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Hidalgo leads No. 6 Notre Dame over JuJu Watkins and third-ranked USC 74-61 in big matchup out WestArnab Neil Sengupta For years, the intertwined issues of climate change and decarbonization seemed sacrosanct, almost immune to scrutiny. Scientists, economists, and policymakers often toed the line, wary of being labeled climate skeptics. But the intensifying debate over the global bill for decarbonization — whether its distant benefits justify the staggering immediate costs — is a welcome reckoning. The complexity of the debate, reflecting economic, technological, environmental and equity concerns, is only now beginning to dawn on the world. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar’s remark that “Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems,” made in 2022 in the context of the Ukraine war, resonates strongly here. Climate change may be a politically popular issue in progressive cities and regions of Europe and the US, but it cannot dictate the priorities of the entire planet, especially when the projected global costs range from $3 trillion to $12 trillion annually. The US, of course, is poised for a dramatic policy shift. Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of Chris Wright, a fossil fuel advocate, as energy secretary signals a pivot toward hydrocarbon exploration and production, potentially disrupting global climate agreements and inspiring other nations to challenge the conventional wisdom. “Climate activists, for the most part, do not dispute the hair-raising price tag; they simply consider the expense worthwhile when weighed against the catastrophic damage unchecked climate change is likely to inflict,” The Economist says in its latest issue in an article titled, “The energy transition will be much cheaper than you think.” But the jury is still out on whether the cost of decarbonizing the world economy is too high compared with the potential long-term savings and broader societal benefits. The Paris Agreement’s twin goals — limiting warming to “well below” 2°C and striving for 1.5°C by the end of this century — were adopted with laudable intent. Yet, the risk-reward calculus underpinning these targets looks tenuous when one considers the fact that economic modelers have a poor record of predicting technological advances. Critics and even advocates of decarbonization increasingly acknowledge the colossal upfront investments required, the risks to economic stability, and the disproportionate burdens placed on developing nations. The world’s reliance on fossil fuels is undeniable, with coal, oil, and gas responsible for over 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN. Shifting from these energy sources to renewables is critical, but fraught with challenges. Wealthier nations may have the resources for a smooth transition, but the Global South lacks the means to achieve this without substantial financial assistance — assistance that many developed countries are reluctant to provide amid concerns over governance and corruption in aid-receiving nations. Moreover, breakthroughs in technology that are essential for decarbonizing heavy industry and aviation remain uncertain, even though these sectors face significant challenges in transitioning to clean energy. Whether such breakthroughs will materialize soon enough is an open question. While urban transportation worldwide may gradually embrace electric or hybrid solutions, innovations such as green hydrogen for energy-intensive sectors are still in their infancy. Renewable energy sources do promise energy security by reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports, yet this is not universally applicable. Not all nations enjoy abundant solar or wind resources, and nuclear energy — once heralded as a solution — has grown less competitive due to rising costs. Still, proponents highlight declining costs of renewables and the job-creation potential in green energy sectors as compelling incentives for decarbonization. In public health terms, transitioning to cleaner energy offers clear benefits. Northern India’s annual smog crisis, a health catastrophe exacerbated by vehicle emissions and the burning of crop stubble, underscores the urgency of clean energy adoption. Studies from institutions such as Oxford University project long-term economic savings from accelerated decarbonization. But skeptics counter that these savings hinge on speculative technological advances and policy consistency. What is certain is that rapid decarbonization raises risks to economic stability and job losses in traditional energy sectors, which are, in fact, capable of meeting the energy needs of the planet without requiring trillions of dollars of additional investments every year. Saudi Arabia has championed a pragmatic approach, as articulated by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan at a recent G20 session in Rio de Janeiro. He emphasized equitable and inclusive transitions, highlighting the Kingdom’s investments in technologies that have lowered emissions intensity in oil and gas operations. Saudi Arabia’s example shows that balancing environmental goals with economic and developmental priorities is possible. In the final analysis, the decarbonization debate cannot be reduced to binary positions. It is less about whether the world should transition and more about how to achieve it equitably, pragmatically, and sustainably. Revisiting the costs and methods is not a rejection of climate action, but an overdue acknowledgment of its complexity. The true challenge lies in ensuring that this moment of introspection leads to a consensus that, instead of raising ambitions, aligns ambition with affordability, leaving no country behind in the pursuit of a livable planet. Courtesy: arabnewsmnl168+free+100 。

George Kresge Jr., who wowed talk show audiences as the The Amazing Kreskin, diesIf Utahns have a deep relationship with any particular food, going by the widely held perception, it’s sugar. The signs are all around us. A major chain of cookie bakeries launched here. So did the whole “dirty soda” trend , supercharged by Utah women on TikTok. Salt water taffy is a common gift Utahns give to out-of-state relatives. The symbol on the state flag is a beehive — a natural factory for sweetness. Sugar is embedded in Utah’s history. One of the early industries the Latter-day Saint settlers started was raising sugar beets and trying to process them into granulated sugar. The place where this happened was known as “Sugar House” — a name that has stuck to the Salt Lake City neighborhood where the factory was located. Sugar is “the drug of choice” for Utah, a dentist in Herriman declared in an essay on his practice’s website in 2021. A doctor in Spanish Fork, writing in The Salt Lake Tribune about the “dirty soda” craze in 2022, told Utahns to “stop the madness. Stop ingesting so many processed sugars.” Pastry chef Romina Rasmussen, who founded the Salt Lake City chocolate shop Chez Nibs and operated the French bakery Les Madeleines for two decades, said Utahns “really like sugar, and that’s always been one of my challenges, because my food is not sugar-forward.” Is the perception true? Do Utahns consume sugar more fervently than other parts of the country? And what does Utah’s relationship with sugar say about us and our culture? Sugar by the stats (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bonbons by chocolatier Chris Blue, made exclusively for his shop in Berkeley and for Caputo’s in Salt Lake City, are pictured on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. Sugary treats make a lot of money for Utah. The National Confectioners Association reports that confectionery manufacturing in Utah produces $337.6 million in economic output. Utah’s ice cream industry produces $194.3 million in economic impact, according to the International Dairy Foods Association . But does Utah have as big of a sweet tooth as it appears? According to a 2023 study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), intake of added dietary sugar among adult Utahns in 2010 and 2015 was 17.1 teaspoons per day. That’s a shade over the national average of 17.0 teaspoons per day — though among the Western states, people in only two states, Hawaii and Arizona, had higher consumption levels than Utah. States in the South had the highest consumption levels, the NIH study found. People in Southern states averaged 17.8 teaspoons a day, with Kentuckians topping the chart with an average of 21.2 teaspoons a day. The NIH study noted that groups like the American Heart Association suggest that adult men consume no more than 9 teaspoons of added sugar in a day, and women no more than 6 teaspoons a day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that nationally, 63% of adults age 18 or older reported drinking sugar-sweetened beverages one or more times daily. In Utah, just over half of its adults (53.6%) reported drinking sugar-sweetened beverages one or more times daily. The South, the Northeast, Wyoming, South Dakota and New Mexico had the highest numbers. Utah’s rate of diabetes is lower than the national rate, too. According to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services’ 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System , Utah’s age-adjusted rate of diabetes is 9.0% of adults, compared to the U.S. age-adjusted rate of 10.8%. When it comes to consuming sugar and feeling the effects of that sugar, Utah isn’t an outlier. Instead, it’s pretty average. Sugar ‘is how you communicate with people’ (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Romina Rasmussen, owner of Les Madeleines, the 19-year-old French pastry cafe in downtown Salt Lake City speaks with a customer on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. Anecdotal evidence, though, paints a different picture — and, like many aspects of life in Utah, it’s one often linked to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rasmussen, famous for her French kouign amann pastries, grew up in Salt Lake City. But her mother is an immigrant from Chile, and “they don’t like things as sweet either,” she said. When her family did have “dessert” at home, it was often fruit. But her father grew up in Idaho, in a family that belonged to the Latter-day Saint faith, “and there was always cake or pie,” she said. “There was always dessert.” About 40 years after Latter-day Saint leaders failed to produce sugar, the church largely bankrolled the Utah Sugar Company, which contributed to the completion in 1891 of a $400,000 beet sugar factory in Lehi, writes historian Leonard J. Arrington in an article for Utah History Encyclopedia titled “The Sugar Industry in Utah.” After the Lehi sugar factory was determined to be a “technical and financial success” in 1897, Arrington wrote, several new factories were built in the West, including 17 in Utah. “When asked their motive in using the agency of the church to promote an enterprise of this nature,” Arrington wrote, “Mormon officials replied that this was one means of fulfilling their covenant to redeem the earth and build up the Kingdom of God.” Sugar production eventually ended in Utah in the 1980s, according to Arrington, but members of the Latter-day Saint faith have never seemed to shake their connection to sweetness and sugar. “When it comes to ice cream and cookies and soda, [Latter-day Saints] do not hold back. I can attest to that,” said Jared Gold , a chocolatier and candy maker who grew up in the Latter-day Saint faith and opened the sweets shop and ice cream parlor Sugarbeast across the street from BYU-Idaho. He splits his time between Rexburg and Salt Lake City. (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jared Gold in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. Gold has been making candy since he was about 5, when he’d pull vinegar taffy made from his grandma’s recipe. And a lot of the recipes for the old-fashioned candy sold at Sugarbeast — for the English toffee, buttercrunch peanut brittle and maple walnut divinity, for example — Gold has made at home with his family, he said. While Gold was growing up in Idaho Falls, he remembers that people in his neighborhood — most of them members of the Latter-day Saint faith — would give one another plates of homemade peanut brittle, fudge and divinity, and see who would have the prettiest plate and candy, he said. Giving someone sugar, like the way Gold’s mom would often give her home-baked cookies to people around town, “it’s a way you support each other,” Gold said. “So I definitely feel like I’ve supported quite a few people, and not only their habits but emotional state as well.” Gold said his mother taught him that “sugar is a tool, it’s a communication device. ... This is how you communicate with people that you have hurt, or people who are hurt, or people who are sick.” “The [Latter-day Saint] culture is already very close-knit,” he continued. “When you’re in an LDS ward, it’s very familial amongst everybody there. ... When you first walk into the Sugarbeast, there’s a huge banner that says, ‘Sugar is love,’ and that is so in my DNA.” Making memories over ice cream (Lyndsay Snelgrove) The Snelgrove ice cream shop in St. George. Sugar, Snelgrove Ice Cream CEO Lyndsay Snelgrove said, isn’t just something to reach for to have something sweet. It’s more of a “way to connect and make memories with family,” she said. Her great-grandfather founded the Snelgrove company in Salt Lake City in 1929. During the Great Depression, when ice cream cones cost a nickel, Snelgrove said her great-grandfather’s thought “was you can’t go on vacation necessarily anymore, but you can always go get an ice cream cone. You can always take your family. That’s a little break you can get.” The brand, and its shops’ signs in the shape of a giant double-scoop cone, became iconic in Utah. The giant sign outside the company’s old factory on 2100 South in Sugar House remains standing; the block is being developed into condos. A double-cone sign on 400 South in Salt Lake City is still there, though it was painted black when the shop was converted into a Jimmy John’s sandwich place. Snelgrove has been leading her family’s brand — which was bought by a national manufacturer in 1990 and discontinued in 2008 — through a comeback over the past few years. She opened a Snelgrove ice cream shop in St. George in 2021, and is in the process of opening more stores across Utah. Today, she said, the world is facing an “epidemic of loneliness.” “We’re surrounded by people, and we’re surrounded by technology that allows us to be in touch with people, but people are super lonely,” Snelgrove said. “And so my vision with the whole thing is to provide a place people can go and really connect with each other and make memories.” As the mother of four teenagers, Snelgrove said she is always looking for ways to get them out of the house to spend time with them and connect. She said when one of her children is having a bad day, it’s easy to say, “Hey, let’s go drive through Swig or let’s go grab a cone.” At the Snelgrove shop, as she’s scooping ice cream and talking to customers, she said she often hears people’s memories of Snelgrove ice cream. “I’ve had people come in just in tears because their mom passed away, and she used to bring them to Snelgrove’s, or a ton of first dates. They’re married now, but it was their first date. Just all sorts of stuff like that,” Snelgrove said. When opening the first Snelgrove shop in decades, “I didn’t realize how powerful it is to really provide people with an opportunity to feel loved and connected,” she said. Snelgrove said Utahns do have a reputation for loving sugar, and “I think it’s well deserved.” “But I think we just love life, and that’s our way to celebrate a little bit,” she said. Sugarbeast candy is available to order and ship at Sugarbeast.com . Orders placed after Dec. 20 will be shipped on Jan. 6. Pints of Snelgrove ice cream are available at The Store in Holladay, at Meiers Meats & Fine Foods in Highland, and at Bowman’s Market in Kaysville. Chez Nibs is currently taking orders for Christmas cookie platters and other holiday items at ChezNibs.com . Salt Lake Tribune deputy enterprise editor Sean P. Means contributed to this story. Editor’s note • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.

ZURICH — Saudi Arabia was officially confirmed Wednesday by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men's soccer, giving the oil-rich kingdom its biggest prize yet for massive spending on global sports driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich by the soccer body's president Gianni Infantino. "The vote of the congress is loud and clear," said Infantino, who had asked officials on a bank of screens to clap their hands at head level to show their support. The decision was combined with approving the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each getting one of the 104 games. The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930. The decisions complete a mostly opaque 15-month bid process which Infantino helped steer toward Saudi Arabia without a rival candidate, without taking questions, and which human rights groups warn will put the lives of migrant workers at risk. "We look forward to hosting an exceptional and unprecedented edition of the FIFA World Cup by harnessing our strengths and capabilities to bring joy to football fans around the world," Prince Mohammed said in a statement. FIFA and Saudi officials have said hosting the 2034 tournament can accelerate change, including more freedoms and rights for women, with Infantino on Wednesday calling the World Cup a "unique catalyst for positive social change and unity." "I fully trust our hosts to address all open points in this process, and deliver a World Cup that meets the world's expectations," the FIFA president said. An international collective of rights groups said FIFA made a "reckless decision" to approve Saudi Arabia without getting public assurances, and the Football Supporters Europe group said it was "the day football truly lost its mind." A fast-track path to victory was cleared last year by FIFA accepting the three-continent hosting plan for the 2030 World Cup. It meant only soccer federations in Asia and Oceania were eligible for the 2034 contest, and FIFA gave countries less than four weeks to declare a bid. Only Saudi Arabia did. The win will kick off a decade of scrutiny on Saudi labor laws and treatment of workers mostly from South Asia needed to help build and upgrade 15 stadiums, plus hotels and transport networks ahead of the 104-game tournament. Amnesty International said awarding the tournament to Saudi Arabia represents "a moment of great danger" for human rights. "FIFA's reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk," said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's Head of Labor Rights and Sport." One of the stadiums is planned to be 350 meters (yards) above the ground in Neom — a futuristic city that does not yet exist — and another named for the crown prince is designed to be atop a 200-meter cliff near Riyadh. During the bid campaign, FIFA has accepted limited scrutiny of Saudi Arabia's human rights record that was widely criticized this year at the United Nations. Saudi and international rights groups and activists warned FIFA it has not learned the lessons of Qatar's much-criticized preparations to host the 2022 World Cup. "At every stage of this bidding process, FIFA has shown its commitment to human rights to be a sham," Cockburn said. The kingdom plans to spend tens of billion of dollars on projects related to the World Cup as part of the crown prince's sweeping Vision 2030 project that aims to modernize Saudi society and economy. At its core is spending on sports by the $900 billion sovereign wealth operation, the Public Investment Fund, which he oversees. "It's amazing. The infrastructure, the stadiums, the conditions for the fans and everything. After what I see, I'm more convinced that 2034 will be the best World Cup ever," Cristiano Ronaldo said in a recorded package posted on X. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been part of Saudi Arabia's lavish spending on soccer — stunning the sport when agreeing to sign for Al Nassr in 2022 for a record-breaking salary reportedly worth up to $200 million a year. Critics have accused Saudi Arabia of "sportswashing" the kingdom's reputation. The prince, known as MBS, has built close working ties to Infantino since 2017 — aligning with the organizer of sport's most-watched event rather than directly confronting the established system as it did with the disruptive LIV Golf project. The result for Saudi Arabia and FIFA has been smooth progress toward the win Wednesday with limited pushback from soccer officials, though some from women international players. The steady flow of Saudi cash into international soccer is set to increase. FIFA created a new and higher World Cup sponsor category for state oil firm Aramco, and Saudi funding is set to underwrite the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States that is a pet project for Infantino. North American soccer body CONCACAF signed a multi-year deal with PIF, Saudi stadiums host Super Cup games for Italy and Spain, and nearly 50 FIFA member federations have signed working agreements with Saudi counterparts. Lavish spending by PIF-owned Saudi clubs in the past two years buying and paying players – including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané – put hundreds of millions of dollars into European soccer. That influence could be key in talks to agree which months to play the 2034 World Cup. The November-December slot taken by Qatar in 2022 to avoid extreme midsummer heat is complicated in 2034 by the holy month of Ramadan through mid-December and Riyadh hosting the multi-sport Asian Games. Still, January 2034 could be an option — and likely better for European clubs and leagues —after the International Olympic Committee said it saw few issues in clashing with the Salt Lake Winter Games opening Feb. 10, 2034. The IOC also has a major commercial deal with Saudi Arabia, to host the new Esports Olympics. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

A new service aims to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their families in Wales and the South West. The MS Society's Community Connections project will offer support on financial advice, energy efficiency, and accessing the Priority Service Register for vulnerable households. The initiative will aid around 17,000 people living with the condition. To ensure comprehensive support, the MS Society will work with Citizens’ Advice services, health and social care providers, and expert organisations. The project will also recruit Community Connections staff. The project has been funded by Wales & West Utilities, who provided more than £213,000 as part of the Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA). Leila Middlehurst Evans, community connections manager at MS Society Cymru, said: "We are thrilled to be launching the Community Connections project to provide comprehensive support for people living with, and affected by, MS across Wales and the south west of England. "We’re incredibly grateful to Wales & West Utilities for the funding provided. "Our dedicated team is committed to understanding each person's unique needs and connecting them with the most relevant assistance." The project will run until 2026. Sophie Shorney, VCMA manager at Wales & West Utilities, said: "We are delighted this funding has allowed MS Society to get a project off the ground in direct response to its community. "Community Connections will go to the heart of communities across Wales and the South West of England to provide this vital help and support." To access the Community Connections services, email MSconnections@mssociety.org.uk or call the MS Helpline at 0808 800 8000.Sir Keir Starmer has been warned by a trade union not to impose “blunt headcount targets” for the size of the Civil Service but Government sources insisted there would be no set limit, although the number “cannot keep growing”. Departments have been ordered to find 5% “efficiency savings” as part of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spending review, potentially putting jobs at risk. The size of the Civil Service has increased from a low of around 384,000 in mid-2016, and the Tories went into the general election promising to reduce numbers by 70,000 to fund extra defence spending. Any reduction under Labour would be more modest, with the Guardian reporting more than 10,000 jobs could be lost. A Government spokesman said: “Under our plan for change, we are making sure every part of government is delivering on working people’s priorities — delivering growth, putting more money in people’s pockets, getting the NHS back on its feet, rebuilding Britain and securing our borders in a decade of national renewal. “We are committed to making the Civil Service more efficient and effective, with bold measures to improve skills and harness new technologies.” Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect trade union said: “We need a clear plan for the future of the civil service that goes beyond the blunt headcount targets that have failed in the past. “This plan needs to be developed in partnership with civil servants and their unions, and we look forward to deeper engagement with the government in the coming months.” A Government source said: “The number of civil servants cannot keep growing. “But we will not set an arbitrary cap. “The last government tried that and ended up spending loads on more expensive consultants.” The Government is already risking a confrontation with unions over proposals to limit pay rises for more than a million public servants to 2.8%, a figure only just over the projected 2.6% rate of inflation next year. Unions representing teachers, doctors and nurses have condemned the proposals. In the face of the union backlash, Downing Street said the public sector must improve productivity to justify real-terms pay increases. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It’s vital that pay awards are fair for both taxpayers and workers.” Asked whether higher pay settlements to staff would mean departmental cuts elsewhere, the spokesman said: “Real-terms pay increases must be matched by productivity gains and departments will only be able to fund pay awards above inflation over the medium-term if they become more productive and workforces become more productive.” TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “It’s hard to see how you address the crisis in our services without meaningful pay rises. “And it’s hard to see how services cut to the bone by 14 years of Tory government will find significant cash savings. “The Government must now engage unions and the millions of public sector workers we represent in a serious conversation about public service reform and delivery.”