Energy and Environment

From Pillars to Platform: Demystifying the Durban Outcome

February 8, 2012 by Kartikeya Singh

The recently concluded UN climate negotiations (COP 17) have shifted the pillars of the Bali Action Plan from COP 13 to the Durban Platform on Enhanced Action (DPEA). This amounts to a disappointing delay in plans for progress (2015 is the new 2009 while 2020 is the new 2013), but unresolved questions about how to interpret the language of the new agreement may leave room for an improved process going forward.

Read the full article →

The Future of Nuclear Energy

April 2, 2011 by Rizwan Ladha

In the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that overwhelmed the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, and as workers continue battling the second- and third-degree effects of the disaster, important questions are being raised about the future of nuclear energy in the United States. The U.S. Department of Energy has been investing for a long time [...]

Read the full article →

Cash Rules Everything Around … Climate Change

March 5, 2011 by Paolo Cozzi

One of the accomplishments that allowed negotiators to claim the Cancun climate talks as a success was the progress made on the development of a “Green Climate Fund.” Negotiations are coming together in mid-March to theoretically hammer out the details of this multi-billion dollar pot which will help vulnerable nations cope with Climate Change, protect [...]

Read the full article →

Ban Ki Moon’s change on climate

February 10, 2011 by Paolo Cozzi

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has determined that tackling climate change will no longer be his top issue. He has instead decided to focus principally on sustainable development. What does this mean for the movement for a global climate agreement? At first blush, it’s not good. When he took over from Kofi Annan [...]

Read the full article →