Tag: economy

Swiss Town To Pay Families £50,000 To Move In

In a new age of technology, tradition is becoming outdated. Still, small, independent groups are attempting to keep bits of history alive. Just recently, students from a Hong Kong university paid tribute to bamboo weaving in Peitian. The project proved impactful but modest, whereas other communities are taking a more urgent approach. To keep afloat, the Swiss village of Albinen is offering potential residents up to £50,000 to migrate in.

The council will soon be voting on the new initiative, which aims to repopulate a community that has dwindled to just 240 residents.

Like with all attractive propositions, the move comes with a catch — several of them. Takers must be below the age of 45 and live in a 200,000-franc residence for at least 10 years. You’ll also need to learn German. And while you may still be salivating over the promise of a hefty check, there is little to do in Albinen.

There’s little going on in the town’s centre, save for its narrow cobbled turns, centuries-old houses, a church and a shop.

That being said, with good company and a zest for the outdoors, Albinen may be the place for you.

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Norway Halts Fur Production As It Goes Out Of Style

The fashion industry is incredibly temporary. Trends come and go, save for those that are timeless — like sustainable fashion. As mink and fox slink out of style in Norway, its government is planning on keeping it that way. Once a giant in the fur world, Norway is finally banning the material, much to the delight of activists.

Animal rights group Noah hailed the decision as part of a shift against what it views as an outdated and cruel business with dwindling appeal to fashion-conscious consumers.

“We’re very pleased,” Noah leader Siri Martinsen said.

Old-fashioned may be the best way to describe fox farming, as its Norwegian industry peaked in 1939. Back then, the nation boasted 20,000 farms, compared to its 3% output today.

“It’s not a very lucrative business in Norway,” said Sveinung Fjose, of Menon Business Economics and an expert on fur farms. “It wouldn’t harm the Norwegian economy severely” to close it down.

As expected, fur breeders are disgruntled — but hey, gotta evolve with the times.

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Belize Puts Indefinite Ban On Oil Drilling

Though global efforts to counter climate change have been plentiful, greed remains on top of the food chain. Man has exploited nature to no end. While the earth is slowly recovering, not every starfish will save itself. Of the nations participating in oil explorations, little Belize has had enough. As the Trump administration opens more waters to drilling, Belize is placing a moratorium on its own.

“Belize is a small country making a mighty commitment to putting the environment first,” says Nadia Bood, a reef scientist with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The developing country produces some 3,000 barrels of profitable oil per day, but its people know better. Despite a gleaming export income, the nation-that-could believes more in the value of its coral reefs.

“Ending oil activities will encourage other countries to follow suit and take the urgent action that is needed to protect our planet’s oceans,” says Chris Gee, a campaigner at WWF.

With a $200 million annual tourism cut that supports 190,000 livelihoods, banning excavations may not be a misstep after all.

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Plastic Bags Are Now Illegal In Kenya

2017 has proven to be the year of anti-plastic ambassadors. Many groups are engineering alternatives for the material, whether to replace coffee capsules and even Legos. On the other hand, the Kenyan government wants to speed up the process by banning plastic bags entirely.

Beginning [August 28], if you’re carrying your groceries in a plastic bag or put out your trash in a disposable one, you could be fined up to $38,000 or be sent to jail for up to four years.

While the motion holds good intentions, it is economically stressing. Thousands of Kenyans work within the plastic industry. There are no cheap and readily available plastic alternatives.

“It’s not the plastic’s fault. It’s a lack of a system to collect the plastic and reuse it and make a value chain out of it beyond that first usage.”

The material may be affecting water, livestock, and public health, but the fact of the matter remains the same. Communities need to recycle. Let’s not forget that a single household’s segregated trash could make a world of a difference.

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China Launches World’s Fastest High-Speed Railway

Trains are getting much-needed makeovers and it’s about time we all hop on board. In July, India launched the world’s first solar-powered train, running for up to 27 hours on a single charge. Not to be outdone, China unveiled Fuxing, the world’s swiftest high-speed railway traveling at speeds of 350 km per hour.

“The purpose of raising the speed is mainly symbolic,” [said] Zhao Jian, economics professor and commentator. “The train is the fastest in the world, which implies the strength of Chinese train technology and science,”

So it may be an ego thing, but if passengers can get from Beijing to Shanghai in 30 minutes less, why not? In 2011, for safety reasons, engineers limited bullet train speeds to 300 km per hour. However, it seems China is willing to up the ante for economic benefits.

“Nobody predicted that the high-speed rail link between Beijing and Shanghai would be profitable when it was built… But after a seven to eight-year development, it gains, so it can work in other regions as well after eight to 10 years,”

While it is a giant leap for eager travelers, I sure do hope it’s a secure one as well.

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Trees Are Saving Cities $500 Million A Year

A tree is beneficial no matter where in the world it exists. This is why planting them, whether via dogs or drones, is always a plus for the environment. A new study has proven that trees are saving cities in an economical sense as well. To be exact, they boast a payoff of about $505 million a year.

To determine the economic impact of trees in the megacities, the researchers used a tree cover estimator called i-Tree, which requires analysis of 200 or more plots of trees within a city and then extrapolates economic benefit from there.

The monetary estimates are loose, but still provide us with a picture of why trees are so dang great. They hold the greatest impact on energy reduction, saving about $500 million annually. Trees also help lessen carbon emissions and air pollution.

Combined with the strong scientific evidence that trees are an ideal way to make life in cities better, the study shows that there’s a serious economic reason to invest in them.

Planting trees may not always be something you can do on a whim. But everything considered, there really isn’t a reason not to love them.

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