In The News

'Global warming real' say new studies

Reuters February 18, 2005
The Kyoto Protocol, part of an international effort to protect the earth’s climate, came into force this past Wednesday. A day later, a team led by Tim Barnett of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography unveiled fresh evidence detailing the very real effects of global warming. By focusing on ocean temperatures rather than the atmosphere, scientists have found what they claim is indisputable...

The Kyoto No-Show Can Still Go Green

James Gustave Speth February 16, 2005
The Kyoto Protocol to combat global climate change goes into effect today, February 16. This treaty, signed on December 11, 1997, is an international effort to protect the earth's climate and slow down global warming. Today, 141 countries have ratified the agreement, and 34 economically advanced countries have accepted the Protocol's targets on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions....

Kyoto Protocol Misplaced Priorities

Bjorn Lomborg February 15, 2005
On Wednesday, the Kyoto Protocol on global climate change enters force, marking a milestone for environmentalism. But making climate change "a central moral test of our time" was wrong, writes Bjorn Lomborg, author of The Skeptical Environmentalist. Lomborg points to existing climate models that predict that even universal acceptance of the Kyoto rules would postpone warming by a mere...

A Prescription for Marxism

Kenneth Rogoff February 11, 2005
In an era of free trade and free markets, some wealthy countries may soon be forced to embrace more centralizing, socialistic policies on healthcare. Aging populations are driving the cost of healthcare upwards. Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff argues that the growing expense of the health sector will call for the introduction of a bit of socialism in rich liberal democracies. He argues that...

"What Aspect of Islam is Supposedly Under Threat?"

Yoginder Sikand February 10, 2005
In the wake of communal violence in Holland, multiculturalists in Europe are under increasing pressure for preaching acceptance of Islam. Some detractors insist that Muslim minorities stubbornly resist integration into European culture. Another mounting strain of critique attacks multiculturalism from an entirely different angle. These critics argue that in privileging the conservative religious...

World's Drinking Glass: More Than Half Full

G. Jeffery Macdonald February 8, 2005
Easy access to clean drinking water, along with hygiene system improvements, has been instrumental in enabling those afflicted by poverty to save time and money, as well as helping them avoid infectious diseases. However, some countries – particularly urban regions of South Asia – are falling behind, constrained by budget considerations and political pressures. As a result of difficulties with...

Dealing with a Declining Dollar – Part I

Jeffrey E. Garten February 7, 2005
There may be trouble brewing in the global financial system. With US external debt now over US$2.5 trillion, foreign creditors may soon demand higher interest rates in order to keep money flowing into America. In turn, this might lead to a US recession that will eventually spread globally. However, such a disaster could be averted if other countries were to allow their currencies to move...