More disappointment, desperation, despondency, sabotage, new normal, omnicrisis, devastating, hottest, fastest, largest, historic, highest, lowest, catastrophic...
Hi,
For much of my life’s work I have put enormous trust in incrementalism, making and being satisfied with small changes en route and as part of a plan to achieve something greater. Such was my perception of how to be successful at global and public health. Over my career, this was mostly my strategy for building global health as a ‘subject’ and teaching, researching and working with poor and vulnerable populations around the world on issues of public health, system management and project implementation. Ultimately I fully integrated ecological wellness, which has now overtaken much of my focus. The last two weeks of COP27 have given me pause enough to reflect on this and its applicability now with the climate crisis, such as it is, and how I assess it.
The global climate crisis conference in Egypt has been given mixed grades. Yes, it achieved another very important commitment to the poorer low polluting countries and peoples of the world, this time to help them ‘weather’ the effects they/re being saddled with by the crisis, some of which is existential as in the impending famine of parts of East Africa, serious droughts elsewhere including California and parts of the Canadian Prairies, melting permafrost, and rising oceans, etc. The rich world, in 2015, had already committed, though has fallen short to date, a huge amount of money for adaptation to help such countries avoid the colossal disasters they’re now experiencing. But it didn’t include money for ‘repair’ once having been struck, as for instance Pakistan suffering with 1/3 of its country flooded out in September and at least 28 other GHG induced disasters elsewhere causing over a billion dollars of damage just this year. Timing in southern Ontario couldn’t have been more appropriate with record breaking snow falls last weekend, especially in Buffalo, just across the Niagara river from Canada which got some two metres of the white beautiful stuff. And for those familiar with Buffalo, setting a snow record is no easy feat.
COP27 did have some other significant gains, helping to balance out the total neglect of actual mitigation, real actions which will directly reduce global GHG emissions, which continue to increase as surely as a COP takes place every year. But here’s a summary of what good came about, mostly in the area of ‘process’.
Other wins at COP27:
- Strengthening of the Santiago network for averting, minimizing and addressing 'loss and damage';
- COP27 had the first ever youth envoy, Omnia El Omrani; the First Youth Climate Dialogue, and mention in three articles of the final COP27 text recognizing the role of children and youth as agents of change in responding to climate change and to encourage Parties to include children and youth in their processes for designing and implementing climate policy and action;
- Inclusion and recognition of tipping points and the multiple simultaneous crises we are facing.
- Establishes first UNFCCC work program on a just transition grounded in social dialogue and social protections.
- Another first: a new 4-year work program on ‘implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security’ (providing a more holistic approach to agriculture, with discussion now expanded into food systems, food security, nutrition, role of Indigenous peoples, women and small-scale farmers;
- A new better arrangement for the Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue, by more tightly integrating it with the COP process.
- The first-ever UNFCCC Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate supported by UN Habitat & with a broad mobilization of the LGMA (Local Government Municipal Authorities) Constituency representing cities, towns, regions as a major step to show Multilevel Action Delivers;
- The need for “transformation of the financial system and its structures and processes” made it into the final COP27 text;
- The human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is now embedded in the UNFCCC (by inclusion into the final text, it's the first time that this right gets referenced in international environmental negotiations);
- Inclusion in the final text of “nature-based solutions or ecosystem-based approaches” and a dedicated section on “forest”;
- Perceived breaking of the fault lines between developed and developing countries…perhaps offering a first glimpse of what global solidarity and climate justice looks like.
- First ever climate march inside a UN-controlled zone (the only way to ensure safety of those involved). Frontline communities and leaders (Indigenous, environmental justice, labour, women and gender, youth and disability justice movements) from around the world participated in the march, chanting "no climate justice without human rights" and delivering to delegates demands and a People’s Declaration for Climate Justice.
- The Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) slightly increased its membership (see below; Quebec is a member).
- Various individual country announcements, often about future funding.
Honestly, this is a pretty good list and each is important as we earnestly move into a more perilous future. It’s supremely important to help those being imperilled by our addiction to fossil fuels and to create structures, documents and processes to hopefully work towards reducing emissions. BUT, and this is a great ‘but’, the Conference of Parties 27 totally fell short on climate finance (with just more promises and no mechanisms yet for funding 'loss and damage', and the ultimately important phasing out of fossil fuels. There was barely a whimper to actually reduce (or commit to reduce) greenhouse gas emissions. Those positive outcomes will hopefully contribute to reducing emissions, someday, but there were no commitments nor actions to actually reduce them now or in the next year. What a tragedy and almost a farce.
The collective official world showed that they are prepared to add more bandages, but not adequately finance the ‘care’ nor get at the source of the problem. But isn’t that just the way we treat so many issues in our society? Put bandages on, take drugs, hope for the best and not deal with why we got into the situation needing them. That is no way to deal with an issue that is progressively getting worse, but the day, by the minute.
Perhaps one can ask, too, how could the source of the crisis be dealt with, when there was a huge force present to convince for continued expansion of oil and gas, often by floating false flags of hope, as in carbon capture to foster continued expansion. My country, laden with such slugs in its official delegation, in fact, continues with billions of dollars of subsidies to such forces/companies, an industry now making absurdly huge profits, and a mockery of this and every other COP.
Taking the crumbs of good with the buckets of bad and not feeling particularly hopeful, satisfied nor happy, we continue with sharing information in today’s Planetary Health Weekly (#47 of 2022):
- CLIMATE & BIODIVERSITY CRISES:
- Corporate power casts a long shadow at UN climate negotiations,
- Japan is the world’s largest provider of public finance for fossil fuels, spending 10.6 billion USD a year,
- The fossil fuelled fallacy: how the dash for gas in Africa will fail to deliver development,
- Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance adds new members,
- UN announces high-tech, satellite-based global methane detection system,
- Linked fates: how California’s oil imports affect the future of the Amazon rainforest,
- ICYMI: Oil lobby & Trudeau government formed secretive committee during pandemic,
- BC’s big trees protection is toothless – government knew it,
- Climate crisis advocacy: Demand a windfall tax on fossil fuel companies,
- CORONAVIRUS UPDATES:
- An estimated 15% of U.S. adults infected with SARS-CoV-2 have long-Covid,
- Post-COVID-19-associated morbidity in children, adolescents, and adults: A matched cohort study including more than 157,000 individuals with COVID-19 in Germany
- High blood pressure linked to 22% greater risk of severe Covid
- Vaccination- and/or natural infection-induced immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants,
- The effectiveness of BNT162b2 Covid-19 vaccine against infection with Omicron subvariants BA.4/5,
- A multinational Delphi consensus to end the COVID-19 public health threat
- In mild cases of Covid blood clot risk is higher, THEN
- Food security in Central America: How to ensure food security for Latin America – now and in the future,
- Hunger plagues India – but there’s no shortage of food,
- Avian flu: our food chain is in crisis,
- Israel detects cholera in reservoir in north
- Tuna catch rates soared after creation of no-fishing zone in Hawaii,
- Passive cooking campaign to encourage people to cook pasta off the heat saves the planet and reduces energy bills,
- Degrowth: a dangerous idea or the answer to the world’s biggest crisis?
- New initiative to tackle alcohol harms will focus on taxation,
- Behind a façade of Inuit self-determination – profits flow south,
- Quote on being at the table or not at COP27,
- Visualizing the world’s top social media and messaging apps,
- Oil pollution: investigation reveals Egypt's 'super coral' at risk,
- Overall cancer death rates continue to decline in the U.S.,
- Five ways you can become a citizen scientist and help save the planet,
- New book: “Capitalism in the Anthropocene: Ecological Ruin or Ecological Revolution” by John Bellamy Foster,
- The benefits of implementing transdisciplinary educational programs, and lastly
- ENDSHOTS of WINTER'S SPELL TAKING HOLD.
Do keep reading. Best, david
David Zakus, Editor and Publisher
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SUNRISE AT WHITEFISH LAKE |
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IN COMPLETE SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE SEEKING PEACE AND VICTORY |
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AND WITH THE BRAVE PROTESTERS IN IRAN (AND QATAR) |
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CLIMATE & BIODIVERSITY CRISES UPDATES |
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Credit: the Breach
As delegates walked into the Canada Pavilion at the United Nations climate summit last week, they were met with a shocking surprise: at least eight confirmed oil and gas lobbyists with Canadian-government sponsored badges.
From oil and gas companies in the Alberta tar sands to private equity and banking institutions invested in fossil fuels, the biggest polluters are in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in full force, speaking at government events, hosting their own panel discussions, and being offered celebratory welcomes from Canada’s negotiators and federal ministers (there’s even been cake).
And thanks to their official badges, they are allowed access to the negotiating rooms where delegates are negotiating over the details of climate agreements.
The UN Secretariat will not release the names of badge holders until after the summit is complete, but they’ve been hard to miss. After a photo of the senior vice president of the Royal Bank of Canada—a top investor in the tar sands—and Suncor’s Vice President of Sustainability circulated widely on Twitter, the lobbyists tried to become more discreet: standing in the shadows of events, they turned their badges around so that the incriminating pink line that indicates they are part of Canada’s “party” could not as easily be seen.
At this year’s climate summit, there are more fossil fuel lobbyists than there are delegates from any African nation, even though this is only the fourth time the conference has been held on the continent.
According to Global Witness, there’s been a record explosion this year in attendance by fossil fuel lobbyists and executives. With over 600 delegates, their presence is up 25 per cent from last year’s summit, a troubling figure indicating the state of international negotiations. Read more at Breach Media
SEE ALSO:
At Oil Change International: Japan Is The World’s Largest Provider Of Public Finance For Fossil Fuels, Spending 10.6 Billion USD A Year
A new briefing just released reveals that Japan is the world’s largest public financier for oil, gas and coal projects. Japan contributed 10.6 billion USD per year on average between 2019 and 2021 through its export credit agencies and development finance institutions. Japan also leads in global public finance for gas, averaging 6.7 billion USD per year during the same period.
As part of the G7, Japan committed to end new direct public support for the international unabated fossil fuel energy sector by the end of 2022. However, shortly afterwards, an official from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said that Japan will continue to finance upstream oil and gas developments that contribute to energy security.
At Don't Gas Africa: The Fossil Fuelled Fallacy: How the Dash for Gas in Africa Will Fail to Deliver Development
European governments have joined multinational fossil fuel companies in a dash for gas in Africa. They are rushing to explore, extract, and ultimately export fossil gas from the continent into international markets to bridge the shortfall of Russian gas in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine and to profit off high commodity prices.
At National Observer: Beyond Oil And Gas Alliance Adds New Members
A diplomatic effort to phase out oil and gas around the world launched at last year’s United Nations climate conference added several new members to its bloc in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
On Wednesday, the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), led by Denmark, added Fiji, Tuvalu, Kenya, Chile and Washington state, which advocates say shows momentum is building from last year. The alliance targets the supply of oil and gas, rather than the demand for it, as a strategy to accelerate the phaseout of fossil fuels. It does this by banning new exploration and setting targets for the end of production from existing sites.
At UN Environment Programme: UN Announces High-Tech, Satellite-Based Global Methane Detection System
The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) is a new initiative to scale up global efforts to detect and act on major emissions sources in a transparent manner and accelerate implementation of the Global Methane Pledge. Methane released by human activities is responsible for around 25% of anthropogenic climate change. MARS will alert governments, companies and operators about large methane sources to foster rapid mitigation action of this potent gas.
At Amazon Watch: Linked Fates: How California's Oil Imports Affect The Future Of The Amazon Rainforest
New research from Stand.earth and Amazon Watch shows that California is the world’s largest consumer of oil from the Amazon rainforest. Linked Fates shows in detail how California converts 50% of the Amazon oil exported globally into fuel for airports, corporations such as Amazon.com, trucking fleets such as PepsiCo., and retail gas giants such as COSTCO, all of which comes from oil extracted in the Amazon – where the oil industry causes deforestation and pollution, violates Indigenous peoples rights, spreads corruption, and contributes to climate change.
At the Breach: ICYMI from April, 20221: Oil Lobby, Trudeau Government Formed Secretive Committee During Pandemic
The federal government formed a secretive working group with the country’s most powerful oil lobby during the coronavirus pandemic, discussing reducing regulations, strengthening “investor confidence,” and creating post-pandemic opportunities for the industry, documents obtained through Access to Information reveal.
The working group was initiated at the behest of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), which represents 150 oil and gas companies and has frequently lobbied the government to delay climate action.
At the Tyee: BC’s Big Trees Protection Is Toothless. Government Knew It
Officials in British Columbia’s Forests Ministry understood that a regulation introduced in 2020 to protect big trees on public lands would have little impact. They designed it that way. Internal records released to The Tyee in response to a freedom of information request confirm critics’ suspicions that the Special Tree Protection Regulation was meant to sound good to the public while continuing to protect the interests of the logging industry.
At Greenpeace: Climate Crisis Advocacy: Demand A Windfall Tax On Fossil Fuel Companies
Fossil fuel companies are driving up inflation – and laughing all the way to the bank forcing you to pay more for everything. It’s time to call the cost-of-living crisis by its true name: Fossilflation.
While Canadians struggle to put food on the table, and meet their basic needs, oil and gas companies are posting sky-high profits. In the second quarter of 2022 alone, Canada’s top fossil fuel companies made $12 billion in excess profits, a three-fold increase compared to the same period last year. These extra billions are coming out of your pocket when YOU pay higher prices at the pump, and when other companies pass on their increased fuel costs to YOU through higher sticker prices on food and necessities.
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Posting on Twitter, November 20, 2022 |
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SARS-CoV-2 & COVID-19 UPDATES |
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The pandemic continues all over the world and is now complicated by epidemic flu and RSV (most common in children). Children's hospitals in Canada are overflowing with cases, presenting another dire outcome and hit to the medical system. Information about Covid-19's prevalence and outcomes is increasingly hard to find, and many erroneously feel it's over. It is not. Covid is still a life threatening disease associated with many complications; it's infecting and killing many. Many health authorities call for widespread public health measures, but it remains confusing and little adhered to. Collective action, data reporting and leadership have all but disappeared.
Over the last week, cases are up about 10% to 450,000/day (though this is sorely under-reported); deaths are about the same at 1300/day; and vaccinations down about two-thirds to only about 600,000/day. Way too many not still not fully immunized, including (surprisingly in China), which includes getting boosters, especially among children and those 60+.
Vaccination, despite ongoing concerns about waning immunity and slander against it, along with other proven public health measures, remain the best ways to keep yourself and others safe from serious consequences. Get all the shots/boosters you can, and practise other public health measures (like masking) especially indoors with crowds.
See below for a few global stats and current hotspots.
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"It is the plague in seemingly all sincerity." Bob Woodward |
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Credit: Anucha Naisuntorn / Shutterstock
In a recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open, researchers in the United States estimated the sociodemographic factors associated with and prevalence of post-acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptom sequelae (PASC) or long COVID (LCOVID). They also assessed the association of vaccination status and dominant strain at the time of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection with the risk of LCOVID development.
LCOVID or COVID-19 symptom persistence beyond two months of acute COVID-19 has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a commonly occurring sequela of COVID-19. However, multiple LCOVID aspects have not been understood completely, with studies indicating that LCOVID may be an amalgamated presentation of several syndromes. Notably, data on the profiles of individuals who would completely recover from acute COVID-19 and those who would experience LCOVID are lacking.
Overall, the study findings showed that LCOVID was prevalent in the US and associated with older age and the female sex and that the completion of prime COVID-19 vaccinations before SARS-CoV-2 infection could reduce LCOVID risks. Read more at News Medical Life Sciences
SEE ALSO:
At PLOS Medicine: Post-COVID-19-associated morbidity in children, adolescents, and adults: A matched cohort study including more than 157,000 individuals with COVID-19 in Germany
Long-term health sequelae of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are a major public health concern. However, evidence on post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (post-COVID-19) is still limited, particularly for children and adolescents. Utilizing comprehensive healthcare data on approximately 46% of the German population, we investigated post-COVID-19-associated morbidity in children/adolescents and adults. In this retrospective matched cohort study, we observed significant new onset morbidity in children, adolescents, and adults across 13 prespecified diagnosis/symptom complexes, following COVID-19 infection. These findings expand the existing available evidence on post-COVID-19 conditions in younger age groups and confirm previous findings in adults.
At The Conversation: High blood pressure linked to 22% greater risk of severe COVID
From early on in the pandemic it was apparent that older adults and those with underlying health problems were more likely to get very sick from a COVID infection compared with younger, healthier people.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most common conditions in the general population, particularly in those who are middle aged and older. It also seemed to be one of the most common conditions among COVID patients, especially those who were hospitalised or died.
In a new study, we’ve found that people with high blood pressure have a 22% higher risk of being hospitalised or dying from the virus compared to people without high blood pressure.
At News Medical Life Sciences: Vaccination- And/Or Natural Infection-Induced Immune Responses Against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Subvariants
In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers comparatively evaluated the neutralization antibody (Ab) titers for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron VOC (variants of concern) subvariants BA.1, BA.2, BA.4/5 among individuals with ancestral B.1 (D614G) strain infections, vaccinated individuals, or with hybrid (combined) immunity from breakthrough infections (BTI) and vaccinations with Delta or Gamma VOCs.
At News Medical Life Sciences: The Effectiveness Of BNT162b2 COVID-19 Vaccine Against Infection With SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Subvariants BA.4/5
In a recent study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, researchers evaluated the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of Pfizer-BioNTech’s BNT162b2 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron BA.4/5.
Overall, the study findings showed that double BNT162b2 vaccination conferred limited immune protection against Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 infection severity outcomes, including hospitalizations. D3 and/or D4 did improve immune responses against Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, but the immune protection waned within three months against milder infection outcomes such as OP, UC, or ED encounters and after six months against Omicron BA.4- and BA.5-associated hospitalizations. The findings underpinned booster vaccine administration.
At Nature: A multinational Delphi consensus to end the COVID-19 public health threat
Despite notable scientific and medical advances, broader political, socioeconomic and behavioural factors continue to undercut the response to the COVID-19 pandemic1,2. Here we convened, as part of this Delphi study, a diverse, multidisciplinary panel of 386 academic, health, non-governmental organization, government and other experts in COVID-19 response from 112 countries and territories to recommend specific actions to end this persistent global threat to public health. The panel developed a set of 41 consensus statements and 57 recommendations to governments, health systems, industry and other key stakeholders across six domains: communication; health systems; vaccination; prevention; treatment and care; and inequities. In the wake of nearly three years of fragmented global and national responses, it is instructive to note that three of the highest-ranked recommendations call for the adoption of whole-of-society and whole-of-government approaches1, while maintaining proven prevention measures using a vaccines-plus approach2 that employs a range of public health and financial support measures to complement vaccination. Other recommendations with at least 99% combined agreement advise governments and other stakeholders to improve communication, rebuild public trust and engage communities3 in the management of pandemic responses. The findings of the study, which have been further endorsed by 184 organizations globally, include points of unanimous agreement, as well as six recommendations with >5% disagreement, that provide health and social policy actions to address inadequacies in the pandemic response and help to bring this public health threat to an end.
At News Medical Life Sciences: In Mild Cases Of COVID, Blood Clot Risk Is Higher
Previous studies have reported a predominant pattern of COVID-19 sequelae involving debilitating fatigue and persistent cardiac, neurological, digestive, renal, pulmonary, and muscular problems. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as “long COVID” and often persists for several months following recovery from severe COVID-19.
While many studies have examined the cardiovascular outcomes after recovery from COVID-19, none have examined the differential risks based on COVID-19 severity. Furthermore, many of these have been retrospective studies.
Therefore, examining whether the increased risk of cardiovascular complications associated with COVID-19 depends on the severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) infections is essential.
The study findings suggest a significant association between severe COVID-19 and increased risk of cardiovascular outcomes including myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, venous thromboembolism, arterial fibrillation, and cardiovascular and ischemic heart disease-related mortality. In contrast, mild cases of COVID-19 not requiring hospitalization were associated with a higher risk of venous thromboembolism and all-cause mortality only.
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Below from Twitter today November 24, 2022 |
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Below from Twitter today November 24, 2022, the reposting of a College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario posting about 18 months ago...still relevant though somehow now causing a disturbance amongst the anti-science crowd. |
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Food Security In Central America With Carlos Jimenez |
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Skyrocketing food prices in 2022 have endangered the food security of millions. Credit: FAO (Image above credit: REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci)
The global economic crisis has hit Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) hard. Rising prices of fuel and food have undermined the purchasing power of all families, but especially the poorer, who spend a large share of their income on meals and transportation. Putting food on the table has become impossible for some families across the region. Many are skipping meals — they simply can’t afford them.
This is particularly troublesome in Andean, Caribbean and Central American countries, where, according to the World Bank over 30% of households face this plight. The situation demands an urgent response, both immediate for the short-term and strategic for the long-term. Even before the Russia-Ukraine war threatened global food security by disrupting trade in food, fuel and fertilizer, food prices were on the rise globally.
Extreme weather events have combined with COVID-19-related impacts on food and labour supply chains, undermining food production and exerting upward pressure on food prices. Food price inflation, as a result, has exceeded overall inflation in nominal and real terms across several LAC countries. Since LAC is the world’s largest net food exporting region, whatever happens in its agri-food systems has implications around the globe. Indeed, LAC can benefit from international food prices increases. But some gains — for example, from global prices of cereals — are being offset by spiking costs of fuel and fertilizer. Farmers and ranchers play a critical role in lowering and stabilizing food prices and ensuring food security. But to increase supply rapidly, the agriculture and food policy environment must promote investment and competitiveness in the sector, ensuring it has the resources and flexibility required to respond to market opportunities. In the short term, governments must resist the temptation to implement knee-jerk ad-hoc trade policies or mandates. Read more at World Economic Forum
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Migrant labourers and their family members hold kitchen utensils as they protest against the government for the lack of food in a slum area CREDIT: NARINDER NANU / AFP
It’s an exciting time to be in India. The country has a unique geopolitical position – attracting overtures from both the West and Russia – while internal opportunities abound as the economy expands at pace. But the latest Global Hunger Index is a stark reminder of the limits of India’s rapid development.
The country was ranked 107th in the world, dropping six places since 2021 and falling further behind neighbouring Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The government, which does not react well to external criticism, quickly refuted the findings, describing the study as an “erroneous measure” and questioning its methodology. But it was the third straight year that India had fallen three places on the ranking, indicating the results aren’t the anomaly that Delhi presents.
The Global Hunger Index – which is collated by the NGOs Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe – analyses a country’s performance across four metrics: undernourishment among an entire population; childhood stunting among under fives; childhood wasting among under fives; and childhood mortality among under fives. There is nothing in this data to suggest India’s ranking is unjustified. Read more at The Telegraph
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A national housing order – or lockdown – has been announced across the country CREDIT: Andrew Fox / Alamy Stock Photo
The virus incubates silently within its host for between two and eight days. Once symptoms emerge, victims quickly lose their balance and many become blind. Death is most commonly caused by necrosis of the spleen and pancreas, and typically occurs within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. The fatality rate is over 90% and the reproduction, or “R,” rate can exceed 100.
“When the disease takes hold, there’s nothing you can do,” said Mark Gorton, who has seen more than 100,000 deaths in the last month alone. “You can’t give them medicine, you can’t give them extra bedding or make them a bit warmer. There’s nothing you can do and it’s absolutely soul destroying”.
So worrying is the speed and scale of the outbreak that on Monday ministers in the UK announced a “mandatory national housing order” – or lockdown – in a bid to slow the UK epidemic down ahead of Christmas. It mirrors a compulsory housing order introduced between November 2021 and May 2022, which some critics say was lifted too early. For the moment, at least, this latest disease outbreak is thankfully almost entirely confined to avian populations. Nevertheless, it has been devastating to many. Mr Gorton, the founder of Traditional Norfolk Poultry, has witnessed the death of 10% of his free range organic chickens and turkeys. “Every night is a sleepless night,” he told The Telegraph. “It’s a very, very worrying time.” Read more at The Telegraph
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Credit: Getty Images
Israel has detected cholera in a reservoir in the north of the country, likely the result of an outbreak in neighboring Syria spreading, the health ministry said. The bacteria's detection does not pose a danger to the public at this point, the ministry spokesperson said, adding that the authorities have taken steps to "protect Israel's water sources" and regularly monitor possible water contamination, particularly in the north. Read more at CGTN
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Longline fishing boats such as these at Honolulu’s harbour in Hawaii must respect a large no-fishing zone off the western side of the archipelago.Credit: Sarah Medoff
Large no-fishing areas can drive the recovery of commercially valuable fish species, a study suggests. Ten years’ worth of fisheries data have shown that catch rates of two important types of tuna increased drastically in the vicinity of a marine protected area surrounding the northwestern Hawaiian islands. “It’s a win–win for fish and fishermen,” says Jennifer Raynor, an economist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a co-author of the study, which was published on 20 October in Science1.
The results highlight the value of large-scale marine protected areas — a type of environmental management that has emerged in the past two decades, mostly in the Pacific Ocean, says Kekuewa Kikiloi, who studies Hawaiian culture at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. Countries around the world have committed to protecting 30% of their land and oceans by 2030.
Previous research showed that marine protected areas can help to restore populations of creatures that don’t move around much or at all, such as corals and lobsters. Raynor and her colleagues wanted to test whether the areas could also drive the recovery of migratory species and provide spillover benefits for fisheries. The researchers looked at one of the largest such areas in the world, the 1.5-million-square-kilometre Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which was created in 2006 and expanded in 2016 to protect biological and cultural resources.
The team focused on the Hawaiian ‘deep-set’ longline fishery, which mainly targets yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus). Read more at Nature
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Credit: Barilla
Barilla released a Passive Cooking campaign and Passive Cooker product that helps save the planet and reduce energy bills. It is based on a simple ancient technique to cook pasta off the heat i.e. keeping the lid on and using residual heat for cooking.
Their cooker product allows people to use the optimal cooking time and alerts them when the food is ready. Even though it is a small change, it has a big impact. Over 400 million portions of pasta are served every day. This technique can reduce CO2 production by cooking pasta by 80%. Read more at We Don't Have Time
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Credit: Henry Nicholls/Reuters
Conventional economic logic hinges on a core assumption: Bigger economies are better, and finding ways to maintain or boost growth is paramount to improving society.
But what if growth is at best doing little to fix the world’s problems, and at worst fostering the destruction of the planet and jeopardizing its future?
That’s the radical message from the “degrowth” movement, which has spent decades on the political fringes with its warning that limitless growth needs to end. Now, after the pandemic gave people in some parts of the world a chance to rethink what makes them happy, and as the scale of change necessary to address the climate crisis becomes clearer, its ideas are gaining more mainstream recognition — even as anxiety builds over what could be a painful global recession. Read more at CNN
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New Initiative To Tackle Alcohol Harms Will Focus On Taxation |
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Credit: Article
A $15 million initiative to address the harms of alcohol consumption through policy change was launched on November 1, roughly doubling the total global spending on mitigating the effects of alcohol.
Alcohol is one of the top-ten drivers of death, illness and injury, with wide-ranging social and economic harms, many disproportionately affecting young adults, according to Vital Strategies, which heads the RESET Alcohol consortium.
“RESET Alcohol is an initiative that brings together national governments, civil society, research organizations and global leaders in public health and alcohol policy to develop and implement evidence-based alcohol policies from the World Health Organization’s SAFER technical package,” according to Vital Strategies.
The initiative will focus on Latin America, Africa and Asia, with partners Movendi International; the University of Illinois Chicago; the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA); the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Alliance; and the WHO, with GiveWell as the donor. Read more at Health Policy Watch
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SPOTLIGHT ON INDIGENOUS WELLNESS |
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Behind A Facade Of Inuit Self-Determination, Profits Flow South |
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A construction camp at Baffinland’s Mary River mine in 2011. Credit: Article
Sadly, food insecurity is the reality for three-quarters of children (or 46% of homes) in Nunavut. While an astounding figure, this is not a reflection of parents or caretakers “not doing enough.” It is a product of colonialism. Poverty is not an accident; it is engineered.
Our world is structured to ensure power and wealth grow for the colonial state and those who uphold it, at the expense of Indigenous and racialized peoples’ lives. These structures are designed to uphold poverty, yet we feel responsible for our plight, carrying the shame and ineptitude for not doing enough.
Inuit negotiators worked hard for over 20 years to realize a governance structure they thought would protect Inuit culture and improve Inuit lives. They achieved what they could within the limitations of the Canadian system that offers few material rights to Indigenous people: a land claim and a new territorial government with a consensus-based Westminster-style government. On the surface, Inuit in Nunavut appear to have achieved self-determination through a public government model that serves the majority of Inuit, with land claim rights that are to be implemented.
But that assumption is a farce. Inuit interests have not been served by the government because Inuit lives have not improved. Instead, we have a facade of self-determination with a senior bureaucracy made up of 85% non-Inuit who are upholding a system that benefits settlers.
In areas like housing and food security, quality of life for Inuit has stagnated or declined. Inuit in Nunavut face a severe housing crisis. Income remains low (non-Inuit make almost five times more on average, according to the 2016 census), and Nunavut has a very young—and growing—population. Read more at Breach Media
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Quotes Of The Week: From COP27 |
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Credit: Getty Images
"If you are not at the table, you'll be on the menu".
That's the view of Dr Omar Farouk Ibrahim, the head of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation, speaking to the BBC at COP27.
He said he was here to try and influence negotiators to support the development of oil and gas in Africa. He said there were 600m people across the continent who don't have access to electricity.
But many attending were clear that the climate situation was now so serious, there should be no room at any COP for those backing fossil fuels.
"If you want to address malaria, you don't invite the mosquitoes,"
said Phillip Jakpor, who's from Nigeria and works with Public Participation Africa.
"As long as we have the fossil fuel lobby and machinery in full swing, we will not make progress and we have not made progress," he told BBC News.
Read more at BBC News
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- November 24-25, 2022: Circularity: Driving Circular Innovation (Sydney, Australia)
- November 29-30: World Ocean Summit Asia-Pacific: Harnessing the Changing Tides in Singapore
- December 7-8, 2022: The 4th International Conference on Rare Diseases (Vienna, Austria)
- December 7-19, 2022: COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference (Montreal, Canada)
- April 14-16, 2023: CUGH's Annual Global Health Conference - Global Health at a Crossroads: Equity, Climate Change and Microbial Threats
- May 23-25, 2023: The Battery Show Europe (Stuggart, Germany).
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FYI#1 SPOTLIGHT ON MEDIA |
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Visualizing The World’s Top Social Media And Messaging Apps |
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Credit: Article For a time, life in the social media universe was mostly uneventful. Consider these spicy (at the time) headlines:
In hindsight, the years leading up to 2016 were downright sleepy in comparison with what would follow. Donald Trump’s meteoric, tweet-powered rise to the presidency. The Cambridge Analytica scandal. Congressional hearings on privacy and bias. TikTok at the center of souring U.S.–China relations. Each new day brought a fresh wave of controversy the shores of once infallible social media platforms.
Today, the honeymoon phase is long over and the messiness of running a global social platform is now on full display. Nowhere is this more evident than Twitter during the current Elon Musk transitional period—but more details on that later.
For now, let’s explore the social media universe in 2022.
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As Egypt hosts world leaders at COP27 to discuss action over climate change, an oil terminal is dumping toxic wastewater on the country's Red Sea coast, an investigation by BBC News Arabic has found. A rare form of coral, that offers hope for preserving ocean life as the planet warms, could be a casualty.
Leaked documents obtained by the BBC and non-profit journalism group SourceMaterial reveal that "produced water" from Egypt's Ras Shukeir oil terminal is being dumped into the Red Sea every day. The barely treated wastewater - which is brought to the surface during oil and gas drilling - contains high levels of toxins, oil and grease.
The documents, which were issued by the Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company (Gupco) in 2019 to try to hire a company to treat the water, say the pollution levels "do not comply" with Egyptian environmental laws and regulations.
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FYI #3 |
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Overall Cancer Death Rates Continue To Decline In The United States, Says Annual Report To The Nation |
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Credit: Article
Overall cancer death rates continued to decline among men, women, children, and adolescents and young adults in every major racial and ethnic group in the United States from 2015 to 2019, according to the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. From 2014 to 2018, overall cancer incidence, or new cases of cancer, remained stable for men and children but increased for women and adolescents and young adults. This year's report, published October 27, 2022, in Cancer, also highlights longer-term trends in pancreatic cancer, as well as racial and ethnic disparities in incidence and death rates for many individual cancer sites.
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FYI #4 |
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Five Ways You Can Become A Citizen Scientist And Help Save The Planet |
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Credit: Canva
It's a great time to become a 'citizen scientist' and help to save the planet. With the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world, many people in Europe are spending more time looking at computer and tablet screens indoors, or playing more attention to the natural world around them, outside their homes.
Scientists are hoping to tap into this resource with projects that just about anyone with an internet-connected device and some time can participate in. By deciphering ancient documents, observing changes in nature, or offering your computing power for future global warming scenarios, you too can help some ground-breaking scientific research.
Euronews gathered a panel of experts to discuss some of the 'citizen science' projects underway around Europe.
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FYI #5: NOVEMBER READING- NEW BOOK |
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Capitalism In The Anthropocene: Ecological Ruin Or Ecological Revolution. By John Bellamy Foster |
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Credit: Book Cover
Over the last 11,700 years, during which human civilization developed, the earth has existed within what geologists refer to as the Holocene Epoch. Now science is telling us that the Holocene Epoch in the geological time scale ended, replaced by the onset of a new, more dangerous Anthropocene Epoch, which began around 1950. The Anthropocene Epoch is characterized by an “anthropogenic rift” in the biological cycles of the Earth System, marking a changed reality in which human activities are now the main geological force impacting the earth as a whole, generating at the same time an existential crisis for the world’s population.
What caused this massive shift in the history of the earth? In this comprehensive study, John Bellamy Foster tells us that a globalized system of capital accumulation has induced humanity to foul its own nest. The result is a planetary emergency that threatens all present and future generations, throwing into question the continuation of civilization and ultimately the very survival of humanity itself. Only by addressing the social aspects of the current planetary emergency, exploring the theoretical, historical and practical dimensions of capitalism’s alteration of the planetary environment, is it possible to develop the ecological and social resources for a new journey of hope.
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FYI#6: SPOTLIGHT ON EDUCATION |
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The Benefits Of Implementing Transdisciplinary Programs |
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Credit: UBC
In an article for University
World News, University of British Columbia Professor Naoko Ellis,
Assistant Professor Derek Gladwin, and PhD candidates Klara Aishwarya
Ramachandran and Klara Abdi, discuss the value of transdisciplinary programs in
higher education. Reflecting on a study on transdisciplinary graduate programs
at UBC, the researchers explain that these programs help students cultivate
intellectual curiosity and openness, communicate with those outside their
discipline, and participate in more professional activities.
Based on their
experiences, the authors provide a series of recommendations for universities
looking to build transdisciplinary programming at their institution, such as creating
the institutional infrastructure and providing resources to support
transdisciplinary encounters, creating a unified set of degree requirements for
transdisciplinary programs, and developing the programs with stakeholders to
ensure they have relevance outside academia.
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WIINTER'S SPELL TAKING HOLD |
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Whitefish Lake, Seguin, Ontario |
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Photo Credits: David Zakus |
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THANKS FOR READING THE FREE
PLANETARY HEALTH WEEKLY
Current News on Ecological Wellness and Global Health
To Subscribe and access Archives of all Past Issues & Yearly Indexes GO TO: planetaryhealthweekly.com
AND PLEASE PASS IT ON TO FAMILY & FRIENDS
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