Issue August 26, 2008
Dear Reader, It may not be front-page news right now, but climate change is still here to stay. Whatever we do now, a certain degree of warming is inevitable. Our top story looks at how we can adapt. WWF climate expert Kit Vaughan talks about the limits of adaptation, and why it could shake the foundations of our society. With the Beijing Olympics coming to a close, China will have to get back to daily business. For those who want to know more about the country’s real challenges, our demographic profile looks at how population growth, urbanization, and migration are transforming the world’s most populous nation. David Phillips, professor of social policy in Hong Kong, tells us whether China’s one-child policy is a success or burden, while Du Peng from Beijing’s Institute of Gerontology explains why aging – not population growth – might be China’s biggest demographic problem. Enjoy reading our newsletter, and don’t miss next month’s issue on climate change and transportation. Your Allianz Knowledge Team PS: If you like the Allianz Knowledge Newsletter and our idea of sharing knowledge, why not share it with others?	Poll: Newsletter Topic Choose a topic for the October newsletter. (ends September 16, 2008) > Food Prices > Greenhouse Effect > Wind Power > Road Safety > Urbanization > view results Most Recent Media Video Commentary by UNEP Director Achim Steiner > more Interview of the Month Worldwide Fund for Nature on the limits of climate change adaptation "What is different is the speed and the scale of the changes we are facing." > more Allianz Expert Martin Gansneder on Solutions for Adaptation "We use weather derivatives to protect our customers against certain effects of climate change." > more
Top Story Adapting to Climate Change: Can We Do It Again? A certain amount of global warming cannot be prevented by reducing emissions. The damage is already done. For many vulnerable societies, the priority must be adaptation. Humans have managed this in the past. Can we do it again? > more News Protecting Glaciers with Wind A team of German geographers has installed windscreens on the Rhône glacier in Switzerland to stop further glacier melt. The scientists from Johannes Gutenberg-Universität in Mainz are hoping that cold fall winds could be used to slow down rapid glacier melt in the Alps and other mountainous areas worldwide. News to Use Smart Housing "If you are about to buy or build a new house, think about how your local environment may look like in ten years. Avoid decisions that make it harder for you to adapt in the future, such as building in flood-prone areas. If you live in a vulnerable area, think about moving important living spaces, such as the kitchen, upstairs, and moving the toilets and storage rooms to the ground floor." > more Editor's Choice Demographic Profile China: People Power A quarter century ago, Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping declared that “to get rich is glorious.” Thanks to an enormous population of workers, China is now cashing in. Will it last despite serious demographic problems? > more Calendar September 16 | International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer Fighting climate change might seem impossible at times, but the worldwide movement to preserve the Earth’s ozone layer proved that it can be done. Twenty years ago, 24 countries signed the “Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer” successfully banning most of the substances that were destroying the Earth’s shield from ultraviolet rays. > more September 22 | World Carfree Day World Carfree Day was initiated in the 1970s as a response to the first oil crisis. Since the 1990s, the World Carfree Network has been organizing carfree days in European cities. The organizers aim to convince city planners and politicians to give priority to cycling, walking, and public transport, as cleaner alternatives to the automobile. > more
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