In The News

Regulating the Global Commons – Part II

Michael Richardson March 28, 2008
As public pressure builds to curb climate change, every industry that relies heavily on fossil fuels can expect new regulations. This two-part series examines the challenges of regulating global waters and skies. So far, the shipping and aviation sectors of the transportation industry have kept a low profile, because they crisscross national borders and governments do not want to increase the...

Global Warming Blamed for Ice Shelf Collapse

March 28, 2008
Satellite images show a large ice shelf breaking off from the Antarctica Peninsula and offer more evidence of climate change. Scientists correctly predicted such breakages, but were off about the rapid speed. Researchers have suggested that melting polar ice could lead to rising sea levels, which could increase flooding for coastal communities during storms. The Antarctica Peninsula has been...

Regulating the Global Commons – Part I

Scott Barrett March 26, 2008
The tragedy of the commons was a term popularized by Garrett Hardin in 1968, to describe the abuse of public goods. Without regulations or the protection provided by ownership, the population rushes to use any common area – whether public lands, oceans or the skies overhead – and the subsequent pressure can destroy sites open to all. This two-part series examines the need for tighter...

Nuclear Weapons: The Greatest Peril to Civilization

March 25, 2008
Ted Turner started a global broadcasting network well before globalization became a common currency. His philanthropic efforts have since demonstrated both his global vision and blunt assessments of the challenges facing the world. As such, Turner is a master of globalization. As co-founder of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Turner delivered the keynote address at a Yale Center for the Study of...

Shade Crusade: Why City Trees Are Good Medicine

Sandra Hines March 24, 2008
The largest cities in the US have lost more than 25 percent of their tree canopies since 1972. Even as concern about climate change mounts and consumers pursue products that are environmentally friendly, cities remove trees of all sizes, including ones that are more than 100 years old, for new construction and easy maintenance. Reducing storm run-off, removing pollutants from the air and...

The World's Rubbish Dump: A Garbage Tip That Stretches From Hawaii to Japan

Kathy Marks March 18, 2008
Humans discard massive quantities of plastic each day, and much ends up in the oceans. The non-biodegradable plastics remain intact, even after 50 years, and contribute to the ”Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” hundreds of miles of plastic floating in the Pacific. The fouled water, containing 100 million tons of debris, kills wildlife that ingests the plastic and destroys once-pristine beaches. The...

Time to Bury a Dangerous Legacy – Part II

Alan Robock March 17, 2008
Alarm about nuclear weapons and the irreversible harm that detonation might cause for the globe prompted nations to sign the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which went into force in 1970. Signatory nations without weapons agreed to not pursue the research, and nations with them agreed to reduce the numbers. But with the end of the Cold War, public fear about nuclear warfare...