CIMA Law Group Blog

Monarchy in 2022:What are the types of Monarchies currently in the world and the limit of their power

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her lifetime of civic duty and ruling as a monarch,70 years since the age of 26. Her parting and passing on the crown to Charles III does bring forward the question of what exactly are the duties and powers of the British monarch and if it is the same for all the other monarchies in the world. Officially there are 44 monarchies, including all the British commonwealth states as well. Of these monarchies their types can be broken down to three types Constitutional, Semi-constitutional, and absolute Monarchies. With the heads of these monarchies having possibly several different titles for example in most European countries they are king/queen, in Japan they are an emperor, several middle eastern states they are sultans, sheiks, or emirs , and in Vatican city they are known as the Pope.

The Union Jack is the national flag of the United Kingdom

The type of monarchy that the United Kingdom has is that of a constitutional monarchy. The role of head monarch in this type of government is more of a ceremonial role more than anything else.Queen Elizabeth’s functions as head of state are to appoint the Prime Minister, and all the other ministers; to open new sessions of parliament; and to give royal assent to bills passed by parliament, signifying that they have become law. The role of the monarchy in general is just that of a figurehead of for example the United Kingdom to the rest of the world. The limits of their power extend to possibly giving advice to the prime minister of England, during their weekly meetings. One different aspect that separates the UK from most other monarchy is the fact that the United Kingdom isn’t the only area that the British monarch rules but actually the monarchy is the head of state of several other countries who are all part of something known as the commonwealth realm . The commonwealth is an international association of all the former colonies of the United Kingdom, the UK no longer has colonies, in 15 of these countries the British royal family still continue to be heads of state. Each of them also have a position in them called a governor-general which is different in each country but their main job is to be a representative to the monarchy where they appoint ministers, judges bestow honors etc. in place of the royal monarch. There are other states in the commonwealth that do not have the British monarch as head but continue to be members based on the fact that they were former colonies such as India. In all nations that have this constitutional monarchy the role of the royal is very limited and they do not really have much independent power, they follow what the elected government tells them to do more than anything trying to appear non-partisan in the activities and choices of the government.

Current Countries with a constitutional monarchy

United Kingdom( Including all commonwealth nations:Australia, Antigua & Barbuda,Belize,Bahamas,Canada, Grenada,Jamaica, New Zeland,Papa New Guinea, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines,Solomon Islands,Tuvalu)
Spain
Beligum
Denmark
Lesotho
Luxembourg
Malaysia
Norway
Sweden
Thailand
Japan

Official flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

On the opposite side of the spectrum absolute monarchies which as its name entails they have the power to do essentially whatever they wish, as long as they don’t anger the people too much leading to a coup. For most of these monarchies it is contained in one family such as all members of the Saudi Arabian royal family are part of the Saud family with the only exception to this hereditary rule being the Vatican where a pope is elected by the college of cardinals. An example of the overall power of these rulers can be seen in Saudi Arabia where The King is also advised by a legislative body called the Consultative Council (Majlis Al-Shura). The Council proposes new laws and amends existing ones. It consists of 150 members who are appointed by the King for four-year terms that can be renewed. Where the king has final say of who stays in government and who is fired. In all of these states the monarch has the final say in all matters and can decide even when to use the military on other nations. One major drawback though is that for the most part it is illegal to speak ill of the royal family and can possibly end with a physical punishment or jail time.

Current Countries with absolute monarchies:

Saudi Arabia (Elected and Hereditary)
Brunei
United Arab Emirates(Including Sharjah,Fujairah,Ajman,Dubai,Ras Al Khaimah,Umm Al Quwain)
Kingdom of Estwatini (Elected and hereditary)
Vatican City(Elected by council of cardinals)
Oman

Then we have what is known as a constitutional monarchy what this type of monarchy means is that the government itself of a country is still run using a democratic instiution such as having elections and having to enforce laws but the royal family still retains a substantial amount of power. Such as for example Jordan’s constitution already gives the king considerable powers, allowing him to control who becomes prime minister, as well as the heads of the military and the intelligence agency. Yet, he still has to wait for the approval and votes made by the parliament of Jordan with any task he may need to or want to make in the government itself, akin to a parliamentary system. The scope of the power each monarch holds in these nations depends such as in the nation of Qatar the emir has almost all the legislative and judicial power he wants but he can be stopped by the consultative assembly in the nation.

Current Countries with Semi- Constitutional Monarchies

Jordan
Bahrain
Bhutan
Kuwait
Liechtenstein
Monaco
Morocco
Tongo
Qatar
United Arab Emirates(Technically)

This is a CIMA Law Group blog entry. CIMA Law Group is located in Arizona and specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations. If you live in Arizona and need legal assistance CIMA Law Group can help.

Queen Elizabeth II Dies at Age of 96

On September 8th, 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II passed away. Buckingham palace reports she died peacefully. The funeral is set for September 19th at Westminster Abbey. The British are currently torn between what this means for the country as it recovers from the loss.

Image of Queen Elizabeth II via *Yahoo News*

The longest reigning monarch in Britain had torn opinions from her subjects as well as abroad. One side mourns the Queen’s death, “The queue [to view the Queen] is approximately 2.9 miles long (about 4 kilometers).” Clearly showing dedication towards the royal family and their loss. One mourner told CNN, “It’s really, really emotional. It’s so sad. It reminds me of when my mom died in Ghana, and all the family has to go around and then pay our respects and say farewell to her.” Attendees of the funeral will include prime ministers from around the globe as well as the President of the United States.

The line to view the Queen via CNN (Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters)

On the other side, some people are critiquing the recently passed Queen and the royal family at large. Many are using the Queen’s death to discuss British colonialism and the hand she might have had in it.

“If anyone expects me to express anything but disdain for the monarch who supervised a government that sponsored the genocide that massacred and displaced half my family and the consequences of which those alive today are still trying to overcome, you can keep wishing upon a star,” Uju Anya, an associate professor of second language acquisition at Carnegie Mellon University, tweeted Thursday afternoon.

Overall, the Death of the Queen has caused many reactions, both mourning, and critique.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

Greatest Album ?

The Grammy considered the highest award an artist can receive for making music

What makes an album the greatest of all time? Is it the fact that it has sold the most copies ever, has been streamed the most, or is it the most critically acclaimed, or do albums even matter and all we need to worry about are singles released by artist.Each of these records are owned by different artist: Best selling album “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, most streamed album “÷ (Deluxe)” by Ed Sheeran (at least according to Spotify),most Critically acclaimed album “What Going on” by Marvin Gaye, most top billboard number one singles “The Beatles”. Although each record is quite impressive, it does still bring forward the question “Which records matters more or which truly bring an artist to that ultimate level of greatness.

The first record is that of Michael Jackson who on November 30,1982 released his magnum opus “Thriller”. During the time preceding the release of the album many radio stations and tv channels refused to play music by African American artist, due to the death of disco and people associating all African American music with the genre, due to this there were no recorded real hits on the billboards by African Americans for over two years. Then on that faithful day on November Michael Jackson released the beast that would become “Thriller”. The album’s initial success was not indicative of what it was going to become. It debuted at number 11,respectable, and the single released before the album,”The Girl is mine” with Sir Paul MCcartney released as a single due to the belief that it would better received with a white audience, was met with a mixed reaction. But something different happened with the other songs on the album, Jackson began utilizing music videos to help promote the songs and the album. The first video “Billie Jean” showcased Jackson’s superior dance skills, most other artist at the time weren’t really dancers, becoming a hit with all audiences. Then came the music video to “Beat it” not only showing Jackson’s amazing choreography but just how compelling and really grandiose a music video could be. Then finally came the John Landis’ directed “Thriller” video that cemented how amazing and even cinematic these videos could be. Not only was the album an overwhelming success it was even able to put MTV on the map, the channel would throughout the whole day play Michael Jackson’s music videos. Once MTV found success with Michael Jackson, videos by other black performers quickly appeared on the playlist. This development single-handedly forced pop radio to reintroduce black music into its mix. The album has sold between 66 and 100 million copies and was able to cement Michael Jackson as the King of Pop. With people still all over the world imitating Jackson dance moves, fashion sense, and eye for bigger and bigger music videos.

“Thriller was a both a commercial and critical success but it was not the most critically acclaimed title, that honor belongs to, at least according to Rolling Stone,”What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye released on May 21, 1971. The album being one of the first of its kind, being a concept album, where there was one overarching story/theme. The theme/story was a combination of everything that was going on in the world at the time told through the eyes of a Vietnam vet who had just come back home from the war. One of if not the main inspiration for Marvin was his brother,Frankie Gaye, in Vietnam who would write to Marvin telling him stories about what was happening in the war. Marvin being a Motown records artist was taught and expected to make more dance friendly and positive music but the album he wanted to create was the opposite. Gaye relished the visibility, but hr knew that the real triumph was the way he transformed vexing social problems into an imploring emotional appeal. The song started as a party but became something else, something much closer to a prayer. The album was revolutionary for its presentation, ability to tell a story, and experimentation with different musical techniques. The album ended up being Gaye’s most successful until his 1973 album “Lets Get It On” Although not the most successful album it has been included on the top ten list of several musical publication and as recent as 2020 was the top album Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time.

Cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”

As we have seen in recent times people are no longer only listening to music on Vinyl, CD’s, or even on the radio most of the time. The brand new medium in which people are listening to music in our day and age is through streaming services. People can now listen to any song from any artist ever just by going on their phones, long gone are the days that people would have to buy individual singles, or record a song on the radio to listen to their favorite music. The most popular streaming service in the world currently is Spotify. Since buying albums is no longer the standard for knowing what is popular and trending with people this brings forward the fact that now to know what artist is the most popular we need to look at the streaming numbers. The most streamed album on Spotify Ed Sheeran’s “Division” released March 3, 2017. The pop album was the English singer’s third album to be released and after it was released it was an almost instant hit. Winning the singer the Grammys for Best Pop vocal album and best pop solo performance, for “Shape of You”. All 16 tracks from the deluxe edition of ÷ crashed into Spotify’s Global Top 50 streaming chart on 3 March, as well as the Top 50 in 12 international markets (Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and the UK). In the UK and Ireland, the 16 tracks claimed the entire Top 16 spaces. Sheeran continues to now be one of the best selling and most popular artist.

Then there yet is another factor that needs to be considered and that is the power of singles. Singles are songs that are released by themselves separate from an album, even though most of the time they do appear on the albums themselves. No group has had more success in having singles than English band the Beatles. They hold the records for most Billboard number one singles ever (20). The Beatles also hold the record for actually being the best selling music group/solo artist of all time. The group lead to the phenomena in America known as the British invasion in the 1960’s where the USA began to fall in love and import British music and culture. John,Paul,George, and Ringo influenced many musicians of all genres, and many artists followed their example and incorporated various aspects of Beatlemania into their music. The Band was willing to always change and experiment with their music with varying degrees of themes in their music creating one of the most celebrated writing partnership the world has even seen, considered the greatest by some between, Paul McCartney and Johne Lennon. The two were able to explore different themes that weren’t only about lov. For example there is “Help!” about the struggles that John was going through trying to handle his new celebrity status, “Hey Jude” about a boy trying to make the best of a bad situation and trying to make it better, and “Give peace a chance” which is about world peace in the world. The band continues to influence countless people around the world and inspire countless new generations of entertainers and people.

The Beatles historic performance on the Widely popular Ed Sullivan show, February 1964( From left to right: Paul McCartney Harrison,John Lennon, and Ringo Starr

Here are several factors that should be considered when deciding what album or artist deserve the title of greatest album. But there may be several other reason and records that should be considered when choosing the greatest of all time such as:

First Latin Artist to Top Billboard 200: Bad Bunny
Longest reigning billboard top single Old Town Road( Lil Nas X featuring Bill Ray Cyrus)
Best selling solo artist of all time: Elvis Presley
Most Grammys won by one album: Supernatural by Santana, tied with How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb by U2
Best Selling rap Album: The Eminem Show by Eminem

It is really up to one on an individual level to decide which factors matter more or don’t matter at all to make their decision.

Why Eliza Fletcher’s Murder Highlights Everything Wrong in Society

On Friday Morning, 34-year-old Eliza Fletcher started her day off with a jog in the early hours through Memphis, Tennessee. She was a wife, mother of 2, and kindergarten teacher. When she did not return home before work, her worried husband called the police, and it was not good news when someone found her phone on the street. Surveillance video showed a man forcing Eliza into his SUV. Immediate panic spread throughout Memphis and ultimately the entire country. Authorities didn’t know if they were looking for a body dead or alive.

A man was charged with abduction and tampering with evidence on Sunday morning. After a long and arduous search, Eliza’s body was found on Monday just 7 miles from where she was abducted into the car. This news was heartbreaking to her family, friends, and everyone across the country. She was a completely innocent woman robbed of her life. The main suspect was also charged with first degree murder and first-degree murder in the perpetration of kidnapping. If convicted, he faces life in prison and even the possibility of the death penalty.

When Eliza first went missing, many people felt very strongly about the situation’s circumstances. Most criticized her for being alone in the dark at that hour. They blamed her that she put herself in a vulnerable spot. News reports stated how unsafe running alone can be, stressed the importance of being aware of your surroundings, and encouraged runners to always run with a group. This case has brought attention to the dangers that women often put themselves in and started a conversation on how these tragedies can be prevented.

The thing that hasn’t been too talked about is the issue of perpetrators. There is a significant problem with the immediate response to Eliza’s disappearance. The more critical issue at hand is criminal men who prey on women. The media should be ridiculing Eliza’s killer and discussing the homicide rates of men killing women worldwide.

Being a mother, wife, and teacher, Eliza had plenty on her plate. There was likely no other time in the day for her to take time to herself to work out. Running is a source of therapy and a way to clear the mind. She should have never had to worry about being a victim of absolutely anything, but her life was taken from her by a complete stranger. He is the only one to blame in this case. Eliza’s fate is not rare. This story has happened an endless number of times before. She represents billions of other women across the world.

As a society, there needs to be a shift in holding accountability in situations like these. No one, especially women like Eliza, should ever have to fear being killed while going through their daily routines. Women have to be much more cautious than men do in everything they do. They shouldn’t have to, but they do. Our culture needs to prioritize ending the violence against women. Eliza Fletcher could have easily been your mother, sister, best friend, or even you.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/body-missing-jogger-eliza-fletcher-identified-rcna46392

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/06/us/memphis-missing-teacher-tuesday/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/08/us/memphis-teacher-eliza-fletcher-killed-thursday/index.html

https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/local/runners-tips-safety-road-race-trail-eliza-fletcher-memphis-tennessee/522-18c6d6d3-ac2b-4453-96e0-cea6ef71cadf

Largest Piece of Climate Legislation is Happening Under President Biden

On August 16th, 2022, President Biden signed the largest piece of climate legislation titled ‘The Inflation Reduction Act.’ By the year 2030, it’s expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions here in the U.S. by 40% from 2005 levels.

Some provisions are lowering energy bills, reducing carbon emissions by roughly 40% by 2030, and $35/month insulin in 2023. Changes are sure to evoke support from many who support reducing climate change. However, how if the act will fight inflation seems unclear to many. The act has ties to taxes, with a 15% corporate minimum tax, a 1% fee on stock buybacks and enhanced IRS enforcement, but the act seems to be more climate-reducing than inflation-reducing. This is because many of the changes involving taxes hold a small net benefit for the economy.

President Biden having signed the Inflation Reduction Act, hands pen over. Photo credit Leah Millis

The act seems to be controversial, with its lack of help surrounding inflation but help in other areas including medical costs (with the act allowing medicare to negotiate drug prices) and the environment. Many people disapprove of the act because of the increase in IRS agents. While many support the act because of its promise to reduce net emissions. It seems the US will have to wait and see what is to come of the historic act.

The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb

The author Nassim Nicholas Taleb writes in his book about events known as black swans, these events are so rare they are impossible to predict. When these black swans appear they tend to be either catastrophic or extremely favorable. These events are explained in hindsight as if they were actually predictable. Some examples are the rise of the internet, the personal computer, World War I, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the terrorist attack on September 11.

In relation to the black swan concept, Taleb talks about our inability to accurately predict the future. To support his argument he provides the Turkey analogy. A Turkey in his first 1,000 days of life will be led to believe that he is God since humans so earnestly care for him and generously feed him. Yet, contrary to his perception of reality, on his 1,001st day he is killed to be eaten during Thanksgiving. In this day and age, there is so much information available that we can prove anything we believe to be true even if in reality is it false. The turkey took what he knew, he had been treated with care for 1,000 days, and concluded that humans saw him as God.

This book challenges our confidence in what we know and suggest that there is not much we can do to prepare for these black swans besides being aware of the possibility of their occurrence. Those who allegedly see these black swans before they occur are no less ignorant than those who do not make such allegation. Taleb does argue that you can expose your self to the positive black swans or also known as serendipity. Exposing yourself to new positive experiences to allow these rare but good events to strike your life.

Japan’s Future Crisis: The Socioeconomic Consequences of an Aging Population

Japan has one of the world’s strongest economies. In 2020, the country’s GDP amounted to around 5.04 trillion USD, making it the third highest nominal GDP in the world. Per capita, Japan’s GDP ranks fifth in the world. Along with this, Japan has been able to control its inflation rate exceptionally well, keeping it below three percent since 2004. While the country has undoubtedly proved itself as an economic powerhouse, there are rising concerns about its ability to maintain such excellence due to its aging population. With a dwindling labor force and strict immigration laws, Japan does not have enough workers—domestic or foreign—to fill the vacancies of its retirees.

In 2020, Japan’s population comprised 36.19 million people 65 years old and over, making up 28.8 percent of the total population. By 2036, this age group will represent over a third of the population. For comparison, the United States consists of 16.8% aged 65 and over. With a median age of 48.6, Japan has the oldest population in the world. There are two main reasons for this shift. First, Japan’s life expectancy has consistently increased in recent decades, now sitting around 85 years—the second highest in the world. Second, Japan has slow population growth because of its rapidly declining fertility rate. The former is commendable and demonstrates Japan’s advanced healthcare system and nutritious diet. The former, however, warrants concern for the future of Japan’s economy. In the early 1970s, Japan’s fertility rate floated consistently above two births per woman. Now, that number has dropped to 1.3 births. In 2020, only 840,832 babies were born in Japan, down 2.8% from a year earlier and the lowest since records began in 1899.

Several factors contribute to the declining birth rate. Largely, marriage rates have steadily declined in recent years, and Japanese people are waiting longer to get married and start families. These marriage rates are partly due to the persistence of traditional gender division of labor in Japan, leaving women with additional home maintenance and childcare responsibilities. According to a study published by Asia Pacific, “Japanese wives at reproductive ages spent an average of 27 hours per week on household tasks (not including childcare), while husbands spent an average of 3 hours per week.” The declining birthrate has also contributed to a sharp increase in the cost of raising a child. As child-rearing becomes more expensive, fewer people choose to start families, which, in turn, raises the price even more.

With a growing proportion of older adults in the total population, Japan has a greater burden to provide social security and benefits to its elderly citizens. Additionally, slow population growth stunts economic activity by reducing the overall labor force—a massive determinant of production. The IMF calculated that “the impact of aging could drag down Japan’s average annual GDP growth by one percentage point over the next three decades.” As older citizens retire and leave the workforce, there are not enough young people to fill these vacancies. Not only are there fewer Japanese workers, but there is also a significant shortage of immigrant workers to make up for this deficit. Compared with other G7 countries, Japan’s use of imported labor is relatively small. According to the IMF, “Japan is an outlier in terms of its limited use of imported labor. Foreign workers accounted for only about 2.2 percent of Japan’s total labor force in 2018, compared with an estimated 17.4 percent in the United States and 17 percent in the United Kingdom.”

The lack of foreign labor is becoming a significant issue among Japan’s aging population. While many skilled workers would like to work in Japan, the country is known for having some of the strictest immigration laws in the world. Furthermore, 98% of Japan’s population is Japanese, and many foreigners have reported facing discrimination. In a survey, nearly a third of foreigners living in Japan reported having experienced derogatory remarks “sometimes” or “often” due to their background, while about 40% have suffered housing discrimination. Japan grants very few migrants residency and those who are often express difficulty gaining acceptance into the culture.

Japan’s aging population could have devastating consequences for its economic future. If Japan cannot maintain its current production level, it will undoubtedly lose its place as the third largest economy and potentially fall much further. While the Japanese government is currently making efforts to increase the nation’s birth rate, the nation’s economy needs more workers now to maintain its current level of production and social security benefits for the elderly. Estimates say that to meet its current growth target, Japan must quadruple its foreign workers by 2040, from 1.72 to 6.74 million. To combat the aging population, Japan is responsible for increasing the influx of foreign labor by offering workers incentives and loosening its restrictions on immigration.

So You Wanna Host the World Cup?

The Fifa World cup is the most watched international sporting event in the world with the viewership for the 2018 final, Croatia vs. France, being 1.12 billion. It is a time of national pride and of soccer excellence, every player wants to be the one holding the world cup trophy over their head and bringing it to their home country. This year the world cup will be hosted by Qatar in November, due to the extreme heat of Qatar during the summer it was decided that it would be better to have it during a cooler month instead of the usual summer months. This will also be the last year for some of the greatest players of our generation including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Robert Lewandowski, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema and several other greats who are reaching that age where they just need to relax and play in the MLS. Due to the grand spectacle that the world cup is cities al over the world fight tooth and nail to be chosen as the host country. Past countries have included South Africa, Brazil, Russia, and in 2026 the combined countries of the USA,Canada, and Mexico. Although there are obviously several benefits of hosting a world cup there can be several drawbacks to hosting the event.

GOAT Lionel Messi as well as Cristiano Ronaldo have announced that the 2022 world cup will be their last

One obvious benefit of the world cup is simply the amount of immediate money that countries make during the course of the tournament. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, with one of the most viewed yearly events being the UEFA champions league final. What this then means is that millions of people want to be able to see the world cup final games live from all over the world, bringing tourist going to hotels, eating the local food, buying souvenirs, stimulating the local economy of the host country. It is being estimated that the cities hosting the different matches “could expect to see approximately $160 – $620 million in incremental economic activity. That translates to a net benefit of approximately $90 – $480 million per city after accounting for potential public costs.” There is also the overall prestige and presentation of the host country to the rest of the world, allowing countries to showcase how beautiful/amazing their people and cities are. Promoting more tourists to want to go and visit their countries. Even just getting ready for the world we can see a lot changes occur in the country such as in Qatar there is a wide infrastructural plans for hosting in nine eco-friendly stadiums, up-to-date facilities, a world-class metro rail network connecting locations and a nationwide construction boom.

Some of the stadiums constructed for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Although there are a lot of benefits to hosting a world cup we can see that there are also several disadvantages as well. These include the overall rise in crime due to so many tourist converging in one country, the overall price of many goods/souvenirs goes way up, and finally there is the overall price of building stadiums that meet FIFA’s requirements. Most of countries that the world cup ends up taking place in actually have to build brand new stadiums due to Fifa’s rules as well as simply to be able to host all the matches, most days there are several games in one day. Due to the construction of the stadiums as well as creating an infrastructure to be able to have so many people watching the games we saw in Brazil, host of the 2014 cup, that some 170,000 people lost their homes during the preparations for this summer’s World Cup in Brazil due to the building or renovation of stadiums, roads, airports and other infrastructure projects. Just to put the overall price of the stadiums in perspective the overall cost to Brazil to build their stadiums ended up equaling $13.5 billion dollars.

The energy an excitement that having the world cup is amazing and energizing. It is also one of the reasons that going to a world cup is so exciting, countries are placing all their hopes and dreams onto the backs of their fellow country men to make a goal. It is one of the final reasons that simply having the world cup is so exhilarating and that the local people themselves want to be able to host it. Just from watching the matches on tv one can see the electricity in the air.

Al Rihla the name of the Official 2022 World Cup Ball

The Drought in China and The Impacts

Extreme weather – such as heatwaves and droughts – induced by climate change have been taking hold of China recently. A heatwave longer than 70 days has affected more than 900 million people in at least 17 provinces, from Southwestern Sichuan to coastal Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in the East.

So, how has this impacted life in China?

Wildlife has been affected by the drought as well as people. Elephants have been terrorizing farms in search of sustenance causing $1 million worth of damage. This has been linked to the decrease in the area taken up by viable elephant habitats. Fish carcasses have also been washing up in areas that were formerly filled with water.

Due to the extreme weather, China is also experiencing a power crisis. Because of this, China is currently increasing its reliance on coal as a power source, further exacerbating the issue. This power crisis is causing many hardships such as power outages and hits to the global economy. These hits are caused by a cap being put on oil and many Chinese goods.

A World Without Gas Guzzling Cars?

Last week, the California Air Resources Board approved a historic plan to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles. The plan will require all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the state to be electric vehicles or other emissions-free models.

So, let’s get into it.

By 2026, 35% of new cars sold in California must be either zero-emission, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen powered models.

By 2030, that criterion rises to 68% of new cars sold.

And by 2035, 100%.

The rule only applies to new car sales. You can still drive your gasoline-powered vehicle after 2035 and continue to buy or sell used gasoline-powered vehicles as well. Truth be told, the rule doesn’t apply to consumers much at all— it won’t force shoppers to buy electric vehicles. Rather, it will fine automakers who fail to comply.

Nonetheless, this is still huge news. Currently, transportation accounts for about 40% of California’s greenhouse gas emissions. Experts believe that by 2040, the policy will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars more than 50% from the levels predicted without it.

Even better, other states are expected to follow suit. Virginia revealed that it is bound by a 2021 state law to phase out gasoline-powered cars by 2035 too. 15 states have backed California’s policy, while the states of Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, and New York have taken steps to actually jump on the bandwagon. In response, the automobile industry is adapting. Dodge announced that it would discontinue its gas-powered Charger and Challenger, while General Motors plans on building an electric vehicle charging station network across the country.

Others are a bit more skeptical of the new policy. Some say the whole thing could fall apart if the next Republican administration decides to revoke the federal waiver that allows California to set its own emissions standards. Additionally, because electric vehicles are expensive, consumers might be encouraged to keep their older gas-guzzling models or purchase them from out of state. Finally, California may not have the infrastructure to walk the walk. With only 80,000 charging stations, they’re falling behind their target of 250,000 by 2025.