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Rough seas or smooth sailing? The cruise industry is booming despite environmental concerns

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/frederic-dimanche-836528">Frédéric Dimanche</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/toronto-metropolitan-university-1607">Toronto Metropolitan University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kelley-a-mcclinchey-1287281">Kelley A. McClinchey</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/wilfrid-laurier-university-1817">Wilfrid Laurier University</a> Cruise ship season is officially underway in British Columbia. The season kicked off with the arrival of Norwegian Bliss on April 3 — the <a href="https://www.cheknews.ca/first-cruise-ship-of-the-season-to-arrive-in-victoria-in-less-than-2-weeks-1196426/">first of 318 ships</a> that are scheduled to dock in Victoria this year. Victoria saw a record 970,000 passengers arrive in 2023, with more expected in 2024. The cruise industry <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2021.100391">was badly hit</a> by the <a href="https://financialpost.com/financial-times/the-2020s-were-meant-to-be-a-boom-decade-for-cruises-then-covid-19-hit-them-like-a-tidal-wave">suspension of cruise operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic</a> in 2020. Fuelled by heavy consumer demand and industry innovation, cruising has made a comeback. It is now one of the fastest-growing sectors, rebounding even faster than international tourism. While many predicted <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/05/carnivals-struggle-to-survive-the-coronavirus-as-outbreak-wipes-out-the-cruise-industry.html">a difficult recovery</a>, a <a href="https://cruising.org/en">recent industry report shows a remarkable post-pandemic rebound</a>. Two million more people went on cruises in 2023 versus 2019, with demand predicted to top 35 million in 2024. But environmental issues plague the sector’s revival. Are they an indication of rough seas ahead? Or will a responsive industry mean smooth sailing? Cruising has long been criticized <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/their-purpose-is-to-be-fun-but-theres-a-dark-side-to-cruising-the-seas/dzxivdoos">for being Janus-faced</a>: on the surface, cruises are convenient, exciting holidays with reputed economic benefits. But lurking underneath are its <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.11.002">negative environmental and social impacts</a>. <h2>Unprecedented growth</h2> Newly constructed mega-ships are part of the industry’s unprecedented growth. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is the <a href="https://www.cruisehive.com/top-10-biggest-cruise-ships-in-the-world/66448">largest cruise ship in the world</a>, with 18 decks, 5,600 passengers and 2,350 crew. MSC World Europa with 6,700 passengers and 2,100 crew, P&O Arvia with 5,200 passengers and 1,800 crew, and Costa Smeralda with 6,600 passengers and 1,500 crew also claim mega-ship status. Those sailing to and from Alaska via Victoria will be some of the <a href="https://hakaimagazine.com/features/cruise-ship-invasion/">estimated 700,000 passengers departing Seattle</a> on massive ships three sport fields in length. Baby boomers represent less than 25 per cent of cruise clientele. Gen X, <a href="https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/2024/01/15/cruise-millennials-gen-z">Millennials and Gen Z</a> have more interest than ever in cruising, with these younger markets being targeted as the future of cruise passengers. The Cruise Lines International Association asserts that <a href="https://cruising.org/-/media/clia-media/research/2024/2024-state-of-the-cruise-industry-report_041424_web.ashx">82 per cent of those who have cruised will cruise again</a>. To entice first-timers and meet the needs of repeat cruisers, companies are offering new itineraries and onboard activities, from <a href="https://www.timescolonist.com/business/royal-caribbean-quantum-cruise-ship-1st-at-sea-bumper-cars-skydiving-observation-capsule-4585987">simulated skydiving and bumper cars</a> to <a href="https://nationalpost.com/travel/cruise-ship-offers-pickleball-on-the-high-seas">pickleball</a> and lawn bowling. Solo cruise travel is also on the rise, and <a href="https://www.cruisetradenews.com/demand-for-multi-generational-cruise-holidays-on-the-up-data-finds/">multi-generational family cruise travel</a> is flourishing, explaining the extensive variety of cabin classes, activities and restaurants available on newly constructed and retrofitted ships. However, only a few cruise ports are large enough to dock mega ships. Cruise lines are responding by offering off-beat experiences and catering more to the distinct desires of travellers. In doing so, there is a <a href="https://www.positivelyosceola.com/2024s-top-cruise-trends-embracing-smaller-ships-solo-adventures-and-luxury-suites/">move towards smaller vessels and luxury liners</a>, river cruises and <a href="https://www.travelweek.ca/news/cruise/expedition-cruising-what-is-it-and-how-do-you-sell-it/">expedition cruising</a>. Leveraging lesser-known ports that can only be accessed via compact luxury ships <a href="https://www.cntraveler.com/story/small-cruise-ships-are-more-sustainble-and-on-the-rise">offers more mission-driven, catered experiences</a> for the eco-minded traveller. <h2>Cruising and environmental costs</h2> Cruise ship visitors are known to negatively impact Marine World Heritage sites. While most sites regulate ballast water and wastewater discharge, there are <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020611">concerns about ship air emissions and wildlife interactions</a>. Cruise ship journeys along Canada’s west coast, for example, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/09/us-cruise-ships-using-canada-as-toilet-bowl-for-polluted-waste-alaska-british-columbia">are leaving behind a trail of toxic waste</a>. <a href="https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Comparison_of_CO2_Emissions_v2.pdf">A study by environmental organization Friends of the Earth</a> concluded that a cruise tourist generates eight times more carbon emissions per day than a land tourist in Seattle. Also, a rise in expedition cruising means more negative impacts (long-haul flights to farther ports, less destination management in fragile ecosystems, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/briefing/last-chance-tourism.html">last chance tourism</a>) and a rise in carbon dioxide emissions. Toxic air pollutants from cruise ships around ports are higher than pre-pandemic levels, <a href="https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/europes-luxury-cruise-ships-emit-as-much-toxic-sulphur-as-1bn-cars-study/">leaving Europe’s port cities “choking on air pollution</a>.” Last year, Europe’s 218 cruise ships emitted as much sulphur oxides as one billion cars — a high number, considering the introduction of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30002-4">International Maritime Organization’s sulphur cap in 2020</a>. <h2>Rough seas ahead or smooth sailing?</h2> Royal Caribbean said its Icon of the Seas is designed to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/worlds-largest-cruise-ship-sets-sail-bringing-concerns-about-methane-emissions-2024-01-27/">operate 24 per cent more efficiently than the international standard</a> for new ships. International Maritime Organization regulations <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-22/royal-caribbean-s-icon-of-the-seas-highlights-climate-impact-of-cruises">must be 30 per cent more energy-efficient</a> than those built in 2014. But despite the industry using liquefied natural gas instead of heavy fuel oil and electric shore power to turn off diesel engines when docking, industry critics still claim <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/26/icon-of-the-seas-largest-cruise-ship-human-lasagne-climate-fuel-lng-greenwashing">the cruise sector is greenwashing</a>. As a result, some cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona and Venice are <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/07/21/war-on-cruise-ships-amsterdam-latest-port-to-limit-or-ban-cruise-liners">limiting or banning cruise ships</a>. Environmental critiques remain strong, especially for <a href="https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ijegeo/issue/65449/957262">polar expeditions</a>. The industry must respond and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-01949-4_131">increase sustainability efforts</a>, but their measures remain reactive (i.e., merely meeting international regulations) rather than proactive. In addition, by sailing their ships under <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/13/real-problem-with-cruise-industry/">flags of convenience</a>, cruise companies evade taxes and demonstrate an unwillingness to abide by a nation’s environmental, health and labour regulations. In any case, environmental concerns are escalating along with the industry. <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/cruising-green-eco-operators-make-waves">Travel agents and industry figures are aware of these impacts</a> and should help promote cruise lines that demonstrate a commitment to sustainable practices. Local residents need to expect more from port authorities and local governments in order <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2024.103732">to cope with cruise tourism</a>. Cruise consumers should recognize the environmental costs of cruising, and demand accountability and transparency from cruise lines.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/228181/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/frederic-dimanche-836528">Frédéric Dimanche</a>, Professor and Director, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/toronto-metropolitan-university-1607">Toronto Metropolitan University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kelley-a-mcclinchey-1287281">Kelley A. McClinchey</a>, Teaching Faculty, Geography and Environmental Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/wilfrid-laurier-university-1817">Wilfrid Laurier University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/rough-seas-or-smooth-sailing-the-cruise-industry-is-booming-despite-environmental-concerns-228181">original article</a>.

Cruising

Climate activists throw soup at Mona Lisa

Two climate change activists have hurled soup at the bullet-proof glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting, the Mona Lisa, at the Louvre Museum in Paris. On Sunday morning, local time, a video posted on social media showed two women throwing red and orange soup onto the glass protecting the painting to the shock of bystanders. The incident came amid days of protests by French farmers across the country demanding better pay, taxes, and regulations. The two women, with the words "FOOD RIPOSTE" or "Food Counterattack" written on their T-shirts, managed to pass under the security barrier and stood in front of the painting, while shouting slogans for a sustainable food system. “What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food?” they asked. “Your agricultural system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work,” they added, before the security put black panels in front of the painting, and asked visitors to evacuate the space. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> ALERTE - Des militantes pour le climat jettent de la soupe sur le tableau de La Joconde au musée du Louvre. <a href="https://twitter.com/CLPRESSFR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CLPRESSFR</a> <a href="https://t.co/Aa7gavRRc4">pic.twitter.com/Aa7gavRRc4</a> — CLPRESS / Agence de presse (@CLPRESSFR) <a href="https://twitter.com/CLPRESSFR/status/1751538762687893894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2024</a></blockquote> On its website, the "Food Riposte" group said that the French government is breaking its climate commitments, and they demanded a state-sponsored health care system to be put in to give people better access to healthy food, while providing farmers with a decent income. The protests comes after the French government announced a series of measures for agricultural workers on Friday, which they believe do not fully address their demands. Image: Twitter

Legal

Ken’s rights? Our research shows Barbie is surprisingly accurate on how ‘men’s rights activists’ are radicalised

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lucy-nicholas-145660">Lucy Nicholas</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> In the Barbie movie, we open with a picture of a perfect Barbieland where (almost) everyone is happy, diversity and sisterhood are embraced, and Barbies hold all positions of power. The Kens however, reflecting the popularity of the dolls in the real world, play a mainly decorative role. Spoilers for Barbie follow. In the film, we see a disgruntled Ken (played hilariously by Ryan Gosling) follow “Stereotypical” Barbie (Margot Robbie) to the real world where she has to find her human owner. This is all to fix an error that is allowing the real world to seep into Barbie land, with symptoms such as Barbie having an existential crisis. In the real world, Ken discovers the concept of the patriarchy. This sees him take a journey that is clearly influenced by, and pokes fun at, many aspects of contemporary anti-feminist men’s rights culture. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pBk4NYhWNMM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Barbieland and the matriarchy</h2> It has been proposed that <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-greta-gerwigs-barbie-land-the-matriarchy-can-be-just-as-bad-as-the-patriarchy-209317">Barbieland is a matriarchy</a>, but I would argue that their attitude to Kens is instead indifference. Ken was aggrieved that Barbie didn’t notice him and reciprocate his affections. This is not dissimilar to the grievances of some real-life men under contemporary feminism. Why don’t women’s lives revolve around them? And what can they do to address this perceived injustice? The movie cleverly parallels the emotions, narratives and logics that lead men to extreme antifeminist and misogynistic thinking, and in doing so exposes the flimsiness of their foundations. Having undertaken <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">research</a> on online antifeminist discourses, Ken’s journey from aggrievement to masculine “enlightenment” parallels themes we found in Men’s Rights Activist spaces. Radicalisation into this world is often motivated by a feeling among boys and men of being left behind by a feminist world or system that doesn’t value them. This then leads them to long for an imagined natural order of patriarchy where women are back in their place and men regain their entitlements. These logics underpin <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-the-incel-community-has-a-sexism-problem-but-we-can-do-something-about-it-207206">incel</a> culture, a movement that is increasingly understood as a terror threat, and has been associated with various acts of terror, such as the 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/closest-to-an-incel-attack-nz-has-had-experts-concern-after-attempted-murder-of-auckland-schoolgirls/HYPEVZ6F4BFT3CV2O4SXS5FR7U/">Epsom crash case</a>. <h2>The manosphere and MRAS</h2> The “<a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-68360-7_2">manosphere</a>” can be understood as a loose coalition of antifeminist online subcultures. This includes MRAs (<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1097184X15574338">Men’s Rights Activists</a>) who claim reverse discrimination and that feminism has gone too far, and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1097184X18816118">Redpillers</a> who claim to have swallowed the “red pill” to see the truth about feminism’s dominance. PUAs (<a href="https://repository.upenn.edu/entities/publication/d8971ded-1ec3-4939-8c0a-ab248dad62ba">Pick up Artists</a>) teach men how to manipulate the women they feel they are entitled to, to give them sex; and MGTOWs (<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1751867">Men Going Their Own Way</a>), who are antifeminist separatists (from women). Some of the most well known members of the manosphere are incels (involuntary celibates) a misogynistic community of self identified “beta-males” who want an end to women’s rights which prevent them from getting sex. <h2>Ken’s grievances</h2> Like many MRAs, Ken struggles with a sense of entitlement romantically (rather than sexually in genital-free Barbieland), and in attitudes to power and respect. Ken was being “<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friend%20zone">friend-zoned</a>” by Barbie, who despite being “boyfriend and girlfriend” wouldn’t let him stay over at the Dream House, because “every night is girl’s night”. This is coupled with a feeling of not being special, as Ken is essentially interchangeable with any other Ken. He is also “alpha’d” by other Kens: in the language of the manosphere, Barbie is a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-27/incels-inside-their-terrifying-online-world/9700932">“Stacy” and the other Ken is an alpha “Chad”</a> preventing him from getting what he wants. In <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">our data</a> we found women are often described as “overlords”, man-haters, misandrists and “feminazis”. Among other concerns, men perceive economic loss due to women’s participation in the workplace, and crucially a lack of men’s sexual access to women brought about by the gains of feminism such as the awareness raised around consent by the #metoo movement. These men all share a starting point of grievance at women and their perceived indifference towards them. When Ken goes to the real world, he discovers patriarchy and he LOVES it. He has been “redpilled”. Patriarchy explains his aggrievement, and affirms his feelings. He takes patriarchy back to Barbieland and transforms it to Kendom, where the men change it to a society oriented around men and their power (and horses…). <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1IgAEejvqM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Redpilled ken</h2> This redpilled Ken is a hilarious parody of the “neomasculinity” of the pick up artist (PUA) movement, that seeks to restore a masculine-centred world. Neomasculinity is about a belief in biological difference, traditional masculinity and heteronormative gender roles. The amusing depiction of the Kens trying to perform traditional <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hypermasculinity">hypermasculinity</a> and needing their egos stroked – such as in a hilarious scene where the Kens are serenading the Barbies on the beach with an acoustic rendition of Matchbox Twenty’s <a href="https://youtu.be/HAkHqYlqops">Push</a> (“I wanna push you around … I wanna take you for granted”) – brilliantly shows the extent to which toxic masculinity is learned. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HAkHqYlqops?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Additionally, the competition among the Kens (that the Barbies ultimately stoke to overturn the Kentriarchy) is the perfect illustration of the damage toxic models of masculinity does to men. As Australian sociologist Raewyn Connell has long argued, almost no men can live up to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27640853">masculine ideals</a>, resulting in negative outcomes not just for women but also for men themselves. <h2>Finding the real Ken</h2> The movie ends with Barbie, her human (America Ferrera), “Weird Barbie” (Kate McKinnon) and Allan (Michael Cera) deprogramming the brainwashed Barbies and turning the Kens against each other. But what of Just Beach Ken? And what can we learn from this for preventing or managing radicalisation of this feeling of aggrievement in real men or boys? Well, Barbie and Ken reach a middle ground. Barbie encourages Ken to work out who he is outside of his relation to Barbie, and to learn being Just Ken is enough. This isn’t dissimilar to the methods of men’s behaviour change programs and counselling for men who use violence, which use <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10926771.2023.2189043">trauma-informed motivational interviewing</a>, reflect on challenging gender norms and breaking down rigid thought processes, and developing emotional literacy and communication strategies. But it also illustrates that men and boys need alternative narratives to make sense of themselves in the world, and alternative communities for affirmation, before it gets to this stage. In <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">our report</a>, we recommended: "Providing alternative narratives and considering how far-right [or MRA] groups provide men with emotional support networks, with a view to providing better alternatives." Feminism has consistently been about separating attributes from their gendered associations, breaking down the Barbie/Ken binary. So if there is one thing we can take away from the Barbie movie, it is that hierarchy and rigid gender benefits nobody, and power and social roles have nothing to do with the genitals you are born with.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210273/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lucy-nicholas-145660">Lucy Nicholas</a>, Associate professor Sexualities and Genders / Sociology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> Image credits: Warner Bros. This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kens-rights-our-research-shows-barbie-is-surprisingly-accurate-on-how-mens-rights-activists-are-radicalised-210273">original article</a>.

Caring

Climate change protester crashes high-profile wedding

Climate change protesters have crashed the wedding of former UK politician George Osbourne and his former aide Thea Rodgers. The ceremony, which took place in Somerset, England, had more than 200 guests and was attended by several high-profilers – including former prime ministers, other UK politicians and various journalists. A few of the guests in attendance included former Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, longstanding minister Michael Gove, and former Sky News political editor Adam Boulton among others. The protester, who claimed to be part of the environmental group Just Stop Oil, waited until the couple walked out of St Mary’s Church after the ceremony to throw handfuls of orange confetti over them. The woman had a big smile on her face as she continued emptying the confetti from a Union Jack bag, before being dragged away by security. Just Stop Oil tweeted footage of the incident with the caption: “You look good in orange @George_Osborne – congratulations to the newlyweds.” Despite applauding the protester’s action, the environmental group has denied their connection to the incident. "If it was a form of protest (which is yet to be established) we applaud it and thank the person concerned,” they tweeted. "It was peaceful and not especially disruptive but got massive media attention for Just Stop Oil's demand." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Confettigate: A Statement From Just Stop Oil The lady who threw confetti in Bruton yesterday was upholding a tradition that is common across many cultures. We absolutely defend the right for people to throw confetti (of whatever colour) at weddings and other celebrations. If it… <a href="https://t.co/e0uRJkV2S6">pic.twitter.com/e0uRJkV2S6</a> — Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil/status/1678014729216770048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></blockquote> Another protester was reportedly spotted outside of the gates of the church. The group also added that people should focus on more important issues like the UK government’s decision to licence over 100 new oil and gas projects and the wildfires in Canada. This is Osbourne’s second wedding; he was previously married to Frances Osborne, but the pair divorced in 2019 after 21 years of marriage. Images: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images

Relationships

Eco-activist attacks on museum artwork ask us to figure out what we value

In the last few weeks <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/23/arts/claude-monet-mashed-potatoes-climate-activists.html">climate change activists have perpetrated various acts</a> of reversible vandalism <a href="https://twitter.com/artnews/status/1585745905512169473">against famous works of art in public galleries</a>. In the latest incident on Oct. 27, two men entered <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/27/girl-with-a-pearl-earring-vermeer-just-stop-oil-protest-mauritshuis-the-hague">the Mauritshuis gallery in the Hague</a>. After taking off their jackets to reveal t-shirts printed with anti-oil slogans, one proceeded to glue his head to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/famed-girl-with-pearl-earring-painting-targeted-by-climate-activists-nos-2022-10-27/">glass overtop</a> <a href="https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/artworks/670-girl-with-a-pearl-earring/">Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring</a>, while the other bathed the head of his partner-in-crime with what appeared to be tinned tomatoes before gluing his own hand to the wall adjacent to the painting. This was just the latest in a series of similar art attacks that have peppered the news. The motivation of the eco-activists involved is to draw attention to the crisis of climate change, the role of big oil in hastening the deterioration of the environment and the necessity to save our planet. By attacking a famous and high-value cultural target like Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring — it <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335119/">even starred in its own movie</a> — the protesters are asking us to examine our values. <h2>Big oil protests</h2> The first Vermeer painting to come to auction for almost 80 years <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/vermeer-fetches-record-price-1.506190">sold for almost $40 million in 2004</a>. Today a Vermeer (<a href="http://www.essentialvermeer.com/how_many_vermeers.html">there are not that many)</a> could easily be valued at twice that. Whether you like Vermeer or not, the monetary value of the targets under attack enhances the sheer audacity and shock value of the current art attacks. The eco-activists want to appear to desecrate something that people associate with value and with culture. Their point is that if we don’t have a planet, we’ll lose all the things in it that we seem to value more. As activist Phoebe Plummer of Just Stop Oil <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/just-stop-oil-protestor-van-gogh-sunflowers-why-video-1234643678">told NPR after being involved in the attack on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at London’s National Gallery</a>: “Since October, we have been engaging in disruptive acts all around London because right now what is missing to make this change is political will. So our action in particular <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/01/1133041550/the-activist-who-threw-soup-on-a-van-gogh-explains-why-they-did-it">was a media-grabbing action to get people talking, not just about what we did, but why we did it</a>.” Note, the idea is disruption, not destruction. As acts designed for shock value, the activists did draw immediate public attention. <h2>Attacking art</h2> By staging their attacks in public galleries, where the majority of visitors carry cell phones, activists could be assured film and photos of the incidents would draw immediate attention. By sticking to non-corrosive substances and mitigating damage to the works under attack, they don’t draw the kind of public ire that wilful destruction would evoke. In recent news, attacking art as a form of public protest has largely been limited to public monuments outside the gallery space, like the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/02/us/confederate-monuments-removed-2021-whose-heritage/index.html">destruction and removal of Confederate</a> or colonial statues. But it’s also true that works of museum art have come under attack before. Over the course of its history, <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2019/02/19/trimmed-splashed-and-slashed-the-anatomy-of-rembrandts-the-night-watch">Rembrandt’s Night Watch in the Rijksmuseum</a> in Amsterdam was stabbed in two separate incidents in 1911 and 1975; in 1990, it was sprayed with acid; but all of those attacks were ascribed to individuals with unclear and less clearly rational motives. I see a few issues at stake with assessing what these recent art attacks could mean. <h2>1. How effective is the messaging?</h2> The activists have been articulate about their objectives, but those objectives haven’t been <a href="https://twitter.com/BrydonRobert/status/1587587106997960705">obvious to everyone who sees</a> via social media, but doesn’t stick around to hear the explanation. When a broad <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-are-climate-activists-throwing-food-at-million-dollar-paintings-180981024/">range of media</a> <a href="https://time.com/6224760/climate-activists-throw-food-at-art/">outlets all</a> perceive <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccahughes/2022/08/05/why-are-climate-activists-gluing-themselves-to-art-in-italy/?sh=1e2e8a6a246a">the need to publish</a> editorials on why eco activists are targeting art, something is getting lost in translation. People see the endangerment of the works of art, but may ascribe that to the activists, not to the planetary erosion wrought by climate change. I don’t think everyone is getting the message. <h2>2. Possible misplaced outrage</h2> The incidents up until now have been pretty effective and harmless acts. But what if something is irreparably damaged? People will be outraged, but they’ll still be outraged about the art, not about the planet. And while there will be a call for stiff prison sentences, precedent suggests that’s an unlikely outcome. A man who damaged a Picasso valued at $26 million USD at the Tate Modern <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/tate-modern-picasso-damaged-man-sentenced-1234569349">in London in 2020 was sentenced to 18 months in jail</a>. <h2>3. Violation of public trust</h2> The third effect is what I consider a violation of the public trust, and this gives me pause. Works of art, even the most famous ones, lead precarious lives of constant endangerment; war, weather, fire, floods. The protesters are destabilizing the idea that public galleries are “safe” spaces for works of art, held in public trust. As fari nzinga, inaugural curator of academic engagement and special projects at the <a href="https://www.speedmuseum.org/">Speed Art Museum</a> in Louisville, KY, pointed out in a 2016 paper: “The museum doesn’t serve the public trust simply by displaying art for its members, <a href="https://incluseum.com/2016/11/29/public-trust-and-art-museums">it does so by keeping and caring for the art on behalf of a greater community of members and non¬members alike</a>, preserving it for future generations to study and enjoy.” Right now these acts, no matter how well-intentioned, could lead to increased security and more limited access, making galleries prisons for art rather than places for people. At the same time, part of the activsts’ point is that economy that sustains <a href="https://grist.org/climate/can-art-museums-survive-without-oil-money/">big oil is entwined with arts infrastructure</a> and the art market. <h2>The thing that saves us?</h2> The pandemic taught us, I think, that art could be the thing we share that saves us; think of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q734VN0N7hw">people during quarantine in Italy singing opera together from their balconies</a>. Eco-activists engaged in performance protests ask us to question our public institutions and make us accountable for what they, and we, value. Their climate activism is dedicated to our shared fate. If you’re willing to fight for the protection of art, maybe you’re willing to fight to protect the planet. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/eco-activist-attacks-on-museum-artwork-ask-us-to-figure-out-what-we-value-193575" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Art

Soup on Van Gogh and graffiti on Warhol: climate activists follow the long history of museums as a site of protest

Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans at the National Gallery of Australia are just the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/nov/09/climate-activists-target-andy-warhols-campbells-soup-cans-at-australias-national-gallery">latest artistic target</a> of climate protesters, who have been throwing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/14/just-stop-oil-activists-throw-soup-at-van-goghs-sunflowers">soup</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/climate-protesters-throw-mashed-potatoes-at-monet-painting/2022/10/23/cc39e636-52f0-11ed-ac8b-08bbfab1c5a5_story.html">mashed potatoes</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/climate-protesters-throw-mashed-potatoes-at-monet-painting/2022/10/23/cc39e636-52f0-11ed-ac8b-08bbfab1c5a5_story.html">cake</a> at art worth millions of dollars. The actions have received a <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/in-doha-four-museum-directors-talk-the-climate-protests-1234644472/">muted response</a> from some museum directors, but the protesters know exactly what they are doing. As the activists who threw soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers <a href="https://www.frieze.com/article/interview-just-stop-oil">said, "</a>We know that civil resistance works. History has shown us that." Indeed, there is a long history of museums and art being used for political protest. <h2>For women’s suffrage and women artists</h2> In 1914, suffragette Mary Richardson <a href="https://womensarttours.com/slashing-venus-suffragettes-and-vandalism/">slashed</a> the canvas of Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus at London’s National Gallery. Richardson wanted to attract publicity to Emmeline Pankhurst’s imprisonment for her suffragette actions. Richardson selected this painting in part because of its value, and because of “the way men visitors gaped at it all day long”. Her tactics are credited as <a href="https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/just-stop-oil-protests-museums-environmental-activism/">motivating</a> Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil. Since 1985, the <a href="https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/25207/1/Camillabrownpaper.pdf">Guerrilla Girls</a> have been exposing sexual and racial discrimination in the art world. Their actions have usually occurred at the outskirts of museums: in museum foyers, on nearby billboards and on New York City buses. Perhaps their most famous work <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/guerrilla-girls-do-women-have-to-be-naked-to-get-into-the-met-museum-p78793">asked</a>: “do women have to be naked to get into the Met Museum?” <h2>Against corporate sponsorship and artwashing</h2> <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/decolonize-this-place-kanders-whitney-nine-weeks-of-art-and-action-12207/">Decolonize this Place</a> brings together campaigns against racial and economic inequality. They organised a campaign beginning in 2018 targeting the then vice-chair of New York’s Whitney Museum, Warren B. Kander, whose company sold tear gas that had reportedly been used against asylum seekers along the US-Mexico border. The campaign’s first event was held in the museum’s foyer. <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/no-space-profiteer-state-violence-decolonize-place-protests-whitney-vice-chair-warren-b-kanders-11507/">Protesters burned sage</a> to mimic tear gas, which wafted through the lobby until the fire department arrived. The protesters argued Kander’s business interests meant he was not fit to lead a globally significant cultural heritage institution that sought relevance for a wide and diverse public constituency. Kander <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/arts/whitney-warren-kanders-resigns.html">resigned</a> from the museum’s board in 2019. Since 2018, artist <a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sackler-nan-goldin-victoria-albert-1704450">Nan Goldin</a> and her “Opioid Activist Group” have been staging “die-ins” at the museum to protest against the galleries named for sponsorship from the Sackler family. The Sackler family business is Purdue Pharma, infamous for OxyContin, a major drug in the US <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/03/1084163626/purdue-sacklers-oxycontin-settlement">opioid crisis</a>. Activists have targeted galleries around the world, and so far the Sackler name has been removed from galleries including the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/arts/sackler-family-museums.html">Louvre</a>, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/mar/25/british-museum-removes-sackler-family-name-from-galleries">British Museum</a>, the <a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sackler-name-change-guggenheim-museum-2110993">Guggenheim</a> and, as of last month, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/oct/01/campaigners-celebrate-as-va-severs-sackler-links-over-opioids-cash">Victoria and Albert Museum</a>. <h2>For the return of cultural artefacts</h2> The highest-profile actions against the British Museum have targeted its rejection of calls to return objects including the <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/parthenon-marbles-british-museum-protest-1234632365/">Parthenon Marbles</a> of Greece, the <a href="https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/british-museum-closes-gallery-in-response-to-protesters">Benin Bronzes</a> from modern-day Nigeria, and the <a href="https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/british-museum-closes-gallery-in-response-to-protesters">Gweagal shield</a> from Australia. In 2018, a group of activists performed a “<a href="https://camd.org.au/stolen-goods-tour-of-bm-protest/">Stolen Goods Tour</a>” of the museum. Participants from across the world gave a different story to what visitors read in the museum’s object labels and catalogues, as the activist tour guides explained their continuing connections with objects in the collection. The tour did not convince the museum to return cultural items, but drew extensive global attention to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/11/nigeria-benin-repatriate-bronzes-smithsonian">ongoing campaigns</a>seeking restitution and repatriation. <h2>In the culture wars</h2> Protests using art and museums aren’t just the domain of the left. In 1969, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Museums-and-Social-Activism-Engaged-Protest/Message/p/book/9780415658539">an arsonist destroyed</a> a display at the National Museum of American History that commemorated Martin Luther King Jr, who had been recently assassinated. The perpetrator was never identified. In 2017, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/18/noose-found-hanging-washington-museum">nooses</a> were left at various museums of the Smithsonian, including The National Museum of African American History and Culture. No groups ever came forward to claim responsibility or express a motive, but the noose is a potent and divisive symbol of segregation and racially motivated violence. In December 2021, doors to the Museum of Australian Democracy in Canberra were <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-30/act-protesters-set-old-parliament-house-on-fire/100731444">set alight</a> twice by protesters with a number of grievances, including opposition to COVID-19 vaccines. The museum’s <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-20/multimillion-dollar-repair-bill-for-old-parliament-house-fire/100770268">director said</a> the “assault on the building” would force the museum to rethink its commitment to being “as open as possible, representing all that is good about Australian democracy”, and at the same time keeping it protected. <h2>‘Direct action works’</h2> The past two decades have seen a surge of art-focused demonstrations. In 2019, Decolonize this Place and Goldin’s anti-Sackler coalition met with members of 30 other groups in front of Andy Warhol’s “The Last Supper” (1986) at the Whitney. They were there to celebrate the Tate Museum in London and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, who had announced they would stop taking funding from the Sackler family. One participant cried “<a href="https://hyperallergic.com/491418/decolonize-this-place-nine-weeks-launch/">direct action works!</a>” Even when protests at museums and art achieve less concrete outcomes than this, they remain central tools for building public awareness around political and social issues. It is unlikely actions against museums and art will subside anytime soon. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/soup-on-van-gogh-and-graffiti-on-warhol-climate-activists-follow-the-long-history-of-museums-as-a-site-of-protest-193009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Art

Evidence that human evolution driven by major environmental pressures discovered

The genes of ancient humans might have changed substantially due to environmental pressures and change, say an international team of researchers. A widely held belief related to human evolution is that our ancient ancestors’ ability to fashion tools, shelter, and use advanced communication skills may have helped to shield them from large environmental impacts such as changing climate, disease and exposure to other events affecting mortality. But research led out of Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide suggests that beneficial genes may have played a more important role in preserving our ancestors. Until now, the sudden increase in frequency of these genes in human groups was masked by the exchange of DNA between people during reproduction. Now, analyses of more than one thousand ancient genomes dating as far back as 45,000 years ago have found historic signals showing genetic adaptation was more common than previously thought. The study of evolutionary events, says the study’s co-lead author Dr Yassine Souilmi, has increased substantially in recent years, as these are the points where human genetics take historic turns. “Evolutionary events [are] exactly what shape our genetic diversity today,” Souilmi tells Cosmos. “That’s what makes us vulnerable to certain diseases [and] resistant to others. “Having a good understanding of evolution, we can have a better understanding of who we are.” Previous research by the Centre has uncovered a range of evolutionary trends, from historic climate change causing the demise of ancestral lions and bears, to the first interactions between humans and coronaviruses 20,000 years ago. And the broader field of research into ancient DNA has shed light on important moments in human history. Only recently did analyses of ancient genes uncover locations on the human genome associated with surviving Yersinia pestis – the bacterium that causes the bubonic plague. <h2>Single events probably triggered selection</h2> This study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, has similarly found environmental events might have been more influential on evolution among Eurasian groups. Such events might lead to a point of natural selection. Take, for instance, the emergence of a pathogen. If such a disease could kill people, those who managed to survive and continue reproducing would pass down favourable traits to subsequent generations. “Natural selection acts in two different mechanisms,” says Souilmi. “It only cares about whether you’re procreating successfully… when it acts, it’s either killing a lot of people, [preventing] some people from reproducing successfully, or some people are just not finding mates because they have some sort of ailment that’s not allowing them to mate successfully, or might make them undesirable. “What we’re finding is that the signal of natural selection we detected in this [research] was likely a single event, because the signal is clustered in time in a very early migration out of Africa. “Not all of the [events] we detected occurred at the same time, but the bulk of them did.” <h2>A mirror to the present</h2> This ‘agnostic’ study did not seek to identify the external pressures leading to the selection events indicated in these ancient genes, but future research by the team will seek to uncover that information. Studies like this, or those into specific pressures like the influence of the Black Death or coronaviruses on humans, show the impact of environmental change on our genetics. Souilmi says this is both insightful and cautionary, as environmental change in the present could be studied by humans in the future. He speculates that changes in the Earth’s climate, or the emergence of new pathogens, likely imposed selection pressures on ancient groups, whether through forcing shortages or changes to food supply or imposing physiological stressors. “Very likely, it’s the environment, the temperature, the weather patterns, that would have somewhat impacted the dietary regime of our ancestors out of Africa, and pathogens would have driven this [genetic] adaptation, which has shaped our genetic diversity now,” Souilmi says. “The direct lesson, socially, now, is that if we’re ever faced with events that are similar to that, we are not as immune to extreme episodes of adaptation where a lot of people might die, or be unable to reproduce. “Unless we do something to counteract the environmental changes, or viruses, bacterial or other pandemics, it could be a bad thing.” This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/human-evolution-driven-by-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Matthew Agius. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Coffin? Casket? Cremation? How to make your death more environmentally friendly

We can all agree humans need to reduce their impact on the environment. And while most of us think of this in terms of daily activities – such as eating less meat, or being water-wise – this responsibility actually extends beyond life and into death. The global population is closing on <a href="https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/global-population-will-soon-reach-8-billion-then-what" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eight billion</a>, and the amount of land available for human burial is <a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/deal-with-the-dead/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">running out</a>, especially in small and densely populated countries. To minimise environmental impact, human bodies should return to nature as quickly as possible. But the rate of decay in some of the most common traditional disposal methods is very slow. It can take <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-long-it-takes-human-body-decompose-grave-coffin-2019-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several decades</a> for a body to decompose. In a one-of-its-kind study, our team analysed <a href="https://irispublishers.com/gjfsm/fulltext/a-taphonomic-examination-of-inhumed-and-entombed-remains-in-parma-cemeteries-italy.ID.000518.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">408 human bodies</a> exhumed from grave pits and stone tombs in the north of Italy to find out what conditions help speed up decay. <h2>The environmental cost of traditional burials</h2> Funeral rituals should respect the dead, bring closure to families and promote the reaching of the afterlife in accordance with people’s beliefs. This looks different for different people. Although the Catholic church has allowed cremation <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/world/europe/vatican-bans-scattering-of-human-ashes.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">since 1963</a>, it still prefers burials. Muslims are always supposed to be buried, while most Hindus are cremated. In Australia, however, the latest census revealed almost 40% of the population identifies as “<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-religion-is-australias-second-largest-religious-group-and-its-having-a-profound-effect-on-our-laws-185697" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not religious</a>”. This opens up more avenues for how people’s bodies may be handled after death. Most traditional burial practices in industrialised countries have several long-lasting harmful <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/108132/EUR_ICP_EHNA_01_04_01%28A%29.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">effects</a> on the environment. Wood and metal fragments in coffins and caskets remain in the ground, leaching harmful chemicals through paint, preservatives and alloys. Chemicals used for embalming also remain in the ground and can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3315260/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contaminate</a> soil and waterways. Cremation also has a large <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/is-cremation-environmentally-friendly-heres-the-science" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carbon footprint</a>. It requires lots of trees for fuel and produces millions of tons of carbon dioxide each year, as well as toxic volatile compounds. There are several alternatives to traditional burials. These include “water cremation” or “resomation” (where the body is rapidly dissolved), human <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-26/body-composting-a-green-alternative-to-burial-cremation/100486964" target="_blank" rel="noopener">composting</a>, mummification, cryonics (freezing and storage), <a href="https://eirene.ca/blog/space-burial-ashes-in-orbit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">space burials</a>, and even turning the body into <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/03/world/eco-solutions-capsula-mundi/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trees</a> or the ashes into <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/ashes-to-diamonds-reefs-rockets-how-we-will-memorialize-dead" target="_blank" rel="noopener">diamonds</a> or <a href="https://www.andvinyly.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">record vinyls</a>. However, many of these alternatives are either illegal, unavailable, costly or not aligned with people’s beliefs. The vast majority choose coffin burials, and all countries accept this method. So the question of sustainable burials comes down to choosing between the many types of <a href="https://australian.museum/about/history/exhibitions/death-the-last-taboo/burial-coffins-and-caskets/?gclid=CjwKCAjwx7GYBhB7EiwA0d8oe-mOKjLns2Gj5mpj-mu_kskmPPCKjhOqUrUAEjC05D4pnSXyBP3xrhoCE9oQAvD_BwE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coffins available</a>. <h2>What leads to faster decomposition?</h2> Coffins range from traditional wooden caskets, to cardboard coffins, to natural coffins made from willow, banana leaf or bamboo, which decompose faster. The most environmentally sustainable choice is one that allows the body to decompose and reduce to a skeleton (or “skeletonise”) quickly – possibly in just a few years. Our research has presented three key findings on conditions that promote the skeletonisation of human bodies. First, it has confirmed that bodies disposed in traditionally sealed tombs (where a coffin is placed inside a stone space) can take more than 40 years to skeletonise. In these sealed tombs, bacteria rapidly consume the oxygen in the stone space where the coffin is placed. This creates a micro-environment that promotes an almost indefinite preservation of the body. We also found burial grounds with a high percentage of sand and gravel in the soil promote the decomposition and skeletonisation of bodies in less than ten years – even if they are in a coffin. That’s because this soil composition allows more circulation of air and microfauna, and ample water drainage – all of which are helpful for degrading organic matter. Finally, our research confirmed previous suspicions about the slow decomposition of entombed bodies. We discovered placing bodies inside stone tombs, or covering them with a stone slab on the ground, helps with the formation of corpse wax (or “<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33596512/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adipocere</a>”). This substance is the final result of several chemical reactions through which the body’s adipose (fat) tissues turn to a “soapy” substance that’s very resistant to further degradation. Having corpse wax slows down (if not completely arrests) the decomposition process. <h2>A new, greener option</h2> In looking for innovative burial solutions, we had the opportunity to experiment with a new type of body disposal in a tomb called an “<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6756/2/3/37" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aerated tomb</a>”. Over the past 20 years aerated tombs have been developed in some European countries including France, Spain and Italy (where they <a href="https://www.tecnofar-solutions.com/prodotti/sistema-aerato-loculi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have</a> <a href="https://www.argema.net/loculi-aerati/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">been</a> <a href="https://www.ala-strutture-cimiteriali.com/loculi-aerati" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commercialised</a>). They allow plenty of ventilation, which in turn enables a more hygienic and faster decomposition of bodies compared to traditional tombs. They have a few notable features: <ul> <li> an activated carbon filter purifies gases </li> <li> fluids are absorbed by two distinct biodegrading biological powders, one placed at the bottom of the coffin and the other in a collecting tray beneath it </li> <li> once the body has decomposed, the skeletal remains can be moved to an ossuary (a site where skeletal remains are stored), while the tomb can be dismantled and most of its components potentially recycled. </li> </ul> Aerated tombs are also cheaper than ordinary tombs and can be built from existing tombs. They would be simple to use in Australia and would comply with public health and hygiene standards. Most of us don’t spend much time thinking about what will happen to our bodies after we die. Perhaps we should. In the end this may be one of our most important last decisions – the implications of which extend to our precious planet. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/coffin-casket-cremation-how-to-make-your-death-more-environmentally-friendly-188456" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Outspoken transgender activist buys Miss Universe pageant for $31 million

A Thai business tycoon, celebrity, and transgender activist has purchased the Miss Universe Organisation for a hefty $31 million ($NZD 34 million,) according to an announcement made by her company. Chakrapong ‘Anne’ Chakrajutathib, who has starred in reality shows and spoken out about being a transgender woman, controls JKN Global Group Public Co Ltd, which acquired the rights to the beauty pageant - which is broadcast to 165 countries - from IMG Worldwide LLC, a sports, talent and events marketing company. IMG has held the rights to the Miss Universe pageant since 2015, with former President Donald Trump partially owning it for 19 years until IMG’s purchase. To own the Miss Universe Organisation, JKN said it established a US subsidiary called JKN Metaverse Inc. In a statement, Ms Chakrapong said the purchase was a “strong, strategic addition to our portfolio”, which includes content distribution, beverages, food supplements, beauty and consumer products. JKN said the addition of the Miss Universe Organisation would see them use the name to promote its consumer products. A profile in the Bangkok Post on Ms Chakrapong, who founded the non-profit group Life Inspired for Transsexual Foundation to promote trans rights, said she was harassed for identifying as female while studying at an all-male school. When she saw financial success, Ms Chakrapong spent $1.5 million on sex reassignment surgery and other procedures, according to the outlet. While Thailand has a positive reputation when it comes to the rights and lifestyles of LGBTQ+ communities, a report from the Human Rights Watch found that transgender people in Thailand had limited access to services and are exposed to daily indignities. The report came to this conclusion due to the an absence of procedure for transgender people to legally change their gender, as well as insufficient legal protections and social stigma that trans people experience. Image: Getty Images

Beauty & Style

King Charles’ wax figure vandalised by climate activists

A group of activists have thrown chocolate cake at King Charles III wax figure in London. Just Stop Oil activists shared footage of themselves throwing chocolate cake into the face of King Charles waxwork at Madame Tussauds. Two supporters, Eilidh McFadden, 20, and Tom Johnson 29, were seen stepping closer to the King’s figure before taking off their jumpers to show the “Just Stop Oil” shirts. Eilidh first smashes the cake at King Charles’ figure before Tom does the same thing just after 10.30am (8.30pm AEDT) on Monday. A woman could be heard shouting stop at the pair but they ignored her. “The science is clear. The demand is simple: just stop new oil and gas. It’s a piece of cake,” their tweet reads. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> 🎂 BREAKING: JUST STOP OIL CAKES THE KING 🎂 👑 Two supporters of Just Stop Oil have covered a Madame Tussauds waxwork model of King Charles III with chocolate cake, demanding that the Government halts all new oil and gas licences and consents.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreeLouis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreeLouis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreeJosh?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreeJosh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/A22Network?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#A22Network</a> <a href="https://t.co/p0DJ8v3XVB">pic.twitter.com/p0DJ8v3XVB</a> — Just Stop Oil ⚖️💀🛢 (@JustStop_Oil) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil/status/1584491199771316225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2022</a></blockquote> London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed four people were arrested for criminal damage in relation to the incident. “We responded quickly to an incident at Madame Tussauds after two people threw food at a statue at approximately 10.50am,” they said in a statement. The activists’ actions comes just weeks after two people from the same group <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/art/climate-activists-attack-van-gogh-s-sunflowers-with-soup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attempted to destroy an iconic Van Gogh artwork</a> in London’s National Gallery in the name of climate activism. They threw cans of tomato soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers (1888), the museum confirmed in a statement. Luckily, the painting was saved by the glass covering, with the frame only suffering minor damage. Image: Twitter

Art

Climate activists attack Van Gogh’s Sunflowers with soup

Two people have attempted to destroy an iconic Van Gogh artwork in London’s National Gallery in the name of climate activism. The two perpetrators, who are members of the organisation Just Stop Oil, threw cans of tomato soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers (1888), the museum confirmed in a statement. Luckily, the painting was saved by the glass covering, with the frame only suffering minor damage. Immediately after throwing the soup, the activists glued themselves to the wall under the painting in an act that was filmed and shared on Twitter by the Guardian‘s environmental correspondent Damien Gayle. “What is worth more, art or life?” declared one protester. “Is it worth more than food? Worth more than justice? Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> “What is worth more, art or life? … are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?”<a href="https://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JustStop_Oil</a>’s activists explain their action <a href="https://t.co/mGNZIO6RbK">pic.twitter.com/mGNZIO6RbK</a> — Damien Gayle (@damiengayle) <a href="https://twitter.com/damiengayle/status/1580865060347383808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2022</a></blockquote> “The cost of living crisis is part of the cost of the oil crisis,” they continued. “Fuel is unaffordable to millions of cold, hungry families. They can’t even afford to heat a tin of soup.” After the incident, gallery staff cleared visitors from the room and called police to the scene. The two activists were then arrested. The attack on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers is the recent statement made by climate activists, who have drawn in a flood of attention by targeting artworks around the world. Image credits: Getty Images

Art

16-year-old climate activist mocked on radio

A 16-year-old climate activist has been mocked on a New Zealand radio show, prompting a furious response from the teenager's mother. School Strike 4 Climate member Izzy Cook was speaking to NewstalkZB host Heather du Plessis-Allan about a recent trip she took to Fiji, just moments after telling the interviewer she shouldn't fly to the tropical location. When the comments were made, raucous laughter erupted from the host. “So we would have to apply to have like, approved events to be able to fly for?” du Plessis-Allan asked when discussing the climate impacts of air travel. “Well that’s one thing that you could look at doing,” Cook said. “Am I allowed to go to Fiji? Is that necessary?” du Plessis-Allan asked. Cook replied, “In the current climate crisis, I don’t think that that’s necessary.” The host then asked when was the last time Cook was on a plane. “Mm, I’m not sure – maybe a few months ago to be honest,” she said. “Where’d you go?” the host asked. “Fiji,” Cook conceded. The host then erupted in laughter, asking “Izzy! Izzy! Don’t you care about the climate, Izzy?” The teenager conceded it was “pretty ironic but to be honest it’s not really a trip that I wanted to go on but I can’t really get out of it because my parents wanted to go”. “Are you embarrassed that your parents did that to the planet and then forced you to do it as well?” du Plessis-Allan asked. “Of course I’m not embarrassed,” she said. “Did you have a terrible time?” the host asked. “Not really,” the teen said, sparking more laughter. du Plessis-Allan ended the interview telling Cook she was “such a champion” who had a “brilliant future ahead of you”, mockingly asking, “Are you doing another strike soon?” “Yeah well we’ll look to,” Cook said. “Good, we’ll talk to you again,” the host laughed. “We might get you back on the show.” After the clip of the interview went viral online, Izzy's mother penned a furious opinion piece saying the host should be “ashamed” for “bullying” her daughter. “On Friday evening, I listened in horror as my 16-year-old daughter had a phone conversation with someone who appeared to be bullying her, laughing at her, and talking over her,” Rose Cook <a href="https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/25-09-2022/heather-du-plessis-allan-should-be-ashamed-of-how-she-bullied-my-daughter" target="_self">wrote in </a><a href="https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/25-09-2022/heather-du-plessis-allan-should-be-ashamed-of-how-she-bullied-my-daughter" target="_self">The Spinoff</a>. “As soon as she got off the call I demanded to know who the hell was speaking to my child in this way.” Rose went on to defend her daughter's low carbon lifestyle, and said commentators like Heather du Plessis-Allan are more interested in the "gotcha moments" than listening to young people about the state of the environment. Image credits: 1News

Travel Trouble

Mona Lisa gets caked in climate activist stunt

The Mona Lisa has been targeted by vandals, when a visitor at the Louvre museum in Paris smeared frosting all over the Renaissance-era painting’s protective glass. The man posed as an elderly visitor in a wheelchair and a wig as he approached the painting, before throwing a piece of cake at the famous artwork, according to a statement from the Louvre. The vandal then walked away from the scene before being approached by security. “A visitor simulated a disability in order to use a wheelchair to approach the work, which was installed in a secure display case,” the statement noted. “The Louvre applied its usual procedures for people with reduced mobility, allowing them to admire this major work of art." “While standing near the painting, this individual threw a pastry he had hidden in his personal belongings at the Mona Lisa’s glass case." “This act had no effect on the painting, which was not damaged in any way.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Can anybody translate what ole dude was saying as they where escorting him out?😂 <a href="https://t.co/Uy2taZ4ZMm">pic.twitter.com/Uy2taZ4ZMm</a> — Lukeee🧃 (@lukeXC2002) <a href="https://twitter.com/lukeXC2002/status/1530940469492035584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2022</a></blockquote> A spokesperson clarified that visitors in wheelchairs are allowed to move in front of other museum-goers to better see the artworks. The 36-year-old man was arrested and taken to a psychiatric infirmary in the police headquarters, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. An investigation has been opened by the prosecutor for “the attempt of damaging a cultural property”. In a video shared by a museum-goer to Twitter, the man is heard yelling in French, “Think of planet Earth, there are people destroying it” while security escorts the man, with rose petals scattered on the floor of the museum. Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, arguably the most famous painting in the world, draws millions of visitors each year to see her enigmatic smile. Image credits: Twitter @klevisl007

Legal

Activist arrested for planning party for Queen's Covid diagnosis

Extinction Rebellion activist Eric Serge Herbert has been arrested over allegedly organising an "anti-monarch street party" in honour of Queen Elizabeth's recent Covid-19 diagnosis. In a recent social media post, Eric called people to "rejoice by dancing" in Sydney's inner west suburb of Newtown this Saturday. He also added that anyone who attended could "imagine the corpse of the oppressors being mangled beneath our feet." The Facebook event page for the party said, "It’s about time we overthrow the queen and the rule of the monarch." "We need sound systems, lots of glitter, tools to dig up the road, tires of barricades, fire and rage." Her Majesty tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, and is reportedly experiencing mild cold-like symptoms. Her positive diagnosis comes one week after her eldest son Prince Charles tested positive for a second time since March 2020. According to the Daily Mail, defence lawyer Mark Davis argued that the party was a joke and that the 23-year-old was not actually planning to go ahead with the bash. Police have alleged that in planning the party, Herbert breached the bail conditions granted to him when he appealed a 12-month prison sentence for blockading coal trains in the Hunter region of New South Wales last year. Mr Davis relayed that his client denied breaching his bail and that the social media post was intended in jest. "I’ll put this bluntly because I think it needs to be – this is a comedic post, it’s an ironic post," he said. Magistrate Joy Boulos granted Herbert bail, agreeing he clearly did not intend to go to the party, but told him to stay away from social media. Image credits: Instagram

Legal

Feel alone in your eco-anxiety? Don’t – it’s remarkably common to feel dread about environmental decline

Feeling anxious about the ecological crises we face is entirely understandable, given the enormity of the threats. Eco-anxiety is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/b2e7ee32-ad28-4ec4-89aa-a8b8c98f95a5">sometimes described</a> as a mental health problem. It’s not. Eco-anxiety is a rational psychological and emotional response to the overlapping ecological crises we now face. If you feel this way, you are not alone. We have found eco-anxiety is remarkably common. Almost two-thirds of Australian participants in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378021001709">our recent surveys</a> reported feeling eco-anxiety at least “some of the time”. The response <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02862-3">can be triggered by media stories</a> on environmental and climate crises as well as human efforts to combat them. This includes the barrage of media from the United Nations climate conference, or COP26, now underway in Glasgow. In this age of ecological reckoning, eco-anxiety is not going to go away. That means we must learn how to cope with it – and perhaps even harness it to drive us to find solutions <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430117/original/file-20211104-17-1846nze.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430117/original/file-20211104-17-1846nze.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Cleared area of rainforest" /></a> Awareness of environmental crises like deforestation can provoke anxiety. Shutterstock <h2>Dwelling on problems we contribute to</h2> Our study found four key features of eco-anxiety: <ol> <li>affective symptoms, such as feelings of anxiety and worry</li> <li>rumination, meaning persistent thoughts which can keep you up at night</li> <li>behavioural symptoms, such as difficulty sleeping, working, studying or socialising</li> <li>anxiety about your personal impact on the planet.</li> </ol> We found similar levels of eco-anxiety in our surveys of 334 Australians and 735 New Zealanders, with people affected in similar ways in both countries. This supports <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3918955">emerging research</a>, which found more than half of young people surveyed across ten countries experienced climate anxiety. Feeling anxious about the state of the planet is likely to be universal. When we asked Australians how it affected them, they told us eco-anxiety affected everything from their mood to their daily routine to their relationships. It even affected their ability to concentrate, work or study. For some, eco-anxiety made them feel restless, tense and agitated. New Zealanders reported similar impacts. Our study found people were also anxious about their personal contribution to the deteriorating state of the planet. Some participants noted the state of the planet made them “extremely anxious”, so much so they “find it hard to think about anything else”. Other research shows many people are anxious about how their personal behaviours impact the earth, such as <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520343306/a-field-guide-to-climate-anxiety">consumerism or flying</a>. Some young adults are choosing to have fewer children, or none at all, out of concern their children will contribute to the climate crisis or will <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/book-excerpt-the-uninhabitable-earth-david-wallace-wells.html">inherit a degraded world</a>. These fears appeared in our study too, with one parent participant noting: <blockquote> My biggest worry is that climate change will affect my child in their lifetime, and I get very upset that I won’t be able to protect him from the effects of it. </blockquote> <h2>Is eco-anxiety different to generalised anxiety?</h2> Eco-anxiety has similarities with generalised anxiety and stress, but we found important differences, such as the focus on environmental issues and our contribution to the problem. We also found people experience eco-anxiety independent of depression, anxiety and stress, suggesting it’s a unique experience. While it is possible to experience eco-anxiety as someone who is otherwise mentally well, many people experience it on top of <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12144-021-01385-4">existing mental health issues</a>. What we need to do now is understand what eco-anxiety means for individual (and planetary) well-being, and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02650533.2020.1844166">provide support</a> to people with varying degrees of this anxiety.<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429905/original/file-20211103-19-pt7tvl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429905/original/file-20211103-19-pt7tvl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="School students carrying posters calling for climate action" /></a> School students marching for climate action in the UK, 2019. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-united-kingdom-15th-february-1315212515" class="source">Shutterstock</a> <h2>Four ways to cope with your eco-anxiety</h2> Eco-anxiety is not going to go away as an issue, given the range of environmental issues the world is confronting. To stop these feelings becoming overwhelming or debilitating, there are a range of <a href="https://psychology.org.au/getmedia/cf076d33-4470-415d-8acc-75f375adf2f3/coping_with_climate_change.pdf.pdf">behavioural, cognitive and emotional strategies</a> people can use to cope. Here are four techniques: <ol> <li> validation One part of managing your own anxiety is to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0887618520300773">validate it</a>, by acknowledging it makes sense to feel anxious and distressed </li> <li> time out Another technique is to take mental breaks and avoid your 24/7 news feed to give yourself time to restore a sense of balance </li> <li> seek hope Cultivating a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494412000138?casa_token=mIMzMUtEHZYAAAAA:VHVA59QmgjLMGuMr8n-gb4aCxYKO3OrC-ym8UViPw14R1OBZymnfoW4dmQYsw7FHvvWv2T_J4w">realistic sense of hope</a> about the future can also reduce anxiety emerging from our awareness of ecological threats. That means appreciating the complexity of the problem, while also searching for alternative visions of the future and trusting that we, as a collective, will eventually resolve the crisis before it’s too late </li> <li> take action Many of us struggle with a sense of overwhelming powerlessness in the face of a deteriorating climate. This can be self-reinforcing. To combat this, you can try action - whether changing your own behaviour or getting involved in campaigns. </li> </ol> As climate campaigner Greta Thunberg <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2019/jul/young-climate-activists-on-greta-thunberg-and-climate-crisis.html">has said</a>, “no one is too small to make a difference”. Climate change has been described as the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378018313608?casa_token=W-MRkMOq8DoAAAAA:o81eFiIQ6_82L9CGUP-WDIN9zEtq8cdgQSIUqqsqhH2QXaaHPF4X_bOSXJ4F7qNFmtY05REbfQ">greatest collective action problem</a> we have ever faced. That means the necessary changes will have to come from the collective action of all individuals, industries and governments. We all must act together now, just as we have in combating the COVID pandemic. Eco-anxiety is increasingly common. But being concerned about environmental crises does not need to come at the <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520343306/a-field-guide-to-climate-anxiety">cost of your health</a> and wellbeing. After all, psychological, emotional and behavioural burnout is not helpful for you – or the planet.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170789/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/teaghan-hogg-1284859">Teaghan Hogg</a>, PhD student, Clinical Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lean-obrien-1286734">Léan O'Brien</a>, Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/samantha-stanley-1205158">Samantha Stanley</a>, Research Fellow in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/feel-alone-in-your-eco-anxiety-dont-its-remarkably-common-to-feel-dread-about-environmental-decline-170789">original article</a>.

International Travel

Clever new environmentally friendly way to power cruise ships

Cruise ships in a port could soon be powered by "plugging" them into the national power grid. Ports of Auckland hoped it would reduce its emissions and the ship's carbon footprint as a result. The port has commissioned a feasibility study to look at alternative methods for powering cruise ships when they are berthed in port. Ships need to keep their generators running to supply power on-board. Ports of Auckland's study would consider powering ships from the national grid, known as shore power or "cold ironing", as the main alternative, but would also look at alternatives, which included LNG and low-sulphur fuels. Chief executive Tony Gibson said the study, due to be completed by April, would support its effort to become carbon neutral by 2025 and to have zero emissions by 2040. "Initially we will look at the feasibility of providing alternative power just for cruise ships, but we aim to extend that across the whole port longer term. "In carrying out the study, we will work closely with Vector to understand the capability of the local grid, and with cruise lines to understand their capabilities and future requirements." Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia chairman Steve Odell said the cruise industry was committed to minimising its environmental footprint. "CLIA and its member cruise lines welcome the feasibility study and look forward to working closely with Ports of Auckland on it. "Our member lines are developing and deploying innovative technologies to reduce emissions and we will be sharing these initiatives with Ports of Auckland." Written by Hamish McNichol. First appeared on <a href="http://stuff.co.nz/">Stuff.co.nz.</a> Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/cruising/2017/01/retirees-lose-37000-after-cruise-company-goes-bust/"></a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/cruising/2017/01/get-paid-to-cruise-the-world/">This line is paying people to take a cruise</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/cruising/2017/01/retirees-lose-37000-after-cruise-company-goes-bust/"></a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/cruising/2017/01/clever-ways-to-skip-the-queue-on-a-cruise/">6 clever ways to skip the queue on a cruise</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/cruising/2017/01/retirees-lose-37000-after-cruise-company-goes-bust/"></a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/cruising/2017/01/new-report-details-true-cause-of-titanic-sinking/">New report details ‘true’ cause of Titanic sinking</a>

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Rough seas or smooth sailing? The cruise industry is booming despite environmental concerns

Climate activists throw soup at Mona Lisa

Ken’s rights? Our research shows Barbie is surprisingly accurate on how ‘men’s rights activists’ are radicalised

Climate change protester crashes high-profile wedding

Eco-activist attacks on museum artwork ask us to figure out what we value

Soup on Van Gogh and graffiti on Warhol: climate activists follow the long history of museums as a site of protest

Evidence that human evolution driven by major environmental pressures discovered

Coffin? Casket? Cremation? How to make your death more environmentally friendly

Outspoken transgender activist buys Miss Universe pageant for $31 million

King Charles’ wax figure vandalised by climate activists

Climate activists attack Van Gogh’s Sunflowers with soup

16-year-old climate activist mocked on radio

Mona Lisa gets caked in climate activist stunt

Activist arrested for planning party for Queen's Covid diagnosis

Feel alone in your eco-anxiety? Don’t – it’s remarkably common to feel dread about environmental decline

Clever new environmentally friendly way to power cruise ships