Cracking The Future: How Pistachios Can Power Morocco’s Green Growth – OpEd

Pistachios growing in Morocco. Photo Credit: High Atlas Foundation

 October 5, 2025  

By Manuela Garcia Gutierrez

Pistachios have been part of the human diet since prehistoric times, valued not only for their taste but also for their nutritional and potential disease-management properties. Native to the Middle East, the pistachio tree is among the oldest flowering nut trees, with archeological evidence of human consumption dating back to 7,000 B.C. in Turkey.

Over centuries, pistachios spread across the Mediterranean, where they became a prized delicacy for royalty, travelers, and commoners alike. Their resilience in hot, arid climates allowed pistachios to flourish across empires, making them both a cultural symbol of abundance and a practical source of lightweight, nutrient-dense energy for explorers and traders.

Nowadays, the pistachio tree, long celebrated for its flavorful and nutrient-rich nuts, offers far more than a healthy addition to the diet. In Morocco, it holds promising potential as a sustainable crop, with successful early initiatives showing its economic viability in semi-arid regions. Beyond contributing to rural livelihoods, pistachio trees support biodiversity and land restoration, making them valuable in the fight against desertification. 

Globally, rising demand and fluctuating prices highlight the opportunity for Morocco to position itself in this growing market, particularly through value-added avenues such as pistachio oil, processing for roasted and packaged products, and even innovative uses for shells in composting, biofuel, or artisanal crafts. Together, these dimensions reveal the pistachio’s importance not only as food but as a pathway to health, economic growth, and environmental resilience.

Pistachios as a Drought-Resistant Crop

The pistachio nut is one of the most drought resistant amongst nut trees. Actually, its largest cultivation area is located in Iran, a country characterized by semi-arid and arid land, low rainfall, deficiency of fresh water, soil salinization, dust storms, and extreme heat and desertification.

Unlike many fruit trees, pistachio trees can flourish in these harsh growing conditions, making them an extremely promising crop in similar drought-prone environments such as Morocco. Besides, as close relatives of Morocco’s native Pistacia species, they can help stabilize soils, prevent erosion, and create habitats that sustain local biodiversity. In regions vulnerable to desertification, integrating pistachios into agroforestry systems could strengthen ecological stability while providing smallholders with a high-value product.

Nutritional Benefits: A Superfood for Modern Health 

Additionally, consuming pistachios brings multiple nutritional benefits, which has made it a globally-celebrated snack for both its flavor and role in building healthy diets. Packed with unsaturated fatty acids, protein, fiber, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin K, pistachios are far more than just a tasty snack. Clinical studies have shown that including pistachios in the diet can support cardiovascular health and improve blood lipid profiles by lowering total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides, while strengthening cholesterol ratios. Their low glycemic index makes them especially valuable for moderating blood sugar levels and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. 

At the same time, their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds help protect blood vessels and reduce stress, further strengthening heart health. Pistachios stand out even for weight control: their combination of satiating protein and fiber, and the natural “mindful eating” effect of shelling them has been linked to healthier weight management. Together, these qualities highlight pistachios as a nutrient-dense, functional food with wide-ranging benefits for long-term health.

Economic Potential in Morocco

In economic terms, pistachios represent an important prospect for Morocco. The country’s semi-arid climate, long tradition with drought-tolerant crops such as olives, carob, and argan, and existing networks of cooperatives and NGOs provide a solid foundation for exploring pistachio cultivation. While commercial orchards take years to reach maturity, requiring upfront investment and patience, the long-term profitability is promising, particularly given the global rise in pistachio demand and the potential for value-added processing. Morocco could follow the path of successful pilots elsewhere by carefully selecting cultivars suited to its climatic zones, using efficient irrigation systems, and embedding pistachios within mixed agroforestry models that support both livelihoods and ecological resilience. 

Pistachio prices have risen in recent years, reflecting strong demand and supply volatility caused by climatic stress in major producing countries like Iran and the United States, which are responsible for more than 70% of the global pistachio production. While prices fluctuate, this volatility suggests that new producers can find profitable niches, especially if they diversify into processing and branding rather than exporting raw nuts alone. Processing is particularly critical. Hulling, drying, roasting, packaging, and flavoring dramatically increase pistachio value while generating employment. 

Pistachio oil, meanwhile, offers a premium product with strong appeal in both gourmet food and natural cosmetics, mirroring Morocco’s success with argan oil. With the right quality controls and branding, Moroccan pistachio oil could become a niche export with significant added value. Even the by-products have potential: pistachio shells can be composted, used as mulch, converted into biomass, or repurposed in artisanal crafts, supporting a low-waste, circular economy.

Building on these opportunities, pistachio by-products also open possibilities beyond food and cosmetics, extending into Morocco’s growing construction sector. In Morocco, more than 30% of total energy consumption comes from the construction and building sector, which is consistently growing. Hence, increasing energy efficiency in the industry has become an important concern for the country. 

While conventional clay bricks have been widely used for centuries in Morocco, they do not always provide adequate thermal comfort in colder regions. This is where the pistachio tree comes in, as its recycled shell waste can be used for bioclimatic reinforcement of traditional clay bricks. Pistachio shells, often discarded in landfills, can instead become a sustainable material that improves insulation, reduces energy consumption in households, and lowers carbon emissions. By aligning agricultural by-products with eco-friendly construction innovations, Morocco could position pistachios not only as a profitable agricultural crop but also as a driver of green development and circular economy practices.

Conclusion: Cracking Open Opportunity

From their ancient origins in the Middle East to their modern reputation as both a superfood and a sustainable crop, pistachios illustrate the remarkable ways a single tree can bridge history, health, economy, and ecology. For Morocco, pistachios embody an opportunity to diversify agriculture, strengthen rural livelihoods, and restore fragile landscapes threatened by desertification. Their nutritional richness makes them allies in combating widespread diseases, while their economic potential —spanning oil, processed snacks, artisanal crafts, and even green building materials— positions them as a driver of innovation across sectors. With thoughtful investment, quality control, and sustainable practices, Morocco can transform pistachios into more than a crop; it can turn them into a symbol of health, green growth, and resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Manuela Garcia Gutierrez is a student at the University of Toronto, 

currently volunteering with the High Atlas Foundation in Marrakech, Morocco.

 

De-Greed The Human Mind To Reverse Climate Change – OpEd

 October 5, 2025  

By Sudhansu R Das

If the economic growth and development are going in the right direction why is there climate change?  Climate change happens due to the imbalance in nature and the imbalance in nature happens due to the unsustainable economic activities which lead to more natural calamities of higher intensity; it destroys human lives and properties on an unprecedented scale.

The intensity and frequency of the climate-related natural disasters have increased in the last two decades. Those calamities killed approximately 40,000 to 60,000 people annually on average over the last few decades.  Unsustainable development is one of the main reasons for the loss of life. The point is If the present economic growth is unsustainable why is it not corrected?  Whether the world leaders lack the courage and conviction to correct the wrong?  Are they waiting for the total destruction of this beautiful planet which will ultimately bury their dream of becoming rich and powerful?  

According to most of the religions in the world, nature is like a mother which protects her children. When the children grow up to control nature, it bleeds in pain and loses her balance. Climate change happens. The human should understand that in spite of his scientific, military and economic prowess, he is like a toy before nature. All his achievements in the field of science are just sand castles before nature’s unlimited power. What we call nature’s fury is not fury but the painful condition of mother nature. What we call natural calamities are nothing but nature’s eagerness to repair the damaged environment. 

As per the Hindu scripture, The Bhagwat Geeta, “moha (attachment) blurs the vision.”  Emotional attachment to wealth, power, pleasure and for global dominance blurs the vision of a leader who destroys his surroundings and justifies it as right.  The famous poet, John Milton has beautifully explained in his epic “The Paradise Lost,” how Satan in the guise of a serpent has planted the greed in the minds of Adam and Eve to destroy God’s most beautiful creation.  The same evil force and the same serpent still whispers in the ears of the human to do everything to destroy the planet.  The religions world over have failed to de-greed leaders; in contrast many of the religious preachers have also developed the greed for luxury, pleasure and power; they justify it by misquoting scriptures and misleading their followers. The climate change which is going to engulf the entire world can be reversed if the world community learns to respect nature and do everything to repair it. 

Greed is the main reason for war, violence, arson and atrocities world over. The mono culture growth, loss of crop diversity, farmers’ suicide, migration of people, unemployment, income disparity, debt burden on nations and economic recession etc originate from greed only. It accumulates wealth for a few persons but destroys more wealth. The former US President Barack Obama said that greed was the main reason for the global economic slowdown after 2008.  The Ukraine and USSR have fought for more than three and half years. The cost of the war is too huge to estimate; with the war expenditure both the nations could have prospered. Israel and the middle east countries can live peacefully amid wealth and happiness. The Middle East has energy and Israel has the cutting edge technologies for mutual growth and prosperity. This internecine war will end if the leaders of those countries de-radicalize their citizens by putting the radical religious preachers in jail permanently.  All countries in the world should quarantine their religions from radical thoughts.  True religions will put humanity on a peaceful track. 

There cannot be one religion in the world; the diversity of religions should continue; as the diversity creates demand for multiple economic activities amid peace and co-operation. There is no technology to reverse the climate change except a better way of life the human is supposed to live for his good.  

Trade and business are required for growth and prosperity. But the greedy Businessmen should not stray into politics to misuse power for building their business empire on global ruins. Parliament of every country should be a place for intellectuals, experts from different fields, social workers, academicians and philanthropists etc. A healthy parliament depends on healthy democracy with educated and conscious people who can choose their representatives for good governance.  Democracy malfunctions when there are vote banks, social divisions, illiteracy and backwardness; populism, money and muscle power destroys the root of democracy.  The reversal of climate change depends on healthy democracy because democratically elected public representatives are most likely to make sound decisions.  

Corruption always rips apart the natural balance, social and cultural life. Unsustainable mega projects should not be allowed to destroy natural balance and bury the countries with debt burden. The mob violence in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal could have been controlled had the leaders in those countries taken wise decisions regarding their infrastructure development.  Proper selection of infrastructure projects put less pressure on the environment and save the country from debt traps. Crop diversity, employment opportunities, transparent marketing facilities and a check on price rise would have channeled the youth energy into constructive activities in those countries. The reversal of climate change holds the key to many of the socio-economic problems across the world. 

Sudhansu R Das is a sustainable micro-economic activities analyst.

Antarctic Sea Ice Emerges As Key Predictor Of Accelerated Ocean Warming

 October 5, 2025 

By Eurasia Review

A groundbreaking study published today in the European Geosciences Union (EGU) journal Earth System Dynamics provides a critical and previously underestimated connection between Antarctic sea ice, cloud cover, and global warming. This research is important because it shows that a greater extent of Antarctic sea ice today, compared to climate model predictions, means we can expect more significant global warming in the coming decades.

The study, led by Linus Vogt from Sorbonne University, utilized an emergent constraint based on data from 28 Earth system models and satellite observations from 1980 to 2020. This constraint allowed the team to reduce uncertainty in climate projections and provide improved estimates of key climate variables. Their findings indicate that ocean heat uptake and the resulting thermal sea level rise by the year 2100 are projected to be 3–14% higher than the average from CMIP6, a leading collection of climate models. Furthermore, the projected cloud feedback is 19–31% stronger, which enhances climate sensitivity, and global surface warming is estimated to be 3–7% greater than previously thought.

The study found that the extent of Antarctic summer sea ice, which has been considered stable and only weakly connected to human-caused climate change, is a crucial indicator of the Southern Hemisphere’s climate. Models that start with a higher, more accurate representation of pre-industrial sea ice levels simulate colder surface waters, colder deep ocean temperatures, and thicker cloud cover in the mid-latitudes. These initial conditions then amplify warming responses under greenhouse gas forcing, meaning they lead to a more severe and accelerated warming effect than what was previously estimated. Essentially, the climate system’s starting point makes it more sensitive to the impact of greenhouse gases. 

“When we initially discovered this link between historical Antarctic sea ice and future global ocean heat uptake, we were surprised by the strength of the relationship. Antarctic sea ice covers less than 4% of the ocean’s surface, so how could it be so strongly associated with global ocean warming?” says Linus Vogt, who led the study at Sorbonne University in Paris, and is now based at New York University. “Only after a lot of analysis did we understand the full implications of the sea ice-ocean-atmosphere coupling which is responsible for these global changes.”

This relationship isn’t merely correlative: it is mechanistically explained through ocean-atmosphere feedback. Higher sea ice extent enhances cloud cover, which has a cooling effect overall by reducing incoming solar radiation. Greater sea ice loss in the coming decades is thus linked to larger reductions of clouds, stronger surface warming, and enhanced ocean heat uptake. As a result, the baseline state of sea ice and deep ocean temperatures in models effectively preconditions the magnitude of warming, cloud feedback, and heat uptake in the future. 

“While it has long been known that accurately representing clouds is crucial for climate projections, our study highlights that it is equally important to also accurately simulate the surface and deep ocean circulation and its interaction with sea ice” says Jens Terhaar, a senior scientist at the division of Climate and Environmental Physics at the University of Bern who initiated the study at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the USA.

Under future climate change scenarios, models with greater historical sea ice tend to lose more sea ice by 2100, contributing to stronger radiative feedback. This stronger feedback leads to a stronger atmospheric and oceanic warming, especially across the Southern Hemisphere.

Implications for policy and science

This study provides evidence that current models may be underestimating future warming and ocean heat storage. It shows that models tend to simulate a too warm Southern Ocean in the preindustrial state and therefore have too little warming potential. The findings also stress the importance of continued satellite monitoring and improved modelling of cloud processes and deep ocean hydrography, both of which significantly shape global climate projections.

The study warns that previous approaches, which relied on observed trends over limited timeframes, may have underestimated future warming due to their inability to capture systemic changes, or ‘regime shifts,’ that are now becoming more evident, such as the record-low Antarctic sea ice extent in 2023. Furthermore, these older constraint methods relied on trends over short historical windows (e.g. 1980–2015), which are sensitive to internal natural variability and may thus not be representative of future climate change. 

“Several high-profile studies have used temperature trends over recent decades in an attempt to constrain future warming” says Vogt. “However, we now found that this approach can give misleading results. Accounting for the sea ice-related mechanism we identified leads to increased estimates of future ocean and atmospheric warming. This likely stronger warming calls for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid the increased heat waves, floods and ecosystem impacts associated with ocean warming.”

 

India’s Durga Puja, Where Worship Meets Social Change

A Durga Puja pandal on the theme of riots, urges peace and harmonious community life. Photo Credit: UN News/Rohit Upadhyay

 October 5, 2025

By UN News

By Anshu Sharma and Rohit Upadhyay

India’s eastern state of Bengal transformed this week into the world’s largest public art festival – an immersive blend of worship, artistic expression, and social messaging, thanks to an annual Hindu festival known as Durga Puja.

Inscribed by the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, in 2021 as an element of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Durga Puja isn’t just a festival, it’s a city-wide act of reimagination, one that resonates with the Bengali diaspora and others around the world.

For a few autumn nights, the city of Kolkata (and other parts of West Bengal) became an open-air gallery where local communities build dazzling temporary temples or pandals, artisans from Kumartoli sculpt the goddess from river clay, drummers (dhaakis) roll thunder through the streets, and millions wander from one illuminated dreamscape to the next.

The festivities drew to a close on Thursday.

What looks like a spectacle is actually a community in motion: local clubs raising funds, families volunteering, craftspeople collaborating, and entire local economies springing to life around food, lights, music, and art.

Families map their “pandal-hopping” routes, musicians set the rhythm, food stalls weave the city together, and the city itself becomes a stage. All kinds of divisions – class, caste, ethnicity – in this city of teeming millions, melt away.

UNESCO recognition

UNESCO recognised the Durga Puja, named after the Hindu goddess Durga, in 2021 describing it as “the best instance of the public performance of religion and art, and a thriving ground for collaborative artists and designers.”

As Tim Curtis, UNESCO Representative in India, explained, “It embodies the Sarbojonin spirit – ‘for all people’ – that has defined community worship since 1926. From clay sculptors to drummers, designers to local organizers, the entire city contributes to one of the most vibrant cultural expressions in the world.”

This is heritage not locked away in monuments but alive in practice, passed hand-to-hand through craftsmanship, reimagined every year with new themes, and binding communities across class, faith, and language.

Durga Puja is also a creative economy powerhouse. A 2019 study estimated the festival’s industries generate $4.53 billion, 2.58 per cent of West Bengal’s GDP.

Art with a message

For Shombi Sharp, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, this year marked his first visit to the century-old pandal now spotlighting sustainable agriculture, highlighting the broader importance of the Sustainable Development Goals.

He told UN News, “Normally you see Goddess Durga defeating evil – here the ‘evil’ is pesticides and unsustainable farming practices. Behind me stands a display with 280 rice varieties from eastern and northeastern India. That’s 12-13 million visitors being exposed to powerful messages about organic agriculture, biodiversity, and sustainability.”

Another headline-grabber is an AI-themed pandal that fuses devotion with digital imagination. Goddess Durga appears in her traditional form – ten arms and a lion – while the backdrop bursts with circuit-board patterns, glowing data streams, and neon light.

The point is clear: faith and technology can co-exist; even in a futuristic frame.

Visitor reactions mirror this blend of wonder and caution. One 30-year-old lab technician from Kolkata, Nupur Hajara said “the more positively people receive AI, the better. If they take it negatively, that won’t help – right?”

IT professional, Sumitam Shom explained: “Durga Puja is our biggest, most special festival – and now AI is part of the conversation. It can do a lot of good, but there are risks too, especially fraud. Deepfakes and viral images are real concerns. Without safeguards, someone could misuse photos and deceive people. So, it’s crucial that we use these technologies responsibly.”

Adding a different register of urgency, another pandal with the theme of “Shabdo” (“Sound”) draws attention for its poignant focus on the vanishing sounds of nature – chirping birds, rustling leaves, croaking frogs – captured through immersive, sensory design.

A meditation on nostalgia

It was a meditation on environmental loss and nostalgia, asking what it means for the sounds of nature within a city to grow quieter as habitats shrink.

Raja, a pandal visitor, put it simply: “You barely see birds anymore. My grandfather used to tell me how common they were; now they’re rare – partly, we believe, due to mobile network impacts. This pandal is our way to wake up the community, to learn how to bring the birds back and to start working on it together.”

Many other pandals also echo urgent social themes. One honours acid attack survivors, not only raising awareness but celebrating their dignity and contributions. Another highlights water conservation.

For young visitors too, the messages resonate. Tisa, an 18-year-old student at a pandal dedicated to water conservation, reflected that “groundwater is depleting day by day. This is the best way to spread awareness to the public.”

Making Puja accessible to all

Durga Puja is also taking a step toward inclusivity.

In June 2025, UNESCO and the UN in India, working with organizations of persons with disabilities, launched comprehensive accessibility guidelines for festival organisers.

The results are visible on the ground. Ramps and barrier-free layouts ease mobility, Braille signage and sign-language interpreters expand communication, and quiet seating areas provide allow people to rest.

As the UN’s Shombi Sharp recalled, “We heard from a father who, for the first time in 17 years, was able to bring his daughter, a wheelchair user, to celebrate Durga Puja. That was an incredibly emotional moment.”

China, Pakistan, And A Different Kind Of Partnership – OpEd

Approximate routes for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This map is for illustrative purposes only. Credit: RFE/RL

 October 5, 2025  

By Dr. Hamza Khan

When CPEC first started making headlines, the story was all about big things: motorways cutting across mountains, power plants lighting up cities, ports promising to turn Pakistan into a trade hub. Those projects mattered, no doubt, but they often felt distant to ordinary people. You couldn’t always see how a new highway in Balochistan or another coal plant would change life for a farmer in Punjab or a student in Karachi.

That’s why these new agreements between Pakistan and China caught my attention. Agriculture, education, green growth, these aren’t flashy subjects that make for glossy brochures, but they’re exactly the areas that hit closest to home. The Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry is calling them transformative, and while that word gets overused, I think they might be onto something.

Start with farming. Pakistan still depends heavily on agriculture, yet much of our system runs on outdated canals and guesswork. Farmers waste water, yields stay low, and we end up importing food we should be able to grow ourselves. If Chinese expertise can modernize irrigation and bring in smart farming tech, the potential is huge. Imagine higher yields, better food security, and rural communities tapping into food processing or packaging industries. That could create jobs where they’re most needed.

The big question is who benefits. If new technologies only end up in the hands of wealthy landowners, then we’ve just widened the rural gap. For these changes to matter, small farmers need access—credit, training, cooperatives. Otherwise, it’s the same old story, just with fancier machinery.

Education feels even more urgent. We love to talk about Pakistan’s youth bulge as some kind of golden ticket, but the truth is more complicated. A young population without skills is not a strength; it’s a risk. Scholarships, joint degree programs, and vocational training could change that equation. The idea of expanding IT education and technical skills through Chinese partnerships is especially promising, because that’s where the global economy is headed.

What I’d like to see is a real focus on vocational training, not just a handful of scholarships for elite families. Coding bootcamps, manufacturing skills, agricultural training, things that touch the lives of thousands, not dozens. If our youth are equipped for modern industries, that’s when the so-called bulge becomes an asset.

Then there’s the green development agreement. Pakistan doesn’t treat climate change like the emergency it is, even though we’re among the countries most vulnerable to it. Floods, droughts, smog, we’re living through the consequences already. If China can help us adopt sustainable technologies, invest in green energy, or improve urban air quality, that’s not just a nice-to-have. It’s survival.

I don’t think anyone expects these agreements to fix Pakistan’s economy overnight. MoUs are easy to sign and often vanish into thin air once the news cycle moves on. Our history is full of ribbon-cuttings that never lived up to the promises. The PCJCCI says it’ll help push these through, and that’s reassuring, but the real work begins after the cameras go away.

Still, the symbolism matters. These MoUs mark a shift in how CPEC is being shaped. It’s no longer only about pouring concrete and building power lines. It’s about skills, livelihoods, and sustainability. For once, the average Pakistani can look at CPEC and think this might touch my life. Better crops, better job training, cleaner air. That’s the kind of development people notice.

There’s also something interesting about China’s strategy here. They’ve realized that hard infrastructure doesn’t automatically buy goodwill. People-to-people ties, education, and sustainable projects create softer, longer-lasting influence. That’s smart geopolitics, but it’s also good for us, if we know how to use it.

The real test is going to be implementation. Do farmers get access to smart irrigation? Do vocational centres really expand across the country? Does green development go beyond pilot projects and scale? If the answer is yes, then these agreements could genuinely reshape Pakistan’s development path. If not, they’ll just be another line in a long list of “transformative” deals that transformed very little.

I’d like to believe this marks a turning point. It feels different this time, less about grand symbols and more about practical change. Whether that optimism is justified, only time will tell. But at least, for once, the conversation around CPEC is shifting away from machinery and megawatts and closer to where it should have been all along: the people.

Dr. Hamza Khan

Dr. Hamza Khan has a Ph.D. in International Relations, and focuses on contemporary issues related to Europe and is based in London, UK.

Robert Reich: How The Shutdown Ends – OpEd



October 5, 2025 By Robert Reich


I don’t have a crystal ball, but I have a good idea how this shutdown ends. Trump and Republicans will cave (he won’t admit he’s caving, of course, but he will cave).

Here’s why: Air traffic controllers.

Like other federal workers, the controllers aren’t being paid now (they’ll get back-pay when the shutdown ends). But unlike most other federal workers, their workloads and stress loads have been soaring.

Recall the last big shutdown that started in late 2018 and went on for 35 days — a record. What ended it? Air traffic controllers.

In January 2019, several controllers at a facility near Washington, D.C., that handles air traffic for most of the region, called in sick.

As a result, flight delays along the East Coast began to stack up. The delays quickly cascaded to Atlanta and beyond.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association issued a statement saying essentially, “We told you so.” “In the past few weeks, we have wared about what could happen as a result of the prolonged shutdown. Many controllers have reached th breakingoint of exhaustion, stress, and worry caused by this shutdown. Each hour that goes by that the shutdown continues makes the situation worse.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted: “The #TrumpShutdown has already pushed hundreds of thousands of Americans to the breaking point. Now it’s pushing our airspace to the breaking point too.”

Angry travelers began phoning their members of Congress. Private jets carrying CEOs and Wall Street mavens couldn’t take off or land. The CEOs and mavens also began phoning.

Hours later, Trump announced that the government would reopen and employees would be given back pay. Trump didn’t even get funding for his border wall — the issue that had sparked the shutdown.

This time it won’t take 35 days.

We’re approaching the busiest time of the year for air travel. Tens of millions of Americans expect to fly in the coming months.

Even before Wednesday’s shutdown, the nation’s approximately 14,000 air traffic controllers were under increasing stress — higher than in January 2019.

More crowded skies and worsening staffing shortages have forced many controllers to put in 60 hours a week on the job.

A hearing into the causes of the midair collision in Washington earlier this year that claimed 67 lives revealed a decline in aviation safety due to increasingly busy skies and overworked controllers.

On March 11, the National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report and urgent safety recommendations. The NTSB’s chair was angry that the Federal Aviation Administration had not acted on data showing the number of near-miss alerts over the last decade.

Oh, and the pay of air-traffic controllers has stagnated — when they were getting paid.

In the wake of the previous 35-day shutdown, the then-chair of the House Transportation Committee suggested a bill to allow the FAA to continue operating normally during a lapse in funding — which would continue the pay of air traffic controllers. Congress never enacted such legislation.

My prediction: This shutdown will end sooner than the last one. Air traffic controllers will ensure it does. Within the next few weeks, a few will call in sick. Then the flight delays will cascade.

At that point, pressure will suddenly mount on the White House and Republicans in Congress to end it.

Why on the White House and congressional Republicans and not on congressional Democrats? Because Republicans now control the government — the presidency, both chambers of Congress, and, effectively, the Supreme Court. They own it.

They and Trump will be blamed for the shutdown, and they’ll have to get the nation out of it — even at the cost of giving in to congressional Democrats.

This article was published at Robert Reich’s Substack



Robert B. Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies, and writes at robertreich.substack.com. Reich served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. He has written fifteen books, including the best sellers "Aftershock", "The Work of Nations," and"Beyond Outrage," and, his most recent, "The Common Good," which is available in bookstores now. He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine, chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.