Life gradually returns a year after fire chars Sierra Nevada






ne year after a wind-fed wildfire charged across a craggy mountainside above Lone Pine, Calif., flashes of new vegetation growth can be seen emerging in this still-charred corner of the Inyo National Forest, on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, a hiking, climbing and fishing playground about 350 miles (563 km) southeast of San Francisco. 

(AP Photo/Michael Blood)More

MICHAEL R. BLOOD
Wed, August 10, 2022

LONE PINE, Calif. (AP) — The flames fade away. Firefighters extinguish the last embers. A final curl of smoke uncoils in the wind.

A wildfire in the California wilderness has come to an end, and what’s left behind is a blackened landscape of skeletal pines and leafless oaks, scorched meadows and ashen stumps where saplings once stood.

Then, slowly, life returns.

One year after a wind-whipped wildfire charged across a craggy mountainside above Lone Pine, California, flashes of new growth are emerging in this still-charred corner of the Inyo National Forest, a hiking, camping and fishing playground about 350 miles (563 km) southeast of San Francisco.

Tiny clusters of white and purple wildflowers stand out against denuded pines, many stripped of bark in the fire. Green shoots of horsetail as thin as yarn strands break from the ground below a tree’s barren branches. A fistful of new leaves emerges like a fresh bouquet from within an incinerated stump.

It’s the start of a long recovery, and a cycle that’s being repeated more often across the West as climate change brings drier, hotter seasons and more wildland fires.

As it roars across the landscape, a fire burns at different intensities. Some of the towering trees on the hillside are dead, others only singed and can recover. The first plants to reappear after a burn typically have grown more resistant over time to the flames.

“Some of the shrub species and other grass species are more fire-adapted, and they can come back quicker,” said Todd Ellsworth, a post-fire restoration program manager with the U.S. Forest Service.

But it can be five years before the ground cover returns to what it was before the blaze. One stand of pinyon pines was heavily damaged – needles burned off the branches, their trunks torched black – and will not come back.

“The conifer trees don’t come back very quickly,” Ellsworth said, referring to certain pines and other trees that bear cones. Sometimes, it’s up to foresters to go in and replant them.

The tiny, fragile flowers and patches of fresh growth against a stark mountainside and slabs of gray rock were a reminder that wildfire is part of the ecosystem in California, including the eastern Sierra Nevada where the fire took place.

Firefighters said they used minimum-impact techniques to fight the blaze because “natural fire plays an important role in maintaining the landscape within these areas.”

Some species only flower after a wildfire.

The area of the blaze — not far from the trailhead to Mt. Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4,421 meters) the highest mountain the contiguous United States — is home to Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, an endangered species, and to the whitebark pine, an endangered species candidate.

News reports and press releases from June and July 2021 attributed the wildfire to a lightning strike and said the nearly 600-acre (243-hectare) blaze fanned by winds forced evacuations and cut off access to nearby roads, hiking trails and campgrounds. Firefighters used helicopters to dump water on the fire, which burned across rugged terrain.

The effects of climate change can be significant on forest regeneration.

One 2018 study in the journal Ecology Letters that looked at nearly 1,500 wildfire sites found that because of hotter and drier climates, fewer forests are returning to their pre-burn tree mix, and in some cases trees did not return at all.

Camille Stevens-Rumann, an assistant professor at Colorado State University and co-author of the study, said wildfires have become larger and more intense, killing more trees, while also happening more frequently.

“We have a lot of places that are probably climatically different than when those (conifer) species were established," she said, which means they can struggle when trying to recover after a burn.

If a hotter, drier climate is unsuitable for those trees to come back, "they won't recover,” she added.

U.S. coal plants delay closures in hurdle for clean energy transition

Tue, August 9, 2022 
By Timothy Gardner

SHEBOYGAN, Wisc. (Reuters) - Travel brochures in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, tout the town’s beaches on Lake Michigan as the Malibu of the Midwest. But pages of glossy photos leave out a feature of the landscape: a coal-fired power plant on the shore that will remain open until mid 2025 instead of closing this year as planned.

Alliant Energy Corp's Edgewater coal-fired plant in Sheboygan is one of at least six across the country that this summer have announced delays or potential delays to their planned closures, citing concerns about energy shortages.

A key culprit: renewable energy deployment, which was meant to replace these coal plants, has taken a hit in recent months because of COVID-19-related supply chain hiccups. Utilities say import tariffs on solar panels imposed by U.S. Commerce Department make it hard to keep up with robust power demand.

In addition to the closure delay of its 400 megawatt (MW) Edgewater plant in Sheboygan, Alliant's 1.1 gigawatt Columbia Energy Center in Portage will close by June 2026, a delay of about 18 months.

WEC Energy Group Inc has delayed the closure of remaining units at its 1,135 MW Oak Creek power plant near Milwaukee for up to 18 months until May 2024 and late 2025.

Indiana's NiSource Inc blamed solar project delays of up to 18 months for its postponing the shutdown of the 877 MW Schahfer coal plant for two years until 2025.

In Nebraska, the board of the Omaha Public Power District will vote on Aug. 18 on whether to keep the 645 MW North Omaha plant open until 2026, a delay of up to three years, due to siting delays and backlogs in studies in switching to natural gas and solar.

And in New Mexico, PNM Resources Inc delayed the closure of a unit at the San Juan plant by three months until September, as drought threatened hydropower supplies and heat boosted power demand.

When burned, coal emits more of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide than any other fossil fuel. It also releases nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, precursors to haze and smog that harm human lungs and hearts.

All of the companies said that despite the delays, and potential delays, they will meet their long-term voluntary goals on carbon emissions and that scrubbers and other pollution devices have removed most of the criteria pollutants of their emissions.

Holly Bender, a senior director of energy campaigns at the Sierra Club environmental group, said the delays do not portend a resurgence in coal use. Nearly 360 U.S. coal plants have shut or plan to shut in recent years, compared with about 170 plants that remain active, according to the organization.

Rather, Bender said, the delays serve a "warning sign of the failure to plan for the kind of clean energy growth that is needed."

President Joe Biden's goals of cutting U.S. carbon emissions 50% by 2030 from 2005 levels and decarbonizing the power sector by 2035 will likely depend on even more shutdowns of coal plants.

Biden's emissions plan will get a lift if the U.S. House, as expected, follows the Senate to pass the Inflation Reduction Act https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democrats-score-big-wins-climate-drugs-with-430-billion-us-senate-bill-2022-08-08/, which analysts say will cut emissions about 40% by 2030 by giving market certainty on hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy tax credits and incentives.

The U.S. coal industry has been slammed by a surge of cheap natural gas, declining prices for renewables, and regulations cracking down on pollution that causes direct health issues and threatened ones on carbon dioxide. Coal generated about 20% of U.S. electricity last year, down from about 50% in 2006.

But cutting emissions further will not be easy.

"It's imperative that we increase accountability on utilities, regulators, and planners to ensure ... the transformation of our power sector off coal," Bender said.

NOT HELPING THE PROBLEM

Estimating the health effects of coal plant emissions on people in exact areas is difficult as their high smokestacks disperse pollution into the wind. Pollution from vehicles and industry also harm air quality.

Still, like many densely-populated, industrial U.S. areas, parts of Sheboygan county have been out of compliance for revised U.S. ozone standards since 2018, while all of Milwaukee county has been out of compliance since then, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

And coal plants, even if they are in areas that are in compliance with federal standards, can contribute to health problems, said Tracey Hollaway, an air quality scientist at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

"It's still affecting the air of people far downwind," she said about the delays. "Keeping these facilities open is not helping the problem."

It is an open question whether the delays are a harbinger of more to come. But coal market players see at least temporary opportunities.

Joe Craft, the chief executive of Alliance Resource Partners, the third largest U.S. coal producer, told analysts this month that plants staying open is "going to bode well for us."

Strength in U.S. and European coal markets should drive Alliance's year-over year margin growth from now through 2024, Craft said.

Ted O'Brien, managing partner and chief commercial officer at Oluma Resources, a Pittsburgh-based marketer of the fuel, said nobody believes coal plants will stay open in perpetuity, but the delays could at least extend the life of mines.

"Maybe this does give coal staying power to maintain its corner in the broader U.S. energy mix," O'Brien said.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; editing by Richard Valdmanis and Marguerita Choy)

W. Virginia announces settlement with Rite Aid over opioid crisis allegations

Aug. 12 (UPI) -- West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has announced that they have reached a multi-million-dollar settlement with Rite Aid to resolve a lawsuit accusing the pharmacy chain of contributing to the state's opioid crisis.

The Republican attorney general said Thursday that the state and the drug company have agreed to a settlement that may total as much as $30 million. (PEANUTS)

"Money will not bring back the lives lost from this epidemic, but we are looking for accountability," Morrisey said in a statement.

"With this settlement and other settlements, we will provide significant help to those affected the most by the opioid crisis in our state."

RELATED Judge rules against Walgreens in San Francisco opioid lawsuit

The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought against Rite Aid by the Morrisey accusing it of contributing to the oversupply of opioids in the state by failing to maintain effective controls.

The lawsuit said the company's failure inflicted "significant losses" on its patients, including for their past and current medical costs. It also states its negligence resulted in loses to rehabilitation bills, drug overdose medication naloxone expenses and to cover medical examiners.

The lawsuit is one of thousands filed throughout the country seeking recompense for the lives and funds lost due to the ongoing opioid crisis.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at 81.4 overdose deaths per 100,000 people, West Virginia has by far highest drug overdose mortality rate in the country with Kentucky having the second highest at 49.2.

The lawsuit is also one of several the state has brought over the opioid crisis with many still being litigated.

Morrisey has largely opted out from participating in a coalition of state attorneys general working together to achieve mass settlements from drug companies, and has pursued litigation on his own.

The state has previously secured settlements, including a $99 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson in April and a $37 million deal with McKesson Corp in 2019, among others.

The money gained from settlements, including that announced Thursday, is distributed throughout the state based on a memorandum of understanding signed by cities and counties on how such dollars would be used to abate the opioid crisis.

The librarian who defied the Taliban
Thu, August 11, 2022 

Wahida Amiri was kept in detention by the Taliban

Wahida Amiri worked as an ordinary librarian before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last August. But when the militants started to strip women of their rights, she became one of the leading voices against them. She told the BBC's Sodaba Haidare how protesting against Taliban rule led to her arrest and why she decided to leave her country.

The Taliban said I was a spy. That I had helped start an uprising against them. That I went onto the streets and protested just to get fame. "Go home and cook", said one of them.

But the truth is, I only wanted one thing: equal rights for Afghan women. The right to go to school, to work, to be heard. Is that too much to ask for?


The day they came to arrest us, an eerie silence had fallen over Kabul. In recent days a number of women who had protested against the Taliban had been taken, so we were moved to a safe house.

In the last few months since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, I had been a strong and proud woman, marching through the streets to protest against them. I looked them in the eye and said: "You can't treat me like a second class citizen. I'm a woman and I'm your equal." Now, I'm hiding in this unknown place, not knowing my crime but wondering if they'll come for me.

Wahida worked as a librarian before the fall of Kabul

Suddenly, tires came screeching and broke to a halt outside the building. I couldn't count the number of cars or soldiers. It seemed they had come prepared to arrest a whole village and not just a few women marching to live freely in their own country.

When they barged into the room, in the middle of all my friends' screams and panic I could hear them say: "Have you got Wahida Amiri, have you found her? Where is she?" I thought: "This is it. It's over, I'm going to die."
The library was my happy place

Before the tragic day of 15 August 2021, I was an ordinary woman. I had graduated with a law degree and now at 33 years old I ran a library in the heart of Kabul.

The library was my happy place where everyone was welcome, especially women. Sometimes we discussed topics like feminism over chai sabzi, the traditional Afghan green tea with cardamom. Afghanistan wasn't perfect, but we had freedom.

I cared deeply about books because up until the age of 20 I couldn't read myself.

I had just started school when the Taliban first rolled into Afghanistan, waving their black and white flags. The year was 1996.

One of their first orders was to shut schools for girls.

All our relatives fled to Panjshir, a mountainous valley in the north and our original home. But my father decided to stay and after my mother died, he remarried. The years that followed were extremely painful.

"I want to put pressure on the Taliban to reopen schools, to let our girls learn," says Wahida

We moved to Pakistan where all the chores and responsibilities in the house fell on my shoulders. I cooked, cleaned and scrubbed the floors all day long. I thought this would be my life. Then came September 11, 2001.

I watched the fall of the twin towers on TV. It wasn't until much later that I properly learnt about 9/11 and how much that day changed the lives of ordinary Afghans like us. Before long we waved goodbye to Pakistan. The Taliban had been defeated and it was safe to go home - we'd never be refugees again and I'd never come back here, that's what I thought.

I was 15 when we moved back to Kabul and I saw how different life was now that the Taliban were not in charge - girls were going to school, women could work. But not much changed for me. To my family keeping the house tidy and serving guests was more valuable than my education - so I carried on running a house until my cousin helped me to enrol back into a school some five years later.

The letters in the books were shaped strangely - the words looked back at my face blankly. I took exams and scrubbed floors at home at the same time. And every time I failed I would try again and again, until I passed.

When by some miracle I got accepted into university to study law, I was still a shy and timid girl - until a woman came into my life. Her name was Virginia Woolf. Her manifesto was A Room of One's Own. I felt like I was reborn. The book of this important English author taught me everything I should have known a long time ago. The more I read, the more I realised that I was a strong woman with my own thoughts.
The fall of Kabul

On a hot day in August, the nightmare I had lived through once returned to my life. The Taliban drove into Kabul waving the same black and white flags.

Only this time it wasn't 1996, it was 2021. And I wasn't a child. I wasn't uneducated. I had gone through hell to build a life, and I wasn't going to hand it over to them just like that.

I was relieved when I found other women had the same thoughts. We knew the risks of defying the Taliban but we all said "let's protest". We came up with a name for our group: Spontaneous Movement of Fighting Women of Afghanistan.

One of the protests Wahida (on the right) helped to organise in Kabul

At this point the Taliban had already shown their true colours. They backtracked on their promise to allow women to return to work and shut schools for girls once again. They announced their new "government" and there was not a single woman in it.

In those first days, as we marched on the streets for our rights, the Taliban cornered us. They fired teargas at us, and shots in the air - they even beat some of the women. Then they banned protests altogether.

Most of the women decided not to carry on, it was too risky. But they couldn't stop me.

I continued organising protests. The night before each one I couldn't sleep. I'd be restless and scared. I'd keep thinking "tomorrow will be the last day of my life".

File photo of an Afghan woman taking part in a protest

The arrest

In Afghanistan, arresting a woman is the same as ruining her reputation. There's a general assumption that she's been raped and in the Afghan society, it's the worst kind of shame a woman will carry.

That day in February 2022, when the Taliban stormed into the safe house to arrest us, we were ordered to hand in our phones. I couldn't breathe. "What's next?" I thought. "Will they kill me? Gang rape me? Torture me?" I felt like I had a body but my soul had left me.

We were put in their pickup trucks and taken to the Ministry of Interior Affairs. We passed a long hallway with a red carpet and were led to a small room that used to be the ministry's nursery, though it didn't look like one. No paintings, no toys, just a few national flags of Afghanistan piled up in the corner and a giant map of the country on the wall. We'd be kept in this place for the next 19 days.

The day after our arrest, one of the Taliban pushed the door open and stormed in. He was tall and had a dark expression. His eyes scanned the room and when he found me he shouted abusive words - he said I was "dirty" and "impure". "You've been insulting the [Islamic] Emirate for the past six months. Who are you collaborating with?"

I told him: "No-one, I'm doing it all on my own." Then he handed me a pen and piece of paper and said "You're a spy. Write down the name of all your collaborators."

Wahida on her journey from Afghanistan to Pakistan

Since I was from Panjshir, a province known for resisting against the Taliban, they thought I was being supported by the National Resistant Front, an armed group that is fighting them in the north.

The days that followed were slow. One by one the other women were released, but not me. Then one day they brought in a camera and told those of us remaining that they were going to ask us questions and we were to answer them looking at the lens.

When we demanded to know what the recording was for, they said it was just a formality and would be kept in the ministry's archives. We were told to say our names, which province we were from and who was helping us. By force they made us say Afghan activists abroad told us to protest.

We didn't know at the time but this would give people the impression that we marched to become famous and be evacuated from Afghanistan.

Shortly after, they released the forced confessions to the media. In a small TV in the hallway we saw the video being played by Tolo News, one of the largest TV stations in Afghanistan.

We all broke down crying. Now everyone knew we were taken by the Taliban. They didn't rape us, but in the eyes of many people they had. Now everyone thought we protested just to get help to leave Afghanistan.

Wahida clears her head in a local park

Two days after the forced confessions they said we were free to go. It came with a price, though - we had to promise not to protest again.

Kabul was cold, the streets were empty.

On the way home, my eldest brother couldn't stop scolding me. "What were you thinking, Wahida? Did you really think you could bring the Taliban down? You're just one woman." I was ashamed. I had lost everything. My job, my freedom and now the meaning of my life if I couldn't protest anymore.

One day I read an anonymous interview with another female protestor who said the Taliban had beaten us while we were in their custody. They hadn't. My family begged me to leave Kabul as they were worried the Taliban would be angered by the article and come for us again.

So, two months after my release I packed a small bag of clothes and some of my favourite books, including A Room of One's Own, and said goodbye to my motherland.

Wahida eats at an Afghan restaurant to remind herself of home

I left home at the crack of dawn and once again ended up in Pakistan.

I left my whole family. I left my bookshelves. I left the library. The last time I was there was the 14th of August, one day before the fall of Kabul. I sometimes wonder what happened to those books - are they still there?

I was a librarian in my previous life, now I am a refugee.
A new life

I live with a number of other families in Pakistan. I stare at my books but I don't have the energy to flick through the pages. I feel trapped like I can't dream or escape to another reality, even if it's just for a moment.

The women still in my country are being silenced with many afraid of opposing the Taliban openly. I go to the park to clear my head but the thought of my people doesn't leave me. I miss my home, my family and my cat.

The only thing that gives me a little joy and reminds me of home is an Afghan restaurant nearby.

These days I spend a lot of time in the local library, trying to put some words together about the women who protested. About our lives and how much they changed because of the Taliban.

Wahida is working on a book about the women who protested

I hope what I'm writing could one day turn into a book. I want women around the world to know Afghan women didn't just give up, they fought and when they were silenced and defeated they rose again, in one form or another.

I spend the rest of my time speaking to Afghan women all over the world - from Germany to the US - organising a global movement against the Taliban.

My aim is to make sure the international community never recognise them as an official government. I want them to put pressure on the group to reopen schools, to let our girls learn, to let us live freely in our own country.

I've wasted too much time not being able to read. To this day there are certain letters I still can't pronounce the way I should. I don't want the same for the future generations of my country.

Photos by Munazza Anwaar and Musa Yawari.

Afghanistan: One year on from fall of Kabul, little hope for female athletes

A year ago, the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan amid chaotic scenes. Female athletes who remain in the country now fear for their lives, while those who left have little hope of resuming their careers.

One year since the return of the Taliban, female Afghan athletes still face an uncertain future

"I knew if I stayed, the Taliban would find me, beat me and burn me alive. So, I thought if I got killed by a bullet or I was crushed at the airport while waiting to escape the country, it would be an easier death."

Recalling how she stood among more than 10,000 people desperately waiting, hoping and praying to pass through one of three gates and get inside Kabul airport in August 2021, Nilofar's story is all too common.

The morning after the former footballer's wedding day, the Taliban recaptured the Afghan capital, overthrowing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under President Ashraf Ghani and reinstating the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban.

Eleven months on, Nilofar remembers with terrifying accuracy the days spent without sleep, hearing the cries of mothers around her who could do little but watch their children suffocate in the mass of people frantically attempting to get one of the few flights out of the country. 

Nilofar's only crime had been to have the audacity to participate in a form of sporting activity and encourage other girls to do so too. But it led the Taliban to hunt her.

"Every human should be able to do these activities," Nilofar told DW. "It is a human right, but the Taliban do not accept women as human.

"They make the girls believe that playing sport is a crime for women because the philosophy that the Taliban have is that women are made for the home and nothing else."

Desperation: There were chaotic scenes at Kabul airport when the Taliban

 regained control of the capital

A lucky escape with a tragic twist

Nilofar eventually got inside the airport perimeter with the help of an American soldier, but refused to leave until she could ensure that 16 footballers on the local team she coached – who were still on the other side of the gate – would make it on to a plane, too.

In the end, she was only able to bring eight other girls with her. Days after reaching Doha, Qatar, Nilofar learned that the American soldier who helped them had been killed in the suicide bombing of the airport on August 26, 2021.

Although Nilofar was one of the lucky ones to reach safety in a third country, there has been a significant mental toll for those who escaped. 

Young female Afghan athletes are scattered across the globe, still too scared to even contemplate playing sport again and constantly worried about their families who remain under threat in Afghanistan – simply because their daughters participated in a sporting activity in the previous 20 years.

"It's hard when I turn on the TV and see the sports channels or I see a soccer match," Nilofar explains. "I think back to the girls who I worked with, who I encouraged to play sports, whose activities I facilitated with equipment.

"I think back to the days when we worked hard to encourage women to stand up for their rights.

"Now the girls hate themselves for being a part of a soccer team and having been a soccer player. They blame themselves for the misery that their families are now suffering."

Boys playing volleyball in Afghanistan – an activity which was frowned upon for girls

'We lost 20 years of achievements and efforts in Afghanistan'

Afghan national volleyball player Muzhgan Sadat paints an almost identical picture. Without any opportunities to pursue her passion for sport, constant uncertainty and worry for her teammates still trapped in Afghanistan, hers is a life stuck in limbo.

Sadat had already been forced to leave her home country in 2019 due to Taliban threats over her role as captain of the national volleyball team. 

Watching the scenes in Kabul unfolding last August from Kazakhstan, where she was attending university, Sadat saw years of progress disappear overnight.

"We lost our 20 years of achievements and efforts in Afghanistan to build our team," she told DW. "We worked so hard for that, gathering female participants, encouraging families and girls to participate in the sports community in Afghanistan.

"Then suddenly you wake up one day and everything is gone. It's like a bad dream."

Sadat recollected how, in 2017, female athletes across the country received written warnings from the Taliban to cease all sporting activities or face serious consequences.

Despite the threats, Sadat and her volleyball teammates put their desire to enjoy a simple human right and to play sport ahead of their own safety.

"[Afghanistan] is a country where, as a woman, you can assume there will be attacks from anywhere," Sadat said. "When you're doing any activities, you cannot say you are safe. 

"All of us who were going to training, either with the Olympic committee or at private clubs, accepted the risks, knowing something could happen to us – maybe the terrorists or others would attack or kill us."

Peace: Female athletes from Afghanistan just want a safe place to play sports

Learning to ride a bike

Over the past year, the situation for female athletes who remain in Kabul has become far bleaker – with many trapped inside their homes, knowing that just stepping outside could be costly.

Sadat and Nilofar, alongside many non-profit organizations, continue to work find escape routes for those still in Afghanistan but progress through official channels is slow and unofficial routes into neighboring countries such as Pakistan are risky.

Despite the pain, Nilofar and some of the female footballers she used to train in Afghanistan have been able to carve out one moment of happiness after reaching their current location.

"I was very eager to learn how to ride a bike," says Nilofar. "It sounds childish because children learn to ride bikes when they are three or four years old. But as a woman in Afghanistan, you were not allowed to ride a bicycle around the city, even when the Taliban were not in charge.

"When we arrived [here], I learned to ride a bike along with some of the other girls. It was such a great experience and I wish every girl would be able to do that."

Sadat too continues to hope and dream of a day when she and her teammates will be together again and able to compete in the sport they love.

"We haven't lost our hope that one day all of [her volleyball teammates] can get out of Afghanistan and can start playing again in peace," she says. "With no one interrupting them, no one stopping their activities or preventing them from achieving their dreams."

Edited by Matt Ford

India: Metro project at Mumbai's Aarey forest stokes ecological concerns

Locals and activists in Mumbai fear thousands of trees will be knocked down to make way for a new transportation project, resulting in ecological destruction and endangering wildlife in the area.

The construction of a metro project would cause irreversible damage to

 the area's ecological diversity, say activists

"Anyone destroying the forest is destroying our gods," said Vanita Rajesh Thakre, who belongs to one of the tribal communities living in the Aarey forest area, located in the heart of Mumbai city, India's financial capital.   

"We have a deep relation with the forest. We get our food, medicines and livelihood from the forest. Our gods live in this forest."

Tribal communities, like Thakre's, and environmental activists have been protesting against the state government's plans to push ahead with the construction of a multi-level parking unit for the city's metro rail in a part of the forest.

They fear thousands of trees will be knocked down, resulting in ecological destruction and endangering wildlife in the area.

"Whose metro is it?" Thakre asked. "It won't be for us."

Strong public opposition

Aarey forest — known locally as the Aarey "milk colony" — is an ecologically sensitive zone (ESZ) in the center of Mumbai. It is part of the same forest as Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), a protected area in the city.

But in 2016, the then state government allocated 33 hectares of the 1,300 hectare forest for the metro rail parking unit.

The move triggered intense public opposition.

In 2019, opponents petitioned India's Supreme Court challenging the construction.

The top court then ordered authorities to stop the cutting down of trees in the area, although it did not halt the construction of the metro unit.

Activists say the government is ignoring major ecological concerns by 

pushing ahead with the metro project

'It is a constitutional crisis'

During a court hearing last week, the Maharashtra government contended that no new trees had been cut in Aarey since 2019.

But activists say that is not true.

They allege that felling and removal of trees has continued unabated despite the top court's ruling.

"This is not an environmental crisis anymore. It is a constitutional crisis that an elected government is refusing to acknowledge the order of the Supreme Court and doing as it pleases," said environmental activist Sanjiv Valsan.

Stalin Dayanand, director of the NGO Vanashakti, said trees were not being "cut" but were being knocked down using bulldozers, circumventing the court order. "There are tree maps and photographs that show how much damage is being done to Aarey," he noted.

Destruction of animal habitat

Another concern is that the construction would cause irreversible damage to the diversity found in the area.

Aarey is home to rich flora and fauna, including mammals such as leopards, reptiles such as cobras and Russell vipers, birds and species of insects and wild-flowers.

In 2019, a new species of jumping spider, Jerzego sunillimaye, was discovered in Aarey.

It also contains species listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s red list of threatened species. The leopards in Aarey are classified under the near-threatened category.

"These animals do not treat the SGNP and Aarey differently," said Nikit Surve, a researcher with the Wildlife Conservation Society in India. "Camera traps show that they use these areas as part of their territory, but it also does not mean that they live there exclusively."

Aarey is home to rich flora and fauna, including mammals such as leopards, 

reptiles such as cobras and Russell vipers, birds and species of insects and wild-flowers

How crucial are urban forests

Valsan said the government is ignoring major ecological concerns by pushing ahead with the construction.

"Aarey, being a flood plain of the Mithi River, by the concretization of the earmarked area will pose a flood risk for neighboring areas and could result in the flooding of the area occupying the Mumbai international airport, as well as Marol and Saki Naka areas during heavy rains," he underlined.

According to a 2017 report, the per capita tree density of Mumbai was just 0.28, compared to an ideal tree-human ratio of seven trees for every person. It highlights the pressing need to protect Mumbai's endangered tree density.

"Urban forests are crucial for several reasons, both socially and ecologically," said Kanchi Kohli, senior researcher at the Centre for Policy Research. "Ecologically, urban forests and other green spaces can help cities mitigate pollution, congestion and maintain other environmental functions like water recharge."

Kohli added that urban forests "bring to life and make accessible biodiversity, birds, butterflies, trees, wetlands to everyday life of metros and towns."

And it this way of life that locals and environmental activists say their "Save Aarey" campaign is trying to protect.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru

Japan's film industry under pressure over abuse

The Japanese film industry is following in the footsteps of the #MeToo campaign in other parts of the world, although some fear it will be impossible to entirely stamp out abuse that has become commonplace.



Japan's movie sector is under growing pressure to clean up its act

Actors, production crew and off-screen workers in Japan's movie and television industry have launched a campaign against harassment and sexual assault in the sector, which they describe as "a hotbed of sexual violence and abuse."

Japan's entertainment industry has long been rumored to be rife with unscrupulous men using their power to coerce newcomers and up-and-coming starlets, as well as closing ranks to cover up any misdeeds that reach the ears of the police or media.

In the wake of the #MeToo campaign in other parts of the world, however, Japan's movie sector is under growing pressure to clean up its act.

The turning point in Hollywood was arguably the arrest in May 2018 of Harvey Weinstein, the influential movie producer and founder of the entertainment firm Miramax.

At least 80 women came forward to allege that Weinstein had used his position to sexually harass or assault them. Weinstein, now 70, was found guilty in February 2020 of two felonies and sentenced to 23 years in prison, with more charges filed in Los Angeles in 2021.
Claims against Japanese directors

It took a few years for the campaign to cross the Pacific, but an article appeared in the Shukan Bunshun magazine including claims made by several women that director Hideo Sakaki had coerced them into having sex with him in return for roles in his films, or during acting workshops.

Sakaki, the director of "Mitsugestu," which means "Honeymoon," issued an apology but disputed parts of the article.

Similar claims have emerged against Shion Sono, the director of a number of feature films, including "Cold Fish" and "Ai no Mukidashi," or "Love Exposure," while actor Houka Kinoshita has announced that he is taking a break from appearing on screen after two women accused him of demanding sex.

In a statement issued by his management company, Kinoshita said, "I cannot appear before you and continue with my entertainment work after what I have done, and I will be taking leave for an indefinite period."

JAPAN THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS
'Zaido'
Devastated by a series of tragic accidents, Yukari Chikura followed a dream in which her deceased father appeared, asking her to go to a remote village in Tohoku. There she took part in a 1,300-year-old festival called Zaido, capturing it with her camera. "Seeing people fight again and again to preserve heritage gave me the courage to live again," she said of the experience.
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In April, a new group called the Association to End Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault in the Film and Moving Image Industry released a strongly worded statement demanding that all forms of abuse within the industry end. The association is made up of some of the most high-profile members of the domestic movie industry, including director Mipo O, actors Midori Suiren and Yumi Ishikawa and screenwriter Takehiko Minato.

The statement was given added impetus when Ishikawa claimed that director Sakaki demanded she have sex with him in return for a part in one of his films.

"We, as victims, emphatically state that there should be no more people damaged or suffering in silence," the association said.

Open letter calls out abuse

The open letter added that sexual violence in the industry is the result of the powerful "making use of status and power relations," with directors or producers "coercing an actor into having sexual intercourse on condition of casting." Those who are the targets of such approaches fear the consequences if they refuse, including losing their jobs and being ostracized and ruled out of more projects in the future.

"There are many people that have suffered damage but do not have the means to deal with it," the statement added. "They remain silent and endure the pain.

"At the root are the harsh working conditions of film and moving image production," the association said. "A poor working environment can be a hotbed for sexual violence and abuse."

Akemi Sugawara, a spokesperson for the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, said the organization was implementing measures to stop abuse in the industry.

"It goes without saying that the association is firmly opposed to any forms of violence and harassment, including sexual violence, which it considers to be unacceptable," she told DW.

"Based on this policy, the association is taking part in a campaign to ensure the appropriateness of activities on film production sites," she added.

"This initiative is being carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry with the aim of improving the environment at production sites through the introduction of guidelines, restrictions on working hours and other measures that we believe will prevent various types of harassment."

Minimal optimism for change

Others linked to the industry are less optimistic that real change is likely.

Kaori Shoji, long-time film critic for The Japan Times, says the problem remains worldwide but at least a spotlight is being placed on abuse in many parts of the world.

"Here in Japan, I hear women talking about it all the time," she said. "The film and media industry here is more old-fashioned and patriarchal than any other sector in Japan, and that's saying something.

"Other industries may have moved on, but the media here is controlled by men and too many of them are willing to abuse the powers they have over women," she said, adding that there are enough women who feel that the trade-off of a bigger part in a movie and improved career prospects for sex is acceptable.

"These women won't cry or make a fuss because they don't want to rock the boat," she said. "And that has not gone away. The industry may be airing its dirty laundry in public with these cases at the moment, but there are plenty more to come."

Edited by: Leah Carter

Bangladesh: 'Migrant-friendly' cities offer hope for climate refugees

The port city of Mongla acts as a model of what urban adaptation to climate change could look like. It also offers an alternative vision for countries facing climate-induced migration.

Over the coming years, Mongla aims to attract thousands of climate migrants 

displaced from nearby coastal regions

The Bangladeshi port city of Mongla, located along the coast of Bay of Bengal, is pioneering a new way for cities to adapt to the climate crisis.

With an 11-kilometer-long (6.8 miles) embankment, a new drainage system and water treatment plant, as well as loudspeakers to warn residents of incoming storms, the city has been steadily investing in infrastructure to make it more resilient in the face of rising sea levels and increasingly severe cyclonic storms.

Its most ambitious investment, however, is in people. Over the coming years, the city aims to attract thousands of climate migrants displaced from nearby coastal regions, in hopes that they would boost the economy and transform Mongla into a thriving industrial hub.

The plan, conceptualized by the research institute International Center for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), is part of a broader scheme to alleviate pressure on Dhaka by redirecting climate migrants away from the crowded capital, and instead towards smaller towns and cities. 

Working with mayors, locals and NGOs, ICCCAD is helping these new "migrant-friendly" cities to build capacity, so that they can collectively absorb around 10 million migrants over the coming years.

Millions of climate migrants 

Rural to urban migration is nothing new in Bangladesh, but climate change is projected to accelerate movement across the country. A World Bank report from 2018 predicted that over 13 million people in the South Asian country, or around 1 in 7, would be displaced by climate change by 2050.

"It's a trickle now, but it's going to get bigger and bigger over the coming years," said Professor Saleemul Huq, director at ICCCAD.

Mongla promises to provide sustainable employment to thousands of climate migrants

Historically, migrants have made their way to Dhaka. But the capital, one of the world's fastest growing megacities, is already overcrowded and poorly equipped to handle the country's growing migration crisis; around a third of people in the city already live in slums. 

"The possibility of another 10 million climate migrants arriving and living in the slums of Dhaka city is something that will be very, very difficult to manage," Huq pointed out.

While coastal adaptations such a salt-tolerant rice may help families to avoid migration in the short term, they cannot provide a sustainable solution to the threat of rising sea levels and increasingly erratic weather, the expert noted.

"What we are trying to do is to see whether there are other ways of anticipating this problem. And deal with it before it becomes a crisis."

A model of urban adaptation to climate change

ICCCAD has identified dozens of satellite cities with the ability to absorb around half a million migrants each, selected based on their proximity to economic hubs such as ports or export processing zones. 

While housing and schools are important in the long-term to ensure integration with the host population, "the number one draw for any migrant is economic," Huq said.

Mongla, the first city to adopt the ICCCAD recommendations, now acts as a model of what urban adaptation to climate change could look like. 

With its large export processing zone and growing economy, the city promises to provide sustainable employment to thousands of climate migrants.

Makul Begum is one of them, having arrived in the city with her husband and three children last year in search of employment. 

The small village where the family came from, an hour outside of Mongla, was flooded during Cyclone Aila in 2009, destroying their home and livelihood.

"The fish farm was flooded," the 30-year-old said. "The water was like a poison, all the fish died." With no source of income, the family was forced to take out a loan and sell jewelry in order to survive.

Mongla city in Bangladesh offers new hope to climate refugees by pioneering

 a new way to adapt to the climate crisis

'Positive approach' to migration

Since moving to Mongla, Begum has worked in the nearby export processing zone, sewing leather goods for 10,000 taka (€103, $106.69) per month. Foreign investment in the city's export processing zone from countries such as China has increased in recent years, creating thousands of new jobs. 

Infrastructure projects, such as a new railway line and river dredging to widen the channel for bigger ships, will also help to boost economic growth, said the city's mayor Sheikh Abdur Rahman.

"If these projects — especially the railway, bridge and river dredging — are completed, many factories will be created here and many migrants can find jobs," he underlined, adding that the city has already seen huge changes over the past decade.

"Ten years ago, there was nothing here. Now there are 10,000 workers in the export processing zone," he said.

Huq said Mongla is the first city to have implemented plans laid out by ICCCAD and he's confident that others will follow. 

The expert hopes that the city will offer an alternative vision of adaptation for countries around the world facing increasing climate-induced migration.

It gives migrants the choice of "when they want to go, where they want to go, and how they want to go. Instead of being forced to go, which is what is happening now," he said. "It is a way forward that takes a positive approach to the issue of migration."

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru