Green New Deal

[mspohr]

EU green recovery package sets a marker for the world

EU green recovery package sets a marker for the world

The European commission has put down a marker for the world with its green recovery package. It sets a high standard for other nations, using the rebuilding of coronavirus-ravaged economies to tackle the even greater threat of the climate emergency, in principle at least.

With the world fast approaching the point when climate chaos becomes inevitable, how the trillions of recovery dollars – or euros – are spent is a use-it-or-lose-it moment, so what the EU does really matters. Climate change is a global crisis, meaning all nations must act and some must lead the way.

 

[mspohr]

Fascinating perspective

Coronavirus is our chance to completely rethink what the economy is for

Coronavirus is our chance to completely rethink what the economy is for | Malcolm Bull

Everyone keeps saying that we are living through strange times, but what is strange about it is that because everything has come to a stop, it is as though we are living out of time. The emergency brake has been pulled and time is standing still. It feels uncanny, and there’s more slack in the world economy than there ever has been before. And that means, as both Benjamin and Machiavelli would have recognised, that there is also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for change and renewal.

For some, this might mean a shorter working week, or less air travel. For others, it might suggest the opportunity for a more fundamental remaking of our political system. A space of possibility has unexpectedly opened up, so although the lockdown may be coming to an end, perhaps the standstill should continue.

 

[mspohr]

Covid-19 has given us the chance to build a low-carbon future

Covid-19 has given us the chance to build a low-carbon future | Christiana Figueres

Lockdown won’t save the world from warming, but the pandemic is an opportunity to pursue a green economic recovery

The recovery packages designed and implemented by governments to rescue the ailing global economy could rise as high as $20tn over the next 18 months. The scale of this stimulus will shape the contours of the global economy over the next decade, if not longer. This is precisely the decade when climate scientists have warned global emissions will need to be cut by half in order to reach a sustainable trajectory. In the midst of the crisis wreaked by the pandemic is an opportunity: to ensure rescue packages don’t merely recover the high carbon economy of yesterday, but help us build a healthier economy that is low on carbon, high in resilience and centred on human wellbeing.

 

[rays427]

The world wasn't ready for a Green New Deal in 2009. Today, it may be | Larry Elliott

A year of floods, hurricanes and bush fires had made a strong case for action to make economies more sustainable. What was lacking was a profound shock that would make change possible. Now we’ve had one.

Governments are creating, borrowing and spending money like never before in peacetime, in an attempt to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. They have the opportunity to reshape their economies in a way that would be consistent with preventing catastrophic increases in global temperatures.

You really need to look at the historical data. Weather related disasters were worse in the past. Here is the worst US floods as an example. Please note almost 2/3 are before 1950. What are the worst floods in American history? A rundown of the top 30 The worst droughts were in the 1930s and 1950s. Fires were also much worse before 1950. Australia had a bad fire season in 2019-20 with 46 million acres burned however, the 1874-75 season 117 million acres burned. Weather related deaths are way down as well. https://www.jpands.org/vol14no4/goklany.pdf

 

[TheTalkingMule]

This guy is still here?

 

[mspohr]

Spain rekindles a radical idea: a Europe-wide minimum income

Spain rekindles a radical idea: a Europe-wide minimum income

It’s been proposed, probed and pushed to the margins of the European Union for more than two decades. Now, as Europe reels from tens of thousands of coronavirus deaths and millions of lost jobs in the worst recession for generations, ministers from Spain, Italy and Portugal say the time has come to revive a radical idea: a pan-EU minimum income.

“This is the moment for debates about social protection,” Pablo Iglesias, Spain’s deputy prime minister for social rights and leader of Podemos, told the Guardian. “Anyone who finds themselves in a vulnerable situation should have access to protection mechanisms that allow them to fill their fridge and care for their family.”

 

[TheTalkingMule]

Universal income and healthcare in the US would free up about 1M paper-pushers, if not more. How much does that save us? Of course we then need to find them jobs, but hey......we can use the savings to do that.

 

[mspohr]

Universal income and healthcare in the US would free up about 1M paper-pushers, if not more. How much does that save us? Of course we then need to find them jobs, but hey......we can use the savings to do that.

Insurance company "overhead" is about 25% of their revenue. Medicare is less than 5%. Big savings there.

 

[TheTalkingMule]

Insurance company "overhead" is about 25% of their revenue. Medicare is less than 5%. Big savings there.

If it were universal.....why even have Medicare overhead? There's no need to track things if the rules, costs, and benefits are universal.

 

[mspohr]

If it were universal.....why even have Medicare overhead? There's no need to track things if the rules, costs, and benefits are universal.

You do need people to pay the doctors and hospitals, etc. But as you point out, this is much easier in a uniform system. I think private insurance spends a lot of effort trying to avoid paying for care.

 

[mspohr]

Pandemic is chance to reset global economy, says Prince Charles

Pandemic is chance to reset global economy, says Prince Charles

The recovery from the coronavirus crisis represents an opportunity to reset the global economy and prioritise sustainable development without further damaging the planet, Prince Charles said at the opening of a World Economic Forum (WEF) virtual meeting.

Outlining a five-point plan to rebuild economies following a global recession, the 71-year-old prince said the pandemic was the result of a breakdown in the link between humanity and nature that could be corrected by recognising “the interdependence of all living things”.

 

[mspohr]

Boris Johnson under pressure to ensure green recovery in UK

Boris Johnson under pressure to ensure green recovery in UK

Boris Johnson and his cabinet are coming under increasing pressure to ensure the economic stimulus helps to shift the UK to a low-carbon future, as green campaign groups set out their demands and the Prince of Wales weighed in on the need for a green recovery.

Greenpeace published its manifesto for a green recovery on Wednesday, calling for investment in cleaner transport; renewable energy and a smart grid for electricity; refurbishing buildings to improve their energy efficiency and move to low-carbon heating and cooling; reducing waste and improving recycling; and protecting nature and wildlife, especially through restoring degraded habitats.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Boris Johnson under pressure to ensure green recovery in UK

Boris Johnson under pressure to ensure green recovery in UK

Boris Johnson and his cabinet are coming under increasing pressure to ensure the economic stimulus helps to shift the UK to a low-carbon future, as green campaign groups set out their demands and the Prince of Wales weighed in on the need for a green recovery.

Greenpeace published its manifesto for a green recovery on Wednesday, calling for investment in cleaner transport; renewable energy and a smart grid for electricity; refurbishing buildings to improve their energy efficiency and move to low-carbon heating and cooling; reducing waste and improving recycling; and protecting nature and wildlife, especially through restoring degraded habitats.

Guardian readers would like to think there's pressure, anyway. But they might also have thought Corbyn was a good leader and going to win.

 

[TheTalkingMule]

The main thread thought I was nuts to imply Elon might be in the UK talking Gigafactory with the intention of pulling the plug on Germany in response to their at least semi-anti-Tesla legislation.

I mean, if you're gonna give VW a EUR6k advantage over any Tesla.....why support their economy with a Gigafactory? Model Y is going to sell like hotcakes in Europe.....just not in Germany I guess.

Maybe Boris can juice the pot to entice Tesla? He certainly needs a win!

 

[mspohr]

Coronavirus is an ‘SOS signal for the human enterprise’

Coronavirus is an ‘SOS signal for the human enterprise’

The coronavirus pandemic is an “SOS signal for the human enterprise”, according to a leading economist and the United Nation’s environment chief, who warn that current economic thinking does not recognise that human wealth depends on nature’s health.

They said ‘natural capital’ – the planet’s stock of natural resources, like plants, soils and minerals – should be valued alongside the values of produced capital, such as roads, and human capital, such as skills. Together, these form a measure of a country’s true wealth, they said.

I think the time has come for humanity to go through its next evolution, intellectually, emotionally, and recognise that we can be different, we don’t have to go back to the same old ways, business as usual,” he said.

 

[rays427]

Coronavirus is an ‘SOS signal for the human enterprise’

Coronavirus is an ‘SOS signal for the human enterprise’

The coronavirus pandemic is an “SOS signal for the human enterprise”, according to a leading economist and the United Nation’s environment chief, who warn that current economic thinking does not recognise that human wealth depends on nature’s health.

They said ‘natural capital’ – the planet’s stock of natural resources, like plants, soils and minerals – should be valued alongside the values of produced capital, such as roads, and human capital, such as skills. Together, these form a measure of a country’s true wealth, they said.

I think the time has come for humanity to go through its next evolution, intellectually, emotionally, and recognise that we can be different, we don’t have to go back to the same old ways, business as usual,” he said.

Natures health is also dependent on human wealth. Just look at poor countries and see how natures does with large populations of poor folks. As an example just check out Haiti versus the Dominican Republic.

 

[mspohr]

California GND bill morphs into Coronavirus recovery

https://www.capradio.org/articles/2...ange-must-be-the-focus-in-bills-that-advance/

She says the coalition will release a letter asking for legislation, the budget and executive orders to make equity and climate change a priority. Their main goal is a just recovery. This includes setting aside funds for communities that are the most impacted by COVID-19.

“We want recovery resources to go to workers and communities and to the people,” Chi said. “As opposed to just corporations and investors, we just hope that the benefits trickle down to people.”

In response to the pandemic, the authors turned the bill into a California COVID-19 Recovery Deal with a focus on stimulating the economy justly as the pandemic lingers. Part of the goal was to make sure communities disproportionately impacted by climate change continue to recieve support as threats (pollution, warming, wildfires and seas level rise) to lives worsen.

 

[mspohr]

Anti-green recovery

Covid-19 relief for fossil fuel industries risks green recovery plans

Covid-19 relief for fossil fuel industries risks green recovery plans

The vast majority of the stimulus money so far announced by governments around the world is set to prop up the fossil fuel economy, according to analyst company Bloomberg New Energy Finance. More than half a trillion dollars worldwide – $509bn (£395bn) – is to be poured into high-carbon industries, with no conditions to ensure they reduce their carbon output.

 

[eevee-fan]

1.35 Cents/kWh: Record Abu Dhabi Solar Bid Is A Sober Reminder To Upbeat Fossil Fuel Pundits

1.35 Cents/kWh: Record Abu Dhabi Solar Bid Is A Sober Reminder To Upbeat Fossil Fuel Pundits | CleanTechnica

Maybe add a 3 KWh battery to act as a energy buffer to your rooftop solar, perfect for day time home EV charging.

 

[mspohr]

Put sustainable development at heart of UK recovery, PM told

Put sustainable development at heart of UK recovery, PM told

The bosses of Unilever, HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland are among 150 business, charity and trade body leaders urging Boris Johnson to put UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) at the centre of the UK’s Covid-19 recovery plans.

In a letter addressed to the prime minister, they called on the UK government to view the crisis as an “opportunity” to tackle looming problems including inequality and the climate crisis.