Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01)
GOP bill guts healthcare, food assistance for millions to fund permanent tax breaks for billionaires
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) released the following statement after House Republicans narrowly passed their H.R. 1tax bill by one vote after 29 straight hours of debate.
Watch Rep. Stansbury break down the billhere and here.
“Today, the GOP showed who they’re really fighting for in passing a shameful package that will strip millions of veterans, working families, and children of access to healthcare and food assistance—in order to provide permanent tax breaks to billionaires. In so doing, nearly 14 million Americans will lose access to healthcare, 18 million children will lose access to food assistance and school meals, and millions of seniors will be impacted by cuts to Medicare.
“This is not what the American people voted for and the GOP knows it, which is why they tried to sneak this bill through in the dead of night—not once, but twice. Democrats laid it all on the line to stop this bill and its devastating impacts, filing over 500 amendments and working through the night for 29 straight hours. Meanwhile, the GOP cut side deals and snuck in more last minute kickbacks for their wealthy friends and donors late into the night. But, the American people see what is happening, and this fight is far from over. We will keep working to defeat this bill as it heads to the Senate using every tool we have.”
H.R. 1 will have wide-ranging and devastating impacts on vulnerable families, the cost of living, and the environment:
• Tax Breaks at the Expense of the Most Vulnerable. Gives massive permanent tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy through permanent income, estate, and corporate tax breaks on the backs of working Americans. With the 10% wealthiest Americans receiving a 2-4% increase in their income under the bill, and the poorest 10% of Americans seeing a net decrease of 2-4% in income. New Mexico families, who are among the lowest income in the country, will be among the hardest hit.
• Healthcare. Will take access to healthcare away from over 13.7 million Americans through cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and Affordable Care Act programs. Defunds Planned Parenthood and bans abortion care under private marketplace insurance. Will strip $880 billion from Medicaid and $500 billion from Medicare, decimating the healthcare economy, with potential hospital, healthcare, and nursing facility closures across the country—representing the largest cut in Medicaid and Medicare in American history. With nearly two thirds of New Mexicans receiving healthcare through Medicare and Medicaid, New Mexico families and healthcare providers will be especially impacted.
• Food and Hunger. Will gut access to food assistance and school meals for 18 million American kids, with potentially devastating impacts to over 3 million seniors, veterans and vulnerable families—representing the largest cut in SNAP programs in American history. With one in five kids in New Mexico experiencing food insecurity and one in five families receiving SNAP benefits, New Mexico will be devastated by these cuts.
• Education Programs. Guts access to education programs with 4 million students set to lose Pell Grant funding. With New Mexico students being among the most low-income in the country, they will be particularly impacted by cuts to education assistance programs.
• Corporate Giveaways. Sends billions of dollars in private contracts to defense contractors, private prisons, oil and gas companies, and big tech. With significant national security infrastructure in New Mexico, New Mexico installations are likely to see shift in security priorities. Funds for detention and attacks on due process in the bill could increase private prison contracts in New Mexico to incarcerate immigrant families. Decreases in oil and gas royalty rates in the bill, could reduce state revenues by nearly a half billion dollars a year—defunding key programs.
• Decimates Protections for the Environment. Guts key provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act and opportunities for the public, Tribal nations, and communities to protect their land and water. Includes mandatory oil and gas leasing, mining, and logging giveaways on public lands, while gutting billions of dollars in investments in climate, clean energy, and land stewardship. New Mexico is specifically named for mandatory oil and gas lease sales.
•Increases the National Debt and Burdens on States.Is projected to add $3.7 to 5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years, representing the largest increase in deficit spending in American history. Shifts significant burden to cash-strapped states with billions of dollars in costs for healthcare and food programs pushed to states, while it cuts federal and state revenues through reductions in oil and gas royalties in a giveaway to industry.
H.R. 1 passed the House of Representatives in a 215 to 214 party line vote, with three Republicans abstaining from voting. The bill will now head to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Following the conclusion of the leader of the Freedom Party (PVV) in the House of Representatives that he would no longer lend support to the government, the prime minister called a meeting of the cabinet. The outcome of that meeting was that PVV members of the government tendered their resignations to the King. The prime minister and the remaining members of the government resigned their portfolio, office or role.
The King, at the recommendation of the prime minister, and with immediate effect, has granted honourable discharge to the members of the government who were nominated by the leader of the PVV parliamentary party for the following appointments:
Fleur Agema as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport;
Dick Beljaarts as Minister of Economic Affairs;
Barry Madlener as Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management;
Marjolein Faber as Minister of Asylum and Migration;
Reinette Klever as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development;
as well as:
Ingrid Coenradie as Minister for Detention and Protection;
Zsolt Szabó as Minister for Digitalisation and Kingdom Relations;
Chris Jansen as Minister for the Environment and Public Transport;
Vicky Maeijer as Minister for Long-term and Social Care.
Their tasks will be temporarily carried out by other members of the government.
With respect to the prime minister and the remaining members of the government, the King has considered their resignations and has asked that they continue to carry out the duties that they consider necessary to the interests of the Kingdom.
Singapore , June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BitMart, the premium global digital asset trading platform, today announced the official launch of its innovative asset spotlight zone, BM Discovery, designed to provide users a brand-new solution for on-chain asset discovery and trading.
As the on-chain asset landscape continues to expand rapidly and innovation emerges at an unprecedented pace, the launch of BM Discovery represents not only a strategic deep dive into asset exploration and value discovery but also an active response to evolving user needs and industry trends. Focusing on early-stage, high-potential on-chain assets, BM Discovery integrates professional project screening, on-chain data monitoring, and dynamic risk control to create a secure, transparent, and efficient platform. This empowers users to uncover promising projects and seize emerging market opportunities ahead of the curve.
A New Benchmark for On-Chain Asset Discovery
The strength of BM Discovery lies not just in its speed, but in its professional screening and potential identification capabilities. By leveraging advanced technologies and a robust ecosystem strategy, BitMart has built a comprehensive value discovery mechanism. This system combines a professional research team with key on-chain indicators to continuously monitor project developments and identify promising emerging assets, offering users greater confidence in their investment choices.
Several of the initial assets launched in the BM Discovery zone have perfromed well, drawing the attention of users and demonstrating BitMart’s keen market foresight and professional judgment.
For users, BM Discovery not only offers an efficient participation channel that syncs with on-chain developments but also addresses operational complexities. For those unfamiliar with intricate on-chain interactions or concerned about high gas fees, BM Discovery provides a seamless, one-stop platform solution that lowers barriers and empowers users to access high-potential assets effortlessly, capturing market heat.
Dynamic Risk Management Ensuring a Secure Trading Environment
To safeguard user interests, BitMart has established a dynamic risk control system covering the entire asset lifecycle. Through continuous monitoring of asset quality and market performance, combined with multi-dimensional evaluation mechanisms, the platform can proactively delist high-risk or non-compliant assets, mitigating potential risks and ensuring both user protection and ecosystem health. The platform also reminds users that assets in this zone are often at early stages and may exhibit high price volatility. Users are encouraged to assess their risk tolerance and participate rationally.
BM Discovery is not merely an asset aggregator—it is a sustainable value discovery ecosystem underpinned by professional screening and intelligent risk management. With this robust security framework, BitMart aims to strike an optimal balance between innovation and prudence, reinforcing user trust and strengthening its leadership in the global digital asset industry.
Exclusive Promotion: Zero-Fee Spot Trading in BM Discovery
To celebrate the official launch of BM Discovery, BitMart is offering a limited-time zero-fee promotion for spot trading in the Discovery zone. From May 27, 2025, to June 16, 2025, users can enjoy 0% spot trading fees for all tokens listed in BM Discovery. This offer not only reduces trading costs but also enhances accessibility for those seeking to explore emerging on-chain assets and capture early investment opportunities. For more details: https://www.bitmart.com/activity/BMD1st/en-US.
Driving Continuous Innovation and Industry Leadership
The launch of BM Discovery represents a major milestone in BitMart’s asset strategy and highlights the platform’s visionary commitment to continuous innovation driven by user needs. By creating a seamless loop encompassing “asset discovery – trading participation – risk identification – dynamic optimization,” BitMart is building a global-leading platform for asset discovery, offering a professional, convenient, and trustworthy environment for users.
As an innovator and builder in the blockchain industry, BitMart remains committed to using innovation as a driving force. Moving forward, the platform will deepen its focus on technology, services, and ecosystem development, continuously elevating industry standards for asset discovery and user experience. By pioneering quality asset discovery and value creation, BitMart aims to collaborate with global users to build a more prosperous and diverse crypto world.
About BitMart
BitMart is a premier global digital asset trading platform with more than 10 million users worldwide. Consistently ranked among the top crypto exchanges on CoinGecko, BitMart offers over 1,700 trading pairs with competitive fees. Committed to continuous innovation and financial inclusivity, BitMart empowers users globally to trade seamlessly. Learn more about BitMart at Website, follow their X (Twitter), or join their Telegram for updates, news, and promotions. Download BitMart App to trade anytime, anywhere.
Disclaimer:
The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any financial assets. All information is provided in good faith. However, we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of such information.
All crypto investments, including earnings, are highly speculative in nature and involve substantial risk of loss. Past, hypothetical, or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. The value of digital currencies can go up or down and there can be a substantial risk in buying, selling, holding, or trading digital currencies. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital currencies is suitable for you based on your personal investment objectives, financial circumstances, and risk tolerance. BitMart does not provide any investment, legal or tax advice.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By J.B. Ruhl, Professor of Law, Director, Program on Law and Innovation, and Co-director, Energy, Environment and Land Use Program, Vanderbilt University
In one fell swoop, the U.S. Supreme Court has changed a big part of the game.
Whether the effects are good or bad depends on the viewer’s perspective. Either way, there is a new interpretation in place for the law that is the centerpiece of the debate about permitting – the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, known as NEPA.
Only after completing that work can the agency make a final decision to approve or deny the project. These reports must evaluate direct effects, such as the destruction of habitat to make way for a new highway, and indirect effects, such as the air pollution from cars using the highway after it is built.
Decades of litigation about the scope of indirect effects have widened the required evaluation. As I explain it to my students, that logical and legal progression is reminiscent of the popular children’s book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” in which granting a request for a cookie triggers a seemingly endless series of further requests – for a glass of milk, a napkin and so on. For the highway example, the arguments went, even if the agency properly assessed the pollution from the cars, it also had to consider the new subdivisions, malls and jobs the new highway foreseeably could induce.
The challenge for federal agencies was knowing how much of that potentially limitless series of indirect effects courts would require them to evaluate. In recent litigation, the question in particular has been how broad a range of effects on and from climate change could be linked to any one specific project and therefore require evaluation.
With the court’s ruling, federal agencies’ days of uncertainty are over.
The cover image of the 637-page environmental impact assessment shows a view of the region where a railway is proposed to be built. U.S. Surface Transportation Board
At issue was an 85-mile rail line a group of developers proposed to build in Utah to connect oil wells to the interstate rail network and from there transport waxy crude oil to refineries in Louisiana, Texas and elsewhere. The federal Surface Transportation Board reviewed the environmental effects and approved the required license in 2021.
The report was 637 pages long, with more than 3,000 pages of appendices containing additional information. It acknowledged but did not give a detailed assessment of the indirect “upstream” effects of constructing the rail line – such as spurring new oil drilling – and the indirect “downstream” effects of the ultimate use of the waxy oil in places as far flung as Louisiana.
In February 2022, Eagle County, Colorado, through which trains coming from the new railway would pass, along with the Center for Biological Diversity appealed that decision in federal court, arguing that the board had failed to properly explain why it did not assess those effects. Therefore, the county argued, the report was incomplete and the board license should be vacated.
In August 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit agreed and held that the agency had failed to adequately explain why it could not employ “some degree of forecasting” to identify those impacts and that the board could prevent those effects by exercising its authority to deny the license.
The railway developers appealed to the Supreme Court, asking whether NEPA requires a federal agency to look beyond the action being proposed to evalutate indirect effects outside its own jurisdiction.
Petroleum-drilling equipment stands in the Uinta Basin in eastern Utah. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
A resounding declaration
Writing for a five-justice majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh delivered a ringing, table-pounding lecture about courts run amok.
Kavanaugh did not stop to provide specific support for each admonition, describing NEPA as a “legislative acorn” that has “grown over the years into a judicial oak that has hindered infrastructure development.” He bemoaned the “delay upon delay” NEPA imposes on projects as so complicated that it bordered “on the Kafkaesque.”
In his view, “NEPA has transformed from a modest procedural requirement into a blunt and haphazard tool employed by project opponents.” He called for “a course correction … to bring judicial review under NEPA back in line with the statutory text and common sense.” His opinion reset the course in three ways.
First, despite the Supreme Court having recently reduced the deference courts must give to federal agency decisions in other contexts, Kavanaugh wrote that courts should give agencies strong deference when reviewing an agency’s NEPA effects analyses. Because these assessments are “fact-dependent, context-specific, and policy-laden choices about the depth and breadth of its inquiry … (c)ourts should afford substantial deference and should not micromanage those agency choices so long as they fall within a broad zone of reasonableness.”
Second, Kavanaugh crafted a new rule saying that the review of one project did not need to consider the potential indirect effects of other related projects it could foreseeably induce, such as the rail line encouraging more drilling for oil. This limitation is especially relevant, Kavanaugh emphasized, when the effects are from projects over which the reviewing agency does not have jurisdiction. That applied in this case, because the board does not regulate oil wells or oil drilling.
And third, Kavanaugh created something like a “no harm – no foul” rule, under which “even if an (environmental impact statement) falls short in some respects, that deficiency may not necessarily require a court to vacate the agency’s ultimate approval of a project.” The strong implication is that courts should not overturn an agency decision unless its NEPA assessment has a serious flaw.
The upshot for the project at hand was that the Supreme Court deferred to the board’s decision that it could not reliably predict the rail line’s effects on oil drilling or use of the oil transported. And the fact that the agency had no regulatory power over those separate issues reinforced the idea that those concerns were outside the scope of the board’s required review.
A train rolls along a stretch of track in Utah that could be connected with a proposed railway to carry oil to market. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
A split court
Although Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, wrote that she would have reached the same end result and upheld the agency permit, her proposed test is far narrower.
By her reading, the federal law creating the Surface Transportation Board restricted it from considering the broader indirect effects of the rail line. But her finding would be relevant only for any federal agencies whose governing statutes were similarly restrictive. By contrast, Kavanaugh’s “course correction” applies to judicial review of NEPA findings for all federal agencies.
Though the full effects remain to be seen, this decision significantly changes the legal landscape of environmental reviews of major projects. Agencies will have more latitude to shorten the causal chain of indirect effects they consider – and to exclude them entirely if they flow from separate projects beyond the agency’s regulatory control.
Now, for example, if a federal agency is considering an application to build a new natural gas power plant, the review must still include its direct greenhouse gas emissions and their effects on the climate. But emissions that could result from additional gas extraction and transportation projects to fuel the power plant, and any climate effects from whatever the produced electricity is used for, are now clearly outside the agency’s required review. And if the agency voluntarily decided to consider any of those effects, courts would have to defer to its analysis, and any minor deficiencies would be inconsequential.
That is a far cry from how the legal structure around the National Environmental Policy Act has worked for decades. For lawyers, industry, advocacy groups and the courts, environmental review after the Eagle County decision is not just a new ballgame; it is a new sport.
J.B. Ruhl does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
Trump Released Executive Order For U.S. Forest Service To Develop Plan To Increase Timber Production By 25% Across National Forests, Like Finger Lakes National Forest, Prompting Major Concern From Local Communities & Environmentalists, Which Treasure Open Space And Wilderness, Depend On Outdoors As Driver For Tourism Economy
Schumer Has Long History Of Pushing To Preserve & Protect Finger Lakes National Forest – NY’s Only National Forest; Senator Previously Sponsored Legislation To Protect Forest From Gas Drilling And Pushed To Stop Logging
Schumer, Gillibrand: We Must Protect Finger Lakes National Forest – A Crown Jewel of The Finger Lakes Region – From Unwarranted & Unwanted Logging
After the Trump administration released an executive order for the U.S. Forest Service to achieve a 25% increase in timber production in national forests, like the Finger Lakes National Forest, prompting outcry from local activists, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today called on the U.S. Forest Service to protect Finger Lakes National Forest (FLNF) from increased timber logging and to restore FLNF to its full staffing level to protect this Upstate treasure. The Finger Lakes National Forest is New York’s only national forest, and the senators said protecting trees is vital to protecting the surrounding Finger Lakes, precious open space, biodiversity, and the vibrant recreation and tourism economy.
“We must protect the Finger Lakes from Trump’s attempts to turn our National Forests into timber. The Finger Lakes National Forest is a crown jewel of the region, and a magnet for families and tourists alike to experience the vast nature and beauty of Upstate NY. But Trump’s recent executive order could callously cut down huge chunks of this forest, threatening the Finger Lakes. This unwanted and unwarranted policy would endanger the Finger Lakes National Forest and our thriving outdoor recreation economy,” said Senator Schumer. “Trump’s ill-conceived executive order to cut down large swathes of our nation’s forest could be devastating, even the Once-ler in the Lorax would scoff at it. We cannot let our forest be ripped away from our kids, and the tens of thousands who visit the Finger Lakes every year. That’s why I’m standing up to Trump’s plans and demanding the U.S. Forest Service not increase logging in the Finger Lakes National Forest. I’ve long been a proud supporter of the Finger Lakes National Forest, protecting it from gas drilling and high-volume logging for years. Now, we need to protect Upstate New York’s forest health to preserve the area’s natural beauty so the community and visitors can enjoy this space for generations to come.”
“The Finger Lakes National Forest is an Upstate treasure, and the Trump administration’s plan to increase logging in the area would be catastrophic for the environment and devastating for the thousands of New Yorkers who flock to the area to hike, hunt, and fish,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I am urging the Trump administration to listen to the concerns of the local community and pause any plans for additional commercial logging.”
In a letter to the U.S. Forest Service chief, Schumer and Gillibrand explained that Trump’s executive order could hurt the Finger Lakes National Forest habitat and lead to water-quality issues due to increased runoff into Seneca and Cayuga lakes and increased wildfire risks. The Senators also urged the administration to reverse recent cuts of the dedicated staff and rangers who are vital for the forest’s stewardship, visitor services, and forest health. The reduced number of staff jeopardizes regular maintenance of the forest, including replanting native trees in the section of forest lost to invasive Emerald Ash Borer infestations. Citing a report from the U.S. Forest Service on FLNF and Green Mountain, the senators described how the Finger Lakes National Forest supports over $174 million in annual revenue from recreational activities which would be threatened with increased logging. The senators said preventing logging is vital to protecting the surrounding lakes, biodiversity, and the vibrant recreation economy, from hikers to sportsmen, to fishermen, and more. They also emphasized that is necessary to ensure New Yorkers and all Americans can access the forest today and for generations to come.
Yvonne Taylor, Co-Founder and Vice President, Seneca Lake Guardian said, “Senators Schumer and Gillibrands’ leadership to protect the Finger Lakes National Forest affirms what so many of us in the region know in our hearts: that this forest is not a timber commodity that can be bought. It is a sacred public treasure that fuels our economy, safeguards our environment, and belongs to future generations. We urge the Forest Service to heed their call, retain the dedicated staff that defend the forest, and protect this irreplaceable landscape.”
Schumer has a long history of pushing for the preservation and protection of the Finger Lakes National Forest, dating back to 2001 when he co-sponsored legislation to protect the Finger Lakes National Forest from gas drilling and exploration. In subsequent years, Schumer has pushed for moratoriums on logging within the forest.
Schumer and Gillibrand’s letter to Chief of the Forest Service Tom Schultz can be found HERE or below:
Dear Forest Service Chief Schultz:
We write to strongly oppose increased logging and staff reductions at the Finger Lakes National Forest (FLNF) following recent executive actions and budget decisions. It is imperative to the ecological health of this ecosystem and the Finger Lakes vital tourism industry you ensure that additional FLNF trees will not be unnecessarily cut down, subject to commercial logging, and you immediately reverse recent staff cuts that threaten the ongoing health of the Forest. The Administration must respect the unique ecological, economic, and recreational value of this treasured public resource and the Upstate NY communities it sustains.
The Finger Lakes National Forest is more than a beautiful landscape – it is a living asset for the region, supporting tourism, recreation, and a healthy environment, while also serving as a source of pride for generations of Upstate New Yorkers. According to a report from the U.S. Forest Service, the Finger Lakes National Forest supports over $174 million in annual revenue from recreational activities. The natural beauty and economic benefits this landscape provides far outweighs any potential profits from future timber sales and the Forest Service must take every step to ensure the sustainable management of the Forest. Because the Forest Service already supports logging on up to 800 acres of FLNF land specifically for forest health, it is unclear why additional logging in the FLNF is necessary or productive, and local communities are justifiably concerned this could threaten the economic and environmental health of the region.
We are alarmed by new reports of significant staff reductions at the FLNF, leaving just a handful of rangers to oversee more than 16,000 acres. The cuts of the dedicated staff and rangers who are vital for the forest’s stewardship, visitor services, and forest health are wrong and seriously undermine the FLNF’s ecological integrity and it’s enjoyment by the public. The reduced number of staff will jeopardize regular maintenance of the forest, including replanting native trees in the section of forest lost to invasive Emerald Ash Borer infestations. Without full staffing, the Forest health could be compromised, jeopardizing the countless jobs and economic benefits it supports in the surrounding communities.
Many in the Finger Lakes region – residents, environmental groups, small businesses, and local governments – have raised their voices out of concern for the future of the Forest. The community deserves immediate answers on what the U.S. Forest Service’s future plans are for the Finger Lakes and we urge the U.S. Forest Service and USDA to immediately:
Restore Fiscal Year 2024 staffing levels across Finger Lakes National Forest operations and invest in the jobs needed for forest stewardship, restoration, and public safety.
Remove the Finger Lakes National Forest from any consideration for increased logging.
Engage directly with local communities, conservation organizations, and forestry professionals before taking any action affecting the FLNF.
Ensure that any prior commitments to replanting and habitat restoration, especially following previous clear-cutting for ash borer mitigation, are fully funded and completed.
Publish a justification detailing the increased acreage that would be logged beyond current activities supporting forest health, describing whether the administration intends to clear cut or sustainably thin areas of the Forest, which areas are too sensitive for logging activities, which areas would be avoided due to recreational activities, how threatened and endangered species would be protected or avoided when logging, and the necessary staff increases to complete these actions.
Publish the Forest Service’s plan for public engagement, including input from New York forestry experts regarding any potential plans to log the FLNF.
The Finger Lakes National Forest is a unique ecological and economic asset. Any changes to its management or staffing should strengthen – not weaken – its role as a model for conservation, recreation, and sustainable rural development.
We look forward to your prompt response on this timely concern and stand ready to work with you and the community to protect the Finger Lakes National Forest.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
London, UK , June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fenchurch Legal, a UK-based litigation funding specialist, today announced the launch of a structured secured lending strategy aimed at fixed-income investors seeking stable returns outside of traditional markets. With economic uncertainty challenging conventional income instruments, the firm’s high-volume consumer litigation model offers a predictable, uncorrelated alternative designed to deliver quarterly interest payments through a diversified portfolio of secured law firm loans.
Structured like private credit, Fenchurch Legal’s litigation funding model turns legal claims into an income-generating investment opportunity.
As economic volatility continues to test traditional markets, a growing number of investors are turning to alternative asset classes that promise stable risk-reward profiles. Litigation funding, once considered niche, is now emerging as a mainstream alternative investment, providing secure income generation.
Fenchurch Legal, a UK-based specialist in litigation funding, is among the firms redefining the landscape of alternative credit strategies by offering a secured, income-generating investment that is predictable and uncorrelated with traditional markets.
A Secured Lending Approach to Litigation Funding
Fenchurch Legal has structured its litigation funding offering through a secured lending model, offering investors a fixed-income product with a unique security structure designed to protect investor capital. Unlike large litigation funders who focus on a few high-value commercial cases, Fenchurch Legal funds a high volume of smaller consumer claims – including those related to financial mis-selling and mis-sold car finance. This high- volume strategy allows for broad diversification across numerous law firms and case types, helping to mitigate concentration risk and deliver consistent returns.
The predictability of this model enables investors to receive fixed, quarterly interest payments, making it an attractive option for those seeking regular income through a disciplined, secured alternative to traditional fixed-income investments.
Delivering Predictability in an Uncertain Environment
One of the most attractive features of litigation funding is its low correlation with traditional markets and macroeconomic cycles, making it particularly appealing in volatile or downturn conditions. Unlike speculative alternative assets, high-volume litigation funding offers a structured and secured approach, ideal for investors prioritizing capital preservation and low volatility. Its predictability and resilience are what set it apart, with performance driven by legal outcomes rather than market sentiment or economic indicators.
From Case Selection to Investor Returns: The Fenchurch Model in Action
Real world case examples, such as PPI or mis-sold car finance, demonstrate how funding supports access to justice while delivering predictable outcomes for investors. These well-established, protocol-driven cases highlight the tangible benefits of Fenchurch Legal’s approach.
Investor capital is pooled and deployed via secured loans to law firms, enabling them to pursue a high volume of these smaller consumer claims. These cases follow established legal protocols and have historically demonstrated repeatable outcomes. The loans are repaid by the law firms over time, with interest, regardless of individual case outcomes, all backed by After-the-Event (ATE) insurance for added downside protection.
This risk-managed structure has allowed Fenchurch Legal to consistently deliver investors with predictable, quarterly interest payments, ideal for income focused investors. By funding thousands of low-value claims across multiple law firms, the model achieves broad diversification and reduces exposure to any single case or firm. This risk-managed approach has historically delivered competitive returns, typically ranging from 11–13% per annum — making it well-suited to income-focused portfolios.
Louisa Klouda, CEO and Founder of Fenchurch Legal, stated, “At Fenchurch Legal, we’ve designed a litigation funding model that mirrors the features fixed income investors value most — regular income, downside security, and a diversified, risk-managed portfolio.”
“In today’s economy, stability is the new growth. Litigation funding provides exactly that — it’s an asset class with low volatility, high transparency, and a compelling risk-adjusted return,” she added.
About Fenchurch Legal
Fenchurch Legal is a UK-based specialist litigation financier, providing disbursement funding to small and mid-sized law firms pursuing consumer claims where outcomes are well-established and repeatable, including housing disrepair, financial mis-selling, and undisclosed commission cases. Founded in early 2020, Fenchurch Legal was established in response to growing demand for litigation funding in the smaller consumer claims segment—an underserved area of the UK litigation finance market. In parallel, Fenchurch Legal structures litigation finance investment products designed for investors, providing exposure to a non-correlated, secured investment class.
Press inquiries
Fenchurch Legal https://www.fenchurch-legal.co.uk/ Laura Rinaldi laura@fenchurch-legal.co.uk Linen Hall, 162-168 Regent St, London, W1B 5TB UK
News of the spectacular “spiderweb” mass drone attack on Russian air bases on June 1 will have been uppermost in the minds of delegates who assembled the following day for another round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. The attack appears to have been a triumph of Ukrainian intelligence and planning that destroyed or damaged billions of pounds’ worth of Russian aircraft stationed at bases across the country, including at locations as far away as Siberia.
Ukraine’s drone strikes, much like Russia’s intensifying air campaign, hardly signal either side’s sincere commitment to negotiations. As it turned out, little of any consequence was agreed at the brief meeting between negotiators, beyond a prisoner swap, confirming yet again that neither a ceasefire nor a peace agreement are likely anytime soon.
But the broader context of developments on the battlefield and beyond can offer important clues about the trajectory of the war in the coming months.
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At an earlier meeting in Istanbul in May, Moscow and Kyiv agreed to draft and exchange detailed proposals for a settlement. The Ukrainian proposal restated the longstanding position of Kyiv and its western allies that concessions on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country are unacceptable.
In other words, a Russian-imposed neutrality ruling out Nato membership and limiting the size of Ukraine’s armed forces is a non-starter for Kyiv. So is any international recognition of Moscow’s illegal land-grabs since 2014, including the annexation of Crimea.
The Ukrainian proposal is for an immediate ceasefire along the frontline as “the starting point for negotiations”. Any territorial issues would be discussed “after a full and unconditional ceasefire”.
Russia’s proposals, meanwhile, are also mostly old news. Russia maintains its demands for full recognition of Russian territorial claims since 2014, Ukrainian neutrality.
These stringent Russian demands in return for even a temporary ceasefire are hardly any more serious negotiation positions from Ukraine’s perspective than Kyiv’s proposals are likely to be to Moscow. In fact, what the Kremlin put on the table in Istanbul is more akin to surrender terms.
Ukraine is in no mood to surrender. The spiderweb drone attack against Russia’s strategic bomber fleet is a significant boost for Ukrainian morale. But, like previous drone strikes against Moscow in June 2023, it means little in terms of signalling a sustainable Ukrainian capability that could even out Russia’s advantages in terms of manpower and equipment.
The state of the conflict in Ukraine as at June 3 2025. Institute for the Study of War
Closer to the frontlines inside Ukraine, Kyiv’s forces also struck the power grid inside Russian-occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. This may delay any Russian plans to expand its control over the two regions. But, like the latest drone strikes inside Russia, it is at best an operation that entrenches, rather than breaks the current stalemate.
But while Russia might continue to make incremental gains on the battlefield, a game-changing Russian offensive or a collapse of Ukrainian defences does not appear to be on the cards.
International support
Kyiv’s position will potentially also be strengthened by a new bill in the US senate that threatens the imposition of 500% tariffs on any countries that buy Russian resources. This would primarily affect India and China.
These are the largest consumers of Russian oil and gas, and if New Delhi and Beijing decide that trade with the US is more important to them cheap imports from Russia, the move could cut Russia off from critical revenues and imports.
But, given how indecisive Donald Trump has been to date when it comes to putting any real, rather than just rhetorical, pressure on Vladimir Putin, it is not clear whether the proposed senate bill will have the desired effect. The bill has support of over 80 co-sponsors from both the Republican and Democratic caucuses, meaning the senate could overturn a presidential veto. But any delay in imposing tougher sanctions will ultimately play into Putin’s hands.
By contrast, European support for Ukraine has, if anything, increased in recent months. For example, EU leaders adopted their 17th sanctions package against Russia on May 20. A week later, Germany and Ukraine announced a new military cooperation agreement worth €5 billion (£4.2 billion).
It still falls short of what Kyiv would require for a major shift in the balance of power on the battlefield. But for now it is enough to prevent Russia from becoming militarily so dominant that Moscow’s current settlement proposals would present the only option for at least some part of Ukraine to survive as an independent state.
The war remains in a stalemate. Neither Moscow nor Kyiv appear to have the capacity to escalate their military efforts to the degree necessary that would force the other side to make substantial concessions.
Both sides are playing for time in the hope that their fortunes may change. For Ukraine, this would mean more US military support coupled with more sanctions pressure on Russia, while Europe follows through on building up its own and Ukraine’s defence capabilities.
Russia’s calculations will be different. Putin will need to keep his few remaining allies – China, Iran and North Korea – on side while trying to make a deal with Trump. This may be impossible to achieve.
In this case, the Russian dictator’s best hope might be that Trump does not impose any serious sanctions on Russia or its trade partners, let alone lean into increasing military support for Ukraine.
For both sides, a lot still hinges on Washington. The unpredictability of the Trump White House, much like the self-imposed restraint under Biden, not only makes it unlikely that the war in Ukraine moves beyond the current stalemate, it has become a major, and perhaps the decisive road block that enables both Moscow and Kyiv to dream of victory in a war that has become unwinnable.
Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.
Tetyana Malyarenko does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
ALMATY, June 3 (Xinhua) — The United Nations Green Climate Fund (GCF) will finance environmental projects in Kazakhstan worth $280 million, the Kazinform news agency reported on Tuesday.
The Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, Yerlan Nysanbayev, announced the new financing program during parliamentary hearings on the implementation of the best available technologies.
According to the minister, the funds received will be used to develop renewable energy sources, stimulate the introduction of low-carbon technologies in the industrial sector, and support the development of electric vehicles.
E. Nysanbaev said that in 2024, in order to promote green projects for the UN GCF, a country program was prepared, including 7 projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector, increasing the sustainability of centralized water supply systems in rural areas, modernizing livestock farms, and supporting private sector initiatives in the field of green financing.
The total budget for these projects is more than $1 billion, of which the fund is expected to provide $630 million in funding. –0–
The acceleration of federal approvals for “nation-building projects” was the major theme of this week’s first ministers meeting in Saskatoon. A rush to streamline approvals for resource development and infrastructure projects has been central to the Canadian response to United States President Donald Trump’s profound disruptions to longstanding trade and security relationships.
At the provincial level, Ontario’s Bill 5 and British Columbia’s Bill 15 also propose to move aggressively to fast-track mining and infrastructure projects.
These fast-tracking efforts are fuelling debate, particularly in terms of the implications for Indigenous rights and the implicit trade-offs pertaining to the environment and climate change.
Project review and approval processes in Canada have already been aggressively streamlined over the past decade. The 2019 Federal Impact Assessment Act, also known as Bill C-69, was largely modelled on Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s 2012 Bill C-38 rewrite of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
It’s important to determine why projects are delayed in the first place. Most move through assessment processes with little delay or controversy. Problems emerge when proposals are poorly designed, face serious technical or economic doubts, raise major environmental, climate or safety concerns, and spark significant social, political or legal conflicts over their costs, benefits and impacts.
A recent study on mining approvals in B.C., for example, found that far more mines were approved than ever actually developed. The main cause of delays was changing economic conditions. Regulation was found to be only a minor factor.
While there are always potential ways to improve review processes, the results of previous streamlining efforts suggest the need for caution about the potential for these initiatives to backfire.
Impact assessment and similar processes emerged as more than a way to accurately assess projects and their risks and benefits. They also provided a framework for managing intense social and political conflicts those projects may generate.
If these processes are streamlined too much, the conclusions of these assessments may seem illegitimate. There could be a trade-off between clear, certain outcomes and ensuring the approval process is fair and trustworthy.
Exacerbating conflict
The Harper government’s Bill C-38 reforms were intended to facilitate the construction of more oil pipelines. In the end, they only escalated the spiralling political and legal conflicts around projects like the Northern Gateway and Energy East pipelines.
The accompanying Alberta-to-B.C. Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline was only approved after a tortuous process. That culminated in the federal purchase and completion of the pipeline at a cost to taxpayers of $34 billion.
The political consequences of these efforts at streamlining are noteworthy. The Bill C-38 episode was seen as playing a role in the Harper government’s defeat in 2015. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s loss of his majority government in 2011 was also partly attributed to the rural response to the Green Energy Act.
Checks and balances
Aside from the political aspects, it’s important to recognize the value of thorough reviews for projects that are likely to be high-risk, high-cost and high-impact.
When past reviews have been rushed or cut short, they’ve undermine confidence in the decisions made — especially when even faster processes could increase the risks and costs passed on to taxpayers.
The Muskrat Falls and Site C hydro projects in Labrador and B.C., respectively, stand as testament to those risks. Both projects ran years behind schedule and billions over budget and continue to face major technical, environmental and economic challenges. Review processes can be important checks on poorly conceived, politically motivated projects.
It’s also important to think carefully about the long-term economic rationales being presented for projects. Canada is a relatively high-costfossil fuel producer, making it unlikely to be among the last standing in a decarbonizing world.
That should raise serious questions about major investments in new fossil fuel export infrastructure. The irony of developing such projects as major wildfires, widely attributed to the impacts of climate change, burn in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba cannot be overlooked.
Global markets for commodities like critical minerals are also uncertain and in deep flux.
Ontario’s Bill 5 represents the most aggressive streamlining proposal seen so far. The legislation would exempt designated “special economic zones” and even trusted proponents — such as mining companies assigned to lead projects — from all applicable provincial and municipal laws and regulations.
The province’s approach has raised fundamental questions about the rule of law, democratic governance and Indigenous rights, and jurisdictional boundaries.
Others have accused Ontario of racing to the bottom in terms of health, safety and environmental standards, respect for the rule of law, Indigenous rights and basic democratic values.
All of this suggests a need for caution in further streamlining review and approval processes for major projects. These are undertakings with risks and costs that could stretch far into the future and must be properly understood before they proceed.
Mark Winfield receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01)
22.6% reduction in critical programs threatens millions of American lives, including critical programs for schools, healthcare, the opioid epidemic, clean water, and tribal programs
WASHINGTON D.C. —Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (NM-01)released the following statement after President Trump delivered a “skinny” version of his Fiscal Year 2026 President’s Budget request to Congress on Friday:
“Today, Donald Trump delivered his first President’s Budget request to Congress, and it should tell you everything you need to know about his priorities: that they are all about gutting vital programs over meeting the needs of the American people,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01). “This is the President’s Great Betrayal once again, following on his massive tax package gutting social programs and ongoing tariffs that are driving economic instability and increased costs for the American people. Trump’s budget would gut vital programs by over 22% across all major federal programs—including those crucial to funding our schools, mental and behavioral health programs, clean water and air, and tribal programs. This is America under DOGE. And, I will continue to fight it every step of the way.”
Today, President Donald Trump transmitted a FY 2026 “Skinny” Budget to Congress, proposing over $163 billion in cuts, totaling more than a 22% reduction in funding for non-defense discretionary spending, representing cuts across vital federal agencies, including, among many others:
$33.3 billion in cuts (a 26.2% decrease) to the Department of Health and Human Services
$33.6 billion in cuts (a 43.6% decrease) to the Department of Housing and Urban Development
$5.1 billion in cuts (a 30.5% decrease) for the Department of the Interior, including hundreds of millions in cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs
$4.535 billion in cuts to the Department of Education’s K-12 Programs and billions more to early childhood education and other programs
$1.065 billion in cuts to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
$2.460 billion in cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds
Among additional cuts that could significantly impact New Mexico and New Mexico’s First Congressional District include:
$617 million in funding cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) serving Tribal and Pueblo Nations (including $107 million in cuts for BIA Public Safety & Justice programs and 187 million in cuts to the Bureau of Indian Education)
The elimination of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). which helps low-income families with heating and utility costs
$900 million in cuts to the National Park System
Billions in cuts to infrastructure, clean energy, and Department of Energy programs vital to New Mexico’s economy.
This FY 2026 Proposal for agency funding cuts follows on the special tax and spending package Trump and the GOP are trying to pass separately through a Budget Reconciliation package this spring. This disastrous package would havecatastrophic impacts for the country and NM-01. This tax package includes $7 trillion in giveaways to billionaires and big corporations, including a $314,266 average annual tax cut for the richest 0.1 percent, funded through almost $5 trillion in deficit spending and cuts to vital programs like Medicaid and food assistance.
Among its impacts for New Mexico’s First Congressional District include:
Healthcare insurance premiums could increase by 60% – 169%
207,936 people on Medicaid could be at risk of losing health care access and benefits, including 85,960 children under the age of 19 and 22,000 seniors over 65
153,000 people on SNAP could be impacted in their ability to access benefits that help put food on the table.
216,669 children who rely on free school lunches could be impacted
15,721 students in NM-01 on Pell grants could be impacted
For a table with more information on these cuts, clickhere.
SOUTH AFRICA, 3 June 2025 – A new report released today by Greenpeace Africa and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) reveals a devastating and avoidable public health crisis. In 2023 alone, 42,000 South Africans lost their lives due to exposure to fine particle pollution (PM2.5), including over 1,300 children under the age of five.
Behind these deaths lies a simple truth: polluters are poisoning our air and putting profits above people. Industrial giants, especially in the coal and energy sectors, continue to emit dangerous levels of toxic pollutants into the air we breathe, fully aware of the devastating health consequences.
The report shows that fine particle pollution (PM2.5 — a dangerous pollutant formed by burning coal and fuel and so small that it can enter the bloodstream through the lungs) cost South Africa over R960 billion in 2023, the equivalent of 14% of the GDP. These costs come in the form of premature deaths, respiratory illness, lost workplace productivity, and overburdened health systems.
Communities in the Highveld region and Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces, which are home to the country’s largest coal-fired power plants and industrial zones, are hardest hit. The data makes it clear: coal is killing us.
‘Science is unequivocal. The air South Africans breathe is toxic, and the corporations driving this crisis must no longer be protected by silence or inaction,’ said Cynthia Moyo, Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa.
Despite mounting evidence and repeated warnings from health experts, polluting industries continue to operate without accountability. Eskom’s coal fleet, for example, remains one of the world’s largest contributors to deadly air pollution, with some facilities continuing to apply for exemptions from pollution limits meant to protect public health.
The report also shows that aligning South Africa’s air quality standards with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines could prevent up to 33,000 deaths per year. Even meeting existing national standards could save more than 9,000 lives annually.
“South Africa’s Constitution guarantees the right to a healthy environment but that right is being violated every day by polluters. Communities deserve clean air, not corporate impunity,” added Dr Jamie Kelly, Health Impact Assessment Team Lead at CREA.
Greenpeace Africa calls for:
an immediate end to exemptions from air pollution limits for major emitters;
the full enforcement of national air quality standards;
a bold, just transition away from coal to renewable energy that centers communities;
stronger transparency and access to real-time pollution data for the public.
This report, Unmasking the Toll of Fine Particle Pollution in South Africa, is not just a call to awareness, it’s a call to action. South Africans deserve clean air and a livable future. The time to hold polluters accountable is now.
Greenpeace Africa media assets are available here.
About Greenpeace Africa
Greenpeace Africa is a growing movement of people acting in protection of the environment. Our campaigns use peaceful, creative confrontation to expose environmental injustices around the world and develop solutions for a green and peaceful future.
About CREA
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) is an independent research organisation focused on revealing the trends, causes, and health impacts, as well as the solutions, to air pollution. The organisation’s work is funded through philanthropic grants and revenue from commissioned research.
About the methodology
PM2.5 exposure
Human exposure to PM2.5 is estimated using the dataset of van Donkelaar et al. (2021) and Hammer et al. (2023), version V5.GL.05.02. The dataset provides estimates of annual ground-level PM2.5 by combining Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) retrievals, the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (http://geos-chem.org), and global ground-based observations.
Health impact assessment
Based on the spatial distributions of the PM2.5 simulated exposure map, we then calculated the corresponding public health impacts between 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. CREA’s health impact assessment (HIA) framework builds on earlier work (Myllyvirta, 2020) but incorporates important methodological updates. Compared to the original approach, we now use integrated exposure response (IER) functions from the upcoming GBD 2023 study (IHME, 2025) instead of the Global Exposure Mortality Model (GEMM), and we have added dementia as a new health endpoint. The framework continues to include a comprehensive set of health outcomes, selected to avoid overlap and to enable robust economic valuation.
For more than three decades, the Town of Coaldale and Lethbridge County, located within the Malloy Drainage Basin, have experienced destructive floods that can damage homes, businesses and public infrastructure. Together with the St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID), the town and county have been working to address and mitigate the flooding dangers faced by their residents.
Thanks in large part to Alberta government funding, groundbreaking is now underway for a new stormwater management facility that will reduce the risk of overland flooding in the region. This will help protect lives, livelihoods and critical infrastructure in southern Alberta for years to come.
Alberta’s government provided $3.73 million in funding through the Drought and Flood Protection Program to support critical community upgrades, including constructing new stormwater ponds and building a new South Coaldale regional stormwater management facility that will increase regional stormwater capacity and help combat overland flooding.
“This project is an important step toward protecting southern Albertans from future floods. By investing in the right infrastructure today, we’re building a safer, stronger province for generations to come.”
“I am pleased to see work underway for a new facility to help Coaldale manage stormwater effectively and help to keep their homes, businesses and farmland protected. This is a great example of working together to build a more resilient future for the region.”
“For decades, Coaldale has been vulnerable to flooding events that have impacted homes, businesses and essential infrastructure. This new stormwater management facility is a long overdue and much-needed investment in public safety and community resilience. We’re proud to be working alongside our regional partners to deliver a solution that not only protects our residents today, but also positions Coaldale for sustainable growth into the future.”
“We see significant value in this project. This facility is an investment in our communities to keep residents safe and protect the agricultural land that is so critical to the success of our region. By working in partnership with Coaldale and SMRID, we can ensure a lasting and long-term benefit for generations. Regional collaboration is essential to leveraging our collective resources and achieving outcomes that benefit the entire area.”
“The SMRID is thrilled to see the south Coaldale regional stormwater management facility moving forward and are proud to support this important project. The SWMF will benefit the communities in the Malloy Drainage Basin, and southern Alberta more broadly, and play a critical role in flood mitigation in the future. The project exemplifies the spirit of regional partnership and co-operation, and will support the social, environmental and economic objectives of the area and protect homes, property and irrigation infrastructure that is vital to economic prosperity in the region.”
The five-year, $125-million Drought and Flood Protection program is helping municipalities and Indigenous communities protect critical infrastructure from flooding and drought and improve public safety. The next round of funding applications will open in October, with another $25 million available to protect businesses, families and communities.
Quick facts
The new south Coaldale stormwater management facility will help mitigate runoff from a 3,662-hectare rural catchment area during 1:100-year storm events, reducing the risk of future disasters.
The facility will include 100,000 cubic metres of stormwater storage.
The total project cost is estimated at $5.3 million, with $3.73 million being funded through Alberta’s Drought and Flood Protection Program.
Once constructed, the facility will provide significant protection to over 750 residences, roadways, municipal infrastructure and agricultural land.
Construction will begin this spring and is expected to be complete by the fall of 2026.
Scientists have been working to assemble the pieces of the puzzle for years, including estimating the size of the reservoir of plastic on the ocean surface, in the water column and in the deep ocean. However, marine animals are often overlooked.
All animals can be reservoirs of plastic pollution, but to understand just how much ocean plastic pollution is stored in ocean life, we used sea turtles as a case study.
To estimate how much plastic resides within sea turtles, we built a model using data on plastic ingestion in sea turtles and factors we suspected may predict how much plastic a turtle eats. That includes geographical, socio-economic and ecological factors.
We estimated the size of the global reservoir for female green turtles because we had the most data for that group.
We estimate that approximately 60 tonnes of plastic debris reside within female green turtles at any given time. This is roughly the equivalent of a garbage truck’s worth of plastic pollution.
Based on our findings, we also predicted that an individual green turtle can contain up to 26.4 grams of plastic on average, the equivalent mass of 10 ping pong balls.
Predicting ingestion
Where a turtle lives matters. We found that sea turtles who forage closer to the equator are more likely to accumulate plastic debris. Furthermore, turtles that forage nearby countries with a lower socio-economic status are likely to eat more plastic, as socio-economic status is related to waste management.
We also found that species-specific characteristics, including body size and foraging strategy — where and how a turtle identifies and retrieves food — play a role.
Loggerhead turtles forage in the open ocean for the first seven to 15 years of their lives. (Shutterstock)
For instance, loggerhead turtles are carnivores and forage in the open ocean for the first seven to 15 years of their lives before migrating to nearshore coastal areas.
In contrast, leatherback turtles spend most of their lives in the open ocean and feed on a diet of soft-bodied prey, including jellyfish and salps. This makes it easy for them to mistake balloons as food.
Green turtles, on the other hand, primarily feed on algae and sea grasses, spending only three to five years in the open ocean before relocating to shallow coastal areas where they remain for the rest of their lives.
These different behaviours of sea turtles, along with their body size, influence where and how turtles are exposed to plastic debris and how much plastic can fit inside a turtle’s stomach at any given time.
Understanding what factors predict plastic ingestion is important for pinpointing which species are most at risk: we found that leatherback turtles have the greatest propensity for ingesting plastic debris.
Future work
Sea turtles are impacted by a changing ocean, and our plastic waste is part of that change. The relatively consistent load of plastic in sea turtles raises questions about risk.
Thousands to millions of tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean annually. (Shutterstock)
Relevant to our study, the next step is to try to understand how the plastic reservoir varies among other species. What is the total amount stored in global marine animals at any one time?
In addition, could sea turtles and marine animals in general be transporting plastic debris around as they move, essentially acting as conveyor belts of plastic throughout the ocean?
Call to action
In order to answer these questions, we need more data for sea turtles and other species. We call for further monitoring of sea turtles to improve future modelling efforts and to inform risk. We also call for further monitoring of other species, and recommend standardized reporting practices and greater data transparency.
We also hope our work can inform direct actions to protect sea turtles from the effects of plastics, and reduce the amount of plastic entering the ocean.
Xia (Alice) Zhu receives funding from the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Chelsea Rochman receives funding from NSERC, ECCC, DFO.
Matthew Mazloff receives funding from NASA, NOAA, NSF, UCSD.
overnor Kathy Hochul today announced the completion of Mt. Olive Senior Manor, an affordable housing development for seniors that builds on the State’s historic $50 million investment in Buffalo’s East Side. Developed in partnership between Mt. Olive Development Corporation and People Inc., the new building creates 65 apartments for adults aged 55 and older, including 20 apartments with supportive services for individuals struggling with homelessness, on an underutilized parcel adjacent to the Mt. Olive Baptist Church. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal has financed more than 11,000 affordable homes in Erie County. Mt. Olive Senior Manor continues this effort and complements Governor Hochul’s $25 billion five-year housing plan, which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.
“Through strong partnerships with faith-based organizations like Mt. Olive Baptist Church, we are transforming underutilized spaces into vibrant, affordable homes for New York’s seniors,” Governor Hochul said. “Mt. Olive Senior Manor reflects our commitment to delivering safe, supportive housing that meets the unique needs of the East Side’s residents, advancing our bold vision to create and preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York.”
The three-story development is constructed on land next door to the Mt. Olive Baptist Church that has undergone brownfield remediation. All apartments are affordable to households earning up to 50 percent of the Area Median Income.
Twenty apartments are set aside for seniors in need of supportive services to live independently. Services and rental subsidies are funded by the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by the New York State Department of Health. The service provider is People Inc.
Residential amenities include a community room with kitchen, laundry facilities, bicycle storage area, management office, support service offices, multipurpose room, a lounge area, and an enclosed courtyard with walkable space and a patio. To support residents as they age, the building’s design includes features such as grab bars, low-reach shelving and cabinets, lever-style door handles, under cabinet lighting, and zero transition showers.
The development was designed to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Multifamily New Construction – Energy Rating Index compliance path. The highly energy efficient, all-electric development features include electric vehicle charging stations, Energy Star appliances and lighting, low flow plumbing fixtures, and high efficiency mechanical equipment.
State financing for Mt. Olive Senior Manor includes support from HCR’s Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program that generated more than $13 million in equity, as well as $3.6 million in subsidy. The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is providing $4 million through the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program. Additionally, the site participated in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s successful Brownfield Cleanup Program and became eligible for $3.6 million in tax credits administered by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. The Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency awarded $2 million in HOME funds. NYSERDA’s New Construction – Housing Program contributed $260,000 in incentives.
New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Mt. Olive Senior Manor exemplifies New York State’s commitment to creating affordable, supportive housing, including in partnership with faith-based organizations, that uplifts residents and strengthens communities like East Buffalo. This $27 million investment not only provides safe, modern homes and vital services that seniors deserve, but allows 65 households to stay and thrive in the community they love. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, we will continue to create more housing opportunities for New Yorkers of every age and income level.”
New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said, “The 20 supportive housing units created as part of this development will help older adults in Erie County who have experienced homelessness by providing a safe, stable home and access to support services that will enable them to age in place. Congratulations to Mt. Olive Baptist Church, People Inc., and all of our state and local partners on the successful completion of Mt. Olive Senior Manor.”
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “Everyone should have access to environmentally safe and affordable housing. For more than two decades, the State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program has played a critical role in cleaning up formerly contaminated sites, returning them to productive use, and supporting local revitalization efforts. DEC is proud to oversee this critical program and its contribution to achieving Governor Hochul’s affordable housing goals in communities like Buffalo, including the Mt. Olive Senior Housing Development, while supporting DEC’s mission to protect public health and the environment for all.”
NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “Projects like Mt. Olive Senior Manor are helping shape a cleaner, more modern future for every New Yorker. Integrating the latest clean energy technology into affordable housing not only provides access to healthier, more comfortable living spaces for Western New York’s older adults, but helps improve the quality of life for many living in a historically underserved community.”
State Senator April N. M. Baskin said, “This type of collaboration is meaningful on many levels: it’s a successful partnership between Mt. Olive and the leading human services agency in our region, People Inc.. This project also reimagines an underutilized parcel, turning it into a beautiful space benefiting our older East Side residents. Mt. Olive Baptist Manor is a safe and affordable place to call home, enabling our elders to live their best life in a way they surely deserve.”
Erie County Legislator St. Jean Tard said, “It is an honor to celebrate the opening of Mt. Olive Senior Manor, a development that brings both hope and stability to our community. This project represents more than new construction—it’s a commitment to the well-being of our seniors, especially those who have faced the hardships of homelessness. Transforming a long-vacant site into a place of safety, care, and opportunity is a powerful reflection of what can be achieved through meaningful collaboration. I extend my sincere thanks to Mt. Olive Development Corp., People Inc., and all the partners who brought this vision to life.”
Buffalo Common Council Member Zeneta Everhart said, “The newly constructed Mt. Olive Senior Manor located in the Masten District is an essential facility to meet the needs of our seniors and people struggling with homelessness. Thanks to major investments from the state and the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency, what was once a vacant brownfield is now a great and affordable home for dozens of our older neighbors. I am grateful to Governor Hochul and the New York State Homes and Community Renewal for investing in our community and prioritizing the needs of vulnerable residents.”
People Inc. President and CEO Anne McCaffrey said, “We are extremely proud to join Mt. Olive Development Corp., federal, state and local government officials in unveiling this impactful housing complex,” said Anne McCaffrey, People Inc. president and CEO. “We are providing more than just new housing. We are creating life-changing opportunities for living that are invigorating communities and meeting a critical regional need. Mt. Olive Senor Manor will help people live their best lives, which is central to People Inc.’s mission and vision for the communities we serve.”
Governor Hochul’s Housing Agenda
Governor Hochul is dedicated to addressing New York’s housing crisis and making the State more affordable and more livable for all New Yorkers. As part of the FY25 Enacted Budget, the Governor secured a landmark agreement to increase New York’s housing supply through new tax incentives, capital funding, and new protections for renters and homeowners. Building on this commitment, the FY26 Enacted Budget includes more than $1.5 billion in new State funding for housing, a Housing Access Voucher pilot program, and new policies to improve affordability for tenants and homebuyers. These measures complement the Governor’s five-year, $25 billion Housing Plan, included in the FY23 Enacted Budget, to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. More than 60,000 homes have been created or preserved to date.
The FY25 and FY26 Enacted Budgets also strengthened the Governor’s Pro-Housing Community Program — which allows certified localities exclusive access to up to $750 million in discretionary State funding. Currently, more than 300 communities have received Pro Housing certification, including Buffalo.
Volunteers from a number of organisations joined staff from Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council for a ‘Balsam Bash’ at Oxford Island last week in an effort to curb an invasive species.
During the event, thousands of Himalayan Balsam plants were removed from the undergrowth at the nature reserve, as part of an ongoing campaign to control and eradicate the plant which has spread to many parts of Northern Ireland particularly in areas close to waterways, such as loughs and rivers.
Andy Griggs, who works as a Conservation Officer with ABC Council said the Balsam Bash was an important way of limiting the spread of the plant and also raising awareness of the damage it can cause to the environment and natural habitats.
“We have organised Balsam Bash events over the last number of years, and we can see the impact we have had on restricting the spread of the Himalayan Balsam. We hope that by continuing to remove these plants we can eventually eradicate it from Oxford Island,” said Andy.
“Himalayan balsam is a problematic plant. Although the flowers look pretty in the summertime, it competes with native plants for light, nutrients, pollinators and space, excluding other plants and reducing biodiversity. It dies back in the winter, leaving river banks bare and open to erosion.”
He added: “We would like to thank all the volunteers who came along today, including staff from the NI Environment Agency, AMEY Consultants, The Conservation Volunteers and the staff from ABC Council, who all came together to make this event a great success.”
Himalayan Balsam can grow up to 10ft in height and between June and October it produces clusters of purplish pink (or rarely white) helmet-shaped flowers. The flowers are followed by seed pods that open explosively when ripe.
To report or find out more information on Himalayan Balsam and other invasive species in Northern Ireland, you can visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/invasive-non-native-plants
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Reforms to bolster flood protection for communities across the country
Delivering on the government’s Plan for Change, proposals will introduce a simplified approach benefitting poorer communities and speeding up project delivery
A photo of flood defences on a beach
New proposals to accelerate the construction of flood schemes and protect thousands of homes and businesses in the nation’s cities and rural areas from the risks of flooding have been unveiled today (Tuesday 3 June) by Floods Minister Emma Hardy.
A simpler, transparent approach will replace the current complex and labour-intensive process of applying for funding, which disproportionately affects councils with less resources.
The proposals will make it easier for authorities, including councils, to bid for central government funding. This will benefit poorer councils who have less resource to commit to the application process.
They will also ensure money is distributed more effectively across the country – including for rural and coastal communities.
And faster applications will help speed up delivery of vital schemes – crucial to boosting the country’s preparedness for extreme weather events.
Established more than a decade ago under the previous government, the existing outdated formula for distributing money to proposed flood defences is complicated, slows down applications and neglects more innovative approaches such as natural flood management.
Speaking at the Flood & Coast Conference in Telford, Minister Hardy outlined fresh proposals to replace this system and introduce a simple, flexible and strategic approach to investment in flood resilience projects.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:
Councils have struggled for years with securing money for flood defences due to a complex and archaic application process. Dealing with the impacts of flooding gets in the way of growth for businesses and can be devastating for hard-working families.
That is why, as part of our Plan for Change, this Government is reforming how flood funds are distributed to protect businesses, rural and coastal communities as we invest over £2.65 billion in flood defences across the country.
Minister Hardy set out how the government will fully fund the first £3 million of proposed flood and coastal erosion projects, giving a crucial boost to schemes. For remaining costs above this, schemes would only need to secure 10% of the remaining costs from other sources, such as private investment, as the government would cover the rest. This approach would mean more schemes will see their funding gaps filled and stop local communities needing to secure more funding themselves.
The consultation – which opens today – will also seek views on how projects are prioritised each year for delivery, such as on their value for money or whether certain outcomes should be bolstered, such as for flood resilience in deprived communities or the level of private funding raised.
Delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change, these proposals will help boost economic growth, by empowering businesses to inject money into local areas and thereby creating more jobs.
Environment Agency Executive Director for Flood and Coastal Risk Management, Caroline Douglass said:
Better protecting communities in England from the devastating impacts of flooding is one of our top priorities as climate change brings more extreme weather.
We support the government’s bold strategic vision to transform the approach to investment in resilience to flood and coastal erosion, helping to streamline the delivery of flood schemes and improve existing assets to protect communities better.
The consultation also outlines plans to mainstream investment in natural flood management, which uses nature to reduce the risk of flooding, while also providing wider benefits such as improved water quality, vital habitats for wildlife and increased access to nature. This will help boost protection for rural communities, with dozens of projects under the Government’s Natural Flood Management programme already achieving this.
It also considers how communities can make better use of property flood resilience measures, such as flood doors or smart air bricks. These items help prevent water from entering a property or reduce the amount of floodwater that enters during significant flooding.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Pilot restocking project boosts rare glass eels in the Kennet
Innovative project sees nearly 23,000 protected glass eels transferred to the River Kennet.
Environment Agency officers releasing the eels.
A new Environment Agency research project has seen 22,914 rare and protected glass eels swap the River Severn for a new home in the Berkshire this month.
The eels were transferred in late April to nine locations on the Kennet chalk stream by Environment Agency fisheries specialists, initiating a research project that will monitor their development.
Peter Gray, Environment Agency fisheries team leader, said:
We are working hard to address the many struggles that eels face and are taking action to safeguard this critically endangered species.
Over the coming months and years, we will closely monitor the released eels to see how they are surviving and growing. Eventually we want to discover whether this type of management produces more eels going out to sea to breed.
Eels are born in the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean. From there, they float in their larval form on ocean currents towards Europe – journeying more than 3,000 miles for up to 2 years. Once they reach the coast, they turn into transparent glass eels up to 8cm long and then elvers, up to 12cm in length, swimming upstream into rivers. Here they live for around 6-10 years as juveniles/sub-adult yellow eels, before swimming downstream and eventually returning to the Sargasso Sea as mature adults to breed -silver eels.
In the 1980s, populations of the once-common eel started to decline all around Europe; the reasons for this are unclear but may be due to over-fishing, habitat loss and fragmentation, parasites or climate change. The numbers of new, young eels arriving at our shores are now a tiny percentage of those that arrived in the 1960s and 1970s.
Through the Environment Agency’s fisheries management programs, fish stocks are increasing to provide even more opportunities for South East anglers. Without the income from rod licences this vital work would not be possible.
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence to fish. A one-day licence costs from just £7.10, and an annual licence currently costs from just £35.80. Concessions available. Junior licences are free for 13 – 16-year-olds.
Licences are available from www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all-year-round and is supported by partners, including the police and the Angling Trust. Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported.
The close season for coarse fishing came into effect on 15 March and runs until 15 June inclusive to prevent fishing for coarse fish in rivers and streams across England, helping to protect fish when they are spawning and supporting vulnerable stocks.
Throughout the close season, Environment Agency officers conduct patrols to ensure anglers respect the no fishing period. Notices have been displayed in key fishing areas across the South East reminding anglers of the law.
Anyone with information about suspected illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 807060 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Enlight expands its successfulGecamaWind Project, transforming it into the largest hybrid power complex of its kind in Spain
The project combines wind, solar, andutility-scalebattery storage to deliver clean electricity around the clock
The hybrid project, with a total capacity of 554 MW and 220 MWh, is expected to generate approximately $100 million in annual revenue
The project, among the first in Spain to incorporate a utility-scale battery energy storage system, is expected to enhance grid stability following extended blackouts recently experienced in the country
TEL AVIV, Israel, June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enlight Renewable Energy (“Enlight”, “the Company”, NASDAQ: ENLT, TASE: ENLT.TA), a leading renewable energy platform, today announced the signing of financing agreements totaling approximately $310 million for the Hybridisation of the Gecama Project in Spain. As part of the project, Enlight will integrate a solar array and utility-scale energy storage system at its operational Gecama facility. Gecama is currently the country’s largest wind farm, with a capacity of 329 MW.
The integrated facility, with a total capacity of 554 MW and 220 MWh, will deliver clean electricity around the clock at a competitive cost of generation, yielding high returns. This performance is made possible by combining technologies with complementary generation profiles throughout most of the day, alongside a battery system that enables optimized use of energy resources.
Once completed, the Gecama Hybrid Project is expected to become the largest renewable energy complex of its kind in Spain and to play a key role in advancing storage infrastructure in line with the Spanish national plan to combat climate change and enhance energy supply stability. The need for such energy storage systems is particularly pressing considering the widespread blackouts Spain experienced in April 2025.
Enlight is among the first to deploy utility-scale battery storage at this scale in Spain. The battery system will also support peak shifting – storing electricity when prices are low and discharging during high-demand periods – thereby increasing the project’s profitability. Additionally, it will provide essential grid services such as frequency response, helping stabilize the power system through rapid charge and discharge capabilities.
Subject to the completion of final development milestones, the solar and storage components of the Hybrid Project are expected to reach commercial operation (COD) in the second half of 2026. Their addition is expected to increase the Gecama Project’s annual revenues by $38–40 million and EBITDA by $31–33 million in the first full year of operation. With all three components in full operation, the integrated project is expected to generate annual revenues of $95–105 million and EBITDA of $75–80 million.
The financing transaction of approximately $310 million includes two tranches: covering the refinancing of the Gecama Wind Project and financing for the construction of the Hybrid Project. Both tranches bear a fixed interest rate of ~5.1% and will be fully amortizing by 2045 and 2046, respectively.
After repaying the existing debt and funding necessary reserves and transaction costs, over $150 million of the secured debt will be allocated to the construction of the Hybrid Project, with a total estimated cost of $195–205 million, while the remaining balance will be funded through equity.
The financing is led by the MEAG Infrastructure Debt Transactions team, acting as sole arranger in its capacity as portfolio manager of certain funds and accounts, along with additional institutional co-investors. MEAG is the asset management arm of Munich Re, one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, primary insurance and insurance-related risk solutions.
The financing is structured on a merchant basis – which grants the Company full discretion to sell the project’s entire electricity output on the open market, without a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) – This approach reflects the high level of confidence in Enlight’s management capabilities and the economic potential of the Gecama site.
This model, combined with elevated electricity prices in Europe, has enabled Enlight to generate high returns and recover more than 50% of its equity investment in the wind project within a relatively short period since the facility’s commercial operation in 2022.
Benjamin Hemming, Head of MEAG Illiquid Assets Debt: “We are thrilled to have supported Enlight in this groundbreaking project, which showcases the potential for hybrid renewable energy solutions to transform the way we generate and consume energy. The Gecama Hybridisation Project is a testament to the innovative spirit of our partners and the growing demand for sustainable energy solutions. We are proud to have worked alongside Enlight and other stakeholders to bring this project to life, and we look forward to seeing its impact on Spain’s energy landscape.”
Isil TanriverdiVersmissen,Head of MEAG Infrastructure Debt: “The Gecama Hybridisation Project is a perfect example of the power of collaboration and innovative financing solutions in driving the transition to a low-carbon economy. We would like to extend our appreciation to Enlight for their vision and leadership in developing this project, and to our deal team for their tireless efforts in bringing this complex transaction to a successful close. As a debt provider, we are committed to supporting projects that make a positive impact on the environment and the communities they serve, and we believe that the Gecama Hybridisation Project will be a landmark example of this commitment in action.”
Gilad Yavetz, CEO of Enlight: “With the financial close at Gecama, Enlight marks another significant milestone in its European activity, by expanding one of its core assets into Spain’s first hybrid complex of its kind. This move is groundbreaking on two levels – establishing the country’s largest renewable energy complex and demonstrating technological leadership through the integration of utility-scale battery storage. The project reflects our Connect & Expand strategy – maximizing the potential of existing interconnection infrastructure to scale projects – reducing investment costs, minimizing risk, lowering the levelized cost of electricity and optimizing financial returns. Gecama Hybrid joins a lineup of mega-projects we are currently advancing as part of a broad growth plan set to unfold during 2025 across Europe, Israel, and the U.S. We are proud to have MEAG as the lead arranger in this transaction, and greatly value their trust, professionalism, and partnership in advancing such an ambitious and impactful project.”
Enlight was supported by reputable advisors in the transaction. BNP Paribas acted as the sole financial advisor and DLA Piper as the Legal advisor in the transaction.
MEAG was supported by Linklaters acting as the lenders’ legal advisor and by G-Advisory and Hartford Steam Boiler acting as technical advisors to the lenders
*Enlight indirectly holds approximately 72% of the Gecama Project through its subsidiary, with the remaining interest held by several Israeli institutional investors.
About Enlight
Founded in 2008, Enlight develops, finances, constructs, owns, and operates utility-scale renewable energy projects. Enlight operates across the three largest renewable segments today: solar, wind and energy storage. A global platform, Enlight operates in the United States, Israel and 10 European countries. Enlight has been traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange since 2010 (TASE: ENLT) and completed its U.S. IPO (Nasdaq: ENLT) in 2023. Learn more at www.enlightenergy.co.il.
Investor Contact Yonah Weisz Director IR investors@enlightenergy.co.il
Erica Mannion or Mike Funari Sapphire Investor Relations, LLC +1 617 542 6180 investors@enlightenergy.co.il
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s expectations relating to the Project, the PPA and the related interconnection agreement and lease option, and the completion timeline for the Project, are forward-looking statements. The words “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “target,” “seek,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “contemplate,” “possible,” “forecasts,” “aims” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: our ability to site suitable land for, and otherwise source, renewable energy projects and to successfully develop and convert them into Operational Projects; availability of, and access to, interconnection facilities and transmission systems; our ability to obtain and maintain governmental and other regulatory approvals and permits, including environmental approvals and permits; construction delays, operational delays and supply chain disruptions leading to increased cost of materials required for the construction of our projects, as well as cost overruns and delays related to disputes with contractors; our suppliers’ ability and willingness to perform both existing and future obligations; competition from traditional and renewable energy companies in developing renewable energy projects; potential slowed demand for renewable energy projects and our ability to enter into new offtake contracts on acceptable terms and prices as current offtake contracts expire; offtakers’ ability to terminate contracts or seek other remedies resulting from failure of our projects to meet development, operational or performance benchmarks; various technical and operational challenges leading to unplanned outages, reduced output, interconnection or termination issues; the dependence of our production and revenue on suitable meteorological and environmental conditions, and our ability to accurately predict such conditions; our ability to enforce warranties provided by our counterparties in the event that our projects do not perform as expected; government curtailment, energy price caps and other government actions that restrict or reduce the profitability of renewable energy production; electricity price volatility, unusual weather conditions (including the effects of climate change, could adversely affect wind and solar conditions), catastrophic weather-related or other damage to facilities, unscheduled generation outages, maintenance or repairs, unanticipated changes to availability due to higher demand, shortages, transportation problems or other developments, environmental incidents, or electric transmission system constraints and the possibility that we may not have adequate insurance to cover losses as a result of such hazards; our dependence on certain operational projects for a substantial portion of our cash flows; our ability to continue to grow our portfolio of projects through successful acquisitions; changes and advances in technology that impair or eliminate the competitive advantage of our projects or upsets the expectations underlying investments in our technologies; our ability to effectively anticipate and manage cost inflation, interest rate risk, currency exchange fluctuations and other macroeconomic conditions that impact our business; our ability to retain and attract key personnel; our ability to manage legal and regulatory compliance and litigation risk across our global corporate structure; our ability to protect our business from, and manage the impact of, cyber-attacks, disruptions and security incidents, as well as acts of terrorism or war; changes to existing renewable energy industry policies and regulations that present technical, regulatory and economic barriers to renewable energy projects; the reduction, elimination or expiration of government incentives for, or regulations mandating the use of, renewable energy; our ability to effectively manage our supply chain and comply with applicable regulations with respect to international trade relations, the impact of tariffs on the cost of construction and our ability to mitigate such impact, sanctions, export controls and anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws; our ability to effectively comply with Environmental Health and Safety and other laws and regulations and receive and maintain all necessary licenses, permits and authorizations; our performance of various obligations under the terms of our indebtedness (and the indebtedness of our subsidiaries that we guarantee) and our ability to continue to secure project financing on attractive terms for our projects; limitations on our management rights and operational flexibility due to our use of tax equity arrangements; potential claims and disagreements with partners, investors and other counterparties that could reduce our right to cash flows generated by our projects; our ability to comply with tax laws of various jurisdictions in which we currently operate as well as the tax laws in jurisdictions in which we intend to operate in the future; the unknown effect of the dual listing of our ordinary shares on the price of our ordinary shares; various risks related to our incorporation and location in Israel; the costs and requirements of being a public company, including the diversion of management’s attention with respect to such requirements; certain provisions in our Articles of Association and certain applicable regulations that may delay or prevent a change of control; and other risk factors set forth in the section titled “Risk factors” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and our other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC.
These statements reflect management’s current expectations regarding future events and speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or will occur. Except as may be required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Winfrith nuclear site: Have your say on decommissioning permits
Feedback wanted on environmental permits which propose leaving some low-level radioactive waste at the Dorset nuclear site as part of decommissioning.
Winfrith will be knocked down and if permits are changed some low level radioactive waste will be buried.
This is the first time in England a company has proposed to do decommissioning work under the EA’s 2018 guidance.
Share your views on the proposals now that the consultation is open until 5 September.
If granted permission, the company will leave some low-level radioactive waste at the site.
Feedback and views are being sought with the launch of a consultation on environmental permits to continue work to decommission the Winfrith nuclear site in Dorset.
The site is operated by Nuclear Restoration Services Ltd (NRS). It operated between 1959 and 1992 and is now in the final stages of decommissioning. All the buildings will be knocked down and the site will be returned to heathland with public access.
Decommissioning to follow fresh guidance for first time
In a first for England, NRS will be using our “Guidance on Requirements for Release from Radioactive Substances Regulation,” (GRR) to progress site decommissioning to the next stage. The company has applied to the Environment Agency to vary its Radioactive Substances Regulations permit and for a new permit for non-radioactive waste:
NRS is proposing to bury some of the demolition waste on site and some of this will be low level radioactive waste. The company is applying to change its Radioactive Substances Regulations environmental permit to allow this.
NRS is also asking for a new Deposit for Recovery Environmental Permit to allow it to deposit non-radioactive waste at the site.
The GRR guidance allows operators to leave radioactive and non-radioactive waste on site if it represents the best option after balancing social, economic and environmental factors.
There can be benefits to leaving waste on site such as reduced lorry movements, earlier decommissioning of sites, and it saves space in national disposal facilities for waste that cannot be safely disposed of on-site. NRS must demonstrate these benefits to the Environment Agency.
Winfrith operated between 1959 and 1992 and is now in the final stages of decommissioning.
Sally Coble, the Environment Agency’s Nuclear Regulation Group south manager, said:
We want to hear as many views as possible about the NRS proposals, and all comments will be carefully considered along with all existing information.
We will only vary the radioactive substances permit if we believe that harm to the environment, people and wildlife will be minimised.
If the applicant can demonstrate that the varied permit will meet all of the legal requirements, including those for the use of Best Available Techniques (BAT), public radiation dose and wildlife radiation dose, then we are legally obliged to grant the application.
We intend to consult again in spring 2026 on our likely decision, before publishing a final decision in autumn 2026.
Proposal to bury below ground structures with demolition waste
Both the Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor (SGHWR) and the Dragon reactor, the first experimental high temperature gas-cooled reactor, have large sub-surface structures or basements constructed from reinforced concrete.
NRS plans to demolish all remaining site buildings including the reactor buildings to ground level and to use the demolition wastes produced to backfill the sub-surface structures. An engineered cap will be placed on top of the disposals to prevent rain getting in and this will likely be made from an artificial liner, a thick clay layer and a soil layer.
Some of the floors and walls of the sub-surface structures have low level radioactive contamination and some of the waste that will be used to backfill the structure will be low level radioactive waste.
NRS will not be importing any waste to site from other locations. Only waste from the on-site demolition work will be used to fill the sub-surface structures.
How to have your say
You can have your say by submitting comments on our Citizen Space consultation pages:
Please use the permit reference numbers if you contact us. All comments must be received by 11.59pm on 5 September 2025.
Background
The Environment Agency is the independent environmental regulator for the nuclear industry in England. We make sure that nuclear power stations and radioactive waste disposal sites meet our high standards of environmental protection throughout the stages of design, construction, operation and decommissioning.
Operators of nuclear sites in England must have a permit for radioactive substances activities from the Environment Agency under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 (EPR16). The environmental permits we issue to nuclear site operators contain strict conditions (rules) that they must follow at all times. See our decommissioning of nuclear sites and release from regulation guidance.
Why we ask for the public’s views:
We aim to build and maintain confidence in our decision-making processes through our public engagement and consultation.
It is our responsibility to make decisions about environmental permit applications for radioactive waste disposal, but we consider that our decisions can be improved through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders.
We can all help to protect and improve the environment by being actively involved. Our public participation statement shows how our process is open, transparent and consultative.
Our approach to consultation is in line with the government’s published consultation principles. We would like people to understand our role in relation to radioactive waste disposal, what we are doing and why it’s important.
Hinkley Point B power station: Have your say on permit changes
EDF Energy wants to change its existing radioactive substances environmental permit for the Hinkley Point B power station in Bridgwater, Somerset.
EDF Energy wants to change its permit now that certain radioisotopes are no longer produced.
EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd has applied to the Environment Agency to make changes to parts of its radioactive substances environmental permit.
Proposed permit changes would more accurately reflect the reducing radiological hazard and risks from Hinkley Point B.
The consultation will close on 1 July 2025.
The Environment Agency is consulting on these specific permit application changes to give people the opportunity to understand the proposed changes and have their say on future decision making.
The permit controls the receipt and disposal of radioactive waste and imposes conditions and limits on radioactive discharges to the environment.
Hinkley Point B’s advanced gas cooled reactors stopped generating power after 46 years in August 2022. It is currently in the defueling stage and working towards ‘Fuel Free Status’ before entering decommissioning.
Sally Coble, the Environment Agency’s Nuclear Regulation Group south manager, said:
We have been working with EDF Energy on its application to vary parts of the environmental permit.
The company is proposing to remove some radionuclide limits in its permit because certain radioisotopes are no longer produced. The proposed changes would more accurately reflect the reducing radiological hazard and risks from Hinkley Point B
Our consultation is now open. We are encouraging people to learn more about the proposed changes and provide us with any information that they think is relevant to decision making.
How to have your say
The Environment Agency will carefully consider all the relevant feedback received during the consultation, together with existing information. Our decision will be available on the public register by September 2025.
Our engagement with the community around the Hinkley site will continue through our own ‘Meet the Regulator’ meeting, the site stakeholder group and Hinkley C’s community forum.
The application and other supporting documents are available for you to view on Citizen Space.
The consultation starts on Tuesday 3 June 2025 and closes on Tuesday 1 July 2025.
Hinkley Point B power station began generating power in 1976 using two Advanced Gas Cooled Reactors (AGR). During its lifetime it provided enough electricity to meet the need of every home in the UK for almost 3 years.
One of the reactors (Reactor 4) was declared Fuel Free in September 2024 and it is anticipated that the remaining reactor (Reactor 3) will be declared fuel free by the end of 2025.
Now the reactors are no longer operational and following defueling, certain radioisotopes are no longer produced. To reflect the current activities, EDF has applied to remove some radionuclide limits in its environmental permit.
The proposed changes to the environmental permit would more accurately reflect the reducing radiological hazard and risks from Hinkley Point B and align with the current lifecycle stage.
DLNR News Release – Incidents on Hawai’i Island Shed Light on Hawaiian Hawk Abuse, June 2, 2025
Posted on Jun 2, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom
STATE OF HAWAIʻI
KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI
JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
KE KIAʻĀINA
DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
KA ‘OIHANA KUMUWAIWAI ‘ĀINA
DAWN N.S. CHANG
CHAIRPERSON
KA LUNA HOʻOKELE
INCIDENTS ON HAWAIʻI ISLAND SHED LIGHT ON HAWAIIAN HAWK ABUSE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 2, 2025
HILO, Hawaiʻi – Threats to Hawaiʻi’s endangered wildlife usually come in the form of habitat loss and degradation, disease, or predators. Recent incidents on Hawai‘i Island involving the ‘io, or Hawaiian hawk, shed light on another hazard: human interactions. Last month, a Mountain View community member found an emaciated ‘io on her property. It was missing the upper portion of its beak. This was reported to the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center (HWC) which contacted the DLNR Divisions of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW).
Raymond McGuire, a wildlife biologist with DOFAW, collected the ‘io and transferred it to the HWC. Examination of the hawk determined the injury wasn’t natural, but human caused. No longer able to feed itself, the bird had to be euthanized.
HWC received a tip the previous week about a posting on Craigslist that offered a free hawk in Mountain View. Posted photos of that bird showed similar feather, eye and cere (lump above the beak) color to the hawk they admitted, though it still had its full beak. The post has since been deleted. It hasn’t been determined if the two incidents are related.
“I just want to make people aware that these types of abuses are happening in our backyards and if community members see something, please say something,” said McGuire.
In Hawaiʻi, endangered wildlife like the ‘io carry state protections. Hawai‘i Revised Statutes prohibit the “taking” of endangered or threatened species, which includes harming, killing, or otherwise disrupting them.
McGuire added: “We’ve received several reports in recent years of shootings and other harmful misconduct aimed at Hawaiian hawks.We can all contribute to the protection of our native ʻio and stop the trend of abuse if we keep our eyes open and speak up.”
To report suspected illegal activity, call the DLNR enforcement hotline at 808-643-3567 or use the DLNRTip app. For information on raptor rehabilitation and rescue, reach out to the HWC at 808-884-5000.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
ACCRA, Ghana, June 3, 2025/APO Group/ —
Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, Ghana’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, outlined a five-pillar strategy for the country’s mining industry at the Mining in Motion 2025 summit. The strategy is aimed at reforming the sector while empowering artisanal and small-scale mining (ASGM) initiatives.
In a presentation during the opening of the summit, Minister Buah underscored how the strategy is designed to address illegal mining, which has significantly impacted the environment. Illegal mining occupies over 16% of the nation’s forests, degrading more than 5,500 hectares. As such, the strategy seeks to address this issue by enhancing ASGM developments. ASGM operations have grown to account for 52.1% of Ghana’s total gold exports in 2025, and the strategy aims to further optimize the industry’s expansion.
“Of the $4 billion in goods shipped from Ghana in Q1, 2025, 52.1% is from artisanal and small-scale miners – hence the need to ensure that mining is done in a sustainable manner,” stated Minister Buah.
The first pillar of the strategy focuses on reforming the licensing regime. According to Minister Buah, the Ministry is currently overhauling the existing Minerals and Mining Act to attract new investments and bring in fresh ASGM players. This includes reviewing and restructuring licenses to ensure they align with Ghana’s national development agenda.
“The strategy came into implementation four months ago and we want to ensure we do mining right,” stated Minister Buah.
The second pillar centers on enhancing law enforcement. The Ministry is collaborating with various government agencies to intensify the arrest and prosecution of those engaged in illegal mining. This includes the creation of an independent Anti-Illegal Mining Military Task Force and the reorganization of security operations at both district and community levels.
Environmental restoration is also a key priority. Under the third pillar, the Ministry has reclaimed eight out of nine forest reserves previously designated as red zones for illegal mining within just four months. Reforestation programs are now underway to restore these degraded areas and ensure long-term environmental sustainability.
The fourth pillar emphasizes stakeholder engagement and public education. The Ministry is working closely with traditional authorities, lawmakers, civil society organizations and the general public to promote sustainable practices and encourage collective responsibility in preserving Ghana’s natural resources.
“Lack of jobs and skills has been the main cause of illegal mining and we are dealing with this directly by diversifying employment. We want to create over 150,000 new jobs,” stated Minister Buah.
The fifth pillar aims to provide alternative livelihoods and job opportunities, especially for youth and individuals previously involved in illegal mining. Through programs such as the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Program for Illegal Miners; the 1 Million Coders Program; and initiatives by the Youth Employment Agency, the government is offering skills training and employment placement. These efforts are designed to reduce reliance on illegal mining and diversify economic opportunities across the country.
The pillars will be achieved through various strategies such as the Ghana Gold Board, the Minerals Development Fund, the Minerals Income Investment Fund, Geofencing of Excavators, the Investment in Geological Investigations of Mineralized Areas, Small-Scale Mining Cooperatives, the Blue Water Initiative, the Tree for Life Initiative and the Anti-Illegal Mining Secretariat.
Organized by the Ashanti Green Initiative – led by Oheneba Kwaku Duah, Prince of Ghana’s Ashanti Kingdom – in collaboration with Ghana’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, World Bank, and the World Gold Council, with the support of Ghana’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the summit offers unparalleled opportunities to connect with industry leaders.
Geneva, Switzerland, 2 June 2025 – The inaugural Global Early Warnings for All Multi-Stakeholder Forum opened today with a resounding call to accelerate the implementation of life-saving early warning systems worldwide. Co-led by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the forum brings together governments, international organizations, civil society, private sector actors, and communities to advance the UN Secretary-General’s Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative.
As part of the preparatory days for the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, the two-day forum aims to ensure that every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems by the end of 2027. With disasters projected to increase by 40% between 2015 and 2030, and economic losses from disasters in 2023 estimated at $250 billion, the urgency for effective early warning systems has never been greater.
The forum’s opening session featured a comprehensive stock-take of global early warning system progress, highlighting that 108 countries report that they have multi-hazard early warning systems. Building on outcomes from five regional Early Warnings for All Multi-Stakeholder Fora held across Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe & Central Asia, the Americas & Caribbean, and Arab States, the global gathering captures lessons learned and identifies pathways to close remaining gaps.
Community-centered approaches and innovation at the forefront
Graphic recording of thematic session on community empowerment.
The forum’s first day emphasized the critical importance of people-centered approaches to early warning systems. Thematic sessions explored how communities can be empowered through user-tailored early warnings and early action, with particular attention to the unique challenges faced in fragile and conflict settings.
Mr. Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, reinforced this message, stating, “Leave no one behind comes very important in the context of early warning systems. Women, children and persons with disabilities are not passive recipients of services, they are active participants.”
Participants examined effective governance models that support multi-hazard early warning systems, recognizing that successful implementation requires institutionalized chains of responsibility and multi-stakeholder engagement including South-South and Triangular Cooperation mechanisms. The forum highlighted that early warning systems are strongest when at-risk communities and sectors co-develop and co-own these systems, ensuring trust, timely action, and long-term sustainability.
Innovation emerged as a key theme, with experts showcasing how science, technology, and local knowledge can advance multi-hazard early warning systems. Discussions covered the integration of artificial intelligence, satellite systems, Information of Things (IoT) technologies, and traditional knowledge systems to enhance forecasting accuracy and improve warning dissemination to vulnerable populations.
Ambassador Julien Thöni, Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations and other Organisations in Geneva, highlighted the dual nature of innovation: “Early Warning Systems can go hand-in-hand with innovation. New technologies from satellite data to mobile alerts help us predict more accurately and reach people faster. But innovation also means finding smarter ways to work together, adapt to local needs, and make sure no one is left behind.”
Building partnerships for resilient futures
Graphic recording of opening session & stock take on collaborative action and multilateralism.
The forum underscored that no single entity can build and maintain effective early warning systems alone. Participants emphasized the need for stronger partnerships across sectors, levels of government, and international boundaries to achieve Early Warnings for All, by All.
Professor Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, emphasized the critical importance of collaboration: “No warning, however early, is effective unless it reaches the right people at the right time. And that is why we are here today. To cement our partnerships and trust which are essential to early action…Alone we can do very little. But together, we can do so much.”
Early warning systems provide a ten-fold return on investment and are recognized as among the most cost-effective adaptation measures. However, their full socio-economic benefits remain under-documented, highlighting the need for better evidence and advocacy to scale up investments.
The forum’s diverse organizing committee, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the CREWS Secretariat, the Risk-informed Early Action Partnership (REAP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Group on Earth Observations (GEO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Food Programme (WFP), Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (SEM), the Global Network of Civil Society for Disaster Reduction (GNDR), and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General Climate Action Team, reflects the multi-stakeholder approach essential for success.
Path forward: cooperation and finance
Graphic recording of session on effective governance to support multi-hazard early warning systems.
As the Forum continues, participants will focus on accelerating Early Warnings for All through international, regional and national cooperation and partnerships, alongside solutions for scaling and sustaining investments in multi-hazard early warning systems and building resident capacity.
The Forum will produce an outcome statement sharing overarching needs and priorities, as well as emerging opportunities identified by participants at the global level. These outcomes will feed directly into the Global Platform’s thematic session on early warnings and early action.
With Target G of the Sendai Framework calling for substantial increases in the availability and access to multi-hazard early warning systems, the Global Early Warnings for All Multi-Stakeholder Forum represents a critical milestone in the journey toward universal protection from disasters.
The Global Early Warnings for All Multi-Stakeholder Forum continues on 3 June 2025, focusing on international cooperation and financing solutions for early warning systems.
The 8th Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025 (GPDRR2025) began with preparatory events on Monday, 2 June, ahead of the upcoming official programme with highlevel meetings from 4-6 June in Geneva, Switzerland. GPDRR 2025 is organized by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and hosted by the Government of Switzerland. Two parallel events took place on Monday: the Third Stakeholder Forum and the Global Early Warning for All (EW4All) MultiStakeholder Forum.
Third Stakeholder Forum
Opening
The Third Stakeholder Forum opened with statements by the Governments of Switzerland and Indonesia and senior UN leaders under the theme “United for Resilience.” Speakers highlighted progress on the Bali Agenda for Resilience, an outcome of the 7th Global Platform in 2022, and the opportunities for inclusive disaster risk reduction (DRR).
Mirjam Macchi, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, appreciated stakeholders’ solidarity around the evacuation and assistance to the historic village of Blatten, destroyed last week by a glacial landslide 200 km from Geneva. She noted that even livestock were cared for-a powerful reminder that “resilience begins with local people” and inclusive solutions are more effective when those directly affected by disasters bring vital knowledge to action.
Achsanul Habib, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the UN, reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to risk-informed policies and inclusive approaches. He encouraged all participants to use the Stakeholder Forum as “not only a platform to listen and share, but a platform to act together.”
The event also showcased the Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments online platform (SFVC), where stakeholders can register their commitments, and users can identify areas of activity as well as gaps. Yuki Matsuoka, Head, UNDRR Office in Japan, noted that 729 individual organizations so far have registered their commitments.
Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organisation
Whole-of-society approach for the Sendai Framework on DRR: A collective responsibility
Sarah Wade-Apicella, UNDRR, moderated the session. On effective methods to implement inclusive DRR, Marcie Roth, World Institute on Disability, underscored the need for people with disabilities to be involved early in co-development of disaster risk strategies, and for foresight processes to incorporate diverse voices. Major Hamad Sabah Al-Sawar, Director of Crisis and Disaster Management, Bahrain, described Bahrain’s communication platform providing diverse modes of information sharing in multiple languages, the use of a phone application, and a common hashtag used to mobilize public action.
On intersectional and intergenerational knowledge sharing, Tom Colley, HelpAge International, drew attention to the wide network of older people associations worldwide as opportunities to engage this age group in DRR. He noted these associations can also harness and serve as channels for bringing Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge into DRR strategies. Barrise Griffin, Disaster Risk Management Authority, The Bahamas, emphasized moving away from one-off, extractive approaches to information gathering, and instead facilitating ongoing dialogue. Josefina Miculax Sincal, Huairou Commission, called for frameworks and trainings to strengthen good practices at the community level.
A slide showing the numbers of internal displacement by hazard for 2015- 2024.
Participants then heard comments and questions from the floor on the role of national DRR platforms in community-level participation, engagement, and school programs for children; managing conflicts of interest; looking beyond immediate impacts of DRR; measuring the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement; shifting risk ownership to local communities to handle disasters; and securing resources.
Data and financing for disaster displacement as loss and damage
Steven Goldfinch, Asian Development Bank (ADB), moderated this session.
Christelle Cazabat, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, explained that research into Hurricane Milton’s impacts in the US shows how people’s aspirations change when displacement stretches into the long term. She noted 2024 saw the highest number of people displaced in a single year globally (45.8 million), as well as the highest number of people continuing to live in displacement (9.8 million).
Noralene Uy, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines, noted that her country ensures children have access to child-friendly spaces during displacement, and that national protocols guide national and local assessments and reporting. Isoa Talemaibua, Ministry for Maritime and Rural Development, Fiji, highlighted Fiji’s risk assessment activities and stressed the value of financial tools such as green and blue bonds, and parametric insurance that enables rapid payouts based on environmental triggers.
Hoang Phuong Thao, ActionAid Vietnam, highlighted the organization’s work with marginalized and remote communities to use smartphones for receiving early warnings, as well as for reporting on local conditions, thereby informing the government’s trend analysis. Catalina Díaz Escobar, Corporación Antioquia Presente, emphasized that data collection itself is a political process and should be conducted in an ethical and respectful manner.
From Paris to Sendai: the fundamental connection of climate and DRR
Jamie Cummings, Sendai Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism, moderated the session. Animesh Kumar, UNDRR, underlined that risk is a common denominator across the Sendai Framework, Paris Agreement, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stating that all these global frameworks share the goal of resilience. He encouraged the institutionalization of the agreements at the national level and highlighted the need to localize them. On technical assistance, he stressed that funding applications under the Santiago Network -a mechanism to support countries recovering from loss and damage due to climate change -should be designed to catalyze downstream impacts. Hisan Hassan, National Disaster Management Authority, Maldives, described his country’s focus on EW4All and slow-onset losses. Manon Robin, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, discussed integration of national adaptation plans and DRR strategies and emphasized, supported by Le-Anne Roper, UNDRR, the need to focus on coordinating actors on different aspects of climate resilience. Amber Fletcher, University of Regina, emphasized that slow-onset disaster management and funding are crucial for food producers, and stressed the significance of non-economic loss and damage.
View of the panel during the “From Paris to Sendai: the Fundamental Connection of Climate and DRR” event.
Innovative financing and private sector leadership in DRR
Camila Tapias, UNDRR ARISE Global Board Member, moderated the session. Manisha Gulati, ODI Global, noted that most funding goes toward emergency response after disasters occur. She highlighted that when the private sector invests in critical services, DRR becomes an outcome, not only a target.
Yezid Niño, Private Sector Liaison, UNDRR Americas, emphasized the relevance of understanding that DRR is part of the development of the countries and pointed toward the role of regulatory frameworks in involving the private sector in financing DRR. Terry Kinyua, Co-Chair of the ARISE Global Board, stressed that the resilience of communities amounts to the resilience of a country.
Through digital interaction, attendees identified cost-benefit analysis, data gaps, and trust as the major barriers to private sector investment in DRR. Among the actions leaders can take to accelerate investment in resilience, attendees mentioned political incentives, regulatory alignment, resilience as a national priority, and the involvement of local leaders.
View of the panel during the “Innovative Financing and Private Sector Leadership in DRR” event.
Implementation of climate and DRR gender action plans at the national level-Synergies and strategies
Mwanahamisi Singano, Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), moderated this panel discussion unpacking synergies between the different Gender Action Plans (GAPs) under multiple conventions and frameworks, including the Sendai GAP. She noted the need to avoid duplication and ensure cost effectiveness.
Mary Picard, Humanitarian and Development Consulting, gave a keynote address describing the actions leading to the launch of the Sendai GAP in 2024. Panelists mentioned key lessons from their experiences with governments in implementing the GAPs, including the challenge of competing priorities and political preferences among different ministries when attempting to coordinate the different GAPs. Other interventions focused on holding governments and agencies accountable for implementing GAPs and enhancing communication among women’s networks, particularly those involved in DRR. Following interventions on regional mapping tools and GAP observatories that monitor implementation progress, Singano invited participants to provide inputs towards developing a universal DRR gender equality observatory.
Community-led action for resilience, building partnerships for inclusive action
Maité Rodríguez, Fundación Guatemala, moderated this session. The panel featured grassroot women leaders and related international organizations. Godavari Dange, Swayam Shikshan Prayog, a women-led organization of farmer-producers, highlighted women farmers’ work in drought preparedness to cultivate and stockpile animal fodder. She also highlighted technology training conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic for women to use online platforms. Norma Choc Botzoc, Community Practitioners’ Platform for Resilience in Guatemala, described grassroot women’s own development of risk and vulnerability assessments, which, she noted, are being used as tools for advocacy to local authorities to direct resources appropriately. Speakers from ADB and the Centre for Coordination of Disasters in Central America and the Dominican Republic (CEPREDENAC) affirmed the central importance of cooperation and co-design of programs for climate resilience and recovery after disasters.
Disaster preparedness and risk reduction in urban areas—Building back better
Ladeene Freimuth, The Freimuth Group, moderated the session. Guilherme Simões, National Secretary for Peripheries, Ministry of Cities, Brazil, outlined the Live Peripheries program, which provides access to better urban infrastructure, social services, and opportunities; and the Peripheries Without Risk strategy, a community-based risk reduction and climate adaptation plan.
Marcie Roth, World Institute on Disability, highlighted EWS as one of the best-proven and cost-effective methods for reducing disaster deaths and losses. She drew attention to “Infinite Access,” a communication platform designed to deliver emergency alerts in multiple accessible formats.
Mario Flores, Habitat for Humanity International, discussed the challenges and opportunities of urban environments, stressing the need to build better in the first place; to have risk-informed development; and to consider housing as a platform for a peoplecentered resilience approach.
Debbra Johnson, ARISE-US Network, addressed the report “Navigating the sustainability-resilience nexus,” which brings together the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, and the DRR Sendai Framework.
Breaking the DRR financing silos: A systematic shift in DRR financing for localization of inclusive resilience
Camila Tapias, UNDRR ARISE Global Board Member, moderated the session. Noting that financial capital existed but is not reaching local levels, Tanjir Hossain, Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism, called for breaking down silos so funding is not sitting around while millions of people suffer. Steve Goldfinch, ADB, described the National Disaster Management Fund of Pakistan that finances projects with high economic benefits using a 70% – 30% funding model from provincial governments. He also highlighted the National Disaster Risk Management Fund of the Philippines that encourage local governments to invest in disaster response, relief, preparedness and risk reduction measures. Emma Haight, UNDRR Investor Advisory Board, described the adoption of a green sewer design, first developed in Washington DC, which proved so successful that the design was replicated in London, UK, Cape Town, South Africa, and Quito, Ecuador, highlighting its environmental and financial risk reduction, and over USD 200 million in cost savings. Michelle Chivunga, Global Policy House, discussed using artificial intelligence to shift DRR responses, optimize data utilization in local governments, track and mobilize funding, and to use digital capital during humanitarian crisis to make up for funding shortfalls. Sara Hoeflich, United Cities and Local Government, recommended investment in basic services such as water supply, street cleaning, and sewer solutions to ensure clean cities as an investment and risk mitigation measure. Marcos Concepción Raba, Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction, discussed effective localization.
Global Early Warning for All (EW4All) Multistakeholder Forum
Opening
Julien Thöni, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Switzerland, said timely early warning action should provide critical time to act and respond, and noted that innovation better predicts and reaches people faster. Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), suggested key criteria for improving early warning systems (EWS), including that science must connect people; and systems and partnerships must include actors “outside the DRR tent,” especially those most at risk. Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Head of UNDRR, said EWS should not be regarded as a once-off intervention. He said national ownership must be strengthened, and the concept of leaving no one behind should be embedded into all efforts. Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition, via video, suggested EWS is the most basic tool for saving and protecting lives, and called for high-level political support, a boost in technology access, and public and private finance at scale.
Fireside chat: The state of EWS
Johan Stander, WMO, drew attention to national ownership, stakeholder engagement, and the involvement of funding partners when investing in EW4All. Sujit Kumar Mohanty, Chief of Branch, UNDRR, emphasized co-design and co-ownership approaches to meaningfully engage stakeholders for successful EW4All.
Good practices: Stakeholder perspectives on EWS
Interventions during this panel session included: calls to integrate women and youth in all decisions focused on EWS; investing in women’s leadership, particularly those with disabilities; ensuring young people are equitably involved; reaching those living in remote rural areas and conflict zones; and leveraging the communication power of mobile networks through private-public partnerships.
UNDRR Disability Leaders gather at the end of the day.
Perspectives from across regions on EWS
Panelists in this session focused on: successful collaboration and EWS progress in Zimbabwe after the 2019 Cyclone Idai; institutionalization of the community-based approach to EWS in Barbados; main challenges to integrate scientific tools and remote sensing into EWS in Lebanon; integration of the private sector in EWS decision-making process in Makati, the Philippines; and the role of cross-border cooperation, knowledge sharing, and educating people for effective EWS in Poland.
Thematic Sessions
Four thematic sessions took place during the day. These were:
In a historic moment ahead of World Environment Day, Greenpeace Africa, civil society groups, interfaith leaders, youth movements, and the Maasai community from Kajiado County have joined forces to urge the government of Kenya to support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty — a bold, justice-centered global mechanism aimed at phasing out fossil fuels and accelerating a fair, financed transition to renewable energy.
At a press conference held today in Nairobi, stakeholders rallied behind the call for Kenya to join the bloc of 16 nations currently participating in discussions for the Treaty. The event follows the release of a joint press statement which highlights growing multi sectoral support within Kenya for a global commitment to phase out coal, oil and gas.
“Our African nations are bearing the brunt of a climate crisis they didn’t cause,” said Fred Njehu, Pan African Political Strategist at Greenpeace Africa. “Kenya has already shown climate leadership through its renewable energy goals — now is the time to go further. We need global mechanisms like the Fossil Fuel Treaty that support African nations with the finance, technology, and justice they deserve.”
In a landmark move, the Maasai community of Kajiado became the first Indigenous Peoples outside of Latin America to publicly back the Fossil Fuel Treaty, joining 11 Amazonian Indigenous nations. Their support underscores the growing momentum for a legally binding mechanism to end fossil fuel expansion and deliver a just energy transition.
“As the Maasai community, we have lived in harmony with nature for generations,” said Moses Ole Kipaliash, Maasai community leader and environmentalist. “But now, the rains are unpredictable, the land is drying up, and our livestock are perishing. We support the call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty because we want to protect our land and our future from further damage.”
The proposal for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is built on three pillars:
End new fossil fuel expansion everywhere,
Phase out existing fossil fuel production in a fair and equitable manner,
Enable a just transition that is financed and prioritizes vulnerable communities.
Support for the Treaty is growing globally, with 16 nation states, over 130 cities and local governments, including Lilongwe, Freetown, Dar es Salaam, and Lusaka, backing the initiative. It is also endorsed by over 600 parliamentarians, 4,000 organizations, including the World Health Organization, the European Parliament, and trade unions representing over 30 million workers.
“With its track record of climate leadership and a bold target of 100% renewable energy, Kenya is uniquely positioned to lead the continent,” said Prince Papa, Africa Campaigner for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. “Backing the Treaty would align with Kenya’s national ambitions, help unlock international finance and technology, and ensure Africa’s needs are prioritized in shaping this global solution.”
As the global movement builds momentum, Greenpeace Africa and its partners call on the Kenyan government to:
Publicly support and engage in Fossil Fuel Treaty discussions;
Halt new fossil fuel licenses and expansion projects;
Develop a national just transition plan with clear timelines, community protections, and investment in clean energy.
“This is not just about emissions; it’s about equity,” concluded Njehu. “We have a responsibility to ensure a liveable future, not just for Kenya, but for the whole world. The Fossil Fuel Treaty offers us a seat at the table to do exactly that.”
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Hung Nguyen-Viet, Program Leader (ai), HEALTH at ILRI / CGIAR, International Livestock Research Institute
The world is facing daunting health challenges with the rise of zoonotic diseases – infections that are transmissible from animals to humans. These diseases – which include Ebola, avian flu, COVID-19 and HIV – show how the health and wellbeing of humans, animals and ecosystems are closely connected.
Zoonotic diseases have become more and more common due to factors such as urbanisation, deforestation, climate change and wildlife exploitation. These dangers are not limited by borders: they are global and demand a coordinated response.
By looking at health holistically, countries can address the full spectrum of disease control – from prevention to detection, preparedness, response and management – and contribute to global health security.
The World Health Organization has a basis for such an approach: One Health. This recognises the interdependence of the health of people, animals and the environment and integrates these fields, rather than keeping them separate.
I lead the health programme at the International Livestock Research Institute, where we are looking for ways to effectively manage or eliminate livestock-related diseases, zoonotic infections and foodborne illnesses that disproportionately affect impoverished communities.
My work focuses on the link between health and agriculture, food safety, and infectious and zoonotic diseases.
For example in Kenya we are part of an initiative of the One Health Centre in Africa to roll out canine vaccination and have so far vaccinated 146,000 animals in Machakos county.
In Ethiopia and Vietnam we worked in a programme to improve the hygiene practices of butchers in traditional markets.
In another project we work in 11 countries to strengthen One Health curricula in universities.
The lessons from the One Health projects implemented with partners across Asia and Africa are that there’s an urgent need for action on three fronts. These are: stronger cross-sectoral collaboration; greater engagement with policymakers to translate research findings into actionable strategies; and the development of adaptable and context-specific interventions.
But, having been active in this area for the last decade, I am impatient with the slow pace of investment. We know that prevention is better than cure. The cost of prevention is significantly lower than that of managing pandemics once they occur. Urgent steps, including much higher levels of investment, need to be taken.
What’s in place
In 2022 the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Organisation for Animal Health developed a joint One Health plan of action. They identified key areas to respond more efficiently to health threats. These included:
Reducing risks from emerging and re-emerging zoonotic epidemics. Actions include, for example, tightening regulations around farming and trade in wildlife and wild animal products.
Controlling and eliminating endemic, zoonotic, neglected tropical and vector-borne diseases by understanding the attitudes and knowledge of communities bearing the greatest burdens of these diseases. And boosting their capacity to fight them.
Strengthening action against food safety risks by monitoring new and emerging foodborne infections.
Curbing the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance, one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity.
Other collaborations include the Prezode (Preventing Zoonotic Disease Emergence) initiative to research all aspects of diseases of animal origin. This was launched in 2021 by French president Emmanuel Macron.
One Health has gained traction globally. But there’s still a great deal to be done.
The cost of inaction
According to a 2022 World Bank estimate, preventing a pandemic would cost approximately US$11 billion per year, while managing a pandemic can run up to US$31 billion annually. So the investment return of 3:1 is an important reason to call for investment in One Health.
The Pandemic Fund was launched in November 2022 by leaders of the Group of 20 nations and hosted by the World Bank Group to help low- and middle-income countries prepare better for emerging pandemic threats. US$885 million has been awarded to 47 projects to date through the two rounds in the last three years.
However, relative to the US$11 billion per year required for prevention, this investment is modest. Urgent investment in One Health needs to be made by countries themselves, in particular low- and middle-income countries.
The last two World One Health congresses (in Singapore in 2022, and in Cape Town in 2024) called for investment in One Health. There were also calls for investment in One Health at regional level to prevent zoonotic diseases and the next pandemic.
At the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) formally adopted by consensus the world’s first Pandemic Agreement. The landmark decision culminates more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is major global progress in One Health and disease prevention.
But the lessons of COVID-19 have shown us that the cost of inaction is incalculable in terms of lives lost, economic turmoil and societal disruption. To date, there have been over 777 million cases of COVID-19, including more than 7 million deaths worldwide.
According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund, COVID will have caused a cumulative production loss of US$13.8 trillion by 2024.
The choice is clear: invest today to prevent tomorrow’s pandemics, or pay a heavy price in the future.
– Preventing the next pandemic: One Health researcher calls for urgent action – https://theconversation.com/preventing-the-next-pandemic-one-health-researcher-calls-for-urgent-action-255229
This morning, Fonterra’s Auckland headquarters were lit up by Greenpeace with dozens of messages from New Zealanders, who are calling on the dairy giant to take responsibility for its environmental impact.
These messages included that of Gail, who said “With a dairy farm background I feel sad our dairy industry continues to pollute”.
Greenpeace spokesperson Sinéad Deighton-O’Flynn says “Fonterra is New Zealand’s worst environmental polluter. They’re cooking the climate with superheating methane gas, contaminating rural communities’ drinking water with harmful levels of nitrate, and destroying the rainforests of Southeast Asia for cheap cow feed.
“New Zealanders care deeply about nature. No one wants to know that the butter they’re spreading on their toast, or the milk they’re pouring in their coffee, is linked to environmental destruction. But unfortunately, the way that Fonterra chooses to run its business means that is currently the case.
“People have expressed their shame and disgust at Fonterra’s blatant disregard for protecting nature, and they’ve shared how the intensive dairy industry has impacted their lives. We’ve come here to bring their voices directly to Fonterra, to hold this superpolluter accountable for its environmental crimes.”
Greenpeace recently announced that Fonterra is seeking three hundred thousand dollars in reparations over a peaceful climate protest that took place at the Fonterra Te Rapa factory last year.
“This is a draconian effort to silence peaceful protest, but we will not be intimidated. Greenpeace and concerned individuals from across the country will continue to hold Fonterra accountable, despite their attempts to silence us,” says Deighton-O’Flynn.
H.E. San Lwin, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community received a courtesy visit from Mr. Norbu Wanchuk, Director General of the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP). The meeting explored opportunities for inter-regional cooperation between South Asia and Southeast Asia on shared environmental challenges, including marine plastic pollution, climate change, air pollution, and transboundary haze pollution.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Hung Nguyen-Viet, Program Leader (ai), HEALTH at ILRI / CGIAR, International Livestock Research Institute
The world is facing daunting health challenges with the rise of zoonotic diseases – infections that are transmissible from animals to humans. These diseases – which include Ebola, avian flu, COVID-19 and HIV – show how the health and wellbeing of humans, animals and ecosystems are closely connected.
Zoonotic diseases have become more and more common due to factors such as urbanisation, deforestation, climate change and wildlife exploitation. These dangers are not limited by borders: they are global and demand a coordinated response.
By looking at health holistically, countries can address the full spectrum of disease control – from prevention to detection, preparedness, response and management – and contribute to global health security.
The World Health Organization has a basis for such an approach: One Health. This recognises the interdependence of the health of people, animals and the environment and integrates these fields, rather than keeping them separate.
I lead the health programme at the International Livestock Research Institute, where we are looking for ways to effectively manage or eliminate livestock-related diseases, zoonotic infections and foodborne illnesses that disproportionately affect impoverished communities.
My work focuses on the link between health and agriculture, food safety, and infectious and zoonotic diseases.
For example in Kenya we are part of an initiative of the One Health Centre in Africa to roll out canine vaccination and have so far vaccinated 146,000 animals in Machakos county.
In Ethiopia and Vietnam we worked in a programme to improve the hygiene practices of butchers in traditional markets.
In another project we work in 11 countries to strengthen One Health curricula in universities.
The lessons from the One Health projects implemented with partners across Asia and Africa are that there’s an urgent need for action on three fronts. These are: stronger cross-sectoral collaboration; greater engagement with policymakers to translate research findings into actionable strategies; and the development of adaptable and context-specific interventions.
But, having been active in this area for the last decade, I am impatient with the slow pace of investment. We know that prevention is better than cure. The cost of prevention is significantly lower than that of managing pandemics once they occur. Urgent steps, including much higher levels of investment, need to be taken.
What’s in place
In 2022 the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Organisation for Animal Health developed a joint One Health plan of action. They identified key areas to respond more efficiently to health threats. These included:
Reducing risks from emerging and re-emerging zoonotic epidemics. Actions include, for example, tightening regulations around farming and trade in wildlife and wild animal products.
Controlling and eliminating endemic, zoonotic, neglected tropical and vector-borne diseases by understanding the attitudes and knowledge of communities bearing the greatest burdens of these diseases. And boosting their capacity to fight them.
Strengthening action against food safety risks by monitoring new and emerging foodborne infections.
Curbing the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance, one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity.
Other collaborations include the Prezode (Preventing Zoonotic Disease Emergence) initiative to research all aspects of diseases of animal origin. This was launched in 2021 by French president Emmanuel Macron.
One Health has gained traction globally. But there’s still a great deal to be done.
The cost of inaction
According to a 2022 World Bank estimate, preventing a pandemic would cost approximately US$11 billion per year, while managing a pandemic can run up to US$31 billion annually. So the investment return of 3:1 is an important reason to call for investment in One Health.
The Pandemic Fund was launched in November 2022 by leaders of the Group of 20 nations and hosted by the World Bank Group to help low- and middle-income countries prepare better for emerging pandemic threats. US$885 million has been awarded to 47 projects to date through the two rounds in the last three years.
However, relative to the US$11 billion per year required for prevention, this investment is modest. Urgent investment in One Health needs to be made by countries themselves, in particular low- and middle-income countries.
The last two World One Health congresses (in Singapore in 2022, and in Cape Town in 2024) called for investment in One Health. There were also calls for investment in One Health at regional level to prevent zoonotic diseases and the next pandemic.
At the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) formally adopted by consensus the world’s first Pandemic Agreement. The landmark decision culminates more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is major global progress in One Health and disease prevention.
But the lessons of COVID-19 have shown us that the cost of inaction is incalculable in terms of lives lost, economic turmoil and societal disruption. To date, there have been over 777 million cases of COVID-19, including more than 7 million deaths worldwide.
According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund, COVID will have caused a cumulative production loss of US$13.8 trillion by 2024.
The choice is clear: invest today to prevent tomorrow’s pandemics, or pay a heavy price in the future.
Hung Nguyen-Viet does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
