Thursday, October 01, 2020

Coronavirus risks ‘greatest surge in child marriages in 25 years’

An schoolgirl in India pictured from behind — Image captionFamilies are being plunged into poverty by the pandemic, forcing girls in early marriages (file photo)

The coronavirus pandemic could lead to a spike in child marriages globally, reversing 25 years of progress on ending the practice, a charity has warned.

Save the Children said Covid-19 had put 2.5 million more girls at risk of early marriage by 2025.

The pandemic is increasing poverty, forcing girls out of school and into work or marriage, the charity said.

Girls in parts of South Asia, Africa and Latin America are most vulnerable.

The UK-based charity is calling on world leaders to commit more funding and support to efforts to address child marriage and gender inequality.

"These marriages violate girls' rights and leave them at increased risk of depression, lifelong violence, disabilities, and even death," said Karen Flanagan, a child-protection adviser for Save the Children.

She said that 78.6 million child marriages had been prevented over the last 25 years but progress to end the practice had "slowed to a halt".

How big is the problem?

Around twelve million girls are victims of early marriage every year, the charity says.

But its report finds that number is expected to rise markedly over the next five years as the economic consequences of pandemic take their toll.

In 2020 alone, another 500,000 girls risk being forced into child marriages and up to one million more are expected to become pregnant, the charity says.

If no action is taken, there could be 61 million child marriages by 2025, according to the charity, yet this estimate may only be "the tip of the iceberg".

Media caption'I want child marriage to end'

"The pandemic means more families are being pushed into poverty, forcing many girls to work to support their families and to drop out of school - with far less of a chance than boys of ever returning," Bill Chambers, the president and CEO of the charity, said.

"A growing risk of violence and sexual exploitation combined with growing food and economic insecurity also means many parents feel they have little alternative but to force their young daughters to marry older men."

'Girls give their bodies to older men'

For its report, Save the Children spoke to Esther, who lives in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lockdown measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in her community have closed schools and some public spaces.

She is enjoying helping her mother take care of their family's chickens for the moment but the economic impact of the pandemic is being felt - and particularly by girls.

"Many parents from my neighbourhood once sold goods at the big open-air market. But because of confinement, they don't do anything any more," Esther said. "Girls have to turn to older men to support themselves."

'I can never compromise my education'

The charity also spoke to Abena, a 16-year-old adviser to Save the Children in Ethiopia.

Abena has worked with local communities to stop girls being made to marry older men. Despite this, Abena's parents still wanted her to get married at 16 to "an educated and well-to-do man".

Abena persuaded them that she should continue her education.

Media captionIn Ethiopia, a scheme involving solar lamps is helping thousands of girls stay in school longer and avoid marriage until they are adults

"My answer was 'no way'," she said. "I can never compromise my education, and the marriage request itself is a violation of a girl's rights as long as she is under 18."

The charity's Global Girlhood Report 2020, which was released on Thursday, analyses the effects of Covid-19 on gender equality worldwide.

The report also found that:

Girls affected by humanitarian crises face the greatest risks of child marriage
Nine of the 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage are considered fragile states
The pandemic has led to increased reports of gender-based violence around the world, with an estimated one in 10 girls having experienced rape or sexual violence
The UN expects an additional two million cases of female genital mutilation to take place over the next 10 years because of the pandemic

More on child marriage:

Media caption'It's Never Your Fault': The Nigerian teens aiming to end child marriage

Balrampur: Anger grows after new India 'gang rape' death

Published

image captionProtests over the death of a Dalit woman from Hathras district have broke out

The death of a second Dalit woman in a few days after an alleged gang rape has shocked and angered India.

The 22-year-old was dragged into a vehicle after going to apply for admission at a local school and raped, her mother told the BBC.

The news follows the death of another Dalit woman, 19, on Tuesday after an alleged gang rape by upper-caste men.

Dalits are at the bottom of the caste system. Despite laws to protect them they face widespread discrimination.

Both attacks took place in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. News of the first sparked protests in the streets in the state.

Police have registered complaints of rape and murder and arrested two men in connection with the latest case, which took place in Balrampur district.

The earlier attack happened some 500km (310 miles) away in Hathras district. The victim was grievously injured and died in a Delhi hospital on Tuesday after fighting for her life for two weeks.

Police said on Thursday that according to a forensic report the first victim was not raped. But a Delhi hospital recorded on admission that she was both raped and strangled on 14 September. The woman's family also said she had been raped - her mother telling media that she found her daughter naked, bleeding and seriously injured in a field.

The second victim also died on Tuesday but national media picked up the news on Thursday, after a heavy backlash on social media over sexual assault and caste violence in India.

Dalits, formerly known as untouchables, have suffered public shaming and attacks for generations at the hands of upper-caste Hindus.

What do we know about the latest incident?

The victim's mother told the BBC that the family started to panic when she did not arrive home at her usual time on Tuesday evening. She said her daughter had gone to a nearby school to apply for admission on Tuesday morning. When she was returning home, a group of three or four men stopped her and forced her into their vehicle.

The mother alleges that they drugged her before raping her. "They broke my daughter's leg, they broke her waist," she said, adding that the men put her in a rickshaw after and sent her home.

"When she arrived, she looked very weak. Our daughter couldn't speak or get up. When we asked her what had happened, she couldn't answer," she added.

**image captionProtesters took to the streets in the capital, Delhi**

Ten minutes later, the victim complained of a "burning sensation" in her stomach, prompting the family to rush her to a local hospital.

"But since her condition was very serious, the doctor asked us to take her to a larger hospital in the city - but she died on the way there," the mother added.

"While officials are not confirming whether the victim was raped, they have also not denied the family's allegation," local journalist Saurabh Mishra said.

What reaction has there been?

The news has spurred furious reactions on social media. The state's former chief minister, who sits in opposition now, hit out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

"After Hathras, another daughter has been gang raped and brutalised in Balrampur," Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, adding that the government should act quickly in this incident.

On Twitter, the case has been among the top discussion trends with thousands of tweets from political leaders and Indians decrying the attack.

image captionProtests over the Hathras attack broke out in Kolkata too

The previous incident also continued to dominate social media and news. Officials imposed Section 144 in the district, which means no more than four people will be able to gather - a measure often used to contain protests.

On Thursday, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, leaders of the opposition Congress Party, walked into Hathras to meet the victim's family after the leaders' vehicle was stopped by officials. Video footage on social media showed Mr Gandhi falling down in the ruckus which ensued as Congress party workers walked alongside the Gandhis, even as police officials try to stop them.

The two leaders were later seen being taken away in vehicles by police.

Startling pictures and video footage have also emerged showing of hundreds of workers from the Samajwadi Party, which sits in opposition in the state, being rounded up and detained by police in the area.

Earlier on Wednesday, activists condemned the police after the family accused them of cremating her body without their permission. Protests also broke out in Hathras and other cities, including the capital, Delhi.

A senior district administration official, however, denied the allegation, saying the family's consent had been obtained.

Rape and sexual violence have been under the spotlight in India since the 2012 gang rape and murder of a woman in Delhi, which led to huge protests and changes to the country's rape laws.

But there has been no sign of crimes against women and girls abating.

TURKEY
Strange sounds from underneath dried lake scare villagers
MANİSA – Demirören News Agency HURRIYET

Strange sounds and the smell of flammable gas coming from underneath the dried Lake Marmara in the western province of Manisa have scared locals, as the gendarmerie forces closed the area to the public following safety measures introduced Sept. 29.

“We used to fish in the lake for 20 years. Over time it dried, and we started using it for cattle rearing. Then one day, a villager warned us of some strange sound from deep under,” said Ahmet Ayyıldız, the muhtar (local head) of the Kemerdamları village where the lake is located.

According to the locals, a hole that did not exist before emerged on the lake, smelling pungent and making strange bubbling sounds.

“We threw a plastic bottle inside the hole and we saw it burn,” said the muhtar.

However, in a few days, the smell vanished but the sound of bubbles gradually increased.

As the locals started to fear the strange sounds from the hole, they called the gendarmeries who sealed the area following safety measures.

“We wonder what is going on and we are scared to death. Officials should start research as soon as possible,” said Hasan Koç, a villager.

Lake Marmara, located at the borders of Salihli, Saruhanlı and Gölmarmara districts, had once been a bird sanctuary for around 20,000 species before it dried a few years ago.

Palm Oil Hit Again as U.S. Blocks Top Malaysia Producer

Anuradha Raghu, Bloomberg News

A harvested palm oil fruit bunch sits on the ground at the IOI Corp. Gomali palm oil estate in Gemas, Johor, Malaysia, on Wednesday, June 10, 2020.

Palm oil stockpiles in Malaysia posted a surprise drop as of end-May as production in the world's second-largest grower eased for the first time in four months. Photographer: Joshua Paul/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Palm oil is once again in the news after the U.S. blocked imports from one of the world’s top producers, a move that may restrict access for the edible oil and undermine the industry’s efforts to clean up its image.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection will detain shipments of palm oil and palm-based products made by FGV Holdings Bhd. on indications that the company uses forced labor. While North America only accounts for about 5% of the company’s sales, analysts say it could encourage other countries to follow the U.S. in launching their own investigations.

“This could potentially lead some countries to look into the issue of labor practice in FGV, and the industry,” said Ivy Ng, head of research at CGS-CIMB in Kuala Lumpur. While the allegations aren’t new, consumers may want to re-assess purchases and get suppliers’ assurance on fair labor standards, she said.

Malaysia-listed FGV sank 8.7% on Thursday, the biggest one-day slide since March, even as the company said it had taken steps to fix the issue and clear its name with the U.S. customs.

Labor Practices

This isn’t the first time palm oil has been the target of bans. In 2018, U.K. supermarket chain Iceland Foods Ltd. launched a campaign against using the oil over deforestation practices, while the EU has also sought to curb shipments for biofuel use on concerns over its sustainability. The latest blow comes as Malaysia, the world’s second-largest producer, grapples with a chronic worker shortage after the pandemic restricted travel.

While the U.S. order hasn’t impacted palm oil futures, “reputation-wise it’s a big blow” to FGV, said Sathia Varqa, owner of Palm Oil Analytics in Singapore. “The U.S makes up 2% to 3% of Malaysia’s annual exports, but it’s an important market given the large economy and the prospect for growth.”

(Closes FGV’s shares in fourth paragraph)

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/09/us-says-it-will-block-palm-oil-from.html

Giving the HPV vaccine to schoolgirls slashes their risk of getting cervical cancer by 88%, major study claims

The Swedish study is the biggest one to evaluate the success of the vaccine
They tracked 1.7million women over 11 years — around a third had had the jab
Rates of cervical cancer were lower in women vaccinated before the age of 17

By ELEANOR HAYWARD HEALTH CORRESPONDENT FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 1 October 2020

Giving the HPV vaccine to schoolgirls slashes cervical cancer rates by 88 per cent, a study has revealed.

In the biggest study yet to evaluate the success of the vaccine, experts followed 1.7million women over 11 years, including half a million who received the jab.

They found that rates of cervical cancer were 88 per cent lower in women who were vaccinated before the age of 17, and 50 per cent lower in older women who had been immunised.

The HPV vaccine prevents infection from human papillomavirus, a common group of viruses that are behind 90 per cent of cases of cervical cancer.

In the biggest study yet to evaluate the success of the vaccine, experts followed 1.7million women over 11 years, including half a million who received the jab

It has been given to teenage girls in UK since 2008, and was last year made available to schoolboys at the age of 12 and 13 for the first time.

Currently 3,200 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed every year in Britain, leading to more than two deaths a day.

But this research suggests cervical cancer cases will drop sharply over the next few years as more and more people are vaccinated, with experts hopeful the disease could eventually be eliminated.

Co-author Professor Pär Sparén, from the Department of Medical Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, said: 'Girls vaccinated at a young age seem to be more protected, probably because they are less likely to have been exposed to HPV infection and given that HPV vaccination has no therapeutic effect against a pre-existing infection.

'Our study shows that HPV vaccination may significantly reduce the risk of cervical cancer, especially if completed at an early age.

'Our data strongly supports continuing HPV vaccinations of children and adolescents through national vaccination programs.'

Of the 1.7million women included in the study, just 19 vaccinated women were diagnosed with cervical cancer compared to 538 unvaccinated women.

Robert Music, chief executive of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, said: 'The HPV vaccine is an important tool in the fight against cervical cancer.

'Sadly Covid-19 has disrupted many vaccination programmes and led to increased vaccine hesitancy.

'We must ensure those eligible do not miss out on the opportunity to reduce their cervical cancer risk and communicating the benefits of the vaccine is essential.

'For countries without a HPV vaccination programme, this data should help to demonstrate the impact it could bring.'

The research was published New England Journal of Medicine.

WHAT IS HPV? THE INFECTION LINKED TO 99% OF CERVICAL CANCER CASES

Up to eight out of 10 people will be infected with HPV in their lives

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the name for a group of viruses that affect your skin and the moist membranes lining your body.

Spread through vaginal, anal and oral sex and skin-to-skin contact between genitals, it is extremely common.

Up to eight out of 10 people will be infected with the virus at some point in their lives.

There are more than 100 types of HPV. Around 30 of which can affect the genital area. Genital HPV infections are common and highly contagious.

Many people never show symptoms, as they can arise years after infection, and the majority of cases go away without treatment.

It can lead to genital warts, and is also known to cause cervical cancer by creating an abnormal tissue growth.

Annually, an average of 38,000 cases of HPV-related cancers are diagnosed in the US, 3,100 cases of cervical cancer in the UK and around 2,000 other cancers in men.

What others cancers does it cause?
Throat
Neck
Tongue
Tonsils
Vulva
Vagina
Penis
Anus

Belarus, Iran, US, Nicaragua activists win 'alternate' Nobel

AFP
A Belarusian pro-democracy campaigner, an imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer, a US civil rights attorney, and a Nicaraguan activist on Thursday won a top Swedish honour sometimes called "the alternative Nobel Prize.

© - Opposition supporters parade through the streets during a rally to protest the country's presidential inauguration in Minsk

Ales Bialiatski of Belarus and his NGO Viasna, Nasrin Sotoudeh of Iran, Bryan Stevenson of the United States and indigenous rights and environmental activist Lottie Cunningham Wren of Nicaragua share the Right Livelihood Award.

Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Foundation, said this year's laureates were united in their "fight for equality, democracy, justice and freedom."

"Defying unjust legal systems and dictatorial political regimes, they successfully strengthen human rights, empower civil societies and denounce institutional abuses," von Uexkull said in a statement.

Bialiatski and Viasna were awarded "for their resolute struggle for the realisation of democracy and human rights in Belarus."

Viasna, which translates to Spring, was founded by Bialiatski in 1996 in response to the repression of demonstrations by the government of president Alexander Lukashenko.

Following the disputed re-election of Lukashenko this year, Belarus is once again seeing widespread protests, with calls for his resignation amid accusations of a rigged vote.

Over the past month riot police have detained thousands of protesters who have allegedly been tortured and abused in custody, prompting international condemnation and proposed EU sanctions.

- US 'historic trauma' -

Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was in turn selected "for her fearless activism, at great personal risk, to promote political freedoms and human rights in Iran."

Sotoudeh, who is currently serving a 12-year sentence after she defended women arrested for protesting compulsory hijab laws, rose to prominence when she represented dissidents arrested during mass protests in 2009 against the disputed re-election of the ultra-conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

US civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson was honoured "for his inspiring endeavour to reform the US criminal justice system and advance racial reconciliation in the face of historic trauma."

The death of George Floyd in police custody in the US state of Minnesota in May triggered nationwide protests that have drawn the world's attention to the disproportionate number of black people killed and jailed in the US criminal justice system.

The fourth laureate, Lottie Cunningham Wren, was highlighted "for her ceaseless dedication to the protection of indigenous lands and communities from exploitation and plunder."

The Right Livelihood Award was created in 1980 by Swedish-German philatelist Jakob von Uexkull after the Nobel Foundation behind the Nobel Prizes refused to create awards honouring efforts in the fields of the environment and international development.

The award consists of a cash prize of one million Swedish kronor ($111,000 or 95,000 euro) for each laureate, meant to support the recipient's work.

jll/lc

The coming American crisis
by KAREN TREVERTON
and GREGORY TREVERTON

As the election nears, America’s democracy faces its gravest crisis since the Civil War. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There is still time, time for bravery by those who have so far shown so little.

Sadly, the looming crisis is predictable. Indeed, Trump has hardly been subtle about what he intends. He will continue to label the election a fraud, and continue to act to make it so. He will do everything he can to discredit mailed ballots, continue to welcome Russian and other efforts to sow division and, especially, suppress voting by the Latinx community and by people of colour.

Come election day, Trump’s thugs — if not US troops — will turn up at the polls, less to watch than to intimidate. He will encourage sympathetic, gerrymandered legislatures in battleground states to nullify the vote and bind the state’s electors to vote for Trump. If Trump is leading on election night, he will proclaim victory, and declare that no more mail-in ballots need be counted.

After weeks of turmoil — and very likely, considerable violence — the issues will get to the Supreme Court, where Trump has already said he expects it to go. Trump will have already appointed another lickspittle as Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s successor, so he will be declared the victor.

This sounds like a repeat of 2000, albeit with additional violence. But it isn’t. Then, the nation was lucky to have Al Gore, who committed one of the most gracious acts in the history of the Republic by accepting what was plainly an ill-begotten decision. Then, too, Democrats still retained some respect for the Court, but now they can and will have none, for it has become Trump’s playpen. The crisis will be on us.

Our President will go down in history for the number of lies he’s spewed and conspiracy theories he has advanced. So, really, we have no reason to believe anything he says. But when the President of the United States asserts the urgency in appointing a replacement for Justice Ginsburg in order to have a full court to determine the results of an election that hasn’t even happened yet, we should believe him. But not for the obvious political ploy that he’s undertaking.

Put the politics of the Court aside for a moment. The question we should be asking is why there is a presumption that any Court involvement will be necessary to determine this election. That is the dystopian view we should be addressing. In 2000, the election never should have gone to the Court in the first place.

Trump has spent months fomenting the idea that voter fraud through mail-in-ballots will be rampant, and will therefore necessitate a legal challenge. He has set the stage, as is his way. And the sheep that are his Administration — those seemingly principled, professional men and women who have degenerated into the president’s lackeys — enable his loathsome, fearmongering.

Do not be reassured by the non-binding resolution that passed by unanimous consent in the Senate last Thursday, reaffirming its spirit for a peaceful transition of power. It’s about as believable, and enforceable as the rest of the hypocritical affirmations bestowed by the Republican leadership in the past several years.

Tony Schwartz, co-author with Trump of The Art of The Deal, wrote about Trump: “His obsession with domination and power have prompted Trump to tell lies more promiscuously than ever since he became president, and to engage in ever more unfounded and aggressive responses aimed at anyone he perceives stands in his way… Understanding what we’re truly up against — the reign of terror that Trump will almost surely wage the moment he believes he can completely prevail — makes the upcoming presidential election a true Armageddon.”

It is time to be wise, America. It is time to rise to the occasion. We are being led by a madman who is out of control. And he has surrounded himself with aiders and abetters like DeJoy, Barr, and McConnell.

At this point, it is time to hear a response to the open letter written on August 11 to General Mark Milley, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from fellow soldiers, John Nagl and Paul Yingling. They contend that given Trump’s undermining confidence in elections, his probable defeat at the polls, legal charges he will face in Manhattan District Court, and the private army he has assembled “capable of thwarting not only the will of the electorate but also the capacities of ordinary law enforcement,” it will be up to the US military to uphold the Constitution, to which they’ve sworn an oath. They write, “Should you remain silent, you will be complicit in a coup d’etat.”

We’re waiting.

Heather Heyer's mother says she wasn't surprised Trump refused to condemn white supremacy

By Christina Maxouris, CNN
1 hour ago

More than three years after her daughter, Heather Heyer, was killed in the Charlottesville rally, Susan Bro says she gasped when President Donald Trump refused to denounce white supremacy during the debate

© CNN Susan Bro, mother of Heather Heyer, appears as a guest on AC360 on September 29, 2020.

And then she returned back to work.

"I thought, well, OK, not surprised," she told CNN's Anderson Cooper Wednesday night. "This is not exactly new news."

The President has faced stark criticism since Tuesday's debate when he referenced the far-right group the Proud Boys and told them to "stand back and stand by," adding "somebody has to do something about Antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem, this is a left-wing problem."

But according to Kathleen Belew, an assistant professor of history at the University of Chicago, that's not exactly the case.

Extremist groups remain a threat

In the past 25 years, hundreds in the US have lost their lives in domestic terrorist attacks, Belew told CNN. And the number of victims from those attacks, she added, "far outstrips the threat posed by the radical left."

"Those groups have waged violence on Americans countless times," she said. "The record, the casualty count is overwhelming."

Last year, the FBI director said white supremacy presents a "persistent" and "pervasive" threat to the US.

But this wasn't the first time Trump refused to denounce members of hate groups, including white supremacists. When Bro's daughter was killed during a 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump said there were "some very fine people on both sides."

But Bro says unlike her daughter, victims of white supremacy who are people of color are often lost in the conversation.

"Unfortunately, that's why people are refusing to step up and act," she added. "Everybody get up and get busy."

A moment not just about the Proud Boys

Members of the Proud Boys have celebrated the President's comments this week, often with memes and other posts on social media. But Belew says Trump's words were seen as a green light by more than just that one group.

"I think it would be a mistake to think about this as a problem that is only about the Proud Boys," she said. "Certainly the Proud Boys are galvanizing this moment for their own purposes ... but this is about a broader situation."

That broader situation, she says, is the larger social movement of extremist groups including "people who are involved in paramilitary underground activity," she said, who also heard the same comments.

"All of those people have been called to stand by," she said. "That's not the same thing as stand down and the results, I think, could be catastrophic."

The End of Climate Change Denial Is the Start of Something Much Worse

Brian Kahn
Yesterday 11:48AM

Saul Loeb/AFP (Getty Images)

Last night’s presidential debate was an abomination by just about any standard. The sitting president told white supremacists to “stand by,” took no responsibility for the deaths of more than 200,000 Americans killed by covid-19, refused to back a peaceful transfer of power, and generally lied with reckless abandon while moderator Chris Wallace essentially took a nap in the green room for most of it then laughed off the whole proceeding at the end.

As a climate reporter, the one “bright” spot was actually hearing Wallace wake from his slumber to ask a series of climate questions in the waning minutes of the debate. It broke 12 years of climate silence at presidential debates (and proved Chris Wallace clearly reads Earther). I have quibbles with the questions themselves, but President Donald Trump’s responses, in particular, showed that outright climate denial is basically done for, at least at the policymaking level. The only problem is, the toxic stew replacing it is much, much worse.

Without outright denial of human-caused climate change to lean on, Trump and the rest of the far-right are reverting to anti-democratic, potentially violent tactics to maintain their hold on power despite the mutual destruction their goals will mean for us all.

Wallace’s first question to Trump on climate was about his beliefs. In 2018, I said they were no longer worth asking him about because his brain makes lace look like a wall of steel. The incoherence was present again, but this time Trump copped to greenhouse gas emissions “to an extent” causing the climate crisis. (They are the primary cause.) He then segued to talking about California and also needing “better management of our forest” while implying climate change played a role in the state’s devastating wildfires. The section of the debate discussing science was also basically the only time during the 90 minutes of hell that Trump actually shut up—and he even hedged in favor of electric cars!

It shows that the flat out climate denial that dominated conservative politics for most of this century has lost its grip. The reasons are simple: Looking at the state of the world in 2020, it is impossible to deny what’s happening right outside our windows. Raging fires, wild hurricanes, intense rainstorms, coastal cities flooding under sunny skies due to rising seas.

But what’s replacing denial is a darker evolution of conservatism in a climate-constrained era. Trump has, first and foremost, served industries actively making climate change worse by deregulating everything from power plants to cars to endangered species and water protections. That will accelerate the crisis that Trump begrudgingly acknowledged. But you can’t acknowledge a crisis then defend policies that clearly make it worse.

Sure, he hand waved about the Green New Deal (which Democratic nominee Joe Biden does not support, though his climate plan incorporates some of its elements), lied about the cost of addressing climate change, and said: “they want to take out the cows.” They’re predictable, tired-ass Republican talking points stuff. All that is bad and unforgivable given that repeating these talking points is designed to delay climate policy that will, in turn, conscript millions around the world to suffering, displacement, and death. But it’s the policies and tactics Trump said outside the climate portion of the debate that will have a truly chilling impact on our ability to slow Earth’s warming.

First up is the foundation of democracy itself: voting. Trump’s refusal to accept losing the election and wild lies about voter fraud are part of a greater Republican push to disenfranchise voters. The goal is to keep as many Americans from voting as possible. And for those who can cast a ballot, Republicans are looking to invalidate them. It’s a way of maintaining minority rule, with a president who lost the popular vote and a Senate that Republican control despite representing 15 million fewer Americans. That perversion of democracy is step one to ensuring climate policy remains a pipe dream, despite a majority of Americans actually wanting the government to address the crisis.

Likewise, Trump’s race to appoint Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett—who he said during the debates was “good in every way” despite much evidence to the contrary—will ensure the court represents business interests for decades to come. Even if Democrats win the White House and Senate, hold the House, and pass meaningful climate legislation (dare to dream, right?), any challenge to it would appear before a court that has six conservatives that could shoot down any new laws—not to mention regulations put forward by executive order. A court with Coney Barrett—whose entire judicial philosophy justifies reversing precedents—could even overturn previous rulings, including a landmark case that allows the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases.

The most putrid part of the debate, though, was Trump’s call to the Proud Boys, a far-right hate group, to “stand back and stand by.” That poses an immediate threat as the election approaches where the Republican approach is disenfranchisement by any means necessary. In the context of the climate crisis, it could lead to violent outcomes targeting the most vulnerable among us.

In recent years, the rise of ecofascism has also put a new twist on a hateful ideology. It left a horrific imprint on El Paso last year, when a gunman killed 22 people. He wrote a manifesto decrying corporate pollution and arguing the U.S. needed to “get rid of enough people” as justification for cold-blooded murder.

Just this month, we’ve also seen the far-right embrace wildfire conspiracy theories as a way to test boundaries and usurp power in Oregon. While it’s not textbook ecofascism, it’s a sign of the growing ways the far-right is using the climate crisis—which Republican policies are making worse—to further its goals of white supremacy.

The coming decades will be a time of great upheaval. Activists will be in the streets clamoring for just policies that meet the moment to deal with climate change and the intertwined issues of racism and inequality at the same time as Republicans are courting violent forces to repress the popular will. Climate denial was a form of slow violence. Now, Trump and Republicans appear to be embracing an accelerationist view while propping up polluters at all costs.

Brian Kahn
Managing editor, Earther

Cheops Finds a World That’s Utterly Alien From Anything We Have in the Solar System

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 BY EVAN GOUGH

The ESA’s CHEOPS (Characterizing Exoplanets Satellite) mission has announced its first discovery. It’s called WASP-189 b, and it’s a blistering hot temperature of 3,200 °C (5,790 °F), hotter than some stars. They’re calling the planet an “ultra-hot Jupiter.”

CHEOPS’ job is not to find exoplanets, but to find out more about exoplanets discovered by other missions like Kepler and TESS. CHEOPS is designed to examine known exoplanets orbiting bright, nearby stars. The goal is to determine the size of these planets, which will lead to a better understanding of their mass, composition, density, and formation. The mission was launched in December 2019, with a planned duration of 3.5 years.

“Cheops has a unique ‘follow-up’ role to play in studying such exoplanets.”Kate Isaak, Cheops project scientist at ESA.

The discovered details of WASP-189 b were announced in a new paper titled “The hot dayside and asymmetric transit of WASP-189 b seen by CHEOPS.” Lead author is Monika Lendl, of the University of Geneva. The paper is published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

CHEOPS’ power comes from its ultra-precise measurements of light as exoplanets orbit their stars. It features a cooled CCD inside the focal plane of the 32 cm (12.6 inch) Ritchey-Chretien telescope at the heart of the spacecraft. It’s especially efficient when looking at exoplanets in the super-Earth to Neptune mass range. (About 1 to 6 Earth radii.)

As an ultra-hot Jupiter, WASP-189 b is similar to our own Solar System’s gas giant, except that it orbits its star at a very close distance. The exoplanet is orbiting its star 20 times closer than Earth is orbiting the Sun. This heats the planet to such extreme temperatures.

<Click to enlarge.> This graphic shows some of the key facts about WASP 189 b as determined by the ESA’s CHEOPS mission. Image Credit: ESA

“Only a handful of planets are known to exist around stars this hot, and this system is by far the brightest,” said lead author Lendl in a press release. “WASP-189b is also the brightest hot Jupiter that we can observe as it passes in front of or behind its star, making the whole system really intriguing.”

The planet is so bright that its light can still be seen, even when occulted by its star. “As the planet is so bright, there is actually a noticeable dip in the light we see coming from the system as it briefly slips out of view,” explained Lendl. “We used this to measure the planet’s brightness and constrain its temperature to a scorching 3200 degrees C.”

This figure from the study shows the CHEOPS observed light curve from four occultations by its host star. Each grey dot is a data point, the black dots are the data binned into 20 minute intervals, and the red line represents the final occultation model arrived at by the researchers. (See the study for a more detailed explanation.) Image Credit: Lendl et al, 2020.

This extreme planet is nothing like our own Solar System, though in the past Jupiter was likely much closer to the Sun than it is now. The grand tack hypothesis says that Jupiter migrated as close as 1.5 AU from the Sun. But even though that’s a lot closer than Jupiter’s current 5.2 AU orbit, it’s nowhere near as close as WASP-189 b is to its host star.

The planet is so hot that it’s impossible to really imagine. It’s hot enough not only to melt iron, but to turn it into a gas. So unless some organism has figured out how to breathe iron, there’s no chance of habitability on something so hot.

After watching the planet as it passed behind its star, CHEOPS watched as the two traded places, and WASP-189 b transited in front of its host star. Exoplanet transits are a rich source of information. The team of researchers learned a lot about the shape, the size, and the orbital characteristics of the planet during its transit. They learned that WASP-189 b is actually larger than thought: its radius is almost 1.6 times greater than Jupiter’s.

<Click to enlarge.> This figure shows both light curves observed by CHEOPS: during the occultation, and during the transit. Image Credit: ESA

But it’s not just the unusual characteristics of the planet that’s generating interest. The host star itself is also unusual.

“It’s spinning around so fast that it’s being pulled outwards at its equator!”Lead Author Monika Lendl

“We also saw that the star itself is interesting – it’s not perfectly round, but larger and cooler at its equator than at the poles, making the poles of the star appear brighter,” said Lendl. “It’s spinning around so fast that it’s being pulled outwards at its equator! Adding to this asymmetry is the fact that WASP-189 b’s orbit is inclined; it doesn’t travel around the equator, but passes close to the star’s poles.”

That tilted orbit hints at a chaotic past, just as Uranus’ does in our own Solar System. Uranus is tilted sideways compared to other planets, and that’s probably the result of an ancient collision with another protoplanet in the early, formative years of the Solar System.

There’s no certainty around what might have caused WASP-189 b’s orbital inclination, but it’s part of the mystery surrounding the formation of hot and ultra-hot Jupiters.

“As we measured such a tilt with Cheops, this suggests that WASP-189 b has undergone such interactions in the past,” added lead author Lendl, referencing how planets jostle for position in a young solar system, or how interactions with other stars could cause planets to tilt.

Artist’s impression of CHEOPS © ESA / ATG medialab

Astronomers are rightly excited about this first result from CHEOPS. There are so many questions about exoplanets, and planetary scientists are pursuing multiple, fruitful lines of inquiry into exoplanets. “This first result from Cheops is hugely exciting: it is early definitive evidence that the mission is living up to its promise in terms of precision and performance,” said Kate Isaak, Cheops project scientist at ESA.

In their paper, the authors are also similarly complimentary to the spacecraft’s power and precision. “These observations showcase the capability of CHEOPS to detect shallow signals with an extremely high level of precision, thereby illustrating the potential of future studies of exoplanet atmospheres with CHEOPS.”

The catalogue of exoplanets keeps growing; we know of thousands of them now, and there’s no reason to believe we won’t keep finding them around most stars. While TESS is still operating and scientists are finding more planets in its data, it’s up to CHEOPS to tell us more about those planets.

“Cheops has a unique ‘follow-up’ role to play in studying such exoplanets,” added Isaak. “It will search for transits of planets that have been discovered from the ground, and, where possible, will more precisely measure the sizes of planets already known to transit their host stars. By tracking exoplanets on their orbits with Cheops, we can make a first-step characterisation of their atmospheres and determine the presence and properties of any clouds present.”

“For the most favourable objects, CHEOPS will conduct phase curve observations, revealing the longitudinal cloud distribution in the planets’ atmosphere,” the study says. CHEOPS also has the mission flexibility to examine exoplanets across a wide swathe of the sky, meaning it can spend its time on the most promising exoplanets. This separates it from a planet-hunting mission like Kepler, which remained focused on one patch of sky, looking for evidence of planetary transits.

The CHEOPS mission is the first of three missions that the ESA is planning to advance our understanding of exoplanets. The other two are PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) and ARIEL (Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey.) Those missions are a few years away, but they hold a great deal of promise. For the moment, it’s up to CHEOPS.

“Cheops will not only deepen our understanding of exoplanets,” said Isaak, “but also that of our own planet, Solar System, and the wider cosmic environment.”
More:

Press Release: First results from Cheops: ESA’s exoplanet observer reveals extreme alien world

New Research: The hot dayside and asymmetric transit of WASP-189 b seen by CHEOPS

Universe Today: Here are the First Pictures from CHEOPS