| November 2005
Energy | Environment | Population | Space
D1 - Think Again: Energy Independence
Deutch, Philip J.
Foreign Policy, November/December 2005, v151, pp20-25
High oil prices have refueled discussion of energy independence,
but the numbers reveal that the vaunted goal is an illusion and
the author takes issue with some of the often-heard solutions.
He maintains that statements such as "the west can stop relying
on imported oil," "less foreign oil means lower prices,"
"the United States should burn less coal" and "energy
conservation is the solution," “customers are willing
to pay more for green energy," "the hydrogen economy
is going to change everything" or "new energy technologies
will save as" are misleading. He points out, for example,
that reducing the use of nuclear energy means we must first identify
other clean fuels. In the long run, he believes that
“new energy technologies are beginning to make a difference
today, and they will make a bigger difference tomorrow. But clear
thinking about changes in energy supply requires a time frame
measured in decades and an understanding of the trade-offs that
must be made.” Philip J. Deutch is managing partner of NGP
Energy Technology Partners, a private equity firm that invests
in companies developing technologies for the energy industry. Fulltext
D2 - How
Oil Shocks Affect Markets
Kubarych, Roger
International Economy, Summer 2005, v9, #3, pp32-36
In the 1970s, oil shocks had massive impacts on both U.S. and
other first world economies and energy policies. Kubarych reviews
the five major oil shocks since 1973 and analyses their effects
on bonds, stock markets and currencies. For the future, the author
predicts further increases in oil prices. He criticizes currently
proposed supply expansion measures in Alaska and elsewhere because
those would probably not yield a substantial increase in supplies
and therefore have little effect. Instead, he maintains the United
States should invest in three key areas in order to lower oil
prices: “new technology to burn coal more efficiently, development
of alternative energy sources such as wind and solar, and a burst
of innovation in areas such as fuel cells.” . Roger Kuharych is
Senior Economic Adviser with HVB America. Inc. Fulltext
D3 - Katrina and the Environment
Hayward, Steven F.
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research,
Environmental Policy Outlook, September-October 2005, 6p
.
”The New Orleans flood is shaping up to take its place alongside
the Cuyahoga River fire and the Santa Barbara and Exxon Valdez
oil spills as one of the major environmental catastrophes of modern
times. The issue of hurricanes and climate change--a linkage not
established in current climate science -- distracts from the most
significant environmental lessons of the Katrina disaster. The
rebuilding of New Orleans offers an opportunity to begin reversing
the long-term Gulf Coast erosion that contributed to the magnitude
of the disaster.” Steven F. Hayward is the F. K. Weyerhaeuser
Fellow at AEI. Fulltext
D4 - Katrina and Sound Science
Sandalow, David B.
Brooking Institute, Foreign Policy Studies Senate Committee on
Environment and Public Works, September 28, 2005, online edition,
5p
“The two hurricanes that struck our nation in the past month
raise important questions about science policy, environmental
policy, and the intersection between the two. How can we better
predict natural disasters of this kind? Will our response to Katrina
be shaped by the best available science? What forces of global
change shaped these two disasters, and what impact will these
forces have in the years to come?” David B. Sandalow is
Director of Environment & Energy Project at Brooking Institute. Fulltext
D5 - Sustaining
The Variety of Life
Pimm, Stuart; Jenkins, Clinton
Scientific American, September 2005, v293, #3, pp66-73
The authors write that the extinction rates of plants and animals
today are now about 1000 times higher than the normal geological
rate. They have identified 25 "hot spots" around the
world -- areas that have lost large numbers of native plants and
70 percent of their vegetative cover -- that should be immediately
protected, to preserve the largest number of species at the least
cost, as well as the world's three remaining tropical forests.
Stuart Pimm and Clinton Jenkins are conservation ecologists at
Duke University. Fulltext
D6 - Saving the Oceans. Is More Action Needed to Stem Pollution
and Overfishing?
Clemmit, Marcia
CQ Researcher, November 4, 2005, v15, #39, pp933-955
”The world's oceans are under extreme pressure from overfishing,
pollution and coastal development, two major commissions have
warned. Global fish catches have declined in recent years, despite
the use of increasingly sophisticated equipment — including satellite
tracking. Moreover, some scientists say 90 percent of the world's
large predator fish — such as swordfish and tuna — have disappeared.
Scores of proposals on oceans have been introduced in Congress
this year, but none has passed. While 3,600 Americans a day move
to coastal communities — bringing new development that eats up
fish-breeding wetlands and increases runoff pollution from motor
oil, fertilizer and lawn chemicals — no single public agency is
responsible for coordinating onshore development with ocean health.
Meanwhile, new fisheries-management techniques are offering hope
in North America and Europe that overfished species like cod can
recover. And the White House has created a new Cabinet-level committee
to coordinate oceans policy.” Marcia Clemmit is a CQ Researcher
staff writer. Order Article
D7 - Rethinking the California Air Resources Board’s Ozone
Standards
Schwartz, Joel
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research,
September 12, 2005, AEI Working Paper #116, 56p.
”The California Air Resources Board (CARB), California’s state
air-pollution regulatory agency, recently adopted the most stringent
ozone air-pollution standards in the United States.” The author
maintains that the standard will result in marginal health benefits
and great economic cost. Joel Schwartz is a visiting fellow
at the American Enterprise Institute. Fulltext
Population
D8 - Human Population Grows Up
Cohen, Joel
Scientific American, September 2005, v293, #3, pp48-55
This article focuses on the four major underlying trends expected
to dominate changes in the human population in the coming half-century
and some of their long-term implications. The population will
be bigger, slower-growing, more urban, and older than in the 20th
century. Joel Cohen is Professor of Populations and head of
the Laboratory of Populations at the Rockefeller University and
Columbia University. Fulltext
Space
D9 - Imaging Earthlike Exoplanets
Sherrill, Thomas
American Scientist, November/December 2005, v93, #6, p516-523
This article deals space missions aimed at uncovering Earth-like
extrasolar planets. A key factor in deciding which stars to examine
is the size of their habitable zones. The article focuses on various
instrumentations that will be used in the next years for this
purpose. Thomas Sherrill worked for Locklieed Martin Corporationn
and worked on the development of the Hubble Space Telescope before
retiring in 1995. Fulltext
D10- Future of Space Exploration
Griffin, Michael
Human Space exploration initiative, November 1, 2005, online
edition, 7p
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin addressed NASA's perspectives
on the future of space exploration at a CSIS Human Space Exploration
Initiative event, November 1. Panelists, representing both the
US Government and foreign agencies, discussed the status and prospects
for international collaboration on space exploration. Michael
D. Griffin is Administrator at the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration. Fulltext
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