Politics
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Alternative Energy
In New Orleans, a solar microgrid is keeping lights on in this afforda
While the rest of the neighborhood is dark, the residents at the St. Peter Apartments still have power. Can it be a model for more resilient architecture?
Biden wants nearly half the nation’s energy to come from solar by 2050 - The Washington Post
Energy Department study shows how the United States could double its installed solar power every year for the next four years, compared to 2020, and then double it again by 2030.
Markets & Economy
For many workers, raises today don't make up for years of wage stagnat
Even as retail and hospitality workers see pay hikes, they’re often not enough to offset rising prices and years of low pay.
Climate Change
Over 200 medical journals urge climate change action over health risk - Axios
Further warming would cause "catastrophic harm to health that will be impossible to reverse," the journals warn.
Experts warn of financial cost of inaction on climate change
As the Caldor Fire continues to burn in California and after Hurricane Ida cut a path of destruction in the South and Northeast, scientists continue to sound the alarm on climate change. In addition to the urgent human and environmental impacts, experts are laying out the financial cost of inaction. NBC’s Anne Thompson has this week’s Sunday Focus.
Mental health needs to evolve for climate change, experts say - The Washington Post
As the effects of climate change become severe, more people than ever may experience mental health challenges. To provide solutions, experts say the system will need to evolve.
Culture
What Makes Us Love the Pain of Hot Peppers? - WSJ
Eating spicy chilies has the effect of a self-induced chemical attack.
Opinion | The shocking saga of South Carolina’s Murdaugh family - The Washington Post
A South Carolina parable about power.
Opinion | Science Alone Can’t Heal a Sick Society - The New York Times
The political dysfunction that holds America hostage also holds science hostage.
9/11, COVID pandemic illustrate two very different US responses
Twenty years ago, Americans came together after 9/11. There was a sense of national unity. Why does the COVID-19 pandemic feel so different?
What is gentrification? It’s not the problem you might think it is. - Vox
The worst problems are in the neighborhoods that aren’t gentrifying.
Yoga, organic food and misinformation: Wellness influencers are taking the anti-vaccine movement mainstream - The Washington Post
For years, the wellness world has been entangled with vaccine hesitancy. Amid covid-19, the consequences are starker than ever.