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The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a firm statement that it will not fund any research involving gene-editing technologies in human embryos. The announcement follows the highly contentious publication of a paper in the journal Protein & Cell describing the first use of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technique in human embryos (see BioNews 799).
The NIH provides $30 billion of federal funding for basic and clinical research in the United States. Its director, Francis S Collins, said: 'NIH will not fund any use of gene-editing technologies in human embryos. The concept of altering the human germline in embryos for clinical purposes has been debated over many years from many different perspectives, and has been viewed almost universally as a line that should not be crossed.'
In his statement, Collins acknowledged the value of new gene-editing techniques like CRISPR/Cas9, noting they have shortened the time it takes to produce mouse models of disease, and are also being used to develop the next generation of antimicrobials. Last year, the first clinical application of gene editing resulted in the creation of HIV resistance in human immune cells (see BioNews 764). Collins said that NIH funding for such work, which does not involve human embryos, would continue.
'Advances in technology have given us an elegant new way of carrying out genome editing,' Collins writes. However, he warns that there are strong arguments against using them in human embryos, including major uncertainty over safety as well as ethical issues over editing the germline in a way that will affect future generations. Collins added that there is also a 'current lack of compelling medical applications justifying the use of CRISPR/Cas9 in embryos'.
In March, scientists writing in Nature and Science, called for a moratorium on the use of gene-editing techniques in human embryos (see BioNews 795). Although there is a broad consensus that there should be no clinical applications, some scientists argue that basic research on gene-editing research should go ahead (see BioNews 799).
In his statement, Collins also pointed out that there are already a number of laws and regulations in the US prohibiting the practice. The Dickey-Wicker amendment says that no federal funds can be used for research on human embryos, while the NIH's own guidelines state that they 'will not at present entertain proposals for germ line alteration'. The US Food and Drug Administration would also have to approve the use of any clinical application of gene-editing technology.
However, in several states it is possible for private firms to carry out this controversial research. MIT Technology Review says that is aware of one US firm that is currently testing CRISPR/Cas9 on human embryos.
Meanwhile, Protein & Cell has come under fire since publishing the work. It rejected accusations that the paper was not adequately peer-reviewed, and managing editor Xiaoxue Zhang wrote: 'The editorial decision to publish this study should not be viewed as an endorsement of this practice... but rather the sounding of an alarm to draw attention to the urgent need to rein in applications of gene-editing technologies, especially in the human germ cells or embryos.'
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https://www.progress.org.uk/nih-will-not-fund-gene-editing-of-human-embryos/
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The BioPhorum Gene-Editing subteam have produced a member only tool enabling the end-user to determine comparisons between different gene-editing techniques and delivery methods which can be used in cell and gene therapy drug product development and manufacture. The tool allows the user to form individual conclusions based on the users' requirements.
Cell and Gene Therapy
Viewing related articles
CGT actors and process maps: Who does what in the supply of different cell and gene therapies
Apr 2022 | Deliverable, Deliverables Report, Information Technology, IT for Cell and Gene Therapy, Publication
This document contains a set of reference models explaining who needs to be involved in the supply of different types of Cell and Gene Therapies (CGTs) and, at a very high level, what they do. It can be used by anyone who wishes to better understand the manufacture and delivery of CGTs, and in
particular how IT systems can support that.
High Level Analytics workstream rcAAV testing strategies survey
Jan 2022 | Benchmarking, Cell & Gene Therapy, Deliverable, Deliverables Report, High Level Analytics
A member only survey to benchmark industry experience with replication competent AAV testing. The outcome of the survey will help stimulate further discussion of the topic within the workstream.
Feedback on the FDA draft guidance for industry studying multiple versions of a cellular or gene therapy product in an early phase clinical trial
Jan 2022 | Cell & Gene Therapy, Deliverable, Deliverables Report, Feedback to agency, Regulatory Strategy
This member document summarizes consolidated feedback and recommendations from a collaboration of BioPhorum members on the FDA draft guidance for industry studying multiple versions of a cellular or gene therapy product in an early phase clinical trial consultation.
Closure analysis of a mock autologous cell therapy process
Dec 2021 | Cell & Gene Therapy, Commercialization, Deliverables Report, Publication
In its current state, cell therapy manufacturing comprises several open and manual operations which increase the risk of contamination. Members of BioPhorum’s Cell & Gene Therapy Commercialization workstream have generated a ‘mock’ process detailing the manufacture of a generic autologous CAR-T product operated through a series of process steps combining some open and some closed system elements. The mock process has undergone an end-to-end closure analysis to identify those operations that pose the highest contamination risks, and to provide suggested mitigation solutions to minimize such risks. Suggestions include options that are currently available, as well as potential future ‘desired state’ options. This paper details the full process and summarizes potential risks and possible mitigations. The primary aim of this paper is to demonstrate systematic application of a closure analysis method on an ex vivo gene therapy (also known as gene-modified cell therapy) process so that organizations can apply similar analyses to their own processes. The secondary aim is to propose process closure solutions that companies could implement in their own operations.
The challenges of using RNA as a therapeutic or a gene editing tool
Dec 2021 | Cell & Gene Therapy, Deliverables Report, Publication, RNA as a Therapeutics and a Gene-Editing Tool
While previously only found in academic, pre-clinical and early clinical stages, RNA technologies, including mRNA therapeutics, have emerged as a promising drug modality due to their essential biological role in protein expression and their potential versatility in manufacturing. RNA is in the global spotlight and is being
prioritized due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, to maintain the current momentum as industry and agencies return to a ‘normal’ cycle of development for a wider range of drugs and therapies, experts in this field need to come together to identify and address challenges unique to the RNA modality. BioPhorum has started this by bringing together industry leaders to identify RNA-focused manufacturing challenges, and is working toward solutions to common challenges and improving current processes. The purpose of this article is to introduce this critical area and to show the unique RNA challenges, not only limited to mRNA therapeutics already identified by the cross-industry team, but also to include how these challenges could potentially negatively impact companies and the RNA industry. It sets out what the team is hoping to achieve via this collaboration, both in terms of outputs and benefits to the industry.
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https://www.biophorum.com/document-tag/cell-and-gene-therapy/
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A team of researchers [in Japan] conducted a survey to explore the opinions and attitudes of both Japanese experts and the general public on gene editing versus other breeding techniques in Japan.
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The study utilized a web-based survey …. completed by 3,197 volunteers. The volunteers consisted of lay public members and scientists that did and did not possess expertise in molecular biology.[T]hose who had expert knowledge in molecular biology believed that emerging technologies such as genetic engineering and editing offer low risk and higher benefits for food science. In contrast, the lay public believed such technologies offered the highest risk and lowest benefit.
When assessing the opinion of experts from other disciplines outside of molecular biology, [the] team found that these individuals possessed similar attitudes to the lay public when considering the risks of emerging technologies, but also thought there was value to their adoption.
Interestingly, the lay participants perceived gene-editing crops to be more beneficial and valuable compared to other genetically modified crops.
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https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2020/01/27/more-science-education-may-not-quell-consumer-fear-of-gmo-gene-edited-crops-japanese-study-suggests/
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https://heartstyles.com/privacy
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Qualtrics Insight Platform. The tutorials below are based on the new platform, and will guide you step-by-step through the process of creating a survey, from basic to advance. Visit the page for additional guidance.
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ISU Acceptable Use for Qualtrics
Proposed surveys should comply with Idaho State University’s policies regarding collection information, personally identifying information (PII), FERPA, HIPAA, etc. Collected survey data is stored securely on servers maintained by Qualtrics and may be downloaded to local workstations. Failure to abide by Idaho State University’s Acceptable Use Policy for Qualtrics and/or Qualtrics’ Acceptable Usage Policy may result in suspension of access to Qualtrics and other repercussions depending on the nature and the severity of the violation.
- University Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval of a protocol defining the project must be granted before using Qualtrics for any research involving human subjects. View the Office for Research’s “Human Subjects” webpage and the Human Subjects Manual & Guide.
Idaho State University IRB policy states, “ISU recognizes that carrying out this mission may involve research using live human beings. When such research is deemed appropriate, the University is responsible for ensuring it is done ethically, in full compliance with pertinent laws and regulations, and with consideration to participant’s protection, safety, and privacy; and with scientific justification.”
- Account holders may not share their login and password with others. Idaho State University’s Office of Institutional Research provides access to Qualtrics; however, responsibility for how individuals use the service resides solely with the individual.
- Each survey created under the Idaho State University Qualtrics license has a primary author. The primary author of a survey is responsible for content posted or distributed through Qualtrics, subject to the normative rights and obligations in the academic community as these are expressed in the University rules and regulations.
- Using your Qualtrics account for non-university related activities is prohibited. This includes personal use or use on behalf of a company/other unit (whether for pay or not). Users will not use Qualtrics for personal or commercial gain.
- Users are responsible for downloading and securing all survey data in conformity with Idaho State University policies and procedures for handling sensitive information.
- Surveys and survey responses collected through the use of Qualtrics may be shared with parties external to Idaho State University. Surveys and survey responses shared with parties external to Idaho State University shall be the responsibility of the primary author / user granting access to the external party. All external parties granted access to the shared surveys and responses must abide by the Acceptable Use Policy, as well as all applicable Idaho State University policies and other rules and regulations.
- All surveys, in the instructions to respondents, shall include the statement “All survey information will be retained and hosted on a third party Qualtrics server and not on an Idaho State University server.”
- Qualtrics provides users with identifying themes “skins” when building a survey. The primary author is responsible for selecting the appropriate theme for identification purposes and will not intentionally choose a banner which misrepresents their affiliation with Idaho State University.
- Users must abide by Idaho State University Identity Standards and Use of University Name, Seal and Logo policy.
- When moving to another institution or otherwise leaving Idaho State University, a current user will have 60 days in which to contact the Idaho State University Qualtrics administrators to make arrangements for their Qualtrics content to be transferred to a new institutional or personal account; after which Idaho State University will close Qualtrics accounts delete all surveys and results.
- Idaho State University may, at any time, disallow, alter, or discontinue access to Qualtrics, change the Acceptable Use Policy at its sole discretion. Idaho State University may also revoke user access to Qualtrics for failure to abide by the terms in the Acceptable Use Policy.
CONSEQUENCES
- Inappropriate behavior/content/usage or other abuse of your Qualtrics account will lead to the following consequences:
- 1st incident - Warning: A warning email will be sent to the abusing party (as well as the faculty advisor in the case of student use). This email will let the user know that a violation of the policies has occurred and that the violating behavior must stop immediately.
- 2nd incident - Removal of Access: If there is a second violation of the policies, then the abusing individual's access to the Qualtrics system will be removed.
- Note: If the 1st incident is determined to be gross misconduct then Institutional Research may remove access to Qualtrics at that time. The label of gross misconduct will be at the discretion of Institutional Research and / or administrative authorities.
Support and Service Availability
一道本不卡免费高清In order to provide service improvements and maintenance, System Administrators have access to all content in the Idaho State University Qualtrics survey service.
Idaho State University Disclaimer
The surveys created or the responses supplied using the Idaho State University Qualtrics survey tool do not in any way constitute official Idaho State University content. The contents and views expressed in student, faculty or other organization’s web pages are solely those of their particular authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of ISU. Idaho State University supports the members of the University community in responsibly exercising their rights of free expression, but does not necessarily support the content of those expression. The user expressly agrees to use this site solely at his/her own risk. Questions or concerns about page content should be directed to the primary survey author.
Acceptable use for Idaho State University Qualtrics Online Survey Service also includes:
- University Policies and codes of conduct
- State privacy Laws and regulations
- Federal privacy laws and regulations, including but not limited to, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
- All other applicable laws and regulations
Questions?
Vince Miller is ISU's brand administrator for Qualtrics. If you have any questions, please contact Vince at [email protected]一道本不卡免费高清 or 208-282-1045.
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http://www.mizarchessengine.com/qualtrics/
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We love our data! And we have a team of experts excited to share with you their favorite tips and tricks about how to access and use Census Bureau Data.
So we created the Data Gems: a series of "how-to" videos available for data users who are looking for an easy and quick way to enhance their knowledge of Census data.
They will introduce you to various concepts and techniques to improve your ability to navigate our website and use our data-access tools.
All video content created by the U.S. Census Bureau is available on our YouTube channel. Subscribe to get notifications when new content is uploaded and be sure to press the like button to share with other people.
Publications
Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: 2017
This report presents highlights of the 2017 data released by the Small area Income and Poverty Estimates program of the U.S. Census Bureau in December 2018.
Support Providers: 2013
This report uses the 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine support payments people make to others living outside their household.
Quarterly Summary of State and Local Government Tax Revenue: 2018 Q3
Quarterly estimates of state and local government tax revenue at a national level, as well as detailed tax revenue data for individual states.
Infographics
Fact Sheets
Upcoming U.S. Population Releases
The U.S. Census Bureau is planning to release four major sets of statistics about the U.S. population at the end of the year.
How to identify a census taker
Census takers began interviewing households around the country that have not yet responded online, by phone, or by mail to the 2020 Census.
How Use of Existing Data is Making the 2020 Census More Efficient
This explains how use of existing government and third-party records helps to streamline census operations and verify responses to the 2020 Census.
America Counts
Working Papers
Cognitive Pretesting of the 2017 American Community Survey Mail Design
Results from expert review and cognitive testing of mailing materials for the 2017 American Community Survey
Spanish Usability Testing of 2020 CBAMS Survey
Usability testing of the Spanish web version of the 2020 Census Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Survey (CBAMS).
Housing Administrative Record Simulation
Learn more about how the Census Bureau tested using administrative records to simulate housing estimates in the American Community Survey.
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https://www.census.gov/library/video/youtube-playlists/census-academy-data-gems.html
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The history of archaeology, like most disciplines, is often presented as a sequence of influential individuals and a discussion of their greatest hits in the literature. Two problems with this traditional approach are that it sidelines the major of participants in the archaeological literature who are excluded from these discussions, and it does not capture the conversations outside of the canonical literature. Recently developed computationally intensive methods as well as creative uses of existing digital tools can address these problems by efficiently enabling quantitative analyses of large volumes of text and other digital objects, and enabling large scale analysis of non-traditional research products such as blogs, images and other media.
Other Keywords
open science • Archaeological Method and Theory • open data • performance metrics • citation analysis • network analysis • Computational Methods • Big Data • text mining
Geographic Keywords
North America - Midwest
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-4 of 4)
- Documents (4)
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Academic Freedom, Data, and Job Performance in the Panopticon (2015)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This paper explores the challenges in recognizing and rewarding greater openness and collaboration in archaeology, given neoliberal institutional realities. After years of advocacy, governments and major granting foundations have embraced many elements of the open science reform agenda. The White House recently made open access and open data in research a policy goal, and it is exploring other policies to promote "reproducibility" in federally-funded research, including archaeology. Despite open...
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Beyond Sharks and Laser Beams: Lessons on Informatics Needs, Open Behaviors, and Analytics Practices to Achieve Archaeological Big Data, as Learned from the Digital Index of North American Archaeology (DINAA) (2015)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Demands for archaeological "big data" must move strategically beyond buzzwords. Sciences and humanities that are successfully augmenting their workflows with ubiquitous computing are necessarily dealing with issues of accessibility, interoperability, and fundamental questions about the intended utility of core collection strategies at massive scales. Fortunately for archaeology, solutions to these issues are achievable through emphases on existing research networks and readily "open" solutions....
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Grand Challenges vs Actual Challenges: Text mining small and big data for quantitative insights (2015)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Kintigh et al (2014) recently published a survey of archaeologists that claimed to identify 'archaeology's most important scientific challenges'. Numerous commentators have critiqued the small sample size of this survey (181 respondents) and the subjective reading of the responses. We use quantitative methods to analyse the full text of the survey responses and discover different challenges to those highlighted by Kintigh et al. We also analyse over 6000 archaeology journal articles in JSTOR to...
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Off the beaten track: exploring what lies outside paths of most frequently cited publications in citation networks (2015)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Most citation network analysis techniques are designed to identify the main paths of the ‘flow of academic influence’ through a citation network, or result in a ranking of publications with the highest scores for certain network measures. Although such results are interesting, they are not always particularly surprising. A recent application of citation network techniques to a network of archaeological literature concluded that a literature review will allow one to identify key works and the...
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https://core.tdar.org/collection/29466/macroscopic-approaches-to-archaeological-histories-insights-into-archaeological-practice-from-digital-methods
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The 2013 Non-Returning Student Survey (NRS) is Western’s first large-scale survey of students who dropped or stopped out since OIART conducted a Survey of Non-Returning Students in June, 2001. The goal of the NRS was to identify reasons for students’ failure to continuously enroll, and to identify improvements Western could implement to aid at-risk students. The NRS was designed in conjunction with Western’s Office of Institutional Research and Division of Enrollment and Student Services. The sample for the NRS covers all undergraduate, degree-seeking students who were enrolled during fall, winter, or spring quarter between fall, 2011 and spring, 2013. From these, OSR removed all students who graduated, all post-baccalaureate students, and any student who was dropped from the university due to poor academic performance. From the remainder, OSR identified 2,333 students who failed enroll at Western during fall quarter, 2013. These 2,333 students are OSR’s survey sample. A unique feature of the NRS is that all students, not just those who complete OSR’s surveys, can be tracked after leaving Western through the National Student Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse), a service that follows individual students as they enroll in nearly any U.S. 2- or 4-year institution of higher education. Section A.1 of this report provides information on Western’s non-returning students gleaned from the Clearinghouse. Of the 2,333 students failing to return to Western, 1,329 (57%) were recorded by the Clearinghouse as attending at least one institution after leaving Western. Of these, just over one-half (52%, 690 students) attended a public, two-year university while 42% (561 students) attended a public, four-year university. All but one of the remainder (6%) attended a private, four-year school. The most common 2-year schools were Whatcom Community College (193 students), Bellevue (85), Everett (54), Skagit (40), Bellingham Tech (34) and Olympic College (34). The most common 4-year schools attended by former Western students were the University of Washington (86), Washington State University (64), Eastern Washington University (34), and Central Washington University (26). Western has admission index measures for 1,729 of the 2,333 non-returning students in the sample. Thirty-five percent had an AI greater than 60 and nearly another 25% had AIs between 50 and 60. By the time of their withdrawal, nearly one-third of non-returning students earned cumulative WWU GPAs greater than 3.0. On the other hand, 19% of non-returning students earned cumulative WWU GPAs less than 2.0. Interestingly, 219 students left Western having already accumulated more than 180 credits, a group that perhaps, with a little effort, could be convinced to return to earn their degrees. Using the Clearinghouse data, OSR can also identify the types of students that attend other institutions after leaving Western. Of the 2,333 non-returning students, 214 had either declared a major, pre-major, or had expressed interest in Physical Education, Health & Recreation, 172 in Psychology, 133 in Biology, 124 in Engineering Technology, and 106 in Elementary Education. It is important to note that many of these students may have simply expressed an interest in these subjects and had yet to declare a major in them. Among those who had actually declared a major, 81 students who failed to return to Western were in PEHR, 43 in English, 37 from Fairhaven, and 33 from Art. Beginning on October 8, 2013 OSR sent e-mail invitations to the sample using the last known external e-mail address of these students. OSR also attempted to use internal e-mail addresses of students on the off chance that some students continued to use their Western accounts. Students failing to respond to e-mail solicitations were then called at their last known cell phone or permanent phone number. The survey concluded on November 22, 2013. OSR received survey responses from 946 students, a response rate of 40.5%. Of these 946, 212 responded to the survey over the telephone. As with any survey, readers should be concerned with sample selection bias; that is bias that arises because respondents are often a non-random selection of the population of potential respondents. While sample selection bias is mitigated by proper survey techniques and a relatively high survey response rate, this is of special concern in a survey of individuals who have left Western because many have varying degrees of commitment to the university. For instance, 24% of respondents claim to be “Very likely” to return to Western to continue their education. Of course, it is exactly these type of students one would expect to respond to a survey e-mail or phone call. To explore sample selection bias, section A.2 of this report lists a number of observable characteristics between respondents, non-respondents, and students who remained at Western. As usual in surveys, respondents were much more likely to be female (52.4% of respondents were female whereas 54.8% of all non-returning students were female). As mentioned in the introduction, this survey spanned two academic years (2011- 2012 and 2012-2013). Students having attended in the most recent academic year were more likely to respond to the survey than those in the prior year. Fully 63% of the responses come from the most recent attendees whereas they make up 57% of the population. Respondents also tended to be slightly stronger academically with average AIs of 54.3 and average Western GPAs of 2.65 relative to the entire population which averaged AIs of 53.3 and Western GPAs of 2.53. At the same time, respondents and non-respondents had similar measures of accumulated credits, Running Start and transfer student status, racial profiles, and Washington State residency status. Turning to the survey results, 91% of respondents originally enrolled at Western in hopes of earning a degree from Western. Nearly all of the remainder enrolled in hopes of transferring to another institution. Of those originally wishing to transfer, almost three-fourths had enrolled in their preferred institution. When asked about their current activity, nearly one-half of non-returning students had enrolled at another institution while 40% were working for pay. As noted above, 24% of survey respondents indicated they were “very likely” to return to Western. As of the beginning of Winter quarter (2014), 142 respondents, or 6% of the non-returning students, had re-enrolled at Western. Respondents were allowed to choose as many reasons as they liked to describe why they left Western. The three most common “broad” reasons given were finances, academics, and family/personal reasons. When asked to be more specific about financial reasons, nearly one-in-five students claimed their student loans were too large and about a similar amount stated that their or their family’s financial situation changed. About one-in-eight claimed not receiving financial aid contributed to their reason for leaving Western. Forty percent of respondents cited academic reasons for leaving Western. Of those, nearly one-third claimed to have academic problems at Western, about one-third believed another school has a better program in their field, and a similar number remained unsure about what they wanted to study. A smaller fraction of students left because Western did not offer an academic program of interest. The most common program mentioned, by 17 students, was nursing and 23 students have since enrolled in a nursing program. The NRS concludes with two open ended questions asking students if there was “anything that could have been done to make your experience at Western more successful?” and “Is there anything else you would like us to know about your experiences at Western?” Of the 623 individuals who responded to the first of these questions, nearly one-half of them indicated that there was nothing Western could have done to make them more successful. Of the remainder, the most frequent (45) response was to provide better advising or access to advising, greater access to financial aid (39) and lower tuition (39). The NRS data is linkable to other Western data sources by unique student identifier. OSR welcomes and encourages campus researchers to utilize this data in their further investigation of issues impacting student success.
Identifier
514
Publisher
Digital object produced by Office of Survey Research, Western Washington University, and made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects - Topical (LCSH)
College dropouts--Washington (State)--Statistics; College students--Washington (State)--Attitudes--Statistics
Title of Series
Technical and research reports (Western Washington University. Office of Survey Research) ; 2014-01
Recommended Citation
Krieg, John M.; Hartsoch, Beth; and Clark, Linda D. (Linda Darlene), "Fall 2013 Survey of Non-Returning Students: Descriptive Statistics" (2014). Office of Institutional Effectiveness. 536.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/surveyresearch_docs/536
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This resource is provided for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries.
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https://cedar.wwu.edu/surveyresearch_docs/536/
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Over the past 40 years, safety inside the general aviation industry has considerably improved. The reasons are many and can include improved airplane reliability, initial training improvements, and better weather reporting capabilities. A single often overlooked contributor to this safety record is the contribution made in the grass by general aviation airport operators, as well as individuals fixed base operators (FBOs) who service general aviation aircraft. In addition , typically included since an aspect of aviation protection but diverse in equally its preparing and response, is air-port security. Since 2001, airport terminal security is the primary concern within the air-port community. The purpose of this activity report should be to identify current practices in safety management and security operations at ga airports and FBOs. Through the use of a survey of person airports and FBOs, this report determined current techniques and highlights unique, low cost ideas that will be in use for one airport terminal, but transferable to others. By a total of 60 online surveys distributed, 53 responses were received to get a response rate of 88%. Additional information just for this synthesis record was accumulated during a literary works search, and from papers made available by simply selected airfields, FBOs, and industry operate associations. As well, the review identified resources used to develop safety and security elements at general aviation airports. Air-port security is likewise not restricted to airports. FBOs, corporate organization aircraft users, and other tenants are realizing the importance of securing the entire general aviation program. Airports are expanding the universe of organizations offered to help them protect the airport terminal, and frequently enter agreements together with the local emergency response community, federal and state police agencies, or perhaps other entities that can take part in...
References: ALTERNATING CURRENT 120-92, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D. C., 06\.
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https://buyacademicessays.com/general-aviation-safety/82979-general-aviation-security-security-procedures-essay.html
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One out of every twenty children in school is affected, in significant ways, in classrooms across our nation by sensory processing disorders (SPD) (Nodding, 2017). In classrooms where students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are present, that number rises even higher because almost 100% of students with ASD experience SPD (Murray, Baker, Murray-Slutsky & Paris, 2009). Teachers must understand the unique needs of students with SPD in order to create environments where students feel comfortable to learn in every day. Optimal learning for students with SPD requires an environment that supports and assists them to effectively and systematically organize and understand the information they are taught. Unfortunately, most classrooms present sensory challenges that can be frustrating or even overwhelming for students diagnosed with SPD. The daily negative experience at school often adds more stress for these students due to their social interactions and how they regulate emotions (Lytle and Todd, 2009).
There are two purposes of the study: 1) general education teachers’ use of interventions to support students with ASD and SPD was examined to determine what worked most effectively in their classrooms, and (2) general education teachers’ perception of barriers for implementing research-based strategies was examined in order to identify potential problems in creating supportive environments for students with ASD and SPD in the general education classroom. Eighteen teachers participated in the study at a private school with 335 students in a suburban area. The survey included 8 questions about the effectiveness of sensory interventions for students with ASD and/or SPD at school.
The result of this study showed that the majority of teachers want to be supportive to students diagnosed with SPD. Seventeen teachers (94%) expressed a concern for students who may feel overwhelmed by providing some variation of a calming area within their classroom Concerning the use of flexible seating, 6 teachers (33%) responded that they do not offer flexible seating, and 3 teachers (17%) indicated it was the least effective intervention they offered students. These responses could indicate that there is misunderstanding concerning the use of flexible seating and how to effectively implement it within the general education classroom. Another notable result is that 7 general education teachers (39%) indicated they lacked the space to provide a calming area for students in their classrooms.
The result of the current study supports the findings in previous research that there is a need for teachers to be more knowledgeable about how to create classrooms that offer support, effective strategies for students diagnosed with SPD. A handbook was created for general education and special education teachers based on the result of the present survey study and findings in previous studies. This handbook focuses on clear explanations of the unique stresses that students with SPD face, with the hope that if teachers have a clearer understanding about the needs of these students, they will be inspired to consistently offer research-proven strategies to support and encourage their students who face unique challenges in the school environment every day.
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https://hammer.purdue.edu/articles/thesis/Investigation_of_research-proven_comfort_and_support_strategies_for_students_with_autism_aspectrum_disorder/12227165/1
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The SLC EDI and Belonging Task Force has developed the College’s first Equity Census and invites all SLC members (students, staff, faculty, administration, both part-time and full time at all of our campuses to share information about themselves especially related to equity and belonging.
The SLC Equity Census is a voluntary, anonymous, demographic data collection initiative that involves a set of questions, all of which are voluntary and include a "prefer not to answer" response option.
The SLC Equity Census is available to complete using Microsoft Forms between February 2-26, 2021.
Why your participation is important
The participation of every SLC member will be important in helping to:
- Achieve an accurate profile of who we are and how representative we are of the Canadian workforce
- Identify areas where changes in policies, practices, and systems are likely to be most effective in achieving fairness and equity in access and recruitment, classroom climate, workplace climate, and more
- Pinpoint where we need to eliminate barriers that limit or exclude equity-seeking groups (Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of racialized/visible minorities, women, and LGBTQ2S+ communities) from opportunities that should be open to all members of our community
FAQs
The purpose of the survey is to better understand the representation of staff, students, and faculty at SLC and people’s feelings around the value of Belonging. The survey is designed to provide data on gender, race, Indigenous status, disabilities, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status of our community. The EDI Task Force will use this information to plan student programs and services and other needs. The survey results will NOT be used other than by the EDI Task Force.
Yes, all members of SLC (students, staff, faculty, administration, both part-time and full time at all of our campuses) are being asked to answer the questions in order to obtain a complete and valid picture of the demographic profile of SLC. While participation is voluntary, we encourage you to complete this very important Census so that our data is as reliable as possible.
No, the survey will not be used in any way in grading or performance processes.
Yes, the Ontario Human Rights Commission permits the collection of this type of data when it is used to aid the assessment or creation of programs designed to achieve equity for disadvantaged groups.
The visible minority/racialized group categories in this Census reflect categories used by Statistics Canada to collect data. Please note that the question refers to an individual's own self-identification as a member of a visible minority/racialized group within Canadian society and not to citizenship or country of origin. However, countries of origin are used to give guidance to those responding.
I am of mixed racial ancestry.
You may check the group with which you identify most, or you may check as many groups as you feel are applicable.
I am a member of a visible minority/racialized group, but I was born in Canada or hold Canadian citizenship.
The question is about race, not about citizenship or nationality. If you identify as a member of a visible minority/racialized group because of your race or skin colour, please select one of the available options.
I have a disability controlled by medication that is not apparent to others (e.g., diabetes or epilepsy). How should I answer the question on disability?
If you perceive yourself as a person with a disability, regardless of medication, then please select one of the available options by checking the type of disability that best describes your condition from the list provided. If you have a disability that does not appear on the list, please check "other disability".
I have more than one type of disability. How should I answer the question on the type of disability?
You may indicate that on the Census. Some people identify as having a disability because of a permanent or long-term health condition that makes it difficult for them to function in an environment that is not fully inclusive and accessible. A person’s disability may be diagnosed or not diagnosed. It may be hidden or visible. For the purposes of this survey, persons with disabilities are those who have a physical, mental, emotional/psychiatric, or learning disability, which may result in a person experiencing disadvantage or barriers.
The Senior Advisor, EDI + Belonging, and the EDI Task Force collects the information on behalf of the College. Only the summary reports on the information collected will be published. The information will be presented in such a way that individuals cannot be identified. The Senior Advisor, EDI will analyze and report on the data and the Registrar and Human Resources will have access to aggregate data, and hiring cycles to inform about future planning. An EDI strategic recommendation report of the College-wide information and analyses will be published.
Glossary of Terms in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Equity is a just, fair, principled approach to uphold equal treatment for all. It recognizes that while all people have the right to be treated equally, not all people experience equal access to resources, opportunities, or benefits. Achieving equality does not necessarily mean treating individuals in the same way and may require the use of specific measures to dismantle barriers. (Informed by Queen’s University Equity and Human Rights Office, 2020)
Note: At SLC, equity-seeking groups refer to communities who were historically and who are currently underserved and underrepresented. These groups include Women, Indigenous Peoples, Persons with Disabilities, Racialized Persons, Persons from diverse Gender Identities and Persons who identify as LGBTQ2S+.
Diversity refers to the unique and interrelated dimensions of human identity, which include race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, socio-economic status, nationality, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, ability, age, family status, linguistic diversity, and marital status. Importantly, diversity also includes the unseen dimensions of identity, such as beliefs, ideologies, value systems, worldviews, traditional knowledge and lifestyles, and personal interests. Valuing diversity involves appreciating the opportunities that stem from intercultural dynamics and plurality of beliefs and values utilizing the rich resources that exist in diverse community environments (Informed by Abbotsford Community Development Council; Abbotsford Community Services, 2017).
Inclusion means that all people have the right to be respected and appreciated as valuable members of their communities. Inclusion in post-secondary education means welcoming, supporting, and resourcing all people to succeed, whether students, faculty, staff, or administrators. Inclusion in the organization means all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, and can contribute fully to the organization's success (Informed by Universities Canada; Talent Intelligence).
When you belong, you are accepted for the unique traits that make you different from other people, and you accept others for theirs. This means that you do not have to change or hide parts of yourself to "fit in". You can be flexible in your approach to building relationships across differences – both to be yourself and to meet others as they are. Achieving belonging must begin with inclusion and is the shared responsibility of everyone.
The members of the Task Force are considered change agents of the College. Change agents are individuals or groups that undertake the task of initiating and managing change in an organization. Change agents can be internal, such as managers or employees who are appointed to oversee the change process. In many innovative-driven companies, managers and employees alike are being trained to develop the needed skills to oversee change (Tschirky, 2011). Change agents also can be external, such as consultants from outside the organization.
The term "racialized people" includes all people of colour, sometimes referred to as racial or visible minorities in Canada and the United States, who are not White or Caucasian. For example, Chinese, Black, and Filipino people would be considered to be racialized people in Canada.
LGBTQ2S+ is an acronym used for people who identify as Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual, Trans, Gender Independent Non-Binary, and Queer. The plus sign acknowledges the many sexual and gender minority people who don't see themselves in the umbrella acronym and prefer other identity terms such as pansexual, gender-free, or intersex.
First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in Canada, referred to as Indigenous Peoples, in North America are the original inhabitants on the lands now called Canada and the United States. Aboriginal Peoples is a term established by the Canadian federal government to refer to diverse Indigenous Peoples in Canada and is in the Canadian constitution. However, at SLC, the preferred term is Indigenous Peoples, and this includes First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples (status and non-status) in Canada and the United States.
For the purposes of the listening tours and the SLC Equity Census, a woman means a person who identifies as a woman, including transgender women and cisgender women.
For the purposes of the listening tours and the SLC Equity Census, persons with disabilities include those who may experience disadvantage or barriers to the classroom or employment as a result of long term, chronic or episodic physical, mental/emotional, psychiatric, or learning disabilities. It should also be noted that the social model of disability recognizes that disability is not created by any medical or physical condition, but rather by societal barriers.
An ally is someone who makes the commitment and effort to recognize their privilege (based on gender, class, race, sexual identity, etc.) and work in solidarity with oppressed groups in the struggle for justice. Allies understand that it is in their own interest to end all forms of oppression, even those from which they may benefit in concrete ways.
This term is used to describe someone who does not identify as having a disability. Some members of the disability community oppose its use because it implies that all people with disabilities lack "able bodies" or the ability to use their bodies well. They may prefer "non-disabled" or "enabled" as being more accurate.
Privacy and Confidentiality
- All information collected is confidential
- Your responses will be stored in an isolated table in FORMS that is separate from your other personal information that cannot be accessed or viewed
- Your responses will be anonymized when they are analyzed and reported in an aggregate form for employment equity purposes
- You can revise your responses to the census at any time, by completing a new census which will update your information
- Participation is voluntary and the information you choose to share is determined by you. All questions are optional, with a "prefer not to answer" option available every time
Belonging begins with knowing your story
Watch our video, complete the SLC Equity Census, and register to attend an upcoming Courageous Conversations Listening Tour focus group.
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https://www.stlawrencecollege.ca/about/belonging-equity-diversity-and-inclusion-at-slc/equity-census
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Impacts of Sea Level Rise
Sea Level Rise (SLR) will have many impacts on the coastal zone (1), including:
- Land loss due to flooding and inundation
- Land loss due to erosion
- Increased flood damage through extreme sea level events (extreme tides, storm surges, etc.)
- Saltwater intrusion into surface waters and groundwater impeding drainage
- Wetland loss and change
Coastal Flooding and Inundation
Coastal inundation and flooding are terms often used interchangeably. For the purpose of long-range planning for SLR, we will distinguish between these terms (2). Coastal flooding is the condition where dry areas become wet temporarily—either periodically or episodically. The term coastal inundation is the process of a dry area being permanently drowned or submerged. Overtime, dry areas that are repeatedly flooded may be considered inundated as the land cannot be used.
The key factors contributing to coastal flooding and inundation in Hawaiʻi are SLR, extreme tides, waves, storm surge, groundwater inundation, and heavy rainfall. As sea level rises, the frequency and severity of coastal flooding from extreme tides, high waves and storms (as well as infrequent tsunamis) will increase negative impacts to low-lying environments, ecosystems, and developed areas including coastal roads and communities. Sea level rise will raise the groundwater table leading to increased flooding, poor drainage, and storm damage on low-lying areas behind the shoreline (3). At some point in the future, areas experiencing frequent coastal flooding will become permanently drowned or submerged creating new intertidal areas and wetlands.
Hawaiʻi is exposed to large waves near-round and tsunamis due to our location in the Central Pacific. Unusually large wave events when combined with high tides cause damaging overwash and inundation on exposed low-lying coasts. Waves from four dominant sources impact Hawaii’s coasts: North Pacific swell in winter months, South Pacific swell in summer months, easterly tradewind waves year round, and southerly “Kona” storm waves (including hurricanes).
Tropical storms and hurricanes bring strong winds, high waves and heavy rains. Winds and storm surge raise water levels and drive large waves on shore, while heavy rains cause flooding from the landward side. Storm surge is an elevated water level resulting from low atmospheric pressure and strong winds within a storm. A substantial increase in the likelihood of tropical cyclone frequency has been predicted in the Hawaiian Islands (5, 6).
Currently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines the coastal Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) as two primary zones: Zone VE and Zone AE (Figure 10). Zone VE, also known as the Coastal High Hazard Area, has a 1% or greater chance of experiencing an annual flooding event and an additional hazard associated with storm waves three feet in height or greater. The coastal Zone AE has a wave component of less than 3 feet in height. Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) will vary in each zone. Changes in flood zones and BFEs can have a significant impact on building requirements and flood insurance costs.
Sea level rise is not currently included in the coastal FIRM zones.
DLNR’s Flood Hazard Assessment Tool can be used to determine what flood hazard zone a property is in. In the future, vulnerability to sea level rise will need to be incorporated in coastal hazard zones.
Coastal Erosion
Coastal erosion will exacerbate flooding and inundation resulting in the permanent loss of beaches and dry land which will then become submerged at increasing rates due to SLR. In their natural state, beaches, dunes and other coastal environments, such as reefs and wetlands, can provide effective protection from impacts of high waves and storms. Shoreline recession and beach loss due to coastal erosion is already a serious problem along Hawaii’s shoreline, threatening shore front development and infrastructure. Coastal erosion is the wearing away of beach and dune sediments and land by wave action and currents. Statewide, 70% of our beaches are undergoing chronic erosion, meaning the shoreline is retreating over years to decades (7). On Maui, the erosion problem is particularly severe with 85% of beaches undergoing chronic erosion. Beaches are highly variable environments. The shape of a beach and location of the shoreline at any given moment results from a delicate balance between water level, wave energy and sand supply. In addition to chronic erosion, Hawaiʻi’s beaches are prone to short-term erosion (hours to months) due to seasonal changes in wave direction, intermittent high wave events, and periodic or episodic high water levels.
Much of the developed low-lying coastal plains on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, and Maui are underlain by beach and dune sand deposits. A “healthy” beach can be sustained along a retreating coast, if the shoreline is allowed to erode into dunes and older beach deposits, releasing sand to nourish the beach. Chronic and short-term beach erosion becomes a problem when it threatens upland development. Unfortunately, we are left with a legacy of dense development fronting eroding shorelines. In many locations, the historical response to beach erosion has been to install seawalls and other coastal protection structures, which has worsened problems of beach erosion and beach loss.
Sea level has been rising around Hawaiʻi over the past century. There is evidence that sea level rise is already contributing to the overall trend of beach erosion in Hawaiʻi (8). The extent and rates of coastal erosion are sure to increase over the coming decades with predicted increases in sea level rise rates. A recent study by University of Hawaii researchers found that approximately 92 and 96 percent of Hawaiʻi shorelines studied are projected to retreat by 2050 and 2100, respectively (9). Due to increasing sea level rise, the average shoreline recession by 2050 is nearly twice the distance predicted by historical extrapolation alone, and by 2100 it is nearly 2.5 times the historical extrapolation. The DLNR is using these forecasts of future erosion hazard exposure to assess vulnerabilities to coastal communities, natural resources, and economic sectors.
The cumulative effects of SLR on coastal erosion, waves and storms surge are contributing to coastal flooding and will ultimately permanently inundate many coastal areas around the State. Vulnerability and risk assessment provide important information needed to design appropriate strategies and use the right tools to adapt to climate change
References
- Wong, P.P., I..J. Losada, J.-P. Gattuso, J. Hinkel, A. Khattabi, K.L. McInnes, Y. Saito, and A. Sallenger, Coastal systems and low-lying areas. In: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. . 2014: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. p. 361-409.
- Flick, R.E., et al., “Flooding” versus “inundation”. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 2012. 93(38): p. 365-366.
- Rozoll, K. and C. Fletcher, Assessment of groundwater inundation by sea level rise. Nature Clim. Change, 2012. 3: p. 477-481
- Fletcher, C.H., Romine, B.M., Genz, A.S., Barbee, M.M., Dyer, Matthew, Anderson, T.R., Lim, S.C., Vitousek, Sean, and C. Bochicchio, and Richmond, B.M., National assessment of shoreline change: Historical shoreline change in the Hawaiian Islands: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011–1051. 2012. p. 55.
- Murakami, H., et al., Projected increase in tropical cyclones near Hawaii. Nature Clim. Change, 2013. 3(8): p. 749-754.
- Kossin, J.P., K.A. Emanuel, and G.A. Vecchi, The poleward migration of the location of tropical cyclone maximum intensity. Nature, 2014. 509(7500): p. 349-352.
- Sea Level Trends. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. November 2015
- Romine, B.M.F., C.H.; Barbee, M.M.; Anderson, T.R.; and Frazer, L.N., Are beach erosion rates and sea-level rise related in Hawaiʻi? . Global and Planetary Change, 2013: p. 108.
- Anderson, T.R., et al., Doubling of coastal erosion under rising sea level by mid-century in Hawaii. Natural Hazards, 2015. 78(1): p. 75-103.
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http://climateadaptation.hawaii.gov/impacts-of-sea-level-rise/
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Near the edge of the ice, a curtain of spruce roots trailed down a steep sand bluff. Their ends tangled with the greenish-brown piles of kelp at the top of the beach - forest abruptly meeting ocean. Fishing buoys and a dead skate, tossed up by the tide, littered the mossy forest floor at the ocean's edge. Freshly broken trees, bright green and smelling strongly of spruce pitch, had toppled down onto the gravel beach below. I walked the edge of Malaspina Glacier on the Gulf of Alaska coast, watching global warming and the resulting erosion remake the world in front of my eyes.
It was the second time in a week I'd stood on this shore, and in that short time a storm had reshaped it completely. Stream mouths were re-routed. Great piles of logs had washed away, accumulating on new stretches of shore. We hunted for antique glass balls exhumed by storm waves and strewn in drift lines with green twigs and uprooted tube-worms. In a few places, the ocean had scraped away the sand altogether, revealing soft mud that offered little resistance to the crashing waves.
A huge part of the globe's population and infrastructure is found on coastlines. Global warming is quickly becoming a driving factor in the reshaping of these shores - through a combination of sea level rise and beach dynamics. In the fall of 2011, I spent two months on Alaska's wild Lost Coast, experiencing the impacts of global warming at the edge one of North America's largest glaciers, and exploring the implications for the rest of the world.
Global warming is leading to rapid coastal erosion at the edge of Malaspina Glacier. Storms topple trees onto the beach, and toss beach debris up into the forest.
During the storm, sea foam pelted our tent as we rolled boulders into place, anchoring the thin nylon walls. The intensity of the gale kicked up our adrenaline, and whipped the surf up into what seemed like monstrous curls. But with winds of perhaps 50 miles per hour, it wasn't a 100-year storm, or a 10-year storm. It might not even be a 1-year storm. This happens all the time. Every year, or every few years, the waves come crashing into the trees. Here, on the melting edge of Malaspina Glacier, the beaches are washing away.
In the middle of the wilderness, erosion harms little beyond the spruce trees. But around the world, shorelines are home to great metropolises and ports that move all the world's goods. All are subject to the complicated dynamics that drive the formation and destruction of beaches, and vulnerable to changes in those forces. In most cases, global warming leads to increased erosion and endangers coastal communities.
Global Warming = Sea Level Rise. Exactly how much is hard to predict, but the 8 inches of sea level rise in the past century will be dwarfed by much greater rise in this century. Each news article pointing out the problem is accompanied by a map, coloring over coastal areas in blue, purporting to show what the world might look like if the ocean rose 3 feet, or 10 feet, or 20 feet.
Maps of sea level rise are often drawn as if the coast is a static shape in a static ocean, with water rising up the land like the filling of a bathtub. But a beach is more than just the place where the water meets the land. It's a geologically active environment, constantly eroding and depositing sand and gravel. The shape of a beach is determined not just by water level, but by storms, currents, winds, and the nature of the sand and other sediment it is built from. These factors are affected by global warming and compounded by sea level rise. The erosion they cause can dwarf the impacts of simple inundation.
Once this was the Sitkagi Bluffs, but now the ice is melting and lakes and lagoons replace the towering ice.
In some ways, a rapidly melting glacier seems a poor place to look at coastal erosion. It's actually one of the few places where you might expect global warming to cause the beaches to grow. Where melting glaciers are particularly large, there is a process that counteracts sea level rise called isostatic rebound.
Ice is heavy. Where there are big icefields and glaciers, it's heavy enough to push the crust of the earth down with its weight. When the ice melts, the crust "rebounds", bobbing up like a cork. When the land goes up, it looks the same on the beach as if the sea level has gone down. All else being equal, new beaches build below the older ones, and new forests spread out onto old beaches.
The Malaspina coast is rebounding. In other such places, like the coast around Glacier Bay, new beaches are advancing into the sea. But at Malaspina, erosion is winning. Climate warming brings a set of powerful forces that lead to erosion, counteracting even the impact of the rising land.
Trees calve into an unnamed lake at the edge of Malaspina Glacier. These lakes trap sediment which would otherwise reach the coast, leading to rapid coastal erosion.
At the edge of Malaspina Glacier, gravel-covered icebergs calve into Malaspina Lake, Fountain Lake, and a host of other lakes with no recorded names. On the US Geological Survey topographic maps from 1979, many of these lakes don't even exist. A few do not even appear on 4-year-old satellite photos. As glaciers shrink back, lakes often form at the former toe of the ice, separating the ice edge from the braided river downstream. We've seen it all over Alaska.
Glaciers flow down through the mountains, carving through rock, grinding it up into gravel, sand, and silt. These particles of rock are carried first by the glacier, then by the water flowing out of the ice. Sediment makes its way down the river to the ocean. But when a lake forms, it stops the sand and gravel. All the coarser sediment sinks to the bottom of the lake before it can reach the river, never making it down to the ocean. The water is still opaque with silt and clay. But silt and clay are too easily carried to settle on the beach. They flow straight into the ocean in a great grey-brown plume, doing nothing to hold the beach together against crashing ocean waves.
Near the edge of Malaspina Glacier, new lakes form at the edge of the ice, trapping gravel and sand before it can flow out to replenish the beaches.
Sand and gravel are the food that keeps a beach alive. This sediment absorbs and dissipates the energy of the crashing waves, protecting the land behind it. But with each wave, a little bit of that sand and gravel gets carried offshore, never to return.
For a beach to remain in place, more sand and gravel must flow in from the rivers to replenish the beach. At Malaspina Glacier, much of that sand has stopped flowing, captured by new lakes along its front. All along the coastline, there are signs of dramatic erosion. The storm we watched eroded 10 feet of forest floor. Beneath the tree roots, we could see the remains of beaches formed only a few decades ago, when a surplus of sand was still flowing from the glacier.
But the input of sand is only half the story. The erosion or building of a beach is determined not just by how much sand comes in, but how much is carried away.
Shrinking beaches on Alaska's Lost Coast, near the rapidly-melting edge of Malaspina Glacier, where global warming is leading to rapid coastal erosion.
High on Malaspina Glacier, in a tent on the glowing blue ice, we watched an inch of ice melt away over the course of 24 hours - everywhere we hadn't insulated with our gear. All that ice became water, gurgling into moulins, flowing through tunnels and channels in the ice, and swelling the rivers that pour from the glacier's toe. One inch of ice lost across the 1000 square miles of the glacier. And that was just one fairly cool day. The coastal edge of the glacier is losing over 100 vertical inches of ice every year. The whole expanse of ice is losing at least 50 inches per year.
Rapid melting means more frequent and stronger flooding. The sand and gravel freed from that melting ice ends up in the bottom of ice edge lakes. The water pours out into the ocean.
Floodwaters are faster and stronger than regular river flow. Faster water carries more sand and gravel, and is far less likely to leave it on the beach. As a result, less sand ends up on the beaches, and more ends up offshore.
In the aftermath of a storm, waves eroded through this narrow band between river and beach, at the edge of Malaspina Glacier..
Warming air melts ice directly. And warming air also leads to larger, more energetic storms. Not only does the rain in these storms bring floods, but these storms bring stronger winds and bigger churning waves that stir up the sand that's already on the beach. They prevent the sand from settling back down, and carry it offshore.
At Malaspina Glacier, global warming is starving the beach of sand. Sand is trapped in melt lakes at the edge of the ice, and sent offshore with meltwater floods and stronger storm waves. As a result, the beach is wasting away, and the coast behind it is eroding.
We watched as the tide poured water out of a small lagoon at the edge of the glacier. We watched as the surf crashed back in. We couldn't tell which side was winning this tug of war, until finally, the dropping tide beat the surf, and a raft of logs began to stream out between the boulders. Some went out, and in, and out and in again, crashing and banging against the boulders, flipping vertically in the surf, finally escaping the clutches of the lagoon and barreling down the shore, crashing on beaches to the east.
A storm at Sitkagi Lagoon tossed this red-algae-covered boulder far above its normal place in the intertidal zone. Boulders are less sensitive to erosion than sand or gravel, but even the boulder beaches are changing quickly.
In the aftermath of the storm, we saw whole boulders that had been moved, intertidal creatures suddenly out of place when their 5-ton home was tossed up the beach. This rocky shore doesn't change shape as quickly as the sand and gravel beaches near it. But comparing our photos with those we took 4 years ago, we could see where giant boulders had been lost.
These boulders are all that separate the ocean from the ice at Sitkagi Lagoon. At every high tide, some seawater rushes in.
Seawater melts ice. Even in the cold North Pacific, the ocean is often 40 degrees in the winter and sometimes 50 degrees in the summer, much warmer than the 32 degree ice, and 32 degree water of a glacial lake. The more ocean water that hits the ice, the faster it melts.
The water rushing in is controlled by two factors: the size of the lagoon, and the size of the opening to the wider ocean. As the lagoon expands, it takes more water to fill it to the height of the tide, forcing more water and icebergs through the boulder barrier, and eroding the opening. And with the erosion of that boulder barrier, more and more seawater makes it in, melting the ice cliffs that line the lagoon, expanding the size of the lagoon.
The melting of the glacier is part of a feedback loop - a vicious cycle where melting leads to erosion that leads to melting again, accelerating both processes.
Structure on the edge of the eroding bluffs.
What does this mean for the rest of the world's coasts? Storms are getting bigger everywhere. Those larger storms bring bigger waves, carrying sand offshore and eroding the coast. But the larger problem is sea level rise - combining with the forces of beach dynamics to produce a loss of shoreline far more dramatic than shown on a simple map of rising water level. At Malaspina Glacier, the dramatic erosion we saw is happening despite the land rising. And Malaspina is one of the few places in the world that can expect rising land to provide a buffer against rising sea level.
As sea level rises, it creates new space to tuck away sand. Similar to the effect of a small lake at the edge of the ice, the higher water level acts like a pool to trap sand.
When the sea rises, the forces of currents and waves will work to build new beaches, sand flats, and spits to replace the ones that have drowned - in equivalent positions, but higher up the shore. These features must be built out of new sand. And that new sand comes from erosion, higher up the beach and from the bases of seaside cliffs and bluffs. Once that sand is moved, the coastline that it once protected is newly vulnerable to even more dramatic erosion.
For those who are threatened by inundation, sea level rise is a particularly dramatic threat. But everyone along a coastline, even those who feel safely above any projected tide line, stands to lose through the forces of erosion.
The dramatic link between melting and erosion can be seen in this series of maps and aerial photos of Fountain Stream from the 1890s to today. More images of coastal erosion are found in our Coastal Erosion Slideshow.
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http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org/Essays/Global-warming-coastal-erosion-malaspina-glacier.html
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Coastal erosion is a global phenomenon. One quarter of France’s coastline is currently retreating. What can be done to protect the coast from the onslaught of the sea? What is coastal erosion? What is the impact of climate change on this phenomenon? These are some of the questions we will seek to answer in this lesson. To understand how French coastlines are impacted by the risks of coastal erosion and flooding, take a look at our interactive map.
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held respnsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
It is a natural process caused by multiple factors such as wind, waves, currents or surface runoff. This phenomenon is also determined by the characteristics of the site (sandy, rocky, etc.). Coastal erosion results in the retreat of the coastline, meaning, the landward displacement of the shoreline due to the loss of materials (sand, rocks, sediments).
Sandy coast
The sandy coast is naturally always moving and changing. Wind moves the sand landward while waves and currents transport the sand out to sea.
Without human intervention, sediment transport is more or less balanced. In winter, the waves transfer the sand from the foot of the dunes to the shallow coastal areas. The sand then moves back up during calm periods under the action of the swell and the tides.
Some areas have a more or less regular sediment supply which replenishes the stock of sand lost due to erosion. Other areas shrink, as there is no replenishment.
As a general rule, the sand is carried away by longshore currents. This is called longshore drift. On the Atlantic coast, longshore currents travel from north to south and thereby move the sand in this direction.
The natural slope of the beaches also influences their resistance to the assaults of the waves. The steeper the seabed, the greater the erosion. When the gradient of the seabed is gentle, wave energy is dissipated and the phenomenon of erosion is slowed.
Rocky coast
The process of erosion is much slower on a rocky coast than on a sandy coast. The speed of erosion depends especially on the nature of the rock. A granite cliff for example, will be much more resistant than a limestone cliff which can be eroded by up to several metres over a short period.
Surface runoff plays an important role here. Rainwater infiltration, aided by plant roots as well as ice, favours the formation of cracks which weaken the rock. At the same time, the waves which pound the bottom of the cliff also have a mechanical impact and hollow out the rock which can cause the collapse of entire rock faces. This double phenomenon has a significant impact on our coasts and gradually causes our shoreline to retreat.
Coastal flooding, also called submersion, is the temporary or permanent flooding of a coastal zone by the sea. Coastal flooding due to storms or hurricanes can in some cases cause protection structures (such as dykes or dunes) to burst. This phenomenon can be particularly spectacular due to its speed and violence. It mainly concerns coastal areas near estuaries.
There is a “risk” when stakes which can be human, economic or environmental are potentially endangered by a hazard, here the erosion hazard and the submersion hazard.
For example, homes (here the stakes) exposed to a natural hazard form a risk.
One of the major consequences of climate change is the melting of terrestrial ice and the warming of ocean water (an increase in the temperature of water leads to an increase in its volume). This phenomenon causes a rise in sea levels. The IPCC currently predicts that by 2100 sea levels will rise by between 80 cm and 1.10 m.
This phenomenon will cause an increase in the high tide level on shores, notably in estuaries. With equinoctial tides or strong swell, the impact of waves will therefore be stronger on the coast and reinforce the erosion and flooding processes.
As erosion is inevitable, humans have no choice but to adapt. The influence of rising sea levels must also be taken into account when predicting erosion and flooding risks in order to choose an appropriate long-term strategy.
The 4 coastal risk management strategies
To deal with the risks of erosion and flooding, four categories of coastline management strategies can be done.
1/ Engineering strategy
This means creating structures such as sea walls or rock groynes to prevent land being lost to the sea.
2/ Adjustment or reinforcement of natural processes
This consists in supporting natural processes to slow down erosion. For example, in a sandy environment can be installed wooden barriers (sand fences) to trap the sand.
3/ Relocation or strategic retreat
Relocation or strategic retreat is the last resort in the face of the advancing sea and consists in moving property or activities landward.
4/ Passive monitoring
By monitoring a coastal area, the coastline’s evolution can be regularly measured. This strategy is obviously time-limited and must be backed up by a management strategy.
These strategies are implemented by local authorities in line with the regulatory contexts, the development objectives and the stakes to be protected. These stakes may be human, economic, social or environmental.
Coastline: the line that forms a boundary between the land and the sea. It is sometimes difficult to define on a coast in constant movement such as a sandy coast. In the case of sandy coast = boundary formed by the foot of the dune; of rocky coast = boundary formed by the top of the cliff.
Sediments: all the particles suspended in water which are eventually deposited under the effect of gravity.
Hazard: natural unpredictable phenomenon of a given intensity and probability of occurrence.
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change): United Nations organisation responsible for, among other things, monitoring changes in Earth's climate.
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https://en.oceancampus.eu/cours/nyZ/erosion-and-flooding-risks
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Coastal erosion and the availability of drinking water are two major coastal management issues that necessitate precise monitoring of the morphological changes to the shoreline.
Examples[ edit ] Small-scale erosion destroys abandoned railroad tracks A place where erosion of a cliffed coast has occurred is at Wamberal in the Central Coast region of New South Wales where houses built on top of the cliffs began to collapse into the sea.
This is due to waves causing erosion of the primarily sedimentary material on which the buildings foundations sit. Human interference can also increase coastal erosion: Hallsands in DevonEngland, was a coastal village that washed away over the course of a year, an event directly caused by dredging of shingle in the bay in front of it.
The California coast, which has soft cliffs of sedimentary rock and is heavily populated, regularly has incidents of housing damage as cliffs erodes. Devil's SlideSanta Barbarathe coast just north of Ensenadaand Malibu are regularly affected. The Holderness coastline on the east coast of England, just north of the Humber Estuaryis one of the fastest eroding coastlines in Europe due to its soft clay cliffs and powerful waves.
Groynes and other artificial measures to keep it under control has only accelerated the process further down the coast, because longshore drift starves the beaches of sand, leaving them more exposed.
The White Cliffs of Dover have also been affected. Fort Ricasoli in KalkaraMalta already showing signs of damage where the land is being eroded Fort Ricasolia historic 17th century fortress in Malta is being threatened by coastal erosion, as it was built on a fault in the headland which is prone to erosion.
A small part of one of the bastion walls has already collapsed since the land under it has eroded, and there are cracks in other walls as well. In El CampelloSpain, the erosion and failure of a Roman farm fish excavated on rock during the first century B.
Hydraulic action[ edit ] Hydraulic Action occurs when waves striking a cliff face compress air in cracks on the cliff face. This exerts pressure on the surrounding rock, and can progressively splinter and remove pieces.
Over time, the cracks can grow, sometimes forming a cave. The splinters fall to the sea bed where they are subjected to further wave action.
Attrition[ edit ] Attrition occurs when waves cause loose pieces of rock debris scree to collide with each other, grinding and chipping each other, progressively becoming smaller, smoother and rounder.
Scree also collides with the base of the cliff face, chipping small pieces of rock from the cliff or have a corrasion abrasion effect, similar to sandpapering. Solution[ edit ] Solution is the process in which acids contained in sea water will dissolve some types of rock such as chalk or limestone.
As the sea pounds cliff faces it also uses the scree from other wave actions to batter and break off pieces of rock from higher up the cliff face which can be used for this same wave action and attrition. Limestone cliff faces, which have a moderately high pH, are particularly affected in this way.
Wave action also increases the rate of reaction by removing the reacted material. Factors that influence erosion rates[ edit ] Primary factors[ edit ] The ability of waves to cause erosion of the cliff face depends on many factors. The hardness or inversely, the erodibility of sea-facing rocks is controlled by the rock strength and the presence of fissuresfracturesand beds of non-cohesive materials such as silt and fine sand.
The rate at which cliff fall debris is removed from the foreshore depends on the power of the waves crossing the beach. This energy must reach a critical level to remove material from the debris lobe.Why do coastal erosion areas need to be managed?
Natural protective features (beaches, dunes and bluffs) within coastal erosion hazard areas provide buffering and protection to shorelands from erosion by absorbing the wave energy of open water. View Larger Map. The Holderness Coast is one of Europe's fastest eroding coastlines.
The average annual rate of erosion is around 2 metres per year. Shorelines constantly change due to the pounding of waves that erode coastal structures. Learn about shoreline features that are formed through coastal erosion, such as wave-cut cliffs, wave-cut.
Coastal erosion at Main Beach surf lifesaving tower, Australia’s Gold Coast. Captions And Photo source: ©© Chris Ford Excerpts; The 12 Apostles is the name given to a collection of natural limestone stacks that rise up to ft (46m) from the sea off the coast of Port Campbell National Park, ph-vs.com Twelve Apostles are located along the .
Objective: To understand the processes that affect rivers. There are three main processes that affect rivers and their valleys. 1. Erosion & Weathering 2. Transportation 3. Deposition Task 1 - Turn to page 8 on the interactive OCR B textbook on your computer.
Copy the definitions of the four main processes of erosion into your book (you should remember these from your coasts work). Why do coastal erosion areas need to be managed?
Natural protective features (beaches, dunes and bluffs) within coastal erosion hazard areas provide buffering and protection to shorelands from erosion by absorbing the wave energy of open water.
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https://cukuhodovydyp.ph-vs.com/the-main-features-of-coastal-erosion-28820so.html
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Coastlines are forever changing with the tide, as wind and waves influence the shape of the shoreline. These processes can generate hazards that pose risks to property and infrastructure such as coastal erosion and inundation (flooding from the sea or harbour). Climate change is expected to increase the magnitude of coastal hazards over time as sea levels rise and cause these hazards to extend further inland.
Coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the loss of land due to coastal processes such as wave action and nearshore currents. Erosion can occur suddenly in response to storm events, or slowly over time. This can cause instability of dunes and coastal cliffs as the base sediment erodes and is moved either offshore or along the coast.
Coastal inundation
Coastal inundation (also called coastal flooding) occurs when normally dry, low-lying land is flooded by the sea.
Coastal inundation is mainly caused by severe weather events such as storms where low-pressure weather systems, large waves and strong winds combine to raise water levels.
The worst flooding occurs when larger-than-normal tides and storms occur at the same time.
Coastal hazards impacts
- Erosion of dune systems
- Biodioversity loss
- Building damage/collapse
- Damage to roads (washouts)
- Damage to man-made coastal defences and structures
What does this mean for the Bay of Plenty region?
The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) has produced guidance to support councils to manage and adapt to the increased coastal hazard risks posed by climate change and sea-level rise.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has commissioned coastal erosion assessments for Tauranga Harbour, and the Ōpōtiki, Western Bay and Whakatāne district shorelines. The assessments are based on MfE guidance and provide hazard maps and technical reports which will assist in future development planning. The Tauranga Harbour study has been completed. The Ōpōtiki, Western Bay and Whakatāne studies are expected to be completed in 2022.
A Coastal Inundation Study is also currently underway. When complete, this will provide mapping for the entire Bay of Plenty coast. This is also expected to be completed in 2022.
Where can I view these maps?
Maps for Tauranga Harbour can be found at BayHazards below. Additional coastal erosion and inundation maps for Ōpōtiki, Western Bay and Whakatāne will be available on BayHazards in 2022 once assessments are complete.
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https://www.boprc.govt.nz/living-in-the-bay/natural-hazards/coastal-hazards
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- Constructive waves- longer wavelengths, lower wave height and frequency, awash stronger.
- Destructive waves- shorter wavelength, higher wave height and frequency, stronger backwash
- Created by wind blowing over the surface of the sea. Friction causes a circular motion.
- wave height affected by- wind speed, fetch.
- Constructive waves- longer wavelengths, lower wave height and frequency, awash stronger.
- Tides
- Rising and falling movements of the surface of the sea caused by the gravitational pull of the moon.
- Spring tide- when the moon, sun and earth align the gravitational pull creates a high, high tide and a low, low tide.
- Neap tide- when the moon sun and earth are at a right angle, the gravitational pull creates a low, high tide and a high low tide.
- Sub-aerial weathering
- Freeze- Thaw- water repeatedly freezing and melting In cracks, pressure is exerted and rocks are broken off.
- Salt crystallization- evaporation of water from rock surfaces leads to crystallization of dissolved salts that exert pressure.
- chemical weathering- decomposition of rock caused by chemical change
- Corrosion - minerals in rocks that are soluble are removed and dissolve in water.
- Biological weathering- organic acids and plant and animal activity.
- Mass movements
- The movement of soil, sand, weathered material and rock downslope due to gravity.
- Slides, slumps, rockfalls, earth/mud flow, soil creep and runoff.
- The movement of soil, sand, weathered material and rock downslope due to gravity.
- Erosion
- Corrosion - waves smash and grind. Over rock surfaces.
- Hydraulic action- air in cracks is compressed when waves crash in, when pressure is released bits of rock break off.
- Rock quarrying- wave energy pulls away loses rock
- Solution- soluble rocks are dissolved by sea water.
- wave pounding- a breaking wave exerts a shock wave weakening rock.
- Attrition- rocks in the water smash against each other and break into smaller bits.
- Factors affecting erosion
- Beach width- wide/flat beaches slow down erosion
- Breaking point of waves- a wave breaking directly at the foot of a cliff transfers the most energy.
- Wave energy- more energy= more erosion
- Wave refraction - increased erosion on headlands decreased in bays
- Geology- more resistant rocks erode slower
- Human activity- sea walls slow the rate of erosion.
- Transportation of sediemnt
- Longshore drift- when breaking waves create a movement of water parallel to the coast.
- Beach drift- waves approach at an oblique angle, swash moves material up beach, backwash pulls it down at right angles, creating a zigzag movement.
- Landforms- erosion
- wave cut notches- waves break against cliff causing undercutting
- wave cut platform- the undercut section of the cliff collapses resulting in the cliff retreating landward.
- Bays and headlands- alternating bands of more and less resistant rock tune perpendicular to coast at discordant coastlines.
- coves- small circular inlet of water in. Concordat coastlines, parallel to shore
- Caves- erosion excavated material from a joint of weakness forming an underground chamber.
- Arches- a cave extends further in to the cliff and cuts through.
- Stacks- Sub-aerial weathering causes the arch to collapse leaving a steep, vertical column
- Stumps- small rock island after further erosion and weathering.
- Landforms- deposition
- Beaches- constructive waves deposit sediment.
- berrms- ridges of sand/pebbles formed by deposition of coarse material at the limit of awash.
- runnels- grooves of sand running parallel to the shore by backwash
- Beach cusps- crescent shaped indentations that form on mixed sand/shingle beaches, where waves break parallel to the beach..
- Spits- formed where the coast suddenly changes direction, longshore drift deposits material, leaving a bank of sand sticking out, changes to wind and waves leaves a curved end.
- Barrier beaches- long, narrow ridge of sand/shingle lies parallel to the coastline, separated by a lagoon.
- Sand dunes- accumulations of sand grains by the wind.sand trapped by debris is colonised by plants, vegetation stabilises the sand and encourages more sand to accumulate.
- salt marshes- silt and mud are deposited by the tide in sheltered water, mudflats develop that are colonised by vegetation, plants trap more silt and mud.
- Sea level change
- Eustatic change- sea levels fall when the earths climate cools (glacial), more water is stored on land - ice sheets/ glaciers. Sea levels rise when the earths climate warms(interglacial)
- isostatic change- a rise in the land. isostatic depression, earths crust sinks into asthenosphere by a heavy weight on earths surface.
- Impacts- more frequent and severe flooding.
- Impacts- cliffs more susceptible to erosion- cliff and coastal retreat accelerated, valleys will be drowned.
- Impacts; ecosystems- wetlands, saltmarshes ad sand dunes threatened. Coastal squeeze resulting in offshore migration.
- Impacts- Coastal management- defences need to be larger and more expensive, increased pressure on manmade defences.
- Managing issues
- cost-benefit analysis- scheme cost needs to be less than benefits.
- Technical feasibility- design must be tested
- Environmental sustainability- sea defences may affect rate of erosion elsewhere.
- hard of soft engineering- hard= expensive, highest protection level soft= less likely to affect other areas.
- Consulting shareholders- different people have different opinions.
- Social justice- for people who are unable to sell their hoes due to blight.
- Blight- house prices drop ,investor confident plummets
- Hard engineering
- Sea wall- concrete wall structure to reflect wave energy.
- revetments- wooden/ concrete structure to reflect wave energy.
- Rock armour- large boulders in front of a cliff to reflect and absorb wave energy.
- gabions- smaller rocks in a steel cage to reflect and absorb wave energy.
- Cliff drainage- buried pipes to collect and remove water.
- Offshore breakwater- bags made from rocks to make waves break before they reach the shore.
- groyne- wooden/ rock breakwater at right angles traps sediment moved by longhorn drift.
- Soft engineering
- Beach nourishment- the addition of material to make a beach higher/ deeper.
- dune regeneration- planting Mariam grass to stabilise dunes, forestation, areas fenced off, preventing people trampling vegetation.
- Public awareness- alerting people of the risk of erosion.
- Land use management- the local authority restricting activity in vulnerable areas.
- Maintaining coastal communities- government policy used to help ensure areas affected remain attractive for people to live/visit.
- Managed realignment-breaching existing sea walls or shopping maintenance of beaches to let sea water deposit sediment to create salt marshes.
- Managing human activity
- recreational use- walkers trample vegetation exposing soil to erosion- footpaths are located away from edge of cliff. Sand dunes stabilised by panting Mariam grass.
- sediment mining- sand and gravel extracted is used for infrastructure, this can impact the wider sediment cell.
- Commercial development - areas have been removed to make way for development providing a buffer against erosion and a nursery for fish, also trapping sediment.
- Coral reef damage- coral reefs absorb wave energy, they are continually being damaged reducing this protection. Marine Protected Areas promote responsible fishing and habitat management only 27% of coral reefs are MPA's.
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https://getrevising.co.uk/diagrams/coasts_60
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Government launches $200,000 climate change study
The Government has launched a $200,000 climate change study aimed at determining the threats to Bermuda from climate change.
Walter Roban, the home affairs minister, told the House of Assembly today: “Within the next 25 years Bermuda is expected to experience extreme weather events.
“Events that typically used to occur once every 100 years are predicted to occur every year. These include more frequent and more intense storms, higher sea levels and tides, and increased and intense but less predictable rainfall.
“Additionally, Bermuda faces the threat of major changes to its marine ecosystem including our protective coral reefs that encircle the islands, as well as intrusion of salt water into our freshwater lenses which may result in critical reductions in our water supply.”
Mr Roban said that following consultations with Government House, the UK government had provided a $200,000 grant to Bermuda to “assess some of the inherent risks to Bermuda caused by the impacts of climate change”.
He said the Department of Planning had engaged Smith Warner International Ltd, which previously wrote a 2004 report titled “Coastal Protection and Development Planning Guidelines for Bermuda”, to conduct the climate study.
Mr Roban added: “It is intended that SWI will undertake an update with an expanded scope to their 2004 report on coastal erosion. The terms of reference will not only be updating the findings of the 2004 report, but will also be undertaking further studies and making recommendations to better understand the impacts of climate change.”
He added: “The study will make predictions specifically for Bermuda with a projection timeline for best- and worst-case climate change scenarios over short-, medium- and long-term time frames. ”
These include:
• Undertaking a vulnerability assessment for major infrastructure such as the airport, ports, public highways, the electricity generation plant, subterranean utility cabling, the Tyne’s Bay incinerator, and sewage management systems;
• Identifying what effect sea level rise will have on waterways, inshore ponds, and marshes, from an ecological perspective;
• Identifying Government infrastructure and facilities located at or close to the shoreline that are at risk from erosion or inundation;
• Identifying agricultural areas vulnerable to saltwater inundation and to soil salinisation, within the context of food security and our continued ability to cultivate fields;
• Updating coastal erosion and flood inundation projections for the offshore islands, bays, beaches, and dunes, especially during storms and hurricanes;
• Understanding the effects that coastal erosion and sea level rise will have on the mean sea level benchmark thereby impacting waterfront properties;
• Identifying coastal areas prone to hydraulic erosion and/or destabilisation of the cliff faces for the island shoreline areas;
• Mapping projections for inundation across Bermuda identifying both low-lying coastal areas that will be periodically or permanently inundated by seawater, and low-lying freshwater resources that could be impacted by saltwater intrusion;
• Making recommendations for products/construction methods that are effective in controlling or reducing the effects of erosion. e.g., cliffs, and beach dunes, including “green” or hybrid approaches;
• Identifying ‘no go’ areas for future development based on predicted flood zones and areas susceptible to high erosion; and
• Identifying critical infrastructure components that will be at risk over the near-, medium- and long-term time frames.
Mr Roban said representatives of SWI arrived earlier this week. The report’s recommendations would help the Government to plan to address and prioritise measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
He said it is also planned to amend the coastal zoning in the Bermuda Plan, after the statutory consultation period, to reflect the data captured and allow landowners to make informed choices about developing land that may be affected by rising sea levels.
Mr Roban said a Climate Task Force was established last year and is made up of representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs including the Departments of Energy, Environment and Natural Resources, and Planning; and the Ministries of Public Works; Finance and Transport, which includes the Bermuda Weather Service.
Need to
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https://www.royalgazette.com/environment/news/article/20220304/government-launches-200000-climate-change-study/
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The UK has many eroding coastlines (see Table below), the total length of which has recently been estimated to be over 3000 km (3). The UK vulnerability is indicated by the fact that it has around 2300 km of artificially protected coast, the longest in Europe. Annual damages due to coastal erosion are expected to increase by 3-9 times, costing up to £126 million per year by the 2080s (4). Some 28% of the coast in England and Wales experiences erosion at rates higher than 0.1 m/year (1). In Scotland erosion is less severe than elsewhere due to isostatic uplift and its extensive areas of hard geology (2).
Table. Coastal erosion and protection in the UK. Islands with a surface area < 1km2 and inland shores where the mouth is less than 1 km wide are not included (10).
|Region||Coastal length||Coast length eroding (%)||Length with artificial beaches and defence works (%)|
|NE England||296||26.9||37.4|
|NW England||659||18.5||49.9|
|Yorkshire and Humber||361||56.2||43.2|
|East Midlands||234||9.0||99.8|
|East England||555||13.3||68.8|
|SE England||788||31.0||54.2|
|SW England||1,379||31.7||22.2|
|England||4,273||29.8||45.6|
|Wales||1,498||23.1||27.6|
|Scotland||11,154||11.6||6.6|
|Northern Ireland||456||19.5||19.7|
|TOTAL||17,381||17.3||18.3|
However, on its own, coastal erosion is not a major economic issue. Coastal erosion losses represent only just over 3% of the total risk, although this is based upon an average estimation of property numbers (value £7.7 billion at 2000 prices). Even taking the extreme property number estimates, for which asset values vary between £2.7 and £12.2 billion, this still only represents 2–6% of the total capital value of assets at risk (5). However, in the context of broader coastal zone management issues and also the viability of coastal settlements on eroding coastlines, coastal erosion merits serious attention.
Rising sea levels and potential increased storminess will increase rates of coastal erosion. Protecting coastal assets (or relocating them) may be costly if the effects of climate change are sudden rather than gradual. Increased wave heights and potential storminess may lead to damage to coastal amenities including piers, promenades, beach cafes etc. Flooding caused by storm surges and sea level rise may damage coastal rail lines and roads. The unpredictable coastal dynamics may lead to erosion of some beaches. These problems are likely to be particularly acute in the region due to the fact that the landmass is subsiding. Natural assets in the coastal zone may be lost, such as wetlands, mudflats, salt marshes, beaches and sand dunes. The flora and fauna associated with these will also be affected. Areas of saline intrusion will increase, particularly in low lying coastal areas (6).
Retreating from coastal areas may not be viable and protecting the area at risk may be uneconomical in many places. The resulting costs of maintaining and building new coastal defenses are likely to be significant (6).
The predicted rise in sea level is not large enough to have a significant impact on rocky coasts. On "soft" coasts, fringed by mudflats and salt marshes, where there are no sea defences, the shoreline may move inland. Where there are no protective sea defences, the area of salt marshes could shrink as they are inundated at their seaward edge, and restrained from expanding inland by the defensive barriers. In Scotland, the low lying firths are most vulnerable to this potential loss of salt marsh and mudflats, which support internationally significant numbers of overwintering ducks, geese and wading birds, and are important staging areas during annual migrations (7).
England
The length of the English coastline, including the islands, is approximately 10,000 km, of which some 44% seems to be protected by some form of structure (14). The proportion of the ‘open’ coast that is protected by structures is much lower, some 15%. The highest proportion of defended coast is found in southern and eastern England, which is relatively low-lying and densely populated (2).
Over the course of the past decade, there has been a move away from the construction of new ‘hard’ defences except in areas where there is a requirement to protect land or infrastructure of high asset value, principally, but not exclusively, in urban and industrial areas. Even in such areas, there has been increasing use of ‘soft’ engineering methods in beach and dune management. In some case, beach nourishment has been undertaken as a standalone method of beach management, but in the majority of cases, it has been used in conjunction with the construction of rock groins and offshore breakwaters (2).
The main areas at risk of erosion are those where the coast is formed by soft cliffs or unconsolidated sediments. Some cliffs in eastern and southern England erode at rates up to 2 m/year (15). At most dune sites, average rates of frontal dune erosion are typically 1 m/year (16).
Wales
The coastline of Wales is some 1,200 km, including offshore islands. Tidal range varies from a maximum in the Bristol channel (12 m) to a minimum of around 3 at Cardigan Bay. Coastal erosion occurs along 23% of the Welsh coastline, which is protected by various structures (9). Some 415 km of man-made sea defence structures (breakwaters, seawalls, jetties, revetments, groins) protect assets from coastal erosion and tidal flooding (10). Beach nourishment schemes in Wales have been on a very minor scale; excessive nourishments could cause harbour sedimentation problems (2).
Scotland
The Scottish coastline is 18,670 km, including the islands. Only about 6% of its coastline are defended, compared with some 44% of those in England and Wales (11). Some 12% of the country’s coastline is subject to erosion (12).
In Scotland 179 km of road, 13 km of rail track, and 3310 dwellings are at risk from coastal erosion. In total this equates to an asset value of approximately £1.8 - £3.7 bn. The number of dwellings equals 0.13% of all dwellings in Scotland (18). For context, approximately 5% of all dwellings are currently at risk from a 1 in 200-year coastal or fluvial flood event (19), equating to approximately 127,000 dwellings. Despite the number of dwellings exposed to coastal erosion being considerably less than from flooding, the value of the dwellings exposed (£524 m at 2017 values) remains considerable.
Scotland’s coastline is dominated by hard rocky coast and other areas of mixed sediments (superficial consolidated sediments with limited erosion potential) that are largely resilient to coastal erosion, together making up a coastal length of 15,604 km or 78% of the shoreline by length (20). The soft shoreline (beaches and dunes) covers 3812 km or 19% of the shoreline by length, with 590 km of artificial shoreline making up the remaining 3% (20). The distribution of these coastal types varies spatially with the east coast having a larger proportion of soft and artificial coast and the north and west coasts being characterized by a long, rock-dominated and often fjord-like indented coast.
Since much of the east coast is backed by low-lying land, it has experienced extensive urban and industrial development and, together with extensive transport infrastructure, the east coast is asset rich. On the other hand, the north, south and west coasts and their islands are dominated by rocky coastlines with more limited development and infrequent built assets. An exception to this general pattern in the west is the Firth of Clyde where extensive lengths of previously soft coast have been defended to protect asset-rich hinterlands that support infrastructure, industrial and housing development (18).
In many areas, the piecemeal approach to coastal erosion management, which for decades was so typical in Scotland, has led to the installation of unsightly defences. At Skara Brae in the Orkney Islands, Europe’s most complete Neolithic village, which has been accorded UNESCO World Heritage Site status, is under threat from flanking erosion at the ends of the seawall built initially in the 1920s to protect it. At numerous locations around the country, harbour walls and jetties have unintentionally interrupted longshore sediment transport rates. Since the 1980s soft engineering measures (planting eroding dunes, geotextile/jute membranes, limited public access) have become more generally accepted. Beach nourishments are rare in Scotland (2).
Projected sea level rise in 2080, incorporating best estimates of glacio-isostatic adjustment, varies between 0.2 m and over 0.32 m (13).
Adaptation strategies
In the UK, Shoreline Management Plans, first introduced in England and Wales in 1993, serve to provide a strategic framework for decision making along the coast, especially with respect to defence, taking account of the natural coastal processes, human and other environmental influences and needs. Today the whole length of the English and Welch coast is covered by such plans; for Scotland only a part of the coast is covered by these plans. In Wales, the extent of enhanced erosion due to climate change affecting sea levels and waves is uncertain and the current view is not to build higher defences, but to utilize risk management approaches and work with nature wherever possible (2).
The approach to coastal protection in the United Kingdom focuses now on ‘sedimentary cells’ to reflect the adaptation needs of a regionally-varying coastline in terms of landscape, sedimentology and coastal dynamics. There are four Strategic Coastal Defence Options (17):
- do nothing
- maintain the existing protection line (while possibly adjusting the protection standard)
- advance the existing protection line
- retreat the existing protection line (subsequently referred to as ‘managed realignment’)
The intention is that the Shoreline Management Plans provide a ‘route map’ for local authorities and other decision makers to identify the most sustainable approaches to managing risks to the coast in the short term (0 - 20 years), medium term (20 - 50 years) and long term (50 - 100 years), recognising that changes to the present protection structures may need to be carried out as a staged process (17).
Managed retreat
"Managed re-alignment" is a possible response to the potential loss of coastal mudflats and salt marshes, resulting in the creation of new habitat by allowing inundation of low-lying coastal land, sometimes requiring the breaching of sea defences to allow inland movement of water. Experience in several parts of the UK suggests that inundated areas of coastal grassland are colonised rapidly by salt marsh. In Scotland, where coastal landowners are responsible for the upkeep of sea defences, this may be a cheaper option than upgrading them to cope with rising sea level, as well as ensuring the continued availability of wildlife habitat. Agri-environment payments are available to farmers to encourage the conversion of agricultural land to salt marsh (7).
An example of an area where “managed retreat”, or in fact large-scale abandonment of a prime agricultural area, would seem likely, is the Fens. In this area the interaction of sea-level rise, increased river floods and subsidence could lead to severe flood impacts (8). In East Anglia, sea-level rise appears to threaten existing salt marshes. In some areasover half the existing stock of salt marsh could be lost by the 2050s (8). These losses will exacerbate the increase in coastal flood risk already described. Taking account of both managed realignment, and/or possible coastal abandonment of low value areas that are flooded frequently, the net effect on the stock of salt marsh habitats is likely to be stability or even a gain in area. Salt marsh gains come largely at the expense of the loss of coastal grazing marsh, which is expected, to decline in area under all climate change scenarios. Adaptation options are limited, as there are limited opportunities to create replacement habitat within the coastal zone (8).
References
The references below are cited in full in a separate map 'References'. Please click here if you are looking for the full references for the United Kingdom.
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https://www.climatechangepost.com/united-kingdom/coastal-erosion/
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WILD storm surges are battering Wellington Shire’s iconic 90 Mile Beach, stoking concerns about continuing erosion, shrinking coastlines and damage to coastal infrastructure.
New reports warn sea level rises and increasingly violent weather will eventually leave low-lying areas on the 90 Mile Beach unliveable, and could cause some beaches to disappear by next century.
The 90 Mile Beach takes in the shire’s coastal towns of Loch Sport, Golden Beach and Paradise Beach, The Honeysuckles, Seaspray, Woodside Beach, McLoughlins Beach, Manns Beach and Robertsons Beach, and stretches 151 kilometres from Corner Inlet to Lakes Entrance.
But being flanked by the wild waters of Bass Strait and a series of loosely formed dunes, it is one of the most vulnerable stretches of coastlines in Victoria.
A report by the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council, released in March, confirms fears the beaches are at risk of being lost, and warns that climate change, sea level rises and increasing storm intensity will continue to increase the threat.
The VEAC’s report cites a 20-centimetre sea-level rise for the state’s coastline by 2040, and between 40cm and one metre by 2090, and suggests that if current warming continues, a 1.5°C rise may be reached between 2030 and 2052.
It marks Gippsland as an area at most risk, and says the predicted warmer temperatures will lead to more flooding of low-lying areas, loss of coastal habitat, cliff, beach and foreshore erosion.
Global warming has already reached 1.0°C above pre-industrial levels, according to the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, which last year warned that inaction could result in sea level rise of 1.1m by 2100, and five metres higher by 2300.
Climate-Ready Victoria, a report by the state government, states that sea surface temperatures in Gippsland have risen faster than elsewhere on the Australian coastline, and this is already affecting marine life.
The Gippsland regional coastal plan 2015-2020 also cites the Gippsland coast as particularly under threat, with less than 10 per cent of it consisting of the rocky headlands that resist erosion, and soft shorelines such as dunes and sandy beaches.
How much of the present changes are climate-change related is under debate, but the need for human intervention is clear.
Geomorphologist, Associate Professor David Kennedy from the University of Melbourne, said in areas such as Seaspray, some difficult decisions would need to be made, as “it will be unlikely to have both the town and a beach in the future”.
He said the end of land subdivsions around Golden Beach “was a positive step”, as it reduced the human imprint, but that people had spent so much of the last century building in “the current hazard zone”, that even if climate change was not occurring, there would be increasing issues of erosion in the area.
Dr Kennedy has spent years studying the changes to Gippsland’s coastal areas, and said climate change and natural cyclical deposition and erosion were both factors in the region’s changing coastal landscape.
For example, the coast from Seaspray to Woodside is narrow and naturally dominated by overwash – making it an area of high risk from more stormy seas.
And McGaurans Beach has been undergoing a period of erosion and reorientation, possibly related to climate change, Dr Kennedy said, while other dunes at Golden Beach north were at the moment “fairly stable”, in terms of shoreline position, with cycles of cut and fill.
Dr Kennedy said more longitudinal studies were needed to get a clearer picture of changes over time, and the impacts of factors like sediment supply and vegetation, but without action on climate change, sea levels and wave changes would only accelerate.
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and the Victorian Marine and Coastal Council are sourcing independent scientific analysis to produce regionalised sea level rise projections that will account for variation in the global average in Victoria.
The agencies are also working with communities with an ongoing connection to the coast.
Seaspray Reserves Committee of Management chairman John Morgan has been a passionate observer of the local coastline for more than 50 years, and is not so convinced of the climate change link.
He said the changing shape of the coastline was a natural cycle that had been witnessed for hundreds of years.
At present the committee of management is working with DELWP and Deakin University undertaking a drone survey of a 2km stretch of beach during the next two years to map erosion.
As a former president of Seaspray Surf Life Saving Club and a founding member of the Woodside Beach SLSC in the 1960s, Mr Morgan has lived, patrolled and photographed the 90 Mile Beach for more than 52 years and has seen wave and sand movement at Seaspray rise and recede between one to four metres.
Erosion and reorientation of the shire’s beaches is not new, nor is it getting worse, he said, and he has recent and historic photos to back up his theory. “In the past 100 years, sand at
Seaspray has come and gone,” Mr Morgan said.
“In the 1950s severe weather changed the coastline, and in 2007 we nearly lost the surf club after two king tides took six metres of beach away, but then it came back.
“And at Woodside about 20 years ago there was a 12-foot drop and everyone thought the world was going to end – but it came back.”
DELWP is also working with Wellington and East Gippsland shire councils to prioritise areas for more detailed coastal hazard assessment, and assist in adaptation planning and mitigation.
And the state government’s new marine and coastal policy, released in March, will help guide councils and other agencies on planning and management decisions in the coastal environment.
But environmentalists say unless there is urgent action taken to tackle climate change, coastal inundation is inevitable.
Coastal erosion has already had a dramatic impact on the foreshore at Inverloch, which has receded 33 metres since 2012, and at Loch Sport and Seaspray, where the foreshore has recently suffered significant storm damage.
Gippsland Climate Action Network spokesman Peter Gardner said sand had always moved from one place to another along the coast, and oceans had always been influenced by tides, currents and thermal expansion, but that climate change-related weather was undoubtedly influencing wave height, surges and storm frequency.
He said governments had an opportunity to “lead the way” in tackling global warming, like South Australia was with renewable energy, but most were “doing the opposite”.
“This [climate change action] should operate at all levels of governments – single governments can’t do it on their own,” he said.
Mr Gardner said most mitigation efforts for Gippsland beaches, such as the rock wall at Inverloch, were merely “short term” solutions that often just moved the problem to a new area.
In one of his regular climate blogs, he wrote that if sea-level rise predictions were correct, worst-case scenario would see Gippsland’s foreshore dunes “pulverised”, the Gippsland Lakes irrevocably doomed, and a “dire threat” to small towns and holiday villages along the 90 Mile Beach.
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https://www.gippslandtimes.com.au/news/2020/06/01/battering-for-coast/
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A proposal for a regional response to erosion partially caused by sea level rise (SLR) in Hawaii was introduced to the public on March 8 in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice (EISPN) “Kahana Bay Erosion Mitigation Project Lahaina District, Island of Maui” with a 30-day public response period.
Property owners at Kahana Beach on the island of Maui have been struggling to protect their oceanside buildings from damage by rising tides and storm events for years, but the seawalls and geotextile sandbags they employed are deteriorating and may exacerbate the erosion along unprotected areas. At present the area has lost more than half its usable beach.
A committee representing nine condominium complexes along the shoreline retained local coastal engineering company Oceanit to design a project to restore, rehabilitate and preserve the sandy beach. Oceanit’s team leader Michael Foley, Ph.D., P.E. is managing the ensuing study, which is evaluating the placement of up to 100,000 cubic yards of dredged sand on the shore to recreate a contiguous 3,500-foot-long beach with sufficient width and elevation to protect the buildings and provide a recreational resource.
As part of the design, Oceanit is considering groins, breakwaters or other structures that would be placed to retain the nourished sand and stabilize the beach. The installations could be configured to mimic the structure and function of natural reef formations, a topic that Foley wrote his Ph.D. dissertation on in 2015. The rocks or concrete used to build coastal structures may serve as substrate and habitat for reef fish, coral and other marine life. The beach profile would absorb and dissipate wave energy, while enlarging the amount of dry beach park available for use by the public.
The Hawaii Department of Health regards sand as a pollutant, which cannot be placed in the water or on the beach unless measures are taken to manage risks to water quality, adding that element to the engineering design of any beach nourishment plan.
The Kahana project is in early stages of planning and development, and while beach nourishment is the preferred option, “We are still evaluating other options such as dune restoration and managed retreat,” Foley said.
Foley is the contact for submission of public comments on this EIS. In addition to his leadership role in Oceanit’s coastal engineering department, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Hawaii Shore and Beach Protection Association (HSBPA) and is a member of the board of the American Shore and Beach Protection Association (ASPBA).
“We are working to develop solutions that increase resiliency against expected climate impacts,” Foley said.
The increased wave action and tide levels caused by climate change is expected to cause significant damage to structures and armoring that protect the state’s infrastructure, most of which has been built along the coasts at sea level.
“The airport is at sea level; wastewater treatment, electrical systems, our parking garage is at sea level,” Foley said. “King tides cause inundation of the stormwater system. Sea level rise will affect much of our infrastructure, and so much investment is involved that we need environmentally responsible projects to protect the structures now to buy time for more long-term solutions,” he said.
Dredging in Hawaii is on a much smaller scale than on the mainland, Foley said. Sand volumes are about 10 percent of those in typical U.S. East Coast beach nourishment projects. Environmental protections in Hawaii are strict, with concern about coral reefs, cultural and archeological resources, fishing grounds and fish habitats as well as the protection of surfing and other recreational resources.
“There is a backlog of dredging in the state, especially for beach nourishment,” Foley said.
“The coastlines are sediment deficient. For decades, this has been ignored and emergency situations exist all over the state,” he said. “There is a range of projects in design stages, including at Waikiki on Oahu, where we are looking at shoreline stabilization methods that can be applied, especially where buildings are close to the sea.”
OCEANIT’S ROLE
Oceanit has joined in the statewide effort to save its islands from sea level rise and climate change.
Dr. Patrick Sullivan founded the company in 1985 as an ocean engineering consulting firm focused on environmental and civil engineering.
Sullivan said of his starting the company, that he “just wanted to solve difficult problems (for Hawaii).” Over the years, Oceanit has grown to be involved in many fields from artificial intelligence and machine learning to nanotechnology and aerospace.
With headquarters in Honolulu, the company employs more than 160 scientists and engineers in Hawaii, California, Texas and Washington, D.C.
“However, with Hawaii as our home, coastal engineering has always remained a core focus for Oceanit, one which Mike Foley is carrying forward,” Sullivan said.
Oceanit is one of the private companies working in cooperation with the State of Hawaii to address the long-term threat of SLR.
The Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report outlines the projected and measurable consequences of sea level rise in Hawaii and posits that seas will rise by more than one meter by the end of this century. Official projections have stated that this may even be a low estimate. Waterfront housing or fortifications, harbor facilities, seawalls and beaches are degrading under today’s ocean conditions. More on this report can be found at: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2017/12/28/nr17-200/.
The report furthers Hawaii’s commitment to the Paris Climate Accord of 2015, a United Nations agreement to deal with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance.
When U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw the country from the accord in 2017, the governor of Hawaii a week later signed a bill that adopted the accord’s goals, and agreed that Hawaii would keep pace with environmental commitments made by all the signatories.
The technical report assesses the coastal hazards of sea level rise, provides recommendations for improving resilience to coastal hazards, and provides a framework for improving resilience.
It includes maps of the islands, specifically the five inhabited islands, that illustrate the areas and infrastructure that will be inundated by this rise. Because most of the state’s infrastructure is located at sea level along the coastlines, the rise presents a deadly threat. Chronic coastal erosion has already caused many seafront properties to be unstable, endangering multiple billions of dollars’ worth of property.
There are four counties in Hawaii governing the eight populated islands. In all there are 132 islands in the archipelago.
Honolulu county encompasses the island of Oahu and has the largest population at 990,000. Maui County has a population of 170,000 on three islands. Hawaii County on the “Big Island” has the largest land mass and is the youngest island, but has only 13 percent of the state’s population at 200,000. Kauai, with a population of 72,000 is the oldest island. It has many developed beaches and therefore a great need for dredging for beach reclamation. Kalawao County is the smallest county in the United States, with an area of 35 square miles and a population of 88. It occupies the Kalaupapa Peninsula of Molokai, which is part of Maui County.
THE MISSION OF RiSE
Foley’s team is dubbed RiSE – Resilient and Sustainable Engineering — and its mission is to help Hawaii develop sustainable solutions to challenging problems, such as a potential one-meter rise in sea level.
An Oceanit paper describing RiSE states that the critical issues of sea level rise and climate change – and the various symptoms of these shifts – are affecting both the worldwide population and the residents of Hawaii.
There are four key challenges to be expected from sea level rise, and the RiSE team works directly to combat these issues:
Inundation is the base of SLR. A higher ocean level will lead to more powerful waves, larger storm surges, and increased damages due to wave height that we are so far unprepared to handle.
Erosion will have negative impacts beyond the obvious pushing back of physical shorelines and reduction of usable land. Fine sediments affect water quality, which impacts reefs and continues to contribute to the global warming/SLR/erosion cycle.
Salt intrusion can cause issues in certain locations and micro ecosystems that are normally not high in salt, such as wetlands, coastal groundwater, and lowland plant life, which includes Hawaiian-specific agriculture, such as rice and taro.
Rising groundwater tables are both caused by and lead to severe drainage issues, causing larger and more frequent flooding and decreased drainage where needed. This makes high-rainfall areas near the coast particularly susceptible to post-storm damage above and beyond what has been seen previously.
Dr. Dayan Vithanage, director of engineering at Oceanit, said “As engineers, we are here to find the most appropriate solution to the problem. So we must constantly innovate.”
The team focuses on protective measures that can survive and function under chronic stress and recover quickly from extreme events. It works according to four main concepts for mitigating rising sea levels and climate change, all used in combination dependent on specific scenarios.
Armoring
Armoring is one of the more straightforward models of protecting the Hawaiian Islands from rising waters, but is not always the right solution for Aina (land). This can include different options: coastal armoring seawalls, bulkheads (vertical walls that retain soil but provide little protection from waves) and revetments (sloping structures on banks and cliffs).
“Fundamentally, there is an issue with the concept of building walls to stop flooding,” said Rachel Gittman, an environmental scientist and ecologist at East Carolina University. “We should not be thinking that we can stop every flood.”
Foley agrees that armoring is not a permanent solution at the current rate of sea level rise progression.
“We can dedicate…planning and research to (armoring) in order to have more time to perfect moving out or retreating,” he said. “Coastal armoring structures are not always appropriate for Hawaii specifically, as they alter the natural beauty of our islands and could fundamentally alter the way we enjoy certain coasts, beaches, and waterfronts.”
Adapting
Adapting and reclaiming land involves steps such as refilling eroded/lowered areas with additional sand or other material to regain the land mass, and/or rebuild upon diminishing ground, backfilling in areas where a seawall has been undermined.
Adaptation methods are a more viable option when paired with worldwide actions to lower environmental damage. But without a strong and consistent commitment to these actions, land reclamation is a temporary fix. Reclamation could act as a stay to create additional time to plan and implement more permanent solutions.
Moving to Sea
Moving out to sea, commonly seen in southeast Asia, works with the ocean instead of against or in spite of sea levels.
Moving out to sea would require flexible anchoring systems to accommodate for continuing sea level increase. Oceanit’s Dr. Dayan Vithanage is a proponent of this method, as he holds a belief that is popular in Hawaii: “we think we own the land and can manipulate it, but the land owns us and allows us to be here.”
While Vithanage argues that moving out to sea is the most reasonable action in his opinion, he also holds a positive outlook on the time and resources still available to us.
“Time is still on our side to plan… small houses and structures can be raised,” he said, along with the creation of protected lagoons and levees that protect the shoreline while still maintaining some of Hawaii’s beach-based tourism.
Retreating
The option of retreating inland immediately is not a viable option in Hawaii. Rebuilding a complete infrastructure with an anticipated future shoreline in mind would never gain widespread acceptance from landowners and policy makers. However, the long-term nature of this option makes it a much more feasible course of action over time.
Oceanit engineer Grant Tokumi said, “This is not a 20-year happening that we need to get all done right away… this is a 200-year happening.”
Implementing a retreat means making conscious decisions from now on with an inward moving shoreline in mind: as buildings and roads naturally require repairs and replacements through age or damage. Hawaii needs to begin the process of moving them further inland and making plans to condense infrastructure more centrally on the island.
Oceanit maintains an open dialogue internally and in the community about the challenges presented by sea level rise. The company’s scientists and engineers cross-pollinate their ideas to deliver innovations and solutions that will make a difference in Hawaii.
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https://www.dredgemag.com/2019/04/18/kahana-beach-nourishment-sea-level-rise-damage-in-hawaii/
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By: Kalyan Viswanathan, President, Hindu University of America
Over the last one thousand years, at least, the Hindus did not defend themselves and their lands very well, and they were invaded, colonized, converted and impoverished and forced to live under the heel of hostile rule repeatedly. Recently, it has been estimated that over a period of approximately 200 years, the quantum of wealth drained out of India by England was around $ 45 Trillion USD in current-day terms. Writing for the New York Daily Tribune in 1853, Karl Marx, who lived in England at that time, observed that the loss of the Hindu world was perhaps a permanent and irreversible event.
All the civil wars, invasions, revolutions, conquests, famines, strangely complex, rapid, and destructive as the successive action in Hindostan may appear, did not go deeper than its surface…. England has broken down the entire framework of Indian society, without any symptoms of reconstitution yet appearing…. This loss of his old world, with no gain of a new one, imparts a particular kind of melancholy to the present misery of the Hindoo and separates Hindostan, ruled by Britain, from all its ancient traditions, and from the whole of its past history Karl Marx
Karl Marx, Quotations taken from articles written in the New York Daily Tribune, 1853
In his life, Karl Marx was a champion of the underdogs, the oppressed and marginalized. His entire life’s work was predicated on the passionate articulation of the inherent evils of Capitalism, and by his own judgement, the whole phenomenon of colonization was the byproduct of the search for easy wealth and capital. However, when it came to India, somehow Karl Marx was able to rationalize its colonization and reframe it, not as the unremittingly violent phenomenon that it was, but as an inevitable event of world history, i.e. it was for its own good that India was conquered, colonized, and impoverished by the British.
India, then, could not escape the fate of being conquered, and the whole of her past history, if it is anything, is the history of the successive conquests she has undergone.
Indian society has no history at all, at least no known history. What we call its history, is but the history of the successive intruders who founded their empires on the passive basis of that unresisting and unchanging society
The question, therefore, is not whether the English had a right to conquer India, but whether we are to prefer India conquered by the Turk, by the Persian, by the Russian, to India conquered by the Briton. England had to fulfill a double mission in India: one destructive, the
Utsa and Prabhat Patnaik, “A Theory of Imperialism”, Columbia University Press, 2017
Karl Marx, Quotations taken from articles written in the New York Daily Tribune, 1853
other regenerating – the annihilation of the old Asiatic society, and the laying of a material foundation of Western society in India
Karl Marx, Quotations taken from articles written in the New York Daily Tribune, 1853
By any objective empirical measure, the Hindus are primarily the victims of colonization – in fact, the Hindus have been the victims of at least two distinct eras of colonization, the Islamic and the European, both of which resulted in the conversion of millions of people from Hinduism into Islam and Christianity. However, very little academic effort has gone into investigating the cultural consequences of such sustained colonization, and answering some of the following questions: What were the repercussions of such sustained colonization and invasion on Hindu society?; How was the Hindu society transformed in fundamental ways?; What is the present condition of the Hindu society?; What is its future?; Is recovery of the old Hindu culture and civilization possible?; What is the nature of the hybrid society that colonialism has produced? and so on and so forth.
On the contrary, enormous ink is being spilled in continually demonizing and dehumanizing the Hindus, and presenting them as the aggressors and victimizers, while the so-called minorities of India i.e. Muslims, Christians, and everyone else as the victims of majoritarian aggression in the academia and the media today (See for example the statement of the American Academy of Religion, and the 10,000 signatures accompanying a blatantly false petition). Anyone, reading contemporary analysis, both in the media and the academia, will easily come to the conclusion that Hindus are the aggressors, and Hindutva as one of the greatest threats both to India and to the world today – which is the intent behind the falsehoods being enshrined in the campaign of the AAR and associated academics and public intellectuals. How is it that the inversion of the oppressor-oppressed relationship so easy to accomplish in the case of the Hindu people? How is it that the oppressed could so easily be turned into the oppressor? How is it that any effort by the Hindus to defend their culture and way of life, against sustained and systematic aggression, is itself immediately problematized, and turned into the real issue that needs intervention? And, why are Hindu voices so completely missing in contesting this in the academia and the media, both in India as well as around the world?
The Marxist Framework The Marxist analytical framework designated the capitalist class (the oppressor) and the labor class (the oppressed) as constitutive of a fundamental dialectic opposition and claimed that both possessed a class-consciousness inherently hostile to each other. This analytic template has validity within the domain of economic inequality, in the form of the irresolvable conflict of interest between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie resulting from the inherent tensions and contradictions of Capitalism, which tends to create massive piles of wealth for the very few and enormous poverty for a great majority. His forecast of a violent socialist revolution, however, as the logical and inevitable evolutionary outcome of Capitalism, has turned out to be greatly unrealistic despite the body count of the Marxist experiments exceeding some hundred million under Stalin, Mao and Pot Pol.
Karl Marx, Quotations are taken from articles written in the New York Daily Tribune, 1853
The evolution of Classical Marxism into Neo-Marxism (Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937) and further into Cultural Marxism (Frankfurt School of Social Research) however, enabled the discourse of the oppressor-oppressed dichotomy to move into the social and cultural sphere, and examine marginalized groups which have been historically oppressed. Women’s studies and African American Studies are two examples, which seek to redress historical wrongs committed against a specific group of people.
We may think that similar analysis of Cultural Marxism when applied to the context of colonialism would naturally place the colonizer as the oppressor and the colonized as the oppressed, and the Hindus would be acknowledged as the victims of protracted colonization and violence. But the logic completely goes off the rails when it deliberately misidentifies the oppressed as the oppressor in the case of the Hindu people. Contemporary discourse emerging from postcolonial theory when applied to India and the Hindu culture completely sidesteps the violence of Colonialism perpetrated on the Hindu people and instead, gets fixated on showing that the Hindus are the real oppressors because of the Caste system and therefore the real problem, while the cultural consequences of Islamic invasions of India, as well as British colonization, are completely overlooked as legitimate areas of study.
This is a mystifying cognitive mis-direction – where the oppressed is turned magically into the oppressor, without a whisper of protest from any quarter.
The Emergence of a New Field of Study
While postcolonialism has emerged as a robust and legitimate field
of study in the aftermath of colonialism, a discipline such as Postcolonial
Hindu Studies does not even exist today. Colonialism was not merely the economic,
political and military control of Asian, African or South American people and
regions, i.e. the three continents which became ‘colonies’ of European powers
during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It was also the context in and
through which non-European cultures and knowledge were destroyed, modified, or
‘disciplined’ by colonial rulers. It was a powerful cultural and
epistemological conquest of the native populations. The Europeans acquired knowledge over native
cultures through translations, commentaries, and academic study before either
destroying them completely or profoundly modifying native ways of being and thinking.
Pramod K. Nayar, “Postcolonial Literature – An Introduction”, Dorling Kindersley India (Pvt Ltd), 2008; The definitions and verbiage used in this section have been adapted from the first chapter titled “Colonialism, Postcoloniality, Postcolonialism”
Postcolonial Hindu Studies as a field of study must begin with an acknowledgment of the nature of the colonial encounter and its inherent violence towards the Hindu culture and civilization – epistemic, cultural, economic, political, and military. It must also address this cognitive blind spot in the field which allows for this misdirection where the oppressed Hindu is somehow magically labeled as the oppressor. Further, it must also explore the ways in which colonial narratives about Hindu culture and Hindu people generated during the colonial era by European Indologists, keep getting regurgitated and reproduced as authoritative received knowledge, without critical examination. It must seek to address the ways in which the Hindu culture has been marginalized as an effect of colonial rule and to find modes of resistance, retrieval, and if possible, reversal and reclamation of its precolonial past. It must seek to understand, negotiate, and critique a specific historical event i.e. colonial rule of India, while looking forward to a world order in which Hindu existence and aspirations are recognized as legitimate expressions of a colonized people. At the same time, postcolonial Hindu Studies must be a disciplinary project devoted to the academic task of intellectual decolonization: i.e. revisiting, remembering, and, crucially, interrogating the colonial discourse with a view to securing an intellectual freedom from the colonialist and orientalist narratives that have become canonical received knowledge regarding the Hindu people, culture and civilization, resulting in their relentless dehumanization.
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https://www.hua.edu/2020/03/10/postcolonial-hindu-studies/
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2 edition of Colonialism and literature found in the catalog.
Colonialism and literature
Ania Loomba
Published
2000
.
Written in English
|ID Numbers|
|Open Library||OL20073198M|
Postcolonialism is the academic study of the cultural legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the human consequences of the control and exploitation of colonized people and their lonialism is a critical theory analysis of the history, culture, literature, and discourse of European imperial power. The name postcolonialism is modeled on postmodernism, with . COLONIALISM & AMERICAN LITERATURE WRITERS, INFLUENCE & EVENTS Colonialism How did the previous movement influence the Colonialism era? What was going on during the Colonialism era? The previous movement influenced the Colonialism era by putting religion first and adding religion.
Colonialism, and Children's Literature by Perry Nodelman Child psychology and children's literature can be discussed and analyzed as the corporate institution for dealing with childhooc!—dealing with it by making statements about it, authorizing views of . An Introduction to Post-Colonialism, Post-colonial Theory and. Post-colonial Literature. Where does it come from? Post-colonial literature comes from Britain's former colonies in the Caribbean, Africa and India. Many post-colonial writers write in English and File Size: 38KB. Colonialism in Victorian English Literature The Victorian period in British history marks the high point of British imperialism. Though the British policy of colonial expansion had begun earlier.
Colonialism was, above all, a means of claiming and exploiting foreign lands, resources, and people. Enslavement, indentured labor, and migration forced many indigenous populations to move from the places that they considered “home”. Postcolonial literature attempts to counteract their resulting alienation from their surroundings by restoringFile Size: KB. “Modernism and Colonialism is a terrific book—timely, intelligent, capacious, and a pleasure to read.” — Douglas Mao, coeditor of Bad Modernisms “Modernism and Colonialism will have a real impact on the fields of postcolonial studies and British modernism. It succeeds in treating colonialism as a condition of possibility for a vibrant British-transnational modernism.”. Postcolonialism, the historical period or state of affairs representing the aftermath of Western colonialism; the term can also be used to describe the concurrent project to reclaim and rethink the history and agency of people subordinated under various forms of lonialism signals a possible future of overcoming colonialism, yet new forms of domination or .
Gas consumption variation and the weather
American high school
Social Credit Party proposes -.
Arts, cultural and educational resource directory of Niagara County, 1975
No child left behind
The Timeline of Discovery and Invention
Music in the morning
Persian for travellers.
Sharia & womens human rights in Nigeria
The history of Rhedi
A clear and full vindication of some particulars contained in my worthy friend Mr. Dowleys letter to Dr. Wells
SyntaxTextGen not activated Home › Literary Criticism › Postcolonialism. Pdf By Pdf Mambrol on April 6, • (29). A critical analysis of the history, culture, literature and modes of discourse on the Third World countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean Islands and South America, postcolonialism concerns itself with the study of the colonization (which began as early as the .Postcolonial Theory and African Literature Preprint confusion that colonialism brought to the colonised.
This chapter concludes the book by reconstructing thematically the multiple strands Author: Babatunde Adigun.Ebook, colonialism, and literature/Terry Eagleton, Fredric Jameson, and Edward W.
Said ; introduction by Seamus Deane. p. cm. "These essays were originally published as pamphlets by Field Day Theatre Company"—Pref. Contents: Nationalism—irony and commitment /Terry Eagleton— Modernism and imperialism / Fredric Jameson—Yeats andFile Size: 5MB.
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https://jivamucohat.faburrito.com/colonialism-and-literature-book-8925sd.php
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How and where do we see the lasting impacts of colonialism in todays world?People in hundreds of places around the world experienced the impacts of colonialism dating to the dawn of the Age of Sail (c. 1450CE). Both physical and human geography shaped the colonial experience- and how the formerly colonized see themselves today. Around the world, in the postcolonial era, the peoples of these once-colonized places struggle with its legacy.
OVERVIEW
In a 3-page (800 words minimum) essay, please address the following prompt: How and where do we see the lasting impacts of colonialism in todays world?
THINKING ABOUT THE PROMPT
To effectively answer this question, you will need to clearly define both colonialism and postcolonialism as we have discussed it in class. You want to call out the historical geography of these places specifically: when and where did colonizers colonize? Why there? Is there notable context to these colonial choices? Be sure to make connections between the places physical geography (physiography, resources, climate, etc.) and the colonial effort in that place. The human geography should not be overlooked: Which cultures were colonized? Who were the colonizers? Was there resistance?
Most importantly, what are the lasting human impacts to the people of these places now that the colonizers are gone? What are they struggling with? Why does it matter?
SPECIFICS
This will be a traditional 5-part essay: an introductory paragraph, three supporting paragraphs with specific examples, and a concluding
Your introductory paragraph should clearly define both colonialism and postcolonialism as we have come to understand them in this course. Be sure to explain why we study this in GEOG110: World Geography.
Your body paragraphs should be dedicated to a full discussion of colonialism in each place. Identify the places and their realms as well as who colonized them. Make sure to include the challenges they face today as a result of colonial actions.
The closing paragraph should reflect on the impact colonialism has had on peoples lived What is the lasting legacy now that the colonizers are gone?
Three distinct places must be highlighted; all three places must be in different realms.
The paper should NOT address neocolonial action (any NEW colonial activity within the last 50 years) and should NOT address places that are still colonized
LEARNING GOALS
demonstrate an up-to-date knowledge of world regions, the variety and complexity of the
world’s cultural mosaic, and recognize geography as a synthesizing or bringing together
discipline, bridging the social and physical sciences [Social Science] (GEOG110LG1)
analyze situations from the perspective of people in other nations and cultures and recognize
how value systems differ from place to place around the globe [Diversity] (GEOG110LG2)
FINAL DELIVERABLE
900+ words (~3 pages)
Organization: clear introductory paragraph; three supporting paragraphs using specific examples and evidence; a closing paragraph with reflection
Clearly address the prompt
Demonstrates thorough revision and incorporates peer and instructor feedback
Utilizes appropriate college-level grammar, punctuation, and mechanics
Submitted on Canvas
RECENT ASSIGNMENTS
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- How does Susan Glaspells play Trifles show that womens free will is limited in a patriarchal society? Be sure to address character, setting, and symbolism in your analysis.
- What do you mean by multivariate analysis? Explain how it differs from bivariate analysis.
- How and where do we see the lasting impacts of colonialism in todays world?
- Write a short essay about organizational behavior in businesses.
- How will you differentiate between descriptive statistics and inferential statistics? Describe the important statistical measures often used to summarise the survey/research data.
- Describe where, if at all, EBP appears (e.g., the mission, vision, philosophy, and/or goals of the healthcare organization, or in other locations on the website). Then, explain whether this healthcare organizations work is grounded in EBP and why or why not.
- Define fiscal policy and explain whether the government should implement an expansionary or contractionary fiscal policy during the pandemic.
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https://essaypanel.com/how-and-where-do-we-see-the-lasting-impacts-of-colonialism-in-todays-world/
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Myra here.
Every Saturday we hope to share with you our thoughts on reading and books. We thought that it would be good practice to reflect on our reading lives and our thoughts about reading in general. While on occasion, we would feature a few books in keeping with this, there would be a few posts where we will just write about our thoughts on read-alouds, libraries, reading journals, upcoming literary conferences, books that we are excited about, and just book love miscellany in general.
We are celebrating Survival Stories this 2021: #SurvivalStories2021.
2020 has been cruel to most. Hence, we wanted to celebrate the fact that we are still here, standing firmly, surviving – despite 2020.
Apart from this joy (more like relief, really) in triumphing over 2020 and all that it brought, I realized that over the past year, I have been gravitating more towards narratives of peoples who have been silenced, vanquished, oppressed. Yet they remain standing and rooted firmly to the earth that nourishes them whole, in spite of and maybe even because of subjugation. My own research has also led me to surfacing voices of the “Others” and I resolve to educate myself more about this in 2021.
Wikipedia defines postcolonial literature as follows:
Postcolonial literature often addresses the problems and consequences of the decolonization of a country, especially questions relating to the political and cultural independence of formerly subjugated people, and themes such as racialism and colonialism.
Publishers Weekly also had a recent a recent article on what it means to decolonize one’s library:
Decolonizing is not meant to exclude. When we talk about decolonizing a syllabus, or our libraries, publishing houses, or our professions, what we are talking about is decentering whiteness, and being more inclusive to voices of color and to voices that represent diverse perspectives.
Decolonizing is not a simple process. You can’t flip a switch and be done. Rather, it’s a process you will likely need to revisit frequently to make sure that you’re keeping up with changes in your field or profession as well as keeping up with the broader changes in the world.
Hence, we are featuring stories of marginalized and indigenous communities whose existence were/are nearly wiped out by colonizers, tyrants, oppressors. The reading challenge is meant to decolonize our libraries, and we hope that you will join us this year. Since we always provide a measure of flexibility in our reading themes to give space to books that manage to find us at serendipitous moments, and also to account for the lack of access to some reading materials, we are expanding it to include the following:
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Postcolonial literature, pre/post revolutionary stories
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Stories by indigenous / first-nation peoples / people of colour
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Narratives of survival and healing, exile and migration
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Books written or illustrated by people who have been oppressed, marginalized, subjugated
#SurvivalStories2021 [Decolonizing Our Bookshelves] Reading List – Part 1 of 2
As I was exploring titles that could fit our annual theme, I found this list from the University of Waterloo in Canada and I tried to find as many titles as possible from my shelves. The others are simply books that I feel would be a good fit for our theme. Please watch out for Part 2 to be shared next week.
While this helps me “plan” my reading list, I also know that I would probably not get to some of these books at all – some of them I have been meaning to read over the past several years and have likewise been included as part of my reading plans previously. There are also books that will come out in 2021 that might take precedence over the ones listed here. We also have our quarterly reading themes to think about. While I think of myself as an ‘organized’ or ‘themed’ reader, I also have bouts of spontaneity, allowing a book to find me when they will. But it’s still good to have a plan, just in case.
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https://gatheringbooks.org/2021/01/09/saturday-reads-100/
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Through a historical analysis of the crucial role played by British imperialism in the framing of the Tibet question in terms of sovereignty, suzerainty, autonomy, and independence, chapter 4 explores how sovereignty relates to the conjunction of international relations, imperialism, and Orientalism. This provides a sound basis for understanding contemporary political problems contextually and challenging the prevailing view of political problems of international standing as intractable nationalist and long-standing historical conflicts. I bring to relief the destructive/constructive role of imperialism in shaping the contemporary world (thus challenging the historical amnesia or a simplistic use of history that characterizes much of the IR scholarship).
In chapters 5 and 6 the specific case of Tibetanness (Tibetan national identity) as articulated in the diaspora will be taken up to highlight the politics of representation and thus support the case for a postcolonial critical approach to world politics. As I will argue, Exotica Tibet is an important but not an exhaustive determining factor of Tibetanness. I will examine the articulations of Tibetanness in political (chapter 5) and cultural (chapter 6) spheres, argue for new ways of theorizing these identities, and interrogate the constitutive role of Western representations in these identity discourses. In chapter 5, I highlight various dynamics of political Tibetanness and foreground the crucial role played by the poetics of Exotica Tibet. In chapter 6, I offer new ways of theorizing cultural facets of Tibetanness through an innovative postcolonial analysis of the symbolic geography of Dharamsala (the seat of the Dalai Lama-led Tibetan government-in-exile). This retheorization exemplifies ways in which postcoloniality can challenge conventional disciplinary endeavors and offer new ways of doing IR. In this sense, my endeavor is as much antidisciplinary as it is interdisciplinary. While looking at cultural and political identities separately, the chapters emphasize the intermeshing between both, thus highlighting the need for en-culturing political analysis and politicizing cultural analysis.
The conclusion sums up the arguments made in the different chapters and underlines that postcolonial IR offers an effective means to appreciate the political and productive effect of Western representational practices, especially on non-Western people. The poetics and politics of Western representations are legitimate areas of enquiry for IR not only because these support particular foreign policy regimes (as highlighted by critical IR) but also because they have a productive effect on the identities of political actors. Post-colonial IR appreciates the importance of popular culture for our understanding of world politics.
1. Postcoloniality, Representation, and World Politics
Every established order tends to produce (to very different degrees and with very different means) the naturalisation of its own arbitrariness.
PIERRE BOURDIELT, OUTLINE OF A THEORY OF PRACTICE
Whoever studies contemporary international relations cannot but hear, behind the clash of interests and ideologies, a kind of permanent dialogue between Rousseau and Kant.
– STANLEY HOFFMAN, THE STATE OF WAR: ESSAYS ON THE
THEORY AND PRACTICE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Non-Western peoples, and sometimes even states, have been ridden roughshod over both literally and figuratively in IR. One such people are the Tibetans. It is surprising that even as several critical theories have challenged the dominant IR paradigms on ontological, episte-mological, and methodological grounds in the last two decades, geographical parochialism has continued relatively unabated. My contention is that a postcolonial critical attitude, postcoloniality, offers an effective means of challenging this. The rejection of positivism (see Ashley and Walker 1990a, 1990b; Campbell 1998a, 1998b; Campbell and Dillon 1993; DerDerian and Shapiro 1989; George 1994; Lapid 1989; Shapiro 1988; Sjolander and Cox 1994; Smith et al. 1996; Walker 1993) and a reengagement with culture within IR (see Chay 1990; Lapid and Kratochwil 1996; Shapiro and Alker 1996; Weldes et al. 1999) has opened up space for a postcolonial IR endeavor. The encounter of postcolonialism with IR, that is, post-colonial international relations, is a new phenomenon and remains neglected by most IR textbooks (for an exception, see Baylis and Smith 2005).
POSTCOLONIALIZING THE INTERNATIONAL IN IR THEORY
The engagement of critical IR with postcolonialism is partly an attempt to estrange the basics of IR, partly a call for dialogue and bridge building with critical discourses of IR, partly a critical review of existing critical discourses in (or at the edge of) IR, partly a call for appropriating the discursive space of IR for the play of hitherto silenced and marginalized voices, and partly an undoing of IR. It is through an interaction with non- Western context, material, and agents of knowledge that the dominant "Occidental" theories of interpretation can be challenged and redrawn (Spivak 1990, 8), and IR is no exception. This involves dealing not only with what has been spoken in IR but more importantly with what has not been said. For as Walker points out, power is often most persuasive and effective amid the silences of received wisdom (1993, 13).
Hoffman's quote from 1965 in the epigraph, which reduces IR to a debate between two white, privileged, European males, neatly reflects the parochial character of IR. In 1985 Holsti writes that hierarchy seems "to be a hallmark of international politics and theory," and since the domination of the United States and the United Kingdom is overwhelming, IR is "a British-American intellectual condominium" (102-3). Fifteen years on, Buzan and Little point out that "there is no doubt that IR has been studied from a very Eurocentric perspective with a concomitant failure to come to terms with how non-European 'others' understood international relations or organized their world" (2000, 21). A cursory look at the literature of IR shows that there are relatively few works on issues facing the third world.
This would not be a problem had IR recognized its own narrow character and not claimed to have universal applicability. International Studies Quarterly, one of the most prestigious journals in the field of IR, claimed in 2002 that it publishes "the best work being done in the variety of intellectual traditions included under the rubric of international studies," and yet articles challenging the mainstream and addressing the concerns of third world peoples are rare in it. Mainstream IR theories are Western in terms of their origin, inspiration, priorities, and political biases and yet they claim to be universal (see Ling 2002).
Even when various "global" voices and dialogue are sought to be promoted (as in Rosenau 1993), the third world is either ignored or spoken for by some Westerner, revealing the will to universalize within IR's insular thinking. When IR scholars speak of the Cold War as a period of "long peace" (Gaddis 1987) and give reasons for "why we will soon miss the cold war" (Mearsheimer 1990), they completely ignore that "[f]or the overwhelming majority of the world's peoples, global politics since World War II has been anything but peaceful" (Klein 1994, 15). When IR scholars write about the third world in "prestigious" IR journals, they usually do so from the vantage point of the West. The West (particularly the United States; see Gibbs 2001) and its security concerns seem to dominate the IR literature. Various powerful countries see the non-West mainly as a playground for their "power politics." The realist paradigm is entrenched especially within works dealing with the third world and the "[c]onventional IR with its focus on great power politics and security, read narrowly, naturalizes… global hierarchies and thus reproduces the status quo" (Chowdhry and Nair 2002, 1). IR has, in general, not encouraged an intimate knowledge of non-Western countries. Issues central to the lives of common people in the third world have been largely marginalized and silenced in IR.
For exceptions, see Agathangelou 2004; Chowdhry and Nair 2002; Darby 1997, 1998; Darby and Paolini 1994; Krishna 1993, 1999; Ling 2002; Muppidi 2004; Paolini 1999; Ramakrishnan 1999.
Amin rightly argues that though Eurocentrism is anti-universalist, "it does present itself as universalist, for it claims that imitation of the Western model by all peoples is the only solution to the challenges of our time" (1988, vii).
It is not surprising that Brown et al. (2002) in International Relations in Political Thought focus exclusively on the Western canon. The excuse they offer is symptomatic of IR in general. For instance, they argue that the relevant criteria for the canon can change on the basis of "current fashions" (such as the current criticism that the canon usually consists of white male Europeans), but this should not deny the "fact" that some "thinkers clearly have produced more significant work than others" (3) (not surprisingly, these are the same as the canonical thinkers). This seems to be a dismissive gesture of relegating those who challenge the Eurocentrism and misogyny of the Western canon as "current fashion."
Brown et al. go on to argue that the "modern global international order developed out of the European states-system, which emerged in the sixteenth and seventeenth century CE from the wreckage of the medieval order which was constructed on the ruins of the Roman empire, in turn the product of the Roman republic and the inheritor of the thought of classical Greece" (14). This buys into the dominant autobiography of modern Western thinking. It misses the crucial constitutive role of the "rest of the world" in the change from the medieval to the modern period. Ironically, the editors stop at the gate of classical Greeks-once again ignoring the question of where the Greeks came from. In such stories, classical Greeks seem to have descended from "heaven," without "impure" influences of nearby cultures, especially the Egyptians (cf. Bernal 1987, 1991). My argument is not against a compilation of the writings of Western political thinkers but against passing it off as global/international thought.
The justification Rosenau provides for ignoring "Third world analysts" is "space limitations." But this does not lead him to title the book as Western Voices instead of Global Voices. On the other hand, Waever (1998) is conscious of his noninvestigation of non-Western cases and does not conflate "American and European developments in international relations" with wider global developments.
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https://www.rulit.me/books/geopolitical-exotica-read-77430-3.html
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When the terms “mimicry” and “hybridity” are invoked in literary criticism, or in classrooms looking at literature from Asia, Africa, or the Caribbean, as well as their respective diasporas, there is usually a footnote somewhere to two essays by Homi K. Bhabha, “Of Mimicry and Man,” and “Signs Taken For Wonders: Questions of Ambivalence and Authority Under a Tree Outside Delhi, May 1817.” But students who look at those essays, or glosses of those essays in books like Post-Colonial Studies: The Key Concepts, generally come away only more confused. Though his usage of a term like “hybridity” is quite original, Bhabha’s terminology is closely derived from ideas and terminology from Freud and French thinkers like Jacques Derrida, and Jacques Lacan. I do respect the sophistication of Bhabha’s thinking -- and the following is not meant to be an attack on his work -- but I do not think his essays were ever meant to be read as pedagogical reference points.
What I propose to do here is define these complex terms, mimicry and hybridity, in plain English, using references from specific cultural contexts, as well as the literature itself. The point is not to tie the ideas up nicely, the way one might for an Encyclopedia entry, for example. Rather, my hope is to provide a starting point for initiating conversations about these concepts that might lead to a more productive discussion than Bhabha's essays have in my own experiences teaching this material.
MIMICRY
Let’s start with mimicry, the easier of the two concepts. Mimicry in colonial and postcolonial literature is most commonly seen when members of a colonized society (say, Indians or Africans) imitate the language, dress, politics, or cultural attitude of their colonizers (say, the British or the French). Under colonialism and in the context of immigration, mimicry is seen as an opportunistic pattern of behavior: one copies the person in power, because one hopes to have access to that same power oneself. Presumably, while copying the master, one has to intentionally suppress one’s own cultural identity, though in some cases immigrants and colonial subjects are left so confused by their cultural encounter with a dominant foreign culture that there may not be a clear preexisting identity to suppress.
Mimicry is often seen as something shameful, and a black or brown person engaging in mimicry is usually derided by other members of his or her group for doing so. (There are quite a number of colloquial insults that refer to mimicry, such as “coconut” – to describe a brown person who behaves like he’s white, or “oreo,” which is the same but usually applied to a black person. Applied in reverse, a term that is sometimes used is “wigger.” [See more on "reverse mimicry" below.]) Though mimicry is a very important concept in thinking about the relationship between colonizing and colonized peoples, and many people have historically been derided as mimics or mimic-men, it is interesting that almost no one ever describes themselves as positively engaged in mimicry: it is always something that someone else is doing.
Mimicry is frequently invoked with reference to the “been-to,” someone who has traveled to the west, and then returned "home," seemingly completely transformed. Frantz Fanon mocked the affected pretentiousness of Martinician "been-tos" in Black Skin, White Masks, and the cultural confusion of the been-to Nyasha (and her family) in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions is one of the central issues in that novel. The characters in Nervous Conditions who have not had the same experience of travel in the west find the desire of those who have returned to impose their English values, language, and religion on everyone else bewildering and offensive.
Mimicry, however, is not all bad. In his essay “Of Mimicry and Man,” Bhabha described mimicry as sometimes unintentionally subversive. In Bhabha’s way of thinking, which is derived from Jacques Derrida’s deconstructive reading of J.L. Austin’s idea of the “performative,” mimicry is a kind of performance that exposes the artificiality of all symbolic expressions of power. In other words, if an Indian, desiring to mimic the English, becomes obsessed with some particular codes associated with Englishness, such as the British colonial obsession with the sola topee, his performance of those codes might show how hollow the codes really are. While that may well be plausible, in fact, in colonial and postcolonial literature this particular dynamic is not seen very often, in large part, one suspects, because it is quite unlikely that a person would consciously employ this method of subversion when there are often many more direct methods. Indeed, it is hard to think of even a single example in postcolonial literature where this very particular kind of subversion is in effect.
There is another, much more straightforward way in which mimicry can actually be subversive or empowering –- when it involves the copying of “western” concepts of justice, freedom, and the rule of law. One sees an example of this in Forster’s A Passage to India, with a relatively minor character named Mr. Amritrao, a lawyer from Calcutta, whom the British Anglo-Indians dread. They dread him not because he is unfair; indeed, what is threatening about him is precisely the fact that he has learned enough of the principles of British law to realize that those principles should, in all fairness apply to Indians as much as to the British. As a foreign-educated, English speaking Indian lawyer in colonial India, he might be mocked as a “mimic man” or a “babu,” but it may be that that mockery covers over a defensive fear that the British legal system is not quite as fair as it should be.
Indeed, the example of Amritrao in Forster’s novel might lead to a broader political discussion: many anti-colonial nationalist movements in Asia and Africa emerged out of what might be thought of as mimicry of western political ideas. The historian Partha Chatterjee argued that Indian nationalism emerged as a “a derivative discourse” –- a copy of western nationalism adapted to the Indian context. Over time, of course, the derivative ideas of justice, democracy, and equality, as they were used by activists, tended to get adapted to a local culture. Perhaps the person who did this best was Mohandas K. Gandhi. Gandhi took symbols of Indian asceticism and simplicity (such as traditional Indian dress and fabric) along with progressive western concepts of socialism, and used that new fusion of ideas to mobilize the masses of ordinary Indians, most of whom had had little direct contact with the British. Through Gandhi, Indian nationalism, which may have started as a “derivative” of nationalism in the west, became something distinctively and uniquely Indian.
As a final note before moving on to hybridity, it might be worthwhile to say a little about reverse mimicry, which in the colonial context was often referred to as "going native." Though mimicry is almost always used in postcolonial studies with reference to colonials and immigrant minorities imitating white cultural and linguistic norms (let’s call this “passing up”), mimicry could also be reversed, especially since there are so many examples, in the history of British colonialism especially, of British subjects who either disguised themselves as Indians or Africans, or fantasized of doing so. The most famous example of this kind of reverse mimicry (“passing down”) might be Richard Francis Burton, who often attempted to disguise himself as Arab or Indian during his time as a colonial administrator. In literature, the most influential example of affirmatively “passing down” might be Rudyard Kipling’s Kim, where Kipling invents a white child (the son of an Irish solidier in British India), who grows up wild, as it were, on the streets of Lahore, outside of the reach of British society. Though Kipling’s interest in “passing down” does not overcome the numerous mean-spirited and racialist statements Kipling made about Indians throughout his career, the thought of being able to break out of his identity as an Anglo-Indian and live “like a native” does seemingly reflect a real affection and a sense of excitement about Indian culture.
For other writers, the possibility of "going native" was seen as a threat or a danger to be confronted; the prospect that Kurtz has "gone native" is certainly one of the animating anxieties in Conrad's Heart of Darkness, for example.
* * *
HYBRIDITY
By contrast to mimicry, which is a relatively fixed and limited idea, postcolonial hybridity can be quite slippery and broad. At a basic level, hybridity refers to any mixing of east and western culture. Within colonial and postcolonial literature, it most commonly refers to colonial subjects from Asia or Africa who have found a balance between eastern and western cultural attributes. However, in Homi Bhabha’s initial usage of the term in his essay “Signs Taken For Wonders,” he clearly thought of hybridity as a subversive tool whereby colonized people might challenge various forms of oppression (Bhabha’s example is of the British missionaries’ imposition of the Bible in rural India in the 19th century.).
However, the term hybridity, which relies on a metaphor from biology, is commonly used in much broader ways, to refer to any kind of cultural mixing or mingling between East and West. As it is commonly used, this more general sense of hybridity has many limitations. Hybridity defined as cultural mixing in general does not help us explicitly account for the many different paths by which someone can come to embody a mix of eastern and western attributes, nor does it differentiate between people who have consciously striven to achieve a mixed or balanced identity and those who accidentally reflect it. Hybridity defined this way also seems like a rather awkward term to describe people who are racially mixed, such as “Eurasians” in the British Raj in India, or biracial or multiracial people all around the postcolonial world. Fourth, though it is more commonly deployed in the context of Indian or African societies that take on influences from the west, one needs to account for how hybridity, like mimicry, can run in “reverse,” that is to say, it can describe how western cultures can be inflected by Asian or African elements ("chutneyfied," as it were). Finally, it seems important to note that there can be very different registers of hybridity, from slight mixing to very aggressive instances of culture-clash.
For all those reasons, it may not be that useful to speak of hybridity in general. What might be more helpful is thinking about different hybridities –- a set of differentiated sub-categories: 1) racial, 2) linguistic, 3) literary, 4) cultural, and 5) religious. The main sub-categories are really (2), (3), and (4), where (2) and (3) overlap closely. In what follows I will explain why (1) is not really very relevant in most cases. And sub-category (5) might be of secondary importance for some readers, though I would argue that it should be taken quite seriously.
1. Racial hybridity. The term "hybridity" derives from biology, where hybrids are defined as reflecting the merger of two genetic streams, so it might seem logical to talk about hybridity in terms of race. But in fact applying the term this way does not seem productive. Most formerly colonial societies have their very specific, localized words to describe people of mixed race ancestry, and the term “hybrid” is generally not used in the context of race. (Indeed, using this term this way might be offensive to people of mixed ancestry.)
In the Indian context, for example, there is an established community of “Eurasians,” who were marked as a separate community by the British after interracial marriage was banned, and who as a result held themselves as a clearly demarcated community even after Indian independence (when most Eurasians left the country). In Latin America, the term “mestizo” is often used to describe people of mixed European, African, and Native American descent. The idea of “racial hybridity” today seems awkward, in large part because it clearly relies on the idea, inherited from nineteenth-century race science, that racial difference is an empirically-verifiable reality. In fact, it is unclear that racial markers such as “African” or “Asian” have any precise meaning. Today, the norm amongst most scholars, which I agree with, is to deemphasize biological or genetic race in favor of “culture.”
Ironically, though the biological basis for the concept of hybridity seems to invite a discussion of race, it seems inappropriate to actually apply it to biracial or multiracial for the afore-mentioned reasons.
2. Linguistic hybridity. Linguistic hybridity can refer to elements from foreign languages that enter into a given language, whether it’s the adoption of English words into Asian or African languages, or the advent of Asian or African words into English. To talk about linguistic hybridity, one benefits from reference to terms from linguistics, including the ideas of slang, patois, pidgin, and dialect. Over the course of the long history of British colonialism in India, quite a number of Indian words entered British speech, first amongst the white “Anglo-Indians,” but over time these words entered the English language more broadly. Today, words like “pajamas,” bungalow,” and “mulligatawny” are often used without an awareness that they derive from Indian languages. Similarly, words like “mumbo-jumbo” have entered the English language from African languages.
As a result of colonialism, the English language has become established in Ireland as well as African, Caribbean, and Asian societies formerly colonized by England (just as French has become established in societies in Africa and the Caribbean that were formerly colonized by France). This fact was historically quite controversial, and it still produces some measure of anxiety throughout the postcolonial world, though most African and Asian countries now embrace English-language education as the language of international commerce. Aside from the fact that English is seen by some as an imposed language, the lingering problem is that in many cases writers who use English in Asia or Africa are using a language different from the one most likely spoken by their main characters. Achebe addresses this problem as follows:
For an African writing in English is not without its serious setbacks. He often finds himself describing situations or modes of thought which have no direct equivalent in the English way of life. Caught in that situation he can do one of two things. He can try and contain what he wants to say within the limits of conventional English or he can try to push back those limits to accommodate his ideas ... I submit that those who can do the work of extending the frontiers of English so as to accommodate African thought-patterns must do it through their mastery of English and not out of innocence (Chinua Achebe)
Works by people who have incomplete mastery of English, like Amos Tutuola’s The Palm-Wine Drinkard, are sometimes cited as examples of linguistic hybridity. But Achebe’s point here is that such works are less likely to be meaningful or interesting than those by people who have demonstrable mastery of English, but who are aware that one might wish to “extend the frontiers” of the language beyond Standard Written English in order to come closer to capturing the voices and thoughts of people living outside of Europe or North America.
There are many examples of linguistic hybridity that one could mention. James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man has a famous example of anxiety about the status of English. Stephen Dedalus, an English-speaking Irishman in Dublin at the turn of the century, encounters a British priest, and frets that “the language we are speaking is his before it is mine.” But for Joyce, for whom there was no option but to write in English, and it becomes clear even within Joyce’s novel it becomes clear that Stephen has as much right to English as any native-born Englishman. In Africa, beginning in the 1970s, quite a number of prominent intellectuals rebelled against English. The Kenyan novelist Ngugi w’a Thiong’o, who started his career writing novels in English, decided to give up that practice in favor of writing in his native Kikuyu. Arguing against Ngugi, Achebe defended his use of English as a language that many Africans might have in common (for that matter, Achebe argued, even within Nigeria, there are so many languages that English might be the only national language of the country.) Other interesting approaches to linguistic hybridity include the use of pidgin in Ken Saro-Wiwa’s Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English, and Edward Kamau Braithwaite’s concept of “nation language,” which entails the use of Caribbean patois elements as a liberatory gesture.
Over time, the practical and commercial advantages of writing in English or French over local languages have sometimes quietly settled the debate where writers might have a choice of language (that is to say, writers who have a choice tend to choose the language with the largest market). However, in India especially, vibrant and serious literature continues to be written in Hindi as well as regional languages, though this writing is often overlooked by "postcolonial" scholars, when it either remains untranslated or is translated badly.
3. Literary hybridity. What I am calling literary hybridity (hybridity at the level of narrative form) is fundamental to what we now know as postcolonial literature. In part, basic modern literary forms such as the novel and the short story are modes of writing invented in the West, though they were readily adopted by colonial authors in Africa and Asia (the first Indian novels were being published in the 1860s). But almost immediately after it emerged, the “foreign” genre of the western novel became one of the primary ways by which Africans and Asians began to collectively imagine a sense of national, cultural identity. The fact that the novel may have been a borrowed form did not seem to be a limitation for the first generations of Asian and Africans who used it; in fact, the novel has proven to be an incredibly flexible and open format.
Literary hybridity is often invoked with contemporary postcolonial literature that uses experimental modes of narration, such as “magic realism.” The Indian writer Salman Rushdie and African writers like Ben Okri have experimented with modes of storytelling that blend local traditions and folk culture with experimental (postmodernist) ideas. A novel like Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children is an instance of literary hybridity in that mingles traditional Indian texts like The Ramayana with a self-reflexive narrative frame that is usually associated with European postmodernist writers like Italo Calvino.
Another way of thinking about literary hybridity relates to postcolonial literature’s response to the Western Tradition (the Canon). While postcolonial writers have freely adapted western literary forms for their own purposes, as with the question of language there remains some anxiety with regard to how Canonical authors have represented (or misrepresented) Africa and Asia in their works. As a result, postcolonial writers have often attempted to “write back” to the British Canon with revisionist adaptations of classic works. Here are three well-known examples:
--Aime Cesaire’s “black power” version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Une Tempete, with Caliban playing a revolutionary black intellectual.
--Jean Rhys’s Caribbean-centered version of Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso Sea, which explores the back-story of the white Caribbean Creole Bertha Mason.
--Tayeb Salih’s Season of Migration to the North is a kind of reversal (or revision) of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
These three examples (and there are might be others... suggestions?) of postcolonial revisions might be thought of as a form of literary hybridity. Cesaire, Rhys, and Salih take the basic plot and form of British narratives that invoke Africa or the Caribbean, but write them from an African or Caribbean point of view.
Another, slightly different example of literary hybridity might be Agha Shahid Ali’s concept of an English-language ghazal (which I talked about here). In conceiving of this, Shahid Ali, as a Kashmiri poet writing in English and living in the United States, wanted to legitimize his own efforts at composing Ghazals in English. But he also clearly had in mind the idea that American poets with no connection to South Asia or the Middle East might start to think of the Ghazal as an English-language form they might adapt for themselves, like a Villanelle or a Sonnet.
4. Cultural hybridity. Culture, defined in terms of art, music, fashion, cuisine, and so on, might be the broadest and perhaps also the easiest place to think about hybridity. Cultural hybridity is also extremely widespread today, as one sees a proliferation of fusion cuisine, fusion cuisine, and fusion musical forms. For most readers cultural hybridity is a given -– something we might encounter without even giving a second thought, when we see an Indian-influenced design in a blouse on sale at the Gap, or when we hear about Japanese (or Arab or German) hip hop.
However, historically, cultural hybridity has not always been quite as easy, nor has it been uncontroversial. In colonial writing, hybridity was clearly less important in many ways than mimicry. Late Victorian writers like Kipling, for instance, saw Indians who seemed to be a mix of east and west as absurd, and mocked them in his stories as well as personal letters. For Kipling and some of his peers, the English-educated “Babus” were engaged in crude mimicry rather than a more intelligent kind of hybridity. For instance, on the occasion of the inauguration of Punjab University in 1882, Kipling wrote the following in a letter to George Willes:
Just imagine a brown legged son of the east in the red and black gown of an M.A. as I saw him. The effect is killing. I had an irreverent vision of the Common room in a Muhammedan get up. At the end of the proceeding an excited bard began some Urdu verses composed in honour of the occasion. It was a tour de force of his own—but I am sorry to say he was suppressed, that is to say, they took him by the shoulders and sat him down again in his chair. Imagine that at Oxford!
For Kipling, the sight of a “brown legged son of the east” in formal British academic regalia is mis-match that is, for him, inherently funny. (As a side note, biographers have pointed out that part of Kipling’s tendency to mock highly educated Indians may have been motivated by his anxiety about his own lack of a college education.) Interestingly, as Kipling continues in his description he seems to grow more sympathetic to the speaker, who has chosen to present verses in Urdu rather than English. Kipling seems to admire the verses (or at least, the choice to present them in Urdu), and yet the speaker's presumably British peers “suppress” what he has to say all the same, by forcing him, rather rudely, to sit down rather than complete his recitation.
By contrast to Kipling, E.M. Forster, in A Passage to India, clearly admires the way many ambitious Indians in the latter days of the British Raj were able to use the English language and make it their own. To continue the example of dress, Forster’s protagonist Dr. Aziz dresses quite easily like an Englishman, without being perceived as anomalous by fair-minded people. Though Ronny Heaslop is ready to mock Aziz for missing a collar stud in a famous early scene in the novel, in actuality Aziz had given his collar-stud to Fielding. Still, Forster’s novel also shows the sharp limits placed on the cultural interaction between Indians and sympathetic Englishmen at the time he was writing.
As a general rule then, cultural hybridity under colonialism seems to be a close cousin of mimicry. It is very difficult for an Indian or African, subjected to British rule, to adopt manners or cultural values from the British without in some sense suppressing his or her own way of being. Something similar might be said of a new immigrant in England or the United States: there is strong pressure to quickly acculturate to the norms of the place where one lives, which sometimes entails curbing a thick accent or changing one’s dress styles or habits. Books like Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia, Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, and Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, all address the problem of acculturation, and tackle the fine line between adapting as an immigrant to a new environment, and transforming so radically that one risks giving up an essential part of who one is.
Once colonialism ends, however, cultural hybridity in major metropolitan centers, in the west as Well as in Africa and Asia, becomes somewhat more neutral –- possibly a creative way of expressing cosmopolitanism or eclecticism. Many people celebrate cultural hybridity as a way of creating new artistic forms and developing new ideas. Cultures that stay still too long, many artists and musicians would argue, ossify and die.
5. Religious hybridity. This final sub-category of hybridity I’ll mention seems important, in part because religion (specifically, religious conversion) is such a widespread theme in colonial and postcolonial literature. It also seems like a fitting place to end, since Homi Bhabha’s example of hybridity in “Signs Taken For Wonders,” specifically invokes the imposition of the Christian Bible in India. Bhabha notes that despite the fact that local Indians “under a tree, outside Delhi,” readily accept the authority of the Missionary’s Book. And yet, despite that clear Authority, they can only understand the Christianity they are being exposed to through their own cultural filters. Perhaps, instead of becoming simple Christians, the local Hindus are simply adding the reference point of Jesus to a very crowded Hindu pantheon. In thinking about religious hybridity, the question is usually not whether or not someone converts to a foreign or imposed religious belief system, but how different belief systems interact with traditional and local cultural-religious frameworks.
The goal in invoking "religious hybridity," is not to pose people who practice a local religion as "pure," while those who may have converted might be seen as hybrids. In fact, religious traditions like Hinduism were heavily influenced by the encounter with British missionaries under colonialism. Hindu leaders formed societies such as the Brahmo Samaj and the Arya Samaj (and, in the Sikh tradition, the Singh Sabha movement), which instituted reforms and in many ways aimed to recast the Hindu tradition in a way that made it more legible, and perhaps more acceptable, to British missionaries as well as western scholars of religion. In short, by the beginning of the twentieth century, the way Hinduism is practiced and interpreted by many Hindus themselves reflects a certain amount of "religious hybridity."
Major works, such as Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, or more recently, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, centrally feature the issue of religious conversion. For Achebe’s Okonkwo, his son Nwoye’s conversion to Christianity is seen as a loss and as a form of subservience to foreign cultural values. Analogously, Kambili’s father, in Purple Hibiscus, is seen as imposing a rigid kind of Christianity on his family, at the expense of personal loyalty or familial love. But the novel argues that it is possible to be a “religious hybrid,” that is to say, an African Christian, without giving up entirely on what makes one uniquely African, or in this case, Nigerian.
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https://www.lehigh.edu/~amsp/2009/05/mimicry-and-hybridity-in-plain-english.html
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The Harvard University Mahindra Center for the Humanities and Science, Religion, and Culture Program at Harvard Divinity School announces the “Priors and Priorities: Conceiving Time and Other Bodies” graduate conference. This interdisciplinary two-day conference takes as its central problematic the temporal displacements that mark the colonial and postcolonial condition. Modernity for Europe in the 18th century inhabited a fundamental paradox, what Elizabeth Povinelli identifies as the “governance of the prior,” where social, political, and economic life relied on an imperial project invested in differential civilizational time. Our conference, building on this insight, explores the tense of the colonized Other, who is made to occupy a place of prior-ness without priority. Colonialism imagines colonized peoples as prior to the arrival of the modern, yet strips them of priority. It consistently marks colonized peoples as savage, primitive, traditional, categorically prior to the time of modern society – in the process, producing a queer subject who haunts the colonial present. Bodies in this tense are both queered and racialized—relegated to a sexually non-normative past, racially incommensurable present, and discursively impossible future. “Priors and Priorities” is grounded in an intellectual commitment to consider colonized, racialized, and queered bodies and histories as intersecting and mutually constituted. Analyzing the temporalities of Black, Brown and Queer bodies and histories requires an interdisciplinary approach that bridges postcolonial theory, critical race theory, and queer theory in order to understand the reverberations of being prior without priority.
Submissions Due: March 02, 2018.
Submit your paper proposal here
Please contact conference coordinator Eli Nelson at [email protected].
Call for papers
We seek papers that investigate the tense of the Other by graduate students from diverse disciplines, including the too often fragmented and isolated fields of science and technology studies (STS), history of science and medicine, religious studies and history of religion, postcolonial studies, queer studies, women and gender studies, Indigenous studies, anthropology, history, and global geographic area studies. We especially invite contributions that engage with the following five themes and questions:
Postcolonial (Trans)Modernity: How are transgender bodies cast in time in (post)colonial contexts? Are trans bodies always already modern? Postmodern? Are they nontraditional? Have they been taken up as part of a more “authentic” traditionalism?
Indigenous Temporality: The governance of the prior and the multitude of colonial temporal contortions required to uphold it runs alongside, intersects, and exchanges with autonomous and consequential Native temporal schema. How do the epistemic and ontological resonances of Indigenous temporalities tense bodies that are out of place in colonial time?
Old and New Materialities: The recent material turn in critical studies has overlooked how marginalized humans have already gone through processes of objectification and thingification, rendering them the “old materiality.” When are objects made and when are they deemed consequential agents? When do we locate the objects of the old materiality?
Queer Inhumanism and Futurism: Where does queer time fall in the constellation of colonial, postcolonial, and Indigenous temporalities? If a sense of browness involves a constant striving for an impossible horizon, what relation could priors without priority have to futurity?
Temporalities on the Move: How can we theorize postcolonial temporalities within the context of increased migration between the metropole and the postcolony? What is the interplay between a postcolonial condition that can be historicized and theorized as moving through temporal phases and a global turn that emphasizes “flows” and “network” thinking?
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https://hssonline.org/conferences/cfp-priors-and-priorities-grad-conference/
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Displaying Europe’s aborigines: Sámi indigeneity in nineteenth-century transnational debatesOn 19 April, 1885, the British newspaper The Globe announced to its readers that a ‘large and representative group' of indigenous Sámi people had arrived at the popular entertainment venue Alexandra Palace in Muswell Hill London. Amid a plethora of restaurants, minstrel shows, a boating lake, a monkey house and horse races, the public could — according to the paper — study and encounter ‘one of the few surviving Aboriginal races in Europe’. The people held up to represent Europe’s Aboriginal race was a troupe consisting of seven Sámi from Karasjok in Norwegian Finmark: Ole Nilsen Ravna, Amund Johansen Anti, Elen Johansen, Johannes Larsen Anti, Anders Amundsen Anti, Johannes Amundsen Anti, and Anne Johannesdatter. By studying the literary remains of this exhibition, I will in this paper analyse how the Sámi featured alongside other indigenous and colonised peoples in nineteenth-century British, French and Scandinavian debates on aboriginality, prehistory and colonisation. Prehistory and Aboriginality became the conceptual means by Indigenous peoples were constructed as static subjects trapped in the past. They were potent concepts applied to both justify and to underpin colonisation of Indigenous peoples within Scandinavia and in the British colonies. My paper will demonstrate that these concepts were shaped both by national agendas and discourses but were also transnationally co-produced between Swedish, British and French writers.
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Janne Lahti
Settler Colonial Eyes: Finnish Travel Writers and the Colonization of Petsamo
Settler Colonial Eyes: Finnish Travel Writers and the Colonization of PetsamoWhen Finland acquired the artic borderlands of Petsamo in the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty, the area already occupied a place in the Finnish mind as “our frontier,” a wilderness set to be penetrated by Finnish industry, transports, settlers, and culture, with Finns replacing its native peoples and landscapes and subjecting them to “Fennicization.” This paper examines how the notions of a Finnish settler colony were advanced, assessed, and criticized by the Finnish travel writers who ventured to Petsamo in the 1920s and 1930s. Authors such as Matti Olin (Petsamon muistoja, 1921), Armas Launis (Kaipaukseni maa, 1922), Håkan Mörne (Ruijan rannoilta Petsamon perukoille, 1939), and Sakari Pälsi (Petsamoon kuin ulkomaille, 1939), made sense, valued, and built hierarchies of the Sami peoples, ethnic Russians, Finnish settlers, settlements, and the landscape itself in their writings. They commented on the environment, its potential mineral riches, depicted the villages, public spaces, homes, and domesticity, and judged the outlook, dress, habits, gender roles, and physical (racial) features of the people. In short, they furnished a narrative (that was not necessarily uniform) of the Petsamo experience, representing its history, present, and possible futures in a Finnish settler colonial light. Furthermore, they compared and measured the lands and peoples they encountered not only in relation to the national context but placed Petsamo against a more global colonial canvas. They connected, explicitly and implicitly, the local and the global as they commented on the feasibility (or unfeasibility) of the places they traveled through for settler colonial cultures. These authors measured the present and imagined the future, likening, contrasting, and appraising Petsamo’s landscapes and peoples in relation to how they imagined settler colonization had happened and was happening in other regions around the world; in Africa, the Americas, and Australasia. Their experiences and voices show that the line between places deemed suitable and unsuitable for settler cultures was never clear cut and that settler colonial spaces, narratives, and experiences were built and imagined via the local, the national, and the transnational in a globally integrated setting.
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Rinna Kullaa
Russian Empire and Interactions of Soviet Imperialism across Scandinavia
Russian Empire and Interactions of Soviet Imperialism across ScandinaviaThis paper discusses the history of empire building of the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union across Finland within the broader outlook and scope of Moscow´s political intentions in Scandinavia. Discussed here are first the Russian Empire´s imperial politics in Finland under its rule 1809-1917. Of interest are workers brought from other parts of the Russian Empire to Finland to carry out the Empire´s development projects, and their place in Finnish history. Also, reviewed here is the distribution of Finnish labor across the Russian Empire. In its second part, this paper juxtaposes some of the Soviet Union´s economic and military policies in the later decades of the 1970s towards Finland, Sweden and Norway with its strategy in Africa. Of particular interests is how the differences in Soviet foreign policy towards the post-colonial world and towards Scandinavia were understood and interpreted in Finland. The aim of this paper is to shed light on the question of how Finland interacted with the Russian empire, and how Finnish decision makers and the public later on understood the Soviet empire´s politics and role in the colonial world. Although this paper does not examine directly Finnish colonialism, it seeks to look at the effects of the Finnish understanding of Russia´s imperialism in Africa also within the context of its own history.
Abstract
The Nordic countries are often absent from theoretical analysis of colonialism and there has not yet been a systematic examination of how Nordic colonial histories can be compared with other European and American colonial projects and practices. Furthermore, broader synthesis of colonial history seldom draw Nordic examples or if they do, they view Nordic colonialism as “exceptional,” meaning more humane, marginal, or mere complicit to the larger story. While a number of European countries have for long discussed their colonial pasts and postcolonial presents, research on northern Europe has not until very recently started to contemplate how this region contributed to, benefited from, and now inhabit a colonial history. This is because the region has been imagined, internally and externally, as being untarnished by colonialism despite its multiple colonial histories ranging from Sweden’s participation in the early colonization of North America, Denmark’s small but geographically widely dispersed set of colonies in Africa, Asia, the West Indies, and Greenland, and Finland was once colonized by Russia and then dreamt of its own settler colonial domain in Eastern Karelia during World War II. In addition, individuals, groups, and companies from all Nordic nations participated in the pan-European colonial project by helping to build the ideological, cultural, and discursive context that the colonial project depended on. This panel represents a step in correcting this by exposing Nordic colonialism in its myriad of forms, multidirectional entanglements, and widespread ramifications, in the process integrating and relating Nordic experiences into larger patterns of global colonial expansion and postcolonial relations. Our papers look beyond national histories and toward transnational understandings of Nordic colonialism. In conjunction, we advocate moving beyond the usual notions of “complicit colonialism” or “Nordic exceptionalism.” We do not suggest traditional comparative histories alone, nor of promoting examples of some static or singular brand of Nordic colonialism. Instead, we take seriously the suggestion made by the historians Tony Ballantyne and Antoinette Burton on the need to explore relationships and spaces not merely within but between colonial projects, and of connecting the local with the global. This involves treating imperial centers and colonial peripheries within a single analytical field as well as mapping and understanding “connections” - the multiple tensions, networks, circulations, and flows of ideas, practices, and peoples within and beyond the boundaries of formal territorial rule. But mere investigation of connections in itself is not enough. We also propose to embed these connections shaping Nordic colonial pasts and postcolonial presents into their global contexts. For centuries the global mobility of goods, peoples, and ideas took place, as historian Sebastian Conrad writes, “under conditions of colonialism.” This resulted in “colonial globality” where asymmetrical relationships that colonial empires created structured global integration, cultural flows, projects of modernization, and other transnational interactions. In all, we strive for more nuanced understandings of the shared histories as well as the divergent trajectories of Nordic colonial experiences as entrenched in and shaped by an interconnected, highly competitive, and increasingly integrated world of empires from the seventeenth century onward.
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https://research.uni-leipzig.de/eniugh/congress/event/global-perspectives-on-nordic-colonialism/
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Postcolonialism or postcolonial studies is the academic study of the cultural legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the human consequences of the control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands.
The name postcolonialism is modeled on postmodernism, with which it shares certain concepts and methods, and may be thought of as a reaction to or departure from colonialism in the same way postmodernism is a reaction to modernism. The ambiguous term colonialism may refer either to a system of government or to an ideology or world view underlying that system—in general postcolonialism represents an ideological response to colonialist thought, rather than simply describing a system that comes after colonialism. The term postcolonial studies may be preferred for this reason.
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https://postcolonial.net/glossary/postcolonialism/
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By SHERRY SIMON
This quantity explores the theoretical foundations of postcolonial translation in settings as different as Malaysia, eire, India and South the United States. altering the phrases examines stimulating hyperlinks which are presently being cast among linguistics, literature and cultural thought. In doing so, the authors probe complicated sequences of intercultural touch, fusion and breach. The effect that historical past and politics have had at the position of translation within the evolution of literary and cultural family is investigated in attention-grabbing aspect.
Read or Download Changing the terms: translating in the postcolonial era PDF
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Additional info for Changing the terms: translating in the postcolonial era
Sample text
In On Individuality and Social Forms, trans. and ed. Donald N. Levine, 143-49. Chicago: Chicago UP. 1997. Simmel on Culture. Ed. David Frisby and Mike Featherstone. London: Sage. " Unity in Diversity? Current Trends in TranslationStudies, ed. Lynne Bowker, Michael Cronin, Dorothy Kenny and Jennifer Pearson, 39-46. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing. ST. JEROME. 1997. "Letter to Pammachius, no. " In Western Translation Theory, ed. Robinson, 23-30. STEINER, George. 1996. 142-59, London: Faber and Faber.
Therefore, the relationship between the marginalized and translation is not a supplemental afterthought to translation history, prompted by twentieth-century soul-searching, but is increasingly emerging as a central feature of translation practice down through the centuries. In the same way that minority languages have far more exposure to the fact of translation than majority languages, marginalized groups, often as a result of nomadic displacement or territorial dispossession, are generally much more implicated in the practice of translation than dominant, settled communities.
That being the case, much thought ought to be given to the relevance of postcolonial translation to China. To be sure, China has not been formally occupied by a foreign power in the past century, so she has not experienced a "colonial" period as did her Southeast Asian neighbours, India and most African countries. Indeed, extraterritorial rights over certain parts of the country (like Shanghai and the Yangtze River) were claimed at certain times by foreign powers: Hong Kong was ceded to Britain (though she entered her postcolonial period with the 1997 Chinese takeover); and Taiwan was colonized by the Dutch and by the Japanese (from the end of the nineteenth century to the end of World War 11).
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http://thetravelmate.com/index.php/pdf/changing-the-terms-translating-in-the-postcolonial-era-perspectives-on
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While Europe is holding its breath in anticipation of another COVID-19 related lockdown, with people still adapting to closed borders and movement restrictions, the people of Afghanistan are all too familiar with this situation. For Afghans, the pandemic is merely one additional threat to health and life to cope with. Taking a holistic approach, this article will look at how COVID-19 might affect the migration patterns of Afghans, and which new threats and opportunities will develop.
The global pandemic has brought with it immense insecurity and something unfamiliar to most Europeans: movement restrictions. As the lockdown was imposed in the first half of 2020, people were asking when they would be able to travel again, when they could go on holiday and what will happen to their jobs as well as their everyday way of life. Today, with another potential lockdown on the horizon, people are fearful about how this may affect businesses and work opportunities, and how economies will survive.
This ‘new normal’ is anything but ‘new’ for people living in Afghanistan. The movement restrictions, extremely limited legal migration options, and randomly self-imposed lockdowns due to the volatile security situation, is sadly part of everyday life when you are an Afghan. This mix of factors contributes inevitably to unemployment and the overwhelming poverty of the Afghan population, half of which is living below the poverty line.
Following the first wave of COVID-19 hitting Iran, more than a quarter million Afghans returned to their home country. There is much speculation as to why this has happened: an overburdened health care system in Iran, fear of infection, economic losses due to the spread of the disease and lack of economic opportunities in Iran may perhaps play a role. These returnees, however, are not facing better security or protection from the disease in Afghanistan while economic opportunities have virtually dried up locally.
Reintegration of returnees and displaced citizens has long been a priority of the Afghan government, even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In this area, the support of international partners has been instrumental. The reality is, however, that reintegration efforts have rarely moved beyond immediate humanitarian assistance.
A new wave of returning Afghans
As Intra-Afghan peace talks are picking up and gaining strong momentum, there is an anticipation of more returns from countries hosting large numbers of Afghan refugees and migrants, such as Iran and Pakistan. The estimates are that 1.5 to 2 million people may be returning to Afghanistan in the coming years. This will most definitely require a large-scale across the board effort to not only facilitate returns, but also to ensure a sustainable reintegration. To this, one needs to add the paramount importance of strong reintegration programmes for former Taliban fighters, in order for peace to be preserved and the country to pursue its development agenda.
The country seems ready to take on this challenge, and the new political leadership in country - established following the 2019 elections - is taking up the migration management agenda as one of its priorities. The Government clearly sees that a humanitarian and reactive approach is not providing sustainable answers, and is setting up a more comprehensive approach to migration management that acknowledges interlinkages between different sectors, and the relevance of good migration management for the country’s peace and development, as well as the importance of the national policies reaching through to the people and making a positive change.
The need to approach reintegration differently, focusing on tailor-made service provisions as well as better access to economic, social and cultural - but also civil and political - rights is a prominent feature of the Comprehensive Migration Policy developed by the Government with expert support from ICMPD. Similarly, the new Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework (ANPDFII) 2021-2025 notes that reintegration must go beyond a cash allowance and food during the first phase.
Successful and sustainable reintegration is closely tied to the incidence of irregular migration. Having viable options and opportunities for people to establish their lives in their communities is a prerequisite for them not leaving the country irregularly.
By way of an example, a young Afghan asked our Migrant Resource Centre colleagues in Kabul: ‘I returned from Europe five months ago, and I need to go somewhere again. I don’t have work or a house here in Afghanistan. My family needs me to support them. A guy asked for 30,000 USD to take me back to Europe by plane, or 7,000 USD if I go by land. I would go to Iran first. From Iran they would give me new documents. I would go irregularly again. I can’t make up my mind. I don’t want to go but I have no way of feeding my family here. Can you please tell me what to do?’
Irregular migrants from Afghanistan made up a large share of the 2015 migration crisis, and the chances are high that this situation will be repeated. Closed borders, stringent travel controls and restrictions imposed by COVID-19 have temporarily placed a lid on the problem, but it is far from a sustainable solution.
Causes of irregular migration
To paint the full picture of the causes of irregular migration we should add the following: an overwhelming lack of work and income generation opportunities; weak access to health, education, and social security; very limited number of countries to which Afghans can travel without a visa, or for which they can get visas easily; almost non-existent opportunities to be educated or work abroad; low competitiveness of the Afghan labour force; etc.
It should thus not come as a surprise that many Afghans will continue to seek options for a better life outside of Afghanistan, and if this cannot be achieved through regular migration channels, then the smugglers offering services - as the testimonial above would suggest - will most likely prevail as an option.
For the international development partners of Afghanistan, especially in the EU, this situation requires them to widen the scope of the focus beyond return and reintegration, to encompass investment in human capital among returnees as well as potential migrants in Afghanistan. This entails mobilising relevant partners, and especially the private sector, as well as concerted skills and talent building.
This approach is also in line with the Global Skills Partnerships foreseen in Objective 18 of the Global Compact on Migration as well as with the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum that has announced the launch of EU Talent Partnerships (EUTP). Even though the latter is intended to focus primarily on the EU’s immediate neighborhood and Africa, considering the respective needs of Afghanistan as well as the stated role of EUTPs to be part of the EU’s toolbox for engaging partner countries strategically on migration, it should not take too long before they are extended to Afghanistan and other countries along the Silk Routes which are among the most important migration countries for the EU.
Migration management challenges in Afghanistan have to be addressed where they start, and that is in the very communities Afghans are compelled to leave. Opportunities to build and re-build lives have to be made available. Afghans need to be provided with the chance to exercise their full potential and rebuild their country, and this is where the efforts to combat irregular migration should start and end. A radical move from solely reactive measures at the borders to community investment measures to tackle irregular migration is needed, since investing in communities and people across Afghanistan is the only feasible and sustainable way forward.
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https://www.icmpd.org/blog/2020/investing-in-communities-and-building-human-capital-in-afghanistan-alternatives-to-irregular-migration
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What the WSU Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health is doing to help solve this global health crisis.
samples to analyze for antibiotic resistance.
Dr. Douglas Call, professor in the Allen School, is currently conducting research in east Africa with the Nelson Mandela Institution in Arusha, Tanzania, to better understand how resistant bacteria move between animals and between humans and animals. Tanzania provides an ideal setting for understanding how resistant bacteria travel. Locally raised domestic livestock, people, and wildlife live close together, which offers a unique research opportunity, said Call. People routinely come in contact with animals, share water, transport animals, and prepare food—all things that can spread resistant strains of bacteria. Because the problem is truly global, resistant bacteria found in east Africa can travel across the world.
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http://cvmcms.vetmed.wsu.edu/news/newsletters/advance-Archive/featured-stories/2014/3
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Global travellers vulnerable to drug-resistant bacteria: study
International travelers are particularly vulnerable to virulent strains of drug-resistant bacteria—often picking up several different types during a trip through spending time in the company of other tourists, a new study reveals.
The global spread of intestinal multidrug resistant gram-negative (MDR-GN) bacteria poses a serious threat to human health worldwide, with MDR clones of E.coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae threatening more antibiotic resistant infections around the world.
Researchers monitored a group of European travelers visiting Lao People’s Democratic Republic for three weeks—analyzing daily returns of information and stool samples to build a comprehensive picture of the tourists’ gut health.
Bacterial strains colonized multiple travelers staying at the same hotels and spending time in each other’s company. In one exceptional instance, two participants staying in separate accommodation shared an identical strain after one took a shower in the other’s bathroom.
The international group of researchers, led by scientists at the Universities of Basel, Birmingham, Helsinki and Oslo, and the Wellcome Sanger Institute have published their findings in The Lancet Microbe.
Alan McNally, Professor in Microbial Evolutionary Genomics at the University of Birmingham and a senior author of the study, commented: “International travel is strongly linked to the spread of MDR-GN bacteria, with transmission highest in India and Southeast Asia, Africa and South America.
Travelers visiting these high-risk regions are at substantial risk of acquiring the bacteria.
“Colonization by MDR-GN bacteria is a highly dynamic process. We found constant ‘competition’ between circulating strains acquired by individual hosts and the travelers’ ‘native’ bacteria. Travelers can pick up the bacteria even during short visits and further spread the strains after returning home.”
The impact of travel on the global spread of multidrug-resistant E. coli is well documented—up to 80% of travelers returning from high-risk regions are colonized by MDR-GN bacteria, with colonization lasting up to a year. Previous traveler studies only analyzed pre- and post-travel samples, rather than the actual travel period.
Researchers found that, of the group of 20 European volunteers visiting Laos, 70% had been colonized at the end of the study. Daily sampling revealed that all participants had acquired extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) at some time point during their overseas stay.
ESBL enzymes create resistance within the body to most beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillins, cephalosporins, and aztreonam. Infections with ESBL-producing organisms have proved difficult to treat.
All but one participant acquired multiple strains of bacteria with 83 unique strains identified (53 E. coli, 10 Klebsiella, 20 other ESBL-GN species) and some of these strains being shared by as many as four subjects.
Study co-senior author Jukka Corander, Associate Faculty at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK, and professor at Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo commented: “Our study reveals the true scale and complexity at which drug-resistant bacteria colonize the intestinal tract during travel, demonstrating that it has been seriously underestimated previously.
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https://vajra-sky.com/2021/03/06/global-travellers-vulnerable-to-drug-resistant-bacteria-study/
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Human movement within and across national boundaries and continents has been a reality in our current context. Today, migration as a global process, represents both an opportunity as well as challenge. While well-managed migration may foster socioeconomic development and bring about new opportunities in both homeland and host land, its mismanagement can result in risking social cohesion, security and sovereignty. Some of the prominent reasons for migration throughout human history and civilization in all countries have been the wish to enhance quality of life, betterment of one’s economic situation and maintenance of one’s own life and that of the dependents. At the individual level, migration results when people are unable to sustain themselves within their own existing settlements. Often it is aspirational, where the person wish to go for better opportunity. Today, people prefer to migrate in search of better economic benefits, lifestyle and opportunities. Migration are also result of various social-economic, political and environmental reasons such as ethnic and ideological conflict, poverty and unemployment, natural disaster etc. Contemporary development discourses often represent migrants from developing countries as “agents of development” because of the substantial resources that they transmit back home through knowledge, new opportunities, remittances, investments, and philanthropic donations. The process of migration facilitates the transmission of skills and expertise culture, lifestyle and collective memories to new locales. Thus, migration may be regarded as both reality and necessity of the present context.
Scholarship on migration has evolved over the years. Previous academic engagements with migration began in the1970s and 1980s that mainly focused on the lives of diaspora in exile and the resultant loss. Gradually, it started exploring newer meanings and perspectives on human migration and the interplay with various emerging dynamics which are an outcome of advancement in information and communication technology, media, science and technology, networks and methods of knowledge transfer, etc. This development has impacted policies at the national and international level. These developments also enriched the existing scholarship to a great extent.Today, the salience of migration is not just confined in terms of its economic utility. Migrants are no more just economic beings. They have emerged as agents of change and drivers of development in both home and host land. They are also part of the conflicts and political problems in many parts of the globe. There are several new dimensions of migration that require a thoughtful scholarly deliberations. In this context, the proposed conference invites scholars from all over India to address and discuss various issues related to internal as well as international migration.
The three variables, namely, migration, diaspora and development makes the theme even more interesting and relevant as it manages to carve out the interplay between transnational actors like the diaspora and the development processes within the territorial confines of the nation state. India has been influenced by both internal and international migration and its diaspora is presumably the second largest in the globe next to China.
The development impact of both internal and diasporic migrations has come to be conceived in terms of both short and long term, with both positive and negative consequences. The other issues relate to family, economic gains or losses resulting out of migration, knowledge and skill transfers, entrepreneurship etc. In light of the multiple challenges, there is a need for dialogue that can be inter sectoral, interdisciplinary and that involves the multiple stakeholders. The internal migration dynamics that are part of the global migration dynamics also needs contexualisation.
About the Conference
Besides discussing the conceptual issues related to migration and diaspora , the conference shall address various themes such as the following:
Themes and Subthemes:
Emerging issues in scholarship and understanding of migration and diaspora
Migration and Economy
Knowledge Economy and policies towards high skilled labour
Engagement with diaspora through various policy initiatives
Diaspora, Migration and economic development
Diasporic investment and Entrepreneurship
Remittances of both physical and social capital and return migration
Impact and Usage of Remittance
Globalization and changing role of citizenship
Migration Chain
Social, Psychological and Cultural life of Migrants
Refugee and Migration
Migration in and out India
Diasporas in India
Migration and labour, Migration and law
Gendered migration,
Biopolitics in migration,
Regional Dimensions: Cases from Kerala, Punjab and other states affected by international migration
Internal Migration dynamics vis a vis international migration
Outcome:
The conference intends to provide fresh perspectives and better understanding of migration and diasporic issues that will provide new inputs for academic scholarship as well as for effective policy making process in India.
Note: A selection of papers from the conference will be considered for GRFDT Research Paper Series
Important Dates
Last date for receiving abstract
15 October 2015 (completed)
Communicating about selection
5 Novmber 2015 (completed)
Last date for receiving full paper
30 January 2016 (in progress)
Date of Conference
20-21 February 2016
Coordinators: Dr. M. Mahalingam and Dr. Smita Tiwari
Submission Guidelines
Participants
Selected participants will present papers on different issues of migration, diaspora and development in the conference. Participants include students, researchers and scholars from academia, civil society and policy domains.
Participant's Contribution*
(to be covered for conference kits and food during the conference)
Graduate/Postgraduate Students
1000/-
Other Scholars
1500
Due to large number of participants, we have only few number of seats available for non-presenter participants on first come, first serve basis on payment of Rs 2000/- (Two thousand only). Participants may contact the organisers if they want to reserve their seat. The request will be accepted till 30 January 2016.
*Please note: Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism is a not-for-profit academic research forum and we are not in a position to assist with conference travel or local hospitality expenses. Covering various cost related to registration fee, accomodation and Travel depends on the sponsorship amount.
Guidelines for Abstracts
All abstracts will be peer reviewed and selected candidates will be invited for final paper presentation. Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using footnotes and any special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or underline). If you do not receive a reply from us in a week, please send an query.
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https://grfdt.com/EventDetails.aspx?Type=Events&TabId=5098
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Ever since human beings were created, they moved from one land to another. In most cases, they travelled to other lands in search of food, water, and shelter.
Sometimes conflict or war was another reason people were forced to leave their land and search for a new home. Often, however, they leave hardship behind only to find more difficulty ahead.
International migration is now high on national, regional and global policy agendas. Recent years have also seen an emerging international consensus on the positive aspects of labour migration regarding its linkages with development in countries of origin, benefits for destination countries and migrant workers themselves.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) 2018 report, migrant workers are estimated to be around 164 million, a rise of 9 percent since 2013. Ghana has her share of international migrants, the majority of who are from ECOWAS states.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought another dimension to the discourse of international migration. The pandemic has spread worldwide without acknowledging borders. The wide-ranging and deeply-felt upheaval of the pandemic has tremendously affected many people worldwide, including migrants.
But in addition to these disruptions to daily life, the pandemic could be fundamentally changing the face of global migration. Not everyone wants to leave home, of course, but many see migration as at least one future pathway, whether it be permanently or temporarily with the hopes to one day return home.
In many ways, the global economy relies on people making decisions to migrate. Migration has remained a significant political and humanitarian issue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Migration cooperation between European and African countries has been criticized for being conditionality-laden and dominated by a European agenda and funds, often ignoring the perspectives of African countries.
COVID-19 however, provides an opportunity to reflect on how migration cooperation can better take into account the interests and priorities of African countries and their citizens.
The Contributions of Migrant Workers in tackling COVID-19 crisis
The significant impact of COVID-19 on migrant workers and refugees, notwithstanding, the pandemic has shown the immense contribution these groups make to their societies. Millions of migrants and refugees are at the frontline of the response or play a critical role as essential workers, particularly in the health sector.
These migrant and refugee workers form a significant percentage of health workers involved in the COVID-19 response in developed countries. Data from over 80 WHO Member States indicates over a quarter of doctors and a third of dentists and pharmacists are foreign-trained or foreign-born.
About one in eight of all nurses globally are practicing in a country different from where they were born. These migrant and refugee workers form a significant percentage of health workers involved in the COVID-19 response in developed countries.
It was therefore not a coincidence that several developed countries accelerated the accreditation of refugee and migrant health workers so that they can contribute to the COVID-19 fight.
Change of Attitude towards Migrant Workers
The issue of migration has been politicized for decades. Millions of migrants who help unleash the full potential of developed economies often find themselves stuck in the middle of politics. The pessimism of international migration characterized the pre- COVID-19 political climate.
Fast word to COVID-19 and a new change trend has emerged. Public sentiment towards migration is changing as Europe and other developed countries 'clap' for essential workers which include migrants who work as doctors, nurses and caregivers, among other essential jobs.
But it remains to be seen if this newfound appreciation will remain when vaccines for Covid-19 are made available. In as much as we see the positives from it, we must also be guided by experiences from the Global Economic Recession of 2008.
Several instances of attacks on migrants were reported from developed countries after the 2008 crisis, which led to the tightening of migration policies. With the effect of the Covid-19 more widespread than the Global Economic Recession, a critical question and concern need to be answered.
Are we going to see a repeat of the attack on migrants? Not to be seen as a prophet of doom but with a high level of unemployment due to the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is the possibility of a new wave of xenophobia in several countries if proper measures are not taken now.
Policy Direction
As we applaud the critical role migrants’ play in this COVID-19 pandemic, critics' lenses will focus on Africa regional blocks and how they manage their migration policies.
For example, movement restrictions and borders throughout the ECOWAS region from March -2020 and onward affected millions of migrant workers. How will African treat their fellow migrants (who are mostly in the informal sector) with most borders now opened?
It is now more crucial than ever for all regional blocks in Africa to recognize the fundamental contribution of migrants to the region's economic and social life. It is now visibly vital for proper and practicable integration policies to be formulated to harness the skills of some of the return immigrants who wouldn’t want to travel outside again.
Migration cooperation in a post-COVID-19 setting may see some –positive and negative –changes as states focus on economic recovery On the one hand, the pandemic may change the perception of essential migrant workers, particularly in developed countries, thus increasing the need to positively discourse migration.
However, on the other side, in a bid to protect domestic jobs, these developed countries may be a bit more reluctant to accept migrants. Based on post crises experience, the COVID-19 economic downturn is likely to affect both migrants and nationals negatively.
Migrants, who are particularly prone to stigmatization, should be adequately protected from xenophobia and discrimination in the employment and social spheres.
As we observe International Migrants Day, the wish of this writer is that the world ensures human mobility remains safe. As we hope for a better and improved economy in the coming year for Ghana, the country will likely need to deal increasingly with immigration and the return of its nationals by integrating them and using their skills for economic recovery.
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https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Impact-of-Coronavirus-on-Migration-Lessons-for-Africa-1138286
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We aim to improve migration management in line with the migration related targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, as well as the overarching framework of EU external migration policy, the European Agenda on Migration and the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility, as well as with high-level dialogues conducted through the Rabat Process and the Khartoum Process and the commitments made at the Valletta Summit on Migration. We support comprehensive migration policies, so as to enhance the implementation of legislative and regulatory frameworks aligned with international standards, conventions and agreements, to facilitate the management of civil status registration and the issuance of identity and travel documents, and to afford international protection to vulnerable groups.
By strengthening institutions mandated to manage migration, we aim to support partner countries in developing national and regional strategies on migration management in line with international standards, to improve capacities to prevent irregular migration and fight against trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling, to facilitate sustainable and dignified return and reintegration, to seek durable solutions for people in need of international protection, to promote legal migration and mobility, and to enhance synergies between migration and development. As with all EU interventions, we ensure a human rights-based approach is taken across all of our programmes, including strict adherence to the principles of ‘non-refoulement’ and 'do-no-harm'.
By promoting legal migration and mobility, we aim to stimulate regional economic development, exchanges of knowledge, skills and entrepreneurship. We are enhancing comprehensive labour migration policies and helping to create administrative structures, to protect migrants’ rights, support skills management and recognition of qualifications, and to fight against illegal employment. Moreover, we aim to tackle trafficking in human beings and forced labour, and to reduce risks of prostitution, forced labour and other abusive situations.
The rapid spread of COVID-19 in West and Central Africa, which has infected over 8,000 people and led to the deaths of over 200, has led to a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE).
To enhance the availability of basic medical supplies in The Gambia, COVID-related activities are being mainstreamed...
The EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration, funded under the European Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, continues its work on the desertic regions of West Africa to bring assistance to thousands of stranded migrants amid the COVID-19 crisis.
In Niger, 1,400 stranded Nigerien migrants were assisted after returning...
This year’s A Region on the Move report aims to provide an overview of the main population movement trends in the East and Horn of Africa region (EHoA) in 2019. This report is co-funded by the European Union, through the EU-IOM Joint Initiative, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
The COVID-19 outbreak has hit 52 African countries to date. Travel and movement restrictions, social distancing measures on gatherings and other government measures are impacting to different degrees the various projects under the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration.
The European Union (EU) and the International Organization for...
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https://ec.europa.eu/trustfundforafrica/thematic/improved-migration-management
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21 Feb :The Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Shri Vayalar Ravi has inaugurated the International Conference on India-EU Partnerships in Mobility here today. The three day international conference has been organized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, in partnership with Jawaharlal Nehru University, JNU. About 150 policy makers and academic experts from over twenty countries will deliberate upon issues and practices pertaining to mobility of labour between India and the EU Countries.
Following is the text of the inaugural address by the Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Shri Vayalar Ravi:
“I am happy to be here this morning at this International Conference on India-EU Partnerships in Mobility. Let me extend to all of you a very warm welcome. I am encouraged to see over 150 distinguished delegates. It is not often that you see eminent scholars and experienced practitioners rubbing shoulders. I am delighted that several academics from institutions of repute and senior government representatives from across the world are at this conference. Besides the representatives from the EC, the member states of the EU and various missions in India, I am happy we also have delegates from the state governments, civil society, and the relevant UN agencies, participating.
India is an important player in International Migration. As a major country of origin and destination, it is our view that, to migrate or not, is a personal choice that an individual exercises. We have several hundreds of years of experience with migration. We have an overseas Indian community estimated at about 25 million spread across 110 countries in the world.
What is less known, though, is the fact that as a free and tolerant society, migrants have also been drawn to India by its economic prosperity. We are also host to millions of immigrants, many of who are irregular. They have made India their home and contribute in full measure to our pluralistic society. We are therefore uniquely placed to host this conference.
This conference could not have come at a more appropriate time. We meet in extraordinary circumstances. Never since the great depression has the global economy faced as deep and as widespread an economic crisis as today. With many economies in the world either in recession or in the midst of a slowdown, there is a dark cloud over the short term growth prospects of the global economy.
The direct and perhaps the most visible impact of these crises have been higher rates of unemployment with several thousands of people losing their jobs across sectors and across geographies. In this scenario, we are beginning to see populist political-economy at work, with some countries tending towards more protectionist policies and raising barriers to labour mobility. This response would, indeed, be counter-intuitive and detrimental to the speedy recovery and future growth of the global economy. We must convert the crisis into an opportunity. This we must do by enhancing International cooperation on migration.
We live in a world in which the free movement of capital, goods, and technology is seen as a virtue, but also one in which the movement of people is more difficult than ever in the past. Nor have the questions relating to labour mobility been as complex, controversial, and in need of urgent international cooperation as today. At no time in the past, has International migration and the free movement of natural persons across borders, been as important for global economic development. Facilitating and managing International mobility of labour to transform it into a humane, orderly, and mutually beneficial process is a challenge that faces all of us. We must therefore work together to transform it into a ‘win-win’ process.
Allow me to suggest that in an increasingly globalizing world, future development prospects will be determined substantially, on achieving a minimum policy harmonization on international labour mobility, across the World. This policy convergence will be the next frontier of globalization. Quite simply, the free movement of persons is more likely in the future to be propelled by the labour supply gaps of the global market. The demographic dynamic and the structural problems of the International labour market cannot be wished away. They will, increasingly, shape both the direction and pace of labour mobility across borders, over the medium to long term.
We therefore need to work together to change perceptions about free movement of people, allay apprehensions on labour market access in the destination countries, build strong inter-state and inter-regional cooperation and, explore new instruments to achieve calibrated migration practices that can best meet the needs of both – the countries of origin and of destination. There are two key areas of concern in international labour mobility, which need to be addressed urgently, if we are to maximize the benefits of migration and development.
The first is to address the problem of irregular migration. Curbing irregular migration is an issue of concern not only in the countries of destination but also in the countries of origin. In the absence of ‘inclusive’ and equitable development, vastly differing economic opportunities combined with restrictions on free movement only serve to aggravate the problem. There is evidence to suggest that where legal migration is rendered more difficult, the direct consequence has been more irregular migration.
These have social and security ramifications which are now well beyond mere law-enforcement and need to be appropriately addressed by the countries involved. We also need to work in a concerted manner to address the scourge of people smuggling and trafficking, especially of women and children. Ironically, although governments would not consider banning cross-border trade in goods and services, outlawing movement of people who produce these goods and provide these services is allowing organized crime cartels a free run, seriously jeopardizing our ability to manage migration. It is here that a positive policy harmonization amongst countries of origin and destination, supported by a bilateral mobility partnership can help enormously.
The second area of cooperation that is imperative is in providing migrants a secure legal status at destination and enabling their integration into the mainstream of society, without discrimination of any kind. This alone can help realize the full development potential and the benefits of labour mobility to both the countries of origin and of destination.
This will require developing progressive bilateral instruments and effective institutional arrangements that will provide a broad framework for cooperation on all aspects of International migration. Capacity building, across the board, amongst all stakeholders will be critical to the process. Developing good migration practices will be imperative for a better managed International migration programme.
As we move forward in this century, our success will be predicated on our ability to shape policy on the basis of empirical data rather than populist appeal that runs counter to progress.
There is a felt need to support more rigorous research on the various dimensions of migration. Empirical evidence suggests that migration is a ‘win-win’; we must marshal this data for a more informed discourse on International migration.
I do hope one of the outcomes of this conference will be the forging of academic partnerships between institutions in India and the EU. My ministry would be happy to support such collaborative efforts. Let me hasten to add, however, that academic research and empirical data alone will not help. Let me stress again that our success will depend, in substantial measure, on our ability to achieve a progressive harmonization of the International migration policy that best meets the common interests of India and the member states of the EU.
The key outcome of this conference therefore should be the development of a coherent and robust approach to labour mobility partnerships that will provide the framework for cooperation between India and the EU. This conference must serve as an important platform to foster better understanding of the myriad opportunities that are before us to forge stronger India-EU cooperation in International migration.
As you begin your deliberations, I see before me a learned audience – an eclectic group, rich in experience. The agenda before you is challenging and the schedule of the conference, demanding. But do try and also enjoy yourselves. This is a pleasant time of the year and Delhi can be enchanting. I commend all of you and dare say there will be an enlightened meeting of minds, by the time you conclude. I wish you success in your endeavors”.
Following is the text of the opening remarks by the Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Shri K. Mohandas:
“It is indeed an honour for us in the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs to have all of you here to discuss the India-EU Partnerships in Mobility over the next three days. I welcome you all and look forward to very fruitful deliberations on various dimensions of this important and challenging subject of international migration. I am heartened by the enthusiasm shown by the Governments of the European countries, the Diplomatic Missions of the European countries in India, the experts in the field of International Migration, the sister Ministries in the Government of India, the State Governments and Non-Governmental Organizations.
Ours is a new Ministry established in the year 2004. The Ministry serves as the nodal ministry for the large Indian diaspora. One of the key mandates of the Ministry is managing international migration. Over the last 4 years the Ministry has established itself and has chalked out its domain with diligence. I am happy to say that Minister Ravi has led several important initiatives focusing on migration management with considerable success.
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs stands for converting international migration into an orderly, safe and ethical process by facilitating legal migration and curbing irregular migration in all forms. We stand for managing the migration process in a manner that it benefits all stakeholders. Our initiatives broadly include legislative reforms, regulatory reforms, process reforms and international cooperation. We are in the process of amending the law governing international migration from India. One of the key amendments relates to penal action against human smuggling to combat illegal migration. We are implementing an ambitious e-Governance project to critically examine the migration procedures, re-engineer the entire process to make it simple, effective and versatile, linking key stakeholders to achieve greater transparency and accountability and putting in place a more robust regulatory system. Protection and welfare of the worker is our central concern. Towards this end, we have signed instruments for bilateral cooperation with the leading countries of destination in Asia like the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Malaysia. Very soon a similar instrument will be signed with Bahrain as well.
We would like all the EU countries to benefit from the demographic advantage and technical skills that India has. At the same time, we wish to address their concerns regarding irregular entry, irregular stay, cultural integration, facilitated return and reintegration. This makes India a natural partner of the EU. We have finalized a mobility partnership with Denmark which is expected to be signed in March 2009. The objective behind the mobility partnership is to lay down a framework for facilitation of legal migration and prevention of irregular migration through joint action. Provisions on circularity of migration and its linkage with development are built into the partnerships.
Bilateral Social Security coordination is of vital importance for safeguarding the expatriate workers against double coverage, loss of contributions or loss of benefits. We have already signed such agreements with Belgium, France and Germany. Similar agreements have been finalized with the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Luxembourg and Switzerland, which would be signed shortly. Talks are underway with Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Hungary and some other countries including Australia.
Friends, it is essential that the people seeking overseas employment are aware about the procedures and opportunities for legal migration and the pitfalls and dangers of illegal migration. The Ministry has implemented the EU sponsored AENEAS project in partnership with the IOM, under which a Migration Resource Center has been set up at Kochi in the State of Kerala to conduct a sustained information dissemination campaign and provide information services through a helpline. The Ministry has also set up a national multilingual Overseas Workers Resource Centre to provide information to the seekers of overseas employment with regard to the employment opportunities, recruiting agents and the procedures involved. We have also launched a nationwide multimedia information campaign to create awareness about various aspects of migration. The Ministry has established an Indian Council of Overseas Employment (ICOE) to conduct migration studies and advise the Government on policy interventions for better preparing the workers, to enable them to meet the skill and other requirements of the international labour market. The Ministry is also operating a specific skill upgradation program for raising the skills of persons seeking overseas employment to international standards.
Friends, it is heartening that the global debate on international migration is getting increasingly focused on reinforcing linkages between migration and development. There is a growing realization that a general solution of universal applicability is an illusion. Therefore, nations toady are willing to work out customized bilateral and regional solutions. This conference would provide an opportunity to the academia as well as the practitioners to exchange ideas for developing such win-win solutions. This is the first international conference of this kind convened by us. We are quite optimistic about its outcomes. We look forward to a constructive dialogue and specific outcomes”.
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https://www.theindiapost.com/features/featured/international-conference-on-mobility-of-labour-begins/
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The ongoing economic crises in Africa and the ease in mobility occasioned by free movement policies and protocols have made Africans increasingly vulnerable to migration, therefore, allowing different forms of modern slavery to thrive.
The movement of people and goods from one destination to the other is indispensable as far as human life on earth is concerned. The act is so imperative that its enhancement has been put into perspective by most regions of the world. In order to enhance human mobility, ease movement of goods, and strengthen symbiotic relations across national borders, most states across different sub-regions and regions of the world have deferred their sovereignty by collectively signing free movement pacts that permit movement along their borders with little or no restrictions.
Today, there are several free movement pacts and protocols signed by some of the blocs in Africa (although some are yet to be implemented). These agreements are signed under the auspices of blocs within the continent such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern African Development Community, Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, East African Community, the Economic Community of Central African States. From the aforementioned sub-regional organizations, the free movement protocol of the ECOWAS is the most visibly implemented and the comeuppance of its implementation attests to a political recognition that mobility is essential for regional economic integration and development.
However, the easing of migration and mobility in different parts of Africa has in the same breath helped in the facilitation of transnational criminal activities and has created a trellis for different nuances of modern slavery in Africa to flourish. The tentacles of this hydra of modern slavery include sex trade, forced labour, and child slave labour, which are all launched perfectly by way of human trafficking, leveraging on these areas of free movement.
Trans-Mediterranean human trafficking has become very rife in recent decades and the quest to curb it has been marred by complexities and difficulties. These difficulties are largely engendered by the legalization of free movement across different parts of Africa (especially West and North Africa) coupled with the dictates of the Schengen Agreement which has made it easier to move freely in a substantial part of Europe. Although modern slavery is common in different continents of the world, it is endemic in Africa, especially in West and North Africa. The root cause of this problem is not unconnected with the prevalence of poverty, corruption, amongst others, in the region. These problems are exacerbated by tensions and insurrection, which have led to the internal displacement of people. The quest for survival in the midst of these socio-political and economic crises have engendered high migration from one African state to another; and from one African region to another; and from Africa to other continents. It is as a result of the desire to leave Africa in search of greener pastures in other parts of the world that people become prey in the hands of traffickers who capitalize on people’s ambitions to subject them to acts of slavery.
GENERAL CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION
As briefly highlighted earlier, it is clear that the scope of the topic in view encompasses a wide array of analytical issues which without proper elucidation will make it cumbersome to forge a connection. Therefore, in order to enhance clarity, an overview of the major terms that frame up the topic in view have been dwelled upon as contained below:
Migration and Mobility
Generally, migration as a term refers to the act of moving long distances in pursuit of a new habitat. This is not just peculiar to humans alone as other living things also migrate. However, migration as used in the context of this paper relates strictly to humans. Migration as used in this context involves the movement of people from one place to another with intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily, at a new location (geographic region). The moment often occurs over long distances and from one country to another, but internal migration (within a single country) is also possible; indeed, this is the dominant form of human migration globally.
Mobility on the flipside refers to the measure of how populations and goods move over time. This tilts to the reality that migration and mobility are in concomitance. Taking cognizance of the fact that mankind is social by nature, his movement from one place to the other becomes inevitable as he goes about his endeavours. The advent of globalization has further accentuated the extent of human mobility as demands for labour and other services warrant the movement of people across national boundaries. The importance of migration and mobility generally to the sustenance of mankind cannot be overemphasized as even the United Nations has recognized the worth of migration by enshrining it as a core part of its Sustainable Development Goals. This aims at facilitating orderly, safe and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.
Free Movement
The concept of free movement revolves within the perimeter of mobility rights that relate to the freewill of people to travel from place to place within the geographical territory of a particular country, and to leave such a country and return to it. This mobility right is, however, not without restrictions. These restrictions cut across limitations such as probation and legal sanctions. On a broader view, movements across national borders are restricted by circumstances such as national and regional tariff barriers, and international border restrictions.
Be that as it may, in the realm of transnational mobility, certain policies and protocols have been put in place to lift the rigid border restrictions between neighbouring countries thereby easing the migration of people and movement of goods from one country to the other. Most states in West and North Africa, as well as Europe, are part of free movement areas. In the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Establishment was introduced in 1979. In the European Union (EU), free movement of persons was enshrined in the Treaty of Rome, establishing the European Economic Community in 1957, and was consolidated by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992. In both West Africa and Europe, free movement policies have facilitated intraregional mobility, which is much more prevalent than mobility between regions. The introduction of such policies testifies to a political recognition that mobility is essential for regional economic integration and development. An ambition to extend free movement policies has also been present in the work of the African Union since its beginnings, and recently gained momentum with its 2018 Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment.
Modern Slavery
Modern slavery in simple terms refers to the institutional contemporary practices of slavery in the society. According to the office of the Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, an agency of the United States Department of State, ‘“modern slavery”, “trafficking in persons” and “human trafficking” have been used as umbrella terms for the act of recruiting, harbouring, transporting, providing or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.’
The estimated number of slaves is debated, as there is no universally agreed definition of modern slavery; those in slavery are often difficult to identify, and adequate statistics are often not available. However, the International Labour Organization (ILO) as of 2019 reported the number of victims of modern slavery at an estimated number of 40 million. Modern slavery exists in forms such as forced labour, sex trafficking, domestic servitude, bonded labour, child labour, forced marriage, amongst others. Having been abolished internationally, slavery is still being implicitly accepted by some corrupt governments owing to the attendant financial gains that come with it.
MIGRATION, FREE MOVEMENT AND MODERN SLAVERY
Across Africa, intraregional migration is dominant, and economic organizations at sub-regional levels are potential vehicles for migration policy development. While African migration remains overwhelmingly intra-continental since the late 1980s there has been an acceleration and spatial diversification (beyond colonial patterns) of emigration out of Africa to Europe, North America, the Gulf and Asia. The factors prompting the massive migration of Africans to other parts of the world especially Europe and vary from one African country to another. However, it is a common fact that the surge in the number of Africa’s emigrants has been occasioned by the quest to find greener pastures and break loose from the shackles of poverty, violence and underdevelopment that has plagued the continent.
Migration trends in Africa are largely shaped by economic, demographic and climate-related changes. The speed and depth of ongoing economic crises make African countries very vulnerable. Due to the present political and socio-economic disequilibrium across African societies and the ease in mobility occasioned by free movement policies and protocols, it has become easier for different forms of modern slavery to thrive.
Acts of human trafficking have become a recurrent phenomenon in Africa. Most victims of human trafficking fall under the category of persons seeking to leave the shores of the continent in pursuit of a better life. Colonial occupation and concomitant practices of the slave trade and the systematic use of forced labour and recruitment have in many ways shaped contemporary migration patterns within and from the continent. African migration to Europe has become the current theme of discourse in national and international media. Even on social media, scholars who are versed in comparative studies of global economies and fundamental human rights have held myriad opinions on African migration. These numerous scholarly opinions positing different reasons behind the massive trans-Mediterranean migrations of Africans to other parts of the world, particularly Europe, are prompted by the increase of irregular migration out of the continent in recent years.
Turning to West Africa, in 1979, ECOWAS set forth the protocol on free movement of persons which confers on ECOWAS citizens the right to enter and reside in the territory of any member state under less stringent restrictions. Since the protocol on free movement makes it easy for citizens of the community members of West Africa to move with little or no restrictions within the sub-region, the trafficking of persons for exploitative reasons within West Africa and to other parts of Africa is enhanced. Perpetrators of modern slavery easily traffic people across national land borders within West Africa to other parts of Africa such as Libya where they are sold to servitude or trafficked to Europe across the high seas. Those who are trafficked abroad especially to Europe are subjected to many inhuman acts such as forced labour, sex slavery, bonded labour (debt bondage) and child labour. ILO estimates that over 40 million people are in some form of slavery today. Additionally, the organization claims that 24.9 million people are in forced labour, of whom 16 million people are exploited in private sectors such as domestic work, construction or agriculture. They highlight 4.8 million people as being in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million persons in forced labour imposed by state authorities. Moreover, they estimate 15.4 million people to be in forced marriages. As of 2016, an estimated 9.2 million men, women, and children were living in modern slavery in Africa. Africa has the highest prevalence of modern slavery, with 7.6 people living in modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the region.
In recent years, servitude in the continent has attracted global attention after videos showed slave markets in Libya where African migrants were being auctioned off in car parks, garages, as well as public squares. Migration to places such as Libya takes place across transnational land borders where people desperate to emigrate end up getting themselves entangled in different degrees and forms of modern slavery.
Modern slavery in contemporary Africa is not just aided by free movement protocols within the continent alone; other mobility enhancement and free movement policies established by other continents also play instrumental roles. One of such protocols is the Schengen Agreement which allows free movement through a substantial part of Europe. As a result of this factor, traffickers from Africa with Schengen visas get the opportunity to move their victims across different places in Europe, thereby, making the wavelength of their activities difficult to track.
The different forms of modern slavery across Africa are also facilitated by, among others: cultural assimilation (due to the influence of unwholesome activities from foreign nationals); illiteracy and partial literacy (due to the lack of an adequate educational environment); the lack of accurate information (due to a certain negligence from local authorities and communication channels); and the absence of a central system for the regulation of internet usage (due to an unregulated access to the internet that has encouraged cybercriminal activities), leading ipso facto to disastrous socio-economic instability.
CONSEQUENCES OF MODERN SLAVERY ON AFRICA’S PROGRESS
The impact of modern slavery is not just limited to the individual victims alone. To a very large extent, modern slavery impinges negatively on the safety and general outlook of the territories within which such acts are orchestrated. Hence, acts tantamount to slavery in contemporary Africa impose significant boomerang effects which are inextricably woven throughout the weft and warp of the socio-economic and political fabrics of African societies. Hence, such consequences must be pointed out and dissected with statistical evidence that buttresses the relationship between individual exploitation and structural issues surrounding the general progress of Africa as a continent as follows:
Firstly, modern slavery leads to reduced productivity and growth. The resurgence of widespread and pervasive forms of modern slavery has contributed considerably to the decrease in individual resourcefulness and regional African productivity especially as those who are mostly victims of this modern slavery are in their age of youth. In 2016, the global survey index reported that an estimated 9.2 million men, women, and children were living in modern slavery in Africa, with an average of 7.6 people living in modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the region. The rate of forced marriage was estimated to be at 4.8 victims per 1,000 people while forced labour was pegged at 2.8 victims per 1,000 people on the continent. The statistics of the 2016 global index report above have been corroborated by Alliance 8.7, (an inclusive global partnership committed to achieving target 8.7 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals). Alliance 8.7’s 2017 regional brief for Africa’s global estimates of modern slavery and child labour puts the number of young African adults in modern slavery at 9,240 and that of child labourers between the age range of 5-17 years at 72,113. As a result of this loss of human resources to exploitative labour and slavery, productivity at its peak is reduced, thereby stifling economic growth.
Secondly, modern slavery strains human relationships. Most victims of modern slavery are separated from their families and places of origin, thus, creating a social disconnect. This further imposes a negative impact on the dynamics of regional integration thereby compromising the national and regional efforts of African states towards transforming the state of things on the continent.
Children and women make up a disproportionately high number of those who face the brunt of modern slavery in African societies. This factor poses a lot of negative implications on the growth and development of the children who are victims, thus reducing or totally jeopardizing their potential productivity in the long run. Child victims are exposed to a myriad of societal vices at a young age and thus develop under a lot of psychological trauma capable of impeding their future levels of socialization and resourcefulness.
TOWARDS THE RIGHT FOOTING
The growth of modern slavery in Africa and its latent intensification by migratory and free movement policies across national borders has had many consequences on Africa’s progress. We need spontaneous measures to douse off the devastating effects of modern slavery on the socio-economic life of the continent in the long run and even on the people at the individual level. These moves should be taken by individuals, Non-government Organization (NGOs), governments and even blocs within the region.
One of such steps to the right footing involves the commitment of African states towards being more intentional about developing their countries so as to create opportunities for their citizenry to earn a living. If resources are maximally utilized to enhance the socio-economic and political atmosphere of these countries, then the quest to earn a living by enslaving others or looking for greener pastures would be reduced to the barest minimum.
Also, African states should improve the institutional capacity for managing migratory flows and for effective policy formulation and implementations. Migration data collection and retrieval systems should be put in place to keep tabs on the rate of emigrants and immigrants and the various reasons warranting their movement from one country to the other within the zones of free movement. In the same vein, officials dealing with functions pertaining to migration should be given sufficient training to manage and supervise the exit and entry of people.
Not to be left out is the fact that more efforts should be made by the various African state governments and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) within the continent and beyond towards sensitizing people about the dangers and repercussions of indulging in modern slavery.
Furthermore, the implementation of existing laws aimed at curbing modern slavery in its different forms should be intensified. Additionally, people caught subjecting others to such dehumanizing treatments should be made to face the full force of its provisions without prejudice to social status and influence in the society. Moreover, outmoded provisions of such laws should be amended so as to consent to contemporary demands necessitated by the present state of things.
Even at the individual level, people should aid the fight against modern slavery by shunning acts akin to any of its forms while engaging in active activism towards curbing the menace. Programs aimed at sensitisation and mass awareness of this menace should be encouraged and promoted in a fight to combat the scourge of modern slavery.
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https://republic.com.ng/june-july-2021/migration-and-modern-slavery/
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of a microbe to resist the effects of medication previously used to treat them. This broader term also covers antibiotic resistance, which applies to bacteria and antibiotics. Resistance arises through one of three ways: natural resistance in certain types of bacteria, genetic mutation, or by one species acquiring resistance from another. Resistance can appear spontaneously because of random mutations; or more commonly following gradual buildup over time, and because of misuse of antibiotics or antimicrobials. Resistant microbes are increasingly difficult to treat, requiring alternative medications or higher doses, both of which may be more expensive or more toxic. Microbes resistant to multiple antimicrobials are called multidrug resistant (MDR); or sometimes superbugs. Antimicrobial resistance is on the rise with millions of deaths every year.
Antibiotics should only be used when needed as prescribed by health professionals. The prescriber should closely adhere to the five rights of drug administration: the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route, and the right time. Narrow-spectrum antibiotics are preferred over broad-spectrum antibiotics when possible, as effectively and accurately targeting specific organisms is less likely to cause resistance. Cultures should be taken before treatment when indicated and treatment potentially changed based on the susceptibility report. For people who take these medications at home, education about proper use is essential. Health care providers can minimize spread of resistant infections by use of proper sanitation, including handwashing and disinfecting between patients, and should encourage the same of the patient, visitors, and family members.
Rising drug resistance is caused mainly by improper use of antimicrobials in humans as well as in animals, and spread of resistant strains between the two. Antibiotics increase selective pressure in bacterial populations, causing vulnerable bacteria to die; this increases the percentage of resistant bacteria which continue growing. With resistance to antibiotics becoming more common there is greater need for alternative treatments. Calls for new antibiotic therapies have been issued, but new drug development is becoming rarer.
The WHO defines antimicrobial resistance as a microorganism’s resistance to an antimicrobial drug that was once able to treat an infection by that microorganism. A person cannot become resistant to antibiotics. Resistance is a property of the microbe, not a person or other organism infected by a microbe.
Bacteria with resistance to antibiotics predate medical use of antibiotics by humans; however, widespread antibiotic use has made more bacteria resistant through the process of evolutionary pressure.
Reasons for the widespread use of antibiotics include:
- increasing global availability over time since the 1950s
- uncontrolled sale in many low or middle income countries, where they can be obtained over the counter without a prescription, potentially resulting in antibiotics being used when not indicated. This may result in emergence of resistance in any remaining bacteria.
Antibiotic use in livestock feed at low doses for growth promotion is an accepted practice in many industrialized countries and is known to lead to increased levels of resistance. Releasing large quantities of antibiotics into the environment during pharmaceutical manufacturing through inadequate wastewater treatment increases the risk that antibiotic-resistant strains will develop and spread. It is uncertain whether antibacterials in soaps and other products contribute to antibiotic resistance, but they are discouraged for other reasons.
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http://adamethelbert.info/antimicrobial-resistance
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Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria Isolated from Foods in Cuba.
CONCLUSIONS These results serve as an alert to the dangers of acquiring antibiotic-resistant bacteria from food and demonstrate the need to establish a surveillance system and institute measures bacte-rial control in food products.KEYWORDS Microbial drug resistance, bacteria, food, foodborne disease, Cuba. PMID: 32812898 [PubMed - in process]
Source: MEDICC Review - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: MEDICC Rev Source Type: research
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https://medworm.com/813415915/antimicrobial-resistance-in-bacteria-isolated-from-foods-in-cuba/
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Urban regions have been more severely affected by COVID19 than rural areas. The rapid spread of the virus in urban areas can primarily be explained by population density, while the population composition and international travel patterns also play a role. On the other hand, rural areas can be more vulnerable to an outbreak, especially if some of the scarce group of healthcare workers contract the virus or are quarantined. Nordregio has started looking into the impacts of COVID19 on demography and urban-rural flows in the Nordic Region, including the use of second homes.
Demographic change in all Nordic countries
“The COVID19 pandemic raises interesting issues regarding all three principal determinants of population growth: fertility, mortality and migration,” says Timothy Heleniak, Senior Research Fellow at Nordregio. He is one of the authors of the demography section of State of the Nordic Region 2020, an annual publication providing an overview of demographic development, economy and the labour market in the Nordic countries.
“We’re already seeing large differences in the number of deaths among the countries, and also dissimilar effects of mortality by age, gender, health and immigrant status.” One of the more striking developments, he says, is the COVID19 mortality rate in Sweden, which by far tops the other Nordic countries. “Regions and municipalities with large shares of economically disadvantaged people, high unemployment rates and many low-educated people tend to have higher mortality rates. In this case, the immigrant population also seems to be more affected.”
As in most industrialised countries, there has been a long-term trend of rural to urban migration in the Nordic countries. Due to the restrictions on mobility, both within countries and across borders, Heleniak expects a significant impact on migration patterns.
“Nordic countries have high rates of international migration and a large share of foreign-born populations. With the closing of the EU borders and the restricted internal movement, migration will most certainly decline. By how much, we don’t know yet.”
Disruptive changes to the labour market
As part of the European research initiative SHERPA, Nordregio has created multi-actor platforms to address various rural development issues. The Nordic stakeholders in this network are now involved in assessing the local impacts of the pandemic across rural regions in the Nordics.
“We were quite happy to learn that many of these rural areas have proven to be quite resilient to the situation,” says Michael Kull, Senior Research Fellow at Nordregio. “In Finland, for example, switching to remote working and distance learning happened very quickly.”
Kull is convinced that the tremendous increase in the use of digital technology for distance working will fundamentally change the dynamics of the Nordic labour markets. A recent Finnish study shows that around one million Finns are now teleworking, and that more than half of them would like to continue that, at least part time.
“We’ve seen enormous changes to our working lives, with many more home offices and less commuting and travelling,” says Karen Refsgaard, Research and Deputy Director at Nordregio. “It’s important to keep in mind, however, that this does not necessarily apply to all segments of the population. It has for instance not been possible for people in low-paid jobs, such as bus drivers, taxi drivers and cleaners, to work from home throughout this pandemic.”
What makes an attractive rural area?
Nordregio recently finalised the project Rural attractiveness in Norden. Based on 14 case studies, the researchers analysed the reasons why people choose to live in and move to sparsely populated and remote rural areas, the main motivations for migration between rural and urban areas and vice versa, and lastly the future perspectives for young people.
“There are different rural attractiveness models out there, but the traditional economic assumption is that people follow jobs,” says Michael Kull, adding that Nordregio’s research applies a much broader perspective. Job availability and housing are of course an important consideration, he says, while things like access to outdoors and recreation and more leisure time are often also mentioned as a reason. “Rural attractiveness is a combination of jobs, business development, entrepreneurial culture and the general quality of life in the place in which you live.”
“There’s no generic recipe for rural attractiveness,” Refsgaard adds. “The interactions between the municipality and businesses are very important, and we also see that education, especially if it’s linked to local opportunities and industries, can be decisive to attract young people.”
Many rural areas in the Nordic region have been dealing with outmigration, population decline and an ageing population for decades. Karen Refsgaard argues that the ability to offer suitable housing options is vital for these communities if they want to remain attractive to young people and people with higher education and high income.
“In fact, developing the housing market and new housing typologies, such as zero-energy and shared housing, could potentially create important revenue for small and innovative businesses and local craftsmen.”
More domestic tourism and use of second homes
As a result of the ongoing urbanisation and increasingly compact Nordic cities, many choose to compensate for the lack of space by acquiring a second home. These second homes often come with private gardens and access to nature, thus providing a pleasant break from the busy urban life.
“There’s a strong tradition for second homes in the Nordic Region,” says Research Fellow Louise Ormstrup Vestergård, one of the researchers behind Urban-rural flows from seasonal tourism and second homes. “What we’ve seen during the pandemic is that these increasingly important movements between urban homes and rural second homes have been greatly restricted or even forbidden, which has been a source of some frustration.”
The global tourism industry is among the sectors that have been affected the most by the COVID19 crisis. Many rural areas in the Nordic Region are highly dependent on income from tourism, which is why they are now exploring various ways of stimulating travel and local tourism.
“Right now, tourism is heavily affected, but in the years to come, I believe that we might see changes in travel habits, with increased domestic and regional tourism,” she says. “This could very well create new opportunities for rural municipalities in the Nordic Region.”
She adds that these questions are also being addressed on a national level. Borders that have been closed are reopening, either fully or partly, as the countries attempt to find the delicate balance of rebooting tourism without running into a second wave of the virus. As an example, Denmark and Norway have opened their borders to selected countries, while Iceland has opted to test all travellers upon arrival.
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https://nordregio.org/nordregio-magazine/issues/post-pandemic-regional-development/will-rural-living-become-more-desirable-post-corona/
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Pandemic expected to cause growth in global migration to plummet
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically affected all forms of human mobility. Around the globe, the closing of national borders and severe disruptions to international land, air and maritime travel obliged hundreds of thousands of people to cancel or delay plans of moving abroad, left thousands of migrants stranded or unable to return, and forced countless persons to return to their home countries earlier than planned.
While it is too soon to gauge the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration, the latest data suggest that the pandemic may have caused a severe disruption in the growth of the global number of international migrants. Further, the loss of remittances in low- and middle-income countries due to COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the lives and well-being of thousands of migrants and their families.
While high-income countries continue to attract the largest number of labour migrants, low- and middle-income countries absorb the majority of people displaced across national borders due to persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations. These inequities in global migration governance call for a more equitable sharing of responsibilities in finding sustainable solutions to the plight of refugees and have important implications for sustainable development.
In the beginning of next year, UN DESA’s Population Division will launch the International Migration Highlights, which will include updated estimates on the global number of international migrants.
This December marks two years since UN Member States adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Since then, the United Nations Network on Migration, charged with coordinating United Nations system-wide support to implement the Compact, has established the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund, created a knowledge platform and connection hub, and set up regional and national networks. Currently, the Network supports the first round of regional reviews of the Compact, in close cooperation with the regional economic commissions. UN DESA is a member of the Network’s Executive Committee.
The report of the Secretary-General on international migration and development, prepared for the 75th session of the General Assembly, presents an overview of the latest activities by the United Nations system to assist countries in integrating migration considerations into national development plans. The report also assesses progress in measuring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets related to migration.
On 1 December, the Secretary-General will launch the first biennial report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Call-in details to join the event can be found here.
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https://www.un.org/development/desa/undesavoice/highlights/2020/12/50478.html
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POURAKHI-Nepal with the support of Dan Church Aid (DCA) facilitates a project entitled, “Communicating and Strengthening Women Migrant Workers (WMWs) Network and Expanding their Outreach and Mobilizing them to Protect the Rights of WMWs.” The project was focused in Bardiya District, a mid-western district with an open border to India. The objectives of this project were:
- To empower returnee migrant workers, especially women migrant workers and their families through capacity building and information dissemination on safe migration,
- To advocate for the effective implementation of women migrant worker friendly international instruments, such as the ratification of the UN Convention 1990 on Migrant Workers and their Families, and ILO Convention 189 and
- To strengthen civil society organizations. Within Bardiya district, this project was particularly focused on the five migration prone VDCs,(Tarataal, Jamuni, MainaPokhar, Kalika and Sano Shree).
Activities were performed between January 2014 to May 2014. Joint Monitoring visit to Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur Districts with DCA representative and WOREC representatives from 27th February to 3rd March 2014. Recommendations to govern a Coordinating Meeting of Safe Migration with Local Stakeholders in Guleriya, Bardiya were held on 28th February 2014. Representatives based on the GFMD 2014 Themes. Organized a three-day refresher training on safe migration to POURAKHI Bardiya members from the five VDCs. MFA-Nepal Chapter (POURAKHI, PNCC, WOREC, Migrants Center and Youth Action Nepal) with the support of Dan Church Aid (DCA) organized a National level Pre consultation Meeting on the 4th of May 2014, on Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) – 2014 to be held in Stockholm, Sweden from 12-14th May 2014. Came up with recommendations and delivered them to the Government Delegate participating in the GFMD. (Recommendations below. participated in the People’s Global Action (PGA) program and Global Forum for Migration and Development 2014 in Stockholm, Sweden from 9th to 15th May 2014. (Key Messages from PGA below) Recommendation
- Integrate migration in global, regional and national development agendas
- Leverage migration as an enabler for inclusive economic development
- Leverage migration as an enabler for inclusive social development.
Role of Nepal Government& Action Steps:
- Establish information dissemination centres in each district that can provide all/any information related to migration
- Create more employment opportunities
- Eliminate migration costs by reducing the maximum payments to recruitment agencies (ex. Malaysia 80,000NRS)
- Provide formalized entrepreneurship and skills training free of cost or at more affordable rates
- Provide investment opportunities with financial schemes to migrants and their families
- Increase government programs and plans to manage migration
- Establish banking schemes that facilitate safe migration, regulate recruitment processes, and monitor pay/remittance transfers
- Establish a mandatory savings scheme for migrants (ex. Welfare Fund payments, insurance Financial literacy training to migrant households
- Review and amend destination country MoUs by consulting with civil society
- Increase investment opportunities through providing an incentive scheme and/or better regulations to provide investor security
- Establish banking schemes that facilitate safe migration, regulate recruitment processes, and monitor pay/remittance transfers
- Social security fund (ex. through Welfare Fund)
- Specific awareness program on safe migration, financial literacy, and reintegration
- Provide awareness programs to address stigmatization of returnees
- Dignity of work and respect for people working abroad through awareness campaigns
- Women re-integration programs should provide opportunities for collective investment and skills capacity building
- Awareness of social issues through religious leader/faith based.
Message to GFMD from Nepal Govt :
- Compensation on death and accidents: Investigations and post mortems by independent organizations.
- Work towards zero fees for workers during the migration process
- Destination countries and employers should contribute to skills based training in source countries
- Expedited justice services available in destination countries for victimized migrant workers by impartial parties (to the best of their ability)
- Free choice of employment. Labour movement should not be restricted due to sponsorship/kafala systems
- More research should be conducted to get a better understanding of migration patterns once workers have left Nepal
- Ratify the international convention on migrant workers and their families (CMW)
- Ratify ILO C189 on Domestic Work
- Ensure all workers have a provident fund in the destination country (ex. employee and employer pay a percentage of the workers’ salary to a government fund to accrue interest. Worker should receive at the end of their employment.)
- Government investment-scheme for investment in tourism and energy sector
- Ensure women’s rights are respected throughout the migration process
- Birth registration, certification, and citizenship should be addressed by destination and source countries.
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https://pourakhi.org.np/completedprojects/communicating-and-strengthening-women-migrant-workers-wmws-network-dca/
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Impact is a byproduct of empathy and understanding. This is the basic premise behind Prep’s new Global Studies initiative. “By looking outward, we learn to look inward,” says Ingrid Herskind, Prep’s Global Studies Coordinator.
Mission Statement
The Global Studies program supports and advances students’ understanding of and appreciation for the attitudes, knowledge, skills and engagement needed to enhance their community connections and personal growth as global citizens. Through interdisciplinary curriculum, local community outreach and national and international projects, students explore and connect to the greater global society. Our goals are to promote sensitivity to commonalities and differences among and within cultures, to understand how global forces influence our daily lives and to encourage responsible contributions to effect positive change.
About the Program
In addition to cornerstone coursework in international topics, the program capitalizes on features that have already proven to be successful at Prep, including immersive experiences outside the US. It’s founded on guidelines from the National Association of Independent Schools for educating global citizens, through contextualization, application, understanding and action—all of which are fostered through long-term exposure and deep relationships around the world.
The Global Studies program features curriculum components and immersive experiences, as well as guest speakers who talk about a range of topics of global significance. Jonathan Katz recently spoke about his experience as a foreign correspondent in Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in 2010. James Brooks, a UCSB professor, addressed students about how activities along the US-Mexico border helped shape the American West.
Global studies topics are often interwoven into the curriculum. For example, French teacher Lauren Van Arsdall is working on a project with French students in which they correspond with a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon. During conversations entirely in French, the students have developed ideas to create water resistant books—helpful for young people in the intensely humid climate. In a recent Independent Study project, Jeff Chan ’18 created a program called “Voices of Migration: Stories from the Refugee Journey,” in which he interviewed Syrian refugees living in Berlin and examined the “challenges of mass migration.” The project had an impact across campus, including library displays about migration and activities across campus during which students examined their own families’ immigrant experience.
Global Studies intensives are available for interested students in the senior year. In the first semester, an Honors International Relations course examines factors that promote both cooperation and conflict between and among nation-states. Topics covered in the course include rules of effective diplomacy, economic development, the use of force and human rights. The centerpiece of the course is a simulation exercise in which the class assumes the identity of a contemporary nation. The students then develop diplomatic relations with several West Coast schools also posing as nations. In the second semester, students can take Honors Border Politics: Borders, Fences and Walls, which explores migration and movement on a global level, providing an overview of the political philosophies and economic issues surrounding migration worldwide.
In 2019, five travel excursions were announced for students in grades 8-12.
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https://www.flintridgeprep.org/academic-experience/initiatives/global-studies-program
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In conjunction with the exhibition Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time, the Block Museum is pleased to partner with leaders from around the University. Galya Ben-Arieh is professor of instruction in political science. Her research centers on the rights and processes of refugee protection and the role of law in settlement and inclusion in host societies and comparative constitutional theory and transformation. The scholar offers crucial background on the exhibition’s contemporary connections:
The exhibition Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa at the Block Museum of Art shows the global impact of Saharan trade. In the medieval period the widespread demand for West African gold contributed to the circulation of goods, people, and ideas across entwined networks of exchange in West Africa, North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Migrants journeying from Africa to Europe today travel along the same routes and stop in the same transit cities as the medieval caravans, but their journeys point to a disjuncture between modern Saharan migration systems and the logics of historical mobility and systems of exchange.
The city of Agadez, founded according to some accounts as early as the 11th century and now the largest city in Niger, can help us understand the contemporary geopolitics of migration and the realities of passage through and within the Sahara. Hubs such as Agadez have occupied prominent positions over centuries of migration flows across the Sahara. More recently, European pressure on African countries to stop the flow has transformed Agadez into a transit city and an anchor destination for West Africans and Nigeriens.
European agreements and funding arrangements designed to curtail trans-Saharan mobility have constrained intraregional Saharan migration. Even as supranational frameworks such as the travel certificate of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have facilitated the free movement of labor in West Africa and the central Sahara, migration within West Africa since the late 1990s has become increasingly contained. Myriad agreements and transnational policies ratified since then have reinforced African borders and closed off sea routes to Europe and port cities in North Africa, creating new realities for Agadez and other medieval caravan hubs.
“Migrant stories reveal that migration and mobility are not exceptional solutions to a crisis but rather longstanding requirements of Saharan life.”
Historically in the Sahara, survival depended on exchange, which was fragile and unstable; that is still the case. The migrant stories collected in Agadez by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reveal that migration and mobility are not exceptional solutions to a crisis but rather longstanding requirements of Saharan life. Many Nigeriens either work for several years in Algeria or Libya and then return or else travel for short journeys to buy merchandise and transport it back to Niger. There are Nigerien workers returning from Algeria as deportees per the agreement between the two countries, or from Libya in view of the current political climate. There are ECOWAS migrants returning to their place of origin (Mali, Gambia, Cameroon, Chad, or Senegal, but also Nigeria or Liberia to a lesser extent) who either worked in Libya until the current situation impelled them to leave or failed in their attempts to get to Europe. There are also economic ECOWAS migrants (mainly from Senegal, Mali, and Chad) coming to Niger, particularly the Aïr region, to work in the mineral mines of Djado and Irefouane (gold) as well as Arlit (uranium) and Tchirozerine (coal). Ultimately, although the decision to migrate does have economic drivers, it is increasingly facilitated by social media rather than made solely on the basis of costs and benefits.
In spite of strong regional institutional frameworks that facilitate migration, local populations in the Sahara have found their movement and economic opportunities restricted as African countries have agreed to border controls and deportations in exchange for development aid from the European Union. According to Loren B. Landau (see doi.org/10.1111/anti.12420), the EU has undermined migratory opportunities through a partnership with the International Organization for Migration and bilateral agreements with countries such as Niger, Ethiopia, and Mali, which are receiving $90 million to prevent refugees and migrants from crossing the Sahara. The EU pursues these policies instead of respecting human rights and acknowledging the legality of United Nations conventions and the obligations of Central Saharan governments in several supranational institutional frameworks concerned with migration.
What these policies miss is that an estimated 90 percent of West Africa’s 8.4 million migrants originate from ECOWAS countries, highlighting the intraregional nature of much of the area’s movement and making it the area with the highest mobility in the African continent (see samuelhall.org /wp-content/uploads/2017/08/IOM-The-economic-impact -of-migration-in-Agadez.pdf). The European prioritization of combating “illegal migration” has since brought profound changes to ECOWAS policy on free movement, such that ECOWAS now works to control migration directed beyond its territory. In January 2008, when ECOWAS heads of state adopted a “common approach on migration” (see unhcr .org/49e47c8f11.pdf) to improve intraregional migration and migration to Europe, irregular migration in the Sahara became, for the first time in history, a political issue influenced by European assumptions about West African migration and a bargaining chip with the European Union rather than a factor of development. As a result, in cities such as Agadez, West African elites are at odds with local governments over economic development policies.
Agadez has become an experiment in migration control and management, as organizations such as IOM seek to determine what drives migration and who the actors are. Policy reports and projects on migration from Africa to Europe mention the importance of “securing” Agadez, and international organizations and nongovernmental organizations specializing in global migration management have opened permanent local offices, including a transit and assistance center in 2014 and a migrant information office in 2016, both run by IOM.
The new landscape has transformed Nigerian migration policies. Whereas before there was no policing, since 2016 Agadez-based organizers of Saharan migration have been arrested and sentenced to prison for years, accused of human smuggling. (Until then, the country had not criminalized smuggling, and nobody within the national territory was considered a smuggler.) The result is that individuals now identified as smugglers are bypassing Agadez, finding new and more difficult routes to bypass checkpoints, thereby exposing migrants to even more risk and harm. There has been an increase in migrant deaths; even more troubling, more of the deaths go uncounted and unreported. Even as Caravans of Gold highlights historical Saharan migration, the current reality in the region increasingly arouses concern.
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https://nublockmuseum.blog/2019/02/20/saharan-crossing-the-realities-of-migration-today/
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Mutations that alter virulence and antibiotic susceptibility arise and persist during Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. However, an experimental system demonstrating transmission following bacteremia has been lacking, and thus implications of within-host adaptation for between-host transmission are unknown. We report that S. aureus disseminates to the gastrointestinal tract of mice following intravenous injection and readily transmits to cohoused naive mice. Both intestinal dissemination and transmission were linked to the production of virulence factors based on gene deletion studies of the sae and agr two-component systems. Furthermore, antimicrobial selection for antibiotic-resistant S. aureus displaced susceptible S. aureus from the intestine of infected hosts, which led to the preferential transmission and dominance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among cohoused untreated mice. These findings establish an animal model to investigate gastrointestinal dissemination and transmission of S. aureus and suggest that adaptation during the course of systemic infection has implications beyond the level of a single host.
INTRODUCTION
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of bacteremia and the most common cause of infectious endocarditis worldwide (1, 2). Despite advances in patient care, S. aureus cardiovascular infections remain associated with considerable morbidity and mortality as a result of complications arising from hematogenous dissemination. In addition, treatment of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains is complicated by the emergence of intermediate and fully vancomycin-resistant strains. Thus, how antibiotic-resistant strains spread in the community and hospital environment has become an area of intense investigation. Development of an animal model of S. aureus transmission would facilitate this effort and complement ongoing epidemiological studies that track the movement of specific strains and the acquisition of mutations.
Adaptation of S. aureus to different environments involves a regulatory network including but not limited to two global regulatory determinants, agr and sae. agr and sae are two-component systems that sense a quorum-sensing peptide and host signals, respectively, to tailor the production of S. aureus virulence factors in an environment-dependent manner (3, 4). Both regulators have been shown to be important for virulence in several animal models of infection (5–9). For example, the expression of important virulence determinants like hemolysins, Panton-Valentine leukocidin, enterotoxins, and protein A is controlled by agr and sae, partly in a cooperative fashion (10, 11). Whether agr and sae also contribute to host-to-host transmission is less clear (12).
Our work on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular infections serendipitously revealed that S. aureus bacteremia results in strikingly high levels of fecal shedding of the bacteria. Although the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is not the relevant organ for understanding staphylococcal pathogenesis, it is a relevant compartment for S. aureus colonization and transmission in the health care environment (13–15). Since we are unaware of previous studies demonstrating that bacteremic infection results in dissemination to the GI tract, we sought to extend this observation by determining whether bacteria in the blood can be transmitted to new hosts. We found that S. aureus can be readily detected in naive mice cohoused with mice infected by the intravenous (i.v.) route. Optimal transmission to the naive host was dependent on agr and sae, and an in vivo competition assay revealed the preferential transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. All together, these results suggest that bacteria can lead to GI dissemination and transmission and establish a new animal model to investigate mechanisms that contribute to S. aureus spread.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Mice.Eight-week-old female C57BL/6 mice (Jackson Laboratories) were injected via the tail vein with the indicated amount of bacteria resuspended in 100 μl of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Preparation of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained intestinal tissue sections was performed as described previously (16). Briefly, 2 cm of ileal or colonic tissue was removed, flushed with PBS, and pinned on black wax while fixed in 10% formalin, before tissue was embedded in agar. We confirmed that S. aureus was not present in mice prior to infection or in mice that were not infected by plating stool homogenized in 1 ml PBS. No colonies were detected when 100 μl of the suspension was plated on mannitol salt agar (MSA) (BD Biosciences) overnight at 37°C, in contrast to when samples from mice infected intravenously with S. aureus were plated under the same conditions. Animal studies were performed according to approved protocols by the NYU School of Medicine Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
Bacterial growth conditions and quantification of bacterial burden.MRSA strains USA300-LAC, MW2, and USA500-BK2395 were used in this study (17). The USA300 Δsae, USA300 Δagr, and USA300 Δsae Δagr mutant strains were previously described (18). S. aureus strains were cultured overnight from a single colony in 5 ml tryptic soy broth (TSB) with shaking at 37°C. Cultures were diluted 1:100 in 5 ml of TSB and grown with shaking at 37°C for an additional 3 h until the optical density at 600 nm (OD600) was 1.5 (109 CFU/ml). Bacterial burden was quantified by plating serial dilutions of homogenized stool and organs on MSA plates. Colon and small intestine were washed in PBS to remove nonadherent bacteria to distinguish lumenal and mucosa-associated bacteria. The gallbladder was carefully removed, and the tissue and lumen were separated and diluted in PBS for plating on MSA plates. For analysis of the in vitro growth curve, overnight cultures of indicated strains were diluted 1:100 in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) plus 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), and the OD600 was measured regularly. For the competition growth curve, cells of the USA300-LAC wild-type (WT) strain and USA300 Δsae Δagr double mutant were mixed at a 1:1 ratio and diluted 1:100 in DMEM plus 10% FCS in triplicate, and grown at 37°C with shaking. At 0, 2, 4, and 8 h, 100 μl was plated on plates containing MSA or MSA with tetracycline (5 μg/ml) to distinguish tetracycline-resistant (USA300 Δsae Δagr) and -sensitive (USA300-LAC WT) bacteria. The amount of USA300-LAC WT bacteria was calculated by subtracting the number of colonies formed on the tetracycline-containing plates from the number of colonies formed on the antibiotic-free plates.
Competition experiments in mice.The mecA+ reference strain USA300-JE2 was grown separately from the mecA-negative competitor (mecA::bursa NE1868 obtained from the Nebraska Transposon Mutant Library) (19) overnight at 37°C. Cultures were diluted 1:100, grown to the exponential phase, and mixed at a 1:1 ratio of 5 × 106 CFU each, which was confirmed by colony determination following plating on agar and incubation. Mice were injected via the tail vein with a combined inoculum of 107 CFU, and 400 mg/kg oxacillin was administered by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection 20 h later. Relative numbers of CFU in feces were determined by plating on MSA (nonselective) and Chromagar (BD Biosciences) plates to select resistant strains. The number of susceptible bacteria was calculated by subtracting CFU obtained by plating on selective media from the CFU from plating on nonselective media.
Statistics.GraphPad Prism v6 was used for statistical analysis. Bacterial burdens were compared after log transformation. Differences between means were evaluated by two-tailed unpaired t test or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Holm-Sidak test for experiments involving multiple comparisons.
RESULTS
S. aureus disseminates to the intestine following intravenous infection.To investigate dissemination during bacteremia, mice were infected with 1 × 107 CFU of the community-acquired (CA) MRSA strain USA300-LAC by tail vein injection. Remarkably, the presence of S. aureus in stool was detected as early as 1 day postinfection and continued to rise during the course of acute infection to 3.9 × 105 CFU/g stool at day 3 (Fig. 1A). Examination of the colon, small intestine, and intestinal lumen on day 3 postinfection revealed bacteria from each of these sites with no obvious regional preference (Fig. 1B). It is unlikely that the presence of S. aureus in the stool or intestine was due to contamination from the blood, because we detected no intestinal bleeding. Also, based on the amount of S. aureus remaining in the blood on day 3 postinfection (∼20 CFU/μl) (Fig. 1B), a large volume of contaminating blood would have been required to account for such high bacterial levels in tissue or feces. We conclude that intravenous (i.v.) injection of S. aureus leads to dissemination from the blood to the lower GI tract followed by shedding in the feces.
Intestinal dissemination did not appear to be a consequence of hematogenous seeding of the GI tract because MRSA was detected in stool on day 1 postinfection, a time at which we observed no symptoms of illness, such as lethargy, ruffled fur, or hunched posture. Also, mice had no diarrhea, and macroscopic and microscopic examination of intestinal tissue showed no obvious sign of infectious abscesses or inflammation (Fig. 1C). Additionally, the same fecal burden (5.8 × 104 CFU/g stool) was obtained following i.v. injection with the lower dose of 1 × 105 CFU of USA300, indicating that the infecting concentration of bacteria was saturating even at a nonlethal dose (Fig. 1D). Another route by which S. aureus could reach the intestine is through biliary excretion following infection of the gallbladder during the initial high-grade bacteremia. Consistent with this possibility, the presence of S. aureus in the gallbladder preceded its presence in the intestine. S. aureus was retrieved from the gallbladder (1.3 × 104 CFU in the lumen and 2.2 × 104 CFU in the tissue) as early as 4 h after i.v. injection, a time at which bacterial numbers were at or below the limit of detection in intestinal tissue (Fig. 1E). By comparison, bacterial burden in the spleen was apparent from the onset of infection (Fig. 1E). Bacteria were not recovered from the gallbladder at 24 h postinfection. Thus, any seeding of S. aureus into the GI tract from the gallbladder would have been transient. Although these results do not exclude other routes of spread, our findings suggest that biliary excretion contributes to early GI dissemination.
Intestinal dissemination of S. aureus is followed by transmission.Cohousing of infected mice with naive mice is often used as a model to investigate fecal-oral transmission of a variety of pathogens (20–23). To determine whether S. aureus from a systemic infection can be transmitted to another host, mice injected i.v. as described above with 1 × 107 CFU of USA300 were cohoused with naive mice (Fig. 2A). Strikingly, analysis of bacteria in the stool indicated that S. aureus was transmitted to naive animals. Cohoused mice displayed a similar amount of S. aureus in stool (1.3 × 105 CFU/g on day 4) to mice infected by i.v. injection (Fig. 2B). Thus, S. aureus can transmit to uninfected cage mates via the fecal-oral route following bacterial dissemination from the blood to the intestine.
To determine if the intestinal dissemination and transmission reflect a specific property of USA300, we injected mice i.v. with 1 × 107 CFU of CA-MRSA strains USA400 (MW2) and USA500. S. aureus in the stool was readily detected following bacteremic infection by these strains as well (Fig. 3A). Moreover, using the same cohousing scheme described above, we found a similar degree of transmission with USA400 and USA500 to that observed with USA300 (Fig. 3B and C). Thus, fecal shedding and transmission are not strain specific.
sae and agr cooperatively facilitate intestinal dissemination and transmission.The observed linkage between intestinal dissemination and transmission raises the intriguing possibility that virulence can promote transmission. Although no single virulence determinant has been demonstrated to account for the ability of S. aureus to disseminate to peripheral organs following blood infection (24), many of the characterized virulence factors are controlled by the sae and agr regulatory systems (25). We therefore infected mice with either USA300 isogenic sae and agr single mutants (Δsae and Δagr), a double mutant (Δsae Δagr), or the wild-type (WT) strain (18). Whereas loss of either sae or agr alone did not significantly affect shedding of the bacteria on day 3 after i.v. infection, the double mutant strain USA300 Δsae Δagr displayed a 10-fold decrease in fecal shedding compared to USA300 WT (Fig. 4A). The effect of the double mutation on transmission was even more pronounced. We found a 103-fold reduction in the amount of bacteria recovered from the stool of mice cohoused with mice injected with USA300 Δsae Δagr (280 CFU/g stool USA300 Δsae Δagr compared with 1.55 × 106 CFU/g stool USA300 WT on day 3). In contrast, the USA300 Δsae and USA300 Δagr single mutants did not exhibit a transmission disadvantage (Fig. 4B). When USA300 WT and the Δsae Δagr mutant were grown side by side or together in an in vitro competition assay, USA300 Δsae Δagr did not display a growth defect (Fig. 4C and D). These results suggest that the fitness cost for USA300 Δsae Δagr in vivo was not attributable to an intrinsic growth defect: if anything, it showed a growth advantage (Fig. 4D). Reduced transmission may reflect either a requirement for a threshold level of bacteria in the feces of donor hosts or the role of agr- or sae-mediated virulence once the recipient is exposed. Regardless, our observations indicate that S. aureus is transmitted from a bacteremic host to uninfected mice in the same cage through a process that is facilitated by sae and agr.
Antibiotic selection in the bacteremic host has consequences for transmission.The above findings suggest that an event occurring in a bacteremic host can determine which strains successfully transmit to new hosts. Since the selection and spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of S. aureus have become a major medical threat, we examined the consequence of antibiotic treatment on the transmission of resistant bacteria in our mouse model of dissemination and transmission. In an in vivo competition assay, mice were challenged i.v. with equal numbers of mecA-negative and isogenic WT (mecA+ oxacillin-resistant) USA300 bacteria (Fig. 5A). Antibiotic (oxacillin) was administered 20 h after bacteremic infection, a time after hepatobiliary dissemination. Four hours after antibiotic administration (i.e., 24 h after i.v. injection), two infected “donor” mice were cohoused with three uninfected “recipient” mice in a fresh cage to ensure that recipient mice would not be exposed to S. aureus cells that were shed from donor mice prior to antibiotic treatment. Recipient mice did not receive antibiotic. Thus, by measuring the ability of mecA+ and mecA-negative strains to reach the stool of untreated recipient mice, we can ascertain the consequence of selection within the bacteremic donor mice independently of subsequent events that occur within the recipient mice. As expected, the proportion of mecA+ bacteria in the stool of antibiotic-treated donor mice increased compared with the initial starting frequency of approximately 50% (Fig. 5B). Furthermore, selection for antimicrobial resistance in the GI tract of treated mice also resulted in preferential transmission of resistant bacteria to uninfected cage mates. Two days after cohousing, the majority of bacteria recovered from the stool of recipient mice were antibiotic resistant (Fig. 5C). Thus, a disproportionate amount of resistant bacteria entering the stool of treated donor mice allowed resistant bacteria to preferentially transmit and become the dominant strain in untreated recipient mice.
DISCUSSION
Our observations establish a new animal model to investigate host-to-host transmission following within-host dissemination. A key finding in the present work is that large numbers of S. aureus cells can transmit to new hosts via the GI tract as a result of bloodstream infection, indicating a novel route connecting compartments relevant to pathogenesis and transmission. S. aureus may have seeded the intestinal lumen from the gallbladder after the initial high-grade bacteremia in a process resembling biliary excretion of Salmonella and Listeria into the GI tract after i.v. infection of mice (26, 27). The bacterial load in the gallbladder was transient, suggesting that (i) the gallbladder is not a permissive site for S. aureus replication, and (ii) high bacterial loads after i.v. infection of mice are transient. However, unlike the temporal staphylococcal discharge into the gallbladder of bacteremic mice, persistently bacteremic human patients may shed bacteria for long periods of time. Although further investigation is required to determine the exact way in which S. aureus reaches the intestine, transmission by the fecal route is considered important in the hospital environment (15, 28), where exposure of hospitalized patients to antibiotics could disrupt GI microbial flora and promotes colonization of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including MRSA. Thus, one implication of our findings is that bacteremic patients in a hospital can be a source of further MRSA infections and contribute to a nosocomial outbreak. The S. aureus GI dissemination and transmission model described herein is an important step forward toward an understanding of the S. aureus life cycle in the health care environment.
Our initial results suggest that the ability of S. aureus to disseminate and transmit following blood infection is not strain specific, although there were subtle differences in the kinetics of transmission when comparing the three strains we analyzed (compare Fig. 2B with 3B and C). As an initial step toward elucidating the mechanisms behind S. aureus dissemination and transmission, we examined the role of agr and sae in this model. Transmission to naive hosts subsequent to intestinal dissemination depended on the regulatory circuits cooperatively controlled by agr and sae, consistent with the importance of these factors in other models of invasive staphylococcal infection (25). Interestingly, loss of only one of the regulators of these important two-component systems did not affect the ability of S. aureus to transmit to new hosts in this assay. This finding may reflect redundancies in virulence factors that mediate within-host dissemination (24). Alternatively, it is possible that reducing the initial bacterial load or coinfecting mice with WT and mutant strains will reveal a role for the individual factors. Such competition assays may be particularly useful in determining whether some strains have an increased capacity to disseminate and transmit.
S. aureus and MRSA strains can acquire mutations that alter antibiotic resistance and virulence during disease progression (29–31). Although a disease-promoting mutation that occurs during the course of bacteremia could confer a transient advantage to the bacterium, such an adaption would be a dead end for the bacterium in the absence of transmission. Thus, another implication of the present work is that selective processes taking place over the course of blood infection can go beyond a single host. Further experimental support for this hypothesis was provided by in vivo competition assays demonstrating preferential transmission of resistant strains over susceptible ones following antibiotic treatment. The displacement time in naive cohoused mice that did not receive the antibiotic mirrored the period of selection observed in the antibiotic-treated bacteremic mice, thus bridging within- and between-host dynamics.
Two additional comments are relevant to the work described above. First, the barrier to infection in humans is higher than that in mice, where coprophagia permits fecal-oral spread of S. aureus. However, even if S. aureus is not able to sustain transmission by the fecal-oral route in humans, the introduction of large doses of bacteria into the hospital environment may provide opportunities for the bacterium to leave one host and enter a new one at more conventional sites from which it is transmitted onwards. Second, evolution of S. aureus within the bacteremic host is not instantaneous, which may affect the within-host dissemination and spread of adapted mutants to new hosts. Additional studies are needed to demonstrate clinical significance and test specific host adaptive mutations for functional trade-offs in transmission efficiency.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Karl Drlica for suggestions on the manuscript.
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants R01 DK093668 (K.C.), R01 AI103268 (B.S. and V.J.T.), T32 GM007308 (K.M.), T32 AI100853 (K.M.), and F30 DK098925 (K.M.), American Heart Association grant 12GRNT12030041 (K.C.), the Vilcek Fellowship (E.K.), and the Erwin Schrodinger Fellowship of the FWF (Austrian Science Fund) (E.K.). V.J.T. is a Burroughs Wellcome Fellow in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases.
The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.
FOOTNOTES
- Received 2 July 2014.
- Returned for modification 8 September 2014.
- Accepted 1 November 2014.
- Accepted manuscript posted online 10 November 2014.
- Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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https://iai.asm.org/content/83/1/372
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Increasing Globalization and the Movement of Antimicrobial Resistance between Countries
The threat of antimicrobial resistance continues to grow worldwide, exacerbated by poor antibiotic stewardship practices, limited development of new antimicrobial agents, and increasing globalization.
This review covers previously published studies examining how human movement contributes to the global spread of antimicrobial resistance, including between low- and middle-income and high-income countries.
The emergence of resistance in one country or part of the world can become a worldwide event quickly. Human movement, including travel, medical tourism, military service, and migration, results in the globalization of resistant bacterial strains.
Increased surveillance, whole-genome sequencing, focused infection control, and effective stewardship practices are needed to maintain the efficacy of antibiotics.
Technology Database
Display your AMR Technology, Product and Service
Suppliers and Users of Technologies, Products and Services benefit from CAPI.
CAPI (Continuous AMR Partnering Initiative) unites Suppliers and Users worldwide with the aim to add to the curbing of AMR.
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https://www.amr-insights.eu/increasing-globalization-and-the-movement-of-antimicrobial-resistance-between-countries/
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New Zealand just refused asylum to Ioana Teitiota. He claimed that climate change had made returning to Kiribati impossible.
Globally, disasters have affected millions of people. Many will want to remain overseas, or move abroad as climate change impacts make their lives harder. But the asylum system will be a fruitless way of providing safety for such people. We need a new and different approach to migration and development policy.
Ioana Teitiota’s case is unusual. He has moved across an international border and moved a long distance. Most people who move as a result of climate change impacts move within their own countries and tend not to travel far. When people are fleeing sudden climate-linked disasters like floods and typhoons they tend to move to the nearest place of safety. Often an evacuation centre, the homes of friends and relatives, and often to camps.
This is what happened during flooding in Pakistan and after Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. When people move because of slowly unfolding disasters like drought or water stress the patterns of movement are different. People will often move alone, rather than with their family or community. They will usually be seeking work in a nearby city as the drought reduces income from farming.
Migration as adaptation
The focus of the climate and migration debate has often been about which countries will or won’t accept new waves of people. But as most of the movement is likely to be internal rather than cross-border, state-level responses are important.
In the case of sudden disasters, city and regional level disaster risk reduction is vital. Other issues emerge when looking as slowly unfolding disasters. When faced with repeated drought of desertification, migration may be the best way for some people adapt to climate change.
Governments often think of migration as a problem that has to be reduced or prevented. Development policy often focuses on helping people where they are and enabling them to stay. But for millions of people migration may be their best adaptation strategy.
When people move away from a drought hit area this can help them, and the community they leave, to adapt. Out migration means there are fewer people in the disaster prone area. It also means there are fewer people to support from dwindling agricultural income. Migrants will often send remittances back to their family. This income provides some financial stability in the face of wavering income from agriculture. Communities sometime invest remittances in small scale adaptation projects.
Helping out
But what happens when people do cross international borders? As Ioana Teitiota’s case demonstrates, the existing asylum system is unlikely to help. Several considerations are clear:
We should think about people fleeing all disasters. Any new legal framework should not only help people who are fleeing climate-linked disasters. It should help people who are fleeing any kind of disaster. This would help more people. It would also mean that it wouldn’t matter whether climate change had influenced the disaster.
We should look at existing areas of law that we could easily change. Many countries already have options for people to stay while their countries recover from disasters. This is useless for people whose homes are permanently affected by climate change. But could be a useful interim measure for millions of people who are already working abroad when a disaster strikes.
We should try to reach regional and bilateral agreements, rather than global ones. Six countries around a table is much easier than 192. A small number of countries may be able to produce a regional agreement. This could be quicker than reaching a global agreement. Given that most of the movement is likely to be between nearby countries this makes a lot of sense.
We should try to use existing or emerging international agreements. In 2015 (we hope) governments will reach an agreement on stopping and adapting to climate change. The draft text contains a section asking governments to consider displacement linked to climate change. Or, could the replacement for the Millennium Development goals include provision for migration linked to climate change? Or the new agreement on how governments work together to reduce the risk of disasters? These are all international process that already have momentum. Using them might be quicker and easier than starting a new round of talks.
All of this is cold comfort to Ioana Teitiota who will probably be returned to Kiribati. But it is vital that we consider the questions now to protect people who will move in the future.
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https://www.climatechangenews.com/2014/06/03/immigration-laws-must-cater-for-climate-refugees/
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For many years researchers have talked about the “Age of Migration”, an era when more and more people were on the move. Suddenly within the space of less than two months movements across most borders have almost ceased completely – and policymakers are faced with the challenge of managing migration during a period of immobility. According to IOM, as of 23 April 2020, a total of 215 countries, territories and areas had implemented a total of 52,262 restrictive measures.
How will the pandemic and new restrictions on movements affect global migration?
Based on 11 contributions by several senior officials and experts from international organizations, NGOs and academia, this special issue of Migration Policy Practice discusses the emerging effects of COVID-19 for migrants and migration policy worldwide from a range of perspectives including the humanitarian, economic and data-related implications of the new pandemic.
It stresses that while most refugees and migrants live in individual and communal accommodations in urban areas, and therefore face similar health threats from COVID-19 as their host populations, their degree of vulnerability may be a lot higher due to the conditions of their migratory journeys, limited employment opportunities, overcrowded and poor living and working conditions with inadequate access to food, water, sanitation and other basic services.
On the economic front, due to travel and other restrictions, labour migration flows have been reduced drastically, resulting in declining economic activity, as well as in a range of family and food security issues. On 22 April 2020, the World Bank predicted that global remittances could decline sharply by about 20 per cent in 2020 due to the economic crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown.
On the other hand, the ability to access timely and accurate statistics and analysis to monitor the implications of the pandemic is still suboptimal and data collection generally, and the implementation of censuses in particular, will need to change drastically as a result of the pandemic. Among other things, face-to-face data collection will not be the norm anymore and changes in the data infrastructure will be needed in order to accommodate such a development.
Lessons drawn from past global crises may also help policymakers understand and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. This special issue of MPP explores, in particular, the effects that the financial crisis of 2008, the Arab Spring in 2011 and the migrant emergency in 2015 have had on migration policies, migration flows and migrants´ potential to contribute to household resilience and national development in their countries of origin.
This issue marks the tenth anniversary of Migration Policy Practice. The editors and editorial team would therefore like to thank all their authors and readers for their contribution to the establishment and recognition of MPP as the only international journal directed at migration policymakers worldwide.
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https://publications.iom.int/books/migration-policy-practice-vol-x-number-2-april-june-2020?language=en
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August 20, 2018, Volume :40 Number 16 , page 27 - 27 [Free]
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Casting the current so called one-size-fits-all method of identifying colorectal cancer as imprecise-not to mention unreliable-public health researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center recently drafted a roadmap of sorts for the future use of precision screening for the condition.
Fred Hutch epidemiologist Ulrike "Riki" Peters, PhD, MPH, shared senior author of the study, noted her team has a solid approach in showing how it can integrate environmental, lifestyle, and [inherited] genetic data to predict risk.
"It made sense to try to combine this growing knowledge to investigate if we can use it to predict disease," she stated. Currently, of course, only age and family history are used to define who should go when for screening.
While calling it an "an excellent study that adds to our understanding of colorectal cancer risk prediction, we're far from understanding the real-world clinical significance," remarked Daniel Reuland, MD, MPH, Director of the Carolina Cancer Screening Initiative at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Using models to adjust the recommended age for initiating colorectal cancer screening may matter for some at the extremes of risk, Reuland noted; the highest versus lowest 10 percent, but most people will fall much closer to the average risk.
So, either way, for most, a more "precise" recommended age of screening initiation would differ by current recommendations by just a few years, he explained.
Pankaj Vashi, MD, Chair, Department of Medicine for Cancer Treatment Centers of America, described the risk prediction model as an "exciting concept that, in theory, makes a lot of sense." But he believes it has too many variables that can be difficult to identify and implement. The effectiveness of this model, he continued, hinges on the ability of physicians and researchers to gather more data points and develop the appropriate algorithms to process the information and method of dissemination so that it can be administered effectively at the bedside and beyond.
Peters acknowledged her team's approach is making it a little more complicated for physicians and patients. "However, if well-implemented in the electronic health record, this can be streamlined."
Starting at age 50, those at average risk should get a colonoscopy sigmoidoscopy, or other test, according to current screening guidelines. Based on a risk prediction model, the new approach isn't so much cookie cutter and considerably more nuanced. In order to ascertain when an individual should begin colorectal cancer screening-the country's third leading cause of cancer death-it relies on personal risk factors and genetic data.
Though conceding the current approach might not be perfect, through clinical research, it has demonstrated its effectiveness, commented Vashi. "Baseline screening at age of 50 is a well-accepted screening strategy throughout the medical community. Primary care physicians now have the screening schedules on their EHR and compliance is easily monitored, Vashi said.
The model recommends some people at high risk start screening as early as age 40 and some at low risk to wait until their 60s.
Patient data drawn from a number of colorectal cancer studies done between 1992 and 2005, all of which are associated with the Genetics and Epidemiology and Colorectal Cancer Consortium (GECCO) and the Colorectal Transdisciplinary study (CORECT), were utilized by a battery of epidemiologists and biostatisticians.
Data from about 20,000 people-roughly half with the disease and half without-were used to build and validate their risk-prediction model. The model used family history of disease, lifestyle, and environmental risk factors, and genetic variants associated with the disease to determine colorectal cancer risk.
"As the genetic background differs, we need to test the model in each ancestral group to ensure we use the right genetic markers," said Peters.
Based on their findings, the one-size-fits-all initial screening age of 50 is either too early or too late for many. Recommended for much earlier screening were men in the highest 10 percent of risk, according to the new model.
However, Gregory Cooper, MD, Division of Gastroenterology at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, said he'd be careful about delaying screening until validated and refined. "We don't fully understand the implications of collecting genetic data in all comers. We might be falsely labeling patients as high or low risk."
In the meantime, among women, findings were similar. It was recommended that those with a family history of colorectal cancer, on top of high environmental, lifestyle, and genetic vulnerability initiate screening 4 years earlier, when they're 46. Furthermore, it was deemed acceptable for those stratified to the lowest 10 percent of risk, even with a family history, wait until 59 years of age.
For their model, researchers used 19 evidence-based lifestyle/environmental risk factors including, for instance, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. The team ascertained genetic risk scores by studying 63 small genetic variations at 49 known colorectal cancer loci. They'd been identified through association studies conducted by cancer research consortiums such as GECCO and CORECT.
Research showed the environmental and lifestyle risk factors were just as important as inherited genetic variations associated with colorectal cancer.
"These researchers have done terrific work in developing these models. However, the road between these findings and improved health is long," noted Cooper.
Chuck Green is a contributing writer.
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https://www.nursingcenter.com/journalarticle?Article_ID=4749948&Journal_ID=401957&Issue_ID=4749896
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Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is the most common heritable cause of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). By working closely with CADASIL gene mutation carriers (individuals diagnosed with CADASIL), our research team will be able to study the earliest clinical, biofluid, and neuroimaging changes that lead to symptomatic VCID before these symptoms emerge in individuals. If the team works with a large enough group of CADASIL gene mutation carriers, we will learn important lessons about CADASIL that can be applied to other types of VCID, including sporadic or intermittent forms and mixed dementia syndromes with a vascular component. For this reason, we will establish the first longitudinal study in the United States where 400 CADASIL gene mutation carriers and 100 non-carrier controls (NC) will be observed several times over the course of five years at one of twelve study sites with established CADASIL clinics.
With the data from this longitudinal study, our research team will achieve two main objectives. First, the team will be able to characterize the initial presentation and course of clinical, neuroimaging, and fluid markers of participants diagnosed with CADASIL and to compare these diagnostic indications of disease with those from NC. This means that we will identify when markers in participants diagnosed with CADASIL diverge from those in NC and which measures indicate a worsening condition. On the basis of these measures, the team will refine how the stages of disease severity are assessed.
Second, the research team will be able to clarify genetic, health, and lifestyle factors which impact clinically meaningful outcomes in CADASIL by incorporating genetic tools, medical history, and lifestyle questionnaires in the study. This means that we will better understand how variant NOTCH3 mutations, risk-increasing behaviors, coexisting medical conditions, and Alzheimer’s disease markers influence the disease onset of CADASIL. Alongside these main objectives, the research team will apply disease modeling analytics (or the computational study of data or statistics) to the information collected and examine outcomes with experts from different fields to develop a model for CADASIL which is also more broadly applicable to VCID.
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https://cadasil-consortium.org/objectives/
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The purpose is to determine the extent of genetic damage in oral mucosal lesions ascertained in the study, whether specific genotypes are associated with genetic damage observed in the oral mucosal lesions, whether the extent of genetic damage changes over time, and what factors (e.g. smoking) contribute to those changes. Genetic damage indicators will include among others DNA adduct formation, particularly related to tobacco smoke carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydocarbons. The genotypes of interest will be focused on these affecting carcinogen metabolism, (e.g., (CYP family), but may also include those related to growth factors, cell cycle control, and DNA repair. Microsatellite instability is another key indicator of damage that we plan to examine. This study was undertaken due to the paucity of data on the types of oral lesions seen in general dental practice and the limited knowledge of the natural history of these lesions.
Persons were enrolled who had red and/or white oral lesions identified at 6 Dental Clinics at VA Medical Centers. The VA Centers involved were: Washington, DC; Atlanta, GA; Durham, NC; San Francisco, CA; Danville, IL; and San Antonio, TX.
When a dentist found a red or white lesions in the course of routine outpatient examinations and care, obvious causes such as denture frictional lesions could be ruled out, and the normal standard of care for the lesion was biopsy, the patient was considered for enrollment into the study. The study was described to the patient, the consent for was signed, the patient received an intraoral examination to identify and characterize the oral lesions, the lesions were photographed, an oral epithelial cell sample was taken from the site and from the rest of the oral mucosa, and the patient was interviewed using a standard questionnaire that requested information about sociodemograhic, medical, and lifestyle factors, particularly tobacco and alcohol use all as part of the study protocol, and the patient received a biopsy as part of normal care. The biopsy report was obtained as was a small piece of the biopsy material that was not needed for patient diagnostic purposes. The subjects returned every 4-6 months for reassessment of the lesion or to determine that the lesion had not returned. The patients completed a questionnaire at each of these visits so that lifestyle factors such as tobacco and alcohol use could be reassessed. Also oral epithelial cell scrapings were obtained at each of these visits.
This study is particularly valuable because longitudinal data was collected and because the data were collected over time using standard procedures.
The Biomarkers for Oral Cancer study was undertaken to better understand the role of genetic and lifestyle factors in the natural history of these oral premalignant lesions. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent of genetic damage in oral mucosal lesions ascertained in the study, whether specific genotypes are associated with genetic damage observed in the oral mucosal lesions, whether the extent of genetic damage changes over time, and what factors (e.g. smoking) contribute to those changes. This study is particularly valuable because longitudinal data was collected over time using standardized procedures.
Persons were enrolled in the study who had red and/or white oral lesions identified at 6 Dental Clinics at VA Medical Centers. When a dentist found a red or white lesion in the course of routine outpatient examinations and care, obvious causes such as denture frictional lesions could be ruled out, and when the normal standard of care for the lesion was biopsy, the patient was considered for enrollment into the study. The study was described to the patient, the consent form was signed, the patient received an intraoral examination to identify and characterize the oral lesions, the lesions were photographed, an oral epithelial cell sample was taken from the site and from the rest of the oral mucosa, and the patient was interviewed using a standard questionnaire that requested information about sociodemographic, medical, and lifestyle factors, particularly tobacco and alcohol use all as part of the study protocol. The patient s lesion was biopsied as part of his normal care. The biopsy report was obtained, as was a small piece of the biopsy material that was not needed for patient diagnostic purposes. The subjects returned every 4-6 months for reassessment of the lesion or to determine that the lesion had not returned. The patients completed a questionnaire at each of these visits so that lifestyle factors such as tobacco and alcohol use could be reassessed. Also, oral epithelial cell scrapings were obtained at each of these visits.
Analysis is focusing on the loss of heterozygosity and microsatellite instability as indicators of genetic damage and the relationship of damage to smoking and genotypes as well as how well findings from the oral rinses and brushes correspond to those in lesion tissues.
Patients with white, red, or white and red lesions in the oral cavity and oropharynx as identified by the participating dentist.
Bouquot JE, Gorlin RJ. Leukoplakia, lichen planus, and other oral keratoses in 23,616 white Americans over the age of 35 years. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1986 Apr;61(4):373-81.
Brachman DG, Graves D, Vokes E, Beckett M, Haraf D, Montag A, Dunphy E, Mick R, Yandell D, Weichselbaum RR. Occurrence of p53 gene deletions and human papilloma virus infection in human head and neck cancer. Cancer Res. 1992 Sep 1;52(17):4832-6.
Brennan JA, Boyle JO, Koch WM, Goodman SN, Hruban RH, Eby YJ, Couch MJ, Forastiere AA, Sidransky D. Association between cigarette smoking and mutation of the p53 gene in squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. N Engl J Med. 1995 Mar 16;332(11):712-7.
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https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00341497?term=Oral+Cancer&fund=0&rank=1
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In 2008, over 66,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and over 19,000 will die of this cancer. Survival rates have only recently begun to improve, and the current 5-year survival rate is 66%. We have identified a number of candidate host (inherited) immune genes and DNA repair genes that individually and in aggregate predict survival for follicular lymphoma (FL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) beyond classic clinical and demographic prognostic factors. We have also found that pre-diagnosis smoking and obesity are associated with poorer overall NHL survival. We propose to replicate and extend these provocative findings. Furthermore, building off these findings, we will evaluate whether the association of host genetics is independent of tumor molecular markers, as well as begin to explore whether there are host-tumor interactions that impact disease progression and survival. The overall goal of this study is to identify host genetic and tumor molecular markers that predict event-free and overall survival in order to improve prognostication, better understand NHL pathophysiology, and ultimately help identify approaches to improve the survival of NHL patients. Our specific aims are: 1) To evaluate the association of polymorphisms in immune and DNA repair genes with event-free and overall survival from FL and DLBCL;2) To evaluate the association of tumor molecular markers with event-free and overall survival from FL and DLBCL;and 3) To develop multivariate prediction models for FL and DLBCL that integrate standard demographic and clinical characteristics, treatment, host genetic variation (Aim 1) and tumor molecular markers (Aim 2) to predict eventfree and overall survival. In a secondary aim, we will evaluate the role of pre-diagnosis lifestyle factors with event-free and overall survival from NHL. To achieve these aims, we will use the Lymphoma Molecular Epidemiology Resource, an ongoing, prospective prognostic cohort study of newly diagnosed cases from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Iowa initiated in 2002. This resource has several methodologic strengths, including large sample size (>2200cases), central pathology review and classification, availability of tumor tissue, detailed baseline clinical prognostic data, initial and subsequent treatments, and a large patient population treated in the immunochemotherapy (rituximab) era. We have systematically collected detailed outcome data, which will allow us to evaluate both event-free and overall survival. We will also be able to evaluate host genetic and tumor molecular prognostic factors in the context of established demographic and clinical prognostic factors, as well as all treatment(s). Upon completion of these aims, we will have simultaneously evaluated the role of host genetic variation and molecular tumor markers in the prognosis of FL and DLBCL. If host genetic factors are confirmed as robust predictors of outcome, this could lead to a fundamental shift in how patient prognosis is evaluated by incorporating host genotype into prognostic models. Host genetics may also lead to a better understanding of NHL pathophysiology that could lead to new approaches to improve the survival of NHL patients.
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https://mayoclinic.pure.elsevier.com/en/projects/molecular-epidemiology-of-non-hodgkin-lymphoma-survival
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Our team investigates how the individual factors that constitute the exposome (health behaviors, lifestyle, occupation, environmental exposures to chemical or physical pollutants, biological characteristics, etc.), and the genetic background interact to influence the incidence and outcome of common chronic conditions such as cancer, cardio-metabolic conditions, and neuro-degenerative and ageing-related diseases. Thus, the team aims at assessing in detail the joint exposure to multiple risk factors, and studying their relation to disease incidence over the lifecourse, as well as the influence on disease prognosis. One of our specificities is that we will be able to study the effect of the exposome across generations, and the transmission of traits within families across several generations.
This research program mainly relies on the E3N-E4N familial prospective cohort, large disease-specific case-control studies, and medico-administrative databases such as those from the health insurance schemes, MGEN and the French social security.
The E3N-E4N family cohort
Since 1990, the team has built and is in charge of the largest French prospective cohort on women’s health: E3N. The E3N cohort includes 98,995 women, born between 1925 and 1950 and affiliated to the MGEN (Mutuelle Générale de l'Education Nationale). Participants have been actively followed through biennial follow-up questionnaires. The E3N study has produced many results on women's health.
Since 2014, the E3N cohort is expanding to family members of initial participants: E3N women’s children (Generation G2), grand-children (G3), and their children’s fathers (G1) are gradually being included in the study. In the end, the E3N-E4N family cohort will gather 200,000 people over three generations. There is only one other cohort of this size in the world that brings together families over three generations. The E3N-E4N study aims to better understand the environmental and genetic risk factors for major chronic diseases.
The E3N-E4N family cohort collects epidemiological, medical and biological data. Information is collected through self-administered questionnaires (health and lifestyle, including reproductive past, body size, smoking and alcohol consumptions, diet, physical activity, etc.), paper or web questionnaires according to generations. The self-reported medical conditions are confirmed, validated and detailed through pathological reports and/or medico-administrative databases (e.g. databases on causes of death CépiDC, medication reimbursements and hospitalizations MGEN and SNIIR-AM ).
The E3N-E4N cohort also includes biological collections: 25,000 blood samples and 47,000 saliva samples (for DNA) collected from E3N women. We are completing this biobank from E4N volunteers (18,000 saliva samples for G1, to come for G2 and G3). A tumor bank is also being established. Enlarging the cohort to the next generations is an opportunity to use innovative tools (connected devices, pollution sensors, etc.), which will make it a pioneering study in e-epidemiology.
All these resources will enable us to investigate the influence of behavioural, environmental, biological, genetic, and epigenetic factors during different periods of life on major chronic diseases risk and progression (e.g. cancers, cardio-metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, asthma, depression, endometriosis…).
The E3N-E4N cohort works as an open research infrastructure. The data, anonymized, are accessible to other academic researchers, under the control and validation of the institutional and scientific committees of the study.
Keywords
Epidemiology, biostatistics, cohort, exposome, genetics, epigenetics, cancer, cardio-metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases
Group main research axes
- To identify and analyse the role of several factors, including hormonal, dietary and genetic factors, in the occurrence of cancer and other major chronic diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, Parkinson, ...)
- To investigate the associations of major chronic diseases with lifestyle and metabolic factors (in particular diet, physical activity, use of hormonal treatments, reproductive factors, early life exposures, …)
- To study the impact of environmental and occupational exposures on health
- To analyse the interaction between genetic characteristics and these potential risk factors
- To assess the relationship between chronic diseases and several biological markers (diet, pollution, hormonal milieu, genetic polymorphisms, ...)
- To study the biological mechanisms related to cancer, cardiometabolic or neurodegenerative diseases and identify new biomarkers for prediction and early diagnosis
- To study the determinants and consequences of motor function decline, during normal and pathological ageing
- To study survival and life quality after the incidence of chronic diseases (cancer, diabetes, …)
- To study inheritance and the transmission of health determinants
Results
Major results of the research team describe the following associations:
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https://www.gustaveroussy.fr/en/exposome-inheritance
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Published by:
Environmental, genetic factors may predict longevity in sickle cell disease
Published by:
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A case series of individuals with sickle cell disease who lived into their ninth decade revealed potential genetic and environmental factors associated with their longevity.
The case report — published in Blood — included data from four women with sickle cell disease who have lived longer than age 80 years. Three women are American and received treatment at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sickle Cell Center. The fourth woman resided in Brazil.
One patient remained alive and in her 80s at the time of reporting. The remaining three patients are deceased and had lived into their 80s.
Although individuals with sickle cell disease are living longer than ever, most patients do not live beyond the age of 60 years, according to Samir K. Ballas, MD, FACP, emeritus professor of medicine and pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University.
“In the 1990s, the average lifespan of a patient with sickle cell disease was between 40 years and 50 years,” Ballas told HemOnc Today. “In our patient population, we see a growing number of patients living well into their 50s, with some living into their 60s. In the long run, we hope that patients with sickle cell disease will approach a normal life span.”
Ballas and colleagues sought to observe common traits among patients with sickle cell disease who survive well beyond the average life span. The researchers observed that all octogenarian patients were women.
“On average, women with sickle cell disease live between 8 years and 10 years longer than men,” Ballas said.
The researchers further noted that all octogenarian patients had little history of vaso-occlusive pain crises and no history of strokes. The U.S. patients had no history of acute chest syndrome, although the Brazilian patient had a history of this condition.
Ballas and colleagues further noted that all of the octogenarian patients had low white blood cell counts, low hemoglobin levels and normal biochemical parameters. They also had no history of hydroxyurea use.
All octogenarian patients had several lifestyle factors in common, including no history of smoking; little to no history of alcohol consumption; excellent adherence to medication, medical appointments and patient referrals; and normal or below-normal BMI.
“All patients had excellent family support, which in turn may be responsible for their excellent treatment adherence,” Ballas said. “We believe that this contributed to their longevity, in addition to maintaining healthy lifestyles.”
The researchers acknowledged that their observations are anecdotal. However, Ballas asserted that physicians treating patients with sickle cell disease should consider initiating conversations about potentially actionable lifestyle factors.
“The message of our findings is to emphasize the environmental factors,” Ballas said. “These factors can be controlled or treated. We should counsel, advise and educate patients to follow the examples of these long-living individuals with sickle cell disease, all of whom achieved a life span beyond what is expected of the general population.” – by Cameron Kelsall
For more information:
Samir K. Ballas , MD, FACP, can be reached at [email protected].
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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https://www.healio.com/news/hematology-oncology/20161017/environmental-genetic-factors-may-predict-longevity-in-sickle-cell-disease
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Thoracic surgeons at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) provide highly advanced surgical care, working one-on-one with patients to create treatment plans just for them. They also work diligently behind the scenes, as active scientific researchers. The research studies, clinical trials and scientific discoveries completed by BWH thoracic surgeons have led to revolutionary innovations in the field of thoracic surgery.
Thoracic surgery research involves many projects that have emerged from years of interdisciplinary discussion and collaboration among researchers at BWH and additional scientists interested in thoracic diseases who work at other Harvard Medical Area facilities throughout the U.S. and around the world. Together, we have built an integrated research effort among multiple disciplines each contributing to a different aspect of thoracic disease treatment or quality of life (QOL) maintenance.
Only patients who have provided consent are studied. The high quality care remains the same regardless of study participation. Each project is ultimately designed to improve patient therapy and outcome.
Various database projects collect patient history and exposure data to assess genetic susceptibility factors for development of malignant and benign thoracic disease.
Basic science projects will contribute to understanding the biology of disease development, discover and validate molecular markers or targets, and develop targeted therapies.
The BWH Thoracic Surgery Tissue Bank stores and supplies patient blood and tissue samples to the other projects. We are looking for a screening test for cancer, guides to therapy and better understanding of why cancer cells seem to have an advantage over normal cells.
Database projects track outcome data, and assess new options for diagnostic tools, chemotherapy, surgery and post-treatment care.
Intra-operative device studies allow surgeons to test new products that have the potential to improve surgical care and reduce operative time.
Questionnaire studies are used to gather self-reported information from our patients. From this data, surgeons are able to advise patients on what the self reported magnitude of post-operative changes will be.
Learn more about the individual thoracic research projects.
To learn how you can support our thoracic research, go to www.bwhgiving.org/thoracic.
Read scientific research papers published by BWH Thoracic Surgery Researchers.
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https://www.brighamandwomens.org/surgery/thoracic-surgery/research
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They then work to quickly translate those findings into treatment and prevention strategies.
Over the years of its history, the Cancer Center has made many important scientific advances including the development of a major classification scheme for lymphoma (Lukes), the discovery of the jun oncogene (Vogt), the elucidation of links between steroid hormones and breast and prostate cancer (Henderson, Ross, Pike, Bernstein, et al), the development of surgical techniques for orthotopic bladder reconstruction (Skinner), the establishment of the relationships between DNA methylation and cancer (Jones and Laird), the roles of glucose regulated proteins in cancer (Lee), the development of molecular markers for neuroblastoma (Seeger), bladder cancer (Cote), GI cancers (Lenz), 8q24’s link to prostate and colon cancer (Haiman, Henderson), and the identification of a key genetic mutation in lymphoma development (Lieber).
In MPE, investigators dissect interrelationships between exposures (e.g., environmental, dietary, lifestyle and genetic factors); alterations in cellular or extracellular molecules (disease molecular signatures); and disease evolution and progression.
Investigators can analyze genome, methylome, epigenome, metabolome, transcriptome, proteome, microbiome, immunity and interactome.
Familial linkage analyses have yielded disparate results; the use of exome sequencing in coding regions may identify novel segregating variants.Pathology and epidemiology share the same goal of elucidating etiology of disease, and MPE aims to achieve this goal at molecular, individual and population levels.Typically, MPE utilizes tissue pathology resources and data within existing epidemiology studies.Exome sequencing of familial CRC cases can identify novel rare variants that may influence disease risk.Departments of Health Sciences Research, Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Medical Genetics, Medical Genomics Technology and Advanced Genomics Technology Center, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA Colorectal cancer (CRC) in densely affected families without Lynch Syndrome may be due to mutations in undiscovered genetic loci.We completed exome sequencing on 40 affected cases from 16 multicase pedigrees to identify novel loci.
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https://lnmt.ru/profile?id=3239
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Principal Investigator: Dr Moritz Gerstung
Institution:
European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), UKTags: 45761, cancer, risk prediction
Summary:
The lifetime risk of cancer is estimated to be about 50%, but this risk is not the same for every person. It is well-established that the risk of cancer is influenced by inheritable genetic variants as well as lifestyle factors such as smoking and also medical conditions including obesity and diabetes. It is not clear, however, how these different strands of information, which may at times contain both favourable and unfavourable indications, can best be combined to measure each person’s individual cancer risk.
In this study proposal we use and develop computer algorithms to detect, quantify and combine cancer risk factors from the wide array of genetic, medical and lifestyle information provided by participants of the UK Biobank. These analyses may reveal novel cancer risk associations, but most importantly enable calculating the combined risk of developing cancer based on genetics, medical history and lifestyle factors. A secondary aim of this study, following the same approach, is to assess how genetics and medical history influence cancer outcomes. The intended duration of this project, which is based on the analysis of existing UK Biobank data, is 36 months.
The ability to measure inter-individual differences in cancer risk is important for implementing effective cancer screening programmes, because high-risk individuals should be tested more thoroughly, while low-risk individuals may be harmed by unnecessary tests and treatment. Similarly, this information may facilitate a timely cancer diagnosis, because early symptoms are often unspecific, and the interpretation of such symptoms may change knowing that an individual has a higher or lower cancer risk. Understanding the factors influencing cancer therapy outcomes may help choose the most effective treatment for a cancer patient.
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https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/2019/06/genetics-of-cancer-risk-and-therapy-response/
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Background: Type 2 diabetes is associated with considerable comorbidity and severe complications, which reduce quality of life of the patients and require high levels of healthcare. The Diabetes Pearl is a large cohort of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, covering different geographical areas in the Netherlands. The aim of the study is to create a research infrastructure that will allow the study of risk factors, including biomarkers and genetic determinants for severe diabetes complications.
Methods/design: Baseline examinations began November 2009 and will continue through 2012. By the end of 2012, it is expected that 7000 patients with type 2 diabetes will be included in the Diabetes Pearl cohort. To ensure quality of the data collected, standard operation procedures were developed and used in all 8 recruitment centers. From all patients who provide informed consent, the following information is collected: personal information, medication use, physical examination (antropometry, blood pressure, electrocardiography (ECG), retina photographs, ankle-brachial index, peripheral vibration perception), self-report questionnaire (socio-economic status, lifestyle, (family) history of disease, and psychosocial well-being), laboratory measurements (glucose, A1c, lipid profile, kidney function), biobank material (storage of urine and blood samples and isolated DNA). All gathered clinical data and biobank information is uploaded to a database for storage on a national level. Biobanks are maintained locally at all recruitment centers.
Discussion: The Diabetes Pearl is large-scale cohort of type 2 diabetes patients in the Netherlands aiming to study risk factors, including biomarkers and genetic markers, for disease deterioration and the development of severe diabetes complications. As a result of the well-designed research design and the national coverage, the Diabetes Pearl data can be of great value to national and international researchers with an interest in diabetes related research.
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23130988/?dopt=Abstract
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Family history is something most people only know generally. You have a rough idea of what runs in your family and certain health concerns, but the details – ages, types, risk factors – may be more foggy. An accurate record of your family medical history, and that of your partner, can be invaluable to you and your primary care provider, allowing him or her to provide the most comprehensive and personalized preventive care.
1. What is family medical history?
It is a record of health information about a person and their closest relatives, often gathered from two or three generations, including children, siblings, parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins. This information is used to recognize genetic disorders and susceptibilities to certain medical conditions that may pose future health risks for an individual. It is a powerful tool that healthcare providers use especially when laboratory or genetic tests are not available.
2. How can knowing your family history help you lower or address risk of disease?
Risk is unique for each disease and varies from time to time based on age, lifestyle choices and changes in medical history. Your physician can help personalize a prevention program that is based off your individual risk assessment.
Your physician may recommend an increased frequency of screenings, such as mammograms or colonoscopies, based on your family history. Another preventive measure is helping to make appropriate lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, getting regular exercise, or adopting a healthier diet. In some instances, genetic testing is important to screen for conditions that have strong genetic linkage or might influence medical decision-making. In rare instances, surgery might be appropriate. In some other conditions, knowing your family history may influence your physician’s choice in prescribing certain medications. For instance, if multiple members in your immediate family have had a blood clot, you may have a genetic predisposition to developing clots. As a result, your physician may take greater care or use caution when using particular medications like oral contraceptive pills.
3. How can your primary care physician help you understand your family history?
By providing a family history, you can help your physician differentiate which conditions pose a higher risk to your health, or which conditions are genetically linked and require closer observation, further testing or screening.
4. What is the best way to gather family medical history?
Talk to your family members about their health concerns and when they occurred. A family gathering is usually a good time to do so.
5. Who is responsible for storing family history and what is the best way to store it?
Your physician can store your family medical history in an electronic health record (EHR). In this way, information can be stored and passed along even if you decide to change physicians in the future. However, you can also gather and store your family medical information. The best way is to get a detailed history of first-, second- and third-degree relatives in a family tree or a pedigree. Information can be obtained from family discussions or more accurately, from obtaining medical records or death certificates. Since information can change, it is important to keep it up to date and share with your physician regularly.
6. What should your family history record include?
Your records should include family members’ names and their relationships to you, their current ages (or age of death) and ethnicities. In addition to which conditions they may have or have had, the record should also include the age of onset.
These conditions in particular may be inherited and should be noted:
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Dementia
Consulting your family’s medical history can also be an important step before starting a family of your own. Learn more with this article on the role of family history in pregnancy planning.
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https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/family-history
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- iPS cell lines have been made using cells from six participants deposited at the Tohoku Medical Megabank (TMM) Project through a research collaboration between the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, and the Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo), Tohoku University.
- This is the first step in reprogramming the blood cells from approximately 150,000 participants kept at the TMM biobank*1.
- TMM has comprehensive genetic and health information about the population cohort participants which, in combination with iPS cell reprogramming technology, can be used to identify the effects of genetic polymorphisms*2 on cell function and disease development.
The collaboration between CiRA and ToMMo began in 2016. ToMMo has collected cells from a cohort study*3 of a wide population for multiple health parameters. The reprogramming of the participants' cells into iPS cells from six of the cohort study participants was completed in October 2018.
In 2013, ToMMo partnered with Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (IMM), Iwate Medical University, together which conducted a cohort study of residents in the Iwate and Miyagi prefectures. More than 150,000 residents agreed to participate. The resulting TMM has collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells, plasma, serum and urine along with blood-derived DNA, making it one of the largest biobank in Japan. Ultimately, TMM plans to comprehensively analyze all its biological specimens but currently has completed analysis of the whole genomes of 5,000 participants and DNA microarray*4 of approximately 100,000 participants.
CiRA, on the other hand, is preparing iPS cells from healthy and diseased donors. iPS cell can be differentiated into various types of cells in the human body, and Symptoms of diseases can be replicated in cells derived from patient iPS cells*5. Comparing the function of differentiated iPS cells between the two groups is expected to help clarify the pathogenesis of many diseases.
This collaborative research between ToMMo and CiRA makes it possible for researchers to prepare iPS cells from patients with specific diseases, from which they can identify the effects of genetic polymorphisms on cell function and disease development. A study like this is expected to accelerate personalized medicine*6 using iPS cells.
CiRA has prepared a total of 36 iPS cell lines*7 from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells deposited in the TMM. The cells are obtained from six participants who have had their whole genome analyzed.
To confirm the quality of the 36 lines, they were tested for cell colony*8 morphology, the expression of pluripotency markers*9, and residual plasmid vector*10 (fig. 1). Further, 12 lines were analyzed for tri-lineage differentiation*11 (fig. 2). The lines were all confirmed to have the ability to differentiate into the three germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm; fig. 3).
In the legends, TMM indicates iPS cells reprogrammed from TMM cells. CiRA indicates iPS cells prepared at CiRA previously.
Top：Images of 6 iPS cell lines from 6 participants made from the reprogramming of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. All cells show normal morphology.
Bottom Left：Expression of the pluripotency markers NANOG and OCT3/4.
Bottom Right：Analysis of residual plasmid. EBNA-1 and CAG are plasmid sequences.
* Bottom Left and Bottom Right show that the iPS cell lines generated from TMM cells have similar morphology as iPS cell lines made at CiRA previously.
iPS cells are cultured in conditions that do not induce differentiation or induce ectoderm, mesoderm or endoderm lineages. Afterwards, the cells are analyzed with flow cytometry*12.
The differential gene expressions of iPS cells made with TMM cells were consistent with the differential gene expressions of control iPS cells.
TMM-1 is an iPS cell lines made from donor cells at the TMM. The percentage written in each chart shows the percentage of cells that expressed the marker.
Undifferentiated markers：OCT3/4 and NANOG.
Ectoderm markers：PAX6・and SOX2.
Mesoderm markers：BRACHYURY and NCAM.
Endoderm markers：SOX17 and FOXA2.
The reprogramming of cells from the six participants provides a roadmap for reprogramming all cells in the TMM.
Because of the comprehensive data the TMM holds about its participants' cells, including medical history and genome, differentiating the resulting iPS cells is expected to provide important information about several cell types such as cardiomyocytes and neurons, and relationships between genotypes and phenotypes, such as genetic polymorphisms and disease. This information will further contribute to drug discovery and personalized medicine.
＜About the Tohoku Medical Megabank (TMM) Project＞
The TMM Project is designed to help with the recovery of the Tohoku region after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and to realize personalized prevention and medicine. The ToMMo and the IMM began a cohort study in 2013 of over 150,000 residents that spanned three generations and has built a biobank collecting biological specimens and information from them. Since 2015, the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) supports this project.
*1. Biobank:
Collects and stores biological specimens and provides them for research use. The TMM Project has mainly been acquiring blood and urine samples from participants in a cohort study.
*2. Genetic polymorphisms：
Genomic sequence that differs between individuals.
*3. Cohort study：
A longitudinal survey that investigates the effect of environmental and genetic factors on diseases and other health related conditions in a specific population.
*4. DNA microarray：
An assay used to investigate differences in DNA such as single nucleotide polymorphisms. The TMM Project conducts analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of each participant's DNA.
*5. Patient iPS cells：
iPS cells made from patient samples, thus sharing the same genome as the patient. These cells can be used to study disease mechanisms and screen drug compounds.
*6. Personalized medicine：
Drugs and other medical treatments that act on conditions specific to the patient, such as genetic background, physiological condition, etc. An example of personalized medicine is to select a drug that directly affects genes that cause the disease or that causes less side effects depending on the patient's genome information.
*7. Cell line：
A group of identical cells in a dish that grew infinitely from the division of a single cell.
*8. Cell colony：
A group of cells in a dish that grew from the division of a single parent cell or multiple parent cells.
*9. Pluripotency markers：
Genes that indicate a cell has not begun to differentiate. These markers are commonly used to identify ES and iPS cells.
*10. Plasmid vector：
A type of vector used to introduce a gene into a cell.
*11. Tri-lineage differentiation analysis：
An assay used to determine if ES cells and iPS cells have the potential to differentiate into the three germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm), from which all adult cells are derived. Ectoderm forms neurons and skin cells, mesoderm shapes bones, heart muscles, and blood cells, and endoderm forms digestive organ and respiratory organ.
*12. Flow cytometry：
A device that flows cells in a liquid stream to analyze cell characteristics including whether cells express certain markers.
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https://www.cira.kyoto-u.ac.jp/e/pressrelease/news/190417-150000.html
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Aggressive HIV strain appears to be isolated case
Suggestions that a new, highly multidrug resistant and rapidly progressing strain of HIV has evolved in New York City and could become widespread have been refuted by the discovery of the probable patient source of the virus, according to a presentation here on Monday at the 3rd International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment.
The rapid progression to AIDS observed in a patient discovered earlier this year led the New York City Department of Health to issue a press release on February 11, 2005, warning of a possible new, highly virulent and multidrug resistant HIV strain. This was followed by reports in The Lancet and elsewhere.
The apparent source patient, “Patient Zero,” is a resident of Connecticut and his clinical course is typical of AIDS patients with his disease, behavior and medical compliance, said Dr. Gary Blick, medical and research director of Circle Medical LLC, Norwalk, Connecticut.
The patient’s viral replication capacity is 41 percent, and since he has become fully adherent to highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), his CD4 levels and viral copy number, measures of disease progression, have remained stable
“He is not a rapidly progressive patient,” Blick said. His life partner’s disease course is similarly unremarkable.
By contrast, the New York City patient, whose disease so alarmed clinicians, has shown a viral replication capacity as high as 136 percent, Blick said. The patient was infected with the virus about four months before he progressed to AIDS. That patient has a history of extensive unprotected sex and multiple partners, often while using crystal methamphetamine.
The Patient Zero identified in Connecticut carries a virus that is a 99.5 percent genetic match to that of the New York patient, Blick said. His life partner, who is also HIV positive, has a genetic match of 98.5 percent.
In addition to the genetic evidence of virus transmission, the patients involved were able to identify each other visually and confirmed anal-receptive or anal-insertive intercourse, Blick said.
Blick hypothesized that the rapid course and treatment resistance experienced by the New York patient can be attributed to unusual host factors, including an unusually active sexual lifestyle and heavy use of crystal methamphetamine.
It is also possible that this HIV strain is not as responsive to treatment or that these two factors are interacting to product this outcome, he said.
Blick added that the widespread practice of “poz-to-poz” unprotected sex, in which sexual partners who are both HIV positive fail to take precautions, may be riskier than previously assumed.
Revision date: June 22, 2011
Last revised: by Amalia K. Gagarina, M.S., R.D.
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http://www.health.am/aids/more/aggressive_hiv_strain_appears_to_be_isolated_case/
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In Missouri, November is Family Health History Month, a good time for all Missourians to learn more about the diseases and causes of death affecting at least three generations of family members. Family gatherings, such as holidays, are a great time to catch up on family news and information. They can also provide a good opportunity to learn about your family's health history. Mapping your family's medical history and creating a medical family tree can help you identify some health risks you may face in the years ahead and help you plan for them.
In 2004, U.S. Surgeon General Carmona declared Thanksgiving Day, when American families traditionally gather together to celebrate and give thanks, to be the first annual National Family History Day. Americans are encouraged to use their family gatherings as a time to collect important family health history information that can benefit all family members.
The Healthstyles 2004 survey, conducted in August by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 96 percent of Americans believe that knowing a family history is important to their health. The survey also showed that only one-third of Americans have ever tried to gather and organize their families' health history.
This information can help health care providers do a better job of assessing a patient's risk of disease and prescribe appropriate preventive measures or courses of treatment. Family health histories should be provided to all health care providers to be retained as a permanent part of a patient's medical file.
Family history is considered one of the most important risk factors for health problems such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and certain psychiatric disorders. Family members share more than genetic characteristics. They also share environments, lifestyles and personal habits. All can be factors for disease. Knowing you are at risk for certain diseases can motivate you to change any unhealthy behaviors.
For additional information about family history click on the links below.
American Medical Association, "Family History Tools"
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "General Public: Family History"
National Society of Genetic Counselors, "Your Family History - Your Future"
United States Department of Health and Human Services, "U.S. Surgeon General's Family History Initiative"
March of Dimes "Family History Form"
Genetic Alliance "Family Health History"
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https://health.mo.gov/living/families/genetics/familyhistory/index.php
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September 19th, 2011
“Doc, I Got My Whole Genome Scanned – Now What?”
David Martin, M.D.
When Walmart announced that it would stock personal genetic kits, the FDA balked and Walmart held off. But that doesn’t mean patients can’t still order a personal whole genome scan online.
So what do you do if and when your patient shows you a commercially produced report of a personal whole genome scan? Do you treat the results as part of the medical record and manage accordingly? Or do you cite recently reported quality control problems and lack of formal FDA regulation? Or do you refer the patient to a genetic counselor?
With this week’s issue of Nature reporting another 16 new loci for hypertension, the list of genotypes associated with a multitude of phenotypes – from height to Alzheimer’s disease – continues to burgeon. Even though genetic risk scores only modestly predict common complex diseases (e.g. median C statistics of 0.55-0.60 for coronary heart disease), this fact is often lost on the lay media and, in turn, the average public consumer.
So if your next patient showed up in clinic with a genome scan report in hand, what would be your approach?
3 Responses to ““Doc, I Got My Whole Genome Scanned – Now What?””
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Suggest they lock it up and throw away the key.
As you indicate, this subject becomes more complex by the day. Our naivety about the whole gene world becomes more evident with every genotype revelation, and these are coming up with increasing frequency. We are looking into a bottomless pit. If we seek help from knowledge of genes we need to be looking into this in some other way. Taking the easy option of identifying what we believe to be markers has not been helpful.
Competing interests pertaining specifically to this post, comment, or both:
None
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As a clinical geneticist, I sometimes have patients bring in a lot of genetic data from 23andMe or some other company. It actually doesn’t take much time to explain how meaningless the data are for guiding medical intervention that will improve patient outcomes. One blanket statement usually suffices. The real concern arises when patients, without any prior genetic counseling, find out that they are carriers of rare recessive alleles and are forced to confront a vast array of high-tech reproductive choices such as preimplantation genetic diagnosis (in vitro blastocyst single cell biopsy with DNA amplification for genetic diagnosis).
Competing interests pertaining specifically to this post, comment, or both:
none
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The commerical services may occasionally pick up an important finding, but a tactful way to put it is that their value for most users is 99% entertainment. They may motivate people to do the best they can with their genes, or to boost flagging self-esteem if they actually have some risk factors for obesity and find it even harder than average to lose weight or keep it off; it is important to make sure users understand that what they do in terms of lifestyle is more, not less important, given most of the genetic risks the services present to them. I have heard people who assume that because genes can’t be directly changed, attempts to reduce risks are futile. The other little trick you might try is to show them how one actually looks up information on snps in the medical literature, which may be complicated enough to discourage them, especially when they see how much conflicting evidence there may be and how effects vary by population.
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https://blogs.jwatch.org/cardioexchange/2011/09/19/doc-i-got-my-whole-genome-scanned-now-what/
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An emerging hot topic in the field of neurology is the use of brain imaging to help experts treat and care for cognitive decline in patients.
A new review suggests imaging studies can be used as a tool to help neurologists, psychiatrists, and other clinicians to measure and manage cognitive declines in patients.
Experts believe the imaging findings can motivate patients to make beneficial lifestyle changes to reduce risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
The concept that cognitive decline can be identified early and prevented by applying quantitative brain imaging techniques is the focus of “Hot Topics in Research: Preventive Neuroradiology in Brain Aging and Cognitive Decline,” a review published online in American Journal of Neuroradiology (AJNR).
In the review, an international team suggest a framework in which neuroradiologists work as part of a team of clinical neuroscientists (neurologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, etc.) can be an effective strategy to prevention of cognitive decline in populations at high risk for dementia.
Researchers believe the application of quantitative neuroradiology will particularly aid individuals with lifestyle, genetic, and other associated risk factors.
“I believe neuroradiology, and especially quantitative MRI technology, will have a huge impact in the future of diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, since there is compelling evidence for the baseline size of hippocampus as a key determinant of risk for future cognitive decline, and since many lifestyle factors can cause atrophy or expansion in the volume of this critical brain structure,” says neurologist Majid Fotuhi, M.D., Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University.
Such work is already happening at University of California, Los Angeles and other institutions that meld these approaches into novel ways to improve patient care.
“We are working closely with neuroradiologists to redefine how we can reduce risk for Alzheimer’s with quantitative neuroimaging that helps us pinpoint symptom-relevant volume loss in the brain and subsequent targets for tracking our lifestyle-based interventions,” says Dr. David Merrill, a geriatric psychiatrist at University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center.
“Recent advances have improved the ability to characterize imaging markers along the trajectory of Alzheimers disease, starting in the pre-clinical phase. These markers, including structural, functional, and molecular imaging are being used in the AD diagnostic criteria” says Howard Aizenstein, M.D., Ph.D., a psychiatrist at University of Pittsburgh.
Fotuhi sees imaging findings as a unique motivator for patients to make positive lifestyle changes.
“Patients seem to enjoy reviewing results of their imaging studies, more so than reading the results of their blood tests or other clinical evaluations. For example, they can see with their own eyes whether there are any strokes or atrophy in their brain. This can have a powerful impact on them and on their determination to make changes in their lifestyle in order to improve their brain health,” he adds.
Experts explain that that as many as three million cases of Alzheimer’s dementia worldwide can be prevented with as little as a 10 percent reduction in the burden of preventable lifestyle.
Lifestyle risk factors that can be altered to potentially prevent cognitive declines are obesity, diet, sleep, hypertension, diabetes, depression, supplementation, smoking, and physical activity.
Source: American Society of Neuroradiology/EurekAlert!
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https://psychcentral.com/news/2015/06/05/imaging-studies-may-motivate-behaviors-to-reduce-cognitive-decline/85394.html
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Mixing and Matching Electricity Sector Policies
A number of concerns have emerged over the last decade about climate change, energy security, and energy efficiency, inspiring an equally long list of proposed policy fixes. The majority of these options, including renewables subsidies, performance standards, and emissions pricing schemes, apply directly to the power sector. Lawmakers can also choose to implement multiple policies in tandem, as the European Union did in its 20/20/20 by 2020 targets—a 20 percent reduction in emissions, a 20 percent share of renewables in total energy consumption, and a 20 percent improvement in energy efficiency. Similarly, California, in adopting an emissions cap-and-trade system, is retaining renewable energy mandates and subsidies, as well as energy conservation policies. Despite the growing interest in using this mix-and-match approach, little research has been done to explore how cost-effectiveness and technological innovation are affected by interactions between coexisting policies.
In general, to address the damages posed by greenhouse gas emissions, economists recommend placing a price on those emissions, such as with a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade program. Many are skeptical of the need for additional policies, noting that once an emissions cap is in place, additional policies to expand renewable energy, for example, produce no new emissions reductions. (See a recent post by RFF University Fellow Rob Stavins of Harvard for more on this topic.) However, concerns about additional market failures, such as spillovers from innovation or the undervaluation of energy efficiency improvements, can justify additional interventions.
Together with colleagues Richard Newell of the Nicholas School at Duke University and Louis Preonas, of the University of California, Berkeley, in an RFF discussion paper, we examine the use of simultaneous policies to address these multiple market failures. We find that emissions pricing is still the single most cost-effective plan for meeting emissions reductions goals, and that carefully chosen coexisting policies can complement a pricing policy to help achieve additional outcomes. But, perhaps more important, we find that poorly chosen combinations of policies can vastly increase the cost of meeting emissions goals, relative to an emissions price alone.
This work builds on previous analysis by Richard Newell and me on different emissions reduction policies and how innovation and diffusion of renewable energy occurs in the US energy sector. We update this research and extend it by distinguishing between conventional renewable sources, such as wind and biomass energy production, and advanced technologies, such as solar, which have different costs and innovation potentials. We also consider the role of consumer behavior in energy demand, to assess the effects of undervaluation of energy efficiency. (Read more from our colleagues on this topic.)
We find that although carbon pricing is an effective policy mechanism, additional support for renewable energy innovation can improve cost-effectiveness by addressing the spillovers that occur from research and development (R&D) and learning-by-doing (LBD). With a calibrated model of the US electricity sector, we find that most of the benefits of technology policy are obtained by R&D support, whereas optimal deployment subsidies for LBD are quite low, particularly for conventional renewables. Even with learning spillovers, only modest deployment support is needed, in part because emissions pricing already makes renewables more attractive, in part because other cost-effective means of reducing emissions are available, and also because the costs of renewable capacity increase fairly steeply as generation expands.
Energy efficiency undervaluation is even more important to address, recognizing that energy demand is 10 times as large as renewable energy supply. Furthermore, correcting this market failure means one needs to rely less on renewable energy. Finally, our analysis shows that overly ambitious renewable portfolio standards, akin to those set in the European Union, can double the cost of meeting the emissions target, relative to using an emissions price alone, without any technology policy. There may be other reasons to want to support clean technology development more aggressively—such as to encourage adoption in countries with growing energy demand and less stringent carbon regulation. However, our analysis indicates some caution about relying excessively on subsidies to current deployment, as opposed to R&D, as a means of bringing down future abatement costs.
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http://www.rff.org/blog/2014/mixing-and-matching-electricity-sector-policies
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Hanoi (VNA) – The energy transition will play a key role in the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, contributing to net zero emissions target set for 2050, said Tang The Cuong, director general of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Climate Change Department.
In his message to a recent webinar on “Asia: Renewable energy Continent,” Cuong suggested seven priority points for fully unleashing the potential of renewable energy, as well as accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
First, renewable energy must become a public good that benefits everyone, so that everyone has access to renewable energy. In particular, communities and groups that are negatively affected by the energy transition must be supported.
Second, there is a need to promote cooperation between countries to remove barriers, including those related to intellectual property rights, in order to stimulate knowledge sharing and stimulate collaboration in scientific research, development and transfer of knowledge. technology.
Third, policies play a critical role in propelling the energy transition. Therefore, country-specific policies and frameworks are needed to encourage the business community to increase investment in renewable energy, as well as to promote renewable energy. transitionfrom the planning phase to the licensing, management and operation of renewable energy development projects.
Fourth, the goals related to the development of renewable energy, achieve net zero emissions, and the reduction of air pollution should be established, which will serve as criteria for making investment decisions and developing energy projects. In particular, there is a need to secure the commitment and responsible participation of the financial system, including multilateral development banks, financial and credit institutions, in aligning their lending portfolios with accelerating the transition to renewable energies.
Fifth, there should be increased investment in power transmission systems to maximize the benefits of wind and solar power generation, and more investment in infrastructure projects that accelerate the application of technologies clean, such as electric vehicles.
Sixth, in addition to efforts to strengthen the energy transition and unlock the potential of renewable energies, it is necessary to synchronously implement other solutions, such as the restoration of climate-resilient natural ecosystems to build the capacity adaptation and carbon sequestration; promote the circular economy to make the best use of resources while preserving resources for future generations, and deploy carbon capture and storage solutions to help achieve net zero.
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https://purchasingresearchservice.com/more-efforts-needed-to-harness-the-potential-of-renewables-ministry-environment/
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State energy policy affects everyone, even if you’re not always aware of it. In this post, we’ll look at how state energy policy affects your everyday life, from the prices you pay at the pump to the types of energy sources available to you. We’ll also discuss how you can get involved in shaping your state’s energy policy. So, whether you’re a staunch defender of renewable energy or a devoted supporter of fossil fuels, keep reading to learn more about how state energy policy affects you.
Critical issues in state energy policy
You may not realize it, but state energy policy affects your daily life. Energy is an essential part of our lives, from the electricity that powers your home to the gasoline that fuels your car. And the way that states produce and consume energy has a big impact on our environment and our economy.
Here are some ways that state energy policy can affect you:
- The cost of energy: Energy costs can be a significant expense for families and businesses. State policies that encourage the use of renewable energy can help reduce these costs over time.
- The reliability of energy: When severe weather hits, it can cause widespread power outages. States with strong policies supporting grid modernization and backup power sources are better prepared to keep the lights on during times of crisis.
- The environmental impact of energy: The production and use of energy can greatly impact the environment. State policies that promote clean energy sources can help reduce pollution and protect our air and water.
- Energy security: A dependable supply of energy is critical for national security. States that diversify their energy mix and develop domestic energy sources are less vulnerable to disruptions in the global market.
- The economy: Energy policy can greatly impact state economies. For example, policies that encourage the development of renewable energy industries can create jobs and spur economic growth.
As you can see, state energy policy affects us all in many different ways. Therefore, it’s important to be informed about the policies in your state and how they may impact you. You can learn more by contacting your state energy office or visiting the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) website.
Insights on state energy policy to help inform your vote
In recent years, many states have taken an active role in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy to address climate change and increase the state’s energy security. Here are some key insights on state energy policy to help inform your vote:
- States have successfully implemented policies that promote energy efficiency and renewable energy.
- State-level policies that promote renewables have helped drive down solar and wind power costs.
- Many states have adopted aggressive targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with a number of states committing to carbon-neutrality by mid-century.
- A growing number of states are adopting electric vehicle policies to promote the use of cleaner transportation technologies.
- A number of states have also enacted policies to promote the use of clean energy in the transportation sector, such as low-emission vehicle standards and investments in electric vehicle infrastructure.
- Many states are taking action to address climate change by adopting greenhouse gas reduction goals and implementing policies to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.
- A number of states have enacted policies to support the development of offshore wind power, which has the potential to provide a significant source of clean energy.
- A number of states have also adopted policies to promote biofuels, which can help reduce dependence on petroleum-based fuels.
- A number of states have created incentives for businesses to invest in clean energy technologies, which can help create jobs and drive economic growth.
- Many states are working to increase the resilience of their energy systems in the face of extreme weather events by investing in clean energy technologies and grid upgrades.
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PRODIGIO will contribute to increasing the efficiency of solar energy conversion into biogas, paving the way for the development and future implementation of a sustainable microalgae biogas production industry.
The impacts expected from the project are presented below.
Expected Impacts
Short-term Impacts
- Knowledge advance in the ecogenomics in bioreactor systems.
- Expand the genomic database of pathogens infesting microalgal culture systems and anaerobes residing in anaerobic reactors for facilitating biotechnological advances, centralised bioinformatic processing and open access, FAIR-compliant storage of sequencing data at MARBITS (CSIC), CIGENE (NMBU), and publicly accessible data repositories.
- Gain further understanding of the genes, gene expression patterns, and stress response patterns of industrially-relevant microbial guilds involved in microalgae biomass production, microalgal fermentation and biomethanisation.
- Address early warning signals to determine the failure of the microalgae fermentation process.
- Establish the sustainability potential of microalgae biogas and identify the remaining research/technology gaps by quantifying the energy, resource balances, and biogas production costs.
Medium-term Impacts
- Decipher the microbial “interactomes” in bioreactor systems, establishing an innovative knowledge base for future ecological engineering with the purpose of increasing resource and energy efficiency.
- Improve bioreactor monitoring and process control systems to achieve TRL 3. Afterward, increase the resource and energy efficiency of microalgae production and AD systems, thereby moving the entire microalgae biogas production chain efficiently towards its theoretical maximum.
- Create a roadmap to facilitate the development and future implementation of early warning technologies as an integral part of the biogas production chain.
- Strengthen the EU leadership in renewable fuels technologies by contributing to key actions of the EU Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) including
- i) the development of performance renewable fuel technologies integrated into the system, and
- ii) cost-reduction of the technologies.
- Contribution to the Mission Innovation Challenge 4 (MIC-4): diversification of bioenergy feedstocks and improvement of renewable energy conversion efficiency into an energy carrier.
Medium-term Impacts
- Improve monitoring and forecasting capabilities to contribute to cost reduction through, in particular, OPEX savings associated with a better management of production systems (for example, the selective application of pesticides in algae production), and greater stability of process performance. The project’s technology could increase resource and energy efficiencies by >50% throughout the biogas production chain, which would translate into OPEX savings and GHG emissions reduction.
- Implement effective management strategies and greater performance stabilities to bring microalgae biogas faster to commercialization. The use of microalgae in wastewater treatment allows researchers to produce large quantities of biomass at low cost, close to zero cost if the benefits of using microalgae in WWT are considered.
Medium-term Impacts
- Increase resource and energy efficiency to contribute to GHG emissions reduction compared to present-day technologies. Microalgae biogas produced from microalgae grown in wastewater has already been shown to give GHG emission reduction of ~40% relative to conventional wastewater treatment.
- To reducing freshwater demand along the biogas production chain. Currently, the use of wastewater or seawater for microalgal biofuels production can reduce the freshwater demand by 90%. Higher processes efficiency will reduce this number further.
- Lower environmental burdens with respect to present-day biofuel technologies:
- i) separating bioenergy from agriculture,
- ii) reducing indirect land-use changes,
- iii) fostering the circular bio-economy (e.g. contributing to wastewater nutrient recovery),
- iv) alleviating coastal areas from the growing incidence of eutrophication.
Short-term Impact
- Contribute to environmental awareness and decision-making in renewable biofuels research, innovation, and technology.
Medium-term Impact
- Improve professional skills and competences of bioenergy and microalgae-related sectors workers.
Further Impacts
Short-term Impacts
- The development of early warning mathematical method based on the analysis of universal interaction networks will validate other bioreactor systems within and outside the bioenergy industry.
- Advances in data analytics (big data analysis, bioinformatics, ecoinformatics, causal detection, empirical dynamic modelling).
- To explore measures to prevent and/or mitigate process failure in microalgal production and conversion-to-biogas systems.
- Further increase the tolerance and adaptive evolution of anaerobic microbiota to inhibitors and other stressful conditions.
Medium-term Impact
- The combination of chemical fingerprinting and the interaction networks analyses can lead to the discovery of chemical compounds with antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial properties, and thus, with potential for crop protection (pesticides).
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https://prodigio-project.eu/about-prodigio/expected-impacts/
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Climate change is a major global issue of common concern to the international community. It is an issue involving both environment and development, but it is ultimately an issue of development. As noted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (hereinafter referred to as UNFCCC), the largest share of historical and current global emissions of greenhouse gases has originated from developed countries, while per capita emissions in developing countries are still relatively low and the share of global emissions originating from developing countries will grow to meet their social and development needs. The UNFCCC stipulates clearly that the Parties to the Convention shall protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations of humankind, on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, and accordingly, the developed country Parties shall take the lead in combating climate change and the adverse effects thereof. It further provides that all Parties shall formulate, implement, publish and regularly update national programs to address climate change.
As a developing country of responsibility,
Article 4, Paragraph 7 of the UNFCCC provides that "the extent to which developing country Parties will effectively implement their commitments under the Convention will depend on the effective implementation by developed country Parties of their commitments under the Convention related to financial resources and transfer of technology and will take fully into account that economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities of the developing country Parties." In this connection, while maintaining economic and social development,
Part 1 Climate Change and Corresponding Efforts in
Many observations in recent 100 years show that the earth's climate is now experiencing significant change characterized by global warming. And the trend of climate change in
1. Observations and Trend of Climate Change in
The Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has clearly indicated that most of the global warming observed over the past 50 years was likely induced by the increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), due to human activities. In the context of global warming, climate in
- Temperature. Annual average air temperature has increased by 0.5~0.8?C during the past 100 years, which was slightly larger than the average global temperature rise. Most of the temperature rise was observed over the last 50 years. The regional distribution of the temperature changes shows that the warming trend was more significant in western, eastern and northern
- Precipitation. In the past 100 years, there was no obvious trend of change in annual precipitation in
- Extreme climate/weather events. The frequency and intensity of extreme climate/weather events throughout
- Sea level. The rate of sea level rise along
- Glaciers. The mountain glaciers in
The trend of climate warming in
- The nationwide annual mean air temperature would increase by 1.3~
- Precipitation in
- The possibility of more frequent occurrence of extreme weather/climate events would increase in
- The arid area in
- The sea level along
- The glaciers in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the
2. Current GHG Emissions in
According to the Initial National Communication on Climate Change of the People's Republic of China, China's total GHG emissions in 1994 are 4,060 million tons of CO2 equivalent (3,650 million tons of net emissions), of which 3,070 million tons of CO2, 730 million tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) of CH4 and 260 million tCO2e of N2O. According to tentative estimates by experts from
Along with the steady social and economic development, the emission intensity defined as the CO2 emission per unit of GDP declined generally. According to IEA,
3.
As a developing country of responsibility, China is among the first to formulate a national Agenda 21 entitled China's Agenda 21 - White Paper on China's Population, Environment and Development in the 21st Century, soon after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, and adopted a series of policies and measures taking into account its specific national circumstances, making positive contribution to the mitigation of climate change.
1). Restructuring the economy, promoting technology advancement and improving energy efficiency
Beginning from the late 1980s, the Government of China paid more and more attention to the change of the economic growth pattern and the restructuring of economy, and integrated the reduction of energy and other resources consumption, the promotion of clean production, and the prevention and control of industrial pollution into its national industrial policies. The industrial structure has been significantly improved through the implementation of a series of industrial policies to accelerate the development of the tertiary industry and restructure the secondary industry. The breakdown of GDP across the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in 1990 is 26.9:41.3:31.8, while in 2005 it is 12.6:47.5:39.9. The share of primary industry declined continuously, and the tertiary grew greatly, especially in sectors such as telecommunication, tourism and finance. The secondary industry has slightly grown in the overall share, but its internal composition has significantly changed, and the proportion of high value-added products has increased due to the rapid development in machinery, information technology and electronic sectors. Such change has brought about significant energy conservation benefits. During the period of 1991 ~ 2005,
As early as 1980s, the Government of China adopted the principle of "equal treatment to development and conservation with immediate emphasis on the latter", making energy conservation as a matter of strategic importance in energy policy. Energy conservation was effectively promoted through the implementation of the Law on Energy Conservation of the People's Republic of China and relevant regulations, the development of specific energy conservation plans, the adoption and implementation of technology, economic, fiscal and management policies in favor of energy conservation, the development and application of energy efficiency standards and labeling, the encouragement of R&D, demonstration and diffusion of energy-saving technologies, the importing and absorbing of advanced energy-saving technologies, the creation and employment of new energy conservation mechanisms, and the promotion of key energy conservation projects as well. From 1990 to 2005, China's energy intensity (energy consumption per Million GDP at constant 2000 yuan) went down from 268 to 143 tons of coal equivalent (tce), decreasing by an average annual rate of 4.1 percent. The energy consumption per unit of energy-intensive products in the industrial sector declined strikingly. In 2004, as compared with 1990, for generators with capacity of 6MW and above, the unit energy consumption for thermal power supply decreased from 0.427kgce/kWh to 0.376kgce/kWh; comparable energy consumption per ton of steel in key companies decreased from 997kgce to 702kgce; and comprehensive energy consumption per ton of cement in medium and large enterprises decreased from 201kgce to 157kgce. As calculated on the year by year comparison, during the period of 1991 ~ 2005, an accumulated 800 million tce of energy were saved by economy restructuring and energy efficiency improvement, which is equivalent to a reduction of 1.8 billion tons of CO2 emissions, using China's 1994 emission factor of 2.277 tCO2/tce.
2). Optimizing energy mix by developing low-carbon and renewable energy
Under national policy guidance and with financial support, the share of high grade and clean energy was improved by strengthening the development and utilization of hydropower, nuclear energy, oil, gas and coal-bed methane , and supporting the development and utilization of new and renewable energy including biomass, solar, geothermal and wind power in rural areas, remote areas and other suitable areas. Share of coal in
By the end of 2005, the installed capacity of hydropower generation has reached 117GW in
3). Launching national wide tree-planting and afforestation campaign and enhancing ecology restoration and protection
Since the reform and opening up to the outside world, tremendous achievement has been made in tree-planting and afforestation along with the implementation of key forest ecological projects. According to the Sixth National Forest Survey, the acreage of conserved artificial forests in
5).Strengthening laws and regulations, and policies and measures relevant to addressing climate change
To address newly-emerging issues in recent years, the Government of China has advocated for the Scientific Approach of Development and Strategic Thoughts of Building a Harmonious Society, and accelerated the building of a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society, thus further reinforcing the policies and measures relevant to addressing climate change. In 2004, China Medium and Long Term Energy Development Plan Outlines 2004-2020 (draft) was approved by the State Council. In the same year, the first China Medium and Long Term Energy Conservation Plan was launched by National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). In February 2005, the National People's Congress adopted the Renewable Energy Law of the People's Republic of China, setting out the duties and obligations of the Government, enterprises and users in development and utilization of renewable energy and a series of policies and measures, including total volume target, mandatory grid connection, price management regulation, differentiated pricing, special fund, favorable taxing, etc. In August 2005, the State Council issued the Notification on the Immediate Priorities for Building a conservation-oriented Society and Several Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Circular Economy. In December 2005, the State Council issued the Decision to Publish and Implement the Interim Provisions on Promoting Industrial Restructuring and the Decision to Strengthen Environmental Protection by Applying the Scientific Approach of Development. In August 2006, the State Council issued the Decision to Strengthen Energy Conservation. All those documents serve as the policy and legal guarantee to further enhance
6). Further improving institutions and mechanisms
7). Attaching great importance to climate change research and capacity building
The Government of China highly values its capability and capacity to support scientific studies and researches on climate change, and constantly enhances them. It has implemented a number of key research projects, such as Study on Forecasting, Impact and Countermeasures of Global Climate Change, Study on Global Climate Change and Environmental Policies, etc. Under the National Climbing Program and the National Key Fundamental Research Program, projects such as Study on Formation and Prediction Theory of Key Climate and Weather Disasters in
8). Strengthening education, training and public awareness on climate change
The Government of China always attaches importance to education, training and public awareness on climate change. The Program of Action for Sustainable Development in
Part 2 Impacts and Challenges of Climate Change on
Due to limitations on knowledge and analysis methods, there exist large uncertainties in the present assessment of climate change impacts carried out by various countries. Studies indicate that climate change has caused some impacts on
1.
1). Inferior climatic conditions and severe natural disasters
2). Vulnerable ecosystem
3). Coal-dominated energy mix
4). Huge population
5). Relatively low level of economic development
2. Impact of Climate Change on
1). Impacts on agriculture and livestock industry
Climate change has already had certain impacts on agriculture and livestock industry in
2). Impact on forest and other natural ecosystems
Climate change has brought impacts on forests and other natural ecosystems in
3). Impact on water resources
Climate change has already caused the changes of water resources distribution over
4). Impact on the coastal zone
Climate change has brought certain impacts on the coastal environment and ecosystems of
5). Impacts on other sectors
Climate change may increase the frequency and intensity of the heat waves, hence increase deaths and serious diseases induced by extreme high temperature events. Climate change is likely to stimulate the emergence and spread of some diseases and to increase the magnitude and scope of diseases like cardiovascular diseases, malaria, dengue fever, and heatstroke, endangering human health. Meanwhile, climate change tends to increasingly impact
3. Challenges Facing
1). Critical challenge to
Natural resources are fundamental to the development of a national economy. The industrial structure and economic advantages of a country are determined to a considerable degree by its resources availability and combination.
2). Huge challenge to
3). Great challenge to
One of the main reasons for
4). Challenges on the conservation and development of forest and other natural resources
To combat climate change, it is necessary for
5). Long-term challenges on adaptation to climate change in
6). New challenges on
There are two objectives for development and conservation of water resources in adapting to climate change in
7). Challenges on
The coastal regions in
Part 3 Guidelines, Principles and Objectives of
1 Guidelines
To address climate change and to make further contributions to protect global climate,
- To give full effect to the Scientific Approach of Development;
- To promote the construction of socialist harmonious society;
- To advance the fundamental national policy of resources conservation and environmental protection;
- To control GHG emission and enhance sustainable development capacity;
- To secure economic development;
- To conserve energy, to optimize energy structure, and to strengthen ecological preservation and construction;
- To rely on the advancement of science and technology;
- To enhance the capacity to address climate change.
2. Principles
To address climate change,
- To address climate change within the framework of sustainable development. It is not only the important common understanding of the international community, but also the basic option of all the parties to the Convention to address climate change. As early as in 1994, the Government of China formulated and published its sustainable development strategy ---
- To follow the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" of the UNFCCC. According to this principle, developed countries should take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as providing financial and technical support to developing countries. The first and overriding priorities of developing countries are sustainable development and poverty eradication. The extent to which developing countries will effectively implement their commitments under the Convention will depend on the effective implementation by developed country of their basic commitments.
- To place equal emphasis on both mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation and adaptation are integral components of the strategy to cope with climate change. For developing countries, mitigation is a long and arduous challenge while adaptation to climate change is a more present and imminent task.
- To integrate climate change policy with other interrelated policies. Since adaptation to climate change and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions involve many aspects of the social and economic sectors, policies to address climate change and other related ones will only be effective if they are integrated.
- To rely on the advancement and innovation of science and technology. Technological advancement and innovation are the effective way to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the capacity of adaptation to climate change. Realizing the leading and fundamental function of scientific and technological advancement in mitigation and adaptation to climate change, China will make great efforts to develop new and renewable energy technologies and new technologies of energy conservation, to promote carbon sink technologies and other adaptive technologies, to accelerate scientific and technological innovation and importation, and to provide a strong scientific support to address climate change and promote the capacity of sustainable development.
- To participate in international cooperation actively and extensively. Global climate change is a serious common challenge to the international community. Though countries differ in the understanding of climate change and in ways and means of addressing this issue, they share a basic consensus for cooperation and dialogue to jointly address the challenges of climate change.
3. Objectives
The strategic goal of China to respond to climate change is to make significant achievements in controlling greenhouse gas emissions, to enhance the capability of continuous adaptation to climate change, to promote climate change related science, technology and R&D to a new level, to remarkably raise public awareness on climate change, and to further strengthen the institutions and mechanisms on climate change. According to this strategic goal,
1). To control greenhouse gas emissions
- Accelerating the transformation of economic growth pattern; strengthening the policy guidance on energy conservation and efficient utilization; reinforcing governmental supervision and administration on energy conservation; expediting R&D, demonstration and deployment of energy conservation technologies; bringing new market-based mechanisms for energy conservation into full play; raising public and social awareness on energy conservation; speeding up the building-up of a resource-conserving society. By all these means,
- Optimizing energy consumption structure. Measures in this regard include: vigorously developing renewable energy; actively promoting nuclear power plant construction; and speeding up utilization of coal bed methane. The target is to raise the proportion of renewable energy (including large-scale hydropower) in primary energy supply up to 10 percent by 2010, the extraction of coal bed methane up to 10 billion cubic meters.
- Reinforcing industrial policy governing metallurgy, building materials, and chemical industry; developing a circular economy; raising resource utilization efficiency, and strengthening emission control of nitrous oxide. By 2010, the emissions of nitrous oxide from industrial processes will remain stable as that in 2005.
- Promoting the adoption of low-emission and high-yield rice varieties, the rice cultivation technique of semi-drought, and scientific irrigation technology; strengthening the R&D on outstanding ruminant animal breeds and large-scale breeding and management techniques; reinforcing the management on animal wastes, wastewater and solid wastes, and promoting biogas utilization to control the growth rate of methane emissions.
- Increasing the forest coverage rate to 20 percent and realizing the increase of carbon sink by 50 million tons over the level of 2005 by 2010. Measures in this regard include: continuously carrying out the policies and measures on afforestation, returning farmland to forest and grassland, and natural forest protection, and basic construction for farmland and other key engineering construction.
2). To enhance capacity of adaptation to climate change
- Through strengthening farmland infrastructure, adjusting cropping systems, selecting and breeding stress-resistant varieties and developing bio-technologies and other adaptive countermeasures, the targets by 2010 are to increase the improved grassland by 24 million hectares, restore the grassland suffering from degradation, desertification, and salinity by 52 million hectares, and strive to increase the efficient utilization coefficient of agricultural irrigation water to 0.5.
- Through strengthening the natural forest conservation and nature reserve management and continuously implementing key ecological restoration programs, establish key ecological protection area and enhancing natural ecological restoration. By 2010, 90 percent of typical forest ecosystems and national key wildlife are effectively protected and nature reserve area accounts for 16 percent of the total territory; and 22 million hectares of desertified lands are under control.
- By 2010, the vulnerability of water resources to climate change would be reduced by effective measures, such as rational exploitation and optimized allocation of water resources, building-up of new mechanism for infrastructure construction and popularization of water-saving. At that time, the anti-flood engineering systems in large rivers and the high standard for drought relief in farmland will be completed.
- By 2010, the construction and expansion of mangroves will be realized, the capability to resist marine disasters will be raised remarkably, and the social influence and economic losses caused by sea level rise will be reduced in maximum through scientific monitoring of sea level change and regulation of the ecosystem of marine and coastal zone areas and through taking the measures of rationally exploiting the coastline and coastal wetland and construction of coastal shelterbelt system.
3). To enhance R&D
-
- In order to build up a strong scientific support to address climate change, China will work hard to build up its independent innovation capacity, to promote international cooperation and technology transfer, to achieve breakthrough in R&D on energy development, energy conservation and clean energy technology, and to significantly enhance the adaptation capacity of agriculture and forestry by 2010.
4). To raise public awareness and improve management
- By means of modern information dissemination technologies, to strengthen communication, education and training to raise public awareness and participation in climate change.
- To further improve the inter-ministerial decision-making and coordination mechanism on climate change, and to establish an action mechanism for response to climate change involving a wide range of enterprise and public participation. By 2010,
Part 4
In accordance with the requirement of carrying out the Scientific Approach of Development, China will combine its efforts to address climate change with the implementation of sustainable development strategy, the acceleration of building-up a resource-conserving and environmentally-friendly society, and an innovative country, which will be integrated into the overall national economic and social development plan and regional plan; and China will mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and in the meantime improve its capacity to adapt to climate change.
1. Key Areas for GHG Mitigation
1). Energy production and transformation
(1) Formulate and implement relevant laws and regulations
Vigorously strengthen energy legislation to establish and improve energy legal system, promote the implementation of
- Expedite the constitution and amendment of laws and regulations that are favorable to GHG mitigation. According to the requirement of China's social and economic sustainable development on establishing a stable, economic, clean and secure system for energy supply and service, constitute and promulgate national Energy Law of the People's Republic of China as early as possible, amend Law on the Coal Industry and Electric Power of the People's Republic of China, and further intensify preferential policies to develop and utilize clean and low carbon energy.
- Strengthen research and formulate energy strategy program. Through preparing national medium- and long-term energy strategies, preparing or improving national energy program and special programs for coal, electricity, oil and natural gas, nuclear energy, renewable energy and oil repertory, China's capability in sustainable energy supply and clean development of energy shall be improved.
- Implement the Renewable Energy Law of the People's Republic of
(2) Strengthen institutional innovation and mechanism construction
- Accelerate
- Further promote mechanism construction for renewable energy development. Based on the principle of integrating government guidance, policy support and market force, stable mechanism for investment will be established through government investment, government concession and other measures. A sustainable and stably expanding market for renewable energy will be fostered, market environment for renewable energy will be improved and obligation of national electricity grids and petroleum sales enterprises under the renewable energy law to purchase renewable energy products will be implemented.
(3) Intensify relevant policies and measures in energy industry
- Properly develop hydropower on the precondition of protecting the ecosystem. Hydropower development should be regarded as an important countermeasure to promote a cleaner and less carbon intensive energy mix in
- Actively promote the development of nuclear power. Nuclear power should be regarded as an important component of national energy strategy, hence the proportion of nuclear power in China's national primary energy supply will increase gradually, and construction of nuclear power stations in the coastal regions with faster economic development and heavy electricity load should be expedited; unify technology approach and adopt advanced technology to realize independent and domestic construction of large-scale nuclear power stations and improve the overall capacity of nuclear power industry by the principle of self-dependence, international cooperation, technology transfer and promoting independence. Through the countermeasures mentioned above, it is expected that the GHG emissions can be reduced by about 50 Mt CO2 by 2010.
- Expedite technology advancement in thermal power generation. Optimize the mix of thermal power generation through phasing out small-scale backward units, properly develop small-scale distributed natural gas or coal bed methane electric power generation. Develop 600MW or above supercritical (ultra-supercritical) units and large combined-cycle units and other high efficient and clean power generation technologies; develop heat and power cogeneration, cogeneration of heat, power and cool, and combined heat-electricity-coal gas multiple supply; strengthen power grid construction through adopting advanced power transmission, transformation and distribution technologies, and decreasing losses of power transmission, transformation and distribution. Through the countermeasures mentioned above, it is expected that the GHG emissions can be reduced by about 110 Mt CO2 by 2010.
- Vigorously develop coal-bed methane (CBM) and coal-mine methane (CMM) industry. Coal-bed methane exploration, development and utilization should be adopted as important instruments to expedite the structural optimization of coal industry, reduce accidents of coal production, improve rates of resources utilization and prevent environmental pollution. Minimize energy wastes and methane emissions in coal mining processes. Major incentive policies include: surface extraction and exploring projects are exempted or partly exempted from utilization fees for prospecting and mining rights; adopt preferential tax policies for coal-bed methane exploration and utilization projects and other comprehensive CBM and CMM utilization projects; apply preferential policies as defined in Renewable Energy Law of the People's Republic of China to CBM and CMM power generation; CBM and CMM price for industrial and residential use should not be lower than the price of natural gas with the same calorific value; encourage the cooperation of CDM (clean development mechanism) projects. Through the abovementioned countermeasures, it is expected that the GHG emissions can be reduced by about 200 Mt CO2e by 2010.
- Promote the development of bio-energy. Vigorously promote biomass energy development and utilization by attaching significant importance to bio-energy based power generation, marsh gas, biomass briquette and biomass liquid fuel. Construct or reconstruct straw-fired power plants and small to medium scale boilers in major crop production areas where biomass energy resources are abundant. Construct garbage-burning power plants in the areas with relatively more developed economy but scarce land resources. Construct marsh gas projects and appropriately install power generation facilities at large-scale livestock or bird farms and sewage treatment plants for industrial wastewater and urban residential wastewater. Vigorously promote marsh gas and gasification technologies for agricultural and forestry wastes, aiming at increasing the percentage of gas in rural residential energy consumption and using biomass gasification technology as an important instrument to abate environmental problems caused by rural residential and industrial wastes. Make efforts to develop biomass solid briquette and liquid fuels, and put forward economic policies and preferential measures in favor of bio-ethanol and other biomass fuels to promote biomass energy development and utilization to a considerable level. Through the abovementioned countermeasures, it is expected that the GHG emissions can be reduced by about 30 Mt CO2e by 2010.
- Actively support the development and utilization of wind, solar, geothermal and tidal energy. Through the development and construction of large-scale wind power farms, promote technology improvement and industry development for wind power, and realize domestic manufacturing of wind power equipments to reduce costs and improve the market competitiveness of wind power as early as possible; actively develop solar power and solar heating, including popularizing family-use photovoltaic power system or small-scale photovoltaic power plants in remote areas; disseminating integrated solar energy building, solar energy based hot water supply, space heating and cooling pilot projects in urban areas and popularizing household solar water heater, solar greenhouse and solar stove in rural areas; actively promote the development and utilization of geothermal energy and tidal energy through popularizing geothermal space heating, hot water supply and geothermal heat pump technologies that meet the requirements of environmental and water resource protection, and develop tidal power generation technology in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other provinces while conducting research on power generation based on wave energy and other oceanic energy. Through the abovementioned countermeasures, it is expected that the GHG emissions can be reduced by about 60 Mt CO2 by 2010.
(4) Strengthen the development and dissemination of advanced and suitable technologies
Vigorously improve technology self-innovation capacity for the development and utilization of conventional energy, new energy and renewable energy. Promote the sustainable development of energy industries and improve the capacity to address climate change.
- Technologies for the clean and efficient development and utilization of coal. Emphasize the research and development of highly-efficient coal mining technologies and supporting equipments, efficient power generation technologies and equipments such as heavy-duty gas turbines, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), high-pressure, high-temperature ultra supercritical unit, and large-scale supercritical circulation fluid bed boilers; vigorously develop coal liquefaction, gasification and coal-chemistry and other technologies for coal conversion, coal gasification based multi-generation systems technology, and carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage technologies.
- Exploration, exploitation and utilization technologies of oil and gas resources. Focus on the technology development for oil and gas exploration in intricacy fault block and lithology stratum, and highly-efficient technology for the development of low-grade oil and gas resources. Improve oil recovery ratio technology, and deep oil and gas exploration and development technologies. Prioritize the research and development of deep-sea oil gas pool exploration technology and heavy oil reservoirs to enhance integrated recovery ratio technology.
- Nuclear power generation technology. Research and master fast reactor design and its core technology, including nuclear fuel and structural material related technology. Make breakthrough natrium circulation and other key technologies. Actively participate in the construction of and research on international thermonuclear fusion experiment reactor.
- Renewable energy technology. Prioritize the development of low-cost and scale exploitation and utilization technologies, including the development of large-scale wind-power generation equipments, high performance and low-cost photovoltaic battery technology, solar thermal power generation, integrated solar energy building technology, and biomass and geothermal energy development and utilization technologies.
- Power transmission and distribution and grid safety technologies. Prioritize the research and development of large-capacity long-distance DC transmission technology and super high voltage transmission technology and equipment, grid transmission and distribution technology for intermittent power sources, quality monitoring and quality control technology for electric power, large-scale interconnected grid security technology, key technologies in West - to-East Power Transmission Project, grid management automation technology, information technology and efficient management of supply and distribution system.
2). Energy efficiency improvement and energy conservation
(1) Accelerate the formulation and implementation of related laws and regulations- Improve exiting energy-saving regulations and standards. Amend and improve the Energy Conservation Law of the People's Republic of China, establish strict energy-saving management system, further clarify each entity's responsibility, intensify policy incentives, identify the legal executants, intensify efforts to discipline; constitute necessary supporting regulations such as Electricity-saving Management Regulation, Petroleum-saving Management Regulation, and Building Energy-saving Management Regulation; formulate and improve energy efficiency standards for main energy–consuming industrial equipments, domestic appliances, lighting appliances and motor vehicles, amend and perfect energy-saving design criterions of main energy–consuming industries, energy-saving standards for buildings, and accelerate the formulation of temperature control standards on building refrigeration and space heating.
- Strengthen supervision and monitoring on energy conservation. Improve institution of compelling phasing out of energy intensive and backward processes, technologies and equipments. Phase out backward and energy intensive productions and equipments according to the law; improve market entrance institution of key energy-consuming products and new buildings, prohibit producing, importing and selling products that fail to meet the lowest energy efficiency standards, and forbid selling and using buildings that fail to meet the energy-saving building design standards; strengthen the supervision and monitoring of energy utilization status of key energy consumer entities; strengthen supervision of energy utilization status of energy intensive industries, government office buildings and large-scale public buildings; strengthen the inspection of the implementation of energy efficiency standards for products, building energy-saving design standards and industry design criterions.
(2) Strengthen institutional innovation and mechanism construction
- Establish target-oriented responsibility and assessment systems for energy conservation. Implement energy consumption per unit of GDP communiqué system, improve information dissemination system on energy conservation, timely publicize all kinds of energy consumption information by utilizing modern information dissemination technology, and guide local government and enterprises to strengthen energy conservation.
- Carry out comprehensive resource planning and electric power demand side management, integrate amount of energy saving as a kind of resource into overall planning so as to guide reasonable resource allocation, adopt effective measures to enhance end-use efficiency of electricity utilization, optimize electricity use pattern and save electricity.
- Actively promote the authentication of energy-saving products and implement energy-efficient labeling management system. Apply market mechanism to encourage and guide consumers to purchase energy-saving products.
- Put forward contract-based energy management to overcome market barriers in promoting new energy-saving technologies, and to promote industrialization of energy-saving practices, aiming at providing all-around services such as diagnosis, design, financing, renovation, operation and management for enterprises to implement energy-saving renovation.
- Establish for energy-saving investment assurance mechanism to promote the development of energy-saving technological service system.
- Popularize energy-saving voluntary agreements to motivate enthusiasm from enterprises and industrial societies to save energy.
(3) Strengthen relevant policies and measures
- Vigorously adjust industrial structure and its regional distribution. Promote the development of service industry and increase its proportion in national economy. Integrate energy conservation, environmental protection and control of greenhouse gas emissions into regional economic development. According to the carrying capacity and development potential of the environment and resources, and in the light of the requirements for main function zones, determine the functions of different regions and promote diversified regional development pattern.
- Strictly implement the Industrial Restructuring Guiding Catalog. Control the scale of energy-intensive and pollution-intensive industries and reduce their proportion. Encourage the development of new and high-tech industries. Give priority to the development of information industry that plays a leading role in the economic growth with lower energy consumption. Develop and implement development plans and industrial policies for steel, non-ferrous metals, cement and other energy-intensive industries. Raise sectoral entrance thresholds. Develop and improve policies governing the export of domestically-scarce resources and energy-intensive products.
- Formulate preferential policies for energy-saving products. Focus on end-use equipments, including highly-efficient electric motors, fans, pumps, transformers, appliances, lighting products and energy-saving building products. Implement incentive policies for the production and utilization of energy-saving products included in the Catalog, and list energy-saving products in the government procurement inventory, support key energy saving projects and key energy-saving technology development and demonstration projects with investment and financial assistance or loan interest subsidies. Study and formulate economic incentive policies for the development of energy-saving and land-saving buildings and green buildings. - Study financial and tax policies to encourage the development of energy-saving and environmentally-friendly vehicles, and to speed up the elimination of fuel-inefficient vehicles. Implement fuel tax reform policy in an appropriate time. Formulate industrial policies to encourage the development of energy-saving and environmentally-friendly vehicles with low emissions, and develop consumer policy measures to encourage energy-saving and environmentally-friendly vehicles with small displacement, abolish various restrictions on energy-saving and environmentally-friendly vehicles with small displacement, and guide the public to embrace the idea of conservation-oriented automobile purchase and maintenance. Vigorously develop public transport system and improve the proportion of rail transport in urban areas. Study policies of encouraging the production and consumption of hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles.
(5) Strengthen the development and dissemination of energy conservation technologies in key sectors
- Iron and steel industry: coke ovens should be equipped with coke dry quenching facilities, and new constructed blast furnace should be equipped with furnace top pressure differential power generating equipment (TRT); apply advanced technologies and equipments such as beneficiated material feeding, rich oxygen coal spurt, molten iron pretreatment, large-scale blast furnace, converter, and super power electric arc furnace, external furnace refining, continuous casting, continuous rolling, controlled casting and controlled cooling.
- Nonferrous metal industry: mines should be required to mainly use large, highly-efficient and energy saving equipment. In copper smelting process, adopt advanced oxygen-enriched flash and oxygen-enriched bath smelting processes. In electrolytic aluminum smelting process, adopt large pre-baking electrolytic cell; In lead smelting process, adopt the new lead smelting process by oxygen bottom blowing and other technologies of direct lead smelting by oxygen; In zinc smelting process, develop new wet process. - Oil and petrochemical industry: oil and natural gas exploitation should apply the systematic optimization technology for oil exploitation, energy saving supplementary technology for thick oil hot exploitation, optimized operation technology for water filling system, comprehensive energy saving technology for oil and gas enclosed collection and transmission, and recovery and reutilization technology for discharged natural gas. In the process of ethylene production, the raw material structure should be optimized and ethylene cracking furnace with advanced technology shall be retrofitted. Large-scale synthetic ammonia plants should deploy advanced energy saving technical processes, new catalyst and highly-efficient energy saving equipment, promote technology of recovering residual heat from flue gas of one-section furnace for gas-based synthetic ammonia, accelerate retrofit of replacing fuel oil with clean coal or natural gas for oil-based synthetic ammonia. Apply energy saving equipment and variable pressure absorption recovery technology to medium- and small-scale synthetic ammonia, employ the coal water slurry or advanced pulverized coal gasification technology to replace traditional fixed bed coal gasification technology. In the production of caustic soda, graphite anode diaphragm process should be gradually eliminated, and the proportion of ion membrane method should be increased.
- Building material industry: in cement industry, new dry process kiln with precalcinator technology should be developed; promote energy efficient grinding equipment and power generating technology by using waste heat recovered from cement kiln; improve the performance of existing large-and medium-size rotary kiln, mills and drying machines for the purpose of energy conservation; gradually phase out mechanized vertical kiln, wet process kiln and long dry process kiln and other backward cement production technologies. In glass industry, advanced float process shall be developed; backward Fourcault and Colburn processes shall be eliminated; and technologies of overall heat insulation for furnace and kiln and enriched oxygen and full oxygen combustion shall be promoted. In architectural ceramics industry, backward kilns of down draft kiln should be discarded, slab kiln, multi-hole kiln, and roller kiln technology should be promoted. In sanitary ceramics, fuel composition shall be changed and the clean gas fuel shall be used so as to apply sagger-free burning technology. Further promotion activities should include application of new wall materials and thermal insulation and high-quality, environmentally-friendly and efficient sound insulation material, waterproof material and sealing material; increase the proportion of high performance concrete application and extend the life span of buildings.
- Transportation: speed up the elimination of old energy intensive automobiles and development of diesel automobile, heavy-duty and special vehicle. Popularize Vans, special transport vehicles such as container vehicle; promote the implementation of national standard on vehicle fuel consumption limit to constrain the development of low fuel economy vehicles. Accelerate the development of electrified railway; develop AC-DC-AC high efficient electric locomotive; promote pulling power factor compensation technology for electrified railways and other power saving measures, so as to improve electric power utilization efficiency; develop the technology of locomotive supplying power to passenger carriage; promote application of passenger carriage power supply and gradually reduce and eliminate diesel-fueled locomotive; adopt energy saving airplane, improve carriage rate, attendance rate and transportation turnover capability, improve fuel oil efficiency and reduce oil consumption. Accelerate the elimination of old ships by formulating technical standard on ships and introduce new types of ships and advanced power system.
- Agricultural machinery: phase out backward agricultural machineries; apply advanced energy-saving diesel engine technology so as to reduce diesel consumption by engines; promote advanced mechanized farming technology such as non-tillage and combination processes; adopt more electric motors in fixed production sites; apply renewable energy such as hydro, wind and solar energy to agricultural machineries. Improve the utilization efficiency and reduce and fishery oil consumption by phasing out backward fishing ships.
- Building: give priority to the development of green building design technology, building energy saving technology and equipment, integrated renewable energy device in buildings, fine construction and environmental friendly technology and equipment for construction, energy saving and environmentally-friendly building materials, energy saving technical standards, energy saving improvement technologies and standards for existing buildings.
- Commercial and residential energy conservation: promote household and office electric appliances such as highly-efficient energy saving refrigerator, air conditioner, television, and washing machine; reduce energy consumption of stand-by appliance; implement energy efficiency standard and labeling; and standardize market of energy saving products. Promote highly-efficient fluorescent lamp products such as phosphorus energy saving lamp, high intensity gas discharge lamp and electronic ballast, decrease the use of incandescent lamp, gradually eliminate high pressure mercury vapor lamp, implement energy efficiency standard on lighting product, increase the proportion of high-efficiency energy saving fluorescent lamp.
(6) Further carry out the 10 key energy conservation priority programs in the Medium-and-Long-Term Energy Conservation Plan
Actively promote the implementation of the 10 key energy conservation programs, namely the Upgrading of Low-efficiency Coal-fired Industrial Boiler (Kiln), District Heat and Power Cogeneration, Recovery of Residual Heat and Pressure, Oil Saving and Substitution, Energy Conservation of Motor System, Optimization of Energy System, Energy Conservation in Buildings, Green Lighting, Energy Conservation in Government Agencies, Building the Energy Conservation Monitoring, and Technological Support System. Ensure the progresses and effects of these key programs to realize stable capacity for energy conservation as early as possible. Through the implementation of these ten programs, it is estimated that 240 Mtce can be conserved during the 11th five-year plan period (2005-2010), equivalent to 550 Mt CO2 reductions.
3). Industrial processes
- To develop circular economy vigorously and follow the pattern of new industrialization. According to the principle of "reduction, reuse and recycle of waste" and the requirement of new industrialization,
- To encourage the saving of iron and steel, and restrict the export of steel products. For this purpose, China will further carry out the Development Policy for Iron and Steel Industry, encourage substitution of renewable materials for iron and steel and recycle of waste steel to reduce steel use; encourage the application of the short-flow process technique using waste steel as material for steel production; organize the revision and improvement of the Standard for Constructional Steel Design and Utilization to reduce steel service factor on the precondition that safety is ensured; encourage the research, development, and deployment of high-performance, low-cost and low-consumption new materials as substitute for steel; encourage iron and steel plants to produce high-strength steel and corrosion-resistant steel to enhance steel's strength and service life; restrict the export of ferroalloy, pig iron, waste steel, steel billet and ingot, rolled steel and other steel products; abolish the export tax rebate policy or at least lower the rebate rate for export of steel products.
- To further promote the production of bulk cement and slag cement. China will follow up the guideline of "discourage the production of bagging cement and encourage the development of bulk cement"; further strengthen the policy of collecting special fund for the development of bulk cement on selling and using of bagging cement from the producers and users; continue to implement tax concession and other preferential policies for slag cement and its products; further promote the process technique of premixed concrete and ready-mixed mortar, so as to maintain the fast growth momentum of bulk cement.
- To vigorously launch the campaign of building materials conservation. Measures in this regard include: further promoting the construction of, namely, four-saving buildings characterized by energy conservation, water saving, material saving and land saving; put forward the new building system; promoting the application of high-performance, low-consumption, renewable and recoverable building materials; promoting the application of high-strength and high-performance concrete; promoting the recovery and utilization of construction rubbish and waste; making full use of straw to produce plant fiber board; fulfilling the regulations on design, construction, material use accounting and other requirements; revising the relevant standard for material consumption of engineering project to guide enterprises to put forward material-saving technology progress.
- To strengthen the emission control of nitrous oxide and other kinds of greenhouse gases. Measures in this regard include: Further promoting the development of CDM projects and other kinds of international cooperation in the sector of adipic acid production; actively seeking necessary financial resources and technical assistance for the emission control of nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6); renovating the facilities of off-gas recovery in nitrous oxide production plants to update the emission control techniques; taking various measures to reduce the emissions of these gases.
4). Agriculture
- Strengthen the establishment and implementation of laws and regulations. Gradually establishing and improving the system of laws and regulations based on Law of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China, Law of Grassland of the People's Republic of China and Law on Land Management of the People's Republic of China, together with administrative rules and regulations, that can lead to improved agricultural production and increased agricultural ecosystem carbon storage; developing farmland and pasture protection construction plans, strictly controlling land reclamation in areas with fragile ecosystems, and forbidding any destruction of pasture or waste of land.
- Intensify the construction of ecological agriculture in highly-intensive production areas. Implementing projects on prevention and control of agriculture non-point source pollution, extending technologies concerning reasonable use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to improve the farmland quality; implementing a new round of fertile soil program, scientifically applying chemical fertilizers and guiding the increased use of organic fertilizer to promote soil fertility and reduce emission of nitrous oxide from the croplands.
- Further enhance technology development and transfer. Selecting and breeding rice varieties with high yields and low (GHG) emission rates, promoting semi-dry rice cultivation technology, scientific irrigation, research and development of microorganism technology, reducing methane emission from rice paddies; research and development of technologies to breed fine ruminant varieties, improving management practices for intensive livestock operations, and reducing methane emission from livestock; further promoting straw treatment technology, and enhancing/refining the technologies for household-type biogas digesters; developing and transfer of key technologies to produce environmentally sound fertilizers and to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from croplands; vigorously promote the return of straws to croplands and non-tillage technologies to increase carbon sink in croplands.
5). Forestry
- Improve formulation and implementation of laws and regulations: to accelerate the formulation, amendment, and streamline of forestry related laws and regulations, including development of regulations on conservation of natural forests, regulations on transfer rights of forests, forest products, and forest land use, etc.; and to enhance the implementation of laws and regulations, by means of improving the system, strengthening inspection, and expanding social supervision of law enforcement.
- Reform and optimize current industrial policies: to optimize target-oriented management responsibility system for afforestation by governments at all levels and forestry sectors, to probe ways of national voluntary tree-planting under market economy, and to establish related policies to promote voluntary planting and governmental afforestation, so as to increase forest resources and carbon sequestration.
- Strengthen key forestry ecological programs: to continuously implement key forestry programs, such as the Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP), the Conversion of Cropland to Forest Program (CCFP), the Sandification Control Program for Areas in the Vicinity of Beijing & Tianjin, Key Shelterbelt Development Program in Such Regions as the Three North & the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River, the Wildlife Conservation & Nature Reserve Development Program, so as to protect existing forest carbon stock and enhance carbon sequestration.
6). Municipal wastes
- Strengthen the implementation of relevant laws and regulations, including, inter alia: Law on Prevention of Environmental Pollution Caused by Solid Waste of the People's Republic of
- Further improving relevant sectoral standard. According to the evolving requirement, compulsory standards for wastes classification and recovery shall be formulated, so as to improve the comprehensive utilization of wastes resource and to reduce the amount of wastes from the source. The currently valid sectoral standards such as Standards for the Classification and Assessment of Municipal Domestic Wastes, Technical Norms on Sanitary Landfill of Domestic Wastes, Standards for the Assessment of Non-hazardous Landfill of Domestic Wastes, will be implemented more strictly and further revised, so as to improve the recovery and utilization of combustible gas from the landfills and to reduce the emissions of methane from landfills.
- Reinforcing technological development and deployment. Great efforts will be made on the development and dissemination of advanced waste incineration technology, on the localization of relevant technologies, in order to decrease the cost and promote the industrialization of waste incineration technology. Research will be carried out on landfill gas recovery and utilization technologies and composting technologies suitable for
- Making full use of the guiding function of the industrial policy. Guided by the industrial policy, charging system for disposal of domestic waste will be established, and measures such as charging fee for sanitary service, system of contracted economic responsibilities and enterprise management of public entities, will be implemented. These will promote the reform of the waste disposal system, improve the current dispersed wastes collection and utilization approaches, and thus promotes the industrial development of waste disposal.
- Formulating incentive policy for the recovery and utilization of landfill gas. Enterprises will be encouraged to construct and operate landfill gas collection and utilization facilities. The fee level for waste disposal will be increased, landfill gas power and waste incineration power projects will enjoy preferential feed-in tariff, and landfill gas recovery and utilization projects will enjoy preferential value-added tax and enterprise income tax relief and reduction within a certain period of time.
2. Key Areas for Adaptation to Climate Change
1). Agriculture
- Continue to improve agricultural infrastructures. Accelerate the construction of supporting facilities of large-scale, water-saving irrigation areas; maintain/promote field engineering quality; upgrade aging electromechanical equipment; and improve irrigation and drainage systems. Continue to expand demonstration on water-saving irrigation, build pilot projects in the main grain production area, develop dryland water-saving agriculture and build demonstration projects on dryland farming in arid areas. Conduct small-scale hydraulic engineering focused on field irrigation and drainage projects, small-scale irrigation areas and watershed projects in the non-irrigation area for fighting drought. Strengthen the control and restoration of middle-and-low yield fields subject to salinization and alkalinization in the main grain production areas. Accelerate the construction of water collection and utilization engineering in hill mountain areas and other arid areas.
- Promote adjustment of agricultural structure and cropping systems. Optimize regional arrangement of agriculture. Promote the centralization of preponderant agro-products to preponderant production areas in order to form the industrial zones of preponderant agricultural products and to increase agricultural productivity. Extend the planting areas of economic and forage crops, and promote the shift of the structure of cropping systems from dual structure with food crop and cash crop to ternary structure with food crop, cash crop and forage crop. Adjust cropping systems, develop multiple cropping and raise multiple cropping indexes.
- Breed stress-resistant varieties. Select and cultivate new well-bred animal and crop varieties with high yield potential and quality, superior integrative stress resistance and wide adaptability. Improve crop and variety arrangement. Select and cultivate stress-resistant varieties with specific abilities of resistance to drought, waterlogging, high temperature, diseases and pests.
- Prevent aggravation of grassland desertification. Prevent further development of desertification by building artificial grassland, controlling grazing intensity, recovering vegetation, and increasing vegetation coverage of grassland. Strengthen the development of animal husbandry in the farm belt to improve the productivity of animal husbandry.
- Strengthen research and development of new technologies. Develop new technologies and strive to make greater progress in the areas of photosynthesis, biological nitrogen fixation, bio-technology, prevention of diseases and pests, stress resistance, and precision agriculture. Continue to implement "seed project" and "well-bred species project for animal and fishery". Promote the construction of well-bred species bases for main crops, livestock and poultry. Enhance agricultural technology extension, and increase agriculture's ability to adopt new technologies.
2). Forests and other natural ecosystems
- Formulate and implement laws and regulations relevant to climate change adaptation. Accelerate the amendment of Forest Law of the People's Republic of
- Strengthen the effective protection of existing forest resources and other natural ecosystems. Strictly protect natural forests in logging ban areas to convert natural forest ecosystems from degradation to progressive succession. Conduct wetland conservation by effectively reducing human disturbance and damage to stop the declining trend of wetland area. Expand total area and improve the quality of nature reserves and develop bio-corridors among reserves. Strengthen forest fire control by establishing perfect systems for forest fire forecasting, monitoring, suppressing, saving, fuelbreaking and hazard assessing. Effectively integrate existing forestry monitoring systems into a comprehensive one for forest resources and other ecosystems. Enhance forest insect and disease control by improving systems for forecasting, early-warning, monitoring, quarantining of forest insect and disease, enhancing comprehensive control, and enlarging biological control.
- Strengthen technology development and extension. Research and develop technologies for forest fire control and forest insect and disease control. Select and breed tree species with high cold-resistance, drought-resistance and pest and disease-resistance to enhance the adaptation capacities of forest vegetations to climate change. Develop technologies for biodiversity conservation and restoration, particularly those technologies related to management of forest and wildlife nature reserves, wetland conservation and restoration, and conservation of endangered wild animals and plants to alleviate the impact of climate change on biodiversity. Promote technologies for monitoring forest resources and forest ecosystems, including those for forest environments, desertification, wild animals and plants, wetlands, forest fire, forest pest and disease. Improve monitoring network and management system to enhance forecasting, early-warning, and emergency responding capacities.
3). Water resources
- Enhance water resources management. Adopting the principle of harmony between human and nature in water resource management, to take more effort to convert farmland back into lake or river course, remove polder dikes for flood way, dredge river channel and lake, and rehabilitate and protect rivers with serious ecological problems while strengthening dike construction and key water control projects. Enhance unified management of water resources through basin-wide integration of water resource planning, allocation, and management. Pay more attention to saving, protection, and optimizing the allocation of water resources. Change people's traditional way of considering water resource as inexhaustible. Convert water resource allocation approach from demand-based supply to supply-based demand. Establish national initial water right allocation and water right transfer systems. Develop investment and financing system and management system for key water conservancy projects consistent with the socialist market economy.
- Strengthen infrastructure planning and construction. Speed up building of the Project of South-to-North Water Diversion, and gradually generate the new pattern of optimized water resources allocation by three water diversion lines linking the Yangtze River, Yellow River,
- Promote the development and extension of technologies for water allocation, water-saving, and sea water utilization. Focus the researches on the mechanisms of water exchange among atmosphere water, surface water, soil water, and groundwater, and technologies for optimizing water resource configuration, wastewater and rainfall utilization, and artificial rainfall enhancement. Exploit technologies for industrial water recycling, water saving irrigation, dryland farming and biological water saving, especially technologies and equipments for precise irrigation and intelligent management for water use in agriculture. Develop and extend technologies of domestic water saving and sea water utilization.
4). Coastal zones and coastal regions
- Establish and improve relevant laws and regulations. Formulate regional management regulations and detailed rules in accordance with Marine Environment Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, Law of the People's Republic of China on Administration of Sea Areas, etc., and characteristics of the specific localities in the coastal areas. Establish integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) system, the comprehensive decision-making mechanism and effective coordination mechanism. Handle timely various issues occurred in the development and protection of coastal zones. Establish demonstration sites of integrated management.
- Promote technology development and extension. Strengthen research and development of technologies for protection and restoration of the marine ecosystems, with emphasis on cultivation, transplanting, and recovery of coastal mangroves, protection and restoration of coral reefs and coastal wetlands to reduce the vulnerability of ecosystems in coastal zones. Accelerate the construction of the designated marine natural reserves, such as coral reef reserves, mangrove reserves, etc. Improve capability of protection of marine biodiversity.
- Improve the capability in marine environmental monitoring and early-warning. Set up more observation sites and networks in coastal areas and on islands. Construct high-tech observation systems. Improve the capability of aerial remote sensing and telemetering of marine environments, especially capability of monitoring sea level change. Build early-warning and response system for tidal disasters in coastal areas. Promote comprehensive supporting capability of early-warning, strengthen service capability of early-warning systems and capability of production and distribution of early-warning products to increase the capability for early-warning against marine disasters.
- Strength adaptation strategies to address sea level rise. Adopt measures of combining slope protection with shore protection, combining engineering measures with biological measures. Raise design standards of sea dike height, heighten and consolidate existing sea dike engineering works to enhance the capacity of dealing with sea level rise. Prevent over exploitation of groundwater and land subsidence in coastal areas, by taking measures of artificial groundwater recharge in the areas where groundwater funnel and land subsidence occurred. Take countermeasures such as using fresh water from rivers or reservoirs to dilute and restrain brackish water against sea water intrusion in the estuaries. Raise protection standard for coastal cities and major projects, raise standard for designed height of port docks, and adjust outlet depth. Make efforts to construct coastal shelterbelt systems with multi-species, multi-layer, and multi-function of forests.
3 Climate Change Science and Technology
- To strengthen the macro-management and coordination for climate change related scientific research. Measures in this regard include: further understanding the significance of climate change related scientific and technological research; complying with the guiding principle of "making independent innovation, achieving breakthrough in key areas, supporting the development, and guiding the future trend" for scientific research; meeting the requirements of Framework of National Program for Medium-to-Long-Term Scientific and Technological Development on climate change related scientific research; strengthening the macro management and policy guidance for scientific and technological research on climate change; refining the leadership and coordination mechanism for scientific and technological research on climate change; improving the regional and sectoral allocation of climate change related scientific research; further reinforcing the support to climate change related scientific research; speeding up the integration of climate change science and technology resources; encouraging and supporting innovation of climate change science and technology; and bringing science and technology into full play as the basic supporting force in response to climate change.
- To promote scientific research and technological development in key areas of climate change. Measures in this regard include: strengthening the research on scientific facts and uncertainty, impacts of climate change on social economy, analysis of the effectiveness of socioeconomic benefits and costs in response to climate change, technological options in response to climate change and effectiveness assessment; strengthening observation on climate change, R&D on global climate change monitoring technology, technology for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation technology to enhance China's capacity in response to climate change and implementing the UNFCCC; paying special attention to the research and development of large-scale and precise climate change monitoring technology, energy efficiency and clean energy technology, emission control and utilization technology for carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gas emissions in key sectors, biological carbon-capture technology, and carbon sequestration technology.
- To strengthen the construction of talents in the area of climate change science and technology. Measures in this regard include: strengthening personnel training; establishing effective incentive and competition mechanism and a favorable academic environment for talent development; paying special attention to foster academic leaders and eminent candidates with international vision and the ability to lead climate change studies, and encouraging young talents to distinguish themselves; strengthening the disciplinary development of climate change science; speeding up the construction and integration of talent teams; establishing the "opening, flowing, competitive, cooperative" operation mechanism for climate change research institutes; making full use of various channels and approaches to enhance the research ability and independent-innovation capacity of China's scientists and research institutions; building up a climate change science and technology management team and R&D team in the context of China's national circumstances; encouraging and recommending China's scientists to participate in international R&D programs on global climate change and get positions in international research institutions.
- To increase the financial support to climate change related scientific and technological research. Measures in this regard include: establishing relatively stable governmental-funded channels as the main financing sources to enlarge the official financial support to climate change related scientific and technological research; taking measures to ensure the full allocation and efficient utilization of governmental investment; raising fund through various channels and by various means from all circles of the society to support climate change scientific and technological research; introducing venture capital investment in the area of climate change study; guiding business and enterprises to increase their investment in R&D on climate change science and technology and giving them the role as the major body of technology innovation; utilizing the bilateral and multilateral funds from foreign governments and international organizations to assist China's R&D on climate change science and technology.
4 Public Awareness on Climate Change
- Fully utilizing the promotion function of the government. All levels of government should regard raising public awareness as an important work to address climate change and carry out it with care. For this purpose,
- Reinforcing the publicity, education and training on climate change. Measures in this regard include: making full use of mass media such as books, newspapers, periodicals, audio and video products to disseminate knowledge of climate change to stakeholders in all walks of life; advocating sustainable life style including electricity-saving, water-saving, garbage classification, reduction, recycling and reuse; incorporating climate change publicity and education into the framework of basic education, adult education and higher education as an important component of China's overall quality education; holding various thematic training seminars targeting at different audiences and organizing different workshops on both popular and professional climate change science; taking full advantage of information technology to enrich the contents and functions of the government's climate change information websites and building them up into real, quick-response and effective platforms for information dissemination and communication.
- Encouraging public participation. Measures in this regard include: Incentive mechanism should be established to encourage the public and enterprise participation in the climate change issue and public supervision will be fully utilized; improving information publicity channels and regulations on climate change issues; widening the channels for public participation and supervision; giving full play to the media's supervision and guidance function on public opinion; increasing the transparency of decision-making on climate change issues; promoting the science and democracy in the area of climate change administration; giving full play to the initiative of social communities and non-governmental organizations.
- Reinforcing international cooperation and communication. Measures in this regard include: strengthening international cooperation on promoting public awareness on climate change issues; utilizing the experience of international good practice on climate change publicity and education; actively carrying out information exchange with foreign countries and exchanging publications, movies, televisions, audio and video tapes and other literature works on global climate change; building up open database on climate change and providing inquiry and information retrieval services for domestic agencies, research institutions, and schools.
5 Institutions and Mechanisms
- Strengthening the leadership on addressing global climate change. The response to climate change correlates with economic, social, domestic and foreign issues. Therefore, the State Council decides to establish the National Leading Group to Address Climate Change headed by Premier Wen Jiabao, with Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan serving as the Deputy Directors of the Group. The Leading Group will be responsible for deliberating and determining key national strategies, guidelines and measures on climate change, as well as coordinating and resolving key issues related to climate change. The Office of the Leading Group, whose capacity shall be strengthened, is established within the National Development and Reform Commission. Relevant ministries and departments of the State Council shall seriously fulfill their responsibilities, and strengthen coordination and cooperation, so as to achieve synergies to address climate change. Local governments at different levels shall enhance the organization and leadership on local responses to climate change, and formulate and implement local climate change programs as a matter of priority.
- Establishing a regional administration system for coordinating the work in response to climate change. Measures in this regard include: establishing regional administration agencies to fulfill and implement the national program, to organize and coordinate local activities and actions in response to climate change; building up local expert group on climate change and initiating proper climate change policy and measures according to local conditions such as geographical environment, climatic conditions and economic development level; meanwhile, strengthening the coordination between national and local governments to ensure the smooth implementation of relevant policy and measures in response to climate change.
- Making effective use of the Clean Development Mechanism Fund (CDMF). According to the pertinent articles of Measures for Operation and Management of Clean Development Mechanism Projects, the Government of China will levy a certain proportion of the certified emission reductions (CERs) transfer benefits from CDM projects, and the revenue collected upon CERs transfer benefits from CDM projects will be used to establish the Clean Development Mechanism Fund to support the country's activities on climate change such as climate change related science and technology research, and raising national adaptation and mitigation capacity. The establishment of the Clean Development Mechanism Fund will also play an active role in relieving the pressure of demand for fund in response to climate change, and guaranteeing the effective implementation of this national program.
Part 5
Climate change, the impacts of which have been felt all over the world, was mainly caused by the massive emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases originated from developed countries since industrial revolution. Broad international cooperation is necessary to address climate change. In order to effectively address climate change and implement this national programme,
1
1). Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions
Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions is one of the important components in addressing climate change. According to the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" of the UNFCCC, the Parties included in Annex I to the Convention should take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For developing countries with less historical emission and current low per capita emission, their priority is to achieve sustainable development. As a developing country,
2). Adaptation to climate change
Adaptation to climate change is an integral part of addressing climate change. In the past, sufficient attention was not given to adaptation, but it is now required a shift in direction. When formulating further legal documents to address climate change in the future, the international community should give full consideration to adaptation to the climate change already under way, especially the promotion of developing countries' capacity against extreme climatic events. For this purpose,
3). Technology cooperation and transfer
Technology will play the central role in addressing climate change. International technology cooperation and transfer should be strengthened to share the benefit of technological development worldwide. Measures in this regard should include the following: establishing an effective technology cooperation mechanism to promote R&D, deployment and transfer of technology of addressing climate change; eliminating obstacles to technology cooperation and transfer in terms of policy, institution, procedures, financial resources and protection of intellectual property rights; initiating incentive measures for technology cooperation and transfer to ensure its occurrence in reality; establishing a special fund for international technology cooperation so that environment-and-climate-friendly technologies are accessible and affordable to developing countries.
4). Full implementation of commitments under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol
The UNFCCC has provided the objectives, principles and commitments to address climate change, based on which the Kyoto Protocol further set up the specific greenhouse gas reduction targets for Annex I country Parties for the period from 2008 to 2012. All parties are supposed to faithfully implement their respective commitments under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol. The developed countries should fulfill their commitments of taking the lead to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and providing financial assistance and technology transfer to the developing countries. As a country of responsibility,
5). Regional cooperation on climate change
The UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol are the major legal frameworks for the international community to address climate change, which do not close the door to regional cooperation on climate change. Regional cooperation on climate change, in any form, should function as a helpful complement to the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol rather than replacing or weakening them. The purpose of regional cooperation should be to stimulate all efforts to address climate change and to boost practical international cooperation.
2 Needs for International Cooperation on Climate Change
1). Needs for technology transfer and cooperation
- Technology need for observation and monitoring of climate change. Technology need for this purpose mainly are atmospheric observation, marine observation, terrestrial eco-observation, satellite technology on meteorological, marine and terrestrial resources, climate system simulation and calculation technology, etc. Among these needs, technology for manufacturing of advanced observation equipments, the high-resolution and high-precision satellite technology, technology for satellite data acquirement & remote-sensing information collection & reviewing, and high-performance climate change simulation techniques are on top of the list for
- Technology need for mitigation of climate change.
- Technology need for adaptation to climate change. China's technology need for adaptation to climate change mainly includes high-efficiency water-saving agro-technologies such as spray & drip irrigation, water-saving and reusing technology of industrial water, treatment technology of industrial and household wastewater, household water-saving technology, high-efficiency flood-controlling technology, agro-biological technology, agricultural breeding technology, production technology for new-type fertilizers, disease and pest control technology for cropland, forest, and grassland, cultivation technology of fast-growing high-yield forest and high-efficiency firewood forest, technology for recovery and reconstruction of wetland, mangrove and coral reef ecosystems, technology for observation and pre-warning of flood, drought, sea level rise, agricultural disasters, etc. Timely-acquisition of these technologies can greatly help
2).Needs for capacity building
- Development of human resources. Capacity building needs for development of human resources mainly include personnel training, international exchange program, discipline development and professional training in the area of fundamental research on climate change, policy analysis on mitigation and adaptation, information system development and CDM project management.
- Adaptation to climate change. Capacity building need for adaptation to climate change mainly includes development of adaptation projects, case studies on extreme climatic events, improvement of climate observation systems, enhancing the adaptation capacity of coastal areas, water resource and agriculture sectors, etc.
- Technology transfer and cooperation. Capacity building need for technology transfer and cooperation mainly include following new progress and trend of international technology development, effective identification and assessment of advanced adaptation technology, analysis on barriers to international technological transfer and cooperation, improving the ability to adapt to and assimilate transferred technologies, etc.
- Public awareness. Capacity building needs for public awareness include developing medium-and-long term program and policy to enhance public awareness of climate change, establishing professional publicity and education network and institutions in line with international standards, training people working in media and climate change education, launching public campaigns for stakeholders from different regions and groups to disseminate the knowledge of climate change, and guiding the public consumption patterns in favor of the protection of global climate system.
- Information system development. Capacity building needs on information system development include distributed databases on climate change, internet-based climate-change-information sharing platforms, application-oriented information system and information service system, public information service system and industrial information service system, international information exchange and cooperation, etc.
- National communications. Capacity building needs for national communications include the establishment of statistical system catering to the compilation of emission inventory, collection of testing and monitoring data for emission factors,, methodologies for inventory quality control, assessment of climate change impact and adaptation, projection of future emissions, and the development and management of national greenhouse gas emission database.
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http://manchester.chineseconsulate.org/eng/xwdt/t328923.htm
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The Renewable Energy Research Center (RENRC) is a research unit engaged in R&D of renewable energy technologies in FREA. The research center conducts a wide variety of research activities from basic research to system demonstration upon innovative technologies for reduction of power generation cost, large-scale low-cost energy storage and flexible electricity grid and upon database for proper deployment of renewable energy. RENRC consists of seven research teams (Photovoltaic Power Team, Wind Power Team, Hydrogen Energy Carrier Team, H2 and Heat Utilization System Team, Geothermal Energy Team, Shallow Geothermal and Hydrogeology Team and Energy Network Team).
As an international innovation hub for renewable energy, RENRC also promotes collaboration with domestic and international research organizations, and contribute to the reconstruction of the disaster areas for Tohoku regions through the development of industrial clustering and human resources.
※Click the team name on the organization chart for more details.
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https://www.aist.go.jp/fukushima/en/unit/
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the meritorious service of science and technology is not an honor awarded to a person.
the meritorious service award of scientific and technological figures is awarded for the first time, which shows that the company attaches great importance to innovation. This is not only the affirmation of the existing scientific research achievements, the inheritance of the company's scientific and technological innovation spirit, the encouragement of the majority of cadres and employees, but also the expectation of future scientific and technological innovation work
meritorious service represents outstanding achievements and responsibility. At the site of the "two sessions" of the company, academicians unanimously emphasized in an interview that scientific and technological achievements are not awards given to one person, but awards for the images of the era that promote the development of power
"this award is not given to someone, we are just representatives." Said huangqili, an academician of the Chinese Academy of engineering. In recent years, national electricity has grown from small to large, from weak to strong, and has become the most technologically advanced power system and the best electricity in safe operation in the world. "This is the result of several generations' mutual efforts and continuous innovation for a long time, thanks to the joint efforts of several generations of cadres and workers of the entire power system. This award belongs to everyone, and we have only done our own work in our field."
Tang Guangfu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of engineering, believes that the company has enriched the connotation of the honorary title of "meritorious service" from the perspective of enterprises: "this is not only an academic honor, but also an affirmation of the contribution to scientific and technological innovation and the innovation value of the power industry. It has a distinct guiding role in forming an atmosphere of mass entrepreneurship and innovation in the State Grid Corporation of China."Since the 19th CPC National Congress, the concept of "innovation leading" has been emphasized repeatedly. The enterprise undertakes the main body of innovation, and the company has been driving high-quality development with reform and innovation
since the "three types, two types and world-class" strategy was put forward in early 2019, its own innovation connotation and various new initiatives of opening up and cooperation of the company have attracted attention: launch eight measures of "four openness and four cooperation" for scientific and technological innovation, open laboratories to the whole society, and form joint innovation bodies with colleges and universities, enterprises, social organizations, etc... people can clearly feel that the giant aircraft carrier state grid is undergoing a series of changes - more open More energetic
Chen Weijiang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that since the implementation of the "three types, two types and world-class" strategy, the company has placed scientific and technological innovation in a more prominent position, deepened the reform of scientific and technological innovation system and mechanism, created an open, cooperative and innovative ecosystem, concentrated its advantages to tackle key problems, and worked hard on the transformation of results, affirmed and highlighted the contributions of front-line scientific researchers, and increased the incentive of dividends. "The good innovation environment and platform of the State Grid Corporation of China enable the majority of scientific and technological workers to learn and make contributions. As a member of scientific and technological workers, I will continue to work hard to do a good job in research, give full play to my expertise and serve the construction of 'three types and two'."
open the door, reform drives innovation
at present, national power has become the world's largest super large AC and DC power with the highest voltage level and the largest scale. The innovative mode of promoting major projects with major projects and promoting scientific and technological progress with major projects has enabled the company to be in the forefront of the world's energy and power industry in just over a decade
then, under the background that energy transformation has become a global consensus, how can the State Grid achieve re innovation? The answer given by the new strategy of "three types, two types and world-class" is: openness
"energy transformation emphasizes accurate user services to safeguard national security and people's well-being through clean energy substitution and electric energy substitution. In the future, the consumption of electricity for a large proportion of renewable energy will be achieved by measuring the output pulse number of photoelectric encoder to obtain the displacement of beam and the support of energy conservation and emission reduction on the demand side, which highlights the pivotal position of electricity in the energy system." Xue Yusheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of engineering, said that the power system must expand from the control of internal equipment to the interaction with massive environmental information, social objects and participants. To this end, the State Grid Corporation of China has proposed the strategy of building "three types and two", which will deeply integrate smart electricity and power IOT, and become a shared platform for energy hubs
"with the development of technology today, the interdisciplinary intersection is very obvious. Communication, cooperation and mutual support in different fields in the industry are important measures for scientific and technological innovation in the future." Huang Qili believes that the "three types and two" widely combines physics, information, artificial intelligence and other technologies, which is equivalent to adding a smart brain on the basis of strong physical electricity. "At present, the society is in a highly information-based and intelligent development stage, which is not only for electric enterprises, but also for all walks of life. The direction of innovation is necessary, the content is extensive, and everyone needs to participate."
Tang Guangfu said that "three types and two types" is only the first step, and the second step is to create an innovative new national system
in the long-term scientific and technological innovation, the institutional advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics in concentrating on major events has been brought into full play. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee proposed to "build a new national system for tackling key core technologies under the conditions of socialist market economy". The content of improving the system and mechanism of scientific and technological innovation has been incorporated into the framework of the basic socialist economic system, and the guidance of scientific and technological innovation to promote high-quality economic development has become more prominent
as an infrastructure related to the national economy and the people's livelihood, electricity used to drive innovation with major projects, and the time scale is mostly a few years. Under the challenge of energy transformation, many technological innovations in electricity have entered the "no man's land", and there is no ready-made reference experience. Many basic innovations need long-term basic theoretical support and the spirit of grinding a sword for ten years
Xue Yusheng said that in order to grow from a large power of electricity to a powerful power of electricity, China must not only vigorously develop applied science, but also pay enough attention to basic science research
"we should change the loose contractual relationship and make everyone work together." Tang Guangfu said that in the future innovation, how to effectively take the lead, focus on a basic material, a basic device and some basic projects, drive the investment of enterprises and social resources with national projects, form a relatively solid joint team, and stably output scientific research energy in 5-10 years, 10-15 years or even longer is a direction worth exploring
energy transformation, taking a difficult path of innovation
electricity innovation cannot be bypassed by the background of energy transformationOn January 10, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council held the 2019 National Science and technology award conference in Beijing. Six projects of State Grid Corporation of China have won national science and technology awards. Among them, the achievements of three projects directly refer to new technologies closely related to energy transformation, such as renewable energy power supply system, renewable energy consumption capacity, and source coordination control
"new energy is the key to energy transformation, but electricity is the core. The future construction of electricity determines how fast and well China's energy transformation can be achieved." Tang Guangfu believes that the company plays an important role in promoting energy transformation. The construction of "three types and two types" is a response to the call of mass entrepreneurship and innovation, and encourages all sectors of society to participate in the practice of power technology innovation. It is also a new attempt of the company in the environment of energy transformation
in the future, how to control the electricity with a high proportion of renewable energy access, how to make electricity more intelligent, and how to improve the construction of the electricity market are all related to the progress and quality of energy transformation, which requires more investment from innovative subjects from all walks of life, including power enterprises
"the security defense system of the power system is facing the great challenge of how to better and more actively support the energy transformation and social participation. Promote the development of renewable energy in the upstream of the energy chain, and actively create a friendly platform for its downstream power substitution." Xue Yusheng said that in order to cope with the security and adequacy risks introduced by the opening of the physical field, a more complete power failure prevention system needs to be established; In order to cope with the increased information security risks due to the opening of information, it is necessary to establish an information buffer link; In emphasizing the energy reform led by user demand, the energy system must fully meet the right to know and participate in the social structure with a capacity of 1000 LB, and at the same time preserve the right to output data. It is necessary to study and deal with new ideas and new technologies for market competition, regulatory mechanisms, policies and other social behaviors
with the further increase of the proportion of renewable energy, electricity forms will face severe challenges. "There are three ways to transform energy. The first is the cleaning of primary energy, the second is the electrification of secondary energy, and the third is the intellectualization of electricity." Huang Qili said that technology research and development focusing on the safe operation of electricity is very important. The continuous improvement of electric intelligence through ubiquitous power IOT will be beneficial to energy transformation
"at present, there are many pilot level innovations in UBI. In the future, with the promotion of energy transformation, it needs to continue to deepen, package, integrate and coordinate the pilot results, mobilize social resources, and scientific and technological innovation is needed at the level of technological innovation and business model." Huang Qili said
in fact, the company has been investing in promoting energy transformation. Since the establishment of UBI one year ago, many good pilot experiences are emerging
in 2019, the company officially became the official partner of Beijing Winter Olympics. Beijing Winter Olympics venues will use green power this summer, and 100% green power supply will be realized for all venues for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games; Electric vehicles interact with green power trading. Photovoltaic poverty alleviation electricity from Qinghai is directly sent to Beijing through power trading and transmission channels; The new energy platform assists governments at all levels in decision-making, promotes the scientific development of new energy, and drives industrial agglomeration...
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http://www1.cdxxls999.com/top/35036.html
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The internationalisation and external visibility strategy of SINAI and ADItech as its coordinator depends on external collaboration with strategic partners in the field of science and technology in and outside Navarre and Europe.
The activity of Asociación Española de Comunicación Científica (AECC) focuses on the organisation of seminars, talks, courses and meetings between journalists and scientists with a twofold objective: to address scientific news which can be used by journalists and to establish personal, friendly ties between research and communication professionals with a view to more fruitful collaboration for science and society.
ADItech has collaborated with AECC since 2017.
AMIT is a nationwide, non-governmental, non-profit organisation made up of female researchers and technologists from a range of disciplines who carry out their research, technological or science management work in public and private bodies and research centres in Spain. It aims to be a voice, discussion forum and support network for all women researchers and female members of the university community aware of the importance of working together to achieve the full participation of women in Research, Science and Technology.
ADITECH has belonged to the association since January 2019.
The Navarre Audiovisual Cluster -CLAVNA- is an organisation which aims to increase the competitiveness and quality of Navarre’s audiovisual companies, creating a strong, cohesive ecosystem.
In 2018 ADItech signed a collaboration agreement with CLAVNA with two main objectives: to detect and guide the technological needs which the members of CLAVNA might have and could be developed within SINAI, and to seek direct support in the industry to enhance SINAI’s communication capabilities and activity.
The EU proposed Digital Innovation Hubs as a key priority in the Digitising European Industry initiative adopted in April 2016. It promotes collaboration between the DIHs to create a network across the EU so that companies can access skills and equipment not available in the DIH in their region. This network will lead to the transfer of knowledge between regions and will be the basis for economies of scale and investment in the centres.
In 2016 ADItech managed to place Navarre on the DIHubs map through the European project BEinCPPS and the I4MS initiative. I4MS.
EFFRA is a European industry-driven association promoting the development of new, innovative industrial production technologies. The main objective of EFFRA is to promote precompetitive research in production technologies in collaboration with the European Commission. EFFRA currently consists of 150 European industrial and research entities actively involved in defining its research strategy, technological challenges and innovation agenda.
ADItech has united and represented the technological interests of AIN, NAITEC and LUREDERRA since 2016.
“We see ourselves as a knowledge-sharing platform, striving to accelerate innovation in different fields of society. Our spirit is in constant expansion: we believe that good ideas and enthusiasm are contagious. We defend societies engaged with their scientific advances, that care about knowledge as a crucial path to a better life on this planet.”
EUSEA is an international knowledge-sharing platform and accelerator of innovation in the fields of public engagement.
ADItech has been a member of EUSEA since 2017 and is actively involved in the association and its congresses.
Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT) is a public foundation dependent on the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. FECYT was created in 2001 and works to strengthen the bond between science and society through actions that promote open and inclusive science, culture and scientific education, responding to the needs and challenges of the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation System.
ADItech has benefited since 2017 from the support of FECYT for the editions of SciencEkaitza which have been held.
Fedit is the Spanish Federation of Technology Centres. It was established in 1996 and since then has worked to encourage and drive Innovation, Technological Development and Private Research to increase the competitiveness of enterprises by strengthening Technology Centres.
ADItech has belonged to FEDIT since 2015 and represents CNTA, AIN, NAITEC and LUREDERRA.
The Navarre Film Library is the archive which specialises in cataloguing and conserving Navarre-related film documents, and making them available for consultation. Its functions include: recovering, preserving, restoring, documenting, cataloguing and safeguarding Navarre’s film heritage, and disseminating it by organising seasons or other film events on a non-profit basis, publishing it on any medium and all activities deemed appropriate to disseminate film culture.
ADItech and the Navarre Film Library have presented the Film and Science Season “Conocer y comprender” (Discover and understand) every year since 2017.
The INAI-NBI (Instituto Navarro para la Igualdad/Nafarroako Berdintasunerako Institutua) works intensively so that through public policies emanating from the Government of Navarra real and effective Equality between women and men is achieved, benefiting all Navarrese society.
The transversal incorporation of the gender perspective in public policies and in the administration of the Autonomous Community of Navarra, as well as the strengthening of equal participation between women and men in decision-making, and the fight against violence against women they are fundamental responsibilities, commitments and tasks of this Institute.
ADItech has collaborated with the INAI-NBI since 2019.
The INKREASE project (INnovation and Knowledge for Regional Actions and SystEms) aims to improve innovation delivery policies and programmes intended to increase regional competitiveness by encouraging dialogue and collaboration between the business and research sectors.
The Government of Navarre’s Directorate General of Culture, Institución Príncipe de Viana, distinguishes those cultural initiatives considered to be of “social interest” in Navarre with the “MECNA Seal”. The aim is to identify these cultural initiatives of interest and establish a new public-private collaboration model to implement them. MECNA also recognises the commitment of citizens, the business world and society to the promotion and financing of culture, and offers tax incentives for such support.
SciencEkaitza has been a cultural initiative of social interest since 2018 and will initially be one until 2022, on a renewable basis.
The main objective of the Nanouptake project -Overcoming Barriers to Nanofluids Market Uptake (COST Action CA15119) aims to create a Europe-wide network of leading R&D and innovation institutions, and of key industries, to develop and foster the use of nanofluids as advanced heat transfer/thermal storage materials to increase the efficiency of heat exchange and storage systems.
Comprising more than 37 institutions from 21 different countries, the Nanouptake project began in October 2016. NAITEC and Corporación ADItech are active members of the working groups.
PortASAP (European network for the Promotion of Portable, Affordable and Simple Analytical Platforms) aims to create a European platform for the promotion of low-cost analytical devices without compromising ease of use and making them accessible to untrained personnel. Participants will work until completion of the project, scheduled for mid-2021, to establish a European roadmap to collect accurate information on the phases of design, manufacture and distribution of such devices.
This project, which currently relies on professionals from more than 27 organisations from 16 different European countries, has received funding from the European Union programme: COST action – collaboration agreement CA16215.
SPIRE (Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency) is a public-private European Commission instrument created to manage and maximise drive in technological development and innovation in Europe.
Corporación Tecnológica ADItech has been a research member of SPIRE, which aims to optimise industrial processes by reducing energy and water consumption, and minimising waste by developing supporting technologies and integration, demonstration and validation throughout the value chain, since 2015. ADItech’s active participation in this forum has been driven by the specific interest of the technology centres Ain, Naitec and Lurederra in these areas.
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https://www.aditechcorp.com/en/alianzas/
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As a sector focused organization, the Council For Renewable Energy Nigeria aims to:
- Facilitate the planning and partnerships necessary to achieve large-scale, renewable energy implementation in Nigeria.
- Enhance government and public awareness of renewable energy technologies,
- Promote and support capacity building initiatives within and between policy makers, traditional leaders, relevant businesses and NGO’S.
- Advance renewable energy curriculum development in primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions.
- Encourage, publicize and enhance renewable energy initiatives of its members
- Establish a strong member base representative of all renewable energy stakeholders; and
- Foster active and effective chapters in all regions of Nigeria.
The Council For Renewable Energy Nigeria is a not for profit, multi-stakeholder association, which promotes the appropriate use of renewable energy technology in Nigeria and the reduction of green house gases through reduced consumption of fossil fuels. CREN aims to bring together the professional sector, government and civil servants, academics, associations, industry, financial institutions and services, the not for profit sector and end-users to act as a forum where they can work together for efficient, appropriate renewable energy implementation and to develop a comprehensive sustainable energy strategy for Nigeria.
CREN will work with all stakeholders to address the challenges of awareness, availability, cost and appropriate implementation of renewable energy technologies in Nigeria. In particular, CREN shall work to create public awareness and foster the emerging availability of reliable, economically viable renewable energy systems by supporting policy information and implementation, research, development and use of such systems.
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https://www.renewablenigeria.org.ng/vision/
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Brief Description:
The American Medical Association (AMA) has proposed a collaborative effort to work with the U.S. Surgeon General's Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (OCVMRC) to "promote, support, and build capacity in the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)." For the proposed program, the AMA will work with the OCVMRC and collaborating organizations to:
- Increase awareness and understanding of the MRC Program
- Establish and support MRC units nationally
- Enhance the capability of MRC units and volunteers to assist local disaster preparedness and response efforts, as well as with other community health initiatives
- Assist the OCVMRC with the development and implementation of uniform education and training programs, standards, and processes for utilizing MRC volunteers for federal deployment.
AVMA Response:
The AVMA strongly encourages collaborative efforts in the arena of emergency preparedness. We believe this program will proved the critically important resources necessary to strengthen the MRC network by encouraging integration and coordination among local, state, regional, tribal, and national partners, including public health, clinical care, emergency management, and other agencies and organizations.
The veterinary profession has consistently been shown to be a much needed and valuable asset in disaster and emergency response on many levels. Engaging local veterinary professionals in their community preparedness and response activities is a crucial component to ensure a more resilient community and a more robust response to any emergency event.
We look forward to working with the AMA and OCVMRC as a collaborating organization to provide guidance for the design, testing, implementation, and evaluation of program activities. In addition, we embrace the opportunity to work with other health organizations to achieve the goals of this cooperative agreement.
Background Documents:
The AVMA responded on May 3, 2010. (PDF)
Status:
On April 28th, the American Medical Association (AMA) contacted the AVMA in hopes that the AVMA would support the AMA in its efforts with the Medical Reserve Corps and send a letter stating such. The AVMA has been a supporter of such collaborative efforts and looks forward to working with the AMA on this issue. Spearheaded by the Committee on Disaster and Emergency Issues (CDEI), the support letter, dated May 3, 2010, was sent.
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https://www.avma.org/advocacy/national-legislation/other/veterinarian-involvement-emergency-preparedness-and-response
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Recently, Three Fengyun meteorological satellites, FY-3D, FY-4A, and FY-2H, have officially become on-duty satellites of CHARTER. They have provided relevant data service and monitoring service products for countries and territories like Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi in January, 2022.
In recent years, as on-duty satellites of CHARTER, FY satellites have played an increasingly significant role in global meteorological disaster preparedness, and serving “Belt and Road” construction. In 2021 alone, they have provided nearly 2T monitoring data for 22 major disasters.
Prior to that, only FY-3C, as on-duty satellite of CHARTER, has provided data service for relevant countries in terms of disaster preparedness. As newly launched FY satellites have brought an increasingly mounting number of data, the data resources geared to global extreme meteorological disasters have become more diversified, with higher temporal and spatial resolution and higher product accuracy. In order to better give play to the role of FY satellites in global disaster preparedness, China Meteorological Administration (CMA) applied to update the on-duty FY satellites of CHARTER.
At the end of December, 2021, the update was accomplished. On January 30, Manoel, the project manager of CHARTER mechanism sent a letter to express his gratitude to FY-3D for its products and data support. He stated that they have assessed relevant contents and furnished disaster monitoring service update.
According to Gao Hao, senior engineer from National Satellite Meteorological Centre (NSMC) of CMA, thanks to their respective cutting-edge technologies, these three satellites could provide relevant support for global meteorological forecasting, disaster response, and ecology protection.
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https://www.cma.gov.cn/en2014/news/News/202204/t20220408_4745340.html
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Međunarodni projekt • Aktivan projekt
Trajanje projekta: 15.1.2021.-15.6.2022.
Oznaka projekta: 101017950
Nositelji projekta
Zavod/i pri Fakultetu:
Zavod za tehničku mehaniku
Institucija nositelj:
Reseau des Associations Nationales de Pouvoirs Locaux de L'europe du Sud-Est (NALAS)
Partneri:
Ministry of the Interior (Montenegro)
Municipality of Tirana (Albania)
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje – Seismology Institute (North Macedonia)
Public Health Institute (Montenegro)
Suradnici:
Josip Atalić
Marta Šavor Novak
Zvonko Sigmund
Domagoj Damjanović
Financiranje
Izvor financiranja:
ECHO (DG for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations)
229.919 €
South East Europe as the earthquake prone area is largely affected by this hazard. Recent earthquakes in Albania and Croatia together with many others in the past showed that significant efforts are still needed to enhance prevention, preparedness and response. Specially in the circumstances like pandemic crisis (i.e. COVID-19). Therefore, further capacity building in knowledge, skills and know-how transfer is substantial. Project L2BR with Overall objective to strengthen the role of the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network as an inclusive platform of shared knowledge and expertise, good practices and networking in order to establish common understanding and shared culture of prevention, preparedness and response in civil protection and disaster risk management in the EU and the wider Neighbourhood and Specific Objective to support civil protection and disaster risk management actors that promote and facilitate the development, dissemination and exchange of knowledge, good practices and expertise will engage relevant stakeholders (local, national, regional and international) combining scientific research and real time HQ exercise. Through set of case studies, feasibility studies, guidebooks and other activities project will foster inter-sectorial cooperation and provide useful toolbox for improvement of prevention, preparedness and response to earthquakes in circumstances of pandemic crisis. Furthermore, project will strengthen cooperation of all significant actors and enable future joint actions. Quality project consortium comprising of 1 National Civil Protection Authority, 2 Universities, 1 Public Health Institute, 1 Local Government, 5 Local Government Associations as LTPs under coordination of Network of Associations of Local Authorities in South East Europe assures achieving of outputs, outcomes and objectives providing sustainable and long-term positive impact.
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https://projekti.grad.hr/projekt/learn-to-be-resilient-l2br/
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MAGHANDA intensifies disaster-related information drive
A Meteorological And Geological Hazard Advisories, Warnings and Notifications for Decisive Action (#MAGHANDA) Online Training for the local information officers and media personalities will be conducted on August 19, 2022.The goal of the online training is to help the Local Government Units (LGUs) in understanding warning messages to facilitate and create better planning for response actions in Disaster Risk Reduction efforts and also capacitate the Local Information Officers and media in developing news reports and articles for better dissemination of warning messages to the public.
The training will capacitate the local information officers and the media in
information dissemination of disaster preparedness and disaster-related news.
It will also help in understanding advisories and warning messages on natural
hazards such as earthquakes, storm surges, typhoons, tsunamis, volcanic
eruptions, and others.
The Meteorological and Geological Hazard Advisories, Warnings and Notification for Decisive Action or the "MAGHANDA" information caravan that targets 17 regions was inked last March 16, 2022, which will help boost information drive and provide better disaster risk warnings that will help prepare Filipinos all over the country against natural hazards.
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http://www.piacaraga.com/2022/07/thursday-july-28-2022.html
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The UN Disaster Management Team (DMT) is a mechanism for emergency preparedness and response coordination. It is responsible for preparing for, and facilitating prompt, effective and well-coordinated emergency response by its member organizations to a new disaster in Armenia. The DMT mechanism helps coordinate the disaster-related activities, consolidating and directing the efforts of its members to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the assistance provided and avoid to the extent possible duplications and unilateralism.
The DMT recognizes, and in no way supersedes, the mandates and specific functions of the member organizations.
The DMT focuses mainly on international assistance that may involve locally available resources as well as those brought from outside.
Objective
The primary purpose of the DMT in Armenia is to ensure a prompt, effective and coordinated country-level response by the UN system, other international organizations and country missions in the event of a disaster. This is achieved through building disaster risk reduction (DRR) capacities including prevention, preparedness and response measures by:
Composition
The DMT is composed of all UN Agencies present in Armenia (UNDP, UNHCR, UNDPI, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDSS, FAO, WFP, WHO, UNIDO, IOM).
Organizational Structure
Chair
The Chair of the DMT in Armenia is the UN Resident Coordinator.
Secretariat
The Chair and the DMT are supported by the Secretariat represented jointly by UNDP and RC Unit. Its main functions are to facilitate the identification of issues of concern to the DMT, and help ensure the adequate and timely implementation of agreed DMT actions to address these issues. The Secretariat also takes the lead in developing the proposed DMT Work Plan, and is responsible for compiling DMT related materials, organising regular DMT meetings, preparing and circulating copies of summary minutes including any significant new information presented, decisions and recommendations made, and matters to be followed up.
Technical Working Group
The Working Group is composed of agencies (UNICEF, UNHCR, UNDP, UNFPA, UNDPI, UNDSS, WFP, WHO and Armenian Red Cross Society) that have a mandate to provide relief support during an emergency. This group is responsible for all the technical aspects and implementation of the DMT preparedness processes and response to emergencies and is authorised to manage DMT's day-to-day operation.
Cooperation with the Government of Armenia
In all matters pertaining to disaster management, the DMT recognizes the primary role of the Government of Armenia (GoA) in preparing for and responding to disasters and emergency events. National counterpart of the DMT is Ministry of Emergency Situations (MoES). The Agreement on disaster management, preparedness and response activities and Memorandum of Understanding on provision of operative information and use of common communications means during possible disasters signed between the UN DMT and the MoES on February 14, 2011 provide legal framework and collaboration arrangements for both the preparedness and emergency response phases. Parties agree to cooperate in two main areas:
The documents outline the necessary procedures that will be needed to manage the response to potential disasters. They also include arrangements for assessments, information management, communications and co-ordination and ensuring complementary activities in the event of disaster.
The DMT also facilitates capacity-building support to the Government of Armenia and other relevant in-country entities to strengthen the country's disaster preparedness and response capabilities.
Key directions for DMT activities in Armenia:
Materials
Joint Efforts are Essential to Address Disasters, Press release (14 February 2011)
|Country implementation of IASC Cluster Approach|
Useful links:
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Humanitarian Relief Community
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Humanitarian Reform
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Inter-Agency Standing Committee
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International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
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Humanitarian Information Centers and Partners
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United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund
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World Meteorological Organization
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International Atomic Energy Agency
Contacts:
DMT Secretariat
UN House, 14, Petros Adamyan st.
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel: +37410 566073
Fax: +37410 543811
e-mail: [email protected]
or [email protected]
Copyright © UN Office in Armenia, 2014
All rights reserved.
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http://old.un.am/en/UN_Disaster_Management_Team
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With offices in Northern and Southern California, the OES Earthquake Program provides planning and technical assistance on various earth-related areas of concern. Program staff members work with local and regional governments, businesses, hospitals, schools, human service agencies, neighborhood and community organizations, and individuals to address, among other things, preparedness planning, hazard mitigation, emergency response, business resumption planning, post-earthquake shelter and housing, and the complexities of disaster recovery. Formed in 1993 by combining the Bay Area Regional Earthquake Preparedness Project and the Southern Earthquake Preparedness Project, the Earthquake Program concentrates its efforts in the most seismically active areas of California, but it is involved in earthquake preparedness and damage reduction efforts across the state.
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https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/comm/Cat_Nat_Disaster/20111121/
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Your gift will help the Center promote effective health services to underserved, vulnerable populations displaced by civil unrest, war or natural disasters. To designate your gift, select one of the following categories. When making a gift by check, please specify on the memo line the category you would like to support.
AREA OF GREATEST NEED Make A Gift Support our most pressing needs as determined by CRDR faculty and staff.
SCHOLARSHIPS Make A Gift Support our efforts to train leaders in disaster preparedness and response through a range of degree, certificate and training programs uniquely tailored for students in public health, governmental and nongovernmental organizations.
RESEARCH Make A Gift Support our efforts to evaluate and enhance disaster preparedness and response through research and analysis. Help make it financially possible for students to work on our projects and gain real-world experience in disaster management and humanitarian assistance.
CENTER FACULTY Make A Gift Increase expertise and capacity by making it possible for our Center faculty to attend conferences, distribute publications and hire junior faculty.
Thank you for assisting the victims of conflict and disaster. Your donation will improve the physical and mental health of underserved populations in crisis.
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http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-refugee-and-disaster-response/make_a_gift/
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Steve Elliott is an emergency management planning professional who partners with Non-governmental organizations, multi-national private companies, public sector jurisdictions and First Nations to grow their corporate emergency management programs, deepen their professional expertise and strengthen their business resilience.
With over 27 years’ experience in the fields of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery and business continuity, Steve has partnered with a myriad of professionals in his network of EM practitioners in the UK, Australia and the USA in order to bring forward innovative solutions for his client base.
For five years, Steve has acted in the capacity of Executive Director with Protegimus Group Emergency and Disaster Management Planning Services, providing expertise for clients desiring new perspectives, approaches and attainable solutions.
Steve’s responsibilities also include providing expertise and strategic planning as the Disaster Response Coordinator for Central and Eastern Canada to Samaritans Purse Canada, a Canadian Christian Disaster Relief organization.
He also has served as the Chairman of the NGO Alliance of Ontario, a network of disaster response and recovery non-governmental organizations that are active participants in Ontario’s Emergency Management landscape by providing a coordinated, effective, and efficient NGO response to disasters impacting municipalities. He currently sits as its Past Chairman.
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https://www.ngoallianceontario.ca/steve-elliott
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Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, on Monday, reviewed the state’s preparedness to tackle the southwest monsoon, in a meeting with the state’s disaster management authority.
The southwest monsoon is yet to arrive at its fullest. However, Arunachal Pradesh has already witnessed heavy rains triggering landslides and flash floods across the state.
Briefing the chief minister on the preparedness, disaster management secretary Dani Salu informed that NDRF personnel have been positioned at Bomdila for the west and Tezu for the eastern parts of the state, while SDRF units have been positioned at the five regional response centres at Dirang, Ziro, Pasighat, Tezu and Khonsa for quick response to any disaster situation.
“Our department is in constant touch with agencies like the central water commissioner, India Meteorological Department, hydropower, water resources, urban development, etc for liaising, coordination and information sharing to put in place precautionary measures in advance,” the chief minister said.
Salu revealed that extensive information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns have been launched to create awareness while the department is conducting mock exercises on earthquake and other disasters including flood and fire.
Toll-free numbers have also been installed and activated, which are 1070 for State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) and 1077 for District Emergency Operation Centres (DEOCs).
Further, the department has trained volunteers on disaster management across the state, whose assistance may be obtained by the respective deputy commissioners in case of emergency.
“These volunteers are also trained to deal with the COVID19 situation, therefore their services can be an asset to the district administrations,” Salu added.
Chief Minister Khandu advised the department to extensively train more volunteers across the state up to the village level.
Expressing concern on habitats in and around the state capital vulnerable to landslides and floods, Khandu suggested the disaster management director survey, map and notify all such vulnerable habitats and facilitate shifting of all such families to safer locations.
He also stressed on extensive IEC campaigns to create awareness amongst the people.
“Without thinking of any possible disaster, our people tend to build houses and reside in areas which are prone to landslides and floods during the monsoons. We need to aware them even if it may take time,” he said.
Khandu also expressed grave concern over rampant earth cutting in the state capital and called upon the department to coordinate with the district administration and put a halt to such activities.
He also accepted the suggestion put forth by the department to put in place a real-time monitoring system in the state for early warning signals of upcoming disasters to prevent loss of lives and other damages.
He gave a go-ahead to the department to take help from reputed institutes for technologies that could detect soil movement and give out advanced warning signals.
The chief minister also reviewed the status of preparedness in terms of medicines, essential commodities, manpower in the districts, fund position of the department, etc.
It was also agreed that a certain per cent of the state disaster relief management’s fund will be used for mitigation purposes only.
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https://www.eastmojo.com/arunachal-pradesh/2021/06/15/arunachal-cm-pema-khandu-reviews-flood-preparations/
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The experienced author must take a broad range of literary elements into consideration when composing a written work. The scope of literature stretches infinitely over hundreds of different genres and forms, whether it be prose, poetry, or play. Fictional works, comprising a sizeable portion of the total literary media that exists today, themselves possess more elements than can ever be fully explored: themes, symbols and motifs, plots structure, figurative language, and far more. However, one of the most important pieces involved in fictional works is the development of characters. While fiction can exist without extended metaphors, thematic undertones, or a complex plot, it cannot exist without characters to drive its story onward. As far as literature written to simply entertain is concerned, the characters are easily the most influential part of the work.
While a character's potential personality and effects on a story are completely unlimited, a character must still match his or her role within the story. Authors must develop each of their characters, or at least each of their main ones, based on that character's role in the plot. The people in a story act as direct representatives of their universe and the concepts behind it; fitting specific personalities to specific roles can be used to impart powerful themes to the reader. Also, whether a character is dynamic (changing) or static (unchanging) is just as important. The heart of a good story lies in the development that the characters experience. For example, if the protagonist of a novel doesn't grow, or perhaps even fall, somehow, the story will easily lack meaning for the reader and thus feeling shallow and boring.
Furthermore, the believability of characters in a work of literature can greatly enhance the story. In order to forge realistic personalities, the writer must draw from reality, often finding ideas in either himself or in others around him. In doing so the author has the opportunity to make connections between real life and his work and indirectly make powerful statements about the world he observes. An author can say even more through the strength and weaknesses of his characters, but he must be careful to balance talents with flaws. This balance varies depending on the type of character and his role, but, if it is implemented carefully, the author can create characters believable enough to reflect humanity and give the writer a chance to comment on the nature of mankind. In this manner, the author's power knows no bounds.
On another level, the depth of a character can involve the reader in the story in ways that other elements of the piece can not. Often the exploration of specific traits within characters can make them appear far more human. By creating detailed personalities, an author can offer insight into his characters' natures, thus making the characters more compelling to the reader; deeper, more intriguing personalities are more likely to draw the reader into the story than less deep, less detailed ones. The more human and life-like a character is, the more relatable that person is to the reader who follows his story. Subsequently, when readers can understand and relate to characters, they become more emotionally invested in the characters and their story. Good authors know how to capture their reader's emotions and use them to give the reader a wholly enjoyable experience with their literature.
Although the composition of literature involves many elements which should not be neglected, the careful development of characters often proves most crucial to the strength of the work. The believability and depth of a character is a reflection of the entire work, and, because the characters are who the reader identifies with, the author can create and use his characters to speak an unlimited number of concepts to the reader. In the case of fictional literature, at least that which exists to the entertain, the quality of the work is heavily dependant on what and how much the author pours into his characters; when readers find people in literature who reflect familiar elements of real life and display depth of thought and nature, the readers' minds and imaginations are opened to embrace the fictional realm and fully absorb and enjoy all that the author has to offer them.
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http://web-01.prd.teenink.com/opinion/sports_hobbies/article/86228/The-Authors-Mirror
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THE STORY – The Eight Mountains is the story of a friendship. Of children becoming men who try to erase the footprints of their fathers, but who, through the twists and turns they take, always end up returning home. Pietro is a boy from the city, Bruno is the last child of a forgotten mountain village. Over the years Bruno remains faithful to his mountain, while Pietro is the one who comes and goes. Their encounters introduce them to love and loss, reminding them of their origins, letting their destinies unfold, as Pietro and Bruno discover what it means to be true friends for life.
THE CAST – Luca Marinelli, Alessandro Borghi, Filippo Timi & Elena Lietti
THE TEAM – Felix van Groeninger & Charlotte Vandermeersch (Directors/Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 147 Minutes
5/20/2022
By Amy Smith
When a film takes place in locations as beautiful as the mountains of Italy, as “The Eight Mountains” does, not much effort has to be put in to capture the beauty of such a vast and lush location. Yet directors (and real-life partners) Felix van Groeninger and Charlotte Vandermeersch continually push the limits with this visually breathtaking film. Each shot in their latest is meticulously thought out, with the long takes helping to immerse the audience into this world, story, and characters. This is one of many reasons why “The Eight Mountains” is a captivating cinematic experience that must be admired on the biggest screen possible.
Based on the Italian novel “Le Otto Montagne” by Paolo Cognetti, the story is deceptively simple, as it focuses on a boy named Pietro (“Martin Eden’s” Luca Marinelli) and his relationship with his family, his friend Bruno (Alessandro Borghi), and the landscapes surrounding them. Spanning across numerous decades, the audience sees Pietro grow as he reconnects with loved ones and travels across the world to find where he belongs. It is a story that many audience members will be able to connect with on a profound level, whether it is the sense of grief or feeling out of place within the world. Groeninger and Vandermeersch find ways within the story to explore themes of despair and loneliness not just through dialogue but also through striking symbolism, which helps bring these themes to life in a poignant and dramatically effective manner.
The progression across the decades in this story feels organic, making the timeline clear and easy for the audience to follow. The film’s opening delves into Pietro’s childhood, showing how he first connected with his friend Bruno and became fascinated with the expansive mountain landscapes. There is less focus on Pietro’s adolescent days, but some key moments are introduced in this section that later becomes pivotal to Pietro’s journey. The film’s primary focus is on Pietro’s adulthood, allowing for a mature lens to take over the story and concentrate on darker, more complex themes. Not only does this span of time allow the audience to connect with the leading characters and see the journey they will go on, but it allows the film to mature alongside them and pack a powerful gut punch by the third act.
“The Eight Mountains” predominantly takes place high up in the beforementioned Italian mountains, but there are also sequences down on the ground and across various parts of the world. As the story travels across the globe to other countries, the multiple attractive environments add weight to the storytelling and offer a beautiful canvas for the audience to get lost in. While some scenes in areas such as Nepal have less of an emotional impact and take the viewer out of the gorgeous locations they’ve become comfortable with, these scenes are still vital to the narrative and allow the story to expand outside of just the two leading characters we’ve gotten close to. It would have been nice to see a solid conclusion to these storylines, but they serve their purpose in the end and help add weight to the narrative regardless.
The central aspect that will make or break “The Eight Mountains” for viewers will be the pacing. Clocking in at nearly two and a half hours, the story is incredibly straightforward for such a lengthy runtime. The narrative is your typical international, meditative slow burn, featuring many extended shots of mountains and tasks such as building a house and sitting by the fireside. Not every sequence within the film is wholly necessary, yet there is peace to be found within the deliberate pace and the uninterrupted takes. The editing style is consistent throughout and further helps create a serene viewing experience that allows the audience to immerse themselves into the landscapes as if we are part of the journey with the characters.
Considering the heavy themes and hard-hitting narrative, it would have been so easy to have this film be filled with a sense of gloom and despair. There are moments within it that do strike an emotional chord. Still, Groeninger and Vandermeesch find a balance within those moving turns to show growth and express a moment of clarity for the characters within these more brutal scenes. Some people may still find the film’s tone to be overwhelmingly depressing, but it is also easy to recognize its tranquil heart. It may not conclude on the most cheerful of notes, but where Groeninger and Vandermeesch leave the audience during the film’s final moments is a perfect way to end a journey of this nature and scale.
“The Eight Mountains” is filled to the brim with beauty, not just visually but subconsciously. The contrast between the snowy landscapes and the warm firesides showcases both the cold and distant struggles the two leading characters face alongside the comfort of them being side-by-side at their most grueling moments. Don’t be intimidated by the runtime; just allow the film’s cinematography and intimately epic story to take their time to wash over you.
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https://nextbestpicture.com/the-eight-mountains/
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When you hear ‘a whole new world’, do you burst into the Aladdin song as I do? Should I apologize now for getting that song in your head?
Okay, I am sorry and we will move on…
One of the best things about reading fantasy is banishing real world problems with a whole new world. Whether that world has dragons, potions, heroic journeys, romance, or aliens is entirely up to what you like. All of these worlds have something in common – WORLD BUILDING! And that’s what our guest post is about today. Keep reading below to meet author John Coon!
Building a Whole New World
By: John Coon
Authors are world builders.
This is especially true in a fantasy or science fiction tale. Think of the last book you read within these genres. How alive and real did the world within those pages feel to you? Authors get to experience the joy of weaving together history, geography, religion, politics, culture, and other elements to create settings as real as the room you are sitting in right now and characters as dynamic and interactive as your friends and neighbors.
The idea of building my own fictional world is the one thing that sparked my interest, as a child, in becoming an author. I wanted to create stories populated with characters and settings I created.
Creating a new world
My upcoming science fiction novel, Alien People, is a labor of love. I wrote the first draft during the summer following my high school graduation more than two decades ago. Over the years, I tinkered with the story and detailed all sorts of fascinating aspects related to the fictional world I created. Now I have dozens of pages filled with backstory related to that novel.
I created an entire fictional history for the home planet of my alien protagonists. My backstory details the geography, politics, culture, mythology, religion, animals, and other things related to the planet. I also produced numerous individual character biographies detailing their personal histories, interests, personalities, relationships, and other pertinent information.
Immersing myself so deeply into the world surrounding Alien People has been a fun journey. Along the way, I discovered the story behind the story. I learned who these characters were and what made them tick. It influenced the direction the novel took as I refined it through subsequent drafts.
I have never had interest in doing fan fiction, putting a new spin on an old fairy tale, or writing an unnecessary sequel to a piece of classic literature. Building new fictional worlds and characters from scratch is so much fun, I wouldn’t do it any other way.
Weaving threads together
World building can be fun for a reader as well. When authors skillfully weave backstory elements into the narrative without creating an information overload, it can make a story feel more vibrant and real.
Creating an immersive fictional world lets you give deeper texture and meaning to the main plot and key subplots within a story. These elements leap off the page with the right allusion or hint to a broader world behind what a reader is directly shown. It unlocks their imagination and lets them journey down a rabbit hole as they imagine those other elements.
Skillfully weaving backstory threads into the main story makes the whole narrative feel more organic. Fully realized characters drive the plot through their thoughts, words, and actions. It infuses life into both character and setting.
One example of a backstory thread I use in Alien People is Lance accidentally crashing a spaceship on an asteroid. We never see the actual crash occur within the story itself. But the aftermath of this off-screen incident is felt throughout the narrative. Lance is stripped of his rank within the Stellar Guard and Xttra brings him onto his crew to save his friend’s career and reputation. Lance is haunted by what happened and his efforts to redeem himself drive his decisions and have an impact on the direction that the main plot takes.
I’ve done similar things in my other novels. Pandora Reborn is set in Deer Falls, a Colorado small town steeped in stories and legends rooted in supernatural phenomena. I give a feel for the setting through bits of dialogue from various characters. In an early scene, Casey makes an impassioned speech referencing hikers mysteriously disappearing in a local forest and a subterranean monster killing a dozen people as evidence of the town’s spooky nature. You don’t see those events play out in the story, but those allusions set the stage for the reader to embrace the supernatural nature of Deer Falls.
Striking a Balance
Inserting backstory threads into a novel or short story requires a surgical touch. The last thing any author wants to do is bore their audience and draw them out of the story. Letting world building turn into narrative sprawl can open the door for that scenario to unfold.
We’ve all seen science fiction and fantasy novels where an author grows too enamored with the fictional world they’ve constructed and lose sight of what information is relevant to the story at hand. They don’t know where to draw the line when including the backstory. Soon, large sections of their novel are crammed with so much tangential information that it feels like you, as a reader, are combing through an unending series of Wikipedia-style articles devoted to their fictional world.
Including excessive amounts of backstory bogs down the overall pace of the narrative. Readers aren’t dying to read treatises on politics, history, culture, religion, and other topics tangentially related your fictional world. Cram that information down their throats and you run the risk of inviting them to toss your book aside.
I always keep two key considerations in mind whenever I weave a backstory thread into the narrative during my world-building efforts:
- Does it move the plot forward in a meaningful way?
- Will it create a better understanding of a character’s actions or behavior?
Backstory material can enhance your main story in a meaningful way if you do not let it overwhelm the main story. You want backstory to stay in the background and not disrupt the pace or flow of your narrative. Only a small percentage of the backstory I jot down makes it into each novel and short story I create. The rest of it exists as hints and allusions left to the imagination of my audience.
Ultimately, a backstory is supposed to function in that manner. It offers a snapshot of a larger world beyond what you see written down on each page. Those backstory details should never send readers plunging down inescapable rabbit holes.
Thanks, John!
Authors are often advised that if we write characters with their backstories in mind, there will be an impact on readers. I like to think of this as someone hearing a smile in your voice over the phone. As such, I typically write short first person pieces for my characters so I immerse myself in that character before I introduce them to readers.
[As an off-the-paper note, I think every real world ‘character’ we meet has their own backstory that we may or may not understand. If we keep that in mind, it’s often easier to be kind.]
If you have writer tips or questions on world building, please comment on this post. I’ll make sure John sees them.
Want more from John? Check out his bio and links below!
Keep writing and reading, my friends!
-RSJ
John Coon has possessed a love for writing since age 12 when he typed out his first stories on an old typewriter belonging to his parents. For more than 15 years, John has worked as a sports journalist. His byline has appeared in multiple publications and on multiple websites worldwide. John currently writes for the Associated Press and Athlon Sports, covering the NBA and college sports. He is a graduate of the University of Utah and resides in the Salt Lake City metro area. John has published two novels, Pandora Reborn and Under a Fallen Sun. His third novel, Alien People will be released in mid-August on Amazon and other major booksellers worldwide.
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https://writerrsj.com/2020/07/24/guest-post-john-coon-building-a-whole-new-world/
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Primary school pupils collaborate with author Zanib Mian and illustrator Selom Sunu in this year’s Imagine a Story creative writing project.
For our project based on the game of consequences, author Zanib Mian (Planet Omar series) has set a framework for an exciting and adventurous multi-part story that she needs your help to write!
Children are inspired by characters brought to life on paper by illustrator Selom Sunu (Jason Reynolds’ Track series).
Teachers are supported by a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) session and a robust teachers’ pack created in consultation with the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE).
Each participating school writes one part of a story in response to a brief set by the author – without knowing what comes before or after their section!
Together, the chapters create a completely unique story.
The completed story, collated from all participating schools, is then professionally published, making all the children involved published authors. Every child receives a copy of the published book, which is posted out to their school.
The contributing classes of authors are also invited to a live-streamed interactive reading of their story by author Zanib Mian with illustrator Selom Sunu.
This project is designed to inspire and support children’s creativity and creative writing skills, help them to see themselves in the books they read and write, motivate them to continue to develop their writing and reading back in school, and help them to see themselves as real-life authors.
This year’s story also aims to support children’s wellbeing through creative writing.
Open to classes in Key Stage 2 (years 3 – 6).
A note on story content
Every year we work closely with an author and illustrator to create a fictional world that engages and inspires children, and enables them to become published authors. This year we have chosen to frame this resource and project around a story that can be engaged with on two distinct levels. On a surface level, children can enjoy and create a rip-roaring adventure steered by two relatable, smart and fun young leads. On a deeper level, the narrative allows for a creative forum to help children process some of the thoughts and feelings they will have experienced as a consequence of the pandemic. Neither the story or resources explicitly reference or prompt children to discuss or engage with the pandemic. However, the themes of the story may lead to reflections on the subject.
The activities have been designed to be open-ended enough to allow children to engage in the way that is most comfortable for them. It will be important to draw on your knowledge of your pupils' experiences over the past year to anticipate how best to facilitate possible conversations relating to the pandemic. We have listed a number of agencies who may be of assistance in providing further support in this resource pack.
Please take the time to read through this entire resource pack. If you feel that members of your class might find aspects of the story too triggering, we will work with you to select a section of the story that would be most appropriate for your class to work on.
Once you’ve submitted your application, get in touch with us.
Watch video
Applications are now closed
If you have submitted an application for the Imagine a Story project for 2021, the schools team will be in touch with you to confirm project details.
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https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/creative-learning/schools/imagine-story-writing-project-schools
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How Mary Shelley Conveys A Deeper Message With A Frame Narrative
Frame narratives can simply be understood through an illustration of an onion: a literary device that features a story within a story, at times within yet another story. Peeling the onion, one might say. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this structure in literature reaches out to the hearts of each individual character and their specific frame of the novel, echoing in search for something meaningful at the core of the plot. The principal frame of Shelly’s novel is Captain Walton’s letters to his sister Margaret, and it is within his writings that the two “sub-frames” told by Victor Frankenstein and his creature make an appearance. Shelley uses the frame narrative to give alternative perspectives and to highlight the correlations between Victor and Walton with their passions for science and isolation.
Captain Walton’s letters serve as a great asset to the ultimate frame narrative by being the first frame of the novel. It is in his letters that Victor Frankenstein and his creature tell their perspective stories and through which their stories gain relevance. The most prominent character in the novel, Victor Frankenstein, narrates the second frame and discusses his adversities in his decision to make such a Creature—who narrates the third frame. Frankenstein states that Walton “seeks for knowledge and wisdom just as I Victor did”, giving the two characters similar traits and motives while developing Walton to be a character that will listen and gain meaning from the inner framework stories of Frankenstein’s (Shelley 18). The similarities between Frankenstein and Walton connect the first two frames while the creature’s perspective story cuts the border between the ‘monstrous’ creature and that of his creator, Frankenstein, in the third frame where readers hear about its origins. The individual stories of these characters go hand-in-hand to create a greater narrative guided by the connections written in Walton’s letters.
The distinction linking the way in which Victor frames the end of his story and the last bit of spirit that Victor brings into Walton’s frame displays the power of the frame narrative technique in creating a complex reading of the novel’s components and the truth behind the characters. When Victor Frankenstein petitioned for the search and destruction of his creature, Victor declared to the public that he was responsible for “turning the monster loose upon society” and takes the responsibility for himself to fix the situation by “devoting himself, either in his life or death, to his [the monster’s] destruction” (Shelley 164). This sudden change from Victor’s prior turndown to “confess himself guilty” of the first of his creature’s killings because seemingly this confession “would have been considered as the ravings of a madman” seems to display a switch in understanding too (Shelley 62). In this scene, Victor Frankenstein describes his misfortunes and acknowledges his wrongdoings by making a personal decision to fix his mistakes. This self-effacing attitude matches the lively commitment of revenge to create an identity of Victor that shows not only that he has learned from his mistakes, but also that he intends his background and story to be used as a warning.
Captain Walton gives a conflicting view of Victor Frankenstein in his last few letters. Although Victor uses his frame narrative to defend his behavior and convince readers he has, in fact, changed, Walton describes Victor Frankenstein’s views on Walton’s crew, criticizing them for “[shrinking] away” and attempting to leave behind the “glorious expedition” that Walton has accepted (Shelley 177). This motivation of aspiration and the underlying theme of “search for knowledge” displays that Victor Frankenstein has not been reformed as he believes. His overwhelmingness causes him to enter a state of lassitude, “almost deprived of life”. This display of the damaging consequences of the ambition that Victor carries provides a more transparent message than what Victor Frankenstein could develop through his own frame narrative (Shelley 177).
Mary Shelley’s frame narratives act as sources in which the readers are able to judge the effectiveness of the characters’’ narratives and develop a connection to the underlying themes in the novel. Walton mentions that the letters Victor gave and the glimpse of the monster “brought to me a greater conviction of the truth of his narrative than his Victor’s asseveration”, proposing that the truth and fiction of Victor’s narrative were indistinguishable (Shelley 172).
Yet, when the creature, Walton, and Victor Frankenstein’s body come together in the principal frame, Walton grasps, at last, the truth of Victor Frankenstein’s story in addition to the damage and mistakes that label it.
Walton’s reaction to the creature was not one of disgust, but rather one of “a mixture of curiosity and compassion” (Shelley 182). The sources of desire and interest that Walton feels in that moment illustrate the tension created by the two frames that Victor Frankenstein and his creature hold, one carrying the monstrous-like creature and the other of a creature of humanity. Regardless of the promise Walton makes to Victor, Walton allows the creature to “spring from the cabin-window” and be “borne away by the waves” (Shelley 186). This scene connects the two frame narratives and Walton seems to favor the creature’s frame over his creator’s, proposing that Walton thinks the Creature will “ascend his funeral pile triumphantly” and remove himself from the world (Shelley 186). The creature seems to disrupt Walton’s narrative, in some way shape, or form, causing Walton’s ambition to interfere. This interruption could be explained by Walton’s search for knowledge as he immediately sees the damaging consequences of this creation. Shelley writing Walton as the principal narrator allows him to shrink from the other frame narratives after analyzing them, in regard to the novel’s narrative technique and in terms of Walton’s personal decisions in the plot of the novel. Rather than dealing with Victor Frankenstein’s creation at the end of the novel, Walton goes back home and abandons the creature and everything he stands for.
The layered structure of the novel is best interpreted by peeling each skin back to reveal the story underneath, similar to peeling an onion. This is part of the nature of reading, as each story gives way to another, readers feel themselves approaching a greater truth that lies at the core of the novel. It is a force that pulls readers into suspense a well-known characteristic of the Gothic literature era. The stories of Frankenstein and the creature become, through Shelley’s artistic style of writing, Walton’s story. The outer layer of the frame narrative is taken over by the letters of Captain Walton to his sister, which discuss his concerns with Victor Frankenstein. As the frame narrative progresses inwards towards the core of the novel, readers are able to get insight into Frankenstein’s background. Frankenstein takes up the story for Walton’s benefit before the dark heart of the process is revealed to be the creature, who tells his story to his Creator. The creature, a result of the lonely, lost Victor Frankenstein represents the dark consciousness. Captain Walton, who is isolated at the North Pole, is the subject who has not yet experienced the inward progress to the extent that Victor Frankenstein has had with his creations. Ultimately, it can be established that Shelley employs the frame narrative to mirror the examinations of Victor Frankenstein and his creation and how the two characters’ voices merge into the single narrative voice of Captain Walton.
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https://literatureessaysamples.com/how-mary-shelley-conveys-a-deeper-message-with-a-frame-narrative/
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This is called author’s purpose. In narrative writing, the writer intends to present a sequence of events which allows the writer to imagine t… 3. Here’s how one teacher teaches students about endings. Narrative Writing Arc – This is the story structure the narrative takes. The theme of the story is what it’s all about. This means bringing the memories, feelings, thoughts, hopes, wishes, and decisions of the main character to a close. Teach them about narrative through read alouds, both fiction and nonfiction. Suppose you had invented a time machine. In narrative, stories are often organized in a certain way, with the characters and setting introduced before the problem. They are: 1. 2. You can use your favorite storybooks to discuss the elements of narration: … Leveled Writing Samples for Kids that Model Different Text Types Writing A-Z offers leveled Writing Samples to help kids become familiar with various text types. It’s a piece of writing of a main character (a narrator or the author himself/herself) in a particular setting, who encounters an event – be it a problem, or one that engages the character in an interesting, significant or entertaining experience. To learn more about this style of writing, review Narrative Writing Lesson for Kids: Structure & Examples. Help students organize their narratives with timelines and outlines of important events. Whether you mean to or not, your own thoughts about the world and important values bleed into your work within the narrative writing. Linear narrative is narration where you tell events in the order they happened, i.e. In short, narrative writing tells a story. Narrative Writing tells a personal or fictional experience or tells a story based on a real or imagined event. Second graders are fully capable -- according to the Common Core State Standards -- of writing narratives that … Help your class learn the ins and outs of fictional stories, similes, metaphors, poems, and so much more. 101 JFK Parkway | Short Hills, NJ | 07078 | (973) 921-5500, 8 Videos To Teach the Inauguration Process, Classroom Coding & Robotics … Everything You Need to Get Started, Protected: Classroom Talk-to-Text Project, bringing characters to life in students’ writing, one teacher teaches students about endings, narrative writing reduces a student to tears. Help students figure out how to set up an interesting beginning by showing them examples of different ways to begin. in … We are working on building up the 9 year old’s narrative writing at the moment. Teach students when and how to add detail. How do the minor characters impact the thinking and actions of the main character(s)? Students need to learn the techniques for building suspense into their story plot. Your students engage with narrative as readers from the first day of school (and probably before), but they’ll start writing narrative in early elementary school. A narrative form of writing is usually considered as the most interactive one. Sample compositions written to four developmental writing levels for each text type give students clear examples of the features and structures of each text type. If you could learn one thing about your future, what would it be? Narrative writers often engage readers with cliffhangers or suspenseful situations that leave the reader wondering: What happens next? What Is Writing Workshop, and How Do I Use It in the Classroom? - To help them search for identity. We created this list of 300 creative writing prompts for kids to help parents and teachers spark the imaginations of young writers everywhere! After the problem is resolved, and the climax of the story has concluded, students need to wrap up the story in a satisfying way. Prewriting and organization: Students may need help organizing their ideas. Characters are the people, animals, or other beings that move the story forward. For older readers, there are different types of plots that they can create. Do they want the reader to cry? Narrative Writing. Narrative writing helps them explore different characters and settings. On the page you can see written W W W W W. 2. 60 Narrative Writing Prompts for Kids. Narrative writing tells a story and with any stories, lessons are learned and these become the themes of your story. Write a story about trading places with your favorite TV, movie, or rock star. Create suspense: suspense, or story tension, is important to keep the reader reading the story. A successful narrative essay has strong ideas, a consistent voice and careful organization. Authors write narrative stories to entertain or teach readers a lesson. This section is what the story is all about. One way to teach students about cliffhangers is to read books that have great ones and talk about what the author did to create the suspense. Once students are good at writing main characters, add minor characters. Write to tell of a day when you were the teacher. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2021. Teaching children to write short narrative essays begins with careful modeling and planning. The same writing techniques used in fiction are used in personal narrative, the main difference is that students can only pull from what actually happened. Students will look at a list of terms and decide whether they are fiction or nonfiction. Then, the plot progresses chronologically. You can find lots of narrative writing lessons online, but, specifically, you’ll need to teach: Students must understand the basics of story structure to create their own. Narratives are a popular genre for students and teachers as it provides the writer with an opportunity to share their imagination, creativity, skill and understanding of nearly all elements of writing. Narrative writing is one of the three major types of written work we ask students do in the classroom. Narrative Writing Activities For Kids. Instead of Tom saying, “I have anxiety, I am a loser,” he would say, “The Anxiety tricks me to think I … Writing a Personal Narrative: Brainstorming a Story for Kids Here Are 5 Better Alternatives, Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline Starts With Ending Suspensions, Join the WeAreTeachers Influencer Network. The middle of the story is usually the biggest part and we call that the main event. Sometimes, there might be a character from the story that narrates the chain of events. In third and fourth grade, students will have an idea of what narrative writing is all about, and they can write their own stories. Whether you need to teach college or grade school students, there are lots of great options for lessons. Activities promote social fourth grade composition learning while worksheets allow individuals to fine tune their skills. Outlining the events and how they unfold will help students craft out the body of their story. Studying this lesson will help you: Know what a storyline looks like Here’s a third grade narrative lesson that focuses on organization and transition words. Narrative poems are one of the main poetic styles. Now that students have a good library of their own personal stories … However, it is not always necessary. A big part of direct teaching instruction is making the lesson objectives clear. When a narrative is fiction it’s, well, made up. Add minor characters. Why is it important that my child learns narrative writing. The plot of the story involves a problem that the character must address or a main event that they need to navigate. A full main event: the middle of the story is the main event, the part of the narrative writing that details what the story is really about. She loves to write about her favorite thing to do, read! Then, challenge them to write a story that engages those emotions. Creating characters by describing the character and planning how they will act in the story is an important prewriting step. An example of how Narrative Therapy would help Tom rewrite is story is by first separating The Anxiety from Tom. Plus check out What Is Writing Workshop, and How Do I Use It in the Classroom? Samantha Cleaver, PhD, has taught everything from kindergarten to 8th grade special education. Read about how one teacher teaches plot using picture books. Transition words: Narratives are often told in chronological order, so a list of. Introduce your students to new writing styles and formats with these fourth grade narrative writing resources. Displaying top 8 worksheets found for - Personal Narrative Writing Examples For Grade 3 Kids. Unlock Content Over 83,000 lessons in all major subjects Also, teach mini-lessons on strong introductions, endings, and adding details in the story. An entertaining beginning: the aim of a narrative story is to grab the reader’s attention from the very beginning – to draw them into the story. Now, they are learning how to strengthen their narratives with evidence and are learning advanced narrative skills, like how to tell stories from different points of view. How to use narrative in a sentence. Narrative writing is fun to teach, but it can also be a challenge! Plot in narrative is defined by the events that take place within a story. This section needs to be told through action, dialogue, descriptions, thoughts and feelings. Nonfiction stories (or personal narratives) are stories that are from real life. See more. Reading aloud and talking about the elements of narrative in what they read, teaches students about what components go into any narrative. Narrative definition, a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious. There are lots of reasons why it’s important for kids to learn narrative writing. Ideas, Inspiration, and Giveaways for Teachers. Laugh? Come share your tips and questions for teaching narrative writing in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Persuasive Writing. But what exactly do we mean by narrative writing, and what are the most effective strategies for teaching students how to do it? 1. Narrative writing allows students to express their stories creatively. 4. Narrative writing is, well, writing narrative. Elaborate the detail: students need to learn how to elaborate on story elements, such as the characters and the setting, and understand why it’s important to elaborate. Usually, narrative writing is categorized as fiction, which is based on imaginative events or stories that did not actually happen. The purpose of a narrative is simple, to tell the audience a story. That plot follows a beginning, a middle and an end. Basically, a narrative composition narrates ideas or events in chronological order, and may be based on a real experience or story, or mainly a product of the writer’s imagination. Others include lyric poems , which describe the narrator’s emotions or feelings, and descriptive poems , which give a detailed description of a person, an object, or an event. Or, if you prefer not to know … Gasp? How do they change the plot. Posted on June 25, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers . Study the Structure of a Story. Are you ready to write a personal narrative? Linear narrative. WeAreTeachers is here with everything you need to know. Usually, the author himself plays the role of a narrator. Students can also start crafting their own basic narrative stories. On occasion we refer to a narrative as 'creative writing' or story writing. It’s important for narratives to catch the reader’s attention. 3. Start by getting your students familiar with the genre, then use in-class activities to … These writing prompts for children are perfect as journal prompts, daily practice, or just for fun! This will help students be able to organize their events in a chronological order. Narrative writing worksheets, narrative writing lesson ideas, writing prompts. In writing, coherence means that the writing makes sense and ideas connect or work together to build or support a main idea. In early elementary school (K–2), students are learning about the writing process. In many ways, teaching students to write narrative involves teaching them to think like the authors that they like to read. piece of writing of a main character (a narrator or the author himself/herself) in a particular setting Officially described as: writing that is characterized by a main character in a setting who engages with a problem or event in a significant way. As writing instruction goes, narrative writing encompasses a lot: author’s purpose, tone, voice, structure, in addition to teaching sentence structure, organization, and word choice. Narrative therapy is a form of therapy that views people as separate from their problems. Write a story about what you did with it. Among them are: - To stimulate their imagination and to foster their artistic expression. Still Giving Detention? The K5 Learning Blog urges parents to be pro-active in helping their children reach their full academic potential. Expository writing is writing that is designed to convey information or explain what is difficult to understand. Narrative writing is any kind of story. The event that happens to the character is called the plot. writing that is characterized by a main character in a setting who engages with a problem or event in a significant way Narrative Writing Lesson for Kids: Structure & Examples Storytelling. Narrative writing is a form of writing which tells a chain of events in a sequence. First, next, then graphic organizers. Storytelling is an art that doesn't need to be complicated with obscure vocabulary and critical snobbery. Kevin Henkes, Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary—all of the narrative writing skills students will use are the ones that their favorite authors employ. Expository Writing. Narrative definition is - something that is narrated : story, account. There are specific skills involved in narrative writing that students need to pay attention to. The other category of … One of the narrative writing activities we do is to use prompts (like the image above, which if you cannot see in your email click here) and have her creative a narrative around the pictures. Another way to help kids with events is to show them strong mentor texts as examples. The conflict that makes up the plot sparks interest when it is able to produce an artistic effect and provoke emotion in the reader. Read more about bringing characters to life in students’ writing. Have them think about how they want the reader to feel at each point in their story. A big focus of this part of narrative writing is temporal words, or words such as first, next, then, last. Narrative-Writing-Worksheets. Think of some of your favorite childhood stories: The Three Little Pigs, The Cat in the Hat, or Curious... Characteristics of Narrative Writing. In upper elementary school and beyond, students should know how to write a narrative. It is meant to entertain readers. Incorporate these ideas on teaching theme to improve your students’ knowledge of theme in reading and writing. What did you do? First you have to brainstorm some ideas! In this reading and writing worksheet, learners will gain a better understanding of the different kinds of narratives—and how they are similar and different—by creating a map of narrative genres. - To help students clarify their thinking, and teach them to express that in writing in an organized way. They are whom the story is about. Narrative writing , simply speaking, is a writing skills which is commonly used in writing a story, which includes a set of characters in a particular setting, who encounters different conflicts, and finds ways to resolve such conflict. Teaching narrative writing is no exception to this rule and it’s critical to include a balance of modelled, guided and independent writing. What are the Basics of Narrative Writing for Children in the Second Grade?. 5. Narrative writing incorporates a lot of detail—adding details about the character, explaining a setting, describing an important object. Story endings: the end of the story needs to bring a conclusion to the main event, where the character reflects on feelings, hopes and decisions they are making from the main event. When writing a narrative piece, the writer is primarily concerned with the main events that are central to the story, how these events lead from one to another, how they influence one another and how they effect one another.
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What makes a narrative vast, according to the contributors to the recent MIT volume Third Person? Based on the varied content, spread across multiple media, covered by the book, vast narratives receive their designation not only due to the interior nature of the narrative, which may span unusual lengths when measured in years, amount of content produced, number of media in which the world is present, among other features (Harrigan and Wardrip-Fruin 2).
Henry Darger’s images of his Vivian Girls, trapped in an otherworldly battle for tens of thousands of pages written by Darger in virtual seclusion over the course of his adult life.
Alternate reality games bridge the Lost world beyond the confines of the original television medium, endless clues and the constant suggestion of deeper meaning in the shows symbols, comic book-like world and story building with some characters reading comic books on the show allowing viewers a sense of interactivity with/in the narrative. Is a fantasy or sci-fi setting more easily adaptable to a vast narrative? Is it because of the pliability of the rules, so to speak, of physics, time, space and who can populate the narratives in these genres? Is it due to the relative rigidity of their Dorothy-like structure – Oz vs. Alice’s Wonderland (Bartle)? Is it some combination of the two?
It seems a relative few who would be interested in (or possess requisite knowledge for) tracing the lineage of this system of narrative creation back to its origins: in D&D (with D&D in turn, able to trace its lineage back to the epic world-building and storytelling of the Tolkein universe, and so on). Yet just as narratives become more gamelike, games gain greater narrative structure, their worlds expand and they feel epic. Limited “setting” yields to immense “universe,” complete with history, culture, language and minutiae that might seem inconsequential to outsiders, but, to initiates, has great meaning.
Book 1 of the popular “Lone Wolf” series of gamebooks, mid-1980s. The books featured an ongoing vast narrative comprising a universe, quests, mythology and a rule system for readers/players to follow and participate in, spanning many series and volumes. Players were encouraged to carry their character over from one book to the next. This book’s tagline is “You are Lone Wolf – Determine Your Destiny!” Other similar taglines included “The Hero Is You” and “Choose Your Own Adventure!” Although not all gamebooks provided vast narratives, those that did and gamebooks, in general, reached their zenith at this time, and this series is often considered the exemplar of the genre. It can now be read/played online at Project Aon (http://www.projectaon.org/).
Indeed, as author Robin Laws points out, gamers love detail”(60). In the realm of vast narratives, viewers, readers and players converge into one: the fan. In fact, fandom is frequently a feature of contemporary vast narratives, perhaps due to the characteristic of such narratives to provide just the level of detail, and commitment, that these viewers/readers/gamers/fans love. One visit alone to Lostpedia or similar sites ought to be proof enough of this assertion.
Fandom provides another appealing element to the follower of contemporary vast narratives: the ability to participate. Generating new entries in Lostpedia, playing along with an alternate reality game, embodying a character within a superhero game universe, or authoring a pen-and-paper RPG campaign all allow the fan to move from simple consumption to active participation/production within the confines of the narratives world. The desire to create original narratives can also drive fans of ones that already exist to build their own. One mid-1980s computer title from Electronic Arts, the Adventure Construction Set, fulfilled this particular desire; in this case, the building of a new vast narrative, populated with quests, characters, classes, objectives, was, in and of itself, the game.
Electronic Arts’ “Adventure Construction Set” (ca. mid-1980s) promised epic, immersive and endless worlds to be created and explored. The game player was a creator, and the gameplay consisted of the worldbuilding, rather than the actual play in the worlds themselves. An analogue today might be made to level builders who create new narratives and experiences within the context of established games, or the RPG aficionado who prefers to spend time developing campaigns rather than playing them.
Will the “vast narrative” prove a useful unit of analysis for literature, media, games and culture studies scholars (among others)? Time will be the ultimate arbiter of the question, although it is undeniable that this term does begin to chip away at a genre-bending important but heretofore largely unstudied commonality that so many of these works share. Their sheer size, richness, detail, and the interactivity and commitment they engender are worthy of thought, particularly in an age when, on the one hand, we voluntarily immerse ourselves in the ongoing narratives of these works while simultaneously challenging ourselves to the restrictions imposed by Twitter and other short-blast media. Whatever the outcome of future study, an examination of the nature of the vast narrative will undoubtedly result in new connections being drawn across the boundaries of media and disciplines and will offer a better knowing of those of us whose labor and imaginations create them or who may simply be enticed to venture in to explore.
Harrigan, Pat, and Noah Wardrip-Fruin. Third Person: Authoring and Exploring Vast Narratives. The MIT Press, 2009.
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Once upon a time, literature meant above all poetry. The novel was a modern upstart, too close to biography or chronicle to be genuinely literary, a popular form that could not aspire to the high callings of lyric and epic poetry. But in the twentieth century the novel has eclipsed poetry, both as what writers write and what readers read and, since the 1960s, narrative has come to dominate literary education as well. People still study poetry - often, it is required - but novels and short stories have become the core of the curriculum.
This is not just a result of the preferences of a mass readership, who happily pick up stories but seldom read poems. Literary and cultural theory have increasingly claimed cultural centrality for narrative. Stories, the argument goes, are the main way we make sense of things, whether in thinking of our lives as a progression leading somewhere or in telling ourselves what is happening in the world. Scientific explanation makes sense of things by placing them under laws - whenever a and b obtains, c will occur - but life is generally not like that. It follows not a scientific logic of cause and effect but the logic of story, where to understand is to conceive of how one thing leads to another, how something might have come about: how Maggie ended up selling software in Singapore, how George's father came to give him a car.
We make sense of events through possible stories; philosophers of history, I mentioned in Chapter 2, have even argued that the historical explanation follows not the logic of scientific causality but the logic of story: to understand the French Revolution is to grasp a narrative showing how one event led to another. Narrative structures are pervasive: Frank Kermode notes that when we say a ticking clock goes ’tick-tock’, we give the noise a fictional structure, differentiating between two physically identical sounds, to make tick a beginning and tock an end. ’The clock’s tick-tock I take to be a model of what we call a plot, an organization that humanizes time by giving it form.’
The theory of narrative (’narratology’) has been an active branch of literary theory, and literary study relies on theories of narrative structure: on notions of plot, of different kinds of narrators, of narrative techniques. The poetics of narrative, as we might call it, both attempts to understand the components of narrative and analyses how particular narratives achieve their effects.
But narrative is not just an academic subject. There is a basic human drive to hear and tell stories. Children very early develop what one might call a basic narrative competence: demanding stories, they know when you are trying to cheat by stopping before reaching the end. So the first question for the theory of narrative might be, what do we implicitly know about the basic shape of stories that enables us to distinguish between a story that ends ’properly’ and one that doesn’t, where things are left hanging? The theory of narrative might, then, be conceived as an attempt to spell out, to make explicit, this narrative competence, just as linguistics is an attempt to make explicit linguistic competence: what speakers of a language unconsciously know in knowing a language. Theory here can be conceived as a setting forth of an intuitive cultural knowledge or understanding.
Plot
What are the elemental requirements of a story? Aristotle says that plot is the most basic feature of narrative, that good stories must have a beginning, middle, and end, and that they give pleasure because of the rhythm of their ordering. But what creates the impression that a particular series of events has this shape? Theorists have proposed various accounts. Essentially, though, a plot requires a transformation. There must be an initial situation, a change involving some sort of reversal, and a resolution that marks the change as significant. Some theories emphasize types of parallelism that produce satisfactory plots, such as the move from one relationship between characters to its opposite, or from a fear or prediction to its realization or its inversion; from a problem to its solution, or from a false accusation or misrepresentation to its rectification. In each case we find the association of a development on the level of events with a transformation on the level of theme. A mere sequence of events does not make a story. There must be an end relating back to the beginning - according to some theorists, an end that indicates what has happened to the desire that led to the events the story narrates.
If narrative theory is an account of narrative competence, it must focus also on readers' ability to identify plots. Readers can tell that two works are versions of the same story; they can summarize plots and discuss the adequacy of a plot summary. It's not that they will always agree, but disagreements are likely to reveal considerable shared understanding. The theory of narrative postulates the existence of a level of structure - what we generally call ’plot' - independent of any particular language or representational medium. Unlike poetry, which gets lost in translation, plot can be preserved in translation from one language or one medium into another: a silent film or a comic strip can have the same plot as a short story.
We discover, though, that there are two ways of thinking about plot.
From one angle, plot is a way of shaping events to make them into a genuine story: writers and readers shape events into a plot in their attempts to make sense of things. From another angle, plot is what gets shaped by narratives, as they present the same ’story’ in different ways. So a sequence of acts by three characters can be shaped (by writers and readers) into the elementary plot of heterosexual love, where a young man seeks to wed a young woman, their desire is resisted by paternal opposition, but some twist of events allows the young lovers to come together. This plot with three characters can be presented in narrative from the point of view of the suffering heroine, or the angry father, or the young man, or an external observer puzzled by these events, or an omniscient narrator who can describe each character’s innermost feelings or who takes a knowing distance from these goings-on. From this angle, the plot or story is the given and the discourse is the varied presentations of it.
The three levels I have been discussing - events, plot (or story), and discourse - function as two oppositions: between events and plot, and between story and discourse.
events/plot
story/discourse
Plot or story is the material that is presented, ordered from a certain point of view by discourse (different versions of ’the same story’). But plot itself is already a shaping of events. A plot can make a wedding the happy ending of the story or the beginning of a story - or can make it a turn in the middle. What readers actually encounter, though, is the discourse of a text: the plot is something readers infer from the text, and the idea of elementary events out of which this plot was formed is also an inference or construction of the reader. If we talk about events that have been shaped into a plot, it is to highlight the meaningfulness and organization of the plot.
Presentation
The basic distinction of the theory of narrative, then, is between plot and presentation, story and discourse. (The terminology varies from one theorist to another.) Confronted with a text (a term that includes films and other representations), the reader makes sense of it by identifying the story and then seeing the text as one particular presentation of that story; by identifying ’what happens', we are able to think of the rest of the verbal material as the way of portraying what takes place. Then we can ask what type of presentation has been chosen and what difference that makes. There are many variables, and they are crucial to narratives' effects. Much narrative theory explores different ways of conceiving these variables. Here are some key questions that identify meaningful variation.
Who speaks? By convention every narrative is said to have a narrator, who may stand outside the story or be a character within it. Theorists distinguish ’first person narration', where a narrator says ’I', from what is somewhat confusingly called ’third person narration', where there is no ’I' - the narrator is not identified as a character in the story and all the characters are referred to in the third person, by name or as ’he' or ’she'. First person narrators may be the main protagonists of the story they tell; they may be participants, minor characters in the story; or they may be observers of the story, whose function is not to act but to describe things to us. First person observers may be fully developed as individuals with a name, history, and personality, or they may not be developed at all and quickly drop from sight as the narration gets under way, effacing themselves after introducing the story.
Who speaks to whom? The author creates a text which is read by readers. Readers infer from the text a narrator, a voice which speaks. The narrator addresses listeners who are sometimes implied or constructed, sometimes explicitly identified (especially in stories within stories, where one character becomes the narrator and tells the inner story to other characters). The narrator’s audience is often called the narratee. Whether or not narratees are explicitly identified, the narrative implicitly constructs an audience by what its narration takes for granted and what it explains. A work from another time and place usually implies an audience that recognizes certain references and shares certain assumptions that a modern reader may not share. Feminist criticism has been especially interested in the way that European and American narratives frequently posit a male reader: the reader is implicitly addressed as one who shares a masculine view.
Who speaks when? Narration may be situated at the time at which events occur (as in Alain Robbe-Grillet’s jealousy, where narration takes the form, ’now x is happening, now y is happening, now z is happening’). Telling may immediately follow particular events, as in epistolary novels (novels in the form of letters), such as Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, where each letter deals with what had happened up to that point. Or, as is most common, narration may occur after the final events in the narrative, as the narrator looks back on the entire sequence.
Who speaks what language? Narrative voices may have their own distinctive language, in which they recount everything in the story, or they may adopt and report the language of others. A narrative that sees things through the consciousness of a child may either use adult language to report the child’s perceptions or slip into a child’s language. The Russian theorist Mikhail Bakhtin describes the novel as fundamentally polyphonic (multi-voiced) or dialogic rather than monological (single-voiced): the essence of the novel is its staging of different voices or discourses and, thus, of the clash of social perspectives and points of view.
Who speaks with what authority? To tell a story is to claim a certain authority, which listeners grant. When the narrator of Jane Austen’s Emma begins, ’Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, ...’ we don’t sceptically wonder whether she really was handsome and clever. We accept this statement until we are given reason to think otherwise. Narrators are sometimes termed unreliable when they provide enough information about situations and clues about their own biases to make us doubt their interpretations of events, or when we find reasons to doubt that the narrator shares the same values as the author. Theorists speak of self-conscious narration when narrators discuss the fact that they are telling a story, hesitate about how to tell it, or even flaunt the fact that they can determine how the story will turn out. Self-conscious narration highlights the problem of narrative authority.
Focalization
Who sees? Discussions of narrative frequently speak of the ’point of view from which a story is told', but this use of point of view confuses two separate questions: who speaks? and whose vision is presented? Henry James's novel What Maisie Knew employs a narrator who is not a child but it presents the story through the consciousness of the child Maisie. Maisie is not the narrator; she is described in the third person, as ’she', but the novel presents many things from her perspective. Maisie, for example, does not fully understand the sexual dimension of relations between the adults around her. The story is, to use a term developed by the theorists of narrative Mieke Bal and Gerard Genette, focalized through her. Hers is the consciousness or position through which events are brought into focus. The question ’who speaks?', then, is separate from the question of ’who sees?' From whose perspective are the events brought into focus and presented? The focalizer may or may not be the same as the narrator. There are numerous variables here.
1. Temporal. Narration may focalize events from the time at which they occurred, from shortly afterwards, or from long afterwards. It may focus on what the focalizer knew or thought at the time of the event or how she saw things later, with the benefit of hindsight. In recounting something that happened to her as a child, a narrator may focalize the event through the consciousness of the child she was, restricting the account to what she thought and felt at the time, or she may focalize events through her knowledge and understanding at the time of narration. Or, of course, she may combine these perspectives, moving between what she knew or felt then and what she recognizes now. When third person narration focalizes events through a particular character, it can employ similar variations, recounting how things seemed to the character at the time or how they are perceived later. The choice of temporal focalization makes an enormous difference in a narrative’s effects. Detective stories, for instance, recount only what the focalizer knew at each moment of the investigation, saving the knowledge of the outcome for the climax.
2. Distance and speed. The story may be focalized through a microscope, as it were, or through a telescope, proceeding slowly with great detail or quickly telling us what happened: ’The grateful Monarch gave the Prince his daughter’s hand in marriage, and when the King died, the Prince succeeded to the throne and reigned happily for many years.’ Related to speed are variations in frequency: we can be told what happened on a particular occasion or what happened every Thursday. Most distinctive is what Gerard Genette calls the ’pseudo-iterative’, in which something so specific that it could not happen over and over is presented as what regularly happened.
3. Limitations of knowledge. At one extreme, a narrative may focalize the story through a very limited perspective - a ’camera’s eye’ or ’fly on the wall’ perspective - recounting actions without giving us access to characters’ thoughts. Even here, great variations can occur depending on what degree of understanding ’objective’ or ’external’ descriptions imply. Thus, ’the old man lit a cigarette’ seems focalized through an observer familiar with human activities, whereas ’the human with whitish hairs on the top of his head held a flaming stick close to him, and smoke began to rise from a white tube attached to his body’ seems focalized through a space alien or person who is very ’spaced out’. At the other extreme lies what is called ’omniscient narration' where the focalizer is a godlike figure who has access to the innermost thoughts and hidden motives of the characters: ’The king was pleased beyond measure at the sight, but his greed for gold was still not satisfied.' Omniscient narration, where there seem in principle no limitations on what can be known and told, is common not only in traditional tales but in modern novels, where the choice of what will actually be told is crucial.
Stories focalized primarily through the consciousness of a single character occur both in first person narration, where the narrator tells what he or she thought and observed, and in third person narration, where it is often called ’third person limited point of view', as in What Maisie Knew. Unreliable narration can result from limitations of point of view - when we gain a sense that the consciousness through which focalization occurs is unable or unwilling to understand the events as competent story-readers would.
These and other variations in narration and focalization do much to determine the overall effect of novels. A story with omniscient narration, detailing the feelings and hidden motivations of protagonists and displaying knowledge of how events will turn out, may give the impression of the comprehensibility of the world. It may highlight, for example, the contrast between what people intend and what inevitably happens (’Little did he know that two hours later he would be run over by a carriage and all his plans come to naught'). A story told from the limited point of view of a single protagonist may highlight the utter unpredictability of what happens: since we don't know what other characters are thinking or what else is going on, everything that occurs to this character may be a surprise. The complications of narrative are further heightened by the embedding of stories within other stories, so that the act of telling a story becomes an event in the story - an event whose consequences and significance become a principal concern. Stories within stories within stories.
What stories do
Theorists also discuss the function of stories. I mentioned in Chapter 2 that ’narrative display texts', a class which includes both literary narratives and stories people tell one another, circulate because their stories are tellable, ’worth it'. Story-tellers are always warding off the potential question, ’So what?' But what makes a story ’worth it'? What do stories do?
First, they give pleasure - pleasure, Aristotle tells us, through their imitation of life and their rhythm. The narrative patterning that produces a twist, as when the biter is bitten or the tables are turned, gives pleasure in itself, and many narratives have essentially this function: to amuse listeners by giving a new twist to familiar situations.
The pleasure of narrative is linked to desire. Plots tell of desire and what befalls it, but the movement of narrative itself is driven by desire in the form of ’epistemophilia', a desire to know: we want to discover secrets, to know the end, to find the truth. If what drives narrative is the ’masculine' urge to mastery, the desire to unveil the truth (the ’naked truth'), then what of the knowledge that narrative offers us to satisfy that wish? Is that knowledge itself an effect of desire? Theorists ask such questions about the links between desire, stories, and knowledge.
For stories also have the function, as theorists have emphasized, of teaching us about the world, showing us how it works, enabling us - through the devices of focalization - to see things from other vantage points, and to understand others' motives that in general are opaque to us. The novelist E. M. Forster observes that in offering the possibility of perfect knowledge of others, novels compensate for our dimness about others in ’real' life. Characters in novels are people whose secret lives are visible or might be visible: we are people whose secret lives are invisible. And that is why novels, even when
they are about wicked people, can solace us; they suggest a more comprehensible and thus a more manageable human race, they give us the illusion of perspicacity and of power.
Through the knowledge they present, narratives police. Novels in the Western tradition show how aspirations are tamed and desires adjusted to social reality. Many novels are the story of youthful illusions crushed. They tell us of desire, provoke desire, lay down for us the scenarios of heterosexual desire, and, since the eighteenth century, they have increasingly worked to suggest that we achieve our true identity, if at all, in love, in personal relations, rather than in public action. But as they coach us to believe that there is such a thing as ’being in love', they also subject that idea to demystification.
In so far as we become who we are through a series of identifications (see Chapter 8), novels are a powerful device for the internalization of social norms. But narratives also provide a mode of social criticism. They expose the hollowness of worldly success, the world's corruption, its failure to meet our noblest aspirations. They expose the predicaments of the oppressed, in stories that invite readers, through identification, to see certain situations as intolerable.
Finally, the basic question for theory in the domain of narrative is this: is narrative a fundamental form of knowledge (giving knowledge of the world through its sense-making) or is it a rhetorical structure that distorts as much as it reveals? Is narrative a source of knowledge or of illusion? Is the knowledge it purports to present a knowledge that is the effect of desire? The theorist Paul de Man observes that while no one in his right mind would try to grow grapes by the light of the word day, we find it very hard indeed to avoid conceiving of our lives by patterns of fictional narratives. Does this imply that narratives' clarifying and consoling effects are delusory?
To answer these questions we would need both knowledge of the world that is independent of narratives and some basis for deeming this knowledge more authoritative than what narratives provide. But whether there is such authoritative knowledge separate from narrative is precisely what's at stake in the question of whether narrative is a source of knowledge or of illusion. So it seems likely that we cannot answer this question, if indeed it has an answer. Instead we must move back and forth between awareness of narrative as a rhetorical structure that produces the illusion of perspicacity and a study of narrative as the principal kind of sense-making at our disposal. After all, even the exposure of narrative as rhetoric has the structure of a narrative: it is a story in which our initial delusion yields to the harsh light of truth and we emerge sadder but wiser, disillusioned but chastened. We stop dancing around and contemplate the secret. So the story goes.
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https://recap.study/books/introduction/6.html
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The Rage of Dragons is an exciting new fantasy novel by author Evan Winter. It’s a story about a young man who embarks on a quest for revenge after suffering a major personal loss. But this isn’t just another tired, Eurocentric medieval fantasy—this story draws inspiration from African cultures and offers readers something fresh and unique.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Winter, Evan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 578 Pages – 02/12/2019 (Publication Date) – Orbit (Publisher)
The book follows Tau, a young Omehi warrior. Tau is a “lesser” in his society and has little chance of achieving greatness in his life. The story really kicks off as he embarks on his journey to seek revenge against those responsible for murder. Along the way, he meets interesting characters and encounters unexpected obstacles that test his courage and determination. He also discovers secrets about himself that he never knew before—secrets that could change the course of his mission forever.
What really sets this book apart is the incredible world-building that Winter has done. Through subtle details woven throughout the narrative, we get to experience this fascinating fantasy world through Tau’s eyes. From the vibrant culture to the frightening creatures, there are so many things to discover in this world that it becomes easy to immerse in. Additionally, Winter does an excellent job with character development—each character has their own backstory and motivations driving their actions, making them feel more real to readers than just two-dimensional stereotypes or tropes often found in fantasy books.
In addition to its rich world-building and characters, The Rage of Dragons also features plenty of action scenes that keep readers engaged throughout the story. Winter deftly moves between multiple storylines without sacrificing tension or character development, allowing readers to progress through Tau’s journey while also taking detours into side stories involving other characters in this large world. These side stories add depth to both Tau’s arc but also show us more about how different people live in this world – which only serves to make it more immersive for readers as they dive deeper into this fantastic tale.
Conclusion
The Rage of Dragons provides readers with an exciting new take on fantasy storytelling by drawing inspiration from African cultures instead of traditional Eurocentric settings and characters. Evan Winter does an excellent job creating a believable world filled with interesting characters whose motivations drive intense action scenes throughout the book’s narrative arc.
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https://mikepaul.com/2022/12/30/the-rage-of-dragons-brilliant-and-exciting-african-inspired-fantasy/
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What's the secret to writing the best story of your life? Here's a hint: It starts with characterization.
Great stories emerge from believable characters. Your characters become your reader's avatars. The reader can experience the world you created through your characters and their choices. Through your characters' eyes, your reader begins to understand the world you've made.
But characterization isn't just about experiencing your world like a video game. When you fully flesh out your characters, you can forge a connection with your readers, and that’s when the magic happens. The reader doesn't just see your world through your characters' eyes but begins to see themselves in your character. Even characters that aren’t relatable all the time can still create a connection for your readers to invest in your world.
A well-written character can elicit empathy from your readers.
Character empathy is significant because it makes the reader care about what happens to the characters in your story. Readers who relate to a character will learn the lessons that your character learns (or needs to learn). Those lessons will impact the reader long after they’ve closed your book and may even contribute to their ongoing growth as a human.
Okay, I’ll admit that it sounds absurd to think that a fictional character can change your life. But I challenge you to think of all the rich characters you’ve met in the pages of the books.
Do some of them stay with you and pop up periodically when you most need them?
For example, have you ever quoted a line from one of your favorite characters when hanging out with your friends? In the face of a difficult situation, have you ever looked to the story of a fictional character for guidance?
Characters, and the stories (or lives) they live, make a massive impact on our own. Good storytelling, which results from solid characters, helps us add meaning to our own lives.
But none of that happens if we create flat, unbelievable characters who are simply pawns to move the plot forward. Flawed characters don't think through choices. They move conveniently as the author needs them to move to make the story happen. Real characters, however, put up resistance. They may not always make the right choices, but they always make the best story. Resist the urge to start with the plot. Focus on the characters first, and let them form the story.
So how do you build strong characters? Let’s get into it.
Make Them Human
Your goal is to create a character who is unique, self-motivated, and flawed. In other words: You have to give life to a human being.
Each human is a unique individual. Even though we have similarities, none of us will walk the same path; we are each different.
Uniqueness requires more than simply combining quirky traits. That’s surface-level. You have to dig deeper than that.
To create a unique character, focus on their backstory. While you may not need to share all of your character's backstory with the reader, you must know where the character comes from and how their past experiences will influence their future choices. As you write them, regularly refer to their backstory to know what steps they’ll take.
When you have a solid understanding of the character's backstory, the reader will recognize the character is acting according to their internal logic.
Humans are also self-motivated. That doesn’t mean being a type-A go-getter who never procrastinates and is self-disciplined. Self-motivation simply means we have a reason to do what we’re doing. That could be climbing Mount Everest or laying on the couch watching Netflix.
Likewise, your characters need self-motivation to be believable. They won't feel authentic if they’re only moving as agents of the plot, and the story won’t either. But if your characters have a reason for their actions (tied to who they are at their core), it will be easier to connect with your characters and story.
Finally, humans are flawed. That much is obvious. Even the best of us have private struggles and the tendency to act out of fear. The worst of us will prey on the fears of others.
Your characters need flaws. Why? Your human readers will immediately reject the validity of a perfect character. For a character to be relatable, a reader needs to see themselves in that character. No human can see themselves as an altogether perfect and flawless character. That character needs to be scuffed up. There must be some part of them that is flawed. That’s where they become extraordinary.
How do you give a character a flaw?
This part comes easy.
When the character must make a pivotal choice, resist your natural tendency as an author to force the character to choose the best option for themselves. You, like the reader, will want the character to choose option A. You’ll consider their backstory and self-motivation to protect themselves from a perceived negative consequence and be inclined to take the simple path.
Sometimes, a person’s choice comes out of the left field. It will be ridiculous and make their course ten times harder. Writing it can make you question yourself as the author and wonder how you thought up such a crazy choice for the character. Let it happen. This inability to act in one’s best interest and instead act in one’s immediate interest is a flaw of realistic characters. You’ll show your character’s humanity by their choices. (Note: This still applies if your characters aren’t human.).
Make a Path of Progress
When your characters make bad choices, it doesn’t derail the story. Your story is about those characters' choices. Allowing your flawed characters to experience the consequences of their bad decisions will allow you to develop your characters further throughout the rest of your story.
But let’s back up for a second.
The first draft of your tale is all about developing your characters. When you build your characters well, everything else falls into place. Don’t force the story upon your characters. Instead, create the main catalytic event (i.e., the life-changing event at the beginning of your novel that causes the characters to respond) and let your characters tell you their own story.
The second draft is about fine-tuning your storytelling. If you’ve allowed the characters to be who they are—flawed, self-motivated, and unique—they’ve already lived out their story. They’ve already told you their story. You’ll just re-tell that story to your readers with a few enhancements. In the second draft, you draw the reader in by highlighting moments that will be meaningful to the reader. You make connections, ever so subtly, that will help the reader understand the more significant truths of your story. And you’ll use the readers’ link to your characters to do it.
And if you want your readers to learn from the story, your characters must also learn. They must grow. Otherwise, they become bound by the plot and lose their relatability.
Make sure you document how your characters grow, even if the growth is minuscule.
Top Exercises for Writing Stronger Characters
Here are three exercises to help you create more substantial and relatable characters.
- Develop a backstory for each main character. If the character lives in your story for longer than one page, they need a backstory. You may not reveal this backstory to the reader, but you must know everything your character has experienced.
- In one paragraph each, describe the central conflict from two perspectives: From your story's hero (i.e., protagonist) and your hero's opponent (i.e., antagonist). A deep understanding of the protagonist and the antagonist is vital to creating balance in your story. It prevents you from turning one character into a caricature.
- Write a short story about your main characters. Choose a different time in their lives before your story's events. Explore how the character responds and how their backstory affects their decisions. Bonus points if you can incorporate bits of this short story into the larger story of your novel.
Final Thoughts
The best way to write an unforgettable story is to focus on the characters. You're telling your characters' stories. If you want your reader to care about your story, give them characters to root for (or even against). Get started on the above exercises to ensure that your characters are rich, nuanced, and relatable.
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https://nybookeditors.com/2022/11/top-tips-for-writing-richer-characters/
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Writing For Children – 12 Practical Tips To Get You Started
If you’re writing for younger readers, you’ll enjoy our post on writing for children with 12 practical tips to get you started.
When you’re writing for children, it’s good to know that younger readers most enjoy stories where they identify with the anxieties, fears and desires that fictional characters experience. All of these problems need to be confronted by the hero in the story. Children want to know that there are solutions to dilemmas.
William Nicholson had C.S Lewis say in Shadowlands: ‘We read to know we are not alone.’
If you want to learn how to write for children, sign up for kids etc. online.
Writing For Children – 12 Practical Tips To Get You Started
In the next posts in this series, I will write about identifying themes, creating characters, and plotting for children.
In this post, I’ve put together 12 practical tips to get you started on your journey:
- Read what you want to write. Do you really love children’s books? Do you read them? If you don’t read the books you want to write, think again. If you do love them, immerse yourself in them.
- Decide on your age level and your genre. Young readers like to read about characters who are one or two years older than they are. They also like to know what the story is about and what they can expect, so make sure you are writing in one genre. Publishers publish in age categories. If you’re writing for children, be clear who your target audience is. Some novels never find a home because they do not resonate with any particular age group.
- Do some practical research. Read children’s books. Watch popular films and television programmes for children. Ask librarians about the books for different age levels. Take a course. (If you want to learn how to write for children, join our kids etc. course in Johannesburg or sign up for kids etc. online)
- Decide on the length of your book. Word limits are not arbitrary. Children tend to have shorter attention spans, and editors and publishers know what their audiences want.
- Spend time with children. Writing for children means you need to listen to them, find out what’s important to them, observe how they think, and how they express themselves. Absorb contemporary culture and literature, but don’t copy anyone else simply because you think it’s a gateway to fame and fortune. You still have to write stories you love.
- What do children think about your writing? Read your stories to children and get their reactions. Ask children to write for you and read their writing. You may be surprised by what they say.
- Plot for your audience. Work out a structure for your story that suits the genre and age group you’re targeting. Know the ending. An outline could help you to ensure that your story will not peter out. It can also help you pitch your work to a publisher.
- Who will tell your story? Decide who is telling your story and be consistent in telling it from that character’s perspective. Read your book out loud. Does the viewpoint character sound consistent? Does he or she sound like a child or a young adult? Read the dialogue aloud. Do the characters sound like children?
- Decide on a viewpoint. Will you tell your story in first person or third person? What form will it take? Will it be a straightforward narrative, or do you want to write the book as a journal? Pick a format that matches your story, your genre, and the age group you’re targeting.
- Begin with something interesting. Start your story strongly so that you grab the reader’s attention from the beginning. Children will not wait for something to happen. Start with a dramatic moment, or a moment of change or discovery.
- Children aren’t made of glass. If you are thinking about writing for children, ask yourself: What made you laugh as a child? What made you cry? What made your heart beat faster? You may be older, and you may even be wiser, but you will probably still want to write about the things that had this effect on you. There would be no heroes without villains, and no happy endings without the trials that led up to them. [Read What My Six-Year-Old Taught Me About Storytelling]
- Write! Every writer has a unique voice. Your voice may or may not work for children’s books. It takes time, persistence, trial and error to discover if the genre is right for you.
‘When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly.’ –C.S. Lewis
Next post: 10 Powerful Recurring Themes In Children’s Stories
© Amanda Patterson
If you enjoyed this article, read:
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https://www.writerswrite.co.za/writing-for-children-12-practical-tips-to-get-you-started/
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Winesburg, Ohio Thesis Statements and Important Quotes
Below you will find five outstanding thesis statements for “Winesburg, Ohio” by Sherwood Anderson that can be used as essay starters or paper topics. All five incorporate at least one of the themes found in the text and are broad enough so that it will be easy to find textual support, yet narrow enough to provide a focused clear thesis statement. These thesis statements offer a short summary of “Winesburg, Ohio” in terms of different elements that could be important in an essay. You are, of course, free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them for your essay. Using the essay topics below in conjunction with the list of important quotes from “Winesburg, Ohio” at the bottom of the page, you should have no trouble connecting with the text and writing an excellent essay. Before you begin, however, please get some useful tips and hints about how to use PaperStarter.com in the brief User's Guide…you'll be glad you did.
Thesis Statement / Essay Topic #1: The Literary Function of Depression
For most readers, Winesburg, Ohio is likely to be a depressing text. Most, if not all, of the characters are “grotesques”—people who are blinded by false truths, who are lonely and alienated from one another, who are frustrated, and most of whom seem to have no possibility of overcoming the limitations of their conditions. Consider Anderson’s motivation for writing such a depressing tale. Write an essay in which you defend and explain the literary function of depression in Winesburg, Ohio. The depressive nature of the text is not depressed for its own sake, but for an underlying, more profound, ideological reason. Explain what you interpret that reason to be in an argumentative essay on “Winesburg, Ohio”, and what Anderson ultimately may want to convey to the reader.
Thesis Statement / Essay Topic #2: The Nature of Truth
One of the central preoccupations of Winesburg, Ohio is understanding what truth is, how people arrive at it, and how they use it to justify their decisions. The meditation of the Old Man in the “Book of the Grotesques” offers the plainest version of what truth is and what it is not, but other characters offer, either through direct articulation or through the reader’s interpretation of their actions and circumstances, what truth is and what its limitations are. Examine the Old Man’s meditation or another character’s contentions about truth and develop an argument in which you explain what you think Anderson meant by the word “truth.” For this essay on “Winesburg, Ohio” you may wish to focus on only one character, or you may wish to set up a compare/contrast framework that will allow you to consider different kinds of truth and which Anderson believes to be most valuable.
Thesis Statement / Essay Topic #3: Structure and Organization
The structure and organization of Winesburg, Ohio is unique because it offers distinct stories that can stand alone, but which also read as a cohesive larger narrative. The characters from one story to another are not related by anything other than their existential despair, but this quality establishes the overall sense of community in Winesburg. Write an essay in which you analyze this structure and evaluate its effectiveness. Assess the relative advantages and disadvantages of this type of narrative structure. Consider how the loose connections between the stories reflect the loose connections among the characters themselves.
Thesis Statement / Essay Topic #4: “The world is on fire….”
In one story, a character meditates at length on the subject of decay, and declares, “The world is on fire….” (see quotes, below). The conclusion of this character is that it is impossible to prevent decay or lessen its destructive impact, a rather fatalistic position. Considering this philosophical position, examine the various forms of decay that are present in Winesburg, Ohio. Be sure to address not only the physical decay of the community, but also psychological, intellectual, and emotional decay. You may wish to defend a position about which kind of decay is most threatening, not only to the residents of Winesburg, but to humankind.
Thesis Statement/Essay Topic #5: Dreams and Impossibilities
Dreams play a significant role in the lives of many characters in this text. Some characters dream of escaping Winesburg, some dream of better relationships with the people they love, still others dream of understanding themselves and others better. There is a big gap, though, between dreams and their realization. Taking a panoramic view of the dreams of the characters in this text, identify the personal and structural barriers that prevent the residents of Winesburg from achieving their dreams. Then, explain what Anderson might have prescribed as the remedy for overcoming these obstacles. Express whether you believe that Anderson thought it was possible, given the limitations of the modern world, to realize one’s dreams.
This list of important quotations from “Winesburg, Ohio” by Sherwood Anderson will help you work with the essay topics and thesis statements above by allowing you to support your claims. All of the important quotes from “Winesburg, Ohio” listed here correspond, at least in some way, to the paper topics above and by themselves can give you great ideas for an essay by offering quotes and explanations about other themes, symbols, imagery, and motifs than those already mentioned and explained. Aside from the thesis statements above, these quotes alone can act as essay questions or study questions as they are all relevant to the text in an important way. All quotes contain page numbers as well. Look at the bottom of the page to identify which edition of “Winesberg, Ohio” by Sherwood Anderson they are referring to.
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https://www.paperstarter.com/winesburg.htm
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Book Review; Killing the Silence With JW Bella.
December 6, 2021 by Staff
Filed under Book Club/Book Reviews, News, Opinion, Weekly Columns
(ThyBlackMan.com) A storyteller has many purposes; one is to challenge the reader to look at themselves from outside, and within self. They challenge us to question the things we are silent about and embrace the aspects of self that we aren’t quite willing to acknowledge. As the reader we unknowingly invite the narrative to push us out of our comfort zone prison, and sometimes it can leave us feeling raw as we experience every growing pain of the characters. Through our interaction with the story, we follow characters that jump off the page appearing as real to us as our own mind and fears. We laugh, with them, cry with them, get angry at them, come of age with them, and triumph with them. This is the beauty of allowing a story to come alive within you. This is the gift author JW Bella imparts into every reader in her new novel: Killing Me Silently. This novel is a challenge that every reader should partake of, for the culture and for self.
In her latest narrative JW Bella uses the art of story telling to challenge many of the issues a black woman can face regarding the very ideal of owning her power. She uses aspects of fantasy that are closely akin to the culture of her Southern Louisiana roots to caution the reader about the consequences of silence. While the story focuses on said themes for black women; the author takes on addressing generational curses.
She gives the readers relatable characters, they can feel, that challenge dealing with accepting where one comes from…without becoming a slave to the very ideal of “respectability”. JW Bella writes with the intention to will her readers to own and live their truth. She weaves the narrative in a manner by which the reader won’t be able to put the book down because they need to know what will happen next. This is the mark the master storyteller, and she leaves readers wanting to know more long after the story has ended.
Killing Me Silently is a great book for adults, and young people. It is a good medium to use as a starting point to discuss gifts & talents, repression, the negative consequences for dimming one’s life, toxic ambition, and it displays what can happen when parents are not willing to have necessary discussions with their children. The theme of knowingly allowing one’s child to suffer alone for having not healed is one that can open dialog in many families. Because this book allows the reader to approach these topics using the characters and story it is great for book clubs, and community discussions. Killing Me Silently is a page turner that will allow the reader to experience an array of emotions as this journey to self-truth is taken. Allow yourself to have an entertaining, soul stirring experience as you read Killing Me Silently. I encourage you to take the challenge.
You can pick up Author JW Bella’s Killing Me Silently on Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles, Books A Million, or anywhere books are sold. You can also read more about JW Bella, and check out other titles, at www.jwbellawrites.com.
Staff Writer; Christian Starr
May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.
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https://thyblackman.com/2021/12/06/book-review-killing-the-silence-with-jw-bella/
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A frame tale, as the name implies, is a narrative that frames or surrounds another story or series of stories. It often comes at the beginning and conclusion of a longer piece, providing crucial background and key information for how to read it. Frame tales are used in journalism, non-fiction, fictional works, and poetry.
Examples include: "A frame story can be seen in many newspaper articles where they will usually begin with a brief description of what happens in the article or story after the frame story or frames." "A frame tale can be seen in many novels where they will usually begin with a brief summary of the story or tell you who the main characters are before giving the plot away." "Frame tales are used by journalists to explain certain events or issues that aren't relevant to other parts of the article or story." "Non-frame examples include an interview or biography that introduces both the subject and interviewer/biographer." "Fictional examples include a prologue that tells you how the story begins even if the rest of the work isn't fiction." "Poetic examples include epigraphs - quotations from poets that are included at the beginning of their poems."
Frame stories are used by journalists to explain certain events or issues that aren't relevant to other parts of the article or story.
Non-frame examples include an interview or biography that introduces both the subject and interviewer/biographer.
A frame narrative is a literary method in which an embedded narrative, or story inside a story, serves as background for the primary narrative. A frame narrative, also known as a framing narrative or a frame tale, can appear at the start, middle, or finish of a story.
Some examples of frame narratives include The Odyssey by Homer (which consists of two stories within stories), Pinocchio's adventures after being turned into a real boy (which are told within the larger story of Geppetto's attempts to make a puppet come alive). Many novels and short stories contain frame narratives: these often provide context for the main plot or reveal information about the characters while they are still developing.
Frame narratives are common in literature written in languages that use the enjambment style of poetry for narrative verse, such as English and French. In these cases, the last line of each stanza or section of prose is usually incomplete or lacking in any punctuation, allowing the reader to continue the story in their mind. This is different from traditional narrative poetry, where complete lines are used to signal the end of one thought and the beginning of another. The use of enjambment in this type of writing allows the writer to include more information in a given amount of space or time.
Frame narratives are important in non-fictional writing too.
Readers are led from the initial narrative into one or more other stories inside it by the framing story. The framing tale can also be utilized to educate readers on parts of the secondary narrative (s) that would otherwise be difficult to grasp. This technique is called "the educational frame."
The framing story is used to connect the main story with other events in the novel. For example, in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, the first chapter consists entirely of a brief story narrated by Ebenezer Scrooge himself. This chapter is called "An Introduction to Mr. Scrooge". The purpose of this chapter is two-fold: first, to give readers information about Scrooge that they might not otherwise know; second, to set the stage for the rest of the novel by connecting it with another story - that of Jacob Marley and his descendants.
Frame stories aren't just useful within novels either. Playwrights have also used them to great effect. William Shakespeare often included short scenes at the beginning of his plays to provide context for what will follow later in the script. These frames serve several purposes including setting up future events, explaining past actions or characteristics, and even revealing secrets about the characters.
As in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a narrative within a story within another story. The form, like Mary Shelley's, mimics in structure the story's thematic search for something deep, dark, and secret at the center of the narrative. In addition to being an example of epistolary fiction, Frankenstein belongs to a long tradition of framed narratives that includes works by Chaucer, Boccaccio, Cervantes, Defoe, Fielding, and Dickens.
The usage of a frame narrative is critical since it shows more information and specifics in the individual stories. It contributes to a better comprehension of the work and is a crucial aspect of the tale. Additionally, the use of a frame narrative allows the author to expand on various topics without interfering with the main plot.
Canterbury Tales is a collection of thirty-three short stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. The tales were first published in April 1485 in an edition edited by William Caxton for Henry VII's coronation. They have been influential ever since then; the poet John Donne called them "the most beautiful writing in the English language."
Chaucer wanted to write a series of stories that would appeal to his audience of London merchants and their wives. He chose four ordinary men and women (each one representing a moral quality) and had them tell stories based on their experiences. These characters are referred to as "tales-tellers" or "narrators."
By telling several stories within the frame of a larger one, Chaucer was able to include much relevant information about court life in late medieval England.
The primary advantage of a frame narrative is that it allows us to tell a tale (whether the entire book or various stories throughout) in the voice of a single character who lives beyond the story's limits. The second major advantage is that it gives the author freedom in plotting his or her story.
There are two types of frame narratives: internal and external. In an internal frame narrative, the narrator is always the main character; there is no "fourth wall" between him or her and the reader. Thus, the narrator can tell the whole story without ever leaving his or her mind. Some famous examples of internal frame narratives are George Orwell's 1984 and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Both novels use near-future settings and share many characters, so they could be considered alternate versions of each other. They also both conclude with the main character going on to live another day - this time in the future.
External frame narratives have a fourth wall that separates the narrator from the reader. So even though the main character is still alive at the end of the book, the reader does not learn anything more about him or her. Some famous examples of external frame narratives are Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. These stories are told by someone who was not involved in the events themselves but who comments on them from afar after they happen.
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https://authorscast.com/what-is-a-frame-story-answer
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Narrative writing is a story of events joined together to provide entrance and communication. The events can be factual or fictional, presented in a grouping of written or spoken words, or silent or stirring images, or both.
The purpose of Narrative writing is narration- the art of storytelling. A factual story is one that is based on, genuine actions that’s unfolded in real life. A fictional story is invented or made-up; the characters and events are created as the writer sees fit. The writer writes the story in a way to engage the audience emotionally; whether it is through enjoyment, kindness, panics or anger.
Features of narrative writing include characters, plan, conflict, location, and point of view. Types of narrative writing include:
- · Novels- a long, imaginary narrative which defines intimate human thought of facts or events.
- · Short stories- an invented story shorter than the length of a novel, with fewer characters, often focused on the creation of disposition rather than a story-line.
- · Comics- used to express thoughts by images, often joined with writings or other visual information.
- · Plays- are a form of literature written by a writer, usually consisting of a channel of communication between characters, intended for stage enactment rather than just reading.
- · Musicals- melodramatic performance that combines songs, spoken conversation, drama and dance.
- · Narrative poetry- is a method of poetry that tells a story, often creating the voices of a narrator and characters as well; the entire story is usually written in a regular pattern of accented- long or unaccented- short.
A style of writing can be well-defined by the way an author writes. The style is a method in which an individual uses in his or her own writing as to how to express a thought or idea. The style differs with each author, and depends upon the sentence structure, paragraph structure, presentation, and the attitude expressed in their conversation or writings that’s used to deliver the meaning successfully.
The choice of words is actually a central component in every writer’s style. Although good wording is somewhat a matter of test and blunders, of playing with sentences until they sound right, it is also a matter of following common taste that careful readers and writers tend to share.
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http://www.authormmstallworth.com/2018/08/type-of-writing-style-narrative.html
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Fafnir – Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research, Volume 4, Issue 2, pages 22–33.
Maria Lindgren Leavenworth and Van Leavenworth
Fragmented Fiction: Storyworld Construction and the Quest for Meaning in Justin Cronin’s The Passage
Abstract: This article examines Justin Cronin’s post-apocalyptic novel The Passage (2010), with emphasis on how literal and figurative forms of fragmentation and shifts between temporalities can affect the reader’s storyworld construction. Working from the assumption that expectations connected to genre are a pivotal part of the reader’s storyworld creation, the novel’s temporal settings, the pre-apocalyptic Time Before and the post-apocalyptic Time After, are analyzed with particular attention paid to the ontological distance between readers and characters produced by fragmentation and temporal shifts, to the collapse and reconstitution of cultural knowledge, and to how various text types contribute to a destabilization of narrative authority. The reader’s quest for meaning, collating information from various sources and temporalities to reconstruct or keep track of events, is mirrored by the characters’ world building in the post-apocalypse as they (re)assemble information and cultural knowledge. The storyworld evoked in the mind of the reader, expanding with new details and events, thus finds a concrete parallel in the characters’ (re)construction of the world. Since the latter process is collaborative, with characters having to pool resources to both survive and make sense of the world, and the former occurs within an individual meaning-making process, the organization of the novel occasions a sense of isolation in the reader, mirroring the overarching theme of the narrative.
Keywords: post-apocalyptic fiction, storyworld construction, immersion, The Passage.
Biography: Maria Lindgren Leavenworth is Associate Professor of English at the Department of Language Studies, Umeå University, Sweden. Her research interests include transmediality, cognitive approaches to literature, and contemporary modifications of the paratext. Lindgren Leavenworth has also published extensively within the field of fan studies and is co-author of Fanged Fan Fiction: Variations on Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries (2013).
Van Leavenworth is Assistant Professor of English at the Department of Language Studies, Umeå University, Sweden. He is interested in and has published articles on science fiction, the Gothic (in diverse media forms) and conceptions of otherness in narrative storyworlds.
Justin Cronin’s The Passage (2010), the first novel in a trilogy, depicts a post-apocalyptic US plagued by a virus which turns victims into vampire-like beings, and which is spread by twelve initial test-subjects with super-human strength and abilities. By killing or turning their victims, the creatures forcefully decimate the nation’s population and the spreading contagion cuts the US off from the rest of the world and isolates surviving groups of humans. The novel is divided into eleven books, the first two engaged with the before, during and shortly after the apocalyptic moment, the remaining nine focused on a struggling post-apocalyptic community almost a hundred years later. Interspersed sections in several of the books, as well as a postscript, also move the narrative perspective to a distant future in which the apocalypse and its aftermath, as chronicled in diaries or evinced through recovered artefacts, are studied.1
The transitions between these temporalities structure and rupture readers’ knowledge and create an ontological distance to the main characters. The reader of the novel is privy to the nature of the threat and the context in which it appears, imaginatively relocates to the post-apocalyptic setting in which rules of existence are estranging and in which cultural knowledge has been lost or suppressed, and needs to take into account that some form of life remains a millennium into the future. The reader’s storyworld construction thus requires engagement with what David Herman refers to as the “complexities in the design of the blueprint” that the novel constitutes (Basic Elements of Narrative 107) and that evokes in the mind of a reader “mental models of the situations and events being recounted—of who did what to and with whom, when, where, why, and in what manner” (106, 107). To examine potential complications in the engagement with the novel, we take as one starting point Herman’s contention that readers of a fictional text are required to relocate to the storyworld in question “if they are to interpret referring expressions . . . and deictic expressions . . . —mapping them onto the world evoked by the text rather than the world(s) that the text producer and text interpreter occupy when producing or decoding these textual signs” (113). To make sense of events and characterizations and to navigate the narrative thus require readers’ immersion in the world evoked. However, in a later work, Herman draws attention to particularly challenging texts that are designed in such a way that they inhibit or even actively derail attempts to build a definitive storyworld—attempts in which, however, those texts also paradoxically invite interpreters to engage” (Storytelling and the Sciences of Mind 147). The numerous complexities of Cronin’s novel and the potential invitations and inhibitions these extend to the reader work in tandem with a thematic and structurally salient fragmentation.
The Passage is not an extreme type of “non- or antinarrative” which actively prohibits storyworld construction (Storytelling and the Sciences of Mind 147), but both encourages immersion in the storyworld and emphasizes its ongoing process of construction. In this manner it aligns with Merja Polvinen’s claims about works of self-reflexive fiction which “build a reader position which assumes readers to be able to maintain . . . two states of mind at the same time—one experiencing the presence of a fictional space, characters and events, and another acutely aware of their imaginariness” (20). Polvinen demonstrates this through an analysis of China Miéville’s The City & The City, a work of speculative fiction that, similar to The Passage, imagines a world developed yet highly distinct from real-world referents.
Working from the assumption that expectations connected to genre are a pivotal part of the reader’s storyworld creation, we examine the novel’s temporal settings, the Time Before and the Time After, with particular attention paid to the ontological distance between readers and characters, to the collapse and reconstitution of cultural knowledge, specifically as regards vampires, and to how various text types contribute to a destabilization of narrative authority. The reader’s quest for meaning, collating information from various sources and temporalities to reconstruct or keep track of events, is mirrored by the characters’ world building in the post-apocalypse as they (re)assemble information and cultural knowledge in order to be able to combat the threat. The storyworld evoked in the mind of the reader, expanding with new details and events, thus finds a parallel in the characters’ (re)construction of the world. Since the latter process is collaborative, with characters having to pool resources to both survive and make sense of the world, and the former occurs within an individual meaning-making process, the organization of the novel occasions a sense of isolation in the reader, suited to the overarching themes of the narrative. The different forms of fragmentation thus frustrate attempts to create complete cohesion, but simultaneously invite both characters and readers to build the world anew.
The Time Before
Eschatological fictions constitute an opportunity for authors and readers to engage with questions of identity and meaning in the shadow of the end. Frank Kermode establishes that (post)apocalyptic stories and imagery routinely follow real-world social and technological change and “underlie our ways of making sense of the world from where we stand, in the middest” (29). What concretely occasions the apocalypse in Cronin’s novel is a scientific discovery that bats in the Bolivian jungles carry a virus that can temporarily cure serious illnesses and leave individuals rejuvenated through a re-boot of the thymus gland. The genetic discovery is corrupted by military involvement and leads to an experiment, Project NOAH, in which twelve prisoners on death row are injected with the virus in the attempt to create superhumanly strong and fast soldiers. The promise tendered by the genetic discovery in The Passage is in this way complicated by contemporary concerns likely shared by both characters and readers regarding genome alterations and fast-spreading biological or computer infections, and is turned into catastrophe when the vampire-like beings break out of the Colorado test facility they are in to wreak havoc on the world.
Two epigraphs on one level emphasize the work as a construction and on another level prepare readers for the diegetic impending doom. The first, appearing before the entire narrative starts, presents Shakespeare’s 64th sonnet, with the exception of the last two lines, which has been described as “catalogu[ing] instances of inevitable destruction so as to provide a consolation for death” (Stockard, note 17, 480). The second epigraph, prefacing the first book, is a quotation from Katherine Anne Porter’s “Pale Horse, Pale Rider” (1936) which, forging a thematic similarity with The Passage, revolves around a plague (the influenza pandemic of 1918). The quoted section includes the phrases “[t]he road to death is a long march beset with all evils” and “no covering of the eyes shuts out the landscape of disaster, nor the sight of crimes committed there,” thus emphasizing horror and inevitable destruction (Cronin 1).2 In his seminal study of the paratext, Gérard Genette argues that the epigraph, quite literally on the threshold to be crossed on the way into the text, is a “mute gesture whose interpretation is left up to the reader” and thus naturally out of reach for the characters (156). In the context of storyworld construction, readers’ interpretations of the epigraphs may thus imbue the text with additional meaning: the epigraphs supply information which sets up a context of destruction, while being inaccessible to the characters about to face it.
Setting the novel apart from many other post-apocalyptic fictions, Cronin carefully outlines what in later sections of the novel comes to be known as the Time Before. Although imaginatively returning to the past that determines their present, the man and boy in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2010), for example, are introduced as traversing an already destroyed landscape, Robert Neville in Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend (1954) is trapped in his isolation at the very start of the novel, and six hundred years have passed since the nuclear apocalypse in Walter M. Miller’s A Canticle for Leibowitz (1960). Mary Manjikian argues that “a sense of unease” is produced “in the contemporary reader” by the device utilized by authors like these “in which a future point is identified and then contemporary events are reread as history by an omniscient narrator who already knows how the story turns out” (220). Events more or less contemporaneous with the reader are in the post-apocalyptic narratives revealed as “regressive” rather than “progressive” and as a consequence, he or she may be “‘lost’ in the narrative” (220-221).
While facilitating aspects of the reader’s world-building, Cronin’s narrative strategy of delineating events leading up to the apocalyptic moment, the moment itself, and its immediate aftermath, may result in a different sense of being lost, because the depicted world is only slightly removed from the reader’s present. Following J. R. R. Tolkien, Mark J. P. Wolf describes storyworlds as secondary worlds that imaginatively derive from the Primary World in which authors and readers exist (24). The degree of “‘secondariness’ of a story’s world” is contingent on to what extent “new combinations of existing concepts . . . replace or reset the Primary World defaults” (24, 25). Events in the first two books in The Passage are indicated to play out around 2014, four years after the publication of the novel, and its contemporary reader is faced with a fictional setting, reasonably close to the Primary World. Disturbing developments then heighten the world’s secondariness. For example, Hurricane “Vanessa” has caused extensive damage to New Orleans and in the novel’s initial present, the city is “patrolled by Homeland Security forces in full battle dress” (Cronin 65). Added is also a sense of renewed or intensified global hostility, rendered in biological terms: “war was everywhere, metastasizing like a million maniac cells run amok,” and it is made clear that the hoped-for super-soldiers infected with the virus would be put to use “in the mountain caves of northern Pakistan, or the eastern deserts of Iran, or the shot-up buildings of the Chechen Free Zone” (Cronin 84, 183). Rather than evoking a storyworld completely separated from the actual world, The Passage is anchored in a context which then has to be incrementally adjusted.
Although events in the fictional setting do not drastically reset the defaults of the Primary World, the novel’s first sentence, containing a proleptic description of Amy, one of the protagonists, pulls in a different direction. Although Amy is in the initial present “just a little girl,” she will become “the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years” (Cronin 3). Immediately after this brief indication of Amy’s future fate, the narrative shifts back into delineating her earliest childhood and to how her mother is forced to abandon Amy at an orphanage in Memphis. Long before being transformed into a near-immortal, however, Amy is portrayed as already, inexplicably, extraordinary. The most salient example of her apartness is when Amy is taken to the zoo where she communicates with the caged polar bears, telling her distraught minder Sister Lacey that the bears know “[w]hat I am” and inciting a general uproar in the other animal exhibits (97). These conflicting images of Amy create a number of what Alan Palmer refers to as “ontological gaps” in the evoked storyworld (34). Amy’s “true” nature is in the novel’s present that of a young, vulnerable girl, albeit with unusual powers, and in the projected future that of a singular survivor, likewise with abilities that set her apart. What these gifts and abilities yet mean within the storyworld is not determined, and Amy’s fictional mind remains challenging because of the double temporal perspective. Further, a distance is created between the reader and the characters she interacts with in the “now” of the narrative, since the latter have no knowledge of the references indicating what Amy will become.
The main resetting of Primary World defaults, however, results from the novel’s hybrid genre-belonging; while anchoring some events in science it also borrows heavily from the fantastic genre, specifically from vampire horror. Yet, at the outset references to vampires as belonging to myth and legend align readers and characters. Professor Jonas Abbott Lear, who makes the initial discovery of the virus in Bolivia, is asked by a high-ranking military officer if he is “the vampire guy” and relating the event to a friend in an email, Lear reflects: “You know how I feel about that word—just try to get an NAS grant with “vampire” anywhere in the paperwork” (Cronin 20). Illustrating a wish to avoid a derogatory term, Lear’s initial and subsequent emails simultaneously gesture to a reality that is more difficult to align with fiction. He refers to statues found in the jungle, photographs of which are attached to the messages (images not included in the predominantly text-based novel) and by way of explication instructs the addressee to direct attention to “the bent animal posture, the clawlike hands and the long teeth crowding the mouth, the intense muscularity of the torso” (21). He also likens the objects to other artefacts: “the pillars at the temple of Mansarha, the carvings on the gravesite in Xianyang, the cave drawings in Côtes d’Amor” (22). The references conjure up an image of a possibly supernatural presence, surfacing periodically in different times and cultures. The relatively slow process of turning realism into the fantastic “enable[s] readers to recenter themselves in a fictional world that is governed by different physical laws (and therefore accommodates different possibilities) than the world of everyday experience” (Herman, Storytelling and the Sciences of Mind 147). In the process of storyworld construction, that is, vampires as traditionally envisaged remain lodged in the domain of the fantastic and something new, but related, takes their place.
Even as the test subjects in Project NOAH begin to exhibit traits that align them with vampires in the cultural tradition, the word vampire is used sparingly, and only when other descriptors seem insufficient. In contrast to many contemporary vampire narratives, the monster’s perspective is only sporadically represented in The Passage, which contributes to exacerbating the threat it constitutes. These glimpses reveal further ties to common conceptions of vampiric strengths and weaknesses including a loss of individuality, insatiable blood lust, and abilities to powerfully influence human minds. Along with references to the selection process and the test subjects’ isolation, these glimpsed perspectives can be used in the reader’s storyworld construction, but are inaccessible to the human characters populating the Time Before. Although both readers and select characters start to conceive of the test subjects as progressively more monstrous, they may do so for different reasons: the former because of what they are explicitly told about feelings of alienation, dehumanization and violence, the latter because their close proximity to the test subjects allows them to observe aberrant behaviors.
The apocalyptic moment in The Passage represents a figurative border that produces a higher level of secondariness of the fictional world. And the moment is clearly demarcated: it takes “[t]hirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born” (Cronin 192). This, then, is when the test subjects break out of the facility they have been held in and upend the state of affairs in the surrounding world. The narrative’s focus on Amy, who has been taken to Colorado by the FBI agent Brad Wolgast to be a thirteenth test-subject, means that the reader is situated in close proximity to the catastrophe, a witness to its climax, and the ensuing shifts between various perspectives give a relatively complete picture of events.
Considering the novel’s opening sentence, it is not surprising that Amy survives the disaster, and in book two Wolgast brings her to Oregon to weather the aftermath of the apocalypse during what is referred to as the “Year of Zero” (Cronin 211).3 Rumors travel among the scattered survivors, relayed through the Internet and intermittent newspaper reports. The first newspaper article represented in the novel effectively enforces the difference between anonymous masses on the one hand and the reader, Wolgast and Amy on the other: the latter have witnessed the apocalypse and can see through the attempts to couch reality in slightly more reassuring terms. The article refers to the outbreak as the “Colorado fever virus,” perceived as spread by “anti-American extremists,” and to the Government’s aim to “punish those responsible” (223). In the second news report, published two months later, the infection is straightforwardly referred to as a vampire virus. The main story of the piece is the fall of Chicago; victims are divided into casualties and infected and there are reports of fires following flyovers, but no confirmation that this is part of an official strategy to contain the virus. The political decision is important to the reader, however, since it makes understandable the detonation Wolgast and Amy later experience and which ends the former’s human life. Included in the report are also references to the first steps taken to divide the country, thus foreshadowing the severely fragmented humanity that will exist in the post-apocalypse. Despite the time lapse between the two reports, their details allow the reader to fill in the blanks and construct a causal chain in which resistance has given way to desperation.
The sections of the novel set in the Time Before are thus thematically joined by various processes starting or resulting in isolation even before the apocalypse occurs. For example, all the nuns at the orphanage in Memphis, except one, are killed once Amy has been taken away. Project NOAH is based on the idea of “[z]ero footprint,” that is, the test subjects (including Amy) and workers at the facility are chosen because they have no immediate family or friends that will miss them (89). As Herman argues “different kinds of narrative practices entail different protocols for worldmaking, with different consequences and effects” (Storytelling and the Sciences of Mind 105). The fragmentation of humanity is expected in (post)apocalyptic narratives, and paralleled in The Passage by the switch between different text types and narrative perspectives already in the Time Before. The evoked storyworld is thus one of uncertainty, on the levels of both content and structure.
The Time After
The mix between the genres of science fiction and fantasy/horror in The Passage continues to set up protocols for storyworld construction, and the devastation of a recognizable environment and culture in the post-apocalypse is expected, as are a marked absence of security, a shortage of resources, and an absence of overarching laws. The bulk of The Passage is set almost a century into the future, paratextually signaled at the opening of each book by the temporal marker 92 A.V., the abbreviation arguably standing for After Virus or After Viral Outbreak.4 The reader’s transition into this new present is complicated, however, by a mix of text forms that draw attention to rather than close narrative and ontological gaps, and references to yet another temporality.
The short, third book, “The Last City,” marked 2 A. V., opens with an undated evacuation notice from Philadelphia, with information about the procedure and what each child must and cannot bring. Then follows an excerpt from a book presented at the conference taking place in 1003 A.V. While all fiction, Palmer notes, “is necessarily incomplete and full of blanks where nothing is said about a part of the storyworld and gaps where something but not everything is said” (34), the slight temporal difference between books two and three in The Passage, along with references to texts and artefacts that have been produced in one time and consumed in another, place high demands on the reader’s cognitive engagement. The reader is kept close to the Time Before, and then informed that some form of life exists also a millennium from the apocalyptic event. However, the book excerpt contextualizes the evacuation notice by giving a first-hand account of the process of forced relocation. In the passage from the book, Ida Jaxon (at this point unfamiliar to the reader) reflects on her childhood memories in Philadelphia, being separated from her family; she describes the windowless train cars, and how children as well as adults are shot in the confusion surrounding the boarding. Palmer argues that “real-world knowledge, . . . stereotypical sequence[s] of events, and . . . ways of reacting to stereotypical situations and events” are used to fill in the gaps occurring in all written discourses (46). Although the aim of the journey is to save the children, the reader’s emotional response may be one of trepidation as the text forms together evoke images of trains to concentration camps, and by extension genocide.
The fourth book, “All Eyes,” opens with a text presented in the distant future and then shifts to 92 A. V., the timeframe in which the actual narrative plays out, but the juxtaposition in this instance means that the distance between the reader and the characters is enhanced: the latter’s dwelling place and judicial documentation may be perceived as objects of study in a future setting. A reconstructed map of the Colony is followed by a document from 17 A. V. which outlines the structure and organization of an agricultural society. It is not indicated who, or by what means, the map has been reconstructed, but it is signaled as presented at the 1003 A. V. conference, whereas the “DOCUMENT OF ONE LAW” is inserted without reference to it being accessed in the distant future (Cronin 264). What the latter makes clear, however, is that the fragmentation and isolation beginning in the Time Before are sustained in the post-apocalyptic world and that literal as well as figurative boundaries have been erected. References are made to the importance of family belonging, to “THE WATCH” upholding the safety of the community through firepower, and to “THE SANCTUARY,” in which children are kept separate until their eighth birthday (265). Anyone violating the rules ensuring that a quarantine is kept, such as the use of a radio or opening the gate, or divulging information to the young children about the surrounding world, receives “the penalty of PUTTING WITHOUT THE WALLS” (266). The two texts provide a visual image and a shorthand to rules of existence in the setting the reader is about to imaginatively relocate to.
The first chapter focused on life in the Colony opens with another prolepsis introducing Peter Jaxon, “Peter of Souls, the Man of Days and the One Who Stood [who] in the last hours of his old life” is waiting on the high wall surrounding the community (267). Forging a link with Amy in the Time Before, Peter is doubly introduced: as the individual he is at the moment the reader meets him, and as who he will become once his life transitions into something new. As with Amy, the reader alone is privy to the fact that a transformation is imminent and arguably uses this knowledge in the process of character and storyworld construction.
Emphasizing the secondariness of the fictional world, the chapter effectively summarizes past and present human existence in the isolated community, which may facilitate the reader’s orientation in it. In fact, Peter’s thoughts, which are described as, “a mental inventory in three dimensions with complete sensory accompaniment,” flesh out the previously inserted map by adding details such as “the smell of animals,” the “fog of humidity” in the greenhouses, and “the voices of Littles playing” outside the Sanctuary (268). Peter occupies an isolated, bird’s-eye perspective in this scene. No one speaks to him this evening, “the sixty-third of summer,” because he is waiting on the wall “to serve the Mercy” for his brother: to kill Theo should he return as a “viral” (268, 270). New familial obligations have thus been introduced as individuals are transformed, and left alone on the wall, Peter reminisces about the past hope for rescue and contact, about his own father’s journeys as far away as the Pacific Ocean, and about the diminishing possibility of encountering a Walker, that is an uninfected human, outside the Colony. This history chronicling a progressively more circumscribed and isolated life is concluded by Peter thinking about the beauty of stars, witnessed and talked about by both his father and by their relative Ida Jaxon, who is consequently re-introduced to the reader and placed within the 92 A.V. temporality. The stars, however, remain invisible to him as Second Bell tolls, instructing those working outside the wall to return, as the heavy gate closes, and “the lights c[o]me on” (275).
The situation the reader navigates is consequently one of paranoia and unrelenting light due to the ever-present threat of photophobic virals, and one in which much knowledge is lost or has been repressed. The few books that are “allowed to remain” in the Sanctuary gesture to the many that have been deemed unsuitable because “the Littles . . . were not to know anything about the virals or what had happened to the world of the Time Before” (270). Starting with withholding information from the children, the ignorance follows characters into adult life: as Peter reflects, “most things from the Time Before” confound him. “How did people live? . . . If there were no virals, what made them afraid?” (296). Peter and the other characters in 92 A. V. are one or two generations away from the apocalyptic event but not necessarily aware of what they no longer are allowed to know. The result is an ontological distance between characters and readers, and potentially also a sense of frustration in the latter as some information could be of importance in the new circumstances. The reader is consequently in a curious position, bit by bit learning about the new conditions of 92 A. V., while simultaneously knowing considerably more than the characters about the past that defines their existence.
The well-lit post-apocalypse suffers from a crisis that introduces an end-within-the end: the depletion of mundane batteries. “Mankind had built a world that would take a hundred years to die,” one character reflects. “A century for the last lights to go out” (306). The novel’s second turning point is a result of this crisis and a crumbling trust between the Colony’s inhabitants, foreshadowed by repeated references to dreams and nightmares. These dreams often “feel like . . . someone else’s memories” and Colony leader Sanjay Patel perceives of the nighttime voice as belonging to an “imaginary friend . . . singing its mysterious name: I am Babcock” (Cronin 451, 408). Babcock is one of the original test subjects in Project NOAH and his ability to influence minds is in this way continued from the Time Before. The Colony inhabitants are also pitted against each other through Amy, who inexplicably has Walked In to the community and who possesses unnatural gifts of healing. In this fraught situation, the lights go out and the thirty-two apocalyptic minutes that end the world in the Time Before, are in the Time After replaced by three nights of violence and destruction as the community is invaded by virals. The end of a century of relative safety prompts Peter and a small group to set off towards Colorado to track down a radio signal—a faint and forbidden trace of the technologically advanced society preceding them—to establish contact with others and, if possible, avert the threat of a definite, nation-wide end.
Amy, who in this temporality is still superficially a young girl, accompanies the small band of characters, and the century that separates the reader’s encounters with her produces a significant ontological gap. As Palmer argues, the assemblage of a complete fictional consciousness is contingent on a “process by which the reader constructs a series of encounters with a particular fictional mind into something that is coherent and continuous” (186). That is, through coalescing a character’s “cognitive, ideological and perceptional viewpoint[s],” the reader assembles a representation of a mind through narrative clues: statements, actions, reported thoughts, and emotions (187). “[W]hat is not made explicit under [a] particular aspect is indeterminate,” Palmer continues, and it is down to “the competence of the reader to fill in the gaps by creating more aspects under which the character may be implicitly or hypothetically perceived;” a process commonly made easier because of the reader’s real-world experience of constructing whole minds of people she or he encounters sometimes only sporadically (198).
Amy, then, is challenging on the one hand because of the scant narrative clues given, on the other because her unchanging appearance and supernatural gifts lack real-world referents. In the final brief chapter in book four, the reader follows an unnamed female character moving with the changing seasons, asking the question “who am I,” and having dreams, which, like the Colony inhabitants’, answer the question with “I am Babcock. I am Morrison, I am Chavez. I am Baffes-Turrell- Winston-Sousa-Echols-Lambright-Martinez-Reinhardt-Carter” (351, 354). As the reader knows that Amy is the thirteenth test subject, the list of the previous twelve help establish that the text passage is indeed centered on her, but the poetic and fragmentary nature of the chapter raises more questions than it answers. As Petter Skult argues, building on Palmer’s ideas, “all that is not viewed, named, placed by the author, becomes a sort of ontological gap in the reader’s mind” (106). The innumerable experiences (the unnamed) Amy must have had during almost a century are unaccounted for and the reader encounters her on terms relatively similar to the characters’ in 92 A. V., bit by bit learning about her isolated existence and extraordinary gifts.
This form of ontological gap to be filled in by characters and readers alike is paralleled by the “reclamation” of geographical areas, knowledge of which has been lost in the post-apocalypse; as these “are again named” in the narrative “they emerge out of the ontologically gray-spaced unknown” (Skult 108). The fragmentation characterizing existence in The Passage, however, entails an incomplete or only partial reclamation of physical space. The most effective example is when Peter, Amy, and the small group enter a dilapidated large city. Even though unfamiliar with cities as such, the artificiality of it strikes the travelers as markedly different from what they have expected. Names of buildings, such as Mandalay Bay and The Luxor mean nothing to the travelers and neither do signs outside shops such as “Prada, Tutto, La Scarpa, Tesorini” (Cronin 522). The clash between reclamation and collapsed cultural memory is especially pronounced in the characters’ reactions to “a massive structure of ribbed steel [with] four legs that tapered to a narrow tip” (527). Several characters recognize the Eiffel Tower and know it should be in Paris, as they have encountered images of it in books from the Time Before. The illogic of seeing it in their own country, however, makes them reach the conclusion that it must have been moved to this strange place from France. There is thus a lingering awareness of places beyond the country’s boundaries, but no active memory of Las Vegas, the latter hindering the characters from reclaiming the abandoned city through naming. To the reader, in contrast, the descriptions of the city arguably result in a process of reclamation, as well as the construction of a causal chain of destruction pre-dating the small group’s arrival.
The fragmentation of knowledge regarding vampires in the evoked storyworld similarly introduces a significant distance between characters and readers, one that is potentially frustrating because some knowledge of vampires could help the characters. In the Colony, as previously noted, all vampire-related fictional artefacts are inaccessible, and a pseudoscientific explanation of the process of transformation is presented, by which “a virus [steals] the soul away” from the infected (270). This is represented as “the one truth from which all other truths descended,” and introduced to children when they leave the Sanctuary on their eight birthday (270). However, the intermittent contact between the small group and other survival communities illustrates that all have assembled their own stories and explanations, and also that levels of suppression vary. At a military compound, Peter is present at a showing of Tod Browning’s 1931 film Dracula. Of course, he has had no previous contact with the visual medium, but then realizes that it is “[a] story, like the old books in the Sanctuary, the ones Teacher read to them in circle” (656). Despite this reference to fiction, Peter’s conclusion is that “the movie seemed almost to be a kind of instruction manual” and that it may reflect a real past event (657). Given this understanding, Peter assumes that Jonathan Harker in Browning’s film will perform the Mercy once it is clear that his wife Mina has been turned. Here, the film showing grinds to a halt because of a viral attack and it is not until later that one of the officers tells Peter what happens. “‘They don’t kill the girl. They kill the vampire. Stake the son of a bitch right in the sweet spot. And just like that, Mina wakes up, good as new’” (742). Peter’s experiences make him misread the events in the film, but it is nevertheless instructive since, it turns out, killing one of the original virals releases the souls of those he has turned.
The group’s meetings with other isolated pockets of humanity also highlight the conflicting stories told about the apocalypse. In Colorado, Peter is told by a general that: “‘Some people say the quarantine worked, that the rest of the world is just humming right along out there without us. . . . Others believe . . . that everybody’s dead [and] that the quarantine wasn’t quite as tight as people thought’” (650). Logic underpins both strands of development. In the former, the communication silence surrounding the US is explained by an “electronic barricade” matching the geographical, in the latter, the breech of the quarantine is seen as a result of greed (650). Inhabitants of other nations would have been unable to resist the suddenly unguarded valuables, resources and military equipment, but as a result of their infringement, they have likely carried the virus back to where they came from. To Peter, this speculation is logical and leads him to see the world as a forever “empty place” (650).
The reader, however, is put in another position due to the knowledge of “the Third Global Conference on the North American Quarantine Period” in 1003 A. V. as it demonstrates that some form of life exists after the apocalypse and that, by extension, Peter’s conclusion is faulty (250). Manjikian comments that post-apocalyptic narratives commonly make “the reader . . . ‘decentered’ because the narrative he [sic] has used to make sense of the world has been rewritten, and as a result his [sic] sense of place is different” (206). In The Passage, the reader has already been decentered twice as the recognizable landscape of the US has first undergone a crisis, then been depicted as a bleak post-catastrophe world. The conference, then, introduces a third set of assumptions the reader has to contend with. However, very little is said about the conference participants and audience. Manjikian argues that they are “anthropologists and historians from the future” and that the results they “present are based on their analyses of hand-written journals and other artifacts rescued from the new post-apocalyptic civilization” (214). This reading demonstrates Manjikian’s own cognitive filling in of gaps in the narrative, as she is assigning identity to characters not explicitly described and awarding them an agency which likewise is not part of the narrative in The Passage.5 The reader’s knowledge of the conference proceedings is just as likely to result in an uneasy identification process that fills an important decentering function, forcing him or her to ask questions about the motives and identity of the conference participants.
The conference takes place at the “Center for the Study of Human Cultures and Conflicts [at the] University of New South Wales, Indo-Australian Republic,” a geographical location that does not in itself suggest that the US is still uninhabitable, but that other changes have taken place (Cronin 250). In an analysis of neo-imperial tendencies in Cronin’s novel, Glennis Byron and Aspasia Stephanou maintain that “older colonial assumptions about the primitive other are . . . put into play” and “racist attitudes” are reinscribed, particularly in placing the discovery of the virus in “uncivilized” South America (193). The conference is left out of Byron’s and Stephanou’s discussions, but it illustrates a reversal of positions. Again, since it is impossible to determine the identity and objectives (even the species) of the scholars within the narrative, it is difficult to state how they see the objects presented. The featured documents produced in a distant past can be seen as signs of a highly developed preceding civilization, or as artefacts belonging to a primitive phase. However they are viewed, the characters the reader has come to identify with become objects of study, and as Othered in this process as previous civilizations in the reader’s “now.”
Conclusion: Fragmentation and Collaborative World Building
In all processes of storyworld construction, Herman argues, readers “do not merely reconstruct a series of events and a set of existents, but imaginatively (emotionally, viscerally) inhabit a world in which, besides happening and existing, things matter, agitate, exalt, repulse, provide grounds for laughter and grief.” Even if these reactions and responses are not always identical, they need to be experienced “both [by] narrative agents and [by] interpreters working to make sense of their circumstances and (inter)actions” (Basic Elements of Narrative 119). In The Passage, the challenge to the reader’s immersion is foremost underscored by temporal and structural fragmentation which demands that the reader continuously reorients her- or himself. Immersion into two separate timeframes is consequently required and the erratically inserted sections from the future conference disrupt the process, especially as they remain unconnected to a narrative progression and lack specified narrative agents. This potential deferral of immersion may be paradoxical at the outset because the mental construct evoked in the mind of the reader, the storyworld which continues to expand when narrative details are added to it, finds a parallel in the world building of another kind as inhabitants of the devastated post-apocalypse try to piece information together and reconstruct the world.
In relation to the world building that takes place in the novel, the reader’s position within and movement between temporalities can also occasion a sense of isolation. The characters in The Passage are on different levels presented as cogs in a machine. Figuratively, characters from the different time tracks are revealed to complement each other—there is a sense of fate guiding their actions which points forward to an eventual resolution. In literal ways, each character strategically utilizes his or her specific strengths and abilities. Survival in the post-apocalypse is thus a question of teamwork as far as the human characters are concerned. The reader’s process of storyworld construction is of a related, yet distinct kind. In some respects, there are significant parallels, especially when the protagonists encounter individuals or communities that can complement or supplant previously held information. In these instances, ontological gaps are filled in by the reader and characters in tandem: the characters’ world expands as does the reader’s storyworld. At other times the reader is in a privileged position with cultural memory intact and with access to information hidden from the characters. The evoked storyworld is in these cases significantly larger than the world and world-knowledge held by characters confined to a particular temporality. Finally, the novel’s protagonists in the post-apocalypse do not have to learn about their own reality as the reader is required to do: the characters’ world stays the same, the evoked storyworld expands. Ultimately, the characters’ world building and the reader’s storyworld construction pull in different directions and preclude an alignment between the reader and the characters he or she is invited to laugh or cry together with. Effectively mirroring the salient theme of Cronin’s novel, the reader is alone.
Notes
1 The second installment in the trilogy, The Twelve, was published in 2012 and City of Mirrors in May 2016. The former evokes an expanded storyworld with a similar focus on the Time Before and the Time After, and the latter contains lengthy sections set a millennium into the future. Here, we contend that individual novels in a series can be regarded as discrete blueprints for the reader’s storyworld construction.
2 All formatting corresponds to the original.
3 This designation may mean that time has been reset after the apocalypse for Wolgast, but within the storyworld this also alludes to “Subject Zero,” the first of the infected, whose actions allow the test subjects to escape.
4 The characters do not use the abbreviation A.V., only refer to the year 92, but a reference is made to “the GREAT VIRAL CATACLYSM” which resets time (Cronin 265).
5 The third installment of the trilogy reveals that Manjikian’s assumptions are correct. However, her 2012 discussion is (and could only be) based solely on The Passage.
Works Cited
Byron, Glennis, and Aspasia Stephanou. “Neo-imperialism and the Apocalyptic Vampire Narrative: Justin Cronin’s The Passage.” Transnational and Postcolonial Vampires: Dark Blood, edited by Tabish Khair and Johan Höglund, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, pp. 189-201.
Cronin, Justin. The Passage. Ballantine Books, 2010.
Genette, Gérard. Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation. Translated by Jane E. Lewin, Cambridge UP, 1997.
Herman, David. Basic Elements of Narrative. John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
—. Storytelling and the Sciences of Mind. MIT Press, 2013.
Manjikian, Mary. Apocalypse and Post-Politics: The Romance of the End. Lexington Books, 2012.
Kermode, Frank. The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction. 1967. Oxford UP, 1973.
Palmer, Alan. Fictional Minds. University of Nebraska Press, 2004.
Polvinen, Merja. “Enactive Perception and Fictional Worlds.” The Cognitive Humanities: Embodied Mind in Literature and Culture, edited by Peter Garratt, Palgrave Macmillan, 2016, pp. 19-34.
Skult Petter. “The Role of Place in the Post-Apocalypse: Contrasting The Road and World War Z.” Studia Neophilologica, vol. 87, 2015, pp. 104-115.
Stockard, Emily E. “Patterns of Consolation in Shakespeare’s Sonnets 1-126.” Studies in Philology, vol. 94, no. 4, 1997, pp. 465-493. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4174591. Accessed 29 Jun 2017.
Wolf, Mark J. P. Building Imaginary Worlds: The Theory and History of Subcreation. Routledge, 2012.
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