Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Scientists Dan Calverley and Kevin Anderson at Manchester University have brought out a new report looking hard at what would have to be done for us to have a 50/50 chance of keeping the increase in the average temperature of the earth’s surface to 2.7 degrees F. (1.5C) over preindustrial […]
Biden needs an Iran Deal: The US cannot Afford to Sanction both Moscow and Tehran without Risking $300 a barrel Oil
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The United States cannot afford to impose severe economic sanctions and boycotts on Russia and on Iran at the same time. That way lies $300 a barrel oil, global economic retraction, and likely a Democratic Party bloodbath in the midterms as voters protest their anguish at the pump. There is […]
Was Putin’s Himalayan Error on Ukraine a Result of his Syrian Success?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Alexander Titov at Queen’s University, Belfast, has argued that the commonly met with meme that Vladimir Putin has gone off his rocker is incorrect. Titov locates Putin’s grand strategy in the tradition of great power politics. I agree that it doesn’t add anything significant to our analysis to resort to […]
Happiness Apartheid: UN Ranks Israel 9th for Happiness, Occupied Palestinian Territories 122nd
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The UN World Happiness Report for 2021 ranks Israel as the 9th happiest country in the world, but lists the Palestinian territories as the 122nd. Yet, both societies are ruled by the same government, the government of Israel. The annual report is brought out by the United Nations Sustainable Development […]
Arctic hits 50° F above normal, as Scientists predict it will soon have more Rain than Snow
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – While it made headlines because it is freakish, that parts of Antarctica are 70 degrees F. warmer than usual may just be a fluke. Climate is a trend line you can see over 50 years of changes. Weather is what happens for a day or a week. The more alarming […]
Will Europe Rush even faster to Electric Vehicles to escape dependence on Putin’s Oil?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Sean Goulding Carroll at Euractiv.com asks if Europe can defund the Russian war machine by turning to electric vehicles. It should be noted that in part because of the EU carbon tax, already 29% of new car purchases in Europe last December were EVs or plug-in hybrids, so consumers are […]
US would be on firmer Ground declaring Putin a War Criminal if George W. Bush had been Tried
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – NPR reports that on Wednesday, President Biden called Russian dictator Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the first time. The report notes that this outburst is unusual for Biden, who prizes personal diplomacy and must know that such a charge would make it more difficult to negotiate with Putin down […]
Top 7 Ways Iran evaded US Sanctions that Putin could Follow
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The sorts of sanctions and boycotts the United States and its allies are placing on Russia resemble those applied by Washington to Iran off and on in the past decade, though so far the measures in place against Tehran are still far more severe than what has been done to […]
Russia-driven Energy Crisis leads Wind Superpower Scotland to Floor the Accelerator on Renewables
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Scotland actually has a “Net Zero and Energy Minister,” Michael Matheson. Jane McLeod at the National writes that Matheson sees the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a wake-up call for Scotland to hit the accelerator regarding its green energy plans. Scotland already gets nearly 100% of […]
© 2024 All Rights Reserved