| ASP: In case you missed it …. 7 December 2012 |
How Can the Costs of Climate Change Be Mitigated?
The Economist
The question that preoccupies Klaus Desmet of the Universidad Carlos III in Madrid and Esteban Rossi-Hansberg of Princeton University in a new NBER working paper* is whether there are ways to manage the impact of changing weather patterns by moving the location of economic activity. They note that roughly 90% of global production uses just 10% of available land. If that 10% is threatened, activity may at least theoretically shift to bits of the 90% made more hospitable by climate change.
Going Beyond Carbon Dioxide
Durwood J. Zaelke and Veerabhadrab Ranabathan/NY Times
Reducing these emissions by as much as half by 2050 is essential to avoid disastrous consequences by the end of this century, and we must begin immediately.But this is a herculean undertaking, both technically and politically, as the lack of progress at United Nations climate talks here this week attests. And even if we are able to do this over the next 40 years, we would not slow the rate of warming enough by midcentury to moderate consequences like rising sea levels, the release of methane and carbon dioxide from melting arctic permafrost, and a rise in extreme weather.
LNG Project Angst Builds in US Energy Industry
Margaret Ryan/Aol Energy
As of the end of October, the Department of Energy (DOE) had 18 applications pending for authority to export liquefied natural gas (LNG). International demand is growing and expert studies say the LNG market will need 15 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) more in five years. The question causing angst in the natural gas industry: Can DOE and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which permit LNG exports and the LNG physical facilities, respectively, license exports in time for US producers to act before competitors grab that growing world demand?
U.S. warships moving to monitor North Korea’s planned rocket launch
David Alexander/Reuters
The United States is shifting warships into position to track and possibly defend against a planned North Korean rocket launch while urging Pyongyang to cancel its second such attempt this year, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command said on Thursday.
Hamas Leader Makes First Visit to Gaza
Steven Erlanger/NY Times
Khaled Meshal, whom the Israelis tried to assassinate in Jordan in 1997, arrived for his first visit to the Gaza Strip on Friday as head of the political bureau of Hamas, which has established a ministate here.
U.S. military updates options for potential Syria strike, source says
Barbara Star / CNN
The U.S. military has updated its plans for a potential strike against Syria after intelligence showed that the regime has filled aerial bombs with deadly sarin gas in at least two locations near military airfields, a senior U.S. official said Friday.
NATO shares blame for ‘insecurity’ in Afghanistan: Karzai
AFP
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday that NATO and the United States were partially to blame for insecurity in his country and threatened to suspend negotiations on a future role for US forces.
U.N. nuclear chief: Alleged weapons testing site was probably sanitized by Iran
Joby Warrick/Washington Post
The United Nations’ chief nuclear official urged Iran on Thursday to allow inspection of a military base where Iranian scientists are suspected of conducting secret nuclear-weapons research, although he acknowledged that any traces of illicit activity have probably been removed.
As Tanks Face Off, Iraqi Rivals See Political Gains
Suadad al-Salhy and Isabel Coles/Reuters
A hundred miles from Baghdad, tanks are facing off across a frontline defined not by an international border but by ethnic enmity, fueled by past bloodshed and future oil wealth, that risks tearing Iraq apart.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Event recap: The FIIS Working Group Winter Symposium
Ashley Boyle
On December 4th, the Financial Intelligence and Information Sharing (FIIS) Working Group hosted its winter symposium at the American Bar Association in Washington, DC. Six speakers presented on a broad range of counter-threat finance and anti-money laundering (CTF/AML) topics to a packed room of experts and practitioners.
Weighing the Benefits and Costs of International Sanctions Against Iran
Aaron Hesse
The “report is not an advocacy document, for or against sanctions.” Rather, this report is supposed to help inform an ongoing discussion about the viability of the current sanctions regime, and the role of sanctions in the overall US policy towards Iran.
Fusion Leaders Meet for Annual Conference
Nicholas Cunningham
The 33rd Annual Fusion Power Associates meeting took place in Washington this week. The fusion community is optimistic about fusion energy, but concerned over looming budget cuts.
About the American Security Project: The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges.
