Greenpeace International has lost 3.8 million euros in a disastrous currency hedging exercise. Is this about a rogue trader or a failure of governance?
The sublime, the climate and Eleanor Catton
Eleanor Catton writes about the inadequacy of language to describe nature. Perhaps it’s no surprise that climate scientists can’t explain what’s being lost.
Data revolution tested by African growth riddle
Investors believe that Africa is the growth continent. But new UN hunger figures tell a different story. Is this a case of bad growth or bad poverty data?
Loss of old certainties hobbles IPCC
A comparison of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report on the science of climate change with the First Assessment from 1990 raises some awkward questions.
Confined to barracks, consoled by Oscar Wilde
The mystery of unsustainable lifestyles is the gap between those who worry and those who stay calm and carry on. Perhaps it’s time to understand each other.
Scientists scour planet for attentive audience
Nobody seems to listen to what earth scientists are saying about the fate of the planet, not even the UN General Assembly when addressed by Johan Rockstrom.
Red line in Red List of Ecosystems
A new research paper brings the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems closer to reality. But why is the scientific basis so silent on the subject of climate change?
John Ashton pulls no punches in climate arena
Since retiring from the Foreign Office last year, John Ashton has given a series of forthright speeches on climate change. Why does he omit the predicament of the most vulnerable countries?
Heikki Holmås enters inner sanctum of UN energy initiative
New appointments to the UN’s Sustainable Energy For All initiative may not silence criticism of its governance but Norway’s development minister may bring fresh perspectives on energy poverty.
World Bank vision tested by Dhaka factory disaster
The worst industrial accident in the history of Bangladesh has exposed the scale of internal culture change necessary to validate the World Bank’s new goal to eliminate global poverty by 2030.