 Motsuthung Yanthan: The term "money" is what we always use in association with politics and corruption in Nagaland. But today we will be discussing about it purely on economic perspective in this article. According to general observation, handling of money in most Naga households revolves only around keeping it in savings accounts or inside the steel almirah or using it as a medium of exchange- which is what money is for- to buy consumer and "eventual-perishable" goods. This is normal for the majority of us. Now, our spending habit, which is a major topic of discussion in itself, is not the matter of concern today. Today, it's about our savings. Whether it's for weddings, child education, retirement or vacation, we are always saving money. We save money with the intention of keeping it for later use. But are we really keeping it? If my grandfather kept Rs 50,000 in 1970 in order to build a massive house today, could he have built it? He could've then, but not today. This is what we call inflation. As a result of inflation, the value of money is always decreasing, and more so for an idle one. In India, the inflation rate fluctuates at around 5-7% which means the cost of products are increasing at that rate, and it also means the value of money is decreasing at that percentage. That's right. The money that you are saving is depreciating by 6-7% each year. The most that our dearly beloved SBI bank gives its savings account holders is not even 3%. Meaning that your money in savings account is still depreciating by 3-4% each year. The next best option is Fixed Deposits account. It has it's disadvantages. But the most it gives is also about 5-6%, which is relatively better yet is still below or about the line of depreciating your hard earned money. The impact of these depreciations are not felt immediately. But 30 years or 40 years down the line, if your bare savings of say Rs 50 lakhs can't make you your dream house, you can only regret. Now, inflation is not the one to be blamed here. In fact, inflation is inevitable and a certain amount of it is also needed to keep the economy running. RBI announced that 4% (+/- 2%) is ideal for India. While most developed countries keep it at 2-3%. So, the question is not how to suppress it but how to get one up in the game of keeping your money. And the answer is to let your money multiply itself. There are several ways to do it and it's all up to each person how to do it. In general it is called "investment". And in particular, some of them are stocks, bonds, commodities, real estate, mutual funds, loans, etc. Most Nagas, especially the elders, are reserved on these subjects. And they are not wrong. The money you earned came with the price of your labour. Likewise, the money that is to be multiplied comes with the price of a risk of partially losing it. But everything is a give-and-take in this world. If what you give in investment is your knowledge and time, the risk of giving your money is reduced. By investing your money somewhere you have confidence on, you can keep the principal amount and make it churn out profits, which we here call it multiplying. Even within the realm of investments, there are risk intensities depending on a person's expectations of return. For example, giving out loan to someone in Nagaland, which is a whopping 8-10% of interest returns per month, is highly profitable yet highly risky. And in real estate sector, renting out houses demands high investment cost and slow returns, yet has minimal risk. Likewise, even in stock market, a retail investor carries more risk and high rate of return compared to the one investing through mutual funds, even if they are both trading on equity.The word "risk" is what we don't play with in Nagaland. Whereas, there are billions out there that have already stepped in the field. While it is entirely up to an individual whether to step into smart investment or not, I'm just here to point out that the money you are saving is being lost one rupee after another. The point of true saving is only when the inevitable depreciation is balanced by a calculated multiplication. The Concept of Saving Money | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com |
Work Begins on Multi-Million Dollar ‘Badger Bridge’ to Enable Wildlife to Cross in Cornwall (2025-07-17T11:58:00+05:30)
 The badger bridge at Marazanvose under construction – credit, SWNS Nationally protected badgers have just been given the right of way by Cornwall council, with a new wildlife crossing that will allow them to pass over a busy road unharmed. To reach across the four-lane divided highway, the crossing, nicknamed the “badger bridge,” is nearly 150 feet long and 40 feet wide. It’s designed to provide safe passage across the road for various wildlife species, including badgers, voles and other small animals, insects, and birds. The bridge is part of National Highways’ major A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross project at Marazanvose. The dual-deck bridge has been constructed by contractor Costain over the road as part of the $375 million project (£330 million). The bridge will not only provide better connectivity for wildlife but also a footpath and trail for horse riders. “We’re really proud of the environmental work being carried out as part of this project, and the creation of the green bridge is a leading part of that,” said Andrew Alcorn, National Highways’ Program Manager for the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross plan. “Our green bridge will be the third for the company, one of only a handful across the country, and once completed, it will provide a safe crossing for various species of wildlife, as well as for walkers and horse riders.” “Along with other environmental measures, we’ve built a total of 33 multi-species crossing points as part of the project, and we look forward to seeing the bridge bloom for many years to come, providing a real legacy for the scheme and for Cornwall.” Top soiling work is now under way which is turning the bridge from grey to brown and this will be followed by green planting in the autumn. Above, two hedgerows built of hawthorn, elder, and other native plants will run across the bridge. Green bridges, which were first built in France in the 1950s and pioneered in the Netherlands in 1990, are now becoming an important part of the sustainability of infrastructure projects. Not only do they create a safe crossing point for wildlife movement, but they assist in joining up habitats and connecting populations, and making wildlife more resilient. There are only a handful of green bridges across England, however. In the US, some of the largest wildlife crossings in the world span California highways for the sake of mountain lions. In Cornwall, the Chiverton to Carland Cross plan will see a total of 87,000 trees planted across the landscape, in addition to the green bridge planting. With over 40,000 already in the ground, the remainder will be installed in suitable conditions later this year.Hopefully otters, badgers, bats, hedgehogs, and reptiles will have access to a wider area of habitat. Work Begins on Multi-Million Dollar ‘Badger Bridge’ to Enable Wildlife to Cross in Cornwall |
Why e-bikes can succeed where earlier bike-share schemes failed (2025-05-19T13:04:00+05:30)
Madison Bland, Griffith University; Abraham Leung, Griffith University, and Benjamin Kaufman, Griffith UniversityShared mobility devices such as bicycles and electric scooters have experienced significant growth across the globe and Australia is no exception. In cities with such offerings, users are able to get around in more convenient and flexible ways. The recent emergence of dockless shared e-scooters (i.e. Lime and Neuron) heralded a new-age of micromobility. In Brisbane, it signalled the end for the ten-year-old CityCycle bike-share scheme. Not long after announcing CityCycle’s demise in late 2020, Brisbane City Council proposed its replacement with shared dockless e-bikes and the topic started trending. The question is: why will the e-bike scheme succeed where its predecessors in Brisbane and other Australian cities failed? (See below for a summary of the evolution of shared mobility schemes in Australia.) Mobility is being offered more and more as a service. The uptake of share travel across Australian cities has undergone a transition from docked bikes to dockless e-mobility, aided largely by advances in technology and the proliferation of mobile devices. Sharing is being considered as an attractive alternative to owning a bike or car thanks to new ways to bundle mobility services into packages, in much the same way as we use entertainment streaming services instead of buying movies or records. What can we expect from e-bikes?E-bikes are pedal-assisted bicycles offering users electric motor assistance up to speeds of 25km/h. A shared bike scheme with self-locking and smartphone connectivity offers an extremely flexible riding experience. It isn’t yet clear how e-bikes will be deployed in Brisbane. What we do know is the scheme will be privately operated under a short-term tender. As with CityCycle, 2,000 bikes will be provided across Brisbane, similar to how e-scooters are managed. The e-bikes can improve on both e-scooters and CityCycle’s docked bikes in several ways. Trip flexibility: GPS tracking and smart lock technology remove the need to locate set docking stations. Users can start and end trips at places of their own choosing. This means they avoid the frustrations caused by docking stations reaching maximum capacity, especially in popular destinations such as the CBD. Wider appeal: unlike e-scooters and their younger target market, e-bikes can attract a wider demographic more familiar with riding bikes. They also offer greater load-carrying capacity and are permitted for use on roads whereas e-scooters are restricted to footpaths or bikeways in Brisbane. In New South Wales and Victoria, e-scooters are banned altogether - though changes could be on the way for Victoria. Assisted riding: electrically assisted bikes can make cycling easier and accessible for more people. For those who struggle to ride at the best of times, e-bikes can help overcome fitness issues, especially in Brisbane’s hot climate and hilly terrain. So, what punctured CityCycle?CityCycle was launched in 2010 under a 20-year single-operator contract. The scheme failed to achieve ambitious patronage targets and the goal of paying for itself. Despite usage growing until 2018, a shifting market has since resulted in significant declines. The reasons for the lack of use are clear:
The path to successAs Brisbane moves towards a dockless e-bike scheme, its ability to outperform its predecessor will ultimately rest with decision-makers delivering a safe and convenient rider experience. This involves several key considerations. Pricing and payment: the scheme will have to be competitive with current modes (particularly e-scooters), where registration and payment are integrated with existing systems. The rise of mobility as a service (MaaS) platforms can incorporate the service within shared mobility apps and bundle offers (packaging public transport and shared mobility services). Availability: the dockless model, while more flexible, will require operators to actively manage bike distribution and avoid cluttering. The blocking of access ways and even dumping of bikes have been sources of public opposition to other bike-share schemes. Though repositioning bikes (using service vehicles) will take up significant time and money, it is crucial in maintaining a balanced and orderly network that maximises bike availability. Initial launch: the scheme’s roll-out will be important, as positive perceptions are best achieved by people riding, rather than bikes sitting idle. Importantly, a winter launch should be avoided – as Melbourne found – when bike trips are at yearly lows. Cycle infrastructure: As with cycling in general, providing safe and connected bicycle networks is paramount for increasing participation rates. For Australian cities, the historic lack of funding for cycle infrastructure has limited ridership growth. Much work remains to be done, though Brisbane City Council has committed to trial improvements to its CBD on-road bike lanes. Ultimately, dockless shared e-bikes can deliver a more flexible mobility option as operators maximise user convenience and governments develop urban cycling infrastructure. * The regulatory environment for micromobility is rapidly evolving. There are many nuances across Australian jurisdictions, and users should check with their own state or territory for up-to-date road rules and regulations. Madison Bland, PhD Candidate, Cities Research Institute, Griffith University; Abraham Leung, Transport Academic Partnership (TAP) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, and Benjamin Kaufman, PhD Candidate, Cities Research Institute, Griffith University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
Container deposit schemes reduce rubbish on our beaches. Here’s how we proved it (2025-01-27T13:00:00+05:30)
Our beaches are in trouble. Limited recycling programs and a society that throws away so much have resulted in more than 3 million tonnes of plastic polluting the oceans. An estimated 1.5–1.9% of this rubbish ends up on beaches. So can waste-management strategies such as container deposit schemes make a difference to this 50,000–60,000 tonnes of beach rubbish? The Queensland government started a container deposit scheme in 2019. We wanted to know if it reduced the rubbish that washed up on beaches in a tourist hotspot, the Whitsundays region. To find out, our study, the first of its kind, used data from a community volunteer group through the Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database. It turned out that for the types of rubbish included in the scheme – plastic bottles and aluminium cans – the answer was an emphatic yes. Container deposit schemes workAfter the scheme began, there were fewer plastic bottles and aluminium cans on Whitsundays beaches. Volunteer clean-up workers collected an average of about 120 containers per beach visit before the scheme began in 2019. This number fell to 77 in 2020. Not only that, but those numbers stayed down year after year. This means people continued to take part in the scheme for years. Rubbish that wasn’t part of the scheme still found its way to the beaches. However, more types of rubbish such as larger glass bottles are being added to the four-year-old Queensland scheme. Other states and territories have had schemes like this for many years, the oldest in South Australia since 1971. But we didn’t have access to beach data from before and after those schemes started. So our findings are great news, especially as some of these other schemes are set to expand too. The evidence also supports the creation of new schemes in Victoria this November and Tasmania next year. These developments give reason to hope we will see further reductions in beach litter. The data came from the communityTo find out whether the scheme has reduced specific sorts of rubbish on beaches we needed a large amount of data from before and after it began. The unsung heroes of this study are the diligent volunteers who provided us with these data. They have been recording the types and amounts of rubbish found during their cleanups at Whitsundays beaches for years. Eco Barge Clean Seas Inc has been doing this work since 2009. In taking that extra step of counting and sorting the rubbish, they may not have known it at the time, but they were creating a data gold mine. We would eventually use their data to prove the container deposit scheme works. The rubbish clean-ups are continuing. This means we’ll be able to see how adding more rubbish types to the scheme will further reduce rubbish on beaches. The long-term perspective we can gain from such data is testament to this sustained community effort. There’s still more work to doSo if we recycle our plastics, why do we still get beaches covered in rubbish? The reality is that most plastics aren’t recycled. This is mainly due to two problems:
Our findings show we can create more sustainable practices and a cleaner environment when individuals are given incentives to recycle. However, container deposit schemes don’t just provide a financial reward. Getting people directly involved in recycling fosters a sense of responsibility for the environment. This connection between people’s actions and outcomes is a key to such schemes’ success. Our study also shows how invaluable community-driven clean-up projects are. Not only do they reduce environmental harm and improve our experiences on beaches, but they can also provide scientists like us with the data we need to show how waste-management policies affect the environment. Waste management is a concern for communities, policymakers and environmentalists around the world. The lessons from our study apply not only in Australia but anywhere that communities can work with scientists and governments to solve environmental problems. Kay Critchell, Lecturer in Oceanography, Deakin University and Michael Traurig, PhD Researcher, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
Over 90 new products launched in first two days of Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 (2025-01-22T13:53:00+05:30)
 New Delhi, (IANS): The second day of Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 witnessed the launch of as many as 56 new products from 22 different brands at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan and 5 launches at Yashobhoomi, Dwarka in the national capital on Sunday, according to a Commerce and Industry Ministry statement. This takes the total number of launches to over 90 during the first two days at Bharat Mandapam, the statement said. Various advanced vehicles, cutting-edge mobility solutions, and the latest components were showcased ranging from super bikes, cars, to buses and even ambulances, the statement said. On the second day at Bharat Mandapam, VinFast Auto India announced the launch of its first two electric vehicles for the Indian market, the all-electric Premium SUVs, the VF 7 and VF 6. BMW India launched the all-new MINI Cooper S John Cooper Works Pack at an ex-showroom price of Rs 55,90,000 and BMW X3 at an ex-showroom price of Rs 75,80,000 – Rs 77,80,000. Additionally, BMW Motorrad India launched two new bikes in the Indian market, the new BMW S 1000 RR and the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure. The S 1000 RR super sport bike will be available in India at an introductory ex-showroom price starting from Rs 21,10,000. While the R 1300 GS Adventure (Base) introductory ex-showroom price will start from Rs 22,95,000. India's first solar electric car 'Eva' was also launched on Sunday by Vayve Mobility, at an introductory price of Rs 3.25 lakh (ex-showroom). The solar electric car will be available in three different options -- 9 kilowatt-hour (Whr), 12 kWhr and 18 k Whr with prices ranging between Rs 3.25 lakh (ex-showroom) and Rs 5.99 lakh (ex-showroom). JSW MG Motor India showcased 9 advanced models, launching MG Majestor. The showcased products include Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), and Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). Highlights included the IM5 sedan, IM6 electric SUV, MG HS PHEV, and MG7 Trophy Edition, showcasing cutting-edge technology and sustainable mobility. Eka Mobility showcased India's largest ever range of electric commercial vehicles, which includes over 11 distinct platforms spanning electric buses, trucks, and small commercial vehicles (SCVs). Launching the brand new EKA- Connect for the Indian market. Their bus portfolio included EKA COACH, EKA 12M, EKA 9M, EKA LF (Low Floor), and EKA 9M. Electric Trucks include EKA 55T and EKA 7T, while EKA 3.5T, 2.5T, 1.5T, EKA 3W CARGO, EKA 6S, and EKA 3S were unveiled under their SCV Range. BYD India launched BYD SEALION 7 Pure Performance eSUV at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025. Additionally, BYD India also showcased the BYD SEALION 6, BYD Super Plug-in Hybrid EV with DM-i technology, and the stunning Yangwang U8. JBM Electric Vehicles launched 4 all-new electric buses on the second day of the Auto Expo 2025, ranging from luxury coach, and medical mobile unit to electric tarmac coach, among others. Highlights of the launch were Galaxy; electric luxury coach, Xpress; an intercity bus, e-MediLife; Low Floor Electric Medical Mobile Unit, and e-SkyLife; 9-meter electric tarmac coach. Montra Electric (TI Clean Mobility) launched ‘EVIATOR’ (e SCV) and Super Cargo (e 3-Wheeler) in the presence of the entire leadership team of the brand. Hyundai Motor Company launched 2 concept models of advanced electric three-wheeler and micro four-wheeler on the second day. Along with exploring contributions to the last-mile mobility market in India together with TVS Motor Company Ltd. (TVS Motor). Pinnacle Industries launched its next-generation ambulance range at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025. The new range includes three cutting-edge ambulance models: AD-Gen Ultra, AD-Gen Ambulance, and Neonatal Ambulance. Numeros Motors on Sunday launched its multipurpose and reliable e-scooter 'Diplos Max' at an introductory ex-showroom price (Bangalore) of Rs 1,09,999, including the PM e-drive scheme. Alongside, the company unveiled another unique platform which will be India's first Bike-Scooter Crossover. SML Isuzu launched the Hiroi.EV while presenting 4 other products including AASAI MX, Premium Hiroi Bus, ATS-125 Multi stretcher ambulance, and the Samrat XT Plus Tipper. Cummins Group in India ("Cummins") announced the launch of its next-generation HELM™ (Higher Efficiency, Lower emissions, Multiple fuels) engine platforms, with the high-performance L10 engine, along with, an advanced Hydrogen Fuel Delivery System (FDS) with Type IV on-vehicle storage vessels and the innovative B6.7N natural gas engine. Godawari Electric Motors Pvt. Ltd. unveiled new additions to its product portfolio at the Bharat Mobility Global Show 2025. The company unveiled the Eblu Feo Z, Eblu Feo DX, and launched the Eblu Rozee ECO. The Eblu Rozee ECO is priced at INR 2,95,999/- (ex-showroom). To improve customer convenience, the company also announced the release of the EbluCare app. An innovative smartphone app called EbluCare has been designed to managing electric vehicles (EVs) easier. Sarla Aviation unveiled its first-ever product and India’s first flying taxi- Shunya on the second day. Motovolt Mobility unveiled a range of electric vehicles. The lineup includes the Hyper One, India’s first digital pedal motorbike, and the HUM NYC, a multi-utility speed pedelec tailored for demanding last-mile delivery needs. The versatile M7 and its sporty variant, M7 Rally, cater to both logistics and personal commuting, while the innovative CLIP, a portable e-bike conversion kit, enables seamless e-mobility for existing bicycles. Olectra Green Tech Limited unveiled a 12-meter Blade Battery Platform, a 9-meter City Bus, 12-meter Coach Bus, and Blade Battery Chassis. These products are underpinned by cutting-edge technology and inclusive design. Omega Seiki Pvt. Ltd. launched the M1KA 1.0 electric truck, priced at INR 6,99,000, at the Bharat Mobility 2025 exhibition. The company also unveiled the upcoming M1KA 3.0 model and presented the upgraded 2025 Stream City, a next-generation electric passenger vehicle.Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 is set to be a landmark event uniting the entire Indian automotive and mobility ecosystem under one roof. Scheduled from January 17th to 22nd, 2025, across three premier venues -- Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi in Delhi and India Expo Mart in Greater Noida. The event was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bharat Mandapam. Over 90 new products launched in first two days of Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com |
Here’s how to get more women promoted to top jobs in universities (2025-01-13T12:37:00+05:30)
Virginia Kilborn, Swinburne University of Technology; Birgit Loch, Swinburne University of Technology, and Helana Scheepers, Swinburne University of Technology Women may now outnumber men in the ranks of university students but men still outnumber women in leadership roles in nearly all areas of professional workplaces. This is true within the university system itself: only 30% of professors (Level E) and associate professors (Level D) are women. For women in academia, the glass ceiling is real, and years of equal opportunity policies and procedures have failed to break down this barrier. This gender imbalance has been recognised as a national problem with the recent launch of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) pilot, based on the principles of the UK’s Athena Swan Charter. SAGE aims to address the situation for the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) areas that traditionally have very low participation by women. Make the funding countOnce fully rolled out, universities and research organisations may not be eligible for National Health and Medical Research Council or Australian Research Council funding unless they can show a strong commitment to gender equity at senior levels. Notably, more than half of Australia’s universities and medical institutes signed up for the pilot in September this year. The SAGE pilot promises to provide sufficient incentive for universities to rethink how to support female academics to increase the number of women in senior positions. Apart from appointing new talent, universities will need to look at their current female workforce. They will need to reconsider how to support career development for female academics appointed at lower levels, towards application for promotion. But why are women not transitioning through to higher levels? One reason could be is that female academics may be reticent to push forward as quickly as their male colleagues. This could be due to the low number of female role models or a lack of mentors. Barriers to women’s progression may also include a lack of networks and socialisation. One study found that women start their academic careers at lower levels than men. Close to three quarters of the women surveyed started below the level of lecturer (typically at associate lecturer or research assistant level). The figure was closer to around 50% for men. One good point is that women generally have a higher success rate than men in getting promoted. But the problem is that not enough women are seeking promotion in the first place. That’s not the case for men who are often encouraged to seek promotion. Women encouraging womenAt Swinburne University of Technology, data show the percentage of women applying for promotion out of all female academics is equal to the percentage of men. But again the two groups differ by the lower levels of appointment of female academics when they apply for promotion. This results in more women applying for promotion to lecturer and senior lecturer levels while more men apply for the more senior levels of associate professor and professor. So without intervention, the gender imbalance at senior levels will remain unchanged. To address this, we set up a peer-support promotion program which resulted in a record number of female academics applying for promotion. Driven from within the group of female academics at Swinburne, the program included a number of methods to motivate women to apply for promotion. They included information sessions from university leaders and Human Resources combined with regular peer-group meetings. This helped empower female academics to better understand their own strengths and the promotion process. It also resulted in a support structure for women in the process of applying for promotion. All female academics were invited to participate as mentee, mentor or both early in the year. This resulted in around 80 participants in the six month program and included a number of full professors. Emphasis in this program was to create an environment of trust and mutual support. The aim was to build confidence in the mentees’ abilities, and to guide their understanding of their level of readiness for promotion. This was achieved by showing examples, sharing ideas, practice and advice, and by providing mentorship from more senior women. It worked!As a result of this peer-support program, the number of promotion applications from women doubled this year, nearly reaching parity with applications from men for the first time. The promotion process is still ongoing but assuming similar success rates to the past, this will increase the pool of women available for promotion into senior academic positions. Our program shows that when women take their careers into their own hands and support each other, they can build confidence and are empowered to take the leap and apply for promotion. The next step is to establish a more comprehensive career development program for female academics to embed the peer-support structure within the university. If we can improve the promotion prospects for female academics to more senior positions then others can do it too. Given the direction that has been initiated by SAGE which is set to have implications for external funding schemes, we encourage other universities to consider similar internal peer-support programs. Virginia Kilborn, Associate Professor of Astrophysics, Swinburne University of Technology; Birgit Loch, Associate Professor in Mathematics Education, Swinburne University of Technology, and Helana Scheepers, Associate Professor, Information Systems, Swinburne University of Technology This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
Enough, already: why humanity must get on board with the concept of ‘sufficiency’ (2024-11-14T12:44:00+05:30)
Humanity’s rapacious consumption is more than Earth and its climate can handle, which is driving an ecological crisis. Australians are the worst offenders per person due to our excessive resource use. At the same time, people in some parts of the world lack the material goods to meet their basic needs, while many people in wealthier societies have more than enough to live comfortably. That’s where the concept of “sufficiency” can help. It’s a policy approach gaining momentum around the world. It aims to avoid demand for energy, materials, land and water, and ensure wellbeing for all humans, while staying within planetary boundaries. What does this mean in practice? Workplaces closer to homes, public transport systems that everyone can access and afford, and reducing cars on the road. Sharing building spaces. Providing enough housing, goods, clothing and food to meet our needs, but not exceed them. What is ‘sufficiency’?Sufficiency is a whole-of-government approach that aims to create the structural change needed for societies to consume less overall. It also seeks to ensure wellbeing for all people, not just the affluent. It requires reassessing our needs and the ways they can be met. It requires policies with firm targets and supporting infrastructure, to foster change in individuals and businesses. Sufficiency is not the same as efficiency, which is about producing more of a good or service with less energy, time or materials – often achieved through technological innovation. Unlike sufficiency, efficiency does not avoid or reduce overall demand to a point where humanity is operating within Earth’s limits. Nor does it explicitly focus on reducing inequality. Most governments around the world are yet to adopt sufficiency as a defining policy feature. But progress is being made. A concept gaining momentumIn 2022, a major report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlighted the need for sufficiency measures in the built environment sector, to contain global warming to 1.5°C. It said up to 61% of global building emissions could be mitigated by 2050 if a range of measures were implemented, including “[s]ufficiency policies that avoid the demand for energy and materials”. France enshrined sufficiency in its energy law in 2015. French energy authorities say sufficiency measures, such as lower energy use in households and less travel, may enable emissions cuts of 10% by 2030. And in March this year, 83 organisations in Europe released a manifesto urging the European Union to make sufficiency central to its agenda. I co-founded the Paris-based World Sufficiency Lab, which researches and promotes the sufficiency concept. Here, I outline how sufficiency policies could be applied in Australia in three key areas. 1. Clothing
Australians are the world’s biggest textile consumers, buying an average 56 new items per person each year. In response, the federal government’s Seamless scheme has proposed a levy of 4 cents per item applied to clothing importers and Australian manufacturers. The money would be spent on measures to reduce clothing waste. The scheme falls far short of measures in some other jurisdictions. The EU’s much stronger textile strategy, for example, aims to ensure that, by 2030, all clothes for sale are long-lived and recyclable. It would also make producers responsible for a product over its entire life, including when it becomes waste. This strategy is moving closer towards a sufficiency approach, and the goal of reducing the overall production and purchase of clothes. 2. FoodEach year, Australians waste around 7.6 million tonnes of food, equal to around 312 kilograms per person. The National Food Waste Strategy aims to halve food waste by 2030, largely by focusing on food rescue. But these policies are not strong enough to tackle the scale of the problem. A German study last year found limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires limiting the carbon footprint of our diets by 84% by 2050. A sufficiency approach would go further to tackle over-consumption – perhaps even through direct government intervention. For example, in 2020, China brought in anti-food waste laws. Under the measures, restaurants can charge an extra fee to customers leaving excessive uneaten food. Restaurants that consistently waste large quantities of food may also be fined. 3. Transport
Transport was responsible for 21% of Australia’s emissions last year. A sufficiency policy in transport would aim to bring about structural change. For example, it would shift thinking away from the traditional assumption that mobility equates to wellbeing. It would embrace digital alternatives to travel, such as online meetings. It would also ensure urban planning that locates people and places closer together – and provides good public transport infrastructure. As the European sufficiency manifesto has outlined, governments should also tackle aviation emissions by, for example, prohibiting air travel where there is a train alternative and introducing a frequent flyer levy. In line with the sufficiency concept, efforts to reduce transport emissions must prioritise affordable, accessible transport systems for the disadvantaged and vulnerable. Making sufficiency mainstreamSufficiency is about more than saving the planet. It can tackle global inequality, improve our wellbeing and reduce the cost of living. But many countries, including Australia, are yet to include sufficiency as a mainstream policy lever. This must change. Time is running out to address many of Earth’s most pressing problems. But creating societies with sufficiency at their core means getting governments on board. The author gratefully acknowledges Brooke Ferguson for her substantial contribution to this article. David Angus Ness, Adjunct Professor, UniSA STEM, University of South Australia This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
Mantra of happiness: Live in the moment (2023-08-31T15:16:00+05:30)
Too much planning brings misery because we cannot predict the forces of the future and hence have no control over them. This obviously leads us to worry about the outcome. We should therefore follow the American maxim; “We will cross the bridge when we come to it”.Moksha Yoga Center Yoga Education All of us aspire to have a good life and happiness. However, each has their own definition of happiness depending on their outlook in life. For example, some get it from money, fame, or helping others, while others might get it by being close to their loved ones. Irrespective of the definition, happiness is a state of mind, and when humans feel comfortable with the hand they have been dealt with, happiness ensues. So, what is that state of mind which makes us happy? When the whole mind concentrates on a single object or subject for a considerable amount of time, we get a sense of well-being. This is called ‘Samadhi’ according to Patanjali Yoga. I am sure each one of us has personally experienced episodes of happiness when we do our work with deep concentration and get completely engrossed in it, regardless of whether it is mundane or creative. During this process, we are even oblivious of time. All great inventors and creative people have often said that they were so immersed in their work that they lost all concepts of time and space. Examples of Newton, Einstein, Bach, Beethoven, Thomas Edison, and others come to mind. They all had powerful brains with enormous power of concentration.Universal consciousness: Why does the whole mind concentrating on a single positive thought give us a sense of well-being? Part of the reason could be that with huge processing power, it can resolve conflicts so that we are at peace with ourselves. Another reason could be that during this mind-expanding exercise our minds get connected to the universal consciousness. Thus, all of us, when concentrating on a positive thought or an idea, have knowingly or unknowingly connected to the universal mind, which results in happiness. So our everyday work, whatever it is, should be done with honesty, ethically and with deep concentration. Whether we are doing mundane work like cooking or creative work of research, new design, music etc., we should do it with concentration, and it will give us joy and happiness. From US to India: I would like to share some personal examples to bolster this claim. I came back from the US to Phaltan in 1981. Phaltan at that time was a small overgrown village with hardly any facilities or communications network. Thus to make urgent long-distance calls, I would sometimes hop on the bus and after a four-hour journey to Pune make those calls. Similarly, there was hardly anything available in Phaltan so for every small thing one had to go to Pune to get it. I went to the best English school in Lucknow, and to the best IIT in India (IIT Kanpur) for my B. Tech and then to a well-known University (University of Florida, Gainesville) in the United States to do my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. So coming to a small rural town in Maharashtra was a nightmare. But there was a ‘junoon’ (passion) to do something useful with my education; hence all the pinpricks did not bother that much since with tremendous concentration we did our work. There was a flat piece of land on the Institute farm where I was supposed to build my lab and do some meaningful rural development work. So every day we did work focusing on the work at hand and did not think about the future but only about the present. Slowly but surely things took shape and we did some interesting and pioneering work. Power of now:This is the power of now. As somebody said, yesterday was history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. If we focus on reality or now with concentration, then we will do good not only for ourselves but also for the surroundings. This is how nature evolves by being focused on now and comes in equilibrium with the forces of surroundings. Since the surrounding forces change with time this allows nature to change its design and that is the process of evolution. There are no great futuristic schemes or plans in nature’s design strategy, but it keeps on changing day to day. And by being in equilibrium with the surroundings it produces slowly but surely, wonderful structures and designs of all sizes and shapes. This process allows nature to be very frugal and efficient. If we follow this strategy, it will allow us to live in a sustainable, simple manner and will result in happiness and satisfaction. That is what we should follow in our day-to-day living. I have shown this with my life and in a small but meaningful way helped myself and the surroundings. Too much planning brings misery because we cannot predict the forces of the future and hence have no control over them. This obviously leads us to worry about the outcome. We should therefore follow the American maxim; “We will cross the bridge when we come to it”. That allows us to use all our energies to focus on the work at hand and if we do it ethically and honestly then it will provide us with happiness and satisfaction. That is the mantra of getting happiness in everyday life.(This feature article appeared in South Asia Monitor August 24, 2023) Source: https://www.newsindiatimes.com/
Analysis sees many promising pathways for solar photovoltaic power (2016-12-08T15:56:00+05:30)
By David L. Chandler | MIT News Office: In a broad new assessment of the status and prospects of solar photovoltaic technology, MIT researchers say that it is ''one of the few renewable, low-carbon resources with both the scalability and the technological maturity to meet ever-growing global demand for electricity.''
Use of solar photovoltaics has been growing at a phenomenal rate: Worldwide installed capacity has seen sustained growth averaging 43 percent per year since 2000. To evaluate the prospects for sustaining such growth, the MIT researchers look at possible constraints on materials availability, and propose a system for evaluating the many competing approaches to improved solar-cell performance.
The analysis is presented in the journal Energy & Environmental Science; a broader analysis of solar technology, economics, and policy will be incorporated in a forthcoming assessment of the future of solar energy by the MIT Energy Initiative.
The team comprised MIT professors Vladimir Bulovic, Tonio Buonassisi, and Robert Jaffe, and graduate students Joel Jean and Patrick Brown. One useful factor in making meaningful comparisons among new photovoltaic technologies, they conclude, is the complexity of the light-absorbing material.
The report divides the many technologies under development into three broad classes: wafer-based cells, which include traditional crystalline silicon, as well as alternatives such as gallium arsenide; commercial thin-film cells, including cadmium telluride and amorphous silicon; and emerging thin-film technologies, which include perovskites, organic materials, dye-sensitized solar cells, and quantum dots.
With the recent evolution of solar technology, says Jean, the paper's lead author, it's important to have a uniform framework for assessment. It may be time, he says, to re-examine the traditional classification of these technologies, generally into three areas: silicon wafer-based cells, thin-film cells, and ''exotic'' technologies with high theoretical efficiencies.
''We'd like to build on the conventional framework,'' says Jean, a doctoral student in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. ''We're seeking a more consistent way to think about the wide range of current photovoltaic technologies and to evaluate them for potential applications. In this study, we chose to evaluate all relevant technologies based on their material complexity.''
Under this scheme, traditional silicon - a single-element crystalline material - is the simplest material.
While crystalline silicon is a mature technology with advantages including high efficiency, proven reliability, and no material scarcity constraints, it also has inherent limitations; Silicon is not especially efficient at absorbing light, and solar panels based on silicon cells tend to be rigid and heavy. At the other end of the spectrum are perovskites, organics, and colloidal quantum dots, which are ''highly complex materials, but can be much simpler to process,'' Jean says.
The authors make clear that their definition of material complexity as a key parameter for comparison does not imply any equivalency with complexity of manufacturing. On the contrary, while silicon is the simplest solar-cell material, silicon wafer and cell production is complex and expensive, requiring extraordinary purity and high temperatures.
By contrast, while some complex nanomaterials involve intricate molecular structures, such materials can be deposited quickly and at low temperatures onto flexible substrates. Nanomaterial-based cells could even be transparent to visible light, which could open up new applications and enable seamless integration into windows and other surfaces. The authors caution, however, that the conversion efficiency and long-term stability of these complex emerging technologies is still relatively low. As they write in the paper: ''The road to broad acceptance of these new technologies in conventional solar markets is inevitably long, although the unique qualities of these evolving solar technologies - lightweight, paper-thin, transparent - could open entirely new markets, accelerating their adoption.''
The study does caution that the large-scale deployment of some of today's thin-film technologies, such as cadmium telluride and copper indium gallium diselenide, may be severely constrained by the amount of rare materials that they require. The study highlights the need for novel thin-film technologies that are based on Earth-abundant materials.
The study identifies three themes for future research and development. The first is increasing the power-conversion efficiency of emerging photovoltaic technologies and commercial modules.
A second research theme is reducing the amount of material needed per cell. Thinner, more flexible films and substrates could reduce cell weight and cost, potentially opening the door to new approaches to photovoltaic module design.
A third important research theme is reducing the complexity and cost of manufacturing. Here the researchers emphasize the importance of eliminating expensive, high-temperature processing, and encouraging the adoption of roll-to-roll coating processes for rapid, large-scale manufacturing of emerging thin-film technologies.
''We've looked at a number of key metrics for different applications,'' Jean says. ''We don't want to rule out any of the technologies,'' he says - but by providing a unified framework for comparison, he says, the researchers hope to make it easier for people to make decisions about the best technologies for a given application.
Martin Green, a professor at the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics at the University of New South Wales who was not involved in this work, says the MIT team has produced ''some interesting new insights and observations.'' He says the paper's main significance ''lies in the attempt to take a unifying look at the issues involved in choosing between PV technologies.''
''The issues involved are complex,'' Green adds, ''and the authors abstain from betting on any particular PV technology.'' Source: domain-b.com
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Creating a healthy company requires more than good pay incentives (2016-11-13T06:54:00+05:30)
Wai Fong Chua, University of Sydney, Commonwealth Bank shareholders’ rejection of a move to base CEO pay on “soft targets” rather than financial goals, is just the latest example of how corporate Australia places too much confidence on the use of these types of targets. Financial goals are seen as more objective, transparent and “hard”, thus avoiding easy performance hurdles.
But, research shows financial incentives can have a negative impact on employee emotions and fear can destroy a business.
The use of incentives schemes to pay for performance is common. From CEOs to frontline staff, investors generally believed that setting challenging goals, with commensurate rewards, creates strong motivation and leads to higher productivity. But while incentive structures are commonplace, their emotion impact is less well understood.
Incentives and emotion: People experience a wide range of emotions in the workplace - joy, anger, pride, anxiety, fear, frustration. Organisations are emotional arenas, where emotions can drive behaviour either in a positive or negative manner. Incentive schemes are a part of this phenomenon.
Challenging performance targets generate a mix of emotions: the prospect of achieving financial rewards and increased status generates excitement, but equally the possibility of failure to meet goals can create anxiety. Indeed, when faced with difficult performance goals, employees have reported experiencing “sleepless nights” and worry that they might fail.
This fear of failure can have dire knock-on effects. Employees may become resistant to trying new and different modes of operation. They may begin withholding information, fearing that power, territory and control could be lost. Also, the prospect of failure not only puts financial rewards at risk, it also threatens the status and self-worth of individuals. No one wishes to be classified as a “non-performer”, especially in today’s highly competitive corporate environment.
Shared fear: Emotions are not just experienced at the individual level, they can be shared. The speed with which a football crowd can be transformed into an angry mob indicates that such sharing can occur quickly.
An example of shared fear is Nokia. Its failure to keep up with innovations in the smartphone market has been linked to fear. Top managers feared external competitors and shareholders while middle managers feared both their superiors and peers. The fear experienced by senior managers caused them to put pressure on their subordinates for performance but they did not fully reveal the severity of external threats.
Middle managers tended not to share negative information with their superiors, leading to top managers developing an unrealistic view of the firms’ technological abilities and to neglect long-term investment in innovation. Middle managers did not wish to rock the boat, fearing that their status or career progression would be harmed. Fear was thus pervasive and corrosive.
Tracking is making this even more complex: Today, workforce analytics mean that employees’ mood can be monitored on an ongoing basis. On the one hand, such tracking could drive a positive workplace culture – by providing an up-to-date assessment of the emotional well-being of employees, and being used to proactively prevent problems.
On the other hand, if misused, such data could compound current problems. For example, if employee anxiety at an ambitious goal is highlighted and interpreted negatively, this could place yet another barrier on information flow. It is even more likely employees will bury emotions and only good news will reach the top.
We need more understanding of how incentives impact workplace culture: The key is to appreciate that incentives are not just asocial devices to enable higher performance levels. They are embedded in emotional regimes within organisations and have emotional impact, both for individuals and groups.
Setting ambitious targets within an unsupportive organisational culture is unlikely to generate the productivity envisaged, at least over a longer time horizon.
Wai Fong Chua, Professor of Accounting, University of Sydney, This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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Pension funds to play bigger role in infra financing: Jayant Siinha (2015-11-28T14:41:00+05:30)
Minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha has highlighted the role of pension funds as a source of long-term finance for infrastructure development and the need to have increased pension flows in the debt and equity markets to reduce volatility. The minister said this while addressing a conference to promote the National Pension System (NPS) among corporates, corporate employees and private citizens in the light of the Budget announcements. The 'Conference on National Pension System (NPS) for Corporates and Points of Presence (POPs)', organised under the theme 'NPS- Expanding Horizons - The Way Forward'. Sinha also mentioned the need to have innovative products and services under retirement architecture, which would match the risk appetite of various types of customers. He emphasised the need for an inclusive pension scheme to cater to every class of the society in tune with the slogan Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas and said the budget announcements like the `Atal Pension Yojana' for economically weaker section of society and tax incentives for NPS as a step in that direction. Earlier, in his opening address, Hemant Contractor, chairman, PFRDA, said while the recent budget announcements have made life insurance, health insurance and pension affordable, he said the penetration of both pension and insurance schemes in the country is low and better coverage is required in view of the growing population of the elderly. He said operational issues in NPS like simplification of account opening, withdrawal, grievance management etc have been improved. He said PFRDA was in the process of finalising various regulations and expressed optimism about expanding the subscriber base in view of the large potential. Sinha said the government was focused on expanding the 'retirement market' in India, for which several initiatives have already been taken recently. Besides stressing on the need to allow more sophisticated products in the pension market, it is also important to ensure that more pension monies flow into equity markets, he added. Sinha said that expanding the 'retirement market' would bring India three benefits: it would protect citizens after retirement, result in flow of long-term funds into building infrastructure and help reduce volatility in the Indian stock markets. Tax on NPS withdrawal: The minister said prospective New Pension Scheme (NPS) subscribers should not get ''bogged down'' by the fact that NPS attracts tax at the time of withdrawal on retirement. ''What is important is - are you saving enough for retirement,'' he said. Later, PFRDA chairman Hemant Contractor told reporters that the Authority's board will take up the GN Bajpai committee report in the next two - three weeks. The panel had, among other things, recommended that government employees subscribing to NPS be allowed to choose their own pension fund managers, which could open the doors for private fund managers to manage pension monies of central and state government employees. PFRDA had organized the Conference with the main objective of sensitizing the distributors' community as also corporates whose role is crucial in extending the reach and coverage of NPS in the country, both for the organized and unorganized sectors in the aftermath of recent budgetary announcements including:
Currently, NPS has more than 8.7 million subscribers with total asset under management (AUM) of more than Rs80,800 crore. Source: domain-b.com, Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org
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