Author Archives: Yves Smith

Big Oil’s Radical Proposal: Curtail Consumption, Not Production

Should the public take Big Oil advocating for energy conservation as a serious climate policy, or just a new flavor of greenwashing?

The United States’ Financial Quandary: ZIRP’s Only Exit Path Is a Crash

Michael Hudson takes a long, hard look at the origins and costs of the Fed’s ZIRP policy.

Economics v. the Earth: New Book Explores the History of a Tense Relationship

Fredrik Albritton Jonsson and Carl Wennerlind discuss how belief in infinite growth came to seem reasonable in philosophy and economics.

It’s Hard for Americans to Engage in China-Bashing Without Tripping on Contradictions

There are no doubt good reasons for Americans to be concerned about China, but our official justificaitons don’t stand up to scrutiny.

Links 7/6/2023

Energy Destinies – Part 4: Renewable Economics – At Cost

newable energy costs are not easy to figue out, and fully loaded, not favorable compared to the benchmark of grid parity.

Is Wagner Group Too Big to Fail?

John Helmer gives a somewhat contraian take on the Wagner Group and what the unwind of the Prigozhin affair means for Putin’s reelection.

Rising Sea Levels Will Isolate People Long Before They’re Underwater

One of the near term impacts of higher sea levels willl be balkanization of low-lying coastal areas.

‘Totally Indefensible’: Biden Nominates Death Squad Backer Elliott Abrams to Diplomacy Panel

Eliot Abrams is a liar and an ex-convict. No wonder the Biden Administration is keen about him.

Links 7/5/2023

Industrialism Is Bad for Our Health: The Series Continues

New studies shed more unflattering light on the impact of modern diets on health.