Category Archives: Resource Based Economy

Scientific and environment friendly, Government approved End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) scrapping and recycling unit

Honble Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari today inaugurated Maruti Suzuki Toyotsu India Private Limited (MSTI), a Government approved ELV scrapping and recycling unit.

Present on the occasion were His Excellency Mr. Satoshi Suzuki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Japan, India. Dignitaries from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and Delhi and Uttar Pradesh government graced the occasion.

As a step towards circular economy and with an aim to promote organized, transparent and environment friendly dismantling of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs), Maruti Suzuki and Toyota Tsusho Group have joined hands to set up MSTI.

The 10,993 sq m facility has a capacity to scrap and recycle over 24,000 ELVs annually. Built with an investment of over INR 44 crores, the facility uses modern and technologically advanced machines to dismantle and scrap ELVs in a scientific manner. Aligning with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, all the equipment being used at the facility is manufactured in India.

MSTI follows globally approved quality and environment standards. These include complete solid and liquid waste management ensuring zero discharge of liquid and gases from the ELVs.

Inaugurating the facility,Shri Nitin Gadkari, Honble Minister of Road Transport and Highways, said,Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has launched the visionary National Automobile Scrappage Policy aimed at creating an ecosystem for phasing out unfit and polluting vehicles from the Indian roads. To meet this objective, we need state-of-the-art scrapping and recycling units. I would like to congratulate Maruti Suzuki and Toyota Tsusho Group for setting up this modern facility as per global standards. I would request Maruti and other stakeholders to build and create an ecosystem of similar scrapping and recycling units across the country. This would make the roads safer, air cleaner and the raw material cheaper for their cars.

At the inauguration,Mr. Kenichi Ayukawa, Chairman, MSTI and Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said,Honble Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Mr. Nitin Gadkari has been a champion for cleaner, greener and safer mobilityecosystem in the country. We are grateful to him for inaugurating our new facility today. At Maruti Suzuki, we strongly believe in creating value through efficient resource optimization and conservation. Our business processes and products are based on the principles of fewer, smaller, lighter, neater and shorter.

Mr. Ayukawa added,Till now there was no scientific, clean and healthy way to dispose a car at its end-of-life. MSTI uses global process methodology to address this gap. This is just the beginning. With our partners we are committed to set up more such modern ELV scrap and recycle centers in India.

On the occasion,Mr. Naoji Saito, CEO for Metal Division of Toyota Tsusho Corporation said,Honble Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Mr. Nitin Gadkari has always been a strong proponent of cleaner society in the country. We are grateful to him for inaugurating our first environment-friendly End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) dismantling & recycling yard in India. The Toyota Tsusho group has engaged in the ELV recycling business since 1970 in Japan. Recently we have run the environmental friendly ELV dismantling & recycling business in several major countries of the world. Our experience of over fifty years in Japan helped in these projects. Now we will achieve the best practice for ELV recycling and contribute to the circular economy in India by combining our experience and equipment made in India.

SOURCE: Maruti Suzuki

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Maruti Suzuki and Toyota Tsusho Group's vehicle scrapping and recycling unit commences operations in India - Automotive World

A one-year economic assessment of the southeast Galway Bay catchment has found it generated revenues of 105 million and supported about 550 jobs.

The report was commissioned by Cuan Beo, a community based coastal organisation working in south-east Galway Bay, and is the first of its kind according to the group.

Its findings were presented at a regional event held late last week which was attended by local politicians and policymakers, representatives of State agencies, and farmers, fishermen, community and tourism groups, scientists and environmental groups living in the catchment.

The event was moderated by Dr Michel Cinnide, former director of the Environmental Protection Agency and now with Corrib Beo.

The report describes how a very distinct geographical area is connected by a common drainage system, drawing all rainfall and run-off water in the catchment and discharging it into Galway Bay.

It is one of 46 catchments in Ireland, according to the EPA, and covers an area of approximately 1,200 Km2. It includes about 117 km of coastline stretching from Galway harbour to Blackhead in Co Clare and extends inland to Athenry, Loughrea and Gort.

The report highlights the value and importance of data collection and management for the catchment, and potential growth areas across a number of key sectors where the resources available in the catchment could be developed in a sustainable manner to create new jobs and generate revenue.

These growth areas include climate technology, blue health, marine and coastal tourism, research and local community development and the report says they offer unparalleled opportunities for growth and sustainable development, building on the circular economy and supporting climate-resilient communities.

Now that we have established market and non-market economic baselines, this report will heighten awareness with policymakers and planners as to the true value of the resource base and the marine environment, Cuan Beo chair Diarmuid Kelly said.

It will promote this catchment as a location for research and development in sustainability and environmental enhancement. This will become increasingly important as social and environmental measures, such as carbon emissions and sustainability development goals, are established and monitored, he said.

The report was conducted by Dr Colm ODowd who noted that valuing both market and non-market products and services from the marine environment is necessary if they are to be included in marine spatial planning and management decisions.

For example, while we know that shipping and tourism are vital economic pillars in this catchment, there is little awareness of the value of marine-related recreation or the potential healthcare savings associated with activities such as seaswimming, ODowd said.

Assessing the economic value of these activities and of marine ecosystems should influence decision making on marine spatial planning and support improvements in water quality and access to coastal areas, he said.

The report was funded by Cuan Beo, the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) and the EU Maritime and Fisheries Fund under the FLAG West Programme.

A copy of the report is available here

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Economic Assessment of South-East Galway Bay Finds it Supports 550 Jobs - Afloat

Dr. Stephen Nagy is a Senior Associate Professor at the International Christian University in Tokyo, a Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI) and a visiting fellow with the Japan Institute for International Affairs (JIIA).

His recent funded research projects are Sino-Japanese Relations in the Wake of the 2012 Territorial Disputes: Investigating changes in Japanese Business trade and investment strategy in China, and Perceptions and drivers of Chinese view on Japanese and US Foreign Policy in the Region.

He is currently working on middle power approaches to great power competition in the Indo-Pacific. His latest publications include: Indo-Pacific Resilience, Prosperity and Stability: Canadas Capabilities-led Approach to Strategic Free and Open Indo-Pacific Engagement, in Canadian and Japanese FOIP Visions. Policy Perspectives, Canadian Global Affairs Institute; Sino-Japanese Reactive Diplomacy as seen through the Interplay of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision (FOIP). Quad-Plus?

Carving out Canadas Middle Power Role, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs. Special Issue. Quad Plus: Form versus Substance.

Dr. Pramod Jaiswal, Strategic Affairs Editor at Khabarhub, spoke to Dr. Stephen R Nagy on issues related to QUAD, AUKUS and East Asian Security.

How do you assess the recent AUKUS partnership? Will the international alignment complement Quad in the Indo-Pacific or would it diminish the importance of the Quad since it is far more overt in its mission?

Thank you for having me. Its a great pleasure to speak to you and share some of my views.

I think AUKUS is a really substantial agreement that anchors the United States, the UK and Australia into the Indo-Pacific region from the viewpoint of creating deterrence capabilities between the first and second island chain but also being to direct some of those deterrence capabilities within the South China Sea and likely parts of the Indian ocean.

Whats under-discussed in terms of the AUKUS agreement is the commitment to cooperate between the UK, the United States and Australia in developing technologies.

The particular that I think is most substantial is jointly developing hypersonic missile systems, cybersecurity, AI and quantum computing.

These four areas are very significant. It indicates these three countries understand that the competition within the Indo-Pacific region will be about technology, technology and technology.

Its understood that AI and quantum computing will affect how we govern our societies, how we monitor our societies and how we monetize our societies.

And its clear that these three countries understand that these will be critical tools to outcompete other players in the region.

Whats important about this aspect of the technical cooperation within the AUKUS agreement is that it provides opportunities for other like-minded countries to cooperate, like France, Germany, Japan, perhaps South Korea and other like-minded countries to add their comparative advantages to AI and quantum computing research as well as cybersecurity.

Here, countries like Canada already have national strategies to invest in quantum computing but also cybersecurity and again I think they are excellent foundations for plugging into the AUKUS agreement.

And with that, I think other countries as well would be very interested in contributing to the technological side of the AUKUS agreement.

Does it replace or compliment or make the Quad relationship less important? I think it compliments the Quad. Quad has clearly moved to a position of providing public goods to the Indo-Pacific region.

We saw this at the virtual summit between the Quad members back in March in which the leaders committed to bolstering vaccine production and distribution to emerging countries, focusing on technology, infrastructure connectivity as well as other public goods.

There is a clear recognition that the Quad must stand for something rather than stand against something in order to get stakeholders by and within the region.

So with that, I think that the Quad is really complimented by AUKUS where the most forward leading security partners will again, focus on deterrence and those key areas of technology and the Quad will continue to focus on public goods provision but also to have a maritime security component as well.

How do you see the deal developing in the future?

So, again, I think that theres a lot of parallels between the AUKUS agreement and the Quad moving forward and how I understand it moving forward particularly in the technology area, as well as public good provision in the Quad is that non-quad members will plugin or jump in, in terms of joint activities with the AUKUS agreement as well as the Quad.

Let me illustrate this in terms of some recent activities. So, in January of 2021, at the Sea dragon exercises near Guam, we had a Canadian contingent join Quad members in terms of joint maritime activities in and around the Quad.

We also saw the Quad members join the French-Perus exercise in the Indo-pacific as an example of the Quad members plugging into pre-existing exercises with France.

So, I think this will continue to be the case where we see countries in an ad-hoc way provide some public good provision through the Quad or AUKUS when the situation needs.

So, I think this is something that we should continue to watch out for and as more critical problems and challenges and opportunities emerge within the Indo-pacific region, we would like to see different formulations of the Quad as well as the technological cooperation within the AUKUS agreement.

What does AUKUS, alongside the Quad and other groupings, tell us about a new world of overlapping multi and mini-lateral security partnerships?

So, in my understanding what we are seeing is an evolution of a multi-layered, institutionalization within the Indo-pacific.

What I mean by this is that at the upper level, we have the AUKUS, with the most forward-leaning security partners within the region, the United States, Australia and UK.

They are firmly focused on deterrence capabilities in the first and second island chain and that would continue and also be located in the South China Sea and the Indian ocean.

This deterrence capability of course is targeted at China but also to a certain extent North Korea, as both are challengers in the Indo-pacific region.

The second layer of institutionalization within the region is the alliance partnerships that the United States enjoys within the region; so thats the Republic of Korea-US relationship, Japan-US relationship, Australia-US relationship, Philippines- US relationship and its other deep partnerships within the region.

This is the mainstay and will be the cornerstone of security moving forward in terms of bilateral alliance systems.

Below that I see the Quad emerging as an important public good provider to the region and it will be something that will provide public goods such as infrastructure connectivity, it will help with vaccine distribution, likely financing on health infrastructure as well.

And then below that, I think we see notable multilateral agreements such as the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-pacific partnership, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, but also the partnerships that exist, for example, between Japan and the EU.

Japan and EU signed whats called the economic partnership agreement as well as infrastructure connectivity agreement and all of this is a multi-layered process of building institutions in the Indo-Pacific such that the Indo-pacific is more transparent in terms of its institutional management, more rules-based in terms of its institutional management and critically more interconnected and integrated and that is really critical for stability to create a critical mass of countries, economies, norms, and institutions that pulls countries more towards a transparent rule-based form of behavior in the region.

The President of the United States hosted the first-ever in-person QUAD summit meeting at the White House in September, why do you think President Biden is a QUAD believer?

Well, President Biden has a long track record of commitment to alliances, contributing to international institutions and I think he and the administration broadly understand that theres bipartisan support for the Quad rather than just President Biden.

They understand the importance of building new institutions like the Quad to deal with the challenges that are emerging in the Indo-pacific region.

So, what are those challenges? Covid-19 is a perfect example of those challenges. We dont have an integrated institution within this region to actually deal with Covid-19 and to build the infrastructure thats necessary to get this pandemic under control and of course, to produce vaccines and to distribute vaccines.

So, the Quad is a very good mechanism to do that, using Indias capacity, but also funds from richer countries like Japan and technologies from Japan, Australia and the United States.

So, I think that Biden understands that Quad is very very critical to helping build institutions within the region and providing public goods.

Whats interesting is that the next Quad leader summit will be in Japan, and the year after it will be India and the year after it will be in Australia.

The leaders, and I think in a bipartisan way, understand that this is a critical institution to build within the region, provide critical public goods and provide a shared understanding of how to deal with challenges within the region, including development and the maritime challenges that many countries are worried about.

Its the first time in over 60 years that the United States has agreed to share nuclear propulsion technology with another country. Why did the Biden administration sign up to AUKUS?

So, I think that this is a really really interesting question. I think there are three levels to understand this. First, I think there was a sense of commitment on the Australian side that they want to have a stronger position vis--vis China within the region.

And in order to do that, one of the most effective ways to build long-term deterrence capabilities was to acquire nuclear propulsion submarine technologies so that Australia can protect its national interests.

Australia being a long term partner, a trusted partner of the United States as well as the UK suggests that these three countries understand each other to be, I guess, the closest in terms of understanding the security challenges within the region, the closest in terms of understanding the important capabilities that are needed to deter more assertive mistakes within the region and here I am specifically speaking about China.

And third, I think that they understood that it was really critical through the AUKUS agreement to again, build a firewall of countries that will cooperate on the most sensitive technologies that will shape the regions economy, governance and how we really live in the region for the next 50-100 years.

I think those are the three reasons why the AUKUS agreement has come to fruition and why it focuses on nuclear propulsion in terms of submarine technologies but again, that other important area, our commitment to developing those core technologies that are going to shape the Indo-pacific region.

As the COP26 meeting in Glasgow has recently wrapped up. Was it a success from your point of view, and whats the next step for countries in the fight to stop dangerous global warming? How do you see China and Russia not attending the climate summit?

So I think in terms of optics, General Secretary Xi Jinping not attending and President Vladimir Putin not attending the summit optically does not look good. It suggests that theyre not on the same page as leaders and they dont value this meeting. But I dont think thats the case, particularly for China.

China understands the importance of dealing with the environment, dealing with global climate change and dealing with the environment at home.

And I think when we look and take a more granular look at Chinas environmental policies and see how its changed its domestic environmental policies over the past 10-15 years. I think theres no doubt that China is committed to dealing with climate change.

The question is, what is the timeline and What is their ability to incrementally commit to climate change policies. On the Russian front, I think this is a more challenging argument. We dont see our Russian friends as committed to the environment. The reality is that their economy is a natural resource-based economy.

They benefit tremendously from exporting coal and liquid natural gas and petroleum to neighboring states. So, I think the stakes for them are much higher in terms of curbs on coal production as well as other fossil fuels production.

So that leads me to the second aspect of my question, was COP a success? I think its really too early to tell. The success of COP26, COP25, COP24, COP21 will be seen in 10, 20 and 30 years from now and it will be seen differently depending on which country and group of countries they see.

I think for our pacific island friends, COP26 was a failure. Frankly, its an existential threat for countries like Fiji or Vanuatu, or others in the Pacific ocean.

For countries like Russia or Canada, although theyre facing more unusual temperatures the impact of climate change wont be as severe as for those small Pacific states or even the states within the Indo- pacific such as Bangladesh, parts of India, or even if we think about Nepal where are you from.

Youre dependent on regular weather systems, youre dependent on those glaciers being frozen for your freshwater. What happens when the temperature increases and we dont have as much freshwater? So its too early to tell and different countries I think have different interpretations.

Whats clear is that we are going to have to continue to be committed to dealing with climate change, developing technologies, sharing those technologies and helping more vulnerable countries such as the Pacific island countries or the Bahamas or those low lying areas like Bangladesh and Vietnam and the other Nicon belt states to deal with the realities of climate change which are going to be transformative.

Whats next for U.S.-China Relations amid the rising tensions over Taiwan?

So I think that its important for us to be reading into the speeches of Xi Jinping as well as reading into the broader statements by the United States and its allies within the region.

First, on the Chinese side, I think there has been no substantial shift in terms of the Chinese governments position on Taiwan.

If we read through the speeches of Xi Jinping and the top officials. For example; The 100th anniversary of the Chinese communist party, Xi Jing Ping talked about peaceful reunification with Taiwan as being a priority. And weve seen many speeches stress peaceful reunification.

I think the media has generally highlighted the fact that the Chinese government will say at the same time that they will reserve the right to use force to reunify Taiwan. But I think that misreads the broader continuity of top-level Chinese officials.

Whether it is Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Xin Tao, or Xi Jinping they all remain committed to peaceful reunification with Taiwan.

But that being said, I think the United States, the Japan-US joint statement that took place in April 2021, and other statements by leaders continue to send the message to both China and Taiwan that the preference is peace and stability across the Taiwan strait, they prefer the status quo and that pro-independent groups in Taiwan will not be supported by the United States and other countries but a pro reunification by force movement by China will not be supported either.

So in this sense, they are really drawing a very fine line and sending a strong signal to both China and Taiwan that the status quo should be maintained.

Both parties should not deviate from the status quo and that if the status quo is deviated from, the support for either Taiwan or Chinas position could erode very quickly.

I would also say that the United States position on Taiwan has somewhat shifted in terms of rethinking the importance of strengthening grassroots relations, business relations, and of course technology supply chains such that Taiwan will be an important partner in those areas.

But also Taiwan and its connections to technology and those critical semiconductor supply chains cannot be weaponized to disrupt economies in the United States, Japan, or Europe.

So its an (inaudible) view about Taiwan, So I dont see a big shift but I do sense new priorities in terms of how the United States is going to build relations with Taiwan while at the same time maintaining a one-China policy.

In October, as a part of a joint mission, the United States of America and Canada sent warships through the Taiwan Strait for the first time. The Chinese military has condemned the transit as seriously jeopardizing peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. Do you think the move triggers the possibilities for the clash in the geopolitically sensitive waterway?

So my view is that these are international waterways and as a result, the Canadians and the Americans have the right to transit the Taiwan straits and this should not cascade into an international crisis or a geopolitical conflict.

I think again it goes back to my point that China and Taiwan are both interested in maintaining the status quo. A conflict across the Taiwan Straits would have serious implications for the Taiwanese economy but very serious implications for the Chinese economy.

And as the Chinese economy continues to have download pressure because of demographics, COVID-19, and because of the continued economic sanctions against China by the United States and partners, it cant afford to have a crisis across the Taiwan straits.

As a result, I regard these kinds of transits as being a strong signal of stability committed to the region by the United States and partners such as Canada and that again signals they prioritize peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits in the East China Sea and as well the South China Sea.

And as long as there is peace and stability the trade relations will remain robust and the countries will be able to continue to find creative ways to deal with the challenges between the states.

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"Conflict across the Taiwan Straits would have serious implications for Taiwanese economy" - Khabarhub

It cost A$49 million to add 12.5 kilometres of extra lanes to Western Australias Kwinana Highway, south of Perths CBD. Thats not unusual. On average, building a single lane of road costs about about A$5 million per kilometre.

What is unusual about this stretch of extra freeway is not the money but the materials beneath the bitumen: two stabilising layers comprised of 25,000 tonnes of crushed recycled concrete, about 90% of which came from the demolition of Subiaco Oval (once Perths premier football ground).

Recycling building and construction materials remains the exception to the rule in Australia. The National Waste Policy agreed to by federal, state and territory governments has a target of 80% resource recovery by 2030. Its currently about 40%.

Of the 74 million tonnes of waste generated in Australia in 2020, masonry materials comprised about 22.9 million tonnes. Plastics, by comparison, comprised about 2.5 million tonnes. Of the 61.5 million tonnes of core waste managed by the waste and resource recovery sector, 44% (27 million tonnes) came from the construction and demolition sector, compared with 20% (12.6 million tonnes) from households and local government activities.

Most of this waste concrete, brick, steel, timber, asphalt and plasterboard or cement sheeting could be reused or recycled. It ends up in landfill due to simple economics. Its cheaper to buy new materials and throw them away rather than reuse and recycle.

Changing this equation and moving to a circular economy, in which materials are reused and recycled rather than discarded in landfill, is a key goal to reduce the impact of building and construction on the environment, including its contribution to climate change.

Read more: A third of our waste comes from buildings. This one's designed for reuse and cuts emissions by 88%

The fact it is more economic to throw materials away than reuse them is what economists call a market failure, driven by the problem of externalities. That is, the social and environmental costs of producing, consuming and throwing away materials is not reflected in the prices charged. Those costs are instead externalised borne by others.

In such cases there is a legitimate and necessary role for governments to intervene and correct the market failure. For an externality such as carbon emissions (imposing costs on future generations) the market-based solution favoured by most economists is a carbon price.

Read more: COP26: cities create over 70% of energy-related emissions. Here's what must change

For construction material waste, governments have a few more policy levers to help create a viable market for more recycling.

One way to make recycling more attractive to businesses would be to increase the cost of sending waste materials to landfill. But this would likely have unintended consequences, such as illegal dumping.

The more obvious and effective approach is to help create more demand for recycled materials through government procurement, adopting policies that require suppliers to, for example, use a minimum amount of recycled materials.

With enough demand, recyclers will invest in further waste recovery, reducing the costs. Lower costs in turn create the possibility of greater demand, creating a virtuous circle that leads to a circular economy.

Australias federal, state and territory governments all have sustainable procurement policies. The federal Sustainable Procurement Guide states the Australian government is committed to transforming Australias waste into a resource, where most goods and services can be continually used, reused, recycled and reprocessed as part of a circular economy.

But these policies lack some basic elements.

Our research suggests three important reforms could make a big difference to waste market operations. This is based on interviewing 27 stakeholders from the private sector and government about how to improve sustainable procurement.

First, government waste policies that set aspirational goals are not supported by procurement policies setting mandatory minimum recycled content targets. All contractors on government-funded construction projects should be required to use a percentage of recycled waste materials.

Second, the nature of salvaging construction materials means quality can vary significantly. Cement recycled from a demolition site, for example, could contain contaminants that reduce its durability.

Read more: Australia needs construction waste recycling plants but locals first need to be won over

Governments can help the market through regularly auditing the quality of recyclers processes, to increase buyer confidence and motivate suppliers to invest in production technologies.

Third, in some states (such as Western Australia) the testing regimes for recycled construction products are more complex than that what applies to raw materials. More reasonable specifications would reduce compliance costs and thereby the cost of using recycled materials.

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How to make roads with recycled waste, and pave the way to a circular economy - The Conversation AU

Amid structural, economic and social transition, Nepal holds a comparative advantage to orient itself towards a green economy.

Nepal remains alarmingly vulnerable to climate change with limited coping capacities against climate-induced hazards. With the rapid increase in urbanisation, industrial spur and broadening production and consumption base, the shift to a greener economy is not only an inevitable alternative for sustainable use of natural resources and consumption patterns but also achieve the twin goals of economic growth along with environment-friendly development practices.

Though the agenda of the green economy is at the forefront in discussion and debates in the form of dialogues and seminars, no significant intervention has been in place to green the economic structure. Yet, opportunities are imminent.

Nepal aims to graduate to a middle-income country (MIC) from the present status of lower-income country (LDC). To fulfil this objective of gaining the status of MIC by 2026, institutions of the government of Nepal have been focusing on improving human development, reducing poverty, enhancing accessibility to livelihood opportunities along tackling the vulnerability towards exogenous factors such as impacts of climate change and thereby induced disasters.

There is a challenge to combat the impact of the exogenous factor, i.e., climate change. The country despite having minimal emission of carbon at the global level is one of the worst victims of the alteration brought by climate change. To cope with the changing climate and various of its possible consequences, the government has formulated and approved a Climate Change Policy and developed a national framework on Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPA) and National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA). As means of preventive interventions, a low-carbon development strategy is under development.

The green economy as a broad macroeconomic reform agenda may induce various trade-offs in diverse economic parameters. It is often argued that in the course of greening the economic activities, the open unemployment problem may escalate as employment growth falls short of labour force growth. This remains a threat when more than 450,000 semiskilled labour force enters the job market every year along with the poverty rate standing at 25.16% and worsening inequality with a Gini coefficient of 0.49.

There is a deemed need for quantitative macro policy analysis on the impact of green interventions on employment in diverse sectors of the economy. Also, quantitative analysis and estimation of the size of the green economy and jobs are mandatory for further green reform planning.

The nature of the Nepali economy with the predominance of agriculture and more than half the share of the service sector may not allow the replication of greening efforts of other manufacturing-based economies. With the nurturing manufacturing sector, green development strategy may pose a tradeoff between employment generation and increasing productivity. This would be more pronounced during the gradual shift of the workforce from the agricultural to the industrial sector.

This should be carefully analysed, and the tradeoff could be minimised through the choice of sectors in the economy that are employment-intensive and may absorb the mentioned threat. Nevertheless, the choice of patterns and tools of green interventions based on the ground realities of various sectors could direct the green growth.

Climate responsive budgeting practice has been proved to be an effective tool to promote a green economy in various countries. Theoretically, Nepal has pursued this strategy. However, with a new decentralised governance system in place along with three tiers of government, an integrated guideline for drafting a climate-responsive budget could be an effective institutional move to green government expenditures at the grassroots.

On one hand, this could decentralise the greening effort and on the other hand, may lead to the incorporation of local indigenous nature-friendly knowledge and practices into action. With the booming entrepreneurship across the country, these local government agencies may play a significant role in promoting green entrepreneurship through related skill development, grants, and subsidies. The issues of transparency and accountability of government officials remain significant in this grassroots initiative.

The popularity and success of the circular economy in various countries including China, Germany and the UK among others is another alternative pathway to green industrial practices. The shift from the linear approach of production-use-disposal to the more sustainable production process and management of residuals and unutilised items at the end of the production process not only minimises the use of non-renewable resources but also significantly reduce industrial emissions.

This concept is in the initial stage in Nepal, sometimes pronounced in the field of solid waste management. However, with effective planning and intervention, this option holds immense opportunity to integrate the various industrial production processes and achieve twin benefits of resource use efficiency and reduced production cost.

However, there remains the issue of practicality in the implementation of this model in Nepal. The starting point for this approach could be piloting integrated manufacturing practice in selected industrial areas and if successful and with the lessons learned, upscaling it to a new model of industrial areas based on a circular model.

Nepal is predominantly an agricultural country, the agriculture sector contributing to a third of national GDP and almost two-third of employment. This could be the prime sector of green intervention in the sense it remains the potential sector of growth, commercialisation, trade opportunity and prerequisite sector for industrial growth. This sector is already green as traditional agricultural practices are less chemical and equipment-intensive.

However, the major challenge is greening the agricultural practices to enhance productivity to meet the needs of a growing population. The increasing use of chemical fertilisers, genetically modified seeds and fossil fuel-based agricultural equipment pose the threat to green practice. The identification and use of indigenous knowledge and practices, climate-resilient crop varieties and carbon-smart agricultural practices are way forward to green agricultural practices in Nepal.

Although Nepal is rich in water resources with immense potential in the hydroelectricity sector, Nepals energy need is mostly fulfilled through imported fossil fuels. Hydroelectricity power plant development remains a prime need towards greening the energy consumption pattern in Nepal. Moreover, Nepal has potential for other sources of renewable energy mainly, solar and wind energy. It is yet to conduct detailed research on the prospect of wind energy across the country and meet at least the local energy needs.

As Nepal is prioritising infrastructure development for quite some time and as an area of significant government spending, this sector is very much strategic for green economy reform. Infrastructure is also linked with other sectors of the economy. It is recommended that labour-based option in the infrastructure sector is greener as well as less costly than the equipment-based alternative.

The use of traditional and conventional labour-based approaches in irrigation, soil and water management, erosion control, sewage systems could be more effective to reduce the environmental externalities during infrastructure development.

Nepal has comparative advantages on green tourism with natural landscapes and biodiversity as major attractions. Nepals tourism sector is already green in many senses. Tourism is a significant employment-generating sector and with a sizable contribution to the GDP, promoting tourism and expanding tourist destinations is vital to creating green jobs. Nepal is popular for ecotourism with integrated conservation initiatives, thereby acting as a major source of foreign currency earnings which is greener than foreign earnings from other sectors of the economy.

However, haphazard infrastructure development along the tourist trails and the introduction of motor vehicles may do more harm than good. Strict provisions for environmental management, ranging from banning plastics and environment regulatory fees could promote the environmental obligation part of the tourism industry. Further, linking tourism with other associated sectors of the economy (for instance: agriculture, beverage, hotel, or garments) may enhance the gains from tourism as well as foster green practice across these sectors.

An environment-friendly technological landscape is vital to promote green growth. Improvement in the technological landscape can direct the paradigm shift towards green jobs, green products, and minimisation of environmental problems like pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the prime issue for developing countries like Nepal in their journey towards green technology remains the availability of sufficient finance. Meanwhile, this technological shift should also entail the goals of poverty and hunger reduction, food security, capacity building and livelihood support systems.

Nepal entails a better prospect and comparative advantage in its transition towards a green economy to lead the green growth that is sustainable for generations. The sectoral targeted intervention to green their products and services is vital to green the production and consumption practices across the economy. The prime concern is the selection of sectors of the economy for intervention that is in line with employment creation and that creates a broader impact to achieve the twin goals of economic growth and environmental conservation as well as efficient use of resources. The use of green technology and technology transfer across various sectors of the economy could jump-start the green economic reform.

Gelal is a researcher in various domains of development and particularly interested in environmental and inclusion issues along with topics of policy analysis. Upadhyay is an active environmentalist and meteorologist. He has been working as a development researcher and consultant for decades.

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Green economy in Nepal's prospect: Path in the 21st century - Online Khabar (English)

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Finding good employees has always been a challenge but these days its harder than ever. And it is unlikely to improve anytime soon.

The so-called quit rate the share of workers who voluntarily leave their jobs hit a new record of 3%in September 2021, according to the latest data available from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The rate was highest in the leisure and hospitality sector, where 6.4% of workers quit their jobs in September. In all,20.2 million workers left their employersfrom May through September.

Companies are feeling the effects. In August 2021, a survey found that 73% of 380 employers in North America were havingdifficulty attracting employees three times the share that said so the previous year. And 70% expect this difficulty to persist into 2022.

Observers haveblamed a wide variety of factors for all the turnover, from fear of contracting COVID-19 by mixing with co-workers on the job to paltry wages and benefits being offered.

As aprofessor of human resource management, I examine how employment and the work environment have changed over time and the impact this has on organizations and communities. While the current resignation behavior may seem like a new trend, data shows employee turnoverhas been rising steadilyfor the past decade and may simply be the new normal employers are going to have to get used to.

The U.S. alongside other advanced economies has been moving away from a focuson productive sectors like manufacturing to a service-based economy for decades.

In recent years, theservice sector accounted for about 86%of all employment in the U.S. and 79% of all economic growth.

That change has been seismic for employers. A majority of the jobs in service-based industries require onlygeneralizable occupational skillssuch as competencies in computing and communications that are often easily transportable across companies. This is true across a wide range of professions, from accountants and engineers to truck drivers and customer services representatives. As a result, in service-based economies, it is relatively easy for employees to move between companies and maintain their productivity.

And thanks to information technology and social media, it has never been easier for employees tofind out about new job opportunitiesanywhere in the world. Thegrowing prevalence of remote workingalso means that in some cases employees will no longer need to physically relocate to start a new job.

Thus, the barriers and transition costs employees incur when switching employers have been reduced.

Greater options and lower costs to move mean that employees can be more selective and focus on picking jobs that best fit their personal needs and desires. What people want from work is inherently shaped by theircultural values and life situation. The U.S. labor market is expected to become farmore diversegoing forward in terms of gender, ethnicity and age. Thus, employers that cannot provide greater flexibility and variety in their working environment will struggle to attract and retain workers.

Employers now have a greater obligation than in the past to convince existing and would-be employees why they should stay or join their organizations. And there is no evidence to suggest this trend will change going forward.

It has been estimated that thecost to the employer of replacing a departing employeeis on average 122% of that employees annual salary in terms of finding and training a replacement.

Thus, there is a large incentive for businesses to adapt to the new labor market conditions and develop innovative approaches to keeping workers happy and in their jobs.

A May 2021 surveyfound that 54% of employeessurveyed from around the world would consider leaving their job if they were not afforded some form of flexibility in where and when they work.

Given the heightened priority employees place on finding a job that fits their preferences, companies need to adopt a more holistic approach to the types of rewards they provide. Its also important that theytailor the types of financial, social and developmental incentives and opportunitiesthey provide to individual employees preferences. Its not just about paying workers more. There are even examples of companiesproviding employees the choiceof simply being paid in a cryptocurrency like bitcoin as an inducement.

While customizing the package of rewards each employees receives may potentially increase an organizations administrative costs, this investment can help retain a highly engaged workforce.

Companies should also plan on high employee mobility to be endemic and reframe how they approach managing their workers.

One way to do this is by investing deeply in external relationships that help ensure consistent access to high-quality talent.This can include enhancing the relationshipsthey have with educational institutions and former employees.

For example, many organizations have adoptedalumni programsthat specifically recruit former employees to rejoin.

These former employees are often less expensive to recruit, bring access to needed human capital and possess both an understanding of an organizations processes and an appreciation of the organizations culture.

The quit rate is likely to stay elevated for some time to come. The sooner employers accept that and adapt, the better theyll be at managing the new normal.

Ian O. Williamson, Dean of the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine

This article is republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.

Also read: Before you celebrate Icelands four-day work week, read this

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The great resignation is here to stay. And workplaces need to adapt - ThePrint

By Ian O. Williamson, University of California, Irvine

Finding good employees has always been a challenge but these days its harder than ever. And it is unlikely to improve anytime soon.

The so-called quit rate the share of workers who voluntarily leave their jobs hit a new record of 3% in September 2021, according to the latest data available from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The rate was highest in the leisure and hospitality sector, where 6.4% of workers quit their jobs in September. In all, 20.2 million workers left their employers from May through September.

Companies are feeling the effects. In August 2021, a survey found that 73% of 380 employers in North America were having difficulty attracting employees three times the share that said so the previous year. And 70% expect this difficulty to persist into 2022.

Observers have blamed a wide variety of factors for all the turnover, from fear of contracting COVID-19 by mixing with co-workers on the job to paltry wages and benefits being offered.

As a professor of human resource management, I examine how employment and the work environment have changed over time and the impact this has on organizations and communities. While the current resignation behavior may seem like a new trend, data shows employee turnover has been rising steadily for the past decade and may simply be the new normal employers are going to have to get used to.

The U.S. alongside other advanced economies has been moving away from a focus on productive sectors like manufacturing to a service-based economy for decades.

In recent years, the service sector accounted for about 86% of all employment in the U.S. and 79% of all economic growth.

That change has been seismic for employers. A majority of the jobs in service-based industries require only generalizable occupational skills such as competencies in computing and communications that are often easily transportable across companies. This is true across a wide range of professions, from accountants and engineers to truck drivers and customer services representatives. As a result, in service-based economies, it is relatively easy for employees to move between companies and maintain their productivity.

And thanks to information technology and social media, it has never been easier for employees to find out about new job opportunities anywhere in the world. The growing prevalence of remote working also means that in some cases employees will no longer need to physically relocate to start a new job.

Thus, the barriers and transition costs employees incur when switching employers have been reduced.

Greater options and lower costs to move mean that employees can be more selective and focus on picking jobs that best fit their personal needs and desires. What people want from work is inherently shaped by their cultural values and life situation. The U.S. labor market is expected to become far more diverse going forward in terms of gender, ethnicity and age. Thus, employers that cannot provide greater flexibility and variety in their working environment will struggle to attract and retain workers.

Employers now have a greater obligation than in the past to convince existing and would-be employees why they should stay or join their organizations. And there is no evidence to suggest this trend will change going forward.

It has been estimated that the cost to the employer of replacing a departing employee is on average 122% of that employees annual salary in terms of finding and training a replacement.

Thus, there is a large incentive for businesses to adapt to the new labor market conditions and develop innovative approaches to keeping workers happy and in their jobs.

A May 2021 survey found that 54% of employees surveyed from around the world would consider leaving their job if they were not afforded some form of flexibility in where and when they work.

Given the heightened priority employees place on finding a job that fits their preferences, companies need to adopt a more holistic approach to the types of rewards they provide. Its also important that they tailor the types of financial, social and developmental incentives and opportunities they provide to individual employees preferences. Its not just about paying workers more. There are even examples of companies providing employees the choice of simply being paid in a cryptocurrency like bitcoin as an inducement.

While customizing the package of rewards each employees receives may potentially increase an organizations administrative costs, this investment can help retain a highly engaged workforce.

Companies should also plan on high employee mobility to be endemic and reframe how they approach managing their workers.

One way to do this is by investing deeply in external relationships that help ensure consistent access to high-quality talent. This can include enhancing the relationships they have with educational institutions and former employees.

For example, many organizations have adopted alumni programs that specifically recruit former employees to rejoin.

These former employees are often less expensive to recruit, bring access to needed human capital and possess both an understanding of an organizations processes and an appreciation of the organizations culture.

The quit rate is likely to stay elevated for some time to come. The sooner employers accept that and adapt, the better theyll be at managing the new normal.

Ian O. Williamson, Dean of the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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The 'great resignation' is a trend that began before the pandemic - Ohio Capital Journal

Technologies such as satellite imagery, AI, Information Technology, and many more when joining hands with agriculture, make the entire process predictable, sustainable and seamless

The current market conditions and the environmental crises experienced globally have forced Agri-stakeholders to rethink their agriculture operations and decisions

With real-time data and big data analytics, it has made it possible for agri-stakeholders to effectively manage their farms and also conclude better decisions related to agriculture

Today even when the Indian Economy has seen a rise, this has still not improved agricultures contribution to the nations GDP. The agriculture sector occupies a large share of the Indian Economy. Even today over 70% of Rural Households still rely largely on Agriculture for their livelihood. Agriculture accounts for 25% of Indias GDP and is a key contributor to the Indian economy.

This sector today is undergoing a major transformation and emerging at a better place with the help of technological advancements such as Sustainable Farming Practices or Farm Management Software. Traditionally making decisions related to agriculture was unreliable because of erratic climatic conditions which couldnt provide a solid ground for any agriculture-based decisions.

Today although the sector has been through some major technological advancements and this has given a solid ground, based on which agriculture-related decisions could be made. Big Data over the years has become a reliable source, the sector no more only relies on human labour, human intuition and traditional agriculture practices. It has actively started adopting technologies such as AI, IoT, IT, Climate Smart Advisories, and so on.

Sustainable Agriculture has grown popular in recent times. Gone are the times where relying on intuition or traditional agriculture practices was the best option. Today with the ever-growing population, traditional agriculture practices are not only necessary but are also not worth it. Technologies such as Satellite Imagery, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, and many more when join hands with agriculture, they make the entire process Predictable, Sustainable and Seamless. The key is to scout the best blend of traditional and new-age agricultural practices to maximize long-term yield while staying within resource restrictions.

India has been actively adopting sustainable agriculture practices since 2014-15, the focus heavily was laid upon water and soil health management along with climate impact, and so on. The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, initiated in the year of 2015 was set with an aim to improve farming as a process. Today where states like Sikkim or Andhra Pradesh lead sustainable agriculture in India, the adoption still is on its margin level.

With such initiatives taken, many farmers now have deeply understood the repercussions and have refused to use chemical pesticides as a part of a growing movement, that favours natural alternatives. Non-Pesticide Management is a Sustainable approach to pest control operating on the theory that an infestation of one type of insect could create a disturbance in the environment. We are now targeting the root of the problem and not only the symptoms.

Within a year of using natural methods, farmers experienced a far better result than they had ever experienced. And as the word spread, more farmers and agri stakeholders came on board. Sustainability is not only a matter of survival, it encompasses more than the habitats degradation.

Earlier before Sustainable Agriculture practices were put to use, various other forms of agriculture practices were being used by agri-stakeholders, such as Industrial Agriculture, Intensive Farming, Sedentary Agriculture, Shifting Agriculture, Arable Farming, and so on, these severely affected the environment and eventually disrupted it.

Industrial Agriculture also known as Commercial Agriculture involves crops that are genetically modified with heavy use of pesticides and this practice results in environmental destruction on a large scale. Industries have reaped benefits and enjoyed profitability without paying attention or understanding the various repercussions that their farming activity held over the environment all these years. Soil Erosion, Infertility, Loss of Biodiversity, Increase in Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Pesticide Overuse, Water Shortage were a few problems that Industrial Agriculture over the years have contributed to.

Such improper practices could be addressed with proper adoption of technology and can result in the upliftment of the agriculture sector and the environment overall. The current market conditions and the environmental crises experienced globally have forced Agri-stakeholders to rethink their agriculture operations and decisions. Which has further led to the strong growth of Agritech.

AgTech or Agritech refers to technology-focused improvements within agribusinesses. It holds the power to eliminate the negative global environmental impact of agriculture by reducing the use of fertilizer and other chemicals required for food production. It adopts sustainable agriculture practices with the help of technologies that helps agri-stakeholders enjoy better yield and profitability by the end of their cycle.

Agritech today has brought all Agri-Stakeholders on a single platform through a seamless and effective collaboration amongst them. With real-time data and big data analytics, it has made it possible for agri-stakeholders to effectively manage their farms and also conclude better decisions related to agriculture, furthermore helping with effective farm planning and resulting in a better yield by the end of the cycle. Today it has made it possible for farmers to enjoy a steady income, a better quality of yield by the end of their respective harvest cycle, and with lesser wastage of resources.

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How Agritech Is Changing The Face Of Sustainable And Industrial Agriculture - Inc42 Media

Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Hong Nam-ki, who also serves as finance minister, answers questions from lawmakers at the National Assembly, November 11. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

The author is the head of P Team of the JoongAng Ilbo. In May 2005, government officials had a workshop at Samsung Human Resource Development Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi. The participants were high-level officials from the Ministry of Finance and Economy. The measures to prevent the credit card crisis, which was hastily implemented after many people became bad creditors, was a typical belated policy, said a participant. The remarks came from none other than an official of the Ministry of Finance and Economy. He gave a sharp criticism in front of the deputy prime minister who was willing to listen. The sense of crisis was heightened as discussions were based on the premise of the collapse of the ministry. The ministry would collapse if it fails to diagnose the economic situation, issue belated policies, lack rationality and transparency in policy-making process, implement reckless policies, ignore markets, public and media opinions or become the Mofia a compound word of the Ministry of Finance and mafia. The roots of the current Ministry of Strategy and Finance trace back to the Ministry of Finance in the Provisional Government (1919-1948). It was divided into the Ministry of Finance and the Economic Planning Board, and then into the Board of Finance and Economy in the Kim Young-sam administration, and again split into the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Ministry of Planning and Budget in the Kim Dae-jung administration. The two ministries were merged into one in 2008 during the Lee Myung-bak administration. There were many controversies involving the ministry. The most painful criticism is the so-called Mofia. The ministry was compared to the mafia as its officials took major positions in the government and state-run banks and wielded unchallenged power. A number of officials were investigated over the allegation that they were involved in the sale of Korea Exchange Bank to American private equity fund Lone Star at a low price during the Asian financial crisis and IMF bailout. Lately, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance is making news again. This time, it is over the budget. Ruling Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung proposed to use the surplus tax revenue on additional disaster relief grants for all citizens. The ministry initially showed disapproval, but soon it was attacked after it turned out that an additional 19 trillion won in taxes was collected than what the ministry expected in July. DP floor leader Yoon Ho-joong said that an investigation was necessary if the cover-up was intentional. But presidential runners are expected to continue to offer policy promises to please the voters. I hope they study the failing scenario that the officials had discussed 16 years ago.

Go here to see the original:

The return of the 'Mofia'? - Korea JoongAng Daily

The rivers winding through the Western Slope are a wonderfully vivid reminder of the interconnectedness of our communities and the common values we share.

From farmers and ranchers, to outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy fishing, hunting, rafting or kayaking, to parents and grandparents concerned about their childrens health, we all share the desire to have abundant clean water running through our rivers and feeding our water tables.

Last year, voters across the Western Slope resoundingly approved ballot measure 7A to protect our local rivers; roughly 75% of Garfield County voters supported the measure. The initiatives sponsor, Colorado River District, succeeded in communicating that water is the lifeblood of our community and the backbone of our rural economy, and we responded.

Ballot measure 7A addressed many issues, but one pressing threat in particular remains. Currently, our ground and surface waters are at risk of ongoing contamination by thousands of oil and gas wells that are only marginally productive or not producing at all.

Oil and gas operators are legally required to plug their wells and restore the landscape once wells are no longer deemed productive. The purpose of plugging, which typically involves pumping cement into the well, is to prevent toxic and radioactive chemicals from leaking into ground and surface waters and to halt the release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, into our atmosphere.

Nevertheless, there are currently about 25,000 unprofitable wells across Colorado that remain unplugged. Rather than plugging them, oil and gas giants profit by postponing the plugging process and selling off their low producing wells to smaller operators. Once smaller operators are done dredging the last oil from a given well, they can file for bankruptcy and set up shop under a new business name, leaving the well unattended to and unplugged.

As a result, the government is left holding the ball and paying the bill for these orphaned wells, with taxpayers like you and me ultimately bearing the cost. As the rules stand now, it is estimated that Colorado taxpayers could be on the hook for billions of dollars in cleanup costs.

Its time for us to tell the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), the agency regulating oil and gas operators, that this situation is unacceptable. Operators must be required to post bonds to cover the full cost of plugging and cleaning up every well they drill.

Many times in our nations past, people have come together to demand that our government step in and protect our precious shared resources. In 1969, people from all walks of life participated in a massive volunteer clean-up effort after 3 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the ocean off the coast of California. A local news editor wrote, This oil pollution has done something I have never seen before in Santa Barbara it has united citizens of all political persuasions in a truly nonpartisan cause. Outraged by the sight of oil-covered birds and dead dolphins, people then mobilized to push the government to pass the National Environmental Policy Act.

That same year, the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire as a result of years of industrial pollution. The dumping of toxic factory waste into public waterways was common practice at that time. The alarming sight of a river on fire aroused a widespread outcry, ultimately leading to the passage of the Water Pollution Control Act of 1972. The dumping of industrial waste was outlawed, and our government made protecting our drinking water and aquatic ecosystems a priority.

We all benefit when government officials step up to do what they were elected and appointed to do, to protect the health, safety and welfare of their constituents: families, working people, residents of all stripes. Serving the common good is why we have governments in the first place.

Its time for our elected officials and regulators to hold accountable the oil and gas corporations doing business in our region, and to prevent them from profiting at the expense of our water, air and health.

This is not a question of whether we should prioritize the economy or the environment. In our local, natural resource-based economy, protecting our environment is fundamental to growing and sustaining a healthy economy. Here on the Western Slope, our lives and our livelihoods depend on access to clean water and air.

Please sign up to provide input at one of COGCCs weekly meetings and encourage them to require bonding to cover the full cost of plugging and cleaning up every well that is drilled in Colorado (COGCC.gov.co.us). In addition, please urge the Garfield County commissioners to stop lobbying against these proposed rules.

Debbie Bruell of Carbondale is a former Roaring Fork School District Board of Education member and currently chairs the Garfield County Democrats.

Link:

Bruell column: The rivers run through us Let's do more to protect them - Glenwood Springs Post Independent