In The News

Iraq Suffers As The Euphrates River Dwindles

Campbell Robertson July 15, 2009
Iraq currently faces one of the worst droughts in years, as the Euphrates River, one of the country’s main sources of fresh water, is in danger of drying up. Below average rainfall combined with poor water management policies both in Iraq and throughout the region have led to the present conditions. In many areas, there is not enough water to grow crops, leaving Iraq dependent upon grain imports...

Arctic Meltdown Could Hurt Singapore

Joshua Ho July 7, 2009
Although climate change affects the entire world, one region in particular is feeling the heat: the Arctic. Rising temperatures have caused significant melting of the Arctic’s ice during the summer months, leading to a nearly navigable Northern Sea Route during this season. Such a phenomenon is welcome news to many shipping companies, as using the Northern Sea Route could cut as many as 5,000...

India Should Combine Tough Climate Stand With Green Policy

Nandan Nilekani July 2, 2009
The upcoming climate summit in Copenhagen in December poses some challenging, but not insurmountable problems for the Indian government. Co-Chairman of Infosys Technologies Ltd, Nandan Nilekani explains that India needs to engage actively in the climate debate, not only because India is likely to be one of the countries most affected by climate change, but also because it will enable India to...

Oil or Trees? Germany Takes Lead in Saving Ecuador's Rainforest

Jess Smee July 1, 2009
Yasuni National Park protects the Ecuador’s rainforest and is one of the most bio-diverse places on earth. Ecuador’s largest known oil reserves, worth an estimated $6 billion, also happen to lie underneath the park. Oil is a key product for Ecuador, producing around a third of the nation’s income. The Ecuadorian government has pledged to leave the oil untapped if the international community...

Minilateralism

Moisés Naím July 1, 2009
A multilateral approach is frequently invoked as the way to solve many of the world’s problems. But Moses Naim, Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy, argues that traditional multilateralism has failed to resolve the major global problems of the past decade. The most recent example of a successful international accord on a vital issue was the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1994....

A New (Under) Class of Travellers

June 30, 2009
Experts believe that an increase in environmental crises like droughts or floods due to climate change will cause an attendant increase in migration. How many people will be affected remains unclear with estimates ranging from 200 million to 700 million by 2050. The issue is complicated not only by where to place responsibility for aiding those uprooted by environmental degradation, but also by...

Climate Sans Borders

Nayan Chanda May 26, 2009
Even before the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen convenes in December, a stalemate has occurred. Developed nations want the developing nations to accept carbon dioxide emission limits. Meanwhile, developing nations argue that they’re not responsible for the majority of the build-up of greenhouse gases, so shouldn’t be forced to pay the price. But such a blame game belies the real...