Peter Neal (UNSW) on Carbon Capture and Storage
Posted by sangus in Development, Interview, Podcast on 28 May, 2009
Dr Peter Neal is a research associate at the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (otherwise known as the CO2 CRC), and is located in the School of Petroleum Engineering at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. As part of this group, Dr Neal works on modelling the economics of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies. In this interview, Dr Neal describes how CCS works, where the technique is being applied current, and what the important economic factors in its use will be. Towards the end of the interview Dr Neal looks ahead to where CCS will be utilised in both the developed and the developing nations of the world.
Matt Chamberlain (CSIRO) on Ocean Modelling and Climate Change
Posted by sangus in Development, Interview, Podcast on 26 May, 2009
Listen to CSIRO research scientist Dr Matt Chamberlain — he gives an excellent description of how oceans and the climate interact, and how modern scientific methods are used to try and understand this interaction. Matt’s background is in geology and geophysics and he has worked both in the wilds of Antarctica, and in the deserts of America for the University of Arizona and then the Planetary Science Institute. His work focusses on bio-geochemical interactions in the ocean, these are important to understand since the ocean is understood to play a very big role in the carbon cycle, and hence, changes to both the atmosphere above the ocean, and the currents and temperatures in the oceans themselves may have large implications for the way that these cycles operate.
Cobus de Swardt on Transparency International and the fight against Corruption
Posted by sangus in Development, Interview, Podcast on 20 May, 2009
Cobus de Swardt is the Managing Director of Transparency International (TI) which is well known for producing the annual Corruption Perceptions Index which ranks 180 countries on a scale of 0 to 10 for their level of perceived corruption. As Cobus emphasises in the interview, this is only one part of the work of TI, the main impact of TI is in its many country-based ‘chapters’: small, grass-roots TI organisations which work for greater transparency and accountability in their host countries.
Africa has to find its own road to prosperity (FT opinion)
Posted by sangus in Development, Growth, Poverty on 11 May, 2009
(Thanks to Ben Hirons) With respect of Dambisa Moyo’s thoughts on Dead Aid here is another President of an African nation, this time, Paul Kagame of Rwanda making a case for leading Africa out of poverty by innovation rather than systemic ‘plans’, or ’strategies’. As Kagame says, Rwanda faces enormous challenges, both geographically, politically, historically, and in terms of education and health, and yet, the optimism he displays is both courageous and determined.
Read his comments here:
FT.com / Comment / Opinion - Africa has to find its own road to prosperity.
Note: Kagame’s target of a four-fold increase in per-capita incomes in ‘a generation’ (or around 20 years), requires a GDP/cap growth rate of 7%. Considering that Rwanda has a projected population growth rate of just under 3%, this will require a GDP growth rate of 10%. And there, if ever, is the African challenge.
Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip
Posted by sangus in Sustainability on 8 May, 2009
Or .. `How to present non-linear dynamics to a Linear Generation’
Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.
I’m a big supporter of attempts to bring complex issues to the public in a digestable format, and for this Murray has done a superb work of good here. However, I’m also keen to bring some of the emmotion out of climate change and bring real economic solutions to the table, rather than (say) public disobedience (as it seems Murray would have us undertake from this clip).
The problem of Climate Change is Economic in nature: to quote Nicholas Stern, author of the vital ‘Stern Review’ for the UK, climate change is the biggest example of market failure the world has ever seen. I don’t disagree, and thus, surely it is up to us Economists to provide an answer. Here’s where climate change policy is so important. Murray rightly shows that there are some ‘vested interests’ who may not wish to change the direction of their very large corporate ships, but the reality is, this is not a long-term strategy and they know it. Indeed, many of the large miners (for example) have been thinking about a low-intensity climate future for some time. We, the people, need to support these efforts and encourage our governments to get on their skates. As Murray says, we have little time to ‘fiddle’, Rome isn’t burning yet, but it will.
Dambisa Moyo discusses Dead Aid on Norwegian TV
Posted by sangus in Development, Poverty on 4 May, 2009
Once again, a video on Dambisa Moyo’s Dead Aid perspective. Significantly, here, she begins by outlining her ideas with the TV presenter, and then is able to debate them with a member of the Norwegian Parliament who clearly sees eye to eye with Moyo on some of her criticisms of foreign aid, but doesn’t appear willing to turn off the tap immediately.
Jakob Madsen on Models of Economic Growth
Jakob Madsen, Professor of Economics at Monash University has spent many years in Macro-economic research. He has a particular interest in long-run growth, the models that have been used to explain it, and the data that aims to test these models. In his recent work, he is examining so-called ’second-generation’ endogenous growth models, such as the Schumpeterian growth model. In this interview, Professor Madsen talks about some of his recent work on economic growth and how this bears on economic policy for development in the world’s poorest regions.
Michael Hanemann on Climate Change Policy
Posted by sangus in Interview, Podcast, Sustainability on 30 April, 2009
Michael Hanemann is Chancellor’s Professor at the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California at Berkeley. He’s also the Director of the California Climate Change Center. He was in Australia towards the end of 2008 to speak at several universities (including Monash) and to hold discussions with policy makers in the Australian Government. The interview discusses different approaches to climate change policy including what options Australia might take based on experiences internationally, especially in California.
Tim Hatton on Height and Health in Britain 1880-1950
Professor Tim Hatton of the Economics Program at the Research School of Social Sciences (ANU) spoke to us about his research on health and height (stature) in turn-of-the-century Britain. What is interesting about his work, is that his data set comes from the 1937 study by Sir John Boyd Orr of working class children in 16 locations in England and Scotland and allows the study of the famous `quality, quantity tradeoff’. The interview begins by asking Tim to explain exactly what this means.
Greg Clark on Social Darwinianism and the Industrial Revolution
Posted by sangus in Development, Growth, Interview, Podcast on 30 April, 2009
Greg Clark, Professor of Economics at University of California, Davis and author of A Farewell to Alms was recently in Australia to present a seminar on his controversial theory of Social Darwinianism to explain the industrial revolution in England. Prof. Davis, was kind enough to speak to EconomicsNow! about this work, the Malthusian Trap and why doing Economic History is well worth the effort!