Friday Morning Links

 Assorted content to end your week.

- Damian Carrington confirms the consensus among climate experts that the outcome of the fossil-dominated COP28 was an utter failure, while Paige Vega interviews Bill McKibben about the reality that it's long past time to be counting on empty and vague words to reverse a breakdown in progress (and the continued carbon pollution which is exacerbating it). And Alaa Al Kourdajie, Chris Bataille and Lars Nilsson warn that weasel wording is likely to be used as an excuse to actually expand production and pollution. 

- Rob Miller discusses how carbon capture and storage is far less effective and more costly than shifting to existing renewable energy technology - meaning that the fossil fuel stooges hyping the former and seeking to suppress the latter can only be treated as climate vandals. And Anna Aglietta highlights how the addiction to constantly growing extraction is at the root of both the climate crisis and the failure of efforts to combat it.  

- Tammy Robert exposes how the Saskatchewan Party has destroyed the province's crop insurance system by taking insurance premiums into general revenues - even as it's also managed to blow up the provincial budget and destroy public services. 

- Finally, Yan Jie, Taeyoung Choi and Ziyad Al-Aly find that the long-term outcomes from COVID-19 remain far more severe than those from seasonal influenza. And the John Snow Project points out Statistics Canada's survey results showing that nearly everybody will know somebody who has suffered from long COVID - even if that reality has rarely been acknowledged. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Mark Sumner discusses the World Health Network's recognition that the damage from COVID-19 includes harm to people's immune systems which has made the effect of other diseases more severe. 

- Patrick Metzger examines how the climate crisis is accelerating faster than anticipated. And George Monbiot calls out the billionaires using their wealth and power to push for continued (and even increased) carbon pollution, while Kevin Anderson notes that any path to avoiding a climate breakdown requires an immediate and profound shift in productive capacity toward both cleaner energy and more equal allocation of resources. 

- Meanwhile, Bill McKibben points out how petrostates are using what's supposed to be a climate action conference to make deals to exacerbate our dependence on fossil fuels. And Graham Thomson discusses how Danielle Smith is using yet another set of laughable promises about carbon capture and storage (along with wilful blindness toward end-user emissions) to try to lock in decades of fossil fuel extraction

- Lisa Young calls out Smith and Scott Moe for pantomiming civil disobedience in their effort to serve their corporate masters. And David Fraser reports on the newly-revealed text messages showing that both Brad Wall and Saskatchewan Party MLA Hugh Nerlien were actively involved in advising and supporting the #FluTruxKlan. 

- Finally, Jeremy Simes reports that breast cancer screening is just the latest area where the Sask Party is choosing to funnel money to private Alberta operators rather than investing in a functional health care system in Saskatchewan. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Archie Mitchell and Adam Forrest report on the revelation from the UK's COVID inquiry that now-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was entirely eager to let people die, and considered it more important to control scientists than COVID-19 itself. And Luke LeBrun highlights how the Poilievre Cons are recruiting anti-public-health cranks into their candidate pool, while Janet French reports on Preston Manning's use of his supposedly non-partisan, multi-million dollar inquiry into a partisan tool. 

- Damian Carrington reports on the UN Environment Programme's warning that we're currently on course for 3 degrees of global warming. And Andrew King writes about the significance of yet another set of temperature peaks and spikes, while David Dodwell discusses the "doom loop" resulting from the combination of hotter weather, drier vegetation and increased storm activity. 

- Meanwhile, Bill McKibben calls out Canada and other petrostates for refusing to take responsibility for carbon pollution they're actively promoting and subsidizing. Seth Klein discusses how yet another round of posturing over consumer carbon prices is causing us to miss the bigger picture of a climate breakdown in progress. And Carrington and Jonathan Watts each examine how wealthier people contribute disproportionately to greenhouse gas emissions. 

- Finally, Rebecca Solnit discusses how the combination of immense power and utter detachment from the reality of most of humanity makes billionaires dangerous to everybody else. Eric Burdon points out how the uber-wealthy pitch self-help hokum in order to distract people from the systemic burdens they impose on the working class. Jason Linkins discusses how billionaire philanthropy is a scam. And Adam King reports on the growing gap between the rich and the rest of us in Canada. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Joseph Puthussery et al. study the feasibility of real-time, location-based air sampling to identify the presence of COVID-19, while Jennifer La Grassa reports on the efforts of scientists to ensure the powers that be don't scrap what few remaining monitoring efforts are still in progress. And The Japan News' editorial implores that country's government not to stop preventative measures after a ninth wave - which is striking particularly due to our abandonment of any pretense of identifying waves as they keep happening. 

- Meanwhile, Patrick Heuveline discusses how the COVID pandemic has only exacerbated the U.S.' disproportionate number of excess deaths compared to other similarly wealthy countries. And Harold Meyerson writes about the recent increase in lower-income earnings which the corporate sector is determined to squelch.

- Hayatullah Amanat reports on a new survey showing the large number of Canadians losing sleep and suffering adverse health effects from financial worries. And Vanessa Balintec highlights why more needs to be done to ensure that people aren't trapped in precarious work without rights or recourse against abusive corporations. 

- Finally, Bill McKibben argues that a wave of unprecedented heat should confirm that we can't afford to put off urgent climate policy. But while Natasha Bulowski reports on research showing that the same oil industry which is determined to keep spewing carbon pollution could afford to clean up its messes, Markham Hislop calls out its unconscionable refusal to do anything but force the public to pick up the tab. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Nicolas Banholzer et al. study the dramatic impact of COVID-19 measures in schools - with a mandatory mask policy reducing transmission by nearly 70%, and air cleaners by 40%. And Maryam Zakir-Hussain discusses new research showing the unequal impacts of long COVID, with people working in the health and education sectors and/or living in poorer areas facing a greater burden.

- Bob Woods discusses the work to be done to ensure that the products of wind and solar energy are themselves recycled - though the potential to do so signals another massive advantage over dependence on non-renewable power sources. 

- Nina Lakhani reports on research showing that if oil companies made reparations for the harm they've caused to communities, they'd be paying at least $209 billion per year (instead of rolling in public subsidies to keep polluting). And Bill McKibben warns that we're in the midst of a dangerous experiment on the effects of rapidly-warming oceans which may exacerbate the expected effects of climate change.

- Finally, Nathaniel Meyersohn writes about the immense impact of mandatory parking requirements on the development of car-dependent culture in the U.S.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Oscar Grenfell discusses how Australia is among the countries which has seen a declining life expectancy due to COVID-19 - with a distinct trend based on when it chose to let the pandemic run rampant. Jonathan Shaw examines the evidence showing greater risks of more severe outcomes arising out of reinfections. And Ollie Williams reports on arbitral decisions out of the Northwest Territories rejecting government arguments to dispense with COVID leave merely because it has chosen to lift any declaration of a public health emergency while the pandemic rages on. 

- Meanwhile, Chandra Philip reports on the continuing crisis at Saskatchewan's children's hospital which is having to warehouse patients in spaces not intended for care. And Parry Winsa reports on research showing that patients who try to address their conditions with virtual "walk-in" clinics - which privateering governments and corporations are pushing instead of funding primary physicians - are twice as likely to end up in the emergency room as those who are able to consult with a family doctor. 

- Colin McKerracher reports on the increase in electric vehicle sales over the past few years, while David Wallace-Wells points out that a fuller picture needs to include an even more substantial movement toward electric bikes. And Emily Pointecorvo discusses how a transition process will require far more electricians - which represents a challenge in meeting the new need, but also an obvious opportunity to create new skilled jobs (where the fossil fuel sector is relentlessly slashing them even while pocketing massive profits). 

- Bill McKibben and Oliver Milman each examine the latest revelations about Exxon's detailed knowledge of the global warming caused by fossil fuel use even as it spent massive amounts of money on lobbying and disinformation to prevent any action to combat it. And Aliaksandr Herasimenka et al. study the public-facing funding and infrastructure behind vaccine misinformation. 

- Ram Singh studies (PDF) the systemic gap between reported income and wealth among the wealthiest few - signaling that documented income inequality far underestimates the real disparity in resources.  

- Finally, Akansha Batra, Kaitlyn Jackson and Rita Hamad find that the U.S.' 2021 child tax credit expansion which put a substantial dent in poverty rates also had a marked positive effect on mental health. And Elaine Power, Jennifer Brady and Dian Day write that while a national school food policy would be a plus, it would cover only a small part of the need for support for lower-income families. 

Tuesday Evening Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Marina Hyde laments Liz Truss' decision to hit the gas pedal on free money for the people who need it least while most of the UK struggles to make ends meet due to her party's mismanagement.

- Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Katie Thomas report on the exploitative turn taken by "not-for-profit" U.S. hospitals which are extracting massive profits and failing to treat patients while being managed with a business mindset.

- Alex McCuaig reports on the fossil fuel companies who are still refusing to pay municipal taxes owing even as they're swimming in windfall profits, while Joel Dryden notes that the oil and gas sector is likewise falling far short of its already-insufficient emission reduction targets despite record cash on hand. Bill McKibben calls out the banks which are continuing to finance a climate breakdown and all kinds of pollution. And Britt Wray writes about the industry-funded defeatism being used as the latest prominent strategy to evade any climate action.

- Finally, CBC News offers competing perspectives on the Moe government's obsession with nuclear reactors - with the inescapable conclusion being that there's no point in insisting on an expensive set of vaporware a decade down the road when cheap and plentiful renewables are an option today. And Jeremy Simes reports on the literal downstream consequences of the Saskatchewan Party's neglect of water management and regulation.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- William J. Barber and Tope Folarin write that the U.S.' grim milestone of one million COVID-19 deaths already serves as a searing indictment of its policy choices and disregard for people living in poverty - and this before a combination of Republican cruelty and Democratic fecklessness results in there being no resources at all to meet a new wave of the coronavirus. And Alicia Wittmeyer looks at some of the human toll through the last messages between victims and their loved ones.

- John Smith discusses how rising costs and declining standards of living are pushing people living in poverty into perpetual fear and desperation. And Listen Chen examines how supportive housing may do as much harm as good in attempting to address homelessness - particularly by creating excuses for commercial landlords to evict the people in need of a home. 

- Bill McKibben points out how major corporations are feeding into the climate breakdown through their financial holdings while pretending to be green in their direct operations. And Emily Chung highlights how Canada's oil sector is trying to claim credit for carbon emission reductions when all it's done is to disclaim responsibility for the dirty energy it exports - or as Paul Dechene puts it:

Oil companies going "net zero" is like a gun manufacturer installing metal detectors in their factories and calling the resulting 90% decrease in workplace shootings "progress on reducing gun violence." https://t.co/eHB0M6hWNa

— Paul Dechene (@PaulDechene) May 20, 2022

- Meanwhile, Kevin Philipupillai reports on the Libs' latest move to avoid answering for continuing to pour public money into the Trans Mountain pipeline (among other fossil fuel subsidies), this time by reclassifying Trans Mountain Corporation to evade a need for Parliamentary approval for financing.

- Finally, Adam Serwer discusses how the "great replacement" bigotry underlying the Buffalo mass shooting (among other massacres) has become mainstream Republican messaging.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Moira Wyton writes about the growing chorus of experts warning that we're on the verge of another deadly wave of COVID-19. Shira Lurie laments the epidemic of individualism that's standing in the way of needed collective responses. And Alexander Quon reports on the people suffering from long COVID who have been completely abandoned by Scott Moe's government, while a team of doctors is offering at least some mechanism to collect and share information about its prevalence and effects in Saskatchewan. 

- Adam Barnett and Michaela Hermann discuss the ties between nationalism, anti-environmentalism and corporatism which have contributed to effectively all of the forces destroying our well-being and our living world. And Justin Ling offers a reminder that the #FluTruxKlan was based on far more sinister motivations than opposition to vaccine mandates. 

- Matt McGrath reports on the link between wildfire smoke and melting in the Arctic region. And Jason Samsonow and Kasha Patel report on the unprecedented heat wave in eastern Antarctica which is baffling even the scientists who have been warning about the effects of global warming. 

- Bill McKibben makes the case to stop burning things as fundamental step needed to avert climate breakdown. And the Breach assembles a hypothetical retrospective as to how Canada could implement a just transition by 2025.  

- Finally, Erica Johnson, Katie Pedersen and Tiffany Foxcroft report on the neglect and abuse Canadian seniors have faced while relying on home care from corporate operators. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Trevor Herriot and Cathy Holtslander write about the Saskatchewan Party's climate position which can't be treated as anything but implicit denialism. John Woodside points out that the Libs' fuel regulations seem designed to lock us into decades of avoidable fossil fuel use, while Bill McKibben takes note that an inexcusable amount of carbon pollution is happening solely for the sake of producing and transporting other fossil fuels.

- Meanwhile, Nicole Poindexter discusses how it's possible to simultaneously end energy poverty and transition away from dirty energy with renewable minigrids and battery storage.

- The Star's editorial board highlights how wealth accumulation at the top comes at the expense of everybody else, while Robert Kuttner discusses Thomas Piketty's road toward advocacy for socialism and wealth redistribution. Connie Lin discusses how U.S. workers are using their increased recognition as to unfairness in the workplace as a reason to leave exploitative jobs. And Steven Hall points out what Don't Look Up can teach us about economics, including the desperate need for publicly-oriented planning to replace subservience to capitalists. 

- Jen St. Denis reports on Paul Kershaw's call for a windfall tax on high-priced real estate. 

- Zak Vescera reports on the glaring need for additional staff and resources to run shelters in Saskatoon (and elsewhere in Saskatchewan). And Bonnie Larson, Ginetta Salvalaggio and Claire Bodkin discuss how a safe-supply policy would work wonders in mitigating the drug poisoning crisis. 

- Finally, Amil Niazi writes that parents are now facing the same challenges as at the beginning of the pandemic, only with far less support and with two years of fatigue weighing them down. And Shannon Proudfoot discusses the problems with virtual learning - even as the damage caused by that pales in comparison to the risk of lifelong health conditions.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Brian Goldman interviews Raywot Deonandan about the options available to limit the spread of COVID-19 through the coming fall and winter. But while most people are primarily concerned with the coronavirus directly, Adam Miller reports on the growing calls from health care workers to ensure the safety of essential service providers is assured against an increasingly violent and emboldened mob of anti-science quacks.

- Omayra Issa discusses how a climate breakdown in progress is causing anxiety and grief. Marieke Walsh reports on new polling showing overwhelming support for strong climate action in Canada even if it affects existing industries. And the Environmental Society of Saskatchewan offers (PDF) its recommendations to move the province toward a more appropriate level of climate ambition. 

- David Wallace-Wells muses that the strongest climate change rhetoric from political leaders is often coming from those who are trying to avoid doing their part. And Bill McKibben writes that we should be far past the point of expecting governments to fix the climate crisis - meaning that citizen action is the only plausible means of ensuring a habitable environment.

- Hannah Brais, Alex Nelson, Jesse Jenkinson and Kaitlin Schwan examine the connections between homelessness and women's rights. And Michelle Marcus and Katherine Yewell observe that universal free meals in schools produce significantly greater benefits for children from lower-income households than mere access. 

- Finally, Judd Legum weighs in on how corporate concentration and monopolization are the real cause of any current inflation facing consumers.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Greg Jericho writes that the latest IPCC report confirms that we're running out of time to avert climate breakdown, but still have a narrow window in which to do so. Damian Carrington reminds us that the cost of climate negligence is far higher than that of planning for a just transition while we still have the chance. Simon Lewis discusses how the fossil fuel industry bears responsibility for endangering our future. Bill McKibben highlights the deliberate pollution of our political and social discourse which has only complicated any attempt to set us on a sustainable path. And Elizabeth Leier argues that we need to match the urgency applied to our initial COVID-19 response in addressing the climate crisis. 

- But in case there was any doubt how determined many people are to avoid dealing directly with any matter of public well-being, Max Fawcett points out the glaring gap between widespread public demand for vaccine passports, and a refusal to act by most Canadian political leaders. Jim Harding writes that Saskatchewan (among other jurisdictions) needs to demand better than the short-sighted government which has allowed COVID to run wild. Bruce Anderson examines the composition of Canada's as-of-yet-unvaccinated population, and finds that a substantial number of reluctant people would open up to vaccinations under the right circumstances. And Alexander Wong and Sean Tucker make the case for mandatory vaccinations in workplaces.  

- Kanecia Zimmerman and Danny Benjamin Jr. discuss the success of mandatory masking in limiting the spread of COVID in schools. And Lisa Schick reports on the rising number of cases among Saskatchewan children just as school is set to resume - together with Paul Merriman's complete lack of concern about the likelihood of outbreaks in schools. 

- Guy Quenneville provides a damning timeline of the Extendicare outbreak which killed 39 Saskatchewan residents. 

- Karen Weintraub and Adrianna Rodriguez write about the open question as to whether the Delta variant actually causes more severe symptoms than other forms of COVID-19 (in addition to being far more transmissible). And Ed Yong takes a general look at the current direction of the pandemic - including the certainty of "exit waves" as governments eliminate public health protections, and the eventual prospect of endemicity following whatever human toll we choose to accept in the meantime.  

- Finally, ProPublica exposes how the Republicans' tax cuts for the rich were not only a massive giveaway to the .1% generally, but specifically designed to hand extra goodies to a few closely-connected donors. And Alex Ballingall reports on the NDP's plan to apply a wealth tax to fortunes over $10 million in order to fund a functional set of social and health supports. 

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Antoine Genest-Grégoire, Luc Godbout and Jean-Herman Guay highlight how people are willing to pay more in taxes if they see the benefit to be derived from the revenue. But Laura Kruse notes that Jason Kenney is just one of the anti-social ideologues instead looking for excuses to slash both revenues and services.

- Bill McKibben writes about the need to start making our political choices based on a time frame of millennia, not merely the next election cycle. And Jillian Horton calls for health professionals to boost their advocacy for public policy which will reduce the illnesses which result in people needing to use the health care system.

- Zak Vescera reports on the pressure even the start of the second wave of COVID-19 is putting on Saskatchewan's public health system. And Bill Curry warns that Canada is one of the wealthier countries pushing to have the distribution of any eventual vaccine based on wealth rather than need.

- Jason Warick reports on the lack of drug treatment in Saskatchewan jails brought to light by the overdose death of Donald Blair. Nigel Maxwell reports on the needless difficulty people incarcerated in the Prince Albert Correctional Centre have communicating with their families due to obsolete equipment. And Murray Fallis writes about the need to end the particularly abusive use of solitary confinement, while Michael Spratt identifies it as a form of torture.

- Finally, Felix Salmon writes about the fall of Exxon's empire due to its ill-advised bet on a continuing oil boom. And Max Fawcett weighs in on the consolidation which will ensure that any dead-cat bounce for Alberta's oil sector will produce a minimal amount of employment.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Crawford Kilian takes a look at Kurt Andersen's new book on the collaboration between massively wealthy people and those willing to be subjugated to their interests who have re-engineered society for their benefit, to the detriment of everybody else.

- Oren Cass comments on the folly of measuring our economy and society solely through GDP. And Duncan Thorp discusses the importance of rebuilding around a well-being economy.

- Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on the attempt by a temp agency to saddle a worker with a $30,000 bill after his job disappeared as a result of COVID-19. And the Star's editorial board recognizes the case as an example of the need for improved protection for precarious workers.

- Meanwhile, PressProgress examines how employers are trying to use a pandemic to deny workers the benefits they've bargained for. Jon Milton writes about the efforts of Dollarama employees to fight for safe workplaces and fair wages - particularly in the face of yet another attempt to claw back pandemic pay. And Megan Lupo, Nino Abdaladze, Molly Bohannon, Sanjana Garg, Jamie Fields and Katie Surma report on the essential workers trying to navigate a pandemic while homeless.

- Bill McKibben writes that the U.S. has run out of presidential terms to delay in dealing with climate change. And David Roberts examines the devastating effects that another term of Donald Trump would have on our planet.

- Finally, Paul Wells examines the farce of Bill Blair's panel on solitary confinement. And Justin Ling notes that it's only after the panel's resignation was publicly reported that the Libs took any steps to allow it to function.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Sheila Smith examines how private equity is hollowing out the real economy in the name of profit-taking. And Klaus Schwab suggests a "Great Reset" - though his preference for a continued capitalist model misses many of the most important opportunities for a more fair economy.

- Jennifer Robson writes that our economy needs to be rehabilitated, not given a jolt of adrenaline through temporary stimulus. And Matt Elliott writes that we should take the opportunity to put an end to poverty.

- In the first Canadian report of the Centre for Future Work, Jim Stanford examines some of the ways we can improve work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Jack Healy discusses how U.S. governments and employers are instead combining their powers to force people back into unsafe jobs.

- Anne Jarvis comments on the barbarity of sending migrant agricultural workers home in body bags. And D.C. Fraser points out how agricultural workers generally are grossly underpaid given their contribution to our basic needs.

- Andray Domise writes about Canada's history of racial oppression, while Doug Cuthand points out the lack of awareness of its impact in shaping our society. Shree Paradkar offers some questions and answers on the realities of racial inequality. And Vicky Mochama argues that it's long past time for privileged people to start acting against systemic racism, while Celina Caesar-Chavannes calls for governments to start acting on long-recognized policy responses.

- Finally, Bill McKibben discusses the connection between racism, state violence and environmental injustice. And Greig Oldford argues that denialism about both racism and climate change has to end.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Mark Rowlinson points out how the obvious frailty of our current supply chains highlights the need to develop Canadian manufacturing. And Amanda Follett Hosgood notes the importance of localized food production in particular.

- Bill McKibben calls out the oil industry's attempts to use COVID-19 as an excuse to push through pipeline construction, while Mia Rabson exposes its intensive lobbying to undermine any action on climate change or environmental protection.

- Meanwhile, Rhiana Gunn-Wright offers a reminder that the climate change crisis is no less severe in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. And Brian Kahn reports that the group which worked on Jay Inslee's climate plan has developed a roadmap to ensure that the coronavirus recovery results in a just transition toward cleaner energy.

- Bruce Anderson discusses how the effort to achieve physical distancing has ultimately brought people closer together in a common mission. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board recognizes that the social cohesion needed to overcome the coronavirus shouldn't be used as an excuse for governments to claim extraordinary and unaccountable powers.

- Marc Lee argues that the higher levels of government need to provide immediate supports to local governments and regional authorities which were struggling under the weight of downloaded responsibilities and slashed funding even before the pandemic. 

- Finally, Simon Kuper writes about Thomas Piketty's call for wealth taxes to rectify gross inequality - a cause which is only becoming more important as the world's wealthiest few rake in billions of dollars more while the rest of the world is locked down.

New column day

Here, on how the costs of approving the Teck Frontier tar sands mine likely include locking Canada into another cycle of public subsidies for a dying oil sector - making it clear that it isn't in the public interest.

For further reading...
- Tzeporah Berman has previously questioned how any approval could be reconciled with a meaningful response to the climate crisis. And Bill McKibben rightly recognizes that approval for Frontier is utterly contrary to any claim to climate leadership.
- Andrew Willis reported on Teck's conditions to actually develop the Frontier site even if it's permitted to do so.
- Joanna Partridge has reported on fund manager BlackRock's plan to divest from coal and other fossil fuels. And Nick Cunningham discusses how the financial sector is taking climate risk and expense into account in determining whether projects will be funded and/or insured.
- Finally, in case there was any doubt that Canada's petropoliticians will happily throw as much public money as they can get their hands on into subsidizing dirty fossil fuels, the Canadian Press reports on Scott Moe's plan to fund new pipelines which lack any apparent use while continuing to slash Saskatchewan's public services.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Sabrina Shankman discusses new research showing how the climate crisis will affect today's youth. And Bill McKibben highlights why we can't afford to delay in reining in catastrophic climate change.

- But Damian Carrington reports on fossil fuel extraction projections which far exceed what we can afford, while Justin Lavoie notes that the Canada Pension Plan is betting on the fossil fuel sector being allowed to overshoot its emission targets. And Laura Kane reports on how the Trans Mountain pipeline has received hundreds of millions of dollars in public subsidies beyond the purchase price paid by the federal government.

- The News & Observer confirms that the utter failure of top-end tax cuts to help anybody but the richest few applies to North Carolina like every other jurisdiction.

- The BBC reports on UK Labour's plans to ensure that workers take back control of their economic direction. And Dawn Foster discusses the all-too-rare phenomenon of a political party running on a clear plan to improve people's lives.

- Finally, The Loop interviews Danyaal Raza about the predictable connection between privatized health care and longer wait times for all but the wealthiest few. And The Local points out how people's health suffers as a result of the lower tier of care offered in the prison system.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Franklin Foer writes that young climate activists are right to be anxious about the future that's being imposed on them - and that it's long past time for earlier generations to stop being comfortable with leaving wreckage in our wake.

- Bill McKibben rightly points out that an energy system powered by solar energy would eliminate the need for conflict over fossil fuels. But Emily Pasuik reports on the Saskatchewan Party's decision to shut down SaskPower's net metering program even as - and indeed because - it was succeeding in generating public enthusiasm for renewable energy.

- Larry Elliott discusses the popularity of UK Labour's plans for a financial transaction tax. And Andy Beckett writes that even the UK's financial sector is beginning to prefer a well-thought-out plan for increased redistribution to the chaos of right-wing populism. 

- Eric Levitz highlights how organized labour is vital to a functioning democracy - both by modeling how people can be empowered to exercise democratic control over their lives, and by counterbalancing the authority of the wealthy and powerful few.

- Finally, David Baxter reports on the Canadian Rental Housing Index' research into housing costs, including the reality that nearly half of Saskatchewan renters face unaffordable prices compared to their level of income.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Emily Stewart reports on Elizabeth Warren's message about the need to end corruption and corporatism in order to make U.S. politics work for people. Martin Wolf writes that a rigged economic system is undermining the prospect of viable democracy. And Andrew MacLeod examines where Canada's federal parties stand when it comes to tax fairness.

- Jennifer Wells makes the case for the federal government to buy GM's Oshawa plant as a hub for the development of electric vehicles in Canada. And the Guardian's editorial board offers its support to the spread of worker-owned industries as a means of sharing wealth and power.

- Oliver Milman reports on the growing desire for strong climate action in the U.S., with two thirds of the public demanding a policy response to our climate breakdown. Ben Ehrenreich discusses how public activism is vital in building the action needed to counter entrenched interests in business and government, while Geoff Dembicki wonders whether we'll see Canada's political parties match leading Democratic presidential contenders in calling out the oil industry as a villain. And Bill McKibben points out the significance of large pools of capital concluding they're not prepared to fund the continued degradation of our living environment.

- Meanwhile, Max Fawcett highlights how Jason Kenney is trying to amplify the most toxic of petro-politics.

- Finally, Fair Vote Canada has released the results of a new poll showing a strong majority of Canadians in favour of a proportional electoral system.