind the increasing scarcity is agriculture – it requires about 3000 liters of water to grow enough food for a person to eat one day. With an increasing global population, agriculture’s demand for water will double by 2050. World water supplies could be...

Natural Resources Are Fueling a New Cold War

Erich Follath August 22, 2006
The modern world depends on oil and other natural resources for survival – and the most powerful countries travel the globe, searching for supplies. China, surpassed only by the US in oil-consumption levels, has blocked UN sanctions against Sudan to secure oil shipments and increasingly becomes friendly with Iran. When it come to oil, the US and China have policy differences, leading some...

Can Arnold Terminate Emissions?

Christa Case August 15, 2006
Some politicians view global heating as a major issue in upcoming elections – and are taking preemptive action. Europe, anticipating expiration of the Kyoto Treaty in 2012, created an emissions market: Companies buy and sell rights to emit greenhouse gases, and face fines for excess waste, in a market providing incentives to improve corporate practices. The system recognizes that the emissions...

The Coming Tsunami of Trash

Niall Ferguson August 14, 2006
Oceans provide food, transportation and beauty – and a place to hide trash. Yet the trash is more obvious, particularly plastic, which takes more than a century to degrade and piles up as small islands in some parts of the world. Ocean pollution exemplifies the “tragedy of the commons,” when a public resource gets abused by many and protected by none. The 1994 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea...

Cold, Hard Facts

Peter Doran August 14, 2006
Upon analyzing one small ice-free area in Antarctica, Peter Doran and his fellow researchers found that between 1986 and 2000, it had actually cooled. In fact, during that same time period, it was noted that most of the continent underwent cooling rather then warming. This evidence, coupled with another study that showed Antarctic ice sheets are thickening, caused some to conclude incorrectly...