All the usual caveats about uncertainty assumed, here are 7 climate and energy trends we’re already seeing, that will pick up speed in to 2010: 1. We’ll get better at making reasonable distinctions between solutions that are politically, versus scientifically, versus economically possible. The current debate over whether carbon emissions should be reduced to 450 […]
Today U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a speech on development at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The full speech is available here. The speech gives an overview of how development should work in coordination with defense and diplomacy and offered some specific insights into the ongoing Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review and […]
The above infographic, from Journalism.org, depicts the site’s 2009 weekly news summaries compiled from over 55 television, print, internet and radio news sources. The bigger the story, the bigger the block. See climate change anywhere? Or even general environmental issues? On both accounts, no. (Although depending on your science, the California fires come close). For […]
Last month Vivek Wadhwa had an interesting piece on U.S. brain drain in Yale Global Online. Wadhwa outlines the enormous contribution made by international graduate students, faculty and researchers (as measured by patent filings) in science, technology, engineering and mathematical (STEM) disciplines – and to the U.S. economy overall. In 2006, immigrants contributed to 72 […]
“Because that’s where the money is” – Willie Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks ——————————————————– The New York Times ran a story this past Sunday noting that some U.S. universities that set up operations in Dubai are having trouble attracting enough students. Apparently, the economic downturn there has hit Michigan State and the Rochester […]
COP15 is over and Christmas is over which means I can spend some time digesting news that I ignored in December. Here are some of the lighter bits: While the United States begins mobilizing the Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative (“Climate REDI”), the uptake of renewable energies in developing countries is inching forward. Kenya-based Nomadic […]
The New York Times is reporting that three Malians have been arrested and charged with being part of an operation that smuggles drugs across West and North African routes into Europe. The money then goes to groups associated with Al Qaida, so the charge goes, and also involves “the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or […]
As a follow up to James Ketterer’s 2009 Year in Review, here is my part, which focuses on U.S. engagement on climate issues. In 2009, it became clear that scientists are now observing, rather than simply forecasting, a global environmental crisis. New data on melting snow and ice formations, rising sea levels, deforestation, and atmospheric […]
As we’ve come to expect from this president, Obama’s Nobel Prize lecture was sophisticated and brave, as he addressed the obvious paradox of receiving a peace prize one week after ordering a major war escalation. With a solemn obligation to address such a weighty matter, it was surprising that climate issues – commonly sidelined – […]
http://www.alliance-exchange.org/policy-monitor/2009/12/09/exchanges-funded-635-million-fy-2010
This past Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed its compelling determination that greenhouse gases pose a danger not only to the planet, but to human health. Over the coming year, this endangerment finding will have significant domestic implications. Many already believe it will be just the wedge to leverage action from the Congress […]
Last month I wrote about an interesting report from the Brookings Institution on how the US can expand cultural diplomacy with the Muslim world – and why that would be beneficial to all involved. Now, New York University’s Center for Dialogues has released a report, “Bridging the Divide between the United States and the Muslim World through Arts […]
In case you haven’t heard, the United Nations Climate Change Conference began in Copenhagen today. This morning I woke up to find my RSS feed bursting with related news and “101” tutorials. By 6:00 AM, I already had a few emails from my colleagues in Denmark, well in to the day, excited to share their […]
This comes via Mark Overmann at the Alliance for International Education and Cultural Exchange: President Obama announced Friday his intent to nominate Ann Stock as the Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. Stock’s nomination appears on the Senate record, and was also reported by the Chicago Sun-Times and by the Washington […]
I am posting my thoughts on the Year in Review for issues most relevant to Global Engagement. However, this is part 1 of 2 – Annie White will also post her thoughts. Between the two of us you should get a pretty good sense of the year just ending and the one soon to begin. Overview: […]