Reviewing 200 years

Commenting on a BBC 4 minutes video presentation by Hans Rosling, Aaron Saenz writes:

"Rosling’s review of the past 200 years leaves me rather optimistic about the years ahead. As he has outlined elsewhere, there are serious problems facing us in regards to exponential population growth and global health. Yet there are also solutions to humanity’s grand challenges of poverty, health, energy, etc."

A short but impressive and thought-provoking presentation - well worth watching.

Direct link to video here.

Carbon emissions and the economic crisis

Earlier this year I had speculated on the impact of the global recession on carbon emissions. The BBC has an item on this recently:

"The global recession and a range of government policies are likely to bring the biggest annual fall in the world's carbon dioxide emissions in 40 years."

Let us hope that the small respite gained will be used well before the economic recovery accelerates emissions again...

Global warming and the economic crisis

I wonder if historian will look back and comment that the economic crisis did have one benefit, it slowed down carbon emissions and allowed more time for solutions to be found saving and some lives as a result.

Enforced lifestyle change?