The car as a lock-in The car has gained a dominant position in present-day mobility and transport, not in the least because the costs of pollution, noise, accidents, congestion and use of space are not or only partly internalised. It makes other modes of transport less attractive, not only economically but also regarding other quality [...]
Living on a plane. "Ana-Maria P. is the president of Powerstorm, a US company working on sustainable telecom solutions focused on reducing CO2 emissions in emerging markets. How often do you travel? I basically live on a plane. I recently calculated this and in the last four years, I spent only three months at home…The [...]
Every now and then I meet friends who have given up on changing the world: “It is too complex, too violent, too far away, and I feel powerless in the face of it. So I try to focus on my own family, neighbourhood…”. Somewhat paradoxical, this attitude is partly a response to the information overload [...]
Natural resources such as metal ores, coal and oil have been throughout history at the centre of power struggles and ideologies. The history of oil has been described by Yergin in his excellent book The Prize (1991). “The rapid rise of Russian production, the towering position of Standard Oil, the struggle for established and new [...]
The South Nyírség region in the North-Eastern part of Hungary was traditionally an agricultural area, renowned for its tobacco and apple production. Since the transition in 1990, local agriculture has gradually lost its importance. Apple export to the Soviet market has stopped, tobacco production has dropped and other agricultural activities are hindered by the relatively [...]
In the fall of 2005, Berkeley scientist Ashok Gadgil was asked by the U.S. Government to try to find a solution to a grave problem facing Darfuri families in displacement camps: women had to walk as long as seven hours, three to five times per week to find firewood. In response, he and his colleagues [...]