Ethics Council: ‘Restricting Freedoms’ May be Necessary to Fight Climate Change
The government may be forced to limit the available choices for citizens in order to battle predicted ‘devastating consequences’ of climate change. That’s the message in an opinion titled “Climate Justice,” published on March 13th by the German Ethics Council.
In the opinion, the Ethics Council—a board of expert advisors established by German law—recommends actions to be taken by corporations, individuals, and the government to ensure the effects of climate change do not unjustly burden “those who are not so well-off.”
Primarily, the Ethics Council says, this should be done on a voluntary basis—through individual ”self-commitment as an expression of one’s individual freedom”—by, for example, “voluntarily abandoning certain vacation, consumption, or mobility practices.”
However, the Council’s statement continues (emphasis added),
On grounds of justice, it can be morally required to contribute to measures to tackle climate change. If one’s own exercise of freedom interferes in an unjust manner with the freedom and welfare of others or of future generations, for example through consumption that is harmful to the climate, the authorities may intervene with restrictions of freedom.
In other words: If you cannot be shamed into behaving in a way deemed morally correct by the elite, the government may simply have to force you. Flugscham, from the original Swedish flygskam, meaning “flight shame”—guilt about flying experienced by environmentally conscious travelers—is now an established word in the German vocabulary.
While the opinion states that the Ethics Council is opposed to suspending “democratic freedoms and processes” to reach the desired climate goals, the group says it largely falls to the government to provide the “supportive framework conditions” under which individuals can—as we say to the kids—make good choices.
These framework conditions, the opinion says, should among other things include lowered speed limits, increased “electromobility,” and increased CO2 taxes. The Council suggests a personal emissions limit that cannot be exceeded, and even “the ban on particularly climate-damaging products or services”—or, as Apollo News puts it: “a regulation as to who can buy what and to what extent.”
Defining climate change as a man-made (“due to, among other factors, the combustion of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests and moors since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution”) phenomenon, the organization also says Germany needs to take into account “the long history of colonialism and industrialisation” as well as “ongoing neo-colonial dependencies,” meaning
a distinction must be made between growth in countries of the global South that are catching up on development, and further growth of consumption and resource use in industrialised countries, and appropriate compensatory payments must be negotiated.
At a time when the former European industrial powerhouse barely has its nose above water, it’s questionable whether “compensatory payments” to the Global South is on the traffic light coalition’s radar, regardless of Ethics Council recommendations.
The Ethics Council is a 26-member independent organization representing diverse “scientific, medical, theological, philosophical, ethical, social, economic and legal concerns” intended to provide guidance for dealing with societal changes, “particularly in the field of life sciences and their application to humans.” Established in German law, the Ethics Council is tasked with, among other things, developing “statements and recommendations for political and legislative action,” and prepares its opinions based on its own decision, “on behalf of the German Bundestag or on behalf of the Federal Government.”
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Westerners Won’t Have To ‘Die For Donbass’ – EU’s Borrell
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has insisted that Ukraine’s Western backers will not be sending troops to “die for Donbass,”and they should not needlessly frighten their citizens by hyping the prospect of a direct conflict with Russia.
“I have heard some voices saying ‘war is imminent’,” Borrell told reporters on Thursday before attending the European Council summit in Brussels. “Well, thank God, war is not imminent. We live in peace. We support Ukraine. We are not part of this war; we just support Ukraine.”
The summit is focused largely on efforts to ramp up European support for Kiev amid struggles by US President Joe Biden to secure congressional approval for additional Ukraine aid. Borrell said the aid push is not a question of sending US or European troops to “die for Donbass.” Rather, the aim is to help Ukrainians, so they will not be killed fighting in Donbass.
Read more EU approves more money for Ukraine aid fund
The EU’s top diplomat made his comments amid escalating rhetoric from European leaders suggesting that more aid should be given to Ukraine because NATO members will be threatened by potential Russian attacks if Kiev is defeated.
French President Emmanuel Macron went so far last month as to argue that Kiev’s backers cannot rule out sending troops to Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed on Wednesday that Moscow’s ambition “does not end in Ukraine.”
Borrell pushed back against such statements on Thursday, saying that “the call for Europeans to be aware of the challenges we are facing is good, but we do not have to exaggerate, either. And we have to prepare for the future, increase our defense capabilities, augmenting the defense capacities of our industry.”
The diplomat has proposed tapping income generated by Russia’s frozen central bank reserves – estimated at €3 billion ($3.25 billion) annually – to help fund Ukraine aid. He suggested using 90% of the revenue to buy weapons for Kiev and earmarking the remaining 10% to help build up Ukraine’s defense industry. Moscow warned that the scheme amounts to theft and would undermine Western currencies, the global financial system, and the world economy.
READ MORE: EU’s Borrell warns of Ukraine funding vacuum if US stops spending
As Russian forces have made battlefield gains in Donbass in recent months, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned on Tuesday that Ukraine’s very survival will be at risk if the West fails to provide more weaponry to Kiev.
EXCLUSIVE: Humanity Must Develop A Plan B To Counter The Globalists’ Anti-Human Agenda
Israel to Invade Rafah ‘No Matter What US Says’: Top Official
On Thursday Israel issued its most defiant response yet to Washington pressre that it abandon its plans for a ground invasion of Rafah, over fears of another mass civilian casualty humanitarian disaster, given the high number of refugees packed into the southern Gaza city.
A top Israeli official was quoted in Bloomberg as saying the military is going to invade Rafah and defeat Hamas “even if the entire world turns on Israel, including the United States.” Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, issued the words in a podcast interview.
“We are going to go in and finish this job, and anybody who doesn’t understand that doesn’t understand that the existential nerve of the Jews was touched” by the Oct. 7 terror attack, he said.
Dermer pointed out the reality remains that the White House still has yet the definitively rule out any military operation in Rafah. Biden administration statements have demanded that civilians be safely evacuated first, but have been ambiguous on the question of a ground operation.
Dermer explained of what Biden officials have communicated thus far: “They said without a credible way of moving a mass of people out of Rafah and surging humanitarian assistance to them they don’t see how this can be done effectively.”
He continued: “And we are saying we agree with you that we have to move the people out, we agree we have to get humanitarian assistance to them, and we believe we can do it.”
Dermer emphasized that Israel will do what it takes to protect itself even if this brings significant harm to US-Israel relations: “Could you have a breach over Rafah?” he questioned. “You could. We hope we don’t.”
But Israel’s latest plan, featured in fresh Wall Street Journal reporting, is bound for failure:
Israeli security officials are quietly developing a plan to distribute aid in the Gaza Strip that could eventually create a Palestinian-led governing authority there, Israeli and Arab officials said, causing a fierce backlash from Hamas and creating divisions in Israel’s war cabinet.
A top Israeli defense official has held talks with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan to build regional support for an emerging effort to enlist Palestinian leaders and businessmen who have no links to Hamas—a U.S.-designated terrorist organization—in distributing aid, some of the officials said.
The plan is essentially to put anti-Hamas Palestinians in charge of the Strip, but naturally this would ensure a civil war type scenario in which the newly installed officials would immediately be targeted by Hamas insurgents. While Israel might benefit from such a ‘divide and rule’ plan, it’s highly unlikely there will be any Palestinians willing to play such a role in a ‘new authority’ over the Strip.
PM Netanyahu has greenlighted a Rafah operation, but officials have said it will take time to both put in place and execute.
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‘Everyone is Panicking’: Major Cocoa Processor Scrambles to Find Beans as Prices Hyperinflate
One of the world’s largest cocoa processors is scouring the globe for beans as weather and disease spark massive crop failures across West Africa and catapult prices in New York to record highs.
“Everybody is panicking,” said Brandon Tay Hoe Lian, chief executive officer of Guan Chong Bhd. He said the company is attempting to procure beans from minor growing countries, including Ecuador, Peru, and Indonesia.
The CEO of the Kuala Lumpur-listed company said prices are soaring weekly as coca beans become harder and harder to find: “We not only have to fight for beans, we’re also paying premiums.”
Guan Chong’s processing plant is still operating normally despite the world heading for a third year of supply deficits primarily due to crop failures across West Africa.
Tay warned:
“We are quite skeptical about selling a lot because we’re worried whether the beans will be delivered.
“I rather sell the minimum, just in case, as long as my cashflows are healthy. I don’t want to commit to something that I cannot deliver.”
As of Thursday morning, the most active cocoa contract in New York hit a new record high of $8,600 per ton. He warned the rally is far from over: “There’s a lot more room to go higher.”
Citi Research analysts recently advised clients that prices could reach as high as $10,000 a ton and stay in record-high territory through the second half of 2025.
Meanwhile, US chocolate maker Hershey Company warned last month: “Historic cocoa prices are expected to limit earnings growth this year.”
Bad news for those of us with a sweet tooth…
It’s only a matter of time before Biden’s PR team of woke college grads blames Putin for candyflation.
EXCLUSIVE: Humanity Must Develop A Plan B To Counter The Globalists’ Anti-Human Agenda
Israeli Offensive in Rafah Would Lead to ‘Massacres’, Doctors Warn UN
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza will turn “inestimably worse” if Israel launches its planned ground offensive against Hamas fighters holed up at the southern end of the Palestinian enclave, Western doctors have warned.
More than 1 million civilians, many reportedly starving, have taken refuge in the area after earlier Israeli attacks leveled their neighborhoods.
“This is probably the worst crisis that can happen within this war,” Dr. Zaher Sahloul, co-founder of the US-based MedGlobal medical charity, told reporters on Tuesday at the UN headquarters in New York. “If there is any offensive, they’re going to have a bloodbath, massacres after massacres.”
He added that his colleagues who are still working in Gaza have warned that an Israeli assault on Rafah could lead to 250,000 deaths.
Sahloul was among a group of Western doctors who traveled to Washington this week for meetings with US lawmakers and government officials to bring more attention to the desperate humanitarian conditions brought on by the Israel-Hamas war.
The doctors made their pleas for a ceasefire – and to call off the planned Rafah offensive – after doing volunteer work in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
Read more More kids killed in Gaza than in four years of global conflicts – UN
“I saw the most appalling atrocities, and I saw things that I never would have expected to have seen in any health care setting,” said Dr. Nick Maynard, a UK surgeon who has worked in the Palestinian territories for more than a decade. “I saw things at Al-Aqsa [Martyrs] Hospital which I still wake up at night thinking about – appalling injuries, particularly in women and children.”
Maynard gave the example of a young girl who was burned so badly that he could see her facial bones. “We knew there was no chance of her surviving that,” he said. “But there was no morphine to give her, so not only was she inevitably going to die, but she would die in agony.”The girl was left on the floor of the emergency room to die.
Dr. Amber Alayyan, a Texas pediatrician who does volunteer work through Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF), said supply shortages have forced physicians in Gaza to make horrific choices, such as having to perform amputations without anesthetic. There are no beds available for many of the post-operative patients, and the condition of injured Gazans is deteriorating as their wounds rot.
READ MORE: Netanyahu defies Biden on Rafah offensive
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed international pressure to cancel the Rafah operation, insisting that it must go forward to prevent Hamas from again posing a threat to West Jerusalem. The latest war erupted when Hamas fighters raided southern Israeli villages on October 7, killing over 1,100 people and taking hundreds of hostages back to Gaza.
The Israeli response has left more than 31,000 Gazans dead, according to local health authorities, and has displaced an estimated 85% of the besieged enclave’s population. The Israeli military has claimed that civilians will be moved to “humanitarian islands” to the north of Rafah before the ground offensive begins.
READ MORE: Israeli military raids Gaza’s largest hospital
“There is nowhere safe for them to go,” said Maynard, who argued that Israeli forces aim to “eradicate” the Palestinians from Gaza. “What is going on in Gaza fulfills every single definition of genocide that I have read.” The surgeon added, “If there’s an invasion, a ground invasion of Rafah, it will be apocalyptic, really, the number of deaths we’re going to see.”
EXCLUSIVE: Humanity Must Develop A Plan B To Counter The Globalists’ Anti-Human Agenda
US ‘Grand Plan’ is to ‘Reoccupy’ Africa
On Saturday, the Niger’s military leadership told the United States, which has three bases in the country, including one controlled by the CIA, that it is no longer welcome in Niger. On Monday, US officials insisted that they wanted to continue their “partnership” with Niger and confirmed that troops remain in the bases.
The United States’ “grand plan” with its drone base in Niger is to “reoccupy” Africa with “its vassal friends” like France, Koffi Kouakou, an African analyst and senior research fellow at the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg told Sputnik’s Fault Lines on Thursday.
“The US [isn’t] going to leave easily. The US is not going to cut and run because there’s this big ego at play [in] geopolitics [and] geoeconomics, but also hegemony,” Kouakou explained. “Those who haven’t been paying attention should pay attention.”
“The key issue is [the] US’s grand plan to get [Africa] back, with its vassal friends to reoccupy this place.”
Kouakou asserted that top US officials in Africa, including Africa Command General Michael Langley, US Ambassador to Niger Kathleen FitzGibbon and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee meeting with Nigerien leaders shows that the US is seriously concerned about its interests in the region.
But Niger is capable of facing “the American bulldog” and “raising its sovereignty” because it has somebody backing it, that “could be Russia.”
“We already know that Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine was in Russia last week cutting deals with the Russians. [That is] showing that Niger [has] a brother or somebody backing it up,” Kouakou explained. “These are the most important geopolitical issues.”
Nigerien officials have “no clue” of what is going on in US bases in the country, the two official ones base 101 and base 201, or the unofficial CIA base outside of Dirkou, Kouakou said. However, they won’t take on the US directly, Kouakou argued. “They’ll do very small [actions], slowly digging into the US’ powers. And then, the best attack is [against their] reputation, as they’ve done to the French. They will do it again to the Americans.”
Kouakou noted that the US delegation didn’t inform the Nigerien government what it wanted to talk about before arriving or give them an opportunity to adjust the agenda. “[The] hubris that the US has and this sort of ‘we are the big dog in place, we’re going to tell you what to do and agenda item one we’re going to be discussing so and so, agenda number two we’re going to discuss so and so and you have nothing to say about it,’” Kouakou said, describing the American attitude. “Of course, the Nigeriens didn’t agree.”
“In fact, [the US] wanted to sort of renew this partnership, especially about the bases, without even telling the Nigeriens,” Kouakou explained. “But now, this government is saying ‘we now want to have our sovereignty. We want to deal with different partners as we wish. And even if we were to sell anything or partner with Iran, Russia, China or anybody else, it’s our business. You don’t have to tell us what to do.’ But of course, the US officials didn’t like that. Molly Phee didn’t like it, she threatened the delegation and said ‘If you don’t retract what you said in public, you’re going to be in big trouble in the next coming months.’”
Kouakou listed the tools in the US playbook that are typically used against governments they oppose. “There are a couple of things that all of us are looking forward to seeing: an increase in terrorism in Niger, a potential ‘color revolution’ or coup d’état, or potential assassination of the leaders of Niger.”
“The big bully doesn’t threaten people just by chance,” he said.
There are concerns that Niger could turn into another Vietnam for France and the US, serving as another proxy war against Russia.
“[The US] invested a huge amount of money in this place. They’re not going to leave easily. However, where the Nigeriens have a point is ‘You’ve been there since 2012, but terrorism is still there. What have you done for us to deal with terrorism, if terrorism was really the reason for your presence on our occupied ground?’” Kouakou said, noting that Mali has done “a fabulous job” with the Africa Corps in combating terrorism. “There was no terrorism in the area until 2011 when the US and, now let’s say NATO, bombed Libya to smithereens and destroyed it. Now this whole place is running amok with terrorist groups.”
“I think Niger is now winning the information war,” Kouakou concluded, “but this is exactly our concern because the US is going to retaliate one way or another.”
EXCLUSIVE: Humanity Must Develop A Plan B To Counter The Globalists’ Anti-Human Agenda