HUFFINGTON POST 09/12/16 By Michael Shank As a general rule, global goals are good. They focus the international community’s short-term attention, lock in preferred long-term targets and trajectories, and prioritize national governments’ policies and plans. This is a good strategy no matter how idealistic or optimistic any goal may appear […]
NBC NEWS 07/13/16 By Amanda Sakuma If Donald Trump were to follow through on his immigration and counterterrorism plans in full, foreign policy experts predict that the presumptive Republican nominee would block out more than a third of the globe — easily including major United States allies. Combining Trump’s proposal […]
CALIFORNIA HEALTH REPORT 06/27/16 By Robin Urevich Climate change is global, but local governments are the first line of defense against carbon emissions and their effects. The United Nations Environment Program reports that 75 percent of the world’s carbon emissions come from urban areas. Now, more and more cities and […]
FAST COMPANY 6/21/16 By Michael Shank A historic deal to replace the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant with renewable energy could be a model for the rest of the country. There are few fuels that are causing more consternation in the environmental community than nuclear power. It’s seen by some as […]
NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER 06/17/16 By Edward Pentin Participants at a summit at the Vatican looked to build an international effort to eradicate the global scourge that has more than 40 million victims. VATICAN CITY — Lawyer Yonette Buchanan recounted a common way criminals groom young girls for trafficking. An adult […]
FORTUNE 06/07/16 By Michael Shank He might actually yield a higher ROI by trying an alternative approach. Over the weekend, Pope Francis made a political statement inside the Vatican that has direct bearing on the U.S. presidential landscape: “Politics is one of the highest forms of charity.” Noting that we […]
HUFFINGTON POST 5/26/17 By Michael Shank and Maxine Bedat Beyonce’s label, Ivy Park, launched in collaboration with British fast fashion company Topshop, is quickly falling short of her stated goal to “celebrate every woman and the body she’s in while always striving to be better”. Not every woman is being […]
MSNBC 05/21/16 By Michael Shank and Maxine Bédat There are few industries fickler than fashion, changing annually and swapping seasonally. The good news is that fashion can, in theory, change more quickly than the energy or agricultural industries, for example. And when it comes to tackling climate change, agility and […]
FORTUNE 04/30/16 By Michael Shank and Carolyn Kissane There’s no more time for stalled sustainability measures. After 170-plus nations signed the Paris climate agreement last week and now with trans-Atlantic trade talks back on President Obama’s agenda, it’s clear that the international community’s trade rules will need to be rethought, […]
HUFFINGTON POST 04/22/16 By Michael Shank This was a big week for the United Nations, which came out strong on climate and the sustainable development goals and witnessed major milestones in recent months. First, on climate, post-Paris, there were over 160 countries signing the deal at UN headquarters on Earth […]