On June 22nd and 23rd, agricultural ministers from the top 20 economies in the world met in Paris under the auspices of the G20, to address problems in the world’s increasingly connected food production and distribution system. The G20 meeting was spearheaded by France, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the G20. In his […]
In the aftermath of the Fukushima meltdown, it seems that the Japanese government is seriously entertaining the idea of going nuclear-free. “In the future, we should aim to have a society that does not rely on nuclear power,” Prime Minister Naoto Kan said, according to a Nikkei business daily report. “When we consider the risk […]
The Guardian and Nick Davies deserve the prize for breaking open the biggest story of the decade: the extraordinary extent and maliciousness of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation violating not only British law but also the most basic elements of decency. On July 4th, the Guardian fanned the nearly cold embers of what should have long-since […]
The Australians have come a long way since 2007 when climate change was a big factor in the change of government from Tory to Labor. A few years later, in part because the new Labor PM, Kevin Rudd, wasn’t effecting legislation fast enough to put a price on carbon, he was replaced in his party […]
Last year, the world investment in renewable energy rose to $211 billion according to the UN Environment Program, an increase of 32% over 2009. Using 2004 as a baseline, that is more than a five-fold increase. Not counting hydroelectric dams, renewable energy supplied 5% of global electricity, 30% of new electrical capacity overall. Thanks largely […]
The Big Apple should not have to wait any longer: It’s time to become a center of renewable energy. We’re not talking about big solar and wind arrays as we’re going to see in the Sahara – although that’s a good thing too – but rather about distributed generation: making power where you live and […]
The challenges faced by Kenyan aid workers is the subject of a short piece by Sara Corbett in the recent The New York Times Magazine. The profile of Dorothy Gakii, a Kenyan who works with Refugepoint to distribute food for the swelling numbers of refugees from the Horn of Africa; particularly countries like Ethiopia, Sudan […]
On a scale of 1 to 5, UN agencies are rating the Horn of Africa at a 4, one step below “catastrophe/famine.” In a region where problems with security and governance are the typical concern, famine is now threatening over 9 million people. Inadequate rainfall, coupled with high global food prices, have put the people […]
From time to time, the Global Food Security Blog will call upon experts with an informed viewpoint on topics in global food security to contribute guest posts to our blog. The first of our guest bloggers is Dr. Augustine Uzo Mokwunye, a development strategy consultant with expertise in natural resources management, capacity development, and application […]
There’s been a fair bit of fur flying as a result of Al Gore’s recent article in Rolling Stone: Climate of Denial. Most of the controversy centers around the fact that Gore calls out President Obama for not doing enough on climate change – not using his “bully pulpit.” More about that tack in a […]
Unlike its neighbors Germany, Italy and Switzerland, France is increasing investment in nuclear power. President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced 1 billion euro nuclear spending program. “There is no alternative to nuclear energy today,” he said. “We are going to devote a billion euros to the nuclear program of the future, particularly fourth-generation technology,” Mr Sarkozy […]
As a growing shortage of arable land on Earth has led to controversial practices such as land grabs, can the solution lie in space? Watch this report from BBC about efforts to learn how to grow food in space. In the short-term, it is meant to supplement astronauts’ diets, but there are also long-term goals […]
With Europe’s E. Coli outbreak fresh in mind, many Americans may have asked the question: “How does our government handle outbreaks of contaminated food?” A new audit of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) performance during 17 food recalls that took place in 2007 and 2008 may renew the questions about how unsafe food […]
Read recent posts from the Foreign Policy Blog network that relate to food security issues. Food and International Folly from the Global Health blog Glorious Food from the Climate Change blog Enjoy!
The AP has a blockbuster report out this morning: US Nuke Regulators Weaken Safety Rules. (NPR is featuring the story, as are hundreds of other news outlets.) The opening sentence certainly gets your attention. “Federal regulators have been working closely with the nuclear power industry to keep the nation’s aging reactors operating within safety standards […]