This column highlights the top economic stories of the week.
Many Japanese, want what amounts to a revolution in a politically risk-averse nation: the ousting of the Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed Japan for more than a half-century. More on this story here.
The world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores is on a mission to determine the social and environmental impact of every item it puts on its shelves. And it has recruited scholars, suppliers, and environmental groups to help it create an electronic indexing system to do that. More on this story here.
Europe is gearing up for a major swine flu outbreak in the Fall. New calculations from the U.K.’s Department of Health suggest that, in the worst-case scenario, 63,000 people in the country could die after contracting the H1N1 flu virus in the first wave of the pandemic. More on this story here.
Economic downturns have historically been times in which there are more startup businesses than usual. This particular recession is a great time to start a green business. One easy place to start, for someone without a great deal of startup capital or knowledge base, would be to start a mobile food vendor business. More on this story here.
Nabucco and other new gas pipelines may make Europe’s energy more secure, but market liberalisation matters too. More on this story here.
The opening session of Intersolar North America was packed and full of energy. The solar trade show almost tripled its exhibition space and more than doubled the number of exhibitors from last year, when the first North America Intersolar show was also hosted in San Francisco. More on this story here.
