North America

101 Items

Chinese Communist Party foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi, center, and China's State Councilor Wang Yi, second from left, speak

Pool via AP/Frederic J. Brown

Analysis & Opinions - Project Syndicate

What Really Matters in the Sino-American Competition?

| Dec. 06, 2021

Joseph Nye writes that although the United States has long commanded the technological cutting edge, China is mounting a credible challenge in key areas. But, ultimately, the balance of power will be decided not by technological development but by diplomacy and strategic choices, both at home and abroad.

Long exposure of the full moon rising over Lake Isabella reservoir

Wikimedia CC/Junkyardsparkle

Analysis & Opinions - The Hill

Fires, Smoke, Floods, Droughts, Storms, Heat: America Needs a Climate Resilience Strategy

| May 02, 2021

In the face of advancing impacts of climate change — fires, smoke, floods, droughts, storms, and heat— Lara Hansen and Joel Clement argue for changing the way the country does business in every facet of the economy, with an eye toward reducing risk, increasing resilience, and ensuring equity and justice.

embers light up a hillside behind the Bidwell Bar Bridge as the Bear Fire burns in Oroville, Calif.

AP/Noah Berger, File

Analysis & Opinions - Scientific American

The Next Administration Must Get Science and Technology Policy Right

    Authors:
  • Susan Eisenhower
  • Wanda Austin
  • Ryan Costello
  • Margaret Hamburg
  • Eric Lander
  • Arati Prabhakar
  • Kathy Sullivan
  • Deborah Wince-Smith
| Sep. 22, 2020

John P. Holdren and coauthors argue that the next presidential administration must renew its commitment to investing in science and technology regardless of who wins in November. The United States is facing a great host of challenges that underscore the urgent need for renewed investment in the science and technology enterprise and the rapid application of new scientific knowledge and advanced technology to solve complex problems.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, second from right, listens as Jason Forcier, right, Vice President and General Manager of A123 Systems, shows off a battery

AP/Carlos Osorio

Journal Article - Nature Energy

Patenting and Business Outcomes for Cleantech Startups Funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy

The authors examine the impact of the US Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) on two outcomes for startup companies: innovation (measured by patenting activity) and business success (measured by venture capital funding raised, survival, and acquisition or initial public offering).

Photo of man crossing street in Boston followed by his Gita carrier robot carrying a backpack.

(AP Photo / Matt O'Brien)

Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Washington Should Take Action on AI or Stay Out of the Way

    Author:
  • Gretchen Greene
| Mar. 19, 2020

Federal and local regulations are part of the solution to tough issues related to Artificial Intelligence, writes K. Gretchen Greene, but no regulatory approach on its own can fully answer these questions today. "Finding answers will require significant investments in research and development, collaboration, negotiation, and experimentation, deep and careful thought across many fields and leadership at all levels, across and between governments. The U.S. federal government is well positioned to lead, but if it won't, it should at least stay out of the way."

Discussion Paper - Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

Transitioning to Long-Run Effective and Efficient Climate Policies

| April 2019

This paper evaluates factors affecting the potential to transition over time to more efficient longrun climate policies, including the sequence of policies to be adopted. By considering these factors, policymakers can increase the likelihood that more efficient policies emerge from the current suite of less-efficient measures being pursued by some national and sub-national governments. The authors focus on the state of Oregon, which is currently contemplating the adoption of a greenhouse-gas cap-and-trade system.