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Category Archives: Resource Based Economy

The circularity gap and climate emissions – The Ecologist

Posted: February 10, 2021 at 1:06 pm

We have a complicated relationship with resources and materials.We continue to extract, to create, use andoverwhelminglywaste.

This not only creates a mammoth amount of human-made items in our natural world, but it leaks greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Billions of tonnes of them.

Its not all bad news though: this article considers how we can break free of our toxic relationship and reevaluate the values that have exacerbated our warming climate. Here, the findings of the Circularity Gap Report 2021 show us what is possible and within reach.

Roadmap

The circular economy provides the ingredients for an astonishingly rich transformation of how we produce, design and consume. With circularity, we are envisioning an economy that is low-carbon and regenerative by design.

Current national emissions-reducing pledgesNationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)overwhelmingly focus on the energy transition and moving to non-fossil sources.

Although undoubtedly important, this narrow focus will not bring us to where we need to be: limiting global temperatures to well below 2-degrees, and ideally 1.5-degrees.

Even if all NDCs are implemented, the rise in temperatures is still forecast to hit 3.2-degrees this century.

Our Circularity Gap Report outlines 21 circular economy strategies that prioritise using materials less and for longer. If implemented, the circular roadmap can keep temperatures to well below 2-degrees by 2032.

Industries

It can also close the globe's current circularity gap of 91.4 percent the mass of materials that are not cycled into the economy by a further 8.4 percent.

And we are optimistic that change can happen. Our report gives world leaders a roadmap of circular strategies that can be integrated into current and upcoming climate pledges.

As governments design post covid stimulus packages, they are making decisions on how to spend capital to build back better and help set new goals for resilience and preparedness. These decisions will shape our future climate.

Climate mitigation efforts are centered around industries with high and verifiable historical GHG emissions: namely, energy tied to electricity, heat, construction, transportation and manufacturing.

Often Efforts result in making existing assets or incumbent industries more efficientrather than exploring truly sustainable or transformable alternatives.

Consumption

The circular economy can sytemically transform our society. Its core tenets design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use for longer and regenerate natural systems. But how exactly does narrowing the circularity gap close the Emissions Gap?

Of the 59.1 billion tonnes of emissions we release every year, 70 percentof these can be traced back to resource extraction, processing and use. Only 30 percentgo toward energy needs (heating and cooling our homes, fuelling passenger transport from A to B).

This means that to really make a dent in global emissions, we need to look toward material processes and how they feed into satisfying our lifestyles; from the food we eat and the cars we drive to the clothes we wear.

Circular economy strategies that transform how we produce, design and consume within our economies are powerful because they require fewer resources for the sameif not betteroutput for society, and with fewer GHGemissions.

Circular strategies at the intersection of materials and emissions hotspots in the economy can increase value-retention and cut excessive consumption, thereby slashing GHGs.

Mitigation

The Circularity Gap Report finds that circular strategies have the power to axe global emissions by a massive 39 percentand cut virgin resource extraction by 28 percent. Housing, nutrition and mobility are the areas in which the most impactful circular strategies largely fall.

In housing, more efficient use of buildings in reducing floor space had the largest impact. Smaller spaces need fewer finite resources to build, and requireless heating and energy.

In transport, supply chain efficiencies such as the circular design of vehicles leads the way in terms of impact, as vehicles that use recycled content or are more durable have longer lifetimes and mitigate the need for virgin resources.

And in nutrition, a healthy diet that includes more satiating, unprocessed and nutrient-dense, as well as plant-based, foods reduces the carbon and material footprint of how we feed ourselves. This diet ultimately requires less carbon-, water-, feed- and space-intensive calories: livestock, for example.

By now, hopefully, you are convinced that the climate mitigation agenda must look towards our relationship with resources and materials to make major gains in mitigationand that the circular strategies to address this are in reach.

Obsolescence

Although we need resources to sustain our livesin the same way some emissions will always be dispersedthere is a problem with our reliance on and inefficiency with virgin resources.

Our 2020 Circularity Gap Reportshowedthat our annual material use exceeds 100 billion tonnes of materials every year. Its basically tripled over the last five decades and is forecast to amount to between 170 and 184 billion tonnes by 2050. This is a lot of stuff.

Many scholars have commented on the post-second World War value-shift where having more 'stuff' be it a car, a house or the newest kitchen blender began to be increasingly equitable with success, especially in the West. This consumption heavy culture has been taking its toll on our planet.

This value-system, however, appears to have seeped into many of the cultures around the world; and its proving hard to shake.

In business, the idea of planned obsolescence that artificially shortens products life spans, became more and more common from the 1930s onwards.

Civilisations

For years we have cursed our phones short or unreliable standing, but until recently, this wasnt even considered a bad business practice. The linear economy and its take-make-waste habits are deeply ingrained in the global economy.

But history warns us that taking our natural resources for granted can spell disaster. Many civilisations have died out for this very reason. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond in Collapse, multiple failed civilisationsfrom the Anasazi of North America to Vikings of Greenlandall share a history of fundamental use and abuse of the natural world. They also share the trait of ignoring the early warning signs.

Early warning signals are not always obvious. We know this: global heating hasn't occurred in a structured way. Global temperatures have fluctuated and rises have been incremental.

We tend not to notice the signs until the issue is so prominent it feels as if it suddenly arrived on our doorstep; an unwelcome guest. This may be especially true in the global West, which is largely responsible for the emissions that feed into climate breakdown, but don't yet bear the brunt of its impacts.

Diamond suggests that to succeed, civilisations need long-term planningespecially in making anticipatory decisions before crisis proportions are reached.

Journey

Now, in 2021, the political climate leading up to the COP26 foreshadows promising change.

The EU parliament has voted in favour of increasing the targets of Member States, aiming for a 60 percentreduction in emissions by 2030; the Biden Presidency rejoined the Paris Agreement; a host of nations have pledged for zero-carbon futures.

Countries around the world have an excellent opportunity to formulate more defined blueprints, supported by circular strategies, towards closing the emissions and circularity gaps. Perhaps we can start to be optimistic that our 21st-century civilisation is learning from the warnings of our past.

One thing that the Circularity Gap Report makes clear is that this journey will look different depending on where you live around the world. Governments must adapt their approach when striving for long-term, circular change and we have categorised countries within three broad groups: Build, Grow and Shift.

Build: Some countries have more biomass-orientated economies and emit fewer GHG emissions, but may also struggle to deliver solid healthcare or education.

Referred to as the Build profile in our report, countries such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa and Pakistan are included.

Their priority areas to slash emissions and increase circularity would include reforming agricultural practices away from monocropping and deforestation; applying circular thinking across the much-needed construction; ensuring infrastructure for distributed and accessible mobility in growing cities and combining informal and formal waste management infrastructure.

Grow: In the Grow profile are countries that are manufacturing and export hubs, which host a growing middle-class. Latin American and larger Asian countries, like China, are included in this profile.

Given their national contexts, priorities for the circular transition include prioritising sustainable agriculture, especially in products set for export; mainstreaming resource-efficient and low-carbon construction materials; satiating the growing appetite for energy with renewable sources where possible and establishing infrastructure for effective material cycling, including construction and demolition waste.

Shift: Lastly, our report considers Shift countries: these are high-income and high-emitters.

Solution

For countries in this profile, like much of Europe and the US, priorities include taking responsibility for and reducing consumption by integrating circular strategies across construction, mobility, nutrition and consumer goods by transitioning from ownership to sharing models; making the most of goodsfrom buildings to vehiclesbefore, during and after their functional lifetimes and optimising how waste is valorised in the already mature waste management systems.

As calls for action intensify, the solutions are here. Now, this is the year of truth. With 2020 struck by covid-19, lockdowns around the globe not only contributed to a sharp decline in emissions, but also accelerated decommissioning of fossil assets. Despite this progress being unintended and arguably temporary, it can teach us valuable lessons to translate into structural changeand now, the world seems to be listening.

Our report gives world leaders a roadmap of circular strategies that can be integrated into current and upcoming climate pledges. It also informs governments on how to spend capital to build back better. We must not fall back on business-as-usual which could leave us vulnerable, divided and susceptible to the mistakes of history. Destructive and instructive as the pandemic proved, it is ultimately climate breakdown that will be the biggest global health-threat of the century.

In a time of building back better, the circular economy has never been more relevant. Circular strategies can, and must, form a massive part of the solution to this global crisis.

This Author

Laxmi Haighcompletedher MSc in 2017 andhas worked as a writer, editor and journalist. She now works at Circle Economy and was one of the lead authors of the Circularity Gap Report 2021, launched on January 26th.Read the 2021 Circularity Gap Report here.

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The circularity gap and climate emissions - The Ecologist

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Should BLM be closer to Western communities or Congress? – High Country News

Posted: at 1:06 pm

The Bureau of Land Management is tasked with overseeing the nations public lands for a variety of uses.

This story was originally published by CPR News and is republished here by permission.

When youre located in a place that has no public lands at all, you just dont understand it, said Robin Brown, executive director of the Grand Junction Economic Partnership.

Its just one of the reasons shes glad that, after years of talking about moving, the Bureau of Land Management headquarters relocated its headquarters from Washington, D.C. to the Western Slope of Colorado, a place with lots of public lands.

On top of that, Brown celebrates the fact that its been a boon to the local economy, bringing jobs and theyre high wage jobs. and the cachet that comes with being the home of the BLM headquarters also doesnt hurt, either.

But more than a year after the move became official, others hold a dimmer view of its results.

The move caused a lot of damage to the agency, said Scott Braden, director of the Colorado Wildlands Project, a group working to conserve BLM-managed public lands in Colorado.

He also previously served on a BLM Resource Advisory Council.

I feel like it hasnt been a fully functional headquarters, Braden said.

The Department of the Interior released numbers at the end of January showing that of the 328 D.C.-based BLM headquarter employees whose jobs were moved to offices in the West,only 41 stayed with the agency. The rest just over 87% retired or found employment elsewhere. With vacancies at the top of the agency and the pandemic shifting many people to remote work just as the Grand Junction office was opening, its unclear how many staff are currently located in Grand Junction.

Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities, described the move in blunt terms.

This headquarters move has just been a total failure, Weiss said.

Some people would argue thattrimming governmentis not necessarily a bad thing, and supporters of the move have argued that BLM employees unwilling to relocate closer to the lands they managewerent a good fit for the agency anyway. But for Weiss, the numbers confirmed his worst fears about the Trump administrations real motivation.

The headquarters move was not a move. It was simply an evisceration of the agency.

The headquarters move was not a move. It was simply an evisceration of the agency, Weiss said.

Some Democrats in Congress raised other concerns. They said there was a lack of transparency over simple questions like how many people were actually planning to move or even a detailed cost-benefit analysis to accompany the justification. The lack of information created a weak foundationfor large congressional supportfor the move.

The Bureau of Land Managements Grand Junction, Colorado, office is housed in this office building on Horizon Drive.

Nick Bowlin/High Country News

So, what to do about a move as messy as the BLM? Thats the question now facing the Biden administration.

Its much more complex than asking where a person should work. And everyone with a stake in the BLM has ideas. Weiss thinks the place to start is with a clear assessment of how hollowed out the agency really is.

Once we know what the damage is, then you can start to make a plan for how to rebuild the agency, he explained.

That means looking atwhy people left and it just wasnt the move. Most employees knew that was anoption for years before it became a reality. Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner first brought up the possibility of moving an agency like the BLM out west in June 2016, during a hearing with then-director Neil Kornze.

There were other reasons people were looking for the exits.

There hasnt been a confirmed director of the agency since the end of the Obama administration. President Donald Trump didnt nominate someone to fill that role until his final year in office, when he nominated then-acting director William Perry Pendley, a controversial figure who at one point called for the sale of public lands, and whosenomination was pulled.

The Trump administration also took a different view of career staff than the previous administration. Numerous accounts of the White House described the president dismissing their opinions and suggesteda deep-seated distrust of career civil servants.

It's been incredibly hard to see our civil servants so degraded over the past four years, said Christy Goldfuss, with the Center for American Progress.

She also co-wrote a roadmap of climate recommendations,Climate 21, for the new administration, which includes moving BLM headquarters back to D.C.

Goldfuss said there was a dramatic sea change in the agencys focus from the Obama administration to the Trump administration.

I dont think we're ever going to see the kind of shift that weve seen in the past four years, she said.

The BLMs mandate is wide-ranging its responsible for balancing multiple uses on 245 million acres of surface public lands and 700 million acres of subsurface minerals in the western U.S., everything from hiking and hunting to grazing and energy. While Obama put the focus onclimate and renewables, the Trump administrationaimed to maximize energy production, oil and gas in particular.

Steve Ellis, who worked for the agency for 38 years, rising to become deputy director of operations under the Obama administration, said President Joe Biden must think through where the BLM needs to go.

Dont look in the rearview mirror, but look forward, Ellis said. Focus on the future. Solidify what you want the BLM to be and then organize around that.

Ellis, who has and continues to be an outspoken critic of the move, thinks Grand Junction could still play a role in the bureaus future. And hes not alone.

I think that its difficult to rescue a decision that I believe was made in bad faith by the last administration, but Im optimistic, Braden said. Im optimistic that the BLM can find a way forward that maintains a headquarters in Grand Junction.

But Braden is quick to add it would have to share that title with a central office in Washington, D.C. Most people think the best Grand Junction can hope for is to get demoted to western headquarters or hub.

Whatever you call it, Nada Culver, vice president for public lands for the National Audubon Society, said the BLM as its currently structured isnt really working.

Right now, its not able to function because there isnt a headquarters in D.C. and there isnt a real headquarters in Grand Junction. You know, I think everyone can agree on that, she said.

Culver adds the Biden administration should avoid repeats of past mistakes, like having some immediate edict that says now you shall all have to move, even if that move is a return to D.C.

Signs for Rep. Lauren Boebert could be found all across Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, which includes Grand Junction, in the lead-up to the 2020 elections.

Caitlyn Kim/CPR News

Theres a saying in Washington: If youre not at the table, youre on the menu. As much as people like to criticize the D.C. bubble, its a bubble for a reason.

Government operations are centralized there, and Ellis argues you want the decision-makers where the decisions are being made, especially with regards to their agency. They need a chance to form relationships, friendships with leaders across government.

I could never have developed those relationships on Zoom, on conference calls or an occasional fly in from the West, Ellis said.

Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, who represents the district, takes a different view.

It only makes sense to have the people managing hundreds of millions of acres of land located near that land and accessible to those communities, she said during a tele-town hall recently.

But Braden points out the move didnt stop D.C. from overruling one of the biggest recent decisions BLM made about lands in Colorado. After years of community input and work with BLM field directors on theUncompahgre Resources Management Plan, it was changed by the Interior Department in D.C. to better align with the Trump administrations focus on energy dominance.

That was, sort of, in contradiction from a lot of the messaging we were hearing that (this) moves D.C. leadership and decision-making closer to the community served, he said.

Coloradohas filed suit against the BLMover the plan.

Braden and others also counter that the bureau could better serve communities by empowering its state directors or field managers.

Still, Boebertwrote a letterto the Biden administration, one that other House Republicans including Colorado Reps. Ken Buck and Doug Lamborn signed onto, touting easier access to leaders, better decision-making and lower costs if the headquarters stays in Grand Junction.

Weiss doesn't expect it to have much impact.

Lauren Boebert has zero sway with the Biden administration, he said.

It's not just that she's a Republican and a freshman, but her actions from her combative tweets to her objection to the election certification dont set her up as someone the administration will likely be eager to negotiate with.

And that's certainly not a good starting point when it comes to BLM headquarters, Weiss said.

This trail system is located in the Book Cliffs of Colorado, less than 25 miles from the current BLM headquarters.

Instead, just as Gardner was the focal point of negotiations with the Trump administration on the move, many expect it will be on Colorado's Democrats to make the case now for Grand Junction.

Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper sent ajoint letterto Biden arguing the problem with the Grand Junction office is mainly that not enough positions are located there. Most people, including Brown, were expecting hundreds of headquarters staff to move to Grand Junction, far more than the 41 currently allocated there.

We continue to support a full BLM headquarters in Grand Junction. We believe that such an effort must be more than symbolic and must include the staff and resources to improve management and protect our public land, they wrote.

Gov. Jared Polis sent hisown letter, too, saying hes extremely supportive of the Bureau of Land Management keeping and expanding their national headquarters in our great state.

I think the only thing that will save the BLM headquarters in Grand Junction is a true bipartisan effort from the entire Colorado delegation, a coordinated effort, Robin Brown said.

That might be easier said than done given the current personalities and the lack of a coordinated bipartisan delegation letter, although the letters from Boebert and the senators both urged the president to work across the aisle on the issue.

Brown has organized a round table with the senators, the governor and 20 municipalities today to work on a game plan for their lobbying effort and come up with deliverables to make the headquarters a truly viable one.

She admits shes disappointed by the partisan tinge the move has taken on, but she sees it as a microcosm of whats happening across every issue and decision being made at the federal level. She is hoping the Interior Secretary-designate, Deb Haaland, who has been critical of the move, will come out to Grand Junction in person.

The Interior Department said in a statement that its new leadership will work with BLM career staff to understand the ramifications of the headquarters move and determine if any adjustments need to be made.

Caitlyn Kim is the public affairs reporter for CPR News, based in Washington, D.C.EmailHigh Country Newsat[emailprotected]or submit aletter to the editor.

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Arroyo on ‘business churn,’ shared services, and trends Pascack Press & Northern Valley Press – Pascack Press & Northern Valley Press

Posted: at 1:06 pm

FROM JANUARY 2020: (From left) Montvale Council President Douglas Arendacs, Chamber Secretary Christine Issackedes, Emerson Mayor Danielle DiPaola, Chamber President Robin Effron Malley, Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo, Park Ridge Mayor Keith Misciagna, Oradell Mayor Dianne Didio, Hillsdale Mayor John Ruocco, Township of Washington Mayor Peter Calamari, Chamber Vice President Skip Kelley, Chamber member Olga Epstein, and Westwood Mayor Raymond Arroyo. This year's get-together was virtual.

WESTWOOD, N.J.Mayor Ray Arroyo had more to say than his time allowed at the Jan. 27 session of the 2021 Greater Pascack Valley Chamber of Commerce Mayors Breakfast, held on Zoom this year instead of at the warm and gracious Iron Horse Restaurant.

I didnt realize the 5-minute rule was in effect, especially with the number of questions that were put forth, he told Pascack Press following the annual event, which was his second such since being sworn in as mayor.

Of note, he said keeping parking, a finite resource, in sight, We anticipate increases in vehicular traffic and in shopper parking demand as a result of the ongoing addition ofas [host] Robin [Malley] stated, thousands of apartments nearby along the north-south corridor.

That point resonated with Arroyos fellow mayors, all of whom have had to contend with the pressures of development and redevelopment, anddepending on ones point of viewoverdevelopment.

Arroyo shared his prepared remarks with us, and so this is an expanded look, in the mayors words (lightly edited), at challenges and trends in his borough, the self-described hub of the Pascack Valley:

Regarding the Central Business District, first floor vacancies, and new occupancies: Last year I rebutted claims that downtown Westwood was struggling to find tenants, that businesses were closing at uncomfortable rates. This was before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Based on data Id asked Celebrate Westwood to provide, I can report this year, that over the past 12 months10 of which were within the ongoing global pandemic16 businesses have either closed or relocated out of Westwood.

Eighteen businesses have newly opened or expanded to nearby storefronts along the ground floor of the Westwood Central Business District. That is a net positive gain of two businesses to the Hub of the Pascack Valley.Breaking it down a bit further, two of the five businesses that closed include Bank of America and New York Sports Club. Their spaces are unused and under renovations respectively, and their closures were in the works prior to the pandemic.

The Sports Club will become a new mixed use residential/commercial anchor on the south end of the district, offering five affordable units per the terms of Westwoods Fair Share Housing Settlement agreementThe bankhoused in an imposing Art Deco landmark building at the towns main intersectionwas a victim of the growing inutility of brick-and-mortar bank locations in downtown settings.

This reverses a trend that was popular just 15 years ago.

Online banking and mobile apps have done to retail bank branches specifically what Amazon has done to brick and mortar retail more generally. Westwood now has three former bank sites empty and available. So far, two of the threewith the upside of plentiful onsite parkinghave generated interest for adaptive reuse.

Of the 16 storefronts that went dark during 2020, nine are now reoccupied or soon will be, and 10 belong to nine entrepreneurs new to Westwood. They have brought their business models to a town that they believe will withstand the pandemics worst economic impacts.

This new investor interest and business churn has occurred not only during severe public health and economic crisis, but without Westwood having added new uses, recommended for as-of-right zoning amendments in its recent Master Plan re-enact.

Nevertheless, Westwoods well managed and cared for Central Business District remains a desirable destination for business investment due to its scale, charm, and pedestrian friendly environmentunique for our areaand for its Parking Authoritys engaged management of customer, commuter and employee parking.

The ParkMobile app, implemented by the WPA in fall 2020, streamlines the downtown parking experience and allows for better data collection. This data, when used in conjunction with recording the manual meter and kiosk collections, will better inform our land use, planning decisions.

Westwoods parking inventory has been mostly fixed for 25 years. The additional meters were added in private/public partnerships pursuant to developers agreements across two CBD properties.

Keeping this finite resource in mind, we anticipate increases in vehicular through-traffic and consumer parking demand, stemming from the pending addition of thousands of apartments across neighboring towns, this to partially satisfy their affordable housing mandates.

We have taken a cautious approach with respect to adding parking intensive uses as of right in the CBD. We plan to study, post-pandemic trends with an eye towards appropriately scaled growth, intensity, and commercial improvements.

Historically, Westwoods land use governance has been thoughtful and deliberative: qualities that have avoided mistakes and produced much evident success. Wed prefer to plan for additional public parking, or better allocation of existing resources, based on data and actual observation rather than assuming that rideshare services, and public transportation, will soon replace owner operated vehicles in a truly appreciable way.

In fact, over the last decades, neither train nor bus commuters have generated much CBD activity, except for the occasional coffee and newspaper a commuter may grab in the morning or a take-out dinner meal in the evening. And now, without those 300 daily train commuters passing through the Westwood Train Station, commuter/consumer impact is even more negligible.

The post-pandemic rebound of transit into New York City is an unknown, but will likely follow a long-term trajectory.

High earning knowledge workers in finance, insurance, information services, and tech prefer the work at home model. Time is a most precious commodity. For many industries, there is no need and, perhaps, a newfound detriment to the commuters three-hour round trip daily slog:

Employees save on the expense of NYC priced travel, clothing, food, and entertainment and employers reduce their overhead rental costs for vanity office locations, utilities, maintenance, and client entertainment expenseswhile realizing increased productivity.

Those saved dollarsrepatriated from NYCbecome discretionary dollars that can be spent locally. Few commuters are currently on the trains and buses, but Goldbergs is still booming. CBD lunch business, largely moribund pre-pandemic, has also picked up, in line with more folks working from home.

Today, office buildings in New York City are allowed 40% occupancy under Covid regs, but in practice, facility managers are seeing closer to 10% occupancy.

Make no mistake: people and businesses are leaving for reasons other than the virus. Murders in New York City were up 42% and shootings up 15% in 2020 over 2019s totals.

The streets are filthy, the subways are dangerous, and business properties are not adequately protected. Those who can are voting with their feet, just as the citys similar unraveling in the 1990s brought myself and my wife to Westwood.

We ought not emulate that governance. Repeating its follies will only produce the same results here. But what does it all mean for the suburbs and for post pandemic localism?

After the 1918 pandemic, the euphoria of the roaring 20s spread nationwide. Westwood, for its 2.3 square miles, saw its third largest population boom in population growth, trailing only by comparison to the decade after its 1894 incorporation, and the postwar baby boom.

Similar pent-up demand is in the offing for us as long as the economy, like the virus, remains poised to surge locally. I believe it is. That belief is not based on faith. Its based upon the reasoned investments entrepreneurs have continued to make in Westwood despite the pandemic, and in our currently booming residential real estate market. That market is fueled by those seeking to trade overpriced, cramped and dangerous urban living arrangements for suburban, small town spaciousness, personal safety and the relative ease with which one can be socially distancedand comfortably sheltered from the storm.

In 2020 almost half51 out of 105single family homes in Westwoodsold for over their asking prices. In the second half of the year, 40 out of 75 sold for above list. With interest rates still low, Realtors are reporting increased foot traffic at open houses, and multiple same-day offers.

Westwood continues to offer what urban refugees like myself and my wife sought 27 years ago. And people are willing to pay a premium for it. The governing bodys job is not to screw it up.

As we look toward a post-pandemic future, we need to be smart about our expenditures and the ways in which our municipalities are funded. Despite the positive net of businesses in the Central Business District, we know many are struggling to make ends meet and our property owners have taken on additional burdens to retain viable tenants.

Our tax assessor has written down commercial values by 5%, adjusting to the economic hardships the pandemic lockdown and restrictions have wreaked on commercial property owners. This was done not only in the interest of equity, but in the hopes of reducing the number of tax appeals which generate litigation expenses and refund payments should property owners prevail.

In 2020 we realized an $86,000 shortfall in anticipated revenues. We were able to mitigate some of that through a hiring freeze, as well as reduced spending on salaries wages and overtime. Fortunately, the borough was reimbursed for its covid-related expenses via the Bergen County Cares Municipal Grant Program.

One place where we might best be able to lessen the strain of tightened budgetary belts is through the consideration of shared services. Westwood is open to participating in mutually beneficial, shared service arrangements.

For example, in 2018, both Westwood POA and HUMC donated two newer passenger vans to the borough, replacing two older ones that frequently broke down. The vans regularly serviced a small group of Westwood seniors, but CDL drivers were hard to get for the relatively few hours they were in service.

The pandemic shut that service down, but Councilman Chris Montana, SAB liaison, is working with Emerson Mayor Danielle DiPaola to expand the universe of users via a shared service provided for seniors in both towns. We can start in small impactful ways.

My final points bring us back to the omnipresent pandemic. As you know, COVID 19 vaccine distribution is managed federally, on a per capita basis. That puts populations with higher percentages of at-risk demographics at a disadvantage.

Other states, not so situated, are able to inoculate their 65 and older populations and get the vaccine into their general populations sooner, while we in New Jersey, particularly Bergen County, are backlogged with seniors waiting for appointments, contingent on the shots arriving.

We know many seniors do not have the computer skills to navigate the online application for pre-registration. Westwoods Senior Advisory Board is putting together a team of volunteers willing to help our seniors by preregistering them online and following up to make sure they know where and when to arrive for inoculations. Volunteers have offered to drive them to their appointments as well.

Councilwoman Cheryl Hodges organized a similar effort during the pandemics March/ April peak, shopping on behalf of seniors to reduce their exposure to Covid-19.

We are also exploring the possibility of in-town vaccinations for seniors and inquiring how shut-ins might receive in-home inoculations.

We especially appreciate our ongoing relationship with PVMC, which has provided weekly updates on hyper-local case and transmission rates, hospitalizationsfacilitating an analysis on what this all means for our community.

Our master planners have always recognized the importance of our hospital, perhaps never more so than during this pandemic. And for that reason, the governing body will be taking up their land use recommendations for the Hospital Zone, in order to strengthen this important institutional sector of our local economy.

Each town shares similar burdens but each brings its own subplots and inflections. We each have excellent professional advisors, citizen volunteerswhether elected officials, board appointees or people who truly care about each other.

We still have a number of hard months ahead of us but the light at the end of our tunnel is not that of an oncoming, largely empty NJT train: its the light of our post-pandemic afterlife summoning us forth.

Were going to be okay.

Westwood Mayor Ray Arroyo

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Arroyo on 'business churn,' shared services, and trends Pascack Press & Northern Valley Press - Pascack Press & Northern Valley Press

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Autotrader Announces Best New Cars for 2021 to Help Car Shoppers Find Their Perfect Match – PRNewswire

Posted: at 1:06 pm

ATLANTA, Feb. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The search to find your perfect match, whether looking for a love interest or a new vehicle, can be a daunting and time-consuming task. While Autotrader may not be able to help your love life, it understands the importance of finding 'the one' vehicle that fits your lifestyle and checks a list of ideal qualities. With that in mind, the experts at Autotrader have taken the stress out of car shopping by looking at more than 300 models available, narrowing them down to a list of 12new vehicles that are a cut above the rest to determine the Best New Cars for 2021.

"Whether you are a first-time car buyer or a seasoned pro, there are hundreds of different models currently on the market and that can make it overwhelming to find a car that fits your specific needs," said Brian Moody, executive editor for Autotrader. "If you want to get busy and start doing some home test drives, our Best New Cars for 2021 is a great place to start. This list of the 12 best new vehicles will make finding your next car easy and fun, covering a variety of different lifestyles the road trippers, the off-roaders, those with luxurious taste, and even those who want to help make the environment a little greener."

The Best New Cars for 2021 is comprised of 12 vehicles selected by a team of experts at Autotrader, who collectively tested and scored new models using a range of criteria. Each chosen vehicle has unique features specific to anyone's lifestyle needs, including interior comfort, build quality, tech features, driving experience and more. Vehicles had to be of the current or next model-year and score a 4.0 or higher on a 5-point scale. Editors also considered the types of vehicles consumers are shopping for most and capped the base price for consideration at $75,000, ensuring they offer a strong value for the cost.

Autotrader Best New Cars for 2021*

2021 Acura TLXAcurahas returned to its luxury/performance roots with the fully redesigned TLX -- this time, with a greater emphasis on performance and technology. It's an excellent sport sedan that has nimble handling, a smooth ride and a pleasing engine note. If you're in the market for a midsize sport sedan, but you don't like the price or ownership costs of the German all-stars, then the TLX is an excellent alternative with little compromise.

2021 Chevrolet TahoeThis redesigned Chevy Tahoe has four-wheel independent suspension, which provides a more comfortable ride both on- and off-road, and offers more interior space for both passengers and cargo. It comes in an appealing range of engines, including diesel. The new Tahoe is an evolution of a winning formula.

2021 Ford Bronco SportFord fantastically executed the bold undertaking of bringing the personality of the new Bronco into a smaller crossover that's not afraid of a little adventure. The Ford Bronco Sport is a road-friendly crossover that has off-road capabilities. Ford also did an excellent job of making the Bronco Sport a totally new and unique crossover, while still embracing the spirit of the larger Bronco.

2021 Ford F-150Ford knows a thing or two about what people want in a full-size pickup truck, and the 14th-generation F-Series simply gives us more of everything. This new Ford F-150 gives drivers more choices, more flexibility and more details that make using a truck easier, including a ruler built into the inside of the tailgate, power outlets and upscale interior options.

2021 Genesis GV80The new Genesis GV80 is a midsize premium SUV with available three-row seating that starts under $50,000, squarely competing with much more expensive European rivals. This imposing, slick, refined, and comfortable SUV may be completely new, but it's already at the top of its class.

2021 Hyundai Santa FeHyundai's update of the two-row Santa Fe makes it feel like a larger vehicle with a lot more variety under the hood. There's a powerful turbo option, a hybrid (standard AWD), and a plug-in hybrid model. Hyundai is rather good at SUVs and at hybrids, and it was about time the two came together. The interior is notable, too. Hyundai vehicles are quietly becoming more and more premium with each update.

2021 Kia K5Replacing the Kia Optima, the new Kia K5 is a midsize sedan with a head-turning exterior and a roomy, high-tech interior. Cool-looking high-end options, sharp handling, and a fresh new look are all reasons to test drive the new K5. It's an eye-catching sedan that's good enough to make BMW 3-Series shoppers seriously reconsider their optionsespecially in GT trim.

2021 Kia SorentoThe new Kia Sorento goes from budget-friendly SUV to near-luxury SUV just by adding a few options. With the Sorento, Kia has captured the spirit of the wildly popular Telluride in a smaller package. The interior and engine choices are impressive and it's fun to drive. The new, rugged-looking X-Line version is especially noteworthy.

2021 Lexus ISThis newly updated sedan is beautifully balanced, precise and crisp, and a pleasure to drive. The update comes with long-term reliability and an affordable ownership experience, something you don't always get in a driver-focused car. This latest version of the IS shows that Lexus is serious about delivering both luxury and sporting performance.

2021 Nissan KicksThe Nissan Kicks is the most affordable car on the list with a sub-$20k starting price, and it has tons of personality and customizability that a wide range of drivers can afford. It's a great first car because of its price, value, tech and personalization options. This Nissan crossover is proof that an affordable new SUV doesn't have to be just basic transportation.

2021 Toyota VenzaThe Toyota Venza is back, this time as a hybrid-only midsize two-row crossover. This vehicle debunks the myth that hybrids are a compromise on performance for better fuel economy. A totally new and modern crossover SUVif you are considering a hybrid luxury SUV, make sure to test drive the Venza.

2021 Volvo XC40 The Volvo XC40 is an excellent small SUV. The Recharge version is especially compelling because it's a fully electric vehicle with stand-out styling, 402 horsepower and 208 miles of range. It has impressive acceleration and decent range, plus Volvo's well-earned reputation for safety. It's an all-electric subcompact luxury crossover that does just about everything well.

In addition to providing a resource for shoppers to help narrow down their search for the perfect vehicle, the trust and speed of Autotrader's digital shopping experience makes the process a breeze. Buying a car is now easier and safer than ever with the addition of Autotrader's Dealer Home Services, which helps shoppers buy and service a car without ever leaving the safety and comfort of their homes.

To learn more about the Best New Cars for 2021 from Autotrader, including photos, detailed vehicle information and available inventory, visit http://www.Autotrader.com/BestNewCars.

For more information and news from Autotrader, visit press.autotrader.com, follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Autotrader_com(or @Autotrader_com), Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/autotrader_com/(or @autotrader_com), like our page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/autotrader/, and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/autotrader-com.

About AutotraderAutotrader is the most recognized third-party car listings brand, with the most engaged audience of in-market car shoppers. As the foremost authority on automotive consumer insights and expert in online and mobile marketing, Autotrader makes the car shopping experience easy and fun for today's empowered car shopper looking to find or sell the perfect new, used or Certified Pre-Owned car. Using technology, shopper insights and local market guidance, Autotrader's comprehensive marketing and retailing solutions allow consumers to build their deal online, and guide dealers to personalized digital marketing strategies that grow brand, drive traffic and connect the online and in-store shopping experience. Autotrader is a Cox Automotive brand. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. For more information, please visithttp://press.autotrader.com.

About Cox AutomotiveCox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using vehicles easier for everyone. The global company's more than 27,000 team members and family of brands, including Autotrader, Clutch Technologies, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, VinSolutions, vAuto and Xtime, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with annual revenues of nearly $20 billion. http://www.coxautoinc.com

SOURCE Autotrader

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Mining key to transition to green economy – MINING.COM – MINING.com – MINING.com

Posted: February 8, 2021 at 11:27 am

According to Michael Goehring, president and CEO of the Mining Association of BC, this once-in-a-lifetime pivot point presents a significant opportunity for the provinces mining industry and broader economy.

We are in one of these once-in-a-century economic changes, fundamentally driven by the ultimate death of our carbon-based economy and the transition to a green energy economy

Mining as an industry is an exciting place to be right now, he said during a panel discussion on responsible mining at the BC Natural Resources Forum last week. Mining as an industry is being viewed as a solution.

Metals and minerals such as those found in B.C. play a necessary part of economies transition to cleaner energy sources and more environmentally friendly products.

Copper is a critical element in our transition to a global green energy economy. Wind turbines, electric vehicles and energy distribution systems all rely on copper, and we expect demand will continue to grow, said Clausen, adding that Copper Mountain Mining is fully committed to that broader economic transition.

But miners ability to supply that transition with sufficient resources to meet demand is not without its barriers. The sheer length of time it can take to get a project approved, built and operating can restrict supply. Weak commodity prices can also erode the economic viability of resource extraction.

Were going to see a gap between supply and demand, and I think thats going to be quite significant, Clausen said.

There are a lot of projects that are marginally economic, unfortunately, in B.C. right now with current copper prices, but we could really see that change overnight and wake up a few years from now and have $6 copper, said Kelly Earle, vice-president of communications with Skeena Resources Ltd. (TSX: SKE).

Earle noted that there has been some global interest in B.C. copper projects. Last year, for example, Australias Newcrest Mining Ltd. (TSX:NCM) acquired a large copper and gold land package from Skeena Resources for $7.5 million.

The key factor though is really going to be the price of copper, she said.

In addition to supporting a climate-conscious pivot to clean energy, B.C. miners are looking inward, and focusing on reducing their emissions and environmental footprints.

Copper Mountain Mining has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2035, and is striving to be one of the lowest greenhouse gas-emitting open-pit copper mines globally in the next 10 years. This year, it will implement Phase 1 of its electric trolley assist project, to reduce diesel consumption.

Pretium Resources Inc.s (NYSE, TSX:PVG) Brucejack Mine in northwest B.C. emits 0.05 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per ounce of gold 10 times below the average emissions of intermediate gold producers, said company president and CEO Jacques Perron. Pretium is testing battery-powered electric haul trucks to replace the diesel trucks it uses underground.

Responsible mining, at the end of the day, for me it means that we care, said Perron. Responsible mining is making sure that we consider everybody, and we look at all possible ways to minimize the impact of our activities.

Skeena Resources is working to advance the second chapter of the Eskay Creek Mine project, which previously operated as an underground mine powered entirely by diesel. This next phase is envisioned asan open-pit operation thatwill run on green energy, a transition made possible by a hydroelectric power station less than 10 kilometres away.

We are leading the way in building an economy that runs on green power, said Earle.

(This article first appeared in Business in Vancouver)

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Mining considered key to building the new green economy – Business in Vancouver

Posted: at 11:27 am

Copper mining, crucial to electrical technology, is among the top sectors powering the green energy revolution | sergeyryzhov/iStock/Getty Images Plus

The CEO of one of B.C.s biggest copper mines believes the ultimate death of the carbon economy will fuel new investments in infrastructure and responsible mining projects.

Fundamentally, I believe that we are in one of these once-in-a-century economic changes, and thats fundamentally driven by the ultimate death of our carbon-based economy which is a mature economy now and the transition to a green energy economy, said Gil Clausen, president and CEO of Copper Mountain Mining Corp. (TSX:CMMC), which operates Copper Mountain near Princeton.

According to Michael Goehring, president and CEO of the Mining Association of BC, this once-in-a-lifetime pivot point presents a significant opportunity for the provinces mining industry and broader economy.

Mining as an industry is an exciting place to be right now, he said during a panel discussion on responsible mining at the BC Natural Resources Forum last week. Mining as an industry is being viewed as a solution.

Metals and minerals such as those found in B.C. play a necessary part of economies transition to cleaner energy sources and more environmentally friendly products.

Copper is a critical element in our transition to a global green energy economy. Wind turbines, electric vehicles and energy distribution systems all rely on copper, and we expect demand will continue to grow, said Clausen, adding that Copper Mountain Mining is fully committed to that broader economic transition.

But miners ability to supply that transition with sufficient resources to meet demand is not without its barriers. The sheer length of time it can take to get a project approved, built and operating can restrict supply. Weak commodity prices can also erode the economic viability of resource extraction.

Were going to see a gap between supply and demand, and I think thats going to be quite significant, Clausen said.

At the time of writing, the spot price of copper was about US$3.60 per pound, according to Kitco Metals around the highest price the metal has fetched in the last five years. Its 60-year peak was nearly a decade ago, at close to US$4.50 a pound.

There are a lot of projects that are marginally economic, unfortunately, in B.C. right now with current copper prices, but we could really see that change overnight and wake up a few years from now and have $6 copper, said Kelly Earle, vice-president of communications with Skeena Resources Ltd. (TSX: SKE).

Earle noted that there has been some global interest in B.C. copper projects. Last year, for example, Australias Newcrest Mining Ltd. (TSX:NCM) acquired a large copper and gold land package from Skeena Resources for $7.5 million.

The key factor though is really going to be the price of copper, she said.

In addition to supporting a climate-conscious pivot to clean energy, B.C. miners are looking inward, and focusing on reducing their emissions and environmental footprints.

Copper Mountain Mining has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2035, and is striving to be one of the lowest greenhouse gas-emitting open-pit copper mines globally in the next 10 years. This year, it will implement Phase 1 of its electric trolley assist project, to reduce diesel consumption.

Pretium Resources Inc.s (NYSE, TSX:PVG) Brucejack Mine in northwest B.C. emits 0.05 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per ounce of gold 10 times below the average emissions of intermediate gold producers, said company president and CEO Jacques Perron. Pretium is testing battery-powered electric haul trucks to replace the diesel trucks it uses underground.

Responsible mining, at the end of the day, for me it means that we care, said Perron. Responsible mining is making sure that we consider everybody, and we look at all possible ways to minimize the impact of our activities.

Skeena Resources is working to advance the second chapter of the Eskay Creek Mine project, which previously operated as an underground mine powered entirely by diesel. This next phase is envisioned asan open-pit operation thatwill run on green energy, a transition made possible by a hydroelectric power station less than 10 kilometres away.

We are leading the way in building an economy that runs on green power, said Earle.

hwoodin@biv.com

@hayleywoodin

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Meet the Hoover Institution experts partnering with Innovate Alabama – Alabama NewsCenter

Posted: at 11:27 am

Six experts from Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution are partnering with Innovate Alabama to develop policy recommendations that will grow Alabamas economy, particularly in technology.

Created last summer by Gov. Kay Ivey, the 15-member Alabama Innovation Commission is the first statewide commission focused on inclusive growth in entrepreneurship, innovation and technology.

The commission is tasked with developing policy recommendations aimed at fostering economic growth and encouraging recruitment of technology-based companies, while also establishing and broadening paths to entrepreneurship and jobs in innovation.

The commission, which is supported by an advisory council, is partnering with Silicon Valley-based Hoover Institution to address the starting, recruitment and retention of companies and jobs; the development of innovation hubs; and the commercialization of startups. Within these focus areas, they will identify ways to improve education and skills-based learning and leverage the states successes in a way that creates prosperity for Alabamians.

RELATED: AlabamaInnovationCommissionlaunches website

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is director of the Hoover Institution and is on the advisory council. Alabama Power Executive Vice President Zeke Smith is president of the council.

Growing our states economy in the areas of technology and innovation is at the heart of Innovate Alabamas focus, Smith said. Partnering with the Hoover Institution, and working closely with these talented individuals, adds a level of policy expertise to Innovate Alabama that will help strengthen our inclusive economy, build a national hub for innovation and elevate Alabama.

The six Hoover Institution experts are highly decorated, nationally recognized thought leaders in their fields. Following are excerpts from their bios:

Ralph Banks Racial justice and inequality

Ralph Banks is the Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and professor, by courtesy, at the School of Education. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, and a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, Banks has been a member of the Stanford faculty since 1998. He teaches and writes about family law, employment discrimination law, and race and the law. At Stanford, he is affiliated with the Michelle Clayman Institute for Gender Research, the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and the Ethnicity, the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and the Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality. His writings have appeared in a wide range of popular and scholarly publications, including the Stanford Law Review, the Yale Law Journal, The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. He has been interviewed and quoted by media including ABC News/Nightline, National Public Radio, The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

Erik Brynjolfsson Future of work and technological innovation

Erik Brynjolfsson holds bachelors and masters degrees from Harvard University in applied mathematics and decision sciences and a Ph.D. from MIT in managerial economics. He is director of the Digital Economy Lab and the senior fellow at Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. He is the Ralph Landau Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and holds appointments at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford Department of Economics and is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. One of the most-cited authors on the economics of information, Brynjolfsson was among the first researchers to measure productivity contributions of information technology and the complementary role of organizational capital and other intangibles. He has done pioneering research on digital commerce, intangible assets and the effects of IT on business strategy, productivity and performance. Brynjolfsson speaks globally and is the author of nine books including, with co-author Andrew McAfee, the best-seller The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies and Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future and more than 100 academic articles and five patents.

Steve Haber: Economic policy and infrastructure (lead advisor)

Stephen Haber is the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the A.A. and Jeanne Welch Milligan Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University. In addition, he is a professor of political science, professor of history and professor of economics (by courtesy), as well as a senior fellow of both the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and the Center for International Development. He is among Stanfords most distinguished teachers, having been awarded every teaching prize Stanford has to offer. He was honored with Stanfords highest teaching honor in 2011, the Walter Gores Award. Haber has spent his academic life investigating the political institutions and economic policies that delay innovation and improvements in living standards. Much of that work has focused on how regulatory and supervisory agencies are often used by incumbent firms to stifle competition, thereby curtailing economic opportunities and slowing technological progress. His current research focuses on three areas: the creation of regulatory barriers to entry in finance; the economic and political consequences of holdup problems created by different systems of agricultural production; and the comparative development of patent systems. He is director of Hoovers Working Group on Innovation and Intellectual Property.

Eric Hanushek: Education reform

Eric Hanushek is the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow and a member of the Koret Task Force on K-12 Education at the Hoover Institution. A leader in the development of the economic analysis of educational issues, his research spans the impact on achievement of teacher quality, high-stakes accountability and class-size reduction. He pioneered measuring teacher quality on the basis of student achievement, the foundation for current research into the value-added evaluations of teachers and schools. His work on school efficiency is central to debates about school finance adequacy and equity. His analyses of the economic impact of school outcomes motivate both national and international educational policy design. Hanushek is chairman of the Executive Committee for the Texas Schools Project at the University of Texas at Dallas, a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and area coordinator for Economics of Education with the CESifo Research Network. He formerly was chair of the board of directors of the National Board for Education Sciences. His latest book, The Knowledge Capital of Nations: Education and the Economics of Growth, identifies the close link between the skills of people and economic growth of the nation, and shows the economic impact of high-quality schools.

Josh Rauh: Economic policy and infrastructure

Joshua Rauh is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Ormond Family Professor of Finance at Stanfords Graduate School of Business. He formerly served at the White House, where he was principal chief economist on the Presidents Council of Economic Advisers and taught at the University of Chicagos Booth School of Business and the Kellogg School of Management. Rauh studies corporate investment, business taxation, government pension liabilities and investment management. He has published numerous journal articles and was awarded the 2006 Brattle Prize for the outstanding research paper on corporate finance published in the Journal of Finance for his paper Investment and Financing Constraints: Evidence from the Funding of Corporate Pension Plans. In 2011, he won the Smith Breeden Prize for the outstanding research paper on capital markets, published in the Journal of Finance, for his paper Public Pension Promises: How Big Are They and What Are they Worth? co-authored with Robert Novy-Marx. His other writings include Earnings Manipulation, Pension Assumptions and Managerial Investment Decisions, co-authored with Daniel Bergstresser and Mihir Desai, which won the Barclays Global Investor Best Symposium Paper from the European Finance Association and appeared in the Quarterly Journal of Economics. Other work has appeared in the Review of Financial Studies, the Journal of Financial Economics and the Journal of Political Economy.

Macke Raymond: Education reform

Margaret Macke Raymond has served as founder and director of the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University since its inception in 1999. The CREDO team conducts rigorous and independent analysis and evaluation of promising programs that aim to improve outcomes for students in K-12 public schools. Their mantra is We let the data speak. The team conducts large-scale analyses under a collaboration with 30 state education agencies. CREDOs studies and reports are relied upon by the U.S. Department of Education, governors, state chief school officers, state legislators, the courts, other policymakers and the media. Supporters and opponents alike point to CREDO findings, moving the debate past evidence disputes to more substantive arguments. She is a regular source for local and national media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the Denver Post. Mackes deep belief in building capacity for improved analysis of programs and policy has found its place through service on advisory boards, technical resource groups and peer review panels. She was selected as a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow in recognition of her leadership in U.S. education policy.

Visit the Innovate Alabama website for more information.

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Ocean-based climate solutions are an important and overlooked pathway | Greenbiz – GreenBiz

Posted: at 11:27 am

This piece originally ran on World Resource Institute.

For decades, warning signals sent by ocean ecosystems such as increased sea surface temperature, sea-level rise and ocean acidification have illustrated the urgent need to reduce global greenhouse emissions. As most global economic activity and ultimately man-made carbon emissions occur on land, abatement policies tend to focus on land-based reductions. Meanwhile, the ocean traditionally isviewed as a victim of climate changerather than a source of solutions. That needs to change.

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made clear, limiting the damaging effects of a changing climate requires policies to incorporate an entire ecosystem approach that properly accounts for contributions from the ocean, its ecosystems and economic sub-sectors.

Recent analysis shows that ocean-based solutions could reduce the emissions gap the difference between emissions expected if current trends and policies continue and emissions consistent with limiting global temperature increase by up to 21 percent if the target is keeping temperature rise by 2050 to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or by about 25 percent on a 2C pathway.

Achieving such potential will rely on significant political will and clear policy signals sent to industry, financial markets and domestic agencies over the coming years. Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) can be critical tools in sending these signals and accelerating ocean-based climate action. Additionally, including ocean-based targets, policies and measures in NDCs can help coastal and island states enhance their ambition in line with the requirements of the Paris Agreement. Such ocean-based opportunities also canhelp governments recover and rebuild their economies following the COVID-19 pandemic. World Resources Institute recent publication,"Enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions: Opportunities for Ocean-Based Climate Action," aims to provide the necessary input to assist governments on that journey.

Here are four areas that offer opportunities for ocean-based climate action in NDCs:

Ocean ecosystems serve as the largest carbon sinkin the world. Blue carbon ecosystems namely mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses are valuable habitats for sequestering and storing carbon. Estimates indicate that these ecosystems can sequester more than double the carbon per area than terrestrial forests. Despite this potential, only a few countries include these ecosystems in their national GHG inventories and NDC targets.

The global mitigation potential is huge. Significantly accelerating the protection and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems potentially could remove up to 0.65 gigatons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to removing roughly all of South Koreas total emissions.

As151 countries have at least one blue carbon ecosystem, including this in updated NDCs can help countries achieve the commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Options for incorporating blue carbon ecosystems in new or updated NDCs include:

Fisheries are highly energy-intensive and emissions from fishing vessel fuel use are the largest contributor to ocean and coastal fisheries-related greenhouse gas emissions. Between 1990 and 2011, emissions from the global fishery industry increased by 28 percent. Despite this significant contribution to global emissions, the full carbon footprint of fisheries including supply chain emissions such as transport, refrigerant loss and waste disposal often are excluded from global GHG assessments.

Ocean-based renewable energy could reduce GHG by the equivalent to all ofUAE or even all ofRussiasemissions.

NDCs can serve as the entry point for governments to quantify and include non-fuel related emissions from motorized and non-motorized vessels as part of their national targets.

Options for including fisheries in new or updated NDCs include:

For many coastal or island countries, ocean-based renewable energy such as offshore wind (fixed or floating), tidal, current or floating solar energy technologies represents the most viable opportunity to significantly expand renewable energy capacity. Increasing ocean-based renewable energy by 2030 and 2050 could lead to an estimated mitigation potential of between 0.24 and 2.48 gigatons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to reducing all of United Arab Emirates emissions on the low endand all of Russias emissions on the high end.

NDCs can play a critical role in supporting the acceleration of this industry by sending clear, consistent signals to the industry. They also can help to stimulate further investment, research and development for less mature technologies such as tidal, current and geothermal energy. These technologies are particularly relevant for small island developing states attempting to lower the energy costs associated with importing liquid fuel.

Options for including ocean-based renewable energy in new or updated NDCs include:

Ocean transport accounts for about 2.5 percent of global emissions. Significant technical and decarbonization opportunities in the marine transport sector slow steaming and hydrogen-based fuels such as ammonia serveto enhance the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Reducing both international and domestic emissions in marine transport could lead to a 2030 and 2050 estimated mitigation potential between 0.50 and 1.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide. This potential is equivalent to removing most of Indonesias energy sector emissions and the United States transport sector emissions, respectively.

Options for including domestic ocean-based transport in new or updated NDCs include:

Addressing the climate crises requires governments and local stakeholders to ramp up their ambition levels on national climate action policies. Making sure ocean measures synergize with existing climate strategies can become a key component of this goal. These measures are particularly necessary due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in blue economy sectors such as fishing, seafood production, tourism and marine transport.

Furthermore, about 3 billion people rely on the ocean for their livelihoods. Many of these people live in developing countries particularly coastal and island states and will continue to experience the catastrophic impacts of climate change unless the global community continues to make strides toward climate mitigation. As a result, coastal and island statesparticularly can benefit from adopting these policies to support enhanced global ambition towards the Paris Agreement.

The solutions offered by the ocean cannot continue to be overlooked in climate policy. On the flip side, ocean-based solutions are not the whole solution. They must accompany deep cuts in land-based sources of emissions and protection of natural sinks. Limiting temperature rises and preventing the worst impacts of climate change requires using every available solution in tandem.

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West Virginia Has Everyones Attention. What Does It Really Need? – The New York Times

Posted: at 11:27 am

The wisecrack about West Virginia is that it can now have whatever it wants: fancy new highways, a federal installation or two, maybe a few extra grand per capita in stimulus checks.

Joe Manchin, the states senior senator and a centrist Democrat, has swiftly become one of the most powerful politicians in Washington, a critical swing vote in an evenly divided Senate. By himself, he can shoot down filibuster reform, shape the economic recovery or moderate liberal hopes for the minimum wage. So just give the man what he wants, Democrats laugh uneasily.

But there is a deeper possibility in this unusual alignment of one senator, one struggling state and one suddenly attentive capital.

The joke is that were going to have a futuristic West Virginia, said Kelly Allen, the executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. The honest answer of it, from our perspective, is that West Virginia and Appalachia deserve an outsized piece of any federal recovery policy.

Thats because the regions decades-long role in powering the nation through coal, she said, came at enormous cost to the health of local residents, their environment and their economy. A serious federal response to that history could both bolster the state and be a model for other parts of the country that have been left behind.

West Virginia ranks among the most distressed states in child poverty rates and median incomes, in population loss and in working-age adults out of the labor force. Economists and local community leaders agree that the federal government has done a poor job helping to lift up such places. Maybe West Virginia, with all its newfound leverage, can force Washington to do better.

The states residents have ideas. They dream of broadband, vast brownfield cleanup efforts, greater aid to community lenders who operate where traditional banks wont, more resources for high-quality housing and health clinics investment on a scale that would return to the region all the wealth that was taken out of it by resource extraction.

What we see is a part of the country that has been neglected by the change of an industry, and nothing came behind it, said Jim King, the president and chief executive of Fahe, a network of more than 50 organizations working to make Appalachia more prosperous. And it seemed that no one noticed or cared outside of our region.

Within West Virginia, a number of organizations short of money are already operating with what Brandon Dennison, an eighth-generation resident, described as a righteous anger about rebuilding the state.

On a spiritual level, in my bones, I know this place, its good, I know it has a lot to offer, said Mr. Dennison, who founded Coalfield Development, an organization that provides work force training and jobs in construction, tourism and solar power, across the southern part of the state hurt most by coals decline. And I know its not been able to offer all that it can because of various barriers.

Many of those barriers went up generations ago, said William Hal Gorby, a historian at West Virginia University. In the 1870s, the state established a system for legally separating land ownership from mineral rights. This meant that families who owned land seldom profited from the coal underneath, which was mined by companies based out of state and used to power industrialization elsewhere. The coal industry also amassed political power early in the 20th century faster than anyone could mount a campaign to tax it. So to this day, West Virginia doesnt have the kind of longstanding permanent fund that enables some other states to return resource wealth to their residents.

The big theme of West Virginia historically is our wealth and our income is not here, its taken somewhere else, said Sean OLeary, a senior policy analyst with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. That leaves us with very little to grow and invest and work on ourselves.

And, indeed, much of the country prospered as West Virginia remained poor. Changing that picture now may require rethinking what it means for this part of the country to get its fair share from Washington.

Many of the dynamics today in West Virginia would be familiar in old industrial towns in the Northeast, or in rural communities across the Midwest. The population is declining as young residents move away. So the tax base and ability to fund services are also shrinking. That makes it hard to support businesses, to prop up the housing market, to reinvent the economy.

This is a relatively new pattern: that broad parts of the country are falling further behind, as other places grow more prosperous. For much of the 20th century, poorer parts of the country were catching up in wages. That trend ended around 1980, according to economists, when globalization and knowledge work began to reorder the economy, with tremendously unequal consequences depending on where you live.

Today, however, no one in Washington is responsible for confronting that pattern, said John Lettieri, the president of the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington think tank that has proposed a new cabinet-level office to do that. Economists have only recently paid more attention to what they call spatial inequality, or the widening economic gaps between places. And policymakers are even further behind.

Were never going to have equal growth in the country geographically, Mr. Lettieri said. But we cant tolerate a situation where a significant share of the country is actually losing ground as the national economy grows.

In Washington, the problem isnt simply that the federal government lacks a comprehensive strategy for the state and others like it; many existing federal programs werent designed for these places. To qualify for federal housing aid, families must earn below a given share of the local median income. But entire counties in Appalachia have median incomes below the poverty line, leaving many poor families ineligible.

Federal grant programs often require local matching dollars money the poorest communities dont have. Some health programs devote extra resources to rural communities, but misclassify which ones are rural. The federal government incentivizes banks to invest in struggling neighborhoods. But those incentives dont work well in rural communities with no local bank branches. The government also has an array of tax credit programs to support development. But they work best with large-scale urban projects, not small rural ones.

Scale is really the enemy of rural development, said Dave Clark, the executive director of Woodlands Development Group and its partnering community lender, which have helped restore historical properties in small West Virginia downtowns. Nobodys getting rich off of these projects. We can structure them in such a way that people wont lose money. But theyre not going to be making a lot of money off these projects with the current tools we have in place.

The economics of redevelopment in the state are particularly tricky given that the state government has limited resources, local governments have meager tax revenue, and philanthropic dollars are scarce (those out-of-state coal companies didnt leave behind a lot of local family foundations).

Resources all resources tend to flow to places of density, said Jen Giovannitti, president of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the largest donor in West Virginia of any private foundation. Im talking about philanthropic density, population density, the institutional density. All of that money tends to cluster there.

That leaves the federal government as an essential actor, with Senator Manchin in a rare position, he has acknowledged, where one vote truly changes everything.

His predecessor, Robert C. Byrd, joked during his 51-year Senate career that he would be a billion-dollar industry for the state unto himself (and, indeed, he was).

What is potentially different for Senator Manchin today is that his influence is rising as recognition of spatial inequality is, too and that this comes as the economy is in the midst of another jolt.

The pandemic, for all its pain, has hastened a number of trends that could aid West Virginia. It has driven a shift toward telehealth, a vital tool in rural communities. It has pushed more consumers into outdoor recreation, a market West Virginias scenic gorges and mountain trails are primed to capture. It has boosted political will in the state to prioritize broadband. And the pandemic has sped up a move toward remote work to parts of the country with a more affordable cost of living.

This last trend, which is tied to the other three, could have broad consequences for how states think about economic development. If more workers can live anywhere, states dont have to throw tax breaks at companies to attract them. They can try to attract workers directly.

Making a place a good place to live becomes much more important now, said Adam Ozimek, the chief economist at the freelance platform Upwork. Thats also a much healthier type of competition than whos going to give the Bass Pro outlet the biggest tax cut.

That idea reframes the major infrastructure investments Senator Manchin and President Biden have proposed. Broadband, above all, is an essential precondition to remote work. Well-maintained roads, new parks and other public amenities also enhance quality of life. And major investments in environmental cleanup because the environment is central to West Virginias allure become an economic development strategy, too.

Until now, many organizations in West Virginia lament that the state has focused too heavily on luring outside employers, rather than building up the states own assets.

If were going to think big about this, do we want any job at any price? said Karen Jacobson, who leads the housing authority in Randolph County. From any employer whos going to take the deal now and leave 10 years from now?

An effort to leverage remote work could also help the state keep more of its college graduates. William Franko, a political scientist at West Virginia University, said many of his students who leave wish they didnt have to.

My sense is they would love to stay in the state after they graduate, he said. Most West Virginians love the state. But I think they look at the economic landscape, and they say, I dont see how I can make it work.

Mr. Lettieri and Mr. Ozimek have also proposed that the federal government do more to stem population loss and its harms, offering heartland visas to skilled immigrants who commit to settling in communities that have been shrinking. That idea is the kind of place-based program that recognizes whats different about Southern West Virginia than, say, North Carolinas Research Triangle three hours away.

All of this, locals said, would have to work alongside investments in residents who are unlikely to have remote jobs, but who could build the infrastructure, or run the tourism businesses, or remediate the land. After coal, many are leery of relying on any one fix-it-all idea, whether thats tourism or remote work. What theyre asking for is something more comprehensive, something that will take years to grow.

We have generational problems, said Mr. Dennison, the head of Coalfield Development. And theyre not going to be solved in one appropriations cycle, or even two or three.

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West Virginia Has Everyones Attention. What Does It Really Need? - The New York Times

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COVID is no isolated incident – The Chronicle – Duke Chronicle

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Although the sociopolitical effects of COVID-19 have become increasingly clear, the pandemics political and economic causes have largely been ignored. Evolutionary biologist Rob Wallace explains that whats really striking about the recent outbreaks, like COVID-19, is the expedient refusal to grasp that each new Covid-19 is no isolated incident. This pandemic is closely linked to food production and the profitability of multinational corporations. He explains how capital-led agriculture has created the need for large swaths of open land, which results in deforestation and the destruction of natural barriers against pathogens. This is not the first time exploitation of the environment has led to world-wide crises, nor the first time eco-fascism has been the response. As the marginalized continue to face the brunt, while the rich can hide away in the Hamptons and receive the first doses of the vaccine, its increasingly clear that humans are not the virus, capitalism is.

We cannot decouple economic growth and the climate crisis.

Its useful to trace the history of capitalism and colonialism to understand the root of our current ecological problems. Modern capitalism was developed during an era of colonialist resource extraction that persists to this day. In fact, our economy is built off of the same motive for infinite economic growth and expansion that created the conditions for slavery, a legacy that still endures in our food, prison and banking systems, continuing to exploit labor in all sectors of the economy. This same logic of growth justifying the means also led to the extraction of natural resources, expansion of power and domination of land, committing atrocities against people of color and the environment they relied on to survive. We saw this strategy at work when American buffalo were hunted to extinction in order to power a market while pushing Native Americans off of their land. We still see to this day the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color. History has shown that the environment is also a battleground used by colonizing powers to expand profit and exploit populations.

For the US and its fellow imperialist powers, their ill-begotten wealth is based off of the same model of colonization that continues to dominate and exploit resources and labor -- and its the same system thats degrading the environment and polluting the Earth. This isnt just a bumbling Empire that disregards the consequences of its growth, but rather an efficient, and often insidious, machine that is operating just as it was engineered to.

Whats really dangerous about capitalism and imperialism is the way they promise to solve the problem they create. A good case study can be seen with Bolivia in 2019, where the nationalization of the lithium industry threatened the profit margins for green-tech companies based on lithium-battery tech, a vital part of electric vehicles. In the Global North, EVs are often touted as the solution to transportation-caused carbon emissions, but this technology comes at the expense of the Global South. The nationalization of lithium was not only in direct opposition to that, but represented a move against unregulated exploitation of resources. A few months later, the president of Bolivia was ousted in a U.S.-supported military coup (one of many throughout history). The new right-wing, anti-Indigenous regime, in the resulting protests, killed many Indigenous protestors. Any purported solution that claims to solve environmental issues using the same systems that perpetuates them is doomed to cause rather than resolve harm.

Green capitalism generally represents a co-optation of the environmental justice movement and obscures the central fact that (once again) one cannot decouple economic growth from the climate crisis. Neoliberal reforms like the Green New Deal dont get to the core of the issue, which is that economic growth, often at the expense of the Global South, drives environmental damage, which results in climate refugees and environmental racism. Its more than a watering down of what could be a crucial intervention; its a diversion and co-optation by imperialism.

Many suffer from the unrealistic belief that new technology can save us from the circumstances that we have created. That solar energy, electric vehicles and even space exploration will lead us to a cleaner planet for one more chance at making the right decisions this time around. Green tech seems like the best of both worlds, environmentally conscious while still generating a profit for energy companies. Buying into green tech allows us to continue living in a fantasy where we can enjoy the conveniences that we have come to expect and somehow avert ecological catastrophe. But the reality of the matter is that, once again, we cannot decouple economic growth and the climate crisis. Rather than buying into supposed reforms that reinforce the same systems, we must embrace degrowth.

Degrowth is a politics and a practice that questions the need for economic growth and seeks to build new structures and sustainable communities that resist profit-motives and expansionist resource extraction. It stems from the understanding that infinite growth (i.e. endless resource extraction) on a finite planet, as is necessary under capitalism, is not possible. When capitalism (inevitably) fails, what will be our back-up plan?

In this all-too-possible-future, we have two options.

One response to environmentally driven disasters is eco-fascism, which hoards resources for the few while failing to support those who suffer. Its the same reasoning that fuels population growth narratives that believe that the quantity of resources is the problem, rather than their distribution. If we believe that the number of humans is the problem, it becomes all too easy to justify their deaths. This response is the type of behavior that our neoliberal logics motivate.

Fighting against structures of extractioncapitalism, colonialism, imperialism and white supremacyis the most effective way to fight for the climate. The US military produces more greenhouse gas emissions than up to 140 countries, yet even so-called GND supporters vote for the expansion of the military budget year after year. It destroys whole communities and ecosystems by occupying and destroying land, driving the way for multinational corporations to extract resources and exploit countries within the Global South, as weve seen in all of the conflicts that the US has involved itself in the Gulf.

Alternatively, work is being done by Black ecologists, Indigenous communities, ecofeminists, ecosocialists and more that provide solutions to disaster capitalism in ways that are truly liberatory. As a response to the GND, Indigenous organizers wrote The Red Deal, a revolutionary document that calls for decolonization of the Americas and ending the ongoing genocide of Indigenous people. Supporting movements that stop the construction of pipelines, military bases and power plants is also supporting movements toward decolonization, anti-imperialism, and socialism. Fighting for farmworker movements, fighting against imperialism and fighting for Indigenous movements allow us to get to the root of the issue while centering those that should be centered in the climate debate.

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While this pandemic does seem to be coming to an end, similar crises will continue to sweep across the world. Rather than characterizing them as isolated incidents, we can fight against their root causes and build structures to help each other when the neoliberal government inevitably fails us. As the Global South continues to suffer and each new pandemic and natural disaster hits closer to the imperial core, we can and must choose degrowth.

Rachita Gowdu is a Trinity sophomore. Celine Wei is a Trinity sophomore. Her column, "a spectre is haunting Duke," usually runs on alternate Fridays.

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COVID is no isolated incident - The Chronicle - Duke Chronicle

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