Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Sonal Gupta reports on the detection of massive methane releases from the Kitimat LNG facility which aren't included in normal monitoring or reporting. But Marin Scotten writes that the fossil gas industry is trying to issue propaganda to schools to push students to see continued pollution as inevitable. 

- Guillaume Calline discusses new opinion research showing that European electric vehicle owners are avoiding the anxiety from oil price shocks which has afflicted most ICE vehicle drivers. Nick Carey and Divya Rajagopal point out that Canada is ideally positioned to develop a manufacturing industry for Chinese EVs which can be exported to the U.S. once it's governed by a regime which is less hostile to clean transportation.  

- That said, Ajit Niranjan highlights a new analysis showing how vehicles of multiple types are expanding and creating avoidable hazards for everybody else on the road. And Jack Fitzgerald discusses the similar effect of increasing vehicle heights in the U.S. 

- Finally, Rebecca Solnit rightly points out the through line between the systematic abuse of women by Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein and the Tate brothers. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Alex Nguyen examines the petro-imperialism which is being inflicted on the world by the Trump administration.  And David Dayen writes that the Iran war is exposing how the U.S. faces serious supply issues which have been utterly ignored by the Trump regime.  

- Meanwhile, Gregg Gonsalves implores health workers to resist the Trump regime's abuses rather than acquiescing in civil rights abuses and the destruction of evidence-based policy. 

- Matteo Wong examines how the implausible promises of artificial intelligence are being pushed at the price of massive and dangerous changes to our natural living environment. Claire Cameron points out that even the minimal level of AI found in autocomplete mechanisms has a severe effect on our writing and thinking. And Alondra Nelson notes that the Trump regime's "deregulation" of AI in fact consists of direct state intervention to impose corporate secrecy and control.

- Dale Smith warns that the Libs are once again attacking privacy in the name of false promises of public protection - this time through mandatory age verification which both excludes young people from the online world, and impose dangerous ID requirements on adults whose personal information can then get hoovered up by tech giants.

- Finally, Saskboy points out that Regina's air quality data has generally been flawed, with little sign of any effort to improve it. And Marc Fawcett-Atkinson reports that the dirty energy industry wants us to have even less information about methane emissions, relying solely on polluters' self-reporting which has been proven to be inaccurate. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- The Associated Press reports on the World Meteorological Organization's latest bulletin finding that atmospheric carbon dioxide has reached a concentration not seen in hundreds of thousands of years. 

- Ketan Joshi discusses the willingness of people to believe - and corporate propaganda mills to provide - disinformation to obstruct climate progress. Aidan Hughes and Martha Pskowski report on a new study tracing the dozens of fossil fuel insiders placed in key positions in the Trump regima. And while Matt Simon discusses a new Redstone Strategy Group report showing the effectiveness of local grassroots organizing in reducing carbon pollution, Amy Green reports on legislation passed by Florida Republicans to prevent communities from implementing responsible environmental choices. 

- Ames Alexander points out that Trump's reality-adverse administration has stopped the U.S. military from planning for existing climate threats. Andrew Freedman reports on the connection between Trump's attacks on the National Weather Service and the damage done by Typhoon Halong in Alaska. And Charlie Angus calls out Mark Carney for joining in Trump's dirty energy derangement. 

- Chris Hatch writes about the reality that renewables can handle all new energy demand and are beginning to cut into fossil fuels' share of the power supply. Sarah Shemkus reports on the shuttering of New Hampshire's last coal plant due purely to its being uneconomic compared to solar power with battery storage. And Ron Johnson discusses why governments should invest in encouraging people to bike to work, while Simon and Sophie Hurwitz examine the particular advantages of e-bikes. 

- Finally, David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher point out how decades of corporate hostility toward democracy have laid the groundwork for an anti-social media environment. And Alex Harring discusses the glaring differences in mood and substance between high- and low-income Americans - though of course only the former are treated as carrying any weight in the Trump regime's policy choices. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- David Lurie writes about the Trump regime's Potemkin populism - as well as the increasing speed with which his fabrications are coming undone. Sarah Kendzior discusses the importance of finding meaning and purpose in ways that can't be undermined by a mafia state. And Sam Bagenstos highlights the importance of a plan for what comes after the civil service has been destroyed.

- Meanwhile, George Monbiot points out the continued failure of centrist parties and politicians to offer any hope when that's exactly what stands to motivate citizens who don't see anybody working toward anything better. And Andrea Houston talks to Linda McQuaig about Mark Carney's betrayal of voters who expected a defence of progressive Canadian values rather than a collaborationist Conservative government in Lib clothing. 

- Oliver Milman and Dharna Noor report on the work done by dozens of top climate scientists to refute the denialist propaganda of the Trump regime. And Alexandra Keeler warns that while our research system may not have been wholly hijacked for political purposes, it's still under threat from fake science. 

- Kevin Anderson, Chris Jones and Gaurav Gharde discuss the deep failures of climate policy in the UK which are only being exacerbated by a spate of dirty energy-based policies. Jonathan Watts highlights Tzeporah Berman's work on a fossil fuel phaseout treaty to stop every dirty energy producer from insisting it will be the last to stop. Russel Norman writes about the rise of insurance costs in New Zealand due to the ongoing climate breakdown. And Nina Lakhani reports on the rise of indoor heat deaths in Arizona as a result of extreme heat, while Marc Fawcett-Atkinson notes that tree-planting efforts which are pitched as emission mitigation measures haven't been able to keep up with the effects of wildfires.

- Josh Robertson, Michael Slezak, Jack Fisher and Mark Doman report on the decades-long cover-up of a massive methane leak from a major Australian gas project. And Martha Pskowski and Mark Olalde report on Texas' reflexive approval of greenhouse gas releases. 

- Finally, Richard Larouche discusses how the safety and freedom of children has been sacrificed in the name of prioritizing cars over bike lanes. Trevor Goodyear points out the UCP's attacks on the safety of LGBTQ+ children and other marginalized youth based on the theory that kids are nothing more than parents' property. And Dave Cournoyer writes that Alberta's teachers are standing up for children's well-being and education as the Smith government looks to undermine their classroom conditions and access to books.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Harj Narulla weighs in on the effects of the International Court of JUstice's determination that countries can be held liable for contribution to a cliamte breakdown, while Stella Levantesi reports on an Italian court decision allowing for a lawsuit against an oil giant for its own climate damage. And Somini Segupta reports on the joint effort being made by China and the E.U. to keep the Paris Agreement in play - making for a stark choice between working with the world's leading economic powers, or signing on to Donald Trump's denial agenda. 

- Meanwhile, Harrison Mooney interviews Stephen Marche about the need for Canada to be willing to drop the gloves with the Trump regime rather than looking for every possible opportunity to accommodate it. 

- Luke Savage comments on the reality that the AI revolution is nothing but a theft of the information which already exists online and is being turned into word slurry - though I'd think there are arguments to be made that there are equally important heists from investors, and from the people who will face adverse decisions based on artificial non-intelligence. And Paris Marx notes that Mark Carney is fully on board with the use of AI as a means to further enrich the existing tech oligopoly. 

- Finally, Samuel Girard discusses how "build more" is an overly simplistic answer to a housing crisis which is rooted in the use of existing units for investment and profit at the expense of people whose right to a home isn't sufficiently profitable. Jill Atkey highlights the absurdity of prioritizing parking requirements over the availability of accessible homes. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board weighs in on the need for cities to reverse their past car-centric policies which have made communities less walkable and liveable. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Blayne Haggart and Eric Duchesne point out that Mark Carney's idea of nation-building reflects little more than barely warmed-over 1980s neoliberalism - making for a particularly inapt response to a reality in which the corporations who stand to dominate us are themselves under the thumb of the Trump regime. Jim Stanford discusses how Canada is far better off avoiding a new trade deal with the U.S. rather than signing over our sovereignty to a bad-faith actor who will never respect any theoretical gains. 

- Janelle Lapointe writes that the "fast-track" laws pushed by Carney and conservative premiers are designed primarily to bulldoze Indigenous rights for corporate benefit. Abigail Jackson, Rachel Samson, and Ricardo Chejfec note that rural and remote communities and local workers stand to lose out if the push for major projects doesn't include a plan to build a local workforce. And Angella MacEwen discusses how workers stand to lose out from Carney's austerity. 

- Carol Schwartz writes that there's no excuse not to be setting - and reaching - net-zero carbon emission targets. Kate Aronoff discusses how climate neglect is driving up grocery prices among other costs of living. 

- Meanwhile, Saul Griffith highlights the ready availability of affordable electricity - particular if we focus on cheap solar and improved storage and distribution rather than allowing fossil fuel interests to dictate that we keep lining their pockets. And Arthur Zhang discusses how a zero-emission vehicle target is still well within reach (and worth pursuing). 

- Finally, Cathy Bussewitz reports on the Trump regime's declaration that protections for workers are obsolete, with Trump's supposed concern for the masses now resulting in attacks on minimum wages, overtime pay and protection from hazardous substances. And George Monbiot rightly calls out the Starmer government for facilitating the importation and use of toxic chemicals without meaningful controls or assessments based solely on the say-so of a single other jurisdiction. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- David Moscrop writes about the difficulty in trying to respond to a news stream constantly filled with horrors without breaking down. George Monbiot discusses how Britain is seeing increasing swaths of land turned into desert dead zones. And Paula Simons writes about the grim reality of regular wildfire smoke - including far more severe health effects than are generally known. 

- Meanwhile, Chris Hatch points out the absurdity of trumpeting "decarbonized" fossil fuels when the primary intention of oil and gas production remains to have it burned and turned into carbon pollution. And Gaby Clark examines research showing that methane leaks from dormant oil and gas wells are significantly worse than previously assumed. 

- Jessica Wildfire discusses how Donald Trump has been looking for (and working to fabricate) an excuse to impose martial law, while Jonathan Last writes that this week is the most dangerous one in the U.S.' history in terms of the imposition of authoritarianism. 

- Paul Krugman notes that Trump's plans to politicize tax rates on foreign capital is just one more step in ensuring that no rational actors risk a cent of their holdings in the U.S. And Greg Sargent writes that the  difference giving rise to a feud between Trump and Elon Musk is limited to their disagreement as to how best to harm the working class (which should serve as reason for any opposition or resistance voices to refuse to try to make common cause with either of them). 

- Finally, Isaac Phan Nay writes about CUPW's fight to preserve a viable, publicly-operated Canada Post in contrast to management's determination to impose the precarious model used by private delivery services. And in case we needed a reminder as to how businesses are allowed to abuse workers, Nicole Brockbank reports on a single operator's accumulation of almost a million dollars in unpaid wages and fines through multiple employers. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Ed Hawkins offers a visual indication of the unprecedented global warming experienced in 2024 - as well as the paths forward depending on whether we take rapid action to limit the effects of the ongoing climate breakdown. Damian Carrington reports on new data showing that carbon pollution levels are also both higher than ever in human history, and far higher than the targets set to avert the climate crisis. Alexandra Mae Jones reports on a new study into the increasing severity and length of droughts. And Gaye Taylor reports on the warning from Craig Stewart that Canadian losses from extreme weather are becoming uninsurable. 

- Dharna Noor reports on the calls from Los Angeles residents to have the fossil fuel industry provide compensation for its contribution to the ongoing wildfires. And Edward Donnelly reports on the failure of a massive CCS project in Norway to capture anywhere close to the quantity of emissions promised. 

- Meanwhile, Cristen Hemingway James reports on an analysis showing that nearly a third of U.S. residents drink water laden with unergulated chemical contaminants. 

- Alex Hemingway and Danny Oleksiuk write that one of the easiest means of both reducing infrastructure costs and alleviating the housing crisis is to enable the building of apartments. And Raphael Rashid discusses how Seoul's transformation of a highway into a mid-city stream resulted in a far more liveable city. 

- Finally, The Lancet comments on the dangers of the spread of health disinformation - and the need to treat it as another public health scourge to be eradicated for the general good. And Brian Beutler points out the importance of pre-butting Donald Trump, rather than allowing his predictable lies and fabrications to define the boundaries of political discussion. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Michael Harris offers some lessons about the U.S.' values based on this week's election results. Rebecca Solnit opines that the largest failing of American progressives was to presume that the U.S. is a better country than it actually is, while Geoffrey Deihl writes that Donald Trump's election represents a descent into madness. Harrison Mooney discusses what it means about the dangers of majority rule - though it's worth a reminder that the U.S.' political system is warped so as to allow his party to exercise unchecked power even with minority levels of support. And Michael Mann notes that the U.S. figures to become even more of a petrostate under Trump.

- Meanwhile, Martin Lukacs, Lucy Uprichard, Tannara Yelland and Amanda Siino highlight some of the threats that Trump's ascent will pose to progressive politics in Canada. 

- Gabriela Calugay-Casuga discusses how the Bank of Canada's undue obsession with inflation resulted in an increasingly glaring wealth gap. And Alex Hemingway warns that tax giveaways are just as corrosive to public services when they originate with the NDP as when they're offered by the right. 

- Carl Meyer offers some takeaways from the long-delayed proposal for a federal oil and gas emission cap - with the predictable result being that a modest policy is being met with shrieks of contrived outrage by those who believe the only purpose of government is to ensure fossil fuel giants can rake in profits with no regard for our planet. And the Canadian Press reports on the Parliamentary Budget Office's finding that the Trans Mountain pipeline (which was bought and completed by the Trudeau Libs while emission regulations were held not to be a priority) isn't worth its cost of construction, leaving the public to take a loss on it. 

- Finally, Meyer parallels the current spin from the oil sector against its precedent from tobacco companies who likewise denied and buried their own scientific knowledge in order to maximize the harm their products inflicted on the public. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Ajit Niranjan reports on new data from the World Meterological Organization showing that multiple greenhouse gases are accumulating to unprecedented levels in our atmosphere (primarily due to a continuing fossil fuel addiction). Sophie Kevany reports on new research finding that industrial fishing is undermining the effect of oceans as carbon sinks.

- Anna Bawden notes that the human-level effects of the climate breakdown include record numbers of heat-related deaths and widespread droughts. The University of Michigan points out that some of the areas of the U.S. facing the greatest environmental disasters are the ones where fossil-fueled climate denial is the most prevalent. And Saul Elbein reports on new research from the Lancet as to the health impacts of the climate crisis. 

- Alex Himelfarb offers a warning against allowing right-wing populists to use ritual invocations of "common sense!" as a substitute for any evidence or rational support for their regressive policies.

- Finally, Will Snell points out that the UK's already-appalling wealth gap has been getting worse over time - and that it will take a massive shift to equality-based policy to move in the right direction.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Jessica Glenza reports on a new survey showing that the overwhelming majority of U.S. youth are (rightly) worried about the climate crisis. Pamela Swanigan argues that an imminent existential threat needs to be met with a campaign of courage, rather than a mere invocation of hope. And Adam Hanieh reminds us that any effort to mitigate the climate breakdown in progress will be met with the accumulated wealth and clout of one of the most powerful industries on the planet - which is determined to keep up carbon pollution as usual regardless of the human cost. 

- Carl Meyer reports that Canada's federal government is set to meet its schedule in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its own assets - making it all the more damning that private action continues to keep the country as a whole far behind schedule. And Felicity Bradstock discusses the rightful outcry against the UCP's determination to stifle clean energy. 

- Drew Anderson takes a look at the Moe government's plans to pour money into a Lake Diefenbaker irrigation scheme based solely on wishful thinking about the value of corporate giveaways (coupled with absolute denial that clean water or a healthy environment matter at all). And Geoff Leo exposes how Jeremy Harrison and the Saskatchewan Party purged a Crown corporation of whistleblowers in order to allow cronies to take it over for their own profit while neglecting to mention their multiple conflicts of interest. 

- Sheila Regehr and Ben Earle highlight the ample data showing that a basic income helps improve people's health and well-being without reducing their efforts to find work. But Kenan Malik is rightly aghast that multiple UK governments have shown more interest in pumping drugs into unemployed people in the hope it'll push them back to work than in recognizing even an ounce of human dignity. 

- Finally, Gerry McGovern is justifiably frustrated with the proliferation of junk data, while Zachary Basu points out the deliberate spreading of disinformation from Elon Musk and the rest of the alt-right. And Julia Angwin decries the TikTokification of social media as people have lost the ability to see what they value rather than what tech giants want to serve up, while Geoffrey Fowler calls out Instagram and other platforms for stifling personal political messages. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Charlie Warzel warns that the level of disinformation saturation in the U.S. has reached the point of organized violence and sabotage. H. Colleen Sinclair notes that much of the spread of disinformation is the result of cynical opportunism rather than any belief in its truth, while Mike Caulfield points out that willing recipients tend to accept it in order to avoid challenging their existing belief system. Mary Annaise Haglar writes about the intersection of anti-science propaganda and emergencies caused by the climate crisis. Luke LeBrun reports that the BC Cons' detachment from reality includes peddling conspiracy theories about a United Nations takeover while supporting right-wing dictators. And Justin Ling reports on David O'Brien's work to try to bring dangerously-programmed extremists back from the brink - while noting the lack of resources for that effort (particularly compared to the immense disinformation machines pushing people in the opposite direction).

- NASA unveils the first methane and carbon dioxide emission plumes detected by its new imaging spectrometer - and its ability to point out concealed carbon pollution is surely one of the reasons why Republicans are determined to kneecap NASA in particular and scientific observation generally. Cami Ferrell discusses a new report showing how the harm from fossil fuel pollution falls disproportionately on already-marginalized groups. And Evan Halper reports on the continued use of dirty coal power plants which were supposed to have been shuttered in Omaha (and elsewhere) to serve corporate data centres.

- The Guardian makes the case for the UK's Labour government to ensure the rich pay their fair share to support public well-being and growth, while Huw Evans offers a reminder that wanton deregulation has been the cause of immense harm under the previous Con regime. And Simon Fletcher laments that Labour has thus far operated as a right-wing government with no interest in addressing either inequality or the public interest - and lost public trust in a hurry as a result.

- Susan Elizabeth Turek reports on new research examining the most dangerous of ultra-processed foods.

- Finally, Rachel Aiello reports on the release of preliminary pre-approved housing designs - though the combination of a lengthy consultation process and a lack of resources to move past the design stage raises reason for doubt that much affordable housing will come from them.

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Glen Hendrix wonders whether any talk about impending civilizational collapse may miss the point that we've already largely lost any ethic of care deserving of the name. And Joshua Hill examines how Greta Thunberg's climate advocacy led inexorably to her challenging the colonial and capitalist structures underlying the fossil fuel industry - and in turn to her being systematically silenced by corporate media. 

- Geoffrey Diehl discusses how we've allowed our minds to be poisoned both metaphorically by corporate propaganda, and literally by microplastics and other industrial byproducts. Karen Raubenheimer comments on an expert review of the many sources and effects of microplastics which cries out for immediate action to stop their spread. And Tom Sanzillo, Suzanne Mattei and Abhishek Sinha argue that a cap on plastic production makes sense as one way to manage and ultimately rein in plastic pollution.

- Mike de Souza and Carl Meyer report that it's only after nine years in office - and with a tenuous hold on power - that the Libs are even presenting a first draft of regulations governing carbon pollution from the oil sector. And de Souza also reports on the Libs' funneling of tens of millions of dollars to McKinsey to push through the Trans Mountain pipeline for the benefit of its fossil fuel clients. 

- The Canadian Press reports that the summer of 2024 saw Canada set yet another record for insured losses from extreme weather. And Anand Ram and Benjamin Shingler discuss new research showing that a wildfire can create heat islands for years afterward - particularly in the coniferous monocultures which are being substituted for natural forest development. 

- Finally, Jen St. Denis offers a look at the white nationalism and deep-seated bigotry within the BC Cons as the business class seeks to install them in power. And Rumneek Johal and Andrew MacLeod each point out the conspiracy theories John Rustad has spread while taking over as the face of British Columbia's right wing. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Bill Henderson writes that the immense temperature increases we've already seen - and the resulting spread of extreme weather events and other catastrophic consequences - should serve as a wake-up call for anybody still trying to hit the snooze button on climate action. But Maya Goodfellow discusses Tad DeLay's concern that we're in denial of how much damage has already been done. Similarly, Paul Abela warns that we may already be past the point where it's possible to reduce emissions in time to stay within tolerable temperature levels - particularly with so much money and power being applied to try to continue the dirty energy business as usual. And on that front, David Climenhaga discusses Danielle Smith's double bet against the future, as she seeks to confiscate Alberta's savings and divert the funds toward fossil fuel projects that are seen as dead losers even by the corporations currently making their money off of oil and gas.  

- But lest anybody think denialism in any way reflects what the public wants as opposed to the complete capture of power by capital, Damian Carrington reports on a UN poll showing that even in petrostates a strong majority of people want to see a rapid transition to clean energy. Justin Worland discusses how consumers want and expect the corporate sector which limits consumer choices to do far more to fight the climate crisis. And Dhitri Gupta points out that developer reticence is making it difficult to convert Toronto's housing stock to carbon neutrality - though it bears mention that the perceived need to cater to those same developers is itself something which could be changed.  

- Steve Genco examines what it means to talk about (and plan for) civilizational collapse, while Nitish Patwa discusses the multiple effects of the climate breakdown in progress. The Energy Mix reports on the move to establish "chief heat officer" positions at the municipal level to help alleviate the dangers at a local level. And Drew Anderson notes that Calgary (among other Canadian cities) can learn from the experiences of other areas which have seen their water supplies dry up due to the climate crisis. 

- Inayat Singh reports on one of the most stark consequences of the current North American heat wave, as monkeys are falling dead out of trees in Mexico due to unprecedented temperatures. 

- Finally, Fiona Harvey reports on new research showing that thousands of children under five are dying every day due to air pollution, making it the second-largest cause of death for young children around the globe. 

[Edit: fixed wording.]

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Marianne Cooper and Maxim Voronov optimistically suggest that our state of denial surrounding the climate crisis and other collective action problems can't get any deeper. 

- But Julia Steinberger examines the array of wealth and power dedicated to pushing perpetually-increasing extraction regardless of the environmental damage it causes. Jack Marley writes about the manipulative and deceptive nature of fossil fuel advertising (which of course Canada's establishment is determined to push and echo at every turn). Arno Kopecky discusses the risk that the fossil fuel-funded far right will get to set the limits on any climate action. And Michael Harris warns that Canada is far from immune from the rise of violent fascist politics in Europe and the U.S.

- Martin Guttridge-Hewitt writes about the possibility that weather reports could systematically include a mention of climate impacts so people's day-to-day experiences aren't detached from the carbon pollution which is altering our living environment. Meryl Davids Landau points out how the climate crisis is affecting our brains. And Anna Pivovarchuk highlights how climate scientists are increasingly turning to direct action in an effort to avert a readily-foreseeable catastrophe. 

- Meanwhile, Amanda Stephenson reports on Deloitte's conclusion that even applying the self-serving standards set by the oil and gas industry, it's impossible for Canada to meet existing climate commitments without reducing our fossil fuel extraction. And Carl Meyer reports that RBC is starting to face pressure to acknowledge and respond to its role in financing climate destruction. 

- Finally, Andrew Gregory reports on new research showing the absolute declines in well-being for children in the UK who are shorter, sicker and more prone to obesity than earlier cohorts. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Maximilian Kotz et al. study the foreseeable effect of the climate crisis on the cost of food, and find that increased global warming will result in systemic inflation in food prices. And Matthew Taylor reports on research showing that the carbon pollution from major oil and gas companies alone may cause millions of heat deaths by 2100.

- But in case anybody thought the fossil fuel sector had any scruples about the destruction it plans to wreak on the rest of the world, Oliver Milman reports on a gathering of CEOs insisting that the success of its past denialism and obstructionism means we should abandon any effort to transition to cleaner energy. And Elizabeth May writes that there's no lack of resources preventing Canada from making a just transition as long as we don't consider ourselves bound to serve oil executives more than the rest of the planet. 

- Adam Thorn and Sarah Butson examine the disproportionate harm caused by heavy diesel vehicles. And David Moscrop discusses how cars generally are turning into surveillance devices. 

- Finally, Stephen Magusiak reports that the extremist organization running the UCP is continuing to thumb its nose at the law, this time by both refusing to cooperate with an investigation into Take Back Alberta and warning that "the powerful" (i.e. large secret donors) will punish anybody who dares to try to apply the law to it.  

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Stephanie Bouchoucha et al. offer a reminder that Australia (like other jurisdictions) needs to do far better in reducing the harm caused by an ongoing pandemic. And researchers presenting to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine have found widespread long COVID among people who were infected while pregnant. 

- Meanwhile, Crawford Kilian warns that the anti-social, anti-science cranks empowered by crass corporate operators wanting to avoid COVID restrictions are stoking a resurgence of measles (as well as increased threats from other diseases). 

- Clyde Hughes reports on a new study showing that 83 million U.S. residents are exposed to unhealthy air every year due to the climate breakdown. And Jennifer Francis discusses the "weather whiplash" which is becoming increasingly common and destructive due to climate change. 

- But Jefim Vogel and Jason Hickel find (PDF) that even the countries who are claiming to have decoupled growth from carbon pollution are still spewing more than we can afford. 

- Andy Stirling reviews Tim Schwab's The Bill Gates Problem as an important exposition as to how billionaire-controlled "charity" results in warped and self-interested priorities.  

- Finally, Shauna MacKinnon writes that there's no excuse for governments deferring to the whims of private-sector developers when the need for housing can only be met by public social investment. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Oliver Milman reports on new research showing that shipping, aviation and industry are the three areas where carbon emissions are remaining at their existing levels or growing on a global basis. But Barry Saxifrage notes that Canada is a climate scofflaw as the only G7 country to be spewing more emissions than we were in 1990, while Theresa Beer calls out the provincial governments spending public money trying to demolish the few substantial climate policies which exist to date based on false spin about affordability. 

- Uday Rana discusses how parking mandates are contributing to a lack of affordable housing. But Rachel Cohen notes that many U.S. municipalities are moving past a passive approach, and instead building their own social housing intended to create communities which include all walks of life. 

- Judith Graham writes that the callous decision-making around COVID-19 raises questions about whether the U.S. cares about older adults at all - though it's worth noting the question is probably equally valid if applied more widely to caring about people period. 

- Sean Illing interviews Elizabeth Anderson about the damage wrought by a neoliberal "work ethic" which paints compliant subservience to the interests of capital as the ultimate virtue. And Adam King discusses the need for anti-scab legislation at the provincial level. 

- Finally, Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman reports on the spread of Fixit Clinics as a means of giving effect to the right to repair in California. And Currey McCullough discusses how farmers are being exploited for billions of dollars every year through the greed of equipment providers who exercise monopoly control over repairs and maintenance. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Mark Poynting reports on the latest data showing that global warming reached the 1.5 C threshold over the past year. And Adrienne Berard discusses new research finding that the climate breakdown's devastating feedback loops include the potential that hotter, drier conditions will make it more difficult for trees to sequester carbon. 

- But Andrew Nikiforuk writes about David Hughes' new report showing that while Canada continues to subsidize carbon pollution, it doesn't even have a plausible path to stop actively exacerbating the climate crisis by 2050. And Katharine Sanderson and Carissa Wong discuss how the EU is relying on vaporware rather than emission cuts in trying to set a slightly more ambitious timeline. 

- Jake Bittle discusses new research into the depletion of groundwater around the globe. And Crawford Kilian interviews Erica Gies about the dangers of taking water for granted. 

- Lise Olsen interviews Jim Morris about his new book about the connection between industrial chemicals and severe health issues for American workers. 

- Finally, Q Hamirani writes that the mandatory return-to-office policies which have stoked the continued spread of COVID-19 and other diseases represent an attempt to conceal poor management. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Al Jazeera reports on the World Meteorological Organization's analysis showing that greenhouse gas emissions reached yet another new high in 2022. Fiona Harvey reports on the findings in the World Resources Institute's State of Climate Action report, including the reality that transitional steps are several times short of what's needed to avert a climate catastrophe. (On that front, Chuck Squatriglia reports on the promise of acceleration by the US and China - but it's far from sure that will be the subject of either sufficient follow-through by the parties or general acceptance by climate obstructionists.) And Mike Joy highlights how there's no prospect of offsetting continued carbon pollution from fossil fuels with tree-planting or other sequestration schemes.  

- Casey Ross and Bob Herman expose how the U.S.' largest health insurer is using algorithmic decision-making to cut off needed rehabilitation for patients. And Helen Santoro reports on another insurer's lobbying efforts to avoid covering mental health care in Michigan. 

- Katherine Rowland interviews Naomi Klein about how profit-based individual wellness culture has served as a platform for anti-social misinformation. 

- Finally, Amanda Marcotte writes about the suicide of a gender non-conforming Republican mayor after he was outed and made the subject of public abuse by the GOP's anti-LGBTQ+ media.