In The News

Scientists Say Gulf Spill Altering Food Web

Matthew Brown, Ramit Plushnick-Masti July 23, 2010
Some plants and animals can withstand abrupt changes in their environment, and scientists predict long-term, even permanent changes in some habitats of the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill forces life forms to contend with more chemicals along with less sunlight and oxygen. All life depends on other life to live – disruptions in food chains and habitat can wipe out food sources for some species or...

New Killer: Climate Change

Sasha Chavkin July 22, 2010
Changes in weather patterns and the landscape, once gradual, have become more abrupt and noticeable with this century. Deserts expand, seas rise, rains pound – etching away land, jobs and homes. Hardest hit are the poorest nations, and families forced to move are left to their own devices by their governments as well as the wealthier nations that continue to emit carbon that fuel extreme weather...

In Afghanistan, a Threat of Plunder

Paul Collier July 21, 2010
Afghanistan’s poor security situation, combined with reports of enormous untapped mineral wealth, could unleash a tragic rush to exploitation, environmental destruction and civil conflict. Without good governance, Afghanistan’s lithium and gold may do little to improve Afghani daily life – as was the case with gold in the Congo, oil in Nigeria, or diamonds in Sierra Leone. In contrast, Botswana...

Tuna's End

Paul Greenberg July 15, 2010
The decline in fish stocks beneath the ocean’s surface is not readily apparent. Paul Greenberg describes the Atlantic bluefin’s beauty, power and rapid decline in this New York Times article. “Overzealous globalization,” suggests one expert, contributed to a transformation of tuna sushi – from local, seasonable delicacy to unsustainable mass craving. Today, Japan eats 80 percent of the world...

Seizing the Moment for Clean Energy

Ann Florini July 1, 2010
Government and corporate helplessness to stop oil gushing from a broken pipe in the Gulf of Mexico is a depressing reminder of the world’s utter dependence on a limited supply of fossil fuel that poses so many environmental threats. US President Barack Obama suggested that the accident could transform the nation’s energy policy, much as the 9/11 attacks altered US approach to security. But the...

African Migrant Workers Find Slim Pickings in Strawberry Fields of Southern Spain

Jean-Jacques Bozonnet June 28, 2010
In Spain, migrant men called “ghosts,” live in hidden plywood shacks adjoining berry fields, and wait for the next season’s harvest. But weather and laws have disrupted the plans of many who travel from Africa and Eastern Europe seeking work on berry farms. In 2008, Spain aimed to reduce immigration by reducing the number of temporary work permits for harvests. The country’s unemployment rate...

Lack of Bees Could Cause “Wonky Strawberries”

Louise Gray June 25, 2010
England’s bees are vanishing faster than anywhere else in Europe, reports Louis Gray for the Telegraph. With bees responsible for up to one third of the food supply, the British government is funding research to track down reasons behind the disappearance and find ways to boost populations. Insect pollinators contribute £440 million to the British economy, researchers estimate. Climate change,...