In the course of writing this blog, I’ve been doing an awful lot of reading. Some of what I’ve discovered is interesting, but doesn’t require a full write-up. Therefore, the following are just some tidbits or news-item gems that I have come across.

(1) In a previous blog entry, I wrote about the great potential for clean power from alternative energy sources such as wind farms, mirror farms and solar power. There is considerable irony, however, in the fact that some of these projects are themselves being delayed or halted on environmental grounds. In such cases, objections have to do with the possible damage to the natural habitat and the creatures that depend on it.

(2) The United States and Australia were the only two industrialized nations that did not sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and carbon emissions. Australia’s position becomes easier to understand once one learns that over 80% of the electric power in that nation is generated through the use of coal. (Burning coal is a notorious greenhouse gas emitter, although efforts are continuing to make improvements in “scrubber” technology.)

(3) I’ve written before about winners and losers in this “extreme” slowdown, which has been accompanied by high fuel prices. Based on financial reporting, it is clear that Wal-Mart is in the first category, as cash-strapped consumers shop for bargains on staples. Amazon.com has also benefited as shoppers have gone on-line while leaving their cars parked in the garage. Among the losers are builders and service providers for marine pleasure craft and recreational vehicle manufacturers (i.e., the Winnebagos of this world).

(4) Surfing along on top of the worldwide commodities boom, Brazil created more millionaires in 2007 than any other nation on earth, with the exceptions of India and China. Helping the windfall has been a tripling in Brazil’s stock market in the past four years. The recent wild success of initial public offerings has made many entrepreneurs and investors rich virtually overnight.

(5) For reasons having to do with its chemical composition, sugar cane is a much more effective feedstock for ethanol than other organic substances such as corn, wheat, saw-grass and wood chips. As a result, there will inevitably be greater efforts (i.e., through lower tariffs) to have more Brazilian ethanol imported into North America. This would also seem to be an opportunity for Cuba to improve its public face, now that there has been a change at the top. Much of the farmland in Cuba is underutilized. Promotion of more sugar cane cultivation for ethanol production would seem to be a logical step.

(6) British Columbia has been the first province in Canada to try out a new high-tech driver’s license that includes a radio-frequency chip to access information about citizenship. Washington State has also issued the new enhanced licenses. Other provinces and states looking at adopting the new system are Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, New York, Vermont and Arizona. The chief benefits are increased security and faster border crossings. This is a particular concern for B.C., which is worried about long border delays as spectators arrive from the U.S. to watch the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver-Whistler.

Alex Carrick

Find Canadian construction-related economic articles in Canadian Construction Market News and in the Economic Outlook section of Daily Commercial News.

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08/07/2008 - posted by marcus

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