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Category: Weather

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Patrushev and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE discussed cooperation in agriculture

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Dmitry Patrushev met with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance of the United Arab Emirates, First Deputy Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum

    February 20, 2025

    Dmitry Patrushev met with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance of the United Arab Emirates, First Deputy Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum

    February 20, 2025

    Previous news Next news

    Dmitry Patrushev met with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance of the United Arab Emirates, First Deputy Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum

    Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Patrushev met with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance of the United Arab Emirates, First Deputy Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. The main topics of the talks were cooperation in the field of agriculture and the financial and banking sector.

    “The relations between our countries are developing dynamically. We sincerely appreciate the constructive dialogue that has been built in many areas. One of the key areas is the agro-industrial complex. Over the past year, the turnover of agricultural products and food between the countries has grown by almost a third. We expect that this positive trend will continue this year,” said Dmitry Patrushev.

    The Russian Deputy Prime Minister added that our country is ready to increase supplies of grain, meat and confectionery products to the United Arab Emirates. Russia is actively developing the production and export of halal products that meet all the standards applied in the UAE.

    The meeting also considered the possibility of intensifying dialogue between financial institutions of the two countries.

    The discussion of bilateral issues was attended by the Minister of State for Financial Affairs Mohammed bin Hadi Al Husseini, the Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, the UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi, the Director of the Department of Economy and Tourism of the Emirate of Dubai Hilal Saeed Khalfan Al Marri and the UAE Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia Mohammed Ahmed Sultan Essa Al Jaber.

     

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Job Opening: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    This is a permanent role based in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, or Manila.

    Greenpeace activists and volunteers gather at a wind farm at Baru beach during Buru Baru festival to hold letters forming a banner reading: ‘#ActionForClimate.’ Part of a Global Day of Action in Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. © Ulet Ifansasti / Greenpeace

    About the Role

    The Executive Director will provide visionary leadership, ensuring alignment with Greenpeace’s core values. This includes overseeing operations in four countries, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, driving international collaboration, and maintaining accountability across governance, human resources, and financial management. The role requires a proactive approach to campaign contributions within Greenpeace’s global objectives.

    The job holder will have the following key responsibilities:

    Strategic Leadership

    • Develop and communicate a clear vision and strategic objectives aligned with Greenpeace’s mission.
    • Empower staff and volunteers to foster a shared sense of purpose and organisational culture.
    • Monitor external developments and implement responsive strategies as needed.

    Operation, Finance, and Fundraising

    • Oversee all organisational functions, ensuring strategies and policies align with core values.
    • Maintain financial discipline and ensure adherence to auditing practices.
    • Collaborate with the Fundraising Director to explore alternative funding streams and improve grassroots contributions from individual donors across the region.
    • Recruit, train, and develop staff with a focus on accountability and high performance.

    Change Management

    • Drive organisational transformation through strategic planning, operational efficiency, and transparent decision-making.
    • Align global objectives with mission-focused strategies to enhance morale, inclusivity, and overall effectiveness.
    • Determine and implement effective management structures and systems to achieve organisational objectives.
    • Foster cross-country collaboration to enhance efficiency and inclusivity.

    Communications and Network

    • Enhance internal communication and information flow across departments, countries and hierarchy levels.
    • Build and maintain productive relationships with NGOs, media, government, and relevant stakeholders.

    Governance and Relationship to The Board

    • Create and adapt annual, mid-term and long-term strategies in partnership with the Board and Greenpeace International.
    • Ensure compliance with legal, statutory, and regulatory responsibilities.
    • Identify and mitigate organisational risks while maintaining operational effectiveness.
    • Provide regular reports to the Board, ensuring informed decision-making.

    Campaign Advocacy and Representation

    • Create and adapt annual, mid-term and long-term strategies in partnership with the Board and Greenpeace International.
    • Ensure compliance with legal, statutory, and regulatory responsibilities.
    • Identify and mitigate organisational risks while maintaining operational effectiveness.
    • Provide regular reports to the Board, ensuring informed decision-making.

    Personnel, Health, and Safety

    • Lead and implement impactful campaigns on rainforest conservation, climate justice, ocean, plastic and coal reduction.
    • Drive grassroots mobilisation, engage key stakeholders, and amplify GPSEA’s successes through strategic advocacy efforts.
    • Represent GPSEA at international meetings and in public forums.
    • Act as a spokesperson for the organisation.

    Personnel, Health, and Safety

    • Ensure adherence to best practices in all operational areas, balancing ambition with available resources.

    Skills and Experience

    • Environment movement background.
    • Proven leadership in a complex organisation, with a focus on effective management and accountability.
    • Deep understanding of global environmental issues and sustainability principles.
    • Strong systems thinking, strategic planning, and horizon-scanning skills.
    • Ability to inspire and unite diverse stakeholders around a compelling vision.
    • Commitment to Non-Violent Direct Action (NVDA) and grassroots campaigning.
    • Financial literacy and a positive attitude toward digital innovation.
    • Fluency in English; additional language skills are an asset.

    Personal Attributes

    • Responsive and adaptive. 
    • Highly emotionally intelligent with strong interpersonal skills.
    • Courageous, empathetic, and humble leadership style.
    • Committed to social and environmental justice.
    • Activist spirit with a passion for Greenpeace’s mission.
    • Understanding of Southeast Asia’s cultural and operational dynamics.

    Greenpeace’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

    Greenpeace values diversity as essential to its mission and success. The organisation fosters an inclusive environment that respects varied cultural experiences and perspectives, promoting solutions rooted in social and environmental justice.

    Deadline for applications: March 20, 2025

    Jobs

    Do you have a passion for this planet and want to do more? Work with us!

    TAKE ACTION

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Further night closures planned for SH1 between Johnsonville and Tawa for resurfacing works

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    People travelling on State Highway 1 between Johnsonville and Tawa need to prepare for night-time closures from this Sunday, 23 February for resurfacing works.

    While originally scheduled for this week have, these works have been delayed due to rain. It means extra time is needed to complete the works on this section of the highway.

    Weather permitting, night works are planned from Sunday, 23 February until Thursday, 27 February. It will affect the highway’s northbound lanes, as well as the Takapu Road on and offramps.

    Crews will be resurfacing northbound lanes north of Johnsonville as well as the Tawa/Glenside onramp.

    Local road detours will be available via Johnsonville and Glenside along Middleton Road.

    Every effort is being made to reduce the impact of the work on the public. It is being done at night when fewer vehicles on the road. Closing the northbound lanes allows the project to be completed quicker with lower traffic management costs. It is also safer for road workers and the public.

    Drivers can expect resurfacing work on the highway to continue during March between Newlands and Tawa. An update will be provided once its timing is confirmed.

    This work on State Highway 1 is a key part of wellington’s state highway summer maintenance programme.

    On an average, more than 30,000 vehicles use the northbound lanes on State Highway 1 between Ngauranga and Porirua every day. This is why regular resurfacing and road maintenance is essential – it improves the road’s surface, making it more resilient and safer for drivers.

    Work schedule and detour maps:

    Sunday, 23 February, Monday, 24 February and Tuesday, 25 February. 9 pm – 4.30 am

    Northbound road closure between Johnsonville and Glenside. Vehicles will need to follow the detour using Johnsonville off-ramp and Glenside on-ramp

    Wednesday, 26 February. 9 pm – 4.30 am

    Northbound road closure between Glenside and Tawa. Vehicles will need to follow detour using Glenside off-ramp and Takapu road on-ramp.

    Thursday, 27 February. 9 pm – 4.30 am

    Tawa/Grenada onramp CLOSED

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Solar Pools and Libraries with First $50 million for bill busting upgrades

    Source: Australian Ministers for Infrastructure and Transport

    Batteries to soak up excess solar at a council childcare centre, solar panels to cut bills for the local library and the community pool going all-electric are just some of the projects the Albanese Government is backing with its $100 million Community Energy Upgrades Fund (CEUF).

    Today 58 local government bodies around the nation will get on with bringing down their energy bills for good, with $50 million in grants for energy upgrades going out the door.

    Whether it’s the neighbourhood sports club, the community hall, the local pool or library, local government brings us together and keeps us thriving. Each year 8 million people use community sporting infrastructure, including local councils. Now the Albanese Government is working with councils, so they can save on their bills and invest more into their communities.

    One-off grants of between $25,000 to $2.5 million have been awarded through the merit-based program, with local government providing at least 50 per cent of project costs.

    Successful funding applications include 31 upgrades to local aquatic centres and five grants for smart electric vehicle charging infrastructure for local government vehicles.

    In Melbourne, Collingwood Leisure Centre will go electric, with its air, pool and hot water system using 100% renewable energy and storage.

    In Western Sydney, council-owned early learning centres will free up funding to invest more into our next generation by cutting bills with batteries that soak up excess solar to be used across their own and other community buildings. While in Broken Hill they’ll unlock their sunny skies with the council installing solar panels over the car park and replacing gas heating with electric heat pumps.

    Meanwhile in Darwin, the Casuarina Library will be cooler this summer with an energy upgrade, while further upgrades to Parap Pool and West Lane carpark will see the council save $83,500 a year.

    In Tasmania, a local council will ensure people keep on moving, installing smart electric vehicle chargers and dynamic load management to support electrification and decarbonisation of its vehicle fleet.

    The highly popular Albanese Labor Government initiative saw Round 1 oversubscribed, with 165 applications overall for the first $50 million package of funding. Round 2 is expected to open shortly, with unsuccessful applicants from round 1 warmly encouraged to reapply.

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen:

    “Local councils run many of the sport and public facilities that keep our communities and clubs thriving. We want facilities that Australians know and love, like cricket grounds and local pools, to be able to save on their energy bills and spend more on the things they do best.

     “The Albanese Government is not just providing short term relief on power bills, with our Community Energy Upgrades Fund and Energy Savings Package, we’re helping communities bring down bills for good.”

     Quotes attributable to Minister for Local Government Kristy McBain:

     “We’ve heard loud and clear from councils about the need to upgrade ageing facilities with more energy-efficient technology, to bring down their overheads and to lower their emissions – which is exactly why we launched the Community Energy Upgrades Fund.

     “We now have transparent grant programs that every postcode can apply for, we’ve delivered record funding increases for local roads, and we’ve brought local councils back to the table as a trusted delivery partner after a decade of neglect – with this program a real testament to what we can achieve for our communities when we work together.”

    Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson:

     “The Albanese government is investing in energy efficiency measures for community facilities because it has a triple-whammy effect of cutting emissions, cutting running costs, and allowing those savings to be used for other local services.

     “These projects are helping to deliver a cheaper, cleaner energy future for Australians.”

    BACKGROUND: 

    STATE SUCCESSFUL COUNCILS TOTAL GRANT FUNDING
    NSW

    17

    Blue Mountains City Council, Campbelltown City Council, Coolamon Shire Council, Council of the City of Broken Hill, Cowra Shire Council, Dubbo Regional Council, Inner West Council, Junee Shire Council, Ku-Ring-Gai Council, Leeton Shire Council, Lockhart Shire Council, Mid-Western Regional Council, Northern Beaches Council, Parkes Shire Council, Port Macquarie Hastings Council, Wagga Wagga City Council, Wingecarribee Shire Council,

    		 $15.3 million
    VICTORIA

    15

    Ballarat City Council, Banyule City Council, Cardinia Shire Council, City of Maribyrnong, Colac Otway Shire, Corangamite Shire Council, Glen Eira City Council, Mansfield Shire Council, Melbourne City Council, Merri-Bek City Council, Mildura Rural City Council, Surf Coast Shire, Wyndham City Council, Yarra City Council, Yarra Ranges Shire Council

    		 $23.9 million
    QUEENSLAND 7
    Aurukun Shire Council, Brisbane City Council, Cassowary Coast Regional Council, Mackay Regional Council, Maranoa Regional Council, Murweh Shire Council, Paroo Shire Council    		 $4.5 million
    SOUTH AUSTRALIA

    7

    Barunga West Council, City of West Torrens, Corporation of the City of Unley, District Council of Loxton Waikerie, Rural City of Murray Bridge, The Barossa Council, The Flinders Rangers Council,

    		 $2.3 million
    WESTERN AUSTRALIA

    5

    City of Armadale, City of Melville, City of Swan, Town of East Fremantle, Town of Port Hedland

    		 $2.8 million
    TASMANIA 5
    Brighton Council, Clarence City Council, Devonport City Council,  Huon Valley Council, Launceston City Council,    		 $674,011
    NORTHERN TERRITORY 2
    Central Desert Regional Council, City Darwin    		 $580,528

    Note: This media release was originally published by the Climate and Energy portfolio: Solar pools and libraries with first $50 million for bill busting upgrades (https://minister.dcceew.gov.au)

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Bennet, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Exclude Catastrophe Mitigation Payments from Income Taxes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet joined nine of their Senate colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act of 2025 to prevent disaster mitigation funds from being taxed as part of gross income. These funds help communities prepare for and recover from natural disasters.
    “Coloradans know the damage caused by wildfires and other natural disasters too well. This is a critical step we can take to keep our families and homes safe and give communities the resources they need to rebuild,” said Hickenlooper.
    “This commonsense legislation takes a critical step toward empowering individuals and communities to better protect themselves from the devastating effects of natural disasters like Hurricane Helene,” said Tillis. “By excluding qualified catastrophe mitigation payments from income tax, we are incentivizing property owners to make the necessary improvements that reduce damage and save lives. This proactive approach to disaster preparedness not only helps families rebuild faster but strengthens our resilience in the face of future disasters.”
    “The devastating fires in Southern California underscored the urgent need to empower homeowners to take proactive steps to keep their families and homes safe,” said Padilla. “As these disasters become more frequent and more extreme due to the climate crisis, we should incentivize — not penalize — taxpayers for protecting their homes. That’s why the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act would provide a tax exemption on payments from state-based programs for homeowner investments in critical disaster-related improvements.”
    “Louisianans understand the impact of devastating storms, but with the help of state and local programs, we have tools to rebuild and return to wholeness,” said Cassidy. “If communities need tax relief, let’s give it to them!”
    “We have seen how natural disasters have devastated communities around the country, and we must ensure we have the resources and programs in place to respond,” said Schiff. “Homeowners should not face additional taxes for wanting to protect their homes and our bipartisan legislation will provide the needed tax relief to help affected Americans recover from these disasters.”
    The bill defines a “qualified catastrophe mitigation payment” as any amount received for making improvements to an individual’s property for the sole purpose of reducing the damage that would be done to such property by a windstorm, earthquake, flood, or wildfire.
    Full text of the bill is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Building climate resilience into food systems in the Eastern Gangetic Plains

    Source: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research

    The world’s highest concentration of rural poverty occurs in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of Bangladesh, India and Nepal – a region that is home to 450 million people.

    Livelihoods in this part of the world rely greatly on agriculture. Opportunities to work with smallholder farmers can lay the foundations for a more productive, sustainable and diversified agricultural economy. 

    Among the research-for-development professionals on the ground is a team working on the Rupantar project, an ACIAR-supported initiative led by Dr Tamara Jackson of the University of Adelaide.

    The Rupantar project operates at a whole-of-system level. It spans both social and farming practices and extends all the way through to policy settings, market opportunities and other agrifood system barriers holding smallholders back. It also builds on prior investments by ACIAR and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

    Included in this integrated approach are considerations for climate impacts.

    This concern saw 15 team members from the Rupantar project visit the University of Adelaide and regional South Australia and Victoria in October 2024. Funded as part of a DFAT Australia Awards Fellowship program, the study tour focused on climate resilience and adaptation.

    The Rupantar project

    ‘Rupantar’ has a common meaning in Bangla, Hindi and Nepali. It means change on a level so profound that it is transformative. Launched in 2021, the Rupantar project is identifying opportunities for inclusive and diversified food production innovation. 

    Given the partnership model typical of ACIAR projects, these opportunities need to be priorities for local communities. They also need to be sustainable and to fit with longer-term climate, nutrition and available water resource projections. 

    Achieving this level of integration requires working on multiple levels at the same time. There is ground-up innovation – from personal to organisational. Then there are high-level policies that work down and can make important change on the ground.

    Our hypothesis is that an integrated approach to livelihood change – coupled with inclusive and collaborative approaches – will result in more effective and sustainable development pathways.

    Dr Tamara Jackson, 
    University of Adelaide

    ‘So, our goal is to understand the processes and practices needed to diversify food production in ways that improve farm livelihoods and reduce inequity, production risk and unsustainable resource use.’

    The on-the-ground work with smallholders is implemented at sites in West Bengal (India), Rangpur (Bangladesh) and Koshi Province (Nepal). Implementation involves actioning ‘diversification pathways’ that were co-developed collaboratively with local partners. 

    Diversification pathways

    The aim of these pathways is twofold. The first is to test diversification options and select the most appropriate crop and livestock options that are priorities for local communities. These are then implemented within existing networks and are aligned with institutional settings.

    The second aim is to monitor the changes associated with the pathways, including long-term sustainability. 

    The project is also mindful that diversification can look very different to different members within households and can include off-farm income from seasonal male migration and greater reliance on women household members.

    In all, three types of diversified systems are being explored:

      •  plant-based production, including crops and horticulture
      •  livestock-based, including chickens, goats and dairy that are especially important to women’s income
      •  irrigation-constrained systems.

    ‘The project is working on strengthening what already works about a farming system in the Eastern Gangetic Plain and building on innovations from prior projects, such as ACIAR’s introduction of conservation agriculture cropping practices,’ said Dr Jackson.

    Long-running ACIAR initiatives in the Eastern Gangetic Plains worked with smallholder farmers across Bangladesh, India, and Nepal to introduce sustainable practices and innovations to intensify production.

    The project team has spent the first 2 years on the ground running baseline surveys and mapping villages to better understand the system. 

    Implementation started in 2023 once it became clear what would work best in different settings. The visit to Australia in 2024 provided project partners with opportunities to observe what diversified and climate-resilient Australian farms look like.

    Participants included Rupantar project partners from provincial government, cooperatives, farmer producer companies, NGOs, local university partners and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. 

    Climate-smart innovation

    Dr Jay Cummins from International Agriculture for Development hosted the study tour group and developed the course that focused on addressing the climate realities in collaboration with the Rupantar project.

    The 20-day study tour was entitled ‘Supporting climate-smart, resilient food production networks in the Indo-Gangetic Plains’. 

    Key experts shared their experiences responding to climate change and on-farm visits examined how Australian agriculture builds climate resilience into its practices in different environmental and socioeconomic settings. 

    ‘Included were visits to more rainfed, dryland cropping systems in the Mallee and, in addition, to irrigated production systems in the Murray–Darling Basin,’ said Dr Cummins. 

    The Australia Awards program provided a valuable mechanism to connect the participants with a whole range of Australian organisations and professionals, which in turn will help build international networks and collaboration.

    Dr Jay Cummins 
    International Agriculture for Development 

    In the Eastern Gangetic Plain, food production can be heavily focused on wet season rice crops. In Australia, the visitors were able to explore dry season opportunities for diversified production of crops and livestock, including in mixed farming systems. They saw how Australian farmers manage risks around water scarcity and drought. At South Australian Riverland sites, discussions included irrigation and water management that present different diversification options.

    Participant perspectives

    Loxton farmer Brycen Rudiger (left)discusses the challenges of growing wheat in the Mallee region with Nepali participant Gautam Bhupal (right).

    Among the participants were Dr Deepa Roy from India, Ms Bimala Pokhrel from Nepal and Dr Mamunur Rashid from Bangladesh. 

    Dr Roy is an agricultural extension expert based at Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, India. She told ACIAR that smallholder farmers in the Eastern Gangetic Plains face numerous challenges that can lock them into poverty.

    These range from small and fragmented landholdings that make mechanisation difficult, to a lack of agronomic knowledge, limited agricultural support services, limited market access, financial constraints and climatic hazards.

    ‘Through the course several key insights and learnings emerged that may help our farmers in understanding and adopting climate resilient technologies,’ said Dr Roy.

    Key insights for participants included:

      •  assessing the carbon footprint of farming and taking action to reduce it
      •  introducing efficient soil moisture management strategies such as mulching
      •  adopting agronomic practices such as crop rotations and climate-resilient crops 
      •  building soil fertility
      •  advocating for improved climate forecasting
      •  adopting grower-led research and extension
      •  developing digital tools to monitor the adoption of innovation
      •  providing financial management training to smallholder farmers
      •  using podcasts and radio to provide farm advisory services. 

    Overall, Dr Roy said that the course equipped attendees with a holistic understanding of climate-smart practices. ‘It helped us not only to strengthen technical knowledge but also to develop critical soft skill and a deeper understanding of sustainable climate resilient farming.’

    It’s a point of view shared by Ms Pokhrel, who works with the Ministry of Industry Agriculture and Cooperatives in Koshi Province, Nepal. She said the course enriched efforts to both help farmers and policymakers with future planning. And it worked by enhancing both her professional and personal capacity.

    ‘What stood out was the extent that Australian farmers have already adopted technology to mitigate against climate change,’ said Ms Pokhrel. ‘This was particularly stark when it came to soil health and sustainable soil management practices. One of the key learnings is that we can tailor these practices for our context in the Koshi Province and, in that way, improve crop productivity by improving soil health.’

    Mr Rashid agreed. He is a research fellow at Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. He noted that while ACIAR is helping to introduce conservation agriculture to Bangladesh, South Australian farmers have already adopted these soil and soil-moisture conserving practices. 

    They are also growing more legume crops for soil health and fertiliser benefits, adopting risk-aversion strategies amid climate variability, and introducing carbon farming to adapt to climate change.

    Improved water management

    Both Ms Pokhrel and Mr Rashid were especially impressed by Australian water management systems in drought-prone landscapes. They think these kinds of Australian practices have a role to play at the project sites.

    While the cost and expertise required to adopt and maintain technologies such as drip irrigation systems used in Australia may be beyond the capacity of many smallholder farmers, the study tour has already inspired a new water conservation pilot project.

    The Bangladesh team will launch ‘Conserving soil moisture through mulching technique in chili farming’ in the Rupantar project areas, focusing on farmers in northern Bangladesh, who experience frequent floods and droughts.

    The Rupantar project delegation on tour in the northern Mallee of South Australia.

    ‘This initiative aims to use soil moisture and reduce irrigation in chilli farming, aided by Chameleon soil water sensors that can support decision-making for the farmers of the Rupantar project,’ said Mr Rashid.

    Ms Pokhrel was greatly impressed by the grower-centric research, development and extension infrastructure built around farmers’ needs in Australia. For her, this was typified by organisations such as the Grains Research and Development Corporation and the Almond Board.

    She thinks there are opportunities to ‘sensitise’ the different boards in Nepal to this approach. 

    Surprises for the project partners included the large size of farms given the small number of people working in agriculture. 

    What also surprised us is the rate of technology adoption by farmers, along with their dedication and the satisfaction they receive from the agricultural profession.

    Ms Bimala Pokhrel
    Nepal 

    ‘Mallee Sustainable Farming System was impressive and working with farmers groups and developing the communication material in local languages are the things that we can develop for our smallholder farmers too.’

    Finally, they praised the networking opportunities provided by the course, including with farmers, and opportunities to understand the people, country and culture. 

    ACIAR Project WAC/2020/148: ‘Transforming smallholder food systems in the Eastern Gangetic Plain’

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Two in five scientists in our survey reported harassment and intimidation. Often, the perpetrators are inside the institution

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hales, Director, Centre for Sustainable Enterprise, Griffith University

    Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

    The goal of science is to uncover truths and create new knowledge. But this is not always welcome. Increasingly, scientific findings are being attacked or downplayed. And scientists themselves face intimidation or harassment.

    In our global study of more than 2,000 scientists across six areas of science, two-fifths (41%) of respondents had, as a result of their work, been harassed or intimidated at least once over a five-year period.

    Intimidation efforts included online abuse, physical threats, and threats to budgets or employment. Harassment, while personal, could be meted out by superiors, colleagues or outsiders. Some scientists felt their leaders had thrown them under the bus to protect the institution’s reputation.

    Who’s doing the intimidation? Strikingly, a majority of cases of intimidation and harassment actually came from inside the institution for most fields. That is, it was perpetrated by senior colleagues or managers. But for climate scientists, most intimidation efforts came from outside.

    Intimidation of scientists doesn’t happen in a vacuum. In recent years, there has been a rise in populist leaders who pour scorn on “elites” and evidence. Scientific issues are increasingly politicised. Disinformation is rampant. This atmosphere adds to the pressure faced by scientists, especially those working in politically sensitive areas such as climate science or COVID.

    Harassment and intimidation can silence or isolate scientists.
    Hayk_Shalunts/Shutterstock

    What did we find?

    We used an online database of scientists to find and contact experts publishing in six fields: climate science, medical health, humanities and social science, food and plant science, astronomy, and other STEM areas.

    More than 2,000 responded to our survey on whether they had experienced various types of intimidation or harassment. We asked respondents for more detail on the perpetrators, what triggered the incident, and what effect it had on them.

    Many respondents had a clear view as to what the intimidation or harassment was meant to do. The motivations of perpetrators varied greatly. But the most common reasons were to damage their reputation, to stop them from publishing certain types of research, or to “put me in my place”.

    Specific fields of science were more prone to harassment and intimidation – in particular climate science, and humanities and social science.

    Among those scientists who had been intimidated, climate scientists reported online abuse three times more often than astronomers. Climate science is politically charged, because climate change is clearly linked to pollution from some of the world’s largest industries – oil, gas and coal. Astronomy is not. Half of the climate scientist respondents experiencing intimidation saw the bad behaviour as a way to discourage them from undertaking specific research and speaking about it.

    Researchers from humanities and social sciences faced similar levels of online abuse to climate scientists.

    When it came to personal harassment, there was a clear gender dimension. Among those who reported experiencing harassment, female scientists were more than four times more likely to report “unwelcome or inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature” than their male counterparts. Women were affected almost twice as much as men by non-sexual forms of personal harassment.

    Our findings follow earlier research finding similar rates of intimidation. For instance, a 2021 survey of 321 scientists working on COVID-19 found 15% had received death threats and 22% received threats of sexual violence.

    Intimidation and harassment are damaging

    The consequences of intimidation are profound and far-reaching. Many scientists told us the experience had caused lasting damage, whether to wellbeing, career prospects or research activities.

    More than 40% of those affected said their career prospects had worsened following incidents of harassment. Just over a third (34%) reported a decline in their desire to work in science. Scientists who experienced intimidation often cut back their collaboration with colleagues (35%), leaving them more isolated.

    Many of our respondents described flow-on effects such as decreased access to funding (35% of respondents) and less public communication from their institution about their work (23%).

    Scientists targeted with multiple types of harassment reported very damaging effects, from difficulty finding their next job to poor mental health.

    Intimidation slows progress

    Intimidation and harassment have a chilling effect on science. This, in turn, could hinder progress on crucial issues such as climate change, public health and technological advancements.

    The disproportionate impact on women and researchers in politically sensitive fields threatens to undermine diversity and inclusivity in science.

    Without targeted interventions, women in science may continue to suffer disproportionate levels of harassment and intimidation. This will have long-term implications for gender diversity in scientific leadership and the direction of research in various fields.

    In the United States, the Trump administration’s withdrawals from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization are likely to further embolden anti-science movements. Many American scientific institutions are engaged in anticipatory obedience of the Trump administration’s demands that diversity and anti-discrimination programs be abolished, or climate change stop being mentioned. Many even go beyond what is explicitly sought.

    Female scientists are targeted in different ways.
    PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

    What can be done?

    Science and academia is often seen as a bastion of free inquiry and open discussion. One of our most surprising findings was how common intimidation was within scientific institutions.

    The key to beating intimidation is organisational support and clear strategies, not obedience. These include:

    • genuine commitment to institutional policies protecting scientists from both internal and external intimidation

    • formal, well-resourced support systems for researchers facing harassment or pressure (not the HR office)

    • programs to increase public understanding of the scientific process to build trust and resilience to misinformation

    • boosting international collaboration between scientists and policymakers to ensure resilience against country-specific efforts to undermine science

    • educating the public on the importance of scientific independence and of fostering respectful dialogue around contentious topics.

    As populist movements gain traction in many countries, scientists working on controversial issues will face heightened scrutiny – and potentially more intimidation.

    Climate science is likely to remain a particularly contested field. As the damage wrought by climate change becomes more and more apparent, it will get even more contentious.

    Over the last few centuries, science has produced breakthroughs in many areas. But the integrity of science is not guaranteed. Harassment and intimidation from both inside and outside institutions has a very real effect on scientists.

    The future of evidence-based decision-making and ability to tackle global challenges depends on fostering an environment where scientists can work free from fear and undue pressure.

    Robert Hale receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    David Peetz undertook research over many years with occasional financial support from governments from both sides of politics, employers and unions. He has been and is involved in several Australian Research Council-funded projects, including this one.

    Ian Lowe was president of the Australian Conservation Foundation from 2004 to 2014.

    Carolyn Troup and Georgina Murray 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.

    – ref. Two in five scientists in our survey reported harassment and intimidation. Often, the perpetrators are inside the institution – https://theconversation.com/two-in-five-scientists-in-our-survey-reported-harassment-and-intimidation-often-the-perpetrators-are-inside-the-institution-248013

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Guterres urges Caribbean leaders to keep pushing for peace, climate action and sustainable development

    Source: United Nations 2

    Peace and Security

    In an address on Wednesday to Caribbean leaders meeting in Barbados, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced a potential plan to support an “effective force” in Haiti as armed gangs continue to terrorize the population. 

    Mr. Guterres was speaking during the opening of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government Meeting in the capital Bridgetown, where he called for unity to achieve progress in peace and security, climate and sustainable development.

    “A unified Caribbean is an unstoppable force,” he said. “I urge you to keep using that power to push the world to deliver on its promises.”

    ‘Trouble in paradise’

    The Secretary-General noted that the region’s “exquisite beauty is famed the world over, but there is trouble in paradise.”

    He told leaders that “wave after wave of crisis is pounding your people and your islands – with no time to catch your breath before the next disaster strikes.”

    Caribbean countries are experiencing uncertainty fuelled by geopolitical tensions, the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, soaring debt and interest rates, and a surge in the cost of living. 

    Global solutions exist

    These are all happening “amidst a deadly swell of climate disasters – ripping development gains to shreds, and blowing holes through your national budgets,” and as countries “remain locked-out of many international institutions – one of the many legacies of colonialism today.”

    The UN chief insisted that “the cure for these ills is global,” and the world needs to deliver on hard-won global commitments to address the immense challenges the international community is facing.

    He listed three key areas “where, together, we must drive progress.” 

    Peace in Haiti

    Mr. Guterres called for unity for peace and security, “particularly to address the appalling situation in Haiti – where gangs are inflicting intolerable suffering on a desperate and frightened people.”

    He said CARICOM and its Eminent Persons Group have provided invaluable support in this regard. 

    “We must keep working for a political process – owned and led by the Haitians – that restores democratic institutions through elections,” he said.

    Security and stability

    A UN-backed Multinational Security Support Mission is currently on the ground to back up the Haitian National Police.

    The Secretary-General said he will soon report to the Security Council on the situation in the country, including proposals on the role the UN can play to both support stability and security, and address the root causes of the crisis.

    He intends to present a proposal similar to the one for Somalia, in which the UN assumes responsibility for the structural and logistical expenditures necessary to put the force in place. Salaries are paid through a trust fund that already exists.

    “If the Security Council will accept this proposal, we will have the conditions to finally have an effective force to defeat the gangs in Haiti and create the conditions for democracy to thrive,” he said, drawing applause.

    © WFP/Fedel Mansour

    Hurricane Beryl last July caused devastation on Union Island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

    Climate crisis opportunity

    His second point – unity on the climate crisis – underlined “a deplorable injustice” as Caribbean countries “have done next to nothing” to create it. Moreover, they have “fought tooth and nail for the global commitment to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.”

    Mr. Guterres said countries must deliver new national climate plans ahead of the COP30 UN climate conference later this year.  The plans must align with the 1.5 goal, with the G20 group of industrial nations leading the way.

    “This is a chance for the world to get a grip on emissions,” he said. “And it’s a chance for the Caribbean to seize the benefits of clean power, to tap your vast renewables potential, and to turn your back on costly fossil fuel imports.”

    As finance is required, he underscored the need for confidence that the $1.3 trillion agreed at the previous COP will be mobilized. Developed countries also must honour their promises on adaptation finance and make meaningful contributions to the new Loss and Damage Fund.

    “When the Fund was created, the pledges made were equivalent to the new contract for just one baseball player in New York City,” he remarked.

    Finance for sustainable development

    Meanwhile, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) “are starved of adequate finance, as debt servicing soaks-up funds, and international financial institutions remain underpowered.”

    The Secretary-General said Caribbean countries have been at the forefront of the fight for change, pioneering bold and creative solutions.  He said the Pact for the Future, together with the Bridgetown Initiative, marks significant progress.

    Mr. Guterres thanked Caribbean leaders for supporting the Pact, which UN Member States adopted last year. 

    Key deliverables include support for an SDG Stimulus of $500 billion annually and commitment to reform international financial institutions to allow greater participation by developing countries. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Markey, Van Hollen, Whitehouse, and Sanders Demand Answers from Justice Department on Forced Resignation of Assistant U.S. Attorney Over Illegal Pressure to Freeze National Green Bank Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Letter Text (PDF)

    Washington (February 19, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) today wrote to Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz about revelations that Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Cheung was pressured to find evidence of a crime as a justification for freezing the release of billions of dollars in congressionally approved federal funds for the National Clean Investment Fund and the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator. These programs, which are part of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, leverage private capital to cut energy bills for families and small businesses, improve resiliency against climate change-fueled disasters, and create local economic opportunity while combatting climate change. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also signed the letter. 

    In the letter, the lawmakers write, “The reports that Ms. Cheung was pressured to circumvent this standard suggest a deliberate attempt to weaponize the Justice Department for political purposes. Indeed, according to one report, ‘Cheung’s resignation came in connection with a Justice Department effort to assist President Donald Trump’s new head of the Environmental Protection Agency, who said last week that he would try to rescind $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean energy projects.’” 

     
    The lawmakers continue, “Federal prosecutors have an obligation to comply with the legal ethics rules governing their conduct, including their duty to refuse illegal or unethical orders from superiors. Not even a month into the second Trump administration, several career prosecutors have already resigned rather than participate in legally and ethically questionable actions, igniting a crisis within the Justice Department. The Department must not become an instrument of political retribution or partisan maneuvering.” 

    The lawmakers urge the Office of the Inspector General, “to immediately open an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ms. Cheung’s resignation, the directives she received, and the broader pattern of political interference in prosecutorial decisions. The integrity of our justice system depends on the independence of prosecutors and their ability to enforce the law free from political influence. If substantiated, these allegations represent an existential threat to the rule of law and demand swift corrective action.” 

    Senator Markey secured numerous provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, including the creation of a $27-billion national climate financing network based on the National Climate Bank Act, which he introduced along with Senator Van Hollen. Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, Senators Markey and Van Hollen and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) — the House lead on the climate financing legislation — welcomed the launch of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund in April 2023.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: $10 million Good Neighbours Program to tackle pest and weeds across NSW

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 20 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Agriculture

    The Minns Labor Government is delivering on its election commitment to tackle pest and weed infestations between neighbouring public and private lands across the state through its $10 million investment in new or expanded, on the ground, biosecurity projects.

    The Good Neighbours Program, led by Local Land Services, will undertake 21 initial projects in priority areas across NSW.

    The initiative is part of the Government’s $945 million commitment to addressing biosecurity threats to the state’s $20 billion primary industries sector.

    The Good Neighbours projects will target pest animals and problem weeds, including feral deer, feral pigs, tropical soda apple and hudson pear.

    Improved on-ground outcomes will be achieved through coordinated pest animal and weed control programs, as well as capacity-building workshops, training and education for landholders and land managers.

    The 21 projects will be delivered in partnership with respective public land managers including Forestry Corporation, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and local councils.

    The Good Neighbours Program highlights the importance of public and private land managers working together to prevent the spread of pests and weeds and protect the NSW economy, environment and community.

    Pest animals and weeds impact more than 70 per cent of the state’s threatened species and endangered ecological communities, posing a significant agricultural threat.

    The Good Neighbours Program brings together a range of stakeholders and agencies to combat the issue and educate landholders and land managers about their shared general biosecurity duty under the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 to control pests and weeds on their properties.

    The program will run until mid-2026, with additional projects to be funded. Visit nsw.gov.au/good-neighbours to learn more.

    Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty said:

    “Effective pest and weed management are critical to supporting agricultural productivity and biodiversity in NSW, and it’s best achieved by working as a united front.”

    “The Good Neighbours program demonstrates the NSW Government’s commitment to protecting our natural environment and agricultural industry by focusing our resources on areas where we can work together to achieve the best results.

    “As the saying goes, everybody needs good neighbours. Biosecurity is a shared responsibility, and we all have a part to play.”

    Local Land Services Project Manager Good Neighbours Program, Dale Kirby said:

    “When it comes to coordinated pest animal and weed control programs, many hands make light work.”

    “We can achieve far better outcomes when private and public landholders work together, with expert advice and support from Local Land Services, to reduce impacts and limit the spread of pests and weeds across the landscape.”

    MEDIA: Michael Salmon | Minister Moriarty | 0417495018

    Good Neighbours projects

    • Cane Toad Program (North Coast) – Joint efforts between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Local Land Services, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Forestry Corporation of NSW, Landcare and private landholders to control cane toads on the North Coast.
    • Chinese Violet Program (North Coast) – This program is based in the Tweed Shire, where Rous County Council is targeting Chinese violet on the fringes of the Heritage Wollumbin National Park and Jerusalem National Park.
    • Job’s Tears Eradication Program (North Coast) – Led by Rous County Council, Landcare and landholders, this program aims to eradicate Job’s tears from creek lines in the Kyogle and Lismore shires.
    • Tropical Soda Apple Eradication (TSA) Program (North Coast) – This program targets Tropical soda apple across the Lismore, Kyogle, Ballina, Byron, Richmond Valley and Tweed local government areas, led by Rous County Council, community groups and landholders.
    • Far South Coast Coastal Weeds Program (South East) – Tackling weeds such as coastal bitou bush and sea spurge on the Far South Coast between Tuross and Wonboyn, led by Far South Coast Landcare, local councils, Local Land Services and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
    • Hudson Pear Control Program – Kinchega National Park (Western) – Combating Hudson Pear in the middle reaches of Stephens Creek to the west of Kinchega National Park, led by the managers of Kars and Eureka stations, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Castlereagh Macquarie County Council and Local Land Services.
    • Jumping Cholla Control Program (Western) – Targeting Jumping cholla in the Living Desert State Park and nearby Limestone and Nine Mile stations in the Broken Hill area, with the help of the station owners, Broken Hill City Council, Castlereagh Macquarie County Council and Local Land Services.
    • Parthenium Weed Eradication (North West)  Management and control of Parthenium weed across two Travelling Stock Reserves (TSR) at Croppa Creek, led by North West Local Land Services and supported by local councils, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, TSR users, landholders and Traditional Owners.
    • Mt Stuart Boxing Glove Control Program (Western) – Tackling the spread of Boxing glove cactus in Tibooburra, south of the Sturt National Park, in partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Mt Stuart Station neighbours, Castlereagh Macquarie County Council, Crown Lands and Local Land Services.
    • North Coast Branch Pig Control Program (North Coast and Northern Tablelands) – Feral pig control led by the North Coast branch of the National Parks and Wildlife Service across 12 reserves from western Richmond River to the coast, from Ballina in the north to Hat Head in the south.
    • Orange Hawkweed Eradication Program (South East) – A collaboration between Snowy Monaro Council, Snowy Valleys Council, Local Land Services, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and private landholders targeting Hawkweed in the Kosciuszko National Park and surrounding private land.
    • Strategic Weed Management and Control – Blackberry and St John’s Wort (Central West) – Coordinated control of priority weeds within Goobang National Park, led by Parkes Shire Council, Macquarie and Lachlan Valley Weeds Committee, Central West and Central Tablelands regional weeds committees and neighbouring landholders.
    • Wild Horse Cross Tenure Eradication Program (North Coast) – Wild horse control focused on the Barcoongere area, south of Grafton, in conjunction with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, National Parks and Wildlife Service and landholders.
    • Bathurst Joint Weed Program (Central Tablelands) – Working with the Forestry Corporation of NSW and private landholders to control weeds such as broom, gorse and Chilean needle grass between state forest and private land in Bathurst.
    • Bathurst Pest Program – Feral Pig Management Program (Central Tablelands) – Support for a feral pig baiting program involving the Forestry Corporation of NSW, Crown Lands and neighbouring land managers.
    • Feral deer control – Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (Central Tablelands, Hunter, Greater Sydney and South East) – Coordinated efforts between the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Local Land Services, the Invasive Species Council, Crown Lands and public land managers to reduce the impacts of feral deer.
    • Forestry Pest Management Neighbour’s Program (Western, Central West, Central Tablelands, North West, Riverina and Murray) – Targeting feral pig populations on properties with state forest boundaries in the Western NSW region, led by the Forestry Corporation of NSW and state forest neighbours.
    • Koala Habitat Restoration (North Coast) – Protecting and restoring koala habitat in the Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie areas in conjunction with private landholders, Local Aboriginal Land Councils, Landcare groups, National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
    • North Coast Feral Deer Management Program (North Coast) – An existing feral deer coordinated control program based in the Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie areas involving local councils, Forestry Corporation of NSW, National Parks and Wildlife Service and private landholders.
    • Red Cestrum Management and Control (North Coast) – This program is focused on controlling Red cestrum infestations on the Dorrigo Plateau, led by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Forestry Corporation of NSW, Bellingen Shire Council and private landholders.
    • Tamworth Peri Urban Pest Species Project (North West) – Targeting feral goats, pigs and deer within the Tamworth Local Government Area, supported by Tamworth Regional Council, Crown Lands and private landholders.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Faster water approvals to supercharge housing delivery

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 20 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Housing, Minister for Water

    The Minns Labor Government is slashing red tape to get more homes built faster across the state, unveiling a clear blueprint to speed up approvals and ensure new properties are connected and ready to turn on the tap sooner.

    The Housing Approval Reform Action Plan is a joint initiative between the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), Sydney Water, and WaterNSW to streamline approvals and accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure.

    After more than a decade of underinvestment and stalled approvals, the NSW Government is taking action, establishing a cross-government team to fast-track water and wastewater infrastructure, ensuring developments stay on track and homes are delivered sooner.

    Every new home requires essential infrastructure. From providing drinking water and wastewater management to handling stormwater, a robust water cycle management plan is a key factor in assessing land use and development proposals in NSW.

    Government agencies evaluate a wide range of potential impacts on water quality, including stormwater management, erosion and sediment control during construction and wastewater disposal.

    Beyond accelerating housing construction, the plan will focus on protecting, enhancing, and restoring waterways and water sources to ensure long-term sustainability.

    The Housing Approval Reform Action Plan streamlines housing delivery and eases system pressure through clear actions, including:

    • Expanding risk-based triaging for all referrals to ensure homes that are ready can be connected without delay.
    • Streamlining the removal of groundwater process on building sites to ensure construction can commence quickly and safety.
    • Revising key performance indicators to mitigate inefficiencies.
    • Support developers and Water Servicing Coordinators in getting their applications right from
      the start.
    • Facilitating early engagement for smoother applications.

    Following an industry forum in August 2024, these reforms were shaped with key stakeholders and construction industry leaders, who highlighted real-world obstacles slowing housing development, to break down barriers and get more homes built faster.

    This action plan strengthens the Minns Labor Government’s commitment to building a better NSW, including:

    • $2.2 billion infrastructure investment to fund more housing, critical infrastructure and better planning for housing.
    • Over $250 million to continue the overhaul of the planning system and planning reforms.
    • The development of the NSW Pattern Book and accelerated planning pathway for those who use the pre-approved patterns.
    • $5.1 billion to build 8,400 new public homes, the largest investment in social and affordable housing.
    • Creation of Housing Delivery Authority that recently announced plans to fast-track the delivery of 6,400 new homes.

    To learn more, please visit: https://water.dpie.nsw.gov.au/our-work/plans-and-strategies/housing-approval-reform-action-plan/

    Minister for Housing and Water Rose Jackson said:

    “Drinking water, wastewater and stormwater might not be front of mind, but they’re make-or-break for getting homes built and ready to live in.

    “We’re cutting red tape, speeding up approvals, and pulling every lever we’ve got to get more homes on the ground faster—because NSW can’t afford delays.

    “This plan is about fixing the system. The entire NSW water sector has come together with developers to find solutions that actually work and get things moving.

    “These are practical changes that will slash approval timeframes and address industry concerns—while still doing the right thing by our water sources and environment.”

    NSW Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia Katie Stevenson said:

    “When applications for apartment buildings get the stamp of approval from planning, there are often further strings attached where significant excavations need additional sign-off from water authorities and this adds costly further delays to the delivery of new housing.

    “Today’s announcement effectively declares 2025 as a year of cultural change for the three water authorities involved in the pre-construction approval of new housing – it is the sort of leadership we need to align all aspects of the government’s activities toward the resolution of the housing crisis.

    “We appreciate the priorities outlined in the action plan, along with the specific activities and timelines it includes, which have been created through extensive consultation with the industry.”
     

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Expanding Next-Generation Battery Innovation Company

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul and Senator Charles Schumer today announced that BAE Systems is investing $65 million to expand operations in the Village of Endicott, Broome County. The company will add a total of 150,000 square-feet to its existing site to make way for the addition of a new battery production line and lab space, and new office space. As a result of the expansion, the company has committed to creating up to 134 good-paying jobs onsite. BAE Systems is a global defense, aerospace and security company with approximately 93,500 employees worldwide. The BAE Systems facility in Endicott designs, develops and produces a broad portfolio of safety-critical electronic systems from flight and engine controls to power and energy management systems. The company has been operational at the Huron Campus site since 2011.

    “BAE Systems’ decision to further expand its business represents yet another win for New York State and for the Southern Tier, which is laser focused on becoming a global hub for next-generation battery innovation efforts,” Governor Hochul said. “Since taking office, I have remained committed to bringing jobs back to Upstate New York. This incredibly successful company chose to grow its operations here, spurring top-quality, good-paying job creation in the region because they have seen firsthand how hardworking New Yorkers are.”

    Senator Charles Schumer said,“BAE Systems is adding 130+ good-paying jobs right here in the Southern Tier to make sure the next generation of America’s batteries are stamped ‘Made in Upstate NY.’ This $65 million expansion to add a new battery production line, research lab, and office helps show how we can bring this supply chain back from overseas, with the Southern Tier leading the way to make sure the future of battery manufacturing is manufactured in Broome County, not Beijing. BAE Systems is a vital part of the Southern Tier economy, with a world-class workforce of over 1200 people, and selecting this area for their major battery production expansion is no accident. I’m proud of the millions in federal support I’ve delivered – via the American Rescue Plan and my bipartisan CHIPS & Science Act – to the region to make it a global center for battery research and set the stage for today’s announcement. Today BAE is helping add another loop to establish this region as a core of manufacturing and innovation for America’s battery belt.”

    The project involves the expansion of BAE Systems battery production line, including the purchase and installation of machinery and equipment to efficiently produce an energy storage system for electric/hybrid electric aircraft. This facility will include an automated state-of-the-art production line, an engineering lab, and an aftermarket center, and is expected to be fully complete in 2027.

    Empire State Development is assisting the project with up to $8.5 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit Program in exchange for the job creation commitments. Broome County is also providing assistance for the project.

    BAE Systems Senior Director Jim Garceau said, “This facility expansion reinforces our commitment to the Southern Tier and builds on New York State’s vision to create a regional hub for battery innovation. With this investment, we will enhance our capabilities to address the emerging needs of the next-generation hybrid/electric aircraft.”

    Bolstering Next-Generation Battery Innovation
    Governor Hochul and Senator Schumer were instrumental in the company’s decision having worked closely with company officials to ensure that the project would move ahead in New York’s Southern Tier region which is laser-focused on supporting next-generation energy efforts – a top priority for the governor and senator.

    In January 2024, the Governor and Senator announced that the U.S. National Science Foundation had designated the New Energy New York (NENY) Storage Engine as a Regional Innovation Engine (NSF Engine), which was created by the Senator’s bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law. The NENY Storage Engine, anchored at Binghamton University in the Southern Tier Region, will receive up to $15 million in federal funding for two years and up to $160 million over 10 years to establish a hub that will accelerate innovation, technology translation and the creation of a skilled workforce to grow the capacity of the domestic battery industry. Through Empire State Development, New York State will match up to 20 percent for the first five years of the project as well as provide support through established programs. The NENY Storage Engine was chosen for its diverse, cross-sector coalition that will build a leading ecosystem driving battery technology innovation, workforce development and manufacturing to support U.S. national security and global competitiveness.

    Schumer has long fought to secure federal investment to boost the Southern Tier’s battery manufacturing and R&D. In 2021, Schumer created the Build Back Better Regional Challenge in the American Rescue Plan that he led to passage as Majority Leader. The senator personally advocated for the selection of the Binghamton University-led New Energy New York’s (NENY) battery hub proposal, helping deliver a $63.7 million federal investment with a $50 million funding match from New York State. In 2023, Schumer also delivered the prestigious federal Tech Hub designation, also created by his bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law for the Binghamton University-led NENY proposal.

    Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Governor Hochul’s strategic and laser-focused support for next-generation clean energy companies accelerates this cutting-edge industry’s growing presence in New York State. BAE Systems’ expansion will create top-quality jobs and opportunities in the Southern Tier, furthering the region’s leadership in battery technology innovation.”

    New York State’s Climate Agenda
    New York State’s climate agenda calls for an affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy that creates family-sustaining jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments, and directs a minimum of 35 percent of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. New York is advancing a suite of efforts to achieve an emissions-free economy by 2050, including in the energy, buildings, transportation, and waste sectors.

    New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, “BAE Systems has been a major driver of economic growth in Broome County, and I congratulate them on their new $65 million expansion. Thanks to strategic investments from Governor Hochul and Senator Schumer, New York has become a testbed for battery storage innovation, and NYPA will continue to support firms like BAE Systems developing cutting-edge technology and spurring economic growth with low-cost power.”

    New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “With this investment in next generation battery technology at their Broome County location, BAE Systems is supporting local jobs and strengthening the state’s clean energy supply chains, ensuring New York continues to lead the way in innovation and clean tech economic opportunity. The expansion will also advance clean transportation in the aviation industry and support NYSERDA’s efforts in research, development, and demonstration of new technologies in the energy storage sector.”

    State Senator Lea Webb said, “It’s exciting to see BAE Systems expand its next-generation battery innovation operations right here in the Southern Tier, bringing up to 134 new jobs to the Village of Endicott, ” said State Senator Lea Webb. “This investment strengthens our region’s role as a leader in clean energy technology and advanced manufacturing. I want to thank Governor Hochul for her commitment to growing our local economy and everyone who made this expansion possible. This investment not only creates new opportunities for workers but also reinforces New York’s leadership in the future of sustainable energy solutions.”

    Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, “Years of hard work and dedication have made our area a designated hub for battery innovation and manufacturing. BAE’s expansion to include a new battery production line will further establish our community as a leader in clean-energy technology. Their work on electric/hybrid bus and aircraft battery systems are game changers for the industry and for our local workforce. I’d like to thank BAE Systems for their continued investment in our community, and the Governor and Empire State Development for their ongoing support of this important work.”

    Broome County Executive Jason Garnar said, “BAE Systems’ expansion in Endicott is another major win for Broome County, reinforcing our region’s role as leader in next-generation battery innovation while creating even more job opportunities for our community. Thank you to Governor Hochul for her continued commitment to economic growth in the Southern Tier and to BAE Systems for choosing to expand here in Broome County.”

    Village of Endicott Mayor Nick Burlingame said, “BAE Systems’ decision to expand its operations in Endicott is a testament to the strength of our community, our workforce, and our region’s commitment to innovation. This investment not only reinforces Endicott’s legacy as a hub for cutting-edge technology but also brings new opportunities for local families and businesses. We are proud to support BAE Systems as they continue to grow and shape the future of clean energy and battery innovation right here in our village. We look forward to the jobs, economic impact, and advancements this expansion will bring to Endicott.”

    For additional information about BAE Systems, visit: https://jobs.baesystems.com/global/en/.

    Accelerating Economic Development in the Southern Tier
    Today’s announcement advances the Southern Tier Strategic Plan and complements “Southern Tier Soaring” strategy by facilitating economic growth and community development. These regionally designed plans focus on attracting a talented workforce, growing business and driving next-generation innovation. More information is available here.

    About Empire State Development
    Empire State Development is New York’s chief economic development agency, and promotes business growth, job creation, and greater economic opportunity throughout the state. With offices in each of the state’s 10 regions, ESD oversees the Regional Economic Development Councils, supports broadband equity through the ConnectALL office, and is growing the workforce of tomorrow through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development.

    The agency engages with emerging and next generation industries like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing looking to grow in New York State, operates a network of assistance centers to help small businesses grow and succeed, and promotes the state’s world class tourism destinations through I LOVE NY. For more information, please visit esd.ny.gov, and connect with ESD on LinkedIn, Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Photos/Video: Kaine, Heinrich, and Environmental Leaders Hold Press Conference on Trump’s War on Affordable, American-Made Energy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    FULL VIDEO OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE IS AVAILABLE HERE.

    PHOTOS & VIDEO OF KAINE ARE AVAILABLE HERE.

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and environmental leaders held a press conference calling for the end of President Trump’s war on affordable, American-made energy, which will raise energy costs for Americans and kill high-quality jobs. The senators were joined by Natural Resources Defense Council’s Senior Vice President of Climate Jackie Wong, Sierra Club’s Executive Director Ben Jealous, and League of Conservation Voters’ Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld.

    In the hours following his inauguration on January 20, 2025, President Trump signed a slew of executive orders, including the national energy emergency order, to withdraw support for renewable energy—despite its benefits to America’s economy and environment—and grant his administration new powers to promote fossil fuels at the cost of bedrock environmental laws. Kaine and Heinrich introduced legislation to terminate the national energy emergency President Trump declared. The legislation is privileged, meaning that the Senate will be required to vote on it. The vote is expected next week.

    “We are producing more energy now than at any other point in our history, and the U.S. is the envy of the world when it comes to energy innovation and production. The passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act have accelerated clean energy projects and created jobs, and we are on an amazing trajectory,” said Senator Kaine. “Trump’s sham emergency threatens to screw all of that up. Why? Because he’d rather benefit Big Oil and suspend environmental protections than lower costs and create jobs for the American people. I hope my colleagues will join me in voting to terminate President Trump’s emergency.”

    “America is producing more energy than ever before including both conventional and renewable sources. This is happening because of the year-over-year certainty Democrats created with tax structures and permitting that has allowed us to make solar, wind, and energy storage cheaper, faster, and less capital intensive to add to the electric grid. We made it possible to build big things in American once again,” said Senator Heinrich, Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “But now, Trump’s fake emergency declaration is causing enormous uncertainty. If you’re thinking about opening a new factory, you don’t know what your tax structure will be in the next 12 months. If you’re trying to site and build a new transmission line, the federal agencies you work with just had a ton of their expert staff sacked, making it more difficult to get a permit. This is going to kill skilled trades jobs and drive up the cost of your electricity bills by as much at $480 a year by 2030. Trump’s war on affordable, American-made energy is killing jobs and raising costs on working families.”

    “Trump falsely declared an energy emergency as a pretext to assert authority he lacks and to justify a raft of actions meant to lock us into decades more dependence on the fossil fuels that are driving the climate crisis. There is no energy emergency. There is a climate emergency. Trump’s actions will make it worse,” said Jackie Wong, Senior Vice President for Climate and Energy, Natural Resources Defense Council.

    “In the last four years, if you’re under 52, you’ve seen something happen for the first time in your adult life, which is America opening big new factories from coast to coast to give birth to big new industries,” said Ben Jealous, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. “Trump threatened the jobs of 77,000 workers in the wind industry on day one, sent shockwaves through their families and communities, and threatened to derail the United States from seizing the greatest economic opportunity on Planet Earth right now. Donald Trump’s objective here is to cut taxes and allow fossil fuel industries to continue to destroy beautiful places across this country in the interest of greed when we’ve got a better alternative. It’s time for our country’s people to rise up and demand the President of the United States put their interests first.”

    “We are NOT in an energy emergency. In fact, Trump inherited a thriving clean energy economy with more than 400,000 new jobs and more cheaper and cleaner energy than ever before. Yet Trump and Musk are desperate to impound, freeze, and repeal the very clean energy investments that lower energy bills and create jobs – the majority of which are in districts currently represented by Republicans – so they can pay for tax cuts for their billionaire buddies. Trump and Musk are firing civil servants who help keep our electricity grid safe and secure and gutting clean energy industries that employ thousands of other workers. And Trump and Musk are threatening our air and water and pushing to open up our most precious public lands for permanent destruction so Trump can make good on his promise to Big Oil CEOs to drill, drill, drill,” said Tiernan Sittenfeld, LCV SVP for Government Affairs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Farewell Address to Staff – Masatsugu Asakawa

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    Speech by Masatsugu Asakawa, President, Asian Development Bank, 19 February 2025, ADB headquarters, Manila, Philippines

    My very dear colleagues, here we are, together again in this room, where I stood before you five years ago to say, “hello,” and “call me Masa.” What a journey it has been!

    I don’t think any of us could have predicted what was in store for us on that February day back in 2020. Within just a few weeks, we were in the grip of a pandemic that drove us into lockdown, causing tremendous hardship and drastically changing how we work.

    My friends, our journey as an ADB family is forever connected to the journey of this region. And I believe we have shaped that journey, for the better.

    We have done our part to help our developing member countries to get through the pandemic and on a path to recovery; to be ready to tackle emerging crises and urgent threats, including the climate crisis; and to maintain focus on long-term development.

    I was so pleased to see highlights of this good work in the video you showed and to hear perspectives from Bruce, Nelly, and Bruno. Thank you very much for your kind words.

    I am deeply humbled that you credit our achievements to my contributions as President. But even more important, these achievements tell a story about what all of us can do when a challenge comes our way, and we face it together.

    So let me take a few moments to share a few reflections on how you have shaped me during this journey.

    I. Meeting unprecedented development challenges with quick and decisive action

    First, we needed quick, decisive, and bold action, at every step: as the pandemic struck, as the climate crisis mounted, and as there were calls to evolve to deliver better and faster.

    I remember coming to my office upstairs almost every day during lockdown. I held videoconferences with ministers and heads of state to see what assistance they needed. I knew ADB needed to respond without delay. And we did, thanks to you.

    I truly believe that our assistance helped to prevent grave suffering for millions, and fiscal collapse across our region. Our response, including budget and vaccine support, were spectacular achievements.

    The same is true for our climate action. I remember the intense discussions we had before going to Glasgow in 2021 for COP26. These paved the way for our $100 billion climate finance ambition, Energy Transition Mechanism, IF-CAP, and a just transition commitment across our climate operations. This was a real turning point that positioned us as the Climate Bank for Asia and the Pacific.

    II. Reforming and innovating to adapt to changing circumstances

    And then, we forged ahead with reforms, to unlock an additional $100 billion in lending capacity through CAF; to take stock, and make key shifts, through the NOM and midterm review of Strategy 2030; and to elevate critical agendas including private sector development, domestic resource mobilization, food security, digitalization, and gender equality.

    You also made sure that the poorest and most vulnerable in our region were not left behind. The ADF replenishment, including the novel financing you prepared, is helping people in places like Afghanistan and Myanmar, and small island developing states.

    All of this was made possible by thinking outside the box. The unprecedented circumstances we faced over the past five years demanded that ADB change quickly and do things differently. You did not hesitate to meet the demands of the moment.

    The circumstances also required ADB to balance many needs. Our operations shifted appropriately during the pandemic, to support response and recovery. It took some time for our climate financing to ramp back up, but it did. I know we will also continue to expand our contributions in areas like education and RCI.

    III. The priority of wellbeing

    As you can see, my friends, there was a lot on my mind over the past five years. A lot of things kept me up at night. But if I may, I’d like to emphasize my most important concern. It was to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff.

    I spoke to you often during the pandemic. I even sent you a musical greeting on my flute! I hope that it brought you some comfort to know that you were not alone.

    Another experience that I have not talked about as much is the evacuation of our local staff from Afghanistan when the government fell in 2021. It was such a dangerous and unpredictable situation, and we had very few options. But we had to find a way to get our staff to safety. After consulting with heads of state and coming up with a complex plan, we managed to get everyone out, just in time.

    That experience reminded me that staff wellbeing must remain ADB’s highest priority. And the reason is clear: ADB’s most valuable asset is its staff. Even more simply, we are family. And I am so touched by the way you treated me like family.

    Colleagues in our field offices, you were always so warm and welcoming when I visited the countries where you live and work. The memories of our beneficiaries, the historical sites, and the delicious local cuisine—and the selfies I took with you!—will stay with me forever.

    IV. In praise of staff

    Ever since I announced my intention to step down, I have been flooded with good wishes and praise for what ADB has done for the region during my Presidency. But I firmly believe that these successes are not coming from me. They are coming from you.

    You have been so innovative, so responsible, and so loyal to our mission. I always knew that whenever we faced a problem, I could consult staff, and you would come up with quick and relevant solutions. That is why, from Day 1, I felt nothing but optimism that we would achieve our mission. And I was never disappointed.

    Closing

    Your work over the last five years has put our region on the strongest possible foundation to build lasting prosperity, to stay resilient through crises and disasters, and to ensure that growth is inclusive and sustainable.

    Asia and the Pacific will indeed remain an engine for global growth for decades to come. And you helped make that possible. I am honored by the ways you stepped up to accomplish everything that I asked of you—and everything the region needed from us. I am in awe of what you have achieved. And my trust in you will never fade.

    I will step away now, but I know that the course we have navigated these past five years will take us to an even brighter future. I will be cheering for you every step of the way.

    And so, my dearest colleagues, my beloved friends and ADB family, thank you for a job well done. I wish you health, happiness, and good fortune on this unforgettable journey.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Budd Call for Inquiry Into Chinese AI Application on Pentagon Devices

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville

    DNI’s 2024 Annual Threat Assessment rates China as “most active and persistent threat” to U.S. government

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) in requesting information from the Pentagon about how many of its employees have used their government devices to access DeepSeek, a Chinese AI application. In a letter to Acting Chief Information Officer at the Department of Defense (DOD), Leslie A. Beavers, the senators also pressed for information surrounding potential cyber threats from the use of DeepSeek, and what practices are being implemented to prevent future cyber security risks.

    “We write to express our concern that Department of Defense (DOD) employees accessed the Chinese artificial intelligence application DeepSeek on their work devices and, as a result, Chinese servers,” wrote the senators.

    “It is also our understanding, based on the DoD’s Use of Mobile Applications 2023 report, that misuse of mobile applications on DoD personnel devices may not be simply a series of isolated incidents. While our immediate concern is to understand the impact of DoD employees’ access to DeepSeek on national security, we are also interested in understanding the DoD’s policy regarding mobile device applications to the end of ensuring we are diminishing cybersecurity risks associated with certain platforms,” they continued.

    Joining U.S. Senators Tuberville and Budd in sending the letter are U.S. Senators Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ).

    Read full text of the letter below or here.

    “Dear Ms. Beavers,

    We write to express our concern that Department of Defense (DOD) employees accessed the Chinese artificial intelligence application DeepSeek on their work devices and, as a result, Chinese servers.

    We understand that the National Security Council (NSC) is currently reviewing the national security implications of DeepSeek and expect this will be an ongoing conversation between Congress, the NSC, and relevant agencies. However, in the immediate term, we request that the Department provide information regarding potential impacts to the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) and the Department of Defense Information Network (DODIN) of the recent incident.

    The office of the Director of National Intelligence’s 2024 Annual Threat Assessment states that “China remains the most active and persistent cyber threat to the U.S. Government, private-sector and critical infrastructure networks”. This is evidenced by the recent Salt Typhoon Hack, a breach of at least eight U.S. telecommunications providers, among many other reports of cyberattacks originating from China.

    It is also our understanding, based on the DoD’s Use of Mobile Applications 2023 report, that misuse of mobile applications on DoD personnel devices may not be simply a series of isolated incidents. While our immediate concern is to understand the impact of DoD employees’ access to DeepSeek on national security, we are also interested in understanding the DoD’s policy regarding mobile device applications to the end of ensuring we are diminishing cybersecurity risks associated with certain platforms.

    Therefore, we request answers to the following questions by no later than March 4, 2025.

    • How many Department employees connected their work computers and/or mobile devices to Chinese servers via the DeepSeek Application?
    • Has the DeepSeek app now been deleted from all DoD devices? If not, what steps will you take to ensure the DeepSeek app is removed from all DoD devices?
    • What steps have been made to limit access on DoD devices to only those applications with a justified and approved need?
    • What is the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA’s) initial assessment about whether Chinese servers were able to access and exfiltrate sensitive information due to Department personnel use of DeepSeek?
    • How has the use of the DeepSeek app by Department personnel impacted the operational and cybersecurity risks to the DISN as well as the DODIN?
    • What guidance or training has DISA shared with Department employees regarding accessing Chinese AI app DeepSeek or any other Chinese-affiliated app?
    • We understand that the Navy issued guidance against using open-source AI systems for official work. What guidance (if any) are the other services and/or the Department issuing to employees?
    • What is DISA’s process for assessing which networks, websites and or applications have a connection to the People’s Republic of China and what are DISA’s standard operating procedures when made aware of such a connection?
    • What action (if any) has been taken regarding the DoD employees who connected their work computers and/or mobile devices to Chinese servers via the DeepSeek Application?
    • Have all of the recommendations from Management Advisory: The DoD’s Use of Mobile Applications (Report No. DODIG-2023-041) been implemented? If not, why not?

    Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to hearing from you and working with the Department of Defense to keep our networks safe from persistent cyber threats.

    Sincerely,”

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Ambassadors Program Begins in Alaska with Projects Exploring Three Food Systems

    Source: US Geological Survey

    New Ambassadors Program Begins in Alaska with Projects Exploring Three Food Systems

    Projects from the first cohort of Alaska CASC Ambassadors recently launched, supporting food security in Alaska through research on invasive European green crabs, food systems on Kodiak Island, and mariculture policy. 

    The Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) launched its inaugural Ambassadors Program, funding three one-year projects focused on food security in Alaska. Each project addresses critical environmental challenges related to food security – including invasive species education, mapping local food systems, and mariculture policy.  

    1. Invasive Species Education. In Ketchikan, researchers are working to increase public awareness of the invasive European green crab – a threat to native species and habitats. First discovered in Alaska in 2022, efforts to control the spread of European green crabs have gained momentum. However, the invasive green crab is easily confused with a native green crab, leading to potential accidental harm to the native species. To help people distinguish the species, researchers will develop educational materials and lead in-person classes. For instance, the invasive species can be identified by three raised bumps between the eyes, which the native green crabs lack. By improving identification skills, the researchers aim to prevent accidental harm to native crabs and support future management efforts.  

    2. Local Food Systems. On Kodiak Island, a Food System Vulnerability Assessment is underway to evaluate challenges and opportunities in the region’s food supply. Researchers and community partners are gathering input from local growers and harvesters and are considering both wild food harvests and cultivated foods. The researchers will use climate projections from the Scenarios Network for Arctic Planning’s Garden Helper Tool, which models and visualizes future temperature and precipitation patterns to help growers in the region. Other findings from the assessment can help guide climate adaptation strategies that support local food production. 

    3. Mariculture Policy. In Southeast Alaska, researchers are examining how state and federal laws, such as harvest limits and seasonal restrictions, impact Tribal fisheries including salmon, hooligan, and clams. Researchers are exploring ways to include Indigenous Knowledge into marine regulations, ensuring that traditional harvesting practices and community needs are represented in decision-making. By fostering dialogue between policymakers and Tribal leaders, the project aims to strengthen trust, improve resource management, and support sustainable fisheries for future generations.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Two in five scientists report harassment and intimidation. Often, the perpetrators are inside the institution

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hales, Director, Centre for Sustainable Enterprise, Griffith University

    Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

    The goal of science is to uncover truths and create new knowledge. But this is not always welcome. Increasingly, scientific findings are being attacked or downplayed. And scientists themselves face intimidation or harassment.

    In our global study of more than 2,000 scientists across six areas of science, two-fifths (41%) of respondents had, as a result of their work, been harassed or intimidated at least once over a five-year period.

    Intimidation efforts included online abuse, physical threats, and threats to budgets or employment. Harassment, while personal, could be meted out by superiors, colleagues or outsiders. Some scientists felt their leaders had thrown them under the bus to protect the institution’s reputation.

    Who’s doing the intimidation? Strikingly, a majority of cases of intimidation and harassment actually came from inside the institution for most fields. That is, it was perpetrated by senior colleagues or managers. But for climate scientists, most intimidation efforts came from outside.

    Intimidation of scientists doesn’t happen in a vacuum. In recent years, there has been a rise in populist leaders who pour scorn on “elites” and evidence. Scientific issues are increasingly politicised. Disinformation is rampant. This atmosphere adds to the pressure faced by scientists, especially those working in politically sensitive areas such as climate science or COVID.

    Harassment and intimidation can silence or isolate scientists.
    Hayk_Shalunts/Shutterstock

    What did we find?

    We used an online database of scientists to find and contact experts publishing in six fields: climate science, medical health, humanities and social science, food and plant science, astronomy, and other STEM areas.

    More than 2,000 responded to our survey on whether they had experienced various types of intimidation or harassment. We asked respondents for more detail on the perpetrators, what triggered the incident, and what effect it had on them.

    Many respondents had a clear view as to what the intimidation or harassment was meant to do. The motivations of perpetrators varied greatly. But the most common reasons were to damage their reputation, to stop them from publishing certain types of research, or to “put me in my place”.

    Specific fields of science were more prone to harassment and intimidation – in particular climate science, and humanities and social science.

    Among those scientists who had been intimidated, climate scientists reported online abuse three times more often than astronomers. Climate science is politically charged, because climate change is clearly linked to pollution from some of the world’s largest industries – oil, gas and coal. Astronomy is not. Half of the climate scientist respondents experiencing intimidation saw the bad behaviour as a way to discourage them from undertaking specific research and speaking about it.

    Researchers from humanities and social sciences faced similar levels of online abuse to climate scientists.

    When it came to personal harassment, there was a clear gender dimension. Among those who reported experiencing harassment, female scientists were more than four times more likely to report “unwelcome or inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature” than their male counterparts. Women were affected almost twice as much as men by non-sexual forms of personal harassment.

    Our findings follow earlier research finding similar rates of intimidation. For instance, a 2021 survey of 321 scientists working on COVID-19 found 15% had received death threats and 22% received threats of sexual violence.

    Intimidation and harassment are damaging

    The consequences of intimidation are profound and far-reaching. Many scientists told us the experience had caused lasting damage, whether to wellbeing, career prospects or research activities.

    More than 40% of those affected said their career prospects had worsened following incidents of harassment. Just over a third (34%) reported a decline in their desire to work in science. Scientists who experienced intimidation often cut back their collaboration with colleagues (35%), leaving them more isolated.

    Many of our respondents described flow-on effects such as decreased access to funding (35% of respondents) and less public communication from their institution about their work (23%).

    Scientists targeted with multiple types of harassment reported very damaging effects, from difficulty finding their next job to poor mental health.

    Intimidation slows progress

    Intimidation and harassment have a chilling effect on science. This, in turn, could hinder progress on crucial issues such as climate change, public health and technological advancements.

    The disproportionate impact on women and researchers in politically sensitive fields threatens to undermine diversity and inclusivity in science.

    Without targeted interventions, women in science may continue to suffer disproportionate levels of harassment and intimidation. This will have long-term implications for gender diversity in scientific leadership and the direction of research in various fields.

    In the United States, the Trump administration’s withdrawals from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization are likely to further embolden anti-science movements. Many American scientific institutions are engaged in anticipatory obedience of the Trump administration’s demands that diversity and anti-discrimination programs be abolished, or climate change stop being mentioned. Many even go beyond what is explicitly sought.

    Female scientists are targeted in different ways.
    PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

    What can be done?

    Science and academia is often seen as a bastion of free inquiry and open discussion. One of our most surprising findings was how common intimidation was within scientific institutions.

    The key to beating intimidation is organisational support and clear strategies, not obedience. These include:

    • genuine commitment to institutional policies protecting scientists from both internal and external intimidation

    • formal, well-resourced support systems for researchers facing harassment or pressure (not the HR office)

    • programs to increase public understanding of the scientific process to build trust and resilience to misinformation

    • boosting international collaboration between scientists and policymakers to ensure resilience against country-specific efforts to undermine science

    • educating the public on the importance of scientific independence and of fostering respectful dialogue around contentious topics.

    As populist movements gain traction in many countries, scientists working on controversial issues will face heightened scrutiny – and potentially more intimidation.

    Climate science is likely to remain a particularly contested field. As the damage wrought by climate change becomes more and more apparent, it will get even more contentious.

    Over the last few centuries, science has produced breakthroughs in many areas. But the integrity of science is not guaranteed. Harassment and intimidation from both inside and outside institutions has a very real effect on scientists.

    The future of evidence-based decision-making and ability to tackle global challenges depends on fostering an environment where scientists can work free from fear and undue pressure.

    Robert Hale receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    David Peetz undertook research over many years with occasional financial support from governments from both sides of politics, employers and unions. He has been and is involved in several Australian Research Council-funded projects, including this one.

    Ian Lowe was president of the Australian Conservation Foundation from 2004 to 2014.

    Carolyn Troup and Georgina Murray 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.

    – ref. Two in five scientists report harassment and intimidation. Often, the perpetrators are inside the institution – https://theconversation.com/two-in-five-scientists-report-harassment-and-intimidation-often-the-perpetrators-are-inside-the-institution-248013

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Customs and Marine Police detected six large-scale maritime smuggling cases involving cigarettes and drugs during joint anti-smuggling operations (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hong Kong Customs and Marine Police detected six large-scale maritime smuggling cases involving cigarettes and drugs during joint anti-smuggling operations (with photo)
    Hong Kong Customs and Marine Police detected six large-scale maritime smuggling cases involving cigarettes and drugs during joint anti-smuggling operations (with photo)
    ******************************************************************************************

         Hong Kong Customs and the Marine Police conducted joint operations from February 12 to 19 targeting large-scale maritime smuggling activities and six cases involving suspected illicit cigarettes and suspected dangerous drugs were detected. During the joint operations, a total of about 16.93 million sticks of suspected illicit cigarettes and 459 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds were seized.     Customs and police officers conducted anti-smuggling operations in Sai Kung and Lantau Island from February 13 to 16 and detected four suspected illicit cigarettes smuggling cases. A total of 4.1 million sticks of suspected illicit cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $19 million and a duty potential of about $13.5 million, found in four goods vehicles and the waters nearby. The four goods vehicles involved in the cases were also detained.                 At small hours on February 18, Customs found a suspicious unattended fishing vessel in Shau Kei Wan Typhoon Shelter. Upon inspection, Customs officers seized 12.83 million suspected illicit cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $57 million and a duty potential of about $42 million, inside the compartments of the vessel.      Later on the same day, Customs intercepted a suspicious fishing vessel in the waters off Lamma Island, during which persons onboard the fishing vessel threw numerous nylon bags into the sea. Customs officers then took immediate action to board the vessel and retrieved the subject nylon bags from the water. Upon inspection, a total of about 459kg suspected cannabis buds, with an estimated market value of about $118 million, were found inside the nylon bags. Three local men, aged between 44 and 60, suspected to be connected with the case were arrested in the operation.     Investigations on the above mentioned six cases are ongoing.     Being a government department primarily responsible for tackling smuggling activities, Customs has long been combating various smuggling activities at the forefront. Customs will keep up its enforcement action and continue to fiercely combat sea smuggling activities through proactive risk management and intelligence-based enforcement strategies. Customs will continue co-operating and exchanging intelligence with the Police, Mainland and international law enforcement agencies, with targeted anti-smuggling operations carried out at suitable times to disrupt these activities.     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.      Under the Dangerous Drug Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.     Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking or illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour report hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).

     
    Ends/Wednesday, February 19, 2025Issued at HKT 22:27

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Leads Bipartisan Effort to Improve Important Weather Forecasting Tools

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen the collection of weather and soil moisture data and improve the accuracy of extreme weather warnings and agriculture forecasts.
    “The mesonet and soil moisture monitoring probes are crucial tools for Kansans. Weather affects everything on the farm, and a deeper understanding of what’s happening above and below the ground provides farmers more certainty when making crop decisions,” said Senator Marshall. “Better weather data collection for Kansas also helps us predict wildfires and tornadoes before they arrive, which has the potential to save lives in cases of extreme weather. I’m proud to introduce this important, bipartisan legislation.”
    “For Hawai‘i and other states vulnerable to floods, droughts, and severe weather, better data means better forecasts, better prepared communities, and faster emergency response times,” said Senator Schatz. “This same data also helps farmers and ranchers navigate droughts.”
    The Improving Flood and Agricultural Forecasts Act of 2025 codifies and expands the National Mesonet Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and updates other programs that are crucial to Kansans, such as the National Drought Information System and the Soil Moisture Monitoring Network. 
    You may click HERE to read the full bill text. 
    BACKGROUND:
    Mesonets are weather observation data tools that observe and track mesoscale weather events, and they are crucial for collecting hyperlocal meteorological data, such as soil moisture and stream gauges, to better forecast weather, flood, fire, and agricultural impacts. 
    Improving the National Mesonet Program and outlining its objectives through this bill would give NOAA authority to address critical gaps in weather data and forecasting. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The 21st Century Packhorse Librarians to Visit Mountain Gateway Museum

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: The 21st Century Packhorse Librarians to Visit Mountain Gateway Museum

    The 21st Century Packhorse Librarians to Visit Mountain Gateway Museum
    jejohnson6

    The Mountain Gateway Museum will host the 21st Century Packhorse Librarians on March 1 to distribute free books.

    The free, family friendly event will take place at the museum’s new location (78-C Catawba Ave., Old Fort, NC) from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Books ranging from children’s board books, to young adult titles, adult fiction, poetry, and more, will be available.

    Inspired by the Packhorse Librarians of the 1930s who brought books to the community, Kirsten Turner launched a modern take on the group following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. The 1930s version was part of the Works Progress Administration programs delivering books to the communities of the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky, while employing around 200 women. Often these women rode or walked into town on horses or mules loaded with books. Turner will deliver books from a trailer instead of a horse.

    For more information, please call the museum at 828-785-9528 or visit our website at mgmnc.org. To learn more about the 21st Century Packhorse Librarians, visit them on Facebook at 21st Century Packhorse Librarians.

    About Mountain Gateway Museum
    A regional branch of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, the Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center (MGM) is the westernmost facility in the N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources’ Division of State History Museums.

    Nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of historic Mill Creek in downtown Old Fort (McDowell County), the museum uses artifacts, exhibitions, educational programs, living history demonstrations, and special events to teach people about the rich history and cultural heritage of the state’s mountain region, from its original inhabitants through early settlement and into the 20th century.  

    As part of its education outreach mission, MGM also assists non-profit museums and historic sites in 38 western NC counties with exhibit development and fabrication, genealogical research, photography archives, traveling exhibitions, and consultations.

    About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
    The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Feb 19, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How refugee entrepreneurs are supplying sustainable energy to the camps they live in

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, Research Advisor on Humanitarian Energy, University of Oxford

    Refugees are providing energy within camps home to millions of displaced people around the world, my research has found.

    There are now more than 120 million forcibly displaced people globally. Although United Nations humanitarian agencies provide firewood and small electric lanterns, these are often not enough for most families.

    To make up the shortfall, entrepreneurial refugees in the camps I visited have become energy suppliers by establishing shops, phone charging stations, even cinemas.

    While visiting camps administered by the UN Refugee Agency in Rwanda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and other countries across Africa, I was struck by the hum of electricity and the smell of cooking in the camps’ markets. Energy was everywhere.

    A mobile phone and electronics market shop at the Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya.
    Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, CC BY-NC-ND

    In all the camps I visited, people were selling clothes, cooking bowls and toys, as well as lighting and electrical appliances. These shops all used energy – computers totted up bills and printed receipts, radios played music, and people everywhere were using mobile phones and the internet. Fans and motors were working hard to keep things cool and the power on. Refugees buy these products at local markets – which are often run by refugees themselves.

    After conducting over 170 interviews with refugees and humanitarian practitioners, it became clear refugees buy their own energy to run many of these cafes and shops: buying their own diesel, generators, or electricity technologies including solar panels and batteries.

    Formal refugee energy access provided by humanitarian agencies or national governments is projected to be very low: Chatham House statistics suggest 94% of forcibly displaced people living in camps have no meaningful access to power, and 81% lack anything other than the most basic fuels for cooking.

    Renewable connections

    Local energy businesses operating around the camps in Rwanda and Kenya, such as BBOX or MESH Power, provide solar solutions such as selling solar panels and solar home systems from which refugees can have lighting, charge their phones and plug in electrical appliances. These renewable systems help to lower the costs – but sometimes the companies are not able to expand their businesses within refugee camps due to UN restrictions.

    As one of the refugees I spoke to in Rwanda explained: “You can see two types of solar business really. Those using energy that is easy to get to – off-the-shelf products and services – to keep the lights on in the night, or offer cool drinks or a fan. And those businesses where really energy is the business … where people can use solar home systems or other technologies.”

    Sadly, this picture is not uniform across the world. For example, buying diesel in refugee camps or purchasing kerosene for lanterns can be very expensive. Spending by displaced people on simple cooking fuels and technologies, as well as basic lighting, is estimated to be around US$200 (£160) per year per family, for less than four hours of energy a day.

    Buying from external energy suppliers often comes at great cost to refugee families as energy in refugee camps can be incredibly expensive. Estimates suggest that refugee households in Kenya and Burkina Faso spend between 15% and 30% of their income on energy – a figure that in the UK would mean a household was in a situation of extreme fuel poverty.

    In total, refugee households around the world spend at least US$2.1 billion (£1.68 billion) on energy each year.

    Refugee-led businesses

    In the face of such challenges, refugee energy entrepreneurs are expanding the range of energy services and products available to refugee communities in terms of sustainability: providing new solar solutions and electricity connections from solar-powered energy sources. For members of the refugee community who use this service, this can reduce the cost of energy.

    These refugee-led enterprises often start after refugees have saved or borrowed money from friends and family to start their energy businesses – for example, by buying a solar panel and battery and charging customers to use the electricity it generates. Sometimes referred to as micro-enterprises or energy entrepreneurs, they go beyond being passive users of electricity and become active participants in the energy economies of refugee camps.

    Examples of such businesses include Kakuma Ventures, based in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, which provides wifi and solar energy access to more than 1,500 people in the camps.

    A grid pylon next to refugee homes at Kigeme refugee camp, Rwanda.
    Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, CC BY-NC-ND

    Another example is Patapia, based in camps in Uganda, which helps refugee women launch and grow businesses powered by clean energy. Successful refugee-led energy businesses are highlighted by the work of climate change charity Ashden through its Humanitarian Energy Award, and its support for local businesses leading the way on sustainable energy in humanitarian settings.

    Indeed, many new global initiatives and humanitarian programmes are starting to take seriously the role of refugee-led organisations and businesses. Take the work of Last Mile Climate, which is dedicated to helping grassroots initiatives, refugee-led businesses, charities, humanitarian agencies and government organisations tackle climate-related challenges.

    Refugees are also writing on this issue in the media, highlighting how important the issue of inclusivity is in delivering the sustainable energy transition in humanitarian contexts.

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen received funding from the Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF)

    – ref. How refugee entrepreneurs are supplying sustainable energy to the camps they live in – https://theconversation.com/how-refugee-entrepreneurs-are-supplying-sustainable-energy-to-the-camps-they-live-in-242862

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How satellites revolutionised climate change science

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Will de Freitas, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition

    aappp / shutterstock

    Until relatively recently, humans were limited by the horizon. Climate scientists of the early 20th century could gather data from the world around them and perhaps what they were able to see from a hot air balloon or plane. But the really big picture – the global snapshot – remained out of sight.

    This roundup of The Conversation’s climate coverage comes from our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed.

    The first satellite of any kind was the USSR’s Sputnik 1, launched in 1957. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that satellites designed specifically to observe the Earth and its climate made it into orbit and gave us the first overview of weather patterns. By the 1970s Nasa’s Landsat satellites were able to monitor things like tree cover.

    Jonathan Bamber, a climate scientist at the University of Bristol, says this “revolutionised our ability to carry out a comprehensive and timely health check on the planetary systems we rely on for our survival”. Data that once required months or even years of fieldwork was suddenly available in the time it took a satellite to orbit the planet.

    These days, this data can be remarkably precise and detailed. Bamber says: “We can measure changes in sea level down to a single millimetre, changes in how much water is stored in underground rocks, the temperature of the land and ocean and the spread of atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gases, all from space.”

    Here’s a map of sea level rise, from Bamber’s article highlighting five satellite images that show how fast our planet is changing:

    The sea is rising quickly – but not evenly.
    ESA/CLS/LEGOS, CC BY-SA

    “This image,” writes Bamber, “shows mean sea level trends over 13 years in which the global average rise was about 3.2mm a year. But the rate was three or four times faster in some places, like the south western Pacific to the east of Indonesia and New Zealand, where there are numerous small islands and atolls that are already very vulnerable to sea level rise.”



    Read more:
    Five satellite images that show how fast our planet is changing

    In recent years, scientists have used AI to sift through and analyse satellite data. Bamber’s latest research, published in January this year, illustrates this nicely.

    A team of scientists, lead by Tian Li also of the University of Bristol, gathered millions of satellite images of glaciers in Svalbard, a remote and icy archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. In their write up, they note that human researchers once painstakingly looked through this sort of data.

    “This process”, they write, “is highly labour-intensive, inefficient and particularly unreproducible as different people can spot different things even in the same satellite image. Given the number of satellite images available nowadays, we may not have the human resources to map every region for every year.”

    Their solution was to use AI to “quickly identify glacier patterns across large areas”. The satellite-AI combo meant they could examine Svalbard’s retreating glaciers – surely among the least accessible places on the planet – in “unprecedented scale and scope”.

    They found that 91% of the many glaciers that flow into the sea around the archipelago have been “shrinking significantly”. They note that the same types of glacier can be found across the Arctic, and “what happens to glaciers in Svalbard is likely to be repeated elsewhere”.



    Read more:
    We built an AI model that analysed millions of images of retreating glaciers – what it found is alarming

    Many of those glaciers can be found in Greenland, home of the northern hemisphere’s largest ice sheet. In research published earlier this month, Tom Chudley of Durham University used satellite images to assess crevasses (cracks in the glaciers) in Greenland.

    A large glacier in west Greenland flows into the sea. That iceberg filled fjord is several miles wide.
    Copernicus Sentinel / lavizzara / shutterstock

    Chudley also combined satellite images with computerised analysis. His work made use of “ArcticDEM”, three dimensional maps of the polar regions based on high resolution satellite images.

    “By applying image-processing techniques to over 8,000 maps, we could estimate how much water, snow or air would be needed to “fill” each crevasse across the ice sheet. This enabled us to calculate their depth and volume, and examine how they evolved.“

    His conclusion was very blunt: the Greenland ice sheet is falling apart.



    Read more:
    The Greenland ice sheet is falling apart – new study

    Health watchdogs

    Many of you will be well aware that satellites are being used to monitor the health of the planet. What’s less well known is the role they can play in monitoring human health.

    Dhritiraj Sengupta, a satellite scientist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, says satellites have become Earth’s new health and nature watchdog. His article details how satellites can map mosquito breeding sites to combat malaria, for instance, or can identify air pollution hotspots in cities.

    In his own research, he’s used satellite-derived chlorophyll data to assess the risk of cholera. Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants that helps them use sunlight to make their food and grow.

    “Many bacteria like Vibrio cholerae which causes cholera, thrive in stagnant water,” Sengupta writes. “My team worked with the European Space Agency to show that its presence can be modelled using the concentration of chlorophyll found on the surface of bodies of water.”



    Read more:
    How satellites have become Earth’s new health and nature watchdogs

    So far, so good. Satellites have undeniably been useful for climate scientists. But in the longer-term, the satellites themselves may have an unforeseen effect on the climate.

    Last year, SpaceX announced it would “deorbit” 100 of its Starlink satellites to burn up in the atmosphere. Fionagh Thomson is a space expert, also at Durham University. She says that “atmospheric scientists are increasingly concerned that this sort of apparent fly-tipping by the space sector will cause further climate change down on Earth.”

    Particles from the satellites themselves won’t have a huge effect compared to the “440 tonnes of meteoroids that enter the atmosphere daily, along with volcanic ash and human-made pollution from industrial processes on Earth.”

    But one team “recently, and unexpectedly, found potential ozone-depleting metals from spacecraft in the stratosphere, the atmospheric layer where the ozone layer is formed.” The worry is that satellite debris may help form certain types of clouds that lead to ozone loss and may add to the greenhouse effect.

    She notes that this is all uncertain and needs more research. “But,” she writes, “we’ve also learnt that if we wait until indisputable evidence is available, it may be too late, as with the loss of ozone. It’s a constant dilemma.”

    Something for SpaceX scientists to look into, perhaps, once they’ve finished rescuing stranded astronauts from the International Space Station.



    Read more:
    Satellites are burning up in the upper atmosphere – and we still don’t know what impact this will have on the Earth’s climate

    – ref. How satellites revolutionised climate change science – https://theconversation.com/how-satellites-revolutionised-climate-change-science-250312

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Amid Rising Living Costs, Climate Change, Secretary-General Tells Second Food Systems Summit Stocktake ‘All Hands on Deck’ Needed to Create Healthy, Resilient Structure

    Source: United Nations 4

    Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s opening remarks, as delivered, at the Member States’ briefing on the second Food Systems Summit Stocktake, in New York today:

    It is a real pleasure to join our permanent representatives and welcome you all today.

    As you all know transforming our food systems is essential to driving progress across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and delivering for everyone, everywhere — sufficient, nutritious food — now and in the future, particularly as we go towards the five years to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    That is why, in 2021, the UN Secretary-General convened the UN Food Systems Summit.  This established the foundation for a new, integrated approach to food systems — placing food at the heart of our efforts to address poverty, zero hunger, inequality, climate change and biodiversity loss.  It has reshaped the global narrative, building an engine of transformation that recognizes food systems as a key lever to accelerate and reinforce SDG progress.

    Building on this momentum, the first Summit Stocktake, hosted by the Government of Italy in 2023, reaffirmed strong political will among nations.  Countries pledged to increase the pace of their efforts towards sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems transformation.

    But, it also highlighted persistent gaps and challenges.  Among them, an urgent need to enhance public-private-community partnerships, and strengthen private sector engagement.

    These crucial issues identified at the first stocktake, resulted in the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action.  The Call identified six critical areas for concerted action, including: securing concessional finance, investments, budget support and debt restructuring.  It also emphasized addressing food security in crisis situations.

    The proposed SDG Stimulus — of $500 billion a year — was recognized as a game-changer, offering fiscal space and resources, including through Special Drawing Rights rechannelling.  Finance was emphasized as a critical component of food systems transformation, along with support of our multilateral development banks in unlocking investments in this field.

    Given the global context riddled with challenges of rising living costs, social inequalities, climate change and geopolitical tensions, we will need all hands on deck to reach food systems transformations with the impact to advance on the 2030 Agenda.

    Now, in just over five months, Addis Ababa will host the second United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake.

    We are grateful to the Government of Ethiopia for hosting this important event and for making our commitment to take the second stocktake to a developing country, a reality.  Worth noting also is its leadership and extensive work on its policy environment, infrastructure development and the production of food that engages small holder farmers across the country.  We are grateful to Italy, which has agreed to co-host, for its legacy and continued leadership and support to food systems transformation.  It is important that we see leadership and sustainability of that support at the country level.

    The Stocktake will be different — it has to be — in response to many of the requests for us to have more focus and impact.

    First, we will be reflecting on progress since 2023, with a report from the system, but also a shadow report from our stakeholders.  Second, we will be partnering to track commitments and outcomes through national food systems pathways to accelerate SDG implementation.  And third, unlocking investments to sustain and scale transformative initiatives aligned with the SDGs.

    In preparations for the Stocktake, we are committed to an inclusive, cross-sectoral efforts and consultations.  We will hold a second briefing in Nairobi next week engaging UN headquarters in Nairobi, Rome and Geneva.  In addition, we will hold five regional briefings, on the margins of the United Nations Regional Forums on Sustainable Development, from March to May.

    We will also be engaging all our resident coordinators in UN country teams, at the country level so that they are fully engaged with our Member States in bringing to Addis Ababa the progress, and of course, the challenges and opportunities.

    At the same time, we will push progress towards food systems transformation, including through important gatherings this year — the fourth Financing for Development Conference in Spain, thirtieth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in Brazil, the second World Summit on Social Development in Qatar and the third United Nations Ocean Conference in France.

    These are all critical platforms to drive progress, harness collective action and create new investment opportunities.

    As Member States, you are at the forefront of this transformation.  Your leadership and coordination will be instrumental in ensuring that the Stocktake inspires real action at the national level.  The United Nations is with you — committed to creating sustainable, inclusive, healthy and resilient food systems everywhere, across all our regions, reaching everyone.

    We thank you for this important opportunity that will help us to shape the Stocktake in Addis Ababa in July.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FinTech Grad Student Nick Savignano Earns Competitive International Business Fellowship

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Graduate student Nick Savignano ’25 has always been the type of person to roll up his sleeves and help others, whether spearheading a new project at work or clearing debris after Hurricane Katrina.

    When Savignano, a graduate student in the FinTech program, heard about a program that connects postgraduate business students with small- and medium-sized enterprises in the developing world, he was immediately interested.

    He recently learned that he was accepted as a Fellow in the prestigious DHL GoTrade GBSN Fellowship Program and is waiting to learn what industry and country he will be paired with during the eight-month program, which begins in March. The Fellowship program, which is remote, will also give him the chance to engage with global experts, participate in workshops, and develop new skills and mentorship.

    “Figuring out how to address problems and challenges and coming up with unique solutions is all very exciting for me. I’m going to give it my heart and soul,’’ he said. Savignano said he is looking forward to collaborating with people from another part of the world and the opportunity to work with another fellow.

    Students from 45 Countries Competed for 61 Fellowships

    The Fellowship program is highly competitive, said Natalie Timinskas, Coordinator of Students Programs at the Global Business School Network (GBSN). This year, the organization received almost 300 applications from master’s and Ph.D. candidates from 45 countries and 88 universities. Only 61 were accepted into the cohort.

    “The caliber of candidates was exceptional, with applicants showcasing impressive passion and dedication to advancing management and entrepreneurship in emerging and developing markets,’’ she said.

    The network cannot disclose the specific enterprises, as they are still finalizing agreements, but they are working with businesses from various industries, she said. Last year’s cohort worked on projects across diverse sectors, such as food and beverage, jewelry, textiles, e-commerce, crafts, and leather goods.

    Creating, Improving and Shaking Things Up

    Savignano earned his bachelor’s degree at Loyola University in 2018, with a finance major. He spent the next five years working in the mortgage industry in Maryland.

    He chose to apply to the UConn FinTech program, at that time only the second in the nation, because he loved everything about finance, and was intrigued by new ways of receiving and processing payments. During his time at UConn, he has also worked with the entrepreneurship programs here to investigate an idea he has for creating his own company.

    Savignano said he enjoys creating, improving processes, and shaking things up.

    “The Fellowship will be an exciting resume builder and also a very unique story to share,’’ he said. “I think it will also be one of those ‘contagious’ things that many people will become interested in doing.’’

    As he looks at his career growth, Savignano said he wants to be in a position to make strategic decisions.

    “I came to UConn to learn that aspect of business, and I think I’ve been successful,’’ he said. “I’m happy to represent UConn through this and to spread the UConn name because this university has done so much for me.’’

    John Wilson, Academic Director of FinTech program, said Savignano has been a standout student.

    “We encourage all students to map their own academic journey. Nicholas has taken that encouragement to heart and taken advantage of every opportunity,’’ Wilson said. “This, along with his drive and dedication, makes him a solid selection for the Fellowship program and we are confident that he will represent UConn well.’’

    Savignano said he feels fortunate that the FinTech program created an opportunity for him to attend ITC insurance innovation conference in Las Vegas last year, where he met industry veterans, tried brand-new products, learned about challenges of the insurance industry, and engaged with top executives.’’

    Network Offers Host of Opportunities for Ambitious Students

    Arminda Kamphausen, Director of Global & Sustainability Initiatives, said the School’s recent decision to become a member of the GBSN has provided both students and faculty with international opportunities that enrich educational experiences and research resources.

    “This chance for Nick to use what he is learning in the FinTech program to work on an international team to support a small or medium enterprise is just one of many such opportunities,’’ she said.

    “GBSN also gives our students opportunities to compete in an annual case competition, organizes thematic faculty working groups, such as Business and Human Rights, and offers monthly virtual events for sharing of member institution best practices,’’ Kamphausen said. “It also convenes an annual conference for substantive discussions on how business schools can continue to provide responsible training to their students and positive impact in the world.’’

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WISER Awarded Eight UConn Projects to Advance Weather Innovation and Energy Resilience

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded UConn and its partners several new projects to advance weather- and climate-based solutions for the energy industry.

    On Feb. 6-7, the NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for Weather Innovation and Smart Energy and Resilience (WISER) hosted its Industry Advisory Board meeting. During the gathering, the NSF announced funding for 10 new projects, with UConn is involved in eight of them.

    UConn Tech Park Executive Director Emmanouil Anagnostou speaks at a recent meeting with the WISER Industry Advisory Board. (contributed photo)

    Established in 2023, WISER NSF IUCRC is a two-site center shared by the University at Albany and UConn. The Center combines cutting-edge technologies with the benefits of industry partnerships to address the evolving challenges posed by extreme weather and climate change.

    “By fostering collaboration between academia and industry, WISER is poised to become a leading resource for solutions that enhance resilience and sustainability in the energy sector, says Emmanouil Anagnostou, the primary investigator for UConn’s WISER site.

    During the meeting, the 10-member Advisory Board announced the awarded projects following a highly competitive selection process. The Board was enthusiastic about WISER’s proposals, continuing a legacy of successful and impactful projects that have resulted from the collaboration between the UConn and Albany.

    The projects will expand WISER’s research portfolio in weather and power outage prediction, energy demand, grid resilience, and risk management. “I am excited by the number of highly competitive proposals submitted by UConn faculty and look forward to growing UConn’s research and technology innovation on energy resilience and security,” Says Anagnostou.

    This year WISER’s Industry Advisory Board consists of ten members: Avangrid, Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp, Con Edison, Eversource Energy, Hydro‑Québec, National Grid, New York Power Authority, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, New York State Foundation for Science, Technology, and Innovation, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

    The following are the eight WISER projects in which UConn will take part:

    • Wind power resources for Northeast US under a changing climate (PI: M. Astitha, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering)
    • Extreme heat metrics for more accurate energy demand prediction (PI: G. Wang, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering)
    • Integrating interdisciplinary resilience indices for power outages and restorations (PI: W. Zhang, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering)
    • Predicting extreme weather–induced power outages with spatially aware hybrid graph neural networks (PI: D. Song, School of Computing)
    • A mapping tool for addressing socioeconomic and demographic disparities in power outage impacts (PI: A. Bagtzoglou, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering)
    • Quantifying grid resiliency using GFM with HELICS co-simulation for enhancing outage management during the extreme weather events (PI: S.Y. Park, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering)
    • Weather-power-grid testbed experiments for risk contingency management during hazards: cascading failures, fragility curves, and grid and weather monitoring needs (PI: M. Peña, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering)
    • Snowstorm changes and their impact on power outages over the Northeast (co-PI: D. Cerrai, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering)

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Edinburgh Libraries launch new recycling programme to promote sustainability and digital reuse

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Edinburgh Libraries have held the official launch of a new recycling programme aimed at promoting sustainability and digital reuse across the city.

    The service secured £23,000 in funding from the Public Library Improvement Fund, awarded by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), which supports innovative initiatives in areas such as digital upskilling, sustainability, and inclusivity.

    This funding will allow Edinburgh Libraries to collaborate with Edinburgh Remakery to introduce Tech Donation Boxes to 15 libraries, these boxes will provide Edinburgh residents with an easy, welcoming, and accessible way to donate their old devices. Donated tech devices will be repaired and reused when possible or responsibly recycled when necessary, contributing to a circular economy and reducing electronic waste.

    The programme was officially launched at Craigmillar Library last night (Tuesday 18 February), where attendees were introduced to the project and had the chance to participate in various activities, including a Making Jewellery with Recycled Materials workshop (featuring old computer parts, circuit boards, and more), a Climate Fresk Quiz, and an exhibition showcasing children’s crafts made from recycled materials.

    Councillor Val Walker, Culture and Communities Convener said:

    In 2023 Edinburgh Remakery tech boxes were hosted within two libraries –Central Library and Wester Hailes Library. The response from the public was fantastic, and the library service was successful in securing an award from Edinburgh Remakery for the high volume of donations received.
    Thanks to this new funding, we’re able to extend our partnership with the Edinburgh Remakery, working across 15 public libraries to host Tech Donation Boxes and expand the role of our libraries in promoting sustainability throughout the city.

    Elaine Brown, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Remakery, said: 

    At Edinburgh Remakery, we are passionate about giving old tech a second life, and this partnership with Edinburgh Libraries is a fantastic step towards a more sustainable and digitally inclusive city. By making tech donation easy and accessible, we are not only reducing electronic waste but also ensuring that more people can benefit from refurbished devices. Together, we are creating a future where waste is minimised, and resources are maximised for the benefit of our community.
     

    Published: February 19th 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Budd Leads Bipartisan Inquiry Into Chinese DeepSeek on Pentagon Devices

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)
    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) sent a letter to Acting Chief Information Officer at the Department of Defense, Leslie A. Beavers, requesting information on, “how many Department employees connected their work computers and/or mobile devices to Chinese servers via the DeepSeek Application”.
    Read the text of the letter:
    We write to express our concern that Department of Defense (DOD) employees accessed the Chinese artificial intelligence application DeepSeek on their work devices and, as a result, Chinese servers.
    We understand that the National Security Council (NSC) is currently reviewing the national security implications of DeepSeek and expect this will be an ongoing conversation between Congress, the NSC, and relevant agencies. However, in the immediate term, we request that the Department provide information regarding potential impacts to the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) and the Department of Defense Information Network (DODIN) of the recent incident.
    The office of the Director of National Intelligence’s 2024 Annual Threat Assessment states that “China remains the most active and persistent cyber threat to the U.S. Government, private-sector and critical infrastructure networks”. This is evidenced by the recent Salt Typhoon Hack, a breach of at least eight U.S. telecommunications providers, among many other reports of cyberattacks originating from China.
    It is also our understanding, based on the DoD’s Use of Mobile Applications 2023 report, that misuse of mobile applications on DoD personnel devices may not be simply a series of isolated incidents. While our immediate concern is to understand the impact of DoD employees’ access to DeepSeek on national security, we are also interested in understanding the DoD’s policy regarding mobile device applications to the end of ensuring we are diminishing cybersecurity risks associated with certain platforms.
    Therefore, we request answers to the following questions by no later than March 4, 2025.
    How many Department employees connected their work computers and/or mobile devices to Chinese servers via the DeepSeek Application?
    Has the DeepSeek app now been deleted from all DoD devices? If not, what steps will you take to ensure the DeepSeek app is removed from all DoD devices?
    What steps have been made to limit access on DoD devices to only those applications with a justified and approved need?
    What is the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA’s) initial assessment about whether Chinese servers were able to access and exfiltrate sensitive information due to Department personnel use of DeepSeek?
    How has the use of the DeepSeek app by Department personnel impacted the operational and cybersecurity risks to the DISN as well as the DODIN?
    What guidance or training has DISA shared with Department employees regarding accessing Chinese AI app DeepSeek or any other Chinese-affiliated app?
    We understand that the Navy issued guidance against using open-source AI systems for official work. What guidance (if any) are the other services and/or the Department issuing to employees?
    What is DISA’s process for assessing which networks, websites and or applications have a connection to the People’s Republic of China and what are DISA’s standard operating procedures when made aware of such a connection?
    What action (if any) has been taken regarding the DoD employees who connected their work computers and/or mobile devices to Chinese servers via the DeepSeek Application?
    Have all of the recommendations from Management Advisory: The DoD’s Use of Mobile Applications (Report No. DODIG-2023-041) been implemented? If not, why not?
    Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to hearing from you and working with the Department of Defense to keep our networks safe from persistent cyber threats.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Climate change is threatening Lake Ontario — lessons from the Little Ice Age show us why we need to adapt

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Daniel Macfarlane, Associate Professor of Environment and Sustainability, Western Michigan University

    Humans have always had a close connection with Lake Ontario. For centuries, this Great Lake has been a backbone of the region’s economy — relied upon for trade, food and industry. But a warming climate could dramatically change this relationship.

    This wouldn’t be the first time climate change has affected how humans use this Great Lake, as I show in my new book The Lives of Lake Ontario: An Environmental History. During the Little Ice Age, which spanned roughly the 14th to 19th centuries, Indigenous and settler societies had to adapt to the cooling Lake Ontario environment.

    As we again face a changing climate, the way our predecessors adapted during the Little Ice Age teaches us why it’s necessary we change how we use and interact with Lake Ontario today.

    The Little Ice Age

    Prior to the onset of the Little Ice Age, the Lake Ontario region was occupied exclusively by different Indigenous Peoples — including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg. These groups regularly came to Lake Ontario to hunt, harvest and trade. They were highly attuned to local climate conditions, adapting their agricultural strategies accordingly.

    But the Little Ice Age altered the climate in the region — with average temperatures about 1-2°C lower than normal. I argue in my book that the impact this period’s climate had on the environment and those living in the region helped change the course of empires in North America — both Indigenous and Euro-American.

    This cooler climate led to seasonal unpredictability. This forced the region’s various occupants to adjust their resource and food acquisition strategies. A higher frequency of summer droughts could mean failed crops — while extremely heavy snows made it harder to hunt. These factors may have contributed to the severe decline of Indigenous populations in the region.

    The origins of the fur trade — which dramatically reorganized society and altered political power in the Great Lakes region — are also at least partly attributable to the Little Ice Age. The cooler climate drove the desire for fur in Europe while also affecting the pelt thickness of North American animals.

    The climate during the Little Ice Age also influenced various military campaigns due to its effects on the region’s weather and the lake’s conditions.

    During the War of 1812, for instance, two American warships sank in a sudden summer squall north of Port Dalhousie. A lack of appreciation for the lake’s capriciousness could mean disaster — while those commanders who respected the local environment had the upper hand.

    Agriculture

    But alongside the challenges this cooling climate created, it also provided new opportunities.

    As I contend in my book, climate changes during the period encouraged the diversification of agriculture and food production — such as the cultivation of wheat strains hardy enough to survive cooler conditions. Settlers also believed the mass conversion of forests and wetlands to fields could modify the climate, making it warmer. The influx of settlers reliant on these new types of agriculture fundamentally shaped the emerging political and economic systems around Lake Ontario.

    Heavier ice cover on Lake Ontario actually made winter transportation easier in some ways.

    Temperatures during the Little Ice Age frequently caused a thick freeze in the lake’s nearshore waters. This enabled alternative forms of wintertime travel which were generally cheaper, more flexible, and more dependable than travelling by boat. Skates, sleighs and iceboats were developed for both economic and recreational needs.

    As the Little Ice Age began releasing its grip during the 19th century, Euro-Americans moved to the Lake Ontario basin in larger numbers. This climatic shift proved integral to settler expansion.

    Ice on Lake Ontario enabled cheaper forms of travel.
    (William Armstrong, Public domain/Wikimedia Commons)

    Resilient yet fragile

    The Toronto region could not have become Canada’s economic and cultural capital without the resources of Lake Ontario.

    But all this economic and political growth has come at a tremendous cost. Lake Ontario is now imperilled because of the way we’ve come to rely on it.

    In the 19th century, we cut down forests, dammed and polluted tributaries, dug canals and obliterated fish species in the region.

    In the 20th century, our impacts only expanded: overwhelming pollution, invasive species, urban sprawl, larger canals and hydroelectric dams. These human costs have led to nutrient overloads in the water from wastewater and farming runoff, impoverished biodiversity, fluctuating water levels, toxic chemicals and plastics in the lake.

    This ongoing degradation — coupled with climate change exacerbating ecological challenges and creating new ones — is further undercutting Lake Ontario’s ability to cope with our many abuses.

    A hotter lake could alter the entire food web, which could have ripple effects on local species, energy flows and biodiversity.

    The changing climate is also causing extreme fluctuations in lake levels. Recent record-high levels eroded shorelines — affecting houses and infrastructure while threatening septic systems, nuclear power stations and fuel refineries.

    Resilience

    We’re lucky that Lake Ontario is remarkably resilient. But the lake is being pushed to the brink. We have a small window to both adapt to the already changing climate and prevent it from changing further.

    Of course, the Little Ice Age involved the climate getting cooler, while today it’s getting warmer — with humanity being the primary driver for this changing climate. In the face of climate change, we too can adapt how we use and interact with the lake — just as was done in the Little Ice Age.

    But our response nowadays needs to be as much about stopping old practices as starting new ones. We need to cease contributing to global warming and other negative impacts on Lake Ontario through our unsustainable industry, flawed economic systems and overconsumption, massive pollution and reliance on fossil fuels.

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

    – ref. Climate change is threatening Lake Ontario — lessons from the Little Ice Age show us why we need to adapt – https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-threatening-lake-ontario-lessons-from-the-little-ice-age-show-us-why-we-need-to-adapt-246292

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Greenland’s rapidly melting ice and landslide-prone fjords make the oil and minerals Trump covets dangerous to extract

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Paul Bierman, Fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment, Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Vermont

    Greenland has large deposits of rare earth minerals along its coasts, but these are also geologically hazardous regions. Alex Hibbert/The Image Bank via Getty Images

    Since Donald Trump regained the presidency, he has coveted Greenland. Trump has insisted that the U.S. will control the island, currently an autonomous territory of Denmark, and if his overtures are rejected, perhaps seize Greenland by force.

    During a recent congressional hearing, senators and expert witnesses focused on Greenland’s strategic value and its natural resources: critical minerals, fossil fuels and hydropower. No one mentioned the hazards, many of them exacerbated by human-induced climate change, that those longing to possess and develop the island will inevitably encounter.

    That’s imprudent, because the Arctic’s climate is changing more rapidly than anywhere on Earth. Such rapid warming further increases the already substantial economic and personal risk for those living, working and extracting resources on Greenland, and for the rest of the planet.

    Arctic surface temperatures have been rising faster than the global average.
    Arctic Report Card 2024, NOAA Climate.gov

    I am a geoscientist who studies the environmental history of Greenland and its ice sheet, including natural hazards and climate change. That knowledge is essential for understanding the risks that military and extractive efforts face on Greenland today and in the future.

    Greenland: Land of extremes

    Greenland is unlike where most people live. The climate is frigid. For much of the year, sea ice clings to the coast, making it inaccessible.

    An ice sheet, up to 2 miles thick, covers more than 80% of the island. The population, about 56,000 people, lives along the island’s steep, rocky coastline.

    While researching my book “When the Ice is Gone,” I discovered how Greenland’s harsh climate and vast wilderness stymied past colonial endeavors. During World War II, dozens of U.S. military pilots, disoriented by thick fog and running out of fuel, crashed onto the ice sheet. An iceberg from Greenland sunk the Titanic in 1912, and 46 years later, another sunk a Danish vessel specifically designed to fend off ice, killing all 95 aboard.

    Now amplified by climate change, natural hazards make resource extraction and military endeavors in Greenland uncertain, expensive and potentially deadly.

    Rock on the move

    Greenland’s coastal landscape is prone to rockslides. The hazard arises because the coast is where people live and where rock isn’t hidden under the ice sheet. In some places, that rock contains critical minerals, such as gold, as well as other rare metals used for technology, including for circuit boards and electrical vehicle batteries.

    The unstable slopes reflect how the ice sheet eroded the deep fjords when it was larger. Now that the ice has melted, nothing buttresses the near-vertical valley walls, and so, they collapse.

    In 2017, a northwestern Greenland mountainside fell 3,000 feet into the deep waters of the fjord below. Moments later, the wave that rockfall generated (a tsunami) washed over the nearby villages of Nuugaatsiaq and Illorsuit. The water, laden with icebergs and sea ice, ripped homes from their foundations as people and sled dogs ran for their lives. By the time it was over, four people were dead and both villages lay in ruin.

    Steep fjord walls around the island are littered with the scars of past rockslides. The evidence shows that at one point in the last 10,000 years, one of those slides dropped rock sufficient to fill 3.2 million Olympic swimming pools into the water below. In 2023, another rockslide triggered a tsunami that sloshed back and forth for nine days in a Greenland fjord.

    A cellphone video captures the June 2017 tsunami wave coming ashore in northwestern Greenland.

    There’s no network of paved roads across Greenland. The only feasible way to move heavy equipment, minerals and fossil fuels would be by sea. Docks, mines and buildings within tens of feet of sea level would be vulnerable to rockslide-induced tsunamis.

    Melting ice will be deadly and expensive

    Human-induced global warming, driven by fossil fuel combustion, speeds the melting of Greenland’s ice. That melting is threatening the island’s infrastructure and the lifestyles of native people, who over millennia have adapted their transportation and food systems to the presence of snow and ice. Record floods, fed by warmth-induced melting of the ice sheet, have recently swept away bridges that stood for half a century.

    As the climate warms, permafrost – frozen rock and soil – which underlies the island, thaws. This destabilizes the landscape, weakening steep slopes and damaging critical infrastructure.

    An excavator tries to save a bridge over the Watson River at Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Part of the bridge and the machine were eventually swept away by the rushing meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet during a heat wave in July 2012.

    Permafrost melt is already threatening the U.S. military base on Greenland. As the ice melts and the ground settles under runways, cracks and craters form – a hazard for airplanes. Buildings tilt as their foundations settle into the softening soil, including critical radar installations that have scanned the skies for missiles and bombers since the 1950s.

    Greenland’s icebergs can threaten oil rigs. As the warming climate speeds the flow of Greenland’s glaciers, they calve more icebergs in the ocean. The problem is worse close to Greenland, but some icebergs drift toward Canada, endangering oil rigs there. Ships stand guard, ready to tow threatening icebergs away.

    An iceberg passes near an oil drilling rig in eastern Canada.
    Geoffrey Whiteway/500px Plus via Getty Images

    Greenland’s government banned drilling for fossil fuels in 2021 out of concern for the environment. Yet, Trump and his allies remain eager to see exploration resume off the island, despite exceptionally high costs, less than stellar results from initial drilling, and the ever-present risk of icebergs.

    As Greenland’s ice melts and water flows into the ocean, sea level changes, but in ways that might not be intuitive. Away from the island, sea level is rising about an inch each six years. But close to the ice sheet, it’s the land that’s rising. Gradually freed of the weight of its ice, the rock beneath Greenland, long depressed by the massive ice sheet, rebounds. That rise is rapid – more than 6 feet per century. Soon, many harbors in Greenland may become too shallow for ship traffic.

    Streams of meltwater flow over the silt-covered surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet as it melts in summer heat near Kangerlussuaq in western Greenland.
    REDA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Greenland’s challenging past and future

    History clearly shows that many past military and colonial endeavors failed in Greenland because they showed little consideration of the island’s harsh climate and dynamic ice sheet.

    Changing climate drove Norse settlers out of Greenland 700 years ago. Explorers trying to cross the ice sheet lost their lives to the cold. American bases built inside the ice sheet, such as Camp Century, were quickly crushed as the encasing snow deformed.

    In the past, the American focus in Greenland was on short-term gains with little regard for the future. Abandoned U.S. military bases from World War II, scattered around the island and in need of cleanup, are one example. Forced relocation of Greenlandic Inuit communities during the Cold War is another. I believe that Trump’s demands today for American control of the island to exploit its resources are similarly shortsighted.

    Piles of rusting fuel drums sit at an abandoned U.S. base from World War II in Ikateq, in eastern Greenland.
    Posnov/Moment via Getty Images

    However, when it comes to the planet’s livability, I’ve argued that the greatest strategic and economic value of Greenland to the world is not its location or its natural resources, but its ice. That white snow and ice reflect sunlight, keeping Earth cool. And the ice sheet, perched on land, keeps water out of the ocean. As it melts, Greenland’s ice sheet will raise global sea level, up to about 23 feet when all the ice is gone.

    Climate-driven sea level rise is already flooding coastal regions around the world, including major economic centers. As that continues, estimates suggest that the damage will total trillions of dollars. Unless Greenland’s ice remains frozen, coastal inundation will force the largest migration that humanity has ever witnessed. Such changes are predicted to destabilize the global economic and strategic world order.

    These examples show that disregarding the risks of natural hazards and climate change in Greenland courts disaster, both locally and globally.

    Paul Bierman receives funding from the US National Science Foundation and the University of Vermont Gund Institute for Environment

    – ref. Greenland’s rapidly melting ice and landslide-prone fjords make the oil and minerals Trump covets dangerous to extract – https://theconversation.com/greenlands-rapidly-melting-ice-and-landslide-prone-fjords-make-the-oil-and-minerals-trump-covets-dangerous-to-extract-249985

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Communities gather to strengthen Climate Action at regional event

    Source: City of Derby

    A recent event in Derby brought together community groups, sustainability experts, and local organisations to explore key topics in community-led sustainability efforts. The event facilitated conversations on funding, decarbonisation, renewable energy, community engagement, and sustainable transport solutions.

    Delegates were able to hear from topic experts, engage with case studies, and participate in meaningful discussions aimed at driving action and collaboration within their communities.

    As part of the event, attendees were able to take part in table discussions guided by facilitators, ensuring that key insights, innovative ideas, and critical challenges were captured and shared. 

    The event aimed to provide community groups with the knowledge and resources to take action on pressing sustainability issues. By fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing, the event hoped to empower communities to drive change at a local level.

    Key topics at the event included: 

    • Community funding and creating bids 
    • Decarbonising community buildings and local homes 
    • Local sustainable transport and travel 
    • Local Area Energy Planning 

    Joanna Watson, Founder of Darley Community Energy Ltd commented: 

    “The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Community Event was packed full of interesting speakers and representatives from across the Community Energy sector. Of particular interest was insight into the Local Area Energy Plan consultation process and that Community Energy groups are recognised as key stakeholders. It was good to see many familiar faces from across the sector sharing their work, and also a great networking opportunity.” 

    Peter Burgess-Allen, Project Manager and Development Lead at Marches Energy Agency added: 

    “A lot of my work at Marches Energy Agency involves talking to community activists or council officers, and sometimes managing to get them together. It was great to see community groups given a platform to share their work and hear about council strategy to tackle emissions, in the same space.  I look forward to more debate and interaction going forwards!”

    Councillor Carmel Swan, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainability said: 

    “Community groups are a vital part of our journey to net-zero and really hold the key to accelerating projects in their local area. This event showed that we’re lucky to have lots of engaged communities in the area and I look forward to taking forward the learning and knowledge shared at the event.” 

    The event was funded by Fast Followers, part of Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Programme, designed to help places and businesses across the UK to accelerate the delivery of the transition to Net Zero. 

    The event was hosted by a partnership of Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Rushcliffe Borough Council, Gedling Borough Council and Broxtowe Borough Council.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –