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As <keyword id="19896017" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karnataka" source="keywords">Karnataka</keyword> grapples with a rising number of <keyword id="20075342" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dengue" source="keywords">dengue</keyword> cases, the state government has officially declared dengue fever an <keyword id="20462436" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="epidemic" source="keywords">epidemic</keyword>. This declaration comes with a set of strict regulations designed to prevent the spread of the disease by targeting <keyword id="21283114" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mosquito-breeding" source="keywords">mosquito breeding</keyword>, which is the primary mode of transmission. To avoid <keyword id="20041636" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="penalties" source="keywords">penalties</keyword>, it is crucial to understand and adhere to these new regulations. <h2>Understanding dengue</h2>Dengue is a viral infection transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito, primarily Aedes aegypti. The virus causes flu-like symptoms, including high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, joint and muscle pain, rash, and mild bleeding (such as nose or gum bleeding). In severe cases, dengue can lead to dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS), which are potentially fatal <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111981382" title="BBMP’s newest contest can earn you up to Rs 1 lakh for uploading &amp;#39;Dengue Warrior&amp;#39; reels on social media!" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Karnataka’s tropical climate, combined with rapid urbanisation and inadequate waste management, has created ideal conditions for the proliferation of these Aedes mosquitoes, with cases exceeding 25,000 since the beginning of the year. The urban centres, particularly Bengaluru, have seen alarming spikes in dengue cases, straining the healthcare infrastructure and prompting urgent government interventions. The situation has been exacerbated by the accumulation of stagnant water in both residential and commercial areas, which serves as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. <h2>Preventative measures</h2>The government has mandated that all property owners, including households, commercial establishments, and construction site managers, must take immediate and effective steps to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites. As per the new regulations, authorities can inspect any land or building between sunrise and sunset after giving reasonable notice. The owner or occupier must facilitate the inspection and provide necessary information. If mosquito breeding is found, the authority can issue a notice requiring action within a specified time, not less than 24 hours, to eliminate the breeding ground using suitable methods. This includes ensuring that all water storage containers, such as tanks, barrels, and drums, are properly covered to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs. Moreover, residents and business owners are required to properly dispose of solid waste, including items like old tires, broken pots, and unused containers, which could otherwise collect water and become breeding grounds. <h2>Fines for non-compliance</h2>In addition to these preventive measures, the government has implemented a structured penalty system for non-compliance. Households in <keyword id="19924983" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="urban-areas" source="keywords">urban areas</keyword> are subject to a fine of Rs 400, while those in rural areas face a Rs 200 fine. Commercial establishments, such as offices, restaurants, and schools, are liable for a Rs 1,000 fine in urban areas and Rs 500 in rural areas. Construction sites, whether active or abandoned, face the heaviest fines — Rs 2,000 in urban areas and Rs 1,000 in rural areas. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111316992" title="Dengue in obese children is more likely to result in hospitalisation, study finds" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>For those who fail to comply with these regulations, the consequences are more severe. Authorised officers from the <keyword id="19898915" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="health-department" source="keywords">Health Department</keyword> have been empowered to inspect properties and enforce these rules. If a property owner fails to comply with a notice to eliminate mosquito breeding sites, the authorities are authorised to take the necessary actions themselves and recover the costs from the defaulter. Additionally, if violations continue, an extra 50% of the total fine may be imposed each week until compliance is achieved. It is imperative to act swiftly if you receive a notice regarding mosquito breeding on your property. Ignoring such a notice not only increases your financial burden due to accumulating fines but also puts your community at greater risk of dengue. By adhering to these regulations and taking proactive steps to prevent mosquito breeding, you can avoid penalties and contribute to the larger public health effort to control the spread of dengue in Karnataka.

Dengue fine? Here's what you must do to avoid government penalty as Karnataka declares dengue an epidemic

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A prolonged drought in southeast Asia contributed to massive fish deaths in southern Vietnam.</li><li>The climate crisis and human development threaten the Mekong Delta, a key global agricultural center.</li></ul>A weekslong drought across parts of southeast Asia has killed hundreds of thousands of fish in a reservoir in Vietnam and pushed a key metric for coffee prices to record levels — just two indicators of the kind of havoc the climate is wreaking on people and the economy.In Vietnam, the maze of wetlands that comprise the Mekong Delta is called the country's "rice bowl" because of the vast agriculture it supports. The climate crisis and human development threaten the water the region relies on, especially in El Niño years like this one.As Vietnam's freshwater levels drop, salt water intrudes, causing massive economic devastation. From 2020 to 2023, the Mekong Delta lost 70 trillion Vietnamese dong, or $2.96 billion, annually because of salt intrusion, the country's Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment <a target="_blank" href="https://e.vnexpress.net/news/environment/mekong-delta-loses-3b-a-year-to-salt-intrusion-4723065.html">said</a> in mid-March. Those figures are expected to climb in coming years, the ministry said.While Vietnam is no longer a heavily agricultural economy, the industry still accounted for about 12% of its GDP last year, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS?locations=VN">World Bank</a>.It's too early to know exactly how this year's drought, exacerbated by El Niño, will affect harvests and exports. But early gauges indicate trouble for at least one key export. Vietnam's coffee association said in late March that exports of robusta coffee — the bean used in espresso and instant coffee — could decline as much as 20% in the 12 months ending in September, compared with the same period last year. Vietnam is the world's largest robusta producer, and futures prices for the bean <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coffee-prices-vietnam-robusta-futures-high-asia-expensive-drought-espresso-2024-4">hit a 16-year high</a> last week.Meanwhile, in southern Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of fish died in a reservoir last month as temperatures peaked over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and no rain fell for weeks, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240501-mass-fish-die-off-in-vietnam-as-heatwave-roasts-southeast-asia">AFP reported</a>. Residents blamed the weather and the reservoir's management.Business Insider could not locate the owner of the reservoir for comment.<div type="image" title="Vietnamese fisherman collects dead fish in a reservoir." height="682" width="1024" msid="109880703" hostid="261" sizebytes="114460"></div>Irrigation measures, including those put in after a disastrous 2020 drought, have helped keep much of the Mekong Delta wet despite the widespread dryness, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/MekongMonitor/status/1785331362112663872">reported</a> the Mekong Dam Monitor last week. The group, run by a US think tank, highlighted that two southern provinces still had "extreme dryness" — and those areas are harvesting crops this month, the group said.Water levels are below average in 13 of the country's 24 monitoring stations, largely in the far north and far south, according to the intergovernmental agency <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mrcmekong.org/">Mekong River Commission</a>.While Vietnam has built significant infrastructure to combat increasingly brutal droughts, farmers told <a target="_blank" href="https://e.vnexpress.net/photo/environment/central-highlands-suffering-from-extreme-drought-4734165.html">local media</a> last month they're still struggling. Some of the reservoirs they need to tap are contaminated with chemicals like alum, while other irrigation options are costly. A farmer in a central province said two acres of his rice burned from the drought."Every year we harvest about 18 bags of rice, each bag is 60 kilograms, but this year there is a lack of water, so maybe we'll only get a few bags," Ksor Phung told VnExpress.At least three provinces declared states of emergency last month, asking for government help to address water shortages and salinity problems.The drought in Vietnam underscores how the climate crisis is hitting agriculture worldwide. Lower and less predictable crop yields can translate to lower productivity, higher inflation, and worse nutrition, among other issues.

Hundreds of thousands of fish died in a single reservoir in Vietnam, another sign of how climate change is strangling the economy

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Bill Gates recently said that planting trees to address climate change is a "less proven" approach.</li><li>Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff took offense, saying Gates went on an unnecessary "tirade."</li></ul>Bill Gates and Marc Benioff apparently have very different ideas about how to address climate change — and how to spend their <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-wealth-donations-charity-foundation-worlds-richest-people-list-2022-7">philanthropic dollars</a>.Gates was recently asked at the New York Times' Climate Forward summit what he does to offset his carbon footprint, and the billionaire said that he doesn't plant trees. He called it one of the "less proven approaches," and said the idea that climate change could be solved by planting enough trees is "complete nonsense.""Are we the science people or are we the idiots?" Gates <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/climate/100000009097622/bill-gates-climate-change.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "Which one do we want to be?"Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who has put <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/marc-and-lynne-benioff-salesforce-announce-300-million-in-investments-to-accelerate-ecosystem-restoration-and-climate-justice-1030910154">$300 million toward planting trees</a> to address climate change, took offense.Benioff called New York Times climate reporter David Gelles to criticize Gates' opinion."I couldn't really understand why he was going on this tirade," Benioff told Gelles. "Number one, we all have to go net zero. And number two, we have to plant a trillion trees."Benioff has been outspoken in the past about corporate climate responsibility — and the best ways to reduce carbon footprints."We think every company should be focused on how to sequester the carbon that they're creating, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marc-benioff-corporate-climate-change-net-zero-2019-10">Benioff told Insider in 2019</a>. "It's not that hard. We can all do it very easy."He was a strong advocate for planting trees then, too."The one that we directly have in the most actionable form is more trees," Benioff said. "You can have 205 gigatonnes of carbon sequestration for every trillion trees. We need more trees."While <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/planting-trees-to-address-climate-crisis-2019-7">planting trees can help make a dent in the climate crisis</a> and protecting existing forests is important, studies indicate that it's not enough to singularly <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/so-much-co2-planting-trees-cant-save-us-2017-5">solve climate change</a>. In order to capture just 10% of the carbon dioxide we emit annually, we'd have to cover the entire contiguous US with trees, Insider previously reported. While planting more trees is a positive goal, there simply isn't <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-1-million-trees-wont-curb-climate-change-2019-10">enough space in the world for all of the trees</a> we'd need.And studies have found that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/extreme-heat-climate-change-stop-tropical-trees-photosynthesis-kill-plants-2023-8">extreme heat could make photosynthesis impossible</a> for tropical trees and plants, meaning massive amounts of the tropical canopy could die off.Gates, meanwhile, prefers to focus on "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-says-not-hypocrite-flying-private-jet-emissions-climate-2023-2">climate innovation</a>," investing in climate technology for reducing carbon emissions and producing more clean energy. He's also said that it's unrealistic to expect people to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gates-telling-people-dont-eat-meat-wont-solve-climate-crisis-2022-10">change their lifestyles to solve the climate crisis</a> — like telling people they shouldn't eat meat or live in a "nice house."This isn't the first time Gates has feuded with another billionaire over climate action, either. He's also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-bill-gates-feud-coronavirus-electric-cars-2020-9#in-fact-musk-defended-his-role-in-the-coronavirus-relief-efforts-5">clashed with Elon Musk</a> over how big an impact Tesla has (or hasn't) had on reducing emissions.Neither Gates nor Benioff responded immediately to Insider's requests for comment.

Bill Gates declared it's 'complete nonsense' to think planting trees will solve climate change. 'Pro-tree' Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff accused him of going on a 'tirade.'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President <keyword id="99719" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="joe-biden" source="Orion">Joe Biden</keyword> expanded federal programs for climate resiliency and developing offshore wind.</li><li>The actions fell short of a climate emergency declaration that Senate Democrats are demanding.</li></ul>President Joe Biden said he views climate change as an emergency but stopped short of officially declaring it one on Wednesday. That move could come in the days ahead when Biden said he would unveil more executive actions to combat the crisis.For now, the president took <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/20/fact-sheetpresident-bidens-executive-actions-on-climate-to-address-extreme-heat-and-boost-offshore-wind/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">more limited steps</a> including spending $2.3 billion on climate-resiliency grants to help states and tribes prepare for natural disasters, making it easier for low-income families to purchase air conditioners, and paving the way for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Mexico. Senate Democrats and climate activists want Biden to go further by declaring a national climate emergency. It's one of the few options his administration has left to tackle the crisis after Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia last week <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wapo-manchin-wont-support-new-climate-spending-tax-hikes-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">dashed hopes that Congress would pass more than $300 billion in clean-energy tax breaks</a> and other climate spending before November's midterm elections.Manchin's vote is critical in an evenly divided Senate, where Democrats are trying to push through Biden's economic agenda by using a budget maneuver that skirts a Republican filibuster.The blow <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-ruling-west-virginia-v-epa-biden-climate-change-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">followed the Supreme Court's decision earlier this month</a> to limit the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants. The agency is expected to draft narrower rules, but without new legislation, it's all but guaranteed the US won't slash planet-warming pollution in half this decade — a promise it made under the Paris climate agreement. Current policies put the US on track to reduce emissions by between 24 and 35% below 2005 levels by 2030, <a href="https://rhg.com/research/taking-stock-2022/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">according to an analysis by the Rhodium Group</a>.By declaring the climate crisis a national emergency, Biden could redirect government funding to renewable-energy projects in places like military bases and to the electric-vehicle industry. It also could empower Biden to reinstate a ban on crude-oil exports and provide some legal cover to stop offshore oil and gas drilling, though such moves are unlikely against the backdrop of high gas prices and inflation.Biden has already invoked the Defense Production Act <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/06/fact-sheet-president-biden-takes-bold-executive-action-to-spur-domestic-clean-energy-manufacturing/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">to boost manufacturing of solar parts</a>, energy-efficient heat pumps, and equipment to make clean fuels <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/02/22/fact-sheet-securing-a-made-in-america-supply-chain-for-critical-minerals/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">and use critical minerals.</a> The list could be expanded to more EV technology.For years, Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon has been <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/21/jeff-merkley-biden-climate-crisis-executive-action/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">urging Biden to declare a climate emergency</a>. A staff member for Merkley told Insider that the administration was still considering the move but acknowledged that it wasn't a panacea for a climate crisis fueling <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heat-waves-are-dominating-summer-and-its-not-abnormal-anymore-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">deadly heat waves and wildfires in Europe</a> and other natural disasters around the globe. A national climate emergency must be paired with new legislation and regulations, the staffer said."The inaction by Congress and the SCOTUS decision means Biden has a narrow path for anything meaningful," said Safak Yucel, an assistant professor of operation management at Georgetown University. "Renewables are doing well even without strong support from any administration because the economics makes sense, but all this policy uncertainty is hampering growth."Yucel added that even if Biden took executive action, future administrations could unravel the measures."Will the policy be in place for a year, two years?" he said. "That's the biggest concern I have."

Biden boosts funding for climate preparedness but stops short of declaring a national climate emergency

<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> on Saturday proposed to launch a <keyword id="18717471" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="G20-satellite" source="Orion">G20 Satellite</keyword> Mission for Environment and Climate Observation, with an aim to help the countries of the global south. Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="Orion">Narendra Modi</keyword> made the suggestion at the <keyword id="42981" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="G20" source="Orion">G20</keyword> Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam international convention centre here in the presence of world leaders including US President <keyword id="99719" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="joe-biden" source="Orion">Joe Biden</keyword>, UK Prime Minister <keyword id="221875" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rishi-sunak" source="Orion">Rishi Sunak</keyword> and South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa among others. Modi said the G20 satellite mission would be beneficial for all of humanity just as the data obtained from India's successful Chandrayaan moon mission. With the same spirit, India is proposing the launch of the 'G20 Satellite Mission for Environment and Climate Observation', he said. "The climate and weather data obtained from this will be shared with all the countries, especially the countries of the Global South. India invites all G-20 countries to join this initiative," Modi said during a session at the G20 Leaders Summit. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/g20-leaders-summit-adopts-new-delhi-declaration/articleshow/103535369.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/g20-leaders-summit-adopts-new-delhi-declaration/articleshow/103535369.cms" target="_blank">G20 Leaders Summit adopts New Delhi Declaration</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/g20-summit-pm-modi-announces-launch-of-global-biofuel-alliance/articleshow/103535675.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/g20-summit-pm-modi-announces-launch-of-global-biofuel-alliance/articleshow/103535675.cms" target="_blank">G20 Summit: PM Modi announces launch of Global Biofuel Alliance</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/webstories/from-dream-girl-2-to-tootsie-epic-roles-which-saw-male-actors-crossdress/slidelist/103525812.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/webstories/from-dream-girl-2-to-tootsie-epic-roles-which-saw-male-actors-crossdress/slidelist/103525812.cms" target="_blank">From Dream Girl 2 to Tootsie – Epic roles which saw male actors crossdress</a>

India proposes G20 satellite for climate observation

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President <keyword id="99719" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="joe-biden" source="Orion">Joe Biden</keyword> stopped short of declaring a national climate emergency on Wednesday.</li><li>The White House is still considering the declaration after climate legislation stalled in Congress.</li></ul>President Joe Biden on Wednesday stopped short of declaring <keyword id="11896311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="climate-change" source="Orion">climate change</keyword> a national emergency but said the administration would announce executive action to combat the crisis in the coming days."This is an emergency. I will look at it that way," Biden said during <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/">a speech</a> in Somerset, Massachusetts, at a retired coal plant that is being retrofitted to produce wind power. "As president, I'll use my executive powers to combat the <keyword id="11896310" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="climate-crisis" source="Orion">climate crisis</keyword> in the absence of congressional action."The president noted 100 million Americans are under heat advisories and that extreme-weather events caused $145 billion in damages last year alone. These include more destructive wildfires, hurricanes, and 100-year droughts that are occurring every few years. The announcement comes as Biden runs out of options to combat the climate crisis after a major legislative package with more than $300 billion in clean-energy tax breaks and other spending <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wapo-manchin-wont-support-new-climate-spending-tax-hikes-2022-7">stalled on Capitol Hill last week</a>.The setback has amped up the pressure from climate activists and Senate <keyword id="11896865" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="democrats" source="Orion">Democrats</keyword> to declare a national climate emergency, which would allow Biden to tap new pots of federal money to build large renewable energy projects in places like military bases and to buy more electric vehicles for the government fleet.It also could empower Biden to reinstate a ban on crude-oil exports and provide some legal cover to stop offshore oil and gas drilling, though those moves are unlikely as the White House tries to slow inflation and high prices at the pump by encouraging more oil production.Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and seven of their colleagues <a href="https://www.merkley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Climate%20Emergency%20Letter_FINAL.pdf">sent a letter to Biden</a> on Wednesday urging him to invoke his powers under the National Emergency Act and pursue actions to slash greenhouse gas emissions and protect public health. "For too long, we have been waiting for a single piece of legislation, and a single Senate vote, to take bold action on our climate crisis," the senators wrote. "While we will continue to fight for whatever climate and clean energy proposals can pass in a divided Senate, Congressional action to address the climate crisis appears to have stalled."<keyword id="12085096" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sen-joe-manchin" source="Orion">Sen. Joe Manchin</keyword> (D-WV) last week upended hopes that Congress would pass the clean-energy tax breaks and other climate spending before November's midterm elections. His vote was critical in an evenly divided Senate, where Democrats are trying to push through Biden's economic agenda by using a budget maneuver that would bypass a <keyword id="11899365" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="republican" source="Orion">Republican</keyword> filibuster.The blow <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-ruling-west-virginia-v-epa-biden-climate-change-2022-6">followed the Supreme Court's decision earlier this month</a> limiting the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The agency is expected to draft narrower rules, but without new legislation, it's all but guaranteed the US won't slash planet-warming pollution in half this decade — a promise it made under the Paris Climate Agreement. Current policies put the US on track to reduce emissions by between 24 and 35% by 2030, <a href="https://rhg.com/research/taking-stock-2022/">according to an analysis by the Rhodium Group</a>. That includes investments authorized by the bipartisan infrastructure law passed by Congress last year, such as billions of dollars in grant money for states and tribes to help them prepare for natural disasters. Biden, during Wednesday's speech, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/20/fact-sheetpresident-bidens-executive-actions-on-climate-to-address-extreme-heat-and-boost-offshore-wind/">announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency</a> would award $2.3 billion in climate-resiliency grants in fiscal 2022.Separately, the administration also said it is pursuing offshore wind power in the Gulf of Mexico, a current hub for oil and gas production. On Tuesday Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said the administration is still considering whether to declare a national climate emergency."The fact that Biden is contemplating declaring a climate emergency is remarkable," said Jean Su, director of the energy justice program and a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. "He's had a spotty record on climate."Su, who co-authored <a href="http://biologicaldiversity.org/programs/energy-justice/pdfs/Climate-Emergency-Powers-Report.pdf">a legal guide on the president's emergency climate powers</a>, noted that the Biden administration in July opened the door to the largest lease sales for offshore oil drilling in history in the Gulf of Mexico. The five-year plan also blocked new drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans within US waters.Biden also made a campaign promise to suspend new federal drilling on public lands, but that <keyword id="11896048" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="policy" source="Orion">policy</keyword> promoted lawsuits from red-state governors and the oil industry. And in April, the president announced the US would resume leases on federal lands to help stem rising oil and natural gas prices."The emergency powers give wide discretion to the president so actions are more legally defensible," Su said. "But executive action isn't a silver bullet. We still have to push for climate legislation."Without new laws, the policy uncertainty could hamper corporate investment in renewable energy and other climate solutions needed to rapidly reduce emissions, said Safak Yucel, assistant professor of operation management at Georgetown University. About 20% of US power is generated by clean energy like solar and wind, <a href="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&amp;t=3">according to the Energy Information Agency</a>, while electric vehicles still make up fewer than 3% of new car sales. The power and transportation sectors combined account for more than half of the nation's emissions. Biden is among the global leaders who are trying to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change, which scientists estimate requires the wealthiest countries to slash emissions in half this decade.The world has already warmed about 1.2 degrees Celsius, which is fueling deadly heat waves in Western Europe, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/19/1106125407/countries-in-the-horn-of-africa-are-experiencing-the-worst-drought-in-40-years#:~:text=Countries%20in%20the%20Horn%20of%20Africa%20are%20experiencing%20their%20worst,group%20is%20especially%20vulnerable%20%2D%20children.">the worst drought in 40 years in the Horn of Africa</a> that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and exacerbated a hunger crisis, as well as more extreme wildfires from the US to France and Spain to Australia.

The White House didn't declare a climate emergency but it's still considering doing so because of inaction by Congress

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Arnold Schwarzenegger was detained at Munich's airport after bringing a watch he planned to gift.</li><li>Schwarzenegger had not declared the item, which is required by Germany's customs authority.</li></ul>Arnold Schwarzenegger was detained for more than two hours at Germany's Munich International Airport after failing to declare a luxury watch, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/17/europe/arnold-schwarzenegger-munich-airport-watch-intl/index.html">CNN</a> reported.As a result, the celebrity and former California governor will face criminal tax proceedings, Thomas Meister, a Munich customs press officer, told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/17/europe/arnold-schwarzenegger-munich-airport-watch-intl/index.html">CNN</a>."He did not declare a product," Meister told CNN. "And this process applies to everyone." Meister did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment, which was sent outside regular business hours.According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.zoll.de/EN/Private-individuals/Travel/Entering-Germany/Duties-and-taxes/Exceeding-travellers-allowances/exceeding-travellers-allowances_node.html">Germany's Central Customs Authority</a>, non-EU travelers are required to declare any goods that will remain within the country if they exceed €430, or $467 USD — in Schwarzenegger's case, a luxury watch. The traveler must also pay import duties."He was never asked to fill out a declaration form and he answered every question from customs officers honestly," a source close to Schwarzenegger, whose identity Business Insider confirmed, said.While detained, Schwarzenegger agreed to pay the watch's potential taxes. This involved Schwarzenegger attempting to use a broken credit-card machine, then a failed trip to a bank, and finally, a working credit-card machine, the source told BI.Schwarzenegger was later released from the airport and continued traveling, CNN reported.According to the German newspaper <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bild.de/unterhaltung/leute/leute/arnold-schwarzenegger-am-flughafen-muenchen-festgehalten-aerger-mit-dem-zoll-86800126.bild.html">Bild</a>, Schwarzenegger was traveling with a unique Audemars Piguet watch. Timepieces from the brand can run up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The same source states that the watch was planned to be auctioned off at the Austrian World Summit on Thursday in Kitzbuhel, Austria, to benefit the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative."The watch will likely still be auctioned tomorrow, and the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative will properly report it, as all of Arnold's non-profits do," the source told BI.<div type="image" title="Woman pulling luggage through airport." height="5504" width="8256" msid="106969319" hostid="261" sizebytes="1883062"></div><h2>A luxury travel agent tells travelers to keep this in mind if you're flying with high-end gifts</h2>Travelers arriving with items they plan to wear and keep when visiting the EU do not require declaration, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.zoll.de/EN/Private-individuals/Travel/Entering-Germany/entering_germany_node.html">Germany's Central Customs Authority's website states</a>.However, imported items that are intended as gifts that exceed $467 USD need to be declared, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.zoll.de/EN/Private-individuals/Travel/Entering-Germany/Duties-and-taxes/Travellers-allowances/travellers-allowances_node.html">Germany's Central Customs Authority states</a>, and travelers will need to pay an import duty fee on the item's total value.For example, if you travel to Germany with your designer purse and bring home that same bag, you don't need to declare it. But if you pack a designer purse you plan to gift to your German friend that costs $1,500, that needs to be declared and duty fees paid.Michael Trager, the director of the luxury travel agency <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://travelzork.com/">TravelZork</a> and a travel adviser at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://www.traveledge.com/?c3api=6929&amp;iv_=__iv_p_1_a_15041536047_w_kwd-458858887647_d_c_n_g_c_558520427441_k_travel%20edge_m_e_l__t__vi__&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=TE-Brand-November%202021&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4ugwaxuGaroGMuUCKER3gj8nL8rcmoE9zy6JdZ6vYPuluzBqZU1t3ZkaAqNGEALw_wcB">Travel Edge</a>, told BI to keep this rule in mind when traveling with pricey gifts."My tip is that if you are bringing expensive gifts, you better be prepared to declare and pay taxes on these gifts," he said in an email to BI. "Personal possessions are not an issue, as long as it is obvious that they are items you are using/wearing on your journey and bringing back home."

Are you sure you have nothing to declare? Let Arnold Schwarzenegger and his pricey watch be a lesson to us all.

<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/one-planet"></a><div type="image" title="Youth plaintiffs and supporters hold up signs after the Navahine vs the Hawai'i Dept of Transportation court hearing in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 26th 2023." height="1333" width="1778" msid="103875058" hostid="261" sizebytes="231934"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Hawaiian youth advocates sued the state's transportation department over greenhouse-gas emissions.</li><li>The lawsuit is part of a growing movement of young people taking climate action in the courts.</li><li>Extreme weather caused by the climate crisis threatens Hawaii's environment and cultural traditions.</li></ul>When Taliya Nishida was 10 years old, her home on Hawaii's Big Island was struck by a deluge of flash floods. The roads near her family's off-grid house were washed out under several feet of water, and Nishida sat helplessly in their truck as they tried to get to her aerial-silks practice."I was so scared that I told my mom, 'I don't want to die,'" Nishida, now a sophomore in high school, recalled. "I know that may sound dramatic to some, but it's truly how I felt because I was just that scared of our truck being pushed away from the water."As global temperatures rise, <a href="https://www.insider.com/california-weather-whiplash-floods-drought-getting-worse-atmospheric-rivers-2023-1">flash floods</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/2021-a-year-of-natural-disasters-and-unprecedented-climate-crises-2021-12">other natural disasters</a> have worsened in recent years, and as an island nation, <a href="https://www.insider.com/hawaii-waikiki-beach-sea-level-rise-2019-4">Hawaii is particularly vulnerable</a> to the effects of extreme weather.In August, <a href="https://www.insider.com/maui-wildfires-before-after-photos-show-lahaina-destruction-2023-8">wildfires devastated parts of Maui</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/wildfires-devastated-maui-tourists-can-help-by-not-visiting-2023-8">displacing</a> thousands of people and destroying historic sites.Amid the escalating climate crisis, Nishida and 13 other Hawaiian youth advocates sued the Hawaii Department of Transportation in 2022 over transportation-related greenhouse-gas emissions. The lawsuit is part of a growing international movement of young people taking climate action in the courts, including in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/us/montana-youth-climate-ruling.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montana, where a group of youth plaintiffs won a landmark lawsuit</a> in August that compels the state to take climate change into account when considering fossil-fuel projects.The lawsuit, Navahine F. v. Hawaii Department of Transportation, is scheduled to go to trial next summer."I feel like many things are at risk of being lost, not only physically, but also memories," Nishida told Insider. "Our shorelines are getting lost by rising sea waters, and the time to make memories with the things around us is shortening because we don't know how long it's going to be here for."<div type="image" title="Taliya Nishida" height="1666" width="2222" msid="103875059" hostid="261" sizebytes="177390"></div><h2>Youth advocates are leading the charge</h2>While Hawaii has a number of environmental laws on the books, including ones aimed at curbing pollution and ensuring land protection, greenhouse-gas emissions from the island nation's transportation systems have increased in recent years. Transportation emissions made up the largest share of energy-sector emissions in Hawaii in 2017, according to a 2021 <a href="https://health.hawaii.gov/cab/files/2021/04/2017-Inventory_Final-Report_April-2021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> by the Hawaii Department of Health.The youth plaintiffs' lawsuit seeks to change that."There's a clear problem with respect to how the state is operating its transportation system," Andrea Rodgers, the senior litigation attorney at Our Children's Trust and cocounsel for the youth plaintiffs, said. "The young people are seeking a declaration from the court that not only do they have constitutional rights to a life-sustaining climate system, but the state has an obligation to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions."Because people under 18 can't vote and typically don't have the money to lobby legislators, they have very limited political power, Rodgers said. Many of the youth clients she represents have done "everything in their power" to communicate with policymakers, whether it's through testifying in legislative hearings, meeting with government officials, or putting up signs on street corners, she said."What I think is unique about young people is they're fresh from their civics classes and learning about the role of the government," Rodgers told Insider. "I think why they're turning to the courts is that they're seeing their fundamental rights get infringed upon by their political branches, so they're turning to the courts to protect themselves."<div type="image" title="Youth plaintiffs gather before the start of the Navahine F. v. the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation hearing at the First Circuit Environmental Court in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, on January 26, 2023. Pictured left to right: Kaʻōnohi P.-G., 16, KawahineʻIlikea N., 13, Taliya N., 15, Navahine F., 15, Mesina D.-R., 15, Kalā W., 19, Rylee K., 15, and Kawena F., 10." height="1333" width="1778" msid="103875061" hostid="261" sizebytes="209836"></div><h2>Relying on nature</h2>Nishida decided to take action after she saw the devastating effects of the climate crisis firsthand.She and her family live off-grid in Waimea on the Big Island, miles away from the nearest town. That means they rely on solar panels and water catchments for virtually all of their electricity and water. Nishida said her parents chose to live off-grid as a way to "be part of the island and connect to their roots."The family's reliance on natural resources has left them especially vulnerable to extreme weather events. During droughts, there's little water in their catchment, so they've used "drastic methods" to conserve water, like limiting showers to no more than a couple of minutes to flushing toilets with buckets of water they hauled from town, Nishida said.Nishida said things are only getting worse: The island has experienced more droughts and she's seen more trees uprooted by storms and flash floods. <div type="image" title="Flash floods near Taliya Nishida's home" height="1816" width="2420" msid="103875062" hostid="261" sizebytes="709212"></div>One of Nishida's treasured memories is going to the beach with her family. Now she fears those outings are at risk of disappearing."When I was little, I would go to all these different beaches, and there'd be tons of people with lots of space," Nishida said. "But more recently, there have been higher tides, so there's less space on the beach for people to play and have fun with others."When Nishida first heard about the lawsuit against the Department of Transportation from her mother, she knew this was her chance to contribute to a larger cause."I realized I had never done anything prominent to help my climate," she told Insider. "I thought that by joining this, I can be one small voice in a sea of problems."<h2>A culture at risk</h2>Climate change threatens not only Hawaii's natural environment but also its <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-be-responsible-respectful-tourist-hawaii-photos-2022-7">Native Hawaiian culture</a>, which has endured existential threats from <a href="https://www.nps.gov/locations/hawaii/colonization.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European colonization</a> and the United States' <a href="https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/gp/17661.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">annexation</a> of its islands in 1898.Extreme weather like heavy rains and droughts have damaged traditional kalo, or taro, farming practices, which, in turn, jeopardizes food security on the islands. Hawaii's coral reefs have <a href="https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/habitat/coral-reefs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shrunk</a> by up to 50% in recent years, leading to degraded coastal protection that threatens traditional diets.<div type="image" title="Navahine Fukumitsu in her family's lo'i kalo (taro patch) in Hakipu'u, Hawaii their family has farmed for over 10 generations." height="1503" width="2000" msid="103875063" hostid="261" sizebytes="267440"></div>Rising sea levels eat away at what limited land there is in Hawaii to use for farming and encroach upon cultural traditions. For example, higher tides are washing out traditional burial sites along the coast, leaving both emotional and physical damage in their wake.In the face of the threats to their homes, Nishida and the other youth advocates are fighting to preserve their culture and ways of life."The climate on this island is what feeds us," Nishida said. "There's a Hawaiian saying that translates to, 'Land is chief, man is servant.' Everything that humans need to survive, it all comes from nature. Without nature, then humans as a society, we have nothing."

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