Africa's Rare Glaciers May Soon Disappear

Africa's rare glaciers will disappear in the next two decades because of
climate change, a new report has warned.

The report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and other
agencies warns that Africa's 1.3 billion people are extremely vulnerable as
the continent warms more — and faster — than the global average, even
though Africa's 54 countries are responsible for less than 4% of global
greenhouse gas emissions.

The report points to the shrinking glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount

Kenya and the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda, which are disappearing
faster than the global average. If this continues, they will be completely
gone by the 2040s, the report says.

WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said the future will bring hunger and
human displacement, along with increasing disasters such as droughts and
floods. But the lack of climate data in parts of Africa "is having a major
impact" on disaster warnings for millions of people, Taalas said.

By 2030, up to 118 million extremely poor people — those living on less

than $1.90 a day — will be in danger from drought, floods and extreme
heat in Africa if appropriate steps are not taken, Josefa Leonel Correia
Sacko of the African Union Commission wrote in the report.

However, despite the dangers to the African continent, the voices of

Africans have been less represented than richer regions at global climate
meetings and among the authors of assessments from the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). African participation in
IPCC reports has been "extremely low," according to Future Climate for
Africa, a multi-country research program.

The costs ahead are huge. Taalas said that, overall, Africa will need over $3
trillion in investments by 2030 to pay for the necessary climate plans.

"The cost of adapting to climate change in Africa will rise to $50 billion per
year by 2050," Taalas said.
Discussion

1. What are your thoughts on the WMO's report?

2. Do you find it surprising that Africa is responsible for less than
4% of global greenhouse gas emissions? Why? Why not?
3. What parts of the world do you think climate change will have
the biggest impact on?
4. Are there any parts of your country expected to be majorly
impacted by climate change?
5. Is your country taking any steps to adapt to the potential
impacts of climate change?
6. Which of your friends or family does the most to reduce their
impact on the environment?
 7. In your opinion, is your government doing enough in the fight
against climate change? Why do you think so?
8. Do you expect greenhouse gas emissions to continue to
increase globally over the next decade? Why? Why not?
9. What do you imagine the world will look like in 50 years if
nothing is done to stop climate change?
10. Twenty-five years ago people could be excused for not
knowing much, or doing much, about climate change. Today we
have no excuse. — Desmond Tutu. What are your thoughts on
this statement?

Staying Active May Be More Important than Losing

Weight
Obesity has been associated with many serious health conditions, from
high blood pressure to diabetes, stroke, depression and even early
death. But might it be possible for obese people to reduce these risks
without actually losing weight?

Glenn Gaesser is the author of the 2002 book Big Fat Lies: The Truth About
Your Weight and Your Health, in which he argued that people can still be fit
even if they're overweight. Writing in the journal iScience in September
2021, he and co-author Siddhartha Angadi cite more than 200 studies —
including some of their own — in support of a "weight-neutral" approach to
treating health conditions associated with obesity.

Gaesser and Angadi argue that increasing rates of obesity around the
world, despite many people trying to lose weight, show that focusing on
weight loss is not effective. They say they are not against weight loss, but
believe that health benefits can be achieved more effectively by focusing on
staying active rather than on what a person's weight is.

They note, for example, that a 2014 study found that people with poor
cardiorespiratory fitness were roughly two to 2.5 times as likely to die of all
causes, regardless of whether they were normal weight, overweight or
obese.
Meanwhile, they cite various studies that have been unable to consistently
find that intentional weight loss results in significantly reduced risk of
death, while noting that other studies have found that increases in physical
activity are better associated with reduced death risk, regardless of
changes in weight.

They also express concern that people rarely keep their weight down after
losing it, while studies have found that cycles of rising and falling weight
have been associated with increased risk of d eath.

Gaesser and Angadi write that a focus on increasing physical activity,

without a specific weight loss goal, could reduce this cycle of gaining and
losing weight — and that it may be more feasible for people to keep up a
physically active lifestyle than constantly focusing on reducing or
maintaining their weight.

Discussion

1. What are your thoughts on Gaesser and Angadi's argument?

2. Do you think it'd be more feasible for people to maintain a
physically active lifestyle than weight loss? Why? Why not?
3. Why do you think obesity rates continue to rise around the
world?
4. Have obesity rates in your country increased over the past few
decades?
5. Where do you get most of your advice about diet and exercise?
6. Who's the most physically active person you know?
7. What are your favorite forms of exercise? Why do you like
them?
8. Are there any exercises you'd like to try or get into?
9. How do you motivate yourself to exercise when you're not
feeling up to it?
10. The only bad workout is the one you didn't do. — Mick
Kremling. What do you make of this statement?
Lonely Planet Announces Top Places to Visit in 2022
Travel guide company Lonely Planet has announced its top places to visit in
2022.

Every year, Lonely Planet employees, writers and partners suggest th eir
favorite places. The company's travel experts then choose the top 10
countries, top 10 regions and top 10 cities. They think about both the
unique experiences travelers can have and sustainable tourism practices in
each place.

The top country to visit in 2022 is the Cook Islands, one of the world's
smallest countries. It's made up of 15 islands in the South Pacific Ocean,
about 3,000 kilometers northeast of Auckland, New Zealand. Visitors can go
scuba diving, hike in the green mountains or take boat tou rs.

Norway was named the second best country to visit, followed by Mauritius
in the Indian Ocean and Belize in Central America.

The top region to visit is the Westfjords in the northwest of Iceland. Visitors
there can see wildlife such as puffins, seals an d arctic foxes, as well as
pink-sand beaches.

Other top regions to visit include West Virginia in the US and

Xishuangbanna in China. Shikoku, Japan, was in sixth place.

Auckland, New Zealand, was named the top city to visit in 2022. Visitors can
climb one of the city's 48 dormant volcanoes or learn about Māori culture
at the Auckland Museum.

Taipei, Taiwan, and Freiburg, Germany, were named the second and third
best cities to visit.

Lonely Planet's VP of Experience Tom Hall said that the lists celebrate the
variety of places there are to visit in the world. The company covers things
to do in each place in its new book, Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2022.
 Sunnylvsfjorden, Norway

Le Morne Brabant, Mauritius

 Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize

Westfjords, Iceland

Questions

1. What is Lonely Planet's top country to visit in 2022?

2. What kinds of animals can tourists expect to see in the
Westfjords?
3. How many dormant volcanoes are there in Auckland?
Discussion

1. What are your thoughts on Lonely Planet's top places to visit

in 2022?
2. Which of the places in the article would you most like to visit?
Why?
3. Have you made any travel plans for 2022? If so, what are they?
If not, why not?
4. What unique experiences would you recommend to someone
visiting your region?
5. Do you own any travel books? Would you be interested in
reading Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2022?
6. How many countries have you visited? Which one would you
like to visit again?
7. Are there any parts of your country you haven't explored yet?
8. Do you usually do a lot of research before taking a trip?
9. What places are on your must-see list? Why?
10. Which of your friends or family has traveled the most?

Bat Wins New Zealand's Bird of the Year Competition

The winner of New Zealand's 2021 Bird of the Year competition has been
announced — but it's not a bird. The winner is the long-tailed bat.

This is the first time an animal that isn't a bird has been included in the
competition, which is run by nature and wildlife charity Forest & Bird.

"This year, we thought we'll try and get more people aware of bats and the
threats that they face," Lissy Fehnker-Heather of Forest & Bird told Morning
Report. She added that bats face a lot of the same threats as birds in New
Zealand.

According to the New Zealand Department of Conservation, long -tailed bats

are "nationally critical," which means they could become extinc t very
soon. They're in danger from animals such as cats and rats, as well as from
humans cutting down trees.

The Bird of the Year competition takes place every year, but Forest & Bird
said 2021 was the biggest year ever with almost 57,000 votes. The long-
tailed bat got over 7,000 votes, many more than the second -place kākāpō,
which got about 4,000.

The kākāpō is a large green parrot that can't fly. It won the competition in
2020.

In third place was the rifleman, believed to be New Zealand's smallest bird
at around 8 centimeters long. Fourth was the kea, a type of parrot that lives
in the mountains, while fifth was the Antipodean albatross, a more than 1 -
meter-long seabird.

This isn't the first time the bird competition has had some controversy. In
2020, the competition's organizers found more than 1,500 votes from fake
email addresses before the winner was decided.

Questions

1. What organization runs the Bird of the Year competition?

2. What threats does the long-tailed bat face?
3. Which bird won the competition in 2020?

Discussion

1. What are your thoughts on the long-tailed bat winning the Bird
of the Year competition?
2. Are bats commonly found where you live?
3. Is your country home to any interesting or unique birds?
4. Are any of your country's native species in danger of becoming
extinct?
5. Have you been to New Zealand? If so, did you see any unique
wildlife there? If not, would you like to?
 6. Have you ever kept a bird as a pet? If so, what was the best
thing about it? If not, would you like to?
7. Have you been to any public aviaries? If so, please share your
experience.
8. What's the most beautiful or interesting animal you've seen in
person?
9. What countries would you like to visit for their wildlife? Why?
10. I think we're lucky to be living when we are, because things
are going to get worse. — David Attenborough. What are your
thoughts on this statement?

Spain to Ban Advertising Unhealthy Food to Kids

The Spanish government is planning to ban advertising of unhealthy food
to children to help reduce obesity in the country.

According to the Spanish Agency for Nutrition and Food Safety, over 40% of
children aged between 6 and 9 in the country are overweight, and 17% are
obese. According to the European Association for the Study of Obesity,
fewer than 25% of Spanish adults are overweight.

Spanish consumer agency OCU says that nine out of 10 food

advertisements aimed at children are for unhealthy products.

The new rules that the Spanish government wants would affect foods like
chocolate, candy, cakes and cookies. They would also affect advertisements
for drinks with a lot of sugar in them, including juice and energy drinks.

If the new law is passed, unhealthy food advertisements will be banned

from TV channels for children from 2022. They will also be banned from
apps and websites for children, and in cinemas before movies for those
under 16.

Any type of advertisement for unhealthy food, even if it is aimed at adults,

will also be banned from television at the times when children watch
most. In Spain, these times are 8-9 a.m. and 5-8 p.m. on weekdays, and 9
a.m. to 12 p.m. on weekends.
Spain isn't the only place banning such advertisements to protect children.

From the end of 2022, the British government also plans to ban unhealthy
food advertisements from television before 9 p.m. And Quebec actually
made it illegal to advertise unhealthy food to children under 13 back in
1980 — and today has the lowest obesity rate among children in Canada.

Questions

1. What percentage of children aged between 6 and 9 in Spain

are overweight?
2. What types of food would the Spanish government's new law
affect?
3. When did Quebec make it illegal to advertise unhealthy food
to children?

Discussion

1. What are your thoughts on the Spanish government's plan to

ban advertising unhealthy food to children?
2. Do you find it surprising that 90% of Spanish food
advertisements aimed at children are for unhealthy products?
3. Are there any laws around advertising unhealthy food to kids
in your country?
4. Have childhood obesity rates increased in your country in
recent decades?
5. What were your favorite sweet foods as a kid?
6. Did you learn a lot about diet and nutrition when you were in
school?
7. What were your favorite meals growing up? Do you still have
them often?
8. Are there any foods you hated as a kid but like now?
9. Has your diet changed a lot from when you were growing up?
10. Which of your friends or family has the biggest sweet
tooth?