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World and Press November 1 2021

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6 Britain November 1 2021 | World and Press Lake District in peril due to climate emergency and influx of pandemic walkers ENVIRONMENT Paths have eroded and wildlife is at risk as crowds jostle for space amid social distancing. By Josh Halliday 1 IT WASin the Lake District where William Wordsworth “wander’d lonely as a cloud” and the only crowd he saw was “a host of golden daffodils”. Two centuries later, the park’s natural beauty is being eroded faster than ever before, ecologists are warning, as a result of the climate emergency and a huge influx of pandemic walkers. 2 Joanne Backshall, who leads the National Trust programme Fix the Fells, said natural flora along some of the park’s most famous peaks, including the Old Man of Coniston and Scafell Pike, was being rapidly destroyed after an exceptionally busy 18 months. “Everywhere is busier than I’ve ever seen it before: the roads, the car parks, the shops, cafes, but Walkers inthe Lake District. |Photo: Picture Alliance also outside on the countryside, on the paths there’s more people than I’ve ever seen before,” she said. “And the erosion is happening faster than I’ve ever seen it happen before.” 3 On some popular walks, 2-metre-wide paths have become “at least 12 metres wide,” Backshall said, as crowds have jostled for space and given others a wide berth because of social distancing. A section of pathway of only 300 metres can cost nearly £45,000 to fix, with helicopters sometimes required to drop in huge blocks of stone. 4 The desire of visitors to venture off the beaten track has also posed a new risk to wildlife in lesser-known parts of beauty spots, conservationists say. Social media has played a part. “Our lakes became beaches. Random waterfalls went viral on Instagram, and everyone turned up,” said Tony Watson, the head of visitor services at the Lake District National Park, earlier this year. 5 The wear and tear of the pandemic, coupled with the increasingly severe weather caused by the climate emergency, has increased the strain on those who look after the Lake District, which attracts about 16 million tourists a year. 6 Fix the Fells launched 20 years ago to repair “unsightly scars” to the landscape, including 30-metre-wide gullies measuring 4 metres deep. In the past two decades, a small team of rangers have tended to 400 miles’ worth of paths across the world heritage site. The programme relies solely on donations and grants to survive as it does not receive any government funding. The National Trust said nearly £10 million had been spent in the past 20 years repairing hundreds of paths and erosion scars and that another £5 million was now urgently needed to protect the landscape over the next decade. 7 Backshall, an ecologist who manages the team of 26 rangers and 110 volunteers, said the repairs of the past two decades would be quickly undone if donations dried up. “If Fix the Fells was to stop its work altogether, we would quickly revert to the sorts of erosion scars that we saw 20 years ago, and it will just get worse,” she said. “They would open up very quickly now because of the sheer numbers of people and also because of the severe weather events we have due to climate change.” 8 The erosion is already taking its toll on local wildlife. Sediment washed off the hillside collects in lakes and rivers, reducing the breeding habitat for fish to lay their eggs. It also reduces the number and variety of plants and insects, meaning the area will attract fewer birds. 9 “People love the Lake District scenery; they love the Lake District environment. The biodiversity here is really important, and it’s all really good for people’s therapy,” said Backshall. “We just want to keep looking after it so that people can keep enjoying it into the future.” © 2021 Guardian News and Media Ltd 0 – 1 IN PERILin Gefahr — influx Zustrom — to erode erodieren; beschädigen; s.w.u. erosion — to jostle for s.th. “"dZÅs´l‘ um etw. rangeln — amid s.th. vor dem Hintergrund e-r S. — a host of (fig) ein Meer an — daffodil “"dœf´dIl‘ Narzisse — ecologist “i…"kÅl´dZIst‘ Ökologe(-in) 2 – 4 fell steiler Hang — peak Gipfel — to give s.o. a wide berth um jdn. e-n großen Bogen machen — to venture off the beaten track “"ventS´‘ die ausgetretenen Pfade hinter s. lassen (to v. s. wagen) — to pose a risk e-e Gefahr darstellen — conservationist Naturschützer(in) — random … irgendwelche … — head Chef(in) 5 – 6 wear and tear (of) “te´‘ Verschleiß (durch); h.: Auswirkungen — coupled with gepaart mit — unsightly unansehnlich — gully “"gøli‘ Schlucht; Senkloch — to measure “"meZ´‘ messen — to tend to s. kümmern um — … worth of h.: insgesamt … an — world heritage site “"herItIdZ‘ Welterbestätte — to rely on angewiesen sein auf — solely ausschließlich — grant Zuschuss — government funding staatl. Mittel 7 – 9 to dry up ausbleiben — to revert to s.th. zu etw. zurückkehren — to take its toll ihren Tribut fordern — sediment “"sedIm´nt‘ — to collect s. sammeln — breeding habitat “"hœbItœt‘ Laichgebiet — variety “v´"raI´ti‘ Vielfalt — biodiversity “ÆbaI´UdaI"v‰…s´ti‘ Artenvielfalt Jamaica set to seek compensation from Britain over slave trade HISTORY • EMPIRE By Jennifer Hassan 1 JAMAICA is preparing to request compensation from Britain over its role in the transatlantic slave trade in the 17th and 18th centuries – when at least 600,000 Africans were shipped to the Caribbean as enslaved people – Jamaican officials told Reuters. Jamaica long served as a key node in a slave trade network Loading coal in Morant Bay. Jamaica, 18th century. | Image: Getty Images that spanned continents, driven by Spain and then Britain. 2 The country, a former British colony independent since 1962, is set to seek reparations in a petition submitted to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s minister of sports, youth, and culture, told Reuters her government would seek “reparatory justice in all forms” to “repair the damages that our ancestors experienced.” “Our African ancestors were forcibly removed from their home and suffered unparalleled atrocities in Africa to carry out forced labor to the benefit of the British Empire,” she said but did not divulge the exact sum to be sought. 3 The petition, Reuters reported, is connected to a motion filed by Jamaican lawmaker Mike Henry to seek more than billion, his estimate of how much enslavers received in compensation after Britain abolished slavery, freeing an estimated 800,000 enslaved Black people in 1834. Britain made those disbursements after taking out a mammoth loan, the interest on which it finished paying only in 2015. 4 Enslaved people transported to the Caribbean were forced to work in dire conditions on sugar and crop plantations, where deadly diseases were rife. As many as 20 million African men, women, and children were 0 – 1 TO BE SET to do voraussichtlich tun werden — compensation over Entschädigung für — Caribbean “ÆkœrI"bi…´n‘ — enslaved versklavt — official Regierungsmitarbeiter(in) — key node Knotenpunkt — to span s.th. s. über etw. erstrecken 2 to seek s.th. etw. anstreben — to submit s.th. to s.o. etw. bei jdm. einreichen — reparatory justice “"rep´r´tÅri‘ Wiedergutmachung — ancestors “"œnsest´z‘ Vorfahren — forcibly “"fO…s´bli‘ gewaltsam — unparalleled beispiellos — atrocity “´"trÅs´ti‘ Grausamkeit — forced labor Zwangsarbeit — to the benefit of s.th. zugunsten e-r S. — to divulge “daI"vøldZ‘ preisgeben 3 motion Antrag — to file einreichen — lawmaker Abgeordnete(r) — billion Milliarde — enslaver Sklavenhalter(in) — disbursement “dIs"b‰…sm´nt‘ Auszahlung — to take out a loan e-n Kredit aufnehmen — mammoth “"mœm´T‘ riesig 4 – 5 dire furchtbar — crop Nutzpflanze — to be rife grassieren — to reside wohnen — to funnel fließen lassen — chattel slavery Besitzsklaverei — to dehumanize “Ædi…"hju…m´naIz‘ entmenschlichen

World and Press | November 1 2021 UK republicans take heart from royals’ recent travails Britain 7 MONARCHY Campaign group Republic believes bad headlines are increasing support for abolition of monarchy. mit Übungsmaterial By Ben Quinn 1 IT HASbeen another run of weeks in which the royal family’s open sores have been publicised around the world. Prince Andrew was confirmed to be a “person of interest” in a new US investigation into the disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Days later, it transpired that a new epilogue of a biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex states the pair believe the royal family did not take accountability for the concerns raised in their interview with Oprah Winfrey. 2 Separately, an unwelcome development of a different kind for the royals came on Sunday when a charity founded by Prince Charles said it was launching an ethics investigation into claims of “cash for access” – the allegation that middlemen were taking payments for setting up dinner between wealthy donors and the future king. 3 It is a backdrop that leaves those making the often lonely enslaved during this period, according to estimates. Many plantation owners resided in England, with established slavebased industries across the Caribbean, funneling wealth to the British Empire. 5 “I have fought against this all my life, against chattel slavery which has dehumanized human life,” Henry told Reuters. The Jamaican government did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the petition. 6 Like many countries that were once part of the British Empire, Jamaica is part of the Commonwealth, an association of nations, which Queen Elizabeth II heads. In the wake of the Black Lives The imperial state crown. | Photo: Picture Alliance/AP case for a republic in the UK convinced they are quietly making headway, not only by claiming a recent increase in formal support but also by the reaction to a publicity campaign designed to get people talking about their cause. 4 A set of billboards rolled out by the campaign group Republic is unprecedentedly stark in calling for the abolition of the monarchy. And it has achieved one of its desired goals – provoking a reaction – even if that includes at Matter movement that swept much of the world last summer, many countries have seen renewed impetus to confront their own dark and violent histories of racism and inequality. 7 In Britain, as in the United States, debates have unfolded about how the history of slavery is taught in schools. In the English city of Bristol, which was once at the heart of mass sugar importations, a statue of British politician Edward Colston was toppled during protests that erupted following the death of George Floyd last year. Colston was responsible for enslaving tens of thousands of people. … © 2021 The Washington Post 6 – 7 to head s.th. e-r S. vorstehen — in the wake of s.th. im Zuge e-r S. — to sweep s. ausbreiten über — impetus “"ImpIt´s‘ Impuls — inequality “ÆInI"kwÅl´ti‘ Ungleichheit — to unfold h.: s. entzünden — to be at the heart of s.th. im Zentrum e-r S. stehen — importation Import — to topple umstürzen — to erupt ausbrechen 0 – 1 TO TAKE HEARTMut fassen — travails “"trœveIlz‘ Mühsal; Probleme — monarchy “"mÅn´ki‘ — abolition “Æœb´"lIS´n‘ Abschaffung — sore Wunde; Bedrängnis — to publicise publik machen — investigation Ermittlung; Untersuchung — disgraced in Ungnade gefallen — to transpire bekannt werden — to take accountability Verantwortung übernehmen 2 – 3 ethics … “"eTIks‘ bezügl. ethischer Standards — allegation “ÆœlI"geIS´n‘ Anschuldigung — donor Spender(in) — backdrop Hintergrund — to make a case for s.th. für etw. plädieren — to make headway vorankommen — cause Anliegen 4 billboard Plakat — unprecedentedly “øn"presI d´ntIdli‘ auf beispiellose Weise — stark h.: deutlich — to call for fordern — to provoke hervorrufen — to vandalise mutwillig zerstören; verunstalten — to depict darstellen | Infographic: Statista least one being vandalised. New billboards, including one depicting Andrew as “Wanted”, are set to go up in the near future. 5 But while royal controversies continue to indirectly aid the cause, lesser-appreciated and perhaps counterintuitive factors are also driving newer recruits into the republican fold, not least the television juggernaut “The Crown”. Richard Crane, 23, a PhD student at York University who joined Republic two months ago, credits the series with beginning his journey from being a “halfmonarchist” to somebody actively supporting the institution’s abolition. “It prompted me to do a bit more research about what their role is and what systems are in place in other countries such as India and Ireland, which made me realise a lot of things,” he said. 6 Another who joined in the past year, Henry Beach, a conservative-leaning 29-year-old Londoner working in marketing, is an example of the campaign reaching further than left-of-centre silos, despite it remaining small. “My interest actually kicked during the purchase of the flat where I live with my girlfriend,” he said. “It’s under leasehold, and there’s a freeholder above that, which I find quite wrong. It really sparked the idea that we are still living in a feudalistic system and all that flows from that.” 7 Republic’s CEO, Graham Smith, expresses satisfaction with the impact of the latest campaign and claims the winds are beginning to change. And he credits the furore around Prince Harry and Meghan as one trigger. “It’s dividing opinion again. I think there are a lot of people who zusatzmaterial Im Abo PREMIUM 20% günstiger! www.sprachzeitungen.de are sympathetic to them and a lot of people who really wish they would go away,” he said. “But I think a lot of people were pretty shocked by the allegations of racism, towards Meghan’s health for example.” 8 Smith said Republic’s main focus remains on preparing for the opportunity around the royal succession. He said a potentially much less popular King Charles presents a headache for those seeking to preserve the monarchy. “I don’t think a constitutional crisis will be inevitable, but I think it is a very serious problem,” he said. “We feel he will find it very difficult to keep his mouth closed and to say nothing on issues that matter to him. I think he has a kind of messianic complex way; he feels he is here to save us from ourselves.” 9 Polling consistently underlines the popularity of the monarchy in the UK. Three in five Britons (61%) still support the monarchy, according to YouGov polling in May, a small fall on the previous year. However, the same polling found that 41% of 18- to 24-year-olds say Britain should have an elected head of state, while 31% continue to support the monarchy. … © 2021 Guardian News and Media Ltd 5 controversy “"kÅntr´v‰…si‘ Skandal; Kontroverse — to aid Unterstützung leisten — counterintuitive “Æ-- In"tju…´tIv‘ der eigenen Intuition widersprechend — recruit Anhänger(in) — to drive into s.o.’s fold in jds. Arme treiben — juggernaut “"dZøg´nO…t‘ (fig) Gigant — to credit s.th. with s.th. e-r S. etw. zuschreiben — to prompt s.o. jdn. dazu veranlassen 6 – 7 conservative-leaning (eher) konservativ ausgerichtet — silo “"saIl´U‘ — under leasehold verpachtet — freeholder Grundeigentümer(in) — feudalistic “Æfju… d´l"IstIk‘ — trigger Auslöser — to be sympathetic to s.o. “ÆsImp´"TetIk‘ jdm. gegenüber wohlwollend sein 8 – 9 royal succession “s´k"seS´n‘ Thronfolge — constitutional crisis “ÆkÅnstI"tSu…S´n´l‘ Staatskrise — inevitable “I"nevIt´b´l‘ unvermeidlich — messianic “Æmesi"œnIk‘ Messias- — polling Umfragen — head of state Staatsoberhaupt

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