Long political campaigns, why a Cybertruck?, the nation in numbers, resale prices for EVs, water rates, Dimon on the national debt, sources of electricity, Olympic Games, mpox, animal portraits
August 19, 2024 - The Nett Report
Every other week, the award-winning Nett Report provides readers with thoughtful perspectives helpful to navigating life in a changing world. Past issues.
“Tell them stories. They need the truth. You must tell them true stories, and everything will be well.” - Mary Malone in the novel “The Amber Spyglass”
Political Divide
“If Politico and the Washington Post and the New York Times suddenly have … misgivings about their 2016 conduct… they have a choice to make: They can either hold Trump to the same standard as Clinton, and cover the contents of his campaign’s emails breathlessly. Or, for the first time in nearly a decade, they can be candid with their subscribers regarding their past failures. Otherwise, they will have chosen, de facto, to thumb the scales of our elections for Donald Trump.” – Author James Fallows in his August 17. 2024, Breaking the News newsletter.
The history of long political campaigns explained
Campaigns for political offices seemingly drag on for years. In other parts of the world the processes might take only weeks. According to historian Heather Cox Richardson, the concept of a long campaign is relatively new. In her August 9, 2024, newsletter, Letters from an American, she outlines the history of political campaigns and how they became the drawn-out affairs we expect today.
New website focuses on our nation, in numbers
USAFacts, a relatively new website, presents government data to drive fact-based discussions. Topics include crime, the economy, education, health, population, the environment, and more. The site is funded by former Microsoft CEO and philanthropist Steve Ballmer.
Future of Work / The Economy
Why is there a Tesla Cybertruck?
“As I lumbered around in this conspicuous piece of concept art, I realized that Tesla may have delivered exactly what the world needs in this era of political, environmental, and economic angst: something else to talk about. Whether it’s mocked or praised, the Cybertruck is the ultimate conversation piece. That’s perhaps a luxury in itself.” - Jaclyn Trop, Fortune, August 5, 2024
Discussion about EVs and their prices continues
In the last issue of The Nett Report, we covered a comparison of the three types of electric and hybrid vehicles. In this issue we take a look at media stories about trends in sales.
Leasing. On August 12, 2024, Reuters reported that the leasing model for electric vehicles is breaking down. “If we were pushed very, very hard, that everything has to be electric too soon ... my shareholders will say 'we don't want to take the risk' and we'd be out of the market," said Tim Albertsen, CEO of Ayvens, one of Europe's largest auto leasing firms. As you can see from the chart above, the sale price of used EVs has plummeted, which affects leasing terms.
Used EV sales. An August 19, 2024, story in Forbes says Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominate the used EV market, but prices for the Model 3 have dropped below $25,000 and as low as $14,000, in part because new EV prices are lower as different brands compete for market share.
New EV sales. Meanwhile, the official numbers from the State of California show zero emissions vehicles accounted for 25.7% of new vehicle sales in the second quarter of 2024.
Toyota’s approach. Toyota, a longtime leader in sustainable vehicles, will release 10 new fully electric EVs by 2026, according to an August 11, 2024, story in SLASHGEAR. However, the firm is also building three new internal combustion engines and believes in focusing on the mass deployment of hybrids. “The company's internal documents illuminate its 1:6:90 rule, which states that the same amount of raw material used to generate one fully electric vehicle can be used to make six plug-in hybrids or as many as 90 hybrid cars. Besides the smaller requirement for raw materials, Toyota estimates that these 90 hybrid cars combined offset 37 times the carbon emissions of a single EV.”
Fast-charging. An August 16, 2024, column in the Wall Street Journal suggests that the need for fast chargers in the home is over-rated, and that most EV owners can do just fine using a regular outlet.
Water rates in the 50 largest U.S. cities
Are you wondering how your water and wastewater rates compare to other cities in the U.S.? Black & Veatch Management Consulting has compiled a report that answers that question for the top 50 cities in the U.S. Most expensive water rates: San Francisco. Most expensive wastewater rates: Atlanta.
Jamie Dimon’s solution to reduce the national debt involves the wealthy
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told Fortune on August 16, 2024, that the U.S. could reduce the $35 trillion national debt by implementing the Buffet Rule: “No household earning more than $1 million annually should pay a smaller share of its income than middle-class families.” Dimon said he would use the money to “help make [America] a better country. So some of it is [for] infrastructure, earned income tax credits (EITC), military. I would have a competitive international tax system…and then I would maximize growth.”
Climate Change
Every sustainability choice always comes with tradeoffs. There are very few that don't have attached baggage.” - Anthony Schiavo, senior director and principal analyst at Lux Research
Top sources of electricity changing from coal to natural gas
As long predicted and reported in the New York Times in an August 2, 2024, story, natural gas is becoming the transition fuel moving electricity generation from coal to renewables. Not as bad as coal and not as good as solar and wind, natural gas is helping to make the change needed while solar and wind continue to gain ground.
Olympic Games’ eco-friendliness tarnished by Coca-Cola
The 2024 Summer Olympic Games plowed new ground in eco-friendliness according to an August 11, 2024, story in Euronews. From serving an estimated 40,000 energy-friendly vegan meals, to powering the games with renewable energy from the French state utility EDF, to repurposing buildings rather than creating new ones, the games made great strides. Still, the Guardian on August 7, 2024, reported the events were tarnished when sponsor Coca-Cola put a cloud over the sustainability gains by filling drinks in “eco-cups” from plastic bottles at some venues and amassing sacks of empty bottles for recycling.
Health
WHO declares mpox a global public health emergency
According to an August 14, 2024, story in Reuters, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a global public health emergency. “Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body … It has spread from Congo to neighboring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, triggering the action from the WHO.
Five tips to avoid cancer
It seems like a no-brainer, but The Washington Post on August 5, 2024, posted a story with five tips from an oncologist to avoid cancer:
Take sun protection seriously
Keep alcohol intake at a minimum
Don’t smoke
Exercise half an hour every day
Avoid sugary drinks, fast food, and processed meats
The Nett Light-Side
“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does - that makes you a winner right there.” - Venus Williams
Photographer captures portraits of animals striking human-like poses
Antwerp photographer Vincent Lagrange has published a new book, Between Us: Animal Portraits, that showcases “finished portraits [that] are a dignified look at the animal kingdom.” As reported by My Modern Met on July 26, 2024, “his remarkable images don't just capture the details of each animal's anatomy, but also strike much deeper into their unique characters.” Click on the link to see some of the images.
Australian sea lions exploring seafloor habitat with cameras
Exploring, photographing, and categorizing the seafloor is difficult. However, a team of researchers from the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Research and Development Institute have been deploying sea lions to do the work. According to an August 7, 2024, story in Science, cameras have been glued to the backs of eight sea lions that provide recordings of “unseen underwater habitats and previously undocumented sea lion behaviors.”
About Carl Nettleton
Carl Nettleton is an award-winning writer, speaker, thought partner, facilitator, and subject-matter expert regarding water, climate, sustainability, the ocean, and binational U.S.-Mexico border affairs. Nettleton Strategies, the consultancy he founded in 2007, is a trusted source of analysis and advice on issues at the forefront of public policy, business, and the environment. He helps people and organizations to think strategically about their options for change. He is also the founder of OpenOceans Global, a nonprofit addressing ocean plastic in a new way.