After Words with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

(CSPAN Video Library Recording)

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) talked about his book Captured: The Corporate Infiltration of American Democracy, in which he examines how government is impacted by corporate money and special interest groups. Global climate change is a primary topic. Senator Whitehouse was interviewed by Eric Lipton of the New York Times.

Access: https://www.c-span.org/video/?423902-2/words-senator-sheldon-whitehouse

By C40 Cities, March 30, 2017

Fumiko Hayashi has been mayor of Yokohama since 2009 and is the first woman to hold the post. Her previous roles have included president of BMW Tokyo, president of Tokyo Nissan Auto Sales and chairperson and CEO of the Japanese supermarket chain Daiei.

In 2006, Forbes magazine named her 39th most powerful woman in the world, the highest rank for a Japanese woman. Ms. Hayashi is the president of Mayors Association of Designated Cities in Japan and also serves as the member of the Council for Gender Equality of the Cabinet Office of Japan. She has also written several books on management and workforce relationship.

C40 Cities had the chance to connect with Hayashi to learn more about her efforts:

Q. What has been your biggest climate or environmental achievement as mayor?

A. Yokohama has implemented urban development in cooperation with various stakeholders such as citizens, companies and other groups, overcome many environmental issues and promoted city development that harmonizes the environment and the economy. In dealing with climate change, we are promoting efforts that take advantage of our achievements in urban development up until now.

With regard to energy issues in particular, through the Yokohama Smart City Project, in collaboration with 34 major Japanese companies, we are aiming to realize an advanced, energy-circular city with systems aimed at optimizing the balance between energy supply and demand in existing urban areas such as by introducing the Home Energy Management System in 4,200 homes and improving the energy efficiency of commercial buildings. We were well-received at C40 and awarded the C40 Cities Award in the Clean Energy category in 2016. Behind this was the fact that ours are some of the world’s leading large-scale projects in existing urban areas.

Q. What are the key climate change and environmental challenges facing your city? What are you doing to address them?

A. Developing the city to be low-carbon and disaster-resilient. With 3.73 million citizens and more than 110,000 businesses, Yokohama is a major city and a major energy consumer. The key is solving issues and for this, not only the government but also the power of our citizens—which is the pride of Yokohama—and the technical expertise cultivated in the public and private sectors have become major strengths. As a “FutureCity,” we will continue to work hand in hand with citizens and companies.

Q. What advice would you give to young women in Yokohama—or any other city—who are concerned about climate change and want to do something about it?

A. Climate change is a complicated and very difficult issue occurring on a global scale and is caused by a variety factors. It is critical to think about this global issue with a broad perspective but also in terms of what can we do in our own everyday lives and what is to be done in society as a whole—thinking together with numerous people and putting into practice what is initially possible. I expect much from today’s young women.

Bruce Alberts is the Chancellor’s Leadership Chair for Science and Education at the University of California, San Francisco. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of Science and President Emeritus of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Science 31 Mar 2017:
Vol. 355, Issue 6332, pp. 1353
DOI: 10.1126/science.aan2924

Summary

The recent election cycle has made it abundantly clear to most scientists that a large fraction of adults in the United States are surprisingly susceptible to illogical arguments designed to fool them. Research suggests that a great many people assess evidence not as scientists are trained to do, but rather in an emotion-biased manner that is strongly influenced by the beliefs of their cultural cohort. The increasing dominance of social media reinforces this natural human tendency. The consequences are frightening for those who believe that, for humanity to prosper, both personal and community decisions must be based on the best science. This conclusion demands a major rethinking of the goals and methods of science education at all levels—from kindergarten through college.

See also: http://www.FrackCheckWV.net