In the 21st century, environmental policy is economic policy. By Jedediah Britton-Purdy, a professor of law at Columbia and the author, most recently, of “After Nature: A Politics for the Anthropocene.” New York Times
Energy systems around the world are going through rapid transitions that will bring important changes to the way we fuel our cars, heat our homes, and power our industries. These trends will have widespread implications for businesses, governments, and individuals in the coming decades. . McKinsey
It’s too soon to call a peak on traditional vehicles, but the potential for overall growth is in question. And just how much of that growth will be electric? Bloomberg
The changes would expand the role of nuclear energy and drop concrete emissions targets for the middle of the century, raising concerns among environmentalists. Climate Change News
Even as concerns about global warming grow, energy firms are planning to increase fossil-fuel production. None more than ExxonMobil. The Economist
What would be the cumulative effects of mandatory, wholesale decarbonisation of the power-generation sector within ten years? Or of the mandated retrofitting of every single building in the country? Or the requirement for electric-only vehicles, and the removal of every single dirty internal combustion engine? Would it really provide “millions of good, high-wage jobs” and “provide unprecedented levels of prosperity and economic security” for the impoverished—as the resolution promises—or simply make them poorer? The Economist
The Democrats’ candidate tracker of the New York Times. New York Times
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced a Green New Deal resolution that lays out the goals, aspirations, and specifics of the program in a more definitive way. This is as close as there is to an “official” Green New Deal — at last, something to argue about. Vox
It seemed like a no-brainer: Lower Germany’s embarrassingly high carbon emissions at no cost, and save some lives in the process.But when a government-appointed commission in January dared to float the idea of a speed limit on the autobahn, the country’s storied highway network, it almost caused rioting. New York Times
Already in 1585, English scientist Thomas Hariot dreamt of the opportunities Atlantic trade would offer to Britain as he strove for his country to break away from continental and Mediterranean trading routes to ensure a profitable future for him and his countrymen. QUARTZ
© Stefan P. Schleicher 2019
