Rajendra Pachauri, U.N. climate scientist, has good news and bad news. I'll give you the latter first: eat less meat. Doing so will help slow global warming. The good news, also related to climate change, is that Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the United Nations, investing in green technologies now is a smart move. So, by following Pachauri's advice, you cut down on your meat but reward yourself with a decent investment return.

If you take his advice as a whole (pretending you don't know you can do one part without the other), it's like getting paid to eat your veggies. Everyone who's been five years old at some point knows that being given green to eat green is ample motivation. The fun part, here, is that you're financing it by investing in green. It all matches!

Continue reading U.N.: Eat less meat, invest in green

U.N.: Eat less meat, invest in green originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Oil hits record ($145.98) above $147 on Nigeria unrest, Israel / Iran tension

Oil hits record ($145.98) above $147 on Nigeria unrest, Israel / Iran tension originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Perhaps no other economic phenomenon better characterizes this initial decade of the twenty-first century than the development of -- and GDP growth in -- the developing world.

The economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China -- often referred to as the BRIC economies -- are major reasons why the developing world will grow 6.7% in 2008, far outpacing growth rates in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

New York Times columnist Roger Cohen argues that what we're seeing is not just the development of markets, not just 'the world is flat,' to use the term popularized by his Times colleague Thomas Friedman, but a reversal: the world is upside down. In Cohen's interpretation, the new economic tigers' accomplishments are large, ongoing, and system changing. Moreover, a power shift is occurring from the U.S and Europe to the new engines of growth.

For Cohen, Brazil is the economic model of the age: abundant minerals and crops, investment capital pouring in, a sugarcane-based energy policy, rising personal incomes, and an increasingly prosperous middle class, with plenty of land to mine, to plant, to expand. It is, in many ways, much of what the United States is not in 2008.

Continue reading Will the BRIC economies surpass the US?

Will the BRIC economies surpass the US? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a 50% increase in global food production by 2030, saying that a failure to meet the world's expanding need for food will create civil unrest and starvation, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday. Ban said food prices and production is tantamount to a global security issue, and will remain so for many years.

Prices for staples such as wheat, rice, and corn have increased more than 100% amid a global economic expansion. Part of the increased grain cost, particularly regarding corn (ethanol), can be attributed to the diversion of corn for energy production use. Most of the price increases for other staples, however, stems from the fact that -- for the first time in human history -- all regions of the world are embracing free markets and developing economically, at the same time.

Moreover, the U.N. said it expects large price increases to continue for at least the next several years, due to rising demand. The UN called even moderate 10-20% food price increases disruptive for poor households, which spend a disproportionate percentage of their income on food.

Continue reading Ban Ki-moon wants 50% increase in global food production by 2030

Ban Ki-moon wants 50% increase in global food production by 2030 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Costly crude oil means costly cooking oil for much of developing world

Costly crude oil means costly cooking oil for much of developing world originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our Money Face-Offs feature. Let us know who you think comes out ahead in this head-to-head match-up, and check out our other Money Face-Off posts.

In October 2005, I went to hear Bono, the lead singer of rock band U2 and global poverty-fighter, at New York University. He wasn't there to sing, although he was met outside the door by a crowd of adoring fans. He was there to advocate for the world's poor, sick, and hungry, sharing top billing with renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs.

During his talk, Bono explained how Sachs was his mentor, teaching him about the roots of poverty in the developing world, traveling with him to Africa, and convincing him it was possible to end global poverty. But lately, he lamented, when he called Sachs, he was told, "Sorry, he's with Angelina Jolie."

That line brought down the house. At that point, film actress Jolie was just coming under Sachs' tutelage. She was an increasingly important celebrity advocate for the poor, but she had nowhere near the creds of Bono, who was that year nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and named Time magazine's person of the year.

Fast forward two years and the picture has changed a bit. Bono is still large on the world stage as a humanitarian, social activist and rock star. But Jolie, in large part due to constant media focus on her relationship with actor Brad Pitt, has lately become a more prominent fixture in the news media.

Jolie has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency since 2001, but her involvement with Pitt starting in 2005 has increased her influence. Marketers now rank her among the most influential celebrities in the world. She has been photographed repeatedly on UN missions to Africa and Asia, adopting three children from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam.

Continue reading Money Face-Off: Bono vs. Angelina Jolie

Money Face-Off: Bono vs. Angelina Jolie originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 16 Sep 2007 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) has been a target for a number of internet privacy groups who feel that it keeps personal data on users for too long. Google argues that having the data helps deliver better search results. Plus, the company decided to cave into pressure and agreed to keep data on individuals no longer than 18 months.

Now, Google want to be out in front of the drive for Internet privacy. It is an unlikely about face, but it is one nonetheless. According to the Financial Times, Google is "calling for new international laws to be set up to protect personal information online." It wants a body like the UN to draw up the rules.

Google's position is clearly one that it would rather not be forced to take, but it is making the best out of a bad situation. Clearly, the more data a search engine has, the better the results. This allows for better text ad targeting and better profits. Now that Google has purchased DoubleClick the use of data collected from users is even more important to get good results for display ads.

But, Google has to protect its image and so instead of just going along, it will lead the parade.

The company may figure that if it take a central position in drafting new rules so that it can at least slant them a bit to its advantage. It is not being helpful for nothing.

Douglas A. McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.

Google becomes unlikely advocate for web privacy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading China looks to hit it rich in Africa, but to whose benefit?

China looks to hit it rich in Africa, but to whose benefit? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.