As the world cooks, why have our political leaders gone cold on global warming?
Pope Francis was entombed on Saturday in a simple wooden coffin in accordance with his wishes. He is remembered by millions as the 'people's Pope' after a lifetime of advocacy for the poor and disenfranchised.
In climate circles, Francis is remembered for Laudato Si, his second encyclical letter to the faithful, subtitled 'On Care for Our Common Home'. It is a 184-page treatise lamenting climate change and the destruction of the earth and its environmental systems in support of reckless consumerism.
Its publication in 2015 helped secure the 2016 Paris Accord, signed by almost every nation on earth, which pledged to hold global warming to less than two degrees and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees. But it had other political impacts. It drove what is sometimes referred to as the 'Francis effect' in the US, hardening the views of right-wing Catholics against his papacy, including his calls for climate action. Their support helped Donald Trump secure his second term, which he is using to dismantle climate action domestically and to disrupt it internationally.
An anti-Francis faction is now seeking to make the Vatican great again with a right-wing pope. 'The hope is to have a pontificate that concentrates more on Catholic issues, such as pro-life and family, rather than climate change and immigration,' Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, a German aristocrat and a prominent member of a right-wing push Europe and the US, told Politico this week.
Born in Argentina, Francis never returned to his country of origin throughout his papacy. Despite Francis's climate advocacy, Argentina is now led by Javier Milei, a right-wing populist and climate sceptic who flirts with abandoning the Paris Accord.
On Monday, Canada reinstalled Mark Carney as prime minister. Carney is a former governor of the central banks of Canada and England, but in climate circles he is known for an address made at Lloyds of London in 2015, often referred to as his 'tragedy of the horizon' speech.
He warned global financial institutions that climate change presented a real and overwhelming economic threat. Though its impacts would be most devastating to future generations, it could be addressed only by our own. This was the tragedy.
The speech is credited with catalysing a tectonic shift in the view of the financial sector to climate risk. Carney's advocacy would later help secure the Glasgow Climate Pact at 2021 world climate talks, accelerating actions to achieve the Paris goals. Optimists believed that the financial sector's engagement would serve as a bulwark against backsliding politicians. Banks, insurance companies and even the fossil fuel giants came on board with ambitious investment and emission reduction targets of their own.
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ABC News
27 minutes ago
- ABC News
Failed senate candidate Raina Cruise has suspended sentence overturned for Adelaide CBD assault
An anti-vaccine protester who assaulted a pregnant police officer and two security guards in October 2021, has been taken into custody after her suspended sentence was overturned on appeal. Raina Cruise, 42, was jailed on Monday after the South Australia's Court of Appeal found there was good reason to set aside the three-year suspended sentence and good behaviour bond handed to her in December last year. Instead, it ordered her to serve an immediate term of imprisonment for three years, nine months and two weeks. She will be eligible to apply for parole in two years. Upon hearing the new sentence, Cruise asked to say goodbye to her family, but was told she could not leave the dock. "See ya darling, keep the plants watered and the dog. Love you," she said to her daughter. Cruise previously pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault and was found guilty of intentionally causing harm to Constable Anthea Beck. The court preciously heard Cruise became aggressive to security guards at a Rundle Street hotel as the two men she was with were ejected from the venue. Cruise and the two men left the venue and were stopped by Constable Beck and another officer who were investigating the assault of the security guards. "During this conversation, a sudden violent altercation ensued between you and Constable Beck, which ultimately led to you grabbing her and dragging her to the ground," Judge Joanne Deuter said. Constable Beck suffered multiple injuries during the altercation, including two patches of her hair being torn from her scalp. In a victim impact statement previously delivered to the court, Constable Beck revealed she had been pregnant at the time of the assault. "When you kicked me, you kicked my baby," she said. There were widespread demands for legislation changes following her initial sentence last year, with the government saying it would consider them. "I think many in the community will be very supportive of the decision to appeal the sentence that was handed down. That appeal will be heard early next year," Attorney-General Kyam Maher said. Outside court on Monday, defence lawyer Nick Vadasz, for Cruise, said his client was shocked by today's outcome.
The Advertiser
4 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Man attacks US crowd with firebombs, injuring six
Six people were injured when a man yelled "Free Palestine" and threw incendiary devices into a crowd in the US city of Boulder in Colorado, where a demonstration to remember the Israeli hostages in Gaza was taking place. Six victims aged between 67 and 88 were taken to hospital, the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office, Mark Michalek, said on Sunday. At least one of them was in a critical condition. "As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism," Michalek said. He named the suspect as Mohamed Soliman, 45, who was also hospitalised.. FBI Director Kash Patel also described the incident as a "targeted terror attack", and Colorado Attorney-General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be "a hate crime given the group that was targeted". Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said he did not believe anyone else was involved. "We're fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody," he said. The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district in the shadow of the University of Colorado, during an event organised by Run for Their Lives, an organisation devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel. The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the US over Israel's war in Gaza, which has spurred both an increase in anti-Semitic hate crime as well as moves by conservative supporters of Israel led by President Donald Trump to brand pro-Palestinian protests as anti-Semitic. His administration has detained protesters of the war without charge and cut off funding to elite US universities that have permitted such demonstrations. In a post to X, a social network, Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Soliman had overstayed his visa. It was further evidence of the need to "fully reverse" what he described as "suicidal migration", he said. Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old at the University of Colorado who witnessed the Boulder incident, said she saw four women lying or sitting on the ground with burns on their legs. One of them appeared to have been badly burned on most of her body and had been wrapped in a flag by someone, she said. She described seeing a man standing in the courtyard shirtless, holding a glass bottle of clear liquid and shouting. "Everybody is yelling, 'get water, get water,'" Coffman said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a prominent Jewish Democrat, said it was an anti-Semitic attack. "This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism," he said on X. The attack follows last month's arrest of a Chicago-born man in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, and someone opened fire on a group of people leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee. The shooting fuelled polarisation in the US over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. with reuters Six people were injured when a man yelled "Free Palestine" and threw incendiary devices into a crowd in the US city of Boulder in Colorado, where a demonstration to remember the Israeli hostages in Gaza was taking place. Six victims aged between 67 and 88 were taken to hospital, the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office, Mark Michalek, said on Sunday. At least one of them was in a critical condition. "As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism," Michalek said. He named the suspect as Mohamed Soliman, 45, who was also hospitalised.. FBI Director Kash Patel also described the incident as a "targeted terror attack", and Colorado Attorney-General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be "a hate crime given the group that was targeted". Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said he did not believe anyone else was involved. "We're fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody," he said. The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district in the shadow of the University of Colorado, during an event organised by Run for Their Lives, an organisation devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel. The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the US over Israel's war in Gaza, which has spurred both an increase in anti-Semitic hate crime as well as moves by conservative supporters of Israel led by President Donald Trump to brand pro-Palestinian protests as anti-Semitic. His administration has detained protesters of the war without charge and cut off funding to elite US universities that have permitted such demonstrations. In a post to X, a social network, Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Soliman had overstayed his visa. It was further evidence of the need to "fully reverse" what he described as "suicidal migration", he said. Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old at the University of Colorado who witnessed the Boulder incident, said she saw four women lying or sitting on the ground with burns on their legs. One of them appeared to have been badly burned on most of her body and had been wrapped in a flag by someone, she said. She described seeing a man standing in the courtyard shirtless, holding a glass bottle of clear liquid and shouting. "Everybody is yelling, 'get water, get water,'" Coffman said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a prominent Jewish Democrat, said it was an anti-Semitic attack. "This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism," he said on X. The attack follows last month's arrest of a Chicago-born man in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, and someone opened fire on a group of people leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee. The shooting fuelled polarisation in the US over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. with reuters Six people were injured when a man yelled "Free Palestine" and threw incendiary devices into a crowd in the US city of Boulder in Colorado, where a demonstration to remember the Israeli hostages in Gaza was taking place. Six victims aged between 67 and 88 were taken to hospital, the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office, Mark Michalek, said on Sunday. At least one of them was in a critical condition. "As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism," Michalek said. He named the suspect as Mohamed Soliman, 45, who was also hospitalised.. FBI Director Kash Patel also described the incident as a "targeted terror attack", and Colorado Attorney-General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be "a hate crime given the group that was targeted". Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said he did not believe anyone else was involved. "We're fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody," he said. The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district in the shadow of the University of Colorado, during an event organised by Run for Their Lives, an organisation devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel. The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the US over Israel's war in Gaza, which has spurred both an increase in anti-Semitic hate crime as well as moves by conservative supporters of Israel led by President Donald Trump to brand pro-Palestinian protests as anti-Semitic. His administration has detained protesters of the war without charge and cut off funding to elite US universities that have permitted such demonstrations. In a post to X, a social network, Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Soliman had overstayed his visa. It was further evidence of the need to "fully reverse" what he described as "suicidal migration", he said. Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old at the University of Colorado who witnessed the Boulder incident, said she saw four women lying or sitting on the ground with burns on their legs. One of them appeared to have been badly burned on most of her body and had been wrapped in a flag by someone, she said. She described seeing a man standing in the courtyard shirtless, holding a glass bottle of clear liquid and shouting. "Everybody is yelling, 'get water, get water,'" Coffman said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a prominent Jewish Democrat, said it was an anti-Semitic attack. "This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism," he said on X. The attack follows last month's arrest of a Chicago-born man in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, and someone opened fire on a group of people leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee. The shooting fuelled polarisation in the US over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. with reuters Six people were injured when a man yelled "Free Palestine" and threw incendiary devices into a crowd in the US city of Boulder in Colorado, where a demonstration to remember the Israeli hostages in Gaza was taking place. Six victims aged between 67 and 88 were taken to hospital, the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office, Mark Michalek, said on Sunday. At least one of them was in a critical condition. "As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism," Michalek said. He named the suspect as Mohamed Soliman, 45, who was also hospitalised.. FBI Director Kash Patel also described the incident as a "targeted terror attack", and Colorado Attorney-General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be "a hate crime given the group that was targeted". Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said he did not believe anyone else was involved. "We're fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody," he said. The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district in the shadow of the University of Colorado, during an event organised by Run for Their Lives, an organisation devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel. The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the US over Israel's war in Gaza, which has spurred both an increase in anti-Semitic hate crime as well as moves by conservative supporters of Israel led by President Donald Trump to brand pro-Palestinian protests as anti-Semitic. His administration has detained protesters of the war without charge and cut off funding to elite US universities that have permitted such demonstrations. In a post to X, a social network, Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Soliman had overstayed his visa. It was further evidence of the need to "fully reverse" what he described as "suicidal migration", he said. Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old at the University of Colorado who witnessed the Boulder incident, said she saw four women lying or sitting on the ground with burns on their legs. One of them appeared to have been badly burned on most of her body and had been wrapped in a flag by someone, she said. She described seeing a man standing in the courtyard shirtless, holding a glass bottle of clear liquid and shouting. "Everybody is yelling, 'get water, get water,'" Coffman said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a prominent Jewish Democrat, said it was an anti-Semitic attack. "This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism," he said on X. The attack follows last month's arrest of a Chicago-born man in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, and someone opened fire on a group of people leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee. The shooting fuelled polarisation in the US over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. with reuters
The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'Someone setting people on fire' in US terror attack
Several people are injured and some may have been set on fire at an outdoor shopping mall in the US city of Boulder in Colorado. Police said a man was taken into custody on Sunday with the FBI describing the incident as a "targeted terror attack". Information on the attack, which occurred near a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza, was "very preliminary", Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said. The man was apprehended following calls to police about someone with a weapon who was "setting people on fire", he said. "That's consistent with the injuries we found on the scene. There's a lot of witnesses we're interviewing." The victims' injuries range from serious to minor. While FBI Director Kash Patel described the incident as a "targeted terror attack," Redfearn stressed it was too soon to speculate about a motive. "We are not calling it a terror attack at this moment," Redfearn said. "This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street and this act was unacceptable," he said. The attack took place at a pedestrian mall that's popular with tourists and college students and occurred as law enforcement authorities in the US grapple with a spike in anti-Semitic violence. Last week, a man was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers and shouted "Free Palestine" as he was being led away by police. Multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall area were evacuated by police. Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement he was "closely monitoring" the situation, adding that "hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable". with reuters Several people are injured and some may have been set on fire at an outdoor shopping mall in the US city of Boulder in Colorado. Police said a man was taken into custody on Sunday with the FBI describing the incident as a "targeted terror attack". Information on the attack, which occurred near a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza, was "very preliminary", Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said. The man was apprehended following calls to police about someone with a weapon who was "setting people on fire", he said. "That's consistent with the injuries we found on the scene. There's a lot of witnesses we're interviewing." The victims' injuries range from serious to minor. While FBI Director Kash Patel described the incident as a "targeted terror attack," Redfearn stressed it was too soon to speculate about a motive. "We are not calling it a terror attack at this moment," Redfearn said. "This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street and this act was unacceptable," he said. The attack took place at a pedestrian mall that's popular with tourists and college students and occurred as law enforcement authorities in the US grapple with a spike in anti-Semitic violence. Last week, a man was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers and shouted "Free Palestine" as he was being led away by police. Multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall area were evacuated by police. Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement he was "closely monitoring" the situation, adding that "hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable". with reuters Several people are injured and some may have been set on fire at an outdoor shopping mall in the US city of Boulder in Colorado. Police said a man was taken into custody on Sunday with the FBI describing the incident as a "targeted terror attack". Information on the attack, which occurred near a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza, was "very preliminary", Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said. The man was apprehended following calls to police about someone with a weapon who was "setting people on fire", he said. "That's consistent with the injuries we found on the scene. There's a lot of witnesses we're interviewing." The victims' injuries range from serious to minor. While FBI Director Kash Patel described the incident as a "targeted terror attack," Redfearn stressed it was too soon to speculate about a motive. "We are not calling it a terror attack at this moment," Redfearn said. "This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street and this act was unacceptable," he said. The attack took place at a pedestrian mall that's popular with tourists and college students and occurred as law enforcement authorities in the US grapple with a spike in anti-Semitic violence. Last week, a man was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers and shouted "Free Palestine" as he was being led away by police. Multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall area were evacuated by police. Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement he was "closely monitoring" the situation, adding that "hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable". with reuters Several people are injured and some may have been set on fire at an outdoor shopping mall in the US city of Boulder in Colorado. Police said a man was taken into custody on Sunday with the FBI describing the incident as a "targeted terror attack". Information on the attack, which occurred near a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza, was "very preliminary", Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said. The man was apprehended following calls to police about someone with a weapon who was "setting people on fire", he said. "That's consistent with the injuries we found on the scene. There's a lot of witnesses we're interviewing." The victims' injuries range from serious to minor. While FBI Director Kash Patel described the incident as a "targeted terror attack," Redfearn stressed it was too soon to speculate about a motive. "We are not calling it a terror attack at this moment," Redfearn said. "This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street and this act was unacceptable," he said. The attack took place at a pedestrian mall that's popular with tourists and college students and occurred as law enforcement authorities in the US grapple with a spike in anti-Semitic violence. Last week, a man was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers and shouted "Free Palestine" as he was being led away by police. Multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall area were evacuated by police. Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement he was "closely monitoring" the situation, adding that "hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable". with reuters
