The first centres on green technologies and industries, a race to decarbonise. China has stolen a march in technologies such as solar and battery manufacture. Latterly the west has stirred, led by the US Inflation Reduction Act’s blockbuster package of subsidies and incentives. The EU is now escalating its own efforts. With an extra investment of around 2-3 per cent of global gross domestic product per year in green technologies needed to hit net zero, this race has a distance to run.
These initiatives have drawn criticism on the grounds they amount to a subsidy race. But an arms race to invest in decarbonising technologies is in fact exactly what the world needs to tackle two global externalities — the climate crisis and the investment drought. The theory of the second best tells us that, faced with an externality, subsidies can help us achieve the best attainable outcome.
Well yes, I guess that would be the most "tangible " part of the article.
Imo the whole article, creates a context of opportunities, as if the world has started a new kind of green/ tech/ sustainable and re-industrialization " revolution ".
As I perceive it, there were downsides to the old fashioned outsourcing, de-industrialisation, the unconditional (unbalanced) global trade system, etc.
The new apparent geopolitical, climate, migration/population , and health crises, made existing cracks very visible, and brought us to the turningpoint we are at, or have already passed.
I can only speak from my own (limited) experience & worldview, ofcourse, but to me we have passed this “turningpoint” in Europe, and things have been dramatically changing in an accelerated pace these recent years.
I’d like very much that this articles optimism and described scenarios will come to fruitation, and that the current developments will give us all, more and better opportunities.
On the other hand, too much competition, and more and too much wars, could equally prove devastating. I’d like to acceed to this article with carefull optimism, and or a more realistic “maybe”.
This is the key part imo
Well yes, I guess that would be the most "tangible " part of the article.
Imo the whole article, creates a context of opportunities, as if the world has started a new kind of green/ tech/ sustainable and re-industrialization " revolution ". As I perceive it, there were downsides to the old fashioned outsourcing, de-industrialisation, the unconditional (unbalanced) global trade system, etc. The new apparent geopolitical, climate, migration/population , and health crises, made existing cracks very visible, and brought us to the turningpoint we are at, or have already passed.
I can only speak from my own (limited) experience & worldview, ofcourse, but to me we have passed this “turningpoint” in Europe, and things have been dramatically changing in an accelerated pace these recent years. I’d like very much that this articles optimism and described scenarios will come to fruitation, and that the current developments will give us all, more and better opportunities.
On the other hand, too much competition, and more and too much wars, could equally prove devastating. I’d like to acceed to this article with carefull optimism, and or a more realistic “maybe”.