Shifting conferences online cuts carbon footprint 94%

by Blaine Friedlander, Cornell University

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The COVID-19 global pandemic—unexpectedly—has shown humanity a new way to reduce climate change: Scrap in-person meetings and conventions.

Moving a professional conference completely online reduces its carbon footprint by 94%, and shifting it to a hybrid model, with no more than half of conventioneers online, curtails the footprint to 67%, according to a new Cornell University-led study in Nature Communication.

The annual carbon footprint for the global event and convention industry is on par with the yearly greenhouse gas emissions of the entire U.S., according to the new paper.

"We all go to conferences. We fly, we drive, we check in to a hotel, give a talk, meet people—and we're done," said senior author Fengqi You, professor in energy systems engineering at Cornell University and a senior faculty fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability.

"But we looked at this problem comprehensively and behind the scenes, conventions generate a lot of carbon, consume a lot of energy, print a lot of paper, offer a lot of food—not to mention create municipal solid waste. Yet, video conferencing also requires energy and equipment use. Conference planning means a lot to consider."

By studying the amount of carbon needed, adding regional conference hubs at the right locations and boosting virtual participation levels, carbon-reduction benefits can be achieved, You said.

"But environmental benefits become less prominent as the number of regional hubs increases" he said. In 2017, more than 1.5 billion participants—from about 180 countries—traveled to attend conferences, according to the paper.

The number of regular, international convention events—of more than 50 people—doubles every 10 years, and the convention industry's market size is expected to grow at a 11.2% rate over the next decade.

The growth leads to substantial greenhouse gas emissions, said Yanqiu Tao, the first author of the paper and a doctoral student at You's Process-Energy-Environmental Systems Engineering (PEESE) lab.

The carbon footprint per individual participant reaches up to 6,600 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent, as reported by life cycle assessment studies.

For in-person conferences, Tao and You suggest participants should reduce stopovers when booking flights. Hybrid and in-person meeting organizers should carefully select hubs and take transportation modes and distances into consideration. For virtual conferences, carbon-reduction opportunities include improving the energy efficiency of the information and communication technology sector and increasing the share of renewable energy in the power grids.

"There is a lot of interest and attention on climate change, so moving from in-person conferences to hybrid or remote events would be beneficial," You said. "But we should also be cautious and optimize decisions in terms of selecting hubs and determining participant levels for hybrid meetings."Virtual conferences are better for the environment and more inclusive

More information: Yanqiu Tao et al, Trend towards virtual and hybrid conferences may be an effective climate change mitigation strategy, Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27251-2

Journal information: Nature Communications 

Provided by Cornell University 

Mass anti-coup protests in Sudan mark uprising anniversary

Samy Magdy
The Associated Press

Published Sunday, December 19, 2021 

WOMEN LEAD THE REVOLUTION 

People protests against the October military coup and subsequent deal that reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)

CAIRO -- Sudanese took to the streets in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere across the country for mass protests Sunday against an October military takeover and a subsequent deal that reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok but sidelined the movement.

The demonstrations mark the third anniversary of the uprising that eventually forced the military removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in April 2019.

Sudan then followed a fragile path toward democracy and ruled by a joint military-civilian government. The Oct. 25 coup has rattled the transition and led to relentless street protests.

Video footage circulated online purported to show tens of thousands protesters marching in the streets of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman on Sunday. Protesters were seen waving the Sudanese flag and white ones with printed images of those killed in the uprising and ensuing protests.

Ahead of the demonstrations, Sudan's authorities tightened security across the capital, barricading government and military buildings to prevent protesters from reaching the military's headquarters and the presidential palace. They also blocked major roads and bridges linking Khartoum and Omdurman across the Nile River.

Security forces used tear gas to disperse protesters headed toward the palace on the bank of the Blue Nile in the heart of Khartoum, according to activist Nazim Sirag. The Sudan Doctors Committee said some protesters were injured, but didn't provide a tally.

Activists described chaotic scenes, with many protesters rushing to side streets from the tear gas. Later, footage showed protesters at one of the palace's gates chanting: "The people want the downfall of the regime" -- a slogan heard in the Arab Spring uprisings that began in late 2010. Those movements forced the removal of leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

The Sudanese Professionals' Association, which spearheaded the uprising against al-Bashir, called on protesters to gather outside the palace and block roads with make-shift barricades.

There were also protests in elsewhere in the country, such as the coastal city of Port Sudan and the northern city of Atbara, the birthplace of the uprising against al-Bashir.

The protests were called by the pro-democracy movement that led the uprising against al-Bashir and stuck a power-sharing deal with the generals in the months that followed his ouster.

Relations between the generals and the civilians in the transitional government were shaky and capped by the military's Oct. 25 takeover that removed Hamdok's government.

Hamdok was reinstated last month amid international pressure in a deal that calls for an independent technocratic Cabinet under military oversight led by him. The agreement included the release of government officials and politicians detained since the coup.


Talks are underway to agree on what Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the ruling Sovereign Council, described as a "new political charter" focused on establishing a broader consensus among all political forces and movements.

Addressing Sudanese late Saturday ahead of the protests, Hamdok said he stuck the Nov. 21 deal with the military mainly to prevent bloodshed. He warned that the country could slide further into chaos amid uphill economic and security challenges.

"Today, we are facing a retreat in the path of our revolution that threatens the country's security and integrity," Hamdok said, adding that the agreement was meant to preserve achievements his government made in the past two years, and to "protect our nation from sliding to a new international isolation."

"The deal, in my view, is the most effective and inexpensive means to return to the course of civic and democratic transition," he said.

Hamdok urged political parties and movements to agree on a "national charter" to complete the democratic transition and achieve peace with rebel groups.

The pro-democracy movement has meanwhile insisted that power be handed over to a civilian government to lead the transition. Their relentless protests follow the slogan: "No negotiations, no compromise, no power-sharing" with the military.

The list of demands also includes restructuring the military and other security agencies under civilian oversight and disbanding militias. One is the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force that grew out of janjaweed militias and is accused of atrocities during the Darfur conflict and most recently against pro-democracy protesters.

Sunday's protests have "unified all revolutionary forces behind a single demand: handing over power to civilians," said Mohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals' Association.

"Prime Minister Hamdok must declare a clear position and choose whether to join the people or continue siding with the generals," he told The Associated Press.

The continued protests since the coup have increased pressure on the military and Hamdok, who has yet to announce his Cabinet.

Security forces used violence, including firing live ammunition at protesters, in the past round of demonstrations, according to activists. At least 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded in protests triggered by the coup, according to a tally by a Sudanese medical group.

Hundreds of thousands march to Sudan presidential palace in protest against coup

Reuters
Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir
Publishing date: Dec 19, 2021 • 

KHARTOUM — Hundreds of thousands of people marched to the presidential palace in Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Sunday in protest at the Oct. 25 military coup, drawing volleys of tear gas and stun grenades from security forces, Reuters witnesses said.

Some protesters managed to reach the gates of the palace and the protest’s organizers called on more to join a planned sit-in there after sundown. Reuters was not able to verify how many were able to reach the palace. Live video footage showed those who remained being tear gassed heavily.

The outpouring of protest, the ninth major demonstration since the coup and one of the largest, marked the 2018 burning of a ruling party building which touched off a popular uprising that led to the overthrow of long-ruling Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

Protests against the coup have continued even after the reinstatement of the prime minister last month, with demonstrators demanding no more military involvement at all in government in a transition towards free elections.

Demonstrators marched down a main road leading to the palace, chanting “the people are stronger and retreat is impossible,” with some darting into side streets to dodge volleys of tear gas.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.

Despite security forces blocking bridges over the Nile river into the capital early on Sunday, protesters were able to cross a bridge connecting the city of Omdurman to central Khartoum but were met with heavy tear gas, Reuters witnesses said.

Reuters witnesses also watched protesters crossing a bridge from Bahri, north of Khartoum, to the capital.

Images shared on social media showed protests taking place in several other cities including Port Sudan, El-Deain, Madani and Kassala.

FLAGS AND MASKS

Early on Sunday joint army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces sealed off major roads leading to the airport and the army headquarters and they were heavily deployed around the presidential palace.

Protesters also blocked roads leading to the main route of the march. Some were carrying Sudanese flags and photos of protesters who were killed in demonstrations in the past few months. Others were handing out COVID-19 masks and carrying stretchers in anticipation of people being wounded.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors says 45 people have been killed in crackdowns on protesters since the Oct. 25 coup.

It was the ninth in a series of demonstrations against the coup, which have continued even after the military signed a deal on Nov. 21 with Hamdok, who had been under house arrest, and released him and other high-profile political detainees.

On Saturday night, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok warned in a statement https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudans-stability-unity-are-risk-pm-says-amid-mass-protests-2021-12-18 that Sudan’s revolution faced a major setback and that political intransigence from all sides threatened the country’s unity and stability.

The military and civilian political parties had shared power since Bashir’s removal. But the agreement reinstating Hamdok angered protesters, who previously had seen him as a symbol of resistance to military rule and denounced his deal with the military as a betrayal.

Civilian parties, and neighborhood resistance committees that have organized several mass protests, demand full civilian rule under the slogan “no negotiation, no partnership, no legitimacy.”

On Saturday night and early Sunday morning, people arrived in bus convoys from other states, including North Kordofan and Gezira, to join the protests in Khartoum, witnesses said. 

 (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir, writing by Nafisa Eltahir and Sarah El Safty, editing by Mark Heinrich and Susan Fenton)

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2022: A major revolution in robotics
A world class roboticist on why everything is about to change.


Written by Greg Nichols, Contributor

ZDNET
Posted in Robotics on December 14, 2021 | Topic: Robotics


For a while now, those who track robotics development have taken note of a quiet revolution in the sector. While self-driving cars have grabbed all the headlines, the work happening at the intersection of AI, machine vision, and machine learning is fast becoming the foundation for the next phase of robotics.

By combining machine vision with learning capabilities, roboticists are opening a wide range of new possibilities like vision-based drones, robotic harvesting, robotic sorting in recycling, and warehouse pick and place. We're finally at the inflection point: The moment where these applications are becoming good enough to provide real value in semi-structured environments where traditional robots could never succeed.

To discuss this exciting moment and how it's going to fundamentally change the world we live in, I connected with Pieter Abbeel, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is also the director of the Berkeley Robot Learning Lab and co-director of the Berkeley AI Research lab. He is co-founder and Chief Scientist of Covariant and host of the excellent The Robot Brains podcast.

In other words, he's got robotics bon fides, and what he says about the near future of automation is nothing short of astounding.

GN: You call AI Robotics a quiet revolution. Why is it revolutionary and why do you think recent developments are still under the radar, at least in popular coverage?

For the past sixty years, we've had physically highly capable robots. However, they just weren't that smart. So these physically highly capable robots ended up constrained to factories — mostly car and electronics factories — where they were trusted to execute carefully pre-programmed motions. These robots are very reliable at doing the same thing over and over. They create value, but it's barely scratching the surface of what robots could do with better intelligence.

The quiet revolution is occurring in the area of artificial intelligence (AI) Robotics. AI robots are empowered with sophisticated AI models and vision. They can see, learn, and react to make the right decision based on the current situation.

Popular coverage of robotics trends towards home-butler style robots and self-driving cars because they're very relatable to our everyday lives. Meanwhile, AI Robotics is taking off in areas of our world that are less visible but critical to our livelihoods — think e-commerce fulfillment centers and warehouses, farms, hospitals, recycling centers. All areas with a big impact on our lives, but not activities that the average person is seeing or directly interacting with on a daily basis.

GN: Semi-structured environments are sort of the next frontier for robots, which have traditionally been confined to structured settings like factories. Where are we going to see new and valuable robotics deployments in the next year or so?

The three big ones I anticipate are warehouse pick and pack operations, recycling sortation, and crop harvesting/care. From a technological point of view, these are naturally in the striking range of recent AI developments. And also personally, I know people working on AI Robotics in each of those industries and they are making great strides.

GN: Why is machine vision one of the most exciting areas of development in robotics? What can robots now do that they couldn't do, say, five years ago?

Traditional robotic automation relied on very clever engineering to allow pre-programmed-motion robots to be helpful. Sure, that worked in car and electronics factories, but ultimately it's very limiting.

Giving robots the gift of sight completely changes what's possible. Computer Vision, the area of AI concerned with making computers and robots see, has undergone a night-and-day transformation over the past 5-10 years --- thanks to Deep Learning. Deep Learning trains large neural networks (based on examples) to do pattern recognition, in this case pattern recognition enabling understanding of what's where in images. And then Deep Learning, of course, is providing capabilities beyond seeing. It allows for robots to also learn what actions to take to complete a task, for example, pick and pack an item to fulfill an online order.

GN: A lot of coverage over the past decade has focused on the impact of sensors on autonomous systems (lidar, etc). How is AI reframing the conversation in robotics development?

Before Deep Learning broke onto the scene, it was impossible to make a robot "see" (i.e. understand what's in an image). Consequently, in the pre-Deep Learning days, a lot of energy and cleverness went into researching alternative sensor mechanisms. Lidar is indeed one of the popular ones (how it works is that you send a laser beam out, measure how long it takes to get reflected, and then multiply by speed of light to determine distance to the nearest obstacle in that direction). Lidar is wonderful when it works, but the failure modes can't be discounted (e.g., Does the beam always make it back to you? Does it get absorbed by a black surface? Does it go right through a transparent surface? etc..).

But in a camera image, we humans can see what's there, so we know the information has been captured by the camera, we just need a way for the computer or robot to be able to extract that same information from the image. AI advances, specifically Deep Learning, has completely changed what's possible in that regard. We're on a path to build AI that can interpret images as reliably as humans can, as long as the neural networks have been shown enough examples. So there is a big shift in robotics from focusing on inventing dedicated sensory devices to focusing on building the AI that can learn and empower our robots using the natural sensory inputs already available to us, especially cameras.

GN: Robotics has always been a technology of confluences. In addition to AI and machine vision, what technologies have converged to make these deployments possible?

Indeed, any robotic deployment requires a confluence of many great components and a team that knows how to make them all work together. Besides AI there is, of course, the long-existing technology of reliable industrial grade manipulator robots. And, crucially, there are cameras and computers, which are ever becoming better and cheaper.

GN: What's going to surprise people about robots over the next five years?

The magnitude at which robots are contributing to our everyday lives, most often without seeing any of these robots. Indeed, we likely won't personally see the robots physically interacting with the things we use everyday but there will be a day soon in which the majority of the items in our household were touched by a robot at least once before reaching us.

 FROM 1930 TO THE AGE OF ROBOTS

How Magnus Carlsen won chess back from the machines


Photograph: Jon Gambrell/AP

Breakthroughs in computing have changed how high-level chess is played, making draws all too common. But the Norwegian champion’s stunning performance in Dubai wrests the game back from the grip of the supercomputers, Guardian US deputy sport editor Bryan Graham reports

DOWNLOAD PODCAST

https://audio.guim.co.uk/2021/12/17-17280-tif_chess_robot-002.mp3

Presented by Michael Safi with Bryan Armen Graham; produced by Sami Kent and Axel Kacoutié; executive producers Mythili Rao and Phil Maynard

Sun 19 Dec 2021 16.30 GMT

Nearly 25 years ago, world chess champion Garry Kasparov was defeated by the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in a series of matches watched around the world. The Guardian’s US deputy sport editor, Bryan Graham, tells Michael Safi he vividly remembers those games, played in his home town of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It seemed as if chess had been changed forever.

Now the game of chess is in the midst of another pivotal transformation. With the rise of online chess and the recent success of the Netflix show The Queen’s Gambit, the game has never been more popular – or accessible. But breakthroughs in computing have made it increasingly bloodless: top players simply study and memorise the ‘perfect’ moves (as determined by computers), reinforcing a style of play that more often than not ends in a draw.

The first five games in this year’s world championship in Dubai – which all ended in ‘perfect’ draws – seemed to be following a familiar pattern. But then, reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen surprised his opponent – and chess fans everywhere – in a match that upended expectations, providing a symbolic win for humans over machines.

Understanding AlphaZero Neural Network’s SuperHuman Chess Ability

Summary of the paper 'Acquisition of Chess Knowledge in AlphaZero'
By Leonardo Tanzi
-December 16, 2021

Source: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.09259.pdf

As a common and (sometimes) proven belief, deep learning systems seem to learn uninterpretable representations and are far from human understanding. Recently, some studies have highlighted the fact that this may not always be applicable, and some networks may be able to learn human-readable representations. Unfortunately, this ability could merely come from the fact that these networks are exposed to human-generated data. So, to demonstrate their ability to learn like humans (and not that they are simply memorizing human-created labels), it is necessary to test them without any label.

Following this idea, the DeepMind and Google Brain teams, together with the 14th world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik, studied their creature AlphaZero from this point of view. AlphaZero is the descendant of AlphaGo, the super neural network that beat the world champion Lee Sedol in a best-of-five GO match, a turning point in the history of deep learning, as can also be seen in the wonderful Netflix documentary AlphaGo.

Unlike AlphaGo, AlphaZero is trained through self-play (i.e., it learns to play competing against itself) and masters not only GO but also chess and shogi. This trait makes AlphaZero the perfect case study to explore this idea. Moreover, given the fact that it performs at a superhuman level, understanding its functionality is also particularly useful for highlighting unknown patterns which have never been discovered by chess theorists.

AlphaZero is composed of a CNN (convolutional neural network) based on ResNet50, which has two branches and computes a policy (p) and a value (v) and a Monte Carlo tree search to evaluate the state and update its action selection rule. p contains the probabilities associated with possible next moves, and v is a value that predicts the outcome of the game (win, lose or draw). As can be seen from the image below, the network takes an input of shape 8 x 8 x d, whose number of channels d depends on the parameter h (in the paper, h=8), which represents the number of previous positions considered. Different channels encode different information, such as who has the white pieces or the number of moves played.

Source: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.09259.pdf

Three approaches were conducted to investigate the capability of this architecture to acquire chess knowledge: 1) screening for human concepts, 2) studying behavioral changes, and 3) exploring activation.

1. Screening for human concepts

The aim is to find out if the internal representation (i.e., the activations) of AlphaZero can be related to human chess concepts. Concepts can vary from the basic, such as the existence of a passed pawn, to the more complex, such as the mobility of pieces.

Most of the concepts were retrieved from the evaluation function of Stockfish (a very famous hard-coded chess engine). Using a method based on sparse linear regression, the authors were able to compute the what-when-where (what concept is learned, when it was learned during training, and wherein the network) plots.

Source: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.09259.pdf

To demonstrate that AlphaZero develops representations that are closely related to human concepts over the training, the authors evaluated how much importance AlphaZero gives to different pieces and to different basic chess concepts during the training. It can be seen in the figure above how the value assigned to different pieces reaches the conventional theory (9-10 the queen, 5 the rooks, and 3 the knights and the bishops) and how some concepts become more and more important after a considerable number of steps, very close to how a human improve his way of playing.

Source: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.09259.pdf

2. Studying behavioral changes

The objective is to investigate, focusing on chess openings, which are highly theorized, how internal representations evolve over time and subsequently a) relate them to progression through human history b) study the behaviors change in relation to these changing representations.
When the progression of AlphaZero was compared to the one of human games played after the 15th century (the first game in the dataset was played in 1475!), it was discovered that human players, during the different centuries, tend to focus on a specific opening and play it as default and then branch into different variations, while AlphaZero tries out a wide array of opening moves already in the early stages. A focus was also conducted on the famous Ruy Lopez opening (for chess players: 1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3 Nc6, 3. Bb5) where AlphaZero’s preferences and human knowledge can take different paths. The Berlin defense, which today is considered one of the most effective continuations, rapidly became AlphaZero’s favorite answer to the Ruy Lopez opening, while it took centuries for humans to understand deeply the Berlin defense.
A very interesting qualitative assessment was also performed by the GM Vladimir Kramnik, who tried to understand different behaviors of AlphaZero related to the training steps done and, therefore to the evolving internal representations. The GM evaluated games played by two AlphaZero trained with a different number of iterations (k). From the comparison between AlphaZero-16k and AlphaZero-32k, Kramnik easily deduced that AlphaZero-16k has a quite basic understanding of material value, which often led to unwanted exchange sequences. From the games between AlphaZero-32k and AlphaZero-64k, came out that the main difference probably lies in the understanding of king safety in unbalanced positions. Finally, from AlphaZero-64k versus AlphaZero-128k, king safety re-emerges, and AlphaZero-128k has a much deeper understanding of which attacks will succeed and which will fail.

3. Analyzing activations

The third aim is to explore activation directly with unsupervised methods instead of the first two approaches. Indeed, the fact that the first two methods are supervised entails the risk of not finding relationships or concepts that have not been included in the dataset.

Hence, through non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), the authors were able to visualize patterns not related to labeled human data, by analyzing the model formerly trained for concept screening in a concept-agnostic (i.e., unsupervised) manner. Given a specific board position, the visualization process highlights the most fundamental squares considered by the network in evaluating the position, as shown in the figure below. Not all results were interpretable with a certain level of confidence (for example the column (d) has a high level of uncertainty) while some possible interpretations were given to other activations. For example, columns (a) and (b) show the development of diagonal moves for white and black respectively; column (c) probably shows a more complex factor: the number of opponent’s pieces that can move to a specific square (the darker the square, the more piece can move in that square).
  

Source: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.09259.pdf

Conclusion

This paper was a first step into the comprehension of complex systems such as AlphaZero. The next step is summarized at the end of the paper with the following sentence:

“Can we go beyond finding human knowledge and learn something new?”

Paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.09259.pdf

Opinion: Deals in the oil sands are coming, as Canada’s biggest energy companies put cash and science to work


Giant dump trucks haul raw tar sand at the Suncor tar sand mining operations near Fort McMurray, Alta.Todd Corroll/Reuters

If you want to know who will be having dinner, and who will have dinner, in the coming round of consolidation in Alberta’s oil sands, all you need to do is check for membership in at least one of Calgary’s exclusive clubs.

Back in June, five of Canada’s largest energy companies launched an alliance called the Oil Sands Pathway to Net Zero. The group is investing in innovations such as carbon capture and bitumen processing technology to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its properties by 2050.

To join the club, CEOs had to publicly commit to spending to responsibly develop one of the largest fossil fuel reserves on the planet. Canadian Natural Resources, Suncor Energy, Cenovus Energy, Imperial Oil and MEG Energy stepped up from the start. In November, ConocoPhillips joined the group.

Notably due to their absence from this list are some global energy companies, which have long been associated with oil sands as minority partners in projects run by members of the Pathway Alliance. Right now, players such as California-based Chevron, Europe’s Total, BP, Shell and China’s CNOOC and Sinopec are out of the club.

The decision to turn down the Pathway partnership is the latest sign of a long-expected move in the energy sector – an exit from Alberta by most foreign investors in the oil sands. In a recent report, a team of analysts from RBC Capital Markets said: “Given the ESG – and primarily E – headwinds that continue to blow into oil sands investments, there is a need for a further exodus of international oil companies from Canada.” can be imagined.”

Investors will appreciate the oil sands consolidation, as analysts at RBC pointed out that any potential multi-billion dollar deal between the owners of the projects “has no consolidation risk and is similar to an ordinary share buyback.”

Raising cash for the acquisition is not an issue, as the recent rise in oil and gas prices has strengthened the balance sheets of potential buyers. Collectively, the five founding companies in Pathways Club are expected to generate about $33 billion in free cash flow next year — money left over after paying dividends and investing in operations, according to RBC. Canadian Natural, led by billionaire co-founder Murray Edwards, will have $10.5-billion of that total.

Mr. Edwards built Canadian Natural by acquiring assets at bargain valuations during a downturn in energy markets. He is the sole buyer for Chevron’s 20-percent stake in the Athabasca oil sands project and Shell’s 10-percent stake — Canadian Naturals operates assets and owns a 70 percent stake.

According to bankers and energy analysts, in recent months, Chevron and Shell have raised the valuations placed on their Athabasca stakes. Mr Edwards is ready to wait and let those ESG headwinds fly, as active investors pressure energy companies headquartered in Europe and jurisdictions such as California to exit the oil sands, even if they get a haircut on the deal.

We have seen a steady stream of sophisticated, long-term institutional investors sell Canadian energy assets due to ESG awareness. In September, Caisse de dépôt et Placement du Québec said it would sell its oil production investments by the end of next year as part of its climate strategy.

In November, Heritage Royalty, a Calgary-based company owned by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, sold a 1.9-million-acre land package to PrairieSky Royalty Ltd. for $728-million. This is in contrast to the Ontario Teachers strategy six years ago, when Heritage Royalties paid $3.3 billion to acquire a 4.8 million-acre portfolio from Cenovus.

Institutional investors such as How and Educator have considerable influence in the boardroom. An energy company that needs an ESG-friendly approach to oil sands, such as the Pathway Alliance, or will face pressure to sell these assets.

The dynamic power is now evident in Alberta’s oil sands. On one side of the table, you have six cash-rich energy companies that pledge that they will work together and use science to tap longer life properties in environmentally responsible ways. On the other hand, global companies are increasing pressure to leave the sector.

For patient investors like Mr. Edwards and peers from Suncor, Imperial, Cenovus, MEG and ConocoPhillips, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow the oil sands.

Did monkeys really sail the oceans on floating rafts of vegetation?

The mystery of how some species colonised new continents is as old as the theory of evolution itself. Now, with fresh clues surfacing, the rafting hypothesis might finally sink or swim

LIFE 15 December 2021

By Graham Lawton

NEW SCIENTIST

Brett Ryder

IN DECEMBER 2016, Uwe Fritz at the Museum of Zoology in Dresden, Germany, was doing fieldwork in Colombia when something incredible crossed his path. While chugging across a vast expanse of wetland, he passed an enormous floating island complete with tall trees and a resident colony of howler monkeys. “Have you ever seen a howler monkey?” says Fritz. “They’re huge! But the trees were large enough so the monkeys can permanently live in them. They do not swim.” All told, the island covered an area about the size of two Olympic swimming pools.

Fritz later told a collaborator, Jason Ali at the University of Hong Kong. Ali’s jaw hit the floor. “For me, it was just a random observation,” says Fritz. “But he is the floating island guy. He has worked on them for years, but never seen one.”

Ali is one of the leading advocates of one of the most controversial ideas in evolutionary biology: that the presence of certain species in certain places can only be explained by long-distance maritime voyages. The hypothesis, essentially, is that animals were carried across the ocean on rafts of vegetation and started afresh on the other side.

The sheer unlikeliness – some would say preposterousness – of this idea has always been an obstacle to its acceptance, and the arguments for and against the rafting hypothesis have sloshed back and forth for 160-odd years. But now, with floating islands in Colombia and fresh clues from the sea floor, both sides are claiming to have evidence that could finally see the idea sink or swim.

The rafting hypothesis is as old as the …

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25233653-500-did-monkeys-really-sail-the-oceans-on-floating-rafts-of-vegetation/#ixzz7FX93JHhM

IN LIEU OF THE REST OF THE ARTICLE 

WHICH IS BEHIND PAYWALL

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Women executed 300 years ago as witches in Scotland set to receive pardons

Three centuries after repeal of Witchcraft Act thousands tried as witches could get official apologies

Maggie Wall memorial, Dunning, Scotland. A collection of stones, topped with a cross in honour of Wall, who was burned in 1657 as a witch. Photograph: Geoffrey Davies/Alamy

Caroline Davies
Sun 19 Dec 2021

From allegations of cursing the king’s ships, to shape-shifting into animals and birds, or dancing with the devil, a satanic panic in early modern Scotland meant that thousands of women were accused of witchcraft in the 16th-18th centuries with many executed.

Now, three centuries after the Witchcraft Act was repealed, campaigners are on course to win pardons and official apologies for the estimated 3,837 people – 84% of whom were women – tried as witches, of which two-thirds were executed and burned.

After a two-year campaign by the Witches of Scotland group, a member’s bill in the Scottish parliament has secured the support of Nicola Sturgeon’s administration to clear the names of those accused, the Sunday Times reported. The move follows a precedent by the Massachusetts House of Representatives in the US that proclaimed victims of the Salem witch trials innocent in 2001.

Scotland’s indefatigable pursuit of witches between 1563, when the Witchcraft Act was brought in, and 1736, when it was finally repealed, resulted in five “great Scottish witch-hunts” and a series of nationwide trials.


Why the witch-hunt victims of early modern Britain have come back to haunt us

The earliest witch-hunts were sanctioned by James VI of Scotland, later James I of England and Ireland, who believed witches plotted against his Danish bride by summoning up storms to sink his ships. Among those accused in 1590 was Geillis Duncan – whose character featured in the Outlander TV series – and who admitted under torture to meeting the devil to thwart the king’s ships.

Another, Agnes Sampson, had confessed that 200 women witnessed the devil preach at North Berwick on Halloween where the king’s destruction was plotted.

Other well-known cases include Lilias Adie, from Torryburn, Fife, who was accused of casting a spell to cause a neighbour’s hangover; while Issobell Young, executed at Edinburgh Castle in 1629, was said by a stable boy to have shape-shifted into an owl and accused of having a coven.

With witchcraft a capital crime, the convicted were usually strangled to death then burned at the stake so as to leave no body to bury. Many confessed under torture, which included sleep deprivation, the crushing and pulling out of fingernails, and pricking of the skin with needles and bodkins to see if the accused bled.

The Witches of Scotland website notes that signs associated with witchcraft – broomsticks, cauldrons, black cats and black pointed hats – were also associated with “alewives”, the name for women who brewed weak beer to combat poor water quality. The broomstick sign was to let people know beer was on sale, the cauldron to brew it, the cat to keep mice down, and the hat to distinguish them at market. Women were ousted from brewing and replaced by men once it became a profitable industry.

Claire Mitchell QC, who leads the Witches of Scotland campaign, said it was seeking pardons, apologies and a national monument to the mainly female victims of the witch-hunts. “Per capita, during the period between the 16th and 18th century, we [Scotland] executed five times as many people as elsewhere in Europe, the vast majority of them women,” she told the Sunday Times.

“To put that into perspective, in Salem 300 people were accused and 19 people were executed. We absolutely excelled at finding women to burn in Scotland. Those executed weren’t guilty, so they should be acquitted.”

 BC

Lheidli T’enneh chief welcomes regional district decision on natural gas project

Sustainable projects coming to Prince George region next year, Chief Dolleen Logan says

Arthur Williams
a day ago

Lheidli T'enneh Chief Dolleen Logan welcomed a decision on Thursday by the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George board to reject a proposal by West Coast Olefins.Hanna Petersen

The regional district’s decision to reject West Coast Olefin’s proposed natural gas liquids recovery plant in Pineview couldn’t come soon enough for Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dolleen Logan.
On Thursday, the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George board of directors voted against advancing the project to the B.C. Agricultural Land Commission for consideration of the non-farm use of agricultural land. The controversial project was proposed on a 12.9 hectare area, located between McRinny Road and Lund Road in the Pineview/Buckhorn area. The board postponed the decision to Thursday, after a pair of deadlocked votes during the board’s meeting in November.
“It should have been turned down the first time,” Logan said. “Hopefully it won’t pop up somewhere else in Prince George. I have no idea why it would take so long. If it was in our community, it wouldn’t have even gone to the board.”
The proposed project drew opposition from the Lheidli T’enneh and Pineview residents, who submitted numerous letters and a petition with more than 2,000 signatures in opposition to board directors.
Those concerned about the lost jobs and economic benefits the project would have brought shouldn’t worry, Logan said.
“Don’t worry, there are jobs coming. We’ll be making some announcements this summer,” Logan said.
Several companies are looking at projects in the Prince George area which will bring jobs and economic benefits to the entire community, while building a sustainable future, she said. Logan said the Lheidli T’enneh are “open for business” and want to work with companies that will bring benefits to their members and the entire community.
“Come to Lheidli T’enneh, our door is always open,” Logan said. “(But) I haven’t heard from (West Coast Olefins CEO) Ken James since he walked out that door and said, ‘I don’t need you people.’”
Logan said, going forward, she would like to see submissions for non-farm use in the Agricultural Land Reserve to come to the Lheidli T’enneh for approval first, before going on to the regional district board.
“It’s like we don’t have a voice. It goes the ALR, the Oil and Gas (Commission)…  You have to meet a lot of people, just to get you word across, and then you don’t have any say,” she said. “It’s been very stressful. This has been going on since 2019.”
In the meantime, the Lheidli T’enneh will continue to work with the regional district and City of Prince George on project, she said. This proposal strained the relationship between the Lheidli T’enneh and the city, she said, but in any relationship you won’t always agree all the time.
According to information released by West Coast Olefins, the proposed project would have recovered natural gas liquids - including propane, butane and natural gas condensates - from Enbridge’s Westcoast Energy Pipeline and returned cleaner-burning “lean natural gas” to the pipeline. A new pipeline would transport the natural gas liquids to a proposed separation plant in the Danson Industrial Park in Prince George to be separated and sold.
West Coast Olefins CEO Ken James had not replied to a request for comment as of Friday morning.
 

Nunavut's former deputy chief public health officer spills details on Iqaluit's water crisis

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‘I don't blame the public for not having full confidence in the tap water,’ says Dr. Anne Huang

CBC News · Posted: Dec 18, 2021 

Iqaluit residents collect water from the Sylvia Grinnell River in Nunavut on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, after the city issued a do not consume order for its tap water. A former Nunavut health official says residents deserve to know how those in charge handled the recent water crisis. (Emma Tranter/The Canadian Press)

Nunavut's former deputy chief public health officer says she flagged concerns to the City of Iqaluit about whether tests at the city's water facilities were done properly in early October when strange, fuel-like smells were coming from the taps.

In an interview with CBC News, Dr. Anne Huang, who is no longer in the role, said that "It definitely was challenging to receive information that first week." Initially, she said the city "had no idea who I was."

In the days that followed, her fears were realized when she found that initial water samples sent to an Ottawa lab had not been collected correctly. 

"I was worried because I didn't know how much that could impact the findings," Huang said from Regina.

• Iqaluit residents can drink tap water again, Nunavut's health department says

• City of Iqaluit says historical fuel spill likely source of drinking water contamination

She began her role as deputy chief public health officer in April. Working with the territory's chief public health officer on COVID-19, she was also responsible for environmental health. Her six-month contract with the territory wrapped up in late October.

Huang said she also asked if the city tested specifically for hydrocarbon contamination as she said she and her colleagues could detect a fuel smell from their taps, even as social media posts began to pop up saying the same thing. She said she wanted to rule out that the smell wasn't caused by petroleum hydrocarbons entering the drinking water system. 

By Oct. 12, the city of 8,000 people was under a do not consume order that lasted nearly two months. The city would eventually point to an underground fuel spill as the potential cause of the contamination.

Residents still wary of tap water

The do not consume order has since been lifted, but some residents are still wary of drinking the water.

Dr. Anne Huang, Nunavut’s former deputy chief public health officer, says she doesn't blame residents who still don't trust the city's water, even after the order was lifted. (Submitted by Dr. Anne Huang)

"I am not surprised and I don't blame the public for not having full confidence in the tap water despite the do not consume water having been lifted, because of some of the gaps in communications, I think, during the water crisis," Huang said. 

In an email statement to CBC News, City of Iqaluit spokesperson Aleksey Cameron wrote that testing for petroleum hydrocarbons is not part of the federal or territorial testing requirements, and therefore was not part of the city's water testing regime.

As a result, she said, the city did not have the correct bottles to test for hydrocarbon contamination.

"The lab was called and they advised staff to use the bottles on hand to rush the samples and they would send the correct bottles," Cameron wrote.

"The time it takes to send samples to a southern lab and receive results is usually five days," she wrote.

"This was one of the challenges that was faced during the early stages of the investigation."

Huang urged caution in communicating initial results

Huang said she told both the city and Nunavut's health department to emphasize the initial test results were preliminary, rather than more conclusive.

On Oct. 10 the City of Iqaluit issued a release asking residents to report any odours from their taps and said that no water quality advisory was being issued at that time. "Drinking water testing to date [is] satisfactory."

Two days later, Nunavut's health department issued the do not consume order.

"Previous test results found that the risk of contamination at the time was low and that the water was safe to drink," the order read. 

• Fuel smell drove health official out of Iqaluit water treatment plant 4 days before public was notified

• Fuel smell in Iqaluit water treatment plant on Oct. 8 was from repair work, officials say

Despite the initial communication challenges, Huang said there was a good information flow from the city in the days that followed. 

But she said the public deserves to know how those in charge handled the situation.

She also said it's important to keep in mind that the city used to be home to an old American air force base and, as a result, is at a higher risk of future fuel contamination.

"I do think a full transparency will be critical to regain the confidence of the public in this critical infrastructure," she said.

Hundreds of residents line up to collect bottled water on Oct. 15, just a few days into the crisis that would last nearly two months. (Casey Lessard/Reuters)

Huang also suggested the city should make data from its new water monitors publicly available in real-time to help alleviate concerns about drinking water quality — something the city has promised to do on a weekly basis.

"I think more clear and frequent communication would have been helpful and will be helpful going forward. That's how trust is built," Huang said.

• Hazardous material from 1960s finally getting cleaned up near Sylvia Grinnell park in Iqaluit

The installation of a second monitoring station to monitor raw water from Lake Geraldine, the lake the city draws its drinking water from, is also expected to be completed by the end of the week, according to the city's spokesperson.

In a Tuesday release, the city also said that since Oct. 23, all sampling undertaken for petroleum hydrocarbons have shown the water is safe to drink. Residents who still experience any unusual odours or smells can contact the city's water hotline at 867-979-5603.

"Residents may still notice occasional odours in their tap water as a result of trapped vapours in the system. These will dissipate over time," the release said.

Written by John Van Dusen with files from Cindy Alorut, Meagan Deuling