Decarbonisation will soon be part of the Indian boardroom agenda.

MS Unnikrishnan, managing director and chief executive of Thermax, said the country was at present dependent on equipment and technologies based on carbon while the world is moving towards decarbonisation so India needs to have a decarbonisation agenda in place in its corporate offices and boardrooms.

They would have to drive it down to individual decarbonisation and target reduction of carbon footprint of the company, the factories and its employees, Unnikrishnan said. He was speaking at the CII Green Conclave 2020 organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry over virtual platform.

In the coming days, CEOs will be rated not just for billions of top line or millions of bottom line created but for the amount of resources preserved, Unnikrishnan said.

What is recycled, whether whatever you have consumed is biodegradable and if in the process any harm has been cause to the earth will be looked at.

What carbon footprint the companys growth plans leaves will become important. The model of continued growth in top line, increased profits /profitability and a good shareholder return will no longer be enough, Unnikrishnan said.

According to Unnikrishnan, integrated reporting that goes beyond financial reporting and adopts sustainable development goals is becoming mandatory across the world and currently only top 500 companies in India have to do this but integrated reporting will soon be extended to every company in India.

Once that happens, only what is sustainable on earth will be permissible in the future so the capital that the industry will be utilising whether human capital, financial capital or any other capital has got to be sustainable, he said.

He suggested sustainable development goals will be the prime motive and mover for industrialised world in future so lets be prepared.

According to Unnikrishnan, the RBI governor, in a recent interaction with the Indian industry, articulated these very ideas and spoke on cleantech, green energy and climate change mitigation technologies being the second highest priority for country over the next 10 years.

Thermax MD said India was a water scarce and energy-deprived country and would have to move from a linear economy to a circular economy. Any resource taken from earth and used in the process of manufacturing cannot be linearly consumed every time so either you recycle or else whatever is remaining has to biodegradable and while doing this you cannot be causing damage to the earth anymore, he said.

In the next five to six years no industry would be allowed to release effluence into the clean water bodies nor will they be able to take fresh water, he warned Industry will not be able to consume any fresh water as availability becomes an issue and water gets reserved for people, agriculture and cattle. Industry will have to go for sea water desalination or zero water discharge.

When it comes to air pollution, Particulate Matter 2.5 is the greater challenge for the country and industry has to take care of this, too. As of now only larger polluters have to take care of SOx and NOx emissions but soon every chimney in the country will have to control these emissions and ensure clean air, Unnikrishanan said.

K S Venkatagiri, executive director of the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, said there was a potential to have a $150 to $200-billion business of supplying these clean and green technologies to industries. The CII green council for entrepreneurship will help around 100 SMEs to scale up the green technologies market by three to five times in the next three years and the CII Green Business Council is ready to work with these companies, Venkatagiri said. Achieving efficiency on the environment front would need a lot of technology and these suppliers of these technologies would become extremely important for making companies efficient and innovative, Venkatagiri said.

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Indian Inc has to move towards decarbonisation: Thermax MD & CEO - The Financial Express

Seton Hall University is working with the City of East Orange and the Mayors Office of Employment and Training on a Virtual Summer Work Experience Program.

The program, which started on July 1, runs through Aug. 21. It is being offered through VIP Online Academy, which was started in response to COVID-19 by author and entrepreneur Jamila Davis in partnership with civil rights activist Tamika Mallory and Love and Hip Hops Yandy Smith. The program is being directed by East Orange Mayor Ted Green and Juan Rios, director of the Department of Social Work at Seton Hall University.

The program was made available to 300 East Orange residents between the ages of 14 and 20. Participants are paid $10 per hour for a 20-hour work week. Capacity for the program was reached quickly.

Rios spearheaded the initiative at Seton Hall, identifying faculty presenters, assessing presentation themes from faculty and also presenting weekly workshops within the cohort.

In addition to workshops on the cultivation of mental well being and the benefits of higher education and job opportunities within the academic world, the presentations often highlight the narratives of faculty members of color at Seton Hall who have beaten the odds to take their place in the academic world. Faculty workshops have also included leadership training.

Rios has also developed the means to track and gauge the success of the program, measuring self-efficacy through a pre/post-test assessment model to provide data points on the outcome variables, thereby allowing for success-based adjustments in programming for subsequent iterations in East Orange and other cities.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for us to reach into the community and begin to make a real difference in the lives of our youth, said Rios. This isnt about preparing students to achieve only in the future, but now with real marketable skills and the wherewithal for them to flourish personally, within the community and in the economy at large. This partnership between community leaders, entrepreneurs, activists of color and a university is a model that is innovative, current and absolutely necessary.

Regular program participants and mentors from Seton Hall also include Majid Whitney, associate dean and director of Seton Halls Educational Opportunity Fund and freshman adviser and ROTC Military Science Instructor Julius Moore, who retired from the U.S Army with the rank of Sergeant First Class after 24 years of service, which included three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The virtual Summer Work Experience program offers six modules:

Students choose one module and receive certification in that area upon completion of the six-week program. A small number of interested applicants have also received traditional on-site employment with the citys Department of Public Works and the East Orange Water Department.

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be able to provide our students with a relevant job training experience that can translate into income long after this summer program ends, Green said. Weve had to shut down and cancel so much over the past few months, but there was no way we were going to allow COVID-19 to stop us from giving our young people a chance to learn and earn this summer. He continued, As successful as this program has been so far, were looking for meaningful ways in which to expand this partnership with Seton Hall, VIP and some of the many business leaders that have expressed an interest in doing more to bring marketable skills and employment to our youth.

The online program, which emphasizes personal accountability, entrepreneurship and job training as well as academics, was started by Davis as a supportive resource to incentivize students to do well in school, discover viable career opportunities and learn to avoid poor choices. VIP Online Academy is the COVID-inspired virtual follow up to Davis work over the last three years with Smith and Mallory conducting community engagement services, providing workshops in schools, communities and cities throughout the country that teach students various specialized skills sets to help them to be successful and o make sound decisions.

Partnering with Seton Hall and the City of East Orange will allow us to empower our students to choose the right road, right now, Davis said. And now is the time. It costs more than $60,000 per year to incarcerate someone in New Jersey, and even more in New York as a society, we simply cant afford to lose another generation to the streets. How much better would it be to help create a generation of business owners, entrepreneurs and employees?

Those who would like more information or would like to talk about additional partnership opportunities are encouraged to contact the VIP Online Academy directly, which functions under the auspices of the nonprofit, Partners Uplifting Our Daughter & Sons, at info@viponlineacademy.com; or the City of East Orange at 973-677-8914 or eastorangeswep.org.

Original post:

Seton Hall teams with East Orange to offer virtual summer work experience program - nj.com

Plastic pollution is a big problem. Data from A Plastic Ocean reveals that 350 million tonnes of plastic is being produced each year, 8m tonnes of which makes its way into the ocean. At this rate, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050.

Plastic has become an integrated part of our lives. In the food and beverage sector, it is a cost-effective solution that protects food from contaminants and extends shelf life.

The use of plastic packaging is therefore closely linked to another important environmental issue: food waste.

Food waste is an economic, humanitarian and environmental crisis.

One-third of the food produced today is wasted. At the same time, around 800m people go to bed hungry every night. The FAO estimates food waste represents an economic loss of US$700bn globally each year.

If food waste was a country, it would be the worlds third largest emitter, behind only China and the US. Avoiding food waste can reduce our overall carbon footprint by up to 8%. Indeed, NGO Project Drawdown suggests that reducing food waste is 15.7 times more important to cutting our carbon footprint than recycling.

When we think about food waste and packaging, the two key sustainability drivers are carbon and circularity, Tony Kingsbury, Sustainability Director for EMEA at packaging company Dow observed.

When we waste food, we also waste all the energy and resources that go into bringing that food to market. The fertilizer, trucks, refrigeration and energy used to pump water are lost and cannot be recovered. Typically, the packaging makes up less than 10% of carbon in the total food system, he told FoodNavigator.

Research from sustainability consultancy Denkstatt confirms that the environmental cost of packaging is offset by its role in food waste reduction.

The environmental benefit of avoided waste is usually five to ten times higher than the environmental cost of the packaging. Product protection pays off especially for food products with resource intensive production.

Optimised packaging provides the required product protection, uses as little material as possible and is recyclable or reusable wherever possible, the Denkstatt Stop Waste Save Food report stated.

Noting that packaging material is not good or bad in itself, Denkstatt advises that packaging should be designed to provide the required product protection, using as little material as possible, and be recyclable or reusable wherever possible.

Circular models that support recycling are supported by regulators and consumers across Europe.

As part of the European Commissions Green Deal, the EC has adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan. Provisions on packaging include new mandatory requirements on what is allowed in the EU, including the reduction of overpackaging. Specifically on plastics, the policy also includes mandatory requirements for recycled content and special attention on microplastics as well as biobased and biodegradable plastics.

This builds on the EUs Single-Use Plastic Directive, which states that where alternatives exist on the market, their single-use counterparts will be banned in all Member States.

The EU is also committed to meeting the UNs Sustainable Development Goal to halve food waste by 2030. Under its Farm to Fork strategy, also part of the Green Deal, the EC is stepping up action to address food waste.

Dows Kingsbury stressed that a joined-up approach should be taken to both objectives. Recycling or circularity is the other big driver right now. I am personally worried that in our quest to be more circular we may compromise the best packaging to reduce food waste. Governments dont tend to think in systems, and food is a system. The people thinking about food waste are not typically the ones thinking about how we can reduce packaging waste, he warned. We need to think in system terms here, not separately.

When determining the most climate-friendly way of delivering different food stuffs to consumers, many factors need to be considered, from the divergent requirements of different products for protection during transport and storage to variations in how consumers handle food in the home.

Packaging is often described as a big environmental problem. But is necessary for transporting and protecting the food. We should focus on the design of the packaging so that less food is wasted, since food waste has a much bigger impact on the climate, argued Heln Williams, associate professor of environmental and energy systems of Karlstad University in Sweden.

Kingsbury revealed the big innovations Dow sees emerging strive to create more recyclable packages [that] keep its contents safe. One way this is being achieved is by reducing the complexity of packaging.

We have a number of innovations moving into the market that take packaging with multiple layers and made from many different materials to now be made of all polyethylene or compatibilized with polyethylene, enabling content protection and recyclability, he explained.

For example, Dow partnered with Kelloggs Bear Naked Granola brand to produce recyclable pouches for its product.

Taking a similar approach, Danones evian bottled water brand is launching a new bottle with an engraved logo as a way to reduce the use of virgin plastic. The bottle took close to two years to develop and, excluding the cap, it is created from 100% recycled plastic.

Innovative packaging solutions are also being developed specifically to reduce food waste, according to Lux research analyst Dr Harini Venkataraman.

Were now seeing innovation and new solution development across the food supply chain, from pre-harvest preservation technologies to post-retail and in-home storage solutions, Dr Vebkataraman, who authored Luxs Preserving the Food Chain report, observed.

Technologies like modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) are used to adjust atmospheric gas content to optimise shelf life. However, developers are now looking beyond passive MAP to adopt active packaging methods, he noted.

Promising developments include academic research projects like EU-funded NanoPack, which has focused on flexible plastic food film with antioxidants and antimicrobial properties to delay food spoilage. Sensor-enabled smart packaging solutions are gaining importance for tracking the quality of perishable food products, with digital connectivity as a catalyst for the growth of these solutions.

CPG companies are also experimenting with the use of alternative materials that deliver the necessary protection for their products. For instance, a consortium including Diageo, PepsiCo and Unilever has developed a 100% plastic-free, paper-based bottle.

Announcing the breakthrough, Ewan Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer, Diageo, said: Were proud to have created this world first. We are constantly striving to push the boundaries within sustainable packaging and this bottle has the potential to be truly ground-breaking.

Read the rest here:

Food waste and plastic pollution: 'The two key sustainability drivers are carbon and circularity' - FoodNavigator.com

Ludhiana, July 30

The department of economics of Khalsa College for Women (KCW), Sidhwan Khurd, organised a national webinar on Economic implications of Covid-19 on Indian economy. Ranjit Singh Ghuman, professor of eminence, GNDU, Amritsar, professor of economics, CRRID, Chandigarh, was the resource person.

He dwelled upon economic implications of the Covid-19 such as decline in the per capita income, less purchasing power and effective demand. Principal of the college Rajwinder Kaur Hundal welcomed the resource person and expressed gratitude to him. She also congratulated the department of economics for holding the webinar as it was the need of the hour. Jasdeep Kaur, HoD, Department of Economics, was the programme moderator and Prof Ramanpreet Kaur (computer science) provided technical assistance. As many as 75 participants attended the webinar.

Meanwhile, the college also organised a virtual workshop on Research writing effectively, efficiently and expeditiously: Advance features of MS Word. Earlier, the principal welcomed the resource person, Dinesh K Gupta, professor, Department of Library and Information Science, KU, Kurukshetra.

Engg college introduces short-term courses

Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College (GNDEC) has taken a step towards providing short-duration courses in the emerging fields of engineering and technology. The initiative has been taken in line with the UGC guidelines, according to the college authorities.

Being an autonomous institution, the GNDEC has liberty to start need-based courses in the emerging areas. The academic council and board of governors of the GNDEC have recently given the approval to start seven courses under various streams of engineering. Prominent fields that have been selected include smart manufacturing, machine learning and artificial intelligence, data science, electrical vehicles, industrial safety, VLSI, project management and concrete technology, said principal Sehijpal Singh.

These courses are of one-year duration and after successful completion, a postgraduate diploma will be awarded, he said. TNS

See more here:

75 attend webinar on implications of Covid on economy - The Tribune India

Seton Hall University is working with the City of East Orange and the Mayor's Office of Employment and Training on the city's new Virtual Summer Work Experience Program, which runs between July 13 and Aug. 21.

The virtual work experience program is being offered through VIP Online Academy, which was started in response to COVID-19 by author and entrepreneur Jamila Davis in partnership with civil rights activist Tamika Mallory and Love and Hip Hop's Yandy Smith. The East Orange program is under the direction of Mayor Ted Green and Professor Juan Rios, director of the Department of Social Work at Seton Hall University.

The program was made available to 300 East Orange residents between the ages of 14 and 20 and participants are paid $10 per hour for a 20-hour week Monday through Thursday. Capacity for the program was reached quickly.

Professor Rios spearheaded the initiative at Seton Hall, identifying faculty presenters, assessing presentation themes from faculty and also presenting in weekly workshops within the cohort.

In addition to workshops on the cultivation of mental well being and the benefits of higher education and job opportunities within the academic world, the presentations often highlight the narratives of faculty members of color at Seton Hall who have "beaten the odds" to take their place in the academic world. As Seton Hall is home to the Leadership program named #1 in the nation by HR.com for five years in a row, naturally faculty workshops have also included effective leadership training.

Professor Rios has also developed the means to track and gauge the success of the program, measuring self-efficacy through a pre/post-test assessment model to provide data points on the outcome variables, thereby allowing for success-based adjustments in programming for subsequent iterations in East Orange and other cities.

"This is an extraordinary opportunity for us to reach into the community and begin to make a real difference in the lives of our youth," said Rios. "This isn't about preparing students to achieve only in the future, but now with real marketable skills and the wherewithal for them to flourish personally, within the community and in the economy at large. This partnership between community leaders, entrepreneurs, activists of color and a university is a model that is innovative, current and absolutely necessary."

Regular program participants and mentors from Seton Hall also include Majid Whitney, associate dean and director of Seton Hall's Educational Opportunity Fund and Freshman Adviser and ROTC Military Science Instructor Julius Moore, who retired from the U.S Army at the rank of Sergeant First Class after 24 years of service which included three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The virtual Summer Work Experience program offers six modules: OSHA 30 for construction and labor; Media/Podcast; Music Development; Personal Care for hair, makeup, etc.; Web/Graphic Design; and Wellness/Physical Fitness. Students choose one module and receive certification in that area upon completion of the six-week program. A small number of interested applicants have also received traditional on-site employment with the city's Department of Public Works and the East Orange Water Department.

"I cannot tell you how excited I am to be able to provide our students with a relevant job training experience that can translate into income long after this program ends," Mayor Green said. "We've had to shut down and cancel so much over the past few months, but there was no way we were going to allow COVID-19 to stop us from giving our young people a chance to learn and earn this summer." He continued, "As successful as this program has been so far, we're looking for meaningful ways in which to expand this partnership with Seton Hall, VIP and some of the many business leaders that have expressed an interest in doing more to bring marketable skills and employment to our youth."

The online program, which emphasizes personal accountability, entrepreneurship and job training as well as academics, was started by Jamila Davis as a supportive resource to incentivize students to do well in school, discover viable career opportunities and learn to avoid poor choices. VIP Online Academy is the COVID inspired virtual follow up to Davis' work over the last three years with Yandy Smith and Tamika Mallory conducting community engagement services, providing workshops in schools, communities and cities throughout the country that teach students various specialized skills sets to help them to be successful and make sound decisions.

"Partnering with Seton Hall and the City of East Orange will allow us to empower our students to choose the right road, right now," said Davis. "And now is the time. It costs more than $60,000 per year to incarcerate someone in New Jersey, and even more in New York as a society, we simply can't afford to lose another generation to the streets. How much better would it be to help create a generation of business owners, entrepreneurs and employees?"

Those who would like more information or would like to talk about additional partnership opportunities are encouraged to contact the VIP Online Academy directly, which functions under the auspices of the nonprofit, Partners Uplifting Our Daughter & Sons, at info@viponlineacademy.com; or the City of East Orange at (973) 677-8914 or eastorangeswep.org.

WPIX TV News, "East Orange students get unique work experience with virtual summer program".

Excerpt from:

Seton Hall Works with City of East Orange, Jamila Davis, Tamika Mallory and Yandy Smith to Bring Virtual Summer Work Experience Program to Area Youth...

Plug and Play Osaka will be located at Knowledge Capital in Osaka City and will carry out an accelerator program focused on Smart Cities. Together with founding anchor partners including Daikin Industries, Ltd., Kintetsu Group Holdings Co.,Ltd., Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Resona Holdings,Inc., Obayashi Corporation, DENTSU INC., and ecosystem partner TAKENAKA CORPORATION, we aim to contribute to the startup ecosystem in Keihanshin Metropolitan area.

Plug and Play is a world-class global venture capital/accelerator that partners with leading companies to support startups with innovative technologies and ideas. It carries out over 60 accelerator programs annually, providing more than 400+ companies with solutions to drive innovations. In addition, we have accelerated 2,000+ startups since its inception in 2006.

Plug and Play Japan was established in July 2017 and celebrated its third anniversary earlier this month. Plug and Play Japan has implemented five programs so far, and has selected and accelerated a total of 400 domestic and international startups in the programs, together with 43 corporate partners as of July 21st, 2020.

In addition to the Plug and Play Tokyo office, Plug and Play opened in Kyoto last year and is announcing their third location in Japan, "Plug and Play Osaka," with seven founding partners.

Osaka, a city that boasts a history of 1,400 years, has prospered as a gateway from other countries with foreign trades and diplomatic relations since ancient times. With the opportunity to hold global events such as Osaka/Kansai Expo 2025, Plug and Play aims to contribute to the development of Osaka's progress towards building a Smart City.

Currently in Osaka, various social issues, such as challenges associated with changes in demographic structure (declining birthrate/working-age population and increasing aging population), revitalization of urban infrastructure and new towns that were rapidly developed during the bubble economic growth period, and severe weather disasters etc, are becoming more and more apparent. There is a limit to the conventional solution methods, requiring new countermeasures utilizing advanced technologies.

To solve these urban social issues, the first program of Plug and Play Osaka will be carried out at Knowledge Capital in Grand Front Osaka, which is the most innovative hub in Osaka's startup ecosystem, under the theme of Smart Cities. The first program will focus on the following categoriese1Smart Life & Construction,2Travel & Experiences,3Urban Mobility & Clean Tech,4Hospitality & Health.

In addition, the program will be operated with the cooperation from Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City, Kinki Economic Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Knowledge Capital.

Plug and Play Osaka's mission is to make the Keihanshin Metropolitan area one of the world's leading startup ecosystems. About half of the startups selected for the Plug and Play Japan program come from overseas. Leveraging their network spanning more than 30 locations in 16 countries around the world (as of July 21st, 2020), Plug and Play will hold their accelerator program in Osaka with companies who want to incorporate new urban solutions that utilize advanced technology.

Applications for the first accelerator program of Plug and Play Osaka will start from July 21st through September 7th. In addition, corporate partners are welcome to join at any time.

Comments from Founding Partners

Daikin Industries, Ltd.Deputy Director of Technology & Innovation Center and Director of CVC OfficeMr. Taro MitaniWe are committed to "open innovation" to create new value while actively incorporating external technologies and knowledge. We are currently working extensively with universities and companies. Also, we are working with startups to develop new products. Through working with external parties, we are seeing various possibilities creating innovative services and business models.

To accelerate the open innovation, we will collaborate with Plug and Play Osaka and create innovations under the theme of smart cities to reduce environmental damage and contribute to people's well-being. In particular, Osaka, where the program will be held, is home to the company's headquarters, production facilities, and the Technology Innovation Center. We aim to create global achievements by creating new internal contacts with startups around the world through Plug and Play Osaka.

Kintetsu Group Holdings Co.,Ltd.,Director of General Planning DepartmentPresident of Kintetsu Venture Partners Co., Ltd.Mr. Kazuhito FujitaI would like to congratulate Plug and Play on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka.

The Kintetsu Group has developed a wide variety of businesses that support the daily lives of various people, including railway, real estate, distribution, and leisure businesses.

In recent years, in order to provide new value to the local community, we are promoting business creation through the utilization of technology and open innovation such as realizing digital regional currencies, MaaS, and the establishment of CVC.

We are facing difficulties due to COVID-19 today. We would like to further promote collaborative creation with domestic and overseas startups and partner companies by joining Plug and Play Osaka in order to respond to the changes in society. We will contribute to the realization of a "rich-life" in the new era and the development of the global ecosystem in the Kansai region.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.Member of the Board of Directors,Deputy PresidentMr. Naoki HoriCongratulations on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka. In Osaka, which will continue to grow in the future, I hope Plug and Play Osaka will be the gateway for many startups. Despite the current instability on a global scale, MUFG will continue to contribute to the development of the startup ecosystem in Osaka with startups and other corporate partners.

Resona Holdings, Inc.Executive Officer (in charge of Group Strategy Department)Mr. Gen NakaharaCongratulations on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka. In the Osaka and Kansai region, there are high expectations for the creation of innovation aiming at the Osaka, Kansai EXPO 2025. The Resona Group will accelerate its efforts for open innovation to provide new value through co-creation. We will contribute to the sustainable development of the economy of Osaka and the Kansai region.

Obayashi CorporationExecutive Vice President, General Manager of Osaka Main Office, General Manager of Yumeshima Development DivisionMr. Isamu KakenoCongratulations on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka. With the advance of innovative technologies such as AI, IoT, and Mobility, we are seeing the creation of new innovations. We have high hopes for the creation of new innovation through collaboration between the unique construction and urban development technologies we have cultivated over many years and the excellent smart technologies that startups own.

TAKENAKA CORPORATIONManaging Officer, Director of Technology DivisionMr. Rikuta MurakamiI would like to congratulate Plug and Play on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka.

Our company has challenged the construction and town development by inheriting the mastermind since it was founded in 1610 and actively incorporating new technology and advanced design.

It's been four years since we've been involved in Silicon Valley launched your construction and real estate program.

We are looking forward to the open innovation from Osaka through the smart city program based in Osaka. Even with the new lifestyle of during/after COVID-19, we would like to work together with new initiatives that can contribute to the development of society.

We pray for your continued growth and look forward to your partnership.

Comments from related parties

Governor of Osaka PrefectureMr. Hirofumi YoshimuraI would like to congratulate Plug and Play on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka.

We are pleased to announce the opening of an innovation hub in Osaka where we aim to create a "smart city" on the Osaka Model. I hope the opening of this office will attract more smart city related startups in Osaka for the local issue resolution in the post COVID-19.

Mayor of OsakaMr. Ichir MatsuiCongratulations on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka.

We are proud to announce the opening of the new office of Plug and Play, an innovation-driven company which has offices in major cities around the world. Because the Osaka, Kansai EXPO 2025 is coming up, I hope this would be a great opportunity for innovative startups to aim global expansion from Osaka.

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry,Officer of Kansai Bureau of Economy,Trade and IndustryMr. Takeshi YonemuraWe congratulate you Plug and Play on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka.

The Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area was recently selected as a "Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium" by the Cabinet Office, and we realized that Osaka has the potential to become one of the top cities, accelerating innovation. Because the Osaka, Kansai EXPO 2025 is coming up, I hope Plug and Play Osaka will strengthen the venture/startup ecosystem.

Knowledge Capital AssociationRepresentative DirectorMr. Hideo MiyaharaWe are very happy that Plug and Play, which is one of the leading accelerators in the world, will open a new base, Plug and Play Osaka, in Knowledge Capital.

To open the base, we have concluded a comprehensive agreement between Knowledge Capital and Plug and Play Japan to support startups and develop human resources.

In the future, we will work together in various fields such as accelerator programs, intellectual property utilization, human resource development programs for young people, and strive to form the core base of the startup ecosystem in Kansai region.

Plug and Play Osaka OverviewDate of establishment: July 1st, 2020Address: Knowledge Capital, 8th floor, Grand Front Osaka, 3-1 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0011

About Knowledge CapitalName: Knowledge CapitalURL: https://kc-i.jp/ Date of establishment: April 2013Address: Grand Front Osaka, 3-1 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0011Business description: Management of places for intellectual creation and interaction (coworking, shared offices, business-supported programs, etc.)

About Plug and Play Japan Accelerator ProgramPlug and Play Japan works with our corporate partner companies to support startups in Japan and overseas to grow up as global startups by providing a 3-month accelerator program which focuses on themes from different industries.

Through this program, startups can leverage the resources of multiple corporate partners and have the opportunity to work with a large number of different corporations. Startups from Japan aiming for global expansion can obtain pitch opportunities in our Silicon Valley HQ, and access to the global market while overseas startups aiming for Japan market entry will gain related support and resources as well. In addition, corporate partners will be provided with opportunities such as individual interviews, networking and deal flow sessions (business matching) with selected startups.

About Plug and PlayPlug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 30,000 startups and 400 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal.

Corporate overview

Name

Plug and Play Japan KK

Address

150-0043 Shibuya Center Place 3F, 1-16-3 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Representative

Phillip Vicent

URL

http://japan.plugandplaytechcenter.com/

Establishment

July 14th, 2017

[ Inquiry regarding this Press Release ]Plug and Play Japan KKPerson in charge: HoTEL : 080-4667-1988 / Mail : [emailprotected]

SOURCE Plug and Play

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Plug and Play Japan to Open its New Office "Plug and Play Osaka" - PRNewswire

The company will receive the Queensland governments support for exploration focused on new economy minerals like silver, copper and gold, which drive resource jobs in Australia

Mawson Resources Limited () (OTCPINK:MWSNF) revealed on Thursday that it is among 24 companies that will receivethe Queensland state governments support for exploration focused on new economy minerals like silver, copper and gold, which drive resource jobs in Australia.

The Vancouver-based exploration and development company has distinguished itself as a leading exploration company with a focus on its Victorian gold properties in Australia. The company also has a flagship Rajapalot gold-cobalt project in Finland.

Mawson will receive $200,000 in funding from the Collaborative Exploration Initiative (CEI) to fund deep drilling for silver, copper and gold near the world-class Cannington mine. The underground Australian mine is located in north-west Queensland, about 200 kilometres southeast of Mount Isa.

READ:Mawson Resources poised to start drilling at Redcastle in August as it outlines history of the asset in the Victoria goldfields

The company noted that the Mt Isa area is one of the most metal-endowed areas of the world, and contains 5% of the world's silver resources, 1.7% of the world's copper resources, 21.2% of the world's lead resources and 11% of the world's zinc resources, within numerous world-class mines.

The gravity target which Mawson will drill test is part of Mawson's Mt Isasouth-east project that encompasses a new search space along the eastern margin of the Mt Isa block. The company has built a significant position of 483 square kilometres of granted exploration licences in the Cloncurry district of Mt Isa, over a combined 60 kilometres of strike.

In a statement, Mawson Resources CEO Michael Hudson said: "We are thrilled and thankful to the Queensland Government that Mawson has been recognized for its quiet hunt for silver and copper/gold resources in the prolific Mt Isa region of Australia.

He added: The company has now been funded to drill our best target in the Mt Isa area, located 50 kilometres south-southeast from the silver-lead Cannington mine, which provides a tremendous opportunity in true "elephant" country. Shareholders can now anticipate results from drill programs from three prospective global precious-metal terrains during the remainder of the year."

The Queensland government considers exploration critical to keep up with the soaring global demand for tech minerals, creating grants to put the state resource industry on the front foot.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at [emailprotected]

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive

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Mawson Resources says funded to drill promising gold and silver targets in Mt Isa in Queensland - Proactive Investors USA & Canada

WINNIPEG, MB, July30, 2020 /CNW/ -The Lake Winnipeg basin is the second-largest watershed in Canada, covering close to onemillion squarekilometres, which span over four provinces and four states. Home to sevenmillion people, the basin is an important freshwater resource. Over the past several decades, Lake Winnipeg has faced significant challenges to its water quality.

Today, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Terry Duguid, on behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, announced $1.18million to support 15new projects under the Lake Winnipeg Basin Program.

These projects will address key water-quality issues in the Lake Winnipeg basin, including addressing algae growth, enhancing collaboration throughout the basin, and engaging Indigenous Peoples in freshwater management.

The Parliamentary Secretary was joined today by representatives from the University of Manitoba and the Manitoba Metis Federation. One of the projects, carried out by the University of Manitoba in collaboration with the Manitoba Metis Federation, received $50,000 to expand community-based water-monitoring efforts and create a water-weather keeper program. The Manitoba Metis Federation will be receiving an additional $130,000 to lead another project that aims to increase the number of Metis citizen scientists measuring phosphorus concentrations and gather traditional knowledge on the health of Lake Winnipeg. Through investments like these, the Government of Canada is protecting fresh water across the country.

Quotes

"Projects likes these will have a positive impact on our community, economy, and natural environment. Lake Winnipeg is a significant resource to numerous communities and Indigenous Peoples across the basin, generating millions of dollars each year. It is so encouraging to see Canadians stepping up with innovative and practical ways to address some of our most pressing freshwater challenges."Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

"These innovative local projects will help address freshwater issues across the Lake Winnipeg basin through action and collaborative efforts. By working together, we have made important strides in understanding ongoing and emerging threats to Lake Winnipeg's water quality and ecosystem health to preserve this vital resource for future generations."The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Quick facts

Associated links

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Twitter page

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Facebook page

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

For further information: Moira Kelly, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-271-6218, [emailprotected]; Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free), [emailprotected]

http://www.ec.gc.ca

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Government of Canada protecting the Lake Winnipeg basin Franais - Canada NewsWire

On July 8, Tracy R. Zea was named the new president and CEO of the Waterways Council Inc., which advocates for modern and well-financed inland waterways on behalf of river carriers, ports and shippers. He has been the WCIs vice president of government relations since 2015, and prior to that served as an aide to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which oversees federal waterways policy. In this interview, Zea talks about advocating for the waterways during the pandemic and his priorities for WCI going forward.

WorkBoat: What are your immediate and long-term goals for WCI?

Zea: Mytop objectiveeachday is creating valueforourmembers. WCI has had a long history of doing this throughthelegislativeprocess, and that is whymynumber onepriority isto build on theprevioussuccess that has been achievedoverour17-yearexistence. A more immediate priority istoensurethatthe Water Resources Development Act(WRDA)of 2020 is signed into law, with WCIs top requesttoadjusttheconstruction andmajor rehabilitationcost-share for theInlandWaterwaysTrustFund.If this isachieved,it willsignificantlyadvance the portfolio of projects waiting in thequeuefor construction.

WB: This is an election year. What Congressional races is WCI watching most closely in terms ofretaining waterways friendly lawmakers in Congress, and would a Democrat in the White House make a difference for inland legislative priorities?

Zea: There is a sayingthatelections have consequences,and for that reason,WCI pays close attention to every race.A snapshot of a couple of elected officials from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that we will be watching on election night are Congressman Lamb (PA-17), Congressman Davis (IL-13), and Congresswoman Finkenauer (IA-1). Then in the Senate, majority leader McConnell (R-KY), Jones (D-AL) and Senator Ernst (R-IA). WCI has had strong success operating in a bipartisan fashion, and it is my intention that WCI will continue to operate that way moving forward.

WB: Your background is in Congress and you worked directly on water resource bills as an aide to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. How is this experience going to help you as you lead WCI?

Zea: WCI is an advocacy organization, and by working on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Idevelopeda keen understanding of the legislative process. I worked specifically on the Water Resources Reform and Development Act(WRRDA)of2014, which was a transformative bill for the Corps of Engineers.Itsno secret that over the last 10 years Congress has drastically changed frombusiness as usual.Having worked on Capitol Hill during thenew business as usual time period allows for me to help guide WCI to key legislativevictories.

WB: How has the pandemic affected your advocacy efforts in Congress?

Zea: The inland waterways industry has shown that it is not immune to Covid-19. Significant precautions have been taken by companies to keep their employees safe and healthy. The Inland Waterways User Board announced at its meeting in July that IWTF fuel receipts are down for FY20 as a result of the COVID-related economic downturn. The receipts were tracking almost identically to FY19 until February, when we saw almost a flat line. Expected total projections may be significantly lower than FY19. WCI does not believe that this will be the new normal going forward for IWTF receipts and once the economy starts to normalize, there will be a return torevenues closer to the $120 million range. The bigger question moving forward in the next five years will be how will the COVID relief funding packages will affect the allocations for appropriations subcommittees. Over the last five years (lawmakers) have continued to increase allocations for the Corps of Engineers Civil Works budget, but with trillions of dollars being spent on COVID relief, will it have a negative impact? WCI believes that Congress has recognized over the last several years that the Corps of Engineers provides meaningful benefits to the nation and will continue to fund them at or above current levels.

WB: How has the pandemic changed how WCI operates as an organization?

Zea:Like mostcompaniesand associations, WCI has been working remotely since the start of the pandemic but staying connectedthroughvideo conferences and phone calls.The biggestchallenge for us as an organization is that we have had to get creative on ways we approachCapitolHillremotely withour lobbying efforts.

WB: To assure a strong stream of funding for new waterways construction projects, WCI and other waterways groups seek Congressional approval of a change in the Inland Waterways Trust Fund from the current 50/50 split to 75 federal and 25 from the industry-supported Trust Fund. The House and Senate versions of WRDA, however, are recommending 65/35. Is this likely to stick, and what will the lower ratio mean for project completion and new starts?

Zea: As an organization we wouldhaveloved to see 75%/25%, but 65%/35%is still amajorwin, and if it is enacted into law,could potentially provide an additional billion dollars toward construction and major rehabilitation of inland waterways modernization projects. Currently, there are 18 modernization projects that are valued at just over $8 billion, and by adjusting the cost-share, these projects will significantly be expedited tocompletion.

WB: The federal government and the barge industry have been talking for years about expanding container-on-barge services in certain coastal areas, and recently some significant federal grants have been distributed for projects. What do you think is the future of container-on-barge?

Zea: Container on barge is definitely an opportunity for growth on the waterways. There are several different operations looking at creative ways to execute this.Federal grants have been asignificantadvancement for this initiative as inland ports/terminals prepare for containers toarrive.

WB: The coal industry has been on a decline for many years now, as the low price of natural gas and environmental rules have cut demand, causing many plants to close. Meanwhile, President Trump has promised a coal renaissance. What do you see happening to coal in the future?

Zea: The domestic coal market has faced a difficult yeardue toshrinking exports, low gas prices, low demand for electricity given a mild winter, and Covid-19 and the relatedGDPdrop. There was high coal inventory at the start of the year, with the recent heat of the summer just starting to burn the stockpiles.On the export side, EIAforecasts U.S.coal exports will decrease in 2020 by 32% to 63MMst. U.S. Atlantic ports, which are the primary outlet for U.S. coal exports, are seeing decreased demand because of the global economic slowdown. Based on an assumed increase in global coal demand in 2021, EIA expects U.S. coal exports to increase by 7% next year. EIA expects increases in 2021 to be limited because of less demand for U.S. coal in India. India, the top destination for U.S. exports, has decreased consumption of both steam and coking coals by nearly 50% this year. India has alsoopened updomestic mining options to private companies. We knowthat coal use has declinedas a resultof naturalgas and subsidized renewables, but itstill remainsan abundant, stable, reliable, affordable source of energy, providing about 30% of the electricity used daily in the United States and more than 37% of the worlds electricity supply.

WB: President Trump and many leaders in Congress promised a major investment in the countrys flagging infrastructure, including locks and dams. Thishasnthappened yet, andprospects seem uncertain in an election year. How do you see this playing out? How do you make sure that river infrastructure is part of any final plan?

Zea: In the short term,WCI is focusing onadjusting the cost-share for construction and major rehabilitation projects on the inland waterways systeminWRDA 2020.WCI truly believes that this policy can significantly advance our inland waterways system.The long-term outlook for infrastructure looks like a playfor2021,butnot this year. WCI continues to educate Congress and the public onthe benefits of the inland waterways transportation system.

WB: There have been some major positive developments in the past few years for the waterways. The Olmsted dam opened after30 years of construction hiccups, and there have been record federal budgets for the inland waterways, allowing for significant movement on new and ongoing projects to improve river navigation. How can this turnaround be explained after years of struggles for proper funding?

Zea: A lot of it turns out to be the right political players in the right spotat the right time.(Former House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee) Chairman (Bill) Shuster, (R-Pa.,) made the WRDA bill a top priorityduring his tenure (from 2013-2019). And the leadershipofSen. (Lamar)Alexander (R-Tenn), chairing theSenate AppropriationsEnergy and Water Subcommitteehas been so helpfultotheindustry.WCIs job moving forward isto ensure thatthesewater resourcebills remain a priority for Congressnow and in the future.

The rest is here:

Q&A: Tracy Zea, new chief of the Waterways Council - WorkBoat

Vietnam and China have sparred over competing claims in the South China Sea for nearly 50 years. But for the first time, in November 2019, Vietnamese officials publicly issued threats to initiate international legal proceedings against Chinasimilar to the Philippine case that ended in 2016. Since November, there have been further indications that the Vietnamese government is quite serious, despite the limited success enjoyed by the Philippines when it invoked the law. In this post, I will address two questions on this issue: What motivates the Vietnamese government to consider this step at this time? And what can Vietnam gain?

For starters, at stake are development rights for the oil and gas reserves under Vietnams continental shelf. While the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea allocates resource rights in the water and under the seabed to Vietnam, out to at least 200 nautical miles from Vietnams shores, China stakes a historic rights claim to much of the same resources through its nine-dash line. This line encompasses about 80 percent of the South China Sea but has already been formally invalidated once by the arbitrators in the Philippine case. Despite its loss in court, China did not abandon its claim. Throughout 2019, Chinese government vessels harassed Vietnamese hydrocarbon survey efforts in an especially rich undersea region known as Vanguard Bank. Under the joint venture between Rosneft and Petro-Vietnam, an exploratory drilling rig began operating in the area in July 2019. China then sent its own survey vesselsunder heavy coast guard escortto demonstrate its claim. Further north, in 2011, ExxonMobil and Petro-Vietnam discovered commercially significant oil and gas deposits in Vietnams Block 118. The Ca Voi Xanh (Blue Whale) gas fieldthe area these two companies are trying to developlies only 50 miles off Vietnams coast but straddles the vast area claimed by China. A final go-ahead decision is expected sometime this year, and gaining clarity over its legal rights to resources in the region may be a key reason for Vietnam to arbitrate.

Also at stake are fishing rights in Vietnams 200-mile exclusive economic zone and in the waters off the disputed Paracel Islands. The Vietnamese government defies annual Chinese fishing bans that attempt to control and curb Vietnamese fishing activities in areas that overlap with Chinas nine-dash line. Arbitration in this region would clarify legal rights to the resources and deflect some of the domestic pressure to protect Vietnamese fishermen. Domestic resentment is a force that must be managed carefully since, in 2014, at the height of a dispute over Chinese oil rig HYSY 981, the Vietnamese people conducted anti-China riots, assaulted Chinese in Vietnam and vandalized Chinese commercial interests.

Finally, as noted above, Vietnam disputes Chinese ownership of the Paracel Islands, a group of small but strategically important features that lie between the Vietnamese coast and Chinas Hainan Island. The islands have long been claimed by Vietnam, but Chinese forces first occupied features in the Paracels in 1955 in the wake of Vietnams war for independence against France. In 1974 China fought a short sea battle against South Vietnamese forces to take full control over the last remaining Vietnamese positions. Since then, China has consolidated control over the islands, built up a military garrison, and harassed or arrested Vietnamese fishermen who try to continue fishing there.

The most likely purpose behind Vietnams threat to litigate is to gain clarity about its resource rights and to develop leverage to stop Chinese interference so that Vietnam can move forward with exploitation contracts for its offshore gas and oil deposits. But Chinese interference with resource exploitation is not a new challenge for Vietnam. Nor is the domestic political pressure over Chinese interference with Vietnamese fishing. Both issues have been managed through diplomacy in the past. What makes this time different?

Vietnams threat to litigate comes amid ongoing multilateral negotiations involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China over a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea. Negotiations on a Code of Conduct have been under way for two decades as an upgrade to an initial agreementthe Declaration of Conduct for Parties in the South China Seathat was seen as a stopgap measure when it was created in 2002. The parties may be close to a deal, and there is some suggestion that all sides are jockeying for position before finalizing an agreement that locks in a new status quo. To Vietnam, that status quo should provide it exclusive rights to the hydrocarbon resources under its continental shelf based on international law. This explains Vietnams strategy, which involves confronting China at sea to protect its exclusive resource rights, publicly advancing the legality of Vietnams stance and the lack of legal legitimacy for Chinas claim, while maintaining multiple avenues open for diplomacy.

China, by contrast, believes a new status quo should acknowledge its extralegal historic interests in the South China Sea, includingat a minimumjoint rights to the resources under the seabed. Further, lurking just beneath the surface is a deep sense of Chinese entitlement to deference from the smaller states of Southeast Asia. Vietnams acceptance of Chinese resource rights in the South China Sea therefore serves as a barometer of its acquiescence to Chinese predominance. This was the implicit message of Chinas foreign ministry spokesman when he said recently that China hoped Vietnam would respect Chinas sovereignty and jurisdiction over the contested waters, and not take actions that could complicate the situation.

Unfortunately, ASEAN is rarely able to apply effective multilateral pressure against China in the South China Sea. Its Southeast Asian members are united neither in political perspective regarding China nor in their core interests. The South China Sea disputes are an acute problem for ASEANs maritime states but pose little trouble for its continental members. Further, one effect of Chinas co-optation of the interests of Cambodia is that ASEANas a consensus-driven organizationfinds unity harder to achieve. Thus, there are few opportunities for Vietnam to deploy a unified Southeast Asian front against Chinese encroachment of its interests.

Chinas power play in maritime Southeast Asia is apparent in its negotiating positions on the Code of Conduct. China seeks to limit the influence of the United States and other outside powers by using the code to prohibit commercial development in the South China Sea from companies outside the region. Further, China seeks a veto over military activities in the South China Sea between the Southeast Asians and outside powers. In response, the maritime Southeast Asian states issued a series of diplomatic letters to the United Nations outlining the lack of legal basis to Chinas claims. These two approachesdiversifying international commercial relationships and seeking to build security relationships with outside powershave represented some of the strongest pressure points against China that the Southeast Asian claimant states have possessed to date.

Despite increasing engagement, security developments between the U.S. and Vietnam have progressed slowlyfor a variety of reasons. Vietnam maintains deep and long-standing energy and security ties with Russia, which is by far Vietnams largest source of weapons and military equipment. Russia is the source of one of the Vietnamese navys most advanced military capabilitiesits Kilo diesel submarines, Gepard-class frigates, and Tarantul/Molniya-class corvettes armed with supersonic SS-N-25 anti-ship cruise missilesas well as its K-300P Bastion-P coastal defense systems. On the energy front, Vietsovpetro, a joint Russian-Vietnamese energy corporation, has long been a major player in Vietnams energy industry. It is currently operating offshore in the Ca Tam (Sturgeon) oil field. The bilateral relationship was elevated from a strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2012, paving the way for broader cooperation. One result of this change was a further advancement in Vietnams energy sector cooperation as they announced plans for Russias Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation to build a research center for nuclear science and technology in Hanoi with a 15-megawatt research reactor. Even as the Vietnam-Russia relationship advances, it is increasingly dwarfed by Chinas growing economic and security presence. Vietnam increased its military budget by nearly 400 percent in the decade between 2005 and 2014, but its capacity is far behind the military power China can bring to bear in the South China Sea. Furthermore, Russias developing entente with China causes Hanoi to question whether Russian support would be available in a potential standoff with Beijingexplaining why Vietnam is actively preparing to undertake international litigation at this time.

Although Hanoi has managed so far to keep its relationship with China stable through bilateral diplomacy, it has made no progress on earning Beijings respect for its resource interests in the South China Sea. Multilateral diplomacy through ASEAN has been a disappointment, and Vietnam cannot count on either Russia or the U.S. to be its great power patron when the chips are down. Further, even with the rapid expansion of its military budget, Vietnam knows it cannot prevail in a standoff with China. International litigation may be an increasingly attractive option to alter trends that are not currently working in Vietnams favor, especially if China provokes Vietnam with a major at-sea incident of some kind.

The military imbalance, however, is not the only barrier Vietnams leaders will need to address if they pursue a legal case against China. Vietnams domestic politics are in flux as a political transition approaches. The Vietnamese Communist Party is due to elect a new slate of leaders at its National Congress in January 2021. Additionally, the Vietnamese and Chinese communist parties maintain separate relations from the formal state-to-state diplomatic ties, giving Beijing multiple avenues of influence over the countrys decision-making. Further, as Vietnams largest trading partnerwith over $100 billion annually in two-way tradeChina has tremendous influence over the health of Vietnams economy. Vietnams manufacturing sector is especially dependent on Chinese raw materials and equipment. But this dependence may be softening. In 2018, Vietnams National Assembly ratified its countrys participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) that became the successor to the Trans-Pacific Partnership when the Trump administration pulled out of negotiations. The CPTPP gives Vietnam low-barrier entry to major Pacific economies, including Japan, Canada and Australia. Vietnam also entered into a trade deal in 2019 with the European Union that eliminated 99 percent of the tariffs on goods imported by Europe. And, so far in 2020, Vietnamese manufacturing received a boost from the U.S.-China trade war. Even so, China remains Vietnams largest trading partner, giving Beijing economicas well as politicalinfluence over its neighbor to the south.

In opening the possibility of litigation, Vietnam hopes to overcome these vulnerabilities by harnessing the court of international public opinion as much as the strength of international law. The Vietnamese understand that litigation would not be the end of the matter, even if it wins. Persuading China to accept a South China Sea order based on law, rather than raw power and its own history, is a long game. If Vietnam challenges China in court, its purpose will be to increase the costs to Beijing of its intransigence. China needs stability in the South China Sea to pursue its long-term interest in developing a stable and reliable maritime component of its Belt and Road Initiative. If the Vietnamese win an international case over resource rights, China is likely to face many years of military and diplomatic pressure from the U.S., Japan, Australia, India, the United Kingdom, France and other states that have already demonstrated willingness to provide active support to the international legal order in the South China Sea. Accordingly, it is possible that the mere threat to litigate will have a favorable effect on Vietnams bilateral and multilateral negotiations with China. If not, following through with international litigation may be Vietnams best way to change unfavorable trends in the South China Sea.

The views expressed are the authors own and do not reflect the official views of the U.S. Navy or any other agency of the U.S. government.

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Vietnam Threatens China with Litigation over the South China Sea - Lawfare

VANCOUVER, BC, July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -Strategic Resources Inc. (TSXV: SR) (the "Company" or "Strategic")announces that it has successfully closed the acquisition of the Mustavaara reservations and associated intellectual property, core samples and storage facilities with the bankruptcy estate of Ferrovan Oy ("Ferrovan"). Strategic plans to update a National Instrument 43-101 resource for the asset in the third quarter of 2020 and then pursue updating a National Instrument 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment on the project that reflects current market prices and cost estimates.

Scott Hicks, CEO commented, "Mustavaara provides the company with a cornerstone asset in the vanadium space. Acquiring a substantial brownfield deposit for such a modest cost should serve Strategic's shareholders well going forward. The closing of this transaction along with the restructuring of the Silasselk earn-in announced in June sets the company up for success and provides substantial flexibility going forward."

Mustavaara Project Description

Mustavaara is a large vanadium-iron-titanium deposit, which was mined by the Finnish state company Rautaruukki Oy between 1976 and 1985. The Project is located in the Municipality of Taivalkoski, 75km southwest of the city of Kuusamo. The vanadium produced from Mustavaara and the nearby Otanmki deposit accounted for approximately 10% of the world vanadium production at that time. Mining was suspended due to adverse market conditions and the processing facilities were dismantled in 2001.

Ferrovan commissioned Pyry Finland Oy to complete a Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") for the project in 2011. The resulting 2012 PFS outlined a project that would have a concentrator near site and a smelting plant located close to the coast in the city of Raahe.

The PFS was based on a reserve of 97 million tonnes at 13.8% magnetite and 0.91% vanadium in concentrate in the Probable reserve category. Prior work indicated that the magnetite content could be upgraded by a factor of six as a result of the concentrating process. Consequently, the vanadium grade could also be enhanced significantly from 0.2% vanadium to 0.9% vanadium (equivalent to 1.65% V2O5). This resource is now considered historical.

Cautionary Historic Resource Description

The above historical informationincludes estimates of the quantity, grade, and metal content of the Mustavaara deposit that Strategic has not verified as a current mineral resource, and which was prepared before Strategic entered into an agreement to acquire an interest in the Mustavaara property. Strategic considers the historical estimate to be relevant given that the report was done relatively recently and considers the estimate to be reliable given the status of the authors of the estimate. Neither Strategic nor any qualified person engaged by Strategic has done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource; and Strategic is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource.

Qualified Persons

Leo Hathaway, P.Geo., Vice President of Strategic and the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects for the Mustavaara Project has reviewed, verified and approved all disclosure of scientific or technical information made by Strategic herein, including disclosure of a mineral resource, and the general contents of this news release.

About Strategic Resources

Strategic Resources Inc. (TSXV:SR) is a Vancouver, Canada based mineral exploration and development company that is focused on vanadium projects in Finland and Peru. The Company continues to evaluate new opportunities that are related to the electrification of the economy.

Further details are available on the Company's website athttps://strategic-res.com/.

To follow future news releases, please sign up athttps://strategic-res.com/contact/.

STRATEGIC RESOURCES INC.

Signed: "Scott Hicks"

Scott Hicks, CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to completing a National Instrument 43-101 compliant resource and undertaking a National Instrument 43-101 compliant Preliminary Economic Assessment. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as "will", "should" or variations of those words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" or "should" be taken, occur or be achieved. There is no assurance Strategic will be successful in completing any of the transactions on the terms outlined above, or at all.

SOURCE Strategic Resources Inc.

https://strategic-res.com

Original post:

Strategic Resources Closes the Acquisition of the Mustavaara Mine in Finland - PRNewswire

As COVID-19 continues to plague the nation, small businesses are hurting.

As COVID-19 continues to plague the nation, small businesses are hurting.

From owners struggling to keep their businesses afloat to employees facing furloughs and terminations, such enterprises are feeling the brunt of the pandemics effects.

Data indicates approximately 30-50% of small businesses face closure if the pandemic continues at its current rate, according to Tim Lake, president and CEO of the Monroe County Business Development Corp.

Thats why a new program generated by elected officials is being looked at as integral to the survival of many small businesses in the state and Monroe County.

Earlier this month, the Michigan Strategic Fund, under the guidance of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state Legislature, unveiled a new program geared towards providing economic relief and support to small businesses impacted by the pandemic.

The Michigan Small Business Restart Program will provide $100 million to small businesses across the state.

About $1.2 million will go specifically to businesses located within Monroe County, according to Lake.

(The program) will provide a much-needed financial relief for suffering businesses, Lake said. I do not think anyone felt the pandemic and its effects on the economy would last this long.

The program, which will be administered through 15 different economic development corporations, will issue grants of up to $20,000 to selected businesses.

The Monroe County region will receive aid through Ann Arbor Spark, the designated EDO that will administer the funds. The EDO also will administer grants to businesses in Washtenaw, Jackson, Hillsdale, Livingston and Lenawee counties.

The money is being generated through the CARES Act, legislation designed to address the impact of COVID-19.

The program is modeled after a previous one the Michigan Small Business Relief Program, which allocated $20 million to relief efforts for small businesses.

That program, which began in March, provided much of the same services as the latest one. It ended up aiding more than 2,700 businesses by its completion.

Businesses that received aid through that previous program are ineligible for the new one. The application process began July 15 and will run through Aug. 5.

The application will be administered through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The MEDC anticipates it will end up helping more than 5,000 businesses by the programs conclusion.

The Monroe BDC will help in the selection process for businesses located within Monroe County. Selections will be made by Sept. 30.

Additionally, 30% of the funds will be specifically earmarked for businesses owned by women, minorities and veterans, as mandated by the program.

It comes after several industries within the state have slowly returned to operating, though many are doing so under heightened regulations.

In March, many of those businesses were shuttered as state officials took action to slow the spread of the virus.

Even though several sectors of the states economy have reopened, many businesses are still trying to recover from the closure months ago.

Most businesses are certainly not back to full operations or generating the same revenue they did during this period last year, Lake said.

The hardest hit businesses are those that operate on an in-person basis, mostly in the service sector, according to Lake.

That includes salons, restaurants, hotels, bars and gyms, all of which are operating under varying restrictions enacted by Whitmer, who issued executive orders outlining rules of operation for each industry.

The latest program will help businesses stay open in hopes of being able to one day return to normal operations, Lake said, adding that small businesses are naturally vulnerable to financial hardships.

Most small businesses have very limited, if any, financial reserves, Lake said. A sudden and steep loss of revenue can be fatal.

Small business is integral to the fabric of a community, according to Lake, who said such businesses contribute to organizations within Monroe County and attract residents to the area.

Small businesses are risk takers that will bring in new products or services to a community that larger retailers or service providers would not consider economically favorable to their shareholders, Lake said. These unique offerings create an environment that gives our community a special character and competitive advantage over other communities.

Another potential economic shutdown could prove catastrophic to those contributions.

Not only would it mean an increased possibility of illness-related deaths, but it also would, once again, heavily impact the livelihoods of many business owners and their employees.

It would be impactful to many of our in-person businesses as they would be the first impacted, Lake said. They have just started generating a revenue stream (again) it would be cut off.

The pandemic also will shape the future of work in the country.

It has accelerated the need for businesses to increasingly adopt and integrate new technology, such as cloud-based applications or more automation, into their operations, Lake said.

The challenge for small businesses is these enhancements present a new learning curve and are capital intensive, Lake said. In most cases, capital is in short supply.

Facts

Resources available for local businesses

There are several resources available to local businesses struggling with the impact of COVID-19, according to Tim Lake, president and CEO of the Monroe County Business Development Corp.

I would encourage any struggling business to call the BDC, and we will direct the company to an appropriate resource for their issue, Lake said. I would encourage any business with questions or concerns to reach out.

An asset map of resources for businesses was produced by the Monroe County Link Plans Grow Strategically Pillar Team.

While several businesses are experiencing cash flow problems, many also are struggling with how to safely stay open or reopen and also address staffing issues, according to Lake.

Some also may need help establishing an online presence or shifting their business model to contactless product or service delivery, he added.

There are resources to assist these businesses, Lake said. The Michigan Small Business Development Centers have been providing support in many of these areas and will continue to do so during the pandemic.

The Monroe County Business Development Corp. can be reached at 241-8081 or at its website, monroecountybdc.org.

Excerpt from:

Program to deliver $1.2 million in grants to struggling small businesses will provide economic relief - Monroe Evening News

The new radicals - how the Treasury can drive government change

Its a pleasure to be delivering my first policy speech as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, ahead of the Spending Review this autumn.

Today I will be speaking about how the Treasury can be an accelerator of change in government.

And so it is fitting to be hosted by Onward, who for the past year-and-a-half, have been leading the renewal of ideas on the centre-right of British politics.

A Spending Review is a significant moment in the lifecycle of any government.

We must not only conduct this review against the backdrop of the most challenging peacetime economic circumstances in living memory.

We must do so as a government re-elected a little over seven months ago with a strengthened majority and an emboldened mandate.

Now, these two factors are not mutually exclusive.

Over the past few weeks the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster have each delivered speeches outlining how our recovery from this pandemic can be a moment for national renewal.

But as Chief Secretary, my role is to talk less about the what and to focus more on the how.

So, today I want to explore how the Spending Review can act as the mechanism to deliver the Prime Ministers ambition to level up our country.

Now this practical approach is rooted in my experience at different stages of my political career.

As a constituency MP, I have on many occasions run up against a system that is slow and siloed.

In frustration, Ive found myself asking why there is a seven year gap between funding being agreed for a road scheme and the first digger arriving.

Or why it takes a decade to decide to produce a full business case on whether to reopen eight miles of railway track - taking twice the length of time of the second world war.

Before becoming a minister, I sat on the Public Accounts Committee for four years, where reports repeatedly showed schemes where the outcomes did not reflect the inputs.

As an example, nine regional fire control centres were built at a cost of three quarters of a billion pounds. Not one of them worked.

The lack of upfront clarity on outcomes, the slow speed of delivery and the variable quality of data have been familiar themes during these years.

The Spending Review is an opportunity to challenge this.

But first, its worth considering the context for what will be the first multi-year review since 2015.

Given my previous role, it wont surprise you if I start with Brexit.

For me, Brexit was a vote for change by people who felt the status quo was not delivering for them.

But now we must deliver, particularly for those who at the election lent us their vote for the first time.

And we must deliver differently in the wake of a crisis that has accelerated many trends within our economy and our society.

Take healthcare.

Before coronavirus, around 95% of GP consultations were face to face. By the end of April, this had almost reversed with more than 85% taking place remotely, either by phone or online.

And few GPs now say they want to return to the old approach.

Whitehall has also had to change.

The Furlough Scheme was announced by the Chancellor on 20 March and opened for applications just one month to the day later

Likewise, the Self Employment Income Support Scheme opened almost a whole month ahead of schedule.

Normally such schemes take months years even to deliver.

And HMRC achieved this with more than 80% of their staff working from home.

Id like to put on record my thanks to the civil servants in the Treasury, HMRC and elsewhere for the speed and focus with which they have tackled these extraordinary challenges.

But if the wheels of government can be made to spin this fast in a crisis, with all the added pressures of lockdown, why cant it happen routinely?

For example, why did it have to take a pandemic to collect the right information to understand who the most clinically vulnerable people in our society are?

Indeed, would we have been able to collate the necessary data without the backdrop of a health emergency?

Answering these questions will not only help us to deal with the consequences of COVID-19.

It also cuts to the heart of this governments defining mission - to level up investment and opportunity across the UK.

I think most people understand that the action we are taking to support businesses and jobs during this pandemic is the right thing to do, even though it comes at a cost.

Indeed, as the OBR have made clear, the cost of inaction would have been far greater.

The Prime Minister has made it clear that austerity is not the answer to navigating the changed economic landscape.

But departments will have to make tough choices in the months ahead.

These choices will be shaped by our commitment to review the Green Book.

To properly level-up the country we must ensure that Treasury decision-making reflects our countrys economic geography.

Spending decisions cannot be based solely on cost-benefit ratios that are assessed in silos. There must be room for more balanced judgements which take account of the transformative potential of investment to reduce inequality and drive localised growth.

Levelling up also must be more than a mere shifting of resource from Lon-don to other large metropolitan cities.

It needs to work for the entire United Kingdom, including as part of our enduring commitment to the Union.

And it must recognise that that within a single bus journey different neighbourhoods in the same area can often be worlds apart.

Accelerating the UKs economic recovery.

Levelling-up opportunity throughout our country.

Improving our public services.

And making the UK a scientific superpower.

These are the priorities the CSR must drive forward.

And to do so, I am focussing on three areas which will shape our approach to the Spending Review.

The first is outcomes.

I want this Review to tie expenditure and performance far more closely together than has been the case up to now.

For decades the most innovative companies have made a habit of setting clear objectives and then relentlessly tracking, measuring and evaluating the outcomes of their work.

This approach should not just be confined to Silicon Valley.

We must not forget that the public will judge success not by how much is spent, but by what they experience in their daily lives.

The state of local roads.

The time taken to get a hospital appointment.

How safe the neighbourhood feels.

If funding decisions are to improve over time, we in the Treasury need to have clearer sight of both the intended outcomes and subsequently evaluation of their delivery.

Well be publishing details on these outcomes at the Spending Review, thereby setting the priorities across government for the remainder of this Parliament.

Another key challenge to measuring outcomes is the divide between policy and delivery.

Bridging this divide is made even more difficult by the fact that some of the most complex policy challenges sit across multiple departments and arms- length bodies.

At last years Spending Review, the government announced a new Shared Outcomes Fund to test innovative ways of bringing together the public sec-tor.

The aim was to address cross-cutting issues in a way that improves out-comes and ensures value for money.

Im pleased to announce today that I have approved the first round of pilots from this fund.

These pilots will use innovative approaches to address a wide variety of issues.

From tackling drug misuse in some of the worst-affected areas by better joining up local law enforcement agencies, healthcare and prisons.

To planting trees outside woodlands to help meet our climate change targets.

Or supporting GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to outdoor activities in their local community to help manage complex health and social challenges, like mental health and loneliness.

While the various pilot schemes may seem eclectic, the one thing each successful bid has in common is that each is backed by a robust method to track and measure the delivery of outcomes.

Im hoping we can learn from the success of these projects.

Indeed, we can learn from them even if theyre not successful, because well have better data to understand why.

Closely connected to outcomes is speed, my second area of focus.

Speed is a hallmark of the digital era. Over half of mobile internet users will leave a site that takes longer than three seconds to load.

The early response to CBILS, and the delivery of Bounce Back loans shows government can adapt and deliver schemes that work at speed.

When it comes to infrastructure we must not only foster a culture of pace, agility, and strong leadership.

We must also learn from the work of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and the National Audit Office.

Programmes need to start with robust goals and we have to resist the temptation to repeatedly change plans.

Our maxim should be measure twice and cut once.

That way we can better address the sobering fact that our capital costs are typically between 10 and 30% higher in this country than in other European countries.

This is why a new Infrastructure Delivery Task Force has been established known as Project Speed.

Led by the Chancellor, Project Speed will aim to cut down the time it takes to develop, design and deliver vital projects.

Another key element of building faster is utilising modern construction techniques linked to clearer standardisation across projects.

I want to explore how the same principles of standardisation and modularisation that delivered the first Nightingale Hospital, one of the largest in the world, in just nine days can now help deliver the governments flagship commitment to build forty new hospitals.

Its not that government doesnt innovate when it comes to construction.

Its just that the innovation is unevenly distributed.

For example, how many of you are aware that the Department for Education has - over the last seven years - brought the cost per metre squared of a new school down by a third?

Yet government as a whole still has a long way to go in optimising the speed and value for money of our construction spend.

Take housing.

Eighty-four per cent of detached housing in Sweden use prefabricated timber elements.

Here by contrast the figure is just 5%.

No doubt it is still associated in peoples minds with spartan post-war housing stock.

But the modern reality is very different, as typified by the so-called Japanese dream factories where a single factory can deliver around 20,000 units in a year.

Customers are able to personalise their future home to match their individual needs and aspirations - making buying a home closer to the experience of buying a car.

This is what we should be seeing in the UK.

Yet too often housing construction would look familiar to Victorian eyes.

Original post:

Chief Secretary to the Treasury delivers his first speech in the role to thinktank Onward - GOV.UK

2020_Q1_By_The_Numbers_Horiz_v1 (1)

First-Quarter 2020: By The Numbers

Jersey City, NJ, July 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The surplus for the private U.S. property/casualty insurance industry dropped by $75.9 billion in the first quarter of 2020its largest-ever quarterly declineas the stock market suffered a major downturn, according to Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK), a leading data analytics provider, and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA). Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to affect many insurers and will likely impact underwriting results for the second quarter and the remainder of the year.

The surplus fell to $771.9 billion as of March 31, 2020, from the record-high $847.8 billion at the end of 2019. This drop was mostly driven by a decline in valuations of insurers investments. While the decline set surplus back to mid-2018 levels, traditional leverage ratios remained below their long-term averages.

Other industry results remained steady or improved from a year earlier. Net income after taxes in first-quarter 2020 was $17.9 billion, essentially the same as in first-quarter 2019. The net underwriting gain in the first quarter was $6.3 billion, a 19.9% increase from a year earlier. Net written premiums increased to $164.4 billion in first-quarter 2020 from $154.7 billion in first-quarter 2019a 6.2% increase.

While having no apparent effect on first-quarter underwriting results, the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic disruptions have affected many insurers, and the impact goes beyond the investment losses reported in the first quarter. Based on what is already known about the first half of 2020 and on available forecasts, significant changes are expected in insured exposures as well as in the amount and mix of claims. Verisk research estimates that personal auto insurers have offered more than $13 billion in policyholder rebates and credits. MarketStance, a Verisk solution, estimates that at least 1 million insured businesses in the United States will fail in 2020, and direct written premiums in commercial lines will decrease 2.8%.

The historic drop in industry surplus in the first quarter was concerning for many insurers, as it began to show the impact of COVID-19 on their results, said Neil Spector, president of ISO. But the impact of COVID-19 on the industry is just beginning to unfold. Will personal auto insurers see the reduction in losses matching the policyholder rebates and credits offered this spring? To what extent will commercial lines premiums be affected by the challenges facing the economy? How will insurers adapt and continue to serve their customers efficiently in our new normal?

Verisk recently created an online resource page atverisk.com/insurance/covid-19/to help insurers learn about new regulations, read about critical insights, and discover new products being created to address the effects of COVID-19. It also recently launched a web page that provides strategies for personal lines insurers in the new normal: verisk.com/newnormal.

Property/casualty insurers started the year with solid net written premium growth, but that was the calm before the storm, said Robert Gordon, senior vice president for policy, research and international at APCIA. By the end of the first quarter, insurers experienced their largest-ever quarterly surplus decline as the stock market suffered its largest drop since 1987 and interest rates reached a record low. While the industry remains safely capitalized, many individual insurers face potentially significant unknown coronavirus liability exposures, as well as political and regulatory threats of mandated retroactive and prospective COVID-19 coverage.

View the full report from Verisk and APCIAhere.

About VeriskVerisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) is a leading data analytics provider serving customers in insurance, energy and specialized markets, and financial services. Using advanced technologies to collect and analyze billions of records, Verisk draws on unique data assets and deep domain expertise to provide first-to-market innovations that are integrated into customer workflows. Verisk offers predictive analytics and decision support solutions to customers in rating, underwriting, claims, catastrophe and weather risk, global risk analytics, natural resources intelligence, economic forecasting, and many other fields. Around the world, Verisk helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets.

Headquartered in Jersey City, N.J., Verisk operates in 30 countries and is a member of Standard & Poor's S&P 500Index and part of the Nasdaq 100 Index. For more information, please visitwww.verisk.com.

About APCIARepresenting nearly 60 percent of the U.S. property casualty insurance industry, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) promotes and protects the viability of a competitive private insurance market for the benefit of consumers and insurers. APCIA represents the broadest cross section of home, auto, and business insurers of any national trade association. APCIA members represent all sizes, structures, and regions, which protect families, communities, and businesses in the U.S. and across the globe. For more information, visitwww.apci.org.

Contact:

Joe Madden for VeriskJoseph.Madden@verisk.com201-232-4486

Jeffrey Brewer for APCIAjeffrey.brewer@apci.org847-553-3763

Loretta Worters for I.I.I.lorettaw@iii.org212-346-5575

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Property/Casualty Insurance Industry Suffered Largest-Ever Drop in Surplus in the First Quarter of 2020 - GlobeNewswire

Did you know that many invasive plant species have taken hold in this area changing the plant communities along our coastline?

Chrissy Smith with the Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS said these invaders, often introduced as ornamental plants, can take over an area making it hard for other plants to grow and impacting the ecosystem.

These plants have the ability to shift soil composition, change the available food source for local animals and create less than desirable habitats, Smith said.

Under normal circumstances, WEBS would be hosting an in-person event this July in conjunction with the Explore Nature Series to help people identify invasive plants and map out areas of the coastline where invasive plants exist.

Last year we piloted an effort to map invasive plants with a small group of volunteers, Smith said. This year, we launched a larger program in February but it never truly had time to get off the ground before the pandemic hit.Due to restrictions with COVID-19, WEBS is hosting a virtual presentation on July 25th instead.

While we cant go out on the trails and actually look for these plants, we still wanted to give people an opportunity to learn about local invasive plants, their impacts, how to identify them and what you can do to help including volunteering in the future with the new Weed Detectives community mapping effort, said Smith.

Smith added that if you have participated in past Weed Detectives volunteer training events, this is a great opportunity to review and learn about new plants as they emerge during different seasons.

This virtual presentation on July 25th at 10 a.m. is a part of the Explore Nature Series. Explore Nature Series events are hosted by a consortium of volunteer community and non-profit organizations, and are meaningful nature-based experiences highlight the unique beauty of Tillamook County and the work being done to preserve and conserve the areas natural resources and natural resource-based economy. They are partially funded through the Tillamook Coast Visitors Association and the Travel Oregon Forever Fund.

To learn more or register for Weed Detectives, visit http://www.netartsbaywebs.eventbrite.com. And be sure to follow the Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS and the Explore Nature Series on Facebook and Instagram.

Date: July 25, 2020Location: VIRTUAL Register online at explorenaturetillamookcoast.comTime: 10amQuestions: Contact Director @ NetartsBayWEBS.org or call 541-231-8041.Register: http://www.netartsbaywebs.eventbrite.com

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Be a Weed Detective July 25th: An Introduction to Local Invasive Plants, Their Impacts, and How to Identify, Map, and Control Them - Tillamook County...

A detailed analysis of environmental research has revealed the greatest threat to the world: affluence.

Thats one of the main conclusions of a team of scientists from Australia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, who have warned that tackling overconsumption has to become a priority. Their report, titled Scientists Warning on Affluence, explains that true sustainability calls for significant lifestyle changes, rather than hoping that more efficient use of resources will be enough.

We cannot rely on technology alone to solve existential environmental problems like climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, writes the reports lead author, Professor Tommy Wiedmann from Australias University of New South Wales Engineering, in an article on Phys.org. We also have to change our affluent lifestyles and reduce overconsumption, in combination with structural change."

Sustainable lifestyles are situated between an upper limit or environmental ceiling and a lower limit or social foundation.

Image: Nature

A growing global challenge

There is widespread acceptance that the planet faces an ecological tipping point. To care for humanity, we must care for nature, said United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres on World Environment Day in June. He stressed the importance of making changes as the world recovers from the recent pandemic: As we work to build back better, lets put nature where it belongs at the heart of our decision making.

Approximately half of global GDP is bound up in the natural world, according to the UN. In addition to the many millions of jobs dependent on nature, there are also billions of people intimately connected to and wholly reliant upon natural remedies and medicines.

Plus, the use of tree-planting and reforesting programmes could reduce the impact of global emissions and help meet the Paris Agreement target to keep global temperature increase below 1.5C.

The first global pandemic in more than 100 years, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world at an unprecedented speed. At the time of writing, 4.5 million cases have been confirmed and more than 300,000 people have died due to the virus.

As countries seek to recover, some of the more long-term economic, business, environmental, societal and technological challenges and opportunities are just beginning to become visible.

To help all stakeholders communities, governments, businesses and individuals understand the emerging risks and follow-on effects generated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Marsh and McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, has launched its COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications - a companion for decision-makers, building on the Forums annual Global Risks Report.

The report reveals that the economic impact of COVID-19 is dominating companies risks perceptions.

Companies are invited to join the Forums work to help manage the identified emerging risks of COVID-19 across industries to shape a better future. Read the full COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications report here, and our impact story with further information.

Call for systemic changes

The threat of human-made environmental harm was highlighted in the World Economic Forums Global Risk Report 2020, where it is in the top 10 of both the most-likely and the greatest-impact risks.

The chief problem outlined by the report is that any gains in resource efficiency and environmental protection offered by technology-based solutions have been outrun by the growth of consumption. The report also posits that it might be time to rethink traditional ideas about supply and demand

In capitalist societies, the theory goes that consumer need drives the rest of the economy businesses will only produce things for which there is a demand. But the reality of 21st-century global capitalism is a little more complex than that some economists argue that growth itself is the problem.

Global emissions, shown as the green dotted line, keep pace with the rise in production (purple) and global GDP (orange).

Image: Nature

Writing shortly before World Environment Day, the Forums founder and executive chairman, Professor Klaus Schwab, called for a great reset of capitalism in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. His vision of the great reset includes creating a stakeholder economy, where the market pursues fairer outcomes for all, underpinned by changes to tax, regulatory and fiscal policies, and new trade arrangements.

Schwab also calls for investments that advance shared goals, such as equality and sustainability. This is something that is already taking place in parts of the world where economic-stimulus programmes are being enacted.

In addition, Schwab urges us to address health and social challenges with the innovations made possible by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. That means more public/private collaboration in pursuit of the public good.

Many other leading figures from around the world have rallied to this call, including His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

The pandemic has devastated families and brought major economies to a standstill. But by directing resources into new and improved systems and processes, rather than shoring up the existing ones, Schwab believes a lasting change for the better is possible.

That belief is echoed by the scientists report, which shows that affluence is actually dangerous and leads to planetary-scale destruction, says co-author Julia Steinberger, Professor of Ecological Economics at the University of Leeds. To protect ourselves from the worsening climate crisis, we must reduce inequality and challenge the notion that riches, and those who possess them, are inherently good.

Catch up with the latest thinking on the world after COVID-19 in our weekly World Vs Virus podcast:

More here:

This is now the world's greatest threat and it's not coronavirus - World Economic Forum

The gig economy is constantly evolving, becoming more deeply entrenched in certain areas of the economy while looking to expand into others. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend by forcing changes in the behavior of individuals and businesses that is certain to outlast the health crisis.

Many gig workers saw a significant increase in work opportunities and hourly pay beginning in mid-March, while many traditional workers had their hours or pay reduced, were laid off, or furloughed. One example is the recent shift to exclusive online learning by traditional primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools which has introduced computer-based learning to many for the first time. This will likely increase demand for freelance teachers and educators which has been growing consistently for many years.

A recent article in SmartCompany predicts the gig economy will boom in the post-COVID-19 world. The author opines that post-COVID-19, business organizations will retain a leaner structure and turn to freelance professionals as their go-to resource for services including brand, creative and digital marketing. A recent article in Forbes, 6 Trends That Will Shape the Gig Economy the 2020s, offers a similarly upbeat assessment and identifies several important changes that are likely to occur over the next 10 years. While automation will continue to impact opportunities for gig workers, the author predicts some traditional management jobs will become gig work and that stigma associated with gig work will diminish. In addition, the author predicts more gig-worker-friendly legislation and regulations will be enacted (see our March 3, 2020 post for a discussion on this point) to form a changed legal landscape permitting gig workers to unionize, while allowing greater business services targeting of gig workers.

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The Gig Economy Beyond COVID-19 | Fisher Phillips - JDSupra - JD Supra

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the range of on-demand solutions and options available to budget-minded business owners is increasing,thanks to the rise of online marketplaces, affordably priced cloud apps and freelance gig sites.

Now, at a fraction of typical costs and sometimes even for free, you can getvirtually anything you need, from video to SEO or marketing help:Graphic design services starting at $5. Email marketing for a handful of cents. Sprawling libraries full of stock photos, free for commercial use. Professionally crafted websites that anyone can quickly get up and running beginning at $2 a pop.

The gig economy's moment has arrived, and all those pennies now flowing to nontraditional sources are quickly adding up to create many more opportunities for businesses as well as everyday working professionals, especially those seeking a new side hustle.

More than 57 million Americans (representing 35% of the US workforce) freelanced last year, per nonprofit advocacy organization Freelancers Union. Likewise, over 6 million skilled gig workers are now operating just in America's top 30 cities alone, according to online freelance marketplace Fiverr.com's annual Freelance Economic Impact Report, conducted in partnership with Rockbridge Associates.

According to the report, 6 in 10 freelancers expect to earn as much or more than they did in 2019, which amounted to a collective $150 billion.

Freelance Economic Impact Report 2020, Fiverr.com and Rockbridge Associates

Coupled with the continuing rise in remote work prompted by Covid-19, along with industry growth that's compounding by double or even triple digits in select global territories, it's not only clear that gig work now enjoys greater prominence than ever before, it's also becoming increasingly apparent that outsourcing is quickly becoming the new in-house.

"I don't know why anyone would build most business platforms or websites [from scratch] anymore," says Joseph Olin, executive director for the Video Game Bar Association, which represents legal practitioners in the interactive entertainment space. "The biggest challenge for most businesses is simply deciding which solutions provider to choose from."

As a result, working professionals and organizations seeking on-demand alternatives to traditional business arrangements and solutions are finding it increasingly simple to collaborate and connect. "With the expansion and globalization of gig platforms, talented professionals from around the world can offer their services to a much wider audience of potential clients," says Brie Weiler Reynolds, career development manager for FlexJobs, which has created a guide to popular freelance and gig economy job platforms. "These platforms can allow for much quicker transactions and collaborations and have a streamlining effect on the whole [project development and innovation] process."

Freelance marketplaces and the gig economy are becoming part of the new normal.

"In the future, we'll think in terms of 'platform economies' [vs. marketplaces]," says Hugh Durkin, director of product development for marketing, sales and customer service software provider HubSpot. "Because of the much lower costs [associated with using these solutions], it's not uncommon for bootstrapped, self-funded businesses to become more meaningful in terms of revenue."

It's not just budding entrepreneurs who are finding creative ways to assemble ragtag teams of freelance superstars and stretch every dollar further. Perhaps the most telling signs of sea change lie in corporate America's growing embrace of on-demand and outsourcing practices, with the share of gig workers at U.S businesses having ballooned 15% since 2010, according to the ADP Research Institute.

During the pandemic, it's provided an easy way for many clients, including Fortune 500 firms, to fill in creative gaps and source specific film footage that would otherwise be tough to produce while under stay-at-home orders.

Andrew Krause

founder of marketing communications firm AKA

Over 30% of 1099-MISC contractors doing gig-based work now are over age 55, pointing to growing opportunities for working professionals in every category and age group. But nowhere is the growth potential in the space greater than for small businesses, who are increasingly turning to freelance marketplaces and online sites to outsource (or crowdsource) common day-to-day tasks for pennies on the dollar. And whether they need help with social media management or professional voice-overs, drop shipping or app development, countless entrepreneurs across the globe are quickly adding these solutions to their list of go-to resources.

"Although we're a 22-year-old business, we consistently use stock image, music and video providers," says Andrew Krause, founder of marketing communications firm AKA. "During the pandemic, it's provided an easy way for many clients, including Fortune 500 firms, to fill in creative gaps and source specific film footage that would otherwise be tough to produce while under stay-at-home orders, let alone quickly."

Krause cautions, though, that while freelance creatives provide solutions and are a great way to outsource time-sensitive work or fill in any specific skills gaps that your company may have, results can vary. "It takes a skilled hand to assemble and watch over people."

The key to being successful, he says, is simply to be clear with freelance providers about what your project needs are. Likewise, it's important to vet freelancers' capabilities and work portfolio upfront, establish clear deadlines and milestones, and keep a close eye on project management.

Andrew Vine, head of professional speaking agency The Insight Bureau, said his company uses freelance marketplaces, off-the-shelf templates and online tools to outsource and streamline many aspects of its operations. "We use Upwork.com [freelance] staff to take on ad hoc projects in a way that temporary agencies could never accommodate, sites like SurveyMonkey to source customer feedback, and Zoho CRM [sales software] to handle customer relationship management," he says. "Similarly, we use solutions such as Calendly to [manage our schedule] and avoid the Ping-Pong match involved in setting up appointments. There are plenty of affordable, web-based solutions that help us remain agile."

Michael Morgenstern, senior vice president of marketing for expert witness provider The Expert Institute says they relied on several free resources to grow and scale their business. "We use Trello to manage our projects, Brainlabs' open-source scripts to automate certain high-tech actions, and Unsplash.com is our go-to resource for free, high-quality stock imagery."

Agile and affordable solutions such as these can often be a vital go-to resource for start-ups and other, bootstrapped ventures, helping lower barriers to market entry and offer the tools needed to compete with larger firms. Ironically though, with so many outsourced and on-demand options now available, and just a click away, the biggest challenge for many businesses is simply picking the right ones.

Happily, say many executives, it's a good problem to have, even if the options can sometimes prove overwhelming.

If you're looking to get started yourself, some online marketplaces where you can find freelancers or on-demand services includeFiverr,FlexJobs,Freelancer.com,Guru,Toptaland Upwork. Yet there are a few things to keep in mind when starting out, says Brent Messenger, vice president of public policy and community engagement at Fiverr. Knowing these willensure a more successful outsourcing experience.

If you're looking for help with online automation, or stock assets such as photos, images and plug-and-play solutions, the following sites can also be of service. Some may offer assets and solutions for free, others for a nominal fee or on a subscription basis.

Email and newsletter marketing: AWeber, Constant Contact, Drip, GetResponse, HubSpot, iContact, MailChimp, SendInBlue

Photos and videos:Unsplash, Shutterstock, StockSnap.io, DepositPhotos, Videezy, VideoHive

Logos, graphics and branding:Crowdspring, 99Designs, Behance, Canva, Easil, Adobe Spark

Web design and development:Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, GoDaddy, TemplateMonster, ThemeForest

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Budget-minded business owners' love affair with gig workers is growing - CNBC

In March, just before the lockdown was put in place, Delhi-based artist Sangeeta Gupta completed a massive 606-feet painting on a khadi cloth. Bathed in indigo, the masterpiece depicts the Hindu deity Adiyogi Shiva. Gupta was hoping to make her way into the Guinness Book of World Records with her artwork, but the virus threw all plans off-course. The artist, however, has continued to work on a series of projects. Her palette has undergone a creative transformation, though, in response to the pandemicthe predominant red and blue hues have been replaced by subdued silvers, whites and greys, which now dominate her unfinished series on healing earth.

The pandemic slowed us down and impacted my thoughts to create an intimate and evocative series in context of the crisis. Art works as therapy.It inspires people through engagement and action, says Gupta, who retired as chief commissioner, Income Tax, Delhi. She feels art has a bigger role to play in times of uncertainty. Like my indigo series can help uplift the native practice of cultivation, benefit farmers, dyers and craftsmen of rural India, Gupta says.

Its true that the pandemic has thrown the art world into a tizzy. Usually a sector that relies and thrives on the physical experience in the form of exhibitions, talks, auctions, etc, it has gone through a tough few months, as galleries and event spaces remain shuttered and visitor footfall abysmal due to social distancing measures. Its no wonder then that artists like Gupta are innovating and adapting to the extreme changes that have been thrust upon them. And that precisely is the need of the hour. To build a resilient environment, the art community needs to look at alternate ways. The chief among them are investing in online narratives (think online viewing rooms, auctions, exhibitions, etc) and forming collaborations to support artists. When people are locked in their homes, there is an opportunity to reflect upon innovative means to engage with them and bring a sense of normalcy in their lives through connections with the past and present. Collaboration is key and has the potential to yield impactful results and restore a sense of cultural cohesion, says Delhi-based Smriti Rajgarhia, director, Serendipity Arts Foundation & Festival.

Virtual cultureArt houses and galleries across the world are revealing more of their collections to the digital world today than ever before, creating an increasingly open and accessible arts community. France-based International Council of Museums has, in fact, collaborated with Google Arts & Culture to help art institutions and cultural organisations digitise their content. They even released the Connected to Culture toolkit, a guide for organisations to continue their cultural programming online through livestreams, online talks and digital tours, along with tips on how to showcase collections through social media.

Similarly, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, offers digital resources for students, teachers, parents and science enthusiasts in the form of 2.8 million artefacts and specimens from history. New York-based auction house Sothebys, too, has transformed its business model to focus on online sales. In the March-June period, the auction house saw 76 online auctions (versus 27 in the equivalent period last year) with 6,200 lots sold and sales amounting to $134 million. We can harness the technological advancements of recent months to learn and share more with each other. The current environment is an opportunity to innovate and adapt. Our website looks very different to three months ago, with more information available, many online auctions, art available for private sale or curated offerings from partner galleries. Online catalogues are enhanced with interactive educational content, says Edward Gibbs, chairman, Sothebys India.

Closer home, Delhi-based galleries Espace and Nature Morte and others have collaborated on Artintouch.in, an online digital exhibitions platform created in partnership between galleries to present curated exhibitions.

Then there is the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in Noida, which has incorporated online activities to grow art appreciation and the virtual museum culture. The digital programme includes conversations, workshops, contests and virtual exhibitions like an online glimpse of artists Mrinalini Mukherjee and Jayashree Chakravartys show Abstracting Nature. Theres even an online camp for kids called Craftopia. The art world had to pivot and shift to online programmes. This allows more people to access art and, in a way, sparks curiosity, says KNMA founder and chairperson Kiran Nadar.

Another KNMA initiative is Like the Moving Worldsan online exhibition collaboration with Delhi-based NGO Artreach India, in partnership with NGO TARA Homeswhich presents artworks by 18 young artists. It is inspired by transitions experienced by the artists from across geographies in light of the pandemic. Inspiring appreciation and engagement with the arts, conceptualising and organising platforms and programmes for art education in India is the most important mandate for us. It is also to support experimentation and development of informal ways of art learning, which classroom-structured education at times fails to do, says Roobina Karode, director, KNMA.

For Delhis National Gallery of Modern Art, too, the virtual space has helped it stay connected with artists and audience alike through exhibitions on the life and works of artists Jamini Roy, Raja Ravi Verma and sculptor-painter Ramkinkar Baij. We plan to roll out events and art collaborations beyond the confines of the gallery in the future and will continue to push our limits of experimentation, says Adwaita Gadanayak, director general, NGMA.

It is clear that in this new normal, the art ecosystem has to adapt to new mediums and look for innovative means of outreach. Institutions are undergoing a tremendous transformation aided by technology, recognising the advantages and power of the internet to engage with audiences. Like for our collaborative online festival in April, SAF 2020 x You, we received support from art institutions and organisations from across the globe and attempted to integrate the internet in our presentation and model of outreach. Over the six-day festival, we showcased performances, exhibitions, concerts, etc, all in the digital realm, says Rajgarhia.

Building resilienceWhile its relatively easier for enclosed spaces like galleries and museums to go digital, the road is tougher for open-space events like art fairs and biennales, which are spread across a large area punctuated with massive artworks, installations and sculptures. Earlier on, we approached artists to share what they had been creating during the lockdown. Using social media, we were able to show how artists continue to work during such situations and what purpose art serves during times like these, says Bose Krishnamachari, president, Kochi Biennale Foundation, and director, Kochi-Muziris Biennale (scheduled to open by the end of the year), adding that the pandemic has forced them to think differently about the event this year.

The team has been working on a strategy to be able to open art spaces, while keeping in mind the safety of staff, visitors and stakeholders. A biennale is so much more than a mere accumulation of coincidental collisions. The conversations that emerge from the exhibition, seminars and other programming will be vital in demonstrating the diversity of strategies that artists employ, especially in response to the current crisis, says curator Shubigi Rao.

Similarly, the India Art Fair (IAF), too, will move to the newly-renovated exhibition halls at Pragati Maidan for next years show scheduled to take place in February. A well-planned art experience combined with better control over the event are a few reasons for moving to the new venue. Flexible venues and standard operating procedures of the exhibition industry will help set parameters for both exhibitors and visitors. People prefer to experience art in person and a nuanced adoption of safety measures at gatherings, networking and relationship-building activities will make all the difference, says Jagdip Jagpal, director, IAF. In the past few months, the spread of knowledge online has been greater than ever before and, to a large extent, it has fast-forwarded initiatives that the sector should have been undertaking already. Going forward, we must find ways to remain strong in the recovery, as well as the growth phase. With this in mind, the IAF will kick off its public programme in September using digital formats as a means to support our in-person exhibition strategy, she adds.

Art has always been a medium that communities have used in the face of crisis to help build resilience. Its also an effective tool for community outreach programmes at such times. Its no surprise then that Hampi-based creative mentor and curator Lavina Baldota has been working with weavers and artisans to preserve handcrafted textiles and bring design interventions in traditional weaving, embroidery and crafts to create products that have global appeal and usage. Her aim? To interface art and craft, lend a contemporary narrative to traditional skills and make them relevant for the future. We need skill training and revival, as well as upscaling to create exceptional wearable and usable art, says Baldota, who curated the multi-dimensional exhibition Santati at the IGNCA in Delhi early this year. It featured works created by artists from the weaving, fashion, literature, fine arts and design industries, representing their interpretation of Mahatma Gandhi and his message.

Solidarity and collaborative efforts like these are more important now than ever before. And this is something that the recent Taking the Temperature Reportby FICCI, interdisciplinary arts organisation Art X Company and British Councilattests. It seeks to understand the impact of the pandemic on artists livelihoods and organisations, and the strategic response by governments and stakeholders to ensure that the sector recovers and grows. Some of its key findings are that MSMEs make 88% of the creative sector, 41% of the sector stopped functioning during the lockdown and 61% of organisations established in the past four to 10 years stopped functioning during the lockdown.

The report also shares case studies of resilience and innovation in action across the creative sector. Take, for instance, Kerala governments self-help programme STAYin aLIVE, under which it launched an online arts festival in May with over 60 artists across multiple platforms. The festival raised over `3 lakh in ticketing fees and donations via a campaign fundraising page. Solidarity is more important now than ever. The partnership, to get under the skin of the impact on the arts and cultural industry, will help understand what collaborative efforts are best placed to address the long-term sustainable growth of the creative economy in India, says Barbara Wickham OBE, director, India, British Council.

Strategic engagementGoing forward, Jagpal expects to see entrepreneurial skills and strategies becoming the mainstay of leadership and fundraising in the art world. The strategy should be to create stability in unstable times through short-term, long-term and contingency planning. That requires vision, flexibility, versatility and creative thinking. We have always believed in a model that is commercially sustainable, while supporting development of the sector whether by providing commissions for artists or training to develop existing professionals, as well as those looking to start a career in the arts. The cooperation and collaboration taking place amongst professionals has to be consistent and measured. Any knee-jerk activity will simply result in wasted financial and human resources, she says.

Delhi-based artist Durga Kainthola, too, feels there is a need for well-rounded strategies. As virtual exhibitions gain momentum to bring better exposure for artists, galleries need to start marketing intensely and restructure the audience to enable the artists reach. Due to the pandemic, there is uncertainty in selling of artworks. This, in turn, hampers artists severely. Perhaps galleries can lower their profit margins in order to let artists survive, and museums should utilise their global network for fundraising. Financial aid will enable artists creative growth amid the pandemic, Kainthola says.

Alliances, for sure, are the way forward and will create new opportunities. Alliances come with the promise of knowledge and resource sharing, which can introduce fresh perspectives. At Serendipity Arts Foundation, we have joined hands with (France-based annual photography festival) Les Rencontres dArles and Institut Franais in Delhi to support practitioners from south Asian. The Serendipity Arles Grant 2020 aims to strengthen regional cooperation and Indo-French bilateral relations through cultural exchange, with the purpose to promote cultural practices. In the past, the foundation has collaborated with the Spanish Embassy, British Council, Goethe-Institut, among others, to promote art practices from around the world, says Rajgarhia of Serendipity Arts Foundation & Festival.

Gurugram-based art consultant and curator Lubna Sen feels museums and galleries need to evolve rapidly to fit into the digital era of communication and reach out to their audiences in innovative ways to keep the art and culture conversation going. Galleries can become educators of art appreciation, which is lacking in India. Since the careers and livelihoods of artists depend on galleries, they do have the additional responsibility to support them financially. The support can be extended through putting up works for sale whose proceeds can go directly to artists, says Sen, who curated a virtual exhibition earlier this month titled Spirit Remains Unlocked, a group show of 30 artists.

Besides monetary help, theres also a need to have a constant dialogue with artists to motivate them in these times. The indigenous painters of Patachitra or Madhubani, who live in small towns and villages, require a constant dialogue of reaffirmation in such times, says Gadanayak of NGMA.

One thing is clear: the art world will have to recognise the hidden opportunities stemming from this challenging situation and maintain a balance between digital and physical. We all might have to operate a little differently, adhering to the protocols laid out for public safety. The internet plays an important roleand to see it as a space that can host festivals and similar outreach initiatives is exciting, says Rajgarhia.

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Art of change: Maintaining digital and physical balance in times of Coronavirus - The Financial Express

Aiming to accelerate the development of the fisheries sector, the Indian government has released the draft National Fisheries Policy 2020 that intends to integrate all components marine and inland, capture and culture, and post-harvest in a single document and create an environment to increase investments in the sector, double exports, and incomes of fishers and fish farmers.

It tries to encompass elements of the Blue Growth Initiative, the Agriculture Export Policy 2018 and the targets set under the Sustainable Development Goals. The policy also looks at integrating the fisheries sector with other areas like agriculture, coastal development and ecotourism to meet the goals of Blue Economy while keeping the socio-economic upliftment and economic prosperity of fishers and fish farmers especially traditional and small-scale fishers.

Researchers and members of fisher rights unions have criticised the draft policy for being export-oriented, production-driven, and based on capital investments, which they fear would strip small scale fishers off their rights of access to commons, and also damage the environment in the long run. In addition, they say that the policy does not talk about women. It is silent on caste and class. Fishing communities in India are not homogenous. They have distinct social governance structures and traditional practices, depending on where they live on the coast. They are also organised into sectors, such as the mechanised and non-mechanised sectors.

In a press release, National Fishworkers Forum, a federation of trade unions of independent and small-scale fish workers stated that the policy is neither in favour of the fishing communities nor for protecting the oceans and the coast.

In recent years, fish production in India has had an average annual growth rate of 7%. The share of the fisheries sector was 1.03% of Indias Gross Domestic Product in 2017-18, and the sector has been one of the major contributors of foreign exchange earnings as India is one of the leading seafood exporting nations in the world. The fisheries sector contributed Rs 1.75 trillion to Indias GDP during the financial year 201718, and claims to support nearly 16 million fishers and fish farmers. The document says that India has more than 10% of the global biodiversity in fish and shellfish species, and the total fisheries potential of India has been estimated at 22.31 million metric tons in 2018. The draft policy attributes the rapid growth of seafood exports to the boom in brackishwater aquaculture.

Sunil Mohamed, retired principal scientist and former head of molluscan fisheries division at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Kochi, explained that integrating all the sectors in one policy is a mistake. The marine [fisheries] is not comparable to inland and capture and culture fisheries are completely different sectors, he told Mongabay-India. The sectors need to have separate policies, which they have had in the past, in various stages of drafting. This looks like they have borrowed some points from each and pasted them together to make a unifying policy. In the bargain, we may have lost several important aspects of each policy, Mohamed said.

There is a National Marine Fisheries Policy 2017, which was notified by the central government in April 2017, a draft of the National Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy 2019 which was released in February 2019, and a draft of National Mariculture Policy 2019 which was also released in 2019. In light of the National Fisheries Policy 2020 draft, it is unclear what will become of the rest.

In fact, there has been a lot of confusion around the draft national fisheries policy. It was first put online on the website of the union governments department of fisheries on February 12. However, no final date for comments from stakeholders was mentioned. Subsequently, on June 16, 2020, the department of fisheries posted an update that senior officers of the department, in a meeting taken by the secretary of the department, discussed the draft national fisheries policy 2020. Since then, there has been no information about its present status. Queries sent to the central governments fisheries department have remained unanswered so far.

The draft states that the marine sector is dominated by the socio-economically backward artisanal and small scale fishers, that there is stagnation in the growth of marine capture fisheries, and that it is imperative to figure out alternative livelihood options.

It suggests two initiatives for small scale fishers: to skill them in deep fishing, which includes exploring the areas beyond national jurisdiction and give a push to industrial fishing and deep-sea fishing for high-value resources like tuna, tuna-like species, oceanic squids in a sustainable manner and; to skill them in mariculture, the practice of cultivation of economically viable marine plants and animals in seawater. The policy sees massive potential for the country in mariculture, projecting an annual production of four to eight million tonnes.

The problem with this, according to Siddharth Chakravarty, who works at The Research Collective and analyses fisheries policies through the lens of labour, gender, and class, is that the further you move away from the shore in terms of capture fisheries, and the more you try to enhance production in artificial ways through intensive culture fisheries, you automatically add two aspects to it. One is the need for upfront capital to be able to conduct and undertake these activities. The second is that you invariably use more intensive technologies.

So compared to a near-shore gill-netter, a long-liner is going to be much more intensive both capitally and ecologically. A mariculture pond that tries tuna ranching...for that cage you need infrastructure that is more capital-intensive and this will have an ecological impact as well, he said.

He also pointed out that the government is largely basing fishery development on the fact that it needs to invest through entrepreneurs, and that investment will be matched by government support. What it means for fishworkers is that it excludes them, because women, lower caste fishers and those involved in allied activities operate within a socio-economic system where livelihoods are not embedded in the cycle of investment, extraction and profit. So, in addition to the schemes being financially unviable, there is also a clash of cultures and outlooks in the way the state sees and the people perceive development, he told Mongabay-India.

In mariculture, when somebody would make an investment in the coastal waters, they are inserting their private property into a common property rights regime. And it becomes an exclusive piece of investment that belongs to someone, and the fish in it are not a shared resource like other fishery resources are. There is going to be a creation of exclusive zones, and a need to protect those zones, and there is going to be a social exclusion in addition to the capital exclusion and ecological exclusion, Chakravarty warned.

The inland fisheries include all rivers, canals, floodplain lakes, high altitude lakes, ponds, wetlands, tanks, reservoirs, brackish water, all saline and alkaline affected areas of the country. The policy aims to enhance fishing in all these areas, including high-altitude lakes in the North and Northeastern parts of India, and wetlands and reservoirs in protected areas. Pradip Chatterjee, convenor of National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers, said this means privatisation.

Not privatisation as in going into private hands the state is going to take these areas under their jurisdiction and then it is going to lease them out to private entrepreneurs or beneficiaries, who are then going to enhance fish production, he said. All these are public water bodies, and traditional fishers have been fishing in them since time immemorial. Why should it be leased? Commons are for the public. The traditional fishers and fish farmers are going to lose their natural rights over these water bodies they will be turned into contract labourers, Chatterjee told Mongabay-India.

He emphasised that the rivers and wetlands are already polluted and that fishworkers are barely earning a livelihood, which forces them to migrate and seek work in other states. The tenure rights are not secure for the farmers in this sector as it is mainly verbal and there is no support from the government, he said.

According to the draft policy, aquaculture sector documented one of the highest growth rates in productions and providing livelihood and nutritional security in the country, and deserves greater attention in the form of incentives/concessions as in agriculture like income tax, power supply, loan facility, insurance covered, drought and flood relief and transportation.

But aquaculture is also known for causing an immense amount of pollution in the form of eutrophication of water bodies ultimately leading to habitat destruction and also destroying livelihoods of those who invest in this fish farming method. While the draft policy talks about using mitigation measures, there is no indication of what those measures are.

In addition, small fishers and allied workers who are not going to be able to invest in aquaculture as a beneficiary component by putting a certain percentage into that farm, it means that access to common property resources, to resources that are seasonal like ponds and dam waters where the fisheries department has been putting seeds and some capture fisheries happen, as they start becoming privatised or polluted areas, it will begin to exclude people, Chakravarty added.

The draft proposes to implement dedicated programmes for developing fisheries sector in islands. One of them is game fishing or recreational fishing, which according to Sahir Advani, junior adjunct fellow at Dakshin Foundation and postdoctoral research fellow, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at University of British Columbia, is increasingly being recognised as a sustainable means to connect with aquatic ecosystems and as alternative livelihood options for small-scale fishing communities.

In the Andaman Islands, the game fishing industry brings in a lot of foreign revenue, provides employment opportunities to local communities, and has a low impact on marine ecosystems if the principles of catch and release with minimal stress to fish are followed. While an economic valuation of the game fishing sector in India remains to be undertaken, it will likely be beneficial to the local economy and is a good example of ecotourism, if done right, responsibly, and equitably he told Mongabay-India.

In a webinar organised by the National Fishworkers Forum earlier in June, Jesu Rethinam, convener of Coastal Action Network and member of NFF said that women are further invisibilised in the [draft] policy.

She said that the policy aims at the rationale of schemes which has been envisioned in the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. The PMMSY is a financial scheme of Rs 200 billion launched by the central government in May this year, to bring about the Blue Revolution. It was criticised for focusing on economic and technological growth as opposed to catering to the food security and livelihood needs of the fishers, given the exponential losses incurred by the fisheries sector during the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are women in many parts of the country who engage in capture fisheries in both marine, backwaters, estuaries and inland, there is no mention of them, and wherever mentioned they are mere claims with no progressive intent for the fishworkers, she said.

Chatterjee stressed that there is total neglect of the traditional knowledge of the fishworkers, in this proposed policy and there is nothing on their rights. Development without rights will lead to eviction of fishworkers from their livelihood, he said.

Over the years we have created a narrative of poverty, of helplessness, of back-in-time, of small as being inferior, and therefore we are very successfully able to deploy all those words to then imply that there is a need for development, said Chakravarty. But when you go in and look at the scope of the document, the development is not actually directed towards people for whom the societys sympathies at large have been evoked.

Advani explained that Indias envisioning of the fisheries sector has for a long time been all about gaining returns from marine exports. The language used in most policy documents focuses on resource exploitation rather than management, he said.

He explained that fisheries sustainability can be considered in six dimensions ecological, economic, social, technological, ethical, and institutional, and Indian fisheries policies seem to be focused largely on economic and technological dimensions with short-term sustainability targets in mind.

There needs to be greater consideration of long-term sustainability and across the dimensions of social, ecological, ethical and institutional for Indian fisheries to become truly sustainable, he said.

This article first appeared on Mongabay.

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Indias new fisheries policy will increase private control over open access water bodies - Scroll.in