Today, at least half a billion youngsters are already exposed to a high number of heatwaves, placing them on the front lines of climate change, the UN agency noted.
By the middle of this century, moreover, it estimates that more than two billion children will be exposed to “more frequent, longer lasting, and more severe” heatwaves.
“The climate crisis is a child rights crisis – and it is already taking a devastating toll on children’s lives and futures,” warned UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell.
This year’s wildfires and heatwaves that have swept through India, Europe, and North America were “yet another sobering example of the impact of climate change on children”, she added.
Youngsters at greater risk
New data from the agency published in its report, The Coldest Year Of The Rest Of Their Lives, underscores that young children face greater risks than adults when faced with extreme heat events.
This is because they are less able to regulate their body temperature compared to adults. The more heatwaves children are exposed to, the greater the chance of health problems including chronic respiratory conditions, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases.
“The world urgently needs to invest in building their resilience – and in adapting all the systems children rely on to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing climate,” UNICEF maintained.
This is regardless of whether average global temperatures rise by 1.7 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels if greenhouse gas emissions are low, or whether they rise by 2.4C, if emissions are high.
A girl drinks water in the playground of her school, in Goré, in the South of Chad.
Protection – the priority
Protecting children from the escalating impacts of heatwaves should be a priority for all countries, UNICEF said, in a call for “urgent and dramatic emissions mitigation measures to contain global heating – and protect lives”.
Children in northern regions will face the most dramatic increases in high heatwave severity, while by 2050, nearly half of all children in Africa and Asia will face sustained exposure to extreme high temperatures over 35C (95F), UN Children’s Fund data showed.
“This will have a devastating impact on children,” said Vanessa Nakate, climate activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. “The more frequent, longer lasting and more severe heatwaves children are exposed to, the greater the impacts on health, safety, nutrition, education, access to water and future livelihoods.”
A young girl washes her face using newly installed piped water at her home in Cambodia.
Adaptation call
Highlighting the devastating impact of drought in the Horn of Africa after four failed rainy seasons, Ms. Nakate insisted that “lives are being lost from preventable causes because the world is acting too slowly on mitigation and not providing enough support for adaptation”.
Children “who are least responsible for climate change are bearing its biggest costs”, she continued, noting that although Africa produces less than four per cent of global emissions, it suffers some “most brutal” impacts of the climate crisis.
“Almost every country is experiencing changing heatwaves,” UNICEF said. “What each government does now will determine the survival of those least responsible for this crisis – our children and young people.”
The country is facing its worst economic crisis since the war began, as well as a deadly cholera outbreak that is rapidly spreading.
Mr. Pedersen reported on his recent “busy period of diplomatic engagement” with key Syrian and international stakeholders, including in connection with the stalled Constitutional Committee meetings in Geneva.
Long way to go
“This political solution is the only path to sustainable peace,” he said, speaking from the Swiss city.
“Sadly, we are a long way from this goal at present, and there are challenging diplomatic and ground realities that make advancing towards a comprehensive solution difficult. But the status quo should not be acceptable and there are ways forward.”
Seven years ago, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2254 which outlines a roadmap for a peace process in Syria.
ISIL threat persists
So far, the political process has not delivered for the Syrian people, said Mr. Pedersen, and conflict remains “very active” across the country.
Listing examples, he said the terrorist group ISIL remains a serious threat. One of the largest weapons caches since its fall was recently discovered in the northeast, underscoring the insurgents’ continued capacity to carry out attacks.
Pro-Government airstrikes also were reported in areas of northwest Syria where none had been reported for a long time.
Meanwhile, in the northeast, drone strikes, mutual shelling and confrontations have been reported between the Syrian Democratic Forces on the one hand, and Türkiye and armed opposition groups on the other.
Building confidence among stakeholders
The Special Envoy detailed his many engagements over recent weeks, including with Syria’s Foreign Minister and the president of the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC).
He also met with the Foreign Ministers of Iran, Russia, and Türkiye, and their counterparts from Egypt and Jordan, as well as senior officials from Arab countries, the United States, Germany, and other European nations.
Mr. Pedersen said he is pushing for all stakeholders “to engage on step-for-step confidence building measures” towards advancing Resolution 2254.
“The key Syrian and international stakeholders need to rebuild their confidence that cooperation on Syria is possible, that the other side is willing and able to deliver, and that Syria can be firewalled from other conflicts. That confidence can only be built by concrete actions,” he stressed.
Engagement will continue. So far, some countries have identified “concrete areas for potential steps”, he said, but talks need to go further.
UN Photo/Violaine Martin
Syrian Constitutional Committee meets in Geneva (file photo).
Syrian Constitutional Committee
The UN envoy also continues his work to unblock obstacles surrounding the reconvening of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, which comprises representatives from the Government, the opposition and civil society.
Government nominees have not come to Geneva after Russia cited concerns over the venue.
Mr. Pedersen has since discussed the matter with Russia, Switzerland, Syria and the SNC.
“Even assuming sessions resume in Geneva, this would not be sufficient to restore the credibility of the Committee in the eyes of most Syrians and international stakeholders,” he said.
“That is why I am seeking to work with the parties and the co-chairs so that, when meetings reconvene, there is political will to engage in a spirit of compromise, with a faster pace, better working methods and more substance.”
Arbitrary arrests continue
The Special Envoy and his team continue to monitor the issue of detained, disappeared, and missing persons.
“Regrettably, we continue to receive reports of arbitrary arrests throughout the country,” he said.
“Meanwhile, six months after the presidential amnesty decree, there is nothing new to report. Despite our continued engagement, official information is not forthcoming, nor has independent monitoring been facilitated.”
Tribute to Syrian women
Mr. Pedersen began his briefing by thanking the many Syrians, both inside and outside the country, who continue to engage with his office.
He expressed particular gratitude to Syrian women, noting that although they have suffered countless indignities in the conflict, many have found ways to come together across their divides.
“They embody a hope that a political settlement can bring real peace and enable Syrian women to assume their rightful and hard-earned place in society,” he said.
Cholera ‘tragedy’ no surprise
The Council also heard how communities in Syria are struggling to survive amidst a spiraling security, public health and economic crisis.
Reena Ghelani, a Director in the UN’s humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, provided an update on the cholera outbreak.
More than 20,000 suspected cases of the waterborne disease have been confirmed so far, and at least 80 people have died.
“This is a tragedy, but it should not come as a surprise,” she remarked. “Millions of people across Syria lack reliable access to sufficient and safe water, and the health system has been devastated by over a decade of conflict.”
In a camp for people displaced by conflict in the north-west of Syria, children cool down from soaring summer temperatures in the back of a truck made into a temporary pool.
Worsening water crisis
The outbreak is further compounded by factors such as poor rainfall in many locations, severe drought-like conditions, and damaged water infrastructure.
The UN and partners have been sounding the alarm on the water crisis in northern Syria for at least the past year, said Ms. Ghelani.
“The crisis is likely to get even worse,” she warned. “The outlook from now to December suggests an increased probability for below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures.”
The UN has a three-month plan to respond to the outbreak. It calls for $34.4 million to assist 162,000 with health services, and five million with water, sanitation and hygiene assistance.
Winter plan underfunded
Humanitarians are also gearing up for another bitter winter in Syria, with snowstorms, sub-zero temperatures, rains and flooding expected soon.
“This year, the number of people who need winterization assistance has increased by a staggering 30 per cent across the country compared to the previous year,” said Ms. Ghelani.
“In the northwest, some two million people depend on winter assistance to meet their most basic needs. Most are women and children living in camps with limited or no access to heating, electricity, water, or sewage disposal.”
A winterization response plan currently remains “grossly underfunded”, she said, adding that the shelter and non-food items sector now stands at just 10 per cent financed.
Ms. Ghelani stressed that “if this gap is not filled, families will not receive the heating, fuel, blankets, and winter clothes that they desperately need to keep warm.”
Opinion by Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Anis Chowdhury (sydney and kuala lumpur)
Inter Press Service
SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 (IPS) – Widespread adverse reactions to the UK government’s recent ‘mini-budget’ forced new Prime Minister Liz Truss to resign. The episode highlighted problems of macroeconomic policy coordination and the interests involved.
Macro-policy coordination
But macroeconomic, specifically fiscal-monetary policy coordination almost became “taboo” as central bank independence (CBI) became the new orthodoxy. It has been accused of enabling CBs to finance government deficits. Critics claim inflation, even hyperinflation, becomes inevitable.
Anis ChowdhuryGovernment finance ministries and CBs are the two main macroeconomic policy protagonists. Poor ‘macro-policy’ coordination has generated problems, including contradictory policy responses. This has meant more macroeconomic and financial instability, worrying markets and investors.
Fiscal policy – notably variations in government tax and spending – mainly aims to influence long-term growth and distribution. CB monetary policy – e.g., variations in short-term interest rates and credit growth – claims to prioritize price and exchange rate stability.
By the early 1990s, the ‘Washington consensus’ implied the two macro-policy actors should work independently due to their different time horizons. After all, governments are subject to short-term political considerations inimical to monetary stability needed for long-term growth.
Claiming to be “technocratic”, CBs have increasingly set their own goals or targets. CBI has involved both ‘goal’ and ‘instrument’ independence, instead of ‘goal dependence’ with ‘instrument independence’.
CBI was ostensibly to avoid ‘fiscal dominance’ of monetary policy. Meanwhile, government fiscal policy became subordinated to CB inflation targets. For former Reserve Bank of Australia Deputy Governor Guy Debelle, monetary policy became “the only game in town for demand management”.
Debelle noted that except for rare and brief coordinated fiscal stimuli in early 2009, after the onset of the global financial crisis, “demand management continued to be the sole purview of central banks. Fiscal policy was not much in the mix”.
Jomo Kwame SundaramSub-optimal outcomes
But more than three decades of “divorce” between independent CBs and fiscal authorities have failed to deliver its promised benefits. Instead, monetary policy dominance has worsened financial instability.
Adam Posen found the costs of disinflation, or keeping inflation low, higher in OECD countries with CBI. Carl Walsh found likewise in the European Community.
For Guy Debelle and Stanley Fischer, CBs have sought to enhance their credibility by being tougher on inflation, even at the expense of output and employment losses.
Committed to arbitrary targets, independent CBs have sought credit for keeping inflation low. They deny other contributory factors, e.g., labour’s diminished bargaining power and globalization, particularly cheaper supplies.
John Taylor, author of the ‘Taylor rule’ CB mantra, concluded CB “performance was not associated with de jure central bank independence”. De jure CB independence has not prevented them from “deviating from policies that lead to both price and output stability”.
The de facto independent US Fed has also taken “actions that have led to high unemployment and/or high inflation”. As single-minded independent CBs pursued low inflation, they neglected their responsibility for financial stability.
CBs’ indiscriminate monetary expansion during the 2000s’ Great Moderation enabled asset price bubbles and dangerous speculation, culminating in the global financial crisis (GFC).
Since the GFC, “the financial sector has become dependent on easy liquidity… To compensate for quantitative easing (QE)-induced low return…, increased the risk profile of their other assets, taking on more leverage, and hedging interest rate risk with derivatives”.
Independent CBs also never acknowledge the adverse distributional consequences of their policies. This has been true of both conventional policies, involving interest rate adjustments, and unconventional ones, with bond buying, or QE. All have enabled speculation, credit provision and other financial investments.
They have also helped inefficient and uncompetitive ‘zombie’ enterprises survive. Instead of reversing declining long-term productivity growth, the slowdown since the GFC “has been steep and prolonged”.
Dire consequences
The pandemic has seen unprecedented fiscal and monetary responses. But there has been little coordination between fiscal and monetary authorities. Unsurprisingly, greater pandemic-induced fiscal deficits and monetary expansion have raised inflationary pressures, especially with supply disruptions.
This could have been avoided if policymakers had better coordinated fiscal and monetary measures to unlock key supply bottlenecks. War and economic sanctions have made the supply situation even more dire.
Government debt has been rising since the GFC, reaching record levels due to pandemic measures. CBs hiking interest rates to contain inflation have thus worsened public debt burdens, inviting austerity measures.
Thus, countries go through cycles of debt accumulation and output contraction. Supposed to contain inflation, they adversely impact livelihoods. Many more developing countries face debt crises, further setting back progress.
Needed reforms
Sixty years ago, Milton Friedman asserted, “money is too important to be left to the central bankers”. He elaborated, “One economic defect of an independent central bank … is that it almost invariably involves dispersal of responsibility… Another defect … is the extent to which policy is … made highly dependent on personalities… third … defect is that an independent central bank will almost invariably give undue emphasis to the point of view of bankers”.
Thus, government-sceptic Friedman recommended, “either to make the Federal Reserve a bureau in the Treasury under the secretary of the Treasury, or to put the Federal Reserve under direct congressional control.
“Either involves terminating the so-called independence of the system… either would establish a strong incentive for the Fed to produce a stabler monetary environment than we have had”.
Undoubtedly, this is an extreme solution. Friedman also suggested replacing CB discretion with monetary policy rules to resolve the problem of lack of coordination. But, as Alan Blinder has observed, such rules are “unlikely to score highly”.
Effective fiscal-monetary policy coordination requires appropriate supporting institutions and operating arrangements. As IMF research has shown, “neither legal independence of central bank nor a balanced budget clause or a rule-based monetary policy framework … are enough to ensure effective monetary and fiscal policy coordination”.
Although rules-based policies may enhance transparency and strengthen discipline, they cannot create “credibility”, which depends on policy content, not policy frameworks.
For Debelle, a combination of “goal dependence” and “instrument or operational independence” of CBs under strong democratic or parliamentary oversight may be appropriate for developed countries.
There is also a need to broaden membership of CB governing boards to avoid dominance by financial interests and to represent broader national interests.
But macro-policy coordination should involve more than merely an appropriate fiscal-monetary policy mix. A more coherent approach should also incorporate sectoral strategies, e.g., public investment in renewable energy, education & training, healthcare. Such policy coordination should enable sustainable development and reverse declining productivity growth.
As Buiter urges, it is up to governments “to make appropriate use of … fiscal space” created by fiscal-monetary coordination. Democratic checks and balances are needed to prevent “pork-barrelling” and other fiscal abuses and to protect fiscal decision-making from corruption.
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Republicans in general favor less immigration than Democrats. For example, a national Gallup poll in July 2022 found that the proportion saying immigration to America should be decreased was 69 percent among Republicans versus 17 percent among Democrats. Credit: Guillermo Arias / IPS
Opinion by Joseph Chamie (portland, usa)
Inter Press Service
PORTLAND, USA, Oct 24 (IPS) – Given the upcoming midterm elections in the United States and the consequences of the outcome for domestic legislation and programs as well as the country’s foreign policy, it’s useful and fitting to review fundamental differences between America’s two major political parties on vital demographic issues.
On virtually every major demographic issue, including reproduction, mortality, immigration, ethnic composition, gender, marriage and population ageing, significant divides exist between the Democrats and Republicans (Figure 1). Those divides have significant consequences and implications for current and future government policies and programs.
Source: Various U.S. public opinion surveys.
Those divides on vital demographic matters, which have become increasingly politicized by the two major parties, are reinforcing political polarization and partisan antipathy across the country and hindering the economic, social and cultural development of the United States.
With respect to reproduction, while most Democrats are in favor of a woman’s legal access to abortion, most Republicans are not. For example, a March 2022 PEW national survey found that proportion of Democrats saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases was more than twice that of Republicans, i.e., 80 versus 38 percent.
Also, Gallup polls indicate a widening gap since the late 1980s between Democrats and Republicans on the circumstances permitting abortion. By 2022, for example, the proportions of Democrats and Republicans saying abortions should be legal under any circumstances were 57 and 10 percent, respectively (Figure 2).
Source: Gallup.
A similar difference on abortion is evident among members of Congress and justices of the Supreme Court. While Congressional Democrats are largely in favor codifying access to abortion and safeguards to the right to travel across state lines to undergo the procedure, Congressional Republicans are opposed to such access and safeguards. And the recent Supreme Court abortion decision ending the right to abortion reflects the divides in the views of justices appointed by Republican and Democrat administrations.
Concerning access to birth control methods, the vote on the recently passed bill by the House of Representatives was mostly along party lines. All but eight Republicans opposed the bill that aims to ensure access to contraception. In the Senate, the birth control measure is expected to fail as most Republicans are likely to be against it.
On mortality and morbidity issues, Congressional Democratic and Republican leaders are also divided. A notable example of that divide has been the sustained Republican opposition to the Affordable Care Act enacted by Democrats more than a decade ago.
Recent research has also found that more premature deaths occur in Republican-leaning counties than in Democratic-leaning counties. The policies adopted by Democratic-leaning states compared to those in Republican states are believed to have contributed to the greater divide in mortality outcomes. Those policies include Medicaid expansion, health care access, minimum wage legislation, tobacco control, gun legislation, and drug addiction treatment.
The early responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was transformed from a public health concern into a major political issue, also reflect the divide in mortality outcomes between Democrats and Republicans. While mask wearing, social distancing, and related preventive measures were often stressed by most Democratic officials, many Republican leaders resisted such measures and downplayed the risks of the coronavirus.
Those partisan differences concerning the COVID-19 pandemic were reflected in the behavior and attitudes of Republicans and Democrats across the country. As a result of those attitudinal and behavioral differences, Republican-leaning counties have had higher COVID-19 death rates than Democrat-leaning counties.
With respect to immigration, Republicans in general favor less immigration than Democrats. For example, a national Gallup poll in July 2022 found that the proportion saying immigration to America should be decreased was 69 percent among Republicans versus 17 percent among Democrats. The rise for decreased immigration during the past several years is primarily due to Republicans, whose desire for reducing immigration increased by 21 points since June 2020 compared to an increase of 4 points among Democrats (Figure 3).
Source: Gallup.
To address immigration levels, the former Republican administration advocated building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and limiting the granting of asylum claims. In contrast, most Democratic leaders have not been in favor of erecting a border wall. Also, the current Democratic administration has been removing obstacles to granting asylum claims, including ending the former administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy.
Concerning the more than 11 million illegal immigrants residing in the country, the former Republican administration wanted to ban counting them in the 2020 census. The desired exclusion of undocumented migrants in the census enumeration was aimed at not including them when determining Congressional representation. The current Democratic administration, in contrast, includes undocumented migrants in the census count and determining Congressional representation.
On whether to offer an amnesty to immigrants living unlawfully in the country, a wide divide exists between the two major political parties. While Democrats are largely in favor of offering illegal immigrants a path to U.S. citizenship, many Republicans oppose granting an amnesty to those who are unlawfully resident in the country. A PEW survey in August 2022, for example, found the proportion in favor of a path to U.S. citizenship among Democrats was more than double the level among the Republicans, 80 versus 37 percent, respectively.
Regarding the changing ethnic composition of the U.S. population, Democrats tend to view the changes more favorably than Republicans. For example, one national PEW survey found Democrats three times more likely than Republicans to say a majority nonwhite population will strengthen America’s customs and values, i.e., 42 and 13 percent, respectively.
Similar divides between Democrats and Republicans were found with respect to interracial marriage and same-sex marriage. The growth of interracial marriage is considered to be a good thing for the country by a majority of Democrats and a minority of Republicans, 61 and 33 percent, respectively. Also, Democrats have been consistently more likely than Republicans to say that same-sex marriages should recognized by the law as valid, with the proportions in 2022 at 83 and 55 percent, respectively (Figure 4).
Source: Gallup.
Democrats and Republicans also differ in their views about gender identity. While a national PEW survey found 80 percent of Republicans saying that whether someone is a man or a woman is determined by the sex assigned at birth, 64 percent of Democrats took the opposite view, believing that a person’s gender can be different from the sex assigned at birth.
Moreover, the majority of Republicans, 57 percent, say that society has gone too far in accepting people who are transgender, compared to 12 percent of Democrats.
On the issue of population ageing, noteworthy policy differences with program implications exist between Democrats and Republicans. In general, Republican leaders have resisted government entitlement programs established by Democrats, such as Social Security and Medicare, preferring reliance on the private sector, freedom of choice and individual responsibility.
Republican leaders have proposed replacing those major programs for older Americans with private investment accounts and a voucher system for health insurance. In addition, some Republicans recommend eliminating Social Security and Medicare as federal entitlement programs and have them become programs approved by Congress annually as discretionary spending.
A similar political divide exists among Americans concerning the provision of long-term care that the elderly may need. One national PEW survey in 2019 reported that while two-thirds of Democrats say the government should be mostly responsible for paying for that care for the elderly, 40 percent of Republicans have that view.
In sum, significant divides currently exist between Democrats and Republicans on nearly every major demographic issue facing the United States. Those divides are being politicized by the two parties, reinforcing political polarization and partisan antipathy across the country, which in turn are affecting domestic legislation and foreign policy as well as hampering America’s progress in the 21st century.
Joseph Chamie is a consulting demographer, a former director of the United Nations Population Division and author of numerous publications on population issues, including his recent book, “Births, Deaths, Migrations and Other Important Population Matters.”
European Union leaders struggle to find solutions for the energy crisis. Credit: Bigstock
by Baher Kamal (madrid)
Inter Press Service
MADRID, Oct 24 (IPS) – European politicians continue to run in all directions to find a way out of their energy crisis. One of them – Simonetta Sommaruga, the Swiss Environment Minister, asked people to ‘shower together’. Others are competing to grant the business of transporting energy from the North of Africa to the continent. All this is not new.
The MidCat
In 2010, a project aimed at transporting 7.500 million cubic metres of gas by linking Catalonia (Spain) to Occitania (France) and from there to other European Union countries.
With an initial estimated cost at over three billion Euro, this MidCat project quasi-blocked just one year later, to be finally stopped in 2018 following cost and impact studies.
Following the energy impact of the condemnable proxy war in Ukraine, Spain has recently proposed relaunching the MIDCAT. But France continued to block the project alleging high costs. Maybe also under the heavy pressure of its extended, powerful business of nuclear plants?
The Italian Connexion
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the deteriorated relations between Spain and Algeria due to Madrid’s support to the annexation of Western Sahara by Morocco, Rome rushed to negotiate with Algiers the transportation of the Algerian gas and oil to Europe through Italy.
But this project hasn’t worked out either.
The Turkish Pipe
At that state, Ankara proposed in September 2022 transporting Russian fossil fuels to Europe through a Turkish pipeline crossing the country’s territory. Also this way out was soon discarded.
The BarMar
During their yet another summit in late October, the European Union’s heads of state and governments launched more debates on how to grant their energy supplies.
At the end, the leaders of Spain, Portugal, and France agreed on 20 October 2022 to replace the MidCat project with a new “green energy corridor” that would be able to transport hydrogen. And they called it BarMar.
Where From?
So far, no accurate details are known of the major features of such a project. For instance: where will this hydrogen come from?
According to the European Union’s data, hydrogen accounts for less than 2% of Europe’s present energy consumption and is primarily used to produce chemical products, such as plastics and fertilisers. 96% of this hydrogen production is through natural gas, resulting in significant amounts of CO2 emissions. So?
How Green Is the “Green Energy Corridor”?
The BarMar project’s defenders say that hydrogen is the future of energy. Critics insist that hydrogen is most efficient if it is used around its source.
Anyway, if it is so green, why has the West, including Europe, not turned up sooner to this source of energy?
For How Long. How Much? Who Will Pay?
This BarMar project implies great costs and, according to European sources, it would be a sort of a “transitional” plan. To what? How long will it take to implement the project?
Not having released specific final details, the Spanish, Portuguese and French leaders decided to meet in December 2022 to discuss those details.
Where Will the Money Come From?
For now, French President Emmanuel Macron rushed to put the bandage before the wound, saying that the BarMar project would “benefit from European funding.”
The European Union’s funds are composed of the proportional contribution of each one of its 27 member countries, with Germany being the major contributor.
However, in view of the big European financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and now exacerbated by Ukraine’s proxy war, a big portion of such reserves have been designated to alleviate the economic and social impacts, let alone the spectacular rise of fossil fuels prices for citizens.
The Military Race
During NATO’s Summit in Madrid, this Western alliance of 30 countries, decided to further militarise Europe by increasing the continent’s spending on weapons and multiplying its troops, in addition to further extending its presence in Africa. Such militarisation process implies high costs to Europe.
In addition, following the United States’ huge weapons supplies to Ukraine, which for now are estimated at more than 17 billion US dollars, European countries have also continued to send weapons to Ukraine.
Here, some European politicians started talking about the urgent need to replenish the continent’s “empty weapons shelves.”
Furthermore, the European leaders have just decided to transfer to Ukraine up to 1.5 billion US dollars… every single month… as part of the estimated 3 to 3.5 billion… a month… that the West decided to send to Ukraine.
Is the Fossil Fuels Rush Over Soon?
Not really. Germany seems to be thinking about reopening their nuclear plants to produce electricity.
Norway is reported as planning to increase oil production from the Northern Sea. The United States, being the world’s largest oil producer, has doubled its liquified gas supplies to Europe.
Venezuela, Saudi Arabia
Washington decided that the heavily sanctioned Nicolas Maduro’s government in Venezuela is not all that bad, therefore the US has approached Caracas to increase its fossil fuels production.
At the time, Western leaders pressured the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which groups 13 oil-exporting ‘developing nations,’ to pump more oil and gas in the market.
Having OPEC’s top producer: Saudi Arabia shown reluctance, the US-led West has threatened to punish their own “friend and ally” — the Saudis, through sanctions.
Carbon, Fracking
Meanwhile, several European states, mostly the EU Eastern member countries, have been steadily intensifying the extraction and use of another fossil fuel: coal.
And one more European country however is no longer an EU member: the United Kingdom plans to extend the business of “fracking”.
Further to the United Kingdom’s parliamentary debates around the already ousted Liz Truss Conservative government plan to lift the 2019 decision to ban fracking, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reminded that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique for recovering gas and oil from shale rock.
And that it involves drilling into the earth and directing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals at a rock layer in order to release the gas inside.
Environmental organisations and activists worldwide continue to warn about the high dangers to Earth of carrying out such an activity. An activity that, by the way, is still widely extended in the world’s biggest fossil energy producer–the United States.
At Jhargram in India’s West Bengal state, farmers have returned to indigenous and organic farming with promising results. Here women farmers prepare seed beds. Credit: Umar Manzoor Shah/IPS
by Umar Manzoor Shah (jhargram, india)
Inter Press Service
Jhargram, India, Oct 24 (IPS) – At Jhargram, a far-flung village in India’s West Bengal state, a group of farmers sit together in one of the open fields. They debate, deliberate, and confabulate about the marketing strategy they should use when selling their harvest on the open market.
Two years ago, the scenario in the village was completely different. The farmers were perturbed by sudden market inflation—a price hike on seeds, fertilisers, and saplings. On top of that, they were worried about climate change and the damage that occurs with the changes in weather patterns—late monsoons, unseasonal rains, and extreme heat waves.
The state of West Bengal is located in the eastern region of India along the Bay of Bengal. It was in this Indian state that Britain’s East India Company started doing business before it went on to rule almost the entire South Asia.
West Bengal is primarily an agricultural state. Despite covering only 2.7% of India’s geographical territory, it is home to approximately 8% of its 1.3 billion population. There are 7,1 million farming families, with 96% being small and marginal farmers in West Bengal. The average land holding is only 0.77 hectares. The state has a broad set of natural resources and agro-climatic conditions that allow for the production of a wide range of crops.
However, over the past few years, farmers here have been reeling in distress. According to recent research conducted to determine the intensity of the agrarian crisis in the region, agricultural produce returns for farmers were meagre.
The main reasons for low agricultural returns were a flawed marketing system; low agricultural product prices; price fluctuations of farm products; and crop loss due to disease, flooding, and heavy rains.
Jayanta Sahu, a farmer from Jhargram village, recalls how the drastic price rise of seeds and saplings put farmers like him in dire straits.
“We belong to the village, which is far away from the city. It takes hours of bus rides to reach the markets. Hardly a bus drones through this place. This was why we used to rely mostly on the middleman to supply seeds, fertilisers, and related entities required for farming. They used to take their commission from the supplies, and we were left with extremely high-priced material,” Sahu told IPS.
He adds that several issues have afflicted the farming sector in the past, including loss of agricultural land, a shortage of local seeds and seedlings, irrigation, and a lack of agricultural infrastructure, manures, fertiliser, and biocides.
But above all, said Sahu, the plummeting income from farming left them feeling “wretched” in more ways than one.
“We couldn’t even cover the basic expenses of our family through the meagre income from agriculture. Our finances were strained by inflation and climate change. We were really helpless before such a tumultuous situation,” Sahu said.
Another farmer, namely Mongal Dash, recalls how he was about to bid adieu to farming forever and instead do menial jobs like working as a daily wage labourer in the main town. “We were fighting a battle on multiple fronts—the low yields of our crops, the high cost of fertilisers and seeds, and climate change. The middlemen who used to supply us with the seeds raised the basic cost four to five times. We had no option left but to buy from them. The degraded quality of these seeds would result in low yields and, ultimately, low incomes,” Dash told IPS.
Witnessing insurmountable predicaments coming from all sides, the farmers last year sat together to decide a future course of action. It was like either they would perish or prosper. After hours of deliberations, they identified the key issues concerning them and how they should address them as a priority. One of the major hurdles was the involvement of middlemen or commission agents in procuring seeds. Another hurdle was the long distance to the city, which made it difficult to procure seeds and fertilisers for themselves.
At this time, they deliberated over a strategy to produce their own seeds and saplings that they could grow and make profitable yields.
The village, with more than 250 households, identified six veteran and experienced farmers who were tasked with producing their indigenous seeds and saplings. These farmers were trained in seed preservation, seed bed making, organic manure preparation, and pest control.
About an acre of land was identified. Seedbeds for Tamara, cabbage, cauliflower, and chilli, with an estimated 9000 saplings, were prepared there. The farmers resolved that no chemical fertilisers or pesticides would be used on seedlings or seed beds—everything was grown organically.
The saplings were distributed at a low cost to the farmers in the village based on their needs.
Now, when more than a year has passed, the endeavour these otherwise crisis-stricken farmers have made is beginning to yield the desired results.
“We are no longer dependent on the outside market for seed procurement. We do not use chemical fertilisers, nor are we importing any degraded saplings from outside. Our village is becoming self-reliant in this regard, and we are very proud of this,” says a local farmer Shyam Bisui.
The farmers, who otherwise had to invest about one-third of their yearly earnings on purchasing inorganic seeds and chemical fertilisers, now save most of their money because organic manures are used. Seeds are prepared in the village.
“The yields are subtly growing, and so are our hopes of good living. We are sure our earnest efforts will bring us prosperity, and we will never perish,” the farmer said.
Providing water and sanitation for everyone on the planet is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by all 193 UN Member States in 2015.
The report revealed that although more than two billion people gained access to safe drinking water over the past two decades, a quarter of the world’s population is still being left behind.
A basic human right
Meanwhile, climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts and floods, affecting water security and disrupting supply.
Rapid urbanization is also making it hard for cities to deliver water to millions living in informal communities and slums.
“Providing greater access to safe drinking water has saved many lives, most of them children. But climate change is eating into those achievements,” said Dr. Maria Neira, Director of WHO’s Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health.
“We have to accelerate our efforts to ensure every person has reliable access to safe drinking water – something that is a human right, not a luxury.”
A critical investment
The report examines the links between water, health and development.
It contains actionable recommendations for governments and partners aimed at increasing funding for safer systems, and strengthening capacities to plan, coordinate, and regulate service provision.
Examples showing how countries are contributing to achieving the SDG target of reaching safely managed drinking water for all by 2030 are also included.
“Investing in water and sanitation is critical to health, economic growth and the environment. Healthier children become healthier adults who then contribute more to the economy and society”, said Saroj Kumar Jha, Director of the World Bank Group’s Water Global Practice.
The partners have called for governments and the private sector to dramatically increase political commitment to drinking water, and to quadruple investment.
“No child should be faced with the choice of drinking dirty water – a leading killer of children – or making dangerous journeys to collect water and missing out on school,” said Aidan Cronin, UNICEF Interim Director of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Climate, Environment, Energy, and Disaster Risk Reduction (CEED).
“Accessible and reliable safe drinking water is fundamental to ensuring children are healthy, educated, and thriving.”
Action for governments
The report provides comprehensive recommendations for sustainable improvements focused around the areas of governance, financing, capacity development, data and information, as well as innovation.
They include strengthening existing institutions, for example by establishing an effective regulatory environment, supported by legislation and standards for service quality, and ensuring enforcement.
Funding from all sources should be increased, with water service providers improving efficiency and performance, and governments providing a stable and transparent administrative, regulatory and policy environment.
Innovation and experimentation should also be encouraged through supportive government policy and regulation.
Special Representative Abdoulaye Bathily arrived in the country this month and has been prioritizing consultations with political, institutional, security and civil society representatives, in a bid to address these challenges.
“The situation in Libya calls for a consensus State re-legitimation process. Legitimate institutions capable of providing for the basic needs of the people must be established on the basis of a genuine political will. In this process, the conduct of legislative and presidential elections is paramount,” he said.
Deadlock and violence
Libya has been divided between two rival administrations for more than a decade, following the overthrow and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The Government of National Accord (GNA) is based in the capital, Tripoli, located in the west, while the rival Libyan National Army (LNA) controls the east.
The signing of a UN-brokered ceasefire in October 2020 paved the way for long-awaited elections in December 2021, which were postponed due to disagreement over the legal basis for the vote.
This past August, deadly clashes between the two sides rocked Tripoli. The crisis was triggered in March, after the eastern parliament selected a new government, however the UN and internationally-backed Prime Minister, refused to stand down.
No end in sight
“The political deadlock persists with no clear end in sight to the prolonged stalemate over the executive,” Mr. Bathily told the Council.
“Further, efforts to resolve the remaining outstanding issues related to the constitutional basis for elections, do not appear to lead to concrete action by the relevant actors, further delaying prospects for the holding of inclusive, free and fair elections aimed at ending the transition and reinstating the legitimacy of institutions.”
Listen to the people
The UN envoy is holding the consultations “to design a response to these daunting political challenges”, and significant differences remain on how Libyans want to overcome the crisis.
“In response to the near unanimous condemnation across the spectrum of the presence of mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces in Libya and the incessant foreign interference in the country’s affairs, I stressed to all my interlocutors that the solution to the crisis must come from inside Libya, on the basis of the will of the Libyan people,” he told the Council.
Mr. Bathily urged Libyan leaders “to hear the people’s aspiration for peace, stability, economic development, and a responsive leadership.”
Meanwhile, although the ceasefire continues to hold, the political impasse has adversely impacted action on security.
The violent clashes in Tripoli caused a shift in the power balance in the capital, and deepened tensions, resulting in a fragile stability.
“Despite the noticeable decrease in mobilization of armed groups and clashes among them, there are reports of ongoing large-scale recruitment activities,” he reported.
On a positive note, Mr. Bathily said the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), which brings together representatives from the two sides, will meet next week in Sirte to discuss activities to further ceasefire implementation.
Address human rights
Turning to human rights, the envoy regretted that the situation in the country remains concerning.
Violations against migrants and asylum seekers “continue with impunity” while “arbitrary detention continues as a common practice”, he said.
Mr. Bathily called for the authorities to take immediate measures to address the dire situation of migrants and refugees and to dismantle trafficking and criminal networks.
The Libyan authorities have reported that as of 1 October, nearly 11,000 people, including 55 women, are serving sentences in prisons run by the judicial police.
Justice denied
Furthermore, close to 6,000 people are in pre-trial detention, with 113 women and 135 juveniles among them. Overall, these numbers represent a 40 per cent increase since August.
“Many of those in pre-trial detention, representing a third of the total prison population, are detained with no access to justice. These numbers do not include the approximately 3,243 migrants who are arbitrarily detained in detention centres operated by the Government,” he added.
Mr. Bathily said the Libyan authorities should guarantee due process and a fair trial for people detained on credible charges. He also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those who are arbitrarily detained.
The results emerging from roundtables on governance, capacity development, data and information, innovation and financing, will be shared with national representatives on Tuesday, at a preparatory meeting for the UN 2023 Water Conference, taking place in March.
Noting that the world stands at a watershed moment, the President of the General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, whose Office organized the consultations, told participants that it is time to “transform from reactive water management to proactive, science-based solutions to the water crisis.”
Science-based solutions
Mr. Kőrösi urged participants discuss game changers from the perspective of “solidarity, sustainability and science”, the motto of the 77th session of the General Assembly.
Former President of the Republic of Hungary, János Áder also addressed the opening, in his capacity as Member of the Water and Climate Leaders. He called for a greater emphasis on collecting and sharing information: “We cannot stop this water crisis. We have to adapt. And to adapt, we need data and information.”
Shaken, not stirred
Reminding participants of the “James Bond ratio” whereby only 0.007 per cent of the planet’s water is potable. Mr. Áder listed categories missing data bases, such as on water quality, grid loss, humidity content and wastewater.
Without good date on these topics, it makes it difficult to see the potential social, political and economic impact of water issues, Mr. Áder noted.
The opening session also heard from UN Global Compact Chief of Staff, Melissa Powell. She discussed CEO Water Mandate, which is an initiative to align business principles with water, sanitation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and called for greater engagement with the public sector.
Speaking also on behalf of the private sector in the opening, Matthias Berninger, who works in Public Affairs and Sustainability at Bayer, said more and more companies are engaging on water because it is important for their businesses.
Fluid new systems
He suggested that now is the time to start a more concerted effort to create a water and climate information system which would allow assistance for farmers, people living on shorelines, and decisionmakers.
Youth advocate, Keziah Theresee Gerosana, called for UN agencies to allocate at least half of their budgets to water and climate projects.
Referring to the importance of intergenerational discussions, in addition to inter-sectoral, she urged participants to see young people as allies: “Will you open your doors and accept us? Allow us to be your partners for change?”
Young business leader Lindsey Blodgett, called on participants to “work together outside of our spheres of influence” to harmonizing game changers across communities that normally would not be cooperating.
Short on climate action
Joining by video message, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization Petteri Taalas warned that climate action failure – which includes water inaction – is the biggest global risk.
He stressed the need to invest more in early warning systems, and to fill in the gaps in meteorological observing systems on the African continent, among Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
Monday’s discussions also included information from a series of online stakeholder discussions organized earlier this year by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).
That Department’s Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua, who is the Secretary-General of the UN 2023 Water conference, presented the findings. UN DESA helped to organize today’s discussions.
Governance overhaul
Revolutions hurt, said Hank Ovink, Special Envoy for Water from the Netherlands, addressing the roundtable on governance. Netherlands, along with Tajikistan, are the co-hosts of UN 2023 Water Conference.
Mr. Ovink said that to really have an impact, the international community will need to change “quite a log about what we’re used to, in combination with political will, societal will, a whole of society approach in a radically inclusive way.”
The Special Envoy told participants and moderator Danielle Gaillard-Picher, the Global Coordinator of the Global Water Partnership, that the contributions and societal will of everyone watching can make a difference.
Developing capacity
One of the issues discussed in the roundtable on capacity development is the establishment of a mechanism like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC, which could provide policy makers with science-based knowledge.
“That knowledge has to be translated to change water culture,” said Moderator Abou Amani, the Director of Water Sciences Division at UNESCO. “Because too many people are taking water for granted.”
Topics also discussed in the roundtable included not leaving anyone behind, as well as formal and informal water education and financing to help support the movement.
Need to know
Carolina Tornesi MacKinnon, of the World Youth Parliament for Water, moderated the panel on data and information.
One of the game changers discussed was the UN Early Warnings for All initiative, which is expected to be discussed at the COP27 in Egypt next month.
Participants also discussed the need for databases and better information on water use and water quality, that are open to all, without proprietary use or high subscription prices.
Some also mentioned the importance of gender, referring to the UNICEF statistic that women and girls spend 200 million hours a day gathering water, which allows them far less time than they need for studies and income generating activities.
Children stand in a flood water in Borno State, Nigeria.
Innovation
Among the game changers discussed in the innovation roundtable moderated by Marc Zeitoun, from the Geneva Water Hub, participants discussed topics such as appointing water champions within parliaments, to connect decision makers with the issue.
Some participants highlighted unconventional water resources, noting that in some countries, water reuse cannot be part of the solution because there is no water to reuse. Such technologies also include desalinating systems, and methods of extracting water from air.
Accessing finance
In the roundtable on financing, moderated by the economic development body OECD’s Anna Dupont, one of the topics discussed was the importance of linking water to the resilience and climate change agenda.
Close to 80 per cent of natural disasters so far this century are water-related.
Participants also discussed financial implications and how to drive investment, given rising interest across the private sector in water-related, sustainability issues. The interest is being driven in part by the need to access resources on the part of business.
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