Ambio (2011) v 40 p96–99 via USFS / by Lixin Guan, Ge Sun and Shixiong Cao http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/37442 [From Introduction] Ecosystem restoration efforts have become a booming business in China. Billions of dollars are being spent annually to restore polluted waterways and ecosystems that have been degraded, fragmented, or paved over (Fu et al. 2007; Wang … Continue reading »
Posted on March 14, 2011 …
Food Prices Crisis of 2007-2008: Lessons Learned
US State Dept. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/03/157629.htm [Website] The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) reports that from January 2004 to May 2008, rice prices increased 224 percent, wheat prices increased 108 percent, and corn was up 89 percent. This price spike contributed to food insecurity worldwide, civil unrest in several nations, and generated appeals for food aid … Continue reading »
The Effects of Climatic Change and Wildland Fires on Air Quality in National Parks and Wilderness Areas
US Forest Service / by Don McKenzie http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/37401 [Abstract] How will climatic change and wildfire management policies affect public land management decisions concerning air quality through the 21st century? As global temperatures and populations increase and demands on natural resources intensify, managers must evaluate the trade-offs between air quality and ongoing ecosystem restoration. In protected … Continue reading »
Roadmap for Moving to a Low-carbon Economy in 2050
European Commission http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/roadmap/index_en.htm [From Press Release] The European Commission today adopted a Roadmap for transforming the European Union into a competitive low carbon economy by 2050. The Roadmap describes the cost-effective pathway to reach the EU’s objective of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% of 1990 levels by 2050. Based on the cost-effectiveness analysis undertaken, … Continue reading »
Taxpayer Preferences for Farm Policy and USDA Budget Expenditures
USDA Economic Research Service http://purl.umn.edu/98597 [Abstract] Current debates on food and farm policy would benefit from an improved understanding of the public’s demand for the services provided by the USDA. We determine taxpayer’s preferences for six categories of USDA expenditures using data from a nationwide survey of almost 1,200 taxpayers. We find that taxpayers believe … Continue reading »
What Economists Know About Open Source Software – Its Basic Principles and Research Results
University of Jena Economics Department via SSRN / by Sebastian Von Engelhardt http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1759976 [Abstract] For a decade, economists have been fascinated by the phenomenon of open source software (OSS). OSS is marked by free access to the software and its source code. It is developed in a public, collaborative manner by thousands of non-paid volunteers … Continue reading »
A Guide for Local Government Executives on Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
IBM Center for the Business of Government / by Nathan J. Francis and Richard C. Feiock http://tinyurl.com/6j4dy45 [From Website] While the federal government receives much attention for its environmental initiatives, much activity is now taking place at the state and local levels to improve energy efficiency and sustainability. The report sets forth six strategies that … Continue reading »
The U.S. Rural Population and Scheduled Intercity Transportation in 2010: A Five-Year Decline in Transportation Access
US Bureau of Transportation Statistics http://tinyurl.com/68c3xj8 Between 2005 and 2010, 3.5 million rural residents lost access to scheduled intercity transportation, increasing the percent of rural residents without access to intercity transportation from 7 to 11 percent. In 2005, 5.4 million rural residents lacked access to intercity transportation, with that total increasing to 8.9 million rural … Continue reading »
Japan Earthquake Could Be One of the Costliest In World History
Insurance Information Institute http://tinyurl.com/4n5a2hf [From Press Release] …The earthquake that struck Northridge, California, in January 1994 remains at the top of the list, which goes back to 1980, having caused $15.3 billion in insured losses at the time, or $22.5 billion in 2010 dollars. The February 2011 quake in New Zealand (up to $10 billion … Continue reading »
