Monthly Archives: June 2017

As we celebrate World Oceans Day this year, world leaders, businesses, scientists, and NGOs are gathered in New York at the first everUnited Nations Ocean Conference. Threats to the oceanincluding acidification from excessive carbon emissions, pollution, and overexploitationcontinue to mount, but at the Ocean Conference, there is strong evidence that political will is building to reverse the degradation of the ocean.

The health of our oceans and seas requires us to put aside short-term national gain, to avoid long-term global catastrophe, said United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres during the conference opening on Monday.

So far, in connection with the Conference, over 1000 countries, organizations, and stakeholders have made commitments to improve the health of the oceans. In sessions on sustainable fisheries, ocean acidification, and marine pollution, there is a steady and consistent drumbeat from nationsto save the oceans, nations must act together to share resources, intelligence, and build scientific and technological capacity.

One of the best opportunities to save the oceans is to protect the high seas, the area of ocean beyond national jurisdiction that makes up two-thirds of the ocean and nearly half the planet. When nations return to the UN next month to decide how to move forward in high seas protection, they will be making a decision critical for the future for the ocean.

Lauren Kubiak

Today, the high seas lack modern management mechanisms to address critical components of biodiversity conservation,such as the establishment of fully protected marine reserves. To fill those governance gaps, nations have been engaged in discussions at the UN to develop a new treaty to conserve and sustainably use biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (BBNJ). Discussions continue next month, during which nations will decide whether to convene formal diplomatic negotiations to develop the text of the new treaty.

States agreeing to move forward and convene an intergovernmental conference in 2018 is vital, as this new treaty represents an unparalleled opportunity to conserve two-thirds of the ocean. Finalizing a treaty would be equivalent to a Paris Agreement for the oceana once in a generation opportunity to begin to reverse the degradation of our ocean.

At the Ocean Conference this week, countries including Argentina, Costa Rica, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Malta, Mexico, Palau, Spain, among others, have called for strong international provisions to protect the high seas. Their leadership is critical and we hope is an indication that next months discussions will be successful.

As world leaders today discuss how best to protect the ocean, I hope they recognize the high seas as our best opportunity to ensure a healthy future for our ocean. All of us depend on it.

Lauren Kubiak

International Oceans Analyst

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World Oceans Day Comes at a Critical Time for High Seas - Natural Resources Defense Council

wbur

With guest hostJane Clayson.

Former NATO top commander Adm. James Stavridis on the geopolitics playing out now on the worlds oceans and on land.

James Stavridis rose through the ranks of the US Navy to commander. Went on to become supreme commander of NATO. All those US military engagements you remember from the news? Gulf War, Haiti, Bosnia, Iraq 2003? He was on the bridge or in the command center. The ocean is still his touchstone as he watches this centurys geopolitics unfold today. This hour On Point: Retired Adm. James Stavridis on a world of challenges, on the ocean and on land.

Adm. James Stavridis, author of "Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World's Oceans." Former allied commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans and piracy off the coast of Africa. Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University. (@stavridisj)

Listen to some of the highlights from our conversation with Stavridis.

Bloomberg:America Rules the Waves. But for How Long? "China builds fake islands in the South China Sea. Russia fires missiles into Syria from the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas. North Korea launches ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. The U.S. orders three three! aircraft carrier strike groups to the Western Pacific in response. Houthi rebels shoot rockets at U.S. ships off Yemen. Pacific nations go on a submarine-buying binge. India and China start constructing their first homemade aircraft carriers. Pirates return to the waters off East Africa."

Military.com: Experts: US Must Project Cyber Warfare Capabilities to Deter Attacks "The United States must demonstrate its cyber warfare capabilities to help deter sophisticated attacks from Russia and other adversaries while building strategies on a battlefield still misunderstood by commanders and senior officials, a panel of defense experts told lawmakers Thursday."

TIME:Admiral Stavridis: 5 Reasons Trump Should Send More Troops to Afghanistan "The Administration and the Congress should support a 5,000-troop increase, apportioned equally between US and the rest of NATO forces, hopefully with significant contributions from the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Norway and Denmark nations who have considerable experience in Afghanistan. While far less likely, we should also approach Canada and the Netherlands. Indeed, all of the NATO nations have good reason to be very forthcoming to prove to President Trump that NATO is the relevant organization he finally admitted it was a month or so ago. All these commitments must be in place as the nations head into President Trumps first NATO summit."

This program aired on June 8, 2017.

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Geopolitics On The High Seas And In Today's Headlines | On Point - WBUR

Wall Street Journal (subscription)

An Energy Shock from the High Seas - WSJ Wall Street Journal (subscription) The global energy market could be slammed by a planned change to maritime fuel rules. An Energy Shock from the High Seas -- Heard on the Street | Fox ...Fox Business all 2 news articles »

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An Energy Shock from the High Seas - WSJ - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Credit: Rebecca Mock (Macmillan/Square Fish)

Last summers Compass South was a surprise bestseller among younger readers, landing on the New York Times Best-Sellers list. Now, creators Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock are back with the sequel Knifes Edge, which takes the adventure to another level.

In the 1860s, twins Cleo and Alex have an unexpected family reunion that sets them off on a high adventure across the seas, with pirates, swords, treasure and secrets aplenty.

Newsarama talked to Larson and Mock about the new book, which comes out this month from Macmillans Square Fish imprint.

Newsarama: Hope, Rebecca - how does it feel to have the second book in this series out?

Larson: It feels great!

We've been working on this project since, what, late 2010? 2011? A long, long time.

It's cathartic to finally see it out in the world.

Mock: I'm thrilled it's finally out!

We've been working together on both of these books for a few years, and I'm so proud of how they turned out.

Nrama: For those who haven't read the first book, tell us a bit about the story so far...and the set-up for this new volume.

Larson: It should be easy for folks who haven't readCompass Southto jump intoKnife's Edge.

AsKnife's Edgebegins, twin protagonists Alex and Cleopatra Dodge have been reunited with their father, and they're all preparing to sail off with Captain Tarboro and search for the treasure that is their birthright. It's a classic adventure story.

Nrama: What's your collaborative process on these books like?

Larson: I write an outline and share it with my editor. If it seems like the project is going to move forward, I share that outline with Rebecca, and she starts chewing on it. Then I write the script, and share it with her chapter-by-chapter. We've had a great exchange of sketches and script pages flowing back and forth, which helps both of us to develop the characters and the world in tandem.

Mock: Hope will send me new chapters and drafts as she writes, and I send her weekly updates of my sketches and development. I send the same weekly updates through sketching, inking and coloring too, and we keep the conversation going with new ideas and inspirations for each other through the whole process. Hope will send feedback, she has a great eye for comic layouts, making sure everything fits what she's envisioning and reads easily.

Nrama: In terms of both writing and art, what are some of the bigger challenges in depicting a story not only from the point-of-view of younger kids, but in an alternate past? What sort of research do you have to do?

Larson: We both do a ton of research. I read a lot of period travelogues and diaries, in particular, to get a sense of what ship life was like at that period. Books on the history of piracy, books on different parts of the world... I also spent a lot of time working on the voices of the characters, incorporating slang while also keeping the whole thing easy to read for kids today. Probably the biggest challenge was wrapping my head around how ships work; they're big, complicated machines with a ton of moving parts.

Mock: I was excited about this story from the beginning because I knew Icould connect with these kids, especially Cleo, a girl who disguises herself as a boy. I think period stories offer an escape for people, especially kids, who might feel a bit anachronistic - it's enjoyable for a lot of people to empathize with characters who think or act out of place in a historical setting. But depicting the historical details was a challenge - I did a lot of research on architecture from the early 1800s, on ship design, and of art from that period you can learn a lot about a time period by looking at how people from that time draw and paint it.

Hope comes to me with a lot of research prepared, which is wonderful, I get a huge boost knowing what her inspirations are for the story, even for specific details.

Nrama: How extensively have you thought through this world and this family's history? The book ends with the points resolved, but there's the sense that another major story could be coming our way...

Mock: I don't want to give any details away, but through developing thecharacters and settings, Hope and I have talked a lot about the characters' origins and where they'll go next, so there a lot of story that's still waiting to be told.

Larson: We have lots of ideas for future stories, and I do hope we get to revisit these characters again. I can't answer this question without it being a spoiler, unfortunately!

Nrama: On that note, how long do you see this series running?

Larson: That's out of our hands, but we'd love to do more in the series.

Mock: If we get the chance to, we'd love to continue the series, but it's just two books for now.

Nrama: What's fun about writing Cleo and company?

Larson: Writing is supposed to be fun? [Laughs] My favorite part of writing Cleo was her struggle with the expectations places on her, as a girl in the 1860s, and how she rebels against them. Alex doesn't have as juicy of a role in this book, so if we got to write another one, I think he'd be in a more central role.

Mock: Hope writes some really beautiful character-driven dialogue for bothCleo and Alex, in both books. I love drawing the action sequences, but these conversations are the icing on the cake for me all I want to do is let the words sing, and show the emotions the characters are feeling as they come to their respective insights.

Nrama: And what's fun about seafaring, treasure-hunting adventure stories in general? Admittedly, the question might seem to answer itself.

Mock: For me it might be the ships themselves - I learned to draw these shipsand in doing so, I fell in love with them - ships are wonderful settings for a story. They're complicated and full of odd little details, and depending on what's happening, they can completely transform - sailing unfurling, the deck rocking at odd angles, mysterious rooms and objects discovered buried deep in the cargo hold.

Larson: I grew up reading and loving those stories. They combine my love of travel, adventure, and historical research, and they let me (and readers) visit places and time periods I could never otherwise see.

Nrama: So big picture, what should people know about Knife's Edge.

Mock: This is a high-seas adventure series, with all the drama and action of classic sea-faring treasure-hunt stories, but at its core this is a story about family, trust, and love.

Larson: It's non-stop action disguising a thoughtful exploration of gender roles, and two protagonists means boys and girls are both represented.

Nrama: What are some other books/creators you're currently enjoying?

Mock: I just read Witchlight by Jessi Zarbarsky - gorgeous and sweet! - and Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson - fascinating and lush. I'm on a witches and sorcerers kick lately! I'm also reading some books on the history of the salt and sugar trades for a project, but I can't reveal why... yet.

Larson: I just read a galley of Molly Ostertag'sThe Witch Boy. And I devouredKim Gordon's memoirGirl in a Bandon my last flight. She's brilliant.

Nrama: What's next for you?

Larson: Our next project together has been sold but not announced. It's a stand-alone graphic novel and it should be out in 2020. That's all I can say at the moment!

As for me, I'm still writingBatgirlfor DC Comics. I have a graphic novel,All Summer Long, that's coming out next year. I'm plugging slowly away on my not-for-kids webcomic,Solo. I'm not currently writingGoldie Vance, but the series is rolling on without me. Beyond that, I'm working on projects in other media that are exciting, but I'm not able to discuss them at this time.

Mock: Hope and I are working on our next book! A wonderful new story, more details soon!

I also worked on concepts for an upcoming video game, Tacoma, and I'm working on a couple short comic projects that I'll self-publish, including a new issue of my ongoing comic series The Old Woman.

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HOPE LARSON and REBECCA MOCK Hit the High Seas with KNIFE'S EDGE - Newsarama

US LNG exports have not only provided an important source of incremental demand for the domestic natural gas market, but those exports, along with other sources of growing global LNG supply, have begun to disrupt traditional seaborne flows of gas. As the LNG spot market develops and the share of contracts without fixed destination clauses grows, a fight for market share is likely to ensue. So, how will US LNG fare in an increasingly congested global market?

One market that saw major changes in supply over the last year is Mexico. Over the last five years, Mexico has imported an average of 600 MMcf/d of LNG to meet its demand. However, the sources of these imports have changed dramatically, specifically over the past year. The graphic below shows Mexico's LNG suppliers over time with the US taking a larger portion of total Mexican LNG import market share, virtually displacing all other sources of cargoes.

This change is occurring close to home and leaves us wondering if US LNG will have the same effect in other parts of the world? The US is not the only country bringing on new LNG terminals and adding incremental cargoes into the market. Australia, Malaysia and Russia, among others, have also announced LNG export projects with in-service dates in the next few years. Asia and Europe are often cited as the markets that are likely to soak up this impending incremental supply. Not only are they currently the two largest markets, as the graphic below shows, but they also hold the greatest potential for growth.

Historically, Asia has proven to be the largest source of imports, reaching 31 Bcf/d in winter 2017. European imports have dwindled from an average of 7.9 Bcf/d in 2010 to 4.3 Bcf/d in 2016. However, European declines are not necessarily directly attributable to declines in demand. While, according to the 2016 BP Statistical Review, European gas consumption has been on the decline since peaking in 2008, Europe also received much of its supply from piped-in Russian gas, which might have squeezed out some LNG imports over the past few years. This means that, if made economic, LNG imports could retake market share back from Russian gas.

Assuming that Asia will continue to be a large source of demand for LNG, will US LNG be able to compete into the region? To answer this, we must look at how economic US LNG cargoes would be entering the region (in this case Japan).

To be incentivized to ship to Asia, Japanese LNG prices need to be greater than the variable costs to ship a cargo. Let's assume the cost of the gas (115% of Henry Hub) and shipping costs are variable. That would mean over the past year it would have been economic to send cargoes to Asia. However, if incremental demand in the region is not able to keep up with supply, Japanese LNG prices would have to fall below variable costs to disincentivize imports into the region. While the US gas market is set to enter a time of potential oversupply and depressed Henry Hub prices, transport costs into the region could become prohibitive in a liquid spot market leaving US cargoes heading back to sea in search of a destination closer to home.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Excerpt from:

Hitting The High Seas: US LNG Finds A Home - Seeking Alpha

With guest hostJane Clayson.

Former NATO top commander Adm. James Stavridis on the geopolitics playing out now on the worlds oceans and on land.

James Stavridis rose through the ranks of the US Navy to commander. Went on to become supreme commander of NATO. All those US military engagements you remember from the news? Gulf War, Haiti, Bosnia, Iraq 2003? He was on the bridge or in the command center. The ocean is still his touchstone as he watches this centurys geopolitics unfold today. This hour On Point: Retired Adm. James Stavridis on a world of challenges, on the ocean and on land.

Adm. James Stavridis, author of Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the Worlds Oceans. Former allied commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans and piracy off the coast of Africa. Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University. (@stavridisj)

Listen to some of the highlights from our conversation with Stavridis.

Bloomberg:America Rules the Waves. But for How Long? China builds fake islands in the South China Sea. Russia fires missiles into Syria from the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas. North Korea launches ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. The U.S. orders three three! aircraft carrier strike groups to the Western Pacific in response. Houthi rebels shoot rockets at U.S. ships off Yemen. Pacific nations go on a submarine-buying binge. India and China start constructing their first homemade aircraft carriers. Pirates return to the waters off East Africa.

Military.com: Experts: US Must Project Cyber Warfare Capabilities to Deter Attacks The United States must demonstrate its cyber warfare capabilities to help deter sophisticated attacks from Russia and other adversaries while building strategies on a battlefield still misunderstood by commanders and senior officials, a panel of defense experts told lawmakers Thursday.

TIME:Admiral Stavridis: 5 Reasons Trump Should Send More Troops to Afghanistan The Administration and the Congress should support a 5,000-troop increase, apportioned equally between US and the rest of NATO forces, hopefully with significant contributions from the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Norway and Denmark nations who have considerable experience in Afghanistan. While far less likely, we should also approach Canada and the Netherlands. Indeed, all of the NATO nations have good reason to be very forthcoming to prove to President Trump that NATO is the relevant organization he finally admitted it was a month or so ago. All these commitments must be in place as the nations head into President Trumps first NATO summit.

Array

[Youtube]

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Geopolitics On The High Seas And In Today's Headlines - WFAE