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Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market Structure, Industry Inspection, and Fore – News by aeresearch

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

The global Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market is anticipated to register growth over the forecast period. Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market size by Product Type (Clinical Stage Automation and Drug Discovery Stage Automation), By Application (Research and Development and Clinical), By Region Outlook, Company Profiles, Growth Opportunity, Forecasts 2026. Analyzes current market size and upcoming few years growth of this industry.

The research report on the Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market studies every minute and trending aspect in the industry to offer actionable insights to business owners and stakeholders. The detailed information will help the buyers to plan profit-maximising strategies for the forecast period 2020 - 2026. In addition, the literature talks about crucial prospects, such as driving factors, restraining factors, opportunities, trends, and challenges.

The study also sheds light on the geographic segmentation in the key regions. The key factors that are highlighted in the report are changing consumers demand, product preference, disposable income of consumers, import and export status, and existing trends in the regions. Moreover, the report throws light on the unexplored areas, key developments, recent innovations, and growth strategies adopted by Automation in Biopharmaceutical industry players.

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The players profiled in the Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market are:

Reasons for Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market Report:

This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics

It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth

It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future

It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors

It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments

The latest market data for this research include:

Overall Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market size, 2020-2026

Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market size by product segment, 2020-2026

Growth rates of the overall Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market and different product segments, 2015-2026

Shares of different product segments of the overall Automation in Biopharmaceutical market, 2015, 2020 and 2026

Market Potential Rates of the overall Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market and different product segments

Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market Breakdown:

By type, the market is split as:

By the end users/application, sub-segments are:

Regional Analysis for Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market:

North America, Europe, China & Japan

The Global Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market study covers current status, % share, future patterns, development rate, SWOT examination, sales channels, to anticipate growth scenarios for years 2020-2026. It aims to recommend analysis of the market with regards to growth trends, prospects, and players contribution in the market development. The report size market by 5 major regions, known as, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America.

The Automation in Biopharmaceutical market factors described in this report are:

Key Strategic Developments in Global Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market:

The research includes the key strategic activities such as R&D plans, M&A completed, agreements, new launches, collaborations, partnerships & (JV) Joint ventures, and regional growth of the key competitors operating in the market at global and regional scale.

Key Market Features in Global Automation in Biopharmaceutical Industry:

The report highlights Automation in Biopharmaceutical market features, including revenue, weighted average regional price, capacity utilization rate, production rate, gross margins, consumption, import & export, supply & demand, cost bench-marking, market share, CAGR, and gross margin.

Key Points Covered in Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market Report:

Automation in Biopharmaceutical Overview, Definition and Classification

Market drivers and barriers

Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market Competition by Manufacturers

Automation in Biopharmaceutical Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2020-2026)

Automation in Biopharmaceutical Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2020-2026)

Automation in Biopharmaceutical Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type {Clinical Stage Automation and Drug Discovery Stage Automation}

Automation in Biopharmaceutical Market Analysis by Application {Research and Development and Clinical}

Automation in Biopharmaceutical Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis

Automation in Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Cost Analysis

Industrial/Supply Chain Analysis, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers

Marketing Strategy by Key Manufacturers/Players, Connected Distributors/Traders

Standardization, Regulatory and collaborative initiatives

Industry road map and value chain

Market Effect Factors Analysis ............

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Clinical Diagnostics Automation Market Globally Expected to Drive Growth Through 2019-2026 – My Amazon Echo

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

The Clinical Diagnostics Automation Market research report added by Market Study Report, LLC, provides a succinct analysis on the recent market trends. In addition, the report offers a thorough abstract on the statistics, market estimates and revenue forecasts, which further highlights its position in the industry, in tandem with the growth strategies adopted by leading industry players.

The Clinical Diagnostics Automation market study is a well-researched report encompassing a detailed analysis of this industry with respect to certain parameters such as the product capacity as well as the overall market remuneration. The report enumerates details about production and consumption patterns in the business as well, in addition to the current scenario of the Clinical Diagnostics Automation market and the trends that will prevail in this industry.

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What pointers are covered in the Clinical Diagnostics Automation market research study?

The Clinical Diagnostics Automation market report Elucidated with regards to the regional landscape of the industry:

The geographical reach of the Clinical Diagnostics Automation market has been meticulously segmented into United States, China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia & India, according to the report.

The research enumerates the consumption market share of every region in minute detail, in conjunction with the production market share and revenue.

Also, the report is inclusive of the growth rate that each region is projected to register over the estimated period.

The Clinical Diagnostics Automation market report Elucidated with regards to the competitive landscape of the industry:

Segment by Type, the Clinical Diagnostics Automation market is segmented intoModular AutomationTotal Lab Automation

Segment by Application, the Clinical Diagnostics Automation market is segmented intoClinical DiagnosticsDrug DiscoveryProteomics SolutionsOthers

Regional and Country-level AnalysisThe Clinical Diagnostics Automation market is analysed and market size information is provided by regions (countries).The key regions covered in the Clinical Diagnostics Automation market report are North America, Europe, China and Japan. It also covers key regions (countries), viz, the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, etc.The report includes country-wise and region-wise market size for the period 2015-2026. It also includes market size and forecast by Type, and by Application segment in terms of production capacity, price and revenue for the period 2015-2026.Competitive Landscape and Clinical Diagnostics Automation Market Share Analysis

Clinical Diagnostics Automation market competitive landscape provides details and data information by manufacturers. The report offers comprehensive analysis and accurate statistics on production capacity, price, revenue of Clinical Diagnostics Automation by the player for the period 2015-2020. It also offers detailed analysis supported by reliable statistics on production, revenue (global and regional level) by players for the period 2015-2020. Details included are company description, major business, company total revenue, and the production capacity, price, revenue generated in Clinical Diagnostics Automation business, the date to enter into the Clinical Diagnostics Automation market, Clinical Diagnostics Automation product introduction, recent developments, etc.The major vendors covered:AbaxisAbbott DiagnosticsBeckman CoulterBecton, Dickinson and CompanyBioMerieux SABio-Rad LaboratoriesDiagnostica StagoOrtho Clinical DiagnosticsPerkinElmerSiemens Healthcare DiagnosticsSysmex AmericaTecan GroupThe ELITechGroupThermo Fisher Scientific

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Exclusive details pertaining to the contribution that every firm has made to the industry have been outlined in the study. Not to mention, a brief gist of the company description has been provided as well.

Substantial information subject to the production patterns of each firm and the area that is catered to, has been elucidated.

The valuation that each company holds, in tandem with the description as well as substantial specifications of the manufactured products have been enumerated in the study as well.

The Clinical Diagnostics Automation market research study conscientiously mentions a separate section that enumerates details with regards to major parameters like the price fads of key raw material and industrial chain analysis, not to mention, details about the suppliers of the raw material. That said, it is pivotal to mention that the Clinical Diagnostics Automation market report also expounds an analysis of the industry distribution chain, further advancing on aspects such as important distributors and the customer pool.

The Clinical Diagnostics Automation market report enumerates information about the industry in terms of market share, market size, revenue forecasts, and regional outlook. The report further illustrates competitive insights of key players in the business vertical followed by an overview of their diverse portfolios and growth strategies.

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Some of the Major Highlights of TOC covers:

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Clinical Diagnostics Automation Market Globally Expected to Drive Growth Through 2019-2026 - My Amazon Echo

Technology & Automation-Impact on Human Evolution – The Shillong Times

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

Technology-driven automation is omnipresent and pervading our lives like never before. From robots and chatbots to virtual/augmented reality, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and beyond, the physical space is littered with digital influence.

The impact of increased automation is already upon us and influencing our lives in all possible ways. Up till now technology adoption has never been so rapid, versatile and secular but the presence of connectivity has enabled this growth.The focus of this narrative will be to explore how exactly human life gets affected because of these inevitable technology trends. There are six such changes that look imminent.

The newer technologies are enabling embryonic assessments in early stages, hence alleviating the need for morphological assessments where a high degree of human skills was required. The issue is that morphological grading by humans leads to wide inter- and intra-operator variation. These long-standing difficulties may now be improved by using advances in AI. Thus, mathematical variables derived from time-lapse images of embryo development may now be used such that an algorithm can classify images of an embryos development automatically, and so remove the human variable from the crucial task of morphological assessment.

This was also highlighted in study presented on July 4, 2017 at the 33rd Annual Meeting of ESHRE in Geneva. Start-up Deep Genomics is leveraging AI to help decode the meaning of the genome and their learning software is developing the ability to try and predict the effects of a mutation based on its analyses of hundreds of thousands of examples of other mutations even if theres not already a record of what those mutations do. Another example is the case of actress Angelina Jolie where she had a one recessive gene in her genome that was predicted using deep learning algorithms on her DNA sequence using the data from past studies, which predicted that she is susceptible to breast cancer. She underwent pre-emptive mastectomy to prevent herself from cancer. The confluence of medicine and technology will bring unprecedented transformations in human life.

Another biological victim of the digital automation will be ubiquitous handwriting skills. Already most of the content thats getting produced and published is digital. Handwriting skills have already suffered as most of the content gets digitally typed and then printed if at all needed in the physical format. Dematerialization has already inflicted the damage on the physical copy. It is now rare to write something on paper except when its your own signature, which is also digitally available now. Handwriting is almost nostalgic now. More and more people are digitally publishing the content online with handwritten notes becoming virtually non-existent. When was the last time you wrote a handwritten letter or note to your friends? The growth of virtual assistants like Apple Siri, Google Assistant or Cortana that can translate the verbal instructions into written words will further deteriorate the physical handwriting practice whatever is left so far. This may impact the anatomy of the hand including the fingers, which may become less flexible, and thinner to aid typing. Maybe in the future the meta-carpel and carpel joints undergo significant changes as they are no longer used for writing purposes.

The third biological influence will be on the eyes. The sheer amount of information flow thats happening is coming from social media apps, devices, digital displays or the web, which is exerting enormous strain on the eyes. Reading has exponentially multiplied, as is typical of information age where status quo is consistently challenged. The knowledge bust thats happening is fuelling the information fire. With faster and better technology, development and evolution is becoming possible in every sphere of our life, be it medicine, law, science, engineering, education, hence necessitating the constant need to upgrade and update. The concomitant impact of it will be largely borne by eyes. With so much to read and ingest, the shape of our eyes may get adapted over a period; they may become enlarged or may be more bulged. In fact, the underlying neuron system powering the vision may undergo subtle changes as well because of the way the things will be perceived and seen in the VR, AR-infected world.

Another impact is going to be on the neck and the backbone. With the advent of smartphone the average time we are spending on the device is about 180 minutes. Yes, thats correct: three hours per day. We are continuously stretching our necks for longer periods of time, which is therefore bent most of the time. Now most of things can be actioned, can be monitored or searched on the phone, which is reducing physical movements all the time. For example, you can monitor your employees working remotely on your phone using the GPS and camera, thereby obviating the need for physically moving yourself. This is not only forcing your neck to constantly gobble up the data thats being ejected on your smartphone screens but also increasing your seating time, making you more sedentary than ever. Seating continuously for longer periods of time puts pressure on the spinal cord and the vertebrae. Hence all these lifestyle changes will have an anatomical impact on our spinal cord and neck in the time to come. As a result, the spine may become more rounded and short. It may be so that in the future humans have few extra movements in the neck due to some extra cervical spine joints.

With the problem of plenty, memory will be worst affected. As more and more information is produced collaboratively and co-operatively on social platforms lesser and lesser will be retained. Also, with advanced search algorithms by our side, who needs to worry about remembering something? Learning by rote will be extinct in future. This will impact the memorability of human beings as lesser effort will be given to remember anything. The incentives that existed in the past to learn mathematical tables or capitals of the countries have ceased to exist. Society is now rewarding people who have application skills, who can combine expertise in multiple subjects to yield insights and solve layered business problems. The demand for people who can blurt out facts has completely evaporated. The processing thats required to memorize things will weaken during time, leading to complete adaptation of the neurons and brain functions that govern memory.

With so much data floating around us and machine learning algorithms parsing them, AI is getting adaptive by the day. The rich data thats getting ingested is only leading to more informed choices and better decisions. The role of luck, or the unknown is getting subsumed by intelligent analytics or processed data that was earlier not available. The traditional belief structures rooted in the religion of God are getting displaced by more data-centric approaches or Dataism, as Yuval Harari calls it. So much structured and unstructured data is getting generatedbe it location data, emails, OCR processed reports, Facebook posts or likes, WhatsApp messages, tweets etc.which enables algorithms to do the data analysis and decipher the subterranean trends, patterns and phenomena underlying these data sets, paving the way for better understanding of society and things around us. As more and more evidentiary proofs are available for our actions, the needle of our belief will keep swerving away from the universality of God.

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Technology & Automation-Impact on Human Evolution - The Shillong Times

House Votes to Lift HHS Funding Ban on National Patient Identifier – HealthITSecurity.com

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

August 07, 2020 -In its Fiscal Year 2021 minibus package passed this week, the House of Representatives once againvotedto remove aprovision that effectivelybans providing federal funds to the Department of Health and Human Services for the development of a national patient identifier.

HHS was initially called on to adopt standards for a distinct, uniquepatient ID, which would be used to identify the medical records of individuals, employers, providers, and healthplans under HIPAA regulations. But in 1998, former Congressman Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas introduced the funding ban, and it has been written into every Congressional budget proposal since 1999.

Advocates for a national patient identifier, such asCHIME, argue that a unique identifier would help toimprovepatient privacy and patient safety, while supportinginteroperability. CHIME and 55 other health groups urged Congress to remove the funding ban or at least adopt a unique patient identifier in August 2019.

In June 2019, Housemembersmade a similar voteto lift the ban, but theSenateopted not to remove thethe funding ban languagein its owndraftfederal appropriations bill. Sen. Rand Paul, MD, R-Kentucky, took it a step further inSeptember2019, moving to remove the national patient identifierlanguagefrom HIPAA altogether.The viewpoint was largely rejected.

But in December,Congressdirected the Office of the National Coordinator to work with private sector stakeholders to develop a national strategy for improving patient identification.

READ MORE: Congress Directs ONC to Support National Patient Identifier Efforts

The latesteffort spearheaded by Reps. Bill Foster, D-Illinois,and Mike Kelly, R-Pennsylvania,was unanimously adopted by the House. Foster argued that the unique patient identifier would help in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and prevent doctor shopping when it comes to opioids, while reducing medical errors and costs.

Removing this archaic ban is more important than ever as we face the COVID-19 pandemic, Foster said in a statement. Our ability to accurately identify patients across the care continuum is critical to addressing this public healthemergency andremoving this ban will alleviate difficult and avoidable operational issues, which will save money and, most importantly, save lives.

HIMSSsignaledsupport of the amendment, launching Patient ID now with other healthcare stakeholders to address patient identification though legislative and regulatory advocacy.

However, the American Civil Liberties Union rejected the effort, citing privacycocnerns.

Absent strong privacy protections, useof unique health identifierscould empower HHS and potentiallyother federal agencies, including law enforcement, to gainunprecedented access to sensitive medical information,ACLUleaders argued.

READ MORE: Would a Unique Patient Identifier Increase the Risk to Patient Privacy?

For thisreason, it is critical that any use of unique health identifiersbesubjectto strict privacy and security protections, which areapproved by Congress and subject to public debate, they added. Historically, we have seen examples of inadequate health privacyregulations, underscoring the importance of requiring Congressionalapproval of health privacy standards in this arena.

The privacy arguments have been previously made by ACLU and other groups. But industrystakeholdersbelieve the risk to privacy is no different than that posed by Social Security numbers, which are tied to a patients financial information. Thus, a national patient identifier is seen as an improvement to privacy.

Use of a national identifier instead of SSN should lessen the burden of security breaches because the ability to steal an identity is limited withoutaSSN, Corinne Smith, a healthcare attorney with Clark Hill Strasburger, toldHealthITSecurity.comamid the Congressional patient ID discussions in 2019. I fail to see how use of the national identifier would pose an increased risk over use ofaSSN.

The ban has prohibited effective conversations,LeslieKrigstein, vice president of Congressional Affairs for CHIME, toldHealthITSecurity.comduring the same timeframe.How can we have a dialogue if were prohibiting HHS from coming to the table with how they would like to identify patients? Or work with private partnerships to move forward on this? Without HHS at the table, were not going to see any change.

The Senate will be the next deciding factor on lifting the HHS funding ban from the appropriations bill, scheduled fornext month.

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House Votes to Lift HHS Funding Ban on National Patient Identifier - HealthITSecurity.com

Letters to the Editor for Thursday, Aug. 6 | Opinion | newsadvance.com – Lynchburg News and Advance

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

DAVID W. PONTON,

Massies Mill

Questions the pandemic brings

There is no way out other than the path of truth. A true pandemic needs no mainstream news telling us about it 24/7 via the television, the radio, and the newspapers. A true viral pandemic is witnessed in our cities, our towns, our communities, and within our families, by each and every one of us.

A true pandemic cannot be missed by the masses, on a daily basis, by its basic definition. So who among us has personally witnessed the death and destruction of this pandemic? I did not say anything about someone becoming sick, or even dying from a virus. I said 'pandemic.'

Regardless of what many of you are believing, millions of jobs have not been lost due to a virus. The entire transformation of our daily lives has not been caused by a virus. The economy, which is in fact, we the people doing business on a daily basis, that supports our individual lives and our families, has not been destroyed by a virus. Being concerned for the life of the economy is being concerned for the life and well-being of people!

All that is being blamed on a virus is actually the fault of 'we the people', who have let fear and doubt take over our very minds; caused us to doubt the very truth of our daily existence.

Again, I ask quite simply. Who among us has witnessed the devastation of a viral, deadly pandemic? If the majority of us have not, then there simply is no pandemic. That simple reality, if understood, and acted upon with courage, would transform this lie that we are living within.

Original post:

Letters to the Editor for Thursday, Aug. 6 | Opinion | newsadvance.com - Lynchburg News and Advance

Tap tech giants to bridge digital divide in education – The Tribune India

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

Sushma Ramachandran

Senior Financial Journalist

The chief executives of the worlds four most powerful tech companies were grilled recently by the US lawmakers on a wide range of issues, ranging from competition to alleged theft of data by China. Apple, Facebook, Googles parent company Alphabet and Amazon had to face a barrage of questions that could ultimately decide the future course of monopoly laws in the US. Simultaneously, Australia has laid down regulations to ensure that tech giants will have to pay for the use of news from media outlets. Both developments are of immense relevance in India as these same companies dominate the digital arena here.

Even as Big Tech is facing potential curbs, these entities are also seeing a huge surge in growth and profitability at a time when the global economy is facing severe disruptions owing to the pandemic.

Amazons profits, for instance, rose by 40 per cent in the April-June quarter. Over the same period, Facebooks profits spiked by an unreal 98 per cent, while Apple recorded a 12 per cent growth. Alphabet was relatively a laggard with three per cent profit, but revenue increased by 13 per cent.

In contrast, the world economy is set to contract by as much as five per cent during 2020. The divergence is because the consumption of online content has risen exponentially while the overall demand for other products has fallen precipitously.

Amazon has benefited not just from its Prime Video content but also from the ease of online deliveries at a time when buying from brick and mortar retail outlets has slowed down. Other streaming and OTT platforms have also got a boost globally and in this country.

This has altered the established advertising-cum-subscription model, with ad revenues dipping and subscribers rapidly growing. Some media reports say subscribers have risen by as much as 60 per cent ever since the pandemic began.

The top player in the Indian market currently is the Disney-Hotstar brand with an estimated eight million subscribers followed by Amazon Prime, SonyLiv, Netflix and Voot as well as a host of others.

The other gainers in the digital space are gaming apps which have seen an enormous growth during the lockdown period. Fantasy sports apps are expected to see a spurt as soon as the IPL is revived. The digital arena, thus, continues to thrive at a time when the global Covid outbreak has threatened the very existence of traditional businesses.

A parallel occurrence to the growth of tech giants has been a widening of the digital divide in this country. This has followed a shift to online education after the schools closed down all over the country since the lockdown was imposed at the end of March.

Children with access to devices like smartphones, tablets, computers or even televisions, have been able to utilise the new mode of teaching.

Others, including the urban poor and those in rural areas, have simply been left rudderless without any teaching facilities for months on end now.

Tragic stories have surfaced of children and even parents committing suicide because they could not afford to buy smartphones. Voluntary organisations and individuals have begun drives to provide computers and televisions to children in many parts of the country.

An initiative has even been launched to provide used devices to the needy students. The fact is that this is just not enough to cover the millions of children who need to use online education. Official data says there are over 35 crore students in the country, but no data is available to show how many have access to digital devices or the Internet.

A study done by an NGO of over 40,000 children, covering 23 states in April, found that about 56 per cent children did not have smartphones. Apart from the devices, the other issue was connectivity problems with the Internet.

The Kerala government has tried to overcome this problem by offering classes on television. But this approach has a lacuna as there is no possibility of an interaction with the students.

With online education likely to remain a reality for some more time, it is time to adopt innovative solutions to ensure that millions of children do not lag behind their more affluent peers. One way could be to copy the model of universal healthcare and adopt the slogan of universal smartphones for schoolchildren.

Indigenously made smartphones or tablets could be mass produced and provided to all students of government schools. This would not only provide students with the much-needed devices, but also give a fillip to indigenous smartphone production, a cause close to this governments heart.

But this could take a while and fail to solve the immediate crisis facing the countrys students. Another option could be to open the schools gradually, keeping social distancing norms in place.

And finally, the third and most attractive option could be to tap the deep pockets of the tech giants that are raking in profits right now

during the pandemic. Let them use their enormous resources to provide tech-based solutions to the millions of underprivileged children who cannot access any form of education right now. The fact is, unless the digital divide is bridged, there will be a long-term, adverse impact on these young students. The prosperity of the tech giants is growing owing to their access to the Indian market.

It is thus entirely in the fitness of things that they join hands with policymakers here to provide a concrete solution to the digital divide at this critical juncture.

The government needs to open a dialogue with Big Tech companies and try to solve this problem with their help. Otherwise, the prolonged break in the educational process could have profound ramifications for the youth of the country.

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Tap tech giants to bridge digital divide in education - The Tribune India

Final webinar on coal transition offers advice and resources for communities – Uinta County Herald

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

EVANSTON The fourth and final webinar in the Powder River Basin Resource Councils series entitled Reclaiming and Growing Wyomings Future, focused on Funding Wyomings Transition. Speakers included Ben Alexander with the Resources Legacy Fund, Cindy Winland with the Just Transition Fund and Chris Markuson with Colorados Blue-Green Alliance, all of whom have been extensively involved with work in rural communities dependent upon energy production and power plants.

Alexander opened by providing some economic context for the presentation, noting that Wyoming is the most energy-focused state in the nation. Long-term trends that have impacted energy-focused economies include components of globalization, automation, industry maturity, competition from developing countries, the development of a modern services economy and information economy and de-localization, all of which have fundamentally shifted the geography of our economy and opportunities for local places and businesses to compete.

Alexander has been conducting research on similarities and commonalities between communities in the Intermountain West that have successfully transitioned and diversified from being solely reliant on energy extraction, and coal in particular. His research has become even more timely with the COVID-19 pandemic that in many respects has hastened and worsened the long-predicted decline of coal.

Alexander said adapting to a changing economy is different for urban and rural communities and said many rural communities in particular are struggling to adapt, in part because we face fierce competition for some of our natural resource sectors. He also emphasized the broader transition to a service-based economy on a national scale. Such economies, said Alexander, have a real mix of high-paying and low-paying jobs, rewarding generally sort of the urban components of the higher knowledge aspects of that services economy and punishing, if you will, some of the lower-skilled aspects of the service delivery economy that in many places are replacing some of our higher-paying natural resource sector jobs.

Strategies to address these fundamental shifts through economic development and resiliency, said Alexander, are very localized and unique to each community. He emphasized that economic development is both an outcome and a process. The outcome side is the creation of jobs and wealth and the improvement in quality of life. The process side is the process that influences growth and restructures the economy.

Resilience, said Alexander, is not necessarily about having the fastest growth or generating the most wealth, but about surviving change. Its not trying to keep a place or an economy the way it is in the face of change or even about trying to control change. Its really about shifting attention and resources to cope with or adapt to change.

Alexander said his research revealed there is no single silver bullet for addressing diversification and resiliency processes because all communities are unique and have different assets, challenges and market opportunities. Instead, he said there is a range of techniques and approaches. He said he also began to realize that the response to change is fundamentally different in different areas.

In the West, we know that economics and culture are closely tied. Our identities and our occupations are closely aligned, and so our response to economic change when one industry is under threat is often very personal and we fight to keep that industry and our identity alive. Thats an entirely legitimate response to change, said Alexander. It may not be the most adaptive and resilient response to change, however. More successful places over time dont focus on trying to keep places the way they are or to control change so much as to figure out how they can benefit from it. Alexander said declines in key industries, plant closures, etc., are what he describes as ruptures that create great upheavals in communities. Dealing with those ruptures requires leadership to either take the rupture and use it as an opportunity to double down on the past or use it to look at other possibilities. He said leadership requires not just telling people what they want to hear but telling them the sometimes-painful truth.

Local leadership, then, is critical in helping communities adapt and move forward with economic development strategies. Part of that process, said Alexander, is focusing on a vision, including a lists of area strengths and weaknesses, as well as creating a specific strategy that includes two key components, which he labeled where to play and how to win.

Alexander said too often leaders in a community will take a kitchen sink approach, trying everything to see if something sticks. Knowing where to play involves looking at and analyzing opportunities and finding in-demand sectors that align with area resources. How to win involves looking at ways to ensure that investments in new training or technology pay off by delivering either the lowest-cost product or a specialized, differentiated in-demand product that isnt already readily available elsewhere.

Successful economic development requires a long-term strategy and commitment to process as, according to Alexander, its not at all unusual for multiple ruptures to occur throughout the life of a community, necessitating repeated adaptation.

Winland, senior fellow with the Just Transition Fund, echoed Alexanders comments on economics and identity, and addressed the fear that often accompanies the decline in a sector. A lot of communities are afraid to say it out loud, as though thats going to cause the plant to close or the mine to close, but its important to recognize this is going to be in our future and we need to think about it.

The Just Transition Fund (JTF) specializes in offering support to communities dealing with a closure and economic transition, working with local officials, business leaders, educational institutions and more. The nonprofit JTF utilizes a hybrid approach to provide both technical assistance and funding to help communities come together, strategize and focus on specific locally-derived and -driven goals and plans and how to meet them.

Winland said the JTF avoids coming in with a cookie-cutter solution to just drop on a community and instead focuses on meeting with local people to understand a communitys assets, resources, challenges and more to help locals develop their own vision and solutions. She said unfortunately oftentimes community leaders try to simply find someone else a savior to just take over the closing plant, utility, etc., to fill the void, which is not actually economic diversification or doing anything to address the inevitable loss of that industry/employer.

The JTF offers free tools online as part of the organizations technical assistance services, including tools to help start a transition planning process, to help connect to other communities that have faced similar challenges, to help identify public and private funding sources to facilitate employee training and education needed for any successful transition, to provide grant-writing assistance, to help with conducting outreach within communities and facilitating meetings and to share information and resources.

Winland said even if theres disagreement within a community about politics and policies or about the causes for an industrys decline, its important to develop some consensus on how to proceed and move toward the future, and the JTF can help facilitate meetings to help local leaders find that consensus. If we arent all in the room and working toward the same thing, its much less likely to succeed. That sounds like a Miss America statement, but its really important.

The JTF has provided both technical assistance and funding in numerous states around the country, including Wyoming, although the organization doesnt necessarily have to provide both assistance and funding in any given community. She said the first step in the process is simply to reach out to the JTF to begin an introductory conversation to begin to understand the community, the stage of transition (whether a plant has already closed or whether a closure is imminent, for example) and the goals for the future. Next steps can include outlining resource needs, determining timelines and milestones, helping to develop and implement training and educational programs and more.

Finally, Markuson, director of Colorado and state economic transition policy with the Blue-Green Alliance, spoke about some of the work he has been involved with in Colorado to transition economies from being solely coal reliant. Markuson said a challenge in Colorado and throughout the West has been political unwillingness to recognize how increased demand for clean energy is happening regardless of politics. He said people who dont believe in climate change, for example, argue a transition is unnecessary; however, that ignores market realities of a continued decline in the predominance of coal in energy production. Conversely, some argue that climate change is so important that the loss of jobs and even entire communities is a justified cost to save the planet. Neither viewpoint is helpful in helping communities transition and survive.

Markuson too said communities often make the mistake of just trying to replace a large employer when a plant closes; however, the community then finds itself in the exact same position when another closure occurs and the economy hasnt actually been diversified. He emphasized some of the same factors as Alexander and Winland, noting its easy to attract low-wage, low-skilled jobs, but those arent necessarily sustaining to communities or families.

According to Markuson, its important to seek assistance and look to other communities that have successfully transitioned in pursuing an economic development plan, in part because it can become a classic chicken and the egg scenario. Attracting long-term, community-sustaining employers requires a highly skilled workforce, but its challenging to invest in workforce training for an employer that is not yet in the community.

All three presenters repeatedly emphasized the multiple facets of economic development, especially in coal communities. Focusing only on short-term mitigation of economic impacts may help families and communities for a brief period, but it wont create sustainable jobs. Focusing only on long-term competitive economic opportunities does nothing to immediately help families in need, which often results in families moving away before those opportunities can be realized. Successful plans require a balance of both short-term mitigation and long-term opportunities.

They also all stressed the importance of education, whether that is through community colleges, vocational and technical programs, stacked certificate training in which an individual is able to continually work through programs to build credentials and career ladders, apprenticeships or some other training.

Its crucial to work with local school districts and other educational entities to create needed programs to develop the skilled workforce that can lure stable employers to an area. Especially in the current economic downturn, with community colleges and vocational programs facing huge budget cuts nationally, the three said finding a way to invest in training could offer Wyoming communities a huge competitive advantage.

America is what it is because of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, said Markuson. Weve kind of lost that and need to bring it back. Fostering that requires intentional effort Be bold. The time is now.

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Final webinar on coal transition offers advice and resources for communities - Uinta County Herald

What’s Next: Fragile nonprofit safety net facing tests that threaten survival – Crain’s Detroit Business

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

When people find themselves without food, water or shelter, they turn to the nonprofit sector to help meet their basic needs.

After-school providers keep children academically and socially engaged. Mental health agencies help people deal with issues that feel too hard to handle, and cultural and arts programs provide a break for those seeking respite from daily routines or struggles in life.

Anything that might be a resource for people during the pandemic (and before it) likely touches a nonprofit, said Kelley Kuhn, vice president of the Michigan Nonprofit Association. But because of COVID-19, there are no guarantees those organizations will always be around.

The sector is in unprecedented territory, facing significant change and contraction as it grapples with revenue losses, ballooning demand for services, operational shifts needed to keep people safe and the possibility of recession, according to industry leaders.

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed how nonprofits operate, from logistics like incorporating safety measures into in-person service and program delivery to shifting programs and fundraisers online and nonstop contingency planning to adapt to changing revenue streams and human resource capacities, Kuhn said.

All of those shifts have taken a toll not only on nonprofit finances but also on nonprofit leaders and employees, many of whom have worked nonstop during the pandemic.

"If an economic downturn happens to an already fragile sector, what will be the stress and burden when nonprofits will be continually asked to fill gaps in services to community?" Kuhn said.

"The safety net is going to need attention and support."

What we've learned: Nonprofits have collectively lost millions of dollars in earned revenue with building closures and contributed dollars with canceled fundraising events. Yet some, like food banks and rescues and shelters, ramped up their efforts with each new wave of demand, costs be damned.

To conserve cash, employees were furloughed. To help recoup lost revenue, some shifted to virtual fundraisers and innovative events like drive-in theater gatherings. Some secured federal Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Mental health agencies began telehealth visits with clients to handle increased demand for counseling, and hospitals restarted elective medical procedures. Educational and cultural groups launched new programs online. But it's become clear that among nonprofits there are disparities in the ability to access and leverage technology, Kuhn said.

Racial disparities have taken on a new importance amid the pandemic, forcing nonprofits to view their work through a racial equity lens.

How nonprofits are doing financially differs from one to the next, depending on their mix of public vs. private funding, their reliance on earned vs. contributed revenue and how much they can rely on their donors to support them right now, said Mariam Noland, president of the Community Foundation.

Unanswered questions: Leaders agree that demand for human services will continue to rise, but no one knows how much. It will depend on how quickly the economy turns around, Noland said. And several factors play into that, including the prospect of a recession and whether or not school is in session and parents can return to full-time employment.

"What happens with kids is a huge determinant of what happens with who can go back to jobs, where ... people put their priorities," she said, noting there is also a related impact on arts and cultural organizations, since people are unlikely to go to a theater performance if money and time are tight.

What's next: Leaders are watching what happens with the economy and Michigan's phased reopenings, since both factors have a ripple impact on earned and contributed revenue.

They are also monitoring the rise in the demand for human services, whether government will step up to support the increased demand, and the mental well-being, burnout and work-life balance for nonprofit employees. Whether there will be more federal relief that nonprofits can access without the same issues they encountered in securing the initial PPP loans is another question, Kuhn said.

Based on their financial models and limited cash on hand, a "shocking number" of nonprofits will not survive the pandemic, with closures most likely spread out over the next two to three years, Jeff Williams, director of the community data and research lab at Grand Valley State University's Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, said in June.

Leaders are seeing some indicators that nonprofits are beginning to look at consolidations, and partnerships are taking shape as those organizations navigate the pandemic and post-pandemic environment, Kuhn said.

"If you are looking to continue to do the work in a resource-stressed environment, then you're creatively looking towards consolidations and partnerships" to best meet community needs, Kuhn said.

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What's Next: Fragile nonprofit safety net facing tests that threaten survival - Crain's Detroit Business

Alberta’s oil-based wealth fund misses a $433 billion opportunity – WorldOil

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

By Kevin Orland and Kait Bolongaro on 8/6/2020

CALGARY (Bloomberg) --If any place in North America should have been prepared for the crash in oil prices, its petroleum-rich Alberta, the Saudi Arabia of Canada.

Back in 1976, Albertas government established a special fund to save some of its oil and gas revenue for leaner times when prices dropped or resources ran dry. For decades, royalties poured into Albertas coffers, with the gusher accelerating in the boom of the early 2000s as the province developed its vast oil-sands reserves, the worlds third-largest oil resource.

But successive governments failed to stick to the savings plan. Today, as weak oil prices upend economies around the world, Alberta is confronting its own painful regrets. Had it set aside more during oils boom, Alberta could have had a C$575 billion ($433 billion) wealth fund to cushion the blows of Covid-19, according to one economists estimates.

Instead, the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund is down to just C$16.3 billion after losing C$1.9 billion because of the pandemic and a wrong-way bet against market volatility. Thats not enough to provide much help in a province suffering from Canadas second-highest unemployment rate at 15.5%, a falling credit rating and a dark period ahead for its most important industry.

Many people in Alberta might not even realize that the Heritage Fund still exists, said Trevor Tombe, an economics professor at the University of Calgary. The fact that there is such a large missed opportunity, that had we been saving royalties we could have had a fund in the hundreds of billions, is not widely appreciated.

Norway Envy

Tombes estimate that the Heritage Fund could have been worth C$575 billion uses the funds actual investment returns but assumes that the province had followed practices similar to those that helped Norway amass its $1.12 trillion Government Pension Fund Global. Those guidelines include contributing all of its resource revenue to the fund and withdrawing only 4% a year.

Norway plans to exceed that cap this year, withdrawing about 4.2% of the fund, or roughly $37 billion, to shore up its budget.

Despite striking oil about half a century earlier than Norway, Alberta has no similar piggy bank to crack. With the oil crash devastating resource and income tax revenue and spending soaring to keep the economy afloat, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has estimated the provinces deficit could hit about C$20 billion in the current fiscal year. Thats on par with the latest deficit estimate from Ontario, a province with three times as many people.

Prior to the crisis, Alberta was producing about 3.8 million barrels a day, more than every OPEC member other than Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Analysts have estimated that Albertas producers idled 1 million to 1.5 million barrels of production at the depths of the crisis, and its unclear how much has been brought back on since the North American economy began to reopen.

If we dont get people back to work, if we dont restore investor confidence and get our economy growing again, the fiscal challenge will become insurmountable, Kenney said in late June.

Rainy Day

The Heritage Fund, which initially received 30% of Albertas non-renewable resource revenue, was meant to transfer the provinces oil wealth to future generations, not serve as a rainy day fund or as a vehicle for diversifying the economy, said Colleen Collins, who worked in Premier Peter Lougheeds office as he set up the fund in the late 1970s. Collins now serves as a vice president at the Canada West Foundation, a think tank.

In 1987, the provincial government stopped adding resource revenue to the Heritage Fund as low oil prices caused mounting deficits. The fund has limped along since, contributing investment income to the provinces general revenue pool while receiving occasional, ad hoc infusions during better times.

There was this sense of Well, its a rainy day fund and man is it rainy, Collins said. Nobody wants to see services cut. Nobody wants to see public servants salaries cut. How do you say no to people when you have all that money in the bank?

Alberta politicians have argued that a giant Heritage Fund might have become a fat target for the federal government, continuing a long series of intergovernmental clashes over control of the provinces oil resources and the wealth they generate. As a unitary state, Norway hasnt faced any such tensions, she said.

The University of Calgarys Tombe concurs, saying that the federal government likely would have reduced its transfers to Alberta or raised other taxes affecting the province, making the Heritage Fund smaller than his calculations project it could have been.

Top Credit Rating

Still, Albertas politicians may have been lulled into false sense of financial security by a long stretch of good times and bullish projections that the U.S. and China would be ready buyers for the provinces crude for decades to come.

The province, which has been governed by various conservative parties for about 81 of the past 85 years, has the lowest corporate tax rate in Canada, relatively low personal income-tax rates and is one of the few North American jurisdictions without a provincial or state sales tax. Even with low taxes, the rise of the oil sands in the 1990s allowed Alberta to post 14 consecutive years of budget surpluses before the streak was ended by the 2008 financial crisis.

The province held onto its AAA credit rating even longer than the U.S. did. S&P Global Ratings didnt downgrade it until 2015. S&P has cut it three more notches since, to A+. Some have called for Kenneys pro-oil government to work on an economic plan that isnt so dependent on fossil fuels.

The odds that the province will seek increased contributions from the industry are low, and the exploding budget deficit makes the chances slim that it will divert revenue to build up the Heritage Fund.

Tombe recommends starting by contributing a small fraction of the provinces resource revenue to the fund and increasing that percentage over time. The lost revenue could be made up by raising tax rates elsewhere or implementing a sales tax.

Either way, he hopes that the lessons of the current pandemic crisis arent lost on Alberta.

The scale of the economic disruptions and the fiscal disruptions are so big that I think it is genuinely leading people to think we need to do something differently, Tombe said. And if an event like this does not cause us to change how were doing things, I dont know what will.

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Alberta's oil-based wealth fund misses a $433 billion opportunity - WorldOil

Opinion: Investing in Philly artists during the pandemic could help – WHYY

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

No artist of international reputation or even national notoriety for that matter born in Philadelphia has been able to live here. That was renowned illustrator Joseph Pennell writing in the 1930s.

Things have changed for artists in Philadelphia but the lack of local affirmation and support remains a frequent refrain. Artists note particular challenges with finding commercial outlets in the city and their invisibility to the citys most prestigious institutions.

The fragile support extends to City Hall where officials champion the arts but set aside relatively little money to support its production. In the 2019-2020 fiscal year, the city invested approximately $9 million .2% of the citys $5 billion budget. That small investment delivers dividends across Philadelphias neighborhoods and burnishes the citys reputation on the national and international stage. Yet the payoff didnt stop Mayor Jim Kenney from proposing a post-pandemic budget for this fiscal year that eliminated the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund entirely while putting only a .5% dent in the $650 million shortfall.

While the budget that City Council ultimately passed reinstated some of those cuts, Philadelphia is moving into the new year with less money for art than in the past. Kenneys initial budget and even the compromise said something loud and clear about the value city government assigns to art.

The struggle for recognition and even basic survival is heightened for artists of color and artists from other marginalized communities. Grassroots organizations that contribute at the neighborhood level face a catch-22. Many provide critical services in communities that are not effectively engaged by larger institutions. Yet their status is precarious because they lack the social capital or staffing levels to pursue traditional sources of nonprofit funding. Especially now, during an unprecedented pandemic a time of skyrocketing unemployment, uncertain prospects for public education and heightened healthcare concerns.

Yet in the face of these challenges and the many persistent variations of the Philly shrug, the citys artists continue to persevere, thrive, and produce work that is shaping our collective future.

Emblematic of this spirit is the Reentry Think Tank. The United States has incarcerated more than 2 million people, nearly 25% of the worlds prison population. In this landscape, Philadelphia boasts the highest incarceration rate of any large U.S. jurisdiction, according to a 2018 report. Reentry Think Tank partners with artists to restore the humanity of formerly incarcerated men and women to help them succeed in their communities. Through wheatpaste posters, reclaimed spaces, and amplified voices, artists act as engines for education, beautification and political movements and contribute mightily to the most positive aspects of our city.

The turmoil of 2020 is forcing all of us into unwelcome choices and calculated risks. The ongoing uncertainty is dismaying and exhausting. It is a struggle to find precedent and guidance in this moment. One historical lesson we should remember is how the arts have provided a haven in Philadelphias times of crisis. The citys affirmation of and investment in culture especially at the grassroots level has always benefited the city well beyond the direct recipients. Structures that deliver resources to artists have created outcomes that are efficient, effective, and even transformative.

During the original Great Depression of the 1930s, the federal government launched the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Its programs included the Federal Art Project (FAP), a nationwide initiative that ran from 1935 to 1943. The program provided subsidies for artists creation of murals, easel paintings, sculpture, graphic art, posters, photography, theatre scenic design, and arts and crafts.

Philadelphias rich tradition in printmaking includes hosting the United States first lithograph. The FAP site in Philadelphia came out of this history and was one of five nationwide sites that was designated a Fine Print Workshop. Pioneering Black artist Dox Thrash and colleagues that included Samuel Brown, Claude Clark, Hugh Mesibov, and Raymond Steth oversaw a laboratory for technical innovation, inventing the carborundum printing process. The Workshop also modeled racial inclusion when most local institutions were segregated. Today, the legacy of Dox Thrash continues to inspire young people to invest in their neighborhood with a vision for community betterment.

Another period of significant investment happened in the 1960s and 1970s. The federal Model Cities program, and slightly later, the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), were efforts to counter failed, top-down urban renewal projects and increase citizen participation. In 1966, during President Lyndon Johnsons administration, the Model Cities Program launched with an emphasis on local control: The idea that there could be an effective working partnership between elected officials and representatives of local communities took hold on both sides. For Philadelphia, the program brought resources to the tune of $25 million annually for 40 programs, ranging from housing subsidies, job training, healthcare, transit and the arts.

North Philadelphias Ile Ife Black Humanitarian Center is among the initiatives that benefited from Washingtons investment. The scale of Ile Ifes activities increased when its founder Arthur Hall became cultural arts director of Model Cities in 1970, one year after the center opened. With his connections to the federal program, Hall could program the center more ambitiously, advocate more effectively, and engage the public through a variety of artistic expressions. Charles Searles, Barbara Bullock, and Twins Seven Seven were among the notable artists who led programs at Ile Ife. Ile Ife closed in 1989 but its spirit has lived on through the work of the Village of Arts and Humanities, which took over the space when the center closed.

The Village practices artist-facilitated community building, and has created a network of murals, parks and gardens in North Philadelphia. During the current crisis, it has used its platform to support artists in the 19133 zip code and to address food insecurity in partnership with the Share Food Program of Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, CETA, active from 1973-82, funded job training initiatives that included direct benefits to artists. CETA was estimated to have invested over $175 million on art projects and employed 10,000 artists.

Philadelphia beneficiaries included Brandywine Workshop, a resource for artists and the larger community that lives on today. The CETA funds allowed the organization to employ 38 local artists annually between 1977 and 1980.

If the present confusion and uncertainty has revealed one thing, it is that the old status quo is unacceptable. What would a more just, equitable city look like? Our past investments in artists and creativity offer lessons.

Blake Bradford is a Philadelphia-based writer, educator and cultural advocate. His appointments include serving as the Director of the Lincoln University-Barnes Foundation Museum Studies Program and as the inaugural Bernard C. Watson Director of Education at the Barnes Foundation.

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Opinion: Investing in Philly artists during the pandemic could help - WHYY

BMO forecasts full recovery of Canadian economy next year – Daily Commercial News

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

BMOs recently published Blue Book predicts that the ICI construction sector will have mixed fortunes going forward nationally, with strength foreseen in tech, manufacturing, warehousing and public infrastructure sector builds.

The predictions are set against a relatively positive overall economic backdrop, with the banks economists and business consultants forecasting that next year Canadas economy could recover all of the losses it will suffer this year.

Meanwhile, the residential construction sector should remain solid in the next 18 months, with housing starts expected to rebound from 195,000 in 2020 to 215,000 units in 2021 more even than in 2019.

The Blue Book is produced by the BMO Economics and BMO Business Banking divisions and its predictions are based on the views of BMOs economists combined with input from local businesspeople.

Its forecast of a six per cent drop in GDP this year nationally and a matching six per cent hike next year is rosier than those of the federal government and the Bank of Canada.

The Liberals July fiscal snapshot anticipated a 6.8 per cent drop in GDP this year and a 5.5 per cent rebound year, while the Bank of Canadas July Monetary Policy Report predicted a 7.8 per cent contraction in GDP this year and a moderate 5.1 per cent recovery in 2021.

We have a tendency to be less pessimistic than others, said Doug Porter, BMO Financial Group chief economist.

There are still many questions as to what extent we can completely reopen next year but I would say, up to this point, the economy has been following a less negative trajectory than many predicted back in April or May.

That is not to say things are great. We have a long way to go yet. But the most negative predictions have not been borne out. People want to get back to work, they want to get back to as close to normal as possible. We have seen it, people want to get out and spend again.

In the ICI sector, the Blue Book, released July 31, said construction in the oil sector will likely remain weak given the oil price tumult, as the sector has shifted to maintenance from new project development. But Porter said there are positive signs to be found.

I think even there we are past the worst and there are some tentative grounds for optimism in the resource sector, he remarked.

Office and retail construction will be weak, though partially offset by stronger warehouse building, said the Blue Book. But other sources of potential builds, such as agriculture, manufacturing and the technology sector, remain strong.

The GTAs technology sector is still not showing any signs of slowing down, the report states. The Toronto to Kitchener-Waterloo corridor has many innovative companies that never skipped a beat.

Public-sector infrastructure investment should remain solid, said the Blue Book, particularly if federal and provincial budgets focus on stimulus post-COVID.

It could potentially be quite important, Porter said of potential infrastructure stimulus. This cycle is fairly different in terms of how the government will support this recovery. It will probably look quite different from past cycles. What is quite unusual is how the service sector has been hit hard. Usually it is manufacturing, construction and resources that bear the brunt of the downturnbut it is the exact opposite this time.

So the usual prescription is not necessarily going to work to turn the economy around, but I do think governments are going to try, with their normal tools, if they believe it will help support the recovery. I think infrastructure spending will play an important part in nursing the economy back to health in the next couple of years.

Ontarios economy is expected to match that of the nation, with a decline of six per cent expected in 2020 and a spike of the same amount next year.

Torontos economy could well match that pattern, Porter said.

Toronto has been one of the last areas to completely reopen. This year the Toronto area will see a deeper drop than the overall Canadian economy, but on the flip side we would look for a much stronger rebound in Toronto than in the rest of the country, both because it is coming back from a lower level and because we think its underlying growth rate is stronger as well. So we would expect a pretty robust revival in the Toronto economy in 2021.

Follow the author on Twitter @DonWall_DCN.

Protecting 30% of the earth will bolster economy – thethirdpole.net

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

If we protect 30% of the earths land and sea, the direct benefits will be at least USD 64 billion and will generate additional benefits of at least USD 170 billion per year by 2050, according to a study led by Anthony Waldron of the University of Cambridge. The additional benefits are ecosystem services such as flood and drought control or water provision that are not yet monetised.

This economic assessment follows an urgent call from scientists to protect at least 30% of the Earth by 2030 to halt the collapse of biodiversity. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity has included this goal in its draft 10-year strategy, which is expected to be finalised and approved by the conventions 196 parties next year in Kunming, China. Currently about 15% of the worlds land and 7% of oceans are protected.

The nature conservation sector is a net contributor to the global economy, not a drain, the Waldron report shows. The economic benefits of the conservation sector, primarily driven by growth in nature-based tourism, outweighs the economic impacts of expanded protection on agriculture, timber and fisheries. In fact, after recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, the nature sector is projected to grow 4-6% per year compared with less than 1% for agriculture, timber and fisheries.

The non-monetary economic benefits of 30% protection, which are typically considered public goods and are currently outside the market economy, include essential ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation, food protection, clean water provision and soil conservation. Studies have estimated the total global value of natures ecosystem services to be up to USD 125 trillion per year.

In contrast, protecting 30% of the worlds land and oceans would require just 0.16% of global GDP.

The current global protected area network only receives about one-third of the USD 68 billion it needs to be managed effectively and the shortfall is even greater in developing countries, the report shows.

The world is not investing enough in existing protected areas, the Waldron report quotes from the Dasgupta Review an independent global review on the economics of biodiversity led by the economist Partha Dasgupta, commissioned by the British government.

Economic benefits outweigh the costs of protection under all 30% scenarios; locating protected areas closer to people rather than in remote places produces the greatest financial and economic benefits.

Credit: Protecting 30% of the planet for nature: costs, benefits and economic implications report

Address inequities

A major problem with protecting this much of the Earths land and water is that everyone will benefit, but 70-90% of the cost will be in low and middle-income countries, since they have the worlds most threatened biodiversity. The Waldron report recommends financial assistance to such countries.

The same is likely within countries, with the poorest having to shoulder the costs of conservation. The Waldron report urges local analysis, compensation, community support, livelihood alternatives, education and governance to overcome this problem. One example is fisheries: protecting 30% of the seas, rivers and lakes would mean loss of income, especially to artisanal fishers, and that needs to be addressed first if conservation is to work.

Waldron and his co-authors are clear: all successful 30% protection scenarios would involve conservation led by indigenous peoples and local communities.

Road ahead

The academics who co-authored the report say governments should place as much or more priority on the growing nature conservation sector as they do with the stagnant or shrinking sectors of agriculture, timber, fisheries, mining, and oil and gas that often compete for the same land and ocean resources.

The nature conservation sector should be supported because of its ability to drive economic growth and the non-monetary benefits it provides to people. These include the health of populations by reducing the risk of pandemics, jobs and poverty alleviation, education, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, flood prevention, clean water, soil conservation, cultural and historic resource protection and spiritual values.

Governments should conduct natural capital accounting to integrate the non-monetary benefits of nature conservation into their balance sheets. This value should be recognised in all aspects of policy development across government agencies, including policies relating to agriculture, fisheries, timber, extractive industries, infrastructure and urban development. The World Bank had started an exercise for green accounting in two countries India and Costa Rica as a pilot project. But this has not been scaled out.

The Tenga river valley in Arunachal Pradesh, one of the worlds last unexplored biodiversity hotspots [Image by: Chandan Kumar Duarah]

Governments should increase investments in projects to formally recognise the land and forest tenure rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, whose engagement in biodiversity conservation will be essential to achieving any 30% protection scenario, the report says. India passed a law in 2006 to this purpose, but the law has been repeatedly attacked by the forest bureaucracy and other branches of the government.

Businesses should implement transparent supply chain disclosure to prove that no parts of their supply chain are conducting extractive activities or taking actions that otherwise degrade the natural asset values of protected areas and intact ecosystems. This disclosure should be required by governments and investors, says the report.

See: Long road ahead for ethical palm oil in booming Indian market

The benefits

Nibedita Mukherjee of the University of Cambridge a co-author of the Waldron report told The Third Pole, We have looked at just the value of ecotourism compared with infrastructure development to reach that minimum figure of USD 64 billion in benefits. When we looked at ecosystem services other than tourism, the benefits were far higher.

India has no systematic way to invest in nature, no long-term investment in natural capital. That is an urgent requirement, Mukherjee added, especially given the negative trend in the Indian economy over the past five years.

There is no dearth of restoration potential in India, Mukherjee pointed out. It should become an integral part of the treasury and a new green deal for India. In the situation created by Covid-19, this will provide the maximum number of jobs.

See: Opinion: India must go green or perish

Big role for business

The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently calculated that nature-positive solutions can create USD 10.1 trillion in business opportunities and 395 million jobs by 2030. The Future of Nature and Business Report by the WEF has blueprints for businesses to tap into this opportunity.

The report is built on real-world examples. Smart farming using sensors and satellite imagery improved crop yields by 60% on average in Indonesia. In China, Suzhou Industrial Parks GDP has increased 260-fold, partially through green development. In Vietnam, the incomes of people living in coastal communities more than doubled following the restoration of mangroves.

We can address the looming biodiversity crisis and reset the economy in a way that creates and protects millions of jobs, saidAkanksha Khatri,head of the Nature Action Agenda at the WEF. Public calls are getting louder for businesses and government to do better. We can protect our food supplies, make better use of our infrastructure and tap into new energy sources by transitioning to nature-positive solutions.

The report, written in collaboration with AlphaBeta, identifies a range of actions in areas where change can be scaled up, including diversifying diets away from meat, smart farming technologies, refurbishing and recycling clothing and opportunities in the maritime industry.

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Protecting 30% of the earth will bolster economy - thethirdpole.net

BCG economy thriving on rich biodiversity and technological strengths – Bangkok Post

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

Thailand is embracing the Bio-, Circular and Green Economy (BCG) model as a path towards more sustainable growth, which will be marked by more employment, higher peoples incomes and an eco-friendly society.

Focusing on applying technology to further enhance the market values of agribusiness products and the service sector and transforming towards environment-oriented economy, BCG is creating significant business opportunities in Thailand while enabling the people to take urgent actions against the climate change.

Thailand is well-positioned to become a global investment destination for BCG, thanks to its vibrant agribusiness industry, advancing biotechnology, distinctive service sector, growing consciousness on environmental challenges, and concrete government support.

A study by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation shows that the estimated value of activities in BCG economy could grow to one-fourth of the Thailands gross domestic products (US$ 137 billion)1 by 2025 from one-fifth at present2. Based on this trend, Thailands economic growth will be driven by increasing competitiveness in four key industries namely agribusiness, bioenergy and biochemicals, medical and wellness services as well as tourism and creative economy.

Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) is currently offering investment promotion incentives to a wide range of activities in BCG notably biotechnology, biochemical production, biogas and biomass energy generation, food and animal feed production, energy service companies (ESCO) and recycle facilities.

The BOI has recently broadened eligible activities in the agribusiness industry to cover investment projects applying plant factory technology. The enhanced incentive programs also cover related activities to the farming process including silo and cold storage room operations, animal feed production and manufacture of agricultural by products which apply technologies to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

These incentives combined with the investment promotions that the BOI previously offered to investment projects that adopt smart farming technologies such as computerized testing and screening of seeds, drone for plantation inspection, and use of modern Agri-tech are among Thailands moves to push forward precision agriculture which will improve competitiveness of the farm sector.

Thailand boasts the presence of many research and development powerhouses, as a result of the countrys continued efforts to strengthen institutions and human resource to support biotechnology during the past decades. Most notably, the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), National Omics Center, Bio Center of Excellence and science academies have advanced the countrys research and development used in the agricultural sector, environmental management and healthcare through improved strains of economic crops, gene therapy and vaccine development for tropical diseases.

To further support Thailands development in R&D, the government has introduced a policy to nearly double the countrys spending in R&D to 2% gross domestic product by 2027, comparing with 1.1% in 20193. The policy calls for the Thai government to offer additional tax and non-tax incentives to ramp up the private sectors R&D spending with an aim that it contributes to three-fourths of the total spending target and increase the public sectors spending in R&D.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation has reoriented Thailands tertiary education curriculums to ensure graduates are equipped with skills that match the demand from businesses, especially for the industries identified as the countrys new sources of growth, including BCG4.

Thailand is pursuing a goal to become the leader in BCG economy or the Bio Hub among ten-membered Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) by 2027, with a plan to improve competitiveness in industries that underpin growth particularly processed foods, biochemicals and medical and wellness sector. Thailands collective efforts by the public and private sectors and academia as well as its advantages in bioeconomy ecosystem poise to propel the country towards ASEANs top position for BCG in the foreseeable future.

Thriving Food and Farm Technology

The pandemic of the COVID-19 virus has underscored Thailands competitiveness as a major global exporter of food and processed food products as international shipments of these products have held up during the health crisis. The Thai government has earmarked a budget of US$ 213 million for the Ministry of Industry to implement action plans to further enhance global competitiveness and value added of the Thai food products over the next seven years, given to the industrys sizeable employment and significance in the local industrial supply chains5.

The plan targets to upgrade the processing of products such as rice, fishery, vegetables and fruits, livestock and biofood, apply digital technology to facilitate innovations and develop them to the commercial scale, beef up packaging as well as assisting entrepreneurs to access the global market.

As peoples health and environmental consciousness grows, Thailand has a proliferation of new breeds of entrepreneurs for production of healthy diets such as plant- and insect-based proteins and organic products. Thailand aims to enhance diversification and differentiation of food products and upgrade more of them towards products of higher value such as future healthy food and functional ingredients which will use to produce healthy diets, medical food and cosmeceuticals.

Growing Circular Economy

Thailand is embracing the circular economy model which focuses on economic transformation towards the greatest use of resources, the minimum new resource inputs and waste reduction. While serving as the Thai peoples approaches towards the environmental challenges, the circular economys three key principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle along with the zero waste business model are emerging as one of Thailands most promising opportunities across employment spectrums ranging from local communities to small and medium-sized businesses and corporates.The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) has also adopted the circular economy as framework for operations6.

Growing environmental consciousness among Thai people and their rich creativity have created numerous businesses in the countrys circular economy, as seen from proliferation of recycle and reuse activities and eco-friendly product designs and services. For example, businesses turn agricultural raw materials into housing and decorative items, recycle old textile threads and reuse certain construction materials in new projects7.

Importantly, Thailands vast production of agricultural raw materials such as cassava, sugarcane and palm oil coupled with the established agribusiness supply chain have fueled local renewable energy and waste-to-energy industries.

Thailands Ministry of Energys Integrated Energy Blueprint calls for significant growth of biomass, biogas and electricity8 from municipal and agricultural waste over the next 15 years, serving the efforts to boost incomes in the farm sector and the grassroots economy and the countrys plans for environment restoration.

The government targets that renewable energy and waste-to-energy technologies will replace around one-third Thailands total energy

consumption, creating significant new opportunities for local communities to turn agricultural raw materials and waste to energy within the timeframe9.

The Business of Going Green

By promoting Green Economy concept, Thailand is transforming its transportation networks, manufacturing process, consumer behavior, urban development and environmental management for lower carbon dioxide emissions.

The biochemical industry is one of the countrys targeted industry as it has the ability to add significant value to raw agricultural products such as sugar cane and rice husk which are used to produce polylactide to feed manufacture of bioplastics products which are currently among the countrys top exports items.

Under the Public Private Partnership for Sustainable Plastic and Waste Management (PPP Plastic), Thai corporates have collaborated with the government to reduce use of plastic materials and replacing plastic with biodegradable materials. The governments Plastic Waste Management Roadmap calls for all plastic wastes to be reused of by 202710

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BCG economy thriving on rich biodiversity and technological strengths - Bangkok Post

Ben Franklin to Invest $114500 in the Regional Economy – bctv.org

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvanias (BFTP/NEP) Board of Directors has approved the investment of $114,500 in support of regional economic development. Five companies in BFTP/NEPs 21-county service area received funding.

BFTP/NEPs annual challenge grant is funding investments in two established manufacturers to apply new technology to help them succeed globally by producing better, faster, and/or at a lower cost. Ben Franklin provides 1:1 matching funding to established manufacturers for work with a college or university partner on technology-based innovation.

Summit Utility Structures, LLC, West Hazleton, Luzerne County

Ben Franklin Investment: $14,500 continuation project; client has achieved pre-determined milestones and is receiving more funding to accomplish additional project work

University Partner: Lehigh Universitys Center for Supply Chain Research

Finish implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning software solution at Summit Utility Structures (SUS), a manufacturer of tubular poles for use in the utility, lighting, transportation, and communication sectors to improve financial processes and costing, and streamline operations. SUS is becoming an industry leader in the production of transmission poles, substation structures, distribution poles, high-mast lighting, wireless poles, davit arms, crossarms, and cross braces.

Unique Pretzel Bakery, Reading, Berks County

Ben Franklin Investment: $17,000

University Partner: Lehigh Universitys Center for Supply Chain Research

Improve the efficiency of space utilization for storage, packing, and shipping at this producer of innovative food products using proprietary processes that provide a competitive cost and flavor edge. Unique Pretzel Bakery manufactures and markets a variety of pretzels, snacks, dips, condiments, and gift baskets.

To help companies accelerate the recovery from the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) provided a $1 million disbursement that was matched by BFTP/NEP. BFTP/NEPs Return to Health funding program included emergency investments in 18 regional start-ups and 17 established manufacturers in May.

In July, BFTP/NEP invested in more firms using its Return to Health funding. Rebuilding Northeastern PA Manufacturers Investments allow BFTP/NEPs recent established manufacturer clients with 250 or fewer employees to develop and implement plans for recovery. Many of these manufacturing firms were partway through the development of innovative production and process enhancements, and failing to complete them would hinder their recovery and growth. These clients will facilitate job retention and creation.

Ben Franklin announces the following Rebuilding Northeastern Pennsylvania Manufacturers Investments in two companies, which are provided as matching funding.

PMA-13, Inc., Allentown, Lehigh County

Ben Franklin Investment: $8,000

Implement a new Enterprise Resource Planning system at this producer of signage for government organizations, hospitals, and companies. The new ERP system will enhance the companys competitiveness during the economic downturn caused by COVID-19. It will streamline and simplify processes, improve supply chain visibility, and advance financial operations to accommodate anticipated growth.

SOLO Laboratories, Inc., Kutztown, Berks County

Ben Franklin Investment: $25,000

Develop a fully functional and HIPPA-compliant scanning application for mobile phones that physicians and consumers will use to scan and order orthotic devices from SOLO Laboratories. Also, begin developing a prototype mobile application for consumers that will allow them to order pre-molded and semi-custom insoles. SOLO Laboratories manufactures custom prescription orthotics and foot and ankle braces. This work will enhance the companys competitiveness during the economic downturn caused by COVID-19.

Also part of BFTP/NEPs Return to Health Funding, Next-Generation Pandemic Defense Investments support new Ben Franklin clients that are creating tools and techniques that could help us all recover from COVID-19 and/or protect us from future infectious disease outbreaks. BFTP/NEP invested in one early-stage firm with a three-year, 0% interest loan.

IntelliGreen, West Hazleton, Luzerne County

Ben Franklin Investment: $50,000

Develop and offer a hardware and software solution to expand the capabilities of IntelliGreens flagship Intelli-Temp Facial Recognition Temperature Scanner in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Intelli-Temp device can detect and identify a face, including for an individual wearing a mask; direct a person to put on a mask as a requirement to entry; detect a reference temperature within 0.5 degrees accuracy; and provide alerting for fever conditions; all within one second. The expanded capabilities in development will include networked attendance tracking, data aggregation, device protection and resiliency, fast alerting, attestation, and mobile app integration. These technologies support social distancing protocols while quickly and efficiently providing businesses a way to protect people and meet regulatory guidelines.

About the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania

The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/NEP) creates and retains highly paid, sustainable jobs by investing in and linking companies with experts, universities, follow-on funding, and other resources to help them prosper through innovation. It is part of a four-center economic development initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority.

BFTP/NEPs strategy encompasses three key areas:

Since beginning operations in 1983, BFTP/NEP has helped to create 19,257 new jobs for Pennsylvania workers and to retain 43,880 existing jobs, to start 525 new companies, and to develop 2,113 new products and processes. Since 2007, BFTP/NEP clients have generated more than $1.6 billion in follow-on funding. The Pennsylvania Ben Franklin Technology Partners network has returned $3.90 to the state treasury for every $1.00 invested in the program.

BFTP/NEP owns, manages, and is headquartered in Ben Franklin TechVentures, an award-winning business incubator/post-incubator facility on Lehigh Universitys campus in Bethlehem. BFTP/NEP also owns and manages the Bloomsburg Regional Technology Center. Applying more than 35 years of experience and two international awards for excellence in business incubation, BFTP/NEP leads a 13-member business incubator network that is among the largest in the nation.

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Ben Franklin to Invest $114500 in the Regional Economy - bctv.org

Why special education funding will be more equitable under new state law – EdSource

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

Credit: Andrew Reed / EdSource

A special education teacher walks down a hallway with her student in a Northern California school.

Californias method of funding special education will becomestreamlined and a little more equitable, thanks to a provision in the recently passed state budget.

The 2020-21 budget fixes a decades-old quirk in the funding formula that had left vast differences between school districts in how much money schools received to educate special education students.

The old formula, created in the late 1970s and last updated in the early 2000s, based funding on how many students a district had overall, not just its number of students in special education. The result was that some districts received up to $800 extra per student per year to educate students in special education, while others received as little as $500.

The new formula adjusts some of those criteria, and brings districts at the lower end up to the state average of $625 per student per year. Districts that previously were receiving more will still get that same amount annually, so they wont be penalized. To make up the difference, the state will be spending an additional $550 million on special education, plus an additional $100 million set aside for students with costly disabilities, such as genetic disorders that require specialized services.

This is a very significant increase in special education funding. Its the culmination of many years work, said David Toston, associate superintendent of the El Dorado County Office of Education and chair of the California Advisory Commission on Special Education. Considering the economy, we were bracing for the worst. I was very surprised and appreciative the (Newsom) administration was able to follow through on its commitment.

The budget also includes funding to fix other wrinkles in Californias special education policy. It creates several workgroups to address key areas, such as alternative diploma pathways for students with disabilities. It also will address the sometimes-rocky transitions children make when they move to schools from regional disability centers, which provide programs for infants and toddlers, as well as from school to the California Department of Rehabilitation, which provides independent living and employment services for adults with disabilities.

It also sets aside $15 million to recruit and train special education teachers.

The new funding is part of a broader, multi-year state effort to tackle some long-standing hurdles to how schools provide special education, said Jason Willis, area director of strategic resource planning and implementation at WestEd, a research and technical assistance firm.

California is trying to think about this holistically, he said. But right now, for administrators, this will offer a little relief, especially in an environment where the economy is struggling.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has dyslexia, has long championed special education. In his May speech about his proposed budget revisions, he said the additional special education funding will be renewed annually.

I care deeply about special education, and I could not in good conscience be part of dismantling of a commitment we had made well over a year ago to substantially improve special education in the state of California, he said. Nothing breaks my heart more than seeing people with physical and emotional disabilities, people so often left behind and forgotten, falling even further behind.

He also acknowledged that the state has more work to do.

We are not even close to where we need to be in terms of protecting those folks, he said.

Carolynne Beno, a former director for the Yolo County Special Education Local Plan Area and an education lecturer at UC Davis, agreed that the additional funding is a good start, but not nearly enough to address schools growing needs.

She pointed out that while overall enrollment is declining in California, the number of children in special education is growing. In 2018-19, almost 800,000 California students about 13% of overall K-12 enrollment were enrolled in special education, receiving services for dyslexia, autism, emotional disorders, cerebral palsy and other conditions.

Schools are also seeing an increase in students with disabilities that are costly to address, such as severe autism, she said. And staffing shortages are forcing districts to hire outside workers, such as speech therapists and psychologists, which also adds to expenses.

Consequently, despite the increased funding in the budget, students with disabilities and their families probably wont see significant differences in the services they receive, she said. We need to remain committed to (making funding more equitable), funding for preschoolers with disabilities and additional funding for students with the most needs.

She also noted that most families might not notice a difference in services because districts try to provide a full range of services regardless of how much money they receive from the state.

Special education funding in California has been a challenge for decades. When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act passed in 1975, mandating that schools provide a free, appropriate education to all children, the federal government agreed to fund 40% of states special education costs. But federal spending has never reached that level, and in recent years has provided only about 15% of Californias costs. The remainder is covered by the state and local districts.

As the state navigates economic uncertainties caused by the pandemic, advocates for special education say theyre heartened that so far, programs for students with disabilities have been spared.

Its clear that this administration is making special education finance reforms a priority, Willis, from WestEd, said. Thats significant, especially as were walking into a recession.

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Why special education funding will be more equitable under new state law - EdSource

Microsoft commits to achieve ‘zero waste’ goals by 2030 – Microsoft

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

Every year, more than 11 billion tons of waste are produced worldwide according to the United Nations Environment Programme. A byproduct of our daily lives and every sector of the worlds economies, the trash we discard pollutes our land, clogs our waterways, depletes our natural resources and contaminates the very air we breathe. We recognize the urgent need to protect the worlds ecosystems and reduce the carbon emissions that come from the creation, distribution and disposal of waste. Thats why were announcing today our goal to achieve zero waste for Microsofts direct operations, products and packaging by 2030.

Our zero waste goal is the third sprint in Microsofts broad environmental sustainability initiative launched earlier this year focusing on carbon, water, ecosystems and waste. We are setting ambitious goals for each and empowering our customers with the technology and our learnings to do the same.

To address our own waste creation, Microsoft will reduce nearly as much waste as we generate while reusing, repurposing or recycling our solid, compost, electronics, construction and demolition, and hazardous wastes. Well do this by building first-of-their-kind Microsoft Circular Centers to reuse and repurpose servers and hardware in our datacenters. Well also eliminate single-use plastics in our packaging and use technology to improve our waste accounting. We will make new investments in Closed Loop Partners funds. And finally, well enlist our own employees to reduce their own waste footprints.

By 2030, we will divert at least 90 percent of the solid waste headed to landfills and incineration from our campuses and datacenters, manufacture 100 percent recyclable Surface devices, use 100 percent recyclable packaging (in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, countries), and achieve, at a minimum, 75 percent diversion of construction and demolition waste for all projects. This work builds on our ongoing waste reduction efforts that started in 2008 which resulted in the zero waste certifications of our Puget Sound Campus and our datacenters in Boydton, Virginia and Dublin, Ireland.

Microsoft Circular Centers

To meet the growing demand for our cloud services, our datacenter footprint and the 3 million servers and related hardware that power it must expand. Today, these servers have an average lifespan of five years and contribute to the worlds growing e-waste problem. To reduce this waste, we plan to repurpose and recycle these devices through new Microsoft Circular Centers, which will be located first on our new major datacenter campuses or regions, and eventually added to existing ones.

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Using machine learning, we will process servers and hardware that are being decommissioned onsite. Well sort the pieces that can be reused and repurposed by us, our customers, or sold. We will use our learnings about reuse, disassembly, reassembly and recycling with design and supply chain teams to help improve the sustainability of future generations of equipment. Microsoft Circular Centers build on our earlier circular cloud initiatives to extend the lifecycle of our servers and minimize the waste sent to landfills.

In Amsterdam, our Microsoft Circular Center pilot reduced downtime at the datacenter and increased the availability of server and network parts for our own reuse and buy-back by our suppliers. It also reduced the cost of transporting and shipping servers and hardware to processing facilities, which lowered carbon emissions. We expect the Microsoft Circular Centers to increase the reuse of our servers and components by up to 90 percent by 2025.

Eliminating single-use plastics in packaging

Approximately 300 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year, 50 percent of which is used one time. And, half of this plastic waste comes from packaging. The scale of this problem and its impact on our oceans, waterways and land requires bold action, which is why we are eliminating single-use plastics from our packaging by 2025. This includes plastic film, primary product packaging and our IT asset packaging in our datacenters.

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Improving waste data

Today, there is no consistent, high-quality data about the amount of waste, the type and quality, where it is generated and where it goes. In addition, data differs considerably depending on the waste category. For example, data about hazardous waste and electronics is well accounted for and tracked due to regulations and robust management systems for both. However, data about construction and demolition waste does not have consistent measurements or reporting.Waste data needs a standardized methodology, better transparency and higher quality. Without more accurate data, its nearly impossible to understand the impact of operational decisions, what goals to set, and how to assess progress, as well as an industry standard for waste footprint methodology.

Since we cant solve a problem that we dont fully understand, we are investing to digitize waste data across the company to identify opportunities to improve waste data collection. This digital solutions for our operations will include technology to track and report on dashboard waste, Power BI platforms for e-waste chain-of-custody, and improving Microsoft Power Apps which helps us capture real-time waste data. As we gain clarity and confidence in our broader waste footprint we will include more precise waste data in our public reporting.

Climate Innovation Fund investment: Closed Loop Partners

Were investing $30 million in Closed Loop Partners funds to help accelerate the infrastructure, innovation and business models forsupply chain digitization, e-waste collection, food waste reduction, and recycling industry productsto build a more circular economy at scale. Closed Loop Partners isa pioneering investor incircular economy innovation with a track record ofworking with corporate partners to pilot new solutions. In addition to benefiting from the technologies that are being developed, we plan to use learnings from our partnership to inform Microsofts circular economy initiatives in our devices and cloud value chains, specifically packaging, e-waste and waste diversion from landfills.

Empowering our customers

We will share our learning from our own zero waste journey with our customers, who are already using our technology to better understand, measure and reduce their own waste footprint. In 2019, Microsoft along with H&M, Target, PVH Corp. and others partnered with Eon to explore the need and to formulate a suggestion of global standard powered by Azure called Circular ID. This platform tracks a garment in an effort to create a more sustainable fashion economy by reusing clothing through rental, resale or recycle, rather than being destroyed.

Dutch nonprofit Madaster Foundation is also using digital identities to eliminate waste. Madasters platform tags materials with an identity, so they can be recycled, resold and reused, driving more sustainable construction decisions. Vancouver-based Spud.ca and its eGrocery software platform platform FoodX, an online organic food delivery company, built a logistics platform on Microsoft Azure and Dynamics 365 that uses AI to lower food waste. In one year, SPUD diverted 265,971 kilograms of waste from the landfill, preventing 444 tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere, and saved 3,564,275 liters of water.

Of course, recycling and reusing materials to divert them from landfills is key to reducing waste. Colchester Borough Council in the U.K. provide services to 192,500 residents, from licensing to recycling. The council is moving function-specific systems to Dynamics 365, unifying its data across intelligent business applications. The recycling tracking system provides reporting via Microsoft Power BI, showing data like heatmaps of problem spots for collections or where residents need more encouragement to recycle.

Resource management firm Veolia is embracing technology to transform its business with circularity in mind. It is using Microsoft technology across its business, from dispatch and garbage collection, and with the use of sensors to collect data including vehicle location, bin weight and location, photo capture of bin contents and more. The data is used for a wide range of scenarios including flagging improper bin contents to prevent problems with downstream recycling and processing.

Enlisting our employees

Our employees play an important role in our companys waste footprint. As we did with our carbon and ecosystems announcement, we are inviting our employees to participate in our waste reduction efforts. To show employees the impact of their actions and how much waste they generate, we are developing an internal Power BI waste data dashboard. This will be available starting with employees based at the Puget Sound campus and expand to campuses around the world. The dashboard will display the average waste generated per employee and can be used to test effectiveness of waste reduction campaigns, implementation of waste prevention initiatives and more.

In addition, we will launch our first waste reduction challenge, a month-long, online challenge connecting individual action to collective impact later this year. Our employees will have the opportunity to learn how they can participate in Microsofts corporate waste program and commit to taking impactful action in their daily lives. The challenge will focus on actions employees can take at home during the global health crisis. These challenges will incorporate themes of waste prevention, material reuse, circular economy and waste equity. We will also create more opportunities for our employees to become actively involved, both in company-wide activities, like our annual weeklong hackathon that will include a call for proposals on waste reduction.

Our collective challenge

No one person or organization can solve the global waste problem. It will take all of us doing our part, including using better data to understand the problem and make smart waste policy decisions.

Zero waste is an ambitious goal, but minimizing our own waste footprint is essential to preserving the natural resources and reducing waste-associated carbon emissions to ensure our economies and societies around the world thrive for generations to come.

Tags: Brad Smith, Environment, sustainability, zero waste

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Microsoft commits to achieve 'zero waste' goals by 2030 - Microsoft

Ethereum (ETH) Is Continuation of Satoshis Vision, Says Founder Vitalik Buterin – CryptoComes

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

Vitalik Buterin, the Russian-Canadian prodigy who co-founded Ethereum, claims that his brainchild is not opposed to Bitcoins elusive creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, in his latest tweet. In fact, Buterin says that Ethereum is actually a continuation of Satoshi'svision.

With this statement, Buterin shows his commitment to fighting the tribalism that is prevalent within the cryptocurrency community.

After co-founding Bitcoin Magazine in 2012, Buterin went on to work on his own project that would expandcryptos use cases far beyond financial transactions. This ended up becoming the second-largest blockchain that recently celebrated its fifth anniversary.

Back in June 2017, Ethereum came close to surpassing Bitcoins market cap, securing a 31 percent market share. With Ethereum starting to significantly outperformBitcoin this year due to the DeFi explosion, the flippening narrative is picking up steam again. This inevitably led to heated debateabout what isactually driving the recent market rally.

This year, Buterin himself took a couple of veiled and not-so-veiled swipes at the bellwether coin himself. Back in May, he argued that Bitcoin was more centralized than Ethereum, which ruffles the feathers of Bitcoin maximalists.

After Bitcoiners joined forces with Tron CEO Justin Sun, Buterinmade a clumsy historical comparison between their bizarre alliance and the Axis powers.

On the heels of the mushrooming growth of synthetic BTC-backed ERC 20 tokens, Buterin also made a controversial remark that Ethereum could end up in first place:

Another thing that could happen is that there's just more and more demand for this, and Ethereum becomes that of the primary place where Bitcoin activity happens.

Speaking about the unknownidentity behind the nameSatoshi Nakamoto, whose vision Ethereum is supposed to represent, Buterin opined that it helps to detach the project from its creator and prevent someone from misinterpreting his ideas:

All that's remaining if that whole process is the thing itself then I think no one can go, and try to and if interpret any of your other behavior.

Notably, self-proclaimed Satoshi Craig Wright, the main backer of the infamous Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV) fork, sued Buterin for calling him "a fraud,"but the lawsuit went nowhere.

The fastest way to get crypto news is to follow our Twitter. You wont miss a thing! Subscribe.

Alex covers all things crypto from major projects, which are fighting tooth and nail to gain the upper hand in the burgeoning industry, to the latest regulatory trends around the world. Hes a firm believer that Blockchain has the potential to reshape pretty much every business out there, and cryptocurrencies are only a stepping stone to the upcoming decentralized revolution.

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Ethereum (ETH) Is Continuation of Satoshis Vision, Says Founder Vitalik Buterin - CryptoComes

Bitcoin Has Held Over $10k for Nearly Two Weeks: What Happens Now? – Finance Magnates

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

So far, this year has been a big one for Bitcoin: after a spectacular price crash in March, BTC managed to hold levels between $8,500 and $9,800 for nearly three months, occasionally kissing $10,000. Never before had Bitcoin managed to sustain something so close to $10,000 for such a long time.

Now, however, it seems as though $10,000 may be in Bitcoins rearview mirror for some time to come: on Monday, July 27th, Bitcoin broke past the $10,000 marker and hasnt looked back since.

The Most Diverse Audience to Date at FMLS 2020 Where Finance Meets Innovation

In fact, Bitcoins now seems to be courting the $12k resistance level. Since Tuesday, July 28th, Bitcoin has been dancing between $11,200 and $11,800 and has occasionally reached alllllllmost up to $12k (according to CoinMarketCap), or even past it (on certain exchanges). Now, some analysts are identifying $50k as Bitcoins next major target.

Whats driving this latest bull run? Will Bitcoin keep up its momentum, or will BTC once again fall below $10k?

Many experts within the cryptocurrency space seem to agree that there are several main factors that are pushing BTC upward: primarily among these, however, is global economic instability.

Indeed, Marie Tatibouet, chief marketing officer at cryptocurrency exchange Gate.io, told Finance Magnates that the price of Bitcoin may have been boosted by the current situation of the world.

This includes the instability caused by the pandemic, the stock market falling, the US and China market wrestling dollar vs. yuan, or a big fear of inflation on a global scale, just to highlight some, she said.

Indeed, the economic turmoil that has resulted from the global pandemic has also caused people to reconsider their beliefs about their national currencies, a factor that could also be contributing to Bitcoins ascent.

For example, Evan Bayless, the operator of WhatIsMoney.info, also pointed out to Finance Magnates that we as a society are very accustomed to looking at the value of everything in terms of our national currencies: we think that dollars and other major fiat currencies are stable, he said.

However, the incredibly fast and drastic response of the Fed and other central banks to the COVID-induced lockdowns (and the subsequent economic fallout) has caused the idea that fiat currencies may not be a consistent yardstick for measuring value to begin to enter the public consciousness, he said.

In other words, the massive amount of quantitative easing that the United States central bank decided to do earlier in the year seems to have shaken the public perception of the almighty dollar and other major fiat currencies.

Therefore, Bitcoin may be capitalizing off of its functionality as an inherently scarce asset: as central banks continue to pump liquidity in the system, investors are looking for anything that has a limited supply and cannot be debased, Evan Bayless told Finance Magnates.

This is why youre seeing blue-chip stocks, gold, and bitcoin seeing massive rises with other assets following suit, in accordance with how easy it is for producers to create more of the asset and push the price back down. We are seeing a scramble for asset preservation.

Gate.ios Marie Tatibouet also believes that the current public discussion about the nature of money may be benefiting Bitcoin: Bitcoin was created as an alternative option, and its price movements are proof of how more and more investors are opting for that alternative.

However, its unclear whether or not the momentum that Bitcoin seems to have gained from the global events of this year will continue into the future.

Now that Bitcoin seems as though it may have stabilized above $10k, a number of Bitcoin-bullish commentators and analysts seem to have focused in on a new target: $50,000.

For example, Vinny Lignham, chief executive of CivicKey and general partner at MultiCoinCapital, wrote on Twitter that because Bitcoin doesnt conform to the typical Sharpe Ratio calculations, it could be possible that if Bitcoin doubled from here, its likely to go past $50k, which would be a 5x increase from today. This essentially means a 2x increase produces, in effect, a 5x upside.

Additionally, Altcoin Forrest reported on August 1st that $150,000 worth of Bitcoin (BTC) $50K call options for June and December 2021 strikes had been traded on LedgerX over the course of the past several weeks.

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The traders who bought these options were essentially paying $1,000 for the privilege of purchasing Bitcoin 440% above the current price in 18 monthsanother factor that seems to demonstrate a strong belief that Bitcoin is on its way up to $50k.

And at the moment, things do look positive for Bitcoins future: Sergei Khtirov, founder and chief executive of Listing.Help, told Finance Magnates that currently, [] there are still huge volumes on the market, and the market is constantly fueled by positive news and the growth of other cryptocurrencies.

Still, though, as good as $12,000 may feel for the moment, it may be too soon to say that Bitcoin will hit $50k anytime within the next 12-24 months.

Indeed, the $50,000 mark for Bitcoin is still far enough away, Khitrov told Finance Magnates.

In other words, there are plenty of steps on the road from $12k to $50k: for example, in our opinion, the previous resistance level at $14000 may be tested in the second half of this year, Khitrov said.

And, of course, there is still a good chance that Bitcoins current momentum above $10k could come to a screeching haltand even reverse.

It is always possible that a Bart Simpson trading pattern will be repeated in case of negative news on the market, Khitrov said. In this case, a retest of the level of $10,000 is quite possible, which remains a significant psychological benchmark. Falling below it will mean the end of the recent bull run.

After all, it wouldnt be the first time that Bitcoin seemed as though it was there to stay over $10k before falling back to much lower levels.

For example, throughout much of June, July, and August of 2019, the price of Bitcoin sat comfortably above $10k, at one point reaching as high as roughly $13,500.

However, in September, BTC seemed to lose its momentum: by midway through December of 2019, BTC had fallen to roughly $7,170.

Indeed, Daniel Worsley, co-counder and chief operating offcer of LocalCoinSwap, told Finance Magnates that it is definitely possible that we will see sub-$10k prices again.

Bitcoin has a history of high volatility, Worsley explained. Although it has reduced in recent times, it is still prevalent. I do not think it will ever sit below this price for long moving forward. I would expect to see strong resistance at the $10k level as this is a big barrier for investor psychology.

On the other hand, though, in 2015, Bitcoin reaching $100 seemed unrealistic, Worsley pointed out. Now, a price that low is unimaginable.

Therefore, Worsley believes that just as Bitcoin could fall back below $10k again, its also possible that Bitcoin could easily hit $50k.

After all, the pandemic is far from over and more and more people are now learning about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.

And indeed, it does seem as though more people than ever are interested in learning about and investing in cryptocurrencies as a way to make extra money: a number of cryptocurrency exchanges and fintech apps that support cryptocurrency trading have reported high numbers of new users over the past several months.

Increased levels of interest in cryptocurrencies that have developed recently are also evidenced by the altcoin boom that has been taking place: a number of altcoinsparticularly in the DeFi sectorhave made headlines over the past several months for their positive price performance.

Of course, some of the altcoin success seems to be tied with Bitcoins performance: altcoins play a game of cat and mouse with Bitcoin, Evan Bayless explained. When Bitcoin surges, traders sell alts into Bitcoin, and vice versa.

Therefore, Daniel Worsley believes that the current altcoin season could draw to a close if Bitcoins positive performance keeps up: many low-cap altcoins will be adversely affected by increased Bitcoin prices as current holders will convert these holdings to Bitcoin in an attempt to maximize profit, he said.

However, higher-cap and more established altcoins like Ethereum will likely benefit from increased interest in Bitcoin by proxy as new investors will look at other investment opportunities in the crypto-space and these have a proven track record and use-cases.

On the other hand, though, Evan Bayless believes that we may be at the cusp of another period similar to 2016/2017 where scammers (and some well-intentioned entrepreneurs) attempt to hijack bitcoins momentum by promising bitcoin but better and duping retail investors into parting with their bitcoin in order to get in on potentially higher gains.

What are your thoughts on the recent price movements of Bitcoin? Will Bitcoin reach $50k? How is Bitcoin affecting altcoins? Let us know in the comments below.

Cryptocurrency the one to beat in optional claiming event – Loop News Jamaica

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

Down-in-class runners, CRYPTOCURRENCY, TOP SHELF and BASTUSROL, competing on claim tags for the first time ever, face in-form POLLY B at five furlongs round in Saturdays $850,000-800,000 optional claiming event at Caymanas Park.

POLLY B made all at the level,at five and a half furlongs, two Saturdays ago, beating MR UNIVERSE in fast splits of 22.2 and 45.3. However, at 118lb, POLLY B is too close in the scale with CRYPTOCURRENCY, TOP SHELF and BALTUSROL, runners who have been keeping better company.

BALTUSROL and CRYPTOCURRENCY, especially, are strong early runners. Oneil Mullings is aboard CRYPTOCURRENCY, who led super-fit run-on sprinter PRINCE CHARLES on June 27 before resorting to her habit of hauling up.

Last Saturday, CRYPTOCURRENCY was matching strides with FATHER PATRICK before being squeezed for space near the half-mile marker.

Should CRYPTOCURRENCY run an honest race, similar to her recent effort behind two return winners, 2000 Guineas champion, WOW WOW, and UNIVERSAL BOSS, she will be a tough horse to beat in the second of nine races scheduled.

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Cryptocurrency the one to beat in optional claiming event - Loop News Jamaica

More freedom to banks, further rate cut not ruled out: 10 key takeaways from policy meet – Economic Times

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Danzig

NEW DELHI: The focus of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shifted to alternate methods of providing reliefs rather than pumping more money into the banking system, in a way accepting most of industry and Streets demands.

RBI gave more freedom to banks to deal with loans while keeping mum on moratorium. The monetary policy committee (MPC) said Indias GDP growth is likely to slip in the red during the fiscal year.

As per expectations, the committee unanimously voted to maintain the status quo. It kept repo rate at 4 per cent and reverse repo rate at 3.35 per cent while not ruling out further rate cuts.

Here are key takeaways from the policy meet:Liquidity shot in the arm for MFsRBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said abundant liquidity has supported many segments of financial markets, including mutual funds, and the situation has stabilised since the Franklin Templeton episode.

Assets under management of Debt MFs, which fell to Rs 12.20 lakh crore as on 29 April, 2020, recovered and improved to Rs 13.89 lakh crore as on July 31, 2020, he said.

Recasting of MSME loansThe central bank allowed restructuring loans of the MSME sector, which came under heavy stress due to the lockdown and the following slump in demand.

It has been decided that stressed MSME borrowers will be made eligible for restructuring their debt under the existing framework, provided their accounts with the concerned lender were classified as standard as on 1 March, 2020. This restructuring will have to be implemented by 31 March, 2021, the central bank said.

More loans for your goldAs gold prices have been soaring, the central bank said it will now allow lenders to lend 90 per cent of the value of gold jewellery against earlier 75 per cent. This is likely to help Indian households, who are sitting on the largest amount of gold ornaments in the world.

Lockdowns hit high-frequency indicatorsThe MPC said even though the economic activity had started to recover from the lows of April-May, the surges of fresh infections have forced re-clamping of lockdowns in several cities and states. Consequently, several high frequency indicators have levelled off.

Petro tax fuel inflationThe central bank said higher domestic taxes on petroleum products have resulted in elevated domestic pump prices and will impart broad-based cost push pressures going forward.

It said inflation will remain elevated in the second quarter but may ease once new crops come into the market. Nonetheless, upside risks to food prices remain as vegetables and protein-based food items (meat, fish, etc.) could also emerge as a pressure point.

Low rates give boost to bond marketLower borrowing costs have led to record primary issuance of corporate bonds of Rs 2.1 lakh crore in the first quarter of 2020-21, the MPC said.

It noted the transmission of policy rate cut to bank lending rates has improved further, with the weighted average lending rate (WALR) on fresh rupee loans declining by 91 bps during March-June 2020.

Das in his statement noted that borrowing costs in financial markets have dropped to their lowest in a decade, with commercial paper yield for NBFCs falling to 3.8 per cent and non NBFCs to 3.4 per cent.

GDP to take a plungeFor the year 2020-21, as a whole, real GDP growth is expected to be negative, the MPC said. An early containment of the Covid-19 pandemic may impart an upside to the outlook. A more protracted spread of the pandemic, deviations from the forecast of a normal monsoon and global financial market volatility are the key downside risks, it said in its statement.

Space for rate cut availableThe committee said the economy is going through unprecedented stress and hence supporting the recovery of the economy assumes primacy in the conduct of monetary policy.

While space for further monetary policy action in support of this stance is available, it is important to use it judiciously and opportunistically to maximise the beneficial effects for underlying economic activity, it said.

Eternal optimismDespite all challenges on the monetary and economic front, Governor Das said he remains eternally optimistic. Throughout this traumatic period, one thing has stood out the indomitable spirit of humanity, the inner conviction that whatever be the challenge, we have the innate resilience to combat them, overcome them and emerge victorious, he said.

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More freedom to banks, further rate cut not ruled out: 10 key takeaways from policy meet - Economic Times

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