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DRIVER-INFRASTRUCTURE-FUNDING-POLITICS 5-year update to 50-year Texas Water Plan QUICK FACTS: **Texas' state water plans are based on future conditions in the event of a recurrence of the worst recorded drought in Texas' history-known as the "drought of record"-a time when, generally, water supplies are lowest and water demands are highest. **Texas' population is anticipated to increase 73 percent between 2020 and 2070, from 29.7 million to 51.5 million, with approximately half of this growth occurring in Regions C and H. Water demands are projected to increase less significantly, by approximately 9 percent between 2020 and 2070, from 17.7 million to 19.2 million acre-feet per year. **Texas' existing water supplies-those that can already be relied on in the event of drought-are projected to decline by approximately 18 percent between 2020 and 2070, from 16.8 million to 13.8 million acre-feet per year primarily due to reservoir sedimentation and depletion of aquifers. **Water user groups face a potential water shortage of 3.1 million acre-feet per year in 2020 and 6.9 million acrefeet per year in 2070 in drought of record conditions. **Approximately 5,800 water management strategies recommended in this plan would provide 1.7 million acrefeet per year in additional water supplies to water user groups in 2020 and 7.7 million acre-feet per year in 2070. **Conservation strategies represent approximately 29 percent, or 2.2 million acre-feet per year, of all recommended water management strategy volumes in 2070 and were recommended for more than half of the water user groups in the plan. **The estimated capital cost to design, construct, and implement the more than 2,400 recommended water management strategy projects by 2070 is $80 billion. If strategies are not implemented, approximately one-quarter of Texas' population in 2070 would have less than half the municipal water supplies they will require during a drought of record. **If Texas does not implement the sta

DRIVER-INFRASTRUCTURE-SCARCITY-POLITICS By 2071, nearly half of the 204 freshwater basins in the United States may not be able to meet the monthly water demand. These model projections, recently published in the journal Earth's Future, are just one preliminary component of the upcoming Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment expected to be published next year. In 1974, congress required that this assessment of US renewable resources be published every 10 years. Conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, the research describes two causes for the projected shortages. The first is that the U.S. will simply have more people. Despite that the average American is using less water, population growth is still expected to increase water demand across most of the country. Second, the water supply itself is expected to decrease. Projected climate change affects both rain patterns and temperatures. While rainfall is expected to increase in some parts of the US, the southern Great Plains and parts of the South won't be so lucky. The water basins rely on rainfall to feed the rivers and tributaries that flow into them. Separately, more water will evaporate from reservoirs and streams as the climate gets warmer, further chipping away at the water supply. Around 50 years from now, many U.S. regions may see water supplies reduced by a third of their current size, while demand continues to increase.

DRIVERS-SCARCITY-INFRASTRUCTURE This study estimates the likelihood of water shortages over the remainder of the 21st century in 204 watersheds covering the contiguous United States. The estimates are based on monthly projections of water demand and renewable water supply in light of population growth and climate change, taking into account water storage and transbasin diversion capacities. The study then examines several possible adaptations to projected shortages, including water withdrawal efficiency improvements, reservoir storage enhancements, demand reductions, instream flow reductions, and groundwater depletion. Results provide a broad measure of the relative efficacy of the adaptation measures and show when and where the measures are likely to be helpful.

The engineering profession won't be exempt from COVID-19 job fallout, but the effects will be temporary. More engineers will be needed than ever before when the world returns to a semblance of normalcy, said Andy Moss, president and owner of M Force Staffing, a Knoxville, Tenn., technical recruiting firm specializing in engineering and manufacturing job placement. "There was already a lack of technical talent before we went into this," Moss says. "This is a horrible situation, but when we come back from it we're going to ramp right back up into the problems we had before. We're not producing enough technical talent to fill the jobs we have." The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment growth for engineers, with nearly 140,000 new jobs expected for engineers from 2016 to 2026. Mechanical engineers were second only to civil engineers in terms of projected new jobs over that time period: civil engineers with 32,200 additional jobs projected and mechanical with 25,300. Industrial, with 25,100 jobs, and electrical, with 16,200, followed behind.

As artificial intelligence tools become more specialized, Moss has one big warning to today's students: stay away from any job AI can take. That doesn't include engineering, though, where there will probably be more jobs created due to the growth of AI, he says. "You'll still have things in engineering design and other aspects of technical work and engineering that a computer just can't do, even if they can think faster than a human."

"The smart building market was valued at USD 82.55 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 229.10 billion by 2026 at a CAGR of over 11.33% over the forecast period (2021 - 2026). Growing energy concerns, increasing government initiatives on smart infrastructure projects are driving the market's growth positively. Solutions, such as the Building Energy Management System, Infrastructure Management System, and Intelligent Security System, are being adopted for smart buildings. BEMS is integrated, computerized systems for monitoring and controlling energy-related building services plant and equipment, such as HVAC systems and lighting, among others"

"The global semiconductor shortage will lead to 7.7 million fewer vehicles produced in 2021, costing automakers billions in lost sales, according to consulting firm AlixPartners. The forecast, released Sept. 23, estimates that the shortage will cost the auto industry $210 billion globally in lost revenue in 2021, up sharply from the May projections of $110 billion in forgone sales and 3.9 million fewer vehicles built."

An overview of the Brookings 'States of Change' report. "In this 2020 report, we update our electoral scenarios in several important ways. First, we have produced a new set of underlying demographic projections for the nation and all 50 states plus the District of Columbia based on the latest census data. These projections trace the probable path of demographic change across the country-both for the population as a whole and, importantly, for eligible voters."

This paper uses a scenario-based approach to understand how Congress might function in 2050. At present, Congress appears to be underperforming due to high levels of polarization, hyperpartisanship, and gridlock. Notwithstanding these challenges, Congress will need to address several big and complex issues over the next three decades, including the demographic transformation of the United States into a majority-minority nation, the looming fiscal challenges facing the federal government, widespread automation in the economy, climate change, more diffuse and dangerous patterns of global conflict, and the rapidly evolving media and communications technology environment.

he global corrosion protection coatings market size is projected to grow from USD 6.9 billion in 2020 to USD 8.9 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.3%.The global corrosion protection coatings market is growing due to the end-use industries such as marine, oil & gas, petrochemical, infrastructure, power generation, and water treatment. Hence, the rapid growth of these industries is expected to contribute to the growth of the corrosion protection coatings market. However, the market is expected to decline in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The job scope for materials engineers are not in decline which can bring more inovation to prevent corrosion. .The median annual wage for materials engineers was $95,640 in May 2020. Numbers of current jobs:25,100. The projected percent change in employment from 2020 to 2030. The average growth rate for all occupations is 8 percent.The projected numeric change in employment from 2020 to 2030 is 2,100. There is no additional training needed (postemployment) to attain competency in the skills needed in this occupation.The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. In May 2020, the median annual wage for all workers was $41,950.

DRIVER-FUNDING-INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING INFRASTRUCTURE: The nationwide need for investment in water and wastewater infrastructure continues to far outpace the amount of funding that is available at all levels of government and the United States has an estimated need between $400 and $600 billion over the next 20 years for safe drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure. One of the primary sources of federal funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure are the highly successful, but chronically underfunded, Safe Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) programs. Modernizing and replacing aging water infrastructure may be the single largest public works endeavor in our nation's history. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Gap Analysis found a $540 billion gap between current spending and projected needs for water and wastewater infrastructure (combined) over 20 years. Other public studies conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and a private study produced by AGC partner, the Water Infrastructure Network, have similarly estimated the nation?s water infrastructure needs to range between $400 and $600 billion over a 20-year period.

- By 2050 nearly 2.5 billion people are projected to have some degree of hearing loss and at least 700 will require hearing rehabilitation. - Over 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices. - An annual additional investment of less than US$ 1.40 per person is needed to scale up ear and hearing care services globally. - Over a 10-year period, this promises a return of nearly US$ 16 for every US dollar invested.

This is a chapter excerpt from a very popular book on Nano Biopesticides. "Today's global population has reached 7 billion, and is projected to reach 9.2 billion by 2050, an increase of 30% (70 million per annum). This explosive increase of the global population is expected to increase the demand for food production by 70%, notably due to changes in dietary habits in developing countries toward high-quality food." There is public demand for an alternative to chemical pesticides as well as the financial incentives "biological pesticides require 3-6 years and an investment of around $15-20 million for development and registration compared to synthetic pesticides, which require 10 years and $200 million for their development." The article is longer than many but a broad spectrum introduction to the technology.

"To their fans, the promise of expanding our reach beyond this planet is thrilling. For critics, the money poured into private vanity projects is unforgivable when there is so much to be done right here on Earth. This race has only deepened the divide between those who love to see the very rich launch into space and those who wish they would never come back."

Starlink has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in India called Starlink Satellite Communications Private, with a a "stretch goal" to deploy 200,000 Starlink user terminals in more than 160,000 rural districts in India by December 2022. Starlink is also in talks with two telecommunications companies in the Philippines, where it also wants to launch its satellite service. This project would result in Internet availability to more people - Starlink wants to introduce its internet to schools in and near to the capital city of New Delhi.

The state of Massachusetts might become the first to install the first-ever solar-powered roadside sound barrier, Energy News Network reported. It is expected that this innovative pilot project will be able to generate around 800 megawatt-hours of power every single year.

SpaceX is using the county and eminent domain to take the homes in Boca Chica. "SpaceX can't force the residents to leave, but the county can. In 2013, county commissioners established a corporation "to assist in the promotion and development of a spaceport project" in Cameron County. Under Texas law, the corporation has the authority to exercise the same right that lets governments take over private property and compensate its owners. "

Would you eat meat grown in a lab to save the world? The $10 million award will enable the creation of the first-ever U.S. government-funded cultivated protein research center of excellence and represents U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s first investment in cultivated meat to date. USDA awarded the grant as a part of a $146 million investment in sustainable agricultural research projects announced by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack on October 6.