Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Rita Bhowmick writes about the importance of care services both in keeping people healthy and ensuring equitable work opportunities. And Steven Lewis examines the dishonesty and gaslighting behind the destruction of public Medicare in by the UCP, while Kaylene Duttchen and Paul Parks point out the consistent body of evidence showing that private and for-profit medicine only draws resources away from the care people actually need.  

- Runting Li et al. study (PDF) the connection between the proliferation of microplastics and nanoplastics, and the proliferation of brain tumours. 

- Donal Gill offers a warning about the dangers of making political and social decisions to serve the interests of tech giants pushing AI propaganda rather than people. Jessica Winter highlights the community efforts to keep AI from take over education systems. And Nilay Patel discusses how "software brain" is causing immense changes without people recognizing what's happening. 

- The New York Times' editorial board rightly warns that the return of measles presages far worse diseases making a comeback due to the anti-science attack on vaccinations. And the Boston Globe reports on the growing number of Americans suffering from long COVID. 

- Finally, Heather Scoffield reports on the false promise of Canada's disability tax credit which (along with associated supports) has been designed to be unavailable to most people who actually qualify.  

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Don Moynihan examines how the U.S. is experiencing a more rapid fall from democracy to autocracy than any other country in recent history. And Joseph Cox reveals the user manual for the Palantir tool being used by ICE to target people for incarceration and deportation.  

- The Energy Mix notes that Shell and Mitsubishi are looking to remove themselves from fossil gas projects which stand to be uneconomical due to the rise of renewable energy, while Michael Thomas points out that solar and battery buildup are taking over from gas plants in California's power system. And the Washington Post's editorial board offers a reminder that it's the general public who will pay the price for Donald Trump's obsession with coal power and other dirty energy - due to higher prices as well as more severe pollution. 

- The Guardian's editorial board implores governments to work on building biodiversity and avoiding ecosystem collapse. And Kamil Karamali reports on the next steps in reducing the scourge of plastic waste. 

- Ryan Tumilty reports on the tens of thousands of public service positions at risk from Mark Carney's austerity. And John Woodside notes that scientists and professionals at Environment and Climate Change Canada are facing particularly large cuts. 

- Finally, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation examines how the UK is falling far short of meaningfully reducing poverty. And Qasim Rashid writes about the potential for other governments to mimic Zohran Mamdani's model of following through on social commitments and addressing any budgeting complains through progressive taxes on the wealthy.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- George Monbiot recognizes that all of the major problems now confronting us derive from the political class' willing subservience to the filthy rich. And Casey Michel notes that the Trump regime's obsession with Greenland reflects the world domination plans of particularly anti-social plutocrats. 

- Paris Marx discusses the need to decouple Canada from any dependence on U.S. tech giants - due to both their own destructive practices, and their fealty to Donald Trump. Timothy Garton Ash writes that Trump's threats to NATO allies will inevitably force the development of a new international order. And Stuart Trew points out the limitations on a strategy of merely replacing the U.S. with China as a dominant source of capital and export market. 

- Ambrosia Wohjan reports on new research showing that the microplastics released from synthetic fabrics may post a particular risk to agriculture. 

- Finally, Jamelle Bouie writes that one of the most important points of distinction between Trump and previous presidents is his mindset that the U.S. exists only as his property and for his benefit. And Doug Firby discusses how the UCP has made dirty politics the norm in Alberta in an effort to lock in permanent power for itself - and how only public rejection can reverse the tide. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.

- Seva Gunitsky discusses how the U.S. is committing hegemonic suicide. Simon Tisdall is about as optimistic as one can be about the Trump regime in arguing that it will represent little more than a blotch in on history in the long run, while Daniel Barkhuff writes that the U.S. resistance is winning by persevering. And Will Saletan et al. comment on Trump's plundering of all available sources of tribute. 

- Samuel Wynn Warde writes that Canada has been able to avoid the worst effects of Trump's capriciousness by (thus far) choosing not to supply the U.S.' war against it. And Cory Doctorow argues that countries can further remove themselves from the whims of the U.S. and its tech giants by repealing anti-circumvention laws which prioritize corporate rentiers over users and citizens. 

- Sam Sutton points out that the wealthiest few are predictably making a killing off of Trump's corruption without any benefit finding its way past the upper classes. And Curtis Fric comments on new polling showing that Canadians view the economic system as biased in favour of the rich.  

- Anna Isaac notes that tech billionaires have raked in half a trillion dollars in AI-based valuation based on little more than laughable spin. Aisha Down and Dan Milmo discuss Nvidia's attempts to avoid becoming the next Enron or Lucent, though the main difference seems to be that its need for constant expansion to support its business model is out in the open. And each of Emily Sanders and Morgan Bazalian and Brandon Owens highlight how AI's greenwashed messages and promises are utterly contrary to its reliance on dirty fossil fuels. 

- Oliver Milman reports on new polling showing that even a strong majority of U.S. voters see the climate crisis as affecting their food supply and cost of living. And Steven Morris reports on the National Trust's latest observations on the worsening of extreme weather. 

- Finally, University of California - Riverside examines the effects of microplastics in clogging arteries and fueling heart disease. Which makes Mark Carney's decision to enable single-use plastics exports look like nothing but a choice to sell out people's health in order to prop up the oil sector. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Sujeet Indap and Akila Quinio report on the accumulation of consumer debt by private credit groups, making people's inability to meet their needs into a factor being exploited by more and more capital interests. And Robert Reich highlights the need for a more fair distribution of wealth and income for the economy to be able to function:

   

- Meanwhile, Roshni Sahoo et al. model the cost of ending extreme poverty around the world, and find the price of ending severe deprivation would amount to a rounding error of .3% of global GDP. 

- Huilin Luo et al. examine (PDF) the effect of different greenhouse gas emission policies, and find that it's impossible to subsidize our way out of a climate breakdown without also regulating carbon pollution. Umair Irfan writes that we can't afford to give up the climate fight even as fossil fuel forces are already pushing us past dangerous thresholds. And Cloe Logan reports on Laura Tozer's lament that Mark Carney is doing nothing but undermining an already-insufficient set of federal climate policies. 

- Finally, Emma Graney reports that Carney is also laying the groundwork to open up the export of single-use plastics as another means of favouring the oil sector at the expense of public and environmental health. And Juno Rylee Schultz discusses how laissez-faire theory which lets businesses decide how much pollution to emit has consistently led to people being poisoned and exploited. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- David Oliver de Leth reports on the fossil fuel barons using their wealth and influence to trash the EU's human rights and environmental laws, while Ella Nilsen points out how the real estate industry is trying to suppress accurate information about properties facing climate risks. Hannah Daly discusses the folly of accepting "too small to matter" as an excuse for avoidable carbon pollution - particularly when the size of the problem demands that everybody do what they can. Guido van der Werf examines why carbon emissions from fires are proving even worse than expected. And Ian Gill discusses the need to keep telling stories about the impacts of the climate crisis. 

- Amy Janzwood writes about the reality that Mark Carney's pipeline deal with Danielle Smith is purely a matter of concessions rather than remotely rational tradeoffs. And Bradley Lafortune notes that the UCP is once again planning to allow strip mining of coal in the Rockies in the face of constant public pushback and repeated assurances that it wouldn't do so. 

- Investigate Europe reports on the environmental risks posed by thousands of landfill sites across the continent. And Sandra Laville reports on Pew Charitable Trusts' recognition that plastic pollution is set to double over the next 15 years if we don't take readily available steps to stop it. 

- Yasmin Khan calls out corporate food operators for using dubious intellectual property claims to restrict access to food around the globe. And Dave Lewis notes that the corporate food industry is no more immune from environmental risks than anybody else. 

- Dennis Raphael and Toba Bryant rightly argue that Canada's plummeting place in global life expectancy rankings represents an inescapable signal that we're not adequately protecting people's health. 

- Finally, Ophélie Dénommée-Marchand discusses how Mark Carney is opening the door for Donald Trump's police state to threaten our rights and lives in Canada. And Supriya Dwivedi writes that Carney's eagerness to appeal to tech bros and misogynist regimes is threatening women's rights everywhere. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your Thanksgiving reading.

- David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher write about the 1970s propaganda campaign used to normalize capitalist control in the U.S. And Luke Savage discusses how the neoliberal obsession with means-testing public services serves only to undermine the sense of community and solidarity needed to make the case for a functional society. 

- Andre Frappier highlights how corporate machinations - including ones involving prominent Lib insiders - are at the root of all the problems being used an excuse to slash and privatize Canada Post. And Joel Lexchin debunks neoliberal myths about pharmacare even as Mark Carney stops any further progress toward a promised national system of prescription drug coverage dead in its tracks.  

- Vipal Monga discusses Carney's transformation into a cheerleader and enabler for dirty fossil fuels, while Yrjo Koskinen writes that even a strictly economic analysis on a time frame beyond the expected receipt of an oil baron's political contribution would reach the conclusion that we need to be transitioning to clean energy now. And Nerilie Abram et al. examine how the oil and gas sector has been getting away with falsely claiming that individual fossil fuel projects shouldn't be treated as mattering in the fight against a climate breakdown.  

- Graham Redfearn reports on another new study showing that coral reefs and other crucial elements of our natural environment are in danger of succumbing to the climate collapse. And Nina Lakhani examines the reality that an already-alarming death toll from extreme heat in the U.S. likely represents a significant undercount of the cost of global warming. 

- Finally, Linda Geddes reports on new research showing that the dangers of microplastics include interference with our digestive systems. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- The University of Oxford has released new research showing that politicians underestimate the public's demand for climate action. Adam Morton discusses how Australia's Labor party has both an opportunity and a political incentive to break free from petropolitics, while Michael Barnard weighs in on how the ICJ's ruling on climate liability should spur Canada to stop subsidizing dirty energy. And Dharna Noor and Oliver Milman report on scientists' duly scathing response to denialist propaganda from the Trump regime. 

- Ben Shread-Hewitt notes that any plans to reach net zero in the distant future can be undermined by the effects of a climate breakdown today, including in wiping out the trees which are being counted on to offset carbon pollution. And Kiley Bense reports on research showing that children are far healthier after the closure of a nearby coal plant - even as the Trump regime and its Canadian cousins look to keep coal plants spewing out of spite. 

- Meanwhile, Matthew Scace reports on a new study showing that Alberta's coal mine reclamation standards fall far short of protecting affected water and fish - and it's again worth noting that the Moe government's response has uniformly been to criticize anybody seeking to preserve clean water rather than to object to poison being dumped into Saskatchewan's water sources. And Damien Gayle weighs in on Deep Science Ventures' research into the dangers of chemical pollution. 

- Julia Musto discusses a new report on the harms caused by plastic pollution. And the Guardian's editorial board implores world leaders to dedicate themselves to a treaty to stop the damage.

- Polly Toynbee rightly questions why Keir Starmer is obsessed with expanding the use of polluting air travel, rather than investing in rail and other clean transportation. And David Climenhaga calls out the UCP for declaring war on bike lanes to ensure nobody can get anywhere other than in a massive polluting SUV or truck. 

- Finally, Craig Lord reports on the resilience of Canada's economy in the face of the Trump regime's tariffs and threats - which makes for a particularly noteworthy contrast against Paul Wells' choice to declare the fight for sovereignty lost since a few corporate bigwigs might make more money in the short term through appeasement.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Noah Berlatsky discusses how Donald Trump is imposing a recession on America at large while dispensing obscene riches for his cronies, while Mona Charen highlights how Trump's wasteful, garish and damaging treatment of the White House parallels his administration in general. And Mary Whitfill Roeloffs reports on the recognition by the vast majority of consumers that they're facing soaring grocery bills, while Mike Crawley reports on the effect of Trump's tariffs on consumer costs. 

- Anne-Céline Guyon and Alice-Anne Simard urge Mark Carney to focus Canada's attention and resources on affordable, clean energy rather than continued carbon pollution. Matt Simon discusses how local climate work can lead to important achievements. And as important examples of that phenomenon, Alison Takemura reports on New York's move to all-electric new buildings, while Sarah Forster reports on the installation of a batter capable of powering over a million homes in New South Wales. 

- Meanwhile, Liza Featherstone reports on the effects of air pollution as one of the most immediate - if underreported - consequences of the climate breakdown. And Rebecca Hersher reports on the Trump regime's plans to destroy working NASA satellites in a futile attempt to eliminate the evidence of climate change. 

- Esme Stallard reports on the UN conference attempting to reach an agreement on plastic pollution, while Olivia Le Poidevin and Valerie Volcovici note that Trump and the oil industry are predictably trying to sabotage the effort. And Rebecca John reports that the plastics industry has known for half a century that its promise to use recycling as an alternative to the generation of plastic waste was utter bunk. 

- Finally, Andrew Nikiforuk calls out Danielle Smith's latest set of barriers to COVID-19 vaccine access. And Olafur Palsson et al. examine how gut-brain disorders have been on the rise since the start of the pandemic. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Sachi Kitajima Mulkey, Claire Brown and Mira Rojanasakul report on new research showing that the climate breakdown is only accelerating as the powers that be look for excuses to avoid taking any action to slow it. And Steven Sherwood, Benoit Meyssignac and Thorsten Mauritsen examine the increased amount of heat being trapped in the Earth's atmosphere. 

- Anna Robertson reports on the actors seeking to ensure their pension fund isn't used to exacerbate the climate crisis. But Drew Anderson contrasts the pleas of rural residents against the capture of power in Alberta (among other places) by a wealthy few willing to boil our planet in order to keep windfall profits rolling in. 

- Meanwhile, Reuters reports on the entrenchment of the reality that clean energy is the most affordable option as long as public policy isn't being used to block it. And Clean Energy Canada points out that a large majority of Canadians want access to wider range of electric vehicles, rather than being trapped in a U.S.-dominated market. 

- The Plastics Pollution Coalition examines how microplastics are contaminating the oceans. And Ayurella Horn-Muller discusses how arsenic is building up in rice supplies, while Colid Todhunter offers a reminder of how industrial agriculture has been sent up to maximize corporate rent-seeking rather than either the availability of food or a secure living for farmers. 

- Finally, Margaret Sullivan discusses how to stay informed without succumbing to constant doomscrolling. And Noah Berlatsky interviews Kat Abughazaleh about the importance of ensuring people see prospects to build a better world, rather than feeling helpless in the face of corporate and political forces aligned against anything of the sort. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Paul Krugman writes that the combination of anti-fascism protests and Donald Trump's crackdown on them could be crucial in determining whether the U.S. sees an end to even the pretense of democracy. G. Elliott Morris notes that Saturday's "No Kings Day" protests were attended by millions of people. And both Toby Buckle and A.R. Moxon discuss how the contrast between the widespread and energetic anti-regime protests and the desultory Trump birthday parade shows the power of popular outrage and dissent. 

- Shawn Micallef notes that this year's Pride events are particularly important as a means of protest. And Dale Smith discusses how book-banning and online age verification - both of which are being pushed as part of an anti-LGBTQ agenda - each serve as tools of authoritarianism.  

- Desmond Cole is the latest to highlight how Mark Carney is adopting Trump's mass surveillance and hostility toward immigration even while pretending to defend Canada against them. Karl Nerenberg  notes that Carney is using the U.S. threat as an excuse to bypass democracy on behalf of corporate interests, while David Thurton reports on the justified backlash against the flattening of Indigenous rights and environmental protection in the name of megaprojects. And Mitchell Beer reports on Simon Donner's warning that Carney's theory about "decarbonized" fossil fuels is patently absurd to anyone with so much as a grade-school understanding of chemistry. 

- David Dayen writes about the damage Trump's signature economic bill will do to the U.S. - exacerbating inequality, stifling productivity and worsening public health - if it passes. And Ryan Ermey reports on new research showing that Americans are already seeing declining spending power and quality of life. 

- Issie Lapowsky interviews Megan Greenwell about the harm done by private equity as it undermines functional businesses in the name of short-term wealth extraction. And Jason Hickel makes the case for economic democracy as a necessary system to ensure that human survival and well-being are given any weight in political decision-making.

- Finally, Yei Ling Ma reports on the choice by Wal-Mart and other major companies to pull out of an agreement on reducing plastic contamination before it takes a penny out of their immediate profits. And Kaylie Tiessen warns that sellers' inflation figures to be making a return to Canada soon as corporate retailers turn confusion about inflation and tariffs into windfall profits. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- David Suzuki and Ian Hanington write about the importance of a courageous approach to climate change policy, while Nature's editorial board discusses the desperate need for decision-makers to start acting like adults. But it should come as no surprise that the Trump regime's responses to a threat to our living environment boil down to YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! and LALALALAICAN'THEARYOU!. 

- Meanwhile, Drew Anderson points out that the posturing about separatism from Danielle Smith (and Scott Moe) is aimed solely at strongarming the federal government into letting fossil fuel tycoons dictate policy. And Dharna Noor reports on new revelations into how oil and plastics producers have been lying about the limitations on chemical recycling. 

- Eric Wickham reports that major Canadian grocers have refused to provide even basic information to the federal government as they claim their ability to seek out windfall profits takes precedence over people's access to food. And that contempt for affordability has obvious political effects, as Emma Paling reports that cost of living was a major input into Pierre Poilievre's Con rage farm. 

- Saira Peesker reports on new research showing the links between ultra-processed food and numerous health risks. 

- Finally, Katya Schwenk reports on airlines' sale of passenger data to ICE in the U.S. And Alison Northcott reports that in addition to diverting resources out of the public health care system, private clinics in Canada have been selling health data to big pharma to further goose their profits. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Jim Stanford points out that tariff threats shouldn't be an especially daunting prospect for a Canadian economy which already consists primarily of the production of goods for domestic use. But Melissa Gismondi argues that we need a far more substantive response to Donald Trump's obsession with annexation, rather than assuming everything will go back to normal if the business class is assuaged. And Mike Brock writes that Danielle Smith's constant sucking up to Trump and concurrent normalization of the prospect of a U.S. takeover can't be considered anything less than traitorous.

- Alex Himelfarb discusses how to build a Canada which is more resilient against both the Trump regime, and the concentration of wealth and power which has enabled his like to emerge. Silas Xuereb offers a reminder as to how the affordability crisis for more and more Canadians tracks the rise of extreme top-end wealth. And George Monbiot warns that UK Labour is following the same path as other neoliberal governments whose disregard for both people's well-being and the prospect of democratic change for the better has laid the groundwork for fascists to emerge.

- Jason McBride discusses the widespread use of plastics in medical supplies - and how both patients and the environment would benefit from a transition to less toxic alternatives. Inigo Alexander reports on waste management company Veolia's dumping of toxic waste in protected areas in Colombia. And Alix Breeden discusses how the Trump administration is making it easy for polluters to poison the people around them through gutted regulatory processes, while Stuart Thomson and Antoine Trepanier report on Pierre Poilievre's plans to similarly eliminate any environmental protection in Canada in favour of blanket approvals. 

- Finally, Fiona Harvey reports on a new OECD study finding that action to deal with the climate crisis will lead to better economic results than trying to operate in denial of the threat.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Anne Applebaum discusses how the actual regime change under Donald Trump involves the replacement of any public service with a system devoted exclusively to patronage, while Lee Morgenbesser argues that state capture is the best description of Elon Musk's abuses so far. Christina Pagel classifies Trump's actions in a few more distinct categories - though the dismantling of government and systematization of corruption do make up the majority of them. Mike Brock writes that the potential for courts to reverse some of the most flagrantly unconstitutional actions of Trump and Elon Musk doesn't provide a meaningful response to a coup in progress. And Larry Elliott writes that Trump's insistence on imposing tariffs ultimately reflects weakness in lacking any other mechanism to project power. 

- Geoffrey Johnston writes that Canada has effectively stood up to Trump's bullying so far. Aisha Ahmad discusses why any U.S. attempt to annex Canada would be expected to backfire (particularly in a context where Trump is simultaneously picking other fights and undermining the U.S.' own military). And Aaron Wherry notes that Trump's threats are turning the impending federal election into a review of what Canada can control, while Cam Holmstrom makes the case for a big-table response. 

- Brett McKay reports on Samara's new research showing how "power abusers" on social media were a major force in the UCP's retention of power in 2023. But Charles Rusnell examines the emerging connection between the UCP's health services corruption and the misuse of police authority, while Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean writes that Danielle Smith and company have mostly gone silent as the truth comes out. 

- Justin Ling implores Ontario voters not to allow Doug Ford yet another term in which to loot the province for his cronies' benefit. 

- Finally, Emma Beddington writes about the virtual impossibility of avoiding plastics even as their dangers have become readily apparent. And Sara Kirk and Lana Vanderlee discuss how Canada's food system makes unhealthy eating the default. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Alex Cosh discusses how our response to the new Trump administration needs to move beyond avoiding tariffs toward routing our international relations around a clear and present danger. And Ashleigh Stewart reports that Steve Bannon's plans to for "hemispheric control" go far beyond trade as well. 

- David Smith highlights how Trump is following in the footsteps of Viktor Orban (who is of course a model for Canadian Cons as well in his attacks on democracy). Paul Krugman writes that the key factor to watch for at this stage is the concentration of power via autogolpe. Moira Donegan writes about Elon Musk's effective control through shadow government mechanisms, while Robert Reich examines his minions' burrowing into government computer systems (which Charlie Warzel and Ian Bogost observe to be a terrifying reality according to the people who know those systems best),

- Meanwhile, Mark Frauenfelder highlights how Google's monetized reCAPTCHA system is simultaneously a means of tracking people in alarming detail, a profit centre and a massive waste of time for users. And Charlotte Cowles discusses the current reality of surveillance pricing. 

- Brittany Welsh and Julian Aherne report on a new study showing that Ontario's cottage country lakes aren't immune from the proliferation of microplastics, while Tik Root and Joseph Winters report on Exxon's plans to spend billions of dollars making the problem worse. Lorne Fitch notes that Alberta coal spokesflacks are pushing nonsense research to claim that selenium contamination is just fine for you, while Phillip Meintzer points out how four oil sands companies have signed on to endorse increased cancer rates for Indigenous communities. And Zoya Teirstein discusses how the smoke from California's recent wildfires is particularly toxic due to the large amount of plastic and chemical content. 

- Finally, the Climate Institute examines the importance of building new housing in areas which mitigate the likelihood of climate-related emergencies - rather than in ones which are particularly vulnerable to them (or already the sites of recent disasters). And Katya Schwenk reports on the greed and folly of real estate developoers pushing to be build developments in areas which are already running out of water. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Damian Carrington reports on Antonio Guterres' latest warning about the dangers of perpetuating our fossil fuel addiction - even as Donald Trump and a growing number of Canadian conservative quislings push to exacerbate it. Joshua Lappen discusses how the U.S.' fossil gas infrastructure is doomed - with Los Angeles providing a preview of what's in store across the country. Ember Energy examines (PDF) the EU's progress in transitioning to cleaner energy, with solar power overtaking coal for the first time and gas continuing to decline. And Conor Curtis points out how to talk about the reality that a transition to clean energy would be a plus for Canada's sovereignty as well as for our living environment. 

- Andrew Nikiforuk reports on the public outcry resulting from Danielle Smith's decision to declare open season for coal mining in the Rockies. And Joel Dryden talks to a member of the UCP's own coal policy committee who's rightly outraged that fossil fuel tycoons' whims are being given precedence over the product of a public consultation. 

- Shimly Rajendrakumar examines the effect of microplastics on agricultural systems, with a wide range of plastic products resulting in adverse consequences for the health of soil, animals and consumers. 

- Matthew Trevithick reports on the beginning of what could be a massive U.S. exodus to Canada as people flee the Trump administration, while David Baxter discusses the push from refugee advocates to ensure transgender people are able to make asylum claims rather than being told they're completely safe in a country that denies their existence. But Elizabeth Thompson reports that the response from the Libs so far is to assume everything's fine and maintain the fiction that the U.S. is safe. 

- Finally, Dan Rather discusses the firehose effect - and the need to withstand Trump's attempt to shock, awe and overwhelm people into compliance. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Laurie Laybourn and James Dyke comment on the developing doom loop as fear, hardship and political instability created by a climate breakdown in progress make it harder to coordinate efforts to ameliorate it. And Gaby Hinsliff writes that Storm Darragh taught her family and community how poorly prepared they were for climate disaster, while Matthew Ballew et al. examine how psychological distress appears to be a spur toward climate activism. 

- Fiona Harvey warns that a COP29 outcome more attuned to Vladimir Putin's political ends than the preservation of a liveable environment may be only the beginning. David Suzuki laments how the oil industry undermined any effort to agree on a plastics treaty. Eamon Ryan discusses how the oil industry and other corporate forces poisoned public opinion against a successful push to reduce carbon pollution in Ireland. And Joe Vipond makes the case to treat the fossil fuel industry like big tobacco - i.e. as a dishonest and destructive actor impeding work which is necessary for the public good.  

- Dharna Noor reports on new NOAA data showing that the Arctic is now a net emitter of carbon pollution, rather than serving as a carbon sink. Max Fawcett discusses Kevin O'Leary's attempt to play Alberta for a fool by seeking out public money for a highly-polluting, zero-benefit AI project - and the danger that the UCP will be happy to play along. And Rewiring America studies the effects of converting to electrical power - finding that a shift to electric appliances produces demonstrable benefits to air quality both inside and outside the home. 

- The Angus Reid Institute finds that a strong majority of Canadians see corruption and tax evasion as a major cause of the affordability crisis - potentially signaling a strong appetite for a credible plan of attack against them. Paul Krugman (on his new site after his retirement from the New York Times) discusses how the right's anti-public sector rhetoric facilitates actual fraud and abuse by corporations and the righ. David Macdonald points out that a time-limited GST holiday isn't a particularly good use even of a temporary windfall, while glaringly failing to address the structural factors that are stressing people's finances. And Paul Kiel reports on a tax loophole which wealthy Americans are using to avoid contributing a cent of a Medicare tax paid by workers. 

- Jason Sattler writes that Donald Trump's main political skill is setting up an alternate reality for himself and a maddeningly large number of voters. Oliver Willis notes that he's been able to get away with denialism in large part due to the refusal of Democrats to engage in a meaningful fight as to the controlling narrative. And Simon Wren-Lewis rightly argues that progressives shouldn't fall into the trap of echoing and reinforcing the politics of stupid. 

- Finally, Ryan Romard writes that public sector strikes in Canada (spurred by years of relatively high inflation paired with pay freezes) are helping to set up opportunities for all kinds of workers to seek better wages and working conditions. 

[Edit: added link.]

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. 

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. 

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.