Global life expectancy to increase by nearly 5 years by 2050 despite geopolitical, metabolic, and environmental threats, reports new global study

INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS AND EVALUATION

Global Burden of Disease 

The latest findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021, published today in The Lancet, forecast that global life expectancy will increase by 4.9 years in males and 4.2 years in females between 2022 and 2050.

Increases are expected to be largest in countries where life expectancy is lower, contributing to a convergence of increased life expectancy across geographies. The trend is largely driven by public health measures that have prevented and improved survival rates from cardiovascular diseases, COVID-19, and a range of communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNs).

This study indicates that the ongoing shift in disease burden to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes – and exposure to NCD-associated risk factors – such as obesity, high blood pressure, non-optimal diet, and smoking – will have the greatest impact on disease burden of the next generation.

As the disease burden continues to shift from CMNNs to NCDs and from years of life lost (YLLs) to years lived with disability (YLDs), more people are expected to live longer, but with more years spent in poor health. Global life expectancy is forecasted to increase from 73.6 years of age in 2022 to 78.1 years of age in 2050 (a 4.5-year increase). Global healthy life expectancy (HALE) – the average number of years a person can expect to live in good health – will increase from 64.8 years in 2022 to 67.4 years in 2050 (a 2.6-year increase).

To come to these conclusions, the study forecasts cause-specific mortality; YLLs; YLDs; disability-adjusted life years (DALYs, or lost years of healthy life due to poor health and early death); life expectancy; and HALE from 2022 through 2050 for 204 countries and territories.

“In addition to an increase in life expectancy overall, we have found that the disparity in life expectancy across geographies will lessen,” said Dr. Chris Murray, Chair of Health Metrics Sciences at the University of Washington and Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). “This is an indicator that while health inequalities between the highest- and lowest-income regions will remain, the gaps are shrinking, with the biggest increases anticipated in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Dr. Murray added that the biggest opportunity to speed up reductions in the global disease burden is through policy interventions aimed to prevent and mitigate behavioral and metabolic risk factors.

These findings build upon the results of the GBD 2021 risk factors study, also released today in The Lancet. This accompanying study found that the total number of years lost due to poor health and early death (measured in DALYs) attributable to metabolic risk factors has increased by 50% since 2000. Read more on the risk factors report at https://bit.ly/GBDRisks2021.

The study also puts forth various alternative scenarios to compare the potential health outcomes if different public health interventions could eliminate exposure to several key risk factor groups by 2050.

“We forecast large differences in global DALY burden between different alternative scenarios to see what is the most impactful on our overall life expectancy data and DALY forecasts,” said Dr. Stein Emil Vollset, first author of the study who leads the GBD Collaborating Unit at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. “Globally, the forecasted effects are strongest for the ‘Improved Behavioral and Metabolic Risks’ scenario, with a 13.3% reduction in disease burden (number of DALYs) in 2050 compared with the ‘Reference’ (most likely) scenario.”

The authors also ran two more scenarios: one focused on safer environments and another on improved childhood nutrition and vaccination.

“Though the largest effects in global DALY burden were seen from the 'Improved Behavioral and Metabolic Risk’ scenario, we also forecasted reductions in disease burden from the ‘Safer Environment’ and ‘Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination’ scenarios beyond our reference forecast, said Amanda E. Smith, Assistant Director of Forecasting at IHME. “This demonstrates the need for continued progress and resources in these areas and the potential to accelerate progress through 2050.”

“There is immense opportunity ahead for us to influence the future of global health by getting ahead of these rising metabolic and dietary risk factors, particularly those related to behavioral and lifestyle factors like high blood sugar, high body mass index, and high blood pressure,” continued Dr. Murray.

Notes to editors

For interview requests, journalists may contact ihmemedia@uw.edu. For full study results, including the paper and related tables, finalized PDFs are available at https://bit.ly/GBD2021Forecast, embargoed until 23:30 UK, 6:30 p.m. EDT on May 16, 2024. The post-embargo link for the paper is https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)00685-8/fulltext. An infographic summarizing the study’s findings can be found at https://bit.ly/4byxttL. Data tables containing estimates from the study are available at https://ghdx.healthdata.org/record/ihme-data/global-life-expectancy-all-cause-mortality-and-cause-specific-mortality-forecasts-2022-2050.

About the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research organization at the University of Washington (UW). Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD), Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Cost Effectiveness and Efficiency; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations.

IHME is committed to providing the evidence base necessary to help solve the world’s most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation, which are cultivated by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of all IHME team members.

About the Global Burden of Disease Study

The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) is the largest and most comprehensive effort to quantify health loss across places and over time. It draws on the work of more than 11,000 collaborators across more than 160 countries and territories. GBD 2021 – the newly published most recent round of GBD results – includes more than 607 billion estimates of 371 diseases and injuries and 88 risk factors in 204 countries and territories. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation coordinates the study.

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JOURNAL

The Lancet

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

16-May-2024

• UK
• Keir Starmer Unveils Tony Blair-Style Pledge Card As He Steps Up Bid To Become PM
• 
  Kevin Schofield
  Wed, 15 May 2024
  
  Keir Starmer appears on course to become prime minister. Ash Donelon via Getty Images
  
  Keir Starmer will today unveil a Tony Blair-style pledge card as he steps up his bid to convince voters to make him prime minister.
  
  The six “first steps for change” will include promises that a Labour government will deliver economic stability, cut NHS waiting times, crack down on anti-social behaviour and recruit 6,500 new teachers.
  
  The party leader will also vow to launch a new “border security command” to tackle the small boats crisis and set up the publicly-owned Great British Energy to produce gas and electricity in the UK.
  
  Starmer told a meeting of his shadow cabinet yesterday: “What is crucial about these commitments is that they are part of a long-term plan to get Britain back on its feet.
  
  “Each of the first steps would chime with voters’ aspirations, show a clear set of priorities and a powerful direction of travel.”
• 
  
  Starmer's pledge card Labour Party
  
  Starmer will unveil promises at a presidential-style event in Essex alongside other members of his frontbench team.
  
  The pledge card, featuring a picture of a serious-looking Starmer, has clear echoes of the similar list of retail policies produced by Tony Blair before Labour’s landslide 1997 general election victory.
  
  Starmer said: “These first steps make real our claim that a changed Labour Party is back in service of working people. They show our priorities, what we care about and what the British public cares about. Country first, party second.
  
  “If you’re waiting in pain for NHS treatment, if your child is at school and you want higher standards, if your local area is plagued by anti-social behaviour, if you want cheaper energy bills for good, these first steps show what a Labour government will do to help you.”
  
  He added: “The contrast at the election is going to be stark. A Tory Party that gets nothing done, can’t deliver – struggles to get to the end of the week. And a Labour Party, sleeves rolled up, fixing problems with a long-term plan for change.
  
  “These steps can only be achieved if we pull together, with a sense of common purpose, ending the years of division, and rebuilding the country in partnership.”

UK's Labour sets out plans for government

Peter HUTCHISON
Thu, 16 May 2024 

Labour leader Keir Starmer outlined his plan for government (Oli SCARFF)


Britain's main opposition Labour party on Thursday set out its stall for this year's general election with six key pledges to voters in a de facto campaign launch.

The official five-week election campaign only starts when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak names a date. So far, he has only said it will be in the second half of the year.

Nevertheless, both Sunak, who heads the ruling Conservatives, and Labour leader Keir Starmer have switched to campaign mode.

On Monday, Sunak urged voters to keep faith with the Tories even after 14 years in power marked by austerity measures, Brexit, bitter political in-fighting and scandal.

Labour has been consistently polling well ahead of the Conservatives for the last 18 months, putting Starmer on course to become prime minister as the leader of the largest party in parliament.

He laid out Labour's "first steps" for government at an event in Essex, a key battleground area in southeast England.

Starmer promised economic stability, shorter health service waiting times and a new border security command to tackle irregular immigration.

He also vowed to establish a publicly owned clean energy company, crack down on anti-social behaviour with more neighbourhood police and recruit 6,500 new teachers.

"I'm not going to give you gimmicks," said Starmer, who paced the stage in a white shirt, sleeves rolled up.

"There's no quick fix to the mess that the Tories have made of this country. But this is a changed Labour party with a plan to take us forward."

- Labour's 'missions' -

The pledges, largely made before, are intended to add some flesh to the bones of five "missions" Labour says will spur a "decade of national renewal" after four consecutive terms of Tory rule.

Many commentators likened them to the pledge cards brought in by Labour's most successful leader, Tony Blair, whose 10 years as prime minister began with a landslide victory against the Tories in 1997.

They are set to feature on advertising vans and billboards in target constituencies across England in what Labour says is its most expensive ad campaign since the 2019 general election.

At that vote, Labour under the leadership of left-winger Jeremy Corbyn suffered its worst defeat in nearly a century, as Boris Johnson romped home with his promise to "Get Brexit Done".

Starmer, a centrist pro-European former lawyer, has since moved Labour to the centre ground to make the party a more palatable electoral force.

The Conservatives meanwhile have replaced their leader twice, turning on Johnson after his handling of the Covid pandemic and one scandal too many, then forcing out Liz Truss after just 49 days.

Former finance minister Sunak, 44, has sought to repair the damage caused by Truss's disastrous mini-budget of unfunded tax cuts, which spooked financial markets and sank the pound.

But he goes into the election with the Tories' reputation for economic competence tarnished, and riven by ideological splits between moderates and anti-immigration, free market right-wingers.

- 'Tough spending rules' -

Starmer, 61, promised to implement "tough spending rules" to prevent further misery for people who have seen their household budgets squeezed by high inflation and mortgage hikes.

Sunak, who is hoping for better economic conditions by the end of the year, has to hold an election by January 28, 2025. He is using the time to try to keep his party together and revive its fortunes.

On Monday, he warned that Labour would jeopardise UK security, insisting his party could still win the election.

Johnson's predecessor as premier, Theresa May, said Thursday she believed a Labour win "is not a foregone conclusion".

It would require a massive swing to secure a majority, she told reporters, adding that the voters she met were less enthusiastic about Starmer than they were about Blair.

"The view on those doorsteps is different to the feel pre-1997," May insisted.

pdh-phz/jj

Labour Party manifesto 2024: Keir Starmer’s election promises

Amy Gibbons
Thu, 16 May 2024 

Labour Party manifesto 2024: Keir Starmer's likely election promises

Sir Keir Starmer has announced the policies at the heart of his election campaign in the clearest indication yet of what we can expect to see in Labour’s 2024 manifesto.

The Labour leader made six key pledges at a campaign rally in Essex, one each on his five “mission” areas – the economy, energy, crime, education and the NHS – plus a newly added priority on immigration.

Sir Keir and Rachel Reeves, his shadow chancellor, are seeking to position Labour as the fiscally responsible party that would drive growth in Britain, allowing them to invest in public services such as the NHS.

Here The Telegraph sets out the pledges the party is expected to include in its general election manifesto.

NHS and social care


Tax


Economy


Environment, energy and net zero


Education and childcare


Defence


Pensions


Policing and crime


Migration


Housing
NHS and social care

Two million more operations, scans and appointments in first year


Train thousands more doctors, nurses and midwives


Specialist mental health support in every school


Extra 700,000 dentist appointments and supervised tooth brushing for three to five-year-olds


New “neighbourhood health centres” with joined-up services

Labour has pledged to get the NHS “back on its feet” by reforming the health service rather than “pouring ever-increasing amounts of money” into it.

As an “immediate priority”, it would focus on tackling the “massive” waiting list backlog, with an extra two million operations, scans and appointments in the first year. This would be achieved by paying NHS staff more to work overtime, boosting availability across evenings and weekends.

These policies formed the basis of Sir Keir’s second key pledge to “cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more appointments each week, during evenings and weekends.”

In a shake-up of primary care, the party would trial “neighbourhood health centres”, bringing together a wide range of services – including doctors, nurses, care workers and mental health specialists – to cater for millions of patients currently clogging up overloaded A&E units. It would also use spare capacity in the independent sector to speed up treatment.

It has also vowed to “bring back the family doctor” – with GPs paid more for ensuring patients can see the clinician of their choice. Labour has said it would use the NHS App to “end the 8am scramble” for GP appointments and allow patients to book directly for routine checks, while boosting self-referrals and cutting red tape in pharmacies.

It would provide an extra 700,000 urgent dentist appointments each year and introduce supervised tooth brushing in schools for three to five-year-olds, while offering “golden hellos” of £20,000 to newly-qualified dentists who agree to work in areas struggling to recruit.

To tackle the mental health crisis, the party has said it would introduce specialist support in every school and provide an open-access hub for young people in every community.

It would also conduct an assessment of all NHS capital projects to identify any inefficiencies before committing any more money to fixing the “crumbling” estate.

Labour has pledged to double the number of medical school spaces to 15,000, a target also proposed by the NHS and endorsed by the Government, and provide 10,000 extra nursing and midwifery placements.

It would also train an additional 700 district nurses and 5,000 health visitors each year, and recruit 8,500 more mental health professionals.

To boost retention, the party would “consider the case for looking more broadly at how public sector pay is set”. It would also introduce a “targeted scheme” to incentivise senior doctors to stay in work.

Labour has pledged to double the number of state-of-the-art CT and MRI scanners and streamline recruitment for clinical trials.
‘Prevention first’ approach

As part of a “prevention first” approach, it would ban the promotion of junk food to young people and back the Tories’ incremental ban on smoking.

The party would establish fully-funded breakfast clubs in every primary school in England and implement a compulsory “balanced and broad national curriculum with a wide range of physical activities”.

It would also introduce stricter legal targets on air pollution and oversee the retrofitting of millions of homes to help keep them warm and free of damp, while guaranteeing the right to sick pay from day one to minimise the spread of illness in the workplace.

At the same time, Labour would work towards a locally-delivered “National Care Service”.

To tackle staff shortages in social care, it would introduce a “fair pay agreement collectively negotiated across the sector”.

And to raise standards, it would require all providers to demonstrate financial sustainability and responsible tax practices, to value their staff, and to deliver high quality care before they are allowed to receive contracts from local authorities or gain registration from the Care Quality Commission.

It would also give people in care homes a new legal right to see their loved ones and support unpaid carers by offering them paid family carer’s leave.

Labour originally said that much of the health plan would be paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax status but the strategy was thrown into disarray when Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, announced the same move at the Spring Budget.

The party has since said it will pay for NHS improvements by going further than the Tories and closing an inheritance tax loophole for non-doms while cracking down on tax avoidance.
Tax

Close inheritance tax loophole for non-doms


Crack down on tax-avoiders


Impose VAT on private school fees


No rise in corporation tax


Overhaul business rates and review tax reliefs

Sir Keir’s first key pledge included a vow to keep taxes “as low as possible”, without committing to specific cuts.

This was broadly in line with Labour’s tax policy to date, which has been vague. However the party has been explicit about a few things.

It had promised to scrap the “non-domiciled” regime, which allows people living in Britain to avoid paying UK tax on money they make overseas for up to 15 years – but this policy has been snatched by the Tories, leaving a hole in Labour’s finances.

The party has since pledged to go further by closing the inheritance tax loophole for non-doms and target tax-avoiders to pay for its spending commitments on schools and the NHS.

Elsewhere, the party would implement 20 per cent VAT on private school fees, with the proceeds funnelled into state education.

Ms Reeves has also promised not to raise corporation tax for the duration of the next Parliament and said she would overhaul the business rates system and review all tax reliefs.

Sir Keir has made clear that he would like to reduce the tax burden on “working people”, while Ms Reeves has hinted at cuts for high earners, vowing to ensure “success is celebrated” under a Labour government.

She has attacked the Tories over their decision to freeze income tax thresholds in the face of rising inflation, but not committed to changing this, insisting it would be “irresponsible” to pledge tax cuts without pinpointing how they would be funded.

Ms Reeves has said she has “no plans” for a wealth tax but the party has explored closing a loophole for second homeowners.
The economy

Bid for highest sustained growth in G7


Tough new fiscal rules and enhanced role for the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)


New Office for Value for Money


Invest heavily in green projects


New deal for working people

Sir Keir’s first pledge to keep taxes low was contingent on a promise to “deliver economic stability with tough spending rules, so we can grow our economy”.

This drew on existing policies, with Labour having already set an aim to secure the highest sustained growth in the G7. To do this, it would adopt a new approach it has coined “securonomics”, or “modern supply side economics”.

This would involve bringing in “tough” fiscal rules with a new “enhanced role” for the OBR and establishing a new Office for Value for Money to ensure taxpayer cash is being well spent.

The party originally pledged to invest £28 billion in the drive towards a low-carbon economy every year until 2030 but has since dramatically scaled down the spending plan following sustained criticism from the Conservatives.

The proposals include an £8 billion national wealth fund, which would aim to “unlock billions of pounds of private investment” to support the energy transition.

The party would also reform the planning system to fast-track “priority growth” projects, such as battery factories, labs and 5G infrastructure.

And Labour has vowed to deliver a “new deal for working people”, featuring a “genuine living wage”, a “right to switch off”, a ban on zero hours contracts, and an end to fire and rehire.
Environment, energy and net zero

Clean power by 2030


New publicly-owned energy company


End de-facto ban on onshore wind


Expand windfall tax on oil and gas producers


Upgrade five million homes in five years


Extra £23.7 billion spent on green projects over first term

Labour initially vowed to borrow £28 billion per year from day one to invest in its flagship green prosperity plan.

But this pledge has been significantly watered down over time. Ms Reeves first admitted that the annual sum would not be hit until at least the second half of Labour’s first term.

Then Sir Keir cast further doubt on the scale of the investment, saying it would be subject to the party’s fiscal rules. In a major U-turn, he downgraded the spending commitment to just £4.7 billion a year after admitting it was unaffordable.

Under the new, slimmed down blueprint, public funding for a major home insulation drive was reduced by nearly 80 per cent, from a planned £6 billion a year to just £1.3 billion.

As a result, Labour says only five million houses would benefit from the scheme over the course of five years, compared to the original plan of 19 million across a decade. This is the only project the party has said would be scaled down as a result of the change.

The overarching aim is to turn the UK into a “clean energy superpower”, with a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030. To help achieve this, Labour would set up Great British Energy, a publicly owned body that would invest in green projects like wind farms, with a budget of £1.7 billion a year.

This formed the basis of Sir Keir’s fourth pledge, to “set up Great British Energy, a publicly-owned clean power company, to cut bills for good and boost energy security.”

The new national wealth fund would also put money into gigafactories, clean steel plants, “renewable-ready” ports, green hydrogen and energy storage, with funding of £1.5 billion a year.

The green plan, which now amounts to £23.7 billion over five years, would be on top of £50 billion already committed by the Tories, which Labour has promised to match.

It would be partially funded by expanding the windfall tax on oil and gas producers, which was introduced by Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor to help pay for energy bills support.

Meanwhile, Labour has pledged to overturn the de-facto ban on onshore wind in England, set councils binding targets for how quickly they approve green energy projects, and establish a “British jobs bonus” to incentivise firms to build their supply chains in the UK.

Before it announced the U-turn on the £28 billion fund, the party had claimed the green reforms would take £1,400 off annual household bills and £53 billion off energy bills for businesses by 2030, while creating over a million jobs in 10 years.
Education and childcare

Overhaul childcare system


Delivery of ‘more effective’ Ofsted system


Recruit 6,500 more teachers


Review school curriculum and assessment


New register for children in home education


Reform student loan repayments

Sir Keir’s sixth pledge is focused on education, with the Labour leader vowing to “recruit 6,500 new teachers in key subjects to prepare children for life, work and the future, paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools”.

Labour’s plan for schools also includes scrapping single-word Ofsted judgments and replacing them with “report cards”, and commissioning an expert-led review of curriculum and assessment with an emphasis on “life skills”.

Meanwhile, the party has said it would give the regulator new powers to monitor pupil absence rates and legislate for a new register of children in home education. Elsewhere, it has pledged to overhaul Britain’s childcare system and rethink vocational education.

The aim is to ensure half a million more children hit the early learning goals by 2030, deliver a “sustained rise” in school outcomes over the next decade, and expand “high-quality” training routes.

Labour has yet to confirm its plans for childcare, having commissioned a review by Sir David Bell, the former Ofsted chief inspector, into delivering a more effective system.

It has said it wants to build capacity in the sector but has not specified how it would do this beyond removing “legislative barriers to local authorities opening new childcare provision” and supporting the workforce through high-quality training.

Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, has previously said she wants to move away from the current free hours model, and twice failed to rule out bringing in changes to means-testing.

But Labour has since welcomed Rishi Sunak’s decision to extend free hours to younger children, suggesting it could keep the existing system in place, at least to start with.

The party has said it will not take away new entitlements granted by the Tories, which include 15 hours of free care per week for two-year-olds.

To support older students, Labour would train more than 1,000 new careers advisers and deliver two weeks of work experience for every young person at secondary school or college.

It would also reform the student loan repayment system to make it “fairer”, with scope for a “month-on-month tax cut” for graduates.
Defence

Boost defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP


Commit to Nato and nuclear deterrent


Review defence and security to assess need


Create new armed forces commissioner

If it wins power, Labour would aim to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, matching the Government’s existing target. But Sir Keir has said he will only spend the extra money if it is achievable within the party’s borrowing rules.

Labour has also said it would make an “unshakeable commitment” to Nato and Britain’s nuclear deterrent, in a clear departure from the Corbyn years.

It has pledged a new “triple lock” commitment to build at least four new nuclear submarines at Barrow, keep the continuous at-sea deterrent and fund any future upgrades needed to the fleet.

The party would conduct a review of “strategic defence and security” in its first year to “fully understand the state of our Armed Forces, the nature of threats we face and the capabilities needed”.

And it would legislate to establish an Armed Forces commissioner as a “strong independent voice to improve service life”, while ensuring military homes are fit for purpose.

John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, has also said Labour would shift procurement onto an “urgent operational footing” to support Ukraine and replenish British stocks for any future conflicts.
Pensions

Bring back lifetime cap on pension savings


Commitment to the triple lock


Pensions review to ensure best value for savers


New powers for regulator to tackle under-performing schemes

Labour has said it would bring back the lifetime cap on pension savings abolished by Mr Hunt.

Like the Tories, it has committed to retaining the triple lock, which raises the state pension every year in line with whichever is highest out of wage growth, inflation or 2.5 per cent.

It has also pledged to conduct a review of the pensions system to ensure best value for savers, while giving new powers to the regulator to consolidate schemes where they are under-performing.
Policing and crime

Halve serious violent crime in 10 years


Extra 13,000 bobbies on the beat


Reintroduce strengthened anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos)


Scrap £200 rule on shoplifting


New bravery medal for police killed in line of duty

For his fifth pledge, Sir Keir vowed to “crack down on anti-social behaviour, with more neighbourhood police paid for by ending wasteful contracts, tough new penalties for offenders, and a new network of youth hubs.”

The party has promised to halve serious violent crime and raise confidence in the police and criminal justice system to its highest levels, all within a decade.

Specifically, it wants to halve the level of violence against women and girls and incidents of knife crime.

To protect women and girls, the party would put rape units into every police force and domestic abuse experts in 999 control rooms, as well as specialists in the court system. It would also introduce a new domestic abuse register.

To tackle knife crime, it would put youth workers into A&E departments and custody suites and set up 90 new youth hubs to give teenagers the “best start in life”.

And to raise confidence in the police, Labour has pledged to recruit an extra 13,000 neighbourhood and community support officers. It would also introduce compulsory anti-racism training and a new standards regime.

Meanwhile, the party would reintroduce tougher Asbos with powers to make arrests and force fly-tippers to clean up their mess.

It would also scrap the current £200 threshold to ensure all shoplifting crimes, no matter how small, have to be investigated by police.

And it would introduce a new bravery medal for officers who are killed in the line of duty.

To ensure more criminals are brought to justice, Labour would boost the number of crown prosecutors and force the police to recruit detectives directly from industry.
Migration

Treat people smugglers like terrorists


New cross-border police unit


Extra 1,000 caseworkers to cut asylum backlog


Possible returns deal with EU


Repeal Rwanda Bill

Sir Keir’s third pledge is to “launch a new Border Security Command with hundreds of new specialist investigators, and use counter-terror powers to smash the criminal boat gangs.”

It draws on Labour’s plan to address the small boats crisis, which has two main planks: cracking down on the “vile” people-smuggling gangs, and reducing the asylum backlog.

Sir Keir has also indicated that he would be prepared to do a deal with the EU that would involve taking a quota of migrants who arrive in the bloc in exchange for the ability to return those who illegally cross the Channel to England.

The Labour leader has said he would treat people smugglers like terrorists by giving the National Crime Agency expanded powers to freeze their assets and place restrictions on their movement. He would also work more closely with Europe, creating a new cross-border police unit to “tackle gangs upstream”.

Meanwhile, Labour would recruit more than 1,000 caseworkers to cut the asylum backlog, fast-track decisions on applications from “safe” countries, namely Albania and India, and create a new returns unit, again backed by 1,000 staff, to speed up removals.

The party has vehemently opposed the Rwanda deportation scheme and vowed to repeal it.

But Sir Keir has indicated he would be willing to consider other options to divert migrants abroad. In December, he said he would look at offshore processing, used by countries such as Australia, in a significant hardening of his stance on border controls.
Housing

Build 1.5 million homes


Utilise “poor quality” green belt land


Set home ownership target of 70 per cent


New mortgage guarantee scheme

Labour has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes within its first five years in power, underpinned by a “blitz of planning reform”.

The central policy is to rip up “restrictive” laws to allow construction on “poor quality” green belt land. Dubbed the “grey belt”, this would include areas such as “disused car parks” and “dreary wasteland”.

Labour would also build “the next generation of new towns” across the country, devolve power to local mayors to kick-start development, and give young buyers “first dibs” on new properties in their areas.

Sir Keir has set a home ownership target of 70 per cent and promised to get more people on the housing ladder with a new mortgage guarantee scheme.

The party has also pledged to deliver the biggest boost to affordable housing “in a generation” by strengthening existing rules to prevent developers “wriggling out of their responsibilities”.



Up next

Why does Canada have so many wildfires?

Ahmad Mukhtar
Updated Wed, May 15, 2024 

Toronto — Wildfire season has arrived in full force in Western Canada, prompting evacuation orders and alerts in several towns in British Columbia and neighboring Alberta due to the danger of uncontrolled blazes. According to the BC administration's latest wildfire situation report, seven evacuation orders and five alerts had been issued in the province since Friday, driving about 4,700 residents from their homes.

"The situation is evolving rapidly," British Columbia's emergency management minister Bowninn Ma warned Monday, as officials said there were 130 active wildfires burning, 14 of them deemed out of control.

Thousands more people got evacuation orders Tuesday as strong winds pushed a raging fire closer to the oil-rich town of Fort McMurray, in Alberta province. Josee St-Onge, a spokesperson for the Alberta wildfire service, said that due to the intensity of the blaze, firefighting crews were pulled back from the front line Tuesday for safety reasons.

"We are seeing extreme fire behavior. Smoke columns are developing, and the skies are covered in smoke," St-Onge said at a news conference.

The 2023 wildfire season in Canada was the worst on record, with 6,551 fires scorching nearly 46 million acres, from the West Coast to the Atlantic provinces and the far north. The impact on the environment, particularly air quality, in both Canada and the United States was profound. As predicted, 2024 is shaping up to be another devastating wildfire season, and disaster and climate experts have a pretty good idea of why.

Most of the fires now ravaging Canada have actually been burning since last fire season, having smoldered slowly during the winter under the snowpack.

Scientists say these blazes, sometimes called zombie fires, are a stark reminder of the impact of climate change. Studies have linked the overwinter fires to ongoing drought conditions amid the increasingly hot, dry springs Canada has experienced in recent years. Scientists say less precipitation and warmer winter temperatures mean fires can keep burning in the dense layers of vegetation under the snowpack.

Sonja Leverkus, an ecosystem scientist in British Columbia who also works as a firefighter, told CBS News on Monday that the northeast of the Canadian province has so many wildfires at the moment "because we are in a severe drought for a third year in a row."

She said the parched conditions were likely to make things worse before they get any better.

Leverkus has been on the front line of the battle against fires in her hometown of Fort Nelson, where she and her teammates and their communities are currently under evacuation orders.

The Parker Lake wildfire glows in an aerial photograph taken by a British Columbia Emergency Health Services crew member through the window of an airplane evacuating patients from nearby Fort Nelson, May 10, 2024. / Credit: Andrei Axenov/BCEHS

"Many of the current fires this week were 2023 wildfires that overwintered below ground," she said. "We are heavy into spring, with low relative humidity, high wind, heat, and zero precipitation. Hence, wildfires."

Wildfire expert Ben Boghean, commenting this week on the blaze currently threatening the Parker Lake community in British Columbia, said Sunday that last year's severe drought conditions have enabled fires to spread at dizzying rates this spring, and due to the below-normal snowpack new fires are also erupting more easily.


Can wildfire smoke make you sick? How to stay safe amid air quality alerts, wildfire evacuations in Canada

With parts of Canada and the U.S. under air quality warnings, here's what to know about staying indoors, wearing a mask, and more tips to stay safe.

Karla Renic
·Lifestyle Editor
Updated Tue, May 14, 2024 

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle.

Dangers of wildfire smoke inhalation are making headlines again as fires rage across Canada. On May 11, 2024, the Aurora Borealis was seen shining overhead of a B.C. Conservation Officer Service vehicle as a wildfire burns in the background near Fort Nelson, B.C. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship)More

Wildfires are raging again across Canada, with around 90 fires currently burning and smokey conditions affecting western provinces. The situation has led to hazardous air quality conditions in Canada, extending into the United States for the first time this season.

In northeastern British Columbia, the Parker Lake Fire tripled in size over the weekend and has gotten closer to the community of Fort Nelson, that's now under an evacuation order. Meanwhile, in Alberta, an evacuation alert is in place for residents of the Fort McMurray area after new fire starts over the weekend. The province is also being impacted by the wildfire smoke from B.C., with officials saying: "We know the presence of wildfires and smoke in the region can cause a wide range of emotions. Many local public and professional mental health resources are available."

Environment Canada has issued air quality alerts for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and Quebec on Monday through Tuesday. "Wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone's health even at low concentrations," it warned.

Warnings were also issued south of the border, in Minnesota, Montana, the Dakotas and Wisconsin due to the haze, urging people to stay indoors and avoid physical activity outside.

As the wildfire season kicks off, ways to protect ourselves from smoke are top-of-mind for many. Last year, Yahoo Canada spoke to a top respirologist in Toronto, who weighed in on the impact of smoke on our lungs, and what to do to stay safe. Read on for everything you need to know.

Wildfire smoke symptoms, and impact of wildfire smoke on our health: Expert

Smoke from wildfires blankets the city as a couple has a picnic in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, May 11, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Dr. John Granton, a respirologist at the Toronto General Hospital (University Health Network), told Yahoo Canada wildfires cause air pollution that can have a far-reaching effect on human health.

Small air pollutant particles in the smoke, called the PM2.5 particles, are "where a lot of the toxic stuff lives," Granton explained.

"That's not filtered by your upper airway, that gets access to your lower airway and into your bloodstream even — and that's where the danger lies.

"That can cause asthma attacks, can cause heart attacks, can contribute to hospitalizations and has long-term health outcomes."

Even just the smell could cause problems to some, he said.

"Being in smog all day long, the smell bothers people; it can cause irritation of the upper airway, some of the larger particles can cause irritation, and cause symptoms. People [who] have chest symptoms or asthma, it can make them feel worse."

Granton said smoke isn't easy to escape, but there are some things people can do try and stay safe.
Can face masks protect us from smoke?

According to Granton, "there's not a lot of data to support the health benefits of masking" when it comes to safety from wildfire smoke. But, he said there is research looking into the effectiveness of filters.

"Cloth masks or scarves and things are not effective at all," the doctor claimed.

But, surgical masks and N95 filter masks "tend to filter those smaller particles," he added, "apparently some of those masks are effective."

A cyclist wears a mask due to poor air quality conditions as smoke from wildfires in Ontario and Quebec hangs over Ottawa on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Granton said "they're not going to filter the gases," though, and there are studies that question whether masks that aren't properly fitted would actually help in the real world.

"Whether or not that has a direct health benefit is speculative right now," Granton explained.

However, he said it "may be reasonable" for those who have underlying health conditions and those who have to be in the hotspots of the pollution to wear one.

"If you have to be outdoors and doing things, then wearing that sort of mask to protect you would be sensible."
How else to protect yourself from wildfire smoke?

Though filtration masks could aid in protecting your lungs from smoke, the number one recommendation from experts is to stay indoors.

Canadian experts are advising to stay indoors to protect yourself from wildfire smoke. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)

According to Health Canada, the following measures should also be taken:

Reduce sources of indoor air pollution (smoking, vacuuming, burning candles, wood stoves)


Prevent infiltration of outside air (seal windows, instal a high-quality air filter, set HVAC system to recirculation mode, limit use of exhaust fans when not cooking)

Have a functioning CO alarm


Use a portable air purifier and air conditioning

Granton echoed this advice.

"Most people recommend staying indoors as much as possible and not exercising or doing things outside," he reiterated.


How Inhaling Wildfire Smoke Can Affect You in the Long Term

Chantelle Lee

TIME
Wed, May 15, 2024 

Smoke rises after fire erupts in Western Canada on May 14, 2024. Credit - Cheyenne Berreault—Anadolu/Getty Images

Wildfires burning in Canada started sending smoke across the border on Sunday and into the week, prompting U.S. officials to issue air quality warnings in several northern states—and experts say people should be prepared to experience more air quality alerts this summer.

Parts of Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin suffered from poor air quality on Sunday and Monday because of smoke from wildfires continuing to burn in British Columbia and Alberta. While skies in the U.S. mostly cleared by Tuesday, experts say they’re expecting another active wildfire season this summer.

Last summer was Canada’s most devastating wildfire season on record, and researchers found that it was also the worst season in recent history for smoke exposure per U.S. resident.

“We still think that last year was pretty extreme, kind of an anomaly, but we do expect an above average year (this year) in terms of air quality alerts,” says David Brown, an air quality meteorologist at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Brown urged people to be aware and cautious because of the danger that inhaling wildfire smoke poses.

“Wildfire smoke can really affect everyone,” Brown tells TIME. “Prior to these really bad two summers, air quality has kind of been … an issue that probably only affects a small percentage of the population. But these impactful wildfire smoke events really can have impacts on everyone, so everyone kind of has to pay closer attention to the weather and air quality.”

Fine particles in wildfire smoke—known as PM2.5 because they have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers—are so small that they can enter your lungs and even your bloodstream, according to Craig Czarnecki, the outreach coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Air Management Program.

The average person could experience relatively mild symptoms after breathing in these particles, like a scratchy throat and itchy eyes, Brown explains. But for children, older people, and people with pre-existing heart or respiratory conditions, breathing in these particles can cause more significant symptoms—for instance, it could exacerbate a person’s asthma. In extreme cases, some people with pre-existing heart conditions have experienced heart attacks or heart palpitations.

Read More: What Wildfire Smoke Does to the Human Body

A 2023 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found an association between smoke from Canadian wildfires and an increase in the number of people being treated for asthma-related symptoms in emergency departments in New York City.

The study shows that “wildfire smoke is a public health threat,” according to Kai Chen, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health and lead author of the study. But the effect of wildfire smoke on asthma is “just one piece” of the impact wildfire smoke can have on people’s health, Chen says.

Research also shows that exposure to wildfire smoke could have long-term impacts. A working paper in the National Bureau of Economic Research found that, as climate change increases the prevalence and intensity of wildfires, wildfire smoke exposure could lead to nearly 28,000 deaths a year by 2050 —a 76% increase from estimated average deaths between 2011 and 2020.

Other studies show that long-term exposure to PM2.5 can impair children’s lung development and increase the risk of developing lung cancer or heart disease.

When officials issue air quality alerts, people should limit their exposure to the wildfire smoke, reduce exertion, and keep an eye out for potential symptoms, like coughing or shortness of breath, Brown and Czarnecki advise. Wearing an N95 mask might be helpful if people are going to be outside for extended periods of time, Czarnecki adds.

“When we have advisories like this, the best way to prevent breathing particles during smoke events is to stay indoors,” Czarnecki says.

Canadian wildfire smoke chokes Midwest with poor air quality again Tuesday

Chris Oberholtz
Tue, May 14, 2024

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Some northern states are waking up to hazy skies Tuesday due to smoke from wildfires across western Canada.

Dozens of large wildfires are burning, mostly in British Columbia and Alberta provinces. The toxic smoke from these massive wildfires has been released into the air and carried into the northern U.S., causing poor air quality in parts of the Midwest.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has issued an air quality alert for the northernmost four tiers of counties west of Interstate 35 and east of I-35 through 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Iowa air quality officials advise limiting outdoor activities and taking more breaks until conditions improve, especially for those with respiratory or heart disease, children, teenagers, the elderly and outdoor workers.

HOW IS AIR QUALITY MEASURED?

The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said that some areas may experience minor reductions in visibility and deteriorated air quality due to surface smoke on Tuesday. However, air quality is expected to improve compared to Monday, as the smoke remains mostly aloft.

As the smoke shifted south Tuesday morning, Topeka, Kansas, had the worst air quality in America. Kansas City, Missouri, also ranked among the cities with the worst air quality.

THE AIR QUALITY INDEX EXPLAINED: WHAT AIR QUALITY IS BAD?

On Monday, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul in Minnesota claimed the worst air quality in America after winds carried the smoke southeastward into the northern U.S. The air quality forecast for Minneapolis is improving to "good" for Tuesday through the rest of the workweek.

The FOX Forecast Center said computer forecast models show the smoke hugging portions of the Midwest throughout Tuesday before an approaching cold front brings rain and clearer conditions starting Wednesday.

WHICH U.S. CITIES HAVE THE DIRTIEST AIR? 2024 STATE OF THE AIR REPORT RANKS THEM

The combination of warm temperatures and an ongoing drought have helped fuel several fires in western Canada, which has prompted thousands to leave their homes.

CANADA HAD NORTH AMERICA'S WORST AIR QUALITY IN 2023 BECAUSE OF WILDFIRES, REPORT SAYS

One of the largest fires burning in the province of British Columbia is called the Parker Lake Wildfire. As of Tuesday, the blaze has burned more than 20,000 acres. The British Columbia Wildfire Service has identified the blaze as "out of control," noting that it continues to spread and could breach the current control line.

Local authorities urged the entire town of Fort Nelson to evacuate and use as few vehicles as possible to conserve fuel in the region about 400 miles east of Juneau, Alaska.

Large wildfires are also burning in neighboring Alberta, where thick smoke and poor air quality have been experienced in large parts of the province.

An evacuation alert was issued for Fort McMurray in Alberta as crews respond to what they describe as an "out-of-control wildfire" southwest of town that has burned more than 16,200 acres as of the latest report.

Additionally, authorities are monitoring rekindled fires since the historic 2023 firestorm, which burned more than 45 million acres.

An El Niño regime caused extensive snowfall deficits across much of the country, potentially setting up regions for another record-breaking fire season.

The latest North America Drought Monitor showed nearly half of Canada is in drought conditions, with the driest regions being located in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.

In 2023, hundreds of fires in Canada contributed to some U.S. cities seeing their worst air pollution of all time and creating an orange haze in hazardous conditions.


Dozens of blazes burning in Canada are sending smoke to the US. Several major fires have forced hundreds of evacuations

Eric Zerkel, Joe Sutton, Paradise Afshar and Sara Smart, CNN
Mon, May 13, 2024 

More than 100 blazes are burning across Canada Monday, with several major wildfires prompting evacuations for hundreds of residents and threatening to swallow up communities.

In the province of Manitoba, in eastern Canada, a massive fire had charred more than 86,000 acres by Monday evening and was less than a mile away from the community of Cranberry Portage, local authorities said. More than 500 residents there had been evacuated, according to Manitoba officials.

“I’ve been working in wildfires for 40 years, I’ve never seen a fire move like this fire moved,” Manitoba Wildfire Service Director Earl Simmons said in a Monday news conference.

In Western Canada, the Parker Lake Fire in northeastern British Columbia more than tripled in size over the weekend to 13,000 acres and is now on the doorstep of the small community of Fort Nelson. The blaze was less than 1.5 miles west of the town Monday morning, and gusty winds are expected to linger in the coming days and could bring the flames even closer.

“The next 48 hours will be a challenging situation,” said Bowinn Ma, BC minister of emergency management and climate readiness. “We may begin to see volatile wildfire activity later this afternoon.”

As of Monday morning, roughly 4,700 people were under evacuation orders, including in the town of Fort Nelson and Fort Nelson First Nation, Ma said. People across 80 other properties were also asked to evacuate, the official added.

Evacuation alerts are also in effect for parts of Alberta as wildfire MWF-017 burns about 10 miles southwest of the city of Fort McMurray – an area that was devastated by a wildfire in 2016. By Monday evening, that blaze had grown to more than 16,200 acres.

An evacuation alert was issued for residents in Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek, Gregoire Lake Estates, Fort McMurray 468 First Nation and Anzac, according to Alberta officials.

The blazes also prompted the Canadian National Railway Company to suspend services in some areas.

“CN has suspended service on our network between Fort St. John and Fort Nelson in British Columbia and north of High Level, Alberta due to wildfire activity,” spokeswoman Ashley Michnowski told CNN. “We are working with impacted customers as our crews assess damages and identify any required repairs.”
Warming climate helps fire conditions

Extremely dry conditions and winds gusting up to 25 mph are driving the fire Monday, but the seeds of fire activity were sown over the winter and in past years as the world continues to warm because of human-driven climate change.

“This region has experienced multiple years of drought, with a below normal snowpack this past winter,” said Ben Boghean, fire behavior specialist for the BC Wildfire Service. “As a result of this, our forests in the Fort Nelson zone are very receptive to new fire ignitions and rapid rates of spread.”

This handout picture courtesy of the Alberta Wildfire Service, taken May 11, 2024, shows smoke from wildfires burning southwest of the town of Fort McMurray, in Alberta, Canada. - Alberta Wildlife Service/AFP/Getty Images

Declining snow, increasing temperatures and worsening droughts are all hallmarks of climate change and are projected to keep driving larger and more intense fires across Canada, according to Environment Canada.

Last year was Canada’s most devastating fire season on record, including in British Columbia, where fires burned through hundreds of homes and an area the size of Maryland, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

The Parker Lake Fire is not alone. There are more than 100 fires burning across Canada, 39 of which are considered out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Fire Centre.

Some of the blazes are so-called “holdover fires” also known colloquially as “zombie fires,” the smoldering remains of last season’s epic blazes, burning deep in the ground throughout the winter and reigniting when exposed to warmer temperatures in the spring.

Smoke rises Friday from mutual aid wildfire GCU007 in the Grande Prairie Forest Area near TeePee Creek, Alberta. - Alberta Wildfire/Handout/Reuters

“In the past, the winter conditions are what put out a lot of holdover fires,” Ma said. “In this case, what we’ve seen is that due to higher temperatures and persistent drought through the last year, many of these holdover fires were not put out like they normally are.”

Two “zombie” fires, the Patry Creek Fire and the Nogah Creek wildfire, are growing rapidly to the north and east of Fort Nelson and contributing to the evacuation orders.

Evacuation alerts are also in place for parts of Alberta as the MWF-017 wildfire burns out of control near Fort McMurray in the northeastern area of the province, officials said. The fire had burned about 16,000 acres as of Sunday morning.
Hazardous smoke creeps into the US

Smoke from the infernos has caused Environment Canada to issue a special air quality statement extending from British Columbia to Saskatchewan.

It has also caused smoke to waft down into the northern tier of the US for the first time this year, and for air quality alerts to be issued for Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. Air quality reached “unhealthy” levels in all three states Monday, including Minneapolis-St. Paul, according to AirNow.gov.

On Monday afternoon, the Twin Cities had the eighth-worst air quality of 119 major cities tracked by IQAIR, a company tracking air quality worldwide.

Particulate matter levels this high can cause issues for sensitive groups or anyone spending prolonged time outdoors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Wildfire smoke has been linked to increases in certain cancers and heart-related issues, among other ailments.

Just last year, smoke from Canadian wildfires made its way to parts of the United States and caused dangerous air conditions across the country. In 2023, 19 counties in 11 states had days with “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” air quality — given at least a “code purple” alert on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index.

Poor air quality conditions are expected to linger in the US through Monday, and likely longer in parts of Canada closer to the fires, including Alberta and British Columbia.

Canadian officials warned those at higher risk of experiencing health effects from wildfire smoke include people with lung disease such as asthma, people with heart disease, along with older adults, children, those who are pregnant and people who work outdoors. They also recommended those who spend time outdoors wear a mask to help reduce exposure to fine particles of smoke.

Weight Loss Drugs Go Hand-in-Hand With Junk Food Industry

BY SONALI KOLHATKAR

 MAY 14, 2024
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Manufacturers of the new weight-loss drugs that have taken the nation by storm are salivating at the prospect of how best to extract profits from people. What Americans eat, how they diet and exercise, what nutritional supplements they take, the sugar content of their sodas, the high fructose corn syrup in their processed foods, and the price of their diabetes medication have long been objects of endless gambling on Wall Street. Now, with drugs like Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic in the mix, new vistas of corporate exploitation have opened up. Companies are eager to figure out how best to milk people who might be losing their taste for the plentiful calories that food producers got them hooked on in the first place.

It’s not a conspiracy theory that food addiction is a tool of corporate profiteering. Consider that tobacco companies, upon being regulated out of the business of addictive smoking, turned their sights onto addictive eating. The Washington Post’s health columnist, Anahad O’Connor wrote, “In America, the steepest increase in the prevalence of hyper-palatable foods occurred between 1988 and 2001—the era when Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds owned the world’s leading food companies.” Further, “the foods that they sold were far more likely to be hyper-palatable than similar foods not owned by tobacco companies.”

Many of these ultra-processed foods are specially marketed to children, which in turn can change their brain chemistry to desire those foods for life. According to a paper published in Science Daily, “The current obesity epidemic is due, in part, to hormonal responses to changes in food quality: in particular, high-glycemic load foods, which fundamentally change metabolism.” Today we would be appalled at the idea of marketing tobacco to children, but the same companies pushed addictive foods onto kids, and even though Big Tobacco is no longer in the business of food, its practices remain widespread.

The harmful impacts of unhealthy foods also fall disproportionately along racial lines, with aggressive marketing aimed at communities of color. Black children, in particular, are subjected to significantly greater advertising of high-calorie addictive foods than their white peers.

As obesity rates have risen in the U.S., there is an all-too-familiar blame game that individualizes the harm being caused by a capitalist system that thrives off of addiction. Doctors warn people struggling to manage their weight that they must simply restrict their intake of calories while expending more calories through rigorous exercise. High-profile reality shows such as The Biggest Loser have cemented the narrative that obesity is the result of individuals not being able to manage their urges to eat. And American pop culture’s obsession with increasingly unattainable thinness generates shame spirals among individuals and further fuels the idea that people are fat simply because they are too weak to control themselves. Meanwhile, there are few, if any, government regulations on unhealthy foods in the U.S.

There’s a similar analogy to be found in personal finance. American culture is steeped in the myth of a meritocracy where people struggling to make ends meet are blamed for simply not being good managers of money and where well-meaning budgeting guides are offered without the broader context of rising inequality, suppressed wages, bloated student debt, and inflation.

The causes of both, obesity and wealth inequality, are systemic, while the solutions being offered are individualized, often spawning lucrative industries of their own.

Alongside the aggressive marketing of hyper-palatable foods is a massively profitable weight-loss industry that preys upon individual shame to the tune of more than $60 billion a year. In fact, some of the same companies pushing high-calorie foods are in the business of weight loss.

With the advent of the new revolutionary weight-loss drugs, watching the industry reconfigure itself is fascinating. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Since drugs such as Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic became sensations last year, Wall Street has rushed to work out just how disruptive the drugs, called GLP-1s, might be.” By “disruptive,” the journal is referring to a discouraging trend in food industry profits. If weight-loss drugs curb appetite, who will buy enough Krispy Kreme donuts to keep the sugar-peddling company in business? That’s a big worry for corporate CEOs and shareholders.

Another story in the Journal lamented the impact of these drugs on the weight-loss industry “which long pushed calorie-counting and willpower,” and are now “grappling with the surging popularity of new drugs.” If weight-loss drugs curb appetite without expensive gym memberships, supplements, and programs like WeightWatchers, will the traditional weight-loss industry go out of business?

Today, the manufacturers of weight-loss drugs are clear winners in the changing landscape of food consumption and weight, charging tens of thousands of dollars for a year’s supply, and ensuring that only the wealthy have access to the thinness that our culture celebrates. Not only do the high price tags keep these drugs out of the hands of low-income people struggling to manage their weight, but also out of the hands of diabetics whom the drugs were originally meant for.

The capitalist maxim of higher demand fueling higher prices is very much at work here. Ozempic for example, could have a price tag of only $57 a year its manufacturer Novo Nordisk would still reap a profit. Instead, it is being sold in the U.S. for a whopping $11,600 a year simply because the company can charge an arm and a leg, ensuring that the drugs remain in the hands of the wealthy while tidying up a nice profit for Novo Nordisk’s shareholders.

Eventually, however, the prices will come down once the elite market for the drugs saturates. And drug manufacturers are already busy ensuring their future market share by pushing doctors to prescribe the drugs widely. One obesity expert named Dr. Lee Kaplan, who received $1.4 million from Novo Nordisk, told his fellow physicians, “We are going to have to use these medications…for as long as the body wants to have obesity.” What he didn’t say out loud was that there will be obesity for as long as food manufacturers market and sell junk foods.

Ultimately, our individual appetites and waistlines are pawns in the highly lucrative game of profit extraction that private companies and industries play. It is in the interest of drug manufacturers that Americans remain hooked on hyper-palatable high-calorie foods so that a market exists for their weight-loss drugs. The ultra-processed food industry is becoming symbiotic with the weight-loss drug industry. The former ensures we eat poorly and the latter is there to feed off our shame.

This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV (Dish Network, DirecTV, Roku) and Pacifica stations KPFK, KPFA, and affiliates. 

Ultraprocessed Deadly Corporate Food Demands Action

BY RALPH NADER

 MAY 13, 2024
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Image by Carolina Grabowska.

About forty-five years ago, at a social gathering, I asked an executive of a Minneapolis-based large food processing company if he fed heavily sugared cereals to his children. He smiled as he shook his head. Smart person. His and other major companies producing what is now called Ultraprocessed Foods (UPFs) had scientists and labs. They knew that ever higher doses of sugars, fats, and salts were being poured into nutritionally stripped foods and deceptively promoted to youngsters on kiddy television. They profitably ignored the serious damage they were causing!

These companies’ marketeers succeeded in getting these children, as my mother would say, to turn their tongues against their brains. The children were also shown how to nag their parents into buying junk food and drink. In fact, Madison Avenue advertising firms would give high ratings for ads “with a high nag factor.”

It was about 1980 when obesity rates started rising at alarming rates. Now about 30% of adults are obese, another 35% are overweight. Recently, a Goldman Sachs study estimated that by 2028 up to 70 million Americans will be taking the new weight-loss drugs, whose longer-term effects are yet to be known. Their apparent present success in suppressing extra food intake is already worrying the fast-food chains like McDonald’s that thrive on selling huge cheeseburgers.

It was also about 1980 when the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) staff and its leader, Dr. Michael Jacobson, were appearing in the mass media and on major national talk shows. They graphically showed the public the large amounts of fat, sugar, and salt that were in the hot dogs, potato chips, and soft drinks they consumed. Millions of Americans started changing their food purchases toward multi-grained breads and more fresh fruits and vegetables. Many people became vegetarians. But most consumers remained wedded to misleadingly promoted and greatly diluted UPFs, short on nutrition and long on harm to their health.

During recent decades there has been an increase in peer-reviewed scientific studies showing that certain foods you can easily buy in the markets can increase your life expectancy while others reduce your longevity. Long-time medical and science reporter/author Jean Carper boiled down these findings into a highly usable new little book titled, “100 Life or Death Foods: A Scientific Guide to Which Foods Prolong Life or Kill You Prematurely.” (See my recent column New Book: Choosing Regular Food to Extend Longevity, April 12, 2024).

On May 8, 2024 – the New York Times defined Ultraprocessed Foods (UPFs) as “using industrial methods and ingredients you wouldn’t typically find in grocery stores – like high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils and concentrated proteins like soy isolate. They often contain additives like flavorings, colorings or emulsifiers to make them appear more attractive and palatable. Think sodas and energy drinks, chips, candies, flavored yogurts, margarine, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, sausages, lunch meats, boxed macaroni and cheese, infant formulas and most packaged breads, plant milks, meat substitutes and breakfast cereals.”

The Times continued: “In a large review of studies that was published in 2024, scientists reported that consuming UPFs was associated with 32 health problems, with the most convincing evidence for heart disease-related deaths, Type 2 diabetes and common mental health issues like anxiety and depression.” Caution, not all UPFs are associated with these problems.

UPFs make up two-thirds of the calories consumed by children and teenagers in the United States. Still, the giant food companies are getting away with little regulation, especially for their heaviest advertising that pushes their profitable ultraprocessed foods. Have you ever seen TV ads for fresh carrots, radishes, celery, lentils, spinach, kale and asparagus? Unlikely. The mass merchandising ads go for foods, described by a report in the journal BMJ, as “designed by manufacturers to achieve a certain ‘bliss point,’ which causes us to crave and overeat them. They also tend to be low in nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins and minerals.”

We are behind other governments in our official dietary guidelines. Canada and Mexico recommend avoiding or limiting UPFs while the U.S. guidelines make no mention of them. Such is the dominance of giant agribusiness corporations over the indentured U.S. Department of Agriculture and the mostly bought members of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees.

This corporate interference also extends to constantly putting such UPFs into school lunch programs.

Absent taking over the 535 members of corporate Congress by 250 million eligible voters, we are left with parents and their children availing themselves of publications such as CSPI’s Nutrition Action newsletter to become smart buyers and consumers of safer, healthier, nutritious food. If you can, add a home garden to your food supply.

Some of these simple recipes, often called a Mediterranean diet, are in my “Ralph Nader and Family Cookbook,” (2020) with an introduction on how my mother educated us very early on to want to eat nutritious foods prepared to be delicious as well. She baked her own bread, cooked “from scratch” and avoided processed foods with unknown ingredients, such as hot dogs.

Our snacks were fresh fruits and vegetables, including chickpeas, munched while walking to school. For a sweet taste, we were treated to honey and maple syrup. We were taught not to whine because it wasn’t smart and didn’t get us anywhere.

Parents are protectors of their children. They have to be especially on guard to protect their children from pervasive direct mass marketing, using influencers, peer groups, and abduction of their youngsters into the Internet Gulag. The earlier in their child’s life that parents do their job, the easier it will be. Children so liberated can become active allies of Mom and Dad, showcasing their special knowledge. (See, “You Are Your Own Best Teacher! Sparking the Curiosity, Imagination, and Intellect of Tweens” by Dr. Claire Nader).

Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate, lawyer and author of Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!