A Pivotal Moment via It's Getting Hot In Here
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Will Trade Oil [Money] for Food via CIPE Development Blog
What would you do if you were running a country that is having to balance the benefits of high energy prices and the costs of high food prices? Ask Saudi Arabia, which is now gearing up its efforts to buy more and more agricultural land in other countries in order to reduce the pressure on food supplies.
The approach is somewhat interesting, as the investments go into securing productive capacities in other countries, rather than strictly relying on imports or supporting [in many instances] less efficient domestic producers. One of the reasons behind this move is that
Saudi Arabia has reduced its agricultural production with the objective of economizing water and has been seeking land in other countries on which to grow crops.
More from WSJ here. I wonder what will be the response to...
Climate, Trees, and People in the Peruvian Amazon: Toward a Sustained Rainforest Movement via It's Getting Hot In Here
While many adults in the US are still in a state of denial over global warming, young schoolchildren in villages deep in the Peruvian Amazon are learning about the effects climate destabilization is likely to have on their way of life.
That’s just one thing I learned during a recent three-week trip to the Loreto region (northeast corner) of Peru, with a Peace and Conflict Studies class from Pacific University in Oregon. We spent much of our time in Peru staying in small villages, where we learned about the culture and way of life of the people there – as well as the threats they are likely to face in coming years. Based on my, admittedly very brief, exposure to life in Peru’s Amazon, it seems climate destabilization is not a “debated” issue there; people in the rainforest... Taking Advantage of High Oil Prices via CIPE Development Blog
With oil prices sky high and some predictions that they will continue to grow to as much as $200 over the next 6 months or more - one might think that oil producing countries are celebrating. Higher demand for resources - higher profits! Right?
Well, it seems like some can’t really keep up,
In the past, non-OPEC producers like Russia, Mexico and Norway have increased production to meet demand. But these nations have struggled to keep production at the levels of recent years. Norway’s production, for example, has decreased by twenty-five percent since two thousand one.
Russia, at one point the largest oil producer, has not been able to sustain its production levels and has seen its output decline over the past six months. One of the reasons behind this, according...
Too Much Democracy? via CIPE Development Blog
Yesterday’s NY Times article provides an interesting perspective on the relationship between democracy, oil revenues, and development on the case of Kuwait. As the story goes, in Kuwait, a public opinion that democracy has hampered the country’s development is becoming more widespread. The reason? Well, it seems like the country is lagging behind its as well oil-rich neighbors who shun democracy in favor of monarchies.
For example,
Many Kuwaitis also complain about government neglect of public hospitals and schools. Problems with the power grid caused brownouts last summer…Although parts of Kuwait City were rebuilt after the Iraqi invasion of 1990, much of it looks faded and tatty, a striking contrast with the gleaming hyper-modernity of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and...
When money gets too sweet via CIPE Development Blog
With the price of oil at its record highs, it can be hard to imagine that key exporters thereof, six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) may currently be facing economic problems of any kind. The signs of prosperity seems to be all around as gleaming towers rise in the middle of the desert and guests arrive by helicopter at the world’s only seven-star hotel, Dubai’s sail-shaped Burj al-Arab. And yet not all is well.
A somewhat unexpected addition to the region’s stunning architecture is a… diabetes center in Abu Dhabi. Nearly one-fifth of the UAE’s native population now suffers from diabetes and the statistics are not much better in the rest of the GCC. A result of more sedentary lifestyle and...
Midwest Oil Refineries Gobble Up Canadian Tar Sands, Spew Greenhouse Gasses via It's Getting Hot In Here
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Don’t Miss Cascade POWER SHIFT: Mobilizing Youth for Climate Justice! via It's Getting Hot In Here
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Action Alert: Student Rally at Detroit Auto Show Sunday via It's Getting Hot In Here
Not Our Car Culture!
Rally for an Emission-free Future
January 13, 2008
WHERE: North American International Auto Show Detroit, MI
WHEN: 11:30 a.m. meet-up at Hart Plaza on Jefferson Ave. W at Woodward Ave. for 12:00 p.m. march and rally at Cobo Convention Center
We stand at an exciting moment in the struggle to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the auto sector. Students are converging in Detroit tomorrow at the Transportation Challenge Weekend Getaway to build the skills that will help them kick the tailpipe.
Sunday, as the North American International Auto Show kicks off in Detroit, students from around the midwest and activists from Freedom from Oil will band together merrily in a (peaceful) display of cogent intimidation that will undoubtedly draw the paparazzi, resolve this... Come to the Transporation Getaway Jan 11-13 Detroit MI! via It's Getting Hot In Here
Take Action against Auto Makers in Detroit this Weekend!We refuse to Drive the Cars that are Driving Global Warming.
Heard about the Transportation Challenge? It’s a campaign of Energy Action partners to cut greenhouse gas emissions from one of the largest pollution sources- dirty gas guzzling vehicles. Young people around the country are raining up to reverse climate chaos through the Campus Climate challenge, and many of you are doing so by taking on tailpipes and advocating for transportation alternatives that end oil addiction and slash global warming pollution.
Global Exchange (GX) and Rainforest Action Network (RAN), two founding member of the Energy Action Coalition, are helping students run the Challenge by making transportation changes on campus. We know that we need a...