Finance

Fracking: The Key to a Combating Climate Change?

/ Matthew Clemente / Leave a comment

Fracking: The Key to a Combating Climate Change?

Fareed Zakaria recently disgusted how increase access to natural gas has led tode decreased CO2 admissions.  Zakaria posits further gains may be made by sharing our hydrofracturing technology with China.  Here is a description of the story: 

We have been thinking about an idea in the opinion pages of the New York Times to tackle one of the great challenges of our times: cutting carbon emissions to slow down climate change. It would result in the single largest reduction of CO2 emissions globally of any feasible idea out there. But there are a couple of hitches. Let’s explain.

Here’s the idea: it’s time to help China master fracking safely.

By now it’s clear that fracking (the process of extracting shale gas) has dramatically lowered America’s CO2 emissions. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2006, a fifth of our electricity came from natural gas, while almost 50 percent came from coal. By 2012, natural gas had increased its share to 30 percent of our electricity. Coal’s share dropped to 37 percent. The change was because of fracking: over that same period, shale gas production grew 800 percent.

The Economics of Immigration Reform

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The Economics of Immigration Reform

Recently, Fareed Zakaria discussed the economics of immigration reform.  Here is a description of Fareed’s economic argument in favor of reform.  Here is a description of the video: 

The latest numbers show slow growth in the United States. That’s bad for jobs, income – it’s even bad for those worried about the deficit because it means lower tax revenues. And it has prompted a revival of the partisan debate about what to do about it.

Well, there’s one idea out there that could have support from both parties. A study out last week suggests there is one very simple way to increase tax revenue, expand GDP, and create jobs – all at the same time. What’s more, Congress is already weighing it: it’s called immigration reform.

How and why? Well, a new paper from the left-leaning Center for American Progress actually calculates the economic impact of immigration reform.

 

Suboxone: Why Government is Frustrating

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NPR’s Planet Money team tells the story of Suboxone, an anti-addiction drug that the government subsidized then regulated to the point that it is almost impossible for addicts to access.  To attain the anti-drug, addicts are left turning to… their drug dealers. 

Here is a description of the story: 

There’s a pill called Suboxone that treats addiction to heroin and pain pills like oxycontin. Doctors and addicts say it’s amazing.

“It was the best thing that ever happened,” one heroin addict told us. “I was like OH. MY. LORD. This is a miracle pill.”

The government spent tens of millions of dollars developing Suboxone. Doctors can prescribe it in their offices. But a lot of people who want it can’t get it from a doctor, so they have to buy it on the street.

Today on the show: Why people have to turn to drug dealers to get a pill that fights addiction.

Syracuse University Helps Wounded Vets Start Small Businesses

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Syracuse University Helps Wounded Vets Start Small Businesses

Tonight, 60 Minutes ran a story about  veteran Mike Haynie, who has created a course to teach vets how to launch their own businesses at the Whitman School of Management   The segment starts as follows: 

In January, Walmart pledged to hire any recent veteran who wanted a job – the company projects that could be 100,000 vets in the next five years. That’s a big commitment at a time when it’s needed.

 

There are three million Americans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and they face a host of problems when they come home. It’s not just unemployment, nearly half have a disability because of their service. Most tragically, more soldiers killed themselves last year than died at the hands of the enemy.

 

One veteran turned business school professor has an innovative solution to help them succeed as civilians: give the vets a new mission — business ownership. Funded in part by Walmart, PepsiCo and other companies, he started a small business incubator, tailor-made to help disabled vets trade in their combat boots for business suits.

“America Doesn’t Need A Strong Dollar Policy

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“America Doesn’t Need A Strong Dollar Policy

That was the proposition debated on NPR’s Intelligence Squared, whose website  describes the debate as follows: 

It’s often taken for granted that America needs a strong dollar.  When the value of the U.S. dollar is strong relative to other currencies, it becomes attractive to investors and allows Americans to buy foreign goods and services cheaply.  But in times of recession, are we better off with a weak dollar that stimulates U.S. manufacturing by making our goods cheaper and more competitive?  Or will the loss of purchasing power and currency manipulation abroad, offset the potential gains?

The debaters included Fredric Miskin (Columbia Business School) and John Taylor (Chairman and Founder, FX Concepts) arguing in favor of the motion and Steve Forbes(Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Forbes Media) and James Grant (Editor and Founder, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer).