A new study published in the journal OneEarth explores how marine biodiversity conservation, human health and wellbeing are connected. The results suggest that marine protected areas can be good for both planet and people. These areas of the ocean are legally recognised by governments as being important for marine conservation. They are protected by putting limits on human activity within and around them.
Once a government declares a marine protected area, you usually can’t live in it, fish, build a beach resort, start a fish farm or drill for oil in it. The rules vary from place to place, but the idea is to allow nature to flourish by limiting human activity as much as possible.
With plans to expand ocean protection under the UN-endorsed biodiversity plan’s “30×30” target (which aims to protect 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030), it’s important to know how this will affect people as well as nature.
The study was conducted by the conservation charity World Wide Fund for Nature, Harvard Institute of Public Health and Duke University’s marine laboratory. The team, led by marine conservation scientist Daniel Viana, reviewed all the scientific articles written since 1973 on marine protected areas and their impacts on people.
They found that, for 234 marine protected areas across the world that have been closely monitored, more than 60% showed improvement in both nature conservation and human wellbeing.
Swimming, sailing, even just building a sandcastle – the ocean benefits our physical and mental wellbeing. Curious about how a strong coastal connection helps drive marine conservation, scientists are diving in to investigate the power of blue health.
This article is part of a series, Vitamin Sea, exploring how the ocean can be enhanced by our interaction with it.
The study included marine protected areas that do allow “sustainable use” through managed and selective fishing activities. These are fishing methods, such as using a hook and line or a fish trap, that don’t cause physical damage to delicate habitats like coral reefs.
The paper suggests that in most cases, investing in marine protected areas directly benefits the health and livelihoods of people who live near them. Increased harvests of fish and other aquatic foods, such as shellfish and seaweeds, are usually the source of the benefits. Fisherfolk’s incomes increase and community access to nutrient-rich aquatic food improves.
The benefits of marine protection for fishing-based livelihoods are largest in small island states that have big marine protected areas, such as Bonnaire, Palau and the Cook Islands, where more than 95% of fish catches are associated with area-based conservation measures.
Despite ample evidence that marine protection improved access to aquatic food, the authors found surprisingly few studies that directly measured the impact to human nutrition. Only three out of the 237 studies reviewed had studied how creating marine protected areas affected the diets of people living around them. Only one study, in the Philippines, made the link between diets and health outcomes, because, when access to fish in diets improved due to marine conservation, there were fewer stunted children from surrounding communities.
Plenty more nutrients in the sea?
Our continents and islands are surrounded by seas, lakes, rivers and floodplains that are populated by edible plants and animals rich in vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. These micronutrients from aquatic foods are highly bioavailable (easily absorbed by the body). If sustainably harvested and made available to nutritionally vulnerable people, they could prevent malnutrition among millions of coastal people.
The new report has quantified the micronutrient contributions to human diets from the aquatic foods that flourish when marine protected areas are set up. It combines data on the nutrient composition of all the aquatic foods harvested in and around marine protected areas, with fish catch data from the surrounding areas.
The existing marine protected area network supports 14% of the global supply of six key micronutrients from marine fishing. This is achieved by protecting only 8% of the world’s oceans. By allowing marine life to grow abundantly inside protected areas, nearby fish populations are replenished. So, by conserving marine wildlife, protected areas help to sustain fish and shellfish stocks.
That means bigger catches, more income from fishing or tourism, and more food. More nutrients means better health. This applies both to marine protected areas with a strict no-take zone, where any form of fishing is banned, and those that allow regulated fishing.
As populations increase, demand for aquatic food rises. Wild harvests are being supplemented by aquaculture and mariculture – these are freshwater and marine equivalents to growing crops and livestock on land. Over half of the aquatic foods consumed directly by humans are now produced from aquaculture, much of it in inland waters rather than the sea.
But in many countries, particularly island and coastal nations in the developing world, harvesting wild food from marine ecosystems remains crucial to nourishing the over 3 billion people who get more than 15% of their animal source proteins from aquatic foods.
Despite their potential to address global micronutrient nutrition, aquatic foods have, until recently, been underrepresented in policies and programmes to end hunger and malnutrition. But with data on the nutritional composition of the world’s fish species now available, studies like this can advance an approach called “nutrition-sensitive fisheries and aquaculture”: Instead of fishing to maximise catch or profit, fisheries could be managed to optimise their contribution to human nutrition.
Linking ocean conservation with human health is an exciting idea but there are gaps in the research. It’s not clear who benefits when income from tourism and fishing increases, or whether increased catches get to those that need it most. In the Maldives for example, more than 80% of reef fish are consumed by tourists, not locals.
Trying to solve malnutrition with marine protected areas is going to be challenging. Many marine protected areas are not effectively managed. By contrast, 77% of catches from the world’s fisheries come from stocks that are managed sustainably, though they have little room for expansion to meet rising demand. Aquaculture can do that, but the sector is still moving towards sustainability.
Many key threats to marine ecosystems and wild fisheries, such as climate change and pollution, are not effectively dealt with by local marine habitat protection alone. Despite these challenges, this study highlights that nature-human relationships can be regenerative, rather than exploitative.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Edward H. Allison currently receives funding from Canada’s International Development Research Center AQUADAPT programme for work on climate adaptive nature-based aquaculture in South East Asia, from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization for work on Implementing ecosystem-based management in S and SE Asia arnd from the multi-donor Trust Fund to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research for work on aquatic food systems.
The true identity of the founder of bitcoin has always been a mystery.(Shutterstock)
In 2008, someone using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto published the design of the cryptocurrency bitcoin, proposed the initial code and was active online for just under two years. In this time, they helped develop the code, answer questions and promote the project. Then, claiming to busy with new things, Nakamoto left working on bitcoin and was probably never heard from again.
The background is this: with bitcoin, users leave tips to have their transactions processed. If the tip is too low, the computers running bitcoin will refuse to process it and the transaction will sit in bitcoin purgatory. Worse, bitcoin users who make this mistake cannot increase the fee without it looking like an attack on the system.
In an online post, Nakamoto posts that transactions could be declared safe if they only changed the amount of the fee.
Not long after, Todd chimes in that this is impossible with how bitcoin transactions work. The increased fee has to come from somewhere, namely a decrease in the amount paid out, which changes the transaction. Todd’s message is short: “Of course, to be specific, the inputs and outputs can’t match *exactly* if the second transaction has a transaction fee.”
Hoback ponders if maybe Nakamoto meant to correct himself, but somehow accidentally used his real account.
The theory plays out well on film but leaves out a few considerations.
Early bitcoin enthusiasts were a self-selecting group, and most were as technically minded as Nakamoto or Todd. This technical background is niche but not rare: more than 100,000 computer science students graduate annually in the United States, while there are over 500,000 certified security experts. And there are many equally capable people who are neither of these things.
Given Hoback’s evidence for Todd is circumstantial, the weight shifts to Todd’s reaction on camera when Hoback outlines his theory: a mix of bemusement, mockery and indignation. The film frames the reaction as incriminating, while others caution against reading anything into it.
Enter Ethereum
Bitcoin is maintained by an open group of volunteered computers (whose operators are paid in new bitcoin for the work of validating transactions and storing them on a ledger called the blockchain) where no one is in charge, and yet maintains high security.
Early bitcoin enthusiasts saw the potential for bitcoin’s blockchain technology to handle more than financial transactions, but the developers helming bitcoin (including Todd) thought it would be best if bitcoin stayed in its lane.
Some bitcoin enthusiasts in Toronto then banded together and launched Ethereum. Led by 21-year-old Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum provides a platform where anyone can run their code on a blockchain simply by paying a fee and pushing a button. The code could be anything from a new digital currency to sophisticated financial technology.
In Hoback’s documentary, many of the interviewees view bitcoin and its developers as competitors and antagonists of Ethereum.
Hoback’s documentary emphasizes Ethereum’s scam tokens but overlooks the innovative financial services that captured US$64 billion of assets in 2021, as well as its advancements in areas like efficiency and cryptography.
Ironically, it is Ethereum technology that runs crypto-betting platform Polymarket, which hosted a US$44 million betting pool on who would be named as Nakamoto in Hoback’s film before it aired.
“Polymarket turned Money Electric into a sporting event,” Hoback enthused. “Even I’m refreshing the betting pool to see how high the total volume gets.”
He picks up this thread again in Money Electric, embedding an earnest message about the potential privacy and surveillance implications of governments — including Canada, the United States and 130 other countries — launching central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), something my research also draws attention to.
In theory, the technology underlying bitcoin can be expanded to provide a CBDC system as private as paper cash. However it will take a strong political will to get there.
Jeremy Clark receives funding from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton and Autorité des Marchés Financiers.
This 2013 image taken by NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, captures a nebula that looks like a witch screaming. Perhaps that imagined scream is a creation spell, for the Witch Hat nebula’s billowy clouds are a star nursery. We can see these clouds thanks to massive stars lighting them up; dust in the cloud is being hit with starlight, causing it to glow with infrared light, which was picked up by WISE’s detectors. WISE launched to near-Earth orbit on Dec. 14, 2009, and surveyed the full sky in four infrared wavelength bands until the frozen hydrogen cooling the telescope was depleted in September 2010. The spacecraft was placed into hibernation in February 2011, having completed its primary astrophysics mission. In late 2013, the spacecraft was resurrected – no incantation needed – when NASA’s Planetary Science Division gave it a new mission and a new name: NEOWISE. The spacecraft began helping NASA identify and describe near-Earth objects (NEOs). NEOs are comets and asteroids that have been nudged into orbits that allow them to enter Earth’s neighborhood. NEOWISE was decommissioned Aug. 8, 2024, and placed into hibernation for the last time, ending its career as an active asteroid hunter. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Source: US National Invasive Species Information Center
Press Release
WASHINGTON, October 30, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced the agency is planning to enhance testing and monitoring for H5N1, building on measures taken by USDA since the beginning of the avian influenza outbreak. In partnership with state veterinarians, USDA will implement a tiered strategy to collect milk samples to better assess where H5N1 is present, with the goal to better inform biosecurity and containment measures, as well as to inform state-led efforts to reduce risk to farm workers who may be in contact with animals infected with H5N1.
Since this disease was first detected in dairy cattle in March 2024, the USDA and state and federal partners have taken several steps to better understand the virus and work to eliminate it from dairy herds. In May 2024, USDA implemented a Federal Order to require the testing of cattle before interstate movement, which has helped to limit H5N1’s spread to new states; in the past 30 days, the number of states with known avian influenza detections in dairy herds has dropped from 14 to two. However, USDA believes that additional steps are needed to proactively support effective biosecurity measures, which are key for states and farmers to contain and eliminate H5N1 infections from their livestock.
USDA has precedent with successful bulk milk testing approaches, including the use of bulk milk testing to eradicate brucellosis from dairy herds. In addition, Colorado implemented statewide bulk milk testing after H5N1 was detected in dairy herds in two counties, and the most recent statewide testing has not detected any evidence of H5N1 in any herds in the state. In the coming weeks, USDA will work with regions and states that are ready to assist in expanding bulk milk testing.
USDA is working closely with state and private veterinary groups, which include practitioners who will play a vital role in carrying out this effort. USDA plans to first sample milk in bulk at the regional level, with additional testing at the farm level if necessary, until herds in an area are determined to be free of the virus. USDA will continue to work with state and private veterinarians on the final details of implementation, and will share guidance documents soon.
USDA continues to emphasize to farmers nationwide that biosecurity is the best weapon against the spread of H5N1, and farms should practice good biosecurity even if the virus has not been detected in their state or vicinity. Data collected over the past seven months has shown that H5N1 can be transmitted on equipment, people, or other items that move from farm to farm, including between dairies and poultry facilities. USDA’s Federal Order, announced in April 2024, to require testing before cattle movement between states has helped limit the spread of H5N1 to only 14 states, but local and state efforts to enhance biosecurity measures are also important. USDA strongly encourages herd owners to participate in available producer support programs, which help to cover the cost such as biosecurity programming, PPE for employees, and veterinary care.
In addition, USDA continues to support the rapid development and timely approval of an H5N1 vaccine for dairy cows, in addition to other species. Two vaccine candidates for use in dairy cows are currently undergoing field trials.
USDA has consistently operated on a science-based, step-by-step approach informed by what it learns about this virus through its everyday work, research, and monitoring efforts, and this marks the next step in the escalation of the agency’s response.
Today, USDA and the Oregon Department of Agriculture also announced the first detection of H5N1 in swine in the United States, which was detected in a non-commercial farm operation in Oregon. More information that announcement can be found here.
USDA scientists have worked closely with colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and across the country and have not found any recent changes to the virus that increase the risk of transmission from animals to humans or between people. While cases among humans in direct contact with infected animals do continue to occur, partners at the CDC believe that the current risk to the public remains low.
As USDA takes additional steps to protect the health of livestock, the Department will continue to work closely with its federal partners at CDC to protect the health of people and FDA to protect the safety of the food supply. These collective, collaborative efforts have helped protect farmworkers and farmers, the health and welfare of livestock animals, and reaffirmed the safety of the nation’s food supply. The U.S. government remains committed to addressing this situation with urgency.
To learn more about USDA’s response to HPAI in dairy cattle, visit www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock.
Labour’s first budget in 14 years appears to have avoided the Halloween nightmares that many predicted. Yes, the overall tax burden is at its highest level since 1948, but this budget’s tax and spend distribution is such that it spreads both the pain and the benefit. Most of the pain has been focused on the well off, sparing others from increased taxation.
This was, as is so often the case, a budget that was more about politics than economics.
The political emphasis is naturally very different from the previous Conservative administration. Like the 1990s governments of Tony Blair, Labour is now focusing on improving the public sector rather than cutting taxes.
The government claims there will be no return to austerity. Instead, Reeves’s budget is based not only on investment and growth, but education – which gets a 19% real-terms funding uplift. An extra £22 billion is also available for the NHS. Perhaps more importantly, there is an attempt to shift away from hospital-based provision to preventative approaches and community care.
This is a budget centred on redistribution. Taxes are increasing for employers (through increased national insurance) and on inheritance tax and capital gains. Second home owners, non-doms and parents sending their children to private school will also be taxed more. Beneficiaries include those on a minimum wage, pensions and carers.
Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.
It is, then, very much a Labour budget. It focuses on taking money from what may be called the upper middle class and the very well off, and spending it on the public sector, the lower paid and the worse off in society. Even the hinted-at increases on taxes around pensions and pension pots were not fulfilled for fear of alienating Labour supporting, public sector workers.
Delivering a vision
From this perspective, the budget can be regarded as a political success. It has done what Keir Starmer’s government has hitherto failed to do: set out a new, distinct agenda. Revising the existing fiscal rules to include both new stability and investment rules highlights Labour’s commitment to longer-term growth, which it hopes will secure the investment for renewed public services.
This strategy harks back to the traditional social democracy that runs from Tony Crosland – one of the foremost Labour thinkers on a reformed social democracy – and the Labour governments of the 1960s to New Labour. Economic growth, rather than the radical redistribution of wealth associated with Labour leaders such as Michael Foot and Jeremy Corbyn, is Labour’s mechanism for enhancing public services and improving the position of the worst off in society.
But therein lies the rub. The initial market reaction was good. Much of Reeves and Starmer’s pre-budget spin was about making sure the markets remained calm. There was no repeat of the Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng mini-budget debacle, where unfunded tax cuts led to the unstable economic conditions and ultimately Truss’s downfall.
The whole of the Labour government strategy is based on modest but consistent economic growth between a high of 2% and a low of 1.5% between now and 2030. But, of course, economic growth is very difficult to predict and dependent on conditions that the government does not control.
Just this week, Israel’s decision not to target Iranian oilfields led to a 20% drop in oil prices. But any intensification of war in the Middle East could see that situation rapidly reversed.
So while Labour’s promise to increase capital spending and greater investment in science, research and development is important for growing the economy, it is only one factor and others may thwart Labour’s growth plan.
There is though one important lesson from history. All – and that really is all – Labour governments have ended their time in office amidst a financial crisis. Often, it is not directly of their own making, but the plight of the economy has subsequently undermined their original spending plans.
Reeves’s first budget has seen clear benefits for particular sectors. The adaptation of the fiscal rules creates new opportunities for growth through borrowing, capital spending and investment. Yet whether it can trigger the scale of economic takeoff needed to overcome the backlog of investment in public services is to be seen. This may well prove to be the key factor in determining both the longevity and legacy of this Labour government.
Martin Smith receives funding from Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship and Nuffield Foundation.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A study published in Science looks at sugar rationing in the first 1000 days of life and the risk of chronic disease in adulthood.
Dr Hilda Mulrooney, Reader in Nutrition and Health, London Metropolitan University, said:
“This is a really interesting and timely paper, given the currently high intakes of sugar in the UK population, and prevalence of chronic disease including Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
“The potential for diet in utero to impact on long-term health risks has long been recognised, and there are a number of plausible mechanisms to explain how these may occur. In this study, the authors used data from what could be considered a natural experiment – rationing in response to World War 2. By comparing individuals exposed and not exposed to sugar rationing in utero and in early childhood, a significant effect was seen. Those exposed to rationing had significantly lower risks of Type 2 diabetes (35% lower) and hypertension (20% lower), compared to those who did not. Early childhood was especially important; only a third of the increase in risk for both type 2 diabetes and hypertension was explained by in utero exposure. This highlights the potential for early childhood diet as a risk factor for chronic disease. Given the high levels of sugar in foods and drinks aimed at toddlers and young children, this is of concern.
“The study cannot demonstrate causality; it is not possible from this sort of study design. Nonetheless it is a strong study, with several potential confounding factors taken into account and large numbers of participants (38,155 exposed to rationing and 22,028 not exposed to rationing). The groups were similar in relation to gender, race, family history of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (for which hypertension is a strong risk factor), and genetic scores calculated for obesity (which could confound for both type 2 diabetes and hypertension). In addition to sugar intakes immediately and markedly rising after rationing of sugar ended, risk of obesity was also significantly higher in those not exposed to rationing in utero and the first year of life, compared with those who were.
“This study inevitably has weaknesses, due to its type and reliance on historical data. Changes to sugar intakes were unlikely to be the only changes that occurred to participants at that time. The authors took as many factors as they could into account and the message is clear – exposure to high intakes of added sugar in utero and early childhood is a significant risk factor for chronic disease. This suggests that action to reduce the sugar content of foods and drinks aimed at or attractive to children is needed. This will not entirely reduce the risk, since diet in pregnancy is what enables in utero exposure – so action on all foods and drinks high in added sugar is needed. However this will have to be approached with care – simply replacing sugar with sweeteners will not enable the population to reduce their preference for sweet tastes.”
Jerusa Brignardello, Lecturer in Dietetics & Nutrition, Oxford Brookes University,said:
Does the press release accurately reflect the science?
“Yes, the press release is aligned with the conclusions and findings to the study. This press release emphasises in the importance of the sugar restriction during the first 1000 days of life as an early dietary intervention for the reduction of hypertension and diabetes risk.”
Is this good quality research? Are the conclusions backed up by solid data?
“This is an interesting retrospective piece of research that explores the consequences of early of sugar restriction during early life and comparing the effects of sugar consumption in the same age group after the rationing of food was lifted in the post-war UK. However, results should be interpreted with caution, as nutritional environments from the 1950s differ significantly from those of today.
“The information was obtained from the UK- Biobank with 60183 participants. However, the Biobank cohort is not nationally representative of the population and tend to represent a part of the population that was healthier and wealthy. Nonetheless, the quasi-experimental design of the exposure conditions makes this study very rigorous to study the sugar exposure in humans.”
How does this work fit with the existing evidence?
“Current evidence suggests that early exposure to sugar during pregnancy and early life may impact neonatal metabolism, obesity risk, and taste perception, which may later influence food choices and the risk of other chronic diseases. This study supports the findings related to chronic diseases and contributes to the “fetal origins hypothesis” described by British physician and epidemiologist David Baker in the 90s.”
Have the authors accounted for confounders? Are there important limitations to be aware of?
“Yes, the authors have worked on the limitations inherent in studying a cohort like this. It is important to be aware that food environments and dietary patterns in the 50s were very different compared to the current food environment. In addition, lifestyle during those years was not the same as today, and obesity was not considered for statistical purposes as a potential variable to study public health.
“Therefore, the risk found in the UK-Biobank cohort that was exposed to sugar rationing may be different if that is compared to other populations given the differences in lifestyle, dietary habits, food environment, and obesity prevalence. Consequently, the extrapolation of the results presented in the work of Gracner et al. should be interpreted with caution, for example, if these results will be used to build machine learning models for risk predictions for the current population. However, these results contribute to the “Baker hypothesis” or “Fetal origins hypothesis” showing how a simple nutritional intervention as cutting sugar during this crucial period of pregnancy and early life affect in the reduction of risk of diabetes and hypertension in later life.”
What are the implications in the real world? Is there any overspeculation?
“As mentioned previously, the food environment, lifestyle, and physical activity are very different from those in their 50s. Therefore, the results found in this research should be a call for attention for women in the stages of preconception, pregnancy, and parents of children in early life. In addition, this should reinforce the actions of policymakers for the promotion of low sugar intake during these critical life stages in parents and children. Finally, the food industry should consider reformulating products targeted at these groups in light of the evidence, prioritising the well-being of future generations.
“I do not believe there is overspeculation in this article, as it has undergone peer review, meaning that multiple academics have evaluated the research, including its methodology, results, discussion, and conclusions.”
Dr Katie Dalrymple Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences, Kings College London said:
“This study provides further epidemiological evidence which supports the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis. DoHaD suggests that certain environmental influences during critical periods of growth and development during early life may have significant consequences on a child’s long-term health. Given the complexity of this research question, the study relies on observational data and an event study design to draw meaningful conclusions of the relationship between nutrition in early life and the development of chronic diseases. Whilst it is important to consider confounding factors which may have occurred between the exposure and the outcome and potential bias of the Biobank cohort, the results are consistent with existing DoHaD literature, and they support the notion of public health initiatives which focus on sugar reduction.”
Amanda Adler, Professor of Diabetic Medicine and Health Policy from the University of Oxford’s Radcliffe Department of Medicine said:
“The investigators take advantage of the ‘natural experiment’ of post-war food rationing to test the theory that exposure to sugar rationing in utero and in early childhood prevents or delays the onset of type 2 diabetes and hypertension years later.
“The investigators observed that people conceived during rationing indeed had lower rates of disease when compared to people conceived after rationing ended.
“But, we still don’t really know if the children less likely to get diabetes later in life were indeed the ones not exposed to sugar in utero or after birth – even in a setting of rationing.
“It may be that at the same time rationing ended and people consumed more sugar, they also changed other habits becoming, for example, less physically active. So, this may have influenced in part their risk for diabetes later in life.
“It’s intriguing and entirely possible that a lower exposure to sugar in utero via the mother would lead to life-long benefits.
“This study is an open invitation to clinical trialist to clarify the ‘right’ levels of sugar to add to the diet for pregnant or lactating women, and for their infants.”
‘Exposure to sugar rationing in the first 1000 days of life protected against chronic disease’by Gracner et al. was published by AAAS in the journal Science at 18:00 UK time on Thursday 31st October.
DOI:10.1126/science.adn5421
Declared interests
Dr Hilda Mulrooney “In terms of conflicts, I am a committee member of the Obesity Group of the British Dietetic Association, a committee member of the European Specialist Dietitians Network for Obesity and a Council member for Public Health to the Nutrition Society. I am not paid by any of these organisations and not representing them in these comments.”
Jerusa Brignardello “In 2013 I was awarded scholarships from Kraft Foods to attend to the Young Global Nutrition Leader in the International Unions of Nutrition Societies and International Nutrition Foundation. I worked as International Nutrition Consultant for the World Food Programme at United Nations in the Latin American and Caribbean Bureau between 2013 and 2014 . I have worked in Nutrigenomix which is a company for nutritional genetic testing based in Canada between 2012 and 2017. Also, as a clinical trial coordinator for Nestle Switzerland in 2010 and as consultant for Nestle Chile doing activities related to science communication in gut health topics in 2024. In 2018 I received a funding from the American Egg Board from USA to do research in food biomarkers, while I studied at Imperia College London- UK. I am not aware about significant industry funding in my department at Oxford Brookes University. I do not have any conflicts of interest related to this research for my own research.”
Dr Katie Dalrymple “I worked for Danone for 4 years (2012-2016) before I did my PhD.”
Amanda Adler “No conflicts of interest to declare.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Laurel Lee – Florida (15th District)
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Laurel Lee (R-FL) announced Eeshan Sakamuri as the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for Florida’s 15th District for his app, VeteranCare. Sakamuri, a student at Middleton High School, was inspired to create VeteranCare to fulfill a need he noticed within our local veteran population. VeteranCare serves as a centralized hub for our nation’s veterans to find information on benefits, resources, and community support.
“Congratulations to Eeshan Sakamuri for winning this year’s Congressional App Challenge for Florida’s 15th District,” said Congresswoman Laurel Lee. “VeteranCare stands to be a tremendous resource for our nation’s heroes all over the country. I was quite impressed by the talent, knowledge, and creativity of each of the students who submitted their apps. This competition is a wonderful way for students to get involved and to inspire the next generation of trailblazers in the STEM, coding, and computer science fields.”
Advik Aditya from Middleton High School, earned second place for their app, HurricaneHub. HurricaneHub will provide communities with a unified resource hub to keep residents informed, prepared, and connected in the event of a hurricane.
Ryan Sumiantoro and Alyssa Hayman from Steinbrenner High School earned third place for their app, SkyBoard. This app provides insights and resources for student’s college readiness as well as personal and professional development tools.
The Congressional App Challenge was created in 2015 by Congress to promote and highlight Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, and to encourage students to learn coding and computer science skills. The nationwide competition is designed to have students compete against their peers to create an application or “app” for mobile, tablet, or computer devices. Learn more about the Congressional App Challenge here.
Union Minister inaugurates Mata Sarasvati Auditorium in Gandhi Memorial Camp College National Education Policy focussed on revamping India’s education sector as per the requirements of contemporary India”: Dr Jitendra Singh
Start-up exhibitions are being organized across the country, encouraging students to participate in science and technology initiatives.
Posted On: 31 OCT 2024 7:50PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh today inaugurated “Mata Saraswati Auditorium” in Gandhi Memorial Camp College here today. The Union Minister said, the government has embarked on a noble mission of revamping India’s education sector as per the requirements of contemporary India.
Enumerating the salient features of the National Education Policy(NEP) 2020, he emphasised that it has laid the ground for liberating students from being prisoners of the choices made for them by their parents and peers when it comes to choosing educational courses. He stated that with the implementation of the NEP, students are now free to opt for higher courses, matching their talent.
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh speaking after inaugurating “Mata Saraswati Auditorium” in Gandhi Memorial Camp College at Jammu on Thursday.
Dr Jitendra Singh urged teachers to identify the inherent talent of the students and mentor them accordingly so that they can contribute to nation-building. He said that the country is at par with other countries, especially in Education, Science and Technology and startup ups. He informed that India is ranked No. 3 in StartUps.
Dr Jitendra Singh stressed the role of teachers in paving the bright future for the students. He appealed to the educators to encourage their ward to leverage technology for gaining knowledge, adding that these days, cost effective literature is readily available. Calling for the tapping of explored Himalayan bioresources, Dr Jitendra Singh, they hold the potential of making value addition to India’s economy. He urged the teachers to encourage students to take up StartUp initiatives which have emerged as new avenues of self employment.
The Minister informed that the government has decided to organise StartUp exhibitions across the country to create awareness about them. One such exhibition will be held in Srinagar soon, he further informed. Dr Jitendra Singh highlighted the success of Purple Revolution which has brought J&K on the world map of StartUps.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Griffith, Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow and Director, UniSA Microscopy and Microanalysis Facilities, University of South Australia
This is the next article in our ‘Light and health’ series, where we look at how light affects our physical and mental health in sometimes surprising ways. Read other articles in the series.
You’re not feeling well. You’ve had a pounding headache all week, dizzy spells and have vomited up your past few meals.
You visit your GP to get some answers and sit while they shine a light in your eyes, order a blood test and request some medical imaging.
Everything your GP just did relies on light. These are just some of the optical technologies that have had an enormous impact in how we diagnose disease.
1. On-the-spot tests
Point-of-care diagnostics allow doctors to test patients on the spot and get answers in minutes, rather than sending samples to a lab for analysis.
The “flashlight” your GP uses to view the inside of your eye (known as an ophthalmoscope) is a great example. This allows doctors to detect abnormal blood flow in the eye, deformations of the cornea (the outermost clear layer of the eye), or swollen optical discs (a round section at the back of the eye where the nerve link to the brain begins). Swollen discs are a sign of elevated pressure inside your head (or in the worst case, a brain tumour) that could be causing your headaches.
The invention of lasers and LEDs has enabled many other miniaturised technologies to be provided at the bedside or clinic rather than in the lab.
Pulse oximetry is a famous example, where a clip attached to your finger reports how well your blood is oxygenated. It does this by measuring the different responses of oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood to different colours of light.
Pulse oximetry is used at hospitals (and sometimes at home) to monitor your respiratory and heart health. In hospitals, it is also a valuable tool for detecting heart defects in babies.
See that clip on the patient’s finger? That’s a pulse oximeter, which relies on light to monitor respiratory and heart health. CGN089/Shutterstock
2. Looking at molecules
Now, back to that blood test. Analysing a small amount of your blood can diagnose many different diseases.
A machine called an automated “full blood count analyser” tests for general markers of your health. This machine directs focused beams of light through blood samples held in small glass tubes. It counts the number of blood cells, determines their specific type, and reports the level of haemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that distributes oxygen around your body). In minutes, this machine can provide a snapshot of your overall health.
For more specific disease markers, blood serum is separated from the heavier cells by spinning in a rotating instrument called a centrifuge. The serum is then exposed to special chemical stains and enzyme assays that change colour depending on whether specific molecules, which may be the sign of a disease, are present.
These colour changes can’t be detected with the naked eye. However, a light beam from an instrument called a spectrometer can detect tiny amounts of these substances in the blood and determine if the biomarkers for diseases are present, and at what levels.
Light shines through the blood sample and tells us whether biomarkers for disease are present. angellodeco/Shutterstock
3. Medical imaging
Let’s re-visit those medical images your GP ordered. The development of fibre-optic technology, made famous for transforming high-speed digital communications (such as the NBN), allows light to get inside the body. The result? High-resolution optical imaging.
A common example is an endoscope, where fibres with a tiny camera on the end are inserted into the body’s natural openings (such as your mouth or anus) to examine your gut or respiratory tracts.
Surgeons can insert the same technology through tiny cuts to view the inside of the body on a video screen during laparoscopic surgery (also known as keyhole surgery) to diagnose and treat disease.
Doctors can insert this flexible fibre-optic tube with a camera on the end into your body. Eduard Valentinov/Shutterstock
How about the future?
Progress in nanotechnology and a better understanding of the interactions of light with our tissues are leading to new light-based tools to help diagnose disease. These include:
nanomaterials (materials on an extremely small scale, many thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair). These are being used in next-generation sensors and new diagnostic tests
wearable optical biosensors the size of your fingernail can be included in devices such as watches, contact lenses or finger wraps. These devices allow non-invasive measurements of sweat, tears and saliva, in real time
AI tools to analyse how blood serum scatters infrared light. This has allowed researchers to build a comprehensive database of scatter patterns to detect any cancer
a type of non-invasive imaging called optical coherence tomography for more detailed imaging of the eye, heart and skin
fibre optic technology to deliver a tiny microscope into the body on the tip of a needle.
So the next time you’re at the GP and they perform (or order) some tests, chances are that at least one of those tests depend on light to help diagnose disease.
Matthew Griffith receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Research council.
Increased land management by Aboriginal people in southeastern Australia around 6,000 years ago cut forest shrub cover in half, according to our new study of fossil pollen trapped in ancient mud.
Shrubs connect fires from ground cover to the forest canopy, allowing fires to spread and intensify quickly. The reduction in shrub cover, linked to evidence for increasing population size and more widespread landscape use by Aboriginal people, would have dramatically decreased the potential for high-intensity bushfires.
We also found the shrub layer in modern forests is even greater than it was 130,000–115,000 years ago, when the climate was similar to today’s but there were no people around.
Our deep-time research shows how important Indigenous cultural practices were for reducing dangerous high-intensity fires. It also suggests a way forward in Autralia’s current fire crisis, which climate change is making worse.
The trouble with shrubs
For decades, Australia has tried to manage fires by suppressing them. This strategy may be effective in the short term, but it has led to dire consequences in the long term.
Over the past 20 years, the forests and woodlands of southeastern Australia have become hotspots for major fires.
Fire suppression has allowed vegetation, particularly in the shrub layer, to grow without constraint. Shrubby, mid-height vegetation acts as a ladder, enabling fires to spread up from the ground to the forest canopy. This results in more intense and uncontrollable fires.
Summary timeline of past landscape changes across southeastern Australia. We show changes from pre-human contact (top), through Indigenous population expansion (middle), to the present (post-colonial, bottom). Simon Connor, CC BY
Evidence for denser vegetation comes from tiny, fossilised grains of pollen that are laid down in layers of ancient sediment in wetlands and lake beds. By extracting fossil pollen from mud, scientists can develop a picture of vegetation in the past.
Our new study used archaeological data and information preserved in ancient mud. We looked at how the vegetation of southeastern Australia changed in response to climate and human management over the past 130,000 years.
We wanted to see how things changed in key periods: before human arrival in Australia, through periods of Indigenous occupation, and following British colonisation.
We used sophisticated models to estimate vegetation cover and how it related to human land use at different times.
Caring for Country
Indigenous Australians have been the custodians of this continent for millennia. Their journey in Australia started at least 65,000 years ago.
Indigenous Australian cultural burning practices are complex and varied. However, in many parts of the continent they included regular, controlled burns. These helped to manage vegetation growth and reduce the risk of high-intensity fires.
Since British colonisation, the landscape of Australia has undergone significant changes, with both more open pastures and more densely vegetated forests. The introduction of European land management practices, including fire suppression, disrupted the fire regimes Indigenous Australians had maintained for thousands of years.
A call for change: integrating Indigenous Knowledge
To address this crisis, a shift in fire management strategies is essential. One promising approach is to integrate Indigenous fire management practices into contemporary fire management plans, working with Traditional Owners to best care for Country.
This must be done in a way that supports Indigenous livelihoods and fosters connection to Country, not by management agencies simply appropriating Indigenous know-how.
Indigenous Australians possess hundreds of generations’ worth of experience in managing the country’s fire-prone landscapes. Indigenous-led fire management is already being reinvigorated in northern Australia.
Our research demonstrates that southeastern forests and woodlands were effectively managed in the past and would also benefit from Indigenous caring-for-Country practices today.
Reducing dangerous fuels in the shrub layer means less high-intensity fires threatening the bush–urban interface, such as the 2019–20 Black Summer fires.
Indigenous-led burning at a project site in Tasmania. Matthew Newton / RUMMIN Productions
Higher temperatures and prolonged droughts have created ideal conditions for bushfires to spread. Colonisation has compounded the problems arising from human-driven climate change.
But there is no fire without fuel. It is the combination of increased biomass and a warming climate that now fuels fires of unprecedented scale and intensity, posing a significant threat to lives, property and ecosystems.
Australia’s fire crisis is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted solution. By learning from and working with Indigenous practitioners, Australia can develop more effective and sustainable fire management strategies. This collaborative approach offers a path forward to tame the flames and protect the nation’s unique and diverse landscapes.
Michela Mariani receives funding from the Leverhulme Trust and is affiliated with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) and the Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CIEHF).
Anna Florin receives funding from the Australian Research Council and is affiliated with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH).
Haidee Cadd receives funding from the Australian Research Council and is affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH).
Simon Connor receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is affiliated with CABAH, the Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage.
Matthew Adeleye 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.
From the energy that powers our homes to the networks that connect us and the systems that protect our health and safety, our critical infrastructure keeps our economy thriving and our communities secure. This Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, we recommit to strengthening our country’s critical infrastructure and building an America that is safe and secure for generations to come.
This year, I signed a National Security Memorandum to secure and enhance the resilience of United States critical infrastructure — updating the policy for the first time in a decade. This represents the launch of a new era in protecting our infrastructure against all threats and hazards by safeguarding our strong and innovative economy and enhancing our collective resilience to disasters before they happen. But there is more to do. Climate change is making natural disasters more frequent, ferocious, and costly — endangering our supply chains, creating more instability for our communities, and straining the critical infrastructure Americans depend on for their livelihoods. And we need to stay vigilant against adversaries that seek to maliciously target our critical infrastructure, including through cyberattacks.
To meet this moment, my Administration made a once-in-a-generation investment in our Nation’s infrastructure — creating an opportunity to build in resilience to all hazards upfront and by design. Through my American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and CHIPS and Science Act, we are investing billions of dollars to secure and bolster our infrastructure. That includes improving our electric grid so that people can maintain power in any situation, elevating roads and bridges over possible flood zones, funding community resilience programs, and more. These investments have not only helped to protect Americans — they have benefited our economy, creating jobs and new possibilities for our communities. At the NATO summit this year, I announced an arrangement with Canada and Finland to collaborate on the production of polar icebreakers. The partnership will advance United States economic and national security interests by strengthening our shipbuilding and industrial capacity while simultaneously opening up new trade routes and pushing back against foreign aggression and bolstering our international alliances. This year, I also announced a United States Port Security Initiative to reverse our dependence on foreign manufactured port equipment.
Ensuring our Nation is resilient in the face of threats also means working with other nations around the globe to build better, stronger, and more sustainable infrastructure. At the G7 Summit in June, I was proud to announce the historic progress we have made with our Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. This initiative will strengthen United States national and economic security for Americans at home and enable sustainable economic growth for partner countries. To date, we have mobilized $60 billion to create high-quality global infrastructure. That comes on top of our work with the European Union and African heads of state to develop the Lobito Corridor as well as our work with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia to expand regional and global trade markets through the Port of Lobito in Angola. We continue to pursue opportunities to expand our investments across Africa and around the world, including the Indo-Pacific, Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere. Investments like these create more shared opportunities, prosperity, and security for everyone.
Across the Nation, America is writing the greatest comeback story we have ever known — people are putting shovels in the ground, founding new businesses, and creating hope for entire communities. It is more important now than ever before that we remain vigilant against any threats that seek to undermine our collective security and prosperity.
During Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, we recommit to safeguarding and strengthening our Nation’s critical infrastructure to save lives and allow our Nation to continue doing what it does best: creating new possibilities.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2024 as Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month. I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the importance of protecting our Nation’s infrastructure and to observe this month with appropriate measures to enhance our national security and resilience.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
ARS Hosts 30th Anniversary Ceremony for USDA George E. Brown, Jr. Salinity Laboratory
Contact: Amaani Lyle Email: Amaani.Lyle@usda.gov
RIVERSIDE, Calif., Oct. 31, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) hosted the 30th anniversary ceremony of the U.S. Department of Agriculture George E. Brown, Jr., Salinity Laboratory on the University of California, Riverside campus today.
The event celebrated decades of research at the laboratory, where ARS teams have pioneered irrigation practices to optimize crop production, leverage conservation through recycled water, and minimize land degradation caused by the omnipresence of natural and man-made salinization, the overabundance of salt.
Salinization is the buildup of salts and other trace elements in irrigated soils that reduces the productivity of croplands, constituting a long-standing threat to farming in the semi-arid regions of the American West, parts of the Midwest, and throughout the world.
The Salinity Laboratory’s innovation and leadership in understanding salt-affected soil-plant-water systems for the conservation and protection of our land and water resources and the maintenance of a viable, permanent irrigated agriculture has garnered acclaim from both USDA leadership and UC Riverside collaborators.
“This milestone anniversary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture George E. Brown, Jr., Salinity Laboratory marks a storied history of our mission to overcome water quality and water scarcity constraints on agriculture and human health,” said Dr. Simon Liu, ARS Administrator. “Our researchers’ work has yielded palpable solutions to address climate change, drought, and competition for resources — factors that reduce the availability of irrigation water and compound risks posed by salinization.”
ARS Research Leader Todd Skaggs echoed the importance of appropriate salinity control.
“To meet increasing demands for food amid limited soil and water resources, the nation and much of the world community will continue to look to the USDA Salinity Laboratory for salinity expertise, water quality research, and applications to solve these problems,” Skaggs said. “Protection of soil resources will become even more vital as water conservation, efficiency and quality assurance continue to increase.”
According to Skaggs, current research focus areas have earned the lab a vanguard position in addressing and eradicating per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chemicals of concern whose presence in recycled water may lead to the introduction of these harmful compounds into the human food chain if such waters are used for agricultural crop irrigation.
“Even low levels of PFAS may accumulate in soils over time and be absorbed by crop roots,” Skaggs explained. “Our team is therefore developing a low-cost, low-energy, environmentally-friendly treatment system for the removal of PFAS from recycled water, and it’s being optimized for application at the greenhouse scale, potentially allowing for production of PFAS-free crops for human consumption.”
Skaggs also recounted research inflection points in the 1960s and 1970s when ARS scientists quantified the salinity response of a wide variety of agricultural crops and demonstrated that soil salinity could be managed with significantly less water than used in conventional irrigation practices, setting the stage for substantial water conservation.
“This research enabled the selection of suitable crops for a given irrigation water quality and the data remain the most comprehensive information available on relative crop salt tolerances,” he said.
By the 1990s, the Salinity Laboratory developed benchmark methods for mapping and monitoring soil salinity across swaths of U.S. farms and agricultural regions, irrigated lands that produce 30% of the nation’s food and fiber and practically all of the nation’s fruits and vegetables.
The 30th anniversary ceremony highlighted but a fraction of the lab’s deep roots.
In 1937, the United States Regional Salinity Laboratory was established at the base of Mount Rubidoux in the city of Riverside before adopting a new moniker, United States Salinity Laboratory, in 1951.
In 1986, Congressmen George Brown, Jerry Lewis, and Al McCandless of California introduced legislation to replace the aging U.S. Salinity Laboratory with a modern facility on the UCR campus, which supported the project by leasing to the federal government a 7.5-acre site for 50 years at $1 per year. Groundbreaking occurred in 1992 before the facility officially opened in 1995.
In 2000, the laboratory name would change once more to George E. Brown, Jr., Salinity Laboratory in memory of Congressman George E. Brown, Jr.
The laboratory has the distinction of being the only facility in the country specifically devoted to agricultural and environmental issue analysis through basic research on saline and alkali soils, including related reclamation, irrigation, drainage and soil management.
Following the ceremony was an open house highlighting current research including breeding of salt-tolerant alfalfa, precision agriculture, and greenhouse-scale treatment systems for removing PFAS from irrigation water.
ARS and UC Riverside researchers have maintained collaborative relationships, sharing vital resources to achieve common research objectives through cooperative research programs.
Leaders who spoke at the ceremony included:
Dr. Simon Liu, Administrator, USDA-ARS
Dr. Tara McHugh, Director, Pacific West Area, USDA-ARS
Dr. Marlen Eve, Deputy Administrator, USDA-ARS National Program Staff, Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Peter Atkinson, Interim Dean, UC Riverside College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Rien van Genuchten, Recipient of the 2023 Wolf Prize in Agriculture
The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.
Thank you very much for inviting me. It gives me great pleasure to be here with you today, and I am very honoured to be delivering the Karl Otto Pöhl Lecture.
My congratulations on this series of lectures. Nine years ago, it premiered at the Bundesbank’s Regional Office in Hesse at the Taunusanlage in Frankfurt. Since then, various prominent people have presented their views of monetary union. Two of them will come up later on in my talk.
But let’s stay for now with the lecture’s namesake: Karl Otto Pöhl. On 30 May 1990, he addressed the Frankfurt Society for Trade, Industry and Science as President of the Bundesbank, perhaps even standing right here at this lectern.[1]
Times were turbulent back then: German monetary union had just been decided and needed to be implemented within the space of just a few weeks. At the same time, the Delors Report had outlined the transition to a European Economic and Monetary Union. Its first stage entered into force on 1 July 1990. Germany’s “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” newspaper wrote back then that the Bundesbank was facing two unprecedented historical challenges.
As was his nature, Karl Otto Pöhl shied away from neither challenges nor plain speaking. He explained in no uncertain terms where the difficulties and pitfalls of the two monetary unions lay. At the same time, he left no doubt that he would strive tirelessly to ensure that they were a success. He concluded his speech back then with the words: “I am also confident that we will succeed.” This combination of plain speaking, drive and optimism were characteristic of Karl Otto Pöhl – and we could do with more of that today as we strive to overcome the current challenges.
Karl Otto Pöhl would have turned 95 this year. We owe him a great deal. His work in the Delors Commission resonates to this day: It was under Mr Pöhl’s chairmanship that the Committee of Central Bank Governors drafted the Statute of the European Central Bank. Thus, the European Central Bank was modelled on the Bundesbank and created as an independent central bank that pursues price stability as its primary objective.
However, Mr Pöhl was also well aware that these institutional pillars alone are not sufficient to permanently uphold a stable currency for Europe. A firm foundation is needed for the pillars to stand upon. This foundation consists of sound public finances, integrated markets and public confidence in the central bank. Then as now, it is important to strengthen this foundation so that the euro can withstand even a storm. I would now like to talk about what this means specifically in the here and now.
2 Sound public finances in the euro area
Let’s start with public finances – and a question: Why should they matter to us in the first place? The Eurosystem has the task of shaping monetary policy for the euro area. Fiscal policy is the Member States’ responsibility. Why then do central bankers talk so often about budget deficits, debt ratios and fiscal rules?[2]
Our mandate provides the answer: Unsound public finances are a threat to price stability. If the debt burden grows steadily in size, people might lose confidence that the government can continue to shoulder this burden without “inflating it away”. Inflation expectations, and therefore inflation itself, could rise. And monetary policy would have to push back more vigorously to keep inflation under control. This, in turn, would come at a greater cost to the economy as a whole.
That is why we must nip in the bud any impression that central banks are under pressure to set key interest rates lower or maintain higher bond holdings than actually warranted by monetary policy out of consideration for public finances. And that is exactly why we are such outspoken advocates of effective fiscal rules. They are intended as guardrails for sound public finances. Then monetary policy can safeguard price stability, and do so with as little cost to the aggregate economy as possible.
Fiscal rules were included in the design of European monetary union from the outset. This was thanks, in part, to Karl Otto Pöhl. Even back in the days of the Delors Commission, he was already advocating binding budgetary rules. Mr Pöhl is also said to have been the first to introduce the idea of a 3% deficit rule.
Since then, the rules have been amended on several occasions. The latest reform entered into force in April 2024. On paper, the earlier rules were not bad at all. In practice, however, they didn’t have the desired effect. One reason was that numerous exceptions and discretionary powers were used to excuse the many instances in which targets were missed. As a result, the majority of euro area countries have debt exceeding the reference value of 60% of GDP, with a few even well above the 100% mark.
Against this background, the rules were redrawn. In the reform, a great deal of emphasis was placed on national ownership, the intention being to make Member States feel more bound to the thresholds. If this overhaul does indeed lead to the rules having more binding force, that would be very welcome.
At the same time, however, the commitments must also be ambitious enough to significantly bring down high deficit and debt ratios. Given a number of vulnerabilities in the new framework, this is not a matter of course. For example, the country-specific limits are based on many assumptions, some of which extend far into the future. The spending limits are ultimately a matter of negotiation. And in practice, response times to undesirable developments will be very long.
The first acid test is imminent. Spending limits for the first planning period are currently being agreed upon. The plans should stake out a path for high deficit and debt ratios to come down reliably. Responsibility for agreeing such plans lies with the Commission and the Council. In my opinion, Germany should act as a role model in this process. That means leading by example and committing to a path on which the rules are applied rigorously.
Given high levels of debt in the euro area, it is important that the reformed rules work better than the old ones. As I said earlier, sound Member State finances are part of the foundation of a stable economic and monetary union.
3 Integrated capital markets in Europe
But they alone are not enough. In his speech back then to the Frankfurt Society for Trade, Industry and Science, Karl Otto Pöhl explained that the emerging economic and monetary union meant, first, an integration of the markets. That was the most important thing of all, he said.[3] In particular, he pointed to the increasing integration of money and capital markets following the lifting of many restrictions on the free movement of capital.
There were, and still are, a number of reasons why it is important that European financial markets should be as integrated as possible. First, this helps ensure that monetary policy impulses have equal effect throughout the euro area. Second, in the event of an economic shock in one Member State, it makes sure that downstream costs are cushioned across the currency area. This contributes to the stability of the economy as a whole and the financial system. And third, in a deep, liquid capital market with a broad range of products, it is easier for enterprises to find the financing that suits them best. This is particularly true of start-ups and growth companies. They need access to a developed venture capital market. More private capital is also important to boost investment in the green and digital transformation of the European economy. This investment is urgently needed to strengthen the EU’s productivity and competitiveness.
So you see, everything points to the benefits of a genuine pan-European capital market. And the EU set itself the goal of creating a capital markets union a decade ago. Unfortunately, the reality is still very different.
Overall, progress on financial integration in the euro area is disappointing. This was the conclusion recently reached in a report by the European Central Bank. It states that “[b]oth price-based and quantity-based financial integration indicators have declined substantially over the past two years, with no sizeable increase since the inception of Economic and Monetary Union. Despite significant legislative efforts over the last decade, cross-border financial market activities and risk sharing have not grown …”.[4]
This finding demonstrates just how big the task is. But there is also good news: We know fairly exactly where the pain points lie and can start there. Areas for action include, for example, a more vibrant securitisation market, integrated structures in financial supervision, harmonised securities legislation, and better-coordinated national insolvency and accounting rules.
The new Commission now needs to place the pursuit of a European capital market at the very top of its list of priorities. We must make more rapid progress on this issue than we have done so far. Policymakers have mostly been united behind the abstract objectives. However, they have then too rarely found the strength to agree on concrete measures. A whole host of measures is needed to achieve the objectives. In some cases, they encroach deeply on national law. If real progress is to be made, all parties will have to pull together, i.e. the Commission, the Parliament and the Member States.
Happily, the topic has gained fresh momentum this year. Be it the statements by the Eurogroup and the ECB Governing Council or the reports by Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi – they are all providing tailwinds. Now is the time to use them!
The Eurosystem itself is also contributing to success in this area, particularly in terms of financial market infrastructure. For example, we are advocating for new technologies to make it easier to issue, trade and settle financial instruments. In my view, digitalisation opens up fresh opportunities to strengthen the efficiency of European financial markets, while also breaking down boundaries between national financial markets. We have far from exhausted the potential here!
4 Public confidence in the central bank
A Europe with integrated markets and sound public finances is a stronger Europe. It is a Europe with stronger resilience in the face of crises, even during turbulent times; a Europe that allows us to shape our future with self-assurance and on the back of our own efforts. Achieving this goes beyond the monetary policy foundation; it also involves the basis of citizens’ trust in the EU.
The general public should be able to have as much confidence in the EU in future as they do now.[5] We, as the Eurosystem central banks, are also particularly dependent on the confidence and support of the general public.
We act independently of politics. This independence has been deliberately granted to us for monetary policy so that we can fulfil our mandate free from political influence. We cannot simply take the public’s trust as a given. Only if the people have confidence in us will they accept the independence granted to us. This trust must be earned time and time again – by acting in accordance with our mandate and communicating transparently and comprehensibly with the public. In short: Our deeds and our words should go hand in hand.
If people have confidence in central banks and their promise of stability, this also helps to anchor inflation expectations.[6] Well-anchored inflation expectations make it easier for the central bank to actually achieve its target. And meeting the inflation target, in turn, reinforces people’s confidence in the central bank. In this way, a virtuous circle is created – a cycle of positive events.
The Eurosystem has repeatedly demonstrated that its promise of stability was not merely empty words. Perhaps you remember when the then ECB chief economist, Peter Praet, gave his Karl Otto Pöhl Lecture in 2017. At that time, the Eurosystem was struggling with an inflation rate that remained stubbornly below target. Mr Praet explained what the Governing Council had done to counter deflation risks that had emerged since 2014.
Alternatively, think back to the economic environment back when Christine Lagarde spoke with you two years ago. In autumn 2022, euro area inflation had peaked, even reaching double digits for a time. Against this backdrop, the ECB President underscored the Governing Council’s determination to push inflation down to its 2% target.
Here, too, words and deeds were aligned: by September 2023, we had raised key interest rates by a total of 450 basis points in ten steps – a move that bore fruit. The inflation rate has since fallen significantly. In September of this year, it was below 2% in the euro area – and that for the first time in over three years. Tomorrow we will get the first estimate for October. Inflation is also likely to have risen slightly again due to base effects in energy.
Looking beyond the monthly ups and downs, it can be seen that price stability is no longer far off, but the last mile of the journey still needs to be traversed. In particular, services inflation, which has been relatively sluggish in past experience, remains high, standing at 3.9% at last count.
The ECB Governing Council lowered key interest rates in October for the third time since June. This was appropriate in view of the somewhat more favourable inflation outlook shown by the data. Our data-dependent approach has proven its worth, particularly in view of the prevailing uncertainty. A new forecast will be available to the Governing Council in December, and that will show us whether we are still on track in terms of inflation developments. I advise you to remain cautious and not to rush into anything.
Monetary policy needs to ensure that the inflation rate stabilises at 2% over the medium term. Adhering to our promise of stability is absolutely crucial if we are to maintain the confidence that the general public have in us, particularly in light of their inflation experiences in recent years. Accessible communication helps with this.[7]
Karl Otto Pöhl had already come to this realisation, back in a time when central banks were, in some cases, famous (and infamous) for their secrecy. In an interview in 1988, he said: “I am thoroughly convinced that one of my main tasks is to clarify, to explain.”[8]
Studies also suggest that people with a good financial education tend to trust central banks.[9] We therefore have a strong vested interest in improving the public’s understanding of money, currency and central banks. This is where the Bundesbank’s educational resources, such as lectures at schools, training courses for teachers, teaching materials, explanatory films and the Money Museum, come into play.
The effects of financial education could extend even further: researchers from the European Central Bank have investigated how people with differing degrees of financial knowledge responded to the interest rate reversal in 2022 and 2023.[10] People with basic and advanced financial knowledge were surveyed over several months. It transpired that both groups expected significantly higher interest rates. However, there were differences between whether the surveyed groups deemed it better to take out loans or to make savings: those with higher financial literacy adjusted their assessments more quickly and to a considerably greater degree. The impact of the course of monetary policy on people’s behaviour therefore also depends on their financial knowledge. As a result, then, greater emphasis on financial literacy could help monetary policy measures to be translated into action on the part of the individual.
A good general understanding of economics and finance has yet more advantages. For instance, such knowledge enables people to make better decisions about how to spend, save and invest their money. Studies show that financial knowledge has a positive impact on households’ return on investment.[11] Furthermore, it is more likely to prevent them from making expensive mistakes or falling victim to fraud.
Financial education also affords opportunities for social advancement. It is therefore important to promote the acquisition of such knowledge in society at large. If knowledge about planning for retirement and wealth accumulation is only gleaned from one’s parental home, it is primarily those who are already in positions of privilege who will benefit. This can entrench and even exacerbate societal inequalities.[12]
It is all the more worrying that, according to a survey carried out within the EU, an average of just over one in two individuals possesses basic financial knowledge.[13] Although Germany’s performance is above average, we still have plenty of room for improvement. The German government’s initiative aimed at strengthening financial education therefore comes as a welcome development. One component of this initiative, a national strategy for financial literacy, is currently under development. The OECD has provided valuable analyses and recommendations that create a sound basis for policy.[14]
In any case, there is no lack of interest, especially among young people. According to an OECD study, 81% of 14 to 24-year-olds would like to learn more in school about options for retirement provision, 87% about how to handle their money and 73% about investment opportunities.[15] In addition, 78% of young people in Germany want economics to play a greater role in school.[16] A stronger focus on economic and financial topics in the school curriculum would fall on fertile ground, then.
5 Conclusion
The Eurosystem is well equipped to maintain stable prices in the euro area through independence and a clear mandate. But in stormy times especially, we need to be firmly anchored upon a strong foundation, comprising elements such as sound public finances, integrated markets and confidence in the central bank. This foundation must be maintained, and, where necessary, re-laid.
First and foremost, we are, of course, required to say what we are doing and to do what we are saying. Central bankers would be well advised to adhere to this guiding principle. However, what is also clear is that we cannot guarantee the strength of the euro as a currency by acting alone; rather, politicians and society as a whole have their own parts to play. Pöhl’s contemporary Helmut Schlesinger, who recently turned 100 years old, coined the term “stability culture”.[17]
I would like to close by citing a quote of Karl Otto Pöhl’s that holds as true today as it originally did over 40 years ago: “There is no law of nature stating that we are entitled to live on an “island of stability”. Such a privilege has to be earned through applying a durable stability policy.”[18] Indeed, this is what we in the Eurosystem are working towards on a day-to-day basis, and I am confident that we will succeed.
Footnotes
Pöhl, K. O., Rede zur deutschen und europäischen Währungsunion vor der Frankfurter Gesellschaft für Handel, Industrie und Wissenschaft, 30 May 1990.
Allard, J., M. Catenaro, J. Vidal and G. Wolswijk (2013), Central bank communication on fiscal policy, European Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 30.
Pöhl, K. O., Rede zur deutschen und europäischen Währungsunion vor der Frankfurter Gesellschaft für Handel, Industrie und Wissenschaft, 30 May 1990.
European Central Bank, Financial Integration and Structure in the Euro Area, June 2024.
European Commission (2024), Standard Eurobarometer 101 – Spring 2024.
Christelis, D., D. Georgarakos, T. Jappelli and M. van Rooij (2020), Trust in the Central Bank and Inflation Expectations, International Journal of Central Banking, Vol. 16, No 6; Mellina, S. and T. Schmidt (2018), The role of central bank knowledge and trust for the public’s inflation expectations, Deutsche Bundesbank Discussion Paper No 32/2018; Bursian, D. and E. Faia (2018), Trust in the monetary authority, Journal of Monetary Economics, Vol. 98.
Eickmeier, S. and L. Petersen (2024), Toward a holistic approach to central bank trust, Deutsche Bundesbank Discussion Paper No 27/2024.
Die Macht des Wortes, interview with manager magazin on 1 June 1988.
Niţoi, M. and M. Pochea (2024), Trust in the central bank, financial literacy, and personal beliefs, Journal of International Money and Finance, Vol. 143.
Charalambakis, E., O. Kouvavas and P. Neves (2024), Rate hikes: How financial knowledge affects people’s reactions, The ECB Blog, 15 August 2024.
Kaiser, T. and A. Lusardi (2024), Financial literacy and financial education: An overview, CEPR Discussion Paper No 19185; Deuflhard, F., D. Georgarakos and R. Inderst (2019), Financial literacy and savings account returns, Journal of the European Economic Association, Vol. 17, No 1.
Lusardi, A., P.-C. Michaud and O. S. Mitchell (2017): Optimal Financial Knowledge and Wealth Inequality, Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 125(2).
Demertzis, M., L. L. Moffat, A. Lusardi and J. M. López (2024), The state of financial knowledge in the European Union, Policy Brief 04/2024, Bruegel.
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Avoiding this catastrophe of humanity’s making is the purpose of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in Cali, Colombia. COP16 has been reviewing progress on implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at COP15 in Montreal, Canada, in 2022. Progress has been incremental at best.
These pledges, plans and goals, while necessary and commendable, are also far removed and often intangible for everyday citizens. Collective global action is inherently political. It moves at glacial pace when urgent action is needed.
The issues can seem so colossal and complex that individuals often feel powerless. This may mean they do nothing or, worse, add to the problem. But, in fact, there are five steps individuals can take to help end the biodiversity crisis.
So why isn’t government action enough?
COP16 wraps up on November 1, but has so far failed to live up to expectations. The COP16 chair claims it has put biodiversity “on an equal footing” with climate. However, solid commitments have yet to emerge.
For example, before COP16, governments had pledged only US$250 million (A380 million) of the estimated $200 billion per year required by 2030 for the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund. Pledges of another $163 million this week take the total number of contributors to a mere 12.
Only 15% of countries (including Australia) met the deadline to submit their plans to meet the goals set at COP15. These include protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and water and restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030.
Our everyday decisions can’t be divorced from nature
“Natural capital” is a buzzword in global initiatives, government policies, marketing slogans and sustainability frameworks worldwide. Natural capital refers to all living and non-living natural resources that provide products and services of value to society. In essence, it’s what we commonly call “nature”.
Understanding and managing natural capital is crucial for conserving biodiversity, addressing climate change and ensuring future generations’ wellbeing by not exceeding our planetary boundaries. It’s why we’ve recently created the Natural Capital Primer. It’s a website that explains how our everyday lives, businesses and economies depend on nature.
By understanding our connection to nature, we can all reduce our impact on nature. Here are five ways you can make a difference, starting today.
The Natural Capital Primer explains the concept, aiming to shift attitudes toward nature and promote global conservation.
1. Cut consumption when you can
Do you really need to update your mobile phone, your summer wardrobe or your flat-screen TV? What we buy reverberates around the globe.
Our demand for new products affects resource extraction (leading to habitat loss), carbon emissions (propelling climate change) and pollution (degrading habitat). These impacts are often far from where we make our purchases. From the lithium in our phones to the plastics in our clothes and the metals in our vehicles, our consumption drives demand, which almost inevitably harms biodiversity.
If you do need to replace something, consider buying second-hand or products made from recycled materials.
2. Watch what you eat
Agriculture is the single greatest driver of changes in land use and biodiversity loss. We all need to eat, of course, but where possible buy local and sustainably produced foods.
Reducing processed foods in your shopping trolley is a good start. Cutting your intake of over-fished, wild-caught seafood, red meat and palm oil-based products will also help. This issue is not straightforward because these products are available as a confusing mix of unsustainable and sustainable options.
A further complication, made worse by the rise of greenwashing, is that it can be hard to work out exactly what is in certain foods or where they came from. Sustainability certification and apps (GoodFish Australia, for example) can help consumers make better choices.
3. Choose renewable energy
The climate and biodiversity crises are inseparable. Neither can be resolved in isolation. For example, nature-based solutions, such as protecting forests as carbon sinks, will help with both the climate crisis and biodiversity.
With greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change, which threatens many species, a whole range of our choices determine the impacts of our energy use. From your mode of transport to powering your home, choose renewable energy sources.
Tech giants such as Google and Amazon are turning to nuclear energy to power their generative AI and cloud storage in an effort to reduce their climate impact. However, 100% renewable energy is realistic if consumers demand it from their power companies and governments.
4. Get your hands dirty
You can take direct action to protect and increase biodiversity. Volunteer or donate to environmental projects in your neighbourhood. Not only will this make you feel good, but revegetation and habitat restoration do improve local biodiversity.
Many grass-roots, community-driven projects are making a difference on the ground. They range from urban restoration work, such as the Merri Creek restoration in Melbourne, to forest stewardship projects, such as Tarwin River Forest in Gippsland, Victoria. Get local and get involved!
5. Adjust expectations and accept responsibility
People in wealthy countries (such as Australia) have both the biggest environmental footprints and the most capacity to adapt. They must lead change.
The process starts with increasing awareness of the issues and taking responsibility for change. That includes adjusting our expectations about how and where we live.
Small changes are magnified when repeated by millions of people. We should never doubt the power of cumulative impact. After all, it’s what got us into this mess in the first place.
So while governments and corporations haggle, posture and delay over global targets and policies, we can all start right now to make a difference through smarter decisions and sustainable choices.
Jim Radford receives funding from Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, the National Environmental Science Program Resilient Landscapes Hub, Transport for NSW, SmartSat CRC, Macdoch Foundation and Australian Wool Innovation. He is a member of Standards Australia Biodiversity Committee and North Central CMA Science Advisory Panel.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)
BOSTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus’ Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, issued the following statement on Josseli Barnica, who died on Sept. 3, 2021 after being denied emergency abortion care in Texas as she suffered a miscarriage.
In September, in a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Hearing, Rep. Pressley highlighted the harmful and deadly impact of abortion bans in America to date and outlined in detail the shameful circumstances under which Amber Nicole Thurman died after being denied necessary abortion care in Georgia.
“Josseli Barnica should be alive today. She should be carving a pumpkin with her now four-year-old daughter as her loving husband fills a bucket of Halloween candy.
“Josseli died at a hospital in Texas that denied her medically necessary abortion care when she was going through a miscarriage. Her doctors, intimidated by a litany of current and pending abortion ban laws in Texas, knew the only way her pregnancy was going to end was in miscarriage. But instead of implementing the basic standards of care and providing her the life-saving care she needed, they let Josseli languish. Their delays and denials led to an infection that swiftly killed her. This never should have happened.
“Today, this hospital still has no clear standard of care for miscarriage management despite the fact that miscarriages are incredibly common and abortion care is medically necessary in many cases. Governor Abbott and Republicans nationwide who have facilitated and advanced horrific and harmful abortion bans are responsible for Josseli’s death.
“Abortion care is essential healthcare. I am thinking of Josseli’s family as they navigate their deep grief three years later. I am thinking of her daughter who is left to grow up without her mother. No one should be denied basic medical care No one should die this way. The United States can and must protect and restore access to abortion care across the country.”
In her time serving in Congress, Rep. Pressley has fought persistently to protect fundamental reproductive and sexual healthcare rights.
On the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Rep. Pressley introduced the Abortion Justice Act, sweeping, intersectional legislation to address access to abortion care and put forth a comprehensive vision of a just America where abortion care is readily available—without stigma, shame or systemic barriers—for all who seek it, regardless of zip code, immigration status, income, or background.
Rep. Pressley is a lead co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), bicameral federal legislation to guarantee equal access to abortion care, everywhere.
Rep. Pressley is also a lead co-sponsor of the EACH Act, bold legislation to repeal the Hyde Amendment and help guarantee abortion coverage—regardless of how a patient gets their health insurance.
Shortly before the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Rep. Pressley led a group of her Black women colleagues in writing to President Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency amid the unprecedented threats to abortion rights nationwide.
Rep. Pressley condemned the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade., and implored the Senate to protect abortion rights and slammed the white supremacist roots of anti-abortion efforts.
In September 2024, in a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Hearing, Rep. Pressley highlighted the harmful and deadly impact of abortion bans in America to date, and outlined in detail the shameful circumstances under which Amber Nicole Thurman died after being denied necessary abortion care in Georgia.
In June 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Idaho v. United States; Moyle v. United States – the case about whether emergency abortion care is included under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
In May 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on a Louisiana bill that would classify medication abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances.
In April 2024, at a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley played “Fact or Fiction” with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf to emphasize the safety and efficacy of medication abortion drug mifepristone.
In August 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the Fifth Circuit Court decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA.
In July 2023, Rep. Pressley, alongside Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), reintroduced the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act, legislation to help people with disabilities—who face discrimination and extra barriers when seeking care—get better access to reproductive healthcare and the informed care they need to control their own reproductive lives.
In July 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of over-the-counter birth control.
In May 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the FDA Advisory Committee’s unanimous, 17-0 vote to recommend the approval of the first-ever application for over-the-counter birth control. She and Senator Murray also held a press conference applauding the decision and urging the FDA to approval over-the-counter birth control without delay.
In May 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Ami Bera, MD (CA-06) and Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), reintroduced their bicameral Affordability is Access Act to ensure that once the FDA determines an over-the-counter birth control option to be safe, insurers fully cover over-the-counter birth control without any fees or out-of-pocket costs.
In April 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Texas court ruling on mifepristone, and discussed the Texas case in a recent floor speech in which she affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care and access to mifepristone as essential. She later joined Governor Maura Healey, Senator Elizabth Warren (D-MA), and local leaders in announcing action to protect Mifepristone in Massachusetts.
In March 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Reps. Schakowsky, Lee, DeGette, Torres and Strickland, reintroduced the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act harmful and discriminatory Helms Amendment and expand abortion access globally.
In March 2023, Rep. Pressley and Senator Hirono led their colleagues in reintroducing a bicameral congressional resolution honoring abortion providers and clinic staff.
In March 2023, Rep. Pressley delivered a speech in which she discussed the pending court case in Texas, which aims to restrict access to medication abortion across the entire nation. In her remarks, Rep. Pressley affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care, and accessibility to the abortion pill mifepristone as essential.
In September 2021, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Supreme Court’s inaction on SB-8, Texas’ restrictive abortion law. Later that month, she participated in a House Oversight Committee hearing to examine the threat posed by abortion bans and underscored the urgency of the Senate passing the Women’s Health Protection Act.
In April 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Congresswomen Barbara Lee (CA-13), Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), led a group of 131 Democratic members in reintroducing the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act or the EACH Act, which would repeal the Hyde Amendment and ensure that all people, regardless of income, insurance or zip code, can make personal reproductive healthcare decisions without interference from politicians. She re-Introduced the legislation In January 2023.
Rep. Pressley has led calls in Congress for the FDA to remove medically unnecessary restrictions on the medication abortion drug mifepristone, and applauded the FDA’s action in January 2023 to allow retail pharmacies to dispense abortion medication pills.
As Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus’s Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, Congresswoman Pressley has led the fight to repeal the Hyde Amendments from annual Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bills and in July 2020 published a Medium post on the importance of doing so. She applauded the removal of the Hyde Amendment in President Biden’s FY2022 budget.
In May 2020, she led more than 155 Members of Congress in calling on House Democratic leadership to ensure that any future COVID-19 relief packages rejected Republican efforts to use the public health crisis to diminish abortion access.
In August 2021, Rep. Pressley, Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, and Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Diana DeGette and Barbara Lee led more than 70 of their House Democratic colleagues in introducing a resolution in support of equitable, science-based policies governing access to medication abortion care.
In January 2023, Rep. Pressley introduced a resolution to condemn all forms of political violence in the U.S., regardless of its target or intent. That same day, she delivered a powerful speech on the House floor slamming Republicans’ harmful, misleading anti-abortion resolution.
In September 2022, Rep. Pressley hosted U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester for a convening on their work to address the Black maternal health crisis and the criminalization of abortion care in states across the nation following the harmful U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.
In May 2019, she led more than 100 colleagues in introducing H.Con.Res.40, a resolution reaffirming the House of Representative’s support for Roe v. Wade.
In June 2019, Rep. Pressley introduced H.R. 3296, the Affordability is Access Act, to make oral contraception available without a prescription.
In September 2016, as a member of the Boston City Council, Pressley championed a resolution calling on Congress and President Obama to repeal the Hyde Amendment and reinstate insurance coverage for abortion services.
The federal government is committed to ensuring members of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) have the equipment they need to complete their missions and assert Canada’s sovereignty.
October 31, 2024 – Gatineau, Quebec – Public Services and Procurement Canada
The federal government is committed to ensuring members of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) have the equipment they need to complete their missions and assert Canada’s sovereignty.
Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant, on behalf of the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, announced that the federal government has awarded a contract valued at up to $1.85 billion (including taxes) to Lockheed Martin Canada (LMC) for the renewal of combat system integration in-service support (CSI ISS) for the Halifax-class frigates.
The renewal of this contract will ensure continued CSI service support until the end-of-life expectancy is reached for the Halifax-class frigates, coinciding with the gradual arrival of the new fleet of River-class destroyer ships. This contract is estimated to contribute $76 million annually to Canada’s gross domestic product and to support up to 680 good-paying jobs annually across the Canadian economy.
The Halifax-class patrol frigates are the backbone of Canada’s maritime operational capability. The investments announced today will keep Canada’s sovereignty resolute by monitoring Canadian waters and airspace, facilitating large-scale search and rescue activities, providing emergency assistance and supporting global peace and security operations.
Quotes
“This contract with Lockheed Martin Canada underscores the federal government’s commitment to supporting the Royal Canadian Navy and ensuring it has the equipment it needs to assert Canada’s sovereignty and protect Canadians. The contract will ensure continued combat system integration services to the Halifax-class frigates, which remain the foundation of the Royal Canadian Navy until the gradual arrival of the River-class destroyers.”
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant
“This contract is not only an investment in our Navy, it is also an investment in Canadian industry and workers. The Royal Canadian Navy’s fleet of Halifax-class frigates are the backbone of maritime operations at home and abroad. This in-service support contract will ensure our frigates remain operationally effective until the arrival of our future fleet of River-class destroyers.”
The Honourable Bill Blair Minister of National Defence
“Our government is making a crucial investment to ensure that Canada’s naval capabilities remain strong. The combat management system 330 is an export success story, as this Canadian-made solution has been adopted by several allied navies. Through the support announced today, the government is helping the Royal Canadian Navy maintain the highest standards of operational readiness and is contributing to jobs, innovation and economic growth across the country.”
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
Quick facts
The initial CSI ISS contract was awarded through a competitive procurement process to LMC in November 2008. The contract included 2 additional 3-year option periods, which have both been exercised.
The initial CSI ISS contract will ensure ongoing maintenance and updates to the combat management system (CMS) 330 until November 6, 2024.
The new CSI ISS contract provides ongoing maintenance, updates and other specialized supports for the CMS 330 onboard the RCN’s 12 Halifax-class frigates. The services also include support for associated shore-based engineering, training and testing.
This service support will be from November 2024 to March 2034. The contract includes 13 additional 1‑year option periods, which could extend the contract up to March 2047.
The CMS 330 is the central component of the integrated combat system fitted on the Halifax-class ships. It’s a system designed to integrate and control the various sensors, weapons and information sources of the ships to optimize situational awareness and decision-making.
As the original manufacturer of the CMS 330, LMC holds the intellectual property rights necessary to make modifications and add new capabilities and functionalities to this software. LMC has also not licensed or authorized other parties to perform updates to this software. For these reasons, LMC is the only provider capable of meeting all the requirements of the CSI ISS contract, ensuring the RCN can continue to pursue its national and security operations.
These in-service support activities are performed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Esquimalt, British Columbia, and at various locations in the National Capital Region.
Canada’s Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy applies to this project. This requires that LMC provide business activities into the Canadian economy equal to the value of its contract with Canada.
Associated links
Contacts
Mathis Denis Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos 343-573-1846 mathis.denis@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Daniel Webster (11th District of Florida)
Washington, D.C. — Florida Congressman Daniel Webster, R-Clermont, along with Congressman Scott Franklin (R-FL), Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and the entire Florida delegation sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the USDA to take immediate action to provide disaster assistance for Florida agricultural producers affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“These back-to-back major hurricanes have decimated Florida agriculture, our state’s second largest industry, which generates more than $182.6 billion in annual revenue and provides more than 2.5 million jobs,” the members wrote. “As Members of Congress, it is our responsibility to work with USDA to best assist the producers who feed our nation.”
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Secretary Vilsack:
We write to strongly urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) take immediate action to deliver critical aid to agricultural producers affected by recent hurricanes Helene and Milton. These back-to-back major hurricanes have decimated Florida agriculture, our state’s second largest industry, which generates more than $182.6 billion in annual revenue and provides more than 2.5 million jobs.
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast just 13 days after Helene and brought high winds, flooding and damage across the entire state. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences (FDACS), the preliminary estimate of total crop and infrastructure losses ranges from $1.5 to $2.5 billion, and the State of Florida has requested federal agriculture disaster designations for impacted counties in response to both storms.
Milton’s path impacted some of Florida’s most productive agricultural areas for aquaculture, avocados, bell peppers, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, cattle, citrus, christmas trees, corn, cotton, cucumbers, dairy, equine, floriculture, grapes, leafy greens, mangos, other animal products, peaches, peanuts, pecans, potatoes, poultry, rice, snap beans, soybeans, strawberries, sugarcane, sweet corn, tangerines, tomatoes, watermelons, and more. Agricultural lands and agribusiness more than 100 miles away from the eye of the storm experienced tornadoes and other devastating effects which compounded losses. Block Grants:
In 2018, after Hurricane Irma, Congress appropriated relief to Florida agriculture and USDA delivered that aid through a block grant to the state. The State of Florida was successful in getting that aid to those in need quickly and efficiently. During a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture hearing held on March 9, 2023, USDA Inspector General Phyllis K. Fong was asked about the effectiveness of this block grant and she stated, “[i]n that instance, FSA successfully partnered with Florida to deliver assistance to the citrus farmers.” She went on to say: “I think that is an example, within your own state, where that kind of block grant program can work.” We ask that you support both an appropriation request and authority to deliver the assistance in the form of a block grant to our state.
USDA must work to deliver aid to communities affected by disasters as quickly and efficiently as possible. FSA offices across Florida are still having trouble facilitating disaster assistance programs designed to help after 2022 Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. However, these funds were not in the form of a block grant and as a result, there are hundreds of producers who are still awaiting assistance.
Creating a new disaster program each time funds are appropriated by Congress not only complicates the disaster relief application process, but also delays delivery of critical assistance for the producers who feed our state and nation. Block grants administered by the state expedite disbursement, free up personnel at FSA to efficiently carry out routine programs and provide needed flexibility for states.
As you are aware, the Block Grant Assistance Act (H.R 662 & S.180) was designed to authorize USDA to administer calendar year 2022 disaster relief via block grants. This would give USDA the ability, when reasonable, to issue block grants and expedite payment to producers. This bill is cosponsored by the entire Florida delegation and unanimously passed the House on June 12, 2023. We remain steadfast in our support for standing block grant authority and continue to urge USDA to support this measure giving them additional flexibility in administering disaster programs. Farm Service Agency:
Unlike most commodity crop programs, Florida specialty crop programs are disaster based and time consuming to deliver. Additionally, permanent FSA staff are needed in the county offices to administer the USDA disaster programs efficiently and effectively. We ask that USDA approve an expedited review of applications and deployment of existing authority for FSA offices to waive requirements that are redundant or unnecessary.
In many other states, straightforward programs like Agriculture Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage enable producers to easily enroll and receive payments. These routine programs influence FSA workload metrics and help the agency prioritize personnel and resources. However, the situation differs significantly in Florida with specialty crops. Most of our programs are disaster-based, which are notably more time-consuming to administer and manage. These factors are not accounted for when allocating staff. As a result, our FSA county offices are not adequately staffed and have not finalized Emergency Relief Program (ERP) and Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) payments to producers for 2022. Disaster Appropriation:
Per USDA data, losses in agriculture across calendar year 2022 totaled $14 billion, yet Congress only appropriated $3.7 billion in relief to our nation’s producers in the December 2022 omnibus. We recognize this led to difficult decisions on how to distribute the disaster assistance. However, the “Progressive Payment Factor” being applied to ERP 2022 payments was an unnecessary and harmful program flaw that has resulted in the producers who suffered the most severe losses receiving pennies on the dollars in assistance. Federal disaster assistance is never meant to make producers whole, but Congress has a duty to prevent a failure like this from occurring again. We look forward to working with USDA to ensure adequate funding for 2023 and 2024 losses. Improved Crop Insurance Options:
Crop insurance is another tool USDA can use to improve the farm safety net alongside these suggestions for improving delivery of FSA disaster programs. The 2024 Farm Bill that passed the House Committee on Agriculture includes language to improve crop insurance options for specialty crop growers, including the Temperature Endorsement for Multi-Peril Policies (TEMP) Act (H.R.6186 & S.3253).4 Many of Florida’s specialty crop growers do not have insurance on their crops because of the high price of the premiums and low payouts from claims. The Florida Delegation will continue its efforts to work with USDA to prioritize improving crop insurance options for growers as outlined in the 2024 Farm Bill passed by the House Committee on Agriculture earlier this year.
To ensure USDA and Congress are equipped to provide adequate support for producers, please respond to the following questions and provide the following documents and information no later than November 29, 2024.
A statement of agency policy for utilization of block grants within USDA disaster-based programs.
A document detailing calendar year 2024 calendar year losses up to October 29, 2024, and a budgetary request to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to ensure adequate funding of relief programs.
An updated document detailing FSA county office leadership, and how many FTEs are employed at each.
A report on the number of FTEs Florida FSA offices need to efficiently administer a disaster-based program to Florida producers.
A plan for strike team deployment to Florida FSA offices including timeline, number of employees and where these teams will be placed.
As Members of Congress, it is our responsibility to work with USDA to best assist the producers who feed our nation. We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) joined Congressman Glenn Ivey (MD-06), Maryland Secretary of the Environment Serena McIlwain, Prince George’s County Council Member Sydney Harrison, Montgomery County Council Member Will Jawando, and local leaders at the grand opening of WSSC Water Company’s Piscataway Bioenergy Facility in Accokeek, Maryland. This project was made possible in part by Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Below are excerpts of his remarks:
“We had a pandemic not too long ago. It hit us right between the eyes and cost us a million citizens. And one of things was when the pandemic hit, we found out was that we were reliant on an awful lot of people overseas to produce masks. We didn’t have enough masks to protect our people. And why do I say this? Because in the last Congress – not this Congress, which has been the least effective Congress in which I’ve served since 1981. But having said that, the last Congress, the 117th was one of the most productive Congresses – with the relevance of this today. We enacted four bills that were investing in America, were building America, creating jobs in America, and we invested a lot in science. We invested a lot in the environment. We invested in making sure America was all that it could be.”
“But in the infrastructure bill, normally you think of roads, bridges, highways, airports, seaports, et cetera et cetera, we also invested in something that we knew was critical and had been a failure of infrastructure. Flint, everybody heard of Flint, Michigan? Kids died because the water in Flint, Michigan, was not clean and it made them sick. And so we knew that infrastructure was more than just roads and transportation facilities, et cetera et cetera. It was also clean water, clean pipes.”
“And then in the investment – in the IRA – we invested a lot of money in climate. And in the science bill, we put the largest investment in science in the history of the world. America will be better in the next decade, and the decade thereafter and the decade thereafter because of those investments in those four bills.”
“It’s a lot of money we’ve sent throughout the country to make sure, that this country, in fact, is in the future and will be getting to, very quickly, hopefully certainly by 2050 – a green environment. Why do we want to get there? Because it is critically important for the wellbeing of every one of our people. Over 300 million strong. And it’s also very important for the world because if America is clean, then the world will be clean. Because we produce a lot of pollution in this world. China does as well. The largest country, India, does as well. The largest countries. And it is incumbent upon us to do not only for our own citizens but for the global community. That’s why this event is so, very important.”
“Not only does it take a product that was waste product, that was causing us a problem, it turns that problem into an asset. And I’m so glad to be here with all of you. I want everybody for the WSSC to stand up and be recognized.”
“Thank you. Thank you all very much. Because all of the talk, all of the money, all of the activity that the rest of us do empowers you to do things but it would not happen without you. The end would not happen. The objective of our work, our legislation, our money, whether it’s at the federal, state, or local level, would not make a difference if it was not for all of you who stood up. And who, every day, turn that money into product. Turn that money into advantage. Turn that money into a positive result for our community.”
Revelations that a New Zealand trawler has destroyed kilograms of deep sea corals in a region of the South Pacific earmarked for protection, illustrates exactly why New Zealand must stop bottom trawling these international waters, says Greenpeace Aotearoa.
A New Zealand trawler, The Tasman Viking which is owned by Westfleet, pulled up several species of deep sea coral while trawling in international waters of the Tasman Sea last month.
The coral ‘encounter’ happened on Lord Howe Rise, a region renowned for diverse marine life including corals, sponges, whales and seabirds, triggering an international fishing rule that will see the area temporarily closed to trawling and countries with a fisheries interest in the area notified.
Greenpeace campaigner Ellie Hooper says this latest coral destruction by a New Zealand trawler is an embarrassment, calling it yet another example of how destructive bottom trawling is and why it must be banned.
“It’s reckless environmental vandalism to bulldoze coral, an essential building block for ocean life, especially in the middle of a biodiversity crisis”, says Hooper.
“New Zealand trawlers are the last, and only boats still bottom trawling the South Pacific high seas. As a country, we’re an outlier on this issue, flying in the face of the New Zealand public, who want bottom trawling banned from vulnerable areas, and the opinion of our international neighbours.
“If we want a healthy planet, and marine life to thrive, New Zealand must stop bottom trawling seamounts and other vulnerable areas in the South Pacific.”
Last year Westfleet, which is partly owned by Sealord,was fined over $52,000and The Tasman Viking convicted following an incident where rare bamboo coral, pulled up in trawl nets, was illegally released overboard before a fisheries observer had a chance to properly document it.
The incident also happened in the Lord Howe Rise region, and despite the conviction, The Tasman Viking, wasgiven a new high seas trawling permitin June 2024
The waters aroundLord Howe Rise are rich and abundant, and include a chain of seamounts or underwater mountains that are home to a variety of marine life from coral to whales and seabirds including the antipodean albatross.
Greenpeace and allies are calling for one of the world’s first global ocean sanctuaries to be created in this region, with the Australian government taking a step forward towards this goal in announcing a science symposium on the site for 2025.
“While other nations are progressing with protecting the high seas from harm, New Zealand is dragging behind, still permitting bottom trawling in these precious areas, despite other countries pushing for them to be closed,” says Hooper.
“To give the ocean a chance to recover and thrive, the New Zealand government must end the countries’ bottom trawling operation in the South Pacific high seas, and get with the programme on protection.”Scientists agree that to help stave off the worst of the climate crisis at least30% of the world’s oceans must be protectedfrom industrial harms by 2030. Creating global ocean sanctuaries in international waters, those areas outside of any one country’s jurisdiction, will play a crucial role in achieving this 30×30 goal. A recentreport released by Greenpeace Internationalshows that urgent action is needed to create marine protected areas. At the current rate of protection it would take till 2107 to reach the 30×30 goal.
1. The 56th United States (U.S.)-Republic of Korea (ROK) Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) was held in Washington, D.C., on October 30, 2024. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and ROK Minister of National Defense Kim Yong Hyun led their respective delegations, which included senior defense and foreign affairs officials. On October 17, 2024, the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown Jr., and ROK Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, presided over the 49th ROK-U.S. Military Committee Meeting (MCM).
2. The Secretary and the Minister reaffirmed that the U.S.-ROK Alliance is the linchpin of peace, stability, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and beyond based on our shared values, including freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. The two leaders reviewed progress taken during 2024 to implement the “Defense Vision of the U.S.-ROK Alliance,” including enhancing extended deterrence against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), modernizing Alliance capabilities based on science and technology cooperation, and strengthening solidarity and regional security cooperation with like-minded partners. They noted that the SCM has played a pivotal role in developing the ROK-U.S. Alliance into a Global Comprehensive Strategic Alliance and would continue maintaining its role as a core consultative mechanism to discuss the future development of the Alliance and provide strategic direction. The two leaders also provided direction and guidance for continued progress in 2025 through a newly endorsed framework of U.S.-ROK bilateral defense consultative mechanisms that effectively and efficiently support Alliance objectives. Both concurred that the current U.S.-ROK Alliance is stronger than ever and reaffirmed the two nations’ unwavering mutual commitment to a combined defense posture to defend the ROK as stated in the U.S-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty, and as reflected in the Washington Declaration. The two leaders also resolved to continue to strengthen the Alliances’ deterrence and defense posture against DPRK aggression and promote stability on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the region.
3. The Secretary and the Minister reviewed the current security environment in and around the Korean Peninsula and discussed cooperative measures between the two nations. The Secretary and Minister expressed grave concern that the DPRK continues to modernize and diversify its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. The two sides condemned the DPRK’s multiple missile launches, including ballistic missiles, its attempted launches of a space launch vehicle, and Russian-DPRK arms trade as clear violations of existing UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). They noted that these actions present profound security challenges to the international community and pose an increasingly serious threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific region, as well as in the Euro-Atlantic region.
4. Secretary Austin reiterated the firm U.S. commitment to provide extended deterrence to the ROK, utilizing the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including nuclear, conventional, missile defense, and advanced non-nuclear capabilities. He noted that any nuclear attack by the DPRK against the United States or its Allies and partners is unacceptable and would result in the end of the Kim regime in line with the 2022 U.S. Nuclear Posture Review. He highlighted the increased frequency and routinization of U.S. strategic asset deployments as committed to by President Biden in the Washington Declaration, and noted that these were tangible evidence of the U.S. commitment to defend the ROK.
5. The two leaders highly appreciated the work of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) inaugurated following the Washington Declaration. Both applauded the completion on July 11, 2024, of “United States and Republic of Korea Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula,” which represents tremendous progress of the NCG commended and endorsed by President Biden and President Yoon. The two leaders affirmed that the completion of the Guidelines established the foundation for enhancing ROK-U.S. extended deterrence in an integrated manner. Minister Kim noted that, through such progress, the ROK-U.S. Alliance was elevated to a nuclear-based alliance. The two leaders stressed that the principles and procedures contained in the Guidelines enable Alliance policy and military authorities to maintain an effective nuclear deterrence policy and posture. The Secretary and Minister also welcomed the successful execution of the ROK-U.S. NCG table-top simulations and table-top exercises to enhance decision-making about nuclear deterrence and operations, and planning for potential nuclear contingencies on the Korean Peninsula. Both sides affirmed that the full capabilities of the two countries would contribute to the Alliance’s combined deterrence and defense posture, and in this regard the Secretary welcomed the recent establishment of the ROK Strategic Command. The Secretary and Minister directed the NCG to continue swift progress on NCG workstreams, including security protocols and expansion of information sharing; nuclear consultation processes in crises and contingencies; nuclear and strategic planning; ROK conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency through conventional-nuclear integration (CNI); strategic communications; exercises, simulations, training, and investment activities; and risk reduction practices. They noted that such efforts would be coordinated to strengthen capabilities of the ROK and United States to enhance U.S.-ROK extended deterrence cooperation in an integrated manner, and looked forward to receiving regular updates on NCG progress activities at future SCMs.
6. The two sides pledged to continue coordinating efforts to deter DPRK’s nuclear threat with the Alliance’s overwhelming strength, while continuing to pursue efforts through sanctions and pressure to dissuade and delay DPRK’s nuclear development. Both leaders stressed the importance of full implementation of UNSCRs by the entire international community, including the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia, both permanent members of the UN Security Council. The two leaders urged the international community to prevent and respond to DPRK’s sanctions evasion so that it abandons its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile development. To this end, they decided to work closely with each other and the international community to combat the DPRK’s illegal and malicious cyber activities, cryptocurrency theft, overseas laborer dispatches, and ship-to-ship transfers. The Secretary and Minister expressed concern that Russia-DPRK military cooperation, which has been intensified since the signing of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between the two, is deepening regional instability. The two leaders made clear that military cooperation, including illegal arms trade and high-technology transfers between Russia and the DPRK, constitute a clear violation of UNSCRs, and called on Russia to uphold its commitments. The two leaders also strongly condemned in the strongest terms with one voice that the military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK has expanded beyond transfers of military supplies to actual deployment of forces, and pledged to closely coordinate with the international community regarding this issue.
7. Both leaders reiterated the willingness of their Presidents to pursue dialogue and diplomacy, backed by a robust and credible deterrence and defense posture. In this regard, Secretary Austin expressed support for the goals of the ROK’s Audacious Initiative and President Yoon’s vision of a free, peaceful, and prosperous unified Korean Peninsula, and welcomed President Yoon’s desire to open a path for serious and sustained diplomacy with the DPRK. Both sides reaffirmed that they remain open to dialogue with the DPRK without preconditions and pledged to continue close coordination.
8. The Minister and the Secretary noted concerns that the DPRK’s claims of “two hostile countries,” and activities near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) could threaten peace and the Armistice on the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders strongly condemned DPRK’s activities that raise tension on the Korean Peninsula, such as multiple unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) infiltrations in the past, as well as the recent unilateral detonation of sections of inter-Korean roads and ongoing launches of “filth and trash balloons,” and urged the DPRK to immediately cease such activities. The Secretary and the Minister concurred that the Armistice Agreement remains in effect as an international norm guaranteeing the stable security order on the Korean Peninsula, and that all parties of the Korean War should abide by it while it remains in force. Both sides noted that the Northern Limit Line (NLL) has been an effective means of separating military forces and preventing military tension over the past 70 years, and urged the DPRK to respect the NLL.
9. Secretary Austin and Minister Kim reaffirmed the role of the United Nations Command (UNC) in implementing, managing, and enforcing the Korean Armistice Agreement, deterring DPRK aggression, and coordinating a multinational, united response in case of contingencies on the Korean Peninsula. They reaffirmed that UNC has successfully contributed to those aims for more than 70 years and continues to carry out its mission with the utmost respect for the sovereignty of ROK, the primary host nation. Both sides welcomed the successful organization of the second ROK-UNC Member States Defense Ministerial Meeting and expressed their appreciation for UNC Member State contributions. They welcomed the addition of Germany to UNC, and noted that peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, including the Korean Peninsula, and Euro-Atlantic regions are increasingly connected. The two leaders are determined to continue seeking the expanded participation in UNC by like-minded countries that share the values of the 1953 Washington Declaration, anchored in the principles of the UN Charter and mandates of relevant UNSCRs. Secretary Austin thanked Minister Kim for the ROK’s efforts to support the UNC’s role to maintain and enforce the Armistice Agreement, and to support the defense of the ROK against DPRK aggression. In this regard, the Secretary and Minister both highlighted their desire to expand combined exercises, information sharing, and interoperability between the ROK, the Combined Forces Command, and UNC Member States.
10. The Secretary and the Minister also noted the critical role that U.S. forces in the ROK have played for more than 70 years and reaffirmed that U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) continues to play a decisive role in preventing armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula, and in promoting peace and stability in Northeast Asia. Secretary Austin reiterated the U.S. commitment to maintain current USFK force levels to defend the ROK.
11. The Secretary and Minister also reviewed the work of the various bilateral mechanisms such as the U.S.-Korea Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD). They welcomed efforts to enhance information sharing through the U.S. Shared Early Warning System (SEWS) for strengthening the Alliance’s detection capabilities in response to advancing DPRK missile threats. They also commended the work of the Counter-Missile Working Group (CMWG) and reviewed “the Joint Study on Alliance Comprehensive Counter-Missile Strategy” aimed at informing recommendations for counter-missile capabilities and posture of ROK and United States. The Secretary and Minister also discussed concrete efforts to strengthen cooperation in space and cyber to robustly deter and defend against growing threats. They endorsed efforts by the Space Cooperation Working Group (SCWG) to improve space situational awareness information sharing and interoperability, and acknowledged the need to expand ROK participation in exercises and training that can strengthen Alliance space capability and improve resilience against growing space threats. In particular, the Secretary also welcomed ROK participation in the Joint Commercial Operations (JCO) cell to leverage space industry and strengthen allied space capabilities. The Secretary and Minister also pledged to deepen cyber cooperation through the Cyber Cooperation Working Group and improve coordination through cyber defense exercises, such as Cyber Alliance and Cyber Flag. Overall, both leaders expressed appreciation for the continuing cooperation to ensure the Alliance’s space, cyber, and counter-missile efforts to keep pace with the evolving threats posed by the DPRK.
12. Noting the importance of science and technology (S&T) cooperation, the Secretary and Minister decided to establish the Defense Science and Technology Executive Committee (DSTEC) at the Vice-Minister-Under Secretary level within this year, to guide and prioritize Alliance defense S&T cooperation. They noted priority areas for cooperation including autonomy, artificial intelligence, and crewed-uncrewed teaming are particularly vital to ensure the ROK is able to achieve the goals of Defense Innovation 4.0 and modernize Alliance capabilities. Both leaders also welcomed future S&T cooperation related to quantum technologies, future-generation wireless communication technologies, and directed energy to ensure that S&T advancements enhance the combined capabilities of the Alliance. This included efforts to identify potential areas of collaboration on AUKUS Pillar II. The Secretary welcomed the Minister’s proposal to host a Defense Science and Technology conference in 2025, and concurred that the DSTEC should leverage this conference to baseline and prioritize Alliance defense S&T collaboration.
13. The Secretary and Minister also reviewed efforts to improve the interoperability, interchangeability, and resilience of the U.S. and ROK defense industrial base. They underscored the need to improve efficient and effective collaboration in the development, acquisition, fielding, logistics, sustainment, and maintenance of defense capabilities, and to ensure that S&T advancements are swiftly and seamlessly transitioned into acquisition and sustainment efforts. Both leaders welcomed progress under the U.S. Regional Sustainment Framework (RSF) and welcomed ROK participation in a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) pilot project on Air Force aviation maintenance. The two leaders noted that this pilot project could lead to more bilateral co-sustainment opportunities, and also expand defense industrial collaboration with like-minded partners in the region in light of the ROK’s key role in the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience (PIPIR) contact group. The Secretary and Minister also noted with satisfaction the recent U.S. Navy contract with ROK shipyards to conduct MRO services for U.S. vessels, and underscored the potential to expand such work to improve the resilience of the Alliance’s posture in the Indo-Pacific Region. The Secretary and Minister also recognized the need to improve reciprocal market access to deepen defense industrial cooperation and enhance supply chain resiliency, and are committed to accelerate cooperation with the goal of signing the Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreement next year based on guidance from both Presidents.
14. The Secretary and the Minister received and endorsed the MCM Report to the SCM presented by the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown. They welcomed the efforts of General Brown, Admiral Kim, and the MCM to enhance military plans, posture, training, exercises, and efforts to coordinate U.S.-ROK Combined Forces Command (CFC) activities and enhance military strength of the Alliance. The Secretary and Minister concurred that the Freedom Shield 24 (FS 24) and Ulchi Freedom Shield 24 (UFS 24) exercises, which included realistic threats from the DPRK advancing nuclear, missile, space, and cyber threats, enhanced the Alliance’s crisis management and strengthened deterrence and defense capabilities. In addition, they assessed that combined field training exercises (FTX), which were more extensive than the past year and conducted in land, maritime and air domains, enhanced interoperability and combined operations execution capabilities. Based on such outcomes, both leaders decided to continue strengthening combined exercises and training in line with the rapidly changing security environment of the Korean Peninsula, and further decided that future combined exercises should include appropriate and realistic scenarios including responses to DPRK nuclear use. The Secretary and the Minister also emphasized that ensuring consistent training opportunities for USFK is critical to maintaining a strong combined defense posture. Secretary Austin noted the efforts of ROK Ministry of National Defense (MND) to improve the training conditions for U.S. and ROK forces and stressed the importance of maintaining close cooperation between USFK and MND for the joint use of ROK facilities and airspace for training.
15. Given the growth and diversification of the DPRK’s chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons and delivery systems, both leaders assessed efforts and works to ensure execution of Alliance missions under a CBRN-challenged environment. In particular, they welcomed progress by the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Committee (CWMDC), including the expansion of information sharing required for nuclear elimination operations consistent with the Nuclear Weapons Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), and the strengthening of cooperation to prevent proliferation of WMD in the Indo-Pacific region. Both leaders welcomed continued multinational counter-proliferation activities in the region amidst advancements of DPRK nuclear and missile program and intensification of arms trade between Russia and the DPRK following the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty. Secretary Austin expressed appreciation for ROK contributions to various global security efforts such as Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), and the Minister and the Secretary concurred on the importance of maintaining cooperative efforts to enforce relevant counter-proliferation UNSCRs.
16. The Secretary and Minister also reviewed the progress and works to fulfill the Conditions-based Wartime Operational Control (OPCON) Transition Plan (COTP). Both leaders reaffirmed that the conditions stated in the bilaterally approved COTP must be met before wartime OPCON is transitioned in a stable and systematic manner. They received the results of the annual U.S.-ROK bilateral evaluation on the capabilities and systems for conditions #1 and #2 based on the bilaterally-approved assessment criteria and standards. Both leaders affirmed that there was a significant progress of this year’s bilateral evaluation on readiness posture and capabilities, and pledged to continue close consultations between the ROK and the United States. for the establishment of the Future-CFC. The Secretary and the Minister also reaffirmed that Future-CFC Full Operational Capability (FOC) Certification would be pursued when the results of the bilateral evaluation on the capabilities and systems of conditions #1 and #2 meet the mutually approved levels. Regarding condition #3, the Secretary and the Minister decided to remain in close consultation for the assessment of the security environment. Both sides pledged to support continued evaluation and progress in wartime OPCON transition implementation through annual MCMs and SCMs, and affirmed that the wartime OPCON transition would strengthen ROK and Alliance capabilities and the combined defense posture.
17. The Secretary and the Minister reviewed the regional security environment, and plans to expand U.S.-ROK security cooperation throughout the Indo-Pacific region to support maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific that is connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. They also reaffirmed support for Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) centrality and the ASEAN-led regional architecture as well as regional efforts of the Pacific Islands Forum. In particular, the two leaders noted the importance of enhancing cooperation during the implementation of both the ROK and U.S. respective strategies for the Indo-Pacific region. To this end, the Secretary and the Minister endorsed the “Regional Cooperation Framework for U.S.-ROK Alliance Contributions to Security in the Indo-Pacific,” and discussed priorities areas and partners to better respond to the complex regional and global security situation. After reviewing the work of the ROK-U.S. Regional Cooperation Working Group (RCWG), both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen defense cooperation with ASEAN members and work together with the Pacific Island Countries to contribute to regional security. The Secretary and the Minister also acknowledged the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as reflected in the April 2023 “Joint Statement in Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Alliance between the United States of America and the Republic of Korea.”
18. The Secretary and the Minister reflected on the remarkable progress made during 2024 to fulfill the historic understandings at the Camp David Summit. They welcomed the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework (TSCF), signed by the Ministers and the Secretary of the United States, ROK, and Japan in July, along with enhanced sharing of missile warning information and efforts to systematically conduct trilateral exercises, including the first execution of the multi-domain trilateral exercise FREEDOM EDGE. The Secretary and the Minister reaffirmed their commitment to continuing to promote and expand trilateral security cooperation including senior-level policy consultations, trilateral exercises, information sharing, and defense exchange cooperation.
19. The two sides also took the opportunity to reaffirm that expediting the relocation and return of U.S. military bases in the ROK is in the interests of both countries, and decided to work closely to ensure the timely return of the bases in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and related agreements. The two leaders noted the significance of the complete construction of Yongsan Park, and pledged to expedite the remaining return of Yongsan Garrison. The Minister and the Secretary also reaffirmed their mutual commitment to discuss the return of other U.S. military bases through regular consultations through SOFA channels to reach mutually acceptable outcomes in the future.
20. Secretary Austin expressed his gratitude that the ROK is contributing toward ensuring a stable environment for U.S. Forces Korea. The Secretary and Minister also welcomed the recent conclusion of consultations related to a 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA), and concurred that it would greatly contribute to the strengthening of the U.S.-ROK combined defense posture.
21. Secretary Austin and Minister Kim affirmed that the discussions during the 56th SCM and the 49th MCM contributed to strengthening the U.S.-ROK Alliance with a vision toward the further development of a truly global alliance. The two leaders commended the U.S. and ROK military and civilian personnel that worked to strengthen the bond of the Alliance, and expressed appreciation for their shared commitment and sacrifice. Both sides expect to hold the 57th SCM and 50th MCM in Seoul at a mutually convenient time in 2025.
During the 56th U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) on October 30, 2024, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and ROK Minister of National Defense Kim Yong Hyun advanced numerous initiatives that deepen our extended deterrence cooperation, modernize our alliance capabilities, and strengthen our contributions to regional security.
On October 31, Secretary Austin and Minister Kim will join U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and ROK Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul for a Foreign and Defense Ministers’ Meeting (2+2 Meeting) to align our diplomatic and defense efforts, ensuring that bilateral activities are synchronized to advance our Alliance’s shared values and interests.
ENHANCING EXTENDED DETERRENCE
The United States reaffirmed that its extended deterrence commitment to the ROK is ironclad. The United States and the ROK are enhancing our combined deterrence and response posture by:
Enhancing extended deterrence cooperation through Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) workstreams that enable integrated planning, decision-making, and execution of conventional-nuclear operations, as laid out in the “Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula.”
Conducting large-scale field training exercises to maintain a strong combined defense posture, such as Freedom Shield and Ulchi Freedom Shield, and enhance the Alliance’s crisis management capabilities and strengthen deterrence.
MODERNIZING ALLIANCE CAPABILITIES
The United States and the ROK are modernizing our capabilities to strengthen the combined defense architecture of the Alliance, empowering us to work together more seamlessly by:
Enhancing combined abilities to deter and respond to DPRK missiles by upgrading Shared Early Warning Systems and missile defense capabilities against advanced and novel threats.
Expanding science and technology cooperation through the new Defense Science and Technology Executive Committee (DSTEC) to guide defense innovation and accelerate the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies in areas such as autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies.
Deepening industrial collaboration and supply chain resiliency by strengthening and connecting our defense industrial bases through our participation in the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience (PIPIR) and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) activities, allowing our forces to field the most modern, interoperable weapons systems.
STRENGTHENING REGIONAL SECURITY COOPERATION
The United States and the ROK resolved to jointly strengthen activities with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific by:
Launching a new Regional Cooperation Framework to better coordinate efforts to advance our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. Areas of focus under this framework include maritime security, multilateral exercises, capacity building, defense industrial cooperation, technical cooperation, and information sharing.
Deepening U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral security cooperation through a Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework that institutionalizes high-level dialogues, missile warning data sharing, and an increased scope, scale, and frequency of trilateral multi-domain exercises.
Federal funding will help restore the Klamath River’s habitat following historic dam removal and further protect endangered C’waam, Koptu, and salmon
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is investing a total of$46,191,133in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to boost ecosystem restoration and enhance water quality and reliability through 24 projects throughout the Klamath Basin—12 of which are taking place in Oregon.
This latest federal funding wave from the landmark law will largely fuel the Klamath River’s recovery and habitat restoration efforts following the removal of the four lower Klamath Dams in 2024—the largest dam removal effort in U.S. history.
“A key to restoring the Klamath Basin is major federal investments that will support collaborative ecosystem restoration and water improvement efforts. This funding will continue ongoing efforts I helped energize alongside the Klamath Tribes and other stakeholders to save the C’waam and Koptu, and restore the aquatic habitat and ecosystems of the Klamath River following the historic removal of the four lower Klamath Dams,” said Merkley, who visited Northern California earlier in October to tour a former dam site and celebrate removal alongside Tribes and other key partners. “Since the dams came out, we’ve seen the salmon returning home for the first time in generations. This federal investment champions projects that help ensure the C’waam, Koptu, and salmon all have an ecosystem to thrive in, while also prioritizing efforts that help this unique region’s water go farther for the Tribes, farmers, fish, and vital ecosystems that rely on it.”
“Restoration of the Klamath Basin requires significant resources just like these to catalyze the work that’s needed locally to build a stronger ecosystem and improve water quality,” Wyden said. “This fresh federal investment in the region and the big gains it will generate for jobs, recreation, and habitat will work to ensure the area’s farmers, Tribes and communities can grow and thrive for generations to come.”
As Chairman of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Merkley secured a historic $162 million over five years through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law specifically dedicated to restoring ecosystems and enhancing drought resiliency work in the Klamath Basin. Today’s $46 million funding announcement from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s USFWS marks the third year of investments from this landmark law, as it follows $26 million provided in 2022 and $15 million in 2023. Merkley also convened the “Sucker Summit ” in 2018, which brought people from across the Basin together and helped lay the groundwork for these significant investments to protect the C’waam and the Koptu.
In February of this year, Merkley and Wyden announced $72 million in new federal funding for critical ecosystem restoration projects and agricultural infrastructure modernization in the Basin, as well as a historic agreement with the Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, Karuk Tribe, and Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA). This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) cemented their commitment to working together to drive long-term solutions to the Basin’s water challenges. That includes collective efforts to restore the region’s ecosystem and improve water supply and reliability for the Klamath Project.
The 12 restoration projects in Oregon—some of which are being developed by Klamath MOU group partners, as well as other Tribes and other conservation partners—are as follows:
$13,000,000 for the Wetland Restoration on Upper Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Agency Lake Units project. This will complete restoration of the Agency-Barnes wetland units of Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and provide fish habitat access in Fourmile and Sevenmile creeks. Covering 14,356 acres, the restored wetland will create vital habitat for waterfowl, federally endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers (C’waam and Koptu sucker fish), and other species, making it one of the largest wetland restoration initiatives in America. MOU group partners – Ducks Unlimited and Klamath Tribes
$3,500,000 for the Upper Williamson River Restoration Phase 2 project. This will provide fish passage to over 26 miles of the upper Williamson River and reconnect several thousand acres of adjacent wetlands and riparian habitats within the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge project area. MOU group partners – Ducks Unlimited and Klamath Tribes
$3,179,400 for the Climate Change Resiliency Stream Restoration and Post Bootleg Fire Stream Stabilization and Restoration project. This effort includes placing approximately 400 Beaver Dam Analog, Post Assisted Log Structures, and other types of instream structures to help restore several streams in the Sprague River and Williamson River watersheds. MOU partner – Klamath Tribes
$3,000,000 for the Lake Ewauna Restoration for the Benefit of People, Fish and Wildlife project. This funding will be used to develop and restore wetlands and shoreline around Lake Ewauna in downtown Klamath Falls for the benefit of native fish and wildlife species and to tell the story of the local Tribes, farmers, and communities in the Klamath Basin. Restorative improvements to habitat in Link River and instream habitat improvements within Lake Ewauna will benefit C’waam and Koptu suckers, native trout, migratory waterfowl, and other species. With the recently removed Klamath dams, salmon and steelhead will also be migrating through Lake Ewauna for the first time in over a century. Partners – The Klamath Watershed Partnership, City of Klamath Falls, and Klamath County Economic Development Agency
$2,540,000 million for the Tule Lake Flow Through Infrastructure Improvement project. This encompasses a suite of infrastructure improvements and operational changes to provide natural ecosystem services with respect to water quality in the Klamath Basin. Water used for farmland irrigation would then flow through wetlands before returning to the Klamath River. In addition to water quality benefits for the Klamath River, this project will provide habitat for threatened and endangered fish, support migratory wildlife, recharge groundwater, and provide other ecosystem benefits. MOU group partners – KWUA and Tulelake Irrigation District
$2,027,799 for the SONAR and Radio Telemetry and Spawning Surveys for Klamath Salmon project. This will be used to obtain abundance estimates of salmon and steelhead entering the reach previously blocked by the four lower Klamath dams and track salmon migrations to their spawning grounds. These metrics will provide a foundation for assessment of stock status and trends while guiding future restoration efforts in the newly accessible habitats, developing a toolset to support prioritization of future restoration and monitoring in the Klamath River. It will also provide much needed capacity for three of the six tribes on the Klamath River, allowing them to track the return of these culturally significant species. MOU group partners –Karuk Tribe, California Trout, Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, Cal Poly Humboldt, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife
$1,253,000 for the Klamath Basin Fisheries Collaborative: Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tag Monitoring and Database project. This will be used to continue to build the infrastructure required to provide Klamath Basin fisheries managers with consistent and reliable data on movements of fish using PIT tags. Work funded by this proposal includes continuing to improve on existing fish monitoring efforts by coordinating activities and collaborating on tasks, as well as advancing data exchange by refining the user interface and providing technical support to data providers. Partner – Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
$500,000 for the Implementation of Integrated Fisheries Restoration and Monitoring Plan (IFRMP) project. This will fund a USFWS initiative to support Klamath Basin stakeholders in tracking, coordinating, and integrating monitoring and data collection efforts across the Basin.
$500,000 for the Klamath Basin Stakeholder Engagement and Facilitation project. This will fund a USFWS initiative to provide greater continuity and work toward local governance for the MOU parties, which are interested in utilizing a neutral facilitator to help identify additional ways to promote collaboration and reduce conflict over natural resources. This effort could include expanding the MOU group to include other interested parties and to develop proposals related to a governance structure for making important decisions on restoration and monitoring in the Klamath Basin. These funds would support the hiring of a facilitator selected by the parties and support up to three to five years of facilitation support.
$300,000 for the Post Dam Removal Data Collection on Salmon Migration and Movement project. This funding will be used by project partners to use otolith microchemistry tools to 1) understand how Klamath Dam removal affects the early life history diversity of Chinook salmon, 2) determine the natal origin and migration histories of returning fish, pre- and post-dam removal, 3) determine which tributaries are and are not producing Chinook salmon, and 4) quantify how Chinook production varies between different tributaries before and after dam removal. The information is critical to adaptively managing the Klamath Basin, post dam removal, and has important implications for restoration of key tributaries. Partner – UC Davis
$295,000 for the Surface Water Management and Efficiency Enhancement project. This encompasses necessary infrastructure improvements to allow safe, reliable, and integrated management of water within the Klamath Project. MOU group partners – KWUA, Klamath Irrigation District, and Klamath Drainage District
$200,000 for the FWS Post Dam Removal Science Symposia project. This will fund an USFWS initiative to sponsor a Klamath science symposium in 2025. Planning for this symposium will start in November 2024. The goal is to bring together stakeholders/experts to discuss the state of the Basin post dam removal, progress on restoration and monitoring, and next-step strategies to continue the momentum on restoration progress in the years ahead.
For a complete list and full descriptions of all the 24 projects awarded funding in the Klamath Basin, click HERE.
Before the science team starts planning, we first look at the latest Navcam image downlinked from Curiosity to see where the rover is located. It can be all too easy to get lost in the scenery of the Navcam and find new places in the distance we want to drive towards, but there’s so much beauty in the smaller things. Today I’ve chosen to show a photo from Curiosity’s hand lens camera, MAHLI, that takes photos so close that we can see the individual grains of the rock.
The planning day usually starts by thinking about these smaller features: What rocks are the closest to the rover? What can we shoot with our laser? What instruments can we use to document these features? Today we planned two sols, and the focus of the close-up contact science became a coating of material that in some image stretches looks like a deep-purple color.
We planned lots of activities to characterize this coating including use of the dust removal tool (DRT) and the APXS instrument on a target called “Reds Meadow.” This target will also be photographed by the MAHLI instrument. The team planned a ChemCam LIBS target on “Midge Lake” as well as a passive ChemCam target on “Primrose Lake” to document this coating with a full suite of instruments. Mastcam will then document the ChemCam LIBS target Midge Lake, and take a mosaic of the vertical faces of a few rocks near to the rover called “Peep Sight Peak” to observe the sedimentary structures here. Mastcam will also take a mosaic of “Pinnacle Ridge,” an area seen previously by the rover, from a different angle. ChemCam is rounding off the first sol with two long-distance RMI mosaics to document the stratigraphy of two structures we are currently driving between: Texoli butte and the Gediz Vallis channel.
In the second sol of the plan, after driving about 20 meters (about 66 feet), Curiosity will be undertaking some environmental monitoring activities before an AEGIS activity that automatically selects a LIBS target in our new workspace prior to our planning on Wednesday morning.
Written by Emma Harris, Graduate Student at Natural History Museum, London
Two decades ago, the fight against climate change was often framed as a personal choice. You might try to reduce your carbon footprint by avoiding flights or change your buying habits to avoid meat or reduce plastic.
But this approach lost popularity, as it shifted responsibility from producer to consumer. The carbon footprint, for instance, was famously popularised by oil company BP. In 2008, well-known American climate activist Bill McKibben pointed out the impotence of individual action without collective action.
Behavioural researchers also began finding a seeming paradox – many of us expressed strong interest in taking individual action on climate, but our actual behaviours barely changed.
Much focus shifted to top-down efforts such as government incentives for clean energy and commitments at a national level to cut emissions.
But there is still a role for individuals – especially around demonstrating what clean alternatives actually look like. For instance, the more solar panels are installed on rooftops in your neighbourhood, the more likely you are to consider it. This neighbourhood effect also affects uptake of electric vehicles and e-bikes. This is especially important if we are to see clean alternatives go mainstream rather than stop at a small fraction of the population.
Of course, individual actions can only go so far. As our research on sustainable consumption has shown, individual actions can be magnified with a backdrop of institutional support.
The neighbourhood effect has influence on solar and electric vehicle uptake. zstock/Shutterstock
What we say and what we do
Humans are complicated. We often say we want to make greener choices – but in reality, we act differently.
Individual climate action sounds great in theory. If many of us chose electric vehicles or bikes, installed solar panels and built energy efficient houses, our actions in aggregate could contribute to wider emissions goals. Then there are choices such as reducing dairy and meat, installing LED lights and buying produce with less packaging.
Everyday actions can contribute too, such as washing clothes in cold water, avoiding putting aircon too low or heating too high, and wearing extra layers of clothes. Recycling, repairing and reusing offer us still more methods to extend the life of our products, reduce waste and save money.
Yet it turns out the reality of individual action on climate is much more complicated – because we are complicated.
When surveyed, a majority of us say we want green, sustainable products. But when we go to the shops, we often don’t actually buy them. My colleagues and I have dubbed this the “Janus faced” consumer phenomenon – we often say one thing but do another.
Why might that be? One reason is many consumers believe green products – whether electric cars or detergents – will perform worse. Green products are also perceived to be more expensive and inconvenient to use.
Then there’s the question of virtue signalling. This is a phenomenon where consumers purchase highly visible green products primarily to signal they’re a person who cares about the environment without necessarily doing so.
Some of these challenges are being overcome. It’s hard to write off modern electric cars as inferior when they can accelerate faster and run much cheaper than fossil fuel cars. While early adopters of solar might once have been seen as virtue-signallers, the main reason Australian households go solar is to save money on the power bill, according to a CSIRO survey.
Individual action can only go so far. For individual action to create sustained impact, it needs supportive policies and institutional backing.
For instance, a 2023 report found many Australian clean energy organisations would like to re-use solar panels for community projects or as a low-cost option for households. This makes sense, given used solar panels are often 80% as good as new ones.
But for consumers to actually act on this, they need institutional scaffolding. If you’re going to buy used solar, you want to make sure they are in good condition. Without a certification process, their willingness will come to nothing.
While many of us say we would consider buying an electric vehicle, the uptake is constrained by things outside our control such as whether there are enough public chargers in cities and rural areas.
You can see the importance of institutional backing clearly in transport. The Melbourne-Sydney flight path is the fifth busiest in the world. That’s because there are no fast green alternatives. If there was high-speed rail as in China or Japan, many of us would choose to avoid the emissions caused by flying. But it doesn’t exist (yet), so our individual choices are curtailed.
Which way forward?
As climate change intensifies, more and more of us say we are willing to act on our beliefs and concerns on an individual level. Even better, more of us are actually doing what we say we will.
Not everywhere, of course. For many Australians, switching from petrol to electric might be easier than giving up meat or a flight to Japan. But some progress is better than none.
This groundswell is encouraging. But our individual efforts can only go so far. To make the most of it, we need institutional scaffolding. Australia has world-beating rooftop solar uptake because state and federal governments used subsidies and incentives to make the emerging technology cheaper. With incentives on offer, millions of us made individual choices to take it up.
We are more than consumers, of course. Our power as individuals isn’t limited to choosing specific products. As citizens, we can push for our governments to provide the essential scaffolding we need to make greener choices.
Sukhbir Sandhu has received research grants from Australian Research Council (Discovery), Green Industries SA, and the European Union.
After two years of rigorous science-based design, the Americas Flyways Initiative (AFI) is moving into its implementation phase in 2025, aimed at protecting and restoring critical ecosystems through Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and bird-friendly infrastructure that also benefits people.
Inspired by the wonderful world of birds and their epic migratory journeys across the hemisphere, which connect landscapes, cultures, and people, the AFI science team has identified a portfolio of crucial sites to ensure the connectivity and conservation of at least 10% of prioritized populations of migratory shorebirds and landbirds in the Americas.
Birds serve as vital bioindicators of the health of nature. They not only signal the problems we face but also point to solutions: where and how we need to act. Protecting birds means protecting life. For example, 85% of the important bird conservation sites in Colombia coincide with key areas for water regulation and climate change mitigation.
Currently, AFI has five initial projects, also known as “nest projects,” named for their connection to shelter, development, and well-being:
Improving coastal climate resilience in the Rocuant Andalién Wetland in Chile;
Restoring montane forest landscapes and aquatic ecosystems in the northwestern Andes of Ecuador;
Integrating bird-friendly practices in transmission and distribution power lines reaching the coast of Guayas, Ecuador;
Incorporating bird-friendly architecture and design at the CAF headquarters in Panama City;
Knowledge exchange on best practices at the Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant on Iona Island, British Columbia.
To guide project developers in designing and implementing proposals that combine conservation and sustainable development, AFI has also released four practical and strategic guides:
Guide 1: High biodiversity and carbon-dense ecosystems.
Guide 2: Water security: drinking water, sanitation, and access to irrigation.
Guide 3: Coastal management.
Guide 4: Infrastructure.
The relevance of AFI is grounded in the premise that conservation without funding is merely conversation. Without agile and sustainable financial resources, effective conservation, protection, and restoration of nature cannot be achieved. Currently, there is a financial gap of between $598 billion and $824 billion annually needed to implement actions addressing the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.
One of the primary objectives of the sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), taking place in Cali, is to advance the details and mechanisms for meeting Target 19 of the Global Biodiversity Framework: achieving the annual mobilization of at least $200 billion by 2030. Of this amount, it is expected that at least $30 billion will be directed toward developing countries, which are often more severely affected by climate change impacts and wildlife decline.
As of the date of this statement, eight governments have pledged $163 million to enable the Global Biodiversity Fund (GBFF) to implement the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework. While this is a step forward, it remains insufficient given the scale of what is required and the context we face.
The protection and sustainable use of the services and resources we receive from nature are not solely the responsibility of the naturalist or scientific community. More than half of the world’s economy depends on the benefits provided by nature: clean water and air, fertile soils, food, medicine, raw materials, among others. More than half of the global GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services. Consequently, this figure is linked to the risks and impacts associated with the destruction of nature.
Therefore, actions aimed at the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of ecosystems and their biodiversity are an obligation and responsibility for all sectors, as they form the fundamental basis for our societies to continue existing and thriving. Fortunately, much of the answer to the challenge of channeling financing for biodiversity lies within nature itself.
“Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that effectively and adaptively address societal challenges while simultaneously benefiting people and nature” (IUCN, 2016).
In this context, at COP15 in Montreal, the National Audubon Society, BirdLife International, and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) forged a commitment and the foundations of a strategic, transformative, and visionary alliance that will mobilize investment for nature and the communities that depend on it through a comprehensive financial mechanism.
AFI is a symbiosis for prosperity that combines cutting-edge applied science and agile financial mechanisms to sustainably manage over 30 marine and terrestrial landscapes by 2050, mobilizing between $3 trillion and $5 trillion.
Elizabeth Gray, CEO of Audubon, highlighted the importance of the initiative: “We are working together to protect 30 terrestrial and marine landscapes across this vast region. This is essential for promoting nature-based solutions and sustainable development. The Americas is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, and we have much to do to address both the biodiversity and climate crises.”
Martin Harper, CEO of BirdLife International, expressed gratitude and recognition to the teams from the three organizations for their hard work in reaching this point: “We are building something very special, something that will unite conservation efforts across the Americas. This initiative is already inspiring similar projects in other major migratory routes worldwide.”
Sergio Díaz Granados, Executive President of CAF, reminded attendees of the bank’s efforts to become the green bank of the region, including increasing its capital to address the climate emergency: “The loss of biodiversity is one of our most urgent problems. Mitigating it and adapting is not a choice; it is a responsibility we must fulfill. We have been collaborating with institutions like Audubon and BirdLife to bridge conservation gaps in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
The world’s first international standard for stem cell data, ISO8472-1, has been officially released, the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said Wednesday. This standard is expected to enhance global stem cell data management and make contributions to the advancement of stem cell research and applications, according to the institute. As biotechnology advances rapidly worldwide, stem cell data is proliferating. However, the lack of international standards for stem cell data has resulted in issues such as unregulated data management and low efficiency in data sharing and application. ISO8472-1, co-formulated by experts from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and other countries, stipulates a framework for the interoperability of stem cell data. It is applicable to related databases, data management systems, web interfaces, and more in the field of stem cell research. The release of ISO8472-1 will provide standard and guidance for data management in the field of stem cells and offer a systematic framework for the development of subsequent international standards for stem cell data, said Qiao Gexia, director of the Institute of Zoology.
Not all rocket engineers get to strap in and blast off into space, but Wang Haoze made this thrilling leap on Wednesday.
Wang, who used to design system parameters for rocket engines, is carrying out the Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission along with two other crew members, serving as the country’s first female space engineer in the process.
The Shenzhou-19 spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, was launched at 4:27 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
Born in 1990 in Luanping County, north China’s Hebei Province, Wang enrolled at Southeast University to major in thermal energy and power engineering, following her completion of the college entrance examination.
After graduating with a master’s degree, Wang joined the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and started her career by engaging in rocket engine research.
She later signed up for the selection process to determine the country’s third batch of astronauts — and was finally selected as the only woman in this batch.
After securing selection, Wang and her peers pushed the limits of both body and mind in the course of their training.
During extravehicular activity drills, the astronauts donned spacesuits weighing over 100 kilograms, thereby simulating the challenging maneuvers required to exit a spacecraft. The suits were pressurized at 0.4 atm, and Wang found every movement a struggle. Inside the helmet, her head mobility was restricted and her visibility narrowed, forcing her to rely on a wrist mirror to see beyond this limited range.
Inserting the connector of a hose bundle into two tiny sockets at the waist while in a bulky spacesuit was also no small feat for her. “My hands could barely reach the targets, and I couldn’t see well. With thick gloves, I lost the sense of touch, and after a few tries, my arms couldn’t gain any strength,” Wang recalled.
Determined to improve, she requested additional practice with her instructor, and worked hard to meticulously refine her grip, mirror angle and body positioning. Gradually, she discovered the right technique, transforming the once daunting task into a smooth, fluid motion.
Wang had her own style of self-motivation during training, writing a summary after each major training project as both a record of her experience and a confidence booster.
“Ranging from scorching sunlight to chilling rain, I experienced the extreme temperature fluctuations of the desert, which could vary by tens of degrees Celsius. Yet, I also cherished romantic moments spent lying on umbrella fabric, watching the sparkling galaxy above,” she wrote after a 48-hour survival training exercise in the desert.
In another summary, which focused on her maritime training, Wang noted, “The wind and waves created by the helicopter crashed against my body. Even with my back turned, I could feel the roaring wind pounding the back of my head, while the waves lashed against my ears.”
In 2023, Wang was chosen to join the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceflight mission, during which the crew is scheduled to undertake intensive tasks.
Wang, the third Chinese woman to participate in a crewed spaceflight mission, is mainly responsible for space experiment projects and the management of materials and space station affairs.
“From rocket engine designer to space engineer, my identity has changed, yet my unwavering commitment to serving my country through space exploration remains the same,” Wang concluded.
Source: United States Senator for Florida Marco Rubio
Hurricanes Helene and Milton brought high winds, flooding, and damage across Florida. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services estimates the total crop and infrastructure losses range from $1.5 to $2.5 billion.The State of Florida has requested federal agriculture disaster designations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to compensate impacted counties.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), U.S. Representative Scott Franklin (R-FL), and colleagues sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to ensure Florida producers and farmers are provided critical aid and policy flexibilities as they recover from the storms.
“These back-to-back major hurricanes have decimated Florida agriculture, our state’s second largest industry, which generates more than $182.6 billion in annual revenue and provides more than 2.5 million jobs.…. As Members of Congress, it is our responsibility to work with USDA to best assist the producers who feed our nation. We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter.”
Joining Rubio and Franklin were U.S. Representatives Kat Cammack (R-FL), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Brian Mast (R-FL), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), Laurel Lee (R-FL), Michael Waltz (R-FL), María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Daniel Webster (R-FL), Aaron Bean (R-FL), Bill Posey (R-FL), John Rutherford (R-FL), Darren Soto (D-FL), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Cory Mills (R-FL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Greg Steube (R-FL), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Carlos Giménez (R-FL), Federica Wilson (D-FL), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and Kathy Castor (D-FL).
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Secretary Vilsack:
We write to strongly urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) take immediate action to deliver critical aid to agricultural producers affected by recent hurricanes Helene and Milton. These back-to-back major hurricanes have decimated Florida agriculture, our state’s second largest industry, which generates more than $182.6 billion in annual revenue and provides more than 2.5 million jobs.
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast just 13 days after Helene and brought high winds, flooding and damage across the entire state. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences (FDACS), the preliminary estimate of total crop and infrastructure losses ranges from $1.5 to $2.5 billion, and the State of Florida has requested federal agriculture disaster designations for impacted counties in response to both storms.
Milton’s path impacted some of Florida’s most productive agricultural areas for aquaculture, avocados, bell peppers, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, cattle, citrus, christmas trees, corn, cotton, cucumbers, dairy, equine, floriculture, grapes, leafy greens, mangos, other animal products, peaches, peanuts, pecans, potatoes, poultry, rice, snap beans, soybeans, strawberries, sugarcane, sweet corn, tangerines, tomatoes, watermelons, and more. Agricultural lands and agribusiness more than 100 miles away from the eye of the storm experienced tornadoes and other devastating effects which compounded losses.
Block Grants:
In 2018, after Hurricane Irma, Congress appropriated relief to Florida agriculture and USDA delivered that aid through a block grant to the state. The State of Florida was successful in getting that aid to those in need quickly and efficiently. During a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture hearing held on March 9, 2023, USDA Inspector General Phyllis K. Fong was asked about the effectiveness of this block grant and she stated, “[i]n that instance, FSA successfully partnered with Florida to deliver assistance to the citrus farmers.” She went on to say: “I think that is an example, within your own state, where that kind of block grant program can work.” We ask that you support both an appropriation request and authority to deliver the assistance in the form of a block grant to our state.
USDA must work to deliver aid to communities affected by disasters as quickly and efficiently as possible. FSA offices across Florida are still having trouble facilitating disaster assistance programs designed to help after 2022 Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. However, these funds were not in the form of a block grant and as a result, there are hundreds of producers who are still awaiting assistance.
Creating a new disaster program each time funds are appropriated by Congress not only complicates the disaster relief application process, but also delays delivery of critical assistance for the producers who feed our state and nation. Block grants administered by the state expedite disbursement, free up personnel at FSA to efficiently carry out routine programs and provide needed flexibility for states.
As you are aware, the Block Grant Assistance Act (H.R 662 & S.180) was designed to authorize USDA to administer calendar year 2022 disaster relief via block grants. This would give USDA the ability, when reasonable, to issue block grants and expedite payment to producers. This bill is cosponsored by the entire Florida delegation and unanimously passed the House on June 12, 2023. We remain steadfast in our support for standing block grant authority and continue to urge USDA to support this measure giving them additional flexibility in administering disaster programs.
Farm Service Agency:
Unlike most commodity crop programs, Florida specialty crop programs are disaster based and time consuming to deliver. Additionally, permanent FSA staff are needed in the county offices to administer the USDA disaster programs efficiently and effectively. We ask that USDA approve an expedited review of applications and deployment of existing authority for FSA offices to waive requirements that are redundant or unnecessary.
In many other states, straightforward programs like Agriculture Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage enable producers to easily enroll and receive payments. These routine programs influence FSA workload metrics and help the agency prioritize personnel and resources. However, the situation differs significantly in Florida with specialty crops. Most of our programs are disaster-based, which are notably more time-consuming to administer and manage. These factors are not accounted for when allocating staff. As a result, our FSA county offices are not adequately staffed and have not finalized Emergency Relief Program (ERP) and Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) payments to producers for 2022.
Disaster Appropriation:
Per USDA data, losses in agriculture across calendar year 2022 totaled $14 billion, yet Congress only appropriated $3.7 billion in relief to our nation’s producers in the December 2022 omnibus. We recognize this led to difficult decisions on how to distribute the disaster assistance. However, the “Progressive Payment Factor” being applied to ERP 2022 payments was an unnecessary and harmful program flaw that has resulted in the producers who suffered the most severe losses receiving pennies on the dollars in assistance. Federal disaster assistance is never meant to make producers whole, but Congress has a duty to prevent a failure like this from occurring again. We look forward to working with USDA to ensure adequate funding for 2023 and 2024 losses.
Improved Crop Insurance Options:
Crop insurance is another tool USDA can use to improve the farm safety net alongside these suggestions for improving delivery of FSA disaster programs. The 2024 Farm Bill that passed the House Committee on Agriculture includes language to improve crop insurance options for specialty crop growers, including the Temperature Endorsement for Multi-Peril Policies (TEMP) Act (H.R.6186 & S.3253).4 Many of Florida’s specialty crop growers do not have insurance on their crops because of the high price of the premiums and low payouts from claims. The Florida Delegation will continue its efforts to work with USDA to prioritize improving crop insurance options for growers as outlined in the 2024 Farm Bill passed by the House Committee on Agriculture earlier this year.
To ensure USDA and Congress are equipped to provide adequate support for producers, please respond to the following questions and provide the following documents and information no later than November 29, 2024.
A statement of agency policy for utilization of block grants within USDA disaster-based programs.
A document detailing calendar year 2024 calendar year losses up to October 29, 2024, and a budgetary request to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to ensure adequate funding of relief programs.
An updated document detailing FSA county office leadership, and how many FTEs are employed at each.
A report on the number of FTEs Florida FSA offices need to efficiently administer a disaster-based program to Florida producers.
A plan for strike team deployment to Florida FSA offices including timeline, number of employees and where these teams will be placed.
As Members of Congress, it is our responsibility to work with USDA to best assist the producers who feed our nation. We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Now, emerging research highlights its rising importance for children’s wellbeing. Staying active could be key to safeguarding and enhancing young people’s mental health.
Mood-boosting benefits
One in seven adolescents worldwide has a mental illness. As a result, parents and health-care providers are increasingly seeking effective prevention strategies.
Evidence is accumulating to suggest one surprisingly simple approach: physical fitness.
One recent study reveals even small improvements in fitness were linked to improved teen mental health. When adolescents improved their fitness by just 30 seconds on a running test, their risk of developing anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) dropped by 7-8%.
This suggests something as straightforward as regular exercise could play a crucial role in protecting young people’s mental wellbeing.
For parents and health professionals looking to support adolescent mental health, encouraging participation in team sports could also be an especially effective strategy.
This suggests team sports offer a unique environment for teens’ mental wellbeing, combining physical activity, social connection and structured routines.
Adding more physical activity to the school day — rather than cutting it for academic subjects — can not only boost students’ academic performance but also enhance their overall health and wellbeing.
Getting kids started with fitness and physical activity delivers myriad benefits.
Starting early: when and how
Age considerations
While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, experts generally agree it’s never too early to encourage physical activity.
The World Health Organisation recommends children aged 3-4 should engage in at least 180 minutes of physical activity daily, with at least 60 minutes being moderate to vigorous intensity: activities that cause kids to huff and puff, such as running or playing sports.
For school-age children (five to 17 years), the recommendation is at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily, with activities that strengthen muscles and bones at least three times a week.
Getting started
The key to introducing fitness to children is to make it fun and age-appropriate. Here are some strategies:
Incorporate play: for younger children, focus on active play rather than structured exercise. Activities such as tag, hide-and-seek, or obstacle courses can be both fun and physically demanding.
Explore various activities: expose children to different sports and activities to help them find what they enjoy. This could include team sports, dance, martial arts, or swimming. Consider activities that are culturally relevant or significant to your family, as this can enhance their sense of belonging and interest.
Lead by example: children often mimic their parents’ behaviours, observing their actions. By being active yourself, you not only set a positive example but also encourage your children to do the same.
Make it a family affair: encourage physical activity by planning active family outings like hikes, bike rides, or trips to the park to foster a love of exercise in a fun and engaging way.
Limit screen time: Encourage outdoor play and physical activities as alternatives to sedentary screen time, fostering a healthier lifestyle and promoting wellbeing.
Potential risks and how to mitigate them
While the benefits of fitness for children are clear, it’s important to approach it safely. Some potential risks include:
Injuries from overexertion: children eager to push their limits can suffer from overuse injuries, such as sprains or strains. Encourage a variety of physical activities to prevent overuse injuries. Ensure adequate rest during training and competition, and promote proper a warm-up and cool-down.
Heat-related illness: children exercising in hot weather are at risk of heat exhaustion, with symptoms including dizziness and nausea. Emphasise hydration before, during and after exercise. Schedule activities during cooler times and provide shaded areas for breaks, teaching kids to recognise signs of overheating.
Improper technique and equipment: using incorrect form or inappropriate equipment can result in injuries and impede development. It’s essential to provide proper instruction, ensure equipment is size-appropriate, and supervise children during exercise. Programs should be designed to be safe and inclusive, accommodating children with disabilities, ensuring everyone can participate meaningfully without barriers.
Burnout: excessive exercise or pressure to perform can cause physical and mental burnout. This can lead to a loss of interest. To prevent burnout, it is important stick to national and international activity recommendations, ensure adequate rest, and encourage a balance between structured exercise and free play.
A love for movement and activity
The evidence is clear: fit kids are happier, healthier, and better equipped to handle life’s challenges.
By introducing fitness early and in an engaging, age-appropriate manner, we can set children on a path to lifelong physical and mental wellbeing.
Remember, the goal is to foster a love for movement and activity that will serve children well into adulthood.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The 16th edition of the Fu Lei Translation and Publishing Prize will be held on Nov 30 and Dec 1 in Beijing. The event is part of the cultural activities commemorating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, Nicolas Pillerel, minister counselor for culture, education and scientific affairs at the French embassy in China, announced during a news conference on Oct 24.
Established in 2009 by the French Embassy in China and French-speaking Chinese intellectuals, including Dong Qiang, author, translator and professor of French literature at Peking University, the Fu Lei prize is awarded for the translation of French books into Chinese, and also promotes the dissemination of these translations.
Supported by intellectuals, including Nobel laureates in literature Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio and Mo Yan, the prize acknowledges the crucial role of translators as conveyors of words, as well as their role in bolstering cultural exchange between France and China.
The prize is given in three categories — “Literature”, “Essay”, and since 2013, the “Young Shoots” category to encourage the next generation of translators.
“We are aware that without the participation and involvement of young people, and without the emergence of outstanding young translators, the translation industry will inevitably face a talent gap,” says Dong.
This year, 47 titles are competing for the Fu Lei prize, with 28 in the “Essay” category and 19 in the “Literature” category. Notably, 42 of the 60 translators were born after 1980.
Yu Zhongxian, chairman of the jury this year, says that the finalists are younger than those in previous years, and a majority are women.
In the “Essay” category, the original versions of some of the translations are lengthy, difficult books on which multiple people worked to complete the translation.
In the “Literature” category, translations cover an impressive array, including not only books from the last century, but also those that reflect the contemporary lifestyles of young people in France.
Yu says that, given the increasing variety of books introduced in recent years, there is a need for younger publishers to discover them, and for younger translators to translate them.
Ten books — five about social sciences and five literary titles — made it to the final list and the winners will be announced in Beijing on Nov 30.
The finalists include Francois Furet and Mona Ozouf’s A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution, Delphine de Vigan’s novel Children Are Kings, which addresses the pitfalls of social networks, Dany Sandron’s Notre-Dame de Paris: History and Archaeology of a Cathedral, and Nastassja Martin’s In the Eye of the Wild, which explores the relationship between humans and nature. These books demonstrate the diversity and vitality of French-to-Chinese translations today.
Since 2013, China has been the largest buyer of French copyrights abroad. Last year, 1,383 contracts were signed between French and Chinese publishers.
“The enduring appeal of French literature and thought is inseparable from the contribution of translators, and we should be grateful for their work. For this reason, we place great importance on supporting translators,” says Pillerel.
He says that translators are usually obscure like shadows, but that at least once a year, there is a need to “cast the spotlight” on them.
In addition, the French embassy in China financially supports the publishing of at least 30 translations, in addition to translation training programs to nurture more young talent.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-French diplomatic ties, as well as the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. Pillerel says that the series of activities organized by the French embassy around both themes throughout the year culminates with the prize.
