It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Ontario students push teachers to pressure pension fund to divest from fossil fuels
By The Canadian Press
Thu., Jan. 7, 2021
TORONTO - An environmental coalition is appealing to Ontario teachers to pressure their pension fund to divest from companies that develop or transport fossil fuel products.
In a four minute YouTube video, a group of students from across Ontario read a letter to their teachers, asking them to push the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan to stop investing their retirement savings in oil, gas, coal, and pipeline companies.
The coalition — which consists of activist groups Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health, Fridays for Future Toronto and a group of working and retired Ontario teachers — demands that Teachers’ halt all new investments in oil and gas and phase out current investments the industry by 2025, set targets for increased investments in profitable climate solutions; and invest in infrastructure and companies that help build a zero-carbon economy.
In the video, Grade 11 student Aliya Hirji urges teachers to “step up and take action now” and “stop investing your money in climate failure.”
A Teachers’ spokesman said in an email that climate change is a top priority for the organization and that its work on the subject is ongoing and vital to the sustainability of the pension plan.
The video is similar to one released by a U.S. environmental group in late 2019. In that campaign, residents of Boulder, Colo., asked Canadians to pressure CPP Investments, which manages billions of dollars for the Canada Pension Plan, to stop investing in Crestone Peak Resources, which they accused of polluting their air and water.
The campaign comes amid growing pressure on pension funds and other institutional investors to divest from fossil fuels and allocate funds into low or zero carbon energy products. In early 2020, Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, announced it would stop investing in Calgary-based Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Cenovus Energy Inc., Suncor Energy Inc. and Imperial Oil Ltd. after concluding they produce unacceptable levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
“We have taken significant steps to address climate change by investing in climate-friendly opportunities, working to make the companies we invest in greener and more resilient, and advocating for industry change,“ said the Teachers’ spokesman.
With $207.4 billion in assets under management, Teachers’ is the third-largest pension fund in Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2021.
Companies in this story: (TSX:CVE, TSX:SU, TSX:IMO, TSX:CNQ).
TRUDEAU GREEN NEW DEAL; NUKE CANADA
10/3 podcast: Why Canada is betting on nuclear to get to net-zero carbon
Author of the article: Dave Breakenridge
Publishing date: Jan 07, 2021 •
Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan speaks
to media during the Liberal Cabinet retreat in Winnipeg on Jan. 20, 2020.
LISTEN Why Canada is betting on nuclear to get to net-zero carbon https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/force-cdn/highwinds/ten-three/2021_01_06_10-3_geoff-morgan_Mixdown_1.mp3
Prime minister Justin Trudeau has set the lofty goal of Canada being net-zero for carbon emissions for 2050.
And as part of that strategy, the country has bet on nuclear power to help get us there.
Financial Post energy reporter Geoffrey Morgan joins Dave to talk about why the government is looking at nuclear power, what communities could eventually see mini-reactors at use, and why some are opposed to the technology.
Australian scientists and entrepreneurs have begun rolling out a commercial solution to a major source of greenhouse gases with a seaweed feed to block gassy livestock burps, and promising results offering more than a whiff of global potential.
Two Australian companies, CH4 Global and Sea Forest, are kicking off world-first commercial trials with major dairy and beef companies of a feed supplement they say can enable the livestock to become carbon neutral.
Livestock production currently generates around 10 per cent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.
CREDIT:JUSTIN MCMANUS
They are using intellectual property licensed to FutureFeed, CSIRO's commercial venture, for a feed additive made from the native asparagopsis seaweed species, which reduces livestock emissions by more than 80 per cent.
As steady rain hits much of Australia's drought-hit pastoral lands, graziers are switching their focus from selling for slaughter to breeding, kicking off the long process of rebuilding the nation's livestock herds from their lowest numbers in decades.
But more cows and sheep mean more greenhouse gas. Their gassy burps are loaded with methane, generated by their digestion process that involves microorganisms including methanogens, which produce methane as a byproduct.
CSIRO scientist and Future Feed director Michael Battaglia explained that the asparagopsis has a "chemical that disrupts the last step in the breakdown process by the methanogens and stops them producing methane".
General manager of rural think tank the Australia Farm Institute Katie McRobert said livestock producers' commitment to climate action is driven by consumer expectations and powerful market forces.
"They recognise the leverage this offers in trade negotiations, market access and access to competitive finance and insurance," Ms McRobert said. "Moves by significant agrifood corporate players are unambiguous market signals that Australian agriculture needs to be on the front foot when it comes to sustainability."
The asparagopsis seaweed being grown on converted mussel leases at Triabunna, Tasmania
Sea Forest is growing asparagopsis seaweed, a cold water species, on converted mussel farm leases at Triabunna, Tasmania.
The company is selling its feed additive to dairy giant Fonterra for a trial on 2000 dairy cows, Sea Forest chief executive Sam Elsom said.
"We are also engaged with or have spoken to virtually every major producer in the country," Mr Elsom said. "The interest in using the supplement and tackling climate change is enormous."
CH4 Global on South Australia's York Peninsula grows seaweed on both land-based facilities and offshore leases. It has an agreement in place with a South Australian abattoir and is supplying trials with sheep and dairy producers in Australia and New Zealand.
"It's not far-fetched stuff now, it's off the shelf technology," CH4 Global chief executive Adam Main said. "There's no downside to it, or impacts on other species. The seaweed creates fish habitat and improves water quality by filtering nutrients and run-off into the ocean."
Dr Battaglia said sales of the seaweed feed had begun in intensive livestock industries like feedlots at abattoirs and dairies, where livestock can be fed the supplement regularly, and techniques to feed free-ranging cattle was under investigation.
In Australia about 23 million head graze on rangelands, about 1.5 million in feedlots and 2 million in dairies.
Mike Foleyis the climate and energy correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
AUSTRALIA
Black Summer bushfires made worse by climate change, risk to 'rapidly intensify'
Last year's Black Summer bushfires were made worse by climate change, and future risks will likely rapidly intensify for south-eastern Australia without significant efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, researchers say.
The review paper, published Thursday in the Communications Earth & Environment journal, found the warming climate contributed to elevating the threat, from drying out fuel loads to worsening bushfire weather.
The risk of bushfires will intensify faster than expected, researchers say.
CREDIT:NICK MOIR
"There are multiple ways where the effects of climate change are acting to increase fire risks," said Nerilie Abrams, a climate scientist at Australian National University and lead author of the paper. "What you expect to see is not just a gradual increase...but a very rapid intensification of fire risks."
In particular, the projected continued reduction in winter and spring rainfall was likely to pre-condition south-eastern Australia, particularly in Victoria, to forest fire. Advertisement
Increased forest dieback in response to heat stress and the reduction in cool-season rainfall would add to the risks, the paper said.
Fire weather could also worsen, with "some evidence that these extreme front events [that draw heat from inland Australia to the coast] will become more frequent in southern Australia", the report said.
Similarly, the number of days favouring extreme pyrocumulonimbus clouds – fire-induced storm cells –forming over firegrounds are also projected to have "significant increases" under a high greenhouse gas emissions future.
During the satellite era up to 2019, 60 such fire-induced weather events were recorded or suspected in Australia, the researchers found. During the 2019-20 fire season, at least 29 such events occurred including at least 18 in a single week.
While communities can make some changes to adapt to the rising fire risks, they should also address what is driving the increase, specifically the rising greenhouse gas emissions, scientists said.
CREDIT:ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN
The week-long flurry had "previously undocumented impacts on winds and chemical composition into the stratosphere, and a planetary-scale radiative forcing effect equivalent to a moderate volcanic eruption", the paper found.
Driving the increased fire risk was how the warming climate was forecast to alter natural climate variability, such as increasing the likelihood of extreme El Nino events and positive phases of the so-called Indian Ocean Dipole that typically reduce rainfall in south-eastern Australia.
"[T]he potential exists for more frequent years with extreme hot and dry conditions in southeast Australia, beyond that expected from mean temperature and rainfall trends alone," the research found. "If this potential is realised, fuels in south-east Australia will be dry from winter to summer more often, and dangerous fire weather during fire seasons will occur more frequently.
Professor Abrams said that, while communities can seek to add adapt to the rising bushfire risks, it was important that governments examined why they were increasing and how they might be limited.
“We don’t expect every summer to be like 2019-2020 – and this La Niña year is a good example of that," she said.
‘‘However, ... if we can bring ourselves onto a low greenhouse gas emission pathway, these projected climate changes won’t be as extreme and will be easier to adapt to than if we were on a high-emissions pathway’’.
'Just think of the carnage had they not been white':
CAPTAIN AMERICAresponds to MAGA carnage
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay: 'The language of white supremacy is a language of cowardice disguised as dominance.'
A number of celebrities took to social media after supporters of President Donald Trump violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to protest his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden, leading to the death of one woman and politicians scrambling to safety.
Amid Wednesday's events, authorities lost control as rioters entered the Capitol building vandalizing and trespassing, with some of the MAGA mob making it in to Nancy Pelosi's office. Four people died in the chaos.
Leading the messages was Captain America actor Chris Evans, who penned: 'I'm speechless. Just think of the carnage had they not been white. So many people enabled this.'
Along with Chris, many others questioned the effectiveness of authorities on hand, stating that the response would have been significantly different if the rioters were black.
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay shared a clip from the day's events, writing: 'The language of white supremacy is a language of cowardice disguised as dominance.' speechless,' said Captain America actor Chris Evans. 'Just think of the carnage had they not been white. So many people enabled this'. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay shared a clip from the day's events, writing: 'The language of white supremacy is a language of cowardice disguised as dominance'
A number of celebrities took to social media after supporters of President Donald Trump violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to protest his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden, leading to the death of one woman and politicians scrambling to safety.
A number of celebrities took to social media on Wednesday while supporters of President Donald Trump violently stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving many injured and four people dead
Ava DuVernay, Chris Evans, Bette Midler and Armie Hammer led stars taking to Twitter to speak out
Trump's Twitter account was suspended after a number of his tweets did little to quell the violence
A host of stars mused over how the incident response would have differed if the rioters were black
Celebrities urged politicians to invoke the 25th amendment - which legislates for the Vice President to take control if the Commander-in-Chief is 'unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office' - and end the former Apprentice star's term two weeks earlier than planned
Trump officials are resigning over the US Capitol siege
Following the storming of the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob on Wednesday, several top White House officials have resigned, with others reportedly considering whether or not to step down.
The extraordinary events, which left one person dead, led to reports that some senior administration officials were discussing the use of the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from power or resigning themselves.
By Thursday morning, it appeared some of the senior officials who were rumored to be considering resigning, such as National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, will instead serve out the last two weeks of Trump’s term. O’Brien was reportedly persuaded by some of his colleagues to remain in his post.
While there is still a lot of uncertainty about how widespread any resignations will be, the White House has seen several staff members step down already: Matt Pottinger, deputy national security adviser Stephanie Grisham, chief of staff to first lady Melania Trump Sarah Matthews, deputy press secretary Rickie Niceta, White House social secretary Mick Mulvaney, special envoy to Northern Ireland and former White House chief of staff Ryan Tully, senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council John Costello, deputy assistant secretary of commerce Elaine Chao, Transportation secretary and wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
“As someone who worked in the halls of Congress I was deeply disturbed by what I saw today,” Matthews said in a statement. “I’ll be stepping down from my role, effective immediately. Our nation needs a peaceful transfer of power.”
The president’s incitement of the riot also drew a rebuke from Congress, where the House and Senate reconvened to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the 2020 election, and Democrats began openly discussing impeachment and the 25th Amendment. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said on the Senate floor: “What happened today was an insurrection incited by the president of the United States.”
Early Thursday morning, two months after Election Day and the day after blood had been spilled at the US Capitol, Trump appeared to commit to an orderly transition to the Biden administration.
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” the president said in a statement.
Republicans who objected to the Electoral College helped inspire the Capitol insurrection.
Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to disrupt the certification of the presidential election.
The rioters were pushed to act by Trump and his Republican enablers, who led them to believe that the election was stolen from them.
The members of Congress who objected to the Electoral College and inspired the mob should be removed from office.
If Republicans don't face consequences for this, we'll doom future generations to the same fate.
This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
Years of lies, accusations, and delusion have culminated in what can only be described as an American tragedy. While Congress worked to certify the results of President-elect Joe Biden's election victory, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to disrupt the process.
They broke windows, ransacked offices, and even had a standoff with armed security. One woman was shot and killed. Potential explosive devices were found by police. It was the most significant breach of the Capitol building since the British did so during the War of 1812.
The rioters deserve to be charged for their crimes, but they didn't act alone. President Donald Trump and Republican members of the House and Senate have been fanning the flames of insurrection for months. If they don't face legitimate consequences for their actions, we'll risk normalizing treasonous behavior for future generations. A broken oath
Section 3 of the 14th amendment to the US Constitution states that no elected official "shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against [the Constitution]." Make no mistake: Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Josh Hawley, and many others helped incite this insurrection by following Trump's lead in objecting to the results of the election. They supported the idea that the election was stolen from Trump, despite having no evidence, and invigorated his base in doing so.
By seeking to overturn the election in their official capacity, they gave congressional legitimacy to a cause that has been known to excite Trump's supporters. They are complicit in the violence that occurred today in DC, and as lawyers and Harvard Law school lecturer Deepak Gupta tweeted these actions could very well amount to a violation of the 14th amendment.
Some Republican leaders knew well how dangerous this objection ploy could be. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Ben Sasse called for Republicans to drop the challenge, but it didn't work.
GOP Rep. Paul Gosar officially objected to the election results during the certification process. He received a standing ovation on the floor from his fellow Republicans and - since every objection from a House member needs to be supported by a senator - was followed by Ted Cruz.
Cruz has supported Trump's lies on election fraud for months. In the Senate, he delivered a speech objecting to Biden's win, saying "For those who respect the voters, simply telling the voters, go jump in a lake, the fact that you have deep concerns is of no moment to us...that jeopardizes...the legitimacy of this and subsequent elections." Cruz chose to obfuscate the process of democracy, knowing that the move would encourage Trump supporters - many of whom had gathered near the Capitol.
Shortly before the meeting of Congress, Hawley was photographed waving to the Trump supporters who showed up at the Capitol. Those supporters were encouraged to be there by Trump himself.
The certification process was interrupted by the rioters who breached the Capitol building, but at least 140 Republicans planned to object to the results, actively lying to their constituents about election fraud, causing them to march on the Capitol and engage in violence.
In response to former Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke's accusation of sedition, Cruz tweeted that "violence is wrong." Hawley tweeted "the violence must end." But these messages are too little, too late.
And while the senators at least tried to condemn the violence they helped stoke, Trump romanticized the rioters' cause, tweeting: "These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long."
Regardless of their reactions, the damage is done. Every single representative and senator who objected to results should face justice. By objecting, they legitimized unfounded claims of election fraud, inspiring Trump's supporters to react. By violating the 14th amendment, they broke their oath of office and deserve expulsion. Trump is also a walking threat of violence at this point and should be impeached.
Already, freshman Democratic Rep. Cori Bush said she plans to introduce a bill to remove the House members who objected to the Electoral College for helping to inspire the riot. This should be taken seriously and a similar move should be taken in the Senate.
We've tolerated the bombastic behavior of Trump and his enablers for far too long. If they don't face justice for an act as egregious as insurrection, we'll give this behavior credibility and doom future Americans to the same fate.
Read the original article on Business Insiderlers for far too long. If they don't face justice for an act as egregious as insurrection, we'll give this behavior credibility and doom future Americans to the same fate.
WHO H. Gilbert Welch MD, MPH, Senior Investigator, Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital; co-author of a new Sounding Board article published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
WHAT Melanoma of the skin is now the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. Diagnoses of melanoma are six times as high today as they were 40 years ago. While incidence of melanoma has been rising steeply, melanoma mortality has been generally stable. In a Sounding Board article, Welch and colleagues present evidence for why they believe that increased diagnostic scrutiny is the primary driver of the rapid rise in melanoma diagnoses.
"Melanoma is now the posterchild for overdiagnosis," said Welch. "Although the conventional response has been to recommend regular skin checks, it is far more likely that more skin checks are the cause of the epidemic -- not its solution."
Among many examples, Welch and co-authors describe a study in which nine dermatopathologists reviewed skin-biopsy specimens used for diagnosis 20 years earlier. Many of the specimens previously diagnosed as benign were now diagnosed as melanoma. Welch and co-authors also share data showing that among the Medicare population, the proportion of beneficiaries biopsied increased every year from 2004 to 2017, nearly doubling over that time. Over the same period, the incidence of melanoma in adults 65 and older also doubled.
The authors point out that there are many potential harms in over-diagnosing melanoma, from the immediate -- scarring, wound infection, out-of-pocket costs -- to longer term effects such as impeding access to care for people with symptomatic skin diseases.
"Despite the best of intentions by all parties, increased diagnostic scrutiny can produce a cycle of increasing overdiagnosis and intervention in any disease with a reservoir of subclinical forms. Melanoma is no exception," the authors write. "The economic disruption caused by Covid-19 obliges clinicians to protect people from the financial stress of needlessly being turned into a patient."
###
New review says the ineffective 'learning styles' theory persists in education
A new review by Swansea University reveals there is widespread belief, around the world, in a teaching method that is not only ineffective but may actually be harmful to learners
IMAGE: NEW RESEARCH BY SWANSEA UNIVERSITY IS CALLING FOR A MORE EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH TO TEACHER-TRAINING. view more
CREDIT: PEXELS
A new review by Swansea University reveals there is widespread belief, around the world, in a teaching method that is not only ineffective but may actually be harmful to learners.
For decades educators have been advised to match their teaching to the supposed 'learning styles' of students. There are more than 70 different classification systems, but the most well-known (VARK) sees individuals being categorised as visual, auditory, read-write or kinesthetic learners.
However, a new paper by Professor Phil Newton, of Swansea University Medical School, highlights that this ineffective approach is still believed by teachers and calls for a more evidence-based approach to teacher-training.
He explained that various reviews, carried out since the mid-2000s, have concluded there is no evidence to support the idea that matching instructional methods to the supposed learning style of a student does improve learning.
Professor Newton said: "This apparent widespread belief in an ineffective teaching method that is also potentially harmful has caused concern among the education community."
His review, carried out with Swansea University student Atharva Salvi, found a substantial majority of educators, almost 90 per cent, from samples all over the world in all types of education, reported that they believe in the efficacy of learning styles
But the study points out that a learner could be a risk of being pigeonholed and consequently lose their motivation as a result.
He said: "For example, a student categorized as an auditory learner may end up thinking there is no point in pursuing studies in visual subjects such as art, or written subjects like journalism and then be demotivated during those classes.."
An additional concern is the creation of unwarranted and unrealistic expectations among educators.
Professor Newton said: "If students do not achieve the academic grades they expect, or do not enjoy their learning; if students are not taught in a way that matches their supposed learning style, then they may attribute these negative experiences to a lack of matching and be further demotivated for future study."
He added: "Spending time trying to match a student to a learning style could be a waste of valuable time and resources."
The paper points out that there are many other teaching methods which demonstrably promote learning and are simple and easy to learn, such as use of practice tests, or the spacing of instruction, and it would be better to focus on promoting them instead.
In the paper, published in journal Frontiers in Education the researchers detail how they conducted a review of relevant studies to see if the data does suggest there is confusion.
They found 89.1 per cent of 15,045 educators believed that individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style.
He said: "Perhaps the most concerning finding is that there is no evidence that this belief is decreasing."
Professor Newton suggests history is repeating itself: "If educators are themselves screened using learning styles instruments as students then it seems reasonable that they would then enter teacher-training with a view that the use of learning styles is a good thing, and so the cycle of belief would be self-perpetuating."
The study concludes that belief in matching instruction to learning styles is remains high.
He said: "There is no sign that this is declining, despite many years of work, in the academic literature and popular press, highlighting this lack of evidence.
However, he also cautioned against over-reaction to the data, much of which was derived from studies where it may not be clear that educators were asked about specific learning styles instruments, rather than individual preferences for learning or other interpretations of the theory.
"To understand this fully, future work should focus on the objective behaviour of educators. How many of us actually match instruction to the individual learning styles of students, and what are the consequences when we do? Should we instead focus on promoting effective approaches rather than debunking myths?"
First global study shows unevenurbanization among large cities
in the last two decades
HKU Engineering scholar reveals in first global study hugely uneven urbanization among large cities in the last two decades
IMAGE: DISTRIBUTION OF LARGE CITIES IN THE WORLD WITH GREENING BUILT-UP AREA (BUA), AND GREENING BUILT-UP AREAS IN YANGTZE RIVER DELTA (YRD) CITY CLUSTER view more
CREDIT: THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
The world has experienced dramatic urbanization in recent decades. According to the latest report from the United Nations (UN), the global population in 2018 was 7.6 billion and the urban population was 4.2 billion. By 2050, the global population is expected to soar to 9.7 billion, with 68% of the population living in urban areas. (Note 1)
In the first-ever study on the characteristics of urbanization in large cities around the world, researchers at the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) analyzed cities' urban built-up areas (BUAs) expansion, population growth and greening BUA changes, and revealed a hugely uneven pace of urbanization in those cities in the last two decades. They warn against major challenges posed to sustainable development if the urban problems are not dealt with in a timely manner. The findings have been published in Nature Communication.
The study, conducted by Professor CHEN Ji at the Civil Engineering Department of the Faculty of Engineering, HKU, in collaboration with the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen, analysed the development of 841 large cities throughout the world with BUAs of over 100 km2 (Note 2) based on MODIS satellite data from 2001 to 2018 obtained under the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme.
Breakdown of the 841 large cities by country income-levels
353 cities (42.0%) from high-income countries (e.g. New York in US, Tokyo in Japan)
340 cities (40.4%) from upper-middle-income countries (e.g. Pearl River Delta (PRD) and Beijing in China, Sao Paulo in Brazil)
127 cities (15.1%) from lower-middle-income countries (e.g. New Delhi in India, Cairo in Egypt, Lagos in Nigeria)
21 cities (2.5%) from low-income countries (e.g. Kathmandu in Nepal, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania)
The findings revealed unevenness between built-up areas expansion (BUAE), which reflects the pace of infrastructure development, and urban population growth among the cities; and a widening gap between rapid urban population growth and slow urban greening, represented by features including new parks, green spaces and green roofs.
Cities in the upper-middle-income countries demonstrated the highest BUA expansion, which was more than three times that of high-income countries. Urban expansion and urban population growth in high-income countries remained the lowest. Cities in the low-income and lower-middle-income countries had the highest urban population growth on average, but were substantially lagging behind in BUA expansion and infrastructure development, resulting in serious urban problems such as slums and crowding.
CAPTION
Greening built-up areas in Pearl River Delta (PRD) and Yangtze River Delta (YRD) city clusters
CREDIT
The University of Hong Kong
The findings also revealed rapid urbanization of large cities in China in the last two decades. The country had undergone the biggest urban expansion in the period, between 2001 and 2018, its BUA increase accounted for 47.5% of the total expansion in the world. In 2018, the country has 19% of the total BUA of large cities in the world.
"Due to the rapid economic growth in the study period, China invested a large amount of resources into infrastructure construction for advancing the urban living environment. Its progress in greening has been impressive, benefitting at least 108 million city dwellers, accounting for 32% of the total greening at BUAs in the large cities over the world." Professor Chen said.
Of the 841 cities studied, 325 showed significant greening with more than 10% of greening BUAs. Among them 101 are located in China. The largest greening BUAs are Pearl River Delta (PRD)(Note 3), Tokyo, Yangtze River Delta (YRD, Note 4), Miami, Beijing, Chicago, Seoul, Tianjin, Sao Paulo, and Osaka. In 2018, cities in the highest quarter of greenness range accommodated only 12% of the total city population; about 69% of the total population lived in areas with a lower greenness.
"China will reach carbon emission peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, and large cities with a significant greening trend play an important role in neutralizing carbon emission and mitigating the impact of global climate change in urban areas. For the majority of the developing countries, understanding the uneven urbanization in the past decades can provide scientific references for urban management, helping to strike a balance between urbanization, population growth and environmental changes." Professor Chen said.
"Our research provides a low-cost method for monitoring sustainable urban development globally, and the quantitative findings contribute to a better understanding of how to achieve rational urbanization and sustainable development in various cities. The findings also serve as a warning that continuing and rapid urban development without proper and long-term planning can be detrimental and the urgent need is to strengthen urban planning and governance, especially in developing and least developed countries." Professor Chen added.
CAPTION
Professor CHEN Ji, Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, HKU
CREDIT
The University of Hong Kong
Note 1: United Nations. World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision online edn (United Nations, 2018).
Note 2: For reference, Hong Kong Island has an area of 78.64 km2 Note 3: Pearl River Delta (PRD) is taken as a 'mega' city in the study comprising a cluster of cities including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Foshan and Zhongshan Note 4: Yangtze River Delta includes cities of Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou
IMAGE: A. OSTCP19-H IS SIGNIFICANT CORRELATED WITH SOIL NITROGEN CONTENT. B-F. OSTCP19-H SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES GRAIN YIELD AND NUE UNDER LN AND MN CONDITIONS. view more
CREDIT: IGDB
Chinese scientists from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have found a gene that plays an important role in helping rice adapt to low soil nitrogen.
Nitrogen fertilizer application is a strategic challenge for sustainable agriculture: On the one hand, it plays an indispensable role in increasing crop yields, thus ensuring global food security. On the other hand, it creates a severe threat to ecosystems. For this reason, breeding new crop varieties with high nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is a high priority for both agricultural production and environmental protection.
Using a diversified rice population derived from different ecogeographical regions, the scientists carefully evaluated how various agronomic traits responded to nitrogen in fields with different nitrogen supply conditions. They further performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Surprisingly, only one very significant GWAS signal was identified. The detail mechanisms how OsTCP19 works in regulating rice tillering were also characterized.
More interestingly, by analyzing global soil nitrogen content data, the researchers found a strong correlation between the allelic variation of OsTCP19 and global soil nitrogen-content distribution. OsTCP19-H, the high NUE allele, was highly preserved in rice types grown in nitrogen-poor regions, but has been lost in rice types grown in nitrogen-rich regions.
Notably, OsTCP19-H is also highly prevalent in wild rice--the ancestor of modern cultivated rice--which was grown in natural soil without artificial fertilizer input. As modern rice cultivars are mainly grown with a bountiful nitrogen supply, OsTCP19-H has thus largely been lost. Therefore, breeding high-yield crops with decreased nitrogen input can be realized by bringing OsTCP19-H back to modern cultivars.
Indeed, OsTCP19-H introgression into modern cultivars can improve nitrogen use efficiency 20-30% under conditions of decreased nitrogen supply. For this reason, modern cultivated rice may be greatly improved by bringing the lost allele back through the use of poor-soil landraces that largely preserve the valuable genes of wild rice.
"This is truly groundbreaking. It will have implications not only for the basic understanding of how plants/rice works, but also has enormous implications for reducing fertilizer use," said Prof. Dale Sanders, director of the John Innes Centre in the UK.
The findings represent an important breakthrough in plant nutrition research and high NUE breeding and will greatly benefit sustainable agriculture. The work not only offers novel insights about the genetic basis for the geographic adaption of cultivated rice to soil fertility, but also gives a hint about efficiently dissecting other complex traits.
###
The work, entitled "Genomic basis of geographic adaptation to soil nitrogen in rice," was published in Nature on Jan. 6, 2021. It was fund
