TT-AFP
Updated 15.16 | Published 02.08
People pay tribute to British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira who were killed in the Amazon region, June 5, 2022. File photo. Photo: Marcelo Chello/AP/TT
More and more journalists and media houses covering climate change are exposed to various forms of physical, verbal threats, harassment and attacks.
This is shown by new statistics from the UN agency Unesco.
Reporting on climate change and environmental issues has become significantly more uncertain, according to Unesco, which has compiled the statistics in collaboration with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), based on responses from over 900 journalists in 129 countries.
Over 70 percent of the respondents stated that they had been subjected to attacks, threats or pressure. Of those, 60 percent had experienced online harassment and 41 percent physical attacks.
Since 2009 and until last year, at least 749 journalists, groups of journalists and news media reporting on environmental issues have been attacked. 44 have been murdered in the last 15 years. At least 24 journalists have survived assassination attempts.
The number of murders in the years 2019-2023 was a third higher than in the previous five years.
About half of the attacks have been carried out by state actors such as police, military forces or government officials, and just over a quarter by private actors – these include companies in the extractive industry, criminal groups, protesters and local communities, according to Unesco.
Unesco has not been able to determine who was behind the other attacks.
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Floods
Death toll rises after severe downpours in Brazil
TT-AFP
Updated 16.35 | Published 10.39
A man wades through the flooded Porto Alegre. Photo: Carlos Macedo/AP/TT
The number of people killed in floods and landslides has risen to nearly 60 people in southern Brazil after heavy rains in the area.
In addition, nearly 70 people are still missing.
More than 24,000 people have been evacuated in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and rescue boats and planes are searching for survivors in the ruins of collapsed homes, bridges and roads. Several cities and communities have been completely cut off from the outside world and tens of thousands of people lack electricity and drinking water.
Water levels in the main river Guaíba, which have already risen by up to 4.6 meters, are feared to continue rising. At the same time, the authorities state that there is a risk that four dams will burst.
In the regional capital of Porto Alegre with 1.5 million inhabitants, the state governor, Eduardo Leite, warns of further flooding.
- Forget everything you've seen so far. It will be much worse in the metropolitan area, he says.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva visited the region on Thursday and promised that "there will be no holding back on human and material resources" in the relief efforts. So far, over 600 soldiers have been deployed to clear roads, distribute food and water and set up evacuation camps.
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Extreme weather
Drought and protests in several of Europe's holiday paradises
Sofia Eriksson/TT
Updated 11.39 | Published 07.24
Tourists flee the fires that ravaged Rhodes last year. Archive image.
Hunting for shade in Lyon, France last August.
Demonstration against unsustainable tourism on the Canary island of Fuerteventura on April 20.
1 / 3Photo: Lefteris Damianidis/AP/TT
The countries around the Mediterranean Sea attract large numbers of tourists - but are also one of the areas in the world that are hardest hit by the effects of climate change.
Barcelona is in a state of emergency due to prolonged drought.
After a cold spring, many people dream of the Mediterranean Sea when planning their vacation. But the region is particularly exposed to the effects of climate change such as heat, drought and fires, according to the UN's climate panel IPCC.
Last summer, thousands of tourists had to be evacuated as parts of the Greek island of Rhodes went up in flames while queues to the Acropolis in Athens collapsed from the heat. Almost all major Italian cities issued red warnings in the heat and an extensive forest fire broke out on the Spanish island of La Palma.
More extreme weather
Climate change will make extreme weather events such as downpours, droughts, fires and storms more frequent and more intense. However, it is still too early to know anything about how the summer will behave in Southern Europe. But experts believe that recurring heat waves could prompt European travelers to turn their eyes north.
Spain's most visited destination is already in a state of emergency. Since February, six million people have been living in Barcelona and other Catalan towns with strict rules on how much water can be consumed per person. Parks are not being watered, fountains are dry and public showers have been shut down as a result of the prolonged drought.
Critics question why tourists are not subject to the restrictions in the same way, especially as hotel pools and hot tubs guzzle large amounts of water.
- When the government imposes restrictions, the tourism industry goes unpunished, because we don't know exactly how much water it consumes, says activist Dante Maschio to France 24.
The Catalan government has warned that restrictions may also be imposed on tourists and hotels if households in various municipalities do not stay below the established limits on water consumption during the state of emergency.
Tackles mass tourism
Several popular destinations in Europe are also struggling to find a balance between the need for income and the unsustainable impact of mass tourism.
Visiting Venice in high season now requires an entrance ticket, Milan is considering a ban on the sale of pizza and gelato after midnight, and Barcelona has increased visitor taxes in an attempt to promote "quality tourism".
Recently, residents of the Canary Islands also went out in protest against the fact that the influx of tourists has made it too expensive for the locals to live on the islands.
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