More than 3.4 million Americans used $8.4 billion in clean energy credits in 2023

By Doug Cunningham
Aug. 7, 2024 / 

More than 3.4 million Americans used $8.4 billion in Inflation Reduction Act clean energy tax credits in 2023, according to IRS and other data released Wednesday. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the credits save families hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars annually on utility bills. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 7 (UPI) -- More than 3.4 million Americans benefitted from $8.4 billion in clean energy tax credits in 2023, according to IRS and other data released Wednesday by the Treasury Department.

The use of Inflation Reduction Act expanded tax credits to lower utility bills increased nearly one-third compared to the 2021 tax year, the Treasury Department said.
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Tax return data showed American families used more than $6 billion in residential clean energy credits in 2023 in addition to more than $2 billion for energy-efficient home improvements.

Households putting in residential solar energy saved a median of $2,300 annually.

Related

Treasury, IRS say U.S. consumers saved $1 billion through EV tax credits since January
U.S. announces tax credits for clean energy programs in underserved communities
Government agencies launch effort to expand use of clean-energy tax credits

Households installing efficient heat pumps and improving building efficiency are expected to save up to $600, $1,200, or $3,100 per year, based on the type of heating and cooling system that is being replaced, according to the Treasury Department.

"The Biden-Harris Administration's top economic priority is lowering costs for American families, and the Inflation Reduction Act is advancing that goal by making home energy upgrades more affordable and cutting monthly utility bills," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.

Yellen said the law "has lowered the cost of clean energy upgrades for more than 3.4 million American families, saving them hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars annually on their utility bills for many years to come."

Treasury said the new data show the Inflation Reduction Act is achieving its goals of lowering costs for both the upfront cost of energy and the cost of energy efficiency investments.

"Recent research from U.S. national labs and analysis from Treasury's Office of Economic Policy shows that after consumers adopt these upgrades, they can save hundreds or thousands of dollars per year on their utility bills, depending on the upgrades made to their homes," the Treasury said.

On Tuesday eighteen House Republicans wrote Speaker Mike Johnson to urge that any GOP efforts to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act should not include repealing the energy tax credits provided by that law.

"We hear from industry and our constituents who fear the energy tax regime will once again be turned on its head due to Republican repeal efforts. Prematurely repealing energy tax credits, particularly those which were used to justify investments that already broke ground, would undermine private investments and stop development that is already ongoing," the House Republican conference members wrote.

They added that repealing those credits "would create a worst-case scenario where we would have spent billions of taxpayer dollars and received next to nothing in return."

While they said the IRA was "deeply flawed", the Republican House conference members said energy tax credits in the Biden-Harris administration's Inflation Reduction Act have spurred innovation, incentivized investment and created good jobs in many parts of the country.

"As Republicans, we support an all-of-the-above approach to energy development and tax credits that incentivize domestic production, innovation, and delivery from all sources," their letter to Speaker Johnson said.

The letter was signed by GOP Reps. Garbarino, Valadao, Chevez-DeRemer, Molinaro, Houchin, D'Esposito, Lawler, Kiggins, LaLota, Kim, Curtis, Bacon, Kean, Joyce, Miller-Meeks, Ciscomani, Carter and Amodei.

The Inflation Reduction Act tax credits extended and expanded the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit. It gives tax credits to households that install energy efficiency upgrades like windows and doors, electric heat pumps, and rooftop solar.

More than 750,000 families claimed tax credits for residential solar electricity.

More than 250,000 used tax credits for electric or natural gas heat pumps while over 100,000 families claimed credits for heat pump water heaters.

According to the Treasury Department, nearly 700,000 families claimed credits for investments in insulation and air sealing.

Poll: 30% of Americans over 50 are now caregivers

SOCIAL CARE BY VOLUNTEER LABOUR

By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay News


More than 1 in 4 Americans 50 or older are now caregivers, looking after at least one family member or friend who has a health problem or disability, a new poll has found. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay News



More than 1 in 4 Americans 50 or older are now caregivers, looking after at least one family member or friend who has a health problem or disability, a new poll has found.

In all, 30% of all people in their 50s and early 60s provide care to at least one person, the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging found.
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By comparison, only 23% of people over 65 are caregivers, results show.

The poll also found that 1 in 10 caregivers in their 50s and early 60s are juggling the care of three or more people.

"Nationwide, these data confirm that caregiving for family and friends who have health challenges falls unevenly on people in their 50s and early 60s, and women," said Sarah Patterson, a University of Michigan demographer who worked with the poll team on the new survey.

About 32% of women aged 50 or older are caregivers, compared with 22% of men in the same age group, the poll found.

The poll also provided more information about who needs all this care.

About 23% of caregivers are looking after someone with an intellectual or developmental disability, while 66% are caring for a senior with a health problem or disability.

The most common health concern that required caregiving was a physical disability or mobility problem, affecting 59% of those needing care.

The next most common were memory or thinking issues, affecting 42%, vision or hearing impairments at 28% and mental health concerns at 22%.

The results "show us more about the specific health issues and disabilities they're helping loved ones with, and about the need for more awareness of existing support programs for older adults and their caregivers," Patterson said in a university news release.

When asked who should be covering the cost of caregiving, 45% of people aged 50 and older felt the government should take the lead, while 27% said the person receiving care should pay. About 18% said it should be family or friends.

The poll also found that 61% of caregivers didn't know about Area Agencies on Aging, which are local or regional groups that offer support to caregivers, seniors and the disabled.

"We hope these data will help policymakers and others understand who is providing care," said poll director Dr. Jeffrey Kullgren, an associate professor of internal medicine at Michigan Medicine. "We also found that the majority of caregivers may not know about local or regional services that could help them or the person they're caring for."

The survey was conducted among nearly 3,400 people, including more than 900 caregivers, researchers said. The poll took place in February and March.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on caregiving.

Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

World Central Kitchen says Palestinian member killed in Gaza

IDF TARGETED KILLING IS TERRORISM

Nadi Sallout, a Palestinian worker of the World Central Kitchen, was killed in the central Gazan city of Deir al-Balah. Photo courtesy of World Central Kitchen/X

Aug. 8 (UPI) -- World Central Kitchen said a Palestinian team member has been killed in central Gaza, further highlighting the casualties incurred by humanitarian workers in the conflict.

The U.S. based charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés said Wednesday that Nadi Sallout had died overnight near Deir al-Balah.

"He was an integral member of our warehouse team from the early days of our response in Rafah and a humanitarian at his very core," World Central Kitchen said in a statement on X.

"We are still learning the details of this tragedy, but believe he was off duty at the time. Our thoughts and support are with Nadi's family and the rest of our dedicated team around the world as we mourn this tremendous loss."

The Israeli military said in a statement that it was not aware of any casualties involving workers of the organization, Britain-based Middle East Eye news organization reported.

Alexandra Saieh, head of humanitarian policy and advocacy at Save the Children International, described Sallout's death on X as "horrific."

"Let's be clear -- there has been no improvement in the safety of aid workers in Gaza," she said. "Aid workers like Nadi Sallout are killed under Israeli military ops every week with ZERO accountability. You'd think the unprecedented number of aid works killed would trigger some sort of action but the int'l community has normalized it."

According to the United Nations' refugee agency, between the start of the war and April 30, at least 254 aid workers were killed in Gaza.

Sallout's death comes some four months after seven World Central Kitchen workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their convoy April 1.

The victims were three British nationals, an American-Canadian, a Palestinian, a Pole and an Australian.

The attack attracted international condemnation, and marked a shift in the Biden administration increasing its public criticism of Israel for its methods of war in the Palestinian enclave.

After the strike, World Central Kitchen paused operations in the war zone but resumed them before the end of the month.

The food charity has been operating in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7 when Iran-backed Hamas launched a bloody surprise attack on Israel.

It has provided nearly 60 million meals in the besieged enclaved in that time.

Last week, it said in an update that challenges facing its operation were multiplying, with areas near their kitchens having become points of focus for Israeli military operations, preventing some locations from receiving resupplies of ingredients and equipment.

Eleven of its kitchen had ceased operations and another eight had been cut off from aid, it said.

Alaska glacier outburst floods Juneau, damages more than 100 homes


A melting glacier, overflowing from heavy rains in Alaska, unleashed a torrent of water Tuesday on Juneau where more than 100 homes were damaged.

 Photo courtesy of Gov. Mike Dunleavy

Aug. 8 (UPI) -- A melting glacier, overflowing from heavy rains in Alaska, unleashed a torrent of water on Juneau where more than 100 homes were damaged in what is being called an "unprecedented" glacial lake outburst flood.

The glacier flood from the Suicide Basin swelled the Mendenhall River to record levels, causing destructive flooding in Juneau on Tuesday, nearly one year after the same river flooded on Aug. 7, 2023.

Glacial lake outbursts occur when a basin fills with water from melting snow, ice and rain -- after Juneau's heavy rainfall in July -- which overtopped the glacier, "like water overflowing out of a full bathtub," the city of Juneau explained last week in a warning to residents to prepare for flooding and evacuations.

A U.S. Geological Survey camera captured the Suicide Basin glacial lake's gradual rise over the past month and rapid fall pictured Tuesday after the outburst sent water flooding into Juneau below.

Image shows Suicide Basin glacier above Juneau after outburst drops level, sending water into the city below.

 Photo courtesy of USGS

"I have declared a state disaster emergency for the 2024 August Juneau Glacier Flood," Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy wrote Tuesday in a post on X.

"I am grateful no one has been injured or killed by this morning's outburst flood. Emergency responders and managers have done an outstanding job keeping their residents safe. In addition to the Disaster Declaration, I have directed all state agencies to support the community as they deal with this major flooding," the governor added.

I have declared a state disaster emergency for the 2024 August Juneau Glacier Flood. I am grateful no one has been injured or killed by this morning's outburst flood. Emergency responders and managers have done an outstanding job keeping their residents safe. In addition to the... pic.twitter.com/yZSn0PbB7r— Governor Mike Dunleavy (@GovDunleavy) August 6, 2024

Glacial outbursts have become more common in the last decade due to warmer temperatures, which have reduced the size of both the Mendenhall and Suicide glaciers in Alaska.

On Wednesday, Dunleavy visited Juneau where he surveyed the flood's aftermath.

"The damage is significant and affecting hundreds of Alaskans. I'm grateful that there were no deaths or severe injuries reported, and I want to recognize the local, state and federal officials along with several non-profits that have stepped up to the plate to support those Alaskans affected by this flooding event."

Today I surveyed the aftermath of the Juneau glacier flood. The damage is significant and affecting hundreds of Alaskans. I'm grateful that there were no deaths or severe injuries reported, and I want to recognize the local, state, and federal officials along with several... pic.twitter.com/GwkrftJTjK— Governor Mike Dunleavy (@GovDunleavy) August 8, 2024

Stone Age art in Germany tells of our ancestors' creativity

Silke Wünsch

DW

August 6, 2024

Stone Age people were by no means dull cave dwellers. Breathtaking finds in the caves of the Danube Valley in southern Germany show what they were capable of.

This 40,000-year-old figurine is thought to represent an otterI

mage: Ria Litzenberg/Universität Tübingen

Does the cradle of modern European humanity lie in southwestern Germany's Swabian Jura? That's the conclusion drawn by archaeologists in light of discoveries made there of several 40,000-year-old figurines carved from mammoth ivory.

Now, a further discovery in the Hohle Fels cave near Blaubeuren has confirmed this hypothesis about early humans.

During excavations, a Danish student found an animal figurine. It's only 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) long and has no head, but researchers are certain it's a representation of an otter. For archaeology professor Nicholas Conard from the University of Tübingen, the small animal is the "find of the year."
Archaeological sensation

It was not the first such discovery. More than 20 years ago, in December 2003, the team from the University of Tübingen announced they had found the oldest known works of art known in the Swabian Jura — three small figures carved from mammoth tusks.

It was an archaeological sensation, a milestone in the study of human history. According to the scientists, the age of the figures — 35,000 to 40,000 years — marks the most important threshold in human development: the ability to create pictorial and figurative representations.

Archaeologist Nicholas Conard with his team

Image: Marijan Murat/dpa/picture alliance

These figurines also provided important new insights into the distribution and lifestyles of Stone Age people in Europe. Scientists had originally assumed that Homo sapiens was more active in what is now France, as evidenced by numerous discoveries of cave paintings there.

But excavations in the Swabian Jura made it clear that some 45,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period, Homo sapiens arrived in the Danube region from the east, initially living alongside the Neanderthals who were already there.

Caves and Ice Age art from the Swabian Alb  01:00

Nazis were also interested

Archaeologists first explored the caves of the Swabian Jura between the rivers Danube, Ach and Lone in the middle of the 19th century. Those excavations uncovered tools made from stone and bone, as well as jewelry and art objects at numerous sites, documenting the lives of both Neanderthals and early humans.

A historical photo from 1937 shows archaeologists at the entrance to the Hohlenstein-Stadel digging site, where Stone Age artifacts were found

Image: Wolfgang Adler/Museum Ulm/dpa/picture alliance

Later, Nazis were also very interested in the caves and began excavations in 1937. The Nazi organization Ahnenerbe, an institution whose task was to "research the space, spirit, deeds and heritage of North Germanic Indo-Europeanism," was one of the organizations behind the digs. The Nazis wanted to use the finds from the Stone Age to prove that the "Aryan race" could be traced back to that time.

At the end of August 1939, Nazi archaeologists found hundreds of pieces of ivory in a cave, but had to leave them behind — World War II had begun and archaeologists were also called to the front.

It wasn't until 30 years later that specialists were able to reconstruct a figure from the fragments: a hybrid lion-human, about 31 centimeters high. It may represent a shaman — a reference to possible shamanistic practices during the Stone Age.


Lions and mammoths

The excavations really took off again in 1995 with Conard and his team. After eight years, the team made a sensational discovery, unearthing three figurines: a horse head, a waterfowl and another lion-man, only about 2 centimeters tall. Most of the figurines are around 5 to 6 centimeters tall, many of them have an eyelet — for hanging or as decoration. The animal figurines, including bears, horses, cave lions and mammoths, allow conclusions to be drawn about the animal world of Stone Age Europe.

Another interesting discovery was the "Venus of Hohle Fels," an approximately 6-centimeter-tall female figure with large breasts and a prominent vulva. Instead of a head, it has an eyelet that might have allowed it to be worn as a amulet symbolizing femininity or fertility.

Other Venus figurines, estimated to be around 10,000 years younger, have been found throughout Europe, and some researchers suspect people used them to worship mother goddesses.

The 'Venus of Hohle Fels'

Image: Anne Pollmann/dpa/picture alliance

Other finds, such as pieces of jewelry and a flute made from swan neck bones, which is considered to be the oldest musical instrument in the world, testify to the high culture of the Stone Age people. So now we know that our ancestors were far from being simple cavemen, but were hunter-gatherers with a high level of spirituality and the ability to express themselves through art and music.

Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The meaning of the recently discovered small otter is open to interpretation. Conard hesitates to ascribe to it any specific symbolism, but suggested it could be evidence of people's admiration for the otter's ability to catch fish.

"People ate a lot of fish back then," said Conard. There is no doubt the otter shows "that people back then were much more involved with aquatic animals than we previously thought," he added when presenting the find.

Tours are offered in the Hohle Fels caveI

mage: Stefan Puchner/dpa/picture alliance

Since 2017, the caves in the Danube and Lone valleys have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura. While tourists are guided through the caves, the excavations continue. Each new discovery brings us closer to the lives of our Stone Age ancestors.

This article was originally written in German.

Why silica dust could become the 'new asbestos'

Fred Schwaller

DW

08/08/24

If inhaled, silica dust from cut or drilled stone, can cause a fatal lung disease. Experts want better protections for workers exposed to it every day.

Daily exposure to silica dust, released from cement and stone, can lead to silicosis, which is a scarring and hardening of the lungs

Image: Md Rafayat Haque Khan/ZUMAPRESS/picture alliance

New limits to a person's daily exposure to silica dust in the construction, mining, dentistry and other industries could save about 13,000 lives worldwide.

That's what researchers in the UK recommend, having found that a worker's lifetime exposure to current, "acceptable" limits can result in serious risk of developing silicosis, a potentially fatal lung disease.

They warn that silicosis could become as big a health problem as exposure to asbestos.

"Our research supports the reduction of exposure to silica dust from 0.1 mg/m3 to 0.05 mg/m3 over a working day," said study author Patrick Howlett from London's Imperial College.

The study was published in the British Medical Journal title Thorax on August 8, 2024. It highlights a need for more data on silicosis risks because the total burden of the disease is unclear, especially in developing countries where data about silicosis is scarce.
What exactly is silicosis?

Silicosis is a respiratory disease which causes a hardening of the lungs. It is caused by silica dust or silica crystals, which are found in soil, sand, concrete, mortar, granite and artificial stone.

It is common in construction, mining, oil and gas extraction, kitchen engineering, dentistry, pottery and sculpting.

People working in these industries are often exposed to silica every day, and are at higher risk of developing silicosis as a result. The illness has, for instance, wreaked havoc in small mining communities in India.

Silicosis is a progressive disease and has no cure.

Why are workers inhaling silica?

When the materials are cut or drilled, crystalline silica is released into the air as a very fine dust. Workers breathe it in as they work, especially where industrial health and saftey standards are poor.

It can take a long time for silicosis to develop — typically 10 to 20 years of occupational exposure to silica dust.

"It's estimated that millions [of people] worldwide have silicosis, but data is very scarce. In the UK and Europe, we see hundreds of cases per year," Howlett told DW in an interview.

Silicosis can lead to other serious diseases, including lung cancer, but scientists aren't sure exactly how this happens. Some speculate that the silica dust forms deposits in the lungs and that those deposits cause persistent inflammation.

Call for silica dust exposure levels to be reduced

This new study, or meta-analysis, assessed eight existing studies that looked at the cumulative risk of silicosis.

The studies involved 8,792 cases of silicosis among 65,977 participants, and included evidence from x-ray analysis of lungs, postmortem examination results, and death certificates.

"We calculated the accumulated risk of silicosis over 40 years of work with exposure to silica dust. Most studies involved miners, and only two studies had non-miners," said Howlet.

The researchers found that if average exposure over a 40-year working lifetime in mining was halved, from 0.1 mg/m3 to 0.05 mg/m3, there would be a reduction of silicosis cases by 77%.

"It would also lower risk among non-miners, but the caveat was that [there were] only two studies included non-miners, so the data was less clear," said Howlett.

People working in the mining industry are likely to be exposed to high amounts of silica dust every day

Image: DW

Reducing silica dust exposure 'is achievable'

The UK's occupational limit for silica dust exposure is 0.1 mg/m3. That is in line with most European countries , including France, Austria, and Switzerland. Other countries, such as China, have much higher limits of around 1 mg/m3.

Lowering silica dust exposure limits to 0.05 mg/m3 would be in-line with US standards.

Howlett said it was an achievable goal to reduce silica dust exposure in the workplace. He cited experience from the US and Australia, where such health and safey meaures had proved effective.

Australia has banned the use of engineered stone due to its propensity to release high levels of silica dust when cut or drilled.

"There are established methods to follow, including using water suppression methods of foams and mists to precipitate dust out of air effectively, better ventilation, and personal protective equipment," said Howlett.

But he said the issue of silicosis was likely to be much worse in developing countries, where there are few or no safety measures for silica dust.

"Miners in developing countries are exposed to a lifetime's worth of dust in a year's work," he said.

Edited by: Zulfikar Abbany

Sources:

Relationship between cumulative silica exposure and silicosis: a systematic review and dose response meta-analysis. Published by Howlett et al. in the journal BMJ Thorax (August 2024) https://thorax.bmj.com/content/early/2024/07/04/thorax-2024-221447

Global and national burden and trends of mortality and disability-adjusted life years for silicosis, from 1990 to 2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019. Published by Chen S, Liu M, Xie F. in BMC Pulmonary Medicine (June 2022) https://bmcpulmmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12890-022-02040-9

Army stands by Venezuela's Maduro despite opposition

The Venezuelan military has rejected calls by the opposition to intervene after President Nicolas Maduro won another term in a contested vote.

Despite unrest following the July 28 presidential vote, the Venezuelan military still stands behind Nicolas Maduro

Image: Matias Delacroix/AP Photo/picture alliance

DW
08/06/2024

The Venezuelan military on Tuesday reiterated their "absolute loyalty" to President Nicolas Maduro amid controversy over his recent election win.
Opposition seeks to 'undermine our unity,' military says

Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Venezuela's defense minister and army head, said the military strongly rejects "the desperate and seditious approaches" that "seek to undermine our unity and institutionality, but will never succeed."

The comments are a rejection of calls coming from the opposition to intervene after the presidential election on July 28, where incumbent Maduro won a third consecutive term against former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

The opposition has rejected the electoral results, with Western countries such as the US and Germany also not recognizing Maduro's win or expressing skepticism. China, Iran and Russia, however, have lauded Maduro's victory.

A letter released Monday by Gonzalez and opposition figure Maria Corina Machado called on the armed forces "to stand at the side of the people" amid protests and mass arrests in recent days following the election.

Venezuela's attorney general announced a criminal investigation into Machado and Gonzalez after the letter was published.

Machado: 'Fear is not going to paralyze us'

Earlier, Machado was considered the top candidate to face off against Maduro in this year's election. In July 2023, she was banned from politics by the comptroller general of Venezuela, which accused her of ties with Juan Guaido, an opposition politician living in exile.

In a message posted on social media platform X on Tuesday, Machado called on the opposition movement to stay resilient amid persistent threats from the Maduro government.

"Fear is not going to paralyze us, we are going to overcome it as we have done until now and we will not leave the streets," she said.

wd/rmt (Reuters, AFP)

Hate speech targets Kamala Harris on social media

Ines Eisele

DW

8/8/24

Racist and sexist disinformation has targeted Harris for years, worsening since she entered the presidential race. This hate speech raises questions about whether her treatment would differ if she were a white male.

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has been targeted by a slew of disinformation for years

Image: Laura Brett/ZUMAPRESS/picture alliance

Kamala Harris is running for the Democrats against Donald Trump in the US presidential election in November. And she is facing perhaps the greatest barrage of disinformation and defamation ever directed at a presidential candidate in the United States.

There are claims that she worked as a prostitute and offered her "services" to politicians to advance her own career. Some viral posts also claim she was involved with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And for some, the fact that the 59-year-old has no biological children is an indication that she is a trans woman.

The false claim by some internet users that Harris was not born in the US and, therefore, cannot legally be president is also widely known. For others, she is not "black" enough to call herself "Black." Other claims about Harris have already been debunked by DW's fact check team.

The extent of disinformation — or the deliberate spread of false information — can be explained in part by the rapid development of social networks in recent years. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, which can be used to fabricate or manipulate images, videos and audio tracks, have certainly played their part as well.

In addition, society and politics in the United States are extremely polarized. What's more, foreign actors such as Russia, China and Iran also have an interest in influencing US politics and have already been busy spreading fake news in past elections.
Study: Gender-specific disinformation is widespread

But all the fakes directed at Harris are not only due to the fact that she is currently running in the 2024 presidential election. If the 59-year-old were a white male, the disinformation targeting her would be different. What circulates online about the politician and lawyer often has to do with her gender, her skin color and her Indian and Jamaican roots.

The Wilson Center in Washington analyzed disinformation targeting 13 female politicians of different political and ethnic affiliations and varying degrees of popularity, including Harris, in a 2020 study. In addition to the finding that gender-specific disinformation narratives are widespread overall, it emerged that 78% of the keywords found referred to the then-senator.

How misogynists take over social media  03:24

Nina Jankowicz, former head of the Disinformation Governance Board, which was an advisory body to the US Department of Homeland Security, is one of the co-authors of the Wilson study.

"We found in our research, and other research studies have echoed this, that women who are representing intersectional identities — they're both a woman and gay, or a woman and Black, or, in Kamala's case, representing three identities, a woman, a Black woman, and a South Asian woman — are subject to compounded abuse and compounded disinformation as well," she told DW.


Intimidation, shaming, discrediting

A distinction can be made between different types of online sexism. In a 2018 study, sociologist Sarah Sobieraj identified three overlapping strategies to limit the influence of women in the digital public sphere: intimidation, shaming and discrediting.

Jankowicz and her co-researchers, on the other hand, differentiated between sexist, transphobic and racist narratives with regard to gender-specific disinformation. The political scientist knows what she's talking about: She herself has been a victim of sexist online hate and has even been targeted by rape and death threats.

Just how much more women have to put up with than men also becomes clear when Harris is compared with current US president Joe Biden or former US president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump. Who has ever taken such a meticulous interest in the dating pasts of these men or claimed that they prostituted themselves or "slept their way to the top?" Shouldn't Trump, in particular, who was convicted of sexual abuse and paid hush money to a porn actress, be of much more interest in this regard than Harris?

And how many social media posts have claimed that Biden or Trump were trans people? Or that they're not legal US citizens or are, in fact, not white?

According to Jankowicz, the comparison makes it even clearer to what extent the Harris-related disinformation is misogynistic. "Women who are in positions of power can't possibly have gotten there on their own, and they must secretly be men, which is absurd," she said.

Harris is not an isolated case — but she has been hit particularly hard

Another comparison reveals the structural nature of gender-specific and racist disinformation. People who are more similar to Harris in this respect — such as Michelle and Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton — have been or are confronted with similar misinformation. For example, some also claim that Michelle Obama is a trans woman.

The associated LGBTQ+ and misogynistic conspiracy myth is called "transvestigation." And Barack Obama was also confronted with false claims that said he was not born on US territory. This gave rise to an entire conspiracy theory, adherents of which called themselves "birthers."

All this shows that women tend to be degraded to sexual objects because they are women. People of color are more frequently judged based on their family or educational backgrounds, with allegations and false claims rarely relating to individual attributes of the people in question.

AI-generated footage has attempted to ridicule presidential candidate Harris, for example, by claiming she has made ridiculous statementsImage: X/@MonicaLaredo2

And these examples are just the tip of the iceberg. Countless other narratives are sexist and racist in more subtle ways, such as manipulated videos that put nonsense in Harris' mouth, or statements taken out of context that portray her as incompetent.

They also have the effect of discrediting Harris as a woman, as a person of color and as a politician, and can therefore be assigned to the field of gender- and identity-specific disinformation.

This article was originally written in German.

German lawmakers skeptical over sending forces to aid Israel

I WOULD HOPE SO

Jens Thurau

DW

AUGUST 8, 2024

Will Germany help Israel militarily, in the event of an attack by Iran? German politicians have been very cautious about this possibility, although refueling aircraft is conceivable.

At the end of July, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who belongs to the center-left Social Democrats, visited Hawaii where two German warships, including the Baden-Württemberg frigate, were participating in the US-led naval Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercise.

Despite the distance, Pistorius could not ignore the escalation between Israel, Hamas and Iran. With regard to a potential Iranian attack on Israel, Pistorius told DW correspondent Michaela Küfner that "we don't need that. We don't want that."

"It needs to be prevented because nobody can wish or can even imagine the further escalation of the region," he said. "We have to do everything to get peace back in that region as soon as possible."

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (center) visited Hawaii for a joint military drill in late JulyImage: Soeren Stache/dpa/picture alliance

CDU lawmaker says government should 'wake up'

Back in Germany, meanwhile, there has long been an ongoing debate as to whether the country's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, should be deployed to protect Israel should Iran attack. Germany already supplies weapons to Israel and supports the government in many other areas, but the idea of deploying German troops has always been inconceivable. No Israeli government has ever issued such a request either.

Yet German lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter, security spokesperson for the center-right Christian Democrats, recently told German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that the German government should "finally wake up" to the escalating situation. He said it would be conceivable to have German forces help refuel fighter jets from allied nations, and also for Eurofighter aircraft to be deployed to fend off Iranian drones. But he made clear that German forces should not attack targets within Iran.


The Central Council of Jews in Germany holds a similar view. Its president, Josef Schuster, told news group Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that "Germany's historical responsibility for Israel's security is not legally binding, but from my point of view this, of course, means that in the event of an attack of the magnitude currently looming, Germany will also stand with the Jewish state militarily."

Germany's 'reason of state'

By "Germany's historical responsibility for Israel's security" after the Holocaust, the murder of millions of European Jews during World War II, the concept of "Staatsräson," or "reason of state" is meant.

This is often understood as being Germany's voluntary commitment to take responsibility for Israel's security and existence. Though the "reason of state" is not enshrined in law, the maxim has been constantly repeated by the current and previous government.

The latest escalation in the Middle East was triggered by the deadly attack on the Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, while visiting Tehran. Hamas is a militant, Islamist group that the European Union, the US, Germany and others classify as a terrorist organization.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is right in the heart of Berlin

Image: Bildagentur-online/Joko/picture alliance

Israel has not requested Bundeswehr support

So does Germany's "reason of state" also mean deploying German soldiers to protect Israel in the event of an attack?

No other German politician seems willing to go as far as Kiesewetter, neither from the opposition, and certainly not from the government. Johann Wadephul, deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, gave an evasive answer to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland when he said that "as far as we know, scenarios such as military support are not on the agenda. A parliamentary mandate would be required for this anyway."

Marcus Faber from the neoliberal Liberal Democrats, who chairs the parliamentary defense committee, gave a similarly technical answer. "Israel has clearly communicated how we can help," he said. "We should do this, for example by quickly approving arms exports. The Bundeswehr has not been requested in Israel and could do little to help."

In June 2022, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck visited German soldiers at Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti airbase

Image: Britta Pedersen/dpa/picture alliance

Bundeswehr fighting IS in Iraq, Jordan

The Bundeswehr would barely be in a position to help Israel. Like Kiesewetter, however, FDP foreign policy expert Ulrich Lechte believes it would be possible for the German army to help refuel fighter jets of allied states. And for the Greens, who are also in the ruling coalition, lawmaker Sergey Lagodinsky pointed out to the Berlin-based daily Tagesspiegel that the Bundeswehr was already present in the Middle East given the military operation against the extremist Islamic State (IS) group.

"Since 2015, the Bundeswehr has deployed up to 500 soldiers in Iraq and Jordan to refuel US aircraft for example," he said.

The German government remained largely silent on the issue at Wednesday's routine press conference in Berlin. Arne Collatz, spokesman for the German Defense Ministry, told reporters "that is not a question that has been asked at the moment. This is not a topic of debate for the Bundeswehr. And we know what needs to be done politically before the question is even put to the Bundeswehr."

In other words, a deployment of German troops alongside Israel would have to be approved by a parliamentary majority in the Bundestag, and this majority does not currently exist.

This article was originally written in German.

'Increasingly likely' that 2024 will be warmest year on record, EU monitor says

2024 has seen each month surpass its temperature record for the time of year, spawned the two hottest days on record and contributed to the intensification of hurricanes, heatwaves, and wildfires across the world – all signs that it will likely go down as the hottest year on record.


Issued on: 08/08/2024 - 

A man shields from the sun with a paper umbrella in front of Rome's Pantheon during a heat wave on Thursday, July 11, 2024.

 © Andrew Medichini, AP

It is "increasingly likely" 2024 will be the hottest year on record, despite July ending a 13-month streak of monthly temperature records, the EU's climate monitor said Thursday.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said last month was the second warmest on record books going back to 1940, only slightly cooler than July 2023.

Between June 2023 and June 2024, each month eclipsed its own temperature record for the time of year.

"The streak of record-breaking months has come to an end, but only by a whisker," said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S.

Last month the global average temperature was 16.91 degrees Celsius, only 0.04C below July 2023, according to C3S's monthly bulletin.

But "the overall context hasn't changed, our climate continues to warm," said Burgess.

"The devastating effects of climate change started well before 2023 and will continue until global greenhouse gas emissions reach net zero," she said.

From January to July global temperatures were 0.70C above the 1991-2020 average.

This anomaly would need to drop significantly over the rest of this year for 2024 not to be hotter than 2023 -- "making it increasingly likely that 2024 is going to be the warmest year on record", said C3S.
'Too hot to handle'

July 2024 was 1.48C warmer than the estimated average temperatures for the month during the period 1850-1900, before the world started to rapidly burn fossil fuels.

This has translated into punishing heat for hundreds of millions of people.

The Earth experienced its two hottest days on record with global average temperatures at a virtual tie on July 22 and 23 reaching 17.6C, C3S said.

The Mediterranean was gripped by a heatwave scientists said would have been "virtually impossible" without global warming as China and Japan sweated through their hottest July on record.

Record-breaking rainfall pummelled Pakistan, wildfires ravaged western US states and Hurricane Beryl left a trail of destruction as it swept from the Caribbean to the southeast of the United States.

Temperatures for the oceans, which absorb 90 percent of the excess heat caused by human activities, were also the second warmest on record for the month of July.

Average sea surface temperatures were 20.88C last month, only 0.01C below July 2023.


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This marked the end of a 15-month period of tumbling heat records for the oceans.

However, scientists at C3S noted that "air temperatures over the ocean remained unusually high over many regions" despite a swing from the El Nino weather pattern that helped fuel a spike in global temperatures to its opposite La Nina, which has a cooling effect.

On Wednesday, World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo reflected on a year of "widespread, intense and extended heatwaves".

"This is becoming too hot to handle," she said.

(AFP)