With the holiday season upon us, this week’s briefing provides our summer reading list of articles designed to offer a distraction from the rigours of travel, leisure or, indeed, of continuing work. Our choices below are free, although some websites may have restrictions on how many articles can be read without charge.

Over the centuries, societies have shifted from one energy source to another in search of cheap, convenient power. This article from the Smithsonian Magazine details how America’s move from burning wood to burning coal in the home ran into a surprising set of objections, including concerns about aesthetics, patriotism and gastronomy. This 19th century energy transition suggests that decarbonisation requires social change as well as different sources of energy. Reading time: 8 minutes.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/americans-hated-coal-180980342/

India recently surpassed China to become the world’s most populous country and has seen spectacular rates of growth in recent years, lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty. This piece by economist Noah Smith outlines how India’s young population, open economy and scale have set it on a path to superpower status. Reading time: 11 minutes.

https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/herecomesindia

Inflation is starting to wane, in the process bolstering financial markets and economic optimism. But with inflation rates running well above target levels and wages showing strong growth the battle to tame inflation is far from over. This fascinating piece examines how two long-term trends – what author Matthew Klein calls the “green” and “grey” transitions – could keep fuel inflation for years to come. Reading time: 12 minutes.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23717600/high-inflation-cpi-climate-change-population-aging

Many cities are reassessing the role of cars in cities, but few as enthusiastically as Paris’s socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo. In the 1960s and 1970s Parisian planners focussed on accommodating surging car ownership by building new roads and car parks. Now car parks are being closed, public transport is booming and bike lanes are everywhere. Between 2001 and 2018 car use in Paris declined by almost 60%. This piece by the American magazine Slate examines this controversial topic, speaking to its proponents and detractors. Reading time: 28 minutes.

https://slate.com/business/2023/03/paris-car-ban-bikes-cycling-history-france.html

When the Victorians imported Japanese knotweed into the UK they admired its flowers, ability to stabilise sand dunes and feed cattle. Little did they know that the plant would spread to become an expensive menace and cost homeowners dearly. This article by The Guardian long read speaks to the people on the front line of the war against the weed. Reading time: 24 minutes.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/16/the-war-on-japanese-knotweed

Acid rain caused huge damage, to trees, soils, rivers and lakes, though its most visible manifestation is its corrosive effect on stone sculptures. Since the 1990s emissions of sulphur dioxide which cause acid rain have plummeted in what counts as one of the great environmental successes of the modern period. This article examines how a scientific consensus on the damaging effects of acid rain shifted views in government and turned the tide of sulphur dioxide emissions. Reading time: 13 minutes.

https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-end-of-acid-rain

PS: An additional recommendation for holiday listening would be the excellent Green Room podcast created by our colleagues at Deloitte, engaging experts on some of the biggest economic and social questions of the day. Recent episodes have featured guests such as Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, talking about what makes a city great, and Bobby Duffy, professor at King's College, examining the usefulness of generational identity (whether millennial or baby boomer) in understanding people's choices and way of work. Here's a link to the latter episode. https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/about-deloitte-uk/articles/the-green-room-podcast-episode.html?episode=46#

For the latest charts and data on health and economics, visit our Economics Monitor:

https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/finance/articles/covid-19-economics-monitor.html