Showing 1 - 5 of 5
Hipster antitrust policy is actually conservative
News, Published on 11/06/2024
» Antitrust policy is having a moment. Led by Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, US President Joe Biden's administration is turning its attention to suspect activity not only in Big Tech and Big Oil, but also in Big Alcohol, Big Hotel and Big Concert. The rationale for this new push, however, is ambiguous: Is antitrust law a tool to protect consumers from higher prices, or to defend small businesses against big ones?
The high costs of new US tariffs on Chinese EVs
Published on 25/05/2024
» US President Joe Biden’s administration has just announced 100% tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) manufactured in China, prompting Donald Trump to promise a 200% tariff on Chinese cars made in Mexico if he is elected in November. Neither policy would have notable effects on the US car market because imports of Chinese EVs are minuscule, owing to past tariffs and the anti-Chinese sentiment that has gripped the country in recent years. Nonetheless, the announcement is significant for three reasons.
Securing Thailand's energy future
Oped, Published on 22/05/2024
» Since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, foreign governments -- in particular the European Union and the United States, have issued travel bans and frozen the financial assets of corporate entities and individuals involved with the military regime. The most recent US financial sanction on the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (Moge), a major source of foreign currency revenue for the military government, which took effect in November 2023, is a potential risk to Thailand as it is reliant on gas from Myanmar for electricity generation.
Green push needs united approach
News, Published on 20/05/2024
» Bridging the divide between agriculture and forestry is imperative for climate action. The global and national race is on to steeply reduce emissions over the next six years. According to the watershed Global Stocktake report, released ahead of COP28 in Dubai, we face the daunting task of reducing emissions by 43% by 2030 to retain the possibility of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees by the end of the century, and 27% to stabilise at a 2-degree temperature increase. Since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, we have managed only to be on track for a 2% reduction in emissions against 2019 baselines. Each subsequent year, we collectively feel the impacts of a hotter, more volatile climate as new records are set for temperature and natural disasters.
A turning point for clean cooking
Oped, Published on 15/05/2024
» For most of her life, Florence Auma Ode cooked over an open fire in her Kenyan home. The resulting smoke coated the walls with a layer of soot and filled her lungs -- and those of her family members -- with particulate matter.