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Category: Climate Change

  • MIL-OSI: Bitcoin Hits $108K Amid Europe Heatwave — RI Mining Release AI-Powered Green Cloud Mining to Earn BTC & DOGE by Mining XRP

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Gloucester, England, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As Bitcoin surges to a historic $108,000 during Europe’s unprecedented heatwave, the demand for sustainable, eco-friendly cryptocurrency mining has reached a critical peak. RI Mining proudly introduces its AI-powered green cloud mining platform, designed to meet the growing need for environmentally conscious crypto mining solutions.

    Climate Urgency Meets Next-Gen Crypto Mining

    Europe’s record-breaking heatwave has intensified the global call for greener energy solutions across industries. Cryptocurrency mining, often criticized for its environmental impact, is rapidly evolving. RI Mining platform combines advanced artificial intelligence with 100% renewable energy sources, delivering a cloud mining experience that maximizes efficiency while minimizing environmental footprint.

    Robert Chen, RI Mining’s Strategic Vice President, said:
    “The future of wealth is rooted in sustainability. By harnessing green energy and intelligent technology, we empower everyone to participate in a cleaner, smarter form of crypto mining.”

    Why RI Mining Stands Out in Cloud Mining

    RIMining seamlessly integrates innovation and environmental stewardship by offering:

    • AI-Optimized Mining Operations: Dynamic resource allocation enhances efficiency and profitability.
    • 100% Renewable Energy Usage: Mining operations powered exclusively by solar, wind, geothermal, and green hydrogen energy.
    • Multi-currency support: the platform supports more than 10 cryptocurrency settlements: including DOGE, BTC, ETH, SOL, BCH, XRP, USDC, LTC, USDT-TRC20 and USDT-ERC20, etc.
    • Transparent, Flexible Contracts: Clear terms, predictable ROI, and zero hidden fees.
    • User-Friendly Platform: Designed for both novices and experts, featuring real-time monitoring and dedicated support.

    Green Energy Strategy: RI Mining Core Commitment

    From its inception, RI Mining has prioritized 100% renewable energy as the foundation of its operations. Each mining facility operates independently, backed by green power purchase agreements with regional energy providers. The platform utilizes a diversified mix of solar, wind, geothermal, and green hydrogen power.

    Advanced energy storage systems ensure stable and continuous mining, overcoming renewable energy intermittency and maximizing environmental benefits. This strategic approach exemplifies RI Mining’s commitment to leading the crypto mining industry towards carbon neutrality and sustainable innovation.

    Flexible Bitcoin Mining Packages

    RIMining offers flexible contracts with competitive cloud mining ROI:

    Package Investment Total Profit
    [Newbie Plan] BTC  $100 $100 + $8
    [Basic Hashrate Contract]BTC $600 $600 + $47.16
    [Basic Hashrate Contract]DOGE $2,800 $2,800 + $592.2
    [Intermediate Hashrate Contract]BTC $4,800 $4,800 + $1471.68
    [Advanced Hashrate Contract]BTC $53,000 $53,000 + $42214.5

    *Estimated returns based on current network conditions and green energy efficiencies; actual returns may vary.

    ✅Click here to explore the $100 XRP mining contract.    ✅More potential future benefits

    How to Start Mining with RI Mining

    1. Register: Quickly create an account at https://www.RImining.com.

    Only an email account required（Register & Get $15）

    1. Choose a Contract: Select a mining package that fits your budget and goals.

    Select your XRP or other crypto asset

    1. Start Mining: Access the dashboard to track your earnings daily, supported by 24/7 customer service.

    Conclusion: Green Crypto Revolution

    Bitcoin’s historic climb amid Europe’s intense heatwave underscores the urgent need for environmentally conscious innovation. RI Mining sincerely invites investors to join hands in embracing a new era of crypto mining that balances sustainability and technological advancement, collectively driving the flourishing green crypto industry, popularizing green mining principles, democratizing crypto mining, and enabling more people to participate in this environmental revolution.

    Media Contact

    RI Mining Media Team

    Official website: www.RImining.com

    Email:  info@RIMining.com

    Download App:Click to enter download

    Disclaimer:This announcement is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrency mining involves risks including potential capital loss. Investors should conduct thorough due diligence and consult financial advisors before engaging.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Energy Star, on the Trump administration’s target list, has a long history of helping consumers’ wallets and the planet

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Magali A. Delmas, Professor of Management, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles

    The blue Energy Star label is widely recognized across the U.S. Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Since the early 1990s, the small blue Energy Star label has appeared on millions of household appliances, electronics and even buildings across the United States. But as the Trump administration considers terminating some or all of the program, it is worth a look at what exactly this government-backed label means, and why it has become one of the most recognizable environmental certifications in the country.

    Energy Star was launched by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 and later expanded in partnership with the Department of Energy with a simple goal: making it easier for consumers and businesses to choose energy-efficient products, helping them reduce energy use and save money, without sacrificing quality or performance.

    As a scholar of energy conservation, I have studied the Energy Star program’s development and public impact, including how it has shaped consumer behavior and environmental outcomes.

    According to the EPA, it has saved consumers an average of US$15 billion a year on energy costs since its inception, a massive return on a program that costs taxpayers an estimated $32 million a year.

    How Energy Star works

    When you see an Energy Star label on a product, it means that product has met strict energy efficiency standards set by the EPA in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, which tests how much energy appliances use. The federal agencies also consult with product manufacturers, utilities and others to figure out how best to improve products and determine how cost-effective changes might be.

    Products that earn the Energy Star certification typically use significantly less energy than standard models, often between 10% and 50% less. The energy – and financial – savings can add up quickly, especially when homes or buildings have multiple Energy Star appliances and systems.

    Energy Star itself does not manufacture or sell products. Instead, it acts as a trusted third-party certifier, providing consumers and businesses with reliable information and clear labeling. It also offers information to help people estimate energy savings and compare long-term costs, making it easier to identify high-performing, cost-effective options. Manufacturers participating in Energy Star seek to improve their environmental reputation and increase their market share, giving them a strong incentive to meet the program’s efficiency criteria.

    Today, the label appears on refrigerators, dishwashers, laptops, commercial buildings and even newly built homes. The government says people in more than 90% of American households recognize the label.

    Energy Star-certified appliances include upright freezers, clothes washers and many other types of home equipment, which use between 10% and 50% less energy than uncertified items.
    AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel

    People don’t always choose efficient products

    Energy Star seeks to tackle a wide range of problems that can result in people deciding not to buy energy-efficient products.

    One problem is that efficient models often come with higher up-front costs. While efficient models save money over time, that higher purchase price can discourage buyers. Energy Star helps counter this problem by clearly showing how much money can be saved on energy costs over the lifetime of the product – as compared with noncertified products – and by offering rebates that reduce the initial expense.

    Another problem involves what economists call “split incentives.” A landlord might not want to pay a higher price up front for energy-efficient appliances if the tenants are the ones who will save money on the utility bills. And renters may not want to spend a lot of money on appliances or equipment in a place they do not own. Energy Star tries to bridge this divide by promoting whole-building certifications, which encourage landlords to invest in their buildings’ energy efficiency with the goal of making their properties more attractive to tenants.

    The countless varieties of refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioners and other items on the market can also create confusion. Consumers who just look at manufacturers’ promotional material may find it very hard to determine which appliances truly deliver better energy efficiency. The Energy Star label makes this comparison easier: If the label is there, it is among the most efficient choices available.

    And consumers are often skeptical of manufacturers’ claims – especially when it comes to new technologies or environmental promises. Energy Star’s status as a program backed by the government, rather than a private company, gives it a level of independence and credibility that many other labels lack. People know the certification is based on science, not sales tactics.

    Lastly, Energy Star helps overcome the problem that many people are not aware of how much energy their appliances consume, or how those choices contribute to climate change. By connecting everyday products to larger environmental outcomes, Energy Star helps consumers understand the effects of their decisions, without needing to become energy experts.

    The program delivers real results

    Since its inception, more than 800,000 appliance models have earned Energy Star certification based on the criteria for their type of product.

    The same principles that make the label valuable for consumer appliances – independent certification, clear metrics and a focus on results – have proved equally effective in real estate. Nearly 45,000 commercial buildings and industrial plants have earned certification. And there have been more than 2.5 million Energy Star-certified homes and apartments built in the U.S.

    In 2023 alone, over 190,000 new homes and apartments were certified, representing more than 12% of all new residential construction nationwide.

    Energy Star-certified homes are designed to be at least 10% more energy efficient than those built to standard building codes, with more insulation and windows and lights that are energy-efficient, as well as appliances. These enhancements can translate to better quality, comfort and long-term cost savings for homeowners.

    Commercial buildings, which account for about 18% of total U.S. energy use, have also benefited substantially. Research I was involved in found that certified commercial buildings use an average of 19% less energy than their noncertified counterparts.

    Computers can sleep, too – not just cats. Both types conserve energy.
    Markus Scholz/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Why government leadership matters

    Energy Star’s status as a government-led label contributes to its credibility as a more neutral and science-based source of information than commercial labels.

    Energy Star’s government connections also bring scale: By requiring federal purchases to have Energy Star certifications, the federal government can influence manufacturers. For example, a federal executive order in 1993 required government agencies to purchase only computers that had been Energy Star-certified, which required them to have energy-saving sleep functions.

    In response, manufacturers began including the feature so they could sell their products to the government. Consumers soon came to expect the sleep feature on all computers.

    A quiet success story in energy and climate

    Energy Star does not grab headlines. It does not rely on regulation or mandates. Yet it has quietly become one of the most effective tools the U.S. has for improving energy efficiency across homes, offices and public buildings.

    That said, the program is not without its limitations. Some critics have pointed out that not all certified products consistently perform at the highest efficiency levels. Other critics note that the benefits of Energy Star are more accessible to wealthier consumers who can afford up-front investments, even with available rebates. And the EPA itself has, at times, struggled to manage the certification process and update standards in line with the latest technological advances.

    At a time when energy costs and climate concerns are rising, Energy Star stands out as a rare example of a practical, nonpartisan program that delivers real benefits. It helps individuals, businesses and communities save money, lower emissions and take part in a more sustainable future – one smart decision at a time.

    Magali Delmas received funding from the US EPA in 2002 for research on Environmental Management Strategies and Corporate Performance.

    – ref. Energy Star, on the Trump administration’s target list, has a long history of helping consumers’ wallets and the planet – https://theconversation.com/energy-star-on-the-trump-administrations-target-list-has-a-long-history-of-helping-consumers-wallets-and-the-planet-258152

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Energy Star, on the Trump administration’s target list, has a long history of helping consumers’ wallets and the planet

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Magali A. Delmas, Professor of Management, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles

    The blue Energy Star label is widely recognized across the U.S. Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Since the early 1990s, the small blue Energy Star label has appeared on millions of household appliances, electronics and even buildings across the United States. But as the Trump administration considers terminating some or all of the program, it is worth a look at what exactly this government-backed label means, and why it has become one of the most recognizable environmental certifications in the country.

    Energy Star was launched by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 and later expanded in partnership with the Department of Energy with a simple goal: making it easier for consumers and businesses to choose energy-efficient products, helping them reduce energy use and save money, without sacrificing quality or performance.

    As a scholar of energy conservation, I have studied the Energy Star program’s development and public impact, including how it has shaped consumer behavior and environmental outcomes.

    According to the EPA, it has saved consumers an average of US$15 billion a year on energy costs since its inception, a massive return on a program that costs taxpayers an estimated $32 million a year.

    How Energy Star works

    When you see an Energy Star label on a product, it means that product has met strict energy efficiency standards set by the EPA in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, which tests how much energy appliances use. The federal agencies also consult with product manufacturers, utilities and others to figure out how best to improve products and determine how cost-effective changes might be.

    Products that earn the Energy Star certification typically use significantly less energy than standard models, often between 10% and 50% less. The energy – and financial – savings can add up quickly, especially when homes or buildings have multiple Energy Star appliances and systems.

    Energy Star itself does not manufacture or sell products. Instead, it acts as a trusted third-party certifier, providing consumers and businesses with reliable information and clear labeling. It also offers information to help people estimate energy savings and compare long-term costs, making it easier to identify high-performing, cost-effective options. Manufacturers participating in Energy Star seek to improve their environmental reputation and increase their market share, giving them a strong incentive to meet the program’s efficiency criteria.

    Today, the label appears on refrigerators, dishwashers, laptops, commercial buildings and even newly built homes. The government says people in more than 90% of American households recognize the label.

    Energy Star-certified appliances include upright freezers, clothes washers and many other types of home equipment, which use between 10% and 50% less energy than uncertified items.
    AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel

    People don’t always choose efficient products

    Energy Star seeks to tackle a wide range of problems that can result in people deciding not to buy energy-efficient products.

    One problem is that efficient models often come with higher up-front costs. While efficient models save money over time, that higher purchase price can discourage buyers. Energy Star helps counter this problem by clearly showing how much money can be saved on energy costs over the lifetime of the product – as compared with noncertified products – and by offering rebates that reduce the initial expense.

    Another problem involves what economists call “split incentives.” A landlord might not want to pay a higher price up front for energy-efficient appliances if the tenants are the ones who will save money on the utility bills. And renters may not want to spend a lot of money on appliances or equipment in a place they do not own. Energy Star tries to bridge this divide by promoting whole-building certifications, which encourage landlords to invest in their buildings’ energy efficiency with the goal of making their properties more attractive to tenants.

    The countless varieties of refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioners and other items on the market can also create confusion. Consumers who just look at manufacturers’ promotional material may find it very hard to determine which appliances truly deliver better energy efficiency. The Energy Star label makes this comparison easier: If the label is there, it is among the most efficient choices available.

    And consumers are often skeptical of manufacturers’ claims – especially when it comes to new technologies or environmental promises. Energy Star’s status as a program backed by the government, rather than a private company, gives it a level of independence and credibility that many other labels lack. People know the certification is based on science, not sales tactics.

    Lastly, Energy Star helps overcome the problem that many people are not aware of how much energy their appliances consume, or how those choices contribute to climate change. By connecting everyday products to larger environmental outcomes, Energy Star helps consumers understand the effects of their decisions, without needing to become energy experts.

    The program delivers real results

    Since its inception, more than 800,000 appliance models have earned Energy Star certification based on the criteria for their type of product.

    The same principles that make the label valuable for consumer appliances – independent certification, clear metrics and a focus on results – have proved equally effective in real estate. Nearly 45,000 commercial buildings and industrial plants have earned certification. And there have been more than 2.5 million Energy Star-certified homes and apartments built in the U.S.

    In 2023 alone, over 190,000 new homes and apartments were certified, representing more than 12% of all new residential construction nationwide.

    Energy Star-certified homes are designed to be at least 10% more energy efficient than those built to standard building codes, with more insulation and windows and lights that are energy-efficient, as well as appliances. These enhancements can translate to better quality, comfort and long-term cost savings for homeowners.

    Commercial buildings, which account for about 18% of total U.S. energy use, have also benefited substantially. Research I was involved in found that certified commercial buildings use an average of 19% less energy than their noncertified counterparts.

    Computers can sleep, too – not just cats. Both types conserve energy.
    Markus Scholz/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Why government leadership matters

    Energy Star’s status as a government-led label contributes to its credibility as a more neutral and science-based source of information than commercial labels.

    Energy Star’s government connections also bring scale: By requiring federal purchases to have Energy Star certifications, the federal government can influence manufacturers. For example, a federal executive order in 1993 required government agencies to purchase only computers that had been Energy Star-certified, which required them to have energy-saving sleep functions.

    In response, manufacturers began including the feature so they could sell their products to the government. Consumers soon came to expect the sleep feature on all computers.

    A quiet success story in energy and climate

    Energy Star does not grab headlines. It does not rely on regulation or mandates. Yet it has quietly become one of the most effective tools the U.S. has for improving energy efficiency across homes, offices and public buildings.

    That said, the program is not without its limitations. Some critics have pointed out that not all certified products consistently perform at the highest efficiency levels. Other critics note that the benefits of Energy Star are more accessible to wealthier consumers who can afford up-front investments, even with available rebates. And the EPA itself has, at times, struggled to manage the certification process and update standards in line with the latest technological advances.

    At a time when energy costs and climate concerns are rising, Energy Star stands out as a rare example of a practical, nonpartisan program that delivers real benefits. It helps individuals, businesses and communities save money, lower emissions and take part in a more sustainable future – one smart decision at a time.

    Magali Delmas received funding from the US EPA in 2002 for research on Environmental Management Strategies and Corporate Performance.

    – ref. Energy Star, on the Trump administration’s target list, has a long history of helping consumers’ wallets and the planet – https://theconversation.com/energy-star-on-the-trump-administrations-target-list-has-a-long-history-of-helping-consumers-wallets-and-the-planet-258152

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Energy Star, on the Trump administration’s target list, has a long history of helping consumers’ wallets and the planet

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Magali A. Delmas, Professor of Management, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles

    The blue Energy Star label is widely recognized across the U.S. Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Since the early 1990s, the small blue Energy Star label has appeared on millions of household appliances, electronics and even buildings across the United States. But as the Trump administration considers terminating some or all of the program, it is worth a look at what exactly this government-backed label means, and why it has become one of the most recognizable environmental certifications in the country.

    Energy Star was launched by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 and later expanded in partnership with the Department of Energy with a simple goal: making it easier for consumers and businesses to choose energy-efficient products, helping them reduce energy use and save money, without sacrificing quality or performance.

    As a scholar of energy conservation, I have studied the Energy Star program’s development and public impact, including how it has shaped consumer behavior and environmental outcomes.

    According to the EPA, it has saved consumers an average of US$15 billion a year on energy costs since its inception, a massive return on a program that costs taxpayers an estimated $32 million a year.

    How Energy Star works

    When you see an Energy Star label on a product, it means that product has met strict energy efficiency standards set by the EPA in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, which tests how much energy appliances use. The federal agencies also consult with product manufacturers, utilities and others to figure out how best to improve products and determine how cost-effective changes might be.

    Products that earn the Energy Star certification typically use significantly less energy than standard models, often between 10% and 50% less. The energy – and financial – savings can add up quickly, especially when homes or buildings have multiple Energy Star appliances and systems.

    Energy Star itself does not manufacture or sell products. Instead, it acts as a trusted third-party certifier, providing consumers and businesses with reliable information and clear labeling. It also offers information to help people estimate energy savings and compare long-term costs, making it easier to identify high-performing, cost-effective options. Manufacturers participating in Energy Star seek to improve their environmental reputation and increase their market share, giving them a strong incentive to meet the program’s efficiency criteria.

    Today, the label appears on refrigerators, dishwashers, laptops, commercial buildings and even newly built homes. The government says people in more than 90% of American households recognize the label.

    Energy Star-certified appliances include upright freezers, clothes washers and many other types of home equipment, which use between 10% and 50% less energy than uncertified items.
    AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel

    People don’t always choose efficient products

    Energy Star seeks to tackle a wide range of problems that can result in people deciding not to buy energy-efficient products.

    One problem is that efficient models often come with higher up-front costs. While efficient models save money over time, that higher purchase price can discourage buyers. Energy Star helps counter this problem by clearly showing how much money can be saved on energy costs over the lifetime of the product – as compared with noncertified products – and by offering rebates that reduce the initial expense.

    Another problem involves what economists call “split incentives.” A landlord might not want to pay a higher price up front for energy-efficient appliances if the tenants are the ones who will save money on the utility bills. And renters may not want to spend a lot of money on appliances or equipment in a place they do not own. Energy Star tries to bridge this divide by promoting whole-building certifications, which encourage landlords to invest in their buildings’ energy efficiency with the goal of making their properties more attractive to tenants.

    The countless varieties of refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioners and other items on the market can also create confusion. Consumers who just look at manufacturers’ promotional material may find it very hard to determine which appliances truly deliver better energy efficiency. The Energy Star label makes this comparison easier: If the label is there, it is among the most efficient choices available.

    And consumers are often skeptical of manufacturers’ claims – especially when it comes to new technologies or environmental promises. Energy Star’s status as a program backed by the government, rather than a private company, gives it a level of independence and credibility that many other labels lack. People know the certification is based on science, not sales tactics.

    Lastly, Energy Star helps overcome the problem that many people are not aware of how much energy their appliances consume, or how those choices contribute to climate change. By connecting everyday products to larger environmental outcomes, Energy Star helps consumers understand the effects of their decisions, without needing to become energy experts.

    The program delivers real results

    Since its inception, more than 800,000 appliance models have earned Energy Star certification based on the criteria for their type of product.

    The same principles that make the label valuable for consumer appliances – independent certification, clear metrics and a focus on results – have proved equally effective in real estate. Nearly 45,000 commercial buildings and industrial plants have earned certification. And there have been more than 2.5 million Energy Star-certified homes and apartments built in the U.S.

    In 2023 alone, over 190,000 new homes and apartments were certified, representing more than 12% of all new residential construction nationwide.

    Energy Star-certified homes are designed to be at least 10% more energy efficient than those built to standard building codes, with more insulation and windows and lights that are energy-efficient, as well as appliances. These enhancements can translate to better quality, comfort and long-term cost savings for homeowners.

    Commercial buildings, which account for about 18% of total U.S. energy use, have also benefited substantially. Research I was involved in found that certified commercial buildings use an average of 19% less energy than their noncertified counterparts.

    Computers can sleep, too – not just cats. Both types conserve energy.
    Markus Scholz/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Why government leadership matters

    Energy Star’s status as a government-led label contributes to its credibility as a more neutral and science-based source of information than commercial labels.

    Energy Star’s government connections also bring scale: By requiring federal purchases to have Energy Star certifications, the federal government can influence manufacturers. For example, a federal executive order in 1993 required government agencies to purchase only computers that had been Energy Star-certified, which required them to have energy-saving sleep functions.

    In response, manufacturers began including the feature so they could sell their products to the government. Consumers soon came to expect the sleep feature on all computers.

    A quiet success story in energy and climate

    Energy Star does not grab headlines. It does not rely on regulation or mandates. Yet it has quietly become one of the most effective tools the U.S. has for improving energy efficiency across homes, offices and public buildings.

    That said, the program is not without its limitations. Some critics have pointed out that not all certified products consistently perform at the highest efficiency levels. Other critics note that the benefits of Energy Star are more accessible to wealthier consumers who can afford up-front investments, even with available rebates. And the EPA itself has, at times, struggled to manage the certification process and update standards in line with the latest technological advances.

    At a time when energy costs and climate concerns are rising, Energy Star stands out as a rare example of a practical, nonpartisan program that delivers real benefits. It helps individuals, businesses and communities save money, lower emissions and take part in a more sustainable future – one smart decision at a time.

    Magali Delmas received funding from the US EPA in 2002 for research on Environmental Management Strategies and Corporate Performance.

    – ref. Energy Star, on the Trump administration’s target list, has a long history of helping consumers’ wallets and the planet – https://theconversation.com/energy-star-on-the-trump-administrations-target-list-has-a-long-history-of-helping-consumers-wallets-and-the-planet-258152

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Kenya’s peacebuilding efforts hold valuable lessons for the rest of the world, but gaps remain

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Leonor Oliveira Toscano, PhD Candidate in Political Science, University of Oslo

    Kenya has been praised as a “model for the world” when it comes to peacebuilding efforts to manage outbreaks of violence within its borders. The country has systematically put in place a peacebuilding architecture rooted in a history of local peace initiatives. These date back to the early 1990s.

    Over this period, the Wajir Peace and Development Committee emerged in the country’s north-eastern region. The committee successfully addressed decades of inter-clan violence in Wajir, an arid county bordering Somalia. It also inspired the emergence of numerous local peace committees across the country.

    These committees have been set up in some other African countries – like Ghana, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Burundi – and continue to contribute informally to local peacebuilding in these states.



    Read more:
    Training local leaders in mediation can reduce violence: positive results in Nigeria

    In Kenya, the committees became institutionalised after post-election violence in 2007-08 and a mediation process led by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan. They now form part of the national peacebuilding architecture.

    Violence triggered by the contested 2007 presidential election outcome resulted in the killing of more than 1,000 people. The mediation process led to a power-sharing agreement signed by the presidential contenders Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga.

    The country’s peacebuilding architecture is now supported by several policies and frameworks. These include the constitution of 2010. The system that’s been built has the capacity to connect a wide variety of peacebuilding actors – both state and non-state, formal and informal – at all levels of society. This helps resolve conflict and build resilience.

    The Kenyan government initiated a review of the peacebuilding architecture in 2023. It involved a lengthy consultation process and high levels of participation among Kenyans. The National Steering Committee on Peacebuilding and Conflict Management led the way, assisted by an independent panel of 13 peacebuilding experts.

    Released at the end of 2024, the review looked at the strengths and weaknesses of the architecture.

    It offers a vision for building a robust peacebuilding system, along with an actionable roadmap. One lesson is that Kenya can use the capacities and unique approaches of different peacebuilding actors. At the local level, peace committees showed that they made contributions to early warning systems and building confidence in communities.

    However, insufficient resources and a consistent focus on electoral violence prevent the system from addressing other drivers of conflict.

    The strengths

    Local peace committees, with membership typically drawn from ordinary citizens, religious groups or local civil society organisations, play a crucial role. They support dialogue around conflict issues. They promote trust and understanding, and can build a constructive environment for conflict resolution.

    Their information gathering feeds into the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Conflict Early Warning and Response System (CEWARN) to prevent election violence. Local peace committees have contributed to negotiating local disputes. They have also helped de-polarise ethnic identities and facilitated local peace agreements. One example was the Modogashe Declaration. It sets ground rules to solve conflict and local disputes over pasture, water access and cattle rustling.



    Read more:
    Kenya violence: 5 key drivers of the decades-long conflict in the north and what to do about them

    We are researchers in Norway on a project focusing on civilian agency, local peace and resilience building. Our own interviews with committee members in Nakuru – a county greatly affected by the violence in 2007-08 – found that peace committee members continued to work together and share conflict-sensitive information with local stakeholders. These include administration officers and religious leaders, and covered periods during and after the 2022 elections.

    Further, local peace committees can offer women valuable opportunities for participation in conflict management. This contributes to their protection, for example from sexual violence.

    The weaknesses

    Despite these successes, Kenya’s peacebuilding architecture faces pressing challenges.

    First, local peace committees aren’t perfect. They can be manipulated by politicians seeking to build local support. They can also compete with traditional actors such as elders in conflict resolution.

    Kenya’s institutionalisation of local peacebuilding strengthened information flow across all levels. But it also threatens to undermine local peacebuilding agency and autonomy. Formalising local peace committees can spur an unhealthy monetisation of peacebuilding, with some members joining for financial gain. This threatens to erode the voluntary character of peacebuilding as a common good and undermine genuine priorities for peace.



    Read more:
    How women in Kenya mobilised for peace after surviving violence

    Second, elite-level politics in Kenya creates the persistent risk of electoral violence. This diverts attention and resources away from other long-standing causes of conflict. The drivers of violence in Kenya are varied and region specific. They include disputes over access to land, and marginalisation of ethnic and religious communities. Climate change threatens to worsen competition and conflict between pastoralists and farming communities.

    Our analysis of event data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data shows that communal violence is the deadliest form of political violence in Kenya. For their part, fatalities related to election violence have decreased. This underscores the urgent need to consistently invest in prevention and local peacebuilding beyond narrow electoral periods.

    Fatalities in Kenya by type of armed violence: 2010-2023

    Electoral competition can escalate violence between pastoralists and farmers, but it’s the persistence of communal conflicts that represents a serious threat. Communal violence particularly affects Kenya’s arid and semi-arid areas in the Rift Valley, eastern and north-eastern regions.

    What next

    Our interviews with local peace committee members show that funding for their activities diminishes outside election years. This hampers their capacity to address conflict outside these periods.

    Yet research has shown that local peacebuilding can build social resilience against recurrent communal violence. Peacebuilding interventions grounded in local realities are also vital for countering insurgent violence. This is especially important as counterterrorism operations by state forces often trigger cycles of violence rather than resolving underlying issues.



    Read more:
    Drivers of electoral violence in Kenya: red flags to watch out for

    Our research finds that Kenyans place significant trust in local peacebuilders, such as community leaders, elders and women. The review of the country’s peacebuilding architecture proposes a 40% quota for women, youth and people with disabilities in local peace committees.

    However, quotas alone may not be sufficient to address the political and cultural challenges that entrench inequality.

    Ultimately, political elites need to transform Kenya’s “win at all costs” politics. This way, the country’s mediators and peacebuilders can address the deep social and economic grievances that underpin cycles of violence.

    Leonor Toscano’s doctoral research is supported by the grant from the European Research Council’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (852816; PI: Jana Krause). Leonor Toscano conducted interviews with LPC members in Kenya.

    Jana Krause received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant number 852816 (ResilienceBuilding).

    Marika Miner’s post-doctoral research is also supported by the grant from the European Research Council’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (852816; PI: Jana Krause).

    – ref. Kenya’s peacebuilding efforts hold valuable lessons for the rest of the world, but gaps remain – https://theconversation.com/kenyas-peacebuilding-efforts-hold-valuable-lessons-for-the-rest-of-the-world-but-gaps-remain-257761

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: What Danish climate migration drama, Families Like Ours, gets wrong about rising sea levels

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Florian Steig, DPhil Student, Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford

    In the Danish TV drama Families Like Ours, one melancholic line from high-school student Laura captures the emotional toll of climate displacement: “Soon we will vanish like bubbles in a creek.” This seven-part series imagines a near future in which Denmark is being evacuated due to rising sea levels – a government-mandated relocation of an entire population.

    The series challenges the fantasy that wealthy western countries are immune to the far-reaching effects of climate change. Rather than focusing on catastrophic storylines, Families Like Ours portrays the mundane, bureaucratic and affective aspects of relocating a population in anticipation of a creeping crisis: the scramble for visas, the fractures that appear between families, and the inequalities in social and economic capital that shape people’s chances for a new life.

    Yet, the idea that Denmark could soon get submerged is not grounded in science. More worryingly, the narrative of the unavoidable uninhabitability of entire nations and millions of international migrants flooding Europe is misleading, dangerous, and sidelines deeply political questions about adaptation to sea level rise that should be dealt with now.

    The trailer for Families Like Ours.

    Sea levels are rising by a few millimetres a year. That pace is accelerating. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that, by 2100, sea levels could rise by up to one metre on average. Beyond 2100, sea levels could rise by several metres, although these long-term scenarios are highly uncertain.

    Even in extreme scenarios, these developments would unfold over several decades and centuries. It’s unlikely that permanent submergence of large areas of land will make Denmark uninhabitable.

    Still, sea level rise poses a serious risk to the livelihoods of millions of people living in coastal zones. In the UK, many homes in Norfolk and Fairbourne, Wales, are already at risk from coastal erosion, for instance.

    These changes are subtle. They do not warrant the evacuation of an entire nation, but degrade coastal livelihoods over time. Houses in high-risk areas like these may become uninsurable, devalued or too risky to live in. This will force people to move.

    In addition, sea level rise makes coastal flooding more likely. In European high-income countries, including Denmark, rising waters already threaten coastal communities. Without adaptation, hundreds of thousands of homes in cities such as Copenhagen could be at risk.

    The danger of mass migration narratives

    However, depicting climate change as a driver of uncontrolled mass migration is misleading. Sea level rise will contribute to coastal migration, and state-led relocation is already a reality especially in Africa and Asia. But climate migration predominantly occurs within countries or regions. International migration from climate change impacts is the exception, not the norm.

    To capture these complexities, some researchers prefer the term “climate mobility”. Mobility can be forced or voluntary, permanent or temporary, even seasonal. Some communities and people resist relocation plans and stay put.

    Families Like Ours reinforces longstanding narratives that frame certain parts of the world as destined to become uninhabitable. Even UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of a “mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale” due to sea level rise.

    As a researcher working on climate adaptation, I notice that sea level rise and climate migration are increasingly discussed at the global level. Discussions focus, for example, on the protection of affected populations and continued statehood of nations after their potential submergence. A new global alliance of cities and regions tackling sea level rise called the Ocean Rise & Coastal Resilience Coalition considers a “managed retreat” not only as inevitable but as a rational and desirable adaptation pathway for many cities and regions.

    Scientists have warned that creative storylines highlighting the “uninhabitability” of low-lying countries and regions, such as the Pacific, are not helpful. The mass migration narrative can be used by governments to justify extreme protectionist action and sideline urgent adaptation debates.

    States are not helpless in the face of sea level rise and submergence is not inevitable. As geographer Carol Farbotko and colleagues suggest, “habitability is mediated by human actions and is not a direct consequence of environmental change”. People often develop their own ways of living with rising waters, resisting narratives of submergence. State-led adaptation is possible, but depends on finance, which is unequally distributed.

    People’s migration decisions can seldomly be attributed to just climate impact. A community’s capacity to respond hinges on social, political, economic and demographic factors. Adaptation measures are costly. This raises deeply political questions over who gets to be protected, who is left behind, and how managed retreat can benefit the most affected people and places in a fair way. We need to overcome mass migration myths and start a serious and justice-focused debate about the future of our shorelines.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Florian Steig receives funding from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes).

    – ref. What Danish climate migration drama, Families Like Ours, gets wrong about rising sea levels – https://theconversation.com/what-danish-climate-migration-drama-families-like-ours-gets-wrong-about-rising-sea-levels-259234

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Development finance in a post-aid world: the case for country platforms

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Richard Calland, Emeritus Associate Professor in Public Law, UCT. Visiting Adjunct Professor, WITS School of Governance; Director, Africa Programme, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, University of Cambridge

    With the Trump administration slashing US Agency for International Development budgets and European nations shifting overseas development aid budgets to bolster defence spending, the world has entered a “post-aid era”.

    But there is an opportunity to recast development finance as strategic investment: “country platforms”.

    Country platforms are government-led, nationally owned mechanisms that bring together a country’s climate priorities, investment needs and reform agenda, and align them with the interests of development partners, private investors and implementing agencies. They function as a strategic hub: convening actors, coordinating funding, and curating pipelines of projects for investment.

    Think of them as the opposite of donor-driven fragmentation. Instead of dozens of disconnected projects driven by external priorities, a country platform enables governments to set the agenda and direct finance to where it is needed most. That could be renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, resilient infrastructure, or nature-based solutions.

    Country platforms are a current fad. They were the talk of the town at the 2025 Spring meetings of multilateral development banks in Washington DC. Will they quickly fade as the next big new idea comes into view? Or can they escape the limitations and failings of the finance and development aid ecosystem?

    The Independent High Level Expert Group on Climate Finance, on which I serve, is striving to find new ways to ramp up finance – both public and private – in quality and quantity. I agree with those who argue that country platforms could be the innovation that unlocks the capital urgently needed to tackle climate overshoot and buttress economic development.

    The model is already being tested. More than ten countries have launched their platforms, and more are in the pipeline.

    For African countries, the opportunity could not be more timely. African governments are racing to deliver their Nationally Determined Contributions. These are the commitments they’ve made to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as part of climate change mitigation targets set out in the Paris Agreement. Implementing these plans is often being done under severe fiscal constraints.

    At the same time global capital is looking for investment opportunities. But it needs to be convinced that the rewards will outweigh the risks.

    Where it’s being tested

    In Africa, South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership has demonstrated both the potential and the complexity of a country platform. Egypt and Senegal also have country platforms at different stages of implementation. Kenya and Nigeria are exploring similar mechanisms. The African Union’s Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy calls for country platforms across the continent.

    New entrants can learn from countries that started first.

    But country platforms come in different shapes and sizes according to the context.

    Another promising example is emerging through Mission 300, an initiative of the World Bank and African Development Bank, working with partners like The Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, and Sustainable Energy for All. It aims to connect 300 million people to clean electricity by 2030.

    Central to this initiative are Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units. These are essentially country platforms anchored in electrification. They reflect how a well-structured country platform can make an impact. Twelve African countries are already moving in this direction. All announced their Mission 300 compacts at the Africa Heads of State Summit in Tanzania.

    This growing cohort reflects a continental commitment to putting energy-driven country platforms at the heart of Africa’s development architecture.

    Why now – and why Africa?

    A well-functioning country platform can help in a number of ways.

    Firstly, it can give the political and economic leadership a clear goal. The platform can survive elections and show stability, certainty and transparency to the investment world.

    Secondly, national ownership and strategic alignment can reduce risk and build confidence. That would encourage investment.

    Thirdly, it builds trust among development partners and investors through clear priorities, transparency, and national ownership.

    Fourthly, it moves beyond isolated pilot projects to system-level transformation – meaning structural change. The transition in one sector, energy for example, creates new value chains that create more, better and safer jobs. Country platforms put African governments in charge of their own economic development, not as passive recipients of climate finance.

    The country sets its investment priorities and then the match-making with international climate finance can begin.

    Making it work: what’s needed

    Developing the data on which a country bases its investment and development plans, and blending those with the fiscal, climate and nature data, is complex. For this reason country platforms require investment in institutional capacity, cross-ministerial collaboration, and strong coordination between finance ministries, environment agencies and economic planners. And especially, in leadership capability.

    African countries must take charge of this capacity and capability acceleration.

    Second, development partners can respond by providing money as well as supporting African leadership, aligning with national strategies, and being willing to co-design mechanisms that meet both investor expectations and local realities.

    Capacity is especially crucial given the scale of Africa’s needs. According to the African Development Bank, Africa will require over US$200 billion annually by 2030 to meet its climate goals. Donor aid will provide only a fraction of this. It will require smart, coordinated investment and careful debt management. Country platforms provide the structure to govern the process.

    Seizing the opportunity

    Country platforms represent one of the most promising innovations in climate and development finance architecture. Properly designed and led, they offer African countries the opportunity to take ownership of their climate and development futures – on their own terms.

    Country platforms could be the “buckle” that finally enables the supply and demand sides of climate finance to come together. It will require commitment, strategic and technical capability, and, above all, smart leadership.

    Richard Calland works for the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. He is also an Emeritus Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town and an Adjunct Visiting Professor at the University of Witwatersrand School of Governance. He serves on the Advisory Council of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, Chairs of the Board of Sustainability Education and is a member of the Board of Chapter Zero Southern Africa.

    – ref. Development finance in a post-aid world: the case for country platforms – https://theconversation.com/development-finance-in-a-post-aid-world-the-case-for-country-platforms-257994

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Global crises have hit education hard: 24 years of research offers a way forward for southern Africa

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Emmanuel Ojo, Associate Professor, University of the Witwatersrand

    Global crises have shaped our world over the past two decades, affecting education systems everywhere. Higher education researcher Emmanuel Ojo has studied the impact of these disruptions on educational opportunities, particularly in southern Africa.

    He looked at 5,511 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2024 to explore what the research suggests about making education systems more resilient. Here, he answers some questions about his review.

    What are the global crises that have undermined education?

    In my review I drew up a table documenting how multiple crises have disrupted education systems worldwide.

    The cycle began with the 2000-2002 dot-com bubble collapse, which reduced education funding and slowed technological integration. This was followed by the 2001 terrorist attacks, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak (2002-2004), Iraq War (2003-2011), Indian Ocean tsunami (2004), and Hurricane Katrina (2005). The Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 2000, global food crisis (2007-2008), financial crisis (2007-2008), and European debt crisis (2010-2012) continued this pattern of disruption.

    More recently, the Ebola epidemic, COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia-Ukraine war have destabilised education systems. Meanwhile, the ongoing climate crisis creates challenges, particularly in southern Africa where environmental vulnerability is high.

    Who suffers most, and in what ways?

    Education has consistently been among the hardest-hit sectors globally. According to Unesco, the COVID pandemic alone affected more than 1.6 billion students worldwide.

    But the impact is not distributed equally.

    My research shows crises have put vulnerable populations at a further disadvantage through school closures, funding diversions, infrastructure destruction and student displacement. Quality and access decline most sharply for marginalised communities. Costs rise and mobility is restricted. Food insecurity during crises reduces attendance among the poorest students.

    In southern Africa, the Covid-19 disruption highlighted existing divides. Privileged students continued learning online. Those in rural and informal settlements were completely cut off from education.

    Climate change compounds these inequalities. Unicef highlights that climate disasters have a disproportionate impact on schooling for millions in low-income countries, where adaptive infrastructure is limited.

    What’s at stake for southern Africa is the region’s development potential and social cohesion. The widening of educational divides threatens to create a generation with unequal opportunities and capabilities.

    What makes southern African education systems fragile?

    My review focused on the 16 countries of the Southern African Development Community, revealing what makes them vulnerable to crisis impacts.

    Southern Africa’s geographic exposure to climate disasters combines with pre-existing economic inequalities. The region’s digital divide became starkly visible during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some students were excluded from learning by limited connectivity and unreliable electricity.

    The region’s systems also rely on external funding. The Trump administration’s sudden foreign aid freeze was a shock to South Africa’s higher education sector. It has affected public health initiatives and university research programmes.

    Research representation itself is unequal. Within the region, South African researchers dominate and other nations make only limited contributions. This creates blind spots in understanding context-specific challenges and solutions.

    Each successive crisis deepens educational divides, making recovery increasingly difficult and costly. Weaker education systems make the region less able to respond to other development challenges, too.

    How can southern Africa build education systems to withstand crises?

    One striking finding from my review was the surge in educational research after the Covid-19 pandemic began – from 229 studies in 2019 to nearly double that in 2020, with continued rapid growth thereafter. This indicates growing recognition that education systems must be redesigned to withstand future disruptions, not merely recover from current ones.

    Research points to a number of ways to do this:

    • Strategic investment in educational infrastructure, particularly digital technologies, to ensure learning continuity.

    • Equipping educators with skills to adapt teaching methods during emergencies.

    • Innovative, context-appropriate teaching approaches that empower communities.

    • Integration of indigenous knowledge systems into curricula, enhancing relevance, adaptability and community ownership.

    • Interdisciplinary and cross-national research collaborations.

    • Protection of education budgets, recognising education’s role in crisis recovery and long-term stability.

    • Community engagement in education, ensuring interventions are culturally appropriate and widely accepted.

    In my view, African philanthropists have a duty to provide the independent financial base that education systems need to withstand external funding fluctuations.

    What’s the cost of doing nothing?

    The economic and social costs of failing to build resilient education systems are profound and long-lasting. Each educational disruption creates negative effects that extend far beyond the crisis period.

    When students miss critical learning periods, it reduces their chances in life. The World Bank estimates that learning losses from the Covid-19 pandemic alone could result in up to US$17 trillion in lost lifetime earnings for affected students globally.

    Social costs are equally severe. Educational disruptions increase dropout rates, child marriage, early pregnancy, and youth unemployment. These outcomes create broader societal challenges that require costly interventions across multiple sectors.

    Spending on educational resilience avoids those costs.

    The question isn’t whether southern African nations can afford to invest in educational resilience, but whether they can afford not to.

    The choices made today will determine whether education systems merely survive crises or make society better. Evidence-based policies and regional cooperation are essential for building education systems that can fulfil Southern Africa’s human potential.

    Emmanuel Ojo receives funding from National Research Foundation (NRF).

    – ref. Global crises have hit education hard: 24 years of research offers a way forward for southern Africa – https://theconversation.com/global-crises-have-hit-education-hard-24-years-of-research-offers-a-way-forward-for-southern-africa-251833

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Sustainable economic growth in South Africa will come from renewables, not coal: what our model shows

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Andrew Phiri, Associate Professor of Economics, Nelson Mandela University

    Coal fired power stations produce 85% of South Africa’s electricity, making the country the biggest producer of harmful greenhouse-gas emissions in Africa. To move away from coal and meet its commitment to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, South Africa needs to dramatically increase production of renewable energy. New research by economics associate professor Andrew Phiri looked at the relationship between renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and GDP growth in South Africa to find out which energy source is most compatible with economic development.

    Non-renewables, renewables and economic growth: what’s there to know?

    We set out to discover whether renewable energy in South Africa, such as wind or solar power, supports sustainable economic growth. We also wanted to find out if renewables can replace non-renewable energy as a source and enabler of economic growth.

    Together with student Tsepiso Sesoai, I did research comparing the impact of renewable and non-renewable energy on economic growth in South Africa.

    South Africa currently faces a dual challenge when it comes to energy. It is heavily dependent on non-renewable energy (coal), which also worsens global warming and speeds up climate change. But it desperately needs to grow the economy at a faster rate, given very high unemployment, poverty and inequality.

    It’s therefore important to find out whether South Africa would be able to make a smooth transition from non-renewable energy to cleaner energy, and grow the economy at the same time.

    Past studies have looked into the role of energy in South Africa’s economic growth, but their methods have provided only limited information about whether South Africa can make a smooth transition from dirty to clean energy.



    Read more:
    African economic expansion need not threaten global carbon targets: study points out the path to green growth

    To get a deeper understanding, we conducted a modelling exercise. We used an analytical tool called “continuous complex wavelets” to see how renewable and non-renewable energy influences growth over time.

    Our model shows that an increased supply and higher consumption of non-renewable energy causes long-term economic growth over 10-15 year cycles. Renewables, at best, have short-term growth effects over six months to one year.

    After 2000, there was a very sharp increase of almost 25% in the use of renewable energy throughout the decade. According to our model, this sharp increase was enough to have an impact on economic growth over the short term but not over the long term.

    This is because South African energy regulators have not adopted strong enough measures for renewable energy to enable long-term growth. They have not funded the mass rollout of renewable energy, or connected renewables to the national grid. We found that renewables can only sustain growth over six to 12 month cycles whereas policymakers work towards longer cycles such as the 2030 and 2050 sustainable development goals.

    Economic growth and coal consumption: what did you find?

    In 2003, the government started taking climate change seriously with the release of the White Paper on Renewable Energy. The government started intentionally trying to increase the use of renewable energy while decreasing the use of dirty energy, such as coal. Before this, South Africa’s economic growth was heavily driven by coal consumption.

    Renewable energy saw its biggest surge after the 2010 launch of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. This opened competitive bidding for renewable energy providers to supply electricity to the grid.

    The transition to renewable energy had begun. But coal-fired power, while declining, remained the main source of electricity.

    In 2019 carbon taxes were formally introduced. This resulted in a further slowdown in consumption of non-renewable energy. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 coincided with severe power cuts. These two events combined caused a general slowdown in non-renewable and renewable energy use, and in economic growth.

    At this point, the drop in coal consumption was actively dragging down the economy. This in turn reduced society’s income, as measured by the gross national product. And because incomes were constrained, fewer private households purchased renewable energy systems. People didn’t spend on solar panels.

    What do your findings mean?

    Our research suggests that relying on non-renewable energy, like coal, won’t lead to long-term growth for South Africa. This is because non-renewables are not a reliable source of energy, as shown by loadshedding.

    Our research further suggests that renewable energy policies, subsidies and programmes made some positive short-term impacts on economic growth, measured as gross domestic product.

    Overall, our findings highlight that policymakers have treated renewables as a “nice-to-have” gesture for humanity, instead of a key driver of long-term economic growth.

    This has led to weak policies, poor regulation, and under-investment in renewable energy. These have held the sector back from making a bigger contribution to economic growth.



    Read more:
    Africa doesn’t have a choice between economic growth and protecting the environment: how they can go hand in hand

    For example, the government has not taken renewables seriously enough to include them in the power grid. This has largely limited the use of renewable energy to private homes and businesses. Coal-fired electricity from the country’s power utility, Eskom, is still cheaper for households than leaving the grid and purchasing their own renewable energy infrastructure (solar energy systems). The government has not funded the infrastructure needed to unlock South Africa’s vast renewable energy potential.

    The planet is at a critical state with global warming. The government should urgently set up policies and actions to overcome the barriers to using renewable energy. Only then will renewable energy have a permanent, positive influence on economic growth.

    South Africa has huge potential in renewables like solar, wind and biomass, thanks to its diverse geography. Yet, when people think about moving away from coal, they worry about job losses in the coal industry. But historically, energy transitions have never been instant. African countries that embraced the change early on reaped the benefits. They became more industrialised and prosperous.

    The South African government must act now if it wants to use renewable energy to drive future economic growth and stay ahead in the global shift to clean energy. Climate change affects us deeply. But it also presents a chance for Africa to leap ahead technologically.

    Andrew Phiri does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Sustainable economic growth in South Africa will come from renewables, not coal: what our model shows – https://theconversation.com/sustainable-economic-growth-in-south-africa-will-come-from-renewables-not-coal-what-our-model-shows-239339

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to UK heatwave

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Scientists comment on the UK heatwave.

    Prof Richard Allan, Professor of Climate Science, University of Reading, said:

    “The UK is on the edge of a large dome of heat encompassing continental Europe which is briefly causing heatwave conditions to affect southern Britain as June turns to July. Ocean temperatures are also up to 2 degrees Celsius above average across the waters to the southwest of the UK and hotter still in the western Mediterranean. The ebb and flow of gigantic atmospheric waves have generated the stable, cloud-free conditions for heat to build up across Western Europe.  But rising greenhouse gas levels due to human activities are making it more difficult for Earth to lose excess heat to space and the warmer, thirstier atmosphere is more effective at drying soils, meaning heatwaves are intensifying, with moderate heat events now becoming extreme. The severity of summer heatwaves, but also extremes of dry as well as wet weather events, will continue to worsen until we rein in our greenhouse gas emissions and stabilise our warming climate.”

     

    Dr Radhika Khosla, Associate Professor at the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, University of Oxford, said:

    “Populations in urban areas like London are particularly susceptible to extreme heat as the concrete and asphalt absorb and re-emit the sun’s radiation, amplifying its impact on our bodies.  For this reason, outdoor workers are particularly at risk and should take regular breaks to hydrate in the shade.

    “Soaring temperatures will see a corresponding rise in demand for cooling systems like air conditioning, which can put a strain on our energy infrastructure. Air conditioning and other cooling systems become crucial to maintaining health, productivity and quality of life amidst rising temperatures. However, access to cooling is unfortunately rarely equal even in developed countries, and the UK’s most disadvantaged people will bear the brunt of this heatwave.”

    “Over-reliance on air conditioning creates a negative feedback loop: more fossil fuels are burnt to power more air-con units, which in turn worsens climate change and raises global temperatures. Use of fans, shade, green spaces and natural ventilation can all help to reduce air conditioning usage. When we have to rely on air-con, it is important to make sure the systems we are using are the most energy efficient.”

     

    Dr Laurence Wainwright, Departmental Lecturer at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford, said:

    “While news coverage of hot weather usually includes images of sunbathing and ice creams, an often-overlooked consequence of heatwaves is their negative impact on our mental health and behaviour. Violent incidents increase, depression worsens and the effect of psychiatric medications on our body can be altered. For every 1°C increase in monthly average temperature, mental health-related deaths increase by around 2.2%. Spikes in relative humidity also result in a higher occurrence of suicide. Learning to adapt to the increasing frequency of heatwaves brought by climate change will mean taking account of all its impacts – including on our state of mind.”

     

    Dr Chloe Brimicombe, Climate Scientist, Royal Meteorological Society, said:

    “We are yet to have an attribution study, the heatwave earlier in June in the UK was 100 times more likely with Climate Change. In general we can say the heatwaves and hot spells in the summer are increasing in duration, how often they occur and intensity, how hot temperatures get to. We also think they are growing in area so more people are exposed every time they occur. 

    “Beyond heat killing people. They cause a rise in hospitalisations especially in the vulnerable groups to heat. In some parts of Europe it has been shown that exposure to extreme heat can raise the likelihood of preterm births and also lower birth weight babies with developmental delay. It can change how long people breastfeed for. In the long term instances of kidney disease also rise. 

    “We know it can cause a rise in psychosis and suicides. And an increase in small level crime. 

    “It puts pressure on power grids. Roads melts, railway tracks can overheat, there are signal failures. It puts pressure on the food supply chain and refrigerated lorries. It also can cause a reduction with dry conditions in crops and sunburn in apple and grapes. 

    “It can reduce appetites, it also can reduce productivity if proper work-rest schedules aren’t in place. 

    “Shopping patterns change. With less people going shopping or shopping for different products at different times. 

    “It impacts every part of our society. It will continue to increase unless we transition to net zero and how fast we do this also impacts how much worse these events will get. 

    “I think it is important that proper early warning systems that save lives are designed to be supported by other policy areas such as urban design and improving critical infrastructure. They should be integrated into our societal system better.” 

     

    Dr Friederike Otto, Associate Professor, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, said:

    “We absolutely do not need to do an attribution study to know that this heatwave is hotter than it would have been without our continued burning of oil, coal and gas. Countless studies have shown that climate change is an absolute game-changer when it comes to heat in Europe, making heatwaves much more frequent, especially the hottest ones, and more intense. Heatwaves are called the silent killer, for a reason, every year thousands of people in Europe die due to extreme heat, particularly those that live in poorly insulated homes, on busy, polluted roads, and that have already health problems. But extreme heat also leads to agricultural losses, infrastructure failure and puts a big strain on plants and animals. To stop people from dying in ever larger numbers we need to stop burning fossil fuels, but we also need to adapt.”

     

    Dr Michael Byrne, Reader in Climate Science, University of St Andrews, said:

    “Heat domes – the cause of this week’s European heatwave – are nothing new. They have always happened and always will happen. Heat domes occur when high pressure weather systems, normally lasting a few days, get stuck in place for a week or more. When this atmospheric ‘blocking’ happens in summertime, heatwaves occur. But what is new are the temperatures heat domes deliver: Europe is more than 2 degrees Celsius warmer than in pre-industrial times, so when a heat dome occurs it drives a hotter heatwave.

    “Some research suggests heat domes will become more common as climate warms, with more frequent heatwaves as a result. There is large uncertainty regarding the future of heat domes, with no scientific consensus yet. But what is crystal clear is that climate change is loading the dice such that when a heat dome does occur, it brings hotter and more dangerous temperatures.”

     

    Dr Leslie Mabon, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Systems, The Open University, said:

    “The extreme high temperatures we are seeing in the UK are being exacerbated by the same phenomenon that is causing the heat dome across Europe. The ‘heat dome’ happens when an area of high pressure air stays over the same area for days or weeks, trapping hot air below it which then expands outwards like a dome.

    “In the UK, heat-related illnesses, greater risk for this with pre-existing conditions, and wildfires can all come about because of heatwaves. This is another reminder that climate change makes extremes like this more frequent or intense.”

     

     

    Declared interests

    Prof Richard Allan: No conflicting interests

    Dr Radhika Khosla: No declarations

    Dr Laurence Wainwright: No declarations

    Dr Chloe Brimicombe: No declarations

    Dr Friederike Otto: No declarations

    Dr Michael Byrne: No declarations

    Dr Leslie Mabon: Leslie Mabon is an Ambassador for Scotland’s National Centre for Resilience. This is a voluntary position, committed to ensuring that government, industry and society are able to make decisions about resilience that are informed by the best available evidence.

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UN Human Rights Council 59: Joint Statement on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    World news story

    UN Human Rights Council 59: Joint Statement on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change

    Joint Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change. Delivered at the 59th HRC in Geneva.

    Thank you Mr President.

    Austria, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, the Marshall Islands, the Netherlands, Panama, and the United Kingdom thank the Special Rapporteur for her report.

    Climate change and environmental degradation pose a risk to the lives and wellbeing of individuals and communities across the world, especially the most marginalised. This is compounded by the impacts of the fossil fuel life cycle.

    3.5 billion people now live in contexts highly vulnerable to climate change. Rapid and enduring action must be taken to safeguard the full enjoyment of human rights for individuals both now and in the future.

    As per the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement adopted at COP28, advancing the transition away from fossil fuels is crucial.

    It deserves mention in this session’s human rights and climate change resolution. 

    We will continue to demonstrate leadership, including through the Global Clean Power Alliance Initiative, and our ambitious and credible 2035 NDC targets. 

    Environmental defenders and Indigenous Peoples are vital stewards of nature. We support their meaningful participation and leadership in climate action.

    Special Rapporteur, what more can states do to build global consensus and advance the transition away from fossil fuels? 

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Diginex’s AI-Driven Enhancements Poised to Accelerate Customer Adoption and Drive Revenue Growth

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diginex Limited (“Diginex” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: DGNX), a leading provider of Sustainability RegTech solutions, today announced additional government funding support for its innovative AI-powered compliance solutions. Diginex’s AI-powered compliance solutions will continue to focus on helping companies comply with sustainability disclosure requirements set by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and now with the enhanced scope of AI-powered compliance solutions will additionally offer features including multi-variant drafts, risk reduction through automation, future-proofing against new regulations as well as enhanced scalability for users of the Company’s ESG SaaS reporting product, diginexESG. Diginex’s expanded AI features will streamline ESG reporting processes, thereby empowering businesses and financial institutions to meet regulatory requirements efficiently while driving transparency in corporate social responsibility and climate action, and will be jointly developed with a leading financial institution through a co-creation collaboration model promoting commercialisation and wider adoption.

    The upgraded AI functionality of Diginex’s AI-powered compliance solutions is expected to further accelerate customer adoption, and thereby, contribute to Diginex’s revenue growth in 2025 and beyond. Industry research from Verdantix forecasts that the global market spend on ESG reporting software will grow from over $1.3 billion in 2023 to over $5.6 billion in 2029, at a CAGR of 26%. Diginex is well-positioned to capture this opportunity, combining its award-winning platform with blockchain, machine learning, and data analytics to deliver unparalleled value to clients worldwide.

    This latest recognition from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (“HKMA”), which provides development stage funding support for innovative fintech projects, builds on the Company’s earlier selection in February 2025 by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau of Hong Kong (“FSTB”) for the Green and Sustainable Fintech PoC program, as well as Diginex’s 2023 HKMA award in the “Sustainability or Climate-related Disclosure and Reporting” category.

    “We are honored to receive this further recognition from the HKMA, which underscores our commitment to revolutionizing ESG reporting through AI-driven innovation,” said Mark Blick, CEO of Diginex Limited. “Our enhanced diginexESG platform is designed to meet the growing global demand for sustainable finance solutions, and this acknowledgment from a leading regulatory authority validates our mission to democratize sustainability compliance.”

    This latest recognition follows Diginex’s recently disclosed signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on June 5, 2025, for Diginex’s strategic acquisition of Resulticks Global Companies Pte. Limited, a global leader in AI-driven customer engagement and data management solutions, for $2 billion. This acquisition aims to enhance Diginex’s AI and data management capabilities, enabling hyper-personalized, real-time sustainability solutions across compliance, supply chain intelligence, and risk analytics. Additionally, Diginex has recently entered into strategic alliances with firms like Forvis Mazars, Russell Bedford International, and Baker Tilly Singapore to expand the distribution of its diginexESG and diginexLUMEN platforms.

    About Diginex

    Diginex Limited (Nasdaq: DGNX; ISIN KYG286871044), headquartered in London, is a sustainable RegTech business that empowers businesses and governments to streamline ESG, climate, and supply chain data collection and reporting. The Company utilizes blockchain, AI, machine learning and data analysis technology to lead change and increase transparency in corporate regulatory reporting and sustainable finance. Diginex’s products and services solutions enable companies to collect, evaluate and share sustainability data through easy-to-use software. 

    The award-winning diginexESG platform supports 17 global frameworks, including GRI (the “Global Reporting Initiative”), SASB (the “Sustainability Accounting Standards Board”), and TCFD (the “Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures”). Clients benefit from end-to-end support, ranging from materiality assessments and data management to stakeholder engagement, report generation and an ESG Ratings Support Service.

    For more information, please visit the Company’s website:

    https://www.diginex.com/.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results disclosed in the Company’s filings with the SEC.

    Diginex
    Investor Relations
    Email: ir@diginex.com 

    IR Contact – Europe
    Anna Höffken
    Phone: +49.40.609186.0
    Email: diginex@kirchhoff.de 

    IR Contact – US
    Jackson Lin
    Lambert by LLYC
    Phone: +1 (646) 717-4593
    Email: jian.lin@llyc.global 

    IR Contact – Asia
    Shelly Cheng
    Strategic Financial Relations Ltd.
    Phone: +852 2864 4857
    Email: sprg_diginex@sprg.com.hk 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Greenpeace activists cover Setas de Sevilla to call for climate action

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Sevilla, Spain – BREAKING: Activists from Greenpeace Spain today covered the iconic Setas de Sevilla monument with a massive banner, displaying the message: “They are destroying the planet. And you are paying for it.” The action marked the first day of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development Conference (FfD4).

    Eva Saldaña, Executive Director of Greenpeace Spain and Portugal, said “Global activism is the essence of our democracy and climate justice. If we want to build a green and fair world, the people have to unite against the takeover by billionaires and polluters, and call for a redistribution of wealth and power in the multilateral arena and international financial institutions. Global justice must prevail over greed!”

    ENDS

    Yesterday’s release: Giant baby Musk float in march for tax justice at UN summit in Sevilla: ‘Make rich polluters pay’

    Members of the Greenpeace delegation in Seville are available for interviews in Spanish, English, German, and Swahili.

    Photos and Videos can be downloaded via Greenpeace Media Library and will be updated throughout the conference. 

    Contacts in Seville:

    Tal Harris, Global Media Lead – Stop Drilling Start Paying campaign, Greenpeace International. +41-782530550, [email protected]  

    Begoña Rodríguez, Media Lead – Climate Responsibility Team, Greenpeace Spain & Portugal. +34 605248097, [email protected]

    Additional contacts: 

    Christine Gebeneter, EU Communication lead, Greenpeace CEE based in Austria, +43 664 8403807, [email protected] 

    Lee Kuen, Global Comms Lead – Fair Share campaign, Greenpeace International. +601112527489, [email protected]

    Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • Wildfires burn in Turkey and France as early heatwave hits

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Firefighters battled wildfires in Turkey and France on Monday as an early heatwave hit the region.

    In Turkey, the wildfires raged for a second day in the western province of Izmir, fanned by strong winds, Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said, forcing the evacuation of four villages and two neighbourhoods.

    Media footage showed teams using tractors with water trailers and helicopters carrying water, as smoke billowed over hills marked with charred trees.

    Turkey’s coastal regions have in recent years been ravaged by wildfires, as summers have become hotter and drier, which scientists say is a result of human-induced climate change.

    In France, where temperatures are expected to peak on Tuesday and Wednesday, wildfires broke out on Sunday in the southwestern Aude department, where temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), burning 400 hectares and forcing the evacuation of a campsite and an abbey, authorities and local media said.

    The fires were under control but not yet extinguished, authorities said on Monday.

    Weather service Meteo France put a record 84 of the country’s 101 departments on an orange heatwave alert from Monday until midweek. About 200 schools will be at least partially shut over the next three days because of the heat, the Education Ministry said.

    HEATWAVE IMPACTS RHINE SHIPPING

    The heatwave has lowered water levels on Germany’s Rhine River, hampering shipping and raising freight costs for cargo owners, commodity traders said.

    The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities such as grains, minerals and oil products. Forecasters said temperatures as high as 40 C are possible in Cologne.

    In Seville, southern Spain, where global leaders were gathering for a United Nations conference, temperatures were expected to hit 42 C.

    Tourists were trying to deal with the heat. “Really hard currently,” Mehrzad Joussefi, from the Netherlands, said.

    Spain is on course for its hottest June on record, the national meteorological service AEMET said.

    Most of the country remains under alert for heat, with AEMET forecasting the peak of the heatwave on Monday.

    “Over the next few days, at least until Thursday, intense heat will continue in much of Spain,” said Ruben del Campo, a spokesperson for the weather agency.

    Italy’s Health Ministry issued heatwave red alerts for 21 cities, including Rome and Milan. Weather forecast website IlMeteo.it said temperatures on Monday would go as high as 41 C in Florence, 38 C in Bologna and 37 C in Perugia.

    The Lombardy region, part of Italy’s northern industrial heartland, is planning to ban open-air work in the hottest times of the day, heeding a request from trade unions, its president said on Monday.

    Heat can affect health in various ways, and experts are most concerned about older people and babies, as well as outdoor labourers and people struggling economically.

    Globally, extreme heat kills up to 480,000 people annually, surpassing the combined toll from floods, earthquakes and hurricanes, and poses growing risks to infrastructure, the economy and healthcare systems, Swiss Re said earlier this month.

    Global surface temperatures last month averaged 1.4 C higher than in the 1850-1900 pre-industrial period, when humans began burning fossil fuels on an industrial scale, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said earlier this month.

    Scientists say the main cause of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. Last year was the planet’s hottest on record.

    (Reuters)

  • Wildfires burn in Turkey and France as early heatwave hits

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Firefighters battled wildfires in Turkey and France on Monday as an early heatwave hit the region.

    In Turkey, the wildfires raged for a second day in the western province of Izmir, fanned by strong winds, Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said, forcing the evacuation of four villages and two neighbourhoods.

    Media footage showed teams using tractors with water trailers and helicopters carrying water, as smoke billowed over hills marked with charred trees.

    Turkey’s coastal regions have in recent years been ravaged by wildfires, as summers have become hotter and drier, which scientists say is a result of human-induced climate change.

    In France, where temperatures are expected to peak on Tuesday and Wednesday, wildfires broke out on Sunday in the southwestern Aude department, where temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), burning 400 hectares and forcing the evacuation of a campsite and an abbey, authorities and local media said.

    The fires were under control but not yet extinguished, authorities said on Monday.

    Weather service Meteo France put a record 84 of the country’s 101 departments on an orange heatwave alert from Monday until midweek. About 200 schools will be at least partially shut over the next three days because of the heat, the Education Ministry said.

    HEATWAVE IMPACTS RHINE SHIPPING

    The heatwave has lowered water levels on Germany’s Rhine River, hampering shipping and raising freight costs for cargo owners, commodity traders said.

    The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities such as grains, minerals and oil products. Forecasters said temperatures as high as 40 C are possible in Cologne.

    In Seville, southern Spain, where global leaders were gathering for a United Nations conference, temperatures were expected to hit 42 C.

    Tourists were trying to deal with the heat. “Really hard currently,” Mehrzad Joussefi, from the Netherlands, said.

    Spain is on course for its hottest June on record, the national meteorological service AEMET said.

    Most of the country remains under alert for heat, with AEMET forecasting the peak of the heatwave on Monday.

    “Over the next few days, at least until Thursday, intense heat will continue in much of Spain,” said Ruben del Campo, a spokesperson for the weather agency.

    Italy’s Health Ministry issued heatwave red alerts for 21 cities, including Rome and Milan. Weather forecast website IlMeteo.it said temperatures on Monday would go as high as 41 C in Florence, 38 C in Bologna and 37 C in Perugia.

    The Lombardy region, part of Italy’s northern industrial heartland, is planning to ban open-air work in the hottest times of the day, heeding a request from trade unions, its president said on Monday.

    Heat can affect health in various ways, and experts are most concerned about older people and babies, as well as outdoor labourers and people struggling economically.

    Globally, extreme heat kills up to 480,000 people annually, surpassing the combined toll from floods, earthquakes and hurricanes, and poses growing risks to infrastructure, the economy and healthcare systems, Swiss Re said earlier this month.

    Global surface temperatures last month averaged 1.4 C higher than in the 1850-1900 pre-industrial period, when humans began burning fossil fuels on an industrial scale, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said earlier this month.

    Scientists say the main cause of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. Last year was the planet’s hottest on record.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom signs balanced state budget that cuts taxes for vets, fully funds free school meals, builds more housing, & creates jobs

    Source: US State of California 2

    Jun 27, 2025

    ✅ FUNDED: Tax cut for military retirees

    ✅ FUNDED: Universal pre-kindergarten for all 

    ✅ FUNDED: Expanded before school, after school, & summer school

    ✅ FUNDED: Free school meals for all kids 

    ✅ FUNDED: Game-changing literacy & reading investments

    ✅ FUNDED: Building more housing, ASAP

    ✅ FUNDED: Lowering drug costs

    ✅ FUNDED: Expanding medication abortion access with CalRx

    ✅ FUNDED: Historic firefighting & public safety investments

    ✅ FUNDED: Protecting California’s iconic film industry

    Signing of landmark package to cut red tape, fast-track housing, and infrastructure forthcoming  

    SACRAMENTO – Amid Donald Trump’s economic assault on California, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed the 2025 state budget bill advanced in partnership with Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire and Speaker Robert Rivas. Together, the Governor and Legislature are enacting a responsible, balanced spending plan that safeguards California’s values while maintaining long-term fiscal health. This budget and forthcoming trailer bills include new, landmark policies that will accelerate housing production and boost affordability in communities across the state — addressing California’s most urgent challenges.

    As we confront Donald Trump’s economic sabotage, this budget agreement proves California won’t just hold the line — we’ll go even further. It’s balanced, it maintains substantial reserves, and it’s focused on supporting Californians — slashing red tape and catapulting housing and infrastructure development, preserving essential healthcare services, funds universal pre-K, and cuts taxes for veterans.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Pro Tem Mike McGuire says: “The State is delivering a responsible on-time budget in a challenging year focused on fiscal restraint and investing in the people and programs that make this State great. This budget prioritizes record funding for our kids and public schools, protects access to health care for millions of the most vulnerable, and will create more housing at a scale not seen in years. Thanks to this budget agreement, the state will help get more folks off the streets and into permanent shelter, and we’ll expand the ranks of CalFire, deploying hundreds of additional full-time CalFire firefighters, which will save lives and make us all more wildfire safe. And this agreement helps prepare our state for the ongoing chaos and massive uncertainty caused by the Trump administration. Thank you to our Senate Budget Chair Scott Wiener, Speaker Rivas and Governor Newsom and their staffs for their hard work for the people of California.”

    Speaker Robert Rivas says: “This is an incredibly difficult time for Californians. Trump is undermining our economy with reckless tariffs, harsh cuts, and ICE agents terrorizing our communities. At a moment when so many are already struggling, he’s adding fear and instability. In contrast, Democrats have delivered a budget that protects California. It cuts red tape to build more housing faster — because housing is the foundation of affordability and opportunity. It preserves critical investments in health care, women’s health, education, and public safety. And it honors our commitment not to raise taxes on families, workers, or small businesses. In unprecedented times, under painful circumstances, Democrats are delivering for Californians.”

    Tax cuts for vets, smaller class sizes, free school meals

    The budget reflects a shared commitment to protect opportunity and improve affordability in California, in the face of targeted attacks by the Trump administration. The budget makes historic investments in public education — from universal transitional kindergarten and free school meals to expanded before and after-school programs, summer school, smaller class sizes, and strengthened career training and higher education. The budget demonstrates the state’s commitment to honoring veterans by creating tax cuts for military retirees, recognizing their service and supporting their financial security. 

    Lowering prescription drug costs, protecting reproductive care, and safety nets 

    The budget preserves key health care programs for Californians targeted by Republicans. It preserves vital safety net programs, including in-home supportive services and women’s reproductive health. As part of the budget, the Governor is also expected to sign legislation protecting access to health care, license and regulate Pharmacy Benefit Managers for the first time, increasing transparency and accountability in the pharmacy supply chain. The legislation also expands CalRx’s authority to procure brand-name drugs and respond to politically motivated supply disruptions, helping shield access to critical medications like mifepristone.

    Lights, camera, JOBS

    The budget protects California’s position as the 4th largest economy in the world – supporting business and continued economic growth, including California’s iconic film industry. Next week, the Governor is expected to sign additional legislation as part of the expansion of the film and TV tax credit program — further catapulting the program’s impact to $750 million a year.

    Trump’s economic assault

    The balanced budget comes as California continues to confront significant fiscal pressures fueled by the Trump administration’s reckless economic and immigration policies. According to the California Department of Finance, Trump’s tariff regime is projected to cost the state an estimated $16 billion in lost General Fund revenue through the next fiscal year. And a new study released June 17 by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, in collaboration with UC Merced, found that Trump’s mass deportations could slash $275 billion from California’s economy, eliminate $23 billion in annual tax revenue, and severely disrupt key industries such as agriculture, construction, and hospitality. 

    In the face of these mounting challenges, the Governor issued a proclamation to access state reserves. This responsible and balanced budget protects Californians, creates more housing, preserves core programs, reinforces fiscal discipline, and invests in the state’s long-term economic strength.

    The Governor today announced signing the following bills:

    • AB 102 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) – Budget Act of 2025.
    • AB 118 by the Committee on Budget – Human services.
    • AB 121 by the Committee on Budget – Education finance: education omnibus budget trailer bill.
    • AB 123 by the Committee on Budget – Higher education budget trailer bill.
    • AB 134 by the Committee on Budget – Public Safety.
    • AB 136 by the Committee on Budget – Courts.
    • AB 143 by the Committee on Budget – Developmental services.
    • SB 101 by the Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – Budget Act of 2025.
    • SB 103 by the Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – Budget Acts of 2022, 2023, and 2024.
    • SB 120 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Early childhood education and childcare.
    • SB 124 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Public resources trailer bill.
    • SB 127 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Climate change.
    • SB 128 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Transportation.
    • SB 132 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Taxation.
    • SB 141 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – California Cannabis Tax Fund: Department of Cannabis Control: Board of State and Community Corrections grants.
    • SB 142 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program.

    The Governor’s signature on the state budget is contingent on the enactment of either AB 131 or SB 131 on Monday, June 30th.

    Para leer este comunicado en español, haga clic aquí.

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    Jun 27, 2025

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    Jun 27, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments: Neal Payton, of Santa Monica, has been appointed to the State Historical Resources Commission. Payton has been Senior Principal at Torti Gallas + Partners since 1996. He was Associate…

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  • Govt drafts emission targets for over 460 industries under carbon market plan

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Ministry of Environment has issued a draft notification proposing legally binding greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets for over 460 industrial units as part of India’s first compliance-based carbon market.

    The move, aimed at curbing industrial emissions and accelerating decarbonisation, will apply to sectors such as aluminium, iron and steel, petroleum refining, petrochemicals, and textiles.

    Titled the Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity Target Rules, 2025, the draft, dated June 23, forms part of the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), 2023.

    The scheme requires designated industries – referred to as “obligated entities” – to reduce their GHG emissions per unit of output over time, or compensate by purchasing carbon credit certificates from the Indian Carbon Market.

    According to the draft, “The obligated entity shall achieve the Greenhouse Gases Emissions Intensity (GEI) targets in the respective compliance year… or meet its GEI target by purchasing carbon credit certificates from the Indian carbon market.”

    If implemented, the targets will become legally enforceable from the date of final notification.

    As per the draft, failure to comply will attract financial penalties and legal consequences under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

    The targets will be assigned for two compliance years – 2025-26 and 2026-27 – based on baseline emission intensity data from 2023-24.

    The draft includes a list of 264 industrial units along with their baseline emission levels and reduction targets for the compliance years 2025-26 and 2026-27.

    The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) will determine these targets using sectoral benchmarks and past performance. Greenhouse gas emission intensity (GEI) is defined as tonnes of CO2 equivalent emitted per unit of output or product.

    For example, Hindalco Industries’ Taloja aluminium plant in Maharashtra, which had a baseline GEI of 1.3386 tCO2 per tonne in 2023-24, must reduce that figure to 1.2563 by 2026-27. In the steel sector, Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India’s Hazira facility – India’s largest obligated entity by production volume – must cut its emission intensity from 2.2701 to 2.1696 tCO2 per tonne during the same period.

    The rules also cover the petroleum refining sector. BPCL’s Bina Refinery in Madhya Pradesh, with a crude throughput of over 51 million barrels, has been assigned a GEI reduction trajectory from 5.2312 tCO2/MBBLS in 2023-24 to 4.8553 by 2026-27. BPCL’s Kochi
    Refinery, one of the largest in the country, must bring down its GEI from 4.5745 to 4.4230 tCO2/MBBLS in the same time frame.

    Entities that emit less than their targets will receive carbon credit certificates, calculated as the difference between the GEI target and actual GEI, multiplied by the total production volume.

    Conversely, those exceeding their targets must buy the difference in credits from the Indian Carbon Market. “The number of carbon credit certificates to be issued… shall be determined as per the following formula: (GEI Target – GEI Achieved) x Unit of equivalent product produced,” the draft states.

    Unused credits can be banked for future use, allowing companies some flexibility across compliance years.

    However, if an entity fails to meet its target and does not purchase the required credits, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will impose an Environmental Compensation.

    This amount will be “equal to twice the average price at which a carbon credit certificate is traded during the trading cycle,” as per the notification. The penalty must be paid within 90 days.

    Funds collected will be used to support carbon market operations, upon recommendation of the National Steering Committee and approval of the Centre.

    The ministry has invited comments, objections, or suggestions from the public and industry stakeholders. Submissions must be made within 60 days of the draft’s publication and can be emailed to ccts.hsm-moefcc@gov.in.

    (ANI)

  • Govt drafts emission targets for over 460 industries under carbon market plan

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Ministry of Environment has issued a draft notification proposing legally binding greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets for over 460 industrial units as part of India’s first compliance-based carbon market.

    The move, aimed at curbing industrial emissions and accelerating decarbonisation, will apply to sectors such as aluminium, iron and steel, petroleum refining, petrochemicals, and textiles.

    Titled the Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity Target Rules, 2025, the draft, dated June 23, forms part of the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), 2023.

    The scheme requires designated industries – referred to as “obligated entities” – to reduce their GHG emissions per unit of output over time, or compensate by purchasing carbon credit certificates from the Indian Carbon Market.

    According to the draft, “The obligated entity shall achieve the Greenhouse Gases Emissions Intensity (GEI) targets in the respective compliance year… or meet its GEI target by purchasing carbon credit certificates from the Indian carbon market.”

    If implemented, the targets will become legally enforceable from the date of final notification.

    As per the draft, failure to comply will attract financial penalties and legal consequences under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

    The targets will be assigned for two compliance years – 2025-26 and 2026-27 – based on baseline emission intensity data from 2023-24.

    The draft includes a list of 264 industrial units along with their baseline emission levels and reduction targets for the compliance years 2025-26 and 2026-27.

    The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) will determine these targets using sectoral benchmarks and past performance. Greenhouse gas emission intensity (GEI) is defined as tonnes of CO2 equivalent emitted per unit of output or product.

    For example, Hindalco Industries’ Taloja aluminium plant in Maharashtra, which had a baseline GEI of 1.3386 tCO2 per tonne in 2023-24, must reduce that figure to 1.2563 by 2026-27. In the steel sector, Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India’s Hazira facility – India’s largest obligated entity by production volume – must cut its emission intensity from 2.2701 to 2.1696 tCO2 per tonne during the same period.

    The rules also cover the petroleum refining sector. BPCL’s Bina Refinery in Madhya Pradesh, with a crude throughput of over 51 million barrels, has been assigned a GEI reduction trajectory from 5.2312 tCO2/MBBLS in 2023-24 to 4.8553 by 2026-27. BPCL’s Kochi
    Refinery, one of the largest in the country, must bring down its GEI from 4.5745 to 4.4230 tCO2/MBBLS in the same time frame.

    Entities that emit less than their targets will receive carbon credit certificates, calculated as the difference between the GEI target and actual GEI, multiplied by the total production volume.

    Conversely, those exceeding their targets must buy the difference in credits from the Indian Carbon Market. “The number of carbon credit certificates to be issued… shall be determined as per the following formula: (GEI Target – GEI Achieved) x Unit of equivalent product produced,” the draft states.

    Unused credits can be banked for future use, allowing companies some flexibility across compliance years.

    However, if an entity fails to meet its target and does not purchase the required credits, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will impose an Environmental Compensation.

    This amount will be “equal to twice the average price at which a carbon credit certificate is traded during the trading cycle,” as per the notification. The penalty must be paid within 90 days.

    Funds collected will be used to support carbon market operations, upon recommendation of the National Steering Committee and approval of the Centre.

    The ministry has invited comments, objections, or suggestions from the public and industry stakeholders. Submissions must be made within 60 days of the draft’s publication and can be emailed to ccts.hsm-moefcc@gov.in.

    (ANI)

  • Govt drafts emission targets for over 460 industries under carbon market plan

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Ministry of Environment has issued a draft notification proposing legally binding greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets for over 460 industrial units as part of India’s first compliance-based carbon market.

    The move, aimed at curbing industrial emissions and accelerating decarbonisation, will apply to sectors such as aluminium, iron and steel, petroleum refining, petrochemicals, and textiles.

    Titled the Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity Target Rules, 2025, the draft, dated June 23, forms part of the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), 2023.

    The scheme requires designated industries – referred to as “obligated entities” – to reduce their GHG emissions per unit of output over time, or compensate by purchasing carbon credit certificates from the Indian Carbon Market.

    According to the draft, “The obligated entity shall achieve the Greenhouse Gases Emissions Intensity (GEI) targets in the respective compliance year… or meet its GEI target by purchasing carbon credit certificates from the Indian carbon market.”

    If implemented, the targets will become legally enforceable from the date of final notification.

    As per the draft, failure to comply will attract financial penalties and legal consequences under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

    The targets will be assigned for two compliance years – 2025-26 and 2026-27 – based on baseline emission intensity data from 2023-24.

    The draft includes a list of 264 industrial units along with their baseline emission levels and reduction targets for the compliance years 2025-26 and 2026-27.

    The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) will determine these targets using sectoral benchmarks and past performance. Greenhouse gas emission intensity (GEI) is defined as tonnes of CO2 equivalent emitted per unit of output or product.

    For example, Hindalco Industries’ Taloja aluminium plant in Maharashtra, which had a baseline GEI of 1.3386 tCO2 per tonne in 2023-24, must reduce that figure to 1.2563 by 2026-27. In the steel sector, Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India’s Hazira facility – India’s largest obligated entity by production volume – must cut its emission intensity from 2.2701 to 2.1696 tCO2 per tonne during the same period.

    The rules also cover the petroleum refining sector. BPCL’s Bina Refinery in Madhya Pradesh, with a crude throughput of over 51 million barrels, has been assigned a GEI reduction trajectory from 5.2312 tCO2/MBBLS in 2023-24 to 4.8553 by 2026-27. BPCL’s Kochi
    Refinery, one of the largest in the country, must bring down its GEI from 4.5745 to 4.4230 tCO2/MBBLS in the same time frame.

    Entities that emit less than their targets will receive carbon credit certificates, calculated as the difference between the GEI target and actual GEI, multiplied by the total production volume.

    Conversely, those exceeding their targets must buy the difference in credits from the Indian Carbon Market. “The number of carbon credit certificates to be issued… shall be determined as per the following formula: (GEI Target – GEI Achieved) x Unit of equivalent product produced,” the draft states.

    Unused credits can be banked for future use, allowing companies some flexibility across compliance years.

    However, if an entity fails to meet its target and does not purchase the required credits, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will impose an Environmental Compensation.

    This amount will be “equal to twice the average price at which a carbon credit certificate is traded during the trading cycle,” as per the notification. The penalty must be paid within 90 days.

    Funds collected will be used to support carbon market operations, upon recommendation of the National Steering Committee and approval of the Centre.

    The ministry has invited comments, objections, or suggestions from the public and industry stakeholders. Submissions must be made within 60 days of the draft’s publication and can be emailed to ccts.hsm-moefcc@gov.in.

    (ANI)

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom signs balanced state budget that cuts taxes for vets, fully funds free school meals, builds more housing, & creates jobs

    Source: US State of California 2

    Jun 27, 2025

    ✅ FUNDED: Tax cut for military retirees

    ✅ FUNDED: Universal pre-kindergarten for all 

    ✅ FUNDED: Expanded before school, after school, & summer school

    ✅ FUNDED: Free school meals for all kids 

    ✅ FUNDED: Game-changing literacy & reading investments

    ✅ FUNDED: Building more housing, ASAP

    ✅ FUNDED: Lowering drug costs

    ✅ FUNDED: Expanding medication abortion access with CalRx

    ✅ FUNDED: Historic firefighting & public safety investments

    ✅ FUNDED: Protecting California’s iconic film industry

    Signing of landmark package to cut red tape, fast-track housing, and infrastructure forthcoming  

    SACRAMENTO – Amid Donald Trump’s economic assault on California, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed the 2025 state budget bill advanced in partnership with Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire and Speaker Robert Rivas. Together, the Governor and Legislature are enacting a responsible, balanced spending plan that safeguards California’s values while maintaining long-term fiscal health. This budget and forthcoming trailer bills include new, landmark policies that will accelerate housing production and boost affordability in communities across the state — addressing California’s most urgent challenges.

    As we confront Donald Trump’s economic sabotage, this budget agreement proves California won’t just hold the line — we’ll go even further. It’s balanced, it maintains substantial reserves, and it’s focused on supporting Californians — slashing red tape and catapulting housing and infrastructure development, preserving essential healthcare services, funds universal pre-K, and cuts taxes for veterans.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Pro Tem Mike McGuire says: “The State is delivering a responsible on-time budget in a challenging year focused on fiscal restraint and investing in the people and programs that make this State great. This budget prioritizes record funding for our kids and public schools, protects access to health care for millions of the most vulnerable, and will create more housing at a scale not seen in years. Thanks to this budget agreement, the state will help get more folks off the streets and into permanent shelter, and we’ll expand the ranks of CalFire, deploying hundreds of additional full-time CalFire firefighters, which will save lives and make us all more wildfire safe. And this agreement helps prepare our state for the ongoing chaos and massive uncertainty caused by the Trump administration. Thank you to our Senate Budget Chair Scott Wiener, Speaker Rivas and Governor Newsom and their staffs for their hard work for the people of California.”

    Speaker Robert Rivas says: “This is an incredibly difficult time for Californians. Trump is undermining our economy with reckless tariffs, harsh cuts, and ICE agents terrorizing our communities. At a moment when so many are already struggling, he’s adding fear and instability. In contrast, Democrats have delivered a budget that protects California. It cuts red tape to build more housing faster — because housing is the foundation of affordability and opportunity. It preserves critical investments in health care, women’s health, education, and public safety. And it honors our commitment not to raise taxes on families, workers, or small businesses. In unprecedented times, under painful circumstances, Democrats are delivering for Californians.”

    Tax cuts for vets, smaller class sizes, free school meals

    The budget reflects a shared commitment to protect opportunity and improve affordability in California, in the face of targeted attacks by the Trump administration. The budget makes historic investments in public education — from universal transitional kindergarten and free school meals to expanded before and after-school programs, summer school, smaller class sizes, and strengthened career training and higher education. The budget demonstrates the state’s commitment to honoring veterans by creating tax cuts for military retirees, recognizing their service and supporting their financial security. 

    Lowering prescription drug costs, protecting reproductive care, and safety nets 

    The budget preserves key health care programs for Californians targeted by Republicans. It preserves vital safety net programs, including in-home supportive services and women’s reproductive health. As part of the budget, the Governor is also expected to sign legislation protecting access to health care, license and regulate Pharmacy Benefit Managers for the first time, increasing transparency and accountability in the pharmacy supply chain. The legislation also expands CalRx’s authority to procure brand-name drugs and respond to politically motivated supply disruptions, helping shield access to critical medications like mifepristone.

    Lights, camera, JOBS

    The budget protects California’s position as the 4th largest economy in the world – supporting business and continued economic growth, including California’s iconic film industry. Next week, the Governor is expected to sign additional legislation as part of the expansion of the film and TV tax credit program — further catapulting the program’s impact to $750 million a year.

    Trump’s economic assault

    The balanced budget comes as California continues to confront significant fiscal pressures fueled by the Trump administration’s reckless economic and immigration policies. According to the California Department of Finance, Trump’s tariff regime is projected to cost the state an estimated $16 billion in lost General Fund revenue through the next fiscal year. And a new study released June 17 by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, in collaboration with UC Merced, found that Trump’s mass deportations could slash $275 billion from California’s economy, eliminate $23 billion in annual tax revenue, and severely disrupt key industries such as agriculture, construction, and hospitality. 

    In the face of these mounting challenges, the Governor issued a proclamation to access state reserves. This responsible and balanced budget protects Californians, creates more housing, preserves core programs, reinforces fiscal discipline, and invests in the state’s long-term economic strength.

    The Governor today announced signing the following bills:

    • AB 102 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) – Budget Act of 2025.
    • AB 118 by the Committee on Budget – Human services.
    • AB 121 by the Committee on Budget – Education finance: education omnibus budget trailer bill.
    • AB 123 by the Committee on Budget – Higher education budget trailer bill.
    • AB 134 by the Committee on Budget – Public Safety.
    • AB 136 by the Committee on Budget – Courts.
    • AB 143 by the Committee on Budget – Developmental services.
    • SB 101 by the Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – Budget Act of 2025.
    • SB 103 by the Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – Budget Acts of 2022, 2023, and 2024.
    • SB 120 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Early childhood education and childcare.
    • SB 124 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Public resources trailer bill.
    • SB 127 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Climate change.
    • SB 128 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Transportation.
    • SB 132 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Taxation.
    • SB 141 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – California Cannabis Tax Fund: Department of Cannabis Control: Board of State and Community Corrections grants.
    • SB 142 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program.

    The Governor’s signature on the state budget is contingent on the enactment of either AB 131 or SB 131 on Monday, June 30th.

    Para leer este comunicado en español, haga clic aquí.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Jun 30, 2025 Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook Issued on Jun 30, 2025

    Updated: Mon Jun 30 08:56:02 UTC 2025

     .

    D4
    Thu, Jul 03, 2025 – Fri, Jul 04, 2025
    D7
    Sun, Jul 06, 2025 – Mon, Jul 07, 2025

    D5
    Fri, Jul 04, 2025 – Sat, Jul 05, 2025
    D8
    Mon, Jul 07, 2025 – Tue, Jul 08, 2025

    D6
    Sat, Jul 05, 2025 – Sun, Jul 06, 2025
    (All days are valid from 12 UTC – 12 UTC the following day)

    Note: A severe weather area depicted in the Day 4-8 period indicates 15%, 30% or higher probability for severe thunderstorms within 25 miles of any point.

    PREDICTABILITY TOO LOW is used to indicate severe storms may be possible based on some model scenarios. However, the location or occurrence of severe storms are in doubt due to: 1) large differences in the deterministic model solutions, 2) large spread in the ensemble guidance, and/or 3) minimal run-to-run continuity.

    POTENTIAL TOO LOW means the threat for a regional area of organized severe storms appears unlikely (i.e., less than 15%) for the forecast day.

     Forecast Discussion

    ZCZC SPCSWOD48 ALL
    ACUS48 KWNS 300853
    SPC AC 300853

    Day 4-8 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0353 AM CDT Mon Jun 30 2025

    Valid 031200Z – 081200Z

    …DISCUSSION…
    A mid-level ridge will start the extended period across the Plains
    on D4/Thursday. This ridge will shift east through the extended
    period. A surface low will develop in the lee of the Rockies and
    move slowly north and east, reaching eastern Ontario by D7/Sunday.
    This surface low and its associated cold front will likely be the
    only potential for any severe weather during the extended period.
    However, at this time it appears the stronger shear will be well
    displaced from the greater instability. Therefore, severe weather
    probabilities are not necessary at this time.

    Outside of this frontal zone during the Day 4 to Day 7 period,
    thunderstorms are likely. However, weak lapse rates and very weak
    shear is anticipated, with minimal storm organization.

    ..Bentley.. 06/30/2025

    CLICK TO GET WUUS48 PTSD48 PRODUCT

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Immediate support for Chios due to fires – E-002517/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002517/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Georgios Aftias (PPE)

    Since the afternoon of Sunday 22 June 2025, three fires have broken out on Chios and are spreading throughout the island due to strong winds. Over the last few hours – despite the brave efforts of the fire brigade – the fires have been reigniting, resulting in 17 settlements being evacuated for safety reasons and many areas of the island being without electricity and access to basic supplies. According to an announcement by the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, in the last 48 hours in Greece, firefighters have been called to deal with 110 fires in various areas of the country.

    Given the above:

    • 1.Will the European Solidarity Fund be activated to compensate those affected by the fires and does the Commission intend to finance the establishment of a European fire brigade to assist the Mediterranean countries affected by the fires?
    • 2.Does the Commission intend to provide more resources to Member States so that they can acquire the means and personnel to prevent and extinguish fires?
    • 3.Will those affected by the fires be compensated within 12 weeks, as the Commissioner responsible for Cohesion and Reforms recently announced in response to a question I asked?

    Submitted: 23.6.2025

    Last updated: 30 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Warmer seas are fuelling the dangerous ‘weather bomb’ about to hit NSW

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia

    Heavy surf and intense rains hit Sydney beaches during a 2020 East Coast Low. Lee Hulsman/Getty

    Right now, a severe storm likely to be the first significant east coast low in three years is developing off the coast of New South Wales. It’s expected to intensify today before approaching the coastline on Tuesday. Huge waves, sustained heavy rains and very strong winds are likely.

    At this stage, it’s expected to linger offshore south of Coffs Harbour – the same area hit hard by unprecedented floods on the Mid-North Coast last month. Residents on the coast or in low-lying areas have been asked to prepare.

    There’s nothing new about east coast lows, intense winter storms which can hit coastlines anywhere from southern Queensland to Tasmania. But what is new are the historically warm seas. Just like a tropical cyclone, east coast lows feed on ocean heat. And just like a tropical cyclone, they can intensify rapidly if the conditions are right.

    The storm looming this week has been intensifying very fast, to the point it could be classified as a “weather bomb” – a storm undergoing explosive cyclogenesis.

    If the storm shapes up as predicted, we can expect to see damage to houses and trees as well as significant beach erosion – especially in heavily populated areas exposed to the storm’s southern flank.

    The Bureau of Meteorology is issuing warnings about the looming east coast low.

    What to expect from this storm

    It’s too early to say just how bad this storm will be. Much depends on how intense it becomes and how close it tracks to the coast.

    Earlier storms have caused flooding of businesses and properties and significant disruptions to transport networks and electricity supplies.

    The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting strong to damaging winds and moderate to heavy rain for this deepening weather system from Tuesday onwards, and hazardous surf conditions for much of the week.

    Sea surface temperatures are 1 to 2.5°C above average off most of the NSW coast. This ocean heat will act as fuel for the storm, boosting the chance of even stronger winds and heavy rain if the centre moves closer to the coast and slows down.

    The NSW winter storm is intensifying and is expected to hit the Mid-North Coast on Tuesday 1 July.
    Bureau of Meteorology

    East coast lows are distinct

    Why do winter storms need their own title? East coast lows are quite distinct. They’re most common in autumn and winter, but they can occur any time.

    These weather systems usually form after an upper atmosphere low or deep trough gets stronger over eastern Australia.

    This triggers the development of a low pressure system at sea level near the coast to the east of the upper level system. These often intensify rapidly.

    During summer, these weather systems can occasionally form in the aftermath of a Coral Sea tropical cyclone as it moves towards the central east coast. By the time the decaying cyclone reaches the cooler waters of the Tasman Sea, it has lost its characteristic warm core. It can now rapidly transition into an east coast low.

    Two of Australia’s most populated areas, Sydney/Central Coast and Brisbane/Gold Coast are in the zone most likely to be affected by these intense storms.

    What role is climate change playing?

    About 90% of all extra heat trapped by greenhouse gases goes into the oceans. The world’s oceans are now at their warmest point on record.

    Marine heatwaves are causing many unwelcome changes. Warmer waters made South Australia’s ongoing devastating algal bloom more likely. A huge marine heatwave hit Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef before heading south. In southeast Australia, the warm East Australian Current is pushing further south, taking warm-water species into Tasmanian waters.

    The steady warming of oceans off southeast Australia not only fuels more extreme weather but damages marine ecosystems and commercial fisheries.

    As climate change intensifies, researchers have found intense east coast lows will actually become less common in the future – but the storms which do form could be more dangerous. A similar trend is likely for tropical cyclones around Australia.

    As the world gets hotter still, the intensity of rainfall extremes associated with these weather systems is expected to rise – especially short-duration rainfall.

    That means a higher risk of river and flash flooding, more damage from high energy wind and waves along exposed coasts and significant erosion of beaches and cliffs. Damage to the coasts will be worsened by rising sea levels.

    Bracing for more extremes

    It’s been a terrible six months for extreme weather. The year started with severe flooding in northern Queensland in February, followed soon after by Tropical Cyclone Alfred which hit heavily populated parts of southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales.

    A couple of weeks later, intense rains devastated western Queensland, causing huge livestock losses. But even as floods hit the east coast, farmers across the continent’s southern reaches are struggling with extreme drought.

    As the Mid-North Coast braces for yet more extreme weather, residents should heed warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology, visit the NSW emergencies and natural disasters website and listen to information provided by the national broadcaster.

    Steve Turton has received funding from the Australian government.

    – ref. Warmer seas are fuelling the dangerous ‘weather bomb’ about to hit NSW – https://theconversation.com/warmer-seas-are-fuelling-the-dangerous-weather-bomb-about-to-hit-nsw-260070

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Flooding demonstrates danger in Govt ‘growth at any cost’ ideological agenda – Tom Kay

    Source: Choose Clean Water – Tom Kay


    Flooding in the top of the South Island, and the threat of more to come later this week, demonstrates the dangers of the Government pushing ahead with policy changes based on narrow ideological grounds and a ‘growth at any cost’ agenda, say freshwater campaigners.


    Tom Kay, spokesperson for the campaign group Choose Clean Water, says the Coalition Government’s proposed resource management reforms, with an ideological focus on ‘the enjoyment of property rights’, will inevitably leave communities more vulnerable to the impacts of flooding. 


    “The Coalition Government has demonstrated across its resource management reform that they care more about the profits of commercial players than good governance for the health and stability of our communities. Their ‘growth at any cost’ agenda is not only thoughtless but downright dangerous.”


    Kay, a strong advocate for the idea of Making Room for Rivers as a strategy to keep communities and infrastructure safe from flooding while restoring the health of our rivers, says while many communities, councils, and insurance companies are ready for action to avoid hazards and widen allowed floodplains, the Government must not put growth and development on par with community safety and environmental health if they want to meaningfully reduce the risk to communities.


    “We’ve just seen yet another example of devastating flooding following back-to-back experiences in Otago in October, the West Coast in November, and Canterbury in May. The costs are incredibly serious, including people losing their lives.


    “We know our rivers need more space to carry floodwater safely, especially with the more extreme weather we’re getting as the climate continues to warm. But the Government’s narrow focus on growth and private property rights through their resource management reform risks undermining progress towards this.”


    Kay says international evidence and case studies show the best option for keeping communities and infrastructure safe from flooding is to avoid development in high-risk locations, and to incentivise and fund planned relocation from places already at high risk. This approach also provides the best opportunity for restoration of rivers and their floodplains, whilst increasing community wellbeing, amenity values, and resilience.


    However, he says the Government’s focus on growth and property rights is inconsistent with this.


    “Documents continue to highlight the Coalition Government’s obsession with growth, and the misplaced idea that somehow we can continue to grow anywhere, with few restrictions, and still somehow mitigate the consequences. We can’t.


    “While we support the introduction of a National Policy Statement for Natural Hazards, for some reason it is less-developed now than it was last year, and drafted provisions that would have prioritised using nature-based solutions to reduce flood risk—such as making room for rivers, and to direct councils to avoid development in high risk locations, are gone.”


    “The proposed provisions direct councils to “consider” risk and act “proportionately”, leaving plenty of room for vested commercial interests to push councils into continuing to allow development, including homes, in high-risk locations.


    “Not to mention that the proposal doesn’t apply to the development of infrastructure, which is one of the main and most expensive assets hit during flooding; or to aquaculture, agricultural, pastoral, horticultural, mining, quarrying, or forestry activities and the land and buildings they use.”


    Kay says proposed changes to weaken the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management will also undermine the need to keep people out of harm’s way, and to maintain sufficient river health and width to safely carry floodwaters.


    “We have a requirement to prioritise the health of water bodies and communities in the management of our freshwater under the idea of Te Mana o te Wai. Flood managers have supported this idea as a way to help communities reconsider how they live with rivers, including their associated risks and hazards, and to make changes that increase flood resilience and river health together. 


    “But the Coalition Government wants to get rid of this prioritisation.”


    “We also have no idea what the Government wants to do with an existing provision in the policy that prevents the ‘loss of river extent’, and thereby maintains wider flood corridors, for example; or whether they want to remove a provision that requires water to be managed as part of an ‘integrated response to climate change’.”


    “Our rivers and wider catchments need to be healthy and resilient if our communities are going to be safe from the worst harms of flooding. This Government needs to understand that private property rights and growth-at-all-costs won’t enable that. It will cost us all in the long-run.”


    The Government’s consultation on freshwater and natural hazard policies, as well as related policies, is open for submissions until 27 July. 


    Note: 


    • Following Cyclone Gabrielle, Tom Kay toured the country promoting the idea of Making Room for Rivers in his previous role as Freshwater Advocate for Forest & Bird. He has spoken to over 60 groups and was met with understanding and support from communities, councils, and insurance companies across New Zealand. Tom presented to Tasman District Councillors in May 2023.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC – No MDs are in effect as of Mon Jun 30 05:02:09 UTC 2025

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Current Mesoscale DiscussionsUpdated:  Mon Jun 30 05:05:03 UTC 2025 No Mesoscale Discussions are currently in effect.

    Notice:  The responsibility for Heavy Rain Mesoscale Discussions has been transferred to the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) on April 9, 2013. Click here for the Service Change Notice.
    Archived Convective ProductsTo view convective products for a previous day, type in the date you wish to retrieve (e.g. 20040529 for May 29, 2004). Data available since January 1, 2004.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC – No MDs are in effect as of Mon Jun 30 05:02:09 UTC 2025

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Current Mesoscale DiscussionsUpdated:  Mon Jun 30 05:05:03 UTC 2025 No Mesoscale Discussions are currently in effect.

    Notice:  The responsibility for Heavy Rain Mesoscale Discussions has been transferred to the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) on April 9, 2013. Click here for the Service Change Notice.
    Archived Convective ProductsTo view convective products for a previous day, type in the date you wish to retrieve (e.g. 20040529 for May 29, 2004). Data available since January 1, 2004.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 480 Status Reports

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: “It Is Those Who Can Least Afford It Who Are Going To Be Hit The Hardest”– In Speech on Senate Floor, Cantwell Shows How GOP’s Budget Sells Out the American People

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    06.29.25

    “It Is Those Who Can Least Afford It Who Are Going To Be Hit The Hardest”– In Speech on Senate Floor, Cantwell Shows How GOP’s Budget Sells Out the American People

    Cantwell: From kicking 17 million Americans off Medicaid & other health insurance to effectively cancelling state AI protections, the budget proposed by Congressional Republicans is a cash grab for corporations & the rich — at the expense of everyone else

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as the Senate prepares to vote on a new budget that would gut $930 billion from Medicaid, funnel resources to special interests via massive corporate tax breaks, and add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) delivered a speech on the Senate floor to highlight how various provisions included in the 940-page document ultimately sell out the American people.

    “This bill would make the entire health care system less responsive and more expensive for everyone by dismantling Medicaid and shifting more of the cost burden on to states — and threatening the very existence of rural hospitals. This bill also sells spectrum out from under our national defense and safety agencies and forces states to choose between protecting their citizens from dangerous AI or providing broadband service, and just gives away big breaks to companies like Meta — that’s Facebook — or Google, who I’m sure at this point in time don’t really need that additional tax break. Clearly, though, the most [egregious] and certainly most destructive part of the bill, of this reconciliation, is the changes to health care,” Sen. Cantwell said.

    “You’re going to increase the cost of uncompensated care. You’re going to make people wait to go to emergency rooms and then they’re going to be sicker,” she said. “It’s ten times more expensive to deal with somebody at an emergency room than just get health insurance and get covered.”

    “Yes, extending the 2017 tax cuts does help some middle-class families, and we would support that. But all the hits in other areas — like health insurance — mean they will lose money overall. The lowest 20% of income brackets are hit even harder. In this massive bill, it is those who can least afford it who are going to be hit the hardest,” Sen. Cantwell concluded.

    Her speech can be watched in full HERE; a transcript is HERE.

    Sen. Cantwell, who serves as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, has been fighting this proposed budget every step of the way.

    To sound the alarm on proposed Medicaid cuts, Sen. Cantwell hosted a virtual press conference on Friday with Republican leaders from red states – Utah, North Carolina, and Missouri. On Monday, she delivered another speech on the Senate floor highlighting the story of the Winterrose family in Richland, WA, who rely on Medicaid to ensure their 5-year-old daughter can live at home. Last month, she convened a group of health care providers across Washington state for a virtual press conference to highlight statewide opposition to the cuts.  The same day, 23 Republican members of the Washington state legislature sent a letter to the entire Washington state federal congressional delegation, urging the delegation to “protect Medicaid funding for Washington State.”

    When details of her Republican colleagues’ plan to slash Medicaid were made public earlier this year, Sen. Cantwell toured the state to hear from folks who would be directly impacted by the cuts. Doctors, patients, and health care providers in Seattle, Spokane, the Tri-Cities, and Wenatchee warned that such cuts would devastate Washington state’s health care system and limit access to lifesaving care. 

    Sen. Cantwell also released a snapshot report highlighting the impact that Medicaid cuts would have on Washington state’s highly-ranked long-term care system for seniors and people with disabilities. In February, she released a snapshot report that demonstrated how cuts would harm health care access in Washington state, and she followed up with a report in March that dove into impacts on the Puget Sound region. Last week, the Senator released a fact sheet that warned of dire consequences for reproductive health care in Washington state if the Republican reconciliation bill is passed.

    In her remarks today, Sen. Cantwell also discussed new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), available here, of the impact of the Republican plan’s cuts to Medicaid.  In addition, a Joint Economic Committee (JEC) fact sheet, available here, provides updated estimates for all 50 states and D.C. of the estimated number of people losing their health insurance. The JEC data broken down by Congressional District is available here.

    A previous version of the bill included a provision that would have required the federal government to sell off millions of acres of public land. On Tuesday, Sen. Cantwell held a virtual press conference with the mayor of Boise, professional climbers, a leader from outdoor gear retailer REI, and a spokesperson for a hunting and angling advocacy group to fight back – yesterday, the provision was dropped.

    Earlier this week, Sen. Cantwell criticized new reconciliation bill language released by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) which forces states receiving Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding to choose between expanding broadband or protecting consumers from harms caused by artificial intelligence for ten years. Cruz’s new language would also auction spectrum critical to national defense: “The newly released language by Chair Cruz continues to hold $42 billion in BEAD funding hostage, forcing states to choose between protecting consumers and expanding critical broadband infrastructure to rural communities,” Sen. Cantwell said earlier this week. “Forty state attorneys general oppose the AI moratorium that would leave every American vulnerable to AI-assisted fraud, theft, and abuse at a time when we should be strengthening consumer protections. This bill would auction off spectrum essential for military drone operations and risk grounding both civilian and military aircraft due to interference with airplane altimeters. It would jeopardize our weather tracking radar systems and the bands we rely on for WiFi connectivity. And for what? So telecommunications companies—the same ones that failed to protect Americans from Salt Typhoon—can profit and Trump can hawk more of his $47.45 phone plans. This is a fundamental threat to our national defense and a massive giveaway to China.” Sen. Cruz claims that the ten-year moratorium on states’ enforcement of AI laws applies only to a new $500 million appropriation. However, concerns remain that the bill’s text still leverages broadband funding to deny states the ability to protect their citizens from AI-assisted fraud, theft, and abuse.

    The Senate is currently scheduled to vote on the budget bill late tonight or early tomorrow morning. If the bill passes the Senate, it will go back to the House for at least 72 hours of consideration before a House vote.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Earth is trapping much more heat than climate models forecast – and the rate has doubled in 20 years

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney

    NASA, CC BY-NC-ND

    How do you measure climate change? One way is by recording temperatures in different places over a long period of time. While this works well, natural variation can make it harder to see longer-term trends.

    But another approach can give us a very clear sense of what’s going on: track how much heat enters Earth’s atmosphere and how much heat leaves. This is Earth’s energy budget, and it’s now well and truly out of balance.

    Our recent research found this imbalance has more than doubled over the last 20 years. Other researchers have come to the same conclusions. This imbalance is now substantially more than climate models have suggested.

    In the mid-2000s, the energy imbalance was about 0.6 watts per square metre (W/m2) on average. In recent years, the average was about 1.3 W/m2. This means the rate at which energy is accumulating near the planet’s surface has doubled.

    These findings suggest climate change might well accelerate in the coming years. Worse still, this worrying imbalance is emerging even as funding uncertainty in the United States threatens our ability to track the flows of heat.

    Energy in, energy out

    Earth’s energy budget functions a bit like your bank account, where money comes in and money goes out. If you reduce your spending, you’ll build up cash in your account. Here, energy is the currency.

    Life on Earth depends on a balance between heat coming in from the Sun and heat leaving. This balance is tipping to one side.

    Solar energy hits Earth and warms it. The atmosphere’s heat-trapping greenhouse gases keep some of this energy.

    But the burning of coal, oil and gas has now added more than two trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. These trap more and more heat, preventing it from leaving.

    Some of this extra heat is warming the land or melting sea ice, glaciers and ice sheets. But this is a tiny fraction. Fully 90% has gone into the oceans due to their huge heat capacity.

    Earth naturally sheds heat in several ways. One way is by reflecting incoming heat off of clouds, snow and ice and back out to space. Infrared radiation is also emitted back to space.

    From the beginning of human civilisation up until just a century ago, the average surface temperature was about 14°C. The accumulating energy imbalance has now pushed average temperatures 1.3-1.5°C higher.

    Ice and reflective clouds reflect heat back to space. As the Earth heats up, most trapped heat goes into the oceans but some melts ice and heats the land and air. Pictured: Icebergs from the Jacobshavn glacier in Greenland, the largest outside Antarctica.
    Ashley Cooper/Getty

    Tracking faster than the models

    Scientists keep track of the energy budget in two ways.

    First, we can directly measure the heat coming from the Sun and going back out to space, using the sensitive radiometers on monitoring satellites. This dataset and its predecessors date back to the late 1980s.

    Second, we can accurately track the build-up of heat in the oceans and atmosphere by taking temperature readings. Thousands of robotic floats have monitored temperatures in the world’s oceans since the 1990s.

    Both methods show the energy imbalance has grown rapidly.

    The doubling of the energy imbalance has come as a shock, because the sophisticated climate models we use largely didn’t predict such a large and rapid change.

    Typically, the models forecast less than half of the change we’re seeing in the real world.

    Why has it changed so fast?

    We don’t yet have a full explanation. But new research suggests changes in clouds is a big factor.

    Clouds have a cooling effect overall. But the area covered by highly reflective white clouds has shrunk, while the area of jumbled, less reflective clouds has grown.

    It isn’t clear why the clouds are changing. One possible factor could be the consequences of successful efforts to reduce sulfur in shipping fuel from 2020, as burning the dirtier fuel may have had a brightening effect on clouds. However, the accelerating energy budget imbalance began before this change.

    Natural fluctuations in the climate system such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation might also be playing a role. Finally – and most worryingly – the cloud changes might be part of a trend caused by global warming itself, that is, a positive feedback on climate change.

    Dense blankets of white clouds reflect the most heat. But the area covered by these clouds is shrinking.
    Adhivaswut/Shutterstock

    What does this mean?

    These findings suggest recent extremely hot years are not one-offs but may reflect a strengthening of warming over the coming decade or longer.

    This will mean a higher chance of more intense climate impacts from searing heatwaves, droughts and extreme rains on land, and more intense and long lasting marine heatwaves.

    This imbalance may lead to worse longer-term consequences. New research shows the only climate models coming close to simulating real world measurements are those with a higher “climate sensitivity”. That means these models predict more severe warming beyond the next few decades in scenarios where emissions are not rapidly reduced.

    We don’t know yet whether other factors are at play, however. It’s still too early to definitively say we are on a high-sensitivity trajectory.

    Our eyes in the sky

    We’ve known the solution for a long time: stop the routine burning of fossil fuels and phase out human activities causing emissions such as deforestation.

    Keeping accurate records over long periods of time is essential if we are to spot unexpected changes.

    Satellites, in particular, are our advance warning system, telling us about heat storage changes roughly a decade before other methods.

    But funding cuts and drastic priority shifts in the United States may threaten essential satellite climate monitoring.

    Steven Sherwood receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Mindaroo Foundation.

    Benoit Meyssignac receives funding from the European Commission, the European Space Agency and the French National Space Agency.

    Thorsten Mauritsen receives funding from the European Research Council, the European Space Agency, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish National Space Agency and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research.

    – ref. Earth is trapping much more heat than climate models forecast – and the rate has doubled in 20 years – https://theconversation.com/earth-is-trapping-much-more-heat-than-climate-models-forecast-and-the-rate-has-doubled-in-20-years-258822

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Cities are heating up the planet – how they can do more to fight climate change

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Hurlimann, Associate Professor in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne

    Quality Stock Arts/Shutterstock

    Cities have a central role to play tackling climate change. They contribute 67–72% of the greenhouse gas emissions which are heating up the planet.

    At the same time, cities are increasingly at risk from global warming. Flood, fire and drought are affecting everything from the cost of insuring homes and businesses, through to impacts on health and safety.

    This is critical given 90% of Australians live in urban areas. Globally, cities are home to more than four billion people.

    Our new study identifies 16 priority actions to address climate change in the construction and management of cities.

    Building smarter

    Climate change must be a key consideration when designing, building and managing our cities. The emissions generated need to be minimised and eventually eliminated.

    We must build in locations, and in ways, that reduce climate risks. But policies governing how our cities are designed and constructed don’t achieve this.

    A recent study of three local government areas identified only limited action on adaptation and mitigation. Other research has found few urban development policies include carbon reduction goals that meet international targets.

    The National Housing Accord will see more than one million houses built by 2029. These new homes must address the climate challenge.

    16 areas for priority action

    The priority areas in our new study were informed by interviews with more than 150 stakeholders working in urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, sustainability, construction and property.

    Priority areas for minimising damaging emissions generated by cities.
    CC BY

    The actions they identified cover the entire life cycle of the built environment.

    One of the first barriers to overcome is the perceived lack of agency among industry professionals to initiate or demand climate action. They perceive others, such as property owners or clients, to have more influence.

    Climate change risks should be identified in the early stages of planning new developments, backed up by effective tools to make risk identification and action easier:

    There were areas that were identified as being flood prone or risk prone. But there was no strategy to deal with what happens to those areas – An urban planner

    Once specific projects are being considered it is important to prioritise early stage climate assessments, supported by policies which mandate climate action:

    Everyone has good intentions but without big formal legislation around it, everyone’s just sort of making their way in the dark – A construction industry professional

    In the design stage, steps to improve the climate knowledge and skills of the workforce beyond disciplinary boundaries is critical. The selection of low-impact products and materials will also help ensure design is more climate responsive.

    Climate action must be embedded in all stages of design and construction of Australian cities.
    GagliardiPhotography/Shutterstock

    The highest number of hurdles to climate action were found to occur during the costing and approvals stage. Participants spoke of a highly competitive building industry. If climate change initiatives introduced at an earlier stage aren’t required by law, they are likely to be cut.

    unless there’s something in it for them in terms of return on investment, it’s going to be hard to get them to do it, unless we make them – An urban planner

    During the construction phase, product and material substitutions that have detrimental environmental impact should be eliminated. Innovation should be encouraged:

    If you want to push the envelope a little bit in terms of using recycled materials […] that’s a bit of a barrier. To push innovation is difficult – A landscape architect

    Post-construction

    Once construction is complete and buildings and public spaces are being used, it is important to invest in a thorough evaluation process. Building users should be involved to ensure buildings are maintained for optimal climate outcomes:

    [We] tried to achieve the six star rating […] the client has to maintain it [the building] for a year, and that’s when things start to fall off – An architect

    When it comes to area upgrades or building renewals, advocating for reuse and materials circularity is important. But the custom of demolishing and building anew, is hard to shift:

    The reuse of the existing building obviously generates significantly less waste and involves less material. So, design decisions and strategic decisions around using existing buildings is really important – An urban designer

    Working together

    This is a time of significant change in our urban areas.

    We need to make sure climate action is embedded in every stage of decision making. This may mean more efficient use, and reuse, of the existing built stock. This will require an overhaul of policies regarding building retrofits, and a change in mindsets.

    The priority actions to address climate change in cities can be implemented across a range of levels for:

    • individual professionals – pursue development of their climate change skills, including opportunities provided by professional associations

    • professional practices – review internal processes to ensure climate action is mainstreamed across projects, and in company decision making

    • universities teaching built environment professional degrees – embed climate change knowledge, skills, and competencies across the curriculum

    • governments at all levels – review policy settings to mandate mitigation and adaption.

    By addressing these actions, we can collectively work towards achieving our emission reduction targets and making sure our cities minimise climate change risks.

    Anna Hurlimann received funding for the research reported in this article from the Australian Research Council – Discovery Grant DP200101378, with co-chief investigators Georgia Warren-Myers, Alan March, Sareh Moosavi and Judy Bush. She is a member of the Planning Institute of Australia.

    Sareh Moosavi received funding for the research reported in this article from the Australian Research Council – Discovery Grant DP200101378, with co-chief investigators Anna Hurlimann, Georgia Warren-Myers, Alan March, and Judy Bush.

    – ref. Cities are heating up the planet – how they can do more to fight climate change – https://theconversation.com/cities-are-heating-up-the-planet-how-they-can-do-more-to-fight-climate-change-259391

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –