UN warns Earth ‘firmly on track toward an unlivable world’

“Limiting warming to 1.5C requires global greenhouse gas emissions to peak before 2025 at the latest and be reduced by 43% by 2030”

By FRANK JORDANS and SETH BORENSTEIN

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Wind turbines stand in front of the rising sun in Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, March 11, 2022. A United Nation-backed panel plans to release a highly anticipated scientific report on Monday, April 4, 2022, on international efforts to curb climate change before global temperatures reach dangerous levels.

 (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

BERLIN (AP) — Temperatures on Earth will shoot past a key danger point unless greenhouse gas emissions fall faster than countries have committed, the world’s top body of climate scientists said Monday, warning of the consequences of inaction but also noting hopeful signs of progress.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change revealed “a litany of broken climate promises” by governments and corporations, accusing them of stoking global warming by clinging to harmful fossil fuels.

“It is a file of shame, cataloguing the empty pledges that put us firmly on track toward an unlivable world,” he said.

Governments agreed in the 2015 Paris accord to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) this century, ideally no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). Yet temperatures have already increased by over 1.1C (2F) since pre-industrial times, resulting in measurable increases in disasters such flash floods, extreme heat, more intense hurricanes and longer-burning wildfires, putting human lives in danger and costing governments hundreds of billions of dollars to confront.

“Projected global emissions from (national pledges) place limiting global warming to 1.5C beyond reach and make it harder after 2030 to limit warming to 2C,” the panel said.

In other words, the report’s co-chair, James Skea of Imperial College London, told The Associated Press: “If we continue acting as we are now, we’re not even going to limit warming to 2 degrees, never mind 1.5 degrees.”

Ongoing investments in fossil fuel infrastructure and clearing large swaths of forest for agriculture undermine the massive curbs in emissions needed to meet the Paris goal, the report found.

Emissions in 2019 were about 12% higher than they were in 2010 and 54% higher than in 1990, said Skea.

The rate of growth has slowed from 2.1% per year in the early part of this century to 1.3% per year between 2010 and 2019, the report’s authors said. But they voiced “high confidence” that unless countries step up their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the planet will on average be 2.4C to 3.5C (4.3 to 6.3F) warmer by the end of the century — a level experts say is sure to cause severe impacts for much of the world’s population.

“Limiting warming to 1.5C requires global greenhouse gas emissions to peak before 2025 at the latest and be reduced by 43% by 2030,” he said.

Such cuts would be hard to achieve without without drastic, economy-wide measures, the panel acknowledged. It’s more likely that the world will pass 1.5C and efforts will then need to be made to bring temperatures back down again, including by removing vast amounts of carbon dioxide — the main greenhouse gas — from the atmosphere.

Many experts say this is unfeasible with current technologies, and even if it could be done it would be far costlier than preventing the emissions in the first place.

The report, numbering thousands of pages, doesn’t single out individual countries for blame. But the figures show much of the carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere was released by rich countries that were the first to burn coal, oil and gas beginning with the industrial revolution.

The U.N. panel said 40% of emissions since then came from Europe and North America. Just over 12% can be attributed to East Asia, which includes China. But China took over the position as world’s top emissions polluter from the United States in the mid-2000s.

Many countries and companies have used recent climate meetings to paint rosy pictures of their emissions-cutting efforts, while continuing to invest in fossil fuels and other polluting activities, Guterres charged.

“Some government and business leaders are saying one thing but doing another,” he said. “Simply put, they are lying. And the results will be catastrophic.”

A Karbi tribal woman whose agriculture land had been transfered to build a solar power plant grazes her cow near the plant in Mikir Bamuni village, Nagaon district, northeastern Assam state, India, Feb. 18, 2022. A United Nation-backed panel plans to release a highly anticipated scientific report on Monday, April 4, 2022, on international efforts to curb climate change before global temperatures reach dangerous levels. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

The report isn’t without some hope, however.

Its authors highlight myriad ways in which the world can be brought back on track to 2C or even, with great effort, return to 1.5C after that threshold has been passed. This could require measures such as the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere with natural or artificial means, but also potentially risky technologies such as pumping aerosols into the sky to reflect sunlight.

Among the solutions recommended are a rapid shift away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy such as increasingly cheap solar and wind power, the electrification of transport, less meat consumption, more efficient use of resources and massive financial support for poor countries unable to pay for such measures without help.

The situation is as if humanity has “gone to the doctor in a very unhealthy condition,” and the doctor is saying “you need to change, it’s a radical change. If you don’t you’re in trouble,” said report co-author Pete Smith, a professor of soils and global change at the University Aberdeen.

“It’s not like a diet,” Smith said. “It is a fundamental lifestyle change. It’s changing what you eat, how much you eat and get on a more active lifestyle.”

One move often described as “low-hanging fruit” by scientists is to plug methane leaks from mines, wells and landfills that release the potent but short-lived greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. A pact forged between the United States and China at last year’s U.N. climate conference in Glasgow aims to do just that.

“The big message we’ve got (is that) human activities got us into this problem and human agency can actually get us out of it again,” said Skea, the panel’s co-chair.

The panel’s reports have become increasingly blunt since the first one was published in 1990, and the latest may be the last before the planet passes 1.5C of warming, Skea told the AP.

Last August, it said climate change caused by humans was “an established fact” and warned that some effects of global warming are already inevitable. In late February, the panel published a report that outlined how further temperature increases will multiply the risk of floods, storms, drought and heat waves worldwide.

Still, the British government’s former chief science adviser David King, who wasn’t involved in writing the report, said there are too optimistic assumptions about how much CO2 the world can afford to emit.

“We don’t actually have a remaining carbon budget to burn,” said King, who now chairs the Climate Crisis Advisory Group.

“It’s just the reverse. We’ve already done too much in the way of putting greenhouse gases up there,” he said, arguing that the IPCC’s calculation omits new risks and potentially self-reinforcing effects already happening, such as the increased absorption of heat into the oceans from sea ice loss and the release of methane as permafrost melts.

Such warnings were echoed by U.N. chief Guterres, citing scientists’ warnings that the planet is moving “perilously close to tipping points that could lead to cascading and irreversible climate impacts.”

“But high-emitting governments and corporations are not just turning a blind eye; they are adding fuel to the flames,” he said, calling for an end to further coal, oil and gas extraction. “Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness.”

Vulnerable nations said the report showed big polluters have to step up their efforts before the next U.N. climate summit in Egypt this fall.

“We are looking to the G-20, to the world’s biggest emitters, to set ambitious targets ahead of COP27, and to reach those targets – by investing in renewables, cutting out coal and fossil fuel subsidies,” said Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands. “It’s long past time to deliver on promises made.”

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Borenstein reported from Washington.

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Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate

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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

No obituary for Earth: Scientists fight climate doom talk

By SETH BORENSTEIN

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Christiana Figueres poses for a photo after an interview with the Associated Press prior to a news conference of "The Unite Behind The Science" campaign ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 20, 2020. Scientists say climate change is bad, getting worse, but it is not game over for planet Earth or humanity. “It’s not that they’re saying you are condemned to a future of destruction and increasing misery,” said Figueres, the former U.N. climate secretary who helped forge the 2015 Paris climate agreement and now runs an organization called Global Optimism.

(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)


It’s not the end of the world. It only seems that way.

Climate change is going to get worse, but as gloomy as the latest scientific reports are, including today’s from the United Nations, scientist after scientist stresses that curbing global warming is not hopeless. The science says it is not game over for planet Earth or humanity. Action can prevent some of the worst if done soon, they say.

After decades of trying to get the public’s attention, spur action by governments and fight against organized movements denying the science, climate researchers say they have a new fight on their hands: doomism. It’s the feeling that nothing can be done, so why bother. It’s young people publicly swearing off having children because of climate change.

University of Maine climate scientist Jacquelyn Gill noticed in 2018 fewer people telling her climate change isn’t real and more “people that we now call doomers that you know believe that nothing can be done.” Gill says it is just not true.

“I refuse to write off or write an obituary for something that’s still alive,” Gill told The Associated Press, referring to the Earth. “We are not through a threshold or past the threshold. There’s no such thing as pass-fail when it comes to the climate crisis.”

“It’s really, really, really hard to walk people back from that ledge,” Gill said.

Doomism “is definitely a thing,” said Wooster College psychology professor Susan Clayton, who studies climate change anxiety and spoke at a conference in Norway last week that addressed the issue. “It’s a way of saying ‘I don’t have to go to the effort of making changes because there’s nothing I can do anyway.’”

Gill and six other scientists who talked with The Associated Press about doomism aren’t sugarcoating the escalating harm to the climate from accumulating emissions. But that doesn’t make it hopeless, they said.

“Everybody knows it’s going to get worse,” said Woodwell Climate Research Center scientist Jennifer Francis. “We can do a lot to make it less bad than the worst case scenario.”

The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change just issued its third report in six months. The first two were on how bad warming is and how it will hurt people and ecosystems, with today’s report focusing on how the extent of disruption depends on how much fossil fuels are burned. It shows the world is still heading in the wrong direction in its fight to curb climate change, with new investments in fossil fuel infrastructure and forests falling to make way for agriculture.

“It’s not that they’re saying you are condemned to a future of destruction and increasing misery,” said Christiana Figueres, the former U.N. climate secretary who helped forge the 2015 Paris climate agreement and now runs an organization called Global Optimism. “What they’re saying is ’the business-as-usual path ... is an atlas of misery ’ or a future of increasing destruction. But we don’t have to choose that. And that’s the piece, the second piece, that sort of always gets dropped out of the conversation.”

United Nations Environment Program Director Inger Andersen said with reports like these, officials are walking a tightrope. They are trying to spur the world to action because scientists are calling this a crisis. But they also don’t want to send people spiraling into paralysis because it is too gloomy.

“We are not doomed, but rapid action is absolutely essential,” Andersen said. “With every month or year that we delay action, climate change becomes more complex, expensive and difficult to overcome.”

“The big message we’ve got (is that) human activities got us into this problem and human agency can actually get us out of it again,” James Skea, co-chair of Monday’s report, said. “It’s not all lost. We really have the chance to do something.”

Monday’s report details that it is unlikely, without immediate and drastic carbon pollution cuts, that the world will limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times, which is the world’s agreed upon goal. The world has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit). And earlier IPCC reports have shown that after 1.5 degrees, more people die, more ecosystems are in trouble and climate change worsens rapidly.

“We don’t fall over the cliff at 1.5 degrees,” Skea said, “Even if we were to go beyond 1.5 it doesn’t mean we throw up our hands in despair.”

 Michael Mann, professor of atmospheric science at Penn State, arrives at the "Before the Flood" premiere on day 2 of the Toronto International Film Festival at the Princess of Wales Theatre on Sept. 9, 2016, in Toronto. Mann said scientists used to think Earth would be committed to decades of future warming even after people stopped pumping more carbon dioxide into the air than nature takes out. But newer analysis in recent years show it will only take a few years after net zero emissions for carbon levels in the air to start to go down because of carbon being sucked up by the oceans and forests. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)



Rutgers University Climate Scientist Jennifer Francis poses for a portrait during an interview in Washington, June 7, 2013. Climate change is going to get worse, but as gloomy as the latest scientific reports are, including today’s from the United Nations, scientist after scientist stress that curbing global warming is not hopeless. “Everybody knows it's going to get worse,” said Woodwell Climate Research Center scientist Francis. “We can do a lot to make it less bad than the worst case scenario.” 

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)


United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme Inger Andersen, right, accompanied by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, speaks during an oceans plastics event at the United Nations Environment Programme headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 18, 2021. Scientists say climate change is bad, getting worse, but it is not game over for planet Earth or humanity. “We are not doomed, but rapid action is absolutely essential,” Andersen said. 

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool, File)

IPCC reports showed that depending on how much coal, oil, and natural gas is burned, warming by 2100 could be anywhere from 1.4 to 4.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 to 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, which can mean large differences in sickness, death and weather disasters.

While he sees the increase in doom talk as inevitable, NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt said he knows first-hand that people are wrong when they say nothing can be done: “I work with people and I’m watching other people and I’m seeing the administration. And people are doing things and they’re doing the right things for the most part as best they can. So I’m seeing people do things.”

Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann said scientists used to think Earth would be committed to decades of future warming even after people stopped pumping more carbon dioxide into the air than nature takes out. But newer analyses in recent years show it will only take a few years after net zero emissions for carbon levels in the air to start to go down because of carbon being sucked up by the oceans and forests, Mann said.

Scientists’ legitimate worries get repeated and amplified like in the kids game of telephone and “by the time you’re done, it’s ‘we’re doomed’ when what the scientist actually said was we need to reduce or carbon emissions 50% within this decade to avoid 1.5 (degrees of) warming, which would be really bad. Two degrees of warming would be far worse than 1.5 warming, but not the end of civilization,” Mann said.

Mann said doomism has become far more of a threat than denialism and he believes that some of the same people, trade associations and companies that denied climate change are encouraging people who say it is too late. Mann is battling publicly with a retired University of Arizona ecologist, Guy McPherson, an intellectual leader of the doom movement.

McPherson said he’s not part of the monetary system, hasn’t had a paycheck in 13 years, doesn’t vote and lived off the grid for a decade. He said all species go extinct and humans are no exception. He publicly predicted humanity will go extinct in 2026, but in an interview with The Associated Press said, “I’m not nearly as stuck on 2026,” and mentioned 2030 and changes to human habitat from the loss of Arctic summer sea ice.

Woodwell’s Francis, a pioneer in the study of Arctic sea ice who McPherson said he admires, said while the Arctic will be ice free by the summer by 2050, McPherson exaggerates the bad effects. Local Arctic residents will be hit hard, “the rest of us will experience accelerated warming and sea-level rise, disrupted weather patterns and more frequent extreme weather. Most communities will adapt to varying degrees,” Francis said. “There’s no way in hell humans will go extinct by 2026.”

Humans probably can no longer prevent Arctic sea ice from disappearing in the summer, but with new technology and emissions cuts, Francis said, “we stand a real chance of preventing those (other) catastrophic scenarios out there.”

Psychology professor Clayton said “no matter how bad things are, they can always be worse. You can make a difference between bad and worse... That’s very powerful, very self-affirming.”

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Associated Press writer Frank Jordans contributed from Berlin.

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Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate

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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears

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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Top Pakistan court hears arguments in major political crisis

By KATHY GANNON

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Pakistan's opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif, center, with his supporters leaves the Supreme Court after petitions hearing to dissolve parliament by country's Prime Minister, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, April 4, 2022. Pakistan's top court began hearing arguments Monday on whether Prime Minister Imran Khan and his allies had the legal right to dissolve parliament and set the stage for early elections. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)


ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s top court began hearing arguments Monday on whether Prime Minister Imran Khan and his allies had the legal right to dissolve parliament and set the stage for early elections.

The opposition is challenging the latest moves by Khan, a former cricket start turned conservative Islamist leader who came to power in 2018, contending they are a ploy by Khan to stay in power.

The Supreme Court started hearing arguments on Monday both from Khan’s legal team and his allies, and also the opposition, but then adjourned the session until noon Tuesday.

There was no immediate explanation for the adjournment and it was also unclear when a ruling would come. Muslim-majority Pakistan is observing the holy month of Ramadan, when the faithful fast from dawn to dusk

On Sunday, Khan’s ally and Pakistan’s deputy parliament speaker, Qasim Suri, dissolved the assembly to sidestep a no-confidence vote that Khan appeared certain to lose. The opposition claims the deputy speaker had no constitutional authority to throw out the no-confidence vote.

The developments marked the latest in an escalating dispute between Khan and the opposition, which has been backed by defectors from the prime minister’s own party, Tehreek-e-Insaf or Justice Party, and a former coalition partner, the Muttahida Quami Movement, which had joined opposition ranks. The opposition claims it had the numbers to oust Khan in parliament. It has also accused him of economic mismanagement.

The current political conundrum is in many ways unchartered territory, even for Pakistan, where successive governments have been overthrown by a powerful military and others ousted before their term ended.

The most significant decision before the Supreme Court is whether Suri, the deputy speaker, had the constitutional authority to throw out the no-confidence vote, according to constitutional lawyer Ali Zafar.

Zafar told The Associated Press that the court also has to decide whether it even has the authority to rule on this matter. Khan’s party insists actions of a parliament speaker are privileged and cannot be challenged in court.

If the court rules the deputy speaker was out of line, the parliament will reconvene and hold the no-confidence vote on Khan, legal experts say. If the court upholds the latest actions, Pakistan is heading into early elections.

The opposition says it has the 172 votes in the 342-seat assembly to oust Khan. After Suri on Sunday threw out the no-confidence motion, information minister and another Khan ally, Fawad Chaudhry, accused the opposition of plotting “regime change” with the backing of the United States.

Pakistan’s powerful military — which has directly ruled the country for more than half of its 75-year history — has remained silent through much of the political infighting.

However, Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday distanced the military from allegations of a U.S.-backed conspiracy, saying Pakistan wants good relations with both China and the U.S., Pakistan’s largest trading partner.

Khan, an outspoken critic of Washington’s war on terror and Pakistan’s partnership in that war, claims the U.S. wants him gone because of his foreign policy choices and for refusing to distance Pakistan from China and Russia.

“We support the peaceful upholding of constitutional democratic principles. That is the case in Pakistan. It is the case around the world,” said U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price about Pakistan and allegations of U.S. attempts to oust Khan. “We do not support one political party over another; we support the broader principles, the principles of rule of law, of equal justice under the law.”

However, Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, sees the latest political wrangling as just another “part of a recurring pattern in Pakistan of governments undermining the democratic process to maintain their hold on power. ”

It underscores a deeply polarized society, Kugelman added. While Khan’s supporters may think dissolving parliament was a “stroke of genius” to avoid a no confidence vote, his critics “think he has acted recklessly and essentially pulled off a legal coup, plunging the country into a constitutional crisis.”

Separately, Pakistani President Arif Alvi, another Khan ally, was ignoring Monday’s deliberations before the Supreme Court and was forging ahead with preparations for an interim government that would see Pakistan through elections. Under the constitution, Khan would remain prime minister until the appointment of a caretaker premier, Alvi said in a tweet.

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Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report. Follow Kathy Gannon on Twitter at www:twitter.com/Kathygannon

Africa looks to renewables to curb warming, boost economies

 Africa has attracted just 2% — $60 billion — of the $2.8 trillion invested in renewables worldwide

By WANJOHI KABUKURU

An aerial view of a solar power plant in Ouarzazate, central Morocco on Feb.4, 2016. Renewable energy's potential across the African continent remains largely untapped, according to a new report in April 2022 by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar, File)

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — From wind farms across the African coastline to geothermal projects in the east African rift valley, a new United Nations climate report on Monday brought the continent’s vast clean energy potential into the spotlight. If realized, these renewable energy projects could blunt the harshest global warming effects, power the continent’s projected economic development and lift millions out of poverty, the report said.

The U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change report comes at a time when Africa’s renewable energy business is already booming. Many African nations are intensifying efforts to embrace alternative renewable energy pathways and shift away from fossil fuel dependency, with countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa taking the lead on large-scale clean energy adoption.

Yet Africa has attracted just 2% — $60 billion — of the $2.8 trillion invested in renewables worldwide in the last two decades and accounts for only 3% of the world’s current renewable energy capacity. 

Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) or 2C (3.6F), in line with the 2016 Paris climate agreement, will involve even greater energy system transformation, the U.N. report said.

That means more renewable energy intiatives, such as Kenya’s Lake Turkana Wind Power, launched in 2019 some 600km (372 miles) northwest of the capital Nairobi and making up 18% of the country’s energy production, are needed. Its CEO, Phylip Leferink, said large projects like these can be replicated, but it remains logistically challenging.

“The wind conditions in the north of Kenya are rather unique for the continent. You will be hard-pressed to find another location in Africa with a similar wind regime,” Leferink said. “(This) however does not mean that there is no potential for other wind projects in Africa; there most certainly is. Especially the African coastline, from Djibouti all the way south around South Africa and up north again up to Cameroon, has good wind potential and certainly warrants initiatives in this regard.”

The project is already in good company, with off-grid solar power also contributing to the country’s energy production. In Nakuru county, some 167km (104 miles) northwest of Nairobi, James Kariuki signed up for M-Kopa solar power, a pay-as-you-go low-cost financing for off-grid solar power to his home.

“When I installed solar power into my home, I ended up making considerable savings from the use of kerosene lamp for lighting and charcoal in my house,” Kariuki said. “Hospital bills for my family have since gone down and we now have internet and watch international sports in my home.”

Since 2012, M-Kopa has powered over 225,000 homes in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania with off-grid solar power. Kenya has also been expanding its geothermal and bioenergy capacity for several years.

 Workers install a solar panel at a photovoltaic solar park situated on the outskirts of the coastal town of Lamberts Bay, South Africa on March. 29, 2016. Renewable energy's potential across the African continent remains largely untapped, according to a new report in April 2022 by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

These initiatives are a firm step in the right direction, according to report author and energy expert Yamina Saheb.

“Renewable energy sources are definitely an important mitigation strategy for Africa, offering its citizens decent living standards by developing infrastructure and buildings that do not require carbon intensive solutions,” Saheb told the Associated Press. “The whole continent could go solar including PV (photovoltaic) and thermal solar and some countries could also go for wind.”

Solar energy initiatives such as the Noor Ouarzazate complex in Morocco, Benban solar park in Egypt and South Africa’s Redstone solar park have sprung up across the continent. The four nations attracted 75% of all the renewable energy investments flows in the region.

Africa has a world-leading capacity for even more solar power initiatives, the report said, with a solar photovoltaic potential of up to 7900 gigawatts. Plans are also underway to explore the potential for geothermal energy in the east African rift valley system and nations dotted around the continent, such as Angola, Sudan and Zambia, are investing in wind and hydropower.

A transition to clean energy is also “economically attractive” in some circumstances, the IPCC report said. The U.N. estimates that Africa’s continued uptake of renewable energies will see the creation of more than 12 million new jobs. China remains the largest lender of Africa’s renewable energy investments followed by the African Development Bank, World Bank and the Green Climate Fund.

“This latest IPCC working group report on mitigation is a clear indicator that Africa should harness the immense renewable energies opportunities available within the continent to power economic growth and build resilient infrastructure,” said Max Bankole Jarrett, an energy expert and former Africa regional manager at the International Energy Agency. “Africa’s vast renewable energy sources should be a priority not just for the continent but also for the world racing to fulfill the net zero ambition.”

53 African nations have already submitted their voluntary national determined contributions under the Paris climate agreement which details energy plans and outlines targets to curb emissions. 40 of those countries have included renewable energy targets.

Africa suffers some of the most severe effects from climate change, despite being the lowest greenhouse gas emitting continent with the least adaptive capacity. Swathes of the continent still lack access to electricity and cooking fuels: The International Energy Agency estimates some 580 million people were without power in 2019, and the World Health Organization says about 906 million are in need of cleaner cooking fuels and technologies. But providing universal access using non-renewable energy sources would lead to increased global emissions, the report warned.

“Climate action is a key component in meeting the sustainable development goals,” it said.

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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Hertz car rental firm to buy 65,000 electric vehicles from Polestar


Hertz has signed a deal to buy 65,000 electric vehicles from Swedish carmaker Polestar over the next five years, the companies announced Monday. Photo courtesy Polestar/UPI


April 4 (UPI) -- Hertz has signed a deal to buy 65,000 electric vehicles from Swedish carmaker Polestar over the next five years, the companies announced Monday.

The car rental giant will initially order the Polestar 2 model, the companies said in a joint press release. The cars will be made available as early as this spring in Europe and by the end of the year in North America and Australia.

"We are excited to partner with Polestar and look forward to introducing their premium EV products into our retail and rideshare fleets," said Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr.

"By working with EV industry leaders like Polestar, we can help accelerate the adoption of electrification while providing renters, corporate customers and rideshare partners a premium EV product, exceptional experience and lower carbon footprint."

RELATED Vehicle-to-home charging is coming as demand for electric vehicles climbs

Polestar, which sold 29,000 cars last year, expects sales to reach 290,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2025, according to the release.

The company was formed by Volvo and Chinese carmaker Greely in 2017, when it unveiled its Polestar 1 hybrid. It was followed by the fully electric Polestar 2 fastback in February 2019.

The company has said its product range will include five electric vehicles by 2024 with three new models to follow Polestar 1 and Polestar 2.

The Polestar 3, which will be made in the United States, will be an electric SUV expected to be released in 2022 and was described by Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath as being built "in America for Americans."

Hertz also maintains a significant fleet of Tesla vehicles dedicated to the company's partnership with Uber, the company's executives said in a February earnings call.

Mark Fields, the interim CEO of Hertz Global Holdings who was replaced by Scherr, said in the call that the company is poised to play leading role in the electric vehicle fleet transition.

PREPARE FOR UNION BUSTING BIG TIME
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz returns, cancels company's buyback program

Howard Schultz, who returned to the Starbucks Coffee Company on Monday as CEO, then announced the company will end its share buy-back program. File Photo by Jim Bryant/UPI | License Photo

April 4 (UPI) -- Starbucks is suspending its share buyback plan, returning CEO Howard Schultz said Monday.

In an open letter to employees, Schultz said the "decision will allow us to invest more profit into our people and our stores -- the only way to create long-term value for all stakeholders."

"In the weeks ahead, I will be traveling, along with our leaders, to connect with partners in our stores and manufacturing plants around the world to understand your thinking and ideas about how to build this next Starbucks," wrote Schultz, who served two previous terms as the company's chief executive.

The company announced in March that it reinstated its stock buyback program, with plans to return $20 billion to shareholders over the next three fiscal years. Buybacks increase earnings per share by reducing the number of shares on the market.

The move to suspend the buyback plan coincides with an increased push to unionize at several of the company's stores.

Before the unanimous vote at a Seattle store in late March, five stores in the Buffalo, N.Y., area and another one in Mesa, Ariz., voted to be represented by the Starbucks Workers Union.

The share buyback plan was instituted under previous CEO Kevin Johnson, who announced his retirement in March, paving the way for Schultz to serve in the role for a third time until a permanent replacement is found. Monday marked his first day back on the job.

"As I make this transition, we are very fortunate to have a founder who is able to step in on an interim basis, giving the board time to further explore potential candidates and make the right long-term succession decision for the company," Johnson said at the time.

Schultz wasted no time in getting to work, making the announcement to end the share buyback program as the company looks to adapt to a COVID-19 world. It had already announced the intended closure of around 150 stores just prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, in an effort to streamline operations.

"Our company, like many companies, is facing new realities in a changed world. Pinched supply chains, the decimation caused by COVID, heightened tensions and political unrest, a racial reckoning and a rising generation which seeks a new accountability for business," Schultz wrote on Monday.

"As Starbucks, we can either choose to rise to this moment -- or stand idle. I am returning to the company to work with all of you to design that next Starbucks -- an evolution of our company deep with purpose, where we each have agency and where we work together to create a positive impact in the world."

Two Disney-branded hand sanitizers recalled over carcinogen, methanol


Two Disney-branded hand sanitizer products are being recalled after FDA testing showed the presence of methanol in one and benzene, a human carcinogen in the other. File Pool photo by Alex Wong/UPI | License Photo

April 4 (UPI) -- A pair of Disney-branded hand sanitizers are being recalled over the presence of either methanol or benzene, the latter of which is classified as a carcinogen, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.

The FDA found the blue formulation of the Mickey Mouse Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 68% contained methanol. Testing also found both the green and blue formulations of the Mandalorian Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 68% product contained benzene, which is classified as a human carcinogen.

Both are sold in 2.11-ounce bottles.

"Substantial exposure to benzene can occur through inhalation, oral, and skin and it may result in cancers including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders, which can be life-threatening," states the FDA recall notice, which was originally issued Friday.

Prolonged exposure to methanol can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, coma, seizures, permanent blindness, permanent damage to the central nervous system or death, according to the FDA.

Anyone using the products externally is at risk, but young children who accidentally ingest the hand sanitizers are at particular risk.

Both products were produced by a third-party manufacturer and imported by Disney's Best Brands Consumer Products Inc.

The company determined the affected products were produced in April and May of 2020 and had already been removed from sale in April 2021 for unrelated commercial reasons.

As of the date of the recall notice, Best Brands had not received any reports of adverse events related to the voluntarily recalled lots.

The products were initially distributed across the United States through three retail outlets.

Anyone who has bottles of either of the products should dispose of them immediately.

The company will issue refunds for anyone who still has hand sanitizer from the affected lots.

HARD TO MISS
7-foot snake found under the cushion of California man's couch

April 4 (UPI) -- A California reptile expert called to remove a snake found in a resident's couch said he was shocked to discover the serpent was a 7-foot-long Vietnamese blue beauty rat snake.

Alex Trejo, owner of So-Cal Rattlesnake Removal, said he was summoned to a Chula Vista home on a report of an unusual discovery.

"This guy calls me, is pretty frantic and he's like, 'There's a snake in my couch,'" Trejo told KGTV.

Trejo said he was shocked to lift the sofa cushion and find the 7-foot snake, which is not native to the United States. He said in a Facebook post that the call was a "once in a lifetime snake rescue."

Trejo said the non-venomous snake was not eager to be captured.

"He didn't get my skin, but he actually got the lining of my shirt," he said.

Trejo said the snake is in the care of a specialist and being treated for a respiratory infection while he attempts to find the animal's owner.

World Rat Day was founded by an Internet mailing list in 2002


World Rat Day was founded in 2002 by the Internet mailing list Ratlist as an annual celebration of pet rats. 

Photo by L0nd0ner/Pixabay.com

April 4 (UPI) -- World Rat Day, celebrated annually on April 4, began with an online news group in 2002 as a means to celebrating pet rats around the globe.

The holiday was first celebrated in 2002, when members of the Ratlist, an online mailing group for owners of pet rats and other appreciators of the species, discussed the possibility of an annual day to celebrate the intelligent rodents.

The group members chose April 4, the day of the mailing list's founding, for World Rat Day.

The holiday is celebrated internationally today, with groups dedicated to pet rats holding meet and greet events around the world.

A YEAR LATER THE REMAKE WAS RELEASED

Other holidays and observations for April 4 include Hug a Newsperson Day, International Carrot Day, Jeep 4x4 Day, 404 Day, Vitamin C Day and National Cordon Bleu Day.

THE ORIGINALS

  

 Nevada toad declared endangered at site of geothermal plant

By SCOTT SONNER

 In this photo provided by the Nevada Department of Wildlife, a Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service temporarily listed a rare northern Nevada toad as endangered on an emergency basis partly because of threats a geothermal plant in the works poses to its habitat in the only place its known to live in the world about 100 miles east of Reno. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)


RENO, Nev. (AP) — In a rare emergency move, the U.S government temporarily declared a northern Nevada toad endangered Monday, saying a geothermal power plant in the works could result in its extinction.

The Fish and Wildlife Service announced it is formally proposing a rule to list the Dixie Valley toad as an endangered species subject to 60 days of public comment under the Endangered Species Act’s normal rulemaking process.

But it said the emergency listing goes into effect immediately and will continue for eight months while more permanent protections are considered for the toad at the only place it is known to exist in the world.

It marks only the second time in 20 years the service has listed a species as endangered on an emergency basis.

“Protecting small population species like this ensures the continued biodiversity necessary to maintain climate resilient landscapes in one of the driest states in the country,” the agency said.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the toad’s listing might affect construction of the power plant about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Reno. Conservationists and tribal members are trying to block the project in a lawsuit currently before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The dispute is among a growing number of conflicts over wildlife protection and tribal rights on federal lands that the Biden administration faces as it pursues its agenda to combat climate change by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy.

Officials for Reno-based Ormat Technologies Inc., which broke ground on the power plant last month, have said they don’t believe a listing would impact the project because the company spent six years developing a mitigation plan to offset any potential environmental impacts.

“Ormat long recognized the importance of conserving the Dixie Valley toad, regardless of its legal status,” Ormat Vice President Paul Thomsen said Monday in an email to The Associated Press.

“Ormat will coordinate with relevant agencies to ensure that any additional required process is met while we continue our work on this important renewable energy project,” he said.

Geothermal power is generated from hot water deep beneath the earth.

The Dixie Valley toad lives in wetlands around hot springs next to the construction site. In addition to geothermal development, other primary threats to one of the smallest toads in the western U.S. include disease, predation by non-native frog species, groundwater pumping for human and agricultural uses and climate change, the service said.

The agency agreed last month to expedite consideration of a federal listing of the toad as part of a settlement with conservationists and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, who are suing to block the power plant. The Nevada tribe says the site is sacred to its people who have lived there for thousands of years.

The Center for Biological Diversity first petitioned for the toad’s listing in 2017.

Monday’s decision “comes just in the nick of time for the Dixie Valley toads, which are staring down the barrel of extinction,” said Patrick Donnelly, the center’s Great Basin director.

“We’ve been saying for five years that the Dixie Meadows geothermal project could wipe out these tiny toads, and I’m thankful those concerns have been heard,” he said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

The center for Biological Diversity and the tribe won a federal court order in Reno in January temporarily blocking construction of Ormat’s project on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land east of Fallon.

But the 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals stayed that order Feb. 4 pending full consideration of Ormat’s appeal. The San Francisco-based appellate court is considering hearing arguments on the appeal in June.

The last time a species was declared endangered on an emergency basis was in 2011, when the the Obama administration took action on the Miami blue butterfly in southern Florida. Before that, an emergency listing was granted for the California tiger salamander under the Bush administration in 2002.

Other species listed as endangered on an emergency basis over the years include the California bighorn sheep in the Sierra Nevada in 1999, steller sea lions in 1990, and the Sacramento River winter migration run of chinook salmon and Mojave desert tortoise, both in 1989.

Deadly bird flu strains batter U.S. poultry industry

With Easter just weeks away, the U.S. poultry industry is battling the contagious bird flu that has killed millions of chickens and turkeys this year. File Photo by stux/Pixabay

April 4 (UPI) -- With Easter just weeks away, the U.S. poultry industry is battling the contagious bird flu that has killed millions of chickens and turkeys this year.

More than 22.8 million birds have been affected, according to a report released Monday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza are sweeping through 24 states, including Wyoming, Maine and the particularly hard-hit Iowa.

Some counties in Iowa, which produces over 1 billion eggs annually, have declared disaster in light of the outbreak.

RELATED WHO notified after rare case of bird flu transmission in England

About 5.3 million birds in Iowa's Buena Vista County have caught avian flu, federal data shows.

In the United States, more than 15 million chickens and 1.3 million turkeys have been euthanized since January.

In December, bird flu cases were also discovered in parts of Europe, India, Canada and east Asia.

RELATED Two new outbreaks of bird flu reported at farms in northern Israel

The bird flu isn't known to cause major health concerns in humans. Properly cooked poultry is safe for consumption, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC announced in March that the current strains lack the changes seen in previous strains that put humans at greater risk for infection and severe illness.

Only one asymptomatic United Kingdom-based bird owner is known to have caught one of the current strains.

RELATED Bird flu spreads throughout Europe, other regions

The infection can spread to ducks, geese, wild birds and other poultry through saliva, feces and nasal secretions. Experts say how the disease spreads makes it tough to contain.

Officials at the state level are urging owners of commercial and backyard flocks to keep their birds indoors.

The bird flu's deadly impacts are hurting the poultry industry and the pockets of consumers fueling the seasonal demand for the Easter and Passover holidays.

Data from the USDA shows chicken breasts cost an average of $3.63 per pound in the United States last week, compared to an average of $2.42 a year ago.

Air quality is poor for 99% of the world's population, WHO says

By HealthDay News

The World Health Organization said air quality is the worst in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions, but 99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds air quality limits and contains disease-causing particles. 

Image by Ralf Vetterle from Pixabay

Almost no one in the world is breathing good air, according to a new World Health Organization report, which issued a call for reducing the use of fossil fuels.

Air quality is the worst in WHO's Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions, but 99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds air quality limits and contains disease-causing particles. Air quality is also especially poor in Africa.

"After surviving a pandemic, it is unacceptable to still have 7 million preventable deaths and countless preventable lost years of good health due to air pollution," said Dr. Maria Neira, head of WHO's Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health.

"Yet too many investments are still being sunk into a polluted environment, rather than in clean, healthy air," Neira said in a news release from the United Nations health agency.

Dangerous particles in the air can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the veins and arteries, causing disease. These particulates come from transportation, power plants, agriculture, waste burning, industry and natural sources such as desert dust.

The WHO database included PM2.5, PM10 (particle matter 2.5 and 10 micrometers small) and now ground measurements of nitrogen dioxide, the latter of which is generated through burning of fuel and is common in urban areas. WHO found the highest concentrations in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Nitrogen dioxide exposure can contribute to asthma and cause symptoms including coughing, difficulty breathing and wheezing.

"Particulate matter, especially PM2.5, is capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the bloodstream, causing cardiovascular, cerebrovascular [stroke] and respiratory impacts," WHO said. "There is emerging evidence that particulate matter impacts other organs and causes other diseases as well."

Major change is needed to curb air pollution, Anumita Roychowdhury, an air pollution expert at Centre for Science and Environment, a research and advocacy organization in New Delhi, told the Associated Press.

That would include a shift away from fossil fuels, massive scaling up of green energy, separating types of waste and using electric vehicles, she said.

In India, more than 60% of PM2.5 loads are from households and industries. Tanushree Ganguly, who heads the program on air quality for the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi think tank, cited the need for action on reducing emissions from industries, automobiles, biomass burning and domestic energy.

"We need to prioritize clean energy access for households that need it the most and take active measures to clean up our industrial sector," Ganguly told the AP.

More information

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has more on air pollution.

Copyright © 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

F U 

Manchin sends letter to SEC opposing climate disclosure rule

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks at a press conference called to announce the Banning Russian Energy Imports Act on Capitol Hill on March 3. 

File Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI | License Photo

April 4 (UPI) -- Sen. Joe Manchin has sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission opposing a proposed rule that would require companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-related measures.

Manchin, who represents West Virginia, is one of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate, and has received nearly $1 million in campaign donations from oil and gas firms, according to financial contribution watchdog Open Secrets.

"The most concerning piece of the proposed rule is what appears to be the targeting of our nation's fossil fuel companies," Manchin wrote in the letter. "Not only will these companies face heightened reporting requirements on account of their operations, but they will also be subjected to additional scrutiny."

The comments from Manchin, who accused the SEC of politicizing the financial assessments of companies, comes just hours after the United Nations released a 3,675-page report urging countries to make "immediate and deep emissions reductions" or face devastating climate change consequences.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which included 278 of the world's top economic and scientific researchers from 65 countries, provides details in the report on the last remaining paths to stop irreversible damage to the planet.

If the global emissions of greenhouse gasses are not reduced, it will lead to worsening natural disasters and the destruction of ecosystems among other threats to humanity.

"Enacting rules that are seemingly duplicative in nature -- particularly for our nation's energy companies -- may add additional burdens that are both timely and costly for publicly traded companies and may also serve to create unnecessary confusion for investors," Manchin said.

"Ultimately, I am interested in the implementation of rules that are rational and ensure that the system is fair. Reassessing the responsibilities of our nation's energy companies within these disclosures is a critical component to reaching that fairness."

Manchin argued that the proposed disclosures are unnecessary because most companies in the Russell 1000 Index already publish sustainability reports and so "the proposed rule aims to solve a problem that does not exist."

He added that not all companies have the resources or ability to assess the data required to be disclosed, particularly for Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions which are indirectly caused by a company's supply chain.

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency collects such information from fossil fuel companies through its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program and shares its public reports in October of each year," Manchin said.

Gary Gensler, chairman of the SEC, said when announcing the proposed disclosures March 21 that the new rule would standardize information about a business' climate risks for investors.

"If adopted, it would provide investors with consistent, comparable, and decision-useful information for making their investment decisions, and it would provide consistent and clear reporting obligations for issuers," he said.

"Today, investors representing literally tens of trillions of dollars support climate-related disclosures because they recognize that climate risks can pose significant financial risks to companies, and investors need reliable information about climate risks to make informed investment decisions."

A KICK STARTER

Biden administration announces $500M in grants for school energy efficiency


Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday announced a $500 million grant program to help public schools improve HVAC systems and other energy needs. 

File Pool Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo

April 4 (UPI) -- The Biden administration on Monday announced a $500 million grant program aimed at improving energy efficiency in schools.

Vice President Kamala Harris detailed the program, which makes funds from the bipartisan infrastructure law available to all public schools to improve their heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC systems, and other energy upgrades.

In remarks at Neville Thomas Elementary School in Washington, D.C., Harris said the funds will be directed primarily to underserved communities and can be used to install energy-efficient windows, solar panels and better insulation.

"For decades, our country has chronically underinvested in our public schools and far too many of our school districts have gone without important repairs and upgrades to buildings and to classrooms," Harris said.

She also noted that classrooms in schools with outdated HVAC systems often are too cold in the winter and too hot in the spring and approaching summer, leading to poor air quality that can trigger allergies and asthma attacks.

The White House noted that public K-12 districts spend about $8 billion a year on energy bills, representing their second-largest expense after teacher salaries.

"These grants will help schools reduce their energy costs significantly, savings that can be reinvested in the school to hire more teachers, to make long needed repairs or to invest in new technology to support learning," Harris said.

"And at the same time these grants will create good-paying union jobs for electricians, carpenters, painters and more."

Also Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency said it would deploy new online guidance for $5 billion included in the bipartisan infrastructure law to help school districts invest in electric school buses.

"Every day millions of children ride on diesel school buses, breathing toxic fumes that can harm their health," Harris said.

The White House noted that studies have shown that diesel exhaust exposure is linked to an increase in school absences.

"Reducing pollution will provide better health and educational outcomes, particularly in low-income communities of color that face underinvestment and high pollution," the White House said.

NEO-LIBERAL

Costa Rica: President-elect Chaves wants to 'improve' deal with IMF


Costa Rican President-elect Rodrigo Chaves offers a press conference one day after being elected in the second round, in San José, on April 4, 2022. (AFP/Luis ACOSTA) (Luis ACOSTA)

Moises AVILA, David GOLDBERG
Mon, April 4, 2022

Costa Rica aims to improve its deal with the IMF, president-elect Rodrigo Chaves said Monday, a day after his election as the Central American nation's next president.

He was referring to the deal signed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the outgoing government for a loan of more than $1.7 billion.

"The IMF is not a source of resources for government financing needs. We see it as an instrument to give confidence to those who have to lend us money, (as proof) that Costa Rica will be able to honor its debts," said Chaves, a former World Bank executive for nearly 30 years.

"The Fund needs to be grateful to us for more ambitious public policy measures in terms of economic recovery and fiscal responsibility" in order to allow Costa Rica to have access to funding from other bodies, he said.

"We are not going to relax the commitment (made to the IMF) for sound and responsible public finances," he stressed.

At the end of March, the IMF approved the second installment of $284 million provided for in the agreement signed on March 1, 2021, while giving Costa Rica more time to carry out the reforms agreed to in order to reduce its public deficit.

The IMF demanded in particular the adoption of a law on pensions and public employment in order to reduce public spending.

Costa Rica ended fiscal year 2021 with a deficit of 5.18% of GDP, compared to 8.03% in 2020. Public debt stands at over $42.4 billion (over 70% of GDP).

mav/mdl/caw

Pro-Market Economist Wins Costa Rica Presidential Election

Michael McDonald
Mon, April 4, 2022



(Bloomberg) -- Former World Bank economist Rodrigo Chaves won Costa Rica’s presidential election pledging to cut the deficit and attract foreign investment.

His rival Jose Maria Figueres conceded, and Chaves led with 53% to 47% for Figueres, with 98% of the votes tallied on Sunday night.

Long an oasis of stability in a region plagued by violence, Costa Rica had a choice of president between two investor-friendly candidates, setting it apart from neighbors led by fiery radicals such as El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega.

Chaves, 60, promised to boost growth with more foreign investment and higher levels of tourism. The U.S.-educated president-elect has pledged to reduce the government’s fiscal deficit and said he favors a close relationship with the International Monetary Fund. The government signed a $1.8 billion extended fund facility with the multilateral lender last year.

In his victory speech Chaves said he would modernize the state, create jobs and govern with “transparency and austerity.”

Living Standards

Costa Rica has long enjoyed some of the best living standards in Latin America, but has more recently suffered from mediocre economic performance and seen its growth rate lag behind peers such as the Dominican Republic and Panama.

The nation’s economy expanded 3.9% last year and will grow 3.5% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. Consumer prices in February rose 4.9% from a year earlier, above the bank’s 2-4% inflation target range.

Costa Rica’s dollar-denominated bonds traded higher on Monday, with those due in 2045 at 99.8 cents on the dollar. The nation’s bonds have returned 1.4% this year versus an average loss of 9.5% across emerging markets, according to data compiled by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Chaves, who earned a Ph.D. in economics from Ohio State University, promised to cut red tape to foster an environment where entrepreneurs can thrive and said he can promote a low interest rate environment to spur investment.

He worked 27 years at the World Bank, becoming country director for Indonesia in 2013. During the campaign, he came under fire over sexual harassment allegations made while he worked at the bank. He denied any wrongdoing, and attributed the accusations to misunderstandings caused by cultural differences.

Chaves served six months as Costa Rica’s finance minister under President Carlos Alvarado before stepping down in May 2020 over what he said were differences with Alvarado on spending cuts. Chaves will be sworn in as president on May 8.

Prominent Egyptian dissident Abdel-Fattah launches hunger strike in prison

Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, a key figure in the country’s 2011 revolution, began a hunger strike in prison over the weekend, his mother Laila Soueif said Monday.

© Khaled Desouki, AFP

“He refuses to eat, because his prison conditions must change,” Soueif told AFP, adding that her son has been placed under “heavy supervision, in solitary confinement”.

“He is not allowed books or exercise, and this prison is known for not respecting any laws,” she continued.

Abdel Fattah was sentenced in December to five years in prison after he was convicted along with two others of “broadcasting false news”.

He had already been in pre-trial detention in Cairo’s Tora prison since September 2019 before the sentencing.

Abdel Fattah’s sister, Mona Seif, announced the hunger strike in a Twitter post earlier on Monday.

“Today was @alaa’s visit, he told me he is on hunger strike since 1st day of Ramadan, Saturday,” she wrote.

Seif added that he “returned all food we brought him. Only took medication, tea and personal hygiene products”.

Abdel Fattah has spent the better part of the past decade behind bars, having also been arrested under former presidents Hosni Mubarak and Mohammed Morsi.

His latest arrest came in September 2019 in the wake of rare protests called for by an exiled dissident businessman against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Rights groups say Egypt is holding some 60,000 political prisoners, many facing brutal conditions and overcrowded cells.

(AFP)

Opinion: Russian invasion is a chance to reinvigorate the climate fight

Humanity has shown an incredible capacity to react to a crisis on our doorstep. We should channel that energy and tackle our most dangerous crisis of all, writes Alistair Walsh.

The Ukraine invasion has laid bare Europe's continued reliance on fossil fuels

Vladimir Putin's horrendous war in Ukraine has revealed just how united and decisive we can be in the face of a crisis.

Europe has once again flung open its doors to refugees fleeing destruction. Rousing gestures of humanity are seen every day. 

And the global west has banded together in staggering solidarity to sanction Putin's regime, help Ukraine fight against criminal injustice, and protect the ideals of peace, democracy and freedom.

What seem like insurmountable barriers have been quickly and efficiently overcome.

And this is despite the enormous economic costs — energy bills are surging, public money is pouring into Ukraine, sanctions are biting here as well as Russia. But it's the right thing to do and we know it.

This is how humanity should work — banding together and gritting our teeth to achieve a common goal.

Let's do the same for the planet

So why can't we do the same when faced with crises that threaten the existence of everyone on the planet? Without hyperbole, climate change and the rapid loss of biodiversity pose existential threats for everyone on earth.

And yet we continue to drag our feet. The February Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report — which revealed how climate change is already affecting the lives of billions of people and dangerously disrupting nature — was largely ignored in wider public discourse. The latest IPCC reporton mitigating the crisis may face similar indifference. 

DW's Alistair Walsh

Leaders have made promises to try and keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but we are still changing the climate too fast to adapt. 

Meanwhile, a long-delayed effort to cobble together a global deal to stave off the sixth mass extinction is proceeding at a glacial pace with minimal political support.

If we approached these crises with the urgency that was shown in the face of the Ukraine invasion, and made the sacrifices that we were willing to take in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, we would have a fighting chance at stopping the destruction. 

This takes political bravery and perseverance, but we have shown that we are capable of this. 

An opportunity for change

The invasion of Ukraine has laid bare Europe's continued reliance on fossil fuels. Europe seems willing to sanction everything and everyone close to Putin — except his fossil fuels. 

Instead, European money has funded Putin's crimes through its continued purchase of blood-stained gas. Its hesitance to react to one crisis has hampered its ability to respond to others.

As Europe promises to wean itself off Russian gas, there is a remarkable opportunity for renewed vigor in the fight against climate change.

Instead of switching to even-more-polluting gas shipped from across the Atlantic, this is a chance to reignite the energy transition.

We are starting to see some of the political will required to transition to 100% renewable energy. Germany has brought forward its renewable target to 2035, which is a promising sign. But parts of the bloc, particularly in central and eastern Europe are lagging behind and need help kicking their habit.

The European Commission is currently drafting a plan to cut Russian gas use by two-thirds this year and end it entirely by 2027. But why limit it to Russian gas? Why not expand it to all fossil fuels? It's drastic, it might inflict short-term economic pain, but this is the sort of vision that is needed to ensure we don't all end up as fossils on a dead planet. 

And we must apply this thinking to all polluting sectors, all nature-destroying activities, and do everything in our power to save the planet. 

The solutions are there, we just need to undertake them with the requisite sense of urgency. Keep fossil fuels in the ground, stop deforestation, protect and restore natural ecosystems, reform agriculture, tax emissions at their actual cost over the entire supply chain, switch to sustainable transport, fund green research, ban polluting activities and toxic chemicals, end nature-destroying subsidies, enforce climate-friendly building codes, install insulation — we know what needs to be done. 

If we treat these crises with the urgency that we are capable of, then we can stop climate change and the destruction of nature before it's too late.

Edited by: Rob Mudge