csmonitor--2020-09-18--The United Nations: Indispensable or irrelevant?

Yet , the most vocal critics say they are speaking out because the world needs the principles on which the U.N. was founded .
Some , however , believe the U.N. ’ s glory days are over , as powerful trends weaken the idea of multilateral institutions – such as a return to big-power geopolitics , a surge of nationalism , and a global shift from civil and political rights to social , economic , and cultural rights .
“ The U.N. was set up first and foremost as a security organization , ” says Stephen Schlesinger , a U.N. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York .
“ And it can ’ t be said enough that there has been no nuclear war or world war in the 75 years of the U.N. ’ s existence.
” The institution ’ s existence corresponds to three-quarters of a century of remarkable progress for humanity in world health , life expectancy , extreme poverty reduction , recognition of universal human rights , and women ’ s and girls ’ equality .
It has set principles for everything from development to democratic governance and created the concept of international peacekeeping .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ th anniversary this fall amid a worldwide pandemic , there is widespread stock-taking of just how the existence of the first truly global multilateral institution has changed the world .
It ’ s not much of an exaggeration to say that Siddharth Chatterjee owes his life to the United Nations .
His Hindu father was a refugee from what is today Bangladesh .
Young Siddharth grew up with the chaos of the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan as his history , but the security of U.N. assistance programs as his cradle .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was diagnosed with polio .
Yet the quick intervention of a doctor and the U.N. ’ s polio eradication program – one of the young global institution ’ s first health initiatives – helped him recover .
At 6 , a proud Siddharth marched off to school sporting a backpack marked UNICEF , for the U.N. agency dedicated to promoting children ’ s welfare .
And years later , as a young lieutenant in the Indian army who had come to question resorting to armed conflict to solve disputes , he would find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.N. ’ s peacekeeping and peace-building operations .
His first assignment : Bosnia .
Iraq , South Sudan – where he spearheaded an initiative to decommission child soldiers – Indonesia , and Somalia would follow .
“ You see why I say that for me , the U.N. is personal , ” says Mr. Chatterjee , now the U.N. ’ s resident country coordinator in Kenya .
“ A story like mine demonstrates how , whatever its faults may be , the U.N. is woven into the social fabric of so many countries.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 75 years since its founding charter took effect in October 1945 .
The organization ’ s structure had been hammered out at an international conference in San Francisco attended by the 50 nations that made up the immediate post-World War II world of 1945 .
( Today , by contrast , the U.N. has 193 member states . )
That milestone is prompting widespread stock-taking of just how the existence of the first truly global multilateral institution has changed the “ social fabric ” of the world that Mr. Chatterjee cites .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now than ever .
To others , it has become irrelevant .
Although the U.N. may be celebrating its diamond anniversary in the middle of a devastating global pandemic , the institution ’ s existence does correspond to three-quarters of a century of remarkable progress for humanity .
By many measures – world health , average life expectancy , extreme poverty reduction , recognition of universal human rights , and women ’ s and girls ’ equality – the postwar period has been unmatched for human advancement .
What role has the U.N. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ progress ?
True , many experts point out that other factors – for example , China ’ s drive since 1980 to lift more than 1 billion people out of poverty – often eclipse the U.N. ’ s role in recent improvements .
But others counter that having an institution that has set global norms and principles for everything from development to democratic governance can ’ t be separated from postwar progress .
The U.N. was instrumental in assisting the new nations that emerged from postwar decolonization and has created new concepts like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s wealthiest countries would have reason to think of the U.N. as does Mr. Chatterjee – as something “ personal.
” But many experts say it is worth thinking back to where the world was in 1945 to start to answer the question about the U.N. ’ s contribution to global progress .
“ You have to remember they were just coming off two of the most catastrophic wars in world history within 25 years of each other and the two together having caused nearly 90 million deaths , ” says Stephen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Century Foundation in New York .
“ So the pressure was on in San Francisco to create some system and set of guiding principles that would ensure they did not end up in a third world war.
” “ The U.N. was set up first and foremost as a security organization , ” he says , “ and it can ’ t be said enough that there has been no nuclear war or world war in the 75 years of the U.N. ’ s existence.
” For some , the crucial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security Council , a forum where the major powers could at least air their differences before things turned hostile .
“ The success at prevention of great-power conflict is a contribution of the U.N. that tends to be underrated , ” says Waheguru Pal Singh Sidhu , an expert on multilateral and U.N. issues at New York University ’ s Center for Global Affairs .
Recalling former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev ’ s famous anti-American outbursts at the U.N. in 1960 , Dr. Sidhu says , “ The fact is they have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.N. instead of throwing missiles at each other .
There may be a lot of stalemate and use of the veto [ by the council ’ s five permanent members ] as we ’ re seeing now , ” he adds , “ but better a heated dialogue than going to war.
” Others cite the importance of the U.N. ’ s innovative peacekeeping and peace-building operations .
“ There ’ s a powerful story to tell in how a precipitous drop in the victims of armed conflict directly corresponds to the creation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” says Elizabeth Cousens , a U.S. diplomat who worked for years on peace-building and security issues before this year becoming president of the United Nations Foundation , a Washington-based philanthropic organization that promotes U.N. programs .
Almost from the beginning , the U.N. took cautious steps at addressing international conflicts , “ but it was really at the end of the Cold War that the U.N. had new space for mediating and resolving a sweep of civil wars around the world ” – from Guatemala and El Salvador to Mozambique and Angola @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this period , in the 1990s , that a young U.N. peacekeeper named Chatterjee would bring new ideas like “ school in a box ” – replacing burned-out schools within 48 hours with a fully supplied makeshift classroom – to a conflict-torn Aceh province in Indonesia .
Beyond peace and security issues , Ms. Cousens ticks off a host of advances over the last 75 years that she says carry the U.N. ’ s fingerprints .
She cites the eradication of smallpox and progress in wiping out other global health scourges , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years in 1945 to 72 years today , steep reductions in maternal and infant mortality , and expansion of and adherence to a universal set of human rights .
“ If you were to draw a line from 1945 to 2020 tracking all of these factors and many more , you would find considerable improvements in the lives of most people , ” she says , “ and I would say the U.N. to varying degrees has been critical to all of these advances.
” Yet as the U.N. prepares to blow out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , some see its glory days already in the past as powerful trends weaken the idea of multilateral institutions .
Among those forces are a return to big-power geopolitics , illustrated by a sharpening U.S.-China rivalry , and a surge of nationalism that threatens to replace global interdependence with a my-country-first approach .
Within the U.N. , some see bureaucratic stasis and a failure to innovate undermining the organization ’ s relevance .
Others believe the U.N. simply shouldn ’ t exist .
Yet even many of the institution ’ s most vocal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they believe the world needs the U.N. and the principles on which it was founded .
Emma Reilly was an idealistic human rights lawyer out to better the world when she joined the U.N. ’ s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva in 2012 .
A year later she was disturbed by evidence that the office was complying with China ’ s requests for the names of Uyghur dissidents and family members .
She was further dismayed , she says , when alerting superiors didn ’ t bring efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in attempts to silence and even fire her .
Today Ms. Reilly is officially recognized as a U.N. whistleblower , her seven-year “ Orwellian odyssey , ” as she describes it , having culminated in a meeting in February of this year with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres .
But the dual Irish-U.K. national says nothing has changed about a system that operates to protect the powerful and highly paid officials within U.N. agencies over the world ’ s weak and defenseless people .
“ The entire system is designed in a way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevented from going public , ” she says .
“ And what my case reveals is a shocking willingness to keep things comfortable for everybody by doing a favor for a member state – even if at the price of violating the norms for which the office was created.
” Despite her disillusionment , Ms. Reilly says that she plans to stick with her work – because of the good she has seen the U.N. do and the promise of guiding principles that she believes remain valid .
“ I have personally been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has ranged from prison visits that got children out of prison or people released who had committed no crime , to seeing countries move from systemic lawlessness to the rule of law , ” she says .
“ So to me the U.N. is deeply necessary , but it needs to change and be very different if it is to fulfill its promise.
” The U.N. is , in fact , both changing and standing still , many experts say .
It is changing in ways that reflect a world moving away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the organization ’ s foundation , but also resisting reforms , including a major effort underway by Secretary-General Guterres , that would allow it to better serve a 21st-century world .
On human rights , some see the organization ominously following a global shift away from the rights of the individual to social well-being and state security .
It ’ s a shift that can be seen in Ms. Reilly ’ s experience and China ’ s conception of the Uyghurs as a domestic security threat , or in China ’ s crackdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But it is also visible in some Western countries ’ counterterrorism campaigns or their response to the pandemic , some experts say .
“ In the transition from the U.S.-Western-led international liberal order to the world we are entering now , we ’ re seeing the balance shift from civil and political rights to social , economic , and cultural rights , ” says Ramesh Thakur , director of the Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament at the Australian National University in Canberra .
But Professor Thakur is most concerned about the U.N. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Council , which he says is dooming the institution ’ s role in peace and security issues .
The Security Council , which has five permanent veto-wielding members – the United States , Russia , China , France , and Great Britain – “ is frozen in a completely different world that existed in 1945 , ” he says .
Unless it expands to reflect today ’ s multipolar world , he says , the Security Council will become irrelevant .
“ The council has proven to be reform-proof .
...
So on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t have any hope for the U.N. for the foreseeable future , ” says Professor Thakur , who was a senior adviser to former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan .
“ So you put that to one side and keep going on the humanitarian and other functional areas of cooperation and build on that.
” But the U.N. ’ s inability to adapt to a changing world is not limited to the Security Council , others say .
Brett Schaefer , an expert on international institutions at The Heritage Foundation in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lack of flexibility and nimbleness has opened the way for other institutions to carry out the same functions it does – in some cases with greater effectiveness and efficiency .
“ The U.N. is very rigid and doesn ’ t respond quickly to changing circumstances , so you end up with situations where the Gates Foundation is much more effective at addressing an international health challenge that the [ World Health Organization ] was designed to address , ” says Mr. Schaefer .
He asserts that a country ’ s own economic policies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poverty reduction , and that bilateral aid and the involvement of nongovernmental organizations and the international business community have been most decisive in a developing country ’ s trajectory .
What that means , he says , is that the U.N. “ just isn ’ t the major player in development ” in the 21st century .
So where does that leave the U.N. as it moves on from 75 ?
Will it even be around to celebrate its centennial ?
Not everyone thinks it will be .
“ If the U.N. manages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new powers and energize new actors on global issues , then I think it can do better than just muddling along , and even remain central , ” says NYU ’ s Professor Sidhu .
“ But if not , it may become irrelevant , or even collapse and die.
” One key , he says , will be the extent to which the global nationalism trend continues .
Others will be watching for signs the U.N. is able to adapt to the geopolitical shift away from multilateralism .
“ We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China , but also Russia , ” says Heritage ’ s Mr. Schaefer , “ and these kinds of great-power competitions will increasingly relegate the organization to the sidelines.
” And yet as pessimistic as some critics are , they insist the organization will retain a critical role in setting global standards .
“ The U.N. system remains very important in articulating standards and norms and bringing ... knowledge of emerging issues to the attention of the world at large , ” says Professor Thakur .
He cites the issue of food security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate change causes global disruptions and has especially dire impact in countries with expanding populations .
That kind of issue is only going to exacerbate what he describes as the “ increasingly apparent dichotomy in perceptions about the U.N. ” between high-income countries and developing low-income nations that continue to depend on it .
In his office in Nairobi , Mr. Chatterjee is surrounded by photos and other memorabilia highlighting his five years of work with Kenyan officials on youth unemployment and girls ’ empowerment .
He , too , worries about population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world loses population , Africa is expected to grow from 1.2 billion people to 2.4 billion people by 2050 .
“ There will be constant and indeed growing demand for food and health , for education and technology , and for greater equity so that more of that expanding population shares in prosperity , ” Mr. Chatterjee says .
“ The U.N. can not provide those things , but it can be the convener , the catalyst , the connector to new forms of partnerships with the private sector and other development actors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s continued progress .
”

Yet, the most vocal critics say they are speaking out because the world needs the principles on which the U.N. was founded.
Some, however, believe the U.N.’s glory days are over, as powerful trends weaken the idea of multilateral institutions – such as a return to big-power geopolitics, a surge of nationalism, and a global shift from civil and political rights to social, economic, and cultural rights.
“The U.N. was set up first and foremost as a security organization,” says Stephen Schlesinger, a U.N. historian at the Century Foundation in New York. “And it can’t be said enough that there has been no nuclear war or world war in the 75 years of the U.N.’s existence.”
The institution’s existence corresponds to three-quarters of a century of remarkable progress for humanity in world health, life expectancy, extreme poverty reduction, recognition of universal human rights, and women’s and girls’ equality. It has set principles for everything from development to democratic governance and created the concept of international peacekeeping.
Many consider it no coincidence there hasn’t been a world war since the U.N. was founded 75 years ago. But the institution faces the challenge of staying relevant as rising nationalism threatens the very idea of interdependence.
As the United Nations marks its 75 th anniversary this fall amid a worldwide pandemic, there is widespread stock-taking of just how the existence of the first truly global multilateral institution has changed the world.
It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that Siddharth Chatterjee owes his life to the United Nations.
His Hindu father was a refugee from what is today Bangladesh. Young Siddharth grew up with the chaos of the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan as his history, but the security of U.N. assistance programs as his cradle.
At 3 years old, the boy was diagnosed with polio. Yet the quick intervention of a doctor and the U.N.’s polio eradication program – one of the young global institution’s first health initiatives – helped him recover.
Why We Wrote This Many consider it no coincidence there hasn’t been a world war since the U.N. was founded 75 years ago. But the institution faces the challenge of staying relevant as rising nationalism threatens the very idea of interdependence.
At 6, a proud Siddharth marched off to school sporting a backpack marked UNICEF, for the U.N. agency dedicated to promoting children’s welfare.
And years later, as a young lieutenant in the Indian army who had come to question resorting to armed conflict to solve disputes, he would find a new sense of purpose in the U.N.’s peacekeeping and peace-building operations. His first assignment: Bosnia. Iraq, South Sudan – where he spearheaded an initiative to decommission child soldiers – Indonesia, and Somalia would follow.
Courtesy of Nicholas Wilson/UNDP Kenya View caption Hide caption “The U.N. ... can be the convener, the catalyst, the connector to new forms of partnerships with the private sector and other development actors – a global enabler of humanity’s continued progress.” – Siddharth Chatterjee, U.N. country coordinator in Kenya
“You see why I say that for me, the U.N. is personal,” says Mr. Chatterjee, now the U.N.’s resident country coordinator in Kenya. “A story like mine demonstrates how, whatever its faults may be, the U.N. is woven into the social fabric of so many countries.”
This fall the United Nations marks 75 years since its founding charter took effect in October 1945. The organization’s structure had been hammered out at an international conference in San Francisco attended by the 50 nations that made up the immediate post-World War II world of 1945. (Today, by contrast, the U.N. has 193 member states.)
That milestone is prompting widespread stock-taking of just how the existence of the first truly global multilateral institution has changed the “social fabric” of the world that Mr. Chatterjee cites. To some, the organization is more indispensable now than ever. To others, it has become irrelevant.
***
Although the U.N. may be celebrating its diamond anniversary in the middle of a devastating global pandemic, the institution’s existence does correspond to three-quarters of a century of remarkable progress for humanity. By many measures – world health, average life expectancy, extreme poverty reduction, recognition of universal human rights, and women’s and girls’ equality – the postwar period has been unmatched for human advancement.
AP/File View caption Hide caption Delegates listen to President Harry S. Truman speak, by radio, to the first session of the United Nations organizing conference in San Francisco in April 1945.
What role has the U.N. and its myriad agencies played in that progress? True, many experts point out that other factors – for example, China’s drive since 1980 to lift more than 1 billion people out of poverty – often eclipse the U.N.’s role in recent improvements.
But others counter that having an institution that has set global norms and principles for everything from development to democratic governance can’t be separated from postwar progress. The U.N. was instrumental in assisting the new nations that emerged from postwar decolonization and has created new concepts like international peacekeeping.
Few in the world’s wealthiest countries would have reason to think of the U.N. as does Mr. Chatterjee – as something “personal.” But many experts say it is worth thinking back to where the world was in 1945 to start to answer the question about the U.N.’s contribution to global progress.
“You have to remember they were just coming off two of the most catastrophic wars in world history within 25 years of each other and the two together having caused nearly 90 million deaths,” says Stephen Schlesinger, a U.N. historian and fellow at the Century Foundation in New York. “So the pressure was on in San Francisco to create some system and set of guiding principles that would ensure they did not end up in a third world war.”
“The U.N. was set up first and foremost as a security organization,” he says, “and it can’t be said enough that there has been no nuclear war or world war in the 75 years of the U.N.’s existence.”
Seth Wenig/AP/File View caption Hide caption Members of the U.N. Security Council vote on the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers in July 2015.
For some, the crucial innovation of the U.N. was establishing the Security Council, a forum where the major powers could at least air their differences before things turned hostile. “The success at prevention of great-power conflict is a contribution of the U.N. that tends to be underrated,” says Waheguru Pal Singh Sidhu, an expert on multilateral and U.N. issues at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs.
Recalling former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s famous anti-American outbursts at the U.N. in 1960, Dr. Sidhu says, “The fact is they have been able to abuse each other in the U.N. instead of throwing missiles at each other. There may be a lot of stalemate and use of the veto [by the council’s five permanent members] as we’re seeing now,” he adds, “but better a heated dialogue than going to war.”
Others cite the importance of the U.N.’s innovative peacekeeping and peace-building operations. “There’s a powerful story to tell in how a precipitous drop in the victims of armed conflict directly corresponds to the creation and expansion of U.N. peace efforts,” says Elizabeth Cousens, a U.S. diplomat who worked for years on peace-building and security issues before this year becoming president of the United Nations Foundation, a Washington-based philanthropic organization that promotes U.N. programs.
Almost from the beginning, the U.N. took cautious steps at addressing international conflicts, “but it was really at the end of the Cold War that the U.N. had new space for mediating and resolving a sweep of civil wars around the world” – from Guatemala and El Salvador to Mozambique and Angola, she says.
AP/File View caption Hide caption Two soldiers from the U.N. Emergency Force stand guard at an outpost in the Gaza Strip, between Egypt and Israel, in 1957.
It was during this period, in 2003, that a young former U.N. peacekeeper named Chatterjee, now with UNICEF, would bring new ideas like “school in a box” – replacing burned-out schools within 48 hours with a fully supplied makeshift classroom – to a conflict-torn Aceh province in Indonesia.
Beyond peace and security issues, Ms. Cousens ticks off a host of advances over the last 75 years that she says carry the U.N.’s fingerprints. She cites the eradication of smallpox and progress in wiping out other global health scourges, the jump in average life expectancy from 45 years in 1945 to 72 years today, steep reductions in maternal and infant mortality, and expansion of and adherence to a universal set of human rights.
“If you were to draw a line from 1945 to 2020 tracking all of these factors and many more, you would find considerable improvements in the lives of most people,” she says, “and I would say the U.N. to varying degrees has been critical to all of these advances.”
Yet as the U.N. prepares to blow out the 75 candles atop its birthday cake, some see its glory days already in the past as powerful trends weaken the idea of multilateral institutions. Among those forces are a return to big-power geopolitics, illustrated by a sharpening U.S.-China rivalry, and a surge of nationalism that threatens to replace global interdependence with a my-country-first approach.
Within the U.N., some see bureaucratic stasis and a failure to innovate undermining the organization’s relevance. Others believe the U.N. simply shouldn’t exist.
Yet even many of the institution’s most vocal critics say they are speaking out because they believe the world needs the U.N. and the principles on which it was founded.
***
Emma Reilly was an idealistic human rights lawyer out to better the world when she joined the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva in 2012. A year later she was disturbed by evidence that the office was complying with China’s requests for the names of Uyghur dissidents and family members. She was further dismayed, she says, when alerting superiors didn’t bring efforts to stop the practice but instead resulted in attempts to silence and even fire her.
Kathy Willens/AP/File View caption Hide caption Somali women carry a heavy sack of corn after picking it up from a U.N. World Food Program site in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993.
Today Ms. Reilly is officially recognized as a U.N. whistleblower, her seven-year “Orwellian odyssey,” as she describes it, having culminated in a meeting in February of this year with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. But the dual Irish-U.K. national says nothing has changed about a system that operates to protect the powerful and highly paid officials within U.N. agencies over the world’s weak and defenseless people.
“The entire system is designed in a way to ensure that criticism must be stopped and prevented from going public,” she says. “And what my case reveals is a shocking willingness to keep things comfortable for everybody by doing a favor for a member state – even if at the price of violating the norms for which the office was created.”
Despite her disillusionment, Ms. Reilly says that she plans to stick with her work – because of the good she has seen the U.N. do and the promise of guiding principles that she believes remain valid.
“I have personally been part of progress and had real impact that has ranged from prison visits that got children out of prison or people released who had committed no crime, to seeing countries move from systemic lawlessness to the rule of law,” she says. “So to me the U.N. is deeply necessary, but it needs to change and be very different if it is to fulfill its promise.”
The U.N. is, in fact, both changing and standing still, many experts say. It is changing in ways that reflect a world moving away from the Western-based liberal order that formed the organization’s foundation, but also resisting reforms, including a major effort underway by Secretary-General Guterres, that would allow it to better serve a 21st-century world.
Khalil Hamra/AP/File View caption Hide caption Palestinian children attend classes at a U.N. school in a refugee camp in Gaza in 2007.
On human rights, some see the organization ominously following a global shift away from the rights of the individual to social well-being and state security. It’s a shift that can be seen in Ms. Reilly’s experience and China’s conception of the Uyghurs as a domestic security threat, or in China’s crackdown on the nominally autonomous Hong Kong.
But it is also visible in some Western countries’ counterterrorism campaigns or their response to the pandemic, some experts say.
“In the transition from the U.S.-Western-led international liberal order to the world we are entering now, we’re seeing the balance shift from civil and political rights to social, economic, and cultural rights,” says Ramesh Thakur, director of the Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament at the Australian National University in Canberra.
But Professor Thakur is most concerned about the U.N.’s inability to reform the Security Council, which he says is dooming the institution’s role in peace and security issues. The Security Council, which has five permanent veto-wielding members – the United States, Russia, China, France, and Great Britain – “is frozen in a completely different world that existed in 1945,” he says. Unless it expands to reflect today’s multipolar world, he says, the Security Council will become irrelevant.
“The council has proven to be reform-proof. ... So on the security side, at least, I don’t have any hope for the U.N. for the foreseeable future,” says Professor Thakur, who was a senior adviser to former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. “So you put that to one side and keep going on the humanitarian and other functional areas of cooperation and build on that.”
But the U.N.’s inability to adapt to a changing world is not limited to the Security Council, others say. Brett Schaefer, an expert on international institutions at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, says the U.N.’s lack of flexibility and nimbleness has opened the way for other institutions to carry out the same functions it does – in some cases with greater effectiveness and efficiency. “The U.N. is very rigid and doesn’t respond quickly to changing circumstances, so you end up with situations where the Gates Foundation is much more effective at addressing an international health challenge that the [World Health Organization] was designed to address,” says Mr. Schaefer.
AP/File View caption Hide caption Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev addresses the U.N. in 1960.
He asserts that a country’s own economic policies have been the biggest factor in global poverty reduction, and that bilateral aid and the involvement of nongovernmental organizations and the international business community have been most decisive in a developing country’s trajectory. What that means, he says, is that the U.N. “just isn’t the major player in development” in the 21st century.
***
So where does that leave the U.N. as it moves on from 75? Will it even be around to celebrate its centennial?
Not everyone thinks it will be.
“If the U.N. manages in the coming years to adapt to new powers and energize new actors on global issues, then I think it can do better than just muddling along, and even remain central,” says NYU’s Professor Sidhu. “But if not, it may become irrelevant, or even collapse and die.” One key, he says, will be the extent to which the global nationalism trend continues.
Others will be watching for signs the U.N. is able to adapt to the geopolitical shift away from multilateralism. “We’re seeing heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, but also Russia,” says Heritage’s Mr. Schaefer, “and these kinds of great-power competitions will increasingly relegate the organization to the sidelines.”
And yet as pessimistic as some critics are, they insist the organization will retain a critical role in setting global standards. “The U.N. system remains very important in articulating standards and norms and bringing ... knowledge of emerging issues to the attention of the world at large,” says Professor Thakur. He cites the issue of food security, which will become more urgent as climate change causes global disruptions and has especially dire impact in countries with expanding populations.
That kind of issue is only going to exacerbate what he describes as the “increasingly apparent dichotomy in perceptions about the U.N.” between high-income countries and developing low-income nations that continue to depend on it.
In his office in Nairobi, Mr. Chatterjee is surrounded by photos and other memorabilia highlighting his five years of work with Kenyan officials on youth unemployment and girls’ empowerment. He, too, worries about population shifts: As much of the developed world loses population, Africa is expected to grow from 1.2 billion people to 2.4 billion people by 2050.
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“There will be constant and indeed growing demand for food and health, for education and technology, and for greater equity so that more of that expanding population shares in prosperity,” Mr. Chatterjee says.
“The U.N. cannot provide those things, but it can be the convener, the catalyst, the connector to new forms of partnerships with the private sector and other development actors – a global enabler of humanity’s continued progress.”


csmonitor--2020-09-18--Life in clouds of Venus? Why murky clue tantalizes scientists.

Although it ’ s not a grand announcement of aliens , this discovery thrusts Venus into the spotlight for astrobiologists , and serves as a reminder that life on another world could look very different from the life we know here on Earth .
“ It ’ s been an exploration of the unknown , ” says Paul Rimmer , a co-author on the new paper and an astrochemist at the University of Cambridge .
“ The only known molecule that can cause that feature is phosphine .
The only known explanation for the concentration is life .
But so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phosphine , and so much is unknown about the constitution of the atmosphere of Venus .
And so it really does bring you face-to-face with your own ignorance.
” No , scientists did not discover aliens .
But they found a signal coming from those toxic clouds blanketing Venus that , according to the little we know about the planet ’ s chemistry , can only be explained by the presence of life .
With a surface temperature hot enough to melt lead , and thick acidic clouds enshrouding the planet , Venus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the solar system .
But the tantalizing idea that Earth ’ s next-door neighbor might harbor life made headlines this week .
Venus seems like the last place where any creature would make its home .
A thick , extremely acidic cloud layer enshrouds that rocky planet , trapping so much heat that the surface is roughly 900 degrees Fahrenheit .
That ’ s more than hot enough to melt lead .
As such , our neighboring planet has earned nicknames like “ hellscape ” and “ Earth ’ s evil twin.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a surprising hot topic in humanity ’ s quest to find extraterrestrial life .
On Monday , a team of researchers revealed in a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy that they had spotted something that just might indicate that some sort of life resides in those toxic Venusian clouds .
Did they actually find aliens ?
Not exactly .
What they spotted was the fingerprints of a gas that , according to everything we know about Venus , shouldn ’ t be there unless something – or someone – was actively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that gas , known as phosphine , is produced by microorganisms .
“ It ’ s cool to think that it might be life , but the real thing is this is just a strange thing that we found that has some really cool implications that we need to learn more about , ” says Paul Rimmer , a co-author of the new paper and an astrochemist at the University of Cambridge in Britain .
“ Whatever explains this feature , it ’ s something weird.
” Finding evidence of phosphine in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spotlight anew .
This discovery also informs our search for habitable worlds outside our solar system , serving as a reminder that life on another world could look very different from the life we know here on Earth .
“ We have essentially always considered Venus to be an uninhabitable world because of its incredibly high surface temperatures and its inhospitable sulfuric acid clouds and its ionizing environment , being closer to the sun , etcetera , ” says Michael Way , an astronomer at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planet reveals that there is indeed life in Venus ’ clouds , it could be a “ game changer , ” he says .
“ If it ’ s true , it makes us reevaluate what habitability means and the robustness of life-forms.
” When Dr. Rimmer initially saw the data that bore a fingerprint of phosphine , his first thought was that it had to be something else .
The colleagues that showed him that initial data might ’ ve been mistaken .
That much phosphine shouldn ’ t be there .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ he joined the team and together they took another look with a different telescope .
Sure enough , that phosphine fingerprint showed up again in the new data .
And although it ’ s possible that the data could be indicating the presence of a molecule that scientists don ’ t yet know exists , says Dr. Rimmer , among known molecules , this signal is unique to phosphine .
But could phosphine only exist there if life does , too ?
Phosphine does appear elsewhere in the solar system , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , likely without biology .
Rather , scientists think it forms deep in those gas giants ’ atmospheres at extremely high pressures and temperatures – conditions that don ’ t exist on a smaller rocky planet like Venus or Earth .
On Earth , phosphine is produced industrially or by microbes ( specifically bacteria involved in decomposition ) .
“ It ’ s been an exploration of the unknown , ” Dr. Rimmer says of the study .
“ The only known molecule that can cause that [ spectral signature ] is phosphine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concentration is life .
But so little is known about the nature of phosphine , and so much is unknown about the constitution of the atmosphere of Venus .
And so it really does bring you face-to-face with your own ignorance.
” What would Venusian life even look like ?
In the quest to find life on another world , scientists only have one model of what to look for : Earth .
“ As scientists , of course we have to be open-minded about what life might be like .
But you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” says Laura Kreidberg , director of the Atmospheric Physics of Exoplanets department at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy .
Venus may be a harshly hot and forbidding world today , but planetary scientists say it wasn ’ t always that way .
Early Venus was likely quite a bit like early Earth .
Sometime in its history , something made our once-twin take a different path .
Many scientists think it might have happened quite early in Venus ’ history , says Dr. Way .
But he has another idea : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been habitable for an extended period of time .
“ It ’ s possible , ” Dr. Way says , “ it could have had surface liquid water oceans for , maybe , a few millions of years , hundreds of millions years , even as long as a couple billion years .
And that something else happened to the planet later on in life that put it in the state that we see today.
” Dr. Way ’ s current hypothesis , described in a paper published earlier this year , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off climate change of epic proportions on Venus , perhaps as recently as 700 million years ago .
That event thrust carbon dioxide into the atmosphere , heating up the planet enough for its oceans to boil off into the atmosphere .
And , given that water vapor is a powerful greenhouse gas , Venus would ’ ve just gotten hotter and hotter as all of its liquid water boiled off , thrusting it into a wildly different climatic state .
If Venus ever had flowing oceans , it could ’ ve possibly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .
But scientists agree that life probably couldn ’ t survive the intense heat on the dry surface today .
What about those cloud banks ?
The thinking goes that perhaps some tough survivors may have escaped Venus ’ surface on droplets in the planet ’ s atmosphere .
However , those clouds seem to be intensely toxic .
“ These droplets are 90 % sulfuric acid .
They ’ re more acidic than any body of water on Earth , ” Dr. Rimmer says .
“ It ’ s not quite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s 90 % sulfuric acid.
” On Earth , biological material gets destroyed by that much acidity .
Sure , there have been extremophiles found residing in incredibly acidic conditions , like the hot springs of Ethiopia ’ s Danakil Depression , but never in any place even remotely as acidic as Venus ’ clouds .
Still , Dr. Way says , it might be that “ evolution finds a way.
” “ As the planet transitions into this ‘ inhabitable ’ state , ” he says , if it doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be that “ life has a chance to evolve along with it , in a way.
” To researchers searching for signs of life on distant worlds outside our solar system , this week ’ s news means Venus could provide an exciting opportunity .
“ The holy grail of my whole research field is searching for signs of life in the atmospheres of other planets , ” says Dr. Kreidberg , who studies planets orbiting stars other than our own sun , called exoplanets .
Those signs of life are called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that scientists think can only exist in a given environment if life is there , too .
But when it comes to exoplanets , we don ’ t have the technology to go check it out up close .
But Venus is right next door .
“ The really exciting thing is that we get to explore these questions in our own backyard , ” she says .
“ We have the opportunity to actually go to the planet and learn in a lot more detail what ’ s happening in its atmosphere.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dedicated mission to Venus since the Magellan orbiter launched in 1989 , and since then , the planet has mostly been observed by telescopes or as a spacecraft flew by on its way to another destination .
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA ) does currently have an orbiter around Venus , but the last spacecraft to dip into the planet ’ s atmosphere was the Soviet Union ’ s Vega 2 in 1985 .
“ People like me , and others working in this discipline much longer than me , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Venus for decades , ” Dr. Way says .
“ And if this brings that , then all the better .
Let ’ s go back to Venus .
”

Although it’s not a grand announcement of aliens, this discovery thrusts Venus into the spotlight for astrobiologists, and serves as a reminder that life on another world could look very different from the life we know here on Earth.
“It’s been an exploration of the unknown,” says Paul Rimmer, a co-author on the new paper and an astrochemist at the University of Cambridge. “The only known molecule that can cause that feature is phosphine. The only known explanation for the concentration is life. But so little is known about the nature of phosphine, and so much is unknown about the constitution of the atmosphere of Venus. And so it really does bring you face-to-face with your own ignorance.”
Could life exist in toxic clouds above a planet hot enough to melt lead? Suddenly the question isn’t merely theoretical, portending new steps in the search for life beyond Earth.
No, scientists did not discover aliens. But they found a signal coming from those toxic clouds blanketing Venus that, according to the little we know about the planet’s chemistry, can only be explained by the presence of life.
With a surface temperature hot enough to melt lead, and thick acidic clouds enshrouding the planet, Venus is not the most inviting place in the solar system. But the tantalizing idea that Earth’s next-door neighbor might harbor life made headlines this week.
Venus seems like the last place where any creature would make its home.
A thick, extremely acidic cloud layer enshrouds that rocky planet, trapping so much heat that the surface is roughly 900 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s more than hot enough to melt lead. As such, our neighboring planet has earned nicknames like “hellscape” and “Earth’s evil twin.”
But this week, sweltering Venus became a surprising hot topic in humanity’s quest to find extraterrestrial life. On Monday, a team of researchers revealed in a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy that they had spotted something that just might indicate that some sort of life resides in those toxic Venusian clouds.
Why We Wrote This Could life exist in toxic clouds above a planet hot enough to melt lead? Suddenly the question isn’t merely theoretical, portending new steps in the search for life beyond Earth.
Did they actually find aliens?
Not exactly. What they spotted was the fingerprints of a gas that, according to everything we know about Venus, shouldn’t be there unless something – or someone – was actively producing it. And on Earth, that gas, known as phosphine, is produced by microorganisms.
“It’s cool to think that it might be life, but the real thing is this is just a strange thing that we found that has some really cool implications that we need to learn more about,” says Paul Rimmer, a co-author of the new paper and an astrochemist at the University of Cambridge in Britain. “Whatever explains this feature, it’s something weird.”
Finding evidence of phosphine in the Venusian cloud bank thrusts the planet into the spotlight anew. This discovery also informs our search for habitable worlds outside our solar system, serving as a reminder that life on another world could look very different from the life we know here on Earth.
“We have essentially always considered Venus to be an uninhabitable world because of its incredibly high surface temperatures and its inhospitable sulfuric acid clouds and its ionizing environment, being closer to the sun, etcetera,” says Michael Way, an astronomer at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. So if closer scrutiny of the planet reveals that there is indeed life in Venus’ clouds, it could be a “game changer,” he says. “If it’s true, it makes us reevaluate what habitability means and the robustness of life-forms.”
Whittling down the possibilities
When Dr. Rimmer initially saw the data that bore a fingerprint of phosphine, his first thought was that it had to be something else. The colleagues that showed him that initial data might’ve been mistaken. That much phosphine shouldn’t be there.
Still, he was intrigued, so he joined the team and together they took another look with a different telescope. Sure enough, that phosphine fingerprint showed up again in the new data. And although it’s possible that the data could be indicating the presence of a molecule that scientists don’t yet know exists, says Dr. Rimmer, among known molecules, this signal is unique to phosphine.
But could phosphine only exist there if life does, too? Phosphine does appear elsewhere in the solar system, such as in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, likely without biology. Rather, scientists think it forms deep in those gas giants’ atmospheres at extremely high pressures and temperatures – conditions that don’t exist on a smaller rocky planet like Venus or Earth. On Earth, phosphine is produced industrially or by microbes (specifically bacteria involved in decomposition).
“It’s been an exploration of the unknown,” Dr. Rimmer says of the study. “The only known molecule that can cause that [spectral signature] is phosphine. The only known explanation for the concentration is life. But so little is known about the nature of phosphine, and so much is unknown about the constitution of the atmosphere of Venus. And so it really does bring you face-to-face with your own ignorance.”
What would Venusian life even look like?
In the quest to find life on another world, scientists only have one model of what to look for: Earth.
“As scientists, of course we have to be open-minded about what life might be like. But you’ve got to start somewhere,” says Laura Kreidberg, director of the Atmospheric Physics of Exoplanets department at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.
Venus may be a harshly hot and forbidding world today, but planetary scientists say it wasn’t always that way. Early Venus was likely quite a bit like early Earth. Sometime in its history, something made our once-twin take a different path.
Many scientists think it might have happened quite early in Venus’ history, says Dr. Way. But he has another idea: The surface of the planet might have been habitable for an extended period of time.
“It’s possible,” Dr. Way says, “it could have had surface liquid water oceans for, maybe, a few millions of years, hundreds of millions years, even as long as a couple billion years. And that something else happened to the planet later on in life that put it in the state that we see today.”
Dr. Way’s current hypothesis, described in a paper published earlier this year, is that some sort of extreme volcanism kicked off climate change of epic proportions on Venus, perhaps as recently as 700 million years ago. That event thrust carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, heating up the planet enough for its oceans to boil off into the atmosphere. And, given that water vapor is a powerful greenhouse gas, Venus would’ve just gotten hotter and hotter as all of its liquid water boiled off, thrusting it into a wildly different climatic state.
If Venus ever had flowing oceans, it could’ve possibly hosted some form of life at that time. But scientists agree that life probably couldn’t survive the intense heat on the dry surface today.
What about those cloud banks? The thinking goes that perhaps some tough survivors may have escaped Venus’ surface on droplets in the planet’s atmosphere. However, those clouds seem to be intensely toxic.
“These droplets are 90% sulfuric acid. They’re more acidic than any body of water on Earth,” Dr. Rimmer says. “It’s not quite right to even call it water when it’s 90% sulfuric acid.”
On Earth, biological material gets destroyed by that much acidity. Sure, there have been extremophiles found residing in incredibly acidic conditions, like the hot springs of Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression, but never in any place even remotely as acidic as Venus’ clouds.
Still, Dr. Way says, it might be that “evolution finds a way.”
“As the planet transitions into this ‘inhabitable’ state,” he says, if it doesn’t happen too quickly, it might be that “life has a chance to evolve along with it, in a way.”
A case study for exoplanets
To researchers searching for signs of life on distant worlds outside our solar system, this week’s news means Venus could provide an exciting opportunity.
“The holy grail of my whole research field is searching for signs of life in the atmospheres of other planets,” says Dr. Kreidberg, who studies planets orbiting stars other than our own sun, called exoplanets.
Those signs of life are called biosignatures, substances (like phosphine) that scientists think can only exist in a given environment if life is there, too. But when it comes to exoplanets, we don’t have the technology to go check it out up close.
But Venus is right next door.
“The really exciting thing is that we get to explore these questions in our own backyard,” she says. “We have the opportunity to actually go to the planet and learn in a lot more detail what’s happening in its atmosphere.”
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NASA hasn’t sent a dedicated mission to Venus since the Magellan orbiter launched in 1989, and since then, the planet has mostly been observed by telescopes or as a spacecraft flew by on its way to another destination. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) does currently have an orbiter around Venus, but the last spacecraft to dip into the planet’s atmosphere was the Soviet Union’s Vega 2 in 1985.
“People like me, and others working in this discipline much longer than me, have been begging for in situ missions to Venus for decades,” Dr. Way says. “And if this brings that, then all the better. Let’s go back to Venus.”


csmonitor--2020-09-18--As Oregon fights historic fires, college students on front lines

Corinne Heiner Buystedt loves fighting fires .
She loves the forest , true , but also the camaraderie and teamwork .
“ It ’ s kind of like a family , ” the recent graduate of Oregon State University says .
“ Fire seasons have gotten longer and longer due to climate change and other factors , ” says Sara Brown , manager for the National Forest Service ’ s fire , fuel , and smoke science program in Missoula , Montana .
College students play a big role in wildland crews all over the country , she says , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is how agencies that deal with fire can adjust their work forces .
Seasonal firefighters make up the bulk of America ’ s forest firefighters , and college students play a critical role .
In Oregon , upward of 30 % of the crews that contractors put together are students .
It ’ s high-paying work that can cover college tuition , but with longer fire seasons , it ’ s become a challenge for those who manage fires .
With historic fires burning in Oregon , the state needs all hands on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
Kate Brown put out the call to universities and colleges : Please don ’ t penalize students like Paul Catino who are wildland firefighters for missing the start of classes .
They ’ re needed on the front lines .
Paul Catino ’ s summer internship has put him on the front lines of the West ’ s cataclysmic fire season .
He and other workers at timber company Campbell Global launched an initial attack against a wildfire on company land , working until the early morning hours with bulldozers with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to box in the fire .
He was back at it for five or six hours the next day , and the following day worked 12 to 15 hours .
“ It was an unreal experience for me , ” says Mr. Catino , a senior at Oregon State University in Corvallis majoring in forest management .
The Oregon Department of Forestry gave a shoutout to the company last week , saying that quick work by employees played a “ huge role ” in minimizing the fire ’ s footprint .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thanked by several people who recognized his uniform at the Safeway in Sweet Home , Oregon .
“ People have thanked me quite a bit .
It ’ s very nice , especially now when so many communities have been affected , ” says Mr. Catino , who is working on the Holiday Farm Fire .
It ’ s one in a series of fires up and down the state that have burned about 1 million acres – nearly double the 10-year average .
With historic fires burning in Oregon , the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week , Democratic Gov .
Kate Brown put out the call to universities and colleges : Please don ’ t penalize students like Mr. Catino who are wildland firefighters for missing the start of classes .
They ’ re needed on the front lines .
Seasonal firefighters make up the bulk of America ’ s forest firefighters , and college students play a critical role .
In Oregon , upward of 30 % of the crews that contractors put together are students .
It ’ s high-paying work that can cover college @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s become a challenge for those who manage fires .
“ Fire seasons have gotten longer and longer due to climate change and other factors , ” says Sara Brown , manager for the National Forest Service ’ s fire , fuel , and smoke science program in Missoula , Montana .
College students play a big role in wildland crews all over the country , she says , and the “ million dollar question ” is how agencies that deal with fire can adjust their work forces .
One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are fewer seasonal workers .
Federal agencies are trying to increase the number of permanent employees through a wildfire apprenticeship program and conversion of temporary positions to permanent or permanent seasonal positions .
“ I ’ ve been a professor and a college student , and it ’ s nearly impossible to say , hey , can we delay school for these few people ?
” says Dr. Brown , who fought fires all through college and into her master ’ s degree .
“ Students who come back late – several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there is no way to catch up.
” She has fond memories of firefighting .
Having grown up in the rural town of Oakridge , Oregon , she loved the outdoor work , that it was physically challenging , that a crew could come together and do something greater than one single person .
During her career , she served on a helicopter crew , a hotshot crew , and as a smoke jumper .
“ I loved that it was a little bit dangerous , ” she adds .
She paid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when her parachute collided mid-air with her partner ’ s over the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico .
She lost a leg because of it .
Today ’ s college students are well aware of the risks – and rewards – of their summer jobs .
They learn about safety in training that typically lasts a week for beginning firefighters .
Firefighting is grueling work with 12-hour days or more that can go for 14 days straight .
Conditions can be smoky , dusty , and hot on remote , steep terrain .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sudden wind shift and change in fire direction , rolling logs or rocks , stepping into a hole that ’ s a burning stump , and vehicle accidents .
Corinne Heiner Buystedt , who just graduated from the forestry school at Oregon State University in Corvallis , recalls the summer of 2017 , when she was on a crew in the state ’ s mountainous Three Sisters Wilderness .
They worked late into the night to hand-dig a line to stop the fire ’ s advance in a heavily forested area , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That morning , she suddenly heard a crew above them start yelling .
She looked up and saw a 300-foot cedar tree coming down on her and her crew .
They yelled for everyone to run – she running perpendicular to the tree and those below her running downhill .
The moment it hit the ground , she ran back to check on everyone .
Within 30 seconds , the crew lined up .
All were accounted for and there were no serious injuries .
“ It was one of the scariest moments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recalls .
And yet , the recent graduate loves fighting fires .
She loves the forest , true , but also the camaraderie and teamwork .
“ It ’ s kind of like a family.
” By the time of the tree incident , she had been trained as a squad leader who manages a group of four to six people within a standard crew of 20 .
At first , it was hard to be taken seriously as a woman , she says , but after she earned her squad ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She describes her tree-episode squad as “ really incredible , ” but also traumatized as they continued working .
“ A lot of guys told me they didn ’ t want to go into a certain area unless they knew I was watching the back door – had my eyes on the fire behind them.
” With his study of forest management , Mr. Catino is disturbed by what he sees as a wasteful , reactive approach to fire , instead of a proactive one .
Often , he says , he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in his view , the appropriate thing is to let it burn out rather than suppress it .
But that ’ s not what the orders are .
This questioning is a good thing , says Randall Rosenberger , associate dean of student success at Oregon State University .
“ That ’ s where we get change , ” as college students with firefighting experience move up into management across the fire field , he says .
Not all college-student firefighters are in forestry .
Many are doing it because it can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ busy fire season with overtime .
With nowhere to go and nothing to spend it on , it ’ s not unusual for summer firefighters to make anywhere from $ 10,000 to $ 30,000 for three months work .
Porter Bovee , a friend of Mr. Catino ’ s at the university , is studying mechanical and manufacturing engineering , and is in his third summer of firefighting .
He ’ s working about 100 hours a week , and thinks he will be able to cover tuition for the entire school year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job , ” he says at the end of a long day , “ but it really is because of the money.
” Oregon state schools have an advantage over other schools when it comes to fire season .
They are on the quarter system , which means they start at the end of September instead of August .
Mr. Bovee ’ s last day will be Sept. 20 , with classes resuming on Sept. 23 .
But a lot of people are just going to take the term off , he says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great – and the earnings are so good .
Mr. Catino says he ’ ll probably work until Oct. 1 , then go back to school .
He ’ s already been in touch with professors about it .
Indeed , the university tries to work with these students , urging professors to be flexible .
They help students with course substitutions and even adjust scholarships .
But the return to school is still a major concern for agencies and contractors that have to find the labor to fight fires in the fall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” says Bryan Wheelock , vice president at Grayback Forestry , a contractor in Medford , Oregon .
Over the years , the company has tried to adjust by screening college-student applicants more carefully about their planned return times , and providing housing to attract more candidates .
Mr. Wheelock expects a good chunk of his college students will try to stay longer , but the company is looking to train another 10 to 20 firefighters to replace the students who are leaving .

Corinne Heiner Buystedt loves fighting fires. She loves the forest, true, but also the camaraderie and teamwork. “It’s kind of like a family,” the recent graduate of Oregon State University says.
“Fire seasons have gotten longer and longer due to climate change and other factors,” says Sara Brown, manager for the National Forest Service’s fire, fuel, and smoke science program in Missoula, Montana. College students play a big role in wildland crews all over the country, she says, and the “million dollar question” is how agencies that deal with fire can adjust their work forces.
College students make up 30% of Oregon’s wildland firefighters. For some, it’s a way to put their love of forestry into practice. For others, it’s a great way to pay for tuition while helping their state.
Seasonal firefighters make up the bulk of America’s forest firefighters, and college students play a critical role. In Oregon, upward of 30% of the crews that contractors put together are students. It’s high-paying work that can cover college tuition, but with longer fire seasons, it’s become a challenge for those who manage fires.
With historic fires burning in Oregon, the state needs all hands on deck. So last week, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown put out the call to universities and colleges: Please don’t penalize students like Paul Catino who are wildland firefighters for missing the start of classes. They’re needed on the front lines.
Paul Catino’s summer internship has put him on the front lines of the West’s cataclysmic fire season.
He and other workers at timber company Campbell Global launched an initial attack against a wildfire on company land, working until the early morning hours with bulldozers with flashlights to clear a “contingency line” to box in the fire. He was back at it for five or six hours the next day, and the following day worked 12 to 15 hours.
“It was an unreal experience for me,” says Mr. Catino, a senior at Oregon State University in Corvallis majoring in forest management.
Why We Wrote This College students make up 30% of Oregon’s wildland firefighters. For some, it’s a way to put their love of forestry into practice. For others, it’s a great way to pay for tuition while helping their state.
The Oregon Department of Forestry gave a shoutout to the company last week, saying that quick work by employees played a “huge role” in minimizing the fire’s footprint.
And Mr. Catino says he’s been thanked by several people who recognized his uniform at the Safeway in Sweet Home, Oregon.
“People have thanked me quite a bit. It’s very nice, especially now when so many communities have been affected,” says Mr. Catino, who is working on the Holiday Farm Fire. It’s one in a series of fires up and down the state that have burned about 1 million acres – nearly double the 10-year average.
With historic fires burning in Oregon, the state needs all hands on deck. So last week, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown put out the call to universities and colleges: Please don’t penalize students like Mr. Catino who are wildland firefighters for missing the start of classes. They’re needed on the front lines.
Seasonal firefighters make up the bulk of America’s forest firefighters, and college students play a critical role. In Oregon, upward of 30% of the crews that contractors put together are students. It’s high-paying work that can cover college tuition, but with longer fire seasons, it’s become a challenge for those who manage fires.
“Fire seasons have gotten longer and longer due to climate change and other factors,” says Sara Brown, manager for the National Forest Service’s fire, fuel, and smoke science program in Missoula, Montana. College students play a big role in wildland crews all over the country, she says, and the “million dollar question” is how agencies that deal with fire can adjust their work forces.
One idea gaining traction is professionalizing firefighting so there are fewer seasonal workers. Federal agencies are trying to increase the number of permanent employees through a wildfire apprenticeship program and conversion of temporary positions to permanent or permanent seasonal positions.
Risks and rewards
“I’ve been a professor and a college student, and it’s nearly impossible to say, hey, can we delay school for these few people?” says Dr. Brown, who fought fires all through college and into her master’s degree. “Students who come back late – several weeks, a month, maybe longer, there is no way to catch up.”
She has fond memories of firefighting. Having grown up in the rural town of Oakridge, Oregon, she loved the outdoor work, that it was physically challenging, that a crew could come together and do something greater than one single person. During her career, she served on a helicopter crew, a hotshot crew, and as a smoke jumper.
“I loved that it was a little bit dangerous,” she adds. She paid for that as a smoke jumper, when her parachute collided mid-air with her partner’s over the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico. She lost a leg because of it.
Today’s college students are well aware of the risks – and rewards – of their summer jobs. They learn about safety in training that typically lasts a week for beginning firefighters. Firefighting is grueling work with 12-hour days or more that can go for 14 days straight. Conditions can be smoky, dusty, and hot on remote, steep terrain. Wildland firefighters face the potential of a sudden wind shift and change in fire direction, rolling logs or rocks, stepping into a hole that’s a burning stump, and vehicle accidents.
When hazards include 300-foot trees
Corinne Heiner Buystedt, who just graduated from the forestry school at Oregon State University in Corvallis, recalls the summer of 2017, when she was on a crew in the state’s mountainous Three Sisters Wilderness. They worked late into the night to hand-dig a line to stop the fire’s advance in a heavily forested area, but had to return the next day.
Courtesy of Corinne Heiner Buystedt View caption Hide caption Corinne Heiner Buystedt, then a student at Central Oregon Community College, working as a fire lookout at the Sheep Creek Fire in Utah in the summer of 2016. She notified a crew that there was smoke on the hill below them and to leave the area.
That morning, she suddenly heard a crew above them start yelling. She looked up and saw a 300-foot cedar tree coming down on her and her crew. They yelled for everyone to run – she running perpendicular to the tree and those below her running downhill. The moment it hit the ground, she ran back to check on everyone. Within 30 seconds, the crew lined up. All were accounted for and there were no serious injuries.
“It was one of the scariest moments of my entire life,” she recalls. And yet, the recent graduate loves fighting fires. She loves the forest, true, but also the camaraderie and teamwork. “It’s kind of like a family.” By the time of the tree incident, she had been trained as a squad leader who manages a group of four to six people within a standard crew of 20. At first, it was hard to be taken seriously as a woman, she says, but after she earned her squad’s respect, “it was great.”
She describes her tree-episode squad as “really incredible,” but also traumatized as they continued working. “A lot of guys told me they didn’t want to go into a certain area unless they knew I was watching the back door – had my eyes on the fire behind them.”
With his study of forest management, Mr. Catino is disturbed by what he sees as a wasteful, reactive approach to fire, instead of a proactive one. Often, he says, he’ll go out on a fire and, in his view, the appropriate thing is to let it burn out rather than suppress it. But that’s not what the orders are.
This questioning is a good thing, says Randall Rosenberger, associate dean of student success at Oregon State University. “That’s where we get change,” as college students with firefighting experience move up into management across the fire field, he says.
Delayed start to the semester
Not all college-student firefighters are in forestry. Many are doing it because it can pay very well – especially in a busy fire season with overtime. With nowhere to go and nothing to spend it on, it’s not unusual for summer firefighters to make anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 for three months work.
Porter Bovee, a friend of Mr. Catino’s at the university, is studying mechanical and manufacturing engineering, and is in his third summer of firefighting. He’s working about 100 hours a week, and thinks he will be able to cover tuition for the entire school year. “It’s a fun job,” he says at the end of a long day, “but it really is because of the money.”
Oregon state schools have an advantage over other schools when it comes to fire season. They are on the quarter system, which means they start at the end of September instead of August. Mr. Bovee’s last day will be Sept. 20, with classes resuming on Sept. 23. But a lot of people are just going to take the term off, he says, because the fire need is so great – and the earnings are so good. Mr. Catino says he’ll probably work until Oct. 1, then go back to school. He’s already been in touch with professors about it.
Indeed, the university tries to work with these students, urging professors to be flexible. They help students with course substitutions and even adjust scholarships. But the return to school is still a major concern for agencies and contractors that have to find the labor to fight fires in the fall.
“We are at max capacity,” says Bryan Wheelock, vice president at Grayback Forestry, a contractor in Medford, Oregon.
Over the years, the company has tried to adjust by screening college-student applicants more carefully about their planned return times, and providing housing to attract more candidates. Mr. Wheelock expects a good chunk of his college students will try to stay longer, but the company is looking to train another 10 to 20 firefighters to replace the students who are leaving.
“It’s a scramble to maintain full strength.”


csmonitor--2020-09-18--Why a two-day rally by Thai students could be a turning point

A two-day rally planned this weekend is jangling nerves in Bangkok , with apprehension about how far student demonstrators will go in pushing demands for reform of Thailand ’ s monarchy and how the authorities might react .
At least 10,000 people were estimated to have attended a major protest rally on Aug. 16 , and a bigger turnout is expected this time .
In an escalation of tactics , organizers plan to march to Government House , the prime minister ’ s offices , to hand over petitions .
The initial demands of the alliance of groups behind a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dissolution of Parliament with fresh elections , a new constitution , and an end to intimidation of political activists .
But the main organizers behind this weekend ’ s rally have been promoting an additional point .
They want restraints on the power of the monarchy , an institution long presented as the nation ’ s cornerstone and untouchable .
This open challenge to the palace has dramatically raised the political temperature .
These dissidents view the monarchy in its current form as opaque and unaccountable .
At a rally last month outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for its reform .
Underlining their challenge , they plan to make a symbolic point this weekend by leading their supporters to occupy a field adjacent to the planned rally site .
The field , Sanam Luang , was until recently an open space .
It was once Thailand ’ s equivalent of England ’ s Hyde Park , where politics could be openly debated .
But now it ’ s classified as a royal site and permanently fenced off .
“ We ’ ve destroyed the glass ceiling and blown the roof @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parit Chiwarak , better known as Penguin , said last week .
“ Birds are now flying freely into the sky .
How far can we fly during this rally ?
We have to wait and see.
” It ’ s hard to overstate the gravity of what they ’ re doing .
For generations the state has relentlessly promoted the monarchy , presenting it as the sacrosanct soul of the nation .
Its position is protected by a military that swears it personal allegiance .
Many Thais love it unconditionally ; others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lese majeste law that mandates three to 15 years in prison for defaming the institution .
So far the authorities have stayed calm .
Asked this week about the coming rally , Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha ’ s response was carefully measured .
“ I would like to express my concern , ” he said .
“ I care about my children and you care about yours .
As prime minister , I care about your children , too .
It ’ s my duty to take care of them .
I urge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Thursday night , he suggested in a speech about the coronavirus that the gathering should not be held because of a risk of spreading the disease .
“ When you gather in mobs you are creating an enormous risk of new infections , ” Mr. Prayuth said .
“ And with that , you also create enormous risk to the livelihoods of tens of millions of fellow Thais.
” What visible backlash there ’ s been has come mainly from older Thais to whom the students ’ agenda , where it touches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treason .
Royalists have fiercely denounced the students , but their efforts at organizing have been feeble , drawing mere dozens to events this week .
There is some fear , however , that the state may feel forced to crack down hard if the weekend ’ s rally pushes the monarchy issue too strenuously .
Whether now or later , one academic believes the yawning gap between the two sides makes trouble all but inevitable .
“ There were several groups of reformist elites [ who ] try to compromise , try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand the students , but I haven ’ t seen any signs of compromise , ” said Kanokrat Lertchoosakul , an assistant professor at Chulalongkorn University .
“ So without this sign I still don ’ t know how we can avoid physical violence.
” There is plenty of precedent for that in Thailand .
The military used lethal force to quash mass political demonstrations in 1992 and 2010 .
In 1976 , security forces and right-wing vigilantes savagely put down a student rally at Thammasat University , the planned location for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was reported by The Associated Press .

A two-day rally planned this weekend is jangling nerves in Bangkok, with apprehension about how far student demonstrators will go in pushing demands for reform of Thailand’s monarchy and how the authorities might react.
At least 10,000 people were estimated to have attended a major protest rally on Aug. 16, and a bigger turnout is expected this time. In an escalation of tactics, organizers plan to march to Government House, the prime minister’s offices, to hand over petitions.
The initial demands of the alliance of groups behind a series of anti-government demonstrations were for a dissolution of Parliament with fresh elections, a new constitution, and an end to intimidation of political activists.
But the main organizers behind this weekend’s rally have been promoting an additional point. They want restraints on the power of the monarchy, an institution long presented as the nation’s cornerstone and untouchable.
This open challenge to the palace has dramatically raised the political temperature.
These dissidents view the monarchy in its current form as opaque and unaccountable. At a rally last month outside Bangkok, they launched a 10-point manifesto for its reform.
Underlining their challenge, they plan to make a symbolic point this weekend by leading their supporters to occupy a field adjacent to the planned rally site.
The field, Sanam Luang, was until recently an open space. It was once Thailand’s equivalent of England’s Hyde Park, where politics could be openly debated. But now it’s classified as a royal site and permanently fenced off.
“We’ve destroyed the glass ceiling and blown the roof off,” one protest leader, Parit Chiwarak, better known as Penguin, said last week. “Birds are now flying freely into the sky. How far can we fly during this rally? We have to wait and see.”
It’s hard to overstate the gravity of what they’re doing.
For generations the state has relentlessly promoted the monarchy, presenting it as the sacrosanct soul of the nation. Its position is protected by a military that swears it personal allegiance. Many Thais love it unconditionally; others are constrained from criticizing it by a lese majeste law that mandates three to 15 years in prison for defaming the institution.
So far the authorities have stayed calm. Asked this week about the coming rally, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s response was carefully measured.
“I would like to express my concern,” he said. “I care about my children and you care about yours. As prime minister, I care about your children, too. It’s my duty to take care of them. I urge everyone to help resolve the situation.”
On Thursday night, he suggested in a speech about the coronavirus that the gathering should not be held because of a risk of spreading the disease.
“When you gather in mobs you are creating an enormous risk of new infections,” Mr. Prayuth said. “And with that, you also create enormous risk to the livelihoods of tens of millions of fellow Thais.”
What visible backlash there’s been has come mainly from older Thais to whom the students’ agenda, where it touches on the monarchy, is tantamount to treason. Royalists have fiercely denounced the students, but their efforts at organizing have been feeble, drawing mere dozens to events this week.
There is some fear, however, that the state may feel forced to crack down hard if the weekend’s rally pushes the monarchy issue too strenuously.
Whether now or later, one academic believes the yawning gap between the two sides makes trouble all but inevitable.
“There were several groups of reformist elites [who] try to compromise, try to convince the authorities in order to understand the students, but I haven’t seen any signs of compromise,” said Kanokrat Lertchoosakul, an assistant professor at Chulalongkorn University.
“So without this sign I still don’t know how we can avoid physical violence.”
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There is plenty of precedent for that in Thailand. The military used lethal force to quash mass political demonstrations in 1992 and 2010. In 1976, security forces and right-wing vigilantes savagely put down a student rally at Thammasat University, the planned location for this weekend’s demonstration.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.


csmonitor--2020-09-18--As demand outstrips US toilet paper supply, imports roll in

Toilet paper is back on store shelves .
But you may not recognize some of the brands .
Demand for toilet paper has been so high during the pandemic that in order to keep their shelves stocked , retailers are buying up foreign toilet paper brands , mostly from Mexico .
Major chains , across the country , including CVS , Piggly Wiggly , Safeway , 7-Eleven , and others , are carrying the international brands .
In recent weeks , a CVS in New York has been selling three Mexican brands : Regio , Hoteles Elite , and Daisy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the shelves of a Piggly Wiggly in Sister Bay , Wisconsin .
And a Safeway supermarket in Fremont , California , had those same brands , plus Vogue , whose label says in Spanish that it smells like chamomile .
The stores said they needed to get creative during the pandemic and started working with new suppliers to get shoppers what they needed .
But don ’ t worry about popular U.S. brands like Charmin – they aren ’ t going to disappear .
Supply chain experts expect the Mexican and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only temporarily , until American manufacturers catch up with demand .
Americans use much more toilet paper than other countries , according to Patrick Penfield , a supply chain professor at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University – which is why Mexico can handle shipping more rolls to the United States .
Stores have done this with other products during the pandemic , he said , bringing Mexican-made hand sanitizer to the U.S. when there was a shortage .
Americans , of course , buy products that are made all over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toilet paper they use is made in the U.S .
Toilet paper is inexpensive and takes up a lot of space in trucks and ships , making it not worth the cost of importing from other countries .
That ’ s left the toilet paper aisle with the same familiar brands , causing some shoppers to do a double take when they see the unfamiliar stuff .
Oliver Olsen wasn ’ t even in the market for toilet paper , but he had to stop and take a closer look at what he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Hannaford supermarket in Londonderry , Vermont .
Instead of Charmin and Cottonelle , there was Vogue and Delsey , from Mexico .
Next to them were rolls of Cashmere from Canada and King Blue from Trinidad and Tobago .
“ It really just jumped out at me , ” said Mr. Olsen , who works in the software industry and is a former state representative .
“ I didn ’ t know any of these.
” Ericka Dodge , a spokeswoman for Hannaford , a chain owned by supermarket operator Ahold Delhaize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suppliers to get toilet paper on the shelf faster .
Some U.S. manufacturers also stopped making the many varieties of toilet paper they usually make , like sheets that are stronger or infused with aloe , so they could focus on the basics and get it to stores quicker .
But Ms .
Dodge said those varieties are starting to return to retailers ’ shelves .
Mr. Penfield , the Syracuse University professor , expects American manufacturers to struggle to keep up with demand for the next three to five months .
Part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more of their bathroom business at home instead of at work or school .
Bathroom tissue sales are up 22 % so far this year , according to research firm Nielsen .
The companies that make the Mexican toilet paper were surprised their rolls were spotted north of the border .
“ It ’ s unexpected that it would be found in any U.S. retailers , ” said Amy Bellcourt , a spokeswoman for Essity , a Swedish tissue company that makes Regio in Mexico .
Petalo , Vogue , and Delsey are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same company that makes Cottonelle and Scott .
But Kimberly-Clark said it had no role in importing its Mexican brands to the U.S .
Selling unknown toilet paper brands in a pandemic is not hard , even though they ’ re not as fluffy as Charmin or Cottonelle .
“ American consumers , in times of plenty , are very picky , ” said Erika Marsillac , an associate professor of supply chain management at Old Dominion University in Norfolk , Virginia .
“ If the shelves are running low or empty you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Jennifer Jackson ordered aloe-infused Cottonelle from the website of Texas supermarket chain H-E-B , but it was out of stock , and she realized it was swapped out for Vogue when she picked up her order at the store .
She thought the flowery scent was “ kind of fun , ” but it was missing some heft .
“ Vogue is so thin , it kind of falls apart , ” said Ms. Jackson , a lawyer in Austin , Texas .
“ And that ’ s a dicey situation in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by The Associated Press .

Toilet paper is back on store shelves. But you may not recognize some of the brands.
Demand for toilet paper has been so high during the pandemic that in order to keep their shelves stocked, retailers are buying up foreign toilet paper brands, mostly from Mexico. Major chains, across the country, including CVS, Piggly Wiggly, Safeway, 7-Eleven, and others, are carrying the international brands.
In recent weeks, a CVS in New York has been selling three Mexican brands: Regio, Hoteles Elite, and Daisy Soft. Mexico’s Petalo was on the shelves of a Piggly Wiggly in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. And a Safeway supermarket in Fremont, California, had those same brands, plus Vogue, whose label says in Spanish that it smells like chamomile.
The stores said they needed to get creative during the pandemic and started working with new suppliers to get shoppers what they needed. But don’t worry about popular U.S. brands like Charmin – they aren’t going to disappear. Supply chain experts expect the Mexican and other foreign-made rolls to be on store shelves only temporarily, until American manufacturers catch up with demand.
Americans use much more toilet paper than other countries, according to Patrick Penfield, a supply chain professor at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University – which is why Mexico can handle shipping more rolls to the United States. Stores have done this with other products during the pandemic, he said, bringing Mexican-made hand sanitizer to the U.S. when there was a shortage.
Americans, of course, buy products that are made all over the world, but most of the toilet paper they use is made in the U.S. Toilet paper is inexpensive and takes up a lot of space in trucks and ships, making it not worth the cost of importing from other countries. That’s left the toilet paper aisle with the same familiar brands, causing some shoppers to do a double take when they see the unfamiliar stuff.
Oliver Olsen wasn’t even in the market for toilet paper, but he had to stop and take a closer look at what he saw in the aisles last month at a Hannaford supermarket in Londonderry, Vermont.
Instead of Charmin and Cottonelle, there was Vogue and Delsey, from Mexico. Next to them were rolls of Cashmere from Canada and King Blue from Trinidad and Tobago.
“It really just jumped out at me,” said Mr. Olsen, who works in the software industry and is a former state representative. “I didn’t know any of these.”
Ericka Dodge, a spokeswoman for Hannaford, a chain owned by supermarket operator Ahold Delhaize, said the grocer worked with new suppliers to get toilet paper on the shelf faster.
Some U.S. manufacturers also stopped making the many varieties of toilet paper they usually make, like sheets that are stronger or infused with aloe, so they could focus on the basics and get it to stores quicker. But Ms. Dodge said those varieties are starting to return to retailers’ shelves.
Mr. Penfield, the Syracuse University professor, expects American manufacturers to struggle to keep up with demand for the next three to five months.
Part of the reason: People are doing more of their bathroom business at home instead of at work or school. Bathroom tissue sales are up 22% so far this year, according to research firm Nielsen.
The companies that make the Mexican toilet paper were surprised their rolls were spotted north of the border.
“It’s unexpected that it would be found in any U.S. retailers,” said Amy Bellcourt, a spokeswoman for Essity, a Swedish tissue company that makes Regio in Mexico.
Petalo, Vogue, and Delsey are made in Mexico by Kimberly-Clark, the same company that makes Cottonelle and Scott. But Kimberly-Clark said it had no role in importing its Mexican brands to the U.S.
Selling unknown toilet paper brands in a pandemic is not hard, even though they’re not as fluffy as Charmin or Cottonelle.
“American consumers, in times of plenty, are very picky,” said Erika Marsillac, an associate professor of supply chain management at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. “If the shelves are running low or empty you’ll grab whatever you can grab.”
Some don’t have a choice.
Jennifer Jackson ordered aloe-infused Cottonelle from the website of Texas supermarket chain H-E-B, but it was out of stock, and she realized it was swapped out for Vogue when she picked up her order at the store.
She thought the flowery scent was “kind of fun,” but it was missing some heft.
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empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
“Vogue is so thin, it kind of falls apart,” said Ms. Jackson, a lawyer in Austin, Texas. “And that’s a dicey situation in the bathroom.”
This story was reported by The Associated Press.


csmonitor--2020-09-18--An oil giant’s epiphany on climate change

One of the pandemic ’ s economic effects has been a drop in demand for oil .
Yet once the global economy recovers , will oil demand go back up ?
Some experts say no , given other ongoing shifts away from fossil fuels .
Humanity may finally be reaching “ peak oil consumption ” a century and a half after the first oil well was drilled .
Oil and gas will still play a big role for decades .
Fossil fuels , including coal , currently are about 85 % of the world ’ s energy supply .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governments tackle climate change , alternative sources – wind , solar , geothermal , nuclear – will continue to gain ground .
One bright spot in this energy transformation is BP , the world ’ s sixth-largest petroleum company .
Over the past decade , ever since its Deepwater Horizon rig gushed oil into the Gulf of Mexico , BP has had a slow epiphany about the commercial wisdom of relying on carbon fuels .
Once known as British Petroleum , it now seems ready to become the Beyond Petroleum company .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aims to boost its spending on low carbon projects from $ 500 million a year to $ 5 billion a year within a decade .
“ We ’ re transforming BP into a very different kind of company , ” Mr. Looney said .
“ Not overnight , but quickly.
” According to Dev Sanyal , BP ’ s executive vice president of gas and low-carbon energy , in the next five years BP will initiate more than 20 gigawatts of renewable energy projects , from about 2.5 gigawatts today .
The company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and gas sources and would cut its oil and gas output by 40 % .
Instead it will invest in giant offshore wind as well as solar projects , perhaps reimagining its thousands of BP gas stations as convenience stores with recharging stations for electric vehicles .
It aims to be a carbon neutral company by midcentury .
The plan is to keep profits from fossil fuels flowing long enough to transition BP to something more like an electric utility that could offer investors solid , though not spectacular , dividends in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The alternative , Mr. Looney said , was to not act and wait to get “ regulated out of business ” by measures aimed at halting climate change .
The latest edition of the company ’ s respected World Energy Outlook lays out three scenarios for the oil market .
One shows rapid moves to protect the environment and climate , resulting in a dramatic drop in oil consumption .
A second is less aggressive but still results in much lower oil use .
And even its “ business as usual ” shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drifting gradually downward .
Other oil giants have faced the same dilemma as BP : change or become less and less relevant .
ExxonMobil recently lost its place as one of the 30 benchmark stocks making up the Dow Jones Industrial Average .
Ramping up clean energy might need companies capable of building giant infrastructure and yet nimble and enlightened enough to transform themselves .
BP is showing a new course in a world weaning itself off energy sources that pollute .

One of the pandemic’s economic effects has been a drop in demand for oil. Yet once the global economy recovers, will oil demand go back up? Some experts say no, given other ongoing shifts away from fossil fuels. Humanity may finally be reaching “peak oil consumption” a century and a half after the first oil well was drilled.
Oil and gas will still play a big role for decades. Fossil fuels, including coal, currently are about 85% of the world’s energy supply. But as more consumers, businesses, and governments tackle climate change, alternative sources – wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear – will continue to gain ground.
One bright spot in this energy transformation is BP, the world’s sixth-largest petroleum company. Over the past decade, ever since its Deepwater Horizon rig gushed oil into the Gulf of Mexico, BP has had a slow epiphany about the commercial wisdom of relying on carbon fuels. Once known as British Petroleum, it now seems ready to become the Beyond Petroleum company.
In August chief executive Bernard Looney said BP aims to boost its spending on low carbon projects from $500 million a year to $5 billion a year within a decade. “We’re transforming BP into a very different kind of company,” Mr. Looney said. “Not overnight, but quickly.”
According to Dev Sanyal, BP’s executive vice president of gas and low-carbon energy, in the next five years BP will initiate more than 20 gigawatts of renewable energy projects, from about 2.5 gigawatts today. The company will also stop looking for new oil and gas sources and would cut its oil and gas output by 40%.
Instead it will invest in giant offshore wind as well as solar projects, perhaps reimagining its thousands of BP gas stations as convenience stores with recharging stations for electric vehicles. It aims to be a carbon neutral company by midcentury.
The plan is to keep profits from fossil fuels flowing long enough to transition BP to something more like an electric utility that could offer investors solid, though not spectacular, dividends in the 8% to 10% range.
The alternative, Mr. Looney said, was to not act and wait to get “regulated out of business” by measures aimed at halting climate change.
The latest edition of the company’s respected World Energy Outlook lays out three scenarios for the oil market. One shows rapid moves to protect the environment and climate, resulting in a dramatic drop in oil consumption. A second is less aggressive but still results in much lower oil use. And even its “business as usual” shows consumption staying at current levels and then drifting gradually downward.
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empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Other oil giants have faced the same dilemma as BP: change or become less and less relevant. ExxonMobil recently lost its place as one of the 30 benchmark stocks making up the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Ramping up clean energy might need companies capable of building giant infrastructure and yet nimble and enlightened enough to transform themselves. BP is showing a new course in a world weaning itself off energy sources that pollute.