2022年3月18日 星期五

The Daily: The Fight for the Future

And the war on Russian energy.

Welcome to the weekend. This week, Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, which U.S. officials called "war crimes," dominated the news. But we also covered the effects of another, more subtle invasion: the takeover of cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo by investors intent on winning the race to our electric future. Below, we explain how the two are linked.

Then, we share some listening recommendations for your weekend from Sabrina Tavernise, our new, official second host of the show. You can shout a warm welcome to Sabrina here.

The big idea: The fight for the future

The Daily strives to reveal a new idea in every episode. Below, we go deeper on one of those from our show this week.

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A resident living near the Kisanfu mine in Mayeba, Democratic Republic of Congo, showed off rocks he found there that contain cobalt.

The war in Ukraine — the optics, the actors, the lies used for justification — feels like a flashback. With his invasion, President Vladimir V. Putin is trying to resurrect the past, a time when land grabs were brazen, the concept of empire wasn't canceled and military might determined superpower status.

That's a worldview global leaders have united to reject. But now the question remains: What do they stand for, really?

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The rush to repudiate Russia has accelerated a reckoning with collective values and commitments. Specifically, Western governments are now re-evaluating their reliance on Russian oil and gas — and asking what they can do to expedite the green transition to divest in Russian energy. Below, we explain just how much has changed and examine why maintaining these stated commitments to a green energy transition will prove challenging.

What has changed?

To trace the period before and after Russia's invasion in the worlds of geopolitics, business, culture and sports, is to see how Putin's attack made the inconceivable suddenly inevitable.

Diplomatically, socially and economically, Russia became a pariah. Previously polarized parliaments and strained alliances were revived. Governments issued stringent sanctions, strangling Russia and causing the ruble to crash and the country's stock market to close.

Overnight, oil giants like BP, Shell and Exxon walked away from significant investments in Russia, one of the largest producers of fossil fuels in the world. Technology companies like Apple halted sales in the country and Google pulled Russian media off its networks. Sports bodies like FIFA and the International Olympic Committee barred Russians from competing.

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But this didn't stop Putin. The war is dragging on, with civilian casualties mounting and a refugee crisis straining Europe. Now, world leaders are asking how to sustain pressure on Putin — and discovering the answer will require continued divestment in Russian energy sources.

Dependence on Russian oil and gas

Russia is highly dependent on its energy trade, with fossil fuels accounting for almost half of its exports and 28 percent of its federal budget in 2020.

After the invasion of Ukraine, Western countries moved quickly to cut off these exports. As punishment for waging war, President Biden announced the United States would cut off Russian oil imports.

But unlike the United States, the European Union has not banned imports of Russian oil and gas. According to our colleagues at The Debatable, Europe relies on Russia for about one-third of its oil and 40 percent of its natural gas. (The United States, by contrast, gets none of its natural gas and only about 3 percent of the oil it consumes from Russia.)

Germany is especially dependent on Russian fossil fuels; it is Europe's largest energy consumer and Russia's most important customer. That dependence deepened after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, in 2011, when Chancellor Angela Merkel committed to closing all of Germany's nuclear plants. Russia now supplies more than half of Germany's gas, half of its coal and about a third of its oil, according to Bloomberg.

But now, world leaders like Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland say that the West is "financing Russia's war" by buying the country's gas and oil.

"The world is paying Russia $700 million a day for oil and $400 million for natural gas," Oleg Ustenko, an economic adviser to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, told The New Yorker this month. "You are paying all this money to a murderous leader who is still killing people in my country."

The green transition

World leaders know maintaining sanctions will require a long-term ban on Russian energy sources. How to do this seems clear: Transitioning quickly to renewable energy sources would reduce reliance on Russian oil and gas. Problem solved? Not really.

Beyond political opposition and partisan gridlock, the transition to renewable energy sources has been slow in some places for a few reasons. First, changing habits is challenging and getting rid of fuel-burning appliances, like gas-powered cars and stoves, is expensive. And second, sourcing the materials for renewable technologies, and producing them at scale, often requires creating new infrastructure.

The transition is "going to be much slower and much more expensive than people realize," said David Howell, the former British secretary of energy.

As we highlighted today in the show, the green transition also has a dark side. The materials necessary for the shift (like cobalt, used in batteries) are caught in an international cycle of exploitation, greed and gamesmanship — with superpowers vying for economic control of minerals in African countries. It's a fight that extends back to the Cold War, and now has expanded to include China as a key influence peddler.

Mining these resources is time-consuming, extractive and often violent — the opposite of an easy solution to skyrocketing gas prices at American pumps. Now, many climate activists are concerned that more fossil fuels, not renewable energy, could end up filling the void of Russian oil and gas exports.

As energy prices soar, some fossil fuel executives have seized on the crisis as a business opportunity. But ramping up domestic production would take time — and could set the world up for more oil and gas shocks in the future. Not to mention a dangerously overheated planet.

LISTEN TO OUR SHOWS

To learn more about Putin's endgame — and the global energy transition.

Article Image

Jose Bumba, left, pulled a 220-pound bag of cobalt from a 26-foot-deep hole in the makeshift Kasulo mine. Working conditions on such sites can be extremely dangerous. Photo: Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times

The Global Race to Mine the Metal of the Future

The quest for cobalt, which is essential for electric-car batteries, has fueled a cycle of exploitation, greed and gamesmanship.

By Michael Barbaro, Michael Simon Johnson, Eric Krupke, Kaitlin Roberts, Patricia Willens, Marc Georges, Paige Cowett, Chris Wood and Marion Lozano

Article Image

Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Four Paths Forward in Ukraine

How might the war in Ukraine unfold in the coming weeks or, potentially, months?

By Michael Barbaro, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Michael Simon Johnson, Stella Tan, Patricia Willens, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Elisheba Ittoop and Chris Wood

From The Daily team: Sabrina Tavernise's favorite Daily episodes

A high school in Sheberghan, Afghanistan, in May. Despite claims, the Taliban are likely to severely restrict education for girls and women.Kiana Hayeri for The New York Times

Over the last few months, you may have heard Sabrina Tavernise, a Times reporter, stepping in as host on a number of Daily episodes. She has helmed episodes exploring the impact of the Texas abortion law, the assassination of Haiti's president and, more recently, has reported heart-rending dispatches from the war in Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Sabrina was named as the second host of The Daily. To mark her official entry into the Daily family, here is a selection of three of her favorite episodes of the show.

"The Decision of My Life": This is the story of N, an 18-year-old girl from Kabul, Afghanistan. N's life was transformed last year after the fall of the Afghan government and her family tried to marry her off to a member of the Taliban. The episode is the first of two parts; listen to our follow-up conversation with N here.

The School Board Wars: School boards have emerged as a new battleground in American politics. In our two-part episode, we visited a school board meeting in Bucks County, Pa., where the fissures in American society are evident (you can listen to the second episode here).

The Great American Resignation: Last year, we spoke to workers and managers about why it had become so hard to get staff back through the doors as lockdowns came to an end. "I had never seen it like this before in my career," one owner of a gourmet burger restaurant in Texas told us.

On The Daily this week

Monday: As the conflict in Ukraine intensifies, a look at how the Russian government has taken steps to shield its people from information about the war.

Tuesday: We spoke to Lynsey Addario, a photojournalist, about the image she took that captured the new reality of the fighting in Ukraine.

Wednesday: A look back on the lessons learned about inflation in the 1970s and how it informs today's policy.

Thursday: David E. Sanger walked us through four possibilities for what comes next in Russia's war on Ukraine.

Friday: How the global competition to dominate the business of clean energy is playing out in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

That's it for the Daily newsletter. See you next week.

Have thoughts about the show? Tell us what you think at thedaily@nytimes.com.

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2022年3月16日 星期三

The T List: Five things we recommend this week

An ASL-inspired mural, a miniature wearable bouquet — and more.

Welcome to the T List, a newsletter from the editors of T Magazine. Each week, we share things we're eating, wearing, listening to or coveting now. Sign up here to find us in your inbox every Wednesday. And you can always reach us at tlist@nytimes.com.

SEE THIS

A Mural for the Moment

Christine Sun Kim's "Time Owes Me Rest Again" (2022).Hai Zhang

By Julia Bozzone

T Contributor

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"It seems like everyday life is getting more and more brutal," says the Berlin-based American artist Christine Sun Kim. Indeed, she conceived of her new 100-foot mural, "Time Owes Me Rest Again" (2022), while mulling the Covid-19 crisis, rampant inequality, environmental collapse and the crushing effects of capitalism. The installation, which just opened at the Queens Museum in New York, consists of black-and-white graphic renderings of the American Sign Language hand motions for the five words in the piece's title — all of which require the signer's hands to come into contact with another part of the body — alongside those same words printed in English. Kim, who is Deaf, is interested in exploring multisensory ways of depicting sound and in helping Deaf existence penetrate hearing culture. Though she didn't originally intend for the markings to resemble shooting stars, clouds and rainbows, she's pleased that they do and describes the work as "a score disguised as a series of shapes." As for the title phrase itself, Kim, who is a mother of one, was struck by how her American friends work long hours, sometimes at more than one job, and never feel relaxed in their roles as parents. "Time is made to be a luxury," she says. "But, ideally, it shouldn't be." queensmuseum.org

BUY THIS

A Flower-Holding Brooch

A brooch for flowers, the collaboration of florist Marsano, jewelry designer Sabrina Dehoff and König Souvenir.Left: Matthias Leidinger. Right: courtesy of Sabrina Dehoff

By Alison Hugill

T Contributor

For Berliners, there are few things more coveted than a bouquet from Marsano, an artisanal florist located on the border of the city's Kreuzberg and Mitte districts and known for its commitment to sourcing its blooms as regionally and sustainably as possible. Last year, the team there paired with the German jewelry designer Sabrina Dehoff and König Souvenir — a shop born out of a collaboration between Berlin's König Galerie and its network of artists and makers — to create a petite vessel that facilitates wearing one's love for blooms on one's sleeve or, as is perhaps more likely, one's lapel: This silver-plated brooch resembles paper wrapped around the stems of an arrangement, its folds achieved through a process of casting and hand polishing. The idea is that wearers will fill the conical piece with whatever flora is on hand or aligns with a particular outfit or occasion. They can start, however, with the seasonal Marsano-made posies that come with each purchase and transform the brooch from mere statement piece to mobile aromatherapy unit. $156, koenig.art

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SMELL THIS

Scents Steeped in Family History

The Bernard line of scented candles from the Los Angeles design firm Nickey Kehoe, including Cleome, with notes of grapefruit and fresh-cut grass, and the geranium- and cardamom-inflected Oro.Courtesy of Nickey Kehoe

By Kerstin Czarra

T Contributor

Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe, the team behind the Los Angeles design studio and home décor boutique Nickey Kehoe, found a muse for their line of candles and perfume oils in the grandfather Nickey never got to meet. "He was a gentleman who believed in style, not as a superficial gesture but as a guiding force," says Nickey. A wealthy bon vivant in 1930s Germany, Bernard Niktschemny (later shortened to Nickey) survived a concentration camp before starting over in the United States. The five fragrances that make up the line, named in his honor, were also inspired by Nickey's own wanderlust and the places he believes his relative would have traveled to if he'd had the chance: Meli evokes the sun-kissed souks of Morocco with jasmine, leather and honey, while Eira's top notes of pinewood, clove and coffee conjure a cozy Scandinavian cabin in the winter. The candles and oils arrive swaddled in a printed cotton cloth that resembles the handkerchiefs Bernard once carried. Also available is the first book of Nickey Kehoe interiors, "Golden Light" (2020), which highlights the duo's warm, witty designs, including Nickey's own Spanish-style abode in Pasadena, Calif., and a colorful ranch house bordering the Pacific in Malibu. Candles and perfume oils, from $98-$108; "Golden Light," $55, nickeykehoe.com

COVET THIS

A Geometric Light Fixture With a Soft Glow

From left: Workstead's Tube pendant and sconce lights in hewn brass.Jeff Holt

By Megan O'Sullivan

T Contributor

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Founded in 2009, the design firm Workstead quickly became known for the tailored millwork and cool, lived-in feel it brought to such projects as Brooklyn's Wythe Hotel and the renovation of a mid-19th-century American cottage in Gallatin, N.Y. In all its projects, the lights, whether delicate chandeliers or ample globe pendants, are a particular point of focus, and so it made perfect sense that the firm's three founders — Robert Highsmith, Stefanie Brechbuehler and Ryan Mahoney — soon started crafting their own. The latest addition to the line is the soon-to-launch Tube collection, which consists of a pendant and a vanity sconce both anchored by a single handblown glass cylinder paired with a brass, bronze or nickel sphere affixed to either end. It's modern-looking while also harking back to midcentury styles, examples of which Highsmith often comes across while antiquing in and around Workstead's office in Hudson. "I'll find a spark while cruising the shops and take it back to the drawing board in order to provoke some aspect of that in modern-day form," he says. In this case, the glass conceals a custom LED panel and is coated with a matte finish, which gives the 270-degree range of light a soft, warm quality. workstead.com

WEAR THIS

A Crisp Button-Down by Comme Si

From left: button-down shirts in chocolate brown and white from the collaboration between Danielle Goldberg and Jenni Lee of Comme Si.Courtesy of Comme Si

By Zoe Ruffner

T Contributor

Though the stylist Danielle Goldberg is known for dressing celebrities such as Laura Harrier and Katherine Waterston in glittering gowns, with her own outfits, she often sticks to vintage men's button-downs that she has taken in to fit her frame. Now, thanks to a collaboration with Comme Si — which was founded by Jenni Lee in 2019 and sells simple but impeccable socks and boxers rendered in Egyptian cotton and Mongolian cashmere — Goldberg has designed her own version of the sartorial essential, no alterations necessary. "It has that great fit of an old shirt but feels like it was actually tailored to you," says Lee, who together with Goldberg spent 14 months refining a slightly oversize shape available in three shades — white, black and chocolate brown — of crisp Italian cotton made to soften with every wash. Free of pockets and venting, which the pair consider superfluous, the shirt does have a wide cuff, tonal buttons and a structured — but not stiff — collar. And, when tucked in, it can sit securely open at the top — revealing an undershirt, bra or bare décolletage — thanks to a discreet, ingenious snap. "I wanted to give people the freedom to style it however they want," says Goldberg. "That's ultimately what makes a button-down so great." $295, commesi.com

FROM T'S INSTAGRAM

A Cake That Tastes Like Milk and Cookies

The writer bakes a version of the cookbook author Tessa Huff's layered confection — making sure not to skimp on ingredients and opting for pink frosting — in remembrance of her late brother, Joel.Scott J. Ross

Roxane Gay is mastering the art of cake decorating. "When the pandemic started, I decided to begin teaching myself," says the writer. So far, she has nailed base coats, florets and borders. According to Gay, there is still room for improvement. "I cannot make a frosting rose to save my life and I have no artistic ability, so pretty much all my decorated cakes look the same," she says. "But it's fine because they taste great." As for the cakes themselves, Gay has been studiously taste testing different recipes over the past two years. The cake she most wants to share with the world is an elegant but simple version inspired by the timeless pairing of milk and cookies that she found in the 2019 cookbook "Icing on the Cake," by the Vancouver-based baker and cookbook author Tessa Huff. "It's a real crowd-pleaser," Gay says of the confection, whose alternating layers of fluffy vanilla cake and chocolate-chip filling are finished with a blended buttercream frosting. "It actually tastes like milk and cookies." Read the full story on tmagazine.com, and follow us on Instagram.

Correction: Last week's newsletter misstated which Maiden Name founder curates their collection of objects; it is David Lê, not both Lê and Alix Freireich. (Freireich designs the store's women's wear line.) The newsletter also misspelled the given name of an artist; he is Lukas Stopczynski, not Lucas.

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