AFP UK

This picture taken on May 23, 2019 shows Mariam the dugong as she swims in the waters around Libong island, Trang province in southern Thailand

Dugongs — large herbivorous marine mammals commonly known as “sea cows” — are now threatened with extinction, according to an official list updated Friday.

These gentle cousins of the manatee graze on seagrass in shallow coastal waters — but their populations in East Africa and New Caledonia have now entered the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List as “critically endangered” and “endangered,” respectively.

Globally, the species remains classified as “vulnerable.”

Their primary threats are unintentional capture in fishing gear in East Africa and poaching in New Caledonia, as well as boat injuries in both locations.

In East Africa, fossil fuel exploration and production, pollution and unauthorized development are also degrading their seagrass food source, while in New Caledonia seagrass is being damaged by agricultural run-off and pollution from nickel mining, among other sources.

Habitat degradation is compounded by climate change throughout the dugongs’ range.

“Today’s IUCN Red List update reveals a perfect storm of unsustainable human activity decimating marine life around the globe,” said Bruno Oberle, IUCN Director General.

The updated list comes as delegates from across the world meet in Montreal for a UN biodiversity conference to finalize a new framework for “a peace pact with nature,” with key goals to preserve Earth’s forests, oceans and species.

In other updates to the IUCN list, 44 percent of all abalone shellfish are now threatened with extinction, while pillar coral has moved to “critically endangered.”

Abalone species are considered gastronomic delicacies, leading to unsustainable extraction and poaching by international organized crime networks, for example in South Africa.

They are also deeply susceptible to climate change, with a marine heatwave killing 99 percent of Roe’s abalones off Western Australia in 2011.

Agricultural and pollution run-off also cause harmful algal blooms, which have eliminated the Omani abalone, a commercial species found in the Arabian Peninsula, across half of its former range.

Twenty of the world’s 54 abalone species are now threatened with extinction.

“Abalones reflect humanity’s disastrous guardianship of our oceans in microcosm: overfishing, pollution, disease, habitat loss, algal blooms, warming and acidification, to name but a few threats,” said Howard Peters of the University of York who led the assessment.

“They really are the canary in the coal mine.”

Pillar coral, which are found throughout the Caribbean, moved from “vulnerable” to “critically endangered” after its population shrunk by over 80 percent across most of its range since 1990. 

Bleaching caused by sea surface temperature rise — as well as antibiotics, fertilizers and sewage running into the oceans — have left them deeply susceptible to Stony coral tissue soss disease, which has ravaged their numbers over the past four years.

Overfishing around coral reefs has piled on more pressure by depleting the number of grazing fish, allowing algae to dominate.

Bearskin hats are worn by members of the King's Household Division

Animal rights group PETA said Friday it is taking legal action against the UK defence ministry over its refusal to test a fake fur version of the distinctive bearskin hats worn by ceremonial guards.

The tall black hats are worn by the elite regiments, including for the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace, and are one of the best-known symbols of the UK.

PETA has long campaigned to stop using the fur of Canadian Black Bears and has developed a prototype replacement hat made of shaggy acrylic material.

It said it has filed for a “judicial review” over the Ministry of Defence (MoD) decision, alleging “unlawful conduct”.

The charity’s lawyer Lorna Hackett said: “We are seeking the court’s intervention so that the MoD fully evaluates the report and reaches a fresh decision by fair process.”

“Unfortunately, they’re just holding back progress by not moving forward with the faux fur cap,” added PETA senior campaign manager Kate Werner. 

“They refuse to test it, which they had committed to do numerous times over the years,” she told AFP.

“And so now we’re at the stage where we’re mounting a legal challenge to try to force the MoD to reconsider its decision.”

An MoD spokesperson said: “We have been served with a legal claim in respect of this matter and cannot provide specific comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”

PETA has had the fake fur tested at an MoD-accredited laboratory and claims it meets ministry criteria on how compressive and waterproof it is.

The government said in a statement earlier this year that there were “no plans” to switch.

It said the fake fur backed by PETA “does not in fact reach the standards needed to provide an effective replacement for our bearskin ceremonial caps”.

– Licensed –

Werner argues that real fur is not militarily necessary.

“No one would ever notice,” she said.

“This is an iconic symbol of Britain but we want it to reflect the morals and values of our society.”

The fake fur used in the prototype was produced by French company Ecopel.

Compared with a real bearskin hat given to PETA by the ministry, the prototype looks smoother and shinier and Werner describes it as “a lot more luxurious feeling”.

The defence ministry had initially been receptive to replacing the hats and PETA had a “good relationship” with them, Werner said.

But current defence minister Ben Wallace, a former army officer, is not supportive.

As a backbench MP he put forward an amendment calling for the continued use of bearskin.

In July, parliament debated a switch to fake fur after a petition online gathered over 100,000 signatures.

PETA argues that the use of bear fur creates a market for hunting and says the animals are shot or killed with a bow and arrow.

“Bears are not hunted to order for the Ministry of Defence,” a spokesperson said.

“Bear pelts used are a product of legal and licensed hunts, sourced exclusively from the regulated Canadian market.” 

PETA is meanwhile also asking King Charles III to swap ermine robes made from stoats for fake fur at his coronation ceremony next year.

The H2Med project comes as Europe is scrambling to reduce its dependence on Russian energy following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine

An ambitious underwater pipeline to bring green hydrogen from the Iberian Peninsula to the rest of Europe will be completed by 2030 and will cost some 2.5 billion euros, the leaders of France, Spain and Portugal said Friday.

The H2Med project comes as Europe is scrambling to reduce its dependence on Russian energy following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

It is also seen as helping Europe transition away from fossil fuels to cleaner energy.

The pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille — also known as BarMar — will carry two million tonnes of hydrogen per year, or 10 percent of European consumption, once it goes online, said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

“It is going to be the first major hydrogen corridor in the European Union,” Sanchez said.

The project will cost around 2.5 billion euros ($2.6 billion), he said at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

The three leaders formally signed off on the plans in the presence of EU Commission chief Ursula Von der Leyen on the sidelines of a regional EU summit.

Following the talks, they released a roadmap and timeline for completing H2Med which they hope will be partially covered by European funds. 

The pipeline under the Mediterranean Sea will carry green hydrogen, which is made from water via electrolysis in a process using renewable energy.

The roadmap detailed three options for the route of the pipeline, with the preferred one stretching 455 kilometres (282 miles) at a maximum depth of 2,600 metres. 

Construction would begin in 2025 and last four years and eight months, it said.

– Cleaner energy –

H2Med aims to boost the decarbonisation of European industry, giving it large-scale access to clean energy from Spain and Portugal, which are hoping to become world leaders in green hydrogen thanks to their numerous wind and solar power farms.

“The focus of H2 demand is on sectors that are difficult to decarbonise, such as industry and transport,” the roadmap said. 

“The cost of H2 transmission by pipeline over long distances is 2 to 4 times lower than transmitting electricity over high-voltage lines,” it said. 

Announced at an EU summit in October, the pipeline offers an alternative to the defunct 2003 MidCat pipeline project which was to have carried gas across the Pyrenees from Spain to France. 

It was abandoned in 2019 over profitability issues and objections from Paris and environmentalists.

Initially, the idea was for the pipeline to carry gas from the Iberian peninsula to central Europe, given Spain and Portugal’s huge capacity for turning liquefied natural gas (LNG) that arrives in tankers back into gas form. 

But Portuguese Prime minister Antonio Costa stressed that the pipeline would only carry green hydrogen.

The meeting took place just before a EuroMed 9 summit which groups Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain

Spain’s Sanchez had planned to hold bilateral talks with Italy’s new far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but she pulled out due to illness early on Friday, Rome said. 

The leaders of Spain, France and Portugal are meeting in the southern city of Alicante to sign off on the vast H2Med green hydrogen pipeline project

Spain, France and Portugal on Friday unveil details of their ambitious plan for an underwater pipeline to bring green hydrogen from the Iberian Peninsula to the rest of Europe.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, French President Emmanuel Macron and Portuguese premier Antonio Costa were to formally sign off on the plans in the presence of EU chief Ursula Von der Leyen on the sidelines of a regional EU summit in southern Spain.

They were expected to outline both a roadmap and timeline for completing the so-called H2Med project which they are hoping will be partially covered by European funds. 

The pipeline project comes as Europe struggles to reduce its dependence on Russian energy following its February invasion of Ukraine.

Also known as BarMar for its planned route connecting Barcelona and Marseille, the submarine pipeline will carry green hydrogen, which is made from water via electrolysis in a process using renewable energy.

It will ultimately facilitate the EU’s transition to green energy, French and Spanish government officials say.

Energy ministers from all three countries will also be at the gathering in the southern city of Alicante to offer their outlook on “the feasibility of the infrastructure project, its funding and an initial timeline” for its construction, sources in Macron’s office said.

Announced at an EU summit in October, the pipeline offers an alternative to the defunct 2003 MidCat pipeline project which was to have carried gas across the Pyrenees from Spain to France. 

It was abandoned in 2019 over profitability issues and objections from Paris and environmentalists.

– H2Med: a $2-billion project –

H2Med aims to boost the decarbonisation of European industry, giving it large-scale access to clean energy from Spain and Portugal which are hoping to become world leaders in green hydrogen thanks to their numerous wind and solar power farms.

Initially, the idea was for the pipeline to carry gas from the Iberian peninsula to central Europe, given Spain and Portugal’s huge capacity for turning liquefied natural gas (LNG) that arrives in tankers back into gas form. 

But that idea has been dropped with the pipeline only slated to carry green hydrogen, Spanish and French sources said, in a move expected to free up European funding. 

France said H2Med could come online in 2030 with Spain offering slightly earlier estimates, with the vast project carrying an estimated price tag of two billion euros ($2.1 billion).

The three leaders will meet just before the start of the EuroMed 9 summit, at which they will be joined by six other southern European countries: Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta and Slovenia. 

Spain’s Sanchez had planned to hold bilateral talks with Italy’s new far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni but she pulled out due to illness early on Friday, Rome said. 

Real molten lava coming from rocks ejected from Iceland's Katla Volcano in 1918 feature in the show

In a dark auditorium in Reykjavik, bubbling orange lava flows down a slide to within inches of awe-struck visitors.

The flow, contained on both sides by black sand, lights up the room like a sunrise.

This is the Lava Show, Iceland’s latest tourist attraction, that uses reheated lava from a real eruption of the island’s Katla volcano more than 100 years ago.

The heat emanating from the molten rock is tangible, so much so that some of the spectators shuffle in their seats to remove their coats.

“This is the show where you get to experience real molten lava flowing inside of a building, intentionally,” the Lava Show’s Scottish host Iain MacKinnon joked. 

The molten liquid sizzled as it hit blocks of ice, crackling like the sound of breaking glass as it cooled.

“It was really beautiful,” Jasmine Luong, a 28-year-old Australian tourist from Melbourne told AFP.

“I can see why a lot of people would be drawn to (an eruption), but obviously you wouldn’t be able to go near it in a normal natural setting,” she added.

“This is a lot safer.”

– ‘Wow effect’ –

There is the same “wow effect” that people get at an eruption site, MacKinnon said.

Hundreds of thousands of curious onlookers have flocked to watch the hypnotising jets of lava at Iceland’s Mount Fagradalsfjall after two eruptions over the last year just 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Reykjavik.

But not all Icelandic eruptions are safe.

While the lava used in the show retains a hint of sulphur, the dangerous toxic gases that normally emanate from an eruption have dissipated, since the rock has been reheated and melted down so many times.

More than 600 kilos (1,320 pounds) of tephra — the rocks ejected from Katla, one of Iceland’s most dangerous volcanoes, when it last erupted in 1918 — are used in the Lava Show. 

“We heat that up to its melting point, which is around 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,000 Fahrenheit) and then we pour it into the room,” said the show’s founder Julius Jonsson.

In an adjoining room, a large furnace has been modified to suit the show’s needs.

Jonsson’s company has run a version of the production in the seafront village of Vik in south Iceland since 2018, but the Reykjavik show only opened last month.

He came up with the idea of a lava show when he was standing atop a glacier watching lava flow from Fimmvorduhals, a small eruption that preceded the massive Eyjafjallajokull one in 2010, whose ash cloud disrupted air traffic and stranded more than 10 million travellers.

Known as the land of fire and ice, Iceland has 33 volcanic systems currently considered active, the highest number in Europe. It has an eruption every five years on average.

“We thought it would be wonderful for Iceland if lava would always be flowing,” Jonsson said. 

Barcelona-Marseille gas pipeline project

A planned underwater hydrogen pipeline connecting Barcelona and Marseille is a risky project, but one that is key for the European Union’s energy independence.

Here’s what we know about the joint initiative by Madrid, Lisbon and Paris, which will be discussed on Friday on the sidelines of a summit of southern European Union nations in Spain:

– What is it? –

Dubbed “H2Med” or “BarMar” (from Barcelona and Marseille), the pipeline will transport green hydrogen, between Spain, France and the rest of Europe.

Green hydrogen is made from water via electrolysis and with renewable energy.

Announced at an EU summit in October, the pipeline offers an alternative to the defunct 2003 MidCat pipeline project.

Intended to carry gas across the Pyrenees from Spain to France, it was eventually abandoned over profitability issues and objections from Paris and environmentalists.

– What are its goals? –

The pipeline aims to boost the decarbonisation of European industry, giving it access to clean energy on a large scale, which Spain and Portugal hope to produce.

The two neighbours aim to become world leaders in green hydrogen thanks to their numerous wind and solar power farms.

France, Portugal and Spain initially said in October the pipeline aimed to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy by improving gas interconnections between the Iberian Peninsula and its neighbours.

Spain and Portugal account for 40 percent of Europe’s capacity to turn liquefied natural gas (LNG) that arrives in tankers back into gas form, but they are poorly connected to the rest of Europe.

But since the three nations want EU funds to mainly cover the project, the pipeline will need to be dedicated to hydrogen, Madrid and Paris have stressed.

– Why Barcelona and Marseille? –

According to the project’s backers, it is “the most direct and efficient way of linking the peninsula with central Europe”.

Barcelona is an energy hub in Spain, and according to Jose Ignacio Linares, a professor at Madrid’s Pontificia Comillas University, it “has one of the largest re-gasification plants in Europe”.

Marseille is also a key point in the French network and a gateway to the Rhone Valley, northern Italy and Germany — industrial regions that could become big consumers of green hydrogen.

– What route will it take? –

The route has not yet been decided, but “the most logical” option would be to run close to the shore to avoid deep waters, Linares told AFP.

If that’s the case, H2Med would extend some 450 kilometres (280 miles).

– When will it be ready? –

French Energy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told Spain’s El Pais daily the pipeline could come online in 2030, while her Spanish counterpart Teresa Ribera said it could enter service in “five, six or seven years”.

– How much will it cost? –

The cost of the project has not been revealed. But the European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB), that groups European energy pipeline operators, estimates a two-billion-euro ($2.1-billion) price tag.

– What are the obstacles? –

“An offshore hydrogen pipeline at this depth and distance has never been done before,” said Gonzalo Escribano, an energy expert at Madrid’s Real Instituto Elcano think tank. 

The innovative project faces certain technical challenges. 

One of the main problems is that hydrogen is made up of small molecules which can escape through the joints and cause corrosion, said Linares, an engineer by training.

But such problems could be overcome by “installing a membrane inside (the pipeline), a kind of plastic that prevents the hydrogen from escaping,” he said.

– What’s the outlook? –

The biggest risk is its economic viability, experts say.

“It is not clear when the green hydrogen market is going to take off and whether Spain will be in a position to produce enough to export it,” said Escribano.

But Linares said its construction would take so long “that we can’t afford to wait”. 

“If we do, we’ll end up with a huge volume of hydrogen that we won’t be able to export.”

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who went to the International Space Station attends a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan in Tokyo

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa announced Thursday eight crew members who will join him for a journey around the Moon planned for 2023 on a SpaceX rocket that is still under development.

The mission, known as dearMoon, was first announced in 2018. Maezawa initially said he would invite a crew of six-to-eight artists, but later changed the entry requirements to a competition which applicants could apply for online.

The eight people chosen were DJ and producer Steve Aoki of the United States; Tim Dodd, an American YouTuber; Czech artist Yemi AD; Rhiannon Adam, an Irish photographer; British photographer Karim Iliya; American filmmaker Brendan Hall; and Indian actor Dev Joshi, and K-pop musician TOP of South Korea.

There were also two backup crew members: snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington of the US and dancer Miyu of Japan.

“I hope each and every one will recognize the responsibility that comes with leaving the Earth, traveling to the Moon and back,” Maezawa said in an announcement video on YouTube.

“They will gain a lot from this experience, and I hope they will use that to contribute to the planet, to humanity.”

According to a mission profile graphic on the dearMoon website, the round trip would last almost six days and circumnavigate the Moon without landing.

When completed, SpaceX’s Starship will be the most powerful rocket ever built.

Although its upper stage has succeeded in test flights within the atmosphere and successfully landed, SpaceX has yet to carry out an orbital test flight — something founder Elon Musk has repeatedly promised will happen by the end of 2022.

Maezawa, the mega-rich founder of Japan’s largest online fashion mall, flew last year to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket, paying a reported 10 billion yen ($73 million on current conversion rates).

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who went to the International Space Station attends a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan in Tokyo

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa announced Thursday eight crew members who will join him for a journey around the Moon planned for 2023 on a SpaceX rocket that is still under development.

The mission, known as dearMoon, was first announced in 2018. Maezawa initially said he would invite a crew of six-to-eight artists, but later changed the entry requirements to a competition which applicants could apply for online.

The eight people chosen were DJ and producer Steve Aoki of the United States; Tim Dodd, an American YouTuber;  Czech artist Yemi AD; Rhiannon Adam, an Irish photographer; British photographer Karim Iliya; American filmmaker Brendan Hall; and Indian actor Dev Joshi, and K-pop musician TOP of South Korea.

There were also two backup crew members: snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington of the US and dancer Miyu of Japan.

Maezawa had previewed his announcement on Twitter — then released a two-minute video on YouTube that was quickly made private. A saved copy however was tweeted by CNBC space reporter Michael Sheetz.

“I hope each and every one will recognize the responsibility that comes with leaving the Earth, traveling to the Moon and back,” Maezawa said in the video. “They will gain a lot from this experience, and I hope they will use that to contribute to the planet, to humanity.”

According to a mission profile graphic on the dearMoon website, the round trip would last almost six days and circumnavigate the Moon without landing.

When completed, SpaceX’s Starship will be the most powerful rocket ever built. Although its upper stage has succeeded in test flights within the atmosphere and successfully landed, SpaceX has yet to carry out an orbital test flight — something founder Elon Musk has repeatedly promised will happen by the end of 2022.

Maezawa, the mega-rich founder of Japan’s largest online fashion mall, flew last year to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket, paying a reported 10 billion yen ($73 million on current conversion rates).

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who went to the International Space Station attends a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan in Tokyo

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa announced Thursday eight crew members who will join him for a journey around the Moon planned for 2023 on a SpaceX rocket that is still under development.

The mission, known as dearMoon, was first announced in 2018. Maezawa initially said he would invite a crew of six-to-eight artists, but later changed the entry requirements to a competition which applicants could apply for online.

The eight people chosen were DJ and producer Steve Aoki of the United States; Tim Dodd, an American YouTuber;  Czech artist Yemi AD; Rhiannon Adam, an Irish photographer; British photographer Karim Iliya; American filmmaker Brendan Hall; and Indian actor Dev Joshi, and K-pop musician TOP of South Korea.

There were also two backup crew members: snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington of the US and dancer Miyu of Japan.

Maezawa had previewed his announcement on Twitter — then released a two-minute video on YouTube that was quickly made private. A saved copy however was tweeted by CNBC space reporter Michael Sheetz.

“I hope each and every one will recognize the responsibility that comes with leaving the Earth, traveling to the Moon and back,” Maezawa said in the video. “They will gain a lot from this experience, and I hope they will use that to contribute to the planet, to humanity.”

According to a mission profile graphic on the dearMoon website, the round trip would last almost six days and circumnavigate the Moon without landing.

When completed, SpaceX’s Starship will be the most powerful rocket ever built. Although its upper stage has succeeded in test flights within the atmosphere and successfully landed, SpaceX has yet to carry out an orbital test flight — something founder Elon Musk has repeatedly promised will happen by the end of 2022.

Maezawa, the mega-rich founder of Japan’s largest online fashion mall, flew last year to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket, paying a reported 10 billion yen ($73 million on current conversion rates).