industry Column: The cruise ship industry is sinking. I'm OK with that By www.latimes.com Published On :: Fri, 8 May 2020 08:00:54 -0400 Norwegian Cruise Line says it's in danger of going out of business. Maybe that's not the worst thing for an industry of floating petri dishes. Full Article
industry Yokogawa Releases AI-enabled Versions of SMARTDAC+ Paperless Recorders and Data Logging Software, and Environmentally Robust AI-enabled e-RT3 Plus Edge Computing Platform for Industry Applications By www.yokogawa.com Published On :: 2020-04-07T16:00:00+09:00 Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) announces the release of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled versions of the GX series panel-mount type paperless recorders, GP series portable paperless recorders, and GA10 data logging software, which are components of the highly operable and expandable SMARTDAC+data acquisition and control system. This new AI functionality includes the future pen, a function developed by Yokogawa that enables the drawing of predicted waveforms. Yokogawa is also releasing a new CPU module for the e-RT3 Plus edge computing platform that is environmentally robust and Python compatible. The GX/GP and e-RT3 release is set for April 8, and the GA10 software will be released on May 13. The SMARTDAC+ system is a product in the OpreX Data Acquisition family, and the e-RT3 Plus is part of the OpreX Control Devices family. Full Article
industry Possible consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of biospecimens from cancer biobanks for research in academia and bioindustry By feeds.nature.com Published On :: 2020-05-07 Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry Peru to ease mining industry restrictions: Correction By www.argusmedia.com Published On :: 06 May 2020 12:28 (+01:00 GMT) Full Article Metals Non-ferrous Peru Fundamentals Politics
industry Mexican auto industry wants 17 May restart By www.argusmedia.com Published On :: 08 May 2020 21:35 (+01:00 GMT) Full Article Coking coal Metals Ferrous Non-ferrous Scrap Steelmaking raw materials Steel Base metals Aluminium Latin America and Caribbean North America US Canada Mexico Fundamentals Industry Vehicles Automotive
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
industry Low Prices, Full Storage Tanks: What's Next for the Oil Industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 30, 2020 Apr 30, 2020When the economy slows, so does the demand for oil. Prices have plummeted and storage tanks are filled to capacity. We look at the future of the oil industry. Full Article
industry Why local governments should prepare for the fiscal effects of a dwindling coal industry By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 05 Sep 2019 15:36:41 +0000 Full Article
industry Closing the Gender Gap in Seattle’s Tech Industry By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 11:50:00 -0500 In recent months, we’ve heard a lot about the tech industry's gender gap. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women represent just 19.7 percent of software developers, an occupation with a median salary of over $92,000 a year. Women’s underrepresentation in these and other well-paying tech jobs is a major concern given that women still earn only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. Meanwhile, labor shortages in software development and other high-skill occupations have tech companies worried about whether they’ll be able to grow as fast as they’d like. Seattle’s Ada Developers Academy takes aim at both challenges. This highly selective, tuition-free program prepares women students to be full-stack software developers, meaning that they can do both front-end—what the user sees—and back-end—what’s behind the scenes that makes everything work properly. Prior experience in tech isn’t necessary to earn a spot at Ada: The main prerequisite is a strong desire to pursue a career in software development. Ada combines six months of intensive classroom instruction with a six-month internship at a sponsoring company so that students have the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in real-world situations. Sponsoring companies—which currently include Nordstrom, Redfin, Zillow and Expedia, among others—also benefit from the internships, which provide direct access to prospective employees at a time when proficient software developers can be hard to find. If Ada’s first cohort is any indication, the academy’s combination of rigorous in-class training and hands-on work experience has tremendous value on the job market. All 15 members of the inaugural class got job offers for software developer positions before they graduated from the program. Seattle has long been known for its vibrant tech scene. Ada Developers Academy, its sponsoring companies and its graduates together enhance that reputation by fostering a more supportive environment for women in the city’s tech industry. In the face of serious gender disparities, organizations like Ada Developers Academy in Seattle show that it’s possible to create career pathways that will perhaps one day close the tech gender gap. Authors Jessica A. Lee Image Source: © Carlo Allegri / Reuters Full Article
industry ‘It’s the death knell for the oil industry’: Vikram Singh Mehta talks about the crude oil price dive By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 28 Apr 2020 08:47:00 +0000 Full Article
industry AMLO reverses positive trends in Mexico’s energy industry By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 20 Dec 2019 15:05:33 +0000 Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, has now been in office for about one year. It’s a good time to review his policies, and in particular his approach to the energy sector. The previous administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto undertook significant energy sector reforms, which AMLO generally opposed at the time… Full Article
industry In the marijuana industry, size doesn’t always matter By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 29 Jun 2016 09:36:00 -0400 In the marijuana reform conversation, one of the grandest boogeymen is “Big Marijuana.” Reform advocates, opponents of marijuana legalization, patients, consumers, media, and many others worry openly that the marijuana industry will consolidate into a corporate beast and a bad market actor reminiscent of Big Tobacco companies. In a paper released earlier this month entitled, “Worry about bad marijuana—not Big Marijuana,” Jonathan Rauch and I engage the likelihood and risks of the emergence of such a corporate entity. Although the paper makes several points, we begin with a discussion of exactly what “Big Marijuana” means. What we find is that the concept is tossed around so frequently, assigned to so many different types of market actors, that it has ultimately lost meaning. Often, the term is used to describe any large corporate entity or consolidation effort within the marijuana industry. In reality, standard corporate consolidation or the existence of large companies in an industry are basic aspects in capitalism. What’s more there are huge differences between marijuana industry actors today and Big Tobacco companies of the middle of the 20th century—in terms of size, scope, and market power to name a few. It should be expected that an industry that is young, fractured, and rapidly maturing will endure periods of consolidation and in the process, large and successful corporate entities will emerge. One should not assume, however, that such behaviors are sinister, suspect, or intent on engaging in immoral or illegal activities. Nor should one assume that only large corporate entities can engage in bad behaviors. They surely can, but other market actors may as well. The policy conversation around marijuana industry structure often holds Big Marijuana up as the actor who will bring problems for enforcement, diversion, sale to minors, sale to problem users, etc. The reality is that a marijuana entity of any size can behave in many of those behaviors. The problem with an unending focus on industry structure or corporate size is that policymakers and regulators can give a pass to smaller actors who may engage in the types of behaviors people inside and outside of industry seek to avoid—those same types of behaviors we saw from the tobacco industry. We argue there is a more sensible, safer step forward that begins with a simple premise. There are certain outcomes that the marijuana industry must avoid, and policy and regulation should preferably ban, but at least disincentivize those outcomes. We mention a few in the paper: antisocial marketing (marketing to children or problem users), regulatory capture, outcomes that hurt medical marijuana patients, and increasing barriers to entry and corporate crowd out—but others like diversion, illegal sales, and more must (and do) concern policy makers. In some cases, certain behaviors are more likely to come from larger corporate entities, but many behaviors can happen, independent of firm size. There are a variety of ways to avoid some of these outcomes beyond a focus on firm size and corporate consolidation. Some of those options are highlighted by the RAND Corporation’s Drug Policy Research Center. In “Options and Issues Regarding Marijuana Legalization,” the authors argue a shift away from the corporate model—either through the use of non-profit entities or government operation of whole portions of the market (supply, retail, or both) can have real benefit. These approaches can allow regulators greater control over negative market actions and induce incentives focused on public health and good governance, rather than profit maximization. Those arguments are quite convincing, but as states continue to construct medical and recreational marijuana programs using the corporate model, it is important to consider policy approaches within that existing framework. Thus, we recommend that regulators and policy makers not primarily focus on firm size, corporate consolidation, or the corporatization of the marijuana industry. Instead, they should work to avoid specific outcomes they see as unwanted or bad and pass laws, promulgate regulations, conduct information and education campaigns, and take whatever actions are necessary to stop them in their tracks. At the end of the day, one thing is clear: no one wants “Bad Marijuana” regardless of whether it comes from Big, Small, or Otherwise-Sized Marijuana. Click through to read the full report, “Worry about bad marijuana—not Big Marijuana.” Click through to watch the public event and paper release “Big Marijuana: How corporations and lobbies will shape the legalization landscape.” Authors John Hudak Image Source: © Rick Wilking / Reuters Full Article
industry Using extractive industry data to fight inequality & strengthen accountability: Victories, lessons, future directions for Africa By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 14 Oct 2019 14:21:07 +0000 With the goal of improving the management of oil, gas, and mineral revenues, curbing corruption, and fighting inequality, African countries—like Ghana, Kenya, Guinea, and Liberia—are stepping up their efforts to support good governance in resource-dependent countries. Long-fought-for gains in transparency—including from initiatives like the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)—have helped civil society and other accountability… Full Article
industry Commodities, industry, and the African Growth Miracle By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 The 2016 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank occur during uncertain times for the “African Growth Miracle.” After more than two decades of sustained economic expansion, growth in sub-Saharan Africa slowed to 3.4 percent in 2015, the weakest performance since 2009. The growth slow-down reflects lower commodity prices, declining growth… Full Article Uncategorized
industry University-industry partnerships can help tackle antibiotic resistant bacteria By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 25 Mar 2015 07:30:00 -0400 An academic-industrial partnership published last January in the prestigious journal Nature the results of the development of antibiotic teixobactin. The reported work is still at an early preclinical stage but it is nevertheless good news. Over the last decades the introduction of new antibiotics has slowed down nearly to a halt and over the same period we have seen a dangerous increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria. Such is the magnitude of the problem that it has attracted the attention of the U.S. government. Accepting several recommendations presented by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) in their comprehensive report, the Obama Administration issued last September an Executive Order establishing an interagency Task Force for combating antibiotic resistant bacteria and directing the Secretary of Human and Health Services (HHS) to establish an Advisory Council on this matter. More recently the White House issued a strategic plan to tackle this problem. Etiology of antibiotic resistance Infectious diseases have been a major cause of morbidity and mortality from time immemorial. The early discovery of sulfa drugs in the 1930s and then antibiotics in the 1940s significantly aided the fight against these scourges. Following World War II society experienced extraordinary gains in life expectancy and overall quality of life. During that period, marked by optimism, many people presumed victory over infectious diseases. However, overuse of antibiotics and a slowdown of innovation, allowed bacteria to develop resistance at such a pace that some experts now speak of a post-antibiotic era. The problem is manifold: overuse of antibiotics, slow innovation, and bacterial evolution. The overuse of antibiotics in both humans and livestock also facilitated the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Responsibility falls to health care providers who prescribed antibiotics liberally and patients who did not complete their prescribed dosages. Acknowledging this problem, the medical community has been training physicians to avoid pressures to prescribe antibiotics for children (and their parents) with infections that are likely to be viral in origin. Educational efforts are also underway to encourage patients to complete their full course of every prescribed antibiotic and not to halt treatment when symptoms ease. The excessive use of antibiotics in food-producing animals is perhaps less manageable because it affects the bottom line of farm operations. For instance, the FDA reported that even though famers were aware of the risks, antibiotics use in feedstock increased by 16 percent from 2009 to 2012. The development of antibiotics—perhaps a more adequate term would be anti-bacterial agents—indirectly contributed to the problem by being incremental and by nearly stalling two decades ago. Many revolutionary innovations in antibiotics were introduced in a first period of development that started in the 1940s and lasted about two decades. Building upon scaffolds and mechanisms discovered theretofore, a second period of incremental development followed over three decades, through to 1990s, with roughly three new antibiotics introduced every year. High competition and little differentiations rendered antibiotics less and less profitable and over a third period covering the last 20 years pharmaceutical companies have cut development of new antibiotics down to a trickle. The misguided overuse and misuse of antibiotics together with the economics of antibiotic innovation compounded the problem taking place in nature: bacteria evolves and adapts rapidly. Current policy initiatives The PCAST report recommended federal leadership and investment to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria in three areas: improving surveillance, increasing the longevity of current antibiotics through moderated usage, and picking up the pace of development of new antibiotics and other effective interventions. To implement this strategy PCAST suggested an oversight structure that includes a Director for National Antibiotic Resistance Policy, an interagency Task Force for Combating Antibiotic Resistance Bacteria, and an Advisory Council to be established by the HHS Secretary. PCAST also recommended increasing federal support from $450 million to $900 million for core activities such as surveillance infrastructure and development of transformative diagnostics and treatments. In addition, it proposed $800 million in funding for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to support public-private partnerships for antibiotics development. The Obama administration took up many of these recommendations and directed their implementation with the aforementioned Executive Order. More recently, it announced a National Strategy for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria to implement the recommendations of the PCAST report. The national strategy has five pillars: First, slow the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria by decreasing the abusive usage of antibiotics in health care as well as in farm animals; second, establish national surveillance efforts that build surveillance capability across human and animal environments; third, advance development and usage of rapid and innovative diagnostics to provide more accurate care delivery and data collection; forth, seek to accelerate the invention process for new antibiotics, other therapeutics and vaccines across all stages, including basic and applied research and development; finally, emphasize the importance of international collaboration and endorse the World Health Organization Action Plan to address antimicrobial resistance. University-Industry partnerships Therefore, an important cause of our antibiotic woes seems to be driven by economic logic. On one hand, pharmaceutical companies have by and large abandoned investment in antibiotic development; competition and high substitutability have led to low prices and in their financial calculation, pharmaceutical companies cannot justify new developmental efforts. On the other hand, farmers have found the use of antibiotics highly profitable and thus have no financial incentives to halt their use. There is nevertheless a mirror explanation of a political character. The federal government allocates about $30 billion for research in medicine and health through the National Institutes of Health. The government does not seek to crowd out private research investment; rather, the goal is to fund research the private sector would not conduct because the financial return of that research is too uncertain. Economic theory prescribes government intervention to address this kind of market failure. However, it is also government policy to privatize patents to discoveries made with public monies in order to facilitate their transfer from public to private organizations. An unanticipated risk of this policy is the rebalancing of the public research portfolio to accommodate the growing demand for the kind of research that feeds into attractive market niches. The risk is that the more aligned public research and private demand become, the less research attention will be directed to medical needs without great market prospects. The development of new antibiotics seems to be just that kind of neglected medical public need. If antibiotics are unattractive to pharmaceutical companies, antibiotic development should be a research priority for the NIH. We know that it is unlikely that Congress will increase public spending for antibiotic R&D in the proportion suggested by PCAST, but the NIH could step in and rebalance its own portfolio to increase antibiotic research. Either increasing NIH funding for antibiotics or NIH rebalancing its own portfolio, are political decisions that are sure to meet organized resistance even stronger than antibiotic resistance. The second mirror explanation is that farmers have a well-organized lobby. It is no surprise that the Executive Order gingerly walks over recommendations for the farming sector and avoid any hint at an outright ban of antibiotics use, lest the administration is perceived as heavy-handed. Considering the huge magnitude of the problem, a political solution is warranted. Farmers’ cooperation in addressing this national problem will have to be traded for subsidies and other extra-market incentives that compensate for loss revenues or higher costs. The administration will do well to work out the politics with farmer associations first before they organize in strong opposition to any measure to curb antibiotic use in feedstock. Addressing this challenge adequately will thus require working out solutions to the economic and political dimensions of this problem. Public-private partnerships, including university-industry collaboration, could prove to be a useful mechanism to balance the two dimensions of the equation. The development of teixobactin mentioned above is a good example of this prescription as it resulted from collaboration between the university of Bonn Germany, Northeastern University, and Novobiotic Pharmaceutical, a start-up in Cambridge Mass. If the NIH cannot secure an increase in research funding for antibiotics development and cannot rebalance substantially its portfolio, it can at least encourage Cooperative Research and Development Agreements as well as university start-ups devoted to develop new antibiotics. In order to promote public-private and university-industry partnerships, policy coordination is advised. The nascent enterprises will be assisted greatly if the government can help them raise capital connecting them to venture funding networks or implementing a loan guarantees programs specific to antibiotics. It can also allow for an expedited FDA approval which would lessen the regulatory burden. Likewise, farmers may be convinced to discontinue the risky practice if innovation in animal husbandry can effectively replace antibiotic use. Public-private partnerships, particularly through university extension programs, could provide an adequate framework to test alternative methods, scale them up, and subsidize the transition to new sustainable practices that are not financially painful to farmers. Yikun Chi contributed to this post More TechTank content available here Authors Walter D. ValdiviaMichael S. Kinch Image Source: © Reuters Staff / Reuters Full Article
industry Why local governments should prepare for the fiscal effects of a dwindling coal industry By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 05 Sep 2019 15:36:41 +0000 Full Article
industry Who's Looking Out for Your Lungs? Industry and Legislators Pressing EPA to Drop Tighter Ozone Standards By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:15:00 -0500 You can't blame them for trying: With the White House set to change hands in less than a year's time - likely bringing on board a more eco-friendly administration - industry groups have been pressing the EPA to squelch stricter air-quality standards Full Article Business
industry Designing Out Waste in Industry Becomes a Priority for Big UK Businesses By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:08:41 -0400 This week a new report has been published by UK environmental think tank Green Alliance which unites top UK businesses on a mission to design out waste in industry. The report is called A Pathway To Greener Products and calls on the new coalition Full Article Design
industry Europeans To Ban Fire Retardants and Phthalates Critical To American Building Industry By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:48:53 -0500 Comments to the post What is the Best Way To Build A Wall? Not A Simple Answer wondered why we wanted to reinvent the wall. The consensus was "Having XPS on the exterior is, I think, the easiest and best solution." I will be Full Article Design
industry Legal pot industry springs to life...can it be sustainable? By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Sat, 03 Oct 2015 07:01:23 -0400 Take a bike ride around Portland and see a burgeoning pot business that isn't paying much attention yet to its energy-hogging, pesticide-loving roots. Full Article Living