Tag Archives: Politics

How Politics Stands in the Way of Real Energy Solutions

– By David Spence, Professor of Business, Government and Society; Professor of Law

In energy policy, political polarization often gets in the way of commonsense solutions to problems.

General Electric recently announced a technological advance that would allow pipeline companies to use drone-mounted cameras to inspect their lines for corrosion and leaks. This is the kind of development that could, with the right regulatory support, make huge strides toward preventing costly and harmful spills and solving other important problems afflicting America’s aging pipeline infrastructure.  (more…)

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Hurricanes are worse, but experience, gender and politics determine if you believe it

Objective measurements of storm intensity show that North Atlantic hurricanes have grown more destructive in recent decades. But coastal residents’ views on the matter depend less on scientific fact and more on their gender, belief in climate change and recent experience with hurricanes, according to a new study by researchers at Princeton University, Auburn University-Montgomery, the Louisiana State University and Texas A&M University. (more…)

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Jerusalem Unbound: a City in Conflict

A new book, Jerusalem Unbound, plots the history and examines the underlying factors that make a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians so difficult.

Written by Professor Mick Dumper, a University of Exeter politics expert with over 25 years of experience of Jerusalem, the book explores why religious property in ethnically mixed cities attract conflict and argues that holy sites are particularly difficult in peace negotiations as they cannot be exchanged or traded like other properties. It also compares Jerusalem with other divided cities like Belfast and Beirut and draws out lessons that can be learnt from the way these cities are managed.  (more…)

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U.S. should pursue three-pronged strategy in Iraq

ANN ARBOR — U.S. efforts to combat terrorism in Iraq and help Iraqis maintain the territorial integrity of their embattled country need to follow three approaches, according to a University of Michigan expert on politics and values in the Middle East. (more…)

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Meeresbewohner auf der Roten Liste

Hamburg, 12.05.2012: Tierische und pflanzliche Meeresbewohner  stehen unter Druck: 30 Prozent der marinen Arten in deutschen Nord- und Ostseegewässern sind gefährdet. Dies geht aus  der „Roten Liste“ der marinen Arten, die das Bundesamt für Naturschutz heute veröffentlichte hervor. „Diese Bestandsaufnahme verdeutlicht, dass wir unsere Meere besser schützen müssen, um die Vielfalt des marinen Lebens zu bewahren. Das Meer braucht auch Ruhezonen ohne menschliche Eingriffe wie Fischerei oder Rohstoffabbau, um  sich zu erholen“, kommentiert Stephan Lutter, Meeresschutzexperte des WWF. Auch Düngemitteleintrag aus der Landwirtschaft und Verschmutzung durch Plastik oder chemische Stoffe schädigen die Lebensräume im Meer und  ihre Bewohner. (more…)

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The politics of climate change

U.S. residents who believe in the scientific consensus on global warming are more likely to support government action to curb emissions, regardless of whether they are Republican or Democrat, according to a study led by a Michigan State University sociologist.

However, a political divide remains on the existence of climate change despite the fact that the vast majority of scientists believe it is real, said Aaron M. McCright, associate professor in Lyman Briggs College and the Department of Sociology. (more…)

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Newt Gingrich talks politics with Axelrod, meets with UChicago students

Newt Gingrich described for the audience at a recent University of Chicago Institute of Politics event the shock he felt when he realized last Election Day that President Obama would win re-election, confounding Gingrich’s predictions and hopes.

Gingrich said he and his wife Callista stared at each other in disbelief as they took in exit polls and then voting returns that showed a loss beyond anything he had feared, especially among Senate races in traditionally Republican states. It led Gingrich to take a hard look at the tactical and technological gap that may have contributed to his party’s loss. (more…)

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