Ecology

September 8, 2021

The greening of Scottish independence

The Green Party’s latest foray into government has just taken place in Scotland, boosting the drive for Scottish independence. No longer can the Greens be seen in Britain as just an eccentric…

Hizbollah vows to retaliate against Israel over pager explosions
Hizbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel for a sophisticated and co-ordinated attack that detonated thousands of pagers carried by the Lebanese militia’s members, killing at least a dozen and injuring thousands and plunging Beirut into a widespread panic. Two children and 10 Hizbollah members were killed in Tuesday’s apparent sabotage of the low-tech systems it uses to evade Israeli surveillance and assassination attempts, according to the militant group. The group said on Wednesday that it would continue its attacks along the southern border with Israel that have raised fears of a widening regional conflict, but also vowed to avenge separately the pager blasts. “This is another reckoning [for Israel] and it will come, god willing,” Hizbollah said. The blasts took place in several areas of Lebanon including the capital Beirut, the southern city of Tyre and the western area of Hermel, as well as in parts of Syria. Images on social media show explosions and people with bloodied pocket areas, ears or faces being taken to hospital. Financial Times, September 18

Netanyahu poised to sack defence chief and push for war with Hizbollah
The left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the prime minister’s office had for some days been putting out the message that Netanyahu is pushing for a broader confrontation with Hizbollah while Gallant, a retired military general, was against it. Netanyahu’s opponents say there are different motives for the possible cabinet reshuffle. Israeli media reported that Gallant will be replaced with Gideon Sa’ar, a defector from Netanyahu’s Likud party who went on to start his own opposition right-wing party. Both Netanyahu’s office and Sa’ar have denied holding talks, but the reports have persisted. The move would boost his coalition government while dividing the opposition, whose support heavily outweighs his own, according to recent polls. The Times, September 18

Thousands injured by exploding pagers in Lebanon
Hundreds of pagers blew up at the same time across Lebanon yesterday in an apparent operation against Hezbollah. Israel hid small amounts of explosives in the pagers, which were made in Taiwan, before they were imported into Lebanon, US and other officials said. At 3:30pm local time on Tuesday, the pagers received a message that appeared as though it was coming from Hezbollah’s leadership. Instead, the message activated the explosives. At least 11 people, including a young girl, were killed, and more than 2,700 were injured, the country’s health minister said. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was also wounded, and Hezbollah said that at least eight of its fighters had been killed. The Israeli military has not commented or claimed responsibility. Witnesses reported seeing smoke coming from people’s pockets, followed by small blasts. Videos showed people being knocked off their feet. A doctor who visited hospitals where some of the wounded were taken said so many people had suffered wounds to their eyes that there was a shortage of eye surgeons. New York Times, September 18

Russia region orders evacuation after Ukraine drone attack
A partial evacuation has been ordered in Russia's Tver region after a "massive" Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire there, the local governor has said. Igor Rudenya said emergencies services in the town of Toropets were trying to "localise" the blaze caused by falling drone wreckage. He did not say whether there were any casualties. Meanwhile, unverified footage has emerged purportedly showing a massive blast in the town. Video footage circulating on social media showed detonations and smoke covering a large stretch of sky. AFP and Reuters news agencies have quoted Ukrainian sources as saying an ammunitions warehouse had been struck. The head of Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, said on Telegram that in addition to its own ammunition such as Grad rockets and various missiles, Russia had also started to store North Korean missiles in Toropets. None of these claims have been verified by the BBC. Toropets lies about 380km (236 miles) north-west of Russia's capital Moscow, and some 470km north of the border with Ukraine. BBC news, September 18

More than £494bn subsidies a year are harmful to the climate, says report
More than $650bn (£494bn) a year in public subsidies goes to fossil fuel companies, intensive agriculture and other harmful industries in the developing world, new data has shown. The subsidies entrench high greenhouse gas emissions and are fuelling the destruction of the natural world, according to a report from the charity ActionAid. Developed countries are also actively subsidising such harmful activities. The UK, for instance, devotes about $7.3bn a year to effective subsidies for fossil fuels. Taken altogether, the sums involved in the developing world would be enough to pay for the education of all children in sub-Saharan Africa three and a half times over, each year. By contrast, developing countries are receiving only a fraction of those sums in climate finance, which would help them to move away from dirty and polluting industries towards a clean and low-carbon economy. Renewable energy projects in the developing world are receiving 40 times less than the fossil fuel sector, the analysis found. The Guardian, September 18

French budgetary situation 'very serious': prime minister
France's budgetary situation is "very serious", Prime Minister Michel Barnier told AFP on Wednesday, saying more information was needed to gauge the "precise reality" of French public finances. France was placed on a formal procedure for violating European Union budgetary rules before Barnier became head of government earlier this month, while the Bank of France warned this week that a projected return to EU deficit rules by 2027 was "not realistic". France's public sector deficit is projected to reach around 5.6 per cent of GDP this year and go over six per cent in 2025, which compares with EU rules calling for a three-per cent ceiling on deficits. Barnier, appointed by President Emmanuel Macron after protracted wrangling in the wake of an inconclusive parliamentary election, has floated possible tax rises to help stabilise finances, a measure Macron has ruled out during the seven years he has been president. "I am discovering that the country's budgetary situation is very serious," Barnier said. France 24, September 18

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Ecology

The greening of Scottish independence