Justin Welby supports youth at COP27
10 Nov 2022
The Archbishop of Canterbury has encouraged young climate activists attending the COP27 conference in Egypt. In a message posted on Twitter, Justin Welby said, ‘You're the ones who are the future of this extraordinary planet, because you'll inherit it. So it is essential that you're included in the conversation on climate change, and that you take part actively. Your call for action must be listened to, by the most powerful’. Leaders from poor countries criticised wealthy governments and oil companies for driving global warming, using their speeches to demand that they pay up for damages being inflicted on their economies.
Retailers’ Christmas adverts
10 Nov 2022
Christmas adverts have started on TV conjuring up sentimentality, nostalgia, and joy. But as the cost of living soars, some have opted for a more muted approach to campaigning this year. John Lewis’s advert, featuring a foster family, was less about buying things and more about kindness to someone else who might need it. But some retail experts warned scenes of bountiful buffets in other ads were out of touch as families struggle with rising prices. Tesco and Lidl have both put an emphasis on price and affordability in their messaging, at a time when many families are facing rising grocery bills. ‘There clearly is a more muted tone this year, which is fitting for the time we're going through,’ said a spokesperson for Mintel.
Ukraine: Russia withdrawing from Kherson
10 Nov 2022
Russia has ordered its military to pull out of Kherson, the only regional capital it has captured since invading Ukraine. Russia will entirely leave the western bank of Dnipro River, saying it wasn’t possible to continue supplying the city. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said his country is moving ‘very carefully’ in response to the announcement, fearing a Russian trap.
Germany and Europe: infrastructure protection
10 Nov 2022
Attacks on Nord Stream gas pipelines, on Poland’s Druzhba pipeline (the most important oil pipeline from Russia to Western Europe), on submarine cables in France and the north Atlantic, and on the German railway show the need for increased protection of critical infrastructure. Loss of energy has extreme and immediate consequences for homes and industry. Three of the four Nord Stream pipelines, damaged by saltwater infiltration, are probably no longer usable. There have already been cyber-attacks on wind farms, and access to coal-fired power plants is being blocked by extremists. Most recently Russia damaged 1/3rd of Ukraine’s power plants. Germany has allowed a Chinese shipping company to enter the port of Hamburg, giving China access to sensitive European maritime traffic information.
Ukraine: survivors’ agony as mass graves found
10 Nov 2022
1,500+ new graves have been dug at a mass burial site near Mariupol in Ukraine. Over 4,600 graves have been dug there since the beginning of the war. Officials believe at least 25,000 people were killed in fighting there, and 5,000-7,000 died after their homes were bombed. Witnesses have seen Russian authorities removing bodies from destroyed buildings and taking them away for burial, over 1,500 according to new satellite images. From the start of the war Mariupol, a strategic target, was pounded relentlessly from the air and from the ground. Pray for the thousands of survivors who have now escaped the city, but do not know where their families’ bodies are. Pray for those unable to get that information, and pray for those who suspect their loved ones are still buried beneath the rubble of their houses.
Iran: family fears for rapper’s life
10 Nov 2022
‘Someone’s crime was that her hair was flowing in the wind. Someone’s crime was that he or she was brave and outspoken.’ These lyrics could cost Iranian rap artist Toomaj Salehi his life. The underground rebel rapper was arrested and faces a death penalty. 14,000 Iranians have been arrested since September when an Iranian woman died after being detained by ‘morality police’ for not wearing her hijab properly. Salehi’s uncle had a phone call from his friend saying ‘Our whereabouts have been leaked’. Later fifty people raided Salehi’s residence. He is accused of propagandist activity against the government, cooperation with hostile governments, and forming illegal groups to create insecurity in the country. His uncle has information he was tortured. He said, ‘We still do not know anything about Salehi’s health condition, or if he is alive’. Pray for the family.
Global: ‘highway to climate hell’
10 Nov 2022
UN chief António Guterres warned the COP27 summit that humanity must cooperate or perish. He warned world leaders, ‘We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/science-environment-63330171 Rishi Sunak said the war in Ukraine and rising energy prices globally are no reason to go slow on climate change. They are reasons to act faster. Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron also urged world leaders to deliver climate justice. The UN said progress on cutting global warming emissions has been ‘woefully inadequate’ since COP26 last year. The planet has warmed 1.1C since pre-industrial times. Scientists say rises must only be 1.5C by 2100 to avoid the worst effects. Continuing current policies would cause a higher rise of 2.8C.
USA: rare November tropical storm
10 Nov 2022
Hurricane Nicole hit Florida on 10 November with 70 mph winds before being downgraded to a tropical storm. States of emergency remain, and evacuation orders are in place, with heavy rain and storm surges forecast. Nicole, which had also lashed Grand Bahama Island, will soon strike Georgia, South Carolina, and possibly other states. Storms of this size so late in the year are extremely rare: since 1853 Florida has only been hit twice. 45 of the state's 67 counties are under a state of emergency, and four counties are under mandatory evacuation orders. Over 100,000 customers are without power. Orlando airport grounded commercial operations.