October 1, 2020
In Uncategorized
Compiled by Yutaka Yokoyama
September 21, 2020
BBC:
“There’s growing concern among citizens all over the world about climate change, according to a new global poll. … Big majorities in poorer countries strongly agreed with tackling climate change with the same vigour as Covid-19. However in richer nations, the support for rapid action was far more muted.”
“The wealthiest 1% of the world’s population were responsible for the emission of more than twice as much carbon dioxide as the poorer half of the world from 1990 to 2015, according to new research. Carbon dioxide emissions rose by 60% over the 25-year period, but the increase in emissions from the richest 1% was three times greater than the increase in emissions from the poorest half.”
Economist Robert Pollin, interviewed by Vox:
“The cost of generating a unit of energy from solar power, wind power, and geothermal power is now fully competitive, at parity. Trump’s own Energy Department statistics show that, for a kilowatt of electricity, solar is 6.3 cents. Onshore wind is 6.0 cents, geothermal 4.7 cents. Now, coal with carbon capture is 13 cents. Nuclear is 9.3 cents. This is from the Trump administration.”
September 22, 2020
Senator Bernie Sanders press release:
“WASHINGTON, September 22 — In a bicameral letter sent to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), and Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) led two dozen members of Congress in calling on the State Department to pursue a ‘full, independent review’ of the Organization of American States (OAS) regarding its actions last November that contributed to a major deterioration of human rights and democracy in Bolivia. … For months, the OAS has ‘refused to answer basic questions’ from legislators regarding its claims despite the role of Congress in appropriating ‘the majority of the OAS’s budget,’ continued the lawmakers. …”
“Saudi dissidents launch new party calling for democracy in kingdom / New group calls for independent judiciary, elected parliament and equality under law … The new entity, called National Assembly Party or NAAS [people in Arabic], was announced on Wednesday [September 23] …. The [founding] document was signed by several prominent Saudi activists, including London-based professor Madawi al-Rasheed; Abdullah Alaoudh, a Saudi academic who is also the son of jailed Islamic scholar Salman al-Awda, and Shia activist Ahmed al-Mshikhs. … the party laid out a vision … stressing that the resources of the kingdom belong to all of its citizens and areas equally.”
“US uses defense diplomacy to woo Bangladesh away from China … In a rare outreach, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper earlier this month phoned Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina … proposing to help the South Asian country modernize its military …. Laura Stone, a deputy assistant secretary with the US Department of State [said,] ‘We stand ready to serve as the partner of choice for Bangladesh regarding the sale of defense articles,’ … Bangladesh has been buying more arms from the US since the 1990s, with purchases reaching $110 million in the 10 years through 2019. But that is dwarfed by the $2.59 billion it spent on military equipment from China [emphasis added] since 2010, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.”