Washington Post (July 16)
The extreme heat events “should not be viewed in isolation.” They are “virtually impossible” to explain except for human-caused climate change. “Slashing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to a greener economy at the scale and pace needed would require creativity, innovation and political courage. But the cost if we fail is far more daunting: a future in which climate disasters, and all the damage and instability that come with them, become the new normal everywhere.”
Tags: Climate change, Climate disasters, Cost, Creativity, Daunting, Extreme heat, Fail, GHG emissions, Greener economy, Innovation, Isolation, Pace, Political courage, Scale, Transitioning
The Economist (March 6)
“Though understandable,” the knee-jerk reaction following the Fukushima disaster “was wrong.” Nuclear power has numerous drawbacks, but “well-regulated nuclear power is safe” and essential given the climate crisis. Nuclear provides constant generating capacity to support a reliable grid. Furthermore, “nuclear provides such capacity with no ongoing emissions, and it is doing so safely and at scale around the world.”
Tags: Climate crisis, Disaster, Drawbacks, Emissions, Fukushima, Generating capacity, Grid, Nuclear power, Reaction, Reliable, Safe, Scale, Understandable, Well-regulated
New York Times (April 10)
“The scale of the economic damage is breathtaking. In one recent poll, more than half of all Americans under the age of 45 said that they had lost their jobs or suffered a loss of hours.” It is equally harrowing for businesses. Those that survive will “face long-term costs, too: the loss of trained and experienced workers, the uncertainties of hiring new ones.”
Tags: Breathtaking, Businesses, Costs, Economic damage, Experienced workers, Hiring, Jobs, Loss, Scale, Trained, Uncertainties
Wall Street Journal (April 5)
“At least one-quarter of the U.S. economy has suddenly gone idle amid the coronavirus pandemic… an unprecedented shutdown of commerce that economists say has never occurred on such a wide scale.”
Tags: Commerce, Coronavirus, Economy, Idle, Pandemic, Quarter, Scale, Shutdown, U.S., Unprecedented
Bloomberg (August 28)
“India’s economic numbers have for some time looked better than the facts warranted, feeding an overconfidence in New Delhi about the country’s prospects. Thankfully, that’s begun to change. The Reserve Bank of India, the International Monetary Fund, investment banks and ratings agencies have all recently cut their estimates of 2019 growth sharply.” This is “best news in years… India’s government finally seems to recognize the scale of the problems it faces.”
Tags: Economic, Estimates, Government, IMF, India, Investment banks, Overconfidence, Ratings agencies, Reserve Bank of India, Scale
Reuters (January 16)
“Nobody expected May’s Brexit deal to secure a majority. Nevertheless, the scale of the defeat—the worst for a British government in modern history—was startling…. It’s very unlikely the deal can be rescued.” In fact, investors seem to be signaling that “reversing the Brexit decision” is now more likely than “a chaotic exit…. The pound jumped 1.4 percent against the U.S. dollar immediately after the result was announced on Tuesday.”
Inc. (November Issue)
“Sure, self-driving cars are smart. But can they learn ethics?” Not everyone is concerned. “Academics worry how A.I. will be programmed to navigate ethical dilemmas. Founders of A.I.-driven companies don’t.” But many tricky decisions experienced by drivers “as a one-off” will need examination because ultimately “driverless cars must grapple with it at scale.”
The Diplomat (June 19)
“Comparisons–both fair and unfair–will likely be drawn between this government’s response to the Osaka earthquake and the 3.11 triple disaster or the 1995 Hanshin earthquake to score political points. Abe will be under pressure to centralize command without micromanaging, to foster cooperation at the municipal level without overreaching. Though this natural disaster is not on the scale of either the 3.11 or Hanshin earthquakes, given Abe’s grim political outlook, he cannot afford any misstep under this kind of scrutiny.”
Tags: 3.11, Abe, Centralize, Cooperation, Government, Hanshin earthquake, Micromanaging, Misstep, Natural disaster, Osaka earthquake, Overreaching, Pressure, Response, Scale, Scrutiny
Chicago Tribune (August 29)
“The scale of flooding in the Houston area as a result of Hurricane Harvey is hard to imagine, and the images of suffering are horrifying to behold. In central and south Texas, an area the size of Michigan is now a storm-tossed lake.”
Tags: Flooding, Horrifying, Houston, Hurricane Harvey, Michigan, Scale, Storm, Suffering, Texas
Institutional Investor (August 3)
“The major shift to passive fund management has increased the need for M&A” so that asset managers can “gain scale and survive increasing pressure” on client fees. The same shift, however, is also deterring potential buyers. “Mergers and acquisitions in the asset and wealth management industry declined in the second quarter,” with the number of deals falling by nearly a third from the first quarter.
Tags: Asset managers, Buyers, Fees, M&A, Passive fund management, Scale, Shift
