There are all sorts of prognoses for what’s going to happen in a couple of weeks at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP15). Some are calling this the most important international meeting of minds since the Bretton Woods and San Francisco conferences created much of the political architecture for the postwar […]
I’ve been reading Al Gore’s new book, with a view to using it for both my MS and continuing ed classes this spring at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs. It’s looking pretty good to me as there are excellent up-to-date perspectives on all sorts of important topics, particularly the promise of renewables, energy efficiency, green […]
Several recent posts here have looked at the state of play leading up to the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). I’ve been generally optimistic about prospects – although the title of my last post may belie that. There are several reasons why I’m […]
Last year, Tim DeChristopher, a student in Utah, bid $1.8 million he did not have in a federal oil lease auction. He won the leases. He stated he did it to protect the environment and to prevent further global warming, arguing that the danger from this drilling was too great and immediate to try to […]
José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, has been a leading proponent of strong action against climate change, not only in the 27-nation European Union, but globally. The EU has been in the vanguard, particularly when the executive branch of the US was for eight years a captive to special interests and a politics […]
Perhaps it is a complete coincidence that Brazil experienced a massive blackout affecting 60 million people only days after last week’s 60 Minutes showed a segment on cyber attacks on infrastructure including banks, internal governmental computer systems and power grids. In it, they mentioned a previously successful attack on a major electric power grid, which sources […]
It appears that there’s going to be a tremendous amount of activity coming out of Copenhagen – as we’ve known for a long time – but no final agreement. In a dramatic move, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Danish Prime Minister, flew to Singapore to meet with key leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings. […]
The World Bank is sponsoring this global competition to find the best “100 Ideas to Save the Planet.” The 100 ideas on display now at the World Bank headquarters in Washington were chosen from among 1,755 proposals. From Argentina to Vanuatu, there are some wonderful ideas: bioculture to enhance the value of maize in Mexico; […]
There’s been a lot of hoopla recently about the question of whether or not Barack Obama will go to Copenhagen. He settled that yesterday by saying that he would go if he’s needed to finalize an agreement. This story from Reuters quotes the President: “If I am confident that all of the countries involved are […]
Reuters reports that the UN’s World Food Programme has resumed food aid to Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, a month after withdrawing rations due to financial difficulties stemming from the global financial crisis. The shortage of aid available caused food assistance to be halved by the World Food Program in October. Approximately 90,000 refugees of ethnic […]
Last week, it was revealed that the supposed informant in the bribery case against the Ecuadorean officials deciding the $27 billion pollution case is a convicted felon. (Conspiring to traffic 275,000 pounds of marijuana, sic-ing his pit bull on a woman.) It doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s lying about the bribery charge — just that […]
For at least three decades now, personal wealth has been a political asset. In both the industrialized and developing worlds, in the words of Deng Xiaoping of China, “to get rich is glorious.” Money was access to political power, political power (especially in the developing world) access to money. I remember about four years ago, […]
Vice President Al Gore, Nobel Peace Laureate, venture capitalist, author, lecturer, Academy Award winner, activist, the man Denialists love to hate, and the man some others canonize as the path-breaking visionary on the threat of global climate change, has a new book out: Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis. It has a […]
Reuters reports rapidly melting glaciers and falling water tables in the world’s largest grain-producing nations pose a significant threat to food security. Meeting in Barcelona this week to flesh out details of the looming Copenhagen climate summit in December 2009, negotiators and participants must also taken into account the scientific reports showing unmistakable changes and […]
In the past couple days, the New York Times has published two stories about new energy. In one about new controversial gas drilling in Colorado, The Times is pretty clearly against drilling. There is a risk of pollution (there always is an environmental cost in all energy, including green energy). But what upsets The Times […]