USA National Economic Burden of PTSD Is “Staggering” – More Than $230 Billion in Annual Costs

By VETERANS AFFAIRS RESEARCH APRIL 25, 2022

U.S. civilian, military populations combine for more than $230 billion in annual costs.

A new study finds that the national economic burden of PTSD goes beyond direct health care expenses and exceeds the costs of other common mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression.

The researchers estimated the cost of PTSD at $232.2 billion for 2018, the latest year for which data were available at the time of the study. They called for increased awareness of PTSD, more effective therapies, and the expansion of evidence-based strategies to “reduce the large clinical and economic burden” of that mental health condition.

The results appeared online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry today (April 25, 2022).

“The $232 billion annual economic burden of PTSD in the U.S. demonstrated in this study is staggering and fuels the urgency for public and private stakeholders to work together to discover new and better treatments, reduce stigma, improve access to existing treatments, and expand evidence-based recovery and rehabilitation programs,” the researchers write.

Dr. Lori Davis, the associate chief of staff for research at the Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Alabama, led the study. She and her team used insurance claims data, academic literature, and government publications to estimate the costs of PTSD in both the U.S. civilian and military populations. The latter cohort included active-duty military and veterans.

A study led by Dr. Lori Davis of the Tuscaloosa VA brought to light the extent to which PTSD not only impacts Veterans and active-duty military, but civilians, as well. Credit: Mike Harris

Understanding the complex nature of posttraumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD, is one of VA’s most pressing challenges. The agency says many veterans who fought in Vietnam, the Gulf War, and the post-9/11 conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have had that mental health condition sometime in their lives.

PTSD symptoms are well documented: re-experiencing of trauma through flashbacks and nightmares; avoidance of reminders of a traumatic event; changes in thoughts and feelings, such as guilt and emotional numbing; insomnia; and hyperarousal.

In the study, the investigators brought to light the extent to which PTSD not only impacts veterans, but civilians, as well. The research team found that civilians accounted for 82% of the total PTSD costs, compared with 18% for the military population. That disparity is predicated on the fact that the number of civilians far exceeds that of active-duty military and veterans. Although PTSD is more prevalent in the military, the number of civilians with PTSD still tops the number of Veterans with that condition.

Davis and her colleagues noted that more studies on PTSD and its treatments are needed to address the rise in civilians with PTSD, calling that phenomenon a “rapidly accumulating societal burden.” Improved access to effective treatments is also needed, especially for people in economically vulnerable situations,” she noted.

“Much of the research and legislative response on PTSD has focused on combat-exposed populations due to the high prevalence of the condition among the military population,” the researchers write. “However, the military population composed a small proportion of the overall U.S. population with PTSD.

“With the increasing occurrence of national and societal traumatic events around the world, including COVID-19, civil unrest, and climate change, there is mounting concern of an increase in PTSD and burden in the civilian population. As such, the current cost estimate is likely an underestimation given these recent global traumas, the effects of which would not have been captured and are likely to result in increasing negative repercussions.”

Although civilians accounted for more than three times the total PTSD costs, the annual costs per civilian with PTSD ($18,640) were lower than that in the military population ($25,684). In the civilian population, direct health care and unemployment costs accounted for the economic burden, while disability and direct health care costs drove the burden in the military population. Non-direct health costs such as disability payments are higher in military populations, according to Davis. The expansion of supported employment services for PTSD patients is overdue and could address the growing disability and unemployment crisis in veterans, she says.

The researchers also found that women represented 66% and 74% of the overall and civilian population with PTSD, respectively, thereby contributing disproportionally to the national costs. Research has shown that trauma-exposed women show higher levels of PTSD symptoms than trauma-exposed men. Plus, traumas such as sexual assault and domestic violence tend to affect more women than men and represent important areas for prevention and treatment.

The study notes that the substantial economic burden of PTSD highlights the “urgent and unmet” need for treating and rehabilitating people with the disorder.

“Experts agree that there is a long-standing crisis in pharmacologic drug development for the treatment of PTSD, as no medication has been FDA-approved for PTSD since the only two marketed agents were approved 20 years ago,” the researchers write. “Additionally, there is a scarcity of evidence on the impact of available pharmacologic and psychological treatments and the interplay between the two on patient-centered outcomes, such as quality of life, well-being, interpersonal relationships, and occupational functioning. A burden that is often ignored in economic calculations is the cost for psychotherapy not covered under health plans, which represents a significant out-of-pocket [expense] for someone with PTSD, as demonstrated in the current study.”

What does all of this mean for getting PTSD costs under control in the future?

“It is important to remember that we have effective treatments for PTSD,” says Dr. Paula Schnurr, executive director of VA’s National Center for PTSD. “One potential implication of this study’s findings is that increasing treatment could reduce not only the symptom burden on people but also the economic costs to society as a whole.”

Reference: “The Economic Burden of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the United States From a Societal Perspective” by Lori L. Davis, MD; Jeff Schein, DrPH, MPH; Martin Cloutier, MSc; Patrick Gagnon-Sanschagrin, MSc; Jessica Maitland, MScPH; Annette Urganus, MPH; Annie Guerin, MSc; Patrick Lefebvre, MA and Christy R. Houle, PhD, MPH, 25 April 2022, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
DOI: 10.4088/JCP.21m14116

MOTORCITY

Packard plant owner missed deadline to file demolition permits

The city might need to tear down the plant on its own

RONAN GLON

Apr 25th 2022 

The saga of the derelict Packard plant took an unexpected turn when its owner, Peruvian businessman Fernando Palazuelo, missed a court-ordered deadline to file required demolition permits in April 2022. The city might need to take the facility's demolition into its own hands.

Palazuelo was ordered to begin tearing down the plant by the middle of May by a Detroit court on March 31, 2022, and local news channel Click on Detroit reported that he had until April 21 to obtain the required permits. City officials confirmed to the outlet that this deadline has been missed, and what happens next isn't clear. Detroit is considering tearing down the plant itself and sending Palazuelo a bill for the work.

Largely vacant for decades, the Packard Plant holds the dubious honor of being one of the largest industrial ruins in the world. Tearing it down is considerably more difficult and a lot more expensive than it might sound: the Detroit Free Press estimates that the demolition will cost at least $10 million. As we previously reported, collecting that debt from Palazuelo may become a significant challenge for city officials.

It sounds like, one way or another, the Packard Plant's days are numbered — the bridge stretching across East Grand Boulevard collapsed in 2020, and the facility was declared a public nuisance by Wayne County Circuit Judge Brian Sullivan. Local residents told Click on Detroit that they're worried kids will break into the property and get hurt during the day, and that they fear for their own safety at night.

Palazuelo hasn't commented on the report, so we don't know why he didn't file the required permits in time. However, he has previously criticized city officials for not supporting his ambitious development plans, which included residential, commercial, industrial and art spaces. He even planned to build a go-kart track on the site. He also claims to have invested approximately $7 million into the property since buying it for $405,000 at the 2013 Wayne County tax auction; he notably set up security around the site and began removing asbestos.

What's also unclear is what — if anything — will replace the Packard Plant.

Most local residents consider the Packard Plant an eyesore, but some still see potential in the site. In 2021, Detroit-based Wallace Guitars teamed up with Jeep to release a guitar designed as a tribute to the Motor City and built using wood sourced from the factory's ruins.

Egypt: Ruins of ancient temple for Zeus unearthed in Sinai




This undated photo provided by the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry on Monday, April 25, 2022, shows archeologists working in the ruins of a temple for Zeus-Kasios, the ancient Greek god, at the Tell el-Farma archaeological site in the northwestern corner of the Sinai Peninsula. Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times.

 (Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry via AP)


SAMY MAGDY
Mon, April 25, 2022

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian archaeologists unearthed the ruins of a temple for the ancient Greek god Zeus in the Sinai Peninsula, antiquities authorities said Monday.

The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said in a statement the temple ruins were found in the Tell el-Farma archaeological site in northwestern Sinai.

Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. There are also remains dating to the Christian and early Islamic periods.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said archaeologists excavated the temple ruins through its entrance gate, where two huge fallen granite columns were visible. The gate was destroyed in a powerful earthquake in ancient times, he said.

Waziri said the ruins were found between the Pelusium Fort and a memorial church at the site. Archaeologists found a set of granite blocks probably used to build a staircase for worshipers to reach the temple.

Excavations at the area date back to early 1900 when French Egyptologist Jean Clédat found ancient Greek inscriptions that showed the existence of the Zeus-Kasios temple but he didn’t unearth it, according to the ministry.

Zeus-Kasios is a conflation of Zeus, the God of the sky in ancient Greek mythology, and Mount Kasios in Syria, where Zeus once worshipped.

Hisham Hussein, the director of Sinai archaeological sites, said inscriptions found in the area show that Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-138) renovated the temple.

He said experts will study the unearthed blocks and do a photogrammetry survey to help determine the architectural design of the temple.

The temple ruins are the latest in a series of ancient discoveries Egypt has touted in the past couple of years in the hope of attracting more tourists.

The tourism industry has been reeling from the political turmoil following the 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The sector was also dealt further blows by the coronavirus pandemic and most recently Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

 Hong Kong Foreign Correspondent's Club suspends human rights award over legal fears

Citing legal concerns, the club has suspended the 26th edition of its human rights reporting award. Hong Kong's national security laws have stifled free press in the former bastion of democracy.

The club was reportedly worried about awarding Stand News, which shut down in December 

after several top editors were arrested

The Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club has canceled its annual human rights reporting award over fears it will violate repressive new laws, it announced on Monday.

FCC president Keith Richburg said in a statement that the club could not find a feasible way to award the prize without running afoul of new rules.

"Over the last two years, journalists in Hong Kong have been operating under new 'red lines' on what is and is not permissible, but there remain significant areas of uncertainty and we do not wish unintentionally to violate the law. This is the context in which we decided to suspend the awards," he said in a statement.

"The FCC intends to continue promoting press freedom in Hong Kong, while recognizing that recent developments might also require changes to our approach."

Broad restrictions on journalism

Following about a year of massive pro-democratic protests in Hong Kong, Beijing imposed a series of repressive measures in the former British territory. The national security laws include broad restrictions on democratic activities, freedom of speech and freedom of the press, forcing publishers and journalists to heavily self-censor under threat of jail terms. Unable to get the rules through Hong Kong's legislature, Beijing had to impose them on the territory. 

Former winners of the Human Rights Press Awards said they were disappointed by the decision, and members of the selection committee announced their resignation.

Timothy McLaughlin, who was on the committee and previously won the award, said the decision was "angering and sad."

Shibani Mahtani, who has served on the award committee for three years and was also a recipient, said the suspension showed that the club may not be able to serve its core purpose any more.

Mary Hui, who also resigned from the committee, highlighted the fact that the club appeared to have deleted its mission statement of "defend press freedom in Hong Kong and across the region" from its website.

In 2021, the awards recognized journalists that exposed government plots to extradite citizens, police brutality, government repression, coronavirus lockdowns in mainland China and human rights issues across Asia.

The awards have been handed out for the past 25 years.

The Reuters news agency reported that club president Richburg had earlier told the award committee that the decision was taken to protect its staff and members from legal risks, citing the minutes of a meeting.

The potential risks reportedly arose from proposed awards for Stand News, a liberal online news portal that shut down after severa

ERDOGAN DICKTATUER
Turkey: Rights activist Osman Kavala sentenced to life in prison

Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala has been found guilty of attempting to overthrow the government by an Istanbul court. The rights activist was sentenced to life without possibility of parole.



Kavala, 64, had been held without a conviction since October 2017

Turkish activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala was found guilty of trying to overthrow the government by an Istanbul court on Monday.

He had spent the last four and a half years in prison without being convicted.

The trial had garnered international attention, adding pressure to ties between Ankara and its Western allies as the process had been widely viewed as a crackdown on critics of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

DW correspondent Dorian Jones said the response to the verdict and sentence had been one of shock. 

"There is a palpable shock within Turkish civic society. The severity of the sentence is the most severe that can be given to anyone in Turkey. It means that Osman Kavala will be held in solitary confinement, he will be ineligible for parole, and he now spends the rest of his life in jail."

Turkish rights activist Kavala gets life in prison: DW's Dorian Jones

Rights groups slam ruling

AFP news agency reported that the ruling drew boos from some of those who had gathered to witness proceedings, among them a number of Western diplomats.

According to the Media and Law Studies Association group, which had been monitoring the trial, following his sentencing, Kavala said: "The aggravated life sentence demanded against me is an assassination that cannot be explained through legal reasons."

Amnesty International's Europe director Nils Muiznieks slammed the ruling. "Today, we have witnessed a travesty of justice of spectacular proportions," Muiznieks said.

Emma Sinclair-Webb of Human Rights Watch said Kavala's conviction and sentence was "the worst possible outcome to this show trial".
What was the case about?

Kavala and seven other prominent defendants faced accusations of espionage and attempting to overthrow the government, among other charges.

They were accused of ties to the 2013 Gezi protests and the 2016 coup attempt, both considered by Erdogan as part of an international plot to topple him.

Defendant Mucella Yapici previously told the court that the 2013 Gezi rallies were the "most democratic, most creative and peaceful collective movement in this country's history."

Paris-born Kavala, who made his fortune in publishing, was initially detained on arrival at Istanbul's airport from a trip to a cultural center in the Turkish city of Gaziantep in October 2017.

He was accused of financing a wave of 2013 anti-government protests. Despite being cleared in 2020, he was arrested again just hours later on a charge of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order related to a 2016 coup attempt.

He was also acquitted on that charge — but detained on accusations of espionage in the same case. Critics say those charges were aimed at circumventing a 2019 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) calling for his release.

Ultimately, the 64-year-old faced charges relating to both the 2013 protests and the 2016 coup effort.

Turkey declared a state of emergency after the failed coup attempt, and used that as a pretext to purge its military and public sector ranks.

Government blames US-based cleric Fetullah Gulen and his Hizmet (service) movement for organizing the coup attempt in order to overthrow Erdogan.
International condemnation follows Kavala's conviction

Germany demanded Kavala be "released immediately."

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the court's decision was "blatantly in contradiction with the norms of the rule of law and international obligations Turkey has signed up to as a member of the Council of Europe and EU membership candidate."

"We expect Osman Kavala to be freed immediately," Baerbock said, adding that the European Court of Human Rights had asked Turkey to do so.

The US Department of State said it was "deeply troubled and disappointed" by the judgment.

"His unjust conviction is inconsistent with respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law. We again call on Turkey to release Osman Kavala," said a State Department statement on Monday.

"We remain gravely concerned by the continued judicial harassment of civil society, media, political and business leaders in Turkey," it added.

jsi,kb/msh (Reuters, AFP, AP)

Rwanda defends controversial asylum pact with the United Kingdom

Kigali is hitting back at critics, justifying the controversial deal to relocate asylum seekers in Britain to Rwanda. Human rights groups and the United Nations have slammed the agreement as "unethical."

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel and Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Vincent Birut seek

 to market the deal as a 'win-win'

The most senior cleric in the Church of England, Archbishop Justin Welby, has become the latest high-profile critic of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plans to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda. While acknowledging that the agreement's details remained with politicians, Welby stated that relocating asylum-seekers to another country posed significant ethical concerns:

"A country like Britain informed by Christian values cannot sub-contract out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well like Rwanda," the Archbishop of Canterbury told congregants during a Sunday service.

The United Kingdom and Rwanda made headlines on April 14 when they announced that migrants arriving in the UK irregularly would be sent some 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles) away to Rwanda. There, Rwandan authorities would be in charge of processing their asylum claims, and, if successful, they would be allowed to stay there. 

London said it will contribute up to £120 million ($157 million, 144 million euros) towards the controversial pact.

According to the British government, the idea will deter individuals from attempting risky crossings of the English Channel and will put human-smuggling organizations out of business.

Human rights groups accuse President Paul Kagame of suppressing basic freedoms in his country

Rwanda's role

Critics say Rwandan President Paul Kagame is seeking to present his country as an ally of the West.

The 64-year-old leader, who has long been accused of various human rights violations and of silencing his political opposition, has a track record of taking actions that please foreign governments: 

Kagame has deployed thousands of Rwandan troops to the continent's confilct zones, including Mozambique, Somalia, and the Central African Republic. Observers credit the Rwandan soldiers for succeeding in pushing back an Islamist insurgency in Mozambique's volatile Cabo Delgado Province.

The UK asylum deal could be seen as an extension of Kagame's pro-Western approach. The president, however, defended the deal, saying it was not about "trading people" but that it would offer a chance to asylum seekers to begin a new life.

Human rights groups shocked

Human rights organizations and the United Nations have expressed disbelief over the proposal, criticizing the plan in the harshest terms.

"The fact is that Rwanda has an abysmal human rights record. This is a country where freedom of speech is not respected," Lewis Mudge, Central Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, told DW. In 2021, Rwanda was ranked 156th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index.

Mudge, who lived in Rwanda, added that Rwanda is one of the most populated countries in terms of population density on the continent: "There's not a lot of open land. It's difficult to see how they could take tens and tens of thousands of people."

He further stressed that it's not only Human Rights Watch and other international organizations that have come to this conclusion but that the British government as recently as last year shared the same assessment: "So it smacks of real hypocrisy that all of a sudden the British Prime Minister can go ahead and say that this [Rwanda] is one of the safest countries in the world when this contradicts his own government's position."

The UN refugee agency UNHCR has distanced itself from the bilateral agreement, saying it was not involved in the process. In a statement published on its website, Gillian Triggs, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, said the agency "remains firmly opposed to arrangements that seek to transfer refugees and asylum seekers to third countries in the absence of sufficient safeguards and standards."

Rights activists have raised concerns about the rights of refugees in the deal

Could Rwanda handle a refugee influx - and how?

Last year, Rwanda offered temporary asylum to Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover. In addition, the landlocked East African nation welcomed hundreds of African refugees stranded in Libya. According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, Rwanda had 127,163 refugees and asylum seekers in the country as of September 2021.

However, there have been concerns about Rwanda's capability to host more asylum seekers. Measuring just 26,338 square kilometers (10,169 sq mi) in size, the landlocked nation is the fourth-smallest country in Africa.

This is only one of the reasons why Rwandan opposition parties have dubbed the deal "unrealistic and unsustainable," calling on the government to focus rather on fixing the country's own problems.

Mudge says he is also worried that the deal and its process of vetting the asylum seekers remains shrouded in secrecy: "It's going to be very difficult for us on the outside of Rwanda to know how that's going because these refugees are not going to feel that they can speak out openly against any type of policy."

For now, Rwanda and the UK seem undeterred by any criticism and have vowed to start the process of finalizing the deal in the coming weeks.

Rwanda's other migrant deals

Above all, the question remains whether the migrants who are sent to Rwanda will choose to stay there. According to Mudge, "Rwanda has engaged in other types of agreements with other countries, most notably Israel, in which asylum seekers or refugees were taken to Rwanda.

"These people very quickly left, and got into dangerous situations once they're outside Rwanda again."

Following the announcement of the UK-Rwanda deal,Denmark has also informed the public that id is reportedly in talks with Rwanda for a similar agreement. Danish immigration minister Mattias Tesfaye told Reuters that his government's "dialogue with the Rwandan government includes a mechanism for the transfer of asylum seekers."

As Denmark is in the European Union, any such unprecedented attempt to bypass EU law could lead to serious consequences for the entire bloc.

DW has tried to reach out for comment from the Rwandan ministry of disaster management and refugee affairs and the International Migration Office in Rwanda but received no response.

DW

SEE 

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/04/uk-plan-to-fly-asylum-seekers-to-rwanda.html

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/04/uk-rwanda-asylum-plan-against.html

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/04/priti-patel-facing-mutiny-over-rwanda.html

Opinion: Why Ukrainians distrust Germany's president

In Germany, hardly anyone is familiar with the "Steinmeier formula" for Donbas. In Ukraine, however, it is not forgotten — and it's the reason why the German president is not welcome, says Yuri Andrukhovych.



Frank-Walter Steinmeier was not welcome to visit Ukraine

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was not welcome in Kyiv. It was not disclosed who exactly in the Ukrainian leadership made this decision. In any case, Steinmeier was not able to join the small group of other European presidents who were warmly received in in the Ukrainian capital.

Why did this happen to the German president? In this question, you could stress both the word "German" and the word "president." I am not certain which of them should be stressed more.
Chummy approach

First, however, a brief look back at a personal story of mine. In the late summer of 2016, I was in the German city of Weimar, where I was awarded the Goethe Medal along with a prominent Nigerian photographer and a no less prominent Georgian archaeologist.

The official program included a meeting with three foreign ministers. As a reminder, Germany, Poland and France form the so-called "Weimar Triangle" — the foreign ministers of the three countries meet from time to time, not necessarily in Weimar, but that's where it was back then. According to the program, the ministers were scheduled to congratulate the three new laureates.

Ukrainian writer Yuri Andrukhovych

Our meeting lasted between one and three minutes at the most. The French foreign minister seemed a little bored, perhaps he was just tired. The Polish foreign minister seemed unhappy with something and grumpy. Only Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister at the time, was affable — it seemed he could hardly keep from patting us on the shoulder or back.

Then he said something like "Oh, well done, congratulations... The Goethe Medal! Great, great... can anyone tell me what it is awarded for — what merits?" That's how he spoke to the three of us. It all happened quickly, and no one really listened to our answers. When the TV cameras had their shots, the trio of ministers moved on.

Model Putin sympathizer

Akinbode Akinbiyi, David Lordkipanidze and I later exchanged our impressions of this so-called "meeting." We agreed that it all seemed rather unprofessional and that we regarded Steinmeier's question as more of a joke, albeit a bad one. Otherwise, it would have been even more sad. None of us had expected the ministers to bow to us. But this obvious superficiality — and the less obvious but perceptible arrogance — was disappointing to us.

It was particularly disappointing to me — after all, I came from the country for which Frank-Walter Steinmeier had come up with his infamous formula. I don't want to claim that it played a decisive role in his further career or that it is the reason Steinmeier was elected President twice. But I can say with certainty that it is precisely because of this formula that Ukrainian society sees him as a model of a Putin sympathizer, and almost as an "agent of Moscow."

Written by Moscow?

The infamous formula which lost all meaning on February 24 was de facto intended to cement Ukraine's surrender in the Donbas. It matches Putin's plans to such an extent that the Ukrainians understandably attributed its true authorship to Moscow. Allegedly, Steinmeier was adhering to the wishes of his Russian friends and agreed to lend his name and suggested auhorship to a project that was disasterous for Ukraine. If secret diplomacy is considered to evil par excellence, the current German president holds the copyright to its embodiment — at least in the eyes of many Ukrainians.

I do not think Steinmeier is aware of how often Ukrainian media, especially since 2019, have mentioned his name along with the word "formula." It is not an exaggeration to say it was thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of times. Along with this "popularity" comes an avalanche of criticism, distrust and outright rejection. For Ukrainians, the "Steinmeier formula" has become a synonym for something insidious and threatening, a kind of Trojan horse for the destruction of Ukrainian statehood.

Unrivaled unpopularity

Perhaps the "author" himself, who has long since moved to a higher, if rather decorative, position, has already forgotten the essence of the formula he invented. But Ukraine has not forgotten, it has remembered all these years, almost daily, almost always with a curse and always in connection with the name Steinmeier. On the list of German politicians most disliked by Ukrainians, Steinmeier comes second only to his old boss, ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. As for current politically active personalities, no one comes close to Steinmeier's unpopularity.

Ukrainians are wary when they see photos like this one of Steinmeier

 and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

With Steinmeier's example in mind, Germany's elite should recognize how much damage their ambiguous policies during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict have done since 2014. In the process, they have not only harmed Ukraine, but also themselves: Branded as a partner who is extremely unreliable, cynical, and cunning, whose words egregiously diverge from their actions. As a result, Germany has lost its relevance and — thanks to the efforts of both the previous and current federal government — has become an outsider.

'Unimportant president of an unimportant country'

Ukrainian society and the country's leadership, which is heavily dependent on public opinion, clearly felt the moment when the United States and Britain filled the vacuum — the moment they were able to say "no" even to German President Steinmeier and had to do so for strategic reasons.

But the "unimportant president of an unimportant country" can radically fix that situation. Germany as a whole can recover its role in the eyes of Ukrainians — in particular as neither the US nor Britain are involved: in providing effective and committed support to Ukraine on the road to EU membership. Germany should do so, however without flirting with the aggressor and the ambiguities that go with it.

Yuri Andrukhovych is a Ukrainian writer, poet, essayist and translator. Today he is considered one of the most important cultural and intellectual voices of his country. 

Andrukhovych's works have been translated and published worldwide.

This article was originally written in Ukrainian.

African art stars you don't want to miss at Venice Biennale 2022

As the 59th international contemporary art fair kicks off in the city of canals, Sub-Saharan Africa will be well-represented with eight pavilions that showcase thought-provoking art from the region.



Cameroon: Angele Etoundi Essamba

African artists have long lacked representation at the Venice Biennale; the 2007 fair had only one African pavilion. Fifteen years later there are eight, including the Cameroon pavilion, which features work by photographer Angele Etoundi Essamba, among others. Her mission to "portray womankind" is reflected in her images of women who radiate strength and independence.

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Beyond ecology: The trees at the heart of our culture

From Ireland to the Amazon to Kenya, trees can hold traditional or even sacred value. DW takes a look at trees and forests of cultural importance to communities around the world. Some are under threat.

Date 25.04.2022
Author Beatrice Christofaro
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/4AHEy

Some farmers in Ireland avoid cutting down hawthorn trees because it might be bad luck

There are numerous ecological reasons to conserve trees. They provide shelter to animals, regulate soil fertility , and are vital to combatting the climate crisis because they absorb greenhouse gasses.

Trees and forests also hold deep cultural significance to people around the globe.
Irish fairy trees

It isn't uncommon to see lone hawthorns in the middle of fields in Ireland. Some farmers won't fell these wild trees because of a superstition that dates back to prehistoric times, when pagans worshiped nature. The sacred hawthorn was thought to house fairies that could bring bad luck onto people that wronged them.

But that doesn't stop many others from enjoying its white blooms in May and June. Traditionally, people bring a hawthorn branch back to their gardens around this time of year to decorate with egg shells and blossoms.

The 'mother of trees' in the Amazon

 

Trees, such as this Samauma in the Amazon, can have cultural significance to communities around the globe

In the Amazon, the Samauma, sometimes called the Kapok, is known as the "mother of all trees" among Indigenous groups.

At 60 meters (197 feet) this tree towers above the rest, watching over the rainforest like an attentive mother. Some also believe the Samauma connects our world to a divine universe.

The tree is used for its wood, the cotton-like fibers that wrap around its seeds and the medicinal properties of its sap. It also serves as a communication device. If you hit the trunk and roots, the noise echoes across the forest.

Like other species in the Amazon, the Samauma is threatened by illegal loggers and forest fires.

A symbol of peace: The Ghaf tree

Ghaf trees can remain green even in harsh desert environments

The drought-tolerant Ghaf tree can be found in several arid regions, including the Arabian Peninsula, Western Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

But the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sees it as such a vital "symbol of stability and peace" that the country declared it the national tree.

Resistant even to the harshest desert environments, the Ghaf has long been part of traditional life for locals. People can eat its leaves while livestock prefer the branches. It is also used for its medicinal properties. The tree is under strict protection from felling in the UAE.

The tree of enlightenment

The Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, is a popular pilgrimage site

The Bodhi or Bo tree plays a central role in Buddhist tradition. It is said that Buddha achieved enlightenment after meditating for 49 days under this sacred fig in Bodh Gaya, India.

Though there are Bodhi trees around the world — it is customary to plant them in Buddhist temples — the one in Bodh Gaya has become a pilgrimage site. The original Bodhi tree under which Buddha sat is no longer alive, but devoted Buddhists can visit a tree thought to be its descendant.

Sacred Kenyan forests

 

The sacred Kaya Forests are home to remnants of traditional Mijkenda villages

The sacred Mijkenda Kaya Forests stretch across 200 kilometers (124 miles) off Kenya's coast. The Mijkenda people built their villages, or kayas, in these sites as far back as the 16th century, but started abandoning them for nearby towns in the 1940s.

Nowadays, councils of elders maintain the remains of their ancestral homes to preserve holy graves, groves and other sites of spiritual significance.

The forests are not only home to the kayas. Their trees also shield forest guardians from the worsening effects of climate change such as floods or landslides. But the protectors say the forests are facing another danger from mines.

The guardians fear not only for the fate of the forests but that they themselves could be driven out as mine waste pollutes local water sources.

India: How air pollution is affecting people in Delhi's slums

People living in slums, who mostly survive on meager incomes, are most vulnerable to toxic air because their work often requires them to stay outdoors for long hours.

The Ghazipur landfill is now almost as tall as India's iconic Taj Mahal.

This week, authorities in India's capital New Delhi released a new plan of action to curb air pollution over the course of summer, as a severe heatwave bakes the city.

The plan focuses on reducing pollution from road dust and the burning of waste, which are major contributors of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) that pose the greatest threat to human airways.

Delhi's pollution problem is especially bad in late fall and early winter, when prevailing weather patterns drive pollutants from heavy industry and coal-fired power plants to smother the megacity in toxic gray smog.

Additionally, the city residents are inhaling smoke from burning crop waste in the neighboring states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. The city is among the worst-polluted in the world.

To understand the impact of pollution on people most exposed to harmful air, DW recently visited the Ghazipur landfill, considered India's tallest rubbish mountain, and its surrounding areas.

Tons of garbage dumped at the site daily

The landfill, located in eastern Delhi, is already more than 65 meters (213 feet) high, only a few meters short of the height of India's iconic Taj Mahal.

Ghazipur was opened in 1984 and reached its capacity in 2002 when it should have been closed. But the city's waste has kept on arriving each day in hundreds of trucks.

The landfill, which covers an area that's equivalent to over 40 football pitches, is rising by nearly 10 meters a year with no end in sight to its foul-smelling growth.

It's estimated that about 2,000 tons of garbage is dumped at the site each day.

The air quality index, which measures PM2.5 levels, or particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers, in the area is 12 times above the World Health Organization's (WHO) air quality guideline value.

The WHO revised the air quality guidelines in September 2021, saying that the average annual PM2.5 concentrations should not be higher than 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
Serious health risks to people in the area

The area surrounding the landfill teems with people since there are hundreds of dairy farms and wholesale livestock markets in the immediate periphery.

The fires that regularly break out at the landfill take days to extinguish

Fires, sparked by methane gas coming from the dump, regularly break out and take days to extinguish. They have become a major cause of concern for residents in the area.

Muskan, a 22-year-old living in a slum near the landfill, says her house was destroyed by a fire and that she's lost count of such incidents in the locality. "It's dusty and it's hard to breathe all the time. I feel terrible being here."

Ajay Singh Nagpure, head of air quality at the World Resources Institute in India, said that the toxicity of the air near landfills poses serious health risks for people living there.

"Continuous informal burning of plastics and compostable waste leads to a number of health concerns," Nagpure told DW, pointing out that pregnant women give birth prematurely, while children develop asthma and suffer from shortness of breath.

People living in slums, who mostly survive on meager incomes, are most vulnerable to toxic air because their work often requires them to stay outdoors for long hours.

"Our exposure to air pollution and how it impacts our health can be influenced by a variety of factors, including our occupation and our daily activity patterns," says Pallavi Pant, an air quality expert.

"Certain occupations, including work at construction sites, small-scale factories, street stalls and shops, can increase exposure to air pollution," Pant underlined.

In addition, low-income workers often lack money and resources to seek proper health care.

Calls for proper waste management

Muktarun, 36, said she had lost everything when a fire engulfed her house a few years ago.

"We are always struggling to make ends meet. It's very hard to think about anything else," she told DW.

Landfills release methane gas, as organic waste decomposes, and a toxic liquid called leachate that contaminates groundwater, said Anurag Kashyap, who runs Gulmeher Green Producer Company, an NGO.

In addition to the continuous threat of fire and poisonous smoke, many people living in the slums do not have access to cleaner cooking fuels like Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and rely on the burning of biomass, said Bhavreen Kandhari, an environmental activist in Delhi.

Even though a power plant near the landfill converts thousands of tons of solid waste into electricity every day, it would take a long time before "legacy waste" or the mountain of rubbish that has accumulated over the years can be cleared, said Kashyap.

People will have to put pressure on authorities to tackle air pollution in the same way they would complain to officials if water ran out, experts stressed.

The mixing up of waste with recyclable and combustible material dumped in the yard needs to end, Kandhari said. "There has to be proper waste management and segregation at source," the expert added.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru