In The News

How to Meet SDG and Climate Goals: 8 Lessons for Scaling Up Development Programs

Johannes F. Linn May 11, 2016
Most countries of the world have agreed to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals and targets to limit carbon emissions as outlined with the Paris Climate treaty. Writing for Brookings, Johannes F. Linn, a former World Bank vice president, points out that governments must find ways “to meet the top-down objectives with bottom-up approaches.” He offers recommendations for meeting the goals that...

Fort McMurray Blaze Shows What “the Economy” Is Really About

Todd Hirsch May 6, 2016
Fort McMurray, built around Canada’s oil sands industry, is engulfed by wildfires, prompting evacuation of the almost 90,000 residents. Thousands of homes were destroyed with damages already estimated at near $1 billion. The tragedy, suggests economist Todd Hirsch, offers a reminder on social priorities. “The first part of the word ‘economics’ is derived from the ancient Greek word oikos, which...

China’s Water Hegemony

Brahma Chellaney May 5, 2016
China released dammed water to ease drought conditions for countries in the lower Mekong River Basin: “for the downriver countries, the water release was a jarring reminder of not just China’s newfound power to control the flow of a life-sustaining resource, but also of their own reliance on Beijing’s goodwill and charity,” writes Brahma Chellaney for the Japan Times. Water that originates in...

India Is Suffering One of Its Worst Droughts in Decades

Archana Chaudhary May 4, 2016
Lingering drought in India is prompting a wave of migrations from rural areas to cities like Mumbai. “The upcoming monsoon is expected to bring some relief, but a longer term challenge looms from competition for scarce groundwater and surface supplies among farmers, industries and cities,” writes Archana Chaudhary for Bloomberg. She adds that major dams in India are near 80 percent empty. “...

Mourn the Death of the Great Barrier Reef

Irene Banos Ruiz May 3, 2016
With minimal enforcement for protecting the ocean commons, coral reef are being destroyed. Coral reefs survive within a narrow range of temperatures, and a report from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies points out that more than 90 percent of the Great Barrier Reef has endured a bleaching event due to warmer temperatures and acidification. “Reefs dampen...

Uncertainty Clouds Climate Deal as Nations Prepare to Sign Accord

Pilita Clark April 22, 2016
More than 150 nations are expected to sign the Paris climate change accord that aims for net zero carbon emissions by 2100. Delays are expected from countries that must pursue legislative approval. Scientific research overwhelmingly supports that the world is warming due to human activities. The United States is expected to balk at final approval: The US Supreme Court blocked regulation of...

Out of Africa

Thomas L. Friedman April 14, 2016
Thousands of migrants travel the deserts of North Africa, fleeing poverty and conflict, determined to reach Libya and eventually Europe. Many Africans with large families can no longer find work as drought and high temperatures devastate the agriculture industry, explains Thomas Friedman for the New York Times. Smugglers collect migrants from Senegal, Nigeria Chad and other countries, cramming...