Chile's failed referendum: Progressive constitution 'was portrayed as a communist document'

Issued on: 06/09/2022 - 

© France 24

Video by:François PICARD

Chileans have overwhelmingly rejected a draft text to replace their constitution, which dates from Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship and is widely blamed for the country's deep-rooted social inequality. Analysts say some of the proposals it contained were too radical for most voters -- a majority of whom have made it clear they want a new constitution, just not this one. For more analysis on the failed referendum on a progressive constitution, FRANCE 24 is joined by Dr. Claudia Sylvia Heiss Bendersky, Head of Political Science of the Institute of Public Affairs at Universidad de Chile. She believes that voters rejected the constitution because it was portrayed as an "extreme" and "very radical proposal," a sentiment she does not agree with. "I think the Constitutional Convention was not successful in showing the document as a moderate constitution, as I think it was, with respect to private property, with an independent central bank, but with many new things regarding the environment, inclusion and social rights."

 

Lake Urmia risks fully drying up: Iran wetlands chief

Seen here in 2018, Iran's Lake Urmia has been drying up for years in one of the worst 

ecological disasters of recent decades.

Iran's Lake Urmia will dry out completely if rescue efforts are not prioritised over the needs of farmers in the drought gripping the region, an environment official said Tuesday.

The warning comes just four years after a Japanese government-funded programme had raised hopes of stabilising what was once the Middle East's largest lake and turning around one of the worst ecological disasters of recent decades.

"If the water quotas are not delivered and the approved plans are not fully realised, the lake will definitely dry up and there will be no hope of its recovery," said the head of the environment department's wetlands unit, Arezoo Ashrafizadeh.

"According to the law, the energy ministry is obliged to provide the environmental water needs of Lake Urmia," she told Iran's ISNA news agency.

"But the lake has not received its water entitlement due to a decrease in rainfall among other reasons."

Ashrafizadeh said there needed to be a halt to all new dam construction and measures to "stop agricultural activities" if the lake is to be restored.

Situated in the mountains of northwestern Iran not far from the Turkish border, Lake Urmia is designated as a site of international importance under the United Nations Convention on Wetlands that was signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971.

The lake has no outlet to the sea and its former size was the result of the volume of water flowing into it matching or exceeding the volume being removed by humans or evaporating off.

The lake once covered 5,000 square kilometres (1,930 square miles). Since 1995, it has been shrinking, according to the UN Environment Programme, due to a combination of rising temperatures, reduced rainfall, dam-building and over-farming.

The drying out has threatened the habitats of shrimp, flamingos, deers and wild sheep and caused salt storms that pollute nearby cities and farms.

Ashrafizadeh said the lake "has not yet completely dried up, but its northern and southern parts have been separated and about 1,000 square kilometres (386 square miles) of the lake remain."

In 2013, Iran and the UN Development Programme launched a campaign to save the lake with funding from the Japanese government.

The plan saw some success as in 2017, the lake expanded in size to reach 2,300 square kilometres (888 square miles) before starting to shrink again in the face of a protracted drought.

In mid-July, police arrested several people for "destroying public property and disturbing the security of the population" after they demonstrated against the drying up of the lake.

It was one of spate of demonstrations in Iran this year against the drying up of rivers and lakes in drought-affected areas of the centre and west.

A largely arid country, Iran suffers from chronic dry spells that are expected to worsen with climate change.

Iran sees 'revival' of imperilled Lake Urmia

© 2022 AFP

China Logs Hottest August Since Records Began

September 06, 2022 
Agence France-Presse

People walk on a section of a parched river bed along the Yangtze River 

in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province, Sept. 2, 2022.

BEIJING —

China has logged its hottest August since records began, state media reported Tuesday, following an unusually intense summer heat wave that parched rivers, scorched crops and triggered isolated blackouts.

Southern China last month sweltered under what experts said may have been one of the worst heat waves in global history, with parts of Sichuan province and the megacity of Chongqing clocking a string of days well over 40° C (104° F).

The average temperature nationwide was 22.4° C in August, exceeding the norm by 1.2° C, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing the country's weather service.

Some 267 weather stations across the country matched or broke temperature records last month, the report said.

It was also China's third-driest August on record, with average rainfall 23.1 percent lower than average.

"The average number of high-temperature days was abnormally high, and regional high-temperature processes are continuing to impact our country," CCTV reported the weather service as saying.

Scientists say extreme weather like heat waves, droughts and flash floods is becoming more frequent and intense due to human-induced climate change.

Last month, temperatures as high as 45° C prompted multiple Chinese provinces to impose power cuts as cities battled to cope with a surge in electricity demand partly driven by people cranking up the air conditioning.

Images from Chongqing showed a tributary of the mighty Yangtze river had almost run dry, a scene echoed further east where the waters of China's largest freshwater lake also receded extensively.

'Severe threat'

Chongqing and the eastern megacity of Shanghai switched off outdoor decorative lighting to mitigate the power crunch, while authorities in Sichuan imposed industrial power cuts as water levels dwindled at major hydroelectric plants.

As local authorities warned that the drought posed a "severe threat" to this year's harvest, the central government approved billions of yuan in subsidies to support rice farmers.

"This is a warning for us, reminding us to have a deeper understanding of climate change and improve our ability to adapt to it in all respects," said Zhang Daquan, a senior official at China's National Climate Centre, in comments carried Monday by the state-run People's Daily newspaper.

"It is also necessary to raise awareness across all of society to adapt to climate change... and strive to minimize social and economic impacts and losses," Zhang said.

Higher-than-usual temperatures are also expected across China throughout September, CCTV cited the weather service's deputy director Xiao Chan as saying.

Coal boost

Scientists have said a rapid reduction in global carbon dioxide emissions is needed to avert potentially disastrous global heating and its associated climate impacts.

China, the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, has pledged to bring its carbon emissions to a peak by 2030 and cut them to zero by 2060.

But the record-busting summer heat and drought, combined with a power crunch last year, have pushed authorities to pivot back towards carbon-rich coal use in what they have portrayed as a bump on the road towards a more sustainable future.

Beijing said earlier this year it would raise coal mining capacity by 300 million tons and has stepped up approvals of coal plants and related infrastructure.

‘Dangerous’ W. Sahara showdown sparks diplomatic rifts

AFP
September 6, 2022

The UN’s Western Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura, on the left, meets 

Polisario leader Brahim Ghali in Algeria’s southwestern city of Tindouf

 on September 4, 2022

Tunis – A bitter showdown between Morocco and its arch-rival Algeria over the disputed Western Sahara territory is causing diplomatic rifts with other nations and even risks sparking a full-blown conflict, analysts say.

“We’re seeing a diplomatic war, where both sides are resorting to anything short of open conflict,” said Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa project director at think-tank the International Crisis Group.

Western Sahara, a Spanish colony until 1975, is mostly desert but boasts immense phosphate resources and rich Atlantic fishing grounds.

About 80 percent of it is controlled by Morocco and 20 percent by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front which seeks self-determination for the local Sahrawi people.

The conflict has long simmered but its dynamics changed in 2020 when then US president Donald Trump recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in exchange for the kingdom’s normalisation of relations with Israel.

Emboldened by Washington’s backing, Rabat has been playing hardball ever since to persuade other states to follow suit, heightening tensions with Algiers, which has since cut diplomatic relations with Rabat.

Last week, Morocco reacted angrily when Tunisia’s President Kais Saied greeted Polisario head Brahim Ghali on a red carpet at Tunis airport as he arrived for a Japan-Africa investment summit.

Slamming the act as “hostile” and “unnecessarily provocative”, Morocco immediately cancelled its participation in the high-profile conference and withdrew its ambassador for consultations — prompting Tunisia to respond in kind.

The incident showed that “the Western Sahara conflict is starting to have repercussions beyond bilateral Morocco and Algerian relations,” Fabiani said. “From now on Morocco will consider Tunisia as part of the pro-Algerian camp.”

– ‘Unfreezing of conflict’ –

Morocco’s 2020 deal with Trump also reset Rabat’s ties with Israel and opened the door to military cooperation with the Jewish state.

Algeria, which has long supported the Palestinian cause and sees Israeli influence on its doorstep as a threat, cut ties entirely with Morocco the following August, citing “hostile acts” — including the alleged use of Israeli spyware against its senior officials.

Fabiani said the shifting dynamic had meant “the unfreezing” of the Western Sahara conflict.

On the ground, this has taken the form of repeated clashes since late 2020 between Morocco’s military and the Polisario, which had agreed to a ceasefire in 1991.

On the diplomatic front, Rabat’s more assertive stance was evident in a year-long diplomatic dispute with Madrid.

In April 2021, Ghali visited Spain to be treated for Covid-19, sparking a row that only ended after Madrid dropped its decades-long stance of neutrality over Western Sahara and backed a Moroccan plan for limited self-rule there.

And last month, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI demanded in a speech that his country’s other allies “clarify” their positions on the issue, calling it “the prism through which Morocco views its international environment”.

But observers say that Morocco is not the only party in the region to be behaving more assertively.

Algeria is Africa’s top natural gas exporter with pipelines directly to Europe, and in recent months has hosted a steady stream of top European officials hoping to win favour and new gas contracts.

Algeria, Africa’s largest country, has been flush with cash since energy prices soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“During the last decade, Morocco geared up its diplomacy, especially in Africa, and became more assertive with some EU members,” said Dalia Ghanem, a senior analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies.

At the same time Algeria, under late president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, “lagged behind,” she said. “Now, Algeria wants to get back on the regional arena and be the regional leader in Africa.”

– ‘Delicate and dangerous’ –

“There was a big Algerian campaign to recruit Tunisia to its side,” said Anthony Dworkin, a senior policy fellow at think-tank the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Tunisia, Algeria’s smaller neighbour, is struggling with a grinding economic crisis and has also seen political turmoil since Saied staged a dramatic power grab in July last year.

Dworkin warned that there was now “a disturbing trend of everything in the region being seen in a binary way through the prism of Algerian-Moroccan rivalry”.

“Morocco is pushing a narrative of ‘you’re with us or against us’, and there has been some similar rhetoric from Algeria,” he added, warning European governments to seek balanced relationships with all sides.

“It’s a delicate and dangerous moment.”

Last weekend, the United Nations’ Western Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura visited the region, but few observers see any prospect of progress in long-suspended negotiations.

“The risk of a military conflict is low, because neither side wants it, but it shouldn’t be underestimated,” Fabiani warned, noting that Morocco and Algeria have no diplomatic ties through which to deescalate tensions.

“All it needs is a border incident and a miscalculation.”

Cheng Lei: Australian journalist's dire prison conditions

Australian journalist Cheng Lei is reportedly being held in cramped, difficult conditions in a Chinese prison more than two years after her arrest.


Cheng's eyesight has reportedly deteriorated in prison

More than two years after her detention in China, new details show that Australian journalist Cheng Lei has experienced tough prison conditions — and her health has also reportedly deteriorated.

Cheng, a former anchor for China's state-run broadcaster CGTN, was reported as missing in August 2020. She was arrested in February 2021 when she was formally charged with "suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets overseas."

In March this year, she was tried behind closed doors but an official sentence has not yet been released.

Life behind bars

The Chinese-born Australian mother of two could face life imprisonment if she's found guilty of violating China's national security laws.

According to the documentary "Disappeared: The Cheng Lei Story" released last month by the Australian news outlet, The Daily Telegraph, Cheng told Australian diplomats during consular visits that she had to put sanitary pads into her shoes because of inadequate footwear.

Additionally, she told the diplomats that she was often pinned to chairs with wooden boards, and had to share a bed and a toilet with three other inmates in a tiny cell.

Her eyesight has also deteriorated due to the long hours spent in the cell but prison authorities told her that it would be a "hassle" to get her reading glasses, according to the documentary.

The documentary says this new information was based on consular reports produced by Australian diplomats in China.

Nick Coyle, Cheng Lei's partner, is unable to talk with her in prison

Denied phone calls with family

Cheng's partner Nick Coyle, who is a former head of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, told DW that Cheng is only allowed one 30-minute video call with the Australian consulate a month, but otherwise isn't allowed to call her family.

"She hasn't been allowed any phone calls or video calls or communication with her kids or family. She has had three visits from her lawyer during the preparation for her trial," Coyle said.

"Because we are not married, I don't have any visibility beyond that. I think she is allowed to write letters to her immediate family. Her kids and parents have received letters, but the process is that if the letters get screened, it often takes months for things to get back and forth."

Coyle said that the details in the Australian documentary were consistent how he saw Cheng's situation.

"Her conditions are difficult and there are no other ways to describe it," he told DW.

The most important thing, he said, was to get a quick resolution and to get Cheng home.

"At the end of the day, it's my job to give her as much encouragement and positivity as possible. Fortunately, she's been very strong and she's coping with it as best as she could," Coyle said.

He added that Cheng's two children were "resilient" and were getting on with their lives as best as they could.

"They need their mom and their mom needs her kids. Everyone is just trying to support each other as much as possible."

Cheng Lei's detention came during a time of deteriorating diplomatic relations between China and Australia

Staying positive in a Chinese prison

In the documentary, The Daily Telegraph also mentioned that Cheng tried to teach other inmates English with Shakespeare and English television series. She reportedly told Australian diplomats that her career teaching English as a second language was "flourishing."

"With my cellmates, I can see how much of a difference I am making to their lives. This is uplifting for me. I'm not wasting time, and I'm not valueless," she reportedly said.

Coyle told DW that Cheng has always been someone who cares about other people.

"Her personality and her dynamism and strength will mean she'll make the best out of every situation she can. That's how she's wired and that's a tremendous complement to her," he said.

"She'll be trying to get through every day trying to be as positive as possible and trying to have a positive impact on people around her."

Australian FM Penny Wong promises that Canberra will continue advocating for Cheng's interests and well-being

Australia urges humane treatment

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong promised that Canberra will continue to advocate for Cheng's interests and well-being in an August statement.

"Since Ms. Cheng was detained in August 2020, the Australian government has consistently called for basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment to be met, in accordance with international norms," Wong said.

Meanwhile, China's ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, claimed the rights of Cheng Lei and other Australian citizens currently detained in China were "well protected."

"There are a couple of Australian citizens in China that are under custody according to Chinese rules and laws, and their basic rights are well protected, don't worry about that," he said during an event at the National Press Club in the Australian capital, Canberra.

The Asia director at Human Rights Watch, Elaine Pearson, believes the Australian government should stress that the release of Australian citizens detained in China is critical to resetting the soured relationship between the two countries.

"Obviously, [Cheng] is not the only Australian citizen that's wrongfully detained [in China,] and it's important that the Australian government makes it clear that releasing both of them [Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun] is absolutely critical to resetting the relationship with Beijing," Pearson told DW.

Graham Fletcher, Australia's ambassador to China, was denied access to Cheng's trial because 'it involved state secrets'

China's hostage diplomacy in play

Chinese Australian writer Yang Hengjun was arrested in January 2019 when he arrived in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou with his wife and child. He's been charged with espionage and there are ongoing concerns about his health conditions.

Yang's close friend Feng Chongyi, a professor at the University of Technology Sydney, told DW that both Yang and Cheng's cases show that China is prepared to detain specific people on trumped-up charges.

In the initial stages of detention, these individuals are often be put under "residential surveillance at a designated location" (RSDL) where authorities may use different ways to force them to confess to certain crimes, he added.

"When Yang was put under RSDL, they repeatedly deprived Yang of sleep and kept interrogating him," he said.

"Yang's case was heard more than a year ago, but there are still no official sentences. Both cases show that the trial process doesn't follow Chinese legal procedures. Rather, it is dominated by political considerations."

WHERE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS DOESN'T EXIST
Africa's very own North Korea: Eritrea
Eritrea ranks second-last in the World Press Freedom Index. Reports from the disastrous state of affairs in Eritrea are rare, and many journalists have been forced to leave the country. Radio Erena is the only one to broadcast independent information to the people of Eritrea — from Paris.
123456

Australians 'at risk'

Pearson from Human Rights Watch said that China does have a track record of using "hostage diplomacy", although it was hard to determine whether both cases were related to the worsening relationship between China and Australia.

"We do have concerns about these two cases and whether these Australians are effectively used as pawns in a greater battle between the two countries and for the Chinese government to get leverage over Australia," she told DW.

"I think the Australian government needs to work in coalition with other governments. It's important that they collectively raise concerns with the Chinese government. Ultimately, I think that will be more effective," Pearson said.

Currently, Australian warns its citizens to exercise a high degree of caution in China.

"As previously advised, authorities have detained foreigners on grounds of 'endangering national security'. Australians may be at risk of arbitrary detention," the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says on its website.

Pearson said there seemed to be a pattern of foreign nationals facing the risk of arbitrary detention in countries like China, Russia and Iran.

"I'm worried there seems to be a pattern here and probably that does make Australian citizens think long and hard before traveling to certain countries," she told DW.

"I think it's important that all governments need to make it clear that citizens can't be arbitrarily detained as means of punishing certain governments or in order to extract certain concessions from that government," she added.

Edited by: Keith Walker

Russia-Ukraine updates: IAEA seeks protection zone around Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency has called for an end to shelling near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Meanwhile, Putin is overseeing joint drills with China and India. DW rounds up the latest.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is scheduled to brief the UN Security Council on 

the situation of nuclear plants in Ukraine

The United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency has called for the establishment of a protection zone around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine, so long as Russia’s invasion continues.

In a report issued after visiting the nuclear plant — Europe’s largest — the IAEA said shelling presented a major risk to nuclear safety.

"While the ongoing shelling has not yet triggered a nuclear emergency, it continues to represent a constant threat to nuclear safety and security with potential impact on critical safety functions that may lead to radiological consequences with great safety significance," the IAEA said in the report.

It said the best course of action would be for the conflict to end, but failing that, a security area should be established. It also called for the removal of Russian armored vehicles that the delegation observed at the plant. 

"Shelling on site and in its vicinity should be stopped immediately to avoid any further damages to the plant and associated facilities, for the safety of the operating staff and to maintain the physical integrity to support safe and secure operation. This requires agreement by all relevant parties to the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the ZNPP," it said.

It said it was ready to offer guidance on establishing such a zone.

What damages did the IAEA delegation observe?

During the visit, the IAEA said it saw numerous cases of damage, and at one point the delegation was forced to seek shelter from incoming shell fire.

The damaged infrastructure included a turbine lubrication oil tank; the roofs of several buildings including the one housing the spent fuel transporter vehicle; the building that houses fresh nuclear fuel and the solid radioactive waste storage facility; the new training building; the building with the central alarm system for the physical protection system; and the container holding radiation monitoring system which is near the dry spent fuel storage facility.

It heaped praise on the staff manning the plant, but said working and living conditions needed to improve for them to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.

"The staff at all of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities have continued to show endurance and resilience in keeping the sites running in a safe and secure way amid the conflict, and the IAEA salutes them," it said.

It said they were "under constant high stress and pressure, especially with the limited staff available."

"This is not sustainable and could lead to increased human error with implications for nuclear safety."

Kyiv and Moscow have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the plant. The Zaporizhzhia plant, along with most of the rest of the region, has been under Russian occupation since March, but is run by Ukrainian staff.

Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom said on Monday that shelling disrupted power lines and took the plant's last remaining reactor offline.

The UN nuclear watchdog, citing information supplied by Kyiv, said that the plant's backup power line had been cut to extinguish a fire. It said that the line itself was not damaged and would be reconnected.

Later on Tuesday, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi will brief the UN Security Council.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of a "near radiation catastrophe," and alleged that Moscow "does not care what the IAEA will say."

Meanwhile, Kyiv has claimed gains in a counter-offensive in Ukraine's south, including the re-capture of one village in the Kherson region, which lies immediately west of Zaporizhzhia.

Here's a look at some of the other major news stories from Russia's war in Ukraine on September 6.

European Commission recommends Russian visa deal be dropped

The European Commission has recommended that the Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia be suspended.

The move was largely expected, and will now be passed onto the European Council for final approval.

"A country like Russia, waging a war of aggression, should not qualify for visa facilitations as long as it continues conducting its destructive foreign policy and military aggression towards Ukraine, demonstrating a complete disregard to the international rules-based order," the Commission said in a statement.

"The suspension is in response to increased risks and threats to the Union's security interests and the national security of the Member States as result of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine."

Suspending the deal would mean a more arduous process for visas for Russian nationals, but would include considerations for family members of EU citizens, journalists, dissidents and civil society representatives.

The increased hurdles they face would include a higher visa fee (€80 up from €35), processing times of up to 45 days, restrictions on multiple entry visas, and a requirement for more documents.

The visa deal first came into force in 2007, but ministers from EU member states last week agreed to put it on ice. The new arrangement falls well short of an outright ban on visas for Russians, which some EU states had called for.

 According to the Commission, about 963,000 Russians held valid visas to the Schengen area.

Opinion: Germany — No exit from the nuclear energy exit

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck wants to keep two of the three German nuclear power plants on standby for an extra three months as an emergency reserve. That is the right decision, says Jens Thurau.

The Emsland nuclear power plant will be turned off at the end of the year

So now, after all, Germany is extending the operation of the nuclear power plants still connected to the grid. Even if only for two of the three, the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant in Baden-Württemberg and the Isar reactor in Bavaria — and only as an emergency standby. The Emsland nuclear power plant in northern Germany is to be taken off the grid as planned at the end of the year.

The electricity and gas supply crisis is behind the current decision. The two power plants will be running longer than planned for just three months. All the same it is a turning point, especially for the Greens, who are an important cog in the government's machinery.

Ending atomic energy is a core Greens' demand

For a long time, the end of nuclear energy in Germany was an elementary reason for the Greens' existence. Time and again, not only the Greens argued that the dispute over nuclear energy in Germany, after decades of heated argument, had finally been shelved with the decision to phase out nuclear power in 2011, after the Fukushima reactor disaster. The Greens in particular really came together as a party in the fight against nuclear energy in the early 1980s.

DW's Jens Thurau

But now everything has changed, every straw is being clutched at to break free from dependence on Russian energy supplies. Even Robert Habeck of the Greens, whose ministerial portfolio includes energy policy, has given the changing situation due consideration. Winter can be tough, very tough. Which means the remaining German nuclear power plants must continue to operate, even if they only supply 6% of the country's electricity — all three combined. But in times of crisis, every little bit is needed.

No plea for nuclear energy

The decision is probably the right one to get Germany through the winter, a pragmatic weighing of interests by politicians who have sworn an oath of office to deflect harm from the country. But considerations that go above and beyond, as suggested by opposition politicians, to hold on to nuclear energy in Germany, are a different matter.

If the three nuclear power plants that are still active were to run for longer than three months, they would need new fuel elements, and those are cheapest in Russia. It is a catch-22. Whatever the government does, it can only ever be about becoming independent of Putin and his stranglehold on energy. A continued operation of the German nuclear power plants beyond three months at Putin's mercy is not a convincing argument.

Renewables are the only way out

So, we're looking at only two out of three reactors, and only in case of an emergency. A glance at France, where 28 of the 56 power plants are currently not on the grid, shows that nuclear energy hardly offers a way out of the current energy crisis here in Germany and elsewhere. One of the reasons is the shortage of cooling water from the rivers in the summer drought. In France as in Germany, the only alternative is to save energy wherever possible — electricity, gas, oil. And to expand renewable energies as quickly as possible.

At the end of the day it is the right decision. Two of the three nuclear power plants still on the grid will help the Germans get through the winter in an emergency, but nothing more. It is not a plea for a future of nuclear energy. On the other hand, who knows how long this decision will last in these troubled times — apart from the fact that it still needs the blessing of the entire government. And that is anything but a given in these weeks and months.

This article was originally written in German.

Tackling inequality: A survival guide for humanity and nature?

From investing trillions in green jobs and renewables to transforming our food system, a new book argues there are five ways we can put the planet and people above profit. DW speaks to lead co-author Jorgen Randers.



A new book argues that with 2-4% of global GDP, we can pull nature back from the brink

In "Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity," we are presented with two possible futures.

In the first — called "Too Little, Too Late" — the 21st Century is dominated by destabilizing inequality, a rising ecological footprint, loss of biodiversity and temperatures that soar to 2.5 degrees Celsius (36.5 degrees Fahrenheit) warming.

In the second — "The Giant Leap" — we stabilize global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius and end poverty by 2050 through a seismic transformation of our global economy.

The split between these paths looks more like a cliff edge than a crossroads, as Jorgen Randers, professor emeritus of climate strategy at the BI Norwegian Business School and one of the book's six co-authors, sees it.

And it is this sense of urgency that thrums through Earth for All, a survival guide for tackling the simultaneous, interlinked crises of environmental degradation and profound inequality. The book argues it is not only critical but entirely possible to solve them with the investment of 2-4% of GDP — less, it highlights, than what is currently spent annually on fossil fuel subsidies.

Jorgen Randers, left, is among a team of international academics that have co-authored the book

Vote — and take collective action

While it sets sight on seismic global policy shifts, in the foreword to the book, Christiana Figueres, a Costa Rican diplomat and one of the central architects of the Paris Climate Agreement, writes that large-scale systems change is surprisingly personal. "It starts with each of us, with what we prioritize, what we are willing to stand up for, and how we decide to show up in the world."

Randers too believes it is not just policy makers that can bring us back from the cliff edge. Consumer actions that move away from fossil fuels — like buying a heat pump instead of using gas or purchasing an electric car — have their merit. But ultimately, he believes we need to fully embrace "collective action."

And the most important message is to vote correctly, says Randers. "To get in power, politicians or a political party that is willing to behave as a strong government to tax sufficiently to be able to pay for the solutions that we all need."

Consumer choices like buying an electric car play a role but it is collective action that is critical, says Randers

A roadmap for economic transformation

The book presents these solutions in the form of five ‘extraordinary turnarounds': ending poverty through reform of the international financial system, ensuring the wealthiest 10% take no more than 40% of national incomes, empowering women for full gender equity, transforming the food system and a clean energy transition to reach net zero global emissions by 2050.

It also outlines a roadmap for achieving them in the form of 15 policy recommendations, many of which are directly climate related. The include the International Monetary Fund transferring $1 trillion (€1 trillion) per year to low-income countries for creating green jobs, increasing annual global investments in new renewables to over $1 trillion, electrifying "everything", phasing out fossil fuels and ending agricultural expansion.

In the book's "Giant Leap" scenario, by 2050 the food system will be regenerative, food waste dramatically reduced through legislation, and local food production economically incentivized.

Greater equality is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet, according to the book

Tackle global inequality

Achieving this scale of transformation will require "truly extraordinary action to redistribute wealth", Randers explains, as inequality and planetary destruction are intimately linked. "If we continue [as we are] equality is going to go down and the temperature is going to keep rising."

The book describes greater equality as the closest thing the world has to a silver bullet. It will help generate funds to make the "Giant Leap." Without it, the authors predict society will be too embroiled in social tensions related to poverty and declining wellbeing to take the necessary action to tackle climate change.

To this end, the book's proposals include increasing tax rates on the richest 10% of the global population — who currently take home 52% of global incomes and earn on average $122,100 , according to the World Inequality Report produced by the Paris School of Economics. It also argues the private sector should be charged for extracting or polluting resources that belong to all in society — such as land, freshwater and the atmosphere. The money this raises would be put into a Citizens Fund and then divided by the population number to produce a lump sum that could be distributed equally back to all citizens.

Investing in regenerative agriculture and cutting food waste is part of the book's proposals for transforming our food system

State subsidies for clean energy

Redistributing wealth will help fund an energy transition which although technologically speaking is a piece of cake will only happen at scale through subsidizing, says Randers. "Instead of relying on the market and voluntary action, we introduce an active state, which is well funded and actually pays what it takes to make the world more sustainable."

Ensuring that climate solutions are fairly funded is paramount. "All the technologies exist to solve these five problems…so you need to ask why we haven't yet," says Randers. The fundamental explanation, he believes, is that the major crises have been created by the overconsumption and extractivism of the world's wealthiest people. "Unless we get into a situation where the rich pay for the repair, we will never get democratic agreement on any action."


Earth for All hopes to encourage a global coalition around its ideas

Take action — whether you are optimistic or not

This is not the first fork in the climate road Randers has stood before.

In 1972 he was co-author of the seminal work, "The Limits of Growth," which argued material consumption of energy and resources could not continue indefinitely. If we had paid attention to this book, environmentalist Bill McKibben argues, "we wouldn't be in the fix we're in today."

The disappointing lack of action in the ensuing 50 years has made Randers more hesitant to be optimistic. Luckily, he says, the other Earth for All academics fully believe society is capable of a great leap, taking hope from huge achievements like the Paris Agreement.

The purpose of the book is not only to be a study, Randers explains, but an active call to form a "strong global coalition” of civil society groups around the ideas.

And ultimately action is urgent regardless of where you land on the optimism spectrum, says Randers. "We should work as hard as we can to try to get people to understand that this is important — important enough that they actually join in a big movement to force the rich to pay the bill."

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

WOMEN AND GIRLS: VICTIMS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Dangerous distances
As places around the world become more arid and suffer from increasing drought and deforestation, wooded areas are disappearing. According to a new study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), women, particularly those living in the global south, are being forced to walk farther and farther to find firewood for cooking — and are increasingly at risk of being raped.
1234567

Date 06.09.2022

South Korea: Typhoon Hinnamnor forces thousands to flee

Heavy rain and strong winds have caused power outages, flight cancelations and school closures as the typhoon made landfall in southern parts of the country.

A man walks on a road along the coast damaged by Typhoon Hinnamnor in Ulsan

Thousands of people were forced to evacuate as Typhoon Hinnamnor made landfall in South Korea on Tuesday.

It is one of the most powerful storms to hit the country in decades, authorities said.

It comes weeks after the capital Seoul and nearby regions were hit by heavy rainfall and flashfloods that killed at least 14 people.

What effect has Typhoon Hinnamnor had?

The typhoon left the Korean peninsula off the southeastern city of Ulsan at about 7:10 am, after landing on the coastal city of Geoje, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

"Heavy rains, strong winds and a storm surge are expected until Tuesday," the country's weather agency said, warning against "very" high waves in the coastal areas.

South Korean officials put the nation on alert about potential damages from flooding, landslides and tidal waves

Strong rains and winds destroyed trees and roads in southern regions. More than 20,000 homes were left without power.

As of early Tuesday, 3,463 people had been evacuated and one 25-year-old reported missing in Ulsan, authorities said.

More than 600 schools were closed or moved to online classes, and more than 250 flights and 70 ferry services were grounded. More than 66,000 fishing boats evacuated to ports.

President Yoon Suk-yeol held emergency response meetings, urging officials to take precautions until the typhoon is completely gone.

Where is Hinnamnor headed next?

North Korea also braced for damage from the typhoon as leader Kim Jong Un presided over a two-day meeting on disaster prevention work, ordering the release of water from a dam near its border with its southern neighbor.

Despite South Korea's repeated requests for notice before releasing water downstream, Pyongyang has remained unresponsive.

The typhoon is expected to head northeast and pass about 400 kilometers northwest of Sapporo in Japan at about midnight on Tuesday.

Measles in Zimbabwe: Government struggles to contain outbreak as more deaths reported

The death toll from a measles outbreak among children in Zimbabwe has risen to almost 700. The government's mass vaccination campaign to contain the spread faces stiff resistance from unvaccinated families.

A measles vaccination can protect a child against infection or severe illness

Zimbabwe's Health Ministry said on Monday it had recorded 6,291 cases of measles by Sept. 4. Over the weekend it said that 698 children had now died. The latest figures mark a steep increase compared to two weeks ago, when the ministry said 157 children, most of whom were unvaccinated due to their family's religious beliefs, had died from the disease.

The outbreak began in the eastern Manicaland province at the beginning of August, spreading rapidly across the country. Health authorities are scrambling to contain the spread.

The government has announced a mass vaccination campaign targeting children between the ages of six months and 15 years. Authorities are also trying to engage traditional and faith leaders to support the drive.

Zimbabwe has continued vaccinating children against measles during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the drive has been hampered by religious groups preaching against vaccines.

Rejection of modern medicine

The Christian sects in question are against modern medicine and have told their members to rely on self-proclaimed prophets for healing.

Health authorities have tried to keep up with measles vaccines, while also vaccinating against COVID-19

DW caught up with one of the religious groups on an annual pilgrimage in Manicaland, where thousands of members of the Johane Marange Apostolic sect had gathered to listen to an oracle. The church doctrine does not allow its members to be vaccinated or seek medical treatment when they fall sick.

A preventable fatal disease

Measles is among the most infectious diseases in the world. The childhood infection is caused by a virus that can be fatal for small children. It primarily spreads in the air by coughing, sneezing or through close contact. Symptoms include coughing, fever and a skin rash. However, a vaccine can easily prevent the disease. 

But 56-year-old sect member Kuziva Kudzanai told DW it was a sin to seek medical treatment. "If anyone gets sick, they will go to the church elders for prayers," he insisted.

Church gatherings that have resumed following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions have themselves "led to the spread of measles to previously unaffected areas," the Health Ministry said in a statement last week.

Added pregnancy risks

The prohibition on medical care also applies to pregnant women, sect member Janet Hanyanisi told DW. "We are not allowed to be vaccinated or even to go to a hospital for treatment. Instead, we go to our church midwives for delivery," she said.

Health authorities have struggled to break down some religious communities' resistance to vaccinating their children, who they believe are speeding up the spread of the disease.

Some religious sects won't allow pregnant women in Zimbabwe to get medical assistance

"So far what we have seen that almost all the dead are unvaccinated children," said Cephas Hote, a medical officer in Mutasa District, one of the worst-affected regions. He added that there were a few infections among vaccinated children, but only with mild symptoms.

Scramble to contain measles

The government has reacted to the outbreak by launching a national measles vaccination blitz. July Moyo, a minister in the local government, said several government departments and the police are enforcing the vaccination to "tackle the emergency." 

Moyo hopes the involvement of the entire government will ensure that "people, especially children, get vaccinated."

Before the current outbreak, Zimbabwe had not recorded a single measles case for more than 10 years. Public health authorities are hoping the current outbreak can be contained before it becomes an epidemic.

Scientists estimate more than 90% of the population needs to be immunized to prevent measles outbreaks.

In April, the World Health Organization warned of an increase in measles cases in vulnerable countries as a result of a disruption of services due to COVID-19.

UNICEF has said about 25 million children worldwide have missed out on routine immunizations against common childhood diseases, calling it a "red alert" for child health.

This piece was updated on Sept. 6 to reflect the higher death toll among children.

Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu

DW RECOMMENDS

Zimbabwe: Measles outbreak leaves more than 150 children dead

Government says 157 children have died as the total number of suspected cases nationwide has doubled in four days. All of those who died had not been vaccinated against measles according to officials.  

AUDIOS AND VIDEOS ON THE TOPIC