Sorting out possible causes as yet another global food crisis looms The world’s poorest are at risk of being priced out of the market for food because … we’re burning corn and other staple crops for biofuel … the rising middle classes in the BRICs and beyond are...
Side-stepping the food-or-fuel choice by cultivating cassava It seemed like a good idea at the time: Reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and start weaning the gasoline-dependent by phasing in (with a mix of subsidies and mandates) the use of ethanol as motor fuel. The...
The oil spill continues to roil the Gulf ecosystem and economy The idea was to push the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill back from coastal areas with torrents of fresh water by opening several Mississippi River diversions. Unfortunately, it appears that the...
Prices rise as buyers stockpile Gulf seafood Expecting shortages as the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill continued to spread in the Gulf of Mexico, seafood purveyors rushed to stockpile and helped drive up the prices of shrimp and oysters. Now, as the Independent of...
The slick spreads, fishing is banned, legal claims multiply The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) yesterday extended the boundaries of the area closed to fishing in the Gulf of Mexico to include 45,728 square miles, or...
The HS gets in the way of spreading environmental goods What’s the difference between a pipe used in treating wastewater and a pipe that transports oil? A hotplate and a solar cooker? A refrigerator that’s energy-efficient versus an energy hog? In the Harmonized...
