In The News

Germany Sells Vision for “Green Toys” to World

Melissa Eddy February 9, 2011
Germany leads the world in developing a range of renewable-energy products – and its toymakers are no exception. They are creating products to prepare children for a future requiring new energy sources. Designed to direct children’s focus on energy conservation and sustainability, the green toy “make up only a sliver of the nearly $84 billion international toy market, but their share is growing,...

Floods Hit Key Coal Area

Kris Maher, Robert Guy Matthews January 14, 2011
Intense rains and flooding in northwest Australia are expected to shorten coal supplies for manufacturers and utilities. “The impact of the production halts is greatest in China and the rest of Asia, which depends heavily on coal from Australia to make steel and feed electric utilities,” notes a report from the Wall Street Journal. “Also affected will be buyers around the world who rely on Asian...

China’s Green Ambition, US Sees Red

Michael Richardson January 5, 2011
As factory to the world, China is hungry for energy. The nation secures traditional sources of energy – as the largest producer and consumer of coal, ranking second in oil consumption and imports, fifth for oil production – and is also intent on dominating the global renewable-energies industry. Recognizing that the rapidly-growing industry creates jobs, China devotes a growing pile of investment...

UK Snow

David Millward December 22, 2010
Fast, low-cost travel fuels modern globalization. During the busy winter holiday season, schedules are tight and seats few. So a few inches of snow, unusual for Europe, have paralyzed travel in the United Kingdom and some neighboring nations. Reports suggest that Heathrow Airport – managed by BAA, controlled by Ferrovial, a Spanish firm – has a need for additional snow plows and de-icing...

To Conquer Wind Power, China Writes the Rules

Keith Bradsher December 16, 2010
For China, it's not enough that foreign firms set up factories, introducing Chinese workers to new industries. China imposes strict local-content requirements, directing firms to local suppliers. Those Chinese suppliers, aided by free land and low-cost loans, eventually transform into fierce competitors, explains Keith Bradshser, reporting for the New York Times about manufacture of wind...

Nations That Debate Coal Use Export It to Feed China’s Need

Elisabeth Rosenthal December 3, 2010
Pollution from burning coal has no borders. Yet wealthy developed nations that limit construction of coal-fired plants within their borders do not hesitate to ship loads of coal to China and other nations in Asia, reports Elisabeth Rosenthal for the New York Times. The article lists numerous trade deals, and China now uses about half of the coal burned globally, or 3 billion tons. The rush to...

Merkel Leads on Climate Change

Hakan Altinay December 2, 2010
The vast majority of climate researchers contend that failing to take immediate steps to control emissions could ruin the world as we know it. They urge today’s generations to sacrifice, sharing the cost burden with future generations. But preventive steps taken today won’t take effect for 30 years or more. Politicians whose power depends on comforting citizens deny that change is underway or...