World
G-8 disappoints Syrian rebels, makes progress on corporate tax evasion
Leaders of the G-8 agree on a plan to clamp down on money launderers, illegal tax evaders and corporate tax avoiders, while pushing for immediate peace talks on Syria.
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Apr 26, 2009
Ignorance of 'sustainability' is not an option
by Stephen Hesse
Judging from the last month’s headlines, it’s clear we are collectively still not getting it — despite how much we know about the environment. In fact, it seems the more we know, the less we learn. Here are some examples: — In an effort ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Mar 22, 2009
Our mantra of continuous growth has left us on ecological brink
by Stephen Hesse
If print media are any indication, change is in the air. Readers are sourcing news in new ways, and newspaper sales are declining as a result. But there is also a change in how writers are covering environmental and economic issues and the interplay ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Feb 22, 2009
'Sustainability' in a Japanese way
by Stephen Hesse
Takeshi Hara is an accomplished journalist, author and educator, and at 70 years of age he could easily choose to rest on his laurels. But with the energy of a teenager and a “Never give up!” motto, he is dedicated to promoting environmental sustainability ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Jan 25, 2009
Soft power beckons as time comes for academia to act sustainably
by Stephen Hesse
As I am for the most part an optimist, it seems only right to kick off 2009 with an upbeat column and, as an educator, one area I believe offers great promise is education. Of course, everything has a downside, and one reason the ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Dec 24, 2008
Overseas aid benefits whom?
by Stephen Hesse
PHNOM PENH CAMBODIA — Despite widespread awareness and censure of human rights violations, Japan, the United States and member nations of the European Union continue to give aid to governments that use the money to enrich themselves while ravaging ecosystems and brutalizing their own ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Nov 26, 2008
Asia's first lady of the environment
by Stephen Hesse
If Barak Obama is serious about developing proactive environmental policies that are international is scope, he would do well to work closely with Japan. But for the inside scoop on Japan’s most creative initiatives, I suggest he bypass the bureaucrats and the prime minister. ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Oct 22, 2008
A plea for the wetlands
by Stephen Hesse
Representatives of 158 nations will converge next week on Changwon in South Korea, where they will spend nine days, from Oct. 27 to Nov. 4, talking about how to save the world’s wetlands. When they are done, they will have spent fortunes on flights, ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Sep 24, 2008
You know IG makes common sense: a re-energized U.S.
by Stephen Hesse
What if nations around the world were to adopt intelligent systems that would revolutionize the way we produce and consume energy? These would be energy systems that would dramatically cut carbon-dioxide emissions, promote the use of renewable energy, provide millions of “green” jobs that ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Aug 27, 2008
Exploring Antarctica for key climate clues
by Stephen Hesse
The steamy hot days of summer make it very tempting to imagine an escape to the snow and ice of Antarctica, though few of us will ever have that chance. Shin Sugiyama, 39, a glaciologist at Hokkaido University, is one of the exceptions. Sugiyama ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Jul 23, 2008
There's still hope — despite our milquetoast* leaders
by Stephen Hesse
In the runup to the Group of Eight summit held this month in a stupendously policed corner of Japan’s most remote northern island, there was widespread expectation that little would be achieved on the environmental agenda. True to form, the big shots’ huddle did ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Jun 25, 2008
All hail capitalism, mendacious destroyer of life on Earth
by Stephen Hesse
If you’re hoping that the representatives of the world’s richest nations meeting in Hokkaido for the G8 Summit next month will take action on climate change, you’re in for a disappointment. Despite the fact that scientists are already documenting how climate change is degrading ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH May 28, 2008
Burying our heads in the sand
by Stephen Hesse
We’ve all heard the warning, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Still, with daily reports harping on the dangers of climate change, just about any method to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is getting a closer look. Carbon capture and ...