HI,
It’s the start of another year, one that I feel hopeful for. Not because I can see anything great coming down the policy and legislative roads to end the Covid-19 pandemic or to make any great environmental gains (though I remain hopeful), but it’s just that I want to feel positive for the new year. I personally have learned a lot about both these major crises in the last year. From this I don’t see much cause for generalized optimism. But I see my family, my grandchildren and feel that I must look forward to a year with improvement and do what I can to contribute towards it. Life always has risks and this is one I feel good about taking. Scanning the horizon I see good people, especially in leadership in a variety of sectors (which was reinforced from what I saw at COP26). But I still see many bad actors, most of whom won’t likely change much in the next 12 months, but hopefully their voices will be weakened and those promoting life and a sustainable future will begin to dominate. Dealing with the bad actors is in all our cards, but such change doesn’t happen quickly without truly great leadership. As we have just been reminded with the passing of Desmond Tutu it is possible for leaders to step outside their comfort zones and encourage us to do the same.
Personally, for me at my stage of life, I feel I must harbour some optimism and spread it, especially to younger generations. For they must also speak out, act however they can, and demand action from political, business, media, entertainment, sports, religious, family and other leaders whose shoes they will soon be filling. They must be taught, encouraged, mentored and listened to.
We all at the Planetary Health Collective wish a Happy and Prosperous 2022 to all you readers of the Planetary Health Weekly. As we enter into our 8th year, we will continue to bring you important and interesting stories, every week for the next 52. There is so much to digest and learn about the world around us and the health of both ‘us’ and our planet. More so, there is so much to do. Working for planetary health is a needed selfless act of love. We have all the science, technology and evidence we need to make a difference. Let’s use our energy well as we hit Road 2022 (below), and check out the following in this year’s Issue #1:
- STILL WITH COP26:
- Five environmental conservation wins of 2021,
- From Siberia to the U.S., wildfires broke emissions records in 2021,
- Emissions of top US banks and investors almost equal Russia
- CORONAVIRUS UPDATES:
- Omicron is the result of a global policy failure,
- New ‘IHU’ B.1.640.2 Covid-19 coronavirus variant detected In France,
- Remember Ebola: stop mass Covid deaths in Africa,
- What are FFP2 masks, mandatory in some European countries?
- Ontario reports 18,445 new Covid-19 cases on New Year’s Day, a pandemic high,
- Statement from Canada’s Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health: Covid-19 vaccination and the Omicron variant, THEN
- Mapping the irrecoverable carbon in Earth’s ecosystems,
- The cheap and easy climate fix that can cool the planet fast (reduce methane),
- Linking climate and biodiversity,
- Oil firms face workforce crunch as renewables beckon,
- Indigenous groups unveil plan to protect 80% of the Amazon in Peru and Ecuador,
- Ozone layer hole that was once larger than Antarctica has final closed,
- Climate crisis: economists ‘grossly undervalue young lives’,
- We need bold presidential action on climate change,
- Just population policies for an overpopulated world,
- Ottawa announces $40-billion Indigenous child welfare settlement,
- Quote by Prince Charles on the need for climate action,
- Mapped: solar power by country in 2021,
- Visualizing the scale and composition of the Earth’s crust & Visualizing the abundance of elements in the Earth’s crust & Rare Earth elements: where in the world are they?
- If Premier Jason Kenny of Alberta wants a $32B subsidy for Big Oil, he should pay for it,
- When the United Fruit Company tried to buy Guatemala,
- New book: ‘The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet’ by Amitav Ghosh,
- Want better K-12 education? Look to higher ed, and lastly
- ENDSHOTS of early days of 2022….amid the latest Covid-19 stats and charts from Canada and around the world.
ALL THE BEST IN 2022,
david David Zakus, Editor and Publisher
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Credit: Unsplash/Bas van Brandwijk
Conservation is about protecting that which sustains life on Earth — the rivers that flow with fresh water, the soil rooting crops in place, the forests and marinescapes that release oxygen. Framed in this way, conservation seems like an undertaking that would be universally supported.
But conservationists face countless challenges, from the industrial forces invested in exploiting natural resources and polluting ecosystems to a general lack of funding and government support. Efforts to conserve an environment have long been framed by opponents as a threat to jobs and community well-being — as if any jobs or well-being would exist without a functioning environment.
At the same time, efforts to heal and safeguard ecosystems proliferated and major conservation goals were advanced. These developments show that the planet can be saved if political courage is mustered. As we head into a new year of fighting to save the planet, here are five positive conservation narratives — tempered with reality — from the past year. Read more at Global Citizen
See also at Reuters: From Siberia To The U.S, Wildfires Broke Emissions Records In 2021
Wildfires produced a record amount of carbon emissions in parts of Siberia, the United States and Turkey this year, as climate change fanned unusually intense blazes, according to the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. Wildfires emitted 1.76 billion tonnes of carbon globally in 2021, Copernicus said. That's equivalent to more than double Germany's annual CO2 emissions.
Some of the worst-hit hotspots recorded their highest wildfire emissions for any January-November period since Copernicus' dataset began in 2003, including parts of Siberia's Yakutia region, Turkey, Tunisia and the western United States.
"We have seen extensive regions experience intense and prolonged wildfire activity. Drier and hotter regional conditions under a changing climate have increased the risk of flammability and fire risk of vegetation," said senior Copernicus scientist Mark Parrington.
See also at Below2C: Emissions of Top US Banks and Investors Almost Equal Russia
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SARS-CoV-2 & COVID-19 UPDATES |
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Globally, nationally and locally, it's unreal. Covid-19, probably mostly Omicron, is going wild. Cases have spiked by 230% to the greatest increases ever. The situation is getting worse, with still too many unvaccinated. As we start 2022 the end seems no where in sight.
Over the last week there were about 20 million new cases (up about 230%) and 85,000 deaths (up ~185%). About 464 million people received a vaccine, up ~100%, while distribution though still remains grossly distorted. Cases in Canada are up about 140% this week! See many more stats and charts in ENDSHOTS.
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"It is the plague in seemingly all sincerity." Bob Woodward |
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Credit GASTON BRITO/GETTY IMAGES:
The emergence of the new Omicron variant is not an act of God. It is the widely predicted result of a huge global policy failure. Governments in rich countries, such as the U.S. and U.K., knowingly allowed low- and middle-income countries to go unvaccinated. If they had had the foresight to realize this decision would result in the emergence of new variants—and new restrictions and lockdowns—perhaps they would have shared vaccines and pushed pharmaceutical companies to share vaccine recipes. Instead, rich countries have prioritized vaccine nationalism.
As a result, we all go into 2022 facing health and economic uncertainty. This is the definition of self-defeating policy. But it is not too late to change course. Read more at Newsweek
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Didier Raoult, French medicine professor and director of the IHU medical institute in Marseilles. Credit: AFP via GETTY IMAGES
One thing that’s clear about the Covid-19 coronavirus, it can mutate. And mutate. And mutate. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that yet another new variant has been detected in France with 46 mutations and 37 deletions in its genetic code, many affecting the spike protein. This variant currently bears the name B.1.640.2 and it’s also been temporarily dubbed the “variant IHU” because a team from the Méditerranée Infection University Hospital Institute (IHU) in Marseilles, France, was the first to report the variant on December 29.
It’s not yet clear whether this B.1.640.2 variant will be that much trouble or anything like the Delta and Omicron variants. Before the World Health Organization (WHO) serves up some Pi and gives this B.1.640.2 variant a new Greek letter name, there has to be evidence that this variant is somehow more transmissible, more likely to cause severe Covid-19, or more able to evade existing immune protection than previous versions. So far there are no obvious signs that any of these may be the case. Remember different doesn’t necessarily mean worse. Nevertheless, this new variant does merit some close watching.
The WHO has not yet deemed this IHU variant a variant of interest, a variant of concern, or even a variant under investigation. For now, consider this to be a variant of we-don’t-know-what-this-means-because-there-haven’t-been-enough-data-and- studies-yet-to-tell-please-do-not-jump-to-conclusions. Read more at Forbes
SEE MORE COVID-19 STORIES: At Nature: Remember Ebola: Stop Mass COVID Deaths In Africa
At Economist: What Are FFP2 Masks, Mandatory In Some European Countries?
At CBC: Ontario Reports 18,445 New COVID-19 Cases On New Year's Day, A Pandemic High
At Nation Talk: Statement From The Council Of Chief Medical Officers Of Health (of Canada): COVID-19 Vaccination And The Omicron Variant
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a–d, Inlays show areas of high irrecoverable carbon density in the Pacific Northwest of North America (a), western South America (b), the Congo Basin (c) and the island of Borneo (d). Areas with zero irrecoverable carbon are displayed in grey to demonstrate the footprint of global manageable carbon. Credit: Article
Avoiding catastrophic climate change requires rapid decarbonization and improved ecosystem stewardship at a planetary scale. The carbon released through the burning of fossil fuels would take millennia to regenerate on Earth. Though the timeframe of carbon recovery for ecosystems such as peatlands, mangroves and old-growth forests is shorter (centuries), this timeframe still exceeds the time we have remaining to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
There are some natural places that we cannot afford to lose due to their irreplaceable carbon reserves. Here we map ‘irrecoverable carbon’ globally to identify ecosystem carbon that remains within human purview to manage and, if lost, could not be recovered by mid-century, by when we need to reach net-zero emissions to avoid the worst climate impacts. Since 2010, agriculture, logging and wildfire have caused emissions of at least 4.0 Gt of irrecoverable carbon. The world’s remaining 139.1 ± 443.6 Gt of irrecoverable carbon faces risks from land-use conversion and climate change. These risks can be reduced through proactive protection and adaptive management.
Currently, 23.0% of irrecoverable carbon is within protected areas and 33.6% is managed by Indigenous peoples and local communities. Half of Earth’s irrecoverable carbon is concentrated on just 3.3% of its land, highlighting opportunities for targeted efforts to increase global climate security. Read more at Nature Sustainability
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Credit: Article
Let a molecule of carbon dioxide escape into the atmosphere, and it stays for centuries. There’s more than enough up there to smother the planet like a too-warm quilt, trapping heat within and weirding the weather. The damage will be felt for generations.
But CO2 is only part of the patchwork of warming. Methane locks in far more heat in the short term and has been leaking just as relentlessly. Read more at Bloomberg
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Credit: Figure reproduced and legend adapted with permission from Global Change Biology
Climate change and loss of biological diversity are global challenges, linked to each other and to other socioeconomic and environmental challenges. These interlinkages have been discussed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), valuable references for multilateral negotiations in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), whose Conference of the Parties (COP) convened in November, and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), whose COP convened in October and will meet again in April.
In the past year, in recognition of common challenges and opportunities, the IPCC and IPBES formally collaborated for the first time. Decision-making processes around these complex issues will be more effective if they integrate responses to climate change, biodiversity loss, and human development gaps at various spatial scales: global, regional, national and local.
The IPCC assesses the impacts on biodiversity both of climate change and of response strategies to climate change: adaptation and mitigation. The IPBES assessments consider climate change as one of the main direct drivers of biodiversity loss. However, a qualitative leap is required for integrating the knowledge incorporated in those results, through scientific collaboration.
Areas of potential cooperation between the scientific communities linked to the IPCC and IPBES include the development of socioeconomic and environmental scenarios with an integrative perspective—to make visible and quantify, to the extent possible, interlinkages between climate change and biodiversity loss, and their implications for sustainable development. These interlinkages are captured, at least partially, in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A comprehensive consideration of the Indigenous and local knowledge contributions in responding to these global challenges, as well as the development of research capacities on these topics, especially in developing countries, are other issues to be prioritized as part of the joint efforts. Read more at Science
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The logo of Royal Dutch Shell is pictured during a launch event for a hydrogen electrolysis plant at Shell's Rhineland refinery in Wesseling near Cologne, Germany, July 2, 2021. Credit: REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen/File Photo
The oil and gas industry risks a huge workforce shortage as more than half of workers in the sector seek to move into the renewable energy industry. A survey, recently conducted as part of a report by recruitment firm Brunel and Oilandgasjobsearch.com, showed that 43% of workers want to leave the energy industry altogether within the next five years.
When asked which sectors they'd pursue employment opportunities in, 56% of those working in oil and gas said renewables, compared to 38.8% last year. Read more at Reuters
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Ecuadorian Amazon. Credit: Sacred Headwaters Initiative
A new plan called the Amazon Sacred Headwaters initiative proposes the protection of 80% of the Amazon in Peru and Ecuador by 2025, consisting of 35 million hectares (86 million acres) of rainforest.
The Amazonian Indigenous organizations leading the plan aim to centre Indigenous-led forest management and land tenure to protect endemic species and prevent approximately 2 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
The proposal has received positive responses from Ecuadoran and Peruvian government officials, but faces a stumbling block in the fact that both countries rely heavily on extractive industries operating within the Amazon to help pay off foreign debt. Read more at Mongabay
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Credit: NASA’s Earth Observatory/ Joshua Stevens
The Montreal Protocol is often cited as one of the most successful political initiatives aimed at protecting the environment. The agreement, which is signed by 197 countries in 1987, regulates the production and use of dozens of human-created chemicals that are ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and bans particularly damaging chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
CFCs were gases used in refrigerators and aerosol sprays in the 1960s and 70s before scientists discovered they were linked to a thinning region in the ozone layer over Antarctica.
A thinning ozone layer allows more UV rays from the Sun to flow through Earth’s stratosphere, which can be a dangerous risk to human health. The U.N. estimates that the Montreal Protocol has prevented millions of additional cases of melanoma, other cancers, and eye cataracts.
Scientists estimate that the ozone layer could recover by mid-century, but there are still areas in the ozone layer that are thinning and holes that have struggled to close. However, scientists have stated that certain conditions and patterns within the Earth’s atmosphere have contributed to some thinner regions and holes in the ozone layer, such as the one that recently closed over Antarctica.
“This was a large ozone hole because of the colder than average 2021 stratospheric conditions, and without a Montreal Protocol, it would have been much larger,” stated Paul Newman, chief scientist for Earth sciences at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, in an article published by NASA. Read more at Weather Network
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Credit: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Many economic assessments of the climate crisis “grossly undervalue the lives of young people and future generations”, according to Prof Nicholas Stern, the IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, Chairman of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and Head of the India Observatory at the London School of Economics.
Economists have failed to take account of the “immense risks and potential loss of life” that could occur as a result of the climate crisis, he said, as well as badly underestimating the speed at which the costs of clean technologies, such as solar and wind energy, have fallen.
Stern said the economics profession had also misunderstood the basics of “discounting”, the way in which economic models value future assets and lives compared with their value today. “It means economists have grossly undervalued the lives of young people and future generations who are most at threat from the devastating impacts of climate change,” he said. “Discounting has been applied in such a way that it is effectively discrimination by date of birth.” Read more at The Guardian
See also at Newsweek: We Need Bold Presidential Action on Climate Change
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After three decades of neglect, environmentalists are waking back up to the need to limit human numbers. But like Rip Van Winkle, we find that the world changed while we were asleep. There are now billions more people, hundreds of millions of new members in the global middle class, and elevated consumption among the wealthy. Meanwhile the planet has grown warmer, more polluted, tamer and more depauperate.
This article specifies what just population policies look like for an overpopulated world: one where most national populations must decrease significantly to create sustainable societies, and where failure to do so threatens environmental disaster for humans and the rest of life on Earth. It argues that governments in both underdeveloped and overdeveloped countries should encourage and enable one-child families and discourage larger ones, striking a proper balance between reproductive rights and reproductive responsibilities. Read more at Ecological Citizen
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SPOTLIGHT ON INDIGENOUS WELLNESS |
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Credit: Chris Wattie/Reuters
Ottawa announced Tuesday it had secured agreements in principle to compensate First Nations children harmed by its underfunding of child welfare, revealing for the first time early details about what the historic arrangement will cover.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said the $40-billion settlement marks the largest in Canadian history. It comes after six weeks of negotiating with the parties, which included the Assembly of First Nations, Chiefs of Ontario and lawyers for two related class-action lawsuits. "No amount of money can reverse the harms experienced by First Nations children," he told a news conference in Ottawa.
Of the billions earmarked to be spent on the matter — the figure was first reported as part of last month's fiscal update — $20 billion will pay for compensation, and the other $20 billion will be spent on reforming the system over five years.
Following a complaint filed in 2007, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled in 2016 that Ottawa discriminated against First Nations children who lived on reserve because of its chronic underfunding of family and child services in their communities. It also ruled the government's definition of Jordan's Principle — a measure stipulating Ottawa provide timely health, education and social services to First Nations children — was too narrow and needed expansion.
Those eligible to be compensated under the settlement arrangement announced Tuesday will be First Nations children living on reserve and in the Yukon who were removed from their homes between April 1, 1991, and March 31, 2022, as well as their parents and caregivers. Included will be those affected by the government's narrow definition of Jordan's Principle from Dec. 12, 2007 to Nov. 2, 2017, as well as First Nations children who couldn't access the services they needed between April 1, 1991 and Dec. 11, 2007.
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said Tuesday the government intends to use the $40,000 originally awarded by the tribunal to each affected children and their families as a floor for compensating those who are eligible, while it also believes some children will be entitled to receive more. Determining how specific compensation will be calculated will be part of the work ahead, she added.
Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse was among those around the negotiating table, and said more than 200,000 children and their families will be affected by this settlement, which stems from government discrimination.
"This wasn't and isn't about parenting. It's in fact about poverty and First Nations children being removed from their families and communities instead of being provided help with food, clothing or shelter," she said Tuesday. Ottawa said final settlement agreements must still be negotiated over the coming months. It said money will flow once these agreements are reached and the necessary court and human rights orders have been made.
Lawyers said the Federal Court must first approve of the settlement and they hope a hearing takes place before the end of June. Ottawa announced negotiations would start last fall, the same day that it filed a notice of appeal with the Federal Court Appeal. Justice Minister David Lametti said Tuesday the government will drop the appeal once final agreements over compensation are reached.
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada executive director Cindy Blackstock said Tuesday that the agreement in principle is an important first step, but noted it is non-binding. "These are simply words on paper," she said at a separate news conference. We need to commit ourselves to keeping watch on the government of Canada and holding it accountable until it lands some of these things." Read more at North Shore News
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"This time, we cannot afford to lose momentum. 2021 cannot be yet another false dawn. We simply cannot go on ignoring the fact that for millions of people in dangerously vulnerable parts of the world, climate change and biodiversity loss are already devastating their lives and livelihoods and making where they live increasingly uninhabitable."
And The most important challenge of our age: "Putting Nature, people and our singular and fragile planet at the heart of how we live, work and do business to create the brightest possible future for humanity."
Prince Charles
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- January 16-17, 2022: 6th International Covid-19 Studies Conference (New York, USA). By Institute of Economic Development and Social Researches)
Open to all covid-19 and pandemic studies from all disciplines. Presentations will be in disciplinary sessions, in person and online participation.
- February 2-5, 2022: 5th International African Conference of Science, Technology & Social Sciences: https://www.africansummit.org/
- March 28th-April 1st, 2022: Healthy People, Healthy Planet, Social Justice. (CUGH Virtual Satellite Sessions: March 21st-25th, 2022)
- April 1-3, 2022: CUGH 2022 Global Health Conference - Hybrid: Healthy People, Healthy Planet, Social Justice (Los Angeles, California). Virtual Satellite Sessions: March 21-25, 2022; In-person Satellite Sessions: March 31, 2022
- April 23 - 25, 2022: 8th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health (online streaming)
- May 14-15, 2022: Canadian Conference on Global Health (Montreal, Quebec)
- May 15-19, 2022: 24th World Conference on Health Promotion (Montreal, Quebec)
- October 31 - November 4, 2022: 7th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (Bogotá, Colombia)
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FYI#1 SPOTLIGHT ON MEDIA |
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Mapped: Solar Power by Country in 2021 |
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Credit: Visual Capitalist
The world is adopting renewable energy at an unprecedented pace, and solar power is leading the way.
Despite a 4.5% fall in global energy demand in 2020, renewable energy technologies showed promising progress. While the growth in renewables was strong across the board, solar power led from the front with 127 gigawatts installed in 2020, its largest-ever annual capacity expansion.
The above infographic uses data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to map solar power capacity by country in 2021. This includes both solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power capacity.
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Credit: Dr. James O’Donoghue
For as long as humans have been wandering the top of Earth’s crust, we’ve been fascinated with what’s inside. And Earth’s composition has been vital for our advancement. From finding the right kinds of rocks to make tools, all the way to making efficient batteries and circuit boards, we rely on minerals in Earth’s crust to fuel innovation and technology.
This animation by Dr. James O’Donoghue, a planetary researcher at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA, is a visual comparison of Earth’s outer layers and their major constituents by mass.
See also:
At Visual Capitalist: Visualizing the Abundance of Elements in the Earth’s Crust
At Visual Capitalist: Rare Earth Elements: Where in the World Are They?
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FYI #3 |
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If (Premier) Jason Kenney (of Alberta) Wants A $32B Subsidy For Big Oil, He Should Pay For It |
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Credit: Alberta Newsroom / Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
For years now, the oil and gas industry has tried to push back against the well-documented suggestion its operations are subsidized by the public. But now, it seems, it’s trying a different strategy: begging for the biggest subsidies imaginable when it comes to carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.
In what looks like a co-ordinated campaign, the CEOs of Canada’s large oilsands companies have come out strongly in favour of federal support for investments in CCS projects. And while they haven’t been openly confrontational — Cenovus CEO Alex Pourbaix suggested Ottawa should “keep an open mind” about the idea — there’s an implicit threat looming just behind the gentler facade of their request: either the government gives them billions of dollars for carbon capture technology or it can forget about meeting its climate targets.
Jason Kenney, Alberta’s unofficial threatener-in-chief, clearly spelled it out at a recent press conference. “If the federal government wants to set these ambitious targets, the very first thing they need to do is support us with a $32-billion investment in carbon capture, utilization and storage.”
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FYI #4 |
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When The United Fruit Company Tried To Buy Guatemala |
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Credit: Photo by Alexander Pohl / NurPhoto
In 1952, the United Fruit Company made the elected government of Guatemala a simple offer: If y’all want democratic self-government so badly, you can have it—for a small fee. It’ll cost you about $19,355,000.
If you’re just joining us, this is the second installment of “How Much Could a Banana Republic Cost?” The previous post introduced the goal of the series, which is to identify the rulers of the world. Are our lives run by Big Guns (armies and mafias), Big Green (multinational corporations and investors), or by Big Graphs (technocrats and tech companies)? The central question of the series suggests one way of finding out: by figuring out how much it actually costs to be the boss. The story that answers this question might also help explain why a sitting, elected national government was in the position of having to buy its own country.
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FYI #5: : FIRST READING OF 2022 |
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"The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables For A Planet In Crisis" by Amitav Ghosh |
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Hello Credit: Book Cover
A powerful work of history, essay, testimony and polemic, Amitav Ghosh’s new book traces our contemporary planetary crisis back to the discovery of the New World and the sea route to the Indian Ocean. The Nutmeg’s Curse argues that the dynamics of climate change today are rooted in a centuries-old geopolitical order constructed by Western colonialism. At the centre of Ghosh’s narrative is the now-ubiquitous spice nutmeg.
The history of the nutmeg is one of conquest and exploitation—of both human life and the natural environment. In Ghosh’s hands, the story of the nutmeg becomes a parable for our environmental crisis, revealing the ways human history has always been entangled with earthly materials such as spices, tea, sugarcane, opium and fossil fuels. Our crisis, he shows, is ultimately the result of a mechanistic view of the earth, where nature exists only as a resource for humans to use for our own ends, rather than a force of its own, full of agency and meaning.
Writing against the backdrop of the global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests, Ghosh frames these historical stories in a way that connects our shared colonial histories with the deep inequality we see around us today. By interweaving discussions on everything from the global history of the oil trade to the migrant crisis and the animist spirituality of Indigenous communities around the world, The Nutmeg’s Curse offers a sharp critique of Western society and speaks to the profoundly remarkable ways in which human history is shaped by non-human forces.
Also see excellent review at The New Yorker: Our Planet Is Heating Up. Why Are Climate Politics Still Frozen?
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FYI#6: SPOTLIGHT ON EDUCATION |
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Want Better K-12 Civic Education? Look To Higher Ed |
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Credit: MICHAEL LOCCISANO/GETTY IMAGES
Disputes over public-school curricula in Virginia, Arizona and elsewhere have become fodder for national political debates. Charter schools and homeschooling increasingly draw worried families away from public schools. And in response to efforts to incorporate elements of critical race theory (CRT)—such as the idea that major U.S. institutions are inherently racist—into civics lessons, nine states have passed laws banning CRT from schools altogether.
It's become clear that Americans are alarmed over what students learn in primary and secondary school, above all in civics classes.
American parents are right to be concerned about deficits in basic civic knowledge. Less than 25% of eighth-graders are proficient in civics, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Two in three American adults would fail the civics exam that immigrants must pass to become U.S. citizens.
But those concerned about civics education will miss the mark if they simply focus on K-12 schools. What teachers teach in K-12 is closely tied to what they themselves learned in college. And at our nation's universities, civics education is in dire straits.
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EARLY DAYS OF A NEW YEAR - 2022
WHITEFISH LAKE, ONTARIO
JANUARY 3, 2022
Amid Latest Covid-19 Stats and Charts from Canada and Around the World
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Photo Credits: David Zakus |
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