Category Archives: Resource Based Economy

VICTORIA -- A new independent study released by the Ancient Forest Alliance shows old-growth forests on Southern Vancouver Island could contribute greater economic benefit to the region when preserved than harvested.

The environmental group commissioned the two-and-a-half-year study by Vancouver-based environmental consultants ESSA Technologies. Using old-growth forests located in the Pacheedaht and Ditidaht territories near Port Renfrew, the researchers compared the economic benefits of recreation, tourism, carbon storage and coho salmon habitat to harvesting the timber from ancient forests.

"When decisions are made to log old-growth forests, typical economic analysis doesnt consider the value of ecosystem services," said Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner Andrea Inness.

"By only considering short-term job creation, revenue and impacts to GDP (gross domestic product), the economics arent telling the whole story," she said.

Inness says the environmental group commissioned the report to see what old-growth forests were worth to B.C.s economy when values like carbon storage, recreation and tourism were factors.

"If all old-growth forests in the study area were protected, society would be better off by $40 million compared to business as usual old-growth logging," said Inness. "Tourism alone would make up for any lost jobs by not timber harvesting and would cover almost 66 per cent of lost provincial GDP by not harvesting."

Inness says that under the same scenario, carbon emissions would be reduced by approximately 570,000 tonnes by preserving the ancient forests in the study area. She says the Port Renfrew region was chosen for the study because of its ecosystem services and its strong tourism and recreation base.

"We know that area has some of the finest old-growth stands on Vancouver Island," said Inness. "It's also an area that's well known, and throughout the course of this study the blockades were erected in that area and are ongoing, so it's drawn a lot of attention."

For the study, ESSA Technologies used computer modelling, provincial forest harvest data, and both market and non-market values for ecosystem services, such as, tourism, recreation and salmon habitat. It also considered non-timber products including research and educational opportunities.

The study is based on only a portion of the harvestable old-growth forest near Port Renfrew. The Ancient Forest Alliance says it does not include all ecosystem services like cultural values and it says the studys findings are underestimates of the value of standing old-growth forests.

"Our hope is that this report will create a dialogue and create change so that going forward we are accounting for things like carbon storage, tourism and recreation," said Inness.

"The Ancient Forest Alliance has long been calling on the B.C. government to act immediately to protect the most at-risk ancient old-growth forests and halt logging (of ancient forests)."

One Vancouver Island First Nation says it is disappointed in the Ancient Forest Alliance report.

In an emailed release, the Hutu-at-art First Nation in Port Alberni says the call for the immediate end of all old-growth logging did not take into consideration the constitutional rights and title of First Nations or their social, cultural and economic needs.

"Just like the rest of B.C., we need to develop a strong and vibrant economy so we can look after the needs of our people," said Hulu-any-aht First Nation Chief Councillor Robert J. Dennis Sr.

"We will follow the guidance of our elders and citizens to make the decisions we think are right. We are asking others to respect that process and follow our direction in our territory," he said.

On June 7, the Hutu-any-art, Ditidaht and Pacheedat Nations announced they had reached an agreement to defer old-growth logging in parts of southwestern Vancouver Island for the next two years.

The First Nations said they informed the B.C. government of their plan to suspend old-growth logging in the Fairy Creek and Central Walbran areas while they develop long-term resource stewardship plans.

In todays release, the Huu-ay-aht First Nation reaffirmed its commitment to developing and implementing an integrated resource management plan.

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Independent study finds old-growth forests worth more standing than harvested on Vancouver Island - CTV News VI

Immigrants and refugees in Oregon will enjoy expanded protections and benefits from legislation that majority Democrats passed during this years session. And lawmakers are continuing to press for more policies and spending to improve the lives of those new Oregonians in the sessions waning days.

Bills headed to the desk of Gov. Kate Brown will make Oregon a safer sanctuary state, create an Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement and expand a tax credit for working non-citizen parents of U.S. citizen children.

But not all proposed legislation intended to uplift immigrants made it through the Legislature. Champions of immigrants felt a particularly stinging loss when a bill to guarantee legal representation to Oregon residents facing deportation proceedings failed to advance out of the House.

Bills that cleared both chambers ranged from policy updates to expenditures aimed at helping refugees get a better start on their American dreams. The most heralded change, which passed both chambers on near-party line votes over Republican opposition, will strengthen Oregons status as a sanctuary state in which state and local government employees and agencies must remain neutral while federal authorities enforce immigration rules.

SANCTUARY PROMISE ACT

The Senate gave final passage Wednesday to House Bill 3265, which will expand Oregons sanctuary state status, first established in 1987. The new provisions prohibit law enforcement agencies from denying services, benefits, privileges or opportunities to an individual in custody, on parole or on probation based on their immigration status, said Rep. Teresa Alonso Len, a Democrat from Woodburn, a chief sponsor of the bill and herself an immigrant.

Immigration authorities also will be prohibited from detaining a person who is entering or leaving a courthouse or traveling to or from a court appointment. That will outlaw what had been a longstanding but controversial practice of making arrests when people show up for unrelated court business.

It also will prohibit Oregon jails from housing immigration detainees. None currently do so, but some have in the past, and the bill means no jails can resume or start doing so.

The bill also means people who experience violations of Oregons sanctuary law will be able to sue to enforce the law, a first. The bill also creates a Department of Justice hotline for reporting suspected violations.

Oregon is safest when all Oregonians can engage with public entities, local government, local law enforcement and the local court system without fearing that their accent or skin color will result in different treatment, Alonso Len said. Oregon is safest when all who live here feel they are free to be part of their community regardless of their race, ethnic background or place of birth.

The 1987 sanctuary law needed updates and clearer guidelines, she said. Oregon voters decided in 2018 to keep the states sanctuary law with a 63% vote.

OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE ADVANCEMENT

Championed by Sen. Kayse Jama, a Portland Democrat and the first former refugee in the Oregon Senate, Senate Bill 778 creates the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement.

Jama said he was motivated to introduce the bill, passed by the Senate on June 16, when he noticed that there was no office specifically focused on economic justice, housing, health care or similar high priority services for one of the most vulnerable communities in Oregon.

This office is really more about strategy than anything else and just creating a pathway of being a voice for immigrant and refugee communities, but also serves as a resource for policy recommendations for the Legislature and other government entities as well, he said. We want to make sure theres long-term strategy planning for the state.

Gov. Kate Brown recently proclaimed June 20 as World Refugee Day in Oregon.

The history of refugees in Oregon is marked by a struggle for equality, justice, and prevailing over the adversity of exclusion, prosecution, discrimination and disparities, said the governors proclamation.

EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT

Under both the federal and Oregon income tax systems, an Earned Income Tax Credit helps subsidize low-income working families to make it feasible for adults with children to both work and care for their family members. But both have required everyone in the household to have a social security number to benefit, even if they worked and paid all taxes owed.

A bill expected to achieve final passage in the sessions final few days would expand the program to non-citizen working Oregonians who pay their taxes using taxpayer identification numbers, so their children can benefit.

Originally a freestanding bill, House Bill 2819 became part of an omnibus tax credit bill that largely accomplishes the same goal, said Rep. Wlnsvey Campos, a chief sponsor.

These Oregonians are investing into the system and are virtually invisible when it comes to a tax credit designed to help children of working-class taxpayers thrive, she said. I see economic (support) for some and the invalidation of others as a social injustice.

Most of the 90,000 citizens living in Oregon households consisting of both citizens and non-citizens are children, Leland Baxter-Neal, advocacy director for the Latino Network, said June 10 in testimony supporting the bill. Nationally, the Earned Income Tax Credit is viewed as perhaps the most effective mechanism for helping lift families with children out of poverty.

Its an unfortunate truth that many jobs pay too little for workers to make ends meet and support their families, Baxter-Neal said.

All workers, regardless of how they file taxes, should earn enough to be able to care for their families, said Karla Cruz, executive director for Fuerza Oregon Advocacy Association, speaking in support of the bill during an immigration-focused town hall on June 16. As an accountant, she said she sees how the Earned Income Tax Credit strengthens workers economic stability.

My values, morals and professional ethics have caused me to see the class struggle and how excluding our hardworking community from life changing credit can make or break a familys financial circumstances, she said.

REFUGEE SUPPORT

Senate Bill 718 would have appropriated money to refugee resettlement agencies, but it did not move past the Ways and Means committee. Refugee agencies are expecting 1,400 refugees to arrive in Oregon between October 2021 and September 2022, said Francis Kham, a community organizer for the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization.

Refugees arriving to Oregon are often confronted with language barriers, cultural differences and lack of support, said Kham, who came to Oregon as a refugee from Myanmar in 2015.

The state is currently able to fund help for half of its refugees, said Sen. Michael Dembrow, a Portland Democrat. Although the bill didnt pass, $4.3 million will nevertheless go to fund refugee resettlement under Senate Bill 5520, which funds a variety of human services, he said. The refugee money is desigated to be used to extend case management and employment support services, he said.

Its critical that the state help to support this work financially, he said.

HEALTH CARE INTERPRETERS

After more than a year of medical emergencies stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, House Bill 2359 will require health care providers to work with certified interpreters when communicating with patients who prefer languages other than English.

Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Lake Oswego, who has proposed this bill for several years, said calls for racial equity gave her proposal more of a chance this session than in previous ones. Loopholes in existing law allowed untrained health care interpreters to do the work and didnt have accountability measures for providers who did not work with qualified interpreters.

To fully achieve health equity, we must remove the language barrier between a provider and a patient to get the best health care results, two leaders of the Oregon Health Care Interpreters Association said in their testimony in support of the bill.

IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION THAT DIED

A pilot program in Portland that provides legal representation for refugees and undocumented people facing deportation proceedings would have expanded statewide under House Bill 3230, which died for lack of support this session.

A $2 million allocation in a bill destined for passage this week will allow the Portland program to continue, Salinas said. But she said she is disappointed it will not extend to all immigrants in Oregon.

Its this continuum of care for our undocumented and our refugees who really are building their lives as theyre seeking to become citizens, she said. Having this type of support from the state for people who are actually working and living here as part of our community I feel is important.

House Democrats supported a bill that would have granted overtime pay to Oregon farmworkers a strenuous job completed in often hazardous conditions. Oregon farmers said the bill requiring overtime pay would have threatened their business and the states agricultural economy. A final effort to salvage parts of the bill was considered late in the session, but to ultimately failed.

Farmworkers were excluded from the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act that allows other employees to receive time-and-a-half pay for working more than 40 hours per week. This Jim Crow era decision excluded agricultural workers, most of whom were Black, intentionally.

For me, this is about trying to reckon with that past and making sure we are building a future that is more equitable, Salinas said in March.

This story was updated at 10:45 a.m. on June 24 to reflect the correct number of refugees expected to arrive in Oregon between October 2021 and September 2022.

-- April Rubin; arubin@oregonian.com; @AprilMRubin

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Bills focused on improving lives of immigrants and refugees pass during last days of session - OregonLive

Jegajimouxw and Thichala lead blockade on Stillwater Mainline in solidarity with land defenders

Indigenous youth Jegajimouxw (whose English name is TaKaiya Blaney) and Thichala (whose English name is Ace Harry) set up a blockade at the Western Forest Products (WFP) access road on Stillwater Mainline in the qathet region in solidarity with land defenders resisting old-growth logging in the Fairy Creek area.

Thichala and Jegajimouxw set up the blockade early on Wednesday, June 23, and were joined throughout the day by Tlaamin Nation citizens and elders, as well as non-Indigenous qathet residents.

This is first and foremost a solidarity action, Jegajimouxw told the Peak. We stand with Nuu-chah-nulth land defenders whose territories are being encroached upon by Western Forest Products, and their old-growth ancestral forests are being removed without the free, prior and informed consent of the collective nation.

The BC government recently announced a two-year deferral on old-growth logging in the Fairy Creek watershed and Central Walbran, but advocates say old-growth trees around those areas and elsewhere remain unprotected. WFP holds tree farm licence 44, which includes areas adjacent to the Fairy Creek area.

Jegajimouxw said WFP also has a history of operations in Tlaamin territory.

As Tlaamin youth, we are unable to access the forest that our elders talk about, and were able to harvest from and have a relationship with when they were our age, and that is the direct result of the legacy of corporations like WFP and forestry based economies that have been such a driving force of colonization in Tlaamin territories, added Jegajimouxw. Not only are we standing in solidarity with other Indigenous nations, which WFP is not abiding by their consent, but were also calling into question the practices of WFP on our own lands, because our people have never been able to engage with its economy in a way that hasnt been coercive.

Jegajimouxw said the plan was to maintain the blockade for all of Wednesday, and hopes the action will foster a sense of empowerment among Indigenous youth.

This applies beyond forestry, said Jegajimouxw. Any industry that is operating on Indigenous territories needs to be obtaining free, prior and informed consent of the nation whose land theyre operating on.

Band council approval of resource extraction projects, said Jegajimouxw, does not amount to consent if there are community members who feel silenced by the elected leadership or excluded from the negotiation process.

We would like to remind Canadians that the colonially imposed systems of government that Canada brings to the negotiation table, theyre imposed by Canada, so they dont always work in the favour of the best interests of our people and of our land, said Jegajimouxw.

Thichala said legislation such as the Indian Act serves as a tool to divide Indigenous peoples and undermine traditional systems of accountability.

It was only possible first of all after biological warfare was used to reduce the numbers, said Thichala. After that point [settlers] were then able to move onto separate reserves and begin separating us from our relatives, and separating us from our family units, which are integral to Indigenous culture, because our cultures were based on systems of accountability that were very effective, but those systems dont work if you dont have the relationships that are the foundation of those.

The blockade, said Jegajimouxw, has been met with mixed responses by forestry workers, with some expressing respect and curiosity, and others acting more aggressively. RCMP members briefly stopped by to ask how long they planned on maintaining the blockade, but did not seem concerned, she added.

The blockade has received support from community members, with some bringing food and chairs.

Weve had quite a good response overall, because we really just want to focus on lifting our people up at the end of the day, and as for those who are frustrated, we never intend to attack workers, explained Jegajimouxw. We take measures like this because weve never been listened to historically, and its important for it to be said that this is our land, and we have jurisdiction and we have power here.

Jegajimouxw said resource companies must change how they operate regardless of whether settlers support the cause.

Its not just about our continued existence, culturally or even physically on these territories; its about the land itself, she added.

In a statement sent to the Peak, WFP stated: Western is working to understand the concerns of the protesters and have been in contact with the leadership of the Tlaamin Nation. We will be in a position to provide more information once we understand the nature of the issue and the interests of the Tlaamin Nation more specifically.

In the interim, we are working to ensure the safety and security of the protesters and our contractors and crews.

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Blockade blocks WFP road south of Powell River - Powell River Peak

The Word, in the towns Market Place, has been selected as one of six new outposts of the British Librarys Business and IP Centres (BIPCs) scheme.

And the brains behind the initiative hope it will help the boroughs aspiring entrepreneurs turn an idea into a successful business.

Joan Atkinson, deputy leader of South Tyneside Council, said: This is going to be an invaluable resource for our business community, particularly residents looking to start-up their own company and entrepreneurs wanting to develop their business idea.

Experts in residence will be on hand to offer specialist advice in areas including intellectual property, legal, financial, innovation and digital guidance.

Businesses will also be able to access databases providing information about company statistics, market trends and consumer behaviours as well as finding funding opportunities to help develop or explore new markets.

Its fantastic news that we will have this free service with trained staff within the borough.

It will make a key contribution in supporting businesses to emerge from the challenging coronavirus pandemic.

The British Library (BL) set up its first BIPC outside London in Newcastle in 2011 and since then has supported more than 14,000 new or expanding firms, offering resources such as up-to-date market research and business databases, as well as workshops and one-to-one mentoring.

During the coronavirus pandemic its services have helped protect about 600 North East jobs.

A 13million government grant has helped the scheme expand even further, with 690,000 of this to back six new centres in the North East.

One of the firms to have benefited already from the scheme is South Shields-based Sincero, which specialises in finding funding solutions and opportunities for other companies.

Director Julie Skevington said: I recently received help from BIPC Newcastle via the Citylife Business Support Programme.

This was fully funded and gave me access to Ann English, who created a fantastic Visual Doodle as a marketing tool.

This will help me with my online promotion and is an effective and engaging way of explaining what we offer to our customers and assisting them to secure the very best finance available.

Its wonderful to see the BIPC extending to local areas its a great resources for local businesses.

As well as the Word, officially known as the National Centre for the Written Word, the BIPC is adding five further outposts, in addition to its main base at Newcastle City Library.

Sunderlands historic Elephant Tea Rooms is also set to host one of the centres, with more planned for North Shields, Berwick, Morpeth and Hexham.

The expansion is due to take the schemes tally from 14 across the country, to more than 100.

Liz Jolly, the BLs chief librarian, said: At their heart, libraries are trusted spaces with professional staff who have a mission to connect people with information.

BIPC Network harnesses the power of libraries, bringing in expertise from the local community to help people from all walks of life turn an idea into a successful business.

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New business centre in South Shields The Word will 'help boost borough's economy' - Shields Gazette

New Delhi: On June 23, a group of researchers and experts penned a letter and analysis of the changes proposed in the Indian governments draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021, addressed to the President of India. It is reproduced in full below.

To,

Honble Shri Ram Nath KovindThe President of the Republic of IndiaJune 23, 2021

Subject: Request to intervene to withdraw the Draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation (LDAR) 2021

Honble President,

The proposed Lakshadweep Town and Country Planning Regulation, also being referred to as the draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation of 2021 (henceforth LDAR), is highly problematic and, should it become law, will work against existing legal provisions that safeguard the resilience of Lakshadweeps ecology, livelihood and culture. It is at odds with the inherent ecological fragility and cultural uniqueness of Lakshadweep, and has been put together with scant regard for its implications for Lakshadweeps environment and people. As Indias smallest Union Territory and our only atoll system, Lakshadweep holds a special place in the Indian union. Yet, its unique geography, underlying ecology and long human history place natural limits on the kinds of development the archipelago can support.

As a collective of concerned scientists who have conducted research in Lakshadweep for many years, and citizens who care deeply for the survival and well-being of Lakshadweeps people and ecosystems, we respectfully request you to intervene to withdraw this draft and request a serious re-evaluation of the developmental paradigms currently being promoted for the archipelago, under your constitutional powers and duties to ensure peace, progress and good governance for Lakshadweep.

Our principal concerns, which we detail in this letter and appendices that follow, include the following:

i. The LDAR ignores a scientific understanding of Lakshadweeps unique geography, ecology and culture, which place clear limits on the developmental possibilities on island, lagoon and reef, already constrained by climate change.

ii. Local livelihoods and wellbeing are embedded in current land use and ocean practices and environmental stewardship which the provisions of LDAR will endanger. The draft has been formulated without consulting local communities of these consequences.

iii. The LDAR violates several existing regulations as well as international commitments that protect the ecological integrity of the islands and ensure sustainable development across this fragile archipelago.

iv. In its spirit, the LDAR embraces a questionable vision of development that is neither sustainable in design nor likely to improve local wellbeing, or safeguard the future habitability of the archipelago.

A coral reef in Lakshadweep. Photo: M. Rajshekhar

i.Lakshadweeps inherent environmental vulnerability:

Lakshadweep is home to 70,000+ people, who have lived here for around 1500 years. Population densities are among the highest in the country, and basic land and water resources are extremely limiting. Between these pressures and the rising threat of climate change, the archipelago and its people face serious existential threats (see Annexures 1 and 2). As mid-oceanic coral atolls, Lakshadweep depends completely on the health of its surrounding reefs; the living coral framework and the lagoon it encloses, together buffer the islands from waves, storms, land loss and saline ingress into groundwater. However, over the last two decades, Lakshadweep has experienced catastrophic climate change-related coral mass mortality events, straining the accretion and buffer capacity of the reefs. Some reefs, including the capital, Kavaratti, are already eroding more than they are growing. Added to this, the increasing trend of commercial reef fishing is undermining the natural ability of reefs to recover from disturbance events. Of particular concern are lagoons, which are impacted by land-based pollution, boat traffic, dredging, and seagrass meadow decline. Lagoons are vital to both populated and unpopulated atolls as critical resource areas and as reef insurance sites for climate resilience. Unless urgent action is taken now to reverse these trajectories, scientific studies conclude that between reef decline, sea level rise, land loss, cyclones, and declining freshwater, the majority of low-lying atolls like Lakshadweep will become unlivable by mid-century. The plans for development the LDAR proposes are strangely unheeding of these self-evident realities. Any further large-scale infrastructural development will have an ecological and social footprint much too large for these islands, lagoons and reefs to sustain and potentially accelerate the rates of decline.

Also read: As Praful Patel Visits Lakshadweep, Island Leaders Call for Black Day, Boycott Events

ii.Undermining of local livelihoods:

The proposed legislation is in direct conflict with the rights of local people to land, livelihood and healthy ecosystems. Lakshadweep society is organised around its limited land and freshwater resources on the one hand, and its vast ocean resources on the other. Coconut products and pelagic tuna are the mainstays of Lakshadweeps economy. Importantly, these activities work within sustainable limits of land use, water use and fisheries production. To be successful, these activities need access to land for coconuts, beach area to process tuna and copra, and freshwater. The lagoon forms a natural extension of the land, and supports several critical ecological goods and services. This is true for uninhabited atolls as well; they are places of active tenure, used for cultivation, fishing and fish processing. The lagoon and beach are vital social spaces for all sections of Lakshadweep society, including women, children and the elderly. By granting authorities unqualified rights to appropriate land, beach and lagoon resources, the LDAR acts directly against the livelihood interests of local communities and jeopardises a way of life, and an entire economy.

iii. Overriding of existing legislations and commitments:

The proposed regulation imperils Indias international commitments in meeting SDG goals, the CBD convention, CMS convention, UN Framework convention on Climate Change, among others. It also works against Indias own laws like the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, the Biological Diversity Act 2002, The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Ecotourism Guidelines 2019 among others. Of greater concern, the proposed LDAR ignores existing regulations from Lakshadweep itself. These regulations explicitly acknowledge the unique vulnerability of Lakshadweep and her communities, and take special pains to ensure that the boundary conditions established by Lakshadweeps ecology are not breached by unsustainable development. We acknowledge in particular the recommendations of the Justice Raveendran Committee Report of 2014 which were incorporated in the subsequent IIMPs as approved and notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, in its NotificationNo.19011/16/91-IA.III dated 23 October 2015, and the Lakshadweep Panchayats Regulation 1994 in this regard. Together they provide a comprehensive existing framework for holistic development whose benefits accrue to local communitieswhile securing ecological integrity, and ensure decentralised development decision-making. We believe that the legal authority and vision of these regulations should prevail over the socially disruptive and ecologically dangerous provisions of the proposed LDAR.

Women and children from Lakshadweep pose during the protest called by Save Lakshadweep Forum, on June 07, 2021. Photo: By arrangement.

iv. Questionable developmental paradigm:

Rashtrapati ji, Lakshadweep stands today as a beacon of social cohesion, wellbeing and national integration. By nearly every reliable metric of societal wellbeing literacy, health, crime rate, income inequality, gender ratio, population growth rate, sanitation, etc Lakshadweep either betters the national average or leads it. For every measure that matters for a fulfilled life, Lakshadweep is a fully developed state and a paragon to be emulated by the rest of the country. This enviable status is the result of careful planning, institution building, skill development and wise investment by various governmental and non-governmental institutions and the people of Lakshadweep over several decades. In addition, it is due to local enterprise, social reform and judicious resource use by Lakshadweep society over centuries. Against this reality, the guiding development doctrine implicit in the LDAR and its provisions is deeply problematic. It is based on the conception that, despite seven decades of independence, Lakshadweep is woefully underdeveloped and needs to be fast-tracked on a path of rapid growth. This embraces a narrow interpretation of development that favours investment in physical infrastructure, high-end tourism, market mechanisms and resource exploitation over local rights, societal wellbeing and existing ecological infrastructure.

Local communities of Lakshadweep demonstrate a strong sense of stewardship, strong social cohesion, the ability to self-govern, ability to forfeit short-term personal gains in the larger long-term interests of the community and to resolve conflicts internally. These are considered ideal and critical prerequisites within a community to facilitate not just equitable social development, but more importantly, to facilitate economic development. The LDAR in its current form fails to build on and leverage the inherent strengths of the local community to sustainably manage and use the resources on these islands. Instead, it will deprive them of their rights over land and ocean and undermine the social fabric that binds the community together.

Based on all that we have listed above, Lakshadweep requires a more prudent, less invasive approach to development based on securing and enhancing critical ecological infrastructure of island, lagoon and reef, preparing local institutions adequately for the vicissitudes of climate change. And it should celebrate Lakshadweep as a vital and vibrant contributor to Indias diverse culture and history.

In the light of these concerns, we the undersigned humbly request you to:

I. Intervene to withdraw the incautious draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation of 2021.

II. Restore and reinvigorate the Justice Raveendran Committee recommendations set up by the Honble Supreme Court and ensure that they are robustly implemented and monitored. III. Establish a committee of scientists, policy makers and local representatives to re-evaluate the broader development plans and directions of which the LDAR is a part, in the context of Lakshadweeps unique culture, ecological fragility and climate vulnerability.

Lakshadweep needs careful development, but this development needs to be calibrated against the realities of climate change, existing population pressures, cultural sensitivities and basic human rights. Anydevelopment in Lakshadweep should aim to strengthen, not weaken existing ecological and social infrastructure that currently work to protect the island and its people.

Theaccompanying annexuresoutline our detailed concerns about this proposed legislation against a scientific understanding of Lakshadweeps social and ecological realities and suggest alternative models of development for this part of the country.

Sincerely,

The Lakshadweep Research Collective(Naveen Namboothri, Rohan Arthur, Dipani Sutaria,Aarthi Sridhar, Rucha Karkarey, Ishaan Khot, Divya Panicker,Stella James, Vineetha Venugopal & Neha Sinha)

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Experts Write to President to Withdraw 'Incautious' Draft Lakshadweep Regulation 2021 - The Wire

Introduction

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has, as its name suggests, a broad range of responsibilities. It runs programmes to deliver much of the research and monitoring needed for policy development, both nationally and internationally.

[Credit: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]

Working with a wide range of centres of scientific expertise, including Public Sector Research Establishments, universities, industry, and national and international organisations, Defra sets policies to ensure a healthy and sustainable environment and to achieve production of food at high standard for consumption at home and for trade.

Defras policies are evidence-based and rely on research to ensure they are effective and take account of up-to-date understanding. This document describes the broad areas where Defra needs further research and innovation to inform its programmes and policies.

This research will help Defra realise the goals set out in important government strategies, respond to the climate crisis and make progress following the exit from the EU. It will also inform legislative commitments of the devolved administrations, such as those of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016.

These research and innovation interests are presented in this document at a high-level, giving an overview of the breadth of Defras enquiry. They are expected to be areas of interest for at least some years. In many cases they represent long-running fields of research endeavour and span more than one discipline. These research needs have been influenced by the substantial perturbation of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This document includes early consideration of the new and altered research needs that will arise.

Identifying the departmental research and innovation needs will ensure Defras evidence activities inform, and are driven by, policy and operational needs. Enabling greater strategic oversight of the evidence activities.

Research to address these areas of interest is delivered by a range of organisations and people. Some of the research is undertaken in the Public Sector Research Establishments (PSREs) in the Defra group which have extensive specialist research expertise. But Defra also works with a broad range of universities, research institutes, industries and industry bodies, charities and volunteer organisations, and with other government departments. Defra benefits from the global excellence of UK environmental science and research.

Research that contributes to Defras policy making and programmes is funded through a variety of routes. Some is funded and commissioned by Defra directly and targets specific short-term evidence needs in the department. Some is more extensive research funding by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). This includes novel and innovative research to inform Defras strategic research interests. Relevant UKRI research is delivered in a variety of programmes, including those in the Strategic Priorities Fund.

This document does not present a view of the structure or processes by which research is commissioned and used in Defra, nor of the breadth of research undertaken in the PSREs in the Defra Group. But the document structure includes a section which discusses research interests in each of the five Outcome Systems that Defra uses internally. This section is preceded by sections that consider research needs in areas that cut across Defras portfolio, such as climate and land-use, and a section about important research tools and approaches.

Defra Group System is structured around five outcome systems listed below:

The department actively seeks connections with relevant external research. Defra experts attend conferences and take part in research programmes; Defra runs more than 20 specialist advisory bodies to consult leading external experts; Defra runs a number of intern, studentship and secondment programmes; and Defra commissions research teams to address particular problems. We are always seeking new approaches to learn about research in the areas outlined in this document. That research is fundamental to the evidence-based policy making that the department prides itself on.

The eight Public Sector Research Establishments in the Defra Group. Seven of these are Defra arms length bodies. Fera is a Joint Venture between Defra and Capita PLC.

Other scientific arms length bodies in the Defra group are:

Several key themes cut across Defras domain. These often involve consideration of the complex and multifaceted interaction between the environment and human activity, and the application of multiple disciplines.

Adaptation and resilience: Defra is the lead government department for climate adaptation, responsible for the assessment of appropriate action to protect and enhance natural and human systems in a changing climate. Also, for increasing resilience and mitigating against risk. Such assessment is used in many areas, including for the statutory requirement of the Climate Change Act to produce a 5-yearly, Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) and National Adaptation Programme (NAP).

Although Defra has overarching responsibility for producing the CCRA and is responsible for managing several climate risks (such as impact on the natural environment), a number of climate risks (such as the impact on transport, health, business) are the responsibility of other government departments (for example Department for Transport (DfT), Department for Health (DfH), Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

Areas of interest in adaptation:

Achieving Net Zero: To limit future warming requires rapid reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieving net zero by 2050, as required by UK legislation. Climate mitigation is led in government by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). But Defra is responsible for efforts to reduce GHG emissions from four sectors: agriculture, waste and wastewater, land-use, and fluorinated gases (F-gases). Defra also has responsibility to promote forestry, which acts as a carbon sink. Together, the four Defra sectors represent 15% of the total net UK GHGs, with agriculture being the biggest contributor (about 10% of UK emissions).

Defra has research interests in reduction of emissions, the removal of GHG from the atmosphere, and in understanding the impacts of mitigation activities on other environmental outcomes:

In the densely populated UK, competition for land between urban, rural, food, energy, recreation, environmental outcomes, industry and other uses is a fundamental issue. Our interaction with the natural environmental is often through our use of land.

We need to assess, in a changing society and climate, how best to sustainably use available land area as well as the full suite of natural environment considerations in that use:

How can we effectively protect, manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems to help address societal challenges? Whilst also providing biodiversity benefits and human wellbeing from abundant wildlife to green jobs to clean water?

Societal challenges include mitigating and adapting to climate change. These could be addressed by supporting ecosystem functions that deliver services such as carbon sequestration, coastal resilience, and natural flood management:

The wide range of products harvested from nature and produced by agri-food and forestry industries represent a significant proportion of UK GDP. Ensuring that these products are produced and traded sustainably to the financial and broader benefit of the UK, without damage to the environment, involves a range of critical research questions:

Human and animal health are closely entwined, often via the environment in which they interact. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a forceful demonstration of this interaction. Human and animal health is also strongly influenced by the health of the environment. These interactions, considered as a system, define the research field, One Health:

The research areas identified in this document rely on a wide range of research tools and approaches, spanning disciplines across the sciences and social sciences. This section is not an exhaustive list of the tools and approaches of interest to Defra. It identifies some areas of particular relevance and change, which will be important in addressing the challenges faced by Defra and represented throughout this document.

Societies demand resource from the environment and shape that environment. The social science of human-nature interactions is of fundamental importance to Defra:

Defras areas of responsibility cover a wide range of interacting natural and human systems. Changes that affect one outcome are often likely to have knock-on implications for others. Policy in areas such as land management, biodiversity conservation, pollution prevention, food security, fisheries, and waste management, need to be designed in the absence of perfect knowledge of how human and natural processes interact. It can be particularly difficult to attribute cause and effect in such complex systems where evidence is often partial and fragmented.

Consideration of the issues that Defra deals with as parts of systems, i.e. in terms of relationships between the parts can help us to unpick complex or seemingly chaotic situations, and better deliver robust positive outcomes for society. To facilitate more effective decision making, a range of approaches and specialties need to be applied to the above challenges. Research is required in the following areas:

Geospatial data: Effective use of modern data architecture and analysis to make full use of data collected in the Defra Group and other relevant sources (for example from satellites, climate observations/models, and from other government departments).

Measuring change enables us better target action to secure a healthy environment and support our rural communities and economies. It also helps us to evaluate the effectiveness of those actions. As well as meeting legislative and policy commitments to report on the state of our environment, both domestically and internationally:

To achieve resilience to climate change, halt biodiversity loss, sustainably manage land and support rural communities and economies, we need informed and targeted policy development, interventions, and enforcement. These must engage appropriate actors (individuals, communities, businesses, and government) and be at the right scale and place. We also need to evaluate the impacts of our interventions:

Adopting a natural capital approach improves understanding of economic, social, cultural, and environmental values. Helping to encourage behaviours and practices that support stewardship and sustainability:

Climate change is increasing the threat of flooding. We have already committed to reducing the risk of harm from flooding through improving resilience, expanding the use of natural flood management, and putting in place more sustainable drainage systems. To achieve this outcome we need a strong evidence base which can help us optimise our approaches to achieve resilience and maximise the use of natural methods where they work:

Clean and plentiful water underpins human activity and supports natural ecosystems. A robust evidence base is required to develop policy to ensure there is a plentiful supply of water in the long term and to significantly enhance the quality of water available to all forms of life:

Defra is responsible for providing advice, guidance and access to capability to remediate areas from chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) and major hazmat incidents. The evidence we gather ensures that we can do this using the latest, most efficient technique:

We want UK science in the areas of animal and plant health, food, and farming to be internationally respected, impactful, and of a collaborative interdisciplinary nature.

We need research to develop a world-leading resilient food and farming system which enables the sector to grow and be more productive sustainably. Research and innovation will help champion trade of British food, produced to the highest environmental and animal welfare standards, in global markets. It will also maintain food safety, providing consumers with healthy, sustainable and affordable food choices:

We want to protect the nation from the effects of animal and plant diseases and pests, to enable sustainable production, trade, and a vibrant natural environment. Our focus is on building resilience to prevent, detect, adapt, and enable risk-based control:

We need to protect the marine environment from pollution and improve measures to reduce impacts by better process, methods, novel technology, and communication to support marine policy. Research is required to:

Our knowledge of the function and resilience of marine ecosystem services needs strengthening. Research questions include:

The UKs ambition is for sustainable growth and to manage the impact of COVID-19 on the wider marine economy. Research is required to:

Effective measures for adaptation and mitigation to climate change risks are needed to be developed by research to:

We need research to articulate the health and environmental costs and benefits of complex policy interventions that influence air and soundscape quality. This includes the environmental impacts and human health related ones. Research is required to:

Defra seeks to increase the circularity of our economy through greater resource efficiency, waste prevention, and maximising recycling. Research is required on:

We need to understand the risks associated with the chemicals we use as well as their impacts on the environment, and the role of government and others to prevent harm, in line with the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan:

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Defra group research and innovation interests - GOV.UK

A pressure gauge at an underground gas storage facility in the village of Mryn north of Kyiv. (REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)

American tech guru Alan Kay famously stated that the best way to predict the future is to invent it. This is the kind of thinking required to revamp entire energy ecosystems. In Ukraine, we have been debating the countrys energy future ever since independence. There has never been any shortage of ideas. Instead, Ukraine has lacked consistency of vision and continuity of implementation.

It takes many years, if not decades, for a nation to achieve a truly systemic transformation of energy policy. The key to success is not billions of dollars or technological prowess, but a shared vision within the political community. When this vision exists, successive administrations are able to build on the work of their predecessors rather than starting anew after every change in government.

For the US, this vision was energy independence. For Norway, it was all about preventing the countrys energy riches from becoming a resource curse, while for Poland, the goal was ending reliance on Russian gas.

In Ukraines case, the most appealing vision would involve inextricably fusing the countrys energy infrastructure with the wider European system. This would allow both parties to benefit from a range of complimentary features which are especially self-evident in the natural gas sector.

There are three gas-related objectives in particular that I would highlight for Ukraine: regulatory harmonization and deeper infrastructural interconnectivity with our EU neighbors; continuity of international transit; and transition towards decarbonized gas production and transportation using existing infrastructure.

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The gas queues of the 1970s, which were triggered by an OPEC embargo on oil exports, have remained imprinted on Americas collective imagination and have helped fuel the countrys drive for energy independence. It may have taken nearly five decades, but according to the IEA, the US surpassed Russia as the worlds largest natural gas producer in 2011, and overtook Saudi Arabia seven years later to become the largest petroleum producer.

Much of Americas success has been attributed to the fracking revolution. But this technological breakthrough did not occur in a vacuum. The ambitious goal of energy independence has guided several generations of US politicians. It has encouraged them to fund research, stimulate domestic production, and keep international trade routes open to guarantee supply stability and market competitiveness.

Norway faced the altogether different energy challenge of converting the energy bonanza of 1970s gas discoveries into a source of national wealth rather than ruin. The Scandinavian country gets top marks for the way it has fended off a potential resource curse.

Formerly known as a fishing-based economy in the backwaters of Europe, Norway is now among the worlds top three richest countries. The government doesnt squander earnings from gas exports. Instead, revenue is collected in a sovereign wealth fund that serves to guarantee a prosperous future for all Norwegians, and a stabilization fund that shields the countrys energy sector from commodity cycle volatility. Valued at over a trillion US dollars, this is the largest such fund in the world.

Despite supplying a quarter of the EUs gas imports, Norway is second only to Iceland in its use of renewable energy (78% and 75% respectively). Energy consumption per capita in energy-rich Norway continues to decline year after year.

Much closer to home, Polands example is perhaps the most pertinent for Ukraine. The two neighboring countries have considerable first-hand experience of the Kremlins attempts to weaponize energy supplies. As Russian military aggression against Ukraine escalated in April 2014, Polish PM Donald Tusk summed up the view from Warsaw. Regardless of how the standoff over Ukraine develops, one lesson is clear: excessive dependence on Russian energy makes Europe weak, he noted.

Russia has cut off gas supplies to Ukraine more than once in the past, leaving a lasting impression on the numerous EU countries that were also affected. This vulnerability had far-reaching political and national security implications which Poland, quite rightfully, resolved to address.

In 2015, the first Polish LNG terminal was inaugurated in winoujcie, with plenty of space for further expansion. Another terminal is planned near Gdansk. Crucially, the twenty-year-old idea of a direct connection to access Norwegian gas is now coming to fruition.

Polands Secretary of State for energy infrastructure, Piotr Naimski, recently summed up the countrys progress. The construction of a gas pipeline from Norwegian fields to Poland is in its final stages. This complements the implementation of the strategy for diversification of gas supply sources and directions. On 1 October 2022, gas will flow from the Norwegian shelf to Poland.

The examples of Poland, Norway, and the US unequivocally demonstrate what can be achieved when clarity of vision is matched by consistency of implementation. In Ukraines case, the ever-shifting geopolitics of the countrys gas policies has consistently undermined efforts to establish long-term strategies.

It is clear that today, our highest priority should be the preservation of gas transit through Ukraine. This is a pillar of our national security. Ukraine cannot afford to lose transit at a time when we are faced with a major Russian military buildup on the countrys borders.

We must seek to increase domestic production of natural gas, as the US has done, while lowering the carbon intensity of our economy as per the Norwegian example. In combination, such measures could turn Ukraine into a gas exporter. However, we must also take a number of constraining factors into account such as time, investment capital, and technology transfer issues.

In the immediate future, we should seek to accelerate regulatory harmonization and infrastructural interconnectivity with Ukraines European neighbors in order to achieve higher security of gas supplies, which comes with the diversification of transit routes. Poland has demonstrated the way forward in this regard. Given the size of Ukraines energy market and the countrys unmatched gas storage capacities, closer integration would be a win-win for the EU as well as Ukraine.

The next step is to leverage Ukraines unique advantages such as existing energy infrastructure, nuclear power, wind, solar, and other renewables in order to become a European leader in the field of decarbonized gases.

Energy transformation in Ukraine is possible. To make this vision a reality, we must first define it and commit to consistent implementation, election cycles notwithstanding.

Olga Bielkova is director of government and international affairs at Ukraines gas transportation system operator GTSOU and a former member of the Ukrainian parliament (2012-2020).

Thu, May 20, 2021

The Biden administration has this week announced a mixed bag of sanctions and waivers concerning the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, leaving opponents of Putins pet energy project confused and alarmed.

UkraineAlertbyDiane Francis

The views expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

UkraineAlert is a comprehensive online publication that provides regular news and analysis on developments in Ukraines politics, economy, civil society, and culture.

The Eurasia Centers mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia and Central Asia in the East.

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Ukraine's energy future is tied to European integration - Atlantic Council

In fact, holding it up as an all-in-one solution may lead us to ignore some of the concepts shortcomings and especially many of the fundamental questions about absolute production and consumption levels.

Todays industrial production and consumption driven by a growing global middle class uses more re- sources than the planet can sustainably provide. One reason for this is the linear way we use materials and products. We live in a throwaway society, especially since the middle of the last century with the success story of plastics providing us with convenient products at a reasonable price but of course plastic is not the only problematic area. Among the results of the linear economic system are the depletion of resources, a huge biodiversity and habitat loss, waste streams that leak or flow directly into natural ecosystems, and alarming levels of pollution and effects on the environment along the whole product life cycle.

These negative effects have not gone unnoticed by company leaders, consumers and politicians. Especially company leaders have been looking for new production and business models minimizing risks connected with access to raw materials, customer expectations on pollution and climate change, national laws and interna- tional standards; and all of this while ensuring revenue and profit growth for the company as well as increas- ing consumption.

The concept of Circular Economy (CE) has emerged as a promising approach to solve some of these challenges. Though the concept of Circular Economy comes with three main pillars (reduce, reuse recycle), conversations in the industry and in policy making often reduced it to just recycling, see e.g. the Report to the European parliament on the implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan (European Commission, 2019). Reusing materials after they have served their purpose in a current product is smart and effective: it reduces waste and it reduces the need for primary material in the production of a new product. Over the last thirty years many different recycling systems have been set up and a variety of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies have shown that recycling leads in many cases to a relevant reduction in environmental burdens. For materials like aluminium and other metals, the reduction is by factors of up to ten, for others, like glass, there are reductions by about one third. An important condition for the CE approach is to avoid or at least minimize persistent pollutants, like heavy metals or POPs, so that they do not remain in the recycling-loop and harm humans or the environment. Therefore, the advantages are twofold and the CE movement, institutionalized by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, has gained many signatory companies and convinced many consumers. Sometimes the impression arises that recycling was invented in the last decades. However, materials such as metals, glass, paper or textiles have been recycled and reused for centuries or thousands of years, also because of the scarcity of these products.

CE is a conceptual way of thinking about our economic system and is often compared to how nature works. It is an important and valid concept, because recycled and reused materials tend to have lower environmental impacts than primary materials, and avoiding harmful substances is an important issue. It is therefore crucial that the concept of CE has become an important issue and has gained high acceptance in society, probably also because it is associated with the promise that no restriction of consumption is necessary as long as everything is being recycled (Braungart & McDonough, 2014). Recycling is widely regarded as a guarantor of sustainable development and, accordingly, the recycling rate and the recycled content as its yardsticks. In this context, it we sometimes forget that there is no material system in our economy that runs as a circular economy. Energy and additional raw materials are always needed, because quality is often reduced through each cycle, leading to environmental impacts and costs, even for products typically celebrated for their circular economy potential such as the glass bottle. Furthermore, the aim of the EU CE package is not to protect recycling rates, but rather to reduce environmental impacts, create jobs and provide the economy with as many indigenous resources as possible. Although recycling can contribute to these goals, there are many cases where these goals can be far better achieved through other measures. This is because no material is produced to be recycled, but to fulfil a specific function. This benefit can be much higher than the burden of producing a material. Typically, the protective function of a packaging is much more relevant than the burdens caused by the manufacture of the packaging, which often represents only a fraction of the environmental impacts and costs compared to the packaged good. This has been shown, for example, by the investigations on food from Denkstatt (Pilz, 2016), Carbotech (Dinkel & Kgi, 2016), Williams & Wikstrm (2011), UNEP (Flanigan u. a., 2013) and others. Therefore, the best packaging is the one providing the optimal protection to the packed goods with the lowest environmental impacts. Recycling can make a positive contribution to this, as e.g. the aluminium can with recycling rates of 90 % and more shows.

However, focusing only on recyclability does not do justice to the need for a holistic approach and can lead to false conclusions and even worsen the environmental impacts. Optimizing the recyclability of materials can be at odds with the most material-effective product design. A good example here is in packaging, where recyclability often means using mono materials and meeting the necessary handling requirements. However, flex- ible packaging, which is extremely lightweight and uses minimal material, has a lower environmental or carbon footprint in many applications than comparable recyclable rigid packaging, if compared over the whole life cycle, even if it is not recyclable. The German institute ifeu has shown that with a shift from rigid to flexible packaging, the environmental impacts can be reduced, even if the rigid packaging is recycled and the flexible packaging is not recycled (Wellenreuther, 2019). Similar results are reported in a study on beverage packaging for the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (Dinkel & Kgi, 2014) or in a presentation by thinkstep (Kieselbach, 2019). These studies have shown that applying the CE concept single-mindedly can lead to undesirable outcomes. Even the Swiss association for the recycling of household waste, Swiss Recycling, has analyzed its systems and found that recycling rates are not the best indicator for measuring its environmental performance (Swiss Recycling, 2017). This year they presented a new indicator system developed together with ETH and Carbotech based on LCA and Costs to evaluate goals and the achievement of these objectives (Haupt & Hellweg, 2019; Swiss Recycling, 2019).

The danger of making the wrong decisions when focusing on recycling is not only evident in the packaging sector. A study on the environmental impacts of an average Swiss citizen has shown that most of the burdens from a Swiss household come from food production, heating and transportation (Froemelt u. a., 2018; Jungbluth u. a., 2011). For these relevant topics, recycling can only make an insignificant contribution and

therefore tends to misguide consumers to have made a significant contribution to sustainable development through recycling (IPSOS Mori, 2011).In summary, the CE concept can lead to a reduction of environmental impacts and raw material consumption. However, there is also a big risk of a rebound effect because recycling, the one pillar the industry and politics is concentrating on, is not addressing some of the fundamental questions of production and consumption levels, like economic and social effects or rebound effects, see among others (Bening u. a., 2019). The Circular Economy concept alone will never be enough to achieve a more sustainable society. Rather, it implies that companies can further increase their output because the better we design our Circular Economy system, the faster it can spin without losing material. Notwithstanding that recycling also uses energy and other resources, it is connected with losses and can lead to inefficient solutions.

To overcome this problem and to avoid or minimize these shortcomings, additional and holistic approaches going far beyond recycling rates and recycling content must be considered to sustain our resources, our environment and our economic system. By holistic, we mean an approach that links the various concepts in such a way as to achieve a high reduction in environmental impacts as well as benefits for society. In addition, it is important that this approach is not limited to a rich country/people perspective but includes also the perspective of the global South. To reach this, it is necessary to develop a target system for the EU within the framework of a joint project, which includes the whole concept of CE, and to focus even more on minimizing environmental impacts, material losses and increasing resource efficiency.

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Extension of circular economy to achieve a more sustainable society - RECYCLING magazine

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THE RAND surged to its highest levels in 26 months during early trade yesterday, testing the R13.50-mark against the US dollar on prospects of a global economic recovery.

However, the domestic currency retreated slightly and was 0.05 percent higher to R13.60 against the greenback at 5pm after the dollar inched higher following upbeat US jobs numbers

Private businesses in the US hired 978 000 workers in May, the highest reading since June 2020 as the labour market continues to recover amid a rapid reopening of the US economy.

The positive risk sentiment on the rand had kept the greenback on the back foot and saw US bond yields decline before the dollars slight recovery.

TreasuryONE currency strategist Andre Cilliers said a sustained break of the R13.50 level could see the rand target R13.35 in the short term.

The rand continues to outperform its emerging markets peers as commodity prices remain elevated and good resource-based exporter dollars flood the local market, Cilliers said.

The current rand levels are almost unbelievable, considering where it traded a year ago when the country was deep in the Covid-19 pandemic and its associated lockdown restrictions.

The rand has gained 20.1 percent against the dollar over the past 12 months, 11.8 percent over the past 3 months, and 3.8 percent over the past month.

President Cyril Ramaphosa even commented on the rand performance yesterday, saying it was at its best levels since 2019. He said it was outperforming the currencies of South Africas major trading partners, aided by high commodity prices.

Our favourable position as a commodity producer should attract capital inflows and boost the fortunes of domestic producers as well as retailers, Ramaphosa said.

Citadel Global director Bianca Botes said the key main themes driving the rand strength yesterday were the weak US dollar and the commodity supercycle.

Botes said the record stimulus deployed by the US government to fight the Covid-19 pandemic over the past year had led to excess liquidity in the capital markets.

She said this drove investors to assets such as the rand regardless of the underlying risks.

The dovish stance by the Fed continues to plague the dollar, assisting the rand to gain momentum, Botes said. And while many analysts argue that we will not enter a super cycle, the strong commodity process are beneficial to the rand, and other commodity driven currencies.

When comparing commodity cycles with the local currency, the correlation between strong commodity prices and a strong rand cannot be disputed.

Botes concurred that there was likely to be a correction in the rand in an environment of tightening of global monetary policy and the looming risks ahead.

While many articles elude to a stronger rand, closer to levels of R11, many analysts agree that the rand should be trading closer to the R15 (level) as we approach the third and fourth quarters, she said.

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Stronger rand tests R13.50 mark to the dollar on improved global prospects - IOL

If you've been shopping for building materials lately, you might have noticed that prices have gone up: wood panel products that would have cost you maybe $14 a year ago will now set you back $35 or $40. The pandemic has had a number of effects on the wood products industry.

To learn more about them, Morning Edition Host Jennifer Mitchel spoke with Patrick Strauch, executive director of the Maine Forest Products Council.

Jennifer Mitchell: So Patrick, what is the deal with lumber prices right now? Why are they so high even in a place like Maine that has, you know, lots of trees around?

Patrick Strauch: Yes, I can speak from firsthand experience: I'm trying to build an addition on my house. COVID caught a lot of people off guard, of course. There's no way to predict that kind of event, and I think what you found was that we didn't have the manufacturing capacity to keep up with that demand. We had the wood resource. We had the loggers available to cut the wood. But we just didn't didn't have the capacity to come online fast enough to produce the lumber in the panels that were needed.

So where did this last year leave Maine's forest products industry, then? If we didn't have a huge capacity for finished lumber that suddenly everyone wanted, but we do have a lot of trees and a lot of product out there, what happened to it all, and where did it go?

We're also part of a pulp and paper economy that affects everyone as well. It's all inter-related. The mills in Maine that were still making writing paper and printing paper, they were losing markets because of the long-term trend with electronic communications. And a lot of them were converting over to paper packaging products and cardboard type products and tissue paper: a mill in Woodland had tissue paper.

So those mills were strong, but we still had a lot of dependence on media papers. And that market started to go south very quickly. And it started to create a surplus of wood that was already cut and on the market.

And then that was compounded by the digester in Jay, the Pixelle Specialty papers digester, erupting. And that took out a major pulp and paper mill in the wood basket. So all of a sudden, we had a lot of wood on the market. So we had a surplus amount of wood, high demand for lumber, not enough capacity to really take in all that wood. So loggers were still left waiting and landowners waiting for the markets to adjust. And it's only recently that we've seen that surplus amount of wood kind of start decreasing and therefore the price of logs and pulp wood is adjusting.

So what about the future? You'd mentioned paper products like cartons, packaging, cardboard, things like that: obviously, we don't have any numbers yet, but it seems like this past year might have been a pretty bullish year for those kinds of products because of the pandemic and everybody shopping online and having takeout and things like that. But what did you learn over the pandemic year about what maybe needs to change? Or is the wood products portfolio, I suppose, diverse enough for what we know going forward?

Yeah, I think there's been a recognition that we needed to diversify our portfolio. If we think of ourselves, the state, as a business, and we want to stay in forest products, that's really what we need to do. Fortunately, there are market trends that are really supporting that kind of concept. A lot has to do with climate change.

And climate change is forcing us to take a look at what are the materials we use, can they be recycled? Is there a way to get off of petroleum-based products and move into more biodegradable products? And that opens up a lot of possibilities.

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From Mill Explosion To Pandemic, Maine's Wood Products Industry Had A Rocky Year - Maine Public