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  • Cornell to lead new semiconductor research center

    Cornell to lead new semiconductor research center

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    Newswise — ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell is leading a new $34 million research center that will accelerate the creation of energy-efficient semiconductor materials and technologies, and develop revolutionary new approaches for microelectronics systems.

    The SUPeRior Energy-efficient Materials and dEvices (SUPREME) Center will bring together leading researchers from 14 higher education institutions, in collaboration with the center’s sponsor, Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC). SUPREME is one of seven centers funded by SRC’s JUMP 2.0  consortium. The center will be funded by SRC and its 14 partner universities; Cornell’s investment in the five-year project will be $7 million.

    Partners include: Cornell; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Boise State University; Georgia Institute of Technology; North Carolina State University; Northwestern University; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Rochester Institute of Technology; Stanford University; Yale University; the University of Colorado, Boulder; the University of Texas, Austin; the University of California, Santa Barbara; and the University of Notre Dame.

    Huili Grace Xing, the William L. Quackenbush Professor of Engineering in materials science and engineering, and in electrical and computer engineering, at Cornell Engineering, will serve as the center’s director. Tomás Palacios, director of Microsystems Technology Laboratories and a professor in the electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, will serve as the center’s associate director. The center’s managing director will be Thomas Dienel, a condensed matter physicist who has been running the user program at Cornell’s Platform for the Accelerated Realization, Analysis, and Discovery of Interface Materials (PARADIM).

    “Our center will focus on the material science, the new device architectures and how they interplay with each other,” said Xing, whose own pioneering research has included materials that support unipolar or bipolar transport, such as 2D materials, ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors, and devices with record performance that reveal fundamental limits.

    “We’re not engineering a particular approach,” she said. “We’re actually going down to the material genome level. If we go down to the building blocks and make a connection, then we can serve a very broad application space in logic, memory, computing, sensing and communication with the desired energy efficiency.

    Researchers at the center will explore both fundamental new science and novel engineering technologies, with the aim of driving the semiconductor industry in the next 3-15 years, while also training the next generation of scientists and engineers to work across disciplines.

    The center’s four primary goals are to:

    • assemble interdisciplinary teams of materials scientists, device engineers, chemists and physicists to develop new materials, technologies and devices that can bring at least 10-fold system-level performance improvements to key applications;
    • accelerate the pace of discovery and “lab-to-fab” transition in microelectronics, creating prototype devices at nanofabrication facilities at Cornell and partner institutions;
    • maintain a close collaboration with six other centers that are part of the latest iteration of the Joint University Microelectronics Program (JUMP) – a consortium of industry research participants and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is administered by SRC – with SUPREME developing and demonstrating new materials and technologies that can be used for prototype chips and systems built by other centers in JUMP 2.0; and
    • ensure diverse and broad workforce development.

    “We’ve known for some time that Cornell Engineering faculty are pursuing research at the forefront of semiconductor materials science and engineering,” said Lynden Archer, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering. “With this new multi-institutional research center, we look to the future and to providing leadership that translates to national impact in multiple areas, including autonomous systems and robotics, energy systems, medicine, and space exploration – all fields which require advances in semiconductor materials and new device architectures that consume less energy.”

    SUPREME is organized around four interdisciplinary sub-themes, or thrusts: digital and analog; memory and applications; interconnects and metrology; and materials discovery and processing.

    The first thrust aims to harness the unique properties of two-dimensional materials, wide and ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors, advanced ferroelectrics, spin and molecular materials to develop a new generation of digital and analog devices.

    The second thrust will present new approaches for embedded and neuromorphic memory and storage technologies – such as ferroelectric, spintronic and electrochemical devices – that will support the computational workloads of the future.

    The third thrust will focus on new physics of electron transport and new materials – such as anisotropic conductors and topological semimetals – to engineer better interconnects from devices to devices, and dies to dies. This thrust will also develop advanced metrology to characterize new materials and accelerate material discovery by high throughput experimentation.

    The fourth thrust will develop the new materials and processing technologies required by the first three device-focused thrusts, with an emphasis on several broad classes of materials: 2D and wide bandgap materials for logic and analog computing; metal-oxide-semiconductors for low-power complementary architecture; ferroelectrics and electrochemical materials for new memory/computing architectures, and strongly nonlinear optical materials for interconnects.

    There are seven Cornell faculty among the center’s 25 principal investigators (PIs), including: Xing; Debdeep Jena, the David E. Burr Professor of Engineering in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering; James Hwang, M.S. ’76, Ph.D. ’78, a research professor of materials science and engineering; Dan Ralph, Ph.D. ’93, the F.R. Newman Professor of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences; Farhan Rana, the Joseph P. Ripley Professor of Engineering in electrical and computer engineering; Judy Cha, Ph.D. ’09, professor of materials science and engineering; and Darrell Schlom, the Herbert Fisk Johnson Professor of Industrial Chemistry in materials science and engineering.

    The PIs will also work in close collaboration with industry leaders to maximize the impact and relevance of their work, which will not only lead to more energy-efficiency technologies, but also ultimately boost equality, according to Xing.

    “We want technology that can use as little energy as possible but provide as much function as possible. That is essential if we want to propagate equality,” Xing said. “If we’re able to lower the energy consumption for all of those essential means we want to have in modern life, we can lower the barrier for everybody to have access to information, to have access for education, and to have access to opportunities.”

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    Cornell University

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  • European Energy Crisis Hits Roma Populations Hard

    European Energy Crisis Hits Roma Populations Hard

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    Roma community protest in the Serbian city of Nis after dozens of families in a settlement in the city had their electricity cut off. Credit: Opre Roma Srbija
    • by Ed Holt (bratislava)
    • Inter Press Service

    BRATISLAVA, Jan 05 (IPS) – As European households brace for energy shortages this winter and leaders draw up support packages to help people heat homes in the coming months, experts fear that the largest minority on the continent, the Roma, will be left behind.

    Many of the 12 million Roma in Europe have a low standard of living, and even before the energy crisis, energy poverty was rife among their communities.

    Roma leaders and rights organisations say the current crisis has only deepened the problem and are calling for governments to ensure that one of the continent’s most vulnerable groups gets the help they need this winter and beyond.

    “EU leaders and policymakers must ensure that energy policies already agreed, or any agreed in future, must be tailored and implemented in such a way that the most vulnerable, including the Roma, can access and benefit from them,” Zeljko Jovanovic, director of the Open Society Roma Initiatives Office at the Open Society Foundations (OSF), told IPS.

    Roma living in Europe are among the most discriminated and disadvantaged groups on the continent. In many countries, significant numbers live in segregated settlements where living conditions are often poor, and extreme poverty is widespread.

    Energy poverty is also common. It is estimated that at least 10% of the roughly 6 million Roma living in EU countries have no access to electricity at all.

    Roma protest after electricity supplies to 24 families in the ‘12 February’ Roma settlement in the southern Serbian city of Nis were cut off over unpaid bills. There are calls for the European countries to take into consideration the plight of the Roma during the energy crisis. Credit: Opre Roma Srbija
    Roma protest after electricity supplies to 24 families in the ‘12 February’ Roma settlement in the southern Serbian city of Nis was cut off over unpaid bills. There are calls for European countries to take into consideration the plight of the Roma during the energy crisis. Credit: Opre Roma Srbija

    Meanwhile, where utilities are available, many struggle to afford them.

    Rising energy prices this year have exacerbated the problem. But while governments have rolled out help in the form of one-off payments and other support for families and businesses to pay energy bills, this aid is often not filtering through to Roma despite the minority being among those most in need, say rights activists.

    Unemployment in Roma communities is often high, with only one in four Roma aged 16 years or older reporting being employed, and many earn money working in the grey or black economies. But because of this, they often struggle with accessing state support schemes. This is especially true for measures approved to provide financial aid during the energy crisis.

    “Even before the energy crisis, there was a problem with energy poverty in Europe, and for the Roma, this was even more so because so many were not in the formal system.

    “Measures for the energy crisis are made for those in the formal system. Many Roma are not in that system – they are unemployed, or not formally registered, or earning money and paying into the social welfare system – so they cannot access those measures,” explained Jovanovic.

    Roma NGOs working in some countries say they have already seen these problems.

    In Romania, which has a Roma population of 1.85 million according to the Council of Europe, a programme to help the vulnerable with energy payments has been launched.

    But Alin Banu, Community Organiser at the Aresel civic initiative, told IPS some Roma are unable to access it precisely because “they work in the grey or black economy and don’t have the right documentation of social insurance payments, wages etc.”.

    Meanwhile, even those who are eligible for help are often being denied it, he claimed. He said that some municipalities had put conditions on receiving help to pay energy bills – for example, evidence of historical tax debt, or car ownership, makes an individual ineligible for the help.

    The group says this is illegal.

    “We have solved this problem in some cases, but most Roma will not complain about this because often they simply will not know it is illegal,” Balu said.

    There are also concerns that other measures already adopted will actually make things worse for Roma.

    Last year European leaders agreed on a non-binding goal for EU countries to reduce overall electricity demand by at least 10% by 31 March 2023, and a mandatory reduction of electricity consumption by 5% for at least 10% of high-demand hours each week.

    Jovanovic fears that politicians’ first steps to save on energy consumption could involve simply cutting off power supplies to those not formally connected to the energy grid.

    “Countries’ reductions in energy demand might come from cutting energy to those who do not have formal access to it, like the Roma,” said Jovanovic.

    Nicu Dumitru, a Community Organiser at Arsesel, agreed – “the Roma would be the first to be cut off in that case,” he told IPS – but said that even if that does not happen, many Roma are already struggling with soaring energy costs.

    Information collected by his group suggests that a fifth of all Roma households have had their electricity cut off since the start of the crisis because they cannot afford to pay. They are then connecting informally to the grid – usually through one person in their community who has a connection and who then charges high prices for others for use of that power – often borrowing money to do so, and worsening their already precarious financial situation.

    There are an estimated over 400,000 people informally connected to the power grid in Romania, many of them Roma.

    “The situation is getting critical for Roma,” Dumitru said.

    Meanwhile, Roma activists in other countries are worried that politicians will use the energy crisis as an excuse to ignore long-term problems with energy poverty among the Roma or even as a justification to allow Roma settlements to be cut off from supplies.

    In May this year, electricity supplies to 24 families in the ’12 February’ Roma settlement in the southern Serbian city of Nis were cut off over unpaid bills. The families claim this debt pre-dates their time living there, but the local power distributor demanded proof of house ownership from the families before reconnection.

    People in many Roma settlements often lack such documents as the process for obtaining them is costly and difficult for many to navigate without expert legal help, and none of these families was able to provide the required proof.

    It was only after both local and nationwide protests by members of the community themselves and negotiations between the families, who were represented by the Opre Roma Serbia rights group, local authorities, and the local distributor Elektrodistribucija Nis, that in December, limited supplies of electricity were restored to the families involved.

    Jelena Reljic of Opre Roma Serbia said she was pleased those affected could now access electricity again but warned “the situation in this settlement is an example of a much wider systemic problem” which politicians are not doing enough to solve.

    “The last cut off in this settlement was because of historic debt, but the problems with electricity have been going on for a decade. Politicians are relying on being able to cut Roma settlements off from electricity during the energy crisis without too much public outrage or resistance. Around 99% of the reaction we have seen to the problem in this settlement has been of the type ‘oh, no one should be getting energy free during this crisis, we pay, so why shouldn’t they?’” she told IPS.

    “Politicians are using the energy crisis to cover up the fact that they have never dealt with the problem of energy poverty for years and years,” she added.

    The OSF’s Jovanovic wants European policymakers to review their proposed help during the crisis, including not just the approved reductions in energy demand but plans for energy price caps and a solidarity levy on the profits of businesses active in the oil, natural gas, coal, and refinery sectors.

    He said the 5% reduction must not lead to electricity cuts for those already in energy poverty and that public revenues from the energy cap and solidarity levy – estimated at €140bn within the EU – should be redistributed along principles that are both morally and macroeconomically justified.

    He has been involved in high-level EU committee meetings on energy crisis support policies, but, he told IPS, at those meetings, there seemed to be “little idea of the perspective of Roma and other vulnerable groups and how they would cope in the crisis”.

    Now he and other activists are trying to arrange further talks with EU and national policymakers to urge them to address shortcomings in current policies affecting vulnerable groups, including Roma.

    “We want to raise these issues,” he said.

    IPS UN Bureau Report


    Follow IPS News UN Bureau on Instagram

    © Inter Press Service (2023) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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    Global Issues

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  • How To Work With The Year’s First Full Moon, From Astrologers

    How To Work With The Year’s First Full Moon, From Astrologers

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    As the AstroTwins previously wrote for mbg, Cancer itself is ruled by the moon, so a Cancer full moon will indeed feel extra intense. To that end, they say, it represents the waters of the womb, and so water rituals would be a fitting way to embody this energy. “Take a bubble bath, honor the women in your life, and most importantly, nurture yourself,” they add.

    And speaking of bubble baths, you could take it a step further and use your bath to connect with the water element and the moon even further. “Connect with lunar energy by submerging yourself in water, draw a healing bath around the time of the full moon, and gather your favorite salts, crystals, and candles,” the twins suggest.

    As you bathe, they recommend saying your full moon intentions aloud while you’re relaxing in the tub, and visualizing the full moon restoring every cell of your body. And don’t forget to make some moon water if that’s something you’re into!

    Lastly, as one of the potentially loneliest full moons of the year, the twins note that January’s full moon, also known as the “Wolf Moon,” is a great time to “hang out with your own ‘wolf pack’ and let out a collective howl.” (Full moon circle, anyone?)

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    Sarah Regan

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  • Does Protein Make You Gain Weight? What Experts Want You To Know

    Does Protein Make You Gain Weight? What Experts Want You To Know

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    However, several studies32 have found that consistent protein intake throughout the day is more important for gaining muscle, promoting recovery, maximizing performance, and losing weight.

    To optimize MPS, aim to consume 25 to 30 grams of high-quality protein21 during two or three meals throughout the day. This amount has been found sufficient for both younger and healthy older adults.

    “In general, the first meal of the day after a nighttime fasting period is the most important for MPS,” says Layman. “However, if you’re eating a low protein diet (only 50 to 60 grams per day), getting at least one meal up around 40 grams is critical. If you have a higher protein intake (around 100 grams per day), it’s best to distribute the protein. The first and last meals will greatly benefit muscle growth.”

    “Eating a high-protein meal every four to six hours during feeding windows will maintain your body in an anabolic state with ongoing muscle protein synthesis,” Lyon explains. “The first and last meals of the day are most important because they’re when you break your overnight fasting period and prepare your body for sleep, where you do most of your repair and regenerate activities.”

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    Adam Meyer

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  • Electronic bridge allows rapid energy sharing between semiconductors

    Electronic bridge allows rapid energy sharing between semiconductors

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    Newswise — As semiconductor devices become ever smaller, researchers are exploring two-dimensional (2D) materials for potential applications in transistors and optoelectronics. Controlling the flow of electricity and heat through these materials is key to their functionality, but first we need to understand the details of those behaviors at atomic scales.

    Now, researchers have discovered that electrons play a surprising role in how energy is transferred between layers of 2D semiconductor materials tungsten diselenide (WSe2) and tungsten disulfide (WS2). Although the layers aren’t tightly bonded to one another, electrons provide a bridge between them that facilitates rapid heat transfer, the researchers found.

    “Our work shows that we need to go beyond the analogy of Lego blocks to understand stacks of disparate 2D materials, even though the layers aren’t strongly bonded to one another,” said Archana Raja, a scientist at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), who led the study. “The seemingly distinct layers, in fact, communicate through shared electronic pathways, allowing us to access and eventually design properties that are greater than the sum of the parts.”

    The study appeared recently in Nature Nanotechnology and combines insights from ultrafast, atomic-scale temperature measurements and extensive theoretical calculations.

    “This experiment was motivated by fundamental questions about atomic motions in nanoscale junctions, but the findings have implications for energy dissipation in futuristic electronic devices,” said Aditya Sood, co-first author of the study and currently a research scientist at Stanford University. “We were curious about how electrons and atomic vibrations couple to one another when heat flows between two materials. By zooming into the interface with atomic precision, we uncovered a surprisingly efficient mechanism for this coupling.”

    An ultrafast thermometer with atomic precision

    The researchers studied devices consisting of stacked monolayers of WSe2 and WS2. The devices were fabricated by Raja’s group at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry, who perfected the art of using Scotch tape to lift off crystalline monolayers of the semiconductors, each less than a nanometer in thickness. Using polymer stamps aligned under a home-built stacking microscope, these layers were deposited on top of each other and precisely placed over a microscopic window to enable the transmission of electrons through the sample.

    In experiments conducted at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the team used a technique known as ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) to measure the temperatures of the individual layers while optically exciting electrons in just the WSe2 layer. The UED served as an “electron camera”, capturing the atom positions within each layer. By varying the time interval between the excitation and probing pulses by trillionths of a second, they could track the changing temperature of each layer independently, using theoretical simulations to convert the observed atomic movements into temperatures.

    “What this UED approach enables is a new way of directly measuring temperature within this complex heterostructure,” said Aaron Lindenberg, a co-author on the study at Stanford University. “These layers are only a few angstroms apart, and yet we can selectively probe their response and, as a result of the time resolution, can probe at fundamental time scales how energy is shared between these structures in a new way.”

    They found that the WSe2 layer heated up, as expected, but to their surprise, the WS2 layer also heated up in tandem, suggesting a rapid transfer of heat between layers. By contrast, when they didn’t excite electrons in the WSe2 and heated the heterostructure using a metal contact layer instead, the interface between WSe2 and WS2 transmitted heat very poorly, confirming previous reports.

    “It was very surprising to see the two layers heat up almost simultaneously after photoexcitation and it motivated us to zero in on a deeper understanding of what was going on,” said Raja.

    An electronic “glue state” creates a bridge

    To understand their observations, the team employed theoretical calculations, using methods based on density functional theory to model how atoms and electrons behave in these systems with support from the Center for Computational Study of Excited-State Phenomena in Energy Materials (C2SEPEM), a DOE-funded Computational Materials Science Center at Berkeley Lab.

    The researchers conducted extensive calculations of the electronic structure of layered 2D WSe2/WS2, as well as the behavior of lattice vibrations within the layers. Like squirrels traversing a forest canopy, who can run along paths defined by branches and occasionally jump between them, electrons in a material are limited to specific states and transitions (known as scattering), and knowledge of that electronic structure provides a guide to interpreting the experimental results.

    “Using computer simulations, we explored where the electron in one layer initially wanted to scatter to, due to lattice vibrations,” said Jonah Haber, co-first author on the study and now a postdoctoral researcher in the Materials Sciences Division at Berkeley Lab. “We found that it wanted to scatter to this hybrid state – a kind of ‘glue state’ where the electron is hanging out in both layers at the same time. We have a good idea of what these glue states look like now and what their signatures are and that lets us say relatively confidently that other, 2D semiconductor heterostructures will behave the same way.”

    Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that, in the absence of the shared electron “glue state”, heat took far longer to move from one layer to another. These simulations were conducted primarily at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC).

    “The electrons here are doing something important: they are serving as bridges to heat dissipation,” said Felipe de Jornada, a co-author from Stanford University. “If we can understand and control that, it offers a unique approach to thermal management in semiconductor devices.”

    NERSC and the Molecular Foundry are DOE Office of Science user facilities at Berkeley Lab.

    This research was funded primarily by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.  

    ### 

    Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest scientific challenges are best addressed by teams, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and its scientists have been recognized with 16 Nobel Prizes. Today, Berkeley Lab researchers develop sustainable energy and environmental solutions, create useful new materials, advance the frontiers of computing, and probe the mysteries of life, matter, and the universe. Scientists from around the world rely on the Lab’s facilities for their own discovery science. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory, managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

    DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.

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    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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  • French bakers allowed to renegotiate sky-high bills with the daily baguette under threat

    French bakers allowed to renegotiate sky-high bills with the daily baguette under threat

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    Bread displayed at the organic Racynes bakery in Boulogne-Billancourt, outside Paris, in November 2022. Bakery owners have been struggling with higher crop and energy prices.

    Stephane De Sakutin | Afp | Getty Images

    Energy suppliers in France have agreed to allow bakeries to negotiate new payment plans for 2023 to avoid going out of business.

    It comes amid warnings that the country’s iconic boulangeries face an existential threat due to the double hit of higher wheat and energy prices, with reports of some already shutting up shop.

    French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Tuesday that all energy suppliers had committed to “dissolve contracts when prices have risen prohibitively high and unsustainable for some bakeries,” according to a Reuters translation.

    Contracts will be reviewed on a case by case basis depending on the owner’s situation and financial assistance may be offered, he added.

    The government on Tuesday also announced plans to support the industry by allowing bakers to spread tax payments and suggested that further cash support for energy bills may follow.

    In December, the French baguette was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, cementing its status in daily life. Many of the firms facing collapse are small to medium-sized businesses serving rural communities.

    Local bakers and grocery chains have attempted to keep the price of the staple steady as French inflation has soared to record highs.

    Data published by Eurostat in September showed French bread prices were rising at the lowest rate in the European Union, up 8% year-on-year versus 18% on average.

    While overall French inflation slowed slightly in December to 6.7%, food price inflation remained at 12.1% for a second consecutive month. Market prices for both crops and energy have cooled somewhat but remain subject to intense volatility due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

    The government intervention comes as President Emmanuel Macron prepares to announce controversial changes to the French pension system that could lead to widespread strikes.

    The French baguette gets UNESCO heritage status

    —CNBC’s Charlotte Reed contributed to this story.

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  • Ex-GE worker jailed for plotting to steal trade secrets for China

    Ex-GE worker jailed for plotting to steal trade secrets for China

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    New York man had been convicted of conspiracy to commit economic espionage following a four-week trial in March.

    A former General Electric engineer has been sentenced to two years in prison in the United States for conspiring to steal trade secrets to benefit China.

    Xiaoqing Zheng, who worked as an engineer specialising in turbine sealing technology at GE Power in Schenectady, New York, conspired to steal trade secrets related to GE’s turbine technologies to benefit China, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement on Tuesday.

    Zheng, 59, who worked for GE between 2008 and 2018, was convicted in March of one count of conspiracy to commit economic espionage following a four-week jury trial.

    The jury acquitted Zheng or was unable to reach a verdict on 11 other espionage-related charges.

    Assistant Attorney General Matthew G Olsen said Zheng’s case was an example of “textbook economic espionage”.

    “Zheng exploited his position of trust, betrayed his employer and conspired with the government of China to steal innovative American technology,” Olsen said. “The Justice Department will hold accountable those who threaten our national security by conniving to steal valuable trade secrets on behalf of a foreign power.”

    US District Judge Mae D’Agostino also handed Zheng a $7,500 fine and ordered him to serve one year of post-imprisonment supervised release.

    US officials have described the Chinese government as the biggest threat to the country’s national and economic security, with FBI Director Christopher Wray warning that Beijing seeks to steal critical technologies by “any means necessary”.

    Beijing has denied carrying out economic espionage in the US, describing such accusations as “slanderous”.

    In November, a court in Ohio sentenced a Chinese national to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to steal trade secrets from multiple aerospace companies, including GE Aviation.

    US prosecutors’ efforts to prosecute China’s alleged theft of trade secrets have generated controversy due to accusations of overreach and racial profiling.

    In February, the DOJ announced it would effectively end its controversial China Initiative aimed at alleged economic espionage, following a number of acquittals and mistrials involving academics of Chinese descent.

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  • Self-powered, printable smart sensors created from emerging semiconductors could mean cheaper, greener Internet of Things

    Self-powered, printable smart sensors created from emerging semiconductors could mean cheaper, greener Internet of Things

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    Newswise — Creating smart sensors to embed in our everyday objects and environments for the Internet of Things (IoT) would vastly improve daily life—but requires trillions of such small devices. Simon Fraser University professor Vincenzo Pecunia believes that emerging alternative semiconductors that are printable, low-cost and eco-friendly could lead the way to a cheaper and more sustainable IoT.

    Leading a multinational team of top experts in various areas of printable electronics, Pecunia has identified key priorities and promising avenues for printable electronics to enable self-powered, eco-friendly smart sensors. His forward-looking insights are outlined in his paper published on Dec. 28 in Nature Electronics.

    “Equipping everyday objects and environments with intelligence via smart sensors would allow us to make more informed decisions as we go about in our daily lives,” says Pecunia. “Conventional semiconductor technologies require complex, energy-intensity, and expensive processing, but printable semiconductors can deliver electronics with a much lower carbon footprint and cost, since they can be processed by printing or coating, which require much lower energy and materials consumption.”

    Pecunia says making printable electronics that can work using energy harvested from the environment—from ambient light or ubiquitous radiofrequency signals, for example—could be the answer.

    “Our analysis reveals that a key priority is to realize printable electronics with as small a material set as possible to streamline their fabrication process, thus ensuring the straightforward scale-up and low cost of the technology,” says Pecunia. The article outlines a vision of printed electronics that could also be powered by ubiquitous mobile signals through innovative low-power approaches—essentially allowing smart sensors to charge out of thin air.

    “Based on recent breakthroughs, we anticipate that printable semiconductors could play a key role in realizing the full sustainability potential of the Internet of Things by delivering self-powered sensors for smart homes, smart buildings and smart cities, as well as for manufacturing and industry.”

    Pecunia has already achieved numerous breakthroughs towards self-powered printable smart sensors, demonstrating printed electronics with record-low power dissipation and the first-ever printable devices powered by ambient light via tiny printable solar cells.

    His research group at SFU’s School of Sustainable Energy Engineering focuses on the development of innovative approaches to eco-friendly, printable solar cells and electronics for use in next-generation smart devices.

    Pecunia notes that the semiconductor technologies being developed by his group could potentially allow the seamless integration of electronics, sensors, and energy harvesters at the touch of a ‘print’ button at single production sites—thereby reducing the carbon footprint, supply chain issues and energetic costs associated with long-distance transport in conventional electronics manufacturing.

    “Due to their unique manufacturability, printable semiconductors also represent a unique opportunity for Canada,” he says. “Not only to become a global player in next-generation, eco-friendly electronics, but also to overcome its reliance on electronics from faraway countries and the associated supply chain and geo-political issues.

    “Our hope is that these semiconductors will deliver eco-friendly technologies for a future of clean energy generation and sustainable living, which are key to achieving Canada’s net-zero goal.”

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    Simon Fraser University

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  • Berkeley Lab Scientists Develop a Cool New Method of Refrigeration

    Berkeley Lab Scientists Develop a Cool New Method of Refrigeration

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    Newswise — Adding salt to a road before a winter storm changes when ice will form. Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have applied this basic concept to develop a new method of heating and cooling. The technique, which they have named “ionocaloric cooling,” is described in a paper published Dec. 23 in the journal Science.

    Ionocaloric cooling takes advantage of how energy, or heat, is stored or released when a material changes phase – such as changing from solid ice to liquid water. Melting a material absorbs heat from the surroundings, while solidifying it releases heat. The ionocaloric cycle causes this phase and temperature change through the flow of ions (electrically charged atoms or molecules) which come from a salt.

    Researchers hope that the method could one day provide efficient heating and cooling, which accounts for more than half of the energy used in homes, and help phase out current “vapor compression” systems, which use gases with high global warming potential as refrigerants. Ionocaloric refrigeration would eliminate the risk of such gases escaping into the atmosphere by replacing them with solid and liquid components.

    “The landscape of refrigerants is an unsolved problem: No one has successfully developed an alternative solution that makes stuff cold, works efficiently, is safe, and doesn’t hurt the environment,” said Drew Lilley, a graduate research assistant at Berkeley Lab and PhD candidate at UC Berkeley who led the study. “We think the ionocaloric cycle has the potential to meet all those goals if realized appropriately.”

    Finding a solution that replaces current refrigerants is essential for countries to meet climate change goals, such as those in the Kigali Amendment (accepted by 145 parties, including the United States in October 2022). The agreement commits signatories to reduce production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by at least 80% over the next 25 years. HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases commonly found in refrigerators and air conditioning systems, and can trap heat thousands of times as effectively as carbon dioxide.

    The new ionocaloric cycle joins several other kinds of “caloric” cooling in development. Those techniques use different methods – including magnetism, pressure, stretching, and electric fields – to manipulate solid materials so that they absorb or release heat. Ionocaloric cooling differs by using ions to drive solid-to-liquid phase changes. Using a liquid has the added benefit of making the material pumpable, making it easier to get heat in or out of the system – something solid-state cooling has struggled with.

    Lilley and corresponding author Ravi Prasher, a research affiliate in Berkeley Lab’s Energy Technologies Area and adjunct professor in mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley, laid out the theory underlying the ionocaloric cycle. They calculated that it has the potential to compete with or even exceed the efficiency of gaseous refrigerants found in the majority of systems today.

    They also demonstrated the technique experimentally. Lilley used a salt made with iodine and sodium, alongside ethylene carbonate, a common organic solvent used in lithium-ion batteries. 

    “There’s potential to have refrigerants that are not just GWP [global warming potential]-zero, but GWP-negative,” Lilley said. “Using a material like ethylene carbonate could actually be carbon-negative, because you produce it by using carbon dioxide as an input. This could give us a place to use CO2 from carbon capture.”

    Running current through the system moves the ions, changing the material’s melting point. When it melts, the material absorbs heat from the surroundings, and when the ions are removed and the material solidifies, it gives heat back. The first experiment showed a temperature change of 25 degrees Celsius using less than one volt, a greater temperature lift than demonstrated by other caloric technologies.

    “There are three things we’re trying to balance: the GWP of the refrigerant, energy efficiency, and the cost of the equipment itself,” Prasher said. “From the first try, our data looks very promising on all three of these aspects.”

    While caloric methods are often discussed in terms of their cooling power, the cycles can also be harnessed for applications such as water heating or industrial heating. The ionocaloric team is continuing work on prototypes to determine how the technique might scale to support large amounts of cooling, improve the amount of temperature change the system can support, and improve the efficiency. 

    “We have this brand-new thermodynamic cycle and framework that brings together elements from different fields, and we’ve shown that it can work,” Prasher said. “Now, it’s time for experimentation to test different combinations of materials and techniques to meet the engineering challenges.”

    This work was supported by the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Building Technologies Program.

    ###

    Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest scientific challenges are best addressed by teams, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and its scientists have been recognized with 16 Nobel Prizes. Today, Berkeley Lab researchers develop sustainable energy and environmental solutions, create useful new materials, advance the frontiers of computing, and probe the mysteries of life, matter, and the universe. Scientists from around the world rely on the Lab’s facilities for their own discovery science. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory, managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

    DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.

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    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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  • Ten Things Elon Musk Needs to Do to Fix Tesla

    Ten Things Elon Musk Needs to Do to Fix Tesla

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    Tesla had a bad year 2022. 

    On the stock market, it was a real nightmare. 

    Tesla stock lost more than 65% of its value to end the year at $123.18. It had started 2022 at $352.26. This fall translates into more than $720 billion of market capitalization which have evaporated in one year, a real disaster for shareholders.

    Elon Musk, the whimsical and charismatic CEO of the automaker attributed this stock market disaster to macroeconomic and geopolitical factors.

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  • These 20 stocks were the biggest winners of 2022

    These 20 stocks were the biggest winners of 2022

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    Even during a year in which the S&P 500 index declined 19%, with 72% of its stocks in the red, there were plenty of winners.

    Before showing you the list of the best performers in the benchmark index, let’s look at a preview: Here’s how the 11 sectors of the S&P 500
    SPX,
    -0.25%
    performed for the year:

    Index

    		 2022 price change

    		 Forward P/E

    		 Forward P/E as of Dec. 31, 2021
    Energy

    		 59.0%

    		 9.7

    		 11.1
    Utilities

    		 -1.4%

    		 18.9

    		 20.4
    Consumer Staples

    		 -3.2%

    		 21.0

    		 21.8
    Health Care

    		 -3.6%

    		 17.6

    		 17.2
    Industrials

    		 -7.1%

    		 18.3

    		 20.8
    Financials

    		 -12.4%

    		 11.9

    		 14.6
    Materials

    		 -14.1%

    		 15.8

    		 16.6
    Real Estate

    		 -28.4%

    		 16.5

    		 24.2
    Information Technology

    		 -28.9%

    		 20.1

    		 28.1
    Consumer Discretionary

    		 -37.6%

    		 21.3

    		 33.2
    Communication Services

    		 -40.4%

    		 14.3

    		 20.8
    S&P 500

    		 -19.4%

    		 16.8

    		 21.4
    Source: FactSet

    Maybe you aren’t surprised to see that the energy sector was the only one to increase during 2022. But it might surprise you to see that despite the sector’s weighted price increase of 59%, its forward price-to-earnings ratio declined and remains very low relative to all other sectors.

    It might also surprise you that West Texas Intermediate crude oil
    CL.1,
    +2.69%
    gave up most of its gains from earlier in the year:


    FactSet

    The reason investors are still confident in energy stocks is that oil producers have remained cautious when it comes to capital spending. They don’t want to increase supply enough to cause prices to crash, as they did in the run-up to the summer of 2014, after which prices fell steadily through early 2016, causing bankruptcies and consolidation in the industry.

    Now the oil companies are focusing on maintaining supply, raising dividends and buying back shares, as Occidental Petroleum Corp.’s
    OXY,
    +1.14%
    chief executive explained in a recent interview with Matt Peterson. Click here for more about Occidental and the long-term supply/demand outlook for oil.

    Best-performing S&P 500 stocks of 2022

    Here are the 20 stocks in the benchmark index that rose most during 2022, excluding dividends. Proving that there are always exceptions, not all of them are in the energy sector.

    Company

    		 Ticker

    		 Sector

    		 Industry

    		 2022 price change
    Occidental Petroleum Corp.

    		 OXY,
    +1.14%         		Energy

    		 Oil & Gas Production

    		 117.3%
    Hess Corp.

    		 HES,
    +0.68%         		Energy

    		 Oil & Gas Production

    		 91.6%
    Marathon Petroleum Corp.

    		 MPC,
    +0.18%         		Energy

    		 Oil Refining/ Marketing

    		 81.9%
    Exxon Mobil Corp.

    		 XOM,
    +1.01%         		Energy

    		 Integrated Oil

    		 80.3%
    Schlumberger Ltd.

    		 SLB,
    +1.04%         		Energy

    		 Contract Drilling

    		 78.5%
    APA Corp.

    		 APA,
    +1.68%         		Energy

    		 Integrated Oil

    		 73.6%
    Halliburton Co.

    		 HAL,
    +1.23%         		Energy

    		 Oil & Gas Production

    		 72.1%
    First Solar Inc.

    		 FSLR,
    +0.68%         		Information Technology

    		 Semiconductors

    		 71.9%
    Valero Energy Corp.

    		 VLO,
    +0.43%         		Energy

    		 Oil Refining/ Marketing

    		 68.9%
    Marathon Oil Corp.

    		 MRO,
    +1.08%         		Energy

    		 Oil & Gas Production

    		 64.9%
    ConocoPhillips

    		 COP,
    +1.38%         		Energy

    		 Oil & Gas Production

    		 63.5%
    Steel Dynamics Inc.

    		 STLD,
    -0.72%         		Materials

    		 Steel

    		 57.4%
    EQT Corp.

    		 EQT,
    -0.12%         		Energy

    		 Oil & Gas Production

    		 55.1%
    Chevron Corp.

    		 CVX,
    +0.66%         		Energy

    		 Integrated Oil

    		 53.0%
    McKesson Corp.

    		 MCK,
         		Health Care

    		 Medical Distributors

    		 50.9%
    Cardinal Health Inc.

    		 CAH,
    -0.46%         		Health Care

    		 Medical Distributors

    		 49.3%
    EOG Resources Inc.

    		 EOG,
    +0.69%         		Energy

    		 Oil & Gas Production

    		 45.8%
    Enphase Energy Inc.

    		 ENPH,
    -0.20%         		Information Technology

    		 Semiconductors

    		 44.8%
    Merck & Co. Inc.

    		 MRK,
    +0.12%         		Health Care

    		 Pharmaceuticals

    		 44.8%
    Cigna Corp.

    		 CI,
    +0.19%         		Health Care

    		 Managed Health Care

    		 44.3%
    Source: FactSet

    Click on the tickers for more information about the companies.

    Click here for Tomi Kilgore’s detailed guide to the wealth of information available for free on the MarketWatch quote page.

    Don’t Miss: These 20 stocks were the biggest losers of 2022

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  • All 30 Dow stocks rise, led by Disney and Apple, the previous session’s worst performers

    All 30 Dow stocks rise, led by Disney and Apple, the previous session’s worst performers

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    The Dow Jones Industrial Average’s
    DJIA,
    +1.11%
    307-point rally in morning trading Thursday was unanimous, as all 30 components were gaining ground. The top performers were shares of Walt Disney Co.
    DIS,
    +4.43%    ,
    up 4.1%, and Apple Inc.
    AAPL,
    +3.15%    ,
    up 2.7%. Those two stocks happened to be the Dow’s worst performers on Wednesday when the Dow dropped 366 points, with Apple shares shedding 3.1% and Disney’s stock dropping 2.2%. Intel Corp.’s stock
    INTC,
    +2.33%    ,
    which is the Dow’s biggest loser year to date, was the Dow’s third-biggest gainer on Thursday with a 2.1% rise. The worst performer on Thursday was Merck & Co. Inc.’s stock
    MRK,
    +0.09%    ,
    which ticked up just 0.1%. Merck’s stock was the Dow’s second-best year-to-date performer with a 45.0% gain, behind Chevron Corp.’s
    CVX,
    +0.68%
    51.4% rally.

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  • Astrological Do’s & Don’ts To Ensure A Happy New Year’s Eve

    Astrological Do’s & Don’ts To Ensure A Happy New Year’s Eve

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    This NYE is going to be a mixed bag of retrograde planets, the moon in Taurus, and Venus and Pluto both in Capricorn. And what does that actually mean, you ask?

    For one thing, Mercury and Mars both in retrograde could throw us off our usual game. As the twins explain, not only can goals or plans get delayed or reconfigured, but interactions could easily become heated and divisive.

    Not exactly optimal energy for hosting (or attending) a New Year’s Eve party—or setting resolutions for that matter. As the twins note, “Save your 2023 resolutions to ‘draft,’ because you might edit them quite a few times over.”

    Luckily, however, the moon in Taurus will provide us with some much-needed grounding and stability. And with Venus, the planet of luxury and pleasure, and Pluto, the planet of transformation, both in solid Capricorn, things could also feel a bit, shall we say, sultry.

    Here are a handful of astrological do’s and don’ts to mind all these planetary placements—and get 2023 started on the right foot, from the twins.

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    Sarah Regan

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  • European natural gas prices return to pre-Ukraine war levels

    European natural gas prices return to pre-Ukraine war levels

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    A worker walks past gas pipes that connect a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit ship with the main land in Wilhelmshaven, northern Germany on December 17, 2022. EU energy ministers are wrangling over a proposed price cap on gas.

    Michael Sohn | Afp | Getty Images

    LONDON — European natural gas prices fell this week to levels not seen since before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    Front-month natural gas futures on the Dutch Title Transfer Facility, the benchmark contract in Europe, plunged in recent weeks to bottom out below 77 euros ($81.91) per megawatt hour, a level not seen since February — prior to the beginning of a full scale war in Ukraine.

    As of Thursday morning, they were trading at around 81.5 euros.

    At their peak in August, European gas prices topped 345 euros/MWh as Russia’s weaponization of its natural gas exports to the rest of the continent in response to punitive EU sanctions, and sky-high temperatures over the summer, drove up demand while constricting supply.

    The spiking prices sent household energy bills soaring and have fueled a cost-of-living crisis across much of the continent.

    However, unseasonably warm weather through winter in much of northwest Europe has reduced demand for heating and allowed the continent to replenish its gas inventory following drawdowns during several cold snaps over the last few months.

    Goldman Sachs in November predicted a sharp fall in European gas prices in the coming months as nations gained a temporary upper hand on supply issues.

    “As a rule of thumb, a rise or fall in gas prices by €100 per MWh changes the gas bill of the euro zone economy — at 2021 gas consumption — by an amount equal to almost 3% of GDP once households and consumers have to bear the full costs of the change in gas prices,” Berenberg Chief Economist Holger Schmieding explained in a note last month.

    “As the EU imports some gas under longer-term fixed-price contracts, the actual impact on the gas import bill is not quite as pronounced … but as electricity prices are still largely linked to gas prices, the total pain of high gas prices — and the relief from any correction — may be more pronounced than the rule of thumb suggests.”

    The European Union last week agreed upon a temporary mechanism to limit excessive gas prices, which comes into force on Feb. 15.

    The “market correction” mechanism will be triggered automatically if the front-month TTF price exceeds 180 euros/MWh for three consecutive days, and if it deviates by 35 euros or more from a reference price for global LNG (liquefied natural gas) over the same three days.

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  • Debunking Bitcoin Misconceptions: It’s Not Stored Time, Energy Or Violence

    Debunking Bitcoin Misconceptions: It’s Not Stored Time, Energy Or Violence

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    This is an opinion editorial by Stephan Livera, host of the “Stephan Livera Podcast” and managing director of Swan Bitcoin International.

    There are metaphors and analogies for Bitcoin that you may have heard on podcasts or read from various articles or books — and this is not meant to criticize the entire practice of using metaphors or analogies to pique people’s interest in Bitcoin — but having a bad framework for understanding Bitcoin can cause errors in how we reason about it from there. If people take the metaphors too literally, they inevitably make mistakes in their reasoning about Bitcoin.

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    Stephan Livera

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  • These 20 energy stocks are worth a look if you think oil prices will soar in 2023

    These 20 energy stocks are worth a look if you think oil prices will soar in 2023

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    Harris Kupperman, the president of Praetorian Capital, made a couple of interesting calls heading into 2022. He predicted that stocks of the giant tech-oriented companies that led the bull market would be sold off, and that oil prices would continue to rise through the end of 2022.

    The first prediction came true, while the second one for oil prices fizzled. After rising to $130 in March, oil prices have fallen back to where they started the year. Then again, that second prediction still could have made you a lot of money because the share prices of oil companies kept rising anyway.

    That leads to a new prediction for 2023 and a related stock screen below.

    Here’s a chart showing the movement of front-month contract prices for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil
    CL.1,
    -0.62%
    since the end of 2021:


    FactSet

    Even though Kupperman didn’t get his oil price call right, the energy sector of the S&P 500
    SPX,
    -1.20%
    was up 60% for 2022 through Dec. 27, excluding dividends. That is the only one of the 11 S&P 500 sectors to show a gain in 2022. And the energy sector is also cheapest relative to earnings expectations, with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 9.8, compared with 16.7 for the full S&P 500.

    WTI pulled back from its momentary peak at $130.50 in early March, but that didn’t reverse the long-term trend of low capital spending by oil and natural gas producers, which has given investors confidence that supplies will remain tight.

    Vicki Hollub, the CEO of Occidental Petroleum Corp.
    OXY,
    -3.50%
    — the best-performing S&P 500 stock of 2022 — said during a recent interview that there was “no pressure to increase production right now,” citing a $40 per barrel break-even point for oil prices.

    Kupperman now expects strong demand and low supplies to push oil as high as $200 a barrel in 2023.

    At the end of November, these 20 oil companies stood out as reasonable plays for 2023 based on expectations for free-cash-flow generation and dividend payments.

    For this next screen, we are only looking at ratings and consensus price targets among analysts polled by FactSet.

    There are 23 energy stocks in the S&P 500, and you can invest in that group easily by purchasing shares of the Energy Select SPDR ETF
    XLE,
    -2.24%    .
    We can expand the list of large-cap names by looking at the components of the iShares Global Energy ETF
    IXC,
    -1.91%    ,
    which holds all the energy stocks in the S&P 500 plus large players based outside the U.S.

    The top five holdings of IXC are:

    Company

    		 Ticker

    		 Country

    		 % of portfolio

    		 Share “buy” ratings

    		 Dec. 27 price

    		 Price target

    		 Implied 12-month upside potential
    Exxon Mobil Corp.

    		 XOM,
    -1.64%         		U.S.

    		 16.4%

    		 54%

    		 110.19

    		 118.89

    		 7.89%
    Chevron Corp.

    		 CVX,
    -1.48%         		U.S.

    		 11.5%

    		 54%

    		 179.63

    		 190.52

    		 6.06%
    Shell PLC

    		 SHEL,
    -0.70%         		U.K.

    		 7.8%

    		 83%

    		 23.67

    		 29.82

    		 25.99%
    TotalEnergies SE

    		 TTE,
    -1.40%         		France

    		 5.6%

    		 62%

    		 59.63

    		 64.40

    		 8.00%
    ConocoPhillips

    		 COP,
    -2.67%         		U.K.

    		 5.4%

    		 83%

    		 118.47

    		 140.84

    		 18.88%
    Source: FactSet

    Prices on the tables in this article are in local currencies.

    IXC holds 51 stocks. To expand the list for a stock screen, we added the energy stocks in the S&P 400 Mid Cap Index
    MID,
    -1.24%
    and the S&P Small Cap 600 Index
    SML,
    -1.89%
    to bring the list up to 91 companies, which we then pared to 83 covered by at least five analysts polled by FactSet.

    Here are the 20 companies in the list with at least 75% “buy” or equivalent ratings that have the most upside potential over the next 12 months, based on consensus price targets:

    Company

    		 Ticker

    		 Country

    		 Share “buy” ratings

    		 Dec. 27 price

    		 Price target

    		 Implied 12-month upside potential
    EQT Corp.

    		 EQT,
    -7.82%         		U.S.

    		 83%

    		 36.34

    		 59.14

    		 63%
    Green Plains Inc.

    		 GPRE,
    -2.72%         		U.S.

    		 80%

    		 29.80

    		 43.40

    		 46%
    Cameco Corp.

    		 CCO,
    +0.33%         		Canada

    		 100%

    		 30.48

    		 44.25

    		 45%
    Talos Energy Inc.

    		 TALO,
    -8.40%         		U.S.

    		 86%

    		 19.77

    		 28.67

    		 45%
    Ranger Oil Corp. Class A

    		 ROCC,
    -6.22%         		U.S.

    		 100%

    		 41.33

    		 58.00

    		 40%
    Tourmaline Oil Corp.

    		 TOU,
    -4.92%         		Canada

    		 100%

    		 71.40

    		 98.83

    		 38%
    Civitas Resources Inc.

    		 CIVI,
    -4.06%         		U.S.

    		 100%

    		 58.82

    		 80.83

    		 37%
    Inpex Corp.

    		 1605,
    -2.08%         		Japan

    		 88%

    		 1,477.00

    		 1,965.56

    		 33%
    Diamondback Energy Inc.

    		 FANG,
    -2.26%         		U.S.

    		 84%

    		 137.58

    		 181.90

    		 32%
    Santos Limited

    		 STO,
    -3.12%         		Australia

    		 100%

    		 7.20

    		 9.26

    		 29%
    Matador Resources Co.

    		 MTDR,
    -3.98%         		U.S.

    		 79%

    		 57.59

    		 73.75

    		 28%
    Targa Resources Corp.

    		 TRGP,
    -2.63%         		U.S.

    		 95%

    		 73.89

    		 94.05

    		 27%
    Cenovus Energy Inc.

    		 CVE,
    -2.55%         		Canada

    		 84%

    		 26.24

    		 33.22

    		 27%
    Shell PLC

    		 SHEL,
    -0.70%         		U.K.

    		 83%

    		 23.67

    		 29.82

    		 26%
    Ampol Limited

    		 ALD,
    -2.89%         		Australia

    		 85%

    		 28.29

    		 35.01

    		 24%
    EOG Resources Inc.

    		 EOG,
    -3.54%         		U.S.

    		 79%

    		 132.08

    		 157.52

    		 19%
    ConocoPhillips

    		 COP,
    -2.67%         		U.S.

    		 83%

    		 118.47

    		 140.84

    		 19%
    Repsol SA

    		 REP,
    -0.66%         		Spain

    		 75%

    		 15.05

    		 17.88

    		 19%
    Halliburton Co.

    		 HAL,
    -3.03%         		U.S.

    		 86%

    		 39.27

    		 45.95

    		 17%
    Marathon Petroleum Corp.

    		 MPC,
    -1.97%         		U.S.

    		 76%

    		 116.82

    		 132.56

    		 13%
    Source: FactSet

    Click on the tickers for more information about the companies.

    Click here for Tomi Kilgore’s detailed guide to the wealth of information available for free on the MarketWatch quote page.

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  • Is Energy a Good Career Path Going Into 2023?

    Is Energy a Good Career Path Going Into 2023?

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    You might feel a little overwhelmed if you’re a young professional or looking to start a second career. After all, there are dozens of different options and fields you can go into, whether you want to pursue a specific degree or start job hunting right off the bat.

    With all the news buzz surrounding green energy in recent years, you might wonder about entering the energy industry.

    Is energy a good career path going into 2023 and beyond?

    The importance of energy in the future

    The world runs on power, and energy will only become more critical in the future as the industry shifts, global warming accelerates and more people are born. According to Stanford University, fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil make up 80% of the world’s energy.

    However, renewable energy technologies and extraction techniques will need to be developed soon.

    If the planet is to avoid the worst effects of climate change, global emissions must be reduced by half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. In other words, the world will need lots of people working in the energy industry in the near to long-term future.

    People won’t stop using lights, heaters, vehicles and other technological advances. Instead, global society must develop new ways to harness and extract energy from the environment. Energy is sure to be even more critical in the years to come than it is now.

    So, is energy a good career path?

    Therefore, it’s a no-brainer to suppose that getting into energy could be a wise career choice. This is true whether you are starting your professional life or looking to change careers.

    Related: The Best Careers for Your Personality Type

    Working in the energy industry could have you learn skills or tackle problems like:

    • Solar panel installation
    • Energy research
    • Energy technology development
    • Climate control solutions
    • And more

    You’ll have to determine whether you want to work on these problems and solutions for your professional future. Entering the energy industry may set you up for long-term success and plentiful career opportunities.

    But it’s a far cry from the arts or more creative pursuits. Consider your degree major, personal and educational interests, and other factors before committing to this path.

    Advantages of choosing energy as a career path

    There are many advantages to choosing energy as your career path going into 2023.

    Work Environment

    For starters, you’ll likely get to work in a wide range of different job environments, not just in a cubicle or the same office daily.

    For instance, as a wind turbine technician, you’ll sometimes work in an office, a garage, and outdoors at different wind turbines the rest of the time.

    The same is true if you become an energy consultant or a similar professional. Energy consultants help businesses determine how they can maximize their green energy consumption and minimize their carbon footprints.

    Related: How to Start a Consulting Business: Your One Page Business Plan

    As a result, they travel around the country, visit many different people and places, and develop novel solutions in terms of architectural setup or energy grid access.

    If you’re craving a little variety in your professional life, the energy industry could be the place to find it. Of course, keep in mind that if you become an administrator in this industry, you may work primarily in office or corporate professional environments instead of “in the field.”

    Job security

    In addition, the energy industry is home to many secure jobs. If you get a career in the energy industry, you likely won’t have to worry about your job being cut or downgraded soon.

    Why? The world will continue to need energy in 2023 and beyond. That means it will need knowledgeable, highly trained professionals to efficiently access, harness and distribute that energy.

    This could be a refreshing difference if you’ve already worked in an industry where your job was constantly on the line.

    Job security is important to many Americans. When you get an excellent job in the energy industry, you can work that career for decades, providing much-needed financial stability for you and the future family you hope to raise.

    Possibilities for advancement

    On top of that, the energy industry will provide ample opportunities for advancement for go-getters and rockstar employees. For instance, you can start working for a local energy company, become a supervisor or manager, and become an administrator.

    On the research side, the world will always need new inventions and ways to access clean energy. This will give creative, bright individuals a chance to prove themselves and make a significant difference in this industry for years to come.

    Put another way, getting into the energy arena will allow you to distinguish yourself and make a real career, not just hold down a job. That’s important for many Americans, particularly those who get much life satisfaction from their professional achievements and accolades.

    Do good for the world

    Perhaps most importantly, getting into energy as your career path will let you do some good for the world.

    As noted, the effects of climate change are already being felt, and things will likely get worse before they get better. Increased storm frequency, flooding, animal species extinction, and more are all minor side effects compared to what the world likely faces over the next few decades.

    But if you join the energy sector, you have the chance to do some good and mitigate those effects. With the right technologies and energy advancements, the world can reach carbon-neutral by 2050 or even earlier.

    Joining the industry will let you contribute to this great project and help keep the planet as comfortable and beautiful as it is now.

    If you’ve always wanted your work to mean something beyond a paycheck and job stability, good news — the energy sector is a place where you can find work like that.

    Related: 4 Reasons Following Your Passion Leads to Success

    Good paying jobs in the energy sector

    Should you choose to get into energy as your career, you’ll have a plethora of well-paying jobs to choose from.

    Take wind turbine technicians, for example. According to some sources, wind turbine technician is America’s fastest-growing job. It should grow by up to 108 percent by 2024; in other words, there will be plenty of open positions in this field over time.

    As a wind turbine technician, you’ll work to build, repair, and maintain wind turbines to facilitate the collection and distribution of clean energy across the electrical grid.

    But that’s not the only high-paying, in-demand job in the energy sector you can pursue. Here are some more examples:

    • Architectural manager: Such professionals make plans, direct and coordinate projects, and design eco-friendly buildings that facilitate lower energy costs by gathering more natural light or conserving heat. Architectural managers earn upwards of six figures annually, usually around $140,000 annually.
    • Petroleum engineer: Petroleum engineers will still be needed in 2023 and beyond as the world pivots from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Petroleum engineers devise new ways to extract fossil fuels from inside the earth. They may also be needed to do this in as clean and efficient a way as possible. They earn over $137,000 a year on average.
    • Chemical engineer: Chemical engineers produce energy, develop metallurgical solutions to industrial problems, and much more, often making well over $100,000 per year.
    • Wind farm site manager: These experienced professionals earn around $100,000 per year, and they oversee wind farms and wind energy generation operations. They often work closely with wind turbine maintenance technicians and engineers, as described above.

    Related: Why the Tide Is Turning for the Energy Sector

    Of course, you can also get into this industry as a scientist. The world will need knowledgeable scientists coming up with new solutions and ways to collect green energy in ways that maintain the expected electrical grid consistency.

    The primary challenge to renewable energy, after all, is consistency and collection. The sun emits plenty of energy for the world multiple times, but it’s not always shining in the sky. Furthermore, there are limits to how much solar energy modern batteries can store.

    Joining this industry could allow you to solve these problems by designing better batteries, coming up with new energy collection methods, or something else entirely. The sky is literally the limit.

    Who should work in the energy industry?

    Many may find that the energy industry is an excellent professional fit.

    You might consider working in the energy industry if:

    • You are interested in solving climate change and global warming challenges and want to leave the world better off than it was when you were a child.
    • You want to pursue a stable job with ample opportunities for promotions and advancement. If you join the energy industry and do a great job in your position, you won’t need to worry about cuts or job downgrades in all likelihood.
    • You are already interested in one of the related fields, like chemistry, physics, and energy science.

    Note that most jobs in the energy industry are heavily based on math and science. These are STEM jobs, so it may be wise to acquire a degree from a technical college or institution before applying to open positions.

    Related: 7 Myths About Career Transitions That Are Keeping You Stuck | Ellevate

    Summary

    Ultimately, getting into the energy industry could be an excellent choice for your career and your professional ambitions in the long term.

    Getting a job in energy could lead to excellent job security, opportunities for advancement, and fantastic pay. Plus, there are many different jobs you can pursue.

    Want to explore your options before settling on a career? Visit Entrepreneur for more info on the energy sector and everything else you need to help you build your career or business.

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  • Generation and Self-Consumption, the Path to Clean Energy in Argentina

    Generation and Self-Consumption, the Path to Clean Energy in Argentina

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    Aerial view of the 5000 square meter roof full of solar panels, in one of the pavilions of La Rural, the busiest fair and exhibition center in Buenos Aires. It is the largest private solar park in the capital of Argentina and required an investment of almost one million dollars. CREDIT: Courtesy of La Rural
    • by Daniel Gutman (buenos aires)
    • Inter Press Service

    BUENOS AIRES, Dec 23 (IPS) – With large projects held back by the economic crisis and lack of infrastructure, Argentina seems to be looking at an alternative path towards a more sustainable energy mix involving small renewable energy projects, promoted by environmentally aware industries, businesses and private users.

    The initiatives are aimed at covering their own consumption, sometimes with the addition of so-called distributed generation, in which user-generators who have a surplus of electricity can inject it into the national power grid and thus generate a tariff credit.

    Distributed generation initiatives have just surpassed 1,000 projects already in operation, according to the latest official data.

    At the same time, this month saw the inauguration of the largest private solar energy park in the city of Buenos Aires, an initiative of the Argentine Rural Society (SRA), the traditional business chamber of agricultural producers.

    The park was installed in the exhibition center the SRA owns in the capital of this South American country, to supply part of its consumption with an investment of almost one million dollars and more than 1,000 solar panels.

    “Small private renewable energy projects and distributed generation will be the ones to increase installed capacity in the coming years, because the electricity transmission and distribution system sets strong limits on large projects,” Mariela Beljansky, a specialist in energy and climate change issues, told IPS.

    Beljansky, who was national director of Electricity Generation until early 2022, added: “Otherwise there will be no way to meet the growth targets for renewable sources set by Argentina, as part of its climate change mitigation commitments under the Paris Agreement.”

    Argentina presented its National Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Plan, which includes 250 measures to be implemented by 2030, at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) on climate change held by the United Nations in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh in November.

    The National Secretariat for Climate Change estimated the total value of the plan’s implementation at 185.5 billion dollars, four times more than the debt Argentina incurred in 2018 with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has generated a sharp deterioration of the economy since then.

    According to the data included in the plan, the energy sector is the largest generator of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the country, generating 51 percent of emissions.

    Although renewable sources (with wind projects in first place and solar in second place) reached a record in October, supplying 17.8 percent of total electricity demand, the energy mix continues to be sustained basically by oil, natural gas and large hydroelectric projects.

    Furthermore, the country has not decided to slow down the development of fossil fuels. The main reason is that it has large reserves of shale natural gas in the Vaca Muerta field in the south of the country, which has been attracting the interest of international investors for years. The climate change plan sets the goal of using natural gas as a transition fuel to replace oil as much as possible.

    The plan also includes the objectives of developing a variety of renewable energy sources (wind, solar, small hydro, biogas and biomass) and also distributed generation, “directly at the points of consumption” and connected to the public power grid, at the residential and commercial levels.

    Large renewable projects experienced strong growth between 2016 and 2019, on the back of an official plan that guaranteed the purchase of electricity at attractive prices for investors, but since then there have been virtually no new initiatives.

    This truck functions as a mobile health center, travelling through towns in Patagonia, in southern Argentina. The roof of the vehicle is covered with solar panels that provide electricity to the four mobile consulting rooms and diagnostic imaging equipment. CREDIT: Courtesy of Utorak
    This truck functions as a mobile health center, travelling through towns in Patagonia, in southern Argentina. The roof of the vehicle is covered with solar panels that provide electricity to the four mobile consulting rooms and diagnostic imaging equipment. CREDIT: Courtesy of Utorak

    Consumption subsidies

    “In Argentina’s current situation, where there is practically no financing, and there are restrictions on importing equipment, high inflation and economic uncertainty, it is difficult to think about large renewable energy parks, and small projects become more attractive,” Marcelo Alvarez, a member of the board of the Argentine Renewable Energy Chamber (Cader), told IPS.

    Alvarez pointed out that what conspires against small private and distributed generation projects are the subsidies that the Argentine government has been providing for years to energy consumption, including those families with high purchasing power that do not need them.

    “Artificially cheap electricity rates and the scarcity of credit discourage the growth of renewables,” Alvarez said.

    “The proof of this is that more than half of the distributed generation projects in operation are in the province of Cordoba (in the center of the country), where electricity prices are three times more expensive than in Buenos Aires and there is a special line of credit from the local bank (Bancor, which grants ‘eco-sustainable loans’) for renewable equipment,” he said.

    Indeed, according to data from the Energy Secretariat, there are 1,051 user undertakings that generate their own electricity and inject their surplus into the grid and 573 of them are in the province of Cordoba.

    Argentine state energy subsidies totaled 11 billion dollars in 2021 and this year, up to October, they already exceeded seven billion dollars, according to data from the Argentine Association of Budget and Public Financial Administration (Asap).

    As for sources of financing, there is a line of credit endowed with 160 million dollars from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Banco de Inversión y Comercio Exterior (Bice), financed in part by the Green Climate Fund, which is aimed at renewable sources and energy efficiency projects for small and medium-sized businesses. However, most companies are unaware of its existence.

    View of photovoltaic panels in a private neighborhood in Pilar, some 50 kilometers from Buenos Aires. Solar panels have become part of the landscape in the suburbs of Argentina's capital city. CREDIT: Courtesy of Utorak
    View of photovoltaic panels in a private neighborhood in Pilar, some 50 kilometers from Buenos Aires. Solar panels have become part of the landscape in the suburbs of Argentina’s capital city. CREDIT: Courtesy of Utorak

    Private ventures

    On Dec. 15, the Rural Society inaugurated the largest private solar park in Buenos Aires, in the 42,000 square meter covered area where the country’s most important fairs and exhibitions are held. The investment reportedly amounted to almost one million dollars.

    “We have 42,000 square meters of roofs in our pavilions. It is a very important flat surface for the placement of solar panels, so we had been thinking about it for several years. We had done a pilot project in 2019, but then everything was delayed by the pandemic, which forced us to close the venue,” Claudio Dowdall, general manager of La Rural, told IPS.

    “At this stage we used 5,000 square meters of roofs, on which we placed 1,136 photovoltaic panels, with a total power of 619 kW. This is equivalent to the average consumption of 210 family homes and, for us, it is between 30 and 40 percent of the electricity we use,” he added.

    Andrés Badino, founder of Utorak, a company that has been dedicated to renewable energy for families and companies for more than five years, confirms that consultations and demand are growing in the sector.

    “People’s interest has been growing because of increased environmental awareness and, also, because of what can be saved on electricity bills for residential users and for educational institutions and healthcare centers as well,” Badino said.

    “Argentina has a national industry for the production of solar thermal tanks, but not for the manufacture of panels, inverters or batteries, despite the fact that the country has one of the largest reserves in the world, the main component. But we are confident that international prices will go down and drive demand,” he said.

    © Inter Press Service (2022) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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  • The world’s largest turbulence simulation unmasks the flow of energy in astrophysical plasmas

    The world’s largest turbulence simulation unmasks the flow of energy in astrophysical plasmas

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    Newswise — Researchers have uncovered a previously hidden heating process that helps explain how the atmosphere that surrounds the Sun called the “solar corona” can be vastly hotter than the solar surface that emits it.

    The discovery at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) could improve tackling a range of astrophysical puzzles such as star formation, the origin of large-scale magnetic fields in the universe, and the ability to predict eruptive space weather events that can disrupt cell phone service and black out power grids on Earth. Understanding the heating process also has implications for fusion research.

    Breakthrough

    “Our direct numerical simulation is the first to provide clear identification of this heating mechanism in 3D space,” said Chuanfei Dong, a physicist at PPPL and Princeton University who unmasked the process by conducting 200 million hours of computer time for the world’s largest simulation of its kind. “Current telescope and spacecraft instruments may not have high enough resolution to identify the process occurring at small scales,” said Dong, who details the breakthrough in the journal Science Advances.

    The hidden ingredient is a process called magnetic reconnection that separates and violently reconnects magnetic fields in plasma, the soup of electrons and atomic nuclei that forms the solar atmosphere. Dong’s simulation revealed how rapid reconnection of the magnetic field lines turns the large-scale turbulent energy into small-sale internal energy. As a consequence the turbulent energy is efficiently converted to thermal energy at small scales, thus superheating the corona.

    “Think of putting cream in coffee,” Dong said. “The drops of cream soon become whorls and slender curls. Similarly, magnetic fields form thin sheets of electric current that break up due to magnetic reconnection. This process facilitates the energy cascade from large-scale to small-scale, making the process more efficient in the turbulent solar corona than previously thought.”

    When the reconnection process is slow while the turbulent cascade is fast, reconnection cannot affect the transfer of energy across scales, he said. But when the reconnection rate becomes fast enough to exceed the traditional cascade rate, reconnection can move the cascade toward small scales more efficiently.

    It does this by breaking and rejoining the magnetic field lines to generate chains of small twisted lines called plasmoids. This changes the understanding of the turbulent energy cascade that has been widely accepted for more than half a century, the paper says. The new finding ties the energy transfer rate to how fast the plasmoids grow, enhancing the transfer of energy from large to small scales and strongly heating the corona at these scales.

    The new discovery demonstrates a regime with an unprecedentedly large magnetic Reynolds number as in the solar corona. The large number characterizes the new high energy transfer rate of the turbulent cascade. “The higher the magnetic Reynolds number is, the more efficient the reconnection-driven energy transfer is,” said Dong, who is moving to Boston University to take up a faculty position.

    200 million hours

    “Chuanfei has carried out the world’s largest turbulence simulation of its kind that has taken over 200 million computer CPUs [central processing units] at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) facility,” said PPPL physicist Amitava Bhattacharjee, a Princeton professor of astrophysical sciences who supervised the research. “This numerical experiment has produced undisputed evidence for the first time of a theoretically predicted mechanism for a previously undiscovered range of turbulent energy cascade controlled by the growth of the plasmoids.

    “His paper in the high-impact journal Science Advances completes the computational program he began with his earlier 2D results published in Physical Review Letters. These papers form a coda to the impressive work that Chuanfei has done as a member of the Princeton Center for Heliophysics,” a joint Princeton and PPPL facility. “We are grateful for a PPPL LDRD [Laboratory Directed Research & Development] grant that facilitated this work, and to the NASA High-End Computing (HEC) program for its generous allocation of computer time.”  

    The impact of this finding in astrophysical systems across a range of scales can be explored with current and future spacecraft and telescopes. Unpacking the energy transfer process across scales will be crucial to solving key cosmic mysteries, the paper said.

    Funding for the paper comes from the DOE Office of Science (FES) and NASA, with computer resources provided by the NASA HEC together with the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science user facility, and the NSF-sponsored Computational and Information Systems Laboratory. Co-authors of the paper were researchers at PPPL, Princeton and Columbia Universities, and the NASA Ames Research Center.

    PPPL, on Princeton University’s Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro, N.J., is devoted to creating new knowledge about the physics of plasmas — ultra-hot, charged gases — and to developing practical solutions for the creation of fusion energy. The Laboratory is managed by the University for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit energy.gov/science.

     

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  • War, Famine, Disease, Disasters – 2022 – a Year Staring at Apocalypse

    War, Famine, Disease, Disasters – 2022 – a Year Staring at Apocalypse

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    • Opinion by Farhana Haque Rahman (toronto, canada)
    • Inter Press Service

    TORONTO, Canada, Dec 23 (IPS) – A year that started with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and is ending with famine in Africa, while still spreading death and misery through an enduring pandemic and a deteriorating climate crisis — 2022 has been an apocalyptic warning of the frailty of our planet and the woeful shortcomings of humankind.

    Farhana Haque Rahman

    Beyond the stark statistics of millions of people displaced by war and natural disasters, it has been a 12 months that tragically highlighted our global interconnections and how a confluence of events and trends can bring another year of record levels of hunger.

    Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians (numbers given by the UN and involved parties vary enormously) have been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched war on February 24. More than 7.8 million Ukrainians have fled the country. Billions of dollars have been spent on armaments.

    But the impact of the war has been felt worldwide, driving up prices of basic commodities such as oil, gas, grain, sunflower oil and fertilisers. Somalia, now in the grip of the worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in 40 years, used to import 90 per cent of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine.

    Commodities have been weaponised. Countries slipped back into recession, just as they were slowly recovering from the economic distress of Covid-19 lockdowns. A deepening relationship between sanctioned Russia and an energy- hungry China exacerbated existing tensions with the US over Taiwan. The result? China broke off climate cooperation efforts with the US in the run-up to the COP27 climate conference hosted by Egypt in November with 200 countries and 35,000 people attending.

    Against the backdrop of devastating floods in Pakistan and West Africa, and with 2022 on its way to becoming one of the five hottest years on record, agriculture and food security joined the COP27 agenda. Talks ran into extra time, as they tend to, and countries of the global South emerged with the landmark creation of a special fund paid by wealthier countries to address the Loss and Damage caused by climate change in the most vulnerable nations.

    “After 30 contentious years, delayed tactics by wealthy countries, a renewed spirit of solidarity, empathy and cooperation prevailed, resulting in the historic establishment of a dedicated fund,” said Yamide Dagnet, director for climate justice at the Open Society Foundations, reflecting a sense of hard fought victory among developing countries.

    Still unresolved however is which countries will give money and to whom. China in particular seems uneasy over which category it belongs to. However COP27 joined its 26 forerunners since 1995 in not reaching a binding agreement on cutting fossil fuel burning which has continued to rise globally, except for a brief pandemic dip. For this, many branded it a failure. “Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish. It is either a Climate Solidarity Pact – or a Collective Suicide Pact,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the opening plenary session. By the end, many felt the conference had concluded with the latter. Rather than falling, the latest estimates from the Global Carbon Project show that total worldwide CO2 emissions in 2022 have reached near-record levels.

    Victims of devastating floods, heatwaves and forest fires, and severe drought in Central Sahel and East Africa surely needed no confirmation from the final decision text of COP27 which recognises “the fundamental priority of safeguarding food security and ending hunger” and the vulnerability of food production to climate change.

    In this respect, COP27 recognised the importance of nature-based solutions – a theme driven by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in ringing alarm bells on the degraded soil, water sources and eco-systems caused by intensive agriculture with overuse of fertilisers and pesticides.

    According to FAO, more than 25 percent of arable soils worldwide are degraded, and the equivalent of a football pitch of soil is eroded every five seconds. The planet’s bio-diversity is being devastated as a result. As highlighted by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in stressing the vital connections between Nature and people, a landmark report in July found that 50,000 wild species provide food, osmetics, shelter, clothing, medicine and inspiration. Many face extinction.

    As international agencies and NGOs (and media outlets) jostled and competed for funding to deal with the fallout from wars and climate emergencies, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) which is active in the Sahel cautioned that only 1.7 per cent of all climate finance reaches small-scale producers in developing countries and as little as 8% of overseas aid goes to projects focused primarily on gender equality. Women’s empowerment has been made a major focus of ASAP+, IFAD’s new climate change financing mechanism.

    Women and girls are paying “an unacceptably high price” among communities hit by severe drought in the Horn of Africa, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). It launched a $113.7 million appeal to scale-up life-saving reproductive health and protection services, including establishment of mobile and static clinics in displacement sites.

    Also overshadowed by wars and pandemics in 2022 were marginalised communities lacking a voice, suffering diseases such as leprosy or exploited in the form of child labour.

    Yohei Sasakawa, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, says many issues have been sidelined because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Society has the knowledge and means to stop and cure leprosy, he says in the ‘Don’t Forget Leprosy’ campaign by the Sasakawa Leprosy Initiative.

    “When people are still being discriminated against even after being cured, society has a disease. If we can cure society of this disease—discrimination—it would be truly epoch-making,” he told IPS.

    A similar message was delivered by Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi who told the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour that a mere $53 billion per annum – equivalent to 10 days of military spending – would ensure all children in all countries benefit from social protection.

    International Labour Organisation and UNICEF statistics from 2020 show at least 160 million children are involved in child labour, a surge of 8.4 million in four years. Children denied education became a burning issue in Afghanistan in March when the Taliban declared that girls would be banned from secondary education. The UN said 1.1 million girls were affected. The late-night reversal of a decision by Taliban authorities to allow girls from grades 7 to 12 to return to school was met with outrage and distress, inside and outside Afghanistan.

    Denial of human rights to girls and women has fuelled the desire of many to get out of Afghanistan and seek a better life elsewhere, adding to the millions around the world forced to flee their homes because of conflict, repression or disaster. The Ukraine conflict has displaced more than 14 million people, about a third of the population.

    A UN Office on Drugs and Crime report on trafficking warns that refugees from Ukraine are at risk of including sexual exploitation, forced labour, illegal adoption and surrogacy, forced begging and forced criminality.

    As they come over border crossings into Poland, refugees – including victims of rape – are greeted with posters and flyers carrying warnings about jail terms for breaking local abortion laws, images of miscarried foetuses, and a quote from Mother Theresa saying: “Abortion is the greatest threat to peace”.

    UNDP, which is assisting the Ukraine government in getting access to public services for IDPs, says in its 2022 report, Turning the tide on internal displacement, that earlier and increased support to development is an essential condition for emerging from crisis in a sustainable way.

    “More efforts are needed to end the marginalization of internally displaced people, who must be able to exercise their full rights as citizens including through access to vital services such as health care, education, social protection and job opportunities” said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator.

    Nearly one million Rohingya refugees languishing in refugee camps in Bangladesh after being driven out of Myanmar in waves since 2016 would surely agree.

    Asif Saleh, executive director of BRAC, said to be the world’s largest NGO and founded by Sir Fazle after the independence of Bangladesh in 1972, says work needs to “shift towards a development-like approach from a very short-term umanitarian crisis-focused approach”. But the only solution for the Rohingya refugees is their sustainable and voluntary repatriation to Myanmar. As 2022 closes, that unfortunately looks highly unlikely as the military junta that seized power in 2021 fights ethnic armed organisations on multiple fronts.

    There was one seismic milestone event that happened in late 2022 although no one is quite sure exactly where and when. The few people to witness it were not aware either – not that it prevented the UN from declaring it a special day. The birth of the 8 billionth person was celebrated on November 15. The world’s population has doubled from 4 billion in 1974 and UN projections suggest we will be supporting about 9.7 billion people in 2050. Global population is forecast to peak at about 10.4 billion in the 2080s.

    Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN environment programme, sent a message to the baby, and the rest of the world, as countries meet in Montreal for the COP15 biodiversity conference this month.

    “We’ve just welcomed the 8 billionth member of the human race on this planet. That’s a wonderful birth of a baby, of course. But we need to understand that the more people there are, the more we put the Earth under heavy pressure,” she said.

    Farhana Haque Rahman is Senior Vice President of IPS Inter Press Service and Executive Director IPS Noram; she served as the elected Director General of IPS from 2015-2019. A journalist and communications expert, she is a former senior official of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

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    © Inter Press Service (2022) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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