Commentary: IEEFA Versus the IEA FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享Independent Australia:The same claims of bad forecasts are also occasionally made about the Institute for Energy Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) — an independent group of highly experienced analysts, who argue that the coal industry is in structural decline. One way of resolving this tension is to assume that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. But, of course, a far better way is to check their past predictions against observed reality and, by this measure, IEEFA is consistently very close and the IEA is somewhere out in the outer rings of Saturn.In a world that has come to depend so strongly on energy, bad forecasts carry disastrous consequences for financial markets, international relations, war and peace, employment, social planning and, of course, climate change.Which begs the question: why is the IEA so far off the mark? The answer might lie in their Coal Industry Advisory Board (CIAB), which was set up by the IEA to inform the agency about the future of the coal industry. However, rather than being made up of experts, like analysts, economists and futurists, the Coal Industry Advisory Board is made up exclusively of CEOs and very senior managers for companies that trade in coal, sometimes exclusively.The Australian coal industry has four representatives on the advisory board, of whom Greg Everett, the CEO of Sunset Power, who owns the Vales Point Power Station at Lake Macquarie, is one. Vales Point spits out about as much carbon as Jamaica.Peter Freyberg is the Head of Coal Assets at Glencore, which is the biggest thermal coal mining company in Australia. Glencore has been accused of violating Indigenous rights and poisoning rivers at the McArthur River Mine in the Northern Territory. Glencore also happens to be very good at avoiding corporate tax.James Palmer is the “Asset President, Coal” at BHP Billiton. Although BHP was the largest coal producer in Australia, BHP’s strategy is to get out of coal, making Palmer’s job very hard.The last representative is Jeyakumar Janakaraj, the CEO of an outfit you may have heard of — Adani. Adani, of course, wants to build a massive toxic coal mine in Queensland and ship it through the Great Barrier Reef, with a free water licensce in drought-stricken Queensland. Which begs the question: why does the guy who runs the company get to help write the most authoritative report in the world on the future of the coal industry? Nice work if you can get it.In defiance of the laws of thermodynamics, the information system driving decision-making around energy looks like a closed system, where the coal industry tells the IEA what it thinks demand for coal will look like in decades to come, the IEA tells decision-makers that coal will be around for decades, and the companies get to claim that the IEA supports their arguments. A generous way to look at it would be to assume that the industry’s subconscious biases are seeping into the World Energy Outlook. A more sinister view is that the industry is running a self-protection racket.You would think that Department Secretaries, the Planning and Assessment Commission and the Queensland Land Court would research who writes these reports and work out whether their claims stack up. Unfortunately, given our tendency to wrongly attach weight to opinions coming from perceived authorities, communities challenging coal, oil and gas projects have to argue why their claims are more justifiable than the World Energy Outlook.The reality is that, as IEEFA has repeatedly pointed out, coal is on the way out. The technology to power 100 per cent of the entire world with the power of the sun, the wind and the waves, is plummeting in cost and already exists today. What this means for coal-affected communities is that we deserve to be told the truth and to very quickly create a vision for the future of our communities. For financial institutions and companies related to fossil fuel companies, they need to develop a strategy to reduce their exposure to fossil fuels, starting immediately. Decision-makers need to take the WEO reports with a degree of caution. Governments at all levels need to significantly increase their ambition and action to get to a 1.5oC world. Citizens like us need to do what we do best and ramp up our efforts to force decision-makers to speed up the transition.Last year, dozens of companies and governments moved away from coal because of people-powered movements and campaigns. It is far from enough, but we are getting bigger and better at winning. It’s time to get vested interests out of energy analysis. Those who stand in the way of progress have been warned.More: The IEA’s World Energy Outlook and its coal bias
The Pension Protection Fund (PPF), the UK’s lifeboat fund, has set out its expectations for the next three years, suggesting it could reach £22bn (€27bn) in assets under management (AUM).By 2017, the fund will have grown from its current size of £15.6bn and seen the number of members grow from 204,000 to 280,000.The PPF said it saw 120 schemes transfer into the fund over the last financial year, which will be joined by 80 schemes this year, and 90 schemes each in the following two.Its expenditure on fund management fees is expected to rise from £85.4m to £120.6m, in line with its growth in AUM. It also confirmed it was on track to complete its funding mission of self-sufficiency, expected by 2030.Elsewhere, research conducted by the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) showed the recent changes announced in the Budget to DC at-retirement options would lead to growth in second-pillar savings.Some 28% of workers contacted by the lobby group said they were now more likely to start, or increase, saving in a pension scheme following the Budget.This compared to 3% who said they were less likely to save, or stop entirely.The research also highlighted potential issues for DC investment strategies, with a quarter (24%) saying they would take their entire pension in cash.However, 58% said they preferred to receive a regular income, such as an annuity.Some 19% agreed they would take the cash irrespective of whether they had other savings elsewhere, suggesting the number of pensioners choosing this route could be significantly higher than the government anticipates, the NAPF said.And finally, the monthly bulk annuity market monitor, produced by Aon Hewitt, showed pricing for both buyouts and buy-ins were better than 12 months previous.It also showed growth in assets would leave schemes in a much better position for a buyout than many trustees expected.However, it also argued the Budget had had little impact on bulk annuity pricing, despite expectations individual annuity providers would shift business towards the bulk space, potentially leading to a competitive lowering of prices.Authors of the report, Dominic Grimley and Paul Belok, said: “This will help to sustain competition in the bulk annuity market as demand from schemes rises.“We do not expect bulk annuity pricing to react materially in the short term, as the market is already competitive.”
LocalNews Landslide in Antrizile claims the life of Linus Sully by: – May 17, 2011 Photo credit: ckcbirds.co.ukPolice Public Relations Officer, Inspector Claude Weekes has confirmed the death of forty eight year old Linus Sully, a resident of the Antrizle community in the Kalinago Territory.It is reported that Mr. Sully, Gilbert Laville and another gentleman were walking under a cliff heading to fish at the time of this tragic and unfortunate incident.“Police are investigating the death of Linus Sully of Atkinson which took place on Monday 16th May, 2011 somewhere about 3:45pm. He along with others were heading to the bayside at Antrizle to do rock fishing when rocks and boulders came crashing on them, thats the deceased Linus Sully and his son Gilbert Laville. Laville sustained multiple injuries of the head and other parts of the body they were taken to the Marigot Hospital where the body of Linus Sully was pronounced dead by the doctor. Meanwhile Laville was referred to the Princess Margaret Hospital for further medical attention. A Coroner’s Inquest will be convened soon to be followed by a Post Mortem.”Dominica Vibes News Tweet Sharing is caring! Share
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Imagine having a hobby you love so much and yet, the vast majority of your peers consider you insufficient, at best. This happens every single day for women in esports.You might consider that an exaggeration and while a horde of various outlets and surveys claim that the number of female gamers is rising, the number of women participating competitively is stagnant. The best option to succeed as a woman in esports is to find a female-only team to compete with. Why is that?As a girl in a boys world, I just wanted to seriously play video games. Maybe not as hardcore as others, but I wanted to be competitive. The easiest thing to do was find a girls only group. They feel my struggle right? In came Sweet Synergy, an amazing organisation aimed at simply getting women to come together and play in a safe space. I was on a team for some time and as I departed I realised, isn’t segregating ourselves as a female-only organisation a little hypocritical? We want to be included, and yet we’re completely excluding ourselves from the general populous of esports. From then on I was totally against female only tournaments and leagues. I never watched them, rolled my eyes at any event or mention, never had a care in the world. As time went by, and after some research, an epiphany took place. As I was watching the female-only Intel Challenge tournament I realised I’m equally as hypocritical if I don’t support women in esports in any capacity. Support is all we ask for in any realm. These women are busting their asses just as much as the boys to take advantage of every single opportunity given to them. Why scoff at them when they’ve gotten farther than most women can say?Organisations like Team Dignitas, CLG, and Team Secret are already vetting CS:GO female rosters. StarCraft II player, Scarlett, has won the most prize money as a female player for Team Expert. There are lists and lists of women currently competing that have found their own success. But most of that comes from female-only tournaments. Take CLG’s female only roster, for example. According to esportsearnings.com they’ve won roughly $30,000 (£23,990) in prize money since their creation in 2015, while their male counterparts have won roughly $300,000 (£239,904).Team Secret’s female roster taking the top prize at the Intel Challenge Katowice 2017If we want to support women to play just as well and as much as men, why segregate them? The overarching point of this is the fact that you can support women in esports without being a complete and total hypocrite, even if you think female only teams are contradictory. Women in esports need support, in any form and fashion. The list of women that have gained so much success where they are is slowly, but surely, growing. Most of them have no choice but to play in female only tournaments, but that’s what is best available to them right now. So why fault them for succeeding? You should build women up, not tear them down for their efforts. Is CS:GO your game of choice? Why not check out the next female-only tournament? Know a woman that’s considering the competitive scene? Encourage them to participate. Big fan of a particular host, commentator, player, or even journalist? (*wink* *wink*). Tell them. Tweet them. It’s the little things that keep them going. Knowing that there are encouraging people in this silly community we’re so in love with helps more than you can imagine.You don’t have to pick a side. Show the world that not everyone is like what you see in Twitch chat.
In a swift response to the suspension of the NFF President and entire Executive board by the Minister of Sports and Chairman National Sports Commission, Dr. Tamuno Danagogo yesterday 3rd July, world football governing body, FIFA through the office of the Secretary General has notified the Head of the Nigeria Football Federation of the implication and eventual consequences of the suspension.In an official letter signed by FIFA’s Secretary General Jérôme Valcke to the NFF President, Mr Aminu Maigari and CAF via e-mail, FIFA described as ‘undue interference’ the Federal High Court injunction and subsequent suspension of the leadership of the NFF while it also counselled an immediate reversal.The Letter reads:We have learnt from various sources, and notably Nigeria newspapers, that different actions were taken with regard to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) which are very worrisome.We understand that the NFF has been served with court processes and that consequently an order restraining the President of the NFF, his Executive Committee members and the NFF Congress from running the affairs of Nigerian Football has been granted by a high Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.We also take note of your detention carried out by representattives of the Department of State Security Service and that the latter is looking for other members of the NFF. We notice as well that the Minister of Sport has appointed an assistant director to take charge of the NFF. Finally, it is alleged that the members of the NFF have been convened to attend an Extraordinary Congress on 5 July 2014 in Abuja. In this regard, we would like to remind you that all FIFA member associations have to manage their affairs independently and without influence of any third parties as clearly stipulated in articles 13, par 1 and 17, par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes. Therefore, the above mentioned actions are preventing the NFF from managing its affairs independently and are considered by FIFA as undue inteference in the NFF affairs.We inform you as well that FIFA will not recognize any person or organ not elected in compliance with the NFF Statutes ( article 17, par 2 and 3 of the FIFA Statutes) and therefore we will not consider the appointment made by the Minister of Sports. Additionally, we will not recognize any decision taken by the above mentioned Extraordinary Congress which will be considered null and void. An elective Congress has been duly convened by the NFF for 26 August 2014 and the only decisions and persons elected then will be considered legitimate.Under these circumstances, we recommend you relay this position to the relevant authorities and brief them about the potential adverse consequences on Nigerian football. Moreover we ask that you respectfully inform the relevant authorities that if the aforementioned NFF officials are not fully reinstated by Tuesday 8 July 2014, we will have no choice but to refer the case to the appropriate FIFA organs for sanctions, including the suspension of the NFF.We would like to underline the dire effects a suspension could have on Nigerian football. It would for instance mean that no team from Nigeria of any sort (including clubs) could have any international sporting contact (art. 14 par. 3 of the FIFA Statutes). But it would also mean that neither the NFF nor any of its members or officials could benefit from any development programme, course or training from FIFA or CAF any longer.We thank you in advance to keep us informed of any progress.