Region: International
Report from the Field: Thailand
I’m writing this post from Thailand, where I’ve been attending a conference of the Thai judiciary. My presentation was on developments in U.S. climate law. It’s been a very interesting trip. Thailand faces some serious environmental issues, which you can’t help noticing just from breathing the air in Bangok. The traffic jams, as seen on …
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CONTINUE READINGNational park futility in Kenya
Parks don’t guarantee conservation success, a new study by David Western and colleagues in PLoS ONE reminds us. Compiling census data from 270 studies over the last 25 years, they found that large mammal populations in Kenya are declining just as rapidly within national parks as in other parts of the country. Poaching, the authors …
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CONTINUE READINGNotes From Japan
A few environmental observations from my family vacation in Tokyo. The first is an obvious one: Tokyo’s public transportation system is a marvel. Several American cities have admirable subway systems but what is so impressive about Tokyo’s is the sheer area it covers. It’s the largest subway and train system in the world. No American …
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CONTINUE READINGNorth Korea and the Environment
Like most people, I knew that North Korea was short on food. What I didn’t realize is that this is largely due to environmental degradation. According to a 2004 U.N. report,”Major crop yields fell by almost two thirds during the 1990s due to land degradation caused by loss of forest, droughts, floods and tidal waves, …
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CONTINUE READINGSome good news from Afghanistan
With the help of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and others, Afghanistan is in the process of creating its first national park, Band-e-Amir, a region of lakes and waterfalls among the mountains in Bamiyan province. The effort is not without challenges, including an extraordinarily remote location, leftover land mines, and …
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CONTINUE READINGCan NEPA save the world?
New Scientist‘s blog, Short Sharp Science, reports that repairs on the proton-smashing Large Hadron Collider at Europe’s CERN may be complete by September. What’s the environmental law connection? You might recall that before the LHC was briefly fired up in September 2008 (it only worked for 9 days before crashing), a lawsuit was filed in …
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CONTINUE READINGAn International Renewable Energy Agency
Prometheus and Nature News report that on January 26th, 75 nations signed an agreement calling for the creation of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Its mission is to become “the main driving force in promoting a rapid transition towards the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy on a global scale. Acting as the …
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