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• Net-zero by 2050 • 30 per cent of polyethylene sales from recycled content by 2030 • Reduce Scope 1 and 2 absolute CO2 emissions by 30 per cent • Become a Top 30 company in Canada •Investment of USD $2-4 billion
Economy
Kashmir is bleeding. So is its economy
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On January 1, 2023, as the world celebrated the start of a new year, several families were mourning in the Rajouri district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Armed men stormed a village and killed four civilians, injuring six others. Two more civilians were killed the following day.
Just a few weeks earlier, on December 13, India’s Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai had presented investment data for Jammu and Kashmir. The numbers spoke for themselves: investments have fallen by 55 percent over the past four years.
Together, the killings and the declining investments contradict two central arguments that have been at the heart of the Indian government’s rationale for the 2019 abrogation of the semi-autonomous status that the region previously enjoyed: that the move would help improve security and spur economic development.
In the past, federal governments in New Delhi have often blamed Jammu and Kashmir’s woes on local governments in power in the region. That’s no longer an excuse that works.
When the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi eliminated Article 370 of the Indian constitution — which gave Kashmir “special status” — it also carved out the territory of Ladakh from the region. Kashmir’s statehood was withdrawn, and it was made a union territory, directly controlled by New Delhi.
Jammu and Kashmir doesn’t even have the disempowered legislature that other union territories have — the region hasn’t had elections in seven years. Yet it should now increasingly be clear, if it wasn’t previously, that sidelining democratic processes and principles, and steamrolling constitutional provisions, aren’t working in improving the region’s security or economic allure.
Follow the money
The abrogation of Article 370 allowed non-residents to buy and own land in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time. Critics of the region’s previous special status frequently cited restrictions on land ownership as a major reason why private sector industries were reluctant to set up businesses there.
However, data published by the Indian government’s Ministry of Home Affairs — and made public by Rai — calls a bluff on those claims. Total investment in 2021-22 in Jammu and Kashmir stood at $46m, down from $50.5m the previous year, and dramatically less than the $102.8m spent in 2017-18.
While the COVID-19 pandemic no doubt affected Kashmir’s economy, the statistics suggest that wasn’t the biggest factor in investments drying up. After all, the steepest fall in investments came the year that the Indian government ended Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status, before the pandemic, halving from $72.3m in 2018-19 to $36.3m in 2019-20.
Track the bullets
Things aren’t much better on the security front. Although political protests have subsided because most pro-independence leaders have been imprisoned, armed groups appear to have changed their tactics.
Attacks on civilians have increased in the last few years and are increasingly being directed at non-resident Hindus and the minority Kashmiri Pandit community. A S Dulat, the former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s external intelligence agency, recently highlighted the sophistication of these attacks. The targeted killings, he said, demonstrated that the armed groups have a strong intelligence network and possibly have members within the government.
At least 18 Kashmiri Pandits and non-resident Hindus have been killed in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.
As with the economy, the Indian government’s own data does not support claims that armed groups have been contained. The number of attacks by such groups was 229 in 2021, not significantly different from many previous years: There were 279 incidents in 2017, 322 in 2016, 208 in 2015, 222 in 2014 and 170 in 2013, the year before Modi came to power.
What’s really at play
The Indian government had claimed that Article 370 restricted people’s participation in the political process and led to a few families dominating the politics of the region. However, since 2019, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has taken steps to further disempower local Kashmiris.
First, constituency boundaries for the region’s legislature were redrawn in a way that gives Hindu-majority Jammu a greater say in elections than its population, relative to Muslim-majority Kashmir’s, merits. In effect, that strengthens the chances of the BJP coming to power in Jammu and Kashmir.
Then a revision of the voter list was carried out, giving voting rights to outsiders. Jammu and Kashmir is home to hundreds of thousands of migrant workers and army personnel — if allowed to vote, their electoral influence is going to be significant.
Some Kashmiri leaders have invoked the region’s 1987 elections which were allegedly rigged and were considered a tipping point when the armed separatist movement in Kashmir took off.
Meanwhile, armed groups may continue to adopt attacks on non-local civilians as the mainstay of their strategy to signal their opposition to demographic changes attempted by New Delhi.
While Kashmiris and non-locals alike suffer, there is no reason to expect that Modi and his government will change their policy towards the region. The BJP’s hardline approach towards Kashmir helps it bolster its image in the rest of India as a party that is tough on “terrorism” and “separatism”.
The truth, of course, is more complicated. The BJP’s policies have led to increased insecurity for people living in the region — whether they’re Hindu or Muslim. And there has been no economic payoff, either.
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Economy
NOVA Chemicals sets bold ESG aspirations to lead the plastics circular economy – Financial Post
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The content in this section is supplied by GlobeNewswire for the purposes of distributing press releases on behalf of its clients. Postmedia has not reviewed the content.
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CALGARY, AB, March 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NOVA Chemicals Corporation (“NOVA Chemicals”) today announced sector-leading ESG ambitions to drive the circular economy for plastics, in line with its vision to become the leading sustainable polyethylene producer in North America.
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By 2030, the company aims to:
- Set new industry standards for driving the transition to the plastics circular economy and solidifying the market for recycled polyethylene, with 30 per cent of its polyethylene sales[i] from recycled contet;
- Be at the forefront of decarbonization by reducing its Scope 1 and 2 absoute CO2 emissions by 30 per cent[ii]; and
- Become a Top 30 company in Canada.
Outlined in NOVA 2030: Our Roadmap to Sustainability Leadership, NOVA Chemicals has also shared its aspiration to reach net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050.
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“NOVA’s Roadmap to Sustainability Leadership details a strong plan forward for the company to become the leader in sustainable polyethylene production while building on our commitments to developing innovative solutions for our customers, enabling the circular economy, and being a responsible steward of our environment,” stated Danny Dweik, CEO. “Plastic products play an essential role in our daily lives. With our renewed purpose of reshaping plastics for a better, more sustainable world, we have developed a clear pathway to become a catalyst for a low carbon, zero-plastic-waste future.”
To achieve these aspirations, NOVA Chemicals anticipates investing between USD$2-4 billion by 2030 to expand its sustainable product offerings, decarbonize assets, and build a state-of-the-art mechanical recycling business while exploring new advanced recycling technologies to create high-quality, high-performance recyclable and low carbon plastics.
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Building on its proprietary, Advanced SCLAIRTECHTM technology (AST), NOVA Chemicals will explore expanding its product portfolio to include the development of innovative, advanced materials. These new product offerings, which will include the company’s first ASTUTE™ polyolefin plastomers line, will better serve existing customers and provide more options for sustainability-focused end markets such as electric vehicles and renewables.
NOVA Chemicals has already begun growing its portfolio of recycled and recyclable polyethylene resins through its recently announced launch of SYNDIGO™ recycled polyethylene, a new portfolio of products made from circular polymers to encourage both waste and emissions reductions.
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The company’s 2030 aspirations are shorter-term objectives that will help NOVA Chemicals reach its ultimate goal of achieving net-zero Scope 1 and 2 absolute CO2 emissions by 2050. NOVA Chemicals has developed a technical solutions-focused roadmap for decarbonizing its asset base by improving energy efficiencies, electrifying and acquiring renewable power, and exploring clean hydrogen as a low carbon fuel source and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS). The company will also continue to pursue new technologies to abate and eliminate emissions from its production processes, such as the development of its proprietary Low Emissions Ethylene Process (LEEP™) technology.
The company has also announced a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Shell Energy for renewable power, marking the first of many opportunities to increase low carbon, renewable energy in its power portfolio.
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Today’s announcement builds upon NOVA Chemicals’ long-standing commitment to developing innovative solutions for its customers while enabling the circular economy and preparing for and responding to a changing world. NOVA’s approach to managing its material ESG topics including Responsible Care® and its commitment to the environment, health, and safety, can be found in its annual ESG report.
Learn more about NOVA 2030: Our Roadmap to Sustainability Leadership.
– 30 –
About NOVA Chemicals Corporation
NOVA Chemicals aspires to be the leading sustainable polyethylene producer in North America. Our driving purpose is to reshape plastics for a better, more sustainable world by delivering innovative solutions that help make everyday life healthier and safer and acting as a catalyst for a low carbon, zero-plastic-waste future. NOVA Chemicals’ innovative and quality product offerings, value chain collaboration, and unique customer experience is what sets us apart; our customers use our products to create easy-to-recycle and recycled content films, packaging, and products. Our employees work to ensure health, safety, security, and environmental stewardship through our commitment to sustainability and Responsible Care®.
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NOVA Chemicals, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has nearly 2,500 employees worldwide and is wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Learn more at www.novachem.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
NOVA Chemicals’ logo is a registered trademark of NOVA Brands Ltd.; authorized use.
Advanced SCLAIRTECH™, SYNDIGO™, LEEP™, and ASTUTE™ are trademarks of NOVA Chemicals.
Responsible Care® is a registered trademark of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada.
This news release contains forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements require NOVA Chemicals to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. NOVA Chemicals’ forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. In addition, the forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this news release, and except as required by applicable law, NOVA Chemicals undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise.
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Statements in this news release as to future aspirations, ambitions or goals, including any projections or plans to reduce emissions or emissions intensity, and projections or plans to increased recycled polyethylene or in respect of circularity, to increase the size, value or ranking of NOVA Chemicals, or in regards to any investments or investment amounts, are forward-looking statements. In addition, any roadmaps related to the foregoing represent forward-looking statements as well. Any actual future results could vary depending on NOVA Chemicals’ ability to execute on a timely and successful basis, on policy and consumer support, changes in laws and regulations, unforeseen difficulties, and the outcome of research efforts or technology developments.
[i] On a volume basis
[ii] Under operational control, 2020 baseline
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Economy
‘Already past the point of no return’: JPMorgan says the U.S. is probably headed for a recession as economic ‘engines are about to turn off’ – Yahoo Finance
A series of banking crises this month headlined by the failure of Silicon Valley Bank has forced analysts from multiple banks, including JPMorgan Chase, to rewrite their recession forecasts from scratch, as months of small victories against inflation and a relatively strong economy were potentially swept away in under two weeks.
Even if the government and the private sector are able to successfully contain contagion from the bank collapses spreading through the economy, the failures may still lead to lasting damage for the U.S. financial system. Some banks are teetering on the edge in Europe and the U.S., while jittery markets and the promise of stricter regulation could lead to a credit crunch—a steep decline in banks’ willingness to lend caused by a lack of funds.
It adds up to an impossible choice the Federal Reserve has to make when officials meet on Wednesday: Slow down the pace of interest rate hikes or plow ahead to bring down resurgent inflation and risk amplifying damage to the economy. But as far as the Fed is concerned, hopes of engineering a soft landing for the economy and avoiding a recession may already be in the rearview mirror.
“The Fed is facing a difficult task on Wednesday, but it is likely already past the point of no return,” JPMorgan strategists led by Marko Kolanovic, the bank’s chief global markets strategist, wrote in a note to clients Monday. “A soft landing now looks unlikely, with the airplane in a tailspin (lack of market confidence) and engines about to turn off (bank lending).”
It is still unclear how far contagion from SVB will spread. New York–based Signature Bank failed days after SVB, requiring sweeping government measures to restore confidence that account holders in both banks would be made whole, but other small-sized and regional banks remain in precarious positions. San Francisco–based First Republic remains at high risk, although larger U.S. banks banded together last week to provide a $30 billion deposit to prop up its finances. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also pledged Tuesday that the government was prepared to step in again if issues at other banks “pose the risk of contagion.” But even if depositors are safeguarded, the damage may have already been done.
“Even if central bankers successfully contain contagion, credit conditions look set to tighten more rapidly because of pressure from both markets and regulators,” JPMorgan wrote.
The analysts referred to current challenges as a possible “Minsky moment,” named after the American economist Hyman Minsky, who famously predicted that extended bull markets naturally end in epic and monumental collapses. A Minsky moment happens when the inevitable check comes due and the house of cards finally falls down. JPMorgan analysts wrote our Minsky moment is nearing as the past few weeks alone have seen a number of economic and geopolitical threats to the world, including banking crises on both sides of the Atlantic, China striking a new diplomatic deal with Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s high-profile trip to Moscow and visit with sanctioned Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who was recently issued an international arrest warrant for war crimes committed in Ukraine.
Investors and historians have warned for years that an extended bull market in the U.S. since 2009 would inevitably lead to an economic overcorrection: “The long, long bull market since 2009 has finally matured into a fully-fledged epic bubble,” investor and market historian Jeremy Grantham wrote in 2021. More recently, Grantham has been warning of an all-consuming “everything bubble,” which he called “pretty damn big” during an interview this month with economist David Rosenberg.
“‘There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen,’” JPMorgan analysts wrote, citing a famous Vladimir Lenin quote.
JPMorgan isn’t the only major bank to have downgraded its economic forecasts in recent weeks; Goldman Sachs also told clients last week the banking crisis could deliver a severe blow to U.S. economic growth. And former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has warned multiple times in recent months even before the banking crisis that the economy could be headed for a “Wile E. Coyote moment,” having already run off a cliff edge but still blissfully unaware of the sudden crash about to happen.
The longest bull market in U.S. history that began in 2009 only ended in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The short-lived 2020 recession was quickly replaced by another ferocious bull market in 2021, but after a year of slowing growth, the long-awaited Minsky or Wile E. Coyote moment may have finally arrived.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
More from Fortune:
ReutersThe global economy is facing a slew of problems – and all eyes are looking in one direction: America.
Two banking failures in the US this month have raised fears about the health of the financial system.
The collapses follow a sharp rise in global borrowing costs, led by the US, which has shocked the world economy and raised worries about a painful downturn known as a recession.
At the centre of the crisis is the US central bank.
Since last year, authorities at the Federal Reserve have been leading the charge to raise interest rates, as they wrestle to rein in price increases driving up the cost of living.
With risks to the economy rising, can that campaign continue?
Just two weeks ago, Chairman Jerome Powell warned the bank might need to raise interest rates further and faster than expected, citing concerns that progress on stabilising prices was stalling.
The rate at which prices rise was 6% in the 12 months to February – far higher than the 2% rate considered healthy.
But the recent banking turmoil has many investors betting the Fed will be especially keen to avoid startling financial markets with a big move.
Many analysts expect officials to raise rates by 0.25 percentage points – or perhaps hold off on an increase entirely.
Whatever the decision, Mr Powell is squarely in the hot seat – with little chance of satisfying his many critics.
“This is probably the toughest decision the Fed has had to make in a while,” says Ryan Sweet, chief economist at Oxford Economics, who is expecting a 0.25 percentage point increase.
He says Mr Powell will “have to play the two-handed economist perfectly”, convincing investors that the central bank can still raise rates to fight inflation on the one hand, while using other tools to combat stress in the financial system.
“The biggest challenge is going to be communication and the Fed doesn’t have a really good track record.”
Mr Powell, a lawyer who was appointed to lead the Fed by former President Donald Trump, already had work to do to restore credibility, after he infamously described the price rises that started to hit America in 2021 as “transitory”.
The bank failures have added to the scrutiny, putting into focus costs from the rapid rate rise campaign, while raising questions about whether the Federal Reserve had been too lax in its oversight.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a progressive Democrat who has long faulted Mr Powell’s response to inflation, has accused him of presiding over an “astonishing list of failures”, including faulty supervision.
She said this week she did not think he should remain in his post.
And though the reasoning is different, criticism of Mr Powell has also grown louder on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley.
“The Fed should have reacted to inflation six months earlier, and then raise rates more gradually. Instead they slammed on the brakes and now we have a car crash,” venture capitalist David Sacks wrote on Twitter in the wake of the bank failures.
With outcry widening, the White House this week issued a statement affirming US President Joe Biden’s “confidence” in Mr Powell.
Mr Sweet said such an unusual step is a sign in part of a more toxic turn in politics.
“I think on both sides, they’re much more quick to criticise and point the finger,” Mr Sweet said.
Over the past year, the Fed has raised its key rate – what it charges banks to borrow – from near zero to more than 4.5% – the highest level since 2007.
But strong hiring has helped the economy hold up better than many expected, despite a sharp slowdown in the housing market and struggles in the tech sector, where low borrowing costs had helped fuel growth.
Still, the recent banking panic is likely to push the US economy into recession sooner than expected – and there is little doubt that pressure on Mr Powell has increased, Mr Sweet said.
“Anytime you get any stress in the banking system all eyes turn to the Federal Reserve.”
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