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Did you know that whales absorb 33 tons of C02?

24/03/2022

Monaco Ocean Week is an event where ocean experts are discussing everything from innovation and scientific research, to ocean health and blue economy development. One participant, the MERI Foundation, highlighted the role that whales play in mitigating climate change and why their conservation should be a top priority.

“People may not know that the oceans are one of the main sources of nature-based solutions to mitigating climate change,” Patricia Morales, CEO of Cortés Solari Philanthropy tells Monaco Life. “In Chile, we are working around what we call ‘marine ecosystem services’, in particular from whales. Do you know that each whale captures around 33 tons of carbon, which is equivalent to 1,500 trees? It is much more efficient to protect whales instead of killing and selling them for food.”

Cortés Solari Philanthropy is part of the Melimoyu Ecosystem Research Institute (MERI) Foundation, a private, non-profit institution that seeks to highlight the importance of ocean conservation due to its valuable “ecosystem services” and its role in mitigating climate change.

During Monaco Ocean Week (MOW), the foundation teamed up with the Scientific Centre of Monaco for a series of panels which brought together scientists, business people, politicians and economists to look at the value of marine ecosystem services and innovation technologies for community environmental awareness raising.

One main area of MERI’s research has been the Melimoyu Elemental Reserve and the conservation of the blue whale, a species which has returned to the Corcovado Gulf after years of absence.

Within eight years, researchers were able to identify that this whale species is capable of capturing enormous amounts of carbon, 1,500 times more than a tree, making it a valuable nature-based solution for climate change mitigation and worthy of increased conservation efforts.

Together with the Chilean Ministry of Environment, the MERI Foundation is now leading the Blue Boat Initiative, which seeks to alert vessels of the presence of whales through early warning systems.

“We are trying to promote the conservation of whales through this initiative,” says Patricia Morales. “It is a national project where we install intelligent buoys on Chilean coasts in order to prevent a collision between ships and whales.”

Through an acoustic system, the buoys send out a signal to the ships alerting them to the presence of whales, thus reducing the risk of collisions with boats, one of the main causes of the dramatic decline of this species.

According to MERI, between 2007 and 2019, it is estimated that more than 1,200 whales died due to collisions with cargo ships or smaller vessels.

“This is why the Blue Boat Initiative seeks to address the problem, taking care of the species and guaranteeing the generation of blue carbon,” says Morales.

Blue carbon refers to C02 that is naturally stored in aquatic ecosystems. The habitat with the largest deposits is the ocean, which absorbs 25% of the atmosphere’s C02 annually. It plays a fundamental role, and therefore, whales play a key role.

Photo of Patricia Morales, CEO of Cortés Solari Philanthropy, by Monaco Life

Morales says the foundation is also economically evaluating the marine ecosystem services of these whales in order to attract investment to the project as well as similar conservation initiatives.

“We have been backed by philanthropy for many years now, but science is not rentable, and we are a bit invisible from the banking side,” says Morales, who is also an economist. “We aim to connect with those that really want to invest in a green solution. We aim to find as many natural solutions as possible, and try to monetise them, but first, we have to evaluate them. So, we identify a technology, a natural solution, then we try to understand it and see how much carbon are we capturing, and then we evaluate this carbon and certify it.”

The Foundation is now starting to work closely with the private banking industry and companies that would like to invest in the initiatives backed by MERI, of which there are about 50.

In October 2021, MERI participated in the Blue Economy Workshop, organised by the CSM and FPA2, which aimed to draft Monaco’s national proposal on nature-based solutions and marine ecosystem services, that was presented at the COP26 in Glasgow.

The next step?

“Each country has its own economic exclusion zone, but then the ocean is no man’s land. Even if you cannot kill whales, there is no marine traffic regulation. What we need is to work together with the International Whale Commission in order to promote traffic regulation, not only for whales but all the marine ecosystems, the main source of nature-based solutions in the mitigation of climate change.”

How to keep Ukrainian women safe, and fill a job shortage

by: Cassandra Tanti

20/03/2022

Around three million people, mostly women and children, have fled Ukraine across international borders since the war began. The latest estimates from UN agencies predicts that four million people will be displaced from the country as the conflict continues.

Poland, which shares a 500-kilometre border with Ukraine, has taken in the majority, with effectively two Ukrainian refugees entering Poland every three seconds. According to reports, around 250,000 refugees have also crossed the border into Moldova.

With Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 required to stay and support the war effort, it is women and children who make up 90% of refugees.

The exodus from Ukraine is the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since WW2, and right now, attention is rightfully focussed on their entry and reception. Volunteers are serving up soup and sandwiches, handing out clothes and sleeping bags, and offering temporary places to stay.

But soon the EU will need to consider how to best help the refugees settle in. Activation of the Temporary Protection Directive gives Ukrainians the right to access key integration-related services and employment, but national administrations now face an enormous challenge to make such access a reality.

Meanwhile, fears are growing that among the refugees who have arrived in Poland, Moldova, and other European countries, many now face much greater risks of being exploited, trafficked and forced into prostitution.

German police recently confirmed rumours that some of the refugees crossing the border had been approached by people and offered money to come and “stay” with them. As well as women, young people traveling alone are being targeted. The social media network Telegram is being flooded with reports that traffickers are trying to pick up children and women traveling by themselves.

In some countries, specialist anti-trafficking NGOs are disseminating leaflets to refugees, warning them of the risks of accepting transportation and accommodation from strangers, and informing them how to seek help and report suspicious cases to national helplines for trafficking victims.

Once the refugees have safely crossed the Ukrainian border, it is vital, therefore, that attention shifts to their protection and the provision of safe and legitimate job opportunities so they are not lured or tricked into human trafficking.

This is the focus of Jon Purizhansky. He is CEO of Joblio, a technology-based platform that connects potential labour migrants with employers via a transparent digital process that mitigates employer fraud and human rights violations. He is also a New York lawyer and a former refugee from Belarus.

“I relate to these people because I used to be a refugee. I was a teenager when my family and I went through the same thing,” Jon Purizhansky tells Monaco Life. “What is different about this refugee wave from the last in 2015/2016, is that was a group of men from the Middle East and this is women and children from Ukraine, so it is a completely different community from a demographic perspective but also from a vulnerability perspective.”

Joblio has been established for around two years now, primarily connecting male labourers in countries like Africa, South East Asia and Latin America with jobs in Europe.

Since 24^th February, it’s operations in Poland and Moldova have kicked into hypergear and, with Joblio staff positioned at refugee centres in Moldova and on the border with Ukraine, the company is now helping female refugees find work in Germany, home to one of the largest Ukrainian communities in Europe.

“Being a refugee means that you don’t know what will happen tomorrow because you are on the run. So, Joblio turns the unknown into the known by securing employers in Germany who are willing to provide these refugees with jobs. Germany has a strong economy and a very severe shortage of labour, particularly within the fields of hospitality, care giving, and office cleaning. These sectors do not require formal qualifications, which is why they are a perfect temporary solution for the refugee community. Some used to work in agriculture, others were professors of French literature just two weeks ago. Now they are all the same.”

Purizhansky says that Joblio is using its existing corporate infrastructure in Europe to hire citizens of Ukraine, in compliance with a government-to-government agreement that existed between Poland and Ukraine prior to the refugee crisis that allows Polish companies to bring Ukrainian citizens on staff immediately. “This allows us to then place them with clients in Germany, thereby creating a secure and safe environment for the refugees while providing the German corporates with the staff that they need.”

Monaco Life met with Jon Purizhansky while he was in Monaco in September 2021. He told us then that his aim was for Joblio to become the global standard and platform for cross-border employment, utilised by corporates and governments throughout the world.

Joblio is not an NGO, says Purizhansky, it is a business, so it is geared towards efficiency and benefits everyone involved.

Backed by legal expertise in the fields of immigration law, tax law and labour law, Joblio is also an inspiring social impact project.

“We are sending the first bus of refugees to Germany, where Joblio Germany staff are going to meet them on the ground. We are doing this Elon Musk style, creating impact by operating a business. We are delivering staff that the German companies are advertising desperately for,” says Purizhansky, adding that half of the refugees on the bus are children.

“These are women with kids, so we also securing housing for them as well as childcare, daycare and schooling. We are going to create an ecosystem for them that allows them to safely move to Germany very fast, and have their kids in childcare or school. Our entire team is on it so they can start going to work and supporting themselves. This is also very helpful to the government of course, because they don’t have to subsidise them.”

Purizhansky is now calling on the corporate sector and the largest companies in Europe to join Joblio in its quest to create a safe and secure environment for the refugees.

“It is very important that we get help from the corporate sector and that it does not meet this initiative with cynicism. But even if we do face cynicism, the trump card is the business sense that it makes to the corporate world. It’s a win, win.”

Photo by Derek Thomson on Unsplash

The late late Bacon show

by: Luke Entwistle

17/03/2022

The Roca Team’s overtime clash against Strasbourg (105-103) reached a breathtaking crescendo as Dwayne Bacon nailed a deep 3-pointer on the buzzer to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

At times on Wednesday night, the game looked beyond the home side, as a certain lethargy and sloppiness crept into their game for large swathes of the match. However, with confidence high and a deep roster of highly talented players, there was always a lingering sense of the inevitable comeback.

Monaco’s inefficiency both inside and outside the key was rarely more pronounced than it was in the opening moments of the first-quarter. As is the tradition, the crowd remained standing until the first Monegasque hoop, few would have been expecting to be stood up for almost three minutes. Everyone was finally grateful for the chance to sit down.

In that time, Strasbourg had grown a six-point lead, and this set the tone for the fixture as the away side repeatedly constructed advantages, only to be reeled back in. Often, Strasbourg ceded the momentum through their own indiscipline. Monaco had an inferior efficiency in two and three-pointers on the night, but an avalanche of free-throws was ultimately crucial (27/36).

Speaking to Monaco Life, head-coach Sasa Obradovic alluded to this post-match, stating, “The opponent gave it to us, they gave us 27 assists. That was a magic number for us.”

For comparison, Strasbourg only converted 10/12 free-throws. That indiscipline undid much of the hard work done by Gaylor Curier and Matt Mitchell, the former particularly empathic outside the key (5/8).

Despite Strasbourg’s generous free-throw offering, Monaco still struggled to keep up with their more efficient opponents, and midway through the third-quarter found themselves with a 15-point deficit to overturn.

A Brock Motum three-pointer changed the atmosphere in the Salle Gaston Medecin, as the crowd once again got behind their side, spurring a late rally. A Mike James three-pointer on the third-quarter buzzer brought the Roca Team back within three, and the momentum was clearly with the home side going into the final quarter.

Parity was restored early in the final-quarter, before the sides began matching each other blow-for-blow, taking the game to overtime.

The five-minute overtime was a microcosm of the game itself, as Monaco found themselves in the familiar position of having to muster a comeback. With less than 1:40 on the clock, Bacon and Alpha Diallo helped overturn a five-point deficit, before DeAndre Landsdowne’s two-pointer with 1.7 seconds on the clock looked to have sealed the game in Strasborug’s favour (102-103).

There was, however, one more spectacular twist in the tail. From the baseline, Leo Westermann launched the ball towards Bacon, who swivelled and released from deep in what was almost a blind pop shot. Miraculously, and to the delight of the crowd who sprung to their feet, the ball found the hoop via the back-board, sealing a highly unlikely late victory (105-103).

Post-match, the American, Bacon described the match-winning shot to Monaco Life: “When you’ve played basketball for so long, you know what types of shots you can get off, and I knew I had the time to do it.”

Relying on such a moment of brilliance, the fortuitous circumstances of the victory were not lost on Obradovic. “We didn’t deserve to win today. The other team played better basketball.”

Bacon alluded to mindset being a key factor in the game not being wrapped-up earlier, saying, “We have a really good team, but sometimes we pick and choose when we come out to play. Tonight was one of those nights where we chose when we wanted to play, and it got late in the end.”

Bacon and co. will be hoping to register a more controlled victory when they visit Paris on Sunday.

Click on our Instagram post below to see some top shots from the night…

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbNXmcnsGJ0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

This is FLEX, Venturi’s new space rover

by: Stephanie Horsman

16/03/2022

Venturi Astrolab, a strategic partner of Monaco-based Venturi, has created a space vehicle called FLEX, designed for humans to comfortably explore the moon, Mars and beyond.

Venturi has made a name for itself crafting high-performance electric vehicles for Earth, but it’s also set its sights on the celestial.

Venturi Astrolab, based in California US, is applying its know-how to build a vehicle that can withstand the challenges of space. The new space rover, called Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX), is currently being tested in the desert near Death Valley. This fully functional and full-scale prototype has been tested using both crewed and telerobotic operations using a variety of payloads in extreme terrain.

Even more incredible is the fact the vehicle is being designed for prolonged use in space with an eye to a time when people may live full-time on the moon or another planet.

“As we transition from the Apollo era, which was focused on pure exploration, to now, when people will be living for longer periods on the Moon, the equipment needs to change,” said Chris Hadfield, Astrolab Advisory Board Member, in a press -statement. “When we settle somewhere, we don’t just need to get people from one place to another, but we need to move hardware, cargo, life support equipment and more. And it’s all dependent on mobility. It was not only a joy to drive FLEX but also see its size, capability and get an intuitive sense of what this rover can do.”

Until now, rovers of this kind have been designated for specific uses and cost billions to design and build. This approach is clearly not cost-effective nor compatible with NASA’s end goal of supporting a sustained presence on the moon or Mars. The old rovers were one-time wonders.

FLEX, on the other hand, is being designed to go from lander to rover and back using a modular payload interface that supports intermodal transportation.

“For humanity to truly live and operate in a sustainable way off Earth, there needs to exist an efficient and economical transportation network all the way from the launch pad to the ultimate outpost,” said Jaret Matthews, Founder and CEO of Astrolab. “Currently, there is a gap in the last mile and Astrolab exists to fill it.”

FLEX’s commercial potential comes from its architecture, which gives it the ability to pick up and drop off modular payloads. This can be of use for robotic science, exploration, logistics, construction, resource utilisation, site preparation or virtually any other use that may come into play, as well as transporting two astronauts.

“We’ve designed a mobility platform that is payload agnostic so it can work within an ecosystem of transportation systems, vehicles and tools,” said Matthews. “FLEX achieves a wide range of utility by being able to collect, transport, and deposit any payload that conforms to what will be a standard and open interface.”

In June 2021, Venturi unveiled the world’s first ever zero emission polar exploration vehicle, which went into operation at the Belgian Princess Elisabeth research station in December.

Photo source: Venturi Astrolab

Monaco’s Princess returns home

by: Cassandra Tanti

13/03/2022

Princess Charlene has made her long-awaited return to the Principality of Monaco where she will continue the final stage of her recovery with her family, the Palace has announced.

In a statement released late Saturday, the Princely couple said: “In agreement with her doctors and while her recovery is on the right track, Their Serene Highnesses have jointly agreed that Princess Charlene can now continue her convalescence in the Principality, with her husband and children.”

The Palace revealed that the princess had just returned to Monaco where “She is happy to have found her family and loved ones.”

Princess Charlene is expected to soon resume official duties.

“As soon as her health allows, it will be with joy that the Princess will again share privileged moments of conviviality with the Monegasques who have missed her so much. In order to facilitate her full recovery, Princess Charlene is still in need of calm and serenity, the Princely couple therefore asks that we continue to respect their privacy and their family environment.”

It’s been almost a year since Princess Charlene departed for South Africa to attend the funeral of Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini and launch an awareness campaign on the plight of rhinos as part of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.

Complications from a severe ear, throat and nose infection grounded the princess in her native country for eight months where she underwent a number of medical procedures. Intermittent social media posts showed a very frail woman, far from the healthy, muscular former Olympic swimmer that Monaco and its citizens had known.

Prince Albert and their children Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella visited Princess Charlene on two occasions, and throughout his wife’s time in Africa, Prince Albert was forced to publicly dispel rumours that there was a rift in his marriage.

On 8^th November 2021, Princess Charlene made her return to the Principality of Monaco, her frail figure evident even from behind a mask as she posed for photographers with her family in the Palace courtyard.

Within a week, the Palace announced that Princess Charlene would be suspending public duties and had entered a treatment facility for “deep general fatigue”.

Prince Albert’s sisters, Princess Stephanie and Caroline Princess of Hanover, have both stepped in to fill the official void left in Princess Charlene’s absence, often appearing alongside her children, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella during public engagements.

Monaco Life joins the people of the Principality in welcoming Princess Charlene home.

Photo of Princess Charlene’s return to Monaco in November 2021, by Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

Revealed: Café de Paris’ spectacular renovation

by: Luke Entwistle

12/03/2022

The face of the ever-transforming Casino Square will be altered once more as the iconic Café de Paris gets a substantial makeover, with work set to finish by June 2023.

The Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) revealed plans for the Café de Paris in an exclusive gathering of local press including Monaco Life on Friday. The renovation plans have been approved and the works, which are thought to total €40 million, will be completed at the end of June next year.

Architects Alexandre Giraldi and Alain-Charles Perrot were charged with modernising the Café de Paris. The aim is to maximise the potential of an iconic building, which occupies what SBM CEO Jean-Luc Biamonti described as “the most beautiful square metreage in the world”. The difficulty comes in doing this whilst keeping the building true to the Belle Epoque era.

The result of the work has yielded an incredible, modern design, which is in fitting with the modernisation of the rest of Casino Square whilst also respecting and conserving its architectural heritage.

*Design plans for the new Café de Paris*

Most notably, the brasserie of the Café de Paris will be getting two additional floors, including a unique rooftop and a variety of boutiques. The Brasserie will extend onto two floors, whilst a partially glassed roof will create a naturally lit ground floor bar.

The building will also welcome an ‘Amazonico’ restaurant, a concept from Madrid that combines tropical and Latin American cuisines. The restaurant, which also has a presence in London and Dubai, will be placed in the Salle Bellevue, which will be enlarged, and will also open onto a large rooftop. This will also be complemented by a speakeasy-style bar.

Although the details have not yet been finalised, there will be an additional 800㎡ dedicated to boutiques, and this will run down from Casino Square to Jardin des Spelugues.

Despite the enormity of the task, it will only take just over a year to complete and will also be largely undisruptive. As no demolition is needed to take place, there will be minimal noise pollution.

The Brasserie has moved to the Salle Empire for the duration of the work, whilst the lemonade terrace is undisturbed. The Café de Paris casino and the boutiques will also remain in place, although the SBM boutique has been moved to the Avenue de Monte-Carlo.