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House Republicans are helping their fossil fuel donors with legislative fine print that would block climate action.
A report by the Commons' Public Accounts Committee says more should be done to help young adults trace their funds
Physicists have yet to pinpoint the hypothetical matter that keeps galaxies from flying apart. Now they have a new focus.
The post Have We Gotten Dark Matter All Wrong? appeared first on Nautilus.
The 2023 Paul Bourke Lecture presented by Dr Sophie Webber, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney
‘Climate finance: Taking a position on climate futures’
Climate change is increasingly conceptualised in financial terms. In policy and politics, climate change is viewed as a problem of bridging ‘financing’ gaps between the anticipated costs of climate change and available public and private finance, between developed and developing countries, and between mitigation and adaptation activities. These categorisations tend to frame climate finance as a neutral and technical tool for meeting shared goals for responding to climate change.
In this presentation, hear an alternative geographical perspective that is focused on how the ideas, instruments and institutions of climate finance are reshaping the relationships between our economies and climate change. Illustrated with examples of adaptation finance from the Asia-Pacific region, I outline different configurations of climate finance and demonstrate their potentials for more democratic and just climate futures.
Plus Q&A, followed by a cocktail reception.
I’s sure you’ve heard by now that Florida’s new school curriculum says that enslaved people in the United States may have had a rough time in some respects but they got some benefits from slavery too! (This isn’t a new thing, I’ve heard right wingers suggest for years that Black people thank white people for bringing their ancestors to America.) Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis was clearly not sure if it may have gone too far and didn’t claim credit for it but defended it anyway. Philip Bump at the Washington Post took a look at why he would do that: Asked about it, DeSantis offered that the curriculum — which he insisted wasn’t something he produced — would probably “show that some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life.” Needless to say, this is not generally how historians view the institution of slavery. But DeSantis’s argument isn’t offered solely as a governor of a large state.
Beleaguered Opposition leader Peter Dutton has defended his time in office as head of home affairs, including his controversial decision to hire death eaters to guard Manus Island. ”My record as head of home affairs was beyond reproach,” cried the... Read More ›
A better way to secure digital payments.
The post Venmo, Meet Quantum Mechanics appeared first on Nautilus.
Nobody works for DeSantis for long Ron DeSantis is apparently in the process of “re-tooling” his campaign in light of the miserable failure it’s been so far. He’s been burning through money using private planes and using the Four Seasons as his stomping grounds. Now he’s firing staff. None of this comes as any surprise to people who’ve been watching his career from the beginning: [T]he latest staff shakeup isn’t an anomaly within the arc of DeSantis’ career. It’s part of a larger pattern of a politician who has struggled to maintain a core group of trusted advisers or loyal employees. During his five years in Congress, his office had one of the highest turnover rates in the House. No employed member from his victorious 2018 gubernatorial campaign team is working in a senior role on his 2024 presidential race. And things didn’t change when he became governor. In his first term, he fired staffers with enough regularity that some formed an emotional support group, according to a 2021 Politico report.
The criminal former president is so far ahead of his closest GOP rival that the...
Senate Republicans have not been eager to sign onto Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s, R-Ala. one-man blockade of military promotions to protest a Pentagon abortion policy. A new online poll of likely voters from Data For Progress suggests their political instincts might be right: Given two statements, one dismissive of Tuberville’s actions and another supportive, 55% went against the senator’s plan while only 33% backed it. You will note that 57% of Republicans agree with interfering with the military in order to make a point about abortion. Tuberville is right in the mainstream of the party. It’s the party that is out of the mainstream of America,
America is our “great and powerful friend” so it matters a great deal how reliable our firmest strategic partner is. Is the US heading for a degree of political dysfunction that could blow back into its steadfastness as a leading player and an Australian ally in a multipolar Indo-Pacific? Introduction “Things fall apart; the centre Continue reading »
On the eve of the Vilnius summit Foreign Affairs published an article by long term, and recently reappointed, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg entitled ‘A Stronger NATO for a More Dangerous World: What the Alliance Must Do in Vilnius—and Beyond’. Foreign Affairs is the bible of the American foreign policy establishment, being the journal of the Council Continue reading »
The commissioning of the new USS Canberra in Sydney amid accompanying fanfare and blanket Australian media coverage provided ample testimony to the extent that we are increasingly being taken for granted by the US civil and military leadership. The Canberra is one of the final run of 35 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) built for the Continue reading »
An attempt by a branch of the ACT Labor Party to protest the tripartite AUKUS security pact was blocked over the weekend in what members believe is a consequence of Anthony Albanese wanting to quell dissent on the issue, writes Phillip Coorey in the Australian Financial Review Amid significant unrest among rank-and-file members – primarily Continue reading »
Prescription co-payments are imposed by the Federal Government for subsidised drugs. Australians pay $1.6 billion a year in co-payments. Why do we continue to have financial barriers to accessing these drugs? Co-payments are $7.30 or $30 per prescription for Pensioners and Health Care Card Holders, or the remainder respectively. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland abolished Continue reading »
One of the emerging political challenges of the 2020’s in Australia is the contest for the votes of renters. This contest has changed the political complexion of previously safe conservative seats and led to a major policy confrontation between the Greens and the Labor Party. Some interesting research has emerged which suggests, contrary to the Continue reading »
One side seems to prefer dealing with former leaders rather than current ones. The other likes to talk, while piling on coercive measures. If what passes for diplomacy between China and the United States is any indication these days, we are all in real trouble. One side seems to prefer dealing with former leaders rather Continue reading »
In a new article titled “Ukraine’s Lack of Weaponry and Training Risks Stalemate in Fight With Russia,” The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Michaels reports that western officials knew Ukrainian forces didn’t have the weapons and training necessary to succeed in their highly touted counteroffensive which was launched last month. Michaels writes: “When Ukraine launched its Continue reading »
The Walt Disney Company is removing TV shows and movies from its streaming platforms and then claiming massive losses and potential tax write offs.