Attempting to quantify the depth of damage to global food security by the food crisis of 2006-2008, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its annual “The State of Food Insecurity in the World” report. The theme of the report coincides with the recent World Food Day celebration and related events, examining how food price […]
I’ve written about or referenced the Keystone XL project and the Alberta tar sands a fair number of times, including at this post for DeSmogBlog. The picture shows protesters at the White House last summer. The folks at 350.org led the demonstrations there and are organizing another action for November 6th. The pipeline and the […]
On October 19, seven American solar manufacturing companies asked the government to slap 100% tariffs on Chinese solar imports alleging unfair trading practices. The Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing’s President Gordon Brinser said, “Chinese producers have used – and continue to use – continuous increases in production capacity and output, fueled by unprecedented levels of […]
Easy conversion of biomass to oil for transportation fuels and other purposes? It’s a fine thing, particularly if you are using waste products like forest or agricultural wastes, or garbage. I have two caveats, though: (1) Why not make the biomass into biochar? It does more good than just providing fuel. It also provides […]
The International Energy Agency’s chief economist, Fatih Birol, stated yesterday that the oil industry needs about $38 trillion in investment to meet global demand for energy through 2035. He was speaking at a two-day ministers’ meeting foreshadowing the contents of the World Energy Outlook, due out November 9. Breaking the figure down, $10.0 trillion is […]
World Food Day 2011 will be commemorated on Sunday, October 16th, starting two weeks of programs and events focusing attention on the effect that volatile swings in food prices are affecting the poor. World Food Day was originally started to celebrate the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and has since […]
The good folks at Masters in Environmental Science have collated some very good infographics on climate change that are worth your seeing. Here is one on the “carbon footprint” that shows how different countries are performing both on a gross output basis and per capita. (All credit here to Miller-McCune, the excellent media outlet, and […]
Even before it was a country, the United States has drawn people eager to realize the opportunities that it affords to new arrivals. For refugees living in the United States, however, their arrival often accompanies a traumatic break from their homelands because of conflict or persecution. The U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement initiated a program […]
Working with a local telecommunications company, the World Food Programme (WFP) has developed a program in the Ivory Coast to facilitate cash transfers that can be used by thousands of Ivorians to by food despite a climate of political violence. WFP provides $75.00 per month to households, benefiting 54,000 people in the Ivory Coast. However, […]
I went down across the street from the United Nations in New York a couple of Saturdays ago and took part in a medium-sized but interesting demonstration of concern about climate change. It was part of the “Moving Planet” series of demonstrations all over the world, organized by 350.org, that produced over 2,000 events in […]
Last week’s edition of The New York Times Magazine was the annual Food & Drink issue, with articles and features dedicated to subjects including health, policy, drinks, cooking, etiquette, curiosities and more. Perspectives on food security issues could be found among the answers to policy questions, including: “What’s an abundant food source that we haven’t […]
The battle between environmental conservation and business development continues in Alaska where voters sent in ballots on Tuesday October 4th to decide whether to prevent a mine from being built near the headwaters of Bristol Bay – one of the world’s premier salmon fisheries, according to the Associated Press (AP). “Supporters [of the mine] say […]
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