Party town: How an alcohol-centered culture is impacting the community’s mental health – Summit Daily News

Jordan Cain was a teenager when he began drinking.

It started innocuous enough for the Longmont native, as is the case with many young people experimenting with alcohol in their high school years. But things didnt stay that way.

He developed an alcohol use disorder, and soon he was drinking just to stop himself from going into withdrawal. At some point, he began using cocaine to stay awake. For 12 years, people in his life tried to talk to him about his addiction, but he would brush off their remarks.

I was drinking very heavily. And I think for my generation, or at least the people I was hanging out with, it was just a normal amount, Cain said. I did drop out of college. I was in a lot of trouble off and on the entire time with the law. I found myself in some pretty messed up relationships, where not only were alcohol and drugs being abused, but I myself was being abused.

Cain said he didnt think much of his first DUI. It never occurred to him that alcohol was really an issue, much less a debilitating disorder. Sure, there were problems, but he was still holding down a steady job.

It wasnt until his second DUI about six months later when he took it as a sign from the universe, or the courts, that maybe it was time to take a deeper look at himself.

I think that was kind of the point where I knew I was going to be facing jail time, he said. And I knew this might be the best chance I have at drying up being away from toxic people, toxic environments and really using jail to my benefit as a first step in starting to be sober.

Cain moved to Summit County after his release from jail. Today, he is more than 2 1/2 years sober.

Cains addiction isnt unique. Hes just one of millions of Americans with a substance use disorder. What is special about his story, and others like him, is he found a way out.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generally defines alcohol misuse as more than one drink per day on average for a woman and more than two per day for a man. The center further defines binge drinking as four or more drinks for a woman on a single occasion and five for a man.

But in some circumstances, that misuse can be difficult to spot.

Steve Howes is a Michigan native whos lived in Summit County for the past 15 years, and hes currently eight months sober. He said growing up in a family with heavy drinkers played a major role in his addiction. Later in life, it was societal and professional norms.

I just grew up around drinking, Howes said. Most of my aunts and uncles are all alcoholics. Thats something I took up with them. They were allowing me to drink as a young teenager, and I drank heavily with them on the weekends and stuff. I guess at the time I thought it was normal.

And since I work in the trades, every day after work you get home, you go out with the boys and you start to drink with them. Thats what youre supposed to do.

Tucker Limbruner grew up in Breckenridge and was exposed to heavy drinkers at a young age at his fathers restaurant. He started drinking in high school, picked up marijuana in college and later added cocaine to the mix, but hes been sober for more than two years.

When I was a kid, I thought it was kind of the norm for most people, Limbruner said. Living in Breckenridge, you are exposed to a vacation lifestyle at all times. I kind of realized as I got older that its not really a vacation all the time.

Unhealthy perceptions of alcohol and other substances, among numerous other factors, contribute to the more than 20 million Americans with a substance use disorder, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. More than 70% of that total have an alcohol use disorder.

Some mountain towns have a higher percentage of heavy drinkers, according to a June 2020 Katz Amsterdam Foundation and FSG survey of eight communities, including Summit and Eagle counties. About 45% of adult respondents reported binge or heavy drinking in the 30 days prior to taking the survey, compared with a national benchmark of 18%.

That likely has something to do with a culture of heavy drinking and drug use that has pervaded the community. Its no surprise that visitors coming to Summit County or other resort areas would include substances in their routine. Theyre on vacation, so why not check out a local brewery or stop into a dispensary to see what all the fuss is about?

But experts say that blas attitude often carries over to locals.

I think any place that is a resort area where the economy is based on visitors and on tourists, were going to have that kind of culture, said Jeanette Kintz, clinical director of Summit Womens Recovery, a womens outpatient addiction treatment center based in Dillon. People come here on vacation, and they come here to have a good time. Alcohol is often a good part of that, and with the legalization of marijuana, its made Colorado more of a hot spot.

Then what happens is and I hear this story all the time people who move here for a season to work at the resort, and then theyve been here 20 years and their substance use continued along the process. Some folks slow down, but its that work-hard, play-hard mentality.

What work residents are doing may also play a part. Those working in accommodations and food services (16.9%) as well as the arts, entertainment and recreation (12.9%) industries are among the most likely to have a substance use disorder, according to a 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Tourism and outdoor recreation is far and away Summit Countys biggest industry, making up as much as 65% of the economy, according to a September 2020 community profile prepared by the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments Economic Development District.

Casey Donohoe, a mental health navigator with the Family & Intercultural Resource Center and part-time bartender at a locals watering hole in Breckenridge, said she frequently sees individuals with substance use disorders. She said people often come into the bar in search of human interaction, which she attributes to difficulties making friends in a transient community.

There are countless activities and events one can go to in Summit County to meet people, but youll find booze at most of them.

According to the Katz Amsterdam Foundation and FSG survey, 83% of Summit County residents agreed that alcohol is important to social life.

In the beginning, its tough, Howes said about trying to get sober. Youre constantly around it. You walk down Main Street, and at every restaurant people are sitting outside drinking. Anytime you go rafting, youre in a raft with a cooler full of beer. You go skiing and everybody goes drinking afterward. Every festival here everyone is drunk. Its in your face. You cant get away from it.

A National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism surveillance report published earlier this year revealed that alcohol sales increased nationally between March and December 2020 compared with the prior three-year average. Likewise, marijuana sales in Colorado increased by more than $443 million in 2020 and crossed the $2 billion plateau for the first time.

Over the years, one of the things I hear often about the reasons people drink are boredom and structure, addiction counselor Susanne Neal said. COVID took away everybodys structure going to work, the time placement of everything during the day. Routines were pretty much uprooted where people didnt have to do anything, and isolation, feeling depressed, some of those mental health issues really reared their head.

But the impact of the pandemic on substance use disorders will likely take some time to unravel.

Data provided by the Summit County Coroners Office shows there hasnt been a major increase in substance-related deaths, with 10 last year compared with an average of 9.8 over the past decade. Also last year, there was a 1% decrease in the number of clients enrolling in the Family & Intercultural Resource Centers Mental Health Navigation program who listed a substance use disorder as their primary reason.

I had a few clients who admitted because they were out of work, didnt have anything to do and were getting paid unemployment, its kind of the idle hands thing where they increased their alcohol and drug use, Donohoe said. The uptick, for me at least, wasnt as big as I thought it was going to be.

But as things begin to return to normal, some experts believe there could be a surge of community members seeking help.

We dont know yet what its going to look like going into winter, Kintz said. My guess is well start to see more people seeking treatment.

Its never easy to tell when someone will recognize they have a problem and seek help.

Thats the confusing part to people, Neal said. If theyre going to work, still holding a job, still married, havent lost their kids, havent got a DUI its very hard to wrap your head around having a problem.

Substance use disorders can manifest in myriad impacts on a users life, and often it takes some sort of inciting incident for someone to seek treatment.

For Cain, it was his second DUI, 75 days in jail and severing ties with old friends that helped him get clean. Howes was driving home drunk from a friends birthday party, ran from the police and woke up on a strangers lawn to the sound of police sirens approaching. Limbruners family staged an intervention, and he shipped off to in-patient rehab that night.

All three are on the road to recovery, and if theres one commonality, its the fact that, sooner or later, they decided to ask for help.

Its OK to not be OK, as they say, Limbruner said. I know some people are really scared to reach out. They dont want to feel weak; they dont want to feel vulnerable, especially with people they dont know. But to reach out is probably the strongest thing anybody can do. I didnt get help until I asked.

Treatment certainly wont look the same for everyone, but there are plenty of resources in the community to help out. There are numerous therapists, support options at the Summit Community Care Clinic, active Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups, and other resources that mental health navigators at Building Hope Summit County and the Family & Intercultural Resource Center can guide residents toward.

For those facing financial barriers to treatment, Building Hope offers mental health scholarships, which allow community members up to 12 free therapy sessions.

Any type of professional treatment can help, but those in recovery said having a network of sober friends can be incredibly helpful, as well. Cain, Howes and Limbruner all take part in Fit to Recover, a weekly class at CrossFit Low Oxygen in Frisco meant to help connect people in recovery with others who know what theyre going through.

Building Hope also offers substance-free events, which feature fun and free activities where community members can meet new people and speak openly about mental health issues.

Those in recovery say taking that first step is whats important.

If a person is thinking that alcohol is an issue for them, theyre 90% of the way there toward taking that first step, Cain said. Thats what it was for me. Id been told by so many people during that decade-plus, Stop, stop doing this. Even so much as getting in trouble all the time because of my addiction and the way I was behaving. That wasnt enough. What it took was for me to say, This is enough.

For anybody thinking that they have a problem with it, or maybe questioning it, theyre so close. Theyre almost there. And they can do it, and its possible. Its so possible.

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McMillin: Virgin Galactica grounding shows need for international space-traffic control – The Denver Post

With about 20 active spacefaring nations, 90-plus space agencies around the globe, commercial space flights, and thousands of satellites in Earth orbit, its time for international space-traffic control.

Nobody wants a couple of multi-million-dollar satellites crashing into one another, and the economic loss isnt the only concern. A smash-up could raise questions of whether it was a hostile attack, and it would create hundreds of small pieces of space debris.

So far, the tracking that started at the dawn of the space age has become increasingly sophisticated and has been able to keep things orderly. But close calls and alerts to satellite operators about potential dangers are increasing.

This weeks grounding of Virgin Galactica because it strayed from its flight path on the July 11 flight that carried founder Richard Branson, two pilots, and three other passengers briefly outside the Earths atmosphere is a case in point, although its flight was regulated through airspace by the Federal Aviation Administration.

As more spacecraft travel to and from space through FAA-regulated airspace, it only increases the need for a formalized space-traffic control system was mentioned frequently at the recent 36th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, along with updating the rules for responsible behavior in space.

But it was clear that nationalism and the quest for military superiority in space could get in the way.

Space traffic management and rules are topics that have bubbled through the military, civilian and commercial space communities for years, but theres a sense of urgency as we have entered what Gen. Jay Raymond, chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force, called the second golden age of space.

Consider just a few statistics: The number of satellites in low-earth orbit rose from 2,100 in 2019 to 4,900 today; the cost of getting a payload into space has dropped from the Space Shuttle rate of $25,000 a pound to $1,250 a pound on a commercial rocket; more than 32,000 objects, including the International Space Station and small pieces of debris, are being tracked by the Space Force (an estimated 250,000 smaller pieces of debris untracked by the military are in low-Earth orbit), and the global space economy was estimated at $447 billion in 2020 with few impacts from the pandemic.

In Colorado, there are more than 500 aerospace companies and suppliers, including operations for nine of the top 10 in the country. Those companies employ more than 33,000 people for an annual payroll of $4.3 billion, according to the Colorado Space Coalitions 2021 report.

Even as symposiums speakers talked about the need to maintain a safe and stable space domain, satellite data was being relayed to assist rescue workers in Haiti, wildland firefighters in California, water managers working to allocate a shrinking resource in the parched West, and those involved with the frenzied evacuation of Afghanistan.

Indeed, the world relies heavily on space systems in many aspects of daily life.

The idea of controlling activity on a global scale for the good of all isnt a new concept. We do it in the air, on the sea, and with the telecommunication airwaves. The time has come, and were perhaps already late, to do it in outer space.

I detected some dissonance, though, in the remarks on this topic at the symposium.

Uniformed and civilian speakers connected to the Department of Defense or U.S. national security interests were nearly half of the general symposium program (16 of 35 presentations), so the drumbeat to maintain U.S. prominence in space was loud. And the drumbeat of China is a threat (and to a lesser extent, Russia) was louder.

Heres a sample of those voices:

Even NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who participated in several forums and generally spoke about civil space endeavors and international and commercial partnerships, said: Were in a space race with China.

Speakers on international panels and the director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) were more likely to talk about the importance of space systems in combating climate change and for disaster mitigation. They clearly favor a United Nations approach to space traffic control.

The United States has started this work and, you might be surprised to learn, so has New Zealand, whose space agency was created just five years ago.

In 2018, President Trump directed the Commerce Department to develop a space traffic management system and to mitigate the effects of space debris for commercial providers. The job falls to the Office of Space Commerce.

It makes sense thats where the Federal Aviation Administration started after fledgling efforts by the airlines to institute air traffic controls.

The Space Force will continue to maintain its catalog of objects in space.

Pelzer said hes glad that work is underway as it can serve as a draft for a UN solution.

Of course, China and Russia werent at the symposium to weigh in on the subject.

Neither was the New Zealand Space Agency, which is rapidly developing a regulatory regime to support the growth of a safe, responsible and secure space industry, which meets our international obligations and manages any liability arising from our obligations as a launching state.

Its working with LeoLabs, a California-based company that is building a network of ground-based radars to track even the tiniest piece of debris in low-Earth orbit and provide real-time data to satellite operators.

New Zealand is using that tracking data to ensure everything it licenses for launch about 100 satellites so far is where its supposed to be and doing what its supposed to do.

For us its a template of how to do operational space-traffic safety management, which has not been done anywhere, said Dan Ceperley, CEO and co-founder LeoLabs.

Ceperley has been talking with the Commerce Department, too.

We need a regulatory body defining the rules of the road and actually monitoring whats going on in space, he said.

He didnt want to weigh in on who should be the regulator but noted that space is an international arena and there is collaboration that crosses many borders. He believes the thing that contributes the most to good behavior in space is transparency.

The new space race is primarily commercial, and we want to make that successful, he said. We really dont want a conflict in space and transparency can drive deterrence.

With tracking, aggressive behavior or irresponsible behavior will be spotted and discussed, and that encourages good behavior, he said.

UNOOSA has played a significant role in shaping good behavior with the formation of international space law since its creation in 1959. The cornerstone is the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which allows for freedom of exploration and the non-appropriation of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies.

Four subsequent treaties have reinforced and updated the original treaty, but the last of those was the 1979 Moon Agreement.

UNOOSA also issued guidelines on debris mitigation and sustainability. Those are guidelines still, they encourage good behavior.

Updating those agreements and expanding them to include space traffic control is badly needed, and some speakers spoke to that.

It might have been easier before the United States and other nations realized that lunar resources could likely be used to create a space outpost and to get humans to Mars and beyond. Thats why everyone is rushing to get back on the moon and to be first.

We need to be there first and greet others, said U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), who serves in the Senate aerospace caucus and the Space Force caucus. We are behind in this new space race.

Dominance in space will be a key factor in ensuring our security in years to come.

Others leaned in more toward international cooperation.

Aschbacher noted that Russia and China have invited ESA to participate in lunar missions, and the agency provided tracking for Chinas lunar probes, the latest of which was launched last year. ESA also has what he termed valuable partnerships with NASA, including for the Artemis lunar mission.

Thats the general backdrop for figuring out international space traffic control and debris mitigation.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in July issued a memorandum on five Tenets of Responsible Behavior in Space.

They are: operate in, from, to and through space with due regard to others and in a professional manner; limit the generation of long-lived debris; avoid the creation of harmful interference; maintain safe separation and safe trajectory, and communicate and make notifications to enhance the safety and stability of the domain.

Thats a lot like what the UNOOSA promotes in its treaties and guidelines.

And a lot like what Ceperley means when he talks about good behavior.

So maybe theres hope for more international agreement especially if the United States tones down its dominance in space rhetoric.

Sue McMillin is a long-time Colorado reporter and editor who worked for The Gazette and Durango Herald. Now a regular columnist for The Denver Post and a freelance writer, she lives in Caon City. Email her at suemcmillin20@gmail.com.

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Rwanda in new push to boost medical research, innovation – The New Times

Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) has launched a new platform that is aimed at promoting and increasing medical science and innovation in the country.

Dubbed the Science and Innovation Platform, it seeks to address a number of gaps in the countrys health science and innovation sector, which include: limited skills and expertise, insufficient sustainable financing mechanisms, limited scale up of products emerging from research and innovation, inadequate participation of the private sector and industry players in such projects, as well as challenges related to regulatory framework.

During the launch of the platform held on Monday, August 30, Noella Bigirimana, the Division Manager the Research, Innovation and Data Science Division at RBC, said the platform will be responsible for developing and implementing sustainable mechanisms for investment in research and innovation for health, increasing engagement of health care partners in Research and Development (R and D) and innovation, strengthening regulatory systems, IP protection and knowledge transfer, as well as enhancing the impact of science and innovation in healthcare.

We are looking at investing in health research and innovation as something that is very important for social and economic development, she said.

She noted that the platform will have priority goals of strengthening retention and incentives of professionals in health research and innovation sector, improving resource mobilisation and revenue generation in the field, advancing transitional research from data to policy, and from research to clinical context.

What we aim to do is advance the translation of research. When we do research and have breakthroughs and findings, we want it to influence policy and our practices, she said.

We also look at this platform as an avenue for resource mobilisation; there is need to increase funding towards this area.

The platform will also look to increase collaborations between scientists, research, academia and industry partners, as its members include government, private sector industry, technology partners, public health specialists, academia and research centres and clinicians among others.

The initiative has a number of core areas of focus for research and innovation, including: epidemiology and biostatistics, digital health, laboratory and diagnosis, among others.

It also aims at promoting potential intellectual property or patent generation for research and innovation done in the country.

In an earlier interview with The New Times, Geofrey Beingana, a pharmacist and Global Health Specialist said intellectual property will be getting important for the country going forward, since the local pharmaceutical sector is starting to grow towards the possibility of making its own inventions.

With the coming up of pharmaceutical plants in Rwanda, we need such legislations. At the moment we are having about 3 pharmaceutical plants that are already in establishment in the country. We are moving in the right direction for better research and development of our own molecules, he added.

Eugene Mutimura, the Executive Secretary of the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST), speaking to the participants in the launch event on Monday reflected on the importance of science and technology in the development of the country,

Science and technology is a critically important enabler and a core driver for all that we do to promote our country to become a knowledge-based economy that pertains to the wellbeing of the people but also supporting industrial development as well as research that impacts on the wellbeing of the people, he said.

The new platform is being created as local health research continues to create waves on the global scene. Speaking during an earlier event, the RBC Director General Dr Sabin Nsanzimana noted that two local studies have been able to discover new variants of Tuberculosis and Malaria.

hkuteesa@newtimesrwanda.com

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Dhaka needs to be open to engagement with Taliban – The Financial Express BD

Ambassador Humayun Kabir tells FE

Published: September 04, 2021 20:50:30

Former ambassador Humayun Kabir in an exclusive interview with Khawaza Main Uddin of The Financial Express

The Financial Express (FE): How far do you foresee stability and possibility of people's wellbeing in Afghanistan this time around, after the takeover by the Taliban forces despite bitter experiences of the land-locked country located at a strategic crossroad?

Humayun Kabir (HK): When we build up a state or manage a state, trust is the most important element. The activities of the Taliban in the past is their nemesis. Now Taliban has to be counterintuitive, in the sense that they have to prove that they are not what people think about them. It looks like Taliban has taken one or two lessons from their past mistakes. They are saying that 'we will build an inclusive government, inclusive society, show respect to women's rights, education, equal opportunities, we will not take revenge.' etc. Trust building is a very important element in the current context of Afghanistan. Fear dominates the return of Taliban. But Taliban is responsible for engendering that sort of fear. It is up to them again to take some sort of initiative to remove the sense of fear.

Security-wise, Taliban had an ongoing conflict with both ISIS and al Qaeda in the recent years. I saw some reports that ISIS K was a tool that was created by some people in the previous regime to poke other sides. I must not underestimate the fact that Taliban had a soft corner for al Qaeda. They need to show the world that they are no longer a part of that nexus. Taliban will have to prove that they are not dominated by agenda and priorities of Haqqani group.

The humanitarian crisis unfolded very deeply. People have to be fed and properly kept. Also, just behind that is coming serious food crisis. The value of Afghani is falling. The World Bank, the other donors, have stopped the supply or commitment of funds to Afghanistan. The US is holding supply of US$10 billion. This money has to be channelized or flown to the economy just to give the assurance. The Afghan government had been divorced from the reality of Afghanistan for 20 years. This has been amply demonstrated when the Taliban came -It has collapsed like a house of cards.

Unless there are security, legitimacy of the Talibans accepted by the international community, real serious economic plan, political viability of building inclusive Afghanistan, I think, all these things will be difficult. The military victory was the easiest part. They will now have much more difficult and daunting challenges to overcome in the days and months to come. Afghanistan is in a very difficult transition. They will have to rebuild all the institutions based on trust, participation, and credibility. If they are honest and they understand the reality, they will have to adjust to the reality. Last time, they ruled by values and they lost. Building up a state with new institutions, new participation, new credibility and also partnership with international community will be a major challenge for Afghanistan. Taliban cannot rule without international partnership now because Afghanistan's economy is in a complete shambles. If they have taken their lessons, Taliban can perhaps find a new day.

FE: Is the latest Afghan episode going to be any kind of trendsetter for third world nations, especially Muslim majority countries affected by foreign interventions or civil war and what could be probable ramifications of the Taliban victory?

HK: When the Americans came, people generally welcomed them. But American's over exercise of power has destroyed the American influence. Neither could they change the ground reality nor could they change society nor could they achieve their objectives. So, over exercise of power by anybody may prove to be counterproductive. Any power that wants to sustain or survive has to ensure the people's ownership of policies. Some 50,000-60,000 Talibans chasing away a power like the United States, what lesson does one need to have? The external intervention either for regime change or regime retention does not produce desired results. The Soviet Union entered Afghanistan in 1979 and tried to build up a socialist Afghanistan. After 10 years, they completely failed. Twenty years ago, America came just to democratise Afghanistan and build up a modern Afghanistan. Now, look what has happened.

We can see that Talibans are concerned that trained people and human resources are now fleeing Afghanistan. They understand that they need people to run the airport, run the economy and run the government structures, and the businesses. It would be very intelligent of them if they could retain those people or incentivise for them to come back. It is not impossible. I am getting the first glimmer of hope that they may not be as stupid as people may think. If they can deliver on what they are saying, in my view, things will be different. Afghanistan has a huge potential. Afghanistan has huge hidden resource and also oil, perhaps. Afghanistan could be a regional hub because major gas pipelines like TAPI (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India) stopped because Afghanistan was not stable. Now, China has BRI projects in Pakistan. A well-managed or reasonably good managed Afghanistan could give many lessons to counties such as these at that level of development and perhaps create a new model of development. I sympathise with the Afghanis. They are struggling for generations, 40 years of continuous war 1979 onwards, occupation after occupation. I must commend their heroism. Under that kind of pressure, that kind of torture, that kind of oppression, they survived and stood up to try to do something on their own!

FE: What are the strategic compulsions or choices left for Bangladesh in the Afghan 'crisis', until it is resolved, given the involvement of or evacuation by great powers?

HK: Afghanistan has been a historical friend for us during our liberation war. There has been a soft corner between Afghanistan and Bangladesh. We can explore that connection. In terms of other connectivity, one area would largely be the economy. Our experience in fighting poverty, managing poverty alleviation, family planning etc. could be the kinds of lessons which are not very visible but very useful. In very low profile areas of development, Bangladesh could perhaps become a partner of Afghanistan. Strategically, for both India and Pakistan, Bangladesh would be okay. We are a member of SAARC, Muslim-majority country. If everything goes right, Bangladesh can be added to the TAPI gas pipeline. We can ask India to help us to extend the line to Bangladesh. Afghanistan is a gateway to central Asia. Economic strategy perspective, cultural strategy perspective, being a friendly SAARC neighbour will be beneficial. Technology could be another area where we could cooperate. Bangladesh's achievement in the women empowerment domain could be replicated. Our NGOs have been working, BRAC has already been working in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is such a country where government access is very difficult. In remote areas, the NGOs can work together and build up a society. War destroys any other culture and it instils a war culture. From that violent proneness to a peaceful mindset, that is something that NGOs can do it in their own way and Bangladesh is one of the best NGO destinations of South Asia. Many NGO interventions including microfinance can be implemented there.

FE: Why should, or should not, Bangladesh establish and maintain a direct contact with the Taliban leaders when the situation is still uncertain? Who are the players that can help Bangladesh in reaching out to the Afghan leaders?

HK: As diplomats, we build bridges not just with our friends, but also with our enemies. We can have a word with them via intermediary; China, Russia, Iran are there. Or we can have direct discussions. They have offices in Qatar. We can drop fillers and say that we are interested. If you think you are ready, just look at what the areas are where we can cooperate. We can leave our markers for example in terms of recognition. We can offer them that if you need, we can help you to build up your communities. We can come back to work in the health sector, education sector, agricultural sector, women empowerment. I think Taliban will not hesitate because particularly, there is a strong sensitivity of Taliban in the women empowerment sector.

FE: What are the specific areas, as you see, where the two countries can cooperate for maximising their interests once normalcy is restored there?

HK: Agricultural cooperation, civil society cooperation, education could be potential areas. Lots of Afghanis come to Bangladesh for education. Lots of Afghan women come to Asian University for Women. We can open up our universities for Afghan students for scholarship. We can provide a lot of cheap quality stuff, i.e.: garments, low tech engineering products, various health items, soap, toothpaste etc. We can very well do the same kind of trade with Afghanistan.

FE: Despite historic relations with Afghanistan, do Bangladeshi policymakers and stakeholders properly understand the Afghan people and their culture for maintaining warm relations? What needs to be done in Dhaka to connect to Afghan authorities and people?

HK: Our relationship or understanding about Afghanistan is basically two dimensional: Afghanistan helped us during our Liberation War and the Talibans are in Afghanistan and they are promoters of violence and extremism in Bangladesh. I think there is much bigger dimensions than that. Afghanistan is a nation, an old nation. We should look at Afghanistan from that multidimensional perspective. If there is anything negative, we should be careful about that. At the same time, we should open up areas where we can cooperate with that country. We can go beyond past challenges and explore the other areas. We need to have good research. For these regional countries, if possible, I would recommend, not only for Afghanistan, our schools, colleges, universities should teach about our neighbourhood because we have to prepare our generations about the neighbourhood. Only then can we have a balanced kind of generation to look at the countries. We have to have a good understanding. We need to mature in terms of our understanding to research, to study through education to building up a future generation.

FE: As a former ambassador of Bangladesh, what will be your advice on this issue at the political level and at the diplomatic level?

HK: In order to understand a nation, one has to understand the domestic dynamics in the sense that what kind of Afghanistan will now be created would be decided by whether Afghanistan has an inclusive society or not. If it is an inclusive, democratic society, Afghanistan is likely to pursue democratic, peaceful purpose. If you see a country is developing its own consultative process of governance, that country is more likely to be more consultative with its neighbours. So, I would very deeply study Afghanistan. And if it is possible and the situation permits, we should try to engage with Taliban as soon as possible in coordination with our other neighbours. But we must not be unnecessarily derailed with indecision whether we should go or not. In Kosovo case, we hesitated to recognise it for long, long time and Kosovan diplomats expressed their unhappiness with us. We should be open, objective and have good analysis of the situation and based on that examine our pros and cons and then move ahead in coordination with others.

We must keep in touch with both the coalitions and networks and understand what they are thinking. If they are positive, we will engage without hesitation. We should not be driven by emotion. Emotion might take away many good things from us. Bangladesh is now a country that is moving ahead. We need to understand and lean forward whenever required in terms of our foreign policy.

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Dhaka needs to be open to engagement with Taliban - The Financial Express BD

Green Energy: Renewables sector and government find common ground on offshore energy bill – Stockhead

Its not often that the current Federal Government and the green energy sector find themselves in happy agreement.

But that is the case with new legislation to open up an offshore electricity industry in Australia, tabled by Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor in Parliament yesterday.

It paves the way for the start of Australias offshore wind energy industry, which could eventually rival the North Sea offshore wind industry off the coast of the UK and northern Europe.

Taylor says the legislation, known as the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021, will help progress at least $10 billion of investment in three major projects, the Marinus Link interconnector between Tasmania and the mainland, the Sun Cable between Darwin and Asia and the Star of the South wind project.

An offshore electricity industry in Australia will further strengthen our economy, create jobs and opportunities for Australians, and enhance the delivery of affordable and reliable power, Taylor said.

A new offshore industry, enabled by this Bill, represents an important new opportunity for Australia.

Offshore generation and transmission can deliver significant benefits to all Australians through a more secure and reliable electricity system, and create thousands of new jobs and business opportunities in regional Australia.

Located 7-25km off the Gippsland coast, Star of the South is a proposed 2.2GW megaproject that would power some 1.2 million Victorian homes by connecting via an underground cable into transmission infrastructure in the Latrobe Valley.

The company behind the development says it typically takes 6-10 years to develop and build an offshore wind farm, timing its development with the closure of ageing coal plants in the region.

Star of the South CEO Casper Forst Thorhauge welcomed the legislation.

We will look at the Bill in detail to understand what it means for developing Star of the South off the coast of Gippsland, he said.

This legislation is a key step to realising Australias offshore wind potential and unlocking the associated economic benefits, including providing opportunities for the nations strong resources and maritime sectors.

We are excited to help create Australias offshore wind industry and continue Gippslands proud history of power generation into the future supporting new local jobs and transitioning skills.

The Climate Council, which this week chastised the Morrison Government for not going hard enough on its emissions reduction target, also cheered the move.

Researchers from the Blue Economic Cooperative Research Centre in July released a report calling on Australia to advance its offshore wind industry.

Based on assessments of wind resources across the country, they say as much as 2233GW of the stuff could be feasibly installed across the country, many times the power required in the grid.

This could all be achieved within 100km of current substations and excluding environmentally restricted and low wind areas.

Offshore wind could be an important resource as the grid shifts to a higher penetration of renewables, with the different wind patterns and strength off the coast meaning it could reinforce supply in the grid when onshore wind and solar energy resources are low.

Vanadium hopeful TNG, which owns the Mt Peake vanadium development in the Northern Territory, has ramped up its commitment to the new green hydrogen sector.

TNG has built on a heads of agreement signed in June with Malaysias AGV Energy to announce a formal project development agreement to work on green hydrogen projects in Australia.

The joint venture would look for opportunities to roll out the HySustain electrolysis technology developed by AGV in northern Australia, with the companies having previously looked at incorporating vanadium redox flow batteries into AGVs proposed green hydrogen plants.

The execution of this Project Development Agreement with AGV Energy marks another exciting step towards the delivery of our green energy strategy, with a focus on evaluating specific opportunities to implement AGVs HySustain Technology within Australia, TNG managing director Paul Burton said.

We are impressed with AGVs sustainable solution for decarbonisation, which we believe can be a positive contributor to assist industries within Australia with the transition to carbon efficient operations and mitigation of climate change risks.

The momentum towards a hydrogen-based economy continues to grow in Australia, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to play a role in this exciting sector through our association with AGV Energy.

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Green Energy: Renewables sector and government find common ground on offshore energy bill - Stockhead

Opinion: Canada’s slowdown in productivity growth is holding back workers’ pay – The Globe and Mail

After 2000, productivity growth slumped to around 1 per cent a year, the weakest on record, creating an unfavourable economic environment for pay increases.

Mark Blinch/The Globe and Mail

David Williams, DPhil, is vice-president of policy at the Business Council of British Columbia. Jock Finlayson is the councils senior policy adviser.

A populist narrative making the rounds is that policy makers can ignore productivity growth because the link between average pay and productivity has broken down. According to this view, workers are receiving a shrinking share of the economic pie, while overall income inequality is rising. However, a careful look at the data for Canada shows these assertions are incorrect.

A new study by one of us (David Williams) finds the slowdown in Canadians real pay growth since 2000 is commensurate with the slowdown in productivity growth. Had Canadas productivity growth rate after 2000 matched the average for the countries that belong to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the average workers pay would be $2,900 higher in 2019. Had Canadas post-2000 productivity growth rate matched its own performance between 1961 and 2000, average pay would be $13,550 higher.

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Productivity and Pay in Canada: Growing Together, Only Slower than Ever appears in the latest edition of International Productivity Monitor, published by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards. The article examines the relationship between growth in real output per hour worked (labour productivity) and real total labour compensation per hour worked (pay) over six business cycles, from 1961 to 2019. Compensation includes both money and benefits paid by employers, as well as the labour income of self-employed workers, across all industries.

Over the long run (1961 to 2019), productivity and pay are closely aligned in Canada, with both rising by 1.5 per cent to 1.7 per cent per year (see table). After 2000, productivity growth slumped to around 1 per cent a year, the weakest on record, creating an unfavourable economic environment for pay increases.

Productivity and pay growth

over Canadian business cycles

Compound annual growth rate,

per cent per annum

Real output per

hour worked

Real output per

hour worked*

*ex-depreciation and output-based taxes

Real total labour

compensation

per hour worked

Hourly compensation/

output prices

Hourly compensation/

consumer prices

SOURCE: DAVID WILLIAMS, BUSINESS COUNCIL

OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Productivity and pay growth

over Canadian business cycles

Compound annual growth rate, per cent per annum

BUSINESS

CYCLE

20002008

BUSINESS

CYCLE

20082019

Real output per

hour worked

Real output per

hour worked*

*ex-depreciation and output-based taxes

Real total labour

compensation

per hour worked

Hourly compensation/

output prices

Hourly compensation/

consumer prices

SOURCE: DAVID WILLIAMS, BUSINESS COUNCIL

OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Productivity and pay growth over Canadian business cycles

Compound annual growth rate, per cent per annum

BUSINESS CYCLE

20002008

BUSINESS CYCLE

20082019

Labour productivity

Real output per hour worked

Real output per hour worked*

*ex-depreciation and output-based taxes

Real total labour compensation

per hour worked

Hourly compensation/

output prices

Hourly compensation/

consumer prices

SOURCE: DAVID WILLIAMS, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Initially, during the 2000-08 business cycle, Canada benefited from favourable but temporary relative price movements that ameliorated the effects of meagre productivity gains on pay growth. As China opened to the world, Canadas resource-based export economy gained from surging commodity prices, while cheap import prices boosted consumers purchasing power. Real pay growth, measured in terms of consumer prices, improved.

However, over the latest business cycle (2008-2019), the chickens came home to roost. There were no further fortuitous terms of trade shifts for Canada. Whether measured in terms of output prices or consumer prices, real pay growth slumped to approximately equal productivity growth.

Many advanced economies saw productivity decelerate after 2000. Nonetheless, Canadas productivity growth performance ranked 21st out of 23 OECD countries over 1970-2000 and 25th out of 36 developed countries over 2000-19. By 2019, on a purchasing-power-parity basis, real output per hour worked in Canada was 27 per cent lower than in the United States, 21 per cent to 22 per cent lower than in France and Germany, and 10 per cent lower than in the United Kingdom.

Academic studies indicate that the rate of innovation adoption slowed among Canadian firms after 2000. The most likely culprits are regulatory impediments that dampen competition and the reallocation of labour and capital to best use. Since 2000, in terms of output per hour of labour input, the typical Canadian firm has fallen further behind the countrys leading companies, while Canadas most productive businesses themselves have lost ground to the best performing global firms.

The good news is that there is ample scope for catch up. Canada can raise productivity and therefore real pay and living standards through speedier adoption of best practices and technologies already deployed by leading countries and firms. Curing the productivity-related maladies that weigh on our economy will require governments to review and retool structural policy settings that impinge on product market competition and innovation diffusion, business growth and creative destruction, resource reallocation, and private-sector investment in capital, skills and scale.

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Productivity matters. Canadians should be concerned about serially low productivity growth because it points to feeble increases in real worker pay. Canada urgently needs a policy framework that fosters conditions for faster productivity growth.

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Opinion: Canada's slowdown in productivity growth is holding back workers' pay - The Globe and Mail

After the Forum: How Do We Ensure Results from #GenerationEquality? – Philanthropy Women

This summer saw the return of events around the world dedicated to feminist funding, and chief among them was the annual #GenerationEquality Forum, held online and in Paris from June 3oth to July 2nd.

Topics ranged from progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the pandemics impact on womens empowerment to notes on our progress from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The ultimate attitude of the Forum was one of anticipation and excitement: as the impact of the pandemic lessens around the world, we can look forward to a time of progress toward #GenerationEquality goals and recoup the social losses from COVID-19.

Over the three days of the #GenerationEquality Forum, a combination of fundraising efforts, corporate pledges, nonprofit campaign announcements, and other donations resulted in a total of $40 billion pledged to women and girls.

Celebrating such a large commitment is an excellent way to approach the next step of our journey, but how do we guarantee that the major players of feminist philanthropy so to speak put their money where their mouths are?

The solution here is accountability: while 2021 will be a time to celebrate a return to normalcy and an (eventual) build in momentum, this also needs to be a time of learning from our collective mistakes, recovering from COVID-19 setbacks, and setting sights on a future that truly lives up to #GenerationEqualitys ideal future.

As a continuation of goals and expectations from 1995s Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, #GenerationEquality is a commitment from UN Women and other partner organizations to further the goals of the original 1995 conference.

Launched in May 2019, #GenerationEquality aims to bring together the next generations of womens rights activistsmany of whom may not have been born in 1995with the gender equality advocates and visionaries who were instrumental in creating the Beijing Platform for Action more than two decades ago, to accelerate efforts to make gender equality and womens rights a lived reality.

Since its initial launch, #GenerationEquality has led to mass partnerships and media opportunities for organizations like Women Moving Millions, the Womens Funding Network, and Equality Now. Working together with UN Women, these organizations have pledged and worked toward an equitable future for women around the world.

Obviously, COVID-19 changed some of #GenerationEqualitys loftier goals. Organizations devoted to womens empowerment were forced to pivot to respond to more immediate emergencies developing in the midst of the pandemic. But now that the end of the road is in sight, events like the #GenerationEquality Forum present new opportunities for organizations to refine their commitments and look forward to new progress.

Recent conversations around #GenerationEquality began with a series of discussions in Mexico City during March of 2021. Held in Paris, France and attended online from June 30th to July 2nd, Forum Gnration galit culminated the forward-thinking strategy sessions by convening governments, international organizations, civil society, youth, the private sector and activists from the entire world to make concrete, ambitious and sustainable commitments towards achieving gender equality.

One of the most exciting aspects of the #GenerationEquality Forum was the opportunity for leading organizations to confer directly with UN Women member states and international leaders. Not only did the Forum present the opportunity to hear how were doing and where were going next, it also opened critical conversations with international governments and power players to lead the charge into future progress.

#GenerationEquality commits to lofty goals indeed and the partnerships, promises, and pledges that came out of the three-day Parisian event offer an encouraging glimpse at the future of feminist funding. Below, weve collected some of the most widely touted campaigns announced as part of the #GenerationEquality Forum.

Espousing bold commitments to gender data, collaborative technical and advocacy platform Data2X announced a new campaign leveraging gender data to uncover gender inequality, illuminate solutions, and monitor progress toward gender equity and SDGs around the world.

Gender data refers to data that is disaggregated by sex, and reflects gender issues, including roles, relations, and inequalities. It can be both quantitative and qualitative, and collection methods account for stereotypes, social norms, and other factors that may introduce bias.

In other words, Data2Xs goal is to compile data and information on the gender disparities around the world, leveraging their research projects to assist other organizations in large-scale efforts for feminist funding. Data2X aims to work not just with philanthropic organizations but with governments, the general public, individual donors, and the private sector to develop unique solutions for gendered issues.

As part of its #GenderEquality commitment, Data2X identified a $450 million underfunding gap for core gender data systems around the world: as of 2020, only ~40% of countries monitored gendered SDGs with data-driven collections, and an even smaller percentage managed to collect that data regularly.

To bridge this gap, Data2Xs #genderdata campaign focuses on activating public attention to elevate support for gender data in all campaigns Data2X urges all commitment makers to pledge to close critical gender data gaps and to use gender data to guide decision-making.

Learn more about Data2Xs #GenerationEquality goals on their campaign website here.

Equality Now, known for its position on the frontlines of legislative action against violence and discrimination toward women and girls, had a key role in the development and roll-out of the #GenerationEquality Forum. The organization presented two of the Forums forty events, led by Global Executive Director Yasmeen Hassan and Director of Equality Nows Africa Office Faiza Mohamed.

Equality Now also found opportunities to be proactive in the space between the Mexico City and Paris GEF sessions. Leveraging connections with national governments, Equality Now opened conversations with the Kenyan government on eliminating gender-based violence (GBV) and female genital mutilation (FGM), including roundtable discussions and social media influencer activations through a partnership with Better4Kenya.

Furthermore, Equality Now used the #GenerationEquality Forum to redefine its own commitments to SDG 5 and beyond through Action Coalitions. After the GEF, Equality Now will:

Learn more about Equality Now and their Forum contributions and commitments here.

Over the next five years, the Ford Foundation will dedicate $420 million to tackle gender inequality around the world which has been further exacerbated by the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like Equality Now, the Ford Foundations pledge is multi-faceted, focusing on issue areas such as gender-based violence, the care-based economy, workplace equality, and resource allocation for international feminist movements and womens rights organizations.

This $420 million commitment exists in part due to the Foundations sale of $1 billion in social bonds over 2020. The organizations goal in this monumental campaign was to create funding capacity for social organizations after the pandemic, which has led (or will lead) to an estimated 47 million additional women pushed into extreme poverty.

Twenty-six years after the landmark Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, public discourse on gender equality has not been matched by action. Instead, COVID-19 has only accelerated gender inequality for millions of women and girls who bear the burden of the crisis, saidNicolette Naylor, Ford Foundation international program director for Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice. As some parts of the world start to emerge from the pandemic, it is essential that gender equality is at the heart of building back better. Its time to stop talking and start funding the organizations that are driving change and the necessary progress on global gender equality. We encourage others to join us in these efforts to make meaningful and lasting change.

The Foundation is a co-leader of the Forums Action Coalition on Gender-based Violence, and as such will allocate $159 million specifically to organizations fighting GBV.

Learn more about the Ford Foundations $420 million commitment to women and girls announced at the #GenderEquality Forum here.

During the Forum, the Womens Funding Network (WFN) announced a five-year commitment of $300 million toward economic justice and rights for women and girls.

WFN is on the front lines pushing for gender equality and we are committed to being a catalyst for lasting change for women and their girls, said WFN President and CEO Elizabeth Barajas-Romn. To work toward our commitment goal, our network and their local and global partners will collectively move strategic investments that reform policy, build lasting livelihoods for women, and advance their economic opportunities.

An encouraging first step in WFNs new direction is the decision to diversify the networks internal leadership. Among WFNs diversity goals are a commitment to increase the percentage of women executive leaders of color from 30% to 50%. Currently, WFNs women executive leaders of color represent the largest group of non-white executive leadership in the philanthropy sector, collectively managing over $140 million in grants per year.

By expanding its own internal commitment to leadership diversity, WFN will be leading by example for other organizations dedicated to similar goals.

Learn more about the Womens Funding Networks $300 million commitment here.

Finally, in a monumental update from a campaign weve followed closely at Philanthropy Women, Women Moving Millions (WMM) utilized the #GenerationEquality Forum to celebrate a major milestone in the organizations Give Bold, Get Equal campaign.

Initially designed to raise $100 million in funding for women and girls by the year 2022, the Give Bold, Get Equal campaign has officially outstretched its goal in just nine months. The $100 million commitment was drawn from the WMM community of nearly 350 women, allowing the organization to shatter its own glass ceiling in a campaign that will continue well into 2022.

We are incredibly grateful and emboldened by this response from our community, wrote Executive Director Sarah Haacke Byrd in a July 1st press release. The success of this campaign in such a short time period shows the power of feminist philanthropy. We are taking a huge step forward towards funding for gender equality, but the key is momentum. Despite the increased attention to the inequities that impact women and girls worldwide, the funding gap persists. We call upon every person to join us and give boldly to get equal.

While we celebrate this extraordinary investment, the work must continue, she added. The crisis is too big, the urgency immense. As long as the gap in funding remains, we leave too many vulnerable.

Learn more about Women Moving Millions and the Give Bold, Get Equal campaign here.

#GenerationEquality is an answer to a problem: the goals outlined in the 1995 Beijing convention have not been met, and now its up to our major philanthropic players to pick up the slack.

To the major players, we admire your perseverance and dedication to realigning strategic goals following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, now more than ever, international attention both media and public must be focused on these organizations to guarantee they uphold their ends of the bargain.

We look forward to seeing your leadership and accomplishments from the Generation Equality Forum take effect in 2021 and beyond!

Related:

#GenerationEquality: UN Women Revitalizes 25 Years of Empowerment

WMM to Philanthropy: In COVID Economy, Give Bold for Women

(Liveblog) #GenerationEquality and a Blueprint for a Gender Equal World

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Maggie May is a small business owner, author, and story-centric content strategist. A Maryland transplant by way of Florida, DC, Ireland, Philadelphia, and -- most recently -- Salt Lake City, she has a passion for finding stories and telling them the way they're meant to be told.View all posts by Maggie May

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After the Forum: How Do We Ensure Results from #GenerationEquality? - Philanthropy Women

Industry lobbied against quick climate action in ‘Fit-for 55’ – EUobserver

Key industry groups in Europe have been actively lobbying against some of the upcoming proposals under the 'Fit for 55' package, to weaken short-term climate action, a new report published by the think-tank InfluenceMap revealed on Monday (12 July).

The so-called fit-for-55 package, expected to be presented by the European Commission on Wednesday, includes a range of policies, from increasing renewables targets and introducing new CO2 limits for cars and vans, to establishing a carbon border tax to protect EU companies.

A survey of 216 industry associations, which gave feedback to the commission on EU climate goals in 2020, revealed only 36 percent of the support the plan to cut emissions by 55-percent by 2030.

The same trend was seen among the 20 most-influential industry associations - except for the power sector, which appeared to have evolved into an advocate of higher climate ambitions.

Under the fit-for-55 package, the most-lobbied files have been the EU Emissions Trading System (EU carbon market) and the proposed carbon border tax.

But the reform of legislation on renewables and energy taxation has also sparked intense lobbying battles - with the power and renewables sectors calling for greater ambition and heavy industry and fossil fuels groups pushing back.

In their lobbying activities, groups representing transport and heavy-industry sectors were particularly resistant to policies being updated or introduced in the fit-for-55 package, despite their support for net-zero emissions goal by 2050 and climate science.

Concretely, representatives in sectors such as automotive (ACEA), cement (CEMBUREAU), chemicals (Cefic), refining (FuelsEurope) and steel (Eurofer) were identified as "powerful blockages" to regulatory proposals of the commission.

Aviation and shipping industry groups - namely, Airlines for Europe and European Community Shipowners' Associations - were in the most disagreement with the EU's attempts to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement goals.

This might be related to the fact that Brussels wants to introduce a gradual minimum tax-rate on aviation fuel, which is currently exempt, plus a specific sectoral emission reduction target for shipping.

Despite widespread support for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, the research finds that opposition to short-term regulatory ambition on climate is often accompanied by claims that immediate action threatens the competitiveness of European business.

This message seems at odds with the commission's pledge to deliver a "modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy" via the Green Deal.

"This disconnect between top-line corporate rhetoric and the lobbying actions of industry groups puts Europe's efforts to align its climate policy agenda with the Paris Agreement's goals at risk," warned InfluenceMap analyst Venetia Roxburgh.

"The reality is that having a long-term climate target does not mean much if there is no clear pathway to make it happen," she added.

The report indicates that this misalignment is already a key concern for investors, but it is likely to also be a concern among the companies (represented by these associations) which ostensibly support the commission's ambition.

This situation "runs the risk of distorting policy development, as it presents policymakers with a position that appears to represent the full membership of an industry association, but only represents a small minority of interests," a recent report of the OEDC says.

Meanwhile, InfluenceMap also warns about the "significant disconnect" between industry lobbying practices and science-based paths to net-zero emissions, established by international bodies.

Both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have advocated for short-term targets, and the rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, to maintain global temperature rises close to 1.5 degrees (compared to 1990).

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Industry lobbied against quick climate action in 'Fit-for 55' - EUobserver

Group highlights need for better access to Connecticut River – The Recorder

TURNERS FALLS The Connecticut River Conservancy advocated for improved portage routes around the Turners Falls Dam and more investment into recreation on the river during a press conference and parade Saturday morning at Unity Park.

The event was held to raise awareness about the obstacles hydroelectric facilities impose on river recreation. FirstLight, a New England-based power company that operates both the Turners Fall Dam and a hydro-pump facility at Northfield Mountain, applied for a 50-year relicensure in December 2020, which would determine how its facilities operate for the next half century.

The Appalachian Mountains Clubs Director of Northeast Conservation Projects and Partnerships Kristen Sykes said the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ultimately controls what is approved.

Its driven by FERC, Sykes said. At the end of the day, were inputting recommendations. If FirstLight doesnt go for it, we hope FERC does.

One of the main concerns is the portage route where paddlers can pull their canoes and kayaks out of the water. Currently, paddlers must get out of the water across the river and get driven 3 miles before they can be put back into the water.

The Connecticut River Conservancy is pushing for a portage site to be built along the bike trail near Unity Park as a way for paddlers to get past the dam. The organization also says this specific site would draw people into Turners Falls economy by making it easier to reach the center of town.

In the near future, FERC will hold public hearings on FirstLights application and Andrew Fisk, executive director of the Connecticut River Conservancy, said change is made when peoples voices are heard.

How we make a difference, Fisk said, is we speak up for our river.

This is a public resource, Sykes said of the river. Folks have agency in this process that they may not know about.

Sykes echoed the idea, saying it is imperative the public gets involved. She said the relicensing process presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the river available to everyone.

We can provide on-the-ground knowledge, Sykes said. (The river is) really important here in Franklin County and itd be great to make that more accessible.

Two kinds of accessibility were discussed at the press conference: accessibility for people with disabilities who wish to use the river and accessibility to Turners Falls.

Karen Foster, executive director of the Northampton-based All Out Adventures, said issues of accessibility are not limited to the Connecticut River.

The missing link and this is not a criticism of FirstLight is most people dont consider what it really takes to be accessible, Foster said.

Foster said true accessibility requires both physical and mental considerations.

Its great if the physical infrastructure is there and you can put your kayak in the river, but without programming and support, its not truly accessible, Foster said. Any comprehensive recreation management plan would need to consider the second half of the accessibility equation.

Montague Town Planner Walter Ramsey said the town is advocating for more recreational accessibility both above and below the dam.

What (FirstLight) has proposed is inadequate, Ramsey said. A big part of the towns push is for river access below the dam. Right now, theyre just proposing a formalized walking path down there and it needs to be more than that. We need to be able to view the falls, view the fish passage, and be able to have access for canoes, kayaks and whitewater.

FirstLight claims to have proposed $130 million in additional spending on recreation and environmental stewardship. Len Greene, FirstLights director of government affairs and communications, said via email Thursday that $5.6 million is proposed to be invested in new recreation development and improvements to existing recreation facilities.

Throughout this (relicensing) process, we have had active, ongoing conversations with each of the towns and our other stakeholders to develop recreation proposals that would enhance our community, promote tourism, improve the health of the river and maintain public safety, Greene wrote. He added that FirstLight welcomes suggestions from local stakeholders.

After Saturdays press conference, the group continued down the bike path with their canoes and kayaks, and carrying signs with phrases such as paddlers over profit.

Andrea Donlon, Connecticut River Conservancys river steward, said the recreation plan FirstLight has been using is the one it drafted when it acquired its license 50 years ago and it is time to bring it up to date.

We need to have a recreation management plan, Donlon said, that really reflects the needs and recreations of the 21st century.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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Group highlights need for better access to Connecticut River - The Recorder

Here’s how to stop the climate change anxiety spiral and make a difference – Mashable

The monarch butterfly, known for its distinctive orange color, is now on the verge of extinction. Numbering in the millions in the 1980s, the monarch population has been in steep decline thanks to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. So, in fall 2020, when I spied several monarch caterpillars feasting on a neighbor's milkweed plant, I excitedly pointed them out to my young daughters. We soon noticed the caterpillars inching their way toward a neighbor's garage door, where they spun chrysalises, preparing to transform.

They'd arrived at an uncertain time, two months after we'd woken up to a sky made orange by wildfire smoke, and at the beginning of the third COVID-19 surge in the U.S. I drew something altogether human from their presence: The world may be chaotic and unforgiving, but survival is still possible because nature insists on it.

We walked by each day, anticipating empty cocoons. But the days turned to weeks and the butterflies remained locked inside their husks. They would never emerge.

In early December, looking for answers, I read about scientists tracking the monarch butterfly population. A yearly volunteer count found fewer than 2,000 monarchs, a figure that puts them closer to extinction. When I contacted one of the researchers with my own anecdote and asked if the butterflies' demise might be related to climate change, the expert said that while nature is full of "small failures," it's also possible that warmer temperatures confused the female caterpillar into laying eggs too late in the season. In that scenario, the monarchs hanging delicately before us never had a shot.

I was crestfallen. I couldn't bear the idea of my children growing up without monarch butterflies or how that shift mirrors the catastrophes small and large happening on our planet because of climate change. With no way to meaningfully cope with that anxiety and grief, particularly during the bleak winter COVID-19 surge, I left those feelings to idle and fester. Of course, these emotions resurface stronger and more powerful each time I learn of ice sheets melting, heat domes forming, and wildfires blazing.

Burying negative emotions is commonplace in a culture that discourages pessimism about the future. It's hard to be the downer who talks about a world that could turn apocalyptic in a few short decades. What makes that conversation doubly difficult is the feeling that individual action can seem futile when politicians hedge their bets and refuse to act, whittling away the precious time we have left to stop releasing carbon into the earth's atmosphere. We are led to believe that our pain belongs to us alone, when in fact the systems we live in a government and economy built for the wealthy create the conditions for our suffering.

Yet, as I've learned recently, this cycle of reckoning with our rapidly changing planet, feeling overwhelmed by powerlessness, and then living in some form of denial or avoidance isn't inevitable.

Experts who study mental health and climate change say there are ways to cope with emotions and experiences that can be otherwise debilitating. The goal is to calm the body and mind, make meaning out of confusion and tragedy, and transform our own understanding of what the future may hold so that we can act in meaningful ways, individually and collectively.

This April, the weather in western Oregon, where Bob Doppelt lives, was an unseasonably warm 85 degrees. Doppelt is trained in counseling psychology and environmental science, and coordinates the International Transformation Resilience Coalition, a project of the The Resource Innovation Group. The nonprofit focuses on creating capacity and resiliency for climate traumas.

The heat wave prompted a Red Flag Warning, a sign that a wildfire could erupt quickly. Traditionally, major blazes aren't a threat until autumn, when the ground is parched. But a massive drought in the western U.S. changed the equation. After fires destroyed homes and small towns in western Oregon the previous fall, the prospect of a similar tragedy loomed.

Such events elicit the kind of stress, dread, and grief that Doppelt counts as its own crisis. He believes two concepts presencing and purposing are essential to coping with these experiences.

Presencing is the act of bringing the body out of its fight-or-flight or freeze modes, states of fear and panic induced by a severe stressor. When the body releases cortisol and adrenaline to facilitate a fight-or-flight response, it's supposed to help someone flee a wildfire, for example. People can freeze when they're overwhelmed. The body can also be plunged into a high-alert state, or become low-functioning, even if there's no immediate action to take. When that happens, it can be challenging to find calm again if we don't possess the skills to do so.

Doppelt wants people to develop the awareness to identify these dynamics by observing them. Then he wants them to use self-regulation skills to coax the parasympathetic nervous system back online. This network of neurons manages the body's ability to "rest and digest."

Doppelt recommends techniques like coherent breathing, a rhythmic exercise, and body scanning, which involves noticing physical sensations like heat, tingling, or warmth. When the brain focuses on unpleasant feelings, Doppelt says to shift attention to pleasant or neutral sensations. These techniques can slow the body's heart rate and restore a sense of calm. Other skills include creating art or music and engaging in high-energy activities like dance or movement, which provide an opportunity for the body to recalibrate and release feel-good hormones like endorphins and dopamine. Similarly, connecting with a loved one can push oxytocin into the body, which is why Doppelt recommends tapping into emotional or practical support from friends and family as an antidote to climate-related angst. When you tame the stress response, Doppelt says, it can lead to making wiser decisions about what to do next.

"You're trying to learn skills to hold the distress in a way that allows you to continue to function well," he adds.

Presencing can be followed by purposing, or using the painful experience to clarify your values, find new sources of meaning, and seize realistic hope. Most find their purpose by working with others to help people, animals, or the natural world, says Doppelt. This enhances well-being while also creating key relationships that help you and others determine together how to respond to climate change. Doppelt highly recommends starting or participating in community organizing efforts focused on improving people's capacity for psychological wellness and resilience.

"Building community coalitions...is really the most powerful thing we can do right now to help ourselves and also help the environment," he says.

When I spoke with Andrew Bryant, a clinical social worker and psychotherapist in Seattle, he'd just experienced an unprecedented heat wave. An extreme weather phenomenon known as a heat dome had blanketed the temperate Pacific Northwest, sending temperatures into the triple digits and potentially causing hundreds of sudden deaths. Scientists have linked heat domes to human-caused warming.

Bryant, who counsels people with mental health issues connected to climate change and runs the online resource Climate & Mind, spent those four days trying to stay cool with his family. That meant watching movies in their basement with fans blasting, visiting a family member with a pool, and retreating to the beach in the evenings.

"Emotionally it was very distressing," says Bryant, describing the combination of enduring the heat itself, grieving over how his hometown environment will likely change as a result of climate change, and imagining how the severe heat physically and psychologically impacted vulnerable people who aren't housed or can't seek respite in cooler settings like a pool or beach.

When treating clients grappling with such complex emotions, Bryant uses an approach he calls "feel, talk, unite, act." Often people sense their fear, dread, or grief, and either go deep into denial or skip straight to action in order to cope with the enormity of their feelings. But both tactics can backfire. People avoiding their feelings may make well-meaning choices that don't align with their abilities, passions, or values. Those who choose action may set themselves on a path to exhaustion. Think, for example, of the bystander turned activist who uses their fear as fuel to lobby their neighbors and elected officials but ignores the underlying emotions and burns out.

Instead, Bryant recommends identifying the feelings, like anger, guilt, hopelessness, frustration, and sadness.

"It's really important to let ourselves feel those feelings and not judge them or push them away," he says. "Because those are under the surface and they're going to be steering our actions and behaviors, either consciously or unconsciously."

Talking about these feelings with others, including a friend, family member, colleague, or therapist, can relieve stress and decrease loneliness and anguish. These conversations don't need to be comprehensive. Even casually mentioning what you're experiencing can yield important benefits.

Once you've followed the first two steps feeling and talking then think about finding like-minded people who are leading interesting efforts to stop climate change and repair its effects. That could be participating in climate activism or an environmental advocacy group, joining a Climate Caf discussion group, or supporting a local tree-planting or trail restoration initiative. The important part is to build relationships with other people. These bonds will help sustain you during climate-related traumas and disasters. With that foundation in place, you can act in meaningful ways to reduce and mitigate climate change, and know how to manage the emotional volatility, pressure, and high expectations that can cause people to spiral and lose sight of their goals.

Bryant believes it's critical to acknowledge the reality of your fears. In general, when people catastrophize about the future, therapists invite them to evaluate their emotions in accordance with what's really happening in their life. With climate change, however, there are immediate reasons to feel anxious and terrified, particularly when you're experiencing an extreme weather event. Bryant tries to balance this truth against the fact that he can't definitively know what the future holds.

"We know what's happening, but there's a lot depending on factors that haven't been decided yet," he says. "I try not to focus on a specific catastrophic vision."

That approach frees up space to acknowledge your feelings rather than get mired in hypothetical scenarios. This framework led to my own realization during the middle of our interview. When I imagine the world my daughters will inherit, I frequently panic and shut down, envisioning something akin to scenes from Mad Max. Instead of forecasting doom, I can look inward and build the emotional and psychological resilience I will need as their parent to help them adapt to and navigate a climate in which droughts, extreme weather, and climate migration may define their lives.

Talking with Bryant also helped me understand the importance of surrendering the idea that my daughters' lives would be better than my own. In the history of human civilization, a tiny fraction of people have enjoyed the reassurance and hopefulness this myth offers, but it is just that a myth. I can acknowledge the privilege of being one of those people, grieve losing the illusion, and instead work toward building a healthier planet and more equitable world. After all, our fate isn't written yet.

As Bryant pointed out, there will be days when something falls above or below my "window of tolerance," or my capacity for coping with difficult emotions. Something above that window, like wildfire smoke that keeps us trapped in our house for days, will elicit panic, fear, or anxiety. An event below it, like unsurprising news about heat records, and I might disengage or check out because climate change seems inescapable.

"This isn't easy," he says. "It shouldn't be easy because it's a terrible situation."

Dr. Britt Wray, Ph.D., who lives in the Bay Area and is accustomed to the growing threat of drought, wildfire, and extreme heat, believes climate change has called us to act swiftly and dramatically. While the scale of this challenge is daunting, Wray says it can be met if we rethink our assumptions about what the moment requires.

"There is a way of finding meaning even in the darkest of situations that humans have exemplified again and again," says Wray, a postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford Medicine Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, & London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, as well as author of Gen Dread, a resource-based newsletter about coping with eco-distress. "We're being asked to do that now, but all together."

Even if the distress we feel about climate change prompts us to tune out or feel despondent, Wray says it's actually providing us with valuable information about what we treasure. When we receive that message, it can train our attention on what matters, giving us purpose and the ability to move forward. That doesn't mean ignoring the anguish in favor of action. Rather, Wray says overlaying your pain and traumatic climate-related experiences with your talents can create a "really empowering space." She cites as an example a group of Australian accountants who, anxious about climate change, decided to apply their professional skills to the pursuit of a more sustainable future by reconsidering how practices like corporate reporting and financial risk management can reflect our changing priorities.

Being in the position to grapple with these experiences in the first place is a "justice" issue, says Wray. People need the time and space to reckon with climate change, which often isn't an option when they're running from job to job trying to earn enough to live. Communities of color are depleted by economic injustice, and yet, because of their long histories facing institutional and personal discrimination, are also home to immense resilience.

Like Doppelt and Bryant, Wray advocates for increasing personal resiliency as much as possible, and taking collective action. Pairing the two is essential, because one without the other leaves us less prepared to cope with the trials ahead while reducing our ability to prevent and respond effectively to climate change.

Instead of feeling defeated by the failures of leadership in government and business, Wray recommends banding together with others to fight for local changes, like planting trees in communities with so-called heat islands. Such partnerships would have profound co-benefits by mitigating climate threat; increasing people's ability to relax in cooler, shaded neighborhoods; and easing stress and anxiety. What seem like small actions in a community can have a powerful effect.

The social cohesion that results from community organizing can also have long-lasting, positive implications. Wray says some research suggests that high social capital and connectedness yields increased trust and cooperation in the wake of a disaster, which can lead to better mental health outcomes.

"Even though it never feels like enough when you're doing it at first, recognize that [it] creates a sphere of influence," says Wray, of small-scale actions. "It is true that when enough of us do it, we do start tipping the scales."

As for my family, we decided to plant milkweed in our backyard to provide shelter and sustenance for monarch butterflies. It is minor compared to the other choices we make, like avoiding purchasing new items, walking when possible, and supporting policies that reduce carbon emissions, but it is an enduring reminder that not all is lost.

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Here's how to stop the climate change anxiety spiral and make a difference - Mashable

‘Bring intellectual capital from the diaspora to Africa’ – University World News

AFRICA-GLOBAL

Speaking on 6 July at the Association of African Universities 15th general conference themed, The Future of Higher Education in Africa, Chihombori-Quao said no amount of money injected into Africa will help the continent to develop until the brain drain is completely reversed.

In a plenary address on one of the meetings segments, Contributions of the diaspora to African Higher Education, Chihombori-Quao advised African countries to start tapping the talent and skills from all peoples of African descent globally.

Doing this or that, without the help of the diaspora, will not work, said Chihombori-Quao.

She stated it appears that African leaders and other elites on the continent have forgotten that the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 that led to the colonial partition of the continent is still alive and well and continues with its original mission of dividing the continent.

The former diplomat, social activist and entrepreneur urged African countries to stop exporting labour of all sorts to the rest of the world only to rely heavily on loans for development.

African countries are saddled with loans that they cannot repay, which is a secret weapon to facilitate the exploitation of African resources and its people, said Chihombori-Quao.

On economic development, Chihombori-Quao wondered how Africa would develop when its resources and economies are still controlled by those who had partitioned and colonised the continent.

The real issues that face the continent are ignored and fingers are pointed at corrupt African leaders when it is well known that corrupt leaders exist in all parts of the world, said Chihombori-Quao.

Higher education

On higher education, Chihombori-Quao challenged African academia to start rewriting African history, as the bulk of history books on the continent were written by the colonisers and have never been revised.

She argued there is a fair share of miseducation in Africa and it is the duty of African universities to correct falsehoods about the continent and help to fight exploitation, racism, economic exclusion and marginalisation that is directed to people of African descent.

Contributing to discussion on the role that the diaspora should play in higher education in Africa, Dr Nkem Khumbah, a lecturer of mathematics and a member of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics or STEM-Africa Initiative at the University of Michigan in the US, said that, what Africa now needs is human capital for its development agenda.

Khumbah said the African diaspora is now the only vanguard for African progress as it has the capacity in terms of expertise and skills that could be used to rejuvenate African higher education.

But, according to Khumbah, there are external forces that are sidelining the diaspora into the affairs of the African development agenda, especially in higher education.

He stressed the urgency of cooperation between the Association of African Universities and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States, as one way of reshaping Africas relationship with its diaspora of all peoples of black descent.

The Association of African Universities should recruit HBCUs as members and should include them in its conferences and even allow the diaspora academics and researchers to hold leadership positions in the association, said Khumbah.

He said the two sides should come together in partnerships, training and innovation programmes, resource mobilisation and research activities, as a lot of resources and energy are being wasted.

Khumbah highlighted the opening of the North American regional office by the AAU as a step in the right direction as it could serve as a reaching out and recruitment point for the diaspora in the US and Canada.

Synergies

According to Professor Margaret King, the president of the Chicago-based Global Institute of Sustainable Development, African countries should use synergies of the diaspora to provide training to people in the continent and even encourage the diaspora to come back home (to Africa) permanently.

Africa should break the cycle of dependency and global exclusion that had been there since the slaves left the shores of the continent, said King, who is also the coordinator of international studies at the University of Chicago.

She advised African countries not just to rely only on the diaspora segment that had been born in Africa but tap the talent and skills of the diaspora of black descent everywhere.

King said many African higher education institutions that have now gone into decline could benefit from the diaspora in terms of quality of teaching, research, innovations and research output.

Despite limitations to recruit diaspora academics on a large scale, Professor Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, the vice-chancellor at the Nairobi-based United States International University-Africa, gave an update on how the Carnegie Corporation of New York had implemented several programmes on strengthening education and training systems in African universities.

According to Zeleza, such programmes as the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Programme have been focusing on projects in research collaboration, doctoral graduate student teaching and mentoring and curriculum development. The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Programme specifically targeted African-born diaspora scholars and benefited various universities in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

He said academics from the diaspora bring a wealth of experience and skill sets to African institutions and plans are under way to increase their number under the Carnegie funding.

The value of having diaspora scholars in African universities is increasing as African countries try to train the next generation of workers in artificial intelligence and [the] green economy, said Zeleza.

But he stated that diaspora scholars will continue to need support from receiving universities as well as from government officials in the processing of documents such as visas and work permits.

Contributing to the dialogue about the role of diaspora academics in higher education, research and innovations in African universities, Damtew Teferra, a professor of higher education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, said there is an urgent need to mobilise African intellectuals in the diaspora to promote the development agenda in Africa.

It is time to bring intellectual capital from the diaspora to the continent, as one way of increasing brain-circulation in Africa, said Teferra.

As argued by Professor Pauline Rankin, a political scientist at Carleton University in Canada, the gist and the spirit of the dialogue at the AAU conference is the need for African governments to look beyond remittances that could be derived from diaspora academics but start engaging on how they can get skill sets from diaspora intellectuals.

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'Bring intellectual capital from the diaspora to Africa' - University World News

Governor Cuomo Announces New York Will Explore Potential Role of Green Hydrogen as Part of Comprehensive Decarbonization Strategy – NYSERDA – NYSERDA

State Collaborating with National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Additional Partners to Study Possible Applications for Green Hydrogen, Making $12.5 Million Available for Long Duration Energy Storage Solutions

July 08, 2021

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York plans to explore the potential role of green hydrogen as part of the State's comprehensive decarbonization strategy. To support this effort to study green hydrogen and its possible applications, the state is collaborating with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, joining two hydrogen-focused organizations to inform State decision-making and making $12.5 million in funding available for long duration energy storage technologies and demonstration projects that may include green hydrogen. Additionally, the New York Power Authority, collaborating with the Electric Power Research Institute, General Electric and hydrogen supplier Airgas, will undertake an industry-leading green hydrogen demonstration project at NYPA's natural gas plant on Long Island to evaluate the resource's potential role in displacing fossil fuels from power generation. At the close of this short-term project, peer-reviewed results will be shared with the industry and public so that key learnings can inform decarbonization efforts. This announcement supports Governor Cuomo's goal to reduce emissions 85 percent by 2050, as outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

"New York is leading the way forward on protecting the environment and combating climate change," Governor Cuomo said. "Part of our ongoing efforts is setting an example for other states and nations to follow. As we transition to a clean energy economy, we are exploring every resource available as a potential tool to address climate change and documenting what we find to share as part of broader national and global conversations so we can build a brighter, greener future for all."

"New York's nation-leading efforts to transition to a cleaner, greener economy include examining all available renewable energy options,"said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul."This initiative will help New York lead the way to study green hydrogen and its applications as part of our decarbonization strategy and efforts to reduce emissions and create a more sustainable future for all."

Green hydrogen, hydrogen produced using renewable energy, including wind, solar, and hydroelectricity, has the potential to decarbonize challenging sectors of the economy. As part of the State's efforts to assess green hydrogen's potential role in economy-wide decarbonization efforts, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is leading a comprehensive stakeholder engagement effort to gain and share knowledge and understanding of the support this resource could provide for meeting the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals across multiple sectors. The stakeholder engagement began in December 2020 at a "Deep Decarbonization Workshop" co-hosted by NYSERDA and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

A more comprehensive and ongoing approach will begin with an additional workshop and listening session being planned for this fall. The session will be used to help NYSERDA understand how to expand stakeholder engagement to ensure that additional assessment of the pathways, opportunities, and challenges of generating and utilizing green hydrogen across all sectors includes consideration of all stakeholder perspectives, including environmental justice organizations and communities. The State's multi-pronged, comprehensive approach to understanding and exploring the potential role green hydrogen can play in achieving the Climate Act goals include:

NYSERDA will commence a hydrogen strategy study in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to compile the foundational, base-line information and data that will enable New York to have robust discussions and dialogue around the role green hydrogen could play in New York's decarbonization plans. This strategy study will place a particular focus on opportunities surrounding green hydrogen to align the State's hydrogen strategy with the existing mandates for 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and 100 percent zero-emission electricity by 2040. Building on relationships with NREL and the United States Department of Energy, NYSERDA will benefit from local, regional, national, and global insights on the evolution of green hydrogen to help guide State direction and decision making.

A NYPA-led, first-of-its-kind demonstration project will investigate the potential of substituting renewable hydrogen for a portion of the natural gas used to generate power at NYPA's Brentwood Power Station on Long Island. The project team will evaluate different concentrations of hydrogen blended with natural gas at regular intervals and will assess the blend's effect on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and its overall system and environmental impacts, including nitrogen oxide emissions. The project will begin in fall2021 and is expected to last six to eight weeks.

The plant, which consists of a GE LM-6000 combustion turbine currently fueled by natural gas, was commissioned in the summer of 2001 to increase local power generation capacity for Long Island and New York City in anticipation of potential summer power shortages.GE hasmore than 6 million operating hours and more than 30 years of experience using hydrogen and other similar low-BTU fuels.

NYPA will lead the project with collaboration from partners including EPRI, GE, Sargent & Lundy, Airgas, and Fresh Meadow Power. EPRI will assist with the project design and technical evaluation.As the gas turbine original equipment manufacturer, GE will supply a state-of-the art hydrogen/natural gas blending system and support the project's planning and execution.Sargent & Lundy, acting as the engineer of record for the project, will provide overall engineering and safety reviews. Airgas is the supplier of renewable hydrogen and Fresh Meadow Power will provide piping system design, material procurement and installation services for the project.

To ensure New York State is at the forefront of hydrogen safety, NYSERDA has joined the Center for Hydrogen Safety, a global community of more than 75 government, industry and national lab participants supporting and promoting hydrogen safety and best practices worldwide across industrial and consumer applications in the energy transition. As a member, NYSERDA will have direct access to global safety best practices on hydrogen, training courses and materials, and a safety panel of experts available for specific demonstration project safety reviews.

NYSERDA has also joined the HyBlend Collaborative Research Partnership which is comprised of six national labs and fifteen university/industry partners co-led by NREL and Stony Brook University. This national partnership will generate a database to allow New York to assess the use of existing infrastructure for hydrogen and to develop general principles of operation of blended hydrogen/natural gas delivery systems.

Finally, NYSERDA will encourage product development and demonstration projects in energy storage that is six-plus hours in duration, otherwise known as LDES, by making up to $12.5 million in funding available through its Renewable Optimization and Energy Storage Innovation Program. Project submissions should advance, develop, or field-test hydrogen, electric, chemical, mechanical, or thermal-electric storage technologies that will address cost, performance, and renewable integration challenges in New York State. Submissions must only include innovative long duration energy storage technologies which are yet to be commercialized. Awards will be made for the following project categories: early studies, product development, multi-stage, demonstration projects and federal cost-share.

Proposals will be accepted in three rounds through June 2022. Additional details for this solicitation are available on NYSERDA'swebsite, includingproposal submission requirements.

NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said,"We are actively exploring all technologies and options in meeting the State's climate targets under the CLCPA and are excited to expand our knowledge of hydrogen applications specifically.Supporting innovation and studying new technologies is important to remain on the cutting edge of evolving solutions that will complement our existing decarbonization effortsand the Climate Action Council's work to ensure that New York has a reliable and cost-effective energy system."

NYPA President and CEO Gil C. Quiniones said,"NYPA will be the nation's first state utility to perform a demonstration project aimed at assessing the technical feasibility of operating an existing power generation facility with a hydrogen and natural gas blend. Hydrogen may have the potential to be one of the tools we use to help New York State achieve its aggressive climate leadership goals for a carbon-free electric system. This project will help us evaluate green hydrogen's viability in decarbonizing electricity production."

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "Today, New York State is announcing a nation-leading project to study green hydrogen and its potential to advance low-carbon technologies for energy generation. Industry experts are developing cutting-edge, science-based solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. DEC is proud of our role in advancing New York's ambitious climate agenda. We look forward to continuing the remarkable progress New York has made in combating climate change by letting science drive decisions and policy."

Senator Kevin Parker, Energy and Telecommunications Committee Chair, said, "Exploration of green hydrogen as a potential part of a multi-pronged approach to decarbonization is a smart pursuit. For New York to be successful in transitioning to a cleaner, sustainable energy economy, we must investigate potential new energy resources. Today's announcement signifies that New York is committed to looking at innovative ways to achieve the ambitious goals set forth by the Climate Act. These initiatives together represent the creativity we need tomeet our aggressive climate leadership goals."

Assembly Member Michael Cusick, Assembly Energy Committee Chair, said,"Today's announcement is a major step in the process of decarbonizing New York State. In pursuit of achieving our ambitious clean energy goals, it is crucial that we examine all possibilities and explore the potential of all forms of alternative energy. Green Hydrogen is a relatively untapped resource with the potential to provide ample green energy and reduce emissions significantly. As a state we are taking a responsible and practical approach by commencing a formal study of the potential and launching a pilot program which will be analyzed to ensure the most efficient integration of green Hydrogen into our energy grid."

NREL Laboratory Director Martin Kellersaid,"NREL looks forward to collaborating with NYSERDA on this important study in support of New York's decarbonization goals. Renewable hydrogen has the potential to play an important role in our energy future and this research will provide a critical foundation to inform and enable that future."

EPRI President and CEO Arshad Mansoorsaid, "EPRI is committed to helping communities worldwide realize bold carbon reduction goals affordably and reliably. Partnerships like NYPA's flagship project are essential to advancing hydrogen technologies and driving more clean energy solutions, from New York to Tokyo."

Scott Strazik, CEO of GE Powersaid, "GE is proud to partner with NYPA, EPRI and other project participants to advance the deployment of lower-carbon gas power generation technology through a green hydrogen demonstration project. By utilizing pre-combustion hydrogen fuels to reduce carbon emissions, we will advance a decade of action to decarbonize the power generation industry and combat climate change. We look forward to utilizing our 80+ years of gas turbine development experienceincluding six million operating hours using alternative low heating value fuels including hydrogento accelerate a reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy future."

Michael J. Graff, Chairman & CEO, American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc., Executive Vice President, Air Liquide Group and Chairman of the Board of Airgas said,"Airgas, an Air Liquide company, and our more than 400 Airgas and Air Liquide employees in New York State, are proud to support the state's goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. As part of our sustainability objectives, we share a similar commitment of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, an objective largely supported by our over 50 years of experience mastering the entire hydrogen value chain. Leveraging this experience, alongside our U.S. and global leadership in hydrogen energy insight, innovation, and investment, we are proud to offer our customers sustainable solutions, like renewable hydrogen, to meet their own climate objectives and together develop a cleaner, safer, more reliable energy system. We believe hydrogen is a strong driver of the energy transition and are looking forward to continued collaboration in reaching New York State's goal."

Sargent & Lundy Senior Vice President Paul Eidensaid, "Sargent & Lundy is excited to support NYPA and EPRI in the nation's first full-scale demonstration project transforming an existing power generation facility to operate on hydrogen-blended fuels. With over 130 years of power experience, we've been involved in many industry firsts. This transition to hydrogen is another technological leap for the industry. Hydrogen-based fuels will allow existing stations to return to the forefront in the industry while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our work to integrate contributions from the partner organizations on this project has been a great fit for Sargent & Lundy's hydrogen team."

John Valvo, Vice President of Fresh Meadow Power, LLC said,"Fresh Meadow Power is proud to be an integral partner with New York Power Authority, as well as the other team members, on this innovative feasibility project for blending natural gas with green hydrogen for power generation. A full-service contractor, FMP specializes in both new construction and maintenance/outage services on conventional and cogeneration power plants and all types of heavy industrial operations. We provide construction, maintenance and related services for all mechanical energy systems. Our working knowledge of NYPA's South East New York facilities allows FMP to provide quick response, local Union craft knowledge, and enhanced logistics of people, tools and equipment."

New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento said, "It's critical that New York State invest in clean sources of energy to protect the environment and create a better world for our children, and green hydrogen is rich in untapped potential. Building off emission reduction goals earlier this year with nation-leading workforce standards, including prevailing wage, Buy American and labor peace, green hydrogen has the potential to create thousands of good union jobs across the construction, service, energy and transportation sectors. I applaud Governor Cuomo's foresight in exploring the role green hydrogen can play in the future for New York State."

United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters and Sprinklerfitters International Representative John J. Murphy said, "New York is leading the way forward using clean, renewable sources of energy to save the environment and protect the planet, and green hydrogen is a potential next step in that ongoing effort. The State is taking important action with this announcement to consider green hydrogen as part of its decarbonization strategy, and in doing so can provide a just transition for tens of thousands of men and women in NY that build power generating facilities. Its multi-pronged approach will ensure we're able to get the biggest bang for our buck. I thank Governor Cuomo for his leadership on this critical issue and look forward to seeing the ways green hydrogen can improve our state for the better."

Governor Cuomo's nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership andCommunity Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieveits mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $21 billion in 91 large-scale renewable projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting more than 150,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2019, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under Governor Cuomo's leadership, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, whileensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40percent of the benefits of clean energy investmentsare directedto disadvantaged communities, and advanceprogress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.

NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, offers objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise, and funding to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. NYSERDA professionals work to protect the environment and create clean-energy jobs. NYSERDA has been developing partnerships to advance innovative energy solutions in New York State since 1975. To learn more about NYSERDAs programs and funding opportunities, visitnyserda.ny.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram.

NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 70 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower. NYPA uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. For more information visit http://www.nypa.gov and follow us on Twitter @NYPAenergy, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and LinkedIn.

Last Updated: 07/08/2021

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Governor Cuomo Announces New York Will Explore Potential Role of Green Hydrogen as Part of Comprehensive Decarbonization Strategy - NYSERDA - NYSERDA

Geothermal with lead role in economic development in Southern Peru – ThinkGeoEnergy

Geothermal energy could play a leading role in the economic recovery in Peru, particularly in the southern part of the country. This would though require better integration and support by the government.

Geothermal energy could play a leading role in the economic recovery in Southern Peru, according to economist and former Minister of Economy and Finance, David Tuesta.

Metal prices would lead to reactivating mining and energy projects in the south of the country, in a recovery scenario for the 2021-2022 period, based on stock markets of developed countries.Driven by fiscal and monetary stimulus efforts, set up during the pandemic but also beyond and confidence in a growing U.S. economy, favour this optimistic scenario.

Global growth projections are around 5.3% and the context for metals prices will be positive. In this scenario, Peru can perfectly converge and grow by 4% in 2022, supported by the economies of China and the United States, where mining certainly plays an important role in helping to boost the electricity sector, he says.

In order to ignite the engines of productivity, in the context of the reactivation of mining, David Tuesta, recommends promoting other sectors such as electricity from new renewable energy sources present especially in the south of the country. Resources that could contribute to recovering the post-pandemic economy and social well-being in this area.

Based on indicators and estimates in other realities, Tuesta finds the alternative of generating electricity with geothermal energy relevant, particularly in provinces such as Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna, an area that concentrates 50% of this natural resource, which is not used and It reduces our competitiveness as a country.

Based on multiplier effects in investment projects for the US and Greece, we estimate two impact scenarios, for example in Arequipa. With a 300 MW geothermal plant, an additional increase in jobs between 43% and 25% can be generated each year. Of this increase, more than 50% would be direct, he estimates.

Investing in geothermal has high costs at the beginning, like all energy, explains Tuesta, but working well and applying support practices and subsidiary schemes, there is room for improvement. Geothermal energy brings enormous benefits that we can anticipate, in terms of socioeconomic, investment, employment, and inclusive growth.

The Philippine-owned geothermal energy company Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is developing two geothermal power plants in Peru, the Achumani in Arequipa, and the Quello Apacheta, in Moquegua, both projects will require an investment higher than the US $1 billion.

From his experience in Peru, Franklin Acevedo, EDCs Country Manager, sees the second phase of geothermal development as the riskiest phase, since it requires considerable investment, to which are added the obstacles that still persist and that prevent more projects geothermal plants are developed in Peru. The biggest boost that private investment needs is the auction of renewable energy resources or RER to guarantee the return on investment, henotes.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) cannot understand Acevedo adds that a supply contract is needed to guarantee the return on the investment that demands between US $ 200 and US $ 250 million just in drilling. This hinders the arrival of more investors.

It highlights that the obstacle is that in the four RER auctions (2009, 2011, 2013 and 2016) geometric energy has not been included, despite being recognized as renewable energy and having a lower price than that offered for other technologies.

We need MINEM (the ministry) to include geothermal energy in the RER auctions, concludes Acevedo.

Finally, he concluded, The important thing is to understand that geothermal today constitutes the cheapest, most efficient alternative and with the least impact on the electricity tariff, it will provide a continuous supply of energy in the southern regions and will promote social and economic growth in said regions.

Source: Gestin

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Geothermal with lead role in economic development in Southern Peru - ThinkGeoEnergy

Regional Report: The West – Chief Executive Group

As businesses strive to recover from the pandemic, states in the West and Southwest double down on their strongholds in tech, financial services and logistics.

In a time of political, social and economic uncertainty, Texas offers businesses a bedrock of stability and certainty in a known quantity, says Robert Allen, CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation. The tax climate, reasonable regulations, access to talent and low cost of living have made the Lone Star State an even more attractive destination since the start of the pandemic. When you are a CEO making a multimillion-dollar decision thats going to impact hundreds or thousands of employees, you need certainty as best as you can get, Allen says.

Several significant projects have been announced in recent months. BAE Systems announced in August 2020 it would expand its operations at a new campus in Austin that will eventually house more than 1,400 employees. Brokerage giant CBRE also announced in October 2020 it would relocate its headquarters from Los Angeles to Dallas. Its hard to only talk about the positives when there are so many negatives out there, but the fact remains the facts. Texas was on top going into this, and I think well be on top coming out of it. Its not by accident that companies continue to choose Texas and expand here, Allen says.

The Silver State is almost a tale of two states, says Bob Potts, deputy director of the Nevada Governors Office of Economic Development. While discretionary spending, leisure and hospitality have taken a notable hit on the economy of Las Vegas, economic diversification in the Reno area has helped jobs and industry bounce back faster than they have in the south. Renos doing much betterthan the nation as a whole and compared to southern Nevada, and a lot of it comes down to the diversification efforts, Potts says.

Several innovative tech companies have made notable announcements in the region in the past year. SaaS company Discover Podium expects to double its staff in the next year and reach 300 employees within five years. Software company PlusPlus plans to hire 100 employees over the next five years, something CEO and founder Marko Gargenta said in a release was driven by the talent shortage in the Bay Area. We were looking for a place that had a large enough talent pool with good schools and a high quality of life that is also easily accessible. Reno topped the list, Gargenta said.

The lithium industry represents another emerging opportunity in the state, driven by the growing demand for lithium-ion batteries in everything from devices to electric vehicles, Potts says. We have big lithium deposits here and several projects happening in the lithium mining industry in Humboldt County and Esmeralda, Potts says.

Tech development in the Silicon Slopes is helping pull Utahs economy through the pandemic, says Val Hale, executive director of the Utah Governors Office of Economic Development. The ability of tech workers to work remotely from home has also helped companies like Pluralsight to maintain operations. Most of our tech companies are doing quite well despite the pandemic. For the most part, people have been able to get back to work, even if its at home, Hale says.

In addition to continued growth in tech, there have been developments in various other sectors in the Beehive State. Nibley-based Malouf announced in May 2020 a $120 million investment over the next ten years and the addition of 1,200 jobs as they expand their headquarters in Cache Valley. GoHealth broke ground in August 2020 on a 156,000-square-foot office in Lindon City that will create 1,160 jobs. And in October 2020, Quotient announced it would locate an office in Salt Lake City and create more than 500 new jobs. Our economy is fundamentally sound, and we anticipate things will continue to grow here, Hale says.

With wide-open spaces and an environment suited for remote work, the Cowboy State is well-positioned to thrive in an era of social distancing. While the pandemic led to shutdowns of many state economics, Wyoming mostly stayed open, something that bodes well with its low tax and business-friendly environment. Gov. Mark Gordon was also one of only four governors to receive an A rating from the Cato Institute for fiscal responsibility. Cato notes it positions the state well in the recovery by attracting people and businesses as a haven free from income taxation. Restarting our economy is not a race to be won but a cooperative effort. Our approach has created a model for success that can be applied throughout the country, Gordon said.

Wyoming has seen several notable investments and expansions in the past year. In April 2020, Kennon Products broke ground on a corporate and manufacturing building in Sheridan. TBC Manufacturing recently announced the relocation of its headquarters from Colorado to Cheyenne. And in September 2020, the Wyoming Banking Division approved Krakens application to create the worlds first Special-Purpose Depository Institution (SPDI), a move that will further strengthen the states hold in the cryptocurrency industry.

Several rankings indicate Idaho has maintained one of the fastest-growing economies since the start of the pandemic. Alex Adams, administrator in the Idaho Division of Financial Management, attributes that to the states fiscal responsibility, tech community, ability to support remote work and quality of life. In a trend opposite of most other states, Idaho sees an influx of residents and projects the largest budget surplus in state history. Idaho is a great state for remote work. We have a low-cost living, outdoor recreation and many other things that have become increasingly attractive, Adams says.

The food manufacturing and processing sectors have continued to expand. TORCHx opened a new home office and expanded operations in Boise in August 2020, and in September, Ericsson agreed to acquire Boise-based Cradlepoint for $1.1 billion. Amazon is also nearing the completion of a new distribution center in Nampa that will employ 2,000 workers.

Part of the plan is to reinvest that $587 million budget surplus back into infrastructure projects, broadband and to shore up small businesses. If we can get Covid under control, based on how we currently have a surplus in our budget, the governor has indicated he would make investments in our economy that would have long-lasting benefits and create jobs, Adams says.

The Centennial States economy has held firm in the face of the pandemic, says Michelle Hadwiger, deputy director of global business development at the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Q3 2020 business filings were up 25.5 percent year-over-year, as entrepreneurs bring new business models and ideas to market. Colorado has also experienced one of the smallest drops in GDP due to Covid-19, which positions it for a strong recovery, Hadwiger says. The diverse knowledge-based economy continues to see robust growth in bioscience, aerospace and information technology. Remote work has further fueled our growth by attracting an influx of companies and talent across industries that covet Colorados quality of life and its proximity to global and domestic markets, Hadwiger says.

The state has seen several notable investments and expansions in the past year. Google Lunar XPRIZE competition finalist ispace announced in November 2020 that it would locate its first U.S. headquarters in Denver. Steel product manufacturer Evraz announced in August 2020 a $500 million expansion in Pueblo that would create 200 jobs. And in November 2020, publicly traded REIT Healthpeak announced the relocation of its headquarters from Irvine, California to Denver. Our diverse, knowledge-based economy, world-class talent and Colorados entrepreneurial ecosystem continue to pace our perennial ranking among the top economics in the nation, Hadwiger says.

The Arizona Commerce Authority recently announced collaborations with tech companies to enhance talent in the state. In July, the Maricopa County Community College District announced working with Microsoft to provide military veterans opportunities to earn fast-track certification to careers in IT. And in October 2020, the Arizona Commerce Authority, with the support of Amazon Web Services, announced a statewide commitment to train and certify 5,000 students for entry-level cloud computing careers by June 2022. The program will integrate AWS Academy and AWS Educate programs into high school, community college and universities with content mapped toin-demand technical careers.

As Arizona continues to attract more high-tech jobs to the state, this collaboration will help provide workers the education and skills they need to fill those jobs, said Gov. Doug Ducey in a statement.

The Grand Canyon State has also experienced a steady flow of investments and expansions since the start of the pandemic. In March, Root Insurance expanded to Chandler, creating 480 jobs to serve its growing West Coast customer base. Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing announced in August 2020 it would establish operations in Tempe and create 600 new jobs by the end of 2020. Sandvik Materials Technology announced in September 2020 an expansion to Tucson. And in October 2020, Sportswear company WOW Studios announced it would locate its new headquarters in Tucson.

The tech momentum the Big Sky Country cultivated in recent years is helping it pull through the pandemic. Tech entrepreneurs and venture capital continue to flow into growing hubs like Billings and Bozeman, says Bridger Mahlum, government relations director at the Montana Chamber of Commerce. In August 2020, CACI International, acquired Montana-based Ascent Vision Technologies, a leading provider of solutions to support reconnaissance, unmanned aircraft and aircraft defense systems. We continue to attract high-tech industry, whether thats big companies wanting to create jobs here or venture capital flowing into startups, Mahlum.

One possible boost to economic growth is the state recently elected its first Republican governor and now has a red majority in the house and senate. I think there may be a resurgence to bring back some of our natural resource industries like mining and coal. Given we have an abundance of natural resources, we may bring back somedevelopment and job creation in those fields, Mahlum says.

The Land of Enchantment has seen a notable influx of businesses leaving cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York in search of the most cost-effective and stable business climates, says Alicia Keyes, cabinet secretary at New Mexico Economic Development. The Santa Teresa border region continues to grow as a hotbed for Foreign Direct Investment, where the port of entry saw overall trade increase by 17 percent in 2019. Taiwanese company Admiral Cable is constructing a $51 million facility in the region, and Taiwanese metal manufacturer Xxentria announced in September 2020 it would relocate a distribution facility to the area. Its part of an emerging trend for companies in Asia that dont necessarily want their manufacturing in China and want to put it on the border. We have a great relationship with [the Mexican State of] Chihuahua, so were doing a binational agreement where they can do more heavy industry in Mexico and have assembly and headquarters in New Mexico, Keyes says.

New Mexico is also a growing hub for the lower Earth space industry, Keyes says. HAPSMobile announced in June 2020 it will test operations and development of a specialized communications platform at Spaceport America. Spinlaunch and Sceye are also testing new technologies in the area. Were really seeing an influx of space companies, Keyes says.

Despite its struggles in Portland, the Beaver state still holds great economic potential and has seen several notable announcements in the past year. In January 2020, Apple announced 30 new jobs at an expansion in Portland. Swiss footwear company On Footwear relocated its North American headquarters from Clearwater, Florida, to Portland. Portland Pet Food Company, a recipient of GPIs Growing Small Business Globally export assistance scholarship, announced in August 2020 it would soon be selling its products in Japan. And in September 2020, Adidas announced it was nearing completion of its newly expanded headquarters in North Portland.

Oregon is now looking to capitalize on the momentum with a framework to focus on innovation. In August 2020, Business Oregon announced a Futures Commission to design a 10-year innovation plan to direct the future of innovation policy as part of its economic development strategy. Oregons ability to foster the growth and scalability of innovation-focused businesses will play a huge role in our ability to recover from this economic crisis, and set the stage for long-term prosperity, said Business Oregon Innovation and EntrepreneurshipManager Kate Sinner in a statement.

While many sectors took a beating in the spring of 2020, technology giants have continued to grow. That has benefited Washington state as tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and Google continue to double down on their investments in the Seattle area, says Lisa Brown, Director of the Washington State Department of Commerce. The state has also experienced substantial growth in several agricultural exports due to its strong maritime sector and access to Asian markets. Clean energy development also remains a priority for the governor and legislature, Brown says. The diversity of the Washington State economy has been a great benefit. In addition, the quality of life and affordability in central and eastern Washington has led to an in-migration of people in Spokane and the Tri-Cities area as they leave more expensive places on the coast.

With headlines about restrictions, rising homelessness and potential tax increases, the U.S.s largest state economy seems to be in trouble on the surface. Nevertheless, the state remains home to 53 Fortune 500 companies and one of the nations top talented workforces. Officials believe the short-term economic impact of restrictions will be offset by the long-term benefits of stamping out the virus. Covid will be with us for a long time, and we all need to adapt. We need to live differently. And we need to minimize exposure for our health, for our families and our communities, Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

California remains home to an advanced manufacturing hub in Los Angeles and the capitol of tech in Silicon Valley. The Governors Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced in November 2020 it had issued more than $80 million in tax credits for companies to create more than 6,500 jobs in the state. Lockheed Martin announced a $100 million investment and 450 new jobs, Better Holdco announced a $55 million investment and 3,500 new jobs, and diagnostic test manufacturer Cepheid announced a $250 million investment in Lodi and Santa Clara County that will create 2,500 jobs. Companies like Cepheid, which are leaders in science and technology, are unique to Californias economy and what makes us successful, said Chris Dombrowski, GO-Biz acting director, in a statement. Our continued economic vitality and recovery depends on sustained support and investment in these innovators.

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Coronavirus will have lasting impact on restaurant industry – Food Safety News

Opinion

By Emily NewtonThe COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry, but it hasnt ended it. Thanks to quick reactions and a willingness to adjust, establishments of all sizes, locations and niches have managed to stay afloat. With more restaurants reopening, its become clear that some of these changes will last.

Amid the chaos of COVID-19, restaurants adapted because they had to. As 110,000 establishments closed permanently, the industry quickly learned that it must adapt to survive. Now that the sectors lived with these adjustments for some time, their long-term potential is more apparent.

Many of these changes will linger after the pandemic fades. Restaurants have learned their lesson and will shift to prevent or weather future crises. The industry will emerge from the pandemic an entirely different animal, and heres what that will look like.

The most obvious change to come to reopening restaurants is a renewed stress on health and safety. During the pandemic, increased health measures are a government-mandated necessity in some areas. After the pandemic, theyll be an optional but critical part of preventing future risks.

Some measures, like wearing masks and mandating a six-foot distance between seats, will likely fade with the virus. Others, like frequent hand washing, hand sanitizer stations for guests and regular disinfection, will persist. Overall, the industry will take cleanliness more seriously, going beyond meeting FDA regulations and taking a proactive approach to disease prevention.

Restaurant health and safety protocols may reach a scientific level. Some operators may look into metallic nanoparticle coatings to sterilize and disinfect kitchen equipment.

Technology has proven an indispensable resource for restaurants amid the pandemic. From QR code-based menus to app-based reservations and ordering, technology has sustained the industry throughout the past year. These tools can continue to help restaurants outside of the pandemic, too, so the industry will grow increasingly tech-centric.

Technology like digital menus dont just make restaurants safer, but more efficient. As more restaurants start reopening and customers flood back in, these efficiency gains will be crucial. Even lower-volume establishments will streamline dining through technology, as it creates a more gratifying customer experience.

After some time, the industry will move past digital services and embrace automation. Robots are already crucial in food packaging plants, but they could see service in restaurants too. Robotic cashiers, cleaners and even cooks will augment the human workforce, helping businesses serve more guests, and do so faster.

Ghost kitchens restaurants that deal exclusively in carry-out and delivery predate the pandemic, but are now far more enticing. Online delivery orders alone generated $45 billion in 2020, and it will likely take a while before in-house dining regains its place of dominance. Ghost kitchens capitalize on this trend, so theyll remain valuable long after the pandemic subsides.

Even as restaurants reopen, the public may not feel safe dining in. Online ordering has also made getting take-out or delivery easier than ever before, which will carry this trend further. Dine-in establishments cant meet this consumer segments needs as efficiently or effectively as ghost kitchens.

Its also impossible to ignore the economic benefits of the ghost kitchen model. Since it typically requires less space and fewer furnishings, it reduces overhead expenses. Experts warn that full-service restaurants may not recover until 2025, so many businesses may turn to ghost kitchens to recover faster.

The pandemic has been a learning experience for the industry, especially when it comes to inefficiency. When business dropped and money became tight, the ways in which the sector has been wasteful became painfully apparent. Reopening restaurants may take the opportunity to move toward a circular economy, virtually eliminating waste.

Proponents of the circular economy typically highlight its environmental benefits, but theres an economic case as well. Circular food systems could generate $2.7 trillion in annual benefits across the nation. Since this approach eliminates resource waste, it makes restaurants as efficient, and therefore, profitable, as possible.

The industry wont likely shift to a complete circular economy at once, as that takes time and initial disruption. Many restaurants and chains will move in that direction, though, recycling, reusing or upcycling their waste. This approach will ensure that struggling restaurants get all the value they can out of their resources.

When people back on the COVID-19 pandemic, it will represent a turning point in history. As the outbreak put the status quo to the test, it became increasingly evident that restaurants havent been as resilient or efficient as they could. After a disruption as substantial as that, the industry wont return to normal once the outbreak subsides.

The post-COVID restaurant environment will look entirely different from before, and for the better. Establishments will be cleaner, safer, more efficient and profitable than ever before.

About the author:Emily Newton is the editor-in-chief of Revolutionized Magazine, an online publication covering the latest innovations in the industrial sector.

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Coronavirus will have lasting impact on restaurant industry - Food Safety News

India at the center of world energy stage, will experience gains: IEA director – Down To Earth Magazine

The report stated that as China moves towards a service-based economy, India could pivot its growth in the energy sector

India has arrived at the center of the world energy stage: It is the third-largest energy consumer in the world and is expected grow in the future, executive director of International Energy Agency (IEA) said.

Fatih Barol launched the India Energy Outlook 2021 February 9, 2021, as part of IEAs current strategic partnership with India meant to serve as a pathway for its full membership.

He added that India has the highest share of global energy demand across all energy growth scenarios considered in the report. New power plants in the next 20 years could equal Europes existing capacity with the likely creating of 13 new Mumbais, he said.

He added the Indian government has the ability to balance multiple priorities like affordability, access, emissions, air-quality and energy technology choices in clean energy transition.

The IEA report said the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) delayed / complicated the resolution of certain issues, such as continued reliance on solid biomass and contribution of energy sector to air pollution.

IEAs modelling exercise showed a rebound in the stated policies scenario after a 5 per cent dip in energy demand in 2020.

The report statedthat as China moves towards a service-based economy, a pivot could be experienced in energy usage as India develops manufacturing capabilities and enhances its forces of industrialisation and urbanisation.

Projected change in energy demand over the next 20 years

The growingurbanisation in Indiawill require a huge increase in resources such as steel and cement, along with demand for new appliances from rising income levels. The model of urbanisation is crucial for industry and transport demands, and would require decisions with foresight.

Projected increase in energy and resource demand due to urbanisation

Even as India is re-orders its energy priorities, it would still be the largest global growth market for oil and coal and among the fastest-growing for gas. In terms of electricity demand, renewable energy is expected to rise fast and become equal to coal by 2040.

Increasing share of solar power in India

The report also mentioned the importance of enhancing grid flexibility but deployment of energy storage technologies to mitigate fluctuations caused by increasing demand of appliances in cities. According to IEAs earlier publication, adequate system flexibility is essential for the security and reliability of electricity supply in the country in the coming decades (2020-40).

The need for flexibility is expected to increase dramatically as the profile of demand becomes more variable, with steeper peaks. Moreover, given the seasonality of Indias wind generation and the steep drop in generation from solar at sundown, storage is deemed to play an important role in electricity markets.

Energy storage technologies are also expected to play an important role on the consumer side, by allowing uninterrupted power supply, according to the report. With the expected opening up of electricity markets, demand aggregation (grouping of consumers in the power system acting as a single entity) will catalyse participation in power system markets or the sale of services from households to grid operators.

Traditional energy security concerns include high reliance on imported fuels; fuel imports are dominated by oil, which are also higher in value than domestic outputs. In the recent years, energy has accounted for almost a third of imports by value.

Although Indias domestic oil and gas is set to expand in future, it is not sufficient to meet the growing demands. It may, hence, expose the industry to global energy market volatility.

The report noted that Indias fuel import bills are likely to triple in the next two decades in the stated policies scenario. But if it follows the path as mentioned in the sustainable development scenario, its import bills can come down by $1.4 trillion.

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India at the center of world energy stage, will experience gains: IEA director - Down To Earth Magazine

A new commodity supercycle is lifting the JSE – Daily Maverick

First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.

From oil and liquid natural gas to iron ore and copper, rice and soybeans, the worlds most important commodities have surged from lows in 2020 to eight- or nine-year highs, though in the case of oil its an eight-month high after the price collapsed to $18 a barrel in April last year.

This is having a significant impact on the earnings of South Africas resource stocks, triggering share price hikes across the sector and leading the JSEs Resource 10 index to a 12-year high in January.

The likes of Sappi, Kumba, Sasol and Implats have seen their share prices appreciate by between 20% and 86% over the past 90 days. Even ArcelorMittal is feeling the love, gaining 670% over the past 90 days.

The rally has triggered speculation that a new supercycle in commodities is under way one driven by stimulus spending, growth in China, rising inflation, more aggressive environmental policies and a weaker US dollar.

This is unlike the commodities supercycle of the 2000s, which was driven by rapid industrialisation and urbanisation in emerging nations Brazil, India and China in particular. The 2008 financial crisis brought an end to this.

Goldman Sachs was already arguing in October last year that the strong rebound in commodity prices in 2020 could be the beginning of a much longer structural bull market for commodities.

This week, JP Morgan Chase added its voice to the conversation: We believe that the new commodity upswing, and in particular the oil upcycle, has started, its analysts said in a note that was covered by Bloomberg. The tide on yields and inflation is turning.

Commodity prices may also jump as an unintended consequence of the fight against climate change, which threatens to constrain oil supplies while boosting demand for metals needed to build renewable energy infrastructure, batteries and electric vehicles, the bank said.

But is it really a supercycle?

A supercycle can be defined as decades-long, above-trend movements in a wide range of base material prices deriving from a structural change in demand. Not everyone is convinced that the world is entering such a phase.

The previous supercycle was largely driven by China, which spent billions on infrastructure, had an insatiable demand for commodities and issued credit to revive its economy. In the process, it revived the global economy, says Reuben Beelders, CIO at Gryphon Asset Management. The question is: can China drive that level of demand now?

For sure, Chinas economy is growing strongly. It was the only global economy to record growth in 2020, but the growth is of a different nature to that in the 2000s.

Instead of investing in infrastructure, Chinese leaders have taken steps to boost domestic demand. A strong consumer market allows China to rely less on exports and it is diversifying into a more market-based economy. This means Chinas voracious appetite for the worlds commodities is unlikely to see a repeat of the 2000s.

But if not China, then who? Global growth remains wobbly and is far from synchronised. The US stimulus is all about supporting consumer demand and simply kicks the economic can down the road.

Global growth has simply not recovered as expected. A lot of the current price rises are a function of supply problems rather than demand, Beelders says. We believe true growth will only pick up when underlying demand picks up.

For instance, the supply of iron ore is currently constrained because Brazil, the second-biggest exporter after Australia, has not fully recovered from the horrific waste dam collapse in 2019 and other, Covid-related disruptions. As a result, the price is hovering at $150/tonne, levels last seen in 2011.

If anything, adds Abdul Davids, portfolio manager at Kagiso Asset Management, iron ore could be reaching the end of a cycle. The most efficient producers, like BHP and Vale, are making enormous margins. At these margins, other suppliers enter the market and prices adjust.

A PGM supercycle?

Davids is also cautious about calling the current boom a supercycle. That said, some commodities warrant attention. In particular, platinum group metals (PGMs) may be primed for a potential supercycle, he says.

The green economy is one key driver of demand.

Every time vehicle emissions legislation is tightened the loading of PGMs has to increase in particular for heavy-duty diesel trucks. The demand for PGMs is almost predetermined.

Electric vehicles, he adds, are not a headwind yet. And when they are, 50% or more will be hybrid vehicles. These have fuel tanks which require PGMs.

In addition, the weight of electric batteries, and their limited range limits their use in buses and trucks. The solution is hydrogen fuel cells, of which platinum is a big component. This is a new vector of demand for platinum.

The last factor supporting PGM prices in the longer term is a supply shortage.

It has been winter here for four to five years we saw Lonmin collapse, Anglo Platinum close mines, other mines mothballed. It takes years to bring a new mine to production. All of this, Davids says, sets us up for a PGM supercycle.

Not all stocks are created equal

This is not to say its the end of the run for South African resource stocks. Commodity prices remain high for the time being. But, with many stock prices having run hard, bottom-up research becomes important.

Investors would be wise to look for companies that are conservatively managed, manage their gearing well and arent planning any ambitious investments right now. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper which is available for free to Pick n Pay Smart Shoppers at these Pick n Pay stores.

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A new commodity supercycle is lifting the JSE - Daily Maverick

The great blue economy wave – Investors’ Corner – Investors’ Corner BNP Paribas

More than a notion

The WorldBank defines the blue economy as the sustainable use of ocean resourcesfor economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and marine and coastalecosystem health.

Source: Whatis the Blue Economy? (worldbank.org)

Awareness of the challenges and opportunities of the blueeconomy has broadened in recent years. One challenge is to find the rightbalance between improving peoples living standards by drawing upon the richesof the marine environment and preserving the seas and oceans.

In Principles for aSustainable Blue Economy, the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature, the largestnature conservation organisation in the world, seesa role for the blue economy in contributing to foodsecurity and the eradication of poverty, and providing income, employment, andpolitical stability. A responsible approach restores, protects and maintainsthe diversity,productivity, and resilience of this naturalcapital. A blue economy is based on clean technologies, renewable energy,and circular material flows, according to the WWF.

Seas and oceans are a unique natural capital.

Given the role of the oceans and seas in regulating theclimate effectively, acting as a reservoir of biodiversity and a trove ofeconomic resources, their protection would seem essential. Yet, the marineenvironment is facing serious threats from both land and maritime-basedactivities.

Ocean warming and the increase in carbon dioxide in theatmosphere are resulting in the acidification of oceans. This keeps the shellsof many marine organisms from hardening and reduces their survival rate.Overfishing is reducing fish stocks and unregulated and undeclared fishinghampers their ability to rebuild numbers.

Eighty percent of marine pollution originates on land. Eightmillion tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean every year and if businesscontinues as usual, we face a future with more plastic in the ocean than fishby 2050. The plastic plague affects ocean life. In the case of oysters aspecies that provides an indication of ocean health plastic particlesresulting from the fragmentation of waste havebeen found to damage their reproduction cycle. Microplastics are found notjust in seafood. They are omnipresentin the environment, including the human food chain.

The declining health and biodiversity of marine ecosystemsmake it even more urgent to step up efforts to reduce emissions of pollutantsand the disposal of dangerous substances. As land-based natural resources arebeing depleted, it is incumbent on us not to exhaust those found in marine andocean areas. That includes the as yet untouched resources of the oceans, seasand coasts.

New sectors are emerging beyond traditional activitiessuch as fishing, aquaculture, ship and port construction, passenger and cargotransport, port operations, and tourism.

The new sectors have strong growth potential and willcreate jobs and require new skills. For example, renewable marine energysources can play an important role in a world that is both hungry for energyand keen to see sustainable cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. They include windenergy, and tidal and wave power devices. Improvements in the energy efficiencyof ships and switching to less carbon-intensive energy sources are otheraspects of blue economy development.

A further area is marine biotechnology, with applicationsin pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. There is the considerable task of wastemanagement given the impact of land pollution on the seas. That includes theprevention of marine waste.

Finance can play a major role in the energy transition andpush companies linked to the blue economy to adopt better practices. Thoseinvestors who consider the preservation of marine resources as an absolutepriority are set to see investment opportunities in companies that developmarine and ocean projects opening up as awareness of the blue economys appealgrows.

This particular area already has its own index: the ECPI Global ESG Blue Economy index. It comprises 50 companies whose activities are related to the blue economy. It includes five categories: coastal livelihood (protection, eco-tourism), energy & resources (offshore wind, marine biotech, wave & tidal), fisheries & seafood, pollution reduction (recycling/waste management, environmental services) and maritime transport. [3]

Also read:

Howocean states can benefit from a blue recovery from COVID-19

Water:a pervasive resource and a portfolio staple

Read more about sustainable investing

[1] The above points are based on data from National Geographic 28 February 2018; European Union 2017/ourocean2017; ocean-climate.org; Maritime transport study 2018, United Nations/UNCTAD; Ifad.org/15 January 2019

[2] The above points are based on data from https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_marine_briefing_principles_blue_economy.pdf

[3] Click here for more information

Any views expressedhere are those of the author as of the date of publication, are based onavailable information, and are subject to change without notice. Individualportfolio management teams may hold different views and may take differentinvestment decisions for different clients. This document does not constituteinvestment advice.

The value ofinvestments and the income they generate may go down as well as up and it ispossible that investors will not recover their initial outlay. Past performanceis no guarantee for future returns.

Investing in emergingmarkets, or specialised or restricted sectors is likely to be subject to ahigher-than-average volatility due to a high degree of concentration, greateruncertainty because less information is available, there is less liquidity ordue to greater sensitivity to changes in market conditions (social, politicaland economic conditions).

Some emerging markets offer less security than the majority of international developed markets. For this reason, services for portfolio transactions, liquidation and conservation on behalf of funds invested in emerging markets may carry greater risk.

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The great blue economy wave - Investors' Corner - Investors' Corner BNP Paribas

What Women Want from Budget 2021: Balanced Resource Allocation, Focus on Care Economy – News18

India has been conducting gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) as a part of its Union Budget since 2005-06. Several other countries including Spain, Iceland, Italy, Germany, Austria, and the United Kingdom conduct such budgets as a way to cast a gender lens on national resource and budgetary allocation, and to acknowledge the fact that national budgets impact men and women very differently.

While there are prominent economists who believe that gender budgeting mars the work of feminist economists who want to redesign economic policy and allocations on the grounds of equality, there are many who think that the gendered perspective has indeed helped give impetus to women-targeted schemes and policies.

However, in the last 15 years, India's gender budget has left a lot to be desired. Currently, approximately five percent of India's total Union Budget (2020-21) is spent on women's targeted schemes - a figure which amounts to less than a per cent of the GDP.

Increase Gender Budget, diversify allocation

Mitali Nikore, Founder of Nikore Associates, a youth-led economics research and policy think tank, pointed out that the primary issue the government needs to address as far as India's gender budget is concerned is that its size is too small.

"The way it is distributed across ministries is also problematic, because only a cluster of four to five ministries receive the chunk of the gender budget, and others don't get a significant allocation from it. At least that has been the general trend till now," said Nikore.

"Most of the gender budget allocation is concentrated on just a few schemes, and if you notice carefully, you will see that while women stand to benefit from such schemes, they are not specifically targeted towards women. For instance, schemes like The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act MGNREGA, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana have benefitted rural women in the past years; however, they are not entirely for women empowerment or welfare. Therefore, budgetary allocations to schemes which directly and exclusively help women should also happen," she added.

Nikore pointed out that the problem with India's gender budget is that it is always an afterthought. After general budgetary allocations are made, the gender-responsive budget funding is made from what has already been distributed.

Allocating resources for care economy, and the need for fiscal monitoring

Several economists believe that for better empowerment of women, the care economy needs to be recognized and proper budget allocation for this sector is crucial. Time Use Survey by MOSPI shows that currently, the unpaid domestic and care giving services are where women invest almost 280 minutes in a day compared to 30 minutes by men.

"The care economy sector is still statistically invisible. Time Use Survey by MOSPI published in 2020 gives a clue as to the stress in the care economy. If the fastest and smartest way to increase GDP is to tap the huge potential of women who are not yet in the workforce due to care economy commitments, we need to design a comprehensive care economy policy in India with sufficient budgetary allocations. In the time of the pandemic, this has more significance than ever before," pointed out Lekha S Chakraborty, a professor at NIPFP and a pioneering economist in institutionalizing Gender Budgeting in India, with Chief Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance, Govt of India in 2004.

Chakraborty also stated that the Finance Minister's higher gender budgetary allocation does not always translate into higher spending on women. "Usually, Fiscal Councils analyze the macro-fiscal variables and its fiscal marksmanship. However, India doesn't have a fiscal council. Therefore, there is a need to employ policy think tanks that can analyze and identify the reasons behind the gap between allocation, and women receiving the actual benefits and understanding whether these deviations are random or it has the bias of policymakers," said Chakraborty.

"Linking gender budgeting to outcome needs to be further strengthened because it will increase transparency and accountability. Budget transparency is the first step to accountability. Gender budget statement is a prime example of budget transparency. The statement is prepared based on the NIPFP methodology (based on the research on gender budgeting in India). Now the next step is strengthening accountability by doing systematic fiscal marksmanship analysis as well as 'linking gender budget resources to results," she added.

Budget allocation to encourage women workforce participation

Priyanka Chatterjee, Assistant Professor of Economics at Sharda University, emphasized that the government can also view gender budgeting as a mean towards two specific end goals: One is to increase female workforce participation and the other is to reduce the gender wage gap.

"Currently, despite several targeted schemes to encourage girls' education, and increase their enrolment percentage, India has not seen any significant rise in women's participation in the labour force. The workforce participation rate of men and women as per the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data are 52% and 17% respectively. Though there are reservations for women in employment according to certain programmes like MGNREGA, the same has not improved their participation. Hence the introduction of more such schemes along with proper monitoring and implementation might lead to better result" Said Chatterjee.

"The schemes like MUDRA loans, Stand up India, encouraging Self-Help groups to improve women entrepreneurship, also exists. Still, the working condition of women entrepreneurs in India is vulnerable, which proves that just making policies and budgetary allocations are not enough. What is required is also a monitoring and implementation mechanism," pointed out Chatterjee.

Chatterjee also claimed that another important area which the government is yet to address is the prevailing gender wage gap which is enormous. According to the PLFS data 2018-19, women's average wage/income is approximately half or one-third of that of men.

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What Women Want from Budget 2021: Balanced Resource Allocation, Focus on Care Economy - News18

Natural areas and working lands are key to Minnesota’s future – MinnPost

At times it seems our state and our nation are deeply divided, but theres one thing many of us agree on our lands and waters are essential.

Thats why we, as representatives of Minnesotas timber, agriculture, and conservation communities, have come together to highlight the benefits and importance of natural areas, working lands, and wise land management practices that benefit our economy and environment.

To ensure that our cities and rural communities remain healthy, diverse, and resilient, our lands and waters must be protected and made both more productive and sustainable for people and nature.

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Our natural areas and working lands farms, ranches, and forests are critical to current and future generations. By investing in them now, we can improve our economy and our quality of life in both the short run and the long-term.

Mike Birkeland

A new, broad-based, and increasingly bipartisan consensus is emerging about the urgent need to take action to curb the worst effects of climate change. Natural and working lands can, and need to be, a big part of the solution, and more clearly needs to be done (see the Minnesota Pollution Control Agencys recently released report on greenhouse gas emissions sources).

Minnesotas farms and forests, and our treasured natural and working lands, offer a plethora of benefits, including carbon sequestration. Safeguarding and managing our natural and working lands can lock up carbon in trees and forest products for the long-term.

These solutions whether were talking about cover cropping or reduced tillage for farmers, planting trees or active forest management, avoiding habitat loss or wetland restoration need to be at the center of climate discussions.

Ann Mulholland

And its not just the practices themselves. We must make decisions that support the people who are on the ground working in these sectors of our economy. We know that farmers, loggers, resort owners, and our entire natural resource-based economy are vulnerable due to warmer and wetter weather. We can already see the impact in the form of flooded farm fields, increased spread of plant and animal disease, and forest fires, to name a few examples.

Our natural and working lands hold immense potential to not only reduce emissions, but also sequester carbon taking it out of the atmosphere where its contributing to climate change and putting it back in the soil.

In Minnesota, natural climate solutions could offset nearly 20% of our state emissions 26 million metric tons equal to removing 750,000 mid-sized cars from circulation annually or taking 7 coal plants offline. Plus, we can store even more carbon from durable products derived from working lands including wood products.

Anne Schwagerl

Cover cropping, for example, can require purchasing new equipment, seed, and fuel and it needs to be successfully incorporated into an existing crop rotation, all of which cost money many farmers dont have. Ramping up the production and planting of seedlings to help reforest parts of Minnesota requires more resources.

Smart and strong public investment can incentivize and accelerate work happening on the ground and ensure that our natural and working lands are maximizing their potential to help us tackle climate change while adding jobs and ensuring a strong economy.

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We need natural climate solutions and investing in family farmers, forest managers, and others to be a priority for the Legislature, for the governor and state agencies, and for companies and communities too.

Our natural areas and working lands are economic, ecological, and environmental strengths for Minnesota. We must protect and build upon them.

Were united in this. We hope Minnesotans and our leaders are too.

Mike Birkeland is the executive vice president of Minnesota Forest Industries & Minnesota Timber Producers.Ann Mulholland is the director of The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota.Anne Schwagerl is the secretary of the Minnesota Farmers Union.

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Natural areas and working lands are key to Minnesota's future - MinnPost