AFP UK

At the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month, General Motors showcased its new electric vehicles, including the Chevrolet Silverado RST EV

The emerging fleet of electric vehicles (EV) provoked fascination at the Detroit Auto Show, but many consumers were not yet ready to take the plunge to own one themselves.

Some, like Justin Tata, wanted a first-hand look at new EV offerings, saying “it’s embracing the change that’s coming because I think the internal combustion engine (ICE) is on the way out.” 

But Tata, who works in the packaging industry, still has questions about EV battery disposal. He came to the Detroit show, which concludes Sunday, to survey the state of play, but doesn’t foresee buying an EV for another five to 10 years.

Among other attendees, the less-EV enthused included Tim Stokes.

“I think eventually that’s going to be the only option,” said Stokes as he admired a new gasoline-powered Ford Mustang, adding that he wants to “prolong (driving ICE vehicles) as long as possible.”

Friends in the auto industry have advised waiting three or four years for the industry to “work out the kinks” with EVs, said Stokes, who works in telecommunications.

– Mainstream options –

Long considered a niche sideshow in the auto world, the prominence of EVs at this year’s Detroit gathering underscored their new mainstream status as big automakers respond to rising concerns about climate change and government policies promoting EVs.

Chevrolet’s showcase highlighted EV versions of three of the GM brand’s top-selling products: the Silverado pickup, and the Blazer and Equinox, both SUVs. Chevy expects to begin deliveries on the vehicles in 2023.

Ford too has targeted its EV campaign towards its most popular vehicles, unveiling a battery-powered version of its best-selling F-150 pickup truck and launching the Mustang Mach-E, a new SUV that has also attracted strong interest from consumers.

A 2022 Consumer Reports survey showed 14 percent of Americans saying they would “definitely” buy or lease an EV if they were searching for a vehicle, up from four percent in 2020.

While the vehicle launches have brought unprecedented attention to EVs, auto experts say that a meaningful transformation of the ICE-dominated US fleet is still years away. 

Price remains a big problem, with the average price of an EV nearly $67,000, according to Cox Automotive.

Experts also cite the lack of EV charging stations as a concern. President Biden signed into law a bill to provide $7.5 billion to build more stations, as his administration announced the first tranche of funding in parallel with a presidential address at the Detroit show.

– Can the industry deliver? –

Auto insiders also point to doubts about the availability of critical materials such as lithium and cobalt needed for batteries. 

These issues have come to the fore during the Covid-19 pandemic, when shortages of semiconductors and other supply chain woes forced automakers to restrict vehicle production and store tens of thousands of partially-built autos.

Ford said on Monday that it expects to have some 40,000-45,000 mostly built vehicles in inventory at the end of the third quarter due to needed parts. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company had delayed some vehicle deliveries due to a shortage of badges with the company’s blue oval logo.

Don Lamos, who works for auto supplier, had placed an order on a Ford Lightning, but is backing off after Ford raised the price on that version to above the $80,000 cap that would allow car buyers to qualify for a $7,500 tax credit under new US legislation.

Lamos and his wife, Janice, were drawn to the Chevy offerings, including the Equinox, which starts at $30,000. 

“If they can hold that at $30,000, then awesome,” he said. “I don’t know if they’ll really be able to meet production next year, so we’ll see.”

Don Lamos cited cost savings as the main impetus, while Janice Lamos described climate change as a priority. The couple are sold on EVs, but pondering how much to spend now when battery technologies will likely improve in the future.

Many of the vehicles being released are touted for being able to travel 300 miles without being recharged, but the capacity is much lower if the vehicle is towing cargo.

“You know when you need gas you can go to the corner and there’s a station. I don’t think there’s enough (charging) stations for one of these,” Carlos Rubante said when asked about the Lightning.

Consumers at the show described climate change as a worry, but were not necessarily convinced that EVs were the solution. 

Besides battery disposal, another concern is the unwanted consequences of the mining boom in critical materials, such as the use of child labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo to produce cobalt, said Cristian Damboiu, who works for an auto supplier.

“When you’re considering all these things, maybe they aren’t as clean as they seem,” said Damboiu.

“I understand (EVs) have some advantages, so we’ll see how it plays out.”

Damage caused by Fiona on the Burnt Islands in the Newfoundland and Labrador Province of Canada are seen on September 24, 2022 in an image courtesy of Michael King, special advisor to the Newfoundland and Labrador premier

Powerful storm Fiona lashed into eastern Canada on Saturday, cutting power to thousands and washing houses into the sea as it pummeled the area with fierce winds and rains “like nothing we’ve ever seen,” police said.

Two women were reportedly swept into the ocean in Newfoundland, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said. One was rescued, and investigators are looking into the second case.

Mayor Brian Button of Channel-Port aux Basques, at the southwestern tip of Newfoundland, told CBC News that the scene there was one of “total devastation,” adding, “this has become bigger, and worse, than we had imagined.”

Rene Roy, a newspaper editor in Channel-Port aux Basques, said, “These are the strongest winds anyone in the community has ever seen. Several houses have been washed into the sea.”

As of late afternoon, nearly 500,000 homes were left without power across the region as the storm pummeled a wide area, felling countless trees and ripping roofs from buildings.

“The power lines are down everywhere,” Erica Fleck, assistant chief of Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, told CBC. “It’s not safe to be on the roads.”

Although downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, Fiona still packed hurricane-force winds of 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour as it barreled into Canada after earlier battering the Caribbean, according to meteorologists. 

By early Saturday evening, the storm’s maximum sustained winds had slowed to 68 mph, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC), with the government reporting individual gusts at more than 100 mph in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as Nova Scotia.

– Nova Scotia hard hit –

The storm first made landfall in Nova Scotia province around 3:00 am (0600 GMT), according to the CHC. 

By early Saturday evening 339,000 households were still without electricity in the province, Nova Scotia Power reported, while New Brunswick reported 40,000 and Prince Edward Island some 82,000. 

“Trees have come down on homes, trees have come down on cars, there’s buildings that have collapsed,” Fire Chief Lloyd MacIntosh in the Nova Scotia town of North Sydney told CBC. 

Police in Charlottetown, the capital of Prince Edward Island, posted images of tangles of downed power lines and roofs punctured by felled trees. 

“It’s incredible,” said Charlottetown mayor Philip Brown on Radio-Canada TV. “It’s stronger than Hurricane Juan in 2003.”

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said in a statement that “it will take time for Nova Scotia to recover. I just ask everyone for their patience.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who canceled his trip to Japan for former prime minister Shinzo Abe’s funeral so that he can travel to the affected regions, told Canadians that the “government is standing ready to support provinces with any necessary resources.”

“We’re thinking first and foremost of the people who’ve had a terrifying past 12 hours,” Trudeau said during a press conference Saturday, adding that the country’s military would aid in the recovery effort.

Canada had issued severe weather warnings for swaths of its eastern coast, advising people to lay in supplies for at least 72 hours.

Rainfall of up to 7.5 inches (192 millimeters) was recorded in Nova Scotia, the CHC said, with waves of up to 40 feet (12 meters) hitting Nova Scotia and western Newfoundland. 

The CHC said conditions would improve in western Nova Scotia and eastern New Brunswick later Saturday but warned of “potentially damaging” winds developing over parts of southeastern Quebec and Labrador Saturday night. 

– Puerto Rico struggling –

Fiona had skirted Bermuda a day earlier, with residents battening down and authorities calling for people to remain inside as strong winds raked over the British territory. No fatalities or major damage were reported as the storm passed roughly 100 miles to the west of the island.

Fiona killed at least four people in Puerto Rico earlier this week, according to US media, while two deaths were reported in the Dominican Republic and one in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. 

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico, a US territory that is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria five years ago.

In the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abinader declared three eastern provinces to be disaster zones.

As the Caribbean licked its wounds, Cuba, Jamaica and Florida were bracing Saturday for the arrival of tropical storm Ian, which is expected to gain power in coming days to reach “at or near major hurricane strength,” the NHC said.

In anticipation of the storm, NASA called off the scheduled Tuesday launch of its historic uncrewed mission to the Moon. 

burs/sw/bbk/caw/bfm

Damage caused by Fiona on the Burnt Islands in the Newfoundland and Labrador Province of Canada are seen on September 24, 2022 in an image courtesy of Michael King, special advisor to the Newfoundland and Labrador premier

Powerful storm Fiona lashed into eastern Canada on Saturday, cutting power to thousands and washing houses into the sea as it pummeled the area with fierce winds and rains “like nothing we’ve ever seen,” police said.

Two women were swept into the ocean in Newfoundland, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported. One was rescued, but the other is still missing.

Mayor Brian Button of Channel-Port aux Basques, at the southwestern tip of Newfoundland, told CBC News that the scene there was one of “total devastation,” adding, “this has become bigger, and worse, than we had imagined.”

Rene Roy, a newspaper editor in Channel-Port aux Basques, said, “These are the strongest winds anyone in the community has ever seen. Several houses have been washed into the sea.”

As of midday, some 500,000 homes were left without power across the region as the storm pummeled a wide area, felling countless trees and ripping roofs from buildings.

“The power lines are down everywhere,” Erica Fleck, assistant chief of Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, told CBC. “It’s not safe to be on the roads.”

Although downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, Fiona still packed hurricane-force winds of 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour as it barreled into Canada after earlier battering the Caribbean, according to meteorologists.

– Nova Scotia hard hit –

The storm first made landfall in Nova Scotia province around 3:00 am (0600 GMT), according to the Canadian Hurricane Center (CHC). 

In Nova Scotia, 384,000 households were without electricity by midday Saturday, Nova Scotia Power reported, while New Brunswick reported 32,000 and Prince Edward Island some 82,000.

“Trees have come down on homes, trees have come down on cars, there’s buildings that have collapsed,” Fire Chief Lloyd MacIntosh in the Nova Scotia town of North Sydney told CBC. 

Police in Charlottetown, the capital of Prince Edward Island, posted images of tangles of downed power lines and roofs punctured by felled trees. 

“It’s incredible,” said Charlottetown mayor Philip Brown on Radio-Canada TV. “It’s stronger than Hurricane Juan in 2003.”

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said in a statement that “it will take time for Nova Scotia to recover. I just ask everyone for their patience.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: “I want you to know that we’re here for you… Our government stands ready to support the provinces with additional resources.”

Canada had issued severe weather warnings for swaths of its eastern coast, advising people to lay in supplies for at least 72 hours.

Rainfall of up to 4.9 inches (125 millimeters) was recorded in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, the CHC said, with waves of up to 40 feet (12 meters) hitting Nova Scotia and western Newfoundland. 

The CHC said conditions would improve in western Nova Scotia and eastern New Brunswick later Saturday and over southwestern Newfoundland and Iles-de-la-Madeleine late Saturday night.

– Puerto Rico struggling –

Fiona had skirted Bermuda a day earlier, with residents battening down and authorities calling for people to remain inside as strong winds raked over the British territory. No fatalities or major damage were reported as the storm passed roughly 100 miles to the west of the island.

Bermuda, whose economy is fueled by international finance and tourism, is wealthy compared with most Caribbean countries, and structures must be built to strict planning codes to withstand storms. Some have done so for centuries.

Fiona killed at least four people in Puerto Rico earlier this week, according to US media, while two deaths were reported in the Dominican Republic and one in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. 

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico, a US territory that is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria five years ago.

In the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abinader declared three eastern provinces to be disaster zones.

As the Caribbean licked its wounds from Fiona, Cuba, Jamaica and Florida were bracing Saturday for the arrival of tropical storm Ian, which is expected to gain power in coming days to reach “at or near major hurricane strength,” the NHC said.

In anticipation of the storm, NASA called off the scheduled Tuesday launch of its historic uncrewed mission to the Moon. 

burs-st-aha/sw/bgs/bbk/bfm

Protesters from the pressure group Attac closed off a gate at Antibes port leading to a quay where superyachts are moored

Activists blocked a quayside on the French Riviera on Saturday to protest against what they called ultra-rich “climate criminals”.

Twenty protesters from the pressure group Attac closed off the gate leading to a quay at Antibes port where many superyachts are moored, an AFP correspondent saw.

Port Vauban Antibes on southern France’s Mediterranean coast, has 1,500 berths, including 18 for superyachts, which can reach up to 160 metres (524 feet) in length.

The group blocked the port for an hour as they unfurled banners reading “Disarm climate criminals” and “Don’t let the ultra-rich destroy the planet”.

“It is unacceptable to ask for efforts from those in a precarious situation when we do nothing against the ultra-rich,” said Raphael Pradeau, spokesperson for Attac.

The activists have launched a campaign against the owners of private jets and superyachts, including a petition which they say has already been signed by 10,000 people.

Two previous launch attempts of the Artemis 1 mission Space Launch System (SLS) were scrapped when the rocket experienced technical glitches including a fuel leak

NASA has called off the scheduled Tuesday launch of its historic uncrewed mission to the Moon due to a tropical storm that is forecast to strengthen as it approaches Florida.

After two previously canceled launch attempts, NASA is weighing returning the Artemis 1 mission rocket to its assembly site under the threat of extreme weather.

“NASA is forgoing a launch opportunity… and preparing for rollback (from the launchpad), while continuing to watch the weather forecast associated with Tropical Storm Ian,” it said on Saturday.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Ian is due to “rapidly intensify” over the weekend as it moves toward Florida, home to the Kennedy Space Center, from which the rocket is set to launch.

Currently south of Jamaica, the storm is expected to approach Florida’s west coast “at or near major hurricane strength” early next week, threatening storm surge, flooding and hurricane-force winds across much of the state, the NHC said.

On the launchpad, the giant orange and white Space Launch System (SLS) rocket can withstand wind gusts of up to 137 kilometers (85 miles) per hour. But if it has to be sheltered, the current launch window, which runs until October 4, will be missed.

A decision on whether to roll back the rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building is due to be taken by the Artemis 1 team on Sunday, “to allow for additional data gathering and analysis,” with the operation, if necessary, starting late Sunday or Monday morning, NASA said.

Jim Free, associate administrator for the agency’s exploration systems development directorate, said on Twitter that a “step-wise approach” to the decision to roll back preserves “a launch opportunity if conditions improve,” indicating a launch date before October 5 was still on the table.

If not, the next launch window will run from October 17 to 31, with one possibility of take-off per day, except from October 24-26 and 28.

The Artemis 1 space mission hopes to test the SLS as well as the unmanned Orion capsule that sits atop it, in preparation for future Moon-bound journeys with humans aboard.

Artemis is named after the twin sister of the Greek god Apollo, after whom the first Moon missions were named.

Unlike the Apollo missions, which sent only white men to the Moon between 1969 and 1972, Artemis missions will see the first person of color and the first woman step foot on the lunar surface.

A successful Artemis 1 mission would come as a huge relief to the US space agency, after years of delays and cost overruns. 

But another setback would be a blow to NASA, after two previous launch attempts were scrapped when the rocket experienced technical glitches including a fuel leak.

The cost of the Artemis program is estimated to reach $93 billion by 2025, with its first four missions clocking in at a whopping $4.1 billion each, according to a government audit.

Hurricane Fiona made landfall in eastern Canada's Nova Scotia on Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center said, with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles (144 kilometers) per hour and heavy rainfall

Powerful storm Fiona knocked out electricity to more than 500,000 homes Saturday as it lashed east Canada with strong winds and heavy rains in conditions that police said were “like nothing we’ve ever seen.”

Though downgraded from a hurricane, Fiona still packed winds of 85 miles (137 kilometers) per hour as it barreled ashore in the early hours after battering the Caribbean, according to meteorologists.

In the province of Novia Scotia, more than 400,000 households were without electricity, Novia Scotia Power reported.

In neighboring Price Edward Island, some 82,000 households lost power, with police in the provincial capital Charlottetown posting images of tangles of downed power lines and roofs punctured by felled trees. 

“Conditions are like nothing we’ve ever seen,” police tweeted. 

“It’s incredible, there is no electricity, no wi-fi, no more network,” said Charlottetown mayor Philip Brown on Radio-Canada TV.

“It’s stronger than Hurricane Juan in 2003. A lot of trees have fallen, there is a lot of flooding on the roads.”

Canada had issued severe weather warnings for swathes of its eastern coast.

“Significant impacts from high winds, storm surge, and heavy rainfall are expected,” the US National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. 

The Canadian Hurricane Center (CHC) said high-speed winds had been reported in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Iles-de-la-Madeleine and Newfoundland and that the storm would steam northeast, causing “damaging wind, waves, and storm surge.”

Rainfall of up to 4.9 inches (125 millimeters) was recorded in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, the CHC said, with large waves hitting Nova Scotia and western Newfoundland of up to 40 feet (12 meters). 

The CHC said conditions would improve in western Nova Scotia and eastern New Brunswick on Saturday.

Authorities in Nova Scotia had issued an emergency alert on phones, saying people should stay inside with enough supplies for at least 72 hours.

In Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, stores sold out of propane gas cylinders for camping stoves as residents stocked up.

Before it hit, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the storm “a bad one,” adding it “could have significant impacts right across the region.”

– Puerto Rico hard hit –

Fiona had skirted Bermuda a day earlier, with residents battening down and authorities calling for people to remain inside as strong winds raked over the British territory. No fatalities or major damage were reported as the storm passed roughly 100 miles to the west of the island.

Bermuda, whose economy is fueled by international finance and tourism, is wealthy compared with most Caribbean countries, and structures must be built to strict planning codes to withstand storms. Some have done so for centuries.

Fiona killed at least four people in Puerto Rico earlier this week, according to US media, while two deaths were reported in the Dominican Republic and one in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. 

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico, a US territory that is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria five years ago.

In the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abinader declared three eastern provinces to be disaster zones.

burs-st-aha/sw/bgs

Hurricane Fiona made landfall in eastern Canada's Nova Scotia on Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center said, with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles (144 kilometers) per hour and heavy rainfall

Hurricane Fiona made landfall in eastern Canada’s Nova Scotia on Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center said, with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles (144 kilometers) per hour and heavy rainfall.

The NHC said the storm would affect many parts of eastern Canada as a “powerful hurricane-force cyclone”. Canada has issued severe weather warnings for much of its eastern coast.

“Significant impacts from high winds, storm surge, and heavy rainfall are expected,” the NHC said in an advisory. 

The Canadian Hurricane Center (CHC) said high-speed winds had been reported in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Iles-de-la-Madeleine and southwestern Newfoundland.

Rainfall of up to 4.9 inches (125 millimeters) had been recorded in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, the CHC said, with a “high likelihood” of storm surges affecting Nova Scotia, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and western Newfoundland. 

“It is certainly going to be a historic, extreme event for eastern Canada,” Bob Robichaud, a meteorologist for the CHC, told reporters before the storm made landfall. 

“It’s a major hurricane… All that momentum is trapped within the storm, so it’s very difficult for something like that to actually wind down.”

In its latest bulletin, the CHC said conditions would improve in western Nova Scotia and eastern New Brunswick on Saturday, but would persist elsewhere.

At 0900 GMT, the hurricane was located in eastern Nova Scotia, about 130 miles (210 km) northeast of Halifax, and was moving north-northwest at 40 miles (65 km) per hour, the CHC said.

The NHC said hurricane-force winds would extend out to 175 miles (280 km) from the storm’s center, and tropical-storm-force winds would affect areas up to 405 miles (650 km) away. 

Authorities in Nova Scotia issued an emergency alert on phones, saying power outages were likely and people should stay inside with enough supplies for at least 72 hours.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the storm “a bad one,” adding it “could have significant impacts right across the region.”

In Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, stores sold out of propane gas cylinders for camping stoves as residents stocked up.

“Hopefully it will slow up when it hits the cooler water, but it doesn’t sound like it’s going to,” Dave Buis of the Northern Yacht Club in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, told Canadian television.

– Puerto Rico hard hit –

Bermuda, which Fiona skirted by a day earlier, had at the time called on residents to remain inside as strong winds raked over the British territory, but no fatalities or major damage were reported as the storm passed roughly 100 miles to the west of the island.

The Belco power company said 15,000 out of 36,000 households were without power on Friday evening, with electricity being rapidly returned to many areas.

The Royal Bermuda Regiment said it was waiting for winds to die down before clearing roads. Residents posted images of downed power lines and some flooding on social media.

“We had some minor damage to the premises but nothing serious,” Jason Rainer, owner of a souvenir shop in the capital Hamilton told AFP, saying some doors and windows had been blown out.

Store owners had covered windows with sheets of metal and wood.

The island of about 64,000 people is no stranger to hurricanes — but it is also tiny, just 21 square miles (54 sq km), and one of the most remote places in the world, 640 miles from its closest neighbor, the United States.

Bermuda, whose economy is fueled by international finance and tourism, is wealthy compared with most Caribbean countries, and structures must be built to strict planning codes to withstand storms. Some have done so for centuries.

Fiona killed four people in Puerto Rico earlier this week, according to US media, while two deaths were reported in the Dominican Republic and one in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. 

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico, a US territory that is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria five years ago.

In the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abinader declared three eastern provinces to be disaster zones.

burs-st-aha/smw

A satellite image shows Hurricane Fiona on September 23, 2022, at 1400 GMT

Hurricane Fiona made landfall in eastern Canada’s Nova Scotia on Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center said, with maximum winds of 90 miles (144 kilometers) per hour and heavy rainfall.

The NHC said the storm would affect many parts of eastern Canada as a “powerful hurricane-force cyclone”. Canada has issued severe weather warnings for much of its eastern coast.

“Significant impacts from high winds, storm surge, and heavy rainfall are expected,” the NHC said in an advisory. 

The Canadian Hurricane Center (CHC) said high-speed winds had been reported in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Iles-de-la-Madeleine and southwestern Newfoundland.

Rainfall of up to 4.9 inches (125 millimeters) had been recorded in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, the CHC said, with a “high likelihood” of storm surges affecting Nova Scotia, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and western Newfoundland. 

“It is certainly going to be a historic, extreme event for eastern Canada,” Bob Robichaud, a meteorologist for the CHC, told reporters before the storm made landfall. 

“It’s a major hurricane… All that momentum is trapped within the storm, so it’s very difficult for something like that to actually wind down.”

In its latest bulletin, the CHC said conditions would improve in western Nova Scotia and eastern New Brunswick on Saturday, but would persist elsewhere.

At 0900 GMT, the hurricane was located in eastern Nova Scotia, about 130 miles (210 km) northeast of Halifax, and was moving north-northwest at 40 miles (65 km) per hour, the CHC said.

Authorities in Nova Scotia issued an emergency alert on phones, saying power outages were likely and people should stay inside with enough supplies for at least 72 hours.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the storm “a bad one,” adding it “could have significant impacts right across the region.”

In Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, stores sold out of propane gas cylinders for camping stoves as residents stocked up.

“Hopefully it will slow up when it hits the cooler water, but it doesn’t sound like it’s going to,” Dave Buis of the Northern Yacht Club in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, told Canadian television.

– Puerto Rico hard hit –

Bermuda, which Fiona skirted by a day earlier, had at the time called on residents to remain inside as strong winds raked over the British territory, but no fatalities or major damage were reported as the storm passed roughly 100 miles to the west of the island.

The Belco power company said 15,000 out of 36,000 households were without power on Friday evening, with electricity being rapidly returned to many areas.

The Royal Bermuda Regiment said it was waiting for winds to die down before clearing roads. Residents posted images of downed power lines and some flooding on social media.

“We had some minor damage to the premises but nothing serious,” Jason Rainer, owner of a souvenir shop in the capital Hamilton told AFP, saying some doors and windows had been blown out.

Store owners had covered windows with sheets of metal and wood.

The island of about 64,000 people is no stranger to hurricanes — but it is also tiny, just 21 square miles (54 sq km), and one of the most remote places in the world, 640 miles from its closest neighbor, the United States.

Bermuda, whose economy is fueled by international finance and tourism, is wealthy compared with most Caribbean countries, and structures must be built to strict planning codes to withstand storms. Some have done so for centuries.

Fiona killed four people in Puerto Rico earlier this week, according to US media, while one death was reported in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe and another in the Dominican Republic. 

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico, a US territory that is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria five years ago.

In the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abinader declared three eastern provinces to be disaster zones.

burs-st-aha/smw

Environment Week is a series of independent events involving Indigenous peoples from around the world that is being held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly

Uyukar Domingo Peas, an Ecuadorian Indigenous activist, says if there are still “reservoirs of natural resources” in the world, it is “because we have protected them for thousands of years.” 

Peas has been fighting against the destruction of forests for three decades and regrets that states and companies continue to destroy the Amazon despite the urgency of the climate crisis.

“The Amazon must remain intact for the youth and the rest of humanity,” the 58-year-old from the Achuar nation told AFP, lamenting that governments and corporations have not sought the ancestral knowledge of Indigenous peoples to save the planet.

Peas was speaking at Environment Week, a series of independent events involving Indigenous peoples from around the world that is being held in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

An estimated 80 percent of the world’s tropical forests — about 800 million hectares — are in Indigenous territories, according to organizations that defend them. 

Many Indigenous people blame capitalism for the destruction of their forests. 

“We want companies and banks to stop investing for money and invest for the common good” because “climate change harms every human being,” he said. 

He is calling for funds to implement the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative, which aims to protect 35 million hectares in the Amazon rainforest of Peru and Ecuador, and is home to 30 Indigenous communities with around 600,000 people.

He hopes that the nine countries that share the Amazon — often referred to as the lungs of the planet, spread over nearly 300 million hectares with three million inhabitants from more than 500 peoples — will also join this initiative.

– ‘Bioeconomy’ – 

Peas advocates for a new “bioeconomy,” with new sources of energy, tourism programs and other initiatives to ensure that Indigenous youth do not migrate away from their homelands. 

“We want to take care of the jungle and live off the jungle,” he said. 

Compared to the large sums needed for the oil and mining projects that pollute their lands and rivers, Peas’ initiative requires just $19 million over 10 years. 

“Mother Earth does not expect us to save her, she expects us to respect her,” said Nemonte Nenquimo, the Ecuadorian chief of the Waorani nation. 

– ‘Where does the money go?’- 

The Covid pandemic and “the collective hysteria of oil-dependent countries” following the conflict in Ukraine have dealt a severe blow to the Indigenous climate struggle, said Levi Sucre, of the Bribri community, an Indigenous people living between Costa Rica and Panama. 

With priorities set on economic recovery, Indigenous rights “have regressed alarmingly in the last two, three years,” he told AFP. 

He said that the most alarming case is that of Brazil, where the government “deliberately ignores the Indigenous peoples.” 

Indigenous peoples’ representatives complain that the resources agreed upon at climate meetings barely ever reached them. 

Monica Kristiani Ndoen, a young Indonesian Indigenous leader, said that “the challenge is to access climate funds directly.” 

“The question is where does the money go?” 

For the Venezuelan Gregorio Diaz Mirabal, general coordinator of the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), the problem is that “we are not present in the meetings where the decisions are taken.”

“If you want us to continue to provide oxygen, rivers, forests, drinking water, respect our house,” he said. 

A satellite image shows Hurricane Fiona on September 23, 2022, at 1400 GMT

Hurricane Fiona barreled towards Canada on Friday with Nova Scotia province on high alert after the storm swept past Bermuda, where it left much of the population without power but caused little damage.

The US National Hurricane Center said Fiona was packing sustained winds of near 125 miles (205 kilometers) an hour and was “expected to be a powerful hurricane-force cyclone” when it makes landfall overnight into Saturday.

“It is certainly going to be a historic, extreme event for Eastern Canada,” Bob Robichaud, a meteorologist for the Canadian Hurricane Center, told reporters.

“It’s a major hurricane… All that momentum is trapped within the storm, so it’s very difficult for something like that to actually wind down.”

In its latest bulletin, the CHC described the storm as a “severe event” that will “impact Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec with heavy rainfall and powerful hurricane force winds beginning tonight.”

At midnight GMT, the hurricane was located just over 200 km south of Sable Island, a small sandy strip off Nova Scotia, and was moving north at a speed of 56 kph, according to the CHC.

Authorities in Nova Scotia issued an emergency alert on phones, saying power outages were likely and people should stay inside with enough supplies for at least 72 hours.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the storm “a bad one,” adding it “could have significant impacts right across the region.”

In Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, stores sold out of propane gas cylinders for camping stoves as residents stocked up.

“Hopefully it will slow up when it hits the cooler water, but it doesn’t sound like it’s going to,” Dave Buis of the Northern Yacht Club in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, told Canadian television.

– Puerto Rico hard hit –

Bermuda had earlier called on residents to remain inside as strong winds raked over the British territory, but no fatalities or major damage were reported as Fiona passed roughly 100 miles to the west of the island.

The Belco power company said 15,000 out of 36,000 households were without power on Friday evening, with electricity being rapidly returned to many areas.

The Royal Bermuda Regiment said it was waiting for winds to die down before clearing roads. Residents posted images of downed power lines and some flooding on social media.

“We had some minor damage to the premises but nothing serious,” Jason Rainer, owner of a souvenir shop in the capital Hamilton told AFP, saying some doors and windows had been blown out.

Store owners had covered windows with metal and wood sheets.

The island of about 64,000 people is no stranger to hurricanes — but it is also tiny, just 21 square miles (54 sq km), and one of the most remote places in the world, 640 miles from its closest neighbor, the United States.

Bermuda, whose economy is fueled by international finance and tourism, is wealthy compared with most Caribbean countries, and structures must be built to strict planning codes to withstand storms. Some have done so for centuries.

Fiona killed four people in Puerto Rico earlier this week, according to US media, while one death was reported in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe and another in the Dominican Republic. 

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico, a US territory that is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria five years ago.

In the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abinader declared three eastern provinces to be disaster zones.