CHINA TOPS IN CO2 EMISSIONS
The United States is no
longer the biggest air polluter in the world. According to the Netherlands
Environmental Assessment Agency, China surpassed U.S. carbon-dioxide
emissions by 8% in 2006. Other top emitters are the European Union, India,
and Russia.
The growth of China's
manufacturing sector, driven by increasing demand for Chinese goods
globally, is one cause of this surge in emissions.
In 2005, China became
the world's leading producer of another pollutant, sulfur-dioxide, prompting
the government to take actions to address its growing pollution problems.
The nation's demand for air-pollution control products is expected to
increase by 18% a year through 2010, according to The Freedonia Group, an
industry market-research firm based in Cleveland, Ohio.
SOURCES: Netherlands
Environmental Assessment Agency,
http://www.mnp.nl/en/index.html
The Freedonia Group, http://www.freedoniagroup.com
THE VIRTUAL PHILANTHROPIST
Can the places where
people go to role-play play a role in advancing social causes? MacArthur
Foundation President Jonathan Fanton believes so and has announced a $50
million campaign for new initiatives to promote philanthropic activities in
Second Life, There.com, and other online communities.
The University of
Southern California's Annenberg School for Communications has been tapped to
lead the exploration of philanthropy in online communities, with activities
like virtual-world simulcasts of face-to-face conversations on such issues
as migration, human rights, and education.
Fund-raising events have
already been launched in Second Life, such as a Walk for Hunger event that
drew nearly 400 participants. And MacArthur supports several projects with
components in virtual worlds, such as a prototype "future of the school"
building to give designers feedback.
DETAILS: John D. and
Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,
http://www.macfound.org
|
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the world.
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on nanotechnology, governing evolution, digital learning, biotechnology's
future applications, solutions to global poverty, and much more.
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ARE GOOD DECISION MAKERS BORN OR MADE?
We all have decision making thrust upon us, but many people seem born to be
good decision makers: They stay out of jail and stay in relationships, don't
drive while intoxicated, and are generally healthier. This isn't just good
luck or good upbringing, according to researchers studying life choices and
outcomes.
Decision making is a
teachable skill that may help people improve their lives, regardless of
socioeconomic background or IQ, report Carnegie Mellon decision scientist
Wändi Briune de Bruin and colleagues. For example, a good decision maker
would be able to make choices independently of how information is presented,
such as whether a medication is described as "99% effective" or "1%
ineffective."
The researchers call for
additional studies to determine whether people's life experiences improve
after they have received decision-making training.
DETAILS: Carnegie Mellon
University,
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2007/May/may17_decision.shtml
INVESTING IN ECOSYSTEMS
An experiment to apply a
market approach to environmental protection is under way in Jamestown, Rhode
Island, where residents are paying farmers to delay haying their fields
until after birds have completed their nesting. The farmers would use the
invested funds to develop new products from their hayfields.
Worried about the
declining population of the grassland-nesting bobolinks in New England, a
team of University of Rhode Island economists and biologists worked with
EcoAsset Markets Inc. to devise an investment plan to protect the birds'
habitats.
"Ecological markets are
a way to correct environmental problems by enabling businesses and
individuals to express their values and invest in the environment," says
Stephen Swallow, a professor of environmental economics.
In the Jamestown
experiment, about 350 residents participated, investing from $5 to $200
each. Three out of the six fields in the experiment were able to raise
enough funds to protect the nesting birds.
Economic markets could
also be developed for other ecosystem services, such as clean water and
carbon sequestration, the researchers note.
SOURCE: University of
Rhode Island,
http://www.uri.edu/news/releases/index.php?id=4061
ALSO SEE: EcoAsset
Markets Inc.
http://www.eamarkets.com/
*********************************************
LEADERS WANTED!
The World Future Society
is now seeking experienced and motivated leadership volunteers for its
funding development and sponsorship sales programs to help expand the
Society's services and its global impact.
DETAILS:
WFS Volunteer
Opportunities,
http://www.wfs.org/WFSvolunteer.htm
or contact President Tim
Mack,
mailto:tmack@wfs.org , or Board member Jack Gottsman,
mailto:gottsman@msn.com
*********************************************
CLICK OF THE MONTH: By
Kids For Kids
http://www.bkfk.com
Not that there's
anything wrong with the toys and games that grown-ups invent for kids, but
there's something about making up your own stuff to play with that's much
more fun.
By Kids For Kids
encourages young people to imagine, research, plan, and invent their own
games and toys, vying for honors in such competitions as the
Mattel-sponsored "Invent-a-Toy World Games."
Winning toys in the 2007
competition include an indoor campfire, complete with a recorder for
capturing your ghost stories and campfire songs; a waterworks building toy
with real plumbing; and a game called Xoomball that uses air pumps to puff
Ping Pong balls into holes on a game board.
Many serious inventors
start out very young, BKFK.com points out. Philo Farnsworth was just 14
years old when he came up with the idea for television, and Blaise Pascal
invented the calculator at age 18.
The site isn't just for
kids. It also offers guidance for parents on encouraging their youngsters'
creativity, as well as downloadable curricula for teachers.
*********************************************
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Attention futurist authors:
The following WFS publications are constantly on the lookout for new essays
and articles presenting trends, forecasts, and ideas about the future.
THE FUTURIST magazine:
http://www.wfs.org/writguid.htm
FUTURES RESEARCH QUARTERLY:
http://www.wfs.org/frq.htm#invite
FUTURE TIMES (online):
http://www.wfs.org/futuretimesmay07.htm
WFS Web Forums (online):
http://www.wfs.org/inter.htm
The World Future Society's
2008 conference volume will also be seeking submissions. Look for details
here soon!
FUTURIST UPDATE: News &
Previews from the World Future Society is an e-mail newsletter published
monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine. Copyright © 2007,
World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450, Bethesda, MD
20814, USA. Telephone 1-301-656-8274; e-mail
mailto: info@wfs.org ; Web site
http://www.wfs.org .
Editor: Cindy Wagner,
mailto:cwagner@wfs.org
Associate Editor: Patrick
Tucker, mailto:ptucker@wfs.org
Network Administrator: Jeff
Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org
Vice President,
Membership/Conference Operations: Susan Echard, mailto: sechard@wfs.org
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The WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and educational association with a
global membership. Regular membership in the Society, including a
subscription to THE FUTURIST, is $49 per year, or $20 for full-time students
under age 25. Professional and Institutional membership programs are also
offered; contact Society headquarters for details:
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