tag:theconversation.com,2011:/institutions/university-of-calgary-1318/articlesThe University of Calgary2024-03-28T20:41:08Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2258762024-03-28T20:41:08Z2024-03-28T20:41:08ZSpotting the signs of disordered eating in youth: Tips for parents and caregivers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584906/original/file-20240327-29-jlr0nd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=549%2C76%2C2570%2C1739&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Eating disorders are on the rise in youth, with research showing that health-care visits for eating disorders have doubled since before the COVID-19 pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the age of social media, youth are constantly bombarded with viral trends and toxic messages that set unrealistic standards about the ideal body image. This has translated into a far too <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001091">common expression of body shape dissatisfaction</a> in young people.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/eating-disorders">Eating disorders</a>, such as anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder are serious mental health conditions that affect approximately <a href="https://nied.ca/about-eating-disorders-in-canada/">one million Canadians</a>. These conditions are also on the rise in youth, with research showing that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2024.02.009">health-care visits for eating disorders doubled</a> during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to before the pandemic. </p>
<p>This is concerning, since there are already <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jadohealth.2022.12.008">very long wait times</a> for eating disorder programs. </p>
<h2>Impact of eating disorders</h2>
<p>Individuals with eating disorders experience a problematic relationship with food, often accompanied by significant distress about their weight, shape and size. Many experience body image dissatisfaction and restrictive eating. </p>
<p>Eating disorders do not discriminate. They can occur in people of any race/ethnicity, age, socioeconomic class or gender. Youth who do not “fit” the stereotype of an eating disorder, especially <a href="https://nedic.ca/bipoc/">those from Black, Indigenous and racialized backgrounds, may face delayed recognition and diagnosis</a>.</p>
<p>Eating disorders impact every aspect of an individual’s life and contribute to significant distress for the affected individual and their family, including their siblings. <a href="https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/health-consequences/">They can have serious and life-threatening complications</a>, such as bradycardia (heart beating too slowly), osteoporosis (bone weakening) and anemia (low red blood cell count). Eating disorders are also associated with a high rate of premature death.</p>
<p>As clinicians and researchers, we have studied and worked with youth and their families struggling with eating disorders or “disordered eating” (the spectrum of unhealthy eating behaviour and patterns). Below we offer a guide for parents and other supportive adults on recognizing the signs of disordered eating in youth and offer practical resources and tips to support them effectively.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A teen boy sitting at a white table with an empty white plate on it, resting his head on his hand" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584907/original/file-20240327-16-158617.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584907/original/file-20240327-16-158617.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584907/original/file-20240327-16-158617.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584907/original/file-20240327-16-158617.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584907/original/file-20240327-16-158617.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584907/original/file-20240327-16-158617.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584907/original/file-20240327-16-158617.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Eating disorders impact every aspect of an individual’s life and contribute to significant distress for the affected individual and their family, including their siblings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Signs of disordered eating</h2>
<p>Considering the growing concern about the rise in eating disorder behaviour in youth, and the importance of timely recognition and action, the following signs and symptoms of disordered eating are important to look out for:</p>
<p><strong>Behaviours related to disordered eating</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Excessive exercise to reduce weight or change body shape</p></li>
<li><p>Going to the bathroom immediately after eating</p></li>
<li><p>Eating in secret</p></li>
<li><p>Restricting foods, such as a specific food group</p></li>
<li><p>A preoccupation with losing weight or maintaining a low body weight</p></li>
<li><p>Frequently weighing themselves because of body image dissatisfaction</p></li>
<li><p>Unusual behaviour around food such as weighing/measuring food or cutting food into tiny pieces, or large consumption of liquids at mealtimes (for calorie dilution and a sensation of fullness)</p></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Physical signs of disordered eating</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Unexplained weight loss or weight fluctuations (up or down)</p></li>
<li><p>Delayed puberty or amenorrhea (missed periods)</p></li>
<li><p>Sensitive or damaged teeth</p></li>
<li><p>Dizziness or fainting</p></li>
<li><p>Feeling cold</p></li>
<li><p>Stomach pain</p></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Social and psychological signs of disordered eating</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Personality changes, such as social withdrawal and increased irritability</p></li>
<li><p>Depression or anxiety</p></li>
<li><p>Fighting with others about food, eating and weight</p></li>
<li><p>Avoidance of food-related social activities like birthdays or sleepovers</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>General recommendations for all parents and caregivers</h2>
<ol>
<li><p>Be on the lookout for sudden or drastic changes in your child’s eating habits, such as extreme dieting, avoiding certain foods, preoccupation with weight, and fears about losing control of overeating. Also, keep an eye out for frequent fluctuations in meal patterns.</p></li>
<li><p>Pay attention to any physical changes you notice in your child, such as unexplained weight loss or gain, persistent fatigue, or changes in mood. These could be signs of underlying issues related to disordered eating.</p></li>
<li><p>Be mindful of withdrawal from social situations that centre on food, such as avoiding gatherings where meals are involved.</p></li>
<li><p>In addition to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001091">social media use</a>, parent role modelling <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114508892471">can shape children’s attitudes and behaviour toward food and body image</a>. As a result, we recommend that parents ditch the weight-based talk. It is best to avoid commenting on people’s physical appearances, weight, shape and body sizes, including your own and others in your life. Rather, we recommend parents focus on health rather than appearances and empower youth to develop a positive relationship with food and their bodies.</p></li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A mother comforting an upset teen on a sofa" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584858/original/file-20240327-28-lk1lch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584858/original/file-20240327-28-lk1lch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584858/original/file-20240327-28-lk1lch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584858/original/file-20240327-28-lk1lch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584858/original/file-20240327-28-lk1lch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584858/original/file-20240327-28-lk1lch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584858/original/file-20240327-28-lk1lch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If you notice some of the signs and symptoms of disordered eating, it is essential to talk with your child.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The importance of early identification and intervention</h2>
<p>If you notice some of the signs and symptoms of disordered eating, it is essential to talk with your child. Invite them to share their experiences and listen without judgement. Express compassion, kindness and concern about their health and well-being.</p>
<p>If you believe your child’s health is at risk, warmly but firmly tell them that you are worried about them and organize contact with a health-care professional. Make an appointment with your primary care provider and <a href="https://nedic.ca/media/uploaded/PARENTS-CARERS_checklist_for_PCP_-_fillable.pdf">come to your appointment prepared</a> to discuss the type of behaviour you have been seeing.</p>
<p>Previous research suggests that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2745">quickly seeking help may support better recovery from an eating disorder</a>. This awareness motivates both providers and family members into action to quickly identify eating disorder behaviour in youth and to advocate for them to receive comprehensive care from a diverse health-care team including psychologists, physicians, dieticians and social workers.</p>
<p>If you experience a long wait for targeted support in your area, consider also exploring <a href="https://nied.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Caregiver-Well-Being-Resource-Guide-5.pdf">reputable organizations in your geographical location</a>.</p>
<p>It is important for parents and caregivers to recognize that negative body talk does not mean that your child has an eating disorder. It is, however, something to be mindful of, especially when coupled with the signs of eating disorders provided above.</p>
<p>The National Eating Disorders Information Centre helpline and live chat are available seven days a week. For Helpline call 1-866-NEDIC-20 (toll-free) or live chat at <a href="https://nedic.ca/">nedic.ca</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225876/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amelia Austin receives funding from the University of Calgary's O’Brien Institute for Public Health and Cumming School of Medicine.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gina Dimitropoulos receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation and the UCalgary Research Excellence Chair.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sheri Madigan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, an anonymous donor, and the Canada Research Chairs program.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tracy Vaillancourt receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. She is the chair of the COVID-19 Task Force for the Royal Society of Canada. </span></em></p>Parents and other supportive adults can learn to recognize young people’s symptoms of disordered eating, which is a spectrum of unhealthy eating patterns and behaviour.Amelia Austin, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Mathison Centre for Youth Mental Health and Education, University of CalgaryGina Dimitropoulos, Associate professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of CalgarySheri Madigan, Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of CalgaryTracy Vaillancourt, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in School-Based Mental Health and Violence Prevention, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2265622024-03-28T20:08:04Z2024-03-28T20:08:04ZAlberta’s social studies curriculum design has gone woefully wrong<p>Imagine a new school is being built, but it’s amateur builders who get charged with creating blueprints — and the education minister insists it is safe because the ministry “consulted” engineers who in reality had no say. </p>
<p>Sounds absurd. And yet, the drafting of <a href="https://curriculum.learnalberta.ca/curriculum/en/s/sss?s=SSS">Alberta’s new kindergarten to Grade 6 social studies curriculum</a> is following a similar trajectory. The recently released draft was created through an opaque process that effectively shut out Alberta’s foremost educational experts. </p>
<p>It raises alarm bells because it neglects <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-why-albertas-new-social-studies-curriculum-gets-a-failing-grade">basic Canadian social studies content</a>, <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/profoundly-disappointing-education-experts-weigh-in-on-how-the-draft-social-studies-curriculum-missed-the-mark">such as major aspects of colonization</a>. </p>
<p>Curriculum experts have also detailed how it contains <a href="https://alberta-curriculum-analysis.ca/minister-nicolaides-its-time-to-listen/">little skill development, misses the mark on child development</a> and <a href="https://alberta-curriculum-analysis.ca/an-analysis-of-the-k-6-social-studies-draft-curriculum-skills-procedures-through-the-lens-of-blooms-taxonomy-of-educational-objectives/">lacks adequate opportunities for critical thinking</a>. It represents a huge step backward. </p>
<h2>Authorship, process problems</h2>
<p>These inadequacies result from <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/10363548/alberta-social-studies-curriculum-criticism/">a process that, despite assurances of transparency and attentiveness to feedback, failed to deliver</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://open.alberta.ca/publications/social-studies-curriculum-engagement">Alberta Education did commission a Leger survey</a> inviting input from Albertans about “what they would like students to learn in new social studies curriculum.” But, <a href="https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/aef409dd-bb55-4629-8c49-1091435735f3/resource/2bfa6a7d-17b8-4c3a-8f68-6b28646571fb/download/educ-social-studies-survey-report-2023-12.pdf">despite 12,853 Albertans</a> having their say, many of their priorities, like critical thinking, are poorly addressed in the draft.</p>
<p>While soliciting public opinion is not unreasonable, curriculum design should be more than a popularity contest. Specialized, research-based knowledge is indispensable, which means having the right people at the table during curriculum design. This begs the question of who wrote the draft. </p>
<p>With no named authors, it is reasonable to suppose that the curriculum was written by a few <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/albertaFiles/includes/DirectorySearch/goaBrowse.cfm?txtSearch=Education&Ministry=EDUC&levelID=154870">Alberta Education employees</a> under the watchful direction of Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides. </p>
<p>There is no indication of what training and experience they might have had — or lacked — for this work, and Nicolaides himself is a <a href="https://www.demetriosnicolaides.com/demetrios_nicolaides">political scientist who does not report formal training in elementary or secondary education in the biographical information provided on his website.</a> </p>
<h2>Strong research basis needed</h2>
<p>The education minister touts <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/10363548/alberta-social-studies-curriculum-criticism/">consulting 300 stakeholders</a> in addition to the survey, but by the time Albertan education researchers were finally “consulted,” the written product had already been generated. They had major reservations. The minister nonetheless barrelled ahead, <a href="https://alberta-curriculum-analysis.ca/an-open-letter-on-the-new-social-studies-curriculum-march-15-2024/?fbclid=IwAR3JBvt7ovSafpuHgVrP5TBiEmfA7IHuNFiIvlPWC2SV5dpW8I9IE7CEtcY">rejecting recommendations and releasing a substantially unmodified curriculum over their objections</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A school building seen with a flag flapping in wind." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/585085/original/file-20240328-18-sxkw9k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/585085/original/file-20240328-18-sxkw9k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/585085/original/file-20240328-18-sxkw9k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/585085/original/file-20240328-18-sxkw9k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/585085/original/file-20240328-18-sxkw9k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/585085/original/file-20240328-18-sxkw9k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/585085/original/file-20240328-18-sxkw9k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Albertan students deserve a curriculum anchored in solid educational research. Hillhurst elementary school, in Calgary, Alta., in Jan. 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Even after they detailed the abysmal process and serious curriculum shortcomings in an open letter, <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/profoundly-disappointing-education-experts-weigh-in-on-how-the-draft-social-studies-curriculum-missed-the-mark">the minister failed to acknowledge their concerns</a>. </p>
<p>The fact that Alberta Education has ignored advice from those with advanced expertise in social studies education is particularly troubling, given that having a curriculum with a strong research basis is linked to positive student outcomes. </p>
<p>For example, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91959-7_5">curriculum in Finnish schools draws extensively on the work of educational researchers</a>. Their schools have some of the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/why-finland-s-schools-are-the-best-in-the-west-1.1088886">highest-performing</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2017/04/19/it-may-surprise-you-to-learn-where-the-worlds-happiest-students-live/?sh=37ce3d177413">happiest students</a> in the world. Albertan students, by contrast, won’t get a curriculum anchored in solid research.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-finnish-phenomenon-where-students-learn-how-to-ask-not-only-answer-questions-130183">A Finnish phenomenon: Where students learn how to ask, not only answer, questions</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Ignoring expertise</h2>
<p>Why has the UCP dodged meaningful involvement from educational experts, now and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/adriana-lagrange-alberta-curriculum-jonathan-teghtmeyer-1.5444974">in previous curriculum drafting</a>? </p>
<p>The minister isn’t saying, but his decision-making seems right from the American-style far-right playbook, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-danielle-smith-won-in-alberta-and-what-it-means-for-canada-191238">a hallmark of Alberta’s United Conservative Party under Danielle Smith</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://fsi.stanford.edu/global-populisms/global-populisms-and-their-challenges">The far-right populist view</a> derides experts as elites who aim to destroy what ordinary citizens hold dear. This discourse claims, contrary to evidence, that education professors (and teachers) are hellbent <a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/history-group-finds-little-evidence-of-k-12-indoctrination/2024/03">on indoctrinating</a> children. </p>
<p>But, as the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) explains, “<a href="https://www.aaup.org/file/ACASO07FreedomClassrmRpt.pdf">to expect students to comprehend ideas and apply knowledge that is accepted as true within a relevant discipline</a>” is not indoctrination. </p>
<p>Helping students develop knowledge, understandings, and skills that are evidence-based and widely accepted in a field — like the fact that residential schools existed — is not indoctrination. That’s solid teaching — and in the case of residential schools, <a href="https://nctr.ca/about/history-of-the-trc/truth-and-reconciliation-commission-of-canada/#">critical for Truth and Reconciliation</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-fact-checked-residential-school-denialists-and-debunked-their-mass-grave-hoax-theory-213435">We fact-checked residential school denialists and debunked their 'mass grave hoax' theory</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Indoctrination would be if someone insisted students embrace a contestable idea where opinions legitimately vary, as truth. <a href="https://alberta-curriculum-analysis.ca/an-open-letter-on-the-new-social-studies-curriculum-march-15-2024/?fbclid=IwAR3JBvt7ovSafpuHgVrP5TBiEmfA7IHuNFiIvlPWC2SV5dpW8I9IE7CEtcY">None of the changes that the education researchers are seeking, and that the minister failed to embrace</a>, appear to fall into that category. </p>
<h2>Critical perspectives on resource extraction?</h2>
<p>Most ironically, this draft doesn’t avoid indoctrination. A Grade 3 outcome states that <a href="https://curriculum.learnalberta.ca/curriculum/en/c/sss3?s=SSS">“Alberta’s natural resources played a critical role in Alberta’s success.</a>” <a href="https://curriculum.learnalberta.ca/curriculum/en/c/sss2?s=SSS">Grade 2 students</a> are supposed to learn to distinguish fact from opinion in the draft, but apparently that distinction is hard for some adults, since that statement — an opinion — is falsely presented as fact. </p>
<p>Focusing exclusively on the benefits of natural resources without critical perspectives or factual information about their role in <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/five-drivers-nature-crisis">environmental degradation</a> and <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change#:%7E:text=Fossil%20fuels%20%E2%80%93%20coal%2C%20oil%20and,they%20trap%20the%20sun's%20heat.">climate change</a> will not help students examine an urgent issue from various legitimate perspectives. </p>
<p>Indeed, examining an issue from multiple perspectives is the very kind of critical thinking that <a href="https://open.alberta.ca/publications/social-studies-curriculum-engagement">Albertans value</a> and that social studies scholars have identified as <a href="https://teachinghistory.org/teaching-materials/ask-a-master-teacher/23610">crucial for students</a>. <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/historical-thinking-concepts">Others are</a> equally vital, and also largely missing. Arguably, the very skills students need in order to avoid indoctrination are ones this curriculum hasn’t incorporated. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wildfires-in-alberta-spark-urgent-school-discussions-about-terrors-of-global-climate-futures-206065">Wildfires in Alberta spark urgent school discussions about terrors of global climate futures</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Not yet final</h2>
<p>The education minister has invited more <a href="https://your.alberta.ca/k-6-curriculum-engagement/survey_tools/public-feedback">feedback</a> until April 2, though <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-language-arts-curriculum-fails-to-incorporate-albertans-feedback">if previous UCP-led curriculum revisions are any indication</a>, this will be ignored. </p>
<p>Still, Albertans should speak up: the current curriculum draft deserves a failing grade. Just as we would not put Albertan children into a structurally unsafe school, we should not subject them to a structurally unsound curriculum.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226562/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maren Aukerman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Alberta’s new social studies curriculum misses the mark on child development, lacks adequate opportunities for critical thinking and neglects teaching about colonization.Maren Aukerman, Werklund Research Professor of Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2263242024-03-25T02:21:25Z2024-03-25T02:21:25ZMineral kritis itu penting, tapi penambangannya tidak boleh menghalalkan segala cara<p>Pemanasan global itu nyata, dan perubahan iklim memburuk setiap harinya dengan <a href="https://theconversation.com/zombie-fires-are-occurring-more-frequently-in-boreal-forests-but-their-impacts-remain-uncertain-198459">kebakaran hutan</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-global-warming-is-reshaping-winter-life-in-canada-222329">musim dingin yang hangat</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/warmer-wetter-wilder-38-million-people-in-the-great-lakes-region-are-threatened-by-climate-change-170195">dan bencana banjir</a> melanda hingga di Kanada–tempat saya mengajar. Di saat yang sama, transisi ke kehidupan nol karbon untuk menghindari petaka di masa depan justru terhambat dari kelemahan kunci kita: mineral kritis.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/raising-ambition/renewable-energy-transition">Kesuksesan transisi energi</a> tampaknya masih bergantung pada hal-hal seperti <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02330-0">“baterai” atau “mineral kritis”</a> yang diperoleh dari pertambangan ataupun daur ulang. </p>
<p>Ponsel pintar, <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/ammto/critical-minerals-and-materials#:%7E:text=Lithium%2C%20cobalt%2C%20and%20high%2D,and%20germanium%20used%20in%20semiconductors."><em>chip</em> superkonduktor</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.113938">teknologi energi terbarukan</a> hingga <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/us-geological-survey-releases-2022-list-critical-minerals">industri pertahanan</a>—semuanya amat bergantung pada mineral kritis. Permintaan mineral-mineral ini diperkirakan melonjak hingga <a href="https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/c7716240-ab4f-4f5d-b138-291e76c6a7c7/CriticalMineralsMarketReview2023.pdf">tiga kali lipat pada 2030</a>. </p>
<p>Sayangnya, ada kenyataan pahit bahwa suplai mineral kritis tidak bisa didapatkan begitu saja. Pengerukannya memiliki risiko ekologi dan sosial.</p>
<p>Masalah ini berdampak pada kita semua.</p>
<h2>Apa itu mineral kritis?</h2>
<p>Tidak ada kesepakatan universal terkait apa itu mineral kritis. Berbagai negara dan lembaga seperti <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/critical-minerals-market-review-2023">Badan Energi Internasional (IEA)</a> atau <a href="https://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/961711588875536384/Minerals-for-Climate-Action-The-Mineral-Intensity-of-the-Clean-Energy-Transition.pdf">Bank Dunia</a> memiliki daftar mineral kritis yang berbeda dan dapat berubah-ubah.</p>
<p>Misalnya, <a href="https://natural-resources.canada.ca/sites/nrcan/files/mineralsmetals/pdf/Critical_Minerals_List_2021-EN.pdf">Daftar Mineral Kritis Kanada</a> menggolongkan 31 sumber daya mineral ataupun kelompok mineral sebagai mineral kritis. Amerika Serikat punya dua data berbeda: <a href="https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/media/files/2022%20Final%20List%20of%20Critical%20Minerals%20Federal%20Register%20Notice_2222022-F.pdf">Data Mineral Kritis Survei Geologi AS</a> yang berisikan 50 jenis sumber daya mineral, dan <a href="https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/preprint-frn-2023-critical-materials-list.pdf">Daftar Mineral Kritis untuk Energi dari Departemen Energi AS</a>, yang menambahkan material energi seperti tembaga dan silikon. Sementara, Uni Eropa memiliki 34 jenis <a href="https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials_en">Bahan Mentah Kritis</a>.</p>
<p>Istilah “mineral kritis” sendiri secara teknis tidak tepat. Sebab, kebanyakan elemen dalam daftar ini adalah logam, bukan mineral. Namun, ada <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2023.101402">kesepakatan umum</a> bahwa mayoritas daftar memasukkan logam baterai sebagai mineral kritis. Beberapa di antaranya adalah litium, nikel, kobalt, tembaga, dan juga elemen tanah jarang dan kelompok logam platinum. Elemen yang juga umum ditemui di daftar-daftar tersebut adalah bahan campuran baja seperti kromium, mangan, dan seng.</p>
<p>Elemen-elemen di atas krusial untuk transisi energi. Logam baterai menggerakkan kendaraan listrik dan baterai penyimpan energi. Sementara itu, baja dan elemen tanah jarang sangat penting untuk turbin angin. Tembaga sangat bernilai untuk jaringan listrik. Sederhananya, kekurangan mineral kritis dapat menunda transisi energi sehingga memperburuk <a href="https://www.irena.org/Energy-Transition/Outlook">dampak perubahan iklim</a>.</p>
<p>Namun kendaraan listrik harus sama “bersihnya” dengan jaringan listrik yang memberi mereka setrum. Mereka harus “hijau” hingga ke bagian-bagian komponennya. Baterai kendaraan listrik memerlukan nikel—mungkin saja berasal dari <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2023.102997">sebuah tambang di Filipina yang secara legal membuang tailingnya (limbah beracun) ke lautan</a>. </p>
<p>Sementara itu, kobalt tidak dapat dipisahkan dari penderitaan manusia akibat pertambangan di Republik Demokratik Kongo—sebuah industri pertambangan yang disebut sebagai “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2020.11.018">bentuk perbudakan baru, perbudakan bawah tanah</a>.”</p>
<h2>Mengapa mineral kritis problematik?</h2>
<p>Mineral kritis jamak ditemukan <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.12.001">terkonsentrasi di wilayah tertentu</a>, dan <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103336">Cina adalah pihak dominan</a> dalam aktivitas pemrosesan berikut pasokannya. Ini berarti <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104587">tensi geopolitik</a> dapat mempersulit usaha-usaha untuk mengamankan <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/building-larger-and-more-diverse-supply-chains-energy-minerals#:%7E:text=Critical%20Minerals%20in%20the%20Energy%20Sector&text=Lithium%2C%20nickel%2C%20cobalt%2C%20copper,needed%20in%20significantly%20greater%20supply.">rantai pasok mineral kritis</a>. </p>
<p>Laporan “White Paper” <a href="https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Securing_Minerals_for_the_Energy_Transition_2023.pdf">World Economic Forum pada Desember 2023</a> menampilkan peta risiko ekosistem yang dapat timbul akibat kekurangan pasokan mineral kritis. </p>
<p>Kesimpulannya cukup jelas. Kekurangan mineral kritis berujung pada <a href="https://meetings.imf.org/en/IMF/Home/Blogs/Articles/2021/11/10/soaring-metal-prices-may-delay-energy-transition">tertundanya transisi energi </a> di masa depan. Dan tanda-tandanya sudah kelihatan.</p>
<p>Contohnya, risiko politik sudah teridentifikasi—termasuk <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104475">konflik perebutan sumber daya alam</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2023.103101">peningkatan nasionalisme bahan tambang</a> dan bertambahnya <a href="https://www.mining.com/web/bank-of-england-takes-deep-dive-into-opaque-commodities/">fragmentasi perdagangan</a>. Ada juga beberapa risiko ekonomi <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2023.106934">seperti volatilitas pasar dan ketidakpastian</a>, serta <a href="https://www.mining.com/web/germany-invests-1-1bn-to-counter-china-on-raw-materials">usaha penumpukan</a> mineral kritis. </p>
<p>Dalam aspek sosial-lingkungan, risiko turut mencakup peningkatan <a href="https://www.mining.com/web/amazon-gold-miners-flout-artisanal-label-with-outsized-operations/">penambangan eksploitatif dan ilegal</a>, dan <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103718">tuntutan berlebihan kepada suatu ekosistem</a>. Ada juga risiko teknologi berupa <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/resources8010029">kekurangan teknologi terbarukan yang semakin melebar</a>.</p>
<h2>Dampak penambangan mineral kritis</h2>
<p>Ketika dampak kekurangan pasokan menjadi pertimbangan, kita dapat mudah tergoda untuk membenarkan penambangan mineral kritis dengan cara apapun. Ini kekeliruan yang berbahaya. </p>
<p>Dampak <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/43012/minerals_africa.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y#:%7E:text=Critical%20mineral%20extraction%20and%20processing,crucial%20to%20mitigate%20these%20impacts.">sosial dan lingkungan</a> dari mineral kritis yang tidak tertambang dengan baik sangatlah serius. Mulai dari <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120838">intensitas air litium</a> di bentang alam yang rapuh di gurun Atacama, Chile, hingga proses beracun dalam pengolahan <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2017.1415307">elemen tanah jarang</a> yang banyak digunakan dalam teknologi pintar dan turbin angin. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1144/sp526-2022-172">Penurunan kadar bijih</a> juga berarti bendungan tailing yang semakin besar, dan perubahan iklim membuatnya lebih rentan terhadap kecelakaan.</p>
<p>Bagi masyarakat adat, <a href="https://chamber.ca/critical-minerals-can-create-transformative-economic-opportunities-for-indigenous-communities-if-we-do-it-right/">mineral kritis dapat menjanjikan sekaligus mencelakakan</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104448">Studi menunjukkan</a> bahwa mineral kritis kerap terkonsentrasi di lahan adat. Bagi mereka, muncul pertanyaan apakah penambangan akan membuka pintu <a href="https://www.mining.com/british-columbias-nisgaa-nation-plans-indigenous-majority-owned-royalty-company/">pengembangan ekonomi masyarakat adat</a> atau justru malah menambah daftar panjang <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102665">kasus penggusuran dan penghancuran ekologis</a> di beranda mereka.</p>
<p>Pentingnya otoritas standar independen seperti <a href="https://responsiblemining.net">Inisiatif untuk Jaminan Pertambangan yang Bertanggung Jawab</a> (IRMA) tidak bisa terlalu ditekankan. Berbeda dengan standar industri seperti <a href="https://mining.ca/towards-sustainable-mining/">Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM)</a>, IRMA mewakili berbagai pandangan pemangku kepentingan termasuk masyarakat, karyawan, investor, dan pertambangan.</p>
<p>Penambangan pada dasarnya merupakan proses yang <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13563-020-00242-3">sangat intensif energi</a>. Meskipun peremajaan tambang yang ada untuk tujuan elektrifikasi memerlukan biaya mahal dan rumit secara teknis, tambang baru harus dirancang dengan mempertimbangkan netralitas karbon. Tentu saja, hal ini bisa menjadi sulit terutama di negara-negara yang mengalami <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1089391">tantangan infrastruktur</a>, seperti terbatasnya <a href="https://doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2023.50.199">pilihan energi terbarukan ataupun rendah karbon</a>.</p>
<p>Penambangan di tempat baru atau <em>greenfield mining</em> bukanlah satu-satunya solusi masalah pelik mineral kritis. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107181"><em>Urban mining</em></a> (daur ulang mineral dari limbah elektronik) dapat berperan. Penting juga untuk merancang aspek mempertimbangkan <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-022-00181-x">daur ulang dan penggunaan kembali</a> untuk produk yang dibuat dari mineral kritis.</p>
<p>Dengan berinvestasi dalam penelitian dan pengembangan, kita dapat <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.3c01478">menemukan pengganti</a> mineral yang paling bermasalah, baik karena hambatan geopolitik, toksisitas, atau pelanggaran hak asasi manusia.</p>
<h2>Hal terpenting</h2>
<p>Pada pokoknya, kita membutuhkan praktik penambangan mineral berkelanjutan yang menopang transisi energi. Kita perlu melakukannya secara berkeadilan, baik untuk masyarakat ataupun planet.</p>
<p>Pencapaian tujuan ini berkejaran dengan waktu dan membutuhkan inovasi. Bersama-sama, kita juga harus mewaspadai segala upaya penurunan standar untuk memenuhi tujuan sesaat.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226324/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Steyn menerima dana dari Program Lingkungan Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa (UNEP). Dia berafiliasi dengan Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) dan Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law (FNREL). Dia adalah anggota dewan Institut Hukum Sumber Daya Kanada (CIRL)
</span></em></p>Godaan untuk menghalalkan segala cara penambangan mineral kritis adalah kekeliruan berbahaya. Dampak sosial dan lingkungan penambangan tak berkelanjutan sangat menyeramkan.Elizabeth Steyn, Assistant Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2222432024-03-24T11:53:19Z2024-03-24T11:53:19ZTeaching cursive handwriting to young children? Here’s how they learn, and resources for instruction<p>Good handwriting is not an end in itself. Rather, it is a means to literacy that fundamentally transforms the human experience. Developing control over the shape of the 26 letters of the alphabet ultimately unlocks the ability to engage in the world of fact, fiction — and endless possibilities of the imagination afforded by written communication. </p>
<p>Legible, fluent handwriting <a href="https://learninglandscapes.ca/index.php/learnland/article/view/642/642">makes this possible</a>. Legible handwriting can be achieved by the vast majority of young learners by the end of Grade 2, given direct instruction and ample opportunities for practice. Fluency can follow in a similar fashion with continued instruction and practice. </p>
<p>Currently, far too many young children fail to achieve handwriting benchmarks to succeed with <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-childrens-words-predict-reading-ability-5-ways-parents-and-caregivers-can-help-grow-them-205730">the academic written demands of Grade 4</a>. </p>
<p>Cursive handwriting was reintroduced on the Ontario Grade 3 curriculum in June 2023, soon <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240122-california-signs-cursive-writing-into-law-what-are-the-brain-benefits">followed by California</a>. Yet school instruction in cursive is <a href="https://theconversation.com/cursive-handwriting-is-back-in-ontario-schools-its-success-depends-on-at-least-5-things-209078">bound for failure unless strong resource support is provided for kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers</a>. </p>
<h2>Open-access resources for cursive handwriting</h2>
<p>I collaborated with volunteers from the Bow Valley Calligraphy Guild in Calgary, Alta., and drew on more than 10 years of tracking and <a href="https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29392">publishing data on</a> young children’s handwriting to create <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1880/118259"><em>Teaching Handwriting to Young Children</em>, an open-educational resource</a>.</p>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.bvcg.ca/p/kids-handwrite.html">resource, downloadable in</a> 15 user-friendly files, covers concepts and skills
leading up to and including cursive handwriting in the kindergarten to Grade 3 years. </p>
<h2>Proficiency grows gradually</h2>
<p>Becoming proficient in handwriting is a gradual, protracted process. It must begin early and align with developmental markers of children’s neuromotor and cognitive readiness to engage with the unfolding demands of handwriting. In turn, there are also demands of generating quality text.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00220679809597556">Research suggests that</a> a hybrid script, described as a clean, uncluttered manuscript-cursive hand, will most readily <a href="http://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21691">develop legibility and fluency</a>. Legibility and fluency of handwriting in turn create <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-athletes-way/202010/why-cursive-handwriting-is-good-your-brain">neuronal patterns and networks</a>. These support complex processes of organizing, planning, revising and retrieving precise and nuanced vocabulary. </p>
<p>We focus on instructing children in italic printing and cursive or connected script for a variety of reasons: </p>
<ul>
<li>economy of effort, ease of execution and demand on young learners’ musculature and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1167/15.12.76">visual motor memory</a>;</li>
<li>ease in transitioning from print to cursive hand by learning only a few connector strokes;</li>
<li>the elegance and simplicity of the script itself. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Strong foundational skills</h2>
<p>The three-part resource comprehensively mobilizes research to explain the “how and why” of teaching cursive handwriting. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/583281/original/file-20240320-24-dnv5zu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An illustrated cat with many dots next to it in the same shape" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/583281/original/file-20240320-24-dnv5zu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/583281/original/file-20240320-24-dnv5zu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/583281/original/file-20240320-24-dnv5zu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/583281/original/file-20240320-24-dnv5zu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/583281/original/file-20240320-24-dnv5zu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/583281/original/file-20240320-24-dnv5zu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/583281/original/file-20240320-24-dnv5zu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Connecting dots helps children learn to draw, play independently, focus and improve hand-eye co-ordination. It also introduces children to moving pencils between a defined start and end point.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It introduces cursive handwriting instruction and includes specific lessons to use with children, from “pre-printing” activities (like colouring, tracing and connecting dots) to lined sheets demonstrating script and letter spacing. Resources are accessible with rich use of photos, illustrations of children’s work, easy layout and design. </p>
<p>The resource combines theory and practice to help teachers or parents instruct children in developmentally progressive ways, beginning with <a href="https://theconversation.com/writing-and-reading-starts-with-childrens-hands-on-play-125182">setting in place strong foundational skills</a>. </p>
<p>At school, the focus is: </p>
<h2>In kindergarten:</h2>
<ul>
<li>on fine <a href="https://www.nifdi.org/resources/hempenstall-blog/809-handwriting-worth-the-trouble-these-days.html">motor manipulative and fine motor literacy skills</a> supported by <a href="https://theconversation.com/changes-are-coming-to-ontarios-kindergarten-program-what-parents-and-caregivers-need-to-know-222846">hands-on, play-based learning and direct instruction</a>;</li>
<li>shape recognition;</li>
<li>“path of movement” work (referring to the direction of letter strokes, to ultimately build habits that will allow children later to join letters); </li>
<li>and letter tracing, copying and printing from memory.</li>
</ul>
<p>Children must be able to reconstruct internal mental models of letters seen on a page, and then with fine motor control, reproduce letters onto a page.</p>
<p>When a child can print their name at the size of about three-quarters of an inch, this is a key <a href="https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2017/emergent-writing">indicator</a> the child has developed <a href="https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/print-awareness#">basic print concepts</a>. This means they understand print is a representational system of <a href="https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/sight-words-and-orthographic-mapping">mapping sounds to letters</a>. They are in early stages of recognizing this through letters in their name, and so they learn to generalize to the entire alphabet. Shape recognition is really important here too, usually in early kindergarten. </p>
<p>By the end of kindergarten, young learners should be able to print most of the lower and upper case letters. This involves enormous amounts of tactile experiences with letter shapes, games and activities for developing a good pincer grip, using the tools of literacy (crayons, pencils) in developing control over fine motor skills such as <a href="https://www.amsterdamuas.com/urban-vitality/shared-content/contentgroup/writic/writic.html">drawing, colouring and “staying between the lines” tasks</a>. </p>
<p>A play-based approach that is engaging and fun for young children is important in motivating and creating a sense of confidence and agency in these early, emergent moments of written literacy learning. Training the muscle memory in these skills so they eventually come automatically are the keys to the next step in literacy development.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-help-children-learn-how-to-read-in-the-pandemic-encourage-writing-messages-as-part-of-play-153171">To help children learn how to read in the pandemic, encourage writing messages as part of play</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Grade 1</h2>
<p>Direct instruction in handwriting begins in Grade 1 with short, consistent lessons of 20 minutes, with another 40 minutes of practice opportunities during the day. Making labels, <a href="https://theconversation.com/handwritten-valentines-create-a-legacy-of-love-and-literacy-130365">greeting cards</a>, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-athletes-way/201808/handwritten-thank-you-notes-have-surprising-consequences">thank you notes</a>, crafts and lists reinforce these foundational skills. </p>
<p>Handwriting should be legible at the end of Grade 1. </p>
<h2>Grade 2</h2>
<p>Grade 2 represents a transition point where the joins or ligatures are introduced. Again, this involves movement and patterning exercises for developing the muscle memory for connecting letters beginning with the diagonal move such as ai, an. </p>
<p>Making connections and minimizing the number of “lift offs” (where pencil must lift from the page) facilitates developing speed, thus opening precious working memory space for other demands of generating text such as retrieving and mobilizing precise and nuanced vocabulary choices. Young learners continue to work on letter shape and size. </p>
<h2>Grade 3</h2>
<p>Grade 3 consolidates these foundational skills by making increased numbers of connections and control over shape, size, space and slant of handwriting — with indicators of speed or fluency of hand. </p>
<p>It becomes clear that developing fluent handwriting imposes many competing demands on young learners. Early, direct, programmatic, developmentally progressive, sustained instruction with ample practice opportunities throughout the school day can go a long way toward realizing better handwriting outcomes among our young learners and in turn, better academic outcomes. </p>
<p>Good instruction and resource support are key to achieving this success.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222243/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hetty Roessingh receives funding from SSHRC. A Werklund School of Education Teaching and Learning Support Grant provided funding for the development of the resource discussed in this story.</span></em></p>Developmentally progressive instruction allows children to learn handwriting. An open-educational resource by literacy and writing experts supports instruction for kindergarten to Grade 3 children.Hetty Roessingh, Professor, Werklund School of Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2229412024-03-20T21:24:09Z2024-03-20T21:24:09ZWater woes in southern Alberta could spell disaster for aquatic ecosystems, and the people who rely on them<p>Freshwater will be an increasingly scarce resource as we head into spring and summer in Western Canada with implications for the livelihoods and economic prosperity of humans, and non-humans alike, in southern Alberta and the downstream Prairie provinces. </p>
<p>The Bow River — in addition to the Oldman and South-Saskatchewan sub-basins — play a vital role in Western Canada. These rivers also have <a href="https://albertawater.com/water-licences-transfers-and-allocation/">a large number of competing uses</a> including agricultural and irrigation needs, municipal uses, hydroelectric developments, industrial consumption and <a href="https://open.alberta.ca/publications/after-the-flood">recreational and cultural uses</a> — including a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/rainbow-trout-bow-river-1.4921565">world-class sports fishery</a>. </p>
<p>The Rocky Mountains serve as Western Canada’s water towers and are the critical source of the snowpack which plays a major role in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/groundwater-recharge">groundwater recharge</a>. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2731-2020">diminishing winter snowpack</a>, combined with increasing frequencies of <a href="https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/agricultural-production/weather/canadian-drought-monitor">multi-year droughts in the Prairies</a> from below-average regional precipitation, is setting up the summer of 2024 as another year of <a href="https://www.aer.ca/regulating-development/rules-and-directives/bulletins/bulletin-2023-43">abnormally low volumes</a> of water flowing through the basin.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-report-shows-alarming-changes-in-the-entire-global-water-cycle-197535">New report shows alarming changes in the entire global water cycle</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Make no mistake, dwindling flows will have wide reaching social, environmental and economic impacts. Governments and policymakers must act quickly to avert a larger crisis.</p>
<h2>Compounding impacts</h2>
<p>In addition to impacting the water available for human use, low flows and water levels have direct and indirect impacts on the <a href="https://trivent-publishing.eu/books/engineeringandindustry/watershedandriverbasinmanagement/11.%20C.%20W.%20Koning%20et%20al..pdf">organisms that live in and rely on the aquatic ecosystem</a>. Limited water supplies raise serious concerns about the <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/commentary/doc/2006CanLIIDocs562#!fragment/zoupio-_Toc2Page1-Page10/BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWszIQewE4BUBTADwBdoAvbRABwEtsBaAfX2zgCYAFMAc0ICMjHvwEAGAJQAaZNlKEIARUSFcAT2gByTVIiEwuBMtUbtu-YZABlPKQBCGgEoBRADLOAagEEAcgGFnKVIwACNoUnYJCSA">long-term impacts on our aquatic ecosystems</a>.</p>
<p>Complicating matters is the <a href="https://open.alberta.ca/publications/albertas-water-priority-system-tools-for-water-licence-holders">“first in time, first in right” (FITFIR) water governance</a> principle which emerged out of the Western United States and is essentially a first come, first served system of water allocation. To make matters worse, <a href="https://doi.org/10.4296/cwrj3501079">new applications for water access have been closed since 2006</a>, a decision which will have a “significant effect on water supply strategies available to municipal water users, as many communities currently hold water licences that are not adequate for their projected growth.” </p>
<p>In <a href="https://open.alberta.ca/publications/0778546209">2006 the government of Alberta</a> acknowledged that “the limits for water allocations have been reached or exceeded in the Bow, Oldman and South Saskatchewan River sub basins.” In the South Saskatchewan Basin, most of the water is allocated to a handful of license holders who have had licenses for high volumes of water for years. This is a substantial hurdle to overcome when trying to retain river water for aquatic ecosystems — a goal <a href="https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/er-2022-0126">often referred to as environmental flows or “e-flows”</a>.</p>
<p>Without substantial changes to the licensing program, aquatic ecosystem health will continue to be secondary to existing license holder uses. </p>
<p>Further complicating the matter is that allocations are looked at <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62f582febb0b3104adabb617/t/6358b7a0bf6485031a91dc36/1666758567761/Final+Report+-+Review+of+the+Implementation+of+the+Approved+WMP+for+the+SSRB.pdf">annually and not seasonally</a>. This means that the system can’t adapt “on the fly” when low flows hit, unless there are specific government directives implemented to that effect. This is also true of current monitoring and reporting efforts across the country, with reporting and interpretation of data being done only after an <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/business/energy/survey-finds-oilsands-environmental-monitoring-ineffective-after-10-years">issue has occurred, if at all</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps most egregiously, the FITFIR approach has also long been criticized by Indigenous groups as disproportionately impacting their water rights and <a href="https://www.watercanada.net/feature/three-out-of-ten-odds-of-a-solution-to-first-nation-water-rights-in-alberta/">limiting water supplies in favour of competing industry and large agricultural needs</a>.</p>
<h2>Low-level impacts</h2>
<p>Alberta’s water regulations are generally not helping matters. Currently, regulations around pollution release are predominantly applied at the end-of-pipe, not throughout the river, meaning the impacts on the river will vary based on how much water is present. This often results <a href="https://doi.org/10.2166/wqrj.2019.033">in poor water quality events occurring in the summer,</a> when flow is lowest and the pollutants are less diluted. This has direct consequences on aquatic food webs and those that rely upon the river, especially in areas downstream of major sources of pollution.</p>
<p>Lower river flows and levels can result in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2014.11.010">increased water temperatures and</a> decreased oxygen availability for aquatic organisms. This can have harmful consequences on sensitive species like fish and their invertebrate food sources. The projected low flows in 2024 will likely lead to increased fish mortality.</p>
<p>There are numerous habitats around rivers that rely on certain levels of flow to be present for survival. Riparian areas (river banks) along the river run the risk of drying up and dying off if flow isn’t <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-020-01392-4">adequate</a>. While seasonal fluctuations in water levels are normal, the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/what-low-water-levels-in-edmonton-could-mean-for-fish-this-winter-1.7028203">uncharacteristically low flows this past fall and winter</a>, combined with expected lower water levels in the coming year may mean that these sensitive habitats are isolated for extended periods of time — not receiving the water and nutrients required for their survival.</p>
<p>The impacts aren’t restricted to organisms living directly in and around rivers in the region either. Low water flows affect the entire food web <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02705060.2023.2203728">from aquatic insects to apex predators</a> and with fewer prey available, larger fish populations may decline. These impacts also will only grow downstream as cumulative pressures on the river increase.</p>
<p>While rivers have seasonal flow patterns, low water flow isn’t just a seasonal issue. Climate change projections have been predicting more <a href="https://albertawater.com/climate-change-in-the-bow-basin/">frequent and severe droughts</a>, which will only exacerbate this issue.</p>
<h2>Preventing drought?</h2>
<p>2024 is likely the first of a series of years where we will see reduced snowpack, altered precipitation timing (and amounts) and increased water use pressures all combining to reduce river flows. </p>
<p>We have seen an initial reaction by <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=8971229900128-9793-C959-193E503D6C61CAD4">the provincial government</a> in Alberta; however, there has been a noticeable lack of acknowledgement from many governments and regulatory bodies across the country. This is a national issue and will be an ongoing issue as a result of climate change. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2024/02/19/Alberta-Brutal-Water-Reckoning/">tension between different water users has been predicted for over a decade</a>. Policy options to date have been limited and have lacked the inclusion of ecosystem-related considerations. There <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-parched-alberta-negotiating-with-water-holders-to-strike-share/">also has been discussion</a> around <a href="https://prism.ucalgary.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/596932e4-12f8-46d6-90f6-7512479be965/content">increasing the allowance</a> of water which can be moved between basins. However, such systems could have major implications on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.1891">aquatic ecosystem health if utilized widely and must be done with great care.</a></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/johannesburgs-water-crisis-is-getting-worse-expert-explains-why-the-taps-keep-running-dry-in-south-africas-biggest-city-223926">Johannesburg's water crisis is getting worse – expert explains why the taps keep running dry in South Africa's biggest city</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As we move through what will be an unprecedented low water year, it will be critical that policymakers, regulators and all Canadians understand the far-reaching impacts. </p>
<p>Our existing approaches aren’t working. We must look beyond our current systems. This includes utilizing the knowledge of water quality experts as well as Indigenous Peoples who have relied on the river for centuries. </p>
<p>The management issue presenting itself is extremely complex and <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2016.1238345">will require equally complex responses with input from all concerned parties</a>. But the costs of failure will be far greater than the costs of action.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222941/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Barrett receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada and is involved in research projects in southern Alberta funded by the City of Calgary, Alberta Innovates, and the NSERC Alliance Program.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kerry Black receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is involved in research projects in southern Alberta funded by the City of Calgary, Alberta Innovates, and the NSERC Alliance Program.</span></em></p>Declining precipitation, climate change and governance failures will drive water flow scarcity in 2024 with serious implications across Western Canada.David Barrett, Research Associate, Faculty of Science, University of CalgaryKerry Black, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair, Integrated Knowledge, Engineering and Sustainable Communities, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2262082024-03-19T23:53:14Z2024-03-19T23:53:14ZJoey Votto’s handwritten apology to baseball fans shows the pen is mightier than the bat<p>The importance of cursive handwriting is <a href="https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/great-cursive-writing-debate">a hot topic of debate</a> within the world of educators. Now, a popular athlete has inadvertently become a champion of those who believe in the power of handwritten letters.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vottojo01.shtml">Joey Votto is one of the best baseball players</a> to ever come from Canada. He has had an all-star career with the Cincinnati Reds for the last 17 years, but was <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/joey-votto-cincinatti-reds-declined-option-nov-4-1.7018860">without a job</a> heading into spring training this year.</p>
<p>Canadian baseball fans were overjoyed with the announcement earlier this month that Votto, a native of Toronto, had <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/joey-votto-officially-signed-by-blue-jays/">signed a minor-league contract</a> with the Toronto Blue Jays. </p>
<p>But the signing also caused some Canadian fans to <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/joey-votto-dont-care-almost-canadian-baseball/">remember remarks he made in 2018</a> when he said: “I don’t care almost at all about Canadian baseball.” </p>
<h2>Three-page letter</h2>
<p>Votto chose to address those six-year-old remarks in an unusual way: <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/blue-jays/blue-jays-joey-votto-posts-heartfelt-handwritten-apology-for-criticizing-canadian-baseball/article_4463f3c0-e591-11ee-ad18-d7512a7f7574.html#tncms-source=login">he posted a three-page handwritten letter</a> on X (formerly Twitter) to ask for forgiveness. </p>
<p>Fans’ comments about the letter focused on two things: most people appreciated the apology, but just as many were struck by the fact that Votto chose to make the apology in cursive handwriting. One commenter even said the letter was nice, but “no one under 30” will be able to read it — a reference to the fact that many students are no longer taught cursive writing.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1769878548502679973"}"></div></p>
<p>Within just 24 hours, the note received widespread attention from Canadian media as well as Votto’s enormous following on X/Twitter, garnering some 1.8 million views. </p>
<p>Votto’s reflections afford opportunities for personal understanding, growth and healing — <a href="https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.11.5.338">especially because they were handwritten</a>.</p>
<p>In retrospect, Votto acknowledged, his ill-thought comments were an embarrassment and a shame for him personally, and a disappointment to his mother. In the letter, Votto seeks to assuage the emotional burden by taking responsibility for his comments and asks forgiveness from those he thoughtlessly hurt.</p>
<p>“Oof, wow, I cringe and am ashamed as I re-write my words,” Votto wrote in the letter, referring to the original comments that got him into hot water.</p>
<h2>Handwriting makes it authentic</h2>
<p>The fact that Votto chose to write the letter in cursive makes the apology that much more authentic: had he typed it out, readers could have assumed <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/12/style/notes-app-celebrity-statements.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share">that someone else or a computer program chose the words</a>.</p>
<p>But the handwritten note clearly shows Votto’s emotional commitment to the apology — including some grammatical errors that a computer would have corrected. (There’s been some speculation that Votto wrote the letter on a “<a href="https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-2">paper tablet</a>,” but there’s no doubt it’s his writing.) </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-cursive-handwriting-needs-to-make-a-school-comeback-121645">Why cursive handwriting needs to make a school
comeback</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>For those who take an interest in handwriting and its connection to making meaning on the page, it is noteworthy that Votto’s handwriting is fully cursive.</p>
<p>It shows many connections between letters and, secondly, it’s characterized by many twists, loops, backward turns — the type of script that was likely favoured in 40-year-old Votto’s young years in grade school in Toronto.</p>
<p>Though more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19411243.2012.744651">cumbersome for many young learners</a>, such features of handwriting help to determine the authenticity of the writing: every hand has its unique musculature and grip, as well as style in making the ligatures or joins between letters, the loops and tails.</p>
<p>When compared to another sample of an author’s handwriting, <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/forensic-experts-are-surprisingly-good-at-telling-whether-two-writing-samples-match/">the authenticity of cursive writing can be determined</a> — an important dimension for writing of historical importance.</p>
<h2>A personal connection to the words</h2>
<p>In Votto’s case, his handwritten letter shows sincerity of expression and a personal connection to the words. </p>
<p>The ability to show his true feelings is possible by developing a script that is fluent and automatic, thus making precious cognitive resources available for generating the intended message.</p>
<p>This means that handwriting must be over-learned and <a href="https://www.edubloxsa.co.za/automaticity-important-reading-learning">brought under unconscious control</a>. In establishing neuronal connections, fluid movement is possible that, in turn, permits access to <em>le mot juste</em>: the right word at the right time for the right purpose. </p>
<p>As a researcher who has advocated for the return of cursive handwriting to classroom teaching, I believe it’s important to note that handwriting creates the neurocircuitry to the brain for making meaning, storing, retrieving and remembering. This is known as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.156">embodied cognition</a>. </p>
<p>Our hands have a profound effect on how our <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thinking-about-kids/201407/step-away-the-keyboard-how-our-hands-affect-our-brains">brain makes sense of the world and how we think</a>. Readings of student brains suggest writing by hand <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/writing-by-hand-may-increase-brain-connectivity-rcna135880">may increase brain connectivity more than typing</a>.</p>
<p>Handwriting affords a sense of agency and empowerment, as witnessed by the cursive writing of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai’s note about how “one pen, one child, one teacher can change the world.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A letter in cursive writing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A handwritten note by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Votto is on a Cinderella-like quest to finish his career with his hometown baseball team. Whether he makes it or not won’t likely be known for a few weeks.</p>
<p>But regardless of whether he ever plays for the Blue Jays, Canadian baseball fans have clearly appreciated that Votto took the time to write a three-page letter in his own hand to right a past wrong.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226208/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hetty Roessingh receives funding from SSHRC; Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary </span></em></p>The power of a handwritten letter became clear when baseball player Joey Votto penned an apology to Canadian fans. Votto also reopened the debate about whether kids should learn cursive writing.Hetty Roessingh, Professor, Werklund School of Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2227962024-03-18T21:40:07Z2024-03-18T21:40:07ZMentorship is key to improving social and economic outcomes for Black youth<p>Black youth in Canada experience <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2020002-eng.htm">poorer educational achievement than other children and youth</a>, which leads to subsequent poor economic outcomes. </p>
<p>A series of problems and barriers <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ644352">contribute to poor educational outcomes</a>. These include negative attitudes of teachers towards Black youth, lack of African-Canadian history and culture in the educational curriculum, low teacher expectations of Black children, alienating school environments <a href="https://theconversation.com/black-youth-yearn-for-black-teachers-to-disrupt-the-daily-silencing-of-their-experiences-177279">and a lack of Black teachers</a> and mentors.</p>
<p>These, coupled with systemic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-011-0344-3">discrimination and bias in hiring processes</a>, translate to poorer economic outcomes. </p>
<p>By being mentored by Black people, Black youth are able to see that they have potential to achieve what their mentors have achieved. This is especially important for Black youth whose families have faced socio-economic disadvantage or downward occupational mobility.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The presence of Black teachers and mentors is important for Black students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/EDU images)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Improving outcomes</h2>
<p>Black children suffer disproportionate discipline at school. They are more likely to be <a href="https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/reality-of-anti-black-racism-in-canada">suspended or expelled from school</a> — and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-curb-anti-black-racism-in-canadian-schools-150489">bias or anti-Black racism creates hostile environments</a> for them, contributing to student disengagement. They are also less likely than other youth to attain <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/75-006-x/2020001/article/00002-eng.pdf?st=H0dPj5oE">a post-secondary qualification</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/voices-of-black-youth-remind-adults-in-schools-to-listen-and-act-to-empower-them-210849">Voices of Black youth remind adults in schools to listen — and act to empower them</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This is despite the higher educational aspirations and <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2020002-eng.htm">resilience of Black children compared to other similarly aged racial or ethnic groups</a>.</p>
<p>Several factors improve Black children’s educational outcomes: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580909334503">support from their parents</a>, parental values related to education, pride in one’s heritage, use of a minority language at home and having a strong sense of <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ734489">trust in and knowledge of one’s culture</a>. </p>
<h2>Education strategies needed</h2>
<p>However, despite Black parents’ interest in supporting their children, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9493.1994.tb00222.x">structural and systemic constraints</a> disrupt children’s flourishing. These constraints are based on differential privileges and positions of power that families face related to diverse racialized, class and gender-based social locations. </p>
<p>The United Nations <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/wg-african-descent">Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent</a> recommends that Canada “<a href="https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.v44i1.5117">implement a nationwide African Canadian education strategy</a> … [and] strengthen Afrocentric education curricula.”</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Black youths’ outcomes improve when they are taught by Black teachers or can study their history.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/EDUimages)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.01.007">Black youths’ outcomes improve</a> when they can study their history <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-38277-3_38">and are taught or</a> <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w25254">mentored by Black teachers</a>. Mentorship is a central strategy to improve the educational and economic experiences of Black youth. </p>
<p>Mentorship is also effective for countering negative effects of racism on Black youth, and has been <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40894-017-0074-z">identified as having a stronger impact on addressing racism than education alone</a>. </p>
<p>Black-focused education can improve the <a href="https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/encounters/article/view/5285">economic outcomes of Black youth</a>.</p>
<h2>Afrocentric programs, communities</h2>
<p>Strong evidence indicates mentorship is effective across behavioural, social, emotional and academic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033447">domains of youth development</a>. </p>
<p>Proponents of Afrocentric educational programs assert that Black youth suffer from low self-esteem, which leads to low school performance, but that they can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38277-3_38">be motivated to achieve by studying their history</a>. </p>
<p>Research also shows alienation and expulsion rates decrease and self-esteem and university attendance rates <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.01.007">increase when Black students are taught by Black teachers</a>. <a href="https://canadianteachermagazine.com/2022/01/20/11014">Afrocentric supplementary educational programs</a> have proven to be effective in improving the educational success of Black youth.</p>
<p>The personal experience of the first author of this article (Bukola Salami) attending a mentorship program for Black youth and delivering one highlight the potential positive impact of mentorship on the lives of Black youth. </p>
<p>Bukola writes: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“In 1998, I was a student of a mentorship program for Black youth in Canada. For me, attending this program indicated the potential strong effect of the program on fostering a positive identity. Having mentors of similar background inspired my confidence to succeed.” </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Potential to contribute to positive outcomes</h2>
<p>In 2019, an interdisciplinary university-based mentorship program was created through Bukola’s leadership after she received funding from the Government of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://ucalgary.ca/news/empowering-future-black-youth-mentorship-and-leadership-program-transforms-lives#">Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program</a> seeks to socially and economically empower Black youth to contribute to Canadian society. The program was initially created for students about to enter Grade 11 and 12 (but has also engaged university students with a modified curriculum). </p>
<p>Black youth are paired with Black faculty and professionals from whom they gain valuable experience and skills. Evaluations of the program indicate it cultivated a positive <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/nursing/media-library/research/health-immigration/black-youth-mentorship-program-final-report.pdf">sense of cultural identity among Black youth and improved their sense of community belonging, sense of responsibility, leadership skills and economic outcomes</a>.</p>
<p>Lessons learned from the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program, alongside other research, indicate the potential of mentorship programs to contribute to improved social and economic outcomes for Black youth. This will serve as a key ingredient to addressing anti-Black racism in Canada.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222796/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span> Bukola Salami receives funding from Policywise for Children and Families for a project on mental health of Black youth named in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aloysius Nwabugo Maduforo and Myra Kandemiri do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mentorship programs serving Black youth are an important part of addressing anti-Black racism in Canada.Bukola Salami, Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of CalgaryAloysius Nwabugo Maduforo, Research Manager, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of CalgaryMyra Kandemiri, Academic Teaching Staff Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2204542024-03-17T12:55:29Z2024-03-17T12:55:29ZEmissions impossible? How the transport sector can help make the 2050 net-zero goal a reality<p>Meeting Canada’s <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/net-zero-emissions-2050.html">ambitious net-zero emissions target by 2050</a> necessitates significant technological, behavioural and systemic changes in the transportation sector, a <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-transport#:%7E:text=The%20IEA%20looks%20at%20CO%202%20emissions%20from,%2F%2033.5%20billion%20%3D%2024%25%20of%20energy-related%20emissions.">major contributor</a> to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Indeed, the transportation sector alone is responsible for a quarter of all GHG emissions worldwide, with road transport accounting for about 80 per cent of this figure. </p>
<p>As current trends suggest, both energy demand and emissions from transportation are <a href="https://uploads.iasscore.in/pdf/CAA_WEEK-2_NOVEMBER--2022.pdf">expected to double by 2050</a>, indicating the need for a radical transformation rather than incremental improvements.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/e-fuels-can-play-a-huge-role-in-canadas-journey-towards-a-net-zero-future-215405">E-fuels can play a huge role in Canada's journey towards a net-zero future</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The shift towards alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), such as plug-in electric or fuel cell hydrogen, is central to this transformation.</p>
<p>Estimates suggest that achieving the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/whats-difference-between-15c-2c-global-warming-2021-11-07/">2 C climate target</a> would require AFVs to comprise 50 per cent of total traffic by 2050. Moreover, achieving the 1.5 C climate target would require AFV sales to reach 75 to 95 per cent by <a href="https://systemschangelab.org/transport/transition-zero-carbon-cars-trucks-and-buses#summary">2030</a>.</p>
<p>The commercial sector, in particular, stands to benefit from significant GHG reductions, both financially and through the adoption of modern trucks equipped with advanced technologies. </p>
<h2>Challenges and opportunities</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2019">International Energy Agency</a> estimates that GHG emissions could be reduced by 60 per cent if new types of light, medium and heavy freight vehicles achieve widespread adoption. However, the transition to AFVs, particularly in the commercial domain, is hindered by several factors and their adoption remains <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2023/trends-in-electric-heavy-duty-vehicles">limited</a>. </p>
<p>In 2022, electric vehicles constituted only 1.2 per cent of all medium- and heavy-duty truck sales, with the majority occurring in China. This lack of adoption by trucking firms reflects a wait-and-see approach, which is likely the result of higher upfront costs associated with AFVs, the scarcity of e-trucks and the perceived inconvenience of plug-in <a href="https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-the-future-of-the-trucking-industry-electric-semi-trucks-2023">charging</a>.</p>
<p>Technological advancements and the increasing interest from vehicle manufacturers <a href="https://globaldrivetozero.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Final_ZETI-Report-June-2023_Final.pdf">such as Daimler, Nikola, Scania, Tesla and Volvo</a> in producing e-trucks have begun to address some of these concerns. </p>
<p>In 2022, there were 290 medium- and heavy-duty vehicle models produced or announced to be under production in <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2023/trends-in-electric-heavy-duty-vehicles">North America and Europe</a>. This number is only set to grow and the total cost of ownership for electric vehicles has been reduced to below that of traditional internal combustion vehicles — further challenging the traditional barriers to adoption. </p>
<h2>The struggle for adequate charging infrastructure</h2>
<p>However, insufficient charging infrastructure remains an obstacle. Extended charging periods and the effort required to locate charging stations leads to longer unproductive driving times (time not spent on-the-job) for trucks. </p>
<p>The impact of inadequate charging infrastructure on the transportation industry is significant. Each minute a truck <a href="https://www.ooida.com/trucking-tools/cost-per-mile/">spends at a charging station, either waiting or charging, and each kilometre traversed to find a charging station directly translates to reduced profits and higher costs</a>. This not only affects timely deliveries and pickups, but also forces companies to consider expanding their fleet to maintain service levels, further escalating investment costs in a fiercely competitive industry. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cop28-why-we-need-to-break-our-addiction-to-combustion-218019">COP28: Why we need to break our addiction to combustion</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The absence of substantial investment in <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2023/trends-in-charging-infrastructure#abstract">public charging networks</a>, particularly outside of China, exacerbates this issue. Furthermore, even with ample public stations, firms worry that queues for charging could delay trucks, increasing costs and lowering service quality while also complicating the shift towards green practices.</p>
<h2>Economic viability of electrification</h2>
<p>The seven to 10-year lifespan of heavy-duty trucks means that many firms may have to make annual decisions on replacement vehicles. However, firms are often <a href="https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-the-future-of-the-trucking-industry-electric-semi-trucks-2023">deterred from transitioning away from fossil fuels by the high initial costs of e-trucks</a> and the lack of a comprehensive charging infrastructure — choosing instead to stick with their existing fleets.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1_vIQ4FqmGI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">An overview on the evolution and limitations of electric trucks produced by Undecided with Matt Ferrell.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This approach overlooks the long-term benefits and cost savings associated with the lower operational and maintenance costs of e-trucks, as well as the potential for firms to develop their own charging networks. As we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2022.102595">show in our 2022 study</a>, adopting a holistic approach to address these challenges could make the transition to e-trucks economically viable, encouraging firms to begin replacing their traditional international combustion vehicles. </p>
<p>Such a holistic approach should consider the medium to long-term evolution of technological and economic factors, and the effects of the charging infrastructure density on fleet size requirements. Firms should optimize their vehicle and infrastructure investment decisions simultaneously, by considering the potential changes over time. Our study further showed that: </p>
<p>1) Investing in e-trucks can be optimal only if the decision-maker also invests in their own charging infrastructure.</p>
<p>2) Larger battery capacity is not always the best option compared to smaller battery capacity. </p>
<p>3) Improvements in diesel engine efficiency can be counterproductive in the long-run and can thwart the efforts to attain net-zero emission targets.</p>
<h2>Public-private partnerships</h2>
<p>The concept of public-private partnerships also presents an opportunity to enhance the charging infrastructure. By collaborating with governments and investing in increasing the charging capacity of public charging facilities, firms can mitigate the limitations of the current infrastructure and maintain service levels without bearing the full cost of establishing and maintaining charging stations. </p>
<p>This approach benefits firms, the government and also the general public by helping build more charging facilities. Simply put, by adopting a holistic approach, firms can not only achieve environmental goals, but also realize economic benefits, paving the way for a sustainable future in transportation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220454/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While barriers still remain, the benefits of electrifying the transport sector are clear for both society and individual firms.Osman Alp, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management, University of CalgaryMaximiliano Udenio, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management, KU LeuvenTarkan Tan, Professor of Sustainable Operations Management, University of ZurichLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2254512024-03-14T15:25:28Z2024-03-14T15:25:28ZBoth sides in the Russia-Ukraine war are using new and old technologies for warfare<p>When it comes to technology, the war in Ukraine is a war of juxtapositions. On the one hand, this is the first major war in which a variety of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/unmanned-aerial-vehicle">unmanned aerial vehicles</a> (UAVs) — or drones — have played such a prominent role. On the other hand, this new technology has played a major part in forcing infantry to dig lines of trenches reminiscent of the First and Second World Wars.</p>
<p>Some of the technology in the war in Ukraine, <a href="https://www.iiss.org/research-paper/2023/10/russias-war-in-ukraine-ballistic-and-cruise-trajectories/">such as the guided missiles being used by both sides</a>, isn’t fundamentally all that new. Modern guided missiles trace their origin back to early developments during the <a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/hitlers-precision-guided-bombs-fritz-x-hs-293">latter part of the Second World War</a>. </p>
<p>Modern precision-guided weapons may be increasingly accurate in hitting their targets, but there is <a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/mec/2022/03/04/americas-last-drone-strike-in-afghanistan-and-the-necropolitical-language-of-drone-warfare/">all too often considerable human error in allocating targets for them</a>.</p>
<p>What is new in the war in Ukraine is that it isn’t like many of the “<a href="https://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/what-is-a-small-war">small wars</a>” of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, in which one side had an almost overwhelming technological advantage. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Taliban">Taliban in Afghanistan</a> didn’t have access to satellite imaging, large drones and <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11353">precision-guided munitions</a>, or even weapons to counter these, so they had to fight an <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/asymmetrical-warfare">“unconventional” or “asymmetrical” war</a>. </p>
<p>In the war in Ukraine, both sides have access to and are developing new and not-so-new technologies, with neither side having an overall technological edge.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581757/original/file-20240313-30-r82ze1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a plane-shaped drone flies over forested hills" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581757/original/file-20240313-30-r82ze1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581757/original/file-20240313-30-r82ze1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581757/original/file-20240313-30-r82ze1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581757/original/file-20240313-30-r82ze1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581757/original/file-20240313-30-r82ze1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581757/original/file-20240313-30-r82ze1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581757/original/file-20240313-30-r82ze1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An Iranian Shahed kamikaze drone.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Drones and warfare</h2>
<p>Large drones have been in use in war for a number of years now. The United States in particular made heavy use of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/15/mq-9-reaper-what-is-the-us-drone-that-collided-with-a-russian-jet-and-how-is-it-used">large drones such as the Reaper</a> in Afghanistan, both for reconnaissance and targeted killings. Russia made use of large drones for <a href="http://cast.ru/eng/products/articles/russian-uavs-in-syria.html">reconnaissance in Syria</a> when its forces were supporting the Assad government there.</p>
<p>What is different in the war in Ukraine is the sheer number and range of drones being used. Large drones are still being used — including <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/02/deadly-cheap-and-widespread-how-iran-supplied-drones-are-changing-the-nature-of-warfare">Iranian-developed “suicide” or “kamikaze” drones like the Shahed</a> being used by Russia — that can strike targets deep inside enemy territory. However, smaller drones are being used by both sides — often nearer to the frontline — for reconnaissance, artillery spotting and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-62225830">as kamikaze drones</a>.</p>
<p>At the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian side had an advantage in drone warfare — that advantage <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/some-ukraine-drone-pilots-fear-early-advantage-over-russia-now-lost-2023-11-09/">has now arguably passed to Russia</a>. Russia has been able to produce and import huge numbers of drones and develop some <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/drones-fighting-cat-mouse-battles-behind-russian-front-lines-ukraine-2023-11-01/">effective local countermeasures against Ukrainian drones</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/ukraines-drones-sinking-russian-warships-1876608">Ukrainian naval drones</a> have, however, been a particular problem for the Russian navy. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2jeCwHViFGw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Footage appearing to show the sinking of the Russian warship Sergei Kotov.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The recent sinking of the large patrol ship Sergei Kotov with naval drones is a case in point. Modern warships are <a href="https://defencyclopedia.com/2016/05/02/analysis-importance-of-naval-guns-on-a-modern-warship/">not bristling with the sort of anti-aircraft guns</a> that their Second World War counterparts had to stop <a href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2020/october/countering-kamikaze">kamikaze pilots</a> for example. </p>
<p>But quite possibly they will soon be bristling again, because such guns are ideal for dealing with drones at close range. Even the <a href="http://www.gwpda.org/naval/nets.htm">humble torpedo net</a> from the late 19th century may make a return to try to stop drones reaching ships at anchor.</p>
<h2>Missile technology</h2>
<p>While in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. and other western powers made heavy use of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/missile">guided missiles</a>. What is different in Ukraine is that both sides have access to them. </p>
<p>For example, the <a href="https://www.militarytoday.com/missiles/iskander.htm">Russian Iskander</a> and <a href="https://www.militarytoday.com/missiles/storm_shadow.htm">Anglo-French Storm Shadow missiles</a> have proven highly effective at striking targets deep in the enemy rear. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/03/09/a-russian-drone-spotted-a-ukrainian-patriot-air-defense-crew-convoying-near-the-front-line-soon-a-russian-hypersonic-missile-streaked-down/">Often targets for such missiles have been located using drones</a>.</p>
<p>Many tanks are being destroyed not only by or with the help of drones, but with anti-tank missiles such as the <a href="https://www.militarytoday.com/missiles/kornet.htm">Russian Kornet</a>, or much vaunted <a href="https://www.militarytoday.com/missiles/javelin.htm">U.S.-supplied Javelin</a> on the Ukrainian side. </p>
<p>Anti-tank missiles are not new — the Egyptian armed forces for example made good use of recently developed <a href="https://www.militarytoday.com/missiles/malyutka.htm">Soviet anti-tank missiles</a> during the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Yom-Kippur-War">Yom Kippur War</a> in 1973.</p>
<p>The anti-tank missiles being used in Ukraine today are however much more sophisticated. Back in 1973, anti-tank missiles often had to be connected to the operator through a <a href="https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Wire-guided_missile">fine wire that was reeled out by the missile as it flew</a>! Today’s missiles typically have more sophisticated and reliable targeting.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581675/original/file-20240313-24-3e8rfp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="black and white photograph of a man in military uniform crouching beside a missile." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581675/original/file-20240313-24-3e8rfp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581675/original/file-20240313-24-3e8rfp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581675/original/file-20240313-24-3e8rfp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581675/original/file-20240313-24-3e8rfp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581675/original/file-20240313-24-3e8rfp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581675/original/file-20240313-24-3e8rfp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581675/original/file-20240313-24-3e8rfp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Israeli Defense Forces soldier with an anti-tank guided missile, captured from Egyptian forces during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nli.org.il/en/images/NNL_ARCHIVE_AL990040053080205171/NLI#$FL45740532">(Dan Hadani Collection, The Pritzker Family National Photography Collection, The National Library of Israel)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>New and old technologies</h2>
<p>A lot of drone use is for reconnaissance to help both sides carry out much lower technology tasks, <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2024/03/drones-are-transforming-the-battlefield-in-ukraine-but-in-an-evolutionary-fashion/">such as targeting conventional artillery</a> or guiding infantry.</p>
<p>While new technology has transformed the fighting in Ukraine, there are still many elements that would be easily understood by soldiers in the First World War. </p>
<p>Firstly, regardless of all the technology, ultimately the “<a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100336987">poor bloody infantry</a>” has to move in and occupy territory — and fight for it at close quarters. Soldiers still often have to kill other soldiers while in close proximity to each other.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581756/original/file-20240313-20-h207ag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="black and white photograph of a balloon." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581756/original/file-20240313-20-h207ag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581756/original/file-20240313-20-h207ag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581756/original/file-20240313-20-h207ag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581756/original/file-20240313-20-h207ag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581756/original/file-20240313-20-h207ag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=926&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581756/original/file-20240313-20-h207ag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=926&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581756/original/file-20240313-20-h207ag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=926&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A British observation balloon from 1908.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Imperial War Museum)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Typically, the technology of today may be new, but the function isn’t. We could, for example, see drones playing a role like the <a href="https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/roasting-a-sausage-balloons-their-crews-and-those-who-shot-them-down/">observation balloons of the First World War</a>. These were used in particular for directing artillery fire. </p>
<p>Balloons stopped being used in war because of the development of weapons that could easily shoot them down, from aircraft to high-powered anti-aircraft guns.</p>
<p>When a new technology comes along, the race begins to counter it. The Russian armed forces have already had some success in <a href="https://ca.yahoo.com/news/jamming-electronic-warfare-reshaping-ukraine-173948128.html">jamming the link between drone operators and their drones</a>. </p>
<p>In the constant technological battle, what is next? <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/us/politics/ai-drones-war-law.html">Autonomous drones using AI</a> are in many ways a nightmare idea, but they are being worked on. Autonomous anti-drone drones would no doubt follow. </p>
<p>One thing is certain — <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/vikrammittal/2023/10/18/the-challenges-of-counter-drone-technology-as-seen-in-recent-conflicts/?sh=286b45ee7013">new technologies will be developed, to be followed by countermeasures</a>. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/oct/15/dangerous-rise-of-military-ai-drone-swarm-autonomous-weapons">New hi-tech ways</a> of killing or facilitating it will continue to serve alongside the old methods.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225451/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander Hill does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Russia-Ukraine war highlights developments in modern warfare, which uses new weaponry alongside traditional methods of fighting.Alexander Hill, Professor of Military History, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2254162024-03-11T18:49:24Z2024-03-11T18:49:24ZRecent gains point to a growing Russian advantage in the Ukraine war<p>The ongoing war in Ukraine is not featuring as prominently in western news media these days as it was earlier in the war, because it has been overshadowed by the unfolding human tragedy of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/gaza-conflict-rising-death-toll-from-hunger-a-stark-reminder-of-starvation-as-a-weapon-of-war-225197">war in Gaza</a>. </p>
<p>However, the war in Ukraine is still very much ongoing, and both sides are clearly suffering significant losses. Yet it appears that slowly but surely Russia is gaining ground on and off the battlefield. </p>
<p>The recent Ukrainian withdrawal from the stronghold of Avdiivka <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-withdraws-troops-avdiivka-1.7118227">did make the headlines</a>. On that sector of the front near the city of Donetsk, Russian forces have <a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/36a7f6a6f5a9448496de641cf64bd375">pushed beyond Avdiivka and continue to gain ground</a>. </p>
<p>Russian forces have also made limited gains <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60506682">on other sectors of the front line</a>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Russian economy is <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/russias-economy-going-strong/video-68315706">increasingly mobilized for war</a>, and the government has been able to obtain <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-paused-shipments-russia-ukraine-report-2024-3">some military resources from abroad</a>, circumventing western sanctions.</p>
<p>All of this means that Russia is, relative to Ukraine, in an <a href="https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/a-year-later-and-things-are-very-different-in-moscow">increasingly strong position</a> as the war enters its third year.</p>
<h2>Russian advantage</h2>
<p>While Russian advances are clearly <a href="https://monitoring.stage.bbc.co.uk/product/c2050m20">costing their forces heavy losses</a>, the Ukrainian side too is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/20/us/politics/ukraine-prisoners-avdiivka-russia.html">taking significant losses</a>, often when defending increasingly untenable defensive positions. Russian forces typically have a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/russia-army-ukraine-war-1.7122808">numerical advantage in terms of numbers of troops, artillery</a> and <a href="https://defence-industry.eu/russia-increases-artillery-ammunition-production-ukrainian-sources-say/">their munitions</a>. In terms of drones — where Ukrainian forces once had an advantage — <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/some-ukraine-drone-pilots-fear-early-advantage-over-russia-now-lost-2023-11-09/">Russian forces seem to have caught up or even outpaced Ukraine</a>.</p>
<p>Some western commentators have portrayed Russian tactics as mindless attacks with hordes of infantry — <a href="https://cepa.org/article/surprised-that-ukraine-is-taking-combat-losses-you-shouldnt-be/">sometimes derogatorily described as orcs</a>. The reality is that the Russian army has adapted to the nature of the war today. It is now much better at co-ordinating the activities of artillery, drones and small groups of infantry. Even Ukrainian sources highlight how <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-skills-varied-avdiivka-from-well-trained-to-confused-soldiers-2024-3">at least some Russian troops are well-trained and capable</a>.</p>
<h2>Western support for Ukraine</h2>
<p>There is strong evidence of <a href="https://responsiblestatecraft.org/cia-ukraine-russia/">western intelligence personnel already on the ground in Ukraine</a> — who were there long before February 2022. On top of NATO’s more overt military assistance, such revelations feed into the <a href="https://tass.com/politics/1567341">Russian narrative</a> that the war in the Ukraine is a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/05/nato-ukraine-russia-germany-military-leak">proxy war between NATO and Russia</a>.</p>
<p>A growing challenge for Ukraine is decreasing western public support for military assistance. <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/513680/american-views-ukraine-war-charts.aspx">In a Gallup poll from November 2023</a>, 41 per cent of U.S. respondents said that the United States is doing too much to support Ukraine — an opinion that rose to 62 per cent among Republican voters. Back in August 2022, these figures were 24 and 43 per cent respectively. This trend is evident in different polls too, as a recent <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/08/about-half-of-republicans-now-say-the-us-is-providing-too-much-aid-to-ukraine/">Pew poll highlights</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-what-the-us-public-thinks-about-giving-military-and-other-aid-223064">Ukraine war: what the US public thinks about giving military and other aid</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>While there is still strong support within the European Union for providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/files/be-heard/eurobarometer/2022/public-opinion-on-the-war-in-ukraine/en-public-opinion-on-the-war-against-ukraine-20240223.pdf">surveys find that support for military assistance is decreasing</a>. </p>
<p>The Ukrainian government has stated its army’s problems can be solved with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-anniversary-ammunition-shortage-kyiv-a8909760655d83d2ffc0d67ad2a491ec">more western equipment and munitions</a>. Certainly, more of both would improve the Ukrainian position. However, western equipment is not a universal panacea for Ukraine’s problems. Recent reports suggesting Russian forces have destroyed <a href="https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/03/06/abrams-avdiivka-russian-propaganda/">a number of U.S.-supplied Abrams tanks on the Avdiivka sector</a> of the front highlight, unsurprisingly, that western equipment is far from infallible.</p>
<p>NATO countries continue to <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9477/">commit additional military assistance to Ukraine</a>, although additional U.S. assistance is <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/03/06/house-lawmakers-mike-johnson-ukraine-aid-gaza/72871579007/">being held up in Congress</a>. The recent scandal in Germany regarding the possible supply of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-russia-taurus-missiles-4ff5e559c887448fc3ecd9e2e6f58812">Taurus missiles to Ukraine</a> highlights that a further escalation of western commitments to Ukraine is not a given. </p>
<p>Whether western countries are willing to commit their own personnel to increasingly active roles in the war is unclear. French President Emmanuel Macron recently stated that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/06/ukraine-war-briefing-macron-says-dont-be-cowards-as-he-digs-in-over-ground-troop-s">sending French combat troops to Ukraine remains an option</a>. However, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/macron-ukraine-russia-putin-1.7127500">most other NATO leaders</a> seem resolute that sending combat troops to Ukraine should not happen.</p>
<p>Yet, Macron’s position is apparently <a href="https://apnews.com/article/poland-nato-russia-france-abd144aee256a72388c196dae8acaf7f">not without some support</a>. Such a step would undoubtedly increase the possibility not only of a direct NATO-Russia war, <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-russia-increasingly-likely-to-use-nuclear-weapons-in-ukraine-182368">but also the use of nuclear weapons</a>.</p>
<h2>Manpower issues</h2>
<p><a href="https://responsiblestatecraft.org/russia-ukraine-peace/">Availability of personnel</a> is also a significant problem for Ukraine. Western-supplied equipment still has to be crewed. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently stated that <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68397525">31,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed since February 2022</a>, however, this at best only tells part of the story. This figure is <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66581217">less than half U.S. estimates of Ukrainian troops killed</a>, likely does not include those missing in action, and certainly not those taken prisoner by Russia, nor the tens of thousands of wounded. <a href="https://cepa.org/article/ukraine-struggles-to-find-troops-for-the-frontline/">Replacing such losses is proving increasingly difficult</a>. </p>
<p>Zelenskyy recently gave permission for conscripts who have been serving since February 2022 to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-zelenskiy-issues-decree-discharging-conscripts-2024-03-07/#">move into the reserves for at least 12 months</a> without further callup. Such a step will help improve wider morale, but won’t help with the recruitment crisis.</p>
<p>A significant number of Ukrainians <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/desperate-to-avoid-the-draft">seek to avoid the draft by fleeing to neighbouring countries</a>. This is reminiscent of how <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/russia-why-people-are-returning-despite-the-war-in-ukraine/a-67022321">young Russians fled</a> to avoid being conscripted in late 2022, although <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/russia-why-people-are-returning-despite-the-war-in-ukraine/a-67022321">many have now returned</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="TiktokEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.tiktok.com/@cbcnews/video/7330765611217210629?is_from_webapp=1\u0026sender_device=pc\u0026web_id=7246426044156249606"}"></div></p>
<p>The sinking of Russian ships in the Black Sea has to some extent replaced less positive news for Ukraine from the front line. The loss of warships such as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2024/mar/05/ukraine-releases-footage-appearing-to-show-sinking-of-russian-warship-near-occupied-crimea-video">large patrol ship Sergei Kotov</a> to Ukrainian naval drone are setbacks for Russia. However, the war for the Donbas is primarily being fought on land, and such Ukrainian victories are unlikely to have a meaningful impact on the ground war. </p>
<p>As the Russian army advances, albeit slowly, the available evidence suggests that resolve remains strong on both the <a href="https://www.levada.ru/en/2024/01/26/conflict-with-ukraine-assessments-for-november-2023/">Russian</a> and <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/512258/ukrainians-stand-behind-war-effort-despite-fatigue.aspx">Ukrainian</a> sides. Outwardly, the majority of NATO leaders <a href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_37750.htm#">retain their commitments to support Ukraine</a>. Both sides are clearly still only willing to <a href="https://www.stopwar.org.uk/article/diplomacy-is-the-art-of-compromise-thats-whats-needed-for-peace-in-ukraine/">consider negotiations on their own terms</a>. How much longer that will continue to be the case remains to be seen.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225416/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander Hill does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Russia’s armed forces continue to gain territory in Ukraine, at high cost to both sides.Alexander Hill, Professor of Military History, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2251552024-03-06T08:18:04Z2024-03-06T08:18:04ZA importância dos minerais críticos não pode justificar sua extração a qualquer custo<p>O aquecimento global é real, e as mudanças climáticas estão piorando a cada dia, com <a href="https://theconversation.com/zombie-fires-are-occurring-more-frequently-in-boreal-forests-but-their-impacts-remain-uncertain-198459">incêndios florestais violentos</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-global-warming-is-reshaping-winter-life-in-canada-222329">invernos excepcionalmente quentes</a> e <a href="https://theconversation.com/warmer-wetter-wilder-38-million-people-in-the-great-lakes-region-are-threatened-by-climate-change-170195">inundações desastrosas</a> ocorrendo em todo o Canadá. Enquanto isso, a transição para uma economia de carbono zero de forma a tentar evitar um futuro tão terrível é dificultada por um ponto fraco fundamental - os “minerais críticos”. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/raising-ambition/renewable-energy-transition">transição energética</a> depende dos chamados minerais <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02330-0">“bateria” ou “críticos”</a> para ser bem-sucedida - minerais estes que precisam ser extraídos ou reciclados. Celulares inteligentes, <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/ammto/critical-minerals-and-materials#:%7E:text=Lithium%2C%20cobalt%2C%20and%20high%2D,and%20germanium%20used%20in%20semiconductors.">chips supercondutores</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.113938">tecnologias de energia renovável</a> e até mesmo o <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/us-geological-survey-releases-2022-list-critical-minerals">setor de defesa</a> dependem fortemente de minerais críticos. Assim, a demanda por esses minerais deverá <a href="https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/c7716240-ab4f-4f5d-b138-291e76c6a7c7/CriticalMineralsMarketReview2023.pdf">triplicar até 2030</a>. </p>
<p>No entanto, a realidade incômoda é que o fornecimento sustentável desses metais simplesmente não existe, e sua extração acarreta enormes riscos sociais e ecológicos. Problema que afeta a todos nós.</p>
<h2>O que são minerais críticos?</h2>
<p>Não existe um consenso universal sobre o que são os “minerais críticos”. Vários países e organizações, como a <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/critical-minerals-market-review-2023">Agência Internacional de Energia</a> ou o <a href="https://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/961711588875536384/Minerals-for-Climate-Action-The-Mineral-Intensity-of-the-Clean-Energy-Transition.pdf">Banco Mundial</a>, têm listas diferentes, e o conteúdo dessas listas não é estático. </p>
<p>Por exemplo, a <a href="https://natural-resources.canada.ca/sites/nrcan/files/mineralsmetals/pdf/Critical_Minerals_List_2021-EN.pdf"><em>Canadian Critical Minerals List</em> (Lista Canadense de Minerais Críticos</a> contém 31 minerais ou grupos de minerais. Os Estados Unidos têm duas listas: a <a href="https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/media/files/2022%20Final%20List%20of%20Critical%20Minerals%20Federal%20Register%20Notice_2222022-F.pdf"><em>U.S. Geological Survey Critical Minerals List</em> (Lista de Minerais Críticos da Agência Geológica dos EUA)</a>, que contém 50 minerais individuais, e a <a href="https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/preprint-frn-2023-critical-materials-list.pdf"><em>Department of Energy Critical Materials for Energy List</em> (Lista do Departamento de Energia de Minerais Críticos para Energia)</a>, que acrescenta materiais muito usados no setor de energia, como cobre e silício. Já a União Europeia tem uma lista de 34 <a href="https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials_en"><em>Critical Raw Materials</em> (Matérias-Primas Críticas)</a>.</p>
<p>O termo “mineral crítico” é tecnicamente um errôneo, pois a maioria dos elementos nessas listas são metais, e não minerais. Entretanto, há <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2023.101402">áreas amplas de concordância</a>: a maioria das listas inclui metais para a produção de baterias, como lítio, níquel, cobalto e cobre, bem como elementos de terras raras e metais do grupo da platina. Outros elementos comuns são as ligas de aço, como cromo, manganês e zinco. </p>
<p>Todos esses elementos são essenciais para a transição energética. Os metais das baterias alimentam os veículos elétricos e suas baterias de armazenamento de energia, o aço e os elementos de terras raras são essenciais para as turbinas eólicas, e o cobre é essencial para as redes de energia. Em termos simples, a escassez destes minerais essenciais significa um atraso na transição energética e uma piora <a href="https://www.irena.org/Energy-Transition/Outlook">dos impactos das mudanças climáticas</a>.</p>
<p>Os veículos elétricos, no entanto, só são tão “limpos” quanto a rede elétrica que os alimenta. E também só são tão “verdes” quanto seus componentes. As baterias requerem níquel, que pode muito bem ter vindo de <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2023.102997">uma mina em Papua-Nova Guiné que ilegalmente despejava seus rejeitos (resíduos tóxicos) nos oceanos</a>. Enquanto isso, o cobalto vital não pode ser separado das misérias humanas da mineração na República Democrática do Congo - um setor chamado de “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2020.11.018">uma nova forma de escravidão, uma escravidão subterrânea</a>”.</p>
<h2>Por que os minerais críticos são problemáticos?</h2>
<p>Os minerais críticos geralmente são encontrados <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.12.001">em depósitos altamente concentrados geograficamente</a> e <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103336">a China é uma força dominante</a> em seu processamento e fornecimento. Isso significa que <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104587">tensões geopolíticas</a> podem dificultar a segurança das <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/building-larger-and-more-diverse-supply-chains-energy-minerals#:%7E:text=Critical%20Minerals%20in%20the%20Energy%20Sector&text=Lithium%2C%20nickel%2C%20cobalt%2C%20copper,needed%20in%20significantly%20greater%20supply.">cadeias de suprimentos de minerais críticos</a>. </p>
<p>Um <a href="https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Securing_Minerals_for_the_Energy_Transition_2023.pdf">relatório do Fórum Econômico Mundial de dezembro de 2023</a> mapeia os riscos decorrentes da falta de fornecimento de minerais críticos. Suas conclusões são claras.</p>
<p>Não apenas uma <a href="https://meetings.imf.org/en/IMF/Home/Blogs/Articles/2021/11/10/soaring-metal-prices-may-delay-energy-transition">transição energética atrasada</a> nos aguarda no final da estrada, mas as placas de sinalização ao longo do caminho indicam que esses perigos já estão em curso.</p>
<p>Por exemplo, os riscos políticos identificados incluem <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104475">conflito por recursos</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2023.103101">aumento do nacionalismo de recursos</a> e aumento da <a href="https://www.mining.com/web/bank-of-england-takes-deep-dive-into-opaque-commodities/">fragmentação do comércio</a>. Entre os riscos econômicos estão <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2023.106934">volatilidade e incerteza do mercado</a>, bem como <a href="https://www.mining.com/web/germany-invests-1-1bn-to-counter-china-on-raw-materials">estocagem</a> de minerais críticos. </p>
<p>Os riscos socioambientais incluem um <a href="https://www.mining.com/web/amazon-gold-miners-flout-artisanal-label-with-outsized-operations/">aumento da exploração e da mineração ilegal</a> e uma <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103718">maior pressão nos ecossistemas</a>, enquanto os riscos tecnológicos apontam para uma <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/resources8010029">escassez de tecnologia renovável em cascata</a>.</p>
<h2>Os impactos da mineração</h2>
<p>Ao considerar as implicações da escassez de minerais críticos, pode ser tentador justificar a mineração a todo custo, mas essa é uma falácia perigosa. Os <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/43012/minerals_africa.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y#:%7E:text=Critical%20mineral%20extraction%20and%20processing,crucial%20to%20mitigate%20these%20impacts.">impactos sociais e ambientais</a> dos minerais críticos mal minerados são terríveis.</p>
<p>Esses impactos vão desde a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120838">consumo intensivo de água do lítio</a> nas frágeis paisagens do deserto chileno do Atacama até os processos tóxicos inerentes ao beneficiamento dos <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2017.1415307">elementos de terras raras</a>, cujo uso é onipresente na tecnologia inteligente e nas turbinas eólicas. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1144/sp526-2022-172">A diminuição do teor de minério</a> significa barragens de rejeitos cada vez maiores, e as mudanças climáticas as tornam mais propensas a acidentes.</p>
<p>Para as comunidades indígenas, <a href="https://chamber.ca/critical-minerals-can-create-transformative-economic-opportunities-for-indigenous-communities-if-we-do-it-right/">os minerais críticos são promissores</a> e ao mesmo tempo perigosos. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104448">Estudos demonstraram</a> que as jazidas de minerais críticos geralmente estão concentradas em terras indígenas. Para as comunidades, a questão é saber se isso abrirá as portas para o <a href="https://www.mining.com/british-columbias-nisgaa-nation-plans-indigenous-majority-owned-royalty-company/">desenvolvimento econômico indígena</a> ou se constituirá mais um exemplo de <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102665">deslocamento e destruição ecológica</a> à sua porta.</p>
<p>Nunca é demais enfatizar a importância de estabelecer padrões independentes de sustentabilidade, como a <a href="https://responsiblemining.net"><em>Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance</em> (Iniciativa para Mineração Segura e Responsável</a> (IRMA). Em contraste com as normas oficiais do setor, como as da <a href="https://mining.ca/towards-sustainable-mining/"><em>Towards Sustainable Mining</em> (Rumo à Mineração Sustentável) </a>, a IRMA representa vários pontos de vista das partes interessadas. Entre elas estão as comunidades locais, os funcionários, os investidores e as minas.</p>
<p>A mineração é, por sua própria natureza, um processo <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13563-020-00242-3">altamente intensivo em energia</a>. Embora seja caro e tecnicamente complexo reformar minas existentes para fins de eletrificação, as novas minas devem ser projetadas tendo em mente a neutralidade de carbono. Obviamente, isso pode ser particularmente difícil em locais que estejam enfrentando <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1089391">desafios de infraestrutura</a>, como <a href="https://doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2023.50.199">opções limitadas de energia renovável ou de baixo carbono</a>.</p>
<p>A mineração <em>greenfield</em> (jazidas novas) não é a única solução para o problema do abastecimento de minerais críticos. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107181">mineração urbana</a>(extração de lixo eletrônico) pode desempenhar um papel importante. Também é importante projetar produtos fabricados com minerais críticos tendo em mente a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-022-00181-x">reciclagem e reutilização</a>. </p>
<p>Ao investir em pesquisa e desenvolvimento, podemos <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.3c01478">encontrar substitutos</a> para os minerais mais problemáticos, independentemente de as questões subjacentes serem restrições geopolíticas, toxicidade ou abusos de direitos humanos.</p>
<h2>O resultado final</h2>
<p>No final das contas, precisamos de práticas de mineração responsáveis que nos permitam obter os minerais necessários para que a transição energética funcione. No entanto, precisamos fazer isso de uma forma justa e equitativa para as pessoas e o planeta. </p>
<p>Essa meta é uma corrida contra o tempo, exigindo inovação e uma vigilância incessante contra a redução dos padrões para atender às necessidades de curto prazo - uma vigilância que todos nós devemos trabalhar para manter.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225155/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Steyn recebe financiamento do United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Ela é afiliada à Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), ao Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) e à Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law (FNREL). Ela também integra o conselho do Canadian Institute of Resources Law (CIRL)</span></em></p>A tentação de justificar a mineração de minerais críticos a todo custo é uma falácia perigosa. Os impactos sociais e ambientais de minerais críticos mal minerados são terríveisElizabeth Steyn, Assistant Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2249112024-03-04T20:04:37Z2024-03-04T20:04:37Z10 reasons why Canadians are still dissatisfied with the economy, despite the upswing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579277/original/file-20240301-24-yhh7th.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=69%2C62%2C4531%2C3004&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Recent surveys suggest Canadians are dissatisfied with the direction of the economy. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/who-pandemic-not-emergency-1.6833321">is no longer a global emergency</a>, Canada’s GDP <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/economic-bounce-back-at-the-end-of-2023-could-push-back-rate-cuts-economists-say-1.6749435">outperformed expectations in 2023</a>, the economy seems to be heading for <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-statistics-canada-november-gdp-economy">soft landing after a period of stagnation</a>, inflation is <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/inflation-january-2024-1.7119796">winding down</a> and unemployment has decreased to <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240209/cg-a002-eng.htm">5.7 per cent in January 2024</a> — close to pre-pandemic levels. </p>
<p>Despite these positive economic indicators, recent surveys suggest Canadians are <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/december-2023/canadians-unhappy/">dissatisfied with the direction of the economy</a>. An overwhelming <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/pessimism-mounts-about-future-economy-and-affordability">84 per cent of Canadians</a> believe the country is already in a recession, with 73 per cent anticipating one within the next year. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/documentarychannel/features/generation-fear-how-bad-news-has-created-an-anxious-generation">Young people, in particular, are fearful of the future</a>.</p>
<p>This discrepancy prompts the question: Why are Canadians’ sentiments so <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canada-economy-mental-health/">at odds with economic indicators</a>? As economists, we have identified several reasons that explain why this gap exists.</p>
<h2>1. Growing socio-economic divide</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/gap-between-canada-s-rich-and-poor-increasing-at-record-speed-new-statcan-data-shows/article_c1477d8f-4961-5691-9179-a5b8cabaace9.html">Income and wealth inequality</a> are both growing at an alarming rate in Canada. <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230704/dq230704a-eng.htm?HPA=1">The wealthiest 20 per cent now</a> account for more than two-thirds of net worth, compared to the 2.7 per cent held by the bottom 40 per cent.</p>
<p><a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240122/t001a-eng.htm">The top 20 per cent accounted</a> for 40.3 per cent of net disposable income in 2023, while the bottom 20 per cent accounted for just 6.1 per cent. The <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/10085442/canada-top-income-earners-post-covid/">top one per cent of earners</a>, meanwhile, have grown even richer. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/two-thirds-of-canadian-and-american-renters-are-in-unaffordable-housing-situations-221954">Two-thirds of Canadian and American renters are in unaffordable housing situations</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In contrast, the number of people in the <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1110024101">low-income cutoff group</a> keeps increasing. Net saving for the lowest income households decreased by <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240122/dq240122a-eng.htm">9.8 per cent</a> in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the previous year.</p>
<h2>2. Debt servicing burdens</h2>
<p>Since the onset of the pandemic, net savings have deteriorated for all except those with the highest incomes, as renters and lower-income families tend to spend more than they make on necessities.</p>
<p>Canada currently holds the <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/11-631-x/11-631-x2024002-eng.pdf?st=ytPi2j-5">highest amount of household debt as a percentage of disposable income</a> among all G7 countries. With the current high interest rates, the burden of interest payments for households as a percentage of disposable income recently reached its highest level in 12 years.</p>
<h2>3. Interest rates</h2>
<p>The average disposable income for the <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240122/dq240122a-eng.htm">top 20 per cent of Canadians is increasing at the fastest rate</a> of any income group. This means those with financial assets benefit from rising interest rates, while those at the bottom suffer from the burden of greater debt service.</p>
<h2>4. Housing costs</h2>
<p>Skyrocketing housing prices have outpaced income and mortgage rates have gone up dramatically, resulting in the lowest <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/10167093/housing-affordability-bank-canada-index/">home affordability index</a> in the last 40 years. The dream of home ownership seems more distant than ever for many.</p>
<h2>5. Impact of inflation</h2>
<p>Although <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-inflation-rate-drops-more-than-expected-29-january-2024-02-20/">Canada’s inflation rate shows signs of slowing</a>, it still remains fairly high. It reached <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-inflation-rate-1.6526060">a 39-year high of 8.1 per cent in June 2022</a>, hitting <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9474837/low-income-canadians-inflation-statcan-report/">those in low-income groups</a> the hardest.</p>
<h2>6. Growing corporate concentration</h2>
<p>Canada’s most concentrated industries have become even <a href="https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/competitive-decline-hurting-canadian-consumers-businesses-comp-bureau-1.1986903">less competitive</a>, and the number of highly concentrated industries is growing. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-competition-bureau-report-1.7001320">Profit margins</a> and markups of already profitable firms is increasing. </p>
<p>This trend negatively impacts consumers and broader society by reducing industry dynamism, resulting in fewer choices and higher costs. </p>
<p>We are seeing this currently play out in the grocery sector, where <a href="https://theconversation.com/increasing-monopoly-power-poses-a-threat-to-canadas-post-pandemic-economic-recovery-209308">a lack of competition has resulted in higher food prices</a>. This is the same reason why <a href="https://www.ionajournal.ca/exchange/2023/1/21/sky-high-prices-why-its-so-expensive-to-fly-in-canada-and-how-to-change-this">airplane tickets</a> and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marketplace-high-cell-phone-bills-1.6711205">cell phone bills</a> remain higher in Canada than in comparable countries.</p>
<h2>7. Mental health struggles</h2>
<p>The proportion of people reporting very good or excellent mental health <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230913/dq230913b-eng.htm">decreased to 59 per cent in 2021 from 72.4 per cent in 2015</a>. </p>
<p>The prevalence of some chronic conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity, increased from 2015 to 2021 as well. </p>
<p>Financial anxiety, pandemic-related stress and other issues are making <a href="https://www.thestar.com/life/are-canadians-getting-angrier-heres-what-experts-say-is-happening-and-how-we-can-tame/article_6457ee6a-56ce-5d84-a2ea-53b3bef15ed5.html">Canadians feel angrier in general</a>, which affects their outlook on life and the economy.</p>
<h2>8. Long COVID</h2>
<p>While the impacts of the pandemic are slowing down, long COVID is still a significant issue for many. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/long-covid-symptoms-canadians-1.7053485">One in nine people</a> who contracted COVID-19 suffer from symptoms, including brain fog, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2311330">cognitive impairment</a>, fatigue and shortness of breath, that affect their health and well-being. </p>
<p>It is shortsighted to assume we have all recovered equally from the pandemic when some people are still being affected by it.</p>
<h2>9. Higher education funding cuts</h2>
<p>College education has historically served as “<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Education-The-Great-Equalizer-2119678">the great equalizer</a>” and an instrument of intergenerational social mobility, but in the face of <a href="https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/the-rising-financial-precarity-of-universities/">declining government support for post-secondary education</a>, this may no longer be the case. </p>
<p>The financial situation of many colleges is <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/almost-half-of-ontario-universities-are-running-deficits-putting-student-services-at-risk-council-says/article_639ebedc-af31-11ee-bdce-47e37d4e1808.html">increasingly precarious</a>, meaning post-secondary institutions could end up raising tuition fees or rely more on international students to meet their budgets, both of which affect domestic students. </p>
<p>Students from the lowest economic stratum will increasingly find it difficult to trade the security of a job right out of high school for the high cost of a university or college degree. This, in turn, will reduce their chances to move up in the socio-ecnomic ladder.</p>
<h2>10. Youth struggles</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/upshot/teens-politics-mental-health.html">Youth across North America</a> are more anxious about their future, concerned about their mental health and educational prospects and more disillusioned by politicians than previous generations. </p>
<p>Despite being resilient and pragmatic, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8360411/gen-z-canada-future-youth-leaders/">Gen Z are pessimistic about the world around them</a> and the future ahead. They worry about their financial security, with high costs of rent and groceries. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-gen-z-is-a-climate-anxious-pessimistic-force-to-be-reckoned-with">A 2023 survey from the <em>Globe and Mail</em></a> found that nearly three-quarters of Gen Z disagreed that, as a generation, they would surpass their parents. Fifty-six per cent feel afraid, sad, anxious and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2023.100204">powerless about climate changes</a>, while 78 per cent reported that climate anxiety is impacting their mental health. </p>
<h2>Navigating the disconnect</h2>
<p>While more than <a href="https://angusreid.org/2024-canada-optimism-pessimism-expectations/">40 per cent of Canadians</a> hope for positive outcomes in 2024 and the macroeconomic indicators show prosperity, there exist numerous factors causing dissatisfaction in large swathes of the population in Canada. </p>
<p>Managers, business leaders, policymakers, government officials and economists should all care deeply about this issue. Over-relying on aggregate indicators — like macroeconomic prosperity — while making strategic, investment, hiring and financing decisions could lead to unexpected outcomes and challenges.</p>
<p>For example, a real estate company might decide to invest in a large, low-end housing project based on economic numbers. While the initial logic may seem sound — if the economy is doing well, that there should be a huge demand for housing — issues might arise if the target population is financially strained and unable to afford the housing.</p>
<p>A comprehensive understanding of the mindset, risk preferences and motivating factors of key customers, stakeholders, investors, employees and voters is essential for making well-informed decisions that benefit all parties involved.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224911/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anup Srivastava receives research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Felipe Bastos Gurgel Silva, Luminita Enache, and Manuela Dantas do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are a number of reasons why there’s such a significant gap between aggregate economic numbers and the perceptions of everyday people.Anup Srivastava, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Haskayne School of Business, University of CalgaryFelipe Bastos Gurgel Silva, Assistant Professor, Trulaske College of Business, University of Missouri-ColumbiaLuminita Enache, Associate Professor of Accounting and Future Fund Fellow, Haskayne School of Business, University of CalgaryManuela Dantas, Assistant Professor, Department of Accounting, California State University, NorthridgeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2208332024-02-27T21:50:30Z2024-02-27T21:50:30ZThe importance of critical minerals should not condone their extraction at all costs<p>Global warming is real and climate change is worsening day-by-day with <a href="https://theconversation.com/zombie-fires-are-occurring-more-frequently-in-boreal-forests-but-their-impacts-remain-uncertain-198459">raging forest fires</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-global-warming-is-reshaping-winter-life-in-canada-222329">unseasonably warm winters</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/warmer-wetter-wilder-38-million-people-in-the-great-lakes-region-are-threatened-by-climate-change-170195">flooding disasters</a> taking place across Canada. Meanwhile, the carbon-zero transition required to move away from such a dire future is hampered by a key weakness — “critical minerals.” </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/raising-ambition/renewable-energy-transition">energy transition</a> depends on so-called <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02330-0">“battery” or “critical”</a> minerals to be successful — minerals which must be mined or recycled. Smart phones, <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/ammto/critical-minerals-and-materials#:%7E:text=Lithium%2C%20cobalt%2C%20and%20high%2D,and%20germanium%20used%20in%20semiconductors.">superconductor chips</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.113938">renewable energy technologies</a> and even the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/us-geological-survey-releases-2022-list-critical-minerals">defence industry</a> all rely heavily upon critical minerals. Demand for these minerals is set to <a href="https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/c7716240-ab4f-4f5d-b138-291e76c6a7c7/CriticalMineralsMarketReview2023.pdf">triple by 2030</a>. </p>
<p>However, the uncomfortable reality is that the supply of these metals is simply not there, and their extraction carries huge social and ecological risks. This problem affects us all.</p>
<h2>What are critical minerals?</h2>
<p>There is no universal consensus on what critical minerals are. Various countries and bodies such as the <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/critical-minerals-market-review-2023">International Energy Agency</a> or the <a href="https://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/961711588875536384/Minerals-for-Climate-Action-The-Mineral-Intensity-of-the-Clean-Energy-Transition.pdf">World Bank</a> have different lists and the contents of these lists do not remain static. </p>
<p>For instance, the <a href="https://natural-resources.canada.ca/sites/nrcan/files/mineralsmetals/pdf/Critical_Minerals_List_2021-EN.pdf">Canadian Critical Minerals List</a> contains 31 minerals or mineral groups. The United States has two lists: the <a href="https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/media/files/2022%20Final%20List%20of%20Critical%20Minerals%20Federal%20Register%20Notice_2222022-F.pdf">U.S. Geological Survey Critical Minerals List</a> that contains 50 individual minerals and the <a href="https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/preprint-frn-2023-critical-materials-list.pdf">Department of Energy Critical Materials for Energy List</a>, which adds energy materials like copper and silicon. The European Union has a list of 34 <a href="https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials_en">Critical Raw Materials</a>.</p>
<p>The term “critical mineral” is technically a misnomer as most of the elements on these lists are metals and not minerals. However, there are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2023.101402">broad areas of agreement</a>: most lists include battery metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper, as well as rare earth elements and platinum group metals. Other common elements are the alloys of steel, such as chromium, manganese and zinc. </p>
<p>All of these elements are crucial to the energy transition. Battery metals power electric vehicles and storage batteries, steel and rare earth elements are imperative for wind turbines and copper is essential for power grids. Simply put, shortages in critical minerals mean a delayed energy transition and worsening <a href="https://www.irena.org/Energy-Transition/Outlook">climate impacts</a>.</p>
<p>Yet electric vehicles are only as “clean” as the electricity grid that feeds them. They are only as “green” as their component parts. The batteries require nickel, which could well have come from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2023.102997">a mine in the Philippines that legally dumps its tailings (toxic waste) in oceans</a>. Meanwhile, the vital cobalt can’t be separated from the human miseries of mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — a mining industry referred to as “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2020.11.018">a new form of slavery, a subterranean slavery</a>.”</p>
<h2>Why are critical minerals problematic?</h2>
<p>Critical minerals are often found <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.12.001">in deposits that are highly concentrated geographically</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103336">China is a dominant force</a> in their processing and supply. This means that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104587">geopolitical tensions</a> can make it harder to secure <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/building-larger-and-more-diverse-supply-chains-energy-minerals#:%7E:text=Critical%20Minerals%20in%20the%20Energy%20Sector&text=Lithium%2C%20nickel%2C%20cobalt%2C%20copper,needed%20in%20significantly%20greater%20supply.">critical mineral supply chains</a>. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Securing_Minerals_for_the_Energy_Transition_2023.pdf">December 2023 World Economic Forum White Paper</a> maps ecosystem risks arising from a lack of supply in critical minerals. Its conclusions are clear.</p>
<p>Not only does a <a href="https://meetings.imf.org/en/IMF/Home/Blogs/Articles/2021/11/10/soaring-metal-prices-may-delay-energy-transition">delayed energy transition</a> await us at the end of the road, but the signposts along the way indicate that these risks are already playing out.</p>
<p>For instance, political risks identified include <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104475">conflict over resources</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2023.103101">increasing resource nationalism</a> and increasing <a href="https://www.mining.com/web/bank-of-england-takes-deep-dive-into-opaque-commodities/">trade fragmentation</a>. Among the economic risks are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2023.106934">market volatility and uncertainty</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.mining.com/web/germany-invests-1-1bn-to-counter-china-on-raw-materials">stockpiling</a> of critical minerals. </p>
<p>Socio-environmental risks comprise an <a href="https://www.mining.com/web/amazon-gold-miners-flout-artisanal-label-with-outsized-operations/">increase in exploitative and illegal mining</a> and a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103718">higher demand on ecosystems</a>, while technological risks point to cascading <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/resources8010029">renewable technology shortages</a>.</p>
<h2>The impacts of critical minerals mining</h2>
<p>When considering the implications of minerals shortages, it may be tempting to justify critical minerals mining at all costs, however, this is a dangerous fallacy. The <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/43012/minerals_africa.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y#:%7E:text=Critical%20mineral%20extraction%20and%20processing,crucial%20to%20mitigate%20these%20impacts.">social and environmental impacts</a> of poorly mined critical minerals are dire.</p>
<p>These range from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120838">lithium’s water intensity</a> in the fragile landscapes of the Chilean Atacama desert to the toxic processes inherent in the processing of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2017.1415307">rare earth elements</a> whose use is ubiquitous in smart technology and wind turbines. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1144/sp526-2022-172">Diminishing ore grades</a> mean ever bigger tailings dams, and climate change makes them more prone to accidents.</p>
<p>For Indigenous communities, <a href="https://chamber.ca/critical-minerals-can-create-transformative-economic-opportunities-for-indigenous-communities-if-we-do-it-right/">critical minerals hold both promise</a> and peril. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104448">Studies have shown</a> that critical minerals are often heavily concentrated on Indigenous lands. For them, the question arises whether this will open the door to <a href="https://www.mining.com/british-columbias-nisgaa-nation-plans-indigenous-majority-owned-royalty-company/">Indigenous economic development</a> or if it will constitute yet another instance of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102665">displacement and ecological destruction</a> on their doorstep.</p>
<p>The importance of independent standards authorities such as the <a href="https://responsiblemining.net">Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance</a> (IRMA) cannot be overemphasized. In contrast to industry standards such as <a href="https://mining.ca/towards-sustainable-mining/">Towards Sustainable Mining</a>, IRMA represents multiple stakeholder views. These include communities, employees, investors and mines.</p>
<p>Mining is by its very nature a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13563-020-00242-3">highly energy intensive</a> process. While it is expensive and technically complex to retrofit existing mines for electrification purposes, new mines should be designed with carbon neutrality in mind. Of course, this can be particularly difficult in places that are experiencing <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1089391">infrastructure challenges</a>, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2023.50.199">limited renewable or low carbon energy options</a>.</p>
<p>Greenfield mining is not the sole solution to the critical minerals conundrum. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107181">Urban mining</a> (extraction from electronic waste) can play an important role. It’s also important to design products manufactured from critical minerals with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-022-00181-x">recycling and repurposing</a> in mind. </p>
<p>By investing in research and development, we can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.3c01478">find substitutes</a> to the most problematic minerals, whether the underlying issues are geopolitical constraints, toxicity or human rights abuses.</p>
<h2>The bottom line</h2>
<p>At the end of the day, we need responsible mining practices that will enable us to obtain the minerals required to make the energy transition work. However, we must do so in a way that is just and equitable towards both people and the planet. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/renewable-energy-innovation-isnt-just-good-for-the-climate-its-also-good-for-the-economy-223164">Renewable energy innovation isn't just good for the climate — it's also good for the economy</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This goal is a race against time, requiring both innovation and a never-ending vigilance against a lowering of standards to meet short-term needs — a vigilance which we all must work to maintain.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220833/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Steyn previously received funding from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). She is affiliated with the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) and the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law (FNREL). She is a board member of the Canadian Institute of Resources Law (CIRL). </span></em></p>The temptation to justify critical minerals mining at all costs is a dangerous fallacy. The social and environmental impacts of poorly mined critical minerals are dire.Elizabeth Steyn, Assistant Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2172462024-02-15T21:27:41Z2024-02-15T21:27:41ZTo protect user privacy online, governments need to reconsider their use of opt-in policies<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570987/original/file-20240123-27-22n2mg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=654%2C333%2C6928%2C4964&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Almost every website — both for-profit and not-for-profit — commodifies user data.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Internet users — almost all of us — are growing used to seeing requests for consent to gather our information: “Do you accept cookies from this website?” Most of us just click “yes” and continue browsing, rather than bothering with convoluted settings and choices we don’t quite understand. </p>
<p>Consumers are not too happy <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/what-do-cookie-preferences-pop-ups-mean/">with these requests</a> and some even <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/avoid-cookie-popups-gdpr/">look for ways to avoid them</a>. These pop-ups are in response to recent data protection and privacy regulations, such as the European Union’s <a href="https://gdpr.eu/">General Data Protection Regulation</a> and <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa">California’s Consumer Privacy Act</a>. </p>
<p>Other jurisdictions are looking to implement their own sets of regulations, including Canada, which is in the process of reviewing and modernizing the <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/pa-lprp/modern.html">Privacy Act</a>.</p>
<p>Such regulations are intended to limit the collection of data on users and users’ exposure to third parties, but our analysis suggests these regulations may not be as effective as intended. Our research has found they actually increase the use of third parties that access user data and decrease competition to the detriment of consumers.</p>
<h2>Commodification of user data</h2>
<p>Almost every website — both for-profit and not-for-profit — commodifies user data. Within the first three seconds of opening a web page, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.1178">over 80 third parties on average have accessed your information</a>.</p>
<p>The usage of user data by third parties can be helpful, as it is an easy way for companies to earn money and it can easily connect consumers to any resources they are looking for.</p>
<p>But third parties can also pose serious privacy threats to consumers, which is why privacy legislation is needed. Privacy threats can result in financial harm to users and society at large. For example, discrimination can be based on any detectable characteristic, including psychographic profiles, age, race, gender, religious affiliation and others. </p>
<p>Society at large can be harmed by coordinated attempts to manipulate voters, as was the case with the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-scandal-fallout.html">Cambridge Analytica scandal</a>.</p>
<p>Moreover, the strategic reaction of the websites to regulation is often overlooked. There is a cat and mouse game in reaction to regulation — they are not a matter of simple compliance. </p>
<p>If a regulation says a website has to do X, then a website will react to that limitation and do Y while also doing X. Strategic reactions are not necessarily to avoid compliance, but rather to maximize profit in response to new regulatory requirements.</p>
<h2>The impact of privacy policies</h2>
<p>Our research group, consisting of scholars including Ram Gopal from the University of Warwick, Niam Yaraghi from the University of Miami, and Hooman Hidaji, Sule Kutlu and Ray Patterson from the University of Calgary, have spent years studying website privacy and revenue management.</p>
<p>Previously, <a href="https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2018/13839">we analyzed</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jamiaopen/ooab100">the privacy implications</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/ijoc.2022.1266">of website monetization strategies</a> and the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3382188">prediction of website trustworthiness</a> by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2021.113698">observing their third-party usage</a>. Recently, our focus has shifted to studying the impact of data regulation on consumers and websites to understand the impact of new privacy policies.</p>
<p>In our recent study, published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.1178"><em>Information Systems Research</em></a>, we studied the effects of government intervention to protect consumer privacy online. We collected third-party utilization of the most popular 100,000 websites globally when California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) went into effect.</p>
<p>Comparing jurisdictions with and without opt-in policies, we found that the implementation of opt-in policies had an unintended effect on the use of third parties: there was a significant increase in the number of third parties when accessing websites from California after CCPA went into effect.</p>
<p>We also found that, in markets where some users had relatively low privacy concerns, opt-in laws had the unintended consequence of increasing the number of third parties, thereby increasing the privacy exposure of users. </p>
<h2>Learning from past mistakes</h2>
<p>Our findings have important implications for policymakers involved in data protection and privacy regulation. In Canada, where privacy regulation is not yet finalized, there is an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of other regulators. </p>
<p>As our research has found, opt-in policies are counterproductive in addressing third-party data-sharing concerns and can harm competition. Instead, we recommend using a mix of policies that are used in a more precise manner, rather than the currently preferred one-size-fits-all policies. </p>
<p>More precisely targeted mechanisms, such as limited consent requirements and subsidizing websites in particular sectors or industries, motivate competing websites to improve their third-party data sharing. Website subsidization acts like a precise tool, allowing policymakers to impact specific target markets. </p>
<p>Opt-in policies, on the other hand, are more comparable to a sledgehammer that uniformly affects all market segments. Rather than globally implementing legislation, we advocate for a combination of policies and local subsidies that are better suited to an industry’s specific needs.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217246/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Raymond A. Patterson received financial support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hooman Hidaji receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Niam Yaraghi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ram Gopal receives funding from The Gillmore Centre for Financial Technology at the Warwick Business School. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sule Nur Kutlu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New research shows that opt-in policies may not be as effective as intended when it comes to data protection and privacy regulations.Raymond A. Patterson, Professor, Area Chair, Business Technology Management, Haskayne School of Business, University of CalgaryHooman Hidaji, Assistant Professor of Business Technology Management, University of CalgaryNiam Yaraghi, Assistant Professor of Business Technology, Miami Herbert Business School, University of MiamiRam Gopal, Professor of Information Systems Management, Warwick Business School, University of WarwickSule Nur Kutlu, Assistant Professor, Haskayne School of Business, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2220532024-02-14T14:39:57Z2024-02-14T14:39:57ZAddressing anti-Black racism is key to improving well-being of Black Canadians<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575109/original/file-20240212-26-1lvn1y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=45%2C22%2C7549%2C4873&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Anti-Black racism continues to be a major determinant of poor health and social outcomes for Black Canadians. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Anti-Black racism continues to be a major determinant of poor health and social outcomes for Black Canadians. Addressing this racism within Canadian institutions — like the health-care system, justice system, the child welfare system and education — has far-reaching implications. </p>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic is a good example. Black populations had the <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2022001/article/00010-eng.htm">highest age-standardized mortality rate</a> among racial groups in Canada. Moreover, in the early days of the pandemic, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7015522/black-neighbourhoods-toronto-coronavirus-racism/">living in a Black</a> community was strongly correlated with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Black Canadians also have a <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2023002/article/00001-eng.htm">higher mortality</a> rate from HIV, diabetes and several forms of cancer.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://crrf-fcrr.ca/glossary-of-terms/">Canadian Race Relations Foundation</a> describes anti-Black racism as “policies and practices…that mirror and reinforce beliefs, attitudes, prejudice, stereotyping and/or discrimination towards people of African descent.” </p>
<p>As a Canadian Black academic and a parent of two young children, I know that anti-Black racism has real-world consequences. Research reveals that Black children and youths are overrepresented in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/equitable-sentencing-can-mitigate-anti-black-racism-in-canadas-justice-system-217515">criminal justice</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-know-better-so-why-arent-we-doing-better-in-supporting-the-health-of-children-and-youth-in-care-193726">child welfare systems</a>, and have lower <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2020001/article/00002-eng.htm">post-secondary school completion rates.</a> </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/recognizing-history-of-black-nurses-a-first-step-to-addressing-racism-and-discrimination-in-nursing-125538">Recognizing history of Black nurses a first step to addressing racism and discrimination in nursing</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Historically, Black people in Canada were denied enrolment in <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/racial-segregation-of-black-students-in-canadian-schools">medical schools</a> and <a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781442609952/moving-beyond-borders/">nursing schools</a>, which has had long-term impacts on the provision of culturally sensitive health care.</p>
<h2>Contemporary and historical inequities</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Black doctor with a Black mother and child" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575108/original/file-20240212-28-pmgxwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575108/original/file-20240212-28-pmgxwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575108/original/file-20240212-28-pmgxwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575108/original/file-20240212-28-pmgxwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575108/original/file-20240212-28-pmgxwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575108/original/file-20240212-28-pmgxwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575108/original/file-20240212-28-pmgxwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Black people in Canada were denied enrolment in medical schools and nursing schools, which has had long-term impacts on the provision of culturally sensitive health care.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Black Canadians’ experiences are rooted in contemporary and historical inequities, including Canada’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-reparations-and-apologies-to-african-canadians-are-necessary-140527">history of slavery</a> and racial discrimination. Canada’s early immigration policies were racist, such as <a href="https://pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/immigration-act-1910">Section 38 of the Immigration Act of 1910</a>, which: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“prohibited for a stated period, or permanently, the landing in Canada, or the landing at any specified port of entry in Canada, of immigrants belonging to any race deemed unsuited to the climate or requirements of Canada, or of immigrants of any specified class, occupation or character.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>It was further proposed that “the Negro race…is deemed unsuitable to the climate and requirements of Canada.”</p>
<p>Findings from my research are consistent with the <a href="https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/1304262?ln=en">United Nations Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent</a> on its mission to Canada, which affirmed the negative legacy of these past practices. Policy formulations still shape access to material resources and contribute to structural inequities in Canada, evident in the pervasive low incomes of Black Canadians.</p>
<p>While median annual wages generally increase for the Canadian population, <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2020001-eng.htm">Black men’s wages have remained stagnant</a>. Economic deprivation and employment barriers informed by anti-Black racism also have generational consequences. Significantly, Black children (and Filipino children) are the only two groups of children that <strong>on average</strong> <a href="https://doi.org/10.29173/cjs1651">do not surpass their parents</a>’ levels of education in Canada. </p>
<p>As well, many Black immigrant women, especially from Western and Central Africa, experience high levels of poverty despite their <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2020001-eng.htm">high educational achievements</a>, often acquired prior to coming to Canada.</p>
<h2>Black youth mental health</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.212142">Black youth spoke most about racism</a> in our research on their mental health experiences. They internalize racism, which in turn affects their future well-being. We learned that numerous factors intersect to create challenges. For example, Black youth are often perceived as guilty of unacceptable behaviours and must prove themselves innocent. The prevailing perception that toxic or unhealthy masculinity is an attribute of Black men also affects their mental health.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/black-mens-mental-health-concerns-are-going-unnoticed-and-unaddressed-221862">Black men's mental health concerns are going unnoticed and unaddressed</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.41.9.01">Income inequality</a> and insufficient financial resources are complicating factors, impeding many young Black men from getting the counselling they need to improve their mental health. When they do access such supports, lack of diversity among providers and culturally appropriate services can be further barriers. LGBTQIA+ Black youth may face dire situations, experiencing racism within the LGBTQIA+ community and homophobia within the Black community.</p>
<h2>Addressing inequities</h2>
<p>Partnering with Black communities is a crucial component in effective efforts to mitigate inequities. Indeed, it is essential that Black community members participate, to capitalize on their strengths and actively engage in improving their well-being. </p>
<p>Through my personal and professional experiences, I’ve had a unique glimpse into the brilliance and strengths of various Black communities, which are often untapped. These includes a collectivist orientation, spirituality and the value of respect. Mentorship within these communities has also produced several unique gains. For example, my participation in the University of Toronto <a href="https://temertymedicine.utoronto.ca/summer-mentorship-program">Summer Mentorship Program</a> in my early years in Canada, contributed to my success. I have also created a <a href="https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/office/precision-equity-social-justice/pathway-supports/black-youth-mentorship-program">Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program</a> to socially and economically empower Black youth to contribute to the society. Around 150 Black youth have been trained. </p>
<p>Several other mentorship programs exist in Black communities and some, as indicated above, were created by <a href="https://medicine.dal.ca/departments/core-units/global-health/plans.html">Black faculty members and administrators in educational institutions</a>. </p>
<p>Institutions must do more than just provide education and develop anti-racist policies; they must also ensure accountability in addressing racism. Embedding anti-racism practices in evaluation at all levels is an important step, especially since many professions in Canada don’t include anti-racism as a required competence. Such changes will support improved social and health outcomes overall.</p>
<p>Collecting <a href="https://theconversation.com/black-health-matters-dont-call-me-resilient-ep-5-transcript-156090">race-based data</a> is still not that common, but as this practice becomes more widespread, the data will tell us more about the ongoing social and health outcomes of Black Canadians. My aim is to help all Canadians understand that anti-Black racism in our country does not exist in isolation; it intersects with many other aspects of people’s lives. Race-based data is a step towards better understanding these relationships.</p>
<h2>Looking ahead</h2>
<p>Anti-Black racism has health, social and economic consequences for Black populations in Canada. We are a growing population in Canada of approximately <a href="https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/dai/smr08/2024/smr08_278">1.5 million</a> individuals who self-identify as Black, accounting for 4.3 per cent of the country’s total population. </p>
<p>However, anti-Black racism has consequences for population outcomes for all Canadians, as we saw during the <a href="https://theconversation.com/inquiry-into-coronavirus-nursing-home-deaths-needs-to-include-discussion-of-workers-and-race-139017">COVID-19 pandemic</a>. It is key that we provide mentorship, collect race-based data, take <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/ces.2020.0017">strength-based</a> participatory research approaches and establish and maintain accountable practices that centralize race and its intersections. </p>
<p>These moves will improve health and social outcomes for Black Canadians and generate stronger population outcomes in Canada.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222053/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bukola Salami receives funding from Policywise for Children and Families for a project on mental health of Black youth named in this article</span></em></p>Anti-Black racism has health, social and economic consequences for Black populations in Canada. Partnering with Black communities is a crucial component in effective efforts to mitigate inequities.Bukola Salami, Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2220542024-02-13T19:31:34Z2024-02-13T19:31:34ZShowing love on Valentine’s Day by embracing disability<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574603/original/file-20240209-16-r7k1o3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=110%2C0%2C7238%2C4912&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Stereotypes often mean people with disabilities are told to wait and delay their engagement in any romantic or sexual experiences.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Valentine’s Day is a time when love and intimacy are celebrated with fervor. Yet, the challenges some face in this regard are not often recognized. In particular, people with disabilities face discrimination and obstacles when seeking love, affection and sexual fulfillment.</p>
<p>People with disabilities often contend with persistent stereotypes when it comes to their love lives. A lack of comprehensive and accessible sex education also leaves people with disabilities ill-equipped to navigate the complexities of relationships and intimacy.</p>
<p>At the University of Calgary’s <a href="https://www.disabilitysexualitylab.com/">Disability and Sexuality Lab</a>, we are working to address these challenges. Our team has undertaken a comprehensive series of interviews with individuals living with disabilities, delving into their personal journeys with love, romance and sexuality. </p>
<p>These conversations reveal the complex realities they face in their quest for intimate connections and underscore the urgent need for greater awareness, and inclusivity within the intersection of disability and sexuality.</p>
<h2>Stereotypes about disability and sexuality</h2>
<p>Individuals with disabilities frequently confront a <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-with-disability-face-barriers-to-sexual-and-reproductive-health-care-new-recommendations-are-only-the-start-206746">multitude of stereotypes</a> that limit their opportunities to form intimate relationships and have sex. These perceptions can deeply affect their experiences and how society treats the topic of disability and sexuality.</p>
<p>Initially, there’s a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3109/09638280903419277">pervasive stereotype</a> that portrays disabled people as lacking sexual desires or being incapable of making good decisions regarding their intimate lives. This view unfairly categorizes people with disability as a “danger” to the community, fostering unnecessary fear and discrimination. Such a narrative not only marginalizes their experiences but also unjustly strips them of their rights to make personal decisions about their bodies and relationships.</p>
<p>Simultaneously, they are subjected to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460716688680">infantilization and de-sexualization</a>. This process where their capacity for adult relationships and sexuality is either ignored or denied, undermines their autonomy and contributes to a broader societal narrative. It fails to recognize disabled people as fully rounded individuals with the same spectrum of desires and needs for intimacy as anyone else.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575093/original/file-20240212-22-lcuw8a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man and woman communicate using sign language." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575093/original/file-20240212-22-lcuw8a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575093/original/file-20240212-22-lcuw8a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575093/original/file-20240212-22-lcuw8a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575093/original/file-20240212-22-lcuw8a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575093/original/file-20240212-22-lcuw8a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575093/original/file-20240212-22-lcuw8a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575093/original/file-20240212-22-lcuw8a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Stereotypes and perceptions can deeply affect how broader society views disability and sexuality.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Being told to wait</h2>
<p>Infantilization often means people with disabilities are told to wait and delay their engagement in any romantic or sexual experiences.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003163329-57/intersection-sexuality-intellectual-disabilities-alan-santinele-martino">Our comprehensive interviews with 46 adults who have intellectual disabilities</a> in Ontario highlighted how participants were often advised that they should defer sexual activity until their late 30s, 40s, and in some cases, even their 50s. </p>
<p>This guidance, ostensibly for their protection, underscores a broader societal issue where people with disabilities are not afforded the same autonomy to explore their sexuality compared to those without disabilities.</p>
<p>For instance, Randy, a 39-year-old man with a mental disability, told us he was advised not to pursue intimate relationships. “My mother told me I am not ready,” he said. Often, people with disabilities, especially those with intellectual disabilities, are told to wait.</p>
<p>This represents further the perceived notion that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10714413.2012.687241">people with disabilities are not knowledgeable</a> about their own sexuality and intimate lives. For instance <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-023-10185-w">Priscilla, a 43-year-old bisexual woman, said:</a> </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“When you have a developmental disability, people think that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Or when you say I’m bisexual or gay, whatever, they think that you don’t actually know what it means.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Sex education inaccessible and inadequate</h2>
<p>In ensuring individuals are informed about their options in terms of sex, sexuality and gender, sex education is often where these conversations begin. Unfortunately sex education is often delivered in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02755-8">inaccessible and ineffective ways</a> to people with disabilities, particularly those who are 2SLGBTQ+. This is what we found in our other research project about the intimate lives of 31 2SLGBTQ+ individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in Alberta, Canada. </p>
<p>Sex education is often delivered in ways that focus on heterosexual and cisgender experiences. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02755-8">Aubrey, a 30-year-old queer trans man said</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“You know, for myself as a gender diverse person, I really would have benefited from that [sex education], because I hadn’t even known about that possibility until much later in my life.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Partly due to this lack of education, studies have shown that people with disabilities experience greater vulnerability. The <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/01/08/570224090/the-sexual-assault-epidemic-no-one-talks-about">rates of sexual abuse</a> are higher among disabled people compared to non-disabled people. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575087/original/file-20240212-30-lntkxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman sits on the lap of another woman in a wheelchair. They look at each other lovingly." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575087/original/file-20240212-30-lntkxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575087/original/file-20240212-30-lntkxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575087/original/file-20240212-30-lntkxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575087/original/file-20240212-30-lntkxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575087/original/file-20240212-30-lntkxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575087/original/file-20240212-30-lntkxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575087/original/file-20240212-30-lntkxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Disabled 2SLGBTQ+ people often face overlapping forms of discrimination.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2SLGBTQ+ disabled people being left behind</h2>
<p>Individuals with disabilities who are also 2SLGBTQ+ often find themselves facing multiple forms of discrimination, including ableism, homophobia and transphobia. </p>
<p>Yet, our interviews with 2SLGBTQ+ adults with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities reveal not just the barriers these individuals face but also their profound resilience and desire for love. For instance <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2023.2276320">Tracey, a 19-year-old gender fluid person, said</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I just wish there were more like spaces where disabled people could also enter because you know, when you also think of like, people who are physically disabled, they can’t go out clubbing. They physically can’t, then so it’s like, there’s not many activities, there’s not many ways for us to engage in our own community.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Our research shows significant gaps in information and conversations about disability and romance, emphasizing the necessity for accessible education, resources and spaces. Recent 2SLGBTQ+ rights challenges, like <a href="https://theconversation.com/albertas-new-policies-are-not-only-anti-trans-they-are-anti-evidence-222579">Alberta’s parental rights policies</a>, underscore the urgency of challenging new transphobic policies. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/albertas-new-policies-are-not-only-anti-trans-they-are-anti-evidence-222579">Alberta's new policies are not only anti-trans, they are anti-evidence</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Disabled activists push back</h2>
<p>Valentine’s Day, with its emphasis on love and connection, brings to light the importance of inclusivity. It’s a fitting moment to reflect on how everyone desires to love and be loved. The work of disabled activists like Andrew Gurza, host of the podcast <a href="http://www.andrewgurza.com/podcast">Disability after Dark</a>, and Eva Sweeney, creator of <a href="https://www.crippingupsexwitheva.com/">Cripping up Sex with Eva</a>, is particularly illuminating. They courageously open up conversations about disability and sexuality, challenging norms and pushing the boundaries of what’s often considered a taboo subject.</p>
<p>In a simple yet profound expression, a young man with Down Syndrome shared his insight, saying, <a href="https://hollandbloorview.ca/sites/default/files/2021-04/Presentation%20Slides-%20Talk%203%20Speaker%201%20Dr.%20Alan%20Martino_0.pdf">“love is natural, we all love.”</a> This statement serves as a powerful reminder, especially on Valentine’s Day — a time often saturated with conversations about sex, intimacy and romantic connections. It’s a period that underscores the significance of making sure everyone feels seen and included.</p>
<p>Their efforts highlight a critical message: The more we talk about it, the less of a taboo topic it becomes. </p>
<p><em>Eleni Moumos, an undergraduate student in Psychology minoring in Disability Studies at the University of Calgary, co-authored this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222054/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alan Santinele Martino receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.</span></em></p>Individuals with disabilities frequently confront stereotypes that limit their opportunities to form intimate relationships and have sex.Alan Santinele Martino, Assistant Professor, Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2225162024-02-11T13:50:24Z2024-02-11T13:50:24ZIt’s time for a heart-to-heart about women’s cardiovascular health, unique risk factors and symptoms<p>Cardiovascular disease — also called heart disease — is a condition affecting the heart and blood vessels, and is the leading cause of death among <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00684-X">women worldwide</a>. In fact, a women dies of heart disease every <a href="https://www.heartandstroke.ca/-/media/pdf-files/canada/2018-heart-month/hs_2018-heart-report_en.ashx#">20 minutes in Canada</a>. </p>
<p>Although cardiovascular disease is often considered a disease of men, women are more likely to die from a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjco.2020.10.009">heart attack</a> when compared with men. This fact often surprises women and even their health-care providers. Many women are not aware that heart disease is a significant health threat to them, but the reality is that <a href="https://www.heartandstroke.ca/-/media/pdf-files/canada/2018-heart-month/hs_2018-heart-report_en.ashx#">five times</a> as many women die from heart disease as breast cancer. </p>
<p>Despite dramatic improvements in management of cardiovascular disease over time, the death rate due to heart disease is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjqcco/qcaa099">actually increasing</a> in women, especially those under age 65. It has become clear that <a href="https://www.heartandstroke.ca/-/media/pdf-files/canada/2018-heart-month/hs_2018-heart-report_en.ashx#">women remain</a> under-researched, under-diagnosed, under-treated, under-supported an under-aware of their cardiovascular risk. </p>
<p>That’s why it is critical that moving forward, we recognize that women’s hearts are unique. Additionally, there is an urgent need to start a conversation with Canadians to improve awareness of women’s heart health to help save the lives of mothers, sisters, daughters, family and friends. </p>
<h2>Women’s hearts are different</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574087/original/file-20240207-26-jtv39j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of women wearing red and with the title Wear Red Canada wearredcanada.ca" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574087/original/file-20240207-26-jtv39j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574087/original/file-20240207-26-jtv39j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574087/original/file-20240207-26-jtv39j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574087/original/file-20240207-26-jtv39j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574087/original/file-20240207-26-jtv39j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574087/original/file-20240207-26-jtv39j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574087/original/file-20240207-26-jtv39j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">On Feb. 13, Wear Red Canada raises awareness for women’s cardiovascular health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>From the outside, women’s hearts may look the same as men’s, but there are important differences. Specifically, women experience unique events over the course of their lifespan which may impact their cardiovascular health. For example, an individual’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjco.2021.09.013">menstrual health and patterns, or conditions related to fertility</a>, such as polycystic ovary syndrome or endometriosis, may influence her cardiovascular well-being. </p>
<p>Pregnancy complications, such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and gestational diabetes, can also play a role in cardiovascular health. Finally, menopause factors, including timing of menopause and menopause-related treatments, may also be indicators of cardiovascular health. </p>
<p>In addition to such risk factors that are inherent to the female experience, women are <a href="https://www.cjcopen.ca/cms/attachment/a2d5edd9-5a5a-41d4-b824-7749ae0d9a67/gr1.jpg">disproportionately impacted by other risk factors for heart disease</a>. These risk factors may include conditions such as depression, chronic kidney disease and autoimmune disease. </p>
<p>Women need to not only be aware of how their risk for heart disease may change across the lifespan, but also how they can be proactive and make informed decisions regarding their heart health at all stages of life. </p>
<h2>Heart attack symptoms</h2>
<p>Early heart attack symptoms are missed in up to <a href="https://www.heartandstroke.ca/-/media/pdf-files/canada/2018-heart-month/hs_2018-heart-report_en.ashx#:%7E:text=Every%2020%20minutes%20a%20woman%20in%20Canada%20dies%20from%20heart%20disease.&text=Five%20times%20as%20many%20women%20die%20from%20heart%20disease%20as%20breast%20cancer.&text=Two%2Dthirds%20of%20heart%20disease%20clinical%20research%20focuses%20on%20men.&text=Women%20who%20have%20a%20heart,heart%20attack%20compared%20to%20men.">78 per cent</a> of women, in part related to the fact that women may present with different symptoms than men. </p>
<p>Similar to men, women often present with chest pain or discomfort, though they may have additional or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.031650">alternative symptoms</a> such as jaw, neck or back pain, shortness of breath, nausea, indigestion and extreme fatigue. In fact, women are more likely to present with three or more symptoms in addition to chest pain when having a heart attack. </p>
<p>An awareness of the differences in heart attack symptoms may lead to improved recognition and timely care for women. </p>
<p>Recognizing that women can have different cardiovascular risk factors, symptoms and even types of heart disease can be scary and overwhelming. However, there is good news! It is estimated that approximately <a href="https://world-heart-federation.org/what-we-do/prevention/#:%7E:text=An%20estimated%2080%25%20of%20cardiovascular,and%20">80 per cent</a> of cardiovascular disease is preventable.</p>
<h2>Reducing heart risks</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Group of women outdoors in athletic clothes carrying yoga mats" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574724/original/file-20240209-18-8p1xc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574724/original/file-20240209-18-8p1xc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574724/original/file-20240209-18-8p1xc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574724/original/file-20240209-18-8p1xc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574724/original/file-20240209-18-8p1xc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574724/original/file-20240209-18-8p1xc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574724/original/file-20240209-18-8p1xc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’s estimated that about 80 per cent of heart disease is preventable.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are many steps that you can take to reduce your risk of heart disease. <a href="https://www.heartandstroke.ca/heart-disease/risk-and-prevention/lifestyle-risk-factors">Staying active</a> and moving every day, and even small steps to reduce sedentary time can be beneficial. </p>
<p>Eating a healthy and <a href="https://www.heartandstroke.ca/healthy-living/healthy-eating">balanced diet</a> is also important. Aim to eat a variety of healthy foods and try to limit highly processed foods and salt. How you eat also matters: listen to your body by eating when you are hungry, but stopping once you are satisfied. </p>
<p>Living free from commercial tobacco and vaping, reducing alcohol intake and managing stress are also key ways to reduce your risk. Finally, take your medications as prescribed and have regular check-ups with your health-care providers.</p>
<h2>Wear red and learn more</h2>
<p>On Feb. 13, we invite you to celebrate <a href="https://wearredcanada.ca">Wear Red Canada</a> to raise awareness for women’s cardiovascular health, hosted by the <a href="http://cwhhc.ottawaheart.ca/national-alliance/cwhha">Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance</a> and the <a href="https://cwhhc.ottawaheart.ca/">Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre</a>. Wear red and share selfies or pictures of your participation by using the hashtag #HerHeartMatters and tagging @WearRedCanada to help spread this important message. </p>
<p>Attend free <a href="https://wearredcanada.ca/educational-webinars">presentations and webinars</a> by Canadian experts, join the <a href="https://raceroster.com/events/2024/77122/wear-red-canada-movement-challenge?utm_source=Cyberimpact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Countdown-1-Week-Until-the-Wear-Red-Canada-Movement-Challenge-Begins--Register-Today">Wear Red Canada Movement Challenge</a> and take part in local events. </p>
<p>By wearing red on Feb. 13 and starting conversations about women’s heart health, we all can increase awareness and improve the heart health of the women we love.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222516/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nabilah Gulamhusein has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research through the Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master’s.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sandi Dumanski receives funding from the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society and the Kidney Foundation.</span></em></p>It’s important for women to not only be aware of their risk for heart disease, but also how they can be proactive and make informed decisions regarding their heart health at all stages of life.Nabilah Gulamhusein, PhD Student, Medical Sciences, University of CalgarySandi Dumanski, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2204642024-02-07T13:35:54Z2024-02-07T13:35:54ZSept conseils pratiques pour les parents vivant avec un TDAH<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567621/original/file-20231218-29-ec0niw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=40%2C70%2C6669%2C4386&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Les parents atteints de TDAH peuvent rencontrer des défis, mais ils ont aussi des avantages lorsqu'ils éduquent des enfants eux-mêmes atteints de ce trouble.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Les parents atteints de TDAH peuvent vivre des difficultés, mais avoir aussi certaines forces, en particulier lorsque leur enfant en est également atteint. Ainsi, ils pourraient faire preuve de plus d’empathie et de tolérance à l’égard des problèmes de leur enfant et mieux jouer avec lui.</p>
<p>Il arrive souvent que le trouble du déficit de l’attention (TDAH), avec ou sans hyperactivité, ne soit pas diagnostiqué chez les adultes, mais il a une incidence considérable sur la vie familiale si les parents en souffrent.</p>
<p>Un parent avec TDAH peut avoir du mal à gérer son temps et à se concentrer. Même s’il semble avoir la situation bien en main, sa vie quotidienne peut être chaotique, avec des rendez-vous manqués, de la difficulté à se souvenir des règles et à les faire respecter à la maison, ou à s’acquitter de ses responsabilités.</p>
<p>Lorsqu’il est stressé, un parent atteint de TDAH peut vivre des moments de frustration et de colère en réponse à des provocations mineures. Ces difficultés émotionnelles engendrent dans certains cas des réactions brutales à l’égard de son enfant, que le parent peut regretter par la suite.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
À lire aussi :
<a href="https://theconversation.com/tdah-chez-ladulte-le-difficile-diagnostic-et-la-vie-avec-ce-trouble-163220">TDAH chez l’adulte : le difficile diagnostic – et la vie avec ce trouble</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Comprendre le TDAH chez l’adulte</h2>
<p>Le TDAH comporte différents types d’inattention (oubli, difficulté à rester concentré), d’hyperactivité (bougeotte, agitation) et d’impulsivité (interruption de conversations ou prise de parole maladroite). Comme le <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291713002493">TDAH est fortement héréditaire</a>, il est très probable que des parents qui en sont atteints aient un enfant qui l’est aussi.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Un homme, une femme et deux enfants lisant un livre ensemble" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566385/original/file-20231218-19-776d0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566385/original/file-20231218-19-776d0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566385/original/file-20231218-19-776d0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566385/original/file-20231218-19-776d0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566385/original/file-20231218-19-776d0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566385/original/file-20231218-19-776d0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566385/original/file-20231218-19-776d0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Les symptômes de TDAH des parents ne semblent pas avoir d’incidence sur leur capacité à être affectueux, attentifs et aimants avec leurs enfants.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On estime que <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.071">8 % des enfants souffrent de TDAH</a>, alors que seulement <a href="https://doi.org/10.7189%2Fjogh.11.04009">3 % des adultes répondent aux critères de ce trouble</a>. Cette différence peut s’expliquer par le fait que les symptômes s’atténuent avec l’âge, en particulier ceux <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-018-1258-1">d’hyperactivité et d’impulsivité</a>.</p>
<p>Bien que certaines personnes ne répondent plus aux critères de diagnostic du TDAH à l’âge adulte, elles peuvent encore avoir des difficultés importantes dans leur vie. Par exemple, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2018.97">leur santé physique et leur situation socio-économique sont souvent moins bonnes que celles des personnes qui n’ont pas d’antécédents de TDAH</a>.</p>
<p>Cependant, la recherche a montré que, depuis une dizaine d’années, on remarque une <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.14344">hausse des diagnostics de TDAH chez l’adulte</a>, peut-être en raison d’une plus grande <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyt261">connaissance du TDAH</a> ou du fait qu’il soit plus facile d’obtenir une évaluation clinique. Selon des récits anecdotiques, il arrive souvent que les parents se rendent compte de leurs symptômes de TDAH au moment où ils vont <a href="https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-parent-child-diagnosis-stories/">chercher de l’aide pour leur enfant</a></p>
<h2>Effets du TDAH sur l’éducation des enfants</h2>
<p>La transmission héréditaire du TDAH a des répercussions importantes, car elle peut influencer la façon dont les parents interagissent avec leurs enfants. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.05.003">Des recherches</a> ont montré que les symptômes du TDAH chez les parents sont associés à des comportements plus sévères (par exemple, crier après un enfant, réagir de manière excessive et le punir sévèrement) et à des pratiques plus laxistes (par exemple, avoir une discipline incohérente ou de la difficulté à instaurer des limites).</p>
<p>Cela semble compatible avec les symptômes du TDAH, notamment les problèmes liés à l’oubli et à l’impulsivité. Les personnes atteintes de TDAH <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1003-6">ont souvent du mal à réguler les émotions intenses</a>. Ces symptômes réunis peuvent faire qu’il est plus difficile pour les parents de rester calmes et constants lorsqu’ils interagissent avec leur enfant.</p>
<p>Toutefois, des <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.05.003">études</a> montrent également que les symptômes du TDAH chez les parents ne semblent pas avoir d’incidence sur leur capacité à être affectueux, attentifs et aimants.</p>
<p>D’autres recherches indiquent qu’il existe une <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2016.1169538">« adéquation de similarité »</a> (similarity fit) lorsque le parent et l’enfant sont atteints de TDAH. Dans ces familles, les parents TDAH peuvent faire preuve de plus d’empathie et de tolérance à l’égard des difficultés de leur enfant et être en mesure de mieux jouer avec lui parce qu’ils peuvent suivre la cadence de son jeu.</p>
<h2>Stratégies pratiques pour les parents TDAH</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Une femme et un enfant sur un canapé dans le bureau d’un thérapeute, avec un thérapeute vu de dos" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566384/original/file-20231218-15-hhu5h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566384/original/file-20231218-15-hhu5h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566384/original/file-20231218-15-hhu5h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566384/original/file-20231218-15-hhu5h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566384/original/file-20231218-15-hhu5h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566384/original/file-20231218-15-hhu5h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566384/original/file-20231218-15-hhu5h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Il peut être bon de demander de l’aide pour ses symptômes de TDAH.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Élever un enfant avec un TDAH peut s’avérer complexe. Celui-ci bénéficie souvent de stratégies précises, telles que l’établissement de règles claires et de limites cohérentes, l’utilisation d’un système qui récompense les comportements appropriés et le fait de passer beaucoup de temps de qualité avec ses parents. Ces stratégies <a href="https://doi.org/10.1521/adhd.2019.27.3.1">peuvent être difficiles à maintenir pour les parents qui ont un TDAH</a>.</p>
<p>Voici quelques stratégies pratiques qui pourraient être utiles aux parents qui souffrent de TDAH ou qui pensent en souffrir :</p>
<p><strong>1. Rechercher l’aide d’un professionnel pour les symptômes de TDAH.</strong></p>
<p>Si un parent croit avoir un TDAH, mais n’a pas de diagnostic, il peut consulter un professionnel de la santé. Les médecins de famille et les psychiatres peuvent proposer des médicaments, tandis que les psychologues peuvent offrir une thérapie cognitivo-comportementale, un <a href="https://div12.org/treatment/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-for-adult-adhd/">traitement très efficace pour le TDAH chez l’adulte</a>.</p>
<p><strong>2. Demander du soutien pour des questions particulières liées à l’éducation des enfants</strong></p>
<p>Il existe des cours gratuits en ligne qui s’appuient sur des recherches, comme <a href="https://www.ulaval.ca/etudes/mooc-formation-en-ligne-ouverte-a-tous/le-point-sur-le-tdah-comprendre-et-soutiller-pour-mieux-accompagner-nos-jeunes-a-la-maison">celui-ci</a>, et <a href="https://familyman.movember.com/en-au/">celui-là</a> qui est spécialement conçu pour les pères (bien que les mères et d’autres personnes responsables d’un enfant soient également les bienvenues !)</p>
<p>Les psychologues cliniciens et les travailleurs sociaux spécialisés dans le travail avec les enfants et les adolescents, ainsi qu’avec leurs parents, constituent une autre ressource. Il peut être intéressant de chercher une personne qui propose une <a href="https://effectivechildtherapy.org/concerns-symptoms-disorders/disorders/inattention-and-hyperactivity-adhd/">formation comportementale destinée aux parents, un traitement fondé sur des données probantes pour le TDAH chez l’enfant</a>.</p>
<p>Il est conseillé de signaler au thérapeute que l’on présente également de symptômes de TDAH. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1521/adhd.2019.27.3.1">Certaines études montrent</a> que des ajustements – que ce soit pour la cadence (en se concentrant sur un seul aspect par séance, en s’assurant de faire beaucoup de répétitions, etc.), l’ajout d’exercices ou d’une thérapie avec groupe de soutien – peuvent être utiles pour les parents TDAH.</p>
<h2>3. Pratiquer la bienveillance envers soi-même</h2>
<p>Le TDAH affecte certaines zones du cerveau et, rappelons-le, il est hautement héréditaire. Ce n’est pas son éducation ou les gestes de son parent qui causent le TDAH d’un enfant.</p>
<p>Il n’est pas facile d’être parent, et ce l’est encore moins si l’on présente des symptômes de TDAH ou que son enfant en souffre. C’est tout à fait naturel que la situation paraisse parfois ingérable ! Il est normal d’avoir des émotions négatives et de demander le soutien de sa famille et de ses amis lorsque possible.</p>
<p>En travaillant (avec ou sans aide professionnelle) à l’élaboration de techniques d’adaptation, un parent donne à son enfant l’occasion d’observer et d’apprendre par l’exemple.</p>
<p><strong>4. Utiliser des outils organisationnels pour gérer les symptômes du TDAH</strong></p>
<p>Au lieu de se fier uniquement à leur mémoire, les personnes atteintes de TDAH trouvent souvent utile de tenir un calendrier, un agenda ou une liste de choses à faire. La création d’un registre externe des tâches et des rendez-vous, même si on ne le consulte pas constamment, peut augmenter les chances de se souvenir de ses responsabilités. Des études montrent que, pour les personnes présentant d’importants symptômes de TDAH, l’utilisation de ces types de stratégies compensatoires est associée à moins de <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-016-0205-6">pratiques parentales négatives</a>.</p>
<p><strong>5. Réfléchir de manière proactive aux situations récurrentes</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Image recadrée d’un jouet pop-it dans les mains d’un enfant, et de deux autres jouets en arrière-plan" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566383/original/file-20231218-27-dorj7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566383/original/file-20231218-27-dorj7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566383/original/file-20231218-27-dorj7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566383/original/file-20231218-27-dorj7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566383/original/file-20231218-27-dorj7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566383/original/file-20231218-27-dorj7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566383/original/file-20231218-27-dorj7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Si un enfant se comporte toujours mal lorsqu’il s’ennuie, on peut prévoir un sac d’activités à emporter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Pour les situations parentales éprouvantes qui reviennent souvent, il peut être utile de réfléchir aux problèmes courants qu’on pourrait aborder de manière proactive. On peut se pencher sur les comportements difficiles particuliers rencontrés avec un enfant, ainsi qu’à leur contexte (par exemple, l’endroit où cela a eu lieu, ce qui s’est passé avant et après).</p>
<p>Cela permet de reconnaître des déclencheurs qu’on pourrait modifier de manière préventive la prochaine fois qu’on se retrouvera dans une situation semblable – voir ce <a href="https://depts.washington.edu/uwhatc/PDF/TF-%20CBT/pages/8%20Parent%20Management%20Training/Tracking%20Behavior%20-Detailed.pdf">journal de bord</a> (en anglais). Un exemple simple : si un enfant se comporte toujours mal lorsqu’il s’ennuie, on peut prévoir un sac d’activités à emporter.</p>
<p><strong>6. Réfléchir à la façon dont on perçoit son enfant</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054716669590">Des recherches</a> indiquent que les parents souffrant de TDAH ont tendance à accuser davantage leurs enfants (par exemple, « mon enfant a volontairement renversé le lait ») que les parents qui n’en souffrent pas. Cela peut les rendre <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2016.1144191">plus enclins à réagir sévèrement</a>.</p>
<p>Si on a ce genre de pensées, il peut être utile de faire une pause et de réfléchir à d’autres façons d’expliquer le comportement de son enfant (par exemple, il était trop excité et a renversé le lait par accident).</p>
<p><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2016.1144191">Des études</a> montrent qu’il peut être bénéfique de remarquer les moments où son enfant se comporte bien et de le féliciter.</p>
<p><strong>7. Se rappeler ses points forts</strong></p>
<p>Les adultes atteints de TDAH <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.05.003">peuvent être des parents chaleureux, aimants et très impliqués</a>. Une parentalité positive est <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13764">liée à une amélioration de la santé mentale de l’enfant</a>. Il vaut donc la peine de se concentrer sur le développement des aspects positifs de sa relation avec son enfant.</p>
<p>En appliquant des stratégies efficaces pour gérer le TDAH et en recourant à des ressources en cas de besoin, les parents qui en sont atteints peuvent créer une vie de famille positive et épanouissante, et constituer une source de soutien solide pour leurs enfants qui risquent de rencontrer des problèmes similaires.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220464/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sheri Madigan reçoit des fonds du Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines, des Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada, de l'Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, d'un donateur anonyme et du Programme des chaires de recherche du Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>André Plamondon et Joanne Park ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur poste universitaire.</span></em></p>Être un parent atteint d’un TDAH présente des défis uniques, mais aussi des atouts. En utilisant des stratégies et en recherchant des ressources, les parents peuvent créer un environnement harmonieux.Joanne Park, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Mount Royal UniversityAndré Plamondon, Full Professor, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Université LavalSheri Madigan, Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2219692024-01-31T17:25:34Z2024-01-31T17:25:34ZSuffering in silence: Men’s and boys’ mental health are still overlooked in sport<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572001/original/file-20240129-29-fhg8bb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C26%2C5973%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There are severe problems with the culture of masculinity in men’s sport — one that means men and boys must adapt rather than seek help.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/suffering-in-silence-mens-and-boys-mental-health-are-still-overlooked-in-sport" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>For men and boys, caring about sport typically conjures images of passionate competition and fighting for the win. This understanding of care leaves little room for self-care, health and safety, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2020.1716956">emotional vulnerability</a> — topics that are fraught with risks for boys and men in a sport culture of hypermasculinity. </p>
<p>The National Hockey League Players’ Association recently released its <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/nhlpa-unveils-first-line-program-designed-to-support-mental-health-of-nhl-players">First Line Program</a> to support player mental health. It signals that men’s hockey is finally acknowledging the long-known fact that “a hockey player struggling with mental health would have done so in silence.” </p>
<p>Flames Head Coach Ryan Huska recently told the <em>Calgary Herald</em> that talking openly about mental health is “<a href="https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames/flames-hockey-mental-health">kind of becoming the norm now, that people aren’t afraid to voice it</a>.” Corey Hirsch, a retired goaltender recently told CBC News, “the game itself wasn’t the issue, the issue is <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2298635843758">the stigma of having to be a tough man</a>.”</p>
<p>Similarly, in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aivpDPCP7Q8">recent interview on the <em>Diary of a CEO</em> podcast</a> France and Arsenal soccer legend, Thierry Henry, spoke of the depression he suffered throughout his career:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I’m a human being. I have feelings. Throughout my career and since I was born, I must have been in depression. Did I know it? No. did I do something about it? Obviously not, but I adapted.” </p>
</blockquote>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aivpDPCP7Q8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Thierry Henry talks about his experience with mental health as an elite athlete on the ‘Diary of a CEO podcast.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What we are seeing, then, is an overdue shift towards normalizing men and male athletes seeking help and gradually speaking more openly and vulnerably about mental health. </p>
<h2>A culture of silence</h2>
<p>There are severe problems with the culture of masculinity in men’s sport — one that means men and boys must adapt rather than seek help and tough it out rather than take a step back. This <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/18902138.2023.2277087">culture of silence and bullying</a> means men and boys have been reluctant to speak up and speak out about safety and sexual assaults. It has created an environment where men and boys feel pressured to be silent about their own mental health.</p>
<p>On the same podcast, Henry said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“You’ve been told since you were young, whether at home or in your job, ‘Don’t be that guy, don’t show that you’re vulnerable.’ If they cry, what are they going to think.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is a culture that sporting organizations are up against in their implementation of initiatives like the First Line Program.</p>
<p>We need to redefine what it means to care in men’s sport. And progress has been made. In addition to the NHLPA’s First Line Program, in September 2023 Hockey Canada hosted the <a href="https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/summit-agenda-unveiled-2023-news">Beyond the Boards Summit</a>. This was an attempt to address “toxic masculinity” while simultaneously struggling to understand it.</p>
<p>Then, in October 2023, Hockey Canada issued a <a href="https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Downloads/dressing-room-policy-faq-e.pdf">Dressing Room Policy</a> to “enhance inclusion and safety” and “minimize occurrences of maltreatment, bullying, and harassment.” </p>
<p>While this is a sign of progress, there remains some reluctance to name issues such as sexual assault and homophobia when they occur.</p>
<p>On World Mental Health Day 2023, Norwich City Football Club launched a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX8TgVR33KM">campaign, #youarenotalone</a> prompting us all to check in on those around us. </p>
<p>Initiatives such as these speak to a form of caring masculinity that is vital if men’s sport is to be the space of support and mental health that it can be.</p>
<h2>A complex relationship</h2>
<p>At times, novel ideas are borne in times of crisis; only now are we starting to make sense of the socio-cultural impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The complex relationship between sport and boys’ mental health became apparent when sport facilities closed for social distancing measures, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2023.102211">negatively impacting their social, mental and emotional health</a>. </p>
<p>One boy from our study described his struggles during the pandemic: “I just kind of felt sad… not being able to go rock-climbing.” In a similar vein, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri spoke in October 2023 about how many of his players — including young academy players — were <a href="https://football-italia.net/allegri-juventus-working-on-players-depression-in-post-covid-era/">suffering with depression in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic</a>.</p>
<p>But this disruption has also forced boys to engage with their emotions. One boy told us: “I became way more in touch with myself and my emotions.” The same sentiment is echoed by Henry, who said of the pandemic: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Something like that had to happen for me to understand vulnerability, empathy, and crying. Understand that anger and jealousy are normal… I was crying every day for no reason… it was weird, in a good way.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>What does this tell us about sport and mental health? Primarily that sport in its traditional guise does not provide space for men’s and boys’ vulnerability and mental health. </p>
<h2>Cultivating care in men’s sport</h2>
<p>We can reimagine sport to be inclusive, diverse and safe, in order to tap into the positive potential of sports. But it requires redefining what it means to care. This does not mean discarding the importance of sporting competition, but rather recognizing and developing the potential for self-care and mutual support in men’s sport.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/18902138.2023.2277087">our research with male athletes</a>, we found that creating diverse sporting spaces facilitated open and vulnerable conversations, and promoted a culture of care and support that was important to these athletes. </p>
<p>These attempts at inclusion and diversity were not without their pains. The traditional culture of men’s sports sometimes reared its head making some men — particularly queer men — feel <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902211014037">excluded, marginalized and unsafe</a>. But the creation of spaces of emotional vulnerability and support nevertheless showed what is possible if the power of sport is harnessed and reimagined in novel ways.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221969/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Kehler receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gabriel Knott-Fayle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We are witnessing an overdue shift towards normalizing male athletes seeking help and gradually speaking more openly and vulnerably about mental health.Michael Kehler, Werklund Research Professor, Masculinities Studies, University of CalgaryGabriel Knott-Fayle, Postdoctoral Scholar of Masculinities Studies in Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2205272024-01-18T20:47:15Z2024-01-18T20:47:15ZEmployers should use skill-based hiring to find hidden talent and address labour challenges<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568966/original/file-20240111-21-gkyv31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=62%2C26%2C5928%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Employers can address qualification inflation by implementing skill-based recruitment and selection practices.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/employers-should-use-skill-based-hiring-to-find-hidden-talent-and-address-labour-challenges" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>A concerning trend known as qualification inflation has been plaguing hiring practices for years. Qualification inflation — also known as degree inflation — refers to the growing number of employers requiring degrees and extensive experience for jobs.</p>
<p>As highlighted in a <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/dismissed-by-degrees.pdf">2017 Harvard study</a>, job listings now often demand that applicants have degrees and experiences that were previously unnecessary, with some job requirements even surpassing the qualifications of current employees.</p>
<p>Of the 11.6 million jobs created between 2010 and 2016, three out of four required a bachelor’s degree or higher, and one out of every 100 required a high school diploma or less.</p>
<p>This qualification inflation increases employer costs through longer recruitment times and wage premiums, and makes it more difficult to create diverse workplaces, <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/hiddenworkers09032021.pdf">another Harvard study</a> found. This study showed that marginalized people, women and younger people were less likely to have the required degrees and experience. </p>
<p>In addition, <a href="https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified">women are less likely to apply</a> for jobs if they don’t have all of the listed qualifications. Because of this, having unnecessary requirements may disproportionately discourage them from applying to jobs.</p>
<p>The origins of qualification inflation can be traced back to the rise of online application platforms and <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/02/skills-based-hiring-is-on-the-rise">the 2008-09 financial crisis</a>, both of which resulted in larger job applicant pools. Economic and <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/hiddenworkers09032021.pdf">technological shifts</a> have also given rise to new roles that require unique skills. </p>
<p>Some employers adapted to these changes by adding qualifications to job listings without removing outdated ones, leading to qualification inflation. While this has been an ongoing issue for years, it is becoming increasingly urgent as <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-621-m/11-621-m2023009-eng.htm">many Canadian businesses are reportedly grappling with</a> recruitment and retention challenges.</p>
<h2>Job analysis and advertising</h2>
<p>There are ways for employers to address qualification inflation, namely by implementing skill-based recruitment and selection practices to hire qualified and diverse employees. To begin with, organizations should conduct thorough job analyses before posting listings by determining a job’s core skills and characteristics.</p>
<p>Open-source resources like <a href="https://www.onetonline.org/">the Occupational Information Network</a> and <a href="https://noc.esdc.gc.ca/">the National Occupational Classification</a> can provide a good starting point for companies. However, manager and employee involvement is also necessary to ensure jobs are aligned with organizational needs.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A magnifying glass hovering over a newspaper page that says 'Jobs Wanted.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Organizations should conduct thorough job analyses before posting listings by determining a job’s core skills and characteristics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To create a compelling job advertisement that also incorporates accurate skill and qualification needs from job analyses, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-014-9353-x">our research</a> shows that ads should explain how the job will meet applicants’ psychological needs (autonomy, variety and purpose). </p>
<p>We also recommend job postings state that applicants will be considered if they have transferable skills from different job families or industries. Providing a list of example job titles with potentially transferable skills is a helpful addition.</p>
<h2>Skill-based screening</h2>
<p>Another way employers can address qualification inflation is by using skill-based screening. These assessments are designed to evaluate the skills of a job applicant to determine if they are the right fit for a role.</p>
<p>Asking applicants to self-report their proficiency levels for certain skills during the application process is one screening approach employers can take, but it should be managed cautiously. As <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-022-09847-7">our research shows</a>, some applicants may exaggerate their skill level if they are in the midst of a lengthy job search.</p>
<p>We found that applicants inflated their self-assessments of behavioural skills (e.g., customer service) compared to technical skills (e.g., programming) because behavioural skills can be difficult to verify. Because of this, focusing self-reports on technical skills may mitigate applicant exaggeration and help identify talented applicants without degrees.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person holds two resumes up beside one another" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Skill-based assessments are designed to evaluate the skills of an applicant to determine if they are the right fit for a role.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000463">Our research</a> also shows that overclaiming assessments — a type of questionnaire that asks applicants to rate their familiarity with both real and fictitious skills — can identify applicants who are faking responses, as well as those who are providing more accurate self-assessments.</p>
<p>Forced-choice competency and skill assessments, which usually require applicants to rank equally-desirable statements about their job-relevant skills, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001099">can also reduce faking and exaggeration</a>.</p>
<h2>Skill-based hiring</h2>
<p>After identifying a shortlist of qualified applicants, employers can then use more in-depth assessments. The first type of assessments are job knowledge or skill tests. Many off-the-shelf tests have been developed for a wide variety of technical skills, ranging from knowledge of Microsoft Word to contract law.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000994">Research shows that work sample assessments</a> — providing applicants with a sample of the actual work performed on the job — are one of the most valid selection procedures. However, employers should ensure assessments are not too time-consuming so applicants don’t feel like they’re doing free work for the company.</p>
<p>Personality assessments can provide a more holistic picture of the applicant. Validated, forced-choice personality assessments can reduce applicant faking or exaggeration, which is a significant concern when applicants are responding to a personality assessment for a job they really want.</p>
<p>Finally, structured interviews, where the same set of job-relevant questions are posed to each candidate and detailed scoring guides allow interviewers to reliably assess candidate responses, can provide valid information about the candidate’s skills. </p>
<p>Interviews are probably <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.5.897">best suited to evaluate behavioural skills</a>. If an interviewer has already used some of the technical skill assessments suggested in this piece, they can devote most of the interview to assessing an applicant’s behavioural and social competencies.</p>
<p>Skill-based hiring can help address problems associated with qualification inflation, while revealing previously hidden talent and providing diverse applicants with access to quality jobs that were once out of reach.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220527/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joseph Schmidt receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua Bourdage receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Job listings now often demand that applicants have degrees and experiences that were previously unnecessary, with some job requirements even surpassing the qualifications of current employees.Joseph Schmidt, Professor of Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour, University of SaskatchewanJoshua Bourdage, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.