Data & Eggs
Volume 257
In this week’s edition: extreme heat’s impact on our cities, big companies’ questionable ‘carbon neutrality’ claims, and streaming giants’ slowing growth.
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Extreme Heat Will Change Us
Over the coming century, more and more cities across the globe are likely to experience extreme heat on a consistent basis. So what does that mean for our daily lives? Reporters from The New York Times traveled to two cities that have already been transformed by climate change — Kuwait City and Basra, Iraq — to document what might happen.
02
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On Upward Mobility
The neighborhood a person grows up in has a profound impact on the likelihood of future success. This according to data from Raj Chetty, an economist at Harvard, who used anonymized Census data and tax records to show how outcomes for children could vary widely, even if they were raised just miles apart. In this piece for The Pudding, Aaron Williams wonders what Chetty’s research means for his own life, as a native Los Angelean who moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when he was young.
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Big Companies Claim ‘Carbon Neutrality’ Using Junk Carbon Offsets
For years, a number of major corporations like Credit Suisse, Delta Airlines, and Chevron have been claiming that their operations are totally “carbon neutral.” But in reality, most of these companies are relying on the purchase of low-quality carbon offsets to make this claim, which many researchers claim are letting polluters off the hook. This analysis by Bloomberg shows the scale of the problem.
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Disney, Other Streaming Giants Confront Era of Slowing Subscriber Growth
The days of easy subscriber growth in streaming are over, as the industry’s major players confront increased competition and rising costs. This has companies like Netflix, Disney, and Paramount contemplating shifts in strategy and leadership shakeups to try to get their offerings back on track. Many observers are anticipating a consolidation in the streaming market may be coming.
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That’s a clear offside! But why?
If you saw Saudi Arabia’s stunning upset of Argentina in the World Cup last week, you might have noticed a number of offsides calls. But for the uninitiated, what is offsides exactly? This visual explainer from The Washington Post breaks down the rule in all its glory, exceptions and footnotes included.