Category Archives: Resource Based Economy

The Housing Sector has been the prime mover in our economy, but it too will falter unless the government becomes involved in actually making "homes" for Canadians, letter-writer says

BradfordToday received the following letter from Steven Kaszabregarding the recent housing market:

Toronto and all of Southern Ontario, along with much of Canada has experienced an awesome increase in prices for their homes. No matter the type of housing, whether it be free homes, twins, condo's or townhomes their prices have skyrocketed in price, but certainly not their true value. What? How can a house price increase but its value does not?

Materials used to build new housing used to cost the same over time. That rule no longer exists. Seen the price of a 2"x4" lately? If you can find such material, its cost has pretty well doubled. Labor to build these houses remains the same.

I am talking about older homes. These were often built at a cost of say $100,000-200,000 but now sell for over a million dollars. Condos and townhomes sell for half a million dollars and upward in Southern Ontario. If one inspects a new house being built and can speak to a builder of these homes you will find materials that are often inferior in thickness, durability, and lasting value. 3/8"-1/2" chipboard instead of 3/4" thick plywood, parts of bricks instead of whole bricks. The men and women who work on times schedules are often contractors who are pressured to finish their work quickly and move on. The trades often work through the evening and night trying to finish their mission, often accomplishing their tasks by cutting corners like doing one coat of paint instead of the approved two coats.

A home built in the 1970-80s that sold for $250,000 then is not truly worth a million dollars, but the demand for a home has escalated the price and profits for their owners. Sure many people look to their homes as a retirement fund, but their need, their greed is leading their region towards a building bubble, a balloon forever inflating until it will pop one day. The developers and their allies in the real estate sector do whatever they can to increase prices and profits for themselves. Like a municipal government that continually institutes more services for their population knowing they can increase the fees and taxes over time. Build and they will buy. Our financial institutions will continue to issue mortgages and loans to these buyers.

Then one day the economy will begin to fail. Three per centgrowth in our national economy is a difficult thing to accomplish in Canada. We have a resource-based economy, with our manufacturing sector shrinking.

Real wealth cannot be created within the service sector. The Housing Sector has been the prime mover in our economy, but it too will falter unless the government becomes involved in actually making "homes" for Canadians. Relying upon the private sector is foolhardy.

Canadians need to move away from large urban areas and inject themselves into smaller cities, towns, and villages creating a need for housing in these communities. An "if we build they will come" attitude may be needed, with a good mix match of quality rental and ownership options. Private Developers will not build affordable housing. The whole reason there is a housing bubble in Southern Ontario rests upon the lack of supply. Why would a private developer build something without the promise of maximizing their profits? The solution on how to make affordable housing a reality throughout Ontario and Canada rests upon the shoulders of our elected officials within the Municipal, Provincial and Federal spheres.

Ontarians,go north, young and old. Create living communities where people are more important than profits.

Steven Kaszab

Bradford, Ontario

More:

LETTER: When will the housing bubble pop? - BradfordToday

We take resources from the earth. We make things out of them for use. And then, we throw away whatever is left. The cost is borne out not only in landfills, but also through emissions, as our consumption fuels the climate emergency.

Yet, companies have been optimizing for the linear economy for over 200 years. Shifting the economy toward circularity requires major changes to business and operating models, supply chains, and B2B and B2C consumer behaviour. This level of disruption to business as usual often harms those most vulnerable, and circular solutions must contribute to a just, inclusive future.

More and more companies are taking on this complex challenge. As part of the Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2021, we asked top executives prioritizing the circular economy from four sectors about their lessons learned. Heres their advice on where to start, what to avoid and how to build momentum to jumpstart a companys circular transition.

Its an annual meeting featuring top examples of public-private cooperation and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies being used to develop the sustainable development agenda.

It runs alongside the United Nations General Assembly, which this year features a one-day climate summit. This is timely given rising public fears and citizen action over weather conditions, pollution, ocean health and dwindling wildlife. It also reflects the understanding of the growing business case for action.

The UNs Strategic Development Goals and the Paris Agreement provide the architecture for resolving many of these challenges. But to achieve this, we need to change the patterns of production, operation and consumption.

The World Economic Forums work is key, with the summit offering the opportunity to debate, discuss and engage on these issues at a global policy level.

Tanah Sullivan, Group Head of Sustainability, GoTo

Adopt a mindset that circular is a business decision and should be treated by the company as such. At GoTo, this started with socialising a common vision and understanding of what circular meant in our context and what best practice actually looked like for our industry and region.

Before, we were struggling to translate our best-in-class roadmap (based on insights and standards from other companies) into a tangible and operational transition plan for our business units. Now, we see this common understanding and agenda leading to more engagement from the parts of the company driving business growth. Although still a work in progress, this is how we're approaching the operationalisation of our Zero Waste by 2030 commitment, and integrating it into every business unit's operations and objectives.

For more mature companies, the mindset shift means making investments in areas where there may not be direct or imminent business value or impact. For those at the beginning of this journey, it can start with small steps towards replacing existing materials (or, in our case, packaging) with more sustainable and economically viable alternatives. These small steps can have huge short-term impacts and set the path toward more systemic changes in the future.

The World Economic Forum has created a series of initiatives to promote circularity.

1. Scale360 Playbook was designed to build lasting ecosystems for the circular economy and help solutions scale.

Scale360 Playbook Journey

Image: Scale360 Playbook

Its unique hub-based approach - launched this September - is designed to prioritize circular innovation while fostering communities that allow innovators from around the world to share ideas and solutions. Emerging innovators from around the world can connect and work together ideas and solutions through the UpLink, the Forum's open innovation platform.

Discover how the Scale360 Playbook can drive circular innovation in your community.

2. A new Circular Cars Initiative (CCI) embodies an ambition for a more circular automotive industry. It represents a coalition of more than 60 automakers, suppliers, research institutions, NGOs and international organizations committed to realizing this near-term ambition.

CCI has recently released a new series of circularity roadmaps, developed in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), McKinsey & Co. and Accenture Strategy. These reports explain the specifics of this new circular transition.

Connect to Learn More

3. The World Economic Forums Accelerating Digital Traceability for Sustainable Production initiative brings together manufacturers, suppliers, consumers and regulators to jointly establish solutions and provide a supporting ecosystem to increase supply chain visibility and accelerate sustainability and circularity across manufacturing and production sectors.

Connect to Learn More

Robert Metzke, Head of Sustainability, Royal Philips

At Philips, we started by developing a clear picture of our global end-to-end impact, including supply, production and use of our material flows. We consistently embed a circularity mindset and principles across all parts of the company (business, markets, functions), starting with business strategy, innovation process, capital allocation, HR management and rewards, capability-building programs, site management, brand positioning, marketing, etc. Our sustainability ambitions and commitments are an integral part of our companys purpose and culture.

Embedding circularity in our core strategy and all businesses, markets and functions helped us to connect many initially independent initiatives, scale best practices and reap the economic benefits of circularity from pilots to impact. We moved from a sustainability strategy driven by a specific function within the company, to company-driven ambition and commitments. This approach fostered new solutions and ideas from many parts of the company/markets, as well as a broader sharing of best practices. Today, we have a clear roadmap of programs and structural initiatives across the company at the regional and global levels, that will allow us to deliver on ambitious 2025 targets and team up with other companies, NGOs and governments on platforms like PACE.

What is the circular economy?

Image: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Ibrahim Al-Zubi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Majid Al Futtaim-Holding

When embarking on a circular business model, it is important to look at your pillars and targets day by day. Success isnt measured overnight, and each milestone resets with a new target. Staying committed to the course is what ultimately changes behaviours and mindsets and garners impactful results.

At Majid Al Futtaim, a circular business model is crucial to reaching our commitment to Net Positive in carbon and water by 2040. Five key pillars underpin the strategy:

1. understanding our organisational resource flows to reduce waste

2. implementing internal systems to maximise the value of resources

3. supporting our supply chain to progress towards circularity

4. engaging with our customers to help them make circular choices

5. supporting research and innovation to accelerate the global transition to a circular economy

Despite what was a challenging year, we are on track to meet the milestones in our roadmap and continue to forge partnerships to maximise the value of our waste. For example, since the start of 2020, Carrefour Kenya has been working with a local partner to recycle paper, plastic, metal and organic waste. As a result, 92% of their operational waste is now being recycled and over the year has offset 581,221 kg of CO emissions, equivalent to saving a forest area the size of 810 football pitches. Carrefour Georgia has taken on a unique partnership with the Caucasus Bears farm to provide their bears with older fruit and vegetables which can no longer be sold in store.

We have also undertaken a strategic review of the extent to which circular economy principles are embedded into our goods supply chain and started to measure our sources of waste to identify opportunities for improved measurement and reduced waste generation. Based on these, we will provide training and opportunities for closing the loop throughout our business. We hope to be able to systematically scale up this work.

Dr. Christian Haessler, Head, Global Circular Economy Program, Covestro Germany AG

The one most important thing is to get the whole company behind circular in both ACTIONS and MINDSET. Clear objectives and action plans are important, along with clear commitment from top management and guidance for all employees on how to participate and prioritise in such a transformation.

The transformation to a circular economy is comparable to the pathway to climate neutrality. It spans decades, so there is a "before" the transformation, but not yet an "after". To start the transformation, it will help to define circular objectives for the company overall as well as for all areas of the company, so all areas of the company can contribute. Attention has to be paid to sustainability and circular economy KPI setting, supplementing financial KPIs and balancing both. Messaging has to be consistent and repeated by line management. Information and Q&A sessions have to be abundantly offered as well as HR-driven change programs.

A version of this article was originally published on Forbes.

Go here to see the original:

4 industry leaders on what it takes to go circular - World Economic Forum

With record heat waves globally and extreme flooding impacting Europe and China, now is a pivotal moment to interrogate the interplay of technology and the environment, including the role of artificial intelligence (AI).

What would it take to make AI greener? On the one hand, we first need to collectively recognize that there are tangible costs to the creation and use of AI systems and, in fact, they can be quite large. GPT-3, a recent powerful language model by OpenAI, is estimated to have consumed enough energy in training to leave a carbon footprint equivalent to driving a car from Earth to the moon and back.

There are beneficial impacts that AI can have on our relationship to the environment as well. A comprehensive study in 2020 assessed the potential impact of AI on the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, encompassing societal, economic and environmental outcomes. The researchers found that AI could positively enable 93% of the environmental targets, including the creation of smart and low-carbon cities; Internet-of-Things devices and appliances that can modulate their consumption of electricity; better integration of renewable energy through smart grids; the identification of desertification trends via satellite imagery; and combating marine pollution.

AI use cases in industry can serve to help the environment and reduce carbon emissions. For example, OYAK Cimento, a Turkish based cement manufacturing group is using AI to significantly reduce their carbon footprint. According to Berkan Fidan, Performance & Process Director at OYAK Cimento: Enterprise AI-assisted process control helps to increase operational efficiency, which means higher production with lower unit energy consumption. If we consider a single moderate capacity level cement plant with 1 million tons of cement production, just a 1% of additional clinker reduction with AI-assisted process and quality control produces a reduction of around 7,000 tons of CO2 per year. This equals CO2 absorption of 320,000 trees in a year.

According to the think tank Chatham House, cement accounts for approximately 8% of CO2 emissions. Thus, there is a clear environmental need to improve efficiency in cement manufacturing and one tool to do so is AI.

Another example of AI having a positive environmental impact concerns Entel, the largest Chilean telecommunications company, and sensor data to identify forest fires. It takes a collaborative effort to successfully fight forest fires that have been raging in many parts of the world, including Greece and Northern California. Chile is frequently impacted by severe climate change and catastrophic weather conditions, which previously led to the worst wildfire in Chiles history in 2017 that resulted in the burning of around 714,000 acres. For a country steeped in natural wonder, with a population and economy that depends heavily on thriving forests, any type of wildfire is a devastating tragedy.

Entel Ocean, the digital unit of Entel, sought to identify fires earlier using IoT sensors. These sensors act as a digital nose placed on trees, capable of detecting particles in the air. The data produced by these sensors enabled Entel Ocean to use AI for automatically predicting when a forest fire would start. We have been detecting a forest fire 12 minutes before traditional methods this is a big deal when it comes to preventing fires, says Lenor Ferrebuz Bastidas, enterprise digital solutions spokesperson for Entel Ocean. Considering fire can spread in a matter of seconds, every minute helps.

Through these applications, AI can be a powerful tool to combat climate change. But its role also as a contributor cannot be overlooked. To that end, the first step is to promote the practice of more holistic and multidimensional model evaluation. To date, the major focus of research and innovation has been on improving accuracy or creating new algorithm methods. These aims often consume larger and larger amounts of data, building ever more complex models. The most telling example is in deep learning, where computational resources went up 300,0000 times between 2012-2018.

Yet, the relationship between model accuracy and complexity is logarithmic. For exponential increases in model size and training requirements, there are linear improvements to performance. In the hunt for accuracy, less priority is given to developing methods with improved time-to-train or resource efficiency. Moving forward, we need to recognize the trade-off between model accuracy and efficiency and the models carbon footprint, regarding both during training and when making inferences.

Its an annual meeting featuring top examples of public-private cooperation and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies being used to develop the sustainable development agenda.

It runs alongside the United Nations General Assembly, which this year features a one-day climate summit. This is timely given rising public fears and citizen action over weather conditions, pollution, ocean health and dwindling wildlife. It also reflects the understanding of the growing business case for action.

The UNs Strategic Development Goals and the Paris Agreement provide the architecture for resolving many of these challenges. But to achieve this, we need to change the patterns of production, operation and consumption.

The World Economic Forums work is key, with the summit offering the opportunity to debate, discuss and engage on these issues at a global policy level.

The carbon footprint of a model can be complicated to determine and compare across modelling approaches and data centre infrastructures. A reasonable place to start may be by assessing the number of floating-point operations that is, a discrete count of how many simple mathematical operations (for example, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction, and variable assignment) that need to be performed to train a model. This factor and others can impact energy consumption along with the architecture of the model and the training resources, such as hardware like GPU or CPUs. Additionally, the physical considerations of the storage and cooling of the servers comes into play. As a final complication, it also matters where the energy is sourced from. Energy primarily from renewable resources compared to natural gas or coal will have a reduced carbon footprint.

Lets ask: How much more can we do with less? Taking into account energy-conserving constraints may drive us towards new and creative innovations in AI. By pivoting to this mindset instead of bigger is always better and by pursuing AI use cases in the environmental space, AI can remain at the cutting edge, becoming a sustainable technology of the future and a major asset in the protection of our global climate.

Written by

Sarah Khatry, Managing Director, AI Ethics, DataRobot

Ted Kwartler, VP, Trusted AI, DataRobot

Kay Firth-Butterfield, Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Mark Caine, Project Lead, Artificial Intelligence and Machine LearningProject Lead, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, World Economic Forum

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Read more from the original source:

What would it take to make AI 'greener'? - World Economic Forum

In todays globalised economy, South Africa needs to integrate into global value chains in a strategic way. (Photo: m.polity.org.za)

This article is based on Framing Structural Transformation in South Africa and Beyond, the first chapter of the book, Structural Transformation in South Africa: The Challenges of Inclusive Industrial Development in a Middle-Income Country. It is authored by the books editors: Antonio Andreoni, Pamela Mondliwa, Simon Roberts, and Fiona Tregenna.

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic inflicted the deepest recession on the global economy yet registered in peace time. The hardest impact of the recession has been on the most vulnerable in society, increasing inequalities and unemployment, and exacerbating long-standing economic problems. Since the onset of the recession, countries have been looking for a rebound in their economies and new pathways to sustained and more inclusive growth. Some have been more successful than others.

The latest figures for South Africa point to a 1.2% expansion of the economy in the second quarter of 2021, the fourth consecutive positive sign of recovery. However, this expansion is significantly lower than what is needed to return to pre-Covid levels.

In fact Covid pushed back the South African economy to its size in 2017.

This effectively means that three years of economic growth have been lost. Bringing back growth is not the only challenge for South Africa; indeed, in the past the country has experienced some phases of growth. The biggest challenge now is to sustain growth over time and deliver real economic change that is inclusive and sustainable.

Policymakers need to move beyond short-term measures and put in place measures that tackle entrenched, historical problems and enable real economic change. Taking up this challenge, a new volume, Structural Transformation in South Africa: The Challenges of Inclusive Industrial Development in a Middle-Income Country (Oxford University Press, 2021, free for download here) points to key elements of a viable path out of these problems. The bottom line, it concludes, is that there is no shortcut to real economic change, but that real structural transformation is required.

How have we got to this point?

Since 1994, South Africa has struggled to sustain an adequate process of structural transformation. The productive sectors of the economy have seen limited upgrading and diversification, which are prerequisites for this. As a result, the growth in domestic value addition, productivity and employment especially in the manufacturing industries has been limited.

We do the same things, and we do not innovate enough in the making. Without such changes in the productive sectors of the economy, opportunities for broader social and institutional transformation remain limited. Social mobility and inclusiveness via better and more jobs cannot materialise.

This is despite the fact that South Africa has, in recent years, looked to industrial policy as an instrument for driving structural transformation.

But while there have been positive developments in specific sectors, overall the industrial structure has changed relatively little since 1994. Fixed investment has remained low, and there has been some premature deindustrialisation. Higher levels of investment are essential for building production and skills across sectors in South Africa. However, we have not experienced the hoped-for broad-based growth which would reverse the legacy of apartheid policies that had focused the economy on a narrow mining and heavy industry base.

The extensive trade liberalisation and international integration starting in the 1990s increased imports and exports, with imports making up around one-third or more of domestic demand for manufactured goods. Overall, while some sectors had lower imports and despite some change around the growth of auto exports, the general picture is one of failure to significantly diversify the countrys export profile which still sees minerals and resource-based industries constituting a high percentage of exports. Trade liberalisation has contributed to the weakening of South African manufacturing, especially in labour-intensive industries that are directly important for employment.

South Africas failure to diversify is evident in two ways.

First, traditional resource-based sectors are mainly responsible for industry output growth in the economy. Second, higher levels of investment in the manufacturing sector have continued to be concentrated in these sectors rather than shifting to more diversified manufacturing activities.

Despite some areas of relative success, overall growth and upgrading in industries have been constrained by low levels of investment. Firms have struggled to build their productive capabilities, diversify their production activities and develop their domestic supply chains. Given this weakening industrial base, the engagements with global value chains (GVCs) and the emerging technologies of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution have been limited, and have generally not delivered the desired outcomes. The imperatives of greater inclusion and environmental sustainability are major cross-cutting challenges linked to the overall challenge of structural transformation.

Where do we go from here?

Because real economic transformation is multifaceted, an effective response needs to be holistic and requires purposive and coordinated industrial policies. In todays globalised economy, South Africa needs to integrate intoglobal value chains in a strategic way.

This means using global market opportunities to build, upgrade and diversify local capabilities among its productive organisations. Industrial policy is, however, doomed to fail without a strong state and all key stakeholders uniting behind a common vision of achieving inclusive growth. This is the direction of growth that the state should pursue.

One of the key ingredients to effecting real economic transformation is starting with what is happening at the level of the firm exploring how to upgrade technological and organisational capabilities, and translating innovation into production. For industrial policy to be effective, policies must reflect an understanding of what is happening within firms and with their workers their capabilities and levels of learning. But to also understand capabilities can only develop on the shop floor if the right amount of cooperation and competition are in place.

A second and related point is the need to factor into policies the impact of the rapid pace of technological changes globally, as well as the impact of climate change on industrialisation. In terms of technological change, while this is not a new phenomenon, the ongoing development of wide-scale digitalisation applications is accelerating the pace of change.

The challenge of climate change is to balance the need to reduce carbon emissions with the imperatives of industrialisation and this needs to be at the core of industrial policy.

A third area to consider is understanding the power dynamics within global value chains: power relations within these chains often imply that the bulk of the value is captured by lead firms that can leverage a combination of direct and diffuse forms of power transmission. Firms in developing economies tend to be involved in low-value areas, so the returns are limited. Upgrading within value chains is crucial, as is the dual linking-up with global value chains while linking back with local production systems.

Another key element to effecting successful structural transformation is a proactive industrial policy the main policy process through which the state sets the terms of the social contract underpinning structural transformation. A coherent industrial policy should address the abovementioned issues head-on, in ways that support local capabilities development.

Real economic change is political

The success of industrial policy can be undermined by the fragmentation of interests and power distribution across the economy. The political economy of structural transformation is therefore about not only understanding how the state can drive and give directionality to the process of structural transformation, but also about how the state is formed and shaped by emerging interests, conflicting claims and changes in the distribution of organised power.

Our research has shown that there are cases in which unproductive interests have captured the state and limited its capacity to drive change through industrial policies.

While South Africa faces many challenges with some seeming insurmountable at present papering over the cracks in the short term is not going to bring about the desired results. If the political will is there, coupled with the commitment of key stakeholders to really dig deep to understand the needs of their sectors and what is required to move to higher productivity activities, the country could escape premature deindustrialisation and its negative outcomes. DM/MC

Read more:

Real structural transformation is needed to realise rea... - Daily Maverick

Wondering whether it is worth investing in engineering projects? Check several reasons what benefits the engineering industry already delivers to industries.

The surrounding we live in goes on evolving in a way that nobody can predict. However, we know it for sure: engineering is the key trigger of such changes. It runs the world! Skillful engineering specialists develop and generate win-win solutions that allow mankind to get ready for significant challenges of the future, regardless of whether they are resource-based or social, such as urban infrastructure planning.

The majority of modern products and services possess several elements of engineering implemented at least in their idea, leading the way to happy, healthy, and safe lives for humans under their impact. In an advanced digital environment, people strongly require engineering professionals to bring the most unbelievable ideas to life.

By using the principles of science and math, engineers design solutions to the global greatest tech challenges. Check global engineering firms in case you want to make sure that engineers can design truly tremendous engineering projects. Here, you can also hire such a team for your startup!

Desire to invest in a certain engineering project? You are on the right way! Moreover, all the above-mentioned things sound truly inspiring for entrepreneurs that consider investing in the engineering field to become a part of global innovation and digitalization. Now, we would like to mention several reasons why engineering is worth your money for you to get rid of doubts that remained.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the world economy is suffering. Big companies, small businesses, and even startups around the globe have to fire their engineering staff just because they dont have relevant financial resources. This leads to the lack of engineering force to develop something truly valuable for mankind. However, you can contribute to improving the situation by investing in engineering projects.

Your investment can save peoples lives! The point is that nowadays, a wide range of engineering companies is targeted at delivering personal protective equipment to cope with COVID-19. As proof, check a very informative article called How Engineering Companies Worldwide are Helping to Battle Covid-19. Frequently, engineers have great ideas on how to develop some innovative safety equipment but have no financial resources to bring the concept to reality. And here, your investment can come in handy.

In its origin, engineering is all about designing technology to optimize the way people live. For instance, machinery is vital when it comes to designing ventilators that are a kind of healthcare equipment. Ventilators have already saved thousands of humans this year.

Consequently, investments in projects in this sector can enrich engineers with a decent budget and, as a result, resources to generate advanced solutions to support the population worldwide. Several great examples of such investment include the financial support from Tej Kohli Philanthropy given to several robotics enterprises to contribute to optimizing the international healthcare system and grants delivered by the Lisa & Steve Altman Family Foundation for engineers to develop healthcare startups.

What does it mean for businesses when you decide to invest in their engineering projects? Here are the things that companies can do with the help of your investment in terms of smart technology:

Improve manufacturing. Digitalization ensures permanent optimizations that improve the manufacturing cycle period that leads to general company efficiency. More clear and reasonable production gives rise to minimum waste, enhancing sustainability;

Better quality. Digitalization, as well as automation, minimizes human mistakes. All business/production practices are pre-defined. Processes are controlled because they move through every step so any bug can be evaluated and momentarily corrected. The possibility to produce a solution that you can trace is the clue to success for any engineering project;

Reduced waste. When engineering specialists implement digital technology and automation, they can easily discover solution defects at the earliest design stage before release. When you reveal errors in the early days, this helps to minimize waste, get rid of withdrawals, and increase profit. Automation helps developers to minimize waste up to final product release. Just imagine what waste reduction (even for half a percent) can mean for net revenue!

Optimized agility. Smart technology can make your business more flexible in terms of required changes. For instance, it wont be a problem to optimize manufacturing effectiveness, ensuring a company to adjust to in-season demand splashes without the necessity to use reprocessing facility that halts for a large part of the year. It enables the ability to optimize agility;

Opportunity to retain personnel. It may seem strange, but smart technology provides employers with a great chance to upgrade their staff. It helps employees to get rid of learning a bigger amount of value-added tasks, fostering personnel career and wellbeing.

See the article here:

Several Reasons to Invest in Engineering Projects - FinSMEs

Governor Kathy Hochul today allocated $59 million for the new Clean Green Schools initiative, which aims to advance clean energy and energy efficiency solutions that will improve indoor air quality and reduce emissions for more than 500 public and private Pre-K-12 schools indisadvantaged communitiesacross the state.As part of the program, the State will convene education leaders this fall, including school superintendents, administrators, and educators, to inform the initiative launching in early 2022 to address climate justice issues andcreateimproved, healthierlearning environments for students. Today's announcement supports New York's nation-leading goal of an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act).

"Every child deserves a clean and healthy learning environment, and this new program will help deliver that for our students, educators, and administrators in a waythat provides meaningful results and can be replicated across our state,"Governor Hochul said."I know what it's like to grow upexposed to unhealthy air, and we owe it to our children to be better than previous generations and correct these injustices."

Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Clean Green Schools initiative will provide technical, financial, and human resource support to help schools in underserved areas evaluate, plan for, and implement energy efficient and clean heating and cooling projects to benefit the most vulnerable New Yorkers.

The initiative will provide a range of tools, including benchmarking, energy management, indoor air quality assessments, commissioning support, student engagement in clean energy, and professional development opportunities around clean energy and sustainability, as well as two rounds of competitive incentives for clean building improvements in schools. Today's announcement was made by Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin at Enrico Fermi School in Yonkers.

"For far too long, children in New York's most underserved communities have faced persistent and inequitable exposure to air pollution often leading to disproportionate educational and health outcomes," said Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin."Today, the State is taking another significant step in addressing these inequities with the launch of our Clean Green Schools initiative which will provide school districts with the funding and resources needed to ensure safe and healthy classrooms and opportunities for job exploration and growth. "

To create a knowledge base that will help launch the program in 2022, the initiative will gather education leaders this fall to discuss opportunities through this program with energy efficiency and low carbon building experts from theGetting to Zero Forum,NYSERDAand theNew Buildings Institute (NBI).The initiativewill offer funding for services that will help schools evaluate, plan for, and facilitate energy reduction projects, clean energy projects, and indoor air quality projects and support building decarbonization projects. Additional funding will be provided to createproject-based learning opportunities to advance clean energy career pathways, internships and scholarships for students and faculty.

NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said,"This program will help improve student health and productivity by providing better air quality in schools while helping administrators lower their energy costs through energy efficiency improvements. NYSERDA is excited for the opportunity to dig in deeper with our education and clean energy partners to build this program in the most effective and efficient way for the benefit of not only today's generation of learners and educators, but for those to come."

New York State has over 6,000 public and private K-12 schools that spend approximately $1 billion in annual energy costs, which produces approximately 5.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide or other harmful greenhouse gases. Approximately 1,900 of these schools are located in disadvantaged communities across the State.

State Education Department Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said,"All children deserve to go to school in a building that is a safe, healthy and welcoming learning environment. By investing in clean energy and energy efficient solutions for our schools in underserved communities, the students in these school buildings will experience environmental sustainability firsthand."

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, "As Leader of the Senate, I commend Governor Hochul, and NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris, for this Clean Green Schools initiative. Together, we will work to improve air quality, reduce emissions, and safeguard our children's health for generations to come."

Senate Energy Committee Chair Kevin Parker said, "The Clean Green Schools initiative will ensure we are creating a safe environment for students to learn by improving the indoor air quality within their school buildings. I thank the Governor's office and NYSERDA for making schools in disadvantaged communities a priority where asthma rates are higher amongst students. This is a step in the right direction as we work towards ensuring environmental justice for everyone throughout the State."

Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, "As Chair of the Education Committee, I applaud Governor Kathy Hochul and NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris for committing to work with education stakeholders to improve indoor air quality, reduce emissions and strengthen our commitment to climate resiliency in school buildings across New York State."

Assembly Energy CommitteeChair Michael Cusick said,"As our students return to school their health and safety is our top priority. While we are focusing primarily on protecting our students from COVID, it is imperative that we also work to improve air quality in our schools. Reducing emissions and investing in energy efficiency in our school buildings will protect the well being of our students and contribute to our statewide mission of achieving our ambitious energy and climate goals."

Assembly Education Committee Chair Michael R. Benedetto said, "This is a great win for the schools, environment, and children in the State of New York. Hopefully, this is just a start in a new direction for the State for a more green and future friendly environment."

Dr. Edwin M. Quezada, Superintendent of Yonkers Public Schools, said, "There is nothing more important than a safe and healthy learning environment for students and staff. That is what we strive for every day in Yonkers. This can be challenging when 88% of our school are over 50 years old and 33% are centenarians. Yonkers' families, most importantly, Yonkers' 27,000 children of whom 77% are economically disadvantaged, welcome the opportunity to accelerate needed state of the art clean and efficient energy solutions in our schools. We appreciate that New York State is seeking input from educators to develop these solutions to improve the educational setting and enable students to thrive."

Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, said, "Advancing green and healthy schools in underserved and frontline communities is a foundational component of addressing the impacts of climate change and the history of underinvestment in our communities and improving health and educational outcomes for our children. We are excited to see Governor Hochul and her administration start to address the needs of our communities and look forward to working with NYSERDA in the development of this initiative." Maritza Silva-Farrell, Executive Director of ALIGN, said,"The path to New York's recovery must prioritize our children and their future. The plan to invest in installation of solar panels and HVAC systems in schools located in disadvantaged communities is a step forward in the right direction. It will enhance air quality, education, and health while creating career-orientated union jobs for New Yorkers. We applaud Governor Hochul's plan to move us closer towards green healthy schools."

Jeff Vockrodt, Executive Director, Climate Jobs NY, said, "We are happy to see this important step by NYSERDA to advance school retrofits and solar power, prioritizing disadvantaged communities, and we look forward to working with the Hochul administration to ensure these projects create community-supporting, family-sustaining union jobs and careers. NYSERDA's initiative can model best-practices for energy audits, whole-building retrofits, and solar power, and investing in schools presents such an opportunity. If we retrofit all the school buildings in New York City, for example, as our Carbon Free and Healthy Schools campaign advocates, we can save schools $70 million each year in energy costs, make schools healthier and safer for kids and the school community, and create thousands of good union jobs. It's an effort that everyone -- unions, parents, teachers, students, community leaders -- can get behind."

Brian Cechnicki, Executive Director, Association of School Business Officials - NYS, said,"We are excited about the Clean Green Schools Initiative put forward today by NYSERDA. Providing clean and sustainable facilities is a central function of the business of education. Our members understand the importance of infrastructure, especially in high-need districts around the state, and improving facilities has been a long-term priority of our association. We thank NYSERDA for providing this opportunity for disadvantaged school districts, and hope this work will be a model for the future."

Rahwa Ghirmatzion, Executive Director of PUSH Buffalo, said, "Kathy Hochul seems to understand the fierce urgency of now when it comes to addressing the climate crisis. We applaud the Governor and the NYSERDA team for advancing a new program that will resource adaptation and resiliency efforts in low-income, frontline schools. It will be critical that there is transparency, accountability and community partnerships in program design and implementation at the local levels."

In addition to this effort, schools may be eligible for currently launched school-focused energy efficiency and decarbonization programs including theP-12 Schools: Benchmarking Program,P-12 Schools: Green and Clean Energy Solutions ProgramandClean Heating and Cooling Technology Screeningsthat are available at no cost to eligible schools to evaluate the installation of ground source heat pumps (GSHP), air source heat pumps (ASHP), or variable refrigerant ow (VRF) systems. NYSERDA also prioritizes improved indoor air quality and environmental sustainability through building electrification and energy efficiency improvements to improve health in a number of public and private buildings across the state through a partnership with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Buildings are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in New York State, and integrating energy efficiency and electrification measures in existing buildings will reduce carbon pollution and help achieve more sustainable, healthy, and comfortable buildings - with COVID-19 making indoor air quality in schools even more paramount. Through NYSERDA and utility programs, over $6.8 billion is being invested to decarbonize buildings across the State. By improving energy efficiency in buildings and including onsite storage, renewables, and electric vehicle charging equipment, the State will reduce carbon pollution and achieve the ambitious target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 TBtu by 2025, the equivalent of powering 1.8 million homes, which will result in an additional $1.8 billion in societal and environmental benefits.

Funding for this initiative will be made available throughthe Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and theState's 10-year, $5.3 billion Clean Energy Fund. More information about this funding is available on NYSERDA'swebsite.

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

View post:

Governor Hochul Announces $59 Million "Clean Green Schools" Initiative To Improve Air Quality And Reduce Carbon Emissions In Pre-K-12...

As rural towns become the new mecca for remote high-tech workers, getaway destinations for city dwellers escaping Covid, and refuges for people fleeing fire-ravaged regions, Southern Oregons coastal communities are collaboratively exploring emerging blue economies to create local, living-wage jobs while combating threats of climate change.

Gary Burns, a city council member in Port Orford, Oregon, has seen what a homogenous economy in a small town can lead to. For decades after logging left, this town crippled along, he said. Houses started to decay. Tourism was the only thing to grab on to. When your community is so small, you just dont have the same dynamic of bigger towns to draw in different kinds of manufacturing or companies to come in.

With increasing fears of global warming and its impact on Oregons coastal waters, regional business and organizational leaders are exploring ways to promote economic growth, through blue markets that merge traditional ocean livelihoods with innovative enterprises focusing on stewardship of marine ecosystems along with social and cultural inclusion.

In 2018 the Food and Agriculture Organization reported that approximately 350 million jobs worldwide are tied to the ocean or coastal economic activities, including aquaculture (the farming of fish, crustaceans, algae, and other marine organisms), which will be providing 60% of fish for human consumption by 2030. Situated along the worlds most pristine waters, remote southern Oregon coastal towns are poised to be key stakeholders in these rapidly evolving, sea-based industries.

In June of 2020, the state of Oregon and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) committed to offshore wind energy planning. Three months later, The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI) passed resolution 20 083, Supporting Research Into Developing Clean, Renewable, Floating Offshore Wind Energy (FOW). Led by Mark Petrie, a 33-year-old enrolled member of the Hanis Band of the Coos Tribe, the resolution stated the following reasons for The Confederated Tribes to pursue FOW research: To assert Tribal sovereignty by taking a lead in becoming more energy independent; bring maximum socio-economic benefits to the Tribes traditional territory in the form of long-term, sustainable family jobs; and ensure the new use of ocean energy be developed in such a way as to minimize potential effects on the cultural and natural resources of the Tribe, ocean environment and its other responsible ocean users.

It was further resolved that the Tribe will seek to collaborate with other coastal tribes and regional or national intertribal organizations.

These are all really big things for our small little coastal town of Coos Bay, Petrie said. Having a possible wind project off of our small area here could change this area dramatically, and could also possibly change it in a negative way for cultural resources, natural resources. I wanted to make sure nothing was done while we werent at the table. Our chief says often, If youre not at the table, then youre on the menu. For tribes that is true a lot. When different agencies are working and divvying out the resources and looking at things, theyve not had tribes at the table very often.

A growing number of scientists, fishers, port directors, and community leaders believe its long past time to make sure all voices are at the table. If were going to find a future through the economic and climate changes ahead of us, we need to do it together, said Tom Calvanese, Oregon State Universitys Port Orford Field Station manager.

Over the last eight years, Calvanese has consulted with CTCLUSI researchers as the Port of Port Orford forwarded its redevelopment initiative and began raising capital to construct its state-of-the-art facility. The site plan includes a live fish processing center, marine research labs, retail space for future sea-based enterprises, and expanded ecotour and recreational access. To have a sustainable blue economy we must have a healthy ocean. My goal is to foster greater awareness across all sectors, from researchers to adventurists, to safeguard our seas, said Dave Lacey, owner of South Coast Tours.

The centerpiece of the plan is a 500 gallons-per-minute seawater retrieval system, pumping water directly from the ocean. Aaron Ashdown, a second-generation commercial fisherman, and the Ports president, explained its importance: Having live tanks provides added value for our catch. A live rockfish might bring $7 a pound versus $1.50 a pound if its dead. With Port Orford being so far removed from large cities like the Bay Area, Seattle, and Portland, our products are more valuable if they can be sold live.

If we are to turn around the ravages of time in these coastal communities, its critical to create family-wage jobs, added Calvanese. The Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) reported the average for income tourist-based service sectors is $20,000 a year. In comparison, the fisheries sector and all its related industries is around $70,000. Through our redevelopment initiatives, we hope to create more opportunities for better paying, living-wage jobs.

In Bandon, thirty miles north, the ports partnership with a privately-owned dulse aquafarm originated from a joint effort with a grower in Port Orford. Its encouraging to see communities let go of the scarcity mindset and work together rather than competing for resources, said Jeff Griffin, the ports manager. There are endless opportunities to cultivate a thriving blue economy beyond the boundaries of our small towns, while also protecting our seas. In our water sampling project with the Coquille Indian Tribe, their resource management department gets the ease of access to monitor and collect vital scientific data. The Port gets a complete water analysis, ensuring we farm the highest quality marine-cultivated products that can be sold to restaurants, markets, and environmentally conscious industries locally as well as nationally.

Two thousand miles eastward, Kevin Bishop, a certified hemp grower in Marathon, Texas, population 380, depends on sea-based fertilizers and salmon/fish byproducts to farm organically. I buy many of my fertilizers from the Northwest. With all the refineries and contaminants in the Gulf of Mexico, the water here is too polluted, he said. The success of small, environmentally-conscious industries are interdependent, just like the environment. Whats happening in Southern Oregon can affect industries nationwide, for better or worse. With the mindfulness of the blue economy and sharing knowledge and resources, I think itll be for the better.

Forming value-centered partnerships within and across regions using a sustainable blue economy model can help fuel innovative industries within communities often left behind as infrastructure and resources get directed to more populated regions.

In a meeting along Bandons Port, Brenda Meade, Chairman of the Coquille Indian Tribe, addressed a multigenerational crowd, including community members, commissioners, business owners, sea industries, and representatives from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Weve come to seek Port of Bandons support. With the worst salmon returns in the entire state of Oregon, salmon on the Coquille River could be extinct in less than three years, she said. If we dont start being good stewards and start fixing the problems weve caused, our salmon will be gone forever. I will not let this happen. Not on my watch. I could scream to our representatives in D.C., but no one is listening. It will take all of us here right, left, businesses and organizations right here, right now, to save this vital resource.

After fifty minutes of discussion, the port passed a resolution to join the Coquille Tribe in its efforts to reclaim salmon.

These remote southern Oregon coastal communities are at the epicenter of a precipitously changing seascape. We all live under the same sky. We all share the same waters, Calvanese said. Its exciting to see us all think more as a community about how we coordinate our efforts in a way thats beneficial to everyone, whether its here or anywhere in the world. In these seemingly remote towns, we are at the center of making a huge difference.

Additional reporting by Jan Pytalski.

See the rest here:

From Extraction to Sustainability: Oregons Southern Coast and the Emerging Blue Economy - Daily Yonder

(All amounts referred to are in US$ currency)

PEA Summary Results

TORONTO, Sept. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ascendant Resources Inc. (TSX: ASND) (FRA: 2D9) ("Ascendant" or the "Company) is extremely pleased to announce robust economic results from its Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) at its Lagoa Salgada VMS project in Portugal. The PEA presents a low capex, low operating cost, high margin underground mining operation with strong economics and the opportunity for significant benefit to the Company, the local stakeholders, and will boost Portugals economy through exports, taxes and local employment.

The PEA was completed by QUADRANTE, a multidisciplinary engineering and consulting company with more than 23 years of activity and projects completed in Europe, Africa and the Americas, and mine planning, design and engineering undertaken by IGAN INGENIERA, an independent consulting firm specializing in mine planning and engineering for open pit and underground mining projects and operations based in Spain.

The PEA is based upon the Companys current Mineral Resource Estimate completed by MICON International reported in a NI 43-101 report dated March 26, 2021, updated on June 10, 2021, and focuses on the mining and processing of ore from both the North Zone and the South Zones at the Venda Nova area. The PEA demonstrates robust economics for Lagoa Salgada based on the current defined resources, however, the company anticipates that future exploration work to define additional resources should extend the mine life or increase the scale of the outlined operation.

Mark Brennan, CEO & Chairman of Ascendant stated, We are extremely pleased with the results from this new PEA which highlights the strong potential of the Project to deliver significant value to all stakeholders going forward. This PEA is transformative and one of the most significant milestones for Ascendant to date, demonstrating a high-quality project with strong economics and a progressive environmentally conscious mine design. Our consulting engineers and management team have set the basis for a quality feasibility study which is planned to start in Q4 2021. We look forward to completion of the Feasibility Study by the end of 2022, which should provide a solid foundation for the start of the build phase.

He continued, While the PEA has demonstrated potential for a very robust project, it is extremely important to reiterate that Lagoa Salgada is still in its infancy from a geological understanding perspective and is still in the discovery stage of the total resource endowment we believe is present on the property. There has been less than 40,000 meters drilled to date on the property and geophysical studies indicate that our qualified resources are just the beginning of the resource potential on the property. We believe this highlights the world class potential of the Lagoa Salgada property.

The PEA for the Lagoa Salgada Project is being prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The Company intends to file the final PEA on its profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) within 45 days of this news release.

The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

Project Overview

The Lagoa Salgada Project is located within the north-western section of the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) in Portugal, approximately 80 km southeast of Lisbon and is accessible by national highways and roads. The Project is comprised of a single exploration permit covering an area of approximately 10,700 hectares.

The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IBP) is host to some of the worlds largest VMS deposits (80) and mines such as Neves-Corvo (Lundin Mining Corporation), Aguas Tenidas (Trafigura Mining Group) and Aljustrel (ALMINA). It represents the largest concentration of massive sulphide deposits in the world, forming an arch through Portugal and Spain about 250 km long and 30-50 km wide and has produced more than 1,750 million tonnes of massive sulfide ore and 2,500 million tonnes of mineralized stockwork over the past hundred years.

PEA Overview

The table below outlines the key project metrics on a 100% basis:

A financial model was completed based on the mine plan developed in addition to other inputs such as mining inventory and rates, processing throughputs and metallurgical recoveries, capital and operating costs, net smelter return (NSR) royalties, government royalty and taxation parameters.

Mineral Resource Estimates

The PEA is based upon the recently updated Mineral Resource Estimate summarized as of June 17, 2021, and has been estimated in alignment with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Estimation of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves Best Practices Guidelines (CIM, 2019) and reported in accordance with NI 43-101 by MICON International. The PEA is based on the total combined resources of both the North and South zones at Lagoa Salgada as currently defined.

The details of the Mineral Resource Estimate are shown in the table below:

Mineral Resource Estimate for the North and South zones within the Lagoa Salgada Project - June 2021

LS Project North Deposit Resources Effective September 5, 2019, Reported at Cut-off Grades Shown in Table

LS Property South Deposit Updated Resources Effective June 10, 2021, Reported at 1.10% CuEq

Notes To Table1. Mineral resources unlike mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues.2. The mineral resources have been estimated in accordance with the CIM Best Practice Guidelines (2019) and the CIM Definition Standards (2014).3. The resources for the South Zone are reported at a cut-off grade of 1.10 % CuEq; for the North zone, resources contained in the Gossan and Stringer domains are reported at a cut-off grade of 2.5 % ZnEq, and within the Massive Sulphide domain at 3.0 % ZnEq.4. Totals may not tally due to rounding5. CuEq% = ((Zn Grade*25.35)+(Pb Grade*23.15)+(Cu Grade * 67.24)+(Au Grade*40.19)+(Ag Grade*0.62))/67.246. ZnEq% = ((Zn Grade*25.35)+(Pb Grade*23.15)+(Cu Grade * 67.24)+(Au Grade*40.19)+(Ag Grade*0.62)+(Sn Grade*191.75))/25.357. Metal Prices: Cu $6,724/t, Zn $2,535/t, Pb $2,315/t, Au $1,250/oz, Ag $19.40/oz, Sn $19,175/t8. Densities: GO=3.12, MS=4.76, Str=2.88, Str/Fr=2.88 (north Zone) & 3.00 (South Zone)9. MMlb: Million Pounds.

Mining Design

The mine is designed using a single access ramp from surface and will target the extraction of ore from both the north and south zones at a rate of 2.0 million tonnes per annum. The initial years will focus more highly on the north zone due to the higher grade profile with additional ore delivered from the south zone.

The proposed underground mine design incorporates a main decline, starting from the surface portal located close to the processing plant, which will be used to access the mine. This main access then splits into two independent declines , one for each mine zone (i.e., North and South). The underground mine is planned to support the extraction of 2.0 million tonnes of ore per year (Mtpa) through a combination of transverse sublevel stoping and cut&fill. Paste backfill is used in both mining methods to maximize ore recovery and productivity.

The use of an independent decline for each orebody, instead of one decline serving both zones, was chosen to reduce the initial Capital Cost (CAPEX) considering that production starts earlier in the North zone.

A fleet of LHDs (Load-Haul-Dump) and trucks will be used for material loading and hauling from production areas to the orepass system. From the orepass collecting points, trucks will be hauling the ore to the surface. Waste is also transported to the surface by trucks.

A pre-production development program will be required to provide access to the initial stoping levels in the North zone during the first two years. Production will start in the second year, reaching the nominal plant feed in the fourth year.

Based upon the current resources available, the mine life is estimated at 14 years, however, this excludes any benefit of future exploration. We note the North and South deposits remain open to depth and along strike, with additional satellite targets also available for future exploration. Relative to other operations in the IPB Lagoa Salgada remains relatively shallow with significant room to grow over time.

Metallurgy and Processing

Metallurgical test work has been carried out by Grinding Solutions Ltd. (GSL) as outlined in the Press Release dated September 9, 2021. Studies were conducted on the massive sulphide material form the North zone, Stockwork material from the South zone and on blended ore as planned under the mine plan. Results support that a conventional polymetallic process flowsheet capable of recovering coper, lead, zinc, gold and silver. The flotation tailings will be leached for additional gold and silver values. The oxide ore can be leached to recover precious metals. Tin will be recovered from processing the tails material by flotation.

The projected recoveries and concentrate grades are presented in the table below are estimated for the project based on recent test results and the extensive experience working with polymetallic ores in the IPB. Additional testing is planned to as the project moves towards feasibility.

Operating Costs

The PEA contemplates an underground mine from which mineralized material will be trucked to a conventional IPB crushing, grinding and floatation concentration plant located close to the main portal.

The operating costs were estimated using external databases, refined with benchmark costs from operations on the IPB. These costs were scaled to the estimated production rates and to the labor costs in Portugal. LOM operating costs are summarized in the table below:

Operating Cost Estimate

Average unit mining costs of $19.13/tonne were estimated based on the proposed mine plan, local cost benchmarking and experience from similar operations in other operating mines in the IPB and local conditions. It is envisaged that the mining operations will be carried out by a contractor.

Average processing costs of $15.89/tonne were estimated based on the design process flowsheet and considered process labour requirements and rates, as well as calculated consumption rates of reagents, consumables, electricity, and maintenance.

Capital Costs

Up front capital costs are estimated at $132 million, inclusive of a 10% contingency and closure costs. Up front capital costs have been minimized via a staged build out of certain life of mine infrastructure such as the tailing dam, paste backfill and a ramp up in the mine fleet as needed by production. Sustaining capital over the life of mine is estimated at $102MM million.

The accuracy range for the capital costs is expected to be 35% which is consistent with industry standards for a PEA. All costs are expressed in 2021 US$ and uses an exchange rate EUR:US$ of 1.2 where applicable. A summary of the Lagoa Salgada capital cost estimates is shown in the table below:

Capital Cost Estimate

Site Infrastructure

Lagoa Salgada is well situated to benefit from the well-established regional infrastructure to support mine development with access to skilled labour, roads, ports and the national electrical grid. Lagoa Salgada is situated in southern Portugal about 100km south west of Lisbon, in close proximity to the town of Grndola, and is currently accessed via paved roads to Cilha do Pascoal, followed by 4 km of gravel roads to the mine site.

The site will require an office, changeroom, shop and warehouse as well as storage for fuel, laydown areas, site fencing, and a security building. An allowance for a total of 2,600 m2of building space has been included in the PEA.

The anticipated direct infrastructure for the Project includes an electrical substation, paste plant, equipment maintenance workshop, refueling facilities, assay laboratory, office administration facilities and changing rooms, among others.

The tailings and waste rock disposal concepts were developed in full compliance with the most current standards for sustainable tailings management, including consideration of Best Available Practices (BAT) and Technologies. The method considered in the PEA includes co-disposal of filtered tailings and mine waste rock, in addition to the novel implementation of Geotubes for additional risk reduction for the dry-stacked tailings.

Exploration and Geological Potential Update

Current geological understanding suggests that the original spatial breakdown of the Venda Nova deposit at Lagoa Salgada into the North, Central and South deposits was arbitrary. This segmentation is due to the drilling pattern. Ascendant believes that mineralization continuity gaps are probably related to varying strike, dip, and plunge along the system further systematic drilling may prove that the known sectors are likely to coalesce into a continuous zinc-lead-copper VMS system, displaying local variation of mineralization styles and tenors: from secondary gossan to primary massive sulphide ending with peripheral primary/secondary stringer/fissure type mineralization. This interpretation is backed by continuity of the geophysical footprint.

Notably the current northern edge of the southern zone, that shows a North-Northwest plunge shows a significant increase in gold tenors. This zone warrants systematic drilling as it could reflect deeper stringer levels that can carry high precious metal grades. Surface and Borehole 3D Models show that all three Venda Nova deposits lie on continuous, coincidental Resistivity (Low) and Chargeability (High) anomalies with an estimated geological strike length of 1.7 km. Anomalies extend in a SSE to NNW direction from the South deposit to beyond the North deposit and terminating against the Alpine fault. Combined drilling and geophysical results indicate that the mineralization remains open beyond the current limits of drilling, along strike in both directions and down plunge/dip.

The known footprint of the large continuous system is constrained vertically by the depth of penetration of the IP/Res system, ~ 350 m. A deep penetrating Electro Magnetic (DEPM) survey will be completed in Q4 2021 aiming to image the roots of the IP/Res anomalies and test the existence of high-grade massive sulphide lenses below the current threshold of the geophysical footprint (350 m below surface)

Ascendant firmly believes that the large proven footprint of the Lagoa Salgada VMS system suggests high potential exploration upside at the property. Given the size of the system it is probable that the exhalative system recognized at Lagoa Salgada is associated with fertile deep-rooted fractures that may be related to additional stacked or lateral mineralized lenses.

Qualified Persons

Technical work on the PEA was guided by Charley Murahwi, M.Sc., P.Geo., Pr. Sci. Nat., FAusIMM, Senior Economic Geologist, Micon International Limited, who was also responsible for the resource determination and metallurgical results validation, who will act as the QP for the NI 43-101 report. Work regarding the site infrastructure was undertaken by Joo Nunes, Mining Engineer, BSc (Mine Eng), director of Quadrante, SA QUADRANTE, a multidisciplinary engineering and consulting company with more than 23 years of activity and projects completed in Europe, Africa and Americas. QUADRANTEs activity focuses across 7 main business Units Industry and Energy (including Mining Segment), Buildings, Transports, Airports, Environment, Water Utilities, and Construction Management and Supervision, QUADRANTE has been involved in recent years in several mining projects, mainly in Portugal, Spain, Chile, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe and has a staff of over 200 employees. The company has significant direct experience at numerous operations within the Iberian Pyrite Belt.

Mine planning, design and engineering it was the responsibility of PAblo Gancedo Minguez, Mining Engineer, BSc (Mine Eng), Director of IGAN Ingeniera, SL,IGAN INGENIERA, an independent consulting firm specializing in mine planning and engineering for open pit and underground mining projects and operations. Based in Spain, IGAN has completed projects across 8 countries and 3 continents for international mining companies (both private and publicly listed), equity firms and state-owned companies. The company has significant direct experience at numerous operations within the Iberian Pyrite Belt.

Metallurgical test work was carried out by Jon Rumbles, MCSM Project Metallurgist for Grinding Solutions Limited (GSL), a UK mineral processing services company with a strong technical knowledge on the mineral processing of the IBP ores and has been guided by Micon International, who was also responsible for the metallurgical results validation, resource determination and will act as the QP for the NI 43-101 preliminary economic assessment report.

The scientific and technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Joo Nunes, Mining Engineer, BSc (Mine Eng), director of Quadrante and by Dr. Sergio Gelcich, P.Geo., Vice President for Exploration for Ascendant Resources Ltd. Both are all Qualified Persons as defined in NI 43-101.The QPs have reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release.

About Ascendant Resources Inc.

Ascendant is a Toronto-based mining company focused on the exploration and development of the highly prospective Lagoa Salgada VMS project located on the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt in Portugal. Through focused exploration and aggressive development plans, the Company aims to unlock the inherent potential of the project, maximizing value creation for shareholders.

Lagoa Salgada contains over 10.33 million tonnes of Measured and Indicated Resources @ 9.06 % ZnEq and 2.50 million tonnes of Inferred Resources @ 5.93 % ZnEq in the North Zone; and 4.42 million tones of Indicated Resources @ 1.50 % CuEq and 10.83 million tonnes of Inferred resources @ 1.35 % CuEq in the South Zone at Venda Nova. The deposit demonstrates typical mineralization characteristics of Iberian Pyrite Belt VMS deposits containing zinc, copper, lead, tin, silver and gold. Extensive exploration upside potential lies both near deposit and at prospective step-out targets across the large 10,700ha property concession. The project also demonstrates compelling economics with scalability for future resource growth in the results of the Preliminary Economic Assessment. Located just 80km from Lisbon, Lagoa Salgada is easily accessible by road and surrounded by exceptional Infrastructure. Ascendant holds a 21.25% interest in the Lagoa Salgada project through its 25% position in Redcorp - Empreendimentos Mineiros, Lda, ("Redcorp") and has an earn-in opportunity to increase its interest in the project to 80%. Mineral & Financial Investments Limited owns the additional 75% of Redcorp. The remaining 15% of the project is held by Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro, S.A., a Portuguese Government owned company supporting the strategic development of the country's mining sector. The Company's interest in the Lagoa Salgada project offers a low-cost entry to a potentially significant exploration and development opportunity, already demonstrating its mineable scale.

The Company's common shares are principally listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "ASND". For more information on Ascendant, please visit our website atwww.ascendantresources.com.

Additional information relating to the Company, including the Preliminary Economic Assessment referenced in this news release, is available on SEDAR atwww.sedar.com.

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information please contact:

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All information contained in this news release, other than statements of current and historical fact, is forward-looking information. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "budget", "guidance", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "strategy", "target", "intends", "objective", "goal", "understands", "anticipates" and "believes" (and variations of these or similar words) and statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" "occur" or "be achieved" or "will be taken" (and variations of these or similar expressions). Forward-looking information is also identifiable in statements of currently occurring matters which may continue in the future, such as "providing the Company with", "is currently", "allows/allowing for", "will advance" or "continues to" or other statements that may be stated in the present tense with future implications. All of the forward-looking information in this news release is qualified by this cautionary note.

Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the exploration activities and the results of such activities at the Lagoa Salgada Project, the ability of the Company to advance the Lagoa Salgada Project to a Preliminary Economic Assessment, and the ability of the Company to fund the exploration with funds from operations. Forward-looking information is based on, among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates and analyses that, while considered reasonable by Ascendant at the date the forward-looking information is provided, inherently are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results and events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. The material factors or assumptions that Ascendant identified and were applied by Ascendant in drawing conclusions or making forecasts or projections set out in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the success of the exploration activities at Lagoa Salgada Project, the Company advancing the project to a Preliminary Economic Assessment, the ability of the Company to fund the exploration program at Lagoa Salgada with funds from operations , and other events that may affect Ascendant's ability to develop its project; and no significant and continuing adverse changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets.

Read the original:

Ascendant Resources Announces After Tax NPV of $246 Million With an After Tax IRR of 55% From Its Preliminary Economic Assessment at Its Lagoa Salgada...

TitledThe future of onshore wind decommissioning in Scotland, the report finds that around 5,500 wind turbines will be decommissioned in Scotland by 2050 which, according to Zero Waste Scotland, represents a quantified opportunity to grow Scotlands remanufacturing sector in line with NetZero ambitions.

Todays report launch coincides with the opening of Renewable Parts Ltd.s new innovation centre, a Lochgilphead-based organisation supported by Zero Waste Scotlands Circular Economy Investment Fund, whose recent expansion signals positive domestic economic growth in Scotlands wind turbine refurbishment sector.

The ground-breaking report findings go on to identify a need for future reprocessing infrastructure and storage locations to support the demands of wind turbine decommissioning, as well as opportunities to increase skills and expertise in reuse and refurbishment in wind turbines in Scotland and creating green jobs.

Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Lorna Slater said:There is a huge circular economy opportunity in Scotlands already thriving renewable energy sector. Scotlands renewable energy businesses have already helped to deliver significant reductions in our energy emissions and provided high quality green jobs. Now, with many of the first generation of turbines reaching the end of their working lifespan, we have an opportunity to repurpose those valuable materials into new energy infrastructure or for other high value use. By embracing the circular economy, Scotlands renewable sector can become even greener, while also delivering more high-skilled jobs in Scotland.

Wind turbine decommissioning presents an enormous opportunity for value retention within Scotland. End of life for the first generation of wind turbines is now upon us and we must invest boldly in the infrastructure and capabilities needed to reuse materials for on-going wind operations.

Iain Gulland, Zero Waste Scotland CEO, said: Like anything else, wind turbines and their parts require maintenance, refurbishment and eventually reach an end-of-life. In forecasting the scale of materials set to be released through wind turbine decommissioning, this report presents Scotland with a fantastic opportunity to embed circular solutions into the resource management of these materials.

Decommissioning and refurbishment of wind turbines will release valuable metals like steel and iron and component parts like gear mechanisms into circulation, thereby unlocking potential for economic gain. However, as these materials are currently exported for recycling, the Scottish economy is losing the value of these resources. Based on this reports findings, we have quantified the scale of the opportunity and I hope we can act to seize the economic opportunities represented.

Onshore wind decommissioning is fast-becoming a practical problem for many European countries. To date, across Europe, 34,000 turbines are known to be 15 years or older. There will be a big market for decommissioning onshore wind farms over the next decade and, if we act now, Scotland is in a prime position to provide a circular solution and establish competitive advantage.

James Barry, CEO of Renewable Parts Ltd, added: Wind turbine decommissioning presents an enormous opportunity for value retention within Scotland. End of life for the first generation of wind turbines is now upon us and we must invest boldly in the infrastructure and capabilities needed to reuse materials for on-going wind operations.

Refurbishment of component parts has already been successfully demonstrated through our work with wind turbine operators; decommissioning is the next step in this journey requiring major scale up to manage entire turbines. Our strategy to lead in this important area, creating the high skilled jobs and economic benefits, requires joined up, cross industry action, with operators, government and educational institutions all playing their part. This timely report neatly sets out the opportunity we must realise within Scotland.

This report follows Zero Waste Scotlands recent publication of the first set of Material Flow Accounts for Scotland, whichquantifies Scotlands material footprint for the first time. It shows us the materials we are extracting from Scotlands natural environment every year, as well as those which are imported, exported, and wasted.

Zero Waste Scotland plans to continue its work in resource mapping across different sectors to unlock opportunities as part of Scotlands NetZero transition and its development of a sustainable circular economy, as an essential response to the Climate Emergency.

The rest is here:

Onshore wind turbine decommissioning presents economic opportunities for Scotland, says Zero Waste Scotland in first-of-its-kind report - Circular...

By its magnitude, its duration and the changes it has generated, the COVID-19 pandemic has very quickly proved to be a multidimensional crisis, affecting the health, social, economic and human spheres of our societies.

It has challenged our ability to adapt and to support the most vulnerable population groups. It has created new challenges and hindered, in Senegal as everywhere else, the progress that had been made in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda.

I would like to commend the State of Senegal for its organizational resilience. With the help of its partners, the Government found the necessary resources to enable the country to withstand the traumas caused by the crisis, contain their impacts and move forward.

Reducing inequalities: An ambitious plan to promote resiliency

And yet, the task was far from easy. The crisis affected various social groups and most economic sectors. The challenges faced by the employment sector were exacerbated, with significant effects: lower incomes, reduced access to goods and services, and increased pressure on formal and informal social protection systems.

The consequences were unavoidable: increased vulnerabilities, especially amongst women, children, youth and people living with disabilities. At the height of the crisis, these groups struggled to access certain basic social services and essential goods and services.

To respond to this situation, particularly harsh on young people - who represent more than half of the population - the Head of State launched an ambitious three-year emergency programme to promote youth employment and socio-economic inclusion. I welcome this initiative, which will certainly contribute to reducing vulnerabilities and building resilience.

The organizational resilience demonstrated by the Government of Senegal was also reflected in its ability to reallocate budget lines to priority sectors and to boost recovery by investing in vital sectors.

On the health front, I am pleased that the Government made vaccines quickly available to the most vulnerable. The Senegalese authorities, like UN's Secretary General Antnio Guterres, have advocated and continue to advocate tirelessly for vaccine equity.

Seizing opportunities that help achieve the SDGs

Paradoxically, times of crisis bring their share of difficulties, but also come with opportunities. We must harness these opportunities to rebuild our societies on more robust foundations and prepare the people to better withstand future shocks.

It is undoubtedly because he shares the same belief that the UN Secretary General called on UN Member States to make 2021 an "annus possibilitatis", a year of possibility and hope.

During the crisis, for example, Senegal saw a rise in e-commerce, which helped the country counterbalance the suspension of "traditional" trade activities caused by the lockdown. This trend, which is expected to increase thanks to the Government's digitization strategy, should promote job creation and boost economic recovery.

The 2030 Agenda: Our common roadmap for a lasting recovery

Naturally, we must not lose sight of our common roadmap, established since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs, in 2015.

The pandemic certainly exacerbated structural fragilities and deepened preexisting inequalities. But we have an edge over this crisis, so to speak, and that is that all these fragilities have already been identified and factored in in the SDGs. The current crisis only reveals the urgency of stepping up efforts to achieve these Goals and to no longer leave anyone behind.

One could say, from this perspective, that the COVID-19 crisis gives us an unprecedented opportunity to resolutely and energetically embark on the path of sustainable development.

In this regard, I am very satisfied to see that in Senegal, all public policies, including those developed to address the pandemic, are built on the SDGs and, de facto, geared to reducing inequalities and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable.

What role should the international community play to help address such a crisis?

Acting in a multilateral framework is fundamental and coordinating the interventions of development partners is key to ensuring an effective response. The repositioning of the UN Resident Coordinator system decided by Member States in 2018 has shown the value of coordination in expanding the scope of the COVID-19 response and recovery interventions and in scaling up their impact.

Drawing on its experience and on the comparative advantages of its different entities, the UN Country Team in Senegal took action early on to help the Government and people of Senegal respond quickly to the crisis in the areas of health, logistics, security, economy, resource mobilization, communication, and advocacy, among others.

The UN country team has been fully committed alongside the Government and its partners to advancing the campaign for an equal access to vaccines for all, so that one day, this pandemic becomes no more than a distant memory.

The UN team has also supported the country's socio-economic recovery through the United Nations Framework for the Immediate Socio-Economic Response to COVID-19 and has contributed to the implementation of the Government's emergency programme for youth employment and socio-economic inclusion. Furthermore, the team is currently supporting the development of an important youth strategy called "Emerging Senegal Plan - Priority Youth 2035" (in French: "Plan Sngal mergent - Priorit Jeunesse 2035").

Because together we are strong and able to overcome the most complex challenges, I remain convinced that, like we did with previous battles, we will triumph over the COVID-19 crisis. Let us keep in mind, however, that we can only achieve that by first taking care of the most vulnerable among us.

*Written by Siaka Coulibaly, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Senegal, based on an earlier version of a blog originally posted in French by the UN Country Team in Senegal. Translated to English by the Development Coordination Office (DCO). To learn more about UN's work in Senegal, please visit https://senegal.un.org/. *

Go here to see the original:

Post-COVID in Senegal: A reaffirmed commitment to sustainable, equitable and resilient development for all - Senegal - ReliefWeb