Daily Archives: May 27, 2022

We must stop letting Russia define the terms of the Ukraine crisis – The Guardian

Posted: May 27, 2022 at 2:32 am

In recent weeks, the western public has been obsessed with the question What goes on in Putins mind? Western pundits wonder: do the people around him tell him the whole truth? Is he ill or going insane? Are we pushing him into a corner where he will see no other way out to save face than to accelerate the conflict into a total war?

We should stop this obsession with the red line, this endless search for the right balance between support for Ukraine and avoiding total war. The red line is not an objective fact: Putin himself is redrawing it all the time, and we contribute to his redrawing with our reactions to Russias activities. A question like Did US intelligence-sharing with Ukraine cross a line? makes us obliterate the basic fact: it was Russia itself which crossed the line, by attacking Ukraine. So instead of perceiving ourselves as a group which just reacts to Putin as an impenetrable evil genius, we should turn the gaze back at ourselves: what do we the free west want in this affair?

We must analyze the ambiguity of our support of Ukraine with the same cruelty we analyze Russias stance. We should reach beyond double standards applied today to the very foundations of European liberalism. Remember how, in the western liberal tradition, colonization was often justified in the terms of the rights of working people. John Locke, the great Enlightenment philosopher and advocate of human rights, justified white settlers grabbing land from Native Americans with a strange left-sounding argument against excessive private property. His premise was that an individual should be allowed to own only as much land as he is able to use productively, not large tracts of land that he is not able to use (and then eventually rents to others). In North America, as he saw it, Indigenous people were using vast tracts of land mostly just for hunting, and the white settlers who wanted to use it for intense agriculture had the right to seize it for the benefit of humanity.

In the ongoing Ukraine crisis, both sides present their acts as something they simply had to do: the west had to help Ukraine remain free and independent; Russia was compelled to intervene militarily to protect its safety. The latest example: the Russian foreign ministry claiming Russia will be forced to take retaliatory steps if Finland joins Nato. No, it will not be forced, in the same way that Russia was not forced to attack Ukraine. This decision appears forced only if one accepts the whole set of ideological and geopolitical assumptions that sustain Russian politics.

These assumptions have to be analyzed closely, without any taboos. One often hears that we should draw a strict line of separation between Putins politics and the great Russian culture, but this line of separation is much more porous than it may appear. We should resolutely reject the idea that, after years of patiently trying to resolve the Ukrainian crisis through negotiations, Russia was finally forced/compelled to attack Ukraine one is never forced to attack and annihilate a whole country. The roots are much deeper; I am ready to call them properly metaphysical.

Anatoly Chubais, the father of Russian oligarchs (he orchestrated Russias rapid privatization in 1992), said in 2004: Ive reread all of Dostoevsky over the past three months. And I feel nothing but almost physical hatred for the man. He is certainly a genius, but his idea of Russians as special, holy people, his cult of suffering and the false choices he presents make me want to tear him to pieces. As much as I dislike Chubais for his politics, I think he is right about Dostoevsky, who provided the deepest expression of the opposition between Europe and Russia: individualism versus collective spirit, materialist hedonism versus the spirit of sacrifice.

Russia now presents its invasion as a new step in the fight for decolonization, against western globalization. In a text published earlier this month, Dmitry Medvedev, the ex-president of Russia and now the deputy secretary of the security council of the Russian Federation, wrote that the world is waiting for the collapse of the idea of an American-centric world and the emergence of new international alliances based on pragmatic criteria. (Pragmatic criteria means disregard for universal human rights, of course.)

So we should also draw red lines, but in a way which makes clear our solidarity with developing countries. Medvedev predicts that, because of the war in Ukraine, in some states, hunger may occur due to the food crisis a statement of breathtaking cynicism. As of May 2022, about 25m metric tons of grain are slowly rotting in Odesa, on ships or in silos, since the port is blocked by the Russian navy. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that millions of people are marching towards starvation unless ports in southern Ukraine which have been closed because of the war, are reopened, Newsweek reports. Europe now promises to help Ukraine transport the grain by railway and truck but this is clearly not enough. A step more is needed: a clear demand to open the port for the export of grain, inclusive of sending protective military ships there. Its not about Ukraine, its about the hunger of hundreds of millions in Africa and Asia. Here should the red line be drawn.

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, recently said: Imagine [the Ukraine war] is happening in Africa, or the Middle East. Imagine Ukraine is Palestine. Imagine Russia is the United States. As expected, comparing the conflict in Ukraine with the plight of the Palestinians offended many Israelis, who believe there are no similarities, Newsweek noted. For example, many point out that Ukraine is a sovereign, democratic country, but dont consider Palestine as a state. Of course Palestine is not a state because Israel denies its right to be a state in the same way Russia denies the right of Ukraine to be a sovereign state. As much as I find Lavrovs remarks repulsive, he sometimes deftly manipulates the truth.

Yes, the liberal west is hypocritical, applying its high standards very selectively. But hypocrisy means you violate the standards you proclaim, and in this way you open yourself up to inherent criticism when we criticize the liberal west, we use its own standards. What Russia is offering is a world without hypocrisy because it is without global ethical standards, practicing just pragmatic respect for differences. We have seen clearly what this means when, after the Taliban took over in Afghanistan, they instantly made a deal with China. China accepts the new Afghanistan while the Taliban will ignore what China is doing to Uyghurs this is, in nuce, the new globalization advocated by Russia. And the only way to defend what is worth saving in our liberal tradition is to ruthlessly insist on its universality. The moment we apply double standards, we are no less pragmatic than Russia.

Slavoj iek is a cultural philosopher. Hes a senior researcher at the Institute for Sociology and Philosophy at the University of Ljubljana, Global Distinguished Professor of German at New York University, and international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities of the University of London

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2022 Land Rover Range Rover Review: An Improved Transporter of Gods – Gear Patrol

Posted: at 2:32 am

Will Sabel Courtney

It's a rare day when a new Range Rover debuts.

Of course, when I say that, I'm referring to what Land Rover snobs would probably refer to as the real Range Rover that is, not one boasting a suffix like Sport or Evoque or Velar, but the one that can trace its lineage all the way back to the days of the Apollo missions, when it arguably pioneered the then-silly-sounding idea of a luxury sport utility vehicle. No, a new version of the "true" Range Rover has only come around five times in human history; the first debuted in 1969, the second followed a whopping 25 years later, the third arrived in 2001, the fourth in 2012.

And now we're here a decade after that, once again faced with an all-new Land Rover Range Rover. But this Range Rover faces a very different future than any of its predecessors. The era of gasoline powertrains is coming rapidly to a close in favor of electric vehicles, so the Range Rover is finding ways to go green; the world's wealthy are growing wealthier, so the Range Rover can push upmarket; and, perhaps most notably, the SUV has now become the de facto vehicle of choice in nations across the world, so the Range Rover now needs to offer even more all-around family-friendly capability on top of everything else it does well.

So, here in 2022, how does the vehicle once so memorably described on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as "a transporter of gods" hold up in the face of a changing world and fresh competition? We headed to California to find out.

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It's all-new although it's easier to tell that from the back than it is from the front, where the design is much more evolutionary than revolutionary. The face of the new model bears an intentional resemblance to the prior one; the rear, on the flip side, is sleeker and more streamlined, with thin vertical tail lamps that, admittedly, give it a slight resemblance to the stern of a Kia Telluride.

Beneath that evolutionary design, however, lies a new platform known as "MLA Flex" in Jaguar Land Rover parlance. Designed to be used in everything from gas-engined mild hybrids to electric vehicles, it's being used for the first time here; it's both stiffer and more quiet than the previous Range Rover, which wasn't exactly a rattling cardboard box.

Under the hood lies a choice of two different gas-powered powertrains, at least to start in the United States. Base models come packing the mild-hybrid 3.0-liter inline-six that's quickly become a familiar face across the Land Rover lineup, here making 395 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque.

The V8 variant is something of a throwback in terms of legacy, if not technology; like the eight-pot found in the Range Rover a couple generations ago, it's made by BMW. Unlike that V8, however, this new one is twin-turbocharged to crank out a claimed 523 horsepower and 533 lb-ft of torque...and Bimmer's turbo motors often turn out to be underrated from the factory.

If those choices don't float your boat, don't sweat: there are not one but two other powertrains coming soon that make greater use of electrons. First up in the next year comes an incipient plug-in hybrid variant that combines an inline-six with a 38.2-kWh battery that gives it a claimed 62 miles of all-electric range on the admittedly liberal WLTP testing circuit; a bit further down the line comes a fully electric Range Rover EV, based on the same chassis as the gas-powered versions.

Everything you'd hope for from an esteemed British carmaker. Even on those monstrous wheels, it rides smoothly and silently, sopping up potholes like warm bread grabbing olive oil. Land Rover's test drive route included a surprising amount of twists and turns, including a good two hours of driving along curvy California Route 1 north of San Francisco; the Range Rover handled them ably, but there's no denying it's soft; it bobs and sways in turns, no matter how much stiffness you ask the active suspension to add in. It's far more comfortable cruising serenely and silently through town or along the open road. Think old-school luxury sedan, just with a much better view.

The inline-six version is more than adequate for the average commuter; it's smooth and refined, and capable enough of getting out of its own way when you hammer the throttle, but it's more content cruising along at a steady state, making barely any noise in the process.

Still, if you have the scratch you'll need to spend at least $18,300 over a base model to grab it I highly recommend opting for the V8. The extra power turns the Range Rover into something with near-muscle car thrust; leaping through gaps in traffic goes from a cautious exercise to a delight, the nose rearing up as the gearbox drops four gears and the exhaust spits out a civilized powerboat roar. It adds an unexpected bit of fun to an otherwise spit-polished on-road experience.

Well, funny story. While Land Rover had prepared a comprehensive series of off-road courses to test out the new Range Rover's capabilities, we only had the chance to do one of the activities because it was too wet the rest of the time.

Once the steady spring rain started saturating the Napa Valley earth, the dirt paths quickly turned to slick, rusty mud slippery enough to make the steep climbs and descents of the off-road courses too slippery to manage on the thin, road-biased tires outfitted to our test vehicles.

Still, in the limited time we were able to take this new SUV off the beaten path, it demonstrates the aplomb and capability you'd expect. With the air suspension jacked up to maximum height, the ride turns a bit flinty, as it seems to be pushed to the limits of compliance; still, that's an edge case, one only likely to occur in shorts bursts at low speeds. Otherwise, the combination of full-time four-wheel-drive and Land Rover's suite of mechanical and electronic off-road gadgetry delivers its usual remarkable level of capability, enabling this SUV to scramble over obstacles and through terrain where most vehicles this price would fear to tread.

Important as it is for the Range Rover to maintain its reputation as a go-anywhere vehicle, those who plan on doing actual off-roading on a regular basis in this day and age are more likely to buy a Defender. The Range Rover has nothing to be ashamed of in terms of its capabilities...although anyone planning on maximizing them definitely should choose their tires wisely.

A massive improvement wouldn't be an exaggeration. The old Range Rover was nice, sure, and Land Rover did a good job keeping it fresh over its decade-long life but the all-new 2022 model is a whole different kettle of fish.

As you'd expect in a new luxury car in this day and age, screens are central to the experience. The new Range Rover's infotainment system screen extends out further than it seems, mushrooming out from the dashboard to provide a mighty tablet for you to fiddle with; it's still a bit laggy and obtuse compared to some competitors' systems, but at the very least Land Rover still offers physical controls for the climate, drive modes and volume. Plus, once you're rolling, you'll be too comfortable in the seats to care much; they're wonderful places to spend some time watching the world go by (or at least from which to peer over the interior's details while you're stuck in traffic).

Nice as every Rangie is inside, though, anyone seeking sybaritic excellence is best off leaping straight to the top of the lineup, where the Range Rover SV lies. Do so, and you score suche super-premium touches as independent 13.1-inch rear screens, ceramic accents on the controls, curated color theme accents like elegant accent touches on the exterior, and something called optional "marquetry veneer," which features hundreds of pieces of laser-cut, super-detailed wood trim. I don't understand it, but I can say it looks gorgeous.

More specifically, though, you'll want the version with the SV Signature Suite, which is only available with the long-wheelbase body style. That nets you a pair of reclining, 24-way seats nay, thrones that heat, ventilate and massage you on command, while offering enough legroom for Kareem Abdul-Jabar to relax. A table rises dramatically from the center console at the press of a button, as do cupholders. And, of course, there's a refrigerator designed to hold a champagne bottle between the seats.

Wisely, Land Rover made sure we spent as much time in the SV Signature Suite as possible driving to and from the airport twice with a chauffeur behind the wheel and I can firmly state that it ranks among the most palatial backseat experiences you can find in a car that comes straight from the factory. If I can sum it up in one sentence, it'd be this. Land Rover flew us from San Francisco to Napa on a charter jet to avoid the horrendous Bay Area traffic; I'd have rather spent five times as long riding there in the back of the SV.

Of course, those thrones come at a cost, and we're not just talking price. (Although...more on that in a second.) The elaborate mechanisms, surrounding and accoutrements of the rear seats means the second row doesn't fold flat, somewhat impugning your expensive sport-utility vehicle's utility. There's still plenty of space in back, as you can see here, but anyone who wants to carry mountain bikes or surfboards in, rather than on, their Range Rover probably will want to go with a lower trim.

Of course, if you opt for the long-wheelbase Range Rover and don't need the fanciest interior, you can also, for the first time, score a third row in the back. It can, indeed, fit a full-sized human if need be, although they'd better be prepared to become rather intimate with their kneecaps. It's better-suited for occasional use, like a jump seat in cars of yore something you leave stowed away and forget about most of the time, until you suddenly find yourself needing to transport more people than planned.

Well, the answer is a bit more complex than you might suspect. If you want to give the simplest explanation, I'd say, it starts at $95,150 with destination. (That said, that goes up about $10K for the 2023 model year; blame, y'know, the world.) But there are a stunning amount of ways to option up a Range Rover, depending on powertrain, length and trim level SE, HSE, Autobiography, First Edition and SV for 2022.

Depending on your choices, then, that starting price can fade into the rear view real quick. Pick the range-topping SV and check all the boxes, and you'll pass the quarter-million dollar mark on the window sticker.

Land Rover, no doubt, would tell you that a Range Rover has no true competitors but while that once certainly was true, it's far from the case here in 2022. At the lower end of its pricing spectrum, the Range Rover stacks up against vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz GLE- and GLS-Class, the Cadillac Escalade, the Lincoln Aviator and Navigator, the BMW X5 and X7 although if you're looking for something similarly priced with the same sort of off-road street cred, your best bet is the Lexus LX 600.

Push your way to the top of the pricing structure, however, and you're cross-shopping against seriously dignified metal. The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 and new Bentley Bentayga EWB both offer similarly palatial second-row accommodations, while the regular wheelbase Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan offer more of a driver-centric experience. And while the likes of the Aston Martin DBX and Lamborghini Urus deliver a very different sort of drive, they do both rival the top-shelf Range Rover in matters of curb appeal which, let's face it, is a big reason many people choose such

But impressive as they may be in so many ways, all those contenders all lack one thing this SUV has: it's a Range Rover, and all that it implies.

Powertrain: 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six / 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8; eight-speed automatic; four-wheel-drive

Horsepower: 395 / 523

Torque: 406 / 533

EPA Fuel Economy: 18 / 16 mpg city, 26 / 21 mpg highway

Seats: Four to seven

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It might not be exactly what you wanted, but the new Defender is what Land Rover needs right now.

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Albanese recommits to Uluru Statement to begin victory speech – SBS

Posted: at 2:32 am

When Anthony Albanese took the stage in front of almost 1000 party faithful in his seat of Grayndler he acknowledged the Traditional Owners of the land he stood on, then announced his first major policy announcement.

On behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I commit the Uluru Statement from the Heart, he said.

We can answer its patient, gracious call for a voice enshrined in our Constitution because all of us ought to be proud, that amongst our great multicultural society, we count the oldest living continuous culture in the world.

The Prime Minister-elect then told the packed room that Wiradjuri woman Linda Burney would be the government's Indigenous Affairs minister.

She takes over from the Coalitions Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt who lost his seat of Hasluck in an electoral wipeout in Western Australia, that helped hand Labor victory in the 2022 federal election.

Incoming Federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Linda Burney (R) and Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe on NITV's The Point election special last week. Source: NITV

Ms Burney, whose commitment to Aboriginal affairs spans more than 30 years, was the first Aboriginal person to be elected to the NSW Parliament and the first Aboriginal woman to serve in the House of Representatives.

While Albanese is set to be sworn into the top job on Monday, less clear is whether Labor will be able to govern in their own right, or need the help of an expanded crossbench.

"No matter how you voted ... the government I lead will will respect everyone of you every day," he told the crowd.

"We can have an even better future if we seize the opportunities that are right there in front of us."

He said his rise from humble upbringings to prime minister said a lot about the nation's equality.

"I hope there are families in public housing watching this ... because I want every parent to be able to tell their child no mater where you live or where you come from, in Australia the doors of opportunity are open to us all."

Outgoing prime minister Scott Morrison took responsibility for the Liberals' defeat. Source: Getty Images AsiaPac

Meanwhile, ScottMorrisonstepped down as leader of the Liberal Party after conceding defeat, saying he accepted responsibility for the result.

MrMorrisonsays he will hand over the leadership at the next party meeting.

"To my colleagues who have had to deal with very difficult news, and have lost their seats tonight, I as leader take responsibility for the wins and the losses," he told supporters at Liberal headquarters in Sydney.

"That is the burden and that is the responsibility of leadership."

Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who is tipped to take Morrison's place, also expressed sorrow for his Liberal colleagues as he claimed victory in his Brisbane-based seat of Dickson.

"We have, as a Liberal family, suffered a terrible day today. There are some amazing people who supported the Liberal Party day in, day out. Through good times and bad," he said.

"They are hurting tonight. I want to acknowledge them. I want to acknowledge the work of the prime minister and Josh Frydenberg."

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Grey-Hall commits to protecting green space in Riverside – BlackburnNews.com

Posted: at 2:32 am

By Maureen Revait May 25, 2022 4:13pm

The NDP candidate for Windsor-Tecumseh says she will work with government partners to protect the former Abars property from future development.

The land at Lauzon Road and Riverside Drive is currently owned by the Detroit International Bridge Company, owners of the Ambassador Bridge.

Ive secured the commitment from the Ontario NDP party that they will be partners in this acquisition by the public sector and for community use, said Gemma Grey-Hall, NDP candidate for Windsor-Tecumseh.

Grey-Hall says the land should be protected to mitigate the impacts of climate change and reduce flooding in the community.

We want to make sure that we are listening to the conservation authority that we have here in Ontario and we know that they have been ringing the flag when it comes to climate change specifically, the importance of green spaces and the importance of flood mitigation, said Grey-Hall.

The provincial election is on June 2. Also running in Windsor-Tecumseh are Gary Kaschak for the Liberal Party, Andrew Dowie for the Progressive Conservatives, Steven Gifford for the Ontario Party, Melissa Coulbeck for the Green Party, Sophia Sevo for the New Blue Party, David Sylvestre with the None of the Above Direct Democracy Party, Giovanni Abati, Nick Babic, and Laura Chesnik.

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Governments on Road to Collapse as Global Supply Chain Crisis …

Posted: at 2:31 am

The supply chain crisis caused by entire countries shutting down for months over a virus that had a 99.5 percent survival rate is now being exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and new lockdowns in some producer countries,and is now causing some countries so much economic stress they are defaulting on their debts.

Sri Lanka, which is currently undergoing massive unrest due to a tanking economy, has announced that in order to preserve what dollar reserves it has in order to buy food and energy for its people, it will suspend its debt payments, likely triggering outright defaults that could produce a domino effect.

Sri Lanka warned of an unprecedented default and halted payments on foreign debt, an extraordinary step taken to preserve its dwindling dollar stockpile foressential food and fuel imports, Bloomberg Quint reported this week as the situation in the Asian nation deteriorated.

All payments to bondholders, bilateral creditors and institutional lenders that are currently outstanding have been suspended until the Finance Ministry can arrange a debt restructuring plan, according to a Tuesday statement.

Nandalal Weerasinghe, who is the newly appointed governor of Sri Lankas central bank, told a press briefing that the government is attempting to negotiate with creditors but is also warning there could be a default. Measures being taken now area last resort in orderto prevent a further deterioration of the Republics financial position, the finance ministry said.

It is now apparent that any further delay risks inflicting permanent damage on Sri Lankas economy and causing potentially irreversible prejudice to the holders of the countrys external public debts, the ministry added.

The announcement comes among calls forPresident Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, to resign, though so far both have refused to do so. Gotabaya has called instead for unity and better understanding earlier this week as he greeted citizens for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festival amid rising angst over skyrocketing inflation that is currently running at 20 percent year-over-year and daily electricity cuts that often last as long as three hours.

Gotabayas party has also lost its parliamentary majority and bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund are likely to be delayed even further, Bloomberg Quint noted.

The Finance Ministry said that government talks with the IMF will be expedited, while officials there said they wanted to avoid a hard default.Rajapaksas government is also attempting to get financial assistance from India and China, the latter of which is one of Sri Lankas biggest creditors at present.

China has been doing its utmost to provide assistance to the socio-economic development of Sri Lanka, and will continue to do so going forward, a said Foreign Ministry representativeat a Tuesday briefing.

According to the report, Sri Lankas dollar bonds, which are due in July, fell 3 cents to a new record low of 45.73 on the dollar. In addition, the rupee also fell while the countrys stock market was shuttered this week ahead of the public holidays while trading has been truncated anyway due to daily power outages.

The market was expecting this default to come, Carl Wong, head of fixed income at Avenue Asset Management, which no longer holds Sri Lankan bonds, told Bloomberg Quint. Now we have to see how the new government handles the onshore chaos while talking to IMF.

The country has roughly $12.5 billion in outstanding euro bonds and the next payments are due April 18, according to data seen by Bloomberg. Then, the government is expected to pay out $36 million in interest on a bond that matures in 2023, as well as $42.2 million on a 2028 loan. There are a wave of other payments due for Sri Lanka this year as well, including $1.03 billion in principle and interest on a maturing note that is due July 25.

Theglobal debt of nations is worseningthanks to the ongoing crisis in the supply chain amid worsening inflation. The collapseis just a matter of time if the trajectory remains the same.

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Governments on Road to Collapse as Global Supply Chain Crisis ...

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Dissolution of Russia – Wikipedia

Posted: at 2:31 am

The dissolution of Russia is a hypothetical unraveling of the Russian Federation from a unified state to various potential independent successor states.[1] The topic is the subject of hundreds of articles on the Internet.[2]

The current Russian Federation is the primary successor state of the Soviet Union. Various trends and problems which may challenge the permanence of the unified Russian Federation have been discussed publicly and in academia by figures such as Garry Kasparov, Mikhail Leontyev, Herman Gref, Maxim Kalashnikov, Sergey Kurginyan, Alexander Prokhanov, Natalya Narochnitskaya, and Dmitry Medvedev.[1]

The chief researcher of the Institute of philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, V. Shevchenko, when reviewing the article "The collapse of Russia in the early 21st century in the statements of contemporaries" by O. Yu. Maslova, noted that it contains a large collection of authors on the theme of Russian disintegration. These authors range from diehard supporters of the idea that the collapse of Russia is almost inevitable and has already begun, to supporters of the idea of artificial and deliberate attempts at making the country collapse.[1]

The main reason for the disintegration processes and the possible collapse of Russia, according to V. Shevchenko's review work, "The Future of Russia: Strategies for philosophical Understanding," is the lack of a national idea or project (such as Communism in the Soviet Union) that would unite all peoples of Russia. Russian statehood, as he sees it, is in a transitional state in which all processes have become more active: both integration and disintegration.[1]

He went on to list the accompanying reasons for Russia's possible collapse as:

In his article, his opinion is that the disintegration has in fact already begun. Signs he points to include legal extraterritoriality, the removal of persons of non-titular nationality in national republics from the state apparatus[vague], and the radicalization of Islam.[1]

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Russian government forbade Tatarstan from switching from the Cyrillic script to the Latin alphabet, fearing that such a move would disrupt internal unity and result in dissolution.[3] On the other hand, in the 2020s, Kazakhstan began moving towards the Latin alphabet, and this is believed to be to distance itself from Russian influence.[4] The Russian government strives to make all of the languages of Russia use Cyrillic to enforce unity[5].

A report to the Izborsky club, a group of analysts led by A. Kobyakov, listed the lines of division in modern Russian society that could potentially lead to the collapse of the state: socio-economic inequality, interethnic relations, alienation of elites from the people, and opposition of the "creative class" to the rest of society.[1]

The culturologist I. Yakovenko believes that the main reason for the disintegration processes is the uneven process of market modernization in different regions of Russia, which increases the economic isolation of these regions from one another. Yakovenko identifies the following regions into which in his opinion the Russian Federation may break up: North and South of Russia, Siberia, the North Caucasus and the intercontinental border.[1]

According to the mathematician Georgiy Malinetsky,[6] there are some possible reasons for the collapse of Russia:

The post-WW2 sphere of influence (the Eastern Bloc and the Warsaw Pact) collapsed in 1991 with the aforementioned dissolution of the Soviet Union. The dissolution was largely non-violent, though it has been argued that the violence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine (February 2022) resulted from the Soviet dissolution.[7] In 2022, within weeks of this invasion, some commentators predicted an eventual Russian collapse as a result, especially once it became obvious that Vladimir Putin's "special military operation" was not going to be a quick victory.[8][9][10][11] Some have been more specific, and have stated such a collapse could happen by 2025-2027[9]

In an interview with the magazine Expert in April 2005, the head of the presidential administration, Dmitry Medvedev said:[1]

If we fail to consolidate the elite, Russia may disappear as a single state. [...] The consequences will be monstrous. The disintegration of the Union may seem like a matinee in the kindergarten compared to the state collapse in modern Russia.

Dmitry Medvedev

In 2011, during a meeting of the government commission[which?] for the development of the North Caucasian Federal District in Gudermes, Vladimir Putin said what would happen if the Caucasus suddenly left Russia:[12]

If this happens, then, at the same moment not even an hour, but a second there will be those who want to do the same with other territorial entities of Russia, [...] and it will be a tragedy that will affect every citizen of Russia without exception.

Vladimir Putin

As in any country with land borders, there are many ethnicities living in Russia related or identical to the titular ethnic groups of neighboring countries. In some of these border regions, irredentist ideas are expressed about the reunification of divided peoples.

In Buryatia and two Buryat autonomous okrugs, one of which is the Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug, ideas are being expressed of joining Mongolia as part of the idea of pan-Mongolism.[13][14]

Some Kazakh nationalists wish to recover Orenburg, the former capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, and now part of Russia in the Omsk Oblast.[15]

The idea of uniting Finland and Karelia into a Greater Finland (the Karelian question) used to be popular among part of the population in Finland and Karelia.[16][17]

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Dissolution of Russia - Wikipedia

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Lecture at Institute of Human Rights, Guangzhou University: Human rights in the world: the role of multilateralism – OHCHR

Posted: at 2:31 am

Good morning.

Thank you to the Institute for Human Rights of Guangzhou University for welcoming me.

I am pleased to address you all today.

I greatly value my exchanges with students. Even though I do have a long career behind me, and I am also a grandmother - I like to define myself not as old but as a person with accumulated youth.

An accumulation of parcels of passion and energy, of possibility and hope.

Your generation has experienced dramatic changes.

Some of them good, some of them more challenging.

Major demographic transformations both within your country and globally, growing economic interconnectedness, rapid digital advances, a global health pandemic and its socio-economic consequences, climate change.

And finding your place within those changes is one of the greatest challenges of all.

This is why the commitment to human rights education is so crucial.

Human rights education invites all of us to participate in a dialogue about how human rights can be translated into our own social, economic, cultural and political reality.

It provides concrete solutions to the challenges people face. It empowers individuals to identify their and others human rights, and to claim and defend them. As such, it is a strong investment in building a just, peaceful and equitable future for everyone.

We are living in a time of uncertainty and unpredictability, with the intersection of multiple global crises. Climate change, growing socio-economic inequalities across the globe, conflict and tensions in countries across the world are pushing millions from the safety of their homes and putting dignity and human life at grave risk.

The fall-out on employment, health and housing from the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating. The World Bank had projected 198 million more extreme poor during 2022 due to COVID-19. Global food prices alone are now estimated to add a further 65 million more people to that total.

The impacts are, as always, the hardest on the most marginalised and excluded. Women, minorities, persons with disabilities, children, migrants.

But amidst all these challenges, we are also seeing beacons of hope.

We are witnessing the tremendous power of youth.

Over the course of the past few years, I have been inspired by the movements and actions of young people challenging discrimination, injustice and inequalities.

We have seen powerful demonstrations of youth commitment to equality, climate action and human rights.

Young people are influencing debates of national and international importance and prompting social change - including by demanding a seat at the table and holding governments and businesses to account for their inaction.

Their intelligence, creativity and courage is a testament to the unique value of youth in shaping not only our future but also our present.

A fundamental ingredient for youth to be able to play that role is an open civic space where they can voice their opinions and seek change.

In his Call to Action for Human Rights and in Our Common Agenda, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed how young people need space to participate in the decisions that will shape their future which is crucial for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

So how can we make sure that the gains we have achieved dont slip away?

My experience has shown me has proven to me that no country can face global challenges alone.

We need each other.

All of us not only governments, but also individuals must dare to embark on that dialogue and engagement.

While there is no magic answer to eradicate the various crises we face, we do have the tools at our disposal to emerge stronger from them.

Multilateralism creates a space for us for dialogue, both regionally and globally, in order to reach realistic agreements. It is key to advancing human rights and sustainable development for all.

When grounded in human rights be they the civil, political, economic, social or cultural rights that are inherent to us all as human beings - I am convinced that such action can allow us to make tremendous leaps forward.

Today, I wish to focus on three of the many human rights issues facing our world.

As a Permanent Member of the Security Council, the second largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and a major troop contributing country, China can play an important role in multilateral discussions to help bring about meaningful progress in these areas.

Let me begin with the area of peace and security.

Peace is the central promise of the Charter of the United Nations and one of the principal global public goods the United Nations was established to deliver.

Yet, in all regions, we witness inter-ethnic tensions, violent coups, protracted conflicts, all exacerbated by rapidly evolving weapons technologies. The recent frontal assault on the most fundamental directive of the UN Charter should concern us all.

The past decade has seen a disturbing trend towards conflict, with the laws of war and international human rights law being flouted around the world, including in Syria, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Yemen and Myanmar to name a few.

Hospitals are attacked; indiscriminate weapons that make no distinction between soldiers and civilians, including children, are used.

Millions of people are pushed from the safety of their homes, their right to life threatened, children are deprived of access to health or education, and societies held back from safety and the ability to develop.

As I expressed to the Human Rights Council earlier this year, it is precisely at time of crisis when investment in multilateral and human rights-based action brings effective solutions.

Independent monitoring and reporting on human rights violations, with a rigorous methodology, is a decisive and unbiased way of gathering accurate information on conflicts, and their impact on people. It is through such methods that we can establish the truth and take steps towards accountability.

Prevention of future conflict also depends heavily on concrete, targeted action to protect human rights. This involves addressing systemic denials of human rights, such as long-standing discriminatory laws and practices or violations of access to economic, social or cultural rights.

The international human rights framework, and its mechanisms for implementation, are the tools we have to help States identify these gaps, and how to best address them. In addition, SDG 16 captures well the connections between peace, justice, inclusive institutions, and sustainable development.

Most crucially, an inclusive and open civic space assists States in identifying gaps and solutions on how to protect human rights to sustain peace and development.

This leads me to the second issue I wish to address today - Sustainable Development. The principles of equality and non-discrimination are at the core of the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. States have committed to 'leave no one behind' and reach those furthest behind first and pay special attention to marginalized groups.

The Agendas major strength is that it brings all countries of the world together, calling on each to expand their inclusive forces, so they can transform together to meet our shared challenges. However, the planetary crisis, COVID-19 and ongoing conflicts have set us back in achieving all the goals.

I am convinced that fast-tracking equality can quickly get us back on the right path.

This means ensuring we have an economy that works for everyone, especially the hardest hit: the excluded and discriminated. Those with no voice and little bargaining power.

This means budgets that work for those who have been left furthest behind, to ensure access to essential levels of health care, social protection and education for all.

This means greater transparency in budget decisions and spending, for corporations paying their fair share; for greater progressive taxation; and for structural reforms that reduce economic and political power inequalities.

Above all, this involves tackling the underlying discrimination on the basis of peoples racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic origin, or other ground. It requires the revision and amendment of laws, policies and practices that discriminate on these bases; it means investigating and preventing violations of their rights; and ensuring inclusive participation in decision-making in full respect of cultural, religious or other traditions.

Women living in poverty are also far removed from public life, weighed down by restrictions on their access to economic resources, mobility, information. Promoting their participation in decision-making must be a priority. Earlier this year, on a visit to Afghanistan, I insisted that the grave humanitarian crisis in the country could only be adequately addressed if women have a seat at the table.

Development is only sustainable if we integrate human rights and environmental protections in development policy and plans with the participation of those affected.

Chinas role here is crucial for instance, when it comes to infrastructure-related SDGs, together with development finance institutions.

According to the World Bank, developing countries need to invest around 4.5 per cent of GDP in order to achieve infrastructure-related SDGs and meet global climate change targets.

However, even in the best of times, getting infrastructure right is not simple.

In many countries, my Office has documented various human rights problems associated with transport, energy and other infrastructure projects globally.

We have observed some projects with limited transparency; or that have involved little consultation with local communities or forced evictions loss of indigenous peoples' culture and livelihoods, suppression of civil society voices, gender-based violence, gender-blind project design, unaffordable user fees, forced and child labour, and negative fiscal impacts.

In 2018 I had called upon G20 finance ministers to better integrate human rights considerations in infrastructure development. The following year, the G20 issued a set of Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment which ask that Design, delivery, and management of infrastructure should respect human rights. (Principle 5.2)

For infrastructure investment to be sustainable and resilient, we need high social and environmental standards, and human rights due diligence. So it is encouraging that development finance institutions are increasingly integrating human rights within their operational policies.

I note the important commitment in the Human Rights Action Plan of China, that the government will encourage Chinese businesses to abide by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in their foreign trade and investment, conduct due diligence on human rights, and fulfill their social responsibility to respect and promote human rights.

The Chinese Due Diligence Guidelines for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains are explicitly based upon the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and contain robust guidance on risk-based due diligence, building on the strength of international standards. These Guidelines offer an excellent model for adaptation in infrastructure sectors.

Finally, this provides a natural transition to the next issue I wish to raise this morning: climate change.

An estimated one in six premature deaths are caused by pollution. Tens of millions of people are displaced each year by climate change. Biodiversity loss threatens the collapse of entire ecosystems. The latest reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change make it clear that we are heading towards catastrophe.

The alarm bell rang a long time ago.

As with the other issues discussed today, climate change disproportionately impacts those who are already in vulnerable situations, such as women, youth, minorities and persons with disabilities. Many environmental human rights defenders are themselves indigenous peoples or members of local communities, or they represent them.

Protecting the environment goes hand-in-hand with protecting the rights of those who defend it. Their voices must be heard - and protected. Resolution 40/11 of the Human Rights Council has highlighted that the work of environmental human rights defenders is linked to the enjoyment of human rights, environmental protection and sustainable development.

The UN Human Rights Council recently recognized in its resolution 48/13 - that a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a universal human right. The resolution recognized environmental degradation and climate change as interconnected human rights crises and invites governments to further consider the matter at the UN General Assembly.

Over 150 countries already recognize and protect the right to a healthy environment. I hope China will join this group. The air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, indeed, our health, wellbeing and survival all depend on a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

The international community must act with single-minded purpose and solidarity to deploy every possible resource to protect and fulfil the human right to a healthy environment.

Dear all,

One of the most important ways to meaningfully put people and their rights at the centre of our action - is by ensuring the right to participate and by opening space for dialogue.

Here, I welcome the fact that the right to political participation is one of the areas of special interest of this Institute.

Why is participation so important?

When various sectors of society are brought into discussions, are included in debate, it allows for a deeper understanding of the issues. With different voices at the table, States can better identify gaps in laws and policies, to make sure they are more just.

So that laws and policies better reflect the situation of the people they are meant to serve and that conflicting interests are better balanced.

So problems can be quickly reported and solutions can be found that work for everyone and meet our equality goals.

When decisions are more informed and sustainable, public institutions are more effective, accountable and transparent.

I encourage you to read the UN Guidelines for States on the effective implementation of the right to participate in public affairs, which are a set of recommendations for States on how to make this right a reality.

You may be familiar with the three pillars of the United Nations. They are Peace and Security; Development; and Human Rights.

If we examine events around the world - as I hope I have inspired you today to do it seems to me that we can better achieve our objectives if we understand the connections between these three pillars. Through human rights, including development we can have sustainable peace. Human rights, equality and the rule of law are the levers that deliver development and peace.

I know the world is better when we work together in this way men and women; old and young; people from across societies, and between societies and countries across the world.

My Office is committed to continue its critical role in shaping human rights multilateralism and encouraging constructive engagement.

Your contribution is crucial: we need your creativity and determination to find solutions grounded in the basic understanding that all of us are equally deserving of dignity, respect and justice.

To foster a sense of our common humanity while embracing and valuing our diversities.

I look forward to having a discussion with you.

Thank you.

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Lecture at Institute of Human Rights, Guangzhou University: Human rights in the world: the role of multilateralism - OHCHR

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13 books and reports on science, impacts, solutions, and actors – Yale Climate Connections

Posted: at 2:31 am

Memorial Day Weekend typically triggers a change in expectations. Afterwards, Americans expect to be baked by summers rising temperatures. With that seasonal metaphor in mind, this months bookshelf offers a bakers dozen of titles on the science, history, geography, politics, social ethics, technology, and psychology of climate change.

The list leads with the State of the Global Climate just released by the World Meteorological Organization; the report interprets meteorological data collected in 2021 for what it indicates about the changing climate.

Thereafter, books are paired with reports on different aspects of climate change.

For the start of the 2022 hurricane season, this months bookshelf reaches back to historian Eric Jay Dolins 2020 account of 500 years of American hurricanes. Dolins book is then paired with the March 2022 update on projected sea-level rise and implications for coastal communities in the U.S.

Fire is next on the list, with the global political overview provided by Global Burning and the First Street Foundations property-by-property analysis of fire risks faced by American homeowners.

The very different consequences climate impacts, like floods and fires, will have on the vulnerable, both in the U.S and worldwide, are the focus of the next pair.

The epic inability of the U.S. to address causes and consequences of climate change is then addressed by journalist Eugene Lindens new book (see separate YCC review here) and by InfluenceMaps new report on finance and climate change.

The dismal messages delivered by Linden and InfluenceMap are at least partly offset by the solutions presented in the new book Super Charge Me and in a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency

Wrapping up the list are a new book and a recent report on the psychological toll on youths of increasing climate anxiety. Thankfully, both works review techniques for enhancing resilience.

As always, the descriptions of the titles are drawn from copy provided by the publishers or organizations that released them. When two dates of publication are offered, the latter marks the release of the paperback edition.

State of the Global Climate 2021, by WMO Research Staff (World Meteorological Organization 2022, 57 pages, free download available here)

State of Global Climate 2021 provides a summary on the state of the climate indicators in 2021 including the global temperatures trend and its distribution around the globe; most recent finding on greenhouse gas concentrations; ocean indicators; Arctic and Antarctic sea ice; Greenland ice sheets,glaciers and snow cover; stratospheric ozone; multi-decadal events, such as the El Nio Southern Oscillation; global precipitation distribution over land; extreme events, including those related to tropical cyclones and wind storms; and flooding, drought and extreme heat and cold events. The report also provides recent finding on climate-related risks and impacts, including on food security, humanitarian and population displacement aspects and impact on ecosystems.

See also Our World at Risk: Transforming Governance for a More Resilient Future, the 2022 Global Risk Assessment Report from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

A Furious Sky: The Five Hundre Year History of Americas Hurricanes, by Eric Jay Dolin (W.W. Norton 2020/2021, 432 pages, $18.95 paperback)

Weaving together tales of tragedy and folly, of heroism and scientific progress, best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin shows how hurricanes have determined the course of American history, from the nameless storms that threatened the New World voyages to our own era of global warming and megastorms. Along the way, Dolin introduces a rich cast of unlikely heroes, and forces us to reckon with the reality that future storms will likely be worse, unless we reimagine our relationship with theplanet. A Furious Skyis, ultimately, a story of a changing climate, and it forces us to reckon with the reality that as bad as the past has been, the future will probably be worse unless we drastically reimagine our relationship with the planet.

Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States, by W.V. Sweet et al (U.S. Geological Survey / NOAA 2022, 111 pages, free download available here)

This report provides 1) sea level rise scenarios to 2150 by decade that include estimates of vertical land motion and 2) a set of extreme water level probabilities for various heights along the U.S. coastline. Estimates of flood exposure are assessed using contemporary U.S. coastal flood-severity thresholds for current conditions (e.g., sea levels and infrastructure footprint) and for the next 30 years, assuming no additional risk reduction measures are enacted. In particular, the set of global mean sea level rise scenarios from that 2017 task force report are updated and downscaled with data from the United Nations IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. As with the 2017 report, these global mean sea level rise scenarios are regionalized for the U.S. coastline.

Global Burning: Rising Antidemocracy and the Climate Crisis, by Eve Darian Smith (Stanford University Press 2022, 230 pages, $22.00 paperback)

Recent years have seen out-of-control wildfires rage across remote Brazilian rainforests, densely populated California coastlines, and major cities in Australia. What connects these separate events is more than immediate devastation and human loss of life. InGlobal Burning, Eve Darian-Smith contends that fire serves as a symbolic and literal thread connecting different places around the world and thereby allows us to better understand the growth of authoritarian politics, the climate crises, and their interconnected global consequences. In thinking through wildfires as environmental and political phenomenon,Global Burningchallenges readers to confront the interlocking powers that are ensuring our future ecological collapse.

The Fifth National Risk Assessment: Fueling the Flames, by FSF Fire Model Partners (First Street Foundation 2022, 135 pages, free download available with registration)

The First Street Foundation Wildfire Model builds upon publicly available data and decades of wildfire research and expertise to estimate wildfire risk on a property-by-property basis across the United States today and up to 30 years into the future. Properties covered include residential, commercial, and critical and social infrastructure. This report provides a high-level overview of the methodology behind the model, a summary of wildfire risk across the nation, and a series of state pages that summarize and provide insight into new findings about wildfire risk. Across the country, there are 49.4M properties with minor wildfire risk; 20.2M properties with moderate risk; 6.0M with major risk; 2.7M with severe risk; and 1.5M properties with extreme risk.

What Climate Justice Means And Why We Should Care, by Elizabeth Cripps (Bloomsbury Books 2022, 224 pages, $18.00 paperback)

Philosopher Elizabeth Cripps approaches climate justice not just as an abstract idea but as something that should motivate us all. Using clear reasoning and poignant examples, starting from irrefutable science and uncontroversial moral rules, she explores our obligations to each other and to the non-human world, unravels the legacy of colonialism and entrenched racism, and makes the case for immediate action. The second half of the book looks at solutions. Who should pay the bill for climate action? Who must have a say? How can we hold multinational companies, organizations even nations to account? Cripps argues powerfully that climate justice goes beyond political polarization. Climate activism is a moral duty, not a political choice.

Climate Poverty Connections: Opportunities for Synergistic Solutions at the Intersection of Planetary and Human Well-Being, by Y. Jameel et al (Project Drawdown 2022, 111 pages, free download available here)

The Drawdown Lift Human Well-Being Index, introduced in this report, serves as a framework for assessing 12 health, socioeconomic, and societal dimensions of human well-being and for highlighting the nexus between climate mitigation solutions and human well-being. The report then summarizes the co-benefits of 28Project Drawdown climate solutions that advance human well-being in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries. For example, climate solutions related to improving agriculture and agroforestry can also increase family income. Increased income can lead to better educational outcomes. And better education can improve economic opportunities for women and boost their ability to participate in decision making.

See also the World Inequality Report 2022 from World Inequality Database.

Fire and Flood: A Peoples History of Climate Change, from 1979 to the Present, by Eugene Linden (Penguin Random House 2022, 336 pages, $28.00)

Eugine Linden wrote his first story on climate change, forTimemagazine, in 1988; it was just the beginning of his investigative work. In Fire and Flood, Linden looks back over the intervening years and explains how and why we failed to act on the early warnings. Fire and Floodshows how devilishly effective moneyed climate-change deniers have been at slowing and even reversing the progress of our collective awakening. When a threat entails future disaster, but addressing it means losing present profit, capitalisms response has been sadly predictable. Now, however, some industries see the dangers clearly. The insurance industry, for example, now engages in climate redlining. The whole system is teetering on the brink. There is a path back from the cliff, but we must pick up the pace. Fire and Flood shows us why, and how.

Finance and Climate Change: A Comprehensive Climate Assessment of the Worlds Largest Financial Institutions, by Research Staff (Influence Map 2022, 44 pages, free download available with registration)

A comprehensive assessment of the worlds 30 largest listed financial institutions shows a clear disconnect between the concrete short-term targets and actions needed to address the climate emergency and the limited, long-term targets currently being set by the financial sector. This research, a product of InfluenceMapsFinanceMapplatform, seeks to compare the sectors stated climate policies and commitments to its climate-relevant financing and policy lobbying activities. The report, downloadable on the right, is accompanied by the release of the FinanceMapFinance and Climate Change platform, allowing in-depth investigation of the analysis and findings for each of the financial institutions assessed.

See also The Carbon Bankroll (CSLN, OPO & BankFwd) and Transferred Emissions: How Risks in Oil and Gas M&A Could Hamper the Energy Transition (EDF).

Supercharge Me: Net Zero Faster, by Eric Lonergan and Corinne Sawers (Columbia University Press 2022, 232 pages, $16.95 paperback)

Almost everyone has a target for reducing CO2 emissions. The goal is to prevent the earths temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees. The striking omission is a coherent framework for action, which empowers individuals and incentivizes nations. Supercharge Meis a fast-paced, clearly-written, manual on how to accelerate the green transition. Written by Eric Lonergan, a leading policy economist and author of the bestseller,Angrynomics, and Corinne Sawers, a sustainability and climate expert, the book introduces the concept of supercharging, a new framework for accelerating our response to climate change. Supercharge Mewill embolden activists, reinvigorate the disheartened, and reframe the climate crisis as an opportunity.

World Energy Transitions Outlook: 1.5C Pathway, by Renewable Energy Roadmap and Socio-Economic Teams (International Renewable Energy Agency 2022, 312 pages, free download available here, executive summary here)

The World Energy Transitions Outlook outlines a pathway for the world to achieve the Paris Agreement goals and halt the pace of climate change by transforming the global energy landscape. Offering high-level insights on technology choices, investment needs, policy framework and the socio-economic impacts of achieving a sustainable, resilient and inclusive energy future, the report describes ways to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C and bring CO2emissions to net zero by 2050. Over 90% of these possible solutions involve renewable energy through direct supply, electrification, energy efficiency, green hydrogen and bioenergy combined with carbon capture and storage. Innovative solutions are reshaping the energy system. Yet, the deployment levels compatible with 1.5C will require targeted policies and measures.

See also Renewable Energy Market Update May 2022 from International Energy Agency.

Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis, by Britt Wray (Penguin Random House 2022, $24.00)

Climate and environment-related fears and anxieties are on the rise everywhere. As with any type of stress, eco-anxiety can lead to lead to burnout, avoidance, or a disturbance of daily functioning. In Generation Dread, Britt Wray seamlessly merges scientific knowledge with emotional insight to show how these intense feelings are a healthy response to the troubled state of the world. Weaving in insights from climate-aware therapists, critical perspectives on race and privilege in this crisis, ideas about the future of mental health innovation, and creative coping strategies,Generation Dreadbrilliantly illuminates how we can learn from the past, from our own emotions, and from each other to survive and even thrive in a changing world.

Climate Change and Youth Mental Health: Psychological Impacts, Resilience Resources & Future Directions, by L. Dooley et al (See Change Institute 2021, 90 pages, free download available here)

Young people seem to be particularly vulnerable to the psychological impacts of climate change.Blue Shield of CAs NextGen Climate surveyof 1,200 youth ages 14-24 found that 83% were concerned about the health of the planet, and 75% said that the issue had impacted their mental health.Evaluation is key for improving interventions and maximizing effectiveness, but potential differences in racial, ethnic, gender, and age subgroups must be respected. This report (1) synthesizes a decade of research on climate and mental health with a focus on youth and BIPOC, (2) shares a framework of climate anxiety interventions, and (3) highlights promising approaches in schools, families, communities, and clinical settings for climate anxiety support.

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What Europe still needs to do to save its bees – EUobserver

Posted: at 2:31 am

Convenience, and the power of choice it offers to the European consumer, is the flagship achievement of the European single market.

As Europeans, we have become accustomed to consuming any variety of seasonal vegetable, spice, nut, fruit, herb or variety of coffee whenever we want it however we want it: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-on-year.

But one-third of the exciting range of everyday foods we now eat in Europe are pollinated by bees, and thousands of other insects such as hoverflies and other fly species: butterflies, moths, beetles, wasps and thrips.

However, pollinators are increasingly under threat. Scientists argue that a myriad of interacting and complex factors such as the loss of habitats in farming landscapes, impacts of pesticides combined with climate change and pollution, can account for the decline of the species.

Managed species are under threat from what scientists in 2007 defined as "colony collapse disorder" (CCD). This is when the majority of worker bees in a honey bee colony disappear leaving behind a queen, plenty of food, and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees.

Europe has a duty of care as a higher proportion of threatened wild bee species are endemic to either Europe (20.4 percent, 400 species) or the EU 27 (14.6 percent, 277 species), highlighting the responsibility that European countries have to protect the global populations of these species.

Almost 30 percent of all the species threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable) at the European level are endemic to Europe (e.g., found nowhere else in the world).

Back in 2018, the Commission adopted the first-ever EU initiative on wild pollinators. It set out strategic objectives, and actions for the EU and the member states to address the decline of pollinators. It has mobilised cross-sectoral action and made significant progress in pollinator monitoring.

But clearly more needs to be done to fight the main drivers of their steep decline.

The European Commission and the European Research Executive Agency, under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe funding programmes, are supporting bee and pollinator projects across the EU to help turn the tide.

The following are just a sample of conservation efforts highlighting the importance of protecting biodiversity in line with EU Green Deal objectives.

Honey bees, bumble bees, and solitary bees face many threats in Europe, and one that has received increasing attention is the use of agrochemicals in industry.

To what extent they may negatively impact bee health is the objective of the PoshBee project. PoshBee is a consortium of academics, governmental organisations, industry, and NGOs that seek to address the issue of agrochemicals to ensure the sustainable health of bees and their pollination services in Europe.

The project intends to deliver practice- and policy-relevant research outputs to local, national, European, and global stakeholders. PoshBee's work will support healthy bee populations, sustainable beekeeping, and sustainable pollination across Europe.

European beekeeping, the process of farming honey bees, can be prone to the spread of parasites and dangerous viruses to other local hives. In 2022 there is insufficient data on the socioeconomic consequences or sustainability of long-term beekeeping across Europe. The B-GOOD project paves the way towards healthy and sustainable beekeeping within the EU.

The project aims to test and implement a common index for measuring and reporting honey bee health status index (HSI), which will help risk assessors and authorities evaluate the effects of (beekeeping) management.

B-GOOD will also assess the socio-economics of healthy and sustainable beekeeping, perform socio-economic analyses using qualitative and quantitative research methods, and identify viable and sustainable business models for European beekeeping.

Their platform will integrate information available at the EU level, including information on farming, environment and socio-economics, providing relevant data for guiding decision making at local, regional and international scales.

When travelling or in everyday life, people say that the best way to experience national culture is to try the local food.

This is especially true in an organisation represented by 27 nationalities with so much to offer in terms of food variety, the essential 'buzz' of life (pardon the pun.)

Without bees and other pollinators, our food would be bland and boring.

It is thus vital to continue to protect the humble and hard-working insects who pollinate the everyday fruits and vegetables that make our EU culture so historically delicious and tasty.

Continue reading here:

What Europe still needs to do to save its bees - EUobserver

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Black Lives Matter Corruption Should Be Investigated – National Review

Posted: at 2:30 am

  1. Black Lives Matter Corruption Should Be Investigated  National Review
  2. BLM donated $200K to group whose director thinks cops are 'pigs': report  New York Post
  3. BLM gave $200,000 to Chicago group whose leader calls cops 'pigs'  Fox News
  4. American Opinion: Black Lives Matter is a good cause. Gross financial mismanagement is not  West Central Tribune
  5. Black Lives Matter gave $200,000 to radical Chicago group whose leader calls cops 'pigs'  Daily Mail
  6. View Full Coverage on Google News

Excerpt from:

Black Lives Matter Corruption Should Be Investigated - National Review

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