Musical interlude

Royksopp - I Had This Thing

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Oliver Milman examines how insurance rates in the U.S. are pricing in climate risks - and pushing insurance out of reach for people facing the most severe effects of the climate breakdown. And Devi Sridhar reports on new research tracking the longer-term damage caused by climate disasters. 

- Anjali Appadurai writes that Canada has chosen to obstruct international efforts to reduce carbon pollution. But Megan Gordon points out that Canada has the ability to join a global surge in clean energy if it's willing to act in the interests of workers rather than oil tycoons. Bjorn Bremer, Jane Gingrich and Hanna Schwander write that it's not too late to turn the tide against the climate crisis. And Becky Robertson points out how non-car-centric infrastructure is both popular and effective where it's implemented - no matter how determined right-wing demagogues are to destroy it.   

- Charlie Angus offers a compelling take on the lamentable state of democracy in Canada, based particularly on a Con party which refuses to take a break from inane talking points regardless of the real issues at stake: 

- Michael Harris points out just a few of the glaring questions which Pierre Poilievre has brazenly ignored while seeking power. Max Fawcett offers a reminder that the corporate-funded branding of right-wing parties as fiscally responsible bears no relationship to reality. And David Baxter reports on the justified frustration of Indigenous leaders that the Cons chose to block legislation to ensure that First Nations have safe drinking water.  

- Meanwhile, Adam Serwer discusses how Donald Trump's supporters have taking to embracing outright villainy. Steve Schmidt notes that the plutocrats who control an increasingly-large share of the U.S.' press and access-based talking heads are both genuflecting before Trump rather than acting like an independent media. Paul Farhi and John Volk examine how Trump's electoral victory was based largely on running up the score in news deserts. And Marcy Wheeler points out the embarrassing lack of context and background being presented in stories seeking to treat a pardon arising out of the politically-driven prosecution of Hunter Biden as a far larger scandal than an entire regime built around corruption.

- Finally, Anelyse Weiler and Tayler Zavitz discuss how the agricultural lobby is pushing draconian ag-gag laws in Canada - and how their implementation creates avoidable health risks for animals and people alike. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- John Ganz discusses how a number of tech tycoons chose to support Donald Trump as part of a broader distaste for democracy and popular empowerment. And Oliver Darcy discusses how the Los Angeles Times (like other major media outlets) has been converted into a propaganda arm of the business oligopoly after falling under billionaire control.  

- Jesse Drucker examines how the U.S.' estate tax has been undermined, resulting in stagnant public revenues even in the face of systematic concentration of wealth. And Margit Schratzenstaller examines how the rich respond to inheritance taxes - finding far more evidence of evasion and avoidance than of any real moves to avoid paying a fair share. 

- Marcela Garcia reports on the takeover of veterinary medicine by private capital, resulting in corporate control over both consumers and veterinarians.

- Anna Merlan reports on the rise of one prominent climate denial account on X thanks to active support from numerous members of the Trump regime. And Adamo Anthony Donovan writes about the misinformation campaign against bike infrastructure. 

- Joel Bourne discusses the climate and environmental effects of a global food system based on fragile monocultures in stressed ecosystems. And Kiley Price examines how the climate breakdown is both increasing the need for vaccines, and interfering with their availability. 

- Finally, Lise Courteau points out the need to recognize and value unpaid work in order to promote equality and safety for women - even as dangerous political forces are attempting to push in the opposite direction. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- William Hunter reports on a warning from scientists that the Arctic's sea ice may melt completely as soon as 2027. And David Spratt examines (PDF) the devastating implications if we continue along the path toward 3 degrees Celsius of global warming. But Robert Kopp et al. warn (PDF) of the dangers of oversimplifying complex climate effects into "tipping points" - particularly when they serve as an excuse for inaction. 

- Fieldnotes reports on the fossil fuel sector's role in installing Donald Trump back in power - as well as its plans once he retakes it. And Isaac Slevin et al. study the shadowy corporate forces at work trying to block offshore wind power projects - with "information subsidies" representing the most important pollution of the public discourse.  

- John Lorinc implores Ontario to learn from the ample evidence that public-private partnerships serve only to enrich the latter at the expense of the former - though of course for the Ford PCs, that's precisely the point. And Emma McIntosh reports on the first set of reports from Ontario's new Auditor General Shelley Spence, which include fully-anticipated findings that Ford is wasting billions of public dollars to enrich a few developer cronies. 

- Adam King discusses how the Trudeau Libs' failure to benefit the material conditions of workers has allowed the Cons' demagoguery to resonate far more than it should. 

- Finally, Alvin Finkel writes about the historical pattern of oppressors and popular revolt. Jason Sattler sets out a declaration of independence from the control of billionaires. And Nathan Robinson notes that the plutocrats in Trump's inner circle in particular are conspicuously unconstrained by reality and reason in seeking to seize ever more power for themselves. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Festive cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Andrew Dessler offers a reminder that it's still possible to alter the trajectory of the climate breakdown if we take steps to stop spewing carbon pollution. And Fatima Syed discusses Ontario's shuttering of coal power plants as an example of how a modicum of will and effort can make major changes. But Amy Westervelt highlights how the fossil fuel industry is determined to prevent a transition from happening - and has largely enlisted the power of governments to stifle the prospect. 

- Aaron Cantu discusses how oil operators are staying away from wells in California if they're made responsible for cleanup costs. And Amanda Follett Hosgood reports on Enbridge's decision not to build the Westcoast Connector pipeline based on a lack of business merit after receiving approval a decade ago. But Max Fawcett warns that there's another attempt afoot try to ram a Northern Gateway pipeline through B.C. - with Donald Trump's election serving as the latest excuse. 

- Victor Tangermann reports on Tesla's release of large amounts of dangerous wastewater around its plant in Austin. And Sharon Lerner and Al Shaw report on the FDA's scientific documentation of the dangers of formaldehyde as an air pollutant - but note that it's refusing to reduce the risk to the people affected. 

- Jason Murphy discusses how long COVID is affecting health and well-being in Australia. And Andre Picard takes note of the danger of an avian flu pandemic which governments seem entirely determined to ignore in the name of business as usual. 

- Finally, Carol Cadwalladr examines how billionaire ownership of major media outlets has resulted in the distortion of the information available to citizens. Rumneek Johal points out that coverage of CUPW's Canada Post strike has been glaringly slanted toward the interests of management and the corporate sector. And Alex Cosh observes that Canada's business lobby is determined to inflict austerity on the public in order to funnel public money to defense contractors. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Sarah Kendzior writes about the replacement of shared culture with corporate-funded propaganda - and the need to maintain focus on the bigger-picture fight to maintain and build community rather than the firehose of trivia and scandal from the second Trump administration. Peter Turchin examines some of the forces pushing the U.S. toward collapse which help to explain its election results. Bob Berwyn reports on the UN's warning that disinformation is one of the major obstacles to climate action. And Harold Meyerson argues that the path forward for U.S. Democrats needs to involve resisting the corporate elite, rather than hoping to be seen as better serving its interests.

- Meanwhile, Stewart Prest discusses how Canadian political leaders need to earn the trust of young people in order to build a movement capable of countering the alt-right. Charlie Angus highlights the historical roots of neoliberalism and the collapse of the working class, while Luke Savage writes about the need for social democracy to roll back the spread of corporatism and commodification. And Paul Kahnert points out how the concentration of wealth and power - and concurrent decline of civil society - have laid the groundwork for political and social unrest. 

- Jim Stanford notes that the concept of a "vibecession" (to be dismissed as illusory) serves to undermine the work needed to strengthen our social base - while noting that we should also call out the right's determination to use public frustration as an opening to make matters far worse. And Muneeb Javaid discusses the real hardships facing many Canadians who rightly aren't prepared to accept the argument that they can't expect more from their political leaders. 

- David Zipper points out the need to treat traffic safety as primarily a matter of systemic choices and forces rather than isolated individual acts. Taylor Noakes contrasts Doug Ford's decision to punish everybody for his hatred of people on bikes against Montreal's success developing cycling infrastructure. And Muhammad Rizwan Azhar and Waqas Uzair write that demand for fossil fuels is bound to decline based on a shift toward bikes, mopeds and other more efficient forms of transportation. 

- Meanwhile, Kevin Crowley and William Mathis report that oil giants are already borrowing money to pay out shareholders rather than being able to do so based on value produced. But Agence France-Presse reports on the failure to reach an agreement on curbing plastic production can be traced primarily to petrostates insisting that their desire to pollute trumps human health and well-being. 

- Finally, Gary Fuller reports on new research showing the incidental health benefits of reducing carbon pollution. And Heather Stewart discusses how the climate crisis threatens the availability and affordability of basic food supplies. 

Musical interlude

Audrey Vixen - Emergency Room

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Joshua Pearce discusses the reality that the climate crisis could carry a ten-figure death toll over the course of this century - which would give rise to an obvious responsibility to act among any but the most inhuman of leaders. Mario Alejandro Ariza reports on the connection between insurance costs rising as a result of the climate breakdown, and a resulting spike in people who can't pay their mortgages. And Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood highlights the need for Alberta and other jurisdictions currently under the thrall of petropolitics to prepare for reduced demand. 

- But Joakim Kulin examines how finger-pointing and blame-shifting have been used to translate nationalism into climate obstruction. Raphael Satter and Christopher Bing reports on the emerging revelations as to how Exxon Mobil and its corporate buddies have sponsored and made use of the hacked e-mails of environmentalists to disrupt climate litigation and activism. And Geoff Dembicki reports on the astroturfing efforts of the fossil gas lobby in its attempt to undercut Vancouver's ban on gas heating - though Seth Klein is relieved to note that attempt to drag the city backwards just barely fell short. 

- Henry Obanya discusses the immense amount of microplastic pollution caused by vehicle tires. 

- Negin Owliaei and Maya Schenway point out that the incoming Trump administration has a detailed and dangerous playbook to shut down progressive civil society. And Robert Reich offers a reminder that an ostensibly populist campaign has given way to a cabinet of plutocrats and their sycophants, while Gil Duran talks to Brooke Harrington about the tech bros' plans to exploit the power of the presidency. 

- Finally, David Moscrop discusses the belated recognition by some commentators that a "liberal" consensus which does nothing to challenge concentrated wealth and power will never earn the support of the working class. And Kim Siever reminds us that billionaires are an economic drain on society - not a goal to be pursued, or even a necessary evil to be accepted.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Carbon Brief examines the results of the COP29 climate summit - with the main takeaway being a familiar combination of barely-existent commitments and watered-down aspirations. Sofia Gonzales-Zuniga, Danial Riaz and Mia Moisio highlight the hypocrisy of Canada and other petrostates who are ramping up exported carbon pollution while trying to claim to be meeting emission reduction targets. 

- Andrew Nikiforuk reports on the sham referendum being used as an excuse for dangerous coal mining in Ranchland, Alberta. And Emma McIntosh exposes the reality that Doug Ford's government was well aware there's no rational basis for systematically destroying cycling infrastructure before ramming through a bill to do just that. 

- Meanwhile, Carl Meyer notes that cross-party cooperation played a crucial role in applying a minimal standard of accuracy to petropropaganda. 

- Stéphane Leman-Langlois, Aurélie Campana and Samuel Tanner warn that the violent far right has been emboldened in Canada - with little apparent response from governments or law enforcement. And Max Fawcett notes that our institutional conservative parties are eager to surrender Canada to Donald Trump and his brand of fascism. 

- Finally, Tannara Yelland and Martin Lukacs report on the Competition Bureau's investigation into rantel price-fixing by corporate landlords. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Ellen Wald writes that Canadian oil companies would be smart to be prepared to answer for their environmental and human rights abuses. But Carly Penrose reports that they're instead funding petropoliticians and shadowy lobby groups in an effort to undermine climate change policy, while David Climenhaga discusses Danielle Smith's latest scheme to make accurate information about emissions illegal. 

- Hiroko Tabuchi writes about the propaganda campaign being waged by the plastics industry in an effort to avoid answering for massive and easily-avoidable damage to people's health and the environment. And Tom Perkins reports on new research finding that microplastics and "forever chemicals" are particularly dangerous in combination with each other. 

- Jack Hauen discusses how the Ontario PCs' destruction of bike lanes shows the outsized influence of a few wealthy donors. Sarah Elton and Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher write that Doug Ford's diktat forcing the removal of bike lanes doesn't merely reflect hostility to bikes themselves, but a war on data and evidence in policy choices. And David Rider discusses the misinformation being deployed to undermine the development of walkable and people-friendly cities. 

- Silas Xuereb examines the hundreds of billions of dollars per year being diverted into excess profits - and the resulting opportunity to both reduce inequality and fund social needs through a windfall profit tax. 

- Finally, Adam King discusses how the Canada Post strike fits into wider trends around precarious work and the destruction of public services. And Paris Marx points out the contrast between the strength and solidarity of public sector workers in a well-established bargaining unit, and the results of isolate-and-conquer practices imposed Amazon and other corporate giants. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Curious cat. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- John Woodside reports on the pitiful excuse for climate finance advanced by developed countries at COP29. Kate Dooley highlights how the carbon trading scheme set up at COP29 falls far short of both actually reducing carbon pollution, and accounting for other environmental and social harms caused by credit-generating activities. Patrick Greenfield notes the absurdity of governments and businesses claiming credit for natural carbon sinks as somehow offsetting new carbon pollution. And Nancy Stauffer discusses how existing emission promises rely in particular on implausible assumptions about the viability and impact of carbon removal.

- Trevor Tombe and Jennifer Winter study the price impact of carbon pricing on Canadian food, and find that it's a fraction of the added cost imposed on consumers by corporate profiteering. And Andre Picard writes that the recent cluster of cases of scurvy in La Ronge reflects a far broader issue of poverty and food insecurity in northern regions. 

- Meanwhile, Cheryl Jahn interviews Alex Hemingway about the immense opportunity cost of offering boutique tax cuts rather than investing in underresourced public services. And Wency Leung reports on the dire state of Ontario's public education system as a result of decades of austerity. 

- Simon Spichak points out that recommendations being supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada may actually worsen the effects of long COVID, including by recommending exercise when it's strongly inadvisable. 

- Finally, Ricardo Tranjan discusses how to make rent regulation effective to ensure that housing is both available and affordable. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Whizy Kim writes about the rise of the overt use of wealth and associated fame to overwhelm the U.S.' political system. Jason Sattler discusses the need for a new declaration of independence focused on decoupling from billionaires. And Robert Reich notes that Democrats' refusal to meaningfully challenge corporate greed and bullying resulted in their political defeat by a demagogue claiming (however implausibly) to stand up for the working class. 

- Meanwhile, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has released its report on the intimidation and subversion tactics of tech giants. And Seamas O'Reilly discusses the comparative joys of Bluesky in contrast to the social media platforms that have gone through full enshittification. 

- Helena Horton, Lucy Swan, Ana Lucía González Paz and Harvey Symons highlight new data showing the acceleration of the climate breakdown - even as the wealthy countries who bear the most blame continue to dodge any responsibility for reparations or mitigation. And Karen McVeigh reports on the scientific recognition that we're generating an unmanageable quantity of plastic waste - with the same bad actors blocking any solutions on that front as well. 

- Nadine Yousif reports on the success of Halifax' choice to integrate tent encampments rather than meeting them with violent displacement. And Jonathan Brooke and Jennifer Hulme discuss how anybody in need of medical assistance is made worse off by a punitive response to addictions. 

- Finally, Jim Stanford studies (PDF) the benefits of expanded child care availability in Canada - including in averting both recessions and inflation. 

Musical interlude

Romy - The Sea

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey document the dark-money false flag operation used by Republicans and their wealthy owners to depress Democratic turnout. And Justin Ling calls out Pierre Poilievre for relying on absurd claims to try to generate outrage within the Cons' low-information base. 

- Meanwhile, Thomas Zimmer laments how the U.S.' upper class is indicating its plans to accommodate Donald Trump's authoritarianism in order to preserve its position of privilege. 

- Clement Nocos discusses how Justin Trudeau's temporary GST giveaway is a poor substitute for removing consumption taxes from essential goods. And Danyaal Raza points out that Canadians in general are paying for the private health insurance that's prioritizing the wealthy and undermining our public health care system. 

- Mike Moffatt points out that mixed-use, walkable neighbourhoods can do wonders to both alleviate the housing crisis and minimize avoidable carbon pollution. And Iglika Ivanova and Anastasia French discuss how soaring housing costs are driving up the living wage needed to get by in Vancouver (among other cities). 

- Finally, Nadia Hasan writes about the need for real disability benefits to account for the fact that most people will be disabled at some point. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Sarah Johnson reports on Unicef's warning that children will face far more extreme heatwaves and other dangerous weather events in the decades to come. And George Monbiot writes that the "solutions" being relied upon to respond to the climate crisis are rarely any more plausible than the spin of the most stubborn head-in-the-sand denialists. 

- Ben Stockton and Hajar Medah expose how McKinsey & Company has been working on keeping people hooked on fossil fuels. Amy Westervelt and Royce Kurmelovs examine how fossil fuel giants have always been preventing COP conferences from achieving any meaningful progress - even if they're far more brazen about controlling the agenda now. 

- Graham Thomson discusses the obvious dangers of putting a partisan operative and fossil fuel zealot in charge of Albertans' retirement savings. But Angela Amato reports on the gap between the CPP's net-zero promises and its choice to invest in dirty energy. 

- Jon Milton examines the background to the CUPW postal strike - and particularly the difference in goals between workers committed to public service, and an employer determined to do less in order to claim false economies.  

- Finally, The Disabled Ginger points out how a refusal to mask in health-care settings further endangers vulnerable patients. Heidi Ledford examines the rise of bird-flu infections in humans which are being largely ignored as a matter of public policy. And Lisa Schnirring reports that anti-vaxxers have managed to cause an outbreak of polio in Warsaw. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jake Johnson writes about the growing recognition that we'll never avert a climate breakdown by putting all action at the mercy of petrostates and oil lobbyists. And Carl Meyer discusses how the Libs have spent far more time and political capital doing PR work for the tar sands than to work on developing an international framework to combat the climate crisis. 

- Luke LeBrun notes that Europe is taking steps to work around reliance on the U.S. over the course of another Trump presidency, and writes that Canada should be pursuing the same option.  

- Max Fawcett writes that the importance of the CBC has only been amplified by the spread of disinformation from elsewhere - meaning that the Cons' plans to trash it could have devastating consequences. And Mitchell Anderson warns of the dangers of allowing propaganda to overwhelm any sense of shared objective reality. 

- Jon Milton discusses how the U.S. Democrats' campaign serves as a painful example of how not to combat far-right demogoguery. And Sheima Benembarek discusses how the compulsive blaming of immigrants - which is currently being enabled by the Trudeau Libs - serves as an entry point to fascism.

- Finally, Jeremy Appel calls out Danielle Smith's attacks on trans people in Alberta. And Duncan Kinney reports on the UCP's use of for-profit nurses - coupled with its refusal to provide any information about the scope of the practice. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Geometric cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Oliver Milman reports on the warning from climate scientists that humanity has already missed the window to limit global warming to the agreed target of 1.5 degrees Celsius - making the continued posturing and heel-dragging as a substitute for agreement on action all the more indefensible. Damian Carrington reports on a new assessment showing that numerous heat waves and other severe weather events experienced over the past few years would have been impossible before the climate breakdown. James Riordon points out new NASA data showing a sharp drop in global freshwater levels over the last decade. And Victoria Gill discusses Jane Goodall's warning that the Earth is already well into its sixth great extinction event even as we continue with exploitation and pollution as usual.

- Nesrine Malik discusses how an authoritarian turn in politics can be traced to the enshittification of society generally and social media in particular - together with the lack of a compelling response from any competing alternatives. And Robert Reich notes that the inevitable result is that a Trump kleptocracy will loot the public and make the underlying reality even worse.

- Josh Halliday reports on a new study showing that nearly a quarter of the UK's population - and over a third of children - are currently living in poverty. And Torsten Bell writes about the desperate need for decision-makers to better understand the plight of the working class. Which of course means the political class is firmly focused on ensuring the inheritors of massive agricultural operations don't pay any tax.

- Finally, Adam Piore reports on a new study showing that up to a quarter of American adults may be suffering from long COVID. And City St Georges, City of London finds that the growing list of COVID-19's effects on children includes a 16% increase in heart defects.