Squiz Today – Thursday, 14 October

THE SQUIZ
They are 2 of the biggest issues on the world’s plate right now: boosting the global economy and limiting climate change. And yesterday, 2 big reports dropped that highlight how hard doing both will be.

THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME… WHAT DO THEY SAY?
Check your tone, thank you very much…On the economy, the International Monetary Fund trimmed its 2021 global growth forecast to 5.9% from 6.0%. No biggie, but for Australia, the IMF reduced its 5.3% prediction to 3.5% – the largest country downgrade of its new outlook. COVID wreaked a lot more havoc since June than was expected, and across the board, nations will need to work hard to get their economies revving in 2022. And on climate change, the International Energy Agency has refreshed its stark warning to world leaders ahead of the COP26 Glasgow summit. We’re not even close to being on track to achieve the Paris agreement target of limiting average global warming to 1.5C. And looking ahead, investment in clean energy and the phasing out of fossil fuels must be rapidly accelerated, it says.

THAT’S CHEERY. SO WHAT’S NEXT?
The trick is walking and chewing gum at the same time. Or, to be specific, it’s growing economies while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. On the economic side, things are happening. The global economy is experiencing its strongest rebound since WWII. But that rebound is causing spikes in demand for fossil fuels with renewable energy sources not ready to be the answer. And that’s just one environmental consequence of boosting economic activity… Countries are being asked to make deeper short term emissions reductions, so it’s what’s known as a dilemma… For Australia’s part, the IMF said there are economic opportunities from going green, but we will need to make some dramatic changes if we are to remove a big chunk of emissions by 2030. 

Some good COVID news, AZ production to end, and the WHO takes a fresh look at the origin story

• Three shots of the good stuff: 1. NSW is on track to have 80% of its residents fully vaccinated by Sunday. 2. Wilcannia, the town in regional NSW that was under serious threat from COVID, has no active cases. And 3. the ACT comes out of its lockdown at 11.59pm tonight. Go you good things…

• The production of Aussie-made doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will grind to a halt by Christmas, manufacturer CSL said yesterday. Demand has tanked now that we have the supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines sorted.

• And the World Health Organization has assembled a new group to investigate the origins of COVID-19. Calling on the cooperation of China, the WHO’s top emergency expert Mike Ryan said they want to “take a step back, create an environment where we can again look at the scientific issues.”

NSW has another go at assisted dying laws

It’s the only Aussie state to not have assisted dying laws, but that could change with a bill being introduced into the NSW Parliament today. Drafted by independent MP Alex Greenwich, it’s proposed that adults with a terminal illness or neurodegenerative disease will have the option to end their own life with support from medical professionals. It isn’t NSW’s first attempt to pass such laws, but 30 politicians are co-sponsoring the bill, giving it more support out of the gates than similar bills have had in any state. There are, of course, those who are opposed to it, like prominent Christian values MP Reverend Fred Nile is one of those key voices. But those in favour say it has the proper safeguards. Premier Dominic Perrottet and Labor leader Chris Minns oppose the bill, but they will allow their party members to exercise a conscience vote. #SquizShortcuts

Men still bring home the bacon

Since women entered the workforce en masse, what they earn relative to their husbands has been a hot topic. Many decades later, most of the world’s women do not earn more than their men. A landmark report, which is the first to look at gender disparities in global household incomes, used data from 2.85 million heterosexual couples aged between 18yo and 65yo across 45 countries. It found a pay gap between husbands and wives across countries and social classes, including in Nordic countries that champion equality. There are many factors at play, including social norms and women leaving work to start a family. But researchers said the time taken up with unpaid care was “the main barrier preventing women from getting into, remaining and progressing in the labour force”.

Benny joins the Dolphins

The Dolphins will officially join the NRL from 2023 after it was handed the league’s 17th license yesterday. If the name seems vague, that’s because the Brissie-based team has controversially dropped ‘Redcliffe’ from their name, and they will consult with fans on something new. And if that’s not exciting enough, legendary coach/famous grump Wayne Bennett has signed a 3-year contract with the team. That’s a big deal because he’ll help attract good players and sponsors. And with rep players like Cameron Munster, Brandon Smith and Cody Walker not having a contract inked post-2022, they will be in Bennett’s sights. The Dolphins is the first team to be added to the comp in 14 years.

Quick trip’s a good trip

He came, he saw, he conquered the 10 minute trip to space. Captain Kirk aka Star Trek actor William Shatner has gone up and back to space aboard the latest Blue Origin flight. Climbing to a maximum altitude just above 100km, passengers on the Bezos Express could see the curvature of the Earth. Calling the experience “unbelievable”, a teary 90yo Shatner – now the oldest person to go to space – said it was “the most profound experience. I’m so filled with emotion about what just happened. I hope I never recover from this. I hope I can retain what I feel now. I don’t want to lose it.” Also on board was former NASA engineer/entrepreneur Chris Boshuizen – he became the 3rd Aussie to go into space. The mission was the 2nd crewed outing for Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.

Aussie endurance swimmer Chloe McCardel did it. She has set a new record for swimming the English Channel by completing her 44th crossing – the most ever by a single swimmer.

It’s official: Netflix original Squid Game is the streaming platform’s biggest-ever series at launch. The dystopian nightmare has been viewed by 111 million accounts since debuting a month ago.

And a big photographic competition has been run and won. Behold the top snaps from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

7.40pm (AEDT) – Cricket – Women’s Big Bash – Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Stars – Hobart

11.59pm (AEDT) – ACT lockdown ends

Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich introduces his private member’s bill on euthanasia to NSW Parliament, which if passed could see assisted dying allowed in NSW

ABS Data Release – Labour Force, September

AIHW Release – Mental health (Tranche 4)

World Sight Day

World Standards Day – so it’s not a day to drop them…

Anniversary of:
• Arthur Conan Doyle publishing The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892) and AA Milne’s Winnie the Pooh makes its debut(1926)
• Martin Luther King Jr winning the Nobel Peace Prize (1964)
• the deaths of Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson (1958), actor Errol Flynn (1959) and crooner Bing Crosby (1977)
• the premiere of reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007)