tag:theconversation.com,2011:/articlesEnglish – The Conversation2024-03-19T13:10:57Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2239222024-03-19T13:10:57Z2024-03-19T13:10:57ZNigeria’s forests are fast disappearing – urgent steps are needed to protect their benefits to the economy and environment<p><em>Nigeria’s forest cover has been dwindling fast for decades. With one of the <a href="https://earth.org/challenges-facing-policies-against-deforestation-in-nigeria/">highest rates of deforestation</a> in the world, there are concerns about the survival of its forest resources. We asked forest management and biodiversity conservation expert Amusa Tajudeen to explain why the country’s forests are disappearing and what to do about it.</em></p>
<hr>
<h2>Which parts of Nigeria are covered by forest?</h2>
<p>Nigeria has a rain forest zone in the south. Forest cover decreases in density towards the north, where the savannah belt is characterised by grasses and sparse tree cover. The rain forest ecosystem <a href="https://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:1726/unuinrapolicybriefvol2_4.pdf">lies</a> between latitudes 4⁰N and 9⁰N and extends from the coast to about 250km inland.</p>
<h2>What is the current status of Nigeria’s forest cover?</h2>
<p>Nigeria’s forest cover is diminishing in extent and quality. But reliable data is scarce. For instance, one record indicates that <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thomas-Omali/publication/344238412_Prospects_of_satellite-Enhanced_Forest_Monitoring_for_Nigeria/links/5f5f7158299bf1d43c0223ce/Prospects-of-satellite-Enhanced-Forest-Monitoring-for-Nigeria.pdf#page=4">Nigeria’s land mass is 910,770km²</a> and forest occupies 110,890km², or 12.8% of the total land mass. Another shows that Nigeria’s land mass is 997,936km² and only <a href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/jasr/article/view/112511">10% is under forest reserve</a>.</p>
<p>At independence in 1960, it was <a href="https://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:1726/unuinrapolicybriefvol2_4.pdf">reported</a> that the colonial government had set aside 97,000km² (9.72%) of the country as forest reserves. </p>
<p>Historical accounts also indicate that the country’s rain forest, which was over 600,000km² in 1897 (60% of land mass), had <a href="https://bioone.org/journals/international-forestry-review/volume-8/issue-3/ifor.8.3.372/Status-of-Tropical-Forest-Management-2005-Summary-Report/10.1505/ifor.8.3.372.full?casa_token=ZTKPa_OhRG8AAAAA:iVodlrGMgTr3eYlu4CZ-IWR1KCxrg_0q6lnmCpc6zTfHRaBj2_kFYQETnMpHndwm6KRzxdefZXQ">reduced</a> by about half in 1960 to 30% of land mass. </p>
<p>Nigeria’s forests <a href="https://www.netjournals.org/pdf/NJAS/2015/1/15-011.pdf#page=1">covered</a> an estimated 175,000km² in 1990 and 135,000km² in 2000. Between 2000 and 2004, the country was said to have lost 55.7% of its primary forests – that is, 75,195km² of native and original forests that have never been logged and have developed under natural processes. </p>
<p>A report by the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD) <a href="https://www.un-redd.org/partner-countries/africa/nigeria">shows</a> that the decline rate of forest cover in Nigeria ranged from 3.5% to 3.7% per annum over the period 2000 to 2010. This translates to a loss of 350,000–400,000 hectares of forest land yearly.</p>
<p>Unless something decisive is done, and urgently, the country will lose all its forest areas by the year 2052, if the prevailing rate of deforestation at 3.5% annually is anything to go by.</p>
<h2>Why is forest cover important?</h2>
<p>Forests are very important for the economic development of every nation. They also have environmental, ecological, socio-cultural, scientific and research service functions. </p>
<p>Forests provide numerous goods and services. Some are needed as raw materials – for example wood for building materials, fuel and paper. </p>
<p>Forests also offer natural foods and non-timber products like oilseeds, latexes, gums, resins, rattan, vanilla and game. Forest-based industries such as sawmills, paper mills and furniture industries provide employment and income. </p>
<p>Forest ecosystems offer physical, biological and chemical benefits. These include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>conserving soil, controlling the timing and volume of water flows, protecting water quality and maintaining aquatic habitats </p></li>
<li><p>preventing disasters like floods and landslides, and moderating winds </p></li>
<li><p>conserving biodiversity </p></li>
<li><p>storing carbon, which mitigates climate change. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>The socio-cultural service functions of forests cover nature-based tourism and ecotourism activities. Ecotourism provides a means for people to use the forest without extracting its resources or degrading the environment. Wildlife attracts many visitors and foreign exchange earnings.</p>
<p>In addition, forests help to deepen our understanding of the natural world. Through research, we learn new things about species, habitats and ecosystems. Forest resources are particularly important in medicine, including immunology and other studies of diseases. </p>
<h2>Why is Nigeria’s forest cover being depleted?</h2>
<p>Before the 1950s, the forestry and agriculture sectors <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul-Owombo-2/publication/311869826_Contributions_of_Forestry_Sub-sector_to_the_Nigerian_Economy_A_Co-integration_Approach/links/5c3ef31692851c22a3789e6a/Contributions-of-Forestry-Sub-sector-to-the-Nigerian-Economy-A-Co-integration-Approach.pdf">contributed</a> over 80% of Nigeria’s gross domestic product. This changed after the discovery of oil in the 1950s and early 1960s.</p>
<p>Today, the laws and policies associated with forest administration are obsolete. In addition, supervision, monitoring and surveillance of forest areas is poor. Staffing and provision of basic infrastructure are grossly inadequate. </p>
<p>The principle of sustained yield forestry, when products removed from the forest are replaced by growth, has been abandoned in most forest reserves. Inventory records of resources are insufficient. Local people don’t participate enough in decision-making related to forests. The forestry sector is also affected by corruption, such as misappropriation of funds and <a href="http://repository.ui.edu.ng/handle/123456789/1405">illegal activities</a>.</p>
<p>In Nigeria, primary forests are <a href="http://repository.ui.edu.ng/handle/123456789/1405">cleared</a> extensively. The various state forestry departments have been unable to adequately protect the forest estate. Most forest reserves that were once managed for timber production have become deforested and fragmented. Many have been converted for other land uses. </p>
<p>Large scale agriculture has consumed a significant portion of forested areas. Similarly, <a href="https://digitalscholarship.tsu.edu/ajcjs/vol9/iss1/10/">unlawful and indiscriminate logging activities</a> take place in naturally occurring forests. </p>
<p>Urbanisation, which comes with roads, buildings and other infrastructure, is often carried out without proper planning. </p>
<h2>How can this depletion be tackled?</h2>
<p>Based on our <a href="http://80.240.30.238/bitstream/123456789/1405/1/%2816%29%20ui_inpro_amusa_forest_2017.pdf">studies</a> of the Nigerian forests over the years and <a href="https://www.rufford.org/projects/tajudeen-okekunle-amusa/strengthening-monitoring-systems-for-adaptive-management-and-protection-of-forest-elephants-in-omo-forest-reserve-southwestern-nigeria/">lessons</a> from numerous projects carried out, I have the following recommendations:</p>
<p>Most countries have a forestry law. Unfortunately Nigeria’s forest policy is not backed by a code or act. A national Forestry Act could reverse the decline in forest cover. It could give adequate protection and ensure sustainable management of the country’s forest estate.</p>
<p>There is an urgent need to plant and replant trees across the country. The various state governments can collaborate with non-governmental organisations to achieve this. </p>
<p>Reforestation involves replanting trees in areas where forests have been destroyed. Afforestation involves creating new forests on previously non-forested land. These campaigns should plant a diverse range of native tree species. </p>
<p>It’s also crucial to promote sustainable forestry practices. The government should enforce strict regulations against illegal logging and unsustainable timber harvesting. Enforcement can be done using technology such as remote sensors, drones and satellite imagery. It is essential to work with local communities, traditional leaders and NGOs to raise awareness about the importance of forest conservation.</p>
<p>Finally, there should be proper staffing. Adequately trained forest professionals and well equipped guards should be hired to safeguard the forests. Education and training programmes should teach local communities, forest workers and farmers about sustainable forestry methods and the importance of preserving biodiversity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223922/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tajudeen Amusa does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Nigeria’s forest resources have dwindled and are in danger of disappearing in a few decades if nothing is done to save them.Tajudeen Amusa, Associate Professor, Forest Resources Management, University of IlorinLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2256892024-03-19T13:09:24Z2024-03-19T13:09:24ZSouth Africa’s election management body has done a good job for 30 years: here’s why<p>More than in previous elections, <a href="https://www.elections.org.za/pw/">South Africa’s Electoral Commission</a> (IEC) will be tested to the hilt in this year’s national and provincial elections <a href="https://www.elections.org.za/pw/">on 29 May</a>. For the first time in 30 years, the electoral majority of the ruling <a href="https://www.anc1912.org.za/">African National Congress</a> (ANC) is <a href="https://www.thebrenthurstfoundation.org/news/new-survey-shows-voters-punishing-anc-over-governance-and-foreign-policy/">in jeopardy</a>. This makes the upcoming poll the most consequential one <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/south-african-general-elections-1994">since 1994</a>, when the country commenced with its democratisation. </p>
<p>The electoral commission’s <a href="https://www.elections.org.za/content/about-us/what-we-do/">tasks</a> are to enforce the rules of the electoral game and the parties’ ethical conduct. It must also be the dispute resolution champion and ensure that the election is free and fair. These are the primary contributions the commission can make towards promoting and consolidating electoral democracy. </p>
<p>The circumstances of this year’s elections will put additional pressure on the IEC to be a fair umpire of this contest. It thus can’t afford to be <a href="https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/parliament-welcomes-dismissal-iec-staff-member-responsible-leaks-12-mar-2024">mired in controversy</a>. </p>
<p>The commission has to implement an amended but <a href="https://www.elections.org.za/pw/elections/whats-new-in-the-2024-elections-electoral-amendment-act">interim electoral system</a> which allows independents to stand for the first time, but which is not yet well understood by the public.</p>
<p>In my view as a political scientist who has <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=oietezsAAAAJ&hl=en">studied</a> South African politics, elections, conflict resolution and comparative democratisation over the past three decades, the IEC’S track record is a sound reason to expect it to perform well in this year’s election.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10220461.2023.2269897">recent paper</a>, I set out how the IEC has developed a reputation as an effective electoral management body which maintains a high level of institutional independence and efficiency. The operational quality of elections under its jurisdiction is seldom challenged. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-africa-has-changed-its-electoral-law-but-a-much-more-serious-overhaul-is-needed-204820">South Africa has changed its electoral law, but a much more serious overhaul is needed</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The electoral commission’s institutional independence is a very important factor. The fact that the elections in South Africa have always been declared free and fair, and by the international community, is another factor. The fact that public opinion in South Africa has been generally satisfied with the management of elections for the past 30 years is a critical condition for the quality of democracy to be strengthened.</p>
<h2>Democracy and institutional independence</h2>
<p>My <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10220461.2023.2269897">research article</a> sets out how South Africa’s electoral body has cultivated an institutional independence that is envied by many other election commissions. Its composition contributes much to this independence. The commission’s five members are not allowed to have a prominent party-political profile. This contrasts with other electoral commissions, such as the one in Angola, which <a href="https://www.sadc.int/sites/default/files/2022-08/Final%20Preliminary%20Statement_Angola%20SEOM_26082022.pdf">consist primarily of party representatives</a>.</p>
<p>Candidates for the South African commission positions are interviewed in public by a panel chaired by the <a href="https://www.judiciary.org.za/">chief justice</a>, and consisting of the <a href="https://www.pprotect.org/">public protector</a> and two members of the <a href="https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/government/iec-chairperson-mashininis-9-march-2022/">six other commissions set up in terms of chapter 9 of the constitution</a>. The National Assembly approves the short list, which is then submitted to the president for final appointment. The National Assembly is also the only body that can <a href="https://www.ecfsadc.org/members/south-africa-independent-electoral-commission/">remove an IEC commissioner from office</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-africas-politicians-must-guard-against-killer-narratives-62562">South Africa's politicians must guard against killer narratives</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As an indication of its independence, the commission <a href="https://www.ecfsadc.org/members/south-africa-independent-electoral-commission/">accounts</a> to the National Assembly (public representatives) for all its actions and responsibilities, not to the cabinet. It must submit an <a href="https://www.elections.org.za/pw/Downloads/Documents-Library-Annual-Reports-IEC">annual report</a> to parliament’s multiparty portfolio committee on home affairs – not to a minister or government institution. Its budget is presented to parliament by the Department of Home Affairs but is ring-fenced for its exclusive use. In this respect the independence of electoral management is entrenched.</p>
<p>The IEC’s public accountability is enhanced by the way international and domestic observer missions scrutinise elections and the commission’s conduct. In the past, the <a href="https://www.sadc.int/latest-news/sadc-election-observation-mission-releases-its-preliminary-statement-2019-national-and">Southern African Development Community</a> , the <a href="https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/38696-doc-report_of_the_african_union_election_observation_mission_to_the_08_may_2019_national_and_provincial_elections_in_the_republic_of_south_africa.pdf">African Union</a>, the <a href="https://thecommonwealth.org/news/commonwealth-releases-observer-report-south-africa-elections">Commonwealth</a>, the <a href="https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/site/q/03lv02039/04lv02128/05lv02130.htm">European Union</a> and even the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00344899438439049">United Nations</a> have deployed <a href="https://www.elections.org.za/pw/Elections-And-Results/Observers">observer teams</a> in South Africa. Their mandate was to observe all the components of an election, including the commission’s performance. Their verdicts determine whether an election is regarded as free and fair. The IEC has opened applications to <a href="https://www.elections.org.za/pw/Elections-And-Results/Observers">observe the 2024 election</a>.</p>
<h2>Free and fair elections as a democratic yardstick</h2>
<p>The IEC can be given credit for institutionalising important mechanisms to ensure that elections are free and fair. One of them is the <a href="https://www.elections.org.za/pw/Parties-And-Candidates/Party-Liaison-Committees">party liaison committees</a> at different levels. They are a novel South African invention which serves as a communication channel between the electoral commission and all participating parties. It’s also a dispute resolution mechanism to identify problems at an early stage and resolve them. Many potentially debilitating problems have been identified and resolved by them over the years. Numerous electoral commissions have visited South Africa to <a href="https://liberia.ec-undp-electoralassistance.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2020/03/3.-NEC_Study-Tour_South-Africa_2-5-Sep-2019.pdf">learn about these committees</a>.</p>
<p>The South African electoral dispensation expects the IEC to create an environment conducive to free and fair elections. At the end of the elections it has the responsibility to declare whether they were <a href="https://www.elections.org.za/content/About-Us/News/Final-results-of-2021-Municipal-Elections-Address-by-Chairperson-Glen-Mashinini/">indeed free and fair</a>.</p>
<p>As major players in elections, electoral management bodies are often compromised in disputes and cannot, therefore, be the referees of whether elections are free and fair. That’s why in many other countries, this judgment is made by their supreme court and not by the commissions themselves. </p>
<h2>The test of public opinion</h2>
<p>The main test of the IEC’s contribution towards democracy is public opinion. The Human Sciences Research Council (<a href="https://hsrc.ac.za/">HSRC</a>) in South Africa conducts <a href="https://hsrc.ac.za/news/general/most-voters-satisfied-following-elections-survey-finds/">surveys</a> before and after every election to determine the public’s opinion on the elections, the IEC and its performance, and their views on some democratic indicators. </p>
<p>The surveys show that, during the period 2013-2018, the highest democratic ideal in the public’s mind was “free and fair elections” followed by “freedom of expression”. Trust in “free and fair elections” showed the greatest decline <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10220461.2023.2269897">between 2013 and 2021</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-africans-are-fed-up-with-their-prospects-and-their-democracy-according-to-latest-social-attitudes-survey-204566">South Africans are fed up with their prospects, and their democracy, according to latest social attitudes survey</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The HSRC researchers interpreted these trends as being influenced by declining trust in public institutions and dissatisfaction with democratic performance in general. Trust in the IEC <a href="https://hsrc.ac.za/news/capable-and-ethical-state/hsrc-election-survey-voters-positive-but-turnout-reflects-political-disillusionment/">remained very high</a>.</p>
<h2>An uncontroversial electoral body</h2>
<p>Constitutional institutions like the IEC cannot function in isolation. The social dynamics of democracy inevitably influence its own reputation for better or for worse.</p>
<p>Elections – especially managing the counting of ballots and announcing the results – can be very controversial. They have disrupted the political landscape in many countries. South Africa’s IEC has so far avoided such instability and managed to protect the integrity of the country’s elections.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225689/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dirk Kotze does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Independent Electoral Commission cannot afford to put a foot wrong in the country’s most important election since democracy in 1994, on 29 May.Dirk Kotze, Professor in Political Science, University of South AfricaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2259412024-03-19T12:31:45Z2024-03-19T12:31:45ZHaiti is in crisis, but foreign intervention comes with an ugly past<p>Haiti is <a href="https://news.miami.edu/stories/2024/03/haiti-is-close-to-becoming-a-failed-state.html">fast becoming a failed state</a>. </p>
<p>Armed gangs <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/16/overthrow-the-system-haiti-gang-leader-cherizier-seeks-revolution#:%7E:text=The%20UN%20has%20estimated%20that,foreign%20troops%20from%20entering%20Haiti.">control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince</a>, and have forced the <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/nation-world/2024/03/16/haitis-airports-are-closed-those-with-money-there-is-still-way-out/">shutdown of the capital’s international airport</a> and gasoline refinery. Most <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/18/world/haiti-crisis-militias-battle-intl-latam/index.html">businesses are closed or are being extorted by the gangs</a>.</p>
<p>Ordinary Haitians fear for their safety without the umbrella of law and order that only the government can provide. But there is not much government left: Elections have not been held <a href="https://www.electionguide.org/elections/id/2985/">since 2016</a>; the last president, Jovenel Moïse, was <a href="https://theconversation.com/haitis-president-assassinated-5-essential-reads-to-give-you-key-history-and-insight-164118">assassinated in 2021</a>; and the current prime minister and acting president, Ariel Henry, is <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/03/06/1236288645/haiti-crisis-prime-minister-henry-puerto-rico">stuck in Puerto Rico</a>, unable to fly back to Haiti.</p>
<p>It is increasingly becoming clear that Haiti has neither the means nor the ability to <a href="https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2024/03/haiti-private-meeting-2.php">pull itself out of this quagmire on its own</a>, raising the prospect of – and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/21/haiti-un-international-specialized-support-force">calls for</a> – foreign intervention. So far, to that end, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/01/world/africa/haiti-kenya-police-security.html">Kenya has offered</a> 1,000 armed policemen; other countries may chip in. The United States and Europe have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-aid-chief-announce-25-million-humanitarian-assistance-haiti-2024-03-15/#:%7E:text=The%20additional%20aid%20comes%20after,the%20U.S.%20since%20October%202022.">pledged millions of dollars</a> in aid. </p>
<p>But can a multinational security mission provide Haiti with a way out of its current crisis? My experience <a href="https://www.libarts.colostate.edu/people/esagas/">studying authoritarianism and democratization in Latin America and the Caribbean</a> tells me that international intervention will only take care of Haiti’s immediate security crisis – but it does not guarantee any long-term solutions to Haiti’s challenges. Moreover, history shows that in the case of Haiti, a multinational security mission may create problems of its own.</p>
<h2>Occupational hazards</h2>
<p>This is not the first time that talk has turned to sending foreign troops to Haiti. Since their hard-fought <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/86417/the-black-jacobins-by-c-l-r-james-with-a-new-introduction-by-david-scott/">independence from France in 1804</a>, the Haitian people have seen their country’s sovereignty disrupted many times.</p>
<p>From 1915 to 1934, <a href="https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/haiti">U.S. Marines occupied</a> Haiti <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/haiti-history-of-crises-present-unrest/">to impose order in the riot-struck republic</a>, create a professional military force and secure U.S. strategic interests in the process.</p>
<p><iframe id="HZR7k" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/HZR7k/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>The lengthy military occupation was a humiliating affair for the <a href="https://www.aaihs.org/the-black-republic-the-meaning-of-haitian-independence-before-the-occupation/">world’s first Black republic</a>, which had to endure being ruled by white foreigners. </p>
<p>In the aftermath of the U.S. occupation, the new Haitian military <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1823">became the main force</a> in the country’s politics, either ruling directly or as the power behind the throne.</p>
<p>In 1994, <a href="https://time.com/5682135/haiti-military-anniversary/">U.S. troops once again landed in Haiti</a>, this time to return to power the democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who had been ousted by the military just seven months into his term.</p>
<p>This second U.S. occupation led to the dissolution of the Haitian military, setting the stage for the current security crisis. Since then, Haiti has lacked a national security force capable of imposing order without being challenged by insurgents, paramilitaries and gangs.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/minustah">United Nations eventually took over</a> and sent several missions to stabilize the country starting in 1994. But the U.N. mission eventually left in 2019 once its mandate expired. U.N. troops were accused of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1YM27V/">sexually exploiting poor women</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/world/americas/united-nations-haiti-cholera.html">being responsible for a major cholera outbreak</a> that killed thousands of Haitians.</p>
<h2>Routes of transition</h2>
<p>This sorry history with foreign intervention means that Haiti faces a conundrum now: The country desperately needs outside help to rein in the gangs and provide order, but at what cost? </p>
<p>With the U.S., U.N. and the Ariel Henry administration seemingly in agreement over the <a href="https://ht.usembassy.gov/secretary-blinkens-call-with-haitian-prime-minister-henry/">need for outside assistance</a>, it seems like foreign intervention is increasingly likely.</p>
<p>Henry has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/haitian-leader-says-he-will-quit-after-transitional-council-formed-gang-violence-2024-03-12/">promised to step down</a> as soon as a transitional administration is set up. Any multinational security mission mandate is likely to be pretty straightforward: provide a modicum of security to assist the transitional administration.</p>
<p>But disarming the gangs is a major challenge. They will likely either resist, leading to a potential bloodbath, or, more likely, hide and wait until foreign troops leave Haiti and then reemerge. </p>
<p>That was one of the major failures of previous security missions in Haiti. U.N. peacekeepers kept the peace, but the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/14/haiti-gang-violence-us-guns-smuggling">flow of arms</a> coming <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/widespread-gang-violence-in-haiti-continues-bolstered-by-weapons-trafficked-from-the-u-s">into the country</a> from the United States continued unabated. Once the peacekeepers left, the violence resumed. Any international mission sent to Haiti will have to tackle this problem head on, or it will ultimately fail. </p>
<p>Gangs hold so much power over <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63707429">vast swaths of the country</a> that any mediated solution to the Haitian crisis will likely have to include them. Moreover, there is a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/15/opinions/haiti-gangs-violence-pierre-pierre/index.html">working relationship</a> between the Haitian political elites and the gangs, with the former arming the latter and using them to pursue their short-term goals. Ignoring the political power of the gangs is, I believe, engaging in wishful thinking about the nature of the Haitian political system.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A tank painted white with UN written on it drives down the street." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582600/original/file-20240318-20-o5lry1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582600/original/file-20240318-20-o5lry1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582600/original/file-20240318-20-o5lry1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582600/original/file-20240318-20-o5lry1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582600/original/file-20240318-20-o5lry1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582600/original/file-20240318-20-o5lry1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582600/original/file-20240318-20-o5lry1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Haitians have bitter memories of U.N. troops in their country.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/troops-ride-in-an-armored-personnel-carrier-while-news-photo/1543529746?adppopup=true">Thony Belizaire/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And what about Haiti’s other challenges, such as holding free elections, organizing a functioning, legitimate government and improving the lives of its citizens? </p>
<p>None of these goals can realistically be achieved until peace is restored. Only in the conditions of stability and order can a transitional caretaker government start planning the arduous task of holding free, fair and competitive elections. </p>
<p>It may be years before Haiti can organize such elections or restore trust in democracy among the populace. If this process is rushed, Haiti runs the risk of ending up with an illegitimate administration – <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/04/11/haiti-democracy-relations-united-states-gang-violence/">as Henry’s is seen to be</a> – heightening the chances of the resumption of violence. </p>
<p>This has been the case over the past two decades: Haiti’s elections and authorities have became less legitimate, to the point where the country was unable to hold free elections after 2016. </p>
<h2>The challenge ahead</h2>
<p>If a multinational security mission is in Haiti’s immediate future, then the chances of it having lasting success will hang on whether the international community can provide enough support to the country after foreign troops leave.</p>
<p>A new police force will have to be recruited and trained, institutions such as the judiciary have to be reinforced, and the new administration will need time to earn the trust of the people. This is a difficult task considering <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/haiti-in-2023-political-abyss-and-vicious-gangs/">Haiti’s political polarization</a>.</p>
<p>To overcome these challenges, the international community will have to pump funds into Haiti. While history has shown that this risks exacerbating governmental corruption, I believe it is a small price to pay for the maintenance of peace.</p>
<p>Without sustained funding from the international community, Haiti will again become a <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/immersive/haiti-forgotten-crisis?id=100287588">forgotten crisis</a>. For example, in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake, US$4.5 billion dollars were promised in aid, but only <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jan/11/haiti-earthquake-promised-aid-not-delivered">a little over half of it was delivered</a>. </p>
<p>The fear is that now an international community distracted by crises elsewhere, such as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, may soon lose interest in Haiti’s plight.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225941/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ernesto Sagás does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Can a multinational security mission provide Haiti with a stable future? Not without sustained funding for after the troops leave.Ernesto Sagás, Professor of Ethnic Studies, Colorado State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2215672024-03-19T12:27:35Z2024-03-19T12:27:35ZUS democracy’s unaddressed flaws undermine Biden’s stand as democracy’s defender − but Trump keeps favoring political violence<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581766/original/file-20240313-18-8p9hen.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=297%2C152%2C4186%2C3446&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Democracy in the U.S. has historically not been available to all.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/waving-flag-united-states-on-a-dark-wall-royalty-free-illustration/513437560?phrase=democracy+united+states&adppopup=true">Panacea Doll/iStock / Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>President Joe Biden argues that “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/05/us/politics/biden-speech-trump-jan-6.html">democracy is on the ballot</a>” in the 2024 election. </p>
<p>We believe there are potential threats to U.S. democracy posed by the choices voters make in this election. But the benefits of American democracy have for centuries been unequally available, and any discussion of the current threats needs to happen against that background. </p>
<p>One of us is a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xdia5UoAAAAJ&hl=en">political scientist who focuses on civic engagement</a>; the other is a <a href="https://tischcollege.tufts.edu/about/leadership/dayna-l-cunningham-dean">former voting rights lawyer</a>. At Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life, we both lead nonpartisan efforts to educate college students and other people about their roles in democracy. </p>
<p>For us, Biden’s talk of democracy is a useful starting point for a broader conversation about U.S. democracy and the 2024 election. </p>
<h2>The ‘sacred cause’</h2>
<p>On Jan. 5, 2024, the president delivered a speech in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, titled “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/01/05/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-third-anniversary-of-the-january-6th-attack-and-defending-the-sacred-cause-of-american-democracy-blue-bell-pa/">Defending the Sacred Cause of American Democracy</a>.” </p>
<p>As a candidate for reelection at the early stages of a political campaign, the president argued that he and his fellow Democratic candidates are in favor of democracy. Former President Donald Trump and his supporters in the U.S. Congress, said Biden, are against it.</p>
<p>In this speech and other statements, Biden makes the following case: Trump supported or even incited the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, and he refuses to <a href="https://whyy.org/articles/biden-jan-6-valley-forge-speech-2024-election-pennsylvania/">denounce political violence</a>. Trump floats ideas for his second presidential term that include <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-insurrection-act-2024-election-03858b6291e4721991b5a18c2dfb3c36">invoking the Insurrection Act</a>, which authorizes the president to deploy the military inside the United States. </p>
<p>In contrast, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris argue that they respect the Constitution, recognize their limited power and limited importance as leaders within a constitutional order and support freedom of speech. They maintain, in Biden’s words, that “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/01/05/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-third-anniversary-of-the-january-6th-attack-and-defending-the-sacred-cause-of-american-democracy-blue-bell-pa/">political violence is never, ever acceptable</a> in the United States.”</p>
<p>The basic facts in Biden’s speech appear accurate: Trump’s own statements support some of Biden’s claims. </p>
<p>If elected again, Trump is reportedly considering deploying the Insurrection Act <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/05/trump-revenge-second-term/">against civilian protests</a>. He has expressed <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/11/12/donald-trump-comments-xi-jinping-kim-jong-un-new-hampshire-rally-se-cupp-acostanr-vpx.cnn">open admiration for foreign authoritarian leaders</a>, most recently <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-watched-hungarys-democracy-dissolve-into-authoritarianism-as-a-member-of-parliament-and-i-see-troubling-parallels-in-trumpism-and-its-appeal-to-workers-224930">Hungary’s Viktor Orban</a>. He encouraged <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-guard-vote-election-2024-flynn-39d41fe4f7229d4ab7e1956efc428e10">his supporters to “guard the vote” and to “watch those votes” in certain cities</a>, which some interpret as threatening and potentially intimidating to election workers. </p>
<p>Trump has threatened to prosecute his political opponents, claiming in October 2023 that since he was being prosecuted during the Biden administration, that provided justification for him to do the same.</p>
<p>“This is third-world-country stuff, ‘<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/05/trump-revenge-second-term/">arrest your opponent</a>,’” Trump said during a New Hampshire campaign visit. “And that means I can do that, too.”</p>
<h2>Democracy vs. security</h2>
<p>Biden’s own record, however, undermines some of his claims to be fully committed to democracy. </p>
<p>The Biden-Harris administration <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/3924376-double-standard-will-biden-truly-champion-human-rights/">has been accused</a> by human rights advocates and <a href="https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/in-the-news/senators-warn-biden-that-a-defense-pact-with-authoritarian-saudi-arabia-in-exchange-for-normalizing-ties-with-israel-hurts-american-interests">even Democratic senators</a> of a double standard: championing democracy while maintaining close ties with authoritarian leaders, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-repressive-saudi-arabia-remains-a-us-ally-156281">including the Saudis</a>. </p>
<p>At the very least, Biden has continued a historic pattern of U.S. engagement across the globe that <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/12/13/examining-u.s.-relations-with-authoritarian-countries-pub-91231">prioritizes security over human rights</a> and liberal democracy. His administration is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/us/politics/biden-israel-gaza-poll.html">widely criticized</a> for its support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza and its disastrous humanitarian consequences.</p>
<p>At home, despite a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/10/20/upshot/biden-budget-before-after-animation.html">major expansion of the government’s role</a> in the economy, the Biden administration <a href="https://regulatorystudies.columbian.gwu.edu/new-goals-old-tools-broadening-public-participation-regulatory-process-biden-administration">has not done anything significant</a> to make federal policymaking more democratic or participatory.</p>
<h2>Longer trends</h2>
<p>It’s helpful to step back from the daily campaign and its heightened rhetoric and consider how Biden’s assertion holds up in light of general research and evidence about democracy in the U.S. That analysis reveals a more complex picture of threats to democracy, some of which are specific to the upcoming election. Others have existed for some time.</p>
<p>In their 2020 book “<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250244420/fourthreats%22%22">Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy</a>,” political scientists Suzanne Mettler and Robert C. Lieberman argue that democracies in general suffer when any of four trends occur: intense partisan polarization, efforts to exclude some people from the electorate, economic inequality and unilateral exercises of power by the executive branch.</p>
<p>Mettler and Lieberman show that each of these trends has been rising in the U.S. for several decades. Applying their framework, we’d note that both Biden and Trump used a <a href="https://theconversation.com/biden-like-trump-sidesteps-congress-to-get-things-done-218010">comparable number of executive orders</a> – 127 and 137, respectively – in their first three years to bypass a reluctant Congress and enact policies unilaterally. The Biden administration has been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/us/politics/student-loan-debt-supreme-court-executive-power.html">credibly accused of stretching executive power</a> in areas such as student loan forgiveness.</p>
<p>These long-term trends mean that neither Trump nor Biden is mainly responsible for causing them. Biden criticized all four of these threats in his Jan. 5 speech, however, whereas Trump often <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3941462-trump-wishes-happy-easter-to-pathetic-rinos-and-radical-left-democrats/">endorses political polarization</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/us/politics/trump-plans-2025.html">limitless executive power</a> and has <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/24/938187233/trump-push-to-invalidate-votes-in-heavily-black-cities-alarms-civil-rights-group">challenged the validity of votes</a> cast in urban and suburban areas with significant minority populations. This difference lends support to Biden’s argument.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582041/original/file-20240314-18-g1h88t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A crowd of angry people in front of a large white, domed building, with dark clouds above." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582041/original/file-20240314-18-g1h88t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582041/original/file-20240314-18-g1h88t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582041/original/file-20240314-18-g1h88t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582041/original/file-20240314-18-g1h88t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582041/original/file-20240314-18-g1h88t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582041/original/file-20240314-18-g1h88t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582041/original/file-20240314-18-g1h88t.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pro-Trump protesters gather in front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., a day that may have signaled the beginning of an era of political violence in the U.S.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/pro-trump-protesters-including-proud-boys-leader-joe-biggs-news-photo/1230457865?adppopup=true">Jon Cherry/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Violence as a threat to democracy</h2>
<p>Notable in Biden’s campaign rhetoric about democracy is his <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/jan/05/donald-trump-election-warning-nikki-haley-joe-biden-latest-news?page=with%3Ablock-65987be28f08d8e96baf827e#block-65987be28f08d8e96baf827e">alarm about political violence</a>. In any democracy, violence is a threat because, among other things, it intimidates people and makes participation dangerous. In the U.S., political violence has always been associated with attempts to deny democratic rights. It is <a href="https://www.amacad.org/publication/story-violence-america">often racialized</a> and targeted at the most vulnerable communities. </p>
<p>By its very nature, the system of slavery required extreme violence, political repression and the denial of democratic rights to enslaved black people. Though rarely recognized as such in history books, it could be characterized as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479803729.003.0010">racially targeted police state</a> coexisting within a liberal democracy for whites only.</p>
<p>Governance under slavery included organized vigilante violence, repression of dissent, violent clashes and rebellions, harsh suppression, broad prosecution of dissidents, and systematic passage of restrictive laws or renewed enforcement of existing measures when resistance emerged.</p>
<p>Desmond S. King and Rogers M. Smith in “<a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691142630/still-a-house-divided">Still a House Divided</a>” catalog some of these patterns. Even after slavery and the post-Civil War period known as Reconstruction, <a href="https://eji.org/reports/reconstruction-in-america-overview/">political violence</a> – frequently in response to Black political mobilization or the exercise of basic rights – helped maintain what was known as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/summary/Jim-Crow-Laws-Key-Facts">Jim Crow rule</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://eji.org/report/reconstruction-in-america/">Two major instances among many stand out</a>: the 1898 “<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-white-supremacist-coup-succeeded-in-1898-north-carolina-led-by-lying-politicians-and-racist-newspapers-that-amplified-their-lies-153052">Wilmington coup</a>,” when white supremacists overthrew the democratically elected biracial city government, and the destruction of a city’s vibrant Black business district and community in <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-grandfather-to-grandson-the-lessons-of-the-tulsa-race-massacre-140925">the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921</a>. </p>
<p>Violence as a threat to democracy is by no means new, but the U.S. may be entering a new violent chapter. </p>
<p>While we do not have extensive historical data, the rate of political violence seems high now, and there are indications of dangerous trends. For example, in 2023, the U.S. Capitol Police <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/19/politics/uscp-threat-assessment-lawmakers-2023/index.html">investigated</a> more than 8,000 threats against members of Congress, a substantial increase over 2022. The number of serious threats against federal judges has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-election-judges-threats/">increased each year</a> since 2019 and is 2.5 times higher now than five years ago. </p>
<p>Citing data collected by Nathan P. Kalmoe, Lilliana Mason and Bright Line Watch, <a href="https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=AUa1y3wAAAAJ&hl=en">democracy scholar Rachel Kleinfeld</a> <a href="https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the-rise-of-political-violence-in-the-united-states/">shows</a> that the percentage of both Democrats and Republicans who believe that violence is sometimes justified to achieve their political goals has more than doubled since 2017, although this remains a minority view in both parties. </p>
<p>From 2020 to 2023, the <a href="https://acleddata.com/">Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project</a> <a href="https://peterlevine.ws/?p=30819">cataloged</a> 1,080 demonstrations in the United States that the organization labels violent – along with more than 50 times as many nonviolent demonstrations – plus 157 cases of excessive force against demonstrators and 22 armed clashes. This data establishes a baseline for tracking the phenomenon in the near future.</p>
<p>From our perspective, nonviolent protests are expressions of a vibrant democracy that deserve protection. There may be room to debate some of the protests labeled “violent.” However, the sheer number of demonstrations that the project labels violent – more than 1,000 in four years – is concerning to us.</p>
<p>The Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol may prove to be an example of a period of political unrest. Trump is deeply implicated in the violence. Biden is decrying it – but not necessarily proposing any response other than to vote against Trump.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221567/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are potential threats to US democracy posed by the choices voters make in this presidential election. But the benefits of American democracy have for centuries been unequally available.Dayna Cunningham, Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Dean, Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts UniversityPeter Levine, Tisch College Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Lincoln Filene Professor, Tufts UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2222452024-03-19T12:26:43Z2024-03-19T12:26:43ZHow much stress is too much? A psychiatrist explains the links between toxic stress and poor health − and how to get help<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579438/original/file-20240303-22-dk7t8p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C12%2C8348%2C5957&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Toxic stress increases the risks for obesity, diabetes, depression and other illnesses.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/depressed-man-covering-face-amidst-orange-rays-royalty-free-image/1227304528?phrase=stress+&adppopup=true">Klaus Vedfelt/Digital Vision via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>COVID-19 taught most people that the line between tolerable and toxic stress – defined as persistent demands that lead to disease – varies widely. But some people will age faster and die younger from toxic stressors than others. </p>
<p>So how much stress is too much, and what can you do about it?</p>
<p>I’m a <a href="https://researchdirectory.uc.edu/p/wulsinlr">psychiatrist specializing in psychosomatic medicine</a>, which is the study and treatment of people who have physical and mental illnesses. My research is focused on people who have psychological conditions and medical illnesses as well as those whose stress exacerbates their health issues.</p>
<p>I’ve spent my career studying mind-body questions and training physicians to treat mental illness in primary care settings. My <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/toxic-stress/677FA62B741540DBDB53E2F0A52A74B1">forthcoming book</a> is titled “Toxic Stress: How Stress is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It.” </p>
<p>A 2023 study of stress and aging over the life span – one of the first studies to confirm this piece of common wisdom – found that four measures of stress all speed up the pace of biological aging in midlife. It also found that persistent high stress ages people in a comparable way to the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001197">effects of smoking and low socioeconomic status</a>, two well-established risk factors for accelerated aging. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yiglpsqv5ik?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Children with alcoholic or drug-addicted parents have a greater risk of developing toxic stress.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The difference between good stress and the toxic kind</h2>
<p>Good stress – a demand or challenge you readily cope with – is good for your health. In fact, the rhythm of these daily challenges, including feeding yourself, cleaning up messes, communicating with one another and carrying out your job, helps to regulate your stress response system and keep you fit. </p>
<p>Toxic stress, on the other hand, wears down your stress response system in ways that have lasting effects, as psychiatrist and trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk explains in his bestselling book “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313183/the-body-%20keeps-the-score-by-bessel-van-der-kolk-md/">The Body Keeps the Score</a>.” </p>
<p>The earliest effects of toxic stress are often persistent symptoms such as headache, fatigue or abdominal pain that interfere with overall functioning. After months of initial symptoms, a full-blown illness with a life of its own – such as migraine headaches, asthma, diabetes or ulcerative colitis – may surface. </p>
<p>When we are healthy, our stress response systems are like an orchestra of organs that miraculously tune themselves and play in unison without our conscious effort – a process called self-regulation. But when we are sick, some parts of this orchestra struggle to regulate themselves, which causes a cascade of stress-related dysregulation that contributes to other conditions.</p>
<p>For instance, in the case of diabetes, the hormonal system struggles to regulate sugar. With obesity, the metabolic system has a difficult time regulating energy intake and consumption. With depression, the central nervous system develops an imbalance in its circuits and neurotransmitters that makes it difficult to regulate mood, thoughts and behaviors. </p>
<h2>‘Treating’ stress</h2>
<p>Though stress neuroscience in recent years has given researchers like me <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001051">new ways to measure and understand stress</a>, you may have noticed that in your doctor’s office, the management of stress isn’t typically part of your treatment plan. </p>
<p>Most doctors don’t assess the contribution of stress to a patient’s common chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, partly because stress is complicated to measure and partly because it is difficult to treat. In general, doctors don’t treat what they can’t measure. </p>
<p>Stress neuroscience and epidemiology have also taught researchers recently that the chances of developing serious mental and physical illnesses in midlife rise dramatically when people are exposed to trauma or adverse events, especially during <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/ace-brfss.html">vulnerable periods such as childhood</a>. </p>
<p>Over the past 40 years in the U.S., the alarming rise in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/health-equity/diabetes-by-the-numbers.html">rates of diabetes</a>, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity-child-17-18/overweight-obesity-child-H.pdf">obesity</a>, depression, PTSD, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db433.htm">suicide</a> and addictions points to one contributing factor that these different illnesses share: toxic stress. </p>
<p>Toxic stress increases the risk for the onset, progression, complications or early death from these illnesses. </p>
<h2>Suffering from toxic stress</h2>
<p>Because the definition of toxic stress varies from one person to another, it’s hard to know how many people struggle with it. One starting point is the fact that about 16% of adults report having been exposed to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/fastfact.html">four or more adverse events in childhood</a>. This is the threshold for higher risk for illnesses in adulthood.</p>
<p>Research dating back to before the COVID-19 pandemic also shows that about 19% of adults in the U.S. have <a href="https://doi.org/10.7249/TL221">four or more chronic illnesses</a>. If you have even one chronic illness, you can imagine how stressful four must be. </p>
<p>And about 12% of the U.S. population <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/introducing-second-edition-world-banks-global-subnational-atlas-poverty">lives in poverty</a>, the epitome of a life in which demands exceed resources every day. For instance, if a person doesn’t know how they will get to work each day, or doesn’t have a way to fix a leaking water pipe or resolve a conflict with their partner, their stress response system can never rest. One or any combination of threats may keep them on high alert or shut them down in a way that prevents them from trying to cope at all. </p>
<p>Add to these overlapping groups all those who struggle with harassing relationships, homelessness, captivity, severe loneliness, living in high-crime neighborhoods or working in or around noise or air pollution. It seems conservative to estimate that about 20% of people in the U.S. live with the effects of toxic stress.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WuyPuH9ojCE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Exercise, meditation and a healthy diet help fight toxic stress.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Recognizing and managing stress and its associated conditions</h2>
<p>The first step to managing stress is to recognize it and talk to your primary care clinician about it. The clinician may do an assessment involving a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001051">self-reported measure of stress</a>. </p>
<p>The next step is treatment. Research shows that it is possible to retrain a dysregulated stress response system. This approach, <a href="https://lifestylemedicine.org/">called “lifestyle medicine</a>,” focuses on improving health outcomes through changing high-risk health behaviors and adopting daily habits that help the stress response system self-regulate.</p>
<p>Adopting these lifestyle changes is not quick or easy, but it works. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/index.html">National Diabetes Prevention Program</a>, the <a href="https://www.ornish.com/">Ornish “UnDo” heart disease program</a> and the <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/tx_basics.asp">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD program</a>, for example, all achieve a slowing or reversal of stress-related chronic conditions through weekly support groups and guided daily practice over six to nine months. These programs help teach people how to practice personal regimens of stress management, diet and exercise in ways that build and sustain their new habits.</p>
<p>There is now strong evidence that it is possible to treat toxic stress in ways that improve health outcomes for people with stress-related conditions. The next steps include finding ways to expand the recognition of toxic stress and, for those affected, to expand access to these new and effective approaches to treatment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222245/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lawson R. Wulsin received funding in 2010 from the Veterans Administration support a secondary analysis of data from the Framingham Heart Study, which was published and contributed in part to the substance of this article. </span></em></p>No one can escape stress, but sometimes it takes a physical and emotional toll that translates to disease and other health effects. The good news is that there are new approaches to treating it.Lawson R. Wulsin, Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine, University of Cincinnati Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2202712024-03-19T12:26:28Z2024-03-19T12:26:28ZBuilding fairness into AI is crucial – and hard to get right<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582656/original/file-20240318-18-u3qu8i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3478%2C3071&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Are the AIs making decisions about your life fair?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/personnel-evaluation-by-artificial-royalty-free-illustration/1733429687?phrase=Artificial+intelligence+hiring">sorbetto/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Artificial intelligence’s capacity to process and analyze vast amounts of data has revolutionized decision-making processes, making operations in <a href="https://doi.org/10.7861%2Ffhj.2021-0095">health care</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2644">finance</a>, <a href="https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/using-artificial-intelligence-address-criminal-justice-needs">criminal justice</a> and other sectors of society more efficient and, in many instances, more effective.</p>
<p>With this transformative power, however, comes a significant responsibility: the need to ensure that these technologies are developed and deployed in a manner that is <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1610.02413">equitable and just</a>. In short, AI needs to be fair. </p>
<p>The pursuit of fairness in AI is not merely an ethical imperative but a requirement in order to foster trust, inclusivity and the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/10/30/executive-order-on-the-safe-secure-and-trustworthy-development-and-use-of-artificial-intelligence/">responsible advancement of technology</a>. However, ensuring that AI is fair is a major challenge. And on top of that, my research as a computer scientist <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=ASf9Q04AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">who studies AI</a> shows that attempts to ensure fairness in AI can have unintended consequences.</p>
<h2>Why fairness in AI matters</h2>
<p>Fairness in AI has emerged as a <a href="https://www.aies-conference.com/2024/">critical area of focus</a> for researchers, developers and policymakers. It transcends technical achievement, touching on <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/10/30/executive-order-on-the-safe-secure-and-trustworthy-development-and-use-of-artificial-intelligence/">ethical, social and legal dimensions of the technology</a>.</p>
<p>Ethically, fairness is a cornerstone of building trust and acceptance of AI systems. People need to trust that AI decisions that affect their lives – for example, hiring algorithms – are made equitably. Socially, AI systems that embody fairness can help address and mitigate historical biases – for example, those against women and minorities – fostering inclusivity. Legally, embedding fairness in AI systems helps bring those systems into alignment with anti-discrimination laws and regulations around the world.</p>
<p>Unfairness can stem from two primary sources: the input data and the algorithms. Research has shown that input data can <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2477899">perpetuate bias</a> in various sectors of society. For example, in hiring, algorithms processing data that reflects societal prejudices or lacks diversity can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3351095.3372828">perpetuate “like me” biases</a>. These biases favor candidates who are similar to the decision-makers or those already in an organization. When biased data is then used to train a machine learning algorithm to aid a decision-maker, the algorithm can <a href="http://proceedings.mlr.press/v81/buolamwini18a.html?mod=article_inline&ref=akusion-ci-shi-dai-bizinesumedeia">propagate and even amplify these biases</a>.</p>
<h2>Why fairness in AI is hard</h2>
<p>Fairness is inherently subjective, influenced by cultural, social and personal perspectives. In the context of AI, researchers, developers and policymakers often translate fairness to the idea that algorithms <a href="https://fairmlbook.org/index.html">should not perpetuate or exacerbate</a> existing biases or inequalities.</p>
<p>However, measuring fairness and building it into AI systems is fraught with subjective decisions and technical difficulties. Researchers and policymakers have proposed <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1610.02413">various definitions of fairness</a>, such as demographic parity, equality of opportunity and individual fairness.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hZG9tyOcyx0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Why the concept of algorithmic fairness is so challenging.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These definitions involve different mathematical formulations and underlying philosophies. They also often conflict, highlighting the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3433949">difficulty of satisfying all fairness criteria</a> simultaneously in practice.</p>
<p>In addition, fairness cannot be distilled into a single metric or guideline. It encompasses a spectrum of considerations including, but not limited to, <a href="https://fairmlbook.org/index.html">equality of opportunity, treatment and impact</a>.</p>
<h2>Unintended effects on fairness</h2>
<p>The multifaceted nature of fairness means that AI systems must be scrutinized at every level of their development cycle, from the initial design and data collection phases to their final deployment and ongoing evaluation. This scrutiny reveals another layer of complexity. AI systems are seldom deployed in isolation. They are used as part of often complex and important decision-making processes, such as making recommendations about hiring or allocating funds and resources, and are subject to many constraints, including <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4589207">security and privacy</a>.</p>
<p>Research my colleagues and I conducted shows that constraints such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2312.03886">computational resources, hardware types</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2021/78">privacy</a> can significantly influence the fairness of AI systems. For instance, the need for computational efficiency can lead to simplifications that inadvertently overlook or misrepresent marginalized groups. </p>
<p>In our study on network pruning – a method to make complex machine learning models smaller and faster – we found that this process <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2205.13574">can unfairly affect certain groups</a>. This happens because the pruning might not consider how different groups are represented in the data and by the model, leading to biased outcomes.</p>
<p>Similarly, privacy-preserving techniques, while crucial, can obscure the data necessary to identify and mitigate biases or disproportionally affect the outcomes for minorities. For example, when statistical agencies add noise to data to protect privacy, this can <a href="https://doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2021/78">lead to unfair resource allocation</a> because the added noise affects some groups more than others. This disproportionality can also <a href="https://doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2022/766">skew decision-making processes</a> that rely on this data, such as resource allocation for public services. </p>
<p>These constraints do not operate in isolation but intersect in ways that compound their impact on fairness. For instance, when privacy measures exacerbate biases in data, it can further amplify existing inequalities. This makes it important to have a comprehensive understanding and approach to both privacy and fairness for AI development.</p>
<h2>The path forward</h2>
<p>Making AI fair is not straightforward, and there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. It requires a process of continuous learning, adaptation and collaboration. Given that bias is pervasive in society, I believe that people working in the AI field should recognize that it’s not possible to achieve perfect fairness and instead strive for continuous improvement. </p>
<p>This challenge requires a commitment to rigorous research, thoughtful policymaking and ethical practice. To make it work, researchers, developers and users of AI will need to ensure that considerations of fairness are woven into all aspects of the AI pipeline, from its conception through data collection and algorithm design to deployment and beyond.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220271/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ferdinando Fioretto receives funding from the National Science Foundation, Google, and Amazon. </span></em></p>Bias in AI has been getting a lot of attention lately, but it’s just one aspect of the larger – and thornier – problem of fairness in AI.Ferdinando Fioretto, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of VirginiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2226912024-03-19T12:25:19Z2024-03-19T12:25:19Z$50K per year for a degree in a low-wage industry − is culinary school worth it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582641/original/file-20240318-20-1k5k0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C0%2C5618%2C3751&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Cooks and chefs regularly debate the merits of culinary school.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/increase-in-the-price-of-gas-concept-of-problems-in-royalty-free-image/1412088087?phrase=burning+money+stove&adppopup=true">Diy13/iStock via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>America’s culinary schools are feeling the heat. </p>
<p>When chef Gordon Ramsay appeared on an episode of the YouTube series “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENhfIeZF_AY">Last Meal</a>” in January 2024, he described U.S. culinary schools as “depressing” places that “sandbag” students with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt before releasing them <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/chefs-and-head-cooks.htm">into a low-wage industry</a>.</p>
<p>He added that graduates are pressured to select jobs that will put them in the best position to pay off their loans, rather than ones that will give them opportunities to learn and grow as chefs. Ramsay singled out the Culinary Institute of America, one of the most prestigious cooking schools in the country, as it sets students at its New York campus back <a href="https://www.ciachef.edu/cia-tuition/">US$52,090</a> per academic year. </p>
<p>Then, at the end of February, The New York Times published <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/dining/chefs-state-of-the-restaurant-industry.html">a compilation of interviews from 30 chefs around the U.S</a>. They chimed in on a range of topics, but they were pretty much in lockstep when it came to culinary degrees: </p>
<p>“People ask me, ‘What’s a good culinary school to go to?’” chef Justin Pioche said. “And I always tell them: Don’t go.” </p>
<p>Chef Robynne Maii added, “I always sing the praises of culinary school, but in community colleges only. All the for-profit schools need to go away. They’re completely unnecessary and they’re predatory.”</p>
<p>These sentiments are not unique to culinary schools. </p>
<p>Trade, technical and for-profit schools are routinely criticized for their lopsided cost-to-benefit ratio, with scholars such as <a href="https://thenewpress.com/books/lower-ed">Tressie McMillan Cottom</a> and <a href="https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/11594/diploma-mills">A.J. Angulo</a> arguing that many of them have predatory financial processes baked into their business models. There has been a similar critique – often tinged with political undercurrents – over <a href="https://slate.com/business/2021/07/masters-degrees-debt-loans-worth-it.html">graduate degrees in the humanities, arts and social sciences</a>, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/financially-hobbled-for-life-the-elite-masters-degrees-that-dont-pay-off-11625752773">described by the Wall Street Journal</a> as “elite master’s degrees that don’t pay off.”</p>
<p>Yet thousands of aspiring chefs continue to enroll in expensive culinary schools, rather than learn on the job while being paid. And in <a href="https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/making-it/9781978840126/#generate-pdf">the research for my book on notions of success in the culinary industry</a>, I found that many graduates from these institutions actually feel their experiences were worth the price of admission. </p>
<p>What might explain this paradox?</p>
<h2>Beyond dollars and cents</h2>
<p>Cooks and chefs <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/KitchenConfidential/comments/9qzw4g/is_culinary_school_worth_it/">regularly</a> <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/culinary-school-worth-it-four-chefs-weigh-in">debate</a> the merits of culinary school. </p>
<p>It’s also a question I asked 50 U.S.-based kitchen workers during a study I conducted from 2018 to 2020. Of those 50 workers, 22 had attended culinary school. And of those 22 chefs, 17 believed their education was worth the cost – over three-quarters. </p>
<p>They were clear-eyed about how much they would earn after graduation – very little – and they also grasped that the debt would constrain their future work choices. </p>
<p>Yet, to them, the worth of their schooling didn’t hinge on wages and earning power. </p>
<p>Instead, they found immense value in the friendships and connections they forged – and in learning the culture of commercial kitchens. Social scientists have terms for these benefits: <a href="https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199756384/obo-9780199756384-0076.xml?rskey=fvSHSB&result=1&q=social+capital#firstMatch">social capital</a> and <a href="https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199756384/obo-9780199756384-0209.xml?rskey=UwFmGz&result=1&q=cultural+capital#firstMatch">cultural capital</a>. </p>
<p>Interviewees described being able to meet mentors through school events, gain experience in award-winning kitchens through internships, form relationships with classmates and always have a degree to point to as proof of know-how.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Bird's eye view of culinary students standing around a piece of pork as an instructor demonstrates how to cut the meat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582645/original/file-20240318-28-lgqhes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582645/original/file-20240318-28-lgqhes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582645/original/file-20240318-28-lgqhes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582645/original/file-20240318-28-lgqhes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582645/original/file-20240318-28-lgqhes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582645/original/file-20240318-28-lgqhes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582645/original/file-20240318-28-lgqhes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Culinary Institute of America instructor demonstrates how to cut pork chops.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/CadetsandCooks/635766166c68411b989beb7b1edb3e37/photo?Query=cadets%20and%20cooks&mediaType=photo&sortBy=creationdatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=15&currentItemNo=2">AP Photo/Mike Groll</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Culinary school was particularly helpful for individuals who felt socially disadvantaged in some way. They may have lacked connections and experience, or they were a minority in an industry where <a href="https://restaurant.org/getmedia/21a36a65-d5d4-41d0-af5c-737ab545d65a/nra-data-brief-restaurant-employee-demographics-march-2022.pdf">white men are more likely to serve as executive chefs</a>.</p>
<p>“Because I am a female it was harder for me to get a sous-chef job,” one chef explained to me. “I mean, I saw kids who were not nearly as skilled as I was who got sous-chef positions, and I’d always get passed up. But I really feel that that education [from the Culinary Institute of America] – especially as a woman – really helped me. A lot. I would’ve never got the jobs I got without it.” </p>
<p>In her 2015 book “<a href="https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=23351">At The Chef’s Table</a>,” sociologist Vanina Leschziner found that elite chefs claim to not weigh academic degrees highly while hiring, <a href="https://www.eater.com/2014/7/28/6184011/chefs-weigh-in-does-culinary-school-get-cooks-hired">a sentiment also found by the food website Eater</a>. At the same time, Leschziner found that 85% of elite chefs in San Francisco and New York were culinary school graduates, with 67% holding degrees from the Culinary Institute of America.</p>
<p>At face value, it’s possible that degrees and certificates are dismissed or overlooked during the hiring process. But social connections are not. So perhaps the networks and friendships formed during schooling are a big reason why most high-status restaurants are staffed by culinary school graduates.</p>
<p>With these industry realities in mind, culinary school doesn’t seem to “sandbag” students; instead, it helps them overcome barriers that they ordinarily couldn’t.</p>
<h2>Not all culinary schools are alike</h2>
<p>Based on my interviewees’ enthusiasm, culinary school degrees seem like a no-brainer. But there are caveats.</p>
<p>First, these largely positive perceptions of culinary school came primarily from students who had gone to the Culinary Institute of America. Attendees of college or for-profit programs, such as the <a href="https://www.eater.com/2015/12/17/10401492/le-cordon-bleu-cooking-school-america-closing">now-shuttered U.S. Le Cordon Bleu campuses</a>, were less pleased about their experience, with just 66% feeling like their degree was worth it, compared with 90% of those I interviewed with degrees from the Culinary Institute of America. While some of this discontent was due to quality of instruction, a large part was related to schools’ prestige.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Blue awning hanging over entrance to three story building reads 'Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582649/original/file-20240318-28-1itan2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582649/original/file-20240318-28-1itan2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582649/original/file-20240318-28-1itan2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582649/original/file-20240318-28-1itan2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582649/original/file-20240318-28-1itan2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582649/original/file-20240318-28-1itan2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582649/original/file-20240318-28-1itan2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Le Cordon Bleu closed all 16 of its U.S. campuses in 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-famed-le-cordon-bleu-culinary-school-plans-to-close-all-news-photo/1245992397?adppopup=true">Walt Mancini/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are about <a href="https://datausa.io/profile/cip/culinary-arts-chef-training">260 culinary programs across the nation</a>. Schools at the top of the hierarchy, such as the Culinary Institute of America and the Institute of Culinary Education, are seen as places where high-status networks can be honed. This is, in part, a result of filtering out those who can’t afford to pay.</p>
<p>A degree from a top school is associated with the high-caliber restaurants and chefs that Leschziner wrote about; a degree from a lesser-known program likely yields far less social and cultural capital.</p>
<p>Second, I spoke only to individuals who still work in the industry, and that’s just a fraction of the culinary school population. Not all who attend remain in the industry. In fact, my interviewees estimated that only one-third of their classmates still cooked professionally. </p>
<p>Those who stick around likely present a more positive take: They had finished school and had found some measure of success <a href="https://jacobin.com/2020/12/restaurant-workers-covid-coronavirus-food-service">in a notoriously brutal industry</a>. Had I spoken to the two-thirds of graduates who had left the industry, this article might read differently.</p>
<p>Finally, because students devote a lot of time and money to an experience that yields little financial return on investment, adopting a rosy outlook on their schooling may smooth over <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/cognitive-dissonance">any inner turmoil that might arise</a> as they judge themselves and their past decisions.</p>
<h2>A foot in the door</h2>
<p>Determining the value of expensive culinary education is tough. </p>
<p>It can also detract from the very real problem of predatory and overpriced schooling, especially as the cost of higher education – in all forms – <a href="https://educationdata.org/college-tuition-inflation-rate#:%7E:text=The%20average%20annual%20cost%20of,9.24%25%20from%202010%20to%202022.">continues to rise</a>, to the point of excluding large swaths of the population. </p>
<p>What’s clear to me, though, is that finances are not the sole – nor most important – reason why people choose to attend pricey culinary programs. My interviewees viewed culinary school as a social experience, one that provides meaningful networking and cultural opportunities to students and alumni. </p>
<p>As one award-winning chef told me, “If I wouldn’t have gone (to the Culinary Institute of America), I wouldn’t have gotten (my first) job as a personal chef. … Anytime people see (Culinary Institute of America) on the resume – whether it should or shouldn’t – it does open doors. So, I’m really glad I went there.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222691/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ellen T. Meiser attended the Culinary Institute of America's Napa campus from 2008 to 2009, where she obtained a certificate in Baking and Pastry. While she had a positive experience, her own opinions and anecdotes are not included in this article. All findings are derived from 50 in-depth interviews with kitchen workers across the US, collected from 2018 to 2020. Additionally, she did not graduate culinary school with student loan debt.</span></em></p>Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay recently pilloried these institutions for saddling students with debt prior to sending them off into a low-wage industry. But many graduates have no regrets.Ellen T. Meiser, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Hawaii at HiloLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2074712024-03-19T12:25:00Z2024-03-19T12:25:00ZWhat the Buddhist text Therigatha teaches about women’s enlightenment<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582247/original/file-20240315-30-zf0ojy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C8%2C2939%2C1529&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tibetan Buddhist nuns offering prayers in Kathmandu.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/female-tibetan-buddhist-monks-offer-prayers-as-a-part-of-an-news-photo/1552145729?adppopup=true">Prakash/Mathema /AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Images of Buddha’s enlightenment often portray him <a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1986.70">sitting alone under the bodhi tree</a>, his body emaciated from fasting. Some depictions show the Buddha’s right hand pointing down, asking the earth goddess to bear witness to his enlightenment.</p>
<p>Demonic armies or dangerous temptresses can be shown on both sides of the Buddha, <a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1971.18">demonstrating his fortitude</a> in the face of violent threats and seduction. In some images, he may also be flanked by two male disciples while <a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1935.146">expounding his teachings</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582235/original/file-20240315-28-xnpmro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A headless statue of an emaciated person, revealing the ribcage, tendons and veins, with human figures at its base." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582235/original/file-20240315-28-xnpmro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582235/original/file-20240315-28-xnpmro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582235/original/file-20240315-28-xnpmro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582235/original/file-20240315-28-xnpmro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582235/original/file-20240315-28-xnpmro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582235/original/file-20240315-28-xnpmro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582235/original/file-20240315-28-xnpmro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A third- to fifth-century statue of a fasting Buddha from the Kushan period.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/buddha-bodhi-tree.html?sortBy=relevant">Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Ex Coll.: Columbia University, Purchase, Rogers, Dodge, Harris Brisbane Dick and Fletcher Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1987</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What is missing, however, from these images are Buddhist women. What does enlightenment look like for them?</p>
<p>I’m <a href="https://case.academia.edu/JueLiang">a scholar of women and gender in Buddhism</a>, and one of the key questions driving my research is the unique ways in which enlightenment is experienced in a female body. This led me to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Theragatha-Therigatha">Therigatha</a>, a collection of poems written in the Pāli language by female disciples of the Buddha. </p>
<p>Part of the <a href="https://palitextsociety.org/">Theravada Buddhist canon</a>,
this collection reveals an intimate picture of enlightenment that is deeply embodied, does not necessarily require the renunciation of domestic life and is supported by a community of sisterhood. </p>
<h2>Embodied enlightenment</h2>
<p>The term “theri” means “female elders,” while “gatha” refers to the genre of songs or verses. These poems, compiled not long after the Buddha’s passing, are the oldest evidence of women’s religious experiences in Buddhism. Many of these female authors were disciples of the Buddha. </p>
<p>Their writings reveal a version of enlightenment that is not occupied by the usual image of a solitary meditating monk. Instead of seeking liberation from life and death through monastic discipline or meditation, enlightenment is experienced in the mind as well as in the body. It is found not just in remote hermitages but also in domestic spaces. </p>
<p>Moreover, the path to liberation for women is usually communal. Nuns learn from and with each other, as they become free from the human condition of suffering, one of Buddhism’s <a href="https://www.lionsroar.com/what-are-the-four-noble-truths/">Four Noble Truths</a>.</p>
<p>Consider the following verses from the Therigatha. The <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674427730">nun Uttama says</a>:</p>
<blockquote>For seven days I sat in one position, legs crossed,<br>
Given over to joy and happiness.<br>
On the eighth day I stretched out my feet,<br>
After splitting open the mass of mental darkness.</blockquote>
<p>Uttama may have meditated just like the Buddha, but in the end, she stretched out her feet – a movement of ease and freedom and a gesture of release from the hardship she endured.</p>
<p>Contrary to other Buddhist teachings that view the body as <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo3633534.html">an undesirable container</a> punctured by several openings that constantly leaked foul and revolting substances, here in the Therigatha, the body is present, even prominent, in the enlightened experience of Uttama.</p>
<p>In the Therigatha, the Buddha instructs the nuns repeatedly to take care of the body. Instead of <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674427730">letting it become a vehicle for death</a>, they should cherish the human body they possess and make it a vehicle for liberation. </p>
<p>Another poem by Ambapali, a royal courtesan turned Buddhist nun, expresses a similar sentiment. Ambapali observes the changes in her body in detail: She remarks how her once glossy, black hair that was perfumed with flowers is now like jute; her eyes, once brilliant like jewels, have lost their luster; her neck, hands, arms, thighs and feet, which were all once beautiful, also bear witness to old age and impermanence. </p>
<p>Instead of being disgusted by these changes, <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674427730">her reflection</a> focuses on the teaching of impermanence: “It’s just as the Buddha, the speaker of truth, said, nothing different than that.” </p>
<p>Here, the body is not viewed as only the enemy but a vehicle necessary for human liberation. </p>
<h2>Finding liberation at home</h2>
<p>The setting of poems in the Therigatha also frequently highlights domestic spaces women occupy. In one, Punna, a servant girl of low caste, taught a high-caste Brahmin <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674427730">a lesson on karma</a>. While doing her morning chores of fetching water, she saw a priest performing his bathing purification ritual in ice-cold water. She questioned the efficacy of this ritual, and told him that liberation comes from the Buddha’s teaching, not by tormenting one’s body. </p>
<p>In another, Patachara, who was once the wife of a wealthy man but turned to renunciation after the untimely death of her children, <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674427730">relates the following</a>:</p>
<blockquote>First I looked at the bed, then I sat on the couch<br>
I used a needle to pull out the lamp’s wick.<br>
Just as the lamp went out, my mind was free.</blockquote>
<p>While the nuns followed a monastic path of abandoning domestic life, it was the bondage of servitude, not the daily experience of living, that they left behind. For Patachara, there was no need for a bodhi tree; her mind was set free from suffering and entered enlightenment right in her hut after the mundane act of putting out her lamp. </p>
<h2>Becoming enlightened, together</h2>
<p>Nuns learned from not only the Buddha but from other nuns as well. They were encouraged to care for and support each other. In fact, the phrase “she seemed like someone I could trust” shows up multiple times in the Therigatha, when the nuns recalled how they started on the path in the first place. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674427730">A nameless nun</a> writes:</p>
<blockquote>With no peace in my heart, dripping with sexual desire,<br>
I entered the monastery, wailing, my arms outstretched.<br>
I approached the nun,<br>
She seemed like someone I could trust.<br>
She taught me the dhamma<br>
About what makes a person<br>
About the senses and their objects<br>
And about the basic elements that make up everything.</blockquote>
<p>The community of fellow practitioners in Buddhism is called the sangha. It is one of the Three Jewels, the other two being the teacher, the Buddha, and his teaching, the “dhamma.” Anyone who wishes to become a Buddhist will vow to take refuge <a href="https://www.lionsroar.com/what-are-the-three-jewels/">in the Three Jewels</a>, which support Buddhist practice. These are the teacher, the teaching and the community. In the case of this nameless nun – and many others – the Buddhist path is paved not only by the Buddha and his teachings but also by a community of trust and shared aspiration.</p>
<p>The poems in the Therigatha are a reminder that enlightenment does not always have to be a long trek in the woods but can happen right within one’s humble abode. For some, it could simply mean the joy of finding community.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207471/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jue Liang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Therigatha, a collection of poems written in Pāli by Buddhist nuns, reveals that women’s enlightenment may not necessarily require renunciation of domestic life.Jue Liang, Assistant Professor of Religion, Case Western Reserve UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2237062024-03-19T12:23:24Z2024-03-19T12:23:24ZFemale mosquitoes rely on one another to choose the best breeding sites − and with the arrival of spring, they’re already on the hunt<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582309/original/file-20240315-26-7bf0sq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C0%2C6789%2C4468&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">_Aedes aegypti_, found across much of the U.S., spread Zika, dengue, chikungunya and other viruses.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/aedes-aegypti-mosquito-pernilongo-with-white-spots-royalty-free-image/1282216815">Mailson Pignata/iStock via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Aedes aegypti</em> mosquitoes, one of the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/mosquito-control/professionals/range.html">most common species in the U.S.</a>, love everything about humans. They love our <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adi8213">body heat and odors</a>, which enable them to find us. They love to feed on our blood to make their eggs mature. They even love all the standing water that we create. Uncovered containers, old tires and junk piles collect water and are perfect for breeding. </p>
<p>And with the advent of warm weather across the southern U.S., <a href="https://www.mosquitomagnet.com/articles/mosquito-season">mosquito breeding season is already underway</a>.</p>
<p>Given all the options that <em>Aedes</em> females have in urban areas, how do these cosmopolitan mosquitoes find the perfect site to lay their eggs? Scientists previously thought this was a solitary act, but now research shows that female <em>Aedes aegypti</em> mosquitoes – the main vector in the U.S. for diseases such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-where-did-zika-virus-come-from-and-why-is-it-a-problem-in-brazil-53425">Zika, dengue, chikungunya</a> and other viruses – can rely on one another for good reviews of breeding sites. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.degennarolab.org/">Laboratory of Tropical Genetics</a> at Florida International University discovered a new behavior in which these mosquitoes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-05830-5">work together to find suitable egg-laying sites</a>. These findings, recently published in Communications Biology, show that mosquitoes regulate their own population density at breeding sites – an insight that could inform future mosquito control efforts.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581972/original/file-20240314-30-jxgzpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A half-dozen mosquitoes spread along the inside of a container." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581972/original/file-20240314-30-jxgzpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581972/original/file-20240314-30-jxgzpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581972/original/file-20240314-30-jxgzpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581972/original/file-20240314-30-jxgzpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581972/original/file-20240314-30-jxgzpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581972/original/file-20240314-30-jxgzpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581972/original/file-20240314-30-jxgzpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"><em>Aedes aegypti</em> female mosquitoes laying their eggs in a laboratory breeding container.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kaylee Marrero</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Where and why female mosquitoes cluster</h2>
<p>Scientists know that female mosquitoes can be picky when it comes to where they lay their eggs. <em>Aedes aegypti</em> look for human-made breeding sites with relatively clean water, such as birdbaths, tires or even water-filled trash. But given two equal choices, you might expect them to spread evenly between the two. </p>
<p>On the contrary, when we released females in a two-choice test where both breeding site options were equivalent, we repeatedly found more mosquitoes in one chamber than in the other. Furthermore, this occurred irrespective of where the preferred chamber was positioned, whether the mosquitoes could touch water or whether mosquito eggs were already present at the breeding sites. </p>
<p>Female mosquitoes clearly were following one another in small groups to one breeding site rather than another – a newly discovered behavior in <em>Aedes aegypti</em> that we call aggregation. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581971/original/file-20240314-26-70qvqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two ramekins, one with a few black spots in it, the other with many spots." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581971/original/file-20240314-26-70qvqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581971/original/file-20240314-26-70qvqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581971/original/file-20240314-26-70qvqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581971/original/file-20240314-26-70qvqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581971/original/file-20240314-26-70qvqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581971/original/file-20240314-26-70qvqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581971/original/file-20240314-26-70qvqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The black spots in the container on the right indicate that <em>Aedes aegypti</em> females have chosen it as a place to lay their eggs over the identical site on the left.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kaylee Marrero</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The insects evidently preferred not to lay their eggs alone. When we tested 30 mosquitoes in our trials, they chose one site over another by a 2-to-1 margin. However, this changed as the test population increased beyond 30 mosquitoes. When we tested 60 or 90 females, the aggregation disappeared.</p>
<p>This tells us that females can regulate their own density at breeding sites – a response that likely is a mechanism to limit larval competition.</p>
<h2>Mosquitoes are smelling each other</h2>
<p>Mosquitoes largely sense the world through smell, using three families of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/olfactory-receptor">olfactory receptors</a>. These receptors detect odors when females are choosing where to lay eggs. But how do females sense each other to regulate their densities at breeding sites? </p>
<p>We explored this question by first placing 15 mosquitoes at one of our two test breeding sites. Other females seeking a place to lay preferred the unoccupied site over the one that was already occupied, even though we had already observed that the mosquitoes preferred not to lay their eggs alone. Something was directing them away from the occupied breeding site; we speculated that it might be carbon dioxide, which is an important cue for mosquitoes in all stages of their life cycle. </p>
<p>When female mosquitoes are looking for a blood meal, they fly toward the odor of CO₂, which all vertebrate animals <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-some-people-mosquito-magnets-and-others-unbothered-a-medical-entomologist-points-to-metabolism-body-odor-and-mindset-187957">exhale and release through their skin</a>. After feeding, they fly away from it, likely to avoid the risk of being killed by the host. </p>
<p>Mosquitoes also emit CO₂, and normally other mosquitoes can smell it, thanks to a receptor component called Gr3 in their olfactory organs. But when we released mutant females that lacked a functional Gr3 receptor to seek a place to lay eggs in our two-site test, we found that these insects, which could not detect CO₂, were willing to lay their eggs at preoccupied breeding sites. This suggested that normal mosquitoes might be avoiding the preoccupied laying site because they smelled CO₂ emitted by mosquitoes that were already there.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EUrOcquy8IU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Female mosquitoes lay eggs on or near still bodies of water.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To confirm this, we offered two unoccupied breeding sites to females seeking a place to lay. However, we increased CO₂ levels around one of the sites to between 600 and 750 parts per million, compared with the normal level of about 450 to 500 ppm at the other site. We found that <em>Aedes aegypti</em> females avoided the unoccupied sites with elevated CO₂. This behavior appears designed to keep occupied breeding sites from becoming too crowded. </p>
<p>Overall, we found that two families of receptors play a role in the interactions between <em>Aedes aegypti</em> females when they seek breeding sites. Odorant receptors detect an unknown odor, which draws females toward a site; gustatory receptors detect CO₂, which deters females from breeding sites when the carbon dioxide level is high. The balance between these attractive and repellent odors will ultimately determine whether a female chooses or avoids a particular site. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582583/original/file-20240318-20-i9yyck.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Graphic showing common mosquito breeding sites around home, including gutters and pet dishes." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582583/original/file-20240318-20-i9yyck.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582583/original/file-20240318-20-i9yyck.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582583/original/file-20240318-20-i9yyck.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582583/original/file-20240318-20-i9yyck.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582583/original/file-20240318-20-i9yyck.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582583/original/file-20240318-20-i9yyck.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582583/original/file-20240318-20-i9yyck.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mosquitoes breed in many wet spots, large and small.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.cabq.gov/environmentalhealth/urban-biology/mosquitoes">City of Albuquerque</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Implications for mosquito control</h2>
<p>Suppressing mosquito populations in urban areas using <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/mosquito-control/community/larvicides.html">biolarvicides</a> – pesticides made from live bacteria that are toxic to mosquito larvae – is a primary control strategy to limit the spread of deadly diseases such as West Nile virus and Zika virus. This is especially true for <em>Aedes aegypti</em>, which is the most common urban mosquito species that reproduces in artificial breeding sites that humans create. Other control tactics, such as <a href="https://undark.org/2019/10/25/when-residents-say-no-to-aerial-mosquito-spraying/">spraying pesticides over large areas</a>, target beneficial insects as well as mosquitoes and can be controversial. </p>
<p>Knowing that female <em>Aedes aegypti</em> use social cues to pick the best breeding grounds for their young and will move on from a breeding site when it becomes too crowded could lead to new control measures. Interrupting the female mosquito reproductive cycle would reduce the spread of mosquitoes and the spread of diseases that these insects carry.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223706/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kaylee Marrero receives funding from the National Institutes of Health.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andre Luis Costa-da-Silva receives funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Disease and the National Institutes of Health. Views expressed in this article are his own. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew DeGennaro receives funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Disease and the National Institutes of Health. Views expressed in this article are his own.</span></em></p>Female mosquitoes don’t want to lay their eggs alone, but they don’t want sites that are too crowded either. Understanding what guides their choice could inform new control strategies.Kaylee Marrero, Ph.D. Student and Transdisiplinary Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences Fellow, Florida International UniversityAndre Luis da Costa da Silva, Research Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International UniversityMatthew DeGennaro, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2238362024-03-19T12:23:06Z2024-03-19T12:23:06ZHow ghost streams and redlining’s legacy lead to unfairness in flood risk, in Detroit and elsewhere<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580202/original/file-20240306-26-nqkhke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Detroit River inundated Detroit's Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood in 2021.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/HighWaterDetroitFlooding/35df93ae560e4e13912b5f36456d2e8d/photo?Query=detroit%20flood&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=74&currentItemNo=18">AP/Corey Williams</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 2021, metro Detroit was hit with a rainstorm so severe that President Joe <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/07/15/president-joseph-r-biden-jr-approves-michigan-disaster-declaration/">Biden issued a major disaster declaration</a> at state officials’ request. </p>
<p>Nearly 8 inches of rain fell within 24 hours, closing every major freeway and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2YshMbUeo0">causing massive damage to homes and businesses</a>. The storm was of a severity historically seen in Detroit every 500 to 1,000 years. </p>
<p>But over the past decade, the region has experienced <a href="https://grist.org/cities/how-many-500-year-floods-must-detroit-endure-in-a-decade/">several other storms only slightly less destructive</a>, one <a href="https://www.freep.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2023/08/24/storms-bring-metro-detroit-heavy-rains-flooding/70669298007/">in August 2023</a>.</p>
<p>As the planet warms, severe rains – and the flooding that follows – may become even more intense and frequent in cities like Detroit that have aging and undersized stormwater infrastructure. These extreme events put enormous pressure on communities, but <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/flooding-disproportionately-harms-black-neighborhoods/">low-income urban neighborhoods tend to suffer the most</a> </p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=qyHbWY0AAAAJ&hl=en">geomorphologist at the University of Michigan-Dearborn</a> specializing in urban environments, water, historical mapping and flood-risk equity.</p>
<p>My <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cacint.2023.100134">recent research</a>,conducted with graduate students <a href="https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/pain-research/catherine-sulich">Cat Sulich</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=RQkzvOQAAAAJ&hl=en">Atreyi Guin</a>, has identified a hidden contributor to flooding in older, low-income neighborhoods that have seen a lack of investment: ghost streams and wetlands.</p>
<p>Although we studied Detroit, our research has implications for cities across the United States.</p>
<h2>Historic decisions have an impact today</h2>
<p>Ghost streams and wetlands are waterways that previously existed but, as urban areas built up, were either buried below the surface or filled in to support development. Detroit has removed more than <a href="https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/A_century_of_stream_burial_in_Michigan_USA_cities/3483827/1">85% of the total length of streams</a> that existed in 1905. Most major cities in the United States and Europe have removed similar numbers of streams. </p>
<p>Detroit is also a city deeply <a href="https://www.canr.msu.edu/redlining/detroit">affected by redlining</a> – <a href="https://metropolitics.org/Before-Redlining-and-Beyond.html">a now-outlawed practice</a> once used by the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144203029004002">Home Owners’ Loan Corporation</a>, a government-sponsored corporation that was created as part of the New Deal, that graded neighborhoods on perceived financial risk.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The 1939 Home Owners' Loan Corporation map of metropolitan Detroit showing redlined areas in the inner city." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580178/original/file-20240306-27-ji0i6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580178/original/file-20240306-27-ji0i6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=911&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580178/original/file-20240306-27-ji0i6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=911&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580178/original/file-20240306-27-ji0i6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=911&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580178/original/file-20240306-27-ji0i6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1145&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580178/original/file-20240306-27-ji0i6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1145&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580178/original/file-20240306-27-ji0i6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1145&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A 1939 Home Owners’ Loan Corporation map of metropolitan Detroit shows formerly redlined areas that now experience disproportionate flooding.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidwilson1949/50077016761">David Wilson/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>People living in communities labeled as “high risk” were disproportionately people of color, immigrants and residents of lower socioeconomic status and were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2024.2321226">systematically denied loans and opportunities to build generational wealth</a>. </p>
<p>These neighborhoods received <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2021.1888702">fewer community investments</a>, including interventions such as stormwater infrastructure and landscape modification, than did higher-wealth neighborhoods. </p>
<p>We looked at whether these decades-old decisions have had any impact on flood risk today and learned that they do.</p>
<p>For <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cacint.2023.100134">this study</a>, we correlated present-day flood risk in metro Detroit with former Home Owner’s Loan Corporation boundaries’ grades. Flood risk was mapped using the <a href="https://firststreet.org/research-library/flood-model-methodology">First Street Foundation’s Flood Factor</a>, which scores every parcel in the U.S. on a scale of minimal (1) to extreme (10). </p>
<p>We then correlated flood risk to the presence of ghost streams and wetlands, which we extracted from old topographic maps from the United States Geological Survey. The goal was to determine whether a history of waterway burial and/or redlining influenced the overall flood risk of communities today.</p>
<p>We found that flood risk was disproportionately distributed, with historically redlined neighborhoods bearing the greatest brunt of flood risk.</p>
<p>Residents living in communities that were graded as “hazardous” (D) or “declining” (C) in the 1940s are today more susceptible to flood risk than the more affluent A and B communities. Over 95% of parcels classified at extreme flooding risk occur in C and D communities, with less than 4% in A and B communities. </p>
<p>Flood risk increases with the presence of ghost streams and wetlands, with C and D communities having a higher risk. In C communities, the presence of a ghost wetland increases flood risk tenfold, while ghost rivers also increase risk, although by a smaller amount. </p>
<p>The percent of properties in D-graded communities that are located adjacent to the 32-mile-long Detroit River and classified at extreme or severe flood risk is 99.9% if they have ghost wetlands or 95% if they have ghost rivers. </p>
<p>In other words, the combined history of redlining and landscape alteration may still contribute to increased flood risk today. When communities received poor grades, banks, lenders and municipalities neglected those areas’ stormwater infrastructure.</p>
<h2>Invest resources where the risk is greatest</h2>
<p>If communities want to protect residents from flooding, it’s crucial for them to map and understand their “hidden hydrology.” Few cities have the data to inform residents that they are at greater flood risk because they are living on a ghost wetland or river. </p>
<p>In Detroit, residents of most of the neighborhoods that show a major to extreme flood risk are not required to purchase flood insurance because they are not near an active river. This means residents are unknowingly at risk.</p>
<p>Another benefit to mapping ghost wetlands and rivers is that stormwater management is most effective if it follows natural pathways and processes. </p>
<p>Stormwater engineers frequently refer to this as “nature-based interventions” or “green stormwater infrastructure.” </p>
<p>During a flood, water occupies the lowest areas of a landscape, such as an abandoned stream valley or filled wetland. Those low areas are a good place to build green stormwater infrastructure, such as rain gardens that absorb water or <a href="https://www.asla.org/bioswales.aspx">bioswales</a> that convey moving water. </p>
<p>Some solutions can reflect culture or embrace art: Detroit’s <a href="https://www.thewright.org/">Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History</a> installed <a href="https://detroitstormwater.org/projects/chw-sankofa-porous-pavers-project">permeable pavers</a> with a unique West African-inspired design to minimize and manage floodwater following major flooding in Detroit in 2014. </p>
<p>In my view, marginalized communities need to have a strong voice in the search for solutions. Discrimination against these communities helped create the current problem. Listening to them now is key to both minimizing flood damage and beginning to right a historical injustice.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223836/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacob Napieralski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mapping where water once flowed is important for managing flood risk today in Detroit and elsewhere.Jacob Napieralski, Professor of Geology, University of Michigan-DearbornLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2258772024-03-19T12:22:46Z2024-03-19T12:22:46ZSupreme Court’s questions about First Amendment cases show support for ‘free trade in ideas’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582619/original/file-20240318-16-9btkbx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=24%2C0%2C8218%2C5487&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Clouds float over the Supreme Court building on March 15, 2024.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-supreme-court-of-the-united-states-building-is-seen-in-news-photo/2079442702">Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>This term, the U.S. Supreme Court has heard oral arguments in a total of five cases involving questions about whether and how the First Amendment to the Constitution applies to social media platforms and their users. These cases are parts of a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/17/us/politics/trump-disinformation-2024-social-media.html">larger effort by conservative activists</a> to block what they claim is government censorship of people who seek to spread false information online.</p>
<p>The most recently heard case, on March 18, 2024, was <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/murthy-v-missouri-3/">Murthy v. Missouri</a>, about whether the federal government’s direct communication with social media platforms, specifically about online content relating to the COVID-19 public health emergency, violated the First Amendment rights of private citizens. </p>
<p>The case stemmed from the Biden administration’s efforts to combat misinformation that spread online, including on social media, during the pandemic. The plaintiffs said White House officials “<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-411/293780/20231219192259919_23-411ts%20Murthy.pdf#page=41">threatened platforms with adverse consequences</a>” if they didn’t take down or limit the online visibility of inaccurate information – and that those threats amount to the unconstitutional suppression of free speech from private individuals who shared content that contained debunked conspiracy theories and contradicted scientific evidence.</p>
<p>It is not uncommon for government officials to informally pressure private parties, like social media platforms, into limiting, censoring or moderating speech by third parties. As Justice Amy Coney Barrett seemingly implied during the Murthy v. Missouri oral arguments, “vanilla encouragement” by government officials would be constitutionally permissible. But when the informal pressure turns into bullying, threats or coercion, it may trigger First Amendment protections, as the Supreme Court ruled in another case called <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1962/118">Bantam Books v. Sullivan, from 1963</a>.</p>
<p>But the Biden administration said its effort to fight COVID misinformation was normal activity, in which the government is allowed to express its views to persuade others, especially in ways that advance the public interest. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582616/original/file-20240318-30-o9gp3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two men in suits stand in a room with screens and flags." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582616/original/file-20240318-30-o9gp3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582616/original/file-20240318-30-o9gp3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582616/original/file-20240318-30-o9gp3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582616/original/file-20240318-30-o9gp3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582616/original/file-20240318-30-o9gp3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582616/original/file-20240318-30-o9gp3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582616/original/file-20240318-30-o9gp3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">President Joe Biden and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy attend a meeting in 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/president-joe-biden-speaks-alongside-u-s-surgeon-general-dr-news-photo/1400488520">Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Several justices seemingly agreed with the Biden administration and accepted its view that ordinary pressure to persuade is permissible. </p>
<p>More broadly, the Supreme Court has wrestled with the application of the First Amendment to cases involving social media platforms. Earlier this term, the court heard several cases that involved content moderation – both by the platforms themselves and by public officials using their own social media accounts. As Justice Elena Kagan put it during one round of oral arguments: “<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2023/22-324_fe9g.pdf#page=22">That’s what makes these cases hard</a>, is that there are First Amendment interests all over the place.” </p>
<p>Perhaps most fundamentally, the court seeks to evaluate the relationship between social media platforms and public officials.</p>
<h2>A public official or a private social media user?</h2>
<p>On March 15, the Supreme Court released its <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-611_ap6c.pdf">unanimous decision in Lindke v. Freed</a> – another case involving social media platforms. The issue in that case was whether a public official can delete or block private individuals from commenting on the official’s social media profile or posts. </p>
<p>This case involved James Freed, the city manager of Port Huron, Michigan, and Facebook user Kevin Lindke. Freed initially created his Facebook profile before entering public office, but once he was appointed city manager, he began using the Facebook profile to communicate with the public. Freed eventually blocked Lindke from commenting on his posts after Lindke <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-611_ap6c.pdf">“unequivocally express(ed) his displeasure with the city’s approach to the (COVID-19) pandemic.”</a></p>
<p>The court ruled that on social media, where users, including government officials, often mix personal and professional posts, “<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-611_ap6c.pdf">it can be difficult to tell whether the speech is official or private</a>.” But the court unanimously found that if an official possesses “actual authority to speak” on behalf of the government, and if the person “purported to exercise that authority when” posting online, the post is a government action. In that case, the official cannot block users’ access to view or comment on it. </p>
<p>The court ruled that if the poster either does not have authority to speak for the government, or is not clearly exercising that authority when posting, then the message is private. In that situation, the poster can restrict viewing and commenting because that is an exercise of their own First Amendment rights. But when a public official posts in their official capacity, the poster must respect the First Amendment’s limitations placed on government. The court sent <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-324_09m1.pdf">a similar case</a>, <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2023/22-324">O'Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier</a>, back to a lower court for reconsideration based on the ruling in the Lindke case.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582623/original/file-20240318-28-nl95wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An illustration of a person surrounded by phone and computer screens spouting all manner of information and noise." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582623/original/file-20240318-28-nl95wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582623/original/file-20240318-28-nl95wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582623/original/file-20240318-28-nl95wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582623/original/file-20240318-28-nl95wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582623/original/file-20240318-28-nl95wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582623/original/file-20240318-28-nl95wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582623/original/file-20240318-28-nl95wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Online information can be a cacophony from which it is hard to discern truth and accuracy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/information-attack-and-people-panic-negative-royalty-free-illustration/1347323610">Nadezhda Kurbatova/iStock / Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Who controls what’s online?</h2>
<p>At the root of the plaintiffs’ claims in both these cases is content moderation – whether a public official can moderate another user’s content by deleting their posts or blocking the user, and whether the federal government can interact with social media platforms to mitigate the spread of debunked conspiracy theories and scientifically disprovable narratives about the pandemic, for instance.</p>
<p>Ironically, though conservatives argue that the federal government cannot interact with the social media platforms to influence their content moderation, Florida and Texas – states governed by Republican majorities in the statehouse and Republican governors – enacted state laws that seek to restrict the platforms’ own content moderation.</p>
<p>While the laws in each state differ slightly, they <a href="https://knightcolumbia.org/content/in-cases-involving-florida-and-texas-social-media-laws-knight-institute-urges-supreme-court-to-reject-extreme-arguments-made-by-states-and-platforms">share similar provisions</a>. First, both laws contain “must-carry provisions,” which “prohibit social media platforms from removing or limiting the visibility of user content in certain circumstances,” according to the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.</p>
<p>Second, both laws require the social media platforms to provide individualized explanations to any user whose content is moderated by the platform. Both laws were passed to combat the false perception that the platforms <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/feb/01/facebook-youtube-twitter-anti-conservative-claims-baseless-report-finds">disproportionately silence conservative speech</a>.</p>
<p>The Florida and Texas laws were challenged in two cases whose oral arguments were heard by the Supreme Court in February 2024: <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2023/22-277">Moody v. NetChoice</a> and <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2023/22-555">NetChoice v. Paxton</a>, respectively. Florida and Texas argued that they can regulate the platforms’ content moderation policies and processes, but the platforms argued that these laws infringe on their editorial discretion, which is protected by well-established First Amendment precedent.</p>
<p>During oral argument in both cases, the justices appeared skeptical of both laws. As Chief Justice John Roberts stated, the First Amendment <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2023/22-555_omq2.pdf">prohibits the government, not private entities, from censoring speech</a>. Florida and Texas argued that they enacted these laws to protect the free speech of their citizens by limiting the platforms’ ability to moderate content. </p>
<p>But social media users do not have any First Amendment protections on the platforms, because private entities, like Facebook, are free to moderate the content on their platforms as they see fit. Roberts was quick to respond to Texas and Florida: “The First Amendment restricts what the government can do, and what the government’s doing here is saying you must do this, you must carry these people.” </p>
<h2>Where are the online boundaries of free speech?</h2>
<p>Collectively, these cases demonstrate the Supreme Court’s interest in defining the boundaries of First Amendment protections as they relate to social media platforms and their users. Moreover, the court seems focused on establishing the limits of the relationship between government and social media platforms.</p>
<p>The justices’ questions during the NetChoice cases suggest that they are skeptical of government regulation that forces social media platforms to carry certain content. In this way, the justices seem poised to affirm the principle that government cannot directly or formally force an individual or, in this case, a private company, to convey a message that it does not wish to carry. </p>
<p>But the justices’ questions during Murthy v. Missouri seem to suggest that it is not a violation of the First Amendment for government officials to informally interact or communicate with social media platforms in an attempt to persuade them not to carry material the government dislikes.</p>
<p>Considering all of these cases together, the court seems posed to further promote a robust “free trade in ideas,” which was a theory first invoked in 1919 by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/250/616/">Abrams v. United States</a>. In Lindke v. Freed, the court identified the distinction between private speech on social media platforms by a public official, which is protected by the First Amendment, and professional speech, which is subject to First Amendment limitations that protect others’ rights. </p>
<p>In the NetChoice cases, the court seems ready to limit a state’s ability to directly compel social media platforms to convey messages that they may moderate. And in Murthy v. Missouri, the justices seem ready to affirm that while indirect compulsion may be unconstitutional, ordinary pressures to persuade social media platforms are permissible. </p>
<p>This promotion of a robust marketplace of ideas appears to stem from neither giving the government extra powers to shape public discourse, nor excluding government from the conversation altogether.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225877/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wayne Unger does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>These cases have asked the justices to consider how to apply some of the most sweeping constitutional protections – those of free speech – to an extremely complex online communication environment.Wayne Unger, Assistant Professor of Law, Quinnipiac UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2222242024-03-19T10:45:17Z2024-03-19T10:45:17ZNigeria’s fuel subsidy removal was too sudden: why a gradual approach would have been better<p>Nigeria <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/06/08/nigerias-new-president-scraps-the-fuel-subsidy">removed</a> fuel subsidies entirely in May 2023. This came as a surprise because of the political risks associated with subsidy removal. Previous administrations were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jan/16/nigeria-restores-fuel-subsidy-protests">reluctant</a> to jettison the subsidies.</p>
<p>The subsidies had been in place since the <a href="https://www.ictd.ac/publication/fuel-subsidy-social-contract-microeconomic-analysis-nigeria-rib/#:%7E:text=Subsidies%20exist%20because%20the%20government,oil%20price%20shock%20in%201973">1970s</a>, when the government sold petrol to Nigerians at a price below cost – though most consumers weren’t aware of this. </p>
<p>The 1977 <a href="https://gazettes.africa/archive/ng/1977/ng-government-gazette-supplement-dated-1977-01-13-no-2-part-a.pdf">Price Control Act</a> made it illegal for some products (including petrol) to be sold above the regulated price. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Olusegun-Obasanjo">Olusegun Obasanjo</a> regime introduced this law to cushion the effects of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/05/29/1001023637/think-inflation-is-bad-now-lets-take-a-step-back-to-the-1970s">inflation</a>, caused by a worldwide increase in energy prices.</p>
<p>Fuel subsidies have been controversial in Nigeria, and some analysts see them as inequitable. Very few Nigerians own vehicles. Nigeria is among the countries with the <a href="https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary/read/903/#:%7E:text=Estimated%20vehicle%20population%20in%20Nigeria,population%20ratio%20is%20put%200.06.">least number of vehicles</a> per capita, with <a href="https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary/read/903/#:%7E:text=Estimated%20vehicle%20population%20in%20Nigeria,population%20ratio%20is%20put%200.06.">0.06 vehicles</a> per person or 50 vehicles per 1,000 Nigerians.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nigerias-fuel-subsidy-is-gone-its-time-to-spend-the-money-in-ways-that-benefit-the-poor-204701">Nigeria’s fuel subsidy is gone. It's time to spend the money in ways that benefit the poor</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>So critics have <a href="https://theconversation.com/nigerias-fuel-subsidy-is-gone-its-time-to-spend-the-money-in-ways-that-benefit-the-poor-204701">argued</a> that the subsidies benefited mainly the elites even though they could afford to buy fuel at market prices. </p>
<p>The subsidies were also considered to be a drain on public finances, costing the government <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/nigerias-nnpc-spent-10-billion-fuel-subsidy-2022-2023-01-20/">US$10 billion</a> in 2022. About <a href="https://www.dataphyte.com/latest-reports/nigerias-expenditure-on-fuel-subsidy-in-17-years-adequate-to-build-three-450000bpd-refineries-neiti/">40%</a> of Nigeria’s revenue in 2022 was spent on fuel subsidies.</p>
<p>Fuel subsidies in Nigeria were notorious for their opacity and graft. <a href="https://punchng.com/probe-missing-2-1bn-n3-1tn-subsidy-payments-or-face-lawsuit-serap-tells-tinubu/">Billions of dollars</a> were said to have been lost through corrupt practices in the payment of the subsidies. </p>
<p>These are some of the reasons they were removed. </p>
<p>But now questions are being asked about the way it was done. In a public opinion poll conducted last year, <a href="https://www.noi-polls.com/post/fuel-subsidy-removal-7-in10-nigerians-lament-over-the-negative-impact">73%</a> of Nigerians said they were dissatisfied with the manner in which the fuel subsidy was removed. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-onyeiwu-170137">an economist</a> who has studied the Nigerian economy for over four decades, I can see why the fuel subsidy had to go. </p>
<p>As I argued in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/fuel-subsidies-in-nigeria-theyre-bad-for-the-economy-but-the-lifeblood-of-politicians-170966">previous article</a>, fuel subsidies were bad for the Nigerian economy. They worsened budget deficits and the country’s debt profile, encouraged corruption, and diverted resources away from critical sectors of the economy. They were also inequitable, transferring the national wealth to elites. </p>
<p>But, as has become clear from the <a href="https://theconversation.com/inflation-in-nigeria-is-still-climbing-while-it-has-slowed-globally-heres-why-222226">unprecedented inflation</a> in the country partly caused by the removal of fuel subsidies, the abrupt removal of the subsidy was not the best strategy to use. </p>
<p>I believe this action should have been staggered over several months. This would have provided a soft landing, and gradually exposed Nigerians to the full market price of fuel. Doing so in one fell swoop amounts to shock therapy that is very traumatic for an already beleaguered and impoverished citizenry.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fuel-subsidies-in-nigeria-theyre-bad-for-the-economy-but-the-lifeblood-of-politicians-170966">Fuel subsidies in Nigeria: they're bad for the economy, but the lifeblood of politicians</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why removing the subsidy should have been gradual</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/bola-ahmed-tinubu-the-kingmaker-is-now-nigerias-president-200383">Bola Tinubu</a> administration could have chosen from various mechanisms to minimise the negative impact of subsidy removal. </p>
<p>As proposed by the <a href="https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099061623093529051/pdf/P1779950377213012089e701681a43e5558.pdf">World Bank</a>, a temporary price cap would have ensured that fuel price increases did not inflict too much pain on consumers. This approach would also have enabled the government to significantly reduce, but not eliminate, the fiscal burden of the subsidy. </p>
<p>Another approach is periodic price adjustments: setting the price based on a moving average of previous months’ import costs. These adjustments could have been made together with a price cap. The <a href="https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099061623093529051/pdf/P1779950377213012089e701681a43e5558.pdf">Philippines</a> is one country that successfully removed fuel subsidies in the 1990s, using the price adjustment mechanism.</p>
<p>Gradually phasing out subsidies would have been a better approach for a number of reasons. </p>
<p>Firstly, Nigerians had become suspicious of government’s intentions, given their economic experiences with the previous administration of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammadu-Buhari">Muhammadu Buhari</a>. Those <a href="https://newtelegraphng.com/agony-over-buharis-bad-economic-legacy/">experiences</a> include high <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/inflation-cpi">inflation</a> and <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/unemployment-rate">unemployment rates</a>, rising poverty and insecurity. </p>
<p>Tinubu should have re-established government credibility and good intentions first. He could have offered economic succour such as cash transfers and food subsidies for poor Nigerians, wage increases for workers and retirees, scholarships or tuition waivers for indigent students in tertiary institutions, free lunches for primary and secondary students in public schools, and subsidised public transport. </p>
<p>After demonstrating he meant well, he should have gradually rolled out the subsidy removal. Nigerians would have been psychologically prepared for what was coming, including inflation. </p>
<p>The inflationary impact of subsidy removal would have been less severe. Nigerians would have been more tolerant of difficult economic policies. People will accept difficult economic policies if they know their government is humane and pro-people. </p>
<p>Secondly, an incremental approach would have enabled the government to come up with programmes targeted at those most likely to be hurt by subsidy removal. This would have ensured buy-in. The “<a href="https://guardian.ng/politics/tinubus-subsidy-removal-and-palliative-dilemma/">palliatives</a>” introduced by the Tinubu administration and state governments are temporary and have a <a href="https://punchng.com/palliatives-knocks-trail-distribution-beneficiaries-decry-inadequate-foodstuffs-delay/">limited reach</a>. </p>
<p>Gradual subsidy removal would have enabled the government to engage with groups that would be affected by the policy. Groups representing labour, manufacturers, students, women and others could have provided insights into what would be needed to help their members adjust. </p>
<p>This interactive approach would have promoted transparency and credibility in the conduct of government policies.</p>
<p>Many vulnerable Nigerians were already under severe economic pressure. Apart from <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/unemployment-rate">high unemployment</a> and <a href="https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary/read/1092#:%7E:text=In%20Nigeria%2040.1%20percent%20of,considered%20poor%20by%20national%20standards.">poverty rates</a>, <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/inflation-cpi">inflation</a> was biting very hard. </p>
<p>The abrupt removal of fuel subsidies, without first putting in place shock-absorbing measures, will make it more difficult for the government to achieve the policy’s long-term aims: fiscal sustainability; higher levels of investment in productive sectors of the economy; economic growth; and investment in renewable energy.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nigerias-transport-grant-isnt-the-best-way-to-allocate-fuel-subsidy-savings-heres-what-is-172982">Nigeria's transport grant isn't the best way to allocate fuel subsidy savings: here's what is</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Minimising the negative impact of subsidy removal</h2>
<p>Tinubu should minimise the negative impact of subsidy removal and <a href="https://www.centralbanking.com/central-banks/reserves/foreign-exchange/7959058/nigeria-liberalises-exchange-rate">liberalisation</a> of the foreign exchange market. These two phenomena interact to cause the <a href="https://theconversation.com/inflation-in-nigeria-is-still-climbing-while-it-has-slowed-globally-heres-why-222226">inflation</a> that the country is facing. </p>
<p>First, savings from ending the subsidy should be used to develop productive capacities in agriculture, labour-intensive manufacturing and services. </p>
<p>Manufacturing activities like agro-processing, textiles, footwear, leather products, arts and crafts should be targeted for development. This would generate high-paying jobs that might help Nigerians to cushion the effects of inflation. </p>
<p>In an economy that’s functioning well, wages always adjust to reflect price increases. In Nigeria, however, too many people are either unemployed or in the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352695633_EMPLOYMENT_IN_THE_INFORMAL_SECTOR_IN_NIGERIA_IMPLICATIONS_FOR_SUSTAINABLE_ECONOMIC_DEVELOPMENT">informal sector</a>, with limited opportunities to adjust their earnings to reflect inflation. </p>
<p>Funds saved from subsidy removal should be invested in public infrastructure (mass transportation, road construction, electricity generation, water supply). </p>
<p>Funds should also be used to develop people’s capabilities through massive investment in health and education. Part of the savings should be used to support and sustain the <a href="https://www.nuc.edu.ng/president-tinubu-signs-student-loan-bill/">student loan programme</a> announced by the Tinubu administration. </p>
<p>Successful radical economic reforms, such as the ones implemented in <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/6796/chapter/150948559">Rwanda</a>, usually give people an incentive to be more productive, creative and innovative. But policies that are punitive, with marginal or no benefits, are unlikely to succeed.</p>
<p>It remains to be seen whether Tinubu’s economic policies will spur sustained and inclusive economic growth, as well as alleviate poverty.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222224/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Onyeiwu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Nigeria’s sudden and total removal of fuel subsidies was not the best strategy to use.Stephen Onyeiwu, Professor of Economics & Business, Allegheny CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2259512024-03-19T10:31:00Z2024-03-19T10:31:00ZClimate change is speeding up in Antarctica<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582246/original/file-20240305-26-pkbcjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C7%2C5317%2C2985&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/aerial-perspective-showcases-dramatic-melting-icebergs-2406809335">Mongkolchon Akesin / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In recent years, Antarctica has experienced a series of unprecedented heatwaves. On 6 February 2020, temperatures of 18.3C were recorded, the <a href="https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-verifies-one-temperature-record-antarctic-continent-and-rejects-another">highest ever seen on the continent</a>, beating the previous record of 17.5C which had only been set a few years earlier.</p>
<p>Around February 2022, another strong heatwave in Antarctica led to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-023-00529-6">record-breaking surface ice melt</a>. In March of the same year, <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-heatwave-in-antarctica-totally-blew-the-minds-of-scientists-they-set-out-to-decipher-it-and-here-are-the-results-220672">East Antarctica saw its strongest ever heatwave</a>, with temperatures soaring to <a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/clim/37/3/JCLI-D-23-0175.1.xml">30C or 40C higher than the average</a> in some areas.</p>
<p>Over the last year, we have seen the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-00961-9">lowest levels of Antarctic sea ice coverage since records began</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574389/original/file-20240208-30-cwo3t5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574389/original/file-20240208-30-cwo3t5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574389/original/file-20240208-30-cwo3t5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574389/original/file-20240208-30-cwo3t5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574389/original/file-20240208-30-cwo3t5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574389/original/file-20240208-30-cwo3t5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574389/original/file-20240208-30-cwo3t5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574389/original/file-20240208-30-cwo3t5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Record-breaking temperatures during the heatwave on 6 February 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">González-Herrero et al. (2022)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Events in recent years have bordered on the unbelievable, and it is difficult not to link them to climate change. In fact, studies have already emerged that clearly attribute some of these heatwaves to global warming: one of our investigations strongly suggests that without the influence of climate change, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00450-5">2020’s record-breaking temperatures would not have occurred</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Leer más:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-heatwave-in-antarctica-totally-blew-the-minds-of-scientists-they-set-out-to-decipher-it-and-here-are-the-results-220672">A heatwave in Antarctica totally blew the minds of scientists. They set out to decipher it – and here are the results</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Antarctica’s changing climate</h2>
<p>In 2009, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature08649">a study quantified the speed of ecosystem migration due to climate change on a global scale</a>, and documented, essentially, the speed at which certain species have to move to ensure their survival. It concluded that biomes were moving at a speed between 0.8 and 12.6km per decade, with an average speed of 4.2km per decade.</p>
<p>In our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723071012">more recent study</a>, published in February 2024, we adapted this measurement of speed and applied it to the edges of Antarctica. To do this, we tracked the southward migration of the zero-degree isotherm.</p>
<p>The zero-degree isotherm is an imaginary line that encloses the areas that are at zero degrees or lower. Its southward movement means that the area with temperatures below zero Celsius in Antarctica is getting smaller and smaller. Given that water freezes at zero degrees, this movement will have serious consequences for ecosystems and for the <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/cryosphere.html">cryosphere</a> (areas of the Earth where water is frozen).</p>
<p>Our calculations show that the zero-degree isotherm has moved at a speed of 15.8km per decade since 1957 in the area surrounding the Antarctic, while on the Antarctic peninsula itself it has moved at 23.9km per decade. As a result, it now sits over 100km south of where it was in the mid 20th century. </p>
<p>These measurements show that the speed of climate change on the edge of Antarctica is four times faster than the average of other ecosystems.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574396/original/file-20240208-16-lty35i.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574396/original/file-20240208-16-lty35i.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574396/original/file-20240208-16-lty35i.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=180&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574396/original/file-20240208-16-lty35i.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=180&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574396/original/file-20240208-16-lty35i.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=180&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574396/original/file-20240208-16-lty35i.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=226&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574396/original/file-20240208-16-lty35i.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=226&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574396/original/file-20240208-16-lty35i.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=226&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Evolution of the annual and seasonal position of the zero-degree isotherm in Antarctica between 1957 and 2020. The initials indicate the seasons for each measurement. MAM: autumn, JJA: winter, SON: spring, DJF: summer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">González-Herrero et al. (2024)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The effects of emissions</h2>
<p>To predict the consequences of the southward migration of the zero-degree isotherm, we ran our data through twenty different climate models. Although there is some variation in the shift of the isotherm among the models, all agree that it will move significantly further southward over the next few decades. </p>
<p>The models also predict that, over the coming decades, the isotherm’s movement will accelerate regardless of emissions. However, the extent of its southward movement in the second half of the 21st century will depend on how much carbon we emit.</p>
<p>If we continue at our current rate of emissions, the zero-degree isotherm will continue to advance at a similar rate before slowing down during the second half of the 21st century. However, if emissions are higher, the isotherm’s migration will accelerate continuing its southward movement until the end of the century.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574401/original/file-20240208-22-ihn1pw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574401/original/file-20240208-22-ihn1pw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574401/original/file-20240208-22-ihn1pw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574401/original/file-20240208-22-ihn1pw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574401/original/file-20240208-22-ihn1pw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574401/original/file-20240208-22-ihn1pw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574401/original/file-20240208-22-ihn1pw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574401/original/file-20240208-22-ihn1pw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Change in the summertime position of the zero-degree isotherm over the course of the 21st century. Based on IPCC climate scenario SSP5-8.5, whereby current emission levels are approximately doubled by 2050.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723071012">Adapted by González-Herrero et al. (2024)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Impacts on the cryoshpere and ecosystems</h2>
<p>The zero-degree isotherm’s southward movement will not remain solely in the atmosphere, it will also affect the cryosphere (all of the frozen areas of Antarctica) and the biosphere (the species that live there).</p>
<p>Changes in the isotherm’s position will mean more liquid rain instead of snow in the outermost regions of the continent, though it may in fact cause increased snowfall in other areas. </p>
<p>Reduced snowfall on the frozen sea – <a href="https://www.slf.ch/en/news/sea-ice-and-snow-act-as-a-sun-shield-for-our-oceans/">which acts as insulation</a> – may lead to accelerated loss of sea ice during summer thaw periods.</p>
<p>Although the effects on permafrost, ice shelves and continental ice are still uncertain, it will undoubtedly affect the peripheral glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula. These constitute one of the largest potential sources of sea level rise in the coming decades. </p>
<p>Changes in the cryosphere will also lead to changes in ecosystems. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature22996">New areas will become habitable thanks to thawing ice</a>, but with more areas above zero degrees, <a href="https://www.cnet.com/science/climate/features/the-alien-invasion-of-antarctica-is-only-just-beginning/">invasive species from warmer, more hospitable continents may be able to settle</a>, and they will compete with native species for resources.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225951/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sergi González Herrero no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoría, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y ha declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado.</span></em></p>The sub-zero area of Antarctica has shrunk by over 100km since the 1950s.Sergi González Herrero, Científico atmosférico, Universitat de BarcelonaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2260202024-03-19T06:21:50Z2024-03-19T06:21:50ZFinally, good news for power bills: energy regulator promises small savings for most customers on the ‘default market offer’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582732/original/file-20240319-16-nu9kfi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=67%2C8%2C5540%2C3724&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/queensland-australia-common-public-substations-1062133949">chinasong, Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-electricity-prices-going-up-again-and-will-it-ever-end-201869">price increases</a>, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re going down. </p>
<p>The good news is contained in two separate draft decisions today by the <a href="https://www.aer.gov.au/news/articles/news-releases/default-market-offer-dmo-2024-25-draft-determination">Australian Energy Regulator</a> and Victoria’s <a href="https://www.esc.vic.gov.au/electricity-and-gas/prices-tariffs-and-benchmarks/victorian-default-offer/victorian-default-offer-price-review-2024-25">Essential Services Commission</a>, on the maximum price energy retailers can charge electricity consumers under a specific plan that must be offered to all consumers.</p>
<p>The price is officially known as the “<a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/energy/programs/price-safety-net">default market offer</a>”. It’s the price you’re charged on a “default” plan with an electricity retailer – in other words, the plan customers are on if they haven’t shopped around to find a better deal from competing retailers. The bottom line is, most of these residential electricity customers should receive price reductions of between 0.4% (A$13) and 7.1% ($211) next financial year. In most cases that’s less than the rate of inflation. </p>
<p>The relief is largely the result of a drop in <a href="https://theconversation.com/wholesale-power-prices-are-falling-fast-but-consumers-will-have-to-wait-for-relief-heres-why-222495">wholesale prices</a> – that’s the price paid to the generators producing electricity. Unfortunately, however, at the same time transmission and distribution prices – or network costs – have gone up. So the savings won’t be as great as they might have been. </p>
<p><iframe id="4DAld" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/4DAld/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>A big improvement on previous years</h2>
<p>This is the sixth year in which regulators have set default market offers for retail electricity customers. They do it where there is competition in the sector: so in southeast Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and, separately, Victoria. </p>
<p>It does not include Tasmania, the ACT, Western Australia or the Northern Territory, where the relevant regulator sets the prices and there’s no or very little competition.</p>
<p>About 5-10% of consumers across the states involved are on default plans. The rest have a contract arrangement with a retailer. But the draft decision, if enacted, still directly affects hundreds of thousands of people. And as commentators <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-19/aer-flags-price-cuts-for-some-rises-for-others/103602946">have observed</a>, it sends an important market signal about the general direction of electricity prices.</p>
<p>The Australian Energy Regulator says most residential customers on the default market offer can expect to save on their electricity bills in 2024-25. But the offers vary depending where you live. </p>
<p>Have a look at the table above to see what residential customers without “controlled load” can expect. That covers most households. (Controlled load is when you also have an off-peak tariff for hot water heating.)</p>
<p>Some customers will be paying more for electricity. In Southeast Queensland, residential customers will pay 2.7% more, which is an extra $53 on average. </p>
<p>Using an inflation forecast of 3.3%, the Australian Energy Regulator also calculates what they call the “real” year-to-year variation in prices. So even if there’s a small increase in the price for a particular area, it’s less than the rate of inflation. For that example in southeast Queensland, it equates to a decrease of 0.6% and a saving of $12 in real terms. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1769841169851408797"}"></div></p>
<p>Residential customers on the <a href="https://www.esc.vic.gov.au/electricity-and-gas/prices-tariffs-and-benchmarks/victorian-default-offer">Victorian default market offer</a> can expect to save 6.4%. The retail power prices in Victoria are <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/power-bill-relief-could-be-coming-as-wholesale-electricity-prices-fall-20240130-p5f14e">slightly better than in the other states</a> largely because there are lower wholesale power prices.</p>
<p>All in all it’s a big improvement on the price hikes of <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-electricity-prices-going-up-again-and-will-it-ever-end-201869">last year</a> and the year before that. </p>
<p>The final default market offer prices will be released in May, but we can expect little change. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-government-will-underwrite-risky-investments-in-renewables-heres-why-thats-a-good-idea-218427">The government will underwrite risky investments in renewables – here's why that's a good idea</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><iframe id="a1H3J" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/a1H3J/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Network prices are up</h2>
<p>Regulators set the default market offer by itemising all costs retailers are likely to incur in the course of running their business. From that, they calculate the fair price retailers should offer customers on default plans. </p>
<p>Wholesale electricity costs, incurred when retailers buy electricity from generators on the wholesale market, make up <a href="https://www.energyfactsaustralia.org.au/key-issues/energy-costs/">maybe 30–40% of your bill</a>. </p>
<p>The other major cost retailers face is for the electricity transmission and distribution network – that is, the “poles and wires”. These also comprise around 40% of your bill.</p>
<p>The network price is driven by inflation and interest rate rises, and also includes the costs of maintenance, and building new transmission infrastructure to connect renewable energy generators to the grid.</p>
<p>The easing of wholesale prices since their 2022 peak has been offset by increases in these network prices. In fact, network prices have increased by almost as much as wholesale prices have come down. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wholesale-power-prices-are-falling-fast-but-consumers-will-have-to-wait-for-relief-heres-why-222495">Wholesale power prices are falling fast – but consumers will have to wait for relief. Here's why</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1769924380493312063"}"></div></p>
<h2>A difficult ask</h2>
<p>Responding to the draft decision on Tuesday, Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen <a href="https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/bowen/media-releases/albanese-government-energy-plan-stabilising-energy-prices-after-global-crisis">said</a> it showed the Albanese government was stabilising energy prices.</p>
<p>But Bowen came to office promising to <a href="https://www.chrisbowen.net/media/media-releases-and-op-eds/powering-australia-labor-s-plan-to-create-jobs-cut-power-bills-and-reduce-emissions-by-boosting-renewable-energy/">cut power bills by $275 by 2025</a>. That deadline is not very far away.</p>
<p>Bowen made that commitment in December 2021. Very soon after, <a href="https://theconversation.com/electricity-prices-are-spiking-ten-times-as-much-as-normal-here-are-some-educated-guesses-as-to-why-182849">electricity prices</a> shot through the roof. It’s becoming very difficult to see how the $275 cost reduction will be achieved by next year. </p>
<p>The bottom line is prices have stabilised after a couple of bad years and hopefully the worst is behind us. But, it would be a brave person who attempts to predict where they go from here. There are too many moving parts. Governments should stay the course on policies, and consumers, worried about electricity prices, should go online, compare offers, and to find the best possible deal.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/unsexy-but-vital-why-warnings-over-grid-reliability-are-really-about-building-more-transmission-lines-212603">Unsexy but vital: why warnings over grid reliability are really about building more transmission lines</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226020/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tony Wood may have interests in companies impacted by the energy transition through his superannuation fund.</span></em></p>In states with competition between retailers, the energy regulator is promising savings for most customers on the default plan. But it’s small change compared to price hikes. Here’s what to expect.Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2214102024-03-19T05:54:18Z2024-03-19T05:54:18ZEconomic forces are at play in Israeli-Palestinian conflict<p>The January attack by Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi <a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-yemen-houthis-attack-ships-f67d941c260528ac40315ecab4c34ca3">on commercial ships crossing the Red Sea</a> shows how economic and geopolitical forces intersect in Israeli and Palestinian conflict. The group is part of Iran’s alliance of <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/19/middleeast/red-sea-crisis-explainer-houthi-yemen-israel-intl/index.html">anti-Israel and anti-Western alliance regional militias</a>. Supposedly aimed at harming Israel’s allies’ economy, the attack has caused disruptions to international maritime transport. </p>
<p>As a result, some major logistics, as well as oil and gas companies, paused their shipping, resulting in <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/19/economy/oil-price-inflation-red-sea-attacks/index.html">rising prices</a> worldwide. The US and UK – often seen as <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/19/middleeast/red-sea-crisis-explainer-houthi-yemen-israel-intl/index.html">Israel’s allies</a> – <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-us-strikes-will-only-embolden-the-houthis-not-stop-their-attacks-on-ships-in-the-red-sea-221588">responded to the attack</a> with multiple military strikes.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Baca juga:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-us-strikes-will-only-embolden-the-houthis-not-stop-their-attacks-on-ships-in-the-red-sea-221588">Why US strikes will only embolden the Houthis, not stop their attacks on ships in the Red Sea</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Geoeconomic ambitions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts</h2>
<p>Israel seeks to cooperate with Egypt and Saudi Arabia as it shares geoeconomic interests in developing an integrated economic zone in the Suez Canal and optimising the economic potential of the Red Sea region.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Suez-Canal">Suez Canal</a> is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea</p>
<p>The development of the Suez Canal went on for decades through the construction of the integrated Sinai project area <a href="https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/50/1201/511814/AlAhram-Weekly/Egypt/Developing-Sinai-inch-by-inch.aspx">that began from 1982 to 2014</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.academia.edu/download/61918863/meb12420200128-37528-56vvnx.pdf">An agreement</a> consented by Cairo and Riyadh in 2016 <a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-4f55ee4a6fce44ec809252e39903eaa7">reassigned ownership of two Red Sea islands</a> to Saudi Arabia. This agreement opens up <a href="https://www.academia.edu/download/61918863/meb12420200128-37528-56vvnx.pdf">long-term investment opportunities</a> for the Gulf countries for its potential to become an integrated economic zone.</p>
<p>The ambition to develop the Middle East’s economy does not go unnoticed by Israel as the country engages in <a href="https://www.academia.edu/download/61918863/meb12420200128-37528-56vvnx.pdf">regional development cooperation</a> despite its <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315100241/history-arab%E2%80%93israeli-conflict-ian-bickerton-carla-klausner">long history of conflicts with Arab states</a>. </p>
<p>Israel engaged in <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-47575-2">a war with the coalition of Arab states</a> – particularly Egypt, Syria and Jordan – in 1967. The six-day war – an escalated tension over territorial disputes in the region – led to over <a href="https://books.google.co.id/books?id=LOYtfyJFBIQC&redir_esc=y">300,000 Palestinians being displaced from the West Bank</a>. </p>
<p>Despite the conflicts, the countries in the region have been pushing to restore security <a href="https://www.academia.edu/download/61918863/meb12420200128-37528-56vvnx.pdf">by constructing a maritime route as a major economic integration area</a>.</p>
<p>When the Suez Canal was closed for eight years as a result of the Israel-Arab war, <a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-international-news-205ff6a919f608f1ad74447fb1ae28d2">it cost the world US$1.7 billion in lost trade</a>. </p>
<h2>Israeli economic interests in Palestinian soil</h2>
<p>The Eastern Mediterranean region – which includes Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Cyprus, and Greece – is a region <a href="https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/research-analysis/eastern-mediterranean-gas.html">rich in gas resources</a>.</p>
<p>Egypt’s ambition to connect the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal is <a href="https://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/leviathan-gas-field-levantine-israel/?cf-view">an opportunity for Israel to develop Leviathan</a>, an offshore gas field in the Levantine Basin, part of the Eastern Mediterranean. </p>
<p>Located at <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/1713023/leviathan-gas-field-could-bring-catastrophe-or-opportunity-israel-lebanon-cyprus-borders">the sea border between Israel, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and Cyprus</a>, <a href="https://www.newarab.com/analysis/palestinians-denied-drilling-rights-mediterranean-gas-fields">the Leviathan</a> is a giant natural gas field discovered in 2010 with a potential production of millions of barrels of oil. </p>
<p>Israel’s interest in developing its energy sector raises <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/ben-gurion-canal-suez-israel-9021520/">speculations</a> that its <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67972962">bombing campaign in Gaza</a> is not only to fight Hamas and prevent further deadly attacks such as Oct. 7 but also to take control of the Gaza Strip, a strategic location that is directly connected to the Mediterranean sea.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569469/original/file-20240116-21-mr2tq4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569469/original/file-20240116-21-mr2tq4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569469/original/file-20240116-21-mr2tq4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569469/original/file-20240116-21-mr2tq4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569469/original/file-20240116-21-mr2tq4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569469/original/file-20240116-21-mr2tq4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569469/original/file-20240116-21-mr2tq4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The map of Levantine Basin, where the Leviathan gas field is located.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.eia.gov/countries/analysisbriefs/Eastern_Mediterranean/eastern-mediterranean.pdf">US EIA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Middle Eastern responses</h2>
<p>The escalation of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/infographic-violence-escalates-middle-east-response-israel-palestine-conflict-29-november-2023">adds tensions in the region</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.kompas.id/baca/english/2023/10/30/en-geopolitik-timur-tengah-rentan-melemahkan-ekonomi-asia-pasifik?open_from=Section_Artikel_Terkait">Due to geopolitical instability</a>, the ongoing conflict in Palestine has affected the supply of Middle Eastern oil and gas resources as the world’s leading energy exporter.</p>
<p>Countries such as Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen support Palestine. Like the preceding conflicts, Egypt <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-25-2023-151faf920facb9910a254c2987e00d5f">still focus</a> on promoting diplomacy, settling border disputes and distributing aid. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudis-could-recognise-israel-if-palestinian-issue-resolved-foreign-minister-2024-01-16/">Saudi Arabia has said</a> it will recognise Israel as a sovereign state only if the conflict is over and Palestine is recognised as a state.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/26/how-the-us-has-used-its-veto-power-at-the-un-in-support-of-israel">Experts gathered at last year’s Doha Forum</a> in Qatar say that the Middle East countries are reluctant to <a href="https://theconversation.com/israel-gaza-conflict-how-could-it-change-the-middle-easts-political-landscape-expert-qanda-215473">normalise relations with Israel and recognise it as a sovereign state</a>. </p>
<p>This is because the current conflict has created <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/12/11/israels-war-on-gaza-means-arab-normalisation-is-off-the-table-experts">a multipolar world</a>, referring to the condition of the numerous poles of power influencing the international political order.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/south-africa-has-made-its-genocide-case-against-israel-in-court-heres-what-both-sides-said-and-what-happens-next-221017">The alleged genocide</a> committed by Israel against Palestinian civilians has also shifted how the world’s view of Israel.</p>
<p>Despite US support for Israel, demonstrated by <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/26/how-the-us-has-used-its-veto-power-at-the-un-in-support-of-israel">the use of its veto in the UN Security Council</a> to reject the call for a ceasefire, most of the EU countries, which are important trading partners with Israel, support a ceasefire.</p>
<p>Protests against Israel by the international community have been linked to various transnational movements, including <a href="https://www.globalvillagespace.com/companies-supporting-israel-feel-the-pinch-of-global-boycott/">boycotting of pro-Israeli products</a>, causing losses to several multinational companies in multiple countries.</p>
<p>The ongoing conflict affects not only Middle Eastern countries but also the US.</p>
<p>The US taking Israel’s side <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/12/11/israels-war-on-gaza-means-arab-normalisation-is-off-the-table-experts">opens up a huge opportunity for China and Russia</a> to expand their political-economic influence in the Middle East – increasingly expanding the poles of interest in the region – such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.</p>
<p>Those countries are <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-04/brics-now-includes-saudi-arabia-iran-uae-ethiopia-egypt">beginning to lean to the BRICS</a>, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66525474">an intergovernmental organisation</a> comprising the world’s most important developing countries founded in 2006 with Brazil, Russia, India and China its initial members. </p>
<p>With <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2023/04/12/americans-are-critical-of-chinas-global-role-as-well-as-its-relationship-with-russia/">rivalries between China, Russia and the US</a>, this will be a burden of economic interests that potentially undermine the US’ influence as Israel’s main ally.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221410/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Afni Regita Cahyani Muis tidak bekerja, menjadi konsultan, memiliki saham, atau menerima dana dari perusahaan atau organisasi mana pun yang akan mengambil untung dari artikel ini, dan telah mengungkapkan bahwa ia tidak memiliki afiliasi selain yang telah disebut di atas.</span></em></p>What is happening in Gaza is not simply a settlement issue. There are Israeli economic interests at stake.Afni Regita Cahyani Muis, Dosen Prodi Hubungan Internasional, Universitas Darussalam GontorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2260132024-03-19T04:45:36Z2024-03-19T04:45:36ZWhat’ll happen when Facebook stops paying for news? Here’s what happened when radio stopped paying for music<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582727/original/file-20240319-22-xag9u9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1502%2C732%2C3364%2C1769&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio?</p>
<p>It can’t be because of the money.</p>
<p>In Australia they are paid at rates so low they come close to making streaming services look generous. By law, no radio station can be made to pay more than <a href="https://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s152.html">1%</a> of the station’s gross revenue for all of the music it plays, even if it is an all-music station. By the time the labels have had their cut, the artists get <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/3161/Sub28_CRA.pdf">a lot less</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F27117%2F0048%22">Legislation</a> now before the Senate would remove the ceiling, allowing radio stations and the representatives of musical artists to negotiate freely, with a final decision made by a tribunal in cases where they can’t reach agreement.</p>
<p>It’s a bit like the legislation set up to arbitrate disputes between platforms such as Facebook and <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/by-industry/digital-platforms-and-services/news-media-bargaining-code/news-media-bargaining-code">news organisations</a> about the amount to pay for news.</p>
<p>The parallels tell us an awful lot about where the power lies in disputes between platforms and providers. Here’s a hint: it doesn’t lie with providers, whether they provide music, or news, or, for that matter, fruit to Coles and Woolworths.</p>
<h2>Radio pays little for music, and always has</h2>
<p>Here’s what happened with radio.</p>
<p>Legislation dating back to 1968 has given Australian radio stations a blanket right to play whatever music they want so long as they negotiate a payment rate with the relevant collecting society.</p>
<p>If the station and collecting society can’t agree on the rate, the decision is made by an <a href="https://www.copyrighttribunal.gov.au/">independent tribunal</a>, but, for commercial stations, the tribunal is limited to awarding no more than 1% of the station’s gross revenue, and for ABC stations, a mere <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582675/original/file-20240318-26-prqomy.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=1">half of one cent</a> per Australian resident per year.</p>
<p>The attorney-general introduced the ceilings to “<a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/agispt.20210216043919">allay the fears</a>” of radio stations and initially promised a review after five years, a provision he later <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/agispt.20210216043919">dropped</a> from the final draft of the legislation. A half a century of inflation has rendered the ABC’s ceiling of half a cent per person worth a fraction of what it was.</p>
<h2>The ABC pays half a cent per person</h2>
<p>The ceilings only apply to radio stations and only to the recordings. Television stations (including ABC stations) pay much more per track. </p>
<p>And composers, who are paid separately with no legislated limit, get much more. </p>
<p>This means the composers of <a href="https://youtu.be/PQCH1-ffP-g?si=RhF2m5hjQjJvPUVq">You’re the Voice</a> get paid quite well, but the performer, John Farnham, does not.</p>
<p>The record industry has tried time and time again to remove the ceiling. </p>
<p>In 2010 it even went to the High Court, arguing along the lines of the case depicted in the movie <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/19/its-the-vibe-25-years-on-how-the-castle-became-an-australian-classic">The Castle</a> that the constitution prevented the Commonwealth from acquiring property other than “on just terms”. </p>
<p>The High Court said “<a href="https://eresources.hcourt.gov.au/showCase/2012/HCA/8">no</a>”, finding copyright wasn’t property. </p>
<p>Now, independent Senator David Pocock is trying again. </p>
<h2>‘Fair pay for radio play’</h2>
<p>Pocock’s <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=s1386">Fair Pay for Radio Play</a> bill would remove the ceilings, allowing the radio industry and the record industry to negotiate “<a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F27117%2F0048%22">a fair rate</a>” subject to adjudication by the Copyright Tribunal.</p>
<p>The radio industry says, if that happens, it will play <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/commsen/27539/toc_pdf/Legal%20and%20Constitutional%20Affairs%20Legislation%20Committee_2024_03_07.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22committees/commsen/27539/0000%22">less Australian music</a>. It would also ask to be freed from the legislated requirement to play Australian music.</p>
<p>The recording industry talks as if the radio industry is bluffing. </p>
<p>Annabelle Herd, head of the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia, told the Senate hearing </p>
<blockquote>
<p>even if the radio networks stopped playing all Australian music, they would still have to pay to play UK music, Canadian music and music from pretty much every other country in the world. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>It’s a point she might not want to push too far.</p>
<p>In 1970 that’s exactly what happened. In response to what it felt was an over-large demand from the Phonographic Performance Company, the commercial radio industry said no, and refused to play any of its music.</p>
<p>Instead, it played records from independent Australian labels who didn’t charge and got their records pressed in <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/3160/1970_RECORD_BAN.pdf">Singapore</a>, and American music, lots of it.</p>
<p>While the industry couldn’t play music from the UK, Canada and a bunch of other countries that were signatories to the relevant copyright treaty, it could play music from the United States, which didn’t charge, and wasn’t.</p>
<h2>When radio called the labels’ bluff</h2>
<p>A disc jockey quoted at the time said he didn’t think the average listener would <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110321578">notice</a>, and there’s nothing on record to suggest the average listener did.</p>
<p>The Beatles album <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/let-it-be-mw0000192939">Let it Be</a> was released on May 8. The <a href="https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/radio-100-1970-record-ban">record ban</a>, as it was called, came into force on May 16. <a href="https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/radio-100-1970-record-ban">The Long and Winding Road</a> cracked the top five just about everywhere it was released, apart from Australia.</p>
<p>Five months later, the record companies caved. The only thing the radio industry offered it was a <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/3160/1970_RECORD_BAN.pdf">guaranteed number of advertisements</a> per week. Which had been the radio industry’s point all along. The record companies needed ratio play for exposure. Without it, people were unlikely to buy their discs.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/facebook-wont-keep-paying-australian-media-outlets-for-their-content-are-we-about-to-get-another-news-ban-224857">Facebook won't keep paying Australian media outlets for their content. Are we about to get another news ban?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It’s possible to stretch parallels too far, but when Facebook temporarily stopped linking to pieces from Australian news sites in 2021, traffic to those sites slid <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-03-03/facebook-news-ban-australian-publisher-page-views-rebound/13206616">13%</a>.</p>
<p>The common theme is that – as unfair as it seems – platforms have an awful lot of power over providers. If Coles and Woolworths say no, fruit growers won’t be able to distribute their product; if radio stations say no, artists won’t be as widely disseminated; and if Facebook and its ilk say no, news sites will get fewer clicks.</p>
<p>Facebook has been paying millions of dollars to Australian news sites since the <a href="https://www.acma.gov.au/news-media-bargaining-code">news media bargaining code</a> began in 2021. In February it said when the agreements expire, it will <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-02/facebook-google-news-media-deal-media-pay-meta/103534342">pay no more</a>.</p>
<p>The code allows the government to force Facebook to pay, but only if it continues to link to news, and it has given <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2024/02/update-on-facebook-news-us-australia/">every indication</a> it won’t.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226013/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Martin is Economics Editor of The Conversation. </span></em></p>Put to the test in 1970, Australia’s radio industry abandoned the record labels that wanted them to pay more. The labels backed down.Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2261192024-03-19T04:32:37Z2024-03-19T04:32:37ZFuture of Anthony Albanese’s religious discrimination legislation is in Peter Dutton’s hands<p>The federal government has flagged draft legislation on religious freedom but Anthony Albanese this week personally told Peter Dutton he won’t proceed with it without opposition approval. </p>
<p>The PM raised the matter with Dutton when they were both aboard a VIP flight on Monday going to the funeral of former Labor minister Joel Fitzgibbon’s son Jack. </p>
<p>One piece of legislation would amend the Sex Discrimination Act that allows religious schools to discriminate on the basis of their values.</p>
<p>The government would remove the right of schools to discriminate against children on any ground but would retain the schools’ right to preference in hiring staff of their faith or who support their values. </p>
<p>The other piece of legislation is a religious discrimination bill that would add faith to the attributes (such as sex and sexuality) on which people are protected from discrimination. </p>
<p>Albanese told caucus on Tuesday: “If there is bipartisan agreement we will proceed. If there is not agreement, now is not the time to have a divisive debate, especially with the rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia”.</p>
<p>He indicated support from the Catholic church, Sydney Anglicans and imams for the government’s approach. </p>
<p>Labor promised before the election it would bring in legislation on religious discrimination. </p>
<p>The attempt by the Coalition government to legislate in this area ended in political disaster for then prime minister Scott Morrison when a number of Liberals crossed the floor over the issue of transgender children. Morrison then pulled the bill.</p>
<p>Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus asked the Australian Law Reform Commission to advise the government on how to protect students and teachers against discrimination on the basis of sexuality and gender identification, while also enabling a school to maintain its religious ethos. </p>
<p>The report will be tabled Thursday – the deadline for doing so. </p>
<p>Dutton, at a news conference later on Tuesday, accused Albanese of a “set up”. He claimed the PM was trying to find a way out of his pre-election promise by saying he couldn’t proceed without bipartisan support. This “talks to the character of the Prime Minister”, who couldn’t be taken at his word.</p>
<p>Dutton said Albanese, who had not given him any document, had made it clear he would not support any parliamentary committee inquiry into the legislation. The Opposition Leader said he had treated the conversation as confidential. </p>
<p>Defending its position that it would not have a parliamentary inquiry into the legislation, the government says that since 2016, there have been at least 10 inquiries, more than 260 hearings and consultations and more than 70,000 submissions into religious discrimination and removing discrimination exemptions from the Sex Discrimination Act.</p>
<p>In an article in the West Australian on Tuesday Shadow Attorney-General Michaelia Cash posed several issues about the as-yet-unseen legislation. </p>
<p>“First, will the government’s reforms drive school fees up? If the government winds back existing protections, it will increase their exposure to litigation,” she asked. </p>
<p>“Second, how will religious schools be able to maintain their values? </p>
<p>"Third, could religious schools now be sued for teaching religious doctrines? </p>
<p>"Fourth, can you now be sued for comments about religion under the proposed legislation?”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226119/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The prime minister has flagged he has draft legislation on religious freedom waiting in the wings, but unless Peter Dutton agrees to it, it may never see the light of day.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2258802024-03-19T04:27:53Z2024-03-19T04:27:53ZWhy scrapping the term ‘long COVID’ would be harmful for people with the condition<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582695/original/file-20240319-28-gsqe8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C3988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lonely-young-woman-feeling-depressed-stressed-636183893">kitzcorner/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-15/long-covid-symptoms-queensland-chief-health-officer-john-gerrard/103587836">John Gerrard</a> that it’s time to stop using the term “long COVID” has made waves in <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/long-covid-should-be-scrapped-over-fears-its-probably-harmful-qld-chief-health-officer/news-story/61d3a2328dbfb0e3e0a79b02474bac3e">Australian</a> and <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/14/lifestyle/no-such-thing-as-long-covid-health-agency-says-in-shock-claim-unnecessary-fear/">international media</a> over recent days.</p>
<p>Gerrard’s comments were related to <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1037611">new research</a> from his team finding long-term symptoms of COVID are similar to the ongoing symptoms following other viral infections.</p>
<p>But there are limitations in this research, and problems with Gerrard’s argument we should drop the term “long COVID”. Here’s why.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1768403811704750300"}"></div></p>
<h2>A bit about the research</h2>
<p>The study involved texting a survey to 5,112 Queensland adults who had experienced respiratory symptoms and had sought a PCR test in 2022. Respondents were contacted 12 months after the PCR test. Some had tested positive to COVID, while others had tested positive to influenza or had not tested positive to either disease. </p>
<p>Survey respondents were asked if they had experienced ongoing symptoms or any functional impairment over the previous year. </p>
<p>The study found people with respiratory symptoms can suffer long-term symptoms and impairment, regardless of whether they had COVID, influenza or another respiratory disease. These symptoms are often referred to as “post-viral”, as they linger after a viral infection. </p>
<p>Gerrard’s research will be presented in April at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. It hasn’t been published in a peer-reviewed journal.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-have-covid-how-likely-am-i-to-get-long-covid-218808">I have COVID. How likely am I to get long COVID?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>After the research was publicised last Friday, some experts highlighted flaws in the study design. For example, <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/co-lead-of-long-covid-clinic-says-qld-study-on-covid-is-an-unusual-approach-to-public-health/vi-BB1jV5oA#details">Steven Faux</a>, a long COVID clinician interviewed on ABC’s television news, said the study excluded people who were hospitalised with COVID (therefore leaving out people who had the most severe symptoms). He also noted differing levels of vaccination against COVID and influenza may have influenced the findings. </p>
<p>In addition, Faux pointed out the survey would have excluded many older people who may not use smartphones.</p>
<p>The authors of the research have acknowledged some of these and other limitations in their study.</p>
<h2>Ditching the term ‘long COVID’</h2>
<p>Based on the research findings, <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1037611">Gerrard said in a press release</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>We believe it is time to stop using terms like ‘long COVID’. They wrongly imply there is something unique and exceptional about longer term symptoms associated with this virus. This terminology can cause unnecessary fear, and in some cases, hypervigilance to longer symptoms that can impede recovery.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But Gerrard and his team’s findings cannot substantiate these assertions. Their survey only documented symptoms and impairment after respiratory infections. It didn’t ask people how fearful they were, or whether a term such as long COVID made them especially vigilant, for example.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man sits on a bed, appears exhausted." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582697/original/file-20240319-18-aci07e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582697/original/file-20240319-18-aci07e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582697/original/file-20240319-18-aci07e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582697/original/file-20240319-18-aci07e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582697/original/file-20240319-18-aci07e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582697/original/file-20240319-18-aci07e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582697/original/file-20240319-18-aci07e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tens of thousands of Australians, and millions of people worldwide, have long COVID.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/depressed-overweight-man-on-bed-home-1575723550">New Africa/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In discussing Gerrard’s conclusions about the terminology, Faux noted that even if only 3% of people develop long COVID (the survey found 3% of people had functional limitations after a year), this would equate to some 150,000 Queenslanders with the condition. He <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/co-lead-of-long-covid-clinic-says-qld-study-on-covid-is-an-unusual-approach-to-public-health/vi-BB1jV5oA#details">said</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>To suggest that by not calling it long COVID you would be […] somehow helping those people not to focus on their symptoms is a curious conclusion from that study.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another clinician and researcher, Philip Britton, <a href="https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/expert-reaction-long-covid-may-be-no-different-to-other-long-term-virus-effects">criticised Gerrard’s conclusion</a> about the language as “overstated and potentially unhelpful”. He noted the term “long COVID” is recognised by the World Health Organization as a valid description of the condition.</p>
<h2>A cruel irony</h2>
<p>An <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.adl0867">ever-growing body of research</a> continues to show how COVID can cause harm to the body across organ systems and cells. </p>
<p>We know from the experiences shared by people with long COVID that the condition can be highly disabling, preventing them from engaging in study <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/daniel-has-long-covid-it-has-cost-him-more-than-100-000/j8e18pxji">or paid work</a>. It can also harm relationships with their friends, family members, and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-27/long-covid-mecfs-health-damaging-relationships-crisis/103205564">even their partners</a>.</p>
<p>Despite all this, people with long COVID have often felt gaslit and unheard. When seeking treatment from health-care professionals, many people with long COVID report they have been <a href="http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/1/e050979.abstract">dismissed</a> or turned away. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-activism-trucker-caps-the-fascinating-story-behind-long-covid-168465">Social media, activism, trucker caps: the fascinating story behind long COVID</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Last Friday – the day Gerrard’s comments were made public – was actually <a href="https://www.longcovidawareness.life/">International Long COVID Awareness Day</a>, organised by activists to draw attention to the condition. </p>
<p>The response from people with long COVID was immediate. They shared their anger <a href="https://twitter.com/SMpwrgr/status/1768456837861618005?s=20">on social media</a> about Gerrard’s comments, especially their timing, on a day designed to generate greater recognition for their illness.</p>
<p>Since the start of the COVID pandemic, patient communities have <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35307048/">fought for recognition</a> of the long-term symptoms many people faced. </p>
<p>The term “<a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-activism-trucker-caps-the-fascinating-story-behind-long-covid-168465">long COVID</a>” was in fact coined by people suffering persistent symptoms after a COVID infection, who were seeking words to describe what they were going through. </p>
<p>The role people with long COVID have played in defining their condition and bringing medical and public attention to it demonstrates <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7850205/">the possibilities of patient-led expertise</a>. For decades, people with invisible or “silent” conditions such as ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) have had to fight ignorance from health-care professionals and stigma from others in their lives. They have often been told their disabling symptoms are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10819994/">psychosomatic</a>.</p>
<p>Gerrard’s comments, and the media’s amplification of them, repudiates the term “long COVID” that community members have chosen to give their condition an identity and support each other. This is likely to cause distress and exacerbate feelings of abandonment.</p>
<h2>Terminology matters</h2>
<p>The words we use to describe illnesses and conditions are incredibly powerful. <a href="https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/10/01/why-we-need-to-keep-using-the-patient-made-term-long-covid/">Naming a new condition</a> is a step towards better recognition of people’s suffering, and hopefully, better diagnosis, health care, treatment and acceptance by others.</p>
<p>The term “long COVID” provides an easily understandable label to convey patients’ experiences to others. It is well known to the public. It has been routinely used in news media reporting and and in many reputable <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl0867">medical journal articles</a>. </p>
<p>Most importantly, scrapping the label would further marginalise a large group of people with a chronic illness who have often been left to struggle behind closed doors.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225880/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Lupton is affiliated with OzSAGE.</span></em></p>People with long COVID have already fought hard to become visible.Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2257902024-03-19T03:17:31Z2024-03-19T03:17:31ZThe government wants to fast-track approvals of large infrastructure projects – that’s bad news for NZ’s biodiversity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582659/original/file-20240318-20-iz8kas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=41%2C95%2C3938%2C1981&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images/Gerald Corsi </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to be of national or regional significance.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/54SCENV_SCF_083F0A7B-F182-41D5-0897-08DC3E31559C/fast-track-approvals-bill">Fast-track Approvals Bill</a>, introduced under urgency on March 7, would <a href="https://www.bellgully.com/insights/government-s-fast-track-approvals-bill-released-under-100-day-plan/">take precedence over several current environmental laws</a> and give ministers the power to skirt existing approval processes.</p>
<p>Leaders of ten scientific societies that conduct biodiversity research in Aotearoa New Zealand, representing thousands of members (ourselves included), have called on the government to <a href="https://newzealandecology.org/open-letter-coalition-government-scientific-societies-13-march-2024">slow down the pace of reform</a>. </p>
<p>They warn that <a href="https://www.bellgully.com/insights/government-s-fast-track-approvals-bill-released-under-100-day-plan/">decision-making criteria are weighted towards
development</a>, not environmental protection or sustainable resource use, and undermine New Zealand’s obligations to protect the country’s unique and threatened biodiversity.</p>
<p>New Zealand’s economy relies on the environment in many ways. One study <a href="https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/assets/Publications/Ecosystem-services-in-New-Zealand/3_2_Patterson.pdf">estimated</a> New Zealand’s land-based ecosystem services contributed NZ$57 billion to human welfare in 2012 (27% of the country’s GDP). This includes services such as <a href="http://www.mwpress.co.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/77057/2_11_Newstrom.pdf">crop pollination by insects</a>, erosion control by plants and flood regulation by wetlands. </p>
<p>The fast-track bill requires expert panels to provide recommendations to the relevant ministers within six months of a project being referred to them. This time frame is wholly unsuitable to making <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195925513001108?casa_token=1abt1A-X3y0AAAAA:zjrU7aX-Mh1FDQfdP0XfQLYzE268A9qBb64jfjnJ6jX8MvSsORW28sAc6t1DcRGAc7pEqDnxvQ">proper assessments</a> of environmental impacts, including those on plants and animals, as surveys will likely be conducted at <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2404742">inappropriate times of the year</a>.</p>
<h2>No time for on-site ecological assessments</h2>
<p>A key requirement of assessing impacts on biodiversity is to undertake <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07349165.1995.9726099">new ecological surveys</a> of the project site and surrounds. Such surveys identify the threatened species and ecosystems found on the site, catalogue where they are found and estimate their population numbers. </p>
<p>This information is then used to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07349165.1995.9726099">determine</a> how those species and ecosystems could be affected, and whether the project could be modified to avoid or mitigate these impacts.</p>
<p>There are currently no directions in the bill for the expert panel to commission new ecological surveys. However, even if panels could do this, the six-month time frame precludes robust ecological surveys.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/without-a-better-plan-new-zealand-risks-sleepwalking-into-a-biodiversity-extinction-crisis-182279">Without a better plan, New Zealand risks sleepwalking into a biodiversity extinction crisis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Thorough ecological assessments involve conducting surveys at multiple times throughout the year because certain species will only be present during particular seasons. </p>
<p>For instance, <a href="https://www.doc.govt.nz/get-involved/apply-for-permits/interacting-with-wildlife/applying-to-develop-land-with-native-lizards-and-frog-species/">reptiles, frogs</a>, <a href="https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/3551">invertebrates</a> and <a href="https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/sap232.pdf">migratory species of birds</a> are usually only detectable during warmer times of the year. Surveys for them during winter are unlikely to find these species. </p>
<p>Even certain plants, such as <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01869.x">orchids</a> that can lie dormant underground as a tuber, have life cycles that make them difficult to detect. Many grasses are <a href="https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/AusGrass/key/AusGrass/Media/Html/Guide/bestpractice.htm">best identified</a> when they are in flower.</p>
<p>In many cases, restricting consenting to just six months means expert panels would have to make their assessments based only on existing ecological information. This is known as a “desktop assessment”.</p>
<p>While a useful first step, these are not a replacement for on-the-ground surveys. This is particularly the case in New Zealand, where we have limited data on many species and for many parts of the country. For example, we don’t have sufficient data on most of New Zealand’s <a href="https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/nztcs35entire-feb2024.pdf">reptiles</a>. </p>
<h2>Evidence-based decisions are critical</h2>
<p>Apart from the proposed fast-tracking of resource consents, the government has already repealed the <a href="https://environment.govt.nz/acts-and-regulations/acts/natural-and-built-environment-act-2023/">Natural and Built Environment Act</a> and the <a href="https://environment.govt.nz/acts-and-regulations/acts/spatial-planning-act-2023/">Spatial Planning Act</a>. Both were enacted only last year as part of a new resource management regime. </p>
<p>The government also plans to replace the <a href="https://environment.govt.nz/publications/national-policy-statement-for-freshwater-management-2020-amended-january-2024/">National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management</a>, which provides direction to local authorities on how to manage activities that affect the health of lakes and rivers.</p>
<p>None of the recent and proposed changes to environmental legislation are responsive to the dual biodiversity and climate crises. They are also inconsistent with the government’s own <a href="https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/350118150/national-act-coalition-agreement-full">stated goal</a> of evidence-based decision making. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/restoring-ecosystems-to-boost-biodiversity-is-an-urgent-priority-our-eco-index-can-guide-the-way-217092">Restoring ecosystems to boost biodiversity is an urgent priority – our ‘Eco-index’ can guide the way</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>New Zealand’s plants, animals, fungi and ecosystems are <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/35002501">globally unique</a>. They underpin key economic sectors, especially primary production and tourism. But they are also threatened with extinction. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/extinction-threat-to-indigenous-species/">More than 75%</a> of New Zealand’s native species of reptile, bird, bat and freshwater fish are either threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened. </p>
<p>New Zealand has international obligations to conserve biodiversity under the <a href="https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile?country=nz">Convention on Biological Diversity</a>, which was signed in 1993. In 2022, New Zealand joined almost 200 member nations in adopting the <a href="https://www.cbd.int/gbf">Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework</a>, which commits countries to protect 30% of land and ocean globally by 2030. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/despite-its-green-image-nz-has-worlds-highest-proportion-of-species-at-risk-116063">Despite its green image, NZ has world's highest proportion of species at risk</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Much of New Zealand’s most at-risk indigenous biodiversity is <a href="https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/3235.pdf">found on private land</a> and may be subject to detrimental impacts from land use and development pressures. </p>
<p>The fast-tracking agenda threatens to undermine New Zealand’s progress on biodiversity protection and other key environmental issues. It erodes rather than sustains the natural capital on which the economy depends. </p>
<p>New Zealand’s scientific societies are urging the coalition government to allow adequate time for appropriate parliamentary select committee processes and thorough public consultation on the bill. </p>
<p>They call for a comprehensive legislative and policy framework, centred on the protection of environmental values and sustainable resource management, to ensure development occurs in ways that don’t further degrade natural capital.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The authors thank Dr Fleur Maseyk for her comments and discussions on this piece.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225790/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Curran receives funding from the New Zealand Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the Hellaby Grasslands Trust, Marlborough District Council, Brian Mason Scientific and Technical Trust, and the Lincoln University Argyle Trust. Tim is the Submissions Coordinator and a past President of the New Zealand Ecological Society, and coordinated and helped draft the open letter to the government referred to in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jo Monks receives funding from the New Zealand Department of Conservation and Auckland Zoological Park. She is Vice President of the New Zealand Ecological Society and a council member of the Society for Research on Amphibians and Reptiles in New Zealand. Jo is a previous employee of the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Jo signed the open letter to government referred to in this article on behalf of the New Zealand Ecological Society.</span></em></p>New Zealand’s plants and animals are globally unique and underpin primary production and tourism. The government’s fast-tracking proposal threatens to erode the natural capital the economy relies on.Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New ZealandJo Monks, Lecturer in Ecology, University of OtagoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2260102024-03-19T00:41:15Z2024-03-19T00:41:15ZDevil in the details: breaking down the branding of the AFL’s newest team<p>After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its <a href="https://www.afl.com.au/news/1086666/watch-live-tasmanias-afl-team-revealed">jumper, logo and colours in Devonport</a> this week. </p>
<p>The Devils will wear green, yellow and red, and their guernsey will feature a map of Tasmania with a central red “T”. The club’s logo features a profile of a Tasmanian devil, which chair Grant O’Brien said represented the state’s “proud, tough, determined” characters.</p>
<p>Were there any surprises in the branding? None. Perfectly on brand and what has largely been seen already from Tasmania’s junior state teams. </p>
<p>The difference though was this was the official AFL launch. No turning back. And it had cleared some fairly big hurdles such as <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-07/why-the-afl-is-fighting-for-tassie-to-be-the-devils/102310490">reaching an agreement with global entertainment giant Warner Bros</a> over the use of the name, colours and logo. </p>
<p>But why was this day so important?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-case-for-a-tasmanian-afl-team-from-an-economists-point-of-view-163166">The case for a Tasmanian AFL team, from an economist's point of view</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Building the (sports) brand</h2>
<p>Sport has always been the original crowd funding model. Without fans, there is no team, really. So it was great to see the Devils have been saintly with their marketing to their base – <a href="https://membership.tasmaniafc.com/">namely the $10 foundation membership</a>. </p>
<p>Within two hours of the launch, the Devils had sold more than 40,000 foundation memberships at $10 a pop. For comparison, the AFL’s most recent expansion clubs, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, totalled 23,359 and 33,036 members respectively at the end of 2023.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1769803408049950814"}"></div></p>
<p>Selling cheap foundation memberships several years ahead of the team’s first game was smart, as it gets some nice hard cash rolling in until match-day revenue and sponsorships arrive. </p>
<p>Next, they gain access to a large database, so critical in breaking down members into different segments, and then tailoring an offering to each. </p>
<p>And of course there is the engagement aspect, which for the Devils is particularly important as both the stadium and team are several years away from AFL action - the club is set to enter the national competition in 2028.</p>
<p>They need to keep these foundation members, these key supporters, <a href="https://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1504/IJSMM.2009.026756">engaged to keep word of mouth high</a>. And these members aren’t just in Tasmania – they are going to be found everywhere. The team will only play half its games at home, so it is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02640410400021567">going to need supporters at games played outside the state</a>. The AFL needs this as well. </p>
<p>It helps that these supporters can call themselves foundation members forever. Powerful word of mouth and nice branding. And 50,000+ in a few short hours says the market agrees. </p>
<p>The Devils though must focus on <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/16184742.2014.944199">retaining those initial members</a> during what will be a long journey before they play their first game at Macquarie Point. </p>
<h2>Why is branding so crucial for sports teams?</h2>
<p>Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the benchmarks in world sport for why details matter in sports marketing. Think “CR7” and you think of only one person. And what kid would say no to a Messi number 10 jersey? </p>
<p>Both bring in <a href="https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/news-lionel-messi-vs-cristiano-ronaldo-jersey-sales-which-superstar-s-jersey-sold-more">tens of millions per year for their franchise in merchandise and ticket sales</a>. </p>
<p>The biggest sporting brands on earth, such as Barcelona FC, <a href="https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/news/1601557/barcas-digital-strategy-creates-new-relationship-with-fans-in-order-to-adapt-to-changing-consumer-habits">manage every single detail of their brand image</a> down to the actual colour shade on all brand offerings. </p>
<p>It’s the same for the Devils, not least because of Warner Bros, but also to avoid the <a href="https://footyology.com.au/black-and-white-debate-has-a-colourful-history/">Port Adelaide v Collingwood jersey issue</a>. </p>
<p>The Devils offering had to be unique to every other brand in the AFL, but also use colours in the logo and character which would deepen resonance between team, supporters, and community. </p>
<p>The <strong>colours</strong> of myrtle green, primrose yellow, and rose red do exactly that. That mix and variations are all theirs. They are representative of the colours of Tasmania, and have been used extensively by many other sporting teams from the state. Consistency is so important in sports marketing and this was great to see. </p>
<p>These colours will help drive deeper emotional responses to the brand, and keep supporters engaged at the highest level, thereby helping to attract sponsors. </p>
<p>As for the <strong>brand logo,</strong> there was no other choice than the Tasmanian devil, and it’s a great one. Nearly every other AFL team builds much of their branding around their character and this is something the Devils need to do sooner and not later. </p>
<p>The initial public reaction was almost overwhelmingly positive, and allows the Devils to build that core base of supporters who will fill 23,000 seats every home game. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/job-creation-isnt-always-a-good-thing-hobarts-new-stadium-can-only-make-tasmanias-housing-crisis-worse-204806">Job creation isn't always a good thing. Hobart's new stadium can only make Tasmania's housing crisis worse</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Challenges and next steps for ‘brand Tasmania’</h2>
<p>There will be challenges the brand can’t control, such as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/apr/26/afl-does-not-regret-past-concussion-management-but-says-understanding-of-brain-injury-has-changed-inquiry-hears">rising concern over concussion</a> and the growth of competitors such as basketball, e-sports and soccer. These may impact the brand but overall will be handled by the AFL itself. </p>
<p>Locally, the brand has to focus on providing as many touch-point experiences as possible, such as meet and greets or merchandise days. Tangibility adds value to sports brands in ways most other brands envy. </p>
<p>And this will help keep the brand community active and vocal, which will help deflect any <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-tasmanian-afl-team-turned-into-a-political-football-205846">political challenges to the covered stadium</a>, but also attract other supporters, sponsors and community to the team the closer the start date gets. </p>
<p>With the Devil out of the bag, the challenge for the club will now be to ensure it doesn’t veer too much out of its territory and lose sight of just how hard and long it is going to take before its real prey: that one day in September at the MCG.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226010/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Hughes does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The AFL’s newest team, the Tasmania Devils, launched on Monday night, drawing on its rich football history in a blaze of myrtle green, primrose yellow and rose red.Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2258902024-03-19T00:37:16Z2024-03-19T00:37:16ZLed by Leah Purcell’s captivating performance, High Country delivers fresh take on Australian rural noir<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582408/original/file-20240317-18-a6ms01.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C25%2C2801%2C4172&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Narelle Portanier/Binge</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime series High Country. </p>
<p>Andie has recently arrived in the lush remote Victorian High Country with her partner Helen Hartley (Sara Wiseman), both trying to put traumas behind them as they start afresh. </p>
<p>Driving along a snaking winding road, Andie finds an isolated Mercedes Benz car. The driver’s door is wide open and the owner has left valuables behind, including keys and wallet. </p>
<p>Doctor Haber (Francis Greenslade) is another in a line of missing persons who have disappeared mysteriously into the rural mountain wilderness.</p>
<p>New in town and without the experience of other local police, Andie – to the decry of her colleagues – is assigned the case of solving a murder and disappearance of two locals that has the agitated town wanting answers.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gqd6ipqV8PE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>Seasoned hands</h2>
<p>From the opening of this new eight-part series on Binge, High Country feels in steady hands helped by the well-seasoned cast of familiar Australian crime genre actors. Purcell (previously seen in Wentworth Prision) is joined by Aaron Pedersen (Mystery Road), Nicholas Bell (Scrublands), Henry Nixon (The Kettering Incident), Geoff Morrell (Deep Water) and the versatile Northern Irish actor Ian McElhinney.</p>
<p>High Country was created and written by Marcia Gardner and John Ridley whose background includes scripting Australian network crime shows Wentworth Prison and Stingers. They are joined by Wentworth Prision director Kevin Carlin, who directs five of the eight episodes.</p>
<p>With this experience, Gardner, Ridley and Carlin have created a well-plotted and suspenseful procedural crime series that never loses pace or focus. An effective cliff hanger ends each episode making this a very binge-worthy show. </p>
<p>High Country sits within the tradition of uniformed middle-aged female police officers, most notably Jodie Foster in the recent series of True Detective: Night Country and Sarah Lancashire in Happy Valley. </p>
<p>Similar to these series, Andie’s own past comes back to haunt her, forcing her to confront the very thing that she was trying to flee. High Country equally deals with the issues and frustrations of women having to navigate themselves through the gender politics of a male-dominated workforce. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/true-detective-night-countrys-indigenous-representation-offers-hope-for-decolonising-television-221348">True Detective: Night Country's indigenous representation offers hope for decolonising television</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Space for contemplation</h2>
<p>Despite High Country arriving in a packed market of quality crime television and the show always playing within the tropes of the crime genre (dirty cops, historical town secrets, wrongly accused victims) there is enough nuance for it never to feel predictable or cliched.</p>
<p>An important reason for this is Purcell’s captivating performance, equally convincing in the sensitive domestic scenes with her partner and wayward teenager daughter, contrasted against dealing with the white, male, toxic thugs who think they run the town. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582409/original/file-20240317-26-4fd075.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Leah Purcell in the woods" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582409/original/file-20240317-26-4fd075.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582409/original/file-20240317-26-4fd075.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582409/original/file-20240317-26-4fd075.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582409/original/file-20240317-26-4fd075.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582409/original/file-20240317-26-4fd075.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582409/original/file-20240317-26-4fd075.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582409/original/file-20240317-26-4fd075.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Leah Purcell’s performance is captivating.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Enticknap/Binge</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>High Country possesses a vastness that allows ample opportunity for contemplation. The viewer is invited to delve into the intricacies of the setting and its characters. The writing and cinematography are multi-dimensional, offering depth and complexity that encourages reflection and engagement at each turn.</p>
<h2>Australian rural noir</h2>
<p>The line “if you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are” is repeated across the series. It also becomes the very thing that Andie must investigate in order to solve the crime. </p>
<p>In the rich tapestry of Australian crime fiction – and as its title would suggest – High Country adds to the rise of what has been dubbed “outback” or “rural” noir, sharing similarity with other recent Australian series such as Scrublands and Mystery Road. </p>
<p>A localised theme emerging through Australian rural noir is the Indigenous detective at the centre of the narrative. This is true of TV shows Mystery Road and High Country and also present in literary rural crime noir such as Julie Janson’s Madukka: The River Serpent (2022), an outback crime novel told from the perspective of a Aboriginal sleuth in her 50s. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582410/original/file-20240317-22-jvi6j4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three policemen." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582410/original/file-20240317-22-jvi6j4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582410/original/file-20240317-22-jvi6j4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582410/original/file-20240317-22-jvi6j4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582410/original/file-20240317-22-jvi6j4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582410/original/file-20240317-22-jvi6j4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582410/original/file-20240317-22-jvi6j4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582410/original/file-20240317-22-jvi6j4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Andie must confront the boys club of the local police force.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Enticknap/Binge</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Taking place in the Victorian Alps, High Country was filmed in the region that served as the backdrop for Robert Connelly’s latest feature film, Force of Nature: The Dry 2, which also deals with people missing in the Victorian wilderness. </p>
<p>Set in the close-knit community, the narrative tackles climate change, domestic violence, and Indigenous identity and land possession. Garner and Ridley paint a vivid picture of the ethical and societal ramifications of these challenges on rural populations. </p>
<p>High Country presents a poignant and impactful exploration of environmental crises and domestic turmoil that has every potential to resonate with a broad mainstream streaming audience.</p>
<p><em>High Country is on Binge from today.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/you-rarely-see-abuse-directed-at-men-a-look-at-the-sexist-abuse-women-police-officers-face-online-200381">'You rarely see abuse directed at men': a look at the sexist abuse women police officers face online</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225890/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Gaunson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>From the opening of this new eight-part series on Binge, High Country feels in steady hands.Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2229872024-03-19T00:12:59Z2024-03-19T00:12:59ZThe ‘digital divide’ is already hurting people’s quality of life. Will AI make it better or worse?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579788/original/file-20240305-18-nir9gs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C22%2C2775%2C1971&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/road-closed-sign-outback-red-center-1438599635">ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Today, <a href="https://www.digitalinclusionindex.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ADII-2023-Summary_FINAL-Remediated.pdf">almost a quarter of Australians</a> are digitally excluded. This means they miss out on the social, educational and economic benefits <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/benefits-of-closing-the-global-digital-divide/">online connectivity provides</a>.</p>
<p>In the face of this ongoing “digital divide”, countries are now talking about a future of inclusive artificial intelligence (AI).</p>
<p>However, if we don’t learn from current problems with digital exclusion, it will likely spill over into people’s future experiences with AI. That’s the conclusion from our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43681-024-00452-3">new research</a> published in the journal AI and Ethics.</p>
<h2>What is the digital divide?</h2>
<p>The digital divide is a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162521007903#bib0030">well-documented social schism</a>. People on the wrong side of it face difficulties when it comes to accessing, affording, or using digital services. These disadvantages significantly reduce their quality of life.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.digitalinclusionindex.org.au/">Decades of research</a> have provided us with a rich understanding of who is most at risk. In Australia, older people, those living in remote areas, people on lower incomes and First Nations peoples are most likely to find themselves digitally excluded.</p>
<p>Zooming out, <a href="https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/facts-figures-2023/">reports</a> show that one-third of the world’s population – representing the poorest countries – remains offline. Globally, the <a href="https://gddindex.com/#:%7E:text=The%20Gender%20Digital%20Divide%20Index%20(GDDI)%20is%20a%20pilot%20benchmarking,gender%20divides%20in%20digital%20development.">digital gender divide</a> also still exists: women, particularly in low and middle-income countries, face substantially more barriers to digital connectivity.</p>
<p>During the COVID pandemic, the impacts of digital inequity became much more obvious. As large swathes of the world’s population had to “shelter in place” – unable to go outside, visit shops, or seek face-to-face contact – anyone without digital access was severely at risk.</p>
<p>Consequences ranged from social isolation to reduced employment opportunities, as well as a lack of access to vital health information. <a href="https://press.un.org/en/2020/sgsm20118.doc.htm">The UN Secretary-General stated in 2020</a> that “the digital divide is now a matter of life and death”. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579789/original/file-20240305-22-cqzgoc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A lonely older woman looking out a window while wearing a medical mask." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579789/original/file-20240305-22-cqzgoc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579789/original/file-20240305-22-cqzgoc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579789/original/file-20240305-22-cqzgoc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579789/original/file-20240305-22-cqzgoc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579789/original/file-20240305-22-cqzgoc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579789/original/file-20240305-22-cqzgoc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579789/original/file-20240305-22-cqzgoc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People without digital access were severely impacted during the COVID pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lonely-senior-woman-surgical-mask-sitting-1688780245">Miriam Doerr Martin Frommherz/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/digital-inclusion-and-closing-the-gap-how-first-nations-leadership-is-key-to-getting-remote-communities-online-216085">‘Digital inclusion’ and closing the gap: how First Nations leadership is key to getting remote communities online</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Not just a question of access</h2>
<p>As with most forms of exclusion, the digital divide functions in multiple ways. It was originally defined as a gap between those who have access to computers and the internet and those who do not. But research now shows it’s <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/tesg.12047">not just an issue of access</a>. </p>
<p>Having little or no access leads to reduced familiarity with digital technology, which then erodes confidence, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/global-agenda-for-social-justice/tackling-digital-exclusion-counter-social-inequalities-through-digital-inclusion/C9171EE3C4C944FC7712306280EAABDC">fuels disengagement</a>, and ultimately sets in motion <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0144929X.2021.1882577">an intrinsic sense of not being “digitally capable</a>”.</p>
<p>As AI tools increasingly reshape our workplaces, classrooms and everyday lives, there is a risk AI could deepen, rather than narrow, the digital divide.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/artificial-intelligence-holds-great-potential-for-both-students-and-teachers-but-only-if-used-wisely-81024">Artificial intelligence holds great potential for both students and teachers – but only if used wisely</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The role of digital confidence</h2>
<p>To assess the impact of digital exclusion on people’s experiences with AI, in late 2023 we surveyed a representative selection of hundreds of Australian adults. We began by asking them to rate their confidence with digital technology. </p>
<p>We found digital confidence was lower for women, older people, those with reduced salaries, and those with less digital access.</p>
<p>We then asked these same people to comment on their hopes, fears and expectations of AI. Across the board, the data showed that people’s perceptions, attitudes and experiences with AI were linked to how they felt about digital technology in general. </p>
<p>In other words, the more digitally confident people felt, the more positive they were about AI. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/giving-ai-direct-control-over-anything-is-a-bad-idea-heres-how-it-could-do-us-real-harm-210168">Giving AI direct control over anything is a bad idea – here's how it could do us real harm</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>To build truly inclusive AI, these findings are important to consider for several reasons. First, they confirm that digital confidence is not a privilege shared by all. </p>
<p>Second, they show us digital inclusion is about more than just access, or even someone’s digital skills. How confident a person feels in their ability to interact with technology is important too. </p>
<p>Third, they show that if we don’t contend with existing forms of digital exclusion, they are likely to spill over into perceptions, attitudes and experiences with AI. </p>
<p>Currently, <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/09/digital-quality-life-internet-affordability-cybersecurity/">many countries are making headway</a> in their efforts to reduce the digital divide. So we must make sure the rise of AI doesn’t slow these efforts, or worse still, exacerbate the divide.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577249/original/file-20240222-22-7cjal0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A person working on a laptop with the ChatGPT loading screen displayed." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577249/original/file-20240222-22-7cjal0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577249/original/file-20240222-22-7cjal0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577249/original/file-20240222-22-7cjal0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577249/original/file-20240222-22-7cjal0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577249/original/file-20240222-22-7cjal0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577249/original/file-20240222-22-7cjal0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577249/original/file-20240222-22-7cjal0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">AI tools are already transforming lives – but only if you’re on the right side of the ‘digital divide’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-is-using-a-laptop-computer-on-a-table-16094056/">Matheus Bertelli/Pexels</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What should we hope for AI?</h2>
<p>While there <a href="https://theconversation.com/forget-dystopian-scenarios-ai-is-pervasive-today-and-the-risks-are-often-hidden-218222">is a slew of associated risks</a>, when deployed responsibly, AI can make significant positive impacts on society. Some of these can directly target issues of inclusivity.</p>
<p>For example, computer vision can <a href="https://www.monash.edu/news/articles/monash-university-and-tennis-australia-serve-up-world-first-accessible-audio-stream-for-fans-with-blindness-or-low-vision">track the trajectory of a tennis ball</a> during a match, making it audible for blind or low-vision spectators.</p>
<p>AI has been used to analyse <a href="https://www.niaa.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/closing-gap/implementation-measures/csiro-indigenous-jobs-map">online job postings</a> to help boost employment outcomes in under-represented populations such as First Nations peoples. And, while they’re still in the early stages of development, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-022-00560-6">AI-powered chatbots</a> could increase accessibility and affordability of medical services. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-boost-indigenous-employment-we-need-to-map-job-opportunities-to-skills-and-qualifications-our-new-project-does-just-that-212440">To boost Indigenous employment, we need to map job opportunities to skills and qualifications. Our new project does just that</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But this responsible AI future can only be delivered if we also address what keeps us digitally divided. To develop and use truly inclusive AI tools, we first have to ensure the feelings of digital exclusion don’t spill over. </p>
<p>This means not only tackling pragmatic issues of access and infrastructure, but also the knock-on effects on people’s levels of engagement, aptitude and confidence with technology.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222987/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Bentley works for CSIRO, which receives funding from the Australian Government.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claire Naughtin works for CSIRO, which receives funding from the Australian Government.</span></em></p>The benefits of AI are transforming modern life — but disparities in digital confidence are leaving some behind.Sarah Vivienne Bentley, Research Scientist, Responsible Innovation, Data61, CSIROClaire Naughtin, Principal Research Consultant in Strategic Foresight, Data61Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2257802024-03-18T23:20:44Z2024-03-18T23:20:44Z‘Care is in everything we do and everything we are’: the work of Indigenous women needs to be valued<p>It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group.</p>
<p>Working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner’s office, we worked with <a href="https://caepr.cass.anu.edu.au/research/publications/caring-about-care">more than 100 Indigenous women across</a> Australia to talk about their interpretations and experiences of care. </p>
<p>“Mainstream” definitions and measures of care do not include the vast and complex ways care is defined by First Nations women. This includes care not only for people, but for communities, Country and culture. </p>
<p>It means important work goes unrecognised, uncompensated or misunderstood, leading to the marginalisation of this crucial work and the women who do it.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/definitions-are-often-very-western-this-excludes-us-our-research-shows-how-to-boost-indigenous-participation-in-stem-223465">'Definitions are often very western. This excludes us.' Our research shows how to boost Indigenous participation in STEM</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Redefining the concept</h2>
<p>The Australian Human Rights Commission’s <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-social-justice/publications/wiyi-yani-u-thangani">Wiyi Yani U Thangani</a> report illuminates the crucial importance of the care provided by First Nations women. Our work follows and builds on this report.</p>
<p>An Indigenous woman from the East Kimberley told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Well, care for me, as an Indigenous person, is not just caring for your family, it’s caring for your Country.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another woman from the ACT told us care is a disposition, and a means of respecting culture and heritage: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>[Care is] enveloped in everything we do and everything we are and everything about where we are going and paying homage again to our ancestors and who’s come before us. That’s what care is.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This notion of care as a strength is an important insight from the women in this study. However, unpaid care is often unrecognised and undervalued in Australian policy, which while prioritising getting women into employment, has neglected funding and supporting the existing unpaid care work that women do. </p>
<p>What is evident from our study is that Indigenous women want more support for the care work they do, as well as better care services largely within Aboriginal community-controlled organisations to assist them in doing it.</p>
<h2>Care has consequences</h2>
<p>Women frequently linked their demanding care loads to ongoing colonisation, which continues to create damage to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. A woman from greater Sydney said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s colonial […] It’s just not being able to do things in the way we should be doing them […] because of the colonial structure and things like that. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This includes the impacts of colonisation on gender roles, child removals, incarceration rates, poor health, poverty, racism and more. </p>
<p>It also includes the impacts of state institutions set up to “care”, but which are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/sep/01/coalition-hails-success-of-cashless-welfare-card-and-says-kalgoorlie-will-be-next-site">often uncaring</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/first-nations-children-are-still-being-removed-at-disproportionate-rates-cultural-assumptions-about-parenting-need-to-change-169090">may be violent and harmful</a>.</p>
<p>Ultimately, this requires Indigenous people’s care to heal, adding extra demands on existing care loads. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/first-nations-women-dont-always-access-health-care-after-head-injuries-from-family-violence-heres-why-206084">First Nations women don't always access health care after head injuries from family violence. Here's why</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Many of the women interviewed in this study were also tired, and often carers needed care too. Some were in, or had been through, periods of utter exhaustion and illness due to trying to carry their stressful care load. A Central Australian woman told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s hard. It’s draining. Every day just exhausted. Sometimes there’s days when I just can’t keep up with it. And I don’t want to listen, just go away. But those are days when they really need help. So yeah, it’s very exhausting.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Time is money, but no one gets paid</h2>
<p>Our research also included a time-use survey, which showed that all unpaid care activities accounted for, on average, 62% of our participant women’s time on a usual weekday (about 14.8 hours per day on average), with 48% of their time (around 11.5 hours) spent caring for others and/or caring for Country and culture specifically. </p>
<p>Because (lost) remuneration for this work was raised as a crucial point by Indigenous women during our interviews, we also calculated the approximate market value of this unpaid care work through using hourly award rates for corresponding care activities (sometimes called the replacement method, which understands the cost of this work in the paid market). </p>
<p>The estimated economic value of this work ranged between $223.01 and $457.39 per day (representing an estimated annual salary of between $81,175.64 and $118,921.40). This estimation is conservative as it does not include the multitasking of more than one care activity at the one time.</p>
<p>The estimation raises important questions as to what is owed to Indigenous women, not just because the economy free-rides on unpaid care, but also because much of this care work mops up the mess of colonisation. </p>
<p>Many of the women we spoke to also talked about how unpaid care and paid employment interact. </p>
<p>In addition to their unpaid care roles, most women in paid employment in this study had roles in the community sector which put them at the frontline of caring for community. They saw this work as part of their broader commitment to supporting their families, communities and advancing Indigenous peoples. It is therefore hard to draw a line for these women between paid and unpaid work, meaning it is rare to be able to “switch off”. </p>
<p>Often, employers didn’t realise the amount of unpaid care of this type women do in <a href="https://theconversation.com/during-naidoc-week-many-indigenous-women-are-assigned-unpaid-work-new-research-shows-how-prevalent-this-is-in-the-workplace-208454">their paid work roles</a>, even though this actually makes their paid employment successful. Women are also not paid adequately for these valuable skills.</p>
<h2>A new approach is needed</h2>
<p>Our research follows generations of Indigenous women who have long shown the strength of care, but also looks at how settler society makes this work harder. </p>
<p>This research underlines the importance of a new approach to supporting Indigenous women, in which their voices, ideas and needs are central, and where care is placed at the heart. This is different to just “fitting” Indigenous care into various settler models, policies and measures already in circulation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225780/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elise Klein receives funding from the Gender Institute at the Australian National University. She is a member of the Anti-Poverty Centre, the Accountable Income Management Network and a Co-Director of the Australian Basic Income Lab.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chay Brown receives funding from the Office of Gender Equity and Diversity at the Northern Territory Government. She is affiliated with ANU, Tangentyere Council, and Her Story Mparntwe. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kayla Glynn-Braun is a First Nation Wiradjuri Women whom is a project coordinator at The Equality Institute and Co-Foundered Her Story Consulting and lead on U Right Sis? project, Indigenous Knowledge</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Janet Hunt and Zoe Staines do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>To First Nations women, ‘care’ is more broad and all-encompassing than traditional definitions. We need a new approach to capturing, and appreciating, their work, paid and unpaid.Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National UniversityChay Brown, Managing Director, Her Story Consulting & Postdoctoral fellow, Australian National UniversityJanet Hunt, Honorary Associate Professor, CAEPR, Australian National UniversityKayla Glynn-Braun, Director of Her Story, project coordinator at The Equality Institute, lead on U Right Sis? project, Indigenous KnowledgeZoe Staines, Senior Lecturer, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2254602024-03-18T23:18:23Z2024-03-18T23:18:23ZWith nominations decided, Trump leads Biden in US polls; UK Labour far ahead as election approaches<p>Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a <a href="https://www.thegreenpapers.com/P24/D">majority of all delegates</a> to their parties’ conventions, including delegates not yet allocated. </p>
<p>Both Biden and Trump won their nominations easily, with Biden taking 86.4% of the national Democratic primary vote in contests so far, far ahead of the next closest Marianne Williamson with 3.4%. </p>
<p>In the <a href="https://www.thegreenpapers.com/P24/R">Republican contest</a>, Trump defeated Nikki Haley by 73.4–23.1 in the national popular vote, with the winner takes all/most rules that apply for most Republican contests further benefitting him in delegates.</p>
<p>Conventions that formally elect the nominees will be held in July (for Republicans) and August (Democrats). If either Trump or Biden withdrew prior to the convention, delegates bound to that candidate would need to be persuaded to vote for another candidate. It could be messy to replace either Trump or Biden as the nominee.</p>
<h2>Trump is ahead in general election polls</h2>
<p>By the November 5 general election, Biden will be almost 82 and Trump 78. In the <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/approval/joe-biden/?ex_cid=abcpromo">FiveThirtyEight aggregates</a>, Biden’s net approval is -16.8, with 55.4% disapproving and 38.6% approving. Trump’s net favourability is -9.7, with 52.5% unfavourable and 42.8% favourable. Recently both Biden’s and Trump’s ratings have dipped, with Biden’s March 7 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/03/07/remarks-of-president-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-address-as-prepared-for-delivery-2/">State of the Union address</a> making no difference.</p>
<p>Biden’s net approval is worse than <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/">for any other president</a> at this stage of their presidency since scientific polling began in Harry Truman’s presidency (1945–53). John F. Kennedy and Gerald Ford were not president for as long as Biden has been.</p>
<p>There isn’t yet a FiveThirtyEight aggregate for <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/2024/national/">general election polls</a>, but, while there are three recent national polls that give Biden one-to-two point leads, the large majority of national polls have Trump ahead, usually by low single-digit margins.</p>
<p>The national popular vote does not decide the presidency. Instead, there are 538 Electoral Votes distributed among the states based mostly on population, and it takes 270 to win. In my previous US politics article in December, I said that this system would probably favour Trump more than the national popular vote margin.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/us-elections-2024-a-biden-vs-trump-rematch-is-very-likely-with-trump-leading-biden-219093">US elections 2024: a Biden vs Trump rematch is very likely, with Trump leading Biden</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>US <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/consumer-confidence">consumer sentiment</a> surged from 61.3 points in November to 79 in January, the highest it has been since July 2021. In the next two months, consumer sentiment has fallen back a little to 76.5 in March. </p>
<p>The big gains in consumer sentiment were probably due to reduced inflation. However, the latest economic data suggests inflation is increasing again.</p>
<p>Despite the large gain in consumer sentiment, Biden’s ratings in the FiveThirtyEight aggregate have scarcely changed since my December article. This is bad for Biden, as it implies there is something else wrong other than economic sentiment; his age is the obvious answer.</p>
<p>In December I said the two main chances for a Biden revival were improved economic confidence and Trump being convicted. Economic confidence has improved, but without lifting Biden. On the legal front, Trump’s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68577638">criminal trials all face delays</a> that may push them back until after the election. </p>
<p>The Supreme Court on March 4 <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-05/trump-wins-us-supreme-court-ballot-colorado/103545028">unanimously overturned</a> a Colorado court’s decision, so Trump will be on the ballot paper in all states in November.</p>
<h2>US economic data</h2>
<p>In the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm">February US jobs report</a>, the unemployment rate increased 0.2% from January to 3.9%. While there were 275,000 jobs created in February, there were large downward revisions to job gains in December and January, resulting in 167,000 fewer jobs in those months than previously reported.</p>
<p>Inflation rose 0.4% <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm">in February</a>, up from 0.3% in January and 0.2% in December. Core inflation also rose 0.4% in February (0.4% in January and 0.3% in December).</p>
<p>Real (inflation-adjusted) <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/realer.t01.htm">hourly earnings</a> were down 0.4% in February, though real weekly earnings were flat owing to a gain in weekly hours worked. But there has been a trend towards fewer weekly hours, resulting in a real hourly wage gain of 1.1% in the last 12 months, but only a 0.5% real weekly gain.</p>
<h2>UK Labour far ahead as general election approaches</h2>
<p>The 650 members of the UK House of Commons are elected by first-past-the-post, where the candidate with more votes than any other wins the seat. The UK has five-year terms, and at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_United_Kingdom_general_election">December 2019 election</a> Boris Johnson led the Conservatives to a thumping victory.</p>
<p>Much has changed since 2019, with Johnson replaced as PM by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Johnson#Premiership_(2019%E2%80%932022)">Liz Truss</a> in September 2022, then Truss was replaced by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Truss#Premiership_(2022)">Rishi Sunak</a> in October 2022.</p>
<p>Labour has led in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election#">UK national polls</a> since late 2021, with their lead blowing out during Truss’ short stint as PM. While the Conservatives recovered some ground under Sunak, they have not been in a competitive position since Johnson was PM.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/">Politico Poll of polls</a> currently has Labour on 43%, the Conservatives on 24%, the far-right Reform on 12%, the liberal Liberal Democrats on 10%, the Greens on 5% and the Scottish National Party on 2%. The last two national polls, which were conducted after a scandal involving a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/14/tories-urged-return-further-5m-donation-frank-hester">Conservative donor accused of racism</a>, gave Labour 23 and 26-point leads.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/prediction_main.html">Electoral Calculus</a> seat forecast in late February, based on estimated vote shares in polls of 43.1% Labour, 25.2% Conservative, 9.9% Lib Dems, 10.2% Reform, 5.9% Greens and 3.2% SNP, was a massive Labour landslide, with Labour winning 455 of the 650 seats, to 113 Conservatives, 40 Lib Dems and 18 SNP.</p>
<p>The Conservatives have also lost six of the last seven <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Kingdom_by-elections_(2010%E2%80%93present)">byelections</a> in Conservative-held seats since July 2023, five to Labour and one to the Lib Dems. In many of these losses, there were massive swings.</p>
<p>Sunak can call a general election at any time, but it is likely to be held in late 2024, though it could be delayed until <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_United_Kingdom_general_election">January 2025</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225460/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrian Beaumont does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As the Trump v Biden contest shapes up ahead of the US presidential election in November, the polls are not favourable to the incumbent president.Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2227962024-03-18T21:40:07Z2024-03-18T21:40:07ZMentorship is key to improving social and economic outcomes for Black youth<p>Black youth in Canada experience <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2020002-eng.htm">poorer educational achievement than other children and youth</a>, which leads to subsequent poor economic outcomes. </p>
<p>A series of problems and barriers <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ644352">contribute to poor educational outcomes</a>. These include negative attitudes of teachers towards Black youth, lack of African-Canadian history and culture in the educational curriculum, low teacher expectations of Black children, alienating school environments <a href="https://theconversation.com/black-youth-yearn-for-black-teachers-to-disrupt-the-daily-silencing-of-their-experiences-177279">and a lack of Black teachers</a> and mentors.</p>
<p>These, coupled with systemic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-011-0344-3">discrimination and bias in hiring processes</a>, translate to poorer economic outcomes. </p>
<p>By being mentored by Black people, Black youth are able to see that they have potential to achieve what their mentors have achieved. This is especially important for Black youth whose families have faced socio-economic disadvantage or downward occupational mobility.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The presence of Black teachers and mentors is important for Black students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/EDU images)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Improving outcomes</h2>
<p>Black children suffer disproportionate discipline at school. They are more likely to be <a href="https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/reality-of-anti-black-racism-in-canada">suspended or expelled from school</a> — and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-curb-anti-black-racism-in-canadian-schools-150489">bias or anti-Black racism creates hostile environments</a> for them, contributing to student disengagement. They are also less likely than other youth to attain <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/75-006-x/2020001/article/00002-eng.pdf?st=H0dPj5oE">a post-secondary qualification</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/voices-of-black-youth-remind-adults-in-schools-to-listen-and-act-to-empower-them-210849">Voices of Black youth remind adults in schools to listen — and act to empower them</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This is despite the higher educational aspirations and <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2020002-eng.htm">resilience of Black children compared to other similarly aged racial or ethnic groups</a>.</p>
<p>Several factors improve Black children’s educational outcomes: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580909334503">support from their parents</a>, parental values related to education, pride in one’s heritage, use of a minority language at home and having a strong sense of <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ734489">trust in and knowledge of one’s culture</a>. </p>
<h2>Education strategies needed</h2>
<p>However, despite Black parents’ interest in supporting their children, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9493.1994.tb00222.x">structural and systemic constraints</a> disrupt children’s flourishing. These constraints are based on differential privileges and positions of power that families face related to diverse racialized, class and gender-based social locations. </p>
<p>The United Nations <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/wg-african-descent">Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent</a> recommends that Canada “<a href="https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.v44i1.5117">implement a nationwide African Canadian education strategy</a> … [and] strengthen Afrocentric education curricula.”</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Black youths’ outcomes improve when they are taught by Black teachers or can study their history.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/EDUimages)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.01.007">Black youths’ outcomes improve</a> when they can study their history <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-38277-3_38">and are taught or</a> <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w25254">mentored by Black teachers</a>. Mentorship is a central strategy to improve the educational and economic experiences of Black youth. </p>
<p>Mentorship is also effective for countering negative effects of racism on Black youth, and has been <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40894-017-0074-z">identified as having a stronger impact on addressing racism than education alone</a>. </p>
<p>Black-focused education can improve the <a href="https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/encounters/article/view/5285">economic outcomes of Black youth</a>.</p>
<h2>Afrocentric programs, communities</h2>
<p>Strong evidence indicates mentorship is effective across behavioural, social, emotional and academic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033447">domains of youth development</a>. </p>
<p>Proponents of Afrocentric educational programs assert that Black youth suffer from low self-esteem, which leads to low school performance, but that they can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38277-3_38">be motivated to achieve by studying their history</a>. </p>
<p>Research also shows alienation and expulsion rates decrease and self-esteem and university attendance rates <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.01.007">increase when Black students are taught by Black teachers</a>. <a href="https://canadianteachermagazine.com/2022/01/20/11014">Afrocentric supplementary educational programs</a> have proven to be effective in improving the educational success of Black youth.</p>
<p>The personal experience of the first author of this article (Bukola Salami) attending a mentorship program for Black youth and delivering one highlight the potential positive impact of mentorship on the lives of Black youth. </p>
<p>Bukola writes: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“In 1998, I was a student of a mentorship program for Black youth in Canada. For me, attending this program indicated the potential strong effect of the program on fostering a positive identity. Having mentors of similar background inspired my confidence to succeed.” </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Potential to contribute to positive outcomes</h2>
<p>In 2019, an interdisciplinary university-based mentorship program was created through Bukola’s leadership after she received funding from the Government of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://ucalgary.ca/news/empowering-future-black-youth-mentorship-and-leadership-program-transforms-lives#">Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program</a> seeks to socially and economically empower Black youth to contribute to Canadian society. The program was initially created for students about to enter Grade 11 and 12 (but has also engaged university students with a modified curriculum). </p>
<p>Black youth are paired with Black faculty and professionals from whom they gain valuable experience and skills. Evaluations of the program indicate it cultivated a positive <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/nursing/media-library/research/health-immigration/black-youth-mentorship-program-final-report.pdf">sense of cultural identity among Black youth and improved their sense of community belonging, sense of responsibility, leadership skills and economic outcomes</a>.</p>
<p>Lessons learned from the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program, alongside other research, indicate the potential of mentorship programs to contribute to improved social and economic outcomes for Black youth. This will serve as a key ingredient to addressing anti-Black racism in Canada.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222796/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span> Bukola Salami receives funding from Policywise for Children and Families for a project on mental health of Black youth named in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aloysius Nwabugo Maduforo and Myra Kandemiri do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mentorship programs serving Black youth are an important part of addressing anti-Black racism in Canada.Bukola Salami, Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of CalgaryAloysius Nwabugo Maduforo, Research Manager, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of CalgaryMyra Kandemiri, Academic Teaching Staff Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2253302024-03-18T20:34:22Z2024-03-18T20:34:22ZOperation Legacy: How Britain covered up its colonial crimes<p>In 2011, the world learned of the secret British policy called <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/apr/18/britain-destroyed-records-colonial-crimes">Operation Legacy</a> that was implemented in the 1950s. The goal of this policy was to remove incriminating documents from former colonies in the months before each one became politically independent. </p>
<p>Documents that might embarrass or damage the British government, police and military <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/29/revealed-bonfire-papers-empire">were either secretly removed or destroyed</a>. This policy had an impact far and wide, and was implemented in British colonies throughout the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. </p>
<p>In an age where <a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/the-misinformation-age-0xqnez/">misinformation</a> is everywhere, Operation Legacy provides us with an instructive example of the repercussions faced when people with power determine what information is available to interpret events of the past. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oPGVGckn7kQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A TED-Ed explainer on Operation Legacy and how British officials destroyed embarrassing documents or sent them to the U.K.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Kenya: the unravelling of a British lie</h2>
<p>We know about Operation Legacy because of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/21/mau-mau-torture-kenyans-compensation">a case brought before the British High Court</a>. Five elderly Kenyans accused the British colonial government of imposing a policy of torture and human rights abuses during a state of emergency from 1952-1960 instituted in response to a rebellion against colonial rule.</p>
<p>The case revealed the price many Kenyans paid as they fought against colonialism. At the core of the conflict was access to land. From the beginning of colonial rule in 1895, the British were aggressive in their efforts to displace Africans from their lands. The goal was to reserve the most fertile land for white settlement and farms. </p>
<p>By the 1950s, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-12997138">African resistance became more organized and intense</a>. When the colonial government declared a state of emergency, Kenyans suspected of challenging British colonial rule faced even greater risks. The state of emergency gave colonial authorities a wide ranging set of powers — which included torture and other human rights abuses — to deal with the anti-colonialists. </p>
<p>The propaganda from the period is telling. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-vOLVyPSdwc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A 1955 British news report casting Kenyan anti-colonial rebels as fanatics and bandits.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Privileging the colonizer’s narrative</h2>
<p>Many historians of 20th century Kenya — but not all — overlooked or downplayed this colonial policy of violence. Some might argue they should be forgiven as there were no official colonial documents that revealed a British policy of human rights violations in Kenya. </p>
<p>But what happens when the absence of proof is really due to the deliberate removal of evidence?</p>
<p>Others might be inclined to think those historians did not look hard enough. They were only willing to believe the official colonial records even though there were Kenyans alive who could give oral testimony. </p>
<p>For the five elderly Kenyans, the irrefutable evidence was the scars they bore on their bodies. Make no mistake, the human rights violations were extreme. <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2016/5/5/we-are-the-mau-mau-kenyans-share-stories-of-torture">They even included castration</a>. The Kenyans also had their memories. Yet, this mattered little for those historians who privileged official colonial documents above all else. </p>
<p>However, it was the work of historians David Anderson, Huw Bennett and Caroline Elkins that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03086534.2011.629082">helped turn the court case around</a>. Their research challenged the historical silence on colonial violence during this period. </p>
<p>In court, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/hwj/dbv027">evidence was presented</a> that colonial documents were deliberately removed and that the testimony of the elderly Kenyans was, in fact, credible. In December 2010, the presiding judge ruled that the British Foreign and Commonwealth office had to <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article/120/3/852/19858">release all documents related to the case</a>. </p>
<p>Once these documents were released and analyzed, the evidence was clear. The British colonial government sanctioned extreme abuses. We now know that over 80,000 people were imprisoned without trial and more than 1,000 people were convicted as “terrorists” and put to <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/Histories-of-the-Hanged">death by hanging</a>. </p>
<p>Only eight white officers were accused of extreme abuse, and they were all granted amnesty. This includes the officer accused of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/11/mau-mau-high-court-foreign-office-documents">“roasting alive” one Kenyan</a>. </p>
<p>Shortly after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was required to release documents concerning the case, <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/110405-wms0001.htm?_gl=1*1wvpzwq*_ga*ODkyMzY3MTQxLjE3MTAyODQ4NDI.*_ga_QQVTWCSLDS*MTcxMDI4NDg0Mi4xLjEuMTcxMDI4NTMwOS42MC4wLjA.#1104069000380">an announcement</a> was made in the House of Lords that files were also being held concerning 37 former British colonies. An <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43917577">independent audit</a> revealed there were more than 20,000 files taken from former colonies. </p>
<p>Some files were also slated for destruction, and there is no way to know how many were destroyed. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581372/original/file-20240312-18-k34uug.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Part of a document detailing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581372/original/file-20240312-18-k34uug.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581372/original/file-20240312-18-k34uug.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=136&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581372/original/file-20240312-18-k34uug.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=136&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581372/original/file-20240312-18-k34uug.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=136&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581372/original/file-20240312-18-k34uug.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=171&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581372/original/file-20240312-18-k34uug.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=171&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581372/original/file-20240312-18-k34uug.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=171&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Instructions given to colonial officials for the destruction of documents found in the U.K.’s national archives.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(The National Archives)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Guyana: destroyed documents and a coup</h2>
<p>The files that did survive were eventually transferred to The National Archives in London. They are now officially referred to as the “Migrated Archive,” a carefully chosen misnomer. Now that they are in the public domain, we have a better idea about the documents available for other former British colonies. </p>
<p>I am currently working on a project, <a href="https://www.chainedinparadise.com">Chained in Paradise</a>, that explores the impact of Operation Legacy on the Caribbean. When the public was informed about the specific documents in the Migrated Archive, historian Richard Drayton was <a href="https://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/empire-decolonisation/britains-secret-archive-of-decolonisation/">the first to point out</a> there were no documents for British Guiana, present-day Guyana.</p>
<p>In other words, unlike in Kenya where some documents were hidden, in British Guiana they were all destroyed. Did Britain have things to hide concerning its colonial policies in British Guiana? The short answer is yes. </p>
<h2>The Personal net</h2>
<p>Approximately one year after Britain declared a State of Emergency in Kenya, it declared another in British Guiana in October 1953; six months after the colony’s first democratic election.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/26/mi5-files-coup-british-guiana">British troops were deployed to remove the elected Prime Minister Cheddi Jagan</a>. The constitution of British Guiana was suspended and the British governor ruled for three more years. The area formerly known as British Guiana became the independent nation of Guyana in 1966.</p>
<p>Jagan was accused of being a communist and went to England to protest his removal. However, he and his allies were eventually placed under house arrest.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHRtChiUH7Y?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A British news report on the deposition of Guyana’s Prime Minister Cheddi Jagan.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>According to one document I have reviewed from the Migrated Archives, less than one month after Prime Minister Jagan was elected, records in British Guiana were incorporated into a secret system for hiding official correspondence. It was called the “Personal” net.</p>
<p>There are three things we can learn from these records:</p>
<p>1) As soon as British Guiana had its democratically held elections, plans were put in place for high levels of British secrecy. Not only was there to be no transparency, there was also to be high levels of duplicity.</p>
<p>2) Before political independence — in other words, when Britain was on the cusp of losing its political control — documents were to be destroyed so the incoming government would be left in the dark about the tactics of its former British colonizers. </p>
<p>3) The document below suggests that certain colonial records could be destroyed because there were copies in England. To date, no such documents have been released as part of the Migrated Archives. This raises questions about where those documents currently are and if they still exist.</p>
<h2>History is about the future</h2>
<p>In his book, <a href="https://www.theportobellobookshop.com/9781846275852"><em>The History Thieves</em></a>, journalist Ian Cobain argues that Operation Legacy was implemented so that British colonialism would be remembered with “fondness and respect.” He is right, but there is more to history than what we remember. </p>
<p>The long-term objective of Operation Legacy was to undermine future criticism of colonialism by sanitizing the past. That would make the transition from colonialism to neocolonialism easier as future economic relations with their former colonies would be negotiated without a proper historical understanding of Britain’s motives.</p>
<p>History was a powerful tool of the British empire, and it has been used to maintain unequal relations with its former colonies long after they attained political independence.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225330/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Audra Diptée receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Operation Legacy highlights the repercussions faced when people with power determine what information is available to interpret events of the past.Audra Diptée, Associate Professor, History, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2259012024-03-18T19:22:04Z2024-03-18T19:22:04ZPolitical donations rules are finally in the spotlight – here’s what the government should do<p>Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/big-money-to-be-taken-out-of-politics-in-radical-electoral-overhaul-20240308-p5faxq.html">begin briefing MPs</a> on its plan. Greater transparency on who is donating, caps on donations, and limits on campaign expenditure are all on the table. Here’s what the government should – and shouldn’t – do.</p>
<p>Rules around political donations at the federal level have long lagged the states. Under the federal rules, only donations of more than $16,300 need to be on the public record. Before the last federal election, Labor promised to lower this threshold to $1,000, in line with NSW, Victoria, and Queensland, and it is now seeking to fulfil this promise.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/politics-with-michelle-grattan-special-minister-of-state-don-farrell-wants-donation-and-spending-caps-for-next-election-208107">Politics with Michelle Grattan: Special Minister of State Don Farrell wants donation and spending caps for next election</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Donations from the same donor should also be aggregated by political parties to prevent “donations splitting”.</p>
<p>Quicker reporting of political donations is long overdue. Under the current system, it takes at least seven months and sometimes up to 19 months for a large donation to be made public. Introducing “real time” disclosure requirements would mean that Australians know who’s donating while policy issues – and elections – are still “live”.</p>
<p>These three changes – reducing the donations disclosure threshold, aggregating donations from the same donor, and publishing the data in real time – are all quite simple reforms that could be implemented quickly. And there is likely to be widespread support across parliament for these sorts of transparency measures, so this would be a good place to start. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1767357229114794059"}"></div></p>
<p>Where things get trickier is around caps – on both political donations and campaign spending. Both types of caps were supported by a recent parliamentary committee inquiry into the 2022 election, and Labor has <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/big-money-to-be-taken-out-of-politics-in-radical-electoral-overhaul-20240308-p5faxq.html">signalled its interest</a> in these bigger reforms.</p>
<p>A cap on political donations aims to reduce the influence of any one donor. Clive Palmer’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/big-money-was-spent-on-the-2022-election-but-the-party-with-the-deepest-pockets-didnt-win-198780">record-breaking donations</a> in the lead-up to the 2019 and 2022 federal elections have highlighted the potential for wealthy individuals to have substantial influence in Australian elections. </p>
<p>The trick will be in setting the right level for the cap: low enough to be meaningful, yet high enough to enable new entrants to raise the funds necessary to compete with existing players. Some people show their political support with time, others with money, so donations caps need to allow for different forms of democratic participation too. </p>
<p>Caps on campaign spending would be the real game-changer though. Parties and candidates can currently spend as much money as they can raise, so big money means greater capacity to sell your message to voters.</p>
<p>Capping expenditure in the lead-up to elections would limit the “arms race” to raise more and more funds, and ultimately reduce parties’ dependency on major donors. It is this dependency that <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/whos-in-the-room/">“buys” donors substantial access</a> to politicians – and access means opportunities to sway public decisions in the donor’s favour.</p>
<p>Caps on campaign spending would be a big reform to reduce the influence of money in politics. But there are several design issues that still need to be resolved.</p>
<p>Given that other groups, such as unions and industry peak bodies, may campaign on political issues, their political expenditure would also need to be capped. A higher cap should apply for political parties – the primary players in an election – than for third parties.</p>
<p>Independents have warned that spending caps could create <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Electoral_Matters/2022federalelection/Interim_Report/Additional_comments_by_Kate_Chaney_MP">barriers for new entrants</a>. A “one-size-fits-all” model would favour the major parties because they are already well known and usually contest every seat. At a minimum, caps are needed both for total spend and per electorate, to prevent major parties pooling their resources to fight just a few seats. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-full-ban-on-political-donations-would-level-the-playing-field-but-is-it-the-best-approach-81821">A full ban on political donations would level the playing field – but is it the best approach?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These challenges are not insurmountable. NSW has long had expenditure caps in place for state elections and offers a model the federal government could follow. </p>
<p>Another way to resolve many of the concerns would be for the cap to apply to political advertising expenditure only. The idea would be to limit political-party and third-party advertising during election campaigns, but not restrict political expression through more grass-roots channels, or at other times. </p>
<p>The government should take the time to get this right. Campaign spending caps would be a bold reform that would strongly benefit from agreement across the parliament. Even if a quick consensus could be reached, the Australian Electoral Commission would still need time to implement the changes, so this reform would not be ready for the next federal election. </p>
<p>The government should take a consultative approach on caps to land a model that has broad support and trust. But there is no need to delay the transparency reforms. If the government moves quickly, Australians could have much better information on who funds political parties when we head to the polls in 2025.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225901/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The Grattan Institute began with contributions to its endowment of $15 million from each of the Federal and Victorian Governments, $4 million from BHP Billiton, and $1 million from NAB. In order to safeguard its independence, Grattan Institute’s board controls this endowment. The funds are invested and contribute to funding Grattan Institute's activities. Grattan Institute also receives funding from corporates, foundations, and individuals to support its general activities as disclosed on its website.</span></em></p>There are simple (and some not-so-simple) measures that would make donations more transparent and fairer.Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2253542024-03-18T19:21:57Z2024-03-18T19:21:57ZStudy links microplastics with human health problems – but there’s still a lot we don’t know<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582403/original/file-20240317-28-ha8xio.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=62%2C0%2C7008%2C4668&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/microplastics-hand-air-pollution-aquatic-food-2164471827">Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822">recent study</a> published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health.</p>
<p>The study involved patients in Italy who had a condition called carotid artery plaque, where plaque builds up in arteries, potentially blocking blood flow. The researchers analysed plaque specimens from these patients. </p>
<p>They found those with carotid artery plaque who had microplastics and nanoplastics in their plaque had a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or death (compared with carotid artery plaque patients who didn’t have any micro- or nanoplastics detected in their plaque specimens). </p>
<p>Importantly, the researchers didn’t find the micro- and nanoplastics <em>caused</em> the higher risk, only that it was correlated with it. </p>
<p>So, what are we to make of the new findings? And how does it fit with the broader evidence about microplastics in our <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aax1157">environment</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022001258">our bodies</a>?</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1769355367689908357"}"></div></p>
<h2>What are microplastics?</h2>
<p>Microplastics are plastic particles less than five millimetres across. Nanoplastics are less than one micron in size (1,000 microns is equal to one millimetre). The precise size classifications <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.01.024">are still a matter of debate</a>. </p>
<p>Microplastics and nanoplastics are created when everyday products – including clothes, food and beverage packaging, home furnishings, plastic bags, toys and toiletries – degrade. Many personal care products contain microsplastics in the form of microbeads.</p>
<p>Plastic is also used widely in agriculture, and can degrade over time into microplastics and nanoplastics.</p>
<p>These particles are made up of common polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride. The constituent chemical of polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride, is <a href="https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxFAQs/ToxFAQsDetails.aspx?faqid=281&toxid=51">considered carcinogenic</a> by the <a href="https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/vinyl-chloride.pdf">US Environmental Protection Agency</a>.</p>
<p>Of course, the actual risk of harm depends on your level of exposure. As toxicologists are fond of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bcpt.12622">saying</a>, it’s the dose that makes the poison, so we need to be careful to not over-interpret emerging research.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-are-washing-microplastics-down-the-drain-and-its-ending-up-on-our-farms-223079">Australians are washing microplastics down the drain and it's ending up on our farms</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A closer look at the study</h2>
<p>This new study in the New England Journal of Medicine was a small cohort, initially comprising 304 patients. But only 257 completed the follow-up part of the study 34 months later. </p>
<p>The study had a number of limitations. The first is the findings related only to asymptomatic patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (a procedure to remove carotid artery plaque). This means the findings might not be applicable to the wider population.</p>
<p>The authors also point out that while exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics has been likely increasing in recent decades, heart disease rates have been <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.015293">falling</a>.</p>
<p>That said, the fact so many people in the study had detectable levels of microplastics in their body is notable. The researchers found detectable levels of polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride (two types of plastic) in excised carotid plaque from 58% and 12% of patients, respectively. </p>
<p>These patients were more likely to be younger men with diabetes or heart disease and a history of smoking. There was no substantive difference in where the patients lived.</p>
<p>Inflammation markers in plaque samples were more elevated in patients with detectable levels of microplastics and nanoplastics versus those without. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Plastic bottles washed up on a beach." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582404/original/file-20240317-18-nz99jb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582404/original/file-20240317-18-nz99jb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582404/original/file-20240317-18-nz99jb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582404/original/file-20240317-18-nz99jb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582404/original/file-20240317-18-nz99jb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582404/original/file-20240317-18-nz99jb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582404/original/file-20240317-18-nz99jb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Microplastics are created when everyday products degrade.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-waste-beach-1234533793">JS14/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And, then there’s the headline finding: patients with microplastics and nanoplastics in their plaque had a higher risk of having what doctors call “a primary end point event” (non-fatal heart attack, non-fatal stroke, or death from any cause) than those who did not present with microplastics and nanoplastics in their plaque.</p>
<p>The authors of the study note their results “do not prove causality”.</p>
<p>However, it would be remiss not to be cautious. The history of environmental health is replete with examples of what were initially considered suspect chemicals that avoided proper regulation because of what the US National Research Council refers to as the “<a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12209/science-and-decisions-advancing-risk-assessment">untested-chemical assumption</a>”. This assumption arises where there is an absence of research demonstrating adverse effects, which obviates the requirement for regulatory action. </p>
<p>In general, more research is required to find out whether or not microplastics cause harm to human health. Until this evidence exists, we should adopt the precautionary principle; absence of evidence should not be taken as evidence of absence.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/were-all-ingesting-microplastics-at-home-and-these-might-be-toxic-for-our-health-here-are-some-tips-to-reduce-your-risk-159537">We're all ingesting microplastics at home, and these might be toxic for our health. Here are some tips to reduce your risk</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Global and local action</h2>
<p>Exposure to microplastics in our home, work and outdoor environments is inevitable. Governments across the globe have started to acknowledge we must intervene. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/nations-agree-end-plastic-pollution">Global Plastics Treaty</a> will be enacted by 175 nations from 2025. The treaty is designed, among other things, to limit microplastic exposure globally. Burdens are greatest <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119957">especially in children</a> and especially those in low-middle income nations. </p>
<p>In Australia, legislation <a href="https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/about-epa/our-programs-and-projects/single-use-plastics-ban">ending single use plastics</a> will help. So too will the increased rollout of <a href="https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/containerdeposit/">container deposit schemes</a> that include plastic bottles.</p>
<p>Microplastics pollution is an area that requires a collaborative approach between researchers, civil societies, industry and government. We believe the formation of a “microplastics national council” would help formulate and co-ordinate strategies to tackle this issue.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-problem-with-oodies-hooded-blankets-are-cosy-but-they-are-not-great-for-oceans-or-our-health-163087">The problem with Oodies: hooded blankets are cosy but they are not great for oceans or our health</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Little things matter. Small actions by individuals can also translate to significant overall environmental and human health benefits. </p>
<p>Choosing natural materials, fabrics, and utensils not made of plastic and disposing of waste thoughtfully and appropriately – including recycling wherever possible – is helpful.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225354/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Patrick Taylor is a full-time employee of EPA Victoria, appointed to the statutory role of Chief Environmental Scientist.
He previously received funding via an Australian Government Citizen Science Grant (2017-2020), CSG55984 ‘Citizen insights to the composition and risks of household dust’ (the DustSafe project). Outputs from this project included published work on microplastics with Drs Neda Sharifi Soltani and Scott Wilson who were at Macquarie University at that time.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott P. Wilson works for the Australian Microplastic Assessment Project run by the not for profit organisation the Total Environment Centre. He has previously received funding from the NSW EPA for research into microplastic source tracking in Deewhy Lagoon and for developing a Microlitter Reduction Framework. </span></em></p>Microplastics are created when everyday products – including clothes, food and beverage packaging, home furnishings, plastic bags, toys and toiletries – degrade.Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie UniversityScott P. Wilson, Research Director, Australian Microplastic Assessment Project (AUSMAP); Honorary Senior Research Fellow, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2228042024-03-18T19:21:49Z2024-03-18T19:21:49Z‘I wanted to stop … but I also wanted to pull’. 1 in 50 people have trichotillomania – a new memoir unpacks compulsive hair-pulling<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581450/original/file-20240312-22-juqvok.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3994%2C3982&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Conversation/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Towards the end of Adele Dumont’s affecting memoir <a href="https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/the-pulling-9781922585912">The Pulling</a>, she thanks the reader, her “stranger”, for the opportunity to unburden herself of her compulsion of 17 years (and since the age of 17): to pull out strands of her hair, regularly and frequently. As a result, a large section of her scalp would eventually lay bare, yet cleverly concealed from others. </p>
<p>Hair-pulling, or <a href="https://theconversation.com/pulling-out-your-hair-in-frustration-what-you-need-to-know-about-trichotillomania-45228">trichotillomania</a>, does not come up much in public conversation. While terms such as ADHD, OCD or PTSD have almost passed into common parlance, hair-pulling is not well known, despite, as the author claims, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9063575/.">affecting 2% of the population</a> – an incidence greater than that of <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/schizophrenia">schizophrenia (0.32%)</a> or <a href="https://library.neura.edu.au/bipolar-disorder/epidemiology-bipolar-disorder/prevalence-epidemiology-bipolar-disorder/worldwide-4/index.html">bipolar disorder</a> (around 1% over a lifetime). </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/pulling-out-your-hair-in-frustration-what-you-need-to-know-about-trichotillomania-45228">Pulling out your hair in frustration? What you need to know about trichotillomania</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But the secrecy and shame that surrounds trichotilllomania mean it is very much a hidden disorder, poorly understood by the general population. <em>Pull your hair out – why don’t you just stop?</em> </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Review: The Pulling – Adele Dumont (Scribe)</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Dumont’s memoir is structured around themes (“inside an episode”, “shame”, “other people”) and starts with an account of her childhood and family upbringing. The quality of the writing and the tender voice quickly drew me into the mystery of this baffling disorder. </p>
<p>Reading it, I was alert for evidence of trauma or abuse, anything that might explain Dumont’s “eventual unravelling”. There are very few clues from childhood. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581470/original/file-20240313-18-g2eevp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581470/original/file-20240313-18-g2eevp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581470/original/file-20240313-18-g2eevp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581470/original/file-20240313-18-g2eevp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581470/original/file-20240313-18-g2eevp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581470/original/file-20240313-18-g2eevp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581470/original/file-20240313-18-g2eevp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581470/original/file-20240313-18-g2eevp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Adele Dumont’s affecting memoir investigates her trichotillomania, or compulsive hair-pulling.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scribe</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Sensing something amiss</h2>
<p>Her parents met while fruit-picking in far-north Queensland; her father was a backpacker from France. Together they spent 15 years moving between orchards and later, with their two daughters, from farm to farm across rural Australia. The family lived in tents and later a caravan, and the young Adele remembers a solitary childhood: lived in nature, but never far from her parents. </p>
<p>The family moved to the outskirts of Sydney for the girls to attend school. In the holidays or on weekends, the young Adele remembers her father lifting her gently from sleep to her bed in the Kombi, waking up in orchards. </p>
<p>Her parents stayed together, despite some “unease in the marriage”. She adored her self-taught French bookworm father, his devotion to her and younger sister (“E”), his capacity to accept others “as they were”. Dumont presents her mother as a psychologically complex character, a little scary. “Mama” was at pains to provide materially for her daughters, but not present in a way that enabled them to relax in their own home.</p>
<p>Mama was devoted to her daughters and they led a frugal (“elemental”) life where nothing was ever wasted. Dumont uses the example of her mother’s tendency to hoard, and her own tendency to hoard secrets, to explain her eventual writing of “this silence and all this story” — lest it be wasted. </p>
<p>Dumont writes of her mother’s “laughter without any happiness in it”. She can’t remember her mother “ever being calm”. Perhaps her mother’s family history might account for this: she had an alcoholic brother who died young and a father diagnosed with PTSD – Dumont recalls him as “emotionally detached and damaged”. </p>
<p>The watchful young Adele falls into a pattern of reasoning that is common to hyperaware and highly empathic children who sense something amiss in the people they love. She feels responsible for, in this case, her mother’s suffering. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-reading-help-heal-us-and-process-our-emotions-or-is-that-just-a-story-we-tell-ourselves-197789">Can reading help heal us and process our emotions – or is that just a story we tell ourselves?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Compensating by being ‘exceptional’</h2>
<p>One possible clue to the origins of the hair-pulling habit is that the young Adele resented comparison with her mother (her thick hair or full cheeks, for example) but loved being noticed for being “just like Papa” for her habit of playing with her hair while reading. This innocuous-seeming gesture was, in Dumont’s words “a convenient cover for what I was really doing”. </p>
<p>Another clue is Dumont’s tendency towards perfectionism and savage self-criticism. Like so many young women who, sadly, are not comfortable about their appearance, Dumont developed “good girl” behaviours and excelled at school, writing and languages. (“To compensate for this ugliness I needed to be exceptional – exceptionally good, exceptionally polite, exceptionally kind.”) She became a teacher of English and taught asylum-seekers in detention, the subject of her first book. </p>
<p>Dumont claims her secret was too “nebulous” to even attempt putting into words. But she manages to powerfully and elegantly deconstruct the experience of a hair-pulling episode, at the same time cautioning her reader (“you”) that this might be painful to bear. </p>
<p>She describes the urge to go to the place “where only [she] could go”, the desire to pull, the trance-like state it engendered. In her transportation, she finds something “unknowable”, a kind of clarity and “grace”: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Rather than different thoughts all jostling for attention, I am able to discern one strand of thought, which reveals itself as cleanly as a fishbone lifted from its surrounding flesh. This strand of thought distinguishes itself not only in its purity but in its fluidity; roaming and cartwheeling and leaping like a creature released.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Dumont manages very effectively to evoke the full, sensory, “surreal” experience of hair-pulling for her. As a reader, I felt I could enter her world and (almost) comprehend the payoffs of the behaviour. I understood these as something to do with being in flow and claiming an intimate, secret space of oneness with self. There is some enlightenment, yet enough mystery to keep reading. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/pulling-out-your-hair-in-frustration-what-you-need-to-know-about-trichotillomania-45228">Pulling out your hair in frustration? What you need to know about trichotillomania</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Defining compulsions</h2>
<p>There are no simple answers to the problem of trichotillomania: “I wanted to stop pulling, but I also wanted to pull. And one of these desires was always stronger than the other.”</p>
<p>The ambivalence Dumont reveals about her hair-pulling is also reflected in the “irreconcilable” chasm she feels between herself and others, and between her known self and the self revealed to others. It also explains her resistance to therapy. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581237/original/file-20240312-22-3mx1s3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581237/original/file-20240312-22-3mx1s3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581237/original/file-20240312-22-3mx1s3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=934&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581237/original/file-20240312-22-3mx1s3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=934&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581237/original/file-20240312-22-3mx1s3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=934&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581237/original/file-20240312-22-3mx1s3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1173&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581237/original/file-20240312-22-3mx1s3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1173&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581237/original/file-20240312-22-3mx1s3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1173&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It took Dumont 11 years to seek professional help for a disorder that started as a harmless habit and morphed into a significant compulsion that threatened relationships, work, quality of life and her future. Such resistance might resonate with anyone trying to dispense of an unwelcome habit. </p>
<p>There is the sense of not wanting to let go of something that is in some way defining, as Dumont puts it: “Nobody – no professor or psychiatrist – has the power to eradicate my compulsions. They are mine to keep.” </p>
<p>There is also, fortunately for the reader empathising strongly with Dumont’s conflict and pain, a healthy dose of self-dignity at stake (no doubt also familiar to hesitant help-seekers). “Asking someone for help was a form of cheating.”</p>
<p>But the biggest reason for resisting help or even disclosing the habit to those close to her – not even her parents or sister knew – was shame. Shame and being “ashamed at [her] own shame” drew her into a defensive cycle of approaching/resisting help and disclosure. The tension and effort of having to keep the habit secret for fear of being discovered took a toll Dumont admits is “so high it can shape one’s destiny”. </p>
<p>Dumont’s silent plea for the psychologist to whom she would eventually confide could also be “you” – her reader, her stranger. She writes: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I need her to be tender and patient and sensitive but not to pity me. Professional but not clinical. I need her to understand the gravity of my situation, but not to try to amend it. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>It is a plea for acceptance and a strong aversion to glib solutions. </p>
<p>There is a sharply intellectual quality to this memoir, written by a deeply reflective young woman. By the last page of the memoir, I felt I was indeed Dumont’s intended reader, her stranger, her “you”. I returned her appreciation, grateful for the opportunity to walk a little in her shoes, painful though it was at times – and for her honesty, courage and intimacy. </p>
<p>Dumont’s testimony is written with perceptive insight, both into herself and those around her. She is a gifted and compassionate linguist and writer. </p>
<p>Despite the very specific nature of the subject, the memoir speaks to a broad readership: to anyone who has felt the isolation of difference, whether “being” different or simply feeling it. Hers is at once a brave appeal to readers for understanding and acceptance, and a brave read.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222804/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jane Turner Goldsmith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Adele Dumont’s affecting memoir, The Pulling, draws the reader into the secrecy, shame and impulses behind trichotilllomania, or compulsive hair-pulling.Jane Turner Goldsmith, PhD candidate, Creative Writing, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2253562024-03-18T19:21:43Z2024-03-18T19:21:43ZIntimacy, ‘secret service’ and social climbing: meet the real Villiers women behind Mary & George<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582101/original/file-20240315-22-3y4x18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=61%2C24%2C8181%2C5462&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Binge</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the early 17th century English royal court. </p>
<p>George Villiers rose from humble beginnings to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup-bearer">cup-bearer</a> in 1614, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lords_and_Gentlemen_of_the_Bedchamber">Gentleman of the Bedchamber</a> in 1615, and ultimately to the royal favourite of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_VI_and_I">King James VI & I</a>, amassing many titles and court appointments. In 1623 he was made Duke of Buckingham, the only duke who was not a member of the royal family. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i3hlTrtnXGo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>In Mary & George, Mary moulds George to be James’ lover, where he would become the second-most powerful man in England. But from dizzying heights can come a great fall.</p>
<p>Much of the show is embellished for dramatic effect – it’s unclear if James actually did have sexual relationships with his male favourites, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon">Sir Francis Bacon</a> did not die of syphilis. </p>
<p>However, other aspects of the show are fact. The Earl and Countess of Somerset were tried and found guilty of <a href="https://humanities.uconn.edu/2019/03/06/scandal-and-murder-in-the-folger-archives/">murder through poisoning</a> (though they weren’t executed) and Frances Coke really was abducted and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Coke,_Viscountess_Purbeck">forced to marry</a> John Villiers (witnesses noted her crying in the ceremony just like depicted). </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582421/original/file-20240318-18-4exp03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Oil painting" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582421/original/file-20240318-18-4exp03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582421/original/file-20240318-18-4exp03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582421/original/file-20240318-18-4exp03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582421/original/file-20240318-18-4exp03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582421/original/file-20240318-18-4exp03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582421/original/file-20240318-18-4exp03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582421/original/file-20240318-18-4exp03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Villiers Family painted in 1628.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:British_School,_17th_century_-_The_Family_of_the_1st_Duke_of_Buckingham_(1592-1628)_-_RCIN_402607_-_Royal_Collection.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although George’s relationship with James is a central focus of the series, the Villiers women – George’s mother, sister and wife – all strategically bolstered the power and influence of their male relatives and ensured their family remained in royal favour.</p>
<p>Here’s what you should know about the real women behind the characters.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-make-friends-and-influence-people-as-a-17th-century-woman-87205">How to make friends and influence people (as a 17th-century woman)</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The mother: Mary Villiers</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582093/original/file-20240315-22-t6ti75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Engraving and photograph" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582093/original/file-20240315-22-t6ti75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582093/original/file-20240315-22-t6ti75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582093/original/file-20240315-22-t6ti75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582093/original/file-20240315-22-t6ti75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582093/original/file-20240315-22-t6ti75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582093/original/file-20240315-22-t6ti75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582093/original/file-20240315-22-t6ti75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An engraving of Mary Villiers from 1814, and Julianne Moore as Mary Villiers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mary_Villiers,_Countess_of_Buckingham,_by_George_Perfect_Harding.jpeg">Wikimedia Commons/Binge</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While the fictional Mary Villiers’ origins are depicted as low-born, the real Mary was from a gentry family with a good name but little money. </p>
<p>Mary’s four children with her first husband, George Villiers, were Susan, John, George and Christopher (“Kit”), who all feature in the show. </p>
<p>She married again to Sir William Rayner, and finally Sir Thomas Compton. She was created Countess of Buckingham in her own right (not tied to a husband) in 1618.</p>
<p>Like many women at this time who could not own property or assets due to the laws of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01440365.2022.2092945">coverture</a>, Mary strategically married and used the other avenues available to her – such as social networking – to rise through the ranks of Jacobean society until her death in 1632. </p>
<p>History has not been kind to Mary. Her ambition for her family marked her as greedy, calculating and ruthless, which the show extends to lesbianism and murder despite the absence of any historical evidence.</p>
<h2>The sister: Susan Villiers</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582402/original/file-20240317-26-45214i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Side by side pictures" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582402/original/file-20240317-26-45214i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582402/original/file-20240317-26-45214i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582402/original/file-20240317-26-45214i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582402/original/file-20240317-26-45214i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582402/original/file-20240317-26-45214i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=665&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582402/original/file-20240317-26-45214i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=665&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582402/original/file-20240317-26-45214i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=665&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Susan Feilding, nee Villers, is played by Alice Grant.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royalist_father_and_Roundhead_son;_being_the_memoirs_of_the_first_and_second_earls_of_Denbigh,_1600-1675_(1915)_(14757234486).jpg">Wikimedia Commons/Binge</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Mary’s only daughter Susan is portrayed in the show as a quiet, timid and boring teenager. In reality Susan, who went by Sue, learned a great deal from her mother and used strategic connections to improve the social standing of her family. </p>
<p>In 1607, before the rise of the Villiers family at court, she married a country gentleman named William Fielding. Sue and William used George’s favour with the king to obtain many offices and titles; they were made the Countess and Earl of Denbigh in 1622. </p>
<p>After Charles I ascended the throne and married French princess <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/henrietta-maria">Henrietta Maria</a>, Sue was appointed as the most senior <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_of_the_Bedchamber">Lady of the Bedchamber</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/beheaded-and-exiled-the-two-previous-king-charleses-bookended-the-abolition-of-the-monarchy-190410">Beheaded and exiled: the two previous King Charleses bookended the abolition of the monarchy</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These positions gave her vast influence at court. Surviving papers describe how she was frequently paid for “secret service” for the queen.</p>
<p>Over time, Sue developed a close relationship with Charles and Henrietta Maria, godparents to some of her grandchildren. Her letters show she was concerned with the social position of her own son, his education and his advancement at court. </p>
<p>When the queen fled for France during the English civil wars, Sue went with her and remained until her death in 1652.</p>
<h2>The wife: Katherine Manners</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582097/original/file-20240315-30-djpnwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Oil painting and photograph" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582097/original/file-20240315-30-djpnwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582097/original/file-20240315-30-djpnwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582097/original/file-20240315-30-djpnwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582097/original/file-20240315-30-djpnwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582097/original/file-20240315-30-djpnwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582097/original/file-20240315-30-djpnwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582097/original/file-20240315-30-djpnwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Katherine Manners, painted in 1628, is played by Mirren Mack.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw00882/The-Duke-of-Buckingham-and-his-Family?">National Portrait Gallery/Binge</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the show, George is forced into a partnership with “Katie” Manners when his mother and sister conspire to lock them in a room overnight, risking their reputations. </p>
<p>Young, “fertile” and wealthy, Katie describes herself as the perfect aristocratic wife. </p>
<p>They married in 1620 in a private ceremony witnessed only by James and her father, the Earl of Rutland. Katie became Katherine Villiers, Marchioness and then Duchess of Buckingham. She and George had four children, Mary, Charles, George and Francis. </p>
<p>James was Mary’s doting godfather. In his letters, he called her his grandchild, while Kate and George became his “children” and he their “dear dad”.</p>
<p>As the show depicts, George and the Villiers women became like a new family to James. This intimacy explains the libels which claimed Mary and George killed the king, a rumour the show brings to life. </p>
<p>Katherine, like Mary and Sue, became a Lady of the Bedchamber to Henrietta Maria. Katherine was pregnant when George was assassinated in 1628 and witnessed his death at the Greyhound Inn (where <a href="https://www.yespotteddogge.co.uk/">you can still stay</a>) in Portsmouth. </p>
<p>She went into mourning, commissioning portraits and the <a href="https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/villiers-family">Buckingham monument at Westminster Abbey</a> in a chapel usually reserved for royalty. She continued to live at York House in London, marked today by its <a href="https://londonist.com/london/history/york-watergate">Watergate</a> near Embankment Station. </p>
<p>Although she and her children remained favourites of Charles, her reconversion to Catholicism in 1628 and marriage to the Irish Catholic Randall MacDonnell in 1635 caused a strain. Katherine spent much of the civil wars in relative poverty in Ghent and Ireland, with her husband often imprisoned for his role in the Irish Confederacy. </p>
<p>She died in 1649, shortly after <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromwellian_conquest_of_Ireland">Cromwell’s conquest of Ireland</a>, her life and the rule of Charles I both coming to an end.</p>
<p>But the influence of the Villers women in the royal court continued throughout the 17th century. George and Katherine’s daughter Mary married a Stewart, making their royal connections official. </p>
<p>Later generations of Viliers women, including Sue’s daughter Barbara also served in the households of Henrietta Maria and later, Catherine of Braganza, continuing the tradition of royal service and influence that began under Mary and George. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mary-and-george-homosexual-relationships-in-the-time-of-king-james-i-were-forbidden-but-not-uncommon-223522">Mary & George: homosexual relationships in the time of King James I were forbidden – but not uncommon</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225356/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Bendall receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council UK and Parold Research Fund.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Megan Shaw does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mary & George depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the early 17th century English royal court.Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic UniversityMegan Shaw, PhD Candidate in Art History, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata RauLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2251812024-03-18T19:21:34Z2024-03-18T19:21:34ZDo you have 7,513 unread emails in your inbox? Research suggests that’s unwise<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581813/original/file-20240314-18-q0ect0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=60%2C13%2C2965%2C2018&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/email-inbox-phone-outdoors-list-new-2135776669">Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>How do you manage your emails? Are you an “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/04/email-is-a-zombie-that-keeps-rising-from-the-dead-the-endless-pursuit-of-inbox-zero">inbox zero</a>” kind of person, or do you just leave thousands of them unread?</p>
<p>Our new study, published today in the journal <a href="https://informationr.net/infres">Information Research</a>, suggests that leaving all your emails in the inbox is likely to leave you dissatisfied with your personal records management. </p>
<p>In an exploratory survey, we asked participants how they dealt with their personal records such as bills, online subscriptions and similar items. Many of these <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.13282">arrive by email</a>.</p>
<p>We found that most respondents left their electronic records in their email. Only half saved items such as bills and other documents to other locations, like their computer or the cloud. But having a disorganised inbox also led to problems, including missing bills and losing track of important correspondence.</p>
<h2>The risk of losing track of your emails</h2>
<p>Receiving bills, insurance renewals and other household documents by email <a href="https://www.questline.com/blog/top-reasons-customers-choose-paperless-billing">saves time and money</a>, and reduces unnecessary paper use.</p>
<p>However, there are risks involved if you don’t stay on top of your electronic records. Respondents in our research reported issues such as <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/drivers-fined-millions-since-new-no-vehicle-registration-sticker-system-introduced-in-nsw/news-story/040a82526edc73eb8c23bce47fd1b8f9">lapsed vehicle registration</a>, failing to cancel <a href="https://newsroom.ing.com.au/unused-subscriptions-and-forgotten-outgoings-could-cost-each-aussie-up-to-1261-a-year/">unwanted subscriptions</a>, and overlooking tax deductions because it was too much trouble finding the receipts. </p>
<p>This suggests late fines and other email oversights could be costing people hundreds of dollars each year.</p>
<p>In addition to the financial costs, research suggests that not sorting and managing electronic records makes it more difficult to put together the information needed at tax time, or for other high-stakes situations, such as loan applications.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-get-so-much-spam-and-unwanted-email-in-my-inbox-and-how-can-i-get-rid-of-it-208665">Why do I get so much spam and unwanted email in my inbox? And how can I get rid of it?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What did we find?</h2>
<p>We surveyed over 300 diverse respondents on their personal electronic records management. Most of them were from Australia, but we also received responses from other countries, such as the United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland, Portugal and elsewhere.</p>
<p>Two-thirds of the respondents used their email to manage personal records, such as bills, receipts, subscriptions and more. Of those, we found that once respondents had dealt with their email, about half of them would sort the emails into folders, while the other half would leave everything in the inbox.</p>
<p>While most sorted their workplace email into folders, they were much less likely to sort their personal email in the same way.</p>
<p>The results also showed that only half (52%) of respondents who left all their email in the inbox were satisfied with their records management, compared to 71% of respondents who sorted their email into folders.</p>
<p>Of the respondents who saved their paperwork in the cloud (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox and similar), 83% reported being satisfied with their home records management.</p>
<p>The study was exploratory, so further research will be needed to see if our findings apply more universally. However, our statistical analysis did reveal practices associated with more satisfactory outcomes, and ones that might be better to avoid.</p>
<h2>What can go wrong with an inbox-only approach?</h2>
<p>Based on the responses, we have identified three main problems with leaving all your email in the inbox.</p>
<p>First, users can lose track of the tasks that need to be done. For example, a bill that needs to be paid could slip down the line unnoticed, drowned by other emails.</p>
<p>Second, relying on search to re-find emails means you need to know exactly what you’re looking for. For example, at tax time searching for charity donation receipts depends on remembering what to search for, as well as the exact wording in the email containing the receipt.</p>
<p>Third, many bills and statements are not sent as attachments to emails, <a href="https://publications.archivists.org.au/index.php/asa/article/view/10421">but rather as hyperlinks</a>. If you change your bank or another service provider, those hyperlinks may not be accessible at a later date. Not being able to access missing payslips from a former employer can also cause issues, as shown by the <a href="https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2019/court-finds-robodebt-unlawful.html">Robodebt scandal</a> or the recent case of the Australian Tax Office <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-14/ato-reignites-old-debts-individuals-businesses-struggle/103578746">reviving old debts</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581489/original/file-20240313-24-614jwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=270%2C779%2C3168%2C2001&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Close-up of a mouse cursor selecting an inbox link with one unread email." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581489/original/file-20240313-24-614jwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=270%2C779%2C3168%2C2001&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581489/original/file-20240313-24-614jwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581489/original/file-20240313-24-614jwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581489/original/file-20240313-24-614jwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581489/original/file-20240313-24-614jwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581489/original/file-20240313-24-614jwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581489/original/file-20240313-24-614jwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">You can apply a few simple practices to your email management to minimise stress and financial losses.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/email-menu-on-monitor-screen-127894817">kpatyhka/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>4 tips for better records management</h2>
<p>When we asked respondents to nominate a preferred location for keeping their personal records, they tended to choose a more organised format than their current behaviour. Ideally, only 8% of the respondents would leave everything in their email inbox, unsorted. </p>
<p>Our findings suggest a set of practices that can help you get on top of your electronic records and prevent stress or financial losses:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>sort your email into category folders, or save records in folders in the cloud or on a computer</p></li>
<li><p>download documents that are not attached to emails or sent to you – such as utility bills and all your payslips</p></li>
<li><p>put important renewals in your calendar as reminders, and</p></li>
<li><p>delete junk mail and unsubscribe, so that your inbox can be turned into a to-do list.</p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/do-you-answer-emails-outside-work-hours-do-you-send-them-new-research-shows-how-dangerous-this-can-be-160187">Do you answer emails outside work hours? Do you send them? New research shows how dangerous this can be</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225181/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matt Balogh previously received funding from an Australian Government Research Training Stipend Scholarship.</span></em></p>Managing our electronic records is a big task. But using a few simple tips to turn your inbox into a to-do list can save a lot of problems down the line.Matt Balogh, Adjunct Lecturer, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2254462024-03-18T19:21:22Z2024-03-18T19:21:22ZWhat’s the best way to ease rents and improve housing affordability? We modelled 4 of the government’s biggest programs<p><em>This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/housing-series-2024-153769">here</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ease rental stress and get more Australians into home ownership. Four of the most prominent are:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://firsthome.gov.au/">first homeowner grants</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://unohomeloans.com.au/articles/shared-equity-schemes">shared equity schemes</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/taxes-duties-levies-royalties/transfer-duty/first-home-buyers">first homeowner stamp duty exemptions</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/housing-support/programmes-services/commonwealth-rent-assistance">rent assistance</a>.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Our team at Victoria University’s Centre of Policy Studies has modelled the economic impact of each of them in a way that allows their outcomes to be <a href="https://www.copsmodels.com/ftp/workpapr/g-344.pdf">compared</a>.</p>
<p>The bad news is that we’ve found none of the four can simultaneously lift affordability for renters, lift affordability for owners, get more Australians into home ownership, and boost economic efficiency.</p>
<p>The good news is we’ve found a mix that could work well.</p>
<p>We used Victoria University’s regional economic model to compare the effect of spending an extra A$500 million on the variant of each of the programs presently available in Victoria.</p>
<p>To better assess the economic impact, we assumed the extra $500 million was paid for by an increase in taxation.</p>
<h2>Grants and shared equity</h2>
<p>We found first homeowner grants improve affordability for owners, slightly improve affordability for renters, and slightly increase home ownership rates, but come with a heavy economic cost.</p>
<p>The cost to <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/economic_efficiency.asp">economic efficiency</a> amounts to about 20 cents for every dollar spent. Economic efficiency measures the extent to which inputs such as labour, land and capital are allocated to their most valuable uses.</p>
<p>Importantly, that 20 cents in the dollar cost is the economic cost of the spending, not the cost of raising the revenue to fund it.</p>
<p>With the average economic cost of state government taxation in the vicinity of <a href="https://www.copsmodels.com/ftp/workpapr/g-289.pdf">30 cents</a> per dollar raised, that means every extra dollar raised to be spent on a first home buyer grant has an economic cost of about 50 cents, making it an economically expensive way to get people into homes.</p>
<p>Shared equity schemes in which the government part-owns a home with a buyer have similar costs, but are better at getting people into their own homes.</p>
<h2>Stamp duty discounts</h2>
<p>Our modelling finds that stamp duty discounts for first home buyers have an economic benefit. This is because stamp duty is an extraordinarily inefficient tax that makes it <a href="https://theconversation.com/swapping-stamp-duty-for-land-tax-would-push-down-house-prices-but-push-up-apartment-prices-new-modelling-finds-184381">harder for people to move</a>.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the model also finds stamp duty discounts will make home ownership even less affordable by pushing up property prices, and make it only slightly easier for the first home owners able to get the discounts. </p>
<h2>Rent assistance</h2>
<p>Rent assistance is delivered by the Commonwealth rather than states to Australians in receipt of Commonwealth benefits. </p>
<p>Our study finds its economic costs are low, just 5 cents for every dollar spent, meaning that raising extra tax and spending it on rent assistance should have a total economic cost of about 35 cents for each dollar raised and spent.</p>
<p>We find it has a significant effect in making rent more affordable, but causes home ownership rates to fall, because it tips the balance for financially strained households in favour of renting rather than buying.</p>
<h2>What works best</h2>
<p>If making shelter more affordable for low-income earners is the number one priority, by far the best way to do it is to boost rent assistance.</p>
<p>While the benefits come at the expense of home ownership, for the renters receiving them, they are worth having.</p>
<p>But rent assistance is federally administered. For a state government, the best way to help both owners and renters at the lowest economic cost appears to be a mix of two thirds first home buyer grants and one third stamp duty discounts. </p>
<p>Our modelling suggests such a blend would have a negligible impact on economic efficiency and home affordability, while allowing more owners to rent and, as a result, make renting more affordable. </p>
<p>However, it would be costly. From a national perspective, the same improvement in rental affordability could be achieved for less than one-tenth the financial cost if the Commonwealth were to fund additional rent assistance.</p>
<p>If nothing else, our modelling proves these decisions are difficult.</p>
<p>No single tool is perfect, but using the right mix of them can help – all the more so if the states and Commonwealth can work together. Our estimates can help.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-help-to-buy-scheme-will-help-but-wont-solve-the-housing-crisis-224956">The Help to Buy scheme will help but won't solve the housing crisis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225446/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>For the Commonwealth, the best measure is rent assistance. For the states, it’s a mix of two-thirds first homebuyer grants and one-third stamp duty discounts.Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria UniversityJames Giesecke, Professor, Centre of Policy Studies and the Impact Project, Victoria UniversityXianglong Locky Liu, Research fellow, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2252682024-03-18T19:21:15Z2024-03-18T19:21:15ZOn a climate rollercoaster: how Australia’s environment fared in the world’s hottest year<p>Global climate <a href="https://wmo.int/media/news/wmo-confirms-2023-smashes-global-temperature-record">records were shattered</a> in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year and numerous weather disasters occurred as climate change reared its head. </p>
<p>How did Australia’s environment fare against this onslaught? In short, 2023 was a year of opposites.</p>
<p>For the past nine years, we have trawled through huge volumes of data collected by satellites, measurement stations and surveys by individuals and agencies. We include data on global change, oceans, people, weather, water, soils, vegetation, fire and biodiversity. </p>
<p>Each year, we analyse those data, summarising them in an <a href="https://bit.ly/ausenv2023">annual report</a> that includes an overall Environmental Condition Score and <a href="https://ausenv.online/aer/scorecards/">regional scorecards</a>. These scores provide a relative measure of conditions for agriculture and ecosystems. Scores declined across the country, except in the Northern Territory, but were still relatively good.</p>
<p>However, the updated <a href="https://tsx.org.au/">Threatened Species Index</a> shows the abundance of listed bird, mammal and plant species has continued to decline at a rate of about 3% a year since the turn of the century.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581821/original/file-20240314-22-p8uskx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Environmental condition indicators for 2023, showing the changes from 2000–2022 average values. Such differences can be part of a long-term trend or within normal variability.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.wenfo.org/aer/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023_Australias_Environment_Report-1.pdf">Australia's Environment 2023 Report.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-2023s-record-heat-worsened-droughts-floods-and-bushfires-around-the-world-220836">How 2023's record heat worsened droughts, floods and bushfires around the world</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Riding a climate rollercoaster in 2023</h2>
<p>Worldwide, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-2023s-record-heat-worsened-droughts-floods-and-bushfires-around-the-world-220836">77 countries broke temperature records</a>. Australia was not one of them. Our annual average temperature was 0.53°C below the horror year 2019. Temperatures in the seas around us were below the records of 2022. </p>
<p>Even so, 2023 was among Australia’s eight warmest years in both cases. All eight came after 2005.</p>
<p>However, those numbers are averaged over the year. Dig a bit deeper and it becomes clear 2023 was a climate rollercoaster.</p>
<p>The year started as wet as the previous year ended, but dry and unseasonably warm weather set in from May to October. Soils and wetlands across much of the country started drying rapidly. In the eastern states, the fire season started as early as August. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, there was generally still enough water to support good vegetation growth throughout the unusually warm and sunny winter months.</p>
<p>Fears of a severe fire season were not realised as El Niño’s influence waned in November and rainfall returned, in part due to the warm oceans. Combined with relatively high temperatures, it made for a hot and humid summer. A tropical cyclone and several severe storms caused flooding in Queensland and Victoria in December. </p>
<p>As always, there were regional differences. Northern Australia experienced the best rainfall and growth conditions in several years. This contributed to more grass fires than average during the dry season. On the other hand, the rain did not return to Western Australia and Tasmania, which ended the year dry.</p>
<h2>So how did scores change?</h2>
<p>Every year we calculate an Environmental Condition Score that combines weather, water and vegetation data.</p>
<p>The national score was 7.5 (out of 10). That was 1.2 points lower than for 2022, but still the second-highest score since 2011. </p>
<p>Scores declined across the country except for the Northern Territory, which chalked up a score of 8.8 thanks to a strong monsoon season. With signs of drought developing in parts of Western Australia, it had the lowest score of 5.5.</p>
<p>The Environmental Condition Score reflects environmental conditions, but does not measure the long-term health of natural ecosystems and biodiversity. </p>
<p>Firstly, it relates only to the land and not our oceans. Marine heatwaves damaged ecosystems along the eastern coast. Surveys in the first half of 2023 suggested the recovery of the Great Barrier Reef plateaued. </p>
<p>However, a cyclone and rising ocean temperatures occurred later in the year. In early 2024, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-great-barrier-reefs-latest-bout-of-bleaching-is-the-fifth-in-eight-summers-the-corals-now-have-almost-no-reprieve-225348">another mass coral bleaching event</a> developed. </p>
<p>Secondly, the score does not capture important processes affecting our many threatened species. Among the greatest dangers are invasive pests and diseases, habitat destruction and damage from severe weather events such as heatwaves and megafires.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-ecosystems-unprecedented-climates-more-australian-species-than-ever-are-struggling-to-survive-222375">New ecosystems, unprecedented climates: more Australian species than ever are struggling to survive</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Threatened species’ declines continued</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://tsx.org.au/">Threatened Species Index</a> captures data from long-term threatened species monitoring. The index is updated annually with a three-year lag, largely due to delays in data processing and sharing. This means the 2023 index includes data up to 2020.</p>
<p>The index showed an unrelenting decline of about 3% in the abundance of Australia’s threatened bird, mammal and plant species each year. This amounts to an overall decline of 61% from 2000 to 2020.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Line graph of Threatened Species Index" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581823/original/file-20240314-16-yi6tr0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Threatened Species Index showing the abundance of different categories of species listed under the EPBC Act relative to 2000.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.wenfo.org/aer/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023_Australias_Environment_Report-1.pdf">Australia's Environment 2023 Report</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The index for birds in 2023 revealed declines were most severe for terrestrial birds (62%), followed by migratory shorebirds (47%) and marine birds (24%).</p>
<p>A record 130 species were added to Australia’s <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/nominations">threatened species lists</a> in 2023. That’s many more than the annual average of 29 species over previous years. The 2019–2020 <a href="https://theconversation.com/200-experts-dissected-the-black-summer-bushfires-in-unprecedented-detail-here-are-6-lessons-to-heed-198989">Black Summer bushfires</a> had direct impacts on half the newly listed species.</p>
<h2>Population boom adds to pressures</h2>
<p>Australia’s population passed <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/population-clock-pyramid">27 million</a> in 2023, a stunning increase of 8 million, or 41%, since 2000. Those extra people all needed living space, food, electricity and transport. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-population-is-expected-to-double-in-80-years-we-asked-australians-where-they-want-all-these-people-to-live-176889">Our population is expected to double in 80 years. We asked Australians where they want all these people to live</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-change/publications/australias-emissions-projections-2023">have risen by 18% since 2000</a>. Despite small declines in the previous four years, emissions increased again in 2023, mostly due to air travel rebounding after COVID-19. </p>
<p>Our emissions per person are the <a href="https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/report_2023">tenth-highest in the world</a> and more than three times those of the average global citizen. The main reasons are our coal-fired power stations, <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-passenger-vehicle-emission-rates-are-50-higher-than-the-rest-of-the-world-and-its-getting-worse-222398">inefficient road vehicles</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/11/how-many-cattle-are-there-in-australia-we-may-be-out-by-10-million">large cattle herd</a>.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, there are reasons to be optimistic. Many other countries have dramatically <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/co2-gdp-decoupling">reduced emissions without compromising economic growth</a> or quality of life. All we have to do is to finally follow their lead.</p>
<p>Our governments have an obvious role to play, but we can do a lot as individuals. We can even save money, by switching to renewable energy and electric vehicles and by eating less beef.</p>
<p>Changing our behaviour will not stop climate change in its tracks, but will slow it down over the next decades and ultimately reverse it. We cannot reverse or even stop all damage to our environment, but we can certainly do much better.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-australias-net-zero-transition-threatens-to-stall-rooftop-solar-could-help-provide-the-power-we-need-220050">As Australia's net zero transition threatens to stall, rooftop solar could help provide the power we need</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225268/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Australia’s Environment is produced by the ANU Fenner School for Environment & Society and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), an NCRIS-enabled National Research Infrastructure. Albert Van Dijk receives or has previously received funding from several government-funded agencies, grant schemes and programmes.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tayla Lawrie is a current employee of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shoshana Rapley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Conditions deteriorated in 2023 but were stlil relatively good for ecosystems and agriculture. Unfortunately, the alarming decline of threatened species continued.Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National UniversityShoshana Rapley, Research Assistant, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National UniversityTayla Lawrie, Project Manager, Threatened Species Index, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2255082024-03-18T18:33:20Z2024-03-18T18:33:20ZChad presidential election: assassination of main opposition figure casts doubt on country’s return to democracy<p><em>The <a href="https://www.miragenews.com/chad-opposition-leader-assassinated-1185873/">assassination</a> of Chad’s main opposition leader, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68435145">Yaya Dillo</a>, is hanging heavy over <a href="https://www.africanews.com/2024/02/28/chads-election-agency-sets-dates-for-presidential-polls//">presidential elections</a> due in early May. Dillo was killed on 28 February when the headquarters of the opposition <a href="https://psf-tchad.org/">Party Socialiste sans Frontières</a> (Party of Socialists without Borders) in the Chadian capital N'Djamena was <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/28/chad-announces-several-deaths-after-foiled-intelligence-office-attack">besieged</a> by the newly formed Rapid Reaction Force.</em> </p>
<p><em>It’s not the first violence meted out to the opposition. In October 2022 Chadian security forces <a href="https://www.africanews.com/2023/02/24/deadly-chad-protests-death-toll-now-estimated-at-128//">killed</a> hundreds of protesters. They were protesting the extension of the transition to democracy from 18 to 36 months and the decision of transitional <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/mahamat-idriss-deby-itno-named-chad-s-transitional-president/2706374">president Mahamat Idriss Déby</a> to stand as a candidate in presidential elections.</em></p>
<p><em>An expert on democratisation in sub-Saharan Africa, especially Chad, <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/helga-dickow-1209876">Helga Dickow</a>, sets out what this level of violence portends for the country.</em> </p>
<hr>
<h2>Who was Dillo, and why was he important for the upcoming poll?</h2>
<p>The assassination took place one day after the publication of the electoral calendar for the presidential elections. For the first time a member of the ruling clan was killed publicly in N'Djamena. </p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.state.gov/chads-national-dialogue-commission-report/">resolutions</a> of the 2022 national dialogue, elections must take place before October 2024 to end the political transition and return to constitutional order. No dates have been set for the parliamentary and local elections. It is more than doubtful that they will take place in the near future.</p>
<p>Dillo was determined to take part in the elections and challenge the rule of his cousin, Mahamat Déby, even though he’d faced heavy intimidation. His <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/03/01/chad-prominent-opposition-leader-killed">stated ambition</a> was to see Chad return to democracy, to end widespread corruption and improve the living conditions of poor people in the country. </p>
<p>Dillo had clear ideas about fighting poverty based on insights he’d gained doing a doctorate in economics in Canada.</p>
<p>There are a number of reasons, in my view, why his death is a tragic loss for Chad.</p>
<p>Firstly, Chad has lost a political leader whose competences are desperately needed in the country.</p>
<p>Secondly, Yaya Dillo was one of the few politicians from the north of the country and the only one from the ruling Zaghawa clan who reached out to and connected with the opposition in the south. </p>
<p>He had shown that he was able to overcome ethnic, religious and regional boundaries in a highly divided country. An example of this was that he <a href="https://eng.fatshimetrie.org/2023/12/11/political-tensions-in-chad-one-week-before-the-vote-on-the-new-constitution-the-country-is-preparing-to-make-a-crucial-decision-for-its-future/">joined</a> the opposition coalition Groupe de concertation des acteurs politiques (Group of Consultative Political Actors), which opposes the dynastisation of the Déby family and stands for better living conditions for all Chadians. </p>
<p>This voice has now been silenced. His supporters are in <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/03/01/chad-prominent-opposition-leader-killed">hiding</a> or have already been arrested and taken to the Koro Toro high-security prison in the desert. His party has been dissolved by the government.</p>
<h2>What does the assassination mean for the presidential elections?</h2>
<p>Dillo’s murder hasn’t changed the programme for the upcoming elections. Three days after Dillo’s death, transitional president Mahamat Déby <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/2/chad-interim-leader-deby-confirms-plan-to-run-for-president-in-may">declared</a> himself a candidate. </p>
<p>Déby, who became interim president in 2021, is the candidate of a new coalition of more than 200 political parties and more than 1,000 civil society organisations, the so-called Coalition pour un Tchad uni (<a href="https://www.trtafrika.com/news/for-a-united-chad-coalition">Coalition for a United Chad</a>).</p>
<p>The driving force behind this coalition is the former ruling party <a href="https://tsep.africa.ufl.edu/the-party-system-and-conditions-of-candidacy/chad/">Mouvement Patriotique du Salut</a>, which was led by his <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Idriss-Deby">father, the late Idriss Déby</a>. </p>
<h2>How prepared is Chad to conduct elections?</h2>
<p>The transitional president and his allies, especially the Movement Patriotique du Salut and some members of the parliament, are in a hurry to hold the elections to replace the “interim president” with a “president”.</p>
<p>But the key question is whether the presidential poll will be followed by parliamentary elections, as was agreed in the transition plan of the <a href="https://www.state.gov/chads-national-dialogue-commission-report/">national dialogue of 2022</a>. </p>
<p>There are many, including myself, who doubt this will happen. Mahamat Déby is likely to act like his father, who attached great importance to presidential elections but steered clear of parliamentary polls. Before <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-signs-of-a-true-transition-in-chad-a-year-after-idriss-debys-death-181203">Idriss Déby’s death</a> in 2021, the last parliamentary elections were held in <a href="https://www.electionguide.org/elections/id/3518/">2011</a>.</p>
<p>Additionally, there are strong doubts about the independence of the electoral authorities. Mahamat Déby nominated most members of the Agence nationale de gestion des élections (<a href="https://eng.fatshimetrie.org/2024/01/26/the-national-election-management-agency-in-chad-a-crucial-issue-for-democracy-in-a-period-of-political-transition/">National Election Management Agency</a>) and of the Constitutional Court, which must validate the election results. All of them were loyal to his father in the past and have been members of the Movement Patriotique du Salut for many years.</p>
<p>Potential candidates in the presidential election could submit their candidacy from 6 to 15 March. The list of candidates approved by the Constitutional Council will be published on 24 March. Voter registration has already taken place in preparation for the constitutional referendum in December 2023. The same lists will be used. But anyone who reached the age of 18 in the period between the registration exercise and May 2024 will not be able to vote.</p>
<p>From a logistical point of view, everything seems to be ready for the presidential poll.</p>
<h2>What’s behind the political violence in the country?</h2>
<p>Violence against the political opposition is nothing new in Chad. It has always taken the form of attacking anyone in the way of either Déby. In 2008, <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/afr200032012en.pdf">Ibni Oumar</a>, a widely respected political opponent of Idriss Déby in the north and south, was arrested. He <a href="https://sudantribune.com/article26131/">disappeared</a>. No trace of his body was ever found.</p>
<p>On 28 February 2021, Yaya Dillo was <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68435145">attacked</a> in his home and his mother and other members of his household were killed. He managed to escape. He had declared his intention to run against <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Idriss-Deby">Idriss Déby</a> in the presidential poll that year. </p>
<p>On exactly the same day three years later, he was killed in very similar circumstances. </p>
<p>Dillo was one of the few Zaghawa who <a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/202403060514.html">continued</a> to call for an investigation into Idriss Déby’s death. Three years later, the circumstances are still unclear. Salay Déby, a younger brother of Idriss Déby, has gone as far as to <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/violence-against-chads-opposition-escalates-before-polls/a-68450630">accuse</a> Mahamat Déby, the (adopted) son and president of the transitional government, of being behind the death of his own father. </p>
<p>Yaya Dillo and Salay Déby, both members of the ruling clan, joined forces two weeks before Dillo’s assassination. The party headquarters that has now been destroyed was located in Salay Déby’s house.</p>
<h2>How inclusive is the electoral process?</h2>
<p>Looking only at the Coalition pour un Tchad uni, the electoral process might appear to be inclusive. But democracy is not a one-party system. It is doubtful that all the parties and associations joined out of conviction in favour of Mahamat Déby and his allies in the parliament.</p>
<p>On the contrary, it is obvious that the regime used and will continue to use violence. The fear is that recent events are only the beginning of another permanent dictatorship in Chad.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225508/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helga Dickow does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It is feared that the current violence against political opposition in Chad could signal the beginning of another long term dictatorship.Helga Dickow, Senior Researcher at the Arnold Bergstraesser Institut, Freiburg Germany, University of FreiburgLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2222672024-03-18T18:24:24Z2024-03-18T18:24:24ZCheers to health? Uncovering myths around the health benefits of moderate drinking<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582572/original/file-20240318-22-wdfo1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C31%2C3270%2C2206&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many studies exaggerated the benefits of moderate drinking due to methodological flaws known as selection biases.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The notion that enjoying a casual beer or sipping on your favourite wine could not only be harmless but actually beneficial to one’s health is a tantalizing proposition for many. This belief, often backed by claims of research findings, has seeped into social conversations and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/moderate-drinking-may-be-heart-healthy-says-new-research-1.293437">media headlines</a>, painting moderate alcohol consumption in a positive light. </p>
<p>As researchers at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, we find ourselves frequently revisiting this topic, delving deep into the evidence to separate fact from wishful thinking. Can we confidently say, “Cheers to health?”</p>
<h2>Unpacking beliefs about moderate drinking</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2001.96464113.x">commonplace belief</a> that moderate drinking can be beneficial to health can be traced back to the 1980s when researchers found an association suggesting that French people were less likely to suffer from heart disease, despite eating a diet high in saturated fat. </p>
<p>This contradiction was thought to be explained by the assumption that the <a href="https://doi.org/10.5344/ajev.2011.11013">antioxidants and alcohol found in wine</a> might offer health benefits, leading to the term “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(94)92883-5">French paradox</a>.”</p>
<p>This concept reached a broader audience in the 1990s, following a segment on the American news show <em>60 Minutes</em> which had a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/07363769410058894">profound impact on wine sales</a>. Later <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03780.x">research expanded on this idea</a>, suggesting that frequently drinking small amounts of any type of alcoholic beverage might be good for health.</p>
<p>This idea was formalized into what is now known as the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.07.710">J-shaped curve hypothesis</a>. Put simply, the J-shaped curve is a graphical representation of the apparent relationship between alcohol consumption and death or disease. According to this model, abstainers and heavy drinkers are at higher risk of certain conditions, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03780.x">such as heart disease</a>, compared to moderate drinkers, whose risk is lower.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An illustration of the J-shaped Curve." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The J-shape curve is a graphical representation of the apparent relationship between alcohol consumption and death or disease. According to this model, abstainers and heavy drinkers are at higher risk compared to moderate drinkers, whose risk is lower.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Current perspectives on moderate drinking</h2>
<p>People used to think that tobacco use was good for health, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025727300012333">historically describing it as a remedy for all disease</a>. As scientific understanding has advanced, however, tobacco use has been increasingly recognized as a <a href="https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/372043/9789240077164-eng.pdf?sequence=1">leading cause of preventable disease and death</a>.</p>
<p>Like tobacco, alcohol was once used in medicine and has since become recognized as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02123-7">major cause of preventable mortality and illness</a>. For instance, recent global estimates suggest <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(19)30231-2">alcohol is responsible for 5.3 per cent of all deaths</a>. </p>
<p>Furthermore, in Canada, the revenue generated from selling alcohol does not come close to covering the damage it causes, leaving the government <a href="https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/cisur/assets/docs/cape/cape3/fed-results-en.pdf">$6.20 billion short every year</a>. However, much of these costs can be attributed to heavy drinking. </p>
<p>So where does this leave moderate drinkers? We recently set out to answer this question by analyzing data from over 4.8 million people from more than 100 studies, covering more than 40 years. </p>
<p>We found that many studies exaggerate the benefits of moderate drinking due to methodological flaws known as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13451">selection biases</a>. No matter if we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.6185">analyzed the studies as one big group</a>, using statistical methods to try and lessen these mistakes, or if we <a href="https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.23-00283">separated the good studies from the not-so-good ones</a>, one thing was clear: moderate alcohol consumption does not appear to offer the health benefits once believed.</p>
<h2>Explaining the contradiction</h2>
<p>Selection biases represent data distortions caused by how research participants are selected. Such biases lead to unfair comparisons between groups, which skews analyses towards finding a J-shape curve. Essentially, it is like comparing two runners in a race, where one wears heavy boots and the other wears lightweight running shoes. Concluding that the second runner is more talented misses the point; it is not a fair comparison.</p>
<p>Here are five examples of selection bias in the context of the alcohol J-shaped curve which can accumulate as people age:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(88)92890-5">Poor health, less alcohol</a>. As health declines, especially in older age, people often reduce their alcohol consumption. Not distinguishing between those who cut back or quit for health reasons can falsely indicate that moderate drinking is healthier.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2013-202576">Unhealthy lifetime abstainers</a>. Comparing moderate drinkers with individuals who have never consumed alcohol due to chronic health issues may falsely attribute health advantages to alcohol consumption.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2005.01.011">Moderate in other ways.</a> Moderate drinkers often lead balanced lifestyles in other areas, too, which may contribute to their perceived better health. It is not just moderate drinking, but also their healthier overall opportunities and choices, such as better health-care access and self-care, that make them seem healthier.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/009145090403100304">Measurement error.</a> Assessing alcohol consumption over a short period of time, like a week or less, can lead to a misclassification of drinkers. Heavy drinkers who happened to not consume alcohol during the week of assessment would be incorrectly classified as abstainers, for example.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13709">Early alcohol-attributable deaths.</a> The inevitable exclusion of individuals who may have died from alcohol-related causes before a study of older people starts can result in a “healthy survivor” bias, overlooking the earlier detrimental effects of alcohol.</p></li>
</ol>
<h2>Continuing the conversation</h2>
<p>We should be skeptical of results suggesting that moderate drinking is healthy because selection biases can muddy the waters. For instance, multiple implausible J-shape curve relationships have been published, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.510230513">including between moderate drinking and liver disease</a>.</p>
<p>We are well aware that this news might not be what you were hoping to hear. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2024.2316681">It might even stir up feelings of unease or skepticism</a>. For many people, limited alcohol consumption <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-016-0058-4">is enjoyable</a>. However, it is not without risk and it is important for people to understand these risks to make informed decisions about their health.</p>
<p>The risks are reflected in the 2023 <a href="https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2023-05/CGAH-Drinking-Less-is-Better-en.pdf">Canadian Drinking Guidance</a>. The guidance attempts to “meet people where they are at,” suggesting that one to two drinks per week represent a low risk of harm, three to six drinks a week represent a moderate risk, and seven or more drinks a week represent an increasingly high risk. Ultimately, they enable people to make informed decisions that best suit their health and well-being.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222267/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s time to revisit the evidence for the health benefits of moderate drinking, and separate fact from wishful thinking. Can we confidently say, ‘Cheers to good health?’James M. Clay, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of VictoriaTim Stockwell, Scientist, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and Professor of Psychology, University of VictoriaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2255022024-03-18T18:09:02Z2024-03-18T18:09:02ZFloating crystals slow stellar aging — for some stars, this can delay death by billions of years<p>Imagine the embers of a campfire, slowly dimming over time. That is the fate most stars in the universe face. After their nuclear fuel is spent, 98 per cent of stars — including our sun — will eventually become white dwarfs. These small, dense remnants are thought to <a href="https://esahubble.org/wordbank/white-dwarf/">simply cool down</a>, becoming ever fainter as the universe ages.</p>
<p>In 2019, astronomers discovered <a href="https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab4989">a group of white dwarfs</a> that mysteriously stopped cooling. These “forever-young” stars remain at a near-constant surface temperature for at least eight billion years — an incredible length of time, considering the universe is <a href="https://www.space.com/24054-how-old-is-the-universe.html">13.8 billion years old</a>. </p>
<p>Something is fuelling these stars from within, but given that they had run out of their nuclear fuel source, scientists were unsure what could be keeping them shining so brightly. Our research, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07102-y">recently published in <em>Nature</em></a>, presents the solution to this conundrum.</p>
<p>Using information gathered by the <a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Gaia">Gaia space observatory of the European Space Agency</a>, researchers discovered that some white dwarfs essentially stop cooling.</p>
<p>By studying how white dwarfs are distributed as a function of temperature (from hot to cold) <a href="https://sci.esa.int/web/gaia/-/61343-shedding-light-on-white-dwarfs-the-future-of-stars-like-our-sun">in the Gaia data</a>, astronomers noticed an accumulation of white dwarfs at intermediate temperatures. This indicates that some white dwarfs spend more time at these intermediate temperatures — eight billion years more than thought possible.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nkXR7bpmy7Q?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Interview with University of Victoria astrophysics researcher Simon Blouin.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Stellar crystals</h2>
<p>White dwarfs are weird. A mere teaspoon of material from their cores <a href="https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/W/white+dwarf">weighs several tonnes</a>. Under such extreme densities, matter can behave strangely. Even though the interiors of white dwarfs are millions of degrees hot, the density is high enough that they can freeze into a solid state. They form crystals out of the carbon, oxygen and other elements present in their interiors.</p>
<p>The formation of these crystals normally starts at the centre of the star, where density is highest. As the white dwarf cools down, more crystals are formed in successive layers until almost the whole star is completely solid.</p>
<p>However, this inside-out crystallization does not apply to all white dwarfs. We discovered that the heaviest elements present in white dwarfs are expelled from the crystals as they are formed, just as <a href="https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/sea-ice/science-sea-ice">salt is expelled from ice crystals</a> when seawater freezes.</p>
<p>The crystals become less dense than their surroundings, and float up like ice cubes in a glass of water. As the crystals do not stay in place, the core cannot simply freeze from the inside out.</p>
<p>The movements created by the floating crystals reshuffle the chemical layering inside the star. Gradually, the heaviest elements are transported toward the centre. This releases a steady flow of gravitational energy that keeps the star shining at a near-constant temperature for billions of years.</p>
<p>Floating crystals can pause the stellar aging process, providing a final energy source to otherwise dead stars.</p>
<h2>The exception or the rule?</h2>
<p>So far, this cooling pause has been conclusively identified only for a small fraction of the white dwarf population. The high masses and peculiar compositions of these anomalous white dwarfs suggest that they had quite violent histories. Most likely, they are the products of stellar mergers — events where two stars collide and combine.</p>
<p>But this may be just the tip of the iceberg. Based on our findings, we suspect that almost all white dwarfs, and not just the merged ones, experience some cooling pause during their evolution. However, this more universal cooling pause would be much shorter than the multi-billion-year interruption studied so far.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad1719">Observations are ongoing</a> to try to identify this shorter cooling pause in the rest of the white dwarf population.</p>
<h2>Cosmic clocks</h2>
<p>These findings have implications for stellar archaeology. The cooler the white dwarf, the older it must be. Just as archeologists use carbon-14 dating to determine the age of artifacts and reconstruct the history of a city or civilization, astronomers rely on white dwarf cooling to measure the ages of stars and understand the history of our Milky Way galaxy.</p>
<p>Our discovery makes this more complicated. A white dwarf with a certain temperature could be billions of years older than initially assumed because of the formation of these floating crystals. The key now is to figure out which stars experience this cooling pause and which do not.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225502/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Blouin receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Floating crystals can pause the stellar aging process, providing a final energy source to otherwise dead stars.Simon Blouin, CITA National Postdoctoral Fellow, Astrophysics, University of VictoriaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2253442024-03-18T17:38:17Z2024-03-18T17:38:17ZDonor-advised funds: US regulators are scrambling to catch up with the boom in these charitable giving accounts<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582340/original/file-20240316-18-84zsoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C817%2C4767%2C3172&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">DAFs more or less operate as a mini foundation.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/golden-piggy-bank-and-golden-coins-3d-render-royalty-free-image/1484749250?adppopup=true">Wong Yu Liang/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/a-short-history-of-the-fast-and-furious-rise-of-dafs">revolution in charitable giving</a> is underway due to the growth of donor-advised funds in the United States.</p>
<p>Known widely as DAFs, these <a href="https://www.nptrust.org/what-is-a-donor-advised-fund/">financial accounts are designated for charitable giving</a>. Donors can get an immediate tax deduction by putting money or other assets into the accounts, and advise the accounts’ managers to give away the money at a later date.</p>
<p>After years of concerns about how quickly the money reserved for charity gets distributed and whether donor-advised funds need to operate more transparently, <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/11/14/2023-24982/taxes-on-taxable-distributions-from-donor-advised-funds-under-section-4966">proposed new federal regulations</a> are now pending. Though the regulations would not create new requirements for how rapidly these funds distribute money, they do provide some new guidelines for what <a href="https://www.nptrust.org/what-is-a-donor-advised-fund/grantmaking-rules/">uses for DAFs are allowed</a> by law.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://fisher.osu.edu/people/mittendorf.3">an accounting researcher</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/donor-advised-funds-charities-with-benefits-74516">who studies DAFs</a>, I believe these new changes may mark the start of what could become a series of reforms.</p>
<h2>Nearly $230 billion</h2>
<p>DAFs have been <a href="https://cof.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/DAF-timeline.pdf">around since the 1930s</a> but got off to a slow start. After decades of being concentrated in community foundations, DAFs became more widely accessible with the introduction of <a href="https://www.investmentnews.com/industry-news/news/fidelity-charitable-reveals-record-year-in-philanthropic-giving-249461">Fidelity Charitable</a> – a DAF-sponsoring organization tied to Fidelity Investments – in 1991.</p>
<p>Many more DAF sponsors <a href="https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2023/07/20/5b-in-giving-shows-rapid-rise-of-donor-advised-funds-schwab-charitable/">connected to investment companies</a> have since emerged. </p>
<p>Because donors <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/managing-wealth/080216/donoradvised-funds-benefits-and-drawbacks.asp">get tax breaks when they put money in them</a> and can then wait a long time before distributing it to nonprofits, DAFs essentially operate as <a href="https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/should-congress-curb-donor-advised-funds">streamlined foundations</a>.</p>
<p>DAFs are not, however, subject to the same restrictions.</p>
<p>Foundations have to disclose their donors to the public and also have to distribute minimum amounts for charitable use each year. <a href="https://www.givedirectly.org/donor-advised-funds/">DAFs face</a> <a href="https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/behind-the-debate-examining-the-measures-of-daf-payout/">neither requirement</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/daf-grants-to-charities-totaled-52-billion-in-2022-report-finds">DAFs held nearly US$230 billion in assets by the end of 2022</a> and distributed some $52 billion to charities that year. Those are significant sums as giving of all kinds <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-charitable-donations-fell-to-499-billion-in-2022-as-stocks-slumped-and-inflation-surged-207688">totaled about $500 billion that year</a>.</p>
<p>As of 2023 there were about <a href="https://www.nptrust.org/reports/daf-report/">2 million donor-advised funds</a>, according to the National Philanthropic Trust.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582341/original/file-20240316-22-v60hk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Set of diverse hands and payment methods. Arms with cash, credit cards, banknotes, wallet, putting coins into piggy bank. Hand drawn vector illustration isolated on light background, flat cartoon style." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582341/original/file-20240316-22-v60hk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582341/original/file-20240316-22-v60hk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582341/original/file-20240316-22-v60hk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582341/original/file-20240316-22-v60hk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582341/original/file-20240316-22-v60hk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582341/original/file-20240316-22-v60hk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582341/original/file-20240316-22-v60hk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There are few DAF regulations in place, but that could soon change.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/set-of-diverse-hands-and-payment-methods-royalty-free-illustration/1491990624?adppopup=true">Olena Zagoruyko/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>40% don’t distribute a dime</h2>
<p>Critics of DAFs say that the government should require them to <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/7/25/8891899/john-arnold-billionaire-criticism-donor-advised-funds-silicon-valley-philanthropic-loophole">regularly disburse at least some of their charitable funds</a>.</p>
<p>Foundations have faced that kind of obligation for more than five decades. They must pay out at least <a href="https://www.nptrust.org/donor-advised-funds/daf-vs-foundation/">5% of their assets</a> each year – although some of that money can be used to pay for their operations or even be set aside in a donor-advised fund.</p>
<p>Supporters of DAFs counter that the payout rate for those accounts is already much higher than the foundation floor of 5%. It <a href="https://www.givechariot.com/post/breaking-down-the-donor-advised-fund-market-in-2022">hovers around 20%</a>.</p>
<p>However, that statistic applies to all the money held in DAFs, not what happens with each one of them. <a href="https://johnsoncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DAFRC_Executive_Summary_Key_Findings.pdf">And almost 40% of them don’t distribute any money at all</a> in a given year. </p>
<h2>Calling for change</h2>
<p>Other changes have been proposed over the years, including:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://inequality.org/great-divide/private-foundations-dafs-2021/">Not letting foundations count money they put in a DAF</a> toward their annual 5% payout requirement.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/an-unlikely-event-the-israel-hamas-war-could-finally-spark-daf-reform">Introducing new disclosure requirements</a> because currently the public, the charity that gets money from a DAF and even the IRS have <a href="https://apnews.com/article/silent-donor-tim-sanders-daf-privacy-9e499583181ed0c8b7d6685fbea31ecb">no way of knowing</a> for sure who originally provided those funds.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/donor-advised-funds-let-wall-street-steer-charitable-donations/">Reining in</a> the <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/the-wall-street-takeover-of-charity">commercial investment companies</a> that have been at the center of much of the growth in DAFs, by limiting the fees they can earn or <a href="https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_problem_with_donor_advised_fundsand_a_solution">restricting the ties</a> between them and their affiliated charities.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>IRS regulations</h2>
<p>The IRS released <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/11/14/2023-24982/taxes-on-taxable-distributions-from-donor-advised-funds-under-section-4966">proposed new DAF regulations</a> at the end of 2023, and gave the <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/IRS-2023-0053-0001/comment">public an opportunity comment</a> on them.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/proposed-irs-regulations-of-donor-advised-funds-fall-short-critics-say">proposed regulations</a> <a href="https://nonprofitlawblog.com/proposed-donor-advised-fund-regulations-what-is-a-donor-advised-fund/">would clarify what constitutes a DAF</a>, who is considered a fund’s adviser, and restrictions on DAF disbursements.</p>
<p>Though largely focused on definitions, these proposed regulations are not without teeth. Nor <a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/proposed-irs-regulations-of-donor-advised-funds-fall-short-critics-say">have they been immune to controversy</a>.</p>
<p>The proposed regulations would identify certain distributions as taxable and declare that donors are not the only parties considered DAF advisers – the <a href="https://www.mcguirewoods.com/client-resources/alerts/2024/2/donor-advised-funds-proposed-regulations/">donors’ personal financial advisers</a> are, too. This means the financial advisers, like donors, cannot receive any benefits from a DAF.</p>
<p>In identifying taxable distributions, the regulations include the possibility that funds used to support <a href="https://www.taxnotes.com/research/federal/other-documents/public-comments-regulations/nonprofits-group-targets-trouble-spots-donor-advised-fund-regs/7j6vy#7j6vy-0000011">lobbying or activities tied to political campaigns</a> could lead to penalties for both the donor and the fund’s manager. And <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4744533">evidence suggests</a> DAFs are commonly used to support lobbying.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.mossadams.com/articles/2024/01/proposed-regulations-on-donor-advised-funds">tax would be levied on the DAF totaling 20% of the distribution and another 5%</a> charged to a participating fund manager.</p>
<p>By including <a href="https://www.investmentnews.com/regulation-and-legislation/news/industry-awaits-an-answer-on-proposed-donor-advised-fund-regulations-250293">a donor’s personal financial adviser</a> in the group considered advisers to the DAF, investment fees paid to such financial advisers for their services would become <a href="https://www.cadwalader.com/brass-tax/index.php?nid=79&eid=336">impermissible “excess benefit” transactions</a>. As such, the proposed new rules would require the <a href="https://www.mcguirewoods.com/client-resources/alerts/2024/2/donor-advised-funds-proposed-regulations/">repayment of their compensation plus a 25% penalty</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/roundtable-submits-comment-letter-on-proposed-rules-for-donor-advised-funds/">Some DAF proponents</a> have objected to the proposed regulations. A key concern they’ve expressed has to do with what the regulations could mean for <a href="https://www.sifma.org/resources/submissions/irs-proposed-rule-taxes-on-taxable-distributions-from-donor-advised-funds/">financial advisers</a>. </p>
<p>Since financial advisers often oversee investments of both the donor and the donor’s charitable funds, such dual advisory roles may be eliminated by the threat of penalties. </p>
<h2>Changes possible in Congress</h2>
<p>Additional, bigger, changes could occur in the near future through legislation.</p>
<p>Possibilities include requiring DAFs to disclose donors and connect them with distributions so <a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/an-unlikely-event-the-israel-hamas-war-could-finally-spark-daf-reform">the public can follow the money</a> or <a href="https://acceleratecharitablegiving.org/reforms/">delaying tax benefits</a> when donations to DAFs are not immediately distributed to charities to encourage donors with DAFs to dispatch their gifts quickly.</p>
<p>Although legislation aimed at requiring faster payouts was <a href="https://nonprofitquarterly.org/do-donor-advised-funds-require-regulatory-attention/">first proposed in 2014</a>, few lawmakers have made it a priority.</p>
<p>The most recent bill, the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/ace-act-legislation-would-significantly-affect-donor-advised-funds-2021-11-11/">Accelerating Charitable Efforts Act</a>, was first proposed by <a href="https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-grassley-introduce-legislation-to-ensure-charitable-donations-reach-working-charities">Sens. Angus King and Chuck Grassley</a> in 2021. It did not <a href="https://www.investmentnews.com/industry-news/news/daf-payout-bill-stalls-in-congress-229779">amass enough support</a> to garner a vote. At this point, it is <a href="https://inequality.org/research/donor-advised-fund-blocking-reform/">unclear whether the lawmakers will reintroduce</a> that measure.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://blog.candid.org/post/donor-advised-funds-daf-growth-popularity-in-philanthropy/">as DAFs play an ever larger</a> role in charitable giving, I believe that Congress will eventually have to take action if it wants to meaningfully regulate this new charitable environment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225344/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian Mittendorf does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Big changes would require an act of Congress but lawmakers have not stepped up. And there’s been pushback against new rules the IRS has proposed for these accounts reserved for giving.Brian Mittendorf, Professor of Accounting, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2220942024-03-18T17:12:01Z2024-03-18T17:12:01ZThe hidden racist history of hair loss<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581618/original/file-20240313-24-vfq5r9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C28%2C4810%2C3168&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/image-bald-man-looking-half-head-1632693475">Chris Tefme/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Hair loss is common in men and women, particularly with age – for example, androgenetic alopecia (or pattern baldness) affects <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-016-0629-5">80% of men and 40% of women</a>. For the most part, it can be physically inconsequential. </p>
<p>Yet, modern society has a distaste for hair loss. Look at how news stories have speculated about whether ten-year-old Prince George and his younger brother, Louis, will inherit their father’s <a href="https://london-post.co.uk/princes-louis-and-george-will-probably-go-bald-like-their-dad-says-hair-expert/#:%7E:text=expert%20%2D%20London%20Post-,Princes%20Louis%20and%20George%20will%20probably%20go,their%20Dad%2C%20says%20hair%20expert&text=Royal%20Princes%20George%20and%20Louis,hair%2C%20an%20expert%20has%20claimed.">“baldness genes”</a>. </p>
<p>The market in hair restoration procedures is projected to be worth <a href="https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/4844574/hair-restoration-services-market-by-service-type">£10 billion</a> by 2026. You can even purchase wigs for babies that proclaim to make children up to three years old <a href="https://www.amazon.com/colorvay-Hairband-headband-Children-Accessories/dp/B0B7L5VRLF/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2NMdjCSLMFiYV1bKK8VQ7UPVtimQ6dBnry119SE6YhVlke3oxZdNd5-rjnptPXm23JOsa_ih9-1CIBgktuzPM6BX7GNp6iY6o8U6n-rla4l1FJKGQvCRLBIqTZH6wHwNpwmqRkl5PLdftMjZ6_W1gdLWb9FFyDcjSwf5AbY48jQlIO-cYtOsMCX61pUyEUTHe8xB0X_6yo4PDi17omp29aeBGq44dfl5cxhZS2w4-mbDLFf9-fyBCJ4-wx_2UaHPBJRGnZdA2VIA9YBEFG2uwcMvHNAEBmTK9JeVwH9GQWk.3I-M2F8KvztAuSAV6b2O49GNG_m6yl6uBI8RTQGRY9Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=baby+wig&qid=1708942972&sr=8-2">“more attractive”</a>. </p>
<p>It wasn’t always this way. In many cultures and periods of history, baldness has been revered, from ancient Egypt to the 18th century people of Issini (modern-day Ghana). Shaved and bald heads could represent purity, a rejection of superficiality, and be ritualised through daily shaving. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Fresco painting of a balding Jesus with a halo." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581644/original/file-20240313-22-eoaj97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581644/original/file-20240313-22-eoaj97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581644/original/file-20240313-22-eoaj97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581644/original/file-20240313-22-eoaj97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581644/original/file-20240313-22-eoaj97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581644/original/file-20240313-22-eoaj97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581644/original/file-20240313-22-eoaj97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The fresco of a young, bald-headed Jesus in Cave Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, Serbia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Celavi_isus.jpg">непознати/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Bald heads have also been positively associated with divinity. Medieval and Christian art includes <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Celavi_isus.jpg">balding depictions of Jesus</a> and <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jean_Fouquet_-_Virgin_and_Child_Surrounded_by_Angels_-_WGA8039.jpg">Madonna</a>. Today, Buddhist monks, nuns and <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0738081X11002082">other political and religious groups</a> routinely shave their heads. </p>
<p>In the west in the 19th century, baldness also came to be celebrated. But rather than for religious reasons, it was for pseudoscientific ones that were tied in with harmful ideas about intelligence and race. It set a precedent for a Eurocentric bias in hair-loss research that continues to this day.</p>
<h2>Eugenicists and hair loss</h2>
<p>Ten years after Charles Darwin published his famous evolutionary thesis “On The Origin of Species” in 1859, his cousin Francis Galton extended it to suggest that some groups of humans were <a href="https://galton.org/books/hereditary-genius/text/pdf/galton-1869-genius-v5.pdf">more evolved than others</a>. Galton and others used any observable differences in humans, including variation in skin colour and hair, as “proof” of distinct human races, some of which were supposedly superior to others. </p>
<p>Black people in particular were pseudoscientifically classified as being differently haired and evolutionarily inferior to white people. Victorian <a href="http://archive.org/de.tails/9604111.nlm.nih.gov">eugenicists</a> regarded black people’s hair as animal fur, arguing they had been the same “blackskinned, woolly-headed animal[s] for the last 2,000 years”.</p>
<p>Related to eugenics was the pseudoscience of phrenology, which attempted to predict traits like personality and morality from physical characteristics. These included a person’s head shape, complexion and head hair amount. Phrenology, which has been thoroughly discredited, was used to uphold <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/phrenology-the-pseudoscience-of-skull-shapes">scientific racism</a>, the idea that race is biological and that some races are superior to others.</p>
<p>The Victorian writer Henry Frith wrote in his 1891 book, <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/How_to_Read_Character_in_Features_Forms/bHkAAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=physiognomy+and+baldness&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover">How to Read Character in Features, Forms and Faces</a>: “The hairless men are the intellectual ones: their mental and bodily strength are both considerable … brain dominates matter in the bald”.</p>
<p>Such ideas were combined with the false belief in white men’s superiority and intelligence compared to other “hairier” races. Frith wrote: “White and, comparatively, hairless races hav[e] dominion in the world [over the] strong, wild, hairy races.” </p>
<p>American medical students <a href="https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9781582343945/Bald-Hairless-Heroes-Comic-Combovers-1582343942/plp">were taught</a> “that slaves, Indians, women and donkeys never go bald because of their small and undeveloped brains”. In 1902, medical doctor David Walsh <a href="https://archive.org/details/willan-72129">wrote</a> a book on hair diseases in which he stated: “Baldness is practically unknown among savages.”</p>
<p>Shockingly, such eugenicist logic remained unchallenged until the late 20th century. In 1966, the dermatologist <a href="https://cdn.bad.org.uk/uploads/2022/01/29200050/Dr-I-Martin-Scott.pdf">Ian Martin-Scott</a> concluded: “In coloured races baldness is a rarity and virtually unknown in many semi-civilised communities”.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Illustration of Franz Joseph Gall, the founder of phrenology, measuring the head of a bald, elegantly dressed old lady; her pet poodle is entwined in her wig on a chair." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581629/original/file-20240313-28-xbar5f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581629/original/file-20240313-28-xbar5f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581629/original/file-20240313-28-xbar5f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581629/original/file-20240313-28-xbar5f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581629/original/file-20240313-28-xbar5f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581629/original/file-20240313-28-xbar5f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581629/original/file-20240313-28-xbar5f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Phrenologists thought your skull shape determined your personality.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://wellcomecollection.org/works/vjrra36z/images?id=egmjuj96">Wellcome Collection</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Diversity in hair loss matters</h2>
<p>Today, such false beliefs are thankfully rare in science. However, as in many areas of medical research, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/12034754221099667">studies and clinical trials into hair loss</a> predominantly focus on white people, ignoring or excluding other racial groups.</p>
<p>Social psychologist Hannah Frith (no relation) and I <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2023.2242049">recently reviewed psychology studies</a> that collectively researched more than 10,000 balding men. We found almost all of the research participants were European or Asian, with just 1% from South America or Africa. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, dermatologists and other hair-loss practitioners continue to routinely study medical textbooks that only include images of <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jdv.13028">white scalps and straight-textured hair</a>. </p>
<p>This is a problem because, as recent (and limited) research shows, hair loss is common in all racial and ethnic groups. A 2022 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2022.03.016">study</a> reviewed data from almost 200,000 UK men (aged 38-73). The researchers found 68% of white men reported hair loss compared to 64% of South Asian men and 59% of black men. (The relatively small differences are partially explained by the fact the white men in the study were older).</p>
<p>There are also forms of hair loss that are known to be more common in people of colour. For example, Asian women are more likely to have <a href="https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/alopecia-areata">alopecia areata</a>, an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss. </p>
<p>Black people are more likely to develop <a href="https://knowyourskin.britishskinfoundation.org.uk/condition/traction-alopecia/">traction alopecia</a>, a hair loss type related to constant pulling of the hair follicles including through tight hairstyles. This condition highlights the impact of a racist society on hair. </p>
<p>Specifically, black people may feel compelled to conceal their afro-textured hair (stereotyped as uncivilised) through weaves, braids and chemical relaxers. All of these practices can be physically damaging, including to the hair follicles. </p>
<p>Alopecia resources that are racially inclusive (by the <a href="https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/cebd/resources/skin-of-colour/hair-scalp-disorders.aspx">Centre of Evidenced-based Dermatology</a>) help dermatologists make more realistic recommendations that situate people’s hair concerns within their societal and cultural contexts.</p>
<p>A better understanding of the racism of hair loss research is important. It reminds us that neither the texture, colour nor amount of hair a person has conveys anything meaningful about them, evolutionarily or otherwise.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222094/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Glen Jankowski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Victorian eugenicists perpetuated the idea that only white men went bald because of their intelligence.Glen Jankowski, Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2252482024-03-18T17:08:11Z2024-03-18T17:08:11ZBiden v Trump: winning suburbia is key to clinching the presidency in 2024<p>The fight for votes in the upcoming US presidential election is likely to be particularly focused on suburbia.</p>
<p>Historically, Republicans win most support in rural areas and Democrats have larger vote shares in cities. But the suburbs have long been a <a href="https://www.unlv.edu/news/release/blue-metros-red-states-americas-suburbs-and-new-battleground-presidential-politics">political battleground</a>. </p>
<p>Voters in these areas have swung in favour of candidates of both parties in <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voting-patterns-in-the-2022-elections/">recent elections</a>, making them a key target for political advertising in 2024. But there are a few key factors that could make the suburban vote slightly different this year. </p>
<p>Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden have recorded electoral successes in suburban areas in past elections. In 2016, Trump outperformed Hillary Clinton in the suburbs, if only by a <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JKd0lNwopBqXpDglgvkrlqWgbTvsNNNSaWVtj-EkLJs/edit#gid=970549130">two-point margin</a> (47-45). Just two years into his presidency, however, voting behaviour in the suburbs shifted away from Trump’s Republican party. </p>
<p>In the <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JKd0lNwopBqXpDglgvkrlqWgbTvsNNNSaWVtj-EkLJs/edit#gid=970549130">2018 midterms</a>, Democrats won the support of 52% of suburban voters while Republicans only received 45% of the vote. Biden was able to build on this momentum in 2020, with 54% of suburban residents casting their vote for the Biden-Harris ticket while Trump fell short of his 2016 result, receiving only 44% of the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voting-patterns-in-the-2022-elections/">suburban vote in 2020</a>. </p>
<p>Under Biden, the midterms also saw slight shifts in voting behaviour in the suburbs. In the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voting-patterns-in-the-2022-elections/">2022 midterms</a>, Democrats received slightly less support in the suburbs than in 2020 and 2018, gaining just 50% of the vote. Republicans, on the other hand, recorded 48%, a slight upward trend from their 2018 and 2020 results in suburban counties. </p>
<p>Only 5% of 2018 Democratic voters <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voting-patterns-in-the-2022-elections/">swung Republican</a> in 2022 and only 4% of 2018 Republican voters switched to supporting Democratic candidates in 2022. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7bJF37d1Mcs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Suburban woman problem podcast.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Shifting political opinions may not be the only possible explanation for swing votes in suburban counties. According to data from Pew Research, <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voting-patterns-in-the-2022-elections/">voter turnout</a> is a much larger issue for both parties, though more so for Democrats. </p>
<p>Among suburban voters who voted for Democratic candidates in 2018, 22% did not vote in the 2022 midterms. On the Republican side, 16% of 2018 suburban voters stayed home in 2022. </p>
<p>Another possible explanation for shifting voting patterns in the suburbs lies in who has moved there recently. The population of the large suburban counties has increased by 25% in the 21st century. </p>
<p>Overall, <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/07/29/prior-to-covid-19-urban-core-counties-in-the-u-s-were-gaining-vitality-on-key-measures/">population growth</a> in the suburbs has been above the national average. And since 2000, the US population has been increasingly concentrated in the 52 largest metropolitan areas, and particularly their suburban counties. </p>
<h2>Who will win Haley’s supporters?</h2>
<p>People living in the suburbs are now more likely, than in previous decades, to be <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/lbc/educational-attainment-rural?tid=1000">college-educated</a>, a demographic group that has been more likely to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/demographic-profiles-of-republican-and-democratic-voters/">vote for Democratic candidates</a> and hold <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2016/04/26/a-wider-ideological-gap-between-more-and-less-educated-adults/">more liberal political views</a>. </p>
<p>Interestingly, it was this demographic group, college-educated voters, who made up a large share of <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/06/haley-trump-weakness-00145472">Nikki Haley’s supporters</a> during her Republican primary campaign. Many Republican women who backed Trump in 2016 and 2020 <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-02-18/south-carolina-suburban-women-see-haley-as-hope-for-republican-party">shifted to Haley</a> in the 2024 primaries – arguing that Haley would be able to unify the party and bring about change while Trump could not deliver on either of those issues.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/state-of-the-union-biden-hits-back-at-critics-as-he-warns-of-threats-to-democracy-at-home-and-overseas-224913">State of the Union: Biden hits back at critics as he warns of threats to democracy at home and overseas</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>And while Trump outperformed Haley in most demographic groups throughout the primaries, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-02-18/south-carolina-suburban-women-see-haley-as-hope-for-republican-party">college-educated women</a> were the exception. As Trump and Biden compete for Haley’s voting bloc now, the place to find these voters may just be in the suburbs. And this is where <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/lbc/educational-attainment-rural?tid=1000">college-educated residents</a> now make up the largest share of the population.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581740/original/file-20240313-24-tastza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581740/original/file-20240313-24-tastza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581740/original/file-20240313-24-tastza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581740/original/file-20240313-24-tastza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581740/original/file-20240313-24-tastza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581740/original/file-20240313-24-tastza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581740/original/file-20240313-24-tastza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581740/original/file-20240313-24-tastza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">YouGov</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Both candidates could face difficulties in suburbia, though. Throughout the primaries, gaining support from suburban voters has been one of Trump’s key weaknesses. </p>
<p>Currently, Biden is doing slightly better with the key suburban demographic groups than Trump. Among college-educated adults, Biden has a <a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/trackers/joe-biden-favorability?crossBreak=collegegrad">favorability rating</a> of 46.6%, while Trump only records a 39.7% <a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/trackers/donald-trump-favorability?crossBreak=collegegrad">favorability rating</a> (where people rank their feelings towards a politician as positive or negative). </p>
<p>However, the president may not do as well in smaller suburban counties where the population is less likely to be college-educated. Current polling shows that <a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/trackers/donald-trump-favorability?crossBreak=hsorless">Trump</a> does much better among people with education qualifications up to a high school diploma (56.7% favorability rating) than <a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/trackers/joe-biden-favorability?crossBreak=hsorless">Biden</a> (36%). </p>
<h2>Trump’s suburban woman problem</h2>
<p>However, Trump has not been doing as well in the suburbs during the primaries as <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/168f3c5a-4f70-49af-a406-7b5972b2ae50">pollsters</a> had predicted. This has raised questions about the accuracy of polls and potential biases or blind spots. </p>
<p>Moving populations and changing demographics are also a potential explanation. There are other issues at stake in 2024 that may cause shifts in electoral behaviour and which could mean these voters are not wiling to reveal their intentions to pollsters. </p>
<p>One example of this is the issue of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/13/abortion-republican-voters-presidential-election">abortion rights</a>. While some <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/06/us/politics/donald-trump-primary-wins.html#:%7E:text=His%20overwhelming%20primary%20victories%2C%20including,.%20Biden%20Jr.%20in%202020.">conservative voters</a> have disclosed that they were supportive of abortion rights and were therefore not voting for Trump, there may be a significant number of women, particularly in more conservative neighbourhoods and states, who may be hesitant to disclose such shifts in voting intentions. </p>
<p>Haley did well among suburban women, particularly those who had <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-02-18/south-carolina-suburban-women-see-haley-as-hope-for-republican-party">concerns</a> about Trump’s policies on family and health, wanted more focus on the economy and were not happy with the nastiness of the Trump campaign. </p>
<p>If the key to the White House is winning over Haley’s voters, as has been widely suggested since her exit from the race, this voting group may just be what Biden needs, a detail that has not gone unnoticed by his <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-courts-haley-supporters-after-exit-board/story?id=107846566">campaign</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225248/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caroline Leicht does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are more college-educated people living in the US suburbs than there used to be, and this may be an important factor in how the vote splits.Caroline Leicht, PhD Candidate in Politics, University of SouthamptonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2255492024-03-18T17:08:09Z2024-03-18T17:08:09ZOil firms want to drill in four of the UK’s areas of outstanding natural beauty<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582197/original/file-20240315-16-bbee8y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=442%2C538%2C4138%2C2161&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There's oil under them thar Lincolnshire Wolds.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lincolnshire-wolds-summer-1163149636">Gill Kennett</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Think of onshore oil fields and images of oil derricks and “nodding donkeys” may spring to mind, perhaps in Texas or the Middle East. So it might come as a surprise to learn that the UK has its own onshore oil fields, mostly scattered across the east Midlands and southern England. Wytch Farm, on the south coast, is the largest onshore oil field in western Europe.</p>
<p>The industry is now looking at the UK with renewed vigour. Reserves that were previously considered too expensive or hard to reach have been made accessible thanks to higher oil prices and breakthroughs in <a href="https://www.oil-gasportal.com/drilling/new-technologies-innovations/">technologies like fracking and horizontal drilling</a>. </p>
<p>There are plans for new drilling at 15 locations across England, with a Friends of the Earth investigation showing <a href="https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/fossil-fuel-map-where-are-onshore-extraction-sites-england-and-wales?utm_source=media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=energy&utm_content=FY2324-08_guardian-link-for-fossil-fuels-map">four of these sites</a> are situated within officially designated areas of outstanding natural beauty.</p>
<p>One of these sites is near the village of Biscathorpe in the picturesque Lincolnshire Wolds, where an oil company wants planning permission to start drilling. Following an initial rejection by the local council in 2021, a planning inspector’s investigation prompted by the UK government led to the refusal being overturned in November 2023. </p>
<p>This reignited intense local debate, and campaigners recently <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/04/campaigners-get-go-ahead-to-challenge-plans-for-oilfiield-in-lincolnshire-wolds">obtained a judicial review</a> from the high court, to be heard later in the year.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582200/original/file-20240315-16-ipi9i3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map of England and Wales showing oil wells in southern England and east Midlands" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582200/original/file-20240315-16-ipi9i3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582200/original/file-20240315-16-ipi9i3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582200/original/file-20240315-16-ipi9i3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582200/original/file-20240315-16-ipi9i3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582200/original/file-20240315-16-ipi9i3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582200/original/file-20240315-16-ipi9i3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582200/original/file-20240315-16-ipi9i3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Onshore oil and gas in England. Operating wells are marked in blue, proposed new activity is red. National parks and areas of outstanding national beauty are shaded in green.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/fossil-fuel-map-where-are-onshore-extraction-sites-england-and-wales?utm_source=media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=energy&utm_content=FY2324-08_guardian-link-for-fossil-fuels-map">Friends of the Earth (Data: BGS/OS/NSTA)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The sums add up – but the alternatives are better</h2>
<p>Precise extraction rates are difficult to predict for the Biscathorpe site and will vary throughout the lifetime of the well. Comparing with <a href="https://drillordrop.com/2024/03/04/uk-onshore-oil-and-gas-production-in-charts-december-2023/">existing nearby sites</a>, Biscathorpe might provide an average of around 600 barrels per day over its first 15 years at a cost of a competitive US$18 (£14) per barrel – starkly lower than the <a href="https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/North-Sea-Oil-Faces-Crisis.html">US$30-US$50</a> (£24–£39) associated with North Sea oil fields. </p>
<p>Oil is currently priced at around US$80 per barrel. Although a large share of revenue would go to the state, the site’s backers might make around US$8 (£6) profit per barrel or around £2.5 million per year. With the oil company seeking planning permission for 15 years of extraction, the economic motivation is obvious.</p>
<p>National energy security was given as the main reason for the planning inspector to overturn the local council’s initial refusal. Yet the site’s potential oil yield, while economically tempting at the local scale, pales in comparison to the UK’s daily oil consumption of <a href="https://www.energyinst.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/1055542/EI_Stat_Review_PDF_single_3.pdf">1.3 million barrels</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582203/original/file-20240315-20-1qt3w9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Onshore wind farm at sunset" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582203/original/file-20240315-20-1qt3w9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582203/original/file-20240315-20-1qt3w9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582203/original/file-20240315-20-1qt3w9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582203/original/file-20240315-20-1qt3w9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582203/original/file-20240315-20-1qt3w9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582203/original/file-20240315-20-1qt3w9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582203/original/file-20240315-20-1qt3w9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Conisholme wind farm is about 12 miles from the proposed Lincolnshire oil well. It was built in the late 2000s, when the UK was still building wind farms onshore.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sunset-conisholme-wind-farm-lincolnshire-692882863">John-Kelly/shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For comparison, a modern onshore wind farm with 14 turbines could generate the same amount of energy as those 600 barrels of oil per day, assuming the oil is refined for petrol vehicles and the wind energy powers electric vehicles. The contrast is even more significant when comparing heating. Just 10 wind turbines could heat as many homes as 600 barrels of oil per day (when comparing oil boilers to homes heated by modern air-source heat pumps).</p>
<p>Sustainable energy technology is still improving fast. Ten years ago we would have required around 19 wind turbines for the transport comparison and 16 for the heating comparison. Oil isn’t going to make similar efficiency improvements any time soon.</p>
<h2>Focus on wind not oil</h2>
<p>This makes the search for onshore oil harder to justify when the country is trying to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero. The UK has plenty of wind. And, unlike some onshore oil reserves, that wind isn’t intrinsically tied to any particular areas of natural beauty. Yet <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/15/zero-plans-for-public-onshore-windfarms-submitted-last-year-in-england">very few</a> onshore wind farms have been built over the past decade, even despite planning regulations being relaxed in 2020.</p>
<p>It’s evident that just as local planning and regulation play a crucial role in safeguarding cherished nature spots, our broader energy policy must equally prioritise the protection of our planet. This dual focus on local conservation and global environmental health is crucial for mitigating the worst impacts of climate change. </p>
<p>Rather than extracting limited onshore oil reserves, the UK’s energy security would be much better served by installing more wind and solar power. Diversifying energy sources through renewables would reduce the reliance on volatile oil markets and mitigates the risk of further conflicts like Russia-Ukraine, leading to more stable energy prices. The UK could also position itself as a leader in clean energy technologies, just as it was once a leader in oil & gas technology. </p>
<p>In light of the latest budget announcements, which were widely criticised for their <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/07/budget-fell-far-short-on-uk-green-investment-experts-say">lack of substantial green measures</a>, the UK stands at a crossroads. The choice is between continuing down a path that risks natural heritage and global environmental health or one that embraces renewable energy and sustainable development. The preservation of areas of natural beauty and the broader fight against climate change demand decisive action and visionary policy making.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 30,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225549/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tom Rogers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Higher oil prices and better drilling technologies haveTom Rogers, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Energy Engineering, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2247742024-03-18T17:08:07Z2024-03-18T17:08:07ZWhat your hair can tell you about your health<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579862/original/file-20240305-20-96aic6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C0%2C4684%2C3130&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Genetics, hormones and age can all affect our hair growth.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/damaged-hair-frustrated-asian-young-woman-2403657911">Kmpzzz/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Hair speaks volumes. The way we cut, style and colour often acts as a representation of who we are.</p>
<p>But hair is more than just aesthetic. It also has many important functions – preventing heat loss from the skin for instance, or (in the case of our eyebrows) stopping sweat dripping into the eyes. </p>
<p>Hair can be a reflection of what’s going on inside our body, too. Many diseases can alter the quality and appearance of our hair. Paying attention to the way it looks can give us clues to the state of our health. </p>
<h2>The hair cycle</h2>
<p>Some of the tiniest organs in our bodies are the follicles which produce and nourish hairs. Hair can only grow where follicles exist. </p>
<p>Hair growth is a complex process. Each tiny follicle goes through different <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1064740618300270?via%3Dihub">cyclical stages</a>. The first is the stage of active hair growth (the “anogen” phase), before growth is arrested (the “catagen” phase). This then progresses to the stage when the hair is lost or shed from the follicle (the “telogen” phase). </p>
<p>Many factors – from our genetics to our hormones to our age – can affect these follicles and their growth.</p>
<h2>Excess hair growth</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534854/#:%7E:text=Introduction-,Hypertrichosis%20is%20defined%20as%20excessive%20hair%20growth%20anywhere%20on%20the,%5D%5B2%5D%5B3%5D">Hypertrichosis</a> is a condition where hair grows in excess all over the body. In most cases, this is a reaction to starting a new medication, such as phenytoin, which is used to treat epilepsy. But it may also be caused by diseases, such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738081X23000329?via%3Dihub">anorexia</a> and HIV. </p>
<p>Some conditions also cause hair to grow in places where it shouldn’t. In newborn babies, tufts of hair near the base of the spine may indicate <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10657727/pdf/cureus-0015-00000047396.pdf">spina bifida occulta</a>. This occurs when the lower vertebrae of the spine haven’t formed properly, leaving the delicate spinal cord covered only by skin. </p>
<p>The hows and whys of these conditions and their ability to trigger hypertrichosis remain poorly understood.</p>
<p>Hirsutism is another condition where hair grows excessively, but in a typically male pattern – on the face, lips, chest and arms. This is driven by androgen hormones, namely testosterone, which in high levels promotes hair growth in these regions. This may be observed in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27510481/">polycystic ovary syndrome</a>.</p>
<h2>Hair loss</h2>
<p>Hair may also start to fall out in abnormal amounts, making it thinner or absent in certain body regions. The medical term for hair loss is <a href="https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/alopecia-areata/">alopecia</a> and may either be localised or widespread. <a href="https://www.pcds.org.uk/clinical-guidance/alopecia-an-overview">Causes of alopecia</a> are manifold and include fungal infections, iron-deficiency anaemia, low thyroid hormone levels and use of medications (including chemotherapy). </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man with hair loss." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579864/original/file-20240305-28-7sscn3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579864/original/file-20240305-28-7sscn3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579864/original/file-20240305-28-7sscn3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579864/original/file-20240305-28-7sscn3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579864/original/file-20240305-28-7sscn3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579864/original/file-20240305-28-7sscn3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579864/original/file-20240305-28-7sscn3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Male pattern baldness begins in the mid-20s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/caucasian-man-hair-loss-problem-2335225091">ANDRANIK HAKOBYAN/ Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Age, gender and genetics are also to blame. <a href="https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/male-pattern-hair-loss-male-androgenetic-alopecia/">Male pattern baldness</a>, occurs at the hairline and the crown of the head. It’s influenced by the hormone testosterone, which shortens the growth phase of hairs and makes them finer. Most men with male pattern baldness will begin to observe hair loss by the age of 20-25. </p>
<p><a href="https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/female-pattern-hair-loss-female-androgenetic-alopecia/">Female pattern baldness</a>, on the other hand, usually affects the front hairline first and causes thinning rather than complete loss. The role of testosterone is more debatable in women, but a hormonal cause is implicated since thinning is more common around and after the menopause. </p>
<p>Hair loss may also arise as a result of hair pulling. Styling hair tightly can cause <a href="https://knowyourskin.britishskinfoundation.org.uk/condition/traction-alopecia/#:%7E:text=Traction%20Alopecia%20is%20a%20type,pulled%20repeatedly%20by%20tight%20hairstyles.">traction</a> on the follicle and loss of hair integrity. Some people may also pull or pluck their hairs out of habit. This is called <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/trichotillomania/">trichotillomania</a>.</p>
<h2>Treating hair problems</h2>
<p>Helping hair to regrow could be as simple as treating the underlying condition causing it. Another treatment to consider is the medication <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31496654/">minoxidil</a> – the active ingredient of Rogaine. It was initially developed as a treatment for high blood pressure, but was observed to also promote hair growth. This may be through a direct effect on hair follicles, or by improving blood flow to the scalp. These uncertainties may explain why some patients see good improvement, and others not. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962221009014?via%3Dihub">Hair transplants</a> are also a possibility, relocating crops of hairs to bald patches. There are two ways of performing them – you can either relocate multiple small “punched-out” grafts, or a larger strip of skin. The grafts are taken from hairy skin on the patient’s own body – this is an example of an autograft.</p>
<p>Sometimes the presence of hair in visible areas is not desirable, and there are certain treatments available to stop excessive growth. Aside from traditional hair removal methods, the contraceptive pill and other medications that <a href="https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2019/0801/p168.html">regulate hormonal influence</a> on hair (such as finasteride), can be considered in cases where a hormonal condition is the cause (such as PCOS). </p>
<h2>Test your own hair</h2>
<p>In order to get a better sense of your hair’s health you can perform a simple test at home yourself, known as a <a href="https://dermnetnz.org/cme/principles/examination-of-hair-and-scalp">hair pull</a>. </p>
<p>Select a group of between 30-50 hairs (a small clump) and run your fingers from the base of the hairs at the scalp, up to the ends. You don’t need to pull hard – gentle traction is all that’s needed to dislodge a shedding hair. Look to see how many you’ve pulled out. </p>
<p>It’s normally only one or two hairs that will come out with one pull – but this can vary between people. Greater than ten hairs and your scalp is likely to be shedding more hairs than normal. This could be suggestive of alopecia – though having a dermatologist perform a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31479564">more detailed inspection</a> may help you know if your hair loss indicates a more serious problem.</p>
<p>Changes in your hair may not simply be a case of age or how you’ve been styling it. There are many patterns of hair growth and loss to be aware of. Take heed of any differences noticed by you, or your hairdresser.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224774/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dan Baumgardt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many diseases can alter the quality and appearance of your hair.Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of BristolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2259152024-03-18T17:08:04Z2024-03-18T17:08:04ZGaza conflict: Washington’s patience is wearing thin over the lack of leadership from both Israel and Palestine<p>The US senate majority leader Chuck Schumer – a Democrat and the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/us/politics/schumer-netanyahu-israel-elections.html">highest-ranking Jewish official</a> in US history – has called for the removal of both Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, seeing both as representing the politics of the past. </p>
<p>In an incendiary intervention, Schumer – a longtime and stalwart supporter of Israel – <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-03-14/ty-article/.premium/senate-majority-leader-calls-for-new-elections-in-israel/0000018e-3d65-d67c-a18e-ff6d1f4a0000">told the Senate</a> that the continuing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is testing US patience and that the lack of vision by both current Israeli and Palestinian leaders for the future beyond the war is also at variance with US policy.</p>
<p>Of the Israeli prime minister, he said: “Nobody expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence, to preserve his credibility on the world stage, to work to a two-state solution.” </p>
<p>Turning to Netanyahu’s counterpart in Ramallah, Schumer was equally forthright: “For there to be any hope of peace in the future, Abbas must step down and be replaced by a new generation of Palestinian leaders who will work towards attaining peace with a Jewish state.”</p>
<p>Reflecting on his fellow Democrat’s comments, US president Joe Biden said Schumer had made <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/15/schumer-netanyahu-speech-biden-reaction">“a good speech”</a>, adding that: “I think he expressed a serious concern shared not only by him, but by many Americans.”</p>
<p>Schumer’s speech came at the end of a week where Israeli and Palestinian politics showed how far away they are from the kind of change that Schumer rightly says is necessary.</p>
<p>Shifting factional politics has made Netanyahu’s position more secure. On March 12, Gideon Saar – a key powerbroker in the ruling coalition and an ally of Netanyahu’s biggest rival Benny Gantz – announced he was <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-statesmanlike-right-why-gideon-saar-has-decamped-gantzs-national-unity-party/">pulling out of his alliance with Gantz</a> and demanded that Netanyahu appoint him to the war cabinet. This has weakened Gantz while strengthening Netanyahu’s position. </p>
<p>The last opinion poll taken before Saar’s announcement showed Gantz with a <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/poll-finds-44-of-israelis-prefer-trump-over-biden-as-next-us-president/">12-point lead over Netanyahu</a> and the opposition winning 74 seats out of the 120 Knesset seat if there were an election. But, with Saar’s change of allegiance, an election that could bring about the change that Schumer wants to see now appears further away.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in Ramallah, the Palestinian president called on Muhammad Mustafa, a close associate, <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-03-14/ty-article/.premium/pa-president-abbas-to-ask-mohammad-mustafa-to-form-new-palestinian-government/0000018e-3cac-d30d-a7de-7cbf89b70000">to be prime minister</a> after the resignation of Mohammad Shtayyeh in February. </p>
<p>Washington had expressed the hope that Abbas would reach outside his circle and appoint a fresh face, maybe choosing a candidate from the next generation that could project the hope of a revitalised Palestinian Authority (PA). While Mustafa is two decades younger than Abbas, at 69 he hardly qualifies as someone who can relate to a Palestinian population with a median age is <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2023-11-14/population-religion-and-poverty-the-demographics-of-israel-and-gaza#">21.9 years</a>.</p>
<p>Schumer’s frustration with the regional politics reflects a long-held view in Washington. Many US presidents have found Benjamin Netanyahu difficult to deal with, going back to Bill Clinton in the 1990s. Even Donald Trump had problems with Netanyahu, as the then US president’s <a href="https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/deal-of-the-century-what-is-it-and-why-now/">“deal of the century”</a> provided for a Palestinian state – small and weak though it would have been.</p>
<h2>Testing US support</h2>
<p>The Biden administration had thought that its solidarity with Israel after the October 7 atrocities would at least give it some influence over Israel’s response. </p>
<p>It has provided significant financial and human resources to Israel over the past five months. It has been resupplying much-needed military equipment while providing a diplomatic safety net through its veto at the UN security council. </p>
<p>This has been backed by the assiduous efforts of US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, to achieve a ceasefire and the return of the Israeli hostages. But Washington has watched in horror as its ally flattened Gaza and exacted a terrible civilian death toll.</p>
<p>Schumer is right when he says that Netanyahu’s alliance with Israel’s far-right is driving the country towards pariah status. The Gaza tragedy is accompanied by a <a href="https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/the-occupied-west-bank-since-october-7-movement-restrictions-and-collective-punishment/">vicious conflict in the occupied West Bank</a>, which has seen a rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths as a result of both IDF action and settler violence. All of this is aimed at undermining any moves towards reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians and a two-state solution.</p>
<p>Abbas succeeded Yasser Arafat as the president of the PA on Arafat’s death in 2004. He won the election in 2005 but has not held elections since. His administration lacks legitimacy and is widely seen as corrupt. </p>
<p>The combination of inefficiency and corruption of the PA and the continuing inhumanities of more than five decades of Israeli occupation alienates many Palestinians from any idea of peaceful coexistence with Israel and increases the attractiveness of extremist views. Schumer is right that there are extremists on both sides who want the destruction of the other,</p>
<p>But the US administration and leaders like Schumer are unable to change the politics of either Israel or Palestine, all they can do is call for new leaders. </p>
<p>Indeed, some might argue that all this noise about replacing leaders of other countries not only smacks of colonialism but could have the opposite effect. Netanyahu and Abbas – who are both beleaguered at home – might find it useful to have a foreign adversary as a foil to shore up domestic support. Both will pose as defenders of the nation. </p>
<p>With conflict resolution, the challenge is to bring together leaders who are often deeply flawed and who advance reprehensible policies. If they weren’t so flawed and unable to see the other side’s point there would not be a conflict. Schumer has shone a light on the extremist politics in both Israel and Palestine. The political developments in both countries this week make the vision of a peaceful future look more difficult. </p>
<p>And that’s why the US and the international community need to rise to the challenge. Less rhetoric and more practical peacebuilding would be a good start.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225915/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Strawson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>But there is little sign that either side is listening.John Strawson, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of East LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2236982024-03-18T17:08:03Z2024-03-18T17:08:03ZThe UK government is using private tech companies to deliver public funds to asylum seekers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580124/original/file-20240306-26-4saaqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Asylum seekers are brought ashore after being rescued at sea by Border Force in Dover, Kent, in September 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dover-kent-uk-22nd-september-2022-2205152061">Sean Aidan Calderbank|Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-counts-as-a-refugee-four-questions-to-understand-current-migration-debates-219735">asylum seekers</a> arrive in the UK, they are not eligible for benefits. Those who do not have anywhere else to live are provided with government-funded housing. Those who are not able to <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64edefc56bc96d000d4ed1ef/Assessing_destitution.pdf">meet essential needs</a> can access basic Home Office funds to cover food, clothing and toiletries. </p>
<p>The sums in question are paltry. As of December 2023, asylum seekers housed in self-catering facilities are given <a href="https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get">£49.18</a> per week, per person. Those housed in hotels get £8.86. </p>
<p>Private tech companies are increasingly encroaching on the delivery of public funds to vulnerable people. These are distributed via a prepayment system called the Asylum Support Enablement (Aspen) card, provided by Prepaid Financial Services (PFS, a subsidiary of EML Payments Ltd).</p>
<p>This is the same technology used by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ refugee cash assistance programme in Greece. Research there has shown that it restricts asylum seekers’ mobility and constrains <a href="https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/26694/1/IPS-Tazzioli.pdf">what they can purchase</a>. </p>
<p>We have found similar patterns in the UK. Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.2024.2312249">recent study</a> shows this technology isolates asylum seekers from networks of financial support, compounding their already precarious financial situation. It also restricts their consumption habits, and enables the government to collect their personal purchasing data. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Protestors hold up posters." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580123/original/file-20240306-20-jly07k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580123/original/file-20240306-20-jly07k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580123/original/file-20240306-20-jly07k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580123/original/file-20240306-20-jly07k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580123/original/file-20240306-20-jly07k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580123/original/file-20240306-20-jly07k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580123/original/file-20240306-20-jly07k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Restrictive payment systems are part of how the hostile environment is created.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/morton-halllincolnshireuk-january-20th-2018-eighty-1277329108">Ian Francis|Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A restrictive system</h2>
<p>Over the spring and summer of 2021, we analysed policy papers, legal reports, web pages and <a href="https://privacyinternational.org/advocacy/4788/uk-home-office-finally-responds-our-questions-about-surveillance-aspen-card-users">government Freedom of Information Act correspondence</a> related to the Aspen card.</p>
<p>We also undertook qualitative interviews and focus groups with 21 participants (all anonymised in our paper, and all based in <a href="https://migrationscotland.org.uk/policyarea/asylum-dispersal/">Glasgow</a>). These included asylum seekers who were Aspen cardholders, refugees who had used such cards in the past, and NGO staff who supported asylum seekers. We also interviewed staff at PFS.</p>
<p>As a funds management system, the Aspen card is highly restrictive. You can only use it to buy <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a8bf2a9e5274a2e87dc4057/section-4_1_-handling-transitional-cases-v1.0ext.pdf">food and other essential items</a>, mainly from the supermarkets that will accept it. Only asylum seekers whose asylum application is pending can use it to withdraw cash.</p>
<p>The card cannot be used for internet shopping. At the time of our study in 2021, it could be used for contactless payments, but that is no longer the case. Friends or family cannot add money to it and you cannot transfer money to other accounts from it. </p>
<p>Our interviewees told us it often does not work in independent shops including charity shops, cheap clothing stores, halal butchers and African food stores. As a result, they said that in Glasgow, asylum seekers often struggle to buy the warm clothing needed to manage the cold Scottish climate. They also find it difficult to access foods that suit their cultural and religious needs. </p>
<p>The Aspen card is fluorescent orange, which makes its users highly visible in public spaces – potentially exposing them to abuse. Further, in enabling the surveillance of people’s purchasing habits, the card breaches asylum seekers’ right to privacy. Our interviewees told us it makes them afraid of how their patterns of consumption might affect their right to asylum. </p>
<h2>A highly unreliable system</h2>
<p>Above all, the card often does not work. Our interviewees told us about people suddenly being left unable to withdraw money, sometimes for months at a time. As one asylum seeker explained: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The first time it happened, I went to the machine on Monday to withdraw the money, and it was telling me I had £70-something in there – but zero balance to withdraw. And I was like … I just got here, I’ve not even used the card! How is it possible that I don’t have any money to withdraw?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Home Office has contracted organisations including the charity Migrant Help and housing management company Mears to support asylum seekers with such problems. However, more often that not, they are being left to deal with these issues alone. Another asylum seeker explained: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>For close to eight months, I was not receiving the complete money. But I don’t have anywhere to go, because even if you call Migrant Help or you phone Mears or the Home Office, they will not give a response to you. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Of the 16 asylum seekers we spoke with, 13 had experienced a malfunctioning card, as had their friends. The stress of relying on such an unpredictable system only compounds the extremely low level of support these people have access to in the first place.</p>
<p>At the time of our research in 2021, the UK government was giving asylum seekers around £35 per week, per person. While this has since <a href="https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get">increased to £49.18</a>, such severely limited funds make it practically impossible for people to fully cover their needs, let alone save any money. </p>
<p>When a card stops working, asylum seekers are left completely destitute. Mothers are unable to buy food, nappies or toiletries. One person with a young toddler was left for five weeks without income. When their housing officer eventually told them that emergency support would be granted, they were given just over an hour to collect it. </p>
<p>When questioned about these findings, Mears referred The Conversation to the Home Office. A spokesperson for Migrant Help said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>In instances of challenges with Aspen cards, we facilitate raising the issue to the attention of the payment provider, and strive to offer guidance and assistance. However, it’s crucial to note that we can’t resolve issues of this nature, as that is the responsibility of the payment provider contracted by the Home Office.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A Home Office spokesperson said: “We take the welfare of all asylum seekers very seriously, which is why we provide a weekly allowance to those who would otherwise be destitute through our Aspen card system. There are no restrictions on asylum seekers using the monetary provision to make purchases from retail outlets or withdraw cash from an ATM to buy food.”</p>
<p>The government says it records people’s use of the Aspen card, and may investigate if there are safeguarding concerns or potential breaches of the conditions of support to which the recipients have agreed (to prevent fraud). </p>
<p>Despite this, many of the interviewees we spoke with were unaware of the terms and conditions applicable to use of this card. Furthermore, precisely because they are destitute, asylum seekers have no choice but to accept whatever terms and conditions those might be. </p>
<h2>A tool of surveillance and control</h2>
<p>Prior to contracting PFS, the Home Office had reportedly <a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/digitaliberties/big-brother-says-no-surveillance-and-income-management-of-asylum-seekers-through-the-uk-aspen-card/">spent around £84 million</a> on the previous card system, supplied by Sodexo. We estimate that between January <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-spending-over-25000-2020">2020</a> and December <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-spending-over-25000-2021">2021</a>, it then spent over £198 million on the PFS system. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-spending-over-25000-2020">Home Office spending data</a> shows most of this expenditure was attributed to an item labelled “cash support”. Although not explicitly stated, this is likely to refer to the emergency cash support given to asylum seekers when their Aspen card is not working. The documents show that instances of this charge spiked following the contract handover to PFS, which saw <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/02/thousands-of-asylum-seekers-go-hungry-after-cash-card-problems">thousands of asylum seekers</a> left without financial support.</p>
<p>This is concerning, not least because PFS is a preferred supplier for prepaid cards across UK government departments until at least 2025. PFS currently has <a href="https://prepaidfinancialservices.com/en/councils">agreements with</a> around 121 local councils and NHS clinical commissioning groups. It also has an agreement with <a href="https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/agreements/RM6248">Crown Commercial Services</a> – the largest <a href="https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/about-ccs">public procurement organisation</a> in the UK. (EML Payments Ltd was approached for comment regarding PFS, its subsidiary, but did not respond.)</p>
<p>Through its collection of purchasing data and constraining rules, the Aspen card serves as a tool of surveillance and control – a means through which the UK government’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/hostile-environment-the-uk-governments-draconian-immigration-policy-explained-95460">“hostile environment”</a> is potentially achieved. This raises questions about the role of financial technology companies in shaping punitive digital welfare practices across the UK.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223698/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sophie Bennani-Taylor receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nasar Meer receives funding from the British Academy, UKRI, ESRC, RSE and JPI Urban Europe. </span></em></p>Private tech companies are increasingly being used to delivery public funds to vulnerable people – and facilitate the government’s hostile environment policies.Sophie Bennani-Taylor, Doctoral Researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of OxfordNasar Meer, Professor in Social and Political Sciences, University of GlasgowLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2257482024-03-18T16:52:03Z2024-03-18T16:52:03ZVladimir Putin’s gold strategy explains why sanctions against Russia have failed<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-sanctions-economy-1.7141305">There are more than 16,000 sanctions imposed against Russia</a>. Yet the Russian economy and war machine grew by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-gdp-boost-military-spending-belies-wider-economic-woes-2024-02-07/">3.6 per cent in 2023 and is projected to grow another 2.6 per cent in 2024</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/90753">Nearly six per cent of Russia’s gross domestic product goes towards military spending</a>. At a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scrambling to acquire arms, funds and recruits, Vladimir Putin seems <a href="https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/putin-s-confidence-heading-2024">confident in his ambitions for the future</a>.</p>
<p>How have <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-sanctions-economy-1.7141305">16,000 strategic sanctions issued by some of the most powerful economies in the world</a> failed to derail Putin? </p>
<p>As I recently watched the news break on CBC about Russia’s robust economy, an advertisement from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZRGt5Mj4tU">the World Gold Council</a> popped onto the screen. And there was the answer, hiding in plain sight: Gold.</p>
<h2>The role of gold</h2>
<p>Sanctions against Russia needed to be strategic, targeting the environment it operates in.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/smart-sanctions-for-a-stupid-war-the-west-finally-gets-clever-about-russia-196105">Smart sanctions for a stupid war: The West finally gets clever about Russia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Economic sanctions targeted shipping and trade into Russia, but the gold market is a massive environment left largely untouched. After Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-cracks-down-on-gold-and-oil-networks-propping-up-russias-war-economy">the United Kingdom, a major gold broker with one of the world’s largest gold reserves, cut all Russian imports of gold into the U.K</a>. </p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.gold.org/what-we-do?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqdqvBhCPARIsANrmZhMH6km3d7zz-Sx3e4A64LwKNb1Qa7l7mivRcH9Fa7UXsCgnSri8IvIaAu9PEALw_wcB">World Gold Council</a>, Russia is now the second largest producer of gold at <a href="https://www.mining-technology.com/data-insights/gold-in-russia/">324.7 tonnes in 2023, behind China at 374 million tonnes. Russia is expected to increase production of gold by four per cent a year until 2026</a>.</p>
<p>Since 2013, Russia has been <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/03/11/why-russia-has-been-so-resilient-to-western-export-controls-pub-91894">preparing for western sanctions</a> and managed to isolate its economy from transactions requiring American dollars.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/international/russias-currency-bounces-back-after-moscow-mandates-payment-for-gas-in-gold-pegged-ruble">In early 2022, Russia pegged its currency, the ruble, to gold</a>, and 5,000 rubles will now buy an ounce of pure gold. The plan was to shift the currency away from a pegged value and into the gold standard itself so the <a href="https://bullionexchanges.com/blog/russia-pegs-ruble-to-gold-what-does-that-mean-to-the-world-order">ruble would become a credible gold substitute at a fixed rate</a>. </p>
<p>Usually the rationale for holding on to gold reserves is to use them to settle foreign transactions at home and abroad. Gold holders can trade it on one of several bullion exchanges; it can be swapped for currencies to settle transactions and then swapped back into bullion.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/maduro-to-tap-sanctioned-dealmaker-to-ship-gold-to-iran-1.1433389">Venezuela, for example — a heavily sanctioned country — sent gold bullion to Iran in exchange for technical assistance with oil production.</a></p>
<p>Usually countries want gold <a href="https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400229947.001">as a safety backing to insulate against broader global financial shocks</a>. Many central banks are purchasing gold at breakneck pace, with about <a href="https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/gold-demand-trends/gold-demand-trends-full-year-2023/central-banks">1,073 tonnes purchased in 2022</a>. A single tonne is about US$65 million, which means $110.6 billion in gold went into central banks globally in 2023.</p>
<h2>Gold prices fluctuate</h2>
<p>China is the world’s leading producer of gold, and also the world’s second largest buyer of it. <a href="https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/gold/reporter/chn">China imported US$67.6 billion in gold in 2022</a>, whereas <a href="https://oec.world/en/profile/country/che">Switzerland took top place by importing US$94.9 billion</a>. </p>
<p>China’s appetite for gold has a great deal to do with stabilizing its own currency. In 2022, if someone purchased a new condo in Shanghai, often the developer would throw in a few <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/12/gold-bars-used-to-lure-chinese-homebuyers-amid-market-slowdown">gold bars to sweeten the deal</a>. </p>
<p>The World Gold Council argues that gold is the safest place to invest in times of conflict. But if that were true, there would have been a permanent bull market for gold dating back to <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/071414/when-and-why-do-gold-prices-plummet.asp">Tutankhamen, making the price today infinite</a>. </p>
<p>Its price rises and falls like anything else. Which is why Putin’s goal of turning the ruble into pure gold is not genius, it is desperate.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-russia-has-put-the-rouble-on-a-gold-standard-but-its-unlikely-to-last-180632">Why Russia has put the rouble on a gold standard – but it's unlikely to last</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The U.K., the United States and Canada will not touch Russian gold. But others will. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/russia-with-gold-uae-cashes-sanctions-bite-2023-05-25/">The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) imported 96.4 tonnes (US$6.2 billion)</a> of Russian gold in 2022 following the British sanctions. That’s up 15 times from the 2021 imports of only 1.3 tonnes (US$84.5 million). </p>
<p>It’s no mystery why so many <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/private-jets-go-russia-dubai-after-putin-pledges-self-cleansing-2022-3">private jets left Russia for Dubai</a> following the war and ensuing sanctions. </p>
<p>The other big client of Russian gold is Switzerland. </p>
<p>In 2022, Switzerland imported 75 tonnes of Russian gold (US$4.87 billion). <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-20/swiss-imports-of-russian-gold-climb-to-highest-since-april-2020">In 2023, it imported about US$8.22 billion</a> in gold from the U.A.E., which doesn’t produce its own but buys enormous sums from Russia, and US$3.92 billion from Uzbekistan, Russia’s next-door neighbour. </p>
<p>Billions upon billions of dollars of Russian gold is being freely traded at top dollar while avoiding every one of those 16,000 sanctions. </p>
<p>That’s why global sanctions against Russia haven’t derailed a thing. In order for Putin’s plan for economic resilience through gold to work, however, gold needs to increase in value. His long-term goal is that gold, not the U.S. dollar, will be the global trading currency. </p>
<h2>Consumer activism</h2>
<p>Here’s where average citizens come in, and how they can help determine what’s to come.</p>
<p>Right now, if you’re a Costco member, <a href="https://www.costco.ca/1-oz-gold-bar-pamp-suisse-lady-fortuna-veriscan-new-in-assay.product.4000201245.html">you can order an ounce of Swiss gold for CA$3,045</a> (limit two per member, and no refunds). This is not a speculative investment. Physical gold will not quadruple in value by Christmas. </p>
<p>Instead, buying gold is a <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/071414/when-and-why-do-gold-prices-plummet.asp">guard against inflation and currency devaluation</a> in times of uncertainty. It’s the doomsday currency, which is why the World Gold Council advertises gold on cable news networks in exactly that vein. </p>
<p>If North American consumers, central banks and investors are panicked enough to buy gold en masse, the price will go up, and Putin’s plan works. </p>
<p>In the last quarter of 2023, American consumers purchased more than <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/15/costco-sold-more-than-100-million-in-gold-bars-last-quarter.html">US$100 million in gold bars through Costco alone</a>. </p>
<p>Is there actual Russian gold in those bars? Between Switzerland’s 2022 gold purchases from Russia and the 2023 purchases from the U.A.E., it’s likely there is.</p>
<p>If people are worried about the ethics of purchasing Russian gold, they can always buy <a href="https://www.costco.ca/1-oz-gold-coin-2024-canadian-maple-leaf.product.4000258262.html">the single-source Canadian Maple Leaf gold coin</a>. It comes from Québec, and as demand for coins like this increases, so too does the price of gold overall. </p>
<p>Still, bars and coins cannot compete with the power of demand from the central banks, and currently it’s high.</p>
<h2>Tarnishing gold</h2>
<p>To thwart Putin’s plan, the lustre needs to be removed from gold. Increasing gold supply could lower the price. Australia, Canada and the U.S. have important roles to play as leading gold producers. </p>
<p>Rising interest rates also tend to lower gold prices. A mass sell-off of government holdings in gold could also cause a tailspin for the ruble, but likely for the U.S. and Canadian dollars as well.</p>
<p>No single policy can thwart Putin’s goals — it requires disrupting the supply of gold beyond Russia, and that might well mean involving the U.A.E.</p>
<p>But with 16,000 sanctions on the books against Russia, one more smart sanction against the Emirates might be the golden egg Zelenskyy needs right now.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225748/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Huish received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. </span></em></p>Russia has tied its currency to gold to evade sanctions. Shifting the ruble away from a pegged value and into the gold standard itself is aimed at making it a credible gold substitute at a fixed rate.Robert Huish, Associate Professor in International Development Studies, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2259542024-03-18T14:31:13Z2024-03-18T14:31:13ZProfits over patients: For-profit nursing home chains are draining resources from care while shifting huge sums to owners’ pockets<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582294/original/file-20240315-20-7m2n83.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C17%2C6000%2C3907&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The for-profit nursing home sector is growing, and it places a premium on cost cutting and big profits, which has led to low staffing and patient neglect and mistreatment.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/february-2024-baden-w%C3%BCrttemberg-na-a-resident-of-a-nursing-news-photo/1985540302">picture alliance via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The care at Landmark of Louisville Rehabilitation and Nursing was abysmal when state inspectors filed their survey report of the Kentucky facility on July 3, 2021.</p>
<p>Residents <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24170104-landmark-nursing-070321#document/p72/a2407365">wandered the halls</a> in a facility that can house up to 250 people, yelling at each other and stealing blankets. One resident beat a roommate <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24170104-landmark-nursing-070321#document/p66/a2407364">with a stick</a>, causing bruising and skin tears. Another was found in bed with a broken finger and a bloody forehead <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24170104-landmark-nursing-070321#document/p55/a2407366">gash</a>. That person was allowed to roam and enter the beds of other residents. In another case, there was <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24170104-landmark-nursing-070321#document/p21/a2407367">sexual touching</a> in the dayroom between residents, according to the report.</p>
<p>Meals were served from filthy meal carts on plastic foam trays, and residents struggled to cut their food with dull plastic cutlery. Broken tiles lined showers, and a mysterious black gunk marred the floors. The director of housekeeping reported that the dining room was unsanitary. Overall, there was a critical lack of training, staff and <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nursing-homes/homes/h-185122">supervision</a>.</p>
<p>The inspectors tagged Landmark as <a href="https://medicare.gov/care-compare/inspections/pdf/nursing-home/185122/health/standard?date=2021-07-03">deficient in 29 areas</a>, including six that put residents in immediate jeopardy of serious harm and three where actual harm was found. The issues were so severe that the government slapped Landmark with <a href="https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/details/nursing-home/185122?state=KY&measure=nursing-home-penalties">a fine of over US$319,000</a> − <a href="https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/dataset/g6vv-u9sr">more than 29 times the average</a> for a nursing home in 2021 − and suspended payments to the home from federal Medicaid and Medicare funds. </p>
<p>But problems persisted. Five months later, inspectors levied six additional deficiencies of immediate jeopardy − the highest level.</p>
<p>Landmark is just one of the 58 facilities run by parent company Infinity Healthcare Management across five states. The government issued penalties to the company almost 4½ times the national average, according to bimonthly data that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services first started to make available in late 2022. All told, Infinity paid <a href="https://data.cms.gov/quality-of-care/nursing-home-affiliated-entity-performance-measures/data">nearly $10 million in fines</a> since 2021, the highest among nursing home chains with fewer than 100 facilities.</p>
<p>Infinity Healthcare Management and its executives did not respond to multiple requests for comment.</p>
<h2>Race to the bottom</h2>
<p>Such <a href="https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/">sanctions are nothing new</a> for Infinity or other for-profit nursing home chains that have dominated an industry long known for cutting corners in pursuit of profits for private owners. But this race to the bottom to extract profits is accelerating, despite demands by <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-104813.pdf">government officials</a>, health care experts and advocacy groups to protect the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.</p>
<p>To uncover the reasons why, The Conversation delved into the nursing home industry, where for-profit facilities make up more than 72% of the nation’s nearly 14,900 facilities. The probe, which paired an academic expert with an investigative reporter, used the most recent government data on ownership, facility information and penalties, combined with <a href="https://data.cms.gov/quality-of-care/nursing-home-affiliated-entity-performance-measures/data">CMS data on affiliated entities</a> for nursing homes.</p>
<p>The investigation revealed an industry that places a premium on cost cutting and big profits, with low staffing and poor quality, often to the detriment of patient well-being. Operating under <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4541739">weak and poorly enforced regulations</a> with financially insignificant penalties, the for-profit sector fosters an environment where corners are frequently cut, compromising the quality of care and endangering patient health. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, owners make the facilities look less profitable by siphoning money from the homes through byzantine networks of interconnected corporations. Federal regulators have neglected the problem as <a href="https://theconsumervoice.org/news/detail/latest/new-report-nursing-homes-funnel-dollars-through-related-party-companies">each year likely billions of dollars are funneled</a> out of nursing homes through related parties and into owners’ pockets.</p>
<h2>More trouble at midsize</h2>
<p>Analyzing <a href="https://data.cms.gov/search">newly released government data</a>, our investigation found that these problems are most pronounced in nursing homes like Infinity − midsize chains that <a href="https://data.cms.gov/quality-of-care/nursing-home-affiliated-entity-performance-measures/data">operate between 11 and 100 facilities</a>. This subsection of the industry has higher average fines per home, lower overall quality ratings, and are more likely to be tagged with resident abuse compared with both the larger and smaller networks. Indeed, while such chains account for about 39% of all facilities, they operate 11 of the 15 most-fined facilities.</p>
<p><iframe id="DRwGq" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/DRwGq/6/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>With few impediments, private investors who own the midsize chains have swooped in to purchase underperforming homes, expanding their holdings even as larger chains divest and close facilities.</p>
<p>“They are really bad, but the names − we don’t know these names,” said Toby Edelman, senior policy attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a nonprofit law organization.</p>
<p>In response to The Conversation’s findings on nursing homes and request for an interview, a CMS spokesperson emailed <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24478510-nursing-home-information-request">a statement</a> that said the CMS is “unwavering in its commitment to improve safety and quality of care for the more than 1.2 million residents receiving care in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes.”</p>
<p>“We support transparency and accountability,” the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, a trade organization representing the nursing home industry, <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24475011-re-nursing-home-chains-and-cms-regulation-the-conversation-deadline-34-at-5pm-est">wrote in response</a> to The Conversation‘s request for comment. “But neither ownership nor line items on a budget sheet prove whether a nursing home is committed to its residents.”</p>
<h2>Ripe for abuse</h2>
<p>It often takes years to improve a poor nursing home − or <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/when-private-equity-takes-over-a-nursing-home">run one into the ground</a>. The analysis of midsize chains shows that most owners have been associated with their current facilities for less than eight years, making it difficult to separate operators who have taken long-term investments in resident care from those who are looking to quickly extract money and resources <a href="https://www.wpr.org/st-louis-nursing-home-closes-suddenly-prompting-wider-concerns-over-care">before closing them down or moving on</a>. These chains control roughly 41% of nursing home beds in the U.S., according to CMS’s provider data, making the lack of transparency especially ripe for abuse.</p>
<p>A churn of nursing home purchases even during the pandemic shows that investors view the sector as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.17288">highly profitable</a>, especially when staffing costs are kept low and fines for poor care can easily be covered by the money extracted from residents, their families and taxpayers.</p>
<p>A March 2024 study from Lehigh University and the University of California, Los Angeles also <a href="https://ucla.app.box.com/v/RelatedParties">shows that costs were inflated</a> when nursing home owners switched to contractors they controlled directly or indirectly. Overall, spending on real estate increased 20.4% and spending on management increased 24.6% when the businesses were affiliated, the research showed.</p>
<p>“This is the model of their care: They come in, they understaff and they make their money,” said Sam Brooks, director of public policy at the Consumer Voice, a national resident advocacy organization. “Then they multiply it over a series of different facilities.”</p>
<p><em>This is a condensed version of an article from The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/announcing-the-conversations-new-investigative-unit-were-looking-for-collaborators-in-academia-207394">investigative unit</a>. To find out more about the rise of for-profit nursing homes, financial trickery and what could make the nation’s most vulnerable citizens safer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-profit-nursing-homes-are-cutting-corners-on-safety-and-draining-resources-with-financial-shenanigans-especially-at-midsize-chains-that-dodge-public-scrutiny-225045">read the complete version</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225954/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Campbell is an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University and a contributing writer at the Garrison Project, an independent news organization that focuses on mass incarceration and criminal justice.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Harrington is an advisory board member of the nonprofit Veteran's Health Policy Institute and a board member of the nonprofit Center for Health Information and Policy. Harrington served as an expert witness on nursing home litigation cases by residents against facilities owned or operated by Brius and Shlomo Rechnitz in the past and in 2022. She also served as an expert witness in a case against The Citadel Salisbury in North Carolina in 2021. </span></em></p>Owners of midsize nursing home chains harm the elderly and drain huge sums of money from facilities using opaque accounting practices while government doesn’t do enough to stop it.Sean Campbell, Investigative journalist, The ConversationCharlene Harrington, Professor Emeritus of Social Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San FranciscoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1994412024-03-18T13:45:00Z2024-03-18T13:45:00Z100,000 years and counting: how do we tell future generations about highly radioactive nuclear waste repositories?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519023/original/file-20230403-22-qlgar9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C20%2C3456%2C2276&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory in Sweden, where KBS-3 repository technologies have been tested.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Anna Storm</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Europe, increasing efforts on climate change mitigation, a sudden focus on energy independence after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and reported breakthroughs in <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/20/climate/nuclear-fusion-energy-breakthrough-replicate-climate/index.html">nuclear fusion</a> have sparked renewed interest in the potential of nuclear power. So-called <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2023/05/17/french-government-passes-bill-to-accelerate-the-construction-of-new-nuclear-reactors_6026936_19.html">small modular reactors</a> (SMRs) are increasingly under development, and familiar promises about nuclear power’s potential are being revived.</p>
<p>Nuclear power is routinely portrayed by proponents as the source of <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2022/05/world/iter-nuclear-fusion-climate-intl-cnnphotos/">“limitless”</a> amounts of carbon-free electricity. The rhetorical move from speaking about “renewable energy” to “fossil-free energy” is increasingly evident, and telling.</p>
<p>Yet nuclear energy production requires managing what is known as “spent” nuclear fuel where major problems arise about how best to safeguard these waste materials into the future – especially should nuclear energy production increase. Short-term storage facilities have been in place for decades, but the question of their long-term deposition has caused <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/europes-radioactive-problem-struggles-dispose-nuclear-waste-french-nuclear-facility/">intense political debates</a>, with a number of projects being <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/german-nuclear-phaseout-leaves-radioactive-waste-problem/a-66661614">delayed</a> or <a href="https://ejatlas.org/print/nuclear-waste-storage-near-the-spanish-frontier-of-portugal">cancelled entirely</a>. In the United States, work on the Yucca Mountain facility has <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/18/nuclear-waste-why-theres-no-permanent-nuclear-waste-dump-in-us.html">stopped completely</a> leaving the country with 93 nuclear reactors and no long-term storage site for the waste they produce.</p>
<p>Nuclear power plants produce three <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oekoinstitut/23144291019">kinds of radioactive waste</a>: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Short-lived low- and intermediate-level waste; </p></li>
<li><p>Long-lived low- and intermediate-level waste; </p></li>
<li><p>Long-lived and highly radioactive waste, known as spent nuclear fuel.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The critical challenge for nuclear energy production is the management of long-lived waste, which refers to nuclear materials that take thousands of years to return to a level of radioactivity that is deemed “safe”. According to the US <a href="https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/radwaste.html">Nuclear Regulatory Commission</a> (NRC), in spent fuel half of the radiation in strontium-90 and cesium-137 can decay in 30 years, while it would take 24,000 years for plutonium-239 to return to a state considered “harmless”. However, exactly what is meant by “safe” and “harmless” in this context is something that <a href="https://www.xcdsystem.com/wmsym/2018/pdfs/FinalPaper_18430_0321010427.pdf">remains poorly defined</a> by international nuclear management organisations, and there is surprisingly little international consensus about the time it takes for radioactive waste to return to a state considered “safe” for organic life.</p>
<h2>“Permanent” geological repositories</h2>
<p>Despite the seeming revival of nuclear energy production today, very few of the countries that produce nuclear energy have defined a long-term strategy for managing highly radioactive spent fuel into the future. Only Finland and Sweden have confirmed plans for so-called “final” or “permanent” geological repositories.</p>
<p>The Swedish government <a href="https://skb.com/nyhet/the-government-approves-skbs-final-repository-system/">granted approval</a> for a final repository in the village of Forsmark in January 2022, with plans to construct, fill and seal the facility over the next century. This repository is designed to last 100,000 years, which is how long planners say that it will take to return to a level of radioactivity comparable to uranium found in the earth’s bedrock.</p>
<p>Finland is well underway in the construction of its <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/finland-built-tomb-store-nuclear-waste-can-it-survive-100000-years">Onkalo high-level nuclear waste repository</a>, which they began building in 2004 with plans to seal their facility by the end of the 21st century.</p>
<p>The technological method that Finland and Sweden plan to use in their permanent repositories is referred to as <a href="https://skb.com/future-projects/the-spent-fuel-repository/our-methodology/">KBS-3 storage</a>. In this method, spent nuclear fuel is encased in cast iron, which is then placed inside copper canisters, which are then surrounded by clay and bedrock approximately 500 metres below ground. The same or similar methods are being considered by other countries, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-future-of-nuclear-waste-whats-the-plan-and-can-it-be-safe-181884">such as the United Kingdom</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582198/original/file-20240315-26-xd0r1h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582198/original/file-20240315-26-xd0r1h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582198/original/file-20240315-26-xd0r1h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582198/original/file-20240315-26-xd0r1h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582198/original/file-20240315-26-xd0r1h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582198/original/file-20240315-26-xd0r1h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582198/original/file-20240315-26-xd0r1h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A test KBS-3 canister buried underground at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory in Sweden.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Anna Storm</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sweden and Finland have described KBS-3 as a world-first nuclear-waste management solution. It is the product of decades of scientific research and negotiation with stakeholders, in particular with the communities that will eventually live near the buried waste.</p>
<p>Critical questions remain about the storage method, however. There have been widely publicised concerns in Sweden about the <a href="https://www.mkg.se/en/scientifically-inferior-skb-report-on-copper-corrosion-in-lot-project-shows-that-copper-is-not">corrosion of test copper canisters</a> after just a few decades. This is worrying, to say the least, because it’s based on a principle of passive safety. The storage sites will be constructed, the canisters filled and sealed, and then everything will be left in the ground without any human monitoring its safe functioning and with no technological option for retrieving it. Yet, over 100,000 years the prospect of human or non-human intrusion into the site – both accidental or intentional – remains a serious threat.</p>
<h2>The Key Information File</h2>
<p>Another major problem is how to communicate the presence of buried nuclear waste to future generations. If spent fuel remains dangerous for 100,000 years, then clearly this is a time frame where languages can disappear and where the existence of humanity cannot be guaranteed. Transferring information about these sites into the future is a sizeable task that demands expertise and collaboration internationally across the social sciences and sciences into practices of nuclear waste memory transfer – what we refer to as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/27539687231174242">nuclear memory communication</a>.</p>
<p>In a project commissioned by the Swedish Nuclear Waste Management Company (SKB), we take up this precise task by writing the “Key Information File” – a document aimed at non-expert readers containing only the most essential information about Sweden’s nuclear waste repository under development.</p>
<p>The Key Information File has been <a href="https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_15060/preservation-of-records-knowledge-and-memory-across-generations-developing-a-key-information-file-for-a-radioactive-waste-repository">formulated</a> as a summary document that would help future readers understand the dangers posed by buried waste. Its purpose is to guide the reader to where they can find more detailed information about the repository – acting as a “key” to other archives and forms of nuclear memory communication until the site’s closure at the end of the 21st century. What happens to the Key Information File after this time is undecided, yet communicating the information that it contains to future generations is crucial.</p>
<p>The Key Information File we will publish in 2024 is intended to be securely stored at the entrance to the nuclear waste repository in Sweden, as well as at the National Archives in Stockholm. To ensure its durability and survival through time, the plan is for it to be <a href="https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_15088/preservation-of-records-knowledge-and-memory-across-generations-final-report">reproduced in different media formats and translated into multiple languages</a>. The initial version is in English and, when finalised, it will be translated into Swedish and other languages that have yet to be decided.</p>
<p>Our aim is for the file to be updated every 10 years to ensure that essential information is correct and that it remains understandable to a wide audience. We also see the need for the file to be incorporated into other intergenerational practices of knowledge transfer in the future – from its inclusion into educational syllabi in schools, to the use of graphic design and artwork to make the document distinctive and memorable, to the formation of international networks of Key Information File writing and storage in countries where, at the time of writing, decisions have not yet been made about how to store highly radioactive long-lived nuclear waste.</p>
<h2>Fragility and short-termism: a great irony</h2>
<p>In the process of writing the Key Information File, we have discovered many issues surrounding the efficacy of these strategies for communicating memory of nuclear waste repositories into the future. One is the remarkable fragility of programs and institutions – on more than one occasion in recent years, it has taken just one person to retire from a nuclear organisation for the knowledge of an entire programme of memory communication to be halted or even lost.</p>
<p>And if it is difficult to preserve and communicate crucial information even in the short term, what chance do we have over 100,000 years?</p>
<p>International attention is increasingly fixated on “impactful” short-term responses to environmental problems – usually limited to the lifespan of two or three future generations of human life. Yet the nature of long-lived nuclear waste requires us to imagine and care for a future well beyond that time horizon, and perhaps even beyond the existence of humanity.</p>
<p>Responding to these challenges, even partially, requires governments and research funders internationally to provide the capacity for long-term intergenerational research on these and related issues. It also demands care in developing succession plans for retiring experts to ensure their institutional knowledge and expertise is not lost. In Sweden, this could also mean committing long-term funding from the <a href="http://www.karnavfallsfonden.se/informationinenglish.4.725330be11efa4b0a3f8000131.html">Swedish nuclear waste fund</a> so that not only future technical problems with the waste deposition are tackled, but also future <em>societal</em> problems of memory and information transfer can be addressed by people with appropriate capacity and expertise.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199441/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keating's work is partly supported by Svensk Kärnbränslehantering (grant no.24992). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Storm's work is partly supported by Svensk Kärnbränslehantering (grant no. 24992) and by the Swedish Research Council (grants no. 2020-00623 and no. 2020-06548).</span></em></p>Spent nuclear fuel remains dangerous for so long that languages can disappear and humanity’s very existence cannot be guaranteed. So how do we communicate information about repositories into the future?Thomas Keating, Postdoctoral Researcher, Linköping UniversityAnna Storm, Professor of Technology and Social Change, Linköping UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2258342024-03-18T13:44:57Z2024-03-18T13:44:57ZThere are ways to improve the London Stock Exchange crisis, but they’re not pretty<p>Another week, another set of signs that the London Stock Exchange (LSE) is running aground. Two medium-sized listed businesses are selling out to US rivals: tech-testing firm <a href="https://thebusinessmagazine.co.uk/corporate-finance/crawleys-spirent-communications-sells-for-1bn-to-us-firm-viavi/">Spirent Communications</a>, based Crawley, West Sussex, is being bought by Viavi Solutions for around £1 billion, while west country <a href="https://www.logisticsmanager.com/wincanton-board-set-to-proceed-with-recommended-offer-from-gxo/">logistics-provider Wincanton</a> is going to GXO Logistics for around £750 million. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, Leicester-based wealth manager <a href="https://citywire.com/new-model-adviser/news/pe-house-pollen-street-buys-mattioli-woods-for-432m/a2437857">Mattioli Woods</a> is departing the exchange via a takeover by London private equity group Pollen Street Capital for £432 million. None of these pieces of business may seem spectacular, but they are part of a wider exodus with a common cause: the <a href="https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/data-trends/the-london-stock-exchanges-star-fades-83429">very low valuations</a> of LSE-listed companies, <a href="https://www.schroders.com/en-gb/uk/individual/insights/six-charts-that-show-just-how-cheap-uk-equities-are/">particularly compared</a> with their counterparts in the US. </p>
<p>These valuations are an “absurdity”, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/03/05/currys-investor-hits-out-absurd-london-stock-exchange/">according to</a> JO Hambro Capital, a leading shareholder in electrical goods retailer Currys. Currys, which is also LSE-listed, has itself just <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/11/us-elliott-ends-bid-buy-uk-retailer-currys-board">fended off</a> a takeover bid a from US investment, group Elliott. </p>
<p>Various other UK companies have been defending themselves from predatory moves by relisting elsewhere, commonly in the US. Recent examples include building materials companies <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/crh-shareholders-back-primary-listing-switch-new-york-london-2023-06-08/">CRH</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/kingspan-plans-quit-london-listing-latest-blow-lse-2023-04-28/">Kingspan</a> and betting company <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/08/betting-firm-flutter-to-list-on-new-york-stock-exchange-in-january-london">Flutter</a>, while office co-working group <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/62908244-579b-4258-ad7c-4f0dd158dcd0">IWG seems set</a> to follow suit. New listings such as the Cambridge-based <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/aug/22/uk-chip-designer-arm-us-listing-nasdaq-ipo">chip designer Arm Holdings</a> are heading stateside too. </p>
<p>The UK government is sufficiently concerned about losing tax income that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68359756">several measures</a> in his March budget. UK taxpayers are being given an extra tax-free savings allowance of £5,000 a year to invest in British businesses, while UK pension funds are going to have to publish the proportion of their investments that are UK-based each year. </p>
<p>However, this pensions move <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/ee040014-164e-4a28-9b29-413f16d95276">has been criticised</a> for unfairly interfering in investment activity, while <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/nils-pratley-on-finance/2024/mar/06/british-isas-are-a-gimmick-that-wont-move-the-dial">few seem</a> to think the savings allowance will make much difference. </p>
<p>So what is behind the LSE’s problems and what might move the dial?</p>
<h2>Five key problems</h2>
<p><strong>1. Investor preferences</strong></p>
<p>Institutional investors and funds are putting their money into better-performing markets like the US because the UK economy has struggled due to things like <a href="https://www.london.gov.uk/new-report-reveals-uk-economy-almost-ps140billion-smaller-because-brexit">Brexit</a> and <a href="https://www.economicsobservatory.com/the-uks-productivity-gap-what-did-it-look-like-twenty-years-ago#:%7E:text=Despite%20some%20improvement%20since%20the,to%20Sweden%2C%20Finland%20and%20Spain.">poor productivity</a>. Lately, UK companies have been reduced to <a href="https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/1023777/mind-the-valuation-gap-why-has-the-square-mile-lost-its-lustre-1023777.html">bargain-basement</a> level thanks to the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/what-can-we-expect-uk-economy-2024-after-recession-2024-02-15/">current recession</a>. Take pharmaceutical companies, for instance. They trade on a price to earnings ratio of 13.7 in the UK compared with 22 <a href="https://www.schroders.com/en/global/individual/insights/six-charts-that-show-just-how-cheap-uk-equities-are/">in the US</a>. </p>
<p>As well as making takeover bids more likely, this may well be affecting the number of advisers supporting listed businesses in London, such as consultants, lawyers, <a href="https://www.morganmckinley.com/uk/article/londons-financial-services-job-market-decline-amidst-summer-slowdown-and-end-post-pandemic">accountants and brokers</a>. Their numbers are all declining, though it’s difficult to say how much is due to the valuations problem as opposed to other issues like Brexit. </p>
<p><strong>2. Private equity and not enough flotations</strong></p>
<p>Private equity firms aim to buy, improve and sell businesses at a profit, and have been ever more deal-hungry in recent years. In 2021, for instance, <a href="https://www.bain.com/insights/private-equity-market-in-2021-global-private-equity-report-2022/">they conducted</a> one third of all mergers and acquisitions around the world, threatening stock exchanges everywhere. </p>
<p>The LSE is not seeing the same number of flotations as its rivals to offset the phenomenon. <a href="https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/audit/insights/global-ipo-watch.html">Most new listings</a> are heading to the US, particularly in technology, while the UK is becoming a backwater. The number of UK-listed firms <a href="https://scottishfinancialreview.com/2024/01/29/london-stock-exchange-lost-25-of-firms-in-decade/">has shrunk 25%</a> in the last decade and <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/02/08/london-stock-markets-decline-starting-look-terminal/">40% since 2008</a>. </p>
<p><strong>3. The LSE-Refinitiv deal</strong></p>
<p>One cause of the problem is probably the <a href="https://theconversation.com/london-stock-exchange-vs-eu-refinitiv-battle-reveals-unease-over-power-of-modern-stock-markets-145215">LSE’s £20 billion acquisition</a> of US data giant Refinitiv in 2021. Since then, one suspects that the LSE management has <a href="https://www.bain.com/insights/10-steps-to-successful-ma-integration/">been distracted</a>. Indeed, Chief Executive David Schwimmer <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lses-pitch-to-investors-were-a-tech-company-not-a-stock-exchange-lrzxcdjc7">made it clear</a> recently that he saw the future in data rather than trading exchanges. If he were doing more to fight the LSE’s corner by persuading investors to back the exchange, and government to relax some regulations, it might help the situation. </p>
<p><strong>4. Regulations</strong></p>
<p>UK listing requirements preclude companies from issuing classes of shares that carry different voting rights. In the US, founders commonly use this to retain control of the business through having, for example, 20 votes for each share they hold, compared with one vote for other investors. Many US technology firms have this structure, including Meta, Google and Snapchat. </p>
<p><strong>5. Salary distractions</strong></p>
<p>For UK companies, relisting in the US has the added attraction that top CEOs earn far more running S&P 500 companies than FTSE 100 equivalents. The difference can be as much as <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/445b6b0f-3ff8-4355-b459-591168989833">US$10 million (£7.9 billion)</a> a year, according to the FT. </p>
<h2>What can be done</h2>
<p>Jeremy Hunt’s budget announcements are certainly welcome, but neither encouraging savers nor putting pressure on pension funds is likely to make a huge difference. Having said that, the alternative solutions would not be plain sailing. </p>
<p>One is to increase the pay of directors of UK-listed companies. Indeed, some senior UK executives <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/10/when-17m-isnt-enough-ftse-firms-plead-to-pay-bosses-millions-more">are pushing</a> for rebasing director pay to be more comparable to US levels. Yet investors are not exactly enthusiastic, and it’s hard to imagine the public being supportive after so many years of <a href="https://www.ibisworld.com/uk/bed/average-real-wage/44028/">wages barely rising</a> once you strip out inflation. Another possibility is to split the LSE from Refinitiv to ensure more focus on the exchange, but it is not clear the mechanism exists to do this. </p>
<p>Alternatively, the UK government could allow multiple share classes to make it easier for founders to keep control of businesses. That would certainly help, particularly with tech listings, though investors would have less protection against founders running their businesses badly. </p>
<p>Similarly, the US allows what are known as special purpose acquisition companies or Spacs. Often referred to as “blank cheque companies”, these list to raise funds from investors to buy a business, and are able to avoid many of the reporting requirements associated with other types of listing. However, the outcome for investors has been <a href="https://www.valuationresearch.com/insights/spac-market-update-who-turned-on-the-lights/#:%7E:text=Within%20the%20first%20two%20weeks,%25%20lower%20in%202021%2C%20respectively.">almost universally poor</a>.</p>
<p>That said, this is a race to the bottom. Lifting these investor protections may be the most effective solution – barring a turnaround in the economy. It would lead to better returns, but the risks for the unwary will be significant. This is something that both the main political parties ought to reflect on as the general election draws nearer.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225834/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Colley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>If the UK doesn’t want to lose London’s role as one of the great magnets for world capital, there are some ugly choices to weigh up.John Colley, Professor of Practice, Associate Dean, Warwick Business School, University of WarwickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2255902024-03-18T13:44:34Z2024-03-18T13:44:34ZOats and oatmeal aren’t bad for you, as some claim – in fact, they probably have more health benefits than you realise<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581925/original/file-20240314-24-ysaqlb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3494%2C1964&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Oats are a great source of fibre, which can help you stay full after eating.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/oatmeal-porridge-berries-honey-healthy-breakfast-1721472361">Vladislav Noseek/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Oats have long had a reputation for being one of the healthier foods you can choose for breakfast. But some people on social media have been calling this claim into question, suggesting that rather than being a healthy staple, oatmeal (and porridge, which is often made using oats) might in fact have <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12509825/cardiologist-SHOULDNT-eat-oatmeal.html">no nutritional value</a> whatsoever.</p>
<p>However, while these claims have garnered plenty of media attention, there’s little evidence to back them up. Rather, the science overwhelmingly shows that oats can be beneficial for your health in many ways. </p>
<p>One line of reasoning used to argue oats aren’t healthy is that eating them can lead to spikes in blood sugar (glucose). This seems to be linked to the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/5/2030">rising use of glucose monitors</a> by people who don’t have diabetes. These monitors may depict normal changes in blood glucose, which happen after we eat, as a “<a href="https://wchh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pdi.2475">spike</a>” in blood sugar. </p>
<p>Foods that contain carbohydrates (including starchy foods such as oats and other cereals) are broken down during digestion into sugar (mainly glucose but also fructose and galactose). As the foods are broken down, the levels of sugar in the bloodstream begin to rise. This is a normal but important process – the sugar provides us with immediate energy or is stored by the muscles and liver cells for energy later. </p>
<p>Some foods take longer to digest, which means they spend more time in the stomach before reaching the intestines. As such, they will cause a smaller but more sustained rise in blood sugar. This can be better understood by looking at the glycaemic index, which rates foods based on how quickly they affect blood sugar levels.</p>
<p>The glycaemic index shows that the <a href="https://glycemicindex.com/gi-search/?food_name=oatmeal&product_category=&country=&gi=&gi_filter=&serving_size_(g)=&serving_size_(g)_filter=&carbs_per_serve_(g)=&carbs_per_serve_(g)_filter=&gl=&gl_filter=">sugars in oatmeal and porridge</a> are absorbed at about two-thirds the rate of sugar from white bread. This means oats are considered a <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/what-is-the-glycaemic-index-gi/">medium glycaemic index</a> food, similar to pasta but absorbed more slowly than many other breakfast cereals. </p>
<p>Generally, it is a good thing for food to be absorbed more slowly, as it is thought this helps with appetite control. So, while your blood sugar may rise after eating oats, this rise is a normal part of the digestive process.</p>
<p>But while the glycaemic index tells us how quickly sugars are absorbed by the body, it doesn’t really look at the portion size of the food. The <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/what-is-the-glycaemic-index-gi/">more carbs you eat</a> in one go, the more it will increase your blood glucose levels <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/glycemic-load#:%7E:text=Glycemic%20load%20refers%20to%20the,the%20bloodstream%20(glycemic%20index).">after a meal</a> – even if they are normal overall.</p>
<h2>Cholesterol-lowering benefits</h2>
<p>Oats are also a great <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/digestive-health/how-to-get-more-fibre-into-your-diet/">source of fibre</a>, which not only helps us stay full after eating but also keeps our bowel movements <a href="https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/78/5/343/5602346">regular and healthy</a>.</p>
<p>Oatmeal contains specific types of fibre called <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3236515/">beta-glucans</a>. These have been linked to lower risk of insulin resistance (associated with type 2 diabetes), weight gain, high blood pressure and high <a href="https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1885#:%7E:text=The%20following%20wording%20reflects%20the,oat%20beta%2Dglucan%20per%20day.">cholesterol</a>. Beta-glucans are also linked with a <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=101.81#:%7E:text=Daily%20dietary%20intake%20levels%20of,of%20whole%20oats%20and%20barley.">lower risk of heart disease</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A bowl of uncooked rolled oats." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581928/original/file-20240314-24-4nh1zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581928/original/file-20240314-24-4nh1zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581928/original/file-20240314-24-4nh1zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581928/original/file-20240314-24-4nh1zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581928/original/file-20240314-24-4nh1zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581928/original/file-20240314-24-4nh1zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581928/original/file-20240314-24-4nh1zr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Beta-glucans are a beneficial type of fibre.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/oats-spoon-plate-on-table-scattered-417963298">Timmary/ Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This cholesterol-lowering effect is the result of the way the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6892284/#:%7E:text=Viscous%20%CE%B2%2Dglucan%20is%20hypothesized,systemic%20LDL%20cholesterol%20(59).">beta-glucan bind to bile</a>, a fluid that helps with digestion, in our intestines. This process reduces the amount of bile that can be re-absorbed into the body as cholesterol.</p>
<p>But in order to get these benefits from beta-glucans, you need to consume at least 3g of them daily. Given an average <a href="https://www.heartuk.org.uk/ultimate-cholesterol-lowering-plan/uclp-step-3">30g serving of oats contains 1g</a> of beta-glucans, pairing a bowl of porridge with other foods that are rich in beta-glucans (such as oat cakes and pearled barley) can help you get enough of these important fibres in your diet each day.</p>
<h2>Oatmeal and gut health</h2>
<p>Oatmeal is a source of soluble fibre, which means it can be fermented by the bacteria in our digestive tract. This has led to suggestions that oats might be beneficial for our gut microbiome. </p>
<p>Emerging evidence suggests that as well as increasing numbers of bacteria linked to a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10459712/#:%7E:text=Oat%20fiber%20increased%20expression%20of,not%20all%20indices%20(Shannon)">healthy bowel</a>, oatmeal may also help with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10459712/#:%7E:text=Oat%20fiber%20increased%20expression%20of,not%20all%20indices%20(Shannon).">short-chain fatty acid production</a>. </p>
<p>These are produced by bacteria and help nourish the cells in the colon. They may even help us to <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/control-of-appetite-and-energy-intake-by-scfa-what-are-the-potential-underlying-mechanisms/A1EFBE12AD6F9838EBE3D7314D1EE1B4">regulate our appetite</a> and control <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-018-0248-8">blood fats and glucose</a>, which may help reduce risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.</p>
<h2>Is all oatmeal healthy?</h2>
<p>Although all oatmeal will contain fibre, how it’s milled can affect how quickly it’s digested. Instant oats are digested more quickly compared with rolled oats due to the way they’re milled.</p>
<p>Unlike other cereals, oats need steaming and heating before they can be cut or rolled. This is to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0733521007000689#:%7E:text=Steaming%20is%20routinely%20used%20during,process%20also%20improves%20the%20flavour.">stop enzymes</a> breaking down the fats in the oats, which would cause rapid spoilage. </p>
<p><a href="https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1161&context=bulletins">Oats can be rolled</a> to make larger oat flakes, or cut first before rolling to make quick or instant oats. Larger (rolled) oats are digested more slowly than cut oats. </p>
<p>Making oatmeal with milk can add additional nutrients such as calcium, vitamin B12 and protein. But even if your porridge is made with water, oats are a good source of manganese, phosphorous and zinc, as it is. These are <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/ab470e/ab470e06.htm">essential</a> for hormone production, bone health and wound healing. So, although oats may not be fortified in the same way as other cereals, they contain <a href="https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173905/nutrients">valuable nutrients</a> and fibre, and are far from nutrient-free.</p>
<p>Oats clearly have benefits. But what this debate highlights is that no food is perfect – or completely useless – for our health. We need to look beyond the positives and negatives of individual foods, even oatmeal, and look instead at how all the foods in our diet work together when it comes to our health.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225590/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Duane Mellor is a member of the British Dietetic Association</span></em></p>Oats have many health benefits – including keeping our bowels regular and healthy.Duane Mellor, Lead for Evidence-Based Medicine and Nutrition, Aston Medical School, Aston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2244622024-03-18T13:44:33Z2024-03-18T13:44:33ZEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind at 20: an unflinching meditation on love and memory<p><em>This article contains spoilers.</em></p>
<p>Heartbreak is a universal experience. When a heart breaks, we vacillate between hope and fear, anger and denial and a thousand fragmentary moments of grief. Uninvited memories persistently invade our days: memories of what was, what could have been and what will never be.</p>
<p>When writing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Charlie Kaufman could not have known about the seismic impact of social media in years to come. How we now lurk on our former lovers’ profiles, view their photos, analyse their posts and remove images – metaphorically wiping the slate clean and willingly deleting our past.</p>
<p>This relatable angst of ridding ourselves of past memories of heartbreak is the premise of director Michel Gondry’s masterpiece, which is 20 years old this week.</p>
<p>With a non-linear narrative steering a rollercoaster script, this quirky, nebulous, joyous then rueful story is not for those who like their love stories simple. Gondry’s emotive film dares to confront the not so happy-ever-afters in a dark fairy tale which meditates on love and memory and the discombobulation of a broken heart. </p>
<p>We first meet Joel (Jim Carrey) as he abandons his daily commute for the opposite platform, to catch a train heading for the coast. It’s there, on a desolate grey beach, that he first sees Clementine (Kate Winslet), with her colourful blue hair. She introduces herself on the return journey with a sharp punch to the arm and a direct, unflinching intensity. </p>
<p>Shy, insular Joel is hooked and so are we. With the meet-not-so-cute established, the whirling storyline begins to loop and bend around time. Is this the beginning of the love story, or the end?</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/07-QBnEkgXU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Can’t get you out of my head</h2>
<p>We duly witness Joel’s agony and ecstasy through a collection of memories which ultimately end with the loss of Clementine. With her gone, Joel’s life loses its colour and verve. </p>
<p>He’s galvanised to win Clementine back, but is confused when she doesn’t recognise him. This leads him to discover that Clementine has had their entire relationship erased from her mind by the avuncular Dr Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) and his eccentric team: an unusually chaotic Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Kirsten Dunst. When Joel decides to undergo the same procedure to shut out his own pain, the chaotic emotional conflict deepens. </p>
<p>The space between waking and dreaming become progressively intertwined with nightmarish depictions of Joel’s brain cleansing. Acid-coloured set design that exaggerates childhood memory, nightmarish Kafka-esque corridors of the mind and circus-like distortions exacerbate the effect.</p>
<p>In this anything-can-happen landscape, Joel’s desperation to hang on to his memories of Clementine becomes a driving force and the audience roots for their love, however dead it has seemed, to live on. We hope that they will outrun the mind-filtering process and come out ready to give love another try.</p>
<p>In real life, Gondry’s low-key, laidback and friendly persona <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/03/eternal-sunshine-of-the-spotless-mind-anniversary-jim-carrey-michel-gondry">enabled him to persuade</a> big stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet to sign up for the quirky premise and his own relatively untested directorial vision.</p>
<p>Up until then, his main gig had been as <a href="https://www.redbull.com/us-en/7-best-michel-gondry-directed-music-videos">music video director</a> for artists including The White Stripes, Bjork and The Foo Fighters. He had form as an imaginative and experimental auteur, but the one previous cinematic outing that he and Kaufman had created, the Tim Robbins and Patricia Arquette comedy Human Nature (2001), resulted in an underwhelming box office and a <a href="https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2022/09/naturally-shortsighted/">confused set of critics</a>.</p>
<p>When Carrey first met Gondry to talk about the project, he was reportedly in a state of brokenness after coming out of a relationship with fellow actor Renee Zellweger – something that Gondry <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/fucked-up-meeting-inspired-jim-carrey-greatest-role/">urged him to preserve</a> for the character of Joel. Gondry saw the actor as the opposite of the ebullient, anarchic character he mainly portrayed and as someone who stood apart from the crowd. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls-9_Iz0zR4">He cited</a> a lonely moment he had once seen of Carrey standing to the side during the credits of Saturday Night Live, as others danced and celebrated.</p>
<p>Winslet, doyenne of many a period drama by that point, took on the more conventional Carrey-esque role of Clementine, showcasing hair of many colours throughout the movie, and a changeable personality to match. Her performance was revelatory and ultimately the gamble of going against casting type paid off, winning her a best actress Oscar nomination.</p>
<p>Gondry and Kaufman <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2Nav-ct3W8">won the Oscar</a> for best screenplay. In later years, Kaufman <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38OC0vvB4h8">urged an audience of writers</a> to subvert narrative structure with advice seemingly tailored to his experience of Eternal Sunshine: “your dreams are very well written. Approach your work like your dreams would and throw away conventional approaches.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/loves-labors-lost/read/5/2/">“A light heart lives long”</a> intones Shakespeare in Love’s Labour’s Lost, and nearly all romantic comedies end on such a “happily ever after” But in Eternal Sunshine, Gondry’s gift is to present us with love as it often really is: a messy, painful experience that fans the flames of hope, connection and intimacy in us all. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224462/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jane Steventon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>This quirky, nebulous, joyous then rueful story is not for those who like their love stories simple.Jane Steventon, Course Leader, BA (Hons) Screenwriting; Deputy Course Leader & Senior Lecturer, BA (Hons) Film Production, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2259302024-03-18T13:44:32Z2024-03-18T13:44:32ZGlastonbury’s first K-pop group is a reflection of years of Korean government strategy<p>The 13-member K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN will make history this year as they become the first Korean group on the Glastonbury music festival lineup. While top Korean groups such as <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/bst-hyde-park-2023-when-will-blackpink-perform-on-stage-date-time-tickets/articleshow/101417692.cms?from=mdr">Blackpink</a> and <a href="https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20190602000198">BTS</a> have performed in the UK before, this will be the first time the K-pop genre has featured at the world famous festival, which is held on Worthy Farm in Somerset. </p>
<p>The booking marks a major milestone in the <a href="https://www.routledge.com/South-Korean-Popular-Culture-in-the-Global-Context-Beyond-the-Fandom/Lim/p/book/9781032233710">decades-long ambition</a> of Korean creative industries to find success in the global entertainment market.</p>
<p>K-pop has reached new international heights over the past decade. Girl group Blackpink broke new ground this year when they joined <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/blackpink-join-spotify-billions-club-how-you-like-that-3600941">Spotify’s “Billions Club”</a> with their 2020 single How You Like That (2020), marking over one billion streams. The most famous K-pop band, BTS, are also “Billions Club” members, thanks to their songs Dynamite (2020) and Butter (2022).</p>
<p>The global success of K-Pop is the result of a clever cultural marketing strategy <a href="https://www-tandfonline-com.sheffield.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1080/10286632.2018.1557646">deployed by the Korean government</a> in collaboration with the creative industries. This strategy has dovetailed with advances in the ease of access to cultural content via streaming services and social media, resulting in a <a href="https://www.investkorea.org/ik-en/cntnts/i-326/web.do">global fan base</a> in the hundreds of millions. </p>
<h2>The history of K-pop’s success</h2>
<p>It all began with the Korean government’s recognition of the <a href="https://www-tandfonline-com.sheffield.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1080/10286632.2013.829052">economic potential</a> of creative content in the 1990s. South Korea was looking for ways to recover from the ravages of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. </p>
<p>Even as International Monetary Fund-imposed deregulation and liberalisation of the economy was rolled out in the 2000s, <a href="https://www-tandfonline-com.sheffield.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1080/10286632.2018.1429422">the government supported</a> the film, television and music industries by maintaining a firm hand in the sector’s growth and export development. This included financial incentives for production companies and infrastructure development such as investment in high speed internet access across the country to support content production and consumption. </p>
<p>The strategy worked. The popularity of a steady stream of Korean television dramas <a href="https://martinroll.com/resources/articles/asia/korean-wave-hallyu-the-rise-of-koreas-cultural-economy-pop-culture/">began to grow in Japan and China</a>. The Korean government then invested further in infrastructure to grow the industry and take Korean content beyond the region. Today, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/60-netflix-users-watched-korean-title-streaming-service-ceo-says-rcna91180">60% of all Netflix subscribers</a> have watched Korean content on the platform.</p>
<p>The success of Korean popular culture is felt across <a href="https://keia.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/KEI_Koreas-Economy_2021_211019_Parc_2.pdf">other areas of the economy too</a>. K-pop and screen stars have struck brand deals with Korean companies, advertising items such as cosmetics, washing machines and smart phones to global audiences.</p>
<p>Korea’s cultural content market is now one of the <a href="https://www.investkorea.org/ik-en/bbs/i-308/detail.do?ntt_sn=490776">largest in the world</a> at around US$80 billion (£63 billion) in 2024, not far behind France and the UK. Its continuing growth is backed by a <a href="https://www.investkorea.org/ik-en/cntnts/i-326/web.do">multi-pronged policy</a> of financial investment, tax breaks and institutional support both in-country and via Korean culture centres in overseas cities. The government also provides financial incentives for cooperation between production companies and conglomerates such as LG and Samsung, which benefit from the success of Korean popular culture abroad.</p>
<p>The success of popular culture also lends itself to Korea’s public diplomacy. A concerted nation branding strategy implemented in the late 2000s and 2010s by the administration of <a href="https://www.ft.com/stream/100823f6-f80c-3991-9974-f56583650114">Lee Myung-Bak</a> administration aimed to push South Korea up the various nation branding indexes. Lee acknowledged the role that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10357823.2018.1509299">soft power could play</a> in securing Korea’s position as a state with moderate global influence. </p>
<p>Since that time, K-Pop stars have come to play a role in Korea’s public diplomacy at forums <a href="https://theconversation.com/bts-take-a-break-worlds-biggest-k-pop-group-is-caught-between-koreas-soft-power-ambitions-and-national-security-185433">including the UN</a> and <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/climate-connection/be-inspired/blackpink-climate-action-cop26">COP26</a>.</p>
<h2>No ordinary K-Pop band?</h2>
<p>This is not to say that SEVENTEEN are mere cogs in a larger machine of Korean cultural content production and export. Unlike many other pop groups in their peer group, the members produce <a href="https://time.com/5868040/seventeen-k-pop-everything-to-know/">much of their own work</a>, writing songs and raps and choreographing dance routines.</p>
<p>Unusually, SEVENTEEN is <a href="https://time.com/5868040/seventeen-k-pop-everything-to-know/">made up of a number of sub-groups</a>. At times, these sub-groups record separately in order to showcase their respective skills across rap, dance and singing. As is typical of Korean cultural content, the band aims to create multiple moments of connection with audiences. </p>
<p>One example is the band’s reality TV series, <a href="https://time.com/5868040/seventeen-k-pop-everything-to-know/">Going SEVENTEEN</a>, which is a mixture of games, challenges and behind the scenes clips, released weekly on YouTube and V Live, a Korean live streaming app for celebrity content.</p>
<p>As is also common in K-Pop bands, SEVENTEEN’s <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66541773">membership</a> is made up of people from different countries including China and the US. This helps them <a href="https://www-sciencedirect-com.sheffield.idm.oclc.org/science/article/pii/S1568484922000314">connect with foreign fans</a> and ensures there is always a member able to handle international media appearances in languages other than Korean.</p>
<p>UK-based fans will be thrilled their idols are making an appearance at Glastonbury, hopefully paving the way for more K-pop at international festivals in the future. It also perhaps shows that the festival industry is responding to the increasingly global music tastes of festival-goers, bringing new acts and genres onto their stages. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225930/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah A. Son does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>SEVENTEEN’s performance will mark a major milestone in Korea’s decade’s long strategy to take Korean popular culture to the world.Sarah A. Son, Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.