PAKISTAN

The pleasures and perils of sheltering animals

Fatima Shaheen Niazi

Updated 05 Jul, 2019 11:56am

Donkeys and a dog at a shelter | Photos by Tahir Jamal, White Star

The thing Sara JK does every morning is to ensure that the 30 cats and 12 dogs living with her are well taken care of. Not only should they have enough food, they should also get sufficient time, space and human company to exercise their bodies and play around.

A cat at the home shelter

Sarah has named one of the cats, a white Persian, as Wobbles. It was abandoned as a kitten due to a neurological disorder that has unsteadied its walk. It trembles, and often trips, as it moves along. It also needs to be cleaned by a helper every time it relieves itself.

Sarah got her first pet, a German Shepherd, when she was very young and was heartbroken when it was stolen. “I then decided that I would not keep a dog that can be taken from me,” she says. So, since the age of eight, she has been adopting dogs from the streets.

A puppy up for adoption at the home shelter

Now 35, she quit her advertising job a few years ago to devote herself to her animal shelter. Between 5:30 pm and early morning, she looks after it all alone, though she has a small staff to help her during the day. She often skips family dinners and weddings to stay with the animals.

Sarah also spends a lot of money from her own pocket on the shelter. At times, her expenses exceed 100,000 rupees a month. “I then approach people for donations.”  

A dog rescued by Sarah

An even bigger challenge is to deal with people who despise animals. “One of my neighbours once complained to the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) that I keep stray animals at home. The next thing I knew was that CBC officials were at my door with guns. They wanted to kill my dogs.”

She told them off, insisting that they did not have the right to enter her house.

Dogs adopted by Sarah JK

Hafsa Arshad is the general secretary of Innocent Pets Shelter Welfare Society. A medical student, she spends her free time at a shelter the organisation runs in Saharanpur Cooperative Housing Society near Karachi’s Malir Cantt area.

Eagles resting inside a shelter RARE AND ENDANGERED HARPY EAGLES

Set up in 2017, the shelter is small – only 150 square yards – but it is brimful of cats, meowing in cages that reach up to the ceiling. Water is sprinkled on them every now and then to protect them from the summer heat. The dogs living here peacefully sleep in the open. An injured purebred lies at the entrance with a puppy cuddled next to it. “These animals are either wounded or abandoned,” says Hafsa.

A rescued dog with an amputated leg

The main problem the shelter faces is a shortage of money. Its staff often gets its salaries late and recently it cut another expense as well. “We had engaged a van on a monthly rent of 20,000 to rescue animals but we could not afford its rent,” says Hafsa. The transport is now arranged only as and when needed.

An injured dog lying near the entrace to a shelter

Ayesha Chundrigar was working as a journalist in London before she came back to Pakistan to fulfill her childhood dream of helping homeless animals. Using her savings and donations from family and friends, she set up a foundation and initially rented a property from Edhi Foundation on the northwestern outskirts of Karachi to build an animal shelter.

Since then, the shelter has switched locations four times, mainly due to the hostility of people living close by. “They pulled guns at our vets, locked our gates from outside and threw in poisoned meat to kill our dogs,” says Ayesha.

A cat available for adoption

In 2016, the shelter shifted to its current premises — a 4,500 square yards facility in Malir. It houses 500 animals, including dogs, cats, donkeys and eagles. Many of them have missing limbs; others are badly injured.

Dogs with wagging tails gather at a shelter to welcome visitors

Run entirely on donations, the shelter has 40 employees and two rescue vans. “We do not focus on saving animals alone. We want to help the environment too,” Ayesha says as she reveals that dog leashes in the shelter are produced with discarded fishing nets retrieved from the sea.

The toughest part of her work, according to Ayesha, is to see animals die. She describes how someone threw acid at two cats recently. One of them died instantly but the other writhed and wriggled with pain for three days before it was euthanised, she says. “The cat’s skin and insides were melting like ice cream.”

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The writer is a staffer at the Herald.

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This article was published in the Herald's June 2019 issue. To read more subscribe to the Herald in print.

Et tu, Tunisia?

Mahir Ali

Published July 28, 2021 

Mahir Ali


IN the aftermath of what came to be known a decade ago as the Arab Spring, Tunisia stood out on two counts. It was where the self-immolation of a desperate street vendor sparked popular protests that toppled a long-standing dictator and resonated across much of the Arab world. It was also where the fragile democracy subsequently cobbled together seemed just about sustainable. Until now.

In the wake of widespread protests on Sun­day against the country’s Covid-19 resp­onse and restrictions, Tunisia’s president, Kais Saied, sacked the prime minister and suspen­ded parliament. “We have taken these decisions,” he proclaimed, “until social peace ret­­­urns to Tunisia and until we save the state.”

The decision was greeted on the streets of Tunis with jubilation, although by Monday it had morphed into confrontation. Evidently, many Tunisians are pleased to see the back of the government headed by Hichem Machichi, who was backed by the largest party in parliament, Ennahda, described as ‘moderate Islamist’.

Others fear that Tunisia is heading down the same track as Egypt. The latter was among the biggest disappointments of the Arab Spring. The toppling of Hosni Mubarak led, democratically, to a Muslim Brotherhood government, which was overthrown amid protests highlighting its incompetence, leading to a military-backed regime even more repressive than that of Mubarak.

The Arab Spring’s sweetest dream goes sour.

There are significant differences, though, between Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saied. The latter is not a military man but an academic specialising in constitutional matters who won the 2019 presidential election as an independent. Yet, he threatened violent protesters with a military response.

The extent to which he enjoys the backing of Tunisia’s army is unknown. But the security forces, not least the police, have remained largely unreformed since the era of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s chief honcho from 1987, when he toppled Habib Bourguiba, until he fled to Saudi Arabia, the favourite destination of deposed Muslim autocrats, in 2011.

It was mainly the inadequacies of his regime as an economic manager that put paid to Ben Ali’s ambitions as president for life, while brutal curbs on the freedom of expression meant that the seething popular resentment remain unexpressed. When the anger could no longer be contained, after the death of the beleaguered fruit and vegetable seller Mohamed Bouazizi, it exploded.

The explosion was heard around the world, and resounded particularly loudly in Tunisia’s neighbourhood, where other dictators ruled. Mubarak’s ouster was an exceptionally momentous occasion, following the daily mobilisations on Tahrir Square. But the democracy that emerged was brief and it ended brutally.

The response in Egypt was at least ostensibly indigenous. In Syria, resistance to Bashar al-Assad’s regime sparked a civil war that morphed into an international conflagration that remains unresolved. Libya turned into a Nato battleground, portending long-term chaos. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, having curbed the likelihood of local eruptions, collaborated in thwarting opposition to Bahrain’s monarchy. And then they joined hands to destroy Yemen’s aspirations, which remains an ongoing project.

Tunisia’s political forces collaborated to steer clear of such outcomes. To some extent, liberals and Islamists found common cause. Ennahda thrived, but a parliamentary majo­rity remained beyond its reach. It nonetheless signed up to a new constitution recognised as relatively progressive in the Arab sphere.

Kais Saied has been accused of violating that constitution and mounting a coup. Tunisia’s future will depend on what he has in store and on whether he is backed up by forces that matter.

All too many of the conditions that catalysed the 2011 upheaval rem­ain in place, notably the level of unemployment. All too many young people are still condemned to a precarious existence, without any visible means of support. Tunisia remains keen on further assistance from the IMF, but that would inevitably entail further job losses and removal of subsidies. Transcending the neoliberal paradigm does not appear to be an option for the time being.

Recently, a Tunisian popcorn vendor was fined 60 dinars for not wearing a mask. He told his tormentors that if he had enough money for a mask, he would spend it on his children.

Tunisia’s pathetic pandemic response, which accounts for the highest per capita rate of fatalities in the region, has contributed to the popular resentment against the authorities. What is the likelihood, though, that the concentration of power in the president offers a solution?

It should be obvious before long whether or not Saied’s overreach is well-intentioned — and even if it is, the consequences may be dire. But the overall lesson for the Arab world — and, for that matter, countries everywhere — is: it’s best not to count your springs before they bear fruit.

mahir.dawn@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2021

US really messed it up': PM Imran on Afghanistan situation

Dawn.com
Published July 28, 2021 -

PM Imran Khan during his appearance on PBS NewsHour opposite Judy Woodruff. 

Photo: PBS NewsHour/YouTube


Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the United States "really messed it up in Afghanistan" as he questioned the American motive of Afghan invasion in the first place and then their subsequent attempts of seeking a political solution with the Taliban from a position of weakness.

The prime minister's remarks come as the US military and Nato are in the final stages of winding up involvement in Afghanistan, which has seen a Taliban resurgence across Afghanistan.

"I think the US has really messed it up in Afghanistan," the premier said during an appearance on PBS NewsHour, an American news programme, aired on Tuesday night.

PM Khan criticised the US for trying to "look for a military solution in Afghanistan, when there never was one".

"And people like me who kept saying that there's no military solution, who know the history of Afghanistan, we were called — people like me were called anti-American. I was called Taliban Khan."

He lamented that by the time the US realised that there was no military solution in Afghanistan, "unfortunately, the bargaining power of the Americans or the Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces) had gone".

The prime minister said the US should have opted for a political settlement much earlier, when there were as many as 150,000 Nato troops in Afghanistan.

"But once they had reduced the troops to barely 10,000, and then, when they gave an exit date, the Taliban thought they had won. And so, therefore, it was very difficult for now to get them to compromise," he told programme host Judy Woodruff .

When the interviewer asked whether he thought the Taliban resurgence was a positive development for Afghanistan, the prime minister reiterated that the only good outcome would be a political settlement, “which is inclusive”.

“Obviously, Taliban [will be] part of that government,” he added.

'Last thing we want is a civil war in Afghanistan'

The premier described the “worst-case scenario” as being one where Afghanistan descends into a civil war. “From Pakistan's point of view, that is the worst-case scenario, because we then … we face two scenarios, one [of them being] a refugee problem,” he said.

“Already, Pakistan is hosting over three million Afghan refugees. And what we fear is that a protracted civil war would [bring] more refugees. And our economic situation is not such that we can have another influx.”

Elaborating on the second problem, he expressed concerns that the fallout of a potential civil war across the border could "flow into Pakistan”.

The prime minister explained that the Taliban were ethnic Pashtuns and “if this [civil war and violence in Afghanistan] goes on, the Pashtuns on our side will be drawn into it.”

“That … is the last thing we want,” he said.

'Extremely unfair' to allege Pakistan supported Taliban

When asked about Pakistan's alleged military, intelligence and financial support to Afghanistan, he replied: “I find this extremely unfair”.

The premier reminded Woodruff that 70,000 Pakistanis had died in the aftermath of the US war in Afghanistan, even when “Pakistan had nothing to do with what happened [in New York on September 11, 2001].”

At the time, Al Qaeda was based in Afghanistan and “there were no militant Taliban in Pakistan,” he said, maintaining that no Pakistan was involved in the attack on World Trade Centre.

“We had nothing to do with,” he repeated, regretting that the war in Afghanistan had resulted in a loss of $150 billion to Pakistan’s economy.
‘Comments on rape taken out of context deliberately’

Woodruff questioned the premier about his controversial remarks on rape, which had drawn widespread criticism and earned him rebuke from civil society, political circles and on social media.

In a June 19 interview with HBO, he had said: “"If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on men unless they are robots. I mean it's common sense. If you have a society where people haven't seen that sort of thing it will have an impact on them.”

As Woodruff revisited those remarks, PM Imran clarified his stance, saying that “anyone who commits rape, solely and solely, that person is responsible.”

“No matter whatever, how much ever a woman is provocative or whatever she wears, the person who commits rape, he is fully responsible. Never is the victim responsible,” he added.

The premier maintained that his comments in the HBO interview in June were taken out of context, saying that he was “simply talking about Pakistani society, where we are having a rise, a sharp rise in sex crimes.”

“So my comments were in that context,” he said.

The prime minister further said that he had specifically used the word “purdah”, referring to his earlier remarks on rape during a telethon in April.

““We have to promote a culture of veil (purdah) to avoid temptation. Delhi is called a rape capital; similarly, obscenity in Europe has shattered their family system. Therefore, the people in Pakistan should help government overcome obscenity,” he had said on the occasion.

Clarifying his position on the matter, he told Woodruff, “I used the word purdah. In Islam, purdah does not mean just clothes. And purdah is not restricted to women only, but that is for men as well. It means bringing the temptation down in a society.”

He said that he would never say “such a stupid thing" that "a person who's raped is responsible … It's always the rapist that is responsible.”

Woodruff then asked him whether he believed that importance given to religion, particularly Islam, “complicates” his ability to take a stronger stand against violence against women.

“Absolutely not,” the prime minister replied.

He said that on the contrary, Islam gave dignity and respect to women, adding that having travelled all over the world, he found that women were treated with more dignity and respect in Muslim countries.

“Look at the situation in Pakistan even now. I mean, look at the rape cases here. Compare it to Western countries. They are minuscule compared to them,” he remarked. “Yes, we have our issues … But, as far as a woman's dignity goes, … I can say, after going all over the world, this society gives more respect and dignity to women."

Deborah Lipstadt, Holocaust historian, is Biden’s pick for antisemitism envoy

Historian who claimed Trump administration paralleled rise of Nazis in 1930s Germany is Biden's choice for antisemitism envoy.

Tags: Joe Biden Antisemitism

Ron Kampeas, JTA , Jul 30 , 2021 

Deborah Lipstadt
REUTERS/Fred Thornhill


President Joe Biden is set to nominate Deborah Lipstadt, the Emory University Holocaust historian, to be the State Department’s antisemitism envoy.

The White House alerted top Biden supporters of the pick, which has been expected for weeks, on Thursday night, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has learned.

Lipstadt is perhaps best known for defeating Holocaust denier David Irving after he sued her in a British court for defamation for calling him a Holocaust denier.

Her 2005 book, “History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier,” was made into a 2016 movie with Rachel Weisz starring as Lipstadt.

Lipstadt, 74, has been for years a go-to expert for the media and for legislators on Holocaust issues, particularly on how the genocide’s meaning should be understood in the 21st century, and whether it had any cognates among anti-democratic forces in the current day. She twice endorsed Barack Obama for president but has been on call for her expertise across the political spectrum.

Last year, during the election, she broke a longstanding taboo on comparing present-day American politicians to the Nazis and endorsed an ad by the Jewish Democratic Council of America likening the Trump administration to 1930s Germany. Lipstadt said Holocaust analogies were still off-limits, but she could see parallels to the rise of the Nazis.

“I would say in the attacks we’re seeing on the press, the courts, academic institutions, elected officials and even, and most chillingly, the electoral process, that this deserves comparison,” she said at the time. referring to the JDCA ad. “It’s again showing how the public’s hatred can be whipped up against Jews. Had the ad contained imagery of the Shoah, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Jewish organizations, alarmed by a spike in antisemitism, have been pressing the Biden administration to name an envoy and to name a Jewish liaison to the community — another post that White House officials said would be filled soon. The Trump administration took two years to name an envoy.

Lipstadt will be the first nominee who will need to be confirmed by the Senate since Congress first created the position in 2004. Congress last year elevated the role to ambassador-level, granting the position more funding and easier access to the secretary of state and the president. If Lipstadt is confirmed, she will be the fifth person in the position.

The antisemitism monitor’s role is tracking and reporting on the phenomenon overseas, and lobbying governments to address anti-Jewish bigotry within their borders. The position does not have a domestic role, although Elan Carr, Trump’s appointee, sometimes criticized domestic actors, including J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group. His attack on J Street drew a rare rebuke from one of his predecessors, Hannah Rosenthal.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Former Nikola CEO Trevor Milton charged with fraud in US

Federal prosecutors in New York say the company founder and CEO "brazenly lied" to investors about Nikola's green vehicles to inflate market value and drive up his own earnings. The SEC has filed charges as well.



Nikola argues that the charges only affect its former CEO and founder Trevor Milton, though its stock took a pounding on Thursday too

US Federal Attorneys on Thursday announced that they had charged billionaire entrepreneur Trevor Milton with three counts of securities and wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20-25 years in prison.

"We charge that Milton engaged in a scheme to enrich himself by making false and misleading statements to investors," said US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss as she publicly announced the charges against the founder and former CEO of the green-vehicle company Nikola.

At the time, Milton was trying to drum up investor interest as Nikola prepared to launch on the stock markets, before it was in a position to bring in any revenues from vehicle sales.

"In order to drive investor demand for Nikola's stock, Milton lied about nearly every aspect of the business," continued Strauss, whose office prepared the 49-page, three-count indictment. The indictment says the scheme occurred between November 2019, when he sought to take Nikola public, and September 2020, when he resigned as news of the investigations against him first surfaced.
What is Trevor Milton accused of?

Milton is accused of having "brazenly and repeatedly used social media, and appearances and interviews on television, podcasts, and in print, to make false and misleading claims about the status of Nikola's trucks and technology," according to Strauss — namely lying to investors about the true status of a prototype semi-truck that he claimed was "fully functional" when he knew it to be inoperable.

The billionaire businessman's claims targeted novice retail investors with no experience in the securities markets, including some who took up trading during the pandemic to make ends meet or to occupy themselves during the lockdown, according to the indictment.

Some investors were defrauded of their life savings. Prosecutors say Milton was motivated by greed, wanting to "enrich himself and elevate his stature as an entrepreneur" in order to fulfill his dream of becoming one of the world's 100 richest people.

Nikola had positioned itself as a sort of heavy-duty answer to Elon Musk's Tesla, even using the other half of renowned scientist Nikola Tesla's name, as the company looked to go public while Tesla's stock was soaring.

Despite glitzy launches and ceremonies, prosecutors allege Milton knew that its Two (pictured here) and Tre trucks were inoperable as he lauded them as 'fully functional'

What do Milton and his lawyers say?

Lawyers for Milton said, "Trevor Milton is innocent; this is a new low in the government's efforts to criminalize lawful business conduct." Both Milton and his lawyers claim he is the victim of a "faulty and incomplete investigation" and that he will be "exonerated."

"Trevor Milton is an entrepreneur who had a long-term vision of helping the environment by cutting carbon emissions in the trucking industry. Mr. Milton has been wrongfully accused following a faulty and incomplete investigation in which the government ignored critical evidence and failed to interview important witnesses," according to a statement released by the defendant's legal team.

Milton was taken into custody shortly Thursday and released on $100 million (€84.1) bond after arraignment. The Utah businessman pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Federal securities laws also apply on social media, says SEC

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed related civil charges on Thursday as well, with SEC Director of Enforcement Gurbir Grewal noting, "Corporate officers cannot say whatever they want on social media without regard for the federal securities laws," as he spoke alongside Strauss.

Grewal, too, said that Milton had targeted novice investors, painting himself as a "different" kind of CEO, again in a manner rather reminiscent of Tesla's Musk.
How did Milton get tripped up?

Milton's undoing came shortly after what had looked like one of his biggest coups, namely winning auto giant General Motors as a partner shortly after taking Nikola public via special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC).

However, a report by Hindenburg Research just two days after the GM deal was announced said that Nikola's fairytale success was based on "an ocean of lies." The report alleged that Milton's "intricate fraud" went so far as to release videos of non-motorized prototypes rolling downhill to give the impression they were driving under their own power.

"We commend regulators for acting expediently to protect investors and hold Milton accountable for his egregious lies," said Hindenburg founder Nathan Anderson in a statement.

Nikola, which initially denied the accusations in the Hindenburg report, was not charged in any of the accused crimes and publicly stated that it had cooperated with federal attorneys. "Today's government actions are against Mr. Milton individually, and not against the company," Nikola said in a statement."

Nevertheless, Nikola shares dropped 11% in afternoon trading to $12.63, or just over one quarter of its peak value in August 2020, a month before Milton's resignation.

js/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)

Rescuers bring terrified animals to safety after Germany's floods

The recent floods in western Germany not only killed humans and destroyed homes, but affected hundreds of animals. DW reports on the operations of animal rescue services and volunteers.



Animal rescuers were able to bring two ponies to safety

Sandra Bischoff, who lives in Cologne in western Germany, was getting ready for bed when she heard about the floods in the Erft valley. Her thoughts immediately turned to the animals in the area. The owner of three horses in a stable in Leverkusen, 22 kilometers (13 miles) from her home city, Bischoff is in frequent contact with other breeders.

As details surrounding the extent of the flooding emerged, Bischoff set about organizing a group of volunteers, comprising of her 70-year-old mother, her daughter Margo and friend Lisa Herbst. The group immediately set off in three cars, all towing horse floats, to the flood-hit area.


Sandra Bischoff, Lisa Herbst and Margo Bischoff

"It took us a while to get to the Erft valley because it was pouring with rain," Bischoff told DW. "As we approached the stables, we saw a huge lake. The water came up to over our knees. We could see the blue lights of the rescue services and police in the dark. The horses were really scared, they did not understand what was going on."

Bischoff said it was not easy getting the horses into the trailers. "They didn't know us, but since we were experienced with animals we were able to win them over. I do not know how long it took us to get the six horses in [the floats], but the police and firefighters were telling us to leave the area so we did not end up in even more danger. They were rescuing people from the water," Bischoff added.

"We only calmed down once we finally got the horses into dry and safe stables back in Leverkusen," explained Lisa Herbst.


Watch video02:21 German flood victims begin to return home

Nonstop help

The owners picked up the evacuated horses within a few days, but Bischoff has not stopped helping. Through social media, she has organized food, medicine and sedatives for horses in the area hit by flooding. One problem is that a lot of insects have invaded the area because of the high humidity, so special masks, sprays and creams are needed to keep them away.

Bischoff said she was impressed by the solidarity. "My phone keeps ringing and online there are so many offers of help. So now we have to coordinate the aid and make sure the food and medicine get delivered," she said.

But she insisted she and the other helpers were not heroes. "I love animals and I'm always ready to help them. I'm certain my rescue colleagues would have done the same if myself and my animals needed help. The affected regions will be needing our help for a while yet."

Sandra Bischoff says her rescue colleagues would have helped her and her horses if the need arose

On call 24/7

The Tierrettung Essen animal rescue service is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and it has experience rescuing animals from floods from when the German state of Saxony was badly affected in 2013. The service has rescued about 1,600 animals and has all the correct equipment, explained founder Stephan Witte.

"We have new, modern and very professional water rescue equipment so that our teams stay safe, and we also have a boat, drysuits, mountain boards, floating carriers for dogs and for rescuing pets," he said. "We also have special off-road vehicles to reach remote areas."

This has proven very useful in the past month. One night, the team received a call from the owner of nine ponies who were caught up in the floods in Linnich, some 115 kilometers away. Three teams were sent out to help immediately. They surveyed the situation, put on special waterproof overalls and set off to find the animals.

Watch video02:16 Pandemic pushes up puppy demand in Germany

It was 3 a.m. when the first two ponies were spotted and brought to safety. "But the strong current made it impossible for the animal rescuers to rescue any more ponies from the flooded paddock," said Witte. "But luckily, the seven ponies saved themselves by finding a hill where they were safe. We had to stop our operation because it was becoming very dangerous for the humans, too. But the owners were extremely pleased about the two rescued ponies. The water level rose to between one and two meters [3-6 feet] during our rescue operation."

'We will never forget the emotion'

A few days ago, an older couple whose house was flooded called from Ahrweiler. They said they had managed to rescue their 14-year-old cat who was ill, but they did not have access to medication or special food. Once again, the animal rescuers immediately set off to bring the much-needed supplies and the couple did not have to pay a thing. "We will never forget the emotion when the lady opened her door which was completely destroyed. She allowed us to publish the pictures so that people can see how dire the situation is."

This Ahrweiler pensioner was very pleased her cat finally had food and medicine again

The exhausted animal rescuers are not likely to get a break for some time as the phone continues to ring off the hook. Many owners are still looking for their pets lost in the floods. A number of stranded animals have been handed over to shelters, but it could be weeks or months before their owners are found, if at all. The shelters are currently overcrowded, not only with cats and dogs, but also homeless birds, turtles and rabbits.

Adapted from a German translation of a Russian text.

Earth Overshoot Day moves forward by nearly a month

The COVID effect didn't last. Earth Overshoot Day, the day humanity exceeds its yearly allotment of the planet's biological assets, is nearly back to its record high. What can be done to ease the burden?


To continue living the way we do now, we'd need the resources of about 1.7 Earths


After a temporary reprieve due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Earth Overshoot Day — the day humanity is projected to have used up all the planet's biological resources regenerated in one year — has shifted forward again, this year landing on July 29.

"With almost half a year remaining, we will already have used up our quota of the Earth's biological resources for 2021," said Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, where world leaders will gather later this year for the COP26 climate summit in November. "If we need reminding that we're in the grip of a climate and ecological emergency, Earth Overshoot Day is it."

As much of the world was living under coronavirus lockdowns in 2020, last year's Overshoot Day fell on August 22, nearly a month later than the high of July 25 set in 2018. But this year, even though carbon emissions from air travel and road transport are still lagging 2019 highs, a rallying global economy is pushing emissions and consumption back up.

In Brazil's Amazon rainforest, an estimated 1.1 million hectares of primary forest were lost in 2020, roughly the size of Qatar

"Rather than recognize this as a reset moment, governments have been eager to get back to business-as-usual. Global emissions are already creeping back up to pre-pandemic levels," said Stephanie Feldstein, population and sustainability director at the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), a US-based environmental group.

In an email to DW, she pointed out that even with last year's shutdowns, greenhouse gases only declined 6.4% in 2020 — a substantial drop representing around twice Japan's yearly emissions, but not enough to turn things around.

"We missed opportunities when bailout funds were given to major climate polluters, like the aviation and meat industries, without any requirements for a green recovery," said Feldstein. "And we continue to miss opportunities every day that officials refuse to recognize the climate and extinction crises as emergencies — just like the pandemic."

Balancing the books

Earth Overshoot Day, first created in 2006, aims to calculate the number of days per year that correspond to the necessary biocapacity — the ability of an ecosystem to reestablish its biological resources and absorb waste — to account for civilization's ecological footprint.

Global Footprint Network (GFN), the research organization which comes up with the yearly date along with environmental group WWF, compares the calculation to a bank statement tracking income against expenditures. It crunches thousands of UN data points on resources like biologically productive forests, grazing lands, cropland, fishing grounds and urban areas. That tally is then measured against the demand for those natural resources, among them plant-based foods, timber, livestock, fish and the capacity of forests to absorb carbon dioxide emissions.

Today, humanity uses about 74% more than what global ecosystems can regenerate; to continue living the way we do now, we'd need the resources of about 1.7 Earths. And that doesn't look set to change any time soon. CO2 emissions related to energy — particularly fossil fuels like coal — are projected to grow by 4.8% this year over 2020 levels, according to the International Energy Agency.
Boosting the bioeconomy

Feldstein, however, sees some reasons to be optimistic. "The most hopeful signs are coming from communities around the world that are taking the climate crisis seriously, rethinking consumption and growth, and integrating equity and environmental protection into their policies," she said.

Among them are communities looking to tap into the bioeconomy, which aims to swap a "bio-based, or renewables-based, economy for the fossil fuels-based economy" while addressing societal challenges, as outlined in a December 2019 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).

Rocio A. Diaz-Chavez, the deputy center director at SEI Africa in Nairobi, Kenya and the report's author, said making the shift to a bioeconomy can help preserve natural resources for future generations while working to create sustainable industries today. She highlighted regional groups like the UN's Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean or BioInnovate Africa in Kenya — organizations which are working to promote bioeconomy and sustainable development in their parts of the world.

Diaz-Chavez told DW that the pandemic recovery could be the opportunity for these regions to explore alternatives to the traditional economy that would "contribute to job creation and improve livelihoods, [while] producing alternatives to fossil fuel products

Watch video02:28 Kenyan tea production powered by sugar cane

One example: reducing the Global South's reliance on fossil-fuel derived pesticides and fertilizers shipped in from abroad, in favor of locally produced biofertilizers. "This would have a series of contributions to human health, and to the environment," she said, adding that this shift could also help develop alternative supply chains for other sustainable products.

She stressed, however, that the development of the bioeconomy hinged on having the necessary infrastructure or improved supply chains in place to support and market such products, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Solutions to #MoveTheDate

Greening our economies isn't the only way to bring us back into balance with the Earth. On its site under the rallying cry #MoveTheDate, the Global Footprint Network (GFN) highlights other ways to bring that date closer to December 31.

Reforesting an area the size of India, for example, would shift the date back by eight days, according to GFN. Retrofitting buildings and industries with existing energy-saving technology, such as mechanical system upgrades, water conservation controls and sensors that accurately control lighting, temperature and air quality, would move the date back by 21 days.

Food is another important area — according to GFN, half of the Earth's biocapacity is used just to keep us fed. But too much of that food is lost due to inefficiencies during the production process, or waste; an estimated 30 to 40% of food in the US ends up in landfills every year.


About one-third of the world's food — 1.3 billion tons every year — is lost or wasted every year

By eliminating food loss and waste, reducing meat consumption and choosing foods grown with more sustainable agricultural practices less reliant on fossil fuels, another month could be added to the Earth's biocapacity account. Shifting to more plant-based diets, for example, could help reduce food-related emissions as much as 70% by 2050, according to a recent draft report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

"While we need to transition away from industrial agriculture as a whole, we can't solve this problem by simply tweaking how food is produced — we must change what is produced," said the CBD's Feldstein, adding that while fossil fuels are responsible for more emissions overall, meat and dairy production are also a major cause of habitat loss. "Governments can accelerate this change by supporting plant-centered diets and agriculture and ending subsidies for cheap meat and dairy."


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A LOOK AT SOME OF THE WORLD'S SCARCEST RESOURCES
Water – The source of life
In some parts of the world access to freshwater is taken for granted, but it's actually a luxury. Freshwater only makes up 2.5% of the world's total volume, and more than half of that is ice. Agriculture uses 70% of what's actually usable. By 2050, two-thirds of the world's population is expected to suffer from water scarcity, which will affect all aspects of people's lives.
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Climate tipping points are now imminent, scientists warn

Around 13,000 researchers have called for urgent action to slow down the climate emergency as extreme weather patterns shock the world. They listed three core measures.



The call comes as extreme weather causes catastrophes across the world

Thousands of scientists reiterated calls for immediate action over the climate crisis in an article published Wednesday in the journal BioScience.

"The extreme climate events and patterns that we've witnessed over the last several years — not to mention the last several weeks — highlight the heightened urgency with which we must address the climate crisis," said Philip Duffy, co-author of the study and executive director of the Woodwell Climate Research Center in the US state of Massachusetts.

Two years ago, more than 10,000 scientists from around 150 countries jointly declared a global climate emergency. They are now joined by over 2,800 more signatories in urging the protection of life on Earth.

Since the 2019 declaration, Earth has seen an "unprecedented surge" in climate-related disasters, researchers noted.

IN PICTURES: DEADLY EXTREME WEATHER SHOCKS THE WORLD
Fierce flash floods in Europe
Unprecedented flooding — caused by two months' worth of rainfall in two days — has resulted in devastating damage in western Europe, leaving at least 209 people dead in Germany and Belgium. Narrow valley streams swelled into raging floods in the space of hours, wiping out centuries-old communities. Rebuilding the ruined homes, businesses and infrastructure is expected to cost billions of euros.
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What are the signs?

For the study, researchers relied on "vital signs" to measure planetary health, including greenhouse gas emissions, glacier thickness, sea-ice extent and deforestation. Out of 31 signs, scientists found that 18 hit record highs or lows.

The year 2020 was the second-hottest year since records began, scientists said. And earlier this year, the carbon dioxide concentration in the Earth's atmosphere was higher than at any time since measurements began.

The authors noted that all-time low levels of ice mass have been recorded in Greenland and Antarctica. Glaciers are melting 31% faster than they did just 15 years ago, they added.

Meanwhile, the annual loss rate of the Brazilian Amazon reached a 12-year high in 2020.

Watch video04:09 WMO Scientist: 'Extreme events will increase in future'

Tim Lenton, director of the University of Exeter's Global Systems Institute and co-author of the study, said the recent record-breaking heat wave in the western United States and Canada showed that the climate had already begun to "behave in shocking, unexpected ways."

"We need to respond to the evidence that we are hitting climate tipping points with equally urgent action to decarbonize the global economy and start restoring instead of destroying nature," he said.

How can we respond to the climate crisis?

Researchers reiterated calls for transformative change, listing three main emergency responses in the immediate term:
Phasing out and eliminating fossil fuels
Implementing "a significant carbon price"
Restoring ecosystems such as carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots

Climate change should be included in core curricula in schools worldwide to raise awareness, the authors said.

Scientists also urged slashing pollutants, stabilizing the human population and switching to plant-based diets.

"We need to stop treating the climate emergency as a standalone issue — global heating is not the sole symptom of our stressed Earth system," said William Ripple, a lead author of the study and professor of ecology at Oregon State University's College of Forestry.

"Policies to combat the climate crisis or any other symptoms should address their root cause: human overexploitation of the planet."

Watch video03:34  Jill Duggan: We need to take drastic action this decade

NORTH AMERICA TOO, YEG IS AN EXAMPLE

Why are German chemical plants located near big cities?

A fatal explosion at a chemical complex near Cologne has raised concerns about the park's proximity to one of Germany's biggest cities. Chemical plants located near major cities are a common sight in the country.

    

The Chempark in Leverkusen is one of the largest chemical hubs in Europe

An explosion at a chemical plant in Leverkusen, about a 30-minute drive from the western German city of Cologne, has killed at least two people and left many more injured. Experts say the blast probably released toxic compounds into the surrounding area.

The tragedy has left many wondering what a massive chemical complex is doing so close to one of Germany's biggest cities, in the first place. In fact, other major German cities such as Mannheim and Leipzig also have large chemical complexes in their vicinity. 

The chemical industry in the Rhineland — a region of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia — which includes the chemical park in Leverkusen, is one of the largest hubs for the industry in Europe. The region has over 260 chemical companies employing more than 70,000 people. The firms are often clustered together in so-called chemical parks.

From Wesseling in the south to Dormagen in the north: Global companies such as Bayer, ExxonMobil Chemical, Ineos, Covestro, Lyondellbasell, and Lanxess are located within a few kilometers of Cologne, a city with a population of over 1 million people.

To understand how a major city and a chemical park can exist in such close proximity, one has to look back at the long history of the Rhineland as an industrial powerhouse. 

Carl Leverkus and the paint factory

The Rhine river played a decisive role. The river's usefulness as a commercial transport route ensured that many chemical companies set up their bases in the region at the end of the 19th century.

The city of Leverkusen even owes its name to the industry: In 1860, chemist Carl Leverkus moved his factory from Wermelskirchen to the nearby small town of Wiesdorf, on the Rhine. Less than 20 years later, the predecessor to the international chemical group Bayer, Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer, also moved to Wiesdorf from Elberfeld, which had become too small for the company's needs. Thanks to Leverkus' factory, all the important facilities needed for production were already available on the banks of the Rhine.

The beginnings: Production of chemicals in Elberfeld in 1888

In order to ensure that workers had a short commute to work, housing estates were built in the immediate vicinity of the factory. Soon the surrounding villages grew into towns, which eventually became today's Leverkusen. This is why the city's residential areas are still located in the immediate proximity of the factories today. At the same time, the growth of the industry led to the creation of more jobs, which led to an influx of people into cities like Cologne. 

During the economic miracle of the post-war years, the corporations located in the Rhineland grew considerably. Around the turn of the century, several chemical parks emerged from the restructuring of what had previously been individual chemical plants and operations. The idea was to combine the production activities of different companies at a single site, promote collaboration and create the necessary infrastructure — with success.

Chemical parks an 'export hit'

"The German chemical park model is an export hit," says Ernst Grigat, who headed the Chempark with its plants in Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen for more than 10 years. In China, more than a thousand chemical parks have been built on the German model, says Grigat, who holds a doctorate in Chemistry. This is because the concentration of expertise and resources enables better safety and environmental management.

Location of Chemical Park sites along the Rhine

 

The Rhineland also offers the chemical companies based there a competitive advantage. The density of the chemical parks allows the firms to cooperate with each other, Grigat says.

"There is a very strong relationship between the Rhineland plants, between Dormagen, Leverkusen and Wesseling," he told DW.

To that end, the site has access to seaports, is located at a main European transport intersection, and is connected to a unique pipeline system through which 50% of all materials can be transported.

"The people of Cologne may not know this," Grigat said. "But Cologne is the chemical capital of Germany, perhaps even of Europe."

A fire burns at the Chemical Park in Leverkusen in 2016

Risky prospect?

But isn't it dangerous to have chemicals being produced so close to cities? Not necessarily, says Grigat.

Of course, products created in the chemical industry could be dangerous. But a major advantage of the chemical parks is that they have the necessary safety infrastructure in place, such as fire departments that are specially trained in handling hazardous substances, he said. 

As a result, new companies are preferring to set up bases in chemical parks to ensure they are legally protected. Factories that were once located in an industrial area, but are now suddenly in the middle of the city due to urban growth, also prefer to move to a chemical park.

These parks are often planned at such a large scale that safety standards can be maintained despite the proximity to residential areas, Grigat said.

The article has been translated from German.

CHEMICAL INDUSTRY GIANT BASF TURNS 150

A global corporate player

There's no corporation in the chemical industry that has bigger revenues or a larger market cap than BASF. Sales in 2014 amounted to a hefty 74.3 billion euros ($79.9 billion). The company has 113,000 employees in more than 80 countries. The corporate HQ is in western Germany at Ludwigshafen am Rhein (pictured). BASF has more than 390 production sites around the world.

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AFTER LYING THAT THE POISION FUME CLOUD WAS NOT TOXIC

Leverkusen explosion: What exactly are dioxins, furans, PCBs and PAHs?

After an explosion in Leverkusen in western Germany, authorities are warning that a series of toxins were probably released into the atmosphere. Locals have been told not to eat fruit and vegetables from their gardens.

ALL CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSIONS OR FIRES ARE TOXIC TO THOSE AROUND THEM

   

Locals have been warned not to touch any soot particles

During an explosion at a hazardous waste incineration plant at Chempark near Leverkusen in western Germany earlier this week, tanks containing chlorinated solvents burst into flames. The solvents, as well as greases, waste medicines, tar and other pollutants are usually incinerated at temperatures of around 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,012 degrees Fahrenheit).

Only when they are incinerated at temperatures of over 850 degrees Celsius can it be ensured that no dioxins, furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) remain in the combustion gases.

But if the incineration is not done properly, certain toxins, which belong to what are known as the dirty dozen of organic environmental pollutants, can remain or even be produced and then be dispersed into the atmosphere.

Thus, following this week's explosion, authorities have warned local residents not to touch any particles of soot or eat any fruit or vegetables from their gardens.

DW looks into what these different toxins are:

Dioxins and furans

This is a collective term for a group of 75 polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDD) and 135 polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF). One of the most toxic is the compound 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), which is associated with the 1976 Seveso disaster when between one and three kilograms (between approximately 2.2 and 6.6 pounds) were released into the surrounding area after an accident at a chemical manufacturing plant in Meda, not far from the Italian city of Milan. Some 3,300 animals died and there were about 200 cases of severe chloracne among humans.

Although the amount of dioxins released in the limited area around Seveso was significantly higher than the amount possibly released by the Leverkusen accident, German authoritieshave advised caution because dioxins can be harmful to health and carcinogenic even in the lowest concentrations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a monthly tolerable intake of 70 picograms (a trillionth of a gram) per kilogram of body weight.

Chempark is a big industrial complex in western Germany

Depending on the specific compound, the toxins can attack the human reproductive system, immune system and nervous system and cause a hormonal imbalance. They accumulate in the body's adipose tissue and lipid stores and remain stable for a long time. They can remain in soil and plants for decades.

There are already many dioxins and furans in the environment around us. They are the by-products of improper combustion processes involving chlorine at temperatures of between 300 and 600 degrees Celsius. They are produced by smoking cigarettes, using frying oils, in the metal industry, when certain toxic waste is incinerated or wood is burnt. Forest fires and volcanic eruptions also release dioxins into the environment.

It is particularly problematic when varnished or treated wood is burnt on a campfire or plastic waste and car tires are burnt. Primitive methods of recycling e-waste also expose people to significant concentrations of toxins.

Dioxins and furans can be transported over long distances when dispersed into the air and enter the food chain via the soil and plants, eventually entering the human organism.

In 2011, German authorities discovered dioxins in eggs after fats intended for use in industry was mixed with animal feed. Thousands of poultry farms were closed.

The explosion in Leverkusen might have released damaging toxins into the air

PAHs

Like dioxins and furans, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are also released by improper combustion processes, for example, when coal, oils, solvents, wood or even tobacco are not incinerated completely.

They can also be caused by grilling, and particularly, burning meat and are found in tar and asphalt, waste oil and in ash.

These too are carcinogenic and damaging to genetic material and can remain in the environment for a long time.

PCBs

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) might also have been released into the atmosphere by the explosion in Leverkusen. These industrial chemicals were widely used in the chemical and electrical industries until the 1980s, for example in capacitators and transformers or in plasticizers in paints and sealants and other synthetic materials.

When they are incinerated, dioxins and furans are produced, but PCBs can also be released straight into the environment. These too are considered to be carcinogenic to humans and harmful to the immune system and hormonal balance.

Though many countries have banned their use, such large quantities were released into the atmosphere that there remain large quantities in the food chain.

This article was translated from German