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Welcome to the eleventh 2021 edition of The Nett Report. We began publishing this report in 2020 to provide our clients and friends with new perspectives and insights in hopes of stimulating creative thinking. Please feel free to forward to a colleague! Links to the 2020 reports can be found here and the 2021 reports here.

 
 

 
 

Remembering Memorial Day. Wishing all of our readers a safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend and encouraging everyone to take some time to think about the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. military. This opinion from the Rockford Register Star says only 28% of Americans know the meaning of Memorial Day and enlightens readers on its history.

Apologies. The May 14, 2021, edition of The Nett Report erroneously referred to Liz Cheney as Lynne Cheney. Liz Cheney is a U.S. representative from Wyoming. Lynne Cheney is the wife of former Vice President Dick Cheney. We regret the error.

 
 

 
 

The Political Divide

“Tomorrow, my students will graduate, and every year, students ask me if I have any advice for them as they leave college or university, advice I wish I had had at their age. The answer is yes, after all these years of living and of studying history, I have one piece of advice: When the day comes that you have to choose between what is just good enough and what is right... find the courage to step on the train.”  Heather Cox Richardson, May 23, 2021, Letters from an American,


Commentary: In a meeting this week, I was reminded of one of the fundamental elements behind division in our society. It comes from the fact that from a marketing side, whether it be environmental, political or some other focus, the strategy is to create an enemy and drive the emotion behind it. While important changes have been made by doing that, including the environment (ex: pollution) and health care (ex: smoking), the long-term result is we don’t work together to solve problems, we try to create change by fighting each other by tearing down those with different opinions or interests. Kind of hard to heal the divide when we have developed a culture designed to create it.


Advertisers’ placement of ads can help to stop disinformation

How can the “abysmal digital news ecosystem be improved?” An article in CEO Daily on May 17, 2021, had a simple answer for advertisers: “Pay attention to where your ads are running. Trash news often survives only because someone is willing to advertise in it.” NewsGuard is a company founded in 2018 to rate news sites that are doing reliable journalism, and those that aren’t. A study by IPG showed that “by advertising on real news sites, advertisers can achieve better performance and also help support real news in the process.


A society that knows the value of nothing

The May 24, 2021, CEO Daily reviewed a book called Value(s) - Building a Better World for All, by Mark Carney. Carney has served as governor of the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada. The book is his reflection on how to turn around a society that seems “to embody Oscar Wilde’s aphorism—knowing the price of everything but the value of nothing.”

 
 
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Climate Change

“We do need to address climate change. We do need to reduce carbon emissions. We do need a more inclusive society, and we can’t stay polarized. And if business can be a leader and help bridge the divide between two diametrically opposed political parties, then shouldn’t we take a shot at that?” Jim Fitterling, CEO, Dow


Lake Mead drops into shortage territory for the first time

According to a May 28, 2021, story in the Arizona Republic, Lake Mead dropped below the shortage threshold for the first time since Hoover Dam was built in 1931. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the country, and its surface dropped below 1,075 feet above sea level, legally taking it into official shortage territory. This will likely be officially declared in August and will trigger cutbacks in Colorado River supplies to Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico. If the lake falls another 30 feet to 1,045 feet above sea level, California will also be required to take less water. Colorado River Basin supplies have been affected by climate change.


10% cutback in Colorado River supplies would eliminate 1.6M jobs

According to an April 22, 2021, report by Will Sarni, CEO of Water Foundry, in AquaTech, a 10% cutback in Colorado River water supplies “(a decline quite possible under projected climate change scenarios of 10 to 30 percent flow reductions by 2050) there would be a loss of $143 billion in economic activity and 1.6 million jobs, in just one year.” He promotes the need for data technology “to make more efficient and effective decisions on water management and stewardship.” A Colorado River Basin Fund was launched this year to focus investment on water technology in the basin.


Oil companies face turning point in emissions reduction

This week marked a turning point in how oil companies will have to face a changing energy marketplace and political climate in their efforts to stay economically viable in the face of climate change. A Dutch court ordered Royal Dutch Shell to sharply reduce its carbon emissions, according to the Wall Street Journal in a May 26, 2021, article. In addition, activists gained two seats on Exxon Mobil’s board, a step toward internally changing the company’s direction. “The back-to-back, watershed decisions demonstrated how dramatically the landscape is shifting for oil-and-gas companies as they face increasing pressure from environmentalists, investors, lenders, politicians and regulators to transition to cleaner forms of energy.”


Plan to turn coal plants into energy storage stations being tested

Using a U.S. Department of Energy grant, a Duke Energy coal plant in North Carolina is being tested to determine if “retiring coal units into long duration, zero-emissions energy storage systems” is feasible. According to a May 21, 2021, article in PV Magazine, the system stores electricity by converting it “into thermal energy (heat and cold). The heat is stored in molten salt, a proven method of storing thermal energy, and the cold is stored in an antifreeze-like solution with components and subsystems derived from the liquefied natural gas industry … When electricity is needed, the thermal energy powers a heat engine to energy.”


Economist warns of massive miscalculations regarding climate change

According to a CNBC story on May 23, 2021, Steve Keen, an economist from the University College London’s Institute for Strategy, Resilience and Security, says “economic forecasts predicting the potential impact of climate change have grossly underestimated the reality and delayed global recovery efforts by decades.” He points out the need to address climate directly from a scientific perspective instead of relying on market forces.


IEA says new oil and gas exploration must stop now

If the world is to reach net zero emissions by 2050, new oil and gas exploration must stop now, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency. As told by Fortune in a May 18, 2021, article, the energy watchdog recommends the following measures:

  • All new oil and gas exploration projects must end this year.
  • Stop new investments in coal plants.
  • Energy investments should jump to $5 trillion each year until 2030—up from the current $2 trillion.
  • Massive investments should go toward renewable energy—adding 630 gigawatts (GW) of solar and 390GW of wind power to the grid each year until 2030.
  • No new internal combustion engine cars sold by 2035.
  • Increase spending on R&D in technologies like advanced batteries, electrolyzers for hydrogen, and direct air capture so that these innovations can translate into mass production.
 
 

 
 

The Future of Work / The Economy

“If you don’t have proper connectivity, people saw during the pandemic, it was the difference between being furloughed and keeping your job … The reality is we can’t afford to have people off the grid anymore.” Ronan Dunne, CEO, Verizon Consumer Group.

“It’s your place in the world, it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” Mae Jemison from MacGillivray Freeman Inspire Friday Newsletter


Gen Z won’t join firms that don’t share their values

On May 26, 2021, CEO Daily reported that research by the marketing agency Lewis for the HeForShe gender-quality movement found that only 19% of people from Generation Z (those born after 1995) would join a company that doesn’t share their values. Two-thirds of the survey’s 2,600 respondents from around the world said company values were more important than the firm’s leadership. Gender and racial diversity topped the list of important values.


Most business leaders don’t have plans for a hybrid workplace

The May 21, 2021, issue of CEO Daily reported that a McKinsey survey of 100 business leaders found that most don’t have detailed plans for a hybrid workplace even though 80% see it as the future for their companies. Twenty-one percent did have a detailed plan but hadn’t communicated it to employees, while 11% both had a plan and had communicated it. Only 10% expect their employees to spend more than 80% of their time in the office.


Covid has reopened an economic divide between rich and poor countries

While developed nations like the U.S., China and those in Europe have begun to suppress Covid and restore their economies, developing nations remain largely unvaccinated and “governments are unable to afford sustained stimulus measures, (and) economies are falling further behind, struggling to rebound from last year’s record contraction.” This according to a May 18, 2021, story in the Wall Street Journal. The story says “the International Monetary Fund, which calls the dynamic ‘the great divergence,’ warns that many developing economies outside the advanced economies and China could languish for years.”


Teaching critical life skills important to addressing inequities

An opinion piece in the May 17, 2021, issue of Fortune by Tom Davidson, the founder and CEO of EverFi, focuses on the importance of teaching life skills to address systemic inequities. “We must build the missing layer of education—the instruction that prepares students with the skills to build more vibrant and healthy lives. Central to the debate over education innovation is the question: What should be included in the core curriculum? Currently, it is a combination of subjects like reading, math, and science, but when do we teach students about the building blocks of personal economic and financial security, mental health and wellness, sustainable lifestyles and environmental protection, to name a few? Have we given them the tools to build wealth and economic opportunities for themselves and their families? How are they being prepared for the jobs and skills of the future like data science and understanding cryptocurrency? We need a more comprehensive, structured road map for all students to ensure long-term success and drive ecosystems of change.”

 
 

 
 

Covid-19

Disparities in Covid cases documented in California analysis

The May 16, 2021, issue of Health Affairs Sunday Update reported on an analysis of "Covid-19 disparities in terms of structural risk exposures, testing, test positivity, and Covid-19 cases in California, the state with the most COVID-19 deaths in the country.” The authors found that, “from March 22 through October 3, 2020, among cases with known race/ethnicity, 70% were among Latino people, compared with their 39.1% state population share. Further, death rates during that time for both Latino and Black populations were more than 1.5 times higher than those in the state’s White population.”

 
 

 
 

The Nett Light-Side

Stunning cicada video shows the wonders of the natural world

Sometimes I wonder why we don’t all marvel at the complexity and beauty of the natural world. The video in this May 17, 2021, article in Open Culture about the life cycle of cicadas is stunning. I didn’t understand their lifecycle, and now find it beyond amazing. Enjoy.


2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

If you don’t want to marvel at nature, then here’s a chance to at least laugh at it by viewing the winning images from the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards.


Bride sacrifices dress to deliver calf during wedding reception

A story on May 7, 2021, from the Good News Network has a story and video about a dairy farmer bride who was called from her wedding reception to help with a calf being born. The calf is healthy, but, not taking the time to change, her wedding dress is trashed.

 
 

 
 

Nettleton Strategies - Helping You Navigate the Big Reset

This is a challenging time for all of us, in a way we have never experienced before. If you would like help navigating your way forward, contact us to learn how we can help!


Carl Nettleton is an award-winning writer, acclaimed speaker, facilitator, and a subject-matter expert regarding water, climate, sustainability, the ocean, and binational U.S. Mexico border affairs. Founded in 2007, Nettleton Strategies is a trusted source of analysis and advice on issues at the forefront of public policy, business and the environment.

 
 

 
 
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Nettleton Strategies
P.O. Box 22971
San Diego, Ca 92192-2971
U.S.A.
+1 858-353-5489
info@nettstrategies.com
www.nettstrategies.com

 
 

 
 

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