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Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Here's what Biden's budget would do, and not do, for climate change - The New York Times

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The president’s federal spending proposal for the next year contains almost $45 billion to deal with global warming. We looked at the details.

On Day 1 of his presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. brought the United States back into the global climate accord. His administration made bold pledges to cut emissions. It urged other countries to set ambitious climate targets of their own.

Since then, politics and war have stood in the way of any meaningful climate legislation.

Now the White House is taking another stab at advancing its climate agenda. In its $5.8 trillion budget request for fiscal year 2023, made public on Monday, it includes nearly $45 billion for several federal agencies to tackle climate change.

It seeks to prepare us for the reality of life on a hotter planet.

It does not include big-ticket items to enable the United States to pivot away from the combustion of fossil fuels, the main cause of climate change. As my colleague Coral Davenport pointed out, the president’s proposed expenditures “say little about what the federal government will do to actually address the nation’s two largest contributors to climate change: greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and power plants.”

What the United States does to swiftly bring down its own emissions is critical for the rest of the world. The country is history’s largest emitter; its current emissions are second only to China.

Keep in mind his proposed budget is a wish list of how to spend taxpayer dollars. It must be approved by Congress. So, Biden’s political test lies in getting it through both houses before the midterm elections in November, while his party still controls Congress.

Not to put too fine a point on it. But the midterms will be crucial in setting U.S. climate policy.

For now, here’s what my colleagues and I found notable in his proposal.

It seeks to bolster America’s image abroad. Biden is trying to make good on a promise he made to help poorer countries expand renewable energy and adapt to the effects of warming with $11.4 billion in annual climate finance by 2024. His proposed budget envisions shoring up that money a year early. Whether Congress will go for it is unclear. In approving his 2022 budget request, Congress approved barely $1 billion for international climate finance.

On Monday, the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group, called on lawmakers to make amends. “If enacted, this would help overcome Congress’ recently approved anemic international climate funding, and all parties should rally around this plan,” the group said.

There was immediate opposition from a key Republican. Senator James Risch of Idaho, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, said on Twitter that climate aid “will not stop malign actions from Russia, China and Iran.”

It is an extreme weather budget. The United States Forest Service would get to hire more than 3,000 new staff members to fight wildfires, and the Environmental Protection Agency would get more money for wildfire prevention. The Department of Agriculture would get $1.8 billion, Coral wrote, to make sure rural homes are built to withstand extreme weather events. The Pentagon would get $3 billion, mostly to prepare military installations for climate impacts.

It is a nod to demands to tackle environmental racism. The budget creates a new office within the Department of Justice to look into how environmental risks disproportionately affect communities of color. It would allocate $1.45 billion across several programs run by the Environmental Protection Agency to protect communities facing disproportionately high levels of air and water pollution.

Cars are still king. The largest chunk of the $142 billion for transportation would be used to fix roads and bridges — or perhaps build new highways, as some Republican state governors prefer. An analysis by the Eno Center for Transportation calculated that 15 percent of the agency’s budget would go toward mass transit.

Drilling on public lands will continue. The Bureau of Land Management, which issues permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands, would get $1.4 billion under the proposal, while another $237 million would go to the program that oversees offshore drilling. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to calls from administration officials to export more gas to Europe, in a bid to reduce the continent’s dependence on Russian energy. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently scaled back plans to consider how natural gas projects affect climate change and environmental justice. Because of a federal court order, the administration has temporarily halted new drilling on public lands.

Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Boosting coal, earning millions: Senator Joe Manchin’s has long helped a power plant that is the sole customer of his private coal business. Along the way, he also blocked climate action.

Antarctic ice collapse: For the first time since satellites began observing Antarctica nearly half a century ago, an ice shelf has collapsed on the eastern part of the continent.

Arctic tensions: Climate change and Russian aggression have led the United States military to stake out a greater presence in the Far North.

Befriending trees: A program in Melbourne, Australia, tracks every public tree — and even gives each an email address.

Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Climate change, combined with urban expansion into wetlands and floodplains, is making flooding worse. So, engineers, architects, urban planners and officials around the world are seeking ways to retrofit or reconstruct cities to better deal with water — basically, to act more like sponges. The idea is to move away from the traditional, hard infrastructure of concrete walls, culverts and sewer systems, and toward solutions that mimic nature. You can read the full article here.

Thanks for reading. We’ll be back on Friday.

Claire O’Neill and Douglas Alteen contributed to Climate Forward.

Reach us at climateforward@nytimes.com. We read every message, and reply to many!

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'Never Seen Anything Like This': Cars Abandoned, Hours-Long Security Lines as Major US Airport Grapples With Fuel Shortages - Entrepreneur

Most seasoned travelers will tell you to arrive at the airport on the earlier side in case of long security lines or other check-in delays. But travelers trying to leave from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas earlier this week were in for a particularly rude awakening. A perfect storm of aircraft fuel shortages and overwhelming influx of travelers led to horrific delays by Monday afternoon, with travelers forced to abandon rental cards on the side of the road and passengers staring down security lines swelling up to 3,000 people at any given time.

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The airport said that TSA processed a whopping 8,965 passengers on Sunday prior to 8 a.m. and an additional 8,252 passengers before 8 a.m. on Monday, attributing the high volume to various regional sporting events and an inadequate supply of fuel. "The shortage is due to the current demand for aircraft fuel outpacing the supply," a spokesperson told local news outlet KXAN. "On any given day, we have about a two-to-three-day supply. Most airports average five to seven."

“We appreciate the patience and understanding of our passengers and continue to ask them to plan ahead, arrive early and show kindness to airport and airline staff who are working hard to get them safely to their destination,” the airport wrote.

Related: The 10 Worst Airports in the U.S.

However, disgruntled customers took to social media to report on security lines that went outside and wrapped around the building, security wait times of over an hour and cars so backed up that many were unable to even get over the ramp.

"The rental car place at the Austin airport is closed so everyone is just leaving their cars in the through lanes of the garage," one traveler lamented. "It’s getting all backed up and people can’t get up the ramp. I dunno what to do!"

"There’s no safe pathways for strollers and wheelchairs," another concerned traveler said. "We’re all in lines out and around the airport despite arriving timely and having pre check / clear."

Others called the situation a "safety hazard" and "mess."

Related: Major U.S. Airline Announces New Ticket Type With Added Perks

In a January 2022 report, the airport revealed that passenger traffic for the month of November 2021 was up 212.3% compared to November '20, with October 2021 showing an increase of 199.6% year over year during the same period.

The airport began a major expansion plan that was approved and announced in 2019 to keep up with an increase in demand. “AUS was originally built in 1999," the airport explained at the time. "It was originally designed to serve 11 million passengers. The Master Plan reflects the anticipated doubling of passenger growth to serve more than 31 million annual passengers...AUS expects to exceed 31 million annual passengers by the year 2037, and the Master Plan is intended to guide how AUS  accommodates this growth."

Earlier this year, the Austin City Council approved an additional $46 million expansion for the airport, including the implantation of three new gates in the Barbara Jordan Terminal.

Moral of the story? If you're making your way to our through Austin any time soon, might be smart to invest in TSA PreCheck. 

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The Future Is Uncertain. Here's How to Ensure Your Team Can Adapt. - HBR.org Daily

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As teams have scrambled to adapt to new conditions in the wake of the pandemic, many have devised exciting and highly productive new ways of relating to each other and getting their work done. The best teams transformed their ways of working through what we call “radical adaptability.” These are teams that went beyond mere coping with the crisis as an adaptive response. They used the crisis to reappraise and reinvent their work processes so that they could continue to adapt to unpredictable change in the years to come. This article discusses four essential ways to build radically adaptable teams in our new world of work: collaboration, agility, resilience, and foresight. The radically adaptive response entails fundamental changes to how the organization manages its workforce, develops new business models, and executes on its organizational purpose.

When are we ever going back to the office?

Remember March 2020, when most of us expected it might be in two or three months? Then summer gave way to fall and winter. Some set their sights on returning mid-2021. That thought is now a distant memory.

As the global pandemic begins its third year, it’s high time to recognize we’re never going back to the way things were. We’ve entered an entirely new world of work.

The Covid-19 pandemic has killed millions of people worldwide and has caused untold pain and trauma for many millions more in terms of financial losses, lingering illnesses, and agonizing grief. And, as with all crises, the pandemic has also brought out the best in many people. As teams within organizations have scrambled to adapt to their new conditions, many have devised exciting and highly productive new ways of relating to each other and getting their work done. What can we learn from the advances the pandemic has inspired?

As we detail in our book Competing in the New World of Work, there is a consistent pattern of leadership competencies that have proven to be most successful in these turbulent times. Through our research involving interviews with more than 2,000 corporate team leaders, we have found that the best results were achieved by teams that did more than merely accommodate their changing conditions. The best teams transformed their ways of working through what we call “radical adaptability.” These are teams that went beyond mere coping with the crisis. They used the crisis to reappraise and reinvent their work processes so that they could continue to adapt to unpredictable change in the years to come. Here are the four essential ways to build radically adaptable teams in our new world of work:

1. Collaborate Through Inclusion

During the pandemic, teams were forced to break through organizational silos and find innovative solutions wherever they could, within the organization or beyond. We call this process “teaming out,” which redefines team membership to include whoever might be critical to achieving the team mission.

The best teams embraced the richness of diversity and inclusion offered by virtual, remote, and hybrid teamwork. They developed new work habits and processes to extract the most value from these opportunities. Some organizations began to explore how online inclusion and collaboration could fuel innovation at scale. Global companies such as Google, AT&T, and Deutsche Telekom began using their employee networks to crowdsource ideas on product innovation and policy development. The Dow Chemical Company, in particular, began using digital virtual tools to collaborate with small customers who previously lacked direct communication with the company. A bold new remote-first approach to external partnerships helped make 2020 a year of innovation and transformation for Dow, as it generated 80%  more leads than in its historically best years. “It gives us opportunities to do things better than we did in the past, and it overcomes some of the limitations of doing things in person,” Dow’s chief commercial officer, Dan Futter, told us. “We’re just scratching the surface of where that can take us.”

2. Lead Through Agile Management

Our research showed how pandemic-disrupted companies as diverse as Delta Air Lines, General Motors, and Unilever used the principles of agile management to launch new product lines and processes within weeks, instead of months or years. Delta rapidly launched an entirely new Global Cleanliness Division, General Motors took just a month to retool its factory lines to start making respiratory ventilators, and Unilever, which had no hand sanitizer in the U.S. market, developed and started delivering the new product to stores within six weeks.

By operating in a kind of “crisis agile” mode, they gave nimble, self-organizing teams the freedom to rapid-test ideas and iterate solutions without going up the chain of command for approvals. They produced extraordinary results in record time. Now the challenge is how to learn from the “crisis agile” experience and build sustainable agile practices into everyday work.

Agile teams with clarity of mission and adequate resources are capable of self-organizing and self-managing. The teams decide which approaches, people, and resources will be required to achieve their objectives, and the behavior within the team evolves from authority-centric norms into customer-centric cultures. Accountability runs from each member to the team, and from the team to each member.

Target, 3M, Dell, and other companies already had well-developed teams for teaching and executing on agile methods  before the pandemic. Target has an agile learning center called Target Dojo, where employees are expected to spend almost one-fifth of their time learning new skills centered on agile. This level of support for agile culture gave Target a considerable competitive advantage in dealing with the disruptions and unpredictable changes that took place during the pandemic’s first year.

3. Promote Team Resilience

Resilience, defined as the ability to bounce back from adversity, had normally been considered a personal matter — the responsibility of each individual team member. The pandemic brought out into the open the vital importance of shared responsibility. On high-performing teams, leaders promote the idea that everyone is responsible and accountable for each other’s health and well-being. When the emphasis is put on team resilience, and when team members pick up responsibilities for each other, the team as a unit can maintain its emotional and physical energies, even when individual members are encountering hardships. This is why some super-resilient teams exceeded expectations for bouncing back from the pandemic’s many adversities. These teams actually bounced forward.

We determined a set of team behaviors that are the most reliable diagnostic indicators of team resilience — psychological safety, positive intent, fast and frequent check-ins, generosity, gratitude, and empathy among them. Teams that stress the importance of everyone being able to voice their needs and challenges are able to solve problems more quickly and collaboratively, and get to bolder action faster. Remote and hybrid teamwork demands an extra level of mindfulness in this regard. Leaders of remote and hybrid teams need to be much more conscious and deliberate about checking in and giving positive reinforcement — leadership practices that may have been done more casually in person in the past.

4. Develop Active Foresight

Why were so many companies caught completely flat-footed by the pandemic? Back in 2006, Harvard Business Review ran an entire special section called Preparing for a Pandemic. Bill Gates predicted in 2015 that “microbes not missiles” were more likely to kill 10 million people in the coming decades. The risk of a pandemic disrupting business operations was around the world was well-understood but almost universally disregarded. To paraphrase Peter Drucker’s axiom about predicting the future, the threat was “visible but not yet seen.”

How many other threats — and opportunities — are on your horizon? What future possibilities are currently “visible but not yet seen”? Corporate foresight, which is usually a practice confined to strategic planning exercises, is something that every organization should integrate into regular operations. Every team is capable of developing simple processes and monthly reviews that give that team the ability to see around corners. Teams can use data and industry knowledge they accumulate on a day-to-day basis to collaborate on solutions and design action scenarios that will help them mitigate risks and exploit new possibilities.

Moving Forward as an Organization.

These four practices of collaboration, agility, resilience, and foresight can create a circular flow state in which teams can operate at peak performance. The essence of Radical Adaptability is that it is predictive and proactive, completely unlike the typical adaptive responses to change, which tend to be reactive and conformist. At the organizational level, the radically adaptive response to change entails fundamental changes to how the organization manages its workforce, develops new business models, and executes on its organizational purpose.

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I was here first! This is how hepatitis C inhibits hepatitis E - Science Daily

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Infections with hepatitis C and E are so common that, going only by statistics, many people should be infected with both viruses at the same time. However, only very few such cases have been reported. A research team has a guess as to why this is the case: The researchers found that the viruses inhibit each other when they infect at the same time.

It is well known that co-infections with hepatitis viruses do exist. "However, the co-infection of hepatitis C and E has not yet been systematically researched," says Thomas Burkard. "Even though the possibility always looms that a simultaneous infection with two viruses could perhaps be particularly dangerous."

A single protein suppresses infection

In order to find out more about simultaneous infection with the hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV), the researchers infected liver cells in cell culture with both pathogens in the first step. It turned out that HCV is able to suppress an infection with hepatitis E. The team wanted to find out why. "HCV consists of ten proteins," explains Thomas Burkard. "By producing individual ones in excess, we were able to study their effect." This allowed the researchers to find that a single viral protein -- called NS3/4A -- successfully suppressed the replication of hepatitis E viruses in cell culture. "It seemed that co-infection with both viruses was only possible to a very limited extent," says Thomas Burkard.

Experiments in animal models, however, presented a different pattern: genetically modified mice that have a human liver could become infected with both viruses. However, the infections proceeded in different ways depending on which one the mice were exposed to first. If HEV was present first, HCV could not successfully infect the animals. If HCV was present first, the infection course with HEV was often delayed. "Here, HCV did not turn out to be as dominant as in cell culture," says Thomas Burkard. In-depth analyses of the liver cells should now shed light on the underlying causes: "Perhaps we will only find islets that are infected with one or the other virus," speculates the researcher. "In any case, it is clear that the two viruses affect each other."

Story Source:

Materials provided by Ruhr-University Bochum. Original written by Meike Drießen. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Monday, March 28, 2022

‘Never seen anything like this’: Abandoned rental cars and long lines at Austin airport - San Antonio Express-News

During a rush of travelers returning from spring break and other major weekend events, lines at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport wrapped outside the entrance, and rental cars were left abandoned at the drop-off area Monday morning.

“Never seen anything like this,” said Kelly Williams Nagel, who posted an image of a long line of abandoned rental cars at the airport. “TSA lines are 3K deep, wrapped outside … ridiculous.” 

On ExpressNews.com: ‘We don’t want people to needlessly kill them’: Texas park officials urge people not to kill rattlesnakes

In an emailed statement, an airport spokesperson said the rental car issue began with one stalled-out car blocking the drop-off curb. 

“Rental car staff instructed the customer to go ahead and leave the vehicle with the keys in it,” the spokesperson said. “This caused other passengers with rental cars to follow suit, and leave their rental cars alongside the curb.” 

Regarding TSA security lines, the spokesperson said more travelers were attempting to fly out of Austin than normal before 8 a.m. Security officials screened 8,252 passengers before 8 a.m., well above their typical 6,600 passenger screening level. 

The higher follow likely came from spring break travelers leaving Texas and others who attended events such as the Texas Relays, Dell Masters and NASCAR over the weekend. 

Passengers took to social media to express their frustration. 

Joey Dillion, who posted about his experience on Twitter, called his experience leaving Austin Monday morning an “apocalypse.” 

Dillion included an image that showed several travelers unloading suitcases from their vehicles well ahead of the drop-off gate. 

Closer to the security checkpoint, and a day earlier, Alex Wild said on Twitter that he spent 90 minutes at the TSA checkpoint on Sunday. He shared photos of the line snaking around outside the terminal. 

“Made my flight by just 2 minutes but there were a lot of ppl in line with me who missed theirs,” he said in his tweet. 

To address the issue, the spokesperson said the airport would work to fill staff vacancies and help expedite future airport expansion plans. 

“While operations have returned to normal, we continue to ask passengers to arrive a minimum of two hours in advance now through early April,” the spokesperson said. 

timothy.fanning@express-news.net 

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“I feel like this is the year.” Sherron Collins excited for Final Four Bound Jayhawks - Arizona's Family

CHICAGO, Ill. (WIBW) - The confetti has settled and the Jayhawks goal shifts to what comes next. That’s to win an NCAA Championship.

It’s been over a decade since the last Tourney Win Banner was raised.

A member of that team has some advice as the Jayhawks head back to the Final Four.

“Feels amazing,” Sherron Collins, a member of the 2008 Kansas National Championship winning team, said. “Just to watch the hard work they’ve put in over the season.”

A place Sharon Collins made his name known in Jayhawks History.

“I feel like this is the year,” Collins said. “I feel like this the year. I feel like this is self here. I feel like this year we raise it for sure.”

The man who set up the shot knew the Jayhawks would claw back despite trailing at the half.

“I knew they was going to come back,” Collins said. “That’s all we talked about was we didn’t hit any free throws first half. Missed a couple of threes. All we had to do was wait until the second half.”

“Everything was going to open up and that’s what happened. We just locked up. What we had to do was guard. And I think that was the biggest thing we showed tonight and we got some heart and we can guard.”

Collins had faith Coach Self would right the ship.

“He holds people accountable but at the same time he had to get encouraging with them,” Collins said. “So I think he encouraged them. Told them all the right things they needed to hear and went out there and did exactly what he asked them to do.”

Moving forward, the field looks wide open for the Jayhawks taking.

“It’s a great spot,” Collins said. “It just shows how deep this team is and we’ve got Remy back and so we’ve got everything working.”

The Jayhawks legend is excited to cheer them on.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” Collins said. “You know I love those guys so see you guys in New Orleans.”

The Dance continues for the Jayhawks. And, maybe with just a little help from Sherron Collins, they’ll be able to bring back their second Championship win under Coach Bill Self.

Copyright 2022 WIBW. All rights reserved.

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Joel Embiid: 'I feel like it is my time' to win Kia NBA MVP - NBA.com

Joel Embiid has spelled out a clear case as a Kia MVP contender all season long.

As the two men reflected on what went wrong, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid and Sixers coach Doc Rivers also looked ahead on what could go right.

When the two talked extensively last offseason, they easily could have harped on Ben Simmons’ offensive shortcomings that contributed to the Sixers’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. They easily could have focused on Embiid’s on-court dominance, too. Instead, the two scrutinized Embiid’s own weaknesses. Consider the message Rivers gave Embiid and later relayed to NBA.com.

“You have to do more than just be a basketball player,” Rivers told Embiid. “You have to be a shepherd with the team.”

Embiid agreed. He emerged last season as a Kia MVP candidate before posting promising postseason numbers against the Washington Wizards (24 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game) and the Hawks (30.4 ppg, 12.7 rpg). But Embiid described his playoff outing as just “okay.” After all, Embiid averaged 4.7 turnovers per game against Atlanta, including eight in both a Game 6 win and the decisive Game 7 loss.

“My goal was to come in and be more dominant and not take any plays off offensively and defensively,” Embiid told NBA.com. “I was dominant last year. But I was kind of going through the motions at times. This year, I didn’t have that margin for error.”

Nearly eight months later, it is safe to say that Embiid has stayed dominant.

Embiid: ‘I just wanted to set the foundation’

Check out some of the top moments from Joel Embiid's monster 2021-22 season.

The Sixers (46-28) host the Milwaukee Bucks (46–28) on Tuesday (7 ET, NBA League Pass) with Embiid ranking second in the NBA in points per game (a career-best 29.9 ppg) and seventh in rebounds (11.4). The Sixers also stayed near the top of the Eastern Conference despite Simmons’ season-long absence before finally dealing him before the NBA trade deadline as part of a center-piece package to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden.

Although the Sixers concede the adjustment period with integrating Harden, Embiid has actually exceeded his season averages since the trade in terms of scoring (31.0 ppg) and rebounds (12.4).

“I know how dominant he is, but he works,” Harden said. “He works on his game. It transfers to the court.”

That worked started last summer. Back when Embiid and Rivers talked in the offseason, neither knew if Simmons would ever wear a Sixers uniform again. Nor could they anticipate who the Sixers could land in an eventual trade.

This year, I’ve gone to a different level. I’m healthy. I don’t know what else I have to do to be able to [win MVP]. I feel like it is my time.”

— Joel Embiid

Embiid already sensed, however, that Simmons at least would initially miss a significant amount of games to open the 2021-22 season. How did he process that reality?

“Joel paid no attention to it,” Drew Hanlen, Embiid’s trainer, told NBA.com. “Joel was more focused on how he can improve as a player and what he needed to do to make up for the talent that they lost in Ben. Why waste energy on things that don’t deserve energy? There was nothing Joel could do about it.”

Well, Embiid could do at least some things about it. But it involved maximizing his own value to the Sixers instead of worrying if Simmons would ever show his. Instead of complaining about those circumstances, Embiid brainstormed with the Sixers and Hanlen on how he could compensate for suddenly losing a dependable playmaker and defender.

Does this season's Kia MVP chase come down to personal preference?

“We’ve always talked about, ‘Can you carry a team. Can you do it, not by yourself, but can you do it without another All-Star?’” Embiid said. “I just wanted to go on and prove that. To win a championship, I can’t win alone. I need great teammates. But I just wanted to set the foundation.”

How did Embiid form his foundation? He leaned on what already made him one of the NBA’s best centers. He also addressed relative weaknesses so he could become an even better version of himself. That resulted in Embiid having both similar and unique off-season workouts.

The game has started to slow down for him. The countless hours of film, plus the countless hours of decision making in workouts, has allowed him to really grasp what is coming next and seeing the play before it unfolds.”

— Embiid’s trainer, Drew Hanlan

The similarities? As he had in the past three years, Embiid worked extensively on his ball handling both to account for more double teams and to improve his passing. As he had in the past two years, Embiid focused on improving his posture so that he could play with more balance and flexibility to change speeds and directions.

The differences? Embiid studied footage numerous NBA greats made over their careers, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dirk Nowitzki. Embiid studied those players for reasons beyond their talent. All of those players scored in a variety of ways by either using their athleticism, strength and footwork to dominate at the rim, in the post and along the perimeter.

That further prepared Embiid to complete various post-up drills before and during the season with Sixers assistant coach Sam Cassell and player development coach Jason Love. Kevin Garnett, who won an NBA title while playing for Rivers with the Boston Celtics (2007-13), also gave unspecified feedback for Rivers to relay to Embiid.

“The game has started to slow down for him,” Hanlen said. “The countless hours of film, plus the countless hours of decision making in workouts, has allowed him to really grasp what is coming next and seeing the play before it unfolds.”

New fuel, focus driving Embiid’s Kia MVP push

That hardly matches what Rivers observed about Embiid from afar during his first four NBA seasons. Consider Rivers’ pointed question to Embiid in the 2020 offseason when the two first met shortly after the Sixers hired Rivers to replace Brett Brown.

“Have you ever seen a fat MVP?” Rivers asked.

Embiid laughed. But both Rivers and Embiid realized the seriousness behind the question.

“No,” Embiid answered.

“You got to get in better shape,” Rivers advised.

Embiid listened. For the past two seasons, Embiid has worked with Louise Burke, a sports dietician that has collaborated with Embiid’s full-time chef.

“My role has been to try to find a bridge between his needs as a player in terms of modern sports nutrition and also his cultural and lifestyle needs,” Burke told NBA.com. “You want nutrition to be able to be sustainable, and something you’re able to enjoy.”

Joel Embiid dedicated himself to better nutrition and diet in the offseason and is reaping the benefits of it.

Although he pledged seriousness toward changing his diet, Embiid found it appealing that the approach did not involve following rigid rules. Generally, Burke has worked with Embiid on finding ways to increase his protein and vegetable intake while reducing his sugar and body fat. Yet, Embiid has reached those goals while still enjoying American foods and culinary delights from his native Cameroon.

During the offseason, Embiid ate foods that helped him build muscle mass while reducing his body fat. Once the season started, Embiid consumed protein-heavy foods and beverages to accomplish a few goals. That diet ensured that Embiid had enough fuel during workouts and games. He also strengthened his muscle and bone density.

To replace the sugary sports beverages that Embiid disliked, he currently drinks a custom-made Shirley Temple when he’s on the bench during games. What exactly is in the Shirley Temple? “I can’t tell you, or I’d have to kill you,” Burke quipped.

That’s okay. Embiid claimed ignorance on his dietary intake as well.

“I don’t exactly know what they put in it and how they prepare it,” Embiid said. “But I know that there’s a lot of stuff that they eliminated, and there’s a bunch of stuff that they added to make sure I eat healthy.”

Either way, the Sixers noticed how different Embiid has looked and played with his 7-foot, 280-pound frame. In offseason workouts that lasted for about two hours, Embiid mastered conditioning-heavy drills that required him to translate his film study of the past NBA greats into his own game.

After perfecting the various moves in the halfcourt, Embiid then repeated those moves in a full-court setting. In between shots, Embiid completed full-court sprints. He then played in full-court scrimmages in games of one-on-one, four-on-four and five-on-five. No wonder Embiid has averaged more minutes this season (33.4) than in 2019-20 (29.5) and 2020-21 (31.1). Rarely have the Sixers seen Embiid show fatigue.

“Last year, he came in great shape. This year, he doubled down. He’s in way better shape than last year,” Rivers said. “He can move. He can run. He’s been dominant.”

Embiid speaks up … and Sixers show out

Coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid didn’t wait to come up with a plan for success in 2021-22.

In other seasons, Embiid believed he could just let that dominant play and preparation speak for itself. Rivers argued otherwise during their offseason chat. Not with the uncertainty on when either Simmons would wear a Sixers uniform again or if Philadelphia would deal him quickly.

“In the past, I’ve never been vocal. I was always laid back,” Embiid said. “I always liked to be myself. But this year, there was really a need for my leadership as well with everything that was going on.”

Embiid remained honest with reporters about his hope for Simmons to return, his annoyance over Simmons’ behavior and his need to move on without him. It seemed inevitable Embiid would have to address those questions because of his stature and the media’s need to follow-up on a significantly developing and unpredictable story.

What mattered more to the Sixers entailed how Embiid addressed that dynamic internally. After all, the Sixers had to figure out how to mitigate Simmons’ absence. Plenty of Embiid’s teammates would experience uncertainty on whether they ultimately would become part of Simmons’ trade package.

“No one has had more distractions than us this year. So for us to be in the position that we are, a lot of that came from Joel in training camp,” Rivers said. “He stayed in the locker room, made sure to be on guys and talked about how we’re still going to win.”

Embiid’s teammates listened attentively. As Sixers teammate Tyrese Maxey observed, “there’s a different vibe around him; he’s been very vocal.” Embiid stayed that way even when the Sixers struggled. Following an 8-2 start, the Sixers suffered a five-game losing streak while nursing absences to Embiid (nine games) and Tobias Harris (six) after both tested positive for COVID-19.

During that stretch, Embiid offered two messages. He expressed confidence the Sixers could play well without him. He also vowed to dominate again once he returned.

“We needed that voice. He did that. Then he went out and did it on the floor,” Rivers said. “It was easy for him to lead because he showed with his actions that he will do the right stuff.”

Why Embiid thinks the MVP is within his grasp

Because of these qualities, the Sixers — and Hanlen as well — advocated strongly that Embiid deserves this season’s MVP.

“There is nobody that gets double or triple-teamed more than Joel. There’s nobody that impacts the game on the offensive and defensive end like Joel,” Hanlen said. “If you ask NBA players, ‘Who would you rather try to guard one-on-one: Joel Embiid or any of the other NBA MVP candidates?’ They would all say, ‘Not Joel Embiid.’”

As for Embiid, he has politely declined to state his case for two reasons. He does not want to appear to be politicking for an individual award. Embiid also expressed respect for the other MVP candidates, most notably Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

“I’m a big fan,” Embiid said of Jokic. “I have a lot of respect for him. I love his game. He has his case. I have my case, too. It’s not really up to me. It’s up to you guys to figure it out.”

Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid -- the leading Kia MVP candidates -- have unique skills that help bolster each of their cases for the hardware.

Embiid ranks ahead of Jokic in scoring (29.8 ppg to 26.2) and defensive rating (107.5 to 108.9). Jokic fares ahead of Embiid in rebounding (13.5 rpg to 11.3) and assists (7.9 apg to 4.3). Jokic leads the NBA in triple-doubles (18), while Embiid has a 50-point effort as well as six 40-point games (compared to Jokic’s two games with at least 40 points).

Embiid helped the Sixers remain at the top of the Eastern Conference — all done without Simmons — while Jokic has helped the Nuggets to sixth in the Western Conference amid long-term injuries to Jamal Murray (left knee) and Michael Porter Jr. (spinal surgery).

Last season, Jokic became the first center in 21 years to win the NBA regular-season MVP award after posting career-highs in points (26.4), field-goal percentage (56.6%) and assists (8.3) and matching his career-high in rebounds (10.8) while appearing in every game.

Relive the Nikola Jokic vs. Joel Embiid matchup from their showdown on March 15.

Embiid finished second after posting 28.5 ppg on a career-high 51.3% clip and 10.6 rpg. But he missed a combined 21 games because of various injuries. As Embiid argued, “If I would’ve played more games, I think I could’ve won it.” This season? Beyond his nine-game absence because of COVID-19, Embiid has only missed four other games for rest purposes (two), a sore back (one) and sore rib (one).

“Last year, I got hurt. That was the knock on me with not being healthy,” Embiid said. “This year, I’ve gone to a different level. I’m healthy. I don’t know what else I have to do to be able to [win MVP]. I feel like it is my time. But I have a lot of respect for the other guys, and I think they’re great players.”

As he reflected on his past year with elevating his offseason training, handling Simmons’ absence and integrating Harden, Embiid was confident he could collect a different trophy to validate his season-long accomplishments.

“It’s nice to be recognized as the MVP,” Embiid said. “That’s the biggest thing you can win. I would love that. But then again, I want to win a championship. The championship trumps everything.”

* * *

Mark Medina is a senior writer/analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.

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