Wednesday-Night

Human Rights Watch: Crisis in Darfur

UN extends Darfur peacekeeping mandate, with U.S. exception
The United Nations Security Council voted Thursday to extend the mandate of peacekeeping troops for Sudan’s Darfur region, though Council members remained divided in their response to an International Criminal Court indictment of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. […]

August 1
Please see Can this planet be saved? by Paul Krugman
With thanks to the remarkable Foad Mardukhi [foadmardukhi@hotmail.com] for yet another excellent round-up of opinion that counts.
Foad notes “that the authors of all the pieces below are highly respected economists, including two Nobel prize winners (Schelling and Stiglitz) and two John Bates Clark […]

August 1, 2008
Please see Uncertainty and Climate change

(Op-Ed, NYT) Recently the Web site The Politico asked Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, why she was blocking attempts to tack offshore drilling amendments onto appropriations bills. “I’m trying to save the planet; I’m trying to save the planet,” she replied.
I’m glad […]

Trucks are loaded with sugar cane, which will be used to produce biofuels, in Brazil. Photograph: Paulo Whitaker/Reuters
More on Biofuels
July 28
Biofuels Down, Energy Saving Up in EU Climate Plan
(Reuters/Planet Ark) BRUSSELS - Biofuels are down and energy efficiency measures are up as the European Union’s ambitious plan to fight climate change works its way towards […]

Getty Images
July 25
The news from France may discourage some nuclear proponents, more likely the many who are wavering.
Too Many French Nuclear Workers Contaminated
The Independent Commission on Research and Information on Radioactivity (CRIIRAD) also said a growing number of French nuclear workers were complaining about worsening working conditions and their likely impact on safety.
July 11 […]

July 24
(George Monbiot) A cunning new loophole has wrecked the government’s Climate Change Bill.
The government has some good climate policies. It also has some bleeding disastrous ones, which appear to commit the United Kingdom to high carbon pollution for the entire period covered by the bill. A future Labour government would find itself snared by […]

July 10
After Applause Dies Down, Global Warming Talks Leave Few Concrete Goals
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
(NYT) The sobering reality behind the G-8 summit was that it ended without an agreement on firm targets on reducing greenhouse gases, some experts said.
Division at G-8 Over Climate Goal
RUSUTSU, Japan — Rich nations and emerging powers on Wednesday declared climate […]

See also World Hunger , Zimbabwe
(Xinhua) Backgrounder: Key facts about G8 summit
A world of troubles to tackle
(The Economist) The G8 leaders, meeting in Japan, have many challenges but few tools
Pricey oil, the food crisis and the credit crunch: the new challenges either have their roots beyond the G8, or have quickly raced across […]

Chil Heward is bringing Robin Griffiths as his guest.
Robin joined Phillips & Drew in 1966, having taken a degree in Economics at Nottingham University. He went on to be a partner at WI Carr, the first British stock broker to have offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo. Part of this firm […]

June 28, 2008
As drylands get drier and violence grows, new crises resembling Darfur will arise.
Jeffrey Sachs
NEWSWEEK
The world will experience a growing risk of conflicts over food, energy and water in coming years. The population rises each year by about 80 million people, with most of the increase in impoverished regions already facing […]