🏘 The surprising benefits of building houses
+ Merkel's era, Climate Ratings, What to watch (#362)
1. The housing theory of everything
It’s good to be wary of monocausotaxophilia — the love of single causes that explain everything. At the same time, it’s important to see connections where they exist. This analysis makes the (convincing) case for why housing shortages are at the root of a wide range of issues, and that «solving it needs to become everyone’s highest priority.» Building more houses and flats will mean better jobs, healthier people, lower carbon emissions. Read more.
2. The Fateful Chancellor: What the end of the Merkel era means for the world
Big cover essay on the «pre-eminent European leader of the post-1989 era», by The New Statesman’s international editor. And even though he describes Merkel as «fiendishly hard to define», he does an outstanding job doing just that. Read it now.
3. Climate Action Tracker Ratings
Take a guess: How many countries in the world have policies in place that are compatible with the Paris agreement, i.e. are doing their part in keeping global …