Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- The Australian National University examines how it's possible to ensure a healthy standard of living for all of humanity within the Earth's planetary limits - but only based on a transformation of how we manage and distribute resources. And Rob Jackson and Josie Garthwaite discuss how especially-dangerous methane emissions are continuing to rise, while a belated effort to limit them is only starting to produce any observance results.

- Marc Fawcett-Atkinson reports on the federal government's decision not to regulate harmful PFAs based on heavy lobbying and polluter-funded research. 

- Robert Reich points out how Donald Trump's economic plans combine a toxic mix of corporate impunity, further concentration of wealth, and added costs for consumers. 

- Marcia Dunn discusses how space has become yet another plaything for the uber-wealthy rather than a domain for exploration and discovery. But Giri Nathan writes that there's no realistic basis for the fantasy of colonizing Mars as a substitute for caring for the Earth.

- Finally, Harrison Mooney discusses how John Rustad is looking to bring a Republican-style book purge to British Columbia. David Climenhaga compares Danielle Smith's demand that the federal government squash any form of job action by federally-regulated workers against her support for the Flu Trux Klan's violent takeover of cities and border crossings. And Colin Horgan wonders whether Pierre Poilievre's substitution of shitposting for any substantive communication will carry a price during a federal election campaign.  

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- David Olive rightly questions why big pharma has been gifted intellectual property monopolies and multi-billion-dollar profit streams over COVID vaccines developed through publicly-funded research. Ivan Semeniuk and Kelly Grant write about the push to speed up the delivery of second vaccine doses in areas facing the spread of the Delta variant.

- Martin Lukacs exposes the choice of Seumus O'Regan and his Department of Natural Resources to act as oil lobbyists within government, including by trying to interfere with scientific decision-making on environmental issues.

- PressProgress reports on the Winnipeg Police Department's alliance with - and publicity work for - a secretive and insular religious sect. 

- Melissa Mancini reports that Ontario is once again promising improvements in living conditions for residents of long-term care homes while doing absolutely nothing to enforce the rules which would require it. 

- Alanna Smith highlights how the UCP's criticism of "red tape" hasn't prevented it from imposing punitive restrictions on harm reduction initiatives. And David Climenhaga points out that the same party that bleats constantly about "ethical oil" is going far out of its way to ensure Saudi Arabia can enrich itself off of Alberta agriculture.

- Finally, Luke Savage writes that we should be treating space exploration as a matter of humanity's common interest, not a source of amusement and profit-seeking for the world's wealthiest people.