Category Archives: Private Islands

My eyeballs must have upgraded with Photoshop while I was asleep. That hypnotically translucent, turquoise tinted water I woke up to just cannot be real.

Of course it is. The Bahamas has the Dom Prignon Rose 1959 Champagne standard of sea. Best in the world. Nothing finer.

So later that morning, as the near-luminous waves drew themselves up a few inches and splashed over me, I felt I was being soothed by a magic potion that had been Photoshopped to 100% cyan and was deliciously washing away two years of pandemic misery.

Id arrived at tiny Half Moon Cay on the Holland America cruise ship Rotterdam, which had sailed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the previous afternoon.

Box ticked for wallowing in a tropical sea for the first time in three years, next up was the joy of walking along the white sand beach with those gentle waves spilling over my toes. The fact that the destination turned out to be a beach bar was a splendid coincidence.

Half Moon Cay is an uninhabited private island owned by Holland Americas parent company Carnival Corporation and it is developed for day cruise visitors arriving by tender. Back on board this sleek 2,668-passenger ship, which has the elegant style of an ocean liner, I watched as we sailed away from what is undeniably a gorgeous Bahamian beach to start the voyage down to Curacao and Aruba, off the northern coast of Venezuela.

This is a slightly unusual itinerary as the 2,476-mile return voyage from Florida down to the A and C of the Dutch ABC Islands means three days at sea in a week normally youd only get one on a typical cruise.

So I had bags of time to explore this fine new (ish, launched October 2021) ship the seventh to carry that name for the line and the on-board activities. Or just sit by the pool and bar at the stern and read some books Id saved for the occasion. I did a bit of both.

Each day passengers get a printed list of events and activities and you can also create your own itinerary on the Navigator smartphone app via the ships wi-fi.

For example, I could have gone to a health session for advice about puffy ankles (looking at you and your annoying TV ads, Eamonn Holmes) but preferred the display on flower arranging.

I also attended a couple of fascinating, well-presented and well-attended audio-visual talks in the main theatre one on Marconi and the history of wireless communication, the other a virtual ships tour with Captain Werner Timmers.

Top marks to the boss for a great insight into his vessel and some excellent jokes.

Back to blooms and, given the Dutch heritage of the 149-year-old line, its no surprise to see plenty of fabulous floral creations around the decks.

But these were surpassed by the array of superb modern art most of it linked to contemporary music or wildlife.

I normally use the stairs on a ship, rather than the lifts, to keep up those daily steps, but getting anywhere took ages as Id constantly be stopping to admire the works! (There are 2,645 pieces worth $4.1million on board).

Many are incredibly creative with the likes of vinyl LPs cut into the faces of pop stars, or animals made from recycled materials.

Youre spoiled for choice with dining and the star of the show for me was the $29 extra fee Tamarind, which offers southeast Asian, Chinese and Japanese dishes. The Thai beef salad starter and crispy duck with drunken udon and ginger-chilli glaze main were fab, but the deconstructed yuzu cheesecake was a showstopper.

The fillet steak in the Pinnacle Grill ($39) was right on the money, and you will not have a better Dover sole meunire than in the intimate Rudis Sel De Mer brasserie with its eye-catching ocean-themed plates ($49).

But a special mention for the Grand Dutch Cafe. Hiding in plain sight on Deck 3, I only tried it for lunch on the final day (to my lasting regret).

A simple but delicious Edam toastie, fries with curry ketchup and a proper pint of Heineken was rounded off by a Bossche bol, a ridiculously good profiterole the size of a football (only a slight exaggeration).

Youll also be happy with the main dining room and the Lido food market (shout out for the fresh noodle stir fry stand and, crucially, they have PG Tips tea), while poolside Dive In does a mean burger.

Live music is the key part of entertainment and the resident bands at the BB Kings Blues Club and the Rolling Stone Rock Room were hitting all the right notes.

These are no pub bands, they are great musicians and I checked out both venues each night (they alternate their set times so you drift from one to the other) along with many other passengers. Rock up early if you want a seat.

A fever of excitement, that is. Rotterdams balcony cabins are contemporary, spacious and well equipped I could find no fault. Like all the ships crew, friendly stewards Raka and Sandra did an exemplary job.

I knew very little about the most populated of the ABCs and our second stop, other than it is the home of the eponymous fancy blue liqueur.

Joining a group tour with guide Hetty, we headed to the Hato Caves near the airport. Rich with stalactites and mites, there is also a Bat Cave, with plenty of the little chaps flitting about (they eat nectar and avoid humans!).

Back in the UNESCO world heritage site capital Willemstad, Hetty walked us round the old town to see historic Dutch buildings and the star of the show, the 1888 Queen Emma Bridge, a wobbly pontoon which links Punda and Otrobanda across the harbour and opens for shipping.

From the 550ft long swinging old lady theres a great view of the Handelskade waterfront with its colourful buildings. Bright and cheery it may be, but there is a dark history too as for 145 years it was the heart of the slave trade, with tens of thousands of Africans shipped here in chains to be sold to plantations in the Caribbean and South America.

After hearing all this, Hettys group was in reflective mood as we set off to test the bridges wobbliness.

The port is a 10-minute walk from the bridge, and you pass through the 5ft thick walls of the 19th-century Rif Fort, which now houses smart bars and restaurants and offers great sunset views.

Its just 14 miles off the Venezuelan coast, which can be seen on a clear day, and the third and final stop before the two-day journey back to Florida.

The capital, Oranjestad, is highly commercialised with diamond and souvenir shops, but some historic Dutch buildings remain.

I walked to the 1798 Fort Zoutman and its lighthouse, now a museum, and on to Governors Bay beach, where watching a determined pelican fishing for lunch in the strong trade winds provided much entertainment and three fish for the hungry bird.

Those winds were truly powerful, so much so that as I was strolling past the marina I was accidentally blown straight into Lucys Retired Surfers Bar and on to a seat in the shade.

Purely in the interests of research, and because it was hot, hot, hot, I stayed to test a local Chill beer. Inexplicably, like a duff LFT, the first test was inconclusive, so I had to have another one. Its a Chill wind

After disembarking in Fort Lauderdale I had a day to kill before the return flight and joined an excursion with a Miami airport transfer at the end to Everglades National Park, spotting vultures and alligators from an airboat in the channels between sawgrass. Great fun, time for the terminal, see you later

Holland America Lines Rotterdam will be homeporting in Amsterdam this summer for sailings to Northern Europe, then repositioning to Florida for Caribbean winter itineraries.

bahamas.com; aruba.com; tourismbonaire.com; curacao.com; turksandcaicostourism.com; godominicanrepublic.com

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Incredible blue seas, fabulous art and great live music on a cruise from Florida to the Southern Caribbean - The Mirror

Its Met Gala Monday, which means that literally everyone who is anyone is gathered in New York City tonight for the Metropolitan Museum of Arts annual Costume Institute Gala. (You know, the one run by Anna Wintour.) The thing about the Met Gala is that its not tied to an awards show or anything, but its usually the most fun and interesting red carpet of the year. And you know whos great at wearing jaw-dropping red carpet looks? Beyonce.

Unfortunately for us, we didnt get to see Queen Bey walk the Met Galas red carpet this year. Instead of attending the star-studded event, Beyonc and husband Jay-Z were vacationing in Miami and on private islands near Floridas coast, according to the Daily Mail. We honestly should be used to not seeing her at fashions biggest night at this point because she hasnt graced the event with her presence since 2016 (!!), but we still hold out hope!

Because were all feeling extra nostalgic these days, lets take a walk down memory lane to see some of Beyoncs past looks, shall we? There have been some GOOD ones. I mean, she really had a hot streak going there for a while.

2016: Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology

Wearing Givenchy.

2015: China: Through the Looking Glass

Wearing Givenchy again.

Neilson BarnardGetty Images

2014: Charles James: Beyond Fashion

Wearing Givenchy. (Are you sensing a theme?)

Dimitrios KambourisGetty Images

2013: Punk: Chaos to Couture

Wearing Givenchy.

Jamie McCarthyGetty Images

2012: Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations

(Yep.) Wearing Givenchy.

Stephen LovekinGetty Images

2011: Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

Wearing Roberto Cavalli.

Dimitrios KambourisGetty Images

She didnt attend in either 2009 or 2010, so unfortunately we have a bit of a gap after her first year, which was

2008: Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy

Wearing Armani Priv.

Stephen LovekinGetty Images

Someone please @ me with details about what star I need to wish upon in order for Bey to be at next years Met, k? Thanks!

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Why Beyonc Skipped the 2022 Met Gala - Cosmopolitan

If anyone proves you dont have to be born here to embody this places spirit, its Mel Meo. Much as anyone has been, Meo was Pine Island, in all its beauty, grit, whimsy and pathos.

The beloved artist and community matriarch died at her Bokeelia home April 20. She was 64.

Although her heart cancer had beencommon knowledge (islands are like that), news of her death was still a shock, as islanders struggledto come to grips. Maybe if she hadnt been so generous, in so many ways, it would have been easier to reckon with her loss, but Meos gifts were showered far and wide.

She helped define the Pine Island aesthetic by turning her artists eye to what illuminatedits character. The design of the Pine Island flag was hers and included a fish house at sunset, mangos, mullet, a Calusa Indian and a bald eagle. The motto suited her as well: Community rooted in caring.

Born in Indianapolis, she moved here as a girl with parents Mable and Rocco and brother David. The family bought what was then the SeaBreeze restaurant on Bokeelia and she worked side by side with her dad, while her mother caught the fish. She graduated from North Fort Myers High and attended Lee County Vocational/High Tech Center to learn welding.

More: Sometimes, surprise endings are the best ... or at least, the sweetest

More: Randell Research Center on Pine Island still evolving after 25 years

Art was always part of her life. "Growing up in Bokeelia, she told The News-Press in 1995, there wasn't a lot to do, so I learned to draw, paint, sew, bake anything to entertain myself,'' Meo said. `"My mom was always into crafts and I learned a lot of that from her. We did a lot of artsy-craftsy things.''

When she and her fisherman future husband Steve Longtook a boat trip to the upscale, private island of Useppa, she was offered a job as cook at the Tarpon Bar. They were later married there.

Meo took several years off to raise her three children, while her husband fished until the 1995 net ban went off like a bomb in the commercial fishing community, sending the industry into a tailspin.

"People have had heart attacks, strokes; I had a stroke recently," she said in an interview five years later "People are stressed to the hilt. The emotional part is never going to be healed. I have to work every day on trying not to blame the people who voted for the net ban and not hold them in contempt. People don't care. They say, `Hey, after five years, get over it.' But it's like if a member of your family dies, try to fill that hole.

"My son is still in shock. Since he was a little guy, he just knew what he wanted to do. Now he's working to get his captain's license to haul people. But that's not what he wants to do. He wants to feed people. We were always proud to feed people. But now we're bad guys."

Yet without the net ban, the world might never have met Meo.

With her husbands main source of income gone, she turned to what she knew: cooking and painting. She opened a funky eatery/gallery combo, Fish-n-Art, in a repurposed island motel court. "It was a natural. My husband's a fisherman. I'm an artist," Meo later recalled. Shed cook and sell her husband's fresh catches from behind a small deli counter and kitchen bearing a caricature of Rocco, on the door. The space was filled with her creations: a powder blue chair with its curvy back that became an ideal canvas for bikini-clad, 1950s bombshell Betty Page;a fish-shaped wood carving painted avocado green declared "Live and let fish" to passers-by who read the commandment plastered on its citrus-colored scales.

"I'm a really good cook, so it caught on really fast," Meo told The News-Press in 2000.

But the place was more than an artsy diner. Saturday nights, Meo, her sister and a friend would tease their hair up into beehives, slip into padded torpedo bras and cat glasses and mount impromptu retro stage shows, often coaxing their customers into the act. Many of those customers became friends, as they stayed to talk about art, fishing, politics and family.

"I'm a real good listener. I became the local psychiatrist as well," Meo joked.

After six years, with demand for her pieces rising, she closed Fish-n-Art to focus on showing and selling her work in off-island galleries in Fort Myers, Sanibel, Pine Island and Naples.

Year after year, she donated pieces to Arts for ACT, an annual auction benefiting Abuse Counseling and Treatment, a shelter for rape and domestic violence victims and their children.

In2002, she shared the stage with celebrity auctioneer Lily Tomlin. Two years later, Hurricane Charley blew the roof off her stilt house, but spared her gallery, so she kept creating.

Meo found a clientele hungry for her images, which she painted with an increasing sense of urgency as old fish houses became upscale marinas, groves sold to developers and roadside fruit stands shuttered.

"I just see eras going by really fast, and the island changing," she told The News-Press. "I'm just happy to paint things and have it in my memory and other people's memory before it's gone."

Now that she's gone, observed Fort Myers arts advocate Sunny Lubner, "Southwest Florida just became more monochromatic."

Mel Meois survived by her three children Nathan Long, Anna Long and Luke Long; and three siblings David Meo, Rita Meo Sgro and Monica Meo and two grandchildren.

Her memorial service, at which anyone who knew her is welcome, will be Saturday, May 14at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, 12175 Stringfellow Road, Bokeelia, time to be announced.

In leiu of flowers, please send donations to: Pine Island Playhouse,5861 Wisconsin St., Bokeelia, FL 33922 or the Pine Island Elementary Art Program, 5360 Ridgewood Drive, Bokeelia, FL 33922.

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Artist, advocate Mel Meo was a Pine Island treasure - News-Press

What does it take to be a philanthropist? It is more than just having the means to give money to charity; its an ardent desire to help improve the world around you. There are many people of means who, while they donate occasionally, dont really qualify for the title of philanthropist.

Rich people of years past have often held on to most of their fortunes while alive, contributing it to charity only after death. This is the first time in world history that there have been so many young people donating their money to different causes, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics. There are those around us who do make a point to try and make the world a better place enter Brett Mac McClafferty, age 34, and Sunil Sharma, age 37.

Both McClafferty and Sharma have been wildly successful in their respective professions; Mac McClafferty accumulating a fifteen-million-dollar net worth in the private equity and cryptocurrency markets, and Sunil Sharma a Michelin Star Restaurant experienced chef who once had a food cart on every corner of Manhattan. Together, this under-40 duo has made it their mission to give back to the place they now call home the U.S. Virgin Islands.

I met Sunil at an eleven-course dinner at one of the hottest restaurants on the Island of St. Thomas, and we hit it off said McClafferty, whos McClafferty Family Foundation has pledged over $150,000 annually in college scholarships for high school graduates of U.S. Virgin Islands schools.

According to McClafferty, the two are political opposites McClafferty a Democrat and Sharma a Republican but share a similar set of morals and a belief in charity. Doing the right thing isnt a liberal or conservative concept, its an American concept Sharma added.

The two undertook their first joint charitable cause when they covered the entire cost of a repast for a twenty-year-old woman who was murdered by a jealous boyfriend outside her place of work in St. Thomas. This homicide shook the island to its core, and McClafferty and Sharma stepped up to the plate with McClafferty covering the cost of the food needed to feed nearly one thousand guests, while Sharma catered the event at no cost to the family.

The pair were later appointed as civilian members of the Virgin Islands Community and Police Association, and have used their roles in the organization to focus on issues facing senior citizens and foster children. During the Christmas season of 2021, McClafferty and Sharma personally donated toys to every child under the care of the Virgin Islands Family Resource Center, a nonprofit that provides emergency shelter and services to families who are victims of crime and domestic violence.

The two are already working with civic organizations on future charitable events and causes, and do not see an end in sight to their philanthropic endeavors.

We arent doing this because we want to be viewed as philanthropists, I personally could care-a-less how people view me says McClafferty. This is about doing our part to protect, and give back to, the place we now call home. Its about being a good neighbor. Its about having the means to help, so we believe that we have an obligation to help.

Sharma echoed that same sentiment by quoting a verse out of Luke 12:48, To whom much is given, much is required.

According to Bruce Flamon, President of the Virgin Islands Community and Police Association, the involvement of young people in the organizations charitable initiatives has skyrocketed since McClafferty and Sharma became involved. These young men have made it cool to care about your neighbors and about your community. Young people see these successful young men and want to be like them and to be like them, you got to give back! says Flamon, a retired police officer who also hosts the popular CMon Man Radio Show in the Virgin Islands.

Media ContactCompany Name: The McClafferty Family FoundationContact Person: Media RelationsEmail: Send EmailCountry: United StatesWebsite: http://www.mcclafferty.org

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The young philanthropists making it 'cool to care' in the Virgin Islands - Digital Journal

Niyama Private Islands in the Maldives, the only luxury resort in the country with its own wave breaking onto the shore, has three exciting new surf initiatives. Professional surf photographer Naomi Adbib is in residency at the resort until the end of July to capture action images of guests riding the waves. This will coincide with the visit of Cris Mills, a special surf strength coach, who is putting surfers through their paces throughout April until May 7. The luxury resort has also introduced a new speedboat to take intrepid surfers out to lesser-known waves further from the resort.

Niyama is home to two islands Play and Chill, which are connected by a bridge. Vodi wave is just off the shore of Play Island and is a powerful and sometimes hollow left hander. Off to the west and five minutes away by speedboat, Kasabu is a rippable and hollow right hander. Surfing can be enjoyed year-round at Niyama with bigger surf from March to November and no crowds.

Naomi is a photographer and videographer who specializes in surfing, water and lifestyle shots. Born in Morocco and raised in Spain, she spends her European winters in Nazar in Portugal, a renowned surfing destination, shooting big name surfers including Lucas Chumbo, Michelle des Bouillons, Rodrigo Koxa, Justine Dupont and Maya Gabiera.

Whilst at Niyama, Naomi is spending her days capturing surfing action at Vodi or out on boats to other surf breaks, taking pictures of surfing guests. Tailored to the surfer's needs, she can join individual surf sessions and lessons or spend up to 12 days with guests capturing their progress. For those looking for something extra special, Naomi can also take drone and video footage and compile one-minute surf video edits. Naomi also sends teaser photos to the Niyama Surf WhatsApp group highlighting the swell and encouraging guests to grab their boards and get to the beach.

Cris Mills

Cris is a Surf Strength Coach who has dedicated most of his adult life helping surfers improve their potential with movement, exercise and nutrition. He is offering both individual personalized coaching programs and group classes in the water and in the gym and spa. A highlight is the Surf Better program, a holistic and personalized process both in the water and on land that includes surf coaching, surf movement analysis, surf fitness and breath work, paired with pre & rehab techniques. Group classes include spine health and posture, breath hold classes, surf movement training and joint mobility training.

Sea Breeze speed boat at Niyama Private Islands Maldives

Adding a new dimension to Niyamas surf offering, Sea Breeze is the resorts new 2 x 350 horsepower speed boat, which is designed to cover long distances as fast and as comfortably as possible, making it possible for up to six guests plus a surf guide to surf in atolls further away and visit uninhabited islands. During the trip, guests will learn about the environmental challenges facing the Maldives and can make a positive impact by helping to remove washed up plastic and leaving the islands better than they found them.

After a days surfing, guests can hang out with Naomi, Cris and other surfers at Niyama's Surf Shack, with its bright red food truck, bean bags and swings to relax on, plus a reggae music soundtrack. The perfect spot for sundowners, the Surf Shack serves rum cocktails and gourmet snack food such as poached prawns, chorizo hotdogs, tacos, burritos and truffle fries with churros to wrap up.

Niyama Private Islands offers a collection of 134 villas, suites and pavilions, many with their own private pool, dotting along the beaches of both islands and extending out over the lagoon. The laid-back resort offers an abundance of space and privacy and a multitude of experiences tailored to adventurous honeymooners, active couples and style-savvy families.

Niyama Private Islands is 40-minute shared seaplane flight from Mal or a 30-minute domestic flight to Dhaalu Airport. Nightly rates start from USD $730 based on two sharing a Beach Villa with breakfast and dinner including taxes and fees. Surf photo packages with Naomi start from around USD $240 per hour; group classes with Cris Mills start from USD $60 per hour and private sessions from USD $280 per hour and trips on Sea Breeze with a guide start from USD $475 per person for a six-hour trip. To book visit http://www.niyama.com

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Niyama Private Islands Ups the Ante in the Maldives' Surfing Scene - Luxury Travel Magazine

Ibizas laid-back cousin, Formentera the Balearic island with no airport and few paved roads knows a thing or two about slowing things down. Life here is all about the simple things: eat lobster rice with your toes in the sand; watch the sun dip into the Mediterranean with a glass of Formentera wine; take a stroll along powdery white sand beaches that meet a turquoise sea. Add to that a Marine reserve with some of the clearest waters in Europe, a 130-kilometre hiking network and a burgeoning food scene, and you can see why so many who come to Formentera never leave.

The islands 32 hiking and biking trails, known as green routes, connect whitewashed villages like Sant Ferran and Es Pujols via 130 kilometres of stone and sand trails flanked by pine forests and turquoise seas. The green routes pass Formenteras iconic lighthouses and watchtowers, including La Mola and Cap de Barbaria, where the best panoramic views of the island can be found. Nature, too, is reason enough to lace up your hiking boots: wildflower meadows, juniper forests and isolated coves are just some of the landscapes youll encounter.

Thanks to the Posidonia Oceanica, a seagrass that acts as a natural filtration system on the island, Formentera has some of the clearest and bluest waters in the Mediterranean. Explore the islands 69-kilometre coastline on a paddleboard or kayak or join a dive or snorkelling tour, where youll find an underwater world of shipwrecks (the sunken Don Pedro cargo ship is 140 metres long) and rich marine life. The islands of Espalmador, off the northern coast of Formentera, offer the clearest waters for underwater exploration, while Cala Saona has calm waters for paddle boarding and swimming.

Blessed with miles of coastline and rich volcanic soil, Formentera is home to some of Spains highest quality ingredients, including olive oil, sea salt, figs, lamb, lobster and xeixa, a low-in-gluten flour that gives Formentera bread its sweet and rich flavour. Its no wonder, then, that dishes like guisat de peix (fish stew) and sobrasada (cured pork sausage meat) are prepared with the utmost care. A prized ingredient here is peix sec, a sun-dried fish thats preserved in olive oil and still caught using Formenteras traditional wooden fishing boats. The best way to eat peix sec is on an ensalada payesa, a salad of fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers and crispy-fried croutons.

During the Spring and Autumn, Formenteras lagoons and wetlands attract thousands of migratory birds journeying from Africa to Europe. In Salines, a protected natural park that spans from the south of Ibiza to the North of Formentera, you can spot over 200 bird species, including puffins and flamingoes. A short sail to UNESCO Heritage Site Es Freus Marine Reserve comes with more bird watching opportunities: home to the Posidonia meadows, the tiny islands between Formentera and Ibiza shelter European Shags, Petrels and the endemic Shearwater. Inland, look out for the colourful native lizards soaking up the sunshine.

Formentera has been a natural paradise for thousands of years, and the local authorities intend to keep it that way for many more to come. The Save Posidonia Project aims to protect the islands unique Posidonia Oceanica, which is crucial to filtering sediments and oxygenating the sea, by allowing visitors to sponsor areas of seagrass for as little as 1 euro. Through the website formentera.eco, the number of vehicles that can enter the island during the high season is also controlled, and, thanks to the efforts of The Plastic Free Ibiza and Formentera project, the islands hope to be free of all single-use plastics by 2023.

From the wild virgin coves of Playa Tramuntana to the restaurant-lined beaches of Ses Illetes and Levante beach, theres a stretch of sand on Formentera to suit every beach-goer. For a true Robinson Crusoe experience, set sail to the tiny private island of SEspalmador, where empty white sands and cobalt-blue coves are devoid of any restaurants or hotels. More developed beaches like Ses Illetes are lined with chiringitos selling lobster rice and punchy Formentera wines among the dunes, while in Ses Salines Nature Park youll find swathes of powdery sands surrounded by pink-hued salt lagoons and lush forest.

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Six reasons to visit Balearic island Formentera in summer 2022 - Euronews

A pair of massive double doors swing open, and a teenage Will Smith (played by Jabari Banks) walks into his aunt and uncles palatial Bel-Air home, where a big-dollar cocktail-party fundraiser is taking place. The soulful hip-hop song A Lot, by 21 Savage, soundtracks the scene. How much money you got? (A lot), the lyrics recite, seemingly narrating Wills awe as he clocks the material evidence of the Banks-family fortune. Yo! I got some rich-ass relatives, he says. This scene is from the first episode of Peacocks Bel-Air, one of the most anticipated Black television shows of this year and a dramatic reboot of the 90s sitcom staple The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Later in that same episode, the Banks children, Hilary, Carlton, and Ashley, are groaning about the family photo they know is inevitable. Then, Carlton asks his sisters, What could go wrong with a photo op with us in it? I mean look at us, pure, unadulterated Black excellence. To which Hilary responds: Period. The siblings understand that in order to represent their familyone of the few Black families in their ultra-affluent communityin the manner that their parents and school administrators expect, they must be exceptional in appearance and behavior, a reality that they both embrace and detest. Dramatic tension builds over the season as their outsider cousin, Will, struggles to find his place in their world.

Bel-Air is part of a cohort of recent shows that explore Black prosperity. Foxs Our Kind of People, a Marthas Vineyardset prime-time melodrama, delivers the dueling-families spectacle of 1980s fan favorites such as Dynasty. And OWNs soapy The Kings of Napa centers on a family that owns and operates a successful vineyard in Californias vaunted Napa Valley. These three shows differ in plot, tone, and production value, yet theyre all fluent in the language of Black excellence, or the long-held belief among African Americans that they must work twice as hard for half as much as white people receive. The term first comes up in Our Kind of People during a heated exchange between the rivals Leah (Nadine Ellis) and Angela (Yaya DaCosta); Leah accuses Angela of being a social climber who cant compare to the islands elite, of which Leah is a part. Describing her circle, Leah says, We dont just have a summer fling with Black excellence. We are Black excellence. In The Kings of Napa, the matriarch, Vanessa King (Karen LeBlanc), tells her family members about her and her late husbands original vision for their business. We said that people were going to see Black excellence in motion: wine, style, cuisine, all of it.

These shows are obsessed with cash and glamour, reminding viewers in nearly every scene that African Americans, too, have generational wealth and sophisticated taste. For some Black viewersthe presumed core audience for these seriesthe glitzy theatrics provide welcome escapism from a world rife with anti-Black violence. But these shows also feel out of step with the cultural zeitgeist and with an audience that has been showing signs of Black-excellence fatigue for some time. Since 2020, aversion has grown in particular toward the ideology that links exorbitant wealth and conspicuous consumption to social progress for African Americans. This thought pattern mandates that African Americans work twice as hard to get things: mansions, designer clothes, private jets to private islands. Many Black capitalists have long argued that buying power and entrepreneurship are the path to racial and economic justice. But the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its concomitant economic effects for Black communities, as well as the nationwide protests after the police killing of George Floyd, led to public disavowals of excellence and free enterprise reaching a fever pitch.

In this social and political landscape, a show such as The Kings of Napa might feel insensitive. At one point, a character says, I love rich Black folks, especially really rich Black folks, before turning to a family member and asking, What do you think the slaves are saying?implying that their luxurious lifestyle would make their ancestors proud. Bel-Air also revels in ostentatious consumption, as reflected in its hip-hop soundtrack. Music by Meek Mill, Bobby Shmurda, and Moneybagg Yo pays homage to the original shows hip-hop roots while the lyrics loudly link Black excellence to displays of wealth.

A fitting addition to the track list would have been Jay-Z and Kanye Wests 2011 song Murder to Excellence, which spoke to a moment of optimism for many Black Americans. In it, Jay-Z raps: Black excellence, opulence, decadence / Tuxes next to the president, Im present I stink of success, the new Black elite. The podcast host and cultural commentator Sylvia Obell put the songs lyrics into a national political context. There was that slight high between when [Barack] Obama won [his first presidential election, in 2008,] and before Trayvon Martin got shot [in 2012] where I think hope was the drug that we were all riding on and Black excellence felt like, Oh, maybe we can be anything! Obell told me. The killing of 17-year-old Martin at the hands of a vigilante was a stinging realization for many Millennials like Obell: Black excellence is not enough to keep us alive So why am I trying so hard to be excellent? Maybe I can just be me.

Still, the old narrative gained traction again a few years later. In a 2017 episode of the podcast Toure Show titled Puffy: How to Make a Billion, the artist and entrepreneur Diddy defined Black excellence as when we tap into our magic. His magic involved making tons of money and socializing with other members of the elite, notably at the exclusive Roc Nation Brunch, hosted regularly by Jay-Z and Beyonc. By the January 2020 gathering, Jay-Z had become a billionaire. Images from that day captivated street youth and emerging Black professionals alike, who concluded that successwhether in the underground economy or in the boardroomwould give them unprecedented buying power. Diddy and others who had started from the bottom seemed to believe that their place on a Forbes list was a sign of racial change, that their hard work and success in the free market would benefit the entire race. Black millionaires and billionaires, they declared, could fund racial-justice initiatives and create new jobs.

Read: The story of Jay-Z

And then, two months later, the world shut down. Nearly 10 million people lost their job in the United States that year, and Black and brown people were among those hardest hit. Meanwhile, billionaires got even richer during the pandemic. As the death toll and unemployment numbers rose, conversations about anti-capitalism seemed to reach a rare level of fervor. #TaxTheRich became popular on Twitter. People wrote about capitalisms ties to Black-labor exploitation, a connection that dates back to the global slave trade. Books such as Destin Jenkins and Justin Leroys 2021 Histories of Racial Capitalism grappled with the historical antecedents of todays tensions with the 1 percent. The emphatic point of these discussions was not that Black people should live in poverty, but that raising up a Black millionaire class does not result from or lead to economic justice, no matter how hard its members have worked to earn their assets.

Examining wealth distribution, instead of income, as a framework for studying economic disparities shows the stark gap between Black and white Americans. Today, according to a recent Deutsche Welle documentary on Americas Black upper class, only 2 percent of Black families are millionaires. In other words, most are not living the lavish lives that people like Diddy represent. Excellence as a framing of opulence is not Black or white. Thats American, Darrick Hamilton, a professor of economics and urban policy at The New School, told me. Racializing excellence forces Black Americans to measure their success according to a capitalist system that was reinforced by Jim Crow racial logic and bolstered by anti-Black economic policies. I want to structure the society where excellence is something we applaud and strive for, but its not a necessary ingredient just to survive, Hamilton said.

For all its fixation on excellence, Bel-Air does occasionally show signs of self-awareness. In the episode Canvass, Will and Carlton debrief about why Uncle Phils campaign to become district attorney isnt resonating with working-class voters. Will tries to explain the hoods distrust of the system. Carlton dismisses Wills take, saying, Apathy isnt a solution. Will doubles down: Being asked to choose between two shitty options is bullshit. But these insightful moments are few. The gravitational pull of the show is toward the Bankses lifestyle. The sets, the costumes, and the level of access and power they connote are supposed to be so enticing that viewers would want to trade places with Will. The show suggests that Wills new life in Bel-Air is a step up for him as a kid from West Philadelphiadespite the fact that his mom is a financially independent nurse and Will was already college-bound. In other words, the writers have reused the popular hood-kid fish-out-of-water narrative on a middle-class kid, making the already unsophisticated class critique feel further off-key.

Though there will always be an appetite for shows about unattainable riches, Obell believes that audiences today want more balanced treatments of African Americans and money in pop culture. Who wants to see these extreme levels of wealth displayed at a time when people are just struggling to feed their families? Obell asked. She noted that Starzs drug-lord drama franchise Power is highly watched Black programming. This popularity is not solely because viewers love to consume African American street-hustler tropes but also because those shows are more willing to have an unvarnished conversation about capitalism, the American dream, and the struggles of the working poor. Queen Sugar, which will air its final season this summer, has been one of the best shows in recent history to take on race, class, and generational inheritance. It has modeled, particularly in its first four seasons, how a show could address these topics with sincerity, without naively perpetuating myths about money as racial progress or denigrating characters because of their financial position.

Read: Queen Sugar deepens its complex family portrait

Further, many Gen Z African American viewers may not want to be preached to about respectability and uphill battles. Some have embraced the soft life, or a commitment to a low-stress, high-vibrational lifestyle, as a quiet protest against the they sleep, we grind ethos of Black excellence. Bel-Air, with its young cast, has a better chance of pivoting in its second season than The Kings of Napa and Our Kind of People (neither of the latter two has been renewed or canceled yet). I imagine that as Bel-Air finds its footing, viewers will see it engage directly with the concept of prioritizing rest and well-being (Hilary seems primed for such a plotline) and more conversations about class that draw from COVID-era debates. The series co-showrunners, T. J. Brady and Rasheed Newson, told Collider that in the first season they were nervous that theyd go too far with a story line in ways that the original producers would disapprove of. There are so many pieces on the board for Season 2, Newson said. And weve gotta grow. Perhaps they can depart from the rigid framework of class that theyd inherited from the original sitcom. Otherwise, Wills rebellious act of wearing Retro Jordan 5s in a Ferragamo-loafers world might not be enough to keep up with an audience thats done some growing up of its own.

See more here:

'Bel-Air' and the Flawed Logic of 'Black Excellence' - The Atlantic

2ND UPDATE, 1:23 PM: I tend to be quite expressive in my writing, a halting Johnny Depp said Tuesday on the stand of his $50 million defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.

After previous testimony during the day detailing his dysfunctional childhood and rise to international stardom, Depp shifted focus in the Virginia courtroom to the vile texts and other communications that have come out of attacks on his Rum Diary co-star. The actor also addressed his reported deep-seated issues with drugs and drinks, laying a lot of the blame on his abusive mother and her nerve pills.

It was self-medication, the former Pirates of the Caribbean star claimed.

With the seven-member jury and Heard herself sitting close by, Depp explained that he started using his mothers pills at the age of 11 to take the edge off. He also claimed that he never took drugs or drank to party but to dull the pain. Citing the trauma of his youth, Depp said his quote, un-quote substance abuse that has been delivered by Ms. Heard is grossly embellished and sorry to say, a lot of it is plainly false. He added: It was an easy target for her to hit.

I am not some maniac who needs to be high or loaded all the time, the 58-year old Depp asserted, also alleging that he had long periods of total sobriety in his life.

In fact, contrary to evidence presented in this case and in the week-old trial, Depp said he was never been out of control on a film set or while working.

When I was with Ms. Heard, and her friends and we were all drinking wine and I was smoking marijuana, they used to tease me for what they said was a ludicrous tolerance because I never appeared bloated or high, he said. Even if I felt a little spinny no one would have ever known.

Making sure his version of events didnt completely diverge from what others have said, Depp did admit that he was addicted to the prescription opioid Roxycodone after suffering a back injury from performing an action scene on 2011s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. I was bit by the snake, and before you know it that monkey is on your back to stay.

Depp added that once he finally kicked the drug, he vowed to stay off it no matter how much pain or discomfort he suffered, such as when one of his fingers was sliced off while on location in Australia in 2015. He said that he didnt take the opioid again.

Once you have been bit, you will be bit again, he said.

With tales of Peter Frampton and Van Morrison records, Clockwork Orange and Last Tango in Paris soundtracks and writers like the Beat Generation and Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, Depp delved into his own style of scribbles after some prodding by his lawyer Jess Meyers.

In my texts, in my emails, and my writings you take the subject itself and you try to express it in your own vernacular, he said, as the looming specter of hateful and threatening communications with the likes of self-described drug buddy and Avengers alum Paul Bettany, as well as members of his staff and medical team.

Knowing the damning portrait the texts and other communications paint and how effective they could be in Heards defense, especially with Bettany on the witness list, Depp took a risky preemptive approach hoping to defang the material.

I am ashamed of some of the references made and embarrassed at the tone that in the heat of the moment, the heat of the pain I was feeling, went to dark places, the actor said in a low voice on the stand. Sometimes pain has to be dealt with humor, and sometimes dark very dark humor, he went on to testify as Heard watched stone-faced.

Sometimes you are exaggerating something youve done to make him understand you are on Planet Question Mark, Depp stated of the texts shared with the likes of Bettany that threatened to kill Heard, defile her and more.

Flipping the responsibility, Depp then declared he used horrible terms in texts in reaction to Heards claims of domestic abuse and more at his hands.

After the unfortunate words of Ms. Heard made their way into my heart and my head and those are two very opposing things and you are trying to find to the best way to express sometime to a friend, Depp went on to say.

With less than hour left in Tuesdays testimony, Depps attorney turned the actor towards describing how he met Heard and how their relationship developed. Depp described how he referred to Heard as Slim and she called him Steve, the names of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogarts characters in To Have and Have Not. Depp compared his difference in age to that of Bacall and Bogart.

I was the old craggy Bogie, and she was this beautiful creature, this stunning creature, Depp said, as Heard watched, expressionless.

Set to go to 2 PM PT today, Depp will return to the stand Wednesday for more testimony and cross examination.

UPDATE, 12:29 PM: Anonymity has left the building thats an odd thing to deal with, Johnny Depp told a packed Virginia courtroom today as the one-time Oscar nominee continued his testimony in the $50 million defamation trial against Amber Heard.

It all turned around, it went weird, Depp added of the gifts and curses of the huge success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and the security details subsequently required for himself, the kiddies and other members of his family

In what was an arched attempt at presenting the multi-millionaire as just a regularly guy to the Fairfax County jury and onlookers in and out of the court, Depp pushed back against the self-described disturbing criminal acts allegations of domestic abuse that his ex-wife and Rum Diary co-star has long claimed.

Spending most of his initial testimony Tuesday ruminating over his troubled childhood and the violence he saw and was subjected to at a young age, Depp also played to the seven-person jury with tales of his early career.

Stressing he signed up for his some Pep Le Pew, some Keith Richards, Capt. Jack Sparrow role in the Pirates franchise in many ways out of watching cartoons with his own offspring, a sometimes rambling Depp sought project an air of an innocent thrust into a world of celebrity, money and power that he never expected or desired.

The actor also spent time carefully constructing a portrait of himself as someone who takes his craft very seriously.

That pose is very important after claims in filings by Heards side and prior testimony by others of a seemingly endlessly pampered Depps cavalier attitude towards his profession and production. Admitting he never actually saw the first Pirates flick, Depp said he believed in the character wholeheartedly and came to know Jack Sparrow better than the screenwriters.

The Edward Scissorhands actor also revealed how profoundly his life and career altered once Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl came out to huge box office success in 2003. As he had earlier in his testimony, Depp emphasized his concern for his kids and their safety amidst all the attention.

I forgot what the original part of your question was, I got lost in the gauntlet, Depp told his attorney Jessica Meyers after a detailed description of the throngs of fans he would meet at blockbuster film premieres.

The trial has paused for its 15-minute afternoon break. As she has been every moment since the much postponed trial began on April 11, Heard was watching Depps testimony in the courtroom. As she did in the 2020 UK libel trial that Depp lost, the Aquaman actress is scheduled to give her own testimony at some point in the five-week trail on this side of the ponf.

PREVIOUSLY, 11:18 AM: My goal is the truth, said Johnny Depp on the stand today one week into the $50 million defamation trial instigated by the ex-Pirates of the Caribbean star against Amber Heard back in March 2019. Lies build upon lies, he testified.

Calling Heards years old allegations of domestic abuse by Depp to her diabolical, the actor said he was doing the right thing pursuing the high profile case.

It was a complete shock, it just didnt need to go in that direction, as nothing of the kind ever happened, Depp told the Fairfax County Courthouse in a halting voice with no small degree of affectation. There were arguments, and things of that nature, but never did myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in anyway, nor have I struck anyone in my life, he added.

It was my responsibility to not only clear my name I wanted to clear my children of this horrid thing they had to read about their father, that was untrue, Depp went on to say of his motivation to bring this exposure of he and Heards relationship into the public sphere.

Its very strange when one day youre Cinderella, and in 0.6 seconds youre Quasimodo, the actor said of his perception of the public perception of him after Heards allegations of frequent abuse became public. I didnt deserve that nor did my children nor the people whove believed in me all these years, he added with no small degree of humility.

After that clearly well rehearsed set-up, Depp launched into a vivid depiction of his own working class childhood, and the turmoil and violence he experienced growing up. That history has been a vital element of Depps legal teams strategy even before the trial started last week.

Largely uninterrupted by his attorneys, Depps discussion of his early years was perhaps more relatable than much of what the jury has heard over the past week, tales of a life of private islands, private planes and a private detox doctor, perhaps beyond the comprehension of jurors even from well-to-do Fairfax County.

Observing her litigious ex-husband testifying, Heard sat close by in courtroom as she has every day since the much delayed trial began on April 11.

The Aquaman star is scheduled to take the stand herself later in the proceedings. Both Depp and Heard testified in the late 2020 U.K. libel trial that saw the actor unsuccessfully move to rebut The Sun tabloid assertion that Depp is a wife-beater. While not officially permitted to be heavily referenced during this Stateside trial, the British matter does loom over the Virginia proceedings at least in the court of public opinion.

Depp will be on the stand on Wednesday for cross examination. The trial is set to run for five weeks. However, it will hit the pause button from May 9-12 as Judge Penney S. Azcarate has a previously scheduled conference engagement.

This latest fray between Depp and Heard, who divorced in 2016 with restraining orders and a media feeding frenzy surrounding them, started when The Tourist actor suddenly sued his ex-wife in March 2019 in Virginia for a late 2018 Washington Post op-ed Heard penned about domestic abuse and the potential fallout for victims.

As has been noted by Heards legal team in and out of court, the op-ed never mentioned Depp by name. Yet, in subsequent paperwork, the Hollywood Vampires guitarist proclaimed the article in the Jeff Bezos-owned outlet was clearly referring to him, cost the one-time box office gold actor well-paying roles, a return to the Pirates franchise and devastated his career.

In the three years since Depps filing, the case has seen Heard unsuccessfully try over and over to have the matter dismissed or shifted to California. As a result, Heard also she countersued Depp for $100 million in the summer of 2020.

While acknowledging that Depp has a high burden to meet for defamation, sources close to the actors team say he will own his various vices on the stand, but aim to make sure the truth comes out. Long before today testimony, Depp has adamantly denied he ever abused Heard. In fact, he has claimed that he is the victim of domestic abuse in the admittedly tempestuous relationship

It is almost a given that the losing side in this sordid affair will appeal and drag the matter on even further

The earlier part of today saw Depps friend and sound technician Keenan Wyatt testifying in a display that did not go as Team Depp had likely hoped.

Unsurprisingly seeking to be complimentary to his long-time pal and paymaster, Wyatt did confirm somewhat embarrassingly that one-time Oscar nominee Depp has been using an ear piece when filming since 1997s The Brave. Wyatt also was grilled on a binge with Marilyn Manson for a few days that Depp allegedly engaged in, plus a pattern of constant absences and tardiness on 2014s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales while production was underway in Australia.

Additionally, in what became a battle of objections between the lawyers in the courtroom, Wyatt detailed to the jury and onlookers his experiences with Depp and his interactions with Heard during the couples relationship. Ive never seen Johnny be violent to anyone, Wyatt told Heard attorney Elaine Bredehoft under a sometimes tense cross-examination.

You dont know what went on behind closed doors, Bredehoft declared in an explicit evisceration of Wyatts testimony that led to the sound technician defaulting to a cascades of I dont recall and similar statements.

Along with Depp and Heard, A-listers like James Franco, WandaVisions Paul Bettany and the worlds on-again/off-again richest man Elon Musk are set to testify in the Old Dominion-set trial.

As of right now, the trial runs Monday to Thursday, with Fridays off.

See original here:

Johnny Depp Details Opioid Addiction, Says He Is Ashamed Of Texts Threatening Amber Heard; Testimony In $50M Defamation Trial Will Continue Tomorrow -...

The breathtaking tours allow you to come up close and personal with orcas, bears, humpback whales, otters, seals, and more.

Have you ever sailed through the Gulf Islands or to the Great Bear Rainforest?

Manypeoplehave visited the awe-inspiring islands alongB.C.'s coast, but few of them have sailed through itspristine waters on a private tour.

Multiple cruise linessail up the coastline up to Alaska but most of them have upwards of 1,500 passengers on board; even some of the luxury lines carry close to 500 people.

For a decidedly more intimate experience, a Vancouver-based company is offering tailor-made charter expeditions for a maximum of nine passengers. The eco-friendly cruisestake passengers to places with protected waters that are home to an array of wildlife, including orcas, bears, humpback whales, otters, seals, and more.

The expeditions take place on "The Curve of Time" an ecotourism ship that served as an environmental awareness vessel for Greenpeace. Built in 1959 as a side-trawler, itwas laterconverted forecotourismand hasdecades of historical stories sailing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Owner and guideSylvaintells Vancouver Is Awesome in a phone interview that the voyages take guests tosecluded gemsfar from the mainland where they'll find neighbouring sea creatures, land mammals, and mountainous forestry.

When asked what sets The Curve of Time Charters apart from other companies, Sylvainsays"we're nicer people" with a laugh, adding that the experience on and off the vessel is something folks won't find on other tours.

For one, guests willlearn about the history of the area as they sail across the smooth waters, as well asthe local wildlife.And with kayaks and paddleboards onboard, theycan look forward to peaceful morning and evening paddles during anchorages. Crab traps and fishing gear are also available to fish for fresh seafood, including lingcod, rockfish, halibut, and salmon.

"No question on every trip [guests] will enjoy fresh crab," notes Sylvain, who adds the captain hosts a sushi night during the trip.

Sylvaindives down and gently collects sea creatures from the ocean floor to bring up to show guests, which he says is always a big hit.

"I bring up a whole bunchof living creatures and put them in a small aquarium and then we do an identification and then we put them all back," he explains. "People love it; peopleget excited.

"When we're tied up to a dock and we do it, everybody on the dock shows up on our vessel."

During shore excursions, a naturalist accompanies guestsfor plant identification during walks through the rainforest."People will be able to collect their own [mushrooms] and learn to cook or dry them," explains Sylvain.

Chef Mike,theonboard chef, has a background in "adventure dining,"where he foraged for food andpreparedit in remote places in the Yukon. Guests would hike or fly into locations "in the middle of nowhere" and enjoy elaborate meals on the top of mountains or by the edge of rivers.

And weighing in at nearly 200 tons, the steel vessel is anexceptionally stable ship, affording maximum comfort to passengers.

"It's made for the biggest oceans in the world. So when we cruise it on these protected waters its just dead, dead flat calm," he describes, adding that ship is the most stable 12-passenger vessel in the tourism industry.

Captain Matthew is a "lifetime adventurer, always eager to explore and discover," Sylvainsays.Early in life, he travelled the Pacific as a diver in the Royal Canadian Navy.

The captainsays "the only two things I ever wanted were to be a navy diver and a radio DJ." After his term in the navy, he chased his second dream with a successful career in broadcasting.

But the "call of the sea" overcame the marine man, who plunged into the civilian maritime industry in 2005 when he acquiredall the credentials required by Transport Canada to hold the position of Master on TheCurveofTime.

Over the course of his adventures, Matthew has spent a great deal oftimeexploring and working in the Salish Sea, the Sunshine Coast and points sailing the west coast of Brutish Columbia.

"Matthew has an extreme passion for the science and art of navigation, and loves to share his knowledge with fellow adventurers! addsSylvain.

Josh, who doesmarketing and development for the company, also sails on some of the expeditions. He underscores that the people on the ship truly set the experience apart from ones like it. They engage with the guests throughout the journey, offering an intimateexperience.

"Because it's super flexible, everything's going to be adapted to the group that's onboard," Sylvainadds. "Most of the people that end up purchasing these trips or groups or families."

The Curve of Time Charters offers five- to nine-day sailings on itineraries including the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, the Broughtons, and the Great Bear Rainforest.

Excerpt from:

Photos: You can sail through remote B.C. islands on a former Greenpeace ship - Vancouver Is Awesome

Not so long ago, it was easy for public banks to fund new fossil fuel projects. But now, as the world faces a worsening climate crisis, the tide may be turning.

Case in point: after Traditional owners filed an injunction over a Santos gas development near the Tiwi islands, South Koreas export credit agency announced it would reconsider its financial support.

Environmental and legal risks is one reason given by the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Kexim) for the delay in deciding on a loan of up to US$330 million for the project. The move could threaten its financial viability.

Public financial institutions are under renewed pressure to change lending practices after the worlds leading climate scientists strongly warned against any new fossil fuel infrastructure. In our region, public banks in China, Japan, and South Korea now face unprecedented scrutiny for their role in financing the climate crisis.

Not only that, but the Tiwi injunction has again shone a spotlight on the role played by export credit agencies like Kexim in pumping funds into new coal, gas and oil projects.

The Kexim loan was intended to go to the Korean energy group SK E&S, which had planned to export gas from the project to Asia. Without funding, there may be no project.

Thats why Kexims move is so important. While export credit agencies are not the only funders of oil, gas and coal infrastructure, and not the largest either, they have been instrumental in developing many of the worlds most carbon intensive sectors.

Read more: Green lending: world's biggest banks' latest initiative at COP26 is a step backwards

How? By locking in fossil fuel energy systems, leveraging private finance by reducing risk premiums, and shaping international standards which influence private bank policies. In short, they have played a key role in enabling fossil fuel expansion.

For decades, these state supported agencies have gone under the radar. No longer. Scrutiny is increasing of their work borrowing from national treasuries or public capital markets to finance export-oriented fossil fuel projects.

Thats not to criticise all the work these agencies do. Theyve proven invaluable for nations like South Korea as they industrialised. By providing direct loans, insurance and guarantees to foreign buyers, they have helped improve the competitiveness of their exports.

If the world is to achieve the rapid energy transition necessary to avoid the worst effects of climate change, we will need a revolution in global finance. We have to drain funding from fossil fuels and pump it into clean energy.

Until recently, efforts to cut international public funding for fossil fuel projects have focused on multilateral development banks like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. In response, both have slowly started to shift their financing away from fossil fuels.

While thats a positive step, bilateral funding bodies like export credit agencies are still stuck at square one. Research estimates these public banks are now financing fossil fuel projects more than the multilateral development banks. Between 2013 and 2015, for instance, these agencies financed oil and gas to the tune of US$32 billion a year. The worst offenders were Japan, Korea and the United States.

Australias equivalent Export Finance Australia is hardly blameless. Between 2009 and 2020, our agency loaned an estimated A$1.5 billion to new coal, oil and gas projects, dwarfing the funding it gave to renewable projects.

As governments belatedly swing into action, it is likely we will see an end to the historical support given by these banks to highly polluting sectors. In turn, this will hinder corporate efforts to mobilise public and private finance alike.

Thats not to say there wont be holdouts. At the Glasgow UN climate conference in late 2021, developed countries including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom committed to ending public funding for unabated fossil fuel energy. Australia, Japan and South Korea were not among the signatories.

Read more: Why banning financing for fossil fuel projects in Africa isn't a climate solution

The Glasgow announcement came only a month after the OECD announced it would end export credit support for coal-fired power plants built without the ability to capture and store carbon dioxide.

While important, these steps are nowhere near enough. To date, only the Canadian export credit agency has committed to aligning funding with the goal of net zero by 2050. That means the lending policies of almost all of these agencies remain glaringly inconsistent with Paris Agreement goals and renewed warnings from climate scientists.

In a year when unprecedented floodwaters have taken lives and livelihoods up and down Australias east coast, it is time for governments to revise the mandates of their export credit agencies. They can be a force for good by helping to leverage billions of dollars into clean energy projects, rather than fossil fuel ones.

Without government action, it will be left to local communities like the traditional owners in the Northern Territory and environmental organisations to fight uphill battles against these taxpayer funded banks.

Read more from the original source:

Tiwi Islands offshore gas fight shows public banks are under real pressure over fossil fuel funding - The Conversation Indonesia