Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Lauren Rosenthal, Brian Sullivan and Christopher Cannon examine how the prospect of extreme weather and associated disasters is a reality everywhere in the U.S. Helena Horton reports on a World Meteorological Organization report showing how rivers are drying up, resulting in a grave threat to fresh water supplies. And Andrew Nikiforuk writes about the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in particular, while Kate Aronoff discusses the importance of putting climate safety at the forefront of all kinds of policy decisions due to its foundational impact across borders and policy areas. 

- Shawn McCarthy writes that we should be able to treat adaptation to a changing climate as a non-partisan priority - though that assumes away the conscious strategy of denial on the part of far too many of our political leaders. And Crawford Kilian discusses Thomas Piketty's recognition that any viable climate plan needs to rein in inequality and excess - which is precisely why the people flaunting obscene wealth and power refuse to accept any meaningful action. 

- And in case there was any doubt that antisocial action is rewarded among our corporate elites, Max Fawcett discusses how oil operators who have dumped massive amounts of environmental liability on the public (after previously extracting profits without setting aside the cost of cleanup) are being celebrated by the business class as representing everything they aspire to achieve. 

- Finally, Alex Himelfarb highlights the importance of collective action as the only viable response to both an economy grossly skewed in favour of the wealthy few, and the message that there is no alternative which serves as the substitute for any justification for that reality. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Stephanie Soucheray discusses new research linking COVID-19 to subsequent sleep disturbances and dyspnea. And Linda Geddes reports on findings showing that a growing number of cases of diabetes can also be traced to COVID. 

- John Bell and Alex MacKenzie argue that Canada should develop its own pharmaceutical research and manufacturing infrastructure to treat rare diseases. And Andre Picard highlights how any effective response to the drug poisoning crisis needs to include harm reduction and social supports, rather than being limited to a demand that people immediately sequester themselves in for-profit treatment centres. 

- Meanwhile, the Canadian Press reports on the Moe government's diktat that health care workers conceal the dire state of Saskatchewan's medical system from the opposition. 

- Kate Aronoff discusses how inflated fossil fuel profits over the past couple of years are the direct result of war profiteering. And Julia Conley points out how corporate landlords are taking over more and more U.S. housing and driving up rents. 

- Finally, Alex Birrell calls out Sandra Masters for using convenient allegations of sexism to impose regressive policy choices and misogynistic themes which hurt women. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- The Star Phoenix reports on Saskatchewan's latest COVID-19 data showing 26 more deaths in just the last two weeks along with a rising positivity rate, while CBC News reports on Ontario's alarming numbers of deaths and hospitalizations. Wency Leung discusses the risks we're facing based on the combination of another COVID wave and a potentially severe flu season. And Meghan Grant reports on the Alberta court decision determining that decisions about mitigation measures were improperly made by politicians rather than public health officials. 

- Meanwhile, Laura Sciarpelletti reports on the increasing lack of access to emergency services in Saskatchewan. 

- Ishaan Tharoor writes that the real-world effects of an ongoing climate breakdown are far worse than the few headlines which manage to attract attention. And Kate Aronoff highlights the gas industry's attempt to claim victimization as it extracts windfall profits while continuing to pollute our atmosphere with no regard for the well-being of humanity. 

- Finally, Shannon Bond discusses the possibility of limiting the effect of misinformation by encouraging people to think critically. But Linda McQuaig points out that the right-wing extremists pushing conspiracy theories and violent obstruction have all too often found sympathetic ears among government and law enforcement authorities. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Jasmine Kerrissy and Judith Stepan-Noris examine the state of the U.S. labour movement for Labour Day. And Gil McGowan points out the many basic freedoms which are lacking for Canadian workers and their unions.

- Alex Himelfarb writes about the politics of inflation - and particularly the deliberate effort to allow profits to rise while suppressing any associated improvement in wages. And Ted Johnson discusses the significance of even modest student debt relief in making clear that working people can benefit from public policy choices.

- Jeremy Clifton and Nicholas Kerry study the values which best map to political ideology, and find that the most important dividing line is not based on fear (as often assumed) but the acceptance of hierarchy and inequality. And Ariel Kalil et al. find that welfare restrictions driven by both neoliberal and conservative politicians served to exacerbate those factors by preventing parents living in poverty from providing needed emotional support to their children.

- Kevin Rennert et al. find that our current estimates of the social cost of carbon - though far higher than the prices set by public policy - are themselves far short of sufficient to account for the damage wrought by carbon pollution. And Megan Rowling reports on the prospect of a rapid transition if only the money currently spent on fossil fuel subsidies is instead put into a clean economy. 

- Finally, Kate Aronoff writes about Mississippi's example of eco-apartheid, while the Economist's review of two new books points out the imminent reality of large number of climate refugees from around the globe.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Kaylyn Whibbs reports on the entirely justified concerns of parents whose children have been unable to receive a COVID booster due to provincial neglect. And Dana Smith discusses how polio has managed to make a resurgence in the U.S. as the same anti-social attitudes and aversion to science which have allowed COVID-19 to run rampant are also reversing previous victories over preventable diseases. 

- Richard Wolff discusses how messaging about "economic policy" typically serves as a cover for class warfare (though it's worth distinguishing between corporatist policy serving only to enrich the wealthy, and development policy which actually seeks to help people). And David Climenhaga rightly calls out Jason Kenney for trying to lure unsuspecting workers to Alberta with the promise of wages he's actively working to suppress. 

- Kate Aronoff examines how Ron DeSantis and other right-wing demagogues are trying to eradicate the slightest trace of social responsibility from corporate governance in order to justify continued carbon pollution. And in case there was any doubt that the balance instead needs to tilt toward greater consideration for the public interest rather than a sociopathic focus on short-term profit, Peter Milne reports on the massive amount of money the Australian public will be paying to clean up a Chevron oil field. 

- Meanwhile, Shah Meer Baloch and Damian Carrington report on the devastating monsoon and flooding hitting Pakistan, while Michael Le Page reports on the unprecedented heat wave endangering millions in China. 

- Finally, Peter Wehner argues that we can't afford to give in to the fatalism of Trumpists (which holds as true in Canada as in the U.S.). But as Stephen Maher writes, there's little reason to think Pierre Poilievre and his ilk will do anything but continue to court and support violent extremism since it suits their own political ends. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Beatrice Adler-Bolton discusses how the U.S.' debate over the most basic of COVID-19 protections reflects fundamental choices as to whether people should have even the slightest respect for each others' health and well-being. Glen Pearson notes that a (however unjustifiable) willingness to accept protections in order to avoid needless COVID spread will necessitate other, far larger changes in how we live our lives. And Public Health Ontario offers (PDF) a look at the current state of knowledge about long COVID - including the reality that it's going to cause mass disability among people who have been infected even with "mild" cases.

- Igor Derysh calls out corporate profiteers for falsely blaming price increases on labour costs - even as it's profit shares and executive pay that have gone up disproportionately. And Ben Winck writes that U.S. workers actually faced substantial real wage cuts in the last year.

- Meanwhile, Darren Shore points out how Canada is lagging even behind the U.S. in ensuring that entertainment for the executive class isn't treated as a tax writeoff. 

- Nick Gottlieb discusses how the new climate denialism is wrapping itself in false assertions that we're already doing enough to avert a climate breakdown. Kate Aronoff writes that any subsidies to try to boost the immediate supply of fossil fuels should include strict controls to avoid long-term climate damage. And Nick Grover argues that we need to stop pouring money and resources into building highways which serve only to increase pollution and sprawl.

- Finally, Chloe Chaplain reports on the large number of young people who see themselves and their interests being completely neglected in the UK's political system. And Doug Cuthand writes that education is crucial to ensure that Indigenous people in particular are able to be full participants in Saskatchewan's future.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Winnie Wan Yee Tso et al. study the severity of the Omicron BA.2 COVID variant, and find that its rate of deaths and severe outcomes is no less severe than previous variants in children from 0-11 in particular. Guy Quenneville reports on the connection between the elimination of public health rules and Ontario's spike in cases. Kumanan Wilson examines the history of vaccine passports in Canada, as well as the continuing need for them even as provincial governments abandon them in favour of pandemic denialism. And Russell Wangersky writes that there's no reason for the Moe government to reject an inquiry which would allow Saskatchewan to learn from the pandemic and help keep people healthier.   

- But then, Zak Vescera reports that the Sask Party is continuing to show its lack of interest in avoiding easily preventable deaths by refusing to fund Prairie Harm Reduction. And Connor O'Donovan reports that nine of the people who found refuge in Regina's Camp Hope have died of drug poisonings since it was eliminated. 

- Mitchell Thompson highlights the Ford PCs' plan to demand that health support services in the education system be carried out by staff without health training.

- Kate Aronoff discusses how designing our living environments to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels would produce massive improvements in our quality of life. But in case anybody was hopeful we'd take steps in that direction in Saskatchewan, Bryan Eneas reports that the Moe government is planning to funnel carbon price dollars to the oil sector rather than either allowing people to receive the rebates now available, or investing in a transition to clean energy. And Sharon Riley reports on Alberta's refusal to ensure fossil fuel operators clean up their own messes when they can instead extract profits and leave the public to pay for their liabilities. 

- Finally, Katherine Scott et al. examine whether the supply and confidence agreement between the NDP and Libs may lead to a new Pearsonian era of progressive government. But Geoff Dembicki notes that Pierre Poilievre is looking to plunge both the Cons and our political system as a whole into the Trumpist gutter instead. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Noushin Ziafati reports on the continuing challenges facing people suffering from long COVID - particularly as governments attempt to pretend the pandemic which infected them never happened. And Eric Topol writes about the continued denialism in the U.S. as another wave is cresting. 

- Nancy Olivieri, Michael Hurley and Natalie Mehra call out the Ford government's quiet privatization of health care. Marc Spooner warns that the Moe government is laying the groundwork to turn Saskatchewan's universities into subcontractors for corporate employers. And Kathryn Joyce points out the concerted attack on public education in the U.S. centered on a single conservative Christian private college. 

- Jen St. Denis writes about the causes of B.C.'s deadly heat dome last summer - and the steps needed to prepare for more to come. And Matt Elliott discusses the folly in Doug Ford's plans to add still more lanes of traffic which only stand to increase gridlock and sprawl. 

- Dru Oja Jay interviews Seth Klein about the needed fight to wean ourselves off fossil fuels. Kate Aronoff calls out the fossil fuel sector for its greed and arrogance in response to Russia's attack on Ukraine, while Katherine Fung reports that the Koch empire continues to stand out in its corporate villainy by acquiescing in Vladimir Putin's war. And Charlie Angus writes that we can't afford to keep clinging to the laughable theory that it's possible to avert a climate breakdown while subsidizing the increased production and export of dirty oil and gas. 

- Finally, Giulia Gipponi and Steve Machin study labour market inequality in the UK, and find that the middle class of workers has seen effectively no increase in income over the past four decades. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Stephanie Carvin, Kurt Phillips and Amarnath Amarasingam discuss how anti-vaxx themes in Canada are being pushed and used by the fascist right. Alex Boutilier and Rachel Gilmore highlight how the convoy supported by Scott Moe, Jason Kenney, and so many other right-wing politicians is explicitly seeking to create its own January 6th riot and overthrow the federal government. Emily Leedham exposes the conspiracy theories and racism of Moe's new friend Nadine Ness. And a medical officer of health offers some needed tips in responding to targeted harassment by the anti-vaxx cult. 

- Kate Aronoff writes that a return to meaningful public planning is a must to deal with climate change (among other problems which can't be solved by hand-waving in the general direction of "market forces"). And Stephen Leahy discusses the counterproductive realities of tax giveaways to the fossil fuel sector for promised carbon capture and storage. 

- Lisa Friedman reports on new research showing the health consequences of even small levels of soot pollution. And Raymond Zhong reports on research revealing that gas stoves and other appliances may be leaking methane even when not turned on. 

- Finally, Aaron Gordon and Lauren Kaori Gurley report on Amazon-funded high school courses intended to indoctrinate students into an exploitative corporate mindset. And Michael Smart and Sobia Hasan Jafry ask why Canada isn't applying reasonable inclusion rates to capital gains to ensure the rich pay their fair share. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Ben Cohen points out some of the ways the Omicron variant deviates from what we've come to assume about COVID-19. And Colin Horgan writes that we should draw lessons from the pandemic in exposing some of the ways our social system is built to collapse. 

- Max Fawcett discusses how Jason Kenney and Doug Ford are proving themselves cowards with their grossly insufficient responses to the impending Omicron wave. But contrary to Fawcett's conclusion that Kenney ranks as the worst premier in the country, Scott Moe's refusal to implement a single public health measure - even in the face of modelling showing how a reasonable government could snuff out the wave entirely - stands out as uniquely callous even among this lot. 

- Kate Aronoff writes that the U.S.' failure to move ahead with even basic climate change legislation endangers the world as a whole. Trevor Melanson notes that the public needs to be better informed about the success stories that have arisen to date. And Julia Rock reports on Enbridge's attempt to squeeze even more windfall profits out of its pipelines now based on the argument that they'll be obsolete in just a decade or two. 

- PressProgress surveys some of the most important fights taken up by Canada's labour movement this year. And the Canadian Labour Congress responds to the Ford PCs' attempt to entrench second-class status for gig workers - including by highlighting the importance of universal social programs in not tying the necessities of life to employment (however it's disguised). 

- Finally, Stephen Maher looks to the history of tobacco companies' public denial of scientific facts in raising the likelihood that social media giants are similarly hiding the deliberately harmful effects of their own products. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Brad Plumer and Henry Fountain discuss the IPCC's latest report confirming that some climate degradation is inevitable - but that we face the choice how much to accept. Adam Moreton notes that it's all the more unacceptable to rely on accounting tricks rather than actual emission reductions as the consequences of inaction become more glaring. Eric Holthaus comments on the implications of entering the era of rapid climate change. Damian Carrington points out the inescapable responsibility of political leaders for the decisions which have caused the damage that's already locked in. And Kate Aronoff argues that undue deference to fossil fuel profiteers is indistinguishable in substance from climate denialism, while Seth Klein makes the case to ban fossil fuel advertising as one step toward breaking the stranglehold carbon polluters have over any discussion of transitioning to a clean society. 

- Jen Zoratti discusses how our failure to properly respond both to the climate crisis and to COVID-19 can be traced to a failure to challenge systems which cause harm to people by design, then hold them individually responsible for their circumstances. 

- Andre Picard writes about the "nasty" fall looming as the Delta variant takes advantage of reckless governments, while Kevin Sepkowitz notes that vaccinated people are still prone to transmitting it even if they're relatively protected against acute effects. Loren Smith highlights new research as to the psychology behind COVID non-compliers. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board argues that vaccine mandates need to apply to all kinds of social interactions (particularly those involving vulnerable people). 

- Finally, Matt Lundy puts the complaints of the business lobby to the test and finds no evidence of any meaningful wage growth in the midst of the pandemic. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Susan Michie, Chris Bullen, Jeffrey Lazarus, John Lavis, John Thwaites, Liam Smith, Salim Abdool Karim and Yanis Ben Amor highlight the desperate need for maximum suppression of COVID-19, rather than an attempt to present a false balance between lives and economic activity. Steven Lewis, Nazeem Muhajarine and Cory Neudorf call out Scott Moe in particular for harming both health and economic welfare by sticking to talking points about the need to make tradeoffs between them. And Tracey Lindeman discusses the reasons for Canada's underwhelming vaccine rollout.

- Robert Hiltz writes that any public health measures need to be developed based on recognition of the risks borne by workers. And Ken Babstock offers his account of the choices facing people who took up the offer of needed pandemic income through the CERB, only to have been confronted with unexpected demands for repayment now.

- Meanwhile, Julia Rock and Andrew Perez expose how the message to shareholders from McDonalds' and other exploitative employers about the effect of a more reasonable minimum wage bears no resemblance to their public posturing.

- Kate Aronoff points out how the fossil fuel industry is slashing jobs even absent a shift away from dirty energy. Oliver Griffin reports on the Colombian oil workers joining in an anti-fracking campaign and pushing for a move to renewable energy. Emma Graney reports on TD's call for a responsible transition plan to support the workers affected, in contrast to the denialism of right-wing governments. And Zeke Housfather highlights how numerous countries are showing it's possible to combine economic growth with reductions in carbon pollution.

- Finally, George Monbiot discusses the importance of treating our oceans as a vital part of our planetary environment rather than merely a source of food to be exploited.

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jonah Brunet points out the wide variety of definitions of the term "lockdown" in response to COVID-19 - with imprecision in the meaning of basic terms being used to drive anti-social complaints about even the most minimal public health measures. And Nisreen Alwan writes about the need for greater recognition of the widespread and devastating effects of long COVID.

- Sara Mojtehedzadeh and Maria Sarrouh report on the Ontario workplaces which have served as COVID hot spots - with a lack of paid sick leave unsurprisingly looming as a common contributor, even as Doug Ford blusters about being more committed to avoiding people having two sources of benefits than their being able to stay healthy. And Joel Dryden and Sarah Rieger report on another belated closure of an Alberta slaughterhouse only after hundreds of cases (including one death).

- Norma Cohen proposes that an excess profit tax could ensure that distortions in supplies and prices resulting from the pandemic don't turn into a windfall for a lucky few at the expense of people in general. And Lucinda Chitapain discusses how corporate-driven intellectual property rules are making vaccines and treatments into drivers of concentrated wealth and increasing inequality.

- Leslie Kaufman reports on new research showing that the Trump administration's attacks on environmental regulations are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths. And Jacob Knutsen reports that in contrast, Joe Biden is looking at finally reining in the use of "forever chemicals".

- Finally, Luke Savage interviews Kate Aronoff about the need for U.S. climate policy to go beyond an end to active self-sabotage. Michael Harris notes that the Libs' efforts to simultaneously promote fossil fuel exports and climate change action make it impossible to succeed in the latter. And Jodi-Ann Juexuan Wang highlights the need for government action to make any progress in the fight to avert climate breakdown.

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Kate Aronoff writes about the need for a functional and representative democracy to ensure that public demand for climate action is actually represented in policy decisions. And Seth Klein rightly proposes that the NDP (or Bloc) should take the opportunity in a minority Parliament to push the Libs to add some far stronger and earlier action to their insufficient climate accountability bill.

- Meanwhile, Avery Shannon and Naia Lee note that Vancouver offers a model for other municipalities to follow at the municipal level.

- Veronica Penney reports on new data showing that electric vehicles may already have reached the point of being less expensive than combustion models even without accounting for the environmental damage caused by fossil fuels. 

- Reuters reports that even the IMF is now urging countries to increase spending in the midst of a pandemic which is suppressing economic activity - even as our tired right-wing politicians continue to demand that we sacrifice lives on the altar of deficit reductions.

- Finally, Monia Mazigh writes that as long as Canadian governments seek to maintain a "terrorist" designation as a basis for legal distinctions, we should push for it to be applied to the Proud Boys and other purveyors of right-wing violent extremism. And Amira Elghawaby argues that people opposing the white supremacism of Trumpists on both sides of the border should have no hesitation taking up the title of "anti-fascist".

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- The Globe and Mail's editorial board writes that Canada needs to do its part to avert as much of the impending climate breakdown as can be avoided.

- Chris Kennedy rightly points out that Canada's responsibility includes the fossil fuels we're subsidizing for export - encouraging other countries to pollute our planet while shifting the damage off our own books. And Brennan Doherty offers a reminder that the tar sands' pollution levels are increasing.

- Meanwhile, Kate Aronoff comments on the connection between climate policy and resource extraction, while noting that there are severe limits on what can be accomplished merely by substituting the resources we churn through without changing the mindset of exploitation. And Derrick O'Keefe writes about the need to fight against Bolivia's racist coup.

- Finally, Andrew Woodcock reports on research showing that UK Labour's plan to nationalize water, energy and mail would pay for itself within a mere seven years.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Giri Savaraman and Jim Stanford point out the importance of a more collaborative and inclusive economy, even as Australia's right-wing government pushes in the opposite direction:

The problem has not been an absence of productivity growth: our productivity can always be improved, but real wages already lag far behind what productivity growth is occurring. The bigger problem is the failure to share the fruits of productivity growth. And the international evidence is clear that stronger worker rights and collective bargaining also tend to result in a better distribution of income, both among workers and between workers and firms. In other words, better worker rights lead to a larger economic pie that gets more evenly distributed.

The Coalition and its business allies would turn the clock back to a labour market even more dominated by the unilateral power of employers to hire and fire, unilaterally set wages, and take maximum advantage of the desperation of an underutilised, precarious workforce.

...

Countries with more collaborative, balanced IR systems are eating our lunch in international competition. The solution to that challenge cannot be to suppress wages even further, to disempower and fragment workers even more. If we really want to build a collaborative, innovative, inclusive, dynamic economy, the reforms we badly need in labour law are exactly the opposite of those advanced by the suddenly-vocal warriors of the business community, and its friends in this government.

- Meanwhile, James Meadway writes that it's a good sign that UK Labour's plans to share control and ownership over economic resources with workers is earning the ire of the privileged few seeking to keep a stranglehold on them. And Kate Aronoff discusses the need to take on fossil fuel barons head-on in order to achieve any progress in averting climate disaster. 

- Matto Mildenberger and Erick Lachapelle examine the strong public will for climate action in Canada - including majority support in every riding in the country. But Charlie Gardner and Claire Wordley point out that we need to convert awareness and support into action, rather than counting on captured governments to do what's right. And Nathalie Baptiste notes that climate gentrification is well underway as the wealthiest people try to buy an escape from the damage they're doing to our planet.

-  Finally, Alex Usher writes about the implications of relying on tuition - and particularly inflated levels for foreign students - as the primary funding mechanism for universities. 

Saturday Morning Links

This and that for your weekend reading.

- Ryan Nunn, Jimmy O'Donnell and Jay Shambaugh study how the U.S.' labour movement has been ground down by corporate-controlled governments - and how workers in all kinds of workplaces are worse off as a result. And Robin Tress cautions against allowing businesses to dictate what constitutes the "public interest".

- Meanwhile, Jolson Lim reports that the vast majority of Canadians recognize that businesses and wealthy individuals need to contribute more toward the cost of building a functional society.

- Kate Aronoff highlights how any effective climate plan needs to include some idea how to overcome structural barriers put in place by the fossil fuel sector, rather than presuming that it will be remotely willing to cooperate in saving a habitable planet. And the CP reports on Greenpeace's call for an end to trade negotiations which would not only validate Brazil's destruction of the Amazon, but provide further protection for corporations wanting to get in on the damage.

- Graeme Benjamin reports on the justified backlash against anti-immigration billboards being used to advertise for the PPC. But Victoria Gibson notes that the Libs' actions have been entirely in keeping with the philosophy of locking up newcomers to Canada, as the number of children in immigration detention doubled in just the last year.

- Finally, Meera Bains writes about the plight of Amrit Kaur and others who have been driven out of Quebec workplaces by Bill 21.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Heather Mallick discusses the pattern of right-wing governments obsessing over undoing the good done by their predecessors, rather than paying the slightest attention to the public interest. And Mariana Mazzucato and Josh Ryan-Collins examine (PDF) about the importance of having leaders who work on building public value, rather than reacting only to perceived market failures.

- Matthew Yglesias points out that a contrast in views over public policy which further enriches the wealthy represents one of the most promising wedge issues to split votes away from the U.S. Republicans (not to mention an issue worth pursuing in its own right). David Coletto observes that a similar trend applies in Canada. And Kate Aronoff writes that regardless of any philanthropic contributions, an economic system which generates isolated billionaires rather than widespread power and prosperity is absolutely ill-suited to address the threat of a climate breakdown.

- Joe Vipond and Kim Perrotta highlight how climate change denial is making Albertans sick. James Riley notes that Jason Kenney and Doug Ford are missing the point as to the value of energy efficiency. And Gordon Laxer discusses how the Libs' multi-billion-dollar pipeline purchase and trade sellouts fit into a general lack of serious action to transition toward clean energy.

- Finally, Paige Towers points out how to reduce harmful noise pollution at an individual level. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board suggests that Canadian cities take the lead in turning down the volume at a municipal level.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- George Monbiot contrasts the message of neoliberalism as freedom against the reality that it imposes severe corporate control on anybody short of the billionaire class:

(N)eoliberal theology, as well as seeking to roll back the state, insists that collective bargaining and other forms of worker power be eliminated (in the name of freedom, of course). So the marketisation and semi-privatisation of public services became not so much a means of pursuing efficiency as an instrument of control. Public-service workers are now subjected to a panoptical regime of monitoring and assessment, using the benchmarks von Mises rightly warned were inapplicable and absurd. The bureaucratic quantification of public administration goes far beyond an attempt at discerning efficacy. It has become an end in itself.

Its perversities afflict all public services. Schools teach to the test, depriving children of a rounded and useful education. Hospitals manipulate waiting times, shuffling patients from one list to another. Police forces ignore some crimes, reclassify others, and persuade suspects to admit to extra offences to improve their statistics. Universities urge their researchers to write quick and superficial papers, instead of deep monographs, to maximise their scores under the research excellence framework.
...
New extremes in the surveillance and control of workers are not, of course, confined to the public sector. Amazon has patented a wristband that can track workers’ movements and detect the slightest deviation from protocol. Technologies are used to monitor peoples’ keystrokes, language, moods and tone of voice. Some companies have begun to experiment with the micro-chipping of their staff. As the philosopher Byung-Chul Han points out, neoliberal work practices, epitomised by the gig economy, that reclassifies workers as independent contractors, internalise exploitation. “Everyone is a self-exploiting worker in their own enterprise.”

The freedom we were promised turns out to be freedom for capital, gained at the expense of human liberty. The system neoliberalism has created is a bureaucracy that tends towards absolutism, produced in the public services by managers mimicking corporate executives, imposing inappropriate and self-defeating efficiency measures, and in the private sector by subjection to faceless technologies that can brook no argument or complaint.

- Meanwhile, Kate Aronoff points out that a Green New Deal would enhance general well-being and foster genuine freedom while also protecting our planet.

- Damian Carrington points out that whatever choices we make, future generations will need to make do with far smaller carbon footprints than we've come to expect.  And Daphne Bramham highlights the influence millennial voters can have on this fall's federal election if they elect to participate.

- Nora Loreto calls out the Trudeau Libs for a federal budget whose treatment of refugees - including dismissing their claims in bulk, and playing up claims of nonexistent security risks. And Teresa Wright reports on the resulting outrage on the part of refugees and their advocates.

- Finally, Sally Bakewell and Lisa Lee report on the increasing level of risk being taken in the funding of corporate debt. And Richard Shillington studies how tax-free savings accounts have predictably favoured the wealthy over the lower-income people they were supposed to assist - with higher-income people taking advantage to a greater extent even as a percentage of income.