2017-2018 NSF Distinguished Lectures in Mathematical and Physical Sciences
The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) invites media and members of the public to a series of lectures intended to promote discussion of issues that scientists expect to shape their research in the coming years.
MPS’ mission is to harness the collective efforts of the mathematical and physical sciences communities to address compelling questions and push the boundaries of scientific frontiers. All of the 2017-2018 MPS distinguished lecturers have received NSF support allowing them to pursue cutting-edge research in fields ranging from the interaction of matter in the quantum realm to how chemistry works in space. The lectures allow these scientists and engineers the opportunity to communicate about their discoveries and potential applications for their work.
Where: NSF headquarters, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, directly across the street from the Eisenhower Avenue Metro station.
When: 2 p.m.-3 p.m. ET
Who:
Monday, Dec. 11, 2017: Soft Materials Research in the Era of Machine Learning, Juan de Pablo, professor of molecular engineering, University of Chicago.
Monday, Jan. 22, 2018: Turning Inert Nitrogen from the Atmosphere into Useful Products through Mild Catalytic Chemistry, Nobel laureate Richard Schrock, professor of chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Monday, Feb. 12, 2018: Strange Bonds and Odd Angles: Exploring Exotic Chemistry in Space, Michael McCarthy, associate director, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Monday, April 23, 2018: Modeling and Simulation of Asteroid-Generated Tsunamis, Marsha Berger, professor of mathematics and computer science, New York University.
Monday, May 21, 2018: Hairy Hydrodynamics in Biology and Beyond, Anette (Peko) Hosoi, professor of mechanical engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Monday, June 25, 2018: Atomic Clocks in the Next Quantum Revolution, Marianna Safronova, professor of physics, University of Delaware.
These lectures will not be simulcast or recorded. If you would like to attend, please email Andrew Lovinger at alovinger@nsf.gov to arrange for a visitor badge that will be available the day of the lecture. Include your name and, if you are a member of the media, your publication or outlet. Please make sure to register at least 24 hours prior to the lecture you would like to attend.
Visitors must present a government-issued ID to enter the building. For more information on travel to NSF or building access, see the Visit NSF webpage.
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The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2017, its budget is $7.5 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 48,000 competitive proposals for funding and makes about 12,000 new funding awards.
Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company To Expand Al-Zour Refinery With Honeywell Technology
DES PLAINES, Ill., Nov. 27, 2017 — Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) will use a range of process technologies from Honeywell UOP, a leading licensor of refining and petrochemical process technology, for the expansion of its refining and petrochemical complex at Al-Zour, south of Kuwait City.
Honeywell UOP will supply technology licenses, design services, key equipment, and state-of-the-art catalysts and adsorbents to produce clean-burning fuels, paraxylene, propylene and other petrochemicals.
“When completed, this will be the largest integrated refinery and petrochemicals plant ever constructed in Kuwait,” said John Gugel, vice president and general manager, Process Technology and Equipment at Honeywell UOP. “In addition to aromatics and propylene, the Euro-V fuels it will produce will be the cornerstone of Kuwait’s clean fuels initiative.”
The project includes a 50,000 barrels per day (bpd) RFCC complex with ethylene and propylene recovery, and a 24,000 bpd Honeywell UOP Selectfining™ unit to produce low-sulfur gasoline. Two Honeywell UOP Merox™ units will be used to treat propane for propylene production, and isobutane to make clean-fuels blending components, including MTBE produced by a UOP Ethermax™ unit. Also included is a Butamer™ unit to convert normal butane to isobutane.
The contract also includes a 66,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) CCR Platforming™ unit with a 74,000 bpd naphtha hydrotreater to make gasoline blend stock, and an LD Parex™ aromatics complex — including the Honeywell UOP Sulfolane™, Isomar™ and Tatoray™ processes – to make 1.4 million metric tons per year of paraxylene, a primary ingredient in plastics.
In addition, an Oleflex™ propane dehydrogenation unit will produce 660,000 metric tons per year of polymer-grade propylene – another basic component in the production of plastics, synthetic rubber and gasoline additives.
Honeywell UOP is a leading licensor of process technology for the production of aromatics. As of last year, Honeywell UOP licensed more than 100 complexes and more than 700 individual process units for the production of aromatics, including more than 300 CCR Platforming process units, 158 Sulfolane units, 80 Isomar units, 58 Tatoray units, 100 Parex units and 60 Oleflex units worldwide.
Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) is a new subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) set up by State of Kuwait to manage refinery, petrochemicals and LNG import operations in the Al-Zour complex.
Honeywell UOP (www.uop.com) is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. Honeywell UOP is part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell Process Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com), a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries.
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 software-industrial company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace and automotive products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, cars, homes and buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.
Antarctic detector offers first look at how Earth stops high-energy neutrinos in their tracks
An interdisciplinary team of researchers using the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica has measured how certain high-energy neutrinos are absorbed by the Earth, as opposed to passing through matter as most neutrinos do. The finding could help expand scientists’ understanding of the fundamental forces of the universe.
Funded and managed by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the IceCube Neutrino Observatory conducts research into these nearly massless particles.
“IceCube was built to explore the frontiers of physics and, in doing so, possibly to challenge existing perceptions of the nature of the universe,” said James Whitmore, program director in NSF’s Division of Physics. “This new finding and others yet to come are in that spirt of scientific discovery. IceCube is truly a remarkable window on the universe.”
Scientists with the international IceCube Collaboration, which includes more than 300 researchers from 48 institutions in the U.S. and 11 other countries, say in a paper published in the journal Nature how some very energetic neutrinos from space interact with matter and are absorbed by the Earth.
Neutrinos are subatomic particles, most of which pass through anything and everything, only very rarely interacting with matter. In contrast to the newly discovered properties of the high-energy neutrinos, about 100 trillion neutrinos with lower energies pass through the human body, on average, every second without being absorbed.
“Neutrinos have quite a well-earned reputation of surprising us with their behavior,” says Darren Grant, spokesperson for the IceCube Collaboration and a professor of physics at the University of Alberta in Canada. “It is incredibly exciting to see this first measurement and the potential it holds for future precision tests.”
For this study, the collaboration included geologists who have created models of the Earth’s interior from seismic studies as part of a larger multidisciplinary team. Physicists worked with the geologists to measure how neutrinos are absorbed by the Earth. A deeper understanding of how often a neutrino will come through the Earth to eventually interact within the IceCube detector also requires detailed knowledge of the Antarctic ice properties, the interaction of cosmic rays with the Earth’s atmosphere, and how neutrinos interact with matter.
IceCube is an array of 5,160 optical sensors, each roughly two feet in diameter, deeply encased within a cubic kilometer of very clear Antarctic ice near NSF’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. IceCube’s sensors do not directly observe neutrinos. Instead, they measure flashes of blue light, known as Cherenkov radiation, produced by muons and other fast-moving charged particles created when neutrinos interact with the ice. By measuring the light patterns from these interactions in or near the detector array, IceCube can estimate the neutrinos’ directions and energies.
NSF’s Office of Polar Programs and Division of Physics support the management and operations of the observatory. IceCube was built with funding from an NSF Major Research and Equipment and Facilities Construction award, with assistance from partner funding agencies worldwide. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is the lead institution for the IceCube Collaboration, coordinating data-taking and management and operation. As manager of the U.S Antarctic Program, NSF operates three year-round stations in Antarctica, including Amundsen-Scott.
Fundamental forces
The IceCube Collaboration research team found that fewer energetic neutrinos made it to IceCube’s detector on paths that took them all the way through the Earth than from less obstructed paths, including near-horizontal trajectories. The probability of neutrinos being absorbed by the Earth was consistent with expectations from the Standard Model of particle physics, a theory that scientists use to explain the fundamental forces and particles in the universe. This probability — that neutrinos of a given energy will interact with matter — is what physicists refer to as a “cross section.”
“Understanding how neutrinos interact is key to the operation of IceCube,” said Francis Halzen, principal investigator for the IceCube and a professor of physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Precision measurements at the HERA particle accelerator complex in Hamburg, Germany, provided a foundation to calculate the neutrino cross sections, which would apply to IceCube neutrinos of very high energies if the Standard Model is valid at these energies.
“We were of course hoping for some new physics to appear, but we unfortunately find that the Standard Model, as usual, withstands the test,” Halzen says.
This study provides the first cross-section measurements for a neutrino energy range that is up to 1,000 times higher than previous measurements at particle accelerators. Most of the neutrinos studied by the research team were more than a million times more energetic than the those produced by sources like the sun or nuclear power plants.
In addition to providing the first measurement of the Earth’s absorption of neutrinos, the researchers’ analysis shows that IceCube’s scientific reach now extends beyond the observatory’s core focus on particle physics discoveries and the emerging field of neutrino astronomy. Its work could also have applications in the fields of planetary science and nuclear physics. The team’s analysis will be of interest to geophysicists seeking to use neutrinos to image the Earth’s interior, although such work would require more data than the current study used.
The neutrino-interaction events selected for the study have energies of at least one trillion electron volts, or 1 teraelectronvolt (TeV), roughly the energy of motion of a flying mosquito. At this energy, the Earth’s absorption of neutrinos is relatively small; the lowest-energy neutrinos in the study largely served as a baseline measurement for neutrinos that the Earth did not absorb.
The analysis was sensitive to absorption in the energy range from 6.3 TeV to 980 TeV.. At these energy levels, each individual proton or neutron in a nucleus acts independently, so the probability of absorption by the Earth depends on the number of protons or neutrons that each neutrino encounters. The Earth’s core is particularly dense, so absorption is largest there.
By comparison, the most energetic neutrinos studied at particle accelerator facilities were at energies below 0.4 TeV. Researchers have used accelerators to fire beams containing an enormous number of lower energy neutrinos at detectors, but only a very tiny fraction yield interactions.
IceCube researchers used data collected from May 2010 to May 2011, from a partial array of 79 “strings,” detector units embedded more than a mile deep in the ice, each containing 60 sensors. Researchers compared data to a model describing how neutrinos propagate through the Earth to find the cross section that best fits the data. Simulations to support the analysis have been conducted using supercomputers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and at Berkeley Lab’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC).
Physicists now hope to repeat the study using an expanded, multiyear analysis of data from the full 86-string IceCube array and look at higher ranges of neutrino energies for any hints of new physics beyond the Standard Model. IceCube has already detected multiple ultra-high-energy neutrinos, in the range of petaelectronvolts (PeV), which have energy levels 1,000 times higher than those detected in the TeV range.
More data will both reduce researchers’ uncertainties and generate findings about neutrinos at even higher energies, opening new opportunities to explore nuclear effects in the Earth and collective magnetic effects. With a better understanding of nuclear neutrino interactions, scientists hope to explore the boundary between the Earth’s inner solid core and its liquid outer core.
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Honeywell To Provide Cryogenic Gas Processing Plant To EagleClaw Midstream Ventures
DES PLAINES, Ill., Nov. 20, 2017 — Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced that EagleClaw Midstream Ventures, LLC will use UOP Russell modular cryogenic equipment to process 200 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas at its gas processing facility in the Permian Basin in Reeves County, Texas.
UOP Russell customized the gas processing plant for the West Texas location, including a modular design that reduces project schedules and delivers a custom, gas-specific plant with proven uptime and reliability.
“EagleClaw has chosen to go with UOP Russell for its last three plants — totaling 600 million cubic feet per day — due to excellent project execution and service offerings, and the advantages of integrating EagleClaw’s existing fleet of UOP Russell plants,” said Craig Ranta, business director, UOP Russell. “We’re delivering a customized plant to match the rich feed gas composition in the basin, while the high NGL recovery makes EagleClaw more competitive capturing contracts from producers.”
Cryogenic gas processing plants cool natural gas until the heavier and more valuable NGLs form into liquids. These liquids – including propane, ethane and butanes — can be used as fuels, fuel blending components and other valuable petrochemicals.
The plant is designed to accommodate the NGL-rich gas in the Permian’s Delaware Basin. Its low capital and operating expense, coupled with high NGL recovery, allowed EagleClaw to offer gas producers more favorable processing terms, positioning the company to recover high levels of NGLs as prices for them continue to rise.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. production of ethane will increase from about 1.25 million barrels per day (b/d) last year to 1.7 million b/d in 2018. The increased ethane produced is forecast to be consumed by the U.S. petrochemical industry and exported to other countries.
EagleClaw Midstream Ventures, LLC is headquartered in Midland, Texas, and develops midstream infrastructure opportunities in the Permian Basin of West Texas. EagleClaw provides natural gas and crude oil producers with a wide array of midstream services including gathering, compression, treating, processing and transportation.
Honeywell UOP (www.uop.com) is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. Honeywell UOP is part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell Process Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com), a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries.
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 software-industrial company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace and automotive products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, cars, homes and buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.
Hengli Petrochemical To Use Honeywell Advanced Flare And Burner Technologies To Control Emissions
SHANGHAI, — Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co., Ltd. will use Callidus advanced flares and low-nitrogen oxides (NOx) burner technology at its refinery and petrochemicals complex, one of the largest in China, at Changxing Island in Dalian City.
Honeywell will provide a 5,000 ton-per-hour flare system that will be the largest in Asia. In addition, Honeywell will provide more than 1,400 Callidus® low-NOx burners to provide heat for refinery processes, as well as process design and procurement services, key mechanical equipment and instrumentation.
“Callidus’ advanced burner technology helps refineries and petrochemical plants reduce NOx emissions, better control carbon monoxide emissions and achieve higher fuel efficiency, while our low-VOC flare technology provides excellent combustion performance,” said Henry Liu, vice president and general manager of Honeywell UOP China. “These technologies offer excellent economics and will help Hengli comply with stricter environmental regulations in China.”
Under the Chinese government’s Emission Standard of Pollutants for the Petroleum Refining Industry, emissions of nitrogen oxides from industry furnaces are required to drop 33 percent, from 150 milligrams per cubic meter in 2015 to less than 100 this year. These pollutants are a primary cause of acid rain and increased surface ozone concentration, which have serious and direct impacts on public health and the environment.
Honeywell UOP’s Callidus low-NOx burner technology and customized burners will allow Hengli Petrochemical to reduce NOx emissions to half the limit prescribed under the new emission control regulation. The burners are customized to meet requirements of all types of applications at Hengli, including refinery heaters, reformers, ethylene crackers, and CCR (continuous catalytic reforming) and propane dehydrogenation process heaters.
“Hengli Petrochemical is committed to becoming one of the best petrochemical complexes in the world, and advanced flares and burners are essential to that mission,” said Chen Xinhua, vice chairman of Hengli Petrochemical Company. “We chose Honeywell UOP Callidus as the sole supplier for all burners in the complex and the flare system for the refinery because these technologies meet our criteria for performance and environmental requirements.”
Honeywell recently expanded its China combustion test facility to evaluate the performance of flares. The center, located in Luoyang in Henan Province, is China’s only center capable of testing flare emissions for volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
Hengli Group, founded in 1994, manufactures petrochemicals, polyester, and advanced materials, with operations in weaving, thermal power, machinery, finance, hotels and real estate. In 2010, the company built the Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co., Ltd. Hengli Petrochemical is one of the largest refinery and petrochemical projects in China, with a processing capacity of 20 million tons per year and more than 25 processes in operation.
As part of Honeywell UOP, Callidus Technologies provides total solutions for process heater burners, flares, flare gas recovery systems, thermal oxidizers and selective catalytic reduction units.
For more information about Callidus’ low NOx emission burner technology, please visit https://www.uop.com/equipment/callidus-combustion-equipment/callidus-burners/.
Honeywell UOP (www.uop.com) is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. Honeywell UOP is part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell Process Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com), a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries.
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 software-industrial company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace and automotive products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, cars, homes and buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.
EU Commission to invest €30 billion in new solutions for societal challenges and breakthrough innovation
Brussels, The European Commission today announced how it will spend €30 billion of the EU research and innovation funding programme Horizon 2020 during 2018-2020, including €2.7 billion to kick-start a European Innovation Council.
Horizon 2020, the EU’s €77 billion research and innovation funding programme, supports scientific excellence in Europe and has contributed to high-profile scientific breakthroughs such as the discovery of exoplanets and gravitational waves. Over the next 3 years, the Commission will seek greater impact of its research funding by focusing on fewer, but critical topics such as migration, security, climate, clean energy and digital economy. Horizon 2020 will also be more geared towards boosting breakthrough, market-creating innovation.
Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said: “Artificial Intelligence, genetics, blockchain: science is at the core of today’s most promising breakthrough innovations. Europe is a world leader in science and technology and will play a major role in driving innovation. The Commission is making a concerted effort – including with the European Innovation Council which takes its first steps today – to give Europe’s many innovators a springboard to become world leading companies.”
Supporting breakthrough, market-creating innovation
Since the beginning of its mandate, the Juncker Commission has been working hard to give Europe’s many innovative entrepreneurs every opportunity to thrive. Now, the Commission is launching the first phase of the European Innovation Council.Between 2018 and 2020, the Commission will mobilise €2.7 billion from Horizon 2020 to support high-risk, high-gain innovation to create the markets of the future. Moreover, Horizon 2020 will make better use of its “crack the challenge” prizes to deliver breakthrough technology solutions to pressing problems faced by our citizens.
Focusing on political priorities
The 2018-2020 Work Programme will focus efforts on fewer topics with bigger budgets, directly supporting the Commission’s political priorities:
A low-carbon, climate resilient future: €3.3 billion
Circular Economy: €1 billion
Digitising and transforming European industry and services: €1.7 billion
Security Union: €1 billion
Migration: €200 million
€2.2 billion will be earmarked for clean energy projects in four interrelated areas: renewables, energy efficient buildings, electro-mobility and storage solutions, including €200 million to support the development and production in Europe of the next generation of electric batteries.
Boosting ‘blue sky’ research
At the same time, Horizon 2020 will continue to fund ‘curiosity-driven science’ (often referred to as ‘blue sky science’ or ‘frontier research’). The annual Work Programme of the European Research Council for 2018, adopted in August, will enable support for excellent researchers with nearly €1.86 billion. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, which fund fellowships for researchers at all stages of their careers, receive a boost with €2.9 billion in total over three years.
Enhancing international cooperation
The new Work Programme also strengthens international cooperation in research and innovation. It will invest over €1 billion in 30 flagship initiatives in areas of mutual benefit. Examples include working with Canada on personalised medicine, with the US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Australia on road transport automation, with India on water challenges and with African countries on food security and renewable energies.
Spreading excellence
Between 2018 and 2020, €460 million under Horizon 2020 will be allocated specifically to supporting Member States and associated countries that do not yet participate in the programme to their full potential. The aim is to tap into the unexploited pockets of excellence in Europe and beyond. In addition, the programme also continues to promote closer synergies with the European Structural and Investment Funds.
Simplifying rules of participation further
Another novelty is the introduction of the lump-sum pilot, a new, simpler approach to providing financial support to participants. It will shift the focus of ex-ante controls from financial checks to the scientific-technical content of the projects.
Open Science
The programme marks a step change in promoting Open Science by shifting from publishing research results in scientific publications towards sharing knowledge sooner in the research process. €2 billion will be channelled to support Open Science, and €600 million will be dedicated to the European Open Science Cloud, European Data Infrastructure and High Performance Computing.
Background
Horizon 2020 is the EU’s biggest ever research and innovation framework programme with a budget of €77 billion over seven years (2014-2020). While most research and innovation activities are still underway or yet to start, the programme is delivering.
Horizon 2020 researchers have contributed to major discoveries like exoplanets, the Higgs boson and gravitational waves, and at least 19 Nobel Prize winners received EU research funding prior or after their award.
As of October 2017, Horizon 2020 has in total funded more than 15 000 grants to the tune of €26.65 billion, of which almost €3.79 billion went to SMEs. The programme has also provided companies, in particular SMEs, with access to risk finance worth over €17 million under the “InnovFin – EU finance for innovators” scheme. Furthermore,3,143 ERC Principal Investigators in host organisations and 10,176 fellows under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions have received grants worth almost €4.87 billion and €2.89 billion respectively.
Simultaneous to the adoption of the Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2018-2020, the Euratom Work Programme 2018 has been adopted, investing €32 million in research into the management and disposal of radioactive waste. It will also develop a research roadmap on safe decommissioning of nuclear power plants to reduce environmental impact and costs.
Dow and Saudi Aramco Sign MOU for Potential Equity Ownership Restructure in Sadara Joint Venture
MIDLAND, Mich. & DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia – The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) today announced a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that sets forth a process for Dow to acquire an additional 15 percent ownership interest from Saudi Aramco in Sadara Chemical Company (Sadara), a joint venture developed by the two companies. The current equity ownership split is 65 percent Saudi Aramco and 35 percent Dow. If the potential transaction is concluded as presently proposed, Dow and Saudi Aramco would each hold a 50 percent equity stake in Sadara.
“Sadara is the result of a game-changing partnership between Saudi Aramco and Dow by delivering market-driven solutions that support the diversification of the country’s economy,” said Andrew Liveris, Dow’s chairman and CEO. “Increasing our equity stake in this iconic joint venture is a powerful example of our strategic partnership with Saudi Aramco and is yet another accelerator in Dow’s long-term growth strategy designed to capture growing consumer-led demand in our key end-markets of transportation, infrastructure, packaging, and consumer products in developing regions.”
Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser said, “We are proud of our partnership with Dow given its preeminent stature among the world’s leading chemical companies. Dow’s larger stake in Sadara is an endorsement of the Kingdom’s vibrant ecosystem, and signals Dow’s confidence in our partnership as a model of mutually beneficial foreign direct investment. The time is right to fully leverage Dow’s global leadership to further contribute to the Kingdom’s economic transformation in line with Vision 2030.”
The potential equity equalization would occur following the later of two events― (i) the intended separation of the Materials Science Company, within 18 months after the close of the merger of equals between Dow and DuPont (NYSE: DD) on August 31 and (ii) Sadara’s completion of the Creditors’ Reliability Test, which is part of the limited-recourse financing used to fund the Sadara project development. The anticipated financial impact of the potential transaction is not being disclosed. The Sadara financial structure and governance remain unchanged.
The Sadara chemical complex―the largest of its kind ever built in a single phase―is currently operating all of its 26 world-scale units that manufacture a portfolio of valued-added performance plastics and specialty chemicals. The more than three million metric tons of performance-focused products serving the Packaging, Transportation, Infrastructure and Consumer markets will add new value chains to Saudi Arabia’s vast hydrocarbon reserves, resulting in the diversification of the economy and region.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from material, polymer, chemical and biological science to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems, such as the need for fresh food, safer and more sustainable transportation, clean water, energy efficiency, more durable infrastructure, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s integrated, market-driven portfolio delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in 175 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, infrastructure, transportation, consumer care, electronics, and agriculture. In 2016, Dow had annual sales of $48 billion and employed approximately 56,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 7,000 product families are manufactured at 189 sites in 34 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
About Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco is a world leader in integrated energy and chemicals. We are driven by the core belief that energy is opportunity. From producing approximately one in every eight barrels of the world’s crude oil supply to developing new energy technologies, our global team is dedicated to creating positive impact in all that we do. We focus on making our resources more sustainable and more useful. This promotes long-term economic growth and prosperity around the world. Visit us at www.saudiaramco.com
New view of dispersants used after Deepwater Horizon oil spill
New research has uncovered an added dimension to the decision to inject large amounts of chemical dispersants above the crippled seafloor oil well during the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010.
The dispersants, scientists have found, may have significantly reduced the amount of harmful gases in the air at the sea surface — diminishing health risks for emergency responders and enabling them to keep working to stop the spill and clean it up sooner.
The results were published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The research team included Jonas Gros, Scott Socolofsky, Anusha Dissanayake and Inok Jun of Texas A&M University; Lin Zhao and Michel Boufadel of the New Jersey Institute of Technology; Christopher Reddy of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; and J. Samuel Arey of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.
The study was funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
“In 2010, when NSF began rapid response funding for research on Deepwater Horizon, it was important to characterize the initial conditions of the spill such as plume dynamics and ecological effects,” says Don Rice, a program director in NSF’s Division of Ocean Sciences, which supported the new research. “These scientists and others did just that. As the findings of this study clearly demonstrate, the discoveries of basic scientific research and the practical applications that follow in their wake are often unanticipated.”
In the midst of the Deepwater Horizon crisis, officials made the decision to, over 67 days, inject more than 700,000 gallons of chemical dispersant above the oil rig’s severed wellhead at the bottom of the gulf.
The aim was to break the petroleum into smaller droplets in the deep sea to diminish oil slicks and reduce the amount of harmful gases rising to the ocean surface.
The new study demonstrates a beneficial effect of the dispersants: The subsea dispersant injection may have allowed emergency responders to literally breathe easier.
By breaking petroleum into smaller droplets that dissolved faster in the deep ocean, the dispersants decreased the amounts of volatile toxic compounds that rose to the surface and into the air.
This process improved air quality for the responders and likely reduced the number of days when responders were forced to don respirators or suspend cleanup efforts.
Dispersants have been applied to oil slicks on the ocean surface for half a century to break petroleum into smaller droplets that dissipate and to keep oil from reaching ecologically sensitive coastlines.
But they had never been used at the unprecedented depth of 5,000 feet beneath the surface, where an estimated 7,500 tons per day of oil and 2,400 tons per day of natural gas were jetting from the ruptured wellhead.
That flow rate is equivalent to 57,000 barrels per day of oil and 92 million cubic feet per day of gas at the sea surface.
During the period studied, an inverted funnel, or “top hat,” that was placed directly above the wellhead prevented 19,000 barrels per day of oil from escaping into the sea.
In the new study, the scientists built and tested a mathematical model that simulated the complex chemical and physical interactions among water, oil, gas and dispersant during Deepwater Horizon.
The researchers focused on the period starting June 3, 2010, when engineers cut the riser pipe at the wellhead, through July 15, 2010, a timespan when a large number of scientific observations were collected nearby in the air and ocean.
To test the model’s ability to simulate the real-world disaster, the scientists compared its predictions to these observations.
Nearly all the comparisons aligned with the model’s output, indicating that the model replicated many aspects of what happened to the oil and gas under the ocean surface.
The team then ran the model to see what would have happened if dispersants had not been injected above the wellhead during the same time period.
The results indicated the deep-sea dispersant injection did have a profound effect on air quality at the ocean surface.
The injection of the subsea dispersant caused the turbulent jet of petroleum fluids to form oil droplets that were about 30 times smaller by volume than they would have been without dispersants.
This subtle change caused many volatile petroleum chemicals to dissolve more rapidly. Most of the highly toxic benzene and toluene in the oil were transported away in deep currents and likely would have biodegraded within weeks, say the scientists.
The dispersant injection, according to the model, decreased the overall concentration of all volatile organic chemicals in the atmosphere by a modest amount, about 30 percent.
But it also significantly reduced the amount of chemicals most harmful to humans, such as benzene and toluene. The atmospheric concentration of benzene, for example, decreased by about 6,000 times, dramatically improving air quality.
Without the dispersant injection, the model showed that benzene concentrations in the air 2 meters above the sea surface would have been 13 times higher than the levels considered acceptable to breathe during a 10-hour working day or a 40-hour work week, based on guidelines by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
However, with the dispersant injection, the model showed that atmospheric benzene concentrations were 500 times lower than the levels considered acceptable to breathe.
The researchers believe that clean-up delays would have been more frequent if the subsurface dispersant injection had not been applied.
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Methane-eating bacteria in lake deep beneath Antarctic ice sheet may reduce greenhouse gas emissions
An interdisciplinary team of researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) has concluded that bacteria in a lake 800 meters (2,600 feet) beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet may digest methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, preventing its release into the atmosphere.
As part of the NSF-funded Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project, the researchers successfully drilled through the ice sheet in 2013 to reach Lake Whillans. They retrieved water and sediment samples from a body of water that had been isolated from direct contact with the atmosphere for many thousands of years.
The prevalence of methane-consuming bacteria in the upper lake sediment suggests a “methane biofilter” prevents the gas from entering the subglacial water, where it can eventually drain into the ocean and be released into the atmosphere. The bacteria obtain energy from digesting the methane.
The team, which includes researchers from Montana State University, Louisiana State University and Aberystwyth University in Wales, used a combination of measurements of methane concentrations and genomic analyses to describe how lake bacteria chemically convert methane in a way that reduces the warming potential of subglacial gases during ice sheet retreats.
The scientists say that if their analysis is correct, it could mean that a large reservoir of methane thought to lie under the vast West Antarctic Ice Sheet — which encompasses 25.4 million cubic kilometers (6.1 million cubic miles) of ice — is less likely to be released into the atmosphere.
They also note that because methane is such a potent greenhouse gas, “understanding its global sources, sinks and feedbacks within the climate system is of considerable importance” to the scientific understanding of the larger global climate picture.
The team published its results today in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Their findings describe how biological processes in the sediments at the lake bottom transform the methane into carbon dioxide. This area, where the water meets the lake bottom, may be vital to the success of ecosystems of subglacial lakes, which are permanently cut off from atmospheric heat and sunlight.
“Not only is this important for the global climate, but methane oxidation could be a widespread means of life for microbes in the deep, permanently cold biosphere beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet,” said Alexander Michaud of Montana State University, the lead author on the paper.
Studies of subglacial lakes may contain clues as to how microbial life might persist in the outer solar system, where ice-covered moons orbit the larger planets.
In recent decades, researchers, primarily using airborne radar and satellite laser observations, have discovered a continental system of rivers and lakes — some similar in size to North America’s Great Lakes — beneath the Antarctic ice sheet.
Only a small portion of these lakes have been explored, largely to prevent contamination of a pristine ecosystem that may be interconnected in unknown ways. WISSARD researchers used a specially designed hot-water drill to make certain that the subglacial environment would remain pristine, and to prevent contamination of samples.
Results presented in the Lake Whillans paper imply that a vast microbial ecosystem capable of transforming key geochemical elements lies beneath the Antarctic ice sheet.
The WISSARD project was preceded by ongoing field research that began as early as 2007 to place this individual lake in context with the larger subglacial water system. The NSF’s U.S. Antarctic Program funded, and provided the complex logistics, for those investigations and the sampling of Lake Whillans.
“It took more than a decade of scientific and logistical planning to collect the first clean samples from an Antarctic subglacial environment, but the results have transformed the way we view the Antarctic continent,” said John Priscu of Montana State University, a co-author on the paper.
In addition to Michaud and Priscu, the research team included Trista Vick-Majors, John Dore and Mark Skidmore from Montana State University; Amanda Achberger and Brent Christner from Louisiana State University; and Andy Mitchell from Aberystwyth University in Wales.
-NSF-
Nestlé Waters North America Announces $6 Million Investment in Closed Loop Fund
Nestlé Waters North America today announced it is investing $6 million as part of a shared effort among business, government and community partners to fund comprehensive recycling infrastructure and programs in cities across the United States.
Nestlé Waters will join the ranks of some of the world’s largest companies – including 3M, Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, Keurig Green Mountain, PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Walmart, and the Walmart Foundation – as part of Closed Loop Fund, a $100 million social impact investment fund committed to finding a national solution to the critical recycling gap in the U.S.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 75 percent of the waste stream in the U.S. is recyclable, but only 30 percent actually gets recycled. Aside from the environmental impacts, municipalities and businesses in the U.S. spent over $5 billion in 2015 disposing of waste in landfills. Much of this waste, such as PET plastic, is in demand among manufacturers as raw material for everything from textiles to packaging.
“The United States has one of the lowest recycling rates of any industrialized country, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. The U.S. has an opportunity to lead the way in recycling, while creating jobs, economic growth, and a more sustainable future,” says Nelson Switzer, Chief Sustainability Officer at Nestlé Waters North America. “As a company, we are on a very deliberate journey toward zero landfill waste in our products and operations, so I can think of no better opportunity than working collectively to ensure these recyclable materials are transformed from garbage to the valuable resources that they are.”
To date, Closed Loop Fund has diverted more than 100,000 tons of recyclable content, and the 11 projects currently funded are poised to divert 4 million tons by 2025. In that same timeframe, the Fund aims to:
Eliminate more than 40 million tons of greenhouse gas;
Divert more than 20 million cumulative tons of waste from landfills;
Provide a $40M economic benefit to municipalities;
Prove replicable models that will help unlock additional investment in recycling.
“Nestlé Waters’ commitment to Closed Loop Fund is a significant investment in creating shared value across the recycling supply chain,” said Rob Kaplan, Managing Director of Closed Loop Fund. “The investment will enable people to recycle more, and efficiently turn those packages into new products. It will save taxpayer dollars and improve the recycling system.”
This investment in Closed Loop Fund is just the latest in Nestlé Waters’ efforts to help shape products and systems that contribute toward sustainable consumption, and help the company achieve zero environmental impact by 2030. Having pioneered the lightweight bottle, the company has reduced the plastic content of its bottles by over 60% since 1994. Just last month, Nestlé Waters reached a critical milestone in its use of recycled plastic content (rPET), announcing that 9 out of 10 of its California-born Arrowhead® Mountain Spring Water bottles incorporate 50% post-consumer recycled plastic content. As a result, 1.8 billion bottles have been kept from landfills, and the 86 million pounds of recycled plastic has saved 69,660 tons of carbon emissions – the equivalent of 39,000 round trip flights from New York to Los Angeles.
About Nestlé Waters North America
Nestlé Waters North America provides people with an unrivaled portfolio of bottled waters for healthy hydration. Brands such as Nestlé® Pure Life®, Poland Spring®, Perrier®, and S. Pellegrino® have driven Nestlé Waters North America to be the third largest non-alcoholic beverage company by volume in the U.S. Based in Stamford, Connecticut with over 8,500 employees nationwide, Nestlé Waters is committed to reducing its environmental footprint across operations. The company is also committed to creating shared value and being a good neighbor in the 140 communities where it operates in the U.S.
About Closed Loop Fund
Founded in 2014, Closed Loop Fund is a social impact investment fund that provides cities and companies access to the capital required to build comprehensive recycling programs. Closed Loop Fund aims to invest $100 million by 2020 with the goal to create economic value for cities by increasing recycling rates in communities across America. Closed Loop Fund brings together the world’s largest consumer product, retail, and financial companies committed to finding a national solution to divert waste from landfills into the recycling stream in order to be used in the manufacturing supply chain. Key supporters include 3M, Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, Keurig Green Mountain, Nestlé Waters North America, PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. For more information, visit www.closedloopfund.com.
GNF3 Fuel Product Completes U.S. NRC Approved Process for New Fuel Product Introductions
WILMINGTON, North Carolina—May 23, 2017—Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF) announced today that its newest fuel product, GNF3, has completed the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved process for new fuel product introductions.
Based on evolutionary design changes and advanced technology developed by GNF, the GNF3 fuel assembly is designed to offer customers improved fuel cycle economics, increased performance and flexibility in operation and further improve on the reliability of GNF’s previous product lines.
“We designed GNF3 aiming to safely and reliably deliver more power while reducing overall fuel cycle costs, saving utilities money by reducing batch fraction and lowering the average enrichment in fuel reloads.” said Amir Vexler, CEO of GNF. “We are seeking to deliver substantially enhanced debris resistance with this newest fuel design, which includes the latest Defender™ filter technology and an innovative spacer.”
GNF3 lead use assemblies are currently operating in three U.S. nuclear power plants. Representative assemblies were recently inspected and are operating as designed. The assemblies were reinserted during recent outages for continued operation.
GNF3 is fabricated with GNF’s latest materials at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Wilmington, N.C.
About GNF
Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF) is a world-leading supplier of boiling water reactor fuel and fuel-related engineering services. GNF is a GE-led joint venture with Hitachi, Ltd. and Toshiba Corporation and operates primarily through Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas, LLC in Wilmington, N.C., and Global Nuclear Fuel-Japan Co., Ltd. in Kurihama, Japan.
About GEH
Based in Wilmington, N.C., GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) is a world-leading provider of advanced reactors and nuclear services. Established in 2007, GEH is a global nuclear alliance created by GE and Hitachi to serve the global nuclear industry. The nuclear alliance executes a single, strategic vision to create a broader portfolio of solutions, expanding its capabilities for new reactor and service opportunities. The alliance offers customers around the world the technological leadership required to effectively enhance reactor performance, power output and safety. Follow GEH on LinkedIn and Twitter @gehnuclear.
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EU Commission Clears Merger Between Dow and DuPont, Subject To Conditions
Brussels, 27 March 2017 – The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed merger between US-based chemical companies Dow and DuPont. The approval is conditional in particular on the divestiture of major parts of DuPont’s global pesticide business, including its global R&D organisation.
Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “Pesticides are products that matter – to farmers, consumers and the environment. We need effective competition in this sector so companies are pushed to develop products that are ever safer for people and better for the environment. Our decision today ensures that the merger between Dow and DuPont does not reduce price competition for existing pesticides or innovation for safer and better products in the future.”
Today’s decision follows an in-depth review of the merger. The Commission had concerns that the merger as notified would have reduced competition on price and choice in a number of markets for existing pesticides. Furthermore, the merger would have reduced innovation. Innovation, both to improve existing products and to develop new active ingredients, is a key element of competition between companies in the pest control industry, where only five players are globally active throughout the entire research & development (R&D) process.
The commitments submitted by Dow and DuPont address these concerns in full. The parties will remove the overlap in markets, where concerns were raised, by divesting the relevant DuPont pesticide businesses. They will also divest almost the entirety of DuPont’s global R&D organisation. The Commission concluded that the divestment package enables a buyer to sustainably replace DuPont’s competitive effect in these markets and continue to innovate, for the benefit of European farmers and consumers.
As regards certain petrochemical products, where both companies are important players, the parties will divest relevant assets in Dow’s petrochemical business to preserve effective competition.
This transaction is one out of a number of proposed mergers in the agrochemical sector. The Commission examines each case on its own merits. In line with its case practice, the Commission assesses parallel transactions according to the so-called “priority rule” – first come, first served. The assessment of the merger between Dow and DuPont has been based on the currently prevailing market situation.
The Commission’s competition concerns
The Commission had three main categories of competition concerns.
a) Significantly reducing competition in a number of markets for existing pesticides
Pesticides are products used in agriculture to control pests that can harm crops. They can be categorised into herbicides (targeting weeds), insecticides (targeting insects) and fungicides (targeting diseases).
The merged entity would have held very high combined market shares for a number of pesticides, with few other competitors remaining. The Commission found that the merger would have significantly impeded effective competition and resulted in reduced choice and higher prices in the following markets:
As regards herbicides, the transaction would have significantly reduced competition for certain types of selective herbicides for cereals, oilseed rape, sunflower, rice and pasture in a number of Member States.
As regards insecticides, the transaction would have significantly reduced competition for products controlling for chewing insect and sucking insect in fruits and vegetables and some other crops in a number of Member States in particular in the South of Europe.
As regards fungicides, where the parties overlap to a more limited degree, the transaction would have reduced competition for rice blast fungicides in some Member States.
b) Significantly reducing innovation competition for pesticides
Innovation in pesticides is of particular importance. The Commission’s in-depth investigation confirmed that the ability and incentive to innovate is important to capture sales from competitors and to defend existing sales. Farmers value new products that are less toxic or more efficient against pests, which may become resistant to existing active ingredients over time.
The transaction would have had a significant impact on innovation competition by:
Removing the parties’ incentives to continue to pursue ongoing parallel innovation efforts – The Commission’s investigation of Dow and DuPont’s innovation pipelines demonstrated that the two are competing head-to-head in a number of important herbicide, insecticide and fungicide innovation areas. After the merger, they would have an incentive to discontinue some of these costly development efforts.
Removing the parties’ incentives to develop and bring to market new pesticides – The Commission found specific evidence that the merged entity would have lower incentives and a lower ability to innovate than Dow and DuPont separately. In its investigation it also found specific evidence that the merged entity would have cut back on the amount they spent on developing innovative products. Only five companies (BASF, Bayer, Syngenta and the merging parties) are globally active throughout the entire R&D process, from discovery of new active ingredients (molecules producing the desired biological effect), their development, testing and regulatory registration, to the manufacture and sale of final formulated products through national distribution channels. Other competitors have no or more limited R&D capabilities (e.g. as regards geographic focus or product range). After the merger, only three global integrated players would remain to compete with the merged company, in an industry with very high barriers to entry. The number of players active in specific innovation areas would be even lower than at the overall industry level.
c) Significantly reducing competition for certain petrochemical products.
Dow and DuPont’s activities also overlap in petrochemical products. Specifically, the Commission had concerns due to the high combined market shares of the two companies in the acid co-polymer market, where the number of competitors would be reduced from four to three. The Commission also had concerns due to the strengthening of DuPont’s dominant position in the ionomer market. These are products widely used in packaging and adhesive applications.
The Commission initially also had concerns relating to nematicides (products used to protect against nematode worms) and seeds. However, the in-depth investigation did not confirm these.
The commitments
The parties offered a set of commitments, which address the Commission’s competition concerns in full.
a & b) Preserving price and innovation competition in pesticide markets
The parties will divesta significant part of DuPont’s existing pesticide business, including its R&D organisation, in particular:
Globally, DuPont’s herbicides for cereals, oilseed rape, sunflower, rice and pasture (thifensulfuron, tribenuron, metsulfuron, chlorsulfuron, triflusulfuron, lenacil, flupyrsulfuron, ethametsulfuron and azimsulfuron) and insecticides for chewing insect and sucking insect control for fruits and vegetables etc. (indoxacarb, cyazypyr and rynaxypyr). They will also divest all tangible and intangible assets underpinning the divested products (including the facilities where the products are manufactured) and relevant personnel.
An exclusive license to DuPont’s product for rice cultivation in the European Economic Area to address the more limited concerns relating to fungicides.
DuPont’s global R&D organisation, with the exception of a few limited assets that support the part of DuPont’s pesticide business, which is not being divested.
The Commission concluded that the divestment package will enable a buyer to replace the competitive constraint exerted by DuPont. Competition on price and choice in existing markets is preserved because all of DuPont’s products in problematic markets are divested. The sale of the underpinning R&D organisation and pipeline ensures the viability and competitiveness of the divested business on a lasting basis and will enable the buyer to become a global integrated R&D competitor.
c) Preserving competition for certain petrochemical products
Dow will divest its two manufacturing facilities for acid co-polymers in Spain and in the US, as well as the contract with a third party through which it sources ionomers that it sells to its customers.
International cooperation
The Commission has been in close contact with a number of other competition authorities, which are also reviewing the transaction. In particular, the Commission has had regular exchanges with the US Department of Justice and the competition authorities of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China and South Africa.
Companies and products
Dow is headquartered in the United States. It is the ultimate parent company of the Dow group, which is active in plastics and chemicals, agro-chemicals, and hydrocarbon and energy products and services.
DuPont is also headquartered in the United States. It is the ultimate parent company of the DuPont group, which is active in a variety of, plastics and chemicals, agro-chemicals, paints, seeds, and other materials.
Background
The Commission has the duty to assess mergers and acquisitions involving companies with a turnover above certain thresholds (see Article 1 of the Merger Regulation) and to prevent concentrations that would significantly impede effective competition in the EEA or any substantial part of it.
In addition to this investigation, there are currently three other in-depth merger investigations:
– the proposed acquisition by HeidelbergCement and Schwenk of Cemex Croatia
– the proposed merger of Deutsche Börse and London Stock Exchange Group and
– the proposed acquisition of Syngenta by ChemChina.
Geoscience Australia and Lockheed Martin Begin Collaborative Research Project For Second-Generation Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS)
CANBERRA, Australia, — Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are critical tools for industries requiring exact precision and high confidence. Now, Geoscience Australia, an agency of the Commonwealth of Australia, and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) have entered into a collaborative research project to show how augmenting signals from multiple GNSS constellations can enhance positioning, navigation, and timing for a range of applications.
This innovative research project aims to demonstrate how a second-generation Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) testbed can – for the first time – use signals from both the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Galileo constellation, and dual frequencies, to achieve even greater GNSS integrity and accuracy. Over two years, the testbed will validate applications in nine industry sectors: agriculture, aviation, construction, maritime, mining, rail, road, spatial, and utilities.
“Many industries rely on GNSS signals for accurate, safe navigation. Users must be confident in the position solutions calculated by GNSS receivers. The term ‘integrity’ defines the confidence in the position solutions provided by GNSS,” explained Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive Vince Di Pietro. “Industries where safety-of-life navigation is crucial want assured GNSS integrity.”
Ultimately, the second-generation SBAS testbed will broaden understanding of how this technology can benefit safety, productivity, efficiency and innovation in Australia’s industrial and research sectors.
“We are excited to have an opportunity to work with Geoscience Australia and Australian industry to demonstrate the best possible GNSS performance and proud that Australia will be leading the way to enhance space-based navigation and industry safety,” Di Pietro added.
Basic GNSS signals are accurate enough for many civil positioning, navigation and timing users. However, these signals require augmentation to meet higher safety-of-life navigation requirements. The second-generation SBAS will mitigate that issue.
Once the SBAS testbed is operational, basic GNSS signals will be monitored by widely-distributed reference stations operated by Geoscience Australia. An SBAS testbed master station, installed by teammate GMV, of Spain, will collect that reference station data, compute corrections and integrity bounds for each GNSS satellite signal, and generate augmentation messages.
“A Lockheed Martin uplink antenna at Uralla, New South Wales will send these augmentation messages to an SBAS payload hosted aboard a geostationary Earth orbit satellite, owned by Inmarsat,” explains Rod Drury, Director, International Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. “This satellite rebroadcasts the augmentation messages containing corrections and integrity data to the end users. The whole process takes less than six seconds.”
By augmenting signals from multiple GNSS constellations – both Galileo and GPS – second-generation SBAS is not dependent on just one GNSS. It will also use signals on two frequencies – the L1 and L5 GPS signals, and their companion E1 and E5a Galileo signals – to provide integrity data and enhanced accuracy for industries that need it the most.
Partners in this collaborative research project include the government of Australia. Lockheed Martin will provide systems integration expertise in addition to the Uralla radio frequency uplink. GMV-Spain will provide their ‘magicGNSS’ processors. Inmarsat will provide the navigation payload hosted on the 4F1 geostationary satellite. The Australia and New Zealand Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information will coordinate the demonstrator projects that test the SBAS infrastructure.
Lockheed Martin has significant experience with space-based navigation systems. The company developed and produced 20 GPS IIR and IIR-M satellites. It also maintains the GPS Architecture Evolution Plan ground control system, which operates the entire 31-satellite constellation.
For additional GPS information, photos and video visit: www.lockheedmartin.com/gps.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
Linde and Praxair Announce Intention to Merge
Munich, Germany and Danbury, Connecticut December 20, 2016 – Linde AG (Xetra: LIN) and Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX) today announced that the companies intend to combine in a merger of equals under a new holding company through an all-stock transaction. The companies have signed a non-binding term sheet and expect to execute a definitive Business Combination Agreement as soon as practicable. Based on 2015 reported results, the combination would create a company with pro forma revenues of approximately $30 billion (EUR 28 billion), prior to any divestitures, and a current market value in excess of $65 billion (EUR 61 billion).
The proposed merger would bring together two leading companies in the global industrial gas industry, leveraging the proven strengths of each. The transaction would unite Linde’s long-held leadership in technology with Praxair’s efficient operating model, creating a global leader. The combined company would enjoy strong positions in all key geographies and end markets and create a more diverse and balanced global portfolio. Additionally, it would enable the development and delivery of more innovative products and services to customers.
“The strategic combination between Linde and Praxair would leverage the complementary strengths of each across a larger global footprint and create a more resilient portfolio with increased exposure to long-term macro growth trends,” said Steve Angel, Praxair’s Chairman and CEO. “We consider this to be a true strategic merger, as it brings together the capabilities, talented people and best-in-class processes of both companies, creating a unique and compelling opportunity for all of our stakeholders.”
“Under the Linde brand, we want to combine our companies’ business and technology capabilities and form a global industrial gas leader. Beyond the strategic fit, the compelling, value-creating combination would achieve a robust balance sheet and cash flow and generate financial flexibility to invest in our future,” said Professor Dr. Aldo Belloni, CEO of Linde.
Value Creation from the Combination
The merged company would create significant value for shareholders through the realization of approximately $1 billion (EUR 0.9 billion) in annual synergies, driven by scale benefits, cost savings and efficiency improvements.
Governance and Leadership
The combined company would be governed by a single Board of Directors with equal representation from Linde and Praxair. Linde’s Supervisory Board Chairman, Professor Dr. Wolfgang Reitzle, would become Chairman of the new company’s Board. Praxair’s Chairman and CEO, Steve Angel, would become CEO and a member of the Board of Directors.
The combined company would adopt the globally-recognized Linde name and be listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Prime Standard segment). The new company will seek inclusion in the S&P 500 and DAX indices.
The new holding company would be formed and domiciled in a neutral member state of the European Economic Area (“EEA”), with the CEO based in Danbury, Connecticut USA. Corporate functions would be appropriately split between Danbury, Connecticut and Munich, Germany to help achieve efficiencies for the combined company.
Proposed Merger Structure
Under the proposed terms of the transaction, Linde shareholders would receive 1.540 shares in the new holding company for each Linde share exchanged in the German offer, and Praxair shareholders would receive one share in the new holding company for each Praxair share. As a result, current Linde and Praxair shareholders would each own approximately 50% of the combined company, assuming a 100% share exchange in the German offer.
Next Steps and Timing
The parties expect to complete their internal approvals and execute the definitive Business Combination Agreement in the coming months. Execution of a definitive Business Combination Agreement remains subject to confirmatory due diligence, further negotiations and Board approvals of both Linde and Praxair. There is no assurance that a binding definitive agreement will be reached between the parties, and the consummation of any binding transaction will be subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Linde and Praxair are confident that any required regulatory approvals, including any required divestitures, could be obtained in a timely manner following the execution of a definitive Business Combination Agreement.
President Obama: Making Human Settlement of Space a Reality
Today, President Obama outlined a vision to CNN for the future of space exploration. Echoing what he said in the 2015 State of the Union address, the President wrote, “We have set a clear goal vital to the next chapter of America’s story in space: sending humans to Mars by the 2030s and returning them safely to Earth, with the ultimate ambition to one day remain there for an extended time.” Later this week, many of the Nation’s top innovators will come together in Pittsburgh at the White House Frontiers Conference, where they will further explore, among other things, how American investments in science and technology will help us settle “the final frontier” – space. But today, we’re excited to announce two new NASA initiatives that build on the President’s vision and utilize public-private partnerships to enable humans to live and work in space in a sustainable way.
In April 2010, the President challenged the country – and NASA – to send American astronauts on a Journey to Mars in the 2030s. By reaching out further into the solar system and expanding the frontiers of exploration, the President outlined a vision for pushing the bounds of human discovery, while also revitalizing the space industry and creating jobs here at home.
To achieve these mutually-reinforcing goals, the President instructed NASA to develop spacecraft and technologies geared toward sending astronauts to deep space, while at the same time partnering with American companies to build a strong space economy. Following the President’s vision, NASA has worked over the past 6 years to help catalyze a vibrant new sector of the economy by enabling the commercial transportation of cargo and soon crew from American soil to the International Space Station. And today, Americans are working at more than a thousand companies across virtually every state to support commercial space initiatives and with them, the growth of a new commercial market in Low Earth Orbit.
On the International Space Station, we’re working “off-the-Earth, for-the-Earth,” leading a broad international coalition of countries and companies in conducting research and demonstrating technologies that hold great promise for everything ranging from sending human beings to Mars to improving eye surgery to purifying drinking water and making communities more resilient when natural disasters strike.
This work aboard the space station is the heart and soul of the first stage of NASA’s Journey to Mars; a stage we call “Earth Dependent.” It is focused on developing technologies and capabilities in earth orbit, where it is still fairly easy for us to directly support humans. But over the next decade, we’ll enter the “Proving Ground” stage, where NASA, leading the way with the international community, will demonstrate and test technologies for the first time in cis-lunar space, the area around the moon, where our astronauts are days or weeks away from Earth, rather than hours. For example, in the mid-2020s, NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission will send a robotic spacecraft to a nearby asteroid to test out important exploration technologies such as solar-electric propulsion, conduct scientific and planetary defense experiments, and then return a boulder from the asteroid to an orbit around the Moon for astronauts to study. As the title of this stage indicates, this work serves as necessary preparation for eventual missions that will take humanity even further, to Mars and beyond.
And that brings us to the first thing we’re excited to discuss today. NASA has already begun laying the groundwork for these deep space missions. In 2014 we issued a “broad agency announcement” or “BAA” asking private partners for concept studies and development projects in advanced propulsion, small satellites, and habitation as part of the newly created Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships or “NextSTEP” program. Six companies received awards to start developing habitation systems in response to that “NextSTEP” BAA. The idea is that these habitats or “habs” would evolve into spacecraft capable of sustaining and transporting astronauts on long duration deep space missions, like a mission to Mars. And their development would be achieved through new public-private partnerships designed to build on and support the progress of the growing commercial space sector in Earth orbit. The work done by those companies was so promising that earlier this year, we extended the NextSTEP hab program into Phase 2 and opened it up to new entrants. In August, six companies were selected to produce ground prototypes for deep space habitat modules. Learn more about the six selected prototypes.
At the same time that we’re working to extend our reach into deep space, we’re also continuing to innovate closer to Earth, by expanding our partnerships with commercial space companies. And that’s the second initiative we are focused on today. Recently, NASA asked the private sector how it might use an available docking port on the ISS. One of the potential uses of such a port would be preparation for one or more future commercial stations in Low Earth Orbit, ready to take over for the Space Station once its mission ends in the 2020s. The private sector responded enthusiastically, and those responses indicated a strong desire by U.S. companies to attach a commercial module to the ISS that could meet the needs of NASA as well as those of private entrepreneurs.
As a result of the responses, this fall, NASA will start the process of providing companies with a potential opportunity to add their own modules and other capabilities to the International Space Station. While NASA prepares for the transition from the Space Station to its successors, the agency is also working to support and grow the community of scientists and entrepreneurs conducting research and growing businesses in space. A vibrant user community will be key to ensuring the economic viability of future space stations.
For humanity to successfully and sustainably settle the “final frontier”, we will need to take advantage of investment and innovation in both the public and private sectors. Neither will handle this immense challenge on its own. The NextSTEP and ISS initiatives are excellent examples of how the two sectors can work together to extend humanity’s reach into space. Make no mistake, the Journey to Mars will be challenging, but it is underway and with each one of these steps, we are pushing the boundaries of exploration and imagination for the Nation.
Preventing Climate Change, Acknowledging Needs of Specific States Focus
Preventing climate change, enhancing international cooperation, and acknowledging the needs of specific groups and categories of States were necessary to implement the 2030 Agenda and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, Member States said today as the General Assembly’s Second Committee (Economic and Financial) concluded its general debate.
“Climate change is a serious threat to development,” said the representative of the United Republic of Tanzania. “Early entry into force of the Paris Agreement is vital.” Many States noted the risks climate change posed to their development plans, be it through natural hazards, desertification, or negative effects on glaciers.
The African continent’s development was already being threatened by climate change, said the representative of Niger, speaking on behalf of the African Group. Land degradation was also advancing, and African countries were among the worst hit, along with mountainous regions and headwaters nations that were at risk of glacial melt due to climate change. The representative of Kyrgyzstan noted that climate change had already led to increased natural hazards, increased glacial melts, devastation of mountain ecosystems and resultant effects on societies. By 2025, the total area of glaciers in Kyrgyzstan could be reduced by 30 to 40 per cent, with a resultant decline in water flows, she said. It was urgent to protect glaciers in headwater countries.
Several States highlighted the status of middle-income countries. Those countries continued to face special challenges. The representative of Mexico underscored the role of middle-income countries, which had much of the world’s population living in extreme poverty, and it was necessary to rethink the criteria for graduation of those countries as official development assistance recipients. The representative of Chile said the majority of the United Nations membership were or would become middle-income countries in the near term, and it was necessary to strengthen United Nations support to those countries. Nor could per capita income be the only tool by which to measure countries.
Many speakers said that it was necessary to strengthen international cooperation and partnerships to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The representative of Rwanda highlighted the need for solidarity with vulnerable countries that could easily face economic downturns with the change of a few commodity prices. Financing for development was a key factor in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as was international trade.
A number of States highlighted the importance of adopting the quadrennial comprehensive policy review. The review, said the representative of Paraguay, “will be crucial for forging correct strategies in the coming years. This must be in line with the 2030 Agenda and take into account countries in special situations, notably landlocked developing countries.” The representative of Australia stressed that the review “helps set direction for the UN system to implement the 2030 Agenda.”
While the work of the Second Committee was important, it needed to change the way it operated to ensure its relevance, stressed the representative of Australia. The Committee needed to adhere to deadlines to achieve outcomes, and countries required sufficient time for consultations and debate on resolutions in order to achieve consensus.
Also speaking today were the representatives of Japan, Tajikistan, Panama, Botswana, Republic of Korea, Mauritania, Iraq, Georgia, Peru, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Venezuela, Turkey, China, Morocco, Myanmar, Costa Rica, Fiji, Kenya, Algeria, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, El Salvador, Ecuador, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Yemen, Kuwait, South Africa, Bhutan, Zambia, Nepal, Guinea, Serbia, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Jordan, Argentina and Liberia.
Representatives from the State of Palestine, Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) also spoke.
Statements
NOBORU SEKIGUCHI (Japan), recalling with regret that collective efforts towards the Second Committee’s revitalization had failed, stressed that “we must not reopen what we agreed to in 2015.” The completion of the Committee’s work within the mutually-agreed deadlines should be strictly kept, while any programme budget implications that were not urgent, necessary or based on clear mandates should be kept off the negotiating table. Describing Japan’s priorities for the upcoming session, he said the setting of the Committee’s deliberations on aspects of sustainable development should be well aligned with the 2015 international agreements, especially the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Expressing his readiness to adopt the historic New Urban Agenda — which would draw a whole picture of sustainable urbanization over the next 20 years — he also underscored the importance of implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and pledged to support the sustainable development of countries in special situations. Discussions on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review were also critical, he said, underlining the need to devise a reform plan that included a broader perspective.
MAHMADAMIN MAHMADAMINOV (Tajikistan) highlighted the important milestones reached in 2015, including the third International Conference on Financing for Development, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change. There was a need to mobilize additional financial resources, notably official development assistance (ODA), the main component for financing development. Countries that began their efforts to achieve a sustainable development agenda under less favourable conditions needed support. Tajikistan was a host to a high-level conference on water and sanitation in August, and would put forth a draft resolution in the Second Committee on International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028”, and encouraged all Member States to support it.
ISBETH LISBETH QUIEL MURCIA (Panama) noted that it had been a year since the 2030 Agenda had been adopted, stressing that the Second Committee was especially relevant in achieving its goals. In stepping up its collective efforts, the Committee’s main work should be to strengthen the operational guide or road map towards those goals. Adding that the Paris Agreement was vital for sustainable development, she said many Latin American and Caribbean nations had reaffirmed their commitments to combat climate change. Panama had set up an international centre to ensure implementation of the 2030 Agenda and inclusive development. It was also seeking to become a carbon hub for the region by managing sustainable forests and combating deforestation.
SALVADOR DE LARA RANGEL (Mexico) said that, with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda framing development as a vital cornerstone of the United Nations agenda, it was now up to the Organization and its development system to align itself to that agenda and to modify its approach. The quadrennial comprehensive policy review extended to sustainable development and provided an opportunity to make the changes needed. His country had been an active promoter of financing for development. A cross‑cutting, multidimensional approach for financing was needed to push sustainable development forward. He also underscored the role of middle-income countries, which had much of the world’s population living in extreme poverty. It was necessary to rethink the criteria for graduation of those countries as ODA recipients.
TLHALEFO BASTILE MADISA (Botswana) said landlocked developing countries were faced with various challenges, including high transport costs, dependence on a single or limited number of commodities for export earnings, remoteness and isolation from world markets and a cumbersome transit procedure. Countries’ efforts to overcome such difficulties on their own were insufficient, and there was a need for greater international support from all stakeholders, including transit partners. Stressing that trade for landlocked countries was also key in achieving development goals, he said the World Trade Organization (WTO) remained vital in integrating those nations into global trade. Climate change was another issue needing serious attention, as it continued to impact all economic sectors, manifested by constrained agricultural production, increased food insecurity, prolonged drought and water stress.
OH YOUNGJU (Republic of Korea) said that, while the international community had been focused on galvanizing political will for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement, it must now create concrete actions for sustainable development. To that end, the discussion on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review was vital in providing strategic guidance on the implementation of the sustainable development goals. Furthermore, the reform of the United Nations development system should be based on gaps and lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals. With regards to the Paris accord, her country would “exert its best efforts” to ratify the instrument by the end of this year. Parallel to that, her Government would also establish a national plan on climate change to achieve its greenhouse gas reduction targets, in addition to expanding its support to developing countries through the Green Climate Fund.
CARLOS OLGUÍN CIGARROA (Chile) said that the majority of United Nations membership were or would become middle-income countries in the near term. It was necessary to strengthen the Organization’s support to those countries, as they faced special challenges in developing policies. He believed it was important that per capita income could not be the only tool by which to measure countries. On climate change, it was important to consider both mitigation and adaption, or else developing countries would be the most vulnerable. Chile welcomed the flexibility shown by all nations on a new urban agenda in preparation for the Habitat III conference.
TUVAKO NATHANIEL MANONGI (United Republic of Tanzania), associating himself with the African Group and the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said that review of sustainable development progress would help build ownership of the 2030 Agenda and create a virtuous cycle of implementation. Studies had shown that land degradation was advancing and that African countries were among the worst hit. Combating land degradation could contribute to easing forced migration flows influenced by a number of factors, including economic, social, security and environmental concerns. That could in turn reduce current and potential fighting over resources. He also called on all Member States to recognize the need to intensify efforts to enhance coherence and consistency of the international financial system and to tackle challenges confronting the global economy. Welcoming the establishment of the Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries, he warned that an abrupt cut of assistance towards new graduates could lead into falling back to their previous status.
EL HACEN ELEYATT (Mauritania) said the world was confronting several challenges, including terrorism and poverty, as well as underdevelopment in certain regions. It was necessary to improve people’s welfare through the principles of mutual cooperation. Noting that the 2030 Agenda was vital in transforming the world and achieving prosperity, he said Mauritania had set up a national programme to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. His country had managed to alleviate poverty and its manifestations by improving income and increasing employment for youth. The Government had adopted policies to empower women, who were now present in all sectors of society. It had also established a social security programme that combated poverty and assisted vulnerable groups through health benefits and income producing projects. In addition, it had worked to improve governance through transparency and by combatting corruption.
Mr. AL HAYANI (Iraq), associating himself with the Group of 77, said the market economy was still the global model for development, notably through trade, wealth‑generation and technological innovation. An unregulated market economy, however, would exhaust natural resources and cause economic crises. As such, global economic growth needed to take into account the sustainable use of natural resources. The goal of the WTO was to ensure the necessary conditions so that everyone had an equal chance, including developing countries that had not benefited from globalization. He reaffirmed the importance of having more flexible membership criteria for States that were currently WTO observers, such as his country. Sustainable development and economic development in Iraq faced major challenges due to terrorism, which had attacked peaceful cities, affecting economic prosperity and discouraging foreign investment.
JUAN MANUEL PEÑA (Paraguay), associating himself with the Group of 77, said eradicating poverty was the greatest challenge facing the world. The 2030 Agenda must be implemented, along with other international programmes and plans, including the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. It was vital to improve the global infrastructure and optimize mechanisms for international cooperation. Stressing that developing countries were especially vulnerable to natural hazards, he said landlocked countries deserved special focus, as they were at greater risk to hazards like droughts and floods. The United Nations should strengthen support for landlocked countries through the work of the Second Committee. ODA was vital in implementing the 2030 Agenda, as were increased investments, capacity-building and a more inclusive international trading regime.
NINO SHEKRILADZE (Georgia) said that Georgia had participated in the first round of national voluntary reviews on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, underscoring that “we all learn by doing, but we also learn better together”. It was important that the United Nations system, with its technical expertise, supported Member States in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. The upcoming quadrennial comprehensive policy review would be central to ensure that the United Nations development system would perform its function effectively. There was a financing gap for the implementation of the Goals, and innovative financing could play a significant role in addressing that, alongside domestic financial flows, foreign direct investment and ODA. In that regard, Georgia, through the establishment of its Solidarity Fund, had become an active member of the global partnership on innovative financing.
MIRGUL MOLDOISAEVA (Kyrgyzstan), expressing her full supported for the 2030 Agenda, said that her country had actively begun its implementation. Developing, mountainous, landlocked countries such as Kyrgyzstan faced unique circumstances and the inclusion of those issues in the Agenda was welcome. Market access would help such landlocked developing countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Trade barriers and unilateral border closures were unhelpful. Climate change had already led to increased natural disasters, increased glacial melts, devastation of mountain ecosystems and resultant negative effects on societies. By 2025, the total area of glaciers in Kyrgyzstan could be reduced by 30 to 40 per cent, with a resultant decline in water flows. It was urgent to protect glaciers in headwater countries.
JULIAN SIMPSON (Australia) said the Committee had a central role to play in ensuring that the General Assembly was focused on the 2030 Agenda and responsive to issues central to its implementation. “We must change the way this Committee operates to ensure it remains relevant and valued,” he said, stressing that “business as usual won’t do”. Indeed, the Committee must be a platform for constructive debate where Member States could work cooperatively. It was important that all Member States allow time to consult, discuss and debate resolutions by ensuring that texts were submitted within set deadlines. Calling for early warning of resolutions with possible budgetary implications, he said the Committee should avoid re-prosecuting recent leader-level agreements. In addition, it should work efficiently to provide space to negotiate the resolution on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review, which would help set the direction for the United Nations system in implementing the 2030 Agenda.
GUSTAVO MEZA-CUADRA (Peru), aligning his delegation with the Group of 77, said countries had a shared responsibility to implement the 2030 Agenda in ensuring sustained economic growth and preserving the planet for future generations. The sustainable development partnership called for a stronger global framework and assured financing for development. It was urgent to honour commitments and develop mechanisms to make resources available in achieving the Agenda. Stressing that human beings must be at the heart of global efforts, he said development meant inclusion and the safeguarding of cultural diversity. It was also necessary to focus on disaster risk reduction and the impacts of climate change. His Government promoted the sustainable development of mountain areas, where people were subject to increased vulnerability and poverty, a challenge for middle-income countries like Peru. In addition, it supported innovative initiatives for collective action to increase access to water and sanitation.
RUSLAN BULTRIKOV (Kazakhstan) stressed the importance of empowering women and girls, as well as youth. It was important that all 17 Sustainable Development Goals be achieved, he said. Kazakhstan was planning a green economy with reduced greenhouse-gas emissions, and was committed to ratifying the Paris Agreement in 2016. It was important to identify marginalized populations that the 2030 Agenda had not touched. Conflict prevention and resolution were also important. Kazakhstan had managed to restore part of the Aral Sea and was rehabilitating the land around the Semipalatinsk nuclear-testing site with the help of the United Nations. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the efforts of landlocked developing countries would be needed to be matched by support from the international community.
ABU OBEIDA (Sudan), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the African Group, said the current session of the General Assembly was the first step towards implementing the 2030 Agenda. His Government was focused on eradicating poverty, given its disastrous effects on people in his country. All nations must progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, but developing countries faced challenges, including the slowdown of global economic growth, as well as the need for capacity-building, technology transfer and tighter cooperation, especially South-South. It was also essential that a balance be reached in the international financial system to address unexpected shocks. Countries, such as Sudan, also suffered from an external debt burden, which negated ODA benefits and other sources of funding. In addition, they needed access to international trade markets, which would help drive development and growth.
JO TONG HYON (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) said that the independent right to development of all Member States should be respected for the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. It was necessary to transcend differences in ideologies and social systems. Coercive measures, such as sanctions, blockades and pressure imposed by a few countries against others, damaged development efforts. The monopolistic control by a few countries of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and WTO could not be tolerated any further. His Government would make every effort, despite the constant nuclear war threats, economic blockades and sanctions against it, to replace the old international order with a new one and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
SUKHBOLD SUKHEE (Mongolia), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, outlined his nation’s development plan in the area of reducing income inequality, ensuring quality education and achieving ecological balance. Mongolia was also working on bringing about more efficiency and transparency in governance. Challenges facing landlocked countries did not only affect economic growth, but also had major implications for social and environmental aspects of development. Mongolia was certainly affected by climate change, but it also faced several “special human activities” that led to its serious desertification. For example, poor crop cultivation practices were causing oil erosion. Mongolia’s urban population had increased sharply in recent years with 68 per cent of people living in urban areas. The capital’s population had doubled in just the last two decades. Such rapid urbanization had caused myriad challenges including unemployment, congested traffic and pollution.
RAFAEL DARÍO RAMÍREZ CARREÑO (Venezuela) said the premise of the Bolivarian revolution was to ensure the greatest happiness for the country’s people. Venezuela had a “Poverty Zero” plan for 2019, and would continue to reduce exclusion and seek greater equity to transform the lives of its people. The capitalist system was unjust and generated poverty, and a fair international trade system was needed. Venezuela advocated for reform of the international financial architecture, which was unjust towards the poorest countries. Its decision-making processes needed to be democratized. The sovereign management of natural resources should be considered as an alternative to control of these resources by transnational corporations. War and conflict hindered development in many countries in the Middle East and Africa, and it was necessary to put an end to foreign interference in domestic matters.
BARIŞ CEYHUN ERCIYES (Turkey) said that his country was not only a reliable donor both in development cooperation and humanitarian assistance but was also hosting the largest refugee population in the world, totalling 3 million people. Migration could contribute to sustainable development through proper management, common strategies and proactive dialogue. “Any strategy can be successful if it is carried out collectively,” he said, adding that individual efforts simply could not produce lasting solutions. Greater international cooperation, burden- and responsibility-sharing were needed to assist host countries and communities. Turkey welcomed the recent consensus reached for refugees and migrants and expected the international community to meet its commitments to better respond to the global phenomenon. On climate change, Turkey believed that water and sanitation were vital elements of the 2030 Agenda. In regards to Member States’ support to build a new global water architecture, he stressed that such steps be taken cautiously and conducted in transparent manner.
WU HAITAO (China), associating himself with the Group of 77 , said it was important to stick to the path of win-win cooperation and honour ODA, especially in helping developing countries enhance capacity. It was also vital to improve global economic governance and create an enabling international environment for development. Efforts should be directed towards building an open-world economy. The United Nations must continue to play a central role in coordinating such development efforts. Countries would do better by strengthening communication and coordination in macro-economic policy in order to avoid negative spillover. As the second largest economy in the world, his Government had taken measures to adapt to the “new normal” of its economic development, including upgrading its economic structure and adding new drivers for economic and social development. China had engaged in an “all-out” endeavour to achieve sustainable development.
OMAR HILALE (Morocco), associating himself with the Group of 77, said his country had integrated the 2030 Agenda directly into its Government’s policies and plans. It had set implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals as a socioeconomic reference point, including women and youth in the process. The Government had dedicated more than 54 per cent of its budget to financing the social sector to improve living conditions and eliminate social inequalities. In promoting sustainable and renewable methods of consumption, Morocco had reached ninth place in the world in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Implementing the 2030 Agenda was an opportunity for the Government to adopt a development model that had sustainability at its centre, was mindful of equality and human dignity, focused on public and private institutional effectiveness, and targeted those who needed assistance.
EI EI KHIN AYE (Myanmar) said her country’s national economic and development policy was designed to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. Food security, poverty alleviation and the promotion of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises were some of Myanmar’s top priorities. In addition, building nationwide peace and security was paramount, and her Government was committed to the ongoing initiatives of the Panglong Peace Conference that intended to bring sustainable peace to the country. Combating HIV/AIDS was another highly prioritized goal, she said, adding that the country’s national strategy plan focused specifically on prevention, treatment and care for priority populations. Emphasizing the importance of close cooperation between developed and developing countries, she highlighted that ODA would continue to be important to developing countries as they pursued the 2030 Agenda. Her delegation also underscored the importance of the quadrennial comprehensive policy review that would help developing countries achieve the 2030 Agenda and “narrow the development divide among the Member States”, she concluded.
JUAN CARLOS MENDOZA-GARCÍA (Costa Rica) said the Second Committee’s biggest challenge during the session would be the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Public and private resources must be mobilized towards that end. Implementation should be accomplished through the solidarity and transparency of all Member States. It must consider the needs of the most vulnerable and include middle-income countries, which represented the largest number of Member States in the United Nations. He also stressed the importance of the Paris Agreement and announced that his country planned to ratify the accord in the coming days.
LUKE DAUNIVALU (Fiji), associating himself with the Group of 77, Association of Small Island States and the Group of Asia and the Pacific Small Island Developing States, stressed that implementation of the 2030 Agenda would not be realized without adequate financing. It was necessary that the Addis Ababa Action Agenda be further strengthened and nations formed a global partnership. As his country had had too many experiences with the adverse impacts of climate change, he urged countries that had not done so to ratify the Paris Agreement. Extreme weather events would be more frequently experienced if the international community failed to fulfil its commitments. Discussions at this year’s Second Committee session should maintain the focus on combatting climate change and contribute to finding durable solutions that tackle its multidimensional threat. For Fiji, as a large ocean State, the Pacific was a lifeline and its declining health must be reversed.
ARTHUR AMAYA ANDAMBI (Kenya), associating himself with the Group of 77, noted that at the time of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, his country was already implementing its Vision 2030 through five-year medium term plans which embraced the three dimensions of sustainable development. It was important to focus on the means of implementation defined under all Goals and number 17 in particular. It was critical to mobilize sufficient resources to meet the financial demands of implementation. For Kenya, now a middle-income country, it was necessary to seek increased foreign direct investment (FDI) and to mobilize domestic resources. Kenya continued to build effective and capable institutions at the national level to coordinate both within and across ministries.
MOURAD MEBARKI (Algeria), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the African Group, described the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda as global achievements. The 2030 Agenda would ensure eradication of poverty if needed resources could be mobilized. Algeria had succeeded in implementing the Millennium Development Goals and was working on the Sustainable Development Goals by putting in place national mechanisms drawing in all stakeholders. He noted, however, challenges in funding the Goals, especially considering the negative forecast of international finance. The World Bank had suggested increasing ODA and tightening South-South cooperation to combat tax evasion and illicit financial flows. The international community must pay special heed to the funding needs of Africa and assist it in becoming more competitive in international trade. It was difficult to put in place global partnership mechanisms without solidarity among nations. The South-South partnership was the best proof of solidarity, but South-North cooperation and technology transfer must also be enhanced.
MAYTHONG THAMMAVONGSA (Lao People’s Democratic Republic), associating himself the Group of 77, said it was incumbent on countries, United Nations agencies and other organizations to mobilize resources to ensure the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The Sustainable Development Goals had been mainstreamed into his Government’s national development plans. The country continued to remove unexploded ordnance that continued to impair the livelihoods of its citizens. Enhanced partnerships would be important to mobilize resources to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the past years, the international community had provided support and assistance to his country, which had contributed to its efforts to eradicate poverty. Climate change was a global challenge, if it was not addressed adequately, and no one country would be able to cope with or address it alone. His nation was among the first group of countries to ratify the Paris Agreement and that accord would be implemented in an effective manner.
Ms. ABDULLAH (Malaysia) expressed concern about the global economic crisis, which was having a negative impact on smaller economies. She called on the international community to strengthen global financial regulation. Repercussions of the financial crisis in developing countries were always costly and disruptive, especially in mobilizing resources for development. She stressed the importance of South-South cooperation, which complemented efforts of developing countries to achieve sustainable development, but said it should not replace North-South cooperation. The 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement were important milestones in paving the way for sustainable development, but the lack of financial resources in developing countries should be addressed. It was also important to acknowledge that every country had its own challenges in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.
ABDALLAH WAFY (Niger), speaking on behalf of the African Group and associating himself with the Group of 77, said the continent’s plans for sustainable development were informed by the African Union’s Agenda 2063 as well as the 2030 Agenda. Noting that the Second Committee worked to concretize the international outcomes of 2015 — including the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the Paris Agreement and others — he said the importance of ensuring the adequate means of implementation could not be overemphasized. In that regard, ODA commitments must be fulfilled and illicit flows of finance and resources out of Africa must be curbed. While information and communication technologies (ICTs) were essential enablers for development, access to them remained a challenge for developing countries. Restrictive trade measures created hurdles and made for an unfair international trade system. Despite Africa’s insignificant contribution to the causes of climate change, it was also suffering from drought, flooding, climate-induced displacement and other climate-related challenges. The international community should accelerate efforts to curb those negative effects, including at the upcoming Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in Morocco.
RUBÉN ZAMORA (El Salvador), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), said it was important to speed up and implement recently signed agreements. Those included the Paris Agreement, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the 2030 Agenda. A fundamental task for the United Nations was to deal with the structure of the global financial and trade system, currently arranged to help the developed countries and punish those that were not developed. Financing for development was critical to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals. The definition of middle-income countries needed to be revised because those States featured structural imbalances which were not reflected in the per capita income numbers, but were systematically covered up by averaging out gross domestic product (GDP). It was necessary to understand the changing and evolving needs of societies that were evolving at different levels. El Salvador confirmed its support for reforming the world economic governance structure to ensure more effective and coordinated handling of important global issues.
HORACIO SEVILLA BORJA (Ecuador), associating himself with the Group of 77, said the need for structural change in the international financial system limited the ability of developing countries to implement the Sustainable Development Goals. To promote international peace and stability, the international community must have a dialogue to increase transparency and good governance in that financial system. Its excesses had widened inequalities in the world. She noted that taxes were tools to increase wealth within and between societies, but stressed the need to eliminate tax evasion, illicit monetary flows and tax havens. Equador’s tax havens currently held $30 billion, an amount which would contribute substantially to sustainable development. She suggested creating a world government body that discussed tax issues in tackling the problem of such havens.
APPOLINAIRE DINGHA (Congo) said the Second Committee’s work was taking place at a time of slow economic growth and geopolitical concerns. He expressed hope that the upcoming Habitat III conference would be a strong policy effort to open up development opportunities for the world’s cities and eradicate poverty. The first session of the high-level political forum on sustainable development drew a picture of the development programme through the 2030 Agenda, and the Committee needed to take that work to heart as it proceeded. It was necessary to have better capacity-building in operational terms for the United Nations system for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2030 Agenda touched on all aspects of development, but nonetheless, to ensure its effective implementation and to eradicate poverty, it was necessary to strengthen partnerships. Congo had a national plan and through it the country had committed to taking ownership of the 2030 Agenda.
PAUL LOSOKO EFAMBE EMPOLE (Democratic Republic of the Congo) was committed to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, incorporating them into its national strategic plan. The country sought to become a middle-income country by 2021, an emerging market by 2030 and a developed State by 2050. The country continued its development and sought to reduce poverty, and had managed to have the appropriate economic and social infrastructure to improve the welfare of its population. Climate change was an unprecedented global challenge and jeopardized the very future of humanity. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was moving to finalize the ratification of the Paris Agreement by the end of 2016. There remained a gap between developing and developed States, particularly among the least developed countries. It was necessary to win the war against poverty so humanity would not suffer a failure of development.
NECTON MHURA (Malawi), associating himself with the Group of 77, Group of Landlocked Developing Countries and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said his country had undertaken several economic initiatives to address high inflation and the decline in GDP. Malawi had suffered from recent weather-related setbacks as well. Women were at the very core of any society’s success and with that in mind, Malawi had risen the age of marriage to 18 years and was focusing on programmes that boosted girls’ access to education. As a landlocked developing country, his nation would feel the positive impact of infrastructural development specifically in the area of increasing the number of Malawians that had access to electricity. He noted the inconclusiveness of the trade negotiations surrounding duty-free and quota-free market access to certain products and said that the stalemate had only exacerbated the challenges faced by landlocked countries. Malawi called on its global partners to continue supporting programmes that increased access to education for everyone but especially for girls.
JEANNE D’ARC BYAJE (Rwanda), associating herself with the Group of 77 and the African Group, said that global development was a shared responsibility. Solidarity needed to be encouraged to ensure that vulnerable countries could achieve sustainable development. An over-reliance on a few key commodities had helped plunge many countries into recession, for instance. Low or even shrinking growth would adversely impact the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, where growth of about 7 per cent annually was needed to eradicate poverty by 2030. Rwanda would continue to invest in its people, enhancing citizen empowerment and community capacity-building. It was imperative to respond to the aspirations of people; advance gender equality; tackle infrastructure and energy gaps; and realize that all actors needed adequate financing to implement the development agenda.
FREDERICK M. SHAVA (Zimbabwe), associating himself with the Group of 77, stressed the need for global partnership to achieve the 2030 Agenda, in the form of provision of financial resources, transfer of technology and capacity- building. A supportive international environment, including an equitable multilateral trading system, was also critical for poverty eradication, as was follow-up on the Financing for Development agenda and reform of the international financial institutions to respond better to the needs of developing countries. He expressed particular concern over the lack of commitment from some Member States in promoting cooperation on tax matters and addressing the problem of illicit financial flows. On climate change, he urged developed countries to fulfil their commitments to provide means of implementation for adaptation and mitigation, in line with the Paris outcome.
TALAL ALI RASHED ALJAMALI (Yemen), associating himself with the Group of 77 and Group of Least Developed Countries, said that one year was not enough to evaluate progress but the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals could be reviewed and its successes and setbacks evaluated. Those Goals would not have an impact on the poor unless they translated into action. Yemen had signed the Paris Agreement and joined international efforts to preserve the planet, he said, emphasizing the principle of shared but differentiated responsibility. Industrialized nations must accept their historic responsibilities. Yemen was in a “particular situation” and “chaos was prevailing”, he said, adding that the country was now “struggling to reach relief” instead of focus on the development gains it had made.
ABDULLAH A KH A KH ALSHARRAH (Kuwait), associating himself with the Group of 77, said the Paris conference was extremely important in terms of dealing with climate change in a fair way. The road map was done and now it was time to “shoulder responsibility” in the fight against extreme poverty. It was critical to ensure respect for the environment and take into account ongoing climate change. There were common but differentiated responsibilities for all to bear. Conflict interfered with development and therefore it was critical to address immediate humanitarian needs and put an end to conflict worldwide. Kuwait, as a high-income country, was doing its best to speed up new partnerships in various regions and was set on creating better living conditions for the people in its region. “Our efforts had been somewhat successful,” he said, emphasizing that his country’s humanitarian assistance was in accordance with its values.
LAWRENCE XOLANI MALAWANE (South Africa), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the Africa Group, said the success or failure in implementing the 2030 Agenda would depend on adequate means of implementation and meaningful follow-up and review architecture. Convinced that the financing for development and the 2030 Agenda processes remained on separate tracks, he urged development partners to honour their commitments on ODA. Addressing illicit financial flows was crucial. Upgrading the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters should be upgraded into a universal and intergovernmental body which would provide developing countries with tools to deal with a number of tax related issues, including illicit financial flows. To combat poverty, special attention should be given to agricultural development and food security.
KUNZANG C. NAMGYEL (Bhutan), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said that, as a landlocked least developed nation, it had faced immense development challenges. Stressing that the transformation in the 2030 Agenda period must take place within the least developed countries, he said Bhutan had begun integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into its national priorities in its development planning framework. The support of development partners was critical to those endeavours, and success would ultimately hinge on the quality of partnerships between Governments, the private sector and civil society at the national, regional and global levels. Likewise, the 2030 Agenda required a United Nations development system that was able to deliver integrated and coordinated policy support on the ground in response to national needs and priorities. Noting that Bhutan had been identified as eligible for graduation out of the least developed country category, he emphasized that graduation must be seen in the larger context of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and must be handled carefully.
MWABA P. KASESE BOTA (Zambia), associating herself with the Group of 77 and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said poverty, through its many offshoots, remained an overarching and pressing challenge around the world. Promoting transformation and strengthening resilience of economies in Africa — especially countries in special situations — called for the active pursuit of industrialization. Zambia had been creating a five-year national development plan aimed at fostering growth by initially placing a special focus on the development of rural areas that had the highest prospects for reducing poverty levels. Other strategies included industrialization, appropriate infrastructure development and fostering rural development by focusing on agriculture and creating jobs. It was also working to create Value Chain Cluster Programmes, diversification of the agricultural sector, promotion of forestry and Multi-facility Economic Zones and to prioritize infrastructure, energy, water, transport, communication, education and health. Climate change also remained a national priority.
DURGA PRASAD BHATTARAI (Nepal), associating himself with the Group of 77, Group of Least Developed Countries and the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, said that implementation of the 2030 Agenda had not yet begun in real terms. It was important to find and urgently remedy the delay so that 2030 commitments could be translated into meaningful results on the ground, including poverty eradication. Poverty was the worst enemy of humanity, serving as fertile breeding ground for most social ills, beginning with hunger and illiteracy and resulting in anger and even terrorism. National commitments, ownership, leadership, people-centric and accountable governance systems must be complemented by robust international partnership to win the arduous battle against poverty. He also stressed that the international community was obliged to help graduate least developed countries and ease structural deficiencies of landlocked developing countries, as agreed in programmes of action for those countries. It was also important to note the huge potential of South-South cooperation, which could be a game changer in ensuring implementation of new agendas.
ALASSANE CONTE (Guinea) said the international community had committed itself to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Guinea had suffered two years of the Ebola outbreak and was now paying strict heed to the Goals. In May, the new Prime Minister had promised to re-establish rule of law, kick-start the national economy and combat corruption. The Government was the first pillar around which sustainable development progress should be made. Economically, specialists had noted that Guinea could supply the world’s aluminium needs for a century. The country was currently focusing on mining, creating a framework favouring investment. Programmes had been signed for several billion dollars in investment, which could make Guinea the mining capital of West Africa. A large programme had also been put in place to improve agriculture, which could make his country the bread basket of the region.
IVA JEMUOVIC (Serbia) said that her country had begun the process of updating its national strategy for sustainable development and the financing to go along with that. Failure to achieve the “lofty” goals set was not an option. Each country had a responsibility to attain sustainable development but sub-regional, regional and global cooperation was indispensable to that. Moving on to climate change, she noted the massive and devastating floods that had hit Serbia two years ago and outlined myriad concrete actions taken by the Government including stemming greenhouse gas emissions. On migration, she said that over the past year and a half more than 700,000 refugees and migrants transited through Serbia. Currently, there were more than 7,000 migrants and asylum-seeking people in the country. As a nation that had experience protracted displacement for more than 20 years, Serbia simply did not have the capacity to be a long-term, mass shelter for migrants. A comprehensive European and global solution was vital to address that phenomenon.
MOHAMED KHALED KHIARI (Tunisia), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the African Group, said there was a growing international consciousness intent on reducing development gaps. He called on the international community to provide means to implement the 2030 Agenda, referring to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Stressing the importance of enhancing global partnerships, he pointed to the importance of abiding by agreed-upon development assistance for developing countries, especially in Africa, considering the harsh challenges they faced. Due attention should also be paid to transition countries to overcome social and economic difficulties by reinforcing resources and transferring technology. Efforts should also be made to eliminate tax evasion, illegal flows and financial corruption. Finally, there was a need to facilitate the access of developing countries to special funds to alleviate the effects of climate change.
ANATOLIO NDONG MBA (Equatorial Guinea), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the African Group, said his country had taken into account domestic risks and vulnerabilities in its implementation of sustainable development. Its administration had invested in projects with hopes that Equatorial Guinea would become an emerging economy by 2020. Society was informed by the planned targets through various public campaigns. State stability fostered development and from that standpoint, the State was a clearly defined public entity that could represent many interests but its very existence was absolutely fundamental. “Speaking quite frankly, if there is no State, there could be no development,” he said, noting the various failed States worldwide whose development gains and hopes had been squandered. Equatorial Guinea and its Government were committed to applying the development agenda and had already budgeted for it until 2020. It was focused on diversifying its economy by being less dependent on resources.
NOUR MAMDOUH KASEB ALJAZI (Jordan), associating herself with the Group of 77, said that some development gains had been jeopardized by various factors including the recent flow of migration. The number of displaced people worldwide was beyond 60 million, she added, emphasizing the need for an international response. Partners, civil society and the private sector must join forces to address the phenomenon. The Syrian crisis had substantially increased “the burden on Jordan’s shoulders”, she said, adding that her country had taken in 1.3 million refugees. That caused problems with social infrastructure and availability of Government services but despite those immense challenges, Jordan remained committed to sustainable development. Financing represented a major challenge, she said, underscoring the importance of ODA for both developing and middle-income countries.
MARTÍN GARCÍA MORITÁN (Argentina), associating himself with the Group of 77, said the 2030 Agenda recognized that the elimination of poverty was a serious challenge and crucial to sustainable development. The Agenda provided a new framework for sustainable development and was universal in nature, eliminating imbalances and inequalities within and between countries. It was a commitment that applied to all countries, considering the priorities and capacities of each. Argentina had begun strengthening its institutional regulations to implement each part of the Agenda. He stressed that climate change was the biggest challenge facing mankind today. Argentina had attempted to improve its governance, setting up a national network on climate change to monitor reductions in emissions and determine steps to take in future years. He also emphasized that operational activities for development must have a broader and greater role to help countries achieve the 2030 Agenda. The international community must develop national capacity in developing countries and integrate South-South and triangular cooperation into the strategic plans of several United Nations agencies.
LEWIS G. BROWN (Liberia), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the African Group, said that while everyone had been analysing challenges pertaining to sustainable growth it was equally important to note that the Millennium Development Goals deepened humanity’s understanding of global poverty, rising inequality and pervasive injustice. Liberia had embarked on the process of domesticating the Sustainable Development Goals through robust initiatives, working with the private sector, civil society and faith-based leaders. Efforts to enhance national ownership were also manifested in several areas, including the national budget. The focus was on a process of localization and decentralization. With 42 per cent of biodiversity in the West African region, Liberia understood the importance of protecting the environment from the trappings of global warming and the effects of climate change. It remained committed to the sustainable use of land and forests.
ABDULLAH ABU SHAWESH, observer for the State of Palestine, aligning his statement with that of the Group of 77, asked how the Second Committee could promote development when the people of Palestine faced acute challenges. Israel was the occupying Power and was destroying in a systematic manner all pillars of development. Forty eight years ago, Israel had occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and since then Palestinian development had gone backwards. Palestinian resources were being looted and depleted in full view of the international community, producing an imbalanced relationship where the Palestinians were being denied access to their natural resources while Israeli settlements were being enlarged. The 2030 Agenda stated that peace and development were inseparable. Israel continued to take hundreds of military actions depriving Palestinians of their right to development, notably through the policy of settlement expansion. “They are terrorist settlers armed to the teeth, armed with racial ideologies,” he said, and added that it was high time to end the Israeli occupation.
BERNARDITO CLEOPAS AUZA, Permanent Observer of the Holy See, said the recent conclusion of many significant international commitments demonstrated a willingness among political leaders to come together to address global challenges. At the same time, however, there had been a continued breakdown of trust as inequalities among and within countries had widened and the number of violent conflicts had increased. A human-centred approach must form the centre of all efforts to address the interconnected challenges of environmental, economic and social development, he said, underscoring the need to avoid a reductionist approach that viewed the human person as an obstacle to development or, even worse, as the cause of his or her own underdevelopment and neediness. Among other things, he called for a renewed commitment to just and equitable mechanisms for global trade and multilateral financial assistance, and warned against “global indifference” to the needs of others. “The strength of international cooperation is based on the principle of one common humanity rooted in the equal dignity of all,” he said.
XOLISA MABHONGO, International Atomic and Energy Agency (IAEA), said that nuclear science and technology had myriad peaceful applications which could help countries reduce poverty and hunger, improve energy supplies, and diagnose and treat diseases. When it came to treating cancer, numerous countries lacked both the equipment and the trained medical personnel. In Africa alone, there were 28 countries which did not have a single radiotherapy machine. The Agency was working to provide both technology and training to health professionals. Two years ago, it had helped countries in West Africa deal with an outbreak of Ebola by providing diagnostic kits and laboratory supplies. It was now adopting a similar approach in Latin America and the Caribbean in the response to the Zika virus. It was also developing nuclear techniques to fight insect pests. While energy was the engine of development, over a billion people still lacked access to electricity. Nuclear power was one of the lowest-carbon technologies to generate electricity.
LAKSHMI PURI, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), urged Second Committee delegates to make gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda a central element. The Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review should empower and reposition the United Nations development system to reflect the gender aspect of the Agenda and maximize its impact at the country level. The Review should leverage normative gains of 2015 to help accelerate gender equality achievements and ensure no one was left behind. It should also provide operational policy guidance on accelerating transformative results, as well as build and empower the next generation of gender equality champions across all United Nations entities.
CARLA MUCAVI, Director of the New York Liaison Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said that 795 million people still suffered from chronic hunger, and over 70 per cent of the world’s poor and food insecure lived in rural areas of developing countries. When opportunities for a decent life were not present, rural people were often forced to leave their homes. Global action must be geared at overcoming constraints to accessing markets and resources. Action must focus on building resilience, promoting sustainable approaches and supporting efforts to adapt to climate change. It was also important to create jobs and opportunities that rural communities needed. Rural development and improved food systems were also important parts of the effort to promote sustainable production and consumption and reduce food loss and waste.
VINICIUS CARVALHO PINHEIRO, International Labour Organization (ILO), said a major sustainable development challenge for the coming years was creation of decent jobs for young people. Ongoing trends of low and jobless economic growth and dissemination of labour-saving technologies may impact the future of work could compromise Goal 8 of the 2030 Agenda. ILO studies showed that, since the low-carbon economy was more job-intensive, work created by a transition to clean energy and more sustainable production patterns could more than offset the loss of jobs in emissions-intensive industries. If managed well, transitions to environmentally and socially sustainable economies could become a strong driver of job creation, job upgrading, social justice and poverty eradication.
CHANTAL LINE CARPENTIER, Chief of the New York Office of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), expressed concern about the global economy as illustrated in UNCTAD’s recent Trade and Development Report and World Investment Reports. “If we don’t get trade, investment, finance and technology right, and right now […] we will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” she said, stressing that the Goals must be used to turn the global economy around. Countries would need to pool their knowledge, tools and funds to support implementation, especially to the benefit of least developed, African, landlocked and small island States, as well as middle-income countries and others in special situations. That was the only way to stem protectionism and isolationism and re‑establish globalization as an engine of inclusive prosperity for all. UNCTAD was launching a multi-donor trust fund on trade and productive capacity and initiating deeper and more inclusive partnerships.
Coca-Cola is the First Fortune 500 Company to Replenish All the Water it Uses Globally
STOCKHOLM, – The Coca-Cola Company and its global bottling partners (the Coca-Cola system) today announced they have met their goal to replenish, or in other words balance, the equivalent amount of water used in their global sales volume back to nature and communities. Based on this achievement, Coca-Cola is the first Fortune 500 company to publicly claim achieving such an aggressive water replenishment target1.
The Coca-Cola system also announced progress against its water efficiency goal. The company and its bottling partners improved water use efficiency by 2.5 percent from 2014 to 2015, adding to a cumulative 27 percent improvement since 2004.
Based on a global water use assessment validated by LimnoTech and Deloitte, and conducted in association with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Coca-Cola system returned an estimated 191.9 billion liters of water to nature and communities in 2015 through community water projects, equaling the equivalent of 115 percent of the water used in Coca-Cola’s beverages last year.
“This achievement marks a moment of pride for Coca-Cola and our partners. A goal that started as aspiration in 2007 is today a reality and a global milestone we plan to maintain as our business grows,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company. “Now, every time a consumer drinks a Coca-Cola product, they can have confidence that our company and bottling partners are committed to responsible water use today and tomorrow. We are keenly aware that our water stewardship work is unfinished and remain focused on exploring next steps to advance our water programs and performance.”
The Coca-Cola system has achieved its water replenishment goals through 248 community water partnership projects in 71 countries focused on safe water access, watershed protection and water for productive use. In many cases, projects also provide access to sanitation and education, help improve local livelihoods, assist communities with adapting to climate change, improve water quality, enhance biodiversity, engage on policy and build awareness on water issues. The program aspects mentioned in the preceding sentence do not contribute to Coca-Cola’s replenish volume.
Replenish performance is independently reviewed by LimnoTech and verified by Deloitte. That work is reflected in a 1,188 page report. The methodology for calculating water replenishment benefits was created in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and LimnoTech. It was the subject of scientific technical peer review to verify its accuracy, and uses generally accepted scientific and technical methods. Projects are reviewed annually and evaluated using this methodology.
Some replenish projects directly return water to the source we use while others are outside the watershed our plant uses but are important to help meet needs of local governments, communities and partners where there is a pressing need. Coca-Cola and its partners seek projects that have a direct benefit, can be scaled up to have greater impact by reaching more people and parts of an ecosystem, are easy to learn from and replicate in other places where the challenges are similar, and can be built to be sustainable by the community over time, continuing to replenish water. These efforts, as well as new projects, frequently address local source water vulnerabilities and balance additional sales volume as
Coca-Cola’s business continues to grow.
At each of its 863 plants globally, Coca-Cola requires operations to determine the sustainability of the water supply they share with others in terms of quality, quantity, and other issues such as infrastructure to treat and distribute water. Through this process, one of the factors Coca-Cola plants must examine is whether or not their use of water and discharge of water has the potential to negatively impact the ability of other community members to access a sufficient quantity and quality of water. If so, or if there are areas where water sources may still be unsustainable in some aspect, Coca-Cola’s requirement then mandates that each plant develop and implement a Source Water Protection Plan. The plan, among other things, engages others to mutually seek solutions to promote the sustainability of the local water source. This may result in replenish projects or other opportunities. While each plant may not replenish all water to its direct source, Coca-Cola’s policy is to require that all plants work to ensure they do not negatively impact water sources and work with the community on longer term solutions.
Coca-Cola’s replenishment strategy supports the company’s overall water goal to safely return to communities and nature an amount of water equal to what is used in its beverages and their production. On the production side, the Coca-Cola system returned approximately 145.8 billion liters of water used in its manufacturing processes back to local watersheds near our bottling plants through treated wastewater in 2015.
“All life depends on water, but less than 1 percent of the world’s water is fresh and accessible. From mountain glaciers to estuaries, we must account for the whole system if we hope to secure freshwater for all,” said Carter Roberts, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) President and CEO. “This means partnerships matter. This is an important milestone in Coca-Cola’s continued leadership on water stewardship and sets a standard for other water users to build from.”
Coca-Cola collaborates on replenish projects with governments, civil society and other members of the private sector. Some of the many organizations Coca-Cola partners with include Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF), Millennium Challenge Corporation, TNC, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN-Habitat, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), WaterAid, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), Water for People, WWF, and World Vision.
Four programs with significant contribution to Coca-Cola’s water replenishment activities are our global conservation partnership with WWF, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation’s Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), the company’s Every Drop Matters partnership with UNDP, which expanded to New World in 2014, and Coca-Cola’s investment in 50 water funds across 12 countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, with key partners TNC, FEMSA Foundation and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). All of these programs are active and committed through 2020.
Replenish projects work to balance, or offset, the direct water use of The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners across operations in more than 200 countries. The water use is inclusive of water used within manufacturing as well as finished beverages, which includes water from fountain sales. The water footprint of growing agricultural ingredients sourced by the Coca-Cola system is not included in this goal. However, sustainable water practices are part of Coca-Cola’s Sustainable Agriculture Guiding Principles required for suppliers.
To learn more about Coca-Cola’s water stewardship program, visit the company’s water stewardship report.
For more information on Coca-Cola’s water replenishment initiatives, check out the infographic here.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands and more than 3,800 beverage choices. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands, our company’s portfolio features 20 billion-dollar brands, 18 of which are available in reduced-, low- or no-calorie options. Our billion-dollar brands include Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Sprite, Dasani, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Del Valle, Georgia and Gold Peak. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, we are the No. 1 provider of both sparkling and still beverages. More than 1.9 billion servings of our beverages are enjoyed by consumers in more than 200 countries each day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit CocaCola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo, visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.cocacolablog.com or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-colacompany.
1We acknowledge that different companies and industries water use varies within their products and production. Coca-Cola’s claim is based on publicly reported claims and information as of June 1, 2016, and is inclusive of water return against direct water use.
GM Commits to 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2050
DETROIT – General Motors plans to generate or source all electrical power for its 350 operations in 59 countries with 100 percent renewable energy — such as wind, sun and landfill gas — by 2050.
“Establishing a 100 percent renewable energy goal helps us better serve society by reducing environmental impact,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “This pursuit of renewable energy benefits our customers and communities through cleaner air while strengthening our business through lower and more stable energy costs.”
This new renewable energy goal, along with the pursuit of electrified vehicles and efficient manufacturing, is part of the company’s overall approach to strengthening its business, improving communities and addressing climate change. GM is also joining RE100, a global collaborative initiative of businesses committed to 100 percent renewable electricity, working to increase demand for clean power.
In 2015, GM required 9 terawatt hours of electricity to build its vehicles and power its offices, technical centers and warehouses around the world. To meet its new renewable energy goal, GM will continue to improve the energy efficiency of its operations while transitioning to clean sources for its power needs.
Today GM saves $5 million annually from using renewable energy, a number it anticipates will increase as more projects come online and the supply of renewable energy increases. In addition, the company anticipates costs to install and produce renewable energy will continue to decrease, resulting in more bottom-line returns.
The new renewable energy commitment builds on GM’s previous goal to promote the use of 125 megawatts of renewable energy by 2020. The company expects to exceed this when two new wind projects come online later this year to help power four manufacturing operations.
“This bold and ambitious commitment from General Motors will undoubtedly catch the attention of the global automotive industry,” said Amy Davidsen, North America executive director at The Climate Group. “GM has already saved millions of dollars by using renewable energy, and like any smart business that recognizes an investment opportunity, they want to seize it fully. We hope that through this leadership, other heavy manufacturing companies will be inspired to make the switch too.”
Scaling the commitment
GM is in the process of adding 30 megawatts of solar arrays at two facilities in China. Its Jinqiao Cadillac assembly plant in Shanghai will feature 10 megawatts of rooftop solar and 20 megawatts of solar carports, which will cover 8,100 parking spaces at the company’s vehicle distribution center parking lot in Wuhan.
GM has pioneered the use of renewable energy for more than 20 years, saving $80 million to date. The company has 22 facilities with solar arrays, three sites using landfill gas and four that will soon benefit from wind. This experience will help GM scale renewable energy use to all facilities globally.
GM is in a unique position to meet this renewable energy goal given its electric vehicle battery expertise. Energy storage can ultimately address the intermittency or reliability of wind and solar energy. GM is now using Chevrolet Volt batteries for energy storage at its Milford Proving Ground data center office.
Collaborating to make renewable energy more accessible
GM joins 69 companies that have made the RE100 pledge. As a founding member of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance and Business Renewables Center, and one of the first signatories of the Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles, GM helps scale the availability and adoption of renewable energy. These organizations, spearheaded by the Rocky Mountain Institute, the World Wildlife Fund and the World Resources Institute, work to identify barriers to buying clean energy and develop solutions to meet the growing demand.
GM will continue to work with cities, policymakers, renewable energy developers, utilities, NGOs and other stakeholders on the transition to a clean-energy economy.
For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit its sustainability report and environmental blog.
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.
President Obama: The United States Formally Enters the Paris Agreement
We are here together because we believe that for all the challenges that we face, the growing threat of climate change could define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other challenge.
One of the reasons I ran for this office was to make sure that America does its part to protect this planet for future generations. Over the past seven and a half years, we’ve transformed the United States into a global leader in the fight against climate change. But this is not a fight that any one country, no matter how powerful, can take alone. That’s why last December’s Paris Agreement was so important. Nearly 200 nations came together as — a strong, enduring framework to set the world on a course to a low-carbon future.
And someday we may see this as the moment that we finally decided to save our planet.
There are no shortage of cynics who thought the agreement would not happen. But they missed two big things: The investments that we made to allow for incredible innovation in clean energy, and the strong, principled diplomacy over the course of years that we were able to see pay off in the Paris Agreement. The United States and China were central to that effort. Over the past few years, our joint leadership on climate has been one of the most significant drivers of global action.
In 2014, President Xi and I stood together in Beijing to announce landmark climate targets for our two countries to meet. That announcement set us on the road to Paris by jumpstarting an intense diplomatic effort to put other countries on the same course. In 2015, we stood together in Washington to lay out additional actions our two countries would take, along with a roadmap for ultimately reaching a strong agreement in Paris. This year, in 2016, we meet again to commit formally to joining the agreement ahead of schedule, creating the prospect that the agreement might enter into force ahead of schedule, as well.
The United States and China are taking that step today, as our two nations formally join the Paris Agreement.
Of course, we could not have done this extraordinary work without the strong support of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who has been an outstanding leader on this issue, as well.
Now, just as I believe the Paris Agreement will ultimately prove to be a turning point for our planet, I believe that history will judge today’s efforts as pivotal. For the agreement to enter into force, as has already been stated, 55 countries representing 55 percent of global emissions must formally join.
Together, the U.S. and China represent about 40 percent of global emissions. So today, we are moving the world significantly closer to the goal that we have set.
We have a saying in America — that you need to put your money where your mouth is. And when it comes to combatting climate change, that’s what we’re doing, both the United States and China. We’re leading by example. As the world’s two largest economies and two largest emitters, our entrance into this agreement continues the momentum of Paris, and should give the rest of the world confidence –- whether developed or developing countries -– that a low-carbon future is where the world is heading.
Of course, the Paris Agreement alone won’t solve the climate crisis. But it does establish an enduring framework that enables countries to ratchet down their carbon emissions over time, and to set more ambitious targets as technology advances. That means full implementation of this agreement will help delay or avoid some of the worst consequences of climate change, and pave the way for more progress in the coming years.
This is the single-best chance that we have to deal with a problem that could end up transforming this planet in a way that makes it very difficult for us to deal with all the other challenges that we may face.
President Xi and I intend to continue working together in the months ahead to make sure our countries lead on climate. Three years ago, in California, we first resolved to work together to secure a global agreement to phase down the use of super pollutants known as HFCs, and we’re now just six weeks away from final negotiations. We also have the chance to reach a global agreement to curb emissions from the global airline industry -– one that actually has the support of industry. And today, we’re putting forward roadmaps to get both negotiations done this year.
On each of these issues, the United States and China have now developed a significant record of leadership on one of the most important issues of our time. Our teams have worked together and developed a strong relationship that should serve us very well. And despite our differences on other issues, we hope that our willingness to work together on this issue will inspire greater ambition and greater action around the world.
Yes, diplomacy can be difficult, and progress on the world stage can be slow. But together, we’re proving that it is possible.
And I was reflecting before we came in here with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about the meeting that we had in Copenhagen in my first year of my presidency, which was quite chaotic. And I think it is fair to say that if you had looked at the outcome of that meeting, the prospects of us being here today, the prospects of a Paris Agreement seemed very far away. And yet, here we are, which indicates that where there’s a will and there’s a vision, and where countries like China and the United States are prepared to show leadership and to lead by example, it is possible for us to create a world that is more secure, more prosperous, and more free than the one that was left for us.
So to all of you that have participated in this extraordinary effort, thank you very much. Thank you to President Xi. Thank you to the Secretary General.
ExxonMobil and Georgia Tech Innovation Could Lead to Significant Cuts in Chemical Manufacturing Energy Use and Emissions
IRVING, Texas– Scientists from ExxonMobil and the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a potentially revolutionary new technology that could significantly reduce the amount of energy and emissions associated with manufacturing plastics. Results of the research were published today in the peer-reviewed journal Science.
If brought to industrial scale, this breakthrough could reduce industry’s global annual carbon dioxide emissions by up to 45 million tons, which is equivalent to the annual energy-related carbon dioxide emissions of about five million U.S. homes. It could also reduce global energy costs used to make plastics by up to $2 billion a year.
Using a molecular-level filter, the new process employs a form of reverse osmosis to separate para-xylene, a chemical building block for polyester and plastics, from complex hydrocarbon mixtures. The current commercial-scale process used around the world relies on energy and heat to separate those molecules.
“Through collaboration with strong academic institutions like Georgia Tech, we are constantly exploring new, more efficient ways to produce the energy, chemicals, and other products consumers around the world rely on every day,” said Vijay Swarup, vice president of research and development at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company. “If advanced to commercial-scale application, this technology could significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with chemical manufacturing.”
The research successfully demonstrated that para-xylene can be separated from like chemical compounds known as aromatics by pressing them through a membrane that acts as a high-tech sieve, similar to a filter with microscopic holes. Commercially practiced separations involve energy-intensive crystallization or adsorption with distillation. Globally, the amount of energy used in conventional separation processes for aromatics is equal to about 20 average-sized power plants.
The ExxonMobil and Georgia Tech team first developed a new carbon-based membrane that can separate molecules as small as a nanometer. The membrane was then incorporated into a new organic solvent reverse osmosis process, during which aromatics were pressed through the membrane, separating out para-xylene.
“In effect, we’d be using a filter with microscopic holes to do what an enormous amount of heat and energy currently do in a chemical process similar to that found in oil refining,” said Mike Kerby, corporate strategic research manager at ExxonMobil.
The carbon-based membrane developed by the ExxonMobil-Georgia Tech team is about 50 times more energy efficient than the current state-of-the-art membrane separation technology. Because the new membrane is made from a commercially available polymer, ExxonMobil believes it has potential for commercialization and integration into industrial chemical separation processes.
Reverse-osmosis membranes are already widely used to desalinate seawater, consuming a fraction of the energy required by thermally driven processes. The new organic solvent reverse osmosis process is believed to be the first use of reverse osmosis with carbon membranes to separate liquid hydrocarbons.
“By applying pressure at room temperature, the membrane is able to concentrate para-xylene from a mixture at high rates and low energy consumption relative to state-of-the-art membranes,” said Ryan Lively, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and the lead researcher. “This mixture could then be fed into a conventional thermal process for finishing, which would dramatically reduce total energy input.”
The technology still faces challenges before it can be considered for commercialization and use at an industrial scale. The membranes used in the process will need to be tested under more challenging conditions, as industrial mixtures normally contain multiple organic compounds and may include materials that can foul membrane systems. The researchers must also learn to make the material consistently and demonstrate that it can withstand long-term industrial use.
“The implications could be enormous in terms of the amount of energy that could be saved and the emissions reduced in chemical and product manufacturing,” said Benjamin McCool, an advanced research associate at ExxonMobil and co-author of the research. “Our next steps are to further the fundamental understanding in the lab to help develop a plan for pilot plant-scale demonstration and, if successful, proceed to larger scale. We continue to work the fundamental science underlying this technology for broader applications in hydrocarbon separations.”
Chemical plants account for about eight percent of global energy demand and about 15 percent of the projected growth in demand to 2040. As global populations and living standards continue to rise, demand for auto parts, housing materials, electronics and other products made from plastics and other petrochemicals will continue to grow. Improving industrial efficiency is part of ExxonMobil’s mission to meet the world’s growing need for energy while minimizing environmental impacts.
The researchers on the technology as written in Science include Lively and Dong-Yeun Koh from Georgia Institute of Technology and McCool and Harry Deckman from ExxonMobil.
About ExxonMobil
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Cautionary Statement: Statements of future events or conditions in this release are forward-looking statements. Actual future results, including project plans and timing and the impact and results of new technologies, could vary depending on the outcome of further research and testing; the development and competitiveness of alternative technologies; the ability to scale pilot projects on a cost-effective basis; political and regulatory developments; and other factors discussed in this release and under the heading “Factors Affecting Future Results” on the Investors page of ExxonMobil’s website at exxonmobil.com.
About Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is a leading research university committed to improving the human condition through advanced science and technology. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech has more than 100 centers focused on interdisciplinary research that consistently contribute vital research and innovation to American government, industry, and business. For more information, visit www.gatech.edu.
