Friday, July 22, 2022
Jan. 6 probe: Trump didn't want to say 'election is over'
The House Jan. 6 committee has aired a previously unseen video outtake of President Donald Trump saying, “I don’t want to say the election is over” the day after insurrection at the US Capitol. The committee showed outtakes from a speech that Trump recorded on Jan. 7, 2021, in which he resisted the idea of saying that the election is over.
Marshall Islands celebrate first 'Iroojlaplap' chief coronation in 50 years
Fri, July 22, 2022
Thousands participated this week in a lavish ceremony in the Marshall Islands marking the first formal coronation of a paramount chief in around 50 years.
The colourful event, which also attracted thousands of viewers on social media, saw Michael Kabua crowned "Iroojlaplap", or paramount chief, on Thursday night as warriors and guests from the 12 atolls and islands he oversees gathered in a show of respect.
The coronation, held on the small island of Ebeye in the Kwajalein Atoll, is known as a "Kailoojoj" in Marshallese -- a ceremony reserved only for paramount chiefs.
It was the first coronation for the royal family since Kabua’s cousin, Iroojlaplap Joba, who died in 1982, ascended to the throne in the 1970s.
The blowing of a conch shell heralded each stage of the elaborate ceremony, which featured islanders wearing traditional headdress and woven mat clothing.
The red carpet was also rolled out, with Marshall Islands President David Kabua -- Michael's nephew -- and members of his cabinet among the guests.
Michael Kabua assumed the title of Iroojlaplap following the death of his older brother Imata Kabua in 2019.
"Iroojlaplap Mike is the embodiment of our traditional leaders," said David Paul, who like Michael Kabua represents Kwajalein Atoll in parliament.
"He wholeheartedly believes the role culture should play in our everyday lives."
Paul praised the new paramount chief for his work helping to ensure the traditional system of customs co-existed alongside modern-day democracy.
"It goes to show the level of maturity of our culture," he said.
"Even though these systems contrast, they've been melded together here."
Although a sovereign country, the Marshall Islands -- with a population of just 60,000 -- depend on the United States for an estimated 40 percent of its budget.
A US military base on Kwajalein, home to one of America's most sophisticated missile defence ranges, housed dozens of guests attending the Kailoojoj.
America's long-term agreement with the Marshall Islands currently pays landowners, including Kabua, over $20 million a year for hosting the base.
str-ryj/smw
Fri, July 22, 2022
Thousands participated this week in a lavish ceremony in the Marshall Islands marking the first formal coronation of a paramount chief in around 50 years.
The colourful event, which also attracted thousands of viewers on social media, saw Michael Kabua crowned "Iroojlaplap", or paramount chief, on Thursday night as warriors and guests from the 12 atolls and islands he oversees gathered in a show of respect.
The coronation, held on the small island of Ebeye in the Kwajalein Atoll, is known as a "Kailoojoj" in Marshallese -- a ceremony reserved only for paramount chiefs.
It was the first coronation for the royal family since Kabua’s cousin, Iroojlaplap Joba, who died in 1982, ascended to the throne in the 1970s.
The blowing of a conch shell heralded each stage of the elaborate ceremony, which featured islanders wearing traditional headdress and woven mat clothing.
The red carpet was also rolled out, with Marshall Islands President David Kabua -- Michael's nephew -- and members of his cabinet among the guests.
Michael Kabua assumed the title of Iroojlaplap following the death of his older brother Imata Kabua in 2019.
"Iroojlaplap Mike is the embodiment of our traditional leaders," said David Paul, who like Michael Kabua represents Kwajalein Atoll in parliament.
"He wholeheartedly believes the role culture should play in our everyday lives."
Paul praised the new paramount chief for his work helping to ensure the traditional system of customs co-existed alongside modern-day democracy.
"It goes to show the level of maturity of our culture," he said.
"Even though these systems contrast, they've been melded together here."
Although a sovereign country, the Marshall Islands -- with a population of just 60,000 -- depend on the United States for an estimated 40 percent of its budget.
A US military base on Kwajalein, home to one of America's most sophisticated missile defence ranges, housed dozens of guests attending the Kailoojoj.
America's long-term agreement with the Marshall Islands currently pays landowners, including Kabua, over $20 million a year for hosting the base.
str-ryj/smw
‘Where will we go?’ Syrians fear threatened Turkish assault
July 22, 2022
Syrians shop in a market in Syria's northern city of Manbij, located near the border with Turkey, on July 21, 2022. In the last few days, the Syrian regime has deployed reinforcements near Manbij, as part of a Russia-mediated agreement, to act as a buffer between Kurdish and Ankara-backed forces. AFP
Ghazwan al-Atman thought he had found refuge in Manbij after years of displacement, but he now fears his family will be uprooted once again as a threatened Turkish onslaught looms over the Syrian town.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey has repeatedly vowed to launch a new offensive in northern Syria in what he says is an operation to protect his country from Kurdish militias who have been waging a decades-long war against the Turkish state.
Turkey has launched a string of offensives in Syria in the past six years, most recently in 2019 when it conducted a broad air and ground assault against Kurdish militias after former US president Donald Trump withdrew American troops.
“Our people are completely exhausted,” Atman said, standing in his empty shoe store in downtown Manbij, which lies just 30 kilometers (less than 20 miles) from Syria’s border with Turkey.
“We enjoyed safety and security here. Now, we don’t know where to go.”
The market where he set up shop is usually bustling with customers, but they have now been reduced to a trickle.
Atman said his family settled in Manbij in 2018 having already been displaced “four or five times.”
The 43-year-old built a house and established his business “from scratch” but is now ready to flee again as he fears for the lives of his children.
“War has destroyed me. … All we want is stability in this country,” he said.
The threat of a new assault has intensified, with Turkey saying Thursday it never seeks “permission for our military operations” despite failing to get the green light from Russia and Iran this week.
Turkish media said any potential operation is unlikely to take place before the end of August or early September.
Analysts have warned an attack on densely populated Manbij would cause mass displacement and suffering.
‘Displacement means ruin’
The people of Manbij have been busy stocking up on food in preparation.
Hussein Hamdoush said customers have been flocking to his grocery store to stockpile essentials like milk, rice and bulgur.
Hamdoush said he does not want to leave.
“Displacement means ruin,” he said. “Where will we go? I would rather die in my home.”
Food prices have shot up in the Kurdish-run town, residents say.
Umm Nidal, 48, said she feared displacement as much as she feared for her four children.
“We are facing an economic war rather than air strikes,” she said as she scanned supermarket shelves.
This is not the first time Ankara has threatened to attack Manbij, an Arab-majority town run by Kurdish fighters who expelled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in 2016.
Between 2016 and 2019, Ankara launched three military offensives it said were to root out the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the main component of the autonomous Kurds’ de facto army, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Analysts have told AFP that even without Moscow and Tehran’s stamp of approval, Erdoğan could still launch a limited attack.
“Turkish threats are nothing new in Manbij, but the level of these threats ebbs and flows, and it has highly intensified lately,” said Sherfan Darwish, a spokesman for the SDF-affiliated Manbij Military Council.
Soldiers deployed
The SDF has dug trenches on the outskirts of Manbij in readiness for a potential attack, AFP correspondents said.
“We have trained our forces … based on our experience fighting against IS [another acronym for ISIL], though the war against Turkish forces calls for new tactics,” Darwish said.
The SDF has reached out to Damascus for help in fending off a potential Turkish onslaught — as they have done in past campaigns.
Government and Kurdish forces have struggled to find common ground, because Damascus rejects Kurdish self-rule.
In the past few days, the regime has deployed reinforcements near Manbij, as part of a Russia-mediated agreement, to act as a buffer between Kurdish and Ankara-backed forces.
They have come bearing “heavy and high-quality weapons,” Darwish said.
Regime flags were visible on the front lines, while Manbij Military Council fighters were scattered farther back in small numbers, hiding from possible Turkish drone strikes in the shade of olive trees, an AFP correspondent said.
Syrian soldiers have trickled in over the past two days, setting up camp in nearby villages.
Hamdoush said he hopes the army will be able to protect Manbij, but others are skeptical.
“I wish we could have peace,” said Ali Abu Hassan, a 50-year-old Manbij resident. “But this [war] is an international game and we are the victims.”
AFP
July 22, 2022
Syrians shop in a market in Syria's northern city of Manbij, located near the border with Turkey, on July 21, 2022. In the last few days, the Syrian regime has deployed reinforcements near Manbij, as part of a Russia-mediated agreement, to act as a buffer between Kurdish and Ankara-backed forces. AFP
Ghazwan al-Atman thought he had found refuge in Manbij after years of displacement, but he now fears his family will be uprooted once again as a threatened Turkish onslaught looms over the Syrian town.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey has repeatedly vowed to launch a new offensive in northern Syria in what he says is an operation to protect his country from Kurdish militias who have been waging a decades-long war against the Turkish state.
Turkey has launched a string of offensives in Syria in the past six years, most recently in 2019 when it conducted a broad air and ground assault against Kurdish militias after former US president Donald Trump withdrew American troops.
“Our people are completely exhausted,” Atman said, standing in his empty shoe store in downtown Manbij, which lies just 30 kilometers (less than 20 miles) from Syria’s border with Turkey.
“We enjoyed safety and security here. Now, we don’t know where to go.”
The market where he set up shop is usually bustling with customers, but they have now been reduced to a trickle.
Atman said his family settled in Manbij in 2018 having already been displaced “four or five times.”
The 43-year-old built a house and established his business “from scratch” but is now ready to flee again as he fears for the lives of his children.
“War has destroyed me. … All we want is stability in this country,” he said.
The threat of a new assault has intensified, with Turkey saying Thursday it never seeks “permission for our military operations” despite failing to get the green light from Russia and Iran this week.
Turkish media said any potential operation is unlikely to take place before the end of August or early September.
Analysts have warned an attack on densely populated Manbij would cause mass displacement and suffering.
‘Displacement means ruin’
The people of Manbij have been busy stocking up on food in preparation.
Hussein Hamdoush said customers have been flocking to his grocery store to stockpile essentials like milk, rice and bulgur.
Hamdoush said he does not want to leave.
“Displacement means ruin,” he said. “Where will we go? I would rather die in my home.”
Food prices have shot up in the Kurdish-run town, residents say.
Umm Nidal, 48, said she feared displacement as much as she feared for her four children.
“We are facing an economic war rather than air strikes,” she said as she scanned supermarket shelves.
This is not the first time Ankara has threatened to attack Manbij, an Arab-majority town run by Kurdish fighters who expelled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in 2016.
Between 2016 and 2019, Ankara launched three military offensives it said were to root out the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the main component of the autonomous Kurds’ de facto army, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Analysts have told AFP that even without Moscow and Tehran’s stamp of approval, Erdoğan could still launch a limited attack.
“Turkish threats are nothing new in Manbij, but the level of these threats ebbs and flows, and it has highly intensified lately,” said Sherfan Darwish, a spokesman for the SDF-affiliated Manbij Military Council.
Soldiers deployed
The SDF has dug trenches on the outskirts of Manbij in readiness for a potential attack, AFP correspondents said.
“We have trained our forces … based on our experience fighting against IS [another acronym for ISIL], though the war against Turkish forces calls for new tactics,” Darwish said.
The SDF has reached out to Damascus for help in fending off a potential Turkish onslaught — as they have done in past campaigns.
Government and Kurdish forces have struggled to find common ground, because Damascus rejects Kurdish self-rule.
In the past few days, the regime has deployed reinforcements near Manbij, as part of a Russia-mediated agreement, to act as a buffer between Kurdish and Ankara-backed forces.
They have come bearing “heavy and high-quality weapons,” Darwish said.
Regime flags were visible on the front lines, while Manbij Military Council fighters were scattered farther back in small numbers, hiding from possible Turkish drone strikes in the shade of olive trees, an AFP correspondent said.
Syrian soldiers have trickled in over the past two days, setting up camp in nearby villages.
Hamdoush said he hopes the army will be able to protect Manbij, but others are skeptical.
“I wish we could have peace,” said Ali Abu Hassan, a 50-year-old Manbij resident. “But this [war] is an international game and we are the victims.”
AFP
Thousands flee feuding Taliban in Afghanistan’s north
While the June fighting lasted only a few days, the United Nations says it displaced at least 27,000 people — almost all of them Hazara.
Short Url https://arab.news/6sam3
Updated 22 July 2022
AFP
Ethnicity, religious sectarianism and a battle for a lump of Balkhab’s lucrative coal resources are at the heart of the fighting
DUZDANCHISMA, Afghanistan: When fighting erupted between Taliban forces and a breakaway group led by one of their former commanders in northern Afghanistan last month, Zahra and her family fled to the mountains.
For days they walked across the rocky terrain, unsure what lay ahead or when they might return to their home Sar-e Pol province’s Balkhab district, where the clashes erupted.
“We didn’t want to get trapped ... we all might have been killed,” said Zahra, 35, asking to use a pseudonym for security reasons.
Zahra’s family is among thousands that fled conflict between the Taliban and fighters loyal to Mahdi Mujahid, the group’s former intelligence chief for Bamiyan.
Ethnicity, religious sectarianism and a battle for a lump of Balkhab’s lucrative coal resources are at the heart of the fighting.
“All these factors are working together in driving the conflict,” Australia-based political analyst Nematullah Bizhan said.
Mujahid, a Shiite Hazara, joined the mostly Sunni and Pashtun Taliban in 2019, and was appointed to his post soon after the hard-line Islamists seized power in August last year.
Afghanistan’s Shiite Hazaras have faced persecution for decades, with the Taliban accused of abuses against the community when they first ruled from 1996 to 2001.
They are also the target of attacks by the Daesh group, which considers them heretics.
Mujahid’s appointment was initially seen as supporting the Taliban’s claim of being more inclusive to non-Pashtuns, but he soon fell foul of the leadership.
The group routinely denies reports of infighting in its ranks, but in June local media said Mujahid split with the Taliban leadership when Kabul sought greater control over the coal business.
“Balkhab has a long history of resisting the government,” analyst Bizhan said, adding the region also fought strongly against the Taliban during their first reign.
While the June fighting lasted only a few days, the United Nations says it displaced at least 27,000 people — almost all of them Hazara.
The result is a humanitarian crisis that aid agencies are now struggling to deal with.
“We used to sleep thirsty on empty stomachs and wake up in the morning and start walking again,” said Zahra, whose family walked for nearly a fortnight before finding shelter in a village mosque in Bamiyan.
“Everyone was sick.”
The family of Barat Ali Subhani, another resident of Balkhab, has taken refuge in the same mosque.
“We didn’t have anything with us. We just left in clothes we were wearing,” Subhani said.
His seven-member family — including five children — walked for four days before a shepherd led them to the mosque.
“He saved us,” Subhani said.
“We had nothing. We thought that we will probably die.”
In the town of Duzdanchishma in Bamiyan, Najiba Mirzae has spent days treating those who fled Balkhab.
Many are pregnant women suffering from diarrhea, nausea and respiratory ailments caught while traveling through the mountains, said Mirzae, head of a local hospital.
Several UN aid agencies have tried to respond, but have not managed to reach all those displaced as many are still in the mountains.
“We couldn’t reach the area even after walking for five and half hours because the mules were unable to pass,” said Noryalai, who led a UNICEF team on one mercy mission.
In Balkhab, Mujahid and his followers have fled into the mountains, according to defense ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khwarizmi, and fighting has stopped.
But rights group Amnesty International accused Taliban forces of carrying out summary executions of civilians there — a charge denied by Kabul.
“People are scared, which is why they are still in the mountains,” one man said, asking for anonymity.
While the June fighting lasted only a few days, the United Nations says it displaced at least 27,000 people — almost all of them Hazara.
Short Url https://arab.news/6sam3
Updated 22 July 2022
AFP
Ethnicity, religious sectarianism and a battle for a lump of Balkhab’s lucrative coal resources are at the heart of the fighting
DUZDANCHISMA, Afghanistan: When fighting erupted between Taliban forces and a breakaway group led by one of their former commanders in northern Afghanistan last month, Zahra and her family fled to the mountains.
For days they walked across the rocky terrain, unsure what lay ahead or when they might return to their home Sar-e Pol province’s Balkhab district, where the clashes erupted.
“We didn’t want to get trapped ... we all might have been killed,” said Zahra, 35, asking to use a pseudonym for security reasons.
Zahra’s family is among thousands that fled conflict between the Taliban and fighters loyal to Mahdi Mujahid, the group’s former intelligence chief for Bamiyan.
Ethnicity, religious sectarianism and a battle for a lump of Balkhab’s lucrative coal resources are at the heart of the fighting.
“All these factors are working together in driving the conflict,” Australia-based political analyst Nematullah Bizhan said.
Mujahid, a Shiite Hazara, joined the mostly Sunni and Pashtun Taliban in 2019, and was appointed to his post soon after the hard-line Islamists seized power in August last year.
Afghanistan’s Shiite Hazaras have faced persecution for decades, with the Taliban accused of abuses against the community when they first ruled from 1996 to 2001.
They are also the target of attacks by the Daesh group, which considers them heretics.
Mujahid’s appointment was initially seen as supporting the Taliban’s claim of being more inclusive to non-Pashtuns, but he soon fell foul of the leadership.
The group routinely denies reports of infighting in its ranks, but in June local media said Mujahid split with the Taliban leadership when Kabul sought greater control over the coal business.
Balkhab is home to several coal mines and demand has soared in recent months with Pakistan — in the grip of an energy crisis partly caused by rising oil prices — stepping up imports to fuel power plants.
Local Taliban commanders were known to “tax” trucks on their way to Pakistan — as officials in the previous government did before them — but when Mujahid resisted Kabul’s efforts to rein in the practice, they sacked him.
“Balkhab has a long history of resisting the government,” analyst Bizhan said, adding the region also fought strongly against the Taliban during their first reign.
While the June fighting lasted only a few days, the United Nations says it displaced at least 27,000 people — almost all of them Hazara.
The result is a humanitarian crisis that aid agencies are now struggling to deal with.
“We used to sleep thirsty on empty stomachs and wake up in the morning and start walking again,” said Zahra, whose family walked for nearly a fortnight before finding shelter in a village mosque in Bamiyan.
“Everyone was sick.”
The family of Barat Ali Subhani, another resident of Balkhab, has taken refuge in the same mosque.
“We didn’t have anything with us. We just left in clothes we were wearing,” Subhani said.
His seven-member family — including five children — walked for four days before a shepherd led them to the mosque.
“He saved us,” Subhani said.
“We had nothing. We thought that we will probably die.”
In the town of Duzdanchishma in Bamiyan, Najiba Mirzae has spent days treating those who fled Balkhab.
Many are pregnant women suffering from diarrhea, nausea and respiratory ailments caught while traveling through the mountains, said Mirzae, head of a local hospital.
Several UN aid agencies have tried to respond, but have not managed to reach all those displaced as many are still in the mountains.
“We couldn’t reach the area even after walking for five and half hours because the mules were unable to pass,” said Noryalai, who led a UNICEF team on one mercy mission.
In Balkhab, Mujahid and his followers have fled into the mountains, according to defense ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khwarizmi, and fighting has stopped.
But rights group Amnesty International accused Taliban forces of carrying out summary executions of civilians there — a charge denied by Kabul.
“People are scared, which is why they are still in the mountains,” one man said, asking for anonymity.
Joe Manchin blocked climate spending so the national debt won't crush his grandkids.
His legacy risks handing them much bigger problems.
insider@insider.com (Juliana Kaplan,Joseph Zeballos-Roig)
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol March 3, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Manchin has expressed concern about future generations having to pay down the national debt.
But he risks handing them bigger problems by blocking climate spending in Congress.
"Your legacy is being written as the man who burned the earth," one activist said.
Last week, Sen. Joe Manchin efficiently killed off part of Democrats' agenda — a move he's pulled before as one of the two key centrist votes upholding Democrats' razor-thin majority.
This time, Democrats saw tax hikes on the wealthy and spending on climate measures slip away for the second time in less than a year. It's fueling anger among activists pressing for aggressive action to confront the climate emergency.
"Senator Manchin, for close to two years now, has been wavering the fate of human survival and the safety of our communities over our heads, like a bone to starving dogs," John Paul Mejia, the national spokesperson for climate activist group the Sunrise Movement, told Insider. "Frankly, the latest attempt to gut any climate spending from a once in a generation reconciliation bill is part of the same strategy that he's always been playing with."
Manchin's resistance has a lot to do with high inflation numbers, something he's been particularly focused on as negotiations drag on. He's now "cautious" about any potential spending that could drive prices higher. Instead, he wants to focus on slashing the cost of prescription drugs and renewing an expiring financial assistance program under the Affordable Care Act.
Another one of Manchin's chief priorities is shrinking the national debt. It's not a new position for him, and he has long warned against imposing a huge economic burden on future generations.
"Adding trillions of dollars more to nearly $29 trillion of national debt, without any consideration of the negative effects on our children and grandchildren, is one of those decisions that has become far too easy in Washington," Manchin said in a statement last summer.
But scientists warn that not acting on climate change could bring far more dire consequences to future generations. "What I would ask him is how could you look at your grandchildren in the eye without feeling any disgust for yourself, your moral bankruptcy, and your decisions," Meija said.
The consequences of a warming climate are growing more apparent. Swaths of Europe and the United States are experiencing heatwaves. In France, Portugal and Spain, record-breaking temperatures are triggering destructive wildfires prompting thousands of people to flee their homes.
"Climate change is no longer a chart or a graph happening in some far off future. It's the smoke in our lungs, it's the heat waves happening now in communities across America and our globe," Jamal Raad, the co-founder and executive director of Evergreen Action, told Insider.
"The fact that Congress has failed to act and Senator Manchin almost singularly torpedoed our last best shot at climate investments is disastrous, and it will be his legacy," Raad continued.
America is more worried about the economy than the climate
Manchin's sentiments do align with how Americans are feeling.
In January 2022, Pew Research Center asked 5,128 American adults about their top concerns for the year. A whopping 71% — the highest percentage for one cause — said strengthening the economy should be a top priority for the president and Congress, with 61% saying that reducing health care costs should be a top priority.
Meanwhile, just 42% said climate change. In 2021, Gen Zers surveyed by Deloitte said that climate change was their top concern. In 2022, that shifted to cost of living — followed by climate change.
But Isaac Vergun, 20, said that "we really cannot afford any sort of inaction" right now. Vergun has been a climate activist since he was 13, and is a plaintiff in Juliana v. US, a 2015 lawsuit brought by 21 kids — who were ages 8 to 19 – claiming that the government violated their constitutional rights through exacerbating the climate crisis.
If you asked Vergun five years ago how pulling back spending on climate would impact his future, "I would've been a little disappointed, but I would've been a little optimistic and seen the silver lining that we still got quite a few years until some serious catastrophic irreversible climate changes started."
Now, though, "we are currently living through the climate crisis — and just the tip of the iceberg of it."
Cost of living is a big issue, but the climate crisis will make it worse
While Manchin is focusing on a right-now economic issue, the climate crisis has already taken an economic toll — and that will only get worse.
NOAA estimates that weather and climate disasters have cost the country over $2.275 trillion since 1980. In 2022 alone, there's been nine disaster events — higher than the average year — that cost over $1 billion, and took 8 lives.
"The climate crisis will bring forward immense economic and human repercussions to this country, and those who are stalling in action on this will be to blame," Meija said. For instance, persistently high gas prices, a symptom of Americans' dependence on climate-busting fossil fuels, are driving inflation, and taking a big chunk out of workers' wallets.
"The solution to this should be not to have an economy dependent on the whims of fossil fuels anymore, which are incredibly volatile resources that aren't good for our planet, and aren't good for the pockets of regular working class people," Meija said.
President Joe Biden, who's already seen Manchin shelve his agenda once, seemed to give in to the ultimatum. In a statement on Friday, Biden said Congress should move forward on the prescription drugs legislation before the August recess.
"Let me be clear: if the Senate will not move to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen our domestic clean energy industry, I will take strong executive action to meet this moment," Biden said.
It seems like Manchin has won again.
"Your legacy is being written as the man who burned the earth," Meija said.
insider@insider.com (Juliana Kaplan,Joseph Zeballos-Roig)
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol March 3, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Manchin has expressed concern about future generations having to pay down the national debt.
But he risks handing them bigger problems by blocking climate spending in Congress.
"Your legacy is being written as the man who burned the earth," one activist said.
Last week, Sen. Joe Manchin efficiently killed off part of Democrats' agenda — a move he's pulled before as one of the two key centrist votes upholding Democrats' razor-thin majority.
This time, Democrats saw tax hikes on the wealthy and spending on climate measures slip away for the second time in less than a year. It's fueling anger among activists pressing for aggressive action to confront the climate emergency.
"Senator Manchin, for close to two years now, has been wavering the fate of human survival and the safety of our communities over our heads, like a bone to starving dogs," John Paul Mejia, the national spokesperson for climate activist group the Sunrise Movement, told Insider. "Frankly, the latest attempt to gut any climate spending from a once in a generation reconciliation bill is part of the same strategy that he's always been playing with."
Manchin's resistance has a lot to do with high inflation numbers, something he's been particularly focused on as negotiations drag on. He's now "cautious" about any potential spending that could drive prices higher. Instead, he wants to focus on slashing the cost of prescription drugs and renewing an expiring financial assistance program under the Affordable Care Act.
Another one of Manchin's chief priorities is shrinking the national debt. It's not a new position for him, and he has long warned against imposing a huge economic burden on future generations.
"Adding trillions of dollars more to nearly $29 trillion of national debt, without any consideration of the negative effects on our children and grandchildren, is one of those decisions that has become far too easy in Washington," Manchin said in a statement last summer.
But scientists warn that not acting on climate change could bring far more dire consequences to future generations. "What I would ask him is how could you look at your grandchildren in the eye without feeling any disgust for yourself, your moral bankruptcy, and your decisions," Meija said.
The consequences of a warming climate are growing more apparent. Swaths of Europe and the United States are experiencing heatwaves. In France, Portugal and Spain, record-breaking temperatures are triggering destructive wildfires prompting thousands of people to flee their homes.
"Climate change is no longer a chart or a graph happening in some far off future. It's the smoke in our lungs, it's the heat waves happening now in communities across America and our globe," Jamal Raad, the co-founder and executive director of Evergreen Action, told Insider.
"The fact that Congress has failed to act and Senator Manchin almost singularly torpedoed our last best shot at climate investments is disastrous, and it will be his legacy," Raad continued.
America is more worried about the economy than the climate
Manchin's sentiments do align with how Americans are feeling.
In January 2022, Pew Research Center asked 5,128 American adults about their top concerns for the year. A whopping 71% — the highest percentage for one cause — said strengthening the economy should be a top priority for the president and Congress, with 61% saying that reducing health care costs should be a top priority.
Meanwhile, just 42% said climate change. In 2021, Gen Zers surveyed by Deloitte said that climate change was their top concern. In 2022, that shifted to cost of living — followed by climate change.
But Isaac Vergun, 20, said that "we really cannot afford any sort of inaction" right now. Vergun has been a climate activist since he was 13, and is a plaintiff in Juliana v. US, a 2015 lawsuit brought by 21 kids — who were ages 8 to 19 – claiming that the government violated their constitutional rights through exacerbating the climate crisis.
If you asked Vergun five years ago how pulling back spending on climate would impact his future, "I would've been a little disappointed, but I would've been a little optimistic and seen the silver lining that we still got quite a few years until some serious catastrophic irreversible climate changes started."
Now, though, "we are currently living through the climate crisis — and just the tip of the iceberg of it."
Cost of living is a big issue, but the climate crisis will make it worse
While Manchin is focusing on a right-now economic issue, the climate crisis has already taken an economic toll — and that will only get worse.
NOAA estimates that weather and climate disasters have cost the country over $2.275 trillion since 1980. In 2022 alone, there's been nine disaster events — higher than the average year — that cost over $1 billion, and took 8 lives.
"The climate crisis will bring forward immense economic and human repercussions to this country, and those who are stalling in action on this will be to blame," Meija said. For instance, persistently high gas prices, a symptom of Americans' dependence on climate-busting fossil fuels, are driving inflation, and taking a big chunk out of workers' wallets.
"The solution to this should be not to have an economy dependent on the whims of fossil fuels anymore, which are incredibly volatile resources that aren't good for our planet, and aren't good for the pockets of regular working class people," Meija said.
President Joe Biden, who's already seen Manchin shelve his agenda once, seemed to give in to the ultimatum. In a statement on Friday, Biden said Congress should move forward on the prescription drugs legislation before the August recess.
"Let me be clear: if the Senate will not move to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen our domestic clean energy industry, I will take strong executive action to meet this moment," Biden said.
It seems like Manchin has won again.
"Your legacy is being written as the man who burned the earth," Meija said.
Canadians support accepting more newcomers but we need a more equitable, rights-based approach
Yvonne Su, Assistant Professor in the Department of Equity Studies, York University,
Yvonne Su, Assistant Professor in the Department of Equity Studies, York University,
Christina Clark-Kazak, Associate Professor, Public and International Affairs, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa - THE CONVERSATION
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Global Trends Report recently announced that as of the end of 2021, 89.3 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced. While Ukraine’s neighbouring countries originally opened their arms to people fleeing the war, they’ve since begun decreasing benefits for Ukrainians as their cities become overwhelmed.
© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
People wait for Ukrainian nationals fleeing the ongoing war to arrive at Trudeau Airport in Montréal on May 29, 2022.
Meanwhile, Canada is continuing its efforts to build an “air bridge” for an “unlimited number” of Ukrainians, supporting them through a one-time $3,000 payment. This is seen by some as a beacon of hope, and by others as unsustainable.
Despite Ukrainians having the need to travel to find safety, and being called refugees elsewhere, in Canada they do not arrive as resettled refugees. Instead, the federal government created a program — Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET) — that fast tracks temporary immigration for Ukrainians.
Recent public polling data from the Angus Reid Institute shows that Canadians’ support Ukrainian newcomers, in addition to supporting newcomers from Syria and Afghanistan. As migration scholars, we argue that this continued support is evidence that Canadian refugee policy, and newly developed programs like the CUAET — which leads with the head and the heart — work.
Human rights, economic growth and humanitarian impulse
The UN Refugee Convention and Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act frame a rights-based approach to refugee protection. Leading with its head, Canada has a legal obligation to promote and protect the right to asylum, and the principle of non-discrimination.
No matter their country of origin or immigration status, a person on Canadian territory has that rights are protected by the Canadian Charter.
Canada’s immigration policy aspires to be evidence-based. Research shows immigrants and refugees drive economic growth and contribute to the Canadian economy in a myriad of ways. There are good legal and economic reasons for protection.
And leading with its heart, Canada’s refugee policy and newcomer programs are framed by a humanitarian impulse. Canadian officials regularly refer to a “welcome” and “safe harbour” for the “most vulnerable” and “those in need.”
Humans helping humans
Images of human suffering — from Phan Thị Kim Phúc also known as “the napalm girl” to Alan Kurdi — have galvanized public support for refugees.
A key component in Canada’s resettlement response has been the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program. Private Sponsorship of Refugees connects human beings with human beings, fostering empathy and generating long waiting lists as Canadians step in to help.
But public support for refugees isn’t limited to sponsors.
An Angus Reid Institute survey conducted on May 18, 2022, asked about Canadians’ acceptance of newcomers from Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine, as those have been the latest arrivals of newcomers in Canada. (This survey is not publicly available.)
The survey found that 35 per cent and 31 per cent of Canadians support accepting more refugees from Afghanistan and Syria, respectively. And 56 per cent of Canadians think Canada should accept more Ukrainians — only 14 per cent think we should accept less.
Mirroring public opinion, there is strong cross-party support for Ukrainian newcomers. In an unusual display of unity, most opposition members of Parliament pushed for Canada to waive visa requirements for Ukrainians in March.
© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly
Meanwhile, Canada is continuing its efforts to build an “air bridge” for an “unlimited number” of Ukrainians, supporting them through a one-time $3,000 payment. This is seen by some as a beacon of hope, and by others as unsustainable.
Despite Ukrainians having the need to travel to find safety, and being called refugees elsewhere, in Canada they do not arrive as resettled refugees. Instead, the federal government created a program — Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET) — that fast tracks temporary immigration for Ukrainians.
Recent public polling data from the Angus Reid Institute shows that Canadians’ support Ukrainian newcomers, in addition to supporting newcomers from Syria and Afghanistan. As migration scholars, we argue that this continued support is evidence that Canadian refugee policy, and newly developed programs like the CUAET — which leads with the head and the heart — work.
Human rights, economic growth and humanitarian impulse
The UN Refugee Convention and Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act frame a rights-based approach to refugee protection. Leading with its head, Canada has a legal obligation to promote and protect the right to asylum, and the principle of non-discrimination.
No matter their country of origin or immigration status, a person on Canadian territory has that rights are protected by the Canadian Charter.
Canada’s immigration policy aspires to be evidence-based. Research shows immigrants and refugees drive economic growth and contribute to the Canadian economy in a myriad of ways. There are good legal and economic reasons for protection.
And leading with its heart, Canada’s refugee policy and newcomer programs are framed by a humanitarian impulse. Canadian officials regularly refer to a “welcome” and “safe harbour” for the “most vulnerable” and “those in need.”
Humans helping humans
Images of human suffering — from Phan Thị Kim Phúc also known as “the napalm girl” to Alan Kurdi — have galvanized public support for refugees.
A key component in Canada’s resettlement response has been the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program. Private Sponsorship of Refugees connects human beings with human beings, fostering empathy and generating long waiting lists as Canadians step in to help.
But public support for refugees isn’t limited to sponsors.
An Angus Reid Institute survey conducted on May 18, 2022, asked about Canadians’ acceptance of newcomers from Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine, as those have been the latest arrivals of newcomers in Canada. (This survey is not publicly available.)
The survey found that 35 per cent and 31 per cent of Canadians support accepting more refugees from Afghanistan and Syria, respectively. And 56 per cent of Canadians think Canada should accept more Ukrainians — only 14 per cent think we should accept less.
Mirroring public opinion, there is strong cross-party support for Ukrainian newcomers. In an unusual display of unity, most opposition members of Parliament pushed for Canada to waive visa requirements for Ukrainians in March.
© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly
Ukrainian students arrive in St. John’s, N.L., on June 14, 2022.
The emotional and political reaction to different global situations has resulted in differential treatment for people fleeing violence. While Canada reduced red tape to welcome an “unlimited number” of Ukrainians, including through direct airlifts, Afghans face uncertainty, long delays and a 40,000-person cap.
To ensure a more equitable, rights-based approach, the Canadian government should draw on lessons learned from decades of refugee policy, practice and programs.
Canada should leverage and scale up existing mechanisms for resettlement, including private sponsorship. The government should process existing applications quickly and open up new spaces, respecting the principle of additionality — the idea that new spaces should not displace people who are already waiting to be processed.
Some visa requirements, including the need for biometrics, should be waived in emergency situations for all nationalities.
Echoing the recent recommendations by the House of Commons Special Committee on Afghanistan, Canada should establish an emergency mechanism to act in a timely and equitable way to all situations of displacement, not only those that garner media and political attention.
Canada has a history of being a welcoming country to newcomers. Canadians are upholding that legacy by supporting the acceptance of more. Despite this, we need a more equitable, rights-based approach so we can continue to lead with the head and the heart.
This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.
Read more:
How Haitian migrants are treated shows the ties between racism and refugee policy
The emotional and political reaction to different global situations has resulted in differential treatment for people fleeing violence. While Canada reduced red tape to welcome an “unlimited number” of Ukrainians, including through direct airlifts, Afghans face uncertainty, long delays and a 40,000-person cap.
To ensure a more equitable, rights-based approach, the Canadian government should draw on lessons learned from decades of refugee policy, practice and programs.
Canada should leverage and scale up existing mechanisms for resettlement, including private sponsorship. The government should process existing applications quickly and open up new spaces, respecting the principle of additionality — the idea that new spaces should not displace people who are already waiting to be processed.
Some visa requirements, including the need for biometrics, should be waived in emergency situations for all nationalities.
Echoing the recent recommendations by the House of Commons Special Committee on Afghanistan, Canada should establish an emergency mechanism to act in a timely and equitable way to all situations of displacement, not only those that garner media and political attention.
Canada has a history of being a welcoming country to newcomers. Canadians are upholding that legacy by supporting the acceptance of more. Despite this, we need a more equitable, rights-based approach so we can continue to lead with the head and the heart.
This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.
Read more:
How Haitian migrants are treated shows the ties between racism and refugee policy
Australia is exterminating tens of millions of bees to save its honey industry
rhogg@insider.com (Ryan Hogg) -
Australian authorities have been exterminating millions of bees to prevent a varroa mite outbreak. Getty Images
Australia is exterminating tens of millions of bees in a bid to ward off a varroa mite plague.
At least 600 hives containing 30,000 bees each have been destroyed, The New York Times reported.
Varroa mites have been blamed on a falling honey bee population worldwide.
Tens of millions of bees are being exterminated in a desperate attempt to save Australia's honey industry from a devastating mite plague.
Australia is the last major honey-producing nation to be hit by a varroa mite plague and is taking the measure to kill thousands of honeybee colonies to stop the mites spreading.
An eradication zone has been set up within a six-mile radius of a sighting, already implicating a significant number of bees, as authorities fight to prevent a plague that has affected the rest of the world.
"Australia is the only major honey-producing country free from varroa mite," Satendra Kumar, chief plant protection officer of New South Wales state, told The New York Times.
Satendra told the newspaper that a widespread varroa mite plague could cost Australia's honey industry $70 million a year.
Danny Le Feuvre, acting head of the Australian Honey Bee Industrial Council, told The Times that his team had already exterminated 600 hives, each containing around 30,000 bees, amounting to at least 18 million bees.
According to the website BeeAware, varroa mites – or the varroa destructor – feed and reproduce on larvae and pupae of the developing brood of bees. They affect bees' ability to fly, gather food, and produce honey.
The mite has been blamed for the sharp reduction in the number of honey bee colonies outside Australia, and a rapid fall in the size of honey yields, The Financial Times reported.
The mite was first discovered in Australia at the port of Newcastle in late June, and honey producers have been on lockdown since.
Ana Martin, who runs Amber Drop Honey on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, told The Guardian about 40 of her hives were in the eradication zone, leaving her upset at both having to kill the bees and the economic impact.
"Between the drought, fires, floods and now varroa there seems to be a bit of bad luck for beekeepers lately," she said.
Anna Scobie, who has 90 hives facing destruction, told the Sydney Morning Herald that Australia may have to prepare for a future of living with the mite.
"We will all just have to start to use the processes that the rest of the world has done. That may mean we are able to return to beekeeping in this area sooner because everyone else is also living with varroa mite. But if we can eradicate it, we need to try to do that as best we can," she told the newspaper.
rhogg@insider.com (Ryan Hogg) -
Australian authorities have been exterminating millions of bees to prevent a varroa mite outbreak. Getty Images
Australia is exterminating tens of millions of bees in a bid to ward off a varroa mite plague.
At least 600 hives containing 30,000 bees each have been destroyed, The New York Times reported.
Varroa mites have been blamed on a falling honey bee population worldwide.
Tens of millions of bees are being exterminated in a desperate attempt to save Australia's honey industry from a devastating mite plague.
Australia is the last major honey-producing nation to be hit by a varroa mite plague and is taking the measure to kill thousands of honeybee colonies to stop the mites spreading.
An eradication zone has been set up within a six-mile radius of a sighting, already implicating a significant number of bees, as authorities fight to prevent a plague that has affected the rest of the world.
"Australia is the only major honey-producing country free from varroa mite," Satendra Kumar, chief plant protection officer of New South Wales state, told The New York Times.
Satendra told the newspaper that a widespread varroa mite plague could cost Australia's honey industry $70 million a year.
Danny Le Feuvre, acting head of the Australian Honey Bee Industrial Council, told The Times that his team had already exterminated 600 hives, each containing around 30,000 bees, amounting to at least 18 million bees.
According to the website BeeAware, varroa mites – or the varroa destructor – feed and reproduce on larvae and pupae of the developing brood of bees. They affect bees' ability to fly, gather food, and produce honey.
The mite has been blamed for the sharp reduction in the number of honey bee colonies outside Australia, and a rapid fall in the size of honey yields, The Financial Times reported.
The mite was first discovered in Australia at the port of Newcastle in late June, and honey producers have been on lockdown since.
Ana Martin, who runs Amber Drop Honey on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, told The Guardian about 40 of her hives were in the eradication zone, leaving her upset at both having to kill the bees and the economic impact.
"Between the drought, fires, floods and now varroa there seems to be a bit of bad luck for beekeepers lately," she said.
Anna Scobie, who has 90 hives facing destruction, told the Sydney Morning Herald that Australia may have to prepare for a future of living with the mite.
"We will all just have to start to use the processes that the rest of the world has done. That may mean we are able to return to beekeeping in this area sooner because everyone else is also living with varroa mite. But if we can eradicate it, we need to try to do that as best we can," she told the newspaper.
THE 'OTHER' ALBERTA
Beehives and goat farms: Alberta school shortlisted in global environmental contestTaylor Perez says she learned more about her passions while tending beehives, goats and fruit trees at her central Alberta high school than sitting through lessons in a classroom.
A BUCKY FULLER GEODESIC DOME RIGHT OUT OF THE SIXTIES
"These are all skills we don't learn in regular classes," says the 18-year-old student at Lacombe Composite High School about 130 kilometres south of Edmonton.
"You're not going to learn how to collaborate with community members by sitting in a classroom learning about E equals mc squared."
Perez and her classmates are buzzing with excitement after their school's student-led beekeeping program, goat farm, fruit orchard, tropical greenhouse and other environmental projects were recognized in a global sustainability contest among 10 other schools.
It's the only North American school to be shortlisted by T4 Education, a global advocacy group, in its World’s Best School Prize for Environmental Action contest.
"The projects are coming from the students' own hearts and passion for taking care of the environment," says Steven Schultz, an agriculture and environmental science teacher who has been teaching in Lacombe since 1996.
"They are going to be our community leaders — maybe even our politicians — and for them to know what the heartbeat of their generation is (is) extremely important."
Schultz says the projects are pitched and designed by students in the school's Ecovision Club, to which Perez belongs, and he then bases a curriculum around those ideas.
The school of about 900 students began reducing its environmental footprint in 2006 when a former student heard Schultz say during a lesson on renewable energy that "words were meaningless or worthless without action," the 56-year-old teacher recalls.
"She took that to heart and a year later she came back and told me that she wanted to take the school off the grid."
Schultz and students watched a fire burn down solar panels on the school's roof in 2010, an event that further transformed his approach to teaching.
"As their school was burning, my students gathered in tears. That day I realized that students really care about the environment and they really care about the projects that they were involved in."
Since then, 32 new solar panels have been installed, and they produce up to four per cent of the school's electricity. After the fire, students also wanted to clean the air in their classrooms so they filled some with spider plants, including one in the teachers' lounge.
More recently, students replaced an old portable classroom on school property with a greenhouse that operates solely with renewable energy. It's growing tropical fruits, such as bananas, pineapples, and lemons, and also houses some tilapia fish.
Two acres of the school are also covered by a food forest made up of almost 200 fruit trees and 50 raised beds where organic food is grown.
The school also works with a local farm and raises baby goats inside a solar-powered barn that was built with recycled material.
"They breed and milk them at the farm because there are really tight regulations," says Schultz.
"We take the excrement from the goats and the hay and use it as mulch and fertilizers for our garden. The goats also chew up the grass and allow us not to have to use lawn mowers and tractors"
Perez said her favourite class is the beekeeping program with 12 hives that produce more than 300 kilograms of honey every year.
"I love that they have different roles in their own little societies," Perez says of the bees.
She says while working with local businesses and groups as a part of her curriculum, she learned she's passionate about the environment and wants to become a pharmacist so she can continue giving back to her community.
James Finley, a formerly shy Grade 10 student, says the Ecovision Club and environment classes have helped get him out of his comfort zone.
"I made friends, which was a hard thing for me in the beginning. But now I have, like, hundreds," says the 16-year-old, who enjoyed the lessons he took on harvesting.
"Taylor and Mr. Schultz were the main people that made me stay."
Schultz says the winners of the contest are to be announced in the fall.
A prize of about $322,000 will be equally shared among five winners.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sunday, July 3, 2022.
---
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
"These are all skills we don't learn in regular classes," says the 18-year-old student at Lacombe Composite High School about 130 kilometres south of Edmonton.
"You're not going to learn how to collaborate with community members by sitting in a classroom learning about E equals mc squared."
Perez and her classmates are buzzing with excitement after their school's student-led beekeeping program, goat farm, fruit orchard, tropical greenhouse and other environmental projects were recognized in a global sustainability contest among 10 other schools.
It's the only North American school to be shortlisted by T4 Education, a global advocacy group, in its World’s Best School Prize for Environmental Action contest.
"The projects are coming from the students' own hearts and passion for taking care of the environment," says Steven Schultz, an agriculture and environmental science teacher who has been teaching in Lacombe since 1996.
"They are going to be our community leaders — maybe even our politicians — and for them to know what the heartbeat of their generation is (is) extremely important."
Schultz says the projects are pitched and designed by students in the school's Ecovision Club, to which Perez belongs, and he then bases a curriculum around those ideas.
The school of about 900 students began reducing its environmental footprint in 2006 when a former student heard Schultz say during a lesson on renewable energy that "words were meaningless or worthless without action," the 56-year-old teacher recalls.
"She took that to heart and a year later she came back and told me that she wanted to take the school off the grid."
Schultz and students watched a fire burn down solar panels on the school's roof in 2010, an event that further transformed his approach to teaching.
"As their school was burning, my students gathered in tears. That day I realized that students really care about the environment and they really care about the projects that they were involved in."
Since then, 32 new solar panels have been installed, and they produce up to four per cent of the school's electricity. After the fire, students also wanted to clean the air in their classrooms so they filled some with spider plants, including one in the teachers' lounge.
More recently, students replaced an old portable classroom on school property with a greenhouse that operates solely with renewable energy. It's growing tropical fruits, such as bananas, pineapples, and lemons, and also houses some tilapia fish.
Two acres of the school are also covered by a food forest made up of almost 200 fruit trees and 50 raised beds where organic food is grown.
The school also works with a local farm and raises baby goats inside a solar-powered barn that was built with recycled material.
"They breed and milk them at the farm because there are really tight regulations," says Schultz.
"We take the excrement from the goats and the hay and use it as mulch and fertilizers for our garden. The goats also chew up the grass and allow us not to have to use lawn mowers and tractors"
Perez said her favourite class is the beekeeping program with 12 hives that produce more than 300 kilograms of honey every year.
"I love that they have different roles in their own little societies," Perez says of the bees.
She says while working with local businesses and groups as a part of her curriculum, she learned she's passionate about the environment and wants to become a pharmacist so she can continue giving back to her community.
James Finley, a formerly shy Grade 10 student, says the Ecovision Club and environment classes have helped get him out of his comfort zone.
"I made friends, which was a hard thing for me in the beginning. But now I have, like, hundreds," says the 16-year-old, who enjoyed the lessons he took on harvesting.
"Taylor and Mr. Schultz were the main people that made me stay."
Schultz says the winners of the contest are to be announced in the fall.
A prize of about $322,000 will be equally shared among five winners.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sunday, July 3, 2022.
---
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
Dinosaur bones, teeth among fossils unearthed near Grande Prairie
Matthew Black -Edmonton Journal
Matthew Black -Edmonton Journal
mblack@postmedia.com
Researchers in northern Alberta have made another mass fossil discovery west of Grande Prairie.
© Provided by Edmonton Journal
Researchers in northern Alberta have made another mass fossil discovery west of Grande Prairie.© Provided by Edmonton Journal
The Pipestone bonebed west of Grande Prairie is home to thousands of dinosaur fossils.
Palaeontologists with the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in Wembley uncovered back, skull and foot bones from a Pachyrhinosaurus, a four-legged dinosaur that lived in present-day Alberta and Alaska more than 72 million years ago.
The museum says the discovery came last week while crews were excavating a prior find of fossilized Pachyrhinosaurus juvenile skull and leg bones.
“The fact that we’re finding animals of all ages in this one bonebed gives us an unprecedented ability to study these dinosaurs’ growth from hatchling to adult,” said the museum’s curator, Emily Bamforth.
Crews also discovered teeth from a tyrannosaur, raptor, a rare mammal as well as a tiny insect locked inside a grain of amber.
“The fossil plant material and amber allows us an opportunity to study the paleoenvironment at this one snapshot of geologic time,” said Bamforth.
The fossils were all found in the Pipestone bonebed, about 17 km south of Wembley.
The site was discovered by a high school teacher in 1974, spans the size of several football fields and is now considered by researchers to be among the world’s densest sites in the world for fossils.
The bonebed is also known as the “River of Death” after the apparent flooding that happened there that wiped out thousands of dinosaurs.
Taking the fossils out of the ground comes only after careful work.
Museum personnel map the fossil areas to the centimetre and strategize how to remove the remains without causing damage.
Crews cleared mud from this fossil in the Pipestone bonebed in late June of 2022 west of Grande Prairie, Alta. (Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum)
The museum welcomes the public’s help for its teams excavating fossils through its “Palaeontologist For a Day” program.
Volunteers get to observe crews at work up-close and, like last week, can sometimes be there when a major discovery is made.
“They are all pretty excited to think they are the first to ever see these new fossils,” Bamforth said.
“This is a great opportunity to see one of the densest dinosaur bonebeds in Canada.”
Palaeontologists with the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in Wembley uncovered back, skull and foot bones from a Pachyrhinosaurus, a four-legged dinosaur that lived in present-day Alberta and Alaska more than 72 million years ago.
The museum says the discovery came last week while crews were excavating a prior find of fossilized Pachyrhinosaurus juvenile skull and leg bones.
“The fact that we’re finding animals of all ages in this one bonebed gives us an unprecedented ability to study these dinosaurs’ growth from hatchling to adult,” said the museum’s curator, Emily Bamforth.
Crews also discovered teeth from a tyrannosaur, raptor, a rare mammal as well as a tiny insect locked inside a grain of amber.
“The fossil plant material and amber allows us an opportunity to study the paleoenvironment at this one snapshot of geologic time,” said Bamforth.
The fossils were all found in the Pipestone bonebed, about 17 km south of Wembley.
The site was discovered by a high school teacher in 1974, spans the size of several football fields and is now considered by researchers to be among the world’s densest sites in the world for fossils.
The bonebed is also known as the “River of Death” after the apparent flooding that happened there that wiped out thousands of dinosaurs.
Taking the fossils out of the ground comes only after careful work.
Museum personnel map the fossil areas to the centimetre and strategize how to remove the remains without causing damage.
Crews cleared mud from this fossil in the Pipestone bonebed in late June of 2022 west of Grande Prairie, Alta. (Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum)
The museum welcomes the public’s help for its teams excavating fossils through its “Palaeontologist For a Day” program.
Volunteers get to observe crews at work up-close and, like last week, can sometimes be there when a major discovery is made.
“They are all pretty excited to think they are the first to ever see these new fossils,” Bamforth said.
“This is a great opportunity to see one of the densest dinosaur bonebeds in Canada.”
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