Free-market Environmentalism, and More

Published in Sustainability Voices on November 8, 2022 https://sustainabilityvoices.co.uk/cop-27-and-the-next-steps-on-climate-actiona/ The recent turmoil in global energy markets resulting from the war in Ukraine have placed significant strain on the path towards keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees, the only way to avoid catastrophic climate change, and the central goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Some countries have not been able to avoid the temptation to return to burning coal in response to the shortage of gas supplies, a hydrocarbon that emits half the amount of carbon dioxide when compared with coal, and therefore a key fuel on any path for energy transition towards the 1.5 target as recognized by the IPCC. So, where are we now, and what are the prospect for COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh? Importantly, COP 27 marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiated in 1992 at the Rio Conference. Instead of a clear occasion for ...

Published in Sustainability Voices on August 22, 2022 https://sustainabilityvoices.co.uk/a-sustainable-development-path-for-qatar/ With less than six months to go until Qatar makes history by becoming the first Arab country to host the FIFA World Cup, the Gulf state is increasingly under the spotlight. Its efforts to deliver a World Cup that sets new benchmarks for social, economic, and environmental standards run the risk of being overshadowed by a cacophony of criticism that often relies on standards and frameworks that fail to accurately portray the progress being made. On sustainability, for example, widely quoted international metrics place Qatar among the world’s worst offenders. A commonly used ecological footprint measurement considers Qatar as having one of the largest “biocapacity deficits” in the world, meaning that it is using its renewable natural resources beyond their regenerative capacity. The country is also condemned for having the highest greenhouse gas emissions per...

(Originally Published in World Bank´s People, Spaces, Deliberation) Eat the News by Helen Zughaib There is a lot of excitement regarding the new “ Civilizations ” series on the BBC. Anybody who watched the original 1969 “Civilization” series hosted by Kenneth Clark will find it hard to forget the extraordinary opening scene, in which a professorial Clark, properly attired in tweed and tie, exclaims: “What is civilization? I don’t know, I can’t define it in abstract terms, but I think I can recognize it when I see it, and I am looking at it now.” He then turns back and the camera focuses on Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral in all its splendor. The new BBC series is no longer just about European civilization as seen through its artistic achievements since the Renaissance, but expands into civilizations more broadly defined, thus the additional “s.” It is hosted by legendary art historian Simon Schama, as well as Mary Beard and David Olusoga. It covers civilizations around the world including ...

(Originally Published in World Bank´s People, Spaces, Deliberation) When will the printed book die? Some think that its replacement by electronic media is imminent and promote this view using arguments that are both romantic and utopic: a new society where massive amounts of information can be accessed instantaneously and free, and with reduced environmental damage because of a decrease in the use of paper. Although neither argument can stand serious analysis, there is no question that the electronic book is rapidly gaining in popularity. Most major “brick and mortar” bookstores have gone out of business, and today Amazon sells more electronic books than printed ones. There is also an explosion of blogs related to every imaginable (and unimaginable) topic, and there is no question that electronic media have some advantages over certain printed media such as newspapers and magazines. On the other side of the argument are scholars of the stature of Umberto Eco, the famous aut...

(Originally published in World Bank´s People, Places, Deliberation) Richard Branson believes in accountability. When he founded Virgin Galactic, the first company to offer commercial trips to space, he promised to be on board during the inaugural flight so that he would be the first saying “oops” if need be (let’s hope not). Similarly, the tradition is that the Captain of a ship is the last one to abandon it, if things go wrong, and to go down with it if necessary (the Captain of the “Costa Concordia” being a recent exception to this rule). In earlier times, Roman engineers stood under the arches they designed as the capstone was set in place, so that the full force of their mistakes would be unleashed upon their heads. Regardless of the definition of accountability used, spotting it is easy when it is there. The Inspection Panel was designed more than 20 years ago, at a time when both the Bank and the world were quite different. Today, information travels instantaneously, and the chal...

 (Originally published in World Bank´s People, Spaces, Deliberation) Although by definition there are many anniversaries each and every year, 2015 stands out as it includes the 70th anniversary of the fall of Nazi Berlin and the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. It is also the year in which Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) had to return in “Back to the Future– II.” Visiting the plains of northern Mongolia today is the closest thing to travelling in time. The most salient features in this otherwise flat and infinite landscape are the Gers (from the Turkish Yurt), traditional round structures made of wood frames covered with felt and animal skins. Over centuries, these structures have evolved to protect their inhabitants from the harsh winter weather. Except by their size, today’s Gers are no different from those used by the Great Kublai Khan in the late 1200s. If you happen to have access to Netflix, you can watch the Marco Polo series and witness the portrayal of the 13...

(Published in People, Spaces, Deliberation on April 2015) Not a likely headline in today’s world, and yet this is among the most important news in recent history. Since Homo sapiens appeared on the planet, societies have experienced steady progress on all issues related to their wellbeing: access to food, sanitation, life expectancy, poverty, violence, the environment, literacy, freedom and equality. More importantly, progress in the last two centuries has accelerated to the point that the great majority of humans today live longer, better, healthier and richer lives than did their parents and grandparents. “Progress” is indeed the title of the recently published book by Swedish author Johan Norberg. In it, and after building and analyzing a robust set of metadata compiled from the OECD, the World Bank, UN agencies and other reliable sources, he concludes categorically that “by almost any index, things are markedly better now that they have ever been for almost everyone alive.” So...