Climate & Agriculture 4: Yes, heat stress also affects wheat – recent European summers show

Part 3 of this series about the impacts of climate change on global agriculture was centred around a climate model study that indicated major global crop belts could experience production declines as a result of increased heat stress. These authors … Continue reading

Comparing CO2 emissions per capita: living a full year in the US, Germany, China, India – or booking 4 random flights from London Heathrow

All right. What we’re gonna do today is hardly science. But it is based on decent World Bank statistics for China, India, Germany and the US (which sadly have not yet been updated since 2011) and a CO2 calculator that … Continue reading

Booming economic growth has not increased Chinese life satisfaction

Economic growth Richard Easterlin

Richard A. Easterlin is University Professor and Professor of Economics, University of Southern California. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a former Guggenheim Fellow, and past president of the Population Association of America, and the Economic History Association.

Study of last 2 decades shows growing happiness gap between wealthy Chinese and the poorest, reflecting rising unemployment and deteriorating safety net, according to economist Richard Easterlin.

Despite an unprecedented rate of economic growth, Chinese people are less happy overall than they were two decades ago, reveals timely new research from Easterlin, one of the founders of the field of “happiness economics” and namesake of the Easterlin Paradox.

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Another Bumper Year for Chinese Science

Another year, another chance for scientists here to pop the champagne corks. In a draft budget released today at the opening session of the annual National People’s Congress, China has earmarked 32.45 billion yuan ($5.14 billion) for basic research in 2012—up 26% from last year’s appropriation

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Nigeria, Pakistan & Indonesia vs Russia: infographic shows state of population growth in 20 years

In our series comparing population growth for different sets of countries today we have a special: the new number 4, 5 and 6 of world populations – compared to the biggest decliner, set in the year 2031.

Engineering population growth: part 1, the problem

Ask engineers and they’ll say there is an engineering solution to any problem. With respect to climate change and geoengineering that’s hotly debated, with respect to overpopulation it’s a novelty. Today the UK-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers presented a report … Continue reading