Violent protests rocked Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka as students mobilized against an employment quota system that reserves jobs for the relatives of veterans from the country’s 1971 war for independence against Pakistan. Students are frustrated by the high level of youth unemployment, and angry about the nepotism and corruption they see under the rule of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been in power 15 years.
(“Bangladesh Court Scraps Jobs Quotas After Deadly Unrest,” BBC, July 22, 2024; “Deep Roots of Bangladesh Crisis,” Foreign Policy, July 23, 2024)
Rising sea levels along the southern U.S. coast are creating a new set of climate change challenges for many vulnerable communities. Torrential rain and high-tide flooding could rival hurricane damage over the long term. Climate scientist Jianjun Yin told the Washington Post such flooding is abnormal, unprecedented and irreversible. Tides from North Carolina to Texas are six to nine inches higher than in 2010, and are overwhelming wetlands, the natural barriers against major storm surges. The Gulf of Mexico has seen rising waters at twice the rate experienced globally.
(“Where Seas are Rising at an Alarming Rate,” Washington Post, April 29, 2024)
Three years ago, Connecticut state Senator Norm Needleman introduced legislation that would provide incentives to lure large data centers to the state. Connecticut was looking to compete with other states to host massive server farms that service tech giants like Google and Facebook. Today, Needleman is having second thoughts about granting generous tax breaks and energy discounts to data center developers.
(“States Rethink Data Centers as Electricity Hogs,” Stateline, April 30, 2024)
