ADAM TOOZE

This is an interesting introduction to Man as a Geological Agent: An Account of His Actions on Inanimate Nature, by Robert Lionel Sherlock, 1922 journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11… https://t.co/y3PWZNBjs0

"The human enterprise suddenly accelerated after the end of the Second World War” No disagreement. But that is really a phrase to savor. From Steffen, Crutzen, McNeill 2007 classic Anthropocene essay. https://t.co/eiXLm0Ypp7

"Great Acceleration took place in an intellectual, cultural, political, and legal context in which growing impacts upon Earth System counted for little in calculations of world's ministries, boardrooms, labs, farms, village huts, and … bedrooms.” Steffen, Crutzen, McNeill 2007 https://t.co/EMuAZd77cz

The first commission charged to investigate the evils of coal smoke began work in 1288 medievalists.net/2019/10/how-co… https://t.co/OnF0guWNb9

Already, the ocean is filled with about 165 million tons of plastic. If trends continue, ocean plastics will outweigh fish by 2050. businessinsider.com/plastic-in-oce… https://t.co/BvlK0W2NmO

Since the start of the year, France, Italy and Poland have been battling to provide the next head of the EBRD. Polish candidate is out -> complaints about Franco-German axis. France trying to rally US and EU support for the head of its Treasury. ft.com/content/894cbc… https://t.co/KC9qqonfff

The debate amongst German economists over continuation of COVID support has gotten so interesting that readers of @handelsblatt have been treated to a map. More v. Less & then 4 camps: Keynesian, neokeynesian, liberal, ordoliberal. handelsblatt.com/politik/deutsc… https://t.co/hz7UDGWBeU

RT @ruthbenghiat: “He says what others only dare to whisper.” Margherita Sarfatti wrote about her lover, Mussolini. For 100 years this “fra…

South Korea, 3rd biggest customer for Australia’s exported coal, is embarking on a Green New Deal. twitter.com/jj_tilley/stat…

More than 170,000 ‘synthetic mineral-like substances’, produced only because of human activities, have now been identified, from silicon computer chips to industrial abrasives to ancient ceramics and glass v. 5,000 ‘natural’ minerals. Ellis, Erle C.. Anthropocene https://t.co/3lAOBTCi26

Is the Trump administration about to tie itself in a knot twisted out of “merchants of death” and “arsenal of democracy” narratives? twitter.com/EsperDoD/statu…

RT @aaronjakes: This is an absurd distinction and bound to last for only a few short moments. But at present, the book to which I devoted t…

China offers Taliban road network in exchange for peace. Beijing hopes infrastructure investment can prevent instability in Afghanistan after US troop withdrawal ft.com/content/69110b… https://t.co/Z07Ub8jwNe

Ten countries in the world where population faces worst food insecurity, from @Oxfam If you compare with @WorldBank data -> numbers are for those suffering at least moderate food insecurity & calorie deficiency. blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinso… oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/hand… https://t.co/bS15v3ALCU

"At beginning of 2020, 135 m people around the world were already facing extreme hunger. According to @WFP that figure could rise to a staggering 265 m people by the end of this year. Worst case: famine in c. 36 countries That was April @CSIS Any updates? csis.org/programs/globa… https://t.co/9mfskbJj8c

“In our worst sales quarter maybe since WWII, we were cash flow positive,” Daimler’s CEO, “We adjusted our production so quickly that in spite of Covid-19 we lowered our inventory” and sales in China really helped! ft.com/content/d4bb9a… https://t.co/Hd1YkYSYTD

In July, Chinese food prices rose by 13 % yoy. Amidst trade wars with US & Australia & swine flu, Beijing is worried about food security -> Xi orders food saving drive -> school principals shame pupils by demonstratively consuming food leftovers! ft.com/content/a8c0bb… https://t.co/u9KZrDVQXB

In 2019, 60% of sales through Amazon were on the third party marketplace. @benedictevans ben-evans.com/benedictevans/… https://t.co/Jizv38NyFE

COVID unemployment has hit all of the key battleground states in the US and some of them have been hit very hard indeed. bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-… https://t.co/0fu433pNRw

@benedictevans @MNMooreofBoston Sorry???? I did: "it’s only the international business that’s losing money.” International business = ROW … ?

RT @LizAnnSonders: Permanent job losses rising while temporary layoffs declining (left), which is typical in recessions; but not as typical…

‘First party ecommerce’, where Amazon sells you things on its own behalf on Amazon website, is now only c. 1/2 of revenue. 1/3 comes from providing platforms for other people to do business: AWS & Marketplace. AWS margins are huge. @benedictevans ben-evans.com/benedictevans/… https://t.co/aihBkESBQZ

It is no longer true that AWS alone sustains Amazon’s profits. The US business as a whole is a profit engine. ROW loses money. ben-evans.com/benedictevans/… https://t.co/oXAWWVCBW5

Head of International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers makes clear that it was willingness of Stephen Hahn of FDA to “bypass normal approval procedure” that triggered the Vaccine Maker’s collective Pledge. ft.com/content/e89105… https://t.co/qxxbvGDg9K

All of big pharma – AstraZeneca, BioNTech, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna., Novavax., Pfizer & Sanofi – have signed on to refuse any short cut in vaccine approval! Indicative of deep mistrust of US admin & desire to protect FDA regime. bloomberg.com/news/articles/… https://t.co/qalPjB4Elq

Last week, India accounted for roughly 30 per cent of all new cases in the world. The virus has been spread from city to countryside. But the economy is restarting out of sheer necessity. ft.com/content/4fdd41… https://t.co/qydWH7zToj

Turkey’s involvement in Libya -> opened door to defining a Turkey-Libya sea boundary that cuts across Greek plans for a pipeline to the West from the huge gas fields in Eastern med. ft.com/content/e872ed… https://t.co/c7Spf94juT

As environment Minister, Markus Soeder of CSU, now potential Merkel replacement, declared end of internal combustion engine by 2030. Now he is a lobbyist for auto industry. handelsblatt.com/meinung/kommen… https://t.co/TI9OzIIAKR

369,548 Chinese students = 34 % of foreign students at US universities. If they are no longer welcome -> devastating impact on US college finances. asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/The-… https://t.co/w7B9Yvxsjs

“It may be the end of Hong Kong as we knew it, but it will not be the end of Hong Kong.” Despite political turmoil, HK stock exchange is now more valuable than London’s. ft.com/content/d580c4… https://t.co/v7k1qoNm00

"houses are for living in, not for speculation”: Learning from Singapore & distancing itself from Hong Kong, China’s southern megacity of Shenzhen plans to have 60% of residents living in government-subsidized housing. But land for huge project is scarce. caixinglobal.com/2020-09-03/pri… https://t.co/iza35NyYeS

With fx reserves below $1bn, less than annual debt payments and recent downgrade to Caa2, Laos is on the brink of default. Last Asian sovereign to default was Myanmar in 2002. State owned electricity company has huge debts. China is major creditor. ft.com/content/dc3f59… https://t.co/KInFAHFJYb

Uncoupling? China’s top financial regulators unveiled new draft rules to make it easier for foreign investors to access the country’s $15.4 trillion bond market in a further effort to open up and bolster domestic financial markets. caixinglobal.com/2020-09-03/chi… https://t.co/1wXuioZxzw

Beijing is preparing broad support for so-called 3rd generation semiconductors for the 5 years through 2025. $1.4 trillion through 2025 for technologies ranging from wireless networks to artificial intelligence. 3rd gen chips have no established leader. bloomberg.com/news/articles/… https://t.co/8PxDnts5Dx

369,548 Chinese students = 34 % of foreign students at US universities. If they are no longer welcome -> devastating impact on US college finances. asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/The-… https://t.co/kQM4rogHe3

“It may be the end of Hong Kong as we knew it, but it will not be the end of Hong Kong.” Despite political turmoil, HK stock exchange is now more valuable than London’s. ft.com/content/d580c4… https://t.co/bXrvlcHSJg