Weekend edition—Clean energy’s opportunity, elite online education, bicy cles

Plus, a tribute to Milton Glaser. [Quartz]( Good morning, Quartz readers! In Friday’s edition of the Daily Brief, we mistakenly referred to Novavax as Novartex, which is a completely different company that, as far as we know, isn’t in the business of making vaccines. When Covid-19 tanked the global economy and governments started to roll out stimulus funding, many economists saw an [opening for major investments in]( clean energy. The hope was to lock in some of the deep carbon [carbon-emission reductions]( brought on by the global slowdown—with the added benefit that green government spending can get [more bang for the buck]( than traditional stimulus measures. So far, it looks like many of the world’s biggest polluters are missing the opportunity: A [letter]( released this week by a coalition of leading climate diplomats and economists warns that “most stimulus packages have not incorporated climate resilience into their recovery plans.” Instead, as carbon emissions [head back toward]( pre-pandemic levels, fossil fuels are getting a rich payday. That includes China, where a $1.4 trillion stimulus for clean energy and high-tech infrastructure is being undercut by accelerated permitting of coal-fired power plants. India and South Korea, too, are pumping billions into coal. Brazil is bolstering Amazon deforestation, while the US has channeled at least $479 billion to coal miners, oil drillers, airlines, and other “sectors proven to be environmentally harmful,” according to a June [analysis]( by UK-based Vivid Economics. [The news isn’t all bad](. This week the UK [unveiled]( a $3.7 billion green infrastructure package, and Japan [announced]( that it will end public support for coal plants abroad. Nigeria used the record-breaking drop in oil prices as an excuse to [eliminate]( fossil fuel subsidies. And a $850 billion green recovery [package]( for the European Union includes, among other measures, $45 billion to support a “just transition” away from fossil fuels for local economies that depend on them. There’s still time to inject more clean-energy initiatives into longer-term plans for recovery, but exploring those options without weaning ourselves off fossil fuels won’t be enough. With coal especially, investments made today could damage the climate for decades to come. —Tim McDonnell Keep up with the latest in the fight against climate change by signing up for our free Race to Zero Emissions newsletter! [⚡ Let’s get racing!]( Subscribe with one click. Five things on Quartz we especially liked A reckoning over the costs of colonialism. Haiti asserted its independence from France in 1804, but continued paying the bill for colonialism for 143 years. That, [explains African diaspora expert Marlene Daut]( is because French rulers forced Haitians to “compensate” them for the loss of land and slaves that came with independence, to the tune of 90 million francs. As the global conversation around reparations for slavery takes off in the US, Daut argues the focus should be on Port-au-Prince. —Annabelle Timsit, geopolitics reporter African societies are awakening to the importance of mental healthcare. I’ve read about how the pandemic is taking a psychological toll on healthcare workers in the US—but [Jackie Bischof’s story]( was the first I’ve seen that illuminates how that issue is playing out in African countries. I emerged feeling hopeful about how more governments and institutions are coming to recognize the importance of mental wellbeing, and devoting resources to frontline workers in need of support. —Sarah Todd, senior reporter, Quartz at Work Self-employed women are slipping through the cracks. The UK has 1.4 million self-employed people; women in particular have been drawn to the arrangement because it’s more flexible. Many of them have not received any of the money the British government has pumped into the economy to lessen the pandemic’s blow. Finance reporter [John Detrixhe spoke to five self-employed women]( to understand how they’re faring during the pandemic. The result is a portrait of women who are mostly struggling in a system that hasn’t taken them into account. —Alex Ossola, special projects editor A domani. “Just like him to draw a perfectly circular mortal journey… to pass away on his very birthday,” Anne Quito said to me about her colleague and [friend Milton Glaser]( on the day he died. People will study and analyze Glaser’s work for generations, but Anne’s tale of his last months—of relentless, enthusiastic work well past his “pre-obit”—shows the nature of his genius: Milton Glaser was a man who, at 91, was still doing his best work with joy, enthusiasm, and a lot of fun. —Annalisa Merelli, geopolitics reporter Uyghur lives matter. As the Black Lives Matter movement is felt in board rooms across the US, major corporations are taking action, withdrawing advertising from Facebook or re-naming products that reference racist tropes. [Marc Bain reminds us]( that companies are only as progressive as the bottom line allows: Few multinationals are speaking out about concentration camps where China’s government has imprisoned the Uyghur Muslim minority in western China, or new restrictions on liberty in Hong Kong. Said one observer, “Clearly, these companies know that Beijing will retaliate fiercely against any criticism of their policies.” —Tim Fernholz, senior reporter Fun fact about bicycles [A gif of Freddie Mercury beckoning during Queen's "Bicycle Race" video.] British rock band Queen’s 1978 B-side “Bicycle Race” was allegedly written after Freddie Mercury was enchanted watching the Tour de France pass by under his hotel window. Wherever the band played live, [bicycle shops sold out of bells]( which fans would then ring during the performance. And according to a story that we tried hard to verify, Queen once rented 65 bikes for a staged nude all-female race, and the rental company made them buy all the seats. Learn about [bicycling’s third boom]( the one we’re currently living in, by pedaling over to the Quartz Weekly Obsession. Want to get future Obsessions (they’re free!) delivered straight to your inbox? [⚡ Get it to me!]( Subscribe with one click. For members: Office space Employees are gradually being asked to return to offices around the world, but how are employers planning to keep them safe? [Here’s a roundup of our member-only coverage]( of the post-Covid office, from face shields to elevator tickets to the cubicle comeback. ✦ Remember when office safety meant just not spilling coffee on yourself? Not that that was ever a risk for always-graceful Quartz members. If you’re not a member yet and interested in leveling up, [try it out free for a week](. ✦ Five things from elsewhere that made us smarter Dollar stores are destroying neighborhoods. Investors have loved dollar shops Dollar General and Family Dollar for years. But investors typically don’t live in the lower-income US communities where these businesses have opened by the thousands. In this moving and deeply researched piece for the New Yorker and ProPublica, [journalist Alec MacGillis explores]( how the shops, which are minimally staffed and poorly protected by evidence-backed security measures, have created opportunities for deadly gun violence, perpetuated food deserts, and worsened economic inequality. —Lila MacLellan, senior reporter, Quartz at Work Farm to table, in the time of Covid. I’m always down for a feature on how a specific food makes the journey to my dinner plate. But [Jessica Contrera’s Washington Post article]( on the back story of Le Diplomate’s Burger Américain gives the tale a new twist by focusing on the people who make the dish possible and the ways in which their lives have been upended by coronavirus—all so diners in DC can get their $20 hamburgers without too much inconvenience. —Liz Webber, senior news curator Online higher ed is now being reserved for the elite few, writes [Kevin Carey in The Upshot](. While the most selective schools can afford to hold hybrid courses this fall, the schools in the middle, who are dealing with big state budget cuts, face the most pressure to stay open. Meanwhile, community colleges, many of whom were early adopters to online learning, will also be going virtual. As Carey puts it, “All of a sudden, Stanford has a lot in common with your local two-year vocational college.” —Michelle Cheng, reporter, Quartz at Work We’re not likely to have a Covid-19 vaccine anytime soon. In the meantime, two scientists have developed an antibody-based shot that provides a similar level of protection. A growing number of doctors, including Anthony Fauci, think the approach is promising and readily scalable. So why do US officials and pharmaceutical companies [keep refusing to mass-produce it]( Emily Baumgaertner takes a look in the Los Angeles Times. —Tim McDonnell, climate and energy reporter Jia Tolentino is still sane. New Yorker writer and Trick Mirror author Jia Tolentino said that since March she has allowed her thoughts to “drift and disappear like little clouds.” But for Interview’s “Ask a Sane Person” series, [she focused them like searing lasers]( on topics including racism, capitalism, panic, and hope. Sample quote: “I always tend toward the idea that discomfort is productive—it is for me—but racial discomfort curdles if it remains centered on whiteness. I’ve wondered if the unproductive idea of colorblindness is shifting to an unproductive idea of white self-analysis.” Just read the whole thing. —Jenni Avins, senior lifestyle correspondent Our best wishes for a relaxing but thought-filled weekend. Please send any news, comments, hamburgers, and bike seats to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by[downloading our app]( and[becoming a member](. Today’s Weekend Brief was brought to you by Tim McDonnell and Susan Howson. [facebook]( [twitter]( [external-link]( Enjoying Quartz Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here]( to sign up. If you’re looking to unsubscribe, [click here](. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10011 | United States Copyright © 2020 Quartz, All rights reserved.