President Xi Jinping’s pledge to prioritize environmental protection and halt new development projects on the Yangtze is a promising turnaround for China’s beleaguered river pulse but don’t hold your breath.
Electric car uptake in China could worsen smog issue
China’s push to replace petrol-engine cars with electric vehicles powered by coal-fired grids fuels fears of worsening pollution problem as the country’s switch to cleaner energy lags behind its “green” car market.
Economics will trump CO2 reduction in China
Cutting CO2 emissions and economic growth are incompatible. The Chinese know it, whatever they said and signed in Paris. This article for the South African Independent Newspapers group highlights the recent Probe International study “The Truth about China” by Patricia Adams.
After 5 years, we’re still telling the wrong story about the Arab Spring
Institutional weakness isn’t as exciting a topic as evil dictators or heroic protesters — but it’s far more important, writes former human rights lawyer Amanda Taub for Vox Media.
The end of China’s rise
China is staring economic stagnation in the face and the ruling Chinese Communist Party is panicking. The segment of society the CCP fears most – its younger people with their Internet capability and changing political and cultural outlook – represent a critical demographic the Party finds itself increasingly beholden to. Foreign Affairs reports.
Kerala government decides to blacklist SNC-Lavalin company
After 14 long years, the state government has made its first move to blacklist the SNC-Lavalin company by issuing show-cause notices to it.
Paris climate agreement is a triumph of hope over facts
China’s leaders, we are told, are leading us to planetary carbon salvation. For a reality check, consult a new report by Patricia Adams, the executive director of Probe International. Tom Switzer for the Sydney Morning Herald.
Do Liberals have a foreign aid strategy?
Is there a coherent foreign policy strategy behind the huge sums of money the Trudeau administration has been quick to pledge in foreign aid spending since taking office or is the government’s foreign aid focus more a reactionary stance to what the Conservatives did or did not do?
Muskrat Falls becoming an over-budget burden on Newfoundland
The Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project in Labrador needed a federal guarantee to get off the ground, which in itself testifies to its iffy economics, writes Konrad Yakabuski for the Globe and Mail. Now, he says, Newfoundland’s shrinking population faces paying for Muskrat Falls in more ways than one.
The negative effects on Haiti of too much foreign aid
Haitians know how to fish but they need access to a boat buoyed by property rights, rule of law and greater access to world markets. Nevertheless, some bright spots have emerged in a move away from the “over-aid” model: mangoes and the reopening of a wheat flour mill destroyed by the 2010 earthquake.
The Paris summit: A colossal waste of time
So far, all the pledges from all the countries put together would scarcely budge the needle on the great big global thermostat. This opinion piece for the Globe and Mail quotes Probe International’s new study on China’s climate policy and energy needs.
China puts rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang on trial as police scuffle with diplomats and protesters
As President Xi’s crackdown on dissent continues, China’s most prominent human rights lawyer awaits sentencing on the “vague charges” leveled against him. Meanwhile, many of the 200 human rights lawyers authorities rounded up in July, in a major nationwide sweep, remain behind bars. The Los Angeles Times reports.
China’s ‘airpocalypse now’ moment highlights lethal deceit
Beijing’s first “red alert” raises an even more important question about the veracity of Chinese data on, not only the environment, but economic growth and other vital statistics. Minxin Pei reports for Nikkei Asian Review.
Deterrence lost in plea deals
Deferred prosecution agreements that let companies pay fines for wrongdoing could backfire by encouraging repeat criminality. Probe International’s Patricia Adams for the National Post.
No winners in corporate shakedown
DPAs were virtually unheard of in business settings prior to 2004, but their growing popularity in the U.S. is now being felt in Canada with SNC-Lavalin lobbying the Liberal government to have its fate determined by a DPA, rather than the criminal trial the Harper government pursued.
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