By Jonathan Aldred. Modern economics, the author argues, dismisses ethics in favour of a narrow focus on self-interest. “The argument that both parties to a voluntary transaction must be better off, otherwise it wouldn’t take place,” he writes, “is used to wash away all considerations of justice, fairness, responsibility, exploitation and so on.” The Economist
The skinny waterway, the gateway for a third of all crude oil by tanker, has become a security risk that could threaten the oil market. New York Times
European Union leaders failed to reach an agreement on a proposal to reduce their net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. New York Times
The White House tried to stop a State Department senior intelligence analyst from discussing climate science in congressional testimony this week, internal emails and documents show. New York Times
Always volatile, oil prices have tumbled more than 20 percent since late April because of growing fears that demand is weaker than expected as the global economy slows. New York Times
Summertime heat is forecast to become even deadlier without action to drastically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, according to a new study. New York Times
Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, said on Friday he would donate $500 million to a new campaign to close every coal-fired power plant in the United States and halt the growth of natural gas. New York Times
Germany continues to be off track regarding many of its energy and climate targets according to the economy ministry’s latest progress report on the energy transition. In an accompanying opinion, government advisors lament that the report lacks concrete measures and ideas on how to implement the country’s landmark Energiewende project. Clean Energy Wire x
The world’s largest automakers warned President Trump on Thursday that one of his most sweeping deregulatory efforts — his plan to weaken tailpipe pollution standards — threatens to cut their profits and produce “untenable” instability in a crucial manufacturing sector. New York Times
President Trump’s latest swipe at Huawei could be the start of a deep transformation of the tech sector.Citing national security concerns, the Commerce Department said this month that American companies would need special permission to sell some products to Huawei and other Chinese companies. New York Times
© Stefan P. Schleicher 2019
