AFP UK

Prisca Daka, a 31-year-old from Zimbabwe now based in the US, is regional coordinator for Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) Africa

As the world’s environment ministers try to thrash out a new deal for nature, youth activists gathered at a UN summit in Montreal are making it clear that actions taken today will affect generations to come.

Here is what some had to say.

– Prisca Daka –

Prisca Daka, a 31-year-old from Zimbabwe now based in the US, is regional coordinator for Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) Africa. 

She works with local communities to help preserve the Samango monkey, a species that is unique to Zimbabwe but whose habitat is being threatened by deforestation and banana plantations.

Daka has been formally involved in activism since 2017, but says her love of nature began when she was six years old and visited national parks with her family.

“We don’t talk much about biodiversity, which is the web of life — everything we see, the air we breathe, the water we drink,” she said. 

“Extinction is forever, so as young people we’re bringing attention to the biodiversity crisis and showing what the future could look like if we do not act now.”

She added she felt proud that this COP has more African youth than ever before, something she hopes will “become the norm.”

– Eshadi Mendis –

As a member of GYBN in Sri Lanka, Eshadi Mendis, 30, focuses on beach and ocean clean-up projects in her island nation.

“Because of the way Sri Lanka is situated, all the inland pollution is going to the sea. So we need to find ways to clean it and stop it,” she says.

Unfortunately, she adds, awareness about the COP15 summit is limited in her home country, something Mendis is working hard to change.

She also thinks it’s important for the United Nations to stop treating climate and biodiversity as distinct issues requiring distinct summits, with the latter receiving less attention as a result.

“They’re very interconnected,” she says. Her take-home message, though, is to prioritize young people in the negotiation process.

“Our word should be considered… older people should know that they should be good ancestors for us so when they leave this Earth, we have something to utilize as well.”

– Flavia Gonzales –

Flavia Gonzales studied biology to understand “how I could save nature”. Along the way, she realized that the best way was to make people aware of their own relationship with the environment.

The Bolivian activist, who wears her hair in colored braids, was moved as a teenager by the mistreatment of animals in her hometown La Paz. But “little by little you see that not only animals are being mistreated, but all of nature is being mistreated.”

Now 24 years old, she has dedicated herself to educating people about the environment, empowering girls and young people about their rights.

Gonzales was one of a few dozen youths who painted their faces and took part in a protest outside the Montreal Convention Centre on Friday, demanding policymakers reach a deal that “achieves the objectives that can help us improve as a society.”

“If we don’t, what’s the point?”

Chinese authorities have renewed controversial plans to dam the country's biggest freshwater lake

Spooked by a historic drought, local authorities in China have renewed controversial plans to dam the country’s biggest freshwater lake.

But environmentalists warn damming Poyang Lake, a winter stopover for over half a million birds, would threaten the fragile ecosystem and the endangered birds and other wildlife it supports.

China is currently chairing UN biodiversity talks in Montreal, billed as the “last best chance” to save the planet’s species and their habitats from irreversible human destruction.

The Poyang dam, which is slowly recovering after shrinking to less than a third of its usual size, shows how fraught such efforts are in China.

Conservationist Zhang Daqian said that if realised, the 3,000-metre-long sluice gate across one of the lake’s channels would cut it off from the river Yangtze, “leaving Poyang a dead lake”.

China has built more than 50,000 dams in the Yangtze basin in the past 70 years — including the Three Gorges, which came in the face of widespread opposition from environmentalists.

Over the same period at least 70 percent of the river’s wetlands have vanished, according to data from the environment ministry.

When the project was initially proposed, complaints from ecologists succeeded in shelving it.

But the looming spectre of droughts — which are becoming ever more frequent and severe in the area thanks to climate change — has altered the calculus.

Poyang supplies water to Jiangxi province’s 4.8 million residents, and the local government says damming it will conserve water, irrigate more farmland and improve navigation.

An environmental impact assessment (EIA) published in May gave experts just two weeks to review 1,200 pages of documents and lodge complaints.

– Winter visitors –

In a normal wet season, Poyang can be three times the size of Los Angeles. 

Its mud flats are the primary winter feeding grounds for hundreds of thousands of birds flying south to escape the chill every autumn. 

They include the critically endangered Siberian crane, the population of which has shrunk to about 4,000.

This year’s drought was the worst in 70 years, with the region entering the dry season three months sooner than usual. 

Still, hundreds of birds were gathering at small pools of water left on the cracked riverbed when AFP visited a reserve in Yongxiu County in early November. 

“Migratory birds are still coming to Poyang, because it’s their habitual winter home,” said an employee surnamed Chen, looking across the dry expanse littered with empty mussel shells and fish skeletons. 

“But there are no fish or shrimp for them to eat. Many birds flock to nearby fields and farmers have been told to leave a bit of their paddy unharvested for the birds,” Chen said.

Officials have pumped water from nearby reservoirs to form small butterfly-shaped watering holes for the birds.

“There are no conflicts (between residents and birds), because migratory birds are nationally-protected animals, and people will not harm them,” He Fangjin, an employee at another wetland park, told AFP. 

At nearby Zhupao Hill, a popular bird-watching spot, about 90,000 migratory birds were spotted from October to early December, up from about 62,000 birds in the same period last year.

– Damage to ecosystem –

It’s not clear what stage of development the dam is currently in, and neither local authorities nor the environment ministry responded to questions put to them by AFP. 

But were they to go ahead, the sluice gate would disrupt the lake’s natural ebb and flow with the Yangtze, potentially threatening the tidal flats the birds feed on, said Lu Xixi, a geography professor at the National University of Singapore.

Losing its natural water circulation could also hurt Poyang’s ability to flush out nutrients, risking an algae build-up that could disrupt the food chain, Lu added.

The dam could also affect another critically endangered species that calls the lake its home — the Yangtze finless porpoise. There are just over 1,000 left in the wild.

During the drought, the porpoises took refuge in the same channel the dam would cut off, a ranger from the Beijing Environmental Protection Prairie League, who has patrolled the lake for over a month, told AFP.

Beijing-based Friends of Nature said the dam EIA failed to do a comprehensive evaluation of whether the porpoises’ migration would be blocked.

“Without comprehensive scientific evidence and before eliminating the environmental risks, the project should not be pushed forward,” the group said in a statement.

Many activists want to make sure Indigenous rights are not trampled in the name of conservation — previous efforts to safeguard land have seen communities marginalized or displaced in what has been dubbed "green colonialism"

As high-stakes UN biodiversity talks in Montreal draw to a close, delegates will be presented Sunday with a draft deal to safeguard the planet’s ecosystems and species by 2030.

Will it amount to the “peace pact with nature” that UN chief Antonio Guterres said the world desperately needs? Campaigners say the devil lies in the details. Here’s what they’re looking out for:

– ’30 by 30′ –

The cornerstone of the agreement is the so-called 30 by 30 goal — a pledge to protect 30 percent of the world’s land and seas by 2030. 

Currently, only about 17 percent of land and seven percent of oceans are protected.

And some experts say 30 percent is a low aim, insisting that protecting 50 percent would be better. 

So far, more than 100 countries have publicly pledged support for the 30 by 30 target, and observers say it has received broad support among negotiators. 

“For COP15 to be a success, we need to hold the line on our existing level of ambition,” Alfred DeGemmis, of the Wildlife Conservation Society, told AFP.

Brian O’Donnell of the Campaign for Nature added it was key that the text applies to oceans, as well as land, which had been in doubt.

– Indigenous rights –

The question of Indigenous rights will be crucial. 

About 80 percent of the Earth’s remaining biodiverse land is currently managed by Indigenous people, and it’s broadly recognized that biodiversity is better respected on Indigenous territory. 

Many activists want to make sure their rights are not trampled in the name of conservation — previous efforts to safeguard land have seen Indigenous communities marginalized or displaced in what has been dubbed “green colonialism.”

Advocates say therefore these rights have to be adequately addressed throughout the text, including within the 30 by 30 pledge, so that Indigenous people are not subject to mass evictions.

Failure on this front would be a “complete red line for us,” said O’Donnell.

“We are the ones doing the work. We protect biodiversity. You won’t replace us. We won’t let you,” said Valentin Engobo, leader of the Lokolama community in the Congo Basin, which protects the world’s largest tropical peatland.

“You can be our partners, if you want. But you cannot push us out.”

– Loopholes matter –

As a general principle, it is vital that the targets envisioned in the text aren’t significantly weakened through loopholes that will weaken actual implementation, said Georgina Chandler of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

For example, during some plenary sessions, some ministers had suggested stripping out language about numerical targets for ecosystem restoration.

“Keeping those measurable elements…and making sure that they are ambitious, is really, really important,” said Chandler.

Other things she’ll be watching include whether there will be a commitment to halve pesticide use, and whether businesses will be mandated to assess and report on the biodiversity impacts.

– Finance –

As ever, money remains a difficult question. 

Developing countries say developed nations grew rich by exploiting their resources and the South should be paid to preserve its ecosystems.

Several countries have announced new commitments either at the COP or recently, with Europe emerging as a key leader. The European Union has committed seven billion euros ($7.4 billion) for the period until 2027, double its prior pledge.

But Brazil has led a charge by developing countries for far more, proposing flows of $100 billion annually, compared to the roughly $10 billion at present.

Developing countries are also seeking a new funding mechanism, as a signal of the rich world’s commitment to this goal. 

Whether international aid is delivered via a new fund, an existing mechanism called the Global Environment Facility (GEF), or a halfway solution involving a new “trust fund” within the GEF is still up for debate.

Top participants hope COP15 talks aimed at sealing a 'peace pact for nature' will yield a major deal

Top officials at high-stakes UN biodiversity negotiations said Saturday they were confident of securing a major deal to save the natural world from destruction.

Observers had warned the COP15 talks aimed at sealing a “peace pact for nature” risked collapse due to disagreement over how much the rich world should pay to protect ecosystems in developing countries.

The talks that started on December 7 had appeared to be on the verge of breakdown when developing countries walked out days ago over the question of funding. But the mood among leaders turned upbeat on Saturday.

“I am greatly confident that we can … keep our ambitions as well as achieve consensus,” China’s Environment Minister Huang Runqiu told reporters in Montreal, where the COP15 meeting is being held.

His Canadian counterpart Steven Guilbeault echoed his statement, saying: “We’ve made tremendous progress… I don’t know about how many of us thought we could get there.”

Huang said he would publish a draft agreement at 8:00 am EST (1300 GMT) on Sunday and hear lead delegates’ feedback later in the day.

The negotiations officially run until December 19, but could go longer if needed.

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “With just a few days to go before the end of the COP 15 Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, my message to our partners is: now is not the time for small decisions, let’s go big!

“Let’s work together to achieve the most ambitious agreement possible. The world is depending on it.”

– Million species threatened –

Delegates are working to roll back the destruction and pollution that threaten an estimated one million plant and animal species with extinction, according to scientists that report to the UN.

The text is meant to be a roadmap for nations through 2030. The last 10-year plan, signed in Aichi, Japan in 2010, did not achieve any of its objectives — a failure blamed widely on its lack of monitoring mechanisms.

Major goals in the draft under discussion include a cornerstone pledge to protect 30 percent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030.

The more than 20 targets also include reducing environmentally destructive farming subsidies, requiring businesses to assess and report on their biodiversity impacts, and tackling the scourge of invasive species.

Representatives of Indigenous communities, who safeguard 80 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity, want their rights to practice stewardship of their lands to be enshrined in the final agreement.

“Indigenous Rights are not negotiable,” said Orpha Novita Yoshua, an Indigenous Namblong woman from West Papua, in a statement released by Greenpeace.

“We are the ones doing the work. We protect biodiversity,” said Valentin Engobo, leader of the Lokolama community in the Congo Basin. “You won’t replace us. We won’t let you.”

– Money matters –

The issue of how much money the rich countries will send to the developing world, home to most of the world’s biodiversity, has been the biggest sticking point.

“If the framework is not accompanied by adequate resources, then we will be destined to repeat the same failures that we saw after Aichi,” warned Brian O’Donnell, director of the NGO Campaign for Nature.

“If it’s weak we would certainly oppose it and encourage parties to oppose it and not sign up to a weak deal,” he added. “We’re still remaining hopeful that we can get there.”

Several countries have announced new commitments. The European Union has committed seven billion euros ($7.4 billion) for the period until 2027, double its prior pledge.

But these commitments are still well short of what observers say is needed, and what developing countries are seeking.

Brazil has led that charge, proposing flows of $100 billion annually, compared to the roughly $10 billion at present.

Whether international aid is delivered via a new fund, an existing mechanism called the Global Environment Facility (GEF), or a halfway solution involving a new “trust fund” within the GEF is still up for debate.

Top participants hope COP15 talks aimed at sealing a "peace pact for nature" will yield a major deal

Top officials at high-stakes UN biodiversity negotiations said Saturday they were confident of securing a major deal to save the natural world from destruction.

Observers had warned the COP15 talks aimed at sealing a “peace pact for nature” risked collapse due to disagreement over how much the rich world should pay to save ecosystems in developing countries.

But the Chinese chair of the conference said Saturday he was “greatly confident” delegates would reach a deal and his Canadian counterpart said “tremendous” progress had been made.

“I am greatly confident that we can … keep our ambitions as well as achieve consensus,” China’s Environment Minister Huang Runqiu told reporters in Montreal, where the COP15 meeting is being held.

His Canadian counterpart Steven Guilbeault echoed his statement, saying: “We’ve made tremendous progress… I don’t know about how many of us thought we could get there.”

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “With just a few days to go before the end of the COP 15 Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, my message to our partners is: now is not the time for small decisions, let’s go big!

“Let’s work together to achieve the most ambitious agreement possible. The world is depending on it.”

The negotiations officially run until December 19, but could run longer if needed.

China holds the presidency of COP15, but its strict Covid rules prevented it from hosting, leaving that task to Canada in deep winter.

At stake is the future of the planet: whether humanity can roll back the habitat destruction, pollution and climate crisis that threaten an estimated one million plant and animal species with extinction.

The text is meant to be a roadmap for nations through 2030. The last 10-year plan, signed in Japan in 2010, failed to achieve any of its objectives, a failure blamed widely on its lack of monitoring mechanisms.

Major draft goals now include a cornerstone pledge to protect 30 percent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030.

That ambitious objective is being compared to the Paris deal commitment to hold long-term planetary warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — or at least to 2.0 degrees.

– Money matters –

The more than 20 targets under discussion include reducing environmentally destructive farming subsidies, requiring businesses to assess and report on their biodiversity impacts, and tackling the scourge of invasive species.

Representatives of Indigenous communities, who safeguard 80 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity, want their rights to practice stewardship of their lands to be enshrined in the final agreement.

The issue of how much money the rich countries — collectively known as the Global North — will send to the Global South, home to most of the world’s biodiversity, has emerged as the biggest sticking point.

Developing countries say developed nations grew rich by exploiting their resources and the South should be paid to preserve its ecosystems.

Several countries have announced new commitments either at the COP or recently, with Europe emerging as a key leader. The European Union has committed seven billion euros ($7.4 billion) for the period until 2027, double its prior pledge.

But these commitments are still well short of what observers say is needed, and what developing countries are seeking.

Brazil has led that charge, proposing flows of $100 billion annually, compared to the roughly $10 billion at present.

Whether international aid is delivered via a new fund, an existing mechanism called the Global Environment Facility (GEF), or a halfway solution involving a new “trust fund” within the GEF is still up for debate.

With the clock ticking, over 3,000 scientists have written an open letter to policymakers, calling for immediate action to stop the destruction of critical ecosystems.

“We owe this to ourselves and to future generations — we can’t wait any longer,” they said.

Beyond the moral implications, there is the question of self-interest: $44 trillion of economic value generation — more than half the world’s total GDP — depends on nature and its services.

Global Youth Biodiversity Network holds a protest during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal

Crucial UN talks aimed at sealing a “peace pact for nature” were entering their final stages Saturday, officially the last day the world’s environment ministers are gathered in Montreal for the COP15 meeting.

Whether they deliver a deal for biodiversity as ambitious as the Paris climate accord, endorse a watered-down text, or fail to agree on anything at all remains to be seen.

The negotiations officially run until December 19, but there are strong signs that ministers will be asked to stay on until the end, and the conference itself could run beyond the allotted time.

“We’re all going to be held accountable, by our future generation, our children and all life on Earth,” Chinese environment minister Huang Runqiu, the conference president, told fellow ministers. 

China holds the presidency of COP15, but its strict Covid rules prevented it from hosting, leaving that task to Canada in deep winter.

At stake is nothing less than the future of the planet: whether humanity can roll back the habitat destruction, pollution and climate crisis that threaten an estimated one million plant and animal species with extinction. 

The text is meant to be a roadmap for nations through 2030. The last 10-year plan, signed in Japan in 2010, failed to achieve any of its objectives, a failure blamed widely on its lack of monitoring mechanisms.

Major draft goals now include a cornerstone pledge to protect 30 percent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030, an ambitious objective being compared to the Paris deal commitment to hold long-term planetary warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — or at least to 2.0 degrees.

– Money matters –

In all, there are more than 20 targets. They include reducing environmentally destructive farming subsidies, requiring businesses to assess and report on their biodiversity impacts, and tackling the scourge of invasive species.

Representatives of Indigenous communities — who safeguard 80 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity — want their rights to practice stewardship of their lands to be enshrined in the final agreement.

The thorny issue of how much money the rich countries — collectively known as the Global North — will send to the Global South, home to most of the world’s biodiversity, has emerged as the biggest sticking point.

Developing countries say developed nations grew rich by exploiting their resources and the South should be paid to preserve its ecosystems.

Several countries have announced new commitments either at the COP or recently, with Europe emerging as a key leader. The European Union has committed seven billion euros ($7.4 billion) for the period until 2027, double its prior pledge.

But these commitments are still well short of what observers say is needed, and what developing countries are seeking.

Brazil has led that charge, proposing flows of $100 billion annually, compared to the roughly $10 billion at present.

But France has hit back, saying developed countries will only step up funding if developing countries agree to more ambitious plans, including on reducing heavy pesticide use by agricutural industries.

“We cannot have, on the one hand, some tears for species but no real commitments at the end of this COP,” French environment minister Christophe Bechu said Friday.

Whether international aid is delivered via a new fund, an existing mechanism called the Global Environment Facility (GEF), or a halfway solution involving a new “trust fund” within the GEF is still up for debate.

With the clock ticking, over 3,000 scientists have written an open letter to policymakers, calling for immediate action to stop the destruction of critical ecosystems.

“We owe this to ourselves and to future generations — we can’t wait any longer,” they said.

Beyond the moral implications, there is the question of self-interest: $44 trillion of economic value generation — more than half the world’s total GDP — depends on nature and its services.

Global Youth Biodiversity Network holds a protest during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal

Crucial UN talks aimed at sealing a “peace pact for nature” were entering their final stages Saturday, officially the last day the world’s environment ministers are gathered in Montreal for the COP15 meeting.

Whether they deliver a deal for biodiversity that is as ambitious as the Paris accord for climate, endorse a watered-down text, or fail to agree on anything at all remains to be seen, though there are strong signs the negotiations set to last until December 19 will run beyond the allotted time.

With the clock ticking down, over 3,000 scientists wrote an open letter to policymakers, calling for immediate action to stop the destruction of critical ecosystems.

“We owe this to ourselves and to future generations — we can’t wait any longer,” they said.

At stake is the future of the planet and whether humanity can roll back habitat destruction, pollution and the climate crisis, which are threatening an estimated million plant and animal species with extinction.

The text is meant to be a roadmap for nations to follow that carries them through until 2030, after the last 10-year plan signed in Japan failed to achieve any of its objectives, widely blamed on its lack of monitoring mechanisms.

Major draft goals include a cornerstone pledge to protect 30 percent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030, which is compared to the Paris deal commitment to hold long-term planetary warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius or at least to 2C.

In all, there are more than 20 targets, including reducing environmentally destructive subsidies of agriculture, obliging businesses to assess and report on their biodiversity impacts, and tackling the scourge of invasive species.

The thorny issue of how much money the global north will send to the global south to help preserve their ecosystems has emerged as the biggest sticking point.

Several countries have announced new commitments either at the COP or recently, with Europe emerging as a key leader. The European Union has committed seven billion euros for the period until 2027, double its prior pledge.

But these commitments are still well short of what observers say is needed, and what developing countries are seeking.

Brazil has led that charge, proposing flows of $100 billion annually, compared to the roughly $10 billion at present.

But France has hit back, saying developed countries will only step up funding if developing countries agree to more ambitious plans, including on reducing pesticide use that agro industries in the global south use heavily.

“We cannot have on hand some tears for species but no real commitments at the end of this COP,” French environment minister Christophe Bechu said Friday.

Whether international aid is delivered via a new fund, an existing mechanism called the Global Environment Facility, or a halfway solution involving a new “trust fund” within the GEF, is still up for debate.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz inaugurated Germany's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal

Germany on Saturday inaugurated its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, built in record time, as the country scrambles to adapt to life without Russian energy.

The rig in the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven was opened by Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a ceremony on board a specialist vessel known as an FSRU, named the Hoegh Esperanza.

“It’s a good day for our country and a sign to the whole world that the German economy will be able to remain strong,” Scholz said from the boat.

The Hoegh Esperanza sounded its horn as the chancellor, dressed in a high visibility jacket, approached.

The ship has already been stocked with gas from Nigeria that could supply 50,000 homes for a year, and the terminal is set to begin deliveries on December 22.

Germany plans to open four more government-funded LNG terminals over the next few months as well as a private terminal in the port of Lubmin.

Together, the terminals could deliver 30 billion cubic metres of gas a year from next year, or a third of Germany’s total gas needs — if Berlin can find enough LNG to service them.

LNG terminals allow for the import by sea of natural gas which has been chilled and turned into a liquid to make it easier to transport.

The FRSU stocks the LNG, then turns it back into a ready-to-use gas.

Until now, Germany had no LNG terminals and relied on cheap gas delivered through pipelines from Russia for 55 percent of its supply.

– Supply worries –

But since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, gas supplies to Germany have been throttled and Berlin has been forced to rely on LNG processed by Belgian, French and Dutch ports, paying a premium for transport costs.

The government decided to invest in building its own LNG terminals as quickly as possible and has spent billions of euros (dollars) on hiring FSRUs to service them.

However, Germany has not yet signed a single major long-term contract to begin filling the terminals from January.

“The import capacity is there. But what worries me are the deliveries,” Johan Lilliestam, a researcher at the University of Potsdam, told AFP.

A contract has been signed with Qatar for LNG to supply the Wilhelmshaven terminal but deliveries are not set to begin until 2026.

Suppliers want long-term contracts, while the German government is not keen to be locked into multi-year gas deals as it wants the country to become climate-neutral by 2045. 

“Companies need to know that the purchasing side in Germany will eventually diminish if we want to meet climate protection targets,” economy minister Robert Habeck has said.

Environmental campaigners have criticised the LNG project, with the DUH association announcing it will take legal action. A handful of protestors turned out in Wilhelmshaven with placards demanding an “End to gas”.

– Cold winter –

Germany could initially be forced to buy LNG from the expensive spot markets, which would lead to higher prices for consumers.

The market could also be squeezed next year by renewed demand in China as it emerges from strict Covid-19 curbs, Andreas Schroeder, an expert at the ICIS energy research institute, told AFP. 

“If Europe has been able to receive so much LNG in recent months, it is because Chinese demand was low,” Schroeder said. 

China recently signed a deal to buy gas from Qatar for 27 years — the longest such deal in history, according to Doha.

Germany has also had a cold winter so far, meaning the gas tanks have been emptying faster than expected.

“Gas consumption is increasing. This is a risk, especially if the cold spell continues,” said Klaus Mueller, the head of the country’s Federal Network Agency regulatory body, in a recent interview.

As a result, there is a real risk that Germany could experience temporary supply disruptions next winter, according to Schroeder.

Gas usage is currently down 13 percent compared to last year but the government wants that figure to be closer to 20 percent.

In Europe, the gap between supply and demand could reach 27 billion cubic metres (950 billion cubic feet) in 2023, according to an IEA report — equivalent to 6.5 percent of the European Union’s annual consumption.

Rescue workers scoured muddy terrain for survivors and bodies as the death toll from a landslide at a Malaysian campsite rose to 24

Rescue workers scoured muddy terrain for survivors and bodies on Saturday as the death toll from a landslide at an unauthorised campsite in Malaysia rose to 24, including seven children, authorities said.

Nine people were still missing after a predawn landslide hit the site located at an organic farm near the town of Batang Kali just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

Selangor state fire and rescue director Norazam Khamis said the chances of finding survivors in the mud and debris a day after the disaster were “slim.”

Officials said there had been more than 90 people, most of them asleep, at the campsite near a mountain casino resort when the landslide struck.

Authorities said 61 people had been found safe or rescued.

Two of the victims were “believed to be a mother and her child in a state of embrace buried under the earth”, Norazam told reporters on Friday.

The farm did not have a licence to run a campsite and its operators would be punished if they were found to have broken the law, authorities said.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited the area late Friday and said financial aid would be given to the families of those killed or injured in the disaster.

Selangor state chief minister Amirudin Shari tweeted that all picnic and camping sites in the state would be closed for a week.

– ‘Unprecedented’ –

Landslides are common in Malaysia after heavy rains, which are regular at the end of the year.

However, no heavy rains were recorded in the area on the night of the disaster.

Nor Shahidah Mohd Nazer, a geology expert from the National University of Malaysia, described the landslide as “unprecedented” under the circumstances — involving a gentler slope and not following typical heavy rain. 

She said the slope could have been partly affected by monsoon rain from days or even weeks ago.

“Since the soil mass was initially wet and saturated, it behaved as a semi-liquid,” she told AFP. 

In March, four people were killed after a massive landslide triggered by heavy rains buried their homes in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.

In one of the deadliest such incidents, a huge mudslide in 1993 brought on by heavy rain caused a 12-storey residential building outside the capital to collapse, killing 48 people.

Rescue workers scoured muddy terrain for survivors and bodies as the death toll from a landslide at a Malaysian campsite rose to 23

Rescue workers scoured muddy terrain for survivors and bodies on Saturday as the death toll from a landslide at a Malaysian campsite rose to 23, including six children, authorities said.

Ten people were still missing after a predawn landslide hit the site located at an organic farm near the town of Batang Kali just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

Selangor state fire and rescue director Norazam Khamis said the chances of finding survivors in the mud and debris a day after the disaster were “slim.”

Officials said there had been more than 90 people, most of them asleep, at the campsite near a mountain casino resort when the landslide struck.

Authorities said 61 people had been found safe or rescued.

Two of the victims were “believed to be a mother and her child in a state of embrace buried under the earth”, Norazam told reporters on Friday.

The farm did not have a licence to run a campsite and its operators would be punished if they were found to have broken the law, authorities said.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited the area late Friday and said financial aid would be given to the families of those killed or injured in the disaster.

Selangor state chief minister Amirudin Shari tweeted that all picnic and camping sites in the state would be closed for a week.

Landslides are common in Malaysia after heavy rains, which are regular at the end of the year.

However, no heavy rains were recorded in the area on the night of the disaster.

The government has imposed strict rules on hillside development.

In March, four people were killed after a massive landslide triggered by heavy rains buried their homes in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.

In one of the deadliest such incidents, a huge mudslide in 1993 brought on by heavy rain caused a 12-storey residential building outside the capital to collapse, killing 48 people.