Corn, Cows & Carbon Dioxide

Written by Ryan McGuine // In August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released a new special report. While the report is long and jargon-rich, it is at its core a charge to alter the way people interact with land. Farmers have achieved nearly-miraculous yield gains in the past, yet even more food will be needed to feed a projected 10 billion people by 2050. At the same time, the ways that humans use land contributes massively to climate change, and climate change is making it harder to feed the world. Continue reading

Unclear Future for Marine Fuels

Written by Ryan McGuine // International trade is crucial to the functioning of the global economy, and has played a major role in the gains in well-being observed over the last two centuries. Today most of that trade is done using container ships, but the fuel most commonly used in the shipping industry produces more air pollution per unit energy than most other fuels. In order to reduce shipping's negative environmental effects, the International Maritime Organization recently adopted two major air pollution regulations. Continue reading

Mr Kim Leaves Washington

Written by Ryan McGuine // In January, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim announced his plans to resign after six years in the role, and begin work at an independent infrastructure fund manager. This decision surprised many, since he was only recently re-elected for a second five year term in 2017. Dr Kim cited an opportunity to make a bigger impact in the private sector addressing the "infrastructure gap" as the main reason for his resignation. Continue reading

The Elusive 1.5°C

Written by Ryan McGuine // In October, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a special report about preventing global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. While there is slim chance that the world will prevent 1.5°C of warming, taking action is not futile — the report clearly establishes that the combination of research investment and technology deployment can prevent warming, and that any warming prevented is worth pursuing. Continue reading

The Sustainable Development Goals

Written by Ryan McGuine // In the year 2000, the UN adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration, which established the Millennium Development Goals — eight goals related to economic development with a target completion date of 2015. They were replaced with the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of objectives designed to “end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all,” intended to be accomplished by 2030. Continue reading