Region: International
Climate Strategies: “One Step at a Time” or “Don’t Jump the Gun”??
In some situations, voluntary efforts leads other people to join in, whereas in others, it encourages them to hold back. There’s a similar issue about climate mitigation efforts at the national, regional, or state level. Do these efforts really move the ball forward? Or are they counterproductive, because other places increase their own carbon emissions …
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CONTINUE READINGFukushima Whodunit
In a remarkable and significant new report, Japanese experts have concluded that the Fukushima nuclear accident was a “man”-made disaster – phrased this way perhaps in a gallant effort to allow all women to distance themselves from the decision making process. This dramatic conclusion prompts yet another question: If “man” isn’t responsible, then who is? …
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CONTINUE READINGRio+20 and Network Governance
Although I was in Rio last week, I was miles away from the actual negotiations, both geographically and metaphorically. But, as it turned out, the side events were at least as important as the actual negotiations. This is an interesting phenomenon. Some big international negotiations like WTO meetings attract protesters, but the big environmental negotiations …
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CONTINUE READINGThe T-Shirt’s Tale
After letting it sit on my shelf for about a year, I finally got around to reading Pietra Rivoli’s book, The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy. The subtitle is “An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade.” That’s accurate but makes the book sounds pretty dry and academic. The …
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CONTINUE READINGLegal Planet reviews the IPCC
Congratulations to our LP colleagues Sean Hecht and Dan Farber for having been designated as expert reviewers of the IPCC 5th assessment report, to be published in 2014. They will be reviewing the drafts issued by Working Group II, which assesses climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. The IPCC’s assessment reports, written every five to seven years, have not been without …
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CONTINUE READINGComparing Canadian and US Environmental Law: Judicial Review
In a prior post, I talked a little about proposed changes to Canadian environmental laws that would roll back significant protections and procedural requirements. I also talked about some of the differences between Canada and the United States that might be the basis for very different histories of environmental law in the two countries. But …
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CONTINUE READINGCarbon as Commodity and Currency
As a number of writers have suggested, it’s intriguing to think about the ways in which carbon functions like money to an increasing extent as a medium of exchange, and a measure and storehouse of value. Thus, alongside (and intertwined with) the existing money-based economy, we can envision the emergence of a carbon-based system of …
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CONTINUE READINGHard and Easy Environmental Questions: A Talk With Ikal Angelei
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IOw9tsS-aI] Ikal Angelei is one of the world’s pre-eminent environmental justice activists: she is the founder of Friends of Lake Turkana, which (as the name suggests) seeks to preserve Lake Turkana from the massive Gibe III Dam planned by the Ethiopian government and World Bank. As the name does not suggest, the issue is …
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CONTINUE READINGEnvironmental Law in Canada
Americans (especially liberals) often have a warm and fuzzy vision of our neighbors to the north as a kinder, gentler version of the United States. (Remember this map after the 2004 election?) But when it comes to environmental issues, that really isn’t the case. The conservative Canadian government led by Prime Minister Harper has recently introduced its …
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CONTINUE READINGCoal, China, and Pollution
Air pollution in China is a global problem, because of climate change, and a California problem, because pollutants from China reach the U.S. West Coast. An article in the current issue of Nature has good news and bad news about coal and pollution in China. The good news is increased pollution control. The authors estimate …
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