In The News

Germany to Allow Import of GMOs

Kristina Merkner January 16, 2004
Long known for its opposition to genetically modified organisms, Germany will soon allow the cultivation and sale of GM foods. The minister for consumer protection, food, and agriculture, herself a member of the pro-environment Green party, says the new laws will benefit farmers looking to grow GM crops but also give consumers a choice through mandatory labeling of all GM foods. Other anti-GM...

Study Sees Mass Extinctions Via Warming

January 8, 2004
A new report published in the science journal Nature says that over a million plant and animal species are in threat of extinction from global warming. The report's underlying study brought together a team of scientists in 14 laboratories around the globe to study the effects of temperature change on life in six different regions. "We're already seeing biological communities...

Sending the Best Away

Stefan Dietrich December 12, 2003
Germany was once at the forefront of plutonium technological development, but with the rise of the Green party, the technology was abandoned due to its environmental and health risks. Now one of Germany's unused plants is likely going to be exported to China. Commentator Stefan Dietrich warns that the trade is dangerous for two reasons. First of all, China (as a one-party state) does not...

Kyoto's Not Dead Yet

December 3, 2003
A senior advisor to Russia's President Putin, Andrei Illarionov, declared this week that Russia was never going to sign on the Kyoto Protocol that aims to limit greenhouse gases. Fortunately for the treaty, Illarionov does not have the final word, and Putin himself has indicated that Russia would be willing to ratify. It seems likely that the Russians are hesitating on Kyoto out of the...

Will Global Warming Trigger a New Ice Age?

Bill McGuire November 13, 2003
Scientists have long warned that temperatures will soar and people swelter as rising levels of greenhouse gases lead to global warming. However, new evidence suggests that these conclusions were somewhat off-base. Instead of sweating, people around the world may soon be shivering as high temperatures hasten the coming of the next ice age. Currently, huge volumes of fresh water are being poured...

The World Must Keep its Nerve over Kyoto

Michael Grubb November 13, 2003
The global response to climate change has reached a crossroads now that the US has rejected the Kyoto Protocol. Instead of capping emissions, President Bush has decided in favor of investing billions in research on technologies such as carbon sequestration, which involves storing carbon dioxide emissions. Creating environment-friendly technologies is admittedly integral to halting climate...

The World's Sweatshop

Joseph Kahn November 4, 2003
China is supplying the world with a great variety of cheap products, including exports of pharmaceutical medications to US partner companies. Yet this article argues that some of the so-called cheap drugs Americans enjoy carry a hidden price tag that is difficult to put a dollar figure on – human life. Hisun, a Chinese company with US government approval to produce medications in cooperation...