The Earth’s environment is the source of economic, social, cultural activities, with nature shaping human life over the centuries. The rapid growth in the world population, from 1 billion in 1830 to 7 billion today, add pressures for air quality, oceans, land use and resources as basic as water. Awareness is building about over-reliance on fossil fuels, how carbon and other emissions contribute to global warming and volatile weather. Every industry requires energy, and cross-border industrialization, transportation and other economic activities contribute to environmental degradation. Yet globalization also spurs awareness and activism over the need for global cooperation and standards to promote sustainability and environmental protection.

A Nuclear Power Renaissance

Anxious about global warming and dwindling oil supplies, nations shrug about safety concerns and hurry to build reactors
Rüdiger Falksohn
January 16, 2007

Cold Comfort in Climate Change

Global warming may be more abrupt, harsh and unrelenting than scientists have predicted
Peter Fisher
January 8, 2007

Recalculating the Costs of Global Climate Change

Policies on global warming focus on the value of future generations and their standard of living
Hal R. Varian
December 18, 2006

Globalism, RIP

Environmentalists suspect that trade agreements are rigged to help corporations and wealthy nations
Carl Pope
January 19, 2007

India Digs Deeper, But Wells Are Drying Up

Indian farmers exploit the worth of water, and the wells run dry
Somini Sengupta
December 22, 2006