8 ms·

1. A CO2 level of 950ppm (or higher) produces a noticeable cognitive decline when compared to 550pm: https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/27662232/489292

1. A CO2 level of 950ppm (or higher) produces a noticeable cognitive decline when compared to 550pm: https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/27662232/4892924.pdf?sequence=1 https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/27662232/4892924... I have lived across new buildings in Eastern Europe and there are very few if any buildings which can reach 550pm, typically they will sit at 950ppm. (Admittedly I cannot speak to ventilation quality in Western/Central Europe) If the EU desires digital leadership it needs to solve this cognitive burden. Europe is uniquely at risk here, because their main competitors (USA and China) sit at lower latitudes where houses can be more leaky. 2. Payroll taxes are mostly absent in the USA, UK, Australia, Scandinavia. They can be replaced with income taxes or land taxes, or simply by reducing Government spending by increasing the aged pension rate (the welfare system occupies about 50% of National Government spending). These are important because the Tech industry is unique for individual exceptionalism in talent and salaries. If a USA startup pays 3% of a salary in payroll, but as an EU startup I pay 35%, how can I compete? Either my labour costs are much higher or the salaries I can offer are much lower. 3. The EU has freedom of movement so agricultural practices and workers need policies at a bloc-level. Australia has been successful in controlling its borders, and for the past several years has had essentially zero unauthorised boat arrivals, despite its huge coastline: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Stop_the_boats_-_Operation_Sovereign_Borders.jpg/1024px-Stop_the_boats_-_Operation_Sovereign_Borders.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/St... We as tech workers should realise that if these workers are removed from economies, the demand for automation and AI will increase, meaning greater demand for tech skills.

toyg 6y ago
1. There is a long way to go before Chinese cities are on the same pollution levels as most of Western Europe, likely even Eastern Europe. I personally don't see it as much of a priority. That's really the sort of thing you guys have to sort out on your own, imho. 2. this is, politically, a non-starter. As a voter, I would not agree with it. I think there is margin in every country to tweak policies according to local needs, but a blanket continent-wide ban is unrealistic and unlikely to appear anytime soon. 3. It's unrealistic to compare a big isolated landmass surrounded by massive oceans, with a complex territory surrounded by a pretty shallow sea and a massive land border. In addition, Australia effectively employed inhumane practices, with all that they entail (including protracted legal cases), and stained the reputation of the country probably forever in terms of human rights. But I don't think this is a topic for HN, the purported link between migration and mechanization is extremely tenuous.

toyg 6y ago

1. There is a long way to go before Chinese cities are on the same pollution levels as most of Western Europe, likely even Eastern Europe. I personally don't see it as much of a priority. That's really the sort of thing you guys have to sort out on your own, imho. 2. this is, politically, a non-starter. As a voter, I would not agree with it. I think there is margin in every country to tweak policies according to local needs, but a blanket continent-wide ban is unrealistic and unlikely to appear anytime soon. 3. It's unrealistic to compare a big isolated landmass surrounded by massive oceans, with a complex territory surrounded by a pretty shallow sea and a massive land border. In addition, Australia effectively employed inhumane practices, with all that they entail (including protracted legal cases), and stained the reputation of the country probably forever in terms of human rights. But I don't think this is a topic for HN, the purported link between migration and mechanization is extremely tenuous.