A Primal Forest Encircled By Ecuador Port Faces Ruination

By Carlos SANMANIEGO

May 11, 2023

Aerial view of the Cerro Blanco hill, a tropical dry forest on the edge of GuayaquilMarcos PIN

With photos by Marcos PIN

A hilly forest that is a bastion of exceptional flora and fauna next to Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil, is now threatened by mining, urbanization and deforestation.

Cerro Blanco -- white hill in English -- is a vast tropical dry forest that has been gradually devoured by the port city of three million people.


In the last 15 years, Cerro Blanco has become an "island locked up and encircled by the city," Eliana Molineros, who created a foundation to protect wild animals, told AFP

The forest's fragile and rich ecosystem has been declared in danger by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

The forest of 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres) is home to hundreds of bird species, around 60 mammal species, including jaguars -- the largest felines on the continent -- and dozens of endemic plants.

Only about 10 percent of the world's original tropical dry forests remain.

Cerro Blanco and its virgin forest is one of the few remaining such environments in Latin America.

Aerial view of a limestone quarry in the Cerro Blanco tropical dry forest

Marcos PIN

But it is also a mining area that provides the primary material for cement, and from where the hill gets its name due to the color of the limestone.

There are 36 quarries, including 10 government-run sites, that devour the forest's vegetation.

Those quarries are supposedly authorized by the national agency that controls mining, but locals complain that some of them are illegal.

Some abandoned illegal mines stick out like scars on the landscape.

On Saturday, dozens of local inhabitants of an area that was deforested for mining protested against the proliferation of mines, shouting "Quarries out!" and "Protect Guayaquil's lungs from depredation."

Four local associations demanded the creation of a protected area that would ban mining and other extraction activities in Cerro Blanco.

With white butterflies fluttering overhead, biologist Paul Cun stopped in front of a 40-meter (130 feet) tall fig tree.

"We are standing in the best preserved tropical dry forest in Ecuador," said Cun, who has been volunteering in the forest since 1998.

With his boots sinking into the mud, Cun recounted stories about being bitten by snakes or having howler monkeys throw fruit at him.

Among the more than 250 species of birds that nest here is the snail kite, a rare bird of prey whose song sounds like a burst of laughter.

The large pijio trees that are typical to this area harbor the Guayaquil parrot, the emblem of the city but whose numbers have dwindled to just 60 birds living in the wild, according to experts.

Tourists flock to the Cerro Blanco forest to take pictures of unique wildlife

Marcos PIN

There is an abundance of mushrooms, some purple and sticky, others black that emerge from the ground like a claw and are known locally as the "hand of death."

All around, trees as tall as high-rise buildings disperse the sun's rays.

On the southern part of the hill, lots with about 30 upper middle-class homes are carved out of the forest.

To the north there are the "Mount Sinai" and "City of God" slums, the poorest parts of a city marked by huge wealth disparity and that has become a hotbed of violence related to drug trafficking.

The slums are the most dangerous neighborhoods on the Cerro Blanco.

The forest's two unarmed rangers are helpless in the face of arsonists and squatters who flock to the forest looking to make their fortune.

Before it was turned into a private reserve, Cerro Blanco was exploited by a major landowner in the 1950s.

In 1989, the state expropriated the forest and sold it to Swiss building materials company, Holcim.

In order to respect its environmental commitments, Holcim turned 2,000 hectares (4,950 acres) into a protected forest.

The Probosque Foundation, to which Cun belongs, has been tasked with managing the protected reserve.

Locals have complained about illegal mining in the Cerro Blanco reserve, despite authorities insisting all 36 mines there are authorized

Marcos PIN

These days, tourists and hikers trek along the forest trails looking for unique fauna to photograph.

In 2022, around 13,000 people, 15 percent of whom were foreigners, visited the forest, according to Probosque.

Yet the foundation's head of tourism, Romina Escudero, is angry at the lack of support from the local government.

"The only thing they've done is put up a road sign with the forest's name," said Escudero.

Despite the air being sucked out of the city's green lungs, visitors continue to marvel at the wildlife within.

"We saw a giant cat," enthused Saul Vivero, a mountain biker who spotted a jaguarundi, a wild feline slightly larger than a domestic cat and known for its long tail.

© Agence France-Presse

AMERIKA

Why moms are 'leading the charge' and asking for gun reform this Mother's Day

"If you need something done, you ask a mom."

Maressa Brown

Wed, May 10, 2023 

Emily Amick of Emily In Your Phone and For Facts Sake is pushing for gun reform with the #PhoneCallsNotFlowers Mother's Day campaign. (Image: Getty; Senn & Sons Instagram; illustration by Aisha Yousaf for Yahoo)

It’s the time of year when anyone who has or loves a mom might be contemplating buying a bouquet, a box of chocolates or maybe a spa gift card. But a buzzy social media campaign is urging people to instead observe Mother’s Day by making their voice heard on one of the greatest issues affecting moms in the U.S.: gun violence. The #PhoneCallsNotFlowers campaign is the first from For Facts Sake (FFS), a new nonprofit founded by Emily Amick, a lawyer, journalist, former counsel to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the creator behind the popular political Instagram account Emily In Your Phone.

In their kickoff post shared on May 2, For Facts Sake points out that firearms are now the leading cause of death among kids and teens across the U.S. and encourages moms to ask the people who love them to “give the gift of action" by calling their reps to "support background checks on all gun sales." Specifically, the campaign encourages people to ask their representatives in the Senate and House to co-sponsor and push for the passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2023 (S. 494, H.R. 715), which would prohibit a gun transfer “between private parties unless a licensed dealer, manufacturer or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check.” It’s legislative action that For Facts Sake notes 87% of Americans are in support of, according to a Fox News poll.

To make it easy for people to take action, the FFS post features a to-do list that urges followers to get the phone numbers for their three federal reps (congressperson and two senators), make calls using a simple script and then share a screenshot of their call log on their Instagram account.

Of the inspiration for the push, Amick tells Yahoo Life that many of her followers are, like her, women in their 30s. “A lot of them are moms of young kids,” she explains, adding that she hears from them a lot on this subject. “They want to do more about gun violence, and they want to do it for their kids. So part of the campaign is moms saying, ‘Hey, all of you people who love us, we need you to stand up with us.’ This is a campaign about a mom speaking out and everyone who loves moms stepping up and saying, ‘We're with you. We're going to make our calls.’”

Given the epidemic of mass shootings — including the one at an Allen, Texas mall last week — Amick says “people are fed up with thoughts and prayers, and they are fed up with feeling like politicians care more about special interests than they do about the people who vote for them.”

And every day, she hears from moms who are losing sleep over the threat of a shooting, particularly at their child’s school. “I hear it every day, like, ‘My kids just came home. They had a drill, they're crying. I'm so scared,’” says Amick. “It should not be like this.”

The heartening twist: The For Facts Sake founder says she’s seeing “more and more public square conversations about this issue” and people with reps who are “traditionally against gun reform being willing to speak out and contact their reps.” “That's what we're going to need to see happen,” says Amick. “And we need more of those people making sure to communicate that this is an issue that they're going to make their vote depend on.”

Amick sees moms, in particular, as capable of getting that message across.

“If you need something done, you ask a mom, and this is something that we need to get done for the safety of America — for our kids, but for communities in general,” she notes. “Moms are leading the charge, and the rest of us are here to back them up.”

While Amick doesn’t have exact data to reflect how the campaign is going so far, she says she is hearing from followers who’ve reported back about their own calls or the fact that their spouse or parents have called their reps, in many cases, for the first time.

“I'm seeing so many people post about it — especially people who don't traditionally post about politics on their social media, which is incredible,” she says. “I just got a DM from someone who said they've been talking to their mom about this issue for the past year, and she finally made the call today.”

To anyone who might be getting involved in a campaign like this for the first time or be hesitant to speak out, Amick says, “Your voice has value, and you might not think that people are listening to you, but your loved ones, your friends, your family — you have influence over them, and your voice has meaning.”

A delicate succession in the Arctic Council after Russia sidelined

Pierre-Henry DESHAYES
Thu, May 11, 2023 

In the past two decades, the Arctic has lost a third of its winter sea ice

The Arctic Council, a model for cooperation between former Cold War foes, on Thursday saw a delicate handover of chairmanship, with the sidelining of Russia, its largest member.

After two years of Russia at the helm, Norway took over the reins of the intergovernmental forum, which was considered exemplary until the invasion of Ukraine led seven of the eight members -- the United States, Canada and the five Nordic countries -- to suspend their meetings with Moscow.

For the actual handover, the Western foreign ministers declined an invitation from their Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to visit Siberia.

In contrast to earlier transfers, the formal handover took place online at a senior official level on Thursday.

"It is vital that the Arctic Council maintains its role as the most important multilateral forum for addressing issues relating to the Arctic," Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said in a statement.

In a joint declaration issued by the Council's members, the Scandinavian country offered to host a meeting of the group in 2025. The format of the gathering was not specified, in particular regarding Russia's participation.

On Wednesday, Huitfeldt told AFP in an email that maintaining the regional forum would be the "main objective" of the Norwegian chairmanship.

She acknowledged however that Oslo had "no illusions that this would be easy", given current international tensions.

Experts believe sidelining Russia weakens the body, where the nations have been able to address issues of common interest -- from environmental protection to sustainable development and indigenous populations in the Arctic region, which is warming four times faster than the planet as a whole.

Since its creation in 1996, the Council has become the main forum for cooperation in the region.

The Arctic's importance has increased with the accelerated retreat of the ice sheet. This opens up maritime routes and economic opportunities in oil, gas, minerals and fishing, but it threatens the fragile ecosystem, vulnerable indigenous populations and the Earth's climate.

Apart from some tensions during Donald Trump's tenure in the White House, relations within the forum have generally been smooth, in part because thorny issues such as security are not in its remit.

As a result, the Council has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in the past.

- Two Arctics? -

After suspending cooperation with Moscow in early March 2022, the seven other member nations (the A7) agreed to continue work that does not involve Russia's participation.

However, this only represents about a third of the Council's 130-odd projects, according to Dwayne Ryan Menezes of the think tank Polar Research and Policy Initiative.

"Can regional governance be truly meaningful and effective at a circumpolar level if an Arctic state as large as Russia were not at the table?" Menezes said.

"Or will the Arctic split into rival spheres of influence, potentially also with competing forums for regional cooperation and governance –- one involving the A7 and the other led by Russia and involving non-Arctic actors such as China?" he continued.

Isolated from the West, Moscow is increasingly focusing on ties to other powers -- primarily China but also emerging nations such as Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa.

In April, Moscow and Beijing signed a memorandum of cooperation for their coastguards in the Arctic.

Rasmus Gjedsso Bertelsen, a professor of Nordic studies at the Norwegian University of Tromso, said he was "critical of this Western policy of boycotting, which does not change anything on the battlefield in Ukraine but reduces our insight into the way Russians think".

An Arctic Council cut in half "is of course much less valuable", the Danish academic told AFP.

"It is very easy for the West to work together because we have a lot of common interests. But we should not neglect the Russian half, which is the most interesting and important with the Northeast Sea Passage and all its natural resources," he argued.

phy/po/jj/iwd

OBTF Cascade: The military unit where the Russian elite get to ‘play war’ in Ukraine

Louise NORDSTROM
Thu, 11 May 2023 

© FRANCE 24 screengrab/OBTFCascade/Telegram

Want to boast that you fought for the homeland, but without risking your life? Welcome to OBTF Cascade, the Russian military unit that allows career politicians and their military-aged sons to play war in Ukraine – at a safe and comfortable distance from the blood being spilled on the front line.

“Fiery hearts. Nerves of steel.” Such are the characteristics of troops belonging to OBTF Cascade – at least according to the unit’s Telegram channel, which is filled with aerial videos of Russian drone bombings accompanied by heavy metal music and portrait pictures of its well-groomed and well-equipped “fighters”.

"Fiery hearts. Nerves of steel. The will to win over Nazism. OBTF Cascade."

 © FRANCE 24 screengrab/OBTF Cascade/Telegram

“When the Motherland called, the cadets took up arms without hesitation and stood up to defend their native land,” one of the photo captions reads, adding that the brave young men in the pictures previously studied at Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and had promising futures as investigators.

But according to Jeff Hawn, a non-resident fellow at the Washington DC-based think-tank New Lines Institute and an expert on the Russian military, Cascade fighters might not be as daring and courageous as they make themselves out to be.

“The unit has never, as far as anyone can tell, been within 50 miles (80 kilometres) of combat,” he said.

Fulfilling their ‘patriotic duty’

Cascade is a secretive reconnaissance group that shares the same name as a Russian special forces unit – a deliberate move according to Hawn. It was reportedly founded in October last year by Dmitry Sablin, a member of Russia’s ruling United Russia party and a former MP in the State Duma.

Hawn said the unit was created in response to President Vladimir Putin’s decision to declare a “partial mobilisation”, in which 300,000 Russian reservists would be called up and sent to the war in Ukraine. By creating the elite Cascade unit, which is believed to consist of around a hundred members, the Kremlin could show that no one – not even the country’s politicians – were too important to be exempt from military duty.

“[Cascade] was part of a broader effort to show that members of parliament and their families are also actively fighting in the war, or doing their patriotic duty,” Hawn said, noting that several lawmakers and high-profile Russians, including Sablin’s own son, have so far served in the Cascade unit.

According to French newspaper Le Figaro, the group, which is based in the illegally annexed Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, is equipped and funded by the Russian defence ministry.

As much as the group tries to advertise itself as a real combat group, however, critics say it is everything but that.

“This is a ‘cronies detachment’ that includes deputies and their children who want to mark themselves as having been in the war but don’t feel like going to the front line,” the Daily Telegraph cited the influential Russian blog channel VKCh-OGPU as stating in a recent article on the group.

The newspaper pointed to photographs showing Cascade fighters preparing drones and “studying computer monitors from comfortable bunkers”.

The “dangers” Cascade members expose themselves to are virtually non-existent, Hawn added, noting that their contribution to the war effort amounts to little more than photo ops serving Kremlin propaganda purposes.

“They participate for less than a month, take photos, post them, then go home,” Hawn explained. “The MPs and their boys don’t actually do anything.”

Meanwhile, “Russian soldiers are dying in their hundreds in the mud of Bakhmut,” he said.
Join Cascade, up your election chances

In an opinion piece published by American think-tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Russian journalist Andrey Pertsev explained that the war in Ukraine and the title “veteran” has become a “career elevator” for Russian politicians.

“The most cunning careerists, therefore, will appropriate the label of ‘veteran’, earning it through visits to the front lasting only long enough for a photo op,” he wrote, noting that Russian regional elections are now only months away, and trips to Ukraine are therefore in full swing.

One of those who temporarily ditched his administrative duties to “fight” for his homeland by joining Cascade is State Duma member Oleg Golikov. According to Le Figaro, he recently served two three-month contracts with the unit, proudly declaring that: “I’m on the frontline to defend our homeland.”

Whether or not they have taken part in actual combat, politicians who enrolled “have fully embraced the label of combatant, a bet that appears to have paid off”, said Pertsev.

He added: “These days, Putin speaks constantly of the valour of those fighting the war.”

 "The fighters of the OBTF Cascade look to the future with confidence. After all they are absolutely confident in the victory of fascism in the Donbas." The unit's Telegram channel is peppered with portait pictures of its fighters. As you can see in the series of photographs above, they all have the same backdrop. 

© FRANCE 24 screengrab/ OBTF Cascade/ Telegram

The 'Les Flammes' awards in Paris celebrate the diversity of rap music

France is holding its first awards ceremony for the genre, which considers itself under-represented at other music awards.


By Djaïd Yamak
Published today 


The stage of the Les Flammes award ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet, in Paris. 

The first Les Flammes ceremony, which aims to celebrate rap and "popular cultures" more broadly, is being held on Thursday, May 11, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The "historic and iconic venue," according to organizers Tom Brunet and Yoan Prat, founders of Yard Media, embodies the academization of hip-hop and the musical currents associated with it. Hosted by comedian and actress Fadily Camara, the ceremony will be punctuated by the presentation of 21 awards and numerous musical performances. Fourteen artists will perform live. Among them, Dinos, Ronisia, Gazo, Enchanted Julia and Prince Waly.

The ceremony fills the gap, according to the two organizers, left open by the Victoires de la Musique awards which have never managed to really take hold of rap music and the sub-categories associated with it. But in France, these genres top the charts and earn the most streams.

From 2007 to 2019, rap was included in the Victoires de la Musique category for Urban Music Album of the Year. "The term 'urban' is reductive. Rappers rap. They don't 'urban.' They are not urbanists," the founders insisted. However, the pair does resort to the term "urban", so that "those who use it understand what we are talking about," while simultaneously promoting the term "popular cultures."

The "s" on "cultures" is justified by the diversity of the musical currents associated with rap, exemplified by the multiple Flamme awards to be handed out during the ceremony. Two distinctions value African and Caribbean influences: the Flamme for the Caribbean song and the Flamme for the Afro song. The R'n'B song of the year will be awarded to a song composed in collaboration between artists. Stromae, Disiz and Tiakola are vying for the Flamme for New Pop Album of the Year.

Transparent voting system

The top honors were broken down by gender, Male Artist Flamme and Female Artist Flamme of the Year. "We assembled a committee made up 100% of women in the industry. They voted and helped us make the decision to gender the categories so that women would be better represented at the ceremony," said Tom Brunet and Yoan Prat. Lyon rapper Lala & ce, a former member of the 667 collective, is competing alongside Aya Nakamura and Cape Verdean singer Ronisia for the Flamme of the Female Artist of the Year. Dinos, Gazo and Tiakola are vying for the male artist award.

The organizers wanted to make the voting system transparent. "The public often criticizes the ceremonies for not knowing who the people who vote are," said Yoan Prat. For each category, a shortlist of 10 artists was established by a group of journalists. Out of the 17 categories submitted to the vote, nearly 140,000 Internet users, who account for half of the vote, then ranked their choices. To ensure that the weight of the fan communities did not skew the voting, the other half of the voting panel was formed by a jury of industry professionals, journalists and public figures.

French mayor resigns after death threats and arson over plans to host refugees

Yannick Morez, the mayor of a town in western France, was a regular target of far-right protests. He complained of 'a lack of support from the state' when he stepped down.


 AFP
Published today

Demonstrators take part in a protest against a reception center for asylum seekers in front of the town hall of Saint-Brevin-Les-Pins, in western France, on April 29, 2023. Their sign reads "Open your eyes, Stop Immigration, Stop the drop of our status, let's organize the return of clandestine people, deliquents and foreign criminals." 

FRED TANNEAU / AFP

Yannick Morez, mayor of Saint-Brevin-les-Pins in western France, resigned on Wednesday, May 10, after being targeted by the far right over plans to move a center for asylum seekers. Morez faced death threats and an arson attack on his home. His resignation comes as support for the far right swells and mainstream parties seek to channel anti-immigration sentiment in an increasingly tense political environment.

Morez said late on Wednesday he was stepping down "for personal reasons" − while complaining of "a lack of support from the state." His announcement has prompted responses from the highest levels of French politics.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Twitter described the attacks against him as "outrageous" and expressed his "solidarity" with Morez and his family. 

"What has happened is very shocking, and I want to assure the mayor of my full support," Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Thursday during a visit to La Reunion, a French Indian Ocean territory. She added that she wanted to "protect mayors better (...) intervene sooner to support them, to identify their difficulties and back them up better."

Months of protests

Saint-Brevin, a seaside town at the mouth of the Loire River near the western city of Nantes, has been racked for months by protests against plans to move existing asylum accommodation to a site close to a primary school. The town has hosted migrants since the so-called Jungle camp near Calais on France's north coast was dismantled in 2016.

Morez said in March that there had "never been the slightest problem" with asylum seekers in the years they had been hosted in his town. But beyond repeated demonstrations organized by far-right party Reconquete led by former presidential candidate Eric Zemmour against the move, Morez's home was targeted in an arson attack on March 22 that is the subject of a criminal investigation.

Parti Socialiste chief Olivier Faure posted on Twitter that "it's shameful that the state did not grasp the scale of what was happening to him and did not back him up. It's shameful to continue normalizing the far right."

MPs from the far-right politician Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National (RN) party did not join other lawmakers in standing to pay their respects to Morez following his resignation on Wednesday. The re-branded former Front National, whose policies still in large part center on hostility to Islam and immigration, is riding high in the polls.

Recent surveys suggest its figurehead Le Pen would beat Macron if there were a re-run today of last year's election run-off. Meanwhile, Macron's ministers are racing with the conservative Les Républicans party to bring new immigration bills before France's Assemblée Nationale lower house, in which no party has a majority.

'Crisis' measures come into force in drought-hit southern France

Issued on: 11/05/2023 -

01:52

A series of crisis measures, including banning the sale of swimming pools, have come into force in the Pyrenees-Orientales region of southern France, which is in the grip of its most severe water shortage since the 1950s.

In major climate step, EPA proposes 1st limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants

The Biden administration is proposing new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants, its most ambitious effort yet to reduce planet-warming pollution from the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change

ByMATTHEW DALY Associated Press
May 11, 2023


WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration proposed new limits Thursday on greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants, its most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change.

A rule unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency could force power plants to capture smokestack emissions using a technology that has long been promised but is not in widespread use in the U.S.

"This administration is committed to meeting the urgency of the climate crisis and taking the necessary actions required,'' EPA Administrator Michael Regan said during Thursday's announcement.

The new rule will “significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants, protecting health and protecting our planet,'' Regan said. The plan would not only “improve air quality nationwide, but it will bring substantial health benefits to communities all across the country, especially our frontline communities ... that have unjustly borne the burden of pollution for decades,'' Regan said in a speech at the University of Maryland.

If finalized, the proposed regulation would mark the first time the federal government has restricted carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, which generate about 25% of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution, second only to the transportation sector. The rule also would apply to future electric plants and would avoid up to 617 million metric tons of carbon dioxide through 2042, equivalent to annual emissions of 137 million passenger vehicles, the EPA said.

Almost all the coal plants — along with large, frequently used gas-fired power plants — would have to cut or capture nearly all their carbon dioxide emissions by 2038, the EPA said. Plants that cannot meet the new standards would be forced to retire.

The plan is likely to be challenged by industry groups and Republican-leaning states, which have accused the Democratic administration of overreach on environmental regulations and warn of a pending reliability crisis for the electric grid. The power plant rule is one of at least a half-dozen EPA rules limiting power plant emissions and wastewater treatment.

“It's truly an onslaught” of government regulation “designed to shut down the coal fleet prematurely,'' Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association, said in an interview before the rule was announced.

In a call with reporters on Wednesday, Regan denied that the power plant rule — or any other regulation — was aimed at shutting down the coal fleet even though he acknowledged, “We will see some coal retirements.”

The proposal “relies on proven, readily available technologies to limit carbon pollution” and builds on industry practices already underway to move toward clean energy, he said.

Coal provides about 20% of U.S. electricity, down from about 45% in 2010. Natural gas provides about 40% of U.S. electricity. The remainder comes from nuclear energy and renewables such as wind, solar and hydropower.

Tom Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute, which represents U.S. investor-owned electric companies, said the group will assess whether the EPA's proposal aligns with its commitment to provide reliable, clean energy.

Carbon emissions from the U.S. power sector are at the same level as in 1984, while electricity use has climbed 73% since then, Kuhn said.

The EPA rule would not mandate use of equipment to capture and store carbon emissions — a technology that is expensive and still being developed — but instead would set caps on carbon dioxide pollution that plant operators would have to meet. Some natural gas plants could start blending gas with another fuel source such as hydrogen, which does not emit carbon, although specific actions would be left to the industry.

Still, the regulation is expected to lead to greater use of carbon capture equipment, a technology that the EPA said has been "adequately demonstrated" to control pollution.

Jay Duffy, a lawyer for the Boston-based Clean Air Task Force, said the EPA rule is likely to “propel deployment of carbon capture” technology far above current usage. “It’s a way for (fossil fuel) plants to operate in a decarbonized world," he said before the rule was announced.

"Industry innovates and over-complies,'' Duffy said, citing a 1970s EPA rule that required power plants to use sulfur dioxide scrubbers. At the time, there were only three commercial scrubber units operating at U.S. power plants and just one vendor. Within a few years, there were 119 sulfur scrubbers installed and 13 vendors, Duffy said in an essay posted on the group's website.

More recently, the U.S. power industry exceeded emissions goals set by the Obama administration in its Clean Power Plan, even though the plan was blocked by the courts and never implemented.

Still, the scope of the power plant rule is immense. About 60% of the electricity generated in the U.S. last year came from burning fossil fuels at the nation’s 3,400 coal and gas-fired plants, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

“These rules are a big deal,'' said David Doniger, senior strategic director for climate and clean energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council. The power plant rules are crucial to meeting President Joe Biden's goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and eliminate carbon emissions from the power grid by 2035, he and other advocates said.

“We need to do this to meet the climate crisis,'' Doniger said.

The proposal comes weeks after the Biden administration announced strict new tailpipe pollution limits that would require up to two-thirds of new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2032 and months after Biden announced rules to curb methane leaks from oil and gas wells.

The rules follow climate action by the 2021 infrastructure law and billions of dollars in tax credits and other incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, approved last year.

While Biden has made fighting global warming a top priority, he has faced sharp criticism from environmentalists — particularly young climate activists — for a recent decision to approve the contentious Willow oil project in Alaska. The massive drilling plan by oil giant ConocoPhillips could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope. Environmental groups call Willow a “carbon bomb” and have mounted a social media #StopWillow campaign.

The new plan comes 14 years after the EPA declared that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health. President Barack Obama tried to set limits on carbon pollution from U.S. power plants, but his 2015 Clean Power Plan was blocked by the Supreme Court and later was rolled back by President Donald Trump.

Last year, the Supreme Court limited how the Clean Air Act can be used to reduce climate-altering emissions from power plants. The 6-3 ruling confirmed the EPA's authority to regulate carbon emissions from power plants but said it could not force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity.

The EPA said its new rule will give plant operators flexibility to meet the new standards in a method of their choosing. And instead of creating one limit that all power plants must meet, the agency said it will set a range of targets based on the size of the plant, how often it is used and whether it is already scheduled for retirement.

___

Follow the AP's coverage of climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.

Czechs announce major pension, tax reform to rein in debt

Prime Minister Petr Fiala's government has come under fire from low-income voters over record inflation 

Issued on: 11/05/2023

Prague (AFP) – The Czech government presented an extensive tax and pension reform on Thursday designed to curb soaring public debt due to the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Presenting the "Czechia in Shape" programme, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said its goal was "to fundamentally reverse the trend of growing debt" and make the pension system sustainable.

"The pace of the debt growth in our country is horrific," Fiala told reporters.

The EU member of 10.5 million people was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and topped the global statistics for per capita deaths for several months.

In 2019, before the pandemic hit Europe, the Czech government's debt reached 28.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Last year, it stood at 42.6 percent.

The government will cut spending in the government sector, curb subsidies, and raise the real estate tax and corporate income taxes from 2024.

It will also introduce changes to extend the pension age.

Labour and Social Affairs Minister Marian Jurecka said the retirement age would be set on the basis of life expectancy from 2025, against the current 64 years.

The average Czech should receive a pension for 21.5 years, Jurecka told reporters.

"Around 2050, we will have one working person per one pensioner, this is why the change is crucial," Jurecka said.

He added the state would also tighten the rules for early retirement.

Fiala's government will also replace the current three value added tax (VAT) rates of 10, 15 and 21 percent with two set at 12 and 21 percent, said Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura.

Vital goods such as foodstuffs, housing and healthcare will be taxed at 12 percent against the current 15 percent.

The government also expects to raise taxes on alcohol, tobacco and gambling, and has scrapped VAT on books.

Fiala's centre-right government -- in office since late 2021 -- threw its support behind Ukraine after it was invaded by Russia in February 2022.

It has provided Ukraine with substantial military and humanitarian aid and received almost 500,000 war refugees, which also had an effect on its spending.

The economic plan has to be passed by parliament, but is expected to pass easily as the government holds a majority of 108 votes in the 200-member lower house.

Fiala's government has recently come under fire from low-income voters staging several rallies in Prague over record inflation and falling living standards.

© 2023 AFP

Fiala’s Government Sees Lowest Popularity Rating Since 2013

Czech News Agency April 19, 2023

Prague, April 19 (CTK) – The government of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) has the lowest popularity rating since the cabinet of Petr Necas (ODS) in 2013, according to a poll conducted by the Public Opinion Research Center (CVVM) between late January and 20 March.

Czech citizens mostly criticise the cabinet’s program, performance and individual members, as well as the prime minister himself and the way he communicates with the public.

In all of these aspects, Fiala’s cabinet has lower popularity ratings than at any time during the two cabinets of Andrej Babis (ANO; 2017-2021), the cabinet of Bohuslav Sobotka (CSSD; 2014-2017) and the caretaker cabinet of Jiri Rusnok (2013-2014), despite the fact that Babis’s first government and the Rusnok cabinet were ruling without the confidence of the Chamber of Deputies.

The only lower rating than Fiala’s was for Necas’s cabinet in a February 2013 poll. Necas’s government underwent extensive personnel changes during its three years in power and ended by resigning in summer 2013 after a police raid in the government offices.

Negative assessments of Fiala’s government outweigh the positive ones. For example, only 24% of respondents were satisfied with the members of the government, while 71% are dissatisfied overall. The prime minister is rated negatively by 64% of people and positively by 32%. While 69% of Czechs are dissatisfied with the government’s actions, only 27% are satisfied. The cabinet’s communication with the public is assessed negatively by 66% of respondents and positively by 30%. The smallest margin between positive and negative evaluations is for the government’s program, with which 30% of Czechs are satisfied, compared to 59% that are not

Compared to the previous survey in August and September 2021, which evaluated Babis’s government, the share of dissatisfied people in each case has increased by up to 15 percentage points. The evaluation of the prime minister has changed the least; in the previous survey, 62% of people were dissatisfied with Babis as PM, while in the current survey, 64% of respondents evaluate Fiala negatively.

The poll found that older people are less satisfied with Fiala’s cabinet in all aspects, while people from higher-income households and with better living standards are more satisfied. Right-wing voters are generally more satisfied with the current government. Strong dissatisfaction with the cabinet was expressed mainly by supporters of the opposition parties ANO and Freedom and Democracy (SPD), as well as non-voters.

The current cabinet has been facing rising prices and other impacts of the Russian attack on Ukraine, which started last February. Over the past few months, protests against the government have been held repeatedly in the Czech Republic. On Sunday, thousands of people demonstrated at Wenceslas Square in Prague, with speakers calling for strikes and the resignation of the government.

In March, some of the participants in one demonstration tried to enter the National Museum building and tear down a Ukrainian flag.

Last September, around 70,000 people gathered at a protest rally calling for the government’s resignation. The organisers criticised the government over soaring energy prices and the pro-Western stance of the current cabinet.

The survey was conducted by CVVM from 31 January to 20 March on a sample of 861 Czech residents over the age of 15.

Appointed in December 2021, the Fiala cabinet comprises the three-party Spolu alliance of ODS, the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and TOP 09, as well as the Mayors and Independents (STAN) and the Pirate Party.

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Threats and shared gold after cheating row rocks eSports final

Issued on: 11/05/2023

eSports is being contested at the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh 

© TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP


Phnom Penh (AFP) – An eSports final at the Southeast Asian Games has been rocked by cheating allegations that led to the gold medal being shared between two countries on Thursday.

Singapore and Indonesia were jointly awarded gold but instead of basking in victory some players reported receiving online threats.

The dispute arose during a final for the first-person shooter Valorant in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on Wednesday.

Indonesia's players complained to officials that their opponents were using an in-game camera which allowed them to track players' movements, saying it was not allowed under the rules.

Singapore disputed the tactic was not permitted, leading to players and officials wrangling over the rules well into the early hours.

Singaporean player Tidus Goh said on Twitter that they had "played by the rules that were conveyed to us".

He and teammate Marcus "nephh" Tan reported receiving threats online over the furore.

A Thursday morning restart of the final was agreed upon, with a points penalty for Singapore.

But when play looked set to finally resume, Indonesia said they would forfeit the match, saying it was unfair the rules had not been made clear.

Eventually the Southeast Asian Games Federation ruled that the gold medal would be shared.

"A lot of this came up from a lot of miscommunication," Indonesia head coach Yohannes Paraloan Siagian told AFP.

"We have nothing against our opponents," he added.

"It was more that we felt that the way this event was being run did not make for a fair, balanced playing field."

Explaining the joint gold, the coach said he thought the Southeast Asian Games had opted for a solution "that caused the least amount of distress all round".

When the medals were awarded -- along with joint bronzes for the Philippines and Vietnam -- the Singapore players were not on the podium, having flown back home.

A spokesperson for the Singapore National Olympic Council said it accepted the decision and congratulated Indonesia on the joint victory.

"We are pleased to win Singapore's first gold medal in eSports," it added.

Frengky Ong, secretary general of the Esports Federation of Indonesia, said: "We accepted the joint-golds decision by considering our commitment to respect the brotherhood between countries which SEA Games upholds strongly."

© 2023 AFP