The Political Divide

The other great divide: China and the U.S.

An extensive article on March 28, 2022, in The Atlantic, shares the emergence of the world into two spheres, “one centered on Washington, D.C., the other on Beijing.” The article describes in some detail how “deteriorating relations between the U.S. and China, combined with Beijing’s heightened strategic and economic ambitions, have already ushered in renewed great-power competition and an ideological struggle between liberal and illiberal global norms.”

Climate Change

Imperial Valley's lithium could play a key role in battery technology

While it's clear that lithium is a key mineral driving the clean energy revolution, it's not clear where it will come from. There are environmental, political, and national security issues involving the major lithium-producing countries of Australia, China, and Chile. According to a March 25, 2022, article in Freethink, geothermal brines below the Salton Sea in the southeastern corner of California could sustain America's vast demand for batteries, providing a 50-to-60-year supply of the mineral. Nettleton Strategies recently participated in a tour of this area which has been called Lithium Valley.

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Emissions implications for food systems haven’t been prioritized

An April 2, 2022, story in Science Alert, says national climate plans "often fail to prioritize food systems." This is a lost opportunity, since changing the way the world produces, distributes, consumes, and disposes of food could "reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10.3 billion metric tons a year.""

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Ukraine war an accelerant for innovation and change

According to a story in CEO Daily on April 8, 2022, the Ukraine war and its role in disrupting traditional energy supplies will produce innovation and change as North America and Europe go all in to wean their economies off Russian fossil fuel. These changes will include "net-zero breakthroughs in carbon capture and the jump into clean hydrogen."

Future of Work / The Economy

Interactive map of crude oil pipelines and refineries

If you have ever wondered about the network that moves oil around the U.S. and Canada, and the location of the associated refineries, this interactive map tells the story. Note the isolation of California and the West from the rest of the network.

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Will Sustainable Economic Barometer replace GDP?

According to a March 29, 2022, story in Fortune, a new economic metric, the Sustainable Economic Barometer, is being proposed to replace Gross National Product (GDP) as a way to measure economic success. The new tool, developed by L’Atelier, a subsidiary of the French banking giant BNP Paribas, "identifies which OECD countries are doing the best job of both creating national wealth and ensuring the conditions for social mobility and which are falling short." The countries that score highest "are those that effectively spread their economic success around ... delivering its surplus wealth to its population in the form of higher wages, lower costs and upward social mobility."" The U.S. ranks 31st in a list of 36 countries ranked by the metric. Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden rank at the top.

Covid-19

National Covid wave unlikely as summer approaches

According to a story on CNBC on April 5, 2022, there is unlikely to be a national Covid wave between now and the fall. Infections are likely to be centered in the Northeast and Florida. By the time it starts to spread, summer will provide a seasonal backstop. The story may change in the fall, however, as people's immunity starts to wane.

The Nett Light-Side

TOG awards feature artistic animal photos

If you love animals, you will love these winning images from the 2022 TOG Awards, featuring artistic photos of the pets and other animals we cherish. The finalist gallery is worth a look, too.

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Alvin the cat, a celebrated hoarder

A March 26, 2022, obituary in the San Diego Union-Tribune celebrates the life of Alvin the cat. Alvin, who iived to be 20 years old, spent his life bringing home various treasures, more than an estimated 5,000 pieces of this and that.

Blackbirds show their breath on camera

We all know what it looks like when we breathe out when the air is cold. Now a March 28, 2022, article in Colossal provides images of red wing blackbirds blowing rings in the frigid morning air in Virginia.

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Baseball fans beware, they are moving second base in the minors

According to CBS Sports in a March 31, 2022, article, Minor League Baseball will be moving second base 13.5” closer to home plate in the second half of the 2022 season. When drawing perpendicular lines from both first and third base to second base, the lines intersect in the middle of second base. When the line is changed, the outer edges of all three bases will line up, making the distance between all bases exactly 90 feet.

Nettleton Strategies — Helping People to Think

Carl Nettleton is an award-winning writer, acclaimed speaker, facilitator, and 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.