United States News
The latest news from and about U.S. issues.Thursday, August 07, 2008
Drooping dollar makes Mexican vacations more expensive.
USA Today, August 7, 2008 - “The plunging U.S. dollar has already forced many Americans to give up vacations in Europe. Now, the dollar has lost nearly 10% against the Mexican peso since January — meaning that beach trips to sunny spots south of the border are becoming out of reach, too. The dollar’s value had been stable for years in Mexico, even as it fell against other currencies such as the euro. The shift could have a significant effect on tourism and the $347 billion in trade between Mexico and the United States.” Read more.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
The Oil Shortage Myth.
Kiplinger, August 6, 2008 - “Warnings about running out of oil are overdone. It’s a useful sound bite for proponents of so-called peak oil, who don’t have the foggiest knowledge of petroleum geology. But they do have something to sell. Some oil trading fund managers, for instance, hope to spook other investors into bidding up prices, and neo-green activists advocate ending oil usage because it’s “dirty” and say we’ll run out soon anyway.” Read more.
New mapping system shows how detailed climate changes will affect species.
Mongabay, August 6, 2008 - “A new computer simulation from the Nature Conservancy shows greater detail than ever before on how climate change will affect the world’s biodiversity, according to an article in New Scientist. In worst case scenarios—using the example of Bengal tigers in Sundarbans mangrove forest—the article’s author, Peter Aldhous, writes that some species will be forced into a “condemned cell”, literally having no-where to go while their region becomes inhabitable.” Read more.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Arctic Map shows dispute hotspots.
BBC News, August 5, 2008 - “British scientists say they have drawn up the first detailed map to show areas in the Arctic that could become embroiled in future border disputes. A team from Durham University compiled the outline of potential hotspots by basing the design on historical and ongoing arguments over ownership. Russian scientists caused outrage last year when they planted their national flag on the seabed at the North Pole.” Read more.
Clean Tech: One Sector Is Bucking Global Economic Blues.
Wall Street Journal, August 5, 2008 - “The global economy and markets may be tottering, but clean tech is still a magnet for investment dollars. Private equity and venture capital deals in clean-energy companies notched a record $5.8 billion in the second quarter, according to New Energy Finance, a London-based clean-energy consultant. The big winners? Wind power, solar power, and second-generation biofuels. The dark cloud? Uncertain equity markets, which pushed back several planned listings and are making it harder for early-stage investors to cash out.” Read more.
Learning to Speak Climate.
NY Times Opinion, August 5, 2008 - “Sometimes you just wish you were a photographer. I simply do not have the words to describe the awesome majesty of Greenland’s Kangia Glacier, shedding massive icebergs the size of skyscrapers and slowly pushing them down the Ilulissat Fjord until they crash into the ocean off the west coast of Greenland. There, these natural ice sculptures float and bob around the glassy waters near here. You can sail between them in a fishing boat, listening to these white ice monsters crackle and break, heave and sigh, as if they were noisily protesting their fate.” Read more.
Official: Mexico open to new NAFTA talks.
Truth about Trade & Technology, August 2, 2008 - “The Mexican government dismisses talk of disbanding NAFTA as politics, the country’s economy minister said Friday, but it would back the idea of a new round of North American trade talks, with the aim of including issues such as the environment and labor. Eduardo Sojo, in Chicago this week to address the U.S.-Mexican Chamber of Commerce, was responding to criticism of the 15-year-old trade accord that resurfaced during the Democratic presidential primaries this year. ‘What we do believe that we need in the region, in North America, is more integration, not less integration,’ Sojo said in an interview with the Tribune.” Read more.
US races to erect controversial steel fence on Mexican border.
AFP, August 5, 2008 - “Just west of El Paso, near where Spanish conquistador Juan de Onate crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico in 1598, construction crews have completed a steel fence authorities say is a new model for border security. The five-meter (18-foot) tall fence has a mesh woven so tightly that feet and fingers cannot grab hold, but it still allows people to see through. Steel pylons are set close enough to stop a truck from bursting through, and two meters of reinforced concrete underground deters any tunneling. The structure is designed to push would-be illegal immigrants and drug smugglers out into the desert where they are more easily caught, said Border Patrol Agent Martin Hernandez.” Read more.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Not so fast.
Grist, August 4, 2008 - “President Bush keeps repeating his call for Congress to lift the moratorium on offshore drilling. Republican presidential candidate John McCain is consistently drilling home the same message. And on Wednesday of last week, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said that just in case the ban is lifted, his department is laying the groundwork so offshore drilling in new areas could begin in as few as three years. What drilling proponents don’t say is that even if the congressional ban were lifted, many of the most promising untapped offshore areas would likely remain off-limits to oil and gas exploration. Bush, McCain, and GOP congressional leaders all say that states should decide whether to open their shorelines to drilling—and that states should get a share of drilling royalties as an inducement to say yes. But many governors and other leaders in coastal states are saying, ‘No, thanks!’” Read more.
The Global Need for University / Industry Cleantech Transfer.
Renewable Energy World, August 4, 2008 - “The pace at which universities and academic institutions are developing new technologies aimed at solving the world’s energy and climate change challenges is truly amazing. Many of the cleantech ventures that are being developed at universities around the world right now have incredible potential, yet barriers to commercialization prevent most from being realized. While some top U.S. universities have tech transfer specialists on staff and departments dedicated to the commercialization of research, many others, especially in the BRIC nations (Brazil, India and China), don’t have readily available access to investors and industry.” Read more.
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