In The News

Global Climate Change: Taking the Battle to the Campus

Richard Levin February 26, 2007
Climate change is a global problem that demands immediate leadership. Governments debate various capping and taxation measures to reduce fossil-energy use, but ordinary citizens can also take steps to conserve in their own daily lives. As a hub of scientists and future leaders, universities are a natural place for devising innovative strategies for emission reduction and can serve as a powerful...

The New Shipbuilding Boom: Giants of the Waves

Thomas Schulz February 26, 2007
Commercial shipbuilding is on the rise, with more than 5000 giant ships set to be launched over the next three years. The boom is a response to China’s growing export market, reports Thomas Schulz in “Der Spiegel.” Germany owns most container ships, followed by China, Japan and Taiwan. But Asian firms construct the large ships, most of which are so massive they cannot fit into European ports....

The New Math of Alternative Energy

Rebecca Smith February 23, 2007
Criticized for years as costly and unsustainable, alternative energy attracting renewed interest amidst a wave of technological developments and rising oil prices. While the US depends heavily on fossil fuels, renewable energy sources such as biomass, wind, geothermal and solar are likely to account for a larger share of the electricity supply in future years. With growing concerns over global...

Looking Beyond Iraq – Part II

Pratap Bhanu Mehta February 23, 2007
The decade after the end of the Cold War was a remarkably stable moment in international relations. American hegemony was uncontested because it was relatively benign – and even worked to strengthen international institutions and multilateralism. That has changed. In the second article of a two-part series, analyst Pratap Bhanu Mehta examines how Washington’s failure to recognize the limits of...

Inequality and Globalization

Ben Bernanke February 21, 2007
The US strives to provide equal opportunity for all individuals, but does not guarantee equal economic outcomes, explained US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in a recent speech. Still, new competition or inventions like the computer can make some workers’ skills obsolete, warns Benanke, and if the nation does not provide a support system for such workers, thus limiting some of the risks,...

Looking Beyond Iraq – Part I

Strobe Talbott February 21, 2007
The Bush administration – known for its “go it alone” approach in foreign policy – has less than two years left in office. As that chapter in history comes to a close, the world anticipates a new direction in US policy, an end to the war in Iraq and perhaps a new balance of power. This two-part series analyzes foreign-policy challenges confronting the world today and the resistance the US faces...

A Battle Over the Costs of Global Warming

David Leonhardt February 21, 2007
Now that environmentalists and scientists are unanimous that human activities cause global warming, the debate has shifted to the cost and pace of slowing it down. Two sides have emerged among economists: those who support immediate action versus those who support gradual steps. Sir Nicholas Stern of the UK released a 700-page report in late 2006 that suggests global warming could rival World...