Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate change

[Anthea]

Thousands of rare orchids
bulldozed by council in a single day

17,000 plants were bulldozed by Kent County Council but plans now halted

Making way for drainage ditch supposed to tackle flooding on the road to Dover

Orchids at Blue Bell Hill Roadside Nature Reserve had been maintained by volunteers for 15 years

Thousands of rare orchids were destroyed by a council in just one day – as part of plans that have now been halted.

Some 17,000 plants were bulldozed by Kent County Council to make way for a drainage ditch as part of preparations for a No Deal Brexit.

Click to enlarge:


The ditch was supposed to tackle flooding if queues built up on the road to Dover. But now Brexit has been delayed, the plans are no longer active – and it will take more than eight years for the flowerbed to be restored.

Some 17,000 orchids were bulldozed by Kent County Council to make way for a drainage ditch as part of preparations for a No Deal Brexit

The vast patch of orchids at Blue Bell Hill Roadside Nature Reserve had been lovingly maintained by Kent Wildlife Trust volunteers for more than 15 years.

It contained incredibly rare man orchids, alongside pyramidal orchids and common spotted orchids. It was also home to a huge population of bees and 20 different butterfly species.

But now all that remains at the site is a stretch of mud.

Kent County Council has now given the volunteers permission to replant the orchids and restore the bed to its former glory.

Christine Hodgetts, a member of Kent Wildlife Trust, said she was ‘furious’ at the council’s decision ‘to work on a totally unnecessary drainage ditch’.

She wrote online: ‘I’d be interested in joining in restoration work but I’m still furious that this has been made necessary by totally insensitive work.’

The council said they drainage on the A229 needed to be improved 'to prevent flooding and aquaplaning'

The Kent Wildlife Trust said: ‘Following discussions with Kent County Council we will be working together to restore the Bluebell Hill Roadside Nature Reserve over the next few weeks.

‘This work needs to be done sensitively by hand and KCC will be funding equipment, tools and refreshments for staff and volunteers to join in this effort.

‘This has been a devastating and upsetting event but we are pleased that KCC have recognised this and reacted swiftly to help us put it right.’

A Kent County Council spokesman said: ‘Drainage works were required to improve the existing system to prevent flooding and aquaplaning on the A229.

‘We have met with the Kent Wildlife Trust and will be funding remediation works alongside discussions about the long-term management of the site.’

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... nning.html

We have a shortage of both bees and butterflies in the UK

[Anthea]

Thousands of climate change activists to disrupt parts of London this week

Thousands of climate change activists are due to march through London this week to demand change over the destruction of the biosphere

Parts of central London are set to grind to a halt during the Easter half term week as an estimated 2,300 Extinction Rebellion demonstrators are poised to hit the streets.

The environmental campaigners are set to march on some of the capital’s busiest areas for three days.

The demonstration will be part of a worldwide movement as several other major cities are set to host similar protests.

The three-day demonstration will start on Monday

In a statement, the group said: “Extinction Rebellion is taking action on the streets of cities all over the world - from Auckland to Accra, Mexico City to Vancouver - over multiple days to demand that governments take necessary action on the global Climate and Ecological Emergency.

“We will peacefully block traffic around the clock”.

The locations set to be “blocked” in London are Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge, Parliament Square and Piccadilly Circus.

The group added it wants to purposely disrupt the central London hubs for a reason, adding: “Civil disobedience works when it’s peaceful, respectful, disruptive and undertaken en masse.

“We don’t want to disrupt people, but our Government's failure over the last 30 years leaves us no choice. If we had functioning democracies we wouldn’t need to. We’ve tried petitions, marches, letters, reports, papers, meetings, even direct actions; and emissions have continued to rise.”

Some activists, described as earth marchers, started on Sunday making their way to the city from various parts of the UK.

Scotland Yard said they have "appropriate policing plans" in place and that officers will be used from across the force "to support the public order operation during the coming weeks".

April Stewart, who travelled from Carmarthenshire in Wales for the demonstration, said the prospect of being arrested "doesn't phase me".

The 52-year-old artist said: "I am not someone who is normally drawn to civil disobedience. I am moved by this cause, by this moment in time that we have to make a difference."

Asked if she thought the Government will take notice, she said: "I guess that depends how effective we can be in shutting down the city.

"It has to inconvenience them enough, it has to inconvenience the financial system, it has to inconvenience the tourist industry, it has to inconvenience the Government enough to recognise that they need to engage with this."

Extinction Rebellion have previously made headlines and caught attention after storming into the public gallery of the House of Commons naked, to demand change.

The large coordinated demonstrations come as an investigative journalist lifted the lid on the disciplined and dedicated routines of the Extinct Rebellion protesters.

A report by the Mail on Sunday claimed demonstrators were told they “must not get drunk before the action” and they “should consider wearing adult nappies in case we’re locked up for hours in a police station with no access to a lavatory”.

The report also claimed Extinction Rebellion members gathered in a line arranged in order “of willingness to get arrested”, in the run up to the planned demonstration.

According to the group’s website, the International Rebellion event will begin at 11am on Monday and from 6pm at Marble Arch, “rebellious performance and music” will begin.

On Tuesday, the group said: “If the Government has not responded, we will shut down the city across four sites”.

And on Wednesday, the group added: “If there is still no response, we will begin to block roads outwards from the sites and continue to stage and escalate our creative nonviolent civil disobedience.”

The demonstration will include stage performances, talks, workshops, food and family spaces.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/ ... 17561.html

[Anthea]

Climate protesters block London roads

Thousands of people joined protests across central London as climate change activists blocked roads and vandalised Shell's headquarters

Extinction Rebellion campaigners parked a pink boat at Oxford Circus and blocked Marble Arch, Piccadilly Circus and roads around Parliament Square.

Protester Yen Chit Chong said: "This is our last best shot at survival."

Among a total of 52 arrests, five people were detained on suspicion of criminal damage at Shell's HQ.

The three men and two women were taken to a police station in central London after a glass door was smashed at the offices near Waterloo.

The majority of those arrested were detained on suspicion of public order offences.

Just after midnight on Monday, Transport for London (TfL) confirmed it had suspended bus services on the N18 route because Great Portland Street was blocked by protesters.

Earlier, police had ordered the protesters to restrict their actions to the Marble Arch area to prevent further disruption.

Protesters have parked a boat at Oxford Circus to represent the threat posed by rising sea levels

Organisers claim protests have been held in more than 80 cities across 33 countries.

Protester Olivia Evershed, 23, said: "I hope that it's really going to bring awareness about the emergency crisis that we are in, and encourage the government to act.

"We've got 12 years to act before there is irreversible damage to the environment and we start to see catastrophic changes. If we don't do anything to change this, our children will die."

A truck was used to block off a road in Marble Arch, with members locking themselves under the vehicle

Extinction Rebellion said protests would continue throughout the week "escalating the creative disruption across the capital day by day".

The group said it planned to "bring London to a standstill for up to two weeks", and wanted the government to take urgent action to tackle climate change.

In Parliament Square, protesters unfurled banners, held up placards and waved flags as speakers took to the stage.

Who are Extinction Rebellion?

Since its launch last year, members have shut bridges, poured buckets of fake blood outside Downing Street, blockaded the BBC and stripped semi-naked in Parliament.

It has three core demands: for the government to "tell the truth about climate change", reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2025, and create a citizens' assembly to oversee progress.

Controversially, the group is trying to get as many people arrested as possible.

One of the group's founders, Roger Hallam, believes that mass participation and civil disobedience maximise the chances of social change.

But critics say they cause unnecessary disruption and waste police time when forces are already overstretched.

By intentionally causing more than £6,000 damage at the Shell headquarters activists aim to get the case into crown court to put their case to a jury, the campaign said.

A Shell spokesman said: "We respect the right of everyone to express their point of view. We only ask that they do so with their safety and the safety of others in mind."

Protester Chay Harwood told the BBC: "We live in a very sick society at the moment. There's a lot of social issues and social ills that need curing.

"But at the moment the biggest threat we face is the threat of climate change."

The Met said it had "appropriate policing plans" in place for the demonstrations and officers from across the force would be used "to support the public order operation".

In November, activists blockaded the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy by chaining themselves together on the pavement, leading to 85 arrests.

The unusual sight of a pink yacht stands in the centre of Oxford Circus, surrounded by protesters holding aloft a sea of coloured flags.

The focus here is on the future of the planet - and there is a sense of urgency.

Some are wearing red to symbolise "the blood of dying species", one group wants to "save the bees", while a man dressed as a centaur holds a placard which says "climate change is not a myth... unlike centaurs".

Two young women tell me they are not willing to have children due to their fears for the world they will be bringing them into.

Another man, who plans to protest through the night, says the protests will be peaceful but he is willing to be arrested.

"The more the authorities will get fed up with us the more it brings us to their attention," he said.

Organisers have encouraged people to set up camp in Hyde Park overnight into Tuesday - an offence under Royal Parks legislation.

A spokeswoman for The Royal Parks said Extinction Rebellion had not asked for permission to begin the protest in the park and that camping was not allowed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-47935416

[Anthea]

UK fund giant warns on climate catastrophe

The world is facing a climate catastrophe and businesses around the world must address it urgently or face the ultimate sanction for a public company, shareholders who refuse to back them any more

That is not a message from an environmental action group but from the largest money manager in the UK, Legal & General Investment Management, which manages £1 trillion worth of UK pension fund investments.

Its climate warning was the top of a list of concerns about the way companies are run.

Other red lights included the level of executive pay, lack of diversity in senior corporate roles, the role (and cost) of political lobbying and the poor quality of the financial information provided by auditors.

Legal & General insist that it is not just virtue signalling.

The company voted against the re-election of nearly 4,000 directors in 2018 - an increase of 37%. That included votes against over 100 board chairs on the basis of gender diversity alone.

Legal & General's director of corporate governance, Sacha Sadan, said it was getting tougher with company boards and managements.

"2018 was a record year for us as we continued to engage with companies on a broad range of issues, using our voting power to influence change on behalf of our clients. The increased figures reflect the higher standards we expect companies to adhere to"

The collapse last year of construction and services company Carillion which continued to pay out high salaries, shareholder dividends and get a clean bill of health from its auditors until just months before its sudden liquidation caused widespread outrage and shone a light on the standard of company stewardship in the UK.

A recent report from a committee of MPs was sceptical about asset managers' appetite and ability to raise the quality of company management.

The business select committee chair said last month: "We do not have confidence in institutional investors in exercising their stewardship functions. We cannot rely on shareholders to exert pressure."

Legal & General admit they too have made mistakes.
Lesson learnt

In 2012, the company voted in favour of a pay formula for the chief executive of housebuilder Persimmon that saw Jeff Fairburn awarded a pay packet of £100m. Mr Sadan told the BBC it had learnt its lesson. "Since then we insist that maximum pay outs are capped."

The VERY best way for investors to exert pressure is to sell their shares - or not become shareholders of misbehaving companies in the first place.

Plenty of fund managers argue they are trying to "reform from within" while happily accepting bumper dividend pay outs from companies in some of the most controversial sectors - such as oil and tobacco.

Legal & General insist they are prepared to do that and last year issued a list of companies whose shares they decided to dump. The list of eight included Russian oil company Rosneft, the China Construction Bank and Subaru.

Legal & General say that all eight of those on the "black list" have been in touch to try and get themselves off it. Proof positive, say L&G, that their brand of shareholder engagement - or disengagement - really works.

Many in the UK might find that argument more convincing if the list of no-go investments included companies closer to home that would REALLY feel the cold shoulder of the UK's biggest money manager.

For example, Royal Dutch Shell is the UK's biggest dividend payer by miles - offering investors a tempting 5.8% return on their money. Legal & General say they were successful in moving the chief executive's performance targets to be based on safety and environmental improvements rather than raw profit. They were less successful in tackling the sheer amount he pocketed last year - a colossal £17m.

Asset managers are effectively the "masters of the universe" when it comes to telling companies how to behave as they have to vote on their investors behalf. But they have powerful customers of their own to answer to.

Increasing numbers of pension fund trustees are seeking assurances that their employees' retirement contributions are not finding their way into embarrassing or inappropriate investments. The Church of England was not thrilled to find out its pension scheme was invested in the now defunct high cost credit company Wonga.

More recently - and more importantly - was the decision by Norway's sovereign wealth fund to divest itself of some of its fossil fuel investments (paradoxically perhaps - the source of all the money in the first place).

But what these examples show is that the savers and citizens, on whose behalf this money is managed, are becoming more aware - and more willing to object - about how that is done.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47941180

[Anthea]

Keep Kurdistan clean: KRG
launches week-long campaign

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) launched a week-long environmental campaign, urging greater political and civic engagement in keeping Kurdistan clean

On April 7, 2008, Kurdistan’s parliament set April 16 as Kurdistan Environment Day, coinciding with the anniversary of chemical attacks by the former Iraqi regime on Shiekh Wassanan and Balisan on April 16, 1987.

“On this occasion, today, I declare a week-long campaign for cleaning up the nature and environment of Kurdistan,” KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said in a speech on Tuesday.

Since the 18th century, Kurdistan’s environment has been damaged and polluted by conflicts, land mines, and chemical weapons that still pollute the soil, and not enough has been done to protect the environment, he said.

The KRG has made a start, he explained, planting hundreds of thousands of trees, establishing green spaces like Sami Abdulrahman Park, and most recently shutting down unregulated oil refineries, but there is much more to do. “The journey will continue and not stop,” said Barzani.

The government recently introduced harsher penalties for polluters. It should do more too, said Barzani, but a big responsibility lies with the people. “The people themselves have to have the culture and awareness of environmental protection. They have to consider themselves the owners of Kurdistan’s nature and environment.”

Steps he recommended individuals take are to stop littering, embrace renewable energies, and end over-reliance on gas-guzzling cars, instead thinking about recycling and choosing more environmentally friendly options like public transport or electric vehicles.

The rising number of cars on Kurdistan Region’s streets and growth of industries based in the Region have damaged the environment, Halo Askary, head of the Environment Protection Agency, said at the campaign launch event.

Every day, nearly 7 million litres of fuel are burned by some 1.7 million vehicles in the Region, he said.

The Kurdistan Region is playing catch up on environmental issues. Sitting on a wealth of oil, it has been slow to turn to renewable energy sources and without domestic recycling facilities it exports a lot of plastic and cardboard waste.

Some 2.2 million acres of forest have been lost over the past 19 years because of fires, deforestation, and limited budgets to maintain them, according to a survey done last year by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Careless picnickers are another problem.

Issuing a plea to all the people of Kurdistan, Barzani called on them to “protect the environment to the best of their efforts, to preserve cleanness in everything. Consider this beautiful country of Kurdistan, this beautiful nature as yours and protect it.”

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/160420192

[Anthea]

Glyphosate Worse Than We Could Imagine

As new studies continue to point to a direct link between the widely-used glyphosate herbicide and various forms of cancer, the agribusiness lobby fights ferociously to ignore or discredit evidence of human and other damage.

A second US court jury case just ruled that Monsanto, now a part of the German Bayer AG, must pay $ 81 million in damages to plaintiff Edwin Hardeman who contracted non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer. The ruling and a line-up of another 11,000 pending cases in US courts going after the effects of glyphosate, have hit Bayer AG hard with the company announcing several thousand layoffs as its stock price plunges.

In a trial in San Francisco the jury was unanimous in their verdict that Monsanto Roundup weed-killer, based on glyphosate, had been responsible for Hardeman’s cancer. His attorneys stated, “It is clear from Monsanto’s actions that it does not care whether Roundup causes cancer, focusing instead on manipulating public opinion and undermining anyone who raises genuine and legitimate concerns about Roundup.”

It is the second defeat for the lawyers of Monsanto after another jury ruled in 2018 that Glyphosate-based Roundup was responsible for the cancer illness of a California school grounds-keeper who contracted the same form of cancer after daily spraying school grounds with Roundup over years, unprotected. There a jury found Monsanto guilty of “malice and oppression” in that company executives, based on internal email discovery, knew that their glyphosate products could cause cancer and suppressed this information from the public.

New independent study shows that those with highest exposure to glyphosate have a 41% increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) cancer. A meta-analysis of six studies containing nearly 65,000 participants looked at links between glyphosate-based herbicides and immune-suppression, endocrine disruption and genetic alterations. The authors found “the same key finding: exposure to GBHs (glyphosate-based herbicides) are associated with an increased risk of NHL (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma).”

Further, they stated that glyphosate “alters the gut microbiome,” and that that could “impact the immune system, promote chronic inflammation, and contribute to the susceptibility of invading pathogens.” Glyphosate also ”may act as an endocrine disrupting chemical because it has been found recently to alter sex hormone production” in both male and female rats.

In a long-term animal study by French scientists under Gilles Eric Seralini, Michael Antoniou and associates, it was demonstrated that even ultra-low levels of glyphosate herbicides cause non-alcoholic liver disease. The levels the rats were exposed to, per kg of body weight, were far lower than what is allowed in our food supply. According to the Mayo Clinic, today, after four decades or more pervasive use of glyphosate pesticides, 100 million, or 1 out of 3 Americans now have liver disease. These diagnoses are in some as young as 8 years old.

But glyphosate is not only having alarming effects on human health. Soil scientists are beginning to realize the residues of glyphosate application are also having a possibly dramatic effect on soil health and nutrition, effects that can take years to restore.'

https://www.davidicke.com/article/53172 ... se-imagine

[Anthea]

David Attenborough: 'We are
running out of time to save the planet'

'We are running out of time to save the planet': David Attenborough warns humanity faces its 'greatest threat in 1,000 years' and calls for 'urgent action' to tackle global warming

Iconic broadcaster said destruction of Earth is on the horizon if we don't act fast

Issued his starkest warning yet amid chaotic protests wreaking havoc in London

Comments come ahead of BBC TV show tonight where he'll be joined by experts

Climate Change: The Facts airs on April 18 on BBC One at 9pm

Published: 10:59, 18 April 2019 | Updated: 12:19, 18 April 2019

Sir David Attenborough has warned Earth could be destroyed and the human race wiped out if global warming isn't tackled urgently.

The iconic broadcaster claimed climate change is the greatest threat to the planet in thousands of years and said the science has never been clearer.

Sir David, 92, issued his starkest warning yet about our future existence ahead of a BBC TV show tonight called Climate Change: The Facts, where he'll join other experts to discuss the issue.

Sir David Attenborough has issued his starkest warning yet about global warming amid mass protests wreaking havoc across London

His comments come as chaotic protests wreak havoc in London. Pictured: Climate change activists block the Waterloo Bridge with their vehicle during the Extinction Rebellion protest in London on Thursday

He said: 'Right now we are facing our greatest threat in thousands of years. Climate change. At the current rate of warming we risk a devastating future.

'The science is now clear that urgent action is needed. What happens now and in these next few years will profoundly affect the next few thousand years.

'We are facing a man-made disaster on a global scale. It may sound frightening but the scientific evidence is that if we have not taken dramatic action within the next decade we could face irreversible damage of the natural world, and the collapse of our societies.

'We are running out of time but there is still hope. I believe that if we better understand the threat we face, the more likely it is that we can avoid such a catastrophic future.

The veteran broadcaster said climate change could wipe out entire species, including small organisms that hold together the world's ecosystems, and put more life at risk.

'Our climate is changing because of one simple fact ... our world is getting hotter.

'I've seen for myself that in addition to the many other threats they face, animals of all kinds are now struggling to adapt to rapidly changing conditions.

'Scientists believe that 8 per cent of species are now at threat of extinction solely due to climate change.

Climate change activists block traffic on Vauxhall Bridge in London on Thursday

'This isn't just about losing wonders of nature. With the loss of even smallest organisms we destabilise and ultimately risk collapsing the world's ecosystems - the networks that support the whole of life on Earth.

Sir David will be joined by a former director at the NASA Goddard ­Institute for Space Studies, Dr James Hansen, who warned about the threat of climate change in 1988.

Dr Hansen says leaders ignored the science and precious time - that could've been spent developing technologies to replace fossil fuels - was lost.

Harvard professor of science Naomi Oreskes slammed fossil fuel companies for undertaking a 'concerted campaign' to confuse the science so they could continue to make huge profits.

Attenborough's comments come as hundreds of thousands of Londoners were plunged into travel chaos amid climate protests across the capital.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... years.html

[Anthea]

Trophy hunter boasts of ‘THRILL’ after killing THOUSANDS of animals - ‘I’m UNREPENTANT!'

A TROPHY hunter, who claims to have killed thousands of animals, said his cruel hobby gave him a "great thrill"

Ron Thomson from Zimbabwe is believed to have mercilessly shot 5,000 elephants, 800 buffalo, 60 lions, 50 hippos and 40 leopards over decades of hunting. The cruel trophy hunter boasts of his killings on his website, where he wrote of spending 25,000 hours pursuing animals. However, Mr Thomson claimed he was not hunting animals for sport but argued his job was part of a “major population reduction” project. Animal rights campaigners have lashed out at the hunter insisting many use "management culling" as an excuse to practise the cruel sport.

A report by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting branded Mr Thomson as one of the world's most prolific hunters.

Despite the backlash, Mr Thomson said he was "unrepentant" over the killings.

The 77-year-old told the Independent: "I didn’t have any sentiment. I'm totally unrepentant, a hundred – ten thousand – times over for any of the hunting I've done because that's not the problem.

"The problem is we've got a bunch of so-called experts from the West telling us what to do. I'm a trained university ecologist – I must surely know something about this."

He added: “The African elephant is nowhere near extinct. People who say this are animal-right-ist NGOs who ask for money and tell lies to get it. When you have a healthy population you must ensure they don’t increase beyond the capacity of their habitat.”

Mr Thomson said the killings were a "great thrill for him"".

He added: "Some people enjoy hunting just as much as other people abhor it. I happen to enjoy it."

Mr Thomson, who worked as a park ranger for three years, said he no longer hunts but would gladly do it again if he ever was invited.

Eduardo Gonçalves, founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, blasted Mr Thomson's claims, insisting elephants do not overpopulate themselves.

He said: “The trophy hunting industry is slaughtering elephants left, right and centre.

“Killing elephants for fun is unacceptable, even more so because of the seriousness of the current crisis.

“The recent surge in elephant hunting shows that the industry is out of control."

Mr Gonçalves added: "The African elephant population as a whole is in very serious decline" adding that "there are numerous instances of 'management culling' being used as a cover for trophy-hunting."

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/11 ... ants-lions

[Anthea]

Viewers of Attenborough’s show heartbroken by orangutan

Click to enlarge:


Direct link to video
https://youtu.be/gvCbnYgO0EM

'The orangutan hitting the digger has broke me': Viewers of Sir David Attenborough’s new BBC documentary on climate change are heartbroken by images of primate’s futile battle with bulldozers

In the BBC's Climate Change: The Facts, the primate battled against a digger

The machines were clearing its habitat because of demand for palm oil

Viewers were devastated by footage, calling it 'heartbreaking' and 'disgusting'

Viewers of Sir David Attenborough's new BBC documentary have been left heartbroken by footage of an orangutan's futile battle with bulldozers.

In the documentary, called Climate Change: The Facts, that aired on Thursday evening, the primate battled against a digger that was clearing its habitat because of consumer demand for palm oil.

The lone orangutan beats its hands against the machine, before dangling off a chopped down tree, and presumably fleeing its home.

Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil that is extracted from the fruit and seeds of the oil palm and as the documentary explains is found in many household goods.

The demand for it causes large scale destruction of forests that are then replaced by palm oil plantations, and viewers at home were devastated by the footage, calling it ''

Later in the programme the iconic broadcaster said climate change is the greatest threat to the planet in thousands of years and said the science has never been clearer

Later in the programme the iconic broadcaster said climate change is the greatest threat to the planet in thousands of years and said the science has never been clearer.

The 92-year-old added: 'Right now we are facing our greatest threat in thousands of years. Climate change. At the current rate of warming we risk a devastating future.

'The science is now clear that urgent action is needed. What happens now and in these next few years will profoundly affect the next few thousand years.

'We are facing a man-made disaster on a global scale. It may sound frightening but the scientific evidence is that if we have not taken dramatic action within the next decade we could face irreversible damage of the natural world, and the collapse of our societies.

'We are running out of time but there is still hope. I believe that if we better understand the threat we face, the more likely it is that we can avoid such a catastrophic future.'

The veteran broadcaster also warned that climate change could wipe out entire species, including small organisms that hold together the world's ecosystems, and put more life at risk.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... ayer_click

UK supermarket chain Iceland (specialises in mostly frozen foods) no longer uses palm oil in any of it's own products

[Anthea]

Extinction Rebellion arrests near 1,000
and police vow crackdown will continue

Scotland Yard announced that 963 people had been arrested as of 7pm on Sunday

An update from Extinction Rebellion claimed the figure might now be more than 1,000 but the Met Police did not provide such a figure.

Scotland Yard also said 40 people, aged from 19 to 77, had been charged with "various offences including breach of Section 14 Notice of the Public Order Act 1986, obstructing a highway and obstructing police".

Announcing the number of arrests, Scotland Yard said: "This will continue if protesters do not go to Marble Arch to continue their protest legally."

This comes after group announced it hopes to negotiate with the Mayor of London and Metropolitan Police to agree that they be allowed to continue their protests at Old Palace Yard, in Westminster, and leave other sites.

On Sunday night, police officers cut free and arrested the members of Extinction Rebellion who were "locked on" or glued to Waterloo Bridge.

The northbound carriageway of Waterloo Bridge was reopened to traffic, with a greatly diminished pocket of campaigners on the south side.

Police were working to free the last few remaining activists who have glued themselves to the bridge and each other.

They then began the process of moving the activists to one side of the carriageway and arresting those who are refusing to move.

This came after officers reopened Parliament Square on Sunday afternoon.

Previously, Extinction Rebellion vowed to occupy sites until their key "demands" are met by the Government:

These are:

To “tell the truth” by declaring a climate and ecological emergency.

To “act now” with means to “halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net by 2025”.

To create a citizen’s assembly on climate change and ecological justice which would lead Government action.

As protests continued, Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg visited the Marble Arch site on Sunday evening and hundreds gathered to hear her speak.

She told the crowd: "For way too long the politicians and people in power have got away with not doing anything at all to fight the climate crisis and ecological crisis.

"But we will make sure that they will not get away with it any longer."

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan previously pleaded for the protests to stop.

He said: “I share the passion about tackling climate change of those protesting, and support the democratic right to peaceful and lawful protest, but this is now taking a real toll on our city – our communities, businesses and police. This is counter-productive to the cause and our city.

“More than 9,000 police officers have been responding to the protests across London since they began, and more than 800 people have been arrested.

“I remain in close contact with the Met Commissioner, and agree that Londoners have suffered too much disruption and that the policing operation has been extremely challenging for our over-stretched and under- resourced police.

“I’m extremely concerned about the impact the protests are having on our ability to tackle issues like violent crime if they continue any longer. It simply isn’t right to put Londoners’ safety at risk like this.

“My message to all protestors today is clear: you must now let London return to business as usual.”

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/ ... 22911.html

Why is that our government and it's dictatorial police force, are more concerned by those who want our planed protected, than they are those who steal, fight and kill.

It is a disgrace that the police cannot be as active against drug dealers and violent gang members who terrorise entire neighbourhoods with their fights, stabbings and shootings.

[Anthea]

Greta Thunberg tells Extinction Rebellion protesters 'we will make people in power act on climate change'

Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg issued a cry for action from "people in power" as she addressed Extinction Rebellion protesters.

Swedish Ms Thunberg, 16, garnered a huge crowd as she took to the stage in Marble Arch on Saturday.

Activists cheered as she spoke after chanting "we love you" as she walked onto the stage.

She said: "For way too long the politicians and people in power have got away with not doing anything at all to fight the climate crisis and ecological crisis.

"But we will make sure that they will not get away with it any longer."

As well as this Ms Thunberg, who founded the school strike for climate movement, said she hoped people would follow the "example" of those in attendance.

She said: "Humanity is now standing at a crossroads. We must now decide which path we want to take.

"How do we want the future living conditions for all living species to be like?

"We have gathered here today, and in many other places throughout London and across the world too, we have gathered today because we have chosen which path we want to take and now we are waiting for the others to follow our example."

She attended the protests on their seventh day.

There have been 963 arrests of people who would not vacate sites and head to Marble Arch.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/ ... 22926.html

[Anthea]

Climate protesters stage museum 'die-in'

Extinction Rebellion activists took over part of the Natural History Museum as the climate change protest entered its second week

Please click to enlarge:


About 100 people lay down under the blue whale skeleton at about 14:15 BST.

It comes as more than 1,000 people have been arrested since the protests began in central London a week ago.

The climate change group are now based in Marble Arch, after police moved protesters from Oxford Street, Waterloo Bridge and Parliament Square.

Extinction Rebellion said it hoped the protest at the museum, which it called a "die-in", would raise awareness of what they call the "sixth mass extinction".

Most of the protesters finished their lie-down protest after about half an hour.

But some people wearing red face paint, veils and robes remained to give a performance to classical music on the steps underneath the whale skeleton.


On Sunday, teenage activist Greta Thunberg told the rally in Marble Arch that they were "making a difference".

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the protest was taking "a real toll" on London's police and businesses.

"I'm extremely concerned about the impact the protests are having on our ability to tackle issues like violent crime if they continue any longer," he said.

About 9,000 police officers have been responding to the protest since it began a week ago on 15 April.

A total of 1,065 people have been arrested and 53 have been charged for various offences including breach of Section 14 Notice of the Public Order Act 1986, obstructing a highway and obstructing police.

Olympic gold medallist Etienne Stott was one of the activists arrested as police moved to clear Waterloo Bridge on Sunday evening.

The London 2012 canoe slalom champion was carried from the bridge by four officers as he shouted about the "ecological crisis".

An Extinction Rebellion spokesperson said there would be no escalation of activity on Easter Monday, but warned that the disruption could get "much worse" if politicians are not open to their negotiation requests.

On Sunday, one organiser told the BBC the group were planning "a week of activities" including a bid to prevent MPs entering Parliament.

The group said a "people's assembly" was due to be held later to decide what will happen in the coming week.

On Sunday, Ms Thunberg was greeted with chants of "we love you" as she took to the stage in front of thousands of people at the rally.

The 16-year-old, who is credited with inspiring an international movement to fight climate change, told the crowd "humanity is standing at a crossroads" and that protesters "will never stop fighting for this planet".

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick has said that during her 36-year career she had never known a single police operation to result in so many arrests.

What is Extinction Rebellion?

Since the group was set up last year, members have shut bridges, poured buckets of fake blood outside Downing Street, blockaded the BBC and stripped semi-naked in Parliament.

It has three core demands: for the government to "tell the truth about climate change"; to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2025; and to create a citizens' assembly to oversee progress.

Controversially, the group is trying to get as many people arrested as possible.

But critics say they cause unnecessary disruption and waste police time when forces are already overstretched.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-48011838

[Anthea]

Four jobs that could save the planet

It’s not just the Avengers or The Doctor who save the world on a regular basis. Plenty of people do it from their desk each day, without even needing a secret identity

Careers focusing on reducing carbon footprint, food and plastic waste, and harnessing renewable energies, all play their part in reducing our impact on the planet.

Here are the stories of four people who do their bit for our ecological future every time they clock in for a shift:

1. "I predict how much carbon a building will emit"

In her role as a junior simulation engineer, twenty-four-year-old Aine Murray from Belfast helps reduce the harmful emissions from buildings into the atmosphere.

Aine ensures buildings have as low a CO2 footprint as possible.

Aine explains: “I run simulations on buildings using computers to see how much carbon they emit.

“This means I measure the thickness of walls, the types of window and bricks that will be used; every detail of the building! I put the measurements into a computer software program which tells me if it passes or fails its building compliance. One day I will be at the computer running simulations, another day I could be on the phone to clients talking about the project or meeting with architects.”

Why Aine’s job is important: The carbon footprint of a building relates to the amount of CO2 gas it produces while in operation. The smaller the footprint, the less harmful gas is released into the atmosphere – which can help in the fight against climate change.

2. "I turn unwanted fruit and veg into juice"

Hearing about the amount of fruit that goes to waste each day in the UK was the spark that led Karina Sudenyte to her own juice company.

Alongside her husband and business partner, Karina, who is 24 and originally from Lithuania, takes so-called ‘ugly’ and unwanted fruit and vegetables and turns it into juice which is then distributed around the country.

Karina doesn't care what fruit looks like - it's the juice that matters.

She says: “The idea originated from a food waste campaign where it stated that we waste 4,4 million apples every day in the UK. We also donate our drinks to various charities.

“We source our produce not only in the UK, but also Europe. One of the warehouses is located just five minutes walk from our Cardiff office, where we store our drinks and deliver them to local, independent cafes and restaurants.”

Why Karina’s job is important: If we’re producing too much food, it also means we’re producing too many harmful greenhouse gases when making it, distributing it and disposing of it. Even if unwanted food is left to rot, it emits pollution. By using these fruit and veg deemed too ‘ugly’ for general sale, that’s one more source of harmful gases eliminated.

Saving the environment is great but saving your teeth is too! Drinking too much fruit juice can damage those molars, so it's best to enjoy it in moderation.

3. "I manage solar farms"

Renewable energy is fundamental for the planet. The global oil supply is expected to run out in the next 50 years. Natural gas won’t be too far behind it, especially if more of it used as a replacement for oil. That will also have a knock-on effect for the amount of coal we use, another fossil fuel which could disappear in the next 150 years, although the UK government is committed to phasing out coal use by 2025.

Manish must look after 10 farms filled with solar panels.

This is where 23-year-old Manish Patel comes in. He’s a solar farm manager, keeping a close eye on 10 sites around the UK where fields of solar panels store energy from the sun, as well as converting it into a power supply.

With the Sun able to provide more energy than we could ever use, it is a power source which will last far longer than any of the Earth's fossil fuel reserves. It's also clean to use and doesn't release any greenhouses gases into the atmosphere in its production.

With stronger efforts being made globally to reduce harmful gases, it means renewable energies has become a realistic career path in recent years for experts like Manish.

"After my degree in physics, initially I was after software jobs," he says. "And I had a contact through a friend who suggested I work in renewables and I took the chance and they hired me.

"Renewable energy is such a new industry, there’s a lot of room to experiment and try new things.

"To students who don’t really know what to do, I say follow your passion, like I did with physics. I never thought I’d be a solar farm manager, but you too could end up in an exciting job where you could really make a difference.”

4. "I run a zero-waste shop"

With serious global concerns about the build-up of unwanted plastic in our oceans, recycling and zero-waste policies are more high-profile than ever. By re-using what we already have, less packaging needs to be produced, meaning less energy used and fewer harmful gases released into the atmosphere.

It's also good for the community as resources, for example unwanted food, are circulated where they're needed rather than going straight to landfill.
Lydia's whole foods business encourages people to bring in their own containers and reduce waste.

For Lydia Wilson, 24, it’s a cause close to her heart and one she has also managed to turn into her career. Her business in Bridport allows customers to use any suitable containers they have at home with a choice of wholefoods, paying only for the product and not the packaging.

“Firstly I’m a shopkeeper. Secondly, I’m a campaigner,” she says. “Thirdly, I’m a customer service person. A zero-waste shop is somewhere you can go and refill and containers, to avoid any packaging waste, and also food waste so you can buy as much or as little as you need.

“I help [customers] to to understand what is expected in a place like this and encourage them on their journey… We are expanding our service, and I do a lot of collecting. I try to make sure we are running on as little waste as possible, so I do a lot of waste management.”

https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/articles/zm63xyc

[Anthea]

Small changes you can make for a greener life

We've been hearing so much about climate change recently, and the facts don't look good

The evidence shows that, thanks to human activity, global temperatures are rising at a level which isn't sustainable for the environment to be able to survive.

That's partly why there are people taking their clothes off in parliament and school kids going on strike.

(Plus, when the nation's grandad David Attenborough starts talking, it's probably worth listening.)

But it's difficult. We're being bombarded with scary stories and told that we must change our ways - and soon.

So what can we actually do? How can we make a difference when it seems like everything has a bad impact on the climate?

The first is not to beat yourself up if you forget your bag for life or your reusable cup - it will probably just add to your eco-anxiety.

"I never had the notion that I had to be perfect," says Shia Su from zero-waste blog Wasteland Rebel.

"I had no intention of going zero-waste. I read about it and I just thought it was cuckoo and unrealistic," she says.

But one day she decided to take a jar to her local coffee shop instead of asking for a takeaway one - and she grew greener from there.

So how did Shia get to the point where she now says she can fit her entire year's waste into a litre-sized jar?

Her second tip - shared by most of the bloggers we spoke to - is about turning your good intentions into good habits.

Do whatever you can, and after a while it will become a habit," she says.

"Normally, when you leave the house you grab your phone, you grab your wallet, you grab your keys.

"After a while you'll grab your bottle, your food container and then you're good to go - it will become a habit."

And the third tip that all our bloggers share is probably the one which involves the biggest change.

It's about living a minimal lifestyle - cutting out needless buys.

"Living a sustainable lifestyle is about consuming less in general," Shia says. "I only buy a new piece of clothing if another one needs replacing."

Shia says it's not as hard as it sounds: "A lot of things have already been done - we're just going back to them.

"Ask your grandparents, they can teach you a lot about how to not create trash.

"It's a really nice bonding experience as well. I think it makes them smile when I get out my hanky to blow my nose [instead of a disposable tissue]."

What else can I do to help me live a greener life?

We got other eco-bloggers and Instagrammers to give us their top tips on different areas of life.

Fashion

Tolmeia Gregory blogs about ethical fashion under the name PollyDollyPosh.

Go vintage: "Do things like shopping second-hand and vintage, going to your local charity shop. You can also buy on sites like eBay and Depop."

Buy less: "If you can, just not shopping at all is a really great way to do it. Embracing what you already own and what's already in your wardrobe. There's a great phrase you hear a lot: 'Loved clothes last'".

Look for eco-friendly materials: "Look out for more natural fibres - go for cotton over polyester. Not only do they feel a lot nicer when you wear them, but don't contain things like microfibres that go into our water and into marine life when we wash our clothes."

Learn to DIY: "It doesn't take much to learn how to hand-sew and stitch up a hole. Or if you have a pair of ripped jeans that are becoming a bit too ripped, you could always cut them and keep them as shorts."

Food

Immy Lucas is a blogger and YouTuber who goes under the name Sustainably Vegan.

Consider a more plant-based diet: "I don't think everyone has to go vegan to make a huge change. The more realistic thing is for the majority of people cutting down meat consumption to a couple of days a week."

Eat as locally as possible: "If you're eating soy beans that are shipped from China or bananas that have been shipped from Colombia, that's not as sustainable as if you're eating apples grown in Kent. If you support your local farmers' market, you're also supporting more low-scale food agriculture which tends to be more kind to the Earth. "

Eat as seasonally as possible: "If you're eating tomatoes from the UK that aren't in season, then you know they've been grown in some huge greenhouse that uses a massive amount of resources to basically fake the weather. So you're using a massive amount of heat energy to grow the tomatoes out of season."

Think about packaging: "There are zero-waste shops where you buy unpackaged food. But you can also go to the supermarket, and make better choices by buying unpackaged fruit and vegetables, or opting for cans and cardboard that are widely recycled instead of plastic. So there are better choices that you can make in regular shops."

Beauty

Nicole Whittle - AKA VeganBeautyGirl - blogs about living a vegan life.

Ditch the face wipes: "Just use a good old flannel like your nan's got in her bathroom, and a nice oil-based cleanser to help break down make-up at the end of the day. If you've got a baby and you need that on-the-go reliability, then you can find biodegradable wipes."

Buy package-free: "You can get shampoo, conditioner and body wash bars - they might cost a bit more but they last much longer. So the cost-per-use is a lot lower."

Think about your menstrual products: "Tampons and pads are single-use items, and not everyone disposes of them properly. The big change you can make is going to a menstrual cup, which is a silicone cup that catches all the blood and can be reused each month - they're not as scary as they sound. There's also menstrual underwear these days which is a lot more sustainable."

Big brands can also be eco-friendly: "A lot of the big beauty brands are really taking inspiration from the vegan environmental movement. It's great to see these changes happening. It's taken them a while but these brands have seen that there's future in these sorts of products."

Travel

Florine Hofmann runs The Wasted Blog, where she tries to find eco-friendly alternatives to everyday habits.

Think about your journey: "We're so fortunate here in Europe - I usually try to take the train whenever I can. I'm conscious of trying to fly as little as possible."

Pack sustainably: "I recently bought a second-hand suitcase because it was already something that was made, and it was cheaper. I try to pack as minimally as possible - for instance my toiletries I try to reduce to soap and a shampoo bar, stainless steel razor and toothbrush. I don't want that much plastic trash in another country. I try to leave as little behind as possible."

Plan where you eat: "I usually do some research beforehand. I'm a massive foodie, so it's very important in my everyday life. But also because I want to support restaurants for instance that do think about their waste or whether they compost or not."

Local knowledge is best: "I love renting a bike in a new city and just exploring new areas. You find the best spots through talking to people and getting all the hidden gems."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-47990742

[Anthea]

A homeless Coachella hero rescued seven puppies

A homeless Good Samaritan is behind the rescue of seven puppies who were tossed in a dumpster and were minutes from death in the scorching sun

The man, who has not been named, was collecting bottles to recycle from the dumpster last Wednesday when he came across a tied plastic bag filled with the new-born pups.

He pulled them out and left them in full view of nearby NAPA Auto Parts store in Coachella, California where a customer brought them inside and quick-thinking staff took over.

Jazzy Espino, 23, who works at the store, was part of the rescue last Wednesday.

The dumpster is on the side of our store, no one ever goes back there, If it wasn’t for the homeless guy digging through the trash minutes later, they wouldn’t have been found, she said

‘The dumpster is on the side of our store, no one ever goes back there. If it wasn’t for the homeless guy digging through the trash minutes later, they wouldn’t have been found.

‘They could so easily have died, it was about 95F that day. They spent at least 30 minutes tied up in that plastic bag.

‘A customer came in and said that there was some puppies outside. We put them in a box and then we brought them in. The puppies were really wet and sweating because they were so hot. They were crying and biting on our fingers because they were just so hungry. We were my holding the puppies to give them comfort.

‘We called the shelter and they came in about 10 minutes. My colleague went next door to get some puppy formula so we could feed them during that time.’

The puppies are now being cared for at an Orange County rescue shelter

The colleagues went to review the surveillance tapes from the store to find out what had happened.

‘Sure enough in the video it showed the lady passing by in the Jeep about 1pm and looking inside the trashcan, then just tossing them in there,’ Jazzy said.

‘About 15 minutes later, the homeless man was digging through the trash. I guess he heard the puppies crying. He pulled them out and they were tied up with a knot. He carried them over and left them in full view of the store.

‘I guess he didn't want to tell us in case we thought he was the one who left them.’

Espino, who has three dogs, said she and some other workers in the auto shop now want to adopt the puppies.

‘We were worried that they were going to put the puppies down and we said we would take all of the puppies rather than that happen. But they assured us they were going to be taken to a shelter and then put up for adoption. We’re going to be the first ones to know about it.’

She added: ‘It’s heart-breaking, she needs to like get a jail. I'm so glad she was caught because they found 40 more dogs in her house.’

Deborah Sue Culwell, 54, was arrested at her nearby home after allegedly dumping the animals. She is facing up to seven counts of felony animal cruelty, officials said.

Her home contained another 38 dogs that needed to be impounded to make sure they were properly fed and cared for at a shelter in Thousand Palms, according to John Welsh of Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

Surveillance footage released by the Riverside County Animal Services showed the woman stepping out of a white Jeep, peering into a dumpster used for recyclables, then dropping the bag filled with the puppies inside.

Authorities said the puppies may not have survived the 90-degree heat had they not been found within an hour of being dumped.

Click to enlarge:


Riverside County Animal Service Commander Chris Mayer said: 'The Good Samaritan played a major role in saving theses puppies' lives. His actions were humane and heroic.

'There is no excuse for dumping puppies. Especially in today's age when we or other shelters would be willing to get these animals to foster parents or rescue partners. This was a shameful act.'

Mayer said the woman’s actions are despicable and he and his colleagues are communicating with Riverside County Sheriff’s investigators and the District Attorney’s office in building a strong cruelty case.

John Welsh, of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services, told DailyMail.com that the other animals found at Culwell’s small home were not in pristine condition and ‘fearful’ when they were rescued but otherwise in good health.

However he said all the dogs, including the puppies, were now doing well.

‘The bottom line is there is no need to throw dogs in the trash,’ he said. ‘There are people who will help you.’

The puppies are being cared for at an Orange County rescue shelter.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... trash.html