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Time Magazine
25-06-2025
- General
- Time Magazine
Should I Feel Guilty About Using My AC?
Air conditioning is one of our great guilty pleasures. When your town is suffocating under a 100-degree heat dome, there's nothing like the sweet relief that comes from returning home, cranking up the AC, and leaving behind the sweltering outdoor atmosphere for the cooler, crisper indoor one. As the first major heat wave of 2025 bakes the Northeast, South, and Midwest, nearly 150 million Americans are discovering that fact anew. But air conditioning comes at a high price. The two billion units operating worldwide are responsible for 7% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations Environment Program—a figure that is expected to double by 2030 and triple by 2050, when more than five billion units are projected to be in use. This will drive a climate spiral, with increased carbon output pushing global temperatures even higher, leading to still more air conditioning use and still higher temperatures and on and on. 'Air conditioning is becoming a lifeline in this overheated world,' says Ankit Kalanki, a cooling expert at RMI, a research and public policy group originally known as the Rocky Mountain Institute. 'It's no longer a luxury. We rely on air conditioning for comfort, to feel productive, to feel safe and healthy, and this is an invisible driver of electricity demand and emissions.' That fact leaves a lot of people feeling guilty over their own AC use. Our grandparents got by with fans, light clothing, drawn shades and cold drinks; even in the face of climate change, couldn't we do the same for at least routine summer heat? 'The feeling of guilt comes from a sense of responsibility to do something,' says Fionnuala Walravens, senior campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency, a green advocacy group. 'We ask ourselves 'What can we change?'' AC guilt is only a piece of the larger phenomenon of climate guilt, the responsibility and even shame many people feel if they aren't recycling perfectly, composting regularly, driving minimally, and keeping energy consumption as low as possible. 'There are often a lot of emotions that are connected,' says Wendy Greenspun, a clinical psychologist who is affiliated with Climate Psychology Alliance North America, an educational nonprofit. 'There is sadness, anger, anxiety, fear—lots of different emotions that I put under the umbrella of climate distress. Guilt may be one of those.' Managing all of those emotions—and taking all of the green steps to ameliorate them—can be a considerable lift, and almost no one can claim to be a perfect climate citizen. But when it comes to air conditioning there are plenty of coping measures—ways to keep your use of cooling in check while at the same time accepting that in an increasingly sweltering world, air conditioning is a daily essential. The most significant—if most expensive—step you can take to reduce the carbon footprint of your air conditioner is to scrap any model you bought 15 years ago or earlier and upgrade to a new one. In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the sale of new AC units (either central AC or window models) that use Freon—also known as R-22—as a coolant. Freon, which can leak from home units and often has to be replaced and topped off by a service person, has a so-called global warming potential (GWP) of nearly 2,000—meaning it packs 2,000 times the planet-heating punch of an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide. New units now use Puron Advance—also known as R-454B—which has a GWP of just 465. That's still considerably more than CO2 (which, by definition, has a GWP of 1), but a whole lot less than R-22. 'Industry is transitioning to alternatives that have a much lower environmental footprint,' says Kalanki. 'There is a lot of promise when it comes to what kind of refrigerants can provide similar cooling without impacting performance.' Disposing of old units is a bit more complex than just tossing them in a town dump. Many state or local laws require that refrigerant first be drained by an EPA-certified technician, after which the AC can be recycled or carted off by local curbside pickup programs. Kalanki also recommends buying what are known as smart air conditioners, units that connect to WiFi and can monitor energy use and be controlled remotely via phone. Smart AC's make it possible to pre-cool your home, turning the unit on when you're away to lower the temperature before you return, allowing you to shut the AC off—or at least turn it down—during peak evening use when air conditioners are commonly operating at their maximum. That can make a big difference to the larger world as air conditioners currently account for 40% to 60% of peak demand on the grid in the summer. Keeping your electricity use low in those hours also saves money, as energy companies often charge more for power consumed in that window; curbing consumption at such times can also help avoid grid crashes or blackouts. 'A smartly designed unit,' says Kalanki, 'can sense and measure how much of an energy load is required to cool a space. You can really reduce energy consumption significantly.' Architects and designers of apartments and single family homes have a role to play too. Better insulation, for example, can not only keep out the cold in winter, but keep in the cool during summer. Shades and awnings to screen out the sun can help too, as can painting roofs white—instead of the common black tar seen in cities—which reflects away the heat and light that black roofs absorb. 'There are a host of these passive strategies that can be used when buildings are designed,' says Kalanki. Buying, renting, or renovating a home with a mind toward these efficiencies, as well as installing new, upgraded AC units and heat pumps can not only reduce your carbon load, but reduce your emotional load—bringing down some of the guilt that comes with gobbling too much power in the summer months when energy use spikes. A few other simple adaptations can help as well. Businesses like law firms and banks can relax their suit and tie rules during the summer, says Walravens, lightening the load on office air conditioners that have to make the environment cool enough for people wearing dark layers in triple-digit temperatures. Adjusting our own internal thermostats can help too. As of 2022, 88% of American homes had air conditioning, compared to fewer than 10% of European homes, according to MIT Technology Review. And we drive our units hard. One TIME analysis from 2022 found that U.S. residences are kept at around 74° F even when no one is home, and 70° F when the family returns. 'We have to change our mindset a little,' says Walravens. 'The reality is we can survive and be productive at higher temperatures. That may at first seem a little bit daunting, but it's going to use a lot less energy and cause a lot less guilt.' Of course, you didn't cause the climate crisis all by yourself and you can't remotely fix it alone either. The best you can do is play your small part and let go of the sense that you're to blame. 'We as individuals can be change agents,' says Michaela Barnett, a civil engineer and the owner of KnoxFill, a bulk sales business that seeks to limit the use of single-use containers. 'We can reconceptualize the way that we think about our individual actions for change and the way we're living in line with our values. But we should also give ourselves grace and patience, not bearing all of the weight either, because that's not productive.'
Daily Maverick
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Nigeria's landmark Wildlife Protection Bill poised to disrupt global trafficking networks
After passing its third reading in Nigeria's House of Representatives, the Wildlife Protection Bill promises the most ambitious overhaul of environmental law in west Africa's history – and may strike a major blow to global wildlife crime. When Dr Mark Ofua's father was a boy, he would sometimes be late to school — not because he was lazy, but because he had to wait for herds of elephants to finish crossing the road. That was only a generation ago. 'I grew up in the same community,' says Ofua, a Nigerian wildlife veterinarian, 'and there is not a single elephant left.' On 28 May, Nigeria took a critical step toward preventing more such losses. Its House of Representatives passed the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, 2024 through its third reading. The Bill now moves to the Senate, with widespread support and expectations of speedy passage before the year ends. It's a historic move for the country and, according to experts, for all of west Africa. Nigeria has become a major global hub for wildlife trafficking. According to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), the country has been linked to the smuggling of more than 30 tonnes of ivory since 2015 and more than 50% of the pangolin scales seized globally between 2016 and 2019. These products often flow through Nigeria from countries across west and central Africa and are exported to Asia. 'It all comes back to Nigeria,' says Ofua, who helped draft the Bill. 'Traffickers bring ivory and pangolin scales from all over West Africa — even the Congo — and ship it out from Nigeria. If we can change the game here, we can change the game for the whole region.' Until now, wildlife crime in Nigeria has thrived under toothless legislation. According to Ofua, previous laws carried fines so paltry — less than a dollar in some cases — that traffickers saw them as little more than business costs. 'I would rather traffic elephant tusks, pay the fine when caught, and continue,' he says. 'There were no jail terms. No deterrents.' Enforcement agencies, too, were limited. Some parts of the older legislation were adapted directly from international trade laws and didn't even cover domestic wildlife crimes. Even when seizures occurred, prosecutions frequently collapsed due to delays, undertrained judges or corruption. 'Cases would drag for years, until the person in charge retired, got transferred or died,' Ofua recalls. Perhaps most demoralising of all were the scenes of impunity. 'You would see Nigerian police escorting foreign buyers into wet markets to purchase illegal wildlife products,' says Ofua. 'How do you convince the sellers it's a crime when the law enforcers themselves are involved?' New era for Nigeria's biodiversity Sponsored by Terseer Ugbor, the deputy chair of the House Committee on Environment, the legislation dramatically strengthens Nigeria's response to organised wildlife crime. In Ugbor's words, 'This Bill sends an unambiguously clear message that Nigeria will not tolerate the use of its borders for trafficking of illegal wildlife products, such as pangolin scales and ivory, to foreign markets.' The Bill includes: Stricter penalties, including custodial sentences of up to seven years and proportionate financial penalties for minor and major infractions; Asset forfeiture provisions, allowing courts to recover profits gained through wildlife crime; Environmental reparations, such as tree-planting and other restoration efforts; Expanded investigative powers, enabling law enforcement to conduct intelligence-led probes and track financial transactions; Faster judicial processes, aimed at ending the prolonged legal stagnation of wildlife cases; and Alignment with international treaties, including Cites and the UN conventions on corruption and organised crime. 'It's a beautiful piece of legislation,' says Ofua. 'It addresses all the loopholes. It empowers investigators. It brings in financial tracking. And it puts teeth in the judiciary.' The Bill has drawn praise from major conservation organisations. Tunde Morakinyo, the executive director of Africa Nature Investors Foundation, called it 'a testament to Nigeria's firm commitment to strengthening wildlife governance and combating trafficking.' EIA's Mary Rice said it 'demonstrates Nigeria's commitment to regional security and tackling international trafficking networks'. Peter Knights, the CEO of Wild Africa, said: 'This is a great step forward for Nigeria to lead the region in combating wildlife crime.' Enforcement readiness Even the best law is only as strong as its implementation. But Ofua is optimistic. 'I have consulted for the Ministry of Environment and customs for over a decade,' he says. 'In the last year or two, I've seen a high level of readiness and commitment.' Recently, he participated in a groundbreaking event: the release of two pangolins into a national park after they were seized at an airport. 'That had never been done before,' he notes. 'Customs officials brought them to me for rehabilitation and we released them together. That's the new Nigeria we want.' Ofua says customs is currently working with Wild Africa and training new canine units for ports and borders. 'Until now, agencies were shackled by bad laws. But this new Bill clearly spells out their roles and promotes inter-agency cooperation. Once it's passed, they'll be free to act.' The urgency is clear. Nigeria, like many parts of west Africa, has suffered catastrophic biodiversity loss. 'We used to have cheetahs, rhinos, even the Big Five,' says Ofua. 'In just one generation, much of it has vanished.' He believes this legislation is the beginning of a long-overdue shift. 'I've been to southern and east Africa. It's like a spiritual recharge seeing wildlife thrive. But here in west Africa, we've been left behind. This Bill could change that.' The next steps are Senate ratification and presidential approval. So far, the process has been unusually smooth, especially for Nigeria, where some environmental Bills have languished for more than 15 years. 'This Bill has not met any opposition yet,' says Ofua. 'The delays were only because of other national emergencies like flooding and security issues. But with the level of support we're seeing, I believe it will become law before the end of the year.' And when it does, the ripple effects could be felt across the continent. 'This is Nigeria's chance to lead,' says Ofua. 'If we rise, others will follow. And maybe, one day, our children will see elephants again — not in books, but in the wild.' DM
Irish Daily Mirror
31-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Harrowing moment tourist is mauled while trying to take selfie with tiger
This is the harrowing moment a tourist is mauled by a tiger while trying to take a selfie with the animal. Footage circulating online shows the holidaymaker, believed to be from India, walking alongside the tiger while holding its chain at Tiger Kingdom in Phuket, Thailand. He can then be seen crouching beside the animal to pose for a photo. But as the trainer uses a stick to instruct the big cat to sit down and the tourist puts his arm around the tiger's back, the animal suddenly attacks the man, who is heard screaming. Shocked onlookers panic as the incident unfolds and the video ends abruptly as staff intervene to save the man. According to reports, the tourist suffered minor injuries in the attack. The incident has raised serious concerns about wildlife safety and tourism ethics in places like Tiger Kingdom Phuket, which is described on Tripadvisor as "a once in a lifetime experience where you can meet, play, and have your photo taken with tigers." Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, a rescue centre for elephants, monkeys and jungle cats, called for an end on big cat exploitation, saying: "This cruelty must end. For their safety - and ours." A person wrote on X, "Cats generally do not like being petted on the lower (back) body especially near butts. This man was petting the tiger continuously near above mentioned body area which must have frustrated the tiger. Final straw was when the man cupped it for a photo." Another said, "Been there. It's Tiger Kingdom in Phuket. They sedate the tigers just enough that they don't have the will to attack. Always feared this could happen." Someone else added: "Hopefully this forces the authorities to crack down on these places. It's plain cruelty." One more said: "What is meant to be wild should stay in the wild." Animal welfare organisations advise against visiting places such as tiger entertainment venues, which are common in South-East Asia, particularly Thailand, due to concerns about conservation and animal cruelty. The Environmental Investigation Agency said in a post on its website: "The simplest advice we can give you is if an establishment offers direct tourist interactions with captive animals (selfies, hugging, feeding) and/or promotes tigers engaging in unnatural behaviours (e.g. tricks or performances) then do not visit. "By not spending your money in tiger entertainment venues you will reduce the profitability of the tiger entertainment industry and help end these cruel practices for good." It also said cubs are often separated from their mothers within weeks of being born so that they can be hand-raised and bottle-fed by tourist. It added: "This is extremely stressful for both cubs and mothers, particularly if you consider that, in the wild, they would stay together for a couple of years. Furthermore, tigers are often confined to small, barren enclosures or cages resulting in significant physical and psychological distress, especially considering that tigers in the wild can roam many kilometres in a single night! Frequent handling and visitor contact in loud environments causes the animals further stress and, in order to perform for tourists, tigers are subjected to cruel training regimes." In December 2024, a zookeeper who had worked with tigers for years was mauled to death when he stepped inside the big cat enclosure at the Pitești Zoo. And in September 2024, a tiger mauled an animal handler at Dreamworld, in Queensland's Gold Coast, with the victim suffering "some serious lacerations and puncture wounds".
Daily Mirror
31-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Harrowing moment tourist is mauled while trying to take selfie with tiger
A tourist who was attempting to pose for a photo with a tiger in Thailand was attacked by the animal and suffered minor injuries - footage of the incident has gone viral This is the harrowing moment a tourist is mauled by a tiger while trying to take a selfie with the animal. Footage circulating online shows the holidaymaker, believed to be from India, walking alongside the tiger while holding its chain at Tiger Kingdom in Phuket, Thailand. He can then be seen crouching beside the animal to pose for a photo. But as the trainer uses a stick to instruct the big cat to sit down and the tourist puts his arm around the tiger's back, the animal suddenly attacks the man, who is heard screaming. Shocked onlookers panic as the incident unfolds and the video ends abruptly as staff intervene to save the man. According to reports, the tourist suffered minor injuries in the attack. The incident has raised serious concerns about wildlife safety and tourism ethics in places like Tiger Kingdom Phuket, which is described on Tripadvisor as "a once in a lifetime experience where you can meet, play, and have your photo taken with tigers." Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, a rescue centre for elephants, monkeys and jungle cats, called for an end on big cat exploitation, saying: "This cruelty must end. For their safety - and ours." A person wrote on X, "Cats generally do not like being petted on the lower (back) body especially near butts. This man was petting the tiger continuously near above mentioned body area which must have frustrated the tiger. Final straw was when the man cupped it for a photo." Another said, "Been there. It's Tiger Kingdom in Phuket. They sedate the tigers just enough that they don't have the will to attack. Always feared this could happen." Someone else added: "Hopefully this forces the authorities to crack down on these places. It's plain cruelty." One more said: "What is meant to be wild should stay in the wild." Animal welfare organisations advise against visiting places such as tiger entertainment venues, which are common in South-East Asia, particularly Thailand, due to concerns about conservation and animal cruelty. The Environmental Investigation Agency said in a post on its website: "The simplest advice we can give you is if an establishment offers direct tourist interactions with captive animals (selfies, hugging, feeding) and/or promotes tigers engaging in unnatural behaviours (e.g. tricks or performances) then do not visit. "By not spending your money in tiger entertainment venues you will reduce the profitability of the tiger entertainment industry and help end these cruel practices for good." It also said cubs are often separated from their mothers within weeks of being born so that they can be hand-raised and bottle-fed by tourist. It added: "This is extremely stressful for both cubs and mothers, particularly if you consider that, in the wild, they would stay together for a couple of years. Furthermore, tigers are often confined to small, barren enclosures or cages resulting in significant physical and psychological distress, especially considering that tigers in the wild can roam many kilometres in a single night! Frequent handling and visitor contact in loud environments causes the animals further stress and, in order to perform for tourists, tigers are subjected to cruel training regimes." In December 2024, a zookeeper who had worked with tigers for years was mauled to death when he stepped inside the big cat enclosure at the Pitești Zoo. And in September 2024, a tiger mauled an animal handler at Dreamworld, in Queensland's Gold Coast, with the victim suffering "some serious lacerations and puncture wounds".
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colombia takes regional lead in Indigenous self-government
Steven GrattanAssociated Press Colombia this week took a leading position in Latin America for Indigenous rights and forest protection by formalizing Indigenous local governments across swaths of the Amazon, raising hopes that other countries in the region will follow its lead. Activists say Monday's decision gives Indigenous communities not just land titles, but actual self-governing authority — complete with public budgets and administrative power. The process, underway since 2018, now has a legal framework enabling Indigenous councils to function as official local governments. 'This puts Colombia in the lead when it comes to recognizing Indigenous rights — not just to land, but to identity, autonomy, and decision-making over their own development,' said Mayu Velasco Anderson, head of the Peru and Colombia program at nongovernmental organization Rainforest Foundation Norway. Patricia Suárez, Indigenous leader and adviser to the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon, called the presidential decree 'historic.' 'We have been seeking recognition of our autonomy and self-determination as Indigenous Territorial Entities for over 30 years,' Suárez said. 'This progress is a milestone in the consolidation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples as autonomous governments.' In contrast, other Latin American countries typically only grant land titles. Brazil, for example, has extensive Indigenous territories that frequently intersect multiple municipalities, forcing communities to navigate conflicting public systems and undermining their self-governance. 'In Brazil, even demarcated and regularized Indigenous lands fall under the administrative boundaries of states and municipalities, and communities depend on these governments to access public policies,' said Inés Luna Maira, head of institutional partnerships at Rainforest Foundation Norway. 'They have to deal with a patchwork of public systems and elected officials that don't reflect Indigenous governance.' Suriname, home to some of the most intact forests and Indigenous and Maroon communities, lags furthest behind other nations in the region on this issue. Colombia's new framework gives Indigenous groups direct authority over their territories, streamlining governance and boosting protections for forests that are critical to combating climate change. Julia Urrunaga, director of Peru Programs at the nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency welcomed the move and expressed hope that her country would follow Colombia's example. 'We celebrate this victory for the Indigenous Peoples of Colombia,' she said. 'Sadly, the Peruvian government has been walking in the opposite direction — passing laws that affect Indigenous rights without prior consultation, which goes against Peru's own constitution.' Urrunaga pointed to what environmental activists have dubbed Peru´s 'Anti-Forest Law," which activists say legalizes illegal deforestation in Indigenous territories, and to the government's promotion of palm oil plantations over Amazonian forest. 'Peru's Indigenous Peoples are still struggling to receive recognition of their ancestral territories,' she said. 'And even when they obtain it, they don't get the support they deserve from the state to protect their land and forests for the benefit of all humanity.'
