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Ride-share drivers find ways to survive COVID downturn - 360 Chotib Published on June 19, 2023 The COVID-19 pandemic decimated the incomes of Indonesian motorbike and car drivers working for ride-sharing apps. But they found creative ways to survive. For Taufik, restrictions on mobility due to the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced his income working as a motorbike driver for popular ride-sharing apps. Taufik is one of more than two million motorbike and car ride-share drivers in Indonesia who faced similar challenges during the pandemic. Covid restrictions and changes in consumer behaviour fundamentally altered the ride-sharing industry in Indonesia, making it less lucrative and less stable for drivers. It is unclear whether the industry will fully recover. When Covid first struck, motorbike ride-share drivers were prohibited from carrying passengers to reduce the risk of transmission between drivers, passengers and broader community. With many working remotely, there was also a drastic reduction in the number of passengers using ride-sharing services. Due to government regulations like the Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) in April 2020 and the Community Activities Restrictions Enforcement (PPKM) in July 2021, a study revealed ride-share drivers experienced a significant decline in their incomes. The average monthly income of motorbike drivers plummeted from 8.5 million rupiahs ($USD570) before the pandemic to less than 1 million rupiahs ($USD67) during the pandemic. According to a survey by the Demographic Institute at Universitas Indonesia in May 2020, approximately 63 percent of Gojek (ride-sharing app) motorbike and car drivers, totaling around 26,000 individuals, reported zero income during the pandemic. Meanwhile, 36 percent mentioned a reduction in their income. The majority of drivers have families and do not have alternative sources of income, forcing them to work longer hours to meet their needs, a situation exacerbated by their lack of savings. The income they received was not enough to cover expenses such as food, rent, electricity bills, children’s education and debt payments, meaning they had to find creative ways to survive during the pandemic. A drop in the number of passengers was counterbalanced by an increase in delivering groceries and other essential items to customers’ doorsteps. This change resulted in an additional three to four working hours for drivers during off-peak times. Some also took on side hustles like providing delivery services, offering assistance with household chores or repairs, engaging in freelance work such as repair of electronic devices, online sales or even starting small business ventures. Many drivers’ wives also became second earners, engaging in home-based businesses with their husbands such as operating small shops, selling clothes online or becoming household helpers. Motorbike and car ride-sharing drivers had to cut back on expenses and often borrowed from relatives. They also received assistance from the government, ride-sharing platforms and consumers who voluntarily paid more for their services. In urgent situations, household needs were sometimes supported by drivers’ parents to ensure sufficient food, shelter, and clothing during the pandemic. Though the government dismissed all the COVID community restrictions in December 2022, many ride-share drivers are still struggling to return to their pre-pandemic income levels. Coupled with big discounts being offered by the ride-sharing companies to passengers, the attractiveness of being a ride-share driver may no longer be what it once was. Chotib is a lecturer and senior researcher in the Demographic Institute, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Indonesia. He is also the head of Urban Studies Program, School of Strategic and Global Studies Universitas Indonesia. His research interests are migration and urbanization, population projection, and labor force. Rizqika Alamsyah graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Indonesia. This article is part of a Special Report on ‘Shock mobility’, produced in collaboration with the Calcutta Research Group. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on June 19, 2023

Rigged or not, polls the only option for Pakistan - 360 Ayesha Jalal Published on February 7, 2024 While there are allegations of it being fixed, as a constitutional exercise it is preferable compared to the alternative which is martial law. Observers do not expect the February 8 polls in Pakistan to be free and fair. Their reasons are many, chief among them army control of the state. Cricketing star and head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Imran Khan, once an army protégé, has fallen out of favour and has been ousted through a vote of no confidence despite popular support. He has been charged and disqualified from contesting in the election. Simultaneously, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League, until recently a fugitive from justice and in self-exile, returned after being granted bail. He has been allowed to contest the election and is expected to win with the army’s support, 360info spoke to , a historian and political scientist whose area of expertise is Pakistan and India. She is the author of The Struggle for Pakistan: A Muslim Homeland and Global Politics (2017), Partisans of Allah: Jihad in South Asia, (2008) and Modern South Asia: History, Culture, Political Economy, joint author with Sugata Bose (2004) among other publications. General elections are significant in order to lend some semblance of legitimacy to the political system. However, only one election in over 75 years of Pakistan’s history is considered relatively free and fair. Yet even this election, held in 1970, led to the country’s dismemberment and the creation of Bangladesh. The 2024 elections are being held in exceptionally difficult circumstances and are already tainted by charges of political engineering and victimisation of one party – the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by the former prime minister Imran Khan, who is currently in jail. But it is also important to see these elections in context. They are being held after an unprecedented attack on hundreds of military installations on May 9, 2023, by PTI supporters protesting the arrest of their leader. So while PTI sympathisers view the elections as already rigged and lacking in credibility, there are other parties in the fray that accept the exceptional and constraining circumstances in which national polls are being held. In other words, whatever the doubts about the fairness of the 2024 elections, the exercise is necessary constitutionally and better than the alternative — martial law — in what is a bitterly divided and ungovernable country. The army high command, referred to as ‘the establishment’, has a stranglehold on virtually all aspects of critical decision-making in Pakistan. While the army has formally eschewed any involvement in politics, the role of its intelligence agencies in surreptitiously shaping political and judicial outcomes is well known. Currently, the establishment is trying to undo the unintended consequences of its interference in the political process in 2017 with the engineered dismissal of the elected prime minister, Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif – and the brazen support of state institutions for Imran Khan and his PTI in the 2018 elections and their aftermath. While the PTI understandably regards the measures being taken in the run-up to the elections as unfair and undemocratic, others see this as unavoidable course correction. What made the PTI ‘the largest political party’ was the active support it received from the establishment and key institutions of the state like the judiciary. The undoing of the party that you are referring to is a direct consequence of the PTI’s decision to take on the state’s most powerful institution on May 9, 2023, to protest the incarceration of their leader. Just as the PTI was railroaded into power in 2018, it is today being dismantled by jailing Imran Khan and forcing his supporters to leave the party. Depending on one’s view, this can be interpreted as unfair and undemocratic or a direct consequence of the PTI’s attack on military installations on May 9. The denial of the PTI’s electoral symbol is undoubtedly a setback for the party in a context where the majority of voters are illiterate. But the PTI has not been banned as a party. Its candidates are still in the electoral fray, albeit with different electoral symbols. While this may confuse voters in some constituencies, PTI workers and its formidable social media network can and should endeavour to rally the people and limit the damage done to them with the loss of the party symbol. Abstaining from voting is not really an option for the beleaguered party. However, the PTI will face difficulties in the aftermath of the elections as its elected candidates will not be subject to the defection clause that strips them of their seats if they cross the floor to another party. The possibility of horse-trading in the post-election scenario is looming large and will be to the detriment of the PTI. But given Imran Khan’s proclivity for unconventional political moves, a PTI boycott of the elections cannot be ruled out entirely. Not all the PTI candidates allowed to contest are unacceptable to the military. So there is a good chance of them winning, depending on who is in the opposition in any given constituency. The US may not be entirely uninterested in the outcome of the 2024 elections. But it is very doubtful that it will be playing a direct role in determining the outcome. The PTI is known to have hired lobbying firms to advocate its case in the US, suggesting that it also wants to reassure Washington of its bona fides. There is a considerable difference between a lifetime ban and a five-year ban even if both can be seen to be the result of the judiciary bending in the direction of what the Pakistani establishment wants, if not outrightly partisan. There is active contestation of the military’s interference in politics in Pakistan and the public debate has gathered considerable momentum since the fall of Imran Khan’s government. But resistance to military dominance cannot be effective unless the different parties come together to reclaim political space. Instead, all parties, including the PTI, seem to be more interested in getting the establishment’s approval since popularity does not guarantee access to state power in military authoritarian Pakistan. The February 8 elections are already compromised but there is no other constitutional option available to Pakistan. One can bemoan the unfair treatment being meted out to the PTI. But this is not the first time a party has been treated in this manner in Pakistan. The other two main national parties, Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan People’s Party led by Bilawal Bhutto, faced a similar predicament in earlier elections. What is new is the establishment’s fury over the May 9 attacks on military installations, including martyrs’ memorials, and its determination to punish those in the PTI it regards as the perpetrators. Contrary to perceptions, the military is not betting on Nawaz Sharif because it now approves of him and his party. The reason quite simply is that the military has no other option after the failure of their decades-long ‘Imran Project’, especially in the powerful battleground province of Punjab. The primary lesson is that the military has to stop interfering in politics and let the process take its natural course without any further interruptions. Pakistan’s political parties, too, need to take stock of the situation and desist from trying to get into the establishment’s good books by undermining their opponents. It will be an enormous challenge even if the elections were not perceived to be so compromised by pre-electoral manipulations. The simple reason for that is that Pakistan’s economic woes are structural and of a long-standing nature. It is time to tackle these structural problems by extending the tax net, increasing production and promoting the country’s exports. Pakistan has been dominated by the military for the better part of its history and politicians have had to bear the brunt of the imbalances between elected and non-elected institutions of the state. Even the 1970 elections were not devoid of political engineering by Pakistan’s all-powerful establishment. The only reason they have come to be perceived as ‘free and fair’ is because the results turned out to be very different from those anticipated by the state’s intelligence agencies. If the establishment miscalculated the results in the western wing where the PPP triumphed because of its failure to gauge the political mood, it was completely taken by surprise by the one-sided result in favour of the Awami League led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the eastern wing after it was hit by a devastating cyclone in November 1970. The 2013 election was also significant in that it marked the first-ever peaceful transfer of power from one civilian government to another after the completion of a full parliamentary term. Ayesha Jalal is Mary Richardson Professor of History and Director of the Centre for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies at Tufts University, Boston, US. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 7, 2024

Right to information not always equal - 360 Sujoy Dutta Published on October 3, 2022 Many South Asian countries have made progress in adopting right to information laws. But ensuring everyone benefits is proving more of a challenge. Pakistan, followed by India, Nepal and Bangladesh have all enacted Right to Information law in the past two decades after years of advocacy efforts by civil society groups. And while it’s a key tool for holding governments accountable, its use by poor communities remains restricted. India’s RTI legislation, considered to be one of the most robust laws in South Asia, remains untapped by poor and marginalised communities as they often have limited access or are unaware of their rights. It could learn from Bangladesh. Rural women, who stand to benefit from RTI law, are among the least likely to use it. Social barriers in the form of traditional social norms restrict the ability of many women to travel to government offices in unfamiliar towns. They worry about how government bureaucrats will treat them. Moreover, there are built-in structural barriers in the architecture of the information disclosure system, which accepts only written applications in order to provide information. This is difficult to achieve in rural areas where female literacy is low. In states where RTI adoption is high, requesting information prompts government officials to act “almost like magic”. Once an application is submitted, the government is required to provide results immediately. But in less progressive states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where incomes and literacy rates are lower and awareness about RTI is limited, government officials openly undermine transparency norms, refuse to provide the requested information, and reject RTI appeals on spurious grounds. These practices mock transparency laws, as the poor have a hard time dealing with obdurate bureaucracy. The awareness and use of RTI law among the rural poor and women in Uttar Pradesh is also quite low. Research has found that rural men only take an interest in the law when they can use it in their daily activities. For rural women, local government institutions do little to overcome the many distinct barriers they face to access information. India’s more restrictive states could take cues from the Community Empowerment Programme of Bangladesh, which is supported by the World Bank and the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee. The group set out to empower the poor (including rural women) who face constraints in obtaining information. They created RTI ‘informediaries’– a cadre of information intermediaries from within the community, who are equipped with an effective understanding of the law and can motivate others to access information. The ‘informediaries’ held RTI clinics aimed at developing better-informed citizens. These ‘informediaries’ serve as a link between citizens and public offices. In Bangladesh, many came from Polli Samaj a popular theatre group already accepted within the community. Their main aim was to gather information queries from the community and submit RTI applications to the relevant government or NGO offices who act as facilitators between poor citizens and the state. When the relevant information was received it was passed on to the applicants. Based on their popularity, the ‘informediaries’ were able to establish a close rapport with public officials through their repeated visits. This allowed them to access information with relatively greater success. In many instances, the ‘informediaries’ were effective in enhancing women’s access to information by addressing multiple barriers. It meant women could access information without physically visiting public offices, saving both time and money. Studies in Mexico suggest expanding the use of RTI laws to disadvantaged communities requires trustworthy intermediaries. In many countries, this role has been entrusted to NGOs, community and youth groups, who enable the poor to submit their information requests without delay. This helps everyone not only access information, but interrogate anti-democratic practices. teaches at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India. His research publications integrate disciplinary tools from political economy, sociology, and public policy much of which is based on fieldwork-based empirical analysis (in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and some parts of Maharashtra, India). Currently, he is undertaking extensive fieldwork in India and Bangladesh to examine the impact of the Right to Information on poor households. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 3, 2022

Righting the wrongs of misinformation merchants - 360 Carol Soon Published on March 7, 2023 Time-starved internet users are developing strategies to cope with misinformation. Understanding how they do it can shape news coverage moving forward. “Fake news” and disinformation has gripped every major news story since it came to prominence during Brexit and the 2016 US presidential election. From conspiracy theories about the Chinese balloon shot down over the US to augmented videos of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy supposedly telling his people to surrender to Russia, the issue continues to rear its ugly head. Around the world, different measures have been adopted to tame the scourge. In Southeast Asia, governments in Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam have enacted laws against the publication of fake news, set up new agencies and taskforces dedicated to monitoring online content and launched cyber armies to wage a counteroffensive against misinformation. Civil society and academia have embarked on fact checking and education in bids to improve community resilience and develop individual immunity against online falsehoods. While these efforts continue to evolve to keep pace with the shapeshifter of online falsehoods, individuals, organisations and governments face a challenge to better leverage the power of communication to combat online falsehoods. What are the signposts people rely on when deciding whether or not they should trust an information source? An Institute of Policy Studies study conducted with 2,011 Singaporeans examined their experiences and interactions with online falsehoods. The study collected data on how a sub-group of 50 Singaporeans search for and verify information, and decide what is credible and trustworthy. This part of the study was conducted via self-confrontation interviews, a method  used in psychology and media studies to understand decision-making processes. Researchers presented the study participants with an information-seeking task and another that required them to verify false claims in an article on the effects of 5G. Participants were then asked to view a video recording of their own actions. Researchers paused the recordings at different points and asked participants to recount their thoughts and emotions when they performed those actions. The participants faced a common challenge: they were all time-starved. Like many internet users, they’re constantly exposed to a wide array of news from diverse sources — local media, international outlets, social media alerts and instant messages from friends and family. As such, the participants have developed strategies to navigate and cope with the information overload, such as skimming headlines and looking out for keywords and text summaries. The study also showed people rely on several signposts when deciding where they place their trust online. Certain news sources were seen to be more credible, particularly Singapore legacy media like The Straits Times and Channel NewsAsia. Many respondents said these outlets were credible and trustworthy because of their perceived affiliation with the government. However, context matters when it comes to source credibility. In Singapore, the government enjoys high trust among the population. More than 60 percent of the 2,011 Singaporeans surveyed in the study  agreed or strongly agreed  they could trust the government to do what is right. The high trust participants had in the government spilled over to these local news sources. Foreign news media such as BBC, CNN and CNBC were also seen as credible, although several respondents were cautious of what they perceived to be a “western” slant in their coverage and analysis. When participants performed the information verification exercise, they used search engines to identify information sources they could verify the claims against. One key group of search results most of the participants clicked on were articles and reports published by legacy media outlets such as Reuters, The New York Times, CNN and BBC. Respondents largely trusted these news sites, which challenged the claims presented in the exercise’s  article on 5G. Respondents contrasted  legacy news sites “which have been around for a long time” and social media pages cited in the 5G article. Government and academic sources such as the Federal Communication Commission, Science Direct (a website that publishes academic papers), John Hopkins Medicine and WebMD, were also familiar to many participants. These sites were seen to be “official” and more reliable compared to social media personalities and groups referenced in the 5G article. The language used in reporting was often cited as a signpost of credibility. Style of reporting and writing played a critical part in helping respondents form impressions of the news source’s seriousness and gravitas. In the eyes of respondents, the 5G article filled with false claims took an informal tone that was at odds with the voice of professional journalists and the healthcare sector. None of the respondents thought the informal tone made the article more accessible or relatable for readers — this could be due to the serious subject matter (supposed harms of 5G, including claims it could cause death), for which a casual tone is ill-suited. Many study participants felt  the author’s tone was dramatic and smacked of fear mongering, arousing suspicions of her motive and agenda. Balance in reporting and analysis was another important signpost of credibility. Study participants linked balanced reporting with trustworthiness — they appreciated reporting that provided different perspectives of an issue. Most respondents felt the 5G article was not balanced, which they defined to be providing two sides of an argument. The findings from this study hold several implications for public communication and debunking efforts. There is merit for governments, civil society and practitioners to pay more attention to how they deliver their messages and corrective information. Increasingly, there is a need for stakeholders in public communications to stay ahead of misinformation by anticipating possible reactions to a policy or programme announcement and be ready to do debunking in a timely fashion. Policy narratives should also provide more than one perspective of the issue at hand. Partisan reporting that slams misinformation may be less persuasive than balanced coverage that uses a clear, professional tone to rebut false information. The study also suggests that legacy media still has a frontline role to play in providing verifiable and quality information, as audiences still tend to trust established names. That offers hope for those whose faith in news consumers has worn thin, and imparts a strong responsibility on legacy news practice care in reporting with balance, accuracy and ethics. Carol Soon is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore. She is also Vice Chair of the Media Literacy Council in Singapore and Associate Director of the Asia Journalism Fellowship. She is editor of the book Mobile Communication and Online Falsehoods: Trends, Impact and Practice (forthcoming, to be published by Springer Nature). Dr Soon’s research was funded by the Ministry of Communications and Information in Singapore. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 7, 2023

Rights of nature - 360 Sara Phillips Published on January 6, 2023 The idea that nature — forests, rivers, mountains — could have rights, in the same way that human rights, or corporate rights exist has been building momentum. The dying days of 2022 saw a historic global agreement reached to try to protect the plants and animals of this world from further demise. In the last 50 years, the variety of life on Earth has diminished faster than at any time before. Environmental organisation, WWF estimates a 69 percent decline in wildlife populations around the world between 1970 and 2018. The United Nations suggests that one million species face extinction. At the United Nations conference on biodiversity held in Kunming, China and Montreal, Canada, nations agreed to protect 30 percent of land and sea from degradation by 2030, and further to restore 30 percent of degraded areas, amongst other plans. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_3"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_3"} The agreement was a significant step forward for environment protection, and enshrined into international law the idea that we should “live well in harmony with Mother Earth”. “For far too long humanity has paved over, fragmented, over-extracted and destroyed the natural world on which we all depend. Now is our chance to shore up and strengthen the web of life, so it can carry the full weight of generations to come,” said Inger Andersen Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme The agreement, with its emphasis on Indigenous knowledge and treatment of Earth as a living thing echoes the rights of nature movement, which has been gathering steam since it was conceived in the 1970s. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_4"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_4"} Through various legal avenues, this pushes the idea that nature — whether whole forests or single trees — could have rights, in the same way that human rights, or corporate rights exist. While it seems fanciful, numerous places around the world are actively investigating, or have already implemented at least portions of the concept. The latest is Ireland where a citizens’ assembly is tackling the question of how the country can maintain its wildlife. The details of ‘rights of nature’ are of course nuanced and cloaked in legal complexity, and at its core are big philosophical questions about humans’ relationship with our planet. But with humanity’s woeful track record of living sustainably with other species, it’s a movement that ultimately hopes to reset our path to one of  “harmony with Mother Earth”. Indigenous people represent 5 percent of the world’s people but manage of 80 percent of Earth’s biodiversity. The current rate of species going extinct is tens to hundreds of times higher the past 10 million years. 321 rights of nature initiatives, plus many other legal ventures have been launched around the world Quote attributable to Craig Kauffman, University of Oregon “Western legal systems are only just beginning to bring a biological understanding of the world to the law.” Quote attributable to Alex Putzer, Sant’Anna School of Advanced studies “In a city the boundary between what’s artificial and what’s nature becomes blurry, posing the question of which ‘nature’ in the ‘rights of nature’ should be protected.” Quote attributable to Peter Burdon, University of Adelaide “Rights of nature represent a minimalist alternative and seek to mitigate environmental damage from firmly within the coordinates of the current  system.”

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on January 6, 2023

Rising costs can encourage a better kind of tourism - 360 Gui Lohmann Published on May 2, 2024 Rising costs of living and airfares point to long-haul travel being affordable for fewer people. It also might re-shape the way we think about tourism. Australians need to brace for a reality check.  When it comes to international travel, we’ve had it too good for too long. After years of cheap flights to all corners of the globe, market reality has hit and we’re in for a bone-shaking landing. That will mean a fundamental shift for the visitor economy. And the good news is, Australia stands to cash in. Since the pandemic, airfares have re-adjusted and tightened. On average, airfare costs comprise approximately 30 to 35 percent for jet fuel, 30 to 35 percent for labour and the remainder for aircraft leasing, purchases, administration, and other overheads. Geopolitical events, such as the conflict in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East, have led to a spike in jet fuel prices. Simultaneously, an inflationary economy, fuelled by post-pandemic spending, is driving up costs. Global pilot shortages have resulted in substantial pay increases, further inflating expenses. Additionally, logistical disruptions from the pandemic have hindered aircraft manufacturing, reducing supply. Airlines are also willing to cash-in after significant losses during the pandemic years. Consequently, we’re witnessing an inflationary trend, with flying becoming increasingly costly amid reduced aircraft availability. Airlines are prioritising newer and more sustainable aircraft models, exacerbating supply-demand imbalances. These interconnected factors contribute to the escalating costs of air travel. It appears that flying is transitioning into a luxury experience, particularly for long-haul journeys. Australia could strategically position itself in response. Rather than pursuing continuous growth in international visitor numbers, the focus may shift towards attracting longer-staying, higher-spending tourists who are willing to travel beyond the usual and iconic destinations. This strategy can maximise economic benefits. Tourism often evokes a glamorous image of cultural exchange and exploration. However, this vision can only materialise through authentic experiences that allow for meaningful engagement. The era of “fast tourism”, characterised by rushed itineraries and superficial encounters, is losing its appeal. There’s a growing movement towards “slow travel”, where travellers seek genuine connections and immersive experiences. In essence, our approach shifts from relentless growth to sustainability. By embracing a mindset of responsible tourism, we can create a more enriching and mutually beneficial travel experience for all. There are policy interventions that can help push that cultural shift along. Pulling levers like a cap on international flights out of main state capital cities, unless airlines fly via regional hubs like Cairns, Darwin and Broome could open up opportunities for regional tourism and development. Broome Airport, for instance, only sees Jetstar flights to Singapore twice a week, despite being the second-largest airport in Western Australia. If more business was funnelled through Broome, it would create the market to properly expand the airport’s services — introducing customs and immigration services — and would give Broome the chance to serve as a gateway to the region, fostering growth in its tourism and economy. The most direct way to push this influence is through Qantas, Australia’s national carrier, over which the government holds regulatory power. Government bailouts during the pandemic underscored the role it can play in supporting airlines and demonstrating a gap that can be filled with a more nuanced approach to aviation policy. An embrace of a locally minded travel culture also addresses another challenge facing the aviation industry — the climate crisis. The pandemic already nudged along a cultural shift towards cutting down unnecessary air travel as businesses became comfortable using platforms like Zoom, instead of flying in for face-to-face meetings. As companies become more conscious of their carbon footprint, tying sustainability goals into their responsibilities, business travel seems like an easy sector to curb. As far as tourism goes, Asian tourism especially holds immense potential for Australia and its economy. By targeting more “slow travellers” — visitors who will spend more time in various locations, seeking deeper engagement with their travel destinations — Australia can maximise the economic and social benefits derived from tourism. This approach projects as a more sustainable way to do tourism, built around encouraging longer stays and more spending for people who have flown to visit a far away destination. For Australian tourism powerbrokers, it means changing the mindset from constant growth to making the most of limited resources and focusing on a regenerative tourism model. Tourism is often heralded with the glamorous view that it creates a better world because it fosters a better understanding of each other’s cultures and ways of living. This can only be achieved if it’s done authentically — if travellers take the time to engage with a destination. Fast tourism — the “drop in, drop out” model of passing through many locations rapidly — is losing its appeal. Australia can benefit. The silver lining of the cost-of-living crunch and airfare rise is that it presents a fantastic opportunity to open up the rest of the country, which is full of destinations many in Australia and the region haven’t explored. By promoting slower travel and encouraging visitors to venture beyond the typical tourist hotspots, Australia can showcase its diversity, beauty and rich cultural heritage to the world. Gui Lohmann is a Professor in Air Transport and Tourism Management at Griffith University and the leader of the research cluster “The Future of Aviation” at the Griffith Institute for Tourism. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on May 2, 2024

Rising sea levels could swamp sinking Shanghai - 360 Jie Yin, Dapeng Yu Published on May 17, 2023 More than half the city will be under 1.2 metres of flood waters by the end of this century if action is not taken now. Shanghai, China’s most developed and richest city, has been sinking into the mud for at least 100 years. It was one of the first cities in China to suffer serious land subsidence, with an average rate of 22.94 mm/year from 1921 to 2007. That rate of subsidence has stabilised since 2010, but rising sea levels caused by global warming pose a new and very real threat to the city of 24 million. Although land subsidence is estimated to be relatively stable, the rate of sea level rise is projected to accelerate under climate change in the future. The primary drivers will be oceanic thermal expansion, followed by glacier and ice cap melting. The disintegrating Antarctic ice sheet is projected to contribute most to the broad uncertainty ranges of future sea level rise. By 2050, the median relative sea level rise is projected to be between 45 cm and 50 cm, with nearly equal contributions from both climatic and non-climatic factors — the latter including glacial isostatic adjustment and subsidence. Due to the threats of atmospheric and ocean warming to sea level rise, computer modelling shows the current 10 and 100-year flood water levels in Shanghai could be exceeded approximately twice more frequently in 2030, 3-5 times more frequently by 2050, and over 50 times more frequently with a 136 cm rise in relative sea level by the end of this century. Increasing flood water levels, in turn, could increase the risks of dyke failure and associated flooding over time. For example, seawall failures and flood-inundated areas are projected to increase by around 30 percent and 50 percent by 2100 compared to 2010. Without timely adaptation measures, catastrophic flooding could overwhelm the delta city by the end of this century. Under this scenario, more than 4,200 km/square (62 percent of the total area) of the city could be flooded with an average inundation depth of 1.2 metres. The most susceptible areas to the magnified flood hazards are Chongming Island and the Huangpu River floodplain including Shanghai city centre. Overall, the implication is that Shanghai, with a population of 24 million, though relatively safe from flooding today, will become increasingly risk-prone due to sea level rise and land subsidence. Shanghai has been sinking more rapidly than rising sea levels. During the past three decades, the sea level in Shanghai has risen 115 mm, at a mean linear rate of 3.8 mm/year, which was higher than the global average rate. However, the Shanghai city centre has subsided by more than three metres since the late 19th century. Based on an analysis of very long baseline interferometer (VLBI) data, Shanghai’s average rate of tectonic subsidence is estimated to have been nearly 1-1.5 mm/year. Shanghai’s sinking has mainly been caused by tectonic subsidence and compaction of sediments due to natural conditions and human activities. According to monitoring data, this compaction subsidence in Shanghai can be divided into three stages: 1. Rapid subsidence stage from 1921 to 1965 caused by excessive groundwater extraction; 2. Recovery stage from 1965 to 1985 with artificial recharge; and 3. Slow subsidence stage from 1985 to 2007 due to large-scale construction of high-rise buildings and underground projects. Data estimates show that the average rate of compaction subsidence has stabilised at 6 ± 1 mm/year after 2010. Since Shanghai is highly susceptible to sea level rise and coastal flooding, authorities could consider a movable barrier system at the mouth of the Huangpu River (like London’s Thames Barrier or Rotterdam’s Maeslantkering Barrier) to avert future disasters. Such an investment might be more economically effective in the long term as the city’s 479.7 km floodwalls would need to be raised every decade due to sea level rise in the absence of a storm surge barrier. Another urgent action is upgrading the current low-level seawalls (typically 5-7 metres) along the coasts of the low-lying and poorly protected areas of Baoshan and Chongming. This, together with the regular maintenance of the high-level seawalls in Pudong and Changxing. Suitable underground spaces can be identified and used as temporary emergency water storage facilities in the downtown area. Finally, and most importantly, detailed emergency evacuation planning can be prepared now to deal with all contingencies as urban flood risk management is a complex system and failures are always possible and always costly. Prof Jie Yin is with the School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. Prof Dapeng Yu is with Geography and Environment, Loughborough University, UK. They declare no conflict of interest. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on May 17, 2023

Risking death to cross the Bay of Bengal - 360 Sucharita Sengupta Published on June 20, 2022 Death is likelier than ever for migrants who travel across the high seas. And yet they persist. Mafatlal, 65, a Rohingya refugee, told researchers he did not initially allow his son to “risk his life” by leaving the relative safety of their refugee camp to cross the Bay of Bengal in the northern Indian Ocean. Death is likelier than ever for South Asian migrants who travel across raging seas in dire uncertainty – yet the number who try to migrate has remained consistent, particularly for the Rohingya. “He crossed the sea over to Malaysia and is working in the fishing market there”, Mafatlal said. “Neither I nor my wife have any hope left for us to go back [to Myanmar], but it gives us some hope to see that [our] son is at least able to work.” Many others aren’t as lucky. In January 2022, seven Bangladeshi nationals died of hypothermia while trying to reach Italy in a boat with 273 other migrants from Bangladesh and Egypt. With three people aboard already dead, the boat was intercepted at the Italian island of Lampedusa. Another four passengers later died because of the extreme cold. The Rohingya people are an ethnic minority group scattered across borders. They have fled persecution in Myanmar and have migrated as economic refugees escaping camps in Bangladesh. Their statelessness has left them vulnerable to trafficking to Southeast Asia, West Asia and Australia, landing them in border detention camps or turning them into bonded labourers. Much of the world learnt about the Rohingya boat crisis in 2015, when at least 5000 people in distress were denied asylum or life-saving amenities. But 2020 was worse still: it was the deadliest year for refugees travelling across the Bay of Bengal, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The Rohingya have few countries to negotiate with as they seek a place to settle, and their forced mobility has sent them on perilous journeys with no destination. These journeys often begin when they are ferried into small boats such as fishing trawlers, and from there to large ships where they are grouped with people from other small boats. The larger ship then carries them to their destination – usually Malaysia or other parts of Southeast Asia – across the Bay of Bengal, through the Andaman Sea and along the Strait of Malacca.  It is as if the sea holds the promise of a sacrosanct destination just on the other side – a ‘land of gold’. The sea provides opportunities for the movements of migrants and refugees, but also nomads, fishermen, smugglers and pirates. Maritime journeys have always been more vulnerable than their terrestrial counterparts – they can be tracked more easily, they can be identified as pirates, or they can simply drown. People taking to the sea to seek asylum, colloquially known as ‘boat people’, have historically been perceived as a threat. There are countless incidents of destination countries pushing back vessels and refusing shelter to those aboard. Bangladesh is one of the world’s highest-ranking countries in terms of sending workers overseas, and the earnings they send home are one of the country’s major sources of capital worth around US$1.7 billion per year. Many other factors produce these migration patterns, including easy access to the sea, the economic prosperity of some Southeast Asian countries, success stories of camp-dwellers and Malaysia’s initial acceptance of migrant workers in its rubber plantations. India used to be a preferred destination for Rohingya because of its land border with Bangladesh, but New Delhi’s recent clampdowns and deportations have triggered fear and contributed to an increase in sea migration. The bay is of paramount importance in international politics. The sea plays a crucial role in boosting interconnectivity and mobility in Asia, bringing South and Southeast Asia together through culture and trade. The entire region has grown economically, resulting in a massive flow of labour and capital, including illegal migration. But the pandemic has made the situation far more complicated: border restrictions have left many stranded at sea for days before they are rescued – or their boat capsizes.‘There is no easy solution to the irregular maritime movements of refugees and migrants’, according to the UNHCR. Deterring movements of people is ‘ineffective’ and would violate human rights, it says, and saving the lives of those stranded at sea should instead be the top priority. Illegal migration and statelessness are not likely to be solved by arresting traffickers. More effective cooperation between nations and humanitarian groups, as well as advocacy to highlight better policies to address South and Southeast Asian migration issues, will do more to change the situation. This is particularly crucial as South Asian countries have housed a disproportionately large number of refugees since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. As 2022 sees case after case of boats capsizing in the Bay of Bengal,nations should ensure proper disembarkation and rescue operations. These are the key to protecting refugees and stateless people from discrimination, persecution, deprivation – and death. Statelessness is not a legal problem but a humanitarian crisis. Sucharita Sengupta is a PhD candidate in the department of Anthropology and Sociology at the Graduate Institute, Geneva (IHEID) and member of the Calcutta Research Group, India. Her research focus is the survival and resilience of ‘stateless’ Rohingya in the camps of Bangladesh. She received funding from the Calcutta Research Group for her 2015 field work and received an ongoing scholarship from IHEID. This article is part of a Special Report on the ‘Changing face of migration’,  produced in collaboration with the Calcutta Research Group. It was first published in June 2022. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on June 20, 2022

Rivers are still people in South Asia despite court showdown - 360 Erin O'Donnell, Ishrat Jahan Published on January 6, 2023 India’s Ganges River runs nearly 2,500km and its catchment is home to nearly 650 million people. It is also home to a rich collection of wildlife, including dolphins, turtles, otters and fish. Understood by Hindus to be the embodiment of the goddess Ganga, the river holds deep spiritual significance to over one billion people: the faithful believe that “bathing in the waters can absolve people of their sins”. But the Ganges, along with other vital regional waterways such as Bangladesh’s Turag River, are facing a fight to stave off myriad threats. And South Asia is running out of time to find solutions to make rivers healthy. India and Bangladesh are part of the transnational Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river basin and are defined by their relationship with these rivers. They flow from glaciers in the Himalayas, across the plains and out through rich mangrove forests of the Sundarbans. Rivers play a big role in India and Bangladesh’s economies, supporting hydropower, industrial development, irrigated agriculture, fishing, tourism, and providing essential drinking water and sanitation resources. With both countries defined by their relationships with rivers, India and Bangladesh face similar challenges. Climate change is hastening glacial melting, leading to catastrophic flash floods. Poor water management between multiple nations with diverse cultures and legal systems has limited each country’s ability to manage their rivers sustainably. Upstream countries are developing mega-dams to support hydropower, as downstream countries try to maintain water supplies in dry years and protect themselves from devastating floods in wet years. Water pollution leaves people and animals without safe drinking water, as well as killing the fish and creatures that live in and around the rivers. Rising sea levels threaten the mangroves protecting the coastline from major storms. Rapidly urbanising populations have led to over-development along rivers and in Bangladesh has contributed to losing more than two-thirds of the country’s river systems. Efforts to protect rivers in both countries have been underway for decades, yet rivers and waterways keep dying. Existing laws are failing to protect the health of rivers. In 2017, India joined New Zealand, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia by recognising that nature has a right to be, specifically, the rights of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. In Bangladesh, a 2019 case in the country’s top court recognised all rivers across the country as legal and living persons with rights. In recognising rivers and other natural entities as legal persons, Bangladesh and India have declared these natural entities have the capacity to bear rights, powers, duties and liabilities in law. As legal persons, these rivers are allowed to sue to uphold their own rights – or potentially be sued by others for any damage they cause. In India and Bangladesh, the rights of rivers have been recognised by courts rather than in legislation. Unlike the development of new legislation, which takes time and requires integration between regulatory regimes, decisions by courts are relatively rapid. In both countries, the court explicitly recognises the urgency of problems confronting rivers, the failure of existing laws to protect rivers and the need for new legal mechanisms that may succeed where previous attempts failed. Courts have presented the recognition of rivers rights as the radical, yet necessary, step to ensure their ongoing protection. In India, the Uttarakhand High Court declared the Rivers Ganga and Yamuna have “the status of a legal person with all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person”. The court also also constructed the rivers as ‘minors’ and nominated two state officials as guardians, to stand in loco parentis (in the place of parents) for the rivers. The state of Uttarakhand has since appealed this decision. The state is arguing the rivers extend well outside the boundaries of Uttarakhand, making it impossible for the court-nominated guardians from Uttarakhand to effectively protect the river. Secondly, the guardians were concerned that, as ‘parents’, they may be held liable for the actions of the rivers, including floods. The Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear the appeal, and has suspended the original ruling until the appeal is complete. In Bangladesh, Supreme Court Justice Ashraful Kamal was so moved by the plight of the rivers, he ruled all rivers must be recognised as legal persons and living persons, and the National River Protection Commission would be their guardian. Justice Kamal handed down a 17-point directive, which included requiring the national government to pass legislation to give the river commission the powers it needs to be an effective river guardian. This decision was also appealed, and parts of it walked back. However, the status of the rivers as legal persons remains intact. The new rights of rivers are already coming into conflict with human rights and interests. Around one million people are affected by riverbank erosion every year, and the Department of Disaster Management of Bangladesh distributes relief for victims of river erosion and flooding on humanitarian grounds. Depending on how the court rules on rights of nature, responsibility for this damage could theoretically lie with the river guardian. In Bangladesh, the river protection measures include the power to evict people from developments on rivers, and evictions have already begun, largely targeting the poor rather than the corporate interests that drive the bulk of river damage. Farming communities in India rely on water from the Ganges for irrigation, and water is harnessed to run large hydropower projects. As a legal person, representatives for the river could seek to curtail these activities as detrimental to river health, affecting people who rely on the river. Healthy rivers are essential for community wellbeing, economic development, and society, culture, and spirituality. But current damage to India and Bangladesh’s rivers compromises their health, and ultimately, the neighbouring people. It would be a tragedy if attempts to improve the health of rivers entrapped all in an adversarial relationship of suit and countersuit with the river, each pursuing remedies for the damage each does to each other. To avoid this, policy and law reform will be needed, to better protect rivers and acknowledge the mutual interdependence of people and rivers. Erin O’Donnell is a senior fellow at Melbourne Law School. She has worked in water law and policy for over 20 years and is internationally recognised for her work on the ground-breaking new field of legal rights of rivers. Erin is also a member of the Birrarung Council, the voice of the Yarra River. Ishrat Jahan is a PhD candidate at Melbourne Law School. Dr O’Donnell’s research was funded by Melbourne Law School’s Early Career Academic Fellowship Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on January 6, 2023

Road deaths are like a pandemic - 360 Sarah Jane Fox Published on December 6, 2022 Road deaths are often seen as a domestic issue, but working together with other governments can make the biggest impact in reducing numbers. If an Airbus A380 with 500 people onboard crashed, killing everyone, it would make international news. The subsequent investigation would be extensive and could  last months or years. Yet, many people are killed on the roads each week in the European Union alone and it passes almost without notice. Even more die in developing nations. Globally, the number of victims of road crashes continues to rise, particularly in low and middle-income countries, which account for 90 per cent of deaths. Africa, statistically, has the worst figures. Traffic collisions are estimated to be the eighth leading cause of death globally, being identified as ‘silent killers’ by the EU. Road deaths do not respect age, occurring across all age groups. Despite the United Nation’s decade of road safety action, deaths on the roads are predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030 — jeopardising the whole sustainable development agenda. Road deaths are often addressed domestically, but it requires a concerted international  approach to tackle. Although there are no vaccines to prevent road deaths, COVID-19 showed how coordinated government action can be effective when tackling a global emergency. However, unlike COVID-19, our global society has not gotten behind the drive to eradicate, or at least minimise, deaths on the road — certainly not with the same sense of urgency we have witnessed during the pandemic. COVID-19 also had an impact on the number of road deaths, as driver habits and road use changed, particularly during lockdowns. Some countries, including the United States and Japan, recorded an increase in road fatalities. The majority of EU nations, including Greece and France, recorded lower death rates on the road due to the inability to travel during lockdowns. Some countries imposed exemptions or extensions for existing holders of driving licences, including postponing periodic checks during the pandemic. There were also extensions to time limits for roadworthiness tests for cars, motorcycles and trailers, which later resulted in long backlogs to catch-up on compliance. Initial driver training was also hampered during the height of the pandemic, with notable delays for those who wished to learn how to drive. It remains unclear if this compromised overall driver safety, but the EU recognises driver training and licensing along with enforcement, to be one of the most significant approaches to casualty reduction on European roads. Other significant consequences, immediately after the lockdown period,  included road users — drivers, riders and pedestrians — showing reduced awareness, perception and poorer judgement in decision making and reaction to situations. The current EU Road Safety Policy Framework aspires to achieve close to zero deaths and zero serious injuries by 2050. The medium-term goal is to reduce death and serious injuries by 50 percent by 2030. This is based on the Valletta Declaration which all member states have committed to and recognises EU goals and targets relating to road safety should be, “underpinned by a coordinated, well-planned, systematic and well-financed road safety approach at EU, national, regional and local levels.” The ability to monitor progress requires national data collection, with national road safety observation bodies being asked to collect, process and maintain databases, in order to prioritise responses to trends and locations where collisions and incidents are particularly high. All EU member states are requested to prioritise funding towards the maintenance of existing infrastructure as a priority, but also use available finances made available by the  Connecting Europe Facility, and the Trans-European Transport network policy which aims to improve EU-wide access and cohesion. Investment in road safety is a key part of the EU’s Strategic Action Plan on Road Safety. This sees funding from the Safer Transport Platform, launched by the European Investment Bank, whereby member states are provided with guidance and support to encourage the uptake of funding and financing opportunities for projects that improve road safety. The EU Commission and member states also develop standards for walking and cycling infrastructure and provide training on the needs of vulnerable road users. The EU has historically taken a strong lead in the fight to lower road deaths and European roads remain the safest in the world. Safety has improved greatly in recent decades as a result of collaborative efforts, such as the cross-border exchange of information on road-safety-related traffic offences, the Driving Licence Directives and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. But member states have not always had a positive traffic record. For instance, Lithuania had one of the highest road death rates in the EU but from 2001-2010, they reduced the number of fatalities by more than half, and by another 37 percent between 2010 and 2016. The figures are now close to the EU average. During this time Lithuania introduced stricter rules for drink-driving than most other EU countries, made bicycle helmets compulsory for those under 18, and cracked down on speeding and seat belt use. Similarly, Spain has progressively introduced several safety measures since 2001, including a penalty point system for traffic offences, an extensive network of safety cameras and stricter sanctions for traffic offences. Spain also has a lower alcohol driving limit than most EU member states with the police conducting extensive drug and alcohol tests for drivers. Between 2010 and 2020 Spain saw a 44 percent drop in the number of road deaths. Collective action across the EU has shown sharing experiences and a coordinated approach can significantly reduce road deaths and serious injuries. Measures that continue to work well throughout all EU members are education, training and enforcement. Lessons from the EU and from COVID-19 show lives can be saved on all roads across the world through better coordination. This piece is related to part of a publication entitled, ROAD SAFETY – A GLOBAL EMERGENCY: THE EU DIRECTION OF TRAVEL (In the Covid-19 era) Sarah Jane Fox is an academic at the University of Leicester, UK and a visiting professor at DePaul University, Chicago, US. She achieved a prestigious Fulbright post-doctoral scholarship to the US in 2015-2016. Her research relates to transport modes and technology, including its risks and safety. The author declares no conflict of interest. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “On the road after COVID” sent at: 06/12/2022 09:50. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on December 6, 2022

Robots at work, from museums to mines - 360 Juan Manuel Corchado, Sergio Manzano Published on November 7, 2022 From taking tours to reducing traffic, the influence of robots on cities is growing fast. But it might be scratching the surface of what’s possible. Visitors to Spain’s Museum of the Ancient Seas may find their tour guide’s delivery a bit mechanical, but that’s by design — the museum has embraced intelligent robot visitor guides built off technology that could revamp public spaces in cities around the world. The robots look like trilobites, extinct marine arthropods with a distinctive three-lobed, three-segmented form. The 60cm-long machines are made using 3D printing and work in swarms to guide visitors in different languages. The robots can distinguish between children and adults and adapt their guidance and information accordingly. The technology powering the robots is a Deep Intelligence tool, developed by Spain’s AIR Institute, that analyses data coming from buildings, such as temperature, heating use and whether windows or doors are closed. The data can be cross-referenced to reduce energy consumption when residents are not at home or asleep, or it could assist in warning people when they’ve turned on the heating with an open window or left a street-facing door ajar. Territory data is also analysed, gathering information about traffic flow, pedestrian movement, public transport and environmental conditions. This data is used to help drivers find alternate directions to avoid traffic jams, offer emergency services the most direct route, or issue recommendations to citizens based on the weather. The tool — titled Deepint.net — is informed by databases, the cloud and predictive models. The robots receive their information and commands from Deepint.net, which designates them the kinds of tasks the robots are to complete. At the museum, their role is to guide visitors. In smart cities — locales designed to integrate digital technology — the robots could be deployed for functions such as rubbish collection. With this information, robots can execute decision-making strategies, benefitting from the tool’s machine learning and federated learning, two methods to train artificial intelligence. This tool’s usefulness outside of the museum is already being tested. A study testing Deepint.net on Paris’ bicycle rental system is underway, and it has been extended in pilot tests in Istanbul, Sofia, Barcelona and by the International Association of Public Transport. With the application of this type of software, robots in smart cities will be able to learn from data and improve processes to better protect citizens, clean or assist people with special needs. Such robots take advantage of the results of data analyses to optimise public space. These models may be applied in the robots’ operating systems and used to offer tailored solutions. And much like the robots at the Museum of the Ancient Seas, working in swarms could amplify the benefits smart city robots bring to public spaces. “Swarms” are robotic systems made up of a large group of interdependent, interconnected individual robots. In a swarm, robots communicate with each other and can coordinate to perform operations. This promotes scalability and reduces costs. This system has been used by avant-garde artists to create interactive art installations. But with their scalability, comparatively low cost and the potential to harness a large fleet of machines, swarms of large robots have particular value to the mining or agriculture sectors. At the other end of the size spectrum, micro-robotic swarms have potential to manage micro-machinery or be developed in the health sector to help the human body. Service robots will advance enormously thanks to swarm systems and will become more efficient at their tasks by learning from each other, complementing each other and accomplishing more than they would individually. The challenge for researchers and software developers is to make these technologies intelligible and accessible. Doing so opens the door for better, faster and wider implementation, creating systems that can make cities safer and more liveable. Juan Manuel Corchado is professor and director of the Bisite Research Group, University of Salamanca, Spain and president of AIR Institute. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 7, 2022

Rohingya conundrum: Stateless, helpless and unwanted - 360 Bharat Bhushan Published on March 27, 2024 The Rohingya, a Muslim minority from Myanmar persecuted and run out of their homeland, face a perilous future. Last week, dozens of Rohingya refugees drowned after a wooden boat they were travelling in capsized off Indonesia’s Aceh province. About 69 refugees were saved by local fishermen and Indonesian rescue services. Survivors reported that the boat carried 150 refugees and at least 50 were feared dead. However, those who were rescued faced the wrath of the local residents who did not welcome their arrival. Indeed, the Rohingya, a Muslim minority from Myanmar persecuted and run out of their homeland, are unwelcome nearly everywhere. In November 2023, a boat carrying 200 Rohingya refugees was pushed back into the sea by the locals in Aceh. After a military crackdown in 2017, nearly one million Rohingya refugees fled to Bangladesh. The Rohingya are seen as “foreigners” and designated as “Bengalis” by the majority Buddhist ruling classes of Myanmar. They have been denied citizenship and excluded from any future vision of Myanmar, as the nation grapples with issues of ethnicity, religion and citizenship. Although the Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for generations, they are not recognised as an official ethnic group of the nation. They are not included in the 135 ethnic groups officially recognised by the government. The Rohingya have been denied citizenship since 1982, with the UN describing them as the “world’s largest stateless population.” Hounded and persecuted, most fled to Bangladesh but they have also found refuge in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and India. In Bangladesh most of them live in densely populated camps in Cox’s Bazar. To decongest the camps, some have been shifted 60 km away from the mainland to the cyclone- prone Bhasan Char Island in the Bay of Bengal. Their isolation further reduces their chances of access to basic rights or of finding long-term solution to their plight. The Rohingya having made the dangerous sea journey to Bangladesh are once again taking to the sea. The conditions in the camps have deteriorated over the years. Few work opportunities, dependence on aid, lack of formal and recognised education for their children and threatened by the violence of criminal gangs in the camps, have pushed many to venture on risky sea journeys in search of safer refuge elsewhere. Their vulnerability also makes them prime targets for exploitation by traffickers and smugglers. According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), 2023 was the deadliest year at sea for the Rohingya in the nine years since they fled Myanmar – 569 of them died while trying to escape in search of a better future. The UNHCR noted a qualitative change in those risking death at sea as “66 percent of those embarking on these deadly journeys” were women and children. The Rohingya remaining in Myanmar have increasingly also been caught in the ongoing war between the state’s armed forces and the rebel Arakan Army. Since the beginning of this year, Rohingya civilians have been killed or injured in the fighting, according to the Rohingya Human Rights Initiative. There are reports of the Myanmar Army’s forced conscription of young Rohingya men to fight the Arakan Army. Equally there are reports of the Arakan army using Rohingya villages in the Rakhine as human shields. Safe neither at home nor abroad, the Rohingya are clearly the “nowhere people” of this century – stateless, helpless and unwanted. This Special Report on the Rohingya refugees was produced in collaboration with the Calcutta Research Group and the Asian Broadcasting Union.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 27, 2024

Rohingya migrants in limbo - 360 Niloy Ranjan Biswas Published on June 20, 2022 Rohingya are hopeful of returning to their homeland in Myanmar, but for many the hope may never become a reality. Zahid (not his real name) was born in Myanmar in 1970. He fled his home with seven of his children and just the clothes on their back in 2017 after armed groups began systematically killing people in nearby villages. Five years on, Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said it’s readying for the return of ‘displaced persons from Rakhine state’. Zahid, a Rohingya, is unlikely to return. He’s just one of several refugees living in Bangladeshi camps your correspondent interviewed between 2019 and 2021. Zahid’s family are one of more than 190,000 households considered refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and he is one of the nearly 1 million people who have migrated to Bangladesh’s greater Cox’s Bazar area. It is among the world’s most densely populated refugee camps. Even before the violence began, Zahid was made stateless in his own country. Rohingya were excluded from a list drawn up in 1982 of 135 ethnic groups granted citizenship in Myanmar. They lost their rights of ownership to their properties and any legal claim to their homes. Rohingya were dubbed ‘resident foreigners’ or ‘Bengalis’, and with no legal lineage to national races, became alien to their lands. Zahid recalls the death of his father due to lack of hospital treatment 21 years ago. His family tried to get the permission required from the Burmese army for access to a hospital. They were refused. There are many similar stories of Rohingya being denied access to urgently needed medical care. Zahid’s siblings and children never had a chance to study beyond Grade 10. No official permission was given for higher education. And those who could study up to Grade 10 still would not be given a job. Religious education was barred and Rohingya could not go to a mosque from 6pm to 6am. Zahid’s Rohingya neighbours were often blamed for theft, robbery or murder. He saw an innocent man caught and beaten after the man was falsely accused of a robbery Zahid had seen someone else do. Now a sub-block leader in Camp-13 in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, Zahid lives with his family in a house made of canvas and bamboo and survives on various relief items including rice and pulses. There is a school for the children in the camp, and mosques for residents to pray in. Zahid and his family can get proper medical treatment in the camp hospital. But the hospitals do not remain open at night. Asked if he wished to return to his ancestral home in Myanmar, Zahid said yes, he wants to go back to Maungdaw. But his memory of multiple accounts of violence in Myanmar remains nerve-racking for him and his family members. He wants to believe the Burmese government will give them citizenship and take them back with open arms. But he has a profound lack of confidence in his government’s declared intention to resolve things by bringing Rohingya back to Myanmar. Progress in state-level negotiations has not been visible on the Burmese side. Myanmar has failed to protect its own citizens against the perpetrators of violence – regimes, security institutions and other persecutors. Myanmar needs to transform its behaviour as a state and reform its political-military structure to accommodate minorities and ensure they are treated equally. Without further political and structural reforms the potential for violence against Rohingya remains, worsening the uncertainty for Zahid and others like him who still hope to return to their homeland. Niloy Ranjan Biswas, Ph.D., teaches International Relations at the University of Dhaka. He has written extensively on peacebuilding, peacekeeping, preventing violent extremism, and refugees and forced migration issues. This life-story of a camp-based Rohingya was collected as a part of a research project Rohingya Journeys of Violence and Resilience in Bangladesh and its Neighbours, supported under the UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). Dr Biswas declared no conflicts of interest in relation to this article. His research project: Rohingya Journeys of Violence and Resilience in Bangladesh and its Neighbours, was supported under the UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). This article is part of a Special Report on the ‘Changing face of migration’,  produced in collaboration with the Calcutta Research Group. It was first published in June 2022. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on June 20, 2022

Rohingya refugee women survive on the edge - 360 Sucharita Sengupta Published on March 27, 2024 Eking out a living is a huge challenge for hundreds of thousands of women living in the bleak camps in Cox’s Bazar. Thin, under-nourished women, clad in cotton saris and headscarves, sit on their haunches amid the warren of mud and thatched huts. They speak among themselves in a strange patois – part Bengali, part Arakanese – staring up every now and then to make eye contact with the aid workers milling about the Rohingya refugee camps. Thirty-seven-year-old Shagufta Ismail (name changed to protect identity) lives in one of the cramped huts of Camp 14 – the ‘widow block’. She came here along with two children in 2017 following the ethno-religious violence in the Rakhine State that forced hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya refugees to cross the Myanmar-Bangladesh border and seek refuge in Cox’s Bazar. Most humanitarian crises affect women and children badly but the Rohingya catastrophe is worse, especially for women. Even as Rohingya women refugees have little or no access to stable economic opportunities, especially in the face of widespread poverty, many have taken to prostitution as a means of survival. The security situation in the camps has also deteriorated with reports of crimes against women, including sexual assault. Shagufta’s condition is representative of Rohingya refugee women’s insecurities and vulnerabilities that stem from displacement and the consequent lack of belonging in a foreign land. Their experience is different from the Rohingya men. Two years after the Rohingya exodus, only 20 widows lived in the constricted huts of the refugee camps. While their numbers grew over the years, their general condition did not improve – an existence marked by uncertainty, lack of sanitation and a general degradation. However, amid the reports of wretchedness in the Cox’s Bazar camps – there are now an estimated 1 million refugees – there are flickers of hope. Seventeen-year-old Parveen Iqbal (name changed), for instance, wants to be “as free as you are, study and get a job”. Parveen, along with her family, fled the Rakhine State in August 2017 when she was in middle school. Her dreams remained unrealised but her conviction, that education was the surest means to a good life and eventually freedom, was shared by many others. Meanwhile, left to fend for herself, Shagufta, like the other “widows”, managed their households alone in conditions of extreme privation and continued violence. They selected their representatives, responsible for each camp block, from among themselves, indicating coordination and leadership in the camps. The representatives often act as mediators between the refugees and camps-in-charge. This was in stark contrast to before 2017 when they could rarely voice their opinions or exercise choices within their own homes. Violent conflicts have a greater impact on women since they become the target of gender-specific human rights violations. Women are doubly marginalised and oppressed due to political beliefs, ethnicity, religion and nationality. All of this and more has been happening at Cox’s Bazar’s 34 Rohingya camps. A 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan report says that women and children have been the worst affected, with many suffering from malnutrition. They are in dire need of healthcare, education, food security, protection and phycological care. While financial distress and economic crisis among the Rohingya have deepened, many lost their jobs with humanitarian organisations and NGOs during the pandemic. The Rohingya women refugees form a diverse group in terms of their background, choices, access to resources and networks both in Myanmar and Bangladesh. For instance, Parveen’s hut had two rooms with several electronic gadgets and a small separate space as the kitchen. Many of the women also had access to solar power which can be rented for a cost. Parveen’s father can afford to pay rent, but most families cannot. The ‘widow block’ residents had less money or spending power. Land was allocated to them based on what their purse allowed. Land was costlier in areas with better access to latrines, drinking water, tube wells and other amenities. For women such as Parveen, the camps provide job opportunities through involvement with NGOs. Such camps are not as liveable as the ones in Myanmar where Parveen’s family enjoyed better access to social and cultural institutions. Most other women had little or no access to basics, including full rations, a stove, cooking gas, water, sanitation or even proper shelter. The humanitarian response platform, a collective of INGOs and local NGOs, formed to render aid to the Rohingya in Bangladesh, is focused on ensuring gender rights and preventing sexual violence against women and children. Although there is no system of imparting formal education in the camps, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (also known as UN Women), has been collaborating with local NGOs to initiate and run education awareness programmes. Some of these NGOs operate separate ‘safe centres’ that impart skill training and create space for women and girls to share personal problems. A few groups formed in the camps work to promote leadership and equal representation for women, especially on critical issues such as protection. Rohingya women volunteer in active initiatives as assistants in health facilities and as assistants to midwives and doctors, as hygiene promoters to build awareness on safe drinking water and to teach how to use tube wells and washrooms/latrines, and as emergency responders, to provide basic first aid and lead search and rescue missions. Many women and girls such as Parveen and Anwara Khatun (name changed) are evolving as a consequence of access to education and employment. Notwithstanding such success stories, severe constrictions impede the development of many others. Turning skills into commercial purposes, even when they want to, has not happened. Rashida Bano (age 24) of Camp 9 at Balukhali, said, “I know sewing and have a machine donated by a local NGO, but I mostly stitch our own clothes”. She sought help “several times” from a few NGO workers “but such assistance did not materialise”. Her decision to send her daughter to skills sessions did not yield the desired results. Workshops organised from time to time were of little help. Amid such dire economic conditions, there are reports of child marriage and early pregnancy resulting in enlarged families with the children unable to get basic education. Rohingya women’s sufferings are compounded by low levels of literacy that restrict many of them from securing jobs. Their plight becomes extreme when they are unable to access latrines built far from their humble dwellings. While rising forced prostitution within and outside the camps is a matter of concern, it is also time to consider these options as labour of choice for women. At times, the line between force and volition obliterates, and is triggered by reasons of economic want. This autonomy must be recognised even within the ambit of coercive external forces. Rohingya women such as Parveen survive in the zone of hope and eventual change – for justice. They believe that justice in the form of a legal redressal in their homeland, Myanmar, will provide them the security necessary for facilitating their return in the future. Sucharita Sengupta is a researcher at the Calcutta Research Group. Before taking a PhD from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, in July 2023, she was a teaching assistant there between 2019 and 2021. She has worked extensively on issues related to migration and forced migration in South Asia. The research was undertaken with financial assistance (scholarship and field visit sponsorship) from the Geneva Graduate Institute, Switzerland. This article is part of a Special Report on the Rohingya refugees produced in collaboration with the Calcutta Research Group and the Asian Broadcasting Union. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 27, 2024

Russia and Ukraine have a common enemy - time - 360 David V. Gioe, Tony Manganello Published on February 23, 2023 War’s most inflexible factor is time. How Ukraine and Russia’s clocks tick down will decide who wins this war. Just before Christmas the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said of the Ukraine-Russian war, victory “is maybe not achievable through military means, and therefore you need to turn to other means,” noting a possible slowdown of fighting provides “a window of opportunity for negotiation”. His comment was criticised by other observers and the Ukrainians, who clearly have momentum and morale on their side. Milley’s assessment suggested neither side has a dominant position and, when subsequently clarifying his remarks, he said: “Russia right now is on its back. … You want to negotiate … when you’re at strength and your opponent is at weakness”. As discussed in Armed Forces & Society, deciding the right time to negotiate, or to press an advantage, is a key question in war.  As the conflict enters its second year, Ukraine appears to have the momentum. But both sides face considerable time pressures that must be considered in their theories of victory. Working with – or against – time has always been a feature of strategy in war. Nobody knows who will win this conflict (or what constitutes victory), but the passage of time — understood in military terms as endurance and exhaustion — can help assess its direction. The Russian invasion last February was carefully calibrated with specific dates and seasons in mind. They waited until after the Beijing Olympics, but before the spring thaw turned Ukraine’s hard ground to mud. The entire Russian strategy was shaped by the idea of a short, sharp invasion that would collapse the government of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Russian President Vladimir Putin figured Ukraine was vulnerable and Kyiv would fall in days. It didn’t. Military planners throughout history have set timetables and sometimes they become hostages to these, such as the Germans in 1914. As the historian AJP Taylor memorably put it, “The First World War had begun — imposed on the statesmen of Europe by railway timetables”. Germany was not alone in miscalculating time. All sides in that conflict felt the war would be over by Christmas . The seasons can have more to do with determining the winner than any martial prowess or decisive battle, a lesson learned by Napoleon in 1812 and Hitler in 1941 when they invaded Russia and planned to conquer Moscow before their armies froze to death. Time can also be considered less of a pressure and more of an ally. Combatants can seek victory simply by surviving and running out the clock on their enemies. This is especially true in counterinsurgencies and wars of national liberation. The US was once the beneficiary of such a Fabian strategy in the War of Independence. Two centuries later, the US ran out of steam in Vietnam and again in Afghanistan. As reportedly observed by a captured Taliban fighter, “You have the watches. We have the time”. As Putin is learning in Ukraine, the further a campaign deviates from the initial strategy, the greater the chances of catastrophe. Although the Russians are farther from their initial strategy and campaign plan, it is not clear if time will be an ally for either side.  Setting the Russian and Ukrainian clocks against one another offers a novel way to assess which side may outlast the other. Moscow’s ticking clock involves several interrelated pressures that may cause Russia to run out of gas before Ukraine. There is near universal acceptance the “special military operation” failed (as initially envisioned). While Putin has scaled down his initial objectives, he shows no sign of abandoning his war, perhaps believing his clock is the favoured one. However, failure to appreciate the realities of his own clock and correct course in response could lead to Putin’s political — and quite possibly, literal — demise. Among the principal issues for Russia is the terrible performance of its military. Combat losses — some estimates place killed and wounded at nearly 200,000 — are unsustainable for the long term without a national mobilisation (which would be politically fraught) and replenishment of modern weapons (impossible despite Iran’s support with drones). To augment his forces, Putin reluctantly began a “partial mobilisation” in September, which has bought him some time. But the conscripts arrive in Ukraine with almost no training and antediluvian weapons. Even if Putin could generate more manpower, Russian armed forces are quickly depleting their weapons, especially the higher-end precision guided munitions, and these cannot be called up from Russia’s regions like conscripts. Replenishing stocks has ground to a near standstill because of Western sanctions. Putin’s economic clock seems to be a mixed picture as Russia’s economy officially entered a recession in the second half of 2022. However, while Russia’s Central Bank predicted a further contraction of 7.1 percent, the International Monetary Fund has recently upgraded Russia’s economic forecast by predicting slight growth for 2023. This must be considered alongside the longer-term impact of sanctions that will continue to bite. Although Putin set aside a considerable war chest to insulate his economy, many Russian assets were frozen abroad by sanctions. Putin is still making money and using energy as a weapon but Europeans do seem to be transitioning away and seeking new suppliers. To prevail, Putin likely feels he needs to outlast Western cohesion and a cold winter for Europe requiring Russian energy sources was a key pillar in that plan. Putin underestimated the Western cohesion and unity generated in response to his invasion. If he and his military can survive long enough to see a dissolution of Western cohesion, that could be a deciding factor. Western aid has made the Ukrainian resistance possible and sanctions have drained Russia. A disruption to aid and sanctions could quickly deteriorate the situation for Ukraine. Perhaps Putin thinks this is a race against time he can win. There is a question whether cohesion among Western states can last indefinitely; it likely cannot. While the US can chart its own policy course, European institutions must achieve consensus to act. Significantly for any analysis of Western cohesion, definitions matter. What we term as “the West” (wealthy democracies providing military aid to Ukraine) may be divisible into two factions: the US and Europe, although intra-European unity is far from assured. Growing public dissent could be another problem for Putin, especially if a future mobilisation impacts Russian cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the past, he has been able to iron-fist his way to suppressing free speech. The invasion and the disastrous results thus far initially inflamed Russian public dissent, but his security services seem to have tamped down protesters, albeit ruthlessly. Adding to the growing public pressure, Russian elites are increasingly restive. As Putin tries to shift blame and enhance performance by reshuffling his military’s leadership, he has become obliged to field strongman (read: ruthless) commanders, even enlisting the paramilitary Wagner Group to shoulder a larger share of the combat load in Ukraine. The risk Putin runs is choosing between fielding a group of ineffective but loyal toadies and appointing more effective strongmen who may turn on him. With all of these societal and political fissures and pressures against Russia’s clock, Putin’s ability to salvage anything resembling victory is quickly waning. His hope is to outlast the Ukrainian clock. After a year, Ukrainian forces remain strongly motivated and, thanks to unprecedented military, economic, and political support from the West, more capable than ever to defend and retake their territory. Despite this, the primary path to victory may only be a terrible slog in outlasting Putin and exhausting the Russian military. The Ukrainian military has exceeded expectations, performing amazingly well against what was thought to be an overpowering Russian force. Facing an existential threat to their homeland, morale among Ukrainian fighters is surging while Russian troop morale plummets. All the same, Ukraine is also up against a ticking clock in terms of rebuilding a shattered economy and devastating Russian strikes against critical infrastructure. There is a real possibility the Ukrainian Armed Forces (or its backers) could run out of certain weapons systems, or even steam more generally, and this largely depends on the robustness and durability of external financial and military support as well as avoiding a stalemate as the initial war in the Donbas resembled. From a material sense, the Ukrainian burn rate for weapons has exceeded donor nations’ use calculations. NATO countries, including the US, appear ready to keep up with Ukrainian demand. But one NATO official described 20 of its 30 member countries as being “pretty tapped out,” and others have some desperately needed resources but are mired in export control red tape. How much longer can Ukraine expect to receive substantial amounts of foreign military and economic aid? The answer to this question will most likely dictate how much time Ukraine has left on its clock. It is difficult to imagine Ukraine carrying on a conventional resistance without a continued and uninterrupted infusion of foreign military and intelligence assistance. The Ukrainians are rightly concerned about a frozen conflict and waning international attention. For now, Ukraine has dominated the news cycles, prompting Ukrainian flags being flown from global capitals to the social media pages of celebrities. Ukraine dominates the online narrative space with the skilled weaponisation of memes and urban legends while Zelenskiy is feted by world leaders. How long can this level of global attention and popular support persist? A new crisis, new strain of COVID, or even an early US presidential campaign may compete with Ukraine for the world’s attention. Flagging global interest could drastically decrease Ukraine’s clock. Time is a critical consideration in evaluating each side’s prospects. For Russia, the foundering of its military, inadequate manpower, unsustainable equipment losses, compounding economic challenges, and Ukrainian support from the West are all pressing against Putin’s clock. It remains to be seen whether further support from Russia’s few remaining friends or a reshuffling of commanders (now with Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov in overall command) will make a difference. For Ukraine, pushing Russian troops out of Ukraine’s pre-2014 boundaries would be a total victory, but there are are lingering questions in Western capitals about Putin’s redlines for escalation, especially regarding the status of illegally annexed Crimea. Outlasting Putin and putting time on Ukraine’s clock through foreign support appears to be the clearest path to prevailing. How each clock interacts with the variables and with the adversary’s clock offers a way to assess relative advantage as the war continues. As military and political leaders throughout history have learned, time waits for no one. David V. Gioe, PhD, FRHistS is a British Academy Global Professor and  Visiting Professor of Intelligence & International Security at the Department of War Studies King’s College London. He is also History Fellow for the Army Cyber Institute at the United States Military Academy. This is his own analysis and reflects no official government position| Tony Manganello, PhD, is an associate professor of National Security Studies at Indiana Wesleyan University where he serves as department coordinator for the criminal justice program. The research was undertaken with financial assistance from the British Academy’s Global Professorship programme. This article was adapted from a longer article, A Tale of Two Clocks: A Framework for Assessing Time Pressure and Advantage in the Russo-Ukrainian War, first published in the journal Armed Forces & Society. Published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 23, 2023

'Russia at peace with the West suits India. It does not suit China' - 360 Published on June 21, 2023 C. Raja Mohan from the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore breaks down India’s position between the West, Russia and China. Russia’s relationship with India is set to come into focus when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the White House on June 22. C. Raja Mohan from the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore says that the friendship can be overstated, but is still a “headache.” EMBED START Video {id: "editor_0"} EMBED START Audio {id: "editor_1"} EMBED END Audio {id: "editor_1"} "India's Russia relationship can be overstated. You know, just because this has been in the news and headlines and everyone talks about India buying oil, India's weak link in the Cold War. Why is India not rallying behind the West? But the fact that Mr Modi has been invited to come to the White House as a state guest shows that the US has not criticised India." "But we have a dependence on Russia. You're trying to manage it. So Russia is a headache. We're trying to manage. It's a declining weight in our relationship on the economic front. It has important value on our defence front. So there's no question to say India is supporting Russia, I think that's a misrepresentation. India is not supporting Russia. India is keeping quiet." "If you look at the last 30 years, there's been a dramatic transformation of India's relationship with the US. The US is India's largest trade partner. Last year alone, it was close to USD$190 billion. And if you remove the recent oil purchases, India's trade with Russia in 2021 was around USD$9 billion. So the economic weight of the US has dramatically grown in India's larger economic calculus." "China and Russia have gotten together. They say they have an alliance without limits. India has a problem with China. India's principal problem is with China. And the fact that Russia is getting closer to China adds to the problem. So that's the reason why India is trying to get closer to the United States." "So a Russia that is at peace with the West suits India. It does not suit China. It suits India. A Russia that is at peace with the West means the West does not cut slack for China as it happened in the Cold War. And today, again, the Europeans run to the Chinese and say, please stop Russia from beating up on the Ukrainians. So a Russia -West war actually benefits China in both ways." "But India is a loser because if Russia and the West fight India's ability to build the widest possible coalition against China becomes harder. So what India is trying to do is to find a balance to that by getting closer to the United States and Japan and other Western countries. Which historically, very differently India believed from the time of independence, India and China as brothers in Asia. We can build a different order. But thanks to Xi Jinping, I think we've been cured of those illusions." "So, I would say the India US differences on the geopolitical front have significantly narrowed. That does not mean India becomes an ally to the US, like Australia or Japan. But I think the collaboration coordination between India and the US will continue to grow India, US, Japan, others are trying to do is to create a framework in which to prevent China from trying to dominate its neighbours. And I think the US is going to play a helpful role. Unlike in the past where the US dominated everything that happens." "The US is building … I think that's a big change which people have not noticed. The US is willing to let Japan play a larger role, willing to, asking India to play a larger role. So I think it suits us very well that this is not US led, you know, horsemen charging at China, but one which looks at creating local balance in which the local powers like India play a larger role. A rising India is better prepared for this kind of a format rather than one which says the US will decide everything, we simply want to follow that." C. Raja Mohan is Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story "India-US Summit" sent at: 19/06/2023 06:00. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on June 21, 2023

Russia’s invasion could reignite a nuclear arms scramble - 360 Fitriani Published on March 21, 2022 When Ukraine gave up its stockpile of nuclear weapons, it expected protection from the great powers. Russia’s invasion could start a global re-think. On March 4 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted a chilling entreaty to the world: “Please do not let Europe die in a nuclear war.” It was an ominous, desperate plea as Ukraine — a non-nuclear-weapon state — defended its territory from Russia, who put its nuclear forces on high alert on the fourth day of fighting. Zelenskyy called upon US President Joe Biden, among others, because of a treaty known as the Budapest Memorandum. This 1994 deal followed the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, which saw the newly independent Ukraine inherit one-third of the Soviet nuclear stockpile. At the time, Ukraine owned the third biggest nuclear weapons arsenal in the world with 1,900 warheads, more than six times what China currently possesses, with explosive yields of 400-550 kilotons each, or 27-37 times the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Through persistent negotiation and persuasion by the United States, Ukraine agreed to let go of its nuclear arsenal and join the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT). In exchange, the US, the United Kingdom and Russia said they would provide protection if Ukraine’s sovereignty was endangered. The Memorandum noted that the major powers would “seek immediate United Nations (UN) Security Council action to provide assistance to Ukraine” should any threat come. Two decades after the agreement, the world witnessed Russia violating the Budapest Memorandum through its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The 2022 invasion of Ukraine shows that even great powers can be rendered helpless bystanders when a nuclear weapons state like Russia goes on the offensive. If agreements such as the NPT or the Budapest Memorandum can be violated by the major powers who sign them and leave non-nuclear countries unable to deter an attack because of the threat of nuclear retaliation, it may convince countries like North Korea, India and Pakistan to hold onto their nuclear warheads. Countries with uranium-based energy production may consider ramping up to building nuclear arms. The threat may reverse a global trend of nuclear disarmament. From 2020 to 2021, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute recorded a minor decline in the total number of nuclear weapons in the world (from 13,400 to 13,080). Nine countries maintain possession of nuclear weapons — the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. Within the same period, the number of nuclear weapons deployed to standby within operational forces increased from 3,720 to 3,825. This increase was led by the US and Russia who primed around 50 additional nuclear warheads since the start of 2021. But if this conflict proves the catalyst for another nuclear arms race, it will be nothing like the decades-long Cold War. In the 21st century, instead of a Cold War, a cyber war is more likely. The cyber-technological race to secure and/or attack facilities controlling nuclear capabilities would shape any conflict. Since the Stuxnet computer worm infiltrated and damaged Iran’s nuclear facilities in 2010, governments have realised that cyber-weapons capability is as important as nuclear arms ownership — if not more important. The threat of increasingly sophisticated digital attacks on nuclear facilities requires global stakeholders to address cyber-nuclear security and develop response capabilities. Other actors, such as criminal organisatons and terrorist groups, could also enhance their cyber infiltration capability. Ukraine experienced an attack on its power grid in 2015, attributed to Russian group ‘Sandworm’. In the current invasion, distributed denial-of-service attacks were directed toward Ukraine’s government. With current treaties unable to prevent Russia’s nuclear threat re-emerging, the threat of further attacks looms large. But as we enter a new era of defence, along with finding new ways to protect non-nuclear nations, nuclear weapon states will likely need to bolster protections to prepare for the next wave of cyber-attacks. Fitriani is a Senior Researcher at the Dept. International Relations in CSIS Indonesia and a lecturer at University of Indonesia. Her works are focused on traditional security and defence issues, including military reforms and peacekeeping, as well as the growing non-traditional security concerns, including cybersecurity, and the women, peace and security agenda. Fitriani declared no conflicts of interest in relation to this article. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Nuclear weapons” sent at: 14/03/2022 10:46. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 21, 2022

Same game, new moves: digital threats to journalists in Indonesia - 360 Masduki Published on May 3, 2022 Indonesia’s political regime may have changed but pressure on the media has not faded away thanks to new tools and techniques. In the pre-digital autocratic era, Indonesian state officials controlled the media through direct censorship, advertising and strict media policies. The government could control the media by selectively deploying its annual advertising budget. Now, in the digital age, opportunities to control journalists have expanded. Social media ‘buzzers’ and partisan digital influencers are key players in challenging the work of media professionals. Buzzers influence others via social media, enliven online conversations through their tweets, voice their interests and get paid for their posts. They are formally or informally recruited by political leaders as well as the ruling administration. In step with the massive growth of digital media, digital-based pressures on journalists are on the rise, along with hate-speech malware and cyber espionage. The authorities secure their political power by deploying cyber troops to limit journalistic efforts to produce critical news In a February 2021 survey of 125 journalists by Indonesia’s Independent Journalists Alliance (AJI), 16 percent of respondents said they had experienced a digital attack; 60 percent of these were related to the journalists’ COVID-19 coverage. The coverage confronted a political scenario to build an image of a strong government facing the global pandemic. Journalists using digital platforms face various digital threats, including doxing and surveillance, fake domain attacks, forced exposure of online networks, and disinformation. Doxing is the online publication of private or identifying data about an individual, typically with malicious intent. Meanwhile, national-security apparatuses and state-sponsored buzzers use surveillance – the monitoring, interception and retention of information – to track journalists and media outlets that are critical of the government. Hacking, doxing and surveillance were all used in an attempt to control Tempo magazine between 2015 and 2021. In that period the magazine faced online abuse over its investigative journalism into the acting political powers. On 21 August 2020, for instance, hackers targeted Tempo.co after reports that artists and celebrities were being paid to promote the government’s Job Creation Law. Tempo’s homepage was hacked and changed with accusations that it was promulgating fake news (referring to its previous investigation of the network of buzzers supporting President Jokowi’s Job Creation Law). Action was also taken by buzzers in response to Tempo’s political news allegation that the president was attempting to establish a political dynasty after his son Gibran Rakabuming Raka and son-in-law Bobby Nasution contested (and won) mayoral races in Solo and Medan. One group — calling itself Zone Injector — gained control of the homepage and replaced it with the phrase “we warned you, but you did not respond to our good intentions”. Shinta Maharani, a senior Tempo journalist in a personal interview in May 2021, said that she had experienced hacking on December 24, 2020, after writing a report on the allocation of social assistance; her email, social media, and instant messaging accounts were all hacked. In responding to these abuses, Tempo stood by its journalistic principles and avoided criticism based on hatred or political motives. Tempo also organised mitigation measures for its journalists by offering safe houses to protect them from physical attacks and collaborated with law advocates to handle lawsuits leveraged by state-sponsored actors. The Indonesian government initially welcomed democratic media principles through a series of pro-democratic media laws, such as the 1999 Law on the Press and the 2002 Law on Broadcasting. When these pieces of legislation were passed, the authorities shared the vision that media policies were necessary to guarantee journalistic independence. However, when the new government was formed, this shared vision was challenged by the re-emergence of state-controlled culture in public media, monopolistic private media ownership, and the rapid rise of paid political cyber troops. The Press Law offers protections to journalists, but the Information and Electronic Transactions Law (known as the ITE Law) contains articles that threaten journalists with imprisonment – indeed the law has been used to support direct attacks on them in the last 10 years. The ITE law limits online journalistic practices by threatening journalists with up to six years’ imprisonment or fines of up to one billion IDR (US$106,000) for online defamation. SAFEnet, a digital rights defender throughout Southeast Asia, notes that at least 14 charges were brought against media organisations and journalists between 2008 and 2020. Further, SAFEnet says that revision of the ITE Law, discussed by Indonesian policymakers between 2020 and 2021, could provide the government with a tool to control news media and once again promote violence against journalists. To counter these attacks, journalist associations and the Press Council of Indonesia have filed police reports, exposing the attackers and protecting their own sources from further online victimisation. The AJI monitors doxing attacks on journalists, and notes that they usually result in persecution. The AJI and other non-profit press freedom agencies have joined the Committee of Journalist Safety (Komite Keselamatan Jurnalis), which has formed a crisis centre to protect and provide legal assistance to victims of harassment. A comprehensive regulatory scheme is required to protect journalists, end impunity and manage press freedom in Indonesia. Regulations that govern each sector (press, broadcasting, internet) are often contradictory, so revisions there will not be helpful. A special law for journalist protection is needed to support journalist safety. An anti-disinformation law is also urgently required, as are revisions to the ITE Law so that it can properly provide protection against digital attacks. Masduki is an Associate Professor and researcher in the Department of Communication, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Yogyakarta. He is a member of several advocacy organisations such as Media Regulation and Regulator Watch (PR2Media), AJI Indonesia, the Public Broadcasting Clearing House of Indonesia, and the Society of Concerned Media Yogyakarta. His work focuses on public-service media systems and journalism studies, comparative media systems, digital media policy and activism. Dr Masduki declared that he has no conflict of interest and is not receiving specific funding in any form. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Journalism under digital siege” sent at: 02/05/2022 11:59. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on May 3, 2022

Sandwich generation must also save for themselves - 360 Sonny Harry Harmadi Published on November 21, 2022 Sandwiched between the aged and the youth, with a societal expectation to care for both, millions of Indonesians are struggling. Indonesian office worker Dedi Ardila, 28, doesn’t dare dream of owning his own home. His modest monthly income is entirely consumed by his young family, his parents, and his wife’s brother — all of whom live with him. He is supposed to be part of the generation who will contribute to Indonesia’s economic rise. Instead, he and millions of other Indonesians are struggling to get by. In 2012, Indonesia entered a period where a phenomenon known as the ‘demographic dividend’ became possible. Between 2012 and 2040, Indonesia’s dependency ratio is expected to be below 50. This means that every 100 people of working age are responsible for fewer than 50 people of non-productive age (the very old and the very young). The large proportion of productive age people relative to dependents is closely linked to the government’s success in family planning. The number of children per woman declined from 5.6 children in 1971 to 2.3 in 2020. With fewer children in the household, the welfare of Indonesian families has continued to improve. Disposable income can be saved for old age or unforeseen events. Women have more time and can participate in the labour market. With higher incomes, households have better investment capacity for their children, supporting them to stay in school or graduate from university. In the long term, human development in Indonesia will continue to improve, resulting in increased productivity, a stronger economy and improving the welfare of the population: the demographic dividend. But Indonesia’s working young may not be able to contribute to this anticipated economic prosperity because they are too squeezed. Like the filling in a sandwich, the working generation is squeezed between the top (the aged) and bottom (the young), responsible for both at the same time. The sandwich generation in Indonesia has extended families that generally live together with other relatives, such as parents, their children’s spouses, grandchildren, siblings, siblings-in-law, and so on. Born between 1964 and 1998, nearly 30 percent of the sandwich generation cares for their household while also holding down a job. Each member of the sandwich generation is responsible for an average of three to four household members. One third of the sandwich generation in Indonesia is responsible for six or more people in their household. According to March 2022 data of Indonesia’s national economic survey, 8.4 million Indonesians belong to the sandwich generation. Nearly 17 percent of the sandwich generation is poor, compounding the dual burden they bear. In fact, 58 percent of the sandwich generation in Indonesia left school at 15 or younger. Indonesians are generally family-oriented, and it is customary to care for the extended family. But the additional burden of providing for and caring for family members has a long-term impact, both for the sandwich generation and for national development. With many mouths to feed, the sandwich generation is careful with its income, spending only on essentials and not contributing to growth in the economy. Alongside a heavy emotional burden, caring for family also reduces the ability to save. When those of the sandwich generation enter retirement age, they will not have the resources to support themselves and will need to rely on the government or their descendants, further hampering long term economic growth. The sandwich generation also has to allocate its limited time to various activities, from working to caring for children and the elderly. This has implications for productivity and self-development, with reduced funds and time for professional education, health and nutrition. In 2022, Indonesia’s population is 274.8 million people, of which 7.3 percent are elderly. In 2045, the population is projected to reach 318.9 million, with the proportion of the elderly almost doubling, reaching 14.1 percent. Indonesia will become an ageing society, as the proportion of the elderly population continues to increase. EMBED START Video {id: "editor_9"} EMBED END Video {id: "editor_9"} Indonesia must work now to realise the demographic dividend and convert it into a welfare dividend. The current abundant productive age population must be absorbed in the labour market, with a high level of productivity, so they can earn well, save, and pay taxes. The sandwich generation deserves special attention. The Indonesian government can reduce the pressure for the sandwich generation by including it as a vulnerable population group. Sufficient savings and a healthy lifestyle will reduce the burden on the sandwich generation. If they are rich and healthy before retiring, they will be able to meet their retirement needs from their own savings. On the other hand, if Indonesia fails to convert the demographic dividend into a welfare dividend, after 2040 there will be a sandwich generation boom. The pandemic and global crises certainly pose a challenge. But Indonesia still has 18 years to reap the windfall from its demography. It must do so soon, to prevent a sandwich generation boom during the 100th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence in 2045. At least Dedi Ardila’s children should not suffer as their father does. Sonny Harry B. Harmadi is an assistant professor in the Department of Development Studies at Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) Surabaya, Indonesia. Currently seconded in National COVID-19 Task Force. His research interests are demographic, regional economics, and labour economics. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 21, 2022

Satellite-tracking Islamic State’s archaeological destruction - 360 Stefano Campana Published on May 3, 2022 ISIS deliberately destroyed cultural heritage during its occupation of northern Iraq. Satellite and drone images revealed the damage as it unfolded. Once the largest city in the world, the ancient northern Iraqi site of Nineveh could become a rubbish dump unless a restoration plan is developed. Islamic State vandalism and construction projects inflicted significant damage on the site – all shown on a new topographic map informed by satellite and drone data. In modern times Nineveh was a communal space where its extraordinary history could be appreciated and celebrated. Now that Iraqi government control has been re-established,there is an opportunity toprevent Nineveh’s transformation into a polluted landfill site and halt its absorption into the expanding city of Mosul. Soon after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) occupied northern Iraq, an Iraqi-Italian team began recording, evaluating and monitoring the devastation ISIS inflicted using satellite-based remote sensing. The team found that a much larger area, covering tens of hectares, had been destroyed by ISIS construction work and rubbish dumping. The first phase of the initiative produced a geo-database of archaeological and cultural heritage sites in the five Iraqi governorates wholly or partly under ISIS control. The team assessed and monitored visible damage in selected sample areas by matching and analysing high-resolution satellite imagery taken before and after the occupation. Satellite image coverage extended to approximately 1380 square kilometres, within which 997 areas of particular archaeological interest were identified and mapped. Remote-sensing datasets and related GIS and site records became the core of an updated Iraqi Archaeological Map implemented by the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH). In addition to the remote-sensing datasets, the summary of the results draws on information from local and international sources. The survey revealed a low incidence of sites that appeared to have been looted for the acquisition and smuggling of antiquities, reflecting the results of other assessments for northern Iraq more generally. The worst destruction, driven by propaganda motives, was concentrated in urban areas. Mosul was among the prime targets and various assessments have focused on this city. Nineveh has received less detailed attention. Now surrounded by present-day Mosul, the central part of the compound is incorporated into the fabric of the modern city, so the pressure of urban development on the archaeological area is great (see Figure 1). The research teamcompared panchromatic and multispectral images captured by a series of commercial satellites on 15 November 2013 – before the ISIS occupation – and on 29 August 2015 and in November 2016. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_6"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_6"} Deliberate damage to Nineveh under the ISIS occupation included the bombing of religious buildings in August 2014, and bulldozing and the defacement of parts of the city walls and gates in 2015. However, satellite imagery from 2015 and 2016 showed further damage to the integrity of the site from construction projects completed or still in progress by the end of the ISIS occupation: the building of a two-lane highway and the clearance of extensive areas for private housing. During the two years of the ISIS occupation, 4 percent of land disturbance at Nineveh related to vandalism and 91 percent to new settlement or infrastructure schemes. Eleven enormous rectangular anomalies that resembled underground silos were identified in the satellite data in the northern part of the city. Rather surprisingly, there was no evidence of looting at Nineveh on any of the satellite imagery that was analysed, although a few “tunnels” potentially associated with these activities were identified by the American Society of Overseas Research’s Cultural Heritage Initiatives. The improvement in ground resolution for drone imagery (approximately 20 millimetres) compared with that of the satellite imagery (0.5 metres for Worldview-2 and 0.3 metres for Worldview-3) was substantial and resulted in a greater ability to identify and characterise the damage seen on the satellite imagery. Moreover, the high-resolution Digital Surface Model drone imagery significantly increased the researchers’ capacity to interpret the evidence on-site (see Figures 2 and 3). EMBED START Image {id: "editor_8"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_8"} EMBED START Image {id: "editor_9"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_9"} Among the most striking damage encountered during the field survey was the ‘underground silos’. Drone reconnaissance, site inspection and testimony from local SBAH officials eventually identified these anomalies as huge, rectangular trenches dug by ISIS and used to store grain reserves and other materials. The trenches covered a total area of 1.2 hectares; in some cases, they reached a depth of 8 metres, irreversibly compromising the archaeological stratigraphy (see Figure 4). Based on  photogrammetric surveys, the construction of the silos removed an estimated 50,000 cubic metres of subsurface deposits. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_10"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_10"} The ISIS modern caliphate, established in northern Iraq in June 2014, carried out a systematic programme of vandalism. Its first goal was to erase places of worship of the monotheistic religions, particularly Islamic mosques, shrines and tombs. Its second was to destroy pre-Islamic art and archaeology. An ISIS video featured the smashing of statues and artefacts at the Mosul Museum, the destruction of anthropomorphic masks at Hatra, and the demolition of monuments at Nineveh and another ancient Assyrian city, Nimrud. Cultural heritage, archaeology, monuments and architecture are not simply material objects; they are symbols of human history, customs, identity and diversity. Nineveh had been affected by development and erosion before the ISIS occupation – and these processes continued after the occupation ended – but the unchecked construction and dumping under ISIS inflicted particularly extensive damage on the site. A restoration plan for Nineveh would begin with immediate reclamation and restoration, including careful filling of the numerous holes and trenches scattered around the site. A long-term programme of restoration, maintenance and enhancement of the city’s remaining archaeological and cultural assets would follow. Nineveh could regain its former identity while supporting the daily livelihoods of its local communities, who have endured so much. Stefano Campana (ORCID 0000-0002-3936-3242) is a Swiss archaeologist and professor at the University of Siena, Italy, and the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. He was formerly a visiting professor at École Normale Supérieure in Paris, the University of Lund in Sweden and the Institute of Archaeology in Iraq, and his interests are in past Mediterranean landscapes from the first millennium BCE to the Middle Ages.This research benefited from the financial support of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (MIBAC) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) in Italy, the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH), the International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies (ISMEO), and the Universities of Siena and Padua. The generosity and support of these institutions are greatly appreciated. The author has declared no conflict of interest. Professor Campana wishes to acknowledge his co-authors on the paper based on this research: Matteo Sordini (Archeo Tech & Survey, Siena), Stefania Berlioz (independent researcher), Massimo Vidale (University of Padua), Rowaed Al-Lyla (State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, Mosul), Ammar Abbo al-Araj (State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, Mosul) and Alessandro Bianchi (MIBAC, Rome). Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on May 3, 2022

Saudis stick to long game in Southeast Asian politics - 360 James Chin Published on August 23, 2023 Saudi political priorities might have changed but their religious influence is still present in Southeast Asian politics, particularly in Malaysia. Saudi Arabia has spent decades trying to spread its brand of Islam into Southeast Asia. While official Saudi funding is now less obvious, in Malaysia that investment is quietly paying off. It is widely acknowledged that the Saudi Arabian government has funded schools, mosques and institutions globally with the aim of spreading its Wahhabi — also known as Salafi — beliefs. Those beliefs advocate the establishment of an Islamic State, with Western-style democracy being seen as a threat to society. This could pose a threat to democracies like Malaysia, where Salafi adherents are gaining political influence. Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia have been prime targets for the Saudi propagators in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia highly prized as the world’s largest Muslim nation. The propagation has been ongoing for decades, mainly through education links, and Wahhabi/Salafi beliefs have established a firm foothold in both nations. In Southeast Asia, scholars usually refer to Wahhabis as Salafists. Salafism refers to an interpretation of Islam that seeks to restore Islamic faith and practice to the way they existed at the time of Prophet Muhammad and his early generations of his followers. Its core tenants are close to Wahhabism and many Southeast Asian Muslims who follow these teachings prefer to be known as Salafists. Early generations of Muslims, known as the Salaf, were closest to the Prophet Muhammad both in time and proximity. Salafis now appear to be much more influential in Malaysian politics than Indonesian because they occupy middle and top-level positions in both political parties and government institutions. But many Muslims and the wider communities in both countries mistake them as simply being part of the conservative Islamic establishment rather than Salafis. They overlook the commonality among the Salafis in both countries, which is the rejection of Western democracy and pluralism as a viable political system. Some Salafis believe that capturing political power under a nation’s existing system is a prerequisite for setting up an Islamic state. Saudi Arabia’s political influence will always be present in Malaysia and Indonesia because of the education links built in the 1980s although true Saudi influence in politics is difficult to map when so few adherents display their Salafi leanings openly. Flush with oil money in the late 1970s, Saudi Arabia began using education as its main method to quietly spread Salafism to Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. Saudi embassies in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur have a religious attaché whose job is to recruit students and maintain ties with Islamic organisations that are friendly to Salafism. The embassies also fund the construction of mosques, religious schools and the organising of events and forums. One clear motivation for Saudi Arabia, which is part of the Sunni sect in Islam, to assert its influence in Indonesia and Malaysia was the competition with Iran. Saudi Arabia feared that Iran’s dominant Shi’a sect would spread to Indonesia and Malaysia. Thousands of Southeast Asian students were given scholarships to study in selected Saudi universities. The Malaysian government also funded some students to study in Saudi Arabia. Self-funded students have been recruited through personal links with religious schools in Saudi Arabia or their alumni in both countries. Some Saudi graduates opened their own madrassah (religious schools) when they came back to the region while others became part of the wider community. In Malaysia, many joined the civil service and academic institutions but have maintained links among their cohorts. Saudi graduates can now be found in every strata of Indonesian and Malaysian society. Some are prominent in the religious and political arena. The most influential Salafi are the ulama or religious teachers. Some ulama started their own madrassah to bypass the national curriculum. A few of them have also achieved the status of public intellectuals and appear regularly in the mainstream press offering their opinions on government and public policies. The political turbulence created by the ascension of Mohammed bin Salman as the ruler of Saudi Arabia in 2017 will have limited impact on the Salafi movement in Southeast Asia. It has already undergone some indigenisation. Under Mohammed, there seems more emphasis on economic cooperation than the emphasis on the export of Saudi beliefs, consistent with his grand plan to modernise the Saudi economy, especially moving it away from oil. Official funding for Salafi networks in Southeast Asia has mostly dried up and is now done largely through personal ties with rich Saudi foundations and donors. It is often hard to study the Salafi movements in both Indonesia and Malaysia because Salafi networks don’t have a central network or structure and are loosely spread out. In Indonesia, the organisation that is most often associated with Saudi influence is the Saudi-funded Institute for the Study of Islam and Arabic (LIPIA), a private religious Jakarta university, and the Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia (the Indonesian Society for the Propagation of Islam). Some militant groups, such as the now-defunct anti-Christian Laskar Jihad and the Jemaah Islamiyah, are known to be influenced by Salafi teachings. The best-known public Salafi networks in Indonesia are the Al-Turots (‘Islamic Heritage’) network and the Wahdah Islamiyah. Some purist Salafis have rejected the need to enter active politics but instead want to concentrate on teaching. Others accept that to build the Islamic State (Daulah Islamiyah), they need to engage in politics. The Salafi movement in Indonesia included in this sphere is the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) although there are Salafis operating in other parties as well. Salafi political leaders do not identify themselves openly as Salafi followers. In Malaysia, the root of Salafi influence is similar to Indonesia with one important difference. Before 2018, political power in Malaysia was held by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a Muslim-based political party. In the early 2000s, Salafi ulama began a deliberate policy of infiltrating UMNO, especially UMNO’s young ulama wing. UMNO, hitherto a Malay nationalist party, welcomed these young Salafis as they provided religious legitimacy against its main political foe, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Islamic Party of Malaysia). James Chin is Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania and Senior Fellow at Sunway University’s Jeffrey Cheah Institute, Malaysia. He declares no conflict of interest. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Religion in politics” sent at: 20/08/2023 12:23. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on August 23, 2023

Saving democracy is hard but someone has to do it - 360 Graeme Gill Published on March 19, 2024 Vladimir Putin will remain as President of Russia. Opposition candidates never had a chance, so what hope is there of turning back the tide on authoritarians. Russia has voted in its Presidential Election and Vladimir Putin has returned for an unprecedented fifth term. Putin will now lead Russia until at least 2030. The election was clearly not a fair contest and fell short of what is required for an election to be considered democratic, but unfortunately this means that it is typical of a large number of contemporary elections around the world. The major component parts of a full, liberal democracy no longer exist in Russia. Much of  the  media is now a mere mouthpiece for the Kremlin with the scope for popular discussion much reduced. Politically, many opposition candidates that oppose the rule of Vladimir Putin end up banned from running in elections like Boris Nadezhdin who was barred from running this time due to “irregularities” in his application forms, or dead in the case of Alexy Navalny in recent months, and before that former opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in 2015. Russia is an example of “electoral autocracy”. This is a political system characterised by the use of democratic procedures either to produce or to reinforce a non-democratic, authoritarian regime. Vladimir Putin is one of just three men to be President of Russia. Although there are regular elections, the electoral arena is stacked decisively in favour of the ruling party. This type of regime has been around since the inter-war period in Europe and existed during the Cold War, principally in some of the newly-independent former colonies. During the post-Cold War period it has become the most common form of authoritarian polity on the globe. Analysts cannot agree on a common classification for regime types. However all of them may be simplified into three general categories: It is in this broad catch-all category that electoral autocracies are to be found. And it is the authoritarianism manifested in this broad category that has been increasing at the expense of liberal democracies. From 2011-21, the number of liberal democracies declined from 43 to 33 with a corresponding jump in non-democracies.   Every year since 2006 has seen more  countries experience a decline in observance of political rights and civil liberties than experienced an improvement. Electoral autocracies tend to come about in two main ways. First, they are established as the regime type following an extra-constitutional change of regime, usually a coup or revolution. These are much less common than often thought. Iran following the 1979 revolution is one example, so too are a number of the North African states following the “Arab Spring”. Second, a leader or party is elected to power in a democratic election and then uses the democratic institutions of state to shift the system in a non-democratic direction. Recent examples of this are Poland under the Law and Justice Party, Hungary under Viktor Orban, Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdogan and perhaps India under Narendra Modi. The reverse movement, from full autocracy to electoral autocracy is also possible but very rare. The greatest threat to democracy lies in the second path, election under democratic conditions and the subsequent erosion of that democracy. This usually involves the development  of an ideology critical of the status quo and claiming that the current system is not working in the interests of “the people”. This involves rejection of many of the conventions and assumptions, including tolerance and compromise, essential to the functioning of a democratic system. In this highly charged environment , a series of measures are usually introduced to stack the electoral system in favour of the new rulers. Such measures include use of the legal system and the courts to exclude opposition, domination of the media so the opposition cannot get its message out, harassment of the opposition and its supporters including police action against meetings and demonstrations, and use of the state’s largesse to buy votes. And if all of these fail, ballot boxes can be stuffed and the counting of votes falsified. Recent American history, with its political intolerance, voter suppression, use of institutions like the Senate as a political weapon, and refusal to accept democratic outcomes shows how this process can begin even in an established and stable democracy. There are ways to prevent this. Crucial is the strengthening of the conventions and assumptions at the heart of democratic practice, including rejection of the view that politicians trashing the system for partisan advantage is acceptable. Greater civic awareness, political organisation, activism and the constant monitoring of our politicians are needed to stop this sort of decay. A rejection of those politicians who think nothing of lying to the electorate, of opposing simply for opposition’s sake, of those who seek to play the national security card to crack down on dissent, and those who seek to mobilise the sorts of extremist sentiments that are corrosive of democratic culture is needed. This is not easy, but it can be done, as the rejection of the Law and Justice Party at the polls in October’s Polish election shows. Where to begin? Increased sustained popular interest and involvement in politics and a rejection of those who, through their actions, have eroded trust in our democratic processes would be a good start. Graeme Gill is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Government and Public Administration at the University of Sydney. His last book is Revolution and Terror (OUP, 2024). Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 19, 2024

Science can clear the air for pollution policymakers - 360 Karn Vohra Published on August 15, 2022 Together, satellite data, atmospheric-chemistry modelling and ground-based monitoring could help mitigate the South Asian air-pollution crisis. Each year, South Asian countries vie for a bleak distinction: having the world’s most polluted air. India scooped the pool in 2021–22, with New Delhi the most polluted capital and Bhiwadi the most polluted city overall. Air pollution represents the region’s third-highest risk for premature death (compared to the ninth highest in Western Europe). Tackling the problem starts with monitoring the pollution to identify its main sources, so they can be regulated. And the best way to monitor the pollution is to track it from all sides, bringing together ground-based observations, satellite data and atmospheric-chemistry modelling. Pollution causes and effects vary over time and across locations, so a one-size-fits-all approach is not helpful. Surface-monitoring networks have provided valuable air-quality data for decades. They can monitor compliance with local or national air-quality standards, but they are costly to set up and maintain. There is less than one ground-based monitor per million people in most low- and middle-income countries, so this method cannot routinely track air quality and provide enough relevant information to develop policies and guidelines. Surface monitoring is also hampered by large data gaps, data-quality concerns and limited access to data. For instance, there are inconsistencies in the units of air-quality measurement data hosted on India’s Central Pollution Control Board website. In recent years, low-cost sensors to monitor air quality have been used more often, but these are also susceptible to technical biases and need regular calibration. The eyes in the sky, satellite instruments provide long-term coverage of air quality. Satellite observations help assess the impact of economic development and policy measures on air quality over time. Satellite data on atmospheric components helps identify pollution hotspots, especially in regions with limited surface-monitoring capability. Space-based instruments monitor air pollution from the ground up, and this data is evaluated against the ground-based observations before it is used to investigate changes in surface air pollution. Satellites can show long-range transport of pollutants across political boundaries, especially plumes from forest- and land-clearing fires, a dominant source of air pollution in South Asia. They have also been extensively used to monitor changes in air quality since the onset of COVID-19. But it is important to use this satellite data carefully. The air-quality improvements observed during the lockdown were not just because of lockdown-induced emission changes but also because of changes in meteorology and chemistry. Satellite observations of pollutants from 2005–18 show a significant increase over Delhi. Space-based measurements of hazardous nitrogen dioxide show a significant increase in all South Asian cities. The largest increases are observed for cities in Bangladesh, with nitrogen dioxide doubling in Dhaka and tripling in Chittagong. Almost all the satellite instruments are in low-Earth orbit, around 750 kilometres from the Earth. They provide global to near-global coverage, typically making one or two measurements over each location daily. This limits their ability to observe how air-pollution levels change during the day. As technology advances, there will be an increase in satellites being launched in geostationary orbit, around 36,000 kilometres from the Earth. These satellites will be able to focus on a certain geographic region and provide multiple observations for the region each day. A geostationary satellite focusing on East Asia was launched in 2020. Two more satellite missions, over North America and over Europe, will be launched in the next two years. Both ground-based and satellite observations provide information about pollution from all existing emissions sources. This makes it tricky to use either of these observations alone to identify the relative contribution of pollutant sources, which is useful information for policymakers as they decide which sources to target and where. That’s where chemical transport models come in. These models represent our best understanding of atmospheric chemistry and transport, and use information about meteorology and emissions to simulate pollutant concentrations. These simulations have been used to answer important science questions ranging from quantifying the air pollution resulting from burning fossil fuels to quantifying the contribution of COVID-19 lockdowns to air-quality improvements. Data from chemical transport models is used with health risk-assessment models and population demographics to estimate the health burden from long-term exposure to air pollution. In this way, more than 10 million adult premature deaths worldwide have been linked to air pollution from burning fossil fuels. In South Asia, Bangladesh and India had the largest share of total premature deaths attributed to fossil-fuel combustion: 36.5 percent in Bangladesh and 30.7 percent in India. Satellite observations, a chemical transport model and a health risk-assessment model were integrated to estimate an increase in premature mortality from long-term exposure to air pollution from 149,000 in 2005 to 275,000 in 2018 in emerging South Asian megacities. This doesn’t mean chemical transport models are perfect. They are heavily dependent on recent updates in the emissions inventory to simulate pollutant concentrations accurately. Updating emissions inventories can take a few years, and sometimes these updates have restricted access. Integrating all the data is the key. Space-based observations can be used to identify pollution hotspots, where ground-based monitors can be set up for compliance monitoring. Chemical transport models can be used to assess the efficacy of current legislation and the impact of potential pollution-control measures. If research groups across the three approaches collaborate, we could all move a step closer to realising the vision of cleaner air. Karn Vohra is a Research Fellow at University College London. He has a PhD in Environmental Health and Risk Management from the University of Birmingham. His research focuses on the application of ground-based and satellite observations, chemical transport models and health risk assessment models to investigate air quality and health. Karn Vohra received funding from the University of Birmingham Global Challenges Studentship. Image used under Creative Commons. This article has been republished to align with the International Day of Clean Air. It was first published on August 8, 2022. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on August 15, 2022

Science for all - 360 Sara Phillips Published on December 26, 2022 A big issue for publishing scientific research has been the cost. With the push for open access, new business models create new challenges for equitable access. The public perception of science is of altruistic nerds methodically working towards solutions that benefit humanity: vaccines, renewable energy, self-driving cars. In reality, science is a business. And some of the major players are the global publishing houses that print details of experiments and their findings in scholarly journals. The future of these journals, as director of Open Access Australasia Virginia Barbour writes, is a “hot topic in science”, and one that begins a new chapter next month. Scientists or their institutions must often pay high subscription fees to multiple journals to keep up with what’s happening in their field. In response to complaints about high and rising subscription fees, the publishing houses have brought in different forms of ‘open access’, or free-to-read journals. In order to pay for the cost of curating the journals, and vetting and editing the papers, the journals may charge an up-front fee to publish. Prestigious journal Science explains that this “allow[s] their rigorous peer review shepherded by professional editors, careful editing, access to all relevant data, striking and informative visuals, and an engaging website. Importantly, we put substantial post-publication resources into preventing misinformation by informing accurate coverage of research through mainstream and social media.” From January 1, Science will begin allowing authors to republish their papers on a university server for free. The shift comes hot on the heels of a new US government policy requiring taxpayer funded research to be freely available. About 20 years after the internet first threatened to upset the scientific publishing world, it seems real change is coming. A plethora of different ways of sharing scientific findings are proliferating, from draft papers on ‘pre-print’ servers, to university-hosted repositories. As science faces global challenges, the need to quickly and equitably share information will only increase. The fledging publishing models being explored today may become the engine of world change in the near future. Science publisher RELX (previously Reed-Elsevier) generated £7.244 billion in revenue in 2021. Sci-hub is a website that ‘illegally’ republishes copyrighted material from scientific publishers in order to make it free to read. Open access comes in different forms, including common ones named gold, green and diamond. Science describes 1 January 2023, “green OA-zero day”. Quote attributable to Adrian Barnett, Queensland University of Technology Quote attributable to Reggie Raju, University of Cape Town Quote attributable to Nishant Chakravorty, IIT Kharagpur Editors Note: In the story “Science for all” sent at: 26/12/2022 11:27. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on December 26, 2022

Science has a data problem and it continues to harm women - 360 Lavanya Vijayasingham, UNU-IIGH Published on November 29, 2021 By Lavanya Vijayasingham UNU-IIGH Before COVID-19 there was influenza, Zika and Ebola. All of these infectious diseases were more likely to kill pregnant women. Excluded from clinical trials of vaccines for each of these diseases, many women died needlessly. COVID-19 was a chance to do better; a chance that was squandered. Scientists are now banding together in a push to close the gaping hole in equitable vaccine deployment. Scientists were quick to point out how COVID affected women differently: pregnant women with COVID-19 have a higher risk of preeclampsia/eclampsia, are more likely to be admitted to intensive care, end up on a ventilator or have a preterm birth. Yet, they were systematically excluded from phase three trials, limiting data that would have supported their inclusion in early vaccine deployment. In the absence of clinical trial data, there was dependence on ‘personal discretion’ and real-time evaluations of the early uptakers – mainly the frontliners from countries with earlier supply and deployment, such as the US. Biases in medical research are hard to stamp out. There is a history of perceived complexity in accounting for hormonal changes and cycles throughout women’s lives, including in puberty, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. Women are hesitant to participate in trials, and foetal protectionary ethics in medical research lead to perceived increased liabilities, risk, and costs of including females, especially those of ‘child-bearing potential’. In the early days of the pandemic, taking sex considerations and outcomes into account was trumped by the time-sensitive race to get new interventions to the people that needed them. From the recruitment phase, to measuring vaccine outcomes, sex and gender have not been priority issues, data on men and women clumped together, often impossible to untangle. Large data gaps remain, making for patchy reporting. Of the 75 clinical trials on COVID-19 vaccines included in a recent review, only 24 percent presented their main outcome data disaggregated by sex, and only 13% included any discussion of the implications of their study for women and men. In 2020, less than one in five trial reports published in journals reported sex-disaggregated results. Even highly visible global trials like the World Health Organization’s Solidarity have not included sex-disaggregated reporting of outcomes in peer-reviewed publications. Subsequent guidelines and systematic reviews based on trials have similarly not included sex and gender variables in reports, and would be challenged to do so. The scientific case to split data along sex lines is established. Doctors once embraced ‘bikini medicine’ – assuming men and women were medically the same, save for the parts of the body covered by a bikini. This is untrue for a multitude of reasons. Genetic, molecular, physiological, and biochemical sex differences exist. They influence disease risk, clinical outcomes, progress, recovery, and rehabilitation, and importantly the way people respond to treatment or medical interventions such as pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Some epidemics such as SARS and MERS were more serious among men, tuberculosis and Hepatitis C also disproportionately affect men. Women tend to mount a higher antibody response than men to many vaccines, including for  influenza, yellow fever, rubella, measles, mumps, hepatitis A and B, rabies, smallpox and dengue. Women are also more likely to have an adverse event after receiving a vaccine, and after pharmaceutical use more broadly. It’s no surprise, given inadequate considerations of sex differences in how people’s bodies react to pharamceuticals in early dosing studies. In the early days of COVID vaccine reporting, women were more likely to be affected by the rare cerebral venous sinus thrombosis that emerged in some after receiving the Johnson & Johnson or Oxford–AstraZeneca adenovirus vaccines. For young men and boys there continued to be rare but serious cardiac complications with use of mRNA vaccines. New evidence suggests COVID-19 vaccine protection is likely shorter in men after six months, especially for over 65s, and those who are immunosuppressed. Another recent study suggests pregnant women tend to have delayed immune response to vaccines, and the second dose follow up is critical in providing sufficient protection. Information that could have served women better had it been prioritised. Data on gender-diverse populations is also required as we move away from a binary conceptualisation of sex and gender. Long-term hormone therapy (estrogen or testosterone) in transgender, intersex and gender-diverse people produces changes in body physiology, composition and biochemistry. This can affect how people respond to pharmaceuticals and there’s also the issue of how hormone therapies interact with other medications. Change is afoot. Public demand and advocacy – champions in all parts of the science ecosystem – are likely to shift attitudes and help overcome existing resistance, regulations and guidelines that hamper the delivery of sex-disaggregated data. Editors of academic journals are one group in the sights of advocates. They have the power to push for better sex-disaggregated reporting when it is not provided in submitted manuscripts. Many have signed up to guidelines to do so, but even before the pandemic they inconsistently published sex-disaggregated data on drug efficacy, safety, and toxicity. The industry rarely reports biological sex or gender differences on product labels. It will take a concerted effort from every team of scientists along the R&D trajectory to see real change. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Dr Lavanya Vijayasingham is post-doctoral fellow at UNU-IIGH, where she works on gender and health policy and research. The author declared no conflicts of interest in relation to this article.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 29, 2021

Scientists strive for negative emissions - 360 Kate Moran Published on July 12, 2022 New Solid Carbon technology might be able to lock climate-warming carbon dioxide below ocean bedrock. What if scientists could turn back the clock on greenhouse-gas emissions – just a little? A new process could lock carbon dioxide below the ocean floor, allowing valuable time to reduce the atmospheric greenhouse gases driving climate change. In 2024 a Solid Carbon pilot at Cascadia Basin off Canada’s Vancouver Island will set out to prove gigatons of captured carbon dioxide can be stored permanently as rock within the subsea floor. Scientists in Iceland have already shown carbon dioxide can be turned into rock: when they injected dissolved carbon dioxide into basalt, the carbon dioxide mineralised – turned to rock – within two years. The Solid Carbon process will work by capturing carbon dioxide from industry, or extracting it from the atmosphere using direct air capture technology, and injecting it into basalt that lies tbelow a thick layer of sediment deep on the ocean floor. There the carbon dioxide will bind with dissolved basalt minerals – calcium, magnesium and iron silicates – and transform into carbonate rock. Up to 800 metres thick, the sediment will keep a lid on the carbon dioxide and allow time for the basalt to react and the transformation to take place. by the Solid Carbon team indicate gigatons of carbon dioxide can be stored when plumes of carbon dioxide are injected into deep-ocean basalt. The next challenge is to prove the process works outside the lab. A permanent injection structure will provide an initial demonstration at Cascadia Basin. Once the process has been shown to work, the structure could make continuous injections over a set time. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_4"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_4"} Basalt is porous rock formed from cooling lava. The basalt in the Icelandic experiment was on land, but 90 percent of the planet’s basalt is found in the ocean – it makes up most of the world’s oceanic crust. That means the Solid Carbon technology could be used at sea anywhere. Powered by renewable energy, Solid Carbon will bring together existing technologies including carbon capture, offshore drilling, pipelines and injection wells. In this way oil and gas companies could transition into the sustainable ‘blue economy’ by applying their skills and technology to carbon solutions instead of fossil-fuel extraction. ​​Results here are much slower than in the Iceland experiments, but the Solid Carbon simulations show gigaton-scale carbon-dioxide storage will work without the effort, cost and environmental impact of dissolving carbon dioxide in huge amounts of water before it is injected. This opens the door to large-scale carbon storage. And solutions on this scale are urgently needed. Human activity adds more than 50 gigatons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere each year. There is enough sub-ocean basalt worldwide to store 100,000 to 250,000 gigatons of carbon dioxide, making Solid Carbon a potentially transformative negative-emissions technology in the fight against climate change. But Solid Carbon is no get-out-of-jail-free card. Negative-emissions technology is not an excuse to prolong the use of fossil fuels. There is still an urgent need to get to net-zero emissions. All scenarios where the average global temperature increase is limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (to meet the Paris Accord) involve negative-emissions technologies alongside rapid decarbonisation. The million-dollar question is: when will Solid Carbon be ready to launch? This decade the first stage will likely target difficult-to-decarbonise sectors such as concrete production. Longer term, once the technology can capture gigatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, direct air capture could be used on a floating drill platform at sea. Solid Carbon technology could make a significant dent in atmospheric carbon dioxide, which drives Earth’s temperature increases. When it’s locked below the ocean, carbon dioxide is no longer adding to global warming. Humans urgently need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and scale down reliance on carbon. Solid Carbon might buy precious extra time to do this. Dr Kate Moran is President and CEO of Ocean Networks Canada at the University of Victoria. She is a co-author of the 2022 National Academies report A Research Strategy for Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal and Sequestration. Led by Ocean Networks Canada, Solid Carbon involves researchers from the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, as well as US and German researchers. The project spans disciplines including engineering, geoscience, ocean science, social science and law. Solid Carbon is pursuing an initial feasibility study, funded by the University of Victoria’s Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, that includes planning the pilot project. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Final Frontiers” sent at: 07/07/2022 10:17. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 12, 2022

Scientists want to turn fish fins into sashimi - 360 Yusuke Tsuruwaka, Eriko Shimada Published on June 8, 2022 Fish meat grown from discarded fins could be the next sustainable food solution. For every fish caught, turned into a sushi roll and eaten, a huge amount of sea life is destroyed. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization recently estimated that 35 percent of fish caught or aquacultured is lost or wasted each year – and that figure doesn’t include bycatch such as corals, prawns and seals. A new process can grow clean meat from fish waste, helping meet the world’s increasing food needs and relieving pressure on fisheries. Fish consumption has increased in step with global population growth, resulting in enormous damage to the marine ecosystem, largely from overfishing. Current food-supply systems cannot meet demand, and industrial fisheries are notorious for their wasteful methods. But the waste gave researchers an idea. Many fish can regenerate their body parts, including fins, heart, tissue and neurons. Scientists can culture cells from discarded fins to grow ‘aquatic clean meat’ – laboratory-cultured fish flesh – as a sustainable food alternative. Fin cells can change themselves into various cell types, such as neural cells, fat cells and skeletal muscle-like cells, without genetic manipulation. Researchers of the new technique cultured the cells to stack one by one like Lego blocks – eventually they formed meat like sashimi. Creating aquatic clean meat in this way is environmentally friendly and increases animal welfare and sustainability. It uses fins that would otherwise be discarded as waste. Fin cells can also be collected without killing live fish, and the skin that peels off during breeding can be used as a raw material as well. Human activity has driven the ocean to the brink of death. Marine ecosystems have been significantly damaged by chemical pollution such as heavy metals and nutrients from intensive agriculture, waste from livestock farming and aquaculture, microplastic pollution, and climate change due to excess atmospheric carbon dioxide. Aquatic clean meat is self-sufficient and a strong candidate for a sustainable food resource. The meat can be grown even in confined areas such as space shuttles. It can be supplied year-round without reliance on seasonal catches. Technology to produce aquatic clean meat does not cause environmental pollution and can prevent overfishing. It offers a way to protect marine populations from current and future human threats. Dr Yusuke Tsuruwaka is a researcher in cell biology at Keio University, Japan. Ms Eriko Shimada is a researcher in cell biology at the National Institute of Technology, Tsuruoka College, Japan. The authors are researchers and co-founders of Cellevolt. This article has been republished for the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction. It was first published on June 6, 2022. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on June 8, 2022

Scientists, working together, can prevent future pandemics - 360 Published on March 28, 2022 An interdisciplinary ‘One Health’ approach and strong decision-making are our best defence against the next zoonotic-disease outbreak. Costly delays in reporting and responding helped COVID-19 spread. But the failures that saw it become a pandemic were of a different kind. Since then, scientists have been busy writing scientific papers offering guidance on how the response could be improved next time. These follow the findings and policy recommendations of an independent panel established by the World Health Organization (WHO). It found delays at every turn, from notifying the WHO of potential outbreaks, to confirming human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and declaring a public health emergency. International Health Regulations, despite being legally binding in 196 countries, failed to promote rapid responses at the beginning of the pandemic. The regulations set out the legal requirement for countries to report a suspected outbreak, but did not specify a timeframe for reporting. There has been a delay in reporting within 2-3 days by China, as the country that first detected a disease with a potential outbreak to the WHO system. One of these days fell  during a holiday period. It’s debatable whether faster information-sharing improves the decision-making process. Even after more information was obtained about COVID-19, both the WHO and member countries delayed their decision-making on pandemic control measures. Global health consequences did not carry much weight in determining policy, even though COVID-19 was known to involve high-impact respiratory pathogens. Many policies on pandemic response, including the International Health Regulations, focus on protecting human health. However, a more integrated approach may be more useful: “One Health” and “Planetary Health” consider interactions between animal, human and environmental health. One Health has been around since the 19th century. German pathologist Robert Virchow, who studied how roundworm could be transmitted from pigs to humans, coined the term “zoonosis” to denote an infectious disease that is transmitted between humans and animals. In 1966 US veterinarian Calvin Schwabe introduced One Medicine in a veterinary textbook. Schwabe described the similarities between veterinary and human medicine and emphasised the importance of collaboration between veterinarians and physicians in solving global health problems. This idea was expanded in 2004 in the Manhattan Principles: 12 principles on the relationship between humans, animals and the environment that are the foundation of Planetary Health. The Rockefeller Foundation and the Lancet brought the latter to prominence in 2015 when they launched the Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on Planetary Health. Both One Health and Planetary Health underline the need for an environmentally engaged, interdisciplinary approach to managing illnesses that affect both humans and animals. Fragmented governance between human, animal and environmental health might have contributed to delays in the detection of COVID-19. Transmission of an illness from animals to humans should have been anticipated, as COVID-19 is not the first zoonotic pandemic. The 2009 Influenza A pandemic and the 2012 Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) also involved disease transmission from animals to humans. There are many ways to incorporate One Health and Planetary Health approaches into policy- making. The international community can further support collaboration between practitioners of human, animal and environmental health. Public health professionals can promote One Health and Planetary Health to a greater audience, and the concepts can be introduced earlier to medical students, veterinary students and environmental-engineering students. Collaboration between these fields can be fostered through research and community-development programs that focus on public health issues. Leadership and rapid, evidence-based decision-making are crucial to an effective pandemic response. The panel’s analysis showed that countries that had managed similar outbreaks were able to react more quickly than the WHO. These countries had prioritised good governance over advanced technologies. The WHO now has a job to strengthen its role as the leading health organisation and build effective operational capacity for health emergencies that fosters leadership and rapid decision-making. The panel’s evaluation of pandemic preparedness shows human factors play an important role. Robust decision-making is needed to drive the rapid response essential to containing an outbreak. Advanced technology can support the process of disseminating information and decision-making, but it is no match for people thinking on their feet and working across silos.the development of human capabilities are a vital part of pandemic preparedness. Policy-makers should foster collaboration between disciplines and evidence-based decision-making to ensure any future outbreak does not lead to another catastrophic pandemic. Grace Wangge is an associate professor of public health at Monash University – Indonesia. She has a medical background and a postgraduate education in epidemiology. Her work focuses on primary health care and community research strengthening. Dr. Wangge declares no conflicts of interest related to this article. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: Grace Wangge – Indonesia

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 28, 2022

Screen time and ADHD: Looking for the connection - 360 Aby Dany Varghese Published on October 18, 2023 Research suggests that excessive screen time can harm children’s cognitive development, but how much is too much? The sight of a toddler playing on a mobile phone may seem cute and clever to some people. However, to researchers looking into causes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), there is more than meets the eye. While no clear link has been found between children’s screen time and ADHD, growing evidence shows that mobile phone use can lead to developmental problems by the time they reach school age. There is certainly enough to suggest keeping phones away from children in their early years. While ADHD has specific diagnostic criteria, in simple terms it means a disorder that manifests in children with symptoms of hyperactive and impulsive behaviour and a lack of focused attention. ADHD affects many aspects of a child’s development – cognitive, academic, behavioural, emotional and social. There may also be co-existing conditions such as depression, autism spectrum disorders or anxiety disorders. Children with ADHD are also at higher risk of being subject to prejudice, discrimination and stigmatisation. No exact causes of the disorder have been identified. As it is not a reportable disease like certain infectious illnesses, recorded incidence in children varies depending on the population studied and the testing methods used. It is also less recognised in countries where awareness and identification by caregivers is lower. Genetic and environmental factors have been considered possible causes of ADHD. Influences such as diet, sleep deficiency, head trauma in children, tobacco use during pregnancy and maternal depression all may play a secondary or transient role, but none have been proved conclusively. A 2013 study on children between 6 and 11 years old in South India identified more than 10 percent as having ADHD. A 2019 study in Kerala state set out to explore the prevalence of ADHD among the same age group. It found that the children who screened positive for probable ADHD – nearly 23 percent – also tended to have higher rates of reported screen time, averaging more than one hour per day. As that study was based on a questionnaire for parents of children receiving outpatient hospital care, and diagnosis was made using an abbreviated scale for ease of administering the test and rapid screening, the results must be seen as preliminary. A 2021 study also showed that preschool-aged children diagnosed with ADHD had more average screen-time exposure than the recommended duration. Researchers also noted an increased severity of ADHD in children with increased screen time. These studies all came before the Covid-19 pandemic, when the use of digital devices like mobile phones by children was lower compared to what it was today. A recent study suggests that greater screen time among 1-year-old children was associated with developmental delays in communication and problem-solving at ages 2 and 4. Until the role of increased screen time as a contributing factor in ADHD is better understood, limiting children’s exposure is advised, due to its likely effects on communication and cognitive function. World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend no screen exposure for children under 2 years old, and not more than one hour of screen time for children between ages 2 and 4. Current treatment methods for ADHD vary from medications to psychosocial interventions, alone or in combination. Caregivers also play an integral role in identifying and managing ADHD, as early diagnosis and treatment are crucial in navigating better outcomes. Awareness of the disorder is a vital first step towards changing perceptions and increasing acceptance of ADHD as a disorder that can be managed. One study has shown that lowering a child’s perceived levels of stigma may support greater adherence to medical treatment. Although it cannot be concluded that increased screen time leads to ADHD, there is sufficient evidence to identify the risk, and the need to take action to protect children’s health. Dr Aby Dany Varghese is Professor, Department of Paediatrics at Nitte University (Deemed to be), KS Hegde Medical Academy, Mangalore, Karnataka, India. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 18, 2023

Scrolling into stress: how climate fears hit youth - 360 Gabriela Fernando Published on October 9, 2023 Our young people are getting a dose of social media-driven eco-anxiety over the environment. There are ways we can help them beat it. Young people are suing their governments in the state of Montana and European countries, accusing them of not doing enough to protect the environment. They’ve effectively stepped up from a case of anxiety over the environment to a legal one. It is perhaps one of the most spectacular results of youthful concern over the environment and their assessment of progress on climate action. Those concerns are driving increased eco-anxiety — a term used to describe the emotional distress caused by the shifting environment and the growing climate crisis. Social media often feeds it. Young people typically use social media for self-expression, social connection and information sharing but they face various challenges too. While social media can help raise awareness and activism, it also increasingly exposes young users to a barrage of alarming information and the risk of misinformation. That can intensify their feelings of helplessness, fear and despair over climate change. This wave of negative news and imagery can create a sense of urgency that young people might struggle to process, leaving them anxious about the state of the planet and its future. It begs the question: how to ease young people’s eco-anxiety while still using social media for environmental awareness? Studies suggest young people tend to experience higher levels of eco-anxiety. The global survey on climate anxiety among children and people aged 16 to 25 years from 10 countries, including Brazil, India, Nigeria, Philippines and Australia, revealed that they are extremely worried and feel sad, powerless, helpless and betrayed by their governments. This survey also revealed that the adverse impacts on daily life from the climate crisis were greater for youth in the Global South. While problem-focused coping has seen young people engaging more in climate action and activism, the unpleasant emotions — including frustration over governments’ lack of political will and action — is contributing to the rising eco-anxiety and poor mental health. A study found that individuals experiencing eco-anxiety had higher rates of depression, anxiety, stress, lower self-reported mental health and functional impairment. Eco-anxiety is compounding the pre-existing mental health issues of young people that are often neglected or overlooked. The World Health Organization reports that globally one in seven 10 to 19 year-olds live with a mental health condition, with suicide being the fourth-leading cause of death among 15 to 29-year-olds. In Indonesia, the National Adolescent Mental Health Survey found that around one in three people aged 10 to 17 showed symptoms of a mental disorder in the past year. Eco-anxiety during adolescence can cause chronic distress that can affect a young person’s well-being into adulthood. It is crucial for them to receive timely and appropriate mental health support. Eco-anxiety was found to have a significant correlation with the rate of exposure to information about the impacts of climate change, the amount of attention paid to climate change information and what is seen as acceptable by peers. Social media plays a critical role in this exposure to information and can significantly influence cognitive biases that increase the tendency to trust and circulate information that fits with existing beliefs or political inclinations. These biases are magnified in a digital landscape where biased social media algorithms often create echo chambers and filter bubbles. Those algorithms will reinforce existing viewpoints. Social media giants like Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter) employ algorithms that tailor the users’ content based on online sponsorship, promotions, and predicted emotional reactions, regardless of whether these reactions are of joy, sympathy or anger. This overexposure to unbalanced and biased information about climate change can deepen the effects of eco-anxiety and the general mental health on the young, especially those with pre-existing conditions. This is particularly important for emerging economies like Indonesia — the world’s fourth-most populous country — that has a large youth population and is a nation grappling with substantial climate risks. Indonesia is home to the world’s fourth-largest group of Facebook users and the fifth-largest group of X (previously known as Twitter) users. While more evidence about the role of social media on eco-anxiety is needed, governments could also focus more on safeguarding the growing and vulnerable youth populations from the dark side of social media in the context of the climate crisis. That would let young people to actively engage in climate action while mitigating the risk of social media-driven eco-anxiety. Building media literacy education into schools and youth networks to increase awareness about climate change is also part of the solution. Schools could actively engage with youth-led climate initiatives. There are also youth-driven platforms that allow them to engage positively in climate action. Including young people’s voices and experiences is crucial in understanding the impacts of social media and eco-anxiety on their mental health and helping governments develop effective programs. A 2022 study found that positive news stories about climate action can help young people’s mental and social well-being. Governments could drive this by establishing youth advisory boards and collaborating with social media and news platforms to formulate appropriate climate change reporting guidelines. This initiative will ensure that young people’s voices are considered in the decision-making process and that social media and news platforms actively contribute to strengthening youth action and well-being around climate change. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, visit https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp. Additional reporting and contribution by Ida Bagus Nyoman Adi Palguna, a youth mental health advocate and Health Science student at University of the People. He is the founder and head of Indonesia-based youth mental health community, Dengarkanaku.org. Dr Gabriela Fernando is an assistant professor at Monash University Indonesia. Her key areas of interest are in interdisciplinary concepts across global health equity, non-communicable diseases, and women’s health and gender equality, with a particular focus on the South and Southeast Asia region. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Young minds on screens” sent at: 05/10/2023 06:00. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 9, 2023

Seabed mining could sink the fishing industry - 360 Jesse van der Grient Published on July 5, 2023 If unchecked, deep sea mining could impact fish stocks and Pacific Island communities along with it. Drilling for minerals in the deep sea could begin soon, as the regulatory body moves to finalise rules and could start considering mining applications this month. But there’s still much we don’t know about the potential impacts of deep sea mining and it’s causing concern, particularly for ocean-dependent communities. The Pacific holds the world’s largest tuna industry and tuna fisheries are known to operate in areas being explored for mining. An irreversible impact on these fish stockscould be devastating for Pacific Island communities who depend on the ocean for food and their livelihoods. Seafood caught near mining sites could be contaminated with metals. Climate change and increased activities near spawning areas can impact available stocks, resulting in a loss of income, employment and food supplies. As tuna is a highly migratory species, the effects in one area could potentially be transferred to other areas otherwise untouched by mining but which depend on the fishing industry. Various tests and simulations show how mining can adversely affect seafloor organisms and that their recovery rates can be slow, both for microbes and animals. But it’s not just limited to the seafloor. The impacts extend to the water column above. The materials mined on the seafloor will be brought to the surface via riser pipes, which will create light and noise pollution in dark environments where animals have adapted to see extremely low bioluminescent light levels. The impacts of changing sound levels are also poorly understood. Impacts from discharge (sediment-lade) plumes can be minimised by releasing it to the seafloor, but that is costly. The release depth of these plumes is currently not being considered in draft mining regulations. However, there is an expectation plumes will be released at some depth in the ocean below the sunlight zone (upper 200 metres of the ocean which still sees the sunlight), where photosynthesis takes place. This could potentially avoid direct effects from discharge plumes on commercial fish such as tuna and billfish. But a release in the twilight zone (between 200-1,000 metres below the ocean’s surface) can still have indirect consequences for fisheries. Many animals from the twilight zone, including fish, crustaceans and squid, migrate to the surface at night for feeding, while hiding in the deeper darker waters from predators during the day. These vertical migrators are important prey for tuna and billfish. Models predict these discharge plumes can cover 10 to 100km depending on factors like sediment particle size and depth of release (deeper releases will result in smaller plumes). The discharge plumes will likely have elevated metal concentrations as ores break during collection, allowing metals to leak out and potentially get stuck to sediment particles. Increased sediment concentrations in the water column will cause harm by reducing feeding rates. Predators will have trouble finding their prey and suspension feeders’ food particle concentration will be diluted by the sediment particles. It can also harm delicate surfaces such as gills and induce stress on sea creatures. All these effects can influence the growth, reproduction and survival rates of various organisms, with implications for the wider biological community. Many nations with adjacent fishery industries are discussing the rules and regulations for deep sea mining at the International Seabed Authority, the governing body for deep sea mining. They are in a position to consider these trade-offs as they are the most likely to be affected by increased activities on the seabed. Fisheries could be treated as stakeholders in deep-seabed mining. Regional fisheries management organisations —  international organisations regulating regional fishing activities in the high seas — could become observers at the Authority or engage their member states which are also delegates. The Authority wants an ecosystem-based approach to management and discussing the potential interactions between these different industries will fit in well with this aim. The deep-sea is one of the least explored areas of our globe with numerous species we’ve yet to even discover.It provides many services for humanity, including climate regulation and fisheries, all of which we should aim to understand better before destroying. Dr Jesse van der Grient, University of Hawaii at Manoa, South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute, is a quantitative marine ecologist currently based in the Falkland Islands where she works on climate resilience in the local marine food web and deep-sea mining in international waters. Her research was funded by the Benioff Ocean Initiative. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 5, 2023

Seabed mining equity dilemmas in the Pacific - 360 Published on January 31, 2022 Seabed mining can affect fisheries and the flow-on social equity issues need to be addressed. By Aline Jaeckel, Quentin Hanich, Harriet Harden-Davies, Judith van Leeuwen, Holly Niner, Katherine L. Seto and Michelle Voyer What is currently hundreds of metres down below the ocean floor could soon be found in our electronics and on construction sites. The desire to explore the deep ocean for minerals, such as copper, cobalt, and manganese is not new, but only now are companies pushing for commercial-scale mining. The regulatory body for deep sea mining, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), is under pressure to finalise international regulations by mid-2023 after the Pacific Island nation of Nauru pulled a so-called two-year trigger last year. The trigger means it intends to submit a mining plan and the ISA must have the necessary regulations in place to assess it by the time frame. Numerous issues must still be addressed before mining can get the green light. Seabed mining will likely create noise, heavy metal contamination, and large sediment plumes, which can cause significant risks not only to seafloor ecosystems but also mid-water ecosystems, including fish stocks. Many Pacific island countries and other developing states, where most seabed mineral explorations are underway, are dependent on fisheries for government revenue, nutrition, and livelihoods. Food security is a particularly pressing issue for many fish-dependent low-income countries where tuna is essential for the nutritional needs of local people.The Pacific region holds the world’s largest tuna fishery and any decrease in tuna stocks can have deleterious effects on the health, economies, and livelihoods of ocean-dependent communities. Tuna accounts for an average of 37 percent of GDP for tuna-dependent small Pacific island states, and as high as 84 percent for some — seabed mining can potentially put these economies at risk. Tuna stocks are already threatened by climate change and scientific models predict a significant decline in fish catch for 10 tuna-dependent Pacific island countries. A decline in fish stock could lead to insecure food supply, decreasing revenue from fishing licences, a loss of employment in fishing and fish processing and community tension. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) legally classifies minerals on the international seabed as the common heritage of humankind, meaning they should be managed for the benefit of all. But this definition raises questions on equity: who shoulders the burden and who will reap the benefits of resource extraction remains unclear. A portion of economic benefits from seabed mining must also be shared with the international community under the UNCLOS, but how much and for what purposes are yet to be defined. The ISA regulates all seabed mining on the international seabed, referred to as the Area, and state sponsorship is required to obtain a mining contract. States may receive royalties and financial benefits from mining operators in return for acting as a sponsor but social and economic risks are unlikely to be offset by potential benefits to local communities. Deep seabed mining relies on high technology and robotics to conduct much of its operations and does not foster a local workforce that provides alternative employment. As a new industry, the technology used to mine remains unproven at scale, and significant environmental concerns persist. Nauru, Tonga, and Kiribati currently sponsor an exploration contract for The Metals Companybased in Canada, previously known as DeepGreen. The company has links to the now insolvent Nautilus Minerals, which sought to mine seabed minerals in waters off Papua New Guinea. The endeavour failed, leaving Papua New Guinea US$120 million in debt. While mining arrangements between small island developing states and a mining company from the global North may create some benefits for those involved, it can also undermine the collective interests of developing states. The relationship can create legal and financial risks if serious environmental harm occurs. For example, sponsoring states can be held liable under international law for the damages. As Nauru stated over a decade ago: “… these liabilities or costs could, in some circumstances, far exceed the financial capacities of Nauru (as well as those of many other developing states). Unlike terrestrial mining, in which a state generally only risks losing that which it already has (for example, its natural environment), if a developing State can be held liable for activities in the Area, the State may potentially face losing more than it actually has.”’ Seabed mining is a long way from obtaining a social license to operate, with major brands rejecting minerals taken from the ocean floor due to environmental concerns. As the clock ticks down until 2023, we may see increasing pressure on industry and governments to rule out using minerals sourced from the oceans. A social license will depend not only on environmental factors but also on social ones. Social equity should be considered by states when making policy decisions about seabed mining, by mining companies in their social impact statement, and by the ISA when assessing mining plans. Transparent engagement with fish-dependent communities and industries can help to avoid conflict. States and the ISA will need to ensure social and environmental safeguards are applied to both the mining activity itself, but also the interactions of mining with other activities and supply chains. Dr Aline Jaeckel is a Senior Lecturer at UNSW Law and a recipient of an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA). She is also a Research Associate in Ocean Governance at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam. She received funding from the Australian Research Council’s DECRA scheme (grant number: DE190101081) and the German Environment Agency (UBA) through project FKZ 3718252200. Associate Professor Quentin Hanich is a respected expert on Pacific Ocean Governance, Fisheries Management and Marine Conservation. He leads the Fisheries Governance Research Program at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at University of Wollongong. He received funding from Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Centre, University of Washington Earthlab. Dr Harriet Harden-Davies is the Ocean Nexus Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong. Her research explores the role of science and technology in ocean governance. Dr Holly Niner is Research/Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the School of biological and marine sciences, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom. She received funding from the United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI), Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), One Ocean Hub (Grant Ref: NE/S008950/1). Katherine L. Seto is an Assistant Professor at the Environmental Studies Department of the University of California at Santa Cruz, United States. Dr Judith van Leeuwen is a Professor at the Environmental Policy Group of Wageningen University, Netherlands. Dr Michelle Voyers a Senior Research Fellow with the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security  (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong. Her research focuses on the human dimensions of marine conservation and resource management, and the nexus of social science and policy. United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI), Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), One Ocean Hub (Grant Ref: NE/S008950/1). Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: By Aline Jaeckel in Sydney

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on January 31, 2022

Searching for an Asian alternative to the colonial city - 360 Sidh Sintusingha Published on January 12, 2023 Cities in South and Southeast Asia share many characteristics and can learn from each other’s history, development trajectories and experiences. There is an irony in many Asian nations that after the colonisers were kicked out the ruling elites inherited, sustained and continued to impose colonial governance and practices upon their nascent nation-states. This extended to the modernisation and economic development of their countries and cities; to become ‘high-income’ and ‘developed’. This is unsurprising as the elite mind was/is concurrently colonised and self-colonised. Take ‘self-colonisation’. In the 19th-20th centuries the rulers of Siam (Thailand) and Persia (Iran) tried to avoid direct European colonisation. But their capitals, Bangkok and Tehran, developed with European urban planning practices anyway. Many European specialists were employed in these self-colonisation and modernisation projects which were later expanded through the training and educating of the locals. While the indigenous application and extension of colonial practices resulted in hybrid forms and practices more adapted to local conditions, the tradition of sending and educating generations of leaders in Western institutions only served to entrench self-colonisation. That mindset and associated self-imagery was imposed upon their home city from top-down policies and development to the personal spaces of everyday life. A long-term consequence of this phenomenon in tropical Southeast Asia is the shared ‘climatic self-colonisation’ where the middle and upper classes exists segregated from the rest 24/7 in the air-conditioned spaces of their bedroom, private car (or expanding modern rail public transport), to their workspace (offices) and recreational space (shopping malls). Further reinforcing this divide, the city has been formally planned for this segment of society based on desirable images and practices of cities in developed countries (Europe, the US, Japan and South Korea) that, in effect, leave large swathes of the city ‘unplanned’. Crucially, this imposed segregation reflects the continued colonial prejudice towards and the suppression of indigenous identities and practices – captured in the sustained and evolved bottom-up practices of ‘indigenous modernity’. This is modernisation as interpreted and appropriated by the masses and manifests in a parallel city that evolved responsive to its climatic, socio-economic and cultural characteristics. It is encapsulated in the ‘informal’ practices of the pervasive ‘village in the city’ typology (e.g. kampung settlements that encompass old communities and newer squatter settlements) and street commerce of many Southeast Asian cities. They are characterised by low-rise, high-density living and working where the blurring of public and private spaces, close personal proximity are conducive to establishing trust and socio-economic relationships (social capital). While it isn’t possible to revert to traditional ways and many aspects of very high-density living are problematic and unhealthy, there are relevant lessons for city planners and administrators – whether for small-scale incremental retrofits or rebuilding the existing fabric, or rebuilding whole cities. The practice of indigenous modernity often emerges from necessity and consensus and embraces a decolonising mindset. It can be temporary or sustained across generations by necessity or by choice. However, the de-colonising challenge is culture-deep and respective Southeast Asian societies habitually look outwards for development models rather than reflectively inwards and/or to each other. The founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) serves as a collective political frame for the region’s decolonisation that orients the cultural gaze away from the former colonisers and back to the region and to each other’s shared heritage, developmental status and trajectories. The rise of smartphones, social media and advances in translation apps enable virtual dialogues between individuals that transcend language barriers. While such interactions can exaggerate differences and exacerbate existing conflicts, more meaningful connections are also formed. ASEAN travel and work visa agreements have led to increased intra-ASEAN travel that, by extension, promote cross-cultural understandings and the potential emergence of a co-designed cultural-awareness policy and education (comparable to those of the European Commission). Shifts in Western education institutions in their awareness and accommodation of the Global South content is also critical. Decolonisation needs to occur in the Global South and North to effectively reduce ignorance and prejudice and enhance understanding for students, who are the future change-makers in the region. This is crucial in the context of the multiple challenges from climate change and biodiversity loss that require new connections and collaborations to interrogate how we live in the city to mitigate for and reverse the depletion of our natural resources. Indigenous modernity offers Southeast Asian cities bottom-up alternatives to self-colonisation and homogeneous modernisation. It provides lessons and possibilities on how societies can move on from their colonial past to become genuinely post-colonial. If city administrators and stakeholders engage with and creatively harness their indigenous modernity, it can serve as a decolonising framework towards a more inclusive, sustainable city. Sidh Sintusingha is Landscape Architecture Program Coordinator at the Melbourne School of Design. He researches on socio-cultural, environmental and scalar issues relating to urbanisation and the speculation of retrofits towards urban sustainability in Southeast Asian cities. He recently co-edited a book on bottom-up country experiences of the Belt and Road Initiatives and co-authored an article in Journal of Urban Design with Ross King, This article is part of a Special Report on ‘Cities after colonialism’, produced in collaboration with the Calcutta Research Group. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: Sidh Sintusingh – public services

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on January 12, 2023

Seeing emotions just the start for brain-reading technology - 360 Nathan Semertzidis Published on September 26, 2022 Technology that can interpret mood and visualise it using augmented reality is just the first step in a promising new field of brain science. In a flat in Melbourne, Australia, Charlie* can clearly see her housemate Robbie’s* emotions. It isn’t Robbie’s facial expressions or movements helping Charlie understand – his face is obscured by augmented-reality goggles – instead, swarms of colourful patterns swirl around Robbie, moving with him, changing in colour and shape. Charlie can see the swarms through her own augmented-reality set: they’re both using Neo-Noumena, a brain-sensing software. Brain-machine interfaces have recently been employed as assistive devices, restoring mobility and communication to people suffering from various forms of paralysis. They’ve allowed people to control robotic limbs, wheelchairs, and computer keyboards, all with the power of thought. But newer generations of brain-computer interfaces are taking advantage of artificial intelligence’s pattern recognition to decode more complex information from the brain, such as emotion. Neo-Noumena, a headset developed by Monash University researchers, reads a person’s emotions by detecting electrical activity on their scalp. When users see themselves or other users through the headset’s glasses, they are surrounded by colourful repeating patterns known as fractals. The fractals move and change with a user’s emotions, like an aura around them, allowing everyone to understand them in real-time. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_2"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_2"} When study participants took the system home to use in pairs, the Monash researchers didn’t know how they would use it. Participants began exploring the possibilities immediately, using the system in emotionally charged activities to see how it would change their fractal swarms, discovering new things about themselves and their emotions in the process. The technology could one day help people with autism in social situations; improve brain conditions that resist other forms of treatment; and maybe even create a networked human consciousness. Charlie and Robbie became better at regulating their emotions as a pair as they became more aware of their emotional patterns and reactions over time. Interestingly, the transparency and constant availability of each user’s emotional state eventuated in the emergence of unexpected social phenomena. One half of each pair began to extrapolate information about the environment through interpreting the emotions of the other. Another pair of participants found they could infer how good their partner’s hand was in a card game wthout speaking. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_4"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_4"} Brain-machine interfaces that can read emotions are closer than some might think. Some commercial products are already available to buy, geared toward meditation training, sleep tracking, productivity, and gaming. A growing open-source community has also emerged, sharing tools and lessons for enthusiasts to make the technology more accessible. But the legal and ethical risks of ‘mind reading’ technology need to be addressed before it becomes mainstream. Only a handful of jurisdictions have so far passed ‘neuro rights’ laws to protect a persons’ right to keep their thoughts and emotions their own. The law is struggling to keep up with the privacy risks of current technologies, but even more egregious privacy breaches may yet be possible. The ability to read thought as if it were spoken word or text is still far beyond our grasp — at least without invasive surgery — but recent studies have demonstrated that identifying information can be extracted from brain-machine signals. Emerging ‘bidirectional’ interfaces, which promise to modify brain activity using electrical or magnetic impulses, further amplify these risks. This research is still in its earliest stages, limited to invoking perceptions of light flashes, gross limb movements, and mild stimulation of large swathes of the outer layer of the brain, but it may one day be possible to send and receive targeted, precise messages, which would completely change our legal ideas of autonomy and individual personhood. Despite these risks, the potential good is even more profound. In the near future, devices like Neo-Noumena could help people with conditions that can disrupt individual and interpersonal interpretation of emotion, like autism. Conditions like these can make social interaction extremely difficult. Similarly, technologies that ‘write’ to the brain, like deep-brain-stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulations, already show strong promise in treating seriously debilitating mental health conditions like treatment-resistant depression. The promise of this technology hints at possibilities that even science fiction writers would struggle to write. With brain-machine interfaces, we may very well be able to link our minds together in vast networks of deep empathy, challenging every preconceived notion of what makes us ‘human’. * Names changed for compliance with study ethics Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on September 26, 2022

Self-help groups can empower women financially - 360 Durairaj Kumarasamy, Sukhvinder Kaur, Vandana Jain Published on March 8, 2024 Financial inclusion ensures equal access to financial services so women can mobilise their savings, obtain credit and make financial decisions independently. Women comprise nearly half the population in India, but their economic participation is only 37 per cent, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey report (2022-23). Their participation in economic activities leads to equitable distribution of wealth and aids the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. But despite the efforts to promote financial inclusion, disparities persist. Women continue to face inequality socially, politically and financially. For achieving gender equality, financial empowerment of women is crucial. Their inclusion in the financial system can significantly address this imbalance. Financial inclusion is also a critical aspect of the International Women’s Day 2024 theme “Invest in women”. That’s where self-help groups come in. Self-help groups play an important role in digital financial literacy, enabling digital financial inclusion and eventually empowering women. Financial inclusion ensures equal access to financial services so women can mobilise their savings, obtain credit and make financial decisions independently. During last year’s G20 deliberations, financial inclusion emerged as a fundamental driver of economic growth. Women often face challenges accessing banking services due to distance, cultural barriers, and restrictive social norms. These constraints include limited mobility to access bank branches and the absence of female-friendly banking infrastructure. The major policy to achieve financial inclusion undertaken by the government of India was Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna, which was introduced in 2014 to provide financial services to people who either have no access or limited access to banking services. Under the programme, 500 million people have benefited by their inclusion in the formal banking system, out of which women open 55 per cent of bank accounts. They digitised the banking system by providing people-centric benefits. This included direct benefit transfers (DBTs) that contribute to inclusive growth, especially for the underprivileged — notably women — and offer convenient and accessible banking options. The Jan Dhan, Adhar and Mobile (JAM) scheme has enabled mobile banking, digital wallets and online transactions, which have the potential to bridge the gender gap in accessing financial services. A significant increase in digital financial transactions during COVID-19 offered a new area of transformation towards how people do banking. Under the Digital India programme, Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) aims to bridge the digital divide by targeting rural populations, particularly women and girls, with over 53 per cent of women benefiting. Digitalisation has revolutionised the financial system by including more of the population in this domain. However, challenges persist in adopting digital financial services, including the digital divide, cyber security, data privacy and lack of financial literacy. Adoption of digital technologies requires digital financial literacy regarding the use of mobile phones and the internet. But women in India either do not own these resources or do not know their usage, which poses a constraint in the adoption of digital financial inclusion. A Global System for Mobile Communications (2020) report shows that a woman is 26 per cent less likely to own a mobile phone and 56 per cent less likely to use mobile internet than a man in India. According to the National Family Health Survey (2019-21), only 33 per cent of women in India have used the internet compared to men, who comprise 57 per cent of the total population. In rural India, there is a significant gender disparity in internet usage, with men being twice as likely as women to have accessed the internet (49 per cent versus 25 per cent). In India, self-help groups (SHGs) have aided the financial inclusion of women through the SHG-Bank Linkage Programme. The Bank Sakhi programme by the National Rural Livelihoods Mission trains self-help group members to work as banking correspondents in rural districts. The programme has improved women’s exposure to financial services, driving up digital transactions in rural India. For instance, Rajasthan’s State Rural Livelihood Mission (SLRM) has initiated mobile wallet M-Pesa in collaboration with Vodafone for instant payments, money transfer, and utility payments. Eight hundred SHGs and 9000 SHG members use their M-Pesa wallet to deposit their loan repayments into the SHG account. Self-help groups are active participants in various government schemes and programmes. They are growing at 10.8 per cent annually, with 5.7 per cent annual growth in credit disbursement. The government aims to have 0.125 million trained banking correspondents nationwide by 2023-24. These banking correspondents-sakhis are members within the self-help groups who perform banking functions by handling deposits, credit, micro-insurance, mutual funds and promoting savings on their behalf. They also penetrate rural areas by offering digital services, including e-commerce and online education, that benefit the community and help them secure sustainable livelihoods. Women prefer non-institutional loans and credit from self-help groups where the credit source is not maintained. Hence, self-help groups become an important source of credit for women. As India continues its journey toward comprehensive financial inclusion, combining educational initiatives, gender-sensitive approaches, and digital interventions will be critical. Self-help groups play a crucial role in increasing access and fostering active participation by leveraging the utilisation of resources through government channels. By doing so, India advances financial inclusion as a powerful tool for economic empowerment and societal well-being. There is a need for sustained efforts and targeted interventions to create a more inclusive and equitable financial landscape. To bridge the gender gap in access to digital financial services, strategies could include promoting financial literacy for women, encouraging low-cost digital services, and penetration of direct benefit transfers, particularly for elderly women who find it difficult to access government schemes and funds due to limited physical mobility. Financial literacy programmes and technology-driven solutions are essential to create an inclusive financial ecosystem. The research was undertaken with financial assistance from the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR). Durairaj Kumarasamy is Associate Professor and Head, Department of Economics, School of Behavioural and Social Science, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Haryana, India. email id: doorairaj@gmail.com Sukhvinder Kaur is a Research Scholar in the Department of Economics, School of Behavioural and Social Science, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Haryana, India. Vandana Jain is a Research Assistant in the School of Media and Humanities and a Research Scholar in the Department of Economics, School of Behavioural and Social Science, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Haryana, India. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 8, 2024

Seven key questions about the Fukushima water release - 360 Jamie Quinton Published on April 14, 2023 Japan’s plan to release nuclear wastewater from its Fukushima reactor has sparked many questions. Japan is set to discharge millions of tonnes of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear reactor, which was damaged in the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, into the Pacific Ocean. The impending release of treated radioactive water has divided opinion. Japan’s aquaculture industry, along with environmentalists and neighbouring countries such as China, Korea and Pacific Island nations have all expressed concern about the plan. The Japanese government is working with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which regulates safety standards. They assert that the treated water is safe to release and have backed Japan’s plans. Physicist Jamie Quinton, who is Professor and Head of the School of Natural Sciences at Massey University in New Zealand, answers seven key questions about the plan. What’s happening with the Fukushima nuclear reactor? In August 2013 a Fukushima operator revealed that up to 300,000 litres of untreated wastewater — water needed to keep the exposed core in each of its three damaged reactors cool — from the Fukushima nuclear reactor had leaked from a storage tank, and may have been doing so since the tsunami  in March 2011. Although Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) claimed this leaked water had seeped into the ground and not flowed into the ocean, the plant is located right on the shoreline and contamination has most likely occurred. This untreated water contained over 100 times the legal limit for radioactivity release. TEPCO subsequently built infrastructure to extract tonnes of newly contaminated water each day that includes a processing plant called the ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System), which was designed to filter the heavy radioactive elements present in the wastewater. While ALPS dramatically improved the elemental profile of the wastewater, the leaks resulted in public mistrust of TEPCO through water being released from the Fukushima plant. For several years Japan has been intending to release over 1.25 million tonnes of treated Fukushima wastewater into the sea as part of its plan to decommission the power station, when its storage capacity reaches its limit in 2023. In part, this is to mitigate risks posed by keeping the water in the storage tanks and avoid a situation where the wastewater is released in an uncontrolled manner for any reason, such as an earthquake or other natural disaster. The Japanese say the water is now safe to release. Is it? Yes, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA has strict guidelines and international standards on the acceptable practices for radiation protection and oversees the release of water used in fission reactors around the world, has endorsed TEPCO and the Japanese government’s proposal to release the treated water. However, some experts and many Pacific Island leaders have concerns. In March 2022 an independent panel of global experts on nuclear issues were supporting Pacific Nations in their consultations with Japan over its intentions to discharge treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. TEPCO claimed for years that ALPS removed all radioactive materials except for tritium, but in 2018 admitted it wasn’t perfect and doesn’t completely remove all of the harmful heavy radioactive elements. This has led to further mistrust and people quite logically come to the ecologically responsible conclusion that ‘dilution is not the solution — no release means no increase in radioactivity in the ecosystem’, and that TEPCO would need to process the water multiple times to remove as much of the heavier radioactive species as possible. So how radioactive is the water? Of the radioactive elements present in the wastewater, the primary component is tritium. The ALPS can filter heavy elements well but is very poor at filtering lighter elements from the wastewater. Tritium along with deuterium is an isotope of the lightest element — hydrogen. Tritium and deuterium also have an atomic number, Z, of 1 as they all have only one proton in the nucleus (this is why hydrogen is the first element on the periodic table). Hydrogen has only the proton, and no neutrons; Deuterium (D) has one proton and one neutron; and Tritium (T) has one proton and two neutrons. These heavier isotopes of hydrogen are created by neutrons which are plentiful because nuclear fission reactors run on neutrons. For these isotopes of hydrogen, with the addition of each extra neutron there is an increase in radioactivity. A radioactive nucleus emits radiation to become more stable and the radioactivity of a given object, or volume of water, is measured in Becquerels, with 1Bq meaning one radioactive decay event (i.e an atom alters its nuclear state and emits one photon of ionising radiation) per second. Hydrogen has the most stable nucleus of these isotopes. Deuterium and tritium are radioactive but chemically they are equivalent to hydrogen, so when present in water there are molecules of H2O, D2O, T2O, DOH, TOH, and DOT. The natural abundance of these isotopes wherever we find hydrogen, including in water, is that hydrogen occupies 99.9 percent, Deuterium 0.02 percent and Tritium is present in extremely low amounts (1 tritium in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms of hydrogen). Fukushima wastewater will have a significantly greater concentration of tritium than naturally found in water but still only accounts for a small amount overall. Based on radioactivity measurements reported, there is approximately 2.4g of tritium within the 1.25 million tonnes of wastewater. Is tritium dangerous? Tritium when present in water is of low risk to humans. The main concern for humans occurs where tritium is ingested into the body through breathing it into our lungs or eating food that contains it in high concentrations. This is why Chernobyl was considered 10 times more hazardous than Fukushima. At Chernobyl the water became airborne as steam when the accident occurred. The biological half-life (the average time for a human to pass half of a contaminant substance out of their body) of tritium is estimated to be 7-10 days. The type of radiation emitted and the energy it carries are the most important parameters that determine the cancer risk to humans. For tritium, beta radiation is emitted carrying a maximum energy of 18keV, which is relatively small. (To give an idea of what these energies mean, when you get a diagnostic X-ray of part of your body, low energy X-rays of around 1 keV are used. In radiotherapy where the intention is to kill cancer cells, X-rays or gamma rays with around 1000 times more energy ie 1 MeV, or 1000 keV are typically used). In air an electron with 18keV of energy travels about 10cm on average before losing its energy, but in water it is only a few micrometres — less than the diameter of one strand of hair. Tritium has a half-life — the time it takes to lose half of its radioactivity (the shorter the half-life, the more radioactivity) — of 12.35 years. But the half-life is only part of the story. It tells you how frequently atoms of a particular element and isotope emit radiation to become more stable. This is much longer than the biological half-life which also makes it of low risk. Over a 30 year period, 81.5 percent of the total tritium will have radioactively decayed. How much tritium is in the water? The concentration of tritium in the wastewater is around 10 million times more prevalent than that found naturally in water, but tritium is still around 10 parts per trillion which means there is one tritium atom for every 100 billion atoms of hydrogen. By releasing into the ocean, the tritium concentration will be extremely diluted (the tritium will quickly become trace concentrations of many orders of magnitude less when released into the sea). Is there anything else in the untreated water that is harmful? There are several radioactive isotopes of concern — iodine-131, caesium-137, strontium-90 and cobalt-60 — all of which are produced during the various decay pathways of the uranium fuel in the nuclear reactor core. These are the radioactive elements of note that are capable of damaging human cells and claimed to be removed from the wastewater by the ALPS processing plant. Both iodine-131 and caesium-137 are used in nuclear medicine radiotherapy applications which means they have sufficient energy to cause cell death and mutation. In other words they are capable of producing cancers. If ingested, strontium-90 becomes biomineralized like calcium and deposits in teeth and bones and that means it remains in the body until after it has emitted its radiation. Cobalt-60 is created by neutron activation of iron and nickel structures within the reactor but of the radioactive elements listed here, Cobalt-60 is the most undesirable  and potentially most harmful as it decays via three energetic emissions in the form of two gamma and one beta. All of these radioactive species are hazardous to life and need to be eliminated from being released into ecosystems. As organisms consume other organisms throughout the food chain, they can eventually end up being consumed by humans who will absorb the accumulated radioactivity. These radioactive species must be kept out of natural ecosystems as much as possible, especially the ocean. So, should we be worried? The panel of global experts and the IAEA should establish monitoring of radiation levels prior to, during and after any release of wastewater into the ocean. Hopefully the Japanese government and TEPCO have explored the possibility of seeking alternative uses for the tritiated water through chemical suppliers and the global nuclear fusion community, as tritium is a key fuel of interest for nuclear fusion research. If the release of wastewater into the ocean is to proceed, getting the process correct and within regulations is vital to Japan’s aquaculture-based industries. It is in Japan’s economic interest to ensure that the waterways remain below the international acceptable levels for background radiation so that food safety is assured, and their capacity for international trade remains unaffected. Jamie S. Quinton is the Professor and Head of the School of Natural Sciences at Massey University in Aotearoa New Zealand. Prior to joining Massey he was Professor of Physics and Nanotechnology and Dean of Science at Flinders University. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed research articles. He was the Flinders University Winner of the student-nominated Unijobs Lecturer of the Year Award in 2009 and he was awarded a prestigious Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) in 2010. This article has been republished ahead of Japan’s plan to release nuclear wastewater from August 24, 2023. It originally appeared on April 14, 2023. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Fukushima water” sent at: 12/07/2023 13:02. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on April 14, 2023

Sex workers and the city: The fight for rights - 360 Rajat Kanti Sur Published on January 12, 2023 Kolkata’s sex workers have been marginalised and discriminated against for hundreds of years. Often trafficked to the city from poorer regions of India, they are considered social outcasts with no rights, no power and little hope of escaping their plight. But in the past 20 years, things have gradually improved. The creation of the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee a group to fight against their oppression, was a watershed, giving thousands of oppressed women a voice. There is even hope sex work will finally be recognised as a legitimate occupation. Sex workers have settled in several parts of Kolkata ever since the inception of the city. They tended to choose areas close to where the nouveau riche settled such as Sonagacchi and Ram Bagan in the north, or around the famous Kali temple in Kolkata (Kalighat) and the Kolkata port (Khidderpore). Prostitution is not recognised as ‘work’ in India. Running a brothel, allowing one’s premises to be used as one as well as ‘seducing’ and soliciting for prostitution is punishable under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1956. There is little appetite in society to fight for their rights. In most cases, sex workers are either forcibly trafficked or they migrate from remote villages in West Bengal, Bihar and other eastern and north-eastern states due to abject poverty and scarcity of food. Most do not have valid identity documents and, therefore, are not able to open even a bank account. It is not unusual for sex workers to deposit their savings either with the agents (dalals) or the landlady who manages the brothel (malkin) or the brothel owners. In most cases, sex workers are exploited by these people. The result is that at the end of the month the women have no savings left and are forced to take loans from moneylenders who enjoy political protection and generally charge a high rate of interest (up to 10 percent). Things began to improve for Kolkata’s sex workers in the 1990s doctors associated with the AIDS prevention project under the National AIDS Control Organisation started working with them. They not only ran a basic protection programme (promoting the use of condoms and contraceptives) but in 1995 attempted to create solidarity with the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya CommitteeBeginning with just 13 sex workers, the organisation now boasts 19,830 members in Kolkata alone. It has seven branches and Kolkata and others in every red-light area of West Bengal. The Committee, which has strong support from sex workers, has strengthened into a successful pressure group demanding various rights from government — from the right to food and the right to citizenship to the right to be identified as a sex worker. The Committee also helps the government locate women and children trafficked to the different red-light areas of West Bengal. It proved useful during the COVID-19 pandemic when sex workers, with assistance from civil groups, hired vehicles to provide food rations to other sex-workers in the districts. In 1995, the Committee also established a cooperative credit society for sex workers called the Usha Multipurpose Cooperative Society to provide them easy credit. According to the Hindustan Times the cooperative has 30,000 sex workers as customers with an annual turnover of around 300 million rupees (US$3 million). The cooperative also runs shops for sex workers and slum dwellers and self-help groups for women along with a small factory that produces cost-effective sanitary pads which are sold through their outlets. A residential school has been started for the children of sex workers at Basirhat, 60km east of Kolkata. It also works with district cooperatives to provide economic empowerment training for village women. The Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee — backed by the West Bengal state government — runs its own protection programme to counter trafficking. The constitution of a self-regulatory board prevents unwilling women being forced either by their friends, family members or close relations into prostitution. The Committee has also managed to get sex workers documents which allows them to vote. This sense of democratic empowerment has empowered sex workers to form an internal electoral body which chooses Committee and Usha co-op board members from member red light areas every two years. This process of practising democracy has also strengthened sex workers’ solidarity. The sex workers have fought against some of the legal provisions — especially the subsections 2 (F) 5 (C) of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956 — criminalising sex work, for years. The First National Conference of Sex Workers in 1997 and the first international conference cum peace festival in March 2002 also demanded the repeal of the legal provisions criminalising sex work. Sex workers from across India conducted a protest march to the Indian Parliament in March 2006 making the same demand. Despite facing a financial crisis, especially after the demonetisation of large currency notes by the government in 2016 and the pandemic, Usha launched a relief programme in almost all the red-light areas with the help of local civil society organisations. Due to sex workers’ persistent struggle against COVID, the Supreme court ordered all states and Union Territories to supply food rations directly to those identified by National AIDS Control Organisation and issue food security cards to those who were not able to submit any identity documents. The cooperative suffered considerably because of the pandemic. Annual deposits plunged to less than 200 million rupees (US$2 million) in 2020-21. Despite the problems, the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee remains an important institution for sex workers. Sex workers in Kolkata have gradually gained confidence as citizens and have tried to consolidate their own socio-economic position in society. A recent observation by the Supreme Court of India which defines ‘sex work’ as a ‘profession’ makes them confident of getting recognition as ‘workers/labourers’ in their own right. is a researcher in migration studies. He is currently associated with the Calcutta Research Group, India. This article is part of a Special Report on ‘Cities after colonialism’, produced in collaboration with the Calcutta Research Group. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on January 12, 2023

Sexism and reverence for motherhood linked to anti-abortion views - 360 Danny Osborne Published on July 11, 2022 Beliefs about a woman’s ‘proper’ place in society are behind the some perplexing contradictions in attitudes to abortion. “A woman is not a ‘real woman’ until she becomes a mother.” If you agree with this statement, there’s a fair chance you oppose abortion. Even as protesters take to the streets in the United States to protest the Supreme Court’s recent ban on nation-wide access to abortion, hundreds of millions of people across the world continue to believe that motherhood is a woman’s true calling. Abortions are often grouped into two categories: traumatic abortion covers circumstances such as saving the woman’s life or pregnancies that occur due to rape or incest; elective abortion covers situations such as wanting to control family size, economic considerations or simply because the woman decides to have an abortion for her own reasons. The vast majority of people support a woman’s right to choose in at least some of these circumstances – less than 15 percent of Americans oppose women’s access to abortion without exceptions. This places 85 percent of the US in opposition to the Supreme Court’s sweeping reversal of Roe v. Wade – a point that is no doubt reflected in recent polls showing historically high levels of disapproval of the highest court in the land. For many years, women’s rights activists and scholars alike have attributed public opposition to abortion to misogyny, that is, hateful views toward women that maintain their lower status compared to men — and for good reasons. For example, a poll of nearly 2,000 likely voters in the 2020 US presidential election found that only 23 percent of pro-life advocates viewed the #MeToo movement favourably compared to 71 percent of pro-choice supporters. Further illustrating the misogynistic undertones of the abortion debate, Todd Akin, a former US Representative from Missouri, noted in a televised interview that, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down”. Vile and misinformed statements like this illustrate the anti-women sentiment that often enters the debate over a woman’s right to choose. People who are openly hostile towards women oppose abortion for elective reasons, presumably because the perceived sexual freedom afforded by elective abortion could reinforce a view in the eyes of the hostile sexist that some women are ‘temptresses’. Yet hostile sexism is mostly unassociated with views on traumatic abortion. But it is not misogyny alone that underlies people’s opposition to abortion. Rather, a constellation of factors appear to. Curiously, loving support of women as powerful wives and mothers is a critical predictor of whether someone will oppose abortion. Indeed, the reverence and protection reserved for women who conform to traditional gender roles – including the role of a sacrificial mother – predicts opposition to abortion better than open hostility and misogyny toward women. The belief that women deserve protection from society creates a gilded cage that undermines their right to choose. It is a benevolent kind of sexism. And people with these views consistently oppose both kinds of abortion. The finding goes some way towards explaining other research that predicts people’s views on abortion. Amongst the many things that are consistently associated with opposition to abortion — political allegences, level of religious belief, age — gender is often not one of them. In fact, men and women are sometimes equally likely to support or oppose abortion. Some work even shows that men may be more supportive than women of abortion. Given that abortion is inherently connected with women’s rights, this is an altogether surprising finding. The research on the importance of benevolent sexism helps to clear up the inconsistent findings along gender lines — because many women cherish their roles as wives and mothers. Indeed, parents are more opposed to abortion than non-parents, perhaps reflecting their contentment with a traditional family structure and the status quo. It also helps explain why religious and conservative people tend to be more opposed to abortion than their non-religious and liberal counterparts: many religions teach traditional gender roles that reinforce the view that men are the breadwinners and women should rule the house and raise children. This is also a view that is reflected in conservative rhetoric that valorises the traditional family unit. Abortion is one of the central issues currently fueling the culture war in the United States and elsewhere. Attitudes toward women’s ‘proper’ place in society plays an important role in these debates. The protective chivalry of benevolent sexism undermines support for women’s reproductive rights and helps to explain why women can sometimes be more opposed than men to abortion. The reverence and security that benevolent sexism seems to promise women helps to explain why views on abortion remain divisive across the globe, why these attitudes continue to restrict women’s freedoms, and why these restrictions are so hard to combat. Danny Osborne is an associate professor in the School of Psychology at The University of Auckland. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and is also the lead editor of The Cambridge Handbook of Political Psychology. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 11, 2022

Silos holding back the energy transition - 360 Lisa Wijayani Published on November 14, 2022 As climate, energy and digital sectors converge it’s up to policymakers to make sure they work well together. When leaders of the G20 nations meet in Bali next week, it’s expected they will commit to the ‘Bali Compact’ — a set of nine principles agreed in September by the G20 energy ministers. At its heart is a plan to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. Indonesia brings the theme of “recover together, recover stronger” to the G20 presidency, and is juggling the need to address the negative impacts of climate change on health and prosperity with an energy crisis and desire for a sustainable energy transition. The geopolitical tension and associated sanctions of 2022, coming on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic mean developed economies are struggling with energy security. Meanwhile, many developing economies are still struggling with energy access. As the G20 lead, Indonesia is trying to consider both concerns. One option to help do this is conspicuously absent from the Bali Compact. In Italy’s presidency in the G20 of 2021 recognised the role of digitalisation in enhancing energy security and market stability. But the role of digitalization and technology in catalysing the energy transition is missing from the Bali Compact. Digital innovation and technology fosters climate actions and sustainable energy transformation, for example, automatic sensors using Artificial Intelligence (AI) can detect equipment failure to save energy in industry. The digital economy ministers of the G20 have encouraged cooperation to improve innovation in many sectors including sustainable and renewable energy. And yet, the energy ministers have made little progress in encouraging the adoption of digital innovation to ensure energy security and energy access. The Bali Compact highlights the urgent need to secure energy accessibility, scale up smart and clean technologies, and advance energy financing. Technology transfer and energy financing are some of the ways to ensure both energy access and energy security can be achieved. Technology transfer and access to finance are crucial, but there is not yet an inclusion of how innovation and digitalisation can support the two initiatives. The fourth industrial revolution, in which everything is digitally connected, can support economic recovery. It can play a role in fostering energy access, particularly for remote areas that are not connected to the electricity grid. Digital automation also helps expedite energy efficiency and the rise of renewable energy consumption. Moreover, digital technology such as AI and blockchain can be an innovative solution to unlock green financing in the energy sector through its transparency and traceability. G20 nations are in a good position to adopt digital technologies given the higher levels of broadband connectivity in the bloc, compared with the world. But the substantial disparities in connectivity between urban and rural areas means stakeholders in the energy, climate and digital technology sectors will have to collaborate to ensure alignment in regulations and practices. If these sectors remain siloed, G20 nations will likely miss the innovative solutions on the table to meet the current challenges of energy security, accessibility and prosperity. Lisa Wijayani is a research associate at the Institute of Sustainable Earth and Resources (ISER) of University of Indonesia. The author declared no conflicts of interest in relation to this article. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 14, 2022

Singapore catches the #MeToo train - 360 Ying-Kit Chan Published on November 25, 2022 #MeToo may not have garnered much traction in Singapore but that didn’t stop women from demanding change. She wasn’t the first, and nor will she be the last, but her case illustrates Singaporean attitudes to harassment: In 2019, National University of Singapore (NUS) student Monica Baey took to Instagram to speak out against a fellow student who had filmed her in the shower at a university hostel. NUS had treated the voyeur with lenience. A new kind of solidarity has begun to take root in Singapore. Women have decided to take a stand against gender-based violence. They’re speaking up, pressing institutions to better manage the issue. And the internet is their principal tool. Baey used it to rally support. This is particularly significant in the context of Singapore, where the state controls mass media institutions — newspapers, radio, and television — at the expense of civil liberties and press freedom. Yet 90 percent of Singapore’s population was using the internet daily as of 2022, creating fertile ground for digital activism. Tens of thousands of Singaporeans lent their support through online petitions, calling for stiffer punishment and reopening the case. Forced by public outcry and pressured by the Ministry of Education, NUS formed a review committee with female student representation to reform its disciplinary system and deal with sexual misconduct cases more effectively. For sparking a national debate on sexual harassment, Monica Baey was awarded the “Woman of Courage” by the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) in November 2019. Fighting against gender violence remains an uphill struggle in a nation whose government seems more reactive than proactive and where most people are less courageous than Baey in standing up against institutions and speaking up for themselves. As Baey remarked, numerous women wrote to her about sexual harassment, most of whom feared the repercussions of coming forward in a society that remains conservative and patriarchal. Along with words of support, Baey also received messages from netizens accusing her of seeking attention and trying to ruin the offender. It’s an example of victim blaming, in which men deny the prevalence of gender violence and declare that women are responsible for their own ordeal. According to a 2019 survey of 1019 Singaporeans, 45 percent agreed that women who wear revealing clothes should not complain if men comment about their appearance. Surprisingly, almost half of these respondents (44 percent) were women. Working to help women resist intense gaslighting and victim-blaming by an unsympathetic public, activist Dani Pereira revealed that she was inspired by the #MeToo movement to expose the inappropriate encounters, psychological intimidation, and sexual harassment she had suffered. Even AWARE’s chief Corinna Lim had spoken up about her own experiences, citing the #MeToo movement as her inspiration. However, the #MeToo movement never quite impacted Singapore the way it did the United States. In the middle of 2021, Lim was still appealing for greater public awareness of gender violence and calling out Singapore’s National Service (military conscription) as an institution that breeds toxic masculinity. In response to rising appeals for state intervention and mediation in the entrenched issue of gender violence, the government launched a national gender equality review in 2020. Government officeholders, grassroots organisations, and women’s groups participated. In March 2022, the government presented its findings to parliament. The white paper professes to “strengthen support and awareness of resources to address workplace harassment” and “implement a national framework [to prevent] abuse and harassment which may occur in the sporting environment,” but its limitations are apparent. Educational institutions, where many cases of gender violence occur, remain outside its purview. The vague and sometimes ambiguous wording of the paper also reveals the “gestural politics” of the government. It refers to the state’s broad appropriation of existing campaigns or movements in the form of pronouncements and open support, which functions more as rhetoric and political tactics rather than having any substantive effect. Platitudes and token gestures seem to be more important than substance as the technocratic and economy-minded government engages with civil society largely out of political necessity. In Singapore, molestation, or “outrage of modesty”, carries a maximum jail term of only two years. Meanwhile, thieves are punishable with three-year imprisonment. A stricter law may serve as a stronger deterrent to gender-based violence. Educational institutions could strengthen their response when students report cases of inappropriate behaviour. NUS’s recent Complaints of Sexual Misconduct, which promise fair and transparent investigations, is a positive shift from passivity and indifference. The test will be whether such words and intentions can begin to unpick a longstanding culture of gender-based violence. Ying-kit Chan is an assistant professor at the Department of Chinese Studies, National University of Singapore. He is the author of ‘Toxic Masculinity in Singapore: National Service, Sexual Harassment, and the #MeToo Movement’. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 25, 2022

Singapore says Swift is mine, upsetting its neighbours - 360 Thanapat Pekanan Published on March 8, 2024 Taylor Swift is playing six concerts in Singapore. That’s not played well with other Southeast Asia nations which missed out. A whole bunch of Southeast Asian nations are not too happy with Singapore right now. Blame Taylor Swift. The reason? Singapore bagged exclusive rights to host six Swift shows during her Eras world tour, meaning the city-state’s neighbours missed out on the financial bonanza that follows Swift around like her army of Swifties, a term for devoted fans of the singer. Although, even they felt down. Not only would fans from other Southeast Asian nations have to compete with locals for limited tickets, if they did manage to nab a ticket, they’d have the added expense of travelling to one of the region’s most expensive cities. And tickets were not easy to get. Millions of Swifties in Southeast Asia described scoring tickets to the concert as “The Great War,” (a reference to her song from her 2022 album Midnights) with only a limited 300,000 tickets were up for grabs. A disappointed Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin wasn’t happy about the Singaporean government’s payment of around USD$2 million to USD$3 million per concert in return for exclusive rights in Southeast Asia. It is estimated that the six-night concert will bejewelled Singapore’s economy up to SG$500 million (USD$ 372 million) The Singapore deal meant other Southeast Asian countries would lose their opportunity to showcase their culture to the world since the “Taylor Swift Effect” also yields brand exposure moments which would endure even after the concerts. Unsurprisingly, it led to an outcry in one of the Southeast Asian countries and the public at large. Joey Salceda, a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, expressed discontent with Singapore’s deal, characterising it as being contrary to the conduct expected between good neighbours. He urged the Department of Foreign Affairs to request clarification on the agreement from the Singaporean embassy. Singapore’s deal does throw the spotlight on other Southeast Asian countries though. Perhaps they need to contemplate learning from past mistakes when it comes to preparing to be up to the task of hosting such events. In other parts of Southeast Asia, observers have attributed the absence of big music tours like this to things such as inadequate infrastructure, political upheaval, and the conservative positions of some religious groups. Megastars also faced challenges related to religious sensitivities from authorities. Holding a concert in some religious capitals entails organisers or performers having to accept the potential risks of sudden cancellations by the government under political pressure. The absence of reliable public transport and infrastructure for megastars has been cited as one of the potential reasons to choose Singapore over other Southeast Asian cities. Another issue is a history of inadequate crowd management. Equally important, the issue of good governance and democratic credentials might also be another factor in their calculation. In Thailand, this came after Swift cancelled a performance in 2014, not long after the military coup which toppled the democratically elected government of then Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Singapore’s neighbours could also learn from the mistakes and weaknesses which already took place in similar settings of the Eras Tour, such as ticketing errors, worn-out merchandise, concerts lasting for too long, and aggressive crowds. Public-private partnerships could come up with preparations which specifically target these areas so that we will not have to encounter these quagmires that occurred in other regions. Taylor Swift’s show in Singapore has sparked a conversation throughout Southeast Asia, bringing attention to geopolitical tensions, diplomatic concerns, and the wider impact of cultural influence. With worries about Singapore’s exclusive concert deal spreading across the region, it encourages contemplation on fairness, cultural interchange, and cooperation among neighbouring countries. Southeast Asian nations can heed lessons from past errors, work together on thorough planning, and create an environment where artistic expression can flourish fairly for the benefit of the entire region. And you’d have to love that. Thanapat Pekanan is a research fellow at the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS), Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “The Swift Effect” sent at: 06/03/2024 14:04. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 8, 2024

Singapore seeks accountability without transparency - 360 Howard Lee Published on October 3, 2022 Despite being a thriving economy, the Singaporean government is still reluctant to enact a freedom of information law. The Singapore Government has persistently rejected attempts to legislate freedom of information, claiming it serves frivolous and nefarious purposes while affirming the state’s right to amass and control information. This reflexive disdain for Freedom of information (FOI) suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of such legislation, or that the government has some different ideas about building public trust. In 2012, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam acknowledged the need for transparency and accountability in government but drew the line at releasing government data in defence and economically sensitive overseas investments. “Trust and transparency are two different parts of a system of accountability,” the minister stressed. This misguided view would continue to pervade the Singapore Government’s thinking. The government’s view is that a nation that trusts it would have less demand for transparency. This is fundamentally at odds with what FOI attempts to do, since it is transparency and accountability that form the two parts of a system of trust in a government. FOI obliges governments to publish necessary information about their policies, project developments, and activities and the public is entitled to request such information. In this way, trust in government is the result of transparency, rather than the precondition for (not) releasing information. The Singapore Government’s negative portrayals of FOI paint transparency and governmental accountability as being in opposition to good governance. In turn, advocates for FOI are accused of undermining Singapore’s social stability and national interest. The negative associations with FOI mean the government has unfettered control over state information and is the sole arbiter for what it deems appropriate, useful and safe for the public to know. In 2011, Pritam Singh, a member of the opposition Workers’ Party raised the need for an FOI act, given the public’s increasing reliance on online media and the need for the government to build trust to counter online misinformation. Singh was criticised for suggesting that the government manipulates and controls the mainstream media and the issue of FOI was drowned in the rancour. In 2020, Singh, who was by then the leader of the opposition, probed the government for data on employment numbers of citizens versus non-citizens. Minister for Trade and Industry, Chan Chun Sing questioned the intent of the question, accusing Singh of trying to drive a discriminatory xenophobic wedge between the people of Singapore. Chan said that as long as the ruling party delivered the jobs needed to keep Singaporeans employed, such data did not matter in public discourse. This is not to say that the government is secretive about state information. OneMap, for instance, is a multi-agency portal that allows users to obtain geospatial data for a variety of purposes – from parents wishing to find out about nearby schools, to businesses wanting to assess suitable locations. Such digital systems were set up to fulfil Singapore’s Smart Nation dream of connectivity, integration and inclusivity. They did not, however, account for the rise of the ‘smart citizen’ – citizens with credible and comprehensive knowledge at their disposal who are engaged and participating in public debate. While the government publishes its financial accounts annually through the Auditor-General to reflect some degree of accountability, such releases are controlled by the government which do not allow for open debate. It also does not include the periodic release of classified state information to ensure the government is accountable for its actions. Indeed, ready access to information has important consequences for civic participation. In parliament, it allows political parties to craft robust and well-researched policies that contribute to the contest of ideas that bring the country forward. It also provides grounds for civil societies and interest groups to question the government on its policies and use data to propose new ideas and solutions. For journalists, having access to public information allows them to probe government policies and better translate them, enhancing democratic participation and holding the government to account. The right to information makes the difference between journalism serving as a political watchdog or a government mouthpiece. On a more idealistic plane, FOI legislation clearly signals that a government is serious about transparency and accountability, is not afraid of public scrutiny, and is willing to engage with all sectors of society on an equal playing field of information and ideas. For this reason, traditional advocates for good governance have placed a high priority on the ability of a government to offer itself for public scrutiny and reduce information asymmetry. FOI allows a government to improve its access to policy ideas and enhance public trust. In the short term, a monopoly on information is detrimental to the national interest and contradicts the government’s belief that knowledge is critical to Singapore’s survival. In the longer term, it erodes trust in the government. Yet the government’s persistence in painting FOI into the corner of ‘bad policy ideas’ does little to encourage citizens to play a more active civic role. It also fails to encourage a more nuanced view of FOI – that no single legislation is perfect, and people are at liberty to learn and adapt from different societies to create their own. Howard Lee is a lecturer in communication at Murdoch University. He served more than a decade as a public communication professional with the Singapore and British Government and was a former editor of an online news site in Singapore. His research areas include media governance, governmentality, social surveillance, media freedom and public communication. Dr Lee has declared no conflict of interest and has not received any funding in any form for the production of this article. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 3, 2022

Singapore's race to self-sufficiency in Malaysia water stoush - 360 TamilSalvi Mari Published on March 25, 2024 Building tensions between Singapore and Malaysia over its water agreement are setting the two on a collision course over scarcity and sustainability. Malaysia and Singapore have been locked in a culinary showdown over nasi lemak, each claiming their version reigns supreme. But beneath this entertaining gastronomic rivalry a bigger battle rumbles away: one over water. Singapore’s water scarcity issues force it to rely on imported water for a large part of its day-to-day supply. Singapore’s water agreements with Malaysia date back to 1927 and have been vital but contentious. Under the agreement, active until 2061, Singapore pays Malaysia for the right to draw over 960 million litres of water per day from the Johor River. But since the early 2000s, Malaysia and Singapore have been at odds over the fairness of the agreement. Malaysia is pushing to renegotiate to strike what it feels is a fairer value for the water it sells while Singapore has stood firm by the terms of the existing agreement. Malaysia believes the agreement effectively prioritises Singapore’s water security over its own. The latest flare up came in November 2023 when Malaysia pushed for a review of the agreement due to “certain issues”. As the standoff continues, both nations are exploring alternatives to reduce reliance on imported water. Singapore’s water strategy includes a water recycling initiative called NEWater and desalination. Both initiatives buoy the government’s hope for water self-sufficiency. It says NEWater can meet around 30 percent of Singapore water needs now and could fulfil up to 55 percent by 2050, while desalination could meet 85 percent of its needs in future. Some academics suggest there is a “good chance” Singapore will achieve water self-sufficiency by 2061, when the current agreement with Malaysia is set to expire. Doing so would mark a major milestone in water management and security. However, neither initiative is without its environmental concerns. Singapore boasts five desalination plants. The central concern stems from the energy-intensive method used in Singapore’s desalination process, reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis forces seawater through semi-permeable membranes under high pressure, leading to greenhouse gas emissions. Solar-powered desalination plants could ease some of the issues, but it is not a silver bullet. Desalination plants require a steady intake and discharge of seawater, which can be disruptive for marine life, shifting their habitats and introducing concentrated brine back into the ocean. Brine may contain hazardous pretreatment chemicals, organic compounds and heavy metals, and can lead to ocean acidification and coastal pollution. There are ways to curb these effects. Alternative disposal methods such as zero liquid discharge approach, developing technologies and cracking down on environmental regulations, can all help desalination plants run smoothly. But as Singapore pushes towards a secure water future, it too has to discern where sustainability fits within that puzzle. For now, it continues using the agreed upon allocation of Malaysian water as it’s still the economical option compared to desalination or recycling processes. The Malaysia-Singapore water agreement has big implications for Malaysian sovereignty, particularly the southern state of Johor. The agreement restricts Malaysia’s control over its own water supply, granting Singapore a stipulated amount of water at a fixed price. It undermines Malaysia’s freedom to make water management decisions around its resources. The pricing mechanism in the agreement has been contentious, with Singapore purchasing water at a much lower rate than the market price. Critics argue that Malaysia should receive a fairer share of the economic benefits derived from water sales to Singapore. The terms of the deal means Johor misses out on revenue from its undervalued water resources, limiting its scope to develop. Malaysia’s lapse into economic dependency on Singapore for water exports further complicates questions around its sovereignty. It has come to rely on a neighbouring country to buy its vital resource to maintain its economic growth and development. There are many points of concern for Malaysia. The agreement has a clearly defined endpoint with no provisions mandating renegotiation or revision after the fact. Singapore is developing self-sufficiency, which means it could exit the agreement and leave Malaysia with a gaping hole in its revenue stream. On the other hand, its inability to exert control over its own water resources before 2061 raises challenges in its own right. Malaysia is experiencing more disruptions to its potable water quality, causing water scarcity in parts of its growing population. Escalating demand for water and population growth, coupled with floods, droughts and pollution, has led to a decline in water catchment areas, especially in Johor. The raw water capacity of the basin has started to diminish, highlighting the growing strain on the region’s water resources. There are decades to go before Malaysia and Singapore have to definitively resolve their differences of the water agreements, but shifts in climate and water scarcity may force them to the table sooner. How that pans out may depend on how fast Singapore develops alternative water sources. While the tenuous relationship between Malaysia and Singapore holds firm, all it takes is one leak for the geopolitical dam to break. Associate Professor Ts. Dr. TamilSalvi Mari is a program director for the Master of Science in Virtual Design and Construction at Taylor’s University, Malaysia. Salvi’s research is centred on sustainability and the built environment, with a particular focus on environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, decarbonisation, digitisation, and creating humane living spaces. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Water conflict” sent at: 21/03/2024 06:00. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 25, 2024

Single dads can have children via surrogacy too - 360 Henrique Pereira Published on July 19, 2023 Surrogate children to single men face no more chance of emotional trauma than any other children. Single men can choose to be biological parents through surrogacy — through egg donation and embryo implantation — and forge a biological bond with their child without having a partner. Apart from various government laws surrounding surrogacy, they face a range of challenges including higher costs and availability of embryos. And despite the social evolution of recent decades, there are still many negative attitudes toward surrogacy in most societies, especially in more conservative and religious areas. However, systematic research indicates children of single fathers created by surrogacy function well and variations in children’s psychological adjustment are more linked to family processes than family structure. This means there is no reason to believe that children raised by single fathers through surrogacy face any increased emotional risk. They may actually experience emotional advantages due to their family formation. In fact, surrogacy carries no more  risks or harms to family functioning, parent–child relationships, psychological wellbeing, and emotional development of the child than other types of family formation. Therefore, single men should not be banned from accessing medically assisted reproduction procedures. That being said, it is vital that society promote visibility of single-father families, as microaggressions based on prejudice have been shown to have adverse impacts on single fathers and father-child relationships. Increasing visibility and combating prejudices will therefore result in more positive outcomes for single-father families created by surrogacy. It’s also important to support policies that make medically assisted reproduction accessible to single men in countries where surrogacy is legal or more common. Training health professionals to recognise personal bias against single men seeking to access medical assisted reproduction can also help remove barriers. The social scripts associated with the narratives of what it means to be a single man who wants to become a father through surrogacy requires a new understanding and conceptualisation of what family, body, and fatherhood means, creating a greater multidimensionality and openness compared with traditional categories. Medically assisted reproduction does not just involve reproductive technologies; it also includes human technologies that embody human existence and what it means to procreate. There is no single right or best path to procreation, and single men have the right to feel respected and legitimate in their decision to become parents through surrogacy. The meaning of being a single father through surrogacy is a social identity construction related to the personal contribution of a man’s parental desires, and family extension. His choice is legitimate, autonomous, and resilient in the face of dominant models of parenting and masculinity, as it is based on attachment, commitment, and interdependence with their children and not on gender, couplehood or parenthood. Creating social visibility for single fathers through surrogacy is also a form of social change that could facilitate the deconstruction of traditional views of the concept of family which has implications for social and health policies. Legitimising single men’s parenting through surrogacy is an affirmation of their freedom of choice, stepping out of their personal sphere and creating positive models that allow other single men to make informed future choices about their parenting decisions. Henrique Pereira is a clinical psychologist, a specialist in clinical and health psychology and sexology, and an associate professor of clinical psychology and sexuality at the Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã (Portugal), Department of Psychology and Education. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, and a Master’s degree in health psychology. He develops work and research in the fields of psychology, sexuality, health, human development and aging. He is a member of The Health Sciences Research Center (CICS-UBI), Portugal, and The Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), Portugal. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 19, 2023

Sitting the trippers - 360 Liam Engel Published on October 11, 2022 Most people who take psychedelics do so on their own or with friends, not in clinical settings. Removing stigma is the first step toward limiting the harm. International prohibition means most psychedelic drugs are legally available only in research. There are currently around 60 psychedelic clinical trials globally with an estimated fewer than 6,000 people participating in them. But outside of these trials, more than 20,000 people have admitted taking LSD in the last 12 months, according to the 2020 Global Drug Survey. The survey also found the number of people consuming most psychedelics has more than doubled since 2015. The bulk of recent psychedelic research has explored psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and drug design chemistry. Research seldom addresses the reality of people who use psychedelics outside of clinical settings. To this day, we know little about how to best provide care to the many thousands of people who use psychedelics worldwide. Psychedelics come with significant risk of harm. People under the influence of psychedelics have a diminished capability to respond, can perform inappropriate or regrettable behaviour, have challenging or negative experiences, particularly in the re-emergence of psychological trauma, as well as potentially creating new traumatic experiences. The direct health impacts of these drugs pales in comparison with the harms caused by the shame, stigma and prohibition of using illicit substances. Most harms from psychedelics and other illicit drugs around the world, such as incarceration, addiction and socioeconomic disadvantage, are caused by the prohibited nature of the drug, rather than the drug itself. Without a legal and controlled drug supply and honest and non-judgemental discussion about drug use, drug misunderstanding, contamination and substitution is common, increasing the risk of overdose. Like harm reduction for all types of drugs, psychedelic care should be grounded in “set and setting” and dosage. Consumers should be in a safe and comfortable place physically (for example, on a couch in a living room) and mentally (such as feeling optimistic and calm). Many harms can be mitigated by accurately calculating drug dosage. However, few studies can be referred to to provide guidance on this. Current psychedelic drug dosage and other harm reduction advice draws on anecdotal reports and grey literature — often grounded in grassroots knowledge. Caring for people under the influence of psychedelics is unique due to the specific and distinct effects of these drugs. Psychedelics often produce powerful and long-impacting experiences that consumers describe as mystical or spiritual. Psychedelics have also been described as non-specific amplifiers — intensifying the existing feelings of people who take them. If you’re feeling comfortable and safe, psychedelics might make you feel great, but if you’re stressed, psychedelics could make you feel even more anxious and overwhelmed. Different psychedelics have different effects, including visual effects like geometric patterns and colour accentuation. Psilocybin typically lasts four to six hours, while LSD may last up to 12. There are different risks with different psychedelic combinations. 5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic often derived from the dried venom of the Colorado River toad, when combined with ayahuasca, may lead to life-threatening serotonin syndrome, but the combination of DMT and ayahuasca is not likely to. The same drug can produce different effects depending on how it is consumed — vaporised DMT has a different duration of effect than DMT consumed orally. Care is different for different types of psychedelics and modes of consumption. Smokers of salvia extracts are more likely to require physical intervention from carers, as consumers have been known to behave in unexpected ways, such as jumping through windows or climbing on tables. Consumers of mescaline and ayahuasca are more likely to vomit or defecate. Learning about lived experiences of psychedelics can help set accurate expectations. Trip sitting is a kind of psychedelic care with the potential to reduce harm. A trip sitter is someone who watches out for a person consuming psychedelic drugs while they are experiencing the effects. A psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist may encourage a patient under the influence of psychedelics to explore their trauma, while a ‘shaman’ or guide may engage with a psychedelic consumer to direct and navigate an experience. A trip sitter is unlike both these. A trip sitter is likely chosen based on convenience and an existing personal relationship with the consumer. They are normally unpaid, casual roles filled by a trusted friend with experience consuming or caring for psychedelic consumers. Of additional value in a trip sitter is empathy and experience with the health industry, or with other drugs or other altered states of consciousness. Some psychedelic experiences last for over 12 hours, so trip sitters also need to be patient. A trip sitter aims to be non-intrusive, present in the background of a psychedelic experience, without necessarily interacting with the consumer. Some trip sitters may even do so remotely — via webcam or phone. A non-intrusive trip sitter can be called on to provide support with everyday tasks that may be difficult while under the influence, without intervening unnecessarily. For example, to order food, give water or advice on how to respond to an unanticipated event, or respond to hazards or emergencies that arise like calling an ambulance or administering first aid. While designing and offering a professional trip sitting service could potentially advance the care provided, such a service would likely be associated with significant financial and legal barriers. Some trip sitting services already offer drop-in trip sitting services at festivals. A consumer and trip sitter should trust one another and discuss expectations and boundaries before the experience. A strategy for responding to consumer distress, should it occur, should be agreed upon — a hug from a carer is an acceptable response for some but may be considered a boundary violation for others. Reducing harm for those who consume psychedelics requires a better understanding of psychedelic care. This includes avoiding stigma and supporting people under the influence of psychedelics by anticipating unique drug effects and providing appropriate trip sitting. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, visit Find a helpline for free, confidential support from a real person over phone, text or online chat in your country. Dr Liam Engel is an ethnobotanist and drug communication scientist working alongside Edith Cowan University’s School of Medical and Health Sciences, Entheogenesis Australis and AOD Media Watch. He declares no conflict of interest. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 11, 2022

Six charts to explain rights of nature - 360 Michael Joiner, James Goldie Published on January 6, 2023 Maps and charts showing the progress of laws to protect rights of nature show that countries are taking different approaches to saving ecosystems. As courts and legislators around the world race to protect ecosystems, researchers are striving to put those efforts into context. What can countries learn from each other, and how are they solving unique legal and political obstacles? A team of global researchers have painted this picture, building a map of the various ‘rights of nature’ laws across the globe. The global picture shows accelerating efforts to establish rights for natural systems, with nearly 60 different laws in the works in 2020 alone. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_0"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_0"} Local regulations have grown particularly quickly over the last 50 years, accounting for more than one third of all the legal protections tracked. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_1"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_1"} But looking at different regions up close highlights some of the unique approaches countries are taking. Several European countries are debating whether to embed rights for nature into their constitutions, giving them a permanent legal status. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_2"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_2"} Ecuador is already there: its constitution already gives mention to the rights of nature, and its courts have referred to those rights in order to make dozens of decisions. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_3"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_3"} The United States is a complicated picture internally, and the protections that natural systems enjoy largely depend on which state they land in. Some north-eastern states, such as New Hampshire and Pensylvania, have implemented many local regulations in lieu of larger protections. About half of US states have no protections at all beyond what might be available federally. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_4"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_4"} Despite this, efforts are slowly accelerating, with more laws introduced or debated each year now than 15 years ago. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_5"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_5"} Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Rights of nature” sent at: 03/01/2023 12:33. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on January 6, 2023

Six myths about the economy - 360 Paul C. Sutton Published on June 7, 2023 The failures of free market fundamentalism and neoliberalism are based on a series of flawed economic assumptions. There is another way. Free market fundamentalism is failing us ecologically, economically, socially, and politically. Free markets do not clean up oil spills, address climate change, or create public goods like libraries, lighthouses, and weather satellites. Rather this is recognised as the remit of government. But, countries around the world are experiencing dangerous levels of government failure in these areas due to the conflation of an economic system — capitalism — with a system of governance — democracy — that is unworkable. Neoliberalism is the cause of this tragedy. The academic discipline of economics that is used to promote neoliberalism, embraces a flawed world view loaded with false assumptions and is built on theories that fail to be corroborated by real world empirical evidence. The guiding principle with respect to the economy should be one of creating a wellbeing economy in service to life rather than increasing GDP. A wellbeing economy recognizes that the economy is embedded in society and the rest of nature, and that true freedom and success depend on creating a world where we all prosper and flourish. Here are six examples where mainstream economic theory gets it wrong. Known as the Jevons paradox after economist William Stanley Jevons, who observed in 1865 that increasing efficiency in coal use did not correspond to a diminished consumption of coal. Instead, the opposite was true. Today, this is also referred to as the rebound effect. A more modern example is global carbon dioxide emissions. Despite the carbon dioxide emitted per unit of energy use decreasing from 1960 to 2013, total emissions of carbon dioxide and emissions per capita have increased over the same period. By ignoring physical limits and planetary boundaries, mainstream economists have convinced politicians and the public that perpetual economic growth is a desirable goal, despite abundant evidence to the contrary. The Club of Rome’s report The Limits to Growth found that continued growth in the global economy would lead to planetary boundaries being exceeded during the 21st century, which would result in a collapse of both the human population and the economic system. Other scientists using alternative perspectives have come to virtually identical conclusions with respect to the viability of perpetual economic growth. Economist Richard Easterlin is the namesake of the Easterlin paradox which suggests that above a certain level of income basic needs are fulfilled, and wellbeing is not improved at the same rate with higher levels of income. This relationship has been explored within and across multiple countries and different scenarios, and clearly shows that human wellbeing does not grow indefinitely as Gross Domestic Product per capita grows. Despite the assumption that globalisation should be favourable to poor countries, leading to world incomes converging over time, economist Robert Lucas observed that capital does not flow from rich to poor countries. Rather, despite developing economies receiving trillions of dollars in investment and aid, there has been a net flow of $16.3 trillion from developing to developed economies since 1980. A similar phenomenon is seen in the labour market with skilled workers moving from skill-scarce countries to skill-abundant countries. In the early 1990s, a new argument emerged that environmental degradation first rises and then falls as per capita income grows, dubbed the environmental Kuznets curve. The theory was that with rising incomes, industrial sectors become cleaner, society values environmental quality as more important, and environmental regulatory institutions become stronger. While scientific debate on the environmental Kuznets curve continues, in particular its generality has been disproved, the most straightforward critique of its existence is that environmental damage is often irreversible regardless of any supposed relationship with income. For example, if increasing air pollution increases the death toll it is questionable how this impact would be reversed once high levels of economic growth are reached. There is also evidence that in some cases environmental degradation begins to grow again beyond certain levels of income. Early economic theories assumed that income distribution would naturally converge over time. However, the empirical evidence shows that inequality is increasing within countries despite the fact that the difference between the developed and developing world is converging slowly. This has significant economic and social consequences. Researchers have demonstrated strong relationships between increasing income inequality and worsening wellbeing in a long list of social indicators including social capital, happiness, stress and anxiety, life expectancy, mental illness and obesity, infant mortality, violent crime rates, social mobility and education scores. A growing number of economists, including some Nobel Laureates, are lamenting the failed world view of economics and its negative consequences for civil society and the environment. The impact that these long-held economic assumptions have on real world policy and practice are showing glaring problems. We are facing a polycrisis of a failing economic system, a collapsing ecological system, and a rapidly evolving technological system that is outpacing social, cultural, and biological evolution. Traditional economic thinking founded in a growth imperative is impeding our ability to govern ourselves in a way that allows for the co-creation of regenerative economic systems that are just, sustainable and desirable. Addressing this polycrisis requires that governmental authority (preferably democratic governance) is re-established over a re-envisioned economic system or a more regulated capitalist system. To thrive, all institutions (including businesses) and society must pivot toward a new purpose: shared wellbeing on a healthy planet. But to achieve a wellbeing economy, a major transformation of our world view, society and economy will be needed. Paul C. Sutton is a Professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment at the University of Denver. His research interests are in the general area of sustainability science, ecological economics, and population geography. He serves as an elected official in local government and is an active member of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance. He declares no conflict of interest. This story has been republished as part of a special report on the Economic Slowdown. It was originally published on June 1, 2023. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on June 7, 2023

Six ways to rebuild confidence in science - 360 Grace Jennings-Edquist Published on April 17, 2024 Some of Australia’s top scientific thinkers share their ideas on the tactics required to defeat misinformation and conspiracy theories around science. Science has a seminal role in tackling many of the world’s key challenges.  But in an age of online misinformation, building confidence in the scientific process is crucial. As part of 360info’s special report into Trust in Science, a collaboration with CSIRO, we asked eight scientists — including some of Australia’s most eminent — how the scientific community can protect against eroding trust in science. Here’s what they said. To restore trust in science, we need great storytellers, writes Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty. Society is experiencing a polarising division around “inconvenient” forms of science including climate science. In the post-Trump era, politicians who use science as a political football have supercharged this problem: we now find ourselves in an age of “compulsive lying in politics,” says Professor Doherty. Of course, scientists can try to change minds by encouraging intellectual enquiry and a respect for evidence. But those tools alone won’t be enough for scientists to win the war against misinformation, Professor Doherty writes. For that, they must engage more broadly, he says — engaging “the heartland by, in effect, recruiting great story tellers to the cause.” It’s crucial the public understands how science differs from religion, opinion, or politics, writes CSIRO chief executive Doug Hilton. But to meet that challenge, scientists must get better at “lifting the bonnet” on science and showing the community how the engine works. That includes continuing to foster public understanding of the scientific process, as well as helping the public understand how knowledge is built systematically over time. “We need to demonstrate how conclusions are often reviewed and revised, especially as new data comes to hand and evidence builds so it’s the rigour and transparency in a process built around documenting, testing, contesting, and reviewing that underpins trust in science,” Hilton writes. Misinformation is rife on social media, including in the health and wellbeing space. But some experts have successfully fostered intimacy and trust with their audience on social media — by using humour, and debunking misinformation in a shame-free and supportive way, write Clare Southerton of La Trobe University and Marianne Clark of UNSW/Acadia University. In their article for 360info, Southerton and Clark give the example of a group of obstetrician-gynaecologists on TikTok who drew on their specialist expertise and qualifications to demonstrate their legitimacy in tandem with strategies that attempted to break down the formalities usually established in medical practice. “Rather than focusing only on removing misinformation from the platform, they used this content to create a productive dialogue with their audiences,” Southerton and Clark explain. Countering misinformation about science may also involve the education system, writes Professor Geoffrey Dobson of James Cook University. He suggests baking scepticism and other relevant skill sets into mainstream education, starting from the beginning of primary school. Education from preschool to Year 12 could include age-appropriate exercises on conspiracies commonly discussed on social media, ranging from vaccination scare tactics, to climate denialism, to flat Earth theory, to claims the moon landing was a hoax, suggests Professor Dobson. With greater public knowledge about Artificial Intelligence (AI) will come greater public scrutiny of how these technologies are being used by scientists. While modern AI systems are impressively powerful, they also have drawbacks: Generative AI systems are susceptible to ‘hallucinations’ where they make up facts, for example, and they can be biased. That doesn’t mean general AI isn’t useful for scientists, but it needs to be used with care, say Dr Jon Whittle and Dr Stefan Harrer, from CSIRO’s Data61, Australia’s national centre for R&D in data science and digital technologies. Only if researchers responsibly design, build, and use the next generation of AI tools in support of the scientific method will the public’s trust in both AI and science be gained and maintained, they write. Finally, principles of graphic design can be harnessed to help build trust in scientific communication. Lessons from the world of graphic design give some clues as to how the field of science can build trust: By shifting the focus from individual scientists to the recognisable institutions behind them, for example, writes Dr Rebecca Green of UNSW.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on April 17, 2024

Sleep isn't just a health issue, it's a cultural one too - 360 Yaqoot Fatima, Roslyn Von Senden, Daniel Sullivan Published on February 12, 2024 Getting a decent night’s sleep is crucial to improving physical, mental and spiritual health for Indigenous peoples. Dreams play a significant role in the lives of Indigenous people in Australia. Many believe dreams are a vehicle to connect with their ancestors, enable them to get guidance and ideas for expressing their creative abilities through singing, dancing, and artwork and maintain a connection to the spiritual realm. Because of this, and the fact that it’s a biological necessity for maintaining good physical and mental health, getting a decent night’s sleep is crucial to improving health in Indigenous communities. However, the lack of sleep health resources and services that respond to cultural needs and align with Indigenous worldviews often results in undiagnosed or unmanaged sleep issues in Indigenous peoples. As Roslyn Von Senden, a Kalkadoon woman from Mount Isa who is involved in a programme to improve sleep health in communities, said: “Sleep loss deprives us of opportunities to connect with our culture, our ancestors and who we are as traditional custodians of the world’s oldest surviving culture. That leads to poor emotional and mental health, affects our wellbeing and results in chronic conditions.” First Nations sleep research is a burgeoning field, with the evidence to date consistently suggesting high rates of poor sleep in Indigenous people across the world. Poor understanding of the impact of sleep loss, limited availability of specialist sleep services and trained staff, inadequate sleep environments, and other social determinants of health significantly contribute to poor sleep in Indigenous communities. Globally, three in five of adults struggle with poor sleep, significantly impacting their health and wellbeing. Though strategies for prioritising sleep health should target everyone, investing in the sleep health of Indigenous peoples who experience a disproportionately high rate of poor health is critical for achieving health equity. There is growing advocacy to improve sleep health awareness and service delivery in Indigenous communities. Let’s Yarn About Sleep is Australia’s first sleep programme that addresses the current challenges in sleep health promotion and service delivery in Australian Indigenous communities. The programme was designed in consultation with community members, service providers and health professionals. These consultations highlighted that in addition to the physical and mental health impact, for Indigenous peoples, sleep also impacts their spiritual health. Guided by these rich conversations, the programme integrated scientific evidence on sleep health with Indigenous cultural and traditional knowledge to address behavioural sleep issues in teenagers, including delayed bedtime, excessive use of devices and inconsistent sleep and wake times. The programme offers visual tools, such as totem animal artworks to explain the impact of sleep loss on different body parts and functions, a walk on Country to learn about bush food and bush medicine to improve sleep, Indigenous relaxation training and Dreamtime stories. A key priority of the programme is to strengthen local capacity for sleep health service delivery. The programme has trained Indigenous sleep coaches to help community members get a good night’s sleep. The sleep coaches work with participants to understand contextual, behavioural and health-related factors affecting their ability to get a good night’s sleep. Based on this information, the sleep coach helps the participant identify sleep health goals they’d like to achieve from the programme and supports the participant in achieving them. While the programme primarily focuses on introducing sleep health, a key component of the programme is strengthening cultural connections. One of the programme sessions includes a walk on Country helps participants get information on bush food and bush medicine to improve their sleep health. The last session covers an Indigenous relaxation training, Sleep for Strong Souls, that helps calm the mind and relax the body for good quality sleep. The programme has received unprecedented support from community members. It has shown significant improvement in participants’ knowledge and understanding of sleep, sleep hygiene and practices and a significant reduction in bedtime usage of electronic devices. Local schools have adopted the programme as a key extracurricular activity for improving students’ sleep health. There are now plans for other sleep-related projects, such as local diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnoea, which is a highly prevalent yet significantly underdiagnosed condition in Indigenous Australians. Aboriginal health workers are being trained to become sleep technologists to offer sleep apnoea care in Indigenous communities. The team also plans to provide a programme for young children and their families to establish healthy sleep habits from an early age. Recognising the role of poor sleep in obesity, poor mental health and cardiovascular issues, sleep health needs to be a key priority for effective prevention and management of health issues in Indigenous communities. Programmes like this that privilege Indigenous voices and empower community members offer great potential for sustainable improvement in sleep and associated health outcomes for Indigenous peoples. Associate Professor Yaqoot Fatima is a social epidemiologist and sleep scientist at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, University of Queensland. Roslyn Von Senden is a Kalkadoon woman from Mount Isa, Community Engagement Manager for the Let’s Yarn About Sleep programme and trainee sleep coach at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, University of Queensland. Dr Daniel Sullivan is a psychologist and sleep scientist at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, University of Queensland. The research mentioned in this article has been supported by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 12, 2024

Small reactors don't add up as a viable energy source - 360 M. V. Ramana, Sophie Groll Published on April 15, 2024 Nuclear energy has been declining in importance as a source of power and SMRs will not reverse that. The nuclear industry has been offering so-called Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as an alternative to large reactors as a possible solution to climate change. SMRs are defined as nuclear reactors with a power output of less than 300 megawatts of electricity, compared to the typically 1000 to 1,500 megawatts power capacity of larger reactors. Proponents assert that SMRs would cost less to build and thus be more affordable. However, when evaluated on the basis of cost per unit of power capacity, SMRs will actually be more expensive than large reactors. This ‘diseconomy of scale’ was demonstrated by the now-terminated proposal to build six NuScale Power SMRs (77 megawatts each) in Idaho in the United States. The final cost estimate of the project per megawatt was around 250 percent more than the initial per megawatt cost for the 2,200 megawatts Vogtle nuclear power plant being built in Georgia, US. Previous small reactors built in various parts of America also shut down because they were uneconomical. The high cost of constructing SMRs on a per megawatt basis translates into high electricity production costs. According to the 2023 GenCost report from the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Australian Energy Market Operator, the estimated cost of generating each megawatt-hour of electricity from an SMR is around AUD$400 to AUD$600. In comparison, the cost of each megawatt-hour of electricity from wind and solar photovoltaic plants is around AUD$100, even after accounting for the cost involved in balancing the variability of output from solar and wind plants. Building SMRs has also been subject to delays. Russia’s KLT-40 took 13 years from when construction started to when it started generating electricity, instead of the expected three years. Small reactors also raise all of the usual concerns associated with nuclear power, including the risk of severe accidents, the linkage to nuclear weapons proliferation, and the production of radioactive waste that has no demonstrated solution because of technical and social challenges. One 2022 study calculated that various radioactive waste streams from SMRs would be larger than the corresponding waste streams from existing light water reactors. The bottom line is that new reactor designs, such as SMRs, will not rescue nuclear power from its multiple problems. Any energy technology that is beset with such environmental problems and risks cannot be termed sustainable. Nuclear energy itself has been declining in importance as a source of power: the fraction of the world’s electricity supplied by nuclear reactors has declined from a maximum of 17.5 percent in 1996 down to 9.2 percent in 2022. All indications suggest that the trend will continue if not accelerate. The decline in the global share of nuclear power is driven by poor economics: generating power with nuclear reactors is costly compared to other low-carbon, renewable sources of energy and the difference between these costs is widening. Nuclear reactors built during the last decade have all demonstrated a pattern of cost and time overruns in their construction. The Vogtle nuclear power plant being built in Georgia, involving two reactors designed to generate around 1,100 megawatts of electricity each, is currently estimated to cost nearly USD$35 billion. In 2011, when the utility company building the reactor sought permission from the American Nuclear Regulatory Commission, it projected a total cost of USD$14 billion, and ‘in-service dates of 2016 and 2017’ for the two units. In France, the 1,630-megawatt European Pressurised Reactor being built in Flamanville was originally estimated to cost 3 billion euros and projected to start in 2012, but the cost has soared to an estimated 13.2 billion euros and is yet to start operating as of March 2024. These cost increases and delays confirm the historical pattern identified in a study published in 2014: of the 180 nuclear power projects around the world it studied, 175 had exceeded their initial budgets, by an average of 117 percent, and took 64 percent longer than initially projected. However, the recent projects are even more extreme in the magnitude of the disconnect between expectations and reality. These reactor projects, and the Hinkley Point C project under construction in the United Kingdom, also confirm another historical pattern: costs of nuclear power plants go up with time, not down. This is unlike other energy technologies, such as solar and wind energy, where costs have declined rapidly with experience. The climate crisis is urgent. The world has neither the financial resources nor the luxury of time to expand nuclear power. As physicist and energy analyst Amory Lovins argued: “… to protect the climate, we must save the most carbon at the least cost and in the least time.” Expanding nuclear energy only makes the climate problem worse. The money invested in nuclear energy would save far more carbon dioxide if it were instead invested in renewables. And the reduction in emissions from investing in renewables would be far quicker. M.V. Ramana is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security and Professor at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He is the author of The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India (Penguin Books, 2012) and Nuclear is not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change (forthcoming from Verso Books). Sophie Groll is a master’s student at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada studying public policy and global affairs. Her focus is on environmental policy, low-carbon energy sources, and net-zero transition discourses. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Nuclear future” sent at: 11/04/2024 08:44. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on April 15, 2024

Small satellites take to the skies - 360 Igor Levchenko, Kateryna Bazaka Published on February 3, 2022 Processions of small satellites obscuring the sky have provoked the ire of astronomers, but their potential for humanity is enormous. By Igor Lenchenko, Nanyang Technological University, and Kateryna Bazaka, Australian National University When it comes to rockets, Starship, one of the most ambitious SpaceX projects to date, certainly packs a punch. With more than 100 tonnes of payload and scheduled for orbital testing as soon as 2022, this gigantic, fully reusable system is designed to one day help humans colonise Mars. Much closer to home, it may help SpaceX rapidly assemble constellations of small commercial satellites. SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are already providing high-speed internet to remote locations. Starship will deliver satellites to orbit at a substantially lower cost. Capable of carrying about 400 Starlink satellites at once, it will cost an estimated US$2-10 million per launch. To compare, a partially reusable Falcon 9 rocket launches about 50 Starlink satellites at a cost of about US$50 million. Even with the possibility of setbacks, it’s very likely that Starship or a similar system will soon be delivering large numbers of satellites to orbit. What would this mean for us on Earth? For consumers, this is likely to mean greater access to satellite-based services, with improved quality and lower cost. Starlink’s internet coverage will improve and other smaller but still-large constellations such as OneWeb will offer broadband internet, geodesy, navigation, communication, and weather monitoring and forecasting. Indeed, a distributed network of small satellites offers greater physical coverage, improved robustness of the network, and much better speeds of data transmission. It is also possible to collect a lot more high-quality data. And SpaceX and OneWeb are not the only industry players looking to the skies. In addition to big-tech players, small companies, universities and public organisations will be able to afford to pay to launch their own satellites. With SpaceX planning to have a large fleet of Starships, it is likely that Starship and its relatives will be available to others in the same way that the SmallSat Rideshare Program uses Falcon 9. Various industries will look to transfer their technologies to orbit to exploit the advantages of zero gravity, from 3D-printing biological tissues and organs to growing protein crystals for pharmaceuticals. Affordable scientific experiments available to research institutions, large and small, will lead to new discoveries and technological advances. For those developing and operating satellites, the fact that the low Earth orbit is becoming an increasingly crowded place brings new challenges in collision avoidance and traffic control. Right now, there are about 7,000 satellites – some of which are operational and some are dead – orbiting the Earth. The development of Starship has allowed SpaceX alone to revise its initial plans from 12,000 to 42,000 satellites – from one company that’s a 600 percent increase on the combined launch of every satellite to date. The first constellation collision avoidance manoeuvre was performed in 2019, when the Aeolus satellite operated by the European Space Agency used its thrusters to avoid a collision with one of the Starlink satellites. In the near future, constellation collision avoidance manoeuvres will probably become a daily reality. In addition to global control systems capable of coordinating such a large satellite population in the future, satellite propulsion systems are critical to ensure manoeuvring and, importantly, de-orbiting at the end of their service life to prevent them from becoming space junk. Drastic miniaturisation of electronics has allowed developers to package functions previously available in only much larger satellites into something the size and weight of a microwave oven. Rapid prototyping and advanced manufacturing have contributed to simplification and affordability of the development and manufacturing processes, making them affordable for small teams. Miniaturisation of propulsion thrusters, however, present several challenges. Many of the small satellites use electric propulsion thrusters due to their superior efficiency. Yet, electric propulsion thrusters become less efficient when they are miniaturised. Then there are challenges with propellant gases and their complex system of tanks, valves, tubes and gauges. Xenon is very expensive and highly in-demand. Krypton is less efficient, and hence more propellant needs to be carried on board. But iodine could be a game changer for miniature satellites. As a solid fuel, it offers a combination of simplicity, much lower cost and reasonable efficiency. Solid iodine has recently been successfully tested in space. The design cleverly used the ability of iodine to transform from solid to gas at relatively low temperatures, which meant that the fuel could be stored without a tank and then made into a gas with only a small energy input. Rapid re-solidification of the gas when the heating was turned off allowed the designers to do away with inlet valves, further simplifying the system. Yet, this and similar systems will need to undergo further development before it can fully meet the needs of the satellites in commercial constellations. Despite the exciting potential of thousands of miniature satellites circling the world, providing services to humanity, and skilfully jetting away from collision, not everyone is looking forward to this future. An overabundance of shiny satellites in the lower orbit can quite literally obstruct the view for star-gazers, both professional and amateur. Astronomers first raised these concerns soon after the launch of the first Starlink satellites. To minimise disruptions, SpaceX designed a DarkSat, a Starlink satellite designed to significantly reduce brightness. However, the design did not solve the problem and a new, more advanced design named VisorSat – a satellite with  deployable visor, was proposed. Another concern is radioastronomy. Decreasing the adverse effect of mega-constellations on radio telescopes is a much more complex problem to solve, if solvable at all. It remains to be seen what impact 42,000 satellites, even darkened, will have on our ability to continue making discoveries about distant galaxies and the big bang. It may well be the case that the very satellites interfering with our ability to study the universe from the Earth will be the ones to deliver the next set of advances in astronomy. In astrophysics, for example, interacting satellites can operate like multiple eyes separated by thousands of kilometres, observing the Earth and remote planets from different angles, and gaining information that cannot be collected by a single satellite. We have the technology and will to expand our physical world to the Earth’s orbits. Despite the bumps and challenges along the way, exploration and exploitation of the near-Earth space will be the next phase in humanity’s expansion of our world. Igor Levchenko is is a research scientist with the Plasma Sources and Applications Center, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Kateryna Bazaka is professor and the lead for Aerospace Systems Engineering and an ARC Future Fellow at the School of Engineering, the Australian National University. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 3, 2022

Smarter than your average Olympian - 360 Published on February 9, 2022 Sporting organisations, like nations, are acutely aware of the opportunities AI offers to improve efficiencies and performance. By Hans Westerbeek, Victoria University They may not be prominent on the slopes, but intelligent machines are busy at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Various AI-driven technologies have been deployed to run the games. Robots will prepare and serve food in a COVID-19 safe way, they will deliver packages and clean venues. The ‘My  2022’ app will be used by all 35,000 athletes, journalists and support staff, with a focus on health monitoring, and with transport, navigation and language translation applications as well. Smart beds will monitor the body signature of athletes in regard to their heart rate and breathing patterns. It’s not the Artificial Intelligence most of us think of when we hear the term. The kind where sentient machines perform at near, or even beyond human creative and complex performance. This would be ‘strong’ AI, whereas the most common current-day AI can be described as ‘weak’. Weak AI is already all around us. Google Maps guiding your car onto the fastest route towards your destination, or your Apple watch reminding you it’s time to take a break from your desk. AI in that regard is ‘intelligence’ that mirrors human decision-making, using algorithms that turn various data inputs into information. This intelligence allows machines/technology to sense, act, and even learn. And sporting organisations are acutely aware of the opportunities AI offers to improve efficiencies and performance – on and off the playing field. The benefits of leveraging the power of AI can take different forms. They range from optimising business or technical decision-making, to enhancing athlete or team performance, to increasing demand for attendance at sporting events. Applications of AI can be seen in sports analytics such as the hawk-eye ball tracking system used in tennis, talent identification such as the ‘talentenmonitor’ program of the Dutch Royal Football Association, training and coaching for high performance such as injury forecasting, but also in fan and business focused applications where for example, the relationship between the star status of tennis players can be linked to the demand for tickets. One of the more controversial uses of AI at the Beijing Olympics is the widely reported monitoring by the Chinese government of those who criticise the regime. This is not limited to Chinese athletes. The My 2022 app itself monitors a list of politically sensitive words. This information gathering could be the tip of the iceberg. Unsurprisingly, athletes are bringing burner phones to the Olympics, to avoid being tracked and traced. The Beijing Winter Olympics are a real-time experiment in how ‘the world’s first digital authoritarian nation’ will capture and (ab)use data at a truly global sporting event. And it’s being done in full view of the international public. As the influence and impact of AI on our lives continues to accelerate and grow, we will realise many benefits and efficiencies. At the same time, we just have to hope that in regard to access to information and freedom of expression, machines will ultimately be smarter than humans, and understand that offering genuine equality and inclusion in the digital space will be the biggest win-win of them all. Hans Westerbeek is Professor of International Sport Business at Victoria University. He declared no conflicts of interest in relation to this article. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: By Hans Westerbeek, Victoria University

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 9, 2022

Smog clouds the sustainability of Asian cities - 360 Published on January 10, 2024 Asian cities are increasingly falling victim to unhealthy air quality levels and this does not bode well for long-term sustainability. In the second half of the year, farmers in many Asian countries burn their crops to make way for a new planting season. This burning creates plumes of smoke over the land and eventually smog over cities and towns. Farmers believe (falsely) that agriculture burning is needed to clear land and fertilise soil but the burning creates vast quantities of ‘black carbon’ which threatens both humans and the environment. It can disrupt rainfall besides speeding up the melting of glaciers which in turn floods key rivers. Burned lands actually have lower fertility and higher erosion rates, requiring farmers to overcompensate with more fertiliser and expensive irrigation systems. New Delhi and Lahore grapple with an annual smog about now (Dec-Jan), a manifestation of their chronic pollution crisis. The cities’ atmosphere becomes cloaked in a dense blanket of toxic particulate matter. The culprit is a concoction of agricultural residue burning, traffic exhaust, industrial fumes and atmospheric conditions that trap pollutants close to the ground. In Southeast Asia, the annual haze is a well-known transboundary phenomenon; the severity of it in some years sends shock waves through the region and disrupts schools, businesses, flights and all outdoor activities. Apart from the haze, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos and China all do battle with their own versions of smog made worse by the El Niño phenomenon. Malaysia and Indonesia, meanwhile, also battle rising vehicle emissions rates which blanket urban areas. For many Asian cities, visibility dwindles, while the air quality index plummets to hazardous levels, posing severe health risks for their inhabitants, and perpetuating a cycle of environmental distress and public health concern. Efforts to combat this perennial crisis grapple with a complex interplay of policy, societal change, and technological advancements in seeking elusive solutions to tame this annual choking phenomenon. 360info looks at the causes behind this region-wide air pollution and what solutions science can offer both policymakers and communities. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Asia’s dirty air” sent at: 08/01/2024 07:41. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on January 10, 2024

Social media binge taking mental toll on students - 360 Chung-Ying Lin Published on October 9, 2023 Excessive social media use among university students has been linked to a decline in their mental health. High numbers of university students are paying a mental health price for bingeing on social media and research shows problems range from depression and low self-esteem to even a phobia of being away from their smartphones. Not all the effects of social media are bad, but studies show the need to help people at risk of social media addiction. An online survey of 622 university students from China, Taiwan and Malaysia found those who used their smartphone and social media excessively were also more likely to experience mental health conditions. In particular, students experienced greater levels of nomophobia — fear of not having an operating smartphone at hand — and weight-related self-stigma — where someone devalues themselves because of weight concerns, usually that they are overweight. Symptoms of weight-related self-stigma include low self-esteem, low confidence and negative emotions. Another study of 380 students from Malaysian universities found that high levels of social media use were associated with students experiencing greater levels of depression, anxiety and stress. In the first study, participants on average used social media for 4.8 hours a day and more than 40 percent were identified as at risk of having a social media addiction. In the second study, participants averaged 4.5 hours a day on social media and more than one-third were defined as at-risk of having a social media addiction. Youth and young adults are particularly susceptible to the impacts of social media because they are the biggest users of social media. This isn’t always a bad thing. The benefits of social media use have been widely studied. Specifically, social media can help people express love and compassion. People use social media to increase their social networks, overcome loneliness and foster a feeling of belonging. It can also compensate people who crave or need company but can’t physically interact with their close friends or family members. In those areas, social media use can be seen to have mental health benefits. However, when social media use becomes excessive, research shows problems can emerge and potentially lead to negative mental health outcomes for adolescents. Excessive use of social media is when an individual cannot control his or her craving to use social media. They will spend substantial time using social media, which can cause difficulties for them in other areas of their life. For example, they might not be able to engage in productive work to earn a living. Excessive use of social media can be measured using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, a six-item self-report scale that is a brief and effective psychometric instrument for assessing at-risk social media addiction on the Internet. A score of 24 or above on the scale suggests a person has a social media addiction. The bottom line from all this research is that people should promote the healthy use of social media so that individuals can learn how to use it properly and purposefully. Transparent information on the links between healthy and excessive social media use and mental health could be widely shared. People could self-administer the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale to work out if their level of usage is becoming or already problematic. Governments could prepare programmes for people to access in community, clinical or self-managed settings to help them manage their social media use. These could be lifestyle redesign programs that help addicted youth and adults plan daily activities in advance as a way of reducing their craving for social media. Summer, winter and holiday camps could also be held where participants learn about other activities that could replace unnecessary social media use. Workshops on coping with stress and how to implement time management in daily life could also be introduced, together with cognitive behavioural interventions that could help people identify when their craving for social media is unhealthy. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, visit https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp. Dr Chung-Ying Lin is an associate professor at the Institute of Allied Health Sciences at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan and an adjunct research fellow at the Biostatistics Consulting Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Taiwan and at INTI International University, Malaysia. His research interests include mental health, addictive behaviours, quality of life and applied psychometrics. The research was undertaken with financial assistance from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, the Higher Education Sprout Project, Ministry of Education to the Headquarters of University Advancement at National Cheng Kung University, and the 2021 Southeast and South Asia and Taiwan Universities Joint Research Scheme. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Young minds on screens” sent at: 05/10/2023 06:00. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 9, 2023

Social media brings young Indonesians in from political fringe - 360 Rachmah Ida Published on September 15, 2023 Social media has become a powerful tool for younger Indonesian voters to engage with a political system that otherwise leaves them at the margins. When Hillary Brigitta Lasut was elected to Indonesia’s House of Representatives in 2019, she credited social media for her success. With 77,000 followers of her official Instagram campaign account and 248,000 followers of her personal account, she received more than 70,000 votes to be elected to represent North Sulawesi. As a general election approaches in 2024, social media in Indonesia has become an essential way for political parties and politicians to engage with their constituents, increase their popularity — and win votes. A big part of this effort centres on the youth vote. About 53 percent of Indonesia’s 270 million people fall within the age groups of Generation Z and the Millennials — groups overwhelmingly aged under 40. With most of this demographic of voting age, there will be fierce competition for young voters ahead of the 2024 general election. According to the 2020 census, Gen Z, or those born between 1997 and 2012, make up about 26.5 percent of the population, and Millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996, just under 26 percent. Young people are also the most active users of social media, which has become an alternative outlet for political participation. That can be through comments, likes or criticism directed at public figures, political elites or influential people, and it has helped younger voices on public affairs and political issues become a bigger part of the debates. Yet young people remain marginalised in the national political arena in terms of their representation in policymaking. President Joko Widodo tried to include youth representation by selecting seven high-profile millennials as special staff to participate in regular meetings. But their thoughts or recommendations have not been heard since. Based on a 2020 survey on social media and political engagement among youth, social media has enabled them to follow and participate in political news. Out of 233 samples, 58.3 percent of respondents have engaged in online political discussions. Youth respondents were more likely to believe that they could contribute to the political shift of their country. Almost two-thirds — 63 percent — of respondents believed that young people could change the political scenario. The survey also shows that young people are critical and use their knowledge and intellect to choose candidates. They do not want to give away their vote for nothing: a candidate’s track record and vision for change is important. A JakPat survey in 2022 found that YouTube was the most frequented platform, used by 82 percent of respondents, followed by Facebook and Instagram at 77 percent, with 56 percent of users 15–29 years old. Among the age group 15–24, TikTok was the most used platform (43 percent), followed by Twitter (30 percent). Social media might also be driving more young people to vote. According to one survey, Millennials made up 35 to 40 percent of voters in the 2019 election, or about 80 million out of 185 million voters nationwide. There are various political activities where youth activists shape their political views through social media: 68 percent of youth respondents said they like to participate in online forums, because it is easy to contribute to the discussions of political affairs. Interest in politics is also important for tracking political activism among youth, who are often accused of political apathy. An overwhelming 84.5 percent of poll respondents were “highly interested” in politics and participating in online debates, with only 15.5 percent “fairly interested”. Respondents were also more interested in following national news (47.7 percent) than international news (29.5 percent) or local and regional news (23.3 percent). With young people in Indonesia frequently engaged in online politics, their participation in the 2024 election could see them become active political content producers. Social media and peers are two significant sources for political preference for the students. In contrast to older generations, who often followed their parents’ political preferences when voting, younger generations rely on social media and the influence of peers to make up their minds. Rachmah Ida is a professor in the Department of Media and Communication, Airlangga University, Indonesia. Her main research areas are media, culture and society. This article has been updated for a special report on the 2024 Indonesian elections. It originally appeared on September 13, 2023. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on September 15, 2023

Social responsibility a safety net when banks hit crises - 360 Erwei (David) Xiang Published on July 3, 2023 Recent bank failures have shown some vulnerabilities in the system. Could socially responsible banking be a way to better secure it? When banks hit a crisis, their safety net is the trust of their community. But trust is earned, not given, and those who lived through the 2008 financial crisis especially may need convincing that banks are worthy of their confidence. Socially responsible banking is an ethos banks can adopt to generate trust and steel themselves for uncertainty. A term without a universally accepted definition, socially responsible banking tends to explore ethical and more progressive ideas about the impact of commerce on society. Recent banking turmoil, such as the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank (the largest US bank failure since the 2008 crisis), Silvergate Bank and Signature Bank, as well as the takeover of Credit Suisse and acquisition of First Republic Bank has reinvigorated questions over the place of socially responsible banking moving forward. Socially responsible banking has gained popularity in the last decade. One example of socially responsible banking is the ideology and practice of ethical investing in the field of Islamic finance, where the Muslim faith deems that profit should be earned from ethical efforts instead of riba (or interest). Many organisations, including the US Sustainable Investment Forum and the Eurosif, have promoted sustainable and responsible investments. Socially responsible banking is part of a family of similar terms, such as sustainable banking, corporate social responsibility in the banking sector, ethical banking and green banking. In the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, it was widely accepted that banks were responsible for much of the devastation the crisis brought, due to systemic issues like excessive risk-taking, irresponsible lending and flaws in the design of internal compensation and control systems. Banks, realising their weaknesses, actively committed to investing in more social responsibility after the crisis. For example, some large banks increasingly integrated social responsibility into their business strategies or devoted resources to building a reputation for social responsibility. In the meantime, regulators looked at what could change in the banking sector to curb irresponsible behaviour. The US underwent major reforms and the European Union issued a directive to strengthen the resilience of its banking sector. The EU changes were sweeping, touching capital requirements, leverage ratios, buffers, supervision, corporate governance, remuneration, sanctions and counterparty credit risk for derivatives among others. A follow-up directive increased non-financial disclosure requirements for companies to include environmental, social and employee matters, as well as respect for human rights, anti-corruption and bribery matters and diversity on company boards. Greater board diversity is one of the proposed monitoring mechanisms banks can adopt to improve risk oversight and be more responsible. A 2022 study found banks with more women on the board of directors fared better at supporting their customers, communities and the economy during the COVID pandemic. Corporate social responsibility performance — particularly for investments in social capital or the value created by the quality and quantity of social interactions — is considered another effective way. A 2023 study showed that, in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, investors were more tolerant and lenient towards banks that had a stronger corporate social responsibility performance (demonstrated in the reduced likelihood of having banking stocks extremely devalued). Socially responsible banks with higher social capital were seen to experience lower risks during the COVID pandemic, because banks’ investments in social capital helped build trust between banks and investors. A hike in interest rates has been widely considered the trigger for the recent turmoil in banking, but underlying weaknesses in regulations and the collapsed banks have also contributed. In Credit Suisse’s case, it had been dogged by scandals such as charges of money laundering, spying allegations and high-profile departures. When the dust settled on Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, it was revealed that the failed bank had insufficient board oversight, incomplete modelling and poor liquidity risk management practices.Silicon Valley Bank lobbied US Congress for years to loosen the regulations that may have helped its collapse. While there may have been legitimate reasons behind its lobbying, banks have to balance appropriate risk-taking and responsible investment strategies. Regulatory changes under then-US President Donald Trump in 2018 have also been blamed. Trump’s changes were arguably issued to ease some of the regulatory burdens on banks, but added fuel to the financial fire. It prompted too many customers to withdraw their money from a bank at the same time, stoking fears that a bank was likely to fail — a so-called bank run. Such a bank run became the last straw. Although none of the banks that have recently failed are large, they are not necessarily naturally prone to risks or failures. In fact, there are obvious benefits with smaller banks. Customers, communities and businesses benefit from lower fees, personalised attention, a full menu of services, localised decision-making, local connections, commitment to community service and giveback programs and the higher ethical standards that often come outside of the big banking system. But promoting high ethical standards or social responsibility doesn’t magically solve all problems. Silicon Valley Bank had an A-rating for its environmental, social and governance policies thanks to increased diversity and investments in sustainability start-ups. But, at the same time, the bank apparently had no chief risk officer for eight months in 2022. Socially responsible banking is still important, especially during crises. Banks that invest in socially responsible banking build social capital and trust with people in all facets of their business — customers, communities, employees, investors and others in the market, including regulators. Banks that work towards social benefit assure the market and the public of their quality and strength. In the meantime, it would be helpful for regulators to promote socially responsible banking, and find a balance between regulation and deregulation in the banking industry. Dr Erwei (David) Xiang is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Accounting and Finance at Newcastle University in the UK. His research interests include capital markets research, sustainability and social responsibility accounting, financial and non-financial information disclosure, corporate finance, green finance, corporate governance, corporate innovation (including green innovation), and interdisciplinary research. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 3, 2023

Solar powers Malaysia’s renewable energy push - 360 Ungku Anisa Ungku Amirulddin Published on November 1, 2023 Malaysia has bold plans to rapidly transform its energy system to solar. So far, the signs are good. As climate change accelerates, so too Malaysia is accelerating its use of renewable energy. Since 2000 and the Five Fuel Diversification Policy, Malaysia has included biomass, biogas, municipal waste, solar and small hydropower in the energy mix. This use of renewable energy was accelerated by the 2010 National Renewable Energy Policy, which set a target of 20 percent renewable energy in the power generation mix (also known as the installed capacity mix) by 2025. By March 2023, Malaysia’s percentage of renewables was 25 percent, surpassing the 2010 target. The main reason for this success is solar energy. Malaysia has huge potential to harness energy from the sun because the country is located at the Equator and receives six hours of sunlight on average daily. A series of government initiatives, combined with the falling price of solar panels and increased awareness among Malaysians on the benefits of solar energy in reducing their electricity bills and carbon footprint, have also played a role Since 2011, energy generated by all the solar installations in Malaysia surged 1,000 times from two megawatts (MW) to approximately 2657.15MW in August this year. Several government initiatives have helped. The Feed-in Tariff (FiT) which kicked off in 2011 and allowed solar PV owners to sell the electricity they generated to the national grid at a fixed price led to a rapid increase in solar panel installations. Such was the programme’s success the government was forced to reduce the feed-in rates in 2016 due to ballooning costs. Still, the programme contributed 321.56MW of solar PV installed capacity as of August. The Net Metering (NEM) Scheme was introduced in November 2016 where users would first use the power generated for their own consumption and sell any excess power to the national grid at a displaced cost. The scheme was altered in 2019 to include an offset, whereby every 1kWh exported to the grid by the solar PV owner was offset against 1kWh of electricity an owner consumed from the grid. As of August 2023, the NEM scheme generated 843.47MW of solar PV installed capacity. It’s not only domestic consumers who have rushed to take up solar power. The Large Scale Solar programme, launched in 2017, encouraged local and international businesses to develop big solar projects which could generate and sell electricity to wholesale buyers. A total of 1492.12MW of installed capacity has been in operation from the four cycles of the LSS programme as of August 2023. A further 949.09MW of solar PV capacity has been awarded under the programme but is yet to be operational. Despite the progress, there are still challenges facing the development of solar energy in Malaysia. The upfront cost of installing a solar PV system for the average homeowner is still high. Another challenge is the readiness of the national grid to accept more solar energy. The grid may become unstable when high solar power is supplied but there is lower electricity demand from the end users. Reliable storage systems would definitely help. In August 2023, Malaysia revised its target of renewable energy installed capacity from 40 percent by 2040 to 70 percent by 2050. It aims to achieve this target predominantly by increasing the number of solar panel installations. Among the 10 flagship projects identified under this National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) is the establishment of solar parks to accelerate the deployment at the utility-scale. These solar parks, at five sites across the country, will each consist of a 100-MW LSS installation co-developed by the national energy company Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) in partnership with small and medium enterprises, cooperatives and state economic development corporations. Another project will be the development of a 2,500MW hybrid hydro-floating solar PV installation, i.e. a floating solar installation placed at TNB’s hydroelectric dams. Another initiative will look into expanding the virtual aggregation mechanism for rooftop solar programmes. This would allow an owner to sell any excess energy generated from their installation directly to other consumers. Malaysia has shown a strong commitment to promoting solar energy development since the introduction of the National Renewable Energy Policy in 2010. This commitment has proven fruitful by the significant rise in operational solar PV installations over the last 13 years. Although there are still several challenges ahead, Malaysia has set new initiatives under the NETR, which will accelerate the growth of solar energy as Malaysia’s predominant renewable energy source. The future of solar energy in Malaysia looks bright. Dr Ungku Anisa Ungku Amirulddin is an Associate Professor at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Malaysia and leads the Energy Efficiency Research Group at the Institute of Power Engineering, UNITEN. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: Ungku Anisa, UNITEN Malaysia

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 1, 2023

South Asian women pushing back against rape culture - 360 Nilanjana Paul Published on November 25, 2022 Violence against women in South Asia remains high, but women are slowly gaining wins through online activism. With its historical patriarchal values, complicated by disparities in caste, class, religion, and ethnicity, South Asia has long been an oppressive environment for women. But South Asian women have a long history of activism and the recent shift to online activism provides them with another avenue to raise their voices. Pakistan, with a population of 229 million, was recognised by researchers in 2013 as the fourth most dangerous country for women after Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen. In India, between January and May 2021, the National Commission for Women registered 2,383 complaints of domestic violence, a 21-year high. COVID-19 restricted people to their homes, further increasing violence against women from partners or family members. In Bangladesh, BRAC, a major non-government organisation, reported that between March and April 2020, there was a 70 percent increase in violence against women compared with the previous year. But the region has a long history of women asserting their rights: from the Chikpo Movement, a nonviolent movement to protect trees and forests, to West Indian rural women rioting for government support during severe droughts and famines in the early 1970s. The Self-Employed Women’s Association, founded in 1972, organised lower class women in response to the hardships faced by women in informal work. Others, like Gulabi Gang, founded in 2006 in the Indian region of Bundelkhand, fought back against domestic and alcohol abuse. Non-government organisations like Saheli in Delhi or Stree Mukti Sanghatana in Mumbai, and others like All India Democratic Women’s Association, an independent women’s organisation, have created a network of women’s organisations with the aim of removing discrimination between men and women, fighting for equal rights and a society free from exploitation. Such groups were instrumental in the nationwide protests of the rape and murder of Nirbhaya in 2012 to the Hathras rape and murder in 2020. More recently, women in India took to the streets to protest the release of the 11 convicts of the Bilkis Bano Rape Case. The contemporary feminist movement disrupted the silence surrounding the atrocities committed against women and questioned the image of women being accommodating, self-sacrificing, and devoted to serving the family. With the shift to a more digital world, social media campaigns and protests have provided agency to thousands of South Asian women. They have used digital spaces to protest, connect with each other and express their opinions on wage inequality and demanded more autonomy over their bodies. South Asian women have also used online activism to raise awareness about atrocities committed against them. Hashtags like #MeToo, #EverydaySexism, #UrgentAction4Women, #IWillGoOut, and #StopThisShame helped women to claim their agency, question the patriarchal values of society and draw attention to the pervasive sexism and harassment that women are subjected to. For example, #IWillGoOut raised awareness of women’s safety in public places and encouraged women to step out of their homes. Pakistani women experience male violence, moral policing of their bodies and suppression of sexual choices, with little support for women and other marginalised genders. The annual Aurat March (Women’s March) began in 2018 and was inspired by the #MeToo Movement. Young women took to the streets to protest sexual harassment in a society where there is very little support for women speaking up about the issue. The march faced backlash and tremendous opposition from many sections of the largely conservative society. Protesters were labelled as bahaya (immodest) and gali ki kutiya (dogs of the streets) by bystanders with local journalists questioning protesters on how they balanced their views with their religion. In Bangladesh, organisations like the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad protested the treatment of a young woman at Dhaka University who was assaulted on her way home from class. Protesters demanded CCTV be installed for increased safety. Despite limitations to the success of the #MeToo movement in Bangladesh, women took to the streets and also started the #RageAgainstRape movement. As in India and Pakistan, women in Bangladesh do not have widespread support for speaking out and the laws are not in their favour. If South Asian women speak about their harassment, they risk already limited liberties. While feminist groups continue to fight for women’s rights, a form of solidarity is needed for movements to become implemented into policy and shift societal mindsets. UN Women plays a critical role in developing and implementing policies to prevent violence against women in regions which are rife with it. UN Women focuses on “early education, respectful relationships, and working with men and boys”. But the path to gender equality in South Asia is long and arduous. It will require not-for-profit groups to work together in unity if they are to make progress in promoting women’s rights. Nilanjana Paul is an assistant professor of history at The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. She is the author of Bengal Muslims and Colonial Education, 1854-1947: A Study of Curriculum, Educational Institutions and Communal Politics, Routledge, 2022. The views expressed are that of the author and do not reflect the official views of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She declares no conflict of interest. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 25, 2022

Southeast Asia braces for more droughts and haze - 360 Ester Salimun Published on July 12, 2023 Thedry weather could result in prolonged droughts and haze affecting millions across the region as it did in 2015. Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia face heightened risks of haze, drought and water shortages with an El Niño being declared this year. The onset of dry conditions can typically last a year beginning in either July or August. The region was last hit by an El Niño in 2015/16 when several countries were blanketed by a transboundary haze resulting in cancelled flights, closed schools and a sharp increase in respiratory ailments and deaths. Water rationing was also introduced due to drought. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration agency says that an El Niño will strengthen toward the end of 2023 with a 56 percent chance of it peaking as a strong event and an 84 percent likelihood of at least a moderate event. A strong El Niño would have considerable impact on Sumatra, Java Island, Sulawesi and southern Borneo with drier conditions from September to November. Northern Borneo and the southern Philippines could experience dry spells from December to February. And if there is extensive open burning or forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, a transboundary haze may result when the southwest monsoon sweeps the particles towards Singapore and Malaysia. The 1997/98 El Niño event is an example of an El Niño-induced drought and transboundary haze disaster. It is considered the most severe Southeast Asian haze event of all time, lasting three months causing billions of dollars in losses due to disrupted air travel and business activities plus increased healthcare expenditures. Thousands died. It also caused droughts and flooding in other parts of the world with extreme rainfall in Africa and North America and one of Indonesia’s worst droughts on record. The year 1998 ultimately became one of the warmest years on record. The El Niño and La Niña weather patterns result from complex interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean with significant warming or cooling occurring in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. These interactions disturb air flows in the lower atmosphere and lead to localised air-sea interactions that impact weather across the globe. The drier-than-normal conditions are influenced by two anticyclonic systems active over the southern Indian Ocean and the north-western Pacific Ocean. These systems act as controlling mechanisms, shaping the movement and intensity of dry conditions across regions. While air-sea interactions shape local impacts of an El Niño, monsoonal winds also help, strengthening it during the summer months (June to August) and weakening it during winter (December to February). In the summer months in Southeast Asia, southerly winds prevail, blowing northward from Kalimantan and Sumatra. These winds enhance the southwesterly monsoon winds which can blow the smoke-haze from Sumatra and Kalimantan towards Singapore, Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah. During autumn (September to November), the southern part of Southeast Asia (Sumatra and Kalimantan) continues to experience reduced rainfall while conditions in Peninsular Malaysia return to normal. However, in Borneo, the area of reduced rainfall expands northwards, covering the entire island. This dry weather aids large-scale forest fire outbreaks in southern Sumatra and Kalimantan which result in the haze. Southeast Asia’s geographical location between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean exposes the region to the influence of both El Niño in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean Dipole occurrence. The dipole is a climate pattern characterised by temperature differences between the western and eastern parts of the Indian Ocean. Similar to El Niño, it affects air-sea weather patterns and ruffles the southern part of Southeast Asia. If these two climate phenomena occur together, they can bring out the worst in each other causing disaster-scale droughts and haze, especially during the summer and autumn seasons. The various phases of an El Niño phenomenon, spanning its origin to its influence on regional atmospheric and oceanic processes, is a complex interplay between anti-cyclonic circulations, monsoonal winds, sea surface temperatures and other atmospheric variables. These interactions collectively shape the drier-than-normal conditions over Southeast Asia during El Niño events. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of these dynamics is essential for accurately predicting and managing the impacts of El Niño on our climate and associated socio-economic sectors. To mitigate the effects of haze episodes, proactive measures that encompass monitoring and controlling human activities contributing to fire outbreaks are important to ensure the well-being and sustainability of affected regions. Ester Salimun (PhD) is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Her research was partly funded by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (Grant code: FRGS/1/2019/WAB05/UKM/02/3). She declares no conflict of interest. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “El Nino returns” sent at: 10/07/2023 06:00. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 12, 2023

Southeast Asia's Belt and Road paved with promises - 360 A. Irawan J. Hartono Published on July 10, 2023 China’s Belt and Road Initiative changed the face of Southeast Asia with projects connecting the region. But some countries face more risks than others. China is strengthening its economic ties with its neighbours in Southeast Asia through ASEAN, the region’s political and economic union. As China recently hased out out details of a bolstered free trade agreement with ASEAN, it is worth considering another major trade project — the Belt and Road Initiative. The trillion-dollar initiative launched in 2013, offering generous financing deals on infrastructural projects that would link China to every part of the world, except the United States. It is often seen as a rising China’s challenge to the global order. But in some cases, like Sri Lanka, debt picked up through Belt and Road has hurt more than helped. But the Belt and Road Initiative is important to ASEAN, a regional economy which has orbited around China since 2000. China’s population is about twice as large as the combined population of ASEAN nations, and its economy is also bigger. China’s southern mainland forms a land border with many ASEAN countries, shaping lots of projects in the works. In Laos, China is providing finance for a transborder railway to connect capital city Vientiane with Kunming in south-west China, while Cambodia has a highway, a communication satellite and an international airport on the way. In Timor-Leste, China has invested in a highway, a port and built a national power grid that it operates and maintains. Indonesia’s mass transit and railway has benefited from Belt and Road, while Vietnam landed a new tramline. China, the only country to consistently invest in Myanmar since 1988, has taken a special interest in the country. Along with two highways, China and Myanmar are working on a deep sea port in Kyaukpyu and launched a joint radar and satellite communication laboratory in 2018. Singapore is not just a partner in Belt and Road, but also a founding member of the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a World Bank alternative. Most ASEAN countries perceive the Belt and Road Initiative as an opportunity to build up their infrastructure and boost their domestic economy, especially ahead of an anticipated slump in global growth. The biggest beneficiaries from Belt and Road in ASEAN are moderate-sized economies, who take China’s offer to collaborate to help themselves, without falling into a debt trap where they owe more than they can pay. Unless there’s a sudden and devastating shock to China, it will continue to play an important role in distributing and aiding global growth, especially to ASEAN nations. Smaller economies should be the most wary when signing up for Belt and Road projects, as they are more vulnerable to political pressure from China (in particular, regarding disputes over the South China Sea). This is especially the case for Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Timor-Leste, who are reliant on generous lending terms from China. But so long as the ASEAN countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative can pay their debts and assess the potential benefits of the costly projects they’re committing to, the initiative can continue on as a shot in the arm for the region’s economy. Irawan Hartono is a lecturer at the Department of International Relations in Catholic University of Parahyangan, Bandung Indonesia.  His research interests are the international political economy and China’s rise. He declares no conflict of interest. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 10, 2023

Southeast Asia's three-nation partnership to fight cyber threats - 360 Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman Published on March 6, 2024 Cyber threats surges in Southeast Asia. Can Australia, Malaysia and Singapore forge a trilateral digital security shield at a key summit? From rampant job scams to sophisticated e-commerce attacks, cyber threats in Southeast Asia are skyrocketing. Singapore reportedly had more than 46,000 cybercrime cases in 2023, including job scams and e-commerce scams, the highest since 2016. Things were almost as bad in Malaysia. Cases involving social media scams reportedly increased by 37 percent from January to November 2023 compared to the year before. In Australia, phishing scams reportedly skyrocketed by more than 48 percent in the first half of 2023 compared to 2022. Australia, Malaysia and Singapore could strive to deepen partnerships in digital security as these countries face common challenges in digitalising their economies. Cybercrime syndicates operate across borders with impunity. Cyberspace enables them to evade national jurisdictions and constantly refresh their tactics. Australian, Malaysian and Singaporean police forces could work more closely on information exchange and joint operations to uncover them. These countries’ authorities could also exchange policy views on how telcos, social media platforms, and banks should be more responsible for prevention to make digital services safer from cybercrimes. Australian authorities are revamping their cybersecurity measures after several major breaches affecting critical infrastructure and businesses such as ports, healthcare and telcos. A report by cyber-intelligence company Cyfirma states that ASEAN nations’ significant cybersecurity challenges include ransomware, state-sponsored threats, disruptions to Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and tech supply chain vulnerabilities. Australia’s International Cyber and Critical Technology Engagement Strategy, launched in 2021, positions cyberspace at the centre of its foreign policy and emphasises regional cooperation with ASEAN. Its Cyber and Critical Technology Cooperation Programme supports cyber capacity building in ASEAN. Cooperative platforms that Australia could explore partnering with through ASEAN are the ASEAN Cyber Defence Network, led by Malaysia, and the ADMM Cybersecurity and Information Centre of Excellence, led by Singapore. The resilience of subsea cables is crucial as these underpin the digital economy and modern life. Yet, there are gaps in international norms and rules on their protection, and coordination among regional governments and industry stakeholders is still limited. This is an area that Australia could explore with Malaysia and Singapore. It is an opportune time for these three nations to discuss strengthening their digital security, part of Australia’s 2040 Southeast Asia Economic Strategy. Among the strategic issues include changing how infrastructure is developed and operated. For example, Malaysia is increasing the automation of its ports, growing its electric vehicle ecosystem, and courting more data centres to become another regional tech hub. These require investments in reliable 5G wireless connectivity, secure telecommunications assets, and well-maintained and secure subsea cables to function well. Australia sees opportunities to leverage its digital strengths to partner with ASEAN countries in these sectors. The strategy notes growing e-commerce between ASEAN countries and Australia. Singapore and Australia signed a digital economy agreement in 2020 to set digital trade rules, which include ensuring the interoperability of e-invoicing systems and the sufficient protection of personal data. Australia sees value in cooperating with ASEAN countries to improve their cyber security and resilience against sophisticated digital threats that exploit e-commerce. This, in turn, could help protect the Australian economy from cybercrimes and cyberattacks. Indeed, greater interest and investment in the digital economy come with the need to strengthen bilateral and regional cooperation in digital security. As two of Australia’s largest trading partners in Southeast Asia, Malaysia and Singapore could work together with Australia to demonstrate to the region how dialogue may lead to practical digital security cooperation. This could have knock-on benefits for other ASEAN countries (and Timor-Leste) in the earlier stages of digitalisation. There is an expansive spectrum of cooperative areas in digital security, but three areas — cybercrimes, security of digital systems, and subsea cables — may be the most vital for Australia, Malaysia and Singapore. The Asean-Australia Summit could offer avenues for Australia and ASEAN countries — including Malaysia and Singapore — to act on their comprehensive strategic partnership to support multilateralism in the digital economy and digital security in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific. There may be potential for ASEAN to leverage Australia’s strengths, as a Quad member country, in mapping how emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum computing could revolutionise the digital economy and security or enable different forms of cyber threats. Likewise for Australia’s plan to establish an Indo-Pacific Cable Connectivity and Resilience initiative. However, certain issues may still limit how much Australia could partner deeply with Malaysia, Singapore and other ASEAN countries on digital security. For one, a balance is necessary between Australia’s focus on human rights and democratic values in cyberspace, and ASEAN countries’ less ideologically driven approach to technology. There may also be divergent strategic interests if the China threat comes out too strong in the way Australia frames digital security cooperation while ASEAN countries like Singapore and Malaysia deepen digital trade with China. Still, these issues must be navigated to reap the benefits of the digital economy while tackling common digital security challenges amid a reshuffling of the international order. How Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore do it can be an example for the rest of the region. Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman is a research fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The author declares no conflict of interest. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 6, 2024

Space junk: what is being done? - 360 Alice Gorman Published on January 31, 2022 Thousands of pieces of ‘space junk’ float in orbit, and almost as many ideas for how to get rid of them are being floated on Earth. By Alice Gorman, Flinders University The US Vanguard 1 satellite and the rocket stage that delivered it to orbit in 1958 are pieces of cultural heritage. They date from a time when humans first attained the capability of reaching beyond our home planet to the stars. They also have the dubious honour of being the first ‘space junk’. NASA estimates there are around 27,000 human-made objects larger than 10 centimetres that can be classified as space junk – that is, they do not have a useful purpose, either now or in the foreseeable future. These include old satellites, rocket bodies, and fragments of exploded or decaying spacecraft. The smaller bits, down to dust grain-size, number in the millions. The problem is that collisions between this high-speed trash create more space junk. The worst-case scenario is known as Kessler Syndrome, an unstoppable cascade of collisions which could make parts of Earth orbit unusable. It’s an increasingly pressing situation as private corporations like SpaceX are slated to launch up to 100,000 new satellites by the end of the decade. Anti-satellite missiles, like the one tested by Russia in 2021, can add hundreds to thousands of new debris pieces in one event. One of the big problems is we don’t know enough about where, what and how much space junk there is. This means we don’t always know when a piece of space junk is about to collide with something, or how far we really are from Kessler Syndrome. This is a problem firstly, of observation and tracking, and secondly, of modelling and simulation of this highly complex data. Lots of ‘blind spots’ are yet to be covered, like the tiny fragments and dust, and the higher orbits which are difficult to see from Earth’s surface. Adding new instruments and techniques for observing space junk will address this. For example, LeoLabs built a new space radar in New Zealand in 2019, picking up some of the blind spots in the Pacific region. HEO Robotics is developing observing capabilities in Earth orbit which can monitor the condition of spacecraft. An increasingly popular approach is space traffic management. This aims to use space more efficiently and sustainably by coordinating and sharing information, such as that needed to avoid collisions, at the international and agency level. International cooperation, of course, is an essential part of the solution. The Interagency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) facilitates cooperation in space debris research, and monitors the progress of ongoing cooperative activities. The IADC recommends each mission has a debris mitigation management plan. The UN – through the Office of Outer Space Affairs and the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space – is also a key international organisation. The UN released the Guidelines for the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities in 2018. Among other things, the guidelines emphasise the role of national governments in ensuring satellite operators under their jurisdiction don’t contribute to the debris problem. The UN, NASA and European Space Agency have had guidelines on design for minimising debris for nearly thirty years. The recommendations for end-of-life planning state that no spacecraft should remain in its mission orbit for longer than 25 years. Many think even this is too long. Another end-of-life strategy is to ‘passivate’ a spacecraft. Here, all of the fuel, battery power, and high-pressure liquids are expended or exhausted, to reduce the risk of explosion. But by some estimates, up to 60 percent of all new satellites launched don’t comply with debris mitigation guidelines. It seems the incentives to preserve space for future generations aren’t yet enough to sway commercial and government operators. So what about cleaning up orbit? How can we remove the junk that is already up there? Natural decay is the do-nothing strategy. Earth’s atmosphere acts as a space junk waste management system by dragging objects into it, where friction and compression heat them to burning point. Eventually, everything below about 1,000 kilometres will get dragged back in. The problem, of course, is that we keep adding new stuff, and it could be hundreds or even thousands of years before some junk re-enters. Additionally, there’s growing evidence that this is not the ideal solution it appears. The incineration creates alumina and soot particulates that cause the Earth’s protective ozone layer to decay – a problem we thought we’d already solved. Options for active removal include nudging objects into the atmosphere, or pushing them to less congested orbits, also known as graveyard orbits, where they aren’t such a collision risk – a choice of down or up. Methods which have been proposed or are under development include nets, harpoons, lasers, tethers, sails and specialised vehicles. In 2019, Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) successfully tested a harpoon for space junk capture in orbit. The leaders in this field are Singapore-based Astroscale. In collaboration with SSTL, they launched the Elsa-d system in March 2021. Elsa-d is testing rendezvous manoeuvres needed to dock with space junk and then remove it. Another project is the Swiss ClearSpace1. Under contract to the European Space Agency, they are developing a spider-clawed spacecraft to grab and de-orbit old satellites. It’s planned for launch in 2025. Getting rid of old space junk doesn’t have to mean destruction. Recycling could give space junk a purpose – making it a resource rather than rubbish. For example, old satellites aren’t always ‘dead’. They may have power and communications and could be repurposed to do new science. The materials could be recycled into rocket fuel, technology which Neumann Space is developing in Australia, or scavenged for building materials. Old rocket bodies, one of the most dangerous classes of junk, could be turned into space habitats or laboratories. However, passivation reduces the potential for repurposing a satellite or rocket body. Refuelling on-orbit is a way to extend the usable life of a spacecraft, and a number of companies are working on this technology. Another promising direction is thinking creatively about new materials. A Japanese project has been looking at wood as housing for small, short-lived low Earth orbit satellites. Wood won’t last as long in orbit as the usual spacecraft materials, and does not create alumina or soot when it burns in the upper atmosphere. The problem with any successful technology for removing an old spacecraft from orbit is that it’s also effectively an anti-satellite weapon. This means treading very carefully indeed to avoid the situation that no-one wants – war in space. Earth orbit is a classic example of the ‘tragedy of the commons’, where maximising national, or commercial, gain ruins the resource for all users. It’s important to remember that not everyone is equally responsible for creating space junk. Most of it belongs to the US, Russia and China. But the advent of the private megaconstellations is likely to change that. One thing is clear: orbital space is never going to return to its pre-1957 pristine state. Space junk is here to stay. Alice Gorman is an associate professor at Flinders University and an internationally recognised leader in the field of space archaeology. She is author of Dr Space Junk vs the Universe: Archaeology and the Future. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: Alice Gorman on space junk

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on January 31, 2022

Affordable nutrition - 360 Published on September 27, 2022 360info is exploring the evidence on nutritious and affordable food from multiple country perspectives. For the first time since it developed its school lunches program in 1969, the US Government will this week hold a summit to deliver a new national strategy for food, hunger, nutrition, and health. The summit will on Wednesday bring together the public, private, research and NGO sectors to share ideas on how to improve food access and affordability. Participants will also discuss how to integrate nutrition and health, empower consumers to make healthy choices, support physical activity for all, and enhance nutrition and food security research. “Too many families don’t know where they’re going to get their next meal, with too many empty chairs around the kitchen table because a loved one was taken by heart disease, diabetes or other diet-related diseases which are some of the leading causes of death in our country,” US President Joe Biden said ahead of the summit. “I’m committed to taking bold steps that can end hunger and will enable everyone to have access to affordable healthy food and safe places to be physically active, but we can’t do this alone, I want your ideas.” The event comes as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated global poverty, and the war in Ukraine has eroded food security, seeing global hunger levels rise. The UN Sustainable Development Goal of achieving zero hunger by 2030 looks entirely out of reach. Despite early gains, the number of people affected by hunger globally has been on the rise since 2014. At the same time, quality evidence shows healthy food is often the more affordable choice to more highly processed alternatives in many countries, yet people continue to spend more of their food budget on the latter. Adult obesity is on the rise in all regions. Researchers the world over are exploring how to feed our growing population, but also the role of government policies including taxes, social safety nets and food advertising in delivering affordable nutrition. Some 690 million people are hungry, or 8.9 percent of the world population If recent trends continue, the UN predicts the number of people affected by hunger will surpass 840 million by 2030, or 9.8 percent of the global population. Around 42 percent — or 3.07 billion — of the global population could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, according to the World Bank. Poor diet is the leading preventable contributor to the burden of disease globally. Quote attributable to Deepak K. Ray, Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota “We seem to be on target to a situation when only around a quarter of the calories harvested globally in 2030 will be for direct food consumption. A third may feed livestock and be used in the food processing industry; 15 percent may get diverted to industrial usage; and around a fifth will be exported.” Quote attributable to Kalyani Raghunathan, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) “Among the various policy options to tackle malnutrition, those that aim to improve access to high quality diets that are safe, hygienic, diverse and fresh are arguably the most essential.” Quote attributable to Amanda Lee, Professor Public Health Policy, University of Queensland “The perception that healthy foods are more expensive than unhealthy options is due to marketing.” Quote attributable to Sarah Mounsey, Research Associate, Imperial College London “Researchers worldwide are looking into ways to group, and tax, foods based on how healthy they are, using scientifically based, non-discriminatory nutrient profiling.” Dr Kalyani Raghunathan Dr Sinead Furey Dipa Sinha Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Affordable nutrition” sent at: 26/09/2022 11:45. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on September 27, 2022

AI in medical research - 360 Reece Hooker Published on August 8, 2022 AI offers a lot for the world of medical research, but the challenges that it brings need to be considered. One week social-media users are generating and sharing amusing images using AI, the next we hear AI can predict the structure of over 200 million proteins. AI is particularly well placed to revolutionise medical research. The technology helps in two vital ways: it optimises research, and it can make discoveries that humans have not. AI is unshackled from the limitations that come with human researchers: it can trawl deep datasets exponentially faster, never needs to take a break, and never succumbs to illness or fatigue. Taiwanese computer scientist, businessman and author Kai-Fu Lee recently spoke about his optimism for the future of AI. “We’ve surprised ourselves with how well machine learning algorithms work. … It makes us focus on the things that AI cannot do, and it will probably either lead to a greater understanding of the human mystique of how we think or it will lead to more breakthroughs, leading to superintelligence … It took 40 years, but I think we’re basically there.” None of this means the rise of the machines is imminent. Despite its advances, AI is still encumbered by technical limitations. AI pioneer Yosua Bengio said in 2021 that deep learning was not “anywhere close today to the level of intelligence of a two-year-old child”. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_4"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_4"} “But maybe we have algorithms that are equivalent to lower animals, for perception. And we’re gradually climbing this ladder in terms of tools that allow an entity to explore its environment,” he said. Much more work needs to be done to perfect the technology, and there is no foreseeable date by which humans will be superfluous to the world of medical research. There is also the matter of ethics in AI, in which legislators will have to parse a minefield of questions about issues ranging from data collection to intellectual property and beyond. In the meantime, leading minds continue to use machine learning and AI to innovate and expand the horizon of what’s possible in medical research. Between 2000 and 2019, the research community became much more interested in AI: the global output of AI research grew from 52,000 journal publications and conference papers in 2000 to roughly 403,000 in 2019. AI is projected to contribute US$15.7 trillion to the 2030 global economy. Nine in 10 of the 100 healthcare executives surveyed in 2020 said their hospital had an AI and automation strategy in place. Quote attributable to Hiroaki Kitano, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology: “The goal and expectation is that in fully integrating AI into research about disease development, many unknowns will become known. What causes diseases to spread, worsen and change, and additional early signs or symptoms that research has yet to uncover, should reveal themselves with the new frontiers made possible by automated AI.” Quote attributable to Alexander Merkin, Auckland University of Technology: “The use of AI in making medical decisions is still new and many barriers need to be overcome before it is used widely in clinical practice. For it to reach its full capacity, wider research and more rigorous approaches are needed to grapple with the ethical issues it raises. This is an ideal time for medical professionals, stakeholders and governments, as well as individuals and their families, to work together and seek a balance between the benefits and risks of the new technologies.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on August 8, 2022

Bad medicine - 360 Published on July 27, 2022 Lessons from those who are succeeding at stamping out the toxic but persistent problem of substandard medicines The spike in fake vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 was a reminder of the vulnerability of our medicine supply chains. But even before the pandemic, substandard medicines – those that do not contain the right ingredients to be effective – were a problem in every region of the world. “Patients taking medication should be able to count on two things. First, the medication will contain the active ingredient in the dosage claimed on the label. Second, that the medication is free of contamination or adulteration and was stored properly before it was given to you,” says C. Michael White, distinguished professor and chair, pharmacy practice, at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy. “Unfortunately, consumers in both developed and developing countries can unknowingly access counterfeit products and have no confidence that either of these things have been done by the manufacturer or the seller.” Poor manufacturing and quality-control practices as well as inadequate storage conditions lead to substandard medicines, whereas falsified medicines are produced and labelled with the intent to defraud. Both claim to be something they are not, and both can be deadly. Some countries have succeeded in reducing the number of substandard medicines, but poor-quality manufacturing, contamination and storage issues remain, leading to a loss of confidence in medicines, healthcare providers and health systems. Earlier this year Pfizer recalled its blood-pressure medicine Accuretic because substandard batches were found containing a higher-than-acceptable amount of nitrosamine, a harmful impurity that can cause cancer if taken in high enough quantities. In 2021 the US Food & Drug Administration condemned 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from Emergent BioSolutions over a failure to “adequately train personnel involved in manufacturing operations, quality control sampling, weigh and dispense, and engineering operations to prevent cross-contamination of bulk drug substances”. There are solutions: from regulatory vigilance and innovation, to novel ways to stamp a medication as authentic, researchers offer ways to stamp out this toxic but persistent problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 1 in 10 medical products in low- and middle-income countries are substandard or falsified. Antibiotics and antimalarial medications are among the most counterfeited medications in the developing world. Their lack of active ingredients results in 144,000 global deaths annually. Substandard medicines with too little of the stated active pharmaceutical ingredient encourage the rise of antimicrobial-drug-resistant infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis. In 2018 the WHO said fewer than 30 percent of the world’s medicine regulatory authorities had the capacity to perform the functions required to ensure medicines, vaccines and other health products actually worked and did not harm patients. Quote attributable to Yasuhide Nakamura, National College of Nursing, Japan: “Tackling the proliferation of low-quality medicines is not merely a matter of enhancing pharmaceutical regulation, defining counterfeit medicines, and making technical improvements. It is also a question of international politics.” Quote attributable to C. Michael White, distinguished professor and chair, pharmacy practice, at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy: “More funding to find and remove counterfeit medications globally is needed, as are efforts from major social media and internet companies to deny illegal sellers access to consumers.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Bad medicine” sent at: 25/07/2022 14:59. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 27, 2022

Beating the heat - 360 Sara Phillips Published on March 8, 2022 Cities will be the hottest place to be as the world heats up. Beating the heat in the urban jungle doesn’t need to be high-tech. It will take some planning. Climate change is turning up the heat and the hottest places to be in the future will be cities. For many years, geographers and urban planners noticed that towns and cities were always hotter than the surrounding countryside. Our cities, made of concrete, asphalt, tiles and tin amplify the heat, warming up during the day and radiating heat all night. These materials are also ‘impervious’ surfaces that do not allow rain to soak in. Unpaved areas absorb the rain, providing a cooling effect from the moisture. Urban areas can be between 4 and 10 degrees hotter than surrounding rural areas. For most urban residents the answer is to crank up the air conditioning. But the electricity use ultimately makes climate change worse, and for the city’s poorest residents, the cost is too much to bear. While parks and gardens are the best weapon against urban heat, keeping it in check will become harder as climate change bites. Authorities will need the tools of urban planners, public health experts, architects, and clinicians to prevent loss of life as our cities become hotter and hotter. Earth’s average surface temperature has increased at a rate of 0.07°C per decade since 1880, but the rate has tripled since the 1990s. More than five million people die annually due to excessively hot or cold conditions. Around 30 percent of the world’s population is exposed to potentially lethal heat for at least 20 days a year. By 2100, this number is projected to increase to 48 percent. Economic loss due to the urban heat island effect could reach up to 10.9 percent of GDP by 2100. Quote attributable to Wan-Yu Shih, Ming-Chuan University “Simply increasing ‘green coverage’ without considering relative location of green spaces cannot effectively reduce the problem of urban warming.” Quote attributable to Elspeth Oppermann, Ludwig-Maximilians University and Jamie Cross, University of Edinburgh “Low-tech interventions are not a panacea to climate change. The shade of a tree, appropriate use of fans, or improved ventilation of homes only works as long as outdoor conditions remain survivable. This might not be the case in many regions by 2050.” This article has been republished in the wake of heatwaves in India, China and Europe. It first appeared on March 11, 2022. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Hotter and hotter” sent at: 23/02/2022 12:17. This is a corrected repeat. New story added to Perspectives

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 8, 2022

Brain-machine interfaces - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on September 26, 2022 360info is looking into how far brain-machine interface research has come and what is currently at the forefront of science and technology. The idea that brains can control computers may seem like science fiction, but it’s becoming closer to our reality. Brain-machine interfaces, also commonly known as brain-computer interfaces, decode electrical information from your brain and connect it to an external device. It has a wide variety of potential uses but has been particularly valuable in restoring human mobility and aiding people with disabilities. These include allowing people to control prosthetic limbs with their minds. In July, brain-computer start-up Synchron placed the first implant in the US. The 3.8 centimetre device was placed into the blood vessel of an ALS patient who had lost their ability to move and speak. “This is an incredibly exciting milestone for the field, because of its implications and huge potential,” said Shahram Majidi, the lead clinical investigator who performed the procedure. “The implantation procedure went extremely well, and the patient was able to go home 48 hours after the surgery.” It’s hoped the patient will be able to use the internet to shop online, communicate via email or text using his mind. The company has already begun trials in Australia. Most brain-machine systems are still experimental. Our brains are one of the most complicated organs. While a brain can be compared to a very advanced computer, we’re still unable to successfully recreate one in its entirety. And there are also issues of ethics, legal and security concerns. Cyberattacks and hackers could intercept brain signals and use information maliciously. The high costs of the product are likely to result in unequal distribution. The technology could be used for military purposes. For example, the US Department of Defense has invested in hands-free control of drones. Although still a long way to go, in the wrong hands, it could pose significant national security concerns. US-based Irish scientist Philip Kennedy implanted the first brain-machine interface on the human brain in 1998. The purpose of brain-machine interfaces have largely been medically related They are often categorised as either invasive (requiring surgery), or non-invasive (commonly from data gathered through an EEG). Non-invasive brain-machine interfaces often require a wearable cap using conductors to measure the brain’s electrical activity. Last year, a wireless headset to help stroke patients regain arm and hand movements became the first wearable brain-machine interface device allowed by the government to be sold commercially in the US This quote is attributable to Jared Genser, Georgetown University Law Center: “Other technology uses algorithms to extrapolate and collect data on users’ personal preferences and location, but brain-machine interfaces offer something completely different: they can directly connect the brain to machine intelligence.” “Brain-machine interfaces pose challenges not only for the privacy of our minds, but also for our sense of self and for free will.” “The rise of consumer neurotechnology emphasises the need for laws and regulations that reflect the technology’s advancement.” This quote is attributable to Miguel Nicolelis, Duke University: “Information in the brain is not digital. It’s embedded in the tissue. And so there’s no vacuum cleaner that’s going to get that from analogue organic tissue and put it into bites and bits in your brain. Your brain is not a hard disk. It’s not a computer.” This quote is attributable to Raphael Yuste, Colombia University: “We’ll finally figure out who we are. Why do we do what we do? Why are we happy? Why are we sad? What happens when we fall in love. What happens to a criminal when he commits a crime? So it has enormous repercussions through, because, again, our our species happens to be a species that is a mental species. Everything has to do with our our mind.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on September 26, 2022

Building mental health - 360 Sara Phillips Published on May 30, 2022 Access to warm, dry, secure, long-term housing is key to mental health. 360info explores housing policy, residential green space and the meaning of ‘home’. Some estimates put the global homeless rate at 150 million people, but the real figure is difficult to measure — nations around the world define homelessness differently. Being ‘homeless’ is more than just sleeping on the streets. The concept of home has social, emotional and security dimensions that are intrinsic to its definition. A sheltered person can still be homeless. A home, then, provides intangible support, including mental health benefits. Mental health was added to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. The World Health Organization estimates that 450 million people suffer from mental health disorders, and this number is rising. Depression is one of the leading causes of disability. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds. People with severe mental health conditions die prematurely due to preventable physical conditions. Access to warm, dry, secure, long-term housing is key to mental health. Architecture, views of greenery, security, privacy and affordability all have been shown to have mental health benefits. Good design can come from traditional knowledge and practices just as well as from ‘starchitects’ in global centres. The challenge for the world is implementing locally appropriate ideas in our already crowded urban spaces. The flow-on benefits for society at large are more than just a few prize-winning grand designs. If a person is ‘homed’, they have a longer-term chance of mental and physical health. In developed economies, around 70 percent of people’s time is spent inside their home. By 2050 there will be 280 billion square metres more buildings than today — primarily in Asia. More than 450 million people suffer from a mental disorder, according to the World Health Organization. And this number is expected to increase. By 2050 more than two-thirds of the world’s population is expected to live in a city. Quote attributable to David Jenkins, Otago University: “When being ‘not homeless’ specifies only a minimally secure legal relationship between a person and a private space where she can sleep, bathe and eat, the social dimensions of that place are obscured. More specifically, the rights that a person may have to those social dimensions of ‘home’ go missing.” Quote attributable to Eka Permanasari, Monash University Australia: “A city is not sustainable unless its residents are resilient and healthy.” Quote attributable to Yvonne Jewkes, Bath University: “With incarceration rates on the rise globally, prison architects could look to pioneering healthcare centres for inspiration on how to do things differently.” Editors Note: In the story “Building mental health” sent at: 25/05/2022 10:02. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on May 30, 2022

Special Report: Changing climate, changing diseases - 360 Ruwini Rupasinghe, Beatriz Martinez Lopez Published on April 7, 2022 For World Zoonoses Day on July 6 we cover the growing links between climate change and animal diseases which spread to humans. The World Health Organization recently launched a roadmap to address the urgent issue of the threat of animal-to-human diseases known as zoonosis, particularly neglected tropical diseases, as humans increasingly encroach on environments previously only inhabited by animals. The consequences of this expansion are heightened by a changing climate, where climate-extremes are increasing in frequency, and resources once widely available continue to dwindle. It’s instigated drastic changes in existing ecosystems and altered the dynamics between hosts, organisms that transmit diseases (vectors) and infectious germs. Higher temperatures intensify the growth, survival and spread of many diseases which can jump from animals to humans either by direct contact, through vectors or through infected food and water. As the wild-domestic-human interactions become more common, so will the transmission and spread of zoonotic diseases. Extreme weather events drive changes in animal and human behaviours, and transform the land use but also may contribute to water contamination through run-offs from harmful pathogens and toxins, also resulting in higher chances of food contamination. The key to limiting the damage will be better collaboration between veterinarians, health care providers, wildlife biologists and environmental scientists to help set up preventive and mitigation programs such as surveillance, vaccinations and treatments as early as possible. Some zoonotic diseases like HIV, begin as animal-to-human transmissions but later mutate into human-only strains. Others can cause recurring disease outbreaks, such as the Ebola virus and salmonella. Higher temperatures influence the numbers, distribution and biting rates of arthropods or insect disease transmitters (vector-borne diseases) like mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies. Harsh weather conditions, including heatwaves, are hostile to rodents, causing them to move indoors in search of water and food. Heavy rains create potential breeding sites and dense vegetation, providing shelter and resting sites for mosquitoes. Increased crops and foods after heavy rainfall promote rodents to breed more often and expand their population. Many diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis and Lyme disease are predicted to infect cooler parts of the world where they are not commonly native to. Most zoonotic disease predictions do not evaluate the simultaneous risk factors or the interactions between them, limiting the understanding of the bigger picture. This quote can be attributed to Kirk Douglas, The University of the West Indies. “Approximately two out of every three new infectious diseases are caused by a zoonotic pathogen — highlighting the importance of understanding the true risks behind human-animal connections.” This quote can be attributed to Ilan Kelman, University College London. “As the world’s temperatures increase, summers are lasting longer and the life cycles of many insects — and the microbes or parasites they carry – are speeding up.” These quotes can be attributed to Oladele A. Ogunseitan, University of California, Irvine. “We underestimated fungi. We focus on viruses and bacteria or COVID-19 and the plague. But there are many fungi that are potentially dangerous, they form spores that can last. They also can spread very quickly. So those are warning signs and red flags for pathogens.” “We need to do surveillance, anywhere that humans and animals share space … We now have technology to know what kinds of organisms could spill over.” Dr. Ruwini Rupasinghe is a PhD Graduate Student Researcher in Epidemiology at the Center for Animal Disease Modeling and Surveillance at the University of California Davis, an FAO Reference Center of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Professor Beatriz Martínez López is the Director of the Center for Animal Disease Modeling and Surveillance at the University of California Davis, an FAO Reference Center of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This article has been republished for World Zoonoses Day. It first appeared on April 7, 2022. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “World Zoonoses Day” sent at: 06/07/2022 09:31. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on April 7, 2022

Cities after colonialism - 360 Bharat Bhushan Published on January 12, 2023 Cities in former colonies are now among the biggest and fastest-growing in the world and need to be prepared for unpredictable futures. When the European colonial powers departed their territories in Asia, Africa and Latin America, they left behind transformed cities. And the echo of colonialism continues in those cities today. As Europe shifted from feudalism to capitalism and from a farming-based economy to an industrial one (and with it the shift of power from the aristocracy to an emerging middle class), the cities in the colonised nations were put in service of the trade, shipping and other mercantile needs of the colonisers. The term “postcolonial cities” is seen by some social scientists as problematic, however, broadly the term refers to cities with a colonial past. It changed existing cities and dictated the form of newer ones. Mining towns, port cities, and railway towns that developed to service trade, and cantonment towns for the armed forces. The influx of new settlers and migrant workers transformed demographics. The settled elite rubbed shoulders with the new contenders. The privileged, and the poor who service them, were thrown together. That transformation continues. Of the world’s 35 mega-cities (population of 10 million or more), 25 are in the developing world. Asia’s fastest-growing cities are not in China but in India. Leading the pack is Delhi, which expected to surpass Tokyo to become the largest megalopolis in the world. All the top 10 fastest-growing cities by GDP between now and 2035 are likely to be in India. Post-colonial cities have become places for contests between the entrenched elite and an imagined equality, flowing from democracy and cosmopolitanism. The struggle continues between vestiges of the colonial and the needs, aspirations and appropriation of space of emerging social groups. These encounters influence government policy, and transform public culture, fashion, arts and the media in post-colonial cities, making them a rich subject for social scientists. Some are little more than supply-chain cities (logistics cities), some have remained extractive towns based around mining and others have shed their burden of history to develop according to their own urban imagination. These cities need to be prepared for unprecedented growth and unpredictable futures. However, any sustainable future for cities after colonialism has to embody a new social contract in terms of equity, assured rights, basic minimum income, accessible healthcare, universal housing and other basic services. 360info, in partnership with the Calcutta Research Group, is exploring the future of some of the world’s oldest cities, the struggle of their inhabitants, and the factors that have made them resilient and that drive their future. The future of humanity is “undoubtedly urban”, according to the UN World Cities Report 2022 with 68 percent of all people expected to be living in cities by 2050. By 2025, 100 African cities will have more than one million inhabitants – twice as many as in Latin America. Cities like Lagos are expected to experience growth of 77 people per hour, followed by Kinshasa (66), Cairo (44), Luanda (34) and Nairobi (22), among others, until 2030. In the early 21st century, of the 50 largest cities in the world, 15 had at least partial roots in the British Empire. The total goes up to 19 if the cities founded in the US in the colonial period are included. Quote attributable to Sidh Sintusingha, Melbourne University: “The irony of many postcolonial polities is that having rid themselves of the colonial yoke, post-independence, the ruling elites inherited, sustained and continued to impose colonial form of governance and practices upon their nascent nation-states.” Quote attributable to Yordanos S. Estifanos, University of South Africa “Modern cities tend to exclude or marginalise informal economic activities, which creates problems such as unsanitised spaces, venues for illegal businesses and hotspots for crime.” Quote attributable to Ritajyoti Bandyopadhyay, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, India: “Territory is the kernel of a city. The city, therefore, remains a contested place. Minorities must stake their claims to it if they do not want to lose out. The resources, land, infrastructure – all are subject to claim makings by various segments of urban population.” Quote attributable to Eka Permanasari, Monash University, Melbourne “There is a pattern to the locus of power and colonialism. First, instead of repairing the former city, the colonial government preferred to choose a new site and build from scratch. Second, each colonial government established its own identity by establishing a centre of power different from the previous symbolism. It is part of the process of forging a new legacy distinct from the former ruler.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Cities after colonialism” sent at: 09/01/2023 11:21. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on January 12, 2023

Cities in drought - 360 Reece Hooker Published on June 22, 2022 In the grips of drought, cities are turning to innovative solutions to preserve their water supplies for the present and the future. As droughts intensify, major cities around the world are staring down water shortages. After staving off crisis in 2018, South Africa is again facing challenges. California’s drought has prompted increasingly tough restrictions on residents, while São Paulo is yet to fully emerge from the other side of its own water shortage. To mark the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the myriad of society-shaping challenges that drought brings about. “Droughts in all regions are getting more frequent and fierce,” he said. “The well-being of hundreds of millions of people is being compromised by increasing sandstorms, wildfires, crop failures, displacement and conflict.” “Climate change bears much responsibility, but so does how we manage our land.” Drought is often thought of as a strictly natural phenomenon — days without rainfall, resulting in an eventual water shortage as demand outpaces the replenishing supply. But urban drought is not only caused by natural factors such as meteorological and hydrological conditions, but also the influence of people. Human activities affect water resources. Fast population growth in urban areas leads to a lot of people trying to access the same water supply, over time putting a strain on resources. It may, over a long period, trigger a water shortage. In many cases, the terms urban drought and water scarcity are often used simultaneously. Finding ways to be more efficient with our water resources is important, as is slowing the ravenous impacts of climate change. Adapting to drought, and finding ways to sustain standards of living, are concurrent challenges cities are being forced to take on. Governments can adapt, businesses can invest and researchers can stay on the cutting edge to overcome this global challenge. An estimated 55 million people around the world are affected directly by drought each year. Dought was one of the hazards that led to the largest human losses between 1970 and 2019, with approximately 650,000 deaths casued by drought. As many as 700 million people are at-risk of being displaced as a result of drought by 2030. 2.3 billion people live in water-stressed countries, nations where demand for water exceeds the available amount during a certain period or when poor quality restricts its use. Quotes attributable to Ilan Kelman, City University London: “Human-caused climate change seems to be worsening some droughts, prompting the world to confront a daunting challenge: how will we live with limited freshwater? For cities, this feels like a new problem. In reality, communities around the globe have been living with drought for millennia — and there is much that modern planners can learn from them.” “The climate always varies. Now, because of our greenhouse gas emissions and land use, many locations experience more concentrated periods of water intensity and deficit. The latter does not need to mean that people are worse off, if we put effort into living with drought.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Cities in drought” sent at: 20/06/2022 11:28. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on June 22, 2022

Climate-smart food - 360 Josh Pitt Published on June 29, 2022 Climate change is taking a tremendous toll on the world’s food systems, leading scientists to rethink how we feed ourselves. Frequent and recurring climate shocks continue to drive acute hunger around the world. As a report released this month by The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme warns, we have entered a ‘new normal’ where droughts, flooding, hurricanes, and cyclones repeatedly decimate farming and livestock, displace people and push millions to the brink of starvation. Combined with the fallout from COVID-19, rising geopolitical tensions, growing public debt burdens and now the Ukraine war, global agriculture is facing a ‘perfect storm’. At the UN’s Economic and Social Council meeting in New York last week, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the world urgently needed new approaches and policies, commensurate with the obstacles faced. “This must be done with a sense of urgency and scale to get ahead of the crises,” he said. The good news is scientists, technology start-ups and large food corporations are finding new ways to disrupt traditional food systems and supply chains — for many, the impending crisis offers an opportunity. From 3D-printed meat to genetically edited crops and cows, new technologies offer hope of sustainably feeding a global population predicted to rise from 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050. But are recent advances being over-hyped in the rush towards ever-more sophisticated technologies? The history of agricultural modernisation suggests increased productivity carries potential risks The negative effect of climate on food systems is nothing new. Indigenous cultures have lived in variable climatic conditions for centuries and can offer important lessons. Either way, increasing food production in ways that respect human well-being and the environment presents an enormous challenge. 360info is looking at potential solutions in this Special Report, released as part of Covering Climate Now’s Food & Water joint coverage week. Human-induced global warming trends since 1961 have slowed the growth of agricultural productivity by 21 percent. Without urgent action on climate change, an additional 100 million people in Africa could be pulled into extreme poverty in the next eight seasons – that is more than 10 million people every year to 2030. Two-thirds of the 740 million people living in extreme poverty are agricultural workers and their dependents. Underinvested, inequitable food and land use systems consign many to lives of constant insecurity. Transforming food systems could help release back the US$12 trillion the world spends on the hidden cost of food. Quote attributable to Élisabeth Abergel, Université du Québec à Montréal: “Meat from gene edited animals is on the horizon. Gene editing promises to be cheaper than GM technology and faster than conventional breeding.” Quote attributable to Aaron Staples, University of Michigan: “There is recent evidence that some consumers are willing to pay a premium for beer produced using sustainable techniques, particularly for targeting water sustainability practices.” Quote attributable to Rabiya Abassi, University of Alberta: “Agriculture is in the midst of a fourth industrial revolution. And in the face of rising populations and a changing climate policymakers are paying attention.” Quote attributable to Agustin Zsögön, Federal University of Viçosa: “With Ukraine and Russia among the world’s largest exporters of maize and wheat, global food security is under threat. Even if trade is restored, an overreliance on so few species remains our achilles heel.” Quote attributable to Anitra Nelson, University of Melbourne: “Degrowth is moving policymakers and attracting attention from all those keen to curb carbon emissions and live sustainably.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on June 29, 2022

Combatting corruption in democracies - 360 Ria Ernunsari Published on December 1, 2022 From corruption in public works to whether anti-corruption political movements work, we seek out solutions to this global problem. Nineteenth century historian Lord Acton said: “Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In the twenty-first century, corruption is more complicated. It takes place globally, is multifaceted and affects billions. From health to education, sport to humanitarian aid, business to social justice, corruption leaves few sectors untouched. It pervades every continent from Europe to Africa, from Asia to Latin America. Corruption by multinationals levels up the corruption game, the global economy making it a borderless crime. In 2018 the World Economic Forum put corruption’s cost to the global economy at US$3.6 trillion dollars every year. It means the world loses at least five percent of global gross domestic product, according to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Businesses and individuals pay more than US$1 trillion in bribes annually, according to the World Bank. Corruption also hinders the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. The UN has urged member states to establish national anti-corruption commissions and prosecutorial efforts. And to help combat it by supporting independent judiciaries, a vibrant civil society, freedom of media and effective whistleblower protections. But in some countries, anti-corruption commissions fail to perform, either because they are pushed by foreign donors that ignore the context of local public service or because the corruptors fight back to weaken the prosecutorial bodies. Researchers try to find other ways to understand and solve corruption. COVID-19 makes the health sector prone to corruption, especially for low income countries. It is a double threat to them. The urgency to deploy aid tends to ignore the transparency and the accountability of how the funding was spent. In 2003, the world came together to adopt a landmark agreement – the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Since then, 188 parties have committed to the Convention’s anti-corruption obligations, and every year the UN marks International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9 to commemorate the ratification of the convention. This year’s theme is Uniting the World Against Corruption. Transparency International found the leaders of five countries shifted US$28-50 billion of public funding to their own pockets between 1965 and 2000. As of 2021, many of the leaders on the list have gone to court for corruption charges, human rights abuses, and other legal issues arising from their abuse of power. An estimated US$500 billion in public health spending is lost globally to corruption every year. This is a lot more than would be required to achieve universal health coverage. Surveys carried out by the UN body for education, UNESCO, estimate the salaries of absent or ghost teachers may account for 15-20 percent of payroll costs in some countries; in some cases this is equal to half of the funds allocated to improving school buildings, providing better class equipment and buying school textbooks. Quantifying the overall losses to corruption in construction is nearly impossible. The very nature of the practice makes it difficult to uncover every instance of corruption and determine its full impact. Estimates range from 10 percent to 30 percent of project cost, and even up to 45 percent in developing economies. Without significant interventions, by 2030 up to US$5 trillion could be lost annually to corruption in construction across the world. Quote attributable to Nic Cheeseman, University of Birmingham and Caryn Peiffer, University of Bristol, UK: “It’s important to realise that raising awareness may actually make the problem worse. Before embarking on awareness-raising campaigns policymakers could try and design less problematic messages. One way to do this may be by focusing on those who behave ‘appropriately’, and the negative feelings people hold about those who do not, rather than highlighting the extent of the problem.” Quote attributable to Charles Simabura and Haykal, Andalas University, Indonesia: “People demanded reform. Tools were put in place to attack the corruption that had become endemic in public life and was holding back development. But the system is failing. Indonesia’s own parliament, backed by big business interests, has succeeded in weakening the very system set up to fight corruption.” Quote attributable to Khaled S. Al-Rashidi, Kuwait University: “People in Kuwait are unaware of the existence of such an Act, or even the real rationale beyond the Act. If people don’t know about it, they’re unlikely to use it. To compound the issue those who are using the Act are using it in a way for which it was not intended.” Quote attributable to Janet Ransley, Griffith University, Australia: “Corrupt acts are hidden, often without direct victims, and often unreported. Investigations tend to be protracted and struggle to produce evidence robust enough for criminal or disciplinary charges. Those suspected of corruption often have the resources to defend themselves in court cases which can take years to finalise.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Combatting corruption in democracies” sent at: 05/12/2022 12:08. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on December 1, 2022

COP27 - 360 Reece Hooker Published on November 7, 2022 Adaptation, mitigation, and negotiation will be on the agenda as the world gathers in Sharm el-Sheikh for the 27th Conference of the Parties climate meeting. When the world’s leaders convene in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh for the 27th Conference of Parties, they will do so under very different circumstances to last year’s COP26 in Glasgow. Crises have erupted over the past 12 months: the invasion of Ukraine, energy and food shortages, and global economic instability and price inflation. The pledges of COP26 are colliding with the realities of governments focusing on their narrower domestic agenda. It is a much changed and more troubled world. In addition, countries have experienced extreme climate change events over the last year including the floods in Pakistan, hurricanes in the United States, and a US$20 billion drought in Europe. All requiring immediate attention and action. It is an urgency recognised by Egypt’s foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, who will chair COP27. “If countries are to backtrack or deviate from their commitments, and their efforts to maintain those agreements and understandings made in Paris and Glasgow, we will be on track to have over 2°C and maybe up to 3.6°C, according to the science available,” he said recently. “These are contradictions and everybody has to be serious in dealing with those contradictions.” Developing economies, especially those low-emitting countries in the Pacific, are feeling the brunt of climate change and asking wealthy nations to pay proportionately for their contribution and responsibility for accelerating global warming. But global loss and damage funding has failed to pick up steam (especially with other more pressing demands for national financial help), forcing COP27 to consider a different approach — debt cancellation. Looming over these negotiations are two superpowers at inflection points. The United States, on the doorstep of mid-term elections, looking to continue the momentum of their historic Inflation Reduction Act. China, fresh off its historic National People’s Congress. Last year, the two countries stunned the world by announcing a bilateral agreement. However, following a rocky year, ignited by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the future of climate collaboration between the US and China is much less certain. Will the discord give an opportunity for new players to assert themselves in global climate talks? Will the change of government in Australia spark enthusiasm for its hopes to host an upcoming COP with the Pacific nations? And will the host country, Egypt, keen to make the most of an African-based COP,  forge a new narrative for its ambitious allies to have an increased say on how the world moves forward on climate. 198 countries will be represented at COP27, all signatories to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose by six percent in 2021 to 36.3 billion tonnes, the largest absolute increase in recorded history. To reach the preferable international target of 1.5°C global warming, global emissions must be halved by 2030. Quotes attributable to Frank Jotzo, ANU: “The most contentious issue in climate negotiations is money. It is accepted that rich countries need to help the developing world financially to reduce emissions and deal with climate change. How and how much has been a big topic in climate negotiations for decades. But developing economies do not see money flowing their way at anywhere near the scale needed.” “Stepping back from controversies over money, the overarching topic for international climate policy is ambition. The Paris Agreement framework is geared to continually ratchet up the ambition in countries’ commitments to cut emissions. Last year’s COP decided that countries that had not yet updated their 2030 emissions targets should do so by now. But only few have done so, and the overall strength of pledges remains insufficient.” Quote attribute to Melanie Pill, ANU or Priyatma Singh, The University of Fiji: “A cruelty of climate change is that the countries most immediately suffering its consequences are low-emissions states that least contributed to it. These countries — Small Island Developing states, coastal regions like Bangladesh or archipelagos such as Indonesia — are developing economies, whose progress continues to be blasted backwards by floods, cyclones, rising seas and droughts.” Setting the scene for COP27: Crisis weighs heavy on the parties but climate opportunity awaitsFrank Jotzo, ANU Prof Frank Jotzo New energy: Australia hopes to change its climate reputation at COP27 Robyn Eckersley, University of Melbourne A new government hopes to transform Australia’s reputation into a climate leader at COP27. But there’s a lot of damage to unpick. Prof Robyn Eckersley Debt cancellation: no quick fix to climate funding crunch Melanie Pill, ANU and Priyatma Singh, The University of Fiji Time is short to act on loss and damage funding, after no action at COP26. With economic pain worsening, a new solution is gaining traction— debt cancellation. VideoDr Melanie Pill Walking the talk at Sharm el-Sheik: Fan-first cooling not more AC to combat climate change Ollie Jay, University of Sydney and Arunima Malik, University of Sydney, and Tony Capon, Monash University COP27 might be criticised by some as a lot of hot air, but when it comes to coping with hot weather, that might be a good thing. Prof Ollie Jay How the Gulf oil and gas states will play their hand at COP27 Manal Shehabi, Oxford University Gulf oil and gas producing nations will badge themselves as climate leaders at COP27. It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. How do we pay for climate change adaption? RR Rashmi, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) Calls to adapt to climate change are meaningless unless funding is attached. Island nations hope to turn the tide at COP27 Luky Adrianto, Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) For island nations trying to protect their fisheries from climate change, the biggest catch at COP27 will be getting the ear of the developed world. Who wins in the US, China climate arms race? Wesley Morgan, Griffith University Souring diplomatic relations between the world’s leading economies and biggest polluters could supercharge the race to net zero. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 7, 2022

COVID Diplomacy - 360 Obijiofor Aginam, -International Institute for Global Health; Vijay Kumar Chattu - Global Health Research and Innovations Canada (GHRIC); Hannah Elyse Sworn Published on February 10, 2022 By Tasha Wibawa, 360info and Karthik Nachiappan, National University of Singapore COVID-19 has pushed global health to the centre of international politics. A lapse in public health diplomacy, long sidelined to seemingly more pressing issues of international trade and security, saw many parts of the world caught off guard when the virus spread. As countries looked domestically to fight the virus, not one state was prepared to take a lead to assist the World Health Organization (WHO) in crafting a unified global strategy. Inequalities in domestic and international healthcare, access to medical equipment and intellectual property (IP) for vaccines have never been more obvious. Globalisation and increased mobility helped spread the disease, with state borders no longer an effective barrier to domestic health security. Vaccines became the clear way out of the pandemic, but “vaccine nationalism” became the norm. And most COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property rights are owned by Western pharmaceutical giants. Low-income countries with low vaccinations have called on the World Trade Organization to waive IP protections, with no clear resolution to date. As the WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote, “vaccine allocation must not become a zero-sum game.” “Limited supplies and overwhelming demand create winners and losers. Neither is morally or medically acceptable during a pandemic.” The unintended consequences of which has been a ‘vaccine apartheid’ which has left billions of people in poor countries unvaccinated and created opportunities for the virus to mutate. Around 27 million COVID-19 vaccines are being administered each day, but most are going to middle-to-high-income countries According to Our World in Data as of 1 December 2021 , or 19.98 million people, in low-income countries have been fully vaccinated, – Compared to , or 821.9 million people, in high-income countries. – High-income countries with around 16 percent of the world’s population are stockpiling 60 percent of the global vaccine supply, according to World Health Organization Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. These quotes can be attributed to Vijay Chattu, President and CEO, Global Health Research and Innovations Canada. “Health is connected to the economy – health is a core of all sustainable development goals, particularly in inequality and equity.” “Health should not be a political issue but it’s been politicised in the domain of geopolitics.” “Every country is doing health diplomacy in their own terms so there are many different approaches, but it’s not real health diplomacy if there are vested interests.” These quotes can be attributable to Obijor Aginam, Principal Visiting Fellow at the United Nations University-International Institute for Global Health. “Health is very politicised, and follows the strategic, security and economic interest of countries.” “It starts as a health problem but becomes a security issue because of opportunities offered by global travel and the transfer of goods and services.” These quotes can be attributable to Hannah Elyse Sworn, Senior Analyst at Nanyang Technological University. “China has … endorsed flexible IP regulations advocated by the developing countries who are its most important economic partners.” “In the negotiation of IP regulations, the world’s most powerful states use their economic clout to establish rules that disproportionately benefit them. But in the latest discussions over COVID-19 vaccinations, evidence is emerging that US-EU regulatory hegemony may not be as robust as was presumed.” (Feature articles available for republishing under CC 4.0) Omicron is a product of vaccine apartheid By Obijiofor Aginam, United Nations University-International Institute for Global Health, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThe unintended consequence of vaccine apartheid has left billions of people in poor countries unvaccinated – creatingopportunities for COVID-19 to mutate into easily transmissible vaccine-resistant variants India’s vaccine diplomacy put politics before people By Karthik Nachiappan, Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore India found itself in an advantageous position to react to the regional need for vaccines when the pandemic hit, but it used the opportunity to advanced the country’s diplomatic and commercial interests at the expense of global health priorities COVID vaccines have exposed shifting global allegiances By Hannah Elyse Sworn, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore The technology needed to produce life-saving drugs remains fiercely guarded by the Western pharmaceutical companies who developed it. But there are signs their tight grip may be loosening. COVID helped make the case for global health diplomacy By Vijay Kumar Chattu – Global Health Research and Innovations Canada (GHRIC), Toronto, CanadaThe ease in which billions of people travel makes public health a security issue as major health events require coordination beyond national borders.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 10, 2022

COVID Policy Lessons - 360 ​​Thomas Chiu, of Hong Kong; Tania Dey, of Adelaide; Michael Phillips, Delvin Varghese, Yong Zhao Published on February 10, 2022 By Bill Condie, 360info COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way the world operates. Millions of workplaces and education centres were closed, staff and students forced to work remotely. For many people, the arrangement was exceptionally challenging, juggling full-time work, home schooling and increased domestic duties. Women, in particular, shouldered a disproportionate share of the burden. The economic downturn enhanced income problems for large portions of the global population. Healthcare, already under pressure, moved to crisis mode. Existing inequalities became exacerbated, and sometimes COVID brought out the worst of humanity, emphasising society’s fracture lines. But amid the doom, came kernels of hope. In some documented cases, policy responses to the pandemic actually reduced inequalities. These may provide lessons for the world when we emerge from the pandemic, demonstrating a pathway to a more equitable future. More than 1 billion children are at risk of falling behind due to school closures aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 (UNICEF). As of 19th December more than 37 million students were learning from home. At its peak, more than 1.1 billion students were forced from the classroom (UNESCO). In OECD countries, more than 80% of people have internet access. This compares with less than 20% in sub-Saharan Africa (Our World in Data). Women were hit harder by the pandemic in Australia. They represent 53 percent of people employed in directly affected industries and 65 percent of workers in secondarily affected industries. (HILDA). Telehealth appointments rocketed to 78 times higher in April than in February 2020. They have since stabilised at 38 times the pre-pandemic rate (McKinsey). Quote attributable to Tania Dey, Research Economist at the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies (SACES) at the University of Adelaide: “Investing in childcare pays off for governments. Universal childcare would cost the Australian government A$12 billion, but boost GDP by A$27 billion.“ Quote attributable to Michael Phillips is the Associate Professor of Digital Transformation in the Faculty of Education, Monash University: “Online learning during COVID was reportedly “hell” for many parents and teachers. But for tens of thousands of students around the world, attending face-to-face classes is not an option, even when a pandemic isn’t occurring.” Quote attributable to Yong Zhao, Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas: “If remote learning can take place globally, there is no need to constrain students to the traditional classroom where teachers are the only knowledge authority. Students could personalise learning based on their own interests and strengths using globally available resources. A student in Vietnam could join a French classroom for language lessons; or an Australian student could join a Japanese art class.” Women, given equity, can drive Australia’s economic recovery By Tania Dey, University of Adelaide The pandemic recovery provides an opportunity to address Australia’s gender wage gap and boost GDP at the same time. Community groups key to multicultural health messagingBy Delvin Varghese, Monash University COVID-19 has exposed the massive communications gap between governments and diverse communities, but it has also seeded a solution to it. The classroom of the future may be truly global By Yong Zhao, University of Kansas COVID-19 forced schools online. The lessons this delivered educators could drive an education transformation. Classzoom: how online learning can work By Michael Phillips, Monash University Giving an effective online lesson is a specialised skill. Understanding what works has led to successful online schools. Four simple lessons for effective online schooling By ​​Thomas Chiu, Chinese University of Hong Kong A  survey of teachers, parents and students in Hong Kong has found students struggle to have meaningful digital learning without emotional support from teachers. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 10, 2022

Death penalty - 360 Reece Hooker Published on September 5, 2022 Capital punishment remains one of the most divisive issues in global criminal justice. As more countries move to end the death penalty, some are doubling down. Last week, the US state of Oklahoma executed James Coddington for his 1997 murder of 73-year-old Albert Hale. A month earlier, Coddington fronted a five-person parole board, hoping to be granted a reprieve. Coddington, the panel was told, had been exposed to drug and alcohol abuse since he was an infant, and showed remorse for his crime. The panel recommended 3-2 that Coddington’s sentence be commuted to life imprisonment without prospect of parole, but the governor — who held the decision-making power — did not agree. The victim’s son, Mitch Hale, said afterwards that Coddington “chose this path … he knew what the consequences are, he rolled the dice and lost.” EMBED START Image {id: "editor_3"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_3"} The US is one of increasingly few countries still actively practising the death penalty — only 18 countries were known to conduct executions last year and, of them, only 11 have been persistently doing so for the last five years. As pandemic restrictions ease, executions are resuming. Singapore has hanged ten people this year, including two in the past month. In July, Iran executed three people — including a former child bride convicted of killing the man she married at 15. Death sentences in Myanmar have spiked since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup. In March, Saudi Arabia killed 81 men in what Amnesty International called an “execution spree”. Some parts of the world are taking advantage of the pandemic-enforced disruption of criminal justice processes to move away from the death penalty. Malaysia has agreed to abolish the mandatory death penalty for crimes such as drug trafficking, treason and murder. Zambia, which maintained a moratorium on the death penalty since 1997, has pledged to take the next step and fully abolish the punishment. Advocates for abolition see reasons to end the death penalty beyond principle. In countries with an insecure judiciary, the death penalty has the potential to be used to punish dissidents and activists. And, even in countries with more trusted justice systems, the chance of a rare wrongful conviction leading to an innocent person’s execution troubles abolitionists. For those more set on its use, the issue is whether it can be done with more humanity — as a rarely used punishment for especially grave crimes, or as an alternative sanction instead of a mandatory sentence. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_11"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_11"} As of December 2021, 144 countries had totally abolished the death penalty in law or practice, while 55 countries retained it. There were at least 28,670 people worldwide known to be on death row at the end of 2021. In the US, 63 people are scheduled to be executed between now and April 2026. Quotes attributable to Madoka Futamura, Hosei University: “Death penalty policies do not exist in a vacuum. They reflect how governments conceive of criminal punishment, which is closely related to their attitude to human rights, governance, order and justice.” “Governments that are experiencing  volatility, instability or unrest tend to find it more challenging to exercise control over those areas, and under such situations, are more prone to putting the death penalty in practice for arbitrary or political purposes.” Quotes attributable to Anugerah Rizki Akbari, University of Indonesia: “Indonesia’s new criminal code will ink a new chapter in the country’s judicial history, but it won’t stop the long-standing debate around the death penalty.” “The proposed way forward is shaping up as a compromise that may please nobody.” “Despite the current moratorium, total abolition of the death penalty in Indonesia appears to be a distant prospect for activists and critics. However, within the confines of mainstream Indonesian politics, there is room to present a version of capital punishment that is more in line with international law.”

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on September 5, 2022

Education brain drain - 360 Reece Hooker Published on April 11, 2022 Developing economies have lost promising students to top universities in the West for decades. A global re-think of education may be needed to change it. Globalisation has transformed higher education enabling students from developing economies to access world-class universities abroad. But this phenomenon has consequences: overwhelmingly, wealthy countries benefit the most as their higher education institutions recruit the best and brightest from developing economies — with most never returning after graduation. This net impact of this is sometimes referred to as the ‘colonisation model’ of higher education whereby the developing economies are robbed of the intellect, skill and sheer numbers of educated people they require to build strong institutions as well as foster the next generation of domestic innovation in science and technology. But in some parts of the world, this is changing. Many Asian countries, especially China and Singapore, have invested heavily in their domestic higher education at home with the aim of training and keeping their brightest and best students while also attracting students from offshore. Some universities have understood the problem and offer a hybrid approach, opening campuses in developing countries. Mitigating the need for domestic students to travel overseas to get a first-class education. However, if universities remain the domain of the already-rich and powerful, we may never see the full potential of global education to solve problems such as climate change or viral and other diseases that defy national borders. The number of students in higher education who travel overseas for study has grown from around 300,000 in 1963, to two million in 2000 and up to six million in 2019. This still comprises just 2.6 percent of the world’s total student population. The COVID-19 pandemic saw higher education institutions and schools closed in 185 countries, affecting about 1.5 billion students. Women are more likely than men to enrol abroad in arts and humanities studies (62 percent of international students in this field are women), and health and welfare (63 percent). They are less likely to do engineering, manufacturing and construction (29 percent), and about equally as likely as their male counterparts to enrol abroad in social sciences, journalism and information. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_6"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_6"} Quote attributable to Kumari Beck, Simon Fraser University: “Among the many advantages of internationalisation are the potential for enriching and enhancing educational experiences for all students and, most importantly, the possibilities for systemic change.” Quotes attributable to Adam Habib, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London: “In many parts of the developing world, their institutions are being eroded by the very nature of the ‘global academy’. For example, scholarships provided largely by rich country universities and governments go to talented people from around the world, allowing them to travel to study and then, they don’t go back. “ “There are hundreds of thousands of people who still can’t be trained at the appropriate level, and we don’t have enough educational capacity and institutions in the right places. But if we brought global and local together in a series of very innovative partnerships, we could create networks of institutions. “ “All the substantive challenges of our time have a transnational character — whether it’s pandemics or climate change, inequality or social and political polarisation. To resolve those challenges, we’ll need to ensure that the developing world has intellectual capacities and skills. You’re going to need them as much in the Philippines as in New York or London.”

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on April 11, 2022

Empowering women to reduce poverty - 360 Published on October 18, 2022 Zero-global poverty cannot be achieved if women’s empowerment is not prioritised. The first Sustainable Development Goal aims to end poverty in all its forms everywhere by 2030. The goal’s objectives include ensuring that the world’s entire population and especially the poorest and most vulnerable have equal rights to economic resources, access to basic services, property and land control, natural resources and new technologies. Women are both overrepresented among people living in poverty, as well as being a driving force for change and key partners in the battle for poverty reduction. “The world has changed, and these changes are impacting women. Poverty has deepened, the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women are under attack, climate change is upon us, and changes in technology are also disproportionately impacting women,” says Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, chair at Women Deliver and former United Nations under-secretary-general. World leaders have committed to ending poverty by 2030. But, according to UN Women, that aspiration can only be achieved by ending the discrimination that traps women in poverty. Globally, one in five girls is in households living on less than US$1.90 a day, a sum that leaves them without enough food, housing, health care or education. Poverty gaps between women and men are particularly acute for those between the ages of 25 and 34, as women struggle to combine paid work with an unequal burden of care for children and other dependents. Around the world, for every 100 men in this age group who are poor, there are 122 women. Improving the lives of rural women is key to fighting poverty and hunger. Giving women the same opportunities as men could raise agricultural production by 2.5 to 4 per cent in the poorest regions, helping to drive down the number of malnourished people. But COVID-19 has set back poverty-reduction efforts and global poverty is set to increase for the first time in 30 years. 360info gathers experts to examine the measures needed to regain momentum while exploring poverty-reduction programmes that have proven to be successful by empowering women. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_0"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_0"} New projections of global poverty estimate that, globally, 388 million women and girls will be living in extreme poverty in 2022 (compared to 372 million men and boys). According to these new forecasts, 83.7 percent of the world’s extreme poor women and girls live in just two regions: Sub-Saharan Africa (62.8 percent) and Central and Southern Asia (20.9 percent). The poverty rate for women was expected to decrease by 2.7 percent between 2019 and 2021, but projections now point to an increase of 9.1 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout. While these figures are alarming, it is estimated it would take just 0.14 percent of global GDP (US$2 trillion) to lift the world out of extreme poverty by 2030; and US$48 billion to close the gender poverty gap. However, the real number could end up being much higher, especially if governments fail to act – or act too late. Quote attributable to Odile Mackett, Witwatersrand University, South Africa: “Lifting the quality and availability of public services is at the heart of breaking the cycle of women’s poverty.” Quote attributable to Farzana Aman Tanima, University of Wollongong, Australia: “Women’s empowerment in the microfinance context is a complex issue and cannot be simplistically articulated in terms of transfer of money and/or information. Accounting is very much part of this problem.” Quote attributable to Minako Sakai and Ajie Saksono, University of New South Wales, Canberra: “A rise in women’s earnings can contribute to the well-being of their family and gradually to women being better recognised in decision-making in rural development policies.” Quote attributable to Christopher S Tang, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles: “Emerging technologies can serve as enablers for women to find jobs, obtain fair wages, improve operational efficiency in their micro-businesses, improve their physical safety, and improve their access to education and financial services.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 18, 2022

Empty oceans - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on June 8, 2022 Fish stocks and seas face multiple threats, but marine scientists are working to find solutions to restore our vast blue ecosystem. The ocean is a significant source of livelihood, food and medicine for billions of people around the world — oceans are the real lungs of our world. But the cumulative impact of human mistreatment is taking a toll on our marine ecosystem’s structure, function and survival. Annual World Oceans Day on June 8 focuses on conservation for future generations who will no doubt feel the effects of our actions today. From pollutants entering the ocean, to overfishing and climate change, what we decide to do now can protect valuable ocean resources. Last month’s Our Oceans Conference in the Pacific Island nation of Palau established six ways we can begin to do this: by advancing marine protected areas, tackling marine pollution from its source, creating sustainable blue economies, advancing small-scale fisheries, tackling climate change through resilience and action, and better ocean surveillance to combat illegal fishing. Conference moderator Robert Richmond, research professor at the University of Hawaii, said: “We have a wicked problems in the ocean, but all of them are addressable.” “We have a window but that window is closing fairly quickly.” The ocean produces at least half the world’s oxygen and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world, according to the United Nations. We are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished — 90 percent of big fish populations have been used up, and 50 percent of coral reefs are destroyed. Fish by-products — made from heads, bones and off-cuts — which would have otherwise been wasted, can be a sustainable food resource. Up to 14.0 million metric tonness of unreported fish catches are potentially traded illicitly each year worth up to US$17.2 billion. Illegal fishing puts food security at risk and threatens marine ecosystems. This quote is attributable to Dr Ray Hilborn, University of Washington: “Individual [fish] stocks in all countries are decreasing. The solution to stopping declines is to reduce fishing pressure, although recognising that some stocks decline due to changes in environmental conditions and management changes cannot prevent that.” This quote is atrributable to Rick Stafford, Bournemouth University: “For many people, ‘sustainable’ is synonymous with ‘good’, so it might come as a surprise to discover ‘sustainable fishing’ can remove up to 80 percent of a fished species’ natural population. Research shows restricting offshore fishing would do far more to protect marine ecosystems and coastal livelihoods than the most ‘sustainable’ fishing practices.” Editors Note: In the story “Empty oceans” sent at: 07/06/2022 10:36. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on June 8, 2022

Special Report: Energy in Transition - 360 Reihana Mohideen, of Melbourne; Thomas Sattich, of Stavanger; Lisa Wijayani, of Indonesia; John Wiseman Published on November 22, 2021 World leaders and their delegates walked away from the COP26 climate summit with their 1.5°C pledge on life support. The parties to the Paris climate agreement largely agreed to accelerate action on climate this decade. But the International Energy Agency says if the latest round of commitments were met in full and on time, they would only be enough to hold the rise in global temperatures to 1.8°C by the end of the century. EMBED START Video {id: "editor_1"} Electricity, heat and transport remain the largest sectors contributing to growing emissions. The UN is pushing for the energy transition to be sped up: the transition can no longer be limited to incremental steps if a decarbonised energy system is to be achieved by 2050. A push at COP26 to phase out coal ended in the communique instead referring to “the phase down of unabated coal power and of inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels”. China and India were behind the softening. Earlier, a raft of countries including Indonesia, Poland and Vietnam pledged to phase out coal-fired power. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe...I reaffirm my conviction that we must end fossil fuels subsidies, Phase out coal. Put a price on carbon.” (Quotes attributable to Grahame Holmes, Honorary Professor, RMIT University) (Feature articles available for republishing under Creative Commons 4.0) Quitting coal need not end in crisis. Not quitting it is sure to By John Wiseman, University of Melbourne Many nations are well down the path of transitioning away from coal, providing guidance on what works to protect workers and economies. Hydrogen rush could shift world energy order By Thomas Sattich, University of Stavanger The energy transition’s current darling, hydrogen, has moved from the world of engineering to politics. India’s stake in the upcoming global hydrogen economy By Ajay Shankar, The Energy and Resources Institute India is the latest to display an ambitious hydrogen push. It will need to avoid some common missteps if it is to succeed. Indonesia's carbon tax is a small step in a giant transition By Lisa Wijayani, University of Indonesia For Indonesia to transition to a low carbon economy it must spend billions. The carbon tax it just passed will deliver a fraction of that. What if women designed the energy transition? By Reihana Mohideen, University of Melbourne The march toward renewables is an opportunity to rethink energy systems for the people using them, and the women of developing economies labouring without power. --- Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Professor Grahame Holmes is a world leading expert in the technology of electrical energy conversion using power electronic converters. Professor Holmes is a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (FIEEE), a Senior Member of the Institute of Engineers Australia (SMIEAust) and a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng). The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s, and are not supported by any form of research funding. Editors Note: In the story "Energy in Transition" sent at: 22/11/2021 11:24. This is a corrected repeat. Electricity, heat and transport remain the largest sectors contributing to growing emissions. The UN is pushing for the energy transition to be sped up: the transition can no longer be limited to incremental steps if a decarbonised energy system is to be achieved by 2050. A push at COP26 to phase out coal ended in the communique instead referring to “the phase down of unabated coal power and of inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels”. China and India were behind the softening. Earlier, a raft of countries including Indonesia, Poland and Vietnam pledged to phase out coal-fired power. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe…I reaffirm my conviction that we must end fossil fuels subsidies, Phase out coal. Put a price on carbon.” (Quotes attributable to Grahame Holmes, Honorary Professor, RMIT University) (Feature articles available for republishing under Creative Commons 4.0) Quitting coal need not end in crisis. Not quitting it is sure to By John Wiseman, University of Melbourne Many nations are well down the path of transitioning away from coal, providing guidance on what works to protect workers and economies. Hydrogen rush could shift world energy order By Thomas Sattich, University of Stavanger The energy transition’s current darling, hydrogen, has moved from the world of engineering to politics. India’s stake in the upcoming global hydrogen economy By Ajay Shankar, The Energy and Resources Institute India is the latest to display an ambitious hydrogen push. It will need to avoid some common missteps if it is to succeed. Indonesia’s carbon tax is a small step in a giant transition By Lisa Wijayani, University of Indonesia For Indonesia to transition to a low carbon economy it must spend billions. The carbon tax it just passed will deliver a fraction of that. What if women designed the energy transition? By Reihana Mohideen, University of Melbourne The march toward renewables is an opportunity to rethink energy systems for the people using them, and the women of developing economies labouring without power. — Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Professor Grahame Holmes is a world leading expert in the technology of electrical energy conversion using power electronic converters. Professor Holmes is a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (FIEEE), a Senior Member of the Institute of Engineers Australia (SMIEAust) and a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng). The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s, and are not supported by any form of research funding.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 22, 2021

Eyes in the wartime sky - 360 Sara Phillips Published on May 2, 2022 As the world watches the satellite images of the Ukraine war, we examine the opportunities and threats of our dependence on satellite and remote-sensing imagery Like no other war before it, the conflict in Ukraine is being watched in real time. Satellite imagery of the military build-up, destruction and movement is available for anyone with an internet connection and some spare cash to follow along at home. A global CCTV, if you will. News organisations are providing daily satellite image gallery updates from commercial image providers. These image companies are enjoying the free publicity, with share prices buoyant. Since they were developed, satellites have been used in wartime. It offered a step up from the “bombadier’s eye view” of aerial photography. The 2003 invasion of Iraq was underwritten by satellite photography. The United States government restricted broader access to satellite imagery in the months leading up to their release of “undeniable proof” of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction. “The assertion of control over the airspace above a territory [is] part of an effort to regulate and control what happens on the ground beneath it,” says Lisa Parks, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at the University of California and Santa Barbara. As the old saying goes, ‘truth is the first casualty of war’. In this age of ‘deep-fakes’ and digital manipulation, how can we trust what we see? In satellite images, we encounter another source of wartime information, as fraught with doubt as the many that came before it. The first ever photograph taken from space was taken on 24 October 1946 by Americans operating a Nazi rocket. The first artificial satellite was Sputnik, a Russian project that lifted off on 4 October 1957. It stayed in orbit for 3 months. Remote sensing satellites make up approximately one third of all operational satellites. The highest resolution commercial imagery available is one pixel for 15 square centimetres. Quote attributable to Dr Bo Zhao associate professor of geography at the University of Washington: “Methods of distorting satellite images will only grow more sophisticated. Ways to keep pace with the fakery can be found, but there is no substitute for a vigilant, data-literate public.” Quote attributable to Erik Gartzke professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego or Bryan Early associate professor of political science at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. “One of the unique benefits of space surveillance is the ability to disseminate information about a nation’s espionage efforts without compromising sources and methods. Unlike a human spy, a satellite can be seen to be spying and still continue to do so.”

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on May 2, 2022

Final Frontiers - 360 Kate Moran, of Victoria; Aline Jaeckel, of New South Wales; Phil Williamson, of East Anglia; Marcel Jaspars, of Aberdeen; Pradeep A. Singh, of Bremen; Andrew S. Rivkin, Igor Lenchenko, Alice Gorman, Steven Freeland, of Western Sydney, Yelena Yermakova, of Oslo Published on February 28, 2022 By Tasha Wibawa, Sara Phillips and Charis Palmer, 360info Human ingenuity has allowed us to begin venturing into areas once only conceivable in the realm of science fiction, with the bounties of space, the deep sea and the polar regions now firmly in our sights. However, global discussion on how we proceed in these largely unknown settings is nowhere near a consensus. The rapid development of technology has now allowed plans to explore and harness the fruits of these ‘final frontiers’, both exciting and alarming the scientific community in equal measure. They’re vast unknowns with the promise of uncovering knowledge and valuable resources, including the potential to crack the case on global issues like climate change and food insecurity. But plans to proceed must be tempered by caution as those seeking riches cannot forge heedlessly ahead in places we are yet to fully understand. Ownership, access and control are already being tested. And in the absence of cohesive global regulation, it may prove to be more burden than boon. The ocean covers more than 70 percent of our planet, produces half of the world’s oxygen, regulates our climate, weather and supports all living organisms, but the deep-sea is one of the least explored areas of our globe. Deep sea mining is a relatively new field and the complete consequences of full-scale mining operations are still unknown. The International Seabed Authority, the global regulator established through the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is under pressure to finalise regulations regarding the commercialisation of deep sea mining by 2023. There are roughly 27,000 chunks of space debris larger than 10 centimetres that can cause damage to orbiting satellites. There are roughly 8,000 satellites orbiting the Earth as of the end of 2021. In the next decade, there are plans to launch up to 100,000. The Antarctic Treaty, first signed in 1959, but now with 52 signatories, specifically prohibits military and nuclear testing activities in the Antarctic and guarantees continued freedom to conduct scientific research. Mining in Antarctica is banned indefinitely by the Protocol on Environmental Protection (the Madrid Protocol), an agreement that came into force in January 1998. There is a provision for this to be revisitied periodically, but it would require the unanimous agreement of all signatories. Quote attributable to Aline Jaeckel, University of New South Wales “When discussing how to manage seabed minerals, we need to consider the social implications of seabed mining, including on fish-dependent communities.” Quote attributable to Phil Williamson, University of East Anglia “Some [climate interventions] are are dangerous, some benign, and some might actually work in the way intended.” Quote attributable to Steven Freeland, University of Western Sydney and Bond University “The absence of appropriate guidelines and regulations for new proposed activities in space would heighten the risk of irresponsible behaviour in space, which could lead to irreversible adverse consequences for all of humanity.” Quote attributable to Igor Levchenko, Nanyang Technical University “Various industries will look to transfer their technologies to orbit to exploit the advantages of zero gravity, from 3D-printing biological tissues and organs to growing protein crystals for pharmaceuticals.” Quote attributable to Yelena Yermakova, University of Oslo “More pandemics, an escalating climate emergency and an increasingly fragmented geopolitical backdrop all lay the path for some troubling scenarios to play out in the Antarctic.” (Feature articles available for republishing under CC 4.0) TEXT: Scientists strive for negative emissions By Kate Moran, University of Victoria New Solid Carbon technology might be able to lock climate-warming carbon dioxide below ocean bedrock. TEXTByAline Jaeckel et al, University of New South Wales Seabed mining can affect fisheries and the flow-on social equity issues need to be addressed. TEXTBy Phil Williamson, University of East Anglia The deep ocean can be used for carbon dioxide removal from our atmosphere. Here are the opportunities, risks and constraints TEXTByMarcel Jaspars, University of Aberdeen The potential for new pharmaceutical lies in the ocean, but its biodiversity is unprotected and under threat. TEXT By Pradeep A. Singh, University of Bremen Deep seabed mining risks irreversible damage, monopolisation and exploitation. TEXTByAndrew S. Rivkin, Johns Hopkins University Asteroid mining could unlock untold riches and thorny ethical problems. Are we ready as we race to the launch pad? TEXTByIgor Lenchenko, Nanyang Technological University, and Kateryna Bazaka, Australian National University Processions of small satellites obscuring the sky have provoked the ire of astronomers, but their potential for humanity is enormous. TEXTByAlice Gorman, Flinders University 23,000 pieces of ‘space junk’ float in orbit, and almost as many ideas for how to get rid of them are being floated on Earth. TEXT By Steven Freeland, University of Western Sydney, Bond University Where space begins is more than billionaires brawling over bragging rights. It will have ramifications for governments, economies and humanity. TEXTBy Yelena Yermakova, University of Oslo and Germana Nicklin, Massey University A group of scientists and other interested parties are asking: Should the Antarctic have its own rights? TEXT By Henry P. Huntington, Ocean Conservancy and others Distant, uninhabited and irrelevant: the Arctic is none of these things. And the effects of climate change on the Arctic will be felt by the world. VIDEO Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 28, 2022

Flood ready - 360 Reece Hooker Published on October 10, 2022 As floods rise in ferocity, states face big decisions to safeguard the future of their land and their people. The world is in the grips of a flood crisis. As millions in Pakistan remain affected by flooding that has killed more than 1,500 people, Typhoon Noru has lashed the Philippines and Vietnam. Hurricane Ian, which left a trail of destruction in Cuba, has brought devastating floods to Florida. “They’re wondering what’s going to be left — what’s going to be left when they get to go home … or even if they have a home to go to. Some of the folks have been through this before, but that doesn’t make it any easier.“ But while extreme weather is becoming a new reality in the wake of intensifying climate change, death and destruction doesn’t have to be. Increasingly, flood adaptation and mitigation solutions are being trialled and developed by governments, private industry and the research community. Some solutions relate to infrastructure — such as reservoirs and drainage systems — while others involve a rethink of where and how societies are developed, moving communities out of flood-prone areas. Alongside changing the look and location of communities, living in a flood-resilient world requires a shift in policy and culture. Governments must be adaptable and proactive, willing and able to mobilise resources ahead of floods to assist in preparing, evacuation and clean-up. The 2022 Pakistan floods have cost the country an estimated US$10 billion, almost four percent of the country’s GDP, according to planning minister Asad Umar. Between 1998 and 2017, two billion people worldwide were affected by floods. 23 percent of the world’s population is vulnerable to flood risk. Quotes attributable to Linda Speight, University of Oxford: “The climate is changing. Extreme weather is occurring more frequently and there is an urgent need to increase flood resilience. To live successfully in a changing climate, all aspects of society need to be ready to adapt when warnings are issued.” “Communicating extreme events is difficult. An individual’s response to flood warnings is often influenced by their previous experience. Without having seen a river in full flood, it is very difficult to comprehend the destructive power of water or appreciate the urgency of preparation.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 10, 2022

Food in crisis - 360 Charis Palmer Published on April 4, 2022 Food supply chains already in flux in the wake of COVID-19 are under new pressure from the Ukraine war with potentially dire consequences for global stability. Wheat, barley and fertiliser prices are skyrocketing by up to 40 percent in the wake of the war in Ukraine and the heavy sanctions levied on Russia. “This could cause an escalation of hunger and poverty with dire implications for global stability, says Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, a UN agency. The conflict-driven price hikes come on top of food prices already driven to 10-year highs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-pandemic progress toward reducing hunger has been set back, an additional 100 million people going hungry in its wake. Access to adequate food is a human right recognised under international law, but in developing and developed economies, 768 million people faced hunger in 2020. Of these, 418 million live in Asia, 282 million live in Africa and 60 million live in Latin America and the Caribbean. Nearly one in three people in the world (2.37 billion) did not have access to adequate food in 2020. In the last two years, the number of food insecure people more than doubled from 135 million to 283 million. Food insecurity ranges from people eating minimally adequate diets but having to make significant changes to support non-food needs, to famine where acute malnutrition and disease levels are high. Around 660 million people may still face hunger in 2030, in part due to lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on global food security – 30 million more people than if the pandemic had not occurred. The majority (60 percent) of people affected by hunger live in conflict zones, with conflict the main driver in 8 out of 10 of the worst hunger crises. The Russian Federation and Ukraine are responsible for 29 percent of the global wheat trade, and many countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Eritrea and Armenia are all highly dependent on wheat imports from these markets. Some countries including Indonesia, Argentina, Egypt and Morocco have put in place trade restrictions to protect their own supplies of food in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Quote attributable to Stephen K. Wegren, Southern Methodist University: “Since 2014 Russia has been a central player in the international food market, ranking first or second in wheat exports every year. The war in Ukraine will change its status as an emerging food superpower.” Quote attributable to Jia-Qi Cheong, Senior Lecturer, University Malaysia Sabah: “Mainstream urban farming methods now offer a well-structured set-up that requires minimum irrigation and zero pesticides. This allows mass implementation any time and anywhere.” Quote attributable to Rebecca Lindberg, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Deakin University: “Australia’s cafe culture, sourdough obsession and rise of organic food stores hide a harsh reality: some city-dwellers are being priced out of daily staples.” Stephen K. Wegren, Southern Methodist University Its invasion of Ukraine has imperilled Russia’s plans for increased grain yields and higher-value exports. Rebecca Lindberg, Deakin University A growing group of social entrepreneurs are helping Australians doing it tough to move beyond food handouts. Protecting the midday meal in India Reetika Khera, Indian Institute of Technology India’s school meals program is ubiquitous, helping deliver food to millions. It faces threats from multiple angles. Urban farming taking root in Malaysia Jia-Qi Cheong, University Malaysia Sabah Almost 10 million Malaysians face food insecurity. Initiatives to support alternative food sources are taking root, but challenges remain. Food for profit: India’s food giants consolidating power Pritam Singh, Oxford Brookes Business School Agribusiness corporations have been on the rise in India since the 1970s. Unless there is a change in government policy smaller farms face a bleak future. The case for Indian food subsidies H.S. Shergill, Panjab University and Varinder Sharma Commercial food production anywhere in the world requires significant government subsidies. India is no exception. Hunger in India likely to grow againBy Nandini Nayak, Ambedkar University Delhi India’s food subsidy programs have the capacity to respond to increased demand. Thoughtful adjustment would reap large-scale benefits. Farming smarter: tackling the decline in Indonesian farming Suryo Wiyono – IPB University, Indonesia Indonesia is in danger of losing most of its farmers within a generation. Government support and improved farming technology can arrest the trend. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on April 4, 2022

Governments in the red - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on February 27, 2023 Government debt in developing economies has reached a record high of USD$98 trillion. This is despite total global debt declining for the first time since 2015, driven directly by developed economies, according to a new report by the Institute of International Finance published on Wednesday. “The external public debt burden of many developing countries worsened due to sharp losses in local currencies (in 2022) against the [US] dollar,” the IIF told Reuters, adding that there is “no sign of imminent recovery”. Developing economies yet to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic are facing high-interest rates and a strong US dollar, making it more expensive to service their debt at a time when the price of food and energy is also growing. Pakistan is one of those nations feeling the pinch. On the brink of a debt default, its Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, said the country has gone “bankrupt”. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced cost-cutting measures including banning ministers from flying business class or staying in five-star hotels. “It has also been decided to withdraw luxury vehicles from ministers … they will be auctioned where necessary,” the PM said on Wednesday. But short-term measures will only divert the current “fiasco”, according to Pakistani economists Wajid Islam from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority and Junaid Ahmed, from Westminster International University. “Stringent long-term structural reforms are what Pakistan needs to stay afloat,” they said. “The government has to grow its surplus by controlling expenditure, which is possible by introducing competitiveness, reforming the tax system, diversifying its export base, reducing the trade deficit and providing a suitable environment for investors, which will reduce the budget deficits and dependency on handouts.” Government debt itself isn’t the problem, a degree of it is healthy for economic growth. “More important than the raw magnitude of debt is its level relative to the size of the economy, as this ratio indicates a country’s ability to service its debt,” said Gigi Foster, economics professor at UNSW. Countries unable to pay back or restructure their debts — often due to poor historical monetary policies — can result in economic collapse and political turmoil, largely seen in Sri Lanka in mid-last year. Umesh Moramudali, lecturer at the University of Colombo, said Sri Lanka has made some progress with debt restructuring and private bondholders have shown a willingness to restructure debt. “The lesson Sri Lanka teaches is that middle-income transitions sound and look fancy for many low-income countries. But hurrying into it without fixing structural issues in the economy, strengthening institutions and ensuring strong checks and balances can create economic catastrophe,” he said. Developed countries like the United States and Japan also face debt difficulties this year. Japan currently has the most government debt of any country, estimated at 263 percent of the size of its economy and double the ratio of the US. “The government and the central bank are trapped in a vicious cycle of excessive debt burden,” said Toshiro Nishizawa, professor at the University of Tokyo. In January, the central bank decided to maintain its policy to purchase bonds without setting an upper limit and allowed ten-year bond yields to remain at around zero percent. “Economics tells us that Japan cannot keep interest rates low, maintain a stable currency and keep up free capital flows simultaneously. The theory is called the impossible trinity,” Professor Nishizawa said. “A weaker yen implies the products and services offered by Japanese labour are at bargain prices while households face import-induced price hikes.” He adds that the “growing mountain of public debt” will fall on the next generation if left unchecked. Last month, the US hit its USD$31.4 trillion debt ceiling — a limit on the amount of money the government can borrow. It’s now up to Congress to decide whether to lift the debt limit, or risk a default sometime between July and September, according to a forecast issued last week by the Congressional Budget Office. Government debt and politics tend to go hand in hand. They may seem like issues far bigger than us, but in a democracy you may have a bigger role to play than you think. “The person on the street is often a government creditor. If you have a retirement fund, chances are a government somewhere (maybe even your own!) owes you something,” said Professor Foster. “You have the power to stop lending to it by altering your investment mix – and together with the choices of many others, this can matter. “People often feel they are powerless in the face of high finance organised by the well-connected elite classes … [yet] regular people still hold the power to put their money, their voice and their vote behind more sensible spending programmes and more accountable leadership for their country.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Governments in the red” sent at: 24/02/2023 13:19. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 27, 2023

Health diplomacy - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on November 14, 2022 The cooperation required to overcome COVID-19 revived interest in health’s geopolitical role, placing it firmly on the agenda at the upcoming G20 summit. Heads of state from the world’s 20 biggest economies will discuss how best to prepare and protect people from the next pandemic as they meet for the G20 in Bali, Indonesia, this week. Last month’s meeting between G20 health ministers outlined six key actions to be submitted for consideration for the summit on 15-16 November. It includes continued work on a joint pandemic fund, genomic surveillance for future pathogens, establishing compatible travel certificates and better ways respond to pandemics. “Even when the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, the health protocol standards still serve as a device to anticipate the next pandemic,” Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said. In an interconnected world, a fractured approach to future health threats will leave us flat-footed again. The impact is felt even deeper in vulnerable low-income countries relying on the capabilities of wealthier nations to provide vaccines and medicines. “It’s heartbreaking that lives have been lost due to inequity in accessing life-saving tools,”  said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “This demonstrates the core purpose of a [Pandemic Accord] — committing to learning lessons, not repeating the same injustice again and saving more lives in future.” The COVID-19 pandemic emphasised the links between health, foreign policy, trade and national security. It forced countries to cooperate to contain, vaccinate and protect their populations as dangerous pathogens easily spread through international travel. Medical manufacturing capabilities and donations can be effective diplomatic tools to build influence and cement friendship now more than ever. As we prepare ourselves for our next global outbreak, it remains to be seen if it can also lead to global power shifts. Global health diplomacy addresses issues beyond national boundaries that required collective action. It considers health as an important element in foreign, security and trade policies. An estimated 1.3 million lives could have been saved if COVID-19 vaccines were shared more equitably with lower-income countries in 2021, according to mathematical models from 152 countries. The global distribution of vaccines was highly unequal — some countries had 90 percent coverage in adults, whereas others reached less than 2 percent by the end of last year. Some wealthier countries destroyed surplus vaccines, or rolled out plans to vaccinate low-risk children, while many poorer countries did not have enough to vaccinate high-risk populations. A global COVID-19 vaccine alliance, known as COVAX, delivered more than 1.6 billion doses to lower-income countries since January 2021, helping bringing coverage of two vaccine doses up to 51 percent in developing nations, compared to the global average of 63 percent. This quote is attributable to Erica Di Ruggiero, Garry Aslanyan and Ophelia Michaelides, University of Toronto: This quote is attributable to Renzo R. Guinto, St. Luke’s College of Medicine: This quote is attributable to Gerald Bloom, Institute of Development Studies, UK: Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 14, 2022

Special Report: Healthy to 100 - 360 Barbara Barbosa Neves, M.R.Rajagopal Published on November 24, 2021 By Charis Palmer, 360info and V. Srikanth, Monash University In nations around the world, both developed and developing, people are living longer. It’s good news for those hoping to live well to 100, but for economies and families, the implications are dramatic. As populations shift and families become smaller there are fewer options for older people traditionally cared for by their adult children, driving a crisis in aged care. Elder abuse is also on the rise. COVID-19 related challenges are not helping as older people are more isolated and more pressure is put on existing healthcare settings. In 2021, the UN kicked off a “Decade of Healthy Ageing” with action focused on age-friendly environments, integrated care (including palliative care), combating ageism and long-term care. (Quotes attributable to Professor V. Srikanth, National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Monash University and Peninsula Health) (Feature articles available for republishing under Creative Commons 4.0) Will we ever cure dementia? By V Srikanth, Melbourne How I helped my mother to have a good death By V Srikanth,  National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Monash University Putting the care into India’s healthcare By M.R.Rajagopal, Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences Why your grandma doesn’t want to Zoom By Barbara Barbosa Neves, Monash University As India’s population ages, family care is waning By  S Irudaya Rajan and Nelgyn Tennyson, International Institute of Migration and Development Age-friendly Taipei brings people together By Siew-Imm Ng, Xin-Jean Lim and Hui-Chuan Hsu, Malaysia/Taipei Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 24, 2021

Indigenous lessons - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on December 21, 2022 Indigenous knowledge can help us better adapt to and mitigate climate change. More than 190 nations at COP15 — the United Nations biodiversity summit — have reached a historic deal to protect a third of the Earth’s land and water by the end of the decade. After two weeks of negotiations in Montreal, Canada, the agreement aims to preserve environmental diversity and ensure its benefits are used sustainably, as well as stopping people from driving species to extinction. “The agreement also commits governments to enhancing the role of collective actions, including by Indigenous peoples and local communities,” said Professor Jamie Pittock at The Australian National University. “A major reinvestment in land care and other community-based bush regeneration groups is therefore needed.” Indigenous communities maintain a strong link to their land. They are often the first to feel the devastating effects of environmental damage and climate change. “When our forests are damaged, there will be a massive climate crisis, species like the birds of paradise will become extinct and not just our Namblong Indigenous culture will be destroyed, but that of all peoples everywhere,” Orpha Yoshua, an Indigenous Namblong woman from West Papua told Greenpeace. There are growing calls for valuable Indigenous learnings to be integrated into climate change adaptation and education. With extensive knowledge of local conditions passed on through generations, there is room to improve how policymakers work with Indigenous peoples to promote their lessons and share solutions to environmental issues facing our world. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasised the value of Indigenous knowledge and rights at the heart of environmental conservation this month. He pledged C$800million (US$585million) of funding over seven years for Indigenous-led projects. He has urged other nations, specifically, China, Russia, Brazil and other large countries, to consider the same. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for Indigenous knowledge to be recognised and considered to build locally appropriate climate adaptation strategies. Indigenous peoples and local communities manage at least 24 percent of the total carbon stored above ground in the world’s tropical forests. Many Indigenous groups have limited authority or recognition over their territories which they rely on for their daily livelihoods, including food and shelter. Those most affected and suffering the greatest due to climate change, including Indigenous people, are the least able to participate in the decision-making process. This quote is attributable to Linda Payi Ford, Charles Darwin University, Veronica Matthews, Sydney University, Sotiris Vardoulakis, Australian National University: This quote is attributable to Allan Rarai and Meg Parsons, Auckland University: “Indigenous knowledge is a critical resource to be integrated with scientific knowledge to improve our understanding of how ecosystems function, environmental health and the impacts of climate change.” This quote is attributable to Su-Hie Ting, Gabriel Tonga Noweg, and Yvonne Michelle Campbell, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak: Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Indigenous lessons” sent at: 19/12/2022 12:00. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on December 21, 2022

Language barriers - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on August 22, 2022 English has become the dominant language used across global business, science, diplomacy and the internet, but it creates an unfair advantage. Technology and international travel have removed geographical barriers that once stood in the way of global communication. Our lives are now more connected than ever. Around the world, English has become the dominant language in business, science, diplomacy and the internet. It’s the official language of more than 55 countries, spoken by more than a billion people. But the widespread use of English has naturally created an unfair advantage for native speakers, most of whom are in developed economies. Languages play a crucial role in “development, in ensuring cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue,” according to the United Nations. As language, power and identity share an entangled relationship, overcoming barriers to communication will require conscious effort. This year’s UNESCO Mother Language Day focused on the challenges and opportunities for using technology for multilingual learning. “Technology  can  provide  new  tools  for  protecting  linguistic  diversity,” said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO. “Such  tools …  allow  us  to  record  and  preserve  languages which sometimes exist only in oral form. Put simply, they make local dialects a shared heritage.” The English language spread with the colonisation of parts of Asia and Africa in the late 16th century. One billion people use English their second (third, or fourth) language, but less than 400 million speak it as their first. Forty percent of the global population doesn’t have access to an education in a language they speak or understand, particularly in linguistically diverse areas. Challenges in keeping a language alive include a declining number of speakers, a lack of educational resource or political recognition, and internalised shame from speaking the language due to oppression, racism and discrimination. Quote is attributable to Ingrid Piller, Macquarie University “Supporting language diversity is a matter of social justice. It is a starting point to making institutions more accessible and inclusive.” Quote is attributable to Celeste Rodriguez Louro, The University of Western Australia “Biases can stem from difficulties in processing and understanding foreign accents … There are strategies to overcome these biases, but the true obstacle lies in implementing them widely.”

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on August 22, 2022

Literacy beyond the classroom - 360 Published on September 8, 2022 Literacy begins before school and extends throughout a lifetime. 360info considers ways to support access to literacy outside traditional settings. Two years of COVID-19 related disruptions to teaching have taken their toll on literacy around the world. A recent report from the World Bank found globally, between February 2020 and February 2022, education systems were fully closed for in-person schooling for about 141 days on average. The end result has been what UNICEF Chief of Education Robert Jenkins says is “a nearly insurmountable scale of loss to children’s schooling”. The loss to learning has been felt even in countries with high access to the internet and higher levels of digital skills among the teaching force, but for children in low and middle-income countries the impact has been acute. “With 7 in 10 of today’s 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries now unable to read a simple text, political leaders and society must swiftly move to recover this generation’s future by ensuring learning recovery strategies and investments,” says Jenkins. Some 24 million students may not return to formal schooling, according to UNESCO, making the case for learning opportunities beyond the classroom to overcome looming literacy issues. Ahead of International Literacy Day on September 8, UNESCO says a transformation of existing learning spaces is required, enabling literacy learning in the manner of lifelong learning. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_4"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_4"} Although the global literacy rate has been increasing over the past 50 years — 86.68 percent in 2020 — there are substantive differences among various vulnerable groups based on their gender and geographical location. In high-income countries, 90 percent of all children learn to read with comprehension before the end of primary school, and for the highest-performing countries, the figure reaches 97 percent or more. But since the pandemic, many children are off-track in reading. In several Brazilian states, around 3 in 4 children in grade 2 are behind in their reading, up from 1 in 2 children pre-pandemic. In South Africa, schoolchildren are between 75 per cent and a full school year behind where they should be. In South Asia, 78 percent of children lack minimum literacy proficiency, up from 60 percent pre-pandemic. Without action, the current generation of students risks losing US$21 trillion in lifetime earnings in present value, or the equivalent of 17 percent of today’s global GDP, according to the World Bank. This quote can be attributed to Zulfa Sakhiyya, Universitas Negeri Semarang: “It is a myth that literacy automatically guarantees vertical social mobility. This myth is exacerbated by the fact educational opportunities are not distributed equally.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Literacy beyond the classroom” sent at: 05/09/2022 10:57. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on September 8, 2022

Migration's changing face - 360 Reece Hooker Published on June 20, 2022 360info in collaboration with the Calcutta Research Group explores the changing causes and effects of migration at a time when one in 30 people globally is a migrant. This year’s World Refugee Day renews focus on the world’s responsibility to provide safety for all its people. After two years of heavy travel restrictions, the exit of the US from Afghanistan and a new war in Ukraine, migration continues to change around the world. More than 10 million people live stateless and over 100 million people have been displaced.The number of refugees globally has increased each year of the decade, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “Either the international community comes together to take action to address this human tragedy, resolve conflicts and find lasting solutions, or this terrible trend will continue,” he said. Migrants are often among the most vulnerable members of the population. Their relative lack of power in the workplace often makes them subject to exploitative working conditions. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_3"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_3"} From rural-to-urban workers seeking more stable employment to sex workers trafficked across borders, migrant workers across industries and continents lack protection. And for migrants who are leaving their country of origin to escape danger, the risks are high. Even those who survive the arduous journey often face another life-threatening challenge: statelessness. Denied citizenship of their destination country they are often unable to safely return to where they came from. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_4"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_4"} Researchers want to see nations and intergovernmental organisations strive for better systems of migration that can prevent displacement, provide a state of safe harbour for migrants, and stop the exploitation of vulnerable workers. 360info is looking at the changing face of migration in this Special Report, a collaborative project with the Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group. One in 30 people globally is a migrant – that is, about 3.6 percent of the world’s population consists of migrants. This amounts to 281 million international migrants – people living in countries other than their place of birth — in 2020 according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration. This was 128 million more than in 1990 and three times the estimates for 1970. According to the IOR’s World Migration Report, the migrants in Europe (87 million)  and Asia (86 million) host about 61 percent of the international migrant stock, they are followed by North America (59 million of 21 percent of the total migrants), Africa (nine percent), Latin America and Caribbean (five percent) and Oceania (three percent). In 2019, more than two-thirds of all refugees came from five countries – Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar. Quotes attributable to On whether migration and statelessness go together: “If you take internal displacement, then clearly migration and statelessness do not go together. This category of migrants includes IDPs due to development activities, climate change and more. Today, with citizenship laws, between  jus soli or citizenship by birth, and jus sanguinis or citizenship by blood,  increasingly favouring citizenship by blood a child born in the UK cannot become a citizen unless born of British parents. Statelessness and migration have become linked. “Statelessness often begins at home. In India’s northeast, because of citizenship drives many have become stateless. The Rohingyas became stateless again because of Burmese redefined citizenship and had to flee to become stateless migrants. Similar factors have led to statelessness in Mauritania or when the South Bhutanese were chased out of Bhutan.” On whether migration happens more in developing economies: “A larger share of cross-border migration happens within the Global South. I would say nearly 60 percent of migrants are within the country or within the Global South region. Thus, for example, the labour market and the flesh market in Johannesburg attracts a large number of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.” “The Bangladeshi migration is mostly to India and Malaysia with very few going to the West. Iran housed nearly 700,000 Afghans for two decades with Pakistan housing another 500,000 to a million Afghans. Compared to these figures, how many Afghans reached Europe? Very few, I would say.” “Ironically, now migrants from the Global South when they reach the Global North are being sent back to the Global South. One can see this in the policy of the UK of relocating migrants to Rwanda.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on June 20, 2022

Militarisation of police - 360 Sara Phillips Published on October 3, 2022 Tanks and assault rifles are just the most obvious aspects. The increasingly militarised approach to policing runs far deeper In the UK this week, anger over police violence spilled onto the streets, as family and supporters of Chris Kaba protested what they saw as a racist killing of the unarmed man by a police officer. It’s a story that has been repeated in the media countless times across the world: unarmed Black man shot dead by police. It’s a story we will no doubt see again. “Police cannot be judge, jury, and executioner. They must be accountable to the rule of law,” said Deborah Coles, executive director of a UK charity, INQUEST, that supports families of those who have died at the hands of the state. Nineteenth-century UK Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel is considered the father of the modern police force. His view, often described as “policing by consent” was that policing requires the willing co-operation of the public; and to achieve that, police must be in the service of citizens. His view was that police should be unarmed, to demonstrate their difference from the military. So when American demonstrations in support of police murder victims George Floyd and Michael Brown were quelled by police with assault weapons and driving tanks, it only heightened calls for the role of police in society to be examined. Despite a slew of evidence from researchers across the world that a softer, more collaborative style of policing is more effective, militarisation of police continues — a continuum from black-ops style uniforms to all-out civil war against a nation’s people. To circuit-break the arms race, research suggests systemic changes to policing, back to its Peelian roots, recruiting a new cohort of officers that serve all citizens. As historian Charles Reith wrote about the police: “The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, and not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them.” Police in the USA kill more than 1,000 citizens a year. In Brazil, they are responsible for 13 percent of all homicides In 2010, more than 75 percent of police forces worldwide used some form of militarised policing. US SWAT teams originated in the 1960s in response to riots in protest of police brutality. US teams subsequently trained 52 other nations in how to assemble SWAT teams. Quote attributable to Rich Evans or Clare Farmer, Deakin University Quote attributable to Fachrizal Afandi, Universitas Brawijaya Quote attributable to Sergio Padilla Oñate, National Autonomous University of Mexico

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 3, 2022

Missing women, missing data - 360 Published on March 21, 2022 Our world has a gender gap problem. Societies have been largely designed by men for men, from voting rights and access to healthcare, to pay gaps, parental leave, car safety, and even toilet access. To better understand the lives of women and make better, more equal policy decisions, we need numbers and data to help paint a better picture. But more often than not, that data doesn’t exist, and we only have a partial understanding of the lives of women and girls around the world. This lack of data can have potentially fatal consequences for half of the global population – how can we fix or track a problem without fully understanding it in the first place? More than 75 percent of gender related data is over a decade old. The rate of informal employment for women is higher than men’s in the lower-income countries. The pandemic is widening the poverty gap between men and women. Women’s learning, thinking, cognitive processing and problem-solving can be different compared to men’s, but most educational processes do not take this into account. Heart disease affects men and women, but often goes undetected, undiagnosed, or undertreated in women. This is referred to as the ‘Yentl syndrome‘. Gender biases get built into machine learning system algorithms and can discriminate against women’s access to finance, employment, and healthcare. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_9"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_9"} Quote attributable to Leah Ruppaner from the University of Melbourne: “Language is a really powerful tool that we can use to open and close doors based on gender.” Quote attributable to Leah Ruppaner, University of Melbourne: “Validating women’s experiences is powerful in itself because it stops the person feeling hopeless about themselves.” Quote attributable to Yolanda Riveros Morales, Monash University: In regards to gendered-based sexual violence in conflict situations: “We don’t know the numbers we only know the tip of the iceberg of what is really happening there.” “We need data not only to analyse what has been happening in the last 20 years in [conflict-ridden] countries, but also how you can help those women. How can we fix the problem.” Limited gender data deepens inequalitiesRonald Musizvingoza and Claudia Abreu Lopes, United Nations University Without accurate and timely gender data, resources may be wasted in programs that do not work. Women fish too: invisible women in tuna industriesKate Barclay, University of Technology Sydney The assumption that the tuna fishing industry is a man’s world is not only misleading, but also damaging. Flexible working in Malaysia does not benefit women Syaza Shukri, International Islamic University Malaysia Flexible workplace policies may help improve gender gaps in employment but they might weaken women’s position in the labour market. What we don’t know about women as ‘weapons of war’ Yolanda Riveros-Morales and Jacqui True, Monash University We still don’t know how widespread and systematic the use of sexual violence is as a ‘weapon of war’. Science has a data problem and it continues to harm women Lavanya Vijayasingham, UNU-IIGH Women died needlessly from being excluded from clinical trials. Without data Indonesia’s gender equality promise faltersAntik Bintari, Padjadjaran University Indonesia Missing gender data means Indonesia’s development programs are mistargeted, hindering gender mainstreaming goals enacted 22 years ago. Psychological abuse is underreported, and the effects are damaging Kristin Diemer, Melbourne University Psychological abuse is often ignored and assumed to be less severe than other forms of intimate partner violence. Editors Note: In the story “International Women’s Day” sent at: 11/03/2022 14:36. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 21, 2022

Modern slavery - 360 Reece Hooker Published on November 21, 2022 The exploitation of workers is a global problem but the issues leading up to the men’s FIFA World Cup have sparked a global conversation about what can be done. The men’s FIFA World Cup is set to kick off at Al-Bayt Stadium in Qatar, but the globe’s biggest celebration of football has been overshadowed by the host nation’s chequered human rights record. Along with its mistreatment of the LGBTQI+ community, the alleged labour abuses taking place in the lead-up to the tournament have dampened excitement about the on-pitch spectacles. The players too are aware of the problem. Australia’s national team, the Socceroos, released a collective statement and accompanying video featuring 16 players, in hopes of leaving “a legacy that goes well beyond the final whistle”. “We have learned that the decision to host the World Cup in Qatar has resulted in suffering and the harm of countless of our fellow workers,” Jackson Irvine of the Socceroos said. “These migrant workers who have suffered are not just numbers. Like the migrants that have shaped our country and our football, they possessed the same courage and determination to build a better life,”  Alex Wilkinson, president of the Professional Footballers Australia union said. While the men’s World Cup has put modern slavery back into the headlines, the practice isn’t contained to Gulf nations. The world over, worker exploitation infects supply chains in many industries. Advocacy from high-profile athletes in Qatar is one small step. But without major adjustments from governments, businesses and pressure from consumers, modern slavery will continue to flourish unchecked. As the world game takes centre stage this month, so too will questions about how the global community can better protect the most vulnerable workers from further exploitation. Although not defined in law, modern slavery is the umbrella term that “refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power”. As of 2021, around 50 million people were living in slavery-like conditions — a rise of over 10 million since the last recording in 2016. One in eight forced labourers are children (3.3 million). Quotes attributable to Brock Bergseth, James Cook University: “In many Southeast Asian countries, migrant fishers are targeted by predatory recruitment agencies and human traffickers. Often, these agencies go to poverty stricken rural villages in Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia promising lucrative contracts to workers with few other options to support their families.” “When the workers arrive, supposedly to board their vessel, the recruitment agency takes their passports, cuts them off from contact with the outside world and often locks them away in apartments with abysmal conditions until they are placed on a boat, where rape, near starvation and other violations often occur.” Quotes attributable to Priya Sharma, Monash University Malaysia: “The presence of forced labour indicators in the Malaysian medical glove industry demonstrates a need for legislation to effectively address forced labour in the supply chain. However, Malaysia’s laws don’t provide comprehensive solutions to combat forced labour in supply chains.” “Malaysia  wants to take steps to improve its reputation on human trafficking and forced labour. But whether the shortcomings with the law are intentional or negligent, the legislative framework to eradicating modern slavery is far from finished.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 21, 2022

New geopolitics - 360 Published on May 24, 2022 360info is exploring the new alliances being forged in the wake of the war in Ukraine, and the impact they are having on the international world order. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought into clear focus the escalating rivalry between the modern-day powers: on one side, the United States and NATO; on the other, China, Russia and their allies. The invasion has triggered a geopolitical scramble: Sweden and Finland have applied to join NATO, and Russian allies such as Belarus have hardened in their anti-West rhetoric. In the shadow of powerhouse nations flexing their financial and military muscle, emerging powers are doing all they can to consolidate their standing. India, which has had its own issues with China, is benefiting from a close relationship with Russia, while Indonesia is stuck in the middle as this year’s holder of the G20 presidency. “The world is at an inflection point,” writes political historian Siddiq Wahid. “The war in Ukraine shows no signs of abating, and the principals in the ‘new’ cold war are asking nations to choose between the ideologies of liberal democracy and the alternative.” There was already fear that the growing geopolitical divide between the US and China could feed into areas of global relations, such as trade, climate change and financial systems, that depend on international cooperation. A new international rivalry has emerged between the Western power bloc led by the US and the rival camp by Russia-China. Developing countries are being asked to choose a side. But they are no longer clear about what the weakening of Russia portends for an international order that is moving towards multipolarity and dispersal of power. Global military spending crossed US$2 trillion for the first time in 2021. The United States has pledged US$11 billion to Ukraine to help defend against the Russian invasion, a figure which could rise by US$33 billion if their Congress approves the most recent request from the White House. The Central Bank of Russia is predicting an inflation rate between 18 and 23 percent for 2022, following widespread international sanctions on the nation’s economy. Quotes attributable to Kacie Miura, University of San Diego: “The blanket refusal of the United States to deploy combat troops in Ukraine is not lost on Beijing, whose leaders have long been deterred from using force to achieve full unification with Taiwan out of fear of US intervention.” “China’s leaders also have reason to be unnerved by the breadth and speed of the financial and economic sanctions levied against Moscow.” “While China’s economy is much larger than Russia’s, it will not necessarily be more resilient to international sanctions. China is far more integrated into the world economy and international community than Russia.” Quotes attributable to James Laurenceson, University of Technology Sydney “For most countries outside the West, the binary of democracies versus autocracies simply does not ring true. Nor are they inclined to participate in economic sanctions, even in face of developments as egregious as Russia’s latest moves. And with a primary focus on development, their interest in disconnecting from the growth engine of China’s economy is close to zero.” “Australian businesses with exposure to China are cognisant that their operations can fall victim to geopolitical fallout. Yet for those at the coalface of this economic engagement, geopolitical fallout is only one risk they must manage. Oftentimes it is far from the most significant and/or can be readily mitigated. The residual level of risk still then needs to be compared with the opportunities on offer in China versus elsewhere.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “New geopolitics” sent at: 23/05/2022 12:34. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on May 24, 2022

Nuclear weapons - 360 Reece Hooker Published on March 28, 2022 The geopolitics around nuclear arms control is rapidly becoming more complex, and so too is the technology behind the weaponry. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reignited discussions on the power of nuclear weapon states. Thrusting the issue into the spotlight, Russian President Vladimir Putin reminded the world in February 2022 that his country “remains one of the most powerful nuclear states” with “a certain advantage in several cutting-edge weapons”. But a lot has changed since the US and Russia last engaged in nuclear brinkmanship. While the nuclear weapon stockpiles may have reduced since the height of the Cold War, more states than ever possess nuclear weapons and many have modernised their arsenals. The situation is another challenge to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) — a 1968 pledge by 191 states to not spread nuclear weapons beyond the states that had already tested. EMBED START Video {id: "editor_1"} Despite being NPT signatories, the world's superpowers have ramped up the capabilities of their nuclear arms: the United States has poured trillions into modernisation, China has expanded its warheads and delivery systems, and Russia has put its upgraded nuclear forces on high alert. Meanwhile, non-NPT states such as North Korea, India and Pakistan shape regional relations, alongside Israel — a secret nuclear power with a policy of deliberate ambiguity . The rest of the world is drawing their own lines. Some 86 states, tired of empty disarmament rhetoric from nuclear states, have signed the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Others are siding with their powerful nuclear allies  — Australia’s AUKUS pact with the US and UK aims to equip them with nuclear propulsion submarines within the coming decades. 360info is looking into the role of contemporary nuclear weapons and how it is shaping 21st century geopolitics. The first nuclear test took place in New Mexico in 1945, creating a crater of 300 metres wide. (CTBTO) Approximately 90 percent of the world's nuclear warheads are owned by the United States and Russia. (Federation of American Scientists) As of October 2021, there are 441 nuclear power reactors in operation in 30 countries. There remains only nine states with nuclear weapons. (Statista) Quote attributable to Joelien Pretorius, University of the Western Cape "Using nuclear weapons to deter or compel action is effectively holding humanity at ransom "The world has come very close to nuclear war, miscalculation and accidents have happened, and the fact that there has not been a major nuclear disaster since 1945 is basically down to ‘luck’." "Disarmament seems to be reversing: nuclear weapon states are modernising their arsenals and some are increasing their warheads, renewing the nuclear arms race." Russia’s invasion could reignite a nuclear arms scramble Ineffective treaty helped Russia’s nuclear threat escalateJoelien Pretorius, University of the Western Cape Russia’s nuclear blackmail is prompted by a flawed treaty and ambivalence by nuclear weapon states towards nuclear disarmament. Not MAD about PutinMaria Rost Rublee, Monash University The notion of Mutually Assured Destruction as a deterrent to nuclear strikes has destabilised. It would be dangerous to maintain an unquestioned reliance on it. Nuclear winter should chill every leader to the boneSimone Turchetti, University of Manchester The consequences of a nuclear war have been well-explored by science. Beyond immediate death and destruction, a famine and climate disaster beckons. Biden's moment to decide on nukes is comingDaniel Steedman, Monash University US foreign policy will change in wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Whether Biden departs from his predecessors on nuclear weapons policy remains to be seen. Nuclear instability stretches beyond Russia to South Asia Amitabh Mattoo, University of Melbourne, Jawaharlal Nehru University Not since the end of the Cold War has the threat to the effectiveness of the nuclear non-proliferation regime been as intense or widespread. Nuclear North Korea eyes new Cold War eraSung-wook Nam, Korea University Watching Ukraine suffer at the hands of Russia is likely to strengthen North Korea’s resolve to keep its nuclear weapons. Despite being NPT signatories, the world’s superpowers have ramped up the capabilities of their nuclear arms: the United States has poured trillions into modernisation, China has expanded its warheads and delivery systems, and Russia has put its upgraded nuclear forces on high alert. Meanwhile, non-NPT states such as North Korea, India and Pakistan shape regional relations, alongside Israel — a secret nuclear power with a policy of deliberate ambiguity . The rest of the world is drawing their own lines. Some 86 states, tired of empty disarmament rhetoric from nuclear states, have signed the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Others are siding with their powerful nuclear allies  — Australia’s AUKUS pact with the US and UK aims to equip them with nuclear propulsion submarines within the coming decades. 360info is looking into the role of contemporary nuclear weapons and how it is shaping 21st century geopolitics. The first nuclear test took place in New Mexico in 1945, creating a crater of 300 metres wide. (CTBTO) Approximately 90 percent of the world’s nuclear warheads are owned by the United States and Russia. (Federation of American Scientists) As of October 2021, there are 441 nuclear power reactors in operation in 30 countries. There remains only nine states with nuclear weapons. (Statista) Quote attributable to Joelien Pretorius, University of the Western Cape “Using nuclear weapons to deter or compel action is effectively holding humanity at ransom “The world has come very close to nuclear war, miscalculation and accidents have happened, and the fact that there has not been a major nuclear disaster since 1945 is basically down to ‘luck’.” “Disarmament seems to be reversing: nuclear weapon states are modernising their arsenals and some are increasing their warheads, renewing the nuclear arms race.” Russia’s invasion could reignite a nuclear arms scramble Fitriani, University of Indonesia When Ukraine gave up its stockpile of nuclear weapons, they expected protection from the great powers. Russia’s invasion could start a global re-think. Ineffective treaty helped Russia’s nuclear threat escalateJoelien Pretorius, University of the Western Cape Russia’s nuclear blackmail is prompted by a flawed treaty and ambivalence by nuclear weapon states towards nuclear disarmament. Not MAD about PutinMaria Rost Rublee, Monash University The notion of Mutually Assured Destruction as a deterrent to nuclear strikes has destabilised. It would be dangerous to maintain an unquestioned reliance on it. Nuclear winter should chill every leader to the boneSimone Turchetti, University of Manchester The consequences of a nuclear war have been well-explored by science. Beyond immediate death and destruction, a famine and climate disaster beckons. Biden’s moment to decide on nukes is comingDaniel Steedman, Monash University US foreign policy will change in wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Whether Biden departs from his predecessors on nuclear weapons policy remains to be seen. Nuclear instability stretches beyond Russia to South Asia Amitabh Mattoo, University of Melbourne, Jawaharlal Nehru University Not since the end of the Cold War has the threat to the effectiveness of the nuclear non-proliferation regime been as intense or widespread. Nuclear North Korea eyes new Cold War eraSung-wook Nam, Korea University Watching Ukraine suffer at the hands of Russia is likely to strengthen North Korea’s resolve to keep its nuclear weapons.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 28, 2022

Nudging sustainability - 360 Sara Phillips Published on July 28, 2022 For Earth Overshoot Day, we explore whether psychology has the solutions to flip our behaviour to be more sustainable. Today is the day we have used up the resources our planet can replenish in a year, and we’re a little shy of 8 months in. Since the early 1970s environmental movements have pushed for more sustainable use of resources and limitations on pollution and growth. Those messages have, to a greater or lesser degree, been heard. But as of 28 July 2022, we remain on the backfoot. Earth Overshoot Day expresses the unsustainable way we are using the Earth’s resources. It moves a little earlier each year, largely because our land is becoming more unproductive, even as our population increases. Radical changes will be necessary to shepherd humanity onto a more sustainable path. But as anyone who has tried to break a habit can attest, even the smallest of changes are challenging. Many people say they want to be more sustainable, but somehow nothing changes. University of Massachusetts professor of psychology, Icek Ajzen  wondered why people want to do something, say they will do something, and then don’t. His 1985 theory of planned behaviour has underpinned a lot of behaviour change research ever since and is now being applied to sustainability. Professor Ajzen said that for people to adopt a new behaviour, they need to think it’s a good idea, they need their friends to think it’s a good idea, and then they need to believe it’s actually within their powers to do. When one or more of those three elements is missing, good intentions go nowhere. ‘Nudging’ people to make more sustainable choices can be a matter of tweaking the way they see the world, so that less damaging options seem attractive, popular and possible. “The behaviours people perform in their daily lives can have profound effects on their own health and well-being, on the health and well-being of other individuals, groups, and organisations to which they belong, and on society at large,” Professor Ajzen and his colleague Martin Fishbein have written. Expressed in land area, the amount of land available to sustainably feed and clothe humanity, plus remove our carbon emissions from the atmosphere is 1.5 global hectares per person. The amount of land currently used by humanity is 2.7 hectares per person. Earth Overshoot Day fell on 25 December in 1971. It is on 28 July in 2022. The United Nations projects that between 7.3 to 15.6 billion people will be living on Earth by 2100 Global energy-related emissions are expected to peak in 2024 and decline by 20 percent by 2050 Quote attributable to Johanna Meier, Ruhr University Bochum “Approximately one-third of demand-side greenhouse-gas emissions are related to food consumption and several studies show dietary changes will be critical if we are to stand any chance of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.” Quote attributable to Grace Lee Hooi Yean, Monash University Malaysia “Nudges have become an influential marketing and political strategy to deliberately manipulate how choices are presented to decision-makers to steer them toward desired behaviour.” Quote attributable to Mark Boulet, Monash University “A third, or 1.3 billion tonnes, of all food produced around the world is thrown away uneaten every year.” Editors Note: In the story “Nudging sustainability” sent at: 27/07/2022 11:20. This is a corrected repeat.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 28, 2022

On the road after COVID - 360 Published on December 6, 2022 The pandemic changed many aspects of road use but as lockdowns ease and traffic builds, familiar challenges to keeping people safe remain. Around this time every year governments and police forces in many countries launch a campaign to save lives on the roads. Police will target drink-driving. Or speeding. Seatbelts. Driving while tired. And, despite the money and time and effort, every year people will die. Last month, the UN Road Safety Fund launched a new global campaign to inform people of the  impact of unsafe roads for children. It says every 24 hours, 500 children die on roads globally. “Awareness is the first step towards addressing the global road safety challenge,” says Nneka Henry, head of the UN Road Safety Fund. According to the World Health Organization about 1.3 million people are killed on the world’s roads and 20-50 million are injured every year. Making roads less dangerous is a key platform of the  UN’s mission to halve road deaths by 2030. How the pandemic affects that goal has yet to be fully established. In most countries, road deaths fell in 2020 and 2021. In others, the roads were more dangerous than the pandemic. What is certain is that COVID-19 dramatically changed road use. In many nations, lockdowns emptied the streets — sometimes for months. It offered a rare glimpse at what travel looked like with fewer cars. In many cities, it handed power of the roads back to cyclists and pedestrians. Unsurprisingly, with fewer vehicles on roads there were fewer accidents. But of those who did venture out, some drivers took more risks and accidents were deadlier. What does the road ahead look like? While improvements in technology will continue to make vehicles and traffic infrastructure safer, human behaviour remains the common element in all interactions on the road. More than 90 per cent of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately 60 percent of the world’s vehicles. More than half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3 percent of their gross domestic product. Quote attributable to Matthew G. Nagler, City College New York:“The pandemic upset many long-standing patterns of interpersonal interaction. By forcing people into lockdown — in many cases for over a year — it kept them from interacting in familiar settings: workplaces, the shops, at community organisations, places of worship … and on the roads.” Quote attributable to Geetam Tiwari, Indian Institute of Technology:“The proportion of vulnerable road deaths on rural highways continues to be high in India because many sections of its national and state highways pass through densely-populated areas where local residents have to walk along these roads, cross them, or wait on the shoulders for public transport.” Quote attributable to Kira Mauseth, Seattle University:“With lockdowns and uncertainty, the pandemic has been a long-term disaster cascade which has put everyone under stress … When we are overly stressed, feel threatened or sense danger, our limbic system activates in order to engage a response that will protect us.” Quote attributable to Evan Iacobucci and Noreen McDonald, University of North Carolina“Delivery drivers often draw ire for blocking traffic, but research shows they try to avoid so when possible.” Quote attributable to Sarah Jane Fox, Leicester University:“Safety has improved greatly in recent decades as a result of collaborative efforts, such as the cross-border exchange of information on road-safety-related traffic offences, the Driving Licence Directives and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “On the road after COVID” sent at: 05/12/2022 13:52. This is a corrected repeat.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on December 6, 2022

Pacific primer - 360 Sara Phillips Published on July 11, 2022 Not usually at the forefront of geopolitical argy-bargy, the Pacific has recently emerged as a strategic element of securing democracy. A rift threatened to tear apart normally unshakeable regional unity in 2021, with five Micronesian countries threatening to leave the most powerful transnational group, the Pacific Islands Forum. Ahead of the July 12 – 14 meeting of the Forum, the rift seems to have been patched over. But both China and the United States have a renewed interest in winning friends and influencing the region. Each are expected to send high-level envoys to the Forum meeting. The US has long enjoyed military access to many Pacific Islands, including some with US bases. China’s recent attempts to establish the same with Solomon Islands has been met with alarm from the US and its regional allies. The patch that kept the Forum unified needs to be strong enough to withstand these opposing forces. While each nation may consist of small islands, united, they represent control of one fifth of the world’s oceans. Meanwhile the region faces considerable longer-term challenges that nations eager to form partnerships in the region can exploit to their advantage. Development, law and order, fisheries, security, communications, spiralling debt and women’s rights remain priorities for Pacific Island countries. And climate change, always climate change, lurks in the shadows of every aspect of Pacific life. The Pacific Ocean covers more than 30 percent of the Earth’s surface, stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Southern Ocean; and from the west coast of the USA to the east coast of Japan. It contains around 30,000 recognised islands. The western and central Pacific provide around 60 percent of the world’s tuna There are around 1,400 languages spoken in the Pacific. Quote attributable to Robert H. Richmond, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Quote attributable to Aaron Jenkins, University of Sydney Quote attributable to Henrietta McNeill, Australian National University or Maima Koro, University of Adelaide Lisa Williams Lahari, Pacific Islands Forum secretariat introduces the series. Editors Note: In the story “Pacific primer” sent at: 12/07/2022 11:14. This is a corrected repeat.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 11, 2022