Debates about tax fairness usually centre on income: how much people earn, how steeply high incomes should be taxed, and how to protect those on lower wages. Yet an older idea is re-emerging in economic discussion: taxing what people spend rather than what they earn. This shift is not a minor technical adjustment. A progressive …
Continue reading “The case for a progressive consumption tax reform”
Europe’s effort to secure its access to critical minerals has exposed a major strategic weakness: overwhelming dependence on China for rare earths. This vulnerability became unmistakably clear when China tightened export licensing for rare-earth magnets, cutting shipments by roughly 75 percent and forcing European automakers to halt production. The episode highlighted how deeply Europe’s industrial …
Continue reading “Europe’s rare earths supply chain dilemma”
Nearly a year after Donald Trump returned to the White House championing fossil fuel expansion, resistance to climate commitments is gaining momentum across politics, industry, and finance. The global pushback against net zero reflects a widening gap between long-term climate goals and short-term economic and political pressures. Companies and governments are increasingly scaling back emissions …
Continue reading “The global retreat from net zero commitments”
A new study warns that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence could carry a significant and largely hidden environmental cost. By 2025, AI systems running in data centres could generate between 32.6 million and 79.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, placing the AI carbon footprint on par with the total emissions of major cities …
Continue reading “AI carbon footprint rivals cities and nations”
In late November, engineers in Devon, England quietly began testing a novel twist on a century-old energy storage idea. At a former china clay mine near Plymouth, workers carefully mixed a mineral-based powder into water to create a fluid 2.5 times denser than water but still able to flow easily. This unusual liquid is the …
Continue reading “Pumped hydro evolves with high-density storage”
The European Union’s executive arm has unveiled a sweeping proposal to simplify environmental legislation, arguing that cutting red tape is necessary to improve competitiveness for European industry. At the center of this move is the European Commission, which says it is responding to long-standing complaints from businesses and public administrators that complex environmental rules create …
Continue reading “European Commission eases environmental rules”
The European Union’s plan to completely phase out Russian natural gas imports by 2027 marks a historic turning point in Europe’s energy and geopolitical strategy. Announced as “the end of an era” by International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the policy reflects Europe’s determination to …
Continue reading “Europe’s energy shift hits a labor shortage wall”
The European Commission has unveiled a major initiative to accelerate the modernisation of the European Union’s ageing electricity grid, positioning grid expansion and interconnection as a central pillar of EU energy policy. Through its proposed “Grids Package,” the Commission aims to broker political compromises among member states, overhaul existing legislation, and speed up permitting for …
Continue reading “EU energy policy and Europe’s grid overhaul”
The global circular battery economy is entering a critical phase of rapid expansion, driven by surging demand for electric vehicles and the strategic necessity of securing critical minerals. A new industry report projects that the market will grow from $23.29 billion in 2024 to nearly $78 billion by 2032, reflecting the accelerating shift toward recycling …
Continue reading “Circular battery economy enters rapid growth”
New global research shows that the 66 million tonnes of waste entering the environment each year from plastic packaging could be almost completely eliminated by 2040 through reuse and return schemes. The analysis, led by the Pew Charitable Trusts in collaboration with researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Oxford, warns that the …
