The Starbucks Effect of North America Economic Relations - Progressive Economy. Canada and Mexico are the borrow-a-cup-of-sugar, won’t-you-please-watch-my-kids-for-an-hour kind of neighbors. Much has been written about North American trade and investment relations, but probably not nearly enough. Presidential candidates on both sides will once again question the value of this relationship, particularly as the U.S. works to finalize the next big trade deal. The more than $3 billion* worth of goods that travels across U.S. borders on any given day supports border cities. But the bigger story is the additional millions of people and metropolitan areas that comprise the full length of North American supply chains. The cities play in each other’s yards. Brookings research shows that about half of goods traded in North America are the products of advanced industries including aerospace, automotive, electronics, machinery, pharmaceuticals and precision instruments.
Mexico’s curb appeal is steadily improving. Good neighbors increase your home’s value. It gets better. Can the TPP help save elephants from extinction? We have to try. - Progressive Economy. The countries in the Transpacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) are caretakers of some of the most ecologically significant natural resources in the world, from the Amazon Rainforest to the Greater Mekong to the Coral Triangle. They also govern ports along routes that criminals use to move poached wildlife, illegally logged forest products, and the ill gotten gains of “pirate” fishing. That’s why the TPP countries are not overlooking opportunities to prevent illegal trade in these precious and protected resources.
On average, an elephant is killed every 15 minutes for ivory. Ivory is the currency by which terrorists and transnational criminals finance their operations. They are slaughtering elephants and rhinos into extinction for ivory and placing in jeopardy the people who live in communities where wildlife is found. The situation is grave in many habitats. In June, Tanzania issued a census indicating they have lost 65,000 elephants – 60% of its 2009 population. Talking point. Dark clouds over lignite May 28, 2015 The German government is sticking to its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from the 1990 level by 2020. As it currently seems doubtful that the target will be achieved, Minister of Economics Sigmar Gabriel suggests introducing an additional climate contribution for older electricity power plants with particularly high CO2-emissions.
Especially older lignite-based power plants would be affected by such a measure. And this at a time when many power plants are under pressure anyway due to changes in the investment strategies of a large Scandinavian investor. At the end of March this year, the Economics Minister reaffirmed his proposal to introduce an additional climate fee on lignite power plants, which are older than 20 years and whose CO2-emissions exceed a specific level. As a proportion of German primary energy production, lignite has been the largest domestic energy source for years.
Talking point. Demography and the global economy – “continental” drift is well underway September 25, 2015 Continental drift is slow, takes place almost imperceptibly and ends up having dramatic effects in the long run. In this, it is very similar to demographic change. Let us begin with a few facts. The world’s population is set to grow from 7.3 bn today to more than 9.7 bn by 2050. By 2050, three contiguous South Asian countries (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) will have a combined population of 2.2 bn. After all, who would have thought in 1970 that fertility rates in many developing countries would collapse as dramatically as they subsequently did?
In spite of the recent economic and financial volatility in the frontier markets, it is worth having a look at demographically expanding second- and third-tier emerging economies. Partial economic catch-up is nonetheless achievable against the backdrop of global technological diffusion and growth-oriented domestic policies. . © Copyright 2015. Economic Conditions Snapshot, September 2015: McKinsey Global Survey results.
Executives are more downbeat about the state of the global economy now than at any time this year, according to McKinsey’s latest survey on economic conditions. Recent turmoil in global markets has fueled concern over the strength of respondents’ home economies—and of the world economy, too. At the same time, executives cite volatile economic conditions and exchange rates as emerging threats to both domestic and global growth in the short term. A majority predict that oil prices will stay low in the next year, which could potentially spur future growth. It’s unclear, though, how much a growth spurt from oil prices could offset the economic risks posed by increased volatility.
Executives in emerging markets are particularly concerned with volatility at home—especially in China, where four-fifths of respondents say their economy has worsened in the past six months. Volatility on the rise As a risk to short-term domestic growth, volatility is cited more often now than in previous surveys.