The kind of people we are

"When we are really honest with ourselves, we must admit our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines the kind of people we are." – Cesar Chavez, from MacGillivray Freeman's Inspire Friday newsletter, September 23, 2022.

The Political Divide

Should wealthy countries pay the climate-related bills of poorer countries?

One of the political divides that deserves more discussion is how to find equity in the damage climate change has done to poor countries when their own emissions have been of little impact in causing climate change. Wealthier developed countries emit far more emissions than developing countries. A case in point is Pakistan, which recently sustained $30 billion in losses from flooding that has been attributed to climate change. A September 16, 2022, article in Vice asks: “Should polluting countries pay up?”

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Is the problem wage-price inflation or profit-price inflation?

Former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich writes in his September 22, 2022, newsletter that the underlying economic problem “is not wage-price inflation. It’s profit-price inflation.” Reich says “the Fed’s continuing rate hikes will hurt average workers by slowing the economy — making it harder for workers to get wage increases and causing many to lose their jobs.” Reich has been invited to appear before Congress where he is “going to suggest that Congress consider ways to control inflation that limit corporate profits rather than jobs and wages — such as a windfall profits tax, tougher antitrust enforcement, and even temporary price controls.”

Climate Change

No agreement yet on how to cut 25% of the Colorado River supply

The seven states and Mexico that depend on the Colorado River supply have not yet come to an agreement on how to reduce the annual demand on the river by 25%. According to a story by Colorado Public Radio on September 17, 2022, in June, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation gave water managers 60 days to come up with a plan. The managers met for an annual water seminar in Grand Junction, Colorado in September and still had not come up with that plan. There is wide agreement that the drought that started in 1999 is climate-related. The river has also been overdrawn beyond its supply capacity for decades.

Future of Work / The Economy

“Situations emerge in the process of creative destruction in which many firms may have to perish that nevertheless would be able to live on vigorously and usefully if they could weather a particular storm.” – Economist Joseph A. Schumpeter, from the September 21, 2022, Water Foundry Newsletter.

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Social exhaustion and how to beat it

The pandemic and the transition to remote work and then hybrid work have been unsettling for many people. Now some employers are requiring people to come back to work full time, leading to what is being called “social exhaustion.” According to a September 12, 2022, article in Fortune Well, “it generally refers to feeling run-down and overstimulated after spending time with others.” Here are some self-care tricks for those in-office days.

• Set realistic social expectations for yourself.

• Carve out time on your calendar to unwind.

• Recognize social exhaustion at work—and do one small self-care ritual.

• Communicate with your loved ones about why you’re setting social boundaries.

• Be kind to yourself.

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Advice for CEOs on weathering the coming economic storm

With inflation still a factor being addressed by higher interest rates and with predictions of a recession emerging, Bridgewater consultants offered the following four pieces of advice in the September 14, 2022, issue of CEO Daily:

• Don’t pull back on growth projects - growth-oriented leaders react decisively to shorter-term disruptions that can be turned into opportunities.

• Build talent smartly - employers underrate … the feeling of being valued by managers and the organization … that employees say matter most.

• Stay the course on sustainability - a through-cycle view on sustainability can be a lever for companies to build resilience, reduce costs, and create value.

• Rebuild your supply chain for resilience and efficiency - a careful assessment of supply chain vulnerabilities can reveal opportunities to lower spending with high-risk suppliers by 40% or more.

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Walmart Founder Sam Walton’s 10 rules of business

From CEO Daily on September 19, 2022, Sam Walton’s 10 rules of business posted on Walmart Museum’s wall:

1. Commit to your business.

2. Share your profits with your associates.

3. Motivate your partners.

4. Communicate everything you possibly can to your partners.

5. Appreciate everything your associates do for the business.

6. Celebrate your successes.

7. Listen to everyone in your company.

8. Exceed your customers’ expectations.

9. Control your expenses better than your competition.

10. Swim upstream.

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While the Ukraine war continues, China and Russia forge economic ties

According to a September 15, 2022, story in CNN Business, Russia and China are forging closer economic ties in three ways:

• Increased trade between Russia and China, filling the gaps caused by western sanctions.

• China increasing imports of Russian oil and coal.

• China’s Yuan is replacing the dollar and the euro as a financial exchange mechanism.

According to the CNN story, “as the war in Ukraine drags on, Putin’s losing friends fast and increasingly become more dependent on China.” However, “China is not providing military, commercial, or technological support that would 'risk significant US sanctions on China.'"

Covid-19

Will a bad flu season in Australia lead to a Covid/flu twindemic?

According to a September 23, 2022, story by Insider, a bad flu season in Australia has increased worries that as the U.S. transitions to winter, the flu could be bad in the Northern Hemisphere, too. In addition, some worry that the flu could become part of a twindemic, a surge in Covid and an increase in influenza at the same time.

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Could monkeypox evolve into something more serious?

A September 15, 2022, article in Science says that the monkeypox virus has been spreading around the globe, “giving the virus unprecedented opportunities to change and adapt to the human population. Will it evolve to become more contagious or cause more severe disease?” The article reviews changes in other viruses that have evolved to become more problematic.

The Nett Light-Side

Should steroid-assisted home run records count?

The New York Yankees Aaron Judge is likely to reach 62 or more home runs this year, beating Roger Maris’s 61. That would officially be the American League record but won’t beat Barry Bond’s steroid-assisted National League and major league record of 73. Who should be the king of home run hitters - Judge or Bonds? A CBS Sports story on September 14, 2022, explored the question. Judge had 60 home runs as of September 26.

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A man worked three years to take photos of hummingbirds with rainbows in their wings

A story on September 21, 2022, in My Modern Met, chronicles a Virginia man’s quest to capture sunlight shining through a hummingbird’s wings that resulted in rainbows in the wings.

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Ankle-biter mosquitos in California

The tiny Aedes mosquito came to California a number of years ago, most notably as a carrier of the Zika virus. Different from native mosquitos, they come out in the daytime and can breed in water bodies as small as a bottle cap. This NBC7 San Diego story provides the background to these irritating bugs.

About Carl Nettleton

Carl Nettleton is an award-winning writer, speaker, thought partner, facilitator, and subject-matter expert regarding water, climate, sustainability, the ocean, and binational U.S. Mexico border affairs. Nettleton Strategies, the consultancy he founded in 2007, is a trusted source of analysis and advice on issues at the forefront of public policy, business, and the environment. He helps people to think strategically about their options for change. He is also the founder of OpenOceans Global, a nonprofit addressing ocean plastic in a new way.