Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Climate. Renewables: Old Problem, New Answers, Michael Eckhart

New England Journal of Public Policy

The article offers information on the first Agricultural Renewable Energy Forum to be held in New York on December 3, 2008.

Water. World Water, A Crisis Of Global Governance?, Robert Weiner

New England Journal of Public Policy

In a global world, how can water, a necessary and increasingly scarce resource, be managed? We understand that water is a basic need. Do we also share the belief that water is a basic right? Does the international community share beliefs about water that may be the foundation of an international regime or system of global governance for the equitable implementation of global water policy? And finally, what international body or bodies might handle the disputes that arise as our population and need for water increase? The author tackles these questions and looks at models to guide us.

Water. Global Water Outlook To 2025: Averting An Impending Crisis, Mark W. Rosegrant, Ximing Cai, Sarah A. Cline

New England Journal of Public Policy

IFPRI and IWMI's report uses computer modeling to project water demand and availability through to 2025 and predicts the likely impact of changes in water policy and investment, making specific recommendations for specific locations around the globe. The report argues that if current water policies continue, farmers will find it difficult to meet the world’s food needs. Hardest hit will be the world’s poorest people. The authors call for: International commitment to sustainable use of water, through appropriate policies and investments; Wider application of existing water saving technologies; The removal of inappropriate incentives and reform of institutions which hinder effective …

Water. Commons Or Commodity?: The Future Of Water, Marcia Brewster

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article by Marcia Brewster is taken from the proceedings of the EPIIC Symposium at Tufts University in February 2005.

Water. The Geopolitics Of Water, Paul Michael Wihbey, Ilan Berman

New England Journal of Public Policy

In the great geo-strategic game known as the Middle East, peace politics get much of the press and the attention of policy leaders. On occasion, oil takes center stage but often for the wrong reason (see, e.g., "The End of the Oil Era and the Price of Oil"). What is important to understand is that water is in fact the key strategic resource in the region and if you follow the flow of water, you'll follow the politics and policy machinations that lie at the heart of the Israeli-Syrian dialogue. IASPS Fellow in Strategy Paul Michael Wihbey co-authored an analysis …

The Boston Harbor Cleanup, Paul F. Levy, Michael S. Connor

New England Journal of Public Policy

Boston Harbor earned a widespread reputation as "the dirtiest harbor in the nation" during the 1988 presidential campaign. Well before that campaign began, though, efforts were under way to reduce the amount of pollution entering the harbor. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority was created in 1985 to undertake a massive public works program — including construction of a 1.3 billion-gallon-per-day sewage treatment plant and a sludge fertilizer processing plant — to end the decades-old practice of dumping sewage wastes into the ocean. The program will also cause water and sewer charges to rise dramatically during a fifteen-year period.

The project …

The Reclamation Of Boston Harbor: A Scientist's Perspective, Gordon T. Wallace Jr.

New England Journal of Public Policy

A major effort, costing in the neighborhood of $2 billion, is under way to restore the environmental quality of Boston Harbor. While Boston Harbor is unquestionably one of the most polluted urban estuaries in the world, it is also one of the least understood with respect to the basic physics, chemistry, and biology involved. This information is essential for the purpose of identifying processes that control the transport, effect, and fate of contaminants entering the estuary. Failure to obtain this information may lead to continued inappropriate and unnecessarily expensive solutions to a complex environmental problem. An effective solution will require …