This Week’s Under-reported News Summary – Dec. 22, 2021

Compiled by Bob Nixon

  • Bolivian lithium could help fight climate change
  • Global Covid vaccine sharing initiative falling far short of its goal
  • NYC taxi drivers win some debt relief from city

• Bolivia’s salt flats, with vast deposits of lithium, could be a pathway to expand the use of electric vehicles worldwide. Lithium is a basic component of lithium-ion batteries, which are lightweight, have a long life, large storage capacity and are easy to recharge. To power the future’s large fleet of electric vehicles, demand for lithium is expected to grow exponentially, and is likely to outstrip supply in the near future.

(“How Bolivian Lithium Could Help Fight Climate Change,” Economist, Dec. 8, 2021; “Green-Energy Race Draws an American Underdog to Bolivia’s Lithium,” New York Times, Dec. 16, 2021)

• COVAX, the global Covid vaccine-sharing initiative is falling far short of its goal to distribute 2 billion doses of vaccine to poor and developing nations by the end of this year. According to the Washington Post, the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative will supply 800 million doses of Covid vaccine this year.

(“Covax Promised 2 Billion Vaccine Doses To Help the World’s Neediest in 2021. It Won’t Even Deliver Even Half That.” Washington Post, Dec. 10, 2021; “120 Manufacturers in the Global South Could Be Producing mRNA Vaccines If Big Pharma Would Only Show Them How,” In These Times, Dec. 15, 2021)

• In mid-September, New York City cab drivers parked their cabs a block from City Hall and announced they would not move until Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed the cabbies’ debt crunch, which had compelled several cabbies to commit suicide. The street protest organized by the New York City Taxi Drivers Alliance started out small, but grew in numbers and clout until de Blasio agreed to a plan on debt relief on Nov. 3.

(“How the Taxi Drivers Won,” The Nation, Dec. 13, 2021)

This week’s News Summary was narrated by Anna Manzo.

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