The Volkswagon emissions scandal has wide-ranging implications not only on the environment and carbon emissions, but on health care in Europe. According to the New York Times, the 2.6 million cars in Germany that do not have emission controls alone can lead to 1,200 premature deaths and billions of Euros in healthcare costs in Europe. Neighboring countries to Germany like Poland, France, and the Czech Republic will be particularly effected. The Volkswagon emissions cheat brings larger issues about climate change into play, such enforcing emission standards and holding countries/companies responsible for environmental and humanitarian harm caused to citizens across borders.
Author: r.charney
Security Council, Russian Vetos, and Chemical Weapons in Syria
It seems like the NYT was listening to our class last night. An article detailing Russia and China’s Security Council veto against penalizing Syria for the use of chemical (chlorine) weapons just came out today. Nikki Haley continued her consistent rhetoric against Russia’s protection of Syria and Assad.
Climate Change and the Domino Effect of Altered Ecosystems
A recent article in the Pacific Standard reports on a study by Nature that examines how the world’s mountainous regions are warming twice as fast as other regions. This warming impacts the chemistry of soil and creates a domino effect through these regions’ ecosystems. Certain plants will be able to grow at higher altitudes, while displacing others and effecting the animals that rely on the current ecosystems. This in turn effects pollination and ultimately agriculture and food supplies. This dramatic warming is fairly universal- from the mountains in Japan-to British Columbia and Europe. The effects of global warming are entwined and will impact not only the environment, but humanitarian issues as well stemming from food supply and agriculture.
A Crack in an Antarctic Ice Shelf Grew 17 Miles in the Last Two Months
A crack in Larsen C’s ice shelf in the Antarctic peninsula has been growing at a rapid rate and is poised to become the largest iceberg ever recorded. The Larsen A and B ice shelves have already broken away from the glacier in the 1990’s and 2000’s. The Larsen C ice shelf serves as a layer of protection and structural support for glaciers. When the ice shelf breaks, it will make the glacier even more vulnerable to destruction, leading to sea level rise.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/02/07/science/earth/antarctic-crack.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FGlobal%20Warming&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=collection
The countries most affected by an increase of sea level rise tend to be in developing regions of the world, like Bangladesh, India, China, and Vietnam. There’s an ongoing debate of whose responsibility it is to help protect developing countries from climate crises. The majority of carbon emitted that has lead to this point was by industrialized nations and regions, like the U.S., Europe, and now China. But the countries that will be most effected by climate change will be in developing regions like Africa and South Asia.
https://www.cgdev.org/page/mapping-impacts-climate-change
Off-Shore Wind Farms in Transnational Spaces
The Danish company, Dong Energy, just installed 32 wind turbines off the coast of Liverpool, England. Wind turbines face criticism on land as being an eye sore, so they’re increasingly being installed off-shore by multinational companies like Mitsubishi, GE, Siemens, and Dong Energy. This intersection of energy and infrastructure, coastlines, and land involve regional, state, local, and corporate actors.
Off-shore wind energy is a growing source of renewable energy as technology improves and costs decline, attracting investors from global banks like Goldman Sachs to pension funds like PensionDanmark. The geography of Britain, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands are prime areas for off-shore wind turbines. If these developments continue, Northern Europe will continue its leadership role in implementing renewable energy sources across borders.