New Global Survey Reveals That Everyone Loves Green Energy - Especially the Chinese

Vox | READ STORY

Now the Danish green energy company Ørsted (which used to be called Dong, back before it got out of the oil and gas business) has commissioned the largest-ever global survey of opinion on the subject, the Green Energy Barometer. Partnering with the research consultancy Edelman Intelligence, Ørsted surveyed a whopping 26,000 people across 13 countries in late July, ensuring that at least 2,000 demographically representative respondents were reached per country. Long story short: The whole world wants more green energy (and less coal).

Prescription Drug Abuse Increasingly Seen as a Major U.S. Public Health Problem 

Pew Research Center | READ STORY

Americans’ concerns about prescription drug abuse have risen over the past four years, with some of largest increases coming among well-educated adults. Today, 76% of the public says that prescription drug abuse is an extremely or very serious public health problem in America, compared with 63% who said the same in 2013. Just 22% regard prescription drug abuse as a somewhat serious or less serious problem, down from 34% in 2013. Concerns about mental illness are also up slightly from 2013. Currently, 72% say mental illness is an extremely or very serious public health problem, compared with 67% who said this four years ago, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted Oct. 25-30 among 1,504 adults.

Sexual Harassment: How it Stands Around the Globe

CNN | READ STORY

"Rape is an extreme consequence of sexual harassment," said Rachel Jewkes, director of the What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women global program. But there is a "myriad of behaviors," she said. The fact is that sexual harassment is part and parcel of daily life, particularly in public places, Jewkes believes. "It's used to curtail a woman's freedom". In the streets of London, Mumbai, Washington or Lagos, the recent outpouring of stories from women using #MeToo and its many iterations has shown the uniformity of the problem -- irrespective of country and culture.

Turning Point: Which Countries' GHG Emissions Have Peaked? Which Will in the Future?

World Resources Institute |

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The global community has coalesced around the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement, one of which is to peak global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as soon as possible. The longer we delay the peak—the point when global emissions switch from increasing to decreasing—the more difficult it will be to limit global warming. Yet global GHG emissions are still rising and are expected to continue to climb through 2030. The timing of when individual countries’ emissions peak and then decline—especially those of major emitters like the United States and China—is critically important in determining whether we can avoid the most dangerous climate impacts.

Electric Cars Already Cheaper to Own and Run Than Petrol or Diesel

The Guardian | READ STORY

Electric cars are already cheaper to own and run than petrol or diesel cars in the UK, US, and Japan, new research shows. The lower cost is a key factor driving the rapid rise in electric car sales now underway, say the researchers. At the moment the cost is partly because of government support, but electric cars are expected to become the cheapest option without subsidies in a few years. The researchers analyzed the total cost of ownership of cars over four years, including the purchase price and depreciation, fuel, insurance, taxation, and maintenance. They were surprised to find that pure electric cars came out cheapest in all the markets they examined: UK, Japan, Texas, and California.