| November-December 2006
Climate Change | Energy | Environment | Natural Catastrophes |
D1 - The Thirteenth Tipping Point
Whitty, Julia
Mother Jones, November/December 2006, v31, #6, 10p
The author notes that John Schellnhuber, science adviser at the U.K.-based Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, has identified twelve global-warming “tipping points”, such as changes in the Greenland ice sheet, shifts in the North Atlantic or Antarctic Circumpolar currents, or melting of snow cover on the Tibetan plateau, which if triggered, could initiate sudden and unpredictable changes in the global climate. Most humans may have never heard of them, although the well-being of future generations may depend on what happens. Whitty wonders, “what will it take to trigger what we might call the thirteenth tipping point: the shift in human perception from personal denial to personal responsibility?” She notes that “we are born with powerful tools for overcoming our perilous complacency”; Americans changed “with breathtaking speed” in 1941 to fight global enemies in Germany and Japan. While tipping points can happen “dizzyingly fast, the good news is ... that we can change, and change fast, even in the absence of perfect knowledge.” Julia Whitty is the author of A Tortoise for the Queen of Tonga which was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. She has been a recipient of an O. Henry Award and a Rona Jeffe Foundations Writers Award, and she is currently finishing a book on coral reefs. Fulltext
D2 - Adaptation to Climate Change: International Policy Options
Burton, Ian, Diringer, Elliot; Smith, Joel
Pew Center on Global Climate Change, November 2006, online edition, 36p.
“This report examines options for future international efforts
to help vulnerable countries adapt to the impacts of climate change
both within and outside the climate framework. Options outlined
in the report include stronger funding and action under the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change, mandatory climate risk
assessments for multilateral development finance, and donor country
support for climate "insurance" in vulnerable countries.”
Ian Burton,University of Toronto; Elliot Diringer, Pew Center;
and Joel Smith of Stratus Consulting Inc. Fulltext
D3 - Building Solutions to Climate Change
Pew Center on Global Climate Change, In Brief, November 2006, online edition, 12p
This article “describes how the built environment can make an important contribution to climate change mitigation while providing more livable spaces. It concludes that with current technologies and the expansion of a few key policies, significant reductions in greenhouse gases can be realized in the near term. Furthermore, combining technology research and development with clear and sustained climate and energy policies would drive more dramatic reductions over time.” Fulltext
D4 - Science, Public Policy and Global Warming: Rethinking the Market-Liberal Position
Dolan, Edwin G.
Cato Journal, Fall 2006, pp445-468
"In this article, the author takes a contrarian position, not so much with respect to the science of climate change as with respect to the arguments used by market liberals in support of their message of comfort and complacency. One problem area concerns the proper use of scientific evidence in reaching conclusions regarding public policy. A second problem concerns the use of cost-benefit analysis. Third, the literature on global warming is often weakly rooted, if rooted at all, in the core principles of classical liberalism from which modern market liberalism has evolved. Market liberals should keep arguments based on comparisons of costs and benefits in proper perspective. The market-liberal position should be distinct from a conservative position that defends unjustly acquired privileges. Market liberals should keep a clear head when it comes to the relationship between science and public policy." Edwin G. Dolan teaches economics at the Stockholm School of Economics, Riga, and the University of Economics, Prague. Fulltext
D5 - Europe's Energy Security: Challenges and Opportunities
Bahgat, Gawdat
International Affairs, 2006, v82, #5, pp961-975
"The extreme volatility of global energy markets since the early 2000s has prompted the Commission of the European Communities to issue a new Green Paper, 'A European strategy for sustainable, competitive and secure energy'. This important document seeks to identify the main steps EU members need to take to enhance their energy outlooks. The first section in this article discusses the concept 'energy security'. This is followed by an examination of Europe's energy mix (oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear power and renewables). The third section analyses European efforts to establish and strengthen energy partnerships with Russia, the Caspian Sea region and the Middle East. The main argument is that stability and predictability in energy markets are shared goals between producing regions and major consumers." Gawdat Bahgat is professor of political science and director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Order Article
D6 - Nuclear is Not the Way
Smith, Brice; Makhijani, Arjun
Wilson Quarterly, Autumn 2006, v30, #4, pp64-68
"Could nuclear power really help save the world from what
is arguably the worst environmental scourge ever to confront humanity?
History suggests the need for two things: caution about the nuclear
industry's messianic proclamations, and careful analysis."
The article discusses whether nuclear power could help save the
world from the perils of global warming. The author argues that
the proposed Global Nuclear Energy Partnership of the administration
of U.S. President George W. Bush may be accelerating the trend
toward national nuclear capability and would void the inalienable
right guarantee for those countries without enrichment or plutonium
separation technology. Brice Smith is an assistant professor
of physics at the State University of New York, Cortland. Arjun
Makhijani is president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental
Research in Takoma Park, Maryland. Fulltext
D7 - Nuclear Power is the Future
Schulz, Max
The Wilson Quarterly, Autumn 2006, v30, #4, pp59-63
"After the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979, the United
States wrote off the expansion of civilian nuclear power as a
dead issue. Now, with oil prices and anxiety about global warming
on the rise, this energy source is getting a long second look."
The article outlines the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear
power and the the spread of dangerous nuclear waste that can be
used to manufacture nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Patrick Moore,
one of the founders of Greenpeace, declared his support for nuclear
energy as the only large-scale, cost-effective energy source that
can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions while continuing to satisfy
a growing demand for power. Max Schulz is a senior fellow
at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. Fulltext
D8 - On the Future of Global Energy
Nocera, Daniel G
Daedalus, Fall 2006, v135, #4, pp112-116
"Energy is the greatest concern of our future. The rising living standards of a
growing world population will increase global energy consumption
dramatically over the next half century. The challenge for science,
and particularly for the discipline of chemistry, is to meet this
energy need in a secure, sustainable, and environmentally responsible
way. This essay frames the magnitude of the problem, shows the
insufficiency of conventional energy sources to meet these needs,
and poses an alternative solution..." Daniel G. Nocera,
a Fellow of the American Academy since 2005, is W. M. Keck Professor
of Energy and Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology. Fulltext
D9 - Leading the Renewable Energy Revolution
Lewis, Joanna I.
Georgetown Journal of World affairs, Summer-Fall 2006, v7,#2, pp147-154
"China is a particularly important place in which to examine the opportunities for renewable energy development due to the size of its current energy demand and its projected renewable energy market potential. Already a global leader in solar thermal technology manufacturing and in
manufacturing small hydro and wind turbines, China also has burgeoning solar
photovoltaic (PV) and utility-scale wind turbine industries. The entry of Chinese manufacturers into rapidly expanding global markets may
drive down costs and increase the viability of renewable energy technology
utilization worldwide, in both developing and developed country applications." In this article the author argues that other countries should be watching closely as China's renewable markets start to mature. Joanna I. Lewis is a senior international fellow at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service in the Science, Technology, and International Affairs program. Fulltext
D10 - Environmental Protection Issues in the 109th Congress
Fletcher, Susan
CRS Reports, updated August 21, 2006, online edition, 23p
Environmental protection concerns span a wide variety of issues, including
clean air, water quality, chemical security, and environmental
aspects of other major issue areas, such as energy, transportation,
disaster relief and cleanup, and defense.This report provides
an overview of key environmental issues in the 109th Congress.
Fulltext
D11 - National Parks Under Pressure
Arrandale, Tom
CQ Researcher, October 6, 2006, v16, #35, pp817-840
"The National Park System is threatened by pollution, invasive
species, climate change and encroaching development. Moreover,
budget constraints are making the national parks and other units
in the system not only more dangerous to visitors but also less
satisfying and less educational, some observers warn. To compensate
for funding shortfalls, parks are raising entrance fees, soliciting
corporate donations and cutting ranger programs. Underlying the
challenges is a fundamental struggle between recreational users
— such as snowmobilers and jet skiers — and traditionalists who
say preserving the parks' tranquility and fragile resources should
always remain the paramount mission. Meanwhile, “gateway communities”
say park officials should take their economic survival into account
as they try to keep the parks meaningful for 274 million visitors
a year and preserve natural values for future generations."
Tom Arrandale is a freelance writer reporting on environmental,
natural resource and wildlife issues. He is also a columnist for
Governing Magazine. Order
Article
D12 - America's Children and the Environment
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Updated
October 26, 2006
This report presents trends in environmental factors related to
the health and well-being of children in the United States. It
“brings together, in one place, quantitative information from
a variety of sources to show trends in levels of environmental
contaminants in air, water, food, and soil; concentrations of
contaminants measured in the bodies of mothers and children; and
childhood diseases that may be influenced by environmental factors.”
The most recent EPA data and analyses, as well as updates to measures
in previously published reports, are presented in this report
in the form of an interactive website. Fulltext
D13 - The Eco-Advantage
Kanter, Larry
Inc., November 1, 2006, online edition
This article serves as an introduction to “the Green 50, a collection
of entrepreneurial companies that are showing what it means to
run good businesses, attack the most pressing problems of our
time--and make serious cash along the way.” Fulltext
D14 - Mercury Uprising
Kriz, Margaret
National Journal, October 21, 2006, v38, #42, pp30-35
States are cracking down on their power plants’ poisonous emissions
and opting out of a federal mercury program they see as too weak.
Seven states have already adopted strict limits on mercury emissions
from coal-fired power plants. Another 17 are in the process of
doing so. Margaret Kriz is a staff correspondent for the "National
Journal". Fulltext
D15 - Disaster Data Highlight Global Risks
World Bank Disaster Risk Management, October 2006, online edition
The interactive website reveals the most vulnerable places
on earth at a glance—the countries most prone to six major hazards:
droughts, flooding, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides and volcanos.It
shows how natural disasters could affect a country’s population
or economy.The World Bank and its partners launched the website
along with a eport, Natural Disaster Hotspots Case Studies,
and the Global Risk Identification Program (GRIP), designed to
encourage countries and development institutions to plan ahead
for natural disasters. Fulltext
D16 - Our Ten Greatest Natural Disasters
Gibson, Christine
American Heritage, August/September 2006, v57 #4, pp26-37
To mark the fiirst anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, this article
offers an assessment of the 10 deadliest natural disasters to
strike the United States. "As a whole, they paint a sobering
picture of the impermanence of human enterprise, but they also
reveals some fascinating - and familiar - patterns..." Christine
Gibson is a former editor at American Heritage magazine.
Fulltext
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