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Welcome to the 25th (and last) 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.


This will be the last Nett Report for 2021 as we take some time off for the holidays. Thanks to all of you for continuing to read the report and for the many kind comments (and sometime criticisms) that we have received. Our first report in 2022 will be on January 11. In the interim, wishing you all the best this holiday season. As we move into the new year, here’s hoping we all learn how to be kinder to one other, focus on solutions not personalities, and find hope that we will finally emerge from under the shadow of Covid. As always, your suggestions for improving the Nett Report are welcome. Please feel free to email any and all suggestions.

 
 

 
 

Covid-19

What about Omicron?

The new Omicron variant seems to be spreading quickly in several parts of the world. Initial reports are that it is more infectious than previous variants, symptoms are generally mild, but those with underlying conditions are still susceptible to hospitalization and death. A December 18, 2021, Washington Post report from Denmark indicates that both those with double vaccinations and the unvaccinated in that country are equally susceptible to infection. The booster seems to offer some protection. This news is beginning to create doubt about the science and the need for vaccination.  Even before that story, the Washington Post reported on December 10, 2021, that misinformation is emerging, along with conspiracy theories. Now is a time to exercise caution, maintain vaccination status, trust the science, and watch closely as the research matures about this new variant.


Hippos, hyenas, and other animals are contracting COVID-19

National Geographic on December 10, 2021, reported that 15 species of animals have contracted Covid, usually with mild symptoms. Species have included hippos, hyenas, coati, gorillas, otters, lions and tigers. Most species have mild symptoms, but three snow leopards died from the virus. The concern is that if more species can act as a reservoir for the virus, then there are “significant implications in control strategies and prevention strategies as well.”

 
 

 
 

The Political Divide

How do you solve a problem like misinformation?

A December 8, 2021, paper in Science Advances provides background and strategies for addressing misinformation. It starts with “understanding key distinctions between misinformation/disinformation, speech/action, and mistaken belief/conviction … Failing to appreciate these distinctions can lead to unproductive dead ends; understanding them is the first step toward recognizing misinformation and hopefully addressing it.”

 
 
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Climate Change

Knowledge of climate change is not new

I read the first article about climate change in a 1959 Scientific American magazine (and I still have that issue), so I am always surprised when people think it’s a new subject. They even taught us about it at Muirlands Junior High School in La Jolla in the 1960s. On December 12, 2021, Live Science published a very readable article about the history of climate knowledge. The scientific community began to unite for action in the 1980s, but more than 100 years earlier, John Tyndall (1820-1893) and Eunice Newton Foote (1819-1888) separately demonstrated that carbon dioxide and water vapor trapped heat and suggested that an atmosphere could do the same. Svante Arrehenius (1859-1927) was the first scientist to imagine that humanity could change the climate on a global scale. Incidentally, his great-granddaughter was a classmate of mine at La Jolla High School.

 
 

 
 

Future of Work / The Economy

Workforce shortage comes from older Americans accelerating retirement

The myth is that generous unemployment payments are keeping people from rejoining the workforce, but there are multiple reasons, including “layoffs, health insecurity, child care needs, and any number of personal issues that arose from the disruption caused by the pandemic,” as reported in this December 15, 2021, story in CNN Business. However, “the vast majority are older Americans who accelerated their retirement.”


China water shortages threaten American supply chain

A December 3, 2021, story in The Hill reported that lack of water in China “may be the factor that pushes U.S. supply chains over the edge.” The U.S. imports a huge amount of goods from China, and the energy generated to produce these goods comes from unsustainable water consumption. “As water supplies dwindle, the net effect is fewer products coming to the U.S. at significantly higher prices.”

 
 

 
 

The Nett Light-Side

Where to binge-watch Christmas movies

We have been watching classic Christmas movies at our house this holiday season. The Santa Clause is a personal favorite. In case you are inclined to binge-watch some holiday classics, this November 19, 2021, story from Vulture gives you a list of the Top 40, in their opinion, and where to stream them.


Bizarre transparent fish sees through its own head

Thousands of feet below the surface of Monterey Bay, scientists have captured video footage of a fish with eyes inside a transparent head. As reported in Science Alert on December 14, 2021, the barreleye fish has only been seen nine times during 5,600 dives by a Monterey Bay Aquarium remotely operated vehicle.

 
 

 
 

Nettleton Strategies — Helping People to Think

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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