WBP Staff Writings

This paper outlines the numerous fragilities in the global economic system; the main points are the US national debt, the housing market, and financial derivatives.

This paper briefly outlines the essay listed above.

Social Insurance systems engender very emotional debates; consequently there are few, if any, objective articles on the subject. This paper gives a look at the US Social Security and Medicare system that is based on numbers, not politics.

In the coming 50 years, demographic trends already in place will radically alter the face of humanity. The number of people on the planet will increase to atleast 9 billion, while birthrates will fall sharply. This paper details the trends and discusses what they will mean.

This paper gives an indepth look, based solely on numbers, at the sources of energy that power modern civilization. Locations of reserves, production estimates, and consumption rates of oil, coal, and natural gas are all discussed here, as are alternatives sources such as wind and solar.

This paper talks about the various alternative forms of energy that are currently being developed to replace fossil fuels; alternatives for both electricity generation and transportation fuel are discussed.

This paper contains a very detailed look at sources of petroleum, from both a geographic and technological standpoint. It also delves into the variables that will determine when the inevitable peak in oil production will occur, while laying out the arguments given by both late and early toppers.

This paper talks about water issues from a macro perspective, detailing current supply and usage, projected increases in demand, effects of pollution, impact on food supplies, and the potential for international conflicts.

This paper takes a detailed look at the water situation in China, which has been greatly exasperated by the nation's rapid urbanization and industrialization. The paper clearly outlines supply and demand dynamics while also going into a discussion of the effects of pollution, poor planning, and climate change.

This paper gives an indepth look at the current state of India's water supplies.  India has enough water to sustain its rapidly expanding population, but civic mismanagement, pollution, and outright corruption have placed this nation on the road to a serious water crisis.