Disproportionate fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine has changed the world. How scientists are keeping hope alive for our world, despite all the bad climate news. Why despite everything, the US $ looks set to remain the world’s dominant reserve currency. What food might look (and taste) like in tomorrow’s world. How many real friends do we need?
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Alina Selyukh, The ripple effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine are changing the world
(NPR, 10 May 2022)
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has unleashed a series of cascading and ricochet effects, making it plain that today’s interconnected macro risks travel fast and far, and sometimes in unpredictable directions. This article zooms in on some of the ways the world has changed since the war began on Feb. 24. In particular, it has triggered a series of unprecedented sanctions against a major economy, a fast-moving refugee crisis, a shakeup of global relationships, including a reinvigorated NATO, exacerbated food price inflation, and much more (free access – reads in about 6-8 min).
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Seth Borenstein, How climate scientists keep hope alive as damage worsens
(AP News, 8 May 2022)
Bad, and often catastrophic, news keeps piling up about climate change and global warming. In such conditions, how do experts keep instilling in their daily activities the hope and optimism without which their work cannot be done? First, there is always a pathway – “Hope is seeing a pathway, even though the pathway seems far, far away.” Second, “you just have to focus on these little areas where you can make a difference.” Third, use ‘agency’ because “steady collective action, such as the youth climate activism movement and voting, gives true agency.” Fourth, trust the science that “tells us that it is not game over for Earth” (free access – reads in 5-7 min).
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Michael Dooley, Peter Garber, David Folkerts-Landau, Seizures of foreign exchange reserves will not weaken the dollar’s role as dominant reserve currency
(VOXeu, 12 May 2022)
An interesting contribution to one of the most hotly debated and topical issues in economics today: will the US dollar continue to be the world’s dominant reserve currency or not? Contrary to the consensus, these three economists argue that sanctions reinforce the dollar’s dominance rather than weaken it. They emphasize the importance of ‘collateral’ demand for reserves (especially by developing countries), and in their opinion, countries which choose to exit the dollar bloc will have restricted ability to reassure foreign investors (free access – reads in 6-8 min).
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Alex Beggs, What Dinner Will Look Like in the Next 100 Years, According to Scientists (and Sci-Fi Authors)
(Bon Appétit, 26 April 2022)
The food industry is preparing for the major disruptions to come – like climate change and demographics. The resultant innovation is widespread, concerning seeds, farming practices, technology, water, distribution, and many other areas behind-the-scenes. Innovation and the upcoming disruption are going to change the contents of our plates. Experts and science-fiction writers present their menu for 2032, 2042 and even 2122 – Bon appétit! (Metered paywall – reads in 6-8 min).
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Catherine Pearson, How Many Friends Do You Really Need?
(The New York Times, 11 May 2022)
In many rich countries, loneliness has become an epidemic and a deep societal concern. This article examines what the science says about the number of close friendships – an essential factor in wellbeing – we should have. Friendship researchers think that somewhere between three and six close friends may be the sweet spot. The Dunbar’s number contends that humans are only cognitively able to maintain about 150 connections at once, which includes an inner circle of about five close friends ‘enriched’ by larger concentric circles of more casual types of friends (metered paywall that may require prior registration – reads in 5-7 min).
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