New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern Wins Historic Victory Following Science-Based Leadership on COVID and Climate
11h
Politics
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declares victory during the Labor Party Election Night Function at Auckland Town Hall on Oct. 17, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. Hannah Peters / Getty Images
Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand Prime Minister who has emerged as a leader on the climate crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, has won a second term in office.
<p>Ardern's Labour Party secured a historic victory in New Zealand's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-zealand-ardern-renewable-energy-2647595133.html" target="_self">general election Saturday</a>, earning 49 percent of the vote and an estimated 64 out of 120 parliamentary seats, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/17/jacinda-arderns-labour-party-set-for-victory-in-new-zealand-election" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>. It is Labour's biggest victory in 50 years, and the first time any party has won a large enough majority to govern alone since 1996, according to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-54519628" target="_blank">BBC News</a>. Ardern's popularity has been attributed in part to her pro-<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/science" target="_self">science</a> approach to the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Guardian. She acted to close down borders and institute a national lockdown, and the country saw a total of 25 deaths and less than 2,000 cases.</p><p>"Science and clear communication around Covid-19 have won the day against Trumpery and fake news — people have clearly seen how the government looked after us," Labour supporter Christine told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/18/jacinda-ardern-eases-into-second-term-amid-relief-in-new-zealand-at-election-landslide" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> Sunday.</p>
<div id="1bb8d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="870071749bb41f9c7a734ba644150169"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1317477722789236740" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Historic results:
-New Zealand First loses all its representatives
-Worst National result since 2002 (26.85%)
-Firs… https://t.co/zX1tn3xis3</div> — Election Forecast 🇦🇺 🇳🇿 (@Election Forecast 🇦🇺 🇳🇿)<a href="https://twitter.com/ForecastOceania/statuses/1317477722789236740">1602946141.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The election has also been seen as a mandate for Labour's climate policy, according to <a href="https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/10/19/new-zealanders-vote-climate-ambition-jacinda-ardern-greens/" target="_blank">Climate Home News</a>. During Ardern's first term, Labour governed in coalition with the Greens and the populist New Zealand First party. The government <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-zealand-offshore-oil-gas-2559278982.html" target="_self">banned</a> future offshore <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-and-gas" target="_self">oil and gas</a> exploration and passed a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-zealand-zero-emissions-2641247378.html" target="_self">historic bill</a> pledging to get the country to zero emissions by 2050.</p><p>However, some of Ardern's climate ambitions during her first term were curtailed by her partnership with New Zealand First, which blocked ideas like a tax on imported <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuel" target="_self">fossil-fuel</a> cars and a subsidy for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicles" target="_self">electric vehicles</a>.</p>
<p>This time around, New Zealand First has lost all of its seats in parliament while the Green Party has increased its share of the votes from six to eight percent. While Labour has secured enough votes to govern alone, Ardern has said she is open to forming a coalition government, according to The Guardian, and Green Party leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson said they hoped to be included in order to move the government in a more progressive direction.</p><p>Before the election, Labour had promised more environmental policies if it won, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-zealand-ardern-renewable-energy-2647595133.html" target="_self">including</a> achieving 100 percent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a> by 2030 instead of 2035. Labour's main opposition, the National Party, only secured 27 percent of the vote, down from 44 percent, according to Climate Home News. The party had run on reversing the oil and gas drilling ban as well as rolling back protections for freshwater ecosystems, <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/story/jacinda-arderns-nuclear-free-moment-heres-three-things-that-would-make-it-a-reality/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=election&utm_content=supporter-email" target="_blank">according to Greenpeace New Zealand</a>.</p>
<p>"The election result has delivered a strong mandate for the transformational climate action that the Prime Minister promised," Greenpeace New Zealand wrote.</p><p>Nearly 80 percent of New Zealanders are worried about the climate crisis and support a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, which has thrown New Zealand into its first recession in 11 years, according to BBC News.</p><p>Recovering from that recession will be a major challenge for Ardern's second term. In addition, she no longer has the excuse of New Zealand First holding her back from more ambitious climate policies.</p><p>"NZ First was often blamed for slow progress on environment policies, and sometimes this was true. With Winston Peters and his party gone, we expect to see immediate moves to tackle agricultural climate pollution, to invest in rail and cycleways, and to protect the oceans from overfishing," Greenpeace New Zealand director Russell Norman told Climate Home News.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- New Zealand's Ardern Pledges 100% Renewable Energy by 2030 if ... ›
- New Zealand Plans to Require Climate Risk Reporting - EcoWatch ›
- New Zealand Will Consider Climate Crisis in All Major Policy ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
A woman holds a handful of vitamin C. VO IMAGES / Getty Images
By Laura Beil
Consumers have long turned to vitamins and herbs to try to protect themselves from disease. This pandemic is no different — especially with headlines that scream "This supplement could save you from coronavirus."
<p>It also helps to have celebrity enthusiasts. When President Donald Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19, his pill arsenal included Vitamin D and zinc. And in an Instagram chat with actress Jennifer Garner in September, infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci touted vitamins C and D as ways that might generally boost the immune system. "If you're deficient in vitamin D," he noted, "that does have an impact on your susceptibility to infection. I would not mind recommending, and I do it myself, taking vitamin D supplements."</p><p>But whether over-the-counter supplements can actually prevent, or even treat, COVID-19, is not clear. Since the disease is so new, researchers haven't had much time for the kind of large experiments that provide the best answers. Instead, scientists have mostly relied on fresh takes on old data. Some studies have looked at outcomes of patients who routinely take certain supplements — and found some promising hints. But so far there's little data from the kinds of scientifically rigorous experiments that give doctors confidence when recommending supplements.</p><p>Here's what we know today about three supplements getting plenty of attention around COVID-19.</p>
Vitamin D
<p><strong>What it is: </strong>Called "the sunshine vitamin" because the body makes it naturally in the presence of ultraviolet light, <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/vitamin-d-supplements-lose-luster" target="_blank">Vitamin D is one of the most heavily studied</a> supplements (<em>SN: 1/27/19</em>). <a href="https://health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/2015-2020-dietary-guidelines/guidelines/appendix-12/" target="_blank">Certain foods</a>, including fish and fortified milk products, are also high in the vitamin.</p><p><strong>Why it might help: </strong>Vitamin D is a hormone building block that helps strengthen the immune system.</p><p><strong>How it works for other infections:</strong> In 2017, the <em>British Medical Journal</em> published a meta-analysis that suggested a daily vitamin D supplement <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/356/bmj.i6583" target="_blank">might help prevent respiratory infections</a>, particularly in people who are deficient in the vitamin.</p><p>But one key word here is <em>deficient. </em>That risk is highest during dark winters at high latitudes and among people with more color in their skin (melanin, a pigment that's higher in darker skin, inhibits the production of vitamin D).</p><p>"If you have enough vitamin D in your body, the evidence doesn't stack up to say that giving you more will make a real difference," says Susan Lanham-New, head of the Nutritional Sciences Department at the University of Surrey in England.</p><p>And taking too much can create new health problems, stressing certain internal organs and leading to a dangerously high calcium buildup in the blood. The recommended daily allowance for adults is 600 to 800 International Units per day, and the upper limit is considered to be 4,000 IUs per day.</p><p><strong>What we know about Vitamin D and COVID-19:</strong> Few studies have looked directly at whether vitamin D makes a difference in COVID.</p><p>In May, in the <em>BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health</em>, Lanham-New and her colleagues published a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7246103/" target="_blank">summary of existing evidence </a>and concluded that there's only enough to recommend vitamin D to help with COVID-19 prevention for people who are deficient. That paper made inferences from how vitamin D works against other respiratory tract infections and immune health.</p><p>More than a dozen studies are now testing vitamin D directly for prevention and treatment, including a large one led by JoAnn Manson, a leading expert on vitamin D. An epidemiologist and preventive medicine physician at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston. That study will analyze if vitamin D can affect the course of a COVID-19 infection. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1551714420302548" target="_blank">The trial</a> aims to recruit 2,700 people across the United States with newly diagnosed infections, along with their close household contacts.</p><p>The goal is to determine whether newly diagnosed people given high doses of vitamin D — 3,200 IU per day — are less likely than people who get a placebo to experience severe symptoms and need hospitalization. "The biological plausibility for a benefit in COVID is compelling," she says, given the nutrient's theoretical ability to impede the severe inflammatory reaction that can follow coronavirus infection. "However the evidence is not conclusive at this time."</p>
Zinc
<p><strong>What it is: </strong>Zinc, a mineral found in cells all over the body, is found naturally in certain meats, beans and oysters.</p><p><strong>Why it might help: </strong>It plays several supportive roles in the immune system, which is why zinc lozenges are always hot sellers in cold and flu season. Zinc also helps with cell division and growth.</p><p><strong>How it works for other infections: </strong><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6457799/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Studies of using zinc for colds</a> — which are frequently caused by coronaviruses — suggest that using a supplement right after symptoms start might make them go away quicker. That said, a clinical trial from researchers in Finland and the United Kingdom, published in January in <em>BMJ Open</em> <a href="https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/1/e031662" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">did not find any value for zinc lozenges</a> for the treatment of colds. Some researchers have theorized that inconsistencies in data for colds may be explained by varying amounts of zinc released in different lozenges.</p><p><strong>What we know about zinc and COVID-19:</strong> The mineral is promising enough that it was added to some early studies of hydroxychloroquine, a drug tested early in the pandemic. (Studies have since shown that <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-19-coronavirus-hydroxychloroquine-no-evidence-treatment" target="_blank">hydroxychloroquine can't prevent or treat COVID-19</a> (<em>SN: 8/2/20</em>).)</p><p>In July, researchers from Aachen University in Germany wrote in <em>Frontiers of Immunology</em> that current evidence "strongly <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01712/full" target="_blank">suggests great benefits of zinc</a> supplementation" based on looking at similar infections including SARS, another disease caused by a coronavirus. For example, studies suggest that giving zinc reduces the risk for death from a pneumonia infection. The researchers cite evidence that zinc might help prevent the virus from entering the body, and help slow the virus's replication when it does.</p><p>Another review — also based on indirect evidence — published August 1 in <em>Advances in Integrative Medicine</em> also concluded that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7395818/" target="_blank">zinc might be helpful in people who are deficient</a>.</p><p>In September, researchers from Hospital Del Marin Barcelona <a href="https://www.univadis.co.uk/viewarticle/eccvid-2020-lower-plasma-zinc-levels-associated-with-increased-risk-of-death-in-covid-19-patients-729760" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported that among 249 patients studied</a>, those who survived COVID had higher zinc levels in their plasma (an average of 63.1 mcg/dl) than those who died (43mcg/dl).</p><p>Overall, though, the jury is still out, says Suma Thomas, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, who in June led a team that <a href="https://www.ccjm.org/content/early/2020/06/08/ccjm.87a.ccc046" target="_blank">reviewed the evidence for popular supplements</a> in the <em>Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine</em>. Given what's already known, zinc could possibly decrease the duration of infection but not the severity of symptoms, she said, particularly among people who are deficient. About a dozen studies are now looking at zinc for COVID treatment, often with other drugs or supplements.</p><p>Thomas and her colleagues are <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04342728?term=zinc&cond=covid-19&cntry=US&draw=2&rank=2" target="_blank">comparing symptom severity and future hospitalization</a> in COVID-19 patients who take zinc with and without high doses of vitamin C with those who receive ordinary care without the supplement. Results are expected soon, she says.</p>
Vitamin C
<p><strong>What it is: </strong>Also called L-ascorbic acid, vitamin C has a long list of roles in the body. It's found naturally in fruits and vegetables, especially citrus, peppers and tomatoes.</p><p><strong>Why it might help:</strong> It's a potent antioxidant that's important for a healthy immune system and preventing inflammation.</p><p><strong>How it works for other infections: </strong>Thomas cautions that the data on vitamin C are often contradictory. One review from Chinese researchers, published in February in the <em>Journal of Medical Virolog</em>y, looked at <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jmv.25707" target="_blank">what is already known about vitamin C</a> and other supplements that might have a role in COVID-19 treatment. Among other encouraging signs, human studies find a lower incidence of pneumonia among people taking vitamin C, "suggesting that vitamin C might prevent the susceptibility to lower respiratory tract infections under certain conditions."</p><p>But for preventing colds, a 2013 Cochrane review of 29 studies <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">didn't support the idea</a> that vitamin C supplements could help in the general population. However, the authors wrote, given that vitamin C is cheap and safe, "it may be worthwhile for common cold patients to test on an individual basis whether therapeutic vitamin C is beneficial."</p><p><strong>What we know about Vitamin C and COVID-19: </strong>About a dozen studies are under way or planned to examine whether vitamin C added to coronavirus treatment helps with symptoms or survival, including Thomas' study at the Cleveland Clinic.</p><p>In a review published online in July in <em>Nutrition</em>, researchers from KU Leuven in Belgium concluded that the <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">vitamin may help prevent infection</a> and tamp down the dangerous inflammatory reaction that can cause severe symptoms, based on what is known about how the nutrient works in the body.</p><p>Melissa Badowski, a pharmacist who specializes in viral infections at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy and colleague Sarah Michienzi published an extensive look at all supplements that might be useful in the coronavirus epidemic. There's <a href="https://www.drugsincontext.com/can-vitamins-and-or-supplements-provide-hope-against-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">still not enough evidence to know whether they are helpful</a>, the pair concluded in July in <em>Drugs in Context</em>. "It's not really clear if it's going to benefit patients," Badowski says.</p><p>And while supplements are generally safe, she adds that nothing is risk free. The best way to avoid infection, she says, is still to follow the advice of epidemiologists and public health experts: "Wash your hands, wear a mask, stay six feet apart."</p>From Your Site Articles
- 7 Best Vitamins and Supplements to Combat Stress - EcoWatch ›
- The 10 Best Zinc Supplements of 2020 - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
The 1.4-gigawatt coal-fired Kingston Steam Plant, just outside Kingston, Tennessee on the shore of Watts Bar Lake on March 31, 2019. In 2008, a coal ash pond at the plant collapsed, leading to the largest industrial spill in modern U.S. history and subsequent industry regulations in 2015. Paul Harris / Getty Images
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a rule change on Friday that will allow some coal power plants to ignore a court order to clean up coal ash ponds, which leech toxic materials into soil and groundwater. The rule change will allow some coal ash ponds to stay open for years while others that have no barrier to protect surrounding areas are allowed to stay open indefinitely, according to the AP.
<p>The arsenic-laced sludge that fills coal ash ponds is likely to leak when just a plastic barrier protects it. It is far more likely to pollute nearby soil and water when the pits have a clay barrier, according to researchers, as <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/521409-epa-may-violate-courts-with-new-rule-extending-life-of-unlined-coal" target="_blank">The Hill</a> reported.</p><p>A 2018 order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit had forced the EPA to close coal ash ponds that did not have plastic lining and were likely to leak toxic chemicals, making Friday's rule change seem like a blatant move to undermine the court's authority, according to environmental groups who promised to sue to stop the rule change, as The Hill reported.</p>
<p>Environmentalists argue that the rule change is a favor to the coal industry, for which EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler served as a lobbyist prior to joining the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">Trump</a> administration. The move allows the industry to dump its byproducts inexpensively and irresponsibly.</p><p>"The reason the utilities are arguing to keep the ponds is because they have put in these unlined pits out the back door of the power plant that act as a catchall for their toxic waste," said Lisa Evans, an attorney for the environmental group Earthjustice, as the AP reported. "They don't want to get rid of them because they are cheap."</p>
<p>Earthjustice and the Environmental Integrity Project commissioned a study on coal ash ponds and found that 91 percent of them were leaking toxic chemicals beyond what was permitted by EPA regulations, as The Hill reported. Their study found that heavy metals from the waste was polluting nearby drinking wells and groundwater.</p><p>Coal ash is produced when coal is burned to produce power. It is full of arsenic, mercury, lead and several other hazardous heavy metals. In the U.S., coal plants create nearly 100 million tons annually of ash and other waste, according to the AP.</p><p>"When ponds without lining leak, it's often more aggressive, faster and harder to control," said Evans, as The Hill reported. "Utilities are asking for favors and exemptions and EPA is willing to give them and is willing to rush to provide these exemptions."</p>
<p>The 2018 court decision found that clay lined coal ash ponds, or unlined ponds, are simply dangerous, as the AP reported.</p><p>Evans noted that the Obama-era Resource Conservation and Recovery Act required power plants to close unlined coal-ash ponds by April 2019, but the EPA keeps extending the deadline, as the AP reported.</p><p>By rewriting the rule, coal plants are able to get around the mandates of the 2015 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by simply showing that their coal ash ponds pose no threat to human health.</p><p>"The Trump EPA is flouting the court's decision," said Evans, as the AP reported. "I've never seen anything like this before."</p>
From Your Site Articles
- 10 Ways Andrew Wheeler Has Decimated EPA Protections in Just ... ›
- What a Real Coal Ash Cleanup Looks Like - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Support Ecowatch
Air Pollution Linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s Damage in Young Brains
17 October
Health + Wellness
Children play near a non-ferrous metals plant in Copsa Mica in central Romania on Feb. 2, 2009. DANIEL MIHAILESCU / AFP via Getty Images
While it is well known that air pollution negatively harms lungs and hearts, it could also be affecting the brains of young people.
<p>Tiny air pollution particles make their way up to the brainstems of young people where they accumulate, new research published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935120310367?via%3Dihub#mmc1" target="_blank"><em>Environmental Research</em></a> showed. These same nanoparticles have been "intimately associated" with the molecular damage that serves as a hallmark for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/06/air-pollution-particles-in-young-brains-linked-to-alzheimers-damage" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported. That linkage could have global implications if confirmed because 90% of people currently live with toxic outdoor air, another <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/may/17/air-pollution-may-be-damaging-every-organ-and-cell-in-the-body-finds-global-review" target="_blank">Guardian</a> article reported.</p><p><a href="https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/risk-factors-and-prevention/air-pollution-and-dementia" target="_blank">Alzheimer's Society</a> defines air pollution as being made up of several different components including gases, chemical compounds, metals and tiny particles known as particulate matter. When we breathe and eat, these nanoparticles enter our bodies and circulate through our bloodstream to the brain, where they can accumulate in the brain stem, The Guardian reported.</p>
<p>The researchers found abundant pollution nanoparticles and evidence of nerve cell growths, plaque and tangles that are linked to neurological disease in the brainstems of 186 young people (ages 11 months to 27 years) from Mexico City who died suddenly, reported <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/health/exposure-of-young-population-to-air-pollution-may-increase-risks-of-alzheimers-parkinsons-other-neurodegenerative-diseases-8893021.html" target="_blank">First Post</a>.</p><p>"The iron-and aluminum-rich nanoparticles found in the brainstem are strikingly similar to those which occur as combustion- and friction-derived particles in air pollution (from engines and braking systems)," said Barbara Maher, part of the research team, reported <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/young-brains-exposed-to-air-pollution-show-damage-reminiscent-of-alzheimer-s" target="_blank">Science Alert</a>.</p><p>In addition to the high presence of particulate matter, the brainstems also showed signs of early and progressive neurovascular nerve damage, First Post reported. The way these particles reacted with brain cells could increase oxidative stress and eventually lead to death of neurons, the report said.</p>
<p>The participants had all experienced lifelong exposure to particulate pollution, <a href="https://www.studyfinds.org/young-people-brains-air-pollution-alzheimers-parkinsons-als/" target="_blank">Study Finds</a> reported. Brains of similarly-aged people from less-polluted areas did not display the same disease markers, The Guardian reported.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/americas/mexico-city-pollution-in-photos-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>, Mexico City has struggled with dangerous air pollution levels for decades. <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1029122/mexico-air-pollution-city/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Statista</a> found that the capital city reported an average particulate matter concentration in 2019 more than double the World Health Organization's recommended maximum average concentration. Air pollution rates in the majority of major cities exceed the same safe level of pollution, Alzheimer's Society reported.</p><p>Other studies have linked higher pollution levels to increased rates of different mental <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/health-stories/" target="_self">health diseases and wellness</a> issues. One study similarly found that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/young-people-alzheimers-2560595650.html" target="_self">living in cities with high air pollution put children at higher risk of Alzheimer's and suicide</a>. The researchers in that study also found that Alzheimer's disease started in the brainstem of young urbanites who'd been exposed to high levels of particulate matter and called high pollution levels "a serious health crisis."</p>
<p>Another study <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/air-pollution-childrens-mental-health-2640650546.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">linked rising air pollution with increased rates of children's psychiatric diseases</a>.</p><p>This latest study takes the correlation one step further. According to The Guardian, it's the first time a physical mechanism, namely the accumulation of nanoparticles in the brain stem, has been observed that can possibly explain why brain damage increases as rates of air pollution go up.</p><p>"(O)ur new findings indicate that what air pollutants you are exposed to, what you are inhaling and swallowing, are really significant in development of neurological damage," Maher told Science Alert.</p><p>The next step for researchers is to show whether the nanoparticles cause the damage and whether that damage leads to disease later in life.</p><p>"We can't prove causality so far, but how could you expect these nanoparticles containing those metal species to sit inert and harmless inside critical cells of the brain?" Maher told The Guardian. "That's the smoking gun – it seriously looks as if those nanoparticles are firing the bullets that are causing the observed neurodegenerative damage."</p>
<p>Maher said that the findings provide a hypothesis that now can be tested by further research. This can be done, for example, by observing whether increased exposure to pollution nanoparticles correlates with brain stem damage that affects movement control and the gait of young people.</p><p>According to The Guardian, other experts are cautious about the findings, citing that many other factors can contribute to neurodegenerative diseases. While the scientists say it is still premature to say that the brain damage caused by air pollution directly leads to the development of these diseases, the findings provide a pathway for future research to confirm causation.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Even Small Spikes in Air Pollution Can Threaten Children's Mental ... ›
- Young People in Polluted Cities at Greater Risk for Alzheimer's ... ›
- Air Pollution Shortens Life Span by Three Years, Researchers Say ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Action Against Hunger USA / YouTube
By Dr. Charles Owubah
Today is World Food Day, a time to reflect on the foundational role that food plays in our lives, communities, and cultures. We cannot live without food.
<p>While safe and nutritious food is an essential right, sadly, <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/ca9692en/online/ca9692en.html#chapter-1_1" target="_blank">two billion people go without</a>. After decades of progress, world hunger is on the rise again. From 2018 to 2019, <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/ca9692en/online/ca9692en.html" target="_blank">10 million more people</a> became undernourished because of climate change and conflict, and COVID-19 is further exacerbating this crisis. The UN's World Food Program says <a href="https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-chief-warns-grave-dangers-economic-impact-coronavirus-millions-are-pushed-further-hunger" target="_blank">more people may die from hunger</a> due to the economic impacts of COVID-19 than from the virus itself.</p><p>On the bright side, new innovations for dealing with hunger offer hope in these ominous times. At Action Against Hunger, we are working on innovations that never-before could have been imagined, such as artificial intelligence to help herders in the Sahel find food for livestock and real-time data on global hunger. These and other programs will enable the planet's poorest communities to more easily predict and prevent hunger and are a needed source of progress toward the UN's Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030.</p>
<h3>Artificial Intelligence to Help Herders Feed Livestock</h3><p>With support from The World Bank, we are using AI and tele-detection technology to help herders in West Africa find food and water for their goats, sheep and other livestock. Across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Senegal, the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2020/09/29/these-west-african-herders-are-using-ai-to-find-food-for-livestock/#512aadcf7b4e" target="_blank">Pastoral Early Warning System (PEWS)</a> lets herders know — via local radio, SMS, and bulletins in local languages — where to find fodder for their herds, as well as market prices and animal disease trends. In many of these nations, livestock farming accounts for 40% of the agricultural GDP, making it a lynchpin of the economy and culture. The information, which they receive every 10 days, helps them navigate droughts, heatwaves, bushfires, and even closures due to COVID-19, reaching approximately 100,000 people.</p>
<h3>First Real-Time View of Global Hunger</h3><p>Right now, most of the world's malnutrition data lives in spreadsheets and reams of paper. We're in the middle of creating a new app and database to provide the first real-time view of world hunger. Currently in development, "SMART+" will be an all-in-one digital tool to log data when children are screened for malnutrition and provide an aggregate view, down to the "postal code" level. The goal is to detect food emergencies earlier and improve coordination among governments and agencies so that aid can get to people quicker.</p>
<h3>Treating Life-Threatening Hunger at Home</h3><p>COVID-19 has prevented many families from traveling to faraway hospitals for treatment of malnutrition. We have been able to fill in this critical need for urgent care by training health workers and volunteers to treat malnourished children at home. This is not only more convenient and less expensive for families, but also eases the burden on clinics, which are already stretched thin in the midst of a global pandemic.</p><p>Even better, it's more effective. Research shows that <a href="https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1186/s12913-018-2987-z?author_access_token=sEM77f4NL6OVUxdibMBYl2_BpE1tBhCbnbw3BuzI2ROcqaRsdkQtin8Sw9l7_SdYsd0krVlNAyuV2YlFU8bgIAueZEQFx0_IiG-Xqjng2wY-WshE652zBUE82BftMJjh9FAQTKa3BCZ51A8qAT0KSQ%3D%3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">95% of malnourished children treated locally by community health workers recovered</a> from malnutrition, compared with 88% of those who were treated in health centers. These findings prompted the country of Mali to change its entire national health system to reflect this new approach, and now several other countries are following their lead.</p>
<h3>Growing Plants Without Soil<br></h3><p>In Ethiopia's Waghimra region, which borders the Sahel, climate change is exacerbating unpredictable rainfall and recurring droughts. More than 90% of families depend on farming or herding, and they now face historically large livestock losses and rising levels of malnutrition. In response, we introduced hydroponics, an innovative way to grow plants without soil. Grass sprouts from a simple raised bed built with wood and plastic and is watered with a nutrient-rich mineral solution that produces richer fodder. This feed nourishes livestock that become healthier, expanding herds and milk production. In turn, farmers can better feed their families and have more to sell, earning income and strengthening local markets. Compared to traditional, soil-based methods, hydroponics uses less water and can produce higher yields in as little as seven days, rather than months.</p><p>Every day thousands of children still die from hunger. In fact, when a child younger than five dies, nearly half the time, hunger is to blame. This isn't inevitable. Innovations abound — both high- and low-tech — that continue to offer hope.</p><p>This World Food Day, let's pause to remember that hunger is predictable and preventable, and we all can take action. Solutions exist, and we must continue to support the world's most vulnerable until everyone has food to eat.</p>
<p><em>Dr. Charles Owubah, is the CEO of<a href="https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Action Against Hunger</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
- Opportunity Begins Where Hunger Ends - EcoWatch ›
- Can the U.S. Slash Food Waste in Half in the Next Ten Years ... ›
- 23 Organizations Eliminating Food Waste During COVID-19 ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
A mural reading "The future is Europe" is seen on a building outside the EU Headquarters in Brussels on November 24, 2018. Philippe Lopez LOPEZ / AFP / Getty Images
Europe's chief policy-making body Wednesday called for a safer, more sustainable chemicals market, plotting a zero-tolerance approach that nearly eliminates hormone mimicking compounds.
<p>The strategy, <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/environment/strategy/chemicals-strategy_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">approved by the European Commission</a>, represents some of the most ambitious policy recommendations on the planet and draws a stark contrast with the United States, where endocrine-disrupting compounds—such as bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, certain flame retardants and pesticides—remain largely unregulated and ubiquitous in products and packaging.</p><h3>'Once-in-a-Decade Opportunity'</h3><p>Environmental health advocates hailed the effort as "the most transformative chemical policy initiative" in 20 years and a "once-in-a-decade opportunity to rethink Europe's approach to chemicals management."</p><p>"Every day, our exposure to cocktails of harmful chemicals is translating in real-life health conditions and diseases for current and future generations," said Natacha Cingotti, senior policy officer for health and chemicals at the Brussels-based <a href="https://www.env-health.org/eu-chemicals-strategy-speedy-implementation-steps-key-to-truly-protect-peoples-health/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Health and Environment Alliance</a>.</p><p>"While we welcome this significant step forward, the reality leaves no room for self-complacency and it is urgent the Commission gets to work to implement the promises made to effectively protect people from harm and support safe innovation for non-toxic material cycles."</p>
Five Main Thrusts
<p>The new European plan, dubbed the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, is part of the broader Europe Green Deal, a sweeping proposal for the European Union to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, eliminate pollution, and promote a sustainable economy.</p><p>The strategy released Wednesday has five main thrusts:</p><ol><li>Tighter scrutiny of hormone-mimicking compounds, along with an early warning system for chemical risks before such compounds hit the market.</li><li>A "one substance, one assessment" approach to increase chemical testing transparency.</li><li>Incentives for green chemistry and non-toxic materials development.</li><li>Information and tools for citizens to understand chemical risks.</li><li>Pressure on international markets to improve chemical safety globally.</li></ol><p>At its core, the strategy makes use of the precautionary principle—forcing companies or manufacturers to prove chemicals are safe before they go to market, and making them pay when there is pollution.</p>Concern From Business
<p>While environmental and health advocates lauded the move, business interests cautioned it will stifle commerce and innovation.<br></p><p>"Production cycles and supply chains are complex ... (and) not always well understood by decision makers," wrote EuroCommerce, representing the continents' retail and wholesale business sectors, in a position paper as the policy was being crafted this summer. "We ask the Commission to keep a close eye on the impact of individual initiatives, and its cumulative effects on the retail and wholesale sector and how it affects their economic viability."</p>Contrast With United States
<p>The Commission's plan stands in sharp contrast to the United States. Despite decades of warnings from academic scientists, U.S. regulators have largely ignored independent, non-industry science about the dangers of chemicals that impact our hormones, often at very low doses.<br></p><p>Endocrine-disrupting compounds are a particular concern, based on science from research labs worldwide. The compounds—added to a broad range of products such as plastics, toys, cosmetics, food packaging—have been linked to myriad health problems, including birth defects, obesity, diabetes, certain cancers, as well as impacts to the brain and reproductive and immune systems.</p><p>The highest profile—and highest dollar— effort by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to get on the same page of academic scientists and Europe on endocrine disruptor science has only deepened divides. An <a href="https://www.ehn.org/is-bpa-dangerous-for-health-2641153205.html" target="_blank">EHN investigation</a> of the FDA's effort on just one chemical, BPA, found the agency stacked the deck against findings from independent scientists studying BPA. It also found that many chemicals used to replace BPA in "BPA-free" products have the same adverse health impacts as the original chemical.</p>Separate Focus on PFAS
<p>Also released Wednesday was an EU strategy that specifically takes aim at PFAS, compounds so persistent they're called "forever chemicals." PFAS, used in products including firefighting foam, non-stick cookware and some clothing, have been found in the water of roughly 2,230 U.S. communities in 49 states, affecting more than 100 million people.<br></p><p>The new European strategy would only allow for PFAS use when the chemicals are "essential for society." In addition, it will fund research for safe alternatives and for monitoring and cleanup.</p>Toward 'Zero Pollution'
<p>The framework stems from political guidelines laid out at the end of 2019 by European Union President Ursula von der Leyen that pointed Europe toward "zero pollution."</p><p>"I will put forward a cross-cutting strategy to protect citizens' health from environmental degradation and pollution, addressing air and water quality, hazardous chemicals, industrial emissions, pesticides and endocrine disruptors," President von der Leyen wrote <a href="https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/43a17056-ebf1-11e9-9c4e-01aa75ed71a1" target="_blank">in the report.</a></p><p>The Commission plans to release a Zero Action Pollution Action Plan on air, water and soil next year to complement the chemicals strategy.</p>From Your Site Articles
- U.S. Annually Uses 388 Million Pounds of Potentially Fatal ... ›
- PFAS Chemicals Contaminate U.S. Food Supply, FDA Confirms ... ›
- Most US Apples Coated With Chemical Banned in Europe - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Global Climate Campaigners Want Public Banks to Fund Just Recovery and Green Transition
15 October
Business
Protesters representing various socio-economic groups rally against climate change on September 20, 2020 in New York City. John Lamparski / NurPhoto / Getty Images
By Kenny Stancil
Amid the Global Week of Action for Debt Cancellation and one month ahead of the Finance in Common Summit, climate justice advocates on Monday urged public banks around the world to treat government responses to the coronavirus crisis as opportunities to coordinate just recoveries from the ongoing public health and economic calamities and to simultaneously facilitate just transitions from dirty to clean energy, thereby beginning to "build the world we want."
<p>"The climate crisis requires us to stay under the limit of 1.5°C of global warming, and the only way we can do it is rapidly moving away from fossil fuel production and use," said Clémence Dubois, France team leader at 350.org. "We need public finance institutions to be the first movers of this transition."</p><p>350.org executive director May Boeve <a href="https://twitter.com/350/status/1315654245790748673" target="_blank">argued</a> that the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing surge in unemployment and material hardship revealed "just how broken our economic systems are," while also stressing that the current catastrophe holds lessons for how to go about "solving other pressing global challenges," particularly the intertwined problems of intensifying inequality and climate disasters.</p><p>Contrary to the demands of social and environmental justice advocates, government and financial responses to the pandemic and recession in many countries to date have continued to prop up the fossil fuel industry rather than prioritizing investments in renewable energy development.</p>
<p>As <em>Common Dreams</em> <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/01/100-billion-lifeline-while-most-americans-are-being-left-behind-report-details" target="_blank">reported </a>earlier this month, the Trump administration and U.S. Federal Reserve have bailed out Big Oil during this crisis, and a May <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2020/05/27/g20-still-digging/" target="_blank">report</a> by Oil Change International and Friends of the Earth showed that since the Paris Agreement, G20 countries have provided at least $77 billion per year in financing for oil, gas, and coal projects through their public finance institutions.</p><p>According to 350.org, a handful of institutions, such as the European Investment Bank, Swedfund, and the French Development Agency, have already committed to diverting public money away from fossil fuels—a move that climate campaigners say is necessary but insufficient.</p><p>Ahead of the Finance in Common Summit being held in Paris from November 10-12, advocacy groups have described this first ever international gathering of public banks—where nearly 450 financial institutions controlling approximately $2 trillion in public money will convene—as an opportunity for all public financial institutions to commit to aligning their investment policies with carbon emissions reductions, biodiversity protection, and other sustainable development goals.</p>
<div id="65c39" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ac51e8b5bddbfd63c853f644d08e44dc"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1315656759781064706" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">As we launch the #WorldWeWant campaign on climate impacts, @UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres echoes our call f… https://t.co/5ytx9JD3hh</div> — Climate Action Network - International (CAN) (@Climate Action Network - International (CAN))<a href="https://twitter.com/CANIntl/statuses/1315656759781064706">1602511989.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Activists argued that public banks' ambitious commitments in support of an internationally just transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy can help harness resources in ways that disempower the oil, gas, and coal industries while creating a more egalitarian and sustainable world that benefits workers, communities, and the environment.</p><p>Dubois explained in a statement that "this leadership is increasingly important as governments prepare to deploy historic levels of public finance in response to Covid-19. Such a commitment needs to be concrete and tangible, and would help set a high bar for what climate leadership looks like for public finance institutions."</p><p>"Development banks have the power to enact policies and direct funds towards a just recovery," Dubois said. "Especially in the midst of a health and economic emergency, public money must be used to boost existing solutions that will create new jobs and support the people most impacted." </p>
<p>"Public financial institutions are accountable to the planet and the people," he added. "After all, it's our money, and what they are doing with it determines our lives and our future."</p><p>Climate justice advocates also pointed out that this week is the Global Week of Action for Debt Cancellation, an initiative promoted by many organizations and movements in various regions around the world to highlight the negative impacts of debt on countries throughout the Global South. </p><p>350.org and others argue that the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic crisis have highlighted the long-term consequences of colonization and imperialism for the world's poorest inhabitants.</p>
<p>"When major financial institutions lend money to Global South governments to develop fossil fuel projects, they are not only destroying the climate, weakening democratic processes and laws, deepening poverty and inequality, and violating human rights," said Alex Lenferna, a climate justice campaigner at 350.org Africa, "but also tying up young and future generations in debt slavery."</p><p>According to Lenferna, "we cannot have climate justice and a just recovery without debt justice." </p><p>"Debt contracted to finance harmful fossil fuel projects that lead to climate chaos is completely illegitimate and should not be repaid," Lenferna added. "Public finance institutions should cancel these debts and not allow any new ones."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/12/after-all-its-our-money-global-climate-campaigners-call-public-banks-fund-just" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Want the Youth Vote? Prioritize Climate Change - EcoWatch ›
- As Protests Rage, Climate Activists Embrace Racial Justice ... ›
- The Power of Inclusive, Intergenerational Climate Activism - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
The sudden loss of smell and taste is a very common symptom of COVID-19 and does not occur with flu or colds. svetikd / Getty Images
By Alexander Freund
At first glance, the symptoms caused by SARS CoV-2 resemble those we know from a "normal flu."
<h2>Frequent Symptoms of COVID-19 </h2><ul><li>Fever</li><li>Dry cough </li><li>Loss of smell and taste</li></ul><h2>Other Symptoms That Sometimes Occur </h2><ul><li>Sniffles</li><li>Muscle aches </li><li>Tiredness/fatigue</li><li>Sore throat</li><li>Shortness of breath</li><li>Headaches</li><li>Pneumonia </li></ul><h2>Rare Symptoms of COVID-19 </h2><ul><li>Diarrhea (more likely in children) </li><li>a rash on skin, or discoloration of fingers or toes </li></ul><p>Sneezing is not a symptom caused by the novel coronavirus. So if you have to sneeze all the time and have a runny nose, you probably have a cold or a normal flu. </p><p>The sudden loss of smell and taste, on the other hand, is a very common symptom of COVID-19 and does not occur with flu or colds, even though they can sometimes also temporarily cause you not to smell or taste as well as usual because of a stuffy nose and inflamed throat. </p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUyMDM2Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDAzMzk4Mn0.k-6UkY-nm9Npm4kV5KTnUn6q7VSKWKLShvjMI5dEyMQ/img.png?width=980" id="eafdf" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cbbd7dbea7d320ad40c37168831b2473" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<p>These typical symptoms can occur, but do not have to: In very many cases, the COVID-19 infection proceeds with no symptoms or with only mild ones.</p><p>According to Germany's public health agency, the <a href="https://www.rki.de/EN/Content/infections/epidemiology/outbreaks/COVID-19/COVID19.html" target="_blank">Robert Koch Institute,</a> the average incubation period for COVID-19 is 5-6 days, but it can be up to 14 days.</p><p>Those who feel unwell or simply below par should not go to work, school, etc. and should reduce their social contacts. </p><p>A self-diagnosis is not always useful. If you are not sure or are worried, you should call a doctor or a COVID-19 hotline. Please do not go to the hospital or doctor's office on your own initiative, as COVID-19 is highly infectious. If there is doubt, the doctor or a test center will carry out a coronavirus test so you know whether you have been infected or not.</p>
<h2>Most Frequent Transmission Paths </h2><p>The main transmission route for SARS-CoV-2 is the inhalation of virus-laden droplets or aerosols that are released when infected people breathe, cough, speak, sing or yell. For this reason, a minimum distance of 5 feet should be maintained to other people. </p><p>If you stay for extended periods of time in small, poorly ventilated or unventilated rooms in which an infected person is present, the risk of infection increases. That is why regular and effective airing is so important. </p><p>Provided the minimum distancing is maintained, transmissions occur less frequently outdoors because the air is generally in motion. </p><p>Contact transmission through contaminated surfaces cannot be ruled out, especially in the immediate vicinity of an infectious person. </p>
<h2>Effective Measures for Risk Minimization </h2><ul><li>Keeping a distance to other people</li><li>Compliance with hygiene rules</li><li>Wearing protective face masks </li><li>Frequent airing</li><li>Rapid isolation of people who have tested positive</li><li>Identification and early quarantine of close contacts</li></ul><p>Keeping a distance, washing hands, wearing masks and regular airing prevent the spread not only of the new coronavirus, but also help against the flu and other infectious diseases. </p>
<h2>Flu or Cold? Here Are the Little Differences</h2><p>On average, adults catch a cold two to three times a year, and children up to as many as 10 times a year. But how do you tell if it is a normal cold or the flu?</p><p>Even doctors can have difficulty telling the difference between a case of influenza infection and a common cold when confronted with a patient's symptoms.</p><p>With a cold, most people get a scratchy throat, then a runny nose and eventually develop a cough. Those symptoms, as well as fever and headache, can plague a person for days, making them feel listless.</p><p><span></span>By comparison, the flu hits you all at once: A flu patient's head and limbs ache, a dry cough begins, one's voice becomes hoarse, painful throat aches occur and a high fever (up to 105°F), often accompanied by chills, can knock you out in short order. One just wants to stay in bed, feels exhausted, has no appetite and can sleep for hours on end.</p><p>A common cold typically passes within a few days and most symptoms go away after about a week. The flu is more tedious, keeping a person bedridden for at least a week, in some cases requiring several weeks before a person truly feels healthy again.</p><p>The RKI's Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO), recommends that all German residents at high risk of serious illness get an annual flu vaccination. That group includes people 60 and over, people who are chronically ill, pregnant women, and residents at senior and nursing homes. Beyond that, STIKO urges those who have a lot of contact with others (i.e., medical workers or those in public businesses or institutions) to protect themselves through vaccination as well.<br></p>
<h2>When Should Antibiotics Be Used?</h2><p>Most colds and flu cases are caused by viruses, against which antibiotics are useless. </p><p>Antibiotics strengthen the body's defenses by killing or hindering the growth of bacteria, but they also attack the cell walls or metabolic processes of micro-organisms. Penicillin, for instance, destroys the cell wall synthesis of bacteria. Porous cell walls make it impossible for pathogens to survive, literally causing them to burst. But this only works on bacteria, not viruses.</p><p>Antibiotics do, however, make sense in instances in which bacteria enter the body via a weakened immune system and begin to multiply. That process can lead to infection, sometimes permanently damaging the body's organs. Pneumonia, tonsillitis, cystitis or meningitis are most often caused by bacteria — thus, it makes sense to fight them with antibiotics. </p><p><em>Editorial note: This article from early February 2020 has been updated in line with the current data situation.</em></p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-symptoms/a-52233885?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank"> Deutsche Welle</a></em><em>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2648216389#/" target="_self"></a></p>From Your Site Articles
- WHO Releases Plans for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution as U.S. ... ›
- When Should You Get a COVID-19 or Antibody Test? - EcoWatch ›
- The Immune System's Fight Against the Coronavirus - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Criminal prosecutions for polluting the environment in violation of the Clean Water Act or the Clean Air Act have dropped to their lowest levels in decades under the Trump administration. Charles Cook / Lonely Planet Images / Getty Images Plus
A new report finds that criminal prosecutions for polluting the environment in violation of the Clean Water Act or the Clean Air Act have dropped to their lowest levels in decades under the Trump administration, as The New York Times reported.
<p>The <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3710109" target="_blank">report</a> was written by David Uhlmann, a law professor at the University of Michigan who worked for the Department of Justice for 17 years and served as its top environmental prosecutor from 2000 to 2007.</p><p>In the paper, the career prosecutor-turned-professor analyzed 14 years of cases and found that in the first two years of the Trump administration, criminal prosecutions for violations of the Clean Water Act dropped 70 percent. Similarly, prosecutions for violations of the Clean Air Act dropped 50 percent in the first two years since Trump took office.</p><p>"No matter what the future holds, the data from the first two years under President Trump reveals a dramatic departure from the non-partisan support for pollution prosecutions that had existed across administrations, which leaves Americans less safe and the environment less protected," Uhlmann wrote.</p>
<p>Uhlmann presented the paper at the American Bar Association's fall environmental conference. While the paper is available online now, it will be published in the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law, according to The New York Times.</p><p>The paper noted that there were only nine criminal prosecutions under the Clean Water Act in 2018. "Under President Donald J. Trump the bottom fell out," Uhlmann wrote, as The New York Times reported.</p><p>Uhlmann told The New York Times that the numbers show a dramatic decline in both the quantity and the quality of the prosecutions that the administration is pursuing.</p>
<p>While the study looked at the first two years of the Trump administration and found a pattern that shattered the author's perception that law enforcement operated independently of political influence, recent data has shown the trend continued through 2019.</p><p>According to Justice Department <a href="https://trac.syr.edu/tracreports/crim/581/" target="_blank">data</a> analyzed by Syracuse University's <a href="https://trac.syr.edu/tracreports/crim/581/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse </a>(TRAC), the total number of environmental prosecutions in fiscal year 2019 was lower than any year during the administrations of the previous three presidents, which dates back to 1993, as <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/environmental-prosecutions-drop-to-lowest-level-in-decades/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Courthouse News</a> reported.</p><p>For that year, the percent of prosecutions for environmental violations was 64.5 percent lower than it was two decades earlier.</p><p>"There's a risk that unenforced violations could lead to fires, leaks, spills, and contamination," said Ethan Elkind, climate program director at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, as Courthouse News reported.</p>
<p>While criminal prosecutions have plummeted under Trump, so have civil prosecutions, according to The New York Times. Civil settlements are a powerful tool to ensure that polluters pay to clean up past mistakes and implement safeguards against future pollution issues.</p><p>A <a href="https://democracyforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SEPs-Complaint-10.8.20.pdf" target="_blank">lawsuit filed last week in Massachusetts</a> by the Conservation Law Foundation named Attorney General William Barr and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/epa">EPA</a> Administrator Andrew Wheeler as defendants for ending the practice that forces polluters to clean up for their actions and implement protections. The lawsuit notes that those violations tend to affect low-income and minority communities disproportionally, and the decision to abandon civil prosecutions and settlements, "runs directly counter to Congress' design when passing laws such as the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act."</p><p>Judith Enck, a former regional administrator at the EPA, told The New York Times that Uhlmann's paper is an accurate portrayal of an administration that "acts like our bedrock environmental laws are simply suggestions. This approach will result in more pollution and more damage to health."</p><p>She added that what the administration has done is "unconscionable."</p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
PFAS are found in clothing, plastic, food packaging, electronics, personal care products, firefighting foams, medical devices and numerous other products. Pxfuel
By Carol Kwiatkowski
Like many inventions, the discovery of Teflon happened by accident. In 1938, chemists from Dupont (now Chemours) were studying refrigerant gases when, much to their surprise, one concoction solidified. Upon investigation, they found it was not only the slipperiest substance they'd ever seen – it was also noncorrosive and extremely stable and had a high melting point.
<p>In 1954 the revolutionary "nonstick" Teflon pan was introduced. Since then, an entire class of human-made chemicals has evolved: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS. There are <a href="https://comptox.epa.gov/dashboard/chemical_lists/pfasmaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">upward of 6,000 of these chemicals</a>. Many are used for stain-, grease- and waterproofing. PFAS are found in clothing, plastic, food packaging, electronics, personal care products, firefighting foams, medical devices and <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/toxic-chemicals-substances/pfas-chemicals-should-you-be-concerned/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">numerous other products</a>.</p><p>But over time, evidence has slowly built that some commonly used PFAS <a href="https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/whatwestudy/topics/pfas/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">are toxic</a> and <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">may cause cancer</a>. It took 50 years to understand that the happy accident of Teflon's discovery was, in fact, a train wreck.</p><p>As a public health analyst, I have studied the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Carol-F-Kwiatkowski-2002679758" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">harm caused by these chemicals</a>. I am one of hundreds of scientists who are calling for a <a href="https://greensciencepolicy.org/madrid-statement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">comprehensive, effective plan</a> to manage the entire class of PFAS to protect public health while safer alternatives are developed.</p><p>Typically, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assesses chemicals for potential harm, it examines one substance at a time. That approach isn't working for PFAS, given the sheer number of them and the fact that manufacturers commonly replace toxic substances with "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/01/new-forever-chemicals-contaminating-environment-regulators-say" target="_blank">regrettable substitutes</a>" – similar, lesser-known chemicals that also threaten human health and the environment.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUxMDk2Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTgxNjkxOX0.5fy11YaxSlX5QrKsZU7JflRDJ86gF0KxfqTfR10-bOY/img.png?width=980" id="b0784" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b744bd72f43147a39643ad1250cad000" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
As PFAS are produced and used, they can migrate into soil and water. MI DEQ
Toxic Chemicals
<p>A <a href="https://cen.acs.org/articles/83/i30/DuPont-Faces-Class-Action-Lawsuits.html" target="_blank">class-action lawsuit</a> brought this issue to national attention in 2005. Workers at a Parkersburg, West Virginia, DuPont plant joined with local residents to sue the company for releasing millions of pounds of one of these chemicals, known as PFOA, into the air and the Ohio River. Lawyers discovered that the company <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html" target="_blank">had known as far back as 1961</a> that PFOA could harm the liver.</p><p>The suit was ultimately <a href="https://www.levinlaw.com/dupont-c8-litigation" target="_blank">settled in 2017</a> for $670 million, after <a href="http://www.c8sciencepanel.org/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an eight-year study</a> of tens of thousands of people who had been exposed. Based on <a href="http://www.c8sciencepanel.org/publications.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">multiple scientific studies</a>, this review concluded that there was a probable link between exposure to PFOA and six categories of diseases: diagnosed high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, kidney cancer and pregnancy-induced hypertension.</p><p>Over the past two decades, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0405-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific papers</a> have shown that many PFAS are not only toxic – they also <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pfas/basic-information-pfas" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">don't fully break down in the environment</a> and have accumulated in the bodies of people and animals around the world. Some studies have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2019.10.008" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">detected PFAS in 99% of people tested</a>. Others have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emcon.2019.06.002" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">found PFAS in wildlife</a>, including polar bears, dolphins and seals.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e62ff1326c2d51afc5f0856eb1ec3795"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JbHeE3YzeRA?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
Widespread and Persistent
<p>PFAS are often called "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/these-toxic-chemicals-are-everywhere-and-they-wont-ever-go-away/2018/01/02/82e7e48a-e4ee-11e7-a65d-1ac0fd7f097e_story.html" target="_blank">forever chemicals</a>" because they don't fully degrade. They move easily through air and water, can quickly travel long distances and accumulate in sediment, soil and plants. They have also been found in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.06.009" target="_blank">dust</a> <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/chemicals/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas" target="_blank">and food</a>, including eggs, meat, milk, fish, fruits and vegetables.</p><p>In the bodies of humans and animals, PFAS <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2013.06.004" target="_blank">concentrate in various organs, tissues and cells</a>. The <a href="https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/whatwestudy/assessments/noncancer/completed/pfoa/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. National Toxicology Program</a> and <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp.asp?id=1117&tid=237" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> have confirmed a long list of health risks, including immunotoxicity, testicular and kidney cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility and thyroid disease.</p><p>Children are even more vulnerable than adults because they can ingest more PFAS relative to their body weight from food and water and through the air. Children also put their hands in their mouths more often, and their metabolic and immune systems are less developed. Studies show that these chemicals <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070691" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">harm children</a> by causing kidney dysfunction, delayed puberty, asthma and <a href="https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/whatwestudy/assessments/noncancer/completed/pfoa/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">altered immune function</a>.</p><p>Researchers have also documented that PFAS exposure <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2011.2034" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reduces the effectiveness of vaccines</a>, which is particularly concerning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><div id="2f489" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dc8947d6f28cecd61b99688c8e1f751a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1291831257790402560" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">PFAS, a class of chemicals that have been associated with health hazards including liver damage, birth defects, can… https://t.co/NtnVkmMQs0</div> — WIRED (@WIRED)<a href="https://twitter.com/WIRED/statuses/1291831257790402560">1596831547.0</a></blockquote></div>
Regulation Is Lagging
<p>PFAS have become so ubiquitous in the environment that health experts say it is <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/exposure.html" target="_blank">probably impossible to completely prevent exposure</a>. These substances are released throughout their life cycles, from chemical production to product use and disposal. Up to 80% of environmental pollution from common PFAS, such as PFOA, comes from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/es0512475" target="_blank">production of fluoropolymers</a> that use toxic PFAS as processing aids to make products like Teflon.</p><p>In 2009 the EPA established a health advisory level for PFOA in drinking water of 400 parts per trillion. Health advisories are not binding regulations – they are <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/drinking-water-contaminant-human-health-effects-information#dw-standards" target="_blank">technical guidelines</a> for state, local and tribal governments, which are primarily responsible for regulating public water systems.</p><p>In 2016 the agency <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-06/documents/drinkingwaterhealthadvisories_pfoa_pfos_updated_5.31.16.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dramatically lowered</a> this recommendation to 70 parts per trillion. Some states have set <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4863" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">far more protective levels</a> – as low as 8 parts per trillion.</p><p>According to a recent estimate by the <a href="https://www.ewg.org/about-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Environmental Working Group</a>, a public health advocacy organization, up to 110 million Americans could be <a href="https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/pfas_contamination/map/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">drinking PFAS-contaminated water</a>. Even with the most advanced treatment processes, it is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2013.10.045" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">extremely difficult and costly</a> to remove these chemicals from drinking water. And it's impossible to clean up lakes, river systems or oceans. Nonetheless, PFAS are <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/legislation/hearings/toxic-forever-chemicals-a-call-for-immediate-federal-action-on-pfas" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">largely unregulated by the federal government</a>, although they are <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/pfas-action-act-congress-bill-house-pass-trump-epa-20200110.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">gaining increased attention from Congress</a>.</p>Reducing PFAS Risks at the Source
<p>Given that PFAS pollution is so ubiquitous and hard to remove, many health experts assert that the only way to address it is by <a href="https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2016/12/21/reducing-human-exposure-to-highly-fluorinated-chemicals" target="_blank">reducing PFAS production and use as much as possible</a>.</p><p><a href="https://pfascentral.org/" target="_blank">Educational campaigns</a> and <a href="https://toxicfreefuture.org/toxic-free-future-action-center/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">consumer pressure</a> are making a difference. Many forward-thinking companies, including grocers, clothing manufacturers and furniture stores, have <a href="https://pfascentral.org/pfas-basics/pfas-free-products/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">removed PFAS</a> from products they use and sell.</p><p>State governments have also stepped in. California recently <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/ban-on-firefighting-foam-with-pfas-signed-by-california-governor" target="_blank">banned PFAS in firefighting foams</a>. Maine and Washington have <a href="https://www.natlawreview.com/article/attack-pfass-extends-to-food-packaging" target="_blank">banned PFAS in food packaging</a>. Other states are <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/per-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas-state-laws.aspx" target="_blank">considering similar measures</a>.<br></p><p>I am part of a group of scientists from universities, nonprofit organizations and government agencies in the U.S. and Europe that has argued for managing the entire class of PFAS chemicals as a group, instead of one by one. We also support an "<a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/C9EM00163H" target="_blank">essential uses" approach</a> that would restrict their production and use only to products that are critical for health and proper functioning of society, such as medical devices and safety equipment. And we have recommended developing safer non-PFAS alternatives.</p><p>As the EPA acknowledges, there is an <a href="https://www.epa.gov/innovation/innovative-ways-destroy-pfas-challenge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">urgent need for innovative solutions</a> to PFAS pollution. Guided by good science, I believe we can effectively manage PFAS to reduce further harm, while researchers find ways to clean up what has already been released.</p>From Your Site Articles
- Trump to Veto Bill Intended to Keep Forever Chemicals out of ... ›
- How Chemicals Like PFAS Can Increase Your Risk of Severe ... ›
- PFAS Chemicals Contaminate U.S. Food Supply, FDA Confirms ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
The companionship, love and affection between a pet and its owner has taken on more importance during the pandemic. filadendron / E+ / Getty Images
Every year, World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10. This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic, has been uniquely stressful and taxing on mental health. Still, people have found surprising ways of coping during the shutdowns and the economic crisis that have improved mental health and wellness.
<h3>1. Baking Bread</h3><p>When "Stay-at-Home" orders were first issued, people began making bread. <a href="https://people.com/lifestyle/quarantine-trends-everything-that-went-viral-during-the-pandemic/?slide=a50c8476-3ad3-467f-b614-fda0ce38ac24#a50c8476-3ad3-467f-b614-fda0ce38ac24" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">People</a> magazine named bread-making the number one viral quarantine trend. The hobby became so popular that bakeware, yeast and flour were sold out for months online and in grocery stores, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/reviewedcom/2020/04/20/24-products-selling-out-online-due-coronavirus-pandemic-toilet-paper-cleaning-wipes-yeast-and-more/5161629002/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">USA Today</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/19/coronavirus-stress-baking-sourdough-kneading-relax" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p><p>"Stress baking" can help steer thoughts away from worrying about the future by demanding present attention and mindfulness, The Guardian reported. Bread-making also forces people to slow down because it is time-consuming, the report said. It is calming and meditative through the rolling, kneading and mixing. That tangibility is grounding in a world that otherwise has largely gone virtual, The Guardian reported.</p>
<h3>2. Picking Out Pets</h3><p>Pet adoptions and sales have soared during the pandemic, <a href="https://www.fox19.com/2020/04/24/pet-adoptions-soar-during-coronavirus-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fox News</a> reported. Fostering dogs made People's top 5 for most viral quarantine hobbies, and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/31e3e60e7ea6bc4566b0ee3998ab98a6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AP News</a> reported shortages in many places of pets to rescue. One New York non-profit helping to place fosters has seen an increase from about 140 applications for adoptions per month at this time last year to around 3,000 during the pandemic, the report said.</p><p>The constant companionship, love and affection between a pet and its owner has taken on more importance during the pandemic. <a href="https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/alleviating-anxiety-stress-and-depression-pet" target="_blank">Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)</a> cited a survey of pet owners, 74% of whom reported mental health improvements from pet ownership. Pets can also help instill routine into an otherwise confused, upturned daily life, <a href="https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/adopting-a-new-pet-during-the-pandemic" target="_blank">U.S. News & World Report</a> reported, and caring for something helps give people a sense of purpose that can stave away anxiety and depression.</p>
<h3>3. Planting Through the Pandemic</h3><p>People have turned to home gardening and buying seeds during the pandemic as a "soothing, family-friendly hobby" to do, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-gardens/home-gardening-blooms-around-the-world-during-coronavirus-lockdowns-idUSKBN2220D3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a> reported. The <a href="https://www.nar.realtor/blogs/styled-staged-sold/5-design-trends-emerging-during-the-pandemic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Association of Realtors (NAR)</a> listed gardening as one of the home design trends that emerged from the pandemic. Seed demand typically rises in tough economic times as people try to plan against food scarcity and economic hardship, Tom Johns, owner of Territorial Seed Company in Oregon, told Reuters.</p><p>Caring for a garden brings many mental health benefits, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/03/health/how-to-start-gardening-coronavirus-wellness/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported. It can give a sense of accomplishment, community and belonging, and help people remain connected to nature, even while stuck at home. Being surrounded by green or even just looking at it is linked to less anxiety and depression and better stress management, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-act-be/201906/10-mental-health-benefits-gardening" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Psychology Today</a> reported.</p>
<h3>4. Home Organizing Is Happening</h3><p>Being at home with so much extra time has also inspired many to reorganize their homes. With home offices and virtual classrooms jammed into existing spaces, the need to maintain "liveable space" has made decluttering a necessity during the pandemic, a <a href="https://blog.cheapism.com/pandemic-decluttering/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">personal blog</a> on the trend said.</p><p>"When there's lots of clutter, you lose control over your physical environment, which is very defeating and can bring on stress, depression, or anxiety," <a href="https://www.mgt.unm.edu/faculty/facultyDetails.asp?id=10095" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Catherine Roster,</a> a professor studying the effect of clutter on our psychological well-being, told <a href="https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/why-decluttering-is-important-for-self-care-and-when-it-isnt/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Everyday Health</a>. On the flip side, decluttering can help restore a lost sense of control and reduce stress and depression.</p><p>Decluttering, aside from being energizing, also creates confidence and efficacy, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-practice/201802/6-benefits-uncluttered-space" target="_blank">Psychology Today</a> reported.</p>
<h3>5. Learning a New Language</h3><p>In March, U.S. sign-ups for the language-learning app Duolingo grew 148%, reported <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/duolingo-sees-spike-in-new-users-during-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Business Insider</a>. Other similar technologies have also experienced a boom in interest since the shutdowns, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mergermarket/2020/04/15/language-learning-apps-are-seeing-a-surge-in-interest-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/#550861b848f4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Forbes </a>reported, and investment in the sector has increased.</p><p>"We've seen evidence of many people taking up language learning during this period of isolation and quarantine as a means of self-improvement," Duolingo's Michaela Kron told Business Insider. "Learning a new language comes with numerous benefits, including cognitive ones such as improved memory and social ones such as connecting better with others."</p><p>Not only does learning a new language provide a productive outlet, but it can combat anxiety and depression, <a href="https://www.languagenetworkusa.com/blog/how-learning-a-new-language-can-benefit-your-health" target="_blank">Language Network USA</a> reported. It also can boost confidence, increase multitasking skills and open your mind, Language Network USA reported.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- How to Stay Healthy at Home During the Coronavirus Lockdown ... ›
- How Families Can Boost Kids' Mental Health During the Pandemic ... ›
- Online Therapy Is Showing How to Expand Mental Health Services ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
The United Nations World Food Programme Headquarters on Oct. 9, 2020 at Parco De'3 Medici in Rome, Italy. Franco Origlia / Getty Images
This year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) for its "efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict," the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Friday.
<p>The win draws attention to the organization at a time when the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic and the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> have increased the number of people at risk from starvation worldwide. At the same time, UN organizations including the WFP have experienced a dip in funding in recent years as countries, including the U.S., reduce the money they give to international bodies, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/09/world/nobel-peace-prize-winner-2020-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>.</p><p>"With this year's award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to turn the eyes of the world towards the millions of people who suffer from or face the threat of hunger," committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen said when she announced the prize.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="694ba95bda8f367fa08156d22f65d7bf"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FpP4iUzNyVc?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>The WFP was founded in 1961, according to CNN. In 2019, it <a href="https://www.wfp.org/overview" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">provided food</a> assistance to 97 million people in 88 countries, the most since 2012. It is also the primary UN body in charge of meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating world hunger, the Nobel Committee pointed out, but that goal has gotten harder than ever to reach in recent years.</p><p>Stockholm International Peace Research Institute director Dan Smith told CNN that the number of people experiencing hunger had begun to increase in the last four years after decades of decline, largely because of climate change.</p><p>The situation has gotten even worse because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Nobel Committee noted. In countries like Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan and Burkina Faso, the pandemic has combined with armed conflicts to put significantly more people at risk from starvation.</p>
<p>WFP head David Beasley <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/10/09/922054491/nobel-peace-prize-awarded-to-world-food-programme" target="_blank">told NPR</a> earlier this year that 135 million people had been at risk for starvation in 2020 before the emergence of COVID-19. After its spread, that number had shot up to almost a quarter of a billion.</p><p>"In the face of the pandemic, the World Food Programme has demonstrated an impressive ability to intensify its efforts," the committee said. "As the organisation itself has stated, 'Until the day we have a medical vaccine, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/food/" target="_self">food</a> is the best vaccine against chaos.'"</p><p>Beasley said he was "speechless" in the face of the award and credited the organization's staff for the win.</p><p>"It's because of the WFP family," Beasley said in a video shared on Twitter. "They're out there in the most difficult, complex places in the world. Whether it's war, conflict, climate extremes — it doesn't matter. They're out there, and they deserve this award."</p>
<div id="94507" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="74acf53b08203b1d117c66b16694f299"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1314508264378454016" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We are deeply humbled to receive the #NobelPeacePrize. This is an incredible recognition of the dedication of the… https://t.co/bBFP4RGKJV</div> — David Beasley (@David Beasley)<a href="https://twitter.com/WFPChief/statuses/1314508264378454016">1602238167.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The prize was announced in Oslo and comes with an award of 10 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1.14 million), <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/09/uns-world-food-programme-wins-nobel-peace-prize?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1hz81T_Btj-_3JqBvJAOdJYQbFeK3q_L_3jtOxr8TKE2bBFWsrvdnAojs#Echobox=1602234318" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>. This year, there were 318 nominees for the prize, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a>.</p><p>When announcing the award, the committee praised the WFP for its role in "multilateral cooperation."</p><p>"The need for international solidarity and multilateral cooperation is more conspicuous than ever," the committee said in the opening line of the announcement.</p><p>Smith told CNN that he thought the committee had intentionally chosen an international organization over an individual at this time to highlight the importance of collaboration.</p><p>"Donald Trump is the embodiment of the spirit of anti-cooperation and by contrast the World Food Programme is the embodiment of the spirit of cooperation," Smith said. "And I think that the Nobel Peace Prize started its announcement with a reference to solidarity and multilateralism as a kind of gentle rebuke to the leaders of the great powers, including Donald Trump, obviously Putin and President Xi as well."</p>
<p>In her remarks to the press after the award, Reiss-Andersen also criticized the rise of populilst nationalism.</p><p>"When you follow international debate and discourse, it's definitely a tendency that international institutions seem to be discredited more than, let's say, 20 years ago," she said, as CNN reported. "It is part of populism that it has nationalistic flavor ... everybody, every nation, supporting their own interests."</p>
From Your Site Articles
- COVID-19 and the Global Food Supply: Big Lessons From the ... ›
- New Report Finds Malnutrition World's Top Killer Amid Pandemic ... ›
- Could a Nobel Prize for Climate Change Save the Planet? - EcoWatch ›
- UN World Food Program Needs $6.8 Billion to Avoid COVID-19 Famine - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
White House Doctor With History of Misleading Statements Says Trump Likely Ready for ‘Public Engagements’ Saturday
09 October
Politics
White House physician Sean Conley updates reporters on the president's health on Oct. 5, 2020. SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump's doctor said Thursday that the president had completed his course of treatment after testing positive for COVID-19 and could most likely participate in public events safely starting Saturday. However, the statement follows a history of false or misleading updates on the president's health from White House officials and physicians and contradicts statements made by his health team earlier in the week.
<p>Trump and first lady Melania Trump <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-coronavirus-tests-positive-covid-2647887576.html" target="_self">tested positive</a> for the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> late last week, and the president spent the weekend in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center receiving treatment. However, his medical team, including White House physician Dr. Sean Conley, have been criticized for painting an overly rosy picture of his health over the course of his illness, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/trump-covid-confusing-statements/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Washington Post pointed out</a>. On Saturday, they did not mention that the president had been treated with additional oxygen or that he had been given a steroid usually prescribed for severe cases. Some health experts also said his team discharged him from the hospital too early on Monday.</p>
<p>"For someone sick enough to have required remdesivir and dexamethasone, I can't think of a situation in which a patient would be okay to leave on Day 3, even with the White House's medical capacity," Robert Wachter, chairman of the University of California at San Francisco's department of medicine, told The Washington Post at the time.</p><p>Now, Conley is saying that Trump responded "extremely well" to treatment and may be able to mingle with the public as soon as Saturday, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-trump/white-house-doctor-trump-has-completed-covid-19-therapies-can-do-public-events-saturday-idUSKBN26T0KU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters reported</a>.</p>
<p>"Since returning home, his physical exam has remained stable and devoid of any indications to suggest progression of illness," Conley wrote in a memo released by the White House. "Saturday will be day 10 since Thursday's diagnosis, and based on the trajectory of advanced diagnostics the team has been conducting, I fully anticipate the president's safe return to public engagements at that time."</p><p>This contradicts Conley's own assessment of the president's health on Monday, as <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/latest-updates-trump-covid-19-results/2020/10/08/921924919/trump-has-completed-covid-19-treatment-course-white-house-physician-says?fbclid=IwAR0tF2tlriwIgHXZAOvOaL7bxQ9ZYKM1Q02m6zeKIcfkEDVfTrr5RaIn8L47" target="_blank">NPR pointed out</a>.</p><p>"So we're looking to this weekend, if we can get through to Monday with him remaining the same or improving better yet, then we will all take that final deep sigh of relief," Conley said at the time.</p><p>Conley's remarks were also made the same day that <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-asked-walter-reed-doctors-sign-non-disclosure-agreements-2019-n1242293" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NBC News</a> revealed that medical staff at Walter Reed had been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements when Trump visited the hospital in November 2019.</p>
<p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/end-home-isolation.html" target="_blank">advises</a> that anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 self-isolate for at least 10 days after testing positive or first experiencing symptoms. One should also not interact with others unless one has gone 24 hours without a fever and without taking fever-reducing medication. However, the agency notes that anyone with severe COVID-19 may need to self-isolate for longer than 10 days and as long as 20. Because it is unclear how severe Trump's illness was, it is also unclear how long he should self-isolate.</p><p>Conley did not say whether Trump has been tested again or would be tested before reappearing in public, according to NPR. White House officials have also refused to say when he last tested negative before his diagnosis, The New York Times reported.</p><p>However, in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday, Trump said he would likely take a test on Friday, as Reuters reported.</p><p>In the interview, Trump said he felt "very well." However, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/09/donald-trump-florida-rally-saturday-covid-test" target="_blank">The Guardian pointed out</a> that he sounded hoarse and paused throughout to cough.</p><p>"I think I'm going to try doing a rally on Saturday night if we can, if we have enough time to put it together," Trump told Hannity.</p>
<p>Trump has been criticized for his handling of the virus, both before and during his illness.</p><p>After testing positive, he <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-secret-service-suv-ride-2648098081.html" target="_self">drove in an SUV</a> with two Secret Service agents in order to greet supporters outside Walter Reed, an act some health experts said put the agents at unnecessary risk. He also downplayed the coronavirus by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-facebook-twitter-coronavirus-2648126137.html" target="_self">comparing it to the flu</a> on Tuesday, something he has done throughout the pandemic.</p><p>The coronavirus has so far infected more than 7.6 million U.S. residents and killed 212,789, according to the most recent figures from <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">Johns Hopkins University</a>.</p><p>Including the president and first lady, nearly two dozen close affiliates of the White House have tested positive for COVID-19 as of this week, NPR reported. </p>
From Your Site Articles
- Trump 'Likely Largest Driver' of Coronavirus Misinformation ... ›
- Trump Again Claims Coronavirus Less Deadly Than Flu, Prompting ... ›
- Tapes Show Trump Knew Coronavirus Was Deadly While ... ›
- Trump Denies CDC Director's 2021 Timeline for Coronavirus Vaccine ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less