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The World Bank wants to help set up cap-and-trade carbon markets in the developing world. On Wednesday, Robert B. Zoellick, the World Bank president, announced the creation of a multi-million dollar fund that aims "to create trading mechanisms to stimulate clean energy projects and to slow the destruction of tropical forests." Tropical deforestation is one of the major sources of......read more
Climate change is undermining economic development in poor countries and pushing millions people back into poverty, the World Bank has warned. The droughts, floods, heatwaves, sea-level rises and storms that are likely to accompany unabated global warming will trap millions of people in poverty, the Washington-based bank said in a report. From AP: "Urgent action is needed to not only reduce......read more
In London, the "seriously water stressed" UK capital confronts summer water shortages with a creative — and very British — solution: A new bio-diesel desalination plant that will run partly on used vegetable oil from fish-and-chip shops. Also in London, the newly erected Speedo Swimsuit Pavilion is made from obsolete swim suits. True story. Upgrade the grid: The US......read more
Natural, fast-growing rattan is enjoying a sort of renaissance in the design world. Unfortunately, conventional rattan harvesting practices tends to harm tropical forests where it grows. Enter WWF's Sustainable Rattan Project, an EU-funded program for sustainable production and processing of rattan in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia. "Forests with such a wide variety of flora and......read more
The 2010 Environmental Performance Index, which ranks the world's nations according to environmental policy and performance, was released last week at the World Economic Forum. The index is compiled every two years by Yale and Columbia University researchers. Leading the rankings is Iceland, which is powered almost entirely by renewable energy sources. Rounding out the top 5 are Switzerland,......read more
It’s rare that a 60-page policy paper makes for riveting reading. But a new report, The World Economic Forum’s Energy Vision Update 2010, does exactly that. Bringing together dozens of top thinkers from both the public and private sectors to address the issue of energy efficiency, the overall message is a hopeful one: small changes to the way we use energy can be a fast and......read more
Aww, is it "too cold" to ride your bike in the winter? No matter where you are, it ain't as cold as St. Petersburg, Russia, where Adams Carroll rides his Ukrainian beast — made from surplus military tank parts — through the snow. Check Carroll's notes on winter cycling at the Fader. On a one-way path to wind energy dominance, China is steady flouting world......read more
1. People, Second Prize Winner, Stories La Maya Tradition by Daniel Ochoa de Olza / AP A ‘Maya’ girl sits in an altar during the traditional celebration of ‘Las Mayas’ on the streets of the small village of Colmenar Viejo. Young girls between the age of 7 and 11 are chosen every year as ‘Maya’ for the ‘Las Mayas,’ a festival derived from......read more
Aerial photography of nature - and the destruction of nature - are earily and beutifully captured by Polish photographer Kacper Kowalski in his series Toxic Beauty. The series placed second in the 57th annual World Press Photo Awards for 2014 in the category of Nature. We see a lot of areal images, and Kowalski's eye for textures and colors are among the finest. Views from the......read more
The energy industry needs clear policies from government to invest in sustainable technologies, says a new report from the World Energy Council (WEC). The group interviewed 40 executives from the energy industry for its annual World Energy Trilemma report, released this week at COP-18 in Doha, Qatar. The report calls for the establishment of clear emissions targets in in......read more
