THE BULLETIN • SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2021 C3
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: This is a deli-
cate situation. Four days after
my boyfriend (whom I had
been seeing for 8 1/2 years)
was killed in an accident, I
found out he was married.
He had claimed for years
that he was divorced and
even produced a copy of his
divorce decree several years
ago. It is a long story.
He has been dead for five
months now, and I need
something back from his
wife that he borrowed from
me: my father’s Mason ring.
I was devastated when I
learned he was married and
had lied to me all those years,
but I have no intention of
telling his wife or causing
her pain. (I don’t think she
knows about me.) I would
like the ring back because
my father passed away many
years ago, and I want to pass
it on to my daughter, who
never knew her grandfather.
He died before she was born.
My boyfriend’s sister (who
lives with his wife) knows
about me. She told me she
won’t tell her sister-in-law,
and I should leave her alone.
I’m not trying to hurt any-
one because I wouldn’t want
anyone to do this to me if I
was in her place, but I am lost
about how to approach this.
— Twisted Situation
Down South
Dear Twisted Situation: I
assume you have explained
the situation to the wife’s sis-
ter-in-law. Contact her once
more and tell her you want
the ring and need her help
to get it back without start-
ing WWIII. However, if she’s
still uncooperative, you may
need a lawyer to write the
grieving widow a registered
letter explaining the entire
situation and asking that the
ring be returned. (I’m hoping
there are identifying initials
engraved inside that do not
match her husband’s.)
Dear Abby: I am 9 years
old, and I have a twin
brother. Sometimes he’s nice
to me and other times he’s
annoying. When he’s annoy-
ing, sometimes he doesn’t
stop. Everywhere I go — our
car, the kitchen, table, every-
where — I hear him babbling
about nonsense. Even in my
happy place (my bedroom).
I wish I could lock my bed-
room door, but my parents
keep telling me not to lock
ANY of the doors (except the
car) in the house. Could you
tell me what to do, please? I’d
really like to stop being an-
noyed for once in my life.
— Bothered Twin
in Austin, Texas
Dear Twin: Is your brother
TRYING to be annoying, or
is he just ... annoying? If it’s
the former, talk to your par-
ents about it because he may
need to be put on notice.
If it’s the latter, then YOU
should talk to him.
Explain that sometimes
you don’t feel like talking or
playing and you need to be
left alone. Agree on a sig-
nal — like hanging a sock
(or some other item) on the
outside bedroom door knob
so he’ll know. And when you
do, make sure you let him
know you’ll do the same for
him when the situations are
reversed, because they will
be.
Dear Abby: Easter is a day
to be thankful for Christ that
our sins are forgiven. Opin-
ionated atheists at the din-
ner table distract from the
meaning of the celebration.
Is it wrong on Easter Sunday
to exclude relatives who no
longer practice the Christian
faith?
— Saved in Minnesota
Dear Saved: Before mak-
ing up your mind, ask your-
self, “What would Jesus do?”
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
õ õ õ õ õ DYNAMIC | õ õ õ õ POSITIVE | õ õ õ AVERAGE | õ õ SO-SO | õ DIFFICULT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2021: Complex,
sensitive and conceptual, you9re a very giving person in public, but privately
you9re your own slave master. This year, you give more to yourself and thus
are happier than you9ve been in years. If single, you can feel lonely and with-
drawn, so it9s good for you to be with a soul mate. You meet yours this May. If
attached, it9s been a long search. CANCER won9t ever let go.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
õõõ Today puts you in touch with old companions. Good or bad, they
haven9t changed. Think on how treasured friendships enrich your life. One
of your new acquaintances may join your inner circle. Accept an invitation or
two. Tonight: New group affiliations.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
õõõõõ It is a wonderful time to study another language or learn how to
cook a foreign cuisine. There will be avenues for expressing your highest
potential. Grandparent and grandchild relationships provide special joy and
build happy memories. Tonight: Releasing all that you have outgrown.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
õõõõ Dreams and fantasy abound. Those closest to you are preparing
for some significant lifestyle changes. Be supportive. Allow loved ones to
explore. Whatever shifts are due will be for the better. Tonight: A new love
could replace a longtime attachment.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
õõõõ Others seem more assertive. Offer affirmations for harmony and jus-
tice. A lighthearted attitude in competitive situations is essential. A delightful
new animal companion can stray into your home and heart. Tonight: Go out
somewhere beautiful on an actual romantic date.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
õõõ A new environment or routine is possible. Be receptive to new chang-
es, but wait to see which way the wind blows before moving forward. Past
patterns in regard to your health hold the key to understanding changes in
your vitality. Tonight: A favorite recipe.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
õõõõõ Love and romance are highlighted favorably today. Attend social
functions on Zoom and develop promising relationships by taking the ini-
tiative. A loved one may share news of a new relationship or creative project.
Tonight: Don9t forget flowers and champagne, or fine chocolates.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
õõõõ A residence might require repair work. Be tolerant and diplomatic if
a family member shows some frustration. A sage smudge of your home will
usher out stale energies and clear the air. Tonight: More happiness around
home and hearth.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
õõõõ Your judgement is good and your mind is alert. It9s a good time to
attend to transportation needs. Conversations provide new perspectives. A
wedding invitation may be discussed 4 to go or not to go? Tonight: Deci-
sions can be made from different points of view.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
õõõõ Your thoughts revolve around adding to your earning power and
perhaps perfecting a new job skill. An item long desired is purchased. A
problem is solved through reflection and research. Revel in all that you have
rather than lamenting lack. Tonight: Write down your best qualities.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
õõõõõ All that is mysterious attracts you. Today heralds growth, new
perspectives and opportunity. Prepare for events to unfold suddenly. Be ad-
venturous in spirit. Rise to the occasion before chances are lost. Tonight: Use
your words creatively. See your ideas blossom.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
õõõõ The need for peace and privacy is strong today. There is much you
would prefer to keep to yourself. Acts of charity and personal sacrifice bring
unexpected rewards. Moderate exercise works wonders for your overall
well-being. Tonight: Your leadership ability grows.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
õõõõõ Friends are a special blessing today. Membership in a group or
organization can be a catalyst for happiness and accomplishment. Making
contacts with helpful and powerful individuals and displaying your talents
may also absorb you. Tonight: Do some online networking.
Debt engineers tackle climate
change with bonds to rewild land
BY TODD GILLESPIE
AND GREG RITCHIE
Bloomberg
For green finance enthusi-
asts, a new flavor of debt could
emerge this year — nature
bonds.
Sales of green bonds —
which typically raise money for
clean energy projects — are ex-
pected to grow by a third this
year to record levels, as govern-
ments and companies look to
capitalize on booming demand
at the same time as bolster-
ing their image. Yet academics
and activists say this alone isn’t
enough to save the planet.
They’re lobbying for secu-
rities that more explicitly pro-
tect the natural world — and
are likely to get a hearing from
policy makers when the United
Nations meets in coming
months to discuss biodiversity
and climate change. Those is-
sues are climbing up the agenda
as governments decide how to
spend trillions to recover from
the virus.
“Sovereign bonds are obvi-
ously so important now with
with the crisis response and
then the economic recovery,
and nature should be right at
the heart of that,” said Nick
Robins, a professor at the Lon-
don School of Economics’
Grantham Research Institute
and a former fund manager.
“Nature-based solutions for
climate change can be very
labor-intensive, so if you’re
thinking about financing a
green recovery they are a really
good place to prioritize your
public spending.”
Countries could pay less in-
terest on the debt if they meet
environmental targets. That’s
a similar approach to so-called
sustainability-linked bonds for
companies, which have been
exploding in use this year.
Research organization Fi-
nance for Biodiversity Initiative
has a framework for how such
“nature-performance bonds”
could operate in practice. It’s in
talks together with the World
Bank, the U.S., China and Eu-
ropean countries to also poten-
tially offer debt relief to emerg-
ing-market nations if they can
green their borrowing in this
manner.
Pakistan could be first out
of the blocks to issue up to $1
billion of these so-called na-
ture-performance bonds this
year, according to Malik Amin
Aslam, a climate-change ad-
viser to Prime Minister Imran
Khan. Uruguay is also explor-
ing such bonds, its debt chief
Herman Kamil said.
There are also alternative
suggestions. Henry Boucher,
deputy chief investment offi-
cer at Sarasin & Partners, was
spurred into action after the In-
tergovernmental Panel on Cli-
mate Change pointed to land
use as accounting for a quarter
of man-made greenhouse gas
emissions.
He’s called his proposal
“Eden bonds.” His idea is for
governments to issue long-term
debt to buy private land and es-
sentially pay investors interest
to keep it wild. Investors could
then supplement this income
by selling carbon credits or
credits linked to species res-
toration. When the bond ma-
tures, the government would
pay back its debt, leaving the
public sector owning the land.
“We’re getting to a point
where we have very little nat-
ural-capital stock left,” said
Boucher in an interview. “Why
issue more debt to buy land
today when you are already
maxed out on issuance to pay
for the pandemic? The answer
is that climate change and bio-
diversity loss are even bigger
problems.”
While the management of
nature may significantly affect
nations’ long-term economic
outlook — an issue especially
pertinent to commodity pro-
ducers — so far investors have
mostly focused on more con-
ventional considerations such
as debt-to-growth ratios. It’s
only now that governments
and credit rating agencies are
looking to put a price on cli-
mate risks or opportunities.
“If Nairobi runs out of water,
that has got to affect Kenya’s
sovereign debt, surely?” said
Martijn Wilder, co-founding
partner of Pollination, whose
investment arm aims to be the
world’s largest manager of nat-
ural capital assets. “But people
aren’t thinking about that, these
are just things people don’t
get. We’ve just got to recognize
we’re at the start of a journey,
really.”
Existing bond frameworks
have already been used in some
cases to preserve nature. Poland
issued the first sovereign green
bond in 2016, saying it would
spend some of the money on
natural parks. France also put
biodiversity protection as one
of the uses for its inaugural of-
fering, while the Seychelles pi-
oneered blue bonds in 2018 to
support sustainable fisheries.
The topic of biodiversity —
maintaining a variety of plant
and animal life — will be the
focus of a U.N. conference
in China in May and then a
theme at the next major climate
change conference in Novem-
ber in Glasgow. It’s expected to
lead to more specific targets af-
ter dozens of countries pledged
last year to reverse biodiversity
loss by 2030.