Bulgaria's surveillance laws violate European human rights code, court rules

The ruling comes amid growing backlash over secret surveillance in Bulgaria. A lack of regulations in Bulgarian law has led to a situation where data "could be used for nefarious purposes," the court said.


A parliamentary inquiry last year found that Bulgarian authorities had eavesdropped on over 900 Bulgarian citizens — including journalists and activists

A top court ruled on Tuesday that Bulgaria's surveillance laws are in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights.

The ruling comes amid growing backlash over secret surveillance in Bulgaria, with a parliamentary committee last year revealing one of the biggest wire-tapping schemes in the country's history.

What did the court rule?

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was asked to evaluate Bulgaria's 1997 surveillance law, as well as several articles in the country's criminal code.

The court ruled that Bulgaria's legislation violated the human rights convention — particularly with regard to "respect for private life and correspondence," as well as with regard to "retention and accessing of communication data."

In the ruling, the court found that "there was a lack of proper judicial oversight over decisions to issue warrants" for surveillance.

The court also found that "the lack of clear regulation had led to a situation where surveillance data could be used for nefarious purposes."

The laws were "incapable" of ensuring that surveillance and the secret collection of communication data could be limited to "only that which was necessary."

The case was brought by two Bulgarian lawyers, as well as by two NGOs. They argued that their line of work put them at risk of both secret surveillance by the state as well as having their communications accessed by law enforcement.
What are Bulgaria's current laws?

Under the laws in Bulgaria, secret surveillance is legal when national security is threatened or when a "serious intentional offense" is expected.

Authorities are allowed to wiretap phones and intercept electronic communications, as well as conduct visual surveillance and "eavesdropping."

The laws are intended to cover cases in which there is suspicion of terrorism, murder, embezzlement and other high-level offenses. Most commonly it is used for drugs offenses and racketeering — although a parliamentary inquiry last year revealed the surveillance has been used in an array of other cases as well.
Secret surveillance under scrutiny

In August, a parliamentary commission found that secret services had eavesdropped on more than 900 Bulgarian citizens. Among those targeted were politicians, journalists and activists.

This period of secret surveillance against potential government critics took place from the start of anti-corruption protests in 2020 until May 2021. At the time, the country's center-right government was in power, but was voted from office last year.

The head of the parliamentary commission, Nikolai Hadzhigenov, said at the time that evidence pointed to one of the largest wiretapping scandals to be uncovered in the country in recent history.
What happens now?

As Bulgaria has been found to be in violation of the human rights code, the ECHR said the country must change its domestic laws.

New legislation must be compatible with the human rights convention.

Although Bulgaria has already taken steps to amend its laws after an earlier European court ruling, the measures would now need to be adapted to ensure the reigning in of surveillance measures.

This report was written in part with material from Reuters news agency.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn

Taliban release prominent Afghan academic Faizullah Jalal

Family members of the well-known professor Faizullah Jalal announced news of his release on social media. He had been arrested by the Taliban for "trying to instigate people."



The family of prominent academic Faizullah Jalal have confirmed his release

A well-known Afghan professor who had been arrested by the Taliban over the weekend has been freed.

Professor Faizullah Jalal was detained by the Islamist group on Saturday for allegedly making inflammatory statements on Twitter.

News of his release was made known by his daughter Hasina Jalal, who took to Twitter to confirm he had indeed been freed.

"After more than four days of detention on baseless charges," she wrote. "I confirm that Professor Jalal is now finally released!"

Why was Jalal arrested?

On Saturday, the academic's wife, Massouda Jalal, posted on Facebook that the militant group had taken the professor from his home and that he was "transferred to an unknown place."

The Taliban's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Saturday that Jalal had made statements on Twitter that "were provoking people against the government and playing with people's dignity.''

Jalal's family said that the account cited by the Taliban was not the professor and was a fake account.

Hasina Jalal said she had reported the matter to Twitter on January 5, adding that her father had never been active on the platform.

An outspoken critic

Shortly after news of Jalal's arrest circulated, there was an outpouring of support from various quarters. There was also condemnation with calls for the professor's immediate release.

Jalal has been an open critic of Afghanistan's leadership for years and has expressed his feelings on former Presidents Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani.

In November, Jalal clashed with Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem during a television debate.

In addition to being heavily critical of the Taliban's policies, he referred to Naeem as a "calf."

The professor was widely praised by Taliban critics for his courage in expressing his views. At the time, many social media users changed their profile pictures to that of Jalal.

Germany: Police carry out raids in connection with deadly floods

The raids focused on a landslide at a mine during last July's deadly floods. Although no one died at the site, the image of the gaping muddy crater was etched in the memory of those who survived — and sparked a probe.

The mine in the town of Erfstadt caused a landslide during last summer's floods after the ground gave way when the gravel pit flooded with water

German authorities carried out raids on Tuesday in connection with a mine that collapsed during last summer's floods.

The raids come six months after the devastating floods ripped through western and southern Germany — killing more than 180 people and causing billions in damage.
Why did the raids take place?

The raids on Tuesday centered on an open-cast mine in the western town of Erfstadt that gave way during torrential downpours on July 16, 2021.

More than 140 police officers took part in the operation, searching over 20 offices and residential addresses to gather evidence, German prosecutors said.

Authorities are investigating the mine's operator and five staff at the operations company, as well as four suspects in the Arnsberg district government.

An investigation into the collapse of the mine was launched on suspicion of negligence, as well as potential violation's of Germany's Mining Act.

"There is a suspicion that the accused could and should have recognized the conditions at the flood protection embankment and the pit embankments due to their professional involvement with the gravel pit and should have taken remedial action," said Ulrich Bremer, Cologne's senior public prosecutor.

Although no one was killed when the mine collapsed, prosecutors say the operators may have violated the law

What happened at the mine?

Throughout the day and overnight on July 16, western and southern Germany were hit with immense downpours.

Some areas saw over 200 liters per square meter (5 gallons per square foot) of rainfall within a short period of time, according to the German weather service.

During this time, many small creeks turned into raging streams, and rivers swelled far past their banks.

That was also the case near the mine under investigation. The mine is located near the Erft River.



AFTER THE FLOOD IN ERFTSTADT-BLESSEM
Rebuilding on the edge
After years of living in Erftstadt-Blessem, Maria Dunkel and her son, Thomas, are now a few dozen meters away from where a huge crater opened up following flooding three months ago. In this photo, Thomas points to where a landslide opened the earth near their home.
12345678

During the heavy rainfall, the mine's gravel pit filled with water and the ground later gave way — creating a landslide.

Several buildings at the site were swept away.

No one died at the site, but photographs of the giant, muddy crater at the mine has stayed in the memories of locals and others across Germany following the news.

Initial investigations appear to indicate that the flood protection embankment at the mining pit might not have been properly constructed. Furthermore, the embankments at the site may have been too steep.

Prosecutors said the raids sought to seize documents about the practices at the mine, and to determine if there was negligent behavior.

rs/wmr (dpa, AP)

How colonial powers presented people in 'human zoos'

Up into the 20th century, ethnological shows presented people as exotic objects. Two exhibitions shed light on the cruel colonial history

From the age of colonial exhibitions

The 267 women and men from the Belgian colony of Congo were housed somewhere in the back of the extensive park in the Brussels suburb of Tervuren, penned up as if they were in a petting zoo.

Brought to Belgium at the behest of King Leopold II, they were set up under the thatched-roof huts of a fake "Congo village" to be marveled at by the European public. Up to 40,000 visitors a day came to gawk at them at the 1897 World's Fair.

Seven Congolese had died by the time the fair ended. In their honor, the AfricaMuseum Tervuren — designed as a colonial museum in the late 19th century, and renovated and renamed several times since then — is now holding a special exhibition, which runs until March 5: "Human Zoos: The Age of Colonial Exhibitions."

Claim of superiority

At the Berlin Africa Conference of 1884-1885, 14 European nations divided up the continent among themselves.

Belgian King Leopold II was granted an area 80 times the size of his country as a private colony: the Congo.

Belgium claimed that it was "bringing civilization to Congo"

His "Africa Palace" museum in Tervuren, complete with living exhibits, left no doubt as to the European's claim to superiority: a brass plaque beneath a portrait of Leopold with two Black children read, "Belgium brings civilization to the Congo." In reality, the country's resources were ruthlessly exploited, the people abused as laborers, or brought to Europe and gawped at.

Popular pastime

The human zoo drew enormous crowds, said Maarten Couttenier, a historian and anthropologist and one of the three curators of the Brussels show. They literally presented people from the Congo as cavemen, dancing in raffia skirts, full of primitive desires, he told DW, adding they were never shown as intellectuals or artists or just normal people.

Belgian King Leopold II

It was not a regional phenomenon, either, Couttenier said. People of all races were exhibited, and shown everywhere, in Europe, America, Japan, and even in Africa, he says. But the mechanism was always the same, he added — visitors would see what was totally strange to them and "feel superior."

Pseudo science of racial types

In the heyday of European colonialism, "human zoos" — or exhibitions of groups such as Africans, Indigenous peoples of the Americas and the Sami from Scandinavia — traveled the countryside for popular amusement. They were set up along the lines of a crude "scientific" anthropology.

A 1903 diagram of "racial types" shows that racist fantasies of superiority considered non-European people to be nonhuman primates; the colonial powers were convinced of their own "civilized superiority."

Racial classification, presented as 'science'

In Germany, the Hamburg-based animal trader and zoo founder Carl Hagenbeck turned human zoos into a business model. The fairground showman Friedrich Wilhelm Siebold displayed people at the Munich Oktoberfest until 1931.

Berlin exhibition also looks back at its human zoos

The first colonial exhibition in Germany was held in 1896. As part of a trade show in Berlin, organizers had set up a village in a park in the city's Treptow district, dubbing it with a derogatory term for Black people.

Lured by false promises, more than 106 Africans from the German colonies were brought to Berlin, where they were forced to present themselves to the astonished public for seven months as villagers in exotic costumes. They were repeatedly subjected to publicly humiliating medical or "racial" examinations.

"Looking Back" is the first permanent exhibition on colonialism, racism and

 Black resistance in a public museum in Berlin

"Zurückgeschaut" (Looking Back), an updated permanent exhibition at the Museum Treptow that reopened in October 2021, sheds light on this dark chapter and traces the biographies of the people who were reduced to objects.

It also shows how the colonial masters suddenly encountered resistance when the living exhibits stepped out of the role assigned to them.

For example, Kwelle Ndumbe, from Cameroon, bought an opera glass and used it to stare at the audience.

The same mechanisms today

The concept of the racist gaze underlying the human zoos still exists today, Couttenier said. He has colleagues with darker skin color who face it every day, for instance when looking for an apartment or a job. It's always the same process, he says: defining an otherness in order to be able to say, "I'm better than you."

Children are not born racists, he said: "We raise our children to see people as different and inferior."

White House task force aims to promote scientific integrity

Eric Lander, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, said violations of scientific integrity may be small, but they can significantly "undermine federal decision-making and public trust in science." File Photo by Erin Scott/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- A report released Tuesday from the White House Science Integrity Task Force says its wants to restore trust in government through scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking.

The 67-page report said the task force seeks to "ensure that science is conducted, managed, communicated and used in ways that preserve its accuracy and objectivity and protect it from suppression, manipulation and inappropriate influence -- including political interference."

The task force, part of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, makes no mention of COVID-19 but maintaining the public's trust in scientific-based information about coronavirus, for example, has been a challenge since President Joe Biden's administration took office a year ago.

Former President Donald Trump and his supporters frequently attacked scientists and health officials during the pandemic. At an October 2020 rally in Arizona, for example, Trump mocked Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and downplayed the effects of COVID-19.

Environmentalists and climate scientists expressed concern about the Trump administration's policies, accusing officials of spreading false information about climate change. In one example, Trump used a Sharpie on Sept. 4, 2019, to expand the projected path of Hurricane Dorian.

Biden's science adviser, Eric Lander, director of the Office of Science and Technology, said, "The health, safety, and prosperity of the American people depend on reliable, technically sound policies and communications from the federal government. This report is a comprehensive federal assessment of what's needed to protect science -- and scientists and technologists -- within the U.S. government, and a clear government-wide policy statement calling for decision-making at all levels to be informed by science without interference."

While violations of scientific integrity are small, Lander said they can significantly "undermine federal decision-making and public trust in science."

The report called for the need to deter "inappropriate influence in the conduct, management, communication and use of science." It also urges all federal agencies to develop, implement and periodically update scientific integrity policies.

Among many recommendations, the report called for protecting the integrity of the research process that includes shielding data collection and analysis from interference; encouraging legitimate scientific debates while minimizing disputes that serve a desired outcome or interest; encouraging continued professional development of federal scientists; and applying conflict-of-interest rules to all those involved in the conduct, management, communication and use of science, including those on scientific advisory committees.

The report also said scientific integrity policies should be modernized to address important, emergent issues of our time.

Those policies, the task force said, "must advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; address new concerns arising from the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning; and apply to emerging modes of science, such as citizen science and community-engaged research with Federal involvement."

Vietnamese electric carmaker VinFast to launch autonomous vehicles

By Kim Hye-ran & Kim Tae-gyu, UPI News Korea

VinFast Chief Technology Officer Bae Hong-sang speaks during the Consumer Electronics Show last week in Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of VinFast

SEOUL, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Vietnamese electric carmaker VinFast plans to launch autonomous vehicles this year and next, the company told UPI News Korea.

VinFest displayed five models last week during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, including the VF8, which would start at $41,000, and the VF9 at $56,000. Those models are expected to roll out this year.

The startup's team includes Chief Technology Officer Bae Hong-sang, a former executive at Samsung Electronics.

Bae said in an interview that VinFast is planning to launch Level 3 autonomous vehicles next year.

"Our VF8 and VF9 models - to be launched later this year - will be Level 2 models. Beginning late next year, Level 3 and Level 4 models will hit the market," Bae said.

Level 2 models have limited hands-free capabilities, while Level 3 models still require a driver to be ready to take control in an emergency. Level 4 vehicles, however, do not require a driver behind the wheel.

Bae, who earned a Ph.D. at Stanford University, is regarded as an expert in autonomous driving. Previously, he developed driverless cars at General Motors and Faraday Future.

Bae said VinFast is exploring whether to produce battery cells in-house. Currently, South Korea's Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solution provide battery cells to the company.

"We are already preparing to design and manufacture battery modules and battery packs. A discussion is underway whether to do the same for battery cells," he said.

An assembly of battery cells forms a battery module of an electric vehicle, and multiple battery modules are called a "pack."

VinFast was founded in 2017 in Hai Phong and released its first model in early 2019.

This year, the company announced its all-electric strategy, scrapping the production of cars powered by an internal combustion engine.

NASA's new chief scientist to focus on Earth, climate change
By Paul Brinkmann & Megan Hadley

Kate Calvin was introduced NASA's new chief scientist and senior climate adviser Monday at a press briefing with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

 Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- NASA's growing emphasis on Earth and climate science took sharper focus this week with the appointment of an Earth scientist, Katherine Calvin, to the agency's chief scientist position.

Calvin also will serve as senior climate officer, a new title at the agency, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a press conference Tuesday.

"This is really a big deal for us... We've chosen to elevate this senior climate adviser position" to reflect new emphasis on climate change in the Biden administration, Nelson said.

Calvin has been a contributor to several major publications on climate change, including the third U.S. National Climate Assessment and two special reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.



Calvin will help guide NASA as it prepares to launch a series of new Earth observation satellites expected to offer the most complete, accurate and integrated data on how and why the climate is changing, she said in the press conference.

The first of those missions, called NISAR, is planned for launch in January 2023 in cooperation with the Indian Space Research Organization.

RELATED Harris says space technology to play a key role in addressing climate change

Those missions "will work together to create a 3-D, holistic view of the Earth... to help measure changes in the Earth's surface which will help us understand things like ice sheet collapse and landslides," Calvin said. "There's a lot more planned, and I'm looking forward to learning all of that as I settle in at NASA."

NASA launches and operates satellites that monitor weather, the climate and other Earth processes. Other agencies like the National Weather Service and Federal Emergency Management Agency use data from such spacecraft, Nelson noted.

Calvin "will bring her expertise in integrated human-Earth system modeling to help ensure the Biden Administration has the data needed to achieve the critical goal of protecting our planet," Nelson said.

She plans to focus on connecting climate science research with the rest of NASA's research portfolio.

Among the projects Calvin will consider is how the water recycling system onboard the International Space Station could help communities on Earth struggling with drought and whether ISS carbon capture technologies might also apply to needs on the ground.

'No path ahead but the sea': Lebanese join migrant flow to EU






2 / 6
'No path ahead but the sea': Lebanese join migrant flow to EUBilal Moussa, 34, smokes near the waters off Tripoli that almost swallowed him -- but he vows to try again to flee Lebanon's poverty (AFP/JOSEPH EID)

Hashem Osseiran
Mon, January 10, 2022,

If he wasn't making good money smuggling irregular migrants to the European Union by sea, Ibrahim himself might have joined the growing exodus from crisis-hit Lebanon.

"If I didn't work in this profession, I would have left, just like so many other people," said the 42-year-old trafficker, who asked to use a pseudonym when he spoke to AFP in the northern city of Tripoli.

"Maybe I would have turned to someone to smuggle me out," he said, his face hidden by an anti-Covid surgical mask and a hoodie.


Lebanon, in the throes of a brutal economic crisis, is no longer just a launchpad for Syrian refugees and other foreign migrants.

Its own desperate citizens now also risk drowning in the Mediterranean in their quest for a better life.

Ibrahim argues that, while having smuggled around 100 Lebanese nationals to Europe since 2019 makes him no angel, there is virtue in helping his compatriots.

"I get them out of here, out of this beggar's life," he said. "At least if they are put in a camp, they can eat and drink with dignity."

Ibrahim said he took pride in taking only Lebanese nationals on his boats, and even then, only those who can produce civil registry documents.

"I get requests from Palestinians and Syrians but I am responsible only for my own countrymen," said Ibrahim, a former school bus driver whose tumbling income led him to people smuggling.

"There are many Lebanese who want to leave... They are ready to sell their houses, sell their cars, sell everything, just to make it out."

- Sinking ship -

Lebanon, a country of around six million people, is like a sinking ship, grappling with an unprecedented financial crisis that the World Bank says is on a scale usually associated with wars.

The currency has crashed, people's purchasing power has plummeted and the monthly minimum wage is now worth $22.

The UN's refugee agency UNHCR said at least 1,570 individuals, including 186 Lebanese nationals, had embarked or tried to embark on illicit sea journeys from Lebanon between January and November 2021.

Most were hoping to reach European Union member Cyprus, an island 175 kilometres (109 miles) away.

This is up from 270 passengers, including 40 Lebanese in 2019, UNHCR spokesperson Lisa Abou Khaled told AFP.

"In previous years, the vast majority of passengers were Syrians, while in 2020 and 2021, a notable number of Lebanese joined these movements," she said.

Lives have been lost, including those of two little children, during attempted crossings over the past two years, though there is little data and no exact toll.

The Lebanese army said it is diligently monitoring the 225 kilometre coastline with radar systems and patrol boats.

A joint maritime operations room facilitates coordination between naval forces and other security agencies as well authorities in Cyprus.

"In 2020, the navy succeeded in seizing about 20 boats and detaining 596 people," the army said.

The army said that "Lebanese nationals who know their way around the country's coastline" are the most common smuggling culprits.

They include Ibrahim who said he organised an illicit sea crossing to Europe in 2019 for a Lebanese family of five now residing in Germany.

Since then, he said he has organised nine others, including his latest in September which saw 25 Lebanese nationals arrive in Italy.

With prices ranging from $2,500 per person for a trip to Cyprus to up to $7,000 to get to Italy, Ibrahim said he can make up to $5,000 profit from a single boat journey.

"We used to have to advertise our trips," he said. "Now people come running to us."

- 'No future' -

Sitting on a bench on Tripoli's coast, Bilal Moussa, 34, was watching the giant waves that almost swallowed him in November.

Taking a long drag from a cigarette, the father of three said he would try again.

"There is no future here, not for us and not for our children," said Moussa, who quit his supermarket job because his monthly salary of $55 barely paid for his commute.

In September, Moussa decided to attempt the sea voyage to Italy.

He sold his car and borrowed $1,500 from a friend to cover the $4,000 for the trip.

On November 19, Moussa packed a small duffel bag and left his home in the Dinniyeh region without even telling his wife.

When he reached the Tripoli meeting point, he found around 90 passengers clambering onto a truck that would drive them to the Qalamoun region from where they would depart.

They included 15 Palestinians and 10 Syrians, while the rest were Lebanese.

"We had 35 children on board, and around 20 women," he said.

Two hours after the 18-meter (60-foot) craft set sail, a navy boat took chase and ordered the captain back.

Their overcrowded craft started taking on water from the wake of the patrol boat, but the captain sped off and lost his tail after an hour-long white-knuckle chase.

The next terrifying moment came when the engine broke down and the boat started to sink, in the dark.

Panicked passengers started throwing suitcases and fuel tanks overboard.

Moussa and others contacted relatives back home to send help, which arrived several hours later.

A Lebanese army ship came and towed them back ashore, where passengers were interrogated and then released.

"I felt defeated because I came back, because I didn't make it," Moussa said.

"But I am going to leave again... We have no path ahead but the sea."

ho/jmm/fz

What to expect from the world's sixth mass extinction

Humans alive today are witnessing the beginning of the first mass extinction in 65 million years. What does biodiversity loss mean for us and the environment?


The impacts of biodiversity loss could have wide-ranging impacts

About 65 million years after the last mass extinction, which marked the end of dinosaurs roaming the planet, scientists are warning that we are in the early throes of another such annihilation event. Unlike any other, this sixth mass die-off — or Anthropocene extinction — is the only one caused by humans, and climate change, habitat destruction, pollution and industrial agriculture all play a hand.

In mass extinctions, at least three-quarters of all species cease to exist within about 3 million years. Some scientists believe that at our current rate, we could be on track to lose that number within a few centuries.

Over the next few decades alone, at least 1 million species are at risk of being wiped out. That's according to an estimate in a landmark report published in 2019 — but many scientists say it could well be an undercount.

Trying to predict the results of a complete collapse in biodiversity is almost a black art — ecosystems are incredibly complex.

Scientists agree, however, that there are several clear predictions should extinctions continue at this rate. And all the effects are inextricably linked, like a game of Jenga.
Loss of food security

"I think the first thing we'll see is that our food supply starts to dwindle quite markedly, because so much of our food depends on pollination," said Corey Bradshaw, a professor of global ecology at Flinders University in South Australia, who uses mathematical models to show the interplay between humans and ecosystems.


Bees play a vital role in ensuring our food security

About one-third of the world's food supply relies on pollinators such as bees, and, if they die out, agricultural yields could plummet, Bradshaw said.

Some crop pests may thrive as predators drop off, further impacting monoculture harvests.

And millions of people rely on wild species for nutrition and their livelihoods, particularly on coastal and inland fisheries, which are especially vulnerable to disappearing.

According to Bradshaw, this lack of food security, which will also be connected to increased drought and flooding, will hit poorer regions hardest — particularly sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Southeast Asia.
Soil fertility

The quality of soil is also expected to deteriorate if critical microorganisms die off. Though underrepresented in the data, some researchers believe they are potentially vanishing at a faster rate than other species. Their disappearance could lead to worsening erosion, which in turn results in more floods, as well as poorer fertility, which again impacts crop growth.

Healthy soils rely on microorganisms that some scientists say are dying out at rapid rates

Colman O'Criodain, the policy manager for conservation organization WWF International, said this was particularly dangerous.

"The organic matter in a way is kind of like the glue that holds everything together. If you think of it like a Christmas pudding, it has some dry ingredients like breadcrumbs and flour and dried fruits, but it's the eggs and the stout and so on that hold it together and make it soft and mushy and give it its shape," O'Criodain said.
Water shortages and natural disasters

A lot of the world's fresh water comes from wetlands that purify and redistribute this life source. The Himalayan water tower for example, which is fed by rivers and wetlands, supplies about two billion people. If systems like these collapse, as a result of impacts including algae blooms and receding vegetation, humanity could lose a lot of water for drinking and agricultural use.

As forests recede, rainfall patterns are likely to shift as evapotranspiration — the process in which moisture is returned to the atmosphere through evaporation and plant transpiration — is affected, further drying out the landscape, as has been seen in the Amazon.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that about 10 million hectares (24 million acres) of forest were cut down annually from 2015.

The Amazon rainforest is under threat from deforestation

And with the loss of trees and vegetation — fundamental regulators of atmospheric carbon dioxide — climate change is expected to worsen, triggering more extreme weather events. Drier conditions and unhealthy forests also increase the risk of wildfire.

Meanwhile, crop failures and other ecological threats will likely trigger mass migrations as people escape famine and conflict over dwindling resources.
Loss of resilience and more pandemics

"What we have done as humans is simplify the whole planet, especially the production ecosystems, to such an extent that they have become vulnerable," Carl Folke, a transdisciplinary environmental scientist and the founder of the Stockholm Resilience Centre for research into sustainability science, told DW.

"Resilience is often called the science of surprise. If you are living with very stable conditions and everything is predictable, you don't need that buffer of biodiversity. But if you're living in more turbulent times with more unpredictable situations, that type of portfolio of options becomes extremely important," Folke said.

Teams of researchers around the world are studying species from which another pandemic could possibly emerge

Researchers have also warned that loss of biodiversity could lead to an increased risk of pandemics as wild animals and humans come into closer contact through habitat fragmentation and disruption of natural systems.

The oft-cited example of this already happening is the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, believed to have been caused by children playing in a hollowed-out tree full of bats. Though the origin of COVID is still unclear, the results of some scientific studies link it to wild bats.
A fundamental loss of heritage, culture and the intangible

These effects are only those that can be quantified. For many conservationists and scientists, recklessly allowing species to go extinct is akin to vandalism. Even if we survive and avoid the catastrophic consequences, the world would be greatly and irreversibly diminished by mass extinctions.

The most tragic losses could be those we cannot even see.

"Think about the consequences of extinction as burning an art gallery. So you're not even thinking about a potential direct value at all, but you're thinking about the intangible loss of the World Heritage," said Thomas Brooks, the chief scientist at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"Remember, any single species is a product of millions of years of evolution. You're looking at the loss of what makes humanity part of the planet. You're looking at what makes us whole," he continued.



Conservationists are calling for large swaths of the earth to be turned into actively managed conservation areas

Can species loss be reversed?

Despite these catastrophic predictions, there is some cause for optimism. If humans do something.

"There are what sometimes appear to be insurmountable odds facing conservation of life on Earth. But, on the other hand, there are also very many inspiring stories of success, and examples of cases where people have been able to turn the tide, to put in place actions that allow the curve to be bent or the trends to go in the right direction," Brooks said.

And Brooks is intimately familiar with the challenges faced. The IUCN painstakingly produces the Red List, which forms the fundamental basis of scientific insights into species loss.

Research shows that conservation efforts work. A recent study found that had it not been for conservation interventions, losses would have been three to four times worse since 1993.

Scaling up conservation success stories — such as the reintroduction of beavers in Europe — appears to be a key weapon in the battle against biodiversity loss.

Elizabeth L. Bennett, the Wildlife Conservation Society's vice president for species conservation, is adamant that setting aside large conservation areas can make a significant difference to biodiversity.

"If it's in the right places and very well planned and very well managed, then it will certainly help a lot," she said.

As a first step to that goal, the Wildlife Conservation Society is pushing for the adoption of the "30 by 30" agreement at the Kunming Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) in spring, in which 30% of lands and seas would be placed under protection by 2030 — roughly double what the world has now.

Achieving that would be a good start, but any agreements struck at COP15 will only be the beginning of a long journey.

As the WWF's O'Criodain put it: "We all look back to when we passed our final exams and we thought for certain that the world was our oyster. Really, it's one step, but there's still plenty of time to mess up our lives."


7 WAYS HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT WILL BENEFIT HUMAN HEALTH
Link between CO2 and less nutritious food
Cutting greenhouse gas emissions would not only slow global heating, it would also ensure our food remains nutritious. When plants absorb excess CO2, they produce less protein and fewer nutrients like zinc and iron. Deficiencies in those nutrients can result in many health problems, especially in children. If CO2 keeps rising, hundreds of millions more people will face chronic undernutrition.
1234567

DW RECOMMENDS

Zero deforestation commitment: Empty promises or a workable plan?

A pledge to end deforestation by 2030 is the first headline agreement from COP26. But environmentalists say the world's forests will not be saved by a political declaration alone, with one signatory already backtracking.

Strategies for survival: How to reverse biodiversity loss

Biodiversity sustains us and all life on Earth. But unchecked human activity is pushing a record number of species to extinction. These strategies are used to bring some back from the brink.

China: Over 100 nations to adopt 'Kunming Declaration' to boost biodiversity

Amid an unprecedented extinction event, scientists have warned that protecting biodiversity is essential to protecting human life. However, experts are unsure whether China has the experience to lead a global effort.
AUDIOS AND VIDEOS ON THE TOPIC


Habitat loss: Addressing a global problem

COVID two years on: World still awaits answers about virus origin

Two years after China reported the first COVID death in Wuhan, it remains difficult for the world to get a clear picture about the origin of SARS-CoV-2.



Public health experts have different views on whether it is still possible to trace the origin of the virus

Tuesday marks two years since the first known death in the COVID-19 pandemic was reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. It was here that the virus was first detected and began spreading among the population on a large scale.

Since then, more than 5 million people have died across the world, and more than 300 million people have been infected.

Despite the huge cost that the world has paid over the past two years, the international community is still seeking answers about the initial outbreak that took place in China.

US President Joe Biden ordered the American intelligence community to conduct investigations into the origin of the virus , while the World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly urged Beijing to share data about the initial outbreak in Wuhan.
No clarity on virus origin

Last January, the WHO sent a team of scientists to China to carry out an investigation, a process that was closely scrutinized by the Chinese government.

The team concluded that it was extremely unlikely that the virus leaked from a lab. The team also claimed that the virus may have jumped from animals to humans.

The results were met with skepticism and experts urged the WHO to launch further investigations after failing to provide clear evidence about the origin of the virus. Even though the WHO tried to revive the investigation, China has rejected the global health body's plan, emphasizing that Beijing can't accept another origin-tracing probe.

Zeng Yixin, the vice minister of the National Health Commission, said in July 2021 that China had always supported "scientific virus tracing," but that Beijing was opposed to politicizing the tracing work.

Two years since China reported the first COVID death, public health experts have different views on whether it is still possible to trace the origin of the virus.

"If this is a naturally occurring epidemic and if China had no system to track and detect it in 2020, it will be impossible to trace what happened in Wuhan two years ago," said Mei-Shang Ho, a research fellow at the Institute of biomedical sciences at Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

"Another scenario would be that the virus was leaked from a lab, and the only possible way for us to know more about the origin of the virus would be if someone is willing to share the information with the outside world," she added, pointing out that "Chinese authorities may try to cover it up and the researchers may not have the power to disclose the information."

A highly politicized issue

Some experts think the highly politicized nature of the investigation has made it difficult for scientists to gain insights into the origin of COVID.

"From the beginning, it was pretty much politicized, and that largely disabled any investigation into the source of the virus," said Xi Chen, an associate professor of health policy and economics at the Yale School of Public Health.

"I don't know how this can be solved and how the international community can rebuild the trust to restart or initiate this effort to trace the source of the virus, as well as how to avoid this from happening in the future," he told DW.

Chunhuei Chi, director of the Center for Global Health at Oregon State University in the US, says that the most serious mistake committed by China is not its refusal to share information about the origin of the virus, but its attempt to suppress information about its spread among the population in Wuhan in the initial stage.

"We have evidence suggesting that the virus had started spreading in Wuhan in November 2019, so why did the Chinese government cover it up in the first place?" he said. "It caused both the Chinese people and the whole world to suffer. Their initial decision to hide these facts is the typical way that authoritarian governments have been reacting to the crisis."

Two years after the outbreak began in Wuhan, China has once again imposed strict measures on several cities to curb the spread of coronavirus variants within its border. About 13 million people in the Chinese city of Xi'an went into lockdown last month, and some have posted information about alleged human rights violations on Chinese social media.

Officials have faced complaints from the city residents over chaotic handling of the lockdown, including poor access to food and daily essentials.

On Tuesday, at least 5 million residents in the Chinese city Anyang in Henan Province were also ordered to stay home by local authorities as the province became the latest hotspot for China's domestic outbreak.

Some have argued that these strict measures reminded them of the strategies that the Chinese authorities used in Wuhan two years ago.

Experts also have different explanations as to why China is still upholding the "zero COVID" strategy two years after the virus first emerged.

Beijing has long touted its strict response to COVID as preferable to the at times lax and chaotic measures overseas.

The country's official tally since the start of the pandemic — just over 100,000 COVID cases — is a fraction of the record one million cases logged by the US in a single day earlier this month. The official death toll has stayed under 5,000.

The country effectively cut itself off from the world in March 2020, and virtually banned foreigners from entering. Since then, travel restrictions have eased slightly.

But international tourism is non-existent and the government has said it will not renew expiring Chinese passports unless the holder has a good reason for travel.

Mei-Shang Ho believes that one major reason for Beijing's zero COVID strategy is the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing, as Chinese authorities want to make sure that the event won't be derailed by the virus outbreaks.

"They want to continue to hold the Winter Olympics regardless of the price they may have to pay," she told DW.

Reopening not on the agenda

Xi Chen from Yale thinks Beijing's persistence in sticking with the zero COVID strategy reflects the gap between different cities' facilities and coping mechanisms.

"There is a huge variation in terms of how authorities in different cities might handle the pandemic," he told DW.

"If China reopens too soon, some parts of the country will not be able to manage it as well as the other parts. It's something that looks alarming to them so they are trying to maintain the zero COVID policy. They don't know exactly what could happen," he added.

Furthermore, the emerging variants have convinced Beijing to believe that the pandemic will last much longer, Chen said. "That's why they have strengthened their strategies in dealing with COVID because this is something they have learned from other countries' experiences."

With the highly transmissible omicron variant now spreading in several parts of China, Chen thinks it will be more than one year before China puts reopening on its agenda.

"The issue of reopening is almost like a taboo in China as journalists don't ask relevant questions and no one is making predictions about what might happen if China decides to reopen," he said. "It might happen in China one year from now, but it's definitely not on the agenda for 2022."

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru