Reuters (June 6)
“Even though supply disruptions in many parts of the world are severe and policy solutions are challenging, Western governments do have the opportunity to reverse the rising cost of food through the simple scrapping of biofuel mandates. This would remove a very large non-food demand for crops and turn the current grain shortage to a surplus, easing the pressure on inflation.”
Tags: Biofuel mandates, Crops, Demand, Disruptions, Food, Governments, Grain shortage, Inflation, Opportunity, Solutions, Supply, Surplus
BBC (April 4)
“Even if all the policies to cut carbon that governments had put in place by the end of 2020 were fully implemented, the world will still warm by 3.2C this century…. The good news is that this latest IPCC summary shows that it can be done…. But keeping temperatures down will require massive changes to energy production, industry, transport, our consumption patterns and the way we treat nature.”
Tags: 2020, Carbon, Consumption, Energy production, Governments, Implemented, Industry, IPCC, Nature, Policies, Temperatures, Transport, Warm, World
Wall Street Journal (December 23)
“Businesses, schools, hospitals and governments are preparing for a new year with a sense of déjà vu, as the spread of Covid-19’s Omicron variant brings a familiar challenge: how best to navigate another surge. This time, they’re hopeful they can stay open and operating.”
Tags: Businesses, Challenge, COVID-19, Déjà vu, Governments, Hospitals, Omicron, Schools, Spread, Surge, Variant
The Atlantic (November 20)
“The question facing governments in Europe and elsewhere is which approach—carrot versus stick—will prove the most effective. By singling out the unvaccinated, Austria may succeed in increasing its vaccination rate, but it also runs the risk of driving vaccine skepticism even further.”
Tags: Approach, Austria, Carrot, Effective, Europe, Governments, Skepticism, Stick, Succeed, Unvaccinated, Vaccination rate
The Economist (October 9)
“Spending has come roaring back, as governments have stimulated the economy and consumers let rip. The surge in demand is so powerful that supply is struggling to keep up. Lorry drivers are getting signing bonuses, an armada of container ships is anchored off California waiting for ports to clear and energy prices are spiralling upwards. As rising inflation spooks investors, the gluts of the 2010s have given way to a shortage economy.”
Tags: Consumers, Container ships, Demand, Economy, Energy, Gluts, Governments, Inflation, Investors, Ports, Powerful, Roaring, Signing bonuses, Spending, Supply, Surge
Investment Week (August 11)
“Climate change mitigation is high on the global agenda, with escalating pressure on governments to take action to prevent a climate catastrophe.” In July, the European Commission “unveiled ambitious plans to deliver a 55% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 – relative to 1990 levels. The ‘Fit for 55’ package spans all sectors and could have a significant impact on high-emitting industries.” The plan could prove the “biggest investment story in decades.”
Tags: Catastrophe, Climate change, Cut, Emissions, European Commission, Fit for 55, GHG, Global agenda, Governments, Investment, Mitigation
Philadelphia Inquirer (May 23)
“Catalytic converter thefts are on the rise nationwide, fueled by record prices for the precious metals in the auto part, which helps gas-powered engines burn cleaner. Demand for the metals, palladium and rhodium, has climbed in recent years as governments pass stricter emissions laws to cut pollution. The auto industry is the metals’ biggest consumer.” In the past five years, palladium has soared from $600 an ounce to $2,900, while rhodium has reached $28,000 an ounce.
Tags: Catalytic converter, Cleaner, Emissions laws, Engines, Gas-powered, Governments, Palladium, Pollution, Precious metals, Record prices, Rhodium, Stricter, Thefts
Houston Chronicle (May 19)
“The International Energy Agency, the body that advises governments on energy and is widely respected among politicians of all stripes, warned Tuesday that nations need to halt oil and gas development this year if they are to meet their target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and avoid catastrophic climate change.”
The Economist (April 3)
There are now “growing worries that, like a ship which is too big to steer, supply chains have become a source of vulnerability…. As they battle the pandemic and face up to rising geopolitical tensions, governments everywhere are switching from the pursuit of efficiency to a new mantra of resilience and self-reliance.”
Tags: Efficiency, Geopolitical tensions, Governments, Pandemic, Resilience, Self-reliance, Supply chains, Vulnerability, Worries
Wall Street Journal (February 17)
“Continental governments have spent trillions during the pandemic keeping firms alive and people in jobs, but that safety net could be putting off the economic deep cleaning that normally comes with recessions.” Concern is growing that “mothballing the economy for so long will leave it struggling to adapt to the seismic business and social changes the crisis is driving. That could stall an economic recovery.”
Tags: Adapt, Crisis, Economic deep cleaning, Firms, Governments, Jobs, Mothballing, Pandemic, Recessions, Recovery, Safety net, Struggling
