Nirvana's 'Nevermind' baby sues 30 years later

"Everyone involved in the album has tons and tons of money," he reflected. "I'm living in my mom's house and driving a Honda Civic."

Spencer Elden, the naked baby on the cover of Nirvana's iconic "Nevermind" album, is suing the band and Kurt Cobain's estate for child sexual exploitation.

Now 30 years old, Spencer Elden is suing Nirvana for child sexual exploitation

In 1991, photographer Kirk Weddle asked a friend to bring his four-month baby to a photo shoot at a swimming pool for the indie band Nirvana.

When the boy, Spencer Elden, was snapped naked in the water and wound up front-and-center on band's groundbreaking Nevermind album, his likeness became the epoch-defining image of grunge rock.

'Commercial sexual acts'

But 30 years after the album's release, Elden's lawyers have filed a lawsuit alleging that the Nevermind image was procured after Elden "was forced to engage in commercial sexual acts while under the age of 18 years old."

As a result, he is suing the original band members, record label, album photographer and others (each for $150,000, or €128,000) for "lifelong damages" that include "extreme and permanent emotional distress with physical manifestations, interference with his normal development and educational progress, lifelong loss of income earning capacity," and "loss of enjoyment of life."

The lawsuit also alleges that the marketing of the record via a naked Elden reaching for a dollar bill held on a hook — the image was also used the the video clip for the hit single from the album, "Come As You Are" — was a "sex trafficking venture."

Of the 40 to 50 images taken at the shoot, the lawsuit claims that Nirvana lead singer and songwriter Kurt Cobain chose the image of Elden "grabbing for a dollar bill" that depicted him "like a sex worker."

It added that "Spencer nor his legal guardians ever signed a release authorizing the use of any images of Spencer or of his likeness."

Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain is alleged to have pushed for the 'Nevermind' cover art concept

Family paid 200 dollars

In a 2008 interview with US media radio broadcaster NPR, Elden's father Rick described how his friend, photographer Kirk Weddle, called him up in 1991 and said "wanna make 200 bucks and throw your kid in the drink." But the family had no idea what the photo would be used for until they noticed a huge image of the Nevermind cover on Tower Records in Sunset Boulevard three months later.

Later that year, Nirvana's label DGC, a subsidiary of Geffen Records, sent Elden a platinum copy of Nevermind and a teddy bear, according to NPR. The same report also quoted Elden as a teenager responding to his ongoing fame.

"My friend is all like, 'Hey I saw you today.' And I'm like, 'Dude, I was working all day.' And he's like, 'No, I went to Geffen Records, and you're on the floor and you're floating and I stepped on your face.'" Elden recounted. "Cause I guess they have like a floating thing where people can like walk on me and stuff ... so it's kinda cool."
Elden initially embraced image

Having recreated the pose for several Nevermind anniversaries as a teenager, Elden last entered a swimming pool to reprise the image in 2016 when the album turned 25. He also has the album title tattooed on his body.

In a 2015 interview with Time magazine, he said that it "was a great concept — a baby underwater, unable to breathe, going after money on a fishhook."

But the following year he expressed some reticence about his role in such an iconic image, telling Time: "It's a really weird feeling being a part of someone else's momentum — being caught up in this wake of stuff."

"I got a little upset for a bit," he added. "I was trying to reach out to these people. I never met anybody. I didn't get a call or email. I just woke up already being a part of this huge project. It's pretty difficult — you feel like you're famous for nothing, but you didn't really do anything but their album."

"Everyone involved in the album has tons and tons of money," he reflected. "I'm living in my mom's house and driving a Honda Civic."

Watch video03:56
Album cover parodies

Facebook bans album cover with children

The Nevermind cover was in fact removed from Facebook's pages in 2011 in the midst of its 20th anniversary because its portrayal of child nudity contravened the terms of service, but then reappeared on the site.

The same happened in 2019 when Facebook banned uploads of Led Zeppelin's 1973 Houses Of The Holy album due to cover art featuring naked blond children climbing a surreal landscape. The image also went on to became part of rock music folklore.

"We were naked in a lot of the modelling shoots we did, nothing was thought of it back then," recalled Samantha Gates, who appeared with her brother Stefan in the image. "You probably couldn't get away with that now," she told the the UK's Daily Mail in 2007.

Facebook banned uploads of the image to its social media site on the basis of its guidelines that do not allow "content that sexually exploits or endangers children."

But Facebook soon after reversed the ban. "As our community standards explain, we don't allow nude images of children on Facebook," said a spokesperson. "But we know this a culturally significant image. Therefore, we're restoring the posts we removed."

It is yet to be seen whether Spencer Elden's lawsuit will change the way the Nevermind image is viewed.

From the start, the DGC record label wanted to cover up the child's genitals on the Nevermind artwork. But Kurt Cobain allegedly would only agree if the area was covered with a sticker that read: "If you're offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile." The original image remained.

SENIOR RESIDENTS RECREATE FAMOUS IMAGES

Lily as Madonna

The care home's activities coordinator Robert Speker proposed the photo project to recreate iconic album covers due to the feel-good aspect of music: "Somebody's reaction just from hearing a piece of music through either reminiscing or just enjoying the music - the benefits of music, especially in the care home setting, are so important."

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The Martin D-18E guitar Kurt Cobain played for his legendary MTV Unplugged performance with Nirvana in 1993 is up for sale. Bids of $1 million have already been placed ahead of the auction.

London seniors go viral after reenacting album covers

Robert Speker's photography project was just intended to create a bit of fun after four months in corona-lockdown. Now the Sydmar Lodge Care Home residents have become internet stars themselves.

Hipgnosis: the studio that turned album covers into art

One of the reasons vinyl records are still so popular is that it's a great format for cover art. The British graphic design studio Hipgnosis were the visual pioneers of the progressive rock scene in the 1970s.

African mountain forests store more carbon than thought: study

Issued on: 25/08/2021 -

Climate weapon: Mountain forests in Africa can absorb far more carbon than previously thought

 Yasuyoshi CHIBA AFP/File

Paris (AFP)

Africa's mountain forests may store up to two-thirds more carbon than previously thought, according to research published Wednesday that highlights the role the threatened ecosystems can play in battling climate change.

Traditionally, forests at higher altitudes are thought to contain less carbon than lowland forests due to factors such as soil and climactic changes that affect growth and thus the amount of carbon the trees can absorb.

To more accurately estimate the carbon stored in these so-called montane forests, an international team analysed data on carbon stored in trees across 44 highland sites in 12 African countries.

They measured the height and diameter of more than 72,000 trees to calculate the wood's density and logged the species in each plot.

From that they were able to calculate the amount of carbon stored per unit of forested area.

Writing in Nature, the team found that Africa's montane forests contain an average of 149.4 tonnes of carbon per hectare -- roughly equivalent to the carbon storage rates seen in African lowland forests.

Notably, this is two-thirds higher than estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- some 89.3 tonnes of carbon per hectare.

Yet montane forests are under threat from logging, mining and land clearance for farming.

The study found for example that Mozambique had lost nearly a third of its 18,000 hectares (44,500 acres) of high-altitude forests since 2000.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, around half a million hectares of montane forest have been lost this century, accounting for most of the roughly 800,000 hectares lost across Africa in that time.

"African montane forests are immensely valuable. They store vast amounts of carbon, and thereby have a key role in tackling climate change," Nicolas Barbier, from the University of Montpellier and France's Nature Centre for Scientific Research, said in a linked comment article.

"Of course, this immense intrinsic value does not preclude human exploitation of these ecosystems."

The authors said the research had a range of policy implications, including the use of "carbon finance" -- inducements to conserve forests rather than cut them down.

Past underestimates by the IPCC of the carbon storage potential of African high-altitude forests may have given governments little incentive to preserve them, they said.

Barbier said that setting a fair price on preserving carbon stores such as montane forests could help check the "flood of damage" and stimulate African economies.

"The aim is to reward African countries... for their conservation endeavours, and for renouncing efforts to access the timber and ore in these ecosystems, even when such resources are otherwise desperately lacking," he wrote.

© 2021 AFP

Tropical forests in Africa’s mountains store more carbon than previously thought – but are disappearing fast

Scientists studying tropical forests in Africa’s mountains were surprised to uncover how much carbon they store, and how fast some of these forests are being cleared.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF YORK

 

IMAGE: MONTANE FOREST IN CAMEROON view more 

CREDIT: JIRI DOLEZAL

Scientists studying tropical forests in Africa’s mountains were surprised to uncover how much carbon they store, and how fast some of these forests are being cleared.

The international study reported today in Nature, found that intact tropical mountain (or montane) forests in Africa store around 150 tonnes of carbon per hectare. This means that keeping a hectare of forest standing saves CO2 emissions equivalent to powering 100 homes with electricity for one year. 

The study found that African mountain forests store more carbon per unit area than the Amazon rainforest and are similar in structure to lowland forests in Africa. Existing guidelines for African mountain forests – which assume 89 tonnes of carbon per hectare – greatly underestimate their role in global climate regulation. 

The international team also investigated how much tropical mountain forest had been lost from the African continent in the past 20 years. They found that 0.8 million hectares have been lost, mostly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia, emitting over 450 million tonnes of CO22 into the atmosphere. If current deforestation rates continue, a further 0.5 million hectares of these forests would be lost by 2030.

Lead author Dr Aida Cuni-Sanchez, from the University of York’s Department of Environment and Geography and at Norwegian University of Life Sciences, said: “The results are surprising because the climate in mountains would be expected to lead to low carbon forests. 

“The lower temperatures of mountains and the long periods they are covered by clouds should slow tree growth, while strong winds and steep unstable slopes might limit how big trees can get before they fall over and die.  

“But unlike other continents, in Africa we found the same carbon store per unit area in lowland and mountain forests. Contrary to what we expected, large trees remain abundant in mountain forests, and these large trees (defined as having diameters over 70 cm) store a lot of carbon.”

Scientists measured 72,000 trees in 44 mountain sites in 12 African countries, from Guinea to Ethiopia, and south to Mozambique. In each mountain site they established plots where they recorded the diameter, height and species of every tree. 

Researchers said that better knowledge about how much carbon mountain forests store is especially important for the ten African nations where the only tropical forests they have are those found on mountains.

“While we know what makes African forests special, we don’t yet know why they are different. It is possible that in Africa, the presence of large herbivores such as elephants plays an important role in mountain forest ecology, as these large animals disperse seeds and nutrients, and eat small trees creating space for others to grow larger, but this requires further investigation,” Dr Cuni-Sanchez added.

CAPTION

Tropical forest in Africa's mountains

CREDIT

Dr Aida Cuni-Sanchez, University of York

Co-author Dr Phil Platts, from York’s Department of Environment and Geography and the IUCN’s Climate Change Specialist Group, said: “About five per cent of Africa’s tropical mountain forests have been cleared since 2000, and in some countries the rate exceeds 20 per cent. Besides their importance for climate regulation, these forests are habitats for many rare and endangered species, and they provide very important water services to millions of people downstream”.

Most African nations have committed large amounts of land to forest restoration under the Bonn Challenge. Although forest restoration is important to mitigate climate change, avoiding deforestation is a greater priority.   

Co-author Dr Martin Sullivan, at the Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, added: “Previous carbon estimates for tropical mountain forests in Africa were much lower than the values we report in our study. 

“We hope that these new data will encourage carbon finance mechanisms towards avoided deforestation in tropical mountains.  As outlined in the Paris Agreement, reducing tropical deforestation in both lowland and mountain forests must be a priority.” 

Co-author Dr Gerard Imani, at the Department of Biology, Université Oficielle de Bukavu in DR Congo, added: “Carbon finance mechanisms could help improve conservation interventions on the ground – even within protected areas, deforestation, forest degradation and defaunation remain a challenge.”

Note to Editors

The forest inventory data is part of AfriMont and AfriTRON plot networks, covering 13 countries in Africa, www.afritron.org . The data are curated at www.forestplots.net .  

The research was funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and National Geographic amongst other funders. All funders are listed in the acknowledgements of the paper.

ENDS

 

---

JOURNAL

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-021-03728-4 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

24-Aug-2021

HINDU NATIONALISM, RACISM, CASTISM & MISOGYNY

India: Manual scavengers continue to remove human waste by hand despite ban

Manual scavenging is banned in India, but the caste-based practice — which mainly employs members of the Dalit community — is still prevalent in some parts of the country and has claimed many lives.



A manual scavenger in Uttar Pradesh covers her nose while carrying human waste after cleaning toilets in Nekpur village

The Indian government in July declared that no deaths were reported in the country due to manual scavenging, prompting severe criticism from activists.

Indian authorities, however, admitted that 941 sanitation workers died nationwide while cleaning sewers and septic tanks.

Activist Bezwada Wilson from the Safai Karmachari Andolan, which works to eradicate manual scavenging, said on Twitter 472 deaths had been recorded from 2016 to 2020, with 26 deaths so far this year due to the practice.

Manual scavenging is the practice of physically removing human excreta by hand from sewers or septic tanks. The work is mostly undertaken by members of the Dalit caste, which is at the bottom of India's archaic caste system.

Women are also employed in large numbers in this practice, particularly in rural areas.

A 'dehumanizing practice'

The Indian government distinguishes between manual scavenging and the practice of cleaning sewers and septic tanks. But labor activists argue that the latter is a mere extension of the former.

The term "manual scavenger" broadly represents sanitation workers who are involved in cleaning, carrying and disposing of untreated human excreta.

India has banned the practice under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

Outlawing the practice began in 1993, but in 2013, the definition of manual scavengers was broadened to include people employed to clean septic tanks, ditches or railway tracks.

The Act recognizes this as a "dehumanizing practice," and cites a need to "correct the historical injustice and indignity suffered by the manual scavengers."

However, a lack of implementation has led to the continuation of the practice in several parts of the country. A 2019 study by the World Health Organization (WHO) said "weak legal protection and lack of enforcement" of the laws, as well as the poor financial status of sanitation workers, contributes to the practice still prevailing


Watch video03:30
Can India overcome its social divide?

The study, authored jointly by the World Bank, WHO, International Labor Organization (ILO) and WaterAid, said that sanitation workers are poorly and irregularly paid. The study found that in some cases, workers had money extored from them or were paid in leftover food or basic food items.

"No one does this kind of work by choice. We are stuck in this profession, but we want a better life for our children. We suffer and our families suffer due to the social stigma," a sanitation worker based in Uttar Pradesh told DW.

Many who refuse to work as scavengers face coercion and threats from dominant castes, according to a Human Rights Watch report published in 2014.

Last year, the Indian government announced a slew of measures under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (Clean India initiative) to end the discriminatory and hazardous practice of manual scavenging by August 2021.

The goal is far from complete, as Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said 66,692 manual scavengers were identified across the country during parliamentary proceedings last month.

Life-threatening work

Manual scavengers are at risk of death from asphyxiation due to poisonous gases and are often exposed to diseases such as cholera, hepatitis, meningitis, jaundice, skin disorders and even cardiovascular diseases. They often lack access to proper safety gear and equipment.

"Most of the deaths reported are due to accidents in septic tanks and sewer areas. A lack of precautions, such as taking lamps down in sewers with a large concentration of methane gas, is responsible for accidents," said Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the NGO Sulabh International.

Some states including Delhi have launched the use of sewage cleaning machines for this purpose. However, they are not widely used across the country. Moreover, narrow lanes prevent access for larger machines while poorly designed septic tanks make it difficult for machines to function.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to provide toilets to every household across the country sought to reduce defecation in the open. Many NGOs are also working to educate and train workers for other vocations, so that they are not forced to work as manual scavengers.

"Organizations and the government have to come together in solving the problem, with zeal and sincerity," says Pathak.

SEE

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Hinduism Is Fascism 

KRAFTWERK IS SOCIALISMUS

From timber to timbre: Violin-makers sound out Germany

The eastern German town of Brandenburg hosted an international workshop for violin-makers. It took a Canadian living and working there to stage the event, which sounded promising right from the start.


Working on a sophisticated musical instrument together can be great fun

It would be an unusual scene for any downtown church in Germany. Imagine the main hall filled with tables and workbenches. A motley crew of people sitting around them, bending over woodworking tools and focusing on the delicate, ancient craft of making cellos, violins and bows.

Yet this unlikely scene is exactly what happened throughout last week in St. John's Church in the eastern German town of Brandenburg an der Havel, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Berlin.

A group of 25 people from 11 nations descended for the town's first European one-week workshop on violin-making to exchange ideas and the tricks of their trade.

Some participants in the Brandenburg workshop had known one another from a traditional and larger workshop in Oberlin, in the US state of Ohio, but there had long been a wish among European craftspeople to meet up somewhere closer to home.

Watch video03:56
Aesthetically illustrated violins

European accessibility matters

"[Oberlin] is a great event, no doubt," a young female violin-maker from Hanover, Germany, told DW. "That's all fine, but to have something like this in Europe is just wonderful," she said.

"We get so much inspiration from workshops like these; it's been great fun and absolutely helpful for our work, with so many details being important in our trade," another young woman at the same table — half Italian, half German — said.

"We talk about the making of our instruments here, and we are working together on joint projects and share our ideas," a Cuban violin-maker based in Switzerland said.

Bow-maker Niall Flemming is in favor of making the workshop in Brandenburg an der Havel an annual event

Niall Flemming, an Australian-born bow-maker living in Ireland, told DW that he was delighted that the workshop in Brandenburg an der Havel finally became a reality, pointing out that for Europeans it offered many practical advantages.

"I came here from Brussels on a train with my tools. I don't have to worry about going through airport security with knives and chisels. Plus it's more affordable than a trans-Atlantic journey," Flemming said.

A Canadian to the rescue

The man who made all of this possible is Ian Crawford McWilliams, a Canadian from Saskatchewan. For the past decade or so he has been a proud inhabitant of Brandenburg an der Havel.

"I started out as a cabinetmaker from a very young age; it was a passion for doing woodworking," McWilliams recalled. "I was working in shops in Canada where I would stand at a machine all day long and that really wasn't what I wanted, so I later came to appreciate the violin-making craft."

After stopovers in England and France, he finally settled down in Brandenburg together with his family, where he found "some space for my woodworking job separate from our house."

Now, several years into his new career, the Canadian gets some €14,000 ($16,400) per violin or viola and about €28,000 for a cello. He's sold his instruments to musicians in Germany, Switzerland, North America and other places.

In cooperation with the church and the local authorities, McWilliams managed to stage Brandenburg's first workshop for fellow European-based craftspeople — an event that he said was not meant to throw the gauntlet to the organizers of the Oberlin workshop in Ohio.

"Many people here in Europe can't make it over there for various reasons. It's so far away, an expensive journey, and with COVID as well," McWilliams said.

Ian Crawford McWilliams (r.) is glad his workshop has been a success with participants

"I think the location here in Brandenburg is just amazing. We can use this space in the church, and we have our accommodation together — you don't want everyone to stay in hotels all around town, but here everyone is together, we live together, cook together and that creates an atmosphere that bonds people together," he said.

The Canadian violin-maker enjoys working on joint projects during the workshop. Talking to his colleagues is an added bonus.

"And later over a beer you continue these useful talks," he said. "There's a social side to it, and you get information from people who meet in a relaxed setting."

Let's do it again

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, encouraging McWilliams to turn the Brandenburg workshop into an annual event.

"Hopefully, if it runs again and I'm invited again, there will be more bow-makers and we have the opportunity to talk trade and talk about how we do things," said Flemming.

"There's at least three major schools in bow-making: German, English and French," he said. "I'm in the French school, and other guys do it differently and have other processes, so there's a lot to learn again next time around.

A kayak tour of Argentina for environmental protection

Environmental campaigners kayaked 350 kilometers to urge lawmakers to pass a bill to save the wetlands. Then, they shouldered their boats and continued on foot — all the way to the Argentine National Congress.



The campaigners began in Rosario and rode the Parana River southwest to the capital


Juan Camelia is not really much of a sportsman. He got his kayak just six years ago, to paddle about on the Parana River and go camping in the great outdoors. Now, he is one of more than 40 kayakers who have caused a considerable stir in Argentina with their spectacular environmental campaign to get the Congress to pass a bill to protect the wetlands.

"I'd never paddled a distance like that in my life," Camelia said. "Most of us hadn't. I'm absolutely shattered — and, at the same time, I'm really happy, because this tour has achieved a tremendous positive response."

There were biologists, lawyers and doctors among the kayakers who donned the spray skirt for the journey. The youngest was 20 years old, the oldest an impressive 75. One participant even came from Chile.

Previously, 80% of the land in the Parana Delta was underwater — now, just 20% is

'Politicians won't listen'

Nowhere in Argentina are the overexploitation of nature and the consequences of climate change as evident as on the delta of this river. The Parana is almost 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) long, winding from Brazil in the north down through Paraguay to Argentina, where it meets the sea at Buenos Aires, in the Rio de la Plata estuary. Its 14,000 square kilometers (5,400 square miles) of swampland are home to about 700 species of plants and animals. This unique ecosystem is acutely endangered.

"The wetlands regulate the ecosystem here, and, if they become smaller, the effects of climate change in the delta will also be far more severe," said 32-year-old Juan Camelia, who works as a communications scientist at the University of Rosario. This was the reason why, almost exactly one year ago, he came up with the idea of spending a week kayaking down the Parana River and creating a social media campaign around the trip.

"Everyone who saw us applauded us and cheered us on. There wasn't a single instance of aggression. People gave us cakes, candies, water," Camelia said. "But many also said: 'It's great that you're doing this, but there's no point — the politicians won't listen to you.'"

Once they reached the capital, the kayakers continued on foot to present their demands

Delta drying up

The kayakers' journey didn't simply end on the Rio de la Plata in the capital. They shouldered their boats and continued on foot to the Argentine National Congress, where they presented a petition to politicians from the Agriculture Ministry. The petition, supported by 380 social organizations, called on the government to finally push through the a law to protect the wetlands that has been on hold now for half a year.

Perugino and the Multisectoral Humedales wetlands organization promoted the tour

"In Argentina, you don't get rights by begging for them on your knees," said Ivo Perugino, a member of the environmental organization Multisectorial Humedales, which organized the tour. "You have to take to the streets and demand them — or, in this case, to the water. We even camped out on bridges for seven days to stop the extensive export of agricultural goods to Brazil and Uruguay, but we realized that wasn't getting us anywhere with the politicians. And so we came up with the idea of kayaking all the way to Congress in Buenos Aires."

It was almost impossible for the kayakers to navigate the Parana River at all because it has fallen to its lowest level in half a century. This is the consequence of an agricultural policy in which profit takes precedence over environmental protection. Bulldozers are clearing millions of hectares of forest for cattle farming and soybean cultivation to satisfy Argentina's biggest export sectors. And more farming means more water consumption. Previously, 80% of the land in the Parana Delta was under water. Now, it's just 20%.

Crowds cheered the kayakers along and marched with them when they could

"The situation concerning the delta is really critical — almost hopeless," Perugino said. "There's so little water in the river right now: It's at a historic low. Fauna and flora are suffering, which also results in risks to the health of the population. It's an ecological disaster. There are few wetlands left. And no governor, no politician, is really addressing the issue."

It seems that in Argentina, too, civil society has understood the gravity of the environmental situation far better than the government. When nearly half a million hectares of forest burned in the country last year, presumably as a result of arson, Perugino and his fellow activists drummed up hundreds of volunteers in the space of just two days to put out the fire near Rosario.

They financed the firefighting equipment through a hastily organized fundraising campaign. And what about the government? "Over the entire year, they sent us 15 brigades of firefighters and two firefighting planes, which were virtually useless," Perugino said. "For the past year, we have been breathing air in Rosario that is five times more toxic than the human body can tolerate — the product of arson."

Campaigners criticize the's slow response to environmental exploitation by businesses

Multiple environmental campaigns

It's Enrique Viale's job to put the arsonists behind bars. He's a lawyer specializing in environmental law: — a job that doesn't win him many friends. "The area of greatest impunity in Argentina is the environmental sector," Viale said. "In Argentina, if you steal a loaf of bread, the penalties are more severe than if you commit arson and destroy a thousand hectares of forest. For that, not a single person was put behind bars last year."

Viales, who has specialized in environmental law since 2004, works on several issues

Viale could never imagine working as a conventional lawyer, which is why he founded the Argentine Association of Environmental Journalists in 2004. He sees the kayak caravan as a "heroic act." Above all, though, Viale no longer feels all alone in his fight to save nature.

"In recent years, people are taking to the streets to demonstrate for environmental protection — especially young people in urban areas," he said. "That's fantastic, because in the past there were very few of us campaigning for this."

The movement is still in its infancy, though, because taking a stand on the environment won't win you an election in Argentina. "To this day, large sectors of politics have not understood the problem," Viales said. "They still see environmental protection as something way down the list of priorities. "To them, it's a blind spot; there's no need to debate the issue. They say we must solve the social question first overlooking the fact that impoverishment and environmental pollution go hand in hand."

Watch video 02:07
Tierra de Resistentes: Documenting organized threats against environmental activists

The best example of this is the 2015 environmental disaster near San Juan, where millions of liters of cyanide solution leaked out of a gold mine and contaminated the drinking water. Thanks to Viale, there is now a new mining law: Today, a mine can be closed if there is a serious breach of environmental regulations.

For Enrique Viale, passing the Wetlands Act is a long-overdue step for the protection of nature. "Politicians and entrepreneurs are destroying these regions to build residential areas for the rich, which they then proceed to sell with the slogan 'Living in Nature,'" he said. "It's high time we put a stop to this extractivist madness."

THE JAGUAR'S STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL

The iconic feline's future is at stake

Strong and muscular, the jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas and the third largest in the world, after the lion and the tiger. Its characteristic black patches act as a form of camouflage in dense vegetation — yet many still fall victim to hunters. Today, industrial agriculture is the biggest threat to the jaguar's survival.     123456

IN FOCUS: SOLAR POWER

4 ways to make solar panels more sustainable

Solar panels provide the largest and cheapest source of renewable energy. But there is still room to reduce the high emissions created when building solar power infrastructure.

   

Despite its status as a renewable energy stalwart, solar power infrastructure can still

 produce high carbon emissions

Solar panels have become synonymous with green energy, yet the mining and processing of silicon, glass and aluminum necessary to make them requires energy. And it's not always clean.

Solar panel production emissions depend on the amount of coal-fired electricity in the local grid — Chinese panel production emits 40% more CO2 than modules built in Europe, according to a study by the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA).

But depending on the panel and installation site, photovoltaics can generate as much energy as was used in their production within five to 25 months. 

Here are four essentials of solar panel production, design and longevity that will influence their sustainability. 

1. How long do photovoltaics last?

The first grid-connected photovoltaic solar panels were installed in Germany and other countries in the 1980s. Some panels are still in operation decades later, while new models are sometimes now sold with a 30-year warranty. 

But panels can last even longer when robust glass is incorporated on the back, which is common in photovoltaic cell manufacturing today. 

The longer the service life of solar systems, the lower the CO2 emissions, and the cost of generating renewable power from the sun. 

Modern solar panels are generally built to last and repairs are usually straightforward

  

2. Can solar panels be repaired?

Solar panels have a very simple structure. They consist of a translucent special glass pane, a translucent plastic film (EVA) underneath, a silicon cell only 0.2 millimeters thick with wafer-thin metal busbars. Behind the cell is another plastic film, and then on the back a special protective film or glass. Everything is firmly interconnected, usually with an aluminum frame with a seal. 

Solar panels are very robust and defects are rare. If they do occur, repair is usually possible. 

If the glass on the front side breaks due to extreme hail, a panel should be replaced to prevent moisture from getting intside and reducing the system's performance — a simple glass replacement is not possible here.  

After years in operation, the seal and film on the back of the modules can become porous. An adhesive paste can be used to reseal the film against moisture intrusion. If, over time, the electrical cables become porous, or diodes in the junction box fail, they can usually be replaced without complication

3. Are solar panels harmful to the environment?

According to the German Environment Agency (UBA), there is no danger of pollutants leaking from undamaged or broken panels. However, most models do contain small quantities of environmentally harmful substances. 

In the case of the widely used crystalline solar modules (approx. 95% market share), for example, the solder contains up to one gram of lead per module. Some manufacturers do not use toxic lead at all.

In so-called thin-film modules (approx. 5% market share), the cells also contain toxic heavy metal cadmium — up to 1.4 grams per panel. However, manufacturers of these panels have their own take-back system and recover cadmium and lead, as well as non-toxic metals silver, copper and tellurium.  

While discarded modules have to be disposed of properly in Europe, most other countries don't yet have such regulations. The standards are intended to prevent solar panels from rotting in the natural environment and eventually leaching pollutants. In addition, solar panels contain valuable raw materials that can be recycled.

The photovoltaic industry is considered a key future market for the global recycling industry

4. How does recycling work?

In recycling plants in Germany, older model panels that still work might be repaired and resold.

When that doesn't happen, the aluminum frames, cables and junction boxes are removed and the crystalline panels are shredded while glass, metals and foils are separated using various techniques. Metals and lead are separated and reused while glass fragments are generally processed into thermal insulation material known as glass wool. The plastic foils are incinerated in plants with filters to generate energy. 

However, environmental and raw materials experts still see a lot of room for improvement in recycling. They would like to see high-grade solar glass from old modules reused for new modules instead of for low-quality insulation materials as is currently the case. Likewise, high-purity silicon from old modules could be used for new solar cells. Until now, it has only been used as an additive in aluminum production.  

An old solar module contains raw materials worth €10 to 30 ($11 - 35). For this reason, too, the globally booming photovoltaic industry is an important future market for the recycling industry — especially as millions of panels will be newly installed in the coming decades. 

This article was translated from German.

This article has been updated. Silicon cells are 0.2 mm thick, not two mm as stated in an earlier version. 

WE NEED ONE BETWEEN YEG & YWG 

How China built the best high-speed rail ever

Aug 20, 2021

DW Planet A

China built almost 40,000 kilometers of high-speed rails in just over a decade. Meanwhile, dreams for a similar high-speed train systems in the EU and US have been consistently derailed. How did China do it? And at what cost? 

We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Our new channel Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we'll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.

#PlanetA #HighSpeedTrain #China

Read More (Links):

Research paper modeling high-speed rail’s offset of emissions: https://www.researchgate.net/publicat... Asia Development Bank Report 2019: https://www.adb.org/sites/default/fil... World Bank report on China’s construction costs: https://documents.worldbank.org/en/pu... IEA Future of Rails Report: https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/ass... European Court of Auditors report on EU’s High-Speed rail: https://op.europa.eu/webpub/eca/speci...

WATER IS LIFE

Water scarcity: What's the big deal?

Access to clean drinking water is a human right, but as the global population grows and the planet heats up, can we rely on this resource we take for granted?



Drinking water is not a given everywhere in the world

"For years wars were fought over oil," said US Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this year. "In a short time they will be fought over water."

Given that more than 70% of our planet is covered in water — all told that's more than one billion trillion liters of the stuff — a short time might sound a bit dramatic. After all, there's always been enough to go around.

But we're talking about a finite resource. Just 3% of all that liquid mass is fresh water. And of that, most of is locked up in glaciers, leaving less than 1% accessible and usable for drinking and growing food. So as the world population increases, there is less water to go around — and to grow the extra crops needed to feed us.

On top of that, our available water is increasingly being polluted by fertilizers and factories, or is simply being overused — causing aquifer levels in overcrowded cities to plummet. Ultimately, more of us fighting for less good water.

Watch video07:05
Water scarcity: why our most precious resource is dwindling

Throw climate change-induced extreme weather into the mix and things could get scary. While some places are flooding, others are in near permanent drought — 85% of California is currently in extreme or "exceptional" drought and towns and agricultual areas are running out of water.

As rainfall becomes more uneven and unpredictable, it's feast or famine. While freak flooding killed more than 200 people in Germany and Belgiumthis summer, in the coming decades, stress and malnutrition linked to water scarcity in arid regions are prediction to trigger mass displacement that fuels climate conflict — especially in Africa. Kamala Harris clearly had a point.

So what's to be done? Many will say that the solution is lapping at our shores.
Can't we just desalt our abundance of ocean water?

We can. And in some cases, we already do, but desalination comes with its own set of issues.

First up, extracting salt from water is energy intensive, which means the process adds to the CO2 emissions that helped fuel water scarcity in the first place.

Likerain, expensive desalination plants are unevenly distributed. Of the some 20,000 installations globally, around half are located in oil-rich Gulf nations. And overall, the vast majority serve high income countries.

So in Africa, where one in three people are already dealing with extreme water insecurity, access to desalinated water is very limited — especially in poor, under-resourced countries also hit with variable rainfall and crippling drought.

The other problem is brine. Once the fresh water has been separated, the salty leftovers are returned to the ocean, where they deplete oxygen and suffocate organisms.

Watch video 09:01
Can desalination quench the global thirst?

So where does that leave us?

Facing an uncertain future. And sometimes present — as the South African city of Cape Town knows too well. It was on the brink of running out of water in 2018, and had to resort to cutting down hundreds of thousands of trees to help its water supply.

The underground reservoir that feeds Mexico City is also down to a trickle during droughts, while tens of millions of people in the Western US have recently been told they will have to reduce their water use next year due to low levels in the country's largest artificial reservoir.

Meanwhile in El Paso, Texas, the city's water utility company is installing a water purification facility that by 2028 will treat and purify sewage water and pipe it back as natural water.

Drastic times call for drastic measures. Yet recycling waste water for drinking has been happening for decades in water scarce countries like Namibia. And it's way cheaper and more energy-efficient than desalination.

A leaked report by UN climate scientists — not due for release until 2022 — predicts that 350 million more people living in cities will suffer water scarcity from severe droughts at 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming — which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently told us could happen next decade. Unless we start cutting our greenhouse gas emissions now, warming and related water stress will be much worse.

Collecting sufficient water for a household is a time-consuming process in eSwatini, Swaziland, especially as a long walk to a spring is involved

Ok, but we can adapt, right?

Sort of. But only if we make some major lifestyle changes. And it won't be as simple as cutting down on showers and washing our clothes and cars less.

We will also have to take a long hard look at what we put into, and onto, our bodies. Like humans, some clothes and foods have a much higher water footprint than others.

A kilo of robust espresso coffee beans devours around 19,000 liters of water, while making a pair of jeans requires around 10,000 liters. And the grain-fed steak we like to order? One kilo of beef needs 15,000 liters of water. So do the math.

Meanwhile, a kilo of vegetables like carrots and tomatoes only uses around 200 liters. Even juicy grapefruits require a relatively minor 500 liters of water per kilo. Sure, it sounds like a lot, but remember the beef.

This food water footprint will become more important as the resource gets scarcer. To reduce it, we might also need to deal with our chocolate obsession: a kilo of chocolate consumes over 17,000 liters of water, while the almonds that sometimes go into it aren't far behind — indeed, in drought-stricken California, the thirsty nut trees are now being ripped out by farmers.

Watch video 02:03
How we all waste water

When relatively high income consumers in Europe or North America buy products that drain water from the Amazon or the central Asian Aral Sea to grow cotton for our jeans or t-shirts — they are consuming a lot of virtual water they can't see. An abstract reality, but a reality nonetheless.
What's the solution, live on carrots and wear hemp trousers?

It's one way to go. But it won't solve the problem alone.

Though according to Arjen Y. Hoekstra, the Dutch professor who invented the idea of the water footprint, cutting our meat consumption can reduce our water use by over 35%, even that is not going to be enough.

Agriculture, which uses 70% of our available fresh water and loses a lot of it to leaky pipes and evaporation, also has a role to play by ensuring efficient irrigation infrastructure.

Planting trees can also help. A study published earlier this year found that converting agricultural land to forest could boost rainfall, particularly in the summer.

But then there is the real elephant in the room; the ultimate water saving measure of climate change mitigation through rapid decarbonization.

Combined, these factors might be help save a lot of lives — and prevent those apocalyptic water wars.

WORLD WATER CONFLICTS: THE GLOBAL HOT SPOTS
Water conflicts worldwide
Water conflicts have more than doubled over the last 10 years compared to previous decades, research shows. Sometimes the essential resource is at the root of these clashes but more often than not, disputes over water alone will not spark violence. Instead, water can act as an accelerant when mixed together with other problems, such as poverty, inequality and hunger. 1234567

DW RECOMMENDS

Is Germany facing a water shortage crisis?

In recent years, record heat and low rainfall have taken a toll on Germany's groundwater, even in the winter. Experts say it's time to radically overhaul the way the country manages its water.

Bringing water to Tunisia's struggling farmers

Water scarcity is a major problem in Tunisia. Rainwater often goes to waste and groundwater is overused. Can new farming methods, cisterns and sustainable practices protect the resource for future generations?

Climate change puts pressure on failing Caribbean water supplies

The picturesque tropical islands are surrounded by water, yet shortages are a daily reality for many. Rising temperatures and low rainfall could make matters worse.

AUDIOS AND VIDEOS ON THE TOPIC


India: Farming despite water poverty 

Cape Town's 'day zero' avoided by tree clearing

Water scarcity hits Spain's avocado growers