Cookies help us run our site more efficiently.

By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information or to customize your cookie preferences.

Accept Deny

GoGreenNation news

Royal family to replace helicopters after flights cost more than £1m last year

News Feed
Tuesday, July 23, 2024

The royal family spent more than £1m on journeys by helicopter last year, and will take delivery of two new ones to replace those they have used for the past 15 years.In total, royals made 170 helicopter journeys, costing a total of £1,096,300, official accounts reveal, with the total travel bill last year rising to £4.2m from £3.9m.Aides have defended the amount of helicopter usage, which has drawn criticism over its environmental impact, because it gives royals flexibility and easier access to remote areas, as well as allowing for a greater number of engagements in a day. The royals are also increasingly using sustainable aviation fuel.The two new AgustaWestland AW139s are considered a “key component” in enabling King Charles and the royal family to carry out their engagements, and will replace their Sikorsky helicopters later this year. Because of the cost of replacement, the aim will be to maximise usage and “sweat the assets”.The most expensive travel was Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to Kenya by charter flight in October, in addition to a related staff planning visit by scheduled flights, which came to a total of £166,557, the accounts reveal.The king and queen’s three-day state visit by charter flight to France in September, with trips to Paris and Bordeaux, cost £117,942.The royal train remained, mile for mile, the most expensive form of transport. It cost £53,013 for a two-day visit by Charles to North Yorkshire for engagements including the centenary of the Flying Scotsman. Aides argue the train mitigates security costs by providing secure overnight accommodation.There are plans to review its usage, with Charles only using it once last year. However, as last year was not considered a “normal” one, partly because of the king’s health, a review will be conducted once a more regular pattern of use emerges.Other sustainability measures include the king’s state Bentleys being converted to run on biofuel within the next year, with a view to switching to a fleet of electric cars in the future, while solar panels have been introduced to Windsor Castle for the first time. The palace expects to increase the number of solar panels and look at introducing air-source heat pumps across the residential estate in years to come.Gas lanterns at the palace, which were switched off during the recent energy crisis as a cost-saving measure, are being repurposed with specially designed electrical fittings to improve their energy efficiency while also preserving their historical look and glow.Of Buckingham Palace’s 523 staff, 11.4% were from minority ethnic backgrounds, compared with 9.7% last year, and 53% were female.At Kensington Palace, where the Prince and Princess of Wales employ 66 staff, up from 50 last year, the gender balance was 67% female to 33% male, with 14% of staff from a minority ethnic background.

Two new AgustaWestland AW139s will be in use this year as total annual travel bill rises from £3.9m to £4.2mThe royal family spent more than £1m on journeys by helicopter last year, and will take delivery of two new ones to replace those they have used for the past 15 years.In total, royals made 170 helicopter journeys, costing a total of £1,096,300, official accounts reveal, with the total travel bill last year rising to £4.2m from £3.9m. Continue reading...

The royal family spent more than £1m on journeys by helicopter last year, and will take delivery of two new ones to replace those they have used for the past 15 years.

In total, royals made 170 helicopter journeys, costing a total of £1,096,300, official accounts reveal, with the total travel bill last year rising to £4.2m from £3.9m.

Aides have defended the amount of helicopter usage, which has drawn criticism over its environmental impact, because it gives royals flexibility and easier access to remote areas, as well as allowing for a greater number of engagements in a day. The royals are also increasingly using sustainable aviation fuel.

The two new AgustaWestland AW139s are considered a “key component” in enabling King Charles and the royal family to carry out their engagements, and will replace their Sikorsky helicopters later this year. Because of the cost of replacement, the aim will be to maximise usage and “sweat the assets”.

The most expensive travel was Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to Kenya by charter flight in October, in addition to a related staff planning visit by scheduled flights, which came to a total of £166,557, the accounts reveal.

The king and queen’s three-day state visit by charter flight to France in September, with trips to Paris and Bordeaux, cost £117,942.

The royal train remained, mile for mile, the most expensive form of transport. It cost £53,013 for a two-day visit by Charles to North Yorkshire for engagements including the centenary of the Flying Scotsman. Aides argue the train mitigates security costs by providing secure overnight accommodation.

There are plans to review its usage, with Charles only using it once last year. However, as last year was not considered a “normal” one, partly because of the king’s health, a review will be conducted once a more regular pattern of use emerges.

Other sustainability measures include the king’s state Bentleys being converted to run on biofuel within the next year, with a view to switching to a fleet of electric cars in the future, while solar panels have been introduced to Windsor Castle for the first time. The palace expects to increase the number of solar panels and look at introducing air-source heat pumps across the residential estate in years to come.

Gas lanterns at the palace, which were switched off during the recent energy crisis as a cost-saving measure, are being repurposed with specially designed electrical fittings to improve their energy efficiency while also preserving their historical look and glow.

Of Buckingham Palace’s 523 staff, 11.4% were from minority ethnic backgrounds, compared with 9.7% last year, and 53% were female.

At Kensington Palace, where the Prince and Princess of Wales employ 66 staff, up from 50 last year, the gender balance was 67% female to 33% male, with 14% of staff from a minority ethnic background.

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

Related News

We study glaciers. ‘Artificial glaciers’ and other tech may halt their total collapse | Brent Minchew and Colin Meyer

How might we prevent sea-level rise? Satellite-based radar, solar-powered drones, robot submarines and lab-based ‘artificial glaciers’ could all play a roleSea levels are rising faster than at any point in human history, and for every foot that waters rise, 100 million people lose their homes. At current projections, that means about 300 million people will be forced to move in the decades to come, along with the social and political conflict as people migrate inland. Despite this looming crisis, the world still lacks specific, reliable forecasts for when and where the seas will rise – and we have invested almost nothing in understanding whether and how we can slow it down.Societies must continue to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s increasingly clear that the world needs to do more: we need to predict the future of the world’s ice with precision, and to explore safe, science-backed methods to keep it from melting away. Continue reading...

Sea levels are rising faster than at any point in human history, and for every foot that waters rise, 100 million people lose their homes. At current projections, that means about 300 million people will be forced to move in the decades to come, along with the social and political conflict as people migrate inland. Despite this looming crisis, the world still lacks specific, reliable forecasts for when and where the seas will rise – and we have invested almost nothing in understanding whether and how we can slow it down.Societies must continue to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s increasingly clear that the world needs to do more: we need to predict the future of the world’s ice with precision, and to explore safe, science-backed methods to keep it from melting away.What does that look like? A growing group of scientists at universities and non-profits are testing a new approach, one that treats ice not as a distant, untouchable force, but as a system we can understand, anticipate and conserve.The challenge is vast. The largest drivers of sea-level rise are ocean-bound glaciers whose loss is largely driven by warm ocean currents melting their undersides, a deep ocean process that will continue even as we reduce emissions. Like enormous ice cubes dumped into a glass of water, collapsing glaciers can raise sea levels precipitously.Most concerning is the Florida-sized Thwaites glacier in west Antarctica, called the “doomsday glacier” because it is the keystone holding back the much larger west Antarctic ice sheet. If, as satellite observations indicate, Thwaites continues to collapse, the west Antarctic ice sheet would go with it, raising global sea levels more than 6ft, displacing more than half a billion people, in our children’s lifetimes. Notably, while we believe reducing carbon emissions is critical for climate resilience, even bringing emissions to preindustrial levels will not slow this collapse.This scenario is daunting, but we are not powerless. The way we see it, there has never been a better time to meet this challenge head-on. We are the beneficiaries of decades of polar and glacier research strengthened by innovative technologies that allow us to monitor the ice sheets, study relevant phenomena in the laboratory and combine this knowledge in computational models to forecast sea-level rise.Technologies we can bring to bear include satellite-based radar, solar-powered drones, robot submarines, lab-based “artificial glaciers” and advanced computing technologies, including artificial intelligence.What might be possible in the future to prevent sea-level rise? Glaciers, which flow like rivers of ice over a bed of rock and sediment, can naturally freeze themselves to their beds under the right conditions, as the Kamb ice stream in west Antarctica did about 200 years ago. This freezing occurred in only a few relatively small areas under Kamb, and yet the entire glacier has virtually stopped flowing and is currently accumulating ice.We cannot afford to debate until the tide is at our doorImportantly, this freezing-induced stabilization, which has lasted for centuries, did not affect the stability of surrounding areas, suggesting there are nature-inspired solutions that could stabilize Thwaites, and other areas, at reasonable cost and risk, especially compared with the astronomical costs and existential risks of unchecked sea-level rise. One approach that shows promise would involve drilling to the bed of Thwaites and installing passive heat pumps, known as thermosiphons, to cool its base.These are only ideas at this stage. It will take years of research and development to understand if and how we might stabilize ice sheets. Such efforts will need to consider the views of multiple governing bodies and stakeholders and follow established engineering frameworks, including Nasa’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL) system, which assesses viability throughout a deliberative development process. Innovation and speed are of the essence because of the human and economic toll of sea-level rise, but so too are scientific discipline and environmental responsibility.We cannot “move fast and break things” – but we also cannot afford to debate until the tide is at our door.Philanthropy is currently picking up where governments have failed to fund at scale. For example, the recently concluded International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC), a partnership between the US and the UK, provided on average about US$7m each year from 2018 to 2025. That is considered a major investment in this field, yet it is vanishingly small next to the hundreds of billions lost to coastal flooding every year. Accelerating preparations for sea level rise requires greater and sustained funding commitments.As scientists who have studied ice sheets and glaciers for years, we were resigned to documenting their demise. But we’ve decided to embrace a more proactive approach to this problem, which means applying our knowledge and skills to rapidly improve sea-level forecasts, so we all know what’s coming and when, and, in parallel, to research and develop solutions that could slow rates of sea-level rise.All of us must face the fact that sea levels will continue to rise, with major implications for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. However, facing that reality is not the same as accepting it. We must start now to combine emissions reduction with careful, responsible exploration of new options to slow sea-level rise and prevent worst-case scenarios.If we fail to find new options, we will at least know that we did everything we could, while helping humanity prepare for what’s coming. And if we succeed, we will have done something once thought out of reach: we’ll have preserved the world’s coastlines, and given future generations the chance to live by stable seas. Dr Brent Minchew is the co-founder and chief scientist at the Arête Glacier Initiative and a professor of geophysics at Caltech Dr Colin Meyer is the co-founder and deputy scientist at the Arête Glacier Initiative and an associate professor of engineering at Dartmouth College

Crisis
Science
Water

A polycrisis has shattered our world this year. But with care, we can put it back together | Elif Shafak

The challenges and strains have been almost too much to take. But in 2025, words of depth and courage have been an antidote to numbnessI once saw a young glassblower in Istanbul, still new to his craft, shatter a beautiful vase while taking it out of the furnace. The artisan master standing by his side calmly nodded and said something that I still think about. He told him: “You put too much pressure on it, you kept it unbalanced and you forgot that it, too, has a heart.”The year we are leaving behind has been plagued from the start by a series of social, economic, environmental, technological and institutional challenges, all happening with such speed and intensity that we are yet to fully comprehend their impact on our lives, let alone on future generations. As the overwhelming strain of domestic and geopolitical changes continues to build up, I cannot help but remember the man’s words. Too much pressure. Unstable, uncertain and replete with deep inequalities. This could well be the year we forgot that the Earth, too, has a heart. It definitely feels like the year when the world was broken. Continue reading...

I once saw a young glassblower in Istanbul, still new to his craft, shatter a beautiful vase while taking it out of the furnace. The artisan master standing by his side calmly nodded and said something that I still think about. He told him: “You put too much pressure on it, you kept it unbalanced and you forgot that it, too, has a heart.”The year we are leaving behind has been plagued from the start by a series of social, economic, environmental, technological and institutional challenges, all happening with such speed and intensity that we are yet to fully comprehend their impact on our lives, let alone on future generations. As the overwhelming strain of domestic and geopolitical changes continues to build up, I cannot help but remember the man’s words. Too much pressure. Unstable, uncertain and replete with deep inequalities. This could well be the year we forgot that the Earth, too, has a heart. It definitely feels like the year when the world was broken.In 2024, to be fair, many of the current problems were already present and growing. But there was also a strong wave of positive expectations and public excitement as more than 1.6 billion people went to the polls. It was a time of unparalleled concentrated democratic activity full of promises, incautious confidence, passionate speeches and fiery oratory. Many voters were keen to express their anger and discontent, and express it they did. The mammoth year of elections revealed the importance of not only the ballot box, but also of the surrounding democratic institutions and norms. Language matters. How we talk to each other matters. Democratic decline always starts with words. When political opponents are treated as “enemies”, or even worse “enemies of the people”, the whole system suffers.Compared with that, the past 12 months have been marked by an emotional and intellectual fatigue for many people across different borders. What we are used to calling “the liberal international order” no longer carries weight. Deeply fractured and unable to hide its cracks, it is coming apart. The housing crisis, the lack of affordable rents and equal opportunities, and social and economic injustices have all eroded trust. Meanwhile, climate breakdown, AI threats and risks to pluralism, the possibility of another pandemic, and increasing militarism and jingoism alongside shifting alliances have contributed to the sense that the system that emerged from the ruins of the second world war has come to an end. As we close the first quarter of the century under the shadow of a new nuclear age, uncertainty is everywhere.In 2025, divisions have sadly deepened. At a time when humanity is faced with immense global challenges, we have been pushed further into boxes of “us v them”.An Afghan girl carries drinking water in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August 2025. Experts have warned that the city could become the first in the world to completely run out of water. Photograph: Samiullah Popal/EPAAn existential anxiety affects and drains many of us – east, west, north and south. Young and old. Perhaps some people are better at hiding their emotions than others, but when we look underneath polished social media facades of happy and fulfilled lives, we can see that anxiety is actually widespread. Fear. Frustration. Enervation. A new word has been coined to define the zeitgeist: “polycrisis”. The worst thing we can do, individually and collectively, is to allow ourselves to descend into numbness. To become desensitised to the pain and suffering of others: in Gaza, in Sudan, in Ukraine. This is why good and honest journalism matters all the more today. Many pieces published in the Guardian this year not only showed a remarkable depth and breadth, but also helped us to remain engaged and connected. In that sense, they are an antidote to numbness.There were sentimental moments this year, too. In the UK, we cried again over the Sycamore Gap tree and the senseless, meaningless hatred displayed by two men, convicted this year, who decided it would be fun to cut down something that had brought joy to so many for so long. It is interesting that the human sentimentality that we were allowed to display in response to the death of a beloved tree was denied to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, when she was caught on camera crying in the Commons. The media and social media coverage was rather sexist. Amelia Gentleman wrote a coruscating piece asking why women’s workplace tears are regarded as a source of shame. Delving into another emotionally difficult subject, Polly Toynbee wrote courageously on the assisted dying debate, underlining how a decent life can end in a decent death.One of the most poignant and important pieces published this year was co-written by Malak A Tantesh and Emma Graham-Harrison about the despair of parents and grandparents in Gaza watching their children and grandchildren with skeletal bodies, so malnourished that they have become vulnerable to all kinds of horrible diseases: “We have faced hunger before, but never like this.” Dan Sabbagh composed an article about Ukraine that highlighted the devastating consequences of the occupation and war for ordinary families, with one person stating: “We never thought the war would come to our village.” Amplifying human stories can help to dismantle the cold and elitist rhetoric that treats people as sheer numbers.Oasis perform during their reunion tour in Melbourne in October 2025. Photograph: Joel Carrett/EPAA recent report revealed that Kabul could soon become the first modern city to completely run out of water, with all the aquifers drying up as early as 2030. More than 6 million people live in Afghanistan’s capital. In the UK, there is a growing public resentment and anger against water companies that keep pumping sewage into our rivers. Meanwhile, rivers are dying elsewhere, with the Middle East and north Africa being home to seven out of the 10 most water-stressed nations. The climate crisis is the story of water and the ones who disproportionately bear the brunt are always women, children and tpoor people.There were some moments of light. Even small miracles, such as the reunion of Oasis. We have seen a heartwarming rise in book clubs and reading parties. Unexpectedly, in this time of hyperinformation and fast consumption, many young people are taking up traditional hobbies. It feels as if the faster our world spins, the more urgent and universal our need to slow down, to connect, to think, to care.In Argentina recently, an 18th-century painting called Portrait of a Lady that was stolen from a Jewish art collector by the Nazis was recovered after being spotted on an estate agent’s listing. She looks at us calmly, the woman in the portrait, in her flower-embroidered dress; she who has seen too many atrocities but is still resilient and full of life. As always, art, culture and literature offer us a sanctuary, a home, a sense of togetherness. Glassblowers remind us that even the worst shattered glass can be melted, resculpted and revived. It all begins with an honest recognition of what remains broken and a willingness to mend.

Crisis
Climate
Water

Costa Rica’s Térraba Community Battles Biodiversity Loss with Tree-Planting Revival

In southern Costa Rica, the Térraba Indigenous community stands as a frontline defender against a deepening global biodiversity crisis. With one million species facing extinction and ecosystems eroding faster than ever, according to United Nations assessments, local efforts like those in Térraba offer a model for resistance and recovery. The Térraba people, known as the […] The post Costa Rica’s Térraba Community Battles Biodiversity Loss with Tree-Planting Revival appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

In southern Costa Rica, the Térraba Indigenous community stands as a frontline defender against a deepening global biodiversity crisis. With one million species facing extinction and ecosystems eroding faster than ever, according to United Nations assessments, local efforts like those in Térraba offer a model for resistance and recovery. The Térraba people, known as the Brörán, have long confronted deforestation driven by logging and the spread of chemical-heavy agriculture. For decades, they have protected their ancestral lands, where rivers and forests hold deep cultural meaning. Pollution from upstream farms once tainted their water sources, killing fish and harming wildlife. Community members responded by restoring habitats and promoting sustainable practices that honor their traditions. Paulino Nájera Rivera embodies this commitment. Growing up amid the forests of Buenos Aires, he learned from elders about the balance between people and nature. In the 1980s, as trees fell to clear land for crops and cattle, he saw the damage firsthand. By the 1990s, he and his siblings took action, planting more than 37,000 native trees. They gathered seeds from rare species on the brink of disappearance, guided by traditional knowledge. Exotic plants popular for quick profits held no appeal; instead, they focused on species that belonged to the ecosystem. Today, Nájera Rivera’s land thrives with regenerated rainforest. Birds and animals have returned, and the soil supports diverse plant life. He turned this revival into a business called Rincón Ecológico Cultural, where he guides visitors on trails through the woods. Guests walk paths lined with towering trees, hear stories of Brörán heritage, and see before-and-after photos of the transformation. Groups of up to 100 people, including students from over 30 countries in Europe and beyond, join these tours. They learn about environmental stewardship and the community’s bond with the land. “Rincón Ecológico Cultural started from a dream that no one backed at first,” Nájera Rivera said. “We aimed to highlight our culture and let people understand who we are.” Nájera Rivera is among 77 Indigenous entrepreneurs who gained support from the Raíces program, a government-led initiative backed by the United Nations Development Programme’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative. Launched in 2020, Raíces—meaning “roots” in Spanish—serves as an incubator for sustainable tourism ventures in Indigenous territories. It provides training, funding access, and business tools tailored to communities often overlooked by traditional banks. Challenges like limited land titles and digital skills get addressed through customized approaches. Across its first three editions, Raíces has channeled over $1.7 million to back 35 ventures. Two-thirds are led by women, reflecting a push for gender balance in economic development. The program now enters its fourth round, expanding to Caribbean territories like Nairi-Awari and Bajo Chirripó, alongside southern areas such as Boruca, Cabagra, and Térraba. Other entrepreneurs echo Nájera Rivera’s success. In Térraba, Elides Rivera Navas runs Jardín del Idön, a garden-based tour operation that lets her stay rooted in her community while earning income. “Raíces gave me the chance to build a business without leaving my territory,” she explained. It balanced her family duties with professional growth. In the Boruca territory, Johanna Lázaro Morales operates Caushas Farm, offering cultural experiences tied to agriculture. The support improved her services, allowing her to care for her children and elderly parents. “It changed how we share our ways with the world,” Lázaro Morales noted, emphasizing community uplift through women’s roles. Andrey Zúñiga Torres, of Bribri-Cabécar descent in Ujarrás, leads KuyekECoVida, which spotlights local ecology and traditions. His work boosts the economy while passing knowledge to younger generations.These businesses do more than generate revenue; they safeguard biodiversity. By drawing tourists to restored sites, they fund conservation and educate visitors on threats like habitat loss. Indigenous groups manage a significant portion of the world’s remaining intact forests—about 36 percent globally—making their strategies key to addressing the crisis. In Costa Rica, where tourism brings in $4.3 billion yearly and protected areas cover a quarter of the land, such models align with national goals. The country reversed severe deforestation in the late 20th century through policies that value forests economically. Yet challenges persist. Global funding for biodiversity falls short by hundreds of billions annually, risking further declines in services like clean water and pollination that underpin half the world’s economy. In Térraba, ongoing pressures from agriculture demand vigilance. Raíces demonstrates how targeted support can empower communities to lead. As Nájera Rivera walks his trails, he shows that reconnecting with ancestral ways can heal the land and inspire change. For Costa Rica and beyond, these Indigenous efforts point to a path where people and nature sustain each other. The post Costa Rica’s Térraba Community Battles Biodiversity Loss with Tree-Planting Revival appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Crisis
Extinction
Indigenous

Unreliable Data Mask Just How Bad the Air Quality Crisis Is in India

India’s air-quality crisis is deepened by unreliable data

NEW DELHI (AP) — Recent remarks about pollution from two Indian officials have increased frustration among residents who say policymakers are unwilling to acknowledge the severity of India's air quality crisis. When Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told Parliament earlier this month that India’s capital, New Delhi, has seen 200 days with good air quality readings, pollution experts and opposition leaders said he chose a figure that overlooked the worst pollution months. A week later, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the air quality index — a measure of air pollution — was similar to a temperature reading and could be dealt with by spraying water. Crowds jeered her at a subsequent public event, shouting “AQI” in reference to the city's poor air quality readings. Gupta had also greenlit a controversial cloud seeding program earlier this year, saying it could produce rain that would lower pollution — despite lack of evidence that the approach would work.“Instead of doing cloud seeding, I hope the government will wake up and take some real action,” said Anita, a 73-year-old New Delhi resident who goes by only one name. “It’s a shame."Environmentalists and data experts said India’s air quality measurement standards are looser than in countries such as the United States, so moderate readings often mask dangerous pollution levels. India's government air quality standards are also less stringent than World Health Organization guidelines.Experts said these gaps can erode public trust, even as few residents fully grasp how harmful polluted air is. Gaps in India’s air quality data India’s air quality is measured through a nationwide network of monitors and sensors, as well as satellite data. The monitors collect robust data, but there are too few of them, said Ronak Sutaria, CEO of Respirer Living, which builds machines and software for air quality monitoring. He said that the system falls short of letting citizens know how polluted the air in their neighborhoods really is. In 2019, India launched the National Clean Air Program, which set targets aiming to reduce pollution by up to 40% in 131 cities by 2026.The program has seen relative success, providing millions of dollars for monitors and water-spraying machines to reduce dust generated from vehicles plying the roads, construction activity and winds that blow desert sand into the cities. However, air pollution experts said the program has done little to reduce pollution from carbon-spewing industries or vehicle emissions, which are among the biggest sources of dirty air. Other sources include the burning of crop stubble on farms, use of wood and cow dung as cooking fuel and burning of garbage.A 2024 report by the Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi-based think tank, found that 64% of funds under the program went toward reducing dust and only 12% to reducing pollution from vehicles and less than 1% to bringing down industrial air pollution.“We are making huge investments in air quality monitoring. And so when we are expanding, then it also becomes an imperative that we should be focusing on the quality,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at the think tank. A public health emergency A study last year by the medical journal Lancet linked long-term exposure to polluted air to 1.5 million additional deaths every year in India, compared to a scenario where the country would have met WHO standards.Yet earlier this month, Prataprao Jadhav, India’s junior health minister, said there is no conclusive data available in the country to establish a direct correlation of death or disease exclusively to air pollution.Shweta Narayan, a campaign lead at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, said that air pollution is still not taken seriously as a public health issue.“Deaths related to air pollution are not being counted. And the reason why it’s not being counted is because there are no systematic mechanisms to do so,” Narayan said.Narayan said pollution causes long-term health problems for everyone exposed, but that it's especially bad for pregnant women, the elderly and children. “As a consequence of exposure to air pollution, we see a lot of preterm births, miscarriages, low birth weight. Exposure at this stage has a lifelong consequence,” she said.Earlier this month, New Delhi residents took to the streets to protest against dirty air and demand immediate government action in a relatively rare instance of public demonstrations. “We do not know whether ... citizens will be able to link air pollution to elections, but perhaps that’s where India is moving toward,” environmentalist Vimlendu Jha said in an interview. “Citizens are fed up.”Jha said authorities are not being honest about the problem and that there is a lack of political will to address the issue. “There’s more headline and image management than pollution management,” he said, adding that the high levels of pollution have been treated as normal by political leaders. “The first thing that the government needs to do is to be honest about the problem that we have," he said. "The right diagnosis is extremely critical.” Regardless of whether policymakers act, the consequences of dirty air for the residents of India’s capital are evident. “Everyone feels the pollution. People are not able to work or even breathe,” said Satish Sharma, a 60-year-old auto rickshaw driver. Sharma said he has reduced his work hours as his health has deteriorated in the last few weeks because of the pollution. “I want to tell the government to please do something about this pollution," he said. "Otherwise, people will move away from here.”Arasu reported from Bengaluru, India. AP journalists Piyush Nagpal in New Delhi and Aniruddha Ghosal in Hanoi, Vietnam, contributed to this report.The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See – December 2025

Crisis
Climate
Health

Reiner family tragedy sheds light on pain of families grappling with addiction

Nick Reiner's drug addiction and mental illness may look recognizable to many families struggling with similar challenges.

When Greg heard about the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, and the alleged involvement of their son Nick, the news struck a painfully familiar chord.It wasn’t the violence that resonated, but rather the heartache and desperation that comes with loving a family member who suffers from an illness that the best efforts and intentions alone can’t cure. Greg has an adult child who, like Nick Reiner, has had a long and difficult struggle with addiction. “It just rings close to home,” said Greg, chair of Families Anonymous, a national support program for friends and family members of people with addiction. (In keeping with the organization’s policy of anonymity for members, The Times is withholding Greg’s last name.)“It’s just so horrible to be the parent or a loved one of somebody that struggles with [addiction], because you can’t make any sense of this,” he said. “You can’t find a way to help them.”Every family’s experience is different, and the full picture is almost always more complicated than it appears from the outside. Public details about the Reiner family’s private struggles are relatively few.But some parts of their story are likely recognizable to the millions of U.S. families affected by addiction.“This is really bringing to light something that’s going on in homes across the country,” said Emily Feinstein, executive vice president of the nonprofit Partnership to End Addiction.Over the years, Nick Reiner, 32, and his parents publicly discussed his years-long struggle with drug use, which included periods of homelessness and multiple rehab stints.Most recently, he was living in a guesthouse on his parents’ Brentwood property. Family friends told The Times that Michele Singer Reiner had become increasingly concerned about Nick’s mental health in recent weeks.The couple were found dead in their home Sunday afternoon. Los Angeles police officers arrested Nick hours later. On Tuesday, he was charged with their murder. He is currently being held without bail and has been placed under special supervision due to potential suicide risk, a law enforcement official told The Times. Experts in substance use cautioned against drawing a direct line between addiction and violence.“Addiction or mental health issues never excuse a horrific act of violence like this, and these sort of acts are not a direct result or a trait of addiction in general,” said Zac Jones, executive director of Beit T’Shuvah, a nonprofit Los Angeles-based addiction treatment center.The circumstances around the Reiners’ highly publicized deaths are far from ordinary. The fact that addiction touched their family is not.Nearly 1 in 5 people in the U.S. has personally experienced addiction, a 2023 poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found.Two-thirds of Americans have a family member with the disease, a proportion that is similar across rural, urban and suburban dwellers, and across Black, Latino and white respondents.“Substance use disorders, addiction, do not discriminate,” Jones said. “It affects everyone from the highest of the high [socioeconomic status] to people that are experiencing homelessness on Skid Row. ... There is no solution that can be bought.”During interviews for the 2015 film “Becoming Charlie,” a semi-autobiographical film directed by Rob Reiner and co-written by Nick Reiner, the family told journalists that Nick, then in his early 20s, had been to rehab an estimated 18 times since his early teens. Nick Reiner has also spoken publicly about his use of heroin as a teenager. Such cycles of rehab and relapse are common, experts said. One 2019 study found that it took an average of five recovery attempts to effectively stop using and maintain sobriety, though the authors noted that many respondents reported 10 or more attempts.Many families empty their savings in search of a cure, Feinstein said. Even those with abundant resources often end up in a similarly despairing cycle.“Unfortunately, the system that is set up to treat people is not addressing the complexity or the intensity of the illness, and in most cases, it’s very hard to find effective evidence-based treatment,” Feinstein said. “No matter how much money you have, it doesn’t guarantee a better outcome.”Addiction is a complex disorder with intermingled roots in genetics, biology and environmental triggers.Repeated drug use, particularly in adolescence and early adulthood when the brain is still developing, physically alters the circuitry that governs reward and motivation.On top of that, co-occurring mental health conditions, traumas and other factors mean that no two cases of substance abuse disorders are exactly the same. There are not enough quality rehabilitation programs to begin with, experts said, and even an effective program that one patient responds to successfully may not work at all for someone else.“There is always the risk of relapse. That can be hard to process,” Greg said.Families Anonymous counsels members to accept the “Three Cs” of a loved one’s addiction, Greg said: you didn’t cause it, you can’t cure it and you can’t control it.“Good, loving families, people that care, deal with this problem just as much,” he said. “This is just so common out there, but people don’t really talk about it. Especially parents, for fear of being judged.”After the killings, a family friend told The Times that they had “never known a family so dedicated to a child” as Rob and Michele Reiner, and that the couple “did everything for Nick. Every treatment program, therapy sessions and put aside their lives to save Nick’s repeatedly.”But the painful fact is that devotion alone cannot cure a complex, chronic disease.“If you could love someone into sobriety, into recovery, into remission from their psychiatric issues, then we’d have a lot fewer clients here,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, love isn’t enough. It’s certainly a part of the solution, but it isn’t enough.” If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Call 988 to connect to trained mental health counselors or text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line. Jake Reiner, Nick Reiner, Romy Reiner, Michele Singer Reiner and Rob Reiner attend Four Sixes Ranch Steakhouse’s pop-up grand opening at Wynn Las Vegas on Sept. 14, 2024. (Denise Truscello / Getty Images for Wynn Las Vegas)

Crisis
Health

Suggested Viewing

Precarious

An independent art film, Precarious is a haunting evocation of the aftermath of the explosion at Chernobyl, 25 years on. Accompanied by testimony from a group of unseen veterans of the disaster, Precarious bears witness to both the folly and resilience of humans and to nature's fragility.

Crisis
Pollution
Energy

Just Can't Stop!

a musical tribute to Exxon and climate change

Music
Crisis
Climate

Allergy Alert: Paranoia in Our Immune System

From peanuts and pollen to cats and dust mites, allergy rates are soaring dramatically all over the globe, with inoffensive substances triggering life-threatening physical responses. Experts are predicting that by 2050, one in two will suffer from an allergy. Why are our immune systems overreacting in this way? To stem the tide of the epidemic, scientists are investigating the interface between genetics, environmental factors and our modern lifestyle, and developing revolutionary new approaches to prevention and treatment.

Science
Crisis
Health

Capturing The Fire

When Louise Coghill saw the first plume of smoke begin to rise behind her parents property, she could never have predicted that in less than four hours, it would become a wall of flames, swallowing everything in its path. A photographer by trade, Louise has travelled the world documenting everything from the nomadic wanderers of Mongolia, to base life at Mount Everest. Capturing the extraordinary comes naturally to Louise, so when her family home in the semi-rural Western Australian town of Gidgegannup became engulfed in flames, her first instinct wasn’t to take shelter, it was to pick up her camera.

Conservation
Climate
Nature

Stalking Chernobyl: Exploration After Apocalypse

A documentary that examines the underground culture of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Three decades after the world's most infamous nuclear disaster, illegal hiking adventurers (known as “stalkers”), extreme sports aficionados, artists, and tour companies have begun to explore anew the mysterious, ghostly landscape, where trees and forest animals have reclaimed land abandoned by villagers. Even as survivors continue to reckon with a dishonest government’s attempts to cover up the extent of the disaster, and as humanity faces new nuclear incidents in place like Fukushima, the Chernobyl site has turned into a bizarre tourist attraction, drawing seekers with a taste for the post-apocalyptic. (a Cultures Of Resistance film)

Crisis
Culture
Pollution

Join us to forge
a sustainable future

Our team is always growing.
Become a partner, volunteer, sponsor, or intern today.
Let us know how you would like to get involved!

CONTACT US

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Subscribers receive a free day pass for streaming Cinema Verde.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.