In The News

A Push to Increase Icebreakers in the Arctic

Andrew C. Revkin August 20, 2008
Patrolling the icy Arctic requires large ice-breaking ships, and more countries look to the Arctic as a potential source for minerals and fossil fuels. The head of the US Coast Guard has warned that “whatever mix of natural and human factors is causing the ice retreats, the Arctic is clearly opening to commerce – and potential conflict and hazards – like never before,” reports Andrew Revkin for...

Obama’s Biofuels Policy Tension

Roger Harrabin August 13, 2008
Ethanol subsidies are popular among voters in the American Midwest, where farmers grow millions of acres of corn to produce the biofuel. It’s no surprise, then, that Barack Obama – as a senator representing Illinois – has embraced such subsidies. Yet while ethanol may be popular politically, it has proven disastrous as a matter of policy: Research suggests that producing ethanol creates more...

Learning to Speak Climate

Thomas L. Friedman August 7, 2008
The effects of climate change are slow and pernicious, suggests Thomas Friedman in his New York Times column. Too many anticipate massive disasters on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, striking New Orleans in 2005 with broken dams and flooding. But instead, notices of climate change already arrive steadily by post, warns Danish geologist Minik Thorleif Rosing, in the form of higher bills for water...

Parallel Universe

Nayan Chanda July 22, 2008
At the Tallberg Forum in late June, it became apparent that politicians and scientists are often on different wavelengths. Scientists accept with much certainty that the Arctic ice sheet is melting and that temperatures are rising. Others worry about the increasing amounts of fossil fuels being emitted into the atmosphere. Scientists recognize that the current situation will lead to droughts,...

McCain, Obama and Hot Air

Bjorn Lomborg July 17, 2008
Both John McCain and Barack Obama have focused their climate-change policies on efforts to reduce carbon emissions. The controversial Bjorn Lomborg, however, argues that reducing carbon emissions will cause great harm to the world economy while doing little to stop global warming. Instead, Lomborg proposes increasing investments in alternative energy until carbon emissions can be replaced, and...

Time to Cut the Knot

July 9, 2008
Ideally, the US would possess its own energy sources, thus ensuring energy independence and stability. Unfortunately, a dependence on fossil fuels leads to drilling around pristine beaches and using technologies that exacerbate global warming. During a presidential- election year, politicians are less willing to take a firm stance on environmental protection – and pursue any short-term measures...

On the Campaign Trail

June 24, 2008
Whatever the result of November’s election, most observers expect the next US president to be more science-friendly than George W. Bush. Both Barack Obama and John McCain are expected to repeal Bush’s curbs on stem-cell research and step up the fight against climate change. Of course, the two men differ on some details of science-related issues. The most important test of the candidates is not a...