Around the world, governments and industry are stepping up efforts to cut emissions, marking the biggest shift in energy supply since the Industrial Revolution. The Albanian government recently pledged to set aside 30% of Australia’s land mass for conservation.

It is a step in the right direction. However, even if the world reaches net zero tomorrow and begins to restore natural carbon conversion systems, there remains the problem of historical emissions which, without intervention, cannot be resolved quickly enough to mitigate the progress of global warming.

It is the legacy left by the Industrial Revolution and the advent of large-scale use of fossil fuels that pumped an estimated 1.5 trillion tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal is essential to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Efforts to not only achieve net zero, but also eliminate historic emissions can be bolstered by Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology, a process that captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Our team at the University of Sydney, in partnership with industry leaders on this project, Southern Green Gas (SGG) and AspiraDAC, are building on the potential of direct air capture technology to solve the emissions problem historical.

SGG and AspiraDAC are driving the creation of a new negative emissions industry in Australia, thanks to the world’s first solar-powered DAC project that buries captured carbon in permanent underground storage – a process managed by AspiraDAC.

Australia is uniquely positioned to become a global superpower in renewable energy solutions to reverse the pace of climate change. Our vast expanses of non-arable land with high solar intensity and above all excellent geo-sequestration sites provide a platform for a new billion dollar export industry.

A prototype of SGG’s DAC module is in development and funding is being secured to support larger-scale manufacturing. These modules are intended for a demonstration project that will capture 310 tonnes of CO₂ of the atmosphere per year. The nanomaterials at the heart of our process were developed by our team with support from the University’s Net Zero Initiative. Recently, our research was also recognized by the Musk Foundation’s XPRIZE Student Team in Carbon Removals in 2021.

SGG’s DAC technology is now the first to be commercialized in Australia and is to be incorporated into the world’s first solar-powered DAC project developed by AspiraDAC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Corporate Carbon Group. This project sold its first credits to Frontier which makes advance purchases of Carbon Removal supported by Stripe, Shopify, Meta, Google and McKinsey.

The team’s success is a testament to both our scientific expertise and the insight of our industry partners – but it’s also clear that there is significant market need – and DAC is ripe for expansion.

The DAC is not a one-size-fits-all balm and reaching net zero is no one-stop shop: many technologies must come together to reduce emissions, and the DAC can be an invaluable force for Australia’s efforts in this regard. regard.

Land use issues in New York are never straightforward, and the ever-changing regulatory landscape can make the city a perilous maze for developers. To help their clients navigate this complex landscape, law firm Fried Frank recently appointed Anita Laremont, former director of the New York City Department of Urban Planning, as a partner in its real estate and property department. its practice of land use, zoning and development. Partner Insights spoke to Laremont about the issues she will address on behalf of the company’s developer customers.

Business Observer: Talk about some of your most proud accomplishments during your time at city planning.

Anita Laremont: I am proud that we have enacted Mandatory Inclusive Housing, a groundbreaking program which requires that where, through zoning action, residential capacity is significantly increased, any further development must include between 25-30% affordable housing at all times. . We carried out a feasibility analysis to ensure the requirement was financially feasible for developments across the city. We also completed eight major neighborhood rezonings, with at least one in every New York borough, which created capacity for more than 35,000 additional homes, at least a quarter of which will be affordable.

Also, I’m extremely proud of the two rezonings we’ve done in East Midtown. The first resulted in One Vanderbilt, which was the first new office tower in Midtown in over 20 years and a project my current colleagues at Fried Frank advised on. We followed this rezoning with the Greater East Midtown rezoning and modernized zoning for the entire neighborhood, where the building stock lacked the floor plates and amenities desired by businesses looking for office space. Class A today. Since then, Fried Frank has served as counsel for a number of projects located in the neighborhood, including the JPMorgan Chase headquarters building at 270 Park Avenue, which is currently under construction. This rezoning was a phenomenal success, as several projects sought to develop under the newly established rules very quickly after the rezoning was enacted. I believe this rezoning will help ensure the continued prominence of this important central business district. I was also very proud that we established permanent resilience rules, which will be very important for flood-prone areas.

What do you think are the biggest land use issues facing New York City today?

The existential issue is our housing crisis. We are simply not producing enough housing to meet the demand and keep up with population growth. This resulted in the high cost of housing that we experience today and is the cause of displacement and gentrification. If we don’t build more housing, we risk losing our place as a world-class city. Companies will not find this location attractive as housing will be too expensive for their workers. Part of the problem is that there is significant anti-development sentiment, as well as garden variety NIBMYism. Some people don’t seem to understand that if we don’t continue to expand so that more people can afford to live here, we won’t be able to prosper and grow. And not having a tax abatement program like 421a will make the problem even worse.

What do you think will be the most important issues you will face for Fried Frank customers?

Currently, developers are trying to figure out if there is a path to 421a-free development or an alternative tax reduction program. We are therefore working with them to explore alternatives, in particular by making projects with the State. Having been general counsel at the Empire State Development Corporation for several years, I understand that the state has the ability to do certain things that are more difficult for the city. People are also looking to understand how to navigate the approval process in new city and state administrations, and we are thinking creatively about what types of development would be most appropriate given the scarcity of funding and Construction sites. Then there are proposals that the developers tell us about. Clients are studying the feasibility of commercial conversions of certain class B and C office buildings and hotels. Clients want to understand the requirements governing the conversion of these buildings into residences. Additionally, customers are interested in using the Zoning for Transit Accessibility text, enacted by City Planning last year, which allows developers to earn a bonus if they are willing to provide a transit easement to the MTA, and we advise them on the applicable rules. and procedures.

How do you think the extensive experience you have on the government side will benefit Fried Frank clients?

Government regulations are extremely complex and often very obscure, and it is always helpful for clients to have an attorney with a thorough understanding of these regulations. In my case, not only do I have this expertise on the city side, but my experience as General Counsel for the Empire State Development Corporation allows me to advise clients on alternative routes to obtaining approvals. I can also advise clients on how to strategically present their case to decision makers and assess how a client’s plans may resonate with decision makers.

What are some of the more specific areas where a company like Fried Frank can most help clients with land use issues?

We have a unique practice group, where three of us have served as general counsel for planning. We are uniquely positioned to help our clients understand the Uniform Land Use Review process and its intricacies. We also have a member of the team who was General Counsel for the Board of Standard and Appeals and helps advise clients on these issues. Having this experience in-house is invaluable to clients, as you can explain why a particular provision was drafted the way it was, especially if you are the person who drafted it. You can advise on potential pitfalls and challenges, and which government official to discuss particular issues with. Additionally, many of the development challenges that our clients face are not challenges that can simply be resolved by going to a municipal agency. We can navigate through everything that needs to happen for a project to be approved.

With your experience, you could have landed in so many prestigious firms. Why did you choose Fried Frank?

There are several reasons why I chose Fried Frank. Several people who appeared before me when I worked in government are now my partners in this practice. I consider them to be at the top of the profession – they are simply the most knowledgeable people on land use in the city. This group has the largest number of highly skilled land use practitioners I know of in New York. The other reason I chose Fried Frank is that the real estate practice here is extensive. Land use is only part of what we do. This is truly a full-service commercial real estate practice. This creates enormous synergies and allows us to provide a comprehensive service to our customers. Also, as it is a fact of life that a number of land use actions result in litigation, I am very pleased that we have expert real estate lawyers in-house who provide stellar defenses and sound advice to help us reduce the likelihood of a project being disrupted.

Larger enterprises with Red Hat contracts will likely welcome the new version, although upgrading may take some time.

Red Hat has announced version 8.7 of its flagship product Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or RHEL. The new version includes a number of improvements aimed at making server administration more manageable.

Red Hat Aims to Ease Administrative Burden with RHEL 8.7

“The latest RHEL 8 update is now available. With the full official release of RHEL 8.7, customers can automate manual tasks more efficiently, standardize large-scale deployments, and simplify day-to-day administration of their systems,” Red Hat’s core product director Gil Cattelain said in an article. Red Hat’s official blog post announcing the product.

To this end, the company has made a big effort to improve the automation of the platform. Red Hat has improved the ability of administrators to automate server provisioning and configuration with its own Ansible platform. Companies can now use Ansible to authenticate smart cards. Administrators can also more easily change server startup options.

RHEL 8.7 launches other enterprise improvements

Since the latest version of the company owned by IBM is intended for use in enterprise servers, the emphasis is on security. It is now possible to manage system-wide cryptographic policies and encrypt “sosreports” through the Web Console, the web-based system management program.

The new version of the operating system launches new system roles for enterprises using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for the SAP Solutions release, a custom RHEL release for that company’s products to manage enterprise functions.

How will businesses react to RHEL 8.7?

Since RHEL is widely deployed in the business world, many Red Hat customers might upgrade, although it might take a while. Enterprise customers tend to prioritize stability over novelty, and large IT departments will want to spend time evaluating this first.

Despite the new version, there are ways to acquire the operating system without having a Red Hat contract. Oracle Linux, Rocky Linux, and AlmaLinux mirror RHEL releases and are actually free releases. Since RHEL is open-source, these projects can do this. As Red Hat has moved CentOS to a streaming model, these are viable alternatives to RHEL, although Red Hat is trying to convert these users to RHEL.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux remains a solid server choice

With the new release, Red Hat looks set to remain the Linux vendor of choice for businesses. It will appeal less to Linux desktop enthusiasts, but those who might have ambitions for enterprise computing may want to evaluate it by signing up for a trial and installing RHEL on a test machine.

Citizens and members of Citizens Against Rezoning Efforts for Suffolk (CARE4Suffolk) came to City Council on Wednesday evening to oppose rezoning efforts at the intersection of Lake Kilby and Lake Cahoon.

Both Ann and Bryan Harris spoke to council members during their public comment period at the Nov. 2 meeting about rezoning issues in their area.

“This area is primarily zoned as a rural estate district and it should remain that way. Maintaining this rural estate will ensure a predictable and orderly level of growth that will blend into this area,” said Ann Harris. “We’ll also be asking a lot less of the city than a development of over 200 homes.”

Harris also shared how farming life is the main reason she and her husband call Suffolk their home.

“I can tell you that wanting an acre or more of land is not a thing of the past. My husband and I moved to Suffolk 15 years ago to the lakeside area,” she said. “We loved the small town center and found it amazing that the rural areas were so close and present in the town’s atmosphere. The longer we lived here, the more inspired we became to find our own land, and eventually we found ourselves installed here.

Likewise, Harris told the council that maintaining their rural location is more beneficial in the long run.

“Keeping the Lake Kilby and Lake Cahoon roads area as rural estate allows for growth, but in a more controlled and less destructive way,” she said. “Please keep that in mind when this matter comes before you.”

Ann’s husband, Bryan Harris, also took the time to talk about the importance of preserving the town’s agricultural history.

“Consider this, agriculture and animal husbandry are still a generation away from disappearing. If knowledge and land are not perpetuated, they are lost forever,” said Brian Harris.

“I would like you to think about the words you and we use to talk about this subject. In the conversion and orientation documents, we and the city council see the words “urban, suburban and rural” and this is the order in which we always see them. Notice how we put “rural” last? Even on the list of discussion groups for the 2025 global plan, the agricultural advisory committee, it is listed last.

Brian Harris further touched on the rural aspects of Suffolk being the heart of the city.

“What if we all made a deliberate effort to change the way we talk about and think about our community,” he said. “The rural parts of Suffolk are the literal source of our heritage and if preserving our agricultural heritage is a priority then we must treat it as such, highlight it and make an immediate change in that messaging,” he said. he declares.

Brian Harris said he doesn’t require a motion or a hearing. “Just start putting ‘rural’ first in the things you say,” he said. “We are all creatures of habit, and the things we say often become the things we do.”

Council members thanked them for their words and for coming to express their views.

“It’s literally hundreds of small farmers in our town…there are good people all over our town in Chuckatuck, North Suffolk, in my borough, who just want recognition that they’ve chosen Suffolk for the lifestyle,” Councilor Timothy Johnson said. “We are hearing the voices of the city, the people want to be heard and want us to recognize what they are doing and I think we are all sitting here waiting and listening.”

Councilman LeOtis Williams said they were listening. “

“We hear what you’re saying,” he said.

“I would also like to start by thanking the speakers for coming out tonight and speaking,” said Deputy Mayor Leroy Bennett. “Make your voice heard.”

Mayor Michael Duman said based on their comments and in particular some of Councilor Johnson’s comments in the past, “we may need to review some of our processes right now, in terms of notices, timelines and information provided,” he said.

The mayor went on to say that there was no will not to ensure transparency.

“We just have to make sure we have the means and the methods and we actually do it,” Duman said. “It has been discussed and will be a topic of discussion. Probably after the first of the year we will have a retreat. These are some of the things we need to visit, make sure there is enough time for people to respond. Not only the citizens, but also the people on the planning commission and even ourselves on the municipal council.

May 2022 marked the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which established an international treaty to combat human-induced climate change.

In light of its upcoming Conference of the Parties, an annual meeting of agency member states to assess progress and agree new global regulations, which this year is in its 27th edition (COP27), we examine how the planet has changed since the establishment of the UNFCCC. With that, here are 30 facts and figures about climate change over the past 30 years and the next 30 years to give some insight into how things are going and what we can expect in the future – showing the many things that COP27 will try to do help solve.

1. Humans have emitted as much carbon dioxide since 1990 as in all of history before that time.

2. There has been a relative increase of nearly 53% in global greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2019.

3. The global monthly average of carbon dioxide has increased from 355.39 ppm in 1991 to 414.71 ppm in 2021, which represents an increase of almost 17% in 30 years. Parts per million (ppm) is the unit commonly used to measure the concentrations of pollutants in our air and water – so for every million molecules of gas, 414.71 are carbon dioxide.

4. The number of deaths per year with outdoor air pollution as a risk factor nearly doubled between 1990 and 2019.

5. Since 1992, global mean sea level has risen by 10.1 cm.

6. Sea level rise over the past 30 years is about 10 times greater than it would be if only the natural flow of water between land and ocean were measured.

seven. The rate of sea level rise is accelerating, from 2.5 millimeters per year in the early 1990s to 3.9 over the past decade.

8. The global average PH level of the ocean has increased from 8.11 in 1990 to 8.05 in 2020, representing a 12.9% increase in ocean acidity, which may affect the ability calcifying marine organisms to form shells and skeletons, with other ripple effects.

9. Between 1992 and 2020, the Greenland Ice Sheet lost 4,890 gigatonnes of ice, contributing 13.6 millimeters to global sea level rise.

ten. Between 1992 and 2020, the Antarctic ice sheet lost 2,670 gigatonnes of ice, contributing about 7.4 millimeters to global sea level rise.

11. The rate of ice loss from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets has increased by more than 250% in three decades, from 105 gigatonnes per year between 1992 and 1996 to 372 gigatonnes between 2016 and 2020.

12. Over the past 25 years, monitored glaciers in Europe have lost between 9 meters (in Scandinavia) and 30 meters (in the Alps) of ice.

13. The thickness of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has shrunk by more than 30% over the past 30 years.

14. “Once-a-decade” heavy precipitation events – single-day events that occur once every 10 years on average in a climate free of human influence – are projected to be 1.7 times more frequent in 30 years if emissions remain at their current level, that means they will occur on average every 5.8 years.

15. It is predicted that more than 5 billion people will have insufficient water supplies by 2050.

16. “Once-a-decade” drought events – which have occurred once every 10 years on average in dry regions in a climate without human influence – are expected to be 2.4 times more frequent in 30 years if emissions remain at their current high level, meaning drought events that occur every 4.2 years.

17. “Once-a-decade” heat waves – which have occurred once every 10 years on average in a climate without human influence – are expected to be 5.6 times more frequent in 30 years’ time if emissions remain at their current high levels , which means that they would then always arrive approximately 1.8 years.

18. Since 1990, an estimated 420 million hectares of forest have been lost due to conversion to other land uses.

19. The rate of deforestation has decreased over the past 30 years.

20. The area of ​​naturally regenerating forest has decreased by 301 million hectares between 1990 and 2020.

21. Forest area in protected areas increased by 191 million hectares between 1990 and 2020.

22. In 1991, it was estimated that 15 percent of the total land area was either already degraded or in the process of degradation; in 2022, the UN has classified up to 40 percent as degraded.

23. More than 90% of the land surface of the planet could be degraded by 2050.

24. Global land and ocean temperature anomalies have continued to climb over the past 30 years, relative to the 20th century average.

25. Emissions related exclusively to solid waste – mainly waste in open landfills and landfills without gas collection systems – are expected to increase to 2.38 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide – equivalent per year by 2050 if no improvement is not made.

26. Global waste is expected to reach 3.40 billion tons over the next three decades, compared to 2.01 billion tons of solid waste per year currently.

27. Daily waste generation per capita in high-income countries is expected to increase by 19% by 2030.

28. Daily waste generation per capita in low- and middle-income countries is expected to increase by 40% or more by 2050.

29. The total amount of waste generated in low-income countries is expected to more than triple by 2050.

30. It is estimated that 1.2 billion people could be displaced by 2050 due to climate change and natural disasters.

The Napa Valley Ag Preserve protects working landscapes and
Attracts visitors from all over the world

By Brian Russell

Despite the devastating wildfires that recently rocked the region – and much to the delight of businesses that depend on tourism – visitors from around the world continue to flock to Napa Valley, California, one of the premier wine regions in the world.

Over the past five years, Napa County has been ravaged by several major wildfires, each burning tens of thousands of acres and – in some cases – razing entire communities.

The Atlas and Tubbs fires began on October 8, 2017, when high winds downed power lines and sparked fires in Napa and Sonoma counties. This event burned 245,000 acres, caused $14.5 billion in damage, forced 90,000 people to evacuate their homes and created long power outages for 350,000 homes.

The LNU Lighting Complex Fire started on August 17, 2020 in Napa Valley and burned for 46 days. This devastating fire destroyed 363,220 acres and 1,441 structures.

The Glass Fire began September 27, 2020 in the hills above St. Helena in Napa County. In total, he demolished 67,484 acres and 1,555 structures, including 308 homes and 343 commercial buildings. The Glass fire incinerated several wineries and wiped out three hotels.

These latest fire emergencies were further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down most businesses in the state months earlier. Between the lockdown and fire-related evacuations, Napa Valley was effectively put on hold. No one was rushing to fill their diaries.

The economy is recovering

Instead of being weighed down, however, Napa Valley’s economy rebounded – with conviction – from these unforeseen and devastating events. While several parts of the valley still show signs of the fires, such as blackened trees or charred and empty house foundations, visitors from near and far still firmly believe that Napa Valley is one of the most popular in the world.

Today, Napa Valley’s economy is healthy. The region produces nearly 50 million cases of wine per year and contributes $50 billion to the total US economy. Napa’s economic health is also evidenced by two new upscale hotels that opened this year, each with rooms starting around $1,000 a night. Data from the recent Smith Travel Research report shows that average daily rates for Napa Valley hotels have jumped over the past two years and occupancy is high.

The steady stream of visitors coming to experience the area, despite major setbacks from natural disasters and the pandemic, begs the question: what really draws people to Napa Valley? Yes, the area has great restaurants and amazing wines, but what really draws people to visit the valley is its natural beauty.

The magnificence of Napa Valley lies in its spectacular scenery and lush vineyards, which draw people to the area. What few visitors realize is that these vistas might not exist today without the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve.

Ag Preserve sets the standard

Started in 1968 by the Napa County Board of Supervisors and the Napa County Planning Commission, the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve protects the Napa Valley agricultural region.

The purpose of the reservation is to conserve rich land in the area for agricultural use and to prevent developers from converting agricultural zoned land to housing or other urban uses. This objective is set forth in the first section of the ordinance, which states: “This district classification is intended for application in the fertile valley and foothills regions of Napa County, from Napa to Calistoga, in which the agriculture is and should continue to be the predominant use of land, where uses incompatible with agriculture should be excluded and where the development of urban-type uses would be detrimental to the continuation of agriculture and the maintenance of spaces that are economic and aesthetic attributes and assets of Napa County.

To make farmland economically unattractive to developers, policy makers decided to prevent the formation of small plots to discourage development. The Napa County code states that the minimum parcel size at the bottom of the valley must be 40 acres; in the hillsides, the minimum plot size is 160 acres.

Overall, this planning policy worked. Through smart, forward-thinking land use planning, the majority of Napa Valley remains agricultural. For more than 50 years, no major development has been built in Napa Valley.

The creation of the Ag Preserve in Napa Valley was groundbreaking legislation, as it was the first agriccultural preserve of United States history. Without a doubt, the Ag Preserve’s foresight has helped Napa Valley remain an agricultural gem that continues to attract visitors from around the world.

_______________________________________________________________________

Brian Russell

Brian Russell is an attorney at Hanson Bridgett LLP. He has nearly two decades of experience representing Napa and Sonoma wineries and hospitality businesses in all real estate, corporate and licensing matters. His areas of practice include business, real estate, land use, CEQA, water and natural resource rights, trademarks and municipal law. Brian has advised clients on contract negotiations, real estate acquisitions, liquor licensing, drafting purchase agreements, creating entities and securing land use rights in Napa and of Sonoma. Additionally, Brian advises clients on property due diligence, resolved zoning issues and land purchase agreements. He can be reached at [email protected] or (707) 512-5255.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the city’s plan to turn one of downtown’s tallest office towers, 2 Peachtree Street, into a mixed-use complex that includes housing for people with disabilities. low income will take a “huge leap forward” on its campaign promise to build and preserve thousands of affordable homes.

But details on how many homes the conversion will produce were scarce in an Oct. 20 announcement from the mayor’s office.

The City of Atlanta will purchase Georgia’s iconic state building next to the Five Points MARTA station for $39 million from the state. The city’s economic development arm, Invest Atlanta, last week approved funding for the Eastside Tax Allocation District’s upcoming adaptive reuse project, according to the announcement.

“This landmark purchase is an investment in downtown Atlanta and a huge leap forward in our plan to 20,000 affordable homes. [by 2030]”Dickens said in a statement.

His office declined to say how many affordable apartments the city plans for the project. The announcement only said it would produce “several hundred new homes”, some of which would be “deeply affordable”.

Built in 1966, the 41-story skyscraper was Atlanta’s tallest building until 1976, when the Westin Peachtree Plaza was completed. The mayor’s office said 2 Peachtree’s location next to MARTA’s central hub at Five Points is a huge transit advantage for future tenants.

The residential component of the renovated office tower will include apartments priced appropriately for workers and low-income earners, as well as market-priced units, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

But the mayor’s office did not provide a price breakdown for the rents. “Highly Affordable Housing Units” are typically priced for households with incomes well below 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Half of Metro Atlanta’s AMI is $48,200 per year for a household of four, according to Invest Atlanta.

Atlanta’s acquisition of 2 Peachtree Street is the latest in a series of projects with an affordable housing component planned for city-owned land downtown.

Last December, the city selected a development team to build a mixed-use complex with 186 affordable housing units on empty land across from Atlanta City Hall. Later this fall, the Atlanta City Council is expected to pass legislation to redevelop another vacant lot at 184 Forsyth Street near the Gannett MARTA station.

The still undefined affordable housing component for the 2 Peachtree Street project underscores the uncertainty surrounding the Atlanta Department of Planning’s housing goals.

In September, Dickens tapped longtime Atlanta land use and zoning professional Jahnee Prince of the law firm Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein to lead the planning department. Although Prince started the job on September 26, the city council has yet to confirm her for the job. His office declined several interview requests or information about his urban design program.

Mutilated, strangled, suffocated or beaten to death: these are just some of the methods used to get rid of popes in the early medieval period. An incredible 33% of all popes anointed between 872 and 1012 died under suspicious circumstances. It is safe to say that the road to Christian rule in Europe was at times difficult.

Peter Heather’s revisionist history of the rise of medieval Christianity draws attention to these moments. Although the subtitle is “The Triumph of a Religion”, its narrative is anything but triumphalist. In fact, his argument gains momentum through his challenge to simplistic accounts of Christian ancestry.

The dominant historical narratives written in 20th century Britain were as follows: Christianity spread from Palestine across Europe from the 4th century onwards, through a gradual and steady process of personal conversion, guaranteed by the truth of Christian doctrine. In contrast, Heather explores the pragmatic and administrative ways through which Christianity came to power. That’s not to say he downplays the importance of individual belief, but it does remind us to consider the leap from private spirituality to an institutional and hegemonic system of government. It is the latter that is its subject: Christianity as a political entity, with a grip on the entire European continent.

The connection between Christianity and Europe continues to define world politics. Heather destabilizes this bond at its origin, showing how Christian supremacy was far from inevitable, and how state power has shaped the trajectory of religion. So while this is undoubtedly a book that will be useful to anyone who wants to distinguish his Visigoths from his Vandals, the relevance of the author’s argument demands a much wider audience. Taking a long view of history, Heather allows the reader to witness the development of Christianity in a context of supreme imperial command until its survival in the chaos of “the Christian community”.

Beginning with the conversion of Emperor Constantine in AD 312, he argues that Christianity became a de facto branch of Roman administration. It was this intersection with state power that transformed the religion from a “small, mysterious Near Eastern cult” into a mass movement. Heather shows how conversion to Christianity in the Roman system did not require violence to be coercive. There was intense pressure for individuals to conform in order to survive and thrive. It’s a compelling argument, one that resonates with later stories of conversion and empire. We are shown in detail how elite provincial landlords across the Roman Empire converted to win imperial favor, bringing their tenants with them in the faith.

This account of the spread of Christianity provides a suspenseful setting for the second part of the story: its fate after the fall of the Roman Empire. Heather spins a dense web of provincial rulers and confusing successions of power into a compelling narrative as we follow the reinvention of Christianity for a post-imperial era. It shows how Christianity adapted as it spread to new parts of Europe, to encourage its adoption among the locals. For example, the early medieval northern European church revised its principles to be lenient toward murder based on the priorities of newly converted warriors. The role of landowners in spreading the faith remains a striking theme throughout history: in the 6th century, we see how Pope Gregory the Great coerced the peasants of his lands into conversion by threats of increased rents .

The latter part sees the development of a Christian one-party style of government, where papal doctrine was enforced throughout Europe through direct intimidation and a climate of fear. In the 12th century, it was the inhabitants who had to change, not the church. A system of largely self-governing communities was consolidated into a superstate, a single corporate entity whose influence on the course of history cannot be underestimated. The improbable “success” of the First Crusade, with the Christian conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, allowed the solidification of Christian domination. The idea of ​​a Christian Holy Land was a propaganda image that proved irresistible to many – bringing them good luck, as the resistance would have put them in the hands of the Inquisition.

At a time when Victor Orbán speaks of the need for Europe to “return to its Christian identity”, it is more urgent than ever to understand how exactly Christianity came to dominate in Europe. Heather’s story runs through the myth of an innate and culturally monolithic Christian Europe. Rather than leaving us with an idea of ​​the glorious achievements of ancestry, Heather sheds light on the mechanics of state coercion and intermittent violence that led to the birth of Christianity. It’s not light reading – but there’s enough drama to make it a page-turner.

Srinagar: Six years ago, Hilal Ahmad, a 60-year-old farmer from Anantnag, converted his paddy field into an apple orchard after suffering huge losses. What seemed like a tough decision then turned into a blessing for him now.

“My land is the only source of income, so it was a very difficult decision to make. However, I started to grow apple trees of foreign varieties with high density and high yield. Gradually the results came in and his income grew,” he said.

Similarly, Abdul Hamid, a 50-year-old farmer from Hama village in Anantnag district, was generating profits of Rs 20,000 from the paddy he grew on his 10-Kanal of land. “A turnaround in ideas and his change to growing apples on the same land is now earning us a profit of three lakh rupees a year. We have a family of six and all are dependent on the apple orchard,” he said declared.

Kashmir is witnessing a change in the landscape of agricultural fields. The vast rice paddies are now replaced by neat rows of apple trees. Experts believe that the change is driven by economic considerations, as the horticulture sector offers farmers “5-6 times (500-600%)” monetary benefits compared to paddy cultivation.

According to figures from the Horticulture Department of Jammu and Kashmir seen by The Kashmir Monitor, the horticulture sector has grown by more than 400% in the valley since 1974.

The figures reveal that in 1974-75 the area under horticulture was 82,486 hectares in UT. It increased to 2,19,039 hectares in 2001. In 2020, the horticultural area jumped to 3,30,956 hectares. While the land under paddy cultivation has increased from 163,000 hectares in 1996 to 134,067 hectares in 2021. This indicates a loss of 28,933 hectares under paddy cultivation over the past 25 years.

Dr. Abdul Rauf Malik, Assistant Professor in the Department of Fruit Science, Sheri-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology, Kashmir (SKAUST-K), said apple is the largest horticultural crop grown at J&K .

“The main motivating factor that drives farmers to grow apples rather than grow paddy is the monetary benefits. Moreover, the first is a dynamic sector. Technological advancements in the horticulture sector have led to a higher productivity, thus increasing farmers’ incomes. While paddy cultivation does not give too much economic benefit,” Dr Rauf said.

Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of Geoinformatics at the University of Kashmir, Dr Irfan Rashid said economic considerations are the main reason for the change.

“Additionally, the other reasons are depletion of river flows, increased urbanization in upstream areas and climate change,” Rashid said.

Extensive research shows that native conifers, such as juniper and pinyon pine, have increased their footprint on the landscape at an unprecedented rate over the past 150 years, especially in places such as the Great Basin, where 1 .1 million acres have grown from the bush. or rangelands to woodlands since 2000. This accelerated conversion of scrub and grassland ecosystems to woodlands has undesirable effects, including the loss of unique wildlife and wildlife habitats, reduced water availability, and increased runoff and erosion, less land available for livestock grazing and greater fuel loading for forest fires.

A new website from the PJ (pinyon-juniper) Encroachment Education Project collaboration sheds some light on the matter. The site is also a resource for those trying to manage this threat, particularly in the Great Basin, where invasive pinyon pines and junipers are invading sagebrush ecosystems and contributing to the decline of species at risk such as the western grouse. sagebrush.

“The thrust of this project is to provide science-based insights into the ecology and impacts of the problem, and the collaborative work being done to address it,” said Christina Restaino, a natural resources specialist at the University of Nevada, Reno Extension. , the organization carrying out the project. “The website is intended to help people understand the issue and to serve as a clearinghouse of information to help land managers, professionals and agencies across the West in their collaborative efforts.”

Restaino, who is also an assistant professor in the University’s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, said a new report from the US Geological Survey and the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies identifies the tree encroachment as one of the top three threats to sagebrush ecosystems. – the other two being invasive species and land use planning.

The website launched today and includes sections explaining the ecology of how and where the conversion occurs, as well as the impacts of converting sagebrush range to forests. The “Resilience in Action” section shows the projects underway in the West to deal with the problem. Finally, there’s an impressive “See the Science” section, where online viewers can search a database with over 400 peer-reviewed articles on an interactive map for information on the matter by location, topic, keyword or year.

Project partners worked for two years to build the website, diving into research; organize multiple working sessions with stakeholders; work with web designers to create an organized and easy-to-navigate site; and work with a technical illustrator to provide clear and accessible graphics for the site. Project partners include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Working Lands for Wildlife partnership, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Intermountain West Joint Venture’s Partnering to Conserve Sagebrush Rangelands initiative.

“Communicating why more trees everywhere isn’t always a good thing is a real challenge for land managers tasked with conserving non-forest land,” said Jeremy Maestas, who is part of the task force and an expert in Sagebrush Ecosystem at USDA-NRCS. “With Extension, we were able to create a website that helps a wide audience understand the science behind the problem.”

Besides the devastating effect on sagebrush-dependent wildlife, Maestas points out that the encroachment also has economic impacts.

“In Intermountain West, 90% of tree encroachment has occurred in sagebrush shrubs, a habitat type that has already been cut in half due to a wide variety of threats. Species like the sage grouse, which are found nowhere else in the world, abandon breeding habitats when there are only a few trees per acre. Invasive trees also suck valuable soil moisture needed in arid lands to grow other native grasses and wildflowers, which means less food and cover not only for wildlife, but also for the livestock that support it. western rural agricultural economies.

Mandi Hirsch, sagebrush collaborative conservation specialist for the Intermountain West Joint Venture and leader of the Partnering to Conserve Sagebrush Rangelands initiative, is also part of the project’s working group. She knows firsthand the impact that tree encroachment on rangelands can have on ranchers. Hirsch is a breeder at heart and by profession who now also works for the conservation and sustainability of rangelands in the West.

“The conservation of a single species like the sage-grouse is very important, but it is only part of the bigger picture when managing natural resources at the landscape scale. What many people don’t realize is that there are many other potentially devastating effects of encroachment, including jeopardizing our pastoralists’ livelihoods and their ability to produce food. I really think this website can help people understand this and all the other impacts of this encroachment. And I think it will be a great continuing resource for those trying to do something about it.