SciDev.Net

A commitment to biofuels should be based on a careful assessment of their prospective benefits and costs, not a blind leap of faith.

The world must not miss its second chance to take a radically different approach to energy consumption.

Last week's award of the Nobel peace prize signals the coming of age of the public communication of science.

Almost unnoticed, Nepal is developing simple and cheap technologies that make the best of local resources and don't damage the environment.

Effective adaptation strategies will require reliable scientific data both on the nature of climate change and on its potential impact.

At its global summit next week the G8 needs to build on the work of its predecessors, putting science and technology back at the heart of the international aid agenda.

The row over the World Bank president's behaviour reinforces the need to safeguard its lending policies from ideological pressure.

All members of the media must work together to ensure sustainable development is given the attention it deserves.

The interest in Brazil's ethanol programme should be used to set up fairer partnerships between developing and developed countries.

A report last week on the economic aspects of climate change is not just another warning of imminent catastrophe, it is also an optimistic message for developed and developing countries alike.

A combination of factors appears to be pushing the risk-benefit balance back into nuclear's favour as an energy option for developing countries. SciDev.Net readers are invited to comment.

The forthcoming meeting of heads of the world's industrialised nations must not let self-interest detract from the challenge of global poverty and efforts to soften the impact of globalisation on the developing world.

Any effort to eliminate Iran's nuclear research facilities by force would be both a catastrophe for the region and a major setback for the 'science for development' debate.

Despite the apparent success of the latest international negotiations on climate change, new approaches to reaching agreement on reducing carbon emissions in an equitable way are needed more than ever.

The political effect on the United States of its failure to anticipate Hurricane Katrina's full impact will hopefully generate a more considered attitude to the threat of climate change.

The developed world has no right to tell developing nations how to use nuclear technology. But the latter must build their own capacity to handle the technology responsibly, both individually and collectively.

The decision by G8 leaders to organise formal talks with leading developing countries on limiting global warming is more significant than it might appear. But it does not compensate for the continued shortsightedness of the United States.

Last week's report of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment provides a timely reminder of the plight facing the global environment. But its scare tactics could alienate those whose support is needed to reverse current trends.

One of the most important items to be addressed in talks that open in Argentina this week is how Brazil, China and India can be persuaded to participate actively in international efforts to tackle global warming.

Whether human activity should share any blame for the storms currently sweeping the Caribbean remains uncertain. What is not in doubt is that such activity has contributed significantly to the resulting devastation.