Category: Intel

Investors have a growing appetite for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) products like green bonds, which have positive societal impacts in addition to risk-adjusted financial returns. Sales of green bonds have grown rapidly over the past decade, from roughly $4.2 billion in 2012 to nearly $300 billion in 2020. The Climate Bond Initiative (CBI), a… Continue reading The Growing Green Bond Market Could Plateau. How Can It Grow Further?

As hundreds of thousands of Afghans flee their homeland following the Taliban’s victory, the United States and international community face an under-appreciated challenge: Some of these refugees could be recruited into state militaries and paramilitaries. As Western policymakers consider how to deal with Afghan evacuees, including former members of the Afghan security forces, they might… Continue reading Afghan Refugees Are Being Recruited to Join an Iranian Paramilitary

The COP26 summit in Glasgow underscored the importance of climate resilience as a key policy goal around the world. As governments, businesses, and other entities look for capital to help meet their climate resilience goals, green bonds could represent an opportunity to attract and leverage new private finance and catalyze local markets to support public… Continue reading More Than Green: Leveraging Green Bonds to Invest in Greater Climate Resilience

They’ve come from far and wide to Glasgow for yet another climate summit — the scientists, the politicians, and the protesters — all vowing to save the planet. Although most of the dignitaries, presenters, and attendees at COP26 are sincere about wanting to lessen the threat of global warming, the conference agenda does not include… Continue reading Geo-Engineering: The Climate Change Solution COP26 Ignores

Last week, with Thanksgiving approaching, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced (PDF) a 90-day review of economic strains on military families, including the pressing issue of food insecurity. The National Defense Authorization Act bills in the House and Senate both proposed a “basic needs allowance” to make sure active-duty service members’ income is high… Continue reading Why Are U.S. Veterans at Heightened Risk of Food Insecurity?

This week, we discuss whether allies and partnerships entangle the United States in conflict; a new U.S. approach to Russia and Ukraine; how geopolitics affects global health cooperation; the threat of a Chinese attack against Taiwan; how stress becomes toxic to communities; and the effects of sanctions on Russian arms sales. Photo by MC2 Stephen… Continue reading U.S. ‘Entanglement,’ Global Health Cooperation, Community Stress: RAND Weekly Recap

Given that less than 10% of the current U.S. population has served in the armed forces – down from 18% in 1980 – it is no surprise that many Americans are unaware of the daily realities of military life. On Veterans Day this year, for a sense of perspective, it’s worth juxtaposing some of these… Continue reading Accountability on Veterans Day | RealClearPolitics

North Korea in recent weeks has revved up its cycle of missile provocations—its go-to method of securing leverage against the United States and South Korea in the on-again off-again nuclear negotiations. On September 11, it launched a long-range cruise missile described as a “strategic weapon of great significance”—implying a nuclear component. Less than a week… Continue reading North Korea’s ‘Business as Usual’ Missile Provocations

This week, we discuss how the China-Russia relationship affects U.S. interests; how raising the minimum wage could affect workers’ health insurance coverage; the benefits of increasing funding for women’s health research; improving supply chain resilience; one approach to countering extremism in the military; and how refugees use digital technology during displacement. Photo by Ramil Sitdikov/Sputnik… Continue reading China and Russia, Wages and Insurance, Refugees and Technology : RAND Weekly Recap

The discovery of what appear to be hundreds of new missile silos under construction in China has inspired arguments that imply the United States needs more nuclear weapons. Matthew Kroenig, a Defense Department adviser during the Trump administration, suggested in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed that “the Pentagon should study whether it can meet… Continue reading The U.S. Doesn’t Need More Nuclear Weapons to Counter China’s New Missile Silos