Support for Australia’s UN climate bid should be linked to ceasing fossil fuel expansion, Pacific leaders say

Story by Adam Morton Climate and environment editor •

THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA

Photograph: Leon Lord/AFP/Getty Images© Provided by The Guardian

Agroup of Pacific Island elders, including several former national leaders, have taken out a full-page ad in the Fiji Times calling on their countries not to support Australia’s plan to host a UN climate summit until it stops expanding fossil fuels.

The ad on Wednesday by the group the Pacific Elders’ Voice was timed to coincide with a visit to Fiji by the Australian climate change minister, Chris Bowen.

Under a picture of Anthony Albanese and the minister for international development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy, the ad urged Pacific leaders not to quickly back Australia’s request that they join a bid to co-host the Cop31 UN climate conference in 2026.

Related: The Australian government admits its funding is supporting the gas industry. That’s politically risky | Adam Morton

“The Australian government has promised to ‘stand shoulder to shoulder’ with its Pacific family in response to the climate crisis,” the ad said.

“Yet the response to our natural disasters, sea level rise, heat [and] food insecurity has been to pursue more gas and coal projects – the very thing driving the climate crisis.”

The Pacific Elders’ Voice said while the world had moved into what the UN secretary general, António Guterres, called an era of global boiling, Australia was stuck in “the era of fossil fuel expansion”. Its members include former leaders of the Marshall Islands (Hilda Heine), Kiribati (Anote Tong), Tuvalu (Enele Sopoaga) and Palau (Tommy Remengesau).

“We have been clear that standing shoulder to shoulder with us must mean more than expecting to co-host a UN climate change conference in 2026 with us,” they said.

“Australia has ignored our pleas for years. Why then must Pacific leaders be in such a hurry to show support for Cop31? What is the rush?”

Australia is considered well-placed to host Cop31, having won support from several members of the “Western Europe and Others” group that will decide where the meeting is held, but has made clear it wants it to be a joint bid. Bowen has repeatedly emphasised the Pacific’s role.

The climate minister spent three days in the Fijian capital of Suva this week, convening a meeting of Pacific climate change ministers and attending a two-day regional UN climate discussion. Speaking before flying out on Wednesday, Bowen said there was strong support for an Australia-Pacific Cop bid.

“We talked about how we might be able to work together to ensure that this is truly and genuinely a Pacific COP,” he said.

“As I said to the ministers, I want people to leave COP 31, if Australia hosts it, saying ‘Wow, that really was a Pacific COP’. And by that it means a chance to elevate Pacific issues at a time when the Pacific has the world’s attention.”

The Albanese government has been criticised for approving new fossil fuel developments, including the creation of large new gas fields. It has committed $1.5bn to Darwin’s Middle Arm industrial precinct, which a departmental brief to the government described as “a key enabler” for development of the Beetaloo Basin, a potentially large source of gas.

Related: As Pacific islanders, we are leading the way to end the world’s addiction to fossil fuels | Ralph Regenvanu Seve Paeniu

​Speaking in Suva, Bowen said Australia was moving from getting 35% of electricity from renewable energy to 82% in 2030. He said the country “increasingly has become a renewable energy superpower” and was working with its major fossil fuel customer countries, such as Korea and Japan, to help them transition to clean generation.

“They’re on a journey. We’re not going to remove coal and gas tomorrow, nobody really is expecting [that],” he said. “But it’s been a good discussion [with Pacific climate ministers] about how fast the transition in Australia is going, and it’s going very, very fast..”

The Pacific Islands Climate Action Network, a collection of nongovernment groups, said it was concerned about Australia’s eagerness to secure early support for the climate conference bid.

“While we acknowledge Australia’s aspiration to lead in hosting Cop31, Pacific governments must seek tangible evidence of Australia’s dedication to substantial climate action, especially with regard to fossil fuels,” the network said in a statement.

The next major UN climate summit, Cop28, will be held in the United Arab Emirates, starting in late November.

Canada's Corporate Ethics Czar opens forced-labour probes against Walmart, Hugo Boss, Diesel

The Canadian Press
Thu, August 24, 2023

OTTAWA — Canada's corporate-ethics watchdog is investigating if Walmart, Hugo Boss and Diesel have forced labour in their supply chains.

Sheri Meyerhoffer, the Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, issued three reports today saying none of the companies have done enough to demonstrate the products they sell in Canada are free of slave labour.

The Canadian subsidiaries of all three companies are accused of relying on suppliers who source materials from Uyghur people forced to work in China’s Xinjiang region.

Walmart Canada Corp.,Hugo Boss Canada Inc.and Diesel Canada Inc.all say they uphold strong anti-slavery protocols and investigate the source of their products, but Meyerhoffer said none provided enough information about specific allegations.

She said the main challenge is that products from Xinjiang are often processed in other countries, meaning that imports from countries like Vietnam could involve forced Chinese labour if they’re not carefully traced.

Meyehoffer said she's probing Walmart Canada because the company would only say that it avoids forced labour and had removed products made in Xinjiang from its stores. The company did not respond to documented allegations that Walmart is relying on specific clothing and textile firms that operate in that region using forced Uyghur labour.

"While Walmart Canada generally denied the allegations in the complaint, it did not provide a specific response," Meyerhoffer wrote, noting that Walmart opted against a dispute-resolution process.

Meyerhoffer noted that Hugo Boss doesn't seem to use the level of fibre-tracing technology needed to ensure due diligence in a region widely exposed to cotton from Xinjiang.

In its response, the company noted it scrutinizes its "direct suppliers," which concerned Meyerhoffer since its goods from Vietnam or Singapore could rely on various Chinese materials. "Hugo Boss' response does not appear to consider fully the complex nature of the garment supply chain," she wrote.

Hugo Boss also noted a European rights group failed to gather enough evidence to convince German courts to hear allegations the firm had illegally benefited from Uyghur forced labour.

Meanwhile, Meyerhoffer took Diesel to task over what she deemed to be vague statements about its internal reviews of its supply chains, which she said didn’t indicate the timeline, scope or findings of such a review.

She noted the company’s insistence that it doesn’t source cotton from the Xinjiang region isn’t sufficient to ensure suppliers in other countries aren’t using such fibres.

"Diesel Canada provided two brief responses to the complaint, did not provide any response to multiple requests for an initial assessment meeting and did not provide any comments on the draft initial assessment report," reads Meyerhoffer’s report.

"Diesel Canada’s failures to respond … and to engage with the CORE for an initial assessment meeting raise questions about its transparency."

Meyerhoffer said all three companies did not comply in her investigations.

She wrote that Walmart Canada questioned her jurisdiction, and provided general information that didn’t speak to the specific allegations. “The company representatives also questioned what Walmart Canada would have to gain from participating in the process,” Meyerhoffer wrote.

Hugo Boss took issue with an April 2022 media report that named the firm among 14 companies in a complaint alleging the use of forced labour in China. The company claimed that the media report violated the ombudsperson’s rules on confidentiality, and requested the complainants and Meyerhoffer sign a non-disclosure agreement.

The company also took issue with Canada’s freedom-of-information laws, which allow Canadians to learn about the workings of their government but generally exempt confidential corporate information. Hugo Boss “did not respond to multiple requests to meet,” Meyerhoffer wrote.

Her office says Hugo Boss was the only firm she's investigated so far that raised issues with the April 2022 media report, and she said the company refused offers to meet until Meyerhoffer had drafted a report.

The Canadian Press has reached out to all three firms for comment.

A spokeswoman for Walmart Canada noted that none of the subsidiaries named in the complaint "are in our active disclosed supply chain."

"Our policies are diligently enforced," wrote Sarah Kennedy. "Walmart Canada respects CORE’s mandate and will continue to ensure our standards and corporate mandate are being upheld."

Hugo Boss reiterated much of its response to Meyerhoffer, with spokesman Matthias Jekosch noting the company no longer buys from the Chinese supplier cited in the complaint.

"Hugo Boss does not source any goods in its direct supply relationship that originate from the Xinjiang region," he wrote. "As a matter of principle, we do not tolerate forced or compulsory labour or any form of modern slavery."

All seven of the initial assessments the ombudsperson has announced so far relate to accusations of forced labour involving the Uyghur people.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa maintains that Beijing does not allow modern-day slavery, and that claims otherwise are based on lines meant to constrain China's development.

The United Nations found in mid-2022 that China had committed "serious human rights violations" against Uyghurs and other Muslim communities that "may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity." Beijing has disputed this report.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2023.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

Canadians unified on forest protection although wildfire cause divisive: poll

The Canadian Press
Thu, August 24, 2023 



As Canada struggles through its worst fire season in recorded history, a new survey suggests protecting forests remains one issue that unites most Canadians no matter who they are or where they live.

However, other parts of the survey done for Nature Canada and the Natural Resources Defense Council suggests the climate change debate is spilling over into the woods — especially in a season of unprecedented wildfires.

"That is deeply concerning and it does reflect widespread disinformation on climate issues," said Michael Polanyi of Nature Canada.

The two environmental groups commissioned Ekos Research to conduct the survey of more than 1,000 Canadians between July 28 and Aug. 9 on a wide range of forestry and policy issues. The margin of error was three percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Margins of error increase as results are broken down into regional samples.

It found 81 per cent of respondents agreed the federal government should be doing more to protect Canada’s forests and wildlife.

That figure changed little across the country. The lowest support for protection came from Alberta — but even there, 76 per cent were in favour.

Support also held up despite political belief. A majority — 53 per cent — of People's Party of Canada supporters, the most right-wing of Canada's mainstream parties, agreed more protection is needed.

High levels of support continued despite varying household income or education. It also corresponds with similar Ekos polling done last year.

"It is a strong indication of how much Canadians value forests," Polanyi said.

The poll suggests 80 per cent of Canadians want more protection even if it puts limits on the forestry industry. That support held even in British Columbia and Quebec, which both have major logging industries, and across education and income levels.

The survey also asked people what they felt was responsible for Canada's record wildfire surge.

Overall, almost a third of Canadians attributed the increased burning to arson. Almost half of Conservatives and nearly two-thirds of those who support the People's Party said arsonists are the main reason so much forest burned this year.

That cause is widely dismissed by scientists. Yan Boulanger of the Canadian Forest Service said Tuesday that the source of ignition has little to do with the size of the resulting fire.

"It is because of weather conditions that those fires spread and it's not a case of ignition sources," he said.

Right-of-centre political leaders have downplayed connections between wildfires and climate change.

One of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's responses to that province's fires this summer was to say she'd hire arson investigators. Ontario Premier Doug Ford accused a New Democrat MPP of "politicizing" wildfires when she asked if he accepted a link between them and climate change.

"It does reflect a polarization of views when it comes to climate issues," said Polanyi. "I don't think it helps when leaders are not grounded in or communicating effectively the scientific consensus."

The poll also asked about a wide range of possible conservation policies. It found support for phasing out clear-cutting, ensuring forestry companies report their emissions accurately and following sustainability rules set by countries that import Canadian wood.

Jennifer Skene of the Natural Resources Defense Council said the poll — especially when it comes during a summer that has put such strain on Canadian forests — shows that the federal government needs to step up its protection efforts.

"This is the moment when Canada needs to look inward and adopt the kind of transformative change that will align with a safe, sustainable and viable future. This poll illustrates that is not a theoretical thing, but something that Canadians understand and feel."

Polanyi said the across-the-board support the poll suggests Canadians feel for forest protection could provide common ground for movement on environmental issues.

"Maybe nature offers a way forward in terms of environmental issues, as a way to bring all Canadians together."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2023.

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

UK Train strikes to hit major events like Reading and Leeds festivals

Daniel Thomas, Jennifer Meierhans and Katy Austin 

- Business reporters and transport correspondent

BBC
Thu, August 24, 2023 

Festival goers

Travellers face major disruption this bank holiday weekend as rail workers across England walk out on Saturday.

Some 20,000 RMT union members at 14 rail companies are striking as part of a long-running dispute over pay.

Thousands will be travelling to events such as the Notting Hill Carnival and the Reading and Leeds festivals.

Separately, a plan to close ticket offices in England has further angered rail unions who warn there will be more strikes if a deal is not reached.

Transport Focus, an independent passenger watchdog, said a public consultation on the plans had received 460,000 responses ahead of the deadline of 1 September.

Train strikes: When is the next action happening?

Saturday's RMT strike, which is its 24th since last summer, will see a reduced timetable in place in much of England, with some journeys into Scotland and Wales also affected.

Around half the usual train services will run and in many areas services will start late and finish much earlier than usual.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said the strike was "designed to deliberately target passengers who want to enjoy various sporting events, festivals, and the end of the summer holidays".

The Night Time Industries Association, a trade group, called the walkout "reckless", saying it would leave major events like the Notting Hill Carnival and the Reading & Leeds Festival "in chaos as ticket holders attempt to navigate a limited transport network".

The RMT and train drivers' union Aslef have held a wave of strikes since last summer which have brought much of the rail network to a standstill.

The RMT has said the fresh strike action is happening because it had not received an improved offer, after rejecting the industry's latest proposals in the spring.

Its general secretary, Mick Lynch, told the BBC that union members were targeting Saturdays.

"The strike has to be effective," he said. "We haven't got a plan to disrupt anybody's particular activities but that is the busiest day for the railway and members have decided that's the way they want to go."

The RMT and Aslef have held a wave of strikes since last summer

Further action is planned for the weekend of 1-2 September, with Aslef workers walking out on Friday and RMT members again on the Saturday.

The RMT has a mandate to strike until November, but Mr Lynch told the BBC the union was already preparing to re-ballot workers over further action this autumn and winter.

"We have to keep our campaign up until we get a negotiated settlement on jobs, conditions and pay. There will be more strikes if there's no change," he said.

Aslef is expected to step up its campaign of industrial action in the autumn. It hasn't yet announced details.

Engineering works will add to the disruption over the next few days. Network Rail says more than 7,500 metres of new track and 2,400 sleepers will be installed across the country and almost 15,000 tonnes of ballast will be laid over the long weekend.

Network Rail said the works had been carefully planned to minimise the impact on passengers but added that it was vital to check journeys before travelling.
Ticket office closures

On Wednesday, Aslef boss Mick Whelan hit out at operator plans to close ticket offices, accusing the government of endangering lives by "de-staffing" the railway.

He argued that drivers and passengers felt vulnerable early in the morning and late at night, and having fewer staff on hand could lead to attacks.

The proposals from the train companies, who are backed by the government, have been met by a backlash, including from disability groups.

Transport Focus, which is collecting the public's views on the plans, said that while it had received hundreds of thousands of responses, there was still time for people to have their say.

Over the coming weeks Transport Focus and another watchdog, London TravelWatch, will analyse the proposals and consultation responses before deciding on whether to support or object to the plans.

They will be considering issues such as whether stations will continue to be staffed, accessibility, the alternative options for buying tickets and whether passengers will continue to be able to access station facilities such as lifts, waiting rooms and toilets.

A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: "Across the network as a whole, there will be more staff available to give face-to-face help to customers out in stations than there are today [as a result of our ticket office closure plans]."

They added that staff affected by closures would be given a range of options, including moving to new roles or retraining.

The Department for Transport said consultations on ticket offices were ongoing and no final decisions had been made.

Hospital services in the UK come to a standstill as thousands of senior doctors strike again

Thu, August 24, 2023 



LONDON (AP) — Hospital care across England largely came to a standstill on Thursday as senior doctors launch another 48-hour strike amid an ongoing pay dispute between medics and the British government.

Thousands of hospital doctors say they will only provide emergency care, and the National Health Service warned patients to expect major disruption during the two-day strike.

Thursday's action is the latest in a series of strikes staged by doctors, nurses and other clinical staff in recent months and part of a wave of disruptive industrial action by public sector workers to demand better pay amid the U.K.'s cost-of-living crisis.

Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the latest walkouts are a “massive headache” for the public health service because they are timed just before the late August three-day public holiday weekend, when demand at hospital emergency departments is typically higher. That means many services will in effect be out of action for five days.

The Conservative government has insisted that talks on pay are over after it said senior doctors would receive a 6% pay rise. Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the average annual earnings for senior doctors amount to 134,000 pounds ($169,500) on top of a generous pension.

The British Medical Association, the doctors' union, slammed the increase as “insulting" and said doctors have experienced a 35% pay erosion in real terms over the past 14 years. Many doctors also say that they are compelled to take action to raise awareness of their poor work conditions.

“We would much rather be inside the hospital seeing our patients. But we cannot sit by and watch passively as we are persistently devalued, undermined and forced to watch colleagues leave – much to the detriment of the NHS and patients," said Dr. Vishal Sharma, a union leader.

The British Medical Association said members planned to strike again on Sept. 19-20 and Oct. 2-4 if the government refused to re-enter negotiations.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of junior doctors — or those medics in the earlier stages of their career — are continuing their pay dispute with the government. Earlier this year the government settled separate disputes with the nurses' unions and other health workers, including ambulance drivers and paramedics.

Strike action over nine months has led to the cancellation of almost 840,000 inpatient and outpatient hospital appointments, figures showed.

In the past 18 months or so, millions of workers including train and bus drivers, airport baggage handlers and teachers across the U.K. have walked off their jobs, calling for wages that keep pace with the skyrocketing cost of living.

Inflation in the U.K. hit a four-decade high of 11.1% last October, driven by sharply rising energy and food costs, before dropping back to 7.8% in July.

Sylvia Hui, The Associated Press

Study reveals how much carbon damage would cost corporations if they paid for their emissions

Thu, August 24, 2023 



The world’s corporations produce so much climate change pollution, it could eat up about 44% of their profits if they had to pay damages for it, according to a study by economists of nearly 15,000 public companies.

The “corporate carbon damages” from those publicly owned companies analyzed — a fraction of all the corporations — probably runs in the trillions of dollars globally and in the hundreds of billions for American firms, one of the study authors estimated in figures that were not part of the published research. That's based on the cost of carbon dioxide pollution that the United States government has proposed.

Nearly 90% of that calculated damage comes from four industries: energy, utilities, transportation and manufacturing of materials such as steel. The study in Thursday’s journal Science by a team of economists and finance professors looks at what new government efforts to get companies to report their emissions of heat-trapping gases would mean, both to the firm’s bottom lines and the world’s ecological health.

Earlier this year, the European Union enacted rules that would eventually require firms to disclose carbon emissions and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the state of California are looking at similar regulations.

Study co-author Christian Leuz, a finance and accounting professor at the University of Chicago, said the idea “of shining the light on corporate activities that have costs to society is very powerful, but it is not enough to save the planet.” An earlier study of his found that after fracking firms disclosed their pollution rates, those contamination levels dropped 10% to 15%, he said.

The idea is consumers and stockholders would see the damage and pressure firms to be cleaner, Leuz said.

Outside economists agreed.

Leuz and his colleagues used a private analysis firm that finds or estimates carbon emissions of some publicly owned companies and analyzed the carbon pollution from 14,879 firms. Then they compared them to company revenues and profits.

That calculation shows “which activities are particularly costly to society from a climate perspective,” Leuz said. Still, he cautioned that “it would not be correct to just blame the companies. It is not possible to divide responsibility for these damages between the firms that make the products and consumers who buy them.”

The calculations are for only a fraction of the world’s corporations, with many public companies not included and private firms not listed at all, Leuz said.

The economists didn’t identify or tease out single companies but instead grouped firms by industry and by country. And they only used direct emissions, not what happens downstream. So the gas in a person's car does not count toward an oil company's emissions or corporate carbon damages.

The calculations use the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s $190 cost per ton for carbon dioxide emissions and the study doesn't give a bottom line number in dollars, just in percent of profit and revenues. Only when asked by The Associated Press did Leuz estimate it in the trillions of dollars.

At $190 a ton, the utility industry averaged damages more than twice its profits. Materials manufacturing, energy and transportation industries all had average damages that exceeded their profits.

On the opposite end, the banking and insurance industries averaged climate damages that were less than 1% of their profits.

When looking at companies based on countries, Russia and Indonesia were the top for corporate climate damages, while the United Kingdom and the United States were the lowest. Leuz said that reflects the age and efficiency of the companies and which type of industries were based in countries.

Several outside experts said the study made sense within certain limits, while a few found faults with some of the choices of what to count, saying not counting downstream emissions is a problem. Because it doesn’t count those it “does not provide an incentive to reduce these to the level needed,” said Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, which studies global emissions and reduction efforts.

“The results are important but perhaps not that surprising,” said Stanford University economist Marshall Burke. “The bigger take-home is the number of caveats that are needed to do this analysis, indicating what a mess our emissions accounting systems currently are.”

Appalachian State University’s Gregg Marland, who helps track global emissions by country, said “good numbers do allow us to know who is producing the products that consumers want with the least contribution to climate change.”

Nobel prize winning economist Paul Romer, formerly of the World Bank and now at Boston College, said the damage estimates are useful but need to be interpreted accurately, “without the moralistic framing and induced urge to punish.”

Romer used the example of his move from New York to Boston. The initial move would go under the moving company’s corporate carbon damage, but when he took some books from his home they would not. Misusing corporate carbon damage figures could put the moving company out of business and he’d drive his stuff instead, so total carbon emissions would not be changed. Shifting to zero carbon fuel makes more sense, he said.

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

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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears

Rail union wants new rules to improve conductor training in the wake of 2 trainee deaths

Story by The Canadian Press •


Rail union wants new rules to improve conductor training in the wake of 2 trainee deaths© Provided by The Canadian Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The nation's largest railroad union wants federal regulators to do more to ensure conductors are properly trained in the wake of two recent trainee deaths.

The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers union that represents conductors wants the Federal Railroad Administration to establish clear standards for how long new employees are trained and who mentors them to teach them the craft after they finish their formal training.

The union said the recent deaths of two CSX trainees on different occasions in Maryland over the past two months highlight the need for better training. The FRA did put out a safety advisory earlier this month about conductor training after the latest death, but the union wants regulators to take firm action. Earlier this year, a third conductor — this time one with 18 years experience on Norfolk Southern — was killed in an accident at a steel plant in Ohio.

FRA officials didn't immediately respond to the union's statement Wednesday, but the head of the agency sent a letter to all the CEOs of the major freight railroads earlier this week expressing similar concerns. Administrator Amit Bose is urging the railroads to improve their training but the agency isn't requiring changes with formal rules.

“FRA believes that correcting the underlying deficiencies in railroads' training, qualification and operational testing programs is critical to reducing the risk associated with the conduct of certain tasks,” Bose wrote.

In the most recent death, Travis Bradley died Aug. 6 after he was crushed between the train he was riding on the side of several parked locomotives. Earlier this summer, Derek Scott “D.S.” Little died in late June after he fell off a railcar and was struck by a train. Both deaths happened in railyards.

Congress and regulators called for reforms after that derailment and railroads announced some plans to improve safety. But little has changed in the industry and a bill requiring railroads to make changes has stalled in the Senate.

The SMART-TD union said the trainings issues are especially important now because the major freight railroads have been hiring new conductors as quick as possible and rushing them out to work on the rails. And generally there is little training for the experienced conductors who serve as mentors.

“In a work environment as dangerous as our country’s railroads have proven to be historically, it is unthinkable that there is not a program in place to train the trainers. It is in most scenarios still the luck of the draw,” the union said.

CSX and Norfolk Southern both announced agreements with SMART-TD last month to enhance conductor training. CSX said it planned to extend its classroom training by a week to five weeks while Norfolk Southern announced a more comprehensive list of reforms.

A CSX spokesperson said the safety of the railroad's workers is a priority, and CSX responded to the recent deaths with intensive training about safety rules and the hazards of riding on trains as well as extending training for new hires.

“CSX continues to mourn the loss of Travis and Derek, and our thoughts are with their family and loved ones. At CSX, our goal is zero accidents and injuries, and we remain vigilant in working toward that effort,” the spokesperson said.

Norfolk Southern didn't immediately respond to the union's concerns Wednesday, but when it announced its training changes CEO Alan Shaw said the moves were meant to “make sure our newest employees — our conductor trainees — have the skills and knowledge to get the job done as safely as possible.”

Josh Funk, The Associated Press

Caribou butts and wolf cameos: How motion-activated cameras may reveal the secrets of a healthy Manitoba herd


CBC
Thu, August 24, 2023 

A lone caibou crosses a fen in Wapusk National Park in northern Manitoba. The Cape Churchill herd, one of the most stable populations of caribou in Canada, is estimated to be comprised of 1,000 to 3,000 animals. (Matthew Van Egmond/Parks Canada - image credit)

Wildlife scientists from two provinces are using motion-activated cameras to try to discern why one caribou population in northern Manitoba appears to be stable while herds are dwindling almost everywhere else in Canada.

Since 2022, researchers from Parks Canada, the University of Saskatchewan and the Manitoba Métis Federation have been collecting images from 92 motion-activated wildlife cameras placed in and around Wapusk National Park, a protected area in northern Manitoba along the coast of Hudson Bay.

The park protects about 99 per cent of the summer calving range of the Cape Churchill caribou herd, whose population has been estimated at somewhere between 1,000 and 3,000 animals for decades.

Wapusk also protects part of the herd's spring and fall migratory routes, while their wintering grounds lie outside the park in relatively pristine forests.

Russell Turner, an ecosystems scientist for the park, said Parks Canada and its research partners are hoping to collect enough data to establish a link between habitat protection and population health.

"Almost every other caribou population in Canada is declining, and so it's unfortunate that we don't know why these caribou are stable, but it could be because of the national park and they're protected," Russell said in an interview outside Churchill, Man., earlier this month.

While the connection between protection and population may sound logical, Turner said the Cape Churchill herd is unusual. It winters in the boreal forest and summers on the tundra, rather than spending all year in one ecological zone or another.

"We have a unique type that utilizes both the woodland and barren ground," Turner said. "It's a relatively small herd in Manitoba and relatively understudied, so we know very little information about it."

Remote cameras

A caribou walks along a fen in Wapusk National Park in August 2022. This image was captured by a motion-activated wildlife camera. Researchers with Parks Canada, the University of Saskatchewan and the Manitoba Metis Federation are trying to discern migration patterns of the Cape Churchill caribou herd.

A caribou walks along a fen in Wapusk National Park in August 2022. This image was captured by a motion-activated wildlife camera. Researchers with Parks Canada, the University of Saskatchewan and the Manitoba Metis Federation are trying to discern migration patterns of the Cape Churchill caribou herd. (Ryan Brook/University of Saskatchewan)

Gathering that information is not easy. Trail cameras are not easy to install in and around Wapusk, which is bitterly cold and snowy during the winter, soggy in the summer and has no road access any time of year.

Parks Canada and its partners at the Métis Federation and the University of Saskatchewan collect images from 92 cameras mounted on posts, walking on foot to swap out batteries and memory cards at locations close to a Wapusk research camp called Nester One.

Other cameras are serviced by helicopter. Those include locations close to Cape Churchill, which is home to a sandbar dubbed "the lounge" where some of the largest male polar bears in the park congregate.

Polar bears destroyed six of the cameras in 2022. Turner knows this because the ursine offenders were caught on camera.

Riley Bartel of the Manitoba Metis Federation, left, and Parks Canada's Matthew Van Egmond replace the batteries and data card on a wildlife camera placed in Wapusk National Park while Parks Canada ecosystem scientist Russell Turner watches for polar bears. This team replaced the batteries and cards on 28 cameras in one day, flying between sites by helicopter to both speed the process and minimize the chance of a polar-bear encounter.More

Riley Bartel of the Manitoba Metis Federation, left, and Parks Canada's Matthew Van Egmond replace the batteries and data card on a wildlife camera placed in Wapusk National Park while Parks Canada ecosystem scientist Russell Turner watches for polar bears. This team replaced the batteries and cards on 28 cameras in one day, flying between sites by helicopter to both speed the process and minimize the chance of a polar-bear encounter. (Bartley Kives/CBC News)

The cameras have also captured images of grizzly bears, Arctic foxes, 25 species of birds and errant scientists who walked in front of the motion sensors. But the vast majority of the roughly 68,000 images collected during the first year of the project involved caribou.

"One of the interesting patterns that we can kind of see is that there's really not much utilizing the park or moving much in the winter. You kind of see all species showing up in May and June, and really only some wolves and foxes in the winter," Turner said.

The cameras also end up with closeups from animals that inspect the cameras as well as posterior views,

"We definitely get a lot of butt photos, a lot of caribou walking away from the camera," Turner quipped.

The motion-activated cameras also capture images of other animals, including foxes, polar bears and this wolf.

The motion-activated cameras also capture images of other animals, including foxes, polar bears and this wolf. (Ryan Brook/University of Saskatchewan)

The researchers are also hoping to use the cameras to demonstrate what traditional knowledge has maintained for years: That caribou prefer to migrate along dry beach ridges rather than slog it out on soggy fens.

"We're trying to use these cameras to learn when they're at different locations, what habitat they're using, and hopefully also be able to learn about their their predators and some of their activity in the environment as well," Turner said.

Ryan Brook, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Saskatchewan, said it's interesting to see where timber wolves are relative to their caribou prey.

"They den mostly in the forested areas to the south end of the park, but they they will make daily or or longer-term trips further north where the caribou are," he said at Nester One.

The motion sensor on this wildlife camera bears puncture marks from a polar bear. This camera, which was placed at Cape Churchill - a summer gathering place for adult male polar bears - had to be replaced.

The motion sensor on this wildlife camera bears puncture marks from a polar bear. This camera, which was placed at Cape Churchill — a summer gathering place for adult male polar bears — had to be replaced. (Bartley Kives/CBC)

Riley Bartel, conservation coordinator for the Manitoba Métis Federation, said his organization hopes to use data from the cameras to support the creation of an Indigenous protected area for for the Cape Churchill caribou herd southwest of Wapusk.

Such a move would require provincial co-operation, but Parks Canada is already on board.

"Their summer grounds are protected, but if the wintering grounds could also be protected that that just helps preserve this species even more," said Bartel, also speaking at Nester One.

Ultimately, Turner hopes to demonstrate habitat protection is directly connected to the health of the caribou population, a seemingly obvious link that nonetheless has yet to be demonstrated by science.

"I think that would be a huge benefit for potentially new protected parks," he said.

A polar bear rests on the coast of Wapusk. It was one of 15 bears spotted from the air during one day of wildlife-camera servicing by Parks Canada staff.

A polar bear rests on the coast of Wapusk. It was one of 15 bears spotted from the air during one day of wildlife-camera servicing by Parks Canada staff. (Matthew Van Egmond/Parks Canada)

WAR IS RAPE

Scores of women and girls were sexually assaulted after peace deal in Ethiopia's Tigray, study shows

The Canadian Press
Thu, August 24, 2023 



NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Scores of women and girls in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region were sexually assaulted, often by multiple men alleged to be combatants, after a peace agreement last year ended the conflict there, according to a new study of medical records released on Thursday.

The youngest girl raped was 8 years old.

The Tigray conflict killed hundreds of thousands of people and left untold thousands of women and girls with the trauma of sexual assault.

At least 128 sexual assaults occurred after the peace agreement was signed last November, according to the study, which looked at records from the start of the conflict in November 2020 through June.

With most health facilities destroyed or looted as Ethiopian forces battled Tigray fighters, many women and girls were left without treatment for months. Some now have HIV or are raising the children of their rapists. Others live with incontinence or chronic pain, along with the cultural stigma around such attacks.

The study by Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa, along with a commentary in The Lancet medical journal, looked at more than 300 randomly selected medical records from Tigray health centers focused on helping survivors of sexual violence.

It is just a “small glimpse” of the toll, the authors say, and they fear the chance for justice will be lost if independent accountability efforts by the United Nations and others are shut down.

“All the community is a victim of sexual violence,” a Tigray-based researcher into conflict-related sexual violence told The Associated Press. A collaborator on the study, he has spoken with hundreds of women and girls and said not one feels healed.

“Rape survivors, they are suffering the most,” he said. Like many Tigrayans, he spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from Ethiopian authorities.

At least 128 sexual assaults occurred after the peace agreement was signed last November, according to the study, which looked at records from the start of the conflict in November 2020 through this June.

Overall, 76% of the 304 women and girls whose cases were reviewed were sexually assaulted by multiple people, often three or more. One was assaulted by 19 men.

In 94% of all cases, no condom was used. Many perpetrators also wielded guns, sticks or knives. Some women and girls were abducted for repeated assaults.

“They took her to their camp and raped her for six months,” one medical record cited by the study says.

Almost all the women and girls said their attackers appeared to be members of a military group, often from neighboring Eritrea, whose soldiers fought alongside Ethiopian forces against Tigray fighters and allegedly remain in parts of western and northern Tigray.

The findings suggest that “these acts were neither isolated nor random but a systematic use of rape as a weapon of war,” the study’s authors write in The Lancet commentary.

Spokesmen for Ethiopia’s and Eritrea’s governments did not respond to requests for comment.

“It is absolutely horrifying and devastating to even read the narratives of the patients,” Ranit Mishori, a senior medical adviser with Physicians for Human Rights, said in an interview. “The brutality didn’t skip the children. Many were also raped by multiple perpetrators.”

Mishori and her colleague, senior program officer Lindsey Green, expressed concern that independent efforts to understand the conflict’s toll and bring accountability to the perpetrators are being weakened or shut down under pressure from authorities.

“Most disturbing to me is the lack of focus on these crimes,” Green said.

Ethiopia’s government is keen to re-engage with key partners such as the United States, the European Union and global financial institutions after the conflict. On Thursday, Ethiopia was announced as an incoming member of the BRICS economic bloc.

But Ethiopia has sharply criticized outside efforts to promote justice and accountability. An African Union human rights inquiry was quietly terminated earlier this year.

Now Ethiopia wants a United Nations inquiry ended, too, human rights experts say.

After a conflict marked by the blockade of the Tigray region of more than 5 million people, with internet and phone links severed and human rights researchers and journalists barred, the lack of independent inquiry means that the civilian toll could remain largely in the shadows as Ethiopia’s government moves on.

“The world has accountability mechanisms, but almost everything is in the hands of diplomats and politicians, which is a recipe for failure,” said Martin Witteveen, an international criminal law expert who worked with the government-created Ethiopian Human Rights Commission until early 2022. He says Ethiopia alone can hardly ensure accountability when its forces and allies committed most of the crimes.

Even now, the study says, survivors of sexual violence in Tigray are still coming forward, but others will never be known.

Cara Anna, The Associated Press

Archive.org

https://archive.org/details/againstourwillme00brow

Against our will : men, women, and rape : Brownmiller, Susan 

Feb 1, 2010 ... 14 day loan required to access EPUB and PDF files. IN COLLECTIONS. Texts to Borrow Books for People with Print Disabilities Internet Archive ...

SEXUAL ASSAULT

FIFA opens case against Spanish soccer official who kissed a player on the lips at Women's World Cup


Thu, August 24, 2023 



GENEVA (AP) — FIFA opened a disciplinary case Thursday against the Spanish soccer official who kissed a player on the lips while celebrating the team's victory in the Women’s World Cup final.

The governing body's disciplinary committee will weigh if Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales violated its code relating to "the basic rules of decent conduct” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”

Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy and medal ceremony on Sunday after Spain’s 1-0 victory over England in Sydney, Australia.

Minutes earlier, Rubiales grabbed his crotch as a victory gesture in the exclusive section of seats with Queen Letizia of Spain and 16-year-old Princess Sofía standing nearby.

Hermoso has said she did not like the kiss and the national players’ union representing her — which the 46-year-old Rubiales once led — called Wednesday for his conduct to not go unpunished.

FIFA responded Thursday.

“FIFA reiterates its unwavering commitment to respecting the integrity of all individuals and strongly condemns any behavior to the contrary,” the soccer body said without specifying which acts by Rubiales are under investigation.

Víctor Francos, Spain’s secretary of state for sports, said Wednesday that “the gesture of grabbing his testicles in the tribune is a gesture that no one can defend.”

FIFA gave no timetable for a ruling. The body's disciplinary judges can impose sanctions on individuals ranging from warnings and fines to suspensions from the sport.

The FIFA disciplinary panel is chaired by Colombian lawyer Jorge Palacio, a former labor court judge and member of the state constitutional court.

The case likely will be judged by three of the 16 panel members. Three of the 16 are women, from England, Mexico and Thailand.

Rubiales is a vice president of UEFA, a role which pays 250,000 euros ($270,000) each year plus expenses, and was the European soccer body's most senior representative at the biggest game in women’s soccer.

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has yet to comment on the conduct of Rubiales, who is due to host the European soccer body's next annual congress in Madrid in February.

The Spanish soccer federation, which Rubiales has led for five years, has an emergency meeting Friday in Madrid where the agenda allows questions on the controversy.

It is unclear if the meeting will shore up support for Rubiales or respond to widespread pressure from Spanish government and soccer officials to remove him.

Rubiales, who led the Spanish players’ union for eight years before taking over as federation president in 2018, is currently heading the UEFA-backed bid to host the men’s World Cup in 2030. Spain is bidding with neighboring Portugal and Morocco, and also possibly Ukraine.

Francos said Rubiales has damaged the country’s image as it tries to win support for hosting the World Cup.

FIFA delayed launching the 2030 bid contest in June but has targeted late next year for a decision.

The Spain-led bid is currently favored over a four-nation South American plan teaming Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and inaugural 1930 World Cup host Uruguay. Despite speculation about a possible bid from Saudi Arabia, the 2034 edition is seen as a more likely goal for the oil-rich kingdom.

___

AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup

Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press